Counsel to the Afflicted, Question 3 · Section 8
SECT. 8.
8. Seeing God hath ſpared and preſerved your Eſtates from this Fire; by way of gratitude, devote and dedicate your Eſtates to God, and reſolve to ſpend them according to his will, and employ them for his glory. We are commanded to honour God with our ſubſtance, and we ſhall be no loſers by ſpending any part thereof for the advancing of his glory, Prov. 3.9,10. Honour the Lord with thy ſubſtance, and with the firſt fruits of all thine increaſe, ſo ſhall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy preſſes ſhall burſt out with new wine. If you ask how you ſhould honour God with your Eſtates? I anſwer,
1. Do not ſpend them upon your luſts; what is ſpent for the ſatisſying of pride, ſenſuality, curioſity, vain glory, or the like, that is ſpent upon your luſts; and you may be ſure, that what is ſpent upon your luſts, that is not ſpent to Gods glory; for it is mentioned by the Apoſtle as a vice, to ſpend thoſe things which God gives us upon our luſts, James 4.3. Ye ask and receive not, becauſe ye ask amiſs, that ye may conſume it upon your luſts. Now no vice gloriſieth God.
2. Let the abundance wherewith God hath bleſſed you, raiſe up your hearts to ſerve God more chearfully than other men who want what you enjoy. It is ſaid of Jehoſhaphat, 2 Chron. 17.5,6. The Lord ſtabliſhed the kingdom in his hand, and all Judah brought Jehoſhaphat preſents, and he had riches, and honour in abundance; and his heart was lift up (or, as 'tis in the Margin) was encouraged in the wages of the Lord. God is diſpleaſed when our riches produce not this effect, to make us ſerve the Lord with chearfulneſs, Deut. 28.47,48. Becauſe thou ſervedſt not the Lord thy God with joyfulneſs, and with gladneſs of heart, for the abundance of all things; therefore ſhalt thou ſerve thine enemies which the Lord ſhall ſend againſt thee, in hunger, and in thirſt, and in nakedneſs, and in want of all things.
3. Do good according to your ability with what God hath given you, feed the hungry, cloath the naked, relieve the Fatherleſs and the Widows; then you glorifie God with your Eſtates when you do good with them, and relieve the poor and the needy, Prov. 14.31. He that oppreſſeth the poor, reproacheth his Maker; but he that honoureth him, hath mercy on the poor. He that miniſtreth to others neceſſities, be it more or leſs, if it be according to the ability that God hath given him, glorifieth God, 1 Pet. 4.10,11. As every man hath received the gift, even ſo miniſter the ſame one to another, as good ſtewards of the manifold grace of God—If any man miniſter, let him do it as of the ability that God giveth, that God in all things may be glorified through Jeſus Chriſt. Wherefore give freely and liberally upon all occaſions to ſuch as are in neceſſity, remembring how the Scriptures charge and encourage you to give bountifully to the poor: let me minde you of a few places to this purpoſe, 1 Tim. 6.17,18. Charge them that are rich in this world—that they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to diſtribute, willing to communicate; laying up in ſtore for themſelves a good foundation againſt the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. 2 Cor. 9.6. This I ſay, He which ſoweth ſparingly, ſhall reap ſparingly; and he which ſoweth bountifully, ſhall reap bountifully. Prov. 11.25. The liberal ſoul ſhall be made fat, and he that watereth ſhall be watered alſo himſelf. Luke 6.38. Give, and it ſhall be given unto you, good meaſure, preſſed down, and ſhaken together, and running ever, ſhall men give into your boſom; for with the ſame meaſure that ye meet withal, it ſhall be meaſured to you again. Prov. 22.9. He that hath a bountiful eye ſhall be bleſſed, for he giveth of his bread to the poor. Eccleſ. 11.1,2. Caſt thy bread upon the waters, for thou ſhalt finde it after many dayes: Give a portion to ſeven, and alſo to eight, for thou knoweſt not what evil ſhall be upon the earth?
If any ſay, There are ſo many ſufferers by this Fire, and ſo many objects of Charity, that we know not where to beſtow our Charity, ſeeing we are not able to relieve all; who are they whom we are obliged in an eſpecial manner to relieve with our Charity? I anſwer,
1. If you have any near Relations that are in want, you ought in an eſpecial manner to take care to relieve them, 1 Tim. 5.4. If any Widows have Children, or Nephews, let them learn firſt to ſhew piety at home, and to requite their Parents; for that is good and acceptable before God: and ver. 8. If any provide not for his own, and eſpecially for thoſe of his own houſe, he hath denied the faith, and is worſe than an Infidel. When Job had loſt his Eſtate, all his brethren, and all his ſiſters, and all they that had been of his acquaintance before, gave him every one a piece of money, and an ear-ring of gold, Job 42.11.
