mightie neuer so rich we haue no assurance of any long continuance in this world no not so much as for one yéere for héere we haue no abiding citie but we looke for one to come Hebr. 13.14 our yere that is our short course of life at last must haue an end and as we came naked into the world so must we returne naked out of the world as Iob speaketh of himselfe Iob 1.21 Let vs then my brethren with that wise king now in the time of plenty prouide against the future famine let vs now make vs friends of that vnrighteous mammon that when we want they may receiue vs into euerlasting habitations let vs now make vs bags that waxe not old a treasure that can neuer fail in heauē let vs now send away wealth in distributing to the poore Quod enim pauperi damus ante nos praemittimus saith S. Aug. hoc ibi inueniemus quod hic damus And we shall finde that in heauen which wée giue them héere on earth Let vs now play the wise merchants as they venture much vpon the waters so let vs vpon these waters Regnum coelorū venale est this day the kingdome of God is as it were set at sale vnto vs O let vs sell all that we haue to buy this pearle yet we néed not sell all for a small matter will buie it an ouer-worne garment will buie it a morsell of meat will buie it a loafe of bread will buie it a draught of drinke will buie it a cup of cold water will buie it a mite of siluer will buie it not in respect of the merit of so small a gift but in regard of the mercy of so great a God for the word of God must bée true when euery man shall bée a liar they that féed the poore when they are hungry and refresh them when they are thirstie and lodge them when they are wearie and cloath them when they are naked and visite them when they are sicke shall then be comforted with a Come yee blessed inherite an euerlasting kingdome Cōtrariwise they that haue hardned their hearts shut vp the bowels of compassion against them shall receaue that dolefull sentence Depart yée cursed into euerlasting fire prepared for the diuel his angels Matth. 25. Wherefore right Honorable c. to conclude all at the last as Moses said to the people of Israel I cal heauen and earth to record this day that I haue set before you life and death blessing and cursing therefore choose life that both thou and thy séed may liue Deut. 30.19 So our witnesses are both in heauen and earth that this day both life and death are set before vs the euerlasting reward which God hath prouided for the chearfull giuer and the heauy iudgement which he hath prepared forthe couetous worldling O then let vs follow the president of the one and hate the practise of the other that so wée may hope for comfort that so we may liue for euer let vs now admit the poore to our presence that then we may be admitted to the presence of God let vs now giue them our earthly mammon that then God may giue vs heauenly manna let vs now receaue them to our table that then we may be receaued to eate drinke in the kingdome of God let vs now make them our companions in earth that then we may be made cōpanions with angels archangels in heauen Let vs now helpe to sustaine their life in this pilgrimage of man that then we may liue for euer in the citie of God let vs now crowne them with our temporal blessings that then we may be crowned with the crown of glory let vs now cloath them with our apparel that then we may be clothed with the garment of immortalitie let vs now shew mercy vnto poore Iesus in them that then our Iesus the God of mercy may haue compassion vpon vs. Finally let vs now cast our bread vpon these many and troubled and salt and running waters in this world that then we may find bread and water the bread of life the water of life the riches of Gods treasurie the abundance of his house in the world to come Which the Lord of his infinite mercy grant vnto vs all to enioy after the miseries of this wofull and wretched life not for our owne merits and deserts but for the most glorious passion and ioyfull resurrection of Iesus Christ to whom with the Father and the blessed spirit be ascribed al honor and glory c. The Author to the Reader BEing ouer intreated at this time to publish this Sermon and hauing my selfe so manie necessarie imployments otherwise I was constrained to send vnto the Printer that one and only vnperfect copy which I had thereof wherin if by reason of mine owne absence there happen to be many faults the Christian and well disposed Reader I hope wil charitably censure them As for the carping companions of our time as I neuer desired to please them so doe I not now seeke to satisfie them
learned Father Frustra manus ad Deum expandit qui has ad pauperes non extendit In vaine he stretcheth out his hands in praier vnto God that doth not exercise his hands in pitie vnto the poore Remember that thou art Gods minister as Origen speaketh to distribute a portion to thy fellow seruants 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Do not then like Iudas in carrying of the bagge cousen the poore do not appropriate that to thy selfe that belongeth to others tua non sunt tua saith S. Hierome in his 8. epistle ad Demetriadem those goods which thou callest thine are none of thine It is the bread of the hungrie which thou doest detaine it is the coate of the naked which thou lockest in thy wardrope the shooes of the barefoote which lie drying in thy house and the gold that should relieue the poore that lies cankering in thy coffers as Basil speaketh Lastly remember this and remember all it is the saying of Gregorie in one of his Hom. and woorthy to be remembred of euery faithfull Christian Quod iacenti in terra porrigitis sedenti in coelo datis What thou giuest vnto the poore lying on the ground thou giuest to Christ Iesus sitting in heauen What the poore beggeth of thée Christ beggeth of thée it is Christ that asketh thy house to lodge him it is Christ that craueth thy garment to couer him it is Christ that desireth thy bread to féed him it is Christ that intreateth thy drinke to refresh him And therefore as Christ said to the woman of Samaria If thou knewest who it is that saith vnto thée giue me drinke thou wouldest haue asked of him and he would haue giuen to thée the water of life Ioh. 4.10 So diddest thou consider that when the poore craueth it is Christ that craueth thy charitable beneuolence and when thou castest thy bread vpon the waters thou castest it vpon Christ Iesus thou wouldest not onely giue vnto him of thy transitorie treasure but intreat of him a greater almes euen the water of euerlasting life and after many daies thou shouldest be sure to finde it And so I come to my second generall part to wit the reward héere proposed noted in the last words For after many daies thou shalt finde it Pars secunda FOr after many daies thou shalt find it Although it might séeme sufficient which the holy Ghost by king Salomon had set downe in the first words of my text to perswade vs to a Chrstian commiseration of the poore for the will of a master is a sufficient reason vnto his seruants and the good pleasure of a king vnto his subiects and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he spake the word gaue sufficient credit to the scholers of that Philosopher to beléeue the trueth and follow the prescription of his precepts yet the blessed spirit of God considering the dulnesse of flesh and bloud in any thing that might concerne their instruction in the way of godlinesse and well waying how the nature of man is euer stirred vp by rewards the rather to allure vs to this holie dutie proposeth the promise of a reward to be receaued vpon the performance of this precept For after many daies thou shalt find it Wherein he frameth this argument ab vtili a most forcible argument of all other to flesh and bloud Thinke not much to cast your bread vpon the water to distribute your almes vnto the poore yea to lose your money for your neighbours sake for by this losse commeth great gaine for this after many daies you shall find many temporal blessings in this life and eternall glorie in the life to come for so the whole current of Interpreters expound these last words of my text And héere my brethren as the carkase of Amasah lying in the midst of the way caused the people to stand still 2. Sam. 20.12 So me thinkes in the verie entrance of this second part there ariseth a scruple to staie my passage and hinder my course which when we shal remooue we may the better procéed and goe forward in the same For whereas the spirit of God by Salomon doth héere implicitè set downe a temporall and eternall reward to all them that are plentifull in their charitable déeds towards the poore heereupon the aduersaries of the trueth misinterpreting the place doe presently conclude that these works of mercie did merit and deserue this reward at the hand of Almightie God The vanity of which conceit shall God willing plainly appéere vnto you if you will vouchsafe héerein a little to affoord mée your Christian patience and accustomed attention And if there be any héere present that haue béene seduced to fauour the doctrine of popish merits and are not yet fully satisfied and setled in the trueth let mée desire them in the bowels of Christ Iesus vnlesse they will obstinately continue in errour to laie aside all preiudicate conceits either of my person or of this cause and with indifferent eares to heare how in this one point by the disciples of Antichrist our Church hath béene wronged these weake ones abused the Scriptures peruerted and the faithfull generally scandalized For after manie daies they shall find it A temporall and eternall reward saie they is héere promised to him that casteth his bread vpon the waters that giueth his almes vnto the poore ergo this charitable almes merited this reward And the Rhemists in their annotations vpon Rom. 2. sect 2. affirme that Christians good works are meritorious and the causes of saluation and vpon 1. Cor. 3. sect 2. men by their good works deserue heauen Bellarmine their great champion in his 4. lib. 3. cap. de bonis operibus is of opinion that good works and namely almes déeds whereof Salomon héere especially speaketh doe merit eternall life not onely ex congruo by a kinde of congruitie which some of the Schoolemen allow but also ex cōdigno of condignitie or worthines in the highest degrée which many of the schoolemen doe denie The reason of this their assertion they fetch from that place Luc. 10.7 The labourer is woorthy of his wages but the faithful are laborers and eternall life is their wages promised Matth. 20.8 ergo the faithfull are woorthy of by their works doe merit eternall life But marke I beséech you brethren how like the ancient heretikes our Romanists by their cursed glosses corrupt this Scripture and violently wrest it from its true meaning for whereas our Sauiour there saieth The labourer is woorthy of his hire he doth not by hire or wages vnderstand the kingdome of heauen or eternal life but rather a temporall reward as the circumstances of the text do manifestly declare it For Christ Iesus there sending his disciples to preach the Gospell biddes them carrie no bagge nor scrip nor shooes with them but into what house soeuer they did enter they should tarrie there eating and drinking such things as were set before them for the labourer saith he is woorthie of his hire His meaning
