what we have, by devoting as much as we can of it to His service and honour.

(2.) Besides these works of piety towards God, the rich are enjoined also works of charity towards the poor; which though they have an immediate reference to the poor, yet Prov.14.31; God looks upon them as given to Himself. Hence it is that Matt.25.40. God accepts of such works as these also for part of the

19. 17;

tribute which we owe Him; whereby we acknowledge the receipt of what we have from Him, and express our thankfulness unto Him for it, without which we have no ground to expect a blessing upon what we have, nor that it should 1 Tim. 4. 4. be really good to us: for, as the Apostle tells us, "every creature of God is good, if it be received with thanksgiving," not else. But no thanksgiving is acceptable but that which is expressed by works as well as words. And therefore it is necessary for us to pay this duty and service to God, out of what we have, in order to the cleansing and sanctifying the residue of our estates unto us, without which we have not the lawful use of what we possess, but every thing we have is polluted and unclean to us, as our Saviour Himself intiLuke 11.41. mates; a thing much to be considered. For I verily believe that the great reason why so many estates are blasted so soon, and brought to nothing amongst us, is because men do not render unto God His duty and tribute out of what they have; and therefore it is no wonder that God in His Providence turns them out of their possession, and gives their estates to other persons who shall be better tenants to Him, and be careful to pay Him the duties which He requires of them. And therefore, in order to men's securing their estates to themselves and posterity, it is absolutely necessary that they observe the duty which we are here recommended to charge upon all that are rich in this world, even to do good with what they have; and not only so, but,

2. "To be rich, too, in good works;" that is, not only to do good, but to do as much good as they are able with their riches, so as to proportion their good works to the riches which God hath given them wherewith to do them, according to the Apostle's directions, 1 Cor. xvi. 2. Thus in the place before quoted, Luke xi. 41, where our Saviour bids the Pharisees to "give alms of such things as they have," his words are,

τὰ ἐνόντα δότε τὴν ἐλεημοσύνην, give alms as much as ye are
able,' for so the words properly signify. And verily what-
soever we do, unless it be as much as we can, God will
not look upon us as doing any thing at all; for we must not
think to compound with Him. When He hath given us all
we have, He expects that we render all that He requires of
us, that is, as much as we are able to pay unto Him. As if
a man owes you money, you will not accept of part instead
of the whole; so neither will God from us; we all owe Him
as much as we are able to devote to His service and honour,
and we must not think to put Him off with part of it; for
He reckons that He receives nothing from us, unless it be
proportionable to what He hath bestowed upon us. But
how little soever it is that we give or offer to Him, if it.
be but answerable to our estates, it will be accepted by Him.
This our Saviour Himself hath assured us of, Mark xii. 43, 44,
From whence we may certainly conclude, that there is not the
poorest person whatsoever but may be as rich in good works
as the richest, because God doth not measure the goodness of
our works by their bulk or quantity, but by the proportion
which they bear to our estates; so that he who gives a penny
may do as good a work as he who gives a pound; yea, and a
better too, because his may be as much as he is able, whereas
the other's is not: I wish all men would seriously weigh
and consider this, lest otherwise they go out of the world
without ever having done one good work in it; for we may
assure ourselves, he that is not thus rich in good works, doeth
no good at all with his riches.

But it is further to be considered here, that this expression, "rich in good works," implies that good works are indeed our principal riches; and that men must not compute their riches so much from what they have, as from what they give and devote to God. For what we have is not ours, but God's in our hands: but what we give is ours in God's hands, and He acknowledgeth Himself our debtor for it, in that He tells us that we lend it to Him, and promiseth to pay it to us again. And therefore they who cast up Prov. 19.17. their accounts to know how rich they are, ought not to reckon upon what they have lying by them, nor upon their houses

and lands that are made over to them, nor yet upon what is

Prov. 3. 9; Exod. 23. 19; Deut. 26. 2.

owing to them by men; but should reckon only upon what they have given to pious or charitable uses, upon what treasures they have laid up in Heaven. For whatsoever they may think at present, I dare assure them, that will be found to be their only riches another day. And, therefore, if any one desires to be rich indeed, let him take my advice, do what good he can with the riches he hath, and then he will be rich enough; for this is the way to be rich in good works. But in order unto that, he must likewise observe what follows: to be

