WHILE we are receiving the greatest Blessings of Heaven, it is very seasonable to put us in mind of the most proper Re­turns that we can make for them. When we have the Pledges of the pardon of Sin and of a happy Immortality given us, it becomes us also to bring our Gift, and to leave it on the Altar. What can we render unto God? Our Goodness extend­eth not to him: but it may reach him in his Members, for he reckons that what we do to the least of those whom he calls his Brethren, we do it unto him.

[Page 2] As this season of the year is the most pro­per for calling on those whom God has bless'd with a full measure of the good things of this life, to give a portion to seven, and also to eight; that is, to give not only according to regular proportions, but even beyond them, to lend a little to the Lord, for all the good things that he has given to them, and after such a harvest of spiritual things, as they have been reaping, to call on such as want that with which they overflow, to let them reap of their worldly things: So this time or season, in a larger sense, seems to provoke us to love and to good works.

We have pass'd through great and threat­ning Dangers; as well those of a long and slothful Peace, with all the surfeits of luxuri­ous Plenty, as the more critical Turns of a devouring War, with all the Charge and Los­ses that have accompanied it: while great Num­bers of wicked Men engaged in a most despe­rate Conspiracy at home, were at work in the corrupting our Coin, to undermine us, or to blow us up. We have got through all this, though perhaps the scars that remain, and the ill effects that follow it, will not be so easily worn off. We are now like a man recovering out of a long sickness, that had a great variety [Page 3] of symptoms with it; these will hang about him, even after the happy Crisis is past; and the seeds of life, being much weakned, they, in that tenderness, will soon take a new ill ply, and contract diseases, as dangerous as those were, out of which he thinks he is delivered.

It may seem a very improper time to call on a City to a new Harvest of Charity, that is yet struggling with great Difficulties. The Losses that many have suffered, the Taxes that all are charged with, and the stop in the Gains of most, are such discouragements, that unless the strength of the Argument for Charity were to be trusted to, one could scarce hope to suc­ceed in it, where the Objections are so many and so sensible. But if the Sinner will remem­ber, that he may redeem his iniquities by giving alms to the poor; if even the Covetous will con­sider how certain a Fund he deals in, when he trusts his Wealth to God; Both will conclude, that the surest way to secure to us those Bles­sings that we still enjoy, as well as to procure new additions to them, is to make the best use of what we do possess, and so form the most generous Resolutions upon what further In­creases God may bless us with.

[Page 4] As we have opportunity, or while we have time▪ we ought to do good, and that in the most ex­tended and largest manner, to all men; but with this specialty, that the fullest measure of it, and the tenderest care in it, ought to go to the Houshold of Faith: that is, to the Christians, who in those days were but a small and select number. Now indeed all pass for such; but if we may judge of those of the Houshold of Faith, either by him who is the Author of it, or by that Rule which he has made the mea­sure of it, we shall soon find, that among those who carry the name of Christians, and pass for the Domesticks of this Houshold, there are few, very few, who deserve the Name, or that answer the Obligations that belong to it.

• 1. Here, in General, Beneficence is charged on us, Let us do good.
• 2. We see the Extent of it, To all men.
• 3. We have here a more particular Restricti­on, Especially to the Houshold of Faith.
• 4. This we ought to pursue, as oft as we have opportunity, or as long as we have time; for the word signifies either a fit and pro­per season, or time at large; that is, as long as we live, and can do good.

[Page 5] It is needless to dwell long on the Chara­cter of Beneficence in general. Nothing makes a Man so truly great, for nothing makes him so like God as to do much good. Nothing is more useful and amiable to all the rest of Mankind, than a chearful and diffusive boun­ty: Nothing gives a Man a more solid Joy, a truer Title to what he has, and a better Re­lish of what he enjoys, than a large and boun­tiful Heart, with an open and liberal Hand. This is the best use Wealth can be put to, and is the noblest part of the Distinction between the Rich and the Poor; that the one must submit to the Humility of receiving, while the other has the Blessing as well as the Glory of giving. In a word, he that does not feel the Manly Pleasure that arises from doing good, or that needs to be pressed to it, has a Soul of a very degenerate Make, and is not like to be moved much by Argument. Vanity or Interest may draw somewhat from him, but if he has not this Principle of Charity within him, though he should give all his Goods to the Poor, yet he is nothing in the sight of God, and he has nothing, he has no reason to expect the rewards of true Charity, if what he does is only to be seen of Men, or to trade [Page 6] and truck with God. To be good, and to do Good, is the greatest Perfection of the Hu­man Nature, as it carries in it the highest Idea that we can form of the Divinity.

