The Ready Way to Good Works, Chapter 2
CHAP. II. Of ſuch as are to ſhew mercy; and here firſt of the rich men.
MOſt men now a dayes frame and fancie a Religion to their owne liking, pleaſing to the fleſh, and ſuteable to their owne ends. They make God all of MercieMercy, as if hee had no Juſtice to revenge, and roote out all rebels, and the way to Heaven farre broder and eaſier than God hath made it, falſely and groundleſſely thinking with themſelves, if they walke on a conſtant foote pace, in a luke warme profeſſion and unzealous outward forme of Chriſtianitie, and keepe themſelves free from thoſe groſſer and moſt notorious abominations, which are wont to rage and raigne abrode in the world, that then their caſe is good enough for Heaven, though they were never acquainted with the true power of Godlineſſe, never trained up in the duties and practices of Charitie, never inſtructed in the myſteries of Salvation or a conſcionable courſe of Holineſſe and Sanctitie in their lives and converſations. Such Phariſes as theſe will quickly bee diſcovered and unmasked, if it bee their happineſſe (they would count it a Torment) to live under a conſcionable Miniſterie, which will chalke out unto them a more narrow, and ſtrait path to walke in, and let them know that they muſt paſſe through many difficulties, indignities, obloquies, and oppoſitions, that they muſt be at great coſt and charges before they can enter into life and immortalitie. Now when they ſhall heare of hating of father and mother, of pulling out of right eyes, of cutting off right hands for Chriſts ſake, when they perceive that that they muſt bee at great coſt and expences for Religion, that they muſt conſecrate ſome portion of their beloved Mammon to good uſes, ſell their livings (if neede be) and give to the poore, then they beginne to ſhrinke backe, to diſtaſte thoſe (in their apprehenſion) unneceſſary courſes, and willingly they would winde themſelves out, though not from an emptie externall cold and ordinary profeſſion, yet from all coſt and charges for Religion. Thus they would goe a nearer and eaſier way to Heaven than other men, and at a cheaper rate. The Prophet David was not of this minde, hee diſdained to ſerve God at another mans coſt and d2 Sam. 24 24.To offer up burnt offerings unto the Lord his God of that which coſt him nothing: and indeed that man who with an illuminated eye doth Spiritually diſcerne the goodneſſe of Gods wayes, the Beautie of Chriſts Face, and the riches of his Kingdome, and from the bottome of his feeling and beleeving heart doth earneſtly deſire to taſte of his goodneſſe, to pertake of his Image, and to be cloathed with his righteouſneſſe and holineſſe, without which no man ſhall ever ſee the Lord; hee will not thinke the mony in his purſe, the jewels in his cloſſet, the parents of his bodie, the children of his fleſh, the blood in his veines, the heart in his breaſt, ſo deare unto him, but that he will part with all, (if need ſo require) and Chriſt ſo command him. Now hee that will give his life, his wife, his children, and all, or any thing that hee hath for Chriſts ſake, will with much alacritie and readidineſſe of minde condeſcend to feede Chriſts hungrie members with his ſuperfluous crum's, and to allot out ſome portion of his wealth, and worldly ſubſtance for the poore, and to charitable uſes.
That men muſt be charitable and communicate to others in their diſtreſſes and calamities, is a truth as undeniable and evident, as any contained in the booke of God: aLuk. 11. 41Give almes (ſaith Chriſt) of ſuch things as you have. b1 Cor. 16 2.Let every one (ſaith the Apoſtle) lay aſide as God ſhall proſper him; The precept is univerſall, there is no immunitie …r evaſion for any: Saint John makes love and charitie towards our brethren the beſt and cleareſt evidence of Gods love unto us, and ours unto him: c1 John 3. 17. 1 Joh. 8. 20Who ſo hath this worlds goods, and ſeeth his brother hath neede, and ſhutteth up his bowels of compaſſion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? Whoſoever hath a power and abilitie, upon him there is laid a heavie charge and neceſſitie of giving; dZech. 7. 9Thus ſpeaketh the Lord of Hostes ſaying, execute true Judgement and ſhew mercy and compaſſion every one to his brother.
