A SERMON PREACHED AT THE Anniversary Meeting OF THE  Gentlemen, In the Church of St. Mary-le-Bow. Dec. 1. 1691.  
By THO. LINDESAY, A. M. Fellow of Wadham College in Oxon; And Chaplain to the Right Honourable the Earl of Essex.  
LONDON, Printed for J. Miller, at the Rose at the West-End of St. Paul's Church. 1692.   

IMPRIMATUR.  
Geo. Royse, R. Rmo in Christo Patri, ac Dom. Dom. Johanne Archiep. Cantuar. à Sacris Domest.  
Decemb. 14. 91.   

To the Stewards of the  Feast. 

Mr. John Miller.  
Mr. Hugh Strode.  
Dr. Robert Pit.  
Mr. John Abbington.  
Mr. Henry Davenish.  
Mr. Laurence Purchase.  
Mr. Henry Langford.  
Mr. Thomas Frampton.  
Mr. Charles Bream.  
Mr. James Durnford.  
Mr. Abel Laurence.  
Mr. Samuel Tuexbury.   And others the Gentlemen of the County of DORSET.  
Gentlemen.  
SInce you desired me to Publish this Discourse, I never scrupled much to do it: For I had great Encouragement to think, that what had been by you approved, might find a tolerable acceptation in the world. The Subject is its own Commendation; and how short soever I may fall in the due management of the matter of it, there will be some Praise due, even to the bare intention to do good: The continued Wants and Cries of the Distressed, show there is still occasion for our Charity, and space enough left for Exhortation to the Practice of it: And therefore, tho' others have so well and fully Treated on this Topick, that there may seem no room for an Addition to be made: Yet this Sermon will have its use, if it just only serves to revive your Memories, and quicken you to the performance of so great and necessary a Duty; I hope at least, it doth deliver some such Truths, as may convince you of the obligation of the Precept in the Text, and further those Inclinations begun in you to Relieve the Poor. If it doth thus much, it fully satisfies the Expectations of  
YOUR Affectionate Countryman, and Humble Servant, THO. LINDESAY.   
GAL. VI 10. 
As we have therefore Opportunity, let us do good unto all Men; especially unto them who are of the Household of Faith.  
THE Words are a general Exhortation to Charity; and tho', if we nicely refer them to the foregoing parts of this Chapter, they more particularly point out that Maintenance which is due to the Ministers of the Gospel; yet the Apostle, in the preceding Verses, having fixed and stated the Rewards due to Benefactions of that kind; seems in the Text to have turned the Discourse, and more immediately to apply himself for the Relief of the whole body of Christians, and of Men.  
We are to do good unto all, without exception; No Respect either of Nation or Religion, should stop our hands, but we must reach out our Help and Assistance, as far as we are able, and in a due proportion to the whole Race of Mankind, that shall be Indigent and Necessitous; and our Charity ought to know no other limits or bounds, than those which God hath prescribed unto the World itself.  
Men otherwise would frame too many and frequent excuses, to free them from this Duty; Self-Love (which is found even in the best) would make Charity, not only begin, but terminate at home too: And either prejudice from without, or a principle of Covetousness from within, would upon all Occasions dwindle this extensive Virtue into so small a thing, that hardly a Remnant out of a Remnant would be Chosen as Objects of our Beneficence: And if we did not slip all Opportunities, yet at least we should lay hold on very few to do good.  
Our Tempers of themselves are rough and Cruel, but when embittered by Feuds and Animosities, by differences of Nation, Party, or Religion, they often grow so very fierce: That had we no other ties upon us to be Charitable, than what our own Wills would prompt us to, there would be few found so much our Friends, as to deserve our kindness, and the Perverseness of our Constitutions would easily persuade us, not only to leave our Enemies unrelieved, but also to press on their Necessities, and even help to their undoing.  
But whate'er Nature of herself may dictate to us, whate'er our Heats and Passions may suggest; yet sure we are, the Apostle here instructs us better, As we have opportunity to do good unto all Men, tho' more especially unto them of the Household of Faith.  
In which words, tho' doing good relates more to the Charity of the Actions than the Affections, yet both being included in them, I therefore, as occasion serves, shall in the following Discourse, speak something to each Branch: That so I may the better answer both the Ends and Designs of our present meeting: The one to promote Brotherly Love and Affection; the other, which is the result of this Love, the Relieving of the Poor and the Necessitous.  
