Ohj. 3. I would justify the Lord, I would say he is righteous, thougli my house be burnt up, and I am turned out of all ; but this troubles mo, 1 liave not an estate to do that good that formerly I have done. I was once full, but the Lord hath made me empty : I was once Naomi, i.e., beautiful, but now God has made me Marah, i.e., bitter, Ruth i. 20, 21 ; the Lord hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me, and consumed me on every hand. I have fed tlie poor, I have clothed the naked, I have received them that were in bonds: the blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me. But now I can do little or nothing for others ; and this troubles me, Job xxix. 13.
[1.] I answer, 21iy condition is no lower than luas the condition oj Christ and his apostles in this tvwid. ' Silver and gold have we none,' Acts iii. 6. Salvian saith that Christ is mendicorum maximus, the greatest beggar in the world, as one that shareth in all his saints' necessities. Both Christ and his followers, when they were in this world, they were maintained by others. They had no lands nor lord- ships, but lived upon others' costs. But of this before ; therefore let this touch suffice here. But,
[2.] Secondly, God many times in this life repairs his people's charity icith interest upon interest, Mat. xix. 27-30 ; 2 Cor. ix. 6-14 ; Heb. vi. 10. Their scattering is their increasing, their spending is their lending, their layings out are but layings up for themselves: Prov. xi. 24, ' There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth ;' verse 25, ' The liberal soul shall be made fat : and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.' It is fabled of Midas, that whatever he touched he turned it into gold. This is most true of charity ; whatever the hand of charity toucheth it turneth it into gold, be it but a cup of cold water. Mat. x. 42 ; nay, into heaven itself. I have read of one who, liaving given somewhat to a poor man, and considering with himself whether he had not injured himself by giving beyond his ability, pre- sently corrected himself with those thouglits, that he had lent it to one that would pay well again ; and within an hour after he had it restored above sevenfold, in a way which he never thought of. How- ever God may carry it towards his people in this world, yet he will be sure to rejiay their charity in that other world. It is storied of one Evagrius, in Cedrenus, a rich man, who, lying upon his deathbed, and being importuned by Synesius the bishop to give something to chari- table uses, he yielded at last to give three luindred pounds ; but first took bond of the bishop that it should be paid him in another world, according to the promise of our Saviour, with a hundredfold advantage, and the very next night after his dejiarture he appeared to the bishop, delivering the bond cancelled and fully discharged, thereby acknow- ledging that what was promised was made good.^ It is probable that the relation is fabulous; but tliis is certain, viz., that one day's being in heaven will make us a sufficient recompense for whatsoever we have given, or do give, or shall give in this world. But,
[3. J Thirdly, If the constant frame and dispiosition of your hearts he to do as much good as ever you did, or more good than ever you did, then you may he confident that the Lord accepts of your ivill far
ISA. XLII. 24, 25.] THE LATE FIERY DISPENSATION. 237
the deed: 2 Cor. viii. 12, ' For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.' God prefers a willing mind before a worthy work. God measures all his people, not by their works, but by their wills. When the will is strongly inclined and biassed to works of charity, so that a man would fain be a-giving to the poor and a-supplying the wants and necessities of the needy, but cannot for want of an estate ; in this case God accepts of the will for the deed. David had a purpose and a will to build God a house, and God took it so kindly at his hands, that he despatches an ambassador to him to tell him how highly he resented his purpose and good-will to build him a house, 2 Chron. vi. 8. The widow's will was in her two mites which she cast into God's treasury, and therefore Christ sets a more honourable value upon them than he does upon all the vast sums that others cast in, Mark xii. 41-44. Many princes and queens, lords and ladies are forgotten, when this poor widow, who had a will to be nobly charitable, has her name written in letters of gold, and her charity put upon record for all eternity. The king of Persia did lovingly accept of the poor man's handful of water, because his good-will was in it, and put it into a golden vessel, and gave the poor man the vessel of gold. And do you think that the King of kings will be outdone by the king of Persia ? Surely no. But,
[4.] Fourthly and lastly. As there are more ways to the loood than 07ie, so there are more loays of doing good to others than one. If thou canst not do so much good to others as formerly thou hast done by thy purse, yet thou mayest do more good to others than ever yet thou hast done by thy pen, thy parts, thy prayers, thy gifts, thy graces, thy examples. Though thou art less serviceable to their bodies, yet if thou art more serviceable than ever to their souls, thou hast no reason to complain. There is no love, no compassion, no pity, no charity, no mercy to that which reaches immortal souls, and which will turn most to a man's account in the great day of our Lord Jesus.
Obj. 4. I would justify the Lord, I would say he is righteous, though my house be burned up, and I am turned out of all ; but God has punished the righteous with the wicked, if not more than the wicked. This fiery rod has fallen heavier upon many saints than upon many sinners, &c. How, then, can I justify God ? How, then, can I say that the Lord is righteous ? &c.
Ans. [1.] In all ages of the world God's dearest children have been deep sharers with the wicked in all common calamities. Abraham and his family were by famine driven into Egypt as Avell as others, and Isaac and his family were by famine driven into the Philistines' country as well as others, and Jacob and his family by famine were driven into Egypt as well as others, and in David's time there was a famine for three years, and in Elijah's time there was a sore famine in Samaria, Gen. xxvi., and xlii. ; 2 Sam. xxi. 1 ; 1 Kings xviii. 2 ; Mat. v. 4, 5. The difference that God puts between his own and others are not seen in the administration of these outward things: Eccles. ix. 2, 'All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked ; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean ; to him that sacra- ficeth, and to him that sacrificeth not : as is the good, so is the sinner;
238 London's lamentations on [Isa. XLII. 24, 25.