Selected quad for the lemma: work_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
work_n	charity_n	faith_n	justification_n	4,801	5	9.5998	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A62575	The foolish abuse and wise use of riches a sermon preached in the parish-church of Bromsgrove in Worchester-shire, May 1, 1695, upon occasion of a charity given to that place by Sir Thomas Cookes of Bentley, Kt. Bar. / by W. Talbot ...	Talbot, William, 1658 or 9-1730.	1695 (1695)	Wing T121; ESTC R32741	20,183	34

Post that hasteth by but as for him how is he numbred among the Children of God and his Lot among the Saints When they shall thus censure themselves and with trembling and confusion hear the dreadful Sentence of their Judge Then shall he stand with great boldness before the Face of those who made no account of his Labours of Love and before the Face of his Judge too Being prepared to answer those Interrogatories that shall then be put to him with a Here Lord are thy poor naked Members which I have clothed here are the hungry Bellies that I have fed here are the Strangers the Sick and Imprisoned to whom I have Minister'd Then shall he receive a beautiful Crown from the Lord's hand who shall tell him In as much as thou hast done it to these thou hast done it to me Come therefore thou blessed Child inherit the Kingdom prepared for thee from the foundation of the World Thus have I dispatch'd the Two Things I proposed and shew'd 1. The Folly of those that lay up Treasure for themselves and 2. The true way of making a wise improvement of Riches by being rich towards God And blessed be God though our Age and Country abound too much with Examples of the former yet we do not want some Instances to exemplifie the latter part of my Discourse our Saviour's Prophecy Mat. 24. v. 12. That the love of many shall wax cold and St. Paul's account of the last days 2 Tim. 3. v. 12. wherein Men shall be lovers of themselves and covetous without natural affection lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God are but too visibly verified in us upon whom the ends of the World are come But yet as far as we are removed from the first dawnings of the Gospel Age and from the more immediate influences of those bright Examples the first Embracers of it who sold their possessions and laid them at the Apostles feet whereof distribution was made to every Man as he had need As late as we live and as cold as our Climate is we have had and have some burning and shining Lights who by their charitable works have both warm'd and refreshed many of their poor Brethren and by the Light of their good Examples invited and encouraged others to do likewise and occasion'd many Thanksgivings to God on their behalf We can produce instances of useful Charities that have been given since the Reformation sufficient to convince the Romanists That Protestants do as much acknowledge the Obligation as they disclaim the merit of good works Instances so many and great in proportion to the little time that the People of thy Holiness O Lord have possest thy Sanctuary as may justly make them blush to charge us with denying the necessity of good Works If any have taught that a naked dead Faith destitute of Works is the whole intire condition of Justification let them bear their own burden but let not the Church be charged which always subscribes to that of St. James Jam. 2.26 As the body without the spirit is dead so faith without works is dead also Though with our Saviour she teaches us to say when we have done all we are unprofitable Servants We can I say shew our faith by our works I need not go out of this County to find several Instances a Commission now in foot for the enquiring into and redressing any Abuses in the management of them has given me an opportunity of knowing this But having trespassed too far already I must suppress a great deal that I might say upon this Subject and shall only mention some few Instances of Charity given and design'd to very good uses within our own Memories and in the Life-time of the Donors some already perfected and some not yet compleated Among the first sort I reckon the Hospital at Old Swinford and this I do the rather instance in because this Parish partakes in the Charity of that Noble Foundation which through the munificence of the Founder the care of the Managers and prudence and industry of the present Master is it may be one of the most useful Charities that late Years have produced at least in these Parts Of this sort likewise is that which is the occasion of our present Meeting and is more intirely given for the benefit of this Place and Neighbourhood and is design'd not only for the Clothing of the Bodies of some of your poorer Children but for the Adorning of their Minds and putting them into Capacities of providing for themselves and being useful to the World Here you have a beautiful and convenient Structure built and a competent Provision made for a School-Master to instruct such as shall be admitted into it not only in the Rudiments of Grammar but also in the Principles of the Christian Religion as they are briefly comprised in that excellent Summary our Church Catechism And whoever considers what a mighty Influence the Education of Children has upon them when they come to be Men how tenacious they are of those Principles which they imbibe in their Child-hood especially how closely those they then suck in relating to Religion stick to them afterward as we have sad experience in too many unhappy Persons upon whom prejudice of Education has wrought more than force of Argument must certainly own it to be a most pious and prudent Design of your Charitable Benefactor to provide for the early Institution of such whose mean Circumstances may either render them destitute of any Education o● which is not better expose them to a bad one and for the leading them into the Truth and possessing them with right Notions while the pliableness and tenderness of their Age make them very Ductile and capable of any impressions But I must not dwell upon this nor may enlarge upon other Subjects which are offer'd me by the further generous Designs of that worthy Person who has occasion'd our coming together at this time who is settling the same Charity on a Neighbouring Parish that he has bestowed upon this and making the same pious Provision for the poor Children of Fecknam that he has done for those of Bromsgrove Nor does his Charitable Intentions stop here or leave the Children at the Schools he is building for them but carry them on to the Vniversity where he has laid large and noble designs indeed which we may hope ere long to see executed But I must forbear and shall conclude with a hearty Address to the Father of Lights from whom every good and perfect Gift comes that for this Loan which is already lent unto the Lord he would return it double into the Bosom of the Lender in the Blessings of this Life and the next That he who worketh in us to will and to do of his good pleasure would perfect what he has begun in him That he would make him to abound more and more in this Grace and to that end That he would make all Grace abound towards him that he always having All-sufficiency in all things may abound to every good work being enrich'd in every thing to all bountifulness which causes through us Thanksgivings to God Amen FINIS Books lately Printed for Tho. Bennet THE Lives of all the Princes of Orange from William the Great Founder of the Common-wealth of the Vnited Provinces Written in French by the Baron Maurier in 1682. whose Father was Twenty Years Ambassador at the Hague And Published at Paris by Order of the French King To which is added the Life of His Present Majesty King William the Third By Mr. Thomas Brown Together with each Prince's Head before his Life Done from Original Draughts by Mr. Robert White Mr. Bossu's Treatise of the Epick Poem containing Curious Reflections very useful and necessary for the Right Understanding and Judging of the excellency of Homer and Virgil done into English with some Reflections on Prince Arthur by W. S. To which are added an Essay on Satyr by Monsieur Dacier and a Treatise upon Pastoral Poetry by Monsieur Fontanelle Monsieur Rapin's Reflections upon Aristotle's Poetry Englished by Mr. Rymer together with some Reflections on our Modern Poets In the Press Sermons upon several Occasions by R. Meggot D.D. llate Dean of Winchester

Bread And ver 26. his Seed shall be blessed And in Psal 112. speaking of the same righteous Man whom he explains to be one that is gracious and full of compassion v. 4. A God-like Character and v. 5. That sheweth favour and lendeth and in 9. hath dispersed and given to the poor his righteousness endureth for ever he shall be afraid of no evil tidings v. 8. Wealth and Riches shall be in his House v. 3. His Horn shall be exalted with honour v. 9. his Seed shall be mighty upon the earth the generation of the upright shall be blessed And his Son Solomon assures us in Prov. 25.9 That he that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed for he giveth of his Bread to the poor And Chap. 28.27 He that giveth to the Poor shall not lack Not far from that for in 11.25 The liberal Soul shall be made fat and he that watereth shall be watered again I will add but one Passage more and that is in the 3d. Mal. 10. Bring me says God all the Tithes into the Store-house All the Tithes that is the third Years Tithes as well as the every Years those that were for the Poor as well as those for the Priest as God appointed Deut. 14.28 At the end of the third Year thou shalt bring forth all the Tithes of thine increase the same Year and the Levite and the Stranger and the Fatherless and the Widow shall come and eat and be satisfied Bring me all these Tithes and prove me herewith says the Lord of Host if I will not open you the windows of Heaven and pour you out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it And let not any one think that this related to the Jews only under the Old Testament Oeconomy and concerns not us Christians for though there be something positive in the Proportion which God required to be laid aside for the Poor viz. the Tithe of the increase of the third Year yet certainly the duty it self of feeding the Stranger the Fatherless and Widow is moral and of Eternal Obligation and if the Duty extends to us why should any one doubt but the Promise does too unless he can believe that no Temporal Blessings are promised under the Evangelical Dispensation and he that does so must contradict St. Paul who says not only That Godliness in general has the promise of this Life as well as that which is to come 1 Tim. 4.8 2 Cor. 9.9 but