3. "Ready to distribute;" that is, ready upon all occasions to pay his tribute unto God, whensoever He in His providence calls for it; taking all opportunities of doing Gal. 6. 10. good, and glad when he can find them. Thus, therefore, whensoever any opportunities present themselves of expressing our thankfulness unto God, by works either of piety or charity, whatsoever other businesses may be neglected, we must be sure to lay hold on that. For I dare say, that there is none but will grant me, that there is all the reason in the world, that God should be served in the first place, and that He should have the first-fruits of all our increase. And therefore we cannot but acknowledge, that works of piety towards God, and of charity to the poor, or, as the Scripture calls them in general, good works, are always to be done in the first place: and whatsoever other works may be omitted, be sure they must not. But we ought still to be as ready to pay our duties unto God, as we are to receive any thing from Him, as ready to give as to receive; and, by consequence, as men let no opportunities slip wherein they can increase their estates, they are much less to let any opportunities pass wherein they can any way improve their estates for God's glory and others' good; that they ought to be ready upon all occasions to distribute what they can upon charitable and pious uses.

6, 7.

4. "

Willing to communicate." As we must do it with a ready hand, so we must do it with a willing heart too.

1 Chron. 28. Thus we are enjoined to serve God willingly and cheerfully. 9; 2 Cor. 9. Indeed God accepts of none but freewill-offerings. If we be not as willing to do good works as we are to have wherewith to do them, we may be confident God will never accept

of them. And therefore in plain terms, if any would be rich in good works, as becometh Christians, and as it is our interest to be, they must not stay till they be compelled, persuaded, or entreated by others to do them; but they must set upon them of their own accord, out of pure obedience unto God, and from a due sense of their constant dependence upon Him, and manifold obligations to Him; yea, so as to take pleasure in nothing in the world so much as in paying their respects and service to Almighty God.

Now, to encourage the rich to employ their estates thus in doing good, the Apostle adds, in the last place, that this is the way to "lay up for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life." A strange expression! yea, such an one, that had not St. Paul himself spoke it, some would have been apt to have excepted against it for an error or mistake. What, good works the foundation of eternal life? No, that is not the meaning of it; but that good works are the foundation of that blessed sentence which they shall receive who are made partakers of eternal life, as is plain from our Saviour's Own words, Matt. xxv. 34-36.

And verily, although there be no such intrinsic value in good works, whereby they that do them can merit any thing from God by their doing of them; yet, nothing can be more certain than that God, of His infinite mercy in Jesus Christ, will so accept of them as to reward us for them in the world to come. For this our Saviour Himself doth clearly intimate to us in the place before quoted; as also Matt. vi. 20; Luke xii. 33; xvi. 9, that is, distribute and employ the unrighteous or deceitful riches you have in this world in such a way as is most pleasing and acceptable unto God, that so He may be your friend, and receive you into everlasting habitations, when these transient and unstable riches fail you. From whence I beg leave to observe, that to do good with what we have, is the only way whereby to improve our estates for our own good, so as to be the better for them both in this and also in the world to come. The Rabbins have a good saying, that be, good works are the salt of riches,' that which preserves them from corruption, and makes them savoury and acceptable unto God, as also

1 Chron. 29. 14, 15, 17.

useful and profitable to the owners; unless we do good with our estates, we forfeit our title to them by the non-payment of the rent-charge which God hath reserved to Himself upon them; and therefore we may justly expect every moment to be cast out of possession; or howsoever, though He may forbear us awhile, yea, so long as we are in this world, what good, what benefit, what comfort, shall we have of our estates in the world to come? Certainly no more than the rich man in the Gospel had when he lay scorching in hellfire, and had not so much as a drop of water to cool his inflamed tongue. Whereas, on the other side, if we do good with our estates, if we devote them to the service of God, and to the relief of the poor, by this means we shall not only secure the possession of them to ourselves here, but shall also receive comfort and benefit from them in the world to come; so that our estates will not die with us, but we shall receive benefit by them, and have cause to bless God for them unto all eternity; the Apostle himself assuring us, that by this means we shall lay up for ourselves a good foundation for the time to come, so as to lay hold on eternal life.

This one argument being duly weighed, I hope I need not use any more to persuade men to do good with what they have, and to make the best use of it they can. For I know I write to Christians, at least to such as profess themselves to be so; and therefore to such as believe there is another world besides this we live in, and, by consequence, that it concerns them to provide for that, which, as I have shewn, we may do in a plentiful manner, by the right improvement of what God hath intrusted with us in this world. What, then, do the generality of men mean to be so slack and remiss in laying hold on all opportunities of doing good? What, do they think it possible to lose any thing they do for God? or do they think it possible to employ their estates better than for His service and honour Who gave them to us? I cannot believe they think so, and therefore must needs advise the rich again and again, not to lay up their talent in a napkin, but to use their estates to the best advantage for God and their own souls; that so when they go from hence into the other world, they may be re-.