A FALSE FAITH not Justified by Care for the POOR PROV'D in a SERMON PREACH'D at St. PAUL's Church August 28th 1698. By LVKE MILBOVRNE a Presbyter of the Church of ENGLAND 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Julianus ad Arsacium LONDON Printed by R. R. for W. Kettelby and B. Aylmer At the Bishop's-Head in St. Paul's Church-Yard and at the Three Pigeons against the Royal-Exchange in Cornhill MDCXCVIII Mr. MILBOVRNE's SERMON AT St. Paul's Church August 28. 1698. EDWIN Mayor Martis viii die Septembris 1698 Annoque RRs Will. tertii Angliae c. decimo THis Court doth desire Mr. Milbourne to Print his Sermon Preached at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul on Sunday the 28th of August last before the Lord Mayor and Aldermen of this City GOODFELLOW 1 COR. XIII 3. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the Poor and have not Charity it profiteth me nothing A Close Union in Faith and Practice between the Members of Christ that there may be no Schism in the Body but that they may by Faith hold to their One Eternal Head and by Love have the same Care one for another is the Glory and Security of his Church Other Spiritual Gifts may Beautify and Adorn it These with their Companion Hope give it Substance and Vigor make Faithful Christians fix their Thoughts above break through a thousand difficulties below and imitate the prodigious Love of their Master to miserable Sinners by a diffusive tenderness for one another These then are the certain Test of a sound Christian A Man set off with all the Charms of irresistible Eloquence may be follow'd and admir'd the ravish'd World may hang Eternally on his Lips who speaks with Power and Demonstration and who with clear Sense and proper Expressions makes the obscurest things plain and intelligible and who would not be his Captive who by a great number of indisputable and unaccountable Miracles commands Submission But for a Man to condescend to the Necessities of the Poor to look upon himself as sent into the World to relieve the Indigent to be the Father and Guardian of those who are generally despis'd by a careless and uncompassionate World and to be so fond of suppos'd Truth as to seal it with his Blood These are such Demonstrations of a sincere Goodness as might one would think stop the Mouths of captious Inquirers and make the Eloquent Preacher and the Worker of Miracles pass for a compleat Saint The concurrence of such Qualifications must needs glitter wonderfully before the Common World and prejudice them very far in favour of their glaring Lustre yet these may possibly meet where true justifying Faith and unfailing Hope are wanting and the most extensive Bounty may be without Charity Where it 's so however foolish Men may applaud them their Eloquence makes them no better than sounding Brass or tinkling Cymbals Their Knowledge and Miracles make them just nothing and their Zeal and Liberality can profit them nothing These three alide indeed Faith Hope and Charity but the greatest of these is Charity Love or Charity is the certain Evidence the natural Consequence the inseparable Companion and the Crowning Perfection of the other Two There 's no such Love as the Text requires but where there 's sound Faith and vigorous Hope and there 's no such Hope or such Faith but it will always work by Love This Charity therefore and Almsgiving or Care for the Poor are very different things they are excellent Companions indeed but they may be parted and where they are so though I beslow all my Goods to feed or to provide all Necessaries for the Poor for Feeding in the Text imports that general Care it profiteth me nothing The Assertion shews that among the Corinthians there were some in the Apostles times who had wonderfully high thoughts of Mercy to the Poor and believ'd with that * Tobit 4.10 Hujusmodi Axiomata ab Haereticis frequentissimé producuntur Hinc Apelles authore Rhodone Tatiani Discipulo apud Eusebium Apocryphal Writer That Alms deliver from Death and suffer not to come into darkness without any Addition whatsoever As if Beneficence or conferring outward good on those in want and providing for their Bodily necessities only were enough to procure Eternal Salvation without either a right Faith or a just Hope or true Christian Love or Charity St. Paul corrects this Error puts himself in the place of such a bountiful Man for none can be more Bountiful than he who gives his All to the Poor and lets them know that tho he should do this yet if he had not Divine Charity which could not be without Faith and Hope since they subsist or abide together it would all stand him in no stead it would profit him nothing * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hist Eccles l. 5. c. 13. This Love or Charity mention'd here as the Perfection of all other Excellencies is of a vast and undefinable extent on which reason the Apostle who recommends it every where gives no particular Definition of it any where but endeavours to imprint a right