And in order to this,  

1. I shall first inquire to whom, and how far this Duty doth extend.  
II. Secondly, I shall inquire when we may be said to have an Opportunity to do it.  
III. Thirdly, I shall lay down the Measures of our Charity to all Men, and to the Household of Faith.  
IU. And fourthly, and lastly, shall more particularly apply the words unto the occasion of our present coming here together.   
1. And first, how far the Command doth here extend, which is to all Men. For if we are to do good to all, then there are none but may upon occasion stand in need of our relief; and if so, the Consequence is easy, that all Men too may in their Course have the Opportunity to relieve.  
The vicissitude and change of Causes and Effects, placeth all things in uncertainty below: And in the Circle, he that to day appears upon the height of the ascent, may upon the turn to Morrow, be wheeled unto the opposite and lowest point. The Course of Providence is wonderfully described by Ezekiel, when he makes it as Wheels within Wheels: Where, tho' some may be so small as not to be discerned, yet still they have their use in the mighty motion, and aptly serve to carry on the great work of the Creation.  
The whole Texture of the World stands and depends upon the mutual connexion, and subserviency of one part unto another: And there's not the least Atom or part of Matter, but what hath its share both in the composition, and upholding of the Frame; And if so, why should we think any of Mankind so mean and little, as may not some way be serviceable to the preservation of the lesser World called Man?  
Riches and Poverty, Inability and Power, are not absolute, but relative things; and there's no perfection to be found, but only in God himself, who is the Fountain from whence all Power and Plenty are derived. So that the whole case is wound up in the degrees of more or less: All in their Proportions have their turns to do good: He that receives from one placed in an higher Sphere, at the same time may give to one that's in a lower, and so successively it goes on, till at last all comes to be closed and wrapped up in the Infinite of Infinites, in God himself, who is in All, and over All.  
The common distinction which the World hath put betwixt Rich and Poor, hath made a great part of men think themselves excused from all Acts of Charity; that it is their business to receive and not to give; And the reason of this is, because we are generally minding what we are not, not what we are: Have our Eyes tending upward to look at those above us, but never vouchsafe to cast them down upon such Miserable Objects, upon whom the influence of our Bounty might very well descend.  
St. Paul, 'tis true, in his 1st Epistle to Tim. the 4th Chapter, and the 17th Verse, seems to make some distinction in the case, and to lay the whole Burden of the duty of Beneficence upon the Rich, and perhaps he doth somewhat more particularly address himself to Persons of the greatest Fortune: But in general, by the Rich here, and in other parts of Scripture, is meant no more than barely Men of Power and Ability: And then the words may run thus, Charge those that have wherewithal, and are able to give, to distribute, and to communicate to those that have not. And in this sense, all Men who shall in their respective Capacities, at any time be able, are to be accounted as the Rich, and therefore chargeable as such.  
But Tobit in his 4th Chapter, and 8th Verse, plainly states the matter, where he says, Be merciful after thy Power: If thou have much, give plenteously: If thou hast little, do thy diligence gladly to give of that little.  
At the same time the Rich Men cast their Gifts into the Treasury, the Poor Widow also brought her Mites, and which is more, the last remains of her whole substance; which if it had not been her duty, must have been judged madness and extravagance; but since we find our Saviour gives so great a commendation to the Act, we have all the reason in the World to think, that there is none so mean, but in some cases is obliged to give, tho' at the same time he knows he is parting with his All.  
The Reason of this is founded, not in Providence alone, but in the Common Laws of Nature and Society, which obligeth all Men and Creatures to a preservation of their kind: And he that thus gives, may reasonably expect in the same manner to receive; and if that great Rule of doing unto others as we would they should do unto us, were truly kept; no one need fear a loss by, or want encouragement to such a Charity.  
Let us suppose two Men reduced unto the lowest ebb, leveled with the very Dust from whence they sprang, and, as nigh as may be, placed in the same equality of ill Fortune; yet some intervening Circumstances, either of time or place, may make a strange alteration in their case, and make the one become a necessary Benefactor to the other: If kind Heaven hath thrown a piece of Bread into one's Hands, tho' perhaps just enough to supply his own Hunger, and he knows not at that time where to have another, yet if he sees his Brother dying, and starving by his side, he ought to relieve him with a part, and will other ways be guilty of his Blood, and charged with cutting off a Member of Christ's Body.  
If the Widow of Zarephath had refused to obey the directions of Elijah, tho' the Famine was then so sore, that she was preparing to eat her Morsel and to die; she and her Son had perished in the destruction of the Prophet, the Meal had wasted, and the Cruise had failed.  
