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…

Surely I conclude against you, whatsoever your ⟨p. 87⟩tongues say, yet your hearts do not verily believe the Scriptures, and therefore the Word you hear profits not, because it is not mixed with faith in you that hear it. Will you not find out your infidelity to condemn it in your selves by improving your unwillingness to give to the poor as a just proof of it! if you do not observe the root upon which sins do grow, you shall never mend them because you shall never see their hatefulness and dangerousness, ⟨p. 88⟩but if you inform your selves aright of the close and secret vices which produce neglects of good duties in you, those omissions would so much humble you as to procure a reformation.

Surely I conclude against you, whatsoever your ⟨p. 87⟩tongues say, yet your hearts doe not verily beleeve the Scriptures, and therefore the Word you heare profits not, because it is not mixed with faith in you that heare it. Will you not finde out your infidelity to condemne it in your selves by improoving your unwillingnesse to give to the poore as a just proofe of it! if you doe not observe the roote upon which sinnes doe grow, you shall never mend them because you shall never see their hatefullnesse and dangerousnes, ⟨p. 88⟩but if you informe your selves aright of the close and secret vices which produce neglects of good duties in you, those omissions would so much humble you as to procure a reformation.

I have reproved you enough,¹ I proceed to exhort and provoke you to this duty and to debtor you from this sin. Here is a duty giving to the poor, here is a sin hiding the eyes, what say you? will you perform this duty hereafter? will you take heed of this