St. Basil, who constantly waited on the | for ever. These words are capable of sick, and kissed their sores; of the most various senses, or of divers respects: pious confessor St. Martin, who having they may import, that the fame and rebut one coat left, and seeing a poor man membrance of his bounty is very durathat wanted clothes, tore it in two pieces, ble, or that the effects thereof do lastingand gave one to that poor man and ly continue, or that eternal rewards are demany like instances out of authentic his- signed thereto; they may respect the bountory might be produced, apt to provoke tiful man himself, or his posterity here; our imitation. I might also, to beget em- they may simply relate to an endurance ulation and shame in us, represent ex- in God's regard and care; or they may emplary practices of humanity and char- with that also comprehend a continuance ity even in Jews, Mahometans, and Pa- in the good memory and honorable mengans (such as in these cold days might tion of men. Now in truth, according pass for more than ordinary among us ;) to all these interpretations, the bountiful but I shall only propound one present man's righteousness doth endure for ever, and sensible example; that of this noble that is, very lastingly (or so long as the city, whose public bounty and charity special nature of the case doth bear), in in all kinds (in education of orphans, in any sense; or for an absolute perpetuity curing the diseased both in body and in some sense the words in their plenimind, in provision for the poor, in reliev- tude do naturally and without straining ing all sorts of necessities and miseries) involve so many truths; none of which, let me earnestly entreat and exhort us all therefore, we think fit to exclude, but for God's sake, as we are able, by our shall briefly touch them all. private charity to imitate, to encourage, and to assist; let us do this so much the more willingly and freely, as the sad circumstances of things, by God's judgments brought upon us, do plainly require that the public charity itself (lying under so great impediments, discouragements, and distresses) should be supported, supplied, and relieved by particular liberality. No words that I can devise will be so apt to affect and move you, as the case itself, if you please to consider it hear it therefore speaking, and, I pray, with a pious and charitable disposition of mind attend thereto : A true Report, &c. For this excellent pattern of pious bounty and mercy, let us heartily thank Almighty God; let us humbly implore God's blessing on the future management of it; let us pay due respects to the worthy promoters thereof, and pray for rewards upon them, answerable to their charitable care and industry employed therein; let us also, according to our ability, perform our duty in following and furthering it: for encouragement to which practice, give me leave briefly to reflect upon the latter part of my text; which represents some instances of the felicity proper to a bountiful person, or some rewards peculiar to the exercising the duties of bounty and mercy. The first is, His righteousness endureth 1. As for future reputation and fame (which that it in part is intended here, that which precedes, The righteous shall be had in everlasting remembrance, doth argue), it is evident, that it peculiarly attends upon this practice the bountiful persons is especially that just man, whose memory is blessed' (is μer' ¿yzw. ulov, as the Greek renders it; that is, is prosecuted with commendations and praises.) No spices can so embalm a man, no monument can so preserve his name and memory, as works of benefi cence; no other fame is comparably so precious, or truly glorious, as that which grows from thence: the renown of power and prowess, of wit or learning, of any wisdom or skill, may dwell in the fancies of men with some admiration: but the remembrance of bounty reigns in their hearts with cordial esteem and affection; there erecting immoveable trophies over death and oblivion, and thence spreading itself through the tongues of men with sincere and sprightly commendations. The bountiful man's very dust is fragrant, and his grave venerable; his name is never mentioned without respect; his actions have always these best echoes, with innumerable iterations resounding after them: His goods shall be established, and the congregation shall declare his alms; Ecclus. • Prov. x. 7. xxxii. 11. This was a true friend to mankind; this was a real benefactor to the world; this was a man good in earnest, and pious to good purpose. of good is virtually contained in our acts of bounty; to omit the honour and goodwill of men, which constantly adhere to the bountiful man's house and family. Prov. xiii. 22: A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children's children. It is therefore expressly mentioned in Scripture as a recompense peculiar to this virtue, that security from want and all happiness do attend the posterity of the bountiful person: He is ever merciful and lendeth, and his seed is blessed, saith David of him generally and David also particularly observed, that in all the course of his long life he could find no exception to the rule: I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous 2. The effects of his