the Text cited being the application of that Parable may seem to imply the reason of that Phrase the manmon of unrighteousness or the unrighteous mammon to be taken from the unrighteousness which is frequently used in the gaining holding and using of Worldly Riches But another and better account of the same Term may be collected from the 〈◊〉 verse where the same 〈◊〉 is repâ—ated and interpreted If therefore ye have not been faithfull in the unrighteous Mammon who will commit to your trust the traâ— riches Where the unrighteous Mammon is opposed to the true Mammon or Riches For the word Riches is not in the Greek but understood in the Adjective 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the true from whence it appears that the reason of that teâ—m unrighteousness is not to be drawn only from the manner of gaining or using Riches but also from the proper nature and just Value thereof which being compared with the only true Riches is found to be false vain and deceitfull The only true Riches is that which is Spiritual and heavenly consisting in true righteousness and the Reward thereof in the Heavenly Treasure therefore the Riches of this World are not the right or true Riches but are rather apt to deceive Men and hinder them from obtaining the true Riches whence our Saviour calls them the deceitfulness of riches and Mark 4.19 the deceitfulness of riches choketh the seed of the word And yet so as they may be used they may prove useful towards the gaining the true Riches which is the thing signified by our Saviour in that Text make to your selves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness the false and deceitful Riches of the World that when ye fail i. e. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 When ye fail of holding them or they fail you as they must needs do when ye come to die they may receive you i. e. you may be received The word they not relating necessarily to the word friends but the Verb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is rather to be understood impersonally they may receive you i. e. you may be received as Luke 12.20 Thou fool this night shall they require thy soul so it is in the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but well translated thy soul shall be required of thee Into everlasting habitations i. e. into Heaven Now although in this Text no express mention is made of the practice of Charity yet that that is the thing meant principally at least by the first words make to your selves friends of the Mammon of unrighteousness no doubt can be made And that being supposed to be the true Sence of those words the thing which I observe is this that the practice of Charity is directed by our Saviour to be used to the end that a Man may be received into the Heavenly Habitations and therefore that it must needs be some way available to that end as I shall afterwards shew more fully in answer to the Objections made against this Doctrine It being grossly absurd that any means should be directed to be used for any end without supposing that it can be some way available thereunto And because the entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven doth necessarily suppose the covering or remission of sin which being uncovered is an Invincible Barr to that entrance I infer that this Charity must be also available to the removing of this Ban that is to the covering of sin Another saying of our Saviours which I take to be very agreeable to this is in Luke 6.38 Give and it shall be given unto you good measure pressed down and shaken together and running over shall men give into your bosom for with the same measure that you mere withall it shall be measured unto you again The word Men is not in the Greek Text but the Verb being the third Person plural 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies no more then they shall give and is to be interpreted by the Passive Vercle of the singular Number used in the beginning of the verse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it shall be given unto you Which doth not signifie so much what shall be done by Men to the Charitable Person in this Life as what shall be done by God for him not in this Life only or so much as in that which is to come For to confine the Sense of the Text to the kindness of Men or of God to the Charitable Person only in this Life is to abate the Liberality of the Promise so emphatically expressed Now although some Reward in this Life may be given by God to particular Good Works without a plenary Pardon of sin yet so it cannot be in the Life to come where a Man must first be discharged of his sin before he can be capable of any Reward of his Good Works And even in this Life every temporal Reward afforded to a sinner implies some Exemption from the extremity of temporal Punishment because it is inconsistent with it Temporal Punishment as well as Eternal is partly Privative and partly Positive consisting as well in the privation or want of temporal Good things as in the suffering of sensible Evils And