2. If you know any godly men to be in want, you ſhould in an eſpecial manner be careful to relieve their wants, Gal. 6.10. Let us do good unto all men, eſpecially unto them who are of the houſhold of faith: and as you ſhould have reſpect unto godly men above others, ſo in a more peculiar manner to godly Miniſters. When the Apoſtle Paul, who was a Miniſter of Chriſt, was relieved in his neceſſities by the Philippians, ſee how acceptable this was unto the Lord, Phil. 4.18. I have all, and abound, I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were ſent from you, an odour of a ſweet ſmell, a ſacrifice acceptable, well-pleaſing to God. The ſmalleſt kindneſs that we can imagine done to any of Chriſts ſervants, whether Miniſters, or others, upon this account, becauſe they belong to Chriſt, ſhall not go without a reward, Mark 9.41. Whoſoever ſhall give you a cup of water to drink in my Name, becauſe ye belong to Chriſt; verily I ſay unto you, He ſhall not loſe his reward.
3. Such as are in greateſt want and neceſſity, either becauſe they are burdened with Children, or have formerly lived plentifully, and ſo know not how to bear a low condition; ſuch as on any account are brought into a neceſſitous condition, and are like to periſh for want of relief: theſe ought in an eſpecial manner to be looked after, and relieved, Job 29.13. The bleſſing of him that was ready to periſh came upon me. Lev. 25.35. If thy brother be waxen poor, and fallen in decay with thee, then thou ſhalt relieve him; yea, though he be a ſtranger, or a ſojourner, that he may live with thee. Here we are directed what ſort of perſons we ſhould relieve: 1. We are to relieve ſuch as have lived well formerly, and are waxen poor, and fallen in decay; whether he be a brother or a ſtranger. 2. We are to relieve thoſe that live in the places where we live, before others at a farther diſtance. If a brother be fallen in decay with thee, thou ſhalt relieve him. 3. Such as know not how to live without ſome relief, that he may live. But as was ſaid before, if the neceſſity of perſons fearing God, be as great as other mens, their neceſſities are to be conſidered before others, Rom. 12.13. Diſtributing to the neceſſity of Saints: and if we know or hear of any of Gods ſervants that are in want, we ſhould ſend relief to them, though they live in places that are at great diſtance from us. The Diſciples of Antioch ſent relief as far as Judea to the diſtreſſed Servants of Chriſt, Acts 11.29. Then the Diſciples, every man according to his ability, determined to ſend relief to the brethren which dwelt in Judea.
4. Such perſons as are moſt ſhiftleſs and friendleſs, as Widows, Fatherleſs Children, Orphans, and Strangers, theſe alſo ought to be conſidered in a more eſpecial manner, as being great Objects of Charity, Job 29.12,13. I delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherleſs, and him that had none to help him—I cauſed the widows heart to ſing for joy. God taketh a ſpecial care of the Widows, and Fatherleſs, and Strangers, Pſal. 146.9. The Lord preſerveth the ſtrangers, he relieveth the fatherleſs and widow—And we ſhould labour to reſemble God: ſee alſo Job 31.16,17,18,19,20.
5. We ſhould minde what opportunities God puts into our hands, and embrace our preſent opportunities; and we ſhould be doing good to thoſe, unto whom our opportunity leadeth us to do good, Gal. 6.10. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men—Eccleſ. 9.10. Whatſoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might. Prov. 3.27,28. Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it; ſay not to thy neighbour, Go and come again, and to morrow I will give, when thou haſt it by thee. You ſee here, we ſhould not defer our opportunities of doing good ſo much as for one day.
I ſhall add no more upon this head, but only put you in mind of the curteous carriage of the barbarous people of Melita, towards ſuch as had ſuffered ſhipwrack, and were caſt upon their coaſts; they received every one of the ſhipwracked perſons in a curteous manner, and at their departure did abundantly ſupply all their neceſſities, Act. 28.1,2,10. When they were eſcaped, then they knew that the Iſland was called Melita: and the barbarous people ſhewed us no little kindneſs; for they kindled a fire, and received us every one, becauſe of the preſentrain, and becauſe of the cold—who alſo honoured us with many honours, and when we departed, they laded us with ſuch things as were neceſſary. Will it not be a ſhame for Chriſtians to be wanting in relieving their brethren, that have ſuffered the loſs of their Eſtates by fire; when as theſe Barbarians ſhewed great kindneſs to men that they never ſaw before, when they ſuffered ſhipwrack and loſt their ſhip, and all their goods in the Sea.