righteousness are likewise very durable: when he has departed hence, and in person is no more seen, he remains visible and sensible in the footsteps and fruits of his goodness; the poor still beholds him present in the subsistence of himself and his family; the sick man feels him in the refreshment which he yet enjoys by his provision; he supervives in the heart of the afflicted, which still resents the comfort, and rejoices in the ease, which he procured him; all the world derives benefit from him by the edification it receiv- forsaken, nor his seed begging bread." eth from his example; religion obtaineth profit and ornament, God himself enjoy-ever in the perpetual favour of God, and eth glory and praise, from his righteous ness. 3. His righteousness also endureth in respect to his posterity. It is an usual plea for tenacity and parsimony, that care must be had of posterity, that enough must be provided and laid up for the family but in truth this is a very absurd excuse; and doing according thereto is a very preposterous method of proceeding toward that end; it is really the greatest improvidence in that respect, and the truest neglect that can be of our children for so doing, together with a seeming estate, we entail a real curse upon them: we divest them of God's protection and benediction (the only sure preservatives of an estate ;) we leave them heirs of nothing so much as of punishments due to our ingratitude, our infidelity, our impiety and injustice, both toward God and man: whereas by liberally bestowing on the poor, we demise unto them God's blessing, which is the best inheritance; we recommend them to God's special care, which is the best tuition; we leave them God's protection and providence, which are a wealth indefectible and inexhaustible; we constitute God their guardian, who will most faithfully manage, and most wisely improve their substance, both that which we leave to them, and that which we gave for them to the poor; we thereby in good part entitle them to the rewards appropriate to our pious charity, our faith, our gratitude, our self-denial, our justice, to whatever 4. His righteousness also endureth for in the eternal rewards which God will confer upon him, who, out of conscience and reverence toward God, out of goodwill and kindness toward his brother, hath dispersed, and given to the poor. God will not (as the apostle saith) be unjust to forget his labour of charity in ministering to his poor brother: from the seed which he hath sown to the Spirit," he shall assuredly reap a most plentiful crop of blessings spiritual; he shall effectually enjoy the good foundation that he hath stored up for the goods he hath sold and delivered, he shall bona fide receive his bargain, the hidden treasure and precious pearl of eternal life; for this best improvement of his talent of worldly riches, he shall hear the Euge, bone serve, Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into thy master's joy: he shall at last find God infinitely more bountiful to him, than he hath been unto the poor. Thus when all the flashes of sensual pleasure are quite extinct; when all the flowers of secular glory are withered away; when all earthly treasures are buried in darkness; when this world and all the fashion of it are utterly vanished and gone, the bountiful man's state will still be firm and flourishing, and his righteousness shall endure for ever. It follows, His horn shall be exalted with honour. A horn is an emblem of for scarce any man seeketh wealth for itself, but either for honour, or for virtue's sake, that he may live creditably, or may do good therewith :* necessity is served with a little,pleasure may be satisfied with a competence; abundance is required only to support honour or promote good; and honour by a natural connexion adhereth to bounty. He that followeth after righteousness and mercy findeth life, righteousness, and honour; Prov. xxi. 21. power; for in it the beasts' strength, of- | fashion in some places endeareth and comfensive and defensive, doth consist; and mendeth; they get the end for the means; of plenty, for it hath within it a capacity apt to contain what is put into it; and of sanctity, for that in it was put the holy oil, with which kings were consecrated;" and of dignity, both in consequence upon the reasons mentioned (as denoting might, and influence, and sacredness accompanying sovereign dignity), and because also it is an especial beauty and ornament to the creature which hath it; so that this expression, His horn shall be exalted with honour, may be supposed to import, that an abundance of high and holy, of firm and solid honour, shall attend upon the bountiful person. And that so it truly shall, may from many considerations appear. 