Notion of it in our minds by recounting its several Negative and Positive Qualifications all which justifie that difference between it and Almsgiving or care for the Poor which we commonly but improperly call Charity For This Charity suffers long The Christian endued with exercises the utmost Patience under the greatest Injuries He reflects on God's dealing with himself and with a wicked World and therefore breaks not out into a Rage against him who wrongs him much less will he meditate Revenge he leaves that to God and as his Heavenly Father is gracious both to the Good and Bad his Servants and his Enemies so this Man of Love will be kind to All particularly to those who have us'd him worst But the Man who gives Alms in abundance may be waspish malicious revengeful barbarous Charity or true Christian Love envieth not The true Christian sees his Enemy thrive with Joy He 's pleas'd with every good Action which proceeds from him and with every Reward which he receives He looks on the Learning Virtue Piety of all Men with satisfaction and when they grow Great Powerful Rich by such means or have a mighty Interest among good Men he 's pleas'd to see his Father's Honour promoted and can quietly let others get a greater Reputation even in those things in which himself is most ambitious to excell The Man of Alms may grudge every thing that slips his own hands and in the Care for the Poor foolishly strive to engross the sole Management and the entire Reputation This Love or Charity vaunteth not it self is not puft up He who is bless'd with this Grace is not loud when he gives his Alms nor stunns every Company with the noise of his Industry and Beneficence The deepest waters slide with the greatest silence and the most merciful Men love to be kind in secret They would not have their left hands know what their right
was only Faith which could justisy both them and their Works and Evidence that they proceeded from a Divine Spirit and that neither the Jews by their Ceremonial Rites nor the Gentiles by their Moral Virtues could be justify'd since Salvation could be attain'd only by Faith in that Jesus whom the Jews deny'd and the Gentiles till preach'd to were ignorant of Now Abraham believ'd in this Saviour by Faith he saw his Day and rejoyced John 8.56 and therefore his Works without regard to Circumcision or Uncircumcision were accepted St James's Dispute is against those who talk'd mightily of their Faith and pretended much to Orthodoxy in that but in the mean time liv'd in Sin trespass'd upon Laws omitted Duties and brought a Scandal upon their Profession i. e. They knew what was propounded to the Church to be believ'd but the substance of that Faith had made no Impression on their hearts from such therefore Works were more particularly requir'd to justifie that Faith which they pretended to it being of the Essence of true Faith to be Operative if they did not work 't was certain that neither did they believe Abraham believ'd in the Messiah to come and he believ'd in that God who had promis'd him but had he not offer'd to Sacrifice his Son at God's undoubted Command he had by that Refusal renounced his Faith For how could he believe in God who would not obey him i. e. How could Faith be true without Works Thus Faith and Works which are acceptable to God indeed are inseparable one from another Works coming from an unpurg'd mind are of no value But the Apostles always teach us Apostoli docent Fidem aptam esse ut nos purpet purgatis dâ—â—i Spiritum sinctum sic Pidem sieri efficacem per Dilectionem Gal. 5.6 ac proinde Dilectionem quae ex Fide Spe eam comitante exurgat plus valere Fide Spe. 1 Cor. 13.13 Grot. â—â—sac 2.14 That Faith purges us That the Spirit of God is given to such as are purged and so Faith is made effectual by Love and therefore says he Love which rises from Faith and Hope together is more valuable than Faith or Hope by themselves are Again Eternal Life says Grotius is the End at which Faith aims Effectus ad quem tendit Pides est vitâ— aeterna sed ita demum Effectum consequitur si adfit Purgatio à vitlis Dilectio Dilectionis opera Idem in v. 1â— Ego Fidem meam non jactitans sed perpetuam dans operam Modestiae Patientiae Dilectioni fâ—cile cuivis persuadebo etiam tacens esse in me veram Fidem Nam perpetua illa Sanctitas in malis Constantia qualis illo saeculo apparebat causam aliam quam veram Fidem â—â—bere non poterat Idem in v. 18. and Faith obtains its end when it 's attended with Purity from Vice and Love and the Effects of Love Again these words I will shew thee my Faith by my Works He illustrates thus I not boasting of my Faith but always exercising my self in Modesty Patience and Love will easily convince others that I have true Faith though I am silent for that Vniversal Holiness and Constancy in Sufferings which appear'd in the Apostolical Age could have no other Original but true Faith True sound Faith then in his Sense was the necessary Parent of acceptable good Works And this is plain