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Course of Life, and giving it to those who by publick Order shall be recommended to them.

These things, I hope, Emay, without of fence, recommend to the Wisdom and Care of the Government of this Honourable City, fince there are both Headsenow to contrive the particular ways of curing those Evils, and Hands enow that will be open to contribute what is needful to fo ufeful a Work. Certain it is, the thing is practicable, fince it hath been, and is practifed in fome Towns of this Nation, and in feveral beyond the Seas. And that it is needful, there is none that has any true Sense of Charity (which confifts as much in taking Care to prevent the Miferies and Neceffities of Mankind, as in relieving them ;) there is none that hath any Regard to the Reputation of our Religion, or the Honour and good Government of this City, or Kingdom, but muft needs acknowledge.

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It is one of the great Glories of this City, that as they have been always faithful and prudent in the Management of thofe Publick Charities that they have been entrusted with, fo they have been very ready to encrease and to add to them. And God, without doubt, hath bleffed them the more for this: : very thing; as indeed the belt Atonement that any People can make for the many Sins, that the Place is guilty of, is the Sacrifice of Alms and Charity. And I hope that which condemned Sodom, to wit, that there were not ten righteous Men found in it (that is, Men that were of a Publick Spirit, that were truly LiK beral,

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beral, and Bountiful, and Charitable, for that is an ufual Notion of Righteoufness in the Old Teftament, and there are fome Paffages in this Hiftory, which make it probable that it may be the Notion of it here) 1 fay, that very thing, it is to be hoped, hath and will preferve this City of ours; becaufe, as far as we can gather, there are in it many times ten fuch Righteous Perfons. In truth, if there were not feveral good Men among us, that by the Exemplarity of their Lives, and their Charity, do ftand in the Gap between the reigning Sins of the Times, and the Judgments of God that threaten us for them; it would be a melancholy thing to think what would become of But fo long as God is pleafed to continue to us a Succeffion of thofe that fear God, and hate Covetoufnefs; that make it their Bufinefs to do good, and to ferve their Generation, there are hopes that he will yet continue to blefs us. And fo gracious hath God been to our City and Kingdom in this refpect, that (to the Glory of his Name be it fpoken) whatever Boafts they of the Church of Rome are wont to make of the Charitablenefs of their Religion, in oppofition to the Penuriousness of ours; and reproach us with the Bounty and Munificence of our Popifh Ancestors, and the Barrennefs of their Proteftant Succeffors ; yet we may fafely affirm, that there have been more publick Works of Charity done in this City and Kingdom fince the Reformation, than can be proved to have been done in the

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fame Compafs of Years during all the time that Popery prevailed among us.

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O therefore let us go on to do this Honour to our Religion; let us go on by our good Works to adorn the Doctrine of God that we profefs. Let us not only equal, but labour to exceed the Piety and the Publick-fpiritednefs of our Forefathers. Let every one, both Magistrates and People, in their feveral Capacities, be zealous and vigorous both in confulting, in contriving, and in acting for the publick Good as much as is poffible.

And for your greater Incouragement thus to do, let it be remembred, in the laft place, that befides the outward Advantages both publick and private that we reap by being charitable; this is the best Course we can take to fecure our everlasting Happiness in the World to come. For to do good with our Wealth, to be rich in good Works, to be ready to diftribute, willing to communicate, is (as the Apostle in the Text tells us) the way to lay up to our felves in ftere a good Foundation against the Time to come, that we may lay hold on eternal Life. And this is the third thing I am to infift on from the Text.

I mean not here to trouble you with the Criticifms about the Word DeuέG in the Text, by difputing whether it should be render'd Foundation, as it is in our Tranflation; though to lay up a Foundation feems an unufual way of fpeaking; we do not lay up Foundations, but build upon them: Or whether the Word fhould be taken to figni

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fy the Bond, or the Evidence that God hath given us for the Performance, of his part the Covenant; as it is ufed by this Apoftle elfe where, where he tells us that the Founda2 Tim. 3. tion of God ftandeth fure, having this Seal; that is to fay, that Covenant or Indenture, that God hath made with Mankind, ftandeth fure, and hath this Seal put to it; for Men do not put Seals to Foundations, but to Covenants : Or laftly, whether the Word fhould be rendred a Treafure, fo as to read the Text thus, laying up to themselves a good Treasure against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eterVid. Dr. nal Life. The original Word (fay the Learned) is capable of being tranflated all these ways, and the laft feems as natural as any; for to lay up Treasure to our felves against the time to come, is a proper way of fpeaking, and that which our Saviour frequently useth in that very thing we are here treating of. But it matters not much which of them to pitch upon, for they all come to one Sense and that is this, "That to be very charitable in this World, is a good means to fecure to ourselves a Title to Eternal Happiness in the next.

Hammond in loc.

But to prevent all Misunderstanding, that may happen of this Point, I defire, before I fpeak directly to it, to premise these two things.

Fir, Though we do maintain with the Ancient Church, the Efficacy of Charity and good Works for the furthering a Man's Salvation, yet we utterly reject those Doctrines which the modern Romanists have advanced

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in this Matter. The Popish Doctrines about good Works are thefe three following, That good Works are meritorious; do deferve the Favour and the Reward of God Almighty ;) again, that the Surplufage of a Man's good Works, that is to fay, the Merits of fo many of his good Deeds, as are over and above what is fufficient to fave his own Soul, may, by the Church, be difpenfed out to the Benefit of others, they being part of the Church's Treafure; and upon this Foundation they ground their Indulgences. And lastly, that good Works, i. e. the Alms of dying Perfons, that are given to the Church or Clergy, will, by the means of the Maffes and Dirges that they purchase to be faid for them, be effectual for the freeing their Souls out of the Tor ments of Purgatory. Thefel are the Popish Doctrines concerning good Works, which we all juftly reject, as having no Foundation in Scripture, or good Antiquity and being ap parently contrived for the promoting their fecular Gain and Advantage. But then as for the Neceffity, or the Conduciveness of good Works to a Man's Salvation, which is all we here plead for, I know no good Proteftant but doth as earneftly.contend for it as any of that Communion. THO

Secondly, Whatever Efficacy we attribute to Works of Charity, as a Means for the obtaining Eternal Life; we would not be underftood hereby to exclude the neceffary Concur rence of other Vertues and Graces to that end. It doth not from hence follow, that it is an indifferent

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