particularly applies to the Righteous i. e. the Charitable Man the Promises I mention'd before in the 112 Psalm and encourages the Corinthians to a liberal Contribution to the poor Christians in Judea from this consideration That God is able to make all Grace i. e. all plenty abound to them v. 8. From these Scriptures then it appears That both Deliverances from want and danger and positive Blessings too both security and increase of what he has earthly Blessings upon himself and upon his Posterity also are promised by God to that Man that is Rich towards him And although these as all temporal Promises are to be understood as Divines express it cum exceptione crucis i. e. not absolutely but with this reserve unless God sees it best for his Servants to order it otherwise yet this is no impeachment of that Man's Wisdom that ventures his Goods upon this bottom for either he will have that very return in kind which God has promised or that which God Judges to be better for him and that certainly is so and then he will have no reason to charge either God with injustice or himself with folly But whatever befals him here 't is enough to justifie the prudence of his Conduct that he will be sure to enjoy hereafter the treasures he has laid up with God and if he does with the expence of his temporary uncertain perishing treasures that are daily liable to inward corruption and to outward violence purchase those that are certain incorruptible and eternal no one can say but he makes a very wise use and improvement of them We must not indeed pretend by the largest and most disinterested Distributions of our Charity or by any thing we can do to satisfie for our sins or deserve Heaven Christ alone has made satisfaction for those and merited this for us we are unprofitable Servants when we have done all and all our righteousness as filthy rags our good Works can plead no merit with God when 't is he alone that works in us both to will and to do of his good pleasure and particularly our Charity to others is purely the effect of his Bounty to us who bestows upon us both the means and the heart to be charitable but yet the Scripture makes this Grace of Charity to be of so great price in the sight of God that as it more than once informs us it can cover a multitude of sins Jam. 5.20 1 Pet. 4.8 cast a vail over several slips and imperfections in the Person eminent for it which God would not over-look in the Man destitute of it Nay the true Riches Treasure in Heaven eternal Life are there assured to the due performance of it not as an efficient meritorious cause but a condition required on our part to qualifie us for the application of our Saviours Blood which only can take away sin and give us a title to Heaven And so necessary a condition it is that Christ in his description of the last Judgment Mat. 25. gives such an account of his procedure in that day as if the only matter he should come to inquire into would be the performance or neglect of this great Duty Not but that all our works done in the flesh our very words and thoughts will then be judg'd but this will be a Matter of very special and particular inquiry this being a Duty which our Lord has recommended to us both by Precept and Example it being what he was a most eminent instance of himself the New Commandment which he has given to his Disciples and the distinguishing Badg and Character by which he would have them to be known from the rest of the World And indeed wheresoever this Grace is found in its due measure and with its requisite qualifications as well as to the inward affection and habit as to the outward effects and exercises of it other Vertues and Graces cannot be wanting There may be a great show of Charity a Man may give Alms plentifully and do many things outwardly from whence the World may judge him to be very charitable when through some inward defect he is in reality far otherwise There must be as the School-men observe to make an Action good a concurrence of all requisite conditions whereas one single defect in any one condition will make an Action evil so much easier is it to do evil than good Thus to make an Action truly charitable there is something more requisite than the bare bestowing my Money and disposing

of my Fruits to the Poor though it be in never so large a proportion for a Man may as St. Paul intimates 1 Cor. 13. give all his Goods to feed the Poor and yet not have Charity I cannot insist upon all the requisites but will mention two which wherever they are wanting there can be no true Charity and wherever they are found it cannot be false And they are such that any Man may easily try whether they be in him or not and consequently judge of his Charity and they are a right Principle and a right End If my Charity proceed from a corrupt Principle as love of my self or be directed to an ill end as to raise my own reputation in the World that I may have Praise and Glory of Men or any secular advantage 't is no Charity it profits me nothing as to any future account nor must I expect any reward from my Father which is in Heaven but if a sincere Love to God and my Neighbour for his sake be the Principle and the promotion and advancement of his Glory the end of my Charity it cannot easily be defective upon any other account for where Love is the moving Principle the Man will give chearfully