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indifferent matter what Religion a Man is of, or what kind of Life he leads, if he be but mighty bountiful to the Poor, and do a great deal of Good in his Life: No, how acceptable to God foever the Sacrifice of Alms and Charity be, yet we are not to expect is fhall be available to our Salvation, unless it proceed from a pure Heart, and be offered with a lively Faith in Jefus Chrift, and accompanied with a fincere Endeavour to obey all God's. Commandments. Eternal Happiness is not propofed in the Gospel as a Reward of any one fingle Vertue, no not of the greatest, but of all of them together; if indeed there can be any true Vertue where there is not a Conjunction of all; I fay, if there can be, for St. James feems to affirm that there cannot: Jam. 2.10. Whosoever (faith he) fball keep the whole Law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all

Luk. 6.30, 35.

But now having faid this by way of Caution, to prevent all occafion that any may take from our fo earnestly preffing Charity, to undervalue and neglect other Duties; it cannot be denied, on the other fide, that very great Ef fects are by our Saviour and his Apoftles, afcribed to this Vertue, with refpect to Mens Salvation in the other World.

In the fixth of St. Luke, our Lord thus advifeth, Love (faith he) your Enemies, give to him that asketh, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again, fo fhall your Reward be great, and ye fhall be the Children of the most higheft. Now fure to be intitled to great Rewards, and to be the Children of the most high, doth look far

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ther than this prefent World. Our Saviour, without doubt, means the fame thing here, that he expreffes upon the fame occafion in another place, viz. They (thofe that you do Luke 14. good to) cannot recompenfe you, but you fall be recompenfed at the Refurrection of the Just.

14.

Again, the Parable of the unjuft Steward, Luke 16. that provided fo well for himself against a bad time out of his Mafter's Goods, is wholly defigned to this purpofe; and that the Appli cation of it fufficiently fhews; for our Saviour having faid, that the Lord of this Steward commended him for his providence and care of himself, he thus applies it to all his Difciples: Wherefore I fay unto you, Make you Friends to Verle 9. your felves of the Mammon of Unrighteousness, i. e. of thefe falfe deceitful Riches) that when you fail, you may be received into everlasting Habitations; plainly declaring that the best Provifion that rich Men can make for themfelves against the time of their Death, in order to their Reception into the other World, muft be the charitable Actions they do with their Wealth while they live here.

Laftly, In another place our Saviour faith the very fame thing, in effect, that is faid in the Text; for this is his Counfel to all that mean to be happy in the next Life, viz. that they fell that they have (that is, when the times Luke 12. are fuch that it is reafonable fo to do) that 33. they give Alms; for thereby they provide to themfelves Bags which wax not old, a Treafure in the Heavens where no Thief approacheth, nor Moth corrupteth.

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Heb. 6.9.

Verfe 11.

To thefe three Texts of our Saviour's, I fhall add three others of three of his Apoftles, which fpeak juft to the fame effect, and with them I fhall conclude. The firft is that of St. Paul, in his Epiftle to the Hebrew's, where having spoken moft fevere things, and denounced no less than Hell-fire against the false Brethren among them, yet thus he comforts the Church to whom he writes: But, Beloved, (faith he) we are perfuaded better things of you, and things that do accompany Salvation, though we thus fpeak. And what, I pray, is the Reafon he is thus perfuaded? Verily this, for God (faith he) is not unrighteous to forget your Work and Labour of Love, which you have fhewed to his Name, in that ye have miniftred to the Saints, and yet do minifter. It was purely their Charity to the Brethren, that made him have these good Hopes of them, that they were in a State of Salvation. Though that Church, as to other things, was in a very degenerate Condition, yet confidering they had been laborious and diligent in the Exercise of Charity, and ftill continued fo to be, God would not forget them; nay, he was not fo unrighteous as to forget them. And then, that which follows in Verse 12. the next Verfe is very obfervable; And we defire that every one of you do fhew the fame Diligence (to wit, in the Practice of Charity) to the full Affurance of Hope unto the End. If they would have their Hopes of a future Life affured to them, the way to do it was to perfevere in their diligent Attendance to Works of Mercy and Kindness, and Charity.

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The fecond Paffage is that of St. John; 1 John 3. Hereby (faith he) perceive we the Love of God towards us, because he laid down his Life for us; and we ought to lay down our Lives for the Brethren. But whofo bath this World's good, and feeth his Brother bath need, and butteth up bis Bowels of Compaffion from him, how dwelleth the Love of God in him? My little Children, lef us not love in Word, neither in Tongue, but int Deed and in Truth, and hereby we know that we are of the Truth, and shall affure our Hearts be fore him. I pray mind that; by our charitable Difpofition and doing good to our Brethren, by this we know we are true Difciples of Jefus Chrift, and this is that that will affure our Hearts, will give us Confidence to appear before God at the laft Day, when he comes to judge the World. And this is a Point that the Apoftle thinks fo confiderable, that he goes over with it again in the next Verfe, Beloved, if our Hearts condemn us not (i. e. condemn us not as to this Point of Love and Charity) then have we Confidence towards God, and whatfoever we ask, we shall receive of him, because we do thofe things that are pleafing in his Sight

The laft Text to this purpose that I defire may be taken notice of, is that of St. Peter, 1 Pet.4.8. Above all things, my Brethren, have fervent Charity among your felves, for Charity fhall cover the Multitude of Sins. O how comfortable are thefe Words! There is none of us, even the best, but hath a Multitude of Sins to answer for; by what means now must we ob

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Pfal.33.1. tain that thefe Sins fhall be covered? that is, fhall be forgiven; for covering of Sins is the Forgiveness of them in the Scripture-language. Why, the Apoftle hath directed us to the Method, Above all things put on Charity, for it is Charity that fball cover a Multitude of Sins. Charity is of that Power with God, that it alone is able to overcome the Malignity of many of our Sins and Frailties, that would otherwife do us mifchief: If any thing can make Atonement for the Carelessness, and the many Failings of our Lives, and prevent the Punishment that is due to them, it is to be very charitable, and to do much good: Charity covers a Multitude of Sins in this Life. A great many Temporal Judgments, that would otherwife have fallen upon us for our Sins, are hereby prevented, and that not only private ones, but publick too; And I think it no Popery to affirm, that Charity will cover a Multitude of Sins in the other Life alfo; that is, whoever is of atrue charitable Difpofition, and doth a great deal of good in his Generation, tho' he may have a great many Infirmities and Mifcarriages to answer for; yet if he be fincerely vertuous in the main, and fo capable of the Rewards of the other World; his other Failings will be overlooked, they will be buried in his good Deeds, and the Man fhall be rewarded notwithstanding. Or if he be a vicious Perfon, and fo muft of neceffity fall short of the Glory that fhall be revealed; yet ftill in proportion, the Good he hath done in his Life will cover the Multitude of Sins. Though it will

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