your security you shall have it againe every farthing token as you use to speake and that farre surer then checker which yet the proverbe hath chronicled for greatest assurance Reas 4 Let me add a fourth reason It will cause prayers and God will heare crying against therefore for Exod. 22.27 that you may beleeve a point to naturall reason so unbeleeveable what will cause many prayers and supplications to God for you that must sure cause Him to give you all good things in abundance and so deliver you from penurie and necessity you will yeeld this to be a truth if you account prayers worth any thing as Saint Paul certainely did and for this cause so often required them saying Brethren pray for us and againe I beseech you in the name of our Lord Iesus Christ and for the love of the Spirit that you strive in prayer to God for me The prayers made to God by his servants upon due ground and warrant cannot bee in vaine if God have not in vaine taken to himselfe the name of a God that heareth prayers now you know the poore will surely pay backe to you their prayers to God for you 2 Cor. 9.14 or if any should bee so unthankfull as not to doe it yet the houshold of God will to whom you ought most to abound in bountie The Lord saith that a poore man wronged will cry and God will heare his cry for he is mercifull Exod. 22.23 and will it not follow on the contrary a poore man refreshed will pray to God for you and God will heare him because he is mercifull If his mercy will moove him to punish the oppressor of the poore the said mercy must needs moove him to reward the succourer And if he be carnall that God will not heare his prayers for himselfe yet his prayer for his benefactor he will heare as well as his cryes against his wrong-doer Wherefore this giving is an undoubted course to procure all abundance of all good things and to chase away wants and necessity I know not how a point should bee accounted proved and confirmed sufficiently if you will not count this point so and beleeve it accordingly I come to the third point Hiding ones eyes that is hindering himselfe from knowing or resolving to doe this duty by putting any shifts and pretences before his mind this is to hide the eyes I conceive and I think none of you will object against the so interpreting the phrase The point is Doct. 3 It is a sinne to hinder ones selfe from knowing and resolving to doe his duty with idle shifts and pretences with excuses and allegations of this or that There is a double ignorance of a duty one of a duty in generall considered as a duty univerfally as not to know it is a duty to pray to releeve the poore which is a kinde of denying the proposition of a Syllogisme that the understanding must make There is an ignorance of a duty in particular to wit that this worke now at this time with these circumstances is a duty and this is a denying of the assumption and each of them will hinder the conclusion of the conscience therefore one must doe this Now to make ones selfe ignorant of a duty either of these waies by seeming reasons and objections is a sinne and the not doing of a duty which wee have made our selves so ignorant of will make us subject to curses you see as well as if a man plainely refuse to doe it without any such pretences for hee that hideth his eyes shall have store of curses This is that which the Scripture calleth winking with ones eyes Mat. 13.15 and detaining the truth in unrighteousnesse Rom. 1.18 This is that Saint Peter calleth a not knowing willingly 2 Pet. 5.3 as the men of the old world knew nothing of Noahs going into the Arke which had beene taught to them sixscore yeares together because with carnall objections they had blinded themselves This is a kinde of refusing to know judgement That this is a great fault I shall proove to you by two reasons Reas 1 First it is a meere fruit of hypocrisie that is of that vice by which a man desireth to seeme good and not to be so for because hee would not seeme to offend hee invents devices and shifts if the answer should be downe-right I know it is a duty but I will not doe it Such a flat opposition to conscience will make a man to be condemned of himselfe but because hee would maintaine in himselfe an opinion of himselfe that he is good and yet is not willing to be good in truth and shew it by doing the thing commanded though his corruption stand never so averse to it therefore he seekes about for reasons to hide his eyes to make him believe it is no duty that hee may at once both serve sinne and not be knowne to himselfe to serve it As did the proud men to whom God sent Ieremie with a commandement that they should not goe downe into AEgypt but tarry in the land Jer. 43.2 3 they would not seeme so rebellious as to say though God bid us tarry here yet we will not but they hid their eyes by making themselves beleeve that Ieremy was inticed by Baruch to prophesie this against them that hee might deliver them into the hands of the Babylonians Open rebellion faith I will not doe it though it be a duty hypocrisie will deale more finely and say I would doe it if it were a duty but it is not though it have none but frivolous allegations to disprove it hence commeth this hiding of the eye therefore it is a great offence Reas 2 This hiding of the eyes causeth the Lord at last to make men blinde even to strike them with a spirit of blindnesse that they shall bee so hood-winked muffled as the lightest and brightest truth that is shall never sinke into their mindes and so they will be hardned in sinne against all reproofes and exhonation and admonitions that nothing will worke them to amendment and so by utter impenitencie and hardnesse they tumble themselves headlong to the pit of perdition as you see in the Prophet Isay God saith Make the eyes of this people blind and their heart fat that is as much as if hee had said all thy labour with them shall profit nothing they shall grow harder and harder blinder and blinder the more they be taught and instructed Why What is the reason that God will sell them over to their owne hardnesse and blindnesse That place alledged also Mat. 13.14 15. leads us to the reason Their eyes have they closed least at any time they should see and convert and bee healed A refusing to know by closing ones eyes against light with fond excuses that is the true sinne which God punisheth even with giving them up to utter impenitencie and blindnesse so this that is a fruit of guile and procurer of utter