and liberally he that acts out of Love acts with a great deal of alacrity and never thinks he can do too much for the party loved and where God's Glory is his end he will be very cautious lest any sinister or by end intermix with it he will take all due and prudent care to testifie one and promote the other and then whatever unwilling mistakes he may be guilty of in any of the less concerning circumstances of it they will certainly be some of that multitude of sins which such a Charity will cover nay in whom there is such a noble Principle and such a noble End all other Vertues and Graces must accompany this of Charity and no instance of Obedience will be wanting for he that does any thing out of Love to God and for the advancement of his Glory will be ready out of the same Principle to do every thing that may promote that end Whether for these or whatever other reasons our Saviour and Judge was pleased in his description of the Process in the great and terrible Day to give particular instances only in works of Charity and Mercy as Clothing Feeding Visiting c. the Naked Hungry Sick and Imprisoned c. and to tell us that the irreversible Sentence of Glory or Misery shall be past upon us as we have done or not done them This is certainly enough to shew how necessary a Duty this of Charity is and to encourage us to abound in this Grace and be rich in good works and to be merciful according to our power God is not that hard Master that looks to gather where he has not strawed he does not expect that those that have but little should give much no if they do but their diligence to give of that little they gather to themselves a good Reward against the day of Adversity Mark 12.42 The poor Widows two mites which she cast in amongst the Free-will-offerings were well accepted and her Charity highly commended by Christ who has assured us That even a Cup of cold Water given to a Disciple in the Name of a Disciple shall not lose its reward But from those to whom he has given greater Abilities God expects larger returns of Charity And surely 't is their Wisdom to make them in the most ample manner they can since he has promised that he will not forget their labours of love who would Sow sparingly that can do it plentifully when he that Ministers Seed to the Sower and increases the fruits of their righteousness 2 Cor. 9.10 has told them that their crop shall be proportionable in quantity to the Seed they sow he that soweth sparingly shall reap sparirnly but he that soweth bountifully shall reap bountifully v. 6. The Sum is Liberality and Charity to the Poor have promises of the Blessings both of this World and the next and though the former Promises are conditional yet the performance of the duties have the advantage over all other Methods we can use to gain the good things of Life in two respects first in that they are more likely to obtain them for us and secondly they cannot fail but when 't is our Interest to be without them But the latter are absolute and peremptory and will one Day infallibly be made good to all such as are truly rich towards God Where then can we dispose of our Riches better than to him in what hands can we lodge them saser and from whom can we expect a more advantageous account of them He will manage them to our greatest Interest both here and hereafter repay us with usury here either in kind or in that which shall be better and re-pay us hereafter with bags that wax not old and durable treasures in Heaven which nothing can corrupt or take from us What then remains but that I address my self to you in the words of the Apostle 1 Cor. 15.58 Wherefore my beloved brethren be ye stedfast unmoveable always abounding in this work of the Lord for as much as ye know that your Labours shall not be in vain in the Lord. If ye Sow ye are assured ye shall reap in due time if ye faint not And what if ye should miss of a Crop here Is it a great matter for you to sow temporal things if ye shall reap spiritual and eternal things What if ye must tarry for one 'till hereafter Does not the Husband wait with long patience for the precious Fruit of the Earth Be ye also patient therefore until the coming of the Lord which draweth nigh behold he comes quickly and his reward is with him And then when he shall be seated upon the Throne of his Glory attended with all his holy Angels and all Nations shall be gathered before him then will appear who has been the wise Man and who the Fool the unprofitable and unfaithful Steward of the unrighteous Mammon that has either hid his Lord's Talent and let it lye useless by him or imbezled and mis-spent it in Luxury and Riot or he that has made himself Friends with it by imploying it to pious and charitable uses when they shall be amazed as the wise Man speaks Wisd 5. at the strangeness of his Salvation beyond all that they had looked for and repenting and grieving for anguish of Spirit shall say within themselves This is he whom we had sometime in derision and a proverb of reproach whom we accounted a mad Man for thinking to increase by scattering and for laying out certain and present Treasures in prospect of uncertain future Advantage how do we prove the Fools and he the wise man And what has our pride profited us or what good have our Riches with our vaunting brought us all those things are passed away as a shadow and as a