not able to supply all his Necessity how far in this Case he stands Obliged to relieve him and his answer is that to give him a fifth part of his Goods towards his relief is generous to give him a tenth Id. cap. 7. is Moderate but to give him less is an argument of an Evil Eye I shall not need to say any more than this that he that soweth sparingly shall reap sparingly and the less Mercy we shew the less we shall receive I shall onely add the Exellent words of the Apostle Every man according as he purposeth in his heart so let him give not grudgingly or of Necessity for God loveth a chearful Giver And God is able to make all Grace abound towards you that ye always having all sufficiency in all things may abound to every good work 2 Cor. 9.7 8. Fourthly By denying our selves some little satisfaction that we may have somewhat to bestow upon the poor And here will be room for Persons of mean Estates to shew kindnesses to the Poor We ought to please our Neighbour for his good and 't will be worth our while to do it with some Displeasure to our selves Suppose now we go in Cloaths that are cheap and plain that we eat somewhat the less that we avoid some innocent Divertisement and what we save this way give to the poor Our Books somewhere tell us that when Tarentum was Besieged by the Romans their Neighbours at Rhegium Fasted every tenth day and sent to the Besieged the Victuals which they should have eaten themselves A rare Example of Heathens and that which may shame many Titular and false Christians If the Love of God be in us we shall not think much to Fast and to bestow the Meal we save upon our hungry and almost starved-Brother And for us thus to Fast will be acceptable to God and profitable to our Brother And we have but little sense of Gods stupendious Mercy and kindness to us if we refuse to do more for our Brother than this amounts to It will well become us when our Brothers Necessities are great to deny our selves those things which we might else very Lawfully allow to our selves It was a very ill Character the Prophet gave of Israel where he tells us That they did lie upon Beds of Ivory and stretcht themselves upon their Couches that they chanted to the sound of the Viol and invented to themselves Instruments of Musick and did drink Wine in Bowls and annoint themselves with the chief Oyntment when in the mean time they were not grieved for the Affliction of Joseph Amos 6.4 5 6. 'T was generously said by Vriah when he was perswaded to go to his House after his return from the Camp The Ark and Israel says he and Judah abide in Tents and my Lord Joab and the Servants of my Lord are Encamped in the open Fields shall I then go into mine House to Eat and to Drink c 2 Sam. 11.11 Certainly if we esteem our selves Members of the same Body we shall not find our selves much at ease when our fellow-Members are in pain And shall not be hard to be perswaded to undergo some inconvenience for the Advantage of our Brethren The Apostle goes higher still than any thing hath been said yet If we have nothing to give he would have us Labour for something that we may have to give to him that needeth Eph. 4.28 We ought to Labour rather than be a burden to others and so we must do also on the â—ehalf of our poor Neighbour that he may not want what is Needful for him And if this be difficult and an hard saying how shall we be able to lay down our Life for him And if after all this we are not able to Relieve a poor Man yet let us Pity him and Pray for him do what we can and pray to the God of all Mercies to support and help him For there are more ways of being Serviceable to the poor than Alms-giving Every Man cannot do that But they that cannot Relieve can Pity they can Pray to God and intercede with Men they can give the Poor a good Example and good Counsel They may be able to Advise and to study ways for their Advantage And he that studies the Art of well-doing and recommends it to others serves the Needy though he be not able to give them Money And thus Sir I have given you my thoughts about this affair and I fear I have by doing so given you too great a trouble also I am very sensible that this Matter deserves better to be considered And I am far from thinking that I have said what the Argument deserves or requires Neither my Occasions nor other Circumstances will afford me either leisure or power to do that If I have suggested any thing that may do any good and contribute towards the Help of any afflicted Person I shall think I have great cause to bless God on that behalf I have however complyed with your Request I might say Importunity and am satisfied with this that though I have not said what might have been said yet I have not declined so good a Cause but have said what at present I could I shall onely add that I am Sir Your most Faithful Friend R. K. Decemb. 13. 1675. FINIS
