conclude, that there is not the poorest Perfon whatsoever but may be as rich in good works as the richeft, because God doth not measure the goodness of our works by their bulk or quantity, but by the proportion which they bear to our Eftates: So that he that gives a penny may do as good a work as he that gives a pound, yea and a better too, because his may be as much as he is able, whereas the other's is not. I wish all Men would feriously weigh and confider this, left otherwise they go out of the world without ever having done one good work in it: For we may affure our felves, he that is not thus rich in good works, doth no good at all with his Riches.

BUT it is farther to be confidered here that this Expreffion, rich in good works, implies that good works are indeed our principal Riches; and that Men must not compute their Riches fo much from what they have, as from what they give and devote to God. For what we have is not ours, but God's in our hands; but what we give is ours in God's hands, and he acknowledgeth himself our Debtor for it, in that he tells us that we lend it to him, and promiseth to pay it us again, Prov. xix. 17. And therefore they who caft up their Accounts to know how rich they are, ought

not

1

not to reckon upon what they have lying by them, nor upon their Houfes and Lands that are made over to them, nor yet upon what is owing to them by Men; but should reckon only upon what they have given to pious or charitable Ufes, upon what Treasure they have laid up in Heaven. For whatsoever they may think at prefent, I dare affure them, that will be found to be their only Riches another day. And therefore if any one defires to be rich indeed, let him take my Advice, do what good he can with the Riches he hath, and then he will be rich enough: For this is the way to be rich in good works. But in order unto that, he muft likewise observe what follows, to be

3. Ready to diftribute; that is, ready upon all occafions to pay his Tribute unto God, whenfoever he in his Providence calls for it; taking all opportunities of doing good, and glad when he can find them, Gal. vi. 10. Thus therefore whenfoever any opportunities prefent themselves of expreffing our thankfulness unto God, by works either of Piety or Charity, whatfover other bufineffes may be neglected, we must be fure to lay hold on that. For I dare fay, that there is none but will grant me that there is all the reafon in the world that God should be ferved in the first place, M

and

and that he should have the first fruits of all our Encrease, Prov. iii. 9. Exod. xxiii. 19. Deut. xxvi. 2. And therefore we cannot but acknowledge, that works of Piety towards God, and of Charity to the Poor, or as the Scripture calls them in general good works, are always to be done in the first place; and whatfoever other works may be omitted, be fure they must not. But we ought ftill to be as ready to pay our Duties unto God, as we are to receive any thing from him, as ready to give as to receive; and by confequence as Men let no opportunities flip wherein they can encrease their Eftates, they are much lefs to let any opportunities pafs wherein they can any way improve their Eftates for God's Glory and others Good; but they ought to be ready upon all Occafions to diftribute what they can upon charitable and pious Ufes.

4. Willing to communicate; as we must do it with a ready hand, fo we must do it with a willing Heart too. Thus we are enjoined to ferve God willingly, I Chron. xxviii. 9. and chearfully, 2 Cor. ix. 6, 7. Indeed God accepts of none but Free-will Offerings. If we be not as willing to do good works as we are to have wherewith to do them, we may be confident God will never accept of them. And therefore in

plain Terms, if any would be rich in good works as becometh Chriftians, and as it is our intereft to be, they must not stay till they be compelled, perfuaded, or intreated by others to do them; but they must fet upon them of their own accord, out of pure obedience unto God, and from a due fense of their conftant dependence upon him, and manifold obligations to him; yea fo as to take pleasure in nothing in the World so much as in paying their Refpects and Service to Almighty God, I Chron. xxix. 14, 15, 17.

Now to encourage the Rich to employ their Eftates thus in doing good, the Apoftle adds in the laft place, that this is the way to lay up for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal Life. A ftrange Expreffion! yea fuch a one, that had not St. Paul himself spoke it, fome would have been apt to have excepted against it for an Error or Mistake. What, good Works the Foundation of eternal Life? No, that is not the meaning of it; but that good works are the Foundation of that bleffed Sentence which they fhall receive who are made Partakers of eternal Life, as is plain. from our Saviour's own words, Mạt. xxv. 34, 35, 36.

AND verily although there be no fuch intrinfick value in good works, whereby they that do them can merit any thing from God by their doing of them, yet nothing can be more certain, than that God of his infinite Mercy in Jefus Chrift will fo accept of them as to reward us for them in the World to come. For this our Saviour himself doth clearly intimate to us, in the Place before quoted, as alfo, Met. vi. 26. Luk. xii. 33. Luk. xvi. 9. that is, diftribute and employ the unrighteous or deceitful Riches you have in this World in fuch a way as is moft pleafing and acceptable unto God, that fo he may be your Friend, and receive you into everlasting Habitations, when thefe tranfient and unftable Riches fail you. From whence I beg leave to obferve, that to do good with what we have is the only way whereby to improve our Eftates for our own good, fo as to be the better for them both in this and alfo in the World to come. The Rab

מלח ממון צדקה bins have a good Saying, that

good works are the Salt of Riches, that which preferves them from Corruption, and makes them favoury and acceptable unto God, as alfo useful and profitable to the Owners. Unless we do good with our Eftates, we forfeit our Title to them by the Non-payment of the Rent-charge which

God