SERM. tue and goodness) this of exercising bounty and mercy is XXXI. peculiarly called righteoufnefs; fo that righteousness and mercifulness, (or alms-deeds,) the righteous and bountiful perfon, are in Scripture expreffion ordinarily confounded, as it were, or undiftinguishably put one for the other; it being often, when commendations are given to righteoufnefs, and rewards promised to righteous perfons, hard to difcern, whether the general obfervance of God's law, or the special practice of thefe duties, are concerned in them. Likewife works of this nature are in way of peculiar excellency termed good works; and to perform them is Acts ix. ufually styled, to do good, and to do well; (a dyadòv ¿pyáζεσθαι, ὁ καλὸν ποιεῖν, ἀγαθοεργεῖν, ὁ ἀγαθοποιεῖν, εὐποιεῖν, Γεὐ10. vi. 18. epyεreiv, are words applied to this purpofe ;) which manners of expreffion do argue the eminent dignity of thefe performances. 36. 1 Tim. v. Tit. iii. 8, 14. 2 Cor. ix. 8. Gal. vi. 9. Ib. 10. 35. b 3. We may alfo confequently mark, that in those places d Luke vi. of Scripture where the divine law is abridged, and reliHeb. xiii. gion fummed up into a few particulars of main importActs x. 38. ance, these duties conftantly make a part: fo when the 16. prophet Micah briefly reckons up those things which are beft in the law, and chiefly required by God, the whole catalogue of them confifting but of three particulars, Micah vi. 8. mercy comes in for one; He hath fhewed thee, O man, faith he, what is good: and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do jufily, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? Likewife of those (Bapúτepa Te vóμe, those) more substantial and weighty things of God's law, the neglect of which our Saviour objecteth as an argument of impiety, and a cause of woe, to those pretending zealots, Matt. xxiii. this is one: Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharifees, hypocrites; for ye pay tithe of mint and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith. The fum of St. John the Baptift's inftruction Luke iii.10, of the people is by St. Luke reduced to this point; The people afked him, faying, What Shall we do? He anfwering faith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him Jam. i. 27. do likewife. St. James's fyftem of religion is this: Pure 23. 11. and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this; SER M. to vifit the fatherless and widow in their affliction, (that is, XXXI. to comfort and relieve all diftreffed and helpless perfons,) and to keep himfelf unfpotted from the world. St. Paul feems to be yet more compendious and clofe: Bear ye, Gal. vi. 2. faith he, one another's burdens, and fo fulfil the law of Chrift. Yea, God himself compriseth all the fubftantial part of religion herein, when, comparing it with the circumftantial part, he faith, I will have mercy, and not fa- Hof. vi. 6. crifice. The righte Prov. xxxi. 4. It is in like manner confiderable, that in the general defcriptions of piety and goodness, the practice of these duties is fpecified as a grand ingredient of them. In this Psalm, where such a description is intended, it is almost the only particular instance; and it is not only mentioned, but reiterated in divers forms of expreffion. In the 37th Pfalm it is affirmed and repeated, that the righteous fhew- P. xxxvii. eth mercy; he fheweth mercy, and giveth; he fheweth mer- 21, 26. cy, and lendeth. In the Proverbs it is a commendation of ous giveth, and fpareth the virtuous woman, whofe price is far above rubies, that not. Prov. fhe firetcheth out her hand to the poor, yea, firetcheth forth xxi. 26. both her hands to the needy. And in Ezekiel, (which is 20. especially remarkable,) the 18th chapter, where the principal things conftituting a pious man are more than once profeffedly enumerated, this among a very few other particulars is expreffed, and taketh up much room in the account; of fuch a perfon (who shall furely live, and not die, that is, who certainly fhall abide in God's favour, and enjoy the happy confequences thereof) it is supposed, that be neither hath oppressed any, nor hath withholden Ezek. xviii. the pledge, nor hath Spoiled by violence; but hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment, and hath taken off his hand from the poor. 7, 16. 5. Alfo in the particular hiftories of good men this fort of practice is specially taken notice of, and expreffed in their characters. In the ftory of our father Abraham, his Heb. xiii. 2. benignity to ftrangers, and hofpitableness, is remarkable among all his deeds of goodness, being propounded to us as a pattern and encouragement to the like practice. In Job xxix. 16. 25. 8, 9. SERM. this the confcience of Job did folace itself, as in a folid XXXI. affurance of his integrity: I delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, and him that had none to help him. 12, 13, 15, The bleffing of him that was ready to perish came upon me, and I caufed the widow's heart to fing. I was eyes to the blind, and feet I was to the lame; I was a father to the Job xxx. poor. Did not I weep for him that was in trouble? Wus not my foul grieved for the poor? Hence alfo did the good Publican recommend himfelf to the favour and approbaLuke xix. tion of our Saviour, faying, Behold, Lord, half of my goods I give to the poor: hence did falvation come to his houfe hence he is proclaimed, a fon of Abraham. Of Dorcas, that good woman, who was fo gracious and precious among the Disciples, this is the commendation and Acts ix. 36. character; She was full of good works and alms-deeds, which she did; fuch practice made her capable of that favour, fo great and extraordinary, the being reftored to life; at least in St. Chryfoftom's judgment: The force of her alms, faith he, did conquer the tyranny of death. Cornelius alfo, that excellent perfon, who was, though a Gentile, fo acceptable to God, and had fo extraordinary A&s x. 2. graces conferred on him, is thus reprefented; He was a devout man, and one that feared God, with all his houfe; who gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God 1 Tim. iii. 2. alway. We may add, that to be hofpitable (one branch of these duties, and inferring the rest) is reckoned a qualification of those who are to be the guides and patterns of goodness unto others. And particularly, one fit to be promoted to a widow's office in the church is thus de1 Tim. v. fcribed; Well reported of for good works; if she have brought up children; if she have lodged ftrangers; if she have washed the faints' feet; if she have relieved the afflicted; if he have diligently followed every good work. Tit. i. 8. 