Charity Directed OR The Way to Give ALMS TO THE GREATEST ADVANTAGE In a Letter to a Friend WRITTEN BY Richard Kidder Rector of St. Martin Outwitch in London Hieron ad Paulinum Tù Considera ne Christi Substantiam imprudenter Effundas id est ne immoderato judicio rem Pauperum tribuas non Pauperibus c. Sen. de Benef. l. 1. c. 1. Beneficia sine ullo delectu magis projicimus quam damus LONDON Printed for Thomas Parkhurst and Sold at the Bible and Three Crowns in Cheapside and at the Bible on London Bridge 1676. CHARITY DIRECTED OR The Way to Give ALMS to the GREATEST ADVANTAGE SIR YOU have well Observed That of that little which men bestow in Alms-giving a very small part gains its end and turns to Account And you were pleased at several times to desire me to give my thoughts how a good Man may be Directed to give to the best Advantage I have not that Opinion of my self as to think I am fit to give you Advice nor that mean Opinion of you as to suppose you need it You have been Practised a great while in doing kindnesses and I do not believe that you need either Direction or Motive You are of the Number of those that are Taught of God to Love one another and would but others follow your Example there would not be so many Objects of Charity But since the Work it self carries with it so great an Invitation and you are pleased to desire it I shall very readily consent And if you conceive what I Offer may be of any Use dispose of this Paper as you please Now in Order to the Directingâ— good man to give his Alms to the best Advantage and that they may do the most good I shall speak to the following severals First I shall shew how he may so give as it may turn most to his own Account Secondly How he may so do it as may turn to the greatest Advantage of the Receiver Thirdly How he may so Order his Affairs as that he may have something to bestow And before I speak to any of these severals I shall take the Liberty to speak of the Necessity of giving Alms and of the Arguments and Motives from whence this Excellent Work may be recommended to us And I am very certain that there is great need that Men should be very earnestly excited to so good a Work at this time There are about this City of London some hundreds of Families you would believe me if I should say some thousands that are under very pressing Necessities And if there be not care taken very many amongst them will be starved And the great Poverty of these Families also hath been to them Unavoidable For it hath fallen upon them partly through Age partly through the number of Children and in great measure for want of Trade and Employment Nor would it be any hard Matter to give you an Account how it comes to pass that very many are not able to get their Bread by that Employment which sometime since afforded them a competent Subsistance But besides that I shall not need to acquaint you with it the thing it self will not Answer any part of my Design I am not Obliged to shew How Men have fallen into Calamity but to contribute what I can towards their Rescue and Relief And when my poor Brother is fallen into the Ditch I do not think my self Obliged to Represent how many ways there are of falling in but to do my utmost towards the lifting him out I shall therefore without any more of Preface shew what great Reason we have to Compassionate and Help our poor Brother to do him kindnesses and shew him Mercy God grant that our works of Mercy may hold some proportion to the Obligations that lye upon us to shew it First this is the end of our being what we are and of our enjoying what we do Possess that we might do good to others The Rich Man is Gods Almoner and Steward and the Poor are his Receivers He shall not need to busie his Head in Building larger Barns when there are so many Living Houses already Built to his hand The Empty and Hungry Poor are the best Granaries Our Talent was given us to be laid out to the Honour of our Master and the benefit of our Fellow-Servant â—rigen Hom. in S. Matth. Vnaquaeque anima venit in hunc Mundum cum aliquibus Dominicis pecuniis We do all of us come into the World with some of our Lords Money in our hand and this was given us not to hide in the Earth Mat. 25.25.27 but to Trade withal for our Brothers Advantage The Blind Man that carried the Lame upon his shoulders had the benefit of the Cripples Eyes for the use of his own Feet and it puts us fairly in mind how Useful we may be to one another And we ought to judge this the very Reason why we excell one another in any Gift or Endowment that we may be helpful to those to whom the Divine wisdom hath dealt out these Blessings more sparingly Job that great and good Man of the East understood this I was Eyes says he to the Blind and Feet was