But now, should all not hold that hath here been said to this particular Branch of Charity, Beneficence, yet there are some cases, where all Men in general seem to be upon the Level to do good.  
If a Rich Man and a Poor should walk together, and the one fall into a Ditch, Nature hath lent each an hand to help one another out; and if either is assaulted, both are in a capacity to defend.  
The poorest Beggar that lies upon a Dunghill, may be as fit to give Council and Advice, as the greatest Prince that fills a Throne, the weak and feeble, even as the Giant that delights to run his Race; and where the Politician's Skill hath failed, we have known a City saved by a Woman's Wisdom and Discretion.  
And if at last, all other means shall fail, the use of Prayers still remains, which even the Poorest ne'er can want: And these, if hearty put up, may draw those Helps and Blessings from above, which we below had no Abilities to give.  
But now to close all other Arguments in one; All Men must therefore be obliged to Charity, because there's no one part of all our Duty can rightly be performed without it; for Charity is the fullness and perfection of all Christian Graces, and, in the Scripture Phrase, is just the same what Aristotle means by his one Virtue, which takes new Names from every several Object about which 'tis conversant and employed; and yet under all its various Appellations, is still the same, and still but one; 'Tis like the Soul, whole in itself, and at the same time all, and undivided in each part: And hence, he who offendeth in the least, is said to be guilty of a breach of the whole Law: Not that he who commits Murder, is by that Fact made guilty of Sacrilege or Theft: But still because in every Sin a breach is made on Charity, which is the common Bond and Cement of all Virtues: 'Tis for this reason, that St. Paul affirms, 1 Cor. 13. That though he had Faith enough to remove Mountains, should even give his Body to be burnt, had all other Virtues in the world, and yet wanted this they would profit him as nothing: For Chairty in all, is like the common Mass of Blood, which tho' it runs through different Channels; yet still in all the Fibres, Veins, and Arteries, is the same, every where is Blood, and giveth life and motion to the whole.  
Having thus seen how far this Duty doth extend, I come in the next place to inquire, when we may be said to have an opportunity to practise it.  
Now the Reasons of our Charity are various; either as the Abilities and Inclinations of the giver serve; or else, as the Necessities of the Indigent require; and these too differ according to the circumstances of time and place; as these shift and change, still a new Scene opens to us, and a fresh occasion's offered to do good.  
But since the Rule given doth confine our Wills, and Ability is supposed in those to whom the Precept is here directed; I choose to think, the occasions the Apostle would have us lay hold on to do good, are chief meant and spoken in relation to the several Exigencies of the wanting Person; and the words, as you have opportunity, may very well run thus, as often as you have occasion offered, and a due object shall present itself, so often ought you to think you have an opportunity, and accordingly do good; and then our whole Business is, to inquire when, and in what cases we may be said to have a sit season for our Charity, from the Objects of it.  
Now there are some Acts of Charity, which seem to be never out of season, but always to be done, because the Object's always ready and in being; such are those Alms required of us for the Poor, considered as a distinct Body and Society of Men; and to this case our Saviour's Words, the poor ye have always with you, seem to be applied; and for this Exigency, all Nations have in their way provided a Relief, as general and constant as the occasion is; The Jews for this purpose had their Treasuries set up, into which every one according to his Abilities did cast: This amongst us the Poor's Box supplies, which with the Tax added to it, doth from time to time, and by a continual course, feed and supply the dry and empty veins of the Body Politic with Blood, and keep in repair these National decays.  
But besides these common and ordinary Acts of Charity, there are more private and particular to be done; the Public never can provide against all Exigencies of Time or Persons; and therefore the defects are, as occasion serves, to be filled up by us.  
And for these there can be no fixed time or manner set for the performance, but are to be redressed in such a time and way as the Object before us shall require; and therefore it must be worth our while a little to Examine, when any thing becomes an Object of our Charity; and when that this is found, the Duty follows close upon it, and our own Reason will inform us, in what manner 'tis fittest to be exercised.  
1. First then, we may be said to have a due Object for our Charity, when the Necessitous shall open his Condition to us, and seek unto us for Redress; when the cries of the Widows and the Orphans call unto us, as well as Heaven for relief; he that in such a case shall like the deaf Adder stop his Ears unto their Prayers, must never expect to have his own heard by God; and if the Afflicted at such time, shall curse him in the bitterness of his Soul, the Curse will stick, and God hath promised to avenge his Cause.  