10. 6. So near to the heart of piety doth the holy ScripGal. v. 14. ture lay the practice of thefe duties: and no wonder ; for it often exprefsly declares charity to be the fulfilling Rom. xiii. 9, 10. f Ἡ τῆς ἐλεημοσύνης δύναμις ἐνίκησε θανάτου τὴν τυραννίδα. Chryf. in Gen, Orat. 55. XXXI. 12. of God's law, as the best expreffion of all our duty toward SERM. God, of faith in him, love and reverence of him, and as either formally containing, or naturally producing all our 1 Tim. i. 5. duty toward our neighbour. And of charity, works of Matt. vii. bounty and mercy are both the chief inftances, and the plaineft figns: for whereas all charity doth confift either in mental defire, or in verbal fignification, or in effectual performance of good to our neighbour; this laft is the end, the completion, and the affurance of the reft. Goodwill is indeed the root of charity; but that lies under 'Eivis άγαπης ὁ ground, and out of fight; nor can we conclude its being **** or life without vifible fruits of beneficence. Good words Ny in are at beft but fair leaves thereof, fuch as may, and too often do, proceed from a weak and barren difpofition of mind. But thefe good works are real fruits, (fo St. Paul Tit. iii. 14. calls them; Let ours alfo, faith he, learn to maintain good Rom. xv. works for neceffary uses, that they be not unfruitful,) Phil. iv. 17. which declare a true life, and a good ftrength of charity Matt. v. 7. 28. 8. in the bearer of them: by them тò výσι Tйƒ áɣáns, the 2 Cor. viii. fincerity (or genuineness) of our charity is proved. For as no man ever doth impress a false stamp on the finest metal; fo coftly charity is feldom counterfeit. It is to decline fpending their goods or their pains, that men forge and feign; pretending to make up in wishing well, the defect of doing fo, and paying words inftead of things: but he that freely imparts what he hath, or can do for his neighbour's good, needs no other argument to evince that he loves in good earnest, nor can indeed well ufe any other for words, if actions are wanting, feem abufive; and if actions are prefent, they are fuperfluous. Wherefore St. John thus advises; My little children, let us not 1 John iii. love in word, or in tongue, (àλλ' epyp,) but in work and in truth. To love in work, and to love in truth, he fignifies to be the fame thing; and to pretend love in speech, without practifing it in deed, he implies not allowable. And St. James in way of comparison says, that as faith without works is dead, fo love without beneficence is useless. For, If a brother or fifter be naked, and deftitute James ii. of daily food, and one of you fay unto him, Depart in peace, 18. 15, 16, 17. SERM. be you warmed and filled, notwithstanding ye give them not XXXI. thofe things which are needful to the body, what doth it profit? Even fo faith without works is dead. Cold wishes of good, working no real benefit to our neighbour, and a faint affent unto truth, producing no conftant obedience to God, are things near of kin, and of like value; both of little worth or ufe. Charity then being the main point of religion, mercy and bounty being the chief parts of charity, well may these duties be placed in so high a rank, according to the divine heraldry of Scripture. 7. To enforce which obfervations, and that we may be farther certified about the weight and worth of thefe duties, we may confider, that to the obfervance of them moft ample and excellent rewards are affigned; that, in return for what we bestow on our poor brethren, God hath promised all forts of the best mercies and bleffings Pf. lxiii. 3. to us. The beft of all good things, (that which in Da Matt. vi. 14. Ecclus. iii. vid's opinion was better than life itself,) the fountain of all bleffings, (God's love and favour, or mercy,) is pro2 Cor. ix. 7. cured thereby, or is annexed to it. For, God loveth a Matt. v. 7. cheerful giver, faith St. Paul; and, The merciful shall obJames ii.13. tain mercy, faith our Saviour: aud, Mercy rejoiceth against judgment, (or boasteth, and triumpheth over it; sos xalaxaνxäται xpiσews that is, it appeafeth God's wrath, and prevents our condemnation and punishment,) faith St. James; God will not continue difpleased with him, nor will withhold his mercy from him, who is kind and merciful to his neighbour. It is true, if rightly understood, what the Hebrew Wife Man faith, Water will quench a flaming fire, and alms maketh an atonement for fins. For ipfum in this practice hath the nature and name of a facrifice, and is declared as fuch both in excellency and efficacy to furpafs all other facrifices; to be moft acceptable to God, moft available for expiation of guilt, most effectual in obtaining mercy and favour. Other facrifices performed in Chryf. tom. v. Orat. 55. obedience to God's appointment (on virtue of our Lord's perfect obedience, and with regard to his pure facrifice of himfelf) did in their way propitiate God, and atone fin: but this hath an intrinfic worth, and a natural aptitude to 30. veftias, te duis jufti tiam Ambr. Offic. i. 11. Hier, in Pfalm. cxxxiii. |