I to the Lame I was a Father to the Poor and the Cause which I knew not I searched out He did not cause the Eyes of the Widow to fail nor eat his Morsel without the Fatherless he saw none perish for want of Clothing nor any Poor without Covering the Loins of the poor Blessed him and they were warmed with the Fleece of his Sheep Job 29.15 16. Chap. 31. v. 16. And yet at that time Job had seven Sons and three Daughters to provide for which is now the great Objection against works of Mercy This is also the End of our Spiritual Mercies The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to Profit withal 1 Cor. 12.7 In that sence also what we are we are for the good of one another In the Natural Body The Eye cannot say I have no need of thee nor the Head to the Foot I have no need of you v. 25. For as the Eye is useful to descry a danger so is the Hand to keep off the stroke and the Feet to run from it He that Lives and does no good Vt arbor in faecunda tanti est in pretio quanti lignum ejus in trunco Apulei Apol. pro seipso makes void the End of his Creation He is like an unfruitful Tree that Cumbers the Ground and is worth no more than its Trunk or Body may be improved unto He is the Worlds uneasie Load and Burden and may be spared without any miss or loss at all There is nothing more insignificant than the man that does no good He that Does nothing is more impertinent than he that Is not at all Vacua est vita quam non implet cura bene vivendi Impertinentior est qui nihil agit quà m qui
and are very like to be cast and in our thoughts give up our cause but some unexpected providence intervenes and we get the day In this case we shall do well to lay aside something to a charitable use Once more Those men that trade much make frequent bargaines and sales And so it is the buyer beates down the price and at length he and the seller are near an agreement The difference is small that then remaines and usually it is parted and sometimes after asseverations on both sides to the contrary but suppose every trading man that deals for greater matters would instead of dividing the smaller sum consent that it should be laid aside for the poor In doing so a stock would soon be raised towards the releif of the poor and a great blessing would attend upon this way of trading Thus in every sale something might be laid by and but little felt That this is a very usuall practice in some places I have heard and can tell where it is in use in this City and could wish 't were more common than it is I am sure there are some things we may part with and not feel which would be towards the poores releif a great supply Thirdly By setting a side a certain proportion of our yearly Gains There are some lay up and add yearly to their estate and these men cannot plead poverty Now if such men as these would before hand resolve to lay aside a certain proportion of their yearly gains they would do but what becomes thâ—â— well and this course would raise a great stock for those that need This laying by for the poor the Apostle commends and he does it in words that rise higher than what I have mentioned Vpon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store as God hath prospered him that there be no gatherings when I come 1 Cor. 16.2 As God hath prospered him so we render those words But they are observed to import something more T is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For 't is not as in the text but whatsoever I shall not therefore press men to give away all their gains The case may be presumed extraordinary which the Apostle commends but yet still a proportion we shall do well to lay by and this men may do without any fear of wasting their estates I shall not undertake to prescribe what proportion this ought to be I do not look upon it as a thing prescribed and if it were it would be strict Justice and not Charity God hath not determined the proportion but every good man must consider what is becoming and agreeable and have a care he do not take too short Measures There have been very good Men that I could tell you of that have laid aside the tenth of their Income to Charitable Uses and these Men have seen cause doubtless so to do I shall not now enquire into the Reasons of their pitching upon that proportion Methinks it should not be thought an unreasonable thing to invite Men to imitate them at least so far as to lay by the tenth of their Yearly gains and increase if not the tenth of their Yearly Income That we are Obliged to lay by some considerable proportion no man can doubt that considers one thing and that is what was required of and practised among the Jews And here I shall take an occasion to consider what provision God made for the poor under the Law of Moses And one would think we should easily believe that