temporal Reward must needs consist in the Enjoyment of some temporal Privilege or Benefit which imports Coutradiction to the Privation thereof which is part of the Punishment deserved by him I shall mention but one Text more from the Mouth of our Saviour and that is Luke 11.41 But rather give Alms of such things as you have and behold all things are clean unto you The scope of which words most agreeable to the Context appears to be this That whereas the Pharisees by a superstitious Tradition did imagin that it was necessary for them to wash their Hands before they did eat to purge themselves from any Pollution that might render them Unclean and so unfit to partake of the Blessing of God in the use of their ordinary meat our Saviour reprooving that Superstitious Conceit instructs them to a better way of purifying both Themselves and their Meat and that was by giving of Alms of what they possessed That being a special testimony and fruit of Repentance which is necessary and effectual to the Purgation of all Spiritual Pollution A thing which by its Acceptance with God was fifted to procure his Parcon of all sin that might render them unworthy of partaking of any of his Benefits The only thing that could pollute them and those Creatures which they were to receive by Depriving them of the Blessing of God in the use of them was sin And to think that that could be cleansed or purged away by the outward Washing of their Hands was a gross piece of Superstition Although it wanted not some appearance of Foundation from the Ceremonial Precepts in Moses's Law for several Washings were enjoined to cleanse the Jews from a sort of Legal and Ceremonial Pollution but never were defigned for any Purgation from any Moral uncleanness or sin But the giving of Alms according
exactly the Merits and Circumstances of every mans case that is to be tryed before him and who will be Advocate as well as Judge for every sinner as far as his case will bear And therefore as in humane Judicature or Exercise of distributive Justice amongst men when a Criminal is to be judged although his case be such as can neither admit of a Justification nor yet of a Plenary Pardon yet it is thought no more than reasonable that some consideration should be had of the rest of his Life especially if there be any Good Evidence of any Special Laudable Actions done by him they may be considered toward the abatement of utmost severity in the Penalty where any such abutement is possible as in Punishments which are not Capital So though I cannot assure any man that it shall be so in the case of any Persons falling under the necessary Sentence of Condemnation yet I think there is some Reason to hope that he that hath shewed Mercy to Men in this Life though he be not saved may find some Mercy in the degrees of his Punishment And that not only upon the account of such an abatement of his Guilt as was before signified respecting his sins of omission but also with respect to his sins of commission That there will be some kind of Counterpoise or Ballance of Good and Evil Works in the Divine Judgement and execution of Justice is not in my opinion to be rejected as a meer Rabinical or Platonical conceit Mal poâ—se qui ne contre poise Is the French Prov. though it be so too but seems to be in some measure probable as it is agreeable to the nature of Justice exercised amongst men privately and publickly The Summ of what I have said in the Explication of that Sense of the Apostles words which I here maintain is this That Charity if it be sincere as the Fruit of an unfeighed Faith and Repentance will be available towards a plenary Covering or Remission of a mans sins at the last Judgement If it be not so yet it will procure him some Remission at least if not Exemption from temporal Punishment in this Life besides other positive Rewards ordinarily given to the practice of this Vertue and may also be available towards the Abatement of the Degrees of positive Punishment in the Life to come I say of Positive Punishment commonly called Paena Sensûs Pain or Punishment of Sense because the Privative Punishment Poena Damni the Punishment of Loss can admit of no degrees of Abatement For the loss of Eternal Life will be equal to all that are not saved and can be no other from the Nature of the thing though the sense and affliction of that Loss may differ much according to the different capacities Men were in to obtain that Life and the inequality of the Means thereof received and rejected or neglected For in this respect the Loss of Eternal Life will be more tolerable as our Saviour saith for Sodom and Gomorrah for Tyre and Sidon that never had the like means of Salvation though they were not excluded from all means or possibility thereof then it will be for Bethsaida or Capernaum And so it will be proportionably for all People under like Inequality of the means of Life neither is it possible for any Person that never had any such Means as some other had and therefore cannot be guilty of Rejecting or Neglecting them I say it is not