But though the Characters of this noble and heroical Temper of Mind seem very in­viting, yet the extent that is here given to it, may justly affright us.

To do good to all, is too great a compass for any Goodness that is not Infinite. It is cer­tainly a peculiar Character to which no Crea­ture can arrive, that God's Goodness is over all his Works. We are limited Beings, and have a narrow Sphere as well as a short Time. It is true, the Charity of our Affe­ctions, of our good Wishes and our Prayers, of our Bowels, and our Compassions, ought to be enlarged to all Mankind: We ought to pray for the whole Race, and to be tender when any Object is before us that may be either relieved by us, or at least comforted by our Sympathy. We ought to exclude none by Prejudices, Aversions, or Passions; but must carry about us a constant Disposition to do all the good we can, and that to as many Persons, and upon as many Occasions as it is possible for us to overtake.

[Page 7] The Iews thought they owed a great deal to all the Race of Abraham, and to the Stran­gers that sojourned among them, by whom they understood such Proselites as came un­der the Obligations of their Law. There was a liberal Provision made of a whole Tenth, with the Gleanings in Harvest which were copious, for the Poor, the Widow, the Father­less, and the Strangers, besides the Commu­nity that was every Seventh Year of all that sprung out of the Earth. But this was con­fined to their Country, or to their Religion, to such as were Strangers to both, they were so sullen, as not to do them the most common Favour; to shew Travellers the way, or tell them where a Spring of Water might be found. This Inclosure is pulled up by the Christian Doctrine; we are not to confine our Charities to any Religion, or Country, or to any Form or Division in Religion; eve­ry Man has a right to some share in them. For though in the larger Effusions of our Bounty, we may prefer some to others, yet in the Supplies of pressing Necessities, none ought to be excluded, all have the Human Nature in them, and some degrees of the Image of God on them.

[Page 8] The more enlarged our Inclinations and Dispositions are, it argues the greater Extent and Elevation of Goodness. We have indeed a small proportion of help to afford; but there are several Channels in which that may flow. Those of great Talents may subdue the World by their Reason, they may tri­umph over Men by Argument, and over­come them by Persuasion: Instruction, Con­duct, and Advice, are Charities that cost little to him that gives them, and yet may be more beneficial to those who receive them, than the profusest Liberalities. Men of Authority can protect and encourage the oppressed, and that often at a small cost: A little counte­nance and some distinction of Behaviour may be of more use than a large Distribution. So there are great varieties of doing good accord­ing to Mens different Capacities and Stations. He who studies to do all the good he can to the Neighbourhood, by setting a good Ex­ample in it, and maintaining Love and Peace among Men, by observing order, and living regularly, is a great Benefactor, how narrow soever his Fortunes, and how small soever his Capacity may be of doing great Cha­rities.

[Page 9] Besides all this, such as abound in Wealth, chiefly if they have not a numerous Posterity to share it to, most particularly those whose Wealth has been of their own acquisition; that is, the Effect of the Blessings of Provi­dence, favouring their Endeavours, ought to be, of all others, the most forward in the largesses of Charity. Those who see many who did set out with them, and that perhaps upon great Advantages beyond them, and who have been both as skilful and industri­ous as themselves, and yet have long struggled with great Difficulties, and have at last sunk under them, ought, when they reflect on their own happier Circumstances, think who it is that has made the difference? and for what end has he made it? They ought to consider, that in all accounts, a Balance must be sta­ted between Receipts and Disbursements. They must give an account, not according to what others have received, but according to what they themselves have received; and to the Charge they stand under, and the Circum­stances they are in.

Much will be required of them, to whom much is given; and if we expect a full re­ward, a measure shaken together and press'd down, [Page 10] we must abound in the riches of our liberality. The liberal man deviseth liberal things, and by li­beral things he shall stand. These may seem at present to dissipate his Stock, but they bring large Returns. There cannot come a nobler Meditation into the Mind of a Man whom God has eminently bless'd, than to think often within himself, What shall I ren­der unto God for all his benefits towards me? Our first Returns ought to be Praise and Thanksgiving: but our next ought to be, to lay out our Plenty in the best manner, and to the best uses we can. Many have such an abundance, that it is a trouble to them either to keep it, or to use it. They might ease themselves of the trouble, and trust it to God's keeping; who will either return it to them again, or preserve it to set it to their account, in that great Reckoning that all must come to.

