through and steal But lay up for your selves Treasures in Heaven where neither Moth nor Rust doth corrupt and where Thieves do not break through and steal THis most Excellent Sermon of our Blessed Saviour as in every thing it gives us the highest and the noblest precepts of Vertue that are above all the Morals of the wisest Heathen and far excell the best rules of the greatest Masters in Philosophy which might have convinced Greece and Athens it self that he must be if not the Son of God yet some great and extraordinary Person sent from above that without Travel abroad or Education at home unless in a poor Trade should outdo even Socrates or the more admired Moralists amongst 'em so he has all along adapted 'em to Humane Nature and our present State and Circumstances in this World which was a thing that they were deficient in for as they often were too short in their precepts and much below the things so at other times they were as much too high and gave precepts that were too big and not at all fitted to the size and scantling of our present State or the make of Humane Nature they were not only for wisely Moderating and Governing but quite rooting all Passions and Affections whatever out of their wise man which was to make him not a Man or such a Creature with such Faculties and Powers as God thought for wise reasons fit to do this was not to improve but destroy Human Nature and to set Vertue beyond its pitch and out of its reach which our Saviour who knew our Frame and our outmost Capacities has never done they went so far in their rants about the contempt of this World and despising riches as to commend him that foolishly threw them into the Sea that they might be no hindrance to his deeper Philosophizing Now this as it betrayed a great weakness in him that could not otherwise better use 'em so 't is Calculating Virtue not for this World but for some other Eutopian Meridian the making it not Useful and Comfortable but Destructive of our present State and Condition in this World and tho our Blessed Saviour both by his Life and his precepts showed as great contempt of the things of this World as ever any person did and has given the best Arguments that can be not to be sollicitous for outward things nor take any thought for the Morrow in the latter part of this Chapter by trusting in the Divine Providence and being especially carefull about better things the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness yet he has no where told us that these are inconsistent and that a Man must throw away his Estate and renounce all his worldly goods as well as the Pomps and Vanities of this World if he will become a Christian and go to Heaven this indeed is said to be the Heresie of Pelagius in which he was not likely to have very many Followers and tho several places of Scripture tell us how hardly they that have Riches shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven Mark 10.23 and that it is easier for a Camel to go through the Eye of a Needle than for a Rich Man is enter into the Kingdom of Heaven v. 25. which is all meant of them that trust in Riches v. 24. that we cannot serve God and Mammon bids us not love the World nor the things that are in the World for if any Man love the World the love of the Father is not in him 1 John 2.15 yet they all import no more and so will be fairly understood by this excellent direction of our Saviour that I am now to discourse of Lay not up for your selves Trusures Neither is that purely a Negative an Universal forbidding us to lay up any Treasures upon Earth for if we do not that in some measure we are not guilty only of great Imprudence but even of Infidelity too If any provide not for his own and especially for those of his own House he hath denied the Faith and is worse than an Insidel 1 Tim. 5.8 not to make provision for ones own Off-spring and Children is to be more Unnatural than the Heathens nay than the very Fowls and the most Ravenous Beasts and not to supply an Aged Helpless Parent is to be guilty of that which the Heathens counted the most infamous Ingratitude nay if by an honest Industry and lawful Profession we do not some way or other make our selves serviceable to the publick and able to procure some good to the whole of which we are parts we are like dead and useless Members that serve neither for Life nor Motion nor the conveyance of Blood and Spirits and as in the Natural body so also in the civil 't is impossible to maintain either its Life or Strength unless some greater parts are Replenished with a larger abundance of Blood and Spirits and there be a general Circulation and lesser conveyance of 'em to every part Neither Government nor the World could subsist so long as God intends it if Men should lay aside all prudent care about the things of this World all would be put into a dead Hand and that would quickly make a dead Body if it were not Lawfull for some Men to Trade and grow Rich the present state of this World makes this to be necessary and is utterly inconsistent with general Vows of Poverty and as a Man may Lawfully work for his livelihood and according to the Apostles Rule He that will not work neither should he eat 2. Thes 3.10 without breaking our Saviour's command John 6.27 Labour not