Now for the diſtinct underſtanding and clearer explication of this point, obſerve that all ſorts of perſons in reſpect of their outward and worldly ſtate may be reduced into theſe five ranks. There are three degrees of rich men. Firſt, Rich in ſuperfluitie. Secondly, Rich in competencie. Thirdly, Rich in mediocritie: living in a golden meane betwee… plentie and penurie. The poor… likewiſe are of two ſorts. Firſt Poore in neceſſitie. Secondly Poore in extremitie. Thoſe that are extremely poore and needy, and are ſunke downe to the loweſt degree of miſerie (as a diſtreſſed and wretched Lazarus) are onelyonly exempted from releeving others, except it bee in ſuch an extraordinarie caſe as that of the widdow of Sarepts, who was commanded e1 King. 17 9. 15.by the Lord to releeve and ſuccour the Prophet Eliah, albeit ſhee had but a very little proviſion for herſelfe, and her ſon, and could not ſubſiſt many dayes longer. To theſe may bee added ſuch as have money and meanes, and wealth enough, but little or no wit, diſcretion and underſtanding to manage their eſtates, or rationally to diſtribute to others neceſſities, as the childiſh, fooliſh franticke, and the like. All …he other foure ſorts, come with…n the compaſſe of Gods Commandement, and are bound to …hew mercy.
Such as live in ſuperfluitie: …heſe in the Scriptures are called f2 King. 15 20.mightie men of wealth, of great eſtate, Eccleſ. 1. 16. They are said to poſſeſſe gPſalm. 49. 6. & 52. 7.multitude of riches, aboundance of wealth, great hPro. 16. 8.revenues: Of this ranke and ſtation were thoſe rich men, which the Evangeliſt makes mention of, whom Chriſt ſaw iLuk. 21. 1. 4.caſting their gifts into the Treaſurie.
Such as live in a full competencie: for neceſſitie of nature, and for neceſſitie of ſtate, place, qualitie, and calling, having enough (as kGen. 33. 9Eſau ſaid to his brother) a ſufficiencie of all deſireable temporall bleſſings, though not ſuch an infinite and overflowing ſuperabundance as the other: To this ranke may thoſe welthy men be referred, who in the lLuk. 14. 8.Goſpe… are called rich neighbours. Bo… theſe ſorts of rich men are deeply obliged to bee liberall minde… and open-handed to the poor…
1. Theſe have a poſitive command from the mouth of ou… bleſſed Saviour ſo to doe, Luk 12. 33. who himſelfe for ou… ſakes was pleaſed to bow the Heavens, and come downe from his glorious Pallace upon this miſerable earth, to deſcend ſo low as to the unglorifying and exinanition of himſelfe, to conferre and beſtow all the excellencies, felicities, priviledges, and prerogatives of his Kingdome upon miſerable wretches, and deſperate fugitives, who had joined in combination with his deadly enemies to rebell and fight againſt him. Now can any rich man bee ſo monſtrouſly ungratefull and barbarouſly mercileſſe as to kicke at, and ſling off from this duty, enjoyned by ſo Gratious and Mercifull a Saviour, or to grumble to communicate ſome portion of their ſuperfluous ſubſtance (which too many can well ſpare and ſpend upon Hounds and Hawkes, and Horſes, and many other ſenſuall pleaſures and delights) to Chriſts needy members and diſtreſſed ſervants.
2. The Apoſtle impoſeth a ſtrict and ſevere charge upon them, that they ought to doe good, To bee rich in good workes, to be readie to diſtribute, willing to communicate: 1 Tim. 6. 18.
3. Let them conſider and remember, that God who commanded them to mDeut. 15. 7.Open their hands wide to the poore, to lend him ſufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth, and not to linger, procraſtinate, and defer their liberalitie over till to nProv. 3. 27, …8.morrow, is their great benefactor, that only heapes and Cumulates upon them all thoſe bleſſings which they plentifully o1 Tim. 6. 17. Deut. 8. 18. Gen. 31. 16enjoy, that they are but ſtewards in his ſtead to disburſe, impart and lay them out according to the wants and neceſſities of his poore people. For ſaith apS. Leo. Ser 5. de collectis. Father Has terrenas & corporeas facultates, Deus non magis poſſidendas quam diſpenſandas commiſit, and moſt certainly hee will one day ſummon them to his dreadfull Tribunall, and require them to give a qLuk. 16.ſtrict and exact account of their ſtewardſhip.
4. Let them bee pleaſed to take this one thing into their remembrance, and ſerious conſideration that that which they poſſeſſe and glorie in as in their owne, is called by the Holy Ghoſt rLuk. 16. 12another mans. The poore have a kinde of intereſt in the rich mans wealth, Non jus proprietatis ſed charitatis, hee hath a ſhare in them, though he may not bee his owne carver. Marke what evidence Salomon bringeth to cleare this truth: With-hold not good from the owners thereof, or as ſome tranſlations render it, from thoſe to whom it is due, Proverbs, 3. 27. and here you muſt by Owner underſtand the poore, for hee ſpeakes not here of reſtitution, or diſtributive Juſtice, but of giving almes, and refreſhment unto the poore, verſe 28. Saint ſIn Pſal. 147.Austin hath a pregnant ſaying to this purpoſe. Divitis ſuperflua pauperiſunt neceſſaria; aliena retinet, qui ista tenet: Thoſe things which are ſuperfluous to the rich are neceſſarie for the poore, and he that with-holds them keepes that which is none of his owne. Almes which in the Greeke is foreign and according to that Etymoligie ſignifieth pittie, in the Hebrew and Syriack tongue is called righteouſneſſe, as if it were by right due to the poore.
