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other-where in godly men's works, that alms-deeds, mercy, and charitablenefs, doth wath away fin, and blot out iniquity; yet do they not arrogantly and proudly ftick and truft unto them, or brag themfelves of them, as the proud Pharifee did, left with the Pharifee they should be condemned: but rather with the humble and poor Publican confefs themfelves finful wretches, unworthy to look up to heaven, calling and craving for mercy, that with the Publican they may be pronounced of Chrift to be juftified. The godly do learn that when the Scriptures fay, that by good and merciful works we are reconciled to God's favour, we are taught then to know what Chrift by his interceffion and mediation obtaineth for us of his Father, when we be obedient to his will; yea, they learn in such manner of speaking a comfortable argument of God's fingular favour and love, that attributeth that unto us and to our doings, that he by his Spirit worketh in us, and through his grace procureth for us. And yet this notwithstanding, they cry out with St. Paul, O wretches that we are; and acknowledge, as Chrift teacheth, that when they have all done, they are but unprofitable fervants; and with the bleffed King David, in refpect of the juft judgments of God, they do tremble, and fay, Who fhall be able to abide it, Lord if thou wilt give fentence according to our deferts? Thus they humble themfelves, and are exalted of God; they count themselves vile, and of God are counted pure and clean; they condemn themselves, and are juftified of God; they think themfelves unworthy of the earth, and of God are thought worthy of heaven. Thus by God's word are they truly taught how to think rightly of merciful dealing of alms, and of God's efpecial mercy and goodness are made partakers of those fruits that his word hath promifed. Let us then follow their examples, and both thew obediently in our lives thofe works of mercy that we are commanded, and have that right opinion and judgment of them that we are taught; and we fhall in like manner, as they, be made partakers, and feel the fruits and rewards that follow fuch godly living, fo fhall we know by proof what profit and commodity doth come of giving of alms and fuccouring of the poor.

The

The Third Part of the Sermon of Alms-Deeds.

YE

E have already heard two parts of this treatise of Alms-deeds. The firft, how pleafant and acceptable before God the doing of them is; the fecond, how much it behoveth us, and how profitable it is to apply ourselves unto them. Now in the third part will I take away that let, that hindereth many from doing them. There be many, that when they hear how acceptable a thing in the fight of God the giving of alms is, and how much God extendeth his favour towards them that are merciful, and what fruits and commodities do come to them by it, they with very gladly with themfelves that they alfo might obtain thefe benefits, and be counted fuch of God as whom he would love or do for. But yet these men are with greedy covetoufnefs fo pulled back, that they will not beftow one halfpenny, or one piece of bread, that they might be thought worthy of God's benefits, and fo to come into his favour. For they are evermore fearful, and doubting, left by often giving, although it were but a little at a time, they fhould confume their goods, and fo impoverish themselves, that even themselves at the length fhould not be able to live, but should be driven to beg, and live of other men's alms. And thus they feek excufes to withhold themfelves from the favour of God, and choose with pinching covetoufnefs rather to lean unto the Devil, than by charitable mercifulness either to come unto Chrift, or to fuffer Chrift to come unto them. O that we had fome cunning and skilful phyfician, that were able to purge them of this fo peftilent an humour, that fo fore infecteth, not their bodies, but their minds, and fo by corrupting their fouls bringeth their bodies and fouls into danger of hell-fire! Now left there be any fuch among us, dearly beloved, let us diligently fearch for that phyfician, which is Jefus Chrift, and earnestly labour that of his mercy he will truly inftruct us, and give us a prefent remedy against fo perilous a difeafe. Hearken then, whofoever thou art that feareft left by giving to the poor thou fhouldeft bring thyfelf to beggary. That which thou takeft from thyfelf to beftow upon Chrift can never be confumed and wasted away. Wherein thou shalt not believe me, but if thou have faith, and be a true Chriftian, believe the Holy Ghoft, give credit to the authority of God's word that thus teacheth. For thus faith the Holy Ghoft by Solo

mon,

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mon, He that giveth unto the poor shall never want. Men fuppofe that by hoarding and laying up ftill, they fhall at length be rich, and that by diftributing and laying out, although it be for mot neceffary and godly ufes, they fhall be brought to poverty. But the Holy Ghost, which knoweth all truth, teacheth us another leffon, contrary to this. He teacheth us that there is a kind of difpending that fhall never diminish the stock, and a kind of faving that fhall bring a man to extreme poverty. For where he faith, that the good alms-man fhall never have Scarcity, he addeth, but be that turneth away his eyes from fuch as be in neceffity, shall fuffer great poverty himSelf. How far different then is the judgment of man from the judgment of the Holy Ghoft! The holy Apoftle Paul, a man full of the Holy Ghoft, and made privy even of the fecret will of God, teacheth, that the liberal alms-giver fhall not thereby be impoverished. He that 1 Cor. is, minifteretb, faith he, feed unto the fower, will minifter alfo bread unto you for food; yea, he will multiply your feed, and increase the fruits of your righteousness. He is not content to advertise them that they fhall not lack, but he sheweth them alfo in what fort God will provide for them. Even as he provided feed for the fower in multiplying it, and giving great increafe; fo he will multiply their goods, and increase them, that there fhall be great abundance. And left we should think his fayings to be but words, and not truth, we have an example thereof in the first Book of Kings, which doth confirm and feal it up as a moft certain truth. The poor widow that received the banished Prophet of God, Elias, when as fhe had but a handful of meal in a veffel, and a little oil in a crufe, whereof she would make a cake for herself and her fon, that after they had eaten that, they might die, because in that great famine there was no more food to be gotten: yet when the gave part thereof to Elias, and defrauded her own hungry belly, mercifully to relieve him, the was fo bleffed of God, that neither the meal nor the oil was confumed all the time while that famine did laft, but thereof both the Prophet Elias, fhe, and her fon, were fufficiently nourished and had enough.