for the Meat that perisheth but for the Meat which endureth unto everlasting Life so he may by prudent and honest ways take care of his Worldly Concerns and add to his Estate and grow Rich without any Violation of our Saviour's Rule Ley not up for your selves Treasures on Earth for those Treasures on Earth are not of themselves Evil and may be matter of very great Vertues such as the rich Men are particularly charged with 1 I'im 6.17 18 19. Charge them that are rich in this World that they do good that they be Rich in good Works ready to Distribute willing to Communicate laying up in store for themselves a good Foundation against the time to come that they may lay hold on eternal life which it seems they may be made the means of attaining so that by these Negatives is meant only a comparative command that we rather lay up to our selves Treasures in Heaven than in Earth that we be more carefull for the one than the other not that one is forbidden by the other but to be preferred before it as we have the like manner of expression most frequently in Scripture Prov. 8.10 Receive my Instruction and not Silver and Knowledge rather than Gold so Mat. 9.13 I will have Mercy and not Sacrifice i. e. rather than Sacrifice God did so much value inward and real Righteousness before outward Rites and
spoiling and corrupting all its Life and bringing to this fad state and condition and now it is desperate and irrecoverable and because it has lost the only opportunities of improving and sitting it for happiness it must now necessarily be miserable with it as long as its duration lasts that is for ever God grant that we may avoid all those sins which will thus spoil our minds and bring this hardness and this misery upon us FINIS ERRATA besides some false Pointings PAge 2. L. 11. r. there p. 4. l. 18. r. Principle p. 9. l. 9. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 21. l. 7. r. distractions p. 22. l. 2. for the r. any p. 33. l. 5. r. perception p. 49. l. 15. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 50. l. 16. r. true Judgment p. 51. l. 7. r. Reason Would men p. 58. l. 6. r. only are p. 91. l. 27. r. Sediment p. 100. l. 16. r. Dying the. p. 106. l. 8. r. hid p. 143. l. 17. r. leave them p. 158. l. 12. r. ever p. 214. l. 31. r. take p. 219. l. 1. r. better not p. 246. l. 8. r. as it was of p. 270. l. 28. r. no where p. 289. l. 5. r. could ADVERTISEMENT THe Mystery of the Christian Faith and of the Blessed Trinity Vindicated and the Divinity of Christ proved In three Sermons Preached at Westminster-Abbey upon Trinity-Sunday June the 7th and September 21. 1696. By the late Reverend William Payne D. D. In the Press before his Death and by himself order'd to be Published And also a Letter from the Author to the Bishop of Rochester in Vindication of them THE CONTENTS Sermon I. Rom. IX 14. WHat shall we say then Is there Vnrighteousness with God God forbid P. 1. Sermon II. Matth. XI 29. last Part. And ye shall find rest unto your Souls p. 29. Sermon III. Matth. VII 13 14. Enter ye in at the strait gate for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction and many there be which go in thereat Because strait is the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life and few there he that find it p. 71. Sermon IV. Matth. VI. 19 20. Lay not up for your selves Treasures upon Earth where Moth and Rust doth corrupt and where Thieves break through and steal But lay up for your selves Treasures in Heaven where neither Moth nor Rust doth corrupt and where Thieves do not break through and steal p. 103. Sermon V. Luke XV. 31. And he said unto him Son thou art ever with me and all that I have is thine p 131. Sermon VI. Acts XVI 30 latter part Sins what must I do to be saved p. 167. Sermon VII Job XXVIII 28. And unto man he said Behold the fear of the Lord that is Wisdom and to depart from Evil is Vnderstanding p. 185. Sermon VIII Rom. XII 21. Be not overcome of Evil but overcome Evil with Good p. 203. Sermon IX Luke XVI 31. And he said unto him if they hear not Moses and the Prophets neither will they be perswaded tho' one rose from the dead p. 223. Sermon X. Acts XVII 22. latter part I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious p. 245. Sermon XI Acts XXVI 8. Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you that God should raise the dead p. 295. Sermon XII Heb. III. 13. latter part Lest any of you be hardned through the deceitfullness of sin p. 325. Books Printed for Ri. Wilkin at the King's-Head in St. Paul's-Church-Yard Immorality and Pride the great Causes of Atheism The Atheist's Objection that we can have no Idea of God refuted The notion of a God neither from Fear nor Policy Three Sermons Preach'd at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul Jan. 3. Feb. 7. and Mar. 7. 169◠being the First Second and Third of the Lecture for that year founded by the Honourable Robert Boyle Esq By John Harris M. A. and Fellow of the Royal Society 4vo Remarks on some late Papers relating to the Universal Deluge and to the Natural History of the Earth by the same Author 8vo Dr. Woodward's Natural History of the Earth 8vo Dr. Abbadies Vindication of the Truth of the Christian Religion against the Objections of all Modern Opposers In 2. Vol. 8vo A serious Proposal to the Ladies for the Advancement of their true and greatest interest By a Lover of her Sex The Third Edition 12o. A serious Proposal to the Ladies Part II. wherein a Method is offer'd for the Improvement of their Minds By the Author of the First Part 12o. Letters concerning the Love of God between the Author of the Proposal to the Ladies and Mr. John Norris 8vo An Answer to W. P.'s Key about the Quakers Light within and Oaths with an Appendix of the Sacraments 8vo A Letter to the Honourable Sir Robert Howard To gether with some Animadversions on a Book entituled Christianity not Mysterious 8vo
