SER M. of this Blessedness, from that Exercise of your II. Bounty, to which the prefent Opportunity invites you. I fhall begin then with fhewing you the Meaning and Import of Giving and Receiving · in the Text, and upon what Account it is faid, that the One is more bleffed than the Other. By Giving, to take it in the largeft religious Senfe, (for in no other Senfe, but a religious One, can we take it, with a Bleffedness annexed to it by our Saviour) we may understand the bestowing upon Others, according to the Ability we have from God, whatever tends to their Benefit and Comfort, either in Soul or Body. And this not upon any Worldly Views or Motives, but fuch only as we are directed in the Gospel to act upon in communicating to others, viz. Love to our Neighbour, and Regard to Chrift's Commands. Whatsoever is thus given is true Charity; and whatsoever is not thus given, however commendable it may appear in the Eye of the World, or bear the fplendid Name of Munificence or Liberality, yet it comes not under the Gospel-Notion of Beneficence and Brotherly Love; nor doth it intitle to the Gofpel-Reward, or that Blessednefs with which Chriftian-Charity is crowned. St II. St Paul tells us, that though a Man give all S ER M. his Subftance to the Poor; nay, and give his own Body to be burned, and have not Charity, it profiteth him Nothing. The Gift in this Cafe, how extraordinary foever it be, hath no Bleffing entailed upon it, because it proceedeth not from those Motives, and upon thofe Aims, which God requires we fhould be governed by, in all our Distributions, to make them acceptable in his Sight: But he who makes it his Endeavour to do real Service to his Neighbour, either by giving him good Advice and Inftruction, or by giving him Comfort in his Sorrow, or by giving him Affiftance in his Sickness and Dangers, or by giving him Food and Raiment in his Hunger and Nakedness, or by any other Method of adminiftring to his Wants Spiritual or Temporal according as God hath enabled him; and likewife doth all this not out of vain GloryTM to be feen of Men: not with any Regard to the Interefts of this World, n " that a Recompence should be made him by the Perfon he obliges; but all for Christ's Sake; and his Neighbour's Sake, D 4 this Man shall be blessed II Cor. xiii. 3. Matt. vi. I. n Luke xiv. 12, SERM. bleffed in his Deed. And a little thus given, II. whether it be by Way of Council, or Confolation, or Cloaths, or Meat, or Money, will bring a Man more Peace at the laft; nay, and at present too, than the great Riches of the Unmerciful. Receiving likewife is a Word of very extenfive Signification, and has Relation to all the Advantages of Mind, Body, or Estate, that God hath been pleased to give us, either in a Natural or a Providential Way. For what haft thou that thou didst not receive? All we have, or are, is the Gift of God, from whom we have all received our Beings, with their respective Circumftances, as natural Endowments, fpiritual Graces, and outward worldly Bleffings, And now, if the Words be interpreted in this Latitude, (which is the utmost they can with any Propriety be extended to) it will be hard to make any other Diftinction between the Bleffedness of Giving, and that of Receiving, than that the One, confifts chiefly in fuch Satisfactions of the Mind as fpring from the Confcience of Well-doing; whereas the Other, is Pfalm xxxvii. 16. 4 Cor. iv. 7. H. is no more than the Satisfaction of the Mind, SERM. acquiefcing in the Poffeffion of fome defirable Good. In receiving we are wholly paffive; it is no Act of Goodness in us, but only an Effect of God's Goodness to us, to whom the Praise and Thanks return: But Giving is a Virtue in ourselves, and there is a Merit and a Praise to be afcribed (under God) to the voluntary Difpenfers of his Benefits to Others. Receiving is a Token of Defect and Inability; it proves us to be dependant Creatures, needing thofe Affiftances and Succours, which afforded, yield us Satisfaction; But Giving is a Mark of Sufficiency and Power; in Giving we refemble the Fountain of all Goodness, and enrich our human Nature with fome Senfations of the Happiness of the Deity. 'Tis in these Senses it may be faid in general to be more blessed to give than to receive. But if we restrain the Sense of Giving (as many think it should be reftrained in this Place, and as the foregoing Words seem to require) to the Charity of Alms only; that is, to the Distribution of fome Part of our Worldly Goods towards the Maintenance and Support of our poor Brethren, (which, to be fure, our Saviour SER M. Saviour principally meant, when he used to II. speak of the Blessedness of Giving), then we must understand Receiving likewife as having Relation only to the outward good Things of this Life: And fo the Meaning of our Lord's Affertion will be as follows: That we are more blessed, or more truly hapoy, in what we give away in Alms, than in what we apply to ourfelves, and to our own Ufes. For as Receiving is exprefly put in Oppofition to Giving, it can only be spoken confiftently, of that Share of our Worldly good Things, the Enjoyment whereof we take to ourselves, exclufive of that other Share which we communicate, and beftow upon our Neighbours. What we freely part with to promote Works of Piety and Charity, or difpenfe among our poor Brethren for their Relief and Comfort, that we give. But what we lay out upon ourselves, either in the Comforts and Conveniences of Life; or in bodily Pleasures and Satisfactions; or difpofe of with a View to our Worldly Intereft or Honour; or lay up by us for our future Subfiftance, all that we receive. I apprehend now the Terms of the Text are made so clear and plain, and interpreted fo agreeably |