To my Honoured Friends, and Brethren, the Stewards of the late Meeting of clergymen's Sons. Mr. Edward Tenison, Mr. Thomas Breamer, Mr. Nudigate Owsley, Mr. Thomas Pindar, Mr. Jer. Peirce, Mr. Edward Hinton, Mr. Martin Carter, Mr. Benjamin Howel Mr. Peter Crouch, Mr. William Staresmore, Mr. Samuel Turner, Mr. Nath. Green. Honoured Brethren, I Am sensible, I have not done Justice to the Good Samaritan: But what hath been wanting to his Character from the Pulpit, will, I hope, be made up by the Examples of those that heard it. Towards me, I confess, your Compassion had been greater, if you had passed by this mean Performance, and only wished me a better Talon: But since you have taken it up, and are willing it should live, you have made yourselves responsible for it; and in your hands I respectfully leave it, in Obedience to your Commands, and am, SIRS, Your most humble Servant, and Affectionate Brother, Z. ISHAM. LUKE X. 37. — Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise. I. AMongst the several Calumnies maliliciously cast upon the Primitive Christians, and contrived by the Accuser of the Brethren, Rev. 12.10. to prevent our Religion from taking root in the World; the most perverse Imputation was that which was grounded upon their mutual Fraternity, and eminent Acts of Charity: They revile us, (saith a very ancient * Tertul. Apol. c. 39 Father) because we call ourselves Brethren to one another; and deride us for loving one another so well, and being ready to lay down our lives for one another: And surely it was a most envenomed rancour, that could turn the highest Virtue into a matter of Reproach. For nothing could redound more to the Honour of the Church, than to set a Pattern to Mankind of Beneficence, and Kindness, and unspotted Affection; and that † Modicam unusquisque stipem menstruâ die, vel quum velit, apponit. Haec quasi deposita pietatis sunt: Nam inde non epulis, nec potaculis dispensatur; sed egenis alendis, humandisque & Pueris, ac Puellis re, ac parentibus destitutis, jamque domesticis senibus; item Naufragis, & siqui in metallis, & siqui in insulis, vel in cust●diis, duntaxat ex cansâ Dei sectae, alumni Confessionis suae fiunt. Id. Ibid. the great Body of Christians was one Corporation for Charity, and the Widows, and Orphans were the Sisters, and Children of the whole Community: And S. * Epist. 398. Basil tells us, It was the ancient Glory of the Church, That the Christians who travelled from one end of the World to the other, met every where with Fathers and Brethren. Accordingly it was this divine Spirit of Love, and Mercy, animating the Church, that chief established our holy Religion, and surmounted the Persecutions against it: And this was so remarkable, that * Sozomen l. 5. c. 16. Festinabat, ut Pagani Christianorum assuescerent officiis. Cassiodor. Hist. Eccl. l. 6. c. 29. Julian the Apostate thought to restore Paganism, by employing the indulgent Methods of Christianity; and to supplant our Faith, by putting on the Disguise of our Charity. I wish we had not in the Christian World, a more thriving Instance of supporting a false Worship by charitable Foundations: But we ought not to be offended with these, for the Blemishes of the other; nor to despise an Alms, because the hand is not clean that gives it: And if Deeds of Mercy can be made the Props of Superstition, they will not be less powerful in upholding Truth. We do not indeed make use of Apparitions, and frightful Stories from the dead, to persuade to Charity; nor can we think it so meritorious, as to be a price for Eternity: But we press as earnestly the Obligation of honouring God with our Substance; Prov. 3.9. 1 Tim. 6.18. and of being rich in good Works, ready to distribute, and willing to communicate; and with such visible Success, that if the public Settlements erected since the Reformation, (especially within the Precincts of this City) be compared, as to the Wisdom, and usefulness of them, with what our Ancestors did before it, we need not fear the coming to an Account with the Church of Rome: And our Appearance on this Day, as 'tis a bright Testimony against one of her Corruptions; so 'tis a new Triumph of Charity, for the Security, and Reputation of our Church. Wherefore, in order to the promoting of that pious end which brings this Audience together, I shall humbly set before you the good Samaritan; whose Praise is in the Gospel, for recovering a poor Jew, that was gasping for Relief, and lay neglected by those that were nearer to him: And hereupon our Saviour propounds his Example, as fit to be imitated by all his Disciples; though he was himself more worthy to be followed, as being the noblest Pattern of Goodness, and Compassion, and Benignity, that ever appeared in the World. II. The Parable is so well known, that I shall only take notice of the Occasion of it; which was the putting of this Question to our great Master, Who was to be counted a Neighbour in the Sense of the Law? For the Law running thus, Levit. 