The Ready Way to Good Works, Chapter 10
CHAP. X. How to be prepared in affection to doe good Workes.
TO doe any morally good Action, there muſt be (according to Aristotle and the Schoolemen) a concurrence of all requiſite and neceſſarie circumſtances, and there bee *1. Nota: foreign. 2. foreign. 3. foreign. 4. foreign. 5. foreign. Ariſt. Eth. 2. cap. 4.five adjuncts and markes ſet downe by the Philoſopher, according to which, wee may take a true eſtimate of all morall actions. Among the reſt, they muſt bee done affectionately, willingly, and with a kinde of delectation of the minde. So likewiſe in the performance of any religious Actions and good workes, all theſe circumſtances muſt be obſerved, they muſt bee done in a right manner, to a right end, and with a ready and willing minde and affection: Firſt, then wee muſt bee prepared in Affection, and then, Secondly, performe in Action.
To bee prepared in affection, we muſt often revolve and meditate upon thoſe former motives, which are of a very attractive power, to draw the moſt Ironhearted worldling, to the practice of good works: wee muſt lay to heart and obediently ſtoope to the ſerious Precepts of God the Father and our bleſſed Saviour, by conſidering the great Authoritie of the Commander, the neceſſitie of the Dutie, the Benefits, Honour, and Utilitie, which will accrew unto us by the faithfull diſcharge thereof, and the great diſhonour we ſhall doe unto God, and the ſhame and unavoydable confuſion, and diſgrace we ſhall bring unto our owne ſelves, if wee wilfully contemne and omit ſo gratious and honourable a practiſe: Wee muſt value and prize the exerciſe of this grace of love, before theCol. 3. 14. Rom. 13. 10 conſtant performance of all other morall duties: for this is the bond of perfection, and the fulfilling of the Law, as the Apoſtle calls it. Wee muſt repoſe and without ſtaggering faſten our faith and confidence on thoſe immutable and everlaſting promiſes which God hath made unto all mercifull and charitable minded men: for if wee truſt inPſal. 37. 3. him, we ſhall certainly bee ever doing good, and if wee ſeriouſly meditate on thoſe many moſt ſweete and gratious promiſes mentioned before, and perſwade our ſelv's that he is Al-ſufficient, and the God of Truth, that canEzech. 37. 14. and will performe what he hath ſpoken, we cannot chuſe but be ready and willing to doe good workes. If we take God on his owne Word, beleeve and ſet to our ſeale that he is true, how is it poſſible wee ſhould ever ſhut up our hearts, or withdraw our hands from releeving the poore? We doe eaſily credit great men for great matters without Bill or Bond, and willingly depend upon their ſufficiencie and fidelitie, and ſhall we not much more ſecurely reſt on Gods promiſes,Matth 5. 7. who hath not onelyonly given us his Word, but the Word of his Son, the Word of his Servants, Prophets, and Apoſtles, and not only their bare Words, but their Bils to ſhew, their Words under unqueſtionable Hand-writing. What, ſhall we put more confidence in a worme, in the arme of fleſh, in the ſonnes of men, who are but graſſe, and whoſe breath is in their noſtrils, than in the Allſufficient and Eternall God, who never failes nor forſakes thoſe that put their truſt in him? There is no man, I know, but conceives ſo good an opinion of himſelfe, that he will boldly proteſt that he doth beleeve in God, and will bee ready to ſpit in his face that ſhould tell him the contrary: Thou doſt well to beleeve, but doſt thou hoard up thy wealth for thy ſelfe, and thy poſteritie onelyonly, carke and care for future times immoderately, never think on the poore brethren, to releeve or ſuſtaine them? Doe they beg or would they borrow of thee, and doſt thou give them good words onelyonly, and tell them that thou canſt not ſpare them that they deſire, becauſe thou thy ſelfe maiſt lacke