possible for any such Person to fall under the same Degrees of that necessary Punishment of the never-dying Worm as that is supposed to signifie the anguish and torment of the guilty Conscience This natural punishment of the Afflicted or afflicting Conscience for the same Reason must needs be abated also to him that hath done some Good works of Charity in this Life because his Conscience cannot charge him at the same rate as it must needs do him that hath totally neglected them under an equal or larger Ability Whether the substance of this Interpretation of the Text either necessary or most probable must be left to the judgment of the Reader but that it is neither Popish nor Singular as some may be ready to charge it I must take leave to challenge whiles I find that this Sense of the Words hath neither been received by all Papists nor rejected by all Protestants Some of the Pontificians baulking this Interpretation as Estius Tirinus and others which I insist upon do give the same which is given by most Protestants namely That Charity will cover the sins of other Men not the sins of the Charitable Person in such a Sense as is hereafter to be declared And some Eminent Protestants do admit that other Sense which I prefer as most probable And that not only in this Text but also in that of St. James wherein the same Phrase is used Jam. 5.20 He which converteth a sinner from the Errour of his ways shall save a Soul from Death and shall hide a Multitude of sins The origiginal Words are the same in both Texts and are thus Paraphrased by a Learned Doctor of our own Church Dr. Hammond It is a most excellent glorious Work which he hath wrought the Effect of which is that God will free him on whom this Change is wrought from Death eternal and perhaps from present temporal Death through Sickness fallen upon him for that sin vid. v. 15. And besides he will accept and reward the Charity of him that hath wrought that good Work with the free Discharge of whatsoever sins he hath formerly been guilty of but hath now repented of See the same Authors Annotation upon the Text. This Sense is agreeable to the words of the Prophet Daniel Dan. 12.3 They that turn many to Righteousness shall shine as the Stars for ever viz. in Heavenly Glory which necessarily implyes a Remission of their sins And why the zealous Endeavouring to convert sinners from the Error i. e. evil of their Way should be available to procure the Covering of a multitude of sins in him that makes it his care and study so to do a very good Reason may be given from the nature of the Act which imports one of the best Testimonies of Repentance that can be In that Penetential Psalm wherein David sues to Almighty God for the Pardon of his gross sins of Murder and Adultery he urges this as a Motive towards the obtaining of his Request Psal 5.13 Then will I teach Transgressors thy Ways and sinners shall be converted unto Thee And surely no greater Reparation can be made by sinfull man to Almighty God for the dishonour done to his Majesty by his own sins than when the penitent sinner together with his own Hearty repentance and amendment of Life shall endeavour also as much as lies in his power the Conversion of other sinners unto God So did Abner design to make his peace with King David after his professed Enmity and Rebellion first by Promising
apt to fall into that not being guilty of doing any body any wrong or harm wherein also they judge very partially upon gross and false Accounts without any regard to the many and great Injuries of the Heart and Tongue they must needs be excused at the Last Day As if it were Charity enough to cover other sins not to have done any Wrong in matter of Fact to any Body and not to take the Meat out of another mans mouth were to Feed him not to strip him or take away his Garment were to Clothe him I know no Plea of Common People so frequently alledged as this nor any so Deceitfull or so contrary to the Express meaning of our Saviours Description of his own Judgment I have insisted something more largely upon this Testimony of our Saviour as one that alone is sufficient to confirm the Doctrine here treated of Nevertheless I shall proceed to the Allegation of a competent number of other Texts to the same purpose which I judge to be partly necessary for the Conviction of a strong Prejudice against this Doctrine in the minds of many Good People amongst us and partly usefull for the more effectual perswasion of all People to the study and practice of this Vertue which the Apostle recommends to us with such an Emphatical mark of Efficacy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. before all things have fervent Charity For Charity c. And because the Texts already quoted have been taken out of the New Testament only and chiefly from the Mouth of our Saviour himself I shall proceed to add some others of the same Authority before I mention any out of the Old Testament But before I produce any particular Text I must demand the Concession of this undeniable Proposition viz. That all Promises