SER M. pairs of that great temple at Jerufalem; in XVII. buying of facrifice; and finding a conftant fup

ply of oyl and incenfe for the worship of God? And yet was not this feeble effort as acceptable as if she had paid down the price of hecatombs? If to our power we contribute to a general and lafting good, it is equal in the fight of God as if we fingly and in our own perfon compleated the work: Let us do our duty with faith and dependance upon God's providence; let the charity fail of it's confequences, but let us not fail in our charity.

VIII. Having fhewn you the excellency of a publick charity in general, and of this in particular, which is now promoting, I shall in the last place obferve to you, from the words of the text, the exact notice which is taken by God how all people from the richest to the pooreft difcharge themselves in the performance of this great duty of alms-giving. A little before the words of the text it is faid, that Chrift beheld, xos as it is in the original, the multitude or crowd of people throw in their and yet fo curious was he, and had fo fharp an eye upon every one of them, that he could form an exact judgment upon the quantity of each perfon's alms, and the heart it was given with; infomuch that he could fingle out this poor woman, who in appearance gave the leaft of any one there, for the fubject of his remark, fo full of divine wifdom and inftruction; and could pronounce that the had caft more in than all they who caft

money;

into the treasury. This one farthing did not SER M. escape his view, and he was fo far from over- XVII. looking it, that he has published it to the whole world for all future generations; infomuch that wherefoever the Gospel is preached, this alfo that this woman hath done, is told for a memorial of her.

Here then is a corban or treasury for you who have abundance to give plentifully; and for you who have but a little, to give of that little. Though Chrift is not vifible here in person, and that we cannot fee him, yet he is even now looking on, and beholds what every one contributes. Little did that woman imagine who was then prefent, applauding her at the very instant, and faying in effect, well done, thou good and faithful fervant. But we know that the fame all-feeing eye which is every where beholding the evil and the good, is now upon us, and that every farthing which is now given, and upon the like occafions, will be weighed in the scale; and a most exact fcrutiny made what proportion it bears to our worldly fubftance, and what that fecret difpofition of the heart is with which it is given. Let us learn from hence to take care that the fmaller contributions of the poor are not found to out-weigh the greater offerings of the rich. Let us learn rather to exceed in our charities, and fail on the furer fide, than have them found light in the ballance when the great day of account comes. If we fall fhort in the performance of this duty, how then will these

two

SERM. two mites of a Jewish woman rise up in judgXVII. ment against the narrow, fcanty, and I may

fay beggarly alms of too many chriftians, who are directly oppofite to the spirit of the Gofpel, and of this woman; rich in money and worldly fubftance, but poor in good works?

Her contribution was to the repairs of the temple only; what is given upon this occafion is for the building up and beautifying many temples of the living God. That temple was but wood and ftone, and in a few years (as it feems from Luke xxi. 6. our Saviour obferves upon this very occafion) there was not to be left of it one ftone upon another: But these are fo many fpiritual and immortal souls, made to last for ever; and every one of them of greater value in the fight of God, than Solomon's in all it's glory. That was built only for a type of Chrift; these are all made after the very image of God, and are to be formed into the real likeness of Chrift's glorified body. She gave for providing of facrifices and incenfe, and the fupport only of a ceremonial worship; but what is now given, is for the prefenting many living facrifices holy and acceptable unta God, and for promoting of a reasonable service and evangelical holiness. She acted wholly

from the dark rudiments of the law which gave a profpect only of a temporal reward, the great motive of the old teftament; fuch as be who giveth unto the poor fhall not lack, Prov, xxviii. 27. And again, The liberal soul shall be made fat, Prov. xi. 25. And, caft thy bread

прага

upon the waters, and after many days thou shalt S ER M. find them. But he was ignorant of thofe clear XVII. revelations which we enjoy under the Gospel; she had not learnt that our alms, like thofe of Cornelius, come up for a memorial before God, Acts x. 4. That they are a treasure laid up in the Heavens, that faileth not, Luke xii. 33. That they are the purchase of an eternal weight of glory; and that we shall surely be recompenfed for them at the refurrection of the just. Nor was fhe exprefly told that when the Son of man fhall come in his glory, and all the boly Angels with him, and fhall fit upon the throne of his glory; and when before him fhall be gathered all nations, that this of alms-giving is the great distinguishing duty upon which the feparation of the sheep from the goats is founded; and the only inftance to be inserted in the laft joyful welcome, come ye bleffed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world, &c. But least of all did this woman know, that all fuch deeds of charity are in the account of God as if done to the very person of Chrift himself: In as much as ye have done it to one of the least of thefe my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Behold then, you who have learnt all this, a number of those little ones in a very literal fenfe, who are prepared to be fo many advocates for you in that great day; who will plead loudly that charity fhewn to them, which your modesty would conceal; they will then rife up and call you bleffed, and own the feafonable

SER M. fonable benefaction. That they were helpless XVII. or fatherless children, and that you took compaffion on them; that they were naked and you cloathed them; that they were ignorant and you inftructed them; that you faved them from want and beggary; from a life of misfery, and fin, and wickedness; nay many of them from prison and Shameful deaths; and were the happy inftruments of faving their fouls. One would think all good christians should rejoice to have fuch a fund as this to caft their alms into, that they may come in for a share in the reward for all that great, and publick, and lafting good, which must be the effect and confequence of this moft prudent kind of beneficence. Remember that all you spend in the vanities and pleafures of this life perisheth with the ufing, and that when death or the great change at the last day comes, we shall be in a moment stripped of all but what is given in good works, and charitable ufes: Thus much we have made for ever our own; it is put out of the power of fate; and caft into a treafury which will remain untouched, when the whole world is confumed in flames.

SERMON