Serm. i i, that they may be Acceptable onto God s' 25 i le5lionfor the Saints, as 1 have givenorder to the Churches of Galatia, even x Cora 60 ,z. fo cloy, Upon thefill day oftheweek, let every,one ofyou lay by him inftoe, as Godhath profpered him. Where by thefïrff dayof the weekjs meant, the Lords Dad, on which the Apolle enjoyneth the Corinthians to lay upfomething tnPore ; implying thereby, that that is a very fit feafon,not only todo fuch works of mercy, which are thenoffered unto us, but alfo to prepare for other times. 4. Daies of Thanksgiving for fome eminent mercy, are another fea- fonable time of doing works ofMercy. The remembring of the poor a fuch times is exprefly commanded in Scripture ; Thoufhalt rejoyce in Deut.ió.14, thine heart, thou, and thy Son,and thy Daughter, and thy Manfervant,and thy Maid-firvant, and the Leviten, thé Stranger, and theFatherleß, and the Widow : Here theStranger, the Fatherlefs,the Widow are comman- ded to rejoyce on their daies of - Fealling, which pre-fuppofeth the Rich mens fending portions of their good chear unto them, which was thepraCtice of the people of God, as appeareth by that command of ,Nehemiah to the 7eays on a day of Thankfgiving ; Go your wa , eat the Neh.8.1, o: fat, anddrinktheTweet, and fendportions unto them for wham nothing k. pre- pared. And their day of thankfgivingfrom Hamansconfpiracy, iscalled aday of feaffing, andof fending portionsone toanother, andgifts to the poor. Efth9.a ze And what more feafonable time can there be for (hewing mercy to the poor, thanwhen we are bleffing God for his manifold mercies vouch- fafed untous ? 5. Maier of Fa(fing and Prayer, are another feafonable time ofdoing works of mercy. For how can weexpel that God fhouid thew mercy unto us in removing thofe judgements which we feel, or in preventing thofe which we fear ; if we will not fhew mercy toour poor Brethren, who (hand in needof our relief ? In the day of our fatting therefore, let us ac-leafl give away to the poor, fomuch as we fave by our Fart. For as St. Auflin in oneofhis Sermons faith, tThen are our fallsacceptable to f Tarn grata God, if they which fall out of neceffity, becaufe they want meat, be relieved fiat v o bj au. Let this therefore be alwaies obfervedby us, that the poor have ftrajeiunia,fa the gain of our fafling, and not our ownpurfes. ally qua neceffl VI.OurAlms muli begiven readily and f eedilytwiithout any need lefs notate lepsnant good according to the counfel of the Wife-man, With-hold not refbiscaantuur a . A from them,to'whomit is due ; that is, with-hold not any aLl of Charity Senn. do g. from thofe who eland inneed of thy,help, * Say.not unto thyNeighbour, Temp.e . Prov.3.2. 7. * dui fîc moratur,neganti proximus eft. Senec. debenefic.1.2,.c.5. BeneficianosPant procraftinanda, fed tempeftive danda, utimagisprodeffe poffant. Eis dat, qui cito dat, X.ngrarum eft benefciumquod dim inter manus dantis bafat, Scnçc;de Bcnef. K k go
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