Happy they who to their strength, yea and beyond their strength, are ever imployed in doing Good. The heighth of Charity, is to give not only of our abundance, that is, out of that which is over and above what we need, but to give out of our penury; to a­bridge a narrow condition, and study to be [Page 11] without many things that we thought we needed, but find we can live without them; that so shortning even a scanty allowance, we may give some relief to those who lan­guish under the Extremities of Want.

After all the good we can do to any that are oppressed with Misery, there is a strain of doing good that is far above it: and to this the Charity to their Persons may be a great furtherance. The greatest Charity is the delivering Men from the extreamest Dan­gers: If to save a Life is a noble piece of Charity, how much more to save a Soul? If we can be the happy Instruments of bringing those who have gone astray, to love the Truth, and to follow it; if we can allarm an impenitent Sinner, or reclaim one that is en­gaged in ill Courses; if we can help Men to live Religiously, and to die comfortably, then we may reckon that we are exalted to the greatest Honour that our Natures are capa­ble of, in being Instruments of the greatest Good, that either we can do, or that others can receive. This is indeed to be managed with discretion, and without affectation; with zeal, but without heat. Happy those who find out the best Methods, and the properest [Page 12] Times for it! This is both the greatest Cha­rity and the noblest Employment we are capa­ble of.

But since our Capacities as well as our Fortunes, and our Strength as well as our Time, are limited, we ought to see what Ob­jects, as well as what Acts of Charity we must prefer to all others. That proportion of our Time, of our Talents and our Fortunes, that we can bestow on others, ought to be so well managed, that it may be applied both to the best Persons and the best Purposes that may be. While therefore all Mankind have title to such a share, as extream Misery may give them a right even to demand of us, there is still a great distinction to be made.

There is somewhat of the Image of God on all Men; but there is a more peculiar measure of it on those who are made confor­mable to Christ. All men have the same com­mon Nature; but the Regenerate have in them, besides that, a participation of the Di­vine Nature. We who are Christians, are born again, and in that we acquire a new relation: We are all Brethren, joint-heirs of the same common salvation: We are members of the same body; we have one head, and ought also [Page 13] to have one heart. We are all sharers in one common Baptism; The bread that we break is the communion of his body, and the cup that we bless, is the communion of his blood, by whom we are called. We hope to live to all Eter­nity together, partakers of the Inheritance of the Saints in light. These are Relations of so close a Nature, that as they tie us much more firmly to one another, so they ought to give us a more particular concern in one another, and therefore there is a peculiar strain of Charity that ought to be reserved to such as we have reason to believe are of this Houshold. In the beginnings of Chri­stianity the number was small, but their Zeal and their Charity was then in its first fervour. Then the Widows and the Father­less were supplied by a daily Ministration: Such was the Zeal of their Charity, and such were the Necessities of that time, that the Rich sold their lands and possessions, and laid the price of them down at the Apostles feet. That seems peculiar to that time and place, for in the Epistles to the other Churches, men­tion is oft made of the Rich that were among them.

[Page 14] The Enemies of our Faith made this a part of their Satyr against it, that the Boun­ty with which the Rich supplied the Poor, made that the Poor seemed as hired to come among them. They acknowledge the Cha­rity of the Christians was not restrained to those of the same Faith, but was extended even to Strangers and Enemies. If the car­rying the name Christian, or the being bap­tized into it, makes all to be of the Houshold of Faith, then we have no more this restricti­on to our Charity. All, or almost all, among us are of this sort. But this is more the ef­fect of Law or Custom, than of Choice: therefore we must now take other measures, for judging who are of the Houshold of Faith.

Can those who are a Reproach to it by their most unchristian Lives, and who seem weary of the very Name, which they are ready to throw off, if they could do it without hazard to their worldly Interests, be esteemed a part of this Houshold? If they are, then this is fulfilled, that a mans enemies are those of his own houshold.

Oh, the Venom that is daily thrown out by them against that Faith which would re­form [Page 15] form and save the World, if it were sincere­ly believed and follow'd by it! They judge of it by the effects it has on themselves, and on such as themselves: and having never felt more in it than a Form of Words, or a Set of Rites and Performances, they call it foolishness: But let them Blaspheme that Worthy Name as much as they will, Christ is to all who are called of God, both the power and the wisdom of God. They discern a Wisdom in his Doctrine, and they feel a Power in it, over­coming their Hearts, subduing their Appetites, changing their Natures, and governing their Actions.