This is a loud call, but they may sometimes speak unto us in a more still voice, by Sighs and Groans, by the soft Whispers and Breathe of a breaking Heart; such gentle Gales as these should fill our Sails, and make us extend our Pity and Compassion to them: And to this case refer that of Ezek. 21.6. sigh therefore thou Son of Man, with the breaking of thy loins, and with bitterness sigh before their eyes; and in the 79th Psalm, v. 11. we are charged to let the sighing of the Prisoner come before us: And if after all we take no notice, then, as he says, Psal. 12.5. For the sighing of the needy, will God himself arise.  
Sometimes again, we may come to be informed of the Miseries of another, by the languishing of the Eyes, the pale Visage, and the dejected Countenance; which, like a true Picture, livelily paint out unto us, the inward disturbances of the Soul; and if plain Sense will here not guide and direct us to the knowledge of their case, yet Reason and Duty ought to put us upon the Enquiry; for we are sure all these Effects must have some. Cause, and then we are as sure we lie under an obligation to remove it where it is.  
So that, in all these circumstances, nothing but downright Ignorance, or a well grounded Suspicion of the reality of their Wants, can any ways free us from the obligation of laying hold upon the Opportunity to do good.  
2. A Second occasion may be taken to Exercise our Charity, when we are Eye-witnesses of another's wants; and here he that turns out of his way when that he sees a poor man in it, or hides his face from such an one, God also will hid his from him in the day of his distress; Christ takes such Injuries as done unto himself, and passeth this Sentence on all those who see the hungry, and give them no Meat, the Naked and clothe them not; Depart from me ye Cursed into everlasting fire.  
Not that I here would give Encouragement to lose Wanderers, and to Vagrant Men, whose calling 'tis, more than their Unhappiness, to want; he who gives to any one that shall appear with the known Marks of such a Person, his intended Chairty becomes Extravagance and Sin, because he acts both against Prudence and the Law, and helps for to support such men whom the Government thinks fit should be suppressed.  
But bare suspicion, or Ignorance of the Person of a Man, are no good pleas to excuse the duty; for he who shall refuse to give for fear of counterfeits, must lie under an endless jealousy, and is in a fair way never to see an opportunity to do good.  
And he who will not admit a Stranger into his House, because he knows him not, must unavoidably live in a constant breach of Hospitality; and so lose not only the glorious chance of entertaining Angels unawares, but also run the hazard of having the Doors of Heaven shut against him for not opening his unto another.  
He that shall see a Foreigner or a Stranger wounded on the Road, the Levite's Case instructs him to pour in Wine and Oil, and to bind up his Wounds: And so far must we be from sparing pains, or cost, in such a case, that we even ought to save another's life, tho' with some hazard of our own. He that endeavours not to stop that hand, which he sees lift up unto another's death; if the common Maxim doth hold true, Qui non prohibet peccatum cùm potest, facit; hath even sided with the Murderer, hath helped to the shedding the one's Blood, and the endangering the others Soul.  
Besides, in all these cases, we slight the hand of Providence, which seems to lead us to such Objects for our good too, as well as theirs: And heedlessly not minding the Angels stirring of the Pool, neglect the care of our Souls; and often slip the happy season of doing such a Charity, as possibly might cover a Multitude of Sins.  
3. A Third opportunity to do good, may be with relation to the time of doing it; and here the present always seems to be the fittest. He that defers his doing good until to morrow, puts it perhaps beyond his own life, and foolishly ventures all that great reward which he is hereafter to expect for his well doing, on the uncertainty of an hour. But it's my business here to show what time is most proper only with relation to the Needy's wants.  
'Tis a known Rule in the bestowing of a favour, Quò citius eò melius, the sooner and the better still. He that defers his kindness, may when he would, not only find himself unable to give, but him also whom he would oblige in an incapacity to receive. A little time, and small circumstances alter the whole state of humane things; and what to day might prove a Blessing, may at another time, not only be an useless, but an hurtful Offering. However, this we may be sure of, that so long as we delay the doing good, so long we still protract the poor Man's Pain and Misery: And there is so much Sourness in the mixture of such kindness, that probably it may not be relished when it comes.  
