The poor mans advocate, or, A treatise of liberality to the needy. Delivered in…The poore mans advocate, or, A treatise of liberality to the needy. Delivered in…

True Religion and undefiled before God the Father, is this, to visit the fatherless and widow in their distress, and to keep ones self. &c. Here also the Holy Ghost meaneth that that habit ⟨p. 26⟩or virtue of Religion or worshipping God is in it self sincere and upright, and to God acceptable, and in his esteem spotless and without blemish which produceth such mercifulness in the performer, that it makes him voluntarily and of his own accord helpful to the distressed Saints. Look into the story of the rich man, Luke 18.18. & 24. He was desirous to inherit eternal life, He came to Christ to learn the way to life, he knew the commandments. ⟨p. 27⟩He had diligently kept them in respect of outward carriage even from his youth, being such a one as Paul in his Pharisaism, in respect of the Law unrebukeable, yet lacked he one things, as our Saviour tells him, that is, to sell all and give to the poor and follow Christ, and because he went away sorrowful and would not buy heaven at that rate, our Saviour saith, it is as possible for a Camel to go through the eye of a needle as for a rich man (He ⟨p. 28⟩must needs mean such a rich man as this was that would not sell all and give to the poor at Christs special command) to enter into Heaven. Now Brethren he that will not at Christs ordinary commandment give away a little, would not at his special commandment sell all and give it away, therefore he cannot get into heaven, and therefore if he profess Religion he doth but dally with it and play the hypocrite too in professing it. Yet another proof, Mat. 25.41. ⟨p. 29⟩to the end. Those that called Christ Lord and so made a show of Christian Religion are in this name bidden to take their portion with the devil and his angels in those eternal prepared flames, for that they had not ministered to Christ in his necessities, not meaning it of his personal necessities which they never lived to see, but of his necessities in his members, and those whom he will cast from him at the last day were undoubtedly