Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A47323
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Charity directed, or, The way to give alms to the greatest advantage in a letter to a friend / written by Richard Kidder.
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Kidder, Richard, 1633-1703.
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1676
(1676)
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Wing K397; ESTC R32868
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32,292
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40
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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
besides the day of expiation their Oblations or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that were constantly paid to the Priests and their long and frequent journeys to Jerusalem and their offerings there for their sins and trespasses for their first born and of their first fruits besides their payments for the service of the Tabernacle their other offerings and Emergent expences which the law required not to speak of their lex agraria and the other precepts which prescinded the opportunities of becoming greatly rich were things of great charge and which did yearly expend a great proportion of their Estates And I fear that our love to the world is so great and our devotion so small that we should have been very uneasie under such a service and perhaps have gone as unwillingly to Gods Temple as the Beast we should have sacrificed would have gone to have been slain at the Altar But now since God requires nothing more of us but to do justly and to love mercy and walk humbly before God we ought out of gratitude to shew kindness to one another 3. For Spiritual Mercies and the great care God hath taken of our souls These loudly call upon us to do good to the Poor Hath not God given his Son to Die that we might Live Hath he not Blessed us with the Revelation of his will And hath he not given an assurance of the aid of his Divine Spirit Hath he not given us the means of Grace and the hope of Glory Hath he not lengthned out to us the time and space of Repentance when there are many placed amongst the Dead and Damned Does he not still follow us with Importunities and Beseechings that we would turn and live Does he not wooe and beseech us to be Happy Does he not do it though he need us not and will be nevertheless happy though we are miserable Oh that Men would retire a little and be alone and well consider and ponder upon these things Let us but think how deplorably miserable we were if God had not thus provided for us Let us but suppose our selves bereft of the means of Grace and of all hope of Glory who could express the horror of such a Condition as should deprive us of these Benefits No Tongue could express no Heart conceive the greatness of such a Misery Shall we then think much after we have received so much Mercy from God to do good to an Enemy to do good to a poor Man to help a Widdow or a Fatherless Child Shall our eye be evil when our Lords hath been so good Shall we spare our Purse when God hath not spared his Son Shall we shut up our Bowels against our Brother after such great pity shewen us from God Methinks such love of God should thaw and unlock the most frozen heart Methinks it should enter into hearts of stone And methinks no Breast should be so impregnable as not to surrender to such a Force and Power We must needs yield and say What shall we render to the Lord for all his Mercies And think it a poor acknowledgment of our Thankfulness to bestow our Goods upon the Poor Fourthly we are bound to help the Poor and to do good to the Needy because we shall be Judged hereafter according to the good we do here A great Truth this is however we Dispute or distinguish our selves out of our Duty We are witty and crafty to find a Cheap way to Heaven to contrive a Faith that shall save our Souls and our Estates also A Faith that shall Justifie our Persons whether it cleanse our Hearts or no. VVe are careful of giving God too much and though we profess a great esteem for our Religion yet we take care that it keep its distance and Usurp not over our Temporal Concerns We are so much against Merits that we suspect good works also We Divide between God and the World God shall have good Words some faint intentions a few cold Prayers but an hearty Love an unwearied diligence and vigorous Endeavours we reserve for the World VVell so it is we are crafty and we flatter our selves but our craft will but Ruine us VVe shall find it a great Truth that he who shews no Mercy shall Receive none Let us not deceive our selves the time draws on apace when we shall give a severe Account of our Time and our Abilities our Estates and Opportunities in a word of all our Lords Money that we have received And much shall be Required of them that have Received much VVe shall not onely give Account how we get but how we use our Estates And not onely the Oppressor and unjust Steward but the Unprofitable Servant shall be shut out of the Kingdom of Heaven VVe are told how the Sentence will run hereafter Depart ye Cursed not because ye Oppressed the Poor and grieved the VVidow but because I was hungred and ye gave me no Meat I was thirsty and ye gave me no Drink c. 'T is Mercy makes way and leads us to the greatest Mercy Come ye Blessed of my Father c. not because ye did Miracles or Suffered Martyrdom or Lived a single Life or used Severities to your Bodies not because you went on Pilgrimages and Visited Shrines and Holy Reliques but I was an hungry and ye gave me Meat c. Mat. 25. Fifthly Shewing Mercy to one another is more pleasing to God than other services which were not onely of his own Appointment but had also a particular reference and Relation to Him To do good and Communicate forget not for with such Sacrifices God is well pleased Now God may be said to be well pleased with our doing good with this Sacrifice of Mercy 1. In Opposition to the Bloody and Legal Sacrifices that were prescribed by the Law of Moses They were Sacrifices properly so called and of Gods appointment They were Homages and Acknowledgments of the Divine Sovereignty and such as were in Use both before the Law and before the Flood among Gods People and among the Heathen These did God Command and bear witness to with Fire from Heaven and therefore with these Sacrifices God was pleased But yet was more pleased with Mercy than Sacrifice even then when Bloody Sacrifices were Commanded This pleased him better than the Fat and Blood that was presented at his Altar God did not delight in Burnt-Offerings nor Calves of a Year old not in Thousands of Rams nor in ten thousand Rivers of Oyl not in the Fruit of our Body for the sin of our soul but Required of his worshippers that they should do justly and love Mercy c. Mic. 6.6 7 8. The unmerciful Man was always unwelcome to Gods Altar he frowned upon Cain whatever his Oblation was who did not Love his Brother Acts of Mercy and Kindness he always smelt a sweet savour in For bloody Sacrifices they were never welcom alone or for their own sake nor were they always to continue VVhen the Lamb of God was Offered