to every one that afketh*, so far as our circumstances permit ns, and the end of giving, will be served by it. But as giving to fome would do harm, and we cannot give to all enough to do them good, charity itself forbids us to interpret this precept in the fulness of its literal extent. Yet God forbid that any should seek a pretext for relieving few or none, because many are undeferving, and they cannot relieve every one. Such a plea will not excuse them in the opinion of men here ; much lefs in that awful judgment hereafter, when the rich and the poor fhall meet together before the Lord, the Maker of them allt. But as the wealthy fhould not contrive to evade almfgiving, fo the needy should not be forward to suspect them of it; but resolve to judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who will make manifeft the counfels of the heart ‡. One thing more, to be obferved by you in favour of your condition, is, that God hath not left you to depend folely on the piety and charity of the rich; but provided, that their love of gain, their vanity, or their luxury, fhall be made what they do not defign them for, the means of doing fome good to their inferiors, by employing them; as well as much harm, by fetting them an ill example. More good might be done indeed, and all the harm avoided, would they act from the principles they ought. For the follies and vices of one part of mankind, are far from being the proper method of maintaining the other. But however, it is a remarkable inftance of the kindness of Providence, to have ordered things fo, that they who mean you little or no service, fhall do you a great deal and contribute, without thinking of it, to make your condition comfortable, while perhaps they are making themselves wretched, both in this life and that which is to come. : Upon the whole then it appears, that you have no ground of complaint against God; and much less, perhaps than you imagined, against men; that your ftate hath many comforts belonging to it; and ufually not many neceffary fufferings, beyond what others feel. But when any of you have the most, only do your duty faithfully and prudently, and you may compofe your minds, with a full affurance, that at length. all fhall end well: Your light afflictions, which are but for a moment, shall work for you an eternal weight of glory § in the Luke vi. 33. f Prov. xxii. 2. next : next world and in this, as God hath enabled you to bear them hitherto, he will doubtless enable you to bear them ftill; nay, perhaps lighten your burthen when you least think of it. For the poor fhall not alway be forgotten: the patient abiding of the meek shall not perish for ever *. The eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, on them that put their trust in his mercy; to deliver their foul from death, and keep them alive in the time of famine +. Truft in the Lord, and do good: fo fhalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed ‡. Some means or other heaven will point out to you, to prevent your falling into the utmost extremities. Providence is your fecurity: the greatest persons on earth have no better. Without a title to God's favour, no one can be happy and with it, no one needs be miferable. For whether a man be rich or poor, if he have a good heart towards the Lord, he shall at all times rejoice, with a chearful countenance §. * Pf. ix. 18. Pf. xxxvii. 3. : † Pf. xxxiii. 18, 19. SER And the poor have the gospel preached to them. NE principal mark of true religion is its tendency to make men first good, then happy. Precepts of piety and virtue, unattended with rewards, will always be ineffectual and promises of rewards, independent upon piety and virtue, must of neceffity be falfe. Chriftianity therefore comprehends both, and proposes them equally to all mankind: requiring obedience from the greatest, as a condition of God's favour; and offering eternal felicity to the meanest, on performance of their duties. For this reafon I have lately fet before you the peculiar duties. of the upper part of the world, and have fince proceeded to thofe of the lower. The only one of the latter, which I have hitherto mentioned, is, that they be content with their condition; and neither murmur at all against God, who never gives them caufe; nor complain of men more than they have cause; nor be dejected in their own minds; but compose and support themselves, by attending to the comforts of the state they are in, as well as the inconveniences of it. With this I chose to begin, and to infift on it largely, becaufe, when once the poor are convinced that they may be happy, they will naturally and cheerfully endeavour to become fo: for which end they must learn, 2. To be humble: a virtue closely connected with the former. For as pride is ufually the origin of discontent, so discontent in return nourishes pride; till, after thinking falsely their present fituation too bad for them, men come