and we cannot help, unless we would deface the first and most genuine Impreffions of God upon our Souls; we cannot help, I fay, feeling within fomewhat anfwerable, and a-kin to all the Mifery, that we feel without, and, confequently, we ease our own Bowels, when we compaffionate the Miferies, and relieve ourselves, when we remove the Afflictions of a Brother. Thus God and Nature within us follicit the poor Man's Caufe: Our own Eafe and Satisfaction demand from us Pity and Compaffion; and the tender Relentings and Stirrings of Humanity, which arife in every Man's Breaft, do even mechanically incline us to Acts of Mercy and Benevolence, if we will but ftand neuter, and leave Nature to her own Workings.

But, befides the Propenfity of Nature, there is a farther Obligation to this Duty arifing from the near Relation, which every Man has to the very. meanest and most abject, the poorest and most miferable of his own Kind. We are all the Workmanship of the fame Hands, made of the fame Matter, moulded in the fame Form, and copied from the fame Image, even that of God himfelf: For, did not be, that made me, fays holy Job, make him? And did not one fashion us in the Womb? And as one Hand made us both, fo has it made us fo very near the fame, that, in the main effential Ingredients of our Nature, we are all one and therefore, in ufing him well, I am kind to myself, and, in feeding and fupporting him, I fuftain and cherish a Member of my own Body: Whereas to deny Bread to the Hungry, Lodging to the Traveller, and Covering to the Naked, &c. (in the strong and elegant Expreffion of the Prophet) is hiding a Man's Self from his own Flesh; nay, in the Phrafe of the wife Man, 'tis fomething more unnatural; for, while the merciful Man does Good to his own Soul, faith he, he that is cruel, troubleth his own Flefb.

But,

But, how strictly foever we are obliged to this Duty by the Ties of Nature, yet there is still a more forcible Obligation upon us from our fpiritual Relation and Confanguinity, as we are the Children of the fame Father, born to the fame Hopes, and Co-beirs of the fame Inheritance in Light. For, is it not fit, that they fhould partake of the Bowels of Man's Compaffion, who communicate with us in the everlasting Mercies of God? Who are endued with the gracious Influences of the fame Spirit, and have the Image of the fame God, not only by Nature ftamped upon them, but by Grace renewed within them? Who are Partakers of the fame high Calling, the fame honourable Privileges, the fame glorious Promises, and, in fhort, have been purchased and purified by the precious Blood of the fame common Saviour? Since in these great and ineftimable Benefits we all communicate alike, why fhould the fecular Trifles of Wealth and Riches' be made fo private and particular? Efpecially confidering, that, as we are defigned for a better and celeftial Country, we are but Pilgrims upon Earth, where, though the greatest may appear with a more coftly Equipage, and more fplendid Retinue, yet still he is but a Paffenger, taking a Journey to the fame Country, where the meaneft Perfon, that fets out with him, may perhaps be as great as he. And is it not then extremely foolish and ridiculous, as well as barbarous and inhuman, for one in an opulent Condition to deny fo poor a Sum, as would defray the neceffary Expences of a Fellow-Traveller, who, at his Journey's End, and in his own Country, (which from any of us is not far diftant) has as great, perhaps a greater Eftate; as good, perhaps better Friend and Ally, than himself?

Thus it appears, from the feveral Relations we bear to each other, whether as Men or Chriftians,