5. Rich men in that Petition: Give us this day our daily bread, pray for the poore as well as for themſelves, and therefore when God crownes them with a plentifull Cornu-copiae of earthly favours, if they bee not ready and forward to ſupply the wants of Chriſts penurious and hungrie members, they doe but mocke God in ſo praying, and ſo provoke him to juſt wrath and indignation againſt them.
6. They muſt remember that riches and worldly wealth are unſtable, mutable, and veryt1 Tim. 6. 17. 18. uncertaine, that though they have an exiſtence, yet they are in ſubſtance compared byuProv. 23. 5. Salomon to a Non Entity, to a thing which is not, that they have Eagles xEt 27. 24.wings, and when men have moſt need of them, they may fly away, and proove but fugitive ſervants. They are of no ſolidity and duration, like a Meteor they may quickly bee extinguiſhed, or like a heape of duſt, they may ſoone be diſſipated, or like brittle earth they may moulder and crumble away by little and by little into nothing. Riches may either bee taken away from the Owners as Jobs were, or the Owners from their riches as the rich yMat. 12. 20. 21.foole in the Goſpell, who had laid up treaſures for himſelfe and was not rich towards God.
7. As graceleſſe poore men are double poore, diſtreſſed in body, and diſtreſſed in ſoule, and therefore of all men that breath on Gods Earth, moſt forlorne and miſerable; So mercifull gratious and liberall rich men, are double rich, rich in wealth, and rich in good z1 Tim. 6. 18.workes, they lay up treaſures in earth, and *Matth. 6. 20.treaſures in Heaven alſo, ſo that they may truely bee accounted the moſt bleſſed and happy men that ever the Sunne ſaw.
8. And laſtly, to kindle in mens breaſts melting affections of love and pittie, and to excite and moove the wealthie of the world to mercifulneſſe and good workes, let them reflect and caſt backe their eyes upon the lively examples of rich and liberall Saints, as Job, Cornelius and others who lived in former ages, and were recorded by the Holy Ghoſt for their inſtruction and admonition, or let them tread in the ſteps or imitate the practiſes of the Chriſtian Emperour Tiberius the ſecond, who was moſt bountifull and beneficent to the poore, confidently affirming, that the treaſure could not bee exhauſted, while there were poore to bee releeved, and captives to be redeemed, and indeed God by rare accidents (as the Hiſtorie reports) did beyond all credit and imagination ſupply him with treaſures unexpected. The Heathen Emperour Titus Ieſpaſian might make many Chriſtians to bluſh, and to ſtand amazed at his magnificence and liberalitie; He was (as the zRecordans ſuper coenam quod nihil cuiquam toto die praeſtitiſſet, memorabilem illam multò que laudatam vocem edidit: Amicidiens perdidi. Suet. lib. 8. de Tit. veſpaſ.Hiſtorian truly deſcribes him) by nature benevolous, ful of clemencie and much addicted to works of MercieMercy, and upon a time remembring that he had not given any thing that day to the poore, brake forth into theſe memorable words: Amici, diem perdidi, this day I have utterly loſt. If theſe be too farre fetcht and borrowed, let examples in our owne nation and kingdome, of which wee have had as great a plentie, as any little corner or angle of the World ever brought forth; I ſay, let our Native examples which are obvious to our eyes, provoke and animate others, who abound in the ſame wealth to the practiſe of the ſame dutie. Our age hath not beene ſo ſterill and barren, but that it hath yeelded many liberall Corneliuſſes, whoſe names are ſtill freſh in our memories, and ſhall bee immortalized for their publike acts of Bountie and beneficence. Many are fallen aſleepe who have commended their ſame unto poſteritie by their liberalitie, many as yet are alive amongſt us, who are ſo many living Wellſprings, and bleſſed Fountaines of pittie and compaſſion, from whence abundance of comfort, and refreſhment is dayly derived and conveyed unto the hungrie, thirſtie, and languiſhing members of Chriſt. Of theſe examples in their proper place in this following Treatiſe.