to it we may not be able to gain an Estate or compass such a Wordly Design let us do what we can in it but no Man shall miss of Heaven but thro' his own Fault and by his own Negligence and Carelesness 6. Many Sinners take more pains and trouble and run thro' more difficulties to compass their vitious Designs and commit their Sins than a good Man does in gaining Heaven and practicing the hardest Vertues and Duties of his Religion For thus how restless and unwearied and indefatigable are the Covetous and Ambitious the Revengeful and Maliticious or the Lustful and Debaucht to attain their Ends and gratifie their extravagant Desires and Inclinations How do their several Lusts put them upon the hardest Drudgery and make them Toil and Labour Watch and Attend Project and Contrive and be at more pains and trouble to undo themselves for ever than would save their Souls and make 'em Happy for ever The Devil is much the harder Master of the two and puts his Slaves to more vile and uneasie work in the Servitude of Sin than God does his Children and Servants in the doing the hardest part of their Duty and many have been greater Martyrs in the Devil's Service and gone through more for the sake of their Lusts than other Martyrs have done for heir Religion and for the sake of Heaven Tho' Vice seems more Natural as falling in with some Propensities and Inclinations that are within us yet how must a man at first offer great Violence to himself and to the tender sense of his own Mind before he can be brought to commit a great Sin With what Reluctancy and Self-denial as great as any that Vertue puts upon us does he part with his first Innocence and enter upon a Debauch till by degrees he grows a less Modest and more Couragious Sinner and is led on at last to commit it with greediness and it becomes Natural to him and 't would be no great difficulty for him to leave it but 't is only the Custom and Habit makes it so and not any thing in Nature or in the thing it self For let the Customs be equal on both sides and let a Man be as long used to Vertue as he was to Vice and he shall find that as Natural and agreeable and as hard to be overcome as the other so that as the Scripture represents it it is as hard for him that has been accustomed to do evil to learn to do good as for the Aethiopian to change his Skin or the Leopard his Spots ' Jer. 13.23 So whosoever is born of God i. e. a very good Man doth not commit sin and he cannot sin because he is born of God 1 John 3.9 But Lastly and to conclude it ought to be no manner of Prejudice to Vertue that there are but a few that enter the strait Gate and find the way to Life and many that go in at the wide Gate and the broad way that leadeth to Destruction as our Saviour says This ought not to be regarded by us as a Discouragement to Vertue or as any good reason to be wicked for Company tho I doubt it is a very common and prevailing one and draws a great many into the broad way because they see such great Numbers in it and they do not care to be singular nor to be Reproached for being so but are willing to do what they see so many others do and hope to escape as well as the rest and that they run but the same risque and hazard that they see so many Thousands do besides and so they resolve to venture as well as others let the Preachers say what they please Now this however common and powerfull it be yet is the most unreasonable thing in the World for is any man in another case willing to be sick or to die for Company or for the sake of example Would any be so Easie or so Complaisant as to pledge another in a Cup of Poyson or would he not stop the mad frolick when he saw the rest of the Company drop down Dead before him Is any Man unwilling to avoid the Plague if he can because there is ageneral Infection and because so many of his Neighbours or Acquaintance have died of it Would any refuse the saving his life and escaping if he could upon a Plank because the rest of his Company are Sinking and Drowning Did Men think it as much worth their while to save their Souls as their Lives how many soever lost them had they as Just and terrible Apprehensions of their own Damnation as they have of their Dying the Temptation of Example and Company would be quickly taken off and signifie nothing For alas what Comfort will it be in the Flames of Hell to hear so many others Roaring and Howling in them their hideous Cries and Tortures and Lamentations will rather encrease than lessen them and make it only a more sad and dismal Scene of Terror like that of a whole City or Country swallowed up by an Earthquake or overflowed with the Eruptions of a burning