538 l e Parable of tie rol I. a Poor Man, but he that is uncharitable towards him, as appears by the 0 p pal tion, but he that honaureth him hath Mercy on the Poor ; here Oppreflion of the Poor is oppofed to want of Charity towards him ;) He that oppreffeth the Poor re- proacheth his Maker ; how is that? He defpifeth God who made him after his own Image and Likenefs : For the Poor Man bears the Image of God as well as the Rich, fo that thou canfl not opprefs or negle& him, without fome refledionup- on God, whole Image he bears. z. The uncharitable Man is an Ufurper upon'Gdd's Right. the Earth is the Lord's and the fulnefs thereof, and he hath given-it to the Children of Men, not ab- folutely todifpofe of as they pleafe, but truft, and with certain relervations, fo as to be accountable to him for the difpofal of it. In refpec`t of other Men, we are indeed true Proprietors of our E4ates : but in refpeét of God, we are but Stewards ; and he will call us to an Account how-we have laid them out-. So much as we need is ours ; but beyond what will fupport us, and be a convenient Provifion for our Family, in the Rank wherein God hath placed us, all that is gi- ven to us, that we may give it to others. And if God bath been liberal to us ín the Bleflings of this Life, it is on purpofe to give us an Opportunity, and to en- gage us to be fo to others that fland in need of our Charity ; and we are falfe tö our Trull, if we keep thofe things to our fclves, which we receive fromGod for this very end that we might diftribute them to others, according to the propor- tion of our Ability and their Neceflity. This is to hide our Lord's Talent in a Napkin, and that which thou ford} up in this Cafe is unjuflly detainedby thee; for God intended it fhould have been for Bread for the hungry, and for Cloaths for the naked, for the Relief and Support of thofe cvho were ready to perifh. 3. The uncharitable Man is impious in fighting of God's Providence. He does not confider that Riches and Poverty are of the Lord, that he can foon change our Condition, and that it is an eafy thing with him to make a,Rich Man poor. We do not fuf$ciently reverence the Providence which rules the World, if when God bath bleft us with Plenty and Abundance, we have no pity and regard for thofe that are in need. God can foon turn the Wheel, and lay thee as low as the poor Man whom thou doff negleét. He can call down the mighty from their Seat, and exalt the humble and meek ; fill the hungry withgood things, and fend the rich empty away. God's Providence could eafily have difpofed of things otherwife, to have re- cured every man from want : but he bath on purpofe order'd this variety of Con- ditions, high and low, rich and poor, not that fóme men might have an Advan- tage to inlult over and defpife others, but that there might be anOpportunity for the exercife of feveral Virtues ; thatthe poor might have an Opportunity to ex- ercife their Dependanceupon God, and their Patience and Submiffion to his Will; and that the rich might (how their Temperance, and Moderation,áríd Charity; 4. Unmerctfulnefs to the Poor is a plain Démonflration that we do not love God, and that all our other pretences to Religion are hypocritical and infincéte. St. _lames tells us, that pure Religion and undefiled before God and the Father, is this, to vi'it the fatherlefc and the widow, ja. i. z7. That the wifdom which is from above is fill of mercy and goodfruits, ch. 3. 17. St. john reprefents this uncharitable Difpofition as utterly inconfiftent with the true Love of God, a :yohn 3. 17. But whofo bath this world's goods, and leech his Brother have need, and fhutteth up his bowels of Compafon fromhim ; how dwelleth the love ofGod in him t In-vain does fuch a Man pretend to love God ; nay ch. 4. 'u. ao. he tells us that it is impoffible fuels a Man fhould love God. If aMan fay Ileve God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar; for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath fen, how can he love God whom hehath notfeen ? This deferves to be ferioufly confidet'd by thofe whomake a great thew of Devotion, and are at great pains in Prayer, and Failing, and reading, and hearing the Word of God, and in all other frugal Exercifes of Reli- gion, which (land them in no Money ; leftall their Labour be loft for want of this one necefrary and effential part, left with the Young man in the Gofpel, after they have kept all other Commandments, they be rejedted by Orin for lack of this one thing. I have done with the firft part of the Obfervation, That Unmer- cifulnefs isa very great Sip. I proceed to the ad Tha
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