If I design to show a favour, Wisdom will prompt me to dispatch; because by this I heighten the Obligation of the Deed, and hasten and ascertain my Reward. The timing of a kindness makes it. If I give money to buy the Needy Food, and the Market's gone and past, and nothing's to be had, I offer a stone instead of Bread: 'Tis but like Meat that's placed upon the Hearses of the dead; may serve for show, but can never be of use to them, for whom it is there set. If I would reclaim a Man from Vice, I ought to watch the first motions of his Soul to evil: Council will come too late, when frequent Acts have hardened him in his way. How do I know, if when I see one in a wicked course, and, like Foelix, do put off my Reproof unto another season, but that very Act may conclude the Fate of his poor Soul? He may by that fill up the measure of his Sins, and so be reprobated for ever: And then, either to check, or to advise, is but to call the Physician in, when the sick Man's eyes shall roll in death, and the trembling joints declare, the whole Building's tottering down.  
Therefore the best timing Benefactions is, to make the Object and our Bounty meet: When e'er we see one need, immediately to supply the want; never to stop the Hireling's Wages, nor the poor Man's deuce: For how do we know how great and pressing their Necessities may be? And perhaps the defect but of one day may starve both the Virtue and the Man. Thus much to show when we may be said to have an opportunity to do good; which is as often, and as soon, as the Object of our Charity requires.  
3. The Third thing to be considered, is, the Measure of the Duty; which obligeth us to do good to all Men, and more especially to the Household of Faith.  
1. And First, we are to do good to all Men; which general Charity I shall treat of under these two respects; either as the words may signify all Nations; or else, as they include, both the good and bad. And,  
1. First, as all Men doth take in all ●●●ons of the World: At the time our Saviour came on Earth, there seemed to be a general Error crept into the minds of Men, that all Humanity was to be confined within the narrow limits of a Country; and that the Law of Nature did no farther bind them in this case, than as they became formed into particular Bodies or Societies of Men; without the bounds of which, the Rule did cease, and the Obligation became void.  
The Jews at the time of our Apostle's writing this Epistle, entertained a general hatred to all Nations of the Earth besides themselves; and had been so far misled by the Pharisees false Interpretations of the Law, as hardly to permit a Gentile to live amongst them, denied them all Traffic and Commerce, and even the common Civilities of Men. What Gentiles were unto the Jews, that Barbarians were unto the Romans; they treated them with the same Civilities; and both the name and usage which they gave them, sufficiently declare, they esteemed them as little better than the other Savage Creatures of the Earth. And the Letter which Josephus mentions in the 12th Book of his Antiquities, to be sent from one of the Kings of Lacedaemon to Orias the High Priest, gives us light into the sense of other Nations also in this matter: In which, the Reason given why they and the Jews should communicate to each other, was, because by an old Writing they had found, that both were originally descended from one common Stock: And thence we may easily infer, that had there been no such Affinity and Kin, they would not have thought themselves any otherways obliged.  
And I could wish this temper of theirs had perished in the destruction of those Nations: But they must have made but little observation in the World, whose own experience cannot tell them, that many; even amongst us, have been acted by the same Principle towards a Neighbouring People driven to us for Relief. 'Tis plain, some looked upon them only as Locusts sent for to devour the Land; and the cry was, Have we not poor enough amongst ourselves, but we must call in Strangers to take the Bread out of our own mouths, and to rob and ruin us in our Trade? All bowels of Mercy and Compassion seemed to be swallowed up and lost in a National Interest and Concern: And tho' they were Christians as ourselves, sufferers in the same common Cause, and what was their Fate, was our Danger at that time; yet all would not suffice to persuade some they were sit Objects for their Charity, whilst others grudgingly and repiningly did give.  
It may not therefore be improper here, to give such Reasons for a general Charity, as may incline us to be of a better temper in such Cases for the future. And,  
1. We are to do good unto all Men, because we have the same common Parents and Original: And this, whether we Respect either God, or Man: 'Tis true, the Heathens knew nothing of their Rise from Adam; but where they found the Descent to be the same, they there did always think themselves obliged to show all Acts of Kindness and Humanity.  
But that God was the first Cause of all things, that from him we had our Being, and our well-being too, was generally owned by all the world: The Writings of Heathen Authors are full of that Confession, and St. Paul quotes one of their own Poets to this purpose, Act. 17. v. 28.  
The light of the Divinity shone so clearly in their Souls, that they could not but discern the Fountain of those Rays: The swift Motions, and the reflex Actions of their Minds, gave them clearly to understand, that there was something more concerned in their Formation, than pure Man.  
And the Inferences which some drew from this, were the very same which we should make; that there was no room left for any Man to Boast or Pride himself in his Extraction, or the mighty affluence of his worldly goods; nothing to value ourselves upon, since the best part of Man was common unto all: The same Reason dwelled under the Thatched Cottage, as the Gilded Roof, and shined as bright under the dark Veil of an Aethiopian Skin, as in the fairest Case of Flesh and Blood, that Nature ever yet produced.  
