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thing Lovely and full of Honour, and I do not find that any thing raised the Reputation of a Roman higher than either a Contempt of Wealth, or Beneficence and Liberality. Whence Saluft feems to equal the Glory of Cafar's Bounty to that of Cato's Vertue and Severity; fometimes again they lookt upon Charity as an act of Religion, a Sacrifice more acceptable to God than the Fat of Lambs, or the Bloud of Bulls. And that for two Reasons: ft. Because it was the nobleft Imitation of God, who being himself the Universal Patron, and Benefactor of Mankind; they did reafonably infer that there was no worship more grateful to him than Beneficence and Liberality.

2dly, Because they did believe Mankind the Off spring, the Family of God and confequently that the Poor being entitled as well as the Rich to his Fatherly Love, they concluded, that nothing could be more natural or reasonable than to be kind to them out of Honour and Gratitude to him. And after all this, 'tis no wonder if they expected that the Divine Providence fhould punish that Uncharitablenefs, which implied Inhumanity and Irreligion, Bar

barity towards Man and Ingratitude towards God, and reward that Charity which had a Value and Dignity ftamped upon it by the quite contrary Affections; hence it is that we find Job reflecting on his good Deeds with an unspeakable Satisfaction, and establishing upon them as on a firm Foundation fair and flourishing Hopes, Job 29. 13.

The Bleffing of him that was ready to perifh came upon me, and I caufed the Widows heart to fing for Joy: And then I faid, v. 18. I shall die in my Neft, and I fhall multiply my Days as the Sand, and that in that state of Opulency and Honour, no doubt, which he there describes, v. 19, 20. My Root was fpread out by the Waters, and the Dew lay all night upon my Branch. My Glory was fresh in me, and my Bow was renewed in my hand: And hence it was, that when Job was oppreffed and overwhelmed by Calamities Eliphaz knew not what to impute them to, more probably than to Uncharitableness: Job 22. 7. Thou haft not given Water to the Weary to drink, and thou haft withholden Bread from the Hungry. This and all the reft I could confirm by full and numerous Teftimonies from Heathen Writers (if I thought it

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neceffary) these Notions of the Heathens derived from evident Light of Nature, as they do evince the Obligations to Charity Universal and Indispensable, so do they demonftrate the Guilt of Uncharitableness to be very great and provoking, the Evidence, Neceffity and excellent Tendency of any Law, as they befpeak the Importance of it, fo do they wonderfully aggravate the Violation of it, all which fuggeft to us a Truth, which I doubt is not fo well confidered as it ought; namely, that though our Alms must be voluntary and free-will Offerings; yet are we bound by the ftrongest Ties to make fuch; nothing less than Damnation being the Punishment of such who do not make these Oblations freely and cheerfully: For we cannot forget, I am fure we never ought, that the Sentence, Matth. 25. 42. ye Curfed into everlasting Fire, prepared for the Devil and his Angels, was pronounced on those who had not fuccoured the Miserable; I was an hungry and ye gave me no meat; I was thirsty and ye gave me no drink; I was a stranger and ye took me not in; naked and ye cloathed me not; fick and in prifon and ye vifited me not : What? fhall he that does not feed the

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Hungry be as furely damned as he that robs the rich Orphan or Widow? he that does not cloath the naked, as he that strips and fleeces his Neighbour by fraud or violence? he that does not hospitably receive the Stranger, as he that circumvents him perfidioufly, or bears him down by his power or interest ? he that does not vifit the Imprifoned, as he that cafts him wrongfully in there? in a word is the fame Hell prepared for Uncharitableness, for the meer denial of Relief and Succour, that is for Oppreffion and Injustice? Will the Same Vengeance, the fame everlasting Vengeance purfue those that abandon the Miferable, which will pursue those that make Men fo? Good God! Do the Rich and Covetous believe this to be Gofpel? Do those wretched Creatures, who fink under the Weight and Burthen of their Fortunes, and yet fuffer others to perifh for want of fome Fragments and Parings of it, do these believe this to be the Word of God? It cannot be.

Now that we have seen what Motives wrought upon Cornelius as a Pagan, under the Dispensation of natural Religion, need I confider him as a Profelyte of the Gates, and examine what farther Inducements

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ducements to Charity he might meet with in the Law and the Prophets, with which we may prefume him not unacquainted: I think it needs not; thus much only may be faid, that the Law of God under Judaifm fortified the Law of Nature, and Revelation added Light and Strength to Reafon; and the Suffrages of Mofes and the Prophets gave a New Authority to the Gentile Law-givers and Philofophers: I cannot find that Judaifm added any new Motive to Charity, which our Centurion might not have been acquainted with before; but this I may fay, that it could not but give him a great deal of light as to the Meafures and Degrees of it: For though it be notorious that the Pythagorean Charity came up for a little while even to a Community of Goods, and higher it could not grow; yet this was a rare Cafe, and made neither any strong nor general Impreffion upon the Minds of the Pagan World: The fame thing was practifed by the Effens among the Jews, but not as a Principle of the Jewish Religion, but a particular Tenet of their own Sect, or Inftitution. Thus far indeed the Mofaick Law did not advance, but yet it made very plentiful Provifions

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