Mountain and the liquid streams of Fire and Brimstone No Man who knows what it is to be Happy but would wish to be so tho he were alone and no Man who knows that vertue alone is the way to life and happiness but must chuse to be Vertuous tho' he saw never so many others wicked let them Reproach and Laugh at him as long as they please for a Man singular and by himself let them count his Life Folly for being so strict and precise if it be in the great matters of Vertue for not drinking to the utmost pitch nor daring to swear the least Oath nor venturing upon a Debauch or any Common or any Modish or Fashionable Vice the Reproach and Scandal of which is took off by the great Party and Number it has of its side but living up strictly to the Rules of the Gospel and the Terms of Salvation there laid down without any such abatements as the loose Opinions or loose Practices of others are willing to put upon them since God will not alter his Methods or Judgments by any of those let them I say Condemn on Deride him never so much for this and call him Precise Fool or Formal Saint and the like yet no Man that knows the good of Vertue will be Laughed out of it by a Nick-name or be asham'd of being singular in that any more than in any other Excellency of Learning Knowledge or Wisdom above others and I suppose none of those who are so much against singularity but would be willing to be Rich or to be Well and at Ease though never so many others were Poor or Sick and in Pain and why then not to be Vertuous and Happy tho' never so many others are Vitious and Miserable The Fourth Sermon MATTH VI. 19 20. Lay not up for your selves Treasures upon Earth where Moth and Rust doth corrupt and where Thieves break
Conscience than let go a present interest so that when these two are put together in the Balance of our cooler Judgment Earthly Treasures do much outweigh the Heavenly in our Thoughts and though they are much lighter in themselves yet our affections always cast the Scales on that side and so likewise in the possession as well as getting of Riches when we use 'em basely or not at all and be unwilling to part with 'em upon a good occasion when a decent opportunity calls for 'em when our poor Brother stands in need of 'em when God or the publick require 'em of us when we can serve the ends of Piety or Charity or publick good by 'em then not to be willing to part with 'em this is a certain sign that we love 'em too well that we think nothing so good as our Money and that we count it much more eligible to be Rich than to be either Good or Charitable or Pious and that we had much rather be one than the other nay which is strange be one than both so little do we value every thing else and think nothing is to be compared to a great heap and a long inventory and that what we have in our Chests and our Coffers is much more valuable than what we have in our Souls or than the Soul it self 3. This comparative precept supposes that we must use as much care and diligence to obtain the Heavenly as the Earthly Treasures and if Men would once do that I am sure they would never miss of the former if we would as heartily and diligently set about getting Heaven and making our selves Vertuous as we do about getting a livelihood and making our selves Rich we should never sail of the one tho' we very often do of the other a thousand Accicidents and Contingences hinder us of obtaining our worldly aims and with all our thoughts and toil and care we can never compass our wishes but when we have tir'd our selves with a hot and eager pursuit of these worldly things and followed 'em as close as we could thro' a hundred mazes and labyrinths yet they fly away and we can never catch or lay hold of them But in the Heavenly Treasures 't is far otherwise no Man ever mist 'em that did all he could to obtain 'em that after he had set himself seriously about 'em used his utmost endeavour and persevered in doing so at last he would most certainly and infallibly get 'em if he were no way wanting to himself if he were hearty and resolved in the business and did not by idleness or something else break off his designs too soon he would never fail of success at the last which should be a very great encouragement to make us more diligent about those Heavenly Treasures which have many other considerations to excite our industry and our labour about 'em their exceeding value and lasting duration which are the constant motives that put us upon an unwearied care and labour after any thing here What pains do we refuse what labour do we count too much to get a plentifull Estate that we may quickly leave and be but a short time the better for if it may descend to our Children and Family how can men deny themselves their ease and their quiet nay their meat and their sleep and drudge and toil very willingly for that nay how does a poor man labour and sweat strain his Nerves and his Muscles to get Bread and a mean Livelihood Why if we think Heaven is worth our while do we not use as much labour for that as we are willing to undergo for a lesser matter If the Heavenly Treasures were but of equal worth were but at the same rate with the Earthly yet why do we not put out our utmost strength and vigour and strive and run and contend