J 7 'Channels or pipes; by which the waters ofcomfort a~d gooclq~rfe a"re carhedco hi.mgry· foules. _' ·. , . . . . . Beneficente is as theSunne, dijlrzhmonis as t~ehght that proceedes from the Sun: At thebe»ejicmceoftheheart there we m.ufr begm,andby the d~Jlribution and~ommu: nicatiorJ ofthehand, there Is the progreilc. And IS It not_ enough that our he4rt IS cha· ritable, and fuU ofcompaflion, ifwe b,e clt~f/er.JJI.ed, and clo(e,handed, aud give no. · thing: Goeand be >varme, andgoeandbefe.dde, andgound be clothed, they bee ver~ , 'l:omp•fiomi, words ofcompaflioil·: but1fwe doe:nou.s well fe(dandclothe, as our. ,..- ·; , tengueMe{feth, we mayhavegentle heartshke l&eobs vo"e, but our hands w1ll becruell · and h"J'J like E[ArlS, that vowed to kill his Brothec. And true Religion is no wayagargAlifmeonely, towalh the tongue and mouth; to fpeake good words: it mull: root in~he heart, and then fruchfie in thehand ; el[e it will notcleanfelthewboleman. : · Now, Godonlyis good, and tne imiverfall good of all things, and goodneffe it felfe: Ifthere be any gooq in man,ir is parricular,oot univerfall,and it isparticipatum.• Man is not good in hi!lltelfe,bur only by participation: Goodneffe in G~d is Ejfentia; effence and being: and He is fo goodneffe, that He cannot be but goodneffe, good in Himfelfe, andgoodofHimfelfc. , , ." In man goodncffe is Accidms, an Accident ; and fuch an accident, as moll: corn-· manly heis devoid ofit, bur onely by the grace and likeneffeof Go n :So that mari is goodf•IJfimilitudinebo;Jitatit divin£, oncly by thefimilitudeand imitation ofthe divine good: theneercrto G9d,the ncerer to goodoeffe; and thefunh~r fromGodthe more removed from .:tU goodneffe. So that as in.every good, the greate!l: good is moft delired : fo in d~inggood, that is everbe!l, that joyne~ us niolho our greatell: p~ . ~- . All Creatures are faid to be good, byth~g0odneffe ofGod, rtprincipio, as the principle, and efficient caule of all good. z, Vt Exemplari, as the pmerne and ex. emplar,and ldea,according to which all good things are faihioned. 3. rtJine,as the end and final! caufe for which all things were made.·. And thelike is in this beneficence anddoing ofgcod. For fir!l, it mull oe goodJ l:au[a,in regard ofthe fir!l: and efficient caufe,which is God: as the good fruit proceeds from the good tree, and the tree owes his goodneffe toGod that tranfplanrs and wa. tersit. z. It mull: be good inf"»damelito,in refpeCl ofthe foundation: as the houfe, and the living !l:ones and fpirituaU buildings are therefore good, becaufe they are built upon the immovable foundation,the Rock Chrijl. And 3. it mull: be good 4(ine, from the end to which it is referred: it takes beginning from the H•ly Gho~, and the riches ofgrace,and itmu!l:bedireCled only to the fuprcmeand graad end ofall things, Godsglory, and the rcliefe ofthe poore members of Chrift. And thefe two,BeneficenceandCommunication, tbeemirient and imperated Acts of true Religion, the mother of all verruesthcy are alfo the acts ofmany other particu– lar vertues. For firit, they are the Acts of charity·, bccaufe they proceed from the love of God : i. They are the aC!s of Iujlice, becaufe Reliefeand fu!lenration is the dutdebt,that isowing to thepoore : 3· They are the acts ofLiberality and Botmty,be– caufcthefreegift ofmen, notthe merit ofthe needy: 4· They are the acts ofMercy, becaufe they parricipate with the wants and miferies ofthe afllicted. So thatasimpendere,is Boniwu: to doe good,and di!l:ribute,and befiow is the aC! ofgoodnejfe; fo likewiferependere, to pay them, where we owe them·, is Iurtiti.e, che workeofIurtice. And therefore our goods, they are not properly ours, in fuch fort that wecancarry them wuh us,when we go hence: but they arebonapauperr~m;fo our gpods,that they are alfo the goods ofthe poore,wherofwe are rathe"r .9tewArds,tban Proprietaries and Ldrds : and he that fo keepes and hoards them, that hedoth not ex– _pend them,to buy the kingdom ofheaven withthmi,at the hands ofthepooreVpfo– rum efl Regnum) he cloth indeeddetinere alienum ; he defrauds the poore,and detaines th;t. ~hich is anorhers. And therefore the Pfalme faith, Dijjmfit, dedit pauperibttl, lt~ifttza E]-zt< manetm t~terrmm (Pfa!me I1z.9.) Heehathdifperfedandgil'e!lJOthe poore: ii 3. 4:.
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