God we have so long a seeds time our seeds time lasteth so long as life lasteth we have good ground so long as one poore man or woman liveth that feares God at least so long as we have the poore with us as we shall have alwaies so long we must be doing good unto them if our mercy must imitate Gods sure it must bee constant for so is his to us-ward indeed if wee give not constantly we give not out of a true habit of mercy for those acts that doe flow from habits will offer themselves upon every occasion and so you have the second rule for manner of giving 3. The last is wee must give in an upright and sincere manner that is to say not induced to it by sinister and corrupt motives and ends but by due and just motives and ends For the truth and sincerity of every action is taken from the inducement that leadeth unto it and the end at which the agent aimeth in it now the right and due motives to bounty must be love to God and man for Gods sake as Saint Paul telleth us that Charity is bountifull as also obedience to Gods commandements and faith in Gods promises these are the three most solid and powerfull motives to every good worke by which wee ought to bee swayed in the course of our lives and so to this good work in particular obedience faith love for so the Apostle tells you You know the grace fo our Lord Iesus Christ 2 Cor. 8.9 how that he being rich was made poore for us that we c. and saith Iohn 1 John 4.11 if God so loved us we ought also to love one another 1 John 3.16 and hereby perceive wee the love of God to us that he laid downe his life for us therefore wee ought to lay downe our lives much more to give a part of our goods for the brethren But there be certaine corrupt and evill motives and ends for those two termes note but the same thing in different respects which we should carefully remove from us The first is vaine-glory to be seene of men for then our Lord tells us we have received our reward this is hypocriticall pharisaicall guilefull a man serves sinne in it not God nor man though it may profit the receiver the givers soule shall be no whit advantaged by it these thoughts of gaining the praise and esteeme of men are to be thrust out of our mindes that they may not pollute our mercifull deeds Another end and motive there is worse then this and that is a conceit of satisfying for sin or deserving life eternall this is to make our deeds stand in steed of Christs obedience of his sufferings and righteousnesse this is to offer strange incense to God a thing deserving cutting off in the old law this is to over-value our deeds and under-value Gods Iustice and kingdome A suddaine oath or taunting terme or the like called veniall sinnes were not such offences to the divine Majesty if the giving of a groate or shilling to a poore man might propitiate for them heaven were an easie purchase and too cheape a penny-worth if a man might buy it by giving almes these fancies do so putrifie works of mercy that they become odious unto God because hee that doth them puts confidence in the flesh as Saint Paul cals it and therfore causeth his almes to be but a worke of the flesh which kinde of worke cannot please God J have done with rules of mercy I goe to the next point and will give you some meanes of helping you to be mercifull That a man may give Meanes to inable men to works of mercy he must have money to give and he must have an heart hee must have a will and he must have a gift too for hee that hath nothing cannot give though hee would hee that wants a heart cannot give because he will not both therefore are requisite and I will shew you what must be done for the getting of both and because the heart is the more needfull of the twaine as I suppose I will begin there hearken my beloved Brethren I will shew you how you must work your hearts to a mercifull liberality to that end you must doe these three things 1. You must seriously consider of those commandements promises and threats which are found in Gods Booke cooncerning this duty pressing them upon your selves get into thy closet search the Bible turne to the precepts to this duty and say is not mercy plainely often earnestly required and shall I dare to disobey so many evident and urgent precepts Why doe I come to Church if for fashion sake then I am an hypocrite if because God bids me doth not he that said heare the Word say give to the poore and if conscience binde me to the one doth it not binde me to the other say to thy selfe shall I dare to live in the manifest breach of so many cleere commandements as doe enjoyne giving to the poore I must not I will not I dare not if I doe I shall give the divell so great advantage in the day of conflict that I shall never bee able to escape grievous terrours for he that keepes all the commandements and breaks one will be found a transgressor of all and little will it availe me to have seemed religious if I be not mercifull so the like in regard of promises and threats urge them and presse them upon your selves till you have even compelled your unwilling will to resolve to interest your selves into so many promises and to shunne the danger of so many threats if we would thus hide the Word of God in our hearts it would worke J meane God by it would worke for it is his Ordinance even every grace in our hearts 2. But to meditation you must add prayer beseeching God to give you this so worthy a grace by which you shall be made so like unto himselfe that you may know your selves to be his children hereby saith our Saviour You shall bee knowne to bee my Disciples John 13.34 if ye love one another and hereby shall we be knowne to love if we pittie and releeve Hereby wee know wee are translated from death to life 1 Iohn 3.14 because we love the brethren and hereby we know that we love the brethren because our hearts and hands are open to them for love is bountifull O Lord say implant mercy in my heart O make me liberall of my money as thou wast of thy bloud O let me have an heart to give out of my purse to those for whom thou gavest thy selfe a ransome inlarge my heart with Christian charity and compassion that I may be ready to give willing to communicate Thou that tellest me thy selfe art pleased with such sacrifices O work in me that that is well pleasing in thy fight and let me be pleased to offer such sacrifices as thou art pleased to accept Thou gavest this grace