earnestly for that prize If we believed it to be of such great worth and value as we generally pretend why cannot we deny our selves in some little matters for the sake of Heaven as we do for to carry on our worldly concerns Why do we like Children run so long and sweat and toil our selves after a Painted fly whilst we Truant and are Lazy and Neglect our main business 4. This comparative duty enjoyns 〈◊〉 to put the Earthly Treasures to such uses as to make 'em means and instruments toward the obtaining the Heavenly so in the parallel place of St. Luke where he gives an account of this same Sermon of our Saviour by the very same precept as 't is there express'd we are bid sell that we have and give Alms provide your selves bags which wax not old a Treasure in the Heavens that faileth not where no Thief approacheth neither Moth corrupteth Luke 12.33 So that since these Earthly Treasures are so liable to hazards and uncertainties here so much in danger to be torn from us by the hands of violence or subject to some other mischance or casualty the best way to insure them and to make the most of 'em is to employ 'em to Charitable uses and the relief of our poor Brethren this is the secure way to make those corruptible things that are so ticklish and uncertain so apt to slip away from us to be our own for ever this will make those transitory and perishing Riches to last for ever and whereas by keeping 'em very close to our selves and being unwilling to part with any of 'em we in a short time must be utterly deprived of 'em by this way we return 'em to another World and shall be sure there to enjoy the benefit of 'em with double interest by this means the Silver and Gold that was but a better sort of earth than we tread on is turned into a Vertue and made matter of true Religion and by this we show our greater value to Heavenly Treasures than the Earthly when we are willing to part with them to attain the other when they are our prime scope and aim that bear the chief place in our thoughts the other but the means and instruments to attain it when we do not account the Earthly Treasures goods in themselves as the Covetous generally do who think it their great Happiness to heap up vast Riches for no other end beyond the comfortable satisfaction of being Rich whilst they are such Idolaters as the Apostle calls 'em Eph. 5.5 that terminate their worship upon the very Idols themselves and look no further but to make 'em serviceable to the ends of Charity and Beneficence to those who are in want and necessity this is to value that in the first place and those chiefly in order to it and this is the true use that God the Donor of 'em expects of us and this is not only consistent with laying up to our selves Treasures in Heaven but the most certain way to do it as I shall briefly show by naming a few considerations to that purpose As 1. Whatever we do this way we engage
Father and the Son as receiving that Infinite and Eternal Essence from them both this is the explication of that adorable Mystery as 't is deliver'd by that excellent Prelate forementioned in his Authentick Book upon the Apostles Creed By this time his spirits and his breath fail'd him and he could proceed no further and now having entertain'd me as long as he could he gave me to understand That I must not expect much more from him about one thing or other but that he would look to be entertain'd by me the little time I should have him with me And immediately calling the Family to Prayers so soon as they were ended he went to Bed and was willing I should leave him for that night In the morning which was Thursday he desir'd me to accompany him in his Chariot to London to consult Dr. M not that he expected any relief from his prescriptions for he concluded himself too far gone to be recovered but because he thought it not fit to omit any thing that could be done for the sake of his Family chiefly whose interest it was that he should have liv'd a little longer with them I returned with him to his Lodgings but he found himself so far spent that he hastned to Bed and desired me to come up to his Chamber and in the Church form to commend his Soul to God Not being willing to sink his Spirits too much and presuming that his apprehensions of present Death were the effect of the disorder his Journey had thrown him into I made use of some other Collects proper at that time and purposely omitted the commendatory Prayer upon which he called to me and entreated me to use no other than that and if I pleas'd the Lord's Prayer with it For said he I am just going So soon as I had done Well said he I now thank thee and take my leave of thee I have nothing more to say to thee nor needst thou say any thing to me thou hast nothing further to do but to bid me good night And immediately turning himself on one side lay still and spoke no more all that night On Friday morning he told me he wondered to find himself alive however we perswaded him to bleed according to the Dr.'s order the night before he told us it was to no purpose and had an opinion he should die whilst he was bleeding but he added that he gave up his body to our management and we might do with it as we pleased by this time his Friend Dr. T came in to whom he talk'd sensibly