and then wrought crost Iudahs and Iosephs hopes so many waies and then granted why should we doubt but that the same God with whom the present and future tense is all one will in conuenient time reward them that reléeue his Why should we doubt but that if we thus lay out our money for the Lord the Lord at the last will restore it Why should we doubt but that if we thus lend vnto the Lord the Lord at the last will repay it Why should we doubt but that if we thus cast our bread vpon the waters the Lord at the last will reward it though we expect it manie daies And so from the time héere specified after manie daies I now come to the reward it selfe héere proposed in the last words thou shalt finde it whereof by your patience a word or two and so I will commit you to God Thou shalt finde it inuenies illum that is saith Bonauenture retributionem pro illo a recompence for it And what is this recompence It is saith one septuplum centuplum millecuplum seuenfold an hundred fold nay a thousand fold more than the morsell of bread we cast vpon the waters more than the measure of almes we giue vnto the poore it is merces temporalis in hoc seculo aeterna in futuro a temporall reward of things transitorie héere on earth a full fruition of things eternall there in heauen as the Caldie paraphrase and other interpreters doe expound it And here you sée my brethren what a large field I haue yet to walke in and what a sea of matter lies before me but my purpose is not to tread euery path nor to sound euerie Ocean I will passe ouer this point tanquam canis in Nilo lambens vel vt Ladas in puluere cursitans as the dogs vse to lap in Nilus and as Ladas trips it vpon the sands catching a little here and there and scarse leauing the print of my spéech any where commending the rest to your priuate meditations and to the effectuall operation of Gods holy spirit in your obedient hearts Thou shalt find it That is both a temporall eternall reward First thou shalt finde a temporall reward Honour the Lord saith Salomon by thy riches that is in distributing them vnto the poore So shall thy barnes be filled with abundance and thy presses shall burst with wine Pro. 3.9.10 For as a fountaine saith Clemens Alexandrinus the more it is drawne the more it is filled with fresh and for the most part swéeter water So the more we draw the fountaine of our bounty by casting vnto the poore the more is our store replenished with a new supplie of manie blessings And as when Iesus brake and distributed those fiue loaues to the fiue thousand mē the bread was miraculously multiplied to no lesse than twelue baskets full Iohn 6. So when be breake our bread vnto the néedie God doth as it were by a miracle multiplie the same that in our basket and in our store we may neuer want When the widow of Sarepta made the Prophet a little cake with all her prouision for this she was the richer for behold the barrell of meale wasted not and the oile in the cruse ceased not 1. reg 17. 16. when one Bonifacius gaue all his mothers corne vnto the poore for this shée was the richer for behold he praied and the Lord restored it in greater abundance than before Greg. li. 1. dialog ca 9. When Iohn the Patriarke of Alexandria gaue fiue crownes vnto the poore for this hée was the richer for behold a noble Ladie for these fiue gaue him fiftie crownes to the vse of his church as Surius writeth in his life Qui enim terrena subsidia largitur ditior dando caelesti remuneratione redditur saith S. Hierome on the Prouerbs Hée that is made poore by giuing his almes God makes him rich againe by rewarding his almes He that thus scattereth is the more increased Prou. 11.29 Would you then beloued learne the heauenly thrift loe héere it is bestow your treasure vpon the poore and it shall bring you more profit then gold Eccles 29.11 Would you know where to finde much treasure loe héere it is a mans almes is a purse with him and it shall pay euerie man his reward vpon his head as it is in the 13. verse of the same chap. Would you liue in plentie all the daies of your life lo héere it is he that giueth vnto the poore shall neuer lacke Prou. 28.27 Would you be assured of the reward of your charitie loe héere it is Cast your bread vpon the waters and after manie daies you shall finde it God is the same God still as able to requite and as ready to reward the déeds of mercy as euer he was And therfore if the bowels of thy charitie shall bée so farre inlarged that thou cast all vnto the poore and leaue nothing for thy selfe yet be thou comforted with that which Tiberius the Emperour sometimes comforted himselfe withall who hauing spent almost his whole treasury in the works of charitie and being blamed by some of his friends for the same returned them this answer Though my money be gone yet héere is my comfort Deus non deerit fisco nostro God will neuer be wanting in my exchequer which afterwards he found true for he did not so liberally giue to the poore as God did liberally reward him with temporall blessings for the same as Paulus Diaconus in his 3. libr. and 6. cap. of his Historie reporteth Hearken to this O all yée couetous vsurers and extortioners you that beate your braines and busie your heads how you may make the greatest gaine and commoditie of your gold and siluer shall I here teach you a new kind of vsury a more cōmodious course which I thinke you neuer yet heard of or hearing it I presume you neuer yet put in practise If I should say vnto you as our Sauiour did to the rich man in the Gospell Sell all that you haue and giue to the poore and you shall haue a great reward in heauen surely you would then saie Durus est hic sermo this is a hard saying and with that rich man you would not abide it But yet let mée tell you if you will purchase the greatest gaine by your riches if you will set out your money to vsurie for the best commoditie cast if not all yet the superfluities of your abundance vnto the néedie and I will assure you by this meanes your gold shal bring you greater increase than by all other kinds of vsury whatsoeuer for you know the world is deceitfull in setting your money to vsury sometimes you are deceaued by a cousening Lawyer and hée will teach your debtor a tricke to make your bond of none effect Sometime you are deceaued by a beggerly bankabrupt and where there is nothing as the old saying is not onely the subiect but euen the king must lose his right and suppose