76 SERMONS UPON MATTHEAV XXV. [SeK. XXIII.
merciful, as your heavenly Father is merciful.' Thou boldest the place of God, and art as it were a god to them.
4. The profit of this duty. It seemeth a loss, but it is the most gainful trade in the world. It is the way to preserve your estates, to increase them, to cleanse them, to provide for eternal comfort in them.
[1.] To keep what you have. Your goods are best secured to you when they are deposited in God's hands ; you provide ' bags that wax not old.' Many ap estate hath been wasted for want of charity, James V. 2, 3.
[2.] To increase it, as seed in the ground. The husbandman gettetli nothing by keeping the corn by him : 2 Cor. ix. 6, ' He which soweth sparingly shall reap sparingly ; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap bountifully ;' Dent. xv. 10, ' When thou givest to thy poor brother, the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thy hand unto.' All your works of mercy and liberality shall be abundantly repaid : Luke vi. 36, ' Give, and it shall be given to you, good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over.' But above all, Prov, xix. 17, ' He that giveth to the poor lendeth to the Lord ; that which he hath given he shall pay him again.' If you would put out your money to the best advantage, lend it to the Lord ; the interest shall be infinitely greater than the principal. What better security than God's ? He is a sure pay- master, and he will pay them to the full, great increase for all that he borroweth, a hundred for one, which is a usury not yet heard of in the world. You can expect nothing from the poor sort ; they have nothing to give you ; but God is their surety, he that is the great possessor of heaven and earth, that never broke his word. Nay, we have his hand and seal to show for it ; his bond is the scriptures, his seal the sacraments ; therefore he will pay you. But you will say, These are words. Venture a little and try : Mai. iii. 10, ' Prove me now herewith, saitli the Lord. Give, and it shall be given to you.' Whereas, on the contrary, if you forbear to give, God will forbear to bless ; as the widow's oil, the more it run the more it increased, and the loaves were multiplied by the distribution. And then —
[3.] It cleanseth your estate ; you will enjoy the remainder more comfortably. Wells are the sweeter for draining ; so are riches, when used as the fuel of charity. There are terrible passages against rich men : ' How hard is it for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven.' There is no way to free ourselves from the snare but to be liberal and open-handed upon all occasions : Luke xi. 41, ' Give alms, and all things shall be clean to you.'
[4.] You may possess an estate with a good conscience. It will not easily prove a snare. Nay, you shall have comfort of it for ever ; you shall have treasure in heaven : Luke xii. 13, ' Sell that you have and give alms; provide j'ourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure iu the heavens that faileth not.' Whatever shift you make, rather sell than want to give out disbursements in this life, and your payment shall be in the next.
Use is reproof, because there are so few true christians in the world. Many men have great estates, but they have not a heart to be helpful to their poor brethren and neighbours, are very backward and full of
VeK. 41.] SERMONS UPON MATTHEW XXV. 77
repinings wlien they give auything. They are liberal to their lusts, gaming, drinking, rioting, luxury, in lawsuits, and costly apparel. Do these men believe there is a heaven and hell, and a day of judgment ? For motives.
1. Thou shalt have treasure in heaven. Thou shalt not part with thy goods, so much as change them for those that are incomparably better. There is a reward for the liberal and open-handed. What is given to the poor is not cast away, but well bestowed. Now is the seed- time, the harvest is hereafter. The poor cannot requite thee ; there- fore God will : Luke xii. 14, ' A cup of cold water, given in charity, shall not want its reward,' Mat. x.
2. This reward is propounded to encourage us. Christ doth not only instruct us by commands, but allure us by promises. There is a dispute whether we may look to the reward. I say, we not only may, but must. Did we of tener think of treasure in heaven we would more easily forego present things.
3. The reward which we shall receive not only answereth the reward,i but far exceeds it. It is called a treasure : ' The riches of glory,' Eph. i. 18 ; and so are far better than these transitory riches which we cannot long keep. Thou shalt have eternal riches, which shall never be lost. Our treasure in heaven is more precious and more certain. Mat. vi. 19, 20.