to the Thessalonians give it also to me and cause this grace to abound in me The spirit of God will hearken to our supplications and worke these vertues in us if we seeke them from heaven and then indeed be these graces worthy the name of graces when a man hath gotten them by calling on God for them as the fruit of his Spirit But yet another thing must be added to meditation and prayer and that is practise 3. A man must begin to give that he may get an habite of giving and presse himselfe to bee much in doing a good worke till he have made it easie and delightfull to himselfe you know what great perfection practise doth bring to them that were but very bunglers at the first the most niggardly spirited man or woman in the world if they will set themselves to crosse their base mindes and churlish thoughts and say well I will be no longer a niggard I will lay up something for Christs members and good workes and so open his hand the next occasion that comes to bountie and so againe and againe shall at length finde as great a promptnesse to it as he found a backwardnesse before you must offer violence to your uncharitable hearts and exercise your selves in giving and that will at last make you free in giving I have shewed you how to get an heart Now I will tell you how you must get something to give and that must be done by three other things 1. You must use diligence 2. Thrift And 3. You must lay up something in store for mercy First then he that would bee mercifull to the poore must be diligent in his calling and in the labours thereof the diligent hand will make rich and so provide matter for bountie Saint Paul wisheth Ephes 4.20 To labour with the hands the thing that is good that they may have to give this is one end that wee must propound to our selves in the worke of our vocation that God may so blesse us not alone that we may have enough for our selves but get some overplus too for the releefe of others but a sluggard can never give he will be like an empty pitcher or barrell he that cannot put his hand to his owne mouth how should hee put it to anothers mouth Be you therefore painefull that God may prosper you and may replenish you with good things that you may communicate them to others Secondly thrift must be as it were the purveyor for liberality Thrift is due saving from sinfull and needlesse expences Oh how much might our ability be for mercy if wee would carefully cut off superfluities the vessell that runneth our unduly will be empty when men come to draw out of it so will the state be if we let it leake as it were a cracked or broken vessell You will aske me from what must I save I answer from riot luxury drunkennesse gaming and such sinfull expences by which men serve the divell and the flesh from needlesse journies and contentious sutes in law from excesse in workes of kindnesse from excesse in attire feasting houshold-stuffe and the like and why my Brethren should you not be willing a little to take off from your owne superfluities to helpe others wants and denie your selves of that which is much more then enough to administer to them that have lesse then enough sure the Lord did not give you riches to play the Diveses and pamper your selves but to act the part of good Iobs and make the poore mans backe and belly to blesse you I confesse the Lord allowes you to enjoy the liberall portion he gives you and you may lawfully doe it but he commands you to give to the needy and why should you not doe that also either you have enough for both or not if you have why doe you not performe both if not why doe you not cut off the lesse worthy expences for the more worthy Therefore let your care be to look that nothing be wasted or mispent that there may be enough for so profitable a service how much might be saved from idle curtesies from over fine fare and garments and how abundant might we be then in works of mercy and yet be never a whit the poorer at the yeares end but the last thing to make a man able to deeds of mercy is 3. He must lay in store for mercy he must have a poore mans boxe in his house when David minded to build an house for God he provided all things before hand in abundance so must we lay up materialls for the building of mercy that we may not be to seeke at the time of using this course Saint Paul prescribeth to the Corinthians 1 Cor. 16.1 and said that he had taken the like order with the Church of the Galatians Let every one lay in store by himselfe as God hath prospered him that there may be no gathering when I come He that hath something lying by him which he did sequester formercy will give with a free heart but it will come hardly if nothing be provided for it if you aske me how much you must lay aside I answer Be sure you do it in convenient abundance rather with the more then the lesse And I suppose it is a quantity that may well be spared of most men the tenth of their commings in for pious uses so shall one be sure he is rich in good works and that he hath done as much this way as in ordinary times God requireth of him for the Iewes had the poore mans tithes as well as the Levites But try this way first cast aside thy tenth penny and if thou findest Gods blessing so liberall that thou canst well spare it give it still if not according as thou art prospered Beloved now I have shewed you how you may fit your hearts and your hands for this much commended service of mercy let me go on to remoove those excuses by which men are wont to hinder themselves from mercy and as it is in my Text to hide their eyes Objections against giving answered Those are taken from foure heads first from others secondly from themselves thirdly from the poore fourthly from the effects they thinke will follow of such giving First from others 1. Objectiō from others they alledge they give as much as others doe of their estate and perhaps more well let us see how this reason runnes I must doe as my neighbours do now they give not so much therefore need not I. Brethren Answ for the proportion who taught you to make mens example the rules of your lives the Scripture never wisheth you to live by example but by rule you swarve from the right rule when you looke abroad what others doe God bids thee give after thine ability not after thy neighbours niggardlines most men are backward and sparing this way but the niggardise of one is no excuse for that of another And againe how knowest thou that thou givest as much