Those of this Houshold do not only wear its Livery, and carry its outward Appear­ances; they are faithful to their Trust, zea­lous for the Honour of their Master, and careful of every thing that concerns the good, either of the whole, or of any particular Member of it. They study to keep it in Peace, and to maintain the Honour and Dignity of their Profession. They endeavour to resemble the Master whom they serve, and to walk in all things, even as he walk­ed. In a word, whensoever we see these Characters in any that calls himself of this [Page 16] Houshold, even though they are yet but de­fective, we ought to judge charitably, and to conclude that such a Person either already is, or may become truly one of this Houshold; and that therefore he has a right to the more endearing specialties of our Love. We ought not to judge too severely of any, nor quite to exclude them, though we may see good reason still to give others the preference, and a double Portion in our Charity. If we love our Brethren from the Motive of the Love of God, and from Principles of true Charity, we will feel the Consideration of a higher measure of God's Image, and a nearer Con­formity to his Nature, the strongest of all ties.

This will melt and overcome every devout Mind; and that the rather, because such Persons are not clamorous and importunate: they do not publish their Necessities till the last extremity forces it. Nor do they attack us with violence. They are patient and mo­dest, hardly brought to trouble others, and soon dashed when they do it: And indeed a great deal of what of right should be reserved for them, is oft intercepted by the noise and importunity, the affected Looks and Voices [Page 17] of a sort of people, that go about, with too much success, while others are starving at home in silence. This is one of the justest Reproaches of our Nation, that notwith­standing all the Authority that Law gives to Magistrates for correcting it, yet a false com­passion, and a feebleness of good nature, proves too hard, even for the Law, in its exe­cution. It is the Honour of Magistracy to be vigilant and severe in executing Laws, that how unacceptable soever the first prosecution of them may seem to be, yet are as Chari­table as they are Just. There are tender Mer­cies that are Cruel, as well as Severities that have Charity and Kindness in them.

Among all the Objects of Charity, as there are none that are more helpless, or more cry­ing than young Children, who are initiated into this Houshold, and have not yet for­feited that Innocence to which the sacred Rites have restored them; so there are none from whom we may so reasonably expect the Returns of thirty, sixty, or an hundred-fold: A Child well educated may become an in­dustrious, vertuous and religious Man. His Education may follow him down through the whole course of his Life, and go to his [Page 18] Posterity after him. This is always the most hopeful and most fruitful Application of Cha­rity. Next to these, the most pressing are those who are under the double Misery both of Poverty, and of Sickness or Pain: who may be near the giving their last accounts; and therefore need more than at any time, to be freed from Temptations, and every other burden except that which the ill state of their Body brings them necessarily under; and even in that, need most of all to be so supplied, that they may be either quite relieved, or at least that their burden may be lightned, and their last Agonies made less dreadful and more tolerable to them. The reducing ill people by the severity of discipline to a better course of life, is a Charity well becoming that Re­ligion which regards the good of the Soul in the first place. And the care of the Lunaticks and Franticks has so much of a just Com­passion in it, that humane Nature is at first sight struck with it.

The Pious Provision, and Royal and No­ble Endowments for these Ends, are to be reckoned among the chief Securities, as well as the fairest Ornaments and Glories of this Great City. But the overflowings of Charity [Page 19] here, which support these Foundations in an Expence far beyond their certain Revenues, is the peculiar Glory of the present Inhabitants, as well, as it is the City's chief Preservative. What but some such Acts of Love could co­ver such a multitude of Sins, secure us so long from the Returns of sweeping Plagues and consuming Fires? What has preserved us from all that Train of Mischief, both from within and without, that had long ago wrought our Ruin, if the happy Interpositi­ons of Providence had not been always at hand to give us a fresh Deliverance, as often as we were threatned with a new Mischief? What could resist so loud a Cry of so much Impiety, such bold Attempts against our God and his Christ, as are too common? What else could keep off those Judgments, which our adding new and unheard-of Abominations to the old stock of our former crying Sins, must have brought down upon us, even in Fire and Brimstone? In opposition to all these, by which we are filling up the measure of our Iniquities, we have still the Tears and Prayers of many in and about this Great City, which support and preserve it, more than even the Trade and Industry of the Citizens. We have [Page 20] the Noble Charities of those whom God has bless'd among us, which ascend before the Throne as a sweet-smelling Savour; We have the grateful Prayers and Thanksgivings of such as having no other Returns to make for what they receive, may be supposed to offer these up heartily for their Benefactors, and for this City in which they find such mighty Com­fort and Relief. These do still keep off the Judgments that otherwise we should long ago have smarted under; and therefore here is a proper place to make a stand, and to set be­fore you what the Worthy Governors of those Endowments have done for this last Year, that so those whom God has eminent­ly bless'd, may see what is reserved for them yet to do.