God in having imparted more liberally to you than to others, has conferred on you the distinguished honour of being his almoners : yea, if I may so speak, of being in his place to your more necessitous fellow-creatures : and by your cheerful exe- cution of your trust he will judge of your love to him : for " if you see your brother have need, and shut up your bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in you?" Be then like the Saviour himself, who "went about doing good :" and let it be the joy of your heart so to minister of your abundance to the poor, that " every ear which hears you may bless you, and every eye that beholds you may bear witness to youp." If you be essentially defective in this duty, you are destitute of pure and undefiled religion q.]
2. If you would be accepted of God in the eternal world, be obedient to this command —
[It is remarkable, that in the account which our Lord has given us of the day of judgment, the discharge or neglect of this duty are the prominent grounds of the sentence that shall be passed on the whole race of mankind. Doubtless there will be many other subjects of inquiry : but still the peculiar stress laid on the offices of love sufficiently prove, that what- ever else may be brought forward, these must occupy the most
distinguished place1 " Make then to yourselves friends
of the mammon of unrighteousness ; that when ye fail, and go hence, ye may be received into everlasting habitations8." " Lay up treasures in heaven, where the bags will never wax old, and where neither rust can corrupt, nor thieves break through to steal1." The harvestman scatters, in order to a future harvest : do ye the same : and know, that, " if you sow bountifully, you shall reap bountifully :" but, if you cast your seed with a niggard hand, your harvest will be proportionably small and scanty". In a word, if you are rich in this world, endeavour to be " rich towards Godx;" and so act, that God himself may bear this testimony to you in the day of judg- ment ; " He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor ; his righteousness en dure th for ever ; and his horn shall be exalted with honoury. ']
p Job xxix. 11—13. 4 Jam. i. 27. r Matt. xxv. 34—46.
8 Luke xvi. 9. l Luke xii. 33. ll 2 Cor. ix. 6.
x Luke xii. 21. y Ps. cxii. 9. with 2 Cor. ix. 9.