of entrance into Everlasting Life or of Reward in Heaven made to the exercise of this Vertue do necessarily suppose and imply the Covering or Remission of sin because all sin uncovered i. e. unpardoned is an invincible Barr to a mans entrance into that State and renders him incapable of any place or reward in Heaven because a Man must first be justified from the Guilt of sin before he can be Glorified Rom. 8.30 Whom he hath justified them he hath glorified And it is no more possible for a Man to be Glorified without being Justified than it is to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven without being saved from Hell Whatever therefore is or can be available towards the Glorification of a sinner must needs be available towards his Salvation or Deliverance from Condemnation which imports such Remission or Non-imputation of sin as is specially signified by the Covering of it Therefore all Promises of Salvation Entrance into Heaven Heavenly Treasure Everlasting Life or Rewaid made by our Saviour himself or by his Apostles in his Name to the habit or exercise of Charity do necessarily imply the Covering of sin to be hoped for upon the same account For to say as some Divines do that Charity and Good Works are necessary to Salvation but not to Justification seems to me no less than a real Contradiction For so it must needs be if it be spoken concerning the Final and â—udicial Justification which certainly is the most compleat and perfect Signification of that Word Justification in Sâ—ripture phrase being generally though not always opposed to Condemnation in sensu forensi As Rom. 8.33 34. It is God that justifieth who shall condemn and Prov. 17.15 He that justifieth the Wicked and he that condemneth the Just c. To be Justified is not to be Condemned and what is it to be Saved but not to be Condemed in the last Judgment But if to be Saved be not to be Condemned and not to be Condemned is to be Justified to say that Charity and Good Works are necessary to Salvation or not Condemnation and yet not necessary to Justification is a perfect Contradiction equal to the Saying that Charity is necessary and not necessary to Justification but this by the way only to answer a common Subtersuge from the Doctrine of the Text. Having thus premised this undeniable Postulate I shall now proceed to alledge the particular promises of Salvation Eternal Life and entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven with the Possession of Everlasting rewards in that State made to the habit and exercise of this Grace of Charity In the Sermon upon the Mount besides the Texts already cited from thence I shall instance in two others Mat. 6.3 4. But when thou doest thine Alms let not thy Left hand know what thy Right hand doth That thine Alms may be in Secret and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee Openly That this open Reward promised to the Alms-giver is to be understood of the Heavenly Reward I presume will not be questioned And ver 20. of the same Chapter Lay up for your selves Treasures in Heaven where neither Moth nor Rust doth corrupt Where that our Saviour speaks of the same practice of Alms giving is evident by comparing the Text with its Parallel Luke 12.33 Sell all that you have and give Alms providing your selves Baggs which wax not old a Treasure in the Heavens that faileth not where no Thief approacheth neither Moth corrupteth Agreeable to the like words Mat. 19.21 Jesus said unto him if thou wile be perfect go and sell that thou hast and give to the Pope and thou shalt have Treasure in Heaven To which Speech of our Saviour St. Paul doth undoubtedly allude 1 Tim. 6.17 18 19. Charge them that are Rich in this world that they do Good that they be Rich in Good Works ready to Distribute willing to Communicate laying up for themselves a good Foundation against the time to come that they may lay hold on Eternal Life By which words the Apostle plainly signifies such Good Works as he speaks of to be a good Foundation of the Hope of Eternal Life but so they could not be unless they were also a Foundation of Hope of the Pardon of all sins because the want of this Pardon destroys the Foundation of all Hope of Eternal Life Another Text of the same importance is Luke 16.9 I say unto you make to your selves Friends of the Mammon of Vnrighteousness that when ye fail they may receive you into Everlasting Habitations Mammon is a Syriack word the Language used by our Saviour signifying Riches or worldly Wealth and of the Reason why they are called the Mammon of Vnrighteousness or the unrighteous Mammon ver 11. a double Account may be given from the Context antecedent and consequent The antecedent Context is a Parable of the Unjust Steward that provided for his future Maintenance when he was warn'd out of his Office by cheating his Master and making himself Friends of his Masters Debtors by Defaulking what he pleased from the just Accounts of their Debts and putting them upon his own Interest by such an unrighteous Obligation Now the Words of our Saviour in