XII.

overcaft with Sorrow, into Joy and Glad- SER M. nefs? To revive with refreshing Showers of Love and Kindness that barren and dry Land where no Water was? How muft his Heart burn within him while his Hands are thus ftretched out! Believe me, it is but a well-judged, more refined, and better Taste for Pleasure, to lay out, in undoing the heavy Burden of our Fellow-Creatures, that Money which all of us, more or lefs, expend in innocent but useless Gratifications; and too many of us, it may be, in criminal Pleasures. And who would not deny him-: felf the fhort-lived Indulgence of fome Appetite, fome trifling and gay Diverfion, rather than fee his Brother pinched with Neceffity, and ftarving with Want? Deny himself, did I fay? No; He denies himself the most, who refufes to purchase fo many lafting and unallayed Pleasures at fo eafy a Rate.

We are affected with delightful Senfations when we fee even the inanimate Parts of the Creation, thofe Meadows, thofe Trees, and thofe Flowers in a flourishing State. There must be fome deep and rooted Melancholy at the Heart, when all Nature appears fmiling and chearful about us in its moft advantageous Drefs, if we are not inclined to correfpond with the Reft of the Creation, and join in the univerfal Chorus of Joy, But if Meadows and U 3 Trees

XII.

SER M. Trees in their Verdure, if Flowers in their Bloom, and all the vegetable Parts of Nature in Chearfulness at this Seafon, can infpire Gladnefs into the Heart, and drive away all Sadnefs and Defpair; to fee the rational Parts of the Creation flourishing, ought to give us a Pleafure as much fuperior, as the latter are above the former in the Scale of Beings. But ftill the Pleasure is greater, if we have been inftrumental in contributing to their Happinefs; if we have watered thefe Plants with our Bounty, and fenced them from the Inclemencies of the Seafons.

He that centers all his Regard upon himself, exclufively of others, has placed his Affections very oddly; he has placed them on the most worthlefs Object in the World-himfelf. He that has fhut his Hands, and fteeled his Heart, against all Impreffions of Compaffion, is a moft infignificant Blank in the Creation. He may have Senfe enough to get and keep his Fortune; but he has too little Spirit truly to relish and enjoy it, by communicating it to others. For Joy like Light grows greater by being communicated: And that Happihefs, which is folitary, is but Happiness by Halves. And if, as our Saviour fays, it is more bleffed to give than to receive, then you are to look upon him who afks, and deferves your Charity, as your great

eft

eft Benefactor. He that brings you an Opportunity of doing Good, fubftantial Good, in Effect obliges you; he brings you what is far more valuable, and more valued by every good Man, than the Gold and Silver which you part with to him. To be rich in good Works is the most lafting Riches.

But this brings me to the last Motive which at prefent I fhall fuggeft for our Charity, which is,

3. Thirdly, The Recompence of the Reward.

We are all, Rich and Poor, travelling to one Country; and we should not scruple to accommodate our indigent Fellow-Travellers with Neceffaries on the Road, when we are fure of being repaid at our Journey's End with an immenfe Reward. And remember that at the laft Day, the great Question will not be, Whether you have been negatively good, whether you have done no Harm? but, What Good you have done? What Hungry ye have fed? What Sick ye have vifited? The Rich-Man in the Gospel is not charged with injuring any Perfon, or defrauding his Neighbour. The only Fault recorded is, that he fared fumptuously every Day, while Lazarus lay at his Gate perifhing for Want of common Neceffaries. He was one of that Set of Men, a numerous Set, who are very hofpitable

U 4

SER M.

XII.

SER M. pitable to those that do not want, and very unfriendly to those that do.

XII.

This then was his Crime;

and yet the next Report that we have of him is; that in Hell be lift up his Eyes, being in Torments. A melancholy and fhocking Confideration to thofe who have this World's Goods, and yet shut up their Bowels of Compaffion against their Brethren in Distress.

Our Saviour has made the Poor his Reprefentatives: - Inafmuch as ye have done it to the leaft of my Brethren, ye have done it unto me. And Solomon fays, He that giveth unto the Poor, lendeth unto the Lord. Charity is then a Treasure transferred to Heaven. It bestows on the Receiver the Comforts of this Life; and on the Giver the Glories of another.

It is the laft Thing I should believe, that the Man who acted by a Principle of Obedience to his Maker, has cherished each generous and liberal Movement of the Soul, with a Head ever-ftudious to contrive, a Heart ever-willing to promote, and Hands ever-active to diftribute to, the Good of his Fellow-Creatures, fhould notwithstanding be doomed to be an Affociate for ever of thofe accurfed Spirits, in a Place where Benevolence never sheds it's kindly Beams: But Malice and Anguish, and Blackness of Darkness reign for evermore.

No:

No: The Riches that we have given S ER M. away will remain with us for ever. Charity XII never faileth the fame Habit of Love which we have begot and confirmed by many repeated Acts of Kindness will accompany us into another World. When we have fhewn Mercy to our Fellow-Creatures, we may fafely expect it from our Creator.

To whom, &c,