A cabinet of choice jewels, or, A box of precious ointment being a plain…A cabinet of choice jevvels, or, A box of precious ointment being a plain…

The second sort of men, that my self and all others are bound. 1. Highly to prize. 2. Cordially to love. And 3. Greatly to honour: Are men of charitable spirits, men of merciful spirits, men of tender and compassionate spirits. The Hebrew word for godly [Greek or Hebrew] signifies merciful, to note that the godly man is the merciful man, and the merciful man is the godly man. Loving kindness is an ingredient unto godliness. The godly man is frequently called Chasid, gracious or merciful; it notes one that hath obtained mercy, goodness, grace, piety and benignity from the Lord, and that is pious, kind, ¹gracious and merciful to others. Though charity, bounty, is the most compendious way to plenty, and giving to getting, and scattering to increasing, and layings out to layings up, Prov. 11.24. There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth. Ver. 25. The liberal soul shall be made fat, and he that watereth shall be watered also himself: Yet how few in our days do honour the Lord with their substance? ²how few look a this as a duty, to consecrate any part of their gain unto the Lord, or of their substance to the Lord of the whole earth? Most men now carry it as if God himself had last his propriety, and as if there were no rent-penny due to his poor. But yet some there are, who have liberal hearts and open hands; ³some there are, who do open their hands wide to the poor and needy. Now, here give me leave to say,⁴ That these, 1. Discharge their consciences in the duty of charity, 2. These rightly improve the talents of mercy, with which they are entrusted. 3. These treasure up a stock of prayers, ⁵both for themselves and theirs; the blessing and the prayers of them that were ready to perish will come upon them and theirs. 4. These ⟨image 12⟩evidence the liveliness of their faith,