too from the Parable of the Samaritan A Lawyer askt our Saviour What he should do to inherit Eternal Life Luk. 10.25 c Our Saviour asks him again What he read in the Law He answers Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy strength and with all thy mind and thy Neighbour as thy self The first was the Work of Faith the second of Love Our Lord agrees with him immediately Thou hast answer'd right this do and thou shalt live Now here was no Question about the Necessity of Faith or the Object of it The Lawyer askt not who is that God whom I should love so Nor is the Question about the Necessity of Love to others that was agreed on too but it was about the Object of that Love And who is my Neighbour To which Christ answers in the Parable A Man went from Jerusalem to Jericho he 's rob'd wounded and left in the way A Priest and a Levite whose Country whose common Faith whose Offices obliged them to compassion pass'd him by but a Samaritan no Heretick but an Apostate says Grotius one of a Nation perpetually at feud with the Jews Samaritas Judaei ut 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 capitaliori quam ullovalios odio prosequebantur Grot. in Lâ—â— c. 10.33 Non proponitur hoc ut Samaritanos cum Haereticis conferamus L. Socinus de Hâ—ret puniendis P. 24. S. 6. sees him pities him relieves him at present and takes care of him for the future and this man the Lawyer confesses was the wounded Man's Neighbour because he acted like one indeed The Inference is Go and do thou likewise i e. Lay aside all Animosities whatsoever when thou seest a proper Object of Mercy and shew Mercy wheresoever it 's needful But this setting the Samaritan before the Lawyer for an Example in a Parable no more proves that a Man of a false or no Faith may be sav'd by his Works of Mercy than that the Ox or Ass in the Prophet or the Ant in the Wiseman might be saved because the Sluggard and Rebel against God are sent to learn Industry and Obedience from them Nor does it prove doing Good to those in want Sermon on Mr. Firmin p. 104. Act. c. 6. to be of a more common and general Influence and therefore more pleasing to God than a right Faith or true knowledge any more than That the Seven appointed to serve Tables in the beginnings of the Church were on That Account preferable to the Apostles who were authoriz'd to teach or make Disciples of all Nations The Inference from the Parable is clear If a profest Enemy could be so kind to his Enemy what should a Child of God do who is no Man's Enemy Christianus nullius est Hostis Tertul. ad Scap. how should he not be asham'd to be outdone in any work of Kindness or Benignity But if this Bounty to the Poor be enough to save a Man whether his Faith be right or wrong 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Laertius lib. 8. S. 73. Empedocles who threw himself into Aetna that he might be reputed a God had a better right to that Honour when out of his own Estate not from the Contributions of others he gave Portions to promote the Marriages of many poor Maids at Agrigentum as Laertius tells us which was a very noble kind of Bounty V. Menagii Observationes in Laertium p. 363. And the Pythagoreans who had all things common could not have mist of it particularly Clinias the
Tarentine who when he heard that Prorus the Cyrenean had lost his All in a publick Calamity and was by that means reduc'd to Extremity went a long Voyage to find him out tho wholly a stranger and made his Condition as good as ever out of his own Moneys But these were the better sort of Heathens and for such some it may be for their own sakes have a great deal of Charity The Pharisees however if our Saviour mistook them not were very ill Men yet Josephus tells us They were a very merciful Sect 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Joseph Ant. l. 13 c. 18. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Idem c. 24. on which reason King Alexander perswaded his Wife to make use of them in State-matters after his own Decease which Counsel when she follow'd they made good the Character for they made it their business to recall the Banish'd and to set free the Prisoners What shall we say of Judas Had his Faith been sound certainly he would never have betray'd his Master yet his Care for the Poor was very great when the odorous Spikenard was spent on his Lord's Feet Joh. 12.5 he zealously cry'd Why was not this Ointment sold for three hundred Pence and given to the Poor But the Reflection of St. John on his action is severe and shews how wicked a wretch a pretence of caring for the Poor may cover This he said not that he cared for the Poor but because he was a Thief and had the Bag Joh. 12.6 and bare what was put therein 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Julian fragm Epist p. 530. Edit Petavianae But never did any Man speak higher or do greater things in this way of Bounty to the Poor than Julian the Apostate A general care and tenderness for all Mankind is to be endeavour'd