Efteem of himfelf, but not of those he envies; it being a fort of bearing Testimony to thofe Excellencies, that he thinks them worth the Envying. Sunday XIII. and Qua 29. What hath been faid of the Value and 4 Refpe& Respect due to thofe Excellencies of the Mind due to Men in regard may, in a lower Degree, be applied to the out of their ward Advantages of Honour, Greatnefs, and Ranks the like: Thefe, tho' they are not of equalities. Value with the former, (and fuch for which no Man is to prize himself) yet in regard that thefe Degrees and Diftinctions of Men are by God's Wife Providence difpofed for the better Ordering of the World, there is fuch a civil Refpect due to those to whom God hath difpens'd them, as may best preferve that Order for which they were intended. Therefore all Inferiors are to behave themselves to their Superiors with Modesty and Refpect, and not by a rude Boldness confound that Order which it hath pleafed God to fet in the World; but, according as our Church-Catechifm teaches, Order themfelves lowly and reverently to all their Betters. And here the former Caution against Envy comes in most feasonably; these outward Advantages being Things of which generally Men have more tafte than of the other, and therefore will be more apt to envy and repine to fee others exceed them therein: To this therefore all the former Confiderations against Envy,will be very proper; and the more neceffary Sunday neceffary to be made use of, by how much XIII. Temptation is in this Cafe to most Minds the greater. Dues to thofe that are in any fort of.. Want ; 30. The fecond Qualification is that of Want: Whoever is in Diftrefs for any thing wherewith I can fupply him, that Diftrefs of his makes it a Duty in me fo to fupply him, and this, in all kinds of Wants. Now the Ground of its being a Duty, is, that God hath given Men Abilites, not only for their own Ufe, but for the Advantage and Benefit of others; and therefore what is thus given for their Ufe, becomes a Debt to them, whenever their Need require it. Thus he that is ignorant, and wants Knowledge, is to be inftructed by him that hath it; and this is one fpecial End why that Knowledge is given to him The Tongue of the Learned is given to speak a Word in feafon, Ifa. 1. 4. He that is in Sadnefs and Affliction, is to be comforted by him that is himself in Chearfulness. This we fee St. Paul makes the End of God's comforting him, that he might be able to comfort them that are in any Trouble, 2 Cor. i. 4. He that is in any Courfe of Sin, and wants Reprehenfion and Counsel, muft have that Want fupplied to him by those who have fuch Abilities and Opportunities, as may make it likely to do Good. That this is a Juftice we owe to our Neighbour, appears plainly by that Text, Levit. xix. 17. Thou shalt not hate thy Brother in thy Heart, thou shalt in any wife reprove him, and and not fuffer Sin upon him; where we are un-Sunday der the fame Obligation to reprove him, that XIII. we are not to hate him. He that lies under any Slander, or unjuft Defamation, is to be defended and cleared by him that knows his Innocence; or else he makes himself guilty of the Slander, because he neglects to do that which may remove it: And how great an Injustice that of Slandering our Neighbour is, I have already fhewn. 31. Laftly, He that is in Poverty and Need, To the muft be relieved by him that is in Plenty Poor. and he is bound to it, not only in Charity, but even in Juftice. Solomon calls it a Due, Prov. iii. 27. With-hold not Good from him to whom it is due, when it is in the Power of thine Hand to do it: And what that Good is, he explains in the very next Verfe; Say not to thy Neighbour, Go, and come again, and to morrow I will give, when thou haft it by thee. It seems, 'tis the with-holding a Due, so much as to defer giving to our Poor Neighbour. And we find God did, among the Jews, feparate a certain Portion of every Man's Encreafe to the use of the Poor, a Tenth every third Year, (which is all one with a Thirtieth part every Year) Deut. xiv. 28, 29. And this was to be paid, not as a Charity, or a Liberality, but as a Debt; they were unjuft, if they with-held it. And furely we have no reafon to think, that Chriftian Juftice is funk fo much below the Jewish, that either nothing at all, or a less pro Sunday proportion is now required of us. God with Abilities not thus employed. I wish our Practice were but at all answerable to our Obligation in this Point, and then furely we fhould not fee fo many Lazarus's lie unrelieved at our Doors, they having a better Right to our Superfluities than we ourselves have And then, what is it but arrant Robbery, to bestow that upon our Vanities, nay, our Sins, which fhould be their Portion? : 32. In all the foregoing Cafes, he that hath draws the Ability, is to look upon himfelf as God's Stewwhich are ard, who hath put it into his Hands to diftribute to them that Want; and therefore not to do it, is the fame Injuftice and Fraud that it would be in any Steward to purfe up that Money for his private Benefit, which was intrufted to him for the Maintenance of the Family and he that fhall do thus, hath juft reafon to expect the Doom of the unjuft Steward, Luke xvi. to be put out of his Stewardship, to have those Abilities taken from him, which he hath fo unfaithfully employed. And as for all the reft, fo particularly for that of Wealth, 'tis very commonly to be obferved, that it is withdrawn from thofe that thus defraud the Poor of their Parts, the griping Mifer coming often, by ftrange undifcernable Ways, to Poverty; and no wonder, he having no Title to God's Bleffing on his Head, who does not confecrate a Part to him in his Poor Members. and therefore, we fee the Ifraelites, before they could make that Challenge of God's Promise to blefs blefs them, Deat. xxvi. 15. Look down from thy Dunday XIII. Holy Habitation, and blefs thy People Ifrael, &c. They were firft to pay the Poor Man's Tythes, ver. 12. without which they could lay no claim to it. This with-holding more than is meet, as Solomon fays, Prov. xi: 24. tends to Poverty; and therefore, as thou wouldst play the good Husband for thyself, be careful to perform this Juftice, according to thy Ability, to all that are in Want. 33. The Third Qualification, is that of Re-Duties in lation; and of that there may be divers Sorts, Relation. arifing from divers Grounds, and Duties anfwerable to each of them. There is, Firft, a Relation of a Debtor to a Creditor; and he that ftands in that Relation to any, whether by virtue of Bargain, Loan, or Promife, 'tis his Duty to pay juftly what he Owes, if he be a ble (as, on the other fide, if he be not, 'tis the Creditor's, to deal Charitably and Chriftianly with him, and not to exact of him beyond his Ability). But I need not infift on this; having already, by fhewing you the Sin of With-holding Debts, informed you of this Duty.. to Bene 34. There is also a Relation of an obliged Gratitude Perfon to his Benefactor, that is, one that far. hath done him good, of what kind foever, whether fpiritual or corporal; and the Duty of that Perfon is, Firft, Thankfulness, that is, a ready and hearty Acknowledgment of the Courtely receiv'd Secondly, Prayer for God's |