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Show Advice to Children. VoL. I. J699· th3.t Hope. T?erefore, fays !anus, ier PJtiencc h~ve it's P~rfdi. Work. ~ Jam. 1. 4• It ts made the Samts Excellency; here ts the PJnence of the Cbap,lll. Saints, Rev. q. 10. h is joyned wi£h the Kingdom of Chrift, J:tev. t. 9· read Luke 21. 19: In Parience poif~Js )'Uilf' S(lu/s. Rom. 12. 1'::!. ch. 15. 4· 2 Cor. 6, 4· 1 Thif. 5· ' 4· Be patintr totMrds all .Men, Tir. 2. 2. Heb. 6. 11. .cb. 10. 36. which fhews the Excellency and Neleffity of Patience, JS that does the true Dignity of a M:tn. It is wifi and will give you greJt Ad van· rage overthofe you con~erfe with on all ~cecums. For PJffion blmds Men's 'Eyes, and betrays