Observations Natural and Moral, Chapter 5
CHAP. V. Of Liberalitie.
Act. 20.36. It is a more bleſſed thing to give than to receive.
LIberality is a vertue which maketh a man reſemble God himſelfe, Liberality maketh … a men reſemble God.who giveth freely and upbraideth not, Iam. 1.5. We doe not reade in the Goſpel that Chriſt uſed theſe words, but by conſequent it may be gathered out of ſundry of Chriſts ſpeaches, as Luk. 16.9. and out of the parable of the Talents, and by that ſentence which Chriſt ſhall give out at the laſt day, Reaſons proving that is a more bleſſed thing to give than to take.Comme yee bleſſed, when I was bungry yee fed me &c Matth. 25.
It is a more bleſſed thing to give than to receive.
Firſt, Reaſon, 1 becauſe a man can give nothing unleſſe he have it, and to receive implyeth a want, and therefore to give is better than to receive. Reaſon, 2
There is bonum hope…m & … vtila, and as farre as honeſt things are preferred to profitable things, ſo farre muſt giving alwayes be preferred to receiving. Reaſon, 3
Honeſt things endure longer than profitable things doe, for the memory of receiving periſheth with the gift, but that liberall honeſty which conſiſteth in giving periſheth not with the gift, becauſe it dependeth upon him who giveth it. By accident indeed the memory of the gift may be loſt through the forgetfulneſſe or unthankefulneſſe of the receiver, but yet it deſerveth ſtill to be had in remembrance, and that which is moſt durable is alwayes moſt to be loved. Reaſon, 4
Dare eſt docere apud Hebraes, and lakab, accipere, est diſcere. Pro. 2. Donum tribuam vobis, id eſt, doctrinem, and as farre as the maſter exceedeth the ſenellor, ſo farre doth giving exceed receiving.
The Divines marke, Reaſon, 5 that the moſt excellent ſort of prayer is thankſgiving, and it is to be preferred to potition. Why? becauſe it is better to give than to receive; there are many ready to petition, but few to give thanks, of the ten lepers there came but one againe I to give thanks.
If we ſhall compare prodigality and avarice together, Reaſon, 6 The prodigall is not ſo bad as the avaritious man,wee may underſtand that to give is better tha… to receive, for the prodigall man is not ſo bad as the avaritious man, as the Paloſopher proveth by many reaſons.
Firſt, the prodigall man helpeth many, but the avaritious man helpeth none.
Secondly, prodigalitie commeth nearer to liberality than avarice, becauſe the prodigall man hath a deſire ſtill to doe good to others, as the liberall man doth, and it is a griefe to him to receive as it is to the liberall man.
Thirdly, prodigality cureth it ſelfe by beſtowing, but avarice heaping up riches groweth worſe more and more daily.
Fourthly, prodigality is cured by age, but avarice groweth with age, therefore prodigality it a leſſer evill then avarice, Three degrees of prodigalitie.and ſheweth us that it is better to give than to receive. Hee is a prodigall man who giveth all to others (although they bee not altogether unworthy) which is neceſſary for himſelfe, but he is worſe, who giveth both his owne and other mens goods which hee taketh by robbery to any ſort of men, whether good or bad: but he is worſt of all who taketh from other men and giveth onelyonly to the bad; ſo he is a wretch who giveth not according to his power, but hee is a greater wretch who keepeth both his owne and other mens, and beſtoweth nothing upon the poore or upon any other; but he is worſt of all who denyeth himſelfe the liberall … of the creatures and yet taketh from others by hooke and by crooke. Three degrees of avarice.By this wee may conſider, that ſome prodigall men are worſe than ſome wretches, but if we ſhall make an equall compariſon and compare the prodigall with the wretch, he ſhall alwayes be ….
The Phil…pher ſaith, Reaſ. 7 theſe things which are done with great labour and expenſes men make more ac… … the… and eſteemes more highly of them than theſe things which are more …dy done, Ariſt. lib. 9. Eth…. 7.but to give a … more and tha… to receive, and hee ſheweth … in borrowing and lending, he who borroweth would wiſh the lender not to be at all, but the lender wiſheth well alwaies to the borrower, therefore it is a more bleſſed thing to give than to receive; and although he ſaith that the giver ſhould forget the things which he gave, and the receiver ſhould alwayes remember them, Lib. 7. cap. 7.yet he ſhewes, that it is much more delightfull to the minde to remember his liberality in giving, than for him who hath received to remember that he hath received.
But how can it be a more bleſſed thing to give than to receive, Object. ſeeing he who giveth depriveth himſelfe of that which he giveth, and he that receiveth hath it? the end of receiving is to have, and the end of giving is to want, and ſeeing all things are meaſured by their end, it may ſeeme that receiving is more bleſſed than giving.
God who is moſt bleſſed giveth, and yet loſeth nothing. Againe, when men give, Anſw. they ſhould not ſo give to deprive themſelves of all things; neither is every ſort of giving better than receiving, for it is a better thing for a man to receive ſomething from his friends to maintaine his family, How a man may receive things lawfully.than for a another prodigall to waſt all his owne: but it is meant of this honeſt liberality which is given with diſcretion, whereof the Apoſtle ſpeaketh, 2 Cor. 8.13.14. I meane not that other man be eaſed, and yee be burdened. Thirdly, the thing which they give, they loſe it not, for their honeſt liberality is a thing permanent and increaſeth their honour and liberality.
But if it be more bleſſed to give than to receive, Object. then the rich mans riches make him to bee in a better caſe than the poore man who had nothing to give. Anſw.
The rich mans riches make him not to be in a better caſe than the poore man, Giving meaſured according to the will and intention of the giver.for it is the heart that the Lord looketh upon the giving and not the gift. Chriſt preferred the widdows mite to the great offerings of the Phariſes, and a cup of cold water given to a Prophet in the name of a Prophet maketh a bleſſed giver. Chriſt at the latter day will ſay, Come ye bleſſed of my Father, inherit the kingdome prepared for you before the foundations of the world, for when I was naked yee cloathed me: this will bee pronounced to moe poore ones than to rich ones, who had never ſcarce meat and cloath to themſelves; the liberality is accepted here according to the will and not according to the deed.
The concluſion of this is, Concluſion. that the avaritious is worſe than the prodigall, but the Lord liketh a cherefull giver, the liberall ſoule ſhall be made fat, and he that watereth ſhall be watered alſo himſelfe, Prov. 11.25.