The Ready Way to Good Works, Chapter 20
CHAP. XX. To whom merciemercy is to bee ſhewed.
ALbeit from the precedent Chapter it may eaſily be collected, whom we are to make choice of, as the objects of our charity, yet to cleare all doubts, and to give full ſatisfaction to all that deſire to be rightly enformed in in the preſent point, I will more diſtinctly deſcribe the perſons, who are to be relieved, and what order wee ought to obſerve in the diſtribution of our Almes, in theſe two immediate following Chapters.
The Apoſtles rule in generall is, that we muſt do good unto all men, but more eſpecially to them Gal. 6. 10. Mat. 10. 42. Pſa. 41. 1. 1 Joh. 3. 17. Deut. 15. 7. &. 14. 29. & 16. 11. Lev. 19. 10. Jam. 1. 27.that are of the houſhold of faith, who are called by the holy Ghoſt litle ones, Diſciples, beleevers, Chriſtians, Saints, fellow cittizens, brethren, the houſhold of God, &c. And the Scriptures do in generall commend unto our mercy the poore and needy, and among theſe more reſpectively the ſtranger, the widdow, the Orphan, and the fatherleſſe. To deſcend to ſome particulars, we ought to be charitable, pittifull-hearted, and liberall handed, viz.
To ſuch as are waxen poore, and fallen into decay, theſe muſt be relieved according to Gods owne divine and heavenly ſtatute. Lev. 25. 35. To ſuch as by accident are unexpectedly overtaken with a ſuddaine faintneſſe, with cold, hunger, or any other grievance or diſtreſſe, and cannot2 Sa…. 17. 28. 26. have a preſent ſupply from themſelves, or their friends, though they be themſelves able at other times, to help and relieve others. Therefore Succoth Judg. 8. 6. 8.and Penuel did play a very churliſh and unmannerly part in denying reliefe to Gideon and his army. To ſuch as wee know (though poore and miſerable) of an honeſt life and converſation, and very laborious and induſtrious in their callings: thus did Boaz ſhew himſelfe kinde and mercifull to Ruth and old Naomi. To ſuch as are plungedRuth. 2. 8. 14. 15. 16. & 3. 17. Nehe. 5. 2 Kin. 4. 1. 7. into deepe debt by reaſon of heavy bondage, or the intolerable cruelties of exacting extortioners, out of which they are never able by their owne power and abilities to redeeme themſelves.1 Sam. 30. 11. Luk. 10. To ſuch as are ready to periſh in their journeyes, be they aliens, ſtrangers or heathens: Dauid you know relieved the almoſt famiſhed Egyptian, and ſo did2 Cron. 28. 15. the Samaritane ſuccour the wounded man. To naked, indigent, feeble and captivated perſons. To ſuch as want proviſion, dayly bread, competent and neceſſary food and nutriment, Nehemiah tooke a ſpeciall care forNehe. 8. 10. ſuch, as appeares by his ſending of portions unto them. To poore chriſtians with relation to them as they are chriſtians, thus theMat. 10 4…. Act. 2 & 4. & 11. 28. 2 Cor. 8. 9. Primitive Saints comforted and ſuccoured one another by their mutuall and reciprocall reliefe, and aſſiſtance, the Antiochians, Macedoniant, and Corinthians, 1 King. 17. 15. 1 King 18. 13. Mat. 10. 41. Rom. 16. 2.ſent reliefe to the beleevers in Judea, To the diſtreſſed Prophets, and meſſengers of the Lord: charitable in this kinde was the widdow of Sarepta unto Eliah, and good Obediah, Ahabs ſteward unto an hundred Prophets of the Lord, ſo was Phoebe, Mary, and other good women, ſo was Oneſiphorus, the Ʋide Dr Willet Catalogue of good works.converted Gaoler, the Philippians, and others. The large bounty of Mrs aPhil. 4. 18. Theſe gave 300 lSmith, b100 lMr Rogers, c400 lMr Ridge a Grocer in London, of Mrs d500 lVenable in this kinde is before notified, and never to be forgotten. To poore priſoners (theſe though once bad men) may be good objects of our charity. Many in the citie of London have beene liberall this way, Sir Wolſton Dixie gave above 60 pounds, Mr Fuller gave Meſſuages and Tenements to this purpoſe, Mr Thomas Fiſher 20 pounds to redeeme poore men out of priſon, who are caſt in for ſmall debts: ſo did Mr Robert Rogers give 150 pounds to this end, and the Lady Ramſey 500 pounds. To ſuch as were once men of credit, and great trading, but now poore and unable to manage their calling and profeſſion of themſelves any longer, Mr Blundell the clothier gave 900 pounds, and Mr Offley 600 pounds, Mr Heyden 1000 pounds to bee lent unto ſuch Tradeſmen to uphold and ſupport them. To yong and hopefull beginners in a lawfull vocation, one Mr Woodward gave 200 pounds, Mr Offley 600 pounds, Mr Heiden 1000 pounds, Mr Norten the Stationer 1000 pounds to be lent freely unto them. To poore honeſt and painefull maides marriages, wee want not example in this kinde neither, Mr Kendricke gave to ſome 10 pounds a peece, Sir John Greſham neere a hundred, one Mrs Daxie 20 pounds, Mrs Woodward widdow gave part of 200 pounds this way, the Lady Ramſey 20 pounds, Mr Blundell for them in Teverton 400 pounds, Sir Thomas Offley 10 pounds, Mrs Jane Baker 100 pounds. To poore houſholders who have a great family, and but ſmall meanes to maintaine their heavy and burthenſome charge, the forenamed Sir. Thomas Offley gave ten pounds this way alſo. Such poore as theſe, are ſooner to be pitted, and more worthy our almes and liberality, then many clamorous vagabonds, that begge in the ſtreetes. To poore ſouldiers who were preſt forth to do their country ſervice in forraigne wars and are lawfully returned home againe perhaps maymed, or ſome other way-needy and diſtreſſed, to ſuch the forementioned Lady Ramſey gave twenty pounds, for they are to be relieved, pittied, and commiſerated.
To any whom we know, or may know to be ſicke, blinde, lame. diſeaſed, decreped, paſt labour, any way in want, and not able to help themſelves, to theſe it behoves us to ſhew pitty and compaſſion. It is an ordinary cuſtome among the richeſt and ableſt Turkes (as the Hiſtorian tells me) to ſend abroad their ſervants of purpoſe, to hearken among their neighbours, which of them wanteth victuall, money, or apparrell, that ſo they may accordingly ſupply their neceſſities: where is the Chriſtian that doth ſo? It is a ſhame that we ſhould come ſhort of a Mahometan in vertous courſes and morrall practiſes. Tis true indeed, the uertues of heathens are not entirely good, but mingled with many vices and imperfections (yet good they are in the matter and ſubſtance, though not in manner and circumſtance) and they will ſerve to ſhame many of us Chriſtians, and one day will riſe up in condemnation againſt us.