before thou dieſt, if thou ſhouldeſt bee ſo free hearted? This certainly argues much infidelitie and Atheiſme … thee, and an independency upon the Lord. Therefore, though thou ſayeſt that thou beleeveſt, yet I will beleeve that thou doſt but onelyonly ſay ſo; thou art but in a dreame, and deludeſt thy poor ſoule with a meere fancie, and morall conjecture, and as far as in thee lieth, thou makeſt God a lyar, becauſe thou doſt not unfeynedly beleeve this promiſe That the mercifull ſhall never lacke. To wooe then thy affection, and to winne thy heart unto this profitable trade of Almeſgiving, thou muſt have this beleefe and perſwaſion, that laying out to the poore, and laying aſide for good uſes, is the faireſt way to thrive, and to fare well in the world: Therefore it isProv. 19. 17. Matth. 6. 20. Luk. 12. 33. 1 Cor. 9. 6. Hoſ. 10. 12. Luk 6. 38. compared to londing, hereby noting unto us a certaine repayment; to treaſuring up, which is the beſt way to enrich us; to ſowing, which betokeneth that we ſhall have a fruitfull Harveſt. He that ſoweth bountifully (ſaith the Apoſtle) ſhall reape bountifully, and in what abundant meaſure wee give unto others, accordingly it ſhall be given unto us againe, good meaſure, preſſed downe, ſhaken together, and running over. Hope of gaine, makes the Merchant willing to venture his goods on the Seas; and hope of increaſe and unlawfull lucre, makes the Uſurer willing to lend out his ruſty and worme-eaten treaſure, and why ſhould not wee bee as forward and willing to lend unto the Lord, and to ſow our ſeede on the backes or in the bellies of the poore, ſythence we ſhall receive backe not tenne for a hundred, but a hundred for tenne, and reape a thouſand fold, even immortalitie it ſelfe, and Life everlaſting for ever and ever, in the World to come.
'Tis no ſuch eaſie matter (as men may thinke it) to be affectionately charitable: till wee can ſay as Job could, Did not I weepe Job. 30. 25.for him that was in trouble, was not my ſoule grieved for the poore? Wee are not feelingly affected with the miſeries of our brethren, nor inſenſible enough of their dolefull ſtate and condition. There is indeed, a humane pittie, and naturall compaſſion, which a Heathen man cannot put off ſometimes, and upon ſome occaſions, but the tenderheartedneſſe, and charitable affection we heere ſpeake of, is not naturall, but a Celeſtiall habite, a Creature of the holy Ghoſt: And therefore wee muſt labour1 King. 8. 50. to put on this Grace by uſing theſe preſcribed meanes. Firſt, By praying frequently and fervently unto God, that he would bee pleaſed to plant the noble grace of Charitie in our hearts, to warme our ſoules with the Holy heate of brotherly love, and a tender ſenſibleneſſe of the wants and diſtreſſes of the poor. Charitie and tender-heartedneſſe, and the reſt of thoſe rare and precious Jewels are all, wee know the gifts of God, and lockt up faſt in his Heavenly cloſſet, Now prayer is the key, and will open the locke to fetch them out, if there bee the hand of Faith to turne it. Therefore pray we muſt, or no hope of getting Charitie. But what man almoſt mindes this Grace in his prayers and requeſts unto God. Give me leave to aske thee Reader, didſt thou ever begge ſuch a bleſſing, or preſent ever ſuch a Petition unto the Throne of Grace. Lord give unto me bowels of compaſſion and a fellowfeeling affection towards my needy and diſconſolate brethren. Bethinke thy ſelfe a while and call thy ſelfe to rememberance, if not, Oh then beſiege Chriſts mercy-Seat with redoubled ſupplications, and never leave, though thou turneſt thy knees into hornes, till thou haſt importuned and obtained ſome ſparkes, ſome degrees of that vertue, which will enrich thee everlaſtingly. Secondly, by applying home to our ſelves others miſeries, from the apprehenſion of our owne accidentarie wants, and