2. But further, an accession of honour, according to gracious promise (grounded upon somewhat of special reason, of equity and decency in the thing itself), is due from God unto the bountiful person, 1. Honour is inseparably annexed there- and is by special providence surely conto, as its natural companion and shadow. ferred on him. There is no kind of piety, God hath impressed upon all virtue a maj- or instance of obedience, whereby God esty and a beauty, which do command himself is more signally honoured, than respect, and with a kindly violence extort by this. These are chiefly those good veneration from men: such is the natural works, the which men seeing, are apt to constitution of our souls, that as our sense glorify our Father which is in heaven; necessarily liketh what is fair and sweet, Phil. i. 11. Being filled with the fruits so our mind unavoidably will esteem what of righteousness, which are by Christ is virtuous and worthy; all good actions Jesus to the glory and praise of God." as such are honourable: but of all virtues, To these fruits that is most applicable beneficence doth with most unquestiona- which our Lord saith, Hereby is my ble right claim honour, and with irresisti- Father glorified, if ye bear much fruit; ble force procures it; as it is indeed the for as he that oppresseth the poor reproachmost divine of virtues, so men are most eth his Maker; so he honoureth him that apt to venerate them whom they observe hath mercy on the poor. The comforteminently to practice it. Other virtues able experience of good in this sort of men see, and approve as goodly to the actions will most readily dispose men to sight; but this they taste and feel; this admire and commend the excellency, the by most sensible experience they find to wisdom, the goodness, of the divine be pleasant and profitable, and cannot laws; will therefore procure God hearty therefore but highly prize it.* They, praise and thanks for them: for, as St. who do their alms before men, although Paul teacheth us, The administration of out of an unworthy vain-glorious design, this service not only supplieth the want of have yet (as our Saviour intimates) their the saints, but is abundant also by many reward; Matt. vi. 1; they fail not to get thanksgivings unto God; whilst by exhonour thereby; and even so have no bad priment of this ministration, they glori pennyworth; for, in the Wise Man's judg-fy God for your professed subjection unto ment, a good name is rather to be chosen than great riches; they receive at least fine air, for gross earth; and things very spiritual, for things most material; they obtain that which every man doth naturally desire and prize, for that which only the Gospel of Christ, and for your liberal distribution unto them, and unto all men.a Since, then, God is so peculiarly honoured by this practice, it is but equal and fit that God should remunerate it with hon * Αἱ γὰρ δυναστείαι καὶ ὁ πλοῦτος διὰ τὴν τιμήν * Φιλοῦνται σχεδὸν μάλιστα οἱ ἐλευθέστεροι τῶν ἐστιν αἱρετά.—Arist. ἐπ' ἀρετῆς, ὠφέλιμοι γάρ.Arist. 1 Sam. xvi. 13; 1 Kings i. 39. a Prov. xxii. 1. b Matt. v. 16. John. xv. 8; Prov. xiv. 31. d 2 Cor. ix. 12, 13. SERMON XXXII. UPON THE PASSION OF OUR BLESSED SAVIOUR. PHIL. ii. 8.-And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. our God's noble goodness will not let | blood of the everlasting covenant, make him seem defective in any sort of benefi- us perfect in every good work to do his cial correspondence toward us; we shall will, working in us that which is wellnever be able to yield him any kind of pleasing in his sight, through Jesus good thing in duty, which he will not be Christ: to whom be glory for ever and more apt to render us in grace: they ever. Amen. who, as Solomon speaketh, honour God with their substance, shall by God certainly be honoured with his blessing: reason intimates so much, and we beside have God's express word for it: Them (saith he) who honour me, I will honour.! He that absolutely and independently is the fountain of all honour, from whom (as good king David saith) riches and honour cometh, for that he reigneth over all, he will assuredly prefer and dignify those who have been at special care and cost to advance his honour. He that hath the hearts of all men in his hands, and fashioneth them as he pleaseth," will raise the bountiful man in the judgments and affections of men. He that ordereth all the events of things, and disposeth success as he thinks fit, will cause the bountiful person's enterprises to prosper, and come off with credit. He will not suffer the reputation of so real an honourer of himself to be extremely slurred by disaster, to be blasted by slander, to be supplanted by envy or malice; but will bring forth his righteousness as the light, and his judgment as the noon-day. 3. God will thus exalt the bountiful man's horn even here in this world, and to an infinitely higher pitch he will advance it in the future state: he shall there be set at the right hand, in a most honourable place and rank, among the chief friends and favourites of the heavenly King, in happy consortship with the holy angels and blessed saints; where, in recompense of his pious bounty, he shall, from the bountiful hands of his most gracious Lord, receive an incorruptible crown of righteousness, and an unfading crown of glory. The which God of his infinite mercy grant unto us all, through Jesus Christ our Lord; to whom for ever be all praise. Amen. Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the WHEN, in consequence of the original apostacy from God, which did banish us from paradise, and by continued rebellions against him, inevitable to our corrupt and impotent nature, mankind had forfeited the amity of God (the chief of all goods, the fountain of all happiness), and had incurred his displeasure (the greatest of all evils, the foundation of all misery ;)-— When poor man having deserted his natural Lord and Protector, other lords had got dominion over him, so that he was captivated by the foul, malicious, cruel spirits, and enslaved to his own vain mind, to vile lusts, to wild passions ; When, according to an eternal rule of justice, that sin deserveth punishment, and by an express law, wherein death was enacted to the transgressors of God's command, the root of our stock, and consequently all its branches, stood adjudged to utter destruction;". When, according to St. Paul's expressions, all the world was become guilty before God (or, subjected to God's judg ment:) all men (Jews and Gentiles) were under sin, under condemnation, under the curse; all men were concluded into disobedience, and shut up together (as close prisoners) under sin; all men had sinned, and come short of the glory of God; death had passed over all, because | be compassed ? all had sinned ; When for us, being plunged into so wretched a condition, no visible remedy did appear, no possible redress could be obtained here below: (for what means could we have of recovering God's favour, who were apt perpetualy to contract new debts and guilts but not able to discharge any old scores? What capacity of mind or will had we to entertain mercy, who were no less stubbornly perverse and obdurate in our crimes, than ignorant or infirm? How could we be reconciled unto Heaven, who had an innate antipathy to God and goodness? [Sin, according to our natural state, and secluding evangelical grace, reigning in our mortal bodies, no good thing dwelling in us; there being a predominant law in our members warring against the law of our mind, and bringing us into captivity to the law of sin: a main ingredient of our old man being a carnal mind, which is enmity to God, and cannot submit to his law; we being alienated from the life of God by the blindness of our hearts, and enemies in our minds by wicked works :] How could we revive to any good hope, who were dead in trespasses and sins, God having withdrawn his quickening Spirit? How at last could we for one moment stand upright in God's sight, upon the natural terms, excluding all sin, and exacting perfect obedience?)— When this, I say, was our forlorn and desperate case, then Almighty God, out of his infinite goodness, was pleased to look upon us (as he sometime did upon Jerusalem, lying polluted in her blood) with an eye of pity and mercy, so as graciously to design a redemption for us out of all that woful distress: and no sooner by his incomprehensible wisdom did he foresee we should lose ourselves, than by his immense grace he did conclude to restore us. How, in consistence with the glory, with the justice, with the truth of God, could such enemies be reconciled, such offender be pardoned, such wretches be saved ? Would the omnipotent Majesty, so affronted, deign to treat with his rebels immediately, without an intercessor or advocate ? Would the sovereign Governor of the world suffer thus notoriously his right to be violated, his authority to be slighted, his honour to be trampled on, without some notable vindication or satisfaction? Would the great Patron of justice relax the terms of it, or ever permit a gross breach thereof to pass with impunity? Would the immutable God of truth expose his veracity or his constancy to suspicion, by so reversing that peremptory sentence of death upon sinners, that it should not in a sort eminently be accomplished? Would the most righteous and most holy God let slip an opportunity so advantageous for demonstrating his perfect love of innocence, and abhorrence of iniquity? Could we therefore well be cleared from our guilt without an expiation, or reinstated in freedom without a ransom, or exempted from condemnation without some punishment? No: God was so pleased to prosecute his designs of goodness and mercy, as thereby nowise to impair or obscure, but rather to advance and illustrate the glories of his sovereign dignity, of his severe justice, of his immaculate holiness, of his unchangeable steadiness in word and purpose. He accordingly would be sued to for peace and mercy: nor would he grant them absolutely, without due compensations for the wrongs he had sustained; yet so, that his goodness did find us a Mediator, and furnish us with means to satisfy him. He would not condescend to a simple remission of our debts; yet so, that, saving his right and honour, he did stoop lower for an effectual abolition of them. He would make good his word, not to let our trespasses But how could this happy design well • Rom. ii. 19; bródixos To Oc.-Rom. iii.go unpunished; yet so, that by our pun9; v. 16, 18; Gal. iii. 10; Rom. xi. 32; eis drεioriav.-Gal. iii. 22; Rom. iii. 23; v. 12. Rom. vi. 12, 14, 20; vii. 18, 5; vii. 23; vi. 6; Coloss. iii. 9; Eph. iv. 22; Rom. viii. 7; ovx inоráocerat.-Eph. iv. 18; Coloss. i. 21; Rom. v. 10; Eph. ii. v; (Rom. vi. 13, 11;) Psal. cxliii. 2; Exod. xxxiv. 7. Ezek. xvi. 6. ishment we might receive advantage. He would manifest his detestation of wickedness in a way more illustrious h Eph. i. 4, 9, 11, and iii. 11; 2 Tim. i. 9; Pet. i. 20; Rev. xiii. 8; Rom. xvi. 25; Tit. i. 2. 1 Athan. de Incarn.; Gen. ii. 17. |