19.18. Thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thyself; and the Lawyer (with whom Christ was talking) having discreetly mentioned this as a necessary Precept; (though we are † Lightfoot. told, it was not written in the Schedules of the Jewish Phylacteries) he took this Opportunity to request our Saviour's Opinion, in what seems to have been then controverted, How far the Relation of a Neighbour extended? The Answer whereunto is couched in the Parable before us, and the Dignity of a Neighbour restored to the Original Latitude: For the Jewish Tradition had excluded Gentiles, and Samaritans from the Privileges of Neighbours; and none but a Jew, that resorted to the Temple, was presumed to have any Right to this Title, and to the Benefits resulting from it: And as for Idolaters, and Schismatics, how could they (as it was objected) be Neighbours to God's People, that were at a Distance from him? And how could such as oppressed, and hated them, claim the Advantages of their Love? But our blessed Saviour (who came to offer his own Blood for his Enemies) would not endure any such restraint upon the Law of Charity: And hereupon to discard that narrow Interpretation of it, he pitcheth upon a Samaritan relieving a Jew, whom he knew to be an Enemy to him, both upon a National, and a religious Account; and yet he did not pass by the mangled Creature, as the Priest, and Levite had done; (though they were his Neighbours beyond all dispute) he did not leave him with a tender Look, or an unprofitable Wish; but seeing him in such wretched Circumstances, he falls immediately to the helping of him, and binds up his Wounds, and mitigates his Anguish, and continues the Care of him in order to his perfect Recovery. And what could a Man have done more for his kindest Neighbour, or his dearest Friend? And therefore our Saviour artificially concludes from hence, That every Man is to be treated as a Neighbour. Eccl. 50.26 For if he had demanded directly, Whether a Samaritan Schismatic (one of that foolish People dwelling in Sichem) was comprehended within the Verge of the Precept of Love? the Lawyer would certainly have answered in the Negative: But when he rehearseth the Kindness of a Samaritan towards a Jew, this a Jewish Zealot could not disapprove of: And by this Circumlocution Christ brings him to confess, That the Samaritan was Neighbour unto him that fell among the Thiefs. But if a Samaritan was Neighbour to a Jew, and aught to love him as such, and particularly to relieve him in Distress; why should not a Jew be a Neighbour to a Samaritan? And accordingly our Saviour subjoins, Go, and do thou likewise: That is, I approve of your Answer; the Samaritan was really such a Neighbour as the Law requires; and after his Example, you are to look upon every Person that wants Relief, (though he be upon terms of Separation, and Enmity towards you) as a fit Object of your Compassion, and Mercy. III. In prosecuting the Case of this good Samaritan, as 'tis recommended by Christ to our Imitation, I shall only desire you to consider these two Heads: First, The Act of Mercy exhibited to one in Distress: And Secondly, The peculiar Circumstances of the Object that was relieved. I begin with the First Point, the Act of Mercy towards one in Distress: And since, 'tis said to every one of us, Go, and do thou, as the good Samaritan did; I shall offer some Considerations for the clearer Enforcement of this Duty. The First of them is, That the Principles of natural Religion oblige us to the succouring of those that are in misery: For it supposeth a general Cognation between all men, and engageth us in a reciprocal Amity towards one another; and though by prohibiting Rapine, and Invasion, it secures every man in his Property, and Possessions; yet it requires us to spare so much out of our Abundance, as is needful for the cherishing of those that are overtaken by Calamities: And when the indigent, and afflicted are laid in our way, we cannot pass by them carelessly, and unconcernedly, without struggling against our own Consciences, and casting a Reproach upon the Dignity of our Nature. There is a softness, and tenderness interwoven in our Frames; which men cannot easily wear out, till they have transformed themselves into Creatures more savage than the Beasts of the Wilderness; and have defaced those Impressions of Virtue, which were planted in their minds: And then indeed we see by Experience, that by Lewdness, and profane Courses, they learn to be cruel, and insolent, and unmerciful. But this is a Violence upon our own Constitutions, and a Brutality that destroys the Image of God after which we are created; and man loseth himself, when he puts off the Bowels of Compassion. For where humane Nature is untainted, it