extremities, which ſometimes may unawares and unexpectedly befall us. As for inſtance, when wee accidentally chance to be from home abrode in the fields without harbour, to lie occaſionally upon ſome hard bed, to feele cold, hunger, thirſt, &c. to which the richeſt are ſometimes as obnoxious, as the beggar; then we ſhould make a good conſtruction of theſe evill occurrents, and take occaſion thereby to conſider on the like caſes and extremities of thoſe who are continually almoſt pinched with cold and hunger and nakedneſſe: And ſo wee ſhould learne by our owne experiences, to ſympathize with them and to commiſerate their neceſſities. Remember ſaith the Apoſtle,Heb. 13. 3. them that are in Bonds, as bound with them, and them which ſuffer adverſitie, as being your ſelves alſo in the bodie: When we heare of the perſecution and incarceration of ſome of the Saints and Servants of God, who are thus maligned and moſt undeſervedly and baſely handled for a good Conſcience and the Goſpels ſake, we muſt ſuppoſe their caſe to be our owne, and never thinke upon the glorious Martyrs of Jeſus Chriſt, but with a preſent admiration of Gods great goodneſſe and forbearance towards us, who, when as ſome of his deareſt ſervants have ſwimme in bloody Coffins, others ride in Coches of fire to Heaven, hath yet ſuffered us to goe thither as it were on our feather beds. This ſeaſonable application of afflicted Joſephs wrongs and miſeries to our owne perſons, certainely is that which God requires, and may bee a good motive to worke us to compaſſion. This was it that drew teares from Jobs eyes in the Sunſhine of proſperitie,Job. 30. 25. and made Nehemiah aNeh. 1. 3. 4. 11. man of Eminencie and Honour to weepe, mourne, faſt and pray, for the afflictions of Jeruſalem, and to make all poſſible meanes to the great Perſian king to comfort his afflicted brethren in Judea. Thirdly, by conſidering our neereneſſe and proximitie to them, our union and communion with them, as they are either the ſonnes and daughters of the firſt Adam, and ſo they bee our bone and fleſh, and fellow brethren: or as they live in the ſame Domioion under the ſame King, and ſo they bee our fellow-ſubjects or fellow-Cittizens; or as they be the Peculiar flocke, and Heavenly off-ſpring of the ſecond Adam, and ſo they be our fellow-members. Theſe be good meanes to kindle in us charitable affections towards them, and to move us to put on bowels of merciemercy. But none of theſe things will ſerve the turne, if wee doe not remove one maine obſtacle and impediment, and that is covetouſneſſe, that curſed roote and fountaine of much miſchiefe and villanie. 'Tis a moſt peſtilent, abhorred, zeale-deading and ſoule-murthering ſinne, it infatuates and bewitcheth the ſoule, captivates the will, diſtracts the affections, hardneth the heart, and turneth it into a peece of Earth and clay, and maketh it altogether as inſenſible of another mans miſery, as a hardned flint. Therefore if ever wee will be prepared in affection to doe works of mercy, wee muſt deſtroy this Dagon, tumble downe this idoll out of the temples of our ſoules, we muſt make Mammon our ſlave and ſervant, and not be the ſervant of Mammon. Now the beſt way to bee rid of this foule Feinde, and impoyſoner of all goodneſſe, is to make God our portion as David did. Pſal. 119. 57.And this we do when we make him our onelyonly refuge and Aſylum, deſire nothing but him, ſeeke nothing but him, finde all joy and contentment in his mercy, glory, and goodneſſe, reſt in his All-ſufficiencie, depend upon his Promiſes, and adhere unto him only in all conditions whatſoever. Now wee can no way better evidence that wee wholy rely on the Lord, and make him our portion, then by keeping Pſal. 119. 57.his Words, by obſerving his Precepts, and more ſpecially by our liberall contributions to his naked and needy members.