XXVIII. with respect and reward from God and from man; SERM. they yield thanks and commendation from without, they work comfort and satisfaction within: yea, which is infinitely more considerable, and enhanceth the price of our gifts to a vast rate, they procure glory and blessing to God; for hereby is God glori- John xv.8. fied, if we bring forth much fruit: and no good Matt. v. 16. fruit can grow from any other stock than that of Prov.iv.31. charity. Uncharitableness therefore should be loathed and shunned by us, as that which robbeth us of all our ornaments and advantages; which indeed marreth and corrupteth all our good things; which turneth blessings into curses, and rendereth the means of our welfare to be causes of mischief to us: for without charity a man can have no goods, but goods worldly and temporal; and such goods thence do prove impertinent baubles, burdensome encumbrances, dangerous snares, baneful poisons to him. XII. (7.) Charity doth hugely advance and amplify a man's state, putting him into the possession or fruition of all good things: it will endow, enrich, ennoble, embellish us with all the world hath of precious, of glorious, of fair; by appropriation thereof to ourselves, and acquiring of a real interest therein. What men commonly out of fond self-love do vainly affect, that infallibly by being charitable they may compass, the engrossing to themselves all kinds of good: most easily, most innocently, in a compendious and sure way, without any sin or blame, without any care or pain, without any danger or trouble, they may come to attain and to enjoy whatever in common esteem is desirable or valuable; they may, without greedy avarice, or the carkings, the drudge Phil. i. 11. 2 Cor. ix. 11. I Cor. xiii. SERM. ries, the disgraces going with it, procure to themXXVIII. selves abundant wealth; without fond ambition, or the difficulties, the hazards, the emulations, the strugglings to which it is liable, they may arrive to great honour; without sordid voluptuousness, or the satieties, the maladies, the regrets consequent thereon, they may enjoy all pleasure; without any wildness or wantonness, pride, luxury, sloth, any of its temptations and snares, they may have all prosperity; they may get all learning and wisdom without laborious study, all virtue and goodness without the fatigues of continual exercise for are not all these things yours, if you do esteem them so, if you do make them so by finding much delight and satisfaction in them? doth not your neighbour's wealth enrich you, if you feel content in his possessing and using it? doth not his preferment advance you, if your spirit riseth with it in a gladsome complacence? doth not his pleasure delight you, if you relish his enjoyment of it? doth not his prosperity bless you, if your heart doth exult and triumph in it? do not his endowments adorn you, if you like them, if you commend them, if the use of them doth minister comfort and joy to you? This is the divine magic of charity, which conveyeth all things into our hands, and instateth us in a dominion of them, whereof nothing can disseize us; by virtue whereof being, 2 Cor.vi.10. as St. Paul speaketh of himself, sorrowful, we yet always rejoice; having nothing, we yet possess all things. Neither is this property in things merely imaginary or fantastic, (like that of lunatics, who fancy themselves mighty princes or rich aldermen,) but very substantial and real; yea, far more real to the cha ritable person, than it is commonly to those, who in SERM. XXVIII. legal or popular account are masters of them: for how is propriety in things otherwise considerable, than for the content and pleasure which they yield to the presumed owner? the which if a charitable person abundantly draweth from them, why are they not truly his? why is not the tree his, if he can pull and taste its fruits without injury or blame? yea doth not the propriety more really belong to him as to the gross possessor, if he doth equally enjoy the benefit, without partaking the inconveniences and impurities adherent to them; if he taste them innocently and purely, without being cloyed, without being distracted, without being puffed, without being encumbered, ensnared, or corrupted by them? A charitable man therefore can never, in a moral account, be poor, or vile, or anywise miserable; except all the world should be cast into penury and distress for while his neighbour hath any thing, he will enjoy it; rejoicing with those that rejoice, as the apostle doth enjoin. XIII. (8.) If therefore we love ourselves, we must love others, and do others good; charitable beneficence carrying with it so many advantages to ourselves. We by charitable complacence do partake in their welfare, reaping pleasure from all the fruits of their industry and fortune. We by charitable assistance do enable and dispose them to make grateful returns of succour in our need. We thence assuredly shall obtain their good-will, their esteem, their commendation; we shall maintain peaceable and comfortable intercourse with them, in safety, in quiet, in good humour and cheer. XXVIII. Deut. xxiv. Ecclus.iv.6. SERM. Besides all other benefits we shall get that of their prayers; the which of all prayers have a most favourJames v. 4. able audience and assured efficacy: for if the com15. plaints and curses of those who are oppressed or neglected by uncharitable dealing do certainly reach God's ears, and pull down vengeance from above; how much more will the intercessions and blessings of the poor pierce the heavens, and thence draw recompense! seeing God is more ready to perform his proper and pleasant works of bounty and mercy, than Psal. Ixii. to execute his strange and unpleasing work of Mic. 7. 18. punishment; especially the blessings of the poor being always accompanied with praises and glorifications of him, who enableth and disposeth men to do good; the which praises will ever be reckoned on the account of him who drew them forth by his beneficence: Phil. iv. 17. it will be, as the apostle saith, fruit redounding to 11. viii. 19. his account, while it aboundeth by many thanksgivings to God. 12. Isa. xxviii. 21. 2 Cor. ix. So in virtue of charity the poorest man amply may requite the wealthiest ; and a peasant may outdo the greatest prince in beneficence. XIV. We may consider, that charity is a practice specially grateful to God, and a most excellent part of our duty; not only because he hath commanded it as such with greatest earnestness; nor only because it doth constitute us in nearest resemblance of him; but as a peculiar expression of love and goodwill toward him for if we love him, we must for his sake have a kindness for his friends, we must tender his interests, we must favour his reputation, we must desire his content and pleasure, we must contribute our endeavours toward the furtherance of these his concerns. Seeing then God is an assured friend to XXVIII. all men, seeing he hath a property in all men, (for SERM. he is God and Lord of all,) seeing he much concerneth himself for all men's welfare; seeing from the prosperity, from the virtue, from the happiness of every man he gaineth honour and praise; seeing Ezek. xviii. he is greatly satisfied and delighted in the good of men; we also must love them; otherwise we greatly shall disoblige and disgust him. Is it not indeed a practice guilty of notorious enmity toward him, inconsistent with the maintenance of any friendship or peace with him, to discord in affection from him, maligning or disaffecting those whom he dearly loveth and favoureth; who are so nearly allied to him by manifold relations, as his creatures, his subjects, his servants, his children, whom he designeth and desireth to crown with eternal glory and bliss1? XV. Seeing God vouchsafeth to esteem whatever is done in charity to our neighbour (if done with an honest and pious mind, as to his friends) to be done unto himself; that in feeding our indigent neighbour we refresh him; in clothing our neighbour we comfort him; we do by charitable beneficence oblige God, and become in a manner benefactors to him; and as such assuredly shall be requited by him and is not this a high privilege, a great honour, a mighty advantage to us? If a man had opportunity to do that, which his prince would acknowledge a courtesy and obligation to him, what a happiness would he account it! and how far more considerable is it, that we can so easily do that which the Lord of all, in whose Ὅταν στυγῇ τις ἄνδρα, τὸν Θεὸς φιλεῖ, οὗτος μεγίστην μωρίαν κατεισάγει, φανερῶς γὰρ αὐτῷ τῷ Θεῷ κορύσσεται. Vid. Anthol. Δεῖ γὰρ φιλεῖν ἐκεῖνον, ὃν Θεὸς φιλεῖ. Chrys. in 1 Cor. Οr. xxxii. |