And what can we now think of those, who drive such Persons from their doors, in whom God himself vouchsafes to dwell? Who unconcernedly shall suffer such Men to Perish in their Wants, on whom God's Image is lively Impressed; which is the very Reason given by himself, why Murder is a Sin; and probably 'tis upon the same grounds why St. John, 1 Epist. 3.15. saith, He that hateth his Brother is a Murderer too.  
He that in this manner shuts his Bowels, we may with him conclude, the Love of God dwells not in that Person: For, how should he love God whom he hath not seen, if he loves not his Brother whom he hath: He that thus slights the Copy in his fellow Creatures, may be supposed to put a small value on the Original itself.  
2dly. A Second Reason why we should do good to all Men, may be, because we have the same Common Nature, and the same Wants.  
We are all formed of the same common Clay, and if some seem to have a better turn, 'tis wholly owing to the Potter's hand: The whole Substance of our Composition is but Dust, and to that again we must return: And when we Dissolve into the common Mass, the preying Worm knows no distinction betwixt a Peasant and a Prince, the Beautiful and the Deformed Carcase of a Man.  
And as the same Fate doth wait our Deaths, so equal Chances and Misfortunes press upon our Lives. All the various turns of a Man's state, show him to be a dependant Being, and that not only on the Creator, but the Creature too: A constant Want attends the Infant's early days, and accompanies Old Age unto the Grave. All circumstances of Life declare it is not good for Man to be alone: His unexpected Wants, his Speech, and his discursive Faculty, do all Evidence, he was a Creature Born and Fitted for Society; that his whole Essence hangs upon a Chain, where, tho' the links are disproportioned in the size, yet the least serves to fasten all, and keep up the contexture of the whole.  
From the Consideration of all which, Tully, tho' an Heathen, could draw this necessary Inference, Non nobis solum nati sumus, etc. that we were not born unto ourselves alone, but to help out the unseen Accidents of another's state.  
There's none so great and fised in his condition here, but who may one day want: And then common Reason calls unto us for Relief; because, what is another's Fortune now, may at the next Season be our Case: So that tho' Love and Charity to our Fellow Creatures should not persuade us to be good, yet pity to ourselves may rationally prevail.  
Let he that fills the Throne consider, how he could Rule without his Subjects aid; he doth protect because they defend, and 'tis they lend him those very hands by which he sways his Sceptre, and reaches out his favours to them.  
Let the Rich Man consider what Use or, Profit he could make of his large Possessions did not the Poor Man plough and sow, till, and manure his Grounds.  
All, in their posts, are serviceable to the Government, and the Preservation of Mankind: And it fares with the whole Race, as with the particular Man; in whom, if the several Members happen for to quarrel, it threatens Destruction to the whole: And if the Hands and Feet refuse to work, because the Belly still receives the Fruit of their Labours, as that grows lank, they too must shrivel and decay; the Fountain of Chyle and Blood immediately will stop, and they must all sink into one common Sepulchre and Tomb.  
Own therefore, as St. Paul exhorts, Rom. 13.8. no Man any thing but Love: And since it is a Debt, let it be duly paid; taking the Example of the great Preserver of the World in the Case, who, in his common Providence, never makes the Dew fall on Gideon's Fleece alone, whilst other parts of the Earth remain dry, but fills all Corners of the Universe with his Blessings; and as their Needs require, supplies the Necessities both of Man and Beast.  
2. But Secondly, We are to do good to a Men, whether good or bad. And here we are first to mind, that there is none good but God; all Men in a subordinate Degree are wicked and unjust: And therefore he that in general excludes Sinners, as such, from Charity, shoots out an Arrow which will fall on his own Head; and in sentencing another, will be found also to condemn himself.  
Had God and Christ been as uncompassionate to us, the World had wanted a Saviour to this day. And since he came to save Sinners only, we may learn also a farther Lesson, That there are some Acts of Grace which belong properly and peculiarly to them; The Whole have no need of a Physician, but the Sick: And Council is there lost, where there is no occasion to reclaim.  
By a Benefaction that is well timed and placed, we often may recover the strayed Reason of a Man, and so procure to ourselves a Citizen's Reward of Saving a Soul alive.  
But here, in what manner, or what measure to bestow, no general Directions can be given, but it must be left wholly to the Judgement and Discretion of the Giver. Only this Caution is always necessary, Never to give, so as to add Fuel to Hell-fire, or whereby we may either increase or encourage any one in his Vice.  