by degrees to think hardly any fufficiently good. Now all may find great reafon for humility, on viewing the imperfections and frailties of of human nature in general, and their own in particular: but the poor have additional subjects of mortification to reflect on; they fee and feel themselves inferior to most around them, dependent probably on fome for their livelihood; and are excluded from the poffibility of many improvements and advantages which others enjoy, ftill this is no ground for diffatisfaction. For that fome are in a better condition cannot really change theirs into a worfe. It remains, notwithstanding, just what it would be, if none were better. And making comparisons only to difquiet yourselves, is great folly. But making them, to learn from that inferiority in which you are placed, a fuitable way of thinking and behaving, is fo needful and fo obvious a leffon both of wisdom and duty, that neglecting it is inexcufable. Those minds must be grievously hardened in the wrong, that can have no impreffion made on them by such peculiarly strong calls to be modest and fubmiffive. Nor will this prove a less unhappy disposition, than it is a faulty one: but, in all likelihood, you will fuffer more from the abfurd haughtiness of your temper, than all the hardships of your outward circumstances. put together. Instead of esteeming or pitying you, the world will diflike and fcorn you. For the fon of Sirach expreffes only what every one in fome measure feels, when having said, three forts of men my foul hateth, and I am greatly offended at their life; he puts down, in the first place, a poor man that is proud*. Pride in those, who should be the fartheft from it, is extremely disgustful, even when it is harmless: but ufually it leads on to infolent behaviour. Now infolence to superiors may produce unspeakable mischiefs to you; but will always produce fome and though it be confined to your equals or inferiors, will be the fource of perpetual uneafiness, as well as guilt. Yet I am afraid it is exceeding common for the lower ranks to use those who are but a little beneath them, with fuch contempt and harfhnefs as they feldom or never experience from the highest above them; and would not think it tolerable, if they did. But furely then you should be willing to give the treatment, you expect to receive: and feeing, as you must, how well condefcenfion becomes your betters; think how ill, affuming and over-bearing becomes you. But fuppofing your VOL. I. haughtiness : G g Ecclus. xxv. 2. haughtiness injurious or displeasing to no one else, it will be greatly detrimental to yourself. You have formerly been in good circumftances perhaps, or you are defcended from a good family and therefore you will not bring down your heart to your prefent condition. But what follows from this? Only that ftruggling under the yoke makes it gall you the more; and you are ten times uneafier, than you need to be: whereas would you but accommodate your fpirit to your ftation; you would foon be fenfible, that with men as well as God, he that bumbleth himself shall be exaltedt: You would enjoy, in this world, a peaceful compofure of foul; and in the next, that bleffednefs, which is reserved for the meek and lowly. But of all forts of pride in the poor, the ftrangest and most pernicious is that, which tempts not a few of them to imagine, they are of too much confequence to do any thing for their own maintenance. Indeed when they have formerly been of good rank and lived in plenty, especially when their fall from it is not owing to wilful fins or follies, it fhould be the endeavour of their relations and friends to provide for them, in fome degree fuitably to what they once were. But if fuch as are efpecially concerned, either cannot or will not do this, there is little room to expect, that others fhould contribute enough towards it to be effectual. And therefore the unhappy perfons whose cafe it is, unlefs providence raife them up fome unlooked-for fupport, fink down of course to the level of the common poor: and it cannot be more the duty of the charitable to help them, than it is theirs to help themfelves by any fort of honeft employment, for which they are qualified. Once heaven had placed you in a higher fphere; now it hath reduced you to a lower: the occupations of the latter are as much incumbent upon you at prefent, as thofe of the former were before: and your attention to them will be as amply rewarded by the difpofer of all things. You muft fupport yourfelf, either by virtuous di ligence, or by vicious courfes. The latter, nothing can justify: the former, in whatever way you are called to exercife it, will be no reproach, but an honour to you. And the rich and great, far from rejecting and difowning their poor kindred or acquaintance, for condefcending to any useful bufinefs, when neceffity requires, ought to encourage and applaud them. For it *Matth. xxiii. 12. |