The practical divinity of the papists discovered to be destructive of Christianity and mens…

He expresses it more fully ^(d)elsewhere, and concludes for all this, he cannot be said to have any such superfluities, that he should be obliged by any command to give to the poor. So that unless a man have so much as he neither has at present, nor may have for the future occasion to use; that is, unless he has so much, as no man will, or can believe he hath; an act of Charity will not be his duty. If he do but desire to have more than he now has; or do but design to rise any higher than he now is; though but in such a degree as is found in all, and may innocently be in any: at least, if he have but any thing of Covetousness or Ambition, though far less than they determine he may have, without any deadly guilt (and so without any considerable danger) he is discharged from all obligation to this good work.

1. (d)Cap. 23. n. 74. Nec ob id dicitur habere tale superfluum, quod de praecepto pauperibus teneatur erogare.

The other case will make Charity no more necessary; it is when the Poor are in extreme necessity; and this is ^(*)only when it is apparent ⟨p. 403⟩they will dye for want of necessaries, if we relieve them not. Now such a case rarely happens, and a man may never meet with one in such extremity, all his life; but if he do, yet he may be excused for want of evidence that his necessity is so great, he need not take the party's word for it, no, not though in public places there seem to be also clear signs of it; he need not take the word of any other, no not. the judgment of his parish Priest, or Confessor (though upon their opinion he may safely venture upon acts of wickedness) unless they can assure him thereof as eye witnesses, ^(*)or if he be morally certain of the extremity; yet if there be a probability that any other will relieve the person ready to starve, he may leave him to the mercy of others, without doing any thing himself towards his relief (for that is another limitation