L 90 Of the ßlefednefs o fGiving, Vol. II. work which with fo much chearfulnefsand vigour theyemploy themfelves in,is to be minillringfpiritsfor tbegood ofthe dea, to bringMen to goodnefs,and toencourage; andaffift, and comfort them in well-doing. And our bleffed Lord, whenhe wasupon arth, did in nothing Phew himfelf more like the fonof God than in going about doing good. And the wonderful works which be did, gave teftimony of his Di- vinity, not fo much as they were alts of Power as of Goodnefs, and wrought forthe Benefit and Advantageof Men. And the true advantage ofGreatnefs, and Wealth, and Power, does not confit in this, that it fets Men above others, but that it puts them in a capacity of doing more good than others. Men are apt to call them their betters, who are higher and richer than themfelves; but in a true and juft efteem of things, they onlyare our betterswho do more good than we. From the meaneft Creature below us, up to God himfelf, they are the heft and happieft and molt perfe& Beings, who are molt ufeful and beneficial to others, who have the molt power and the ftrongeft inclinations to do good. III. To-give, that is, to be beneficial and to do good to others, hath the happi- nefs of a great reward. There is no Grace or Virtue whatfoever, which bath in Scripture the encouragement of more and greater Promifes than this, of Happinefs in general: of temporal Happinefs in this life; of Happinefs at death ; and of e= verlaftingHappinefs in theWorld to come. I. For promifes of Happinefs in general. He bath difperfed, he loath given to the poor, his rigbteoufnefs endures for ever, that is, (hall never be forgotten, (hall not pafs unrewarded, Prov. 54. 21. He that giveth to the poor,' happy is he. Matth. 5. 7. Bleffed are the merciful, for theyfball obtain mercy. Luke 6.38. Give, and it (hall begivenuntoyou, good meafure, preffeddown, and fhaken together, and run- ning over, (ball mengive intoyour bofom for with the fame meafure that ye mete withal, it (ball be meafured to you again; that is, according to our goodnefs and compaf&on towards others, we muff expe& tofind theCharity ofMen, and theCom- paflions of God towards us. Job fpeaks as if force eminent and peculiar Blefling did attend and follow ads of Charity, Job 25.19. The bleeng ofhim that was ready to perifh came upon me. 2. Promifes of temporal Happinefs in this life. Pfal. 37. 3. Trull in the Lord, and do good : fo fbalt thou dwell in the land , and verily thou fbalt be fed. Prov. 28. z7. He that giveth to thepoor, fball not lack. Nay, God hath proinifed to have a particular refpe& to fuch as do good, in every condition, and all kinds +of troubles that befal them. Pfal. 41. 1, 2, 3. Blelfed is he that confideretb the poor: the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble. TheLordwillpreferve him, and keep him alive, and he (ball be -bleffedunion the earth; and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies. The Lord willflrengthen him upon the bedof languifb. ing: thou wilt make all his bed in his ficknefs. 3. Of Happinefs in death. The righteous, faithSolomon, Prov. 14. 32. bath hope in his death. By the righteous in Scripture is frequently meant the merciful and goodman. And fo it is to be underftood, as appears from the context. He that opprefjèth the poor, reproachethhis maker: but he that honoureth bim, hath mercy up- on thepoor. The wicked is driven away in his wickednefs : but the righteousbath hope in his death. If God defign to fend calamities upon the earth, upon the place where the good Man lives, which it would grieve him to fee, or which he might be involved in, fo as either to make his life uncomfortable, or to cut him off by a violent death; God confiders the merciful Man, and removes him out of the way, into a better and fafer place, Efay 57. 1. The merciful man is taken away from the evil to come. q.. The promifes of eternal Life and Happinefs in the World to come. Luke 14. 13, 14. But when thou makelt a feaft, call thepoor, the maimed, the lame, and the blind: and thou "halt bebleffed. For they cannot recompence thee : for thou(halt be recompensedat the refurrehtion ofthejull. And Chap. i6. 9. And Ifay untoyou, faith our Lord, Make to your felves friends of the Mammon of unrrghteoufnef, that is, to do good with what you have, that when ye fail, they may receive you Into everlafling habitations. 1 Tim. 6.17,18,1g. Charge them that are rich in this world
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