we ought not to come short of what they were obliged to under the Gospel of our Blessed Saviour And the provision that we find amongst them was this which follows 1. The Third Years Tithing which is called among the Jewish Writers The Tithe of the Poor Every third Year they were obliged to set apart the Tenth of their Increase which far exceeds the Tenth of Rent for the Use of the poor Deut. 14.28.26.12 We should think this a great proportion it being if we disperse it into every Year proportionably no less than the Thirtieth part of every Years growth and increase 2. The Sabbatical Year Every seventh Year their Land was to rest and then the Owners of the Land were neither to Sow nor Reap nor claim propriety and that too that the Poor of the People might Eat Exod. 23.11 3 The prohibition of Usury Which without doubt must needs be a great Advantage to the poor And that Usury in this case was strictly forbidden is plain Exod. 22.25 Deut. 23.19 And lest we might suppose that in this case men were not Obliged to Lend and to Relieve their Brothers Nâ—eds it was expresly Commanded notwithstanding this prohibition that they should relieve their poor Brethren Lev. 25.35 And surely this prohibition of Usury was a great Relief to the Necessitous 4. The Law which Related to their Reaping when they were obliged to leave the Corners of their Fields as well as the Gleanings of their Harvest Lev. 19.9.23.22 And whatever these Gleanings were Vide Maimonid H. Mattanoth Aniâ—m c. 1. yet sure the Corners of their Fields were considerable which they left standing and unreaped for the poor For though the Law did not determine how much of the Field they were to leave yet we are told by one of the Jewish Writers that no less than one part of sixty was the proportion adjudged meet by their Wise Men. 5. The Law that related to the forgotten Sheaf the Gathering their Olives and Grapes This was another Merciful provision for the poor When thou Cuttest down thine Harvest in thy Field and hast forgot a Sheaf in the Field thou shalt not go again to fetch it it shall be for the Stranger for the Fatherless and for the Widow that the Lord thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine Hands When thou beatest thine Olive-tree thou shalt not go over the boughs again it shall be for the stranger for the Fatherless and for the Widow When thou Gatherest the Grapes of thy Vineyard thou shalt not Glean it afterward it shall be for the stranger for the Fatherless and for the Widow Deut. 24.19 20 21. 6. The Law that Required Alms-giving among the Jews They were Obliged to open their Hand wide unto the poor Deut. 15.8 And this Law of Alms-giving the Author above-named mentions over and above those other Laws above-named in favour of the poor He tells us that they were Obliged to this more than the other affirmative precepts And that 't was the Custom in Israel to have amongst them Collectors for the poor that from the beginning to the end of the Week Gathered and Distributed alms They had their Chests the small and greater stored with provisions for the poor of their City as well as those that Lived else-where and he puts the Case that a poor Man beg of his Neighbour to relieve his Needs and that his Neighbour be
temporals for eternals It does our brother good and it pleaseth God It blesses our store and keeps the rest of the lump from Corrupting It brings down many blessings on our selves and estates and on our children If we shew no mercy now 't is because we dare not Trust God or we do not Love him VVe doubt his Truth or we question his Power And if we do are egregious hypocrites when we pretend to any faith in God or love to our neighbour Such a faith we may have as will save our Estates but will never save our Souls And in vain we pretend to love God when we refuse to relieve our brother I Shall conclude with the words of the Apostle Whoso hath this worlds goods and seeth his brother have need and shutteth 〈◊〉 his bowels of compassion from him how dwelleth the love of God iâ— him My little Children let us not love in Word neither in Tongue but in Deed and in Truth 1 John 3.17 18. Having premised these things and in that also complyed with your Request I shall now return to those severals which I propounded to speak to in the beginning of this Paper First I shall shew how a Man may so give Alms as they may turn to his own Account That is I shall lay before the good Man some Rules of giving Alms that may secure the Duty and make him certain of the Blessing And they are these that follow 1. He must do it deliberately and in cold Blood That is he must take care that it be his own Act as much as may be Hence it is that we many times lose our Reward because the good we do was not premeditated and designed it was not the Issue and Result