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A96106 A plea for almes delivered in a sermon at the spital, before a solemn assembly of the city, on Tuesday in Easter week, April. 13. 1658. / By Thomas Watson Minister of Stephens Walbrook. Lond. Watson, Thomas, d. 1686. 1658 (1658) Wing W1137; Thomason E2125_1; ESTC R230810 21,949 77

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8. It may be an hieroglyphical embleme of this truth Christians must not onely have the wings of faith to flie but hands under their wings to work the works of mercy This is a faithful saying and these things I will that you maintain constantly that they which have beleeved in God might be careful to maintain good workes Titus 1. 8. The Lampe of faith must be filled with the oile of Charity Faith alone justifies but justifying faith is not alone * You may as well separate weight from lead or heat from fire as works from faith Good workes though they are not the causes of salvation yet they are evidences * Though they are not the foundation yet they are the superstructure Faith must not be built upon works but works must be built upon faith Rom. 7. 4. Ye are married to another that ye should bring forth fruit unto God Faith is the Spouse which marries Christ and good works are the children which faith bears For the vindication of the Doctrine of our Church and in the honour of good works I shall lay down these four Aphorismes Aphor. 1 1. Works are distinct from faith 'T is vaine to imagine that works are included in faith as the Diamond is enclosed in the Ring No they are distinct as the sap in the Vine is different from the clusters that grow upon it Aphor. 2 2. Works are the touch-stoneof faith Shew me thy faith by thy works Jam. 2. 18. * Works are faiths letters of credence to shew If saith Saint Bernard thou seest a man in operibus strenuum full of good works then by the Rule of Charity thou art not to doubt of his faith We judge of the health of the body by the pulse where the blood stirres and operates O Christian judge of the health of thy faith by the pulse of Charity it is with faith as with a Deed in Law To make a Deed in Law valid there are three things requisite The Writing the Seal the Witnesses So for the Tryal and Confirmation of faith there must be these three things The Writing viz. the Word of God the Seal the Spirit of God the Witnesses good workes Bring your faith to this Scripturetouch-stone Faith doth justifie works Workes do testifie faith * Aphor. 3 3. Workes do honour faith as the fruit adornes the Tree Let the liberality of thy hand saith Clemens Alexandrinus be the Ornament of thy faith and wear it as an holy bracelet about thy wrists Job 29. 15 I was eyes to the blinde and feet was I to the lame I put on righteousness and it cloathed me my judgment was as a Robe and a Diadem While Job was pleading the cause of the poor this was the ensigne of his honour it cloathed him as a Robe and crowned him as a Diadem This is that takes off the odium and obloquy from Religion and makes others speak well of holinesse when they see good works as hand-maids waiting upon this Queen Aphor. 4 4. Good workes are in some sense more excellent than Faith In two respects 1. Because they are of a more noble diffusive nature Though faith be more needful for our selves yet works are more beneficial to others * Faith is a receptive grace it is all for self-interest it moves within its own sphere workes are for the good of others And it is a more blessed thing to give than to receive 2. Good works are more visible and conspicuous than faith Faith is a more occult grace It may lie hid in the heart and not be seen but when works are joyned with it now it shines forth in its native beautie Though a garden be never so deck'd with flowers yet they are not seen till the light come So the heart of a Christian may be enrich'd with Faith but it is like a flower in the night it is not seen till works come when this light shines before men then faith appears in its orient Colours Use 2 Vse 2. Reproofe If this be the effigies of a good man he is of a charitable disposition then it doth sharply reprove those that are far from this temper who are all for gathering but nothing for dispeirsing * They move onely within the Circle of their own interest but do not indulge the necessities of others They have a flourishing estate but like him in the Gospel they have a withered hand and cannot stretch it out to good uses They have all quoad {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} not quoad {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} These are like the churl Nabal 1 Sam. 25. 11. shall I take my bread and my water and give it unto men whom I know not whence they be 'T was said of the Emperour Pertinax he had * a large Empire but a narrow scanty heart There was a Temple at Athens which was called the Temple of mercy it was dedicated to charitable uses and it was the greatest reproach to upbraid one with this that he had never been in the Temple of mercy 'T is the greatest disgrace to a Christian to be unmercifull covetous men while they enrich themselves they debase themselves setting up a Monopoly and committing Idolatry with Mammon Thus making themselves lower than their Angels as God made them lower than his Angels In the time of Pestilence it is sad to have your houses shut up but it is worse to have your hearts shut up Covetous persons are like the Leviathan Job 41. 24. Their hearts are firm as a stone You may as well extract oyle out of a flint as the golden Oyle of Charity out of their flinty hearts The Philisopher saith that the coldnesse of the heart is a presage of death * when mens affections to works of mercy are frozen This coldnesse at heart is ominous and doth sadly portend that they are dead in sinne We read in the Law that the Shelfish was accounted unclean This might probably be one reason because the meat of it was enclosed in the shell and it was hard to come by They are to be reckoned among the unclean who enclose all their estate within the shell of their own Cabinet and will not let others be the better for it How many have lost their souls by being so saving There are some who perhaps will give the poore good words and that is all * Jam. 2. 15. If a brother or sister be naked and destitute of food and one of you say to them depart in peace be ye warmed and filled notwithstanding you give them not those things which are needfull what doth it profit Good words are but a cold kind of Charity * the poore cannot live as the Camelion upon this aire Let your words be as smooth as oyle they will not heale the wounded let them drop as the hony-comb they will not feed the hungry 1 Cor 13. 1. Though I speak with the tongue of Angels and have not charity