First, To pity our Neighbour in his distress, lending our helping hand unto him, and ministering unto him in his necessity the comforts that God doth bless us with: ⟨p. 196⟩If he be an hungry, to give him meat; if thirsty, to give him drink; if a stranger, to lodge him; if naked, to clothe him; if sick, to visit him; if in Prison, to come unto him: as these particulars are reckoned up, Mat. 25. 35, 36. uFor he that hath this Worlds goods, and seeing his brother in want, shutteth up his bowels from him, how doth the love of GOD dwell in him? Let Job, a mirror of all virtue, be ever before our eyes, to stir us up to this duty, who xtestifieth of himself, I ate not my morsel alone, but the fatherless ate of it. If I saw one ready to perish for lack of clothing, and a poor man that had nothing to cover him, his loins blessed me: for he warmed himself by the fleece of my Lambs. For this cause, in the Law they were commanded, both before the Vintage or Harvest, to suffer the poor, for satisfying of his hunger, to gather Grapes, or pluck Ears of Corn, and in the Vintage to leave an after-gathering for the poor. Of the first, you have a Commandment, Deut. 23. 24, 25. When thou comest unto thy Neighbours Vineyard, then thou mayst eat Grapes at thy pleasure, as much as thou wilt, but thou shalt put none in thy vessel. When thou comest into thy Neighbours Corn, thou mayst pluck the Ears with thine hand, but thou shalt not move a Sickle to thy Neighbours Corn.
First, To pittie our Neighbour in his distresse, lending our helping hand vnto him, and ministring vnto him in his necessitie the comforts that God doth blesse vs with: ⟨p. 196⟩If he be an hungrie, to giue him meate; if thirsty, to giue him drinke; if a stranger, to lodge him; if naked, to clothe him; if sicke, to visit him; if in Prison, to come vnto him: as these particulars are reckoned vp, Mat. 25. 35, 36. uFor he that hath this Worlds goods, and seeing his brother in want, shutteth vp his bowels from him, how doth the loue of GOD dwell in him? Let Iob, a mirrour of all vertue, bee euer before our eyes, to stirre vs vp to this dutie, who xtestifieth of himselfe, I ate not my morsell alone, but the fatherlesse ate of it. If I saw one readie to perish for lacke of clothing, and a poore man that had nothing to couer him, his loynes blessed me: for he warmed himselfe by the fleece of my Lambes. For this cause, in the Law they were commanded, both before the Vintage or Haruest, to suffer the poore, for satisfying of his hunger, to gather Grapes, or plucke Eares of Corne, and in the Vintage to leaue an after-gathering for the poore. Of the first, you haue a Commandement, Deut. 23. 24, 25. When thou commest vnto thy Neighbours Vineyard, then thou mayst eate Grapes at thy pleasure, as much as thou wilt, but thou shalt put none in thy vessell. When thou commest into thy Neighbours Corne, thou mayst plucke the Eares with thine hand, but thou shalt not mooue a Sickle to thy Neighbours Corne.
- u1 John 3. 17.1 Iohn 3. 17.
- xJob 31. 17, 19, 20.Iob 31. 17, 19, 20.
