492 Chap.io. Rules aboutjuft gettingand siting of Riches. Cofn.8 again, and to morrow I will give thee, when rhòu hall it by thee : we mutt give prefent- ly, left we be like him that S. Ambrofe reproves, Qui pauperi dabit potum cum aci- dum, panem cum mucidum, who will give the poor his drink when it is fowre, and his bread, when it is mu11y. mortiea re Thefe are the rules by which we mutt be guided in giving,and by thus doing, sro,kr cfmercy as the Pfalmift faith, a man /hall before tooat the labourof his hands. The Lordmid Pram 128 2' ,keep him in hisfckoefs, he will be his Phyfician, and hisfeed /ball not want. 8441.3. Neither (ball he receive only Corporal bleflìngs,but by this means he !hall & s7 5 ban. 4.27. rumpere peccata, break off hisfins. For when a man finds his bowels open to the poor, it is a good fign and fym: Aas 10.0. ptom'e of Gods mercy and forgivenefs to him.When Cornelius gave alms,his cal- Luke i t. 21. ling was veer: Our Saviour faith, Give alms andall things /ball beclean unto you, fpeaking ofCeremonial cleannefs under the Law : and S. 7ames faith, this is a James t. 27. part of that moral purity required under the Gofpel, for pere religion and tende- filed before God, is to viftt thefatherlefs and widows in adverfity,&c, a Tim.6.19. Betides all this,we Mall hereby as the Apoltle faith,layup agoodfoundation again/k the time to come, when we all be called to give an account of ourftewardlhip ; for this is that which will come in rationem,to be accounted for at the Taft day,the Maub, x5.27. relieving or not relieving of Chrifl in his members : ¡mas hungry, andyefedme, or fedme not,faith Chrifl. In the Parable of the talents, the Lord asks the un- profitable fervant, whyhegave not his money to the exchangers. S. Ambrofe on that place,asks who be thofeTrapezitte, tholemoney changers I And he finds at laft,that Pauperes are Campfores, thepoor be thole money changers. And therefore he faith, If' a man be to go into another Country,where he /hall need money,if he be in dan- ger of thieves and robbers by the way,or ifhis money will not be currant in the place whither he is to go,he goes to the exchanger,delivers him his money, arfd takes a bill of his hand,which hecarries with him, and fo he fears neither robbers by the way,who he is fure will not rob him of a piece of paper, nor that he (hall want currant money in the place he goes to : fo, faith he, is the cafe of every man in this life,he is travelling to his heavenly Country,and therefore he Ihould do like a Traveller,who will neither load htmfelf with that whichmay endanger his life,nor will pats for currant in the place to which he goes, but will fo lay, it out here, that he may receive it there. Job 1.21. Now,as lob fpeaks,We came naked out of our mothers womb : and as the Apoftle 2 Tim.6,7. faith, We brought nothing into this world, and it is certainwe can carrynothing out of it, for if we would,we are fure to be ftript ofall as we. go.Theproud are robbed,faith Pfalin 76. 5.. the Pfalmift, theyhave fiept their fleet', andwhen they awake in themorning,theyfind no. thing in their hands.And then fecondly,if a man could carry any thing in his hand, Job95. 7. yet it is not gold and flyer that will ferve there, it will not be currant in ano. Cher world.T'herefore the bell courfe is,in our paffage hence,to make friends of the temporal Mammon, to deliver it here, that we may receive the worth of it there.And this is,as Ambrofe fpeaks,to be dives in librofzgillato,rich in thefealedbook; asCorneliva was,whofe alms came eh µsnuóovvov, into Gods book of remembrance. This is the committing of our wealthhere to Chrills fat-tors andexchangers, the poor, for whom he htmfelf is furety : what ye do to them, faith Chrift, ye do tome, I will make it good : he gives us his Bill for it, which is the very Gofpel, the word of God, which cannot fail, wherein he hath promifed, that not a cup of cold water, but (hall he returned. This is our warrant for delivering here, and receiving it there. The Heathen taran faid,that works ofmercy do fwim out withusiand theScri- pture faith, thatrthe juts, when they refs from their labours, opera eorum fegnun- (tevel. t4, t3, tar eos, their works /hallfollow them ; for when as others are like him that dreamsof a great dinner,but when awakes,he is hungry : they that are rich in thefe works !hall be furety rewarded,their works (hall be accounted to them : to them (hall be faid, Come ye bleffed of my Father, &c. To conclude, he that follows after righteoufnefs, by jolt dealing, both in getting and refloring, and after mer- cy, in Ming of his wealth, He (hall' find life, and righteoufnefs, and honour, and glory hereafter in theworld to come. ëhe,ó. Pule, The laft thing to be touched is according to the faith rule,to procure the keep- - iog
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