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…

1. Who must give, To this I answer, all must give if occasion serve, but chiefly the wealthy. Not only those that have abundance, but those also ⟨p. 100⟩that have a small portion and are themselves none of the richest, must give to the poor, even to such as are poorer then themselves, and pressed with greater need, you shall see this answer confirmed in both parts. When the common people came to John Baptist demanding what they should do, his answer is recorded, Luke 3.11. He that hath two coats let him impart to him that hath none, and he that hath meat let him do likewise, you perceive, that God doth not bind only men that ⟨p. 101⟩have great store of goods to communicate, but those also that themselves are but slenderly provided for, yet having something to spare are to impart that they can spare, unto such as are in greater need then themselves: he doth not say that he which hath but one coat, must leave himself naked and give it to him that had none before, but he that hath two, not alone he that hath 5. or 6. or half a score, but he that hath one more then his own need requireth. I pray ⟨p. 102⟩you that are men of meaner rank, not to post of this work from your selves to your more able neighbours, if you will believe John Baptist, he that hath a little must impart of that little to him that hath less, doth not the Apostle Paul give us a most worthy example in the Thessalonians, of whom he witnesseth,¹ that their deep bounty abounded to the riches of their liberality, though they were a very poor people, (partly because they had suffered great persecutions for the ⟨p. 103⟩Gospel, as Saint Paul witnesseth in his Epistle to them) yet they made a shift to gather a great sum of money, to send unto the brethren at Judea, which it may seem did then suffer greater hardness then themselves by famine, here is a true praise to have a heart richer then a purse, and a far larger quantity of mercy then money, so now lower persons must not exempt themselves, or suppose that God dispenseth with them from giving to the poor. But this