inclines to mercy, and lenity; and the best Dispositions, and purest Souls are always most communicative of what is good, and most averse to Rigours, and Inflictions: Which are never eligible, but where Justice cannot be satisfied without them, nor public Charity maintained. Prov. 12.18. There is (saith Solomon) that speaketh like the piercings of a Sword; but the tongue of the wise is health: His very Words are Antidotes against Evil, and are refreshing, and healing to those whom he converseth with; and his Actions are conformable to them, and by doing all the good that lies in his power, he gives the best Argument of his being wise. For what can be more wisely done, than to deliver the oppressed, and the miserable; to secure the Necessities of those that are embarked in the same Vessel with ourselves, and to increase the Satisfactions, and allay the Sorrows of one another; to remove the Thorns and Briars that are upon the Face of the Earth, and to turn it into a new Paradise? Every man is a Brother to us, and the help we afford him is given to our own Flesh: And 'tis the common Interest of mankind, to unite all their Endeavours in chase away the Troubles and Discomforts of humane Life. If we at any time fall into Calamity, or Oppression, we think all good men are concerned to assist us; and we justly expect it, so far as they have Opportunity, and Strength: And then 'tis evident, how far we are bound to support others in an afflictive Condition, whose Wants by a charitable Imagination we may transferr upon ourselves; and it will then be legible in our own breasts, in what proportion we are to reach forth to them the Communications of our Mercy. For nothing can be more equitable, than to measure our Aid, and Kindnesses to other men, by our own rational Desires, and just Expectations, if their case should happen to be ours: And 'tis a Rule eternally to be practised, Mat. 7.12. Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them. IU. Secondly, Let it be considered, That the Christian Religion doth more earnestly require from us the exercising of Mercy, and Charity: And to this purpose we have many known Lessons from Christ, and his Apostles; Be merciful, Luk. 6.36. and 11.41. as your Father is merciful; Give alms of such things as you have; for It is more blessed to give than to receive: Act. 20.35. Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love, Rom. 12.10, 13, 21. Distributing to the necessity of Saints; and Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good: Heb. 13.16. Jam. 1.27. 1 Joh. 3.17. To do good, and to communicate forget not; for with such sacrifices God is well pleased: Pure religion, and undefiled before God is this, to visit the fatherless, and widows in their affliction: But whoso hath this world's good, and seethe his Brother hath need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? To the like tendency we have many other Instructions; and all of them very agreeable to that divine Institution of Love, which came down to us from Heaven: And they are further confirmed by the unimitable Life of our ever-blessed Redeemer. Act. 10.38. For he went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the Devil: His Miracles were Works of Charity; and he was constantly employed in Kindnesses and merciful Deeds; in reclaiming Sinners, and instructing the ignorant, and cherishing penitent Souls, and driving away Diseases, and evil Spirits, and feeding the hungry, and opening the Eyes of the blind, and rescuing the World from the Slavery of Hell: In one Word, he changed the Order of the Creation for Wonders of goodness; and to teach us the art of doing those Offices of Mercy in a natural way, which he did by a supernatural Power. Having therefore such a glorious Leader, let us follow him as well as we can; and though we cannot exactly keep pace with him, and what is said of his Disciples may befit our Weakness; Mar. 10.32. that as He went before them, they were amazed, and as they followed, they were afraid; yet by his Grace we may so far resemble him, as that he will own us hereafter: And 'tis not above our Christian strength, to form our Behaviour according to the advice of the Apostle; Eph. 5.1, 2. Be ye followers of God, as dear children; and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God. V. Thirdly, Let it be considered, That Christian Mercy is more especially exercised in providing for the necessities of the Soul, and taking compassion upon it; inasmuch as the Soul is nobler than the Body, and all that belongs to it: And this is coming nearest to the unspeakable Love of Christ, who descended from the bosom of the Father, for the saving of our immortal Spirits; and If God so loved us, we ought also to love another. 