But to come to the particular duty whereunto the grace and example of Christ should stir us up to be like him ; that is, in kindness, and mercy, and bounty, to the poor saints ; for that is the scope of the apostle here, in this and the next chapter. ' You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, though he was rich, he became poor,' &c. Wherefore doth the apostle bring all this ? To move them to the duty of bounty and liberality. This duty it is legal* from the example of Christ ; it is a thing that hath much equity in it ; and it is enough to a Christian heart, that hath the love of God, to put him in mind of the grace of God to him. You need not beat upon him, or press him further than thus, ' You know the grace of our Lord Jesus.' Remember you are a Christian. You have felt the experience of God's love in Christ. Every man will judge of the equity, that we should therefore be gracious and kind and loving to others, in imitation of Christ ; because he hath been so to us. Wherein stands the equity ?
First, It may appear in this, if we consider in how near a relation those that need our help are to us, and likewise to Christ ?
First, What is their relation to 7(s / Not only that they are our flesh, for so are all men ; but they are heirs of the same salvation, bought with the death of the same Christ ; such as Christ feeds with his own body and blood ; such as he clothes with his own righteousness. They are fellow- members with us, fellow-heirs of heaven, and members of Christ ; such as he died for, to redeem with the price of his own blood. There is an undeniable equity, if we consider their condition, their relation to Christ, and to us. ^ Second. Again, there is a marvellous binding equity, to see the grace of God to us in particular. Christ became poor, to make us rich in grace here, and in glory hereafter. And shall not I out of my riches give some- what to the poor ? Is it not equal ? Christ from heaven came in my nature and flesh to visit me ; as it is in the song of Zacharias, ' The day- spring from on high hath visited us,' Luke i. 78 ; and shall not I visit Christ in his members ? He came from heaven to earth to take notice of my wants and miseries, to do and suifer that that I should have done and suflered. He feeds me with his body and blood, that is, with his satisfaction to divine justice by his death ; and shall not I feed his poor members ? Christ clothes me with his righteousness, and shall not I clothe Christ in * That is, iucumbent or enforced. — Ed.
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his poor members ? In the consideration of these things the Spirit of God will be ctlcctnal to stir us np to this marvellous neglected duty, of kindness and mercy to those that stand in need.
And because Christ is our pattern herein, let us labour to imitate Christ in the manner of relieving, and shewing kindness, and communicating to others, that we may do it as Christ hath done.
How is that ?
First, Christ prevented* us when we never desired him ; so we should prevent others. Sometimes the modesty of those that want is such that they will not lay open their wants. Wo should see it and prevent it. He gives too late ofttimcs that gives to a man that asks him. Therefore herein let us imitate Christ, to consider of the miseries of others. He looked on and considered the miseries of mankind, and it drew him from heaven to the virgin's womb ; from thence to the cross, to the grave, even as' low as hell, in his preventing love and mercy. Therefore, when we see any need, especially if there be any worth in them in any kind, let us not stay till it be wrested from us by entreaty, for it is dearly bought ofttimes that comes that way ; but prevent them in mercj^, as Christ hath done to us.
Secondly, What Christ did for us, he did marvellous checrfnlhj and readihj. 0 what a desire he had to eat his last passover, a little before he was crucified ! ' With a desire have I desired to eat this passover with you,' Luke xxii. 15. He v/as cheerful in it; he had a great desire to do us good ; and, as he saith, John iv. 32, when his disciples put him in mind of eating, when he had not eat in a long time before, saith he, ' It is meat and drink to me to do the will of my Father.' So whatsoever we do to others, we should do it cheerfully and readily, as he did.
Third, Again, whatsoever Christ did for us, he did it out of love, ami grace, and inercy ; he did it imvardhj from his very bowels : so Avhen we do anything for others, we should not only do the deed, but do it from an inward principle of love and mercy. Therefore the Scripture phrase is, pour ' out thy bowels ;' and saith St John, if a man see his brother in need, and pretend he loves God, and yet reheves him not, ' how is there bowels in such a man ?' 1 John iii. 17 ; and so in Micah vi. 8, ' He hath shewed thee, 0 man, what is good, to love mercy ;' not only to be merciful, to do works of mercy, but to love it ; to do what we do out of love and affection ; and * pour out thy heart to thy flesh,' as it is in Isaiah,t to give the heart and affection when we do anything ; or else we may give with the hand and deny with the heart. A man may give a thing so untowardly that one may see it comes against his heart and will. Therefore let us labour to do that we do with our whole man, especially from our heart, and affection, and bowels. It is said of Christ in the Gospel, when he saw the people in misery, his bowels yearned within him ; the works of grace and mercy in Christ, they came from his bowels first. Let us work our hearts to pity, and love, and mercy first, that it may come from the soul as well as from the outward man.