After w,bat manner mttli wegive Alms, Semi r. z. The Excellency of the Duty. z. The Piety which it containech in it. '3. The Profit which ariferh from it. 4. The Damage which follows upon the neglect thereof. L The firif Motive or Inducement to Charity may be taken from the Excellency-thereof. I fuppofe that all will grant.that the greatetl ex- cellency that a creaturecan attain unto,is to be like hisCreacor.That ex- Gen.I.a6,í7. cellency wherein man was at firtl created, is thus fet our God created roan in his own Image ; that is, im his own likenef.. And that excellency wherewith we (hall be Glorified in Heaven, is fet oat by our likenefs to Chritl ; for it is faid, Our bodies fhall then .6e fafhioned like unto his glorious body, yea, in the whole man, when he fhall appear, then we(hall be like hip. Nowwhile we live on earth, there is nothing wherein we can (hew our fe lves more likeunto God, than in (hewingmercy, and in fuccou- ring fuch as land in need. WhenGod fets himfelf to proclaim his Name, he moii infitleth uponhis mercifulneßand goodnell. Chritl him- felf Both preys this Motive to enforce this Duty, thus, L Beye merciful, as your Father is merciful.] The excellency of Charity doch herein fur- ther appear, tha: Chritl hath fet the poor in his own room ; infomuch as they who relieve the poor, do therein relieve Chritl himfelf. So much doch Chrifl acknowledge, where he faith to fuch as fuccoured the poor, Inafmuch as you have done it unto one of the leafs of thefe my Bre- thren, ye have done it unto me: Is it not an excellent thing to relieve Chritl ? They then that relieve the poor, doan excellent work. As it is a great aggravationof perfecucing the true profeffors of the Faith, be- caufe therein they perfecute Chri(I himfelf, as is implied under this Divinevoice that affrighted Sad, while he was breathing out threat= pings and ill tighter again( the D fciples of the Lord, Saul, Saul, why perfecutefi thou me ? So it is agreat commendation of true Charity, that Chritl himfelf is relieved thereby. II. Another Motive is the Piety, which in and by performing this am,I.17, duty of Alms-giving is manifefled. Piety, I fay to God. For pure Reli_ glop and undefiled beforeGod, . is this, to vifit the Patherleß, and Widows in their afliRion. Here'hepurs two particulars, for all kinds of Charity : And by this phrafe, `Pure Religion before God it this, he intends four. things. Phil. I.2I. I J01.1,3.z, Exod, 3.q..5. Luk.6.36. Mata 5.4o. A..`ts 9.t,4: '.That
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