1 Joh. 4.11. To refresh men under temporal, and outward Evils, is our certain Duty; and as 'tis Solomon's Remark concerning the day of prosperity, Eccl. 7.14. and the day of adversity, That God hath set the one over against the other; so he hath set the plenty of the rich over against the poverty of the indigent, that the one should be a support for the other. But still to reform Sinners, and propagate the Fear, and Knowledge of God; to bind up the broken Conscience, and give light to them that sit in darkness, and proclaim liberty to the captives of Satan; to rescue men from dangerous Prepossessions, and reconcile them to one another, or to an offended God; these are such Fruits of Mercy, as are most acceptable to God, Luk. 15.10. and create a joy in the presence of his holy Angels. Our Saviour intimates to us, That our souls are of greater value than the whole world, Mat. 16.26. than all the Kingdoms of it, all that Pomp and Glory which he saw, and would not accept; and so he graciously expressed his Esteem of them, in contemning the World, and dying for them: And let us be as tender of them, as he was; and have as just an Opinion of their worth. The custody of our own Souls is committed to us by our Maker; and they cannot be lost, unless we squander them away: And we have frequent Opportunities of forwarding the Salvation of our Brethren; nay, we have several Obligations to it, correspondently to the distinct relations of Life: And so Pastors, and Magistrates, and Parents, and Masters of Families have weighty charges of this Nature lying upon them; and it behoves them to be watchful, Ezek. 3.18. that the blood of others may not be required at their hands. Whereas on the contrary it will prove hereafter an ineffable pleasure, to see the Harvest of our Charity, in the Felicity of those whom we pulled out of the Fire, and rescued from the Entanglements of Vice; or bred up in the Fear of God, and in virtuous Callings: And it will be an endless rejoicing, if we shall meet in another World with the Orphans that we took into our Care, and educated in Piety; and if we have made any accession to the number of Saints, and to the Praises of Eternity. VI The Fourth Consideration is, That there is an ample Reward to encourage Mercy, and Compassion; and that both upon a moral, and upon a religious Account. If it be regarded morally, 'tis attended with the Blessing of inward Satisfaction and Comfort; and 'tis an inexpressible Delight to a generous mind, to mitigate the Sufferings of other men, and to raise up a fallen Brother, and to vanquish the Evils of Fate: And though there is a secret Grief in partaking with our Brethren in their miseries, and in turning upon ourselves the arrows that wound them; yet the joy resulting from the Sense of having relieved them is a lasting Refreshment: And he that can look upon his Works of Mercy, and the Monuments of his Liberality; and can pass in a mental Reflection through the Objects of his Charity, surrounded with Prayers, and Benedictions; may have more solid Reason to rejoice, than a Conqueror passing through a triumphal Arch. Moreover, the taking Compassion upon others, and succouring their Wants, is a good shelter against such Afflictions as may befall ourselves; and they that have been of a kind, and bountiful temper, and have not been sparing in their Seed, nor in their Labour, will be sure to meet with Friends, and proportionable Supplies in the Day of their Calamity: For 'tis true in this sense, as well as in a more spiritual one, that the liberal Soul shall be made fat; and he that watereth shall be watered also himself. Prov. 11.25. We know not how soon we may be surprised by Crosses, and Decays; and none of us can plead an Exemption from the common Distresses, and fatal Accidents of the World: And therefore 'tis the more fitting for us, to remember them that are in bonds, Heb. 13.3. as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being ourselves also in the body. Again, upon a religious account, the recompenses of a charitable disposition are very manifest; And, Prov. 11.17. The merciful Man (as Solomon observes) doth good to his own Soul; but he that is cruel troubleth his own Flesh: For, as God hates an uncharitable, and sanguinary Spirit; so he is highly pleased with Works of Mercy, and always returns them upon the Head of him that performs them. The Beatitude runs thus, Mat. 5.7. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy; they shall obtain it from God, whose Distributions are most Valuable; and they shall obtain it in many Blessings of this Life, but most eminently in those of another World to their infinite compensation. Eccl. 29.11, 12, 13. Shut up Alms in thy Storehouses (saith the Son of Sirach) and it shall bring thee more profit than gold; it shall deliver thee from all afflition; it shall fight for thee against thine Enemies better than a mighty shield, and strong spear: But the richest Advantage of it is, that 'tis the laying up of Treasures in Heaven; and our expenses upon the Poor will be repaid hereafter, beyond all comparison with earthly gain; for Christ himself hath engaged his Word to us, under the Figure of the good Samaritan; Luk. 10.35. Whatsoever thou spendest, when I come again, I will repay thee. We cannot forget our Saviour's account of the last Judgement; what it is that Men will be punished for the neglect of, and what it is that they will be rewarded for the performance of: And this is a singular mark of Favour to acts of Charity, that amongst all the Christian Graces, they are pitched upon as chief instrumental in procuring Eternal Bliss, and as turning the balance for us in the terrible day of trial. The reason whereof possibly is, because they are the most natural Fruits of that Divine Love, which is the Fountain of all true Devotion, and the Ornament of the blessed Spirits, and is to remain with us for ever in the highest Heavens: And hereupon, when they proceed from the right Principle, they imply the conjunction of other Christian Virtues, and a fitness for the Kingdom of God. VII. I come now to the Second Point in my Text, namely, the peculiar Circumstances of the Object that was relieved by our Samaritan: It was a Jew, and by consequence one that hated him, and his Religion; and yet, Go, and do thou likewise. Let this therefore be the first Observation from hence; That old Quarrels and Animosities, must not obstruct the Manifestations of our love; nor bind our hands from doing good, Mat. 5.44. when there is a Providential call to it. For * Amicos diligere omnium est, inimicos autem solorum Christianorum. Tertul. ad Scap. c. 1. 'tis our Master's Command, Love your Enemies; and therefore when they come in our way, we are rather to regard the original relation between them, and us; than any grounds of hatred that have sprung up since, and are of a lower date; and though I meet with one that is to me, as a Jew to a Samaritan, I must not be slow in his relief, when I see him weltering in his Blood, and calling out for my help. Wherefore when Objects of Mercy are presented to us, we are to separate their personal Qualities from their Wants; and if they are Unworthy in themselves, or in respect of their Deal with us; yet there is a Worthiness in humane Nature, which no Vices can divest a Man of; and there are natural Bonds of Amity, and an universal Consanguinity, which no baseness can extinguish: and when our common Nature is oppressed, it hath a right to Tenderness and Assistance from all of the same Race. It was therefore a wretched perverting of the Law, for the * Maimon. Jews to teach; that if a Gentile were in danger of Death, they were not bound to deliver him; and if he fell into the Sea, they were not obliged to endeavour the taking of him out. This is contrary to common Humanity: for the antecedent Rights of Mankind are not to be defeated by subsequent Distinctions; and every one in Misery is to be relieved, not in proportion to his Merits, but to his Distress; let him be Jew, or Gentile, Righteous, or Wicked, Friend, or Enemy. He that takes pity on an Enemy, hath gained the Victory over him; and a noble Mind would not lose so fair an opportunity: And whatever Discouragements there may be to his Bounty, 'tis a sufficient ground for it, that he relieves not the Enemy, but the Man; and (according to the Prophet's Expression) he hides not himself from his own flesh. Isa. 58.7. If a Man is my Enemy, let it be his Fault, and not mine; for why should I be Unnatural to him, because he hath been so to me? And since by Retaliation of Injuries, I should seem to take him for my Pattern, and that would be dishonourable for me; it ought to be my Care, that whatever Violence he offers me, he may neither rob me of my Virtue, nor of my good Name. This therefore is a rule of both Testaments; Prov. 25.21. & Rom. 12.20. If thine Enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink. VIII. Secondly, I shall observe from the Case of our Samaritan, That differences in Religion ought not to put any stop to our Christian love: for we find, that one who doth not worship at the same Altar with us, may be our Neighbour; and by consequence be worthy of our love. The chief Contentions between the Jews and Samaritans were about Religion; and this embittered them mightily against one another, though they agreed in the Substance of it, and differed only in a Circumstance. For though * Mede. Falkner. some of great Learning tell us, that the Samaritans worshipped God under the resemblance of a Dove, and Circumcised their Children in the Name of it, I take this to be a Jewish Calumny: And though others accuse them, not only of owning no Scripture besides the Books of Moses, but also of ‖ Origen. in Joh. p. 327. & in Matt. p. 486. Epiphan. Is. Voss. denying the Immortality of the Soul, and the Resurrection, and the World to come; I do not think this Leaven of the