Oh confider this example, ye unbelieving and faithless covetous perfons, who difcredit God's word, and think his power diminished! This poor woman, in the time of an extreme and long dearth, had but one handful of meal and a little crufe of oil; her only fon was ready to perish before her face for hunger, and the herfelf like to pine

away:

away and yet when the poor Prophet came, and asked part, fhe was fo mindful of mercifulnefs, that the forgot her own mifery; and rather than fhe would omit the occafion given to give alms, and work a work of righteoufnefs, fhe was content prefently to hazard her own and her fon's life. And you, who have great plenty of meats and drinks, great ftore of moth-eaten apparel, yea, many of you great heaps of gold and filver, and he that hath leaft hath more than fufficient, now in this time, when, thanks be to God, no great famine doth opprefs you, your children being well clothed and well fed, and no danger of death for famine to be feared, will rather caft doubts and perils of unlikely penury, than you will part with any piece of your fuperfluities, to help and fuccour the poor, hungry, and naked Chrift, that cometh to your doors a begging. This poor and filly widow never caft doubts in all her mifery what wants fhe herself fhould have, the never diftrufted the promife that God made to her by the Prophet, but ftraightway went about to relieve the hungry Prophet of God, yea, preferring his neceffity before her own. But we, like unbelieving wretches, before we will give one mite, we will caft a thousand doubts of danger, whether that will ftand us in any ftead, that we give to the poor, whether we fhould not have need of it at any other time, and whether here it would not have been more profitably beftowed. So that it is more hard to wrench a ftrong nail (as the proverb faith) out of a poft, than to wring a farthing out of our fingers. There is neither the fear nor the love of God before our eyes; we will more efteem a mite, than we either defire God's kingdom, or fear the Devil's dungeon. Hearken, therefore, ye mercilefs mifers, what will be the end of this your unmerciful dealing. As certainly as God nourished this poor widow in the time of famine, and increafed her little ftore, fo that the had enough, and felt no penury, when other pined away; fo certainly fhall God plague you with poverty in the midft of plenty. Then when other have abundance and be fed at full, you fhall utterly waste and confume away yourselves, your ftore shall be ́deftroyed, your goods plucked from you, all your glory and wealth fhall perish; and that which when you had you might have enjoyed yourfelves in peace, and might have beltowed upon other moft godly, ye thall feek with forrow and fighs, and no where fhall find it. For your unmercifulnefs towards other, ye fhall find no man that will fhew mercy towards you. You that had ftony hearts towards

towards other, fhall find all the creatures of God to you ward as hard as brafs and iron. Alas, what fury and madness doth poffefs our minds, that in a matter of truth and certainty we will not give credit to the truth, teftifying unto that which is most certain! Chrift faith, that if we will first feek the kingdom of God, and do the works of righteoufnels thereof, we shall not be left deftitute, all other things fhall be given to us plenteously. Nay, fay we, I will firft look that I be able to live myself, and be fure that I have enough for me and mine; and if I have any thing over, I will bestow it to get God's favour, and the poor fhall then have part with me.

See, I pray you, the perverfe judgment of men; we have more care to nourish the carcafe, than we have fear to fee our foul perish. And, as Cyprian faith, whilft we ftand in Sermon.de doubt left our goods fail in being over liberal, we put it Eleemofy out of doubt, that our life and health faileth in not be- na. ing liberal at all. Whilft we are careful for diminishing of our ftock, we are altogether careless to diminish ourfelves. We love Mammon, and lofe our fouls. We fear left our patrimony fhould perifh from us; but we fear not left we thould perifh for it. Thus do we perversely love that which we fhould hate, and hate that which we fhould love; we be negligent where we should be careful, and careful where we need not. Thus vain fear to lack ourselves, if we give to the poor, is much like the fear of children and fools, which when they see the bright glimmering of a glafs, they do imagine ftraightway that it is the lightning, and yet the brightness of a glafs never was the lightning. Even fo, when we imagine that by spending upon the poor, a man may come to poverty, we are caft into a vain fear; for we never heard or knew, that by that means any man came to misery, and was left deftitute, and not confidered of God. Nay, we read to the contrary in the Scripture, (as I have before fhewed, and as by infinite teftimonies and examples may be proved,) that whofoever ferveth God faithfully and unfeignedly in any vocation, God will not fuffer him to decay, much lefs to perith. The Holy Ghoft teacheth us by Solomon, that the Lord will not fuffer the foul of the Prov. xvii. righteous to perifb for bunger. And therefore David faith unto all them that are merciful, O fear the Lord, ye that be his faints, for they that fear him lack nothing. The lions do lack and fuffer bunger; but they which feek the Lord fball want no manner of thing that is good. When Elias was in 1 Kinga the defart, God fed him by the miniftry of a raven, that vii.

evening

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