Sam. LXXII. Rich Man and Lazarus. Firfi, I obferve that Uncharitablenefs and Unmercifulnefs to the Poor, is a great and damning Sin. We find no other fault imputed to the Rich Man but this that he took no care out of his Superfluity and Abundance to relieve this poor Man that lay at his Gate. He is not charged for want ofJuflice, but ofCha- rity; not for having got a great Efate by Fraud or Oppreffion, but that in the midit of this Abundance he had no Confideration and Pity for thofe that were in want. I flail endeavour to make out this Obfervationby the parts of it. all, That Unmercifulnefs and Uncharitablenefs to the Poor is a great Sin. Idly, Such a Sin, as alone and without any other guilt, is fufficient to ruin a Man for ever. 'hall (peak to thefe feverally. rü, That Unmercifulnefs and Uncharitablenefs to the Poor is a very great Sin. It contains in its very Nature two black Crimes, Inhumanity and Im- piety. I. Inhumanity ; it is an argument of a cruel and favage Difpoltion, not to pity thole that are in Want and Mifery. And he doth not truly pity the Mife- ries of others, that doth not relieve them when he bath Ability and Opportunity in his Hands. Tendernefs and Compaflion for the Sufferings of others is a virtue fo proper to our Nature, that it is therefore call'd Humanity, as if it were effen- tial to human Nature, and as if without this, we did not deferve the Name of Men. To fee a Man like our felves, bone of our bone, and fleJh of our fief, la- bour under Want and Neceffity,and yet not to be moved tocommif rate him,this is a fign that we have put offour own Nature, otherwifewe fhould pity the Suf- feringsof it in others. For whenever we behold a Man like our felves groaning under Want, and preft with Neceffity, and do not relent toward him, and are not ready to relieve him, we are hard-hearted to our own Nature, and do in feme ferne what the ApoftlePays no Manever did(that is, noneretaining the Tem= per and A(feétions of a Man) hate his own Flefh. This the Scripture (peaks ofas a molt barbarous fort of Inhumanity, and calls it Murder, t yohn 3. 15. Whofo hateth his Brother is a Murderer; and not to re- lieve our Brother in want is tohate him ; for this is the Inllance which the Apo-. file gives at the a 7th. verfe, Whofo bath this Worlds Goods, andfeeth his Brother in want, andfhatteth up his Bowels of Cámpafon from him; whofo loth not confi- der the Poor, is a Man-flayer and,a.Murderer, he is cruel to his own Nature, nay were he fufficiently fenfible of the Condition of Humane Nature, he is cruel to himfelf. Seeft thou a Poor Man in great Mifery and Want, there is nothing path befallen himbut what is common to Man, what might have been thy Lot and Portion as well as his, and what may happen to thee or thine another time. .,Make it there- fore thine own Cafe; (for fo the Providence of God may make it one time or o- ther, and thou provokeft him to make it fo fpeedily, by thy unmerciful Difpofi- tion toward the Poor;) I fay, make it thine own cafe, if thou wert in the Poor Mans Condition, and he in thine, confuit thine own Bowels, and tell me how thou ouldfl wills him to be añeaed toward thee. Wouldft thou be willing that he Ihould flight and repulfe thee, and Phut up his Bowels of Compaflîon from thee ? If not, then donot thou deal fo with him, confider that it may be thine own cafe,therefore do notthou give the World any bad Example in this kind,do not teach Men tobe unmerciful, left they learn of thee, and thou find the ill Efredsof it, when it comes to be thine own Condition. This is the firft Aggravation of this Sin, the Inhumanity of it.' But, a. Befides the Inhumanity of this Sin, it is likewifea great Impiety toward God. Unmercifulnefs to the Poor bath this fourfold Impiety in it; it is a Con- tempt of God ; an Ufurpation upon his Right ; a fighting of his Providence ; and a plain Demonftration that we do not love God, and that all ourPretenees to Religion are hypocritical and infincere. I. Irisa Contempt of God, and a reproaching of him ; fo Solomon tells us Prow. 14, 3 X. He that opprefeth the Poor, (not only he that dealeth unjufly with, _r ! z a Poor 53:7
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