Sadducees, had got much amongst them in our Saviour's days; if we abate * Orig. cont. Cells. p. 38. & in Joh. p. 218. Walton. Proleg. XI. their receiving of the Pentateuch alone. But the ‖ Joseph. l. 11. c. 8. & l. 13. c. 6. grand Debate between the two Nations was concerning the Credit of their Temples, and the local Confinement of God's Worship; as 'tis rightly stated by that notable Woman in the Gospel, Joh. 4.20. & 9 Our Fathers worshipped in this Mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship: and yet we see, what a Flame this one Controversy raised for many Generations, and produced a kind of inveterate Antipathy between the contending Parties; so that the Jews had no deal with the Samaritans, nor have † Samaritan. Epist. ad Scalig. to this every day. 'Tis so too often amongst Christians; when from slight Causes of Dispute, their tempers are soured by a long tract of Contention: and Charity (which is of unquestionable Necessity) is lost for Questions that possibly will not be decided till the second Coming of Christ. But from the Parable before us, we may learn that the Jews and Samaritans ought to be Friends to one another: and 'tis a strange Descant upon their Case, which is made by a * Maldon. in Joan. p. 527. Learned Jesuit; That the Jews hated the Samaritans the more bitterly, because these pretended to the same Religion; and so (saith he) true Catholics hate Calvinists, and all other Heretics, worse than they do Infidels. God deliver us from such true Catholics; I am sure, a true Christian hates no Man whatever: and therefore instead of returning their hatred, let us follow a much better Guide; Bless them which persecute you, Rom. 12.14. bless and curse not. 'Tis so far from Christian Charity, to hate Schismatics, and Heretics; that 'tis a peculiar Act of it to reduce, and convert them: And where our charitable endeavours meet with stubbornness, we are to remember that it cannot be vanquished but by the Grace of God; and when he is pleased to cooperate with our zeal, it will certainly be victorious. We are not told, what return the Jew in this Parable made to his Deliverer: But the mercy had been well repaid, if he had brought the Samaritan to the Temple which God had appointed. † In Johan. p. 208. Origen observes, that the Samaritans are the Figure of those that descent from the Church; and that their Mount Gerizim is, by the Interpretation of the Word, Division, or Separation: And then we may conclude, that the best healing for a wounded Samaritan, is to * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Basil. T. 1. p. 320. guide him, and his Sacrifices, to the true Temple of God. 'Tis no Charity to flatter men in their mistakes, to encourage their wander by mean Compliances, and to betray them in the affairs of their Souls, under the appearances of friendship and civility: But 'tis so, to endeavour the gaining of them by softness, and forbearance, and gentleness; to beware (as much as we can) of inflaming and exasperating their minds; to treat them, not as Adversaries, but as misguided † Agnosce me fratrem: agnosco te fratrem: sed, excepto schismate, excepto errore, exceptâ dissensione. Augustin. Supplem. p. 86. Brethren; and to pardon their weaknesses, and hope well of their Salvation. Many that worship here on this, or that Mountain, may meet us hereafter in the heavenly Jerusalem; and then we shall be ashamed of our uncharitable discords: To their own Master they stand, or fall; Rom. 14.4. and God is able to make them stand. IX. I need not insist longer upon the kindness of the Samaritan respectively to the Jew: For there is no distance, or enmity between us, and them, whose wants we come hither to relieve; and in whose Name I am humbly to address myself, to you that are the Givers or Managers of what is to sustain them. Wherefore to excite your mercy, and liberality, and care towards them; let this be the First Encouragement to it, That they are not strangers, or foreigners; but have a particular alliance to us, and are in a manner of the same Family with us: And they are not Worshippers on a remote Mountain, but Domestics of our Communion; and by this are entitled to your present relief. Charity is impartial, but not undistinguishing; it rejects none that are in want, but it may give a Preference: And accordingly 'tis an Apostolical Rule, Gal, 6.10. As we have opportunity, let us do good unto all men; especially unto them who are of the household of faith. There is a growing Sect in this Nation of dark, and unaccountable Principles, of an unpopular behaviour, and of declared enmity to the Church, and Magistracy, and Clergy; and yet from despicable beginnings 'tis risen to a strange increase, by a compacted policy, and the secret union of those that enter into it; and in that by mutual assistances, and correspondencies they keep their poor from appearing publicly, and