672 Ofdoing Good. Vol.1: fume general Calamity ; thefe are more efpecially Objets of our Charity, and liberal Relief. And thofe alto, who have been Charitable, and have liberally relieved others; when they were in Condition to do it ; or the Children, or near Relations of thofe who were eminently charitable and beneficial to Mankind, do deferve ä particular Regard in our Charity. Mankind being (as I may fay) bound in Ju-: flice, and for the Honour of God's Providence , to make good his Promife, to preferve loch from extream Necefìity. And lajily, thole, whole vifible Wants, andgreat Age and Infirmities do plead for more than ordinary Pity, and do, at firft Sight, convince every one that fees them, that they do not beg out of Lazinefs, but of Neceflity, and becaufe they are not able to do any thing towards their own Support and Subfiftance There are innumerable Citcumftances more, which it would be endlefs to° reckon up, but thefe which I have mentioned are fome of the chief, and by Proportion to thefe, we may dire& our felves in other Cafes. Sixthly, Thofe whom we certainly know to be true Objets of Charity , are to be confider'd by us, before thofe who are Strangers to us. , and whofe Condi- tion wedo not know, yea, tho' in common Charity we do not disbelieve them; becaufe in Reafon and Prudence we are obliged to prefer thofe, who are certainly known to us, finte we find by Experience, that there are many Cheats andcoup- terfeit Beggars, who can tell their Story , and carry about Teftimonials of their own making ; and likewife becaufe we run the Hazard of mifplacing our Chari- ty, -when there ate Objets enoughbefides, where we are Pure we !hall place it right : And Charity mifplaced, as it is in Truth and Reality no Charity in its felf, fo it is hardly any in us, when we fquander it fo imprudently, as topats by acertain and real Objet , and give it thofe of whom we are not certain, that they are true Objets of Charity. In this blind way a Man maygive all hisgoods to thepoor, as he thinks, and yet dono real Charity. And therefore, unlefs we be able to relieve every one that asks, we muff of neceffity make a difference, and fife our beft Prudence in the choice of the moll proper Obje&s of our Charity.. And yet we ought not to obferve this Rule fo ftriály, as to faut out all whin we donot know, . without Exception ; becaufe their Cafe , if it be true , may fometimes be much more Pitiable, and of greater Extremity, than the cafe of many whomwe do know ; and then it would be uncharitable to rejet fuck; and to harden our Hearts fo far againfl them, utterly to disbelieve them ; becaufe it is noFault of theirs, that we do not know them ; no, their Wants may be real,, notwithflanding that ; efpecially when their Extremity feems great, we ought not toRand upon too rigorous a Proof and Evidence of it, but should acceptof a fair Probability. Seventhly, Thofe who fairer for the Caule of Religion, and are ftripp'd of all for the fake of it, ought to have a great Precedence in our Charity to molt other Cafes. And this of late hath been, and fä11 is, the cafe of many among us, who have fled hither for Refuge, fróm the Tyranny andCruelty of their Per- fecutors, and have been by a molt extraordinary Charity of the wholeNation, more than once extended to them, 'molt feafonably reliev'd ; but efpecially by the Bounty of this great City,whofeLiberality,upon thefeOccafions,hath been beyond all Example, and evenall Belief. And I have often thought, that this very thing next to the Mercy and Goodnefs of Almighty God, hath had a particular Influ- ence upon our Prefervation and Deliverance from thofe terrible Calamities,which were juts ready.to break in upon us ; and were we not fo ftupidly infenfible of this great Deliverance which God hash wrought for us, and fo horribly unthank- fulto him, and tothe happy Inftruments of it, might Rill be a means to continue the Favour of God to us. And what caufe have we to thank God, who bath al- lotted to us thismore ble(Jed, and more merciful part, to give, and not toreceive ; to be free from Perfecution our felves, that we might give Refuge and Relief to thofe that are perfècuted.I III. We muff confider the Meafure of our Charity, 'ç xzw £X124v, which our Tranflstion renders, as wehave Opportunity; others, as we bave Ability : So that this
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