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for the Poor: God when he gave the Land of Canaan in poffeffion, referved to himself as the great Lord and Proprietor, fome certain Acknowledgements or QuitRents, to be paid him in the Perfons of the Poor; fuch were the gleanings of the Vintage, and of the Fields and Tithes of the third Year, the Year of release, &c. and Befides this, he did forbid Ufury as repugnant to Charity; for generally none borrowed, but fuch as were forc'd to it by their Neceffities and Wants; and therefore were to be reliev'd by Alms, not oppressed by Ufury: He commanded · to lend, and to give, and that chearfully and bountifully, according to the Exigencies and Needs of a Brother, and all this under the Sanctions of the fevereft Curfes, or greatest Bleffings. I might alledge innumerable places both out of the Law and theProphets, to confirm and illuftrate all this, but I'll content my self with one, containing an Injunction of voluntary Charity, Deut. 15. 7. If there be among you a poor Man of one of thy Brethren within any of thy Gates in thy Land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thy band from thy poor Brother, but thou shalt open thine hand wide unto

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him; and fhalt furely lend him fufficient for his need in that which he wanteth, beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart; faying, The Seventh Tear, the Tear of releafe is at hand, and if thy Eye be evil against thy poor Brother and thou giveft him nothing and he cry unto the Lord against thee, and it be a fin unto thee; thou shalt furely give him, and thine heart fhall not be grieved when thou givest unto him, because that for this thing the Lord thy God fhall bless thee in all thy Works, and in all that thou putteft thine hand unto; for the Poor shall never cease out of the Land: therefore I command thee, faying,thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy Brother, to the Poor and to the Needy in thy Land; and this was to be extended allo to the Stranger according to Levit. 25. 35. And if thy Brother be waxen poor and fallen into decay with thee, then thou shalt relieve him, yea though he be a Stranger or a Sojourner, that he may live with thee: This being the Spirit of Judaifm in reference to the Point before us, we may rationally conceive that the Precepts and Examples of the Old Teftament added new ftrength and force to thole Motives to Charity, with which the Light of Nature had furnished Cor

nelius: But I'll purfue this enquiry no further; whatever were the Inducements, whatever the Motives to Cornelius his liberality, he has been the occafion of furnishing us with fuch a one, that nothing can refift but rank infidelity. For is it poffible for that Man to deny. Alms or give them with a fparing Hand, and a grudging Mind, who believes that Cornelius's were rewarded af ter fuch an extraordinary manner, by miraculous Demonftrations of God's Favour, by the Embally of an Angel, by the Attendance of the chief of the Apofties, nay by the Defcent and Refidence of the Holy Ghoft upon him and his Family and Friends, and not the Revelation only but affurance of a glorious Eternity: He I fay that believes this, unless he believes that the Charity of a Chriftian is lefs acceptable to God than that of a Pagan, cannot I think chule but thirst after opportunities of Charity, and take as much pleasure in scattering as ever he did in gathering, in doing good as ever he did in growing rich Let us therefore confider,

The Second thing contained in my Text, that is, God's Approbation of Cornelius his Deportment, or the Influ

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ence of Prayers and Alms, They are come up for a Memorial before God: And now I will confine my Thoughts no longer to Cornelius, this being an infeparable effect of a pious Charity, that it afcends up for a Memorial before God; the meaning of which is, not only that God beholds and. observes a pious Charity, but that he beholds and obferves it with Complacency and Satisfaction; nor this only, but also that be remembers it for ever, and will reward it with Bleffings becoming the Munificence and Majesty of God, of a Righteous and Good God? What an Incouragement is this to you who convey your Alms fecretly into the Treafury of God? that Cloud which your Humility and Modefty fcatters about it, adds a new Grace and Luftre to it: And your Heavenly Father who fees in fecret fhall reward you openly, Mat. 6. 4. What an Encouragement is this to you whofe good Works, are fo Eminent that they cannot chufe but glitter and fhine in the Eyes of the World? (I hope there are fome fuch here) that you erect your felves not only Monuments before Men, this were a poor Matter, but before God Monuments more glorious than

Statues,

Statues, and Triumphal Arches, or any whatsoever crouching Slavery or mercenary Flattery can raife, your Deeds fhall ftand registered in the Book of Life, which infinitely outlafts the Book of Fame; nay they fhall be engraven in the very Memory of God, where neither Time nor Eternity fhall be ever able to efface them.

Lastly, What an Encouragement is this to you, who by a yearly Supply feed that Stream of Bounty in the Hofpitals, which would otherwise foon grow dry, and be exaufted, being overcharged with numbers of the Miserable, and liable, as you have heard, to Fires and other fad Accidents? your Alms will certainly go up as a Memorial before God: The Angels of thefe little Ones, who always behold the Face of God, while they give anaccount of their Charge, will do fo of your Charity too; the Blef fings and Praises of fuch as are delivered from Mifery while they celebrate the Divine Goodness, put him in mind of yours too; for you At what he inspires, you imitate in your little Sphere that Divine Bounty that feeds the World, and pities and fuccours the Wants and Miseries of it. I'll leave you to imagine

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