freely support the necessities of one another: And let it be no offence, to provoke you to Emulation, Rom. 11.14. (as S. Paul speaks) and to quicken your charity, by mentioning those who are continually making work for it. Secondly, Another incitement hereunto may be this, that the foundation of your wealth, and settlement, was laid out of what was peculiarly * Ego Aethelbertus Rex tradidi Deo aliquam partem terrae juris mei. Spelm. Council. p. 119. Ego Aethelulphus Rex portionem terrae mea Deo concedam. Id. p. 350. Ego Adelstanus Rex mando Praepositis meis, ut reddant de meo proprio decimas Deo. Id. p. 402. Sacerdotes populum instruant de his quae de jure Deo sunt reddenda, decimae scilicet, & res aliae. Constit. Edgar. Nemo auferat Deo quod ad Deum pertinet. Leg. Aethelr. Quisque Deo jura ritè persolvito: decimas reddito. Leg. Canut. Decima garba Deo debita est, & ideò reddenda. Leg. S. Edwar. consecrated to God: And then 'tis the more necessary to offer him some proportionable requital; and to cancel your Debt to the Church, by providing for her Fatherless Children, and Widows. It was the ancient Notion, That the † Augustin. Ep. L. ad Bonif. Isidor. Pel. l. 1. Ep. 269. Prosper. de Vit. Cont. l. 2. c. 9 Basil. T. 1. p. 916. & Epist. 69. Revenues of the Church were the Patrimony of the poor; and they were usually put into the Hands of the * Canon. Apostol. 38, 40, 41. Can. Antioch. 24, 25. Constitut. Apost. l. 2. c. 25, 27. Aelfrici Canon. 24. Greg. Nyssen. Vit. S. Macr. Ambros. office. l. 1. c. 30. & l. 2. c. 28. Bishops, that the Surplusage above the decent Maintenance of the Clergy, might be distributed to charitable uses: And then it cannot be denied, that what hath been built upon the Endowments of the Church, aught to pay a Ground-rent of Charity. Thirdly, Let us consider, that the more we have prospered by God's special Benediction upon our Industry and Labours; the greater is our Obligation of making suitable returns in Piety, and Mercy: And he that gave us our Possessions, did not make us the Proprietours, but the Stewards of them. God hath raised many of you to wealthy and honourable Employments; and there is scarce any Dignity in Church, or State, any Profession, or Calling, or Rank, which some of this Body have not advanced the Reputation of: So that we may say to those of the other Tribes in the Words of * Apol● c. 37. Tertullian; Vestra omnia implevimus, urbes, municipia, castra, decurias, palatium, senatum, forum: And this as it confirms God's ancient Promises of Blessing the Seed of the Righteous; so it reminds us, that since by his kind Providence our branches are spread so far, it becomes us in all places through which we pass, to leave some footsteps of our virtuous Education, and of the Principles instilled into us by our religious Parents: to whose Memory we cannot dedicate a better Monument, than the Public Fruits of their Cultivation; and a Life answerable to their Instructions, and Prayers. Fourthly, Let it be Considered, that we claim a nearer Relation to the Church, and solemnly call ourselves, The Sons of the Church of England: and therefore we ought, above all Men, not only to be steadfast to her Communion; but to do every thing that tends to the Honour, and Establishment of it. 'Tis plain, nothing can more Conduce hereunto, than the good Works, and Charity, and Love, and Innocence of those that enter into her Gates: and accordingly let this be our way of standing up in her Defence; and let us plead for our Communion by the Goodness of our Lives, and the Tenderness of our Hearts; and by walking suitably to the Scriptures, which we have had an early Acquaintance with. Lastly, Since this is the time of commemorating our Saviour's Advent; let us be excited to Charity and Love, by reviewing the wonderful Mercies of it; and by considering earnestly what he did, in remembering Man, who had forgotten himself; in visiting the Earth under the Form of a Servant, when it was overspread with Darkness, and Destruction was marching through all the parts of the Universe; and in Redeeming us by the Blood of his Cross, when we were his Enemies, and utterly unworthy of Salvation from him. We cannot say here, Go, and do thou likewise; we cannot approach to the mysterious height of his incomprehensible Love: but we can do what is necessary for us; we can adore, and follow him at an humble distance; and he will accept of our imperfect Obedience, and enable us for higher Degrees of it, and ensure to us an eternal Reward; if we live sincerely according to his fundamental Prescription, Joh. 15.12. This is my Commandment, my great, and distinguishing Commandment, that ye love one another, as I have loved you. Rev. 1.5, 6. To him that thus loved us, and washed us from our Sins in his own Blood; together with the Father, and the Holy Ghost; be Glory, and Dominion for ever, and ever. Amen. FINIS.