But as to all the common Wants of Nature and Necessity, our Heavenly Father hath set a Rule, whereby we can never err; Who, as our Saviour tells us, in his Sermon on the Mount, maketh his Sun to rise on the Evil, and on the Good; and sendeth Rain on the Just, and on the .  
But though we are thus in common Cases to exercise our Charity to all Men, both to the Good, and to the Bad, yet more particularly to the one, than to the other; and, as the Words are, more especially to those who are of the Household of Faith. Which brings us upon this farther Enquiry, Who may be said to be of the Household?  
And First, All Christians in general are the Household of Faith; who are all under one Oeconomy, have one and the same Master of the House, Christ Jesus, and the same Rules given them for the well managing themselves in his Family.  
Now one Reason why we should do good to Christians more especially, is, because in them is added to the former Obligations, the having one common Lord and Saviour, who died for them all. And the Rule given upon this, for us to follow, is, to love one another, as Christ loved us: And then it must be exceeding great, because Greater Love can no Man show, than to lay down his Life for another.  
So that where we are to show Pity unto others, there to Christians it must be Love; where Love to them, there to Christians it must be Zeal; and where we barely supply their Wants, there to Christians we ought for to abound.  
2dly. A Second Reason is, because Christians are all Members of the same Mystical Body, united unto Christ their Head. So that he who refuses to relieve any one under this Denomination, proves cruel, not only to a Member of Christ's Body, but his own.  
And this is the Reason given for our Love by St. Paul, Rom. 12.5. where he says, So we being many, are one Body in Christ, and every one Members of one of another.  
Now, Did ever any one yet hate his own Flesh? He that doth, must first throw away his Reason, and his Sense. So that Christianity becomes a Principle of Self-Preservation, to oblige us unto Love, and a mutual Support of one another.  
'Twas this Consideration helped to preserve the first Race of Christians, and carried them through all the barbarous Persecutions of the Roman Emperors; still as their Blood was shed, the Cement grew the stronger: And what was said of Saul and Jonathan, held also true of them: They were lovely in their Lives, and in their Deaths they were not divided.  
'Twas upon this Account the Christians became the envious observation of the Heathen World: There was no Wars or Divisions heard of in God's Holy Mount; but all, as if actuated by the same Soul, were of one mind, felt the same wants, and rejoiced with one common joy.  
So that we may be sure where Bitterness and Divisions reign, there Satan hath broke lose, and set up his Standard in the Hearts of Men. Pride, Strifes, and Envyings, are principal Officers in his Camp, by whose help he endeavours to destroy Christ's Kingdom here on Earth; which is, and always was, best defended by Amity and Love: For if our Saviour had not spoken it, yet common experience would have told us this, that a Kingdom divided against itself can never stand.  
Thus have we seen upon what grounds a Christian love is founded; but amongst them too there may be a distinction used, which brings me to a second consideration, That tho' we must be more particularly kind to Christians than other Men, yet still more especially to those of our own Church.  
And the reason of this is, because every Man is bound to promote Truth. Now every one that hath entered himself of any Church, must think that the truest; or else hath built his Faith on a very Sandy and weak Foundation: And if so, then where there is any room for choice, we ought to have a more particular regard to Men of the same Communion with ourselves; because, by this we shall confirm them the more in it, strengthen the weak Members, and establish them in their way.  
Besides, we may win others over by it, by laying out a price, we may make a Purchase of men's Souls: When Men shall see us zealous in good Works, Peace and Love in all our ways, and Charity and good Will in all our actions, they will then think that God is in us of a Truth, and will naturally leave that Party, amongst whom nothing but hatred and inhumanity is seen.  
The Rule of all Beneficence, in this case, may rationally be this, that where there is not a manifest inequality in the Object, there Charity lawfully may, and aught to begin at home: And where an Overplus to what is necessary is designed, there still the Benefactor is at Liberty to use his own Judgement and Discretion.  
But whilst we give to one, we are not to suffer the other to want; nor load the one with Superfluities, whilst the other hath not what is convenient and enough.  
This is a Rock on which too many seem to split: The Jews first led the way, and there have been Christians since have followed the Example: Because the Gentiles, as they thought, were Aliens to the Promises of God, they esteemed them also as unworthy to receive the common Benefits of Nature. And there are those amongst us too, who seem to confine all Kindness to a Party, if possible would traffic and trade only amongst themselves; none but who are of the same Opinion, shall willingly be encouraged, or employed; and if ever they bestow a Favour, it must be a great wonder if it be not to one of their own Image and Complexion.  