of our purpose We are fermented into a Charitable paroxism or heat by the Example of another upon some sudden surprize to gratifie a present humour or some prevailing Passion Perhaps the Poor man surprises us and he does it in Company and then we think our Reputation concern'd and we give something or else he follows us with great Importunity Multi sunt quos liberales facit frontis infirmitas Sen. and we give to be rid of his Noise and purchase our Quiet with our Alms. And in these cases we give but did not intend we bestow but did not choose And though we may do good in the Event yet we Designed it not And whatever good we do to another we take not a course to do a kindness to our selves And Men sometimes do a kindness and Repent when they have done it But that God accepts which we do deliberately and of Choice ' That 's our Act which we design and purpose before hand For as that cannot be called Malice how mischevous soever which was not fore thought and intended no more can that be called Charity how profitable soever otherwise which was not Designed God looks at our purpose and accepts of that which we choose to do To this purpose are the Apostles words to be understood Donne ce qu'il aura resolu en luy même de donner vide French Traâ—â—â—atioâ— Printed at Mons. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Every Man according as he purposeth in his heart so let him give 2 Cor. 9.7 As he purposeth in his heart i. e. as he resolved in himself before so let him give as a late Translation hath it And surely 't is a great Commendation of their Charity of whom the Apoâ—â—le affirms that they had begun before not onely to do but also to be forward a year before 2 Cor. 8.10 To be forward we render it but the Greek signifies to be willing That is They had of themselves formed the Design the Year past even before they were spoken to To which sence the same Translation turns those words And that it is the Readiness of Will and purpose that God regards is evident from what follows v. 11 12. And the Apostle would have the good man lay by him in store what he intends to bestow in Alms 1 Cor. 16.2 And the very Heathen have Observed that many Men do bestow their Benefits rashly and without Judgment Quae beneficia aquè magna non sunt habenda atque ea quae judicio consideratè constanterque delata sunt Cicero de Offic l. 1. being hurried by an impetuous mind as by a strong Wind and he well Observes that those kindnesses and Benefits come short of those which are done with Judgment Consideration and Constancy So that 't is very advisable that we should before hand set apart so much for the Poor and then 't is ours no longer and we may bestow it to no other Use than that to which we have Designed it and after this it must be our care to bestow it as we see most needful 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theophyl in locum 2. The next Rule I would give is that he give speedily As we have Opportunity or whiles we have time let us do good Gal. 6.10 That is let us do it in our Life time and because our Life is short and uncertain also let us do it speedily Let us make our Eyes our Overseers and our Hands our Executors Tâ—â—â— good when we lye a dying is neither so Praise-worthy nor yet so safe Besides that he that was long before he did it was a great while before he was willing 'T is small Charity to bestow that which we can keep no longer and we run a peradventure in leaving that to others which we might see done our selves He takes the wisest course that takes the present time and he that does not give presently perhaps will never give at all Indeed our intention is rewardable but 't is so onely when it is sincere and the best Evidence of its sincerity is to do good to our Brother when 't is in the power of our hand And thus Solomon does Advise us to do Prov. 3.27 28. when we do what we can our good will is Accepted If we do not this we have cause to fear we use a subter-refuge The Apostle hath Ruled this case If there be first a willing mind it is accepted according to that a man hath and not according to that he hath not 2 Cor. 8.12 Our Intention is then accepted when we can go no further But he that can do it presently and yet delays does not do what he can and according to what he hath Our Time and with it our Opportunities of doing good is flying hastily from us and there is no wisdom or Operation in the Grave It hath been thought good Advice that the Jew gave his Scholar when he bid him Repent one day before he dyed and that because he did thereby require him to Repent presently because he could not tell but he might dye the next day What good we do let us do it quickly or else perhaps it will be too late How many men have we known prevented in their Charitable intentions We know not what a day