that this great Act of Religion, the relieving the Poor, is a moft reasonable Service: And therefore we need lefs wonder, that we find Mofes and the Prophets, in the Old, and, in the New Teftament, our bleffed Lord and his Apoftles, inculcating nothing fo often, urging nothing fo preffingly, recommending nothing fo affectionately, as this. The Law was a Difpenfation of Servility and Fear, and had no great Power to excite and improve the tender Refentments of Nature; and yet we find God inferting this Precept in the very Body of it: If there be among you a poor Man, thou fhalt not harden thy Heart, nor fhut thine Hand from thy poor Brother; thou shalt furely give him, because that for this Thing the Lord thy God will bless thee in all thy Works. Job in his own Practice and Example has fhewn us, that Perfons of large Fortunes fhould not hold the Poor from their Defire, nor cause the Eyes of the Widow to fail; should not eat their Morfels alone, and the Fatherless not eat thereof; fhould not see any perish without Cloathing, or the Poor without a Covering; but order their Bounty fo, that, being warmed with the Fleece of their Sheep, bis Loins fhould bless him. The Royal Pfalmift calls upon us to confider the Poor, and to difperfe our Riches abroad, that the Lord may deliver us in the Time of Trouble. The Royal Preacher exhorteth us to caft our Bread upon the Waters, in order to find it after many Days; and for this, in another Place, he gives us this Encouragement, he that hath Pity on the Poor, lendeth to the Lord; and that which he hath given him, will be pay him again: And, to mention no more, the Prophet Micah hath made it one of the three great Articles in the Syftem of Religion, to love Mercy; or as another Prophet hath explained it, that thou deal thy Bread to the Hungry, and bring the Poor, that are caft out, to thine Houfe; when thou feeft the Naked, that thou

cover him, and that thou hide not thyself from thine own Flef.

Well therefore may we expect, that, in a Religion defigned to cultivate the tender Sentiments of human Nature, our Inftructions fhould be, not to lay up to ourselves Treasures upon Earth, but to be rich in good Works, ready to diftribute, willing to communicate; to abound in the Grace of Liberality; to give to every one that asketh; and, if we would be perfelt, to fell all that we have, and give to the Poor, that So we may have Treafure in Heaven. This is that pure Religion, and undefiled before God; this that Sacrifice, wherewith he is well pleafed; this is the Method of expreffing our Love to our gracious Lord, and making him our Debtor; for verily I fay unto you, in as much as ye have done it to one of the leaft of these my Brethren, ye have done it unto me. What a gracious Sentence is this? Can a Man be profitable to God? As Job afks the Question: And as Elibu; if thou be righteous, what deft thou give him? Or, what does be receive at thy Hands? Alas! my Goodness extendeth not to thee, is the Confeffion of the Man after God's own Heart: Yet fee here the infinite Condefcenfion of our Saviour! He has found out a Way, how we may give fomewhat even to him, that is already Lord of all; be merciful to the Fountain of all Mercy, and do Good even to Goodness itself; in that he places to his own Account, and graciously accepts, as done to himself, whatever we do to his afflicted Members for his Sake: And for this Reafon he hath ordained, that, fince himself was to return to his heavenly Father, we should have the Poor always with us, that, whenever we will, we may do them good. Them he hath left his Reprefentatives, that we might never want whereupon to exercise our Love to him, even to the End of the World: And it is by Means of their Poverty, that we may make

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our

our Riches truly Bleffings, as they afford us an Opportunity of employing them to the beft of Purposes, and of fetting forth the Honour and Love, which we always owe, and ought always to be paying to our Lord.

'Tis from no Defect then, or Failing of the inexhaustible Stores of God's Goodnefs, that there is fuch a Thing as Poverty among the Sons of Men, Had it been as agreeable to his infinite Wisdom, as it was eafy to his Almighty Power, he might have made the fame Abundance and Plenty common to all Mankind, and left no Room for the foolish Cavils against Providence, from the prefent unequal Diftribution of the good Things of this World Or, fince it had pleased God to make the World confift, as it does, of rich and poor, he, who, through the whole Scripture, declares fuch a tender Regard for the Poor, might fupply their Neceffities with his own Hand. He, that fed the Ifraelites in a barren Wilderness with Angel's Food, and Bread fent from Heaven, and preferved their Garments from wearing out, or waxing old; he, that fed his Prophet by Ravens, and bleffed the poor Widow's Handful of Meal and Cruife of Oil, so that it neither wafted nor failed; could ftill, (if he faw it good) without calling in the Help of the Rich, relieve all the Wants of his Creatures himself, but therefore he chufes to wave his Almighty Power, and to fend Man to Man for Relief and Support, not only that he might make Trial of our Faith and Affection to him, but that he might endear us likewife to each other, and diffuse continually through the whole intelligent Creation a divine Principle of mutual Love. As then the Poor are the Reprefentatives of Chrift in his weak and fuffering Humanity, so the charitable Rich, who feed and fuftain them, may be faid to reprefent him in his powerful and all-fuffi