of his case and told him he was so well skill'd in his Profession that he knew very well he could not live out another night The Dr. was no sooner gone but he called me to him and attempted a Discourse which he was not able to go thro' with what he aim'd at was something to this purpose What a poor Creature is Man if he had hopes only in this Life he must go naked and alone and without any Friend to accompany him to the dark Grave All that thou wilt see of me presently will be a stiff and senseless carkass I have already lost all my thought I can scarce tell what I say to thee I did not just now know where I was now I do I am in my Bed-chamber I have no power to command a thought thou shalt in a few moments see that they are all perish'd and gone This he repeated several times with some concern and in half an hour they went quite away and returned no more for all that afternoon he lay still only at ten at night he put forth one hand to me and lifted up the other and his eyes to Heaven to signifie to me that he had yet some knowledge tho' his speech was gone and that he was praying for himself and a little after midnight he breath'd his last I have seen many Persons die but none like him in all my life I heard not the least unbecoming word from him in all his illness which was to me the more strange because I knew the natural heat and eagerness of his temper he shew'd not the least sign of uneasiness or dissatisfaction in his circumstances nothing of fondness for this World or any desire to stay longer in it no manner of fear of death or doubts about his future good state but throughout his sickness and to the last minutes that his understanding continued a perfect contempt of all Earthly things vigorous hopes of a Blessed Immortality and an entire and absolute resignation of himself to the Will of God The truth is his behaviour was enough to make a Man in love with death and to long for a dissolution and at that time it made such an impression upon my spirits that while it lasted I thought I could with great ease have dy'd with him Having been longer than I intended in my account of the Author I shall leave the following discourses to speak for themselves There is evidently a spirit of true Piety that breaths in them and one general aim propos'd to promote a wise understanding and sincere practice of Religion They are publish'd as they were found in his ordinary Notes and not designed by him for the Press but if they may do any service to God and Religion and the Souls of Men Our Author himself would have ventur'd them Abroad into the World without being any ways concern'd for the defects and imperfections which may be spy'd out in 'em for in the prosecution of such noble ends he has declar'd himself sufficiently arm'd against all manner of censures whatsoever and publickly profess'd That it was more satisfaction to him to publish a few plain and usefull Discourses Pref. to Practical disc of Rep. than to have had the ability or met with the applause of writing the Wittiest or Learnedst Book in the World The First Sermon ROM IX 14. What shall we say then Is there unrighteousness with God God forbid THE Apostle in defence of Christianity and the Gentiles being received into it who were Strangers and Aliens rather than the Jews who were the Children of Abraham and God's peculiar People having to justifie this made use of an Instance of God's free disposing his Favours as he pleases and such as to the Jews was an unanswerable President because upon it all their Priviledges depended above the rest of the World the same Children not of Abraham only but of Israel to whose line the promised Seed was confined before they were either of them born or were in a capacity to do Good or Evil yet God declared that Jacob have I loved and Esau have I hated v. 13. and notwithstanding the rights of Primogeniture yet transmitted this his Love and Hatred down even to their Posterities the Israelites and the Edomites upon this he seems to be startled with an Objection rising up from all this and looking him fully in the Face What shall we say then is their
God to reward us either in this or another World He that hath pity on the poor lendeth to the Lord and that which he hath given will he pay again Prov. 19.17 God becomes the poor Man's surety to us and 't is a very great piece of Infidelity not to trust his word for the payment of a little sum hereafter that we now part with to the poor nay it shall be no great while before he will take care to repay it us with great advantage he very often does it presently in this World by blessing the rest of our Estate the better for Dedicating some part of it as a first fruits to his use he has promised that he which giveth to the poor shall not lack Prov. 28.27 That the liberal Soul shall be made fat Prov. 11.25 Eccles 11.1 Cast thy Bread upon the Waters for thou shalt find it after many days Ps 41.1 2. Blessed is he that considereth the poor the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble the Lord will preserve him and keep him alive and he shall be blessed upon the Earth All which places assure us even of a Temporal Retribution which the Divine Providence will make to the Charitable Man and this does for the most part if not always