2 TIM. iv. 8. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteoufness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, fhall give me at that day; and not to me only, but unto all those alfo that love his appearing.

SERMO N. XXIX.

The neceffity of crucifying our affections and lufts.

P. 285 GALAT. V. 24. And they that are Ghrift's have crucified the Flesh, with the affections and lufts.

SERMON XXX.

The great neceffity of Purity.

P. 319

JAMES . 17. The wisdom that is from above is firft pure, then peaceable, gentle and eafy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrify.

SERMON XXXI.

The divine eloquence of our Saviour confider

ed.

JOH

P. 340

OHN vii. 46. The officers anfwered, Never man Spake like this man.

SERMON

On the fame Subject,

XXXII.

P. 368

SERMON

SERMON XVII

PREACHED

At the Parish Church of St. Andrew's, Dublin, on Sunday the 15th of April, 1716. For the Benefit of the Charity-School for Boys in that Parish.

The Duty and Meafure of Almsgiving.

MARK Xii. 43, 44.

And be called to his Difciples, and faith to them, verily I fay unto you, that this por Widow bath caft more in, than all they which have caft into the Treasury.

For all they did caft in of their Abundance'; but she of her Want did caft in all he had, even all her Living.

T

HIS treasury was a kind of cheft in SER M. the temple, anfwerable to the poor- XVII. box fixed in fome of our churches, into which ✔

VOL. II.

B

the

SER M. the free-will offerings were caft, for pious and XVII. charitable uses. Jefus fitting over against it

;

where he could have the easiest view, and beholding how the people caft money into it, obferved a poor Woman throw in two mites which by the beft computation were in value three farthings of our coin. The eyes of others, and probably those of his Disciples likewise, overlooked this poor contribution of hers, as inconfiderable and below their notice, and were intent upon the greater Sums of the rich: But Jefus who judged not according to appearance, called to his Difciples; the expreffion fhews fomething of folemnity, and that he had a Matter of no fmall confequence to communicate to them. And left he might thereby have discouraged the greater offerings of the rich, or given occafion of vanity to the charitable Widow, he at that time imparts what he had to fay only to them; and lets them know, that what was feemingly fo mean and despicable in itself, contained abundant matter of inftruction, even to them who were to teach and reform the world: For that this was a fingular inftance of an excellent and exalted charity, and of the noblest munificence. They were to learn this paradox, new to them, as well as abfurd and incredible to the Scribes and Pharifees Hypocrites; but full of divine wisdom and truth to fuch as are enlightened by the Gofpel: Namely, that two Mites were more than an hundred; and that one brafs farthing might be

of

of greater intrinfick worth and value than SER M. thousands of gold and filver. XVII.

My bufinefs at prefent fhall be to pursue our Saviour's defign in tranfmitting this paffage down to us; and to lay this great exam-. ple before in the best light I can for your. imitation and encouragement. And this I fhall do by obferving the feveral things which it naturally fuggefts to us. Accordingly,

you

I. We learn from hence that the pooreft fort of people are not exempted from this indifpenfable duty of almfgiving. The loweft: rank of people under the law was not excused from thefe offerings of God which were to be made in the Temple; and the duty of almígiving under the Gospel arifes from the ex-. prefs command of God, Heb. xiii. 16. To do good, and to diftribute forget not, for with fuch facrifices God is well pleafed. And Luke xi. 41. Give alms of fuch things as ye have. Befides, this example before us is more immediately fitted for the poor; and the gracious acceptance of that little gift fhews us how well pleased God was with it. If any were left out of that. command of doing good by diftributing, this! woman had fufficient reafon to think her felf of that number; being by her sex more helpless than a man, and a widow too, and not only fo but a poor one, and reduced to one farthing to live upon, and perhaps could not tell when he was like to see another. The widow and the fatherless are propofed in fcripture as the most common and fignal objects

SER M. of Charity, and yet even under this circumXVII. ftance fhe thought it her duty to give fome

thing, though it was next to nothing. If any can pretend to be in a worse condition than this, then may they with fome colour plead exemption from the performance of this great duty; for they only are excufed from giving alms of fuch things as they have, who have nothing to give in alms,

II. The fecond thing we may observe from hence is, that the true Measure of our chari ties, in the account of God, is not the quan tity of what is given, but the proportion it bears to our fortune in the World. This is: the plain import of the text, and what our Saviour expreffly afferts in the cafe of this widow who caft more in than all they who caft into the Treasury; nay though it is not improbable that the Disciples themselves threw fomething into it at the fame time; for we find, John xiii. 29. that it was their custom to give to the poor out of the common ftock. The reafon affigned for this judgment of his is because the rich caft in x TO Hapoσtúorros, of their fuperfluity; what was redundant and unneceffary, what could be spared, and that they might be well without. But the gave ἐκ τῆς ὑςερήσεως αυτής,of what the wanted her felf; what was to procure her not any conveniency only, but the very neceffaries of life. So that it was not a fmall gift out of a little, which would have equalled any thing

the