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A51879 The rich man's bounty, the true measure of his wisdom a sermon preached before the Lord Mayor, and Court of Aldermen, and citizens of London, at St. Brides Church, Easter-Wednesday, March 27, 1695 / by John Mapletoft ... Mapletoft, John, 1631-1721. 1695 (1695) Wing M563; ESTC R6441 19,146 36

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ways of relieving the Poor mentioned in the Law of Moses to pay a Tenth part of all his Increase or Income every Third Year which is aequivalent to one Thirtieth part every Year to the use and maintenance of the Poor Deut. 14.28 29. And this was Styled their Righteousness their necessary Obedience to the Law and the lowest degree of Charity among them But the Good and Merciful Men even of the Jews were such as did much out do what this Law exacted Our Lord declares That except our Righteousness shall exceed the Righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees who practised such external duties doubtless at an higher rate than the common Jews we shall in no case enter into the Kingdom of Heaven From all these premises that Learned Man infers beyond all colour of contradiction that the proportion of the Christian Alms-giver to speak at the least must be more than the Thirtieth part of his Yearly Revenue or Increase Now altho' it be true that this Law given to the Jews doth not oblige us Christians in the Letter of it yet as he well remarks Gods Judgment to his People at that time and in that State is worth our observing But then we are here to remember that every Jew who had any Income or Increase was ty'd to pay this Thirtieth part towards the maintenance of the Poor even those who had least to spare so that if Christians in moderate circumstances who have any thing to spare are to exceed this Proportion as hath been shewed those who are Rich who have a great deal more than they need must be worse than Jews if they make so low and scanty a Rule for their practise for none who was accounted a Good or Merciful Man among them contented himself with doing so little Some considerate Persons being in that mediocrity or competency of these outward good things that neither Poverty nor Riches which was the Wise Man's choice and would be the choice of all Wise Men if our Lords Judgment were throughly weighed and believed by them since the Richer they are the more hard still it is for them to be saved some of these sober and serious Christians I say have thought one Tenth part of their Yearly Revenue or Annual Profits arising any other way a Proportion low enough for them to bestow in Works of Mercy But Rich Men and especially those who are very Rich if they were very Wise too will scarce stint themselves it is to be hoped in many circumstances at least to a rate so dis-proportionable to their abilitys Zaccheus's Example who besides restoring four sold if it should appear that he had wronged any Man gave half his goods to the Poor is a much fitter Precedent for some of those who have very great Estates i. e. who have much more than they can spend every Year in such ways as they will be able to answer for to God at the last day that great day of Accounts Certainly every Rich Man will do himself great right in often and seriously reflecting upon that Parable delivered by our Lord Luk. 16.19 c. for his particular Caution and instruction That Rich man there hath neither impiety nor rapine or injustice nor any other flagrant Crime laid to his Charge All we are told of him is that he was Clothed in purple and fine linnen and fared sumptuously every day and that he did not feed the poor beggar with the crumbs which fell from his table i. e. He lived very great maintain'd his port and quality in the world indulg'd himself in the excesses of Luxury and Vanity whilst the poor starv'd for want of that which his haughty Pride and Ryot made him think he needed for his own self And the next thing we hear of him is that he is dead and buried and in Torments in Hell Fire The learned Grotius asks this question from the place which I fear it will be hard for many Rich and Great Men satisfactorily to answer Quomodo igitur poenam hanc diviti inflictam evadet pars magna Christianorum How will so many Christians as imitate this Rich man's Example be able to escape those Torments in Hell to which he is doom'd For tho' all the Alms in the world can never purchase Heaven for Eternal Life is the gift of God thro' Jesus Christ our Lord Rom. 6.23 yet want of a competent proportionable Charity alone and without any other sin may prove as sure a way to lose Heaven as all the Atheism and Irreligion all the Lewdness and Wickedness any Man was ever guilty of And since Christ gives no other reason of mens Condemnation at the day of judgment but this only tho' others doubtless there will be we cannot but conclude that want of due Charity will be then tho' not the only yet to be sure a very principal and general Article against those forever unhappy men And seeing that a narrow slender contracted Charity altogether disproportionable to the Rich mans Abilities will in all reason be esteemed by God as no Charity at all All Rich men are as nearly concern'd to Study this point well and to practise this duty with care and diligence as they are not to perish with their mony and not to come into that place of Torments And they ought therefore frequently to have in their thoughts that saying of our Lord Luk. 12.48 which is equally applicable to all Talents as well of Riches as any other For unto whomsoever much is given of him shall much be required and to whom men have Committed much of him they will ask the more 3. It would be a great and worthy effect of a noble and Universal Beneficence or Charity in those who have wealth and power and credit among us to use all the interest they can make in procuring a publick National Establishment of a truly Honourable Society of men who should make it their business out of love to God and Compassion towards their Brethren to know among them all the number and condition in all particulars of all the poor in this Kingdom and especially in and about this great City That so all those who are able might be forced to maintain themselves by their own labour and both those whose labour is not able to provide enough for their great charge and those who are unfit for any work at all which will be but few may be sufficiently and decently provided for and maintain'd as Sons of the same Father and Brethren of our common Lord and Saviour Christ If it were seriously considered and laid to heart how many are starv'd every year in their own houses and some too in the streets with hunger or cold or want of necessaries in one kind or other which amount to some hundreds in and about this City some years as I have heard from those who have reason to know we should look upon this as such a Disgrace and Contradiction to our Religion which is the Law of Love and the