after says he The Consequences of it are many and happy but none happier than this That it makes us acceptable to the Gods For the Divine Nature loving Mankind so much must needs love them who endeavour to imitate their Goodness Again Who ever was impoverish'd by his Bounty to the Poor 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Id. Ibid. I have often reliev'd those in want my self and I have receiv'd my own again from the Gods with mighty Interest of which he subjoins a remarkable Instance 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nay Julian persuades Men not only to relieve the Good or Poor in general but he adds further That it argues real Piety to feed and cloth our very Enemies those who are at Wars with us Nay Who says he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 can think he worships Hospitable Jove according to duty who sees the Needy and wo'nt relieve them with one Farthing The same Prince writing to Arsacius a Pagan Priest owns that Christianity flourish'd because Christians were so good to strangers took such care to bury the Dead 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and made so fair a show of Holiness and declares He knew no way of conquering Christianity but by the Endeavours of his own Party to excell the Christians in those and other popular Virtues 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and therefore he tells Arsacius and his Brethren that He had order'd them a vast Quantity of Corn and Wine at his own charge to enable them the better to relieve the Poor and Strangers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ibid. p. 533. 4. V. Epist 49. ad Arsacium p. 202. Now if the (a) Sermon on Mr. Firmin p. 114. Men of all Faiths shall receive sentence on the foot of their Deeds of Charity or Beneficence without any respect to their Opinions as some would persuade us I know no reason why Empedocles or Clinias why the Hypocritical Pharisees the Traytor Judas or the Apostate Julian should not stand among the Sheep at the great Day Julian (b) Mr. Firmin's Epitaph p. 89. especially having been zealous in every good Work beyond the Example of any in our Age cannot reasonably be reproach'd for that Faith which brought forth such plenty of good Fruits But the Sheep at that great Day shall be Sentenced only by their Works of Mercy and the Goats by their neglect of them True for Men and Angels the whole rational World at least shall be Witnesses of the Sentence and understand the Reason of it The Judge who knows all things knows their Hearts and consequently the Sincerity and Rectitude of their Faith but these things are invisible to the Multitude But for their Works they have seen and known and can judge of them therefore their Works only are mention'd and if they be truly good their goodness justifies that Faith to the Witnesses not as indifferent but as sound and good from which such good Works could proceed therefore Grotius observes well Inter varias virtutes eminet Misericordia ideò hane pro omnibus ponens Christus exemplis depingit maximè notis conspicuis Opera autem ipsa potius nominat quam Animi affectum ut Humani Judicii Figura magis exprimeretur Grot. in Mat. 25. v. 35. That Mercy is of all Virtues the most visible therefore Christ instances in that instead of all the rest and deciphers it by its fairest Marks and he names Works rather than Faith or the Affections of the Mind that the form of Human Tribunals where all things pass as matters are alledg'd and prov'd might be the more exactly exprest Idem in v. 32. And if the same Grotius's Notion of the Sheep and Goats be right That they represent only sincere and false Christians his Judgment is the plainer That the soundness or unsoundness of their Faith is that which moves the Judges breast though the outward appearance or the Truth and reality of their Works be insisted on for the satisfaction of the Standers by This is the true Import of that Parable and none but Ill men will endeavour to Interpret Scripture so as to destroy it A Man gives all his Goods to feed the Poor and yet has no Love or Charity when all his Beneficence springs from Vain-glory or is levell'd at any mean or mistaken end That man had need to stand very well on his Guard against temptation who can avoid this insinuating Mischief Honour and Reputation are gaudy things and Men are apt to have an Eye to them even in those matters wherein God's honour and the acknowledgment of our Debt to him ought to be the great Inducement to and the ultimate End of all our Actions But in such a Case all my Liberality can profit me nothing Nor can Millions of hearty Prayers sent up by those poor perishing Creatures whom I have reliev'd carry me up one small degree toward Heaven unless they prevail with God to bring me to my self to give me the Grace of Self-denial and Humility that I may ascribe all that good I 'm an Instrument in not to my self but to the Grace of God in me Are not these the Hospitals which I have built