happen but to be sure God will greatly recompense him at the last day 2. By thus using our Earthly Treasures we enrich our Minds with the most excellent Vertue and the most Christian disposition and nothing is more Valuable and more Heavenly than this kind and bountifull and good habit of Mind by which we are dispos'd as we have ability and opportunity to do good to those who stand any way in need of it this is the very temper of God to communicate out of his rich store plentifully to others Had he been niggardly and kept all to himself where had we been and all his Creatures that owe being and all things to his bounty Therefore he has commanded no duty so frequently nor so earnestly as this of Charity and Mercy so that this often engrosses the sum of the whole Law and is called Righteousness in general it is never left out in the Character of good Men in Scripture but is always made a principal Ingredient in the Composition of that Vertue and Goodness that will prepare and qualifie the Mind for Heaven and Happiness 3. We cannot make our Earthly Treasures so Beneficial to us any other way nor turn to so good account if we would spend 'em to the best purpose after we have supplied our own wants and just occasions what is over and above serves only for Vice or Vanity 't is but food for our Lusts nourishment for Pride or Intemperance or Sensuality the best use we can make of the overplus is to do good with it to comfort our poor Brother who is ready to starve for want of what we profusely squander away who would be mightily relieved and supplied by what we spend Vainly or perhaps Vitiously thus we may both escape the temptations of Riches and also make the most beneficial use of 'em another way that which would be quite lost if laid out upon any thing else will by this means be more fully our own than what we have under Lock and Key the poor will keep it safer for us than Locks and Bars what is given to him is better put out upon a greater Interest and surer Fund than if we had all the Land upon Earth tyed for it God is bound as I told you and is become our debtor thereby we have made over our Estate to him and he is our Trustee for it which 't was very likely we should lose quickly or be robb'd or sequester'd of if 't were in our own name This is the best Merchandice we can make of our stock when we are in a Country where 't is in danger to be seiz'd on to transmit it to our Country and return it to him who is in Heaven and will most certainly repay it us when we come thither this is to make our selves such friends of the Mammon of Vnrighteousness that when we fall they may receive us into everlasting Habitations as our Saviour says Luke 16.9 4. I shall add but this consideration and that I think a very strong one to Men that have thoughts of a reckoning hereafter that when we shall appear before God's Tribunal to give an account of our selves and actions there will be a most special regard had to the discharge of this duty above all others that we shall be Examined and Sentenced there chiefly upon the account of our having relieved the poor Members of Christ So Mat. 25.41 where our Saviour tells us how the process shall be in that great day the most dreadfull Sentence of Goy cursed into everlasting fire shall be pronounced upon those on the left hand for this reason for I was Hungry and ye gave me no Meat I was Thirsty and ye gave me no Drink I was a Stranger and ye took me not in Naked and ye Cloathed me not Sick and in Prison and ye visited me not This is the particular Crime the deepest Charge of that black Indictment not so much for Injustice for Adultery for Murder any of which shall yet condemn us at that day as for Unmercifullness and Uncharitableness to the poor which Christ takes the most unkindly and hardly from us as done to himself But the blessed Sentence shall be to the Bountifull and to the Mercifull who have been Charitable to Christ in his poor Members to whom he will pronounce these joyfull Words v. 34. Come ye blessed of my Father enter into the Kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the World for I was an Hungred and ye gave me Meat I was Thirsty and ye gave me Drink I was a Stranger and ye took me in I was Naked and ye Cloathed me I was Sick and ye visited me I was in Prison and ye came unto me This is singled out rather than any thing else as more regarded by God than any other Vertue and if we would ever hear that Sentence from the mouth of Christ pronounced to our selves let us at all times as we have opportunity practice this Vertue and so lay up to our selves Treasures in Heaven where neither Moth nor Rust doth corrupt and where Thieves do not break through or steal The Fifth Sermon LUKE XV. 31. And he said unto him Son thou art ever with me and all that I have is thine THis is part of the Parable concerning the Prodigal Son and the answer of the Father to the eldest Son who had not been a Prodigal but had served his Father many Years neither transgressed at any time his Commandments v. 29. Notwithstanding which the Father seem'd to treat his Prodigal and Riotous Son who had left his House and run away from him and devoured his living with Harlots v. 30. and wasted his Time and Estate in Lewd and Vitious courses to treat