As if where Salvation could not, or was not, without some difficulty to be allowed, there the Body was to perish with the Soul; and all who had not the same Sense in matters of Religion, were to be treated as gangrened Members; in which Case, it shall be thought im-Proper to pour Balm into their Wounds, and the only Remedy proposed, is to cut off, and to destroy.  
Another Mischief to be avoided, is, That whilst we favour our own Church, we do not condemn all others who are not of the same Persuasion with ourselves.  
Rash Censures seem to be the most improper Task that a Christian can possibly be put upon, whose Business it is to be long suffering, and forbearing, and excusing one another.  
And 'tis really wonderful to think that there are some who can give themselves this Name, who mercilessly can take a poor Infant from the Womb, and strait condemn him to Eternal Flames; and others who can reprobate all the World, besides themselves.  
Who, though Christ tells us he came for to save all, shall yet confine Grace within so small a Compass, as hardly to leave him room enough to be a Saviour. All who have not the same Light which they boast of, are presently cast into Outer Darkness, a thick and mighty Darkness, which no kind Beam can ever pierce through or any ways dispel; but, like those who live in the Extremities of the World, are doomed to a perpetual Night, without all hope of ever seeing the Appearance of a Day.  
But whatever some Men can do, let us put on Charity, which hopeth all things. Let us not judge, that we be not judged for so doing; always resigning the Sentence unto God, whose Right it is, and who therefore claims it as his due.  
And instead of this, let us, as the Text exhorts, learn to do good as often as we have Opportunity; and that in all Kind's, to all Men, to all Christians, and more particularly to those of our own Church.  
Having thus done with the Words in general, I come in the last place, more particularly to apply them to the Company here present. And First, We may consider that there is now a different Opportunity put into our hands from the forementioned Seasons to do good: This Meeting itself is one: and they who come here without design to give, have without Reason, and to no purpose met. The Occasion here is greater than, and more public far, than what those others were; and therefore if our Charity equal the Occasion, the Degrees of Recompense will be greater too. In giving other Alms, God requires Secrecy in the Act; but in this Circumstance, the more open our Benefactions are, the more they still answer the Intention, and the End of coming here. We may be allowed, in this Case, to blow a Trumpet up in Zion; and to let our Light so shine before Men, if possible, that the whole World may see our good Works, and follow our Example: In this imitating the great Globe of Light, which at the same time it sheds its Influence upon us, lends us its Rays, that we may look up and see from whence all those Benefits descend.  
But now, might I be worthy to advise, my Countrymen should ne'er sit down with the thin Praise of barely Serving the Necessity of a Duty, but also seek and raise Occasions for their Charity: For we are set as Stewards upon Earth; and 'tis our Business, not only to supply all visible and apparent Wants in God's Family and Estate, but also to prevent in some Cases, and to improve in others; to search out Ways and Means how best we may employ that Talon which God hath here committed to our Charge. And though a Failure in the exalted Measures of this Virtue shall be no Man's Condemnation, yet it will take from our Reward; and he who might receive Fifty, and an Hundred fold, must otherwise be contented with a far less proportion of Increase.  
And I must still mind you farther yet, That making an Abatement of the Faith, there are others to be reckoned of the Household too: Such are our Relations, Countrymen, or Friends; and with reference to their Case, St. Paul affirms, He that provides not for his own House, is worse than an Infidel, 1 Tim. 5.8. So that in all Cases, where there is no great Inequality either of Want or Merit, these aught to have the Preference from us, to receive a Benjamin's Mess, and a double Portion of our Blessing.  
And may you now in all the Actions of your lives, equal the design of this present day, and may the effect still answer the design. May Righteousness flow down from Heaven upon you: And Peace and Truth kiss one another over our Land, and brood upon our Ground. May Love Reign here, and your Bounty run to those below, and spread itself about your Dwellings: Unity, both in Loyalty and Religion, hath formerly been our Country's Glory, and may it be your Praise; may you be as unspotted in them both, as was that blood with which your Veins were at first filled; and as untainted as that Air, in which you commonly do breath. In a word, May you be of one mind; but if that shall prove too great an Happiness to be obtained, at least let all unite in Brotherly Kindness and Affection. May ye abound in all Christian Graces But, above all things (my Brethren) put on Charity, which is the Bond of Perfectness, the New Commandment of the Gospel, and the Fulfilling of the Law.  
FINIS.