8 IfFuneraU Sermon. JOPTt: h1s rightw•J»effeendures for ever; not his merry only, but hislt~Jiice alfo. Whcre,by theway '?bferve, that the~e it is iirft, DifPerfit,dtdit; hedifperfed and gave to t~e poore :here, mthe Text_that hes befor~me this day, it is Dedtt, di!Jerjit; He gave lt, and then ~ed1fperfed 1r, to thepoore, mfuch f-ort, that He did as it were ftudy how tod1fperfe tttoall_for~sof poore, evenasmanykindsofpoore, asHee could dev1fe and find fit to rece1ve lt, learned, old men, widowes, children and prifo- •• ~ers,and the like. ~ • And this goodncffe whether wee underllandit plainly, as the Intention ofthe heart, that doth the good, and the works ofthehand, that difhibutes and divides ir: · or whether we underfland it, as fame doe, that there is Bmljice»tiain iu q~<.e dam 1., beneficence in thofe things that arc given : andCommunicatio in iis fJ"'" {erva»tur! Communication in thofe thing_s that we give nor, becaufe in thefe rimes, omni; erant commania, All thmgs were mcommon,and fo they did communicate evenrhofe things whic_h they did not communicatea~~ difiribute : Thisgoodneffe Jlay, bath two properncs of true goodneffe : Full, 1t IS deffufivutH fui ; dlffulivc ofit (elfe it l imparts it fclfe to as many as it can, it heapes noiall upon one, as thofedoe that ;ob all others,that they may enrich their heire: Secondly, it isunitivum Deo,&prsxi 1114 • ; it is unitive,and uni;es us to GoD, for whofe fakewedoeit, and to our Neighbour: to whom wee doe It. · And furely as in the civill States, .f2!tidleges fine mo¥ibeu vaneprifciunt! what will the be£1: !awes profir us, ifthere be no obedience,no manners! are they not alto. gether vaine, ofleffe force than Spiders webs ? and in Chrifrianity, f<!!id fidu fine ~eribm ?what will faith and knowledge profit us,ifit fruC!ifienot in life andworks~ what canDevotio»and Iujlice profic,ifvilmes follow no~ ~ He that will fendan Em– baffage to God, chat !hall furdy fpeed, he mull fend ligbs from his heart, teares from his eyes, prayers from his mouth, and alfo almes from his hands,and they wU prove of that force, that Godcannot deny them. · And if we will'take with us the refolution of the learned, out of the forme ofthe · la!Hudgemcnr, it will amount to thus much; that not ondy l!ercatarlmmijionit, ftnnes ofeommillion, or finnes committed will condemne us, but alfoPeuata omiji. tmis, finnes of omiffion, or omiffionofdoinggood, as notfeedingandclorhiogrhc poore, will call us into hell :and auferre alima& non darefua, to rake other mens goods from them,either by force or fraud ; and not to giveourownc to the poore, both are damnable, though not in the fame degree. And therefore our Saviours counfell is well worth the learning (Luke XV I.) t.Makeyo11{rie11ds ofunrighteo~« ,tMammon, thAt when you fballjaile, they may receiveyet< into evirlA{Iing Tabernaclu. And thcfe externall oifts they are the vtatimm, or viands to carry us to heaven :far though 'l{on Me Crzl~m, heaven be not here in this life; yet Hh qtl.eritur Cadum,here in this life heaven is to be fought, and here it is either tound or loft; So then,fhall wee fafJ from meat, and not from finne ~ !hall wee pray, and ro~thepoore ? fhall our tongue prai[e charity, and our hands fpoylc thofethatneed our charity ~ GoD forbid. · l' And now,mofiglorious Bounty,and C9mm1tniration, and Dijlribution,what thall l fay ofthee 1but that thou arc Vita San89rum; the very life, ~djoy, and delight of all Saints: anp when Saints mull leave this life,andall things elsleave rhem,and they leave all things; ye_t thou leaveflthem not, but art Comes defunflortmi., the unfcpara– ble companion ofthe dying. For ofall that a man hath,there is nothing that /hall ac– company him to the Tribunall of the great Iudge of the quicke and the dead, but Peccata & bona opera, Sins and good works : and then it will appeare; that the VOICe ofafewgood w~rlm, done forchrifts fake, will fpeake lowderand plead harder, a~d more effeCtually for us,than all ourglorious words and profeffi ons. . And this doinggoodanddiftrihating, is not only profitable, but admtrable alfo. For why~ by evils and wantsofothers,it felfe is bettered ; and it becomes beauufHil, by the uncleannes and nafiineffe of the wretched · it is enriched by others poverty,by others infirmities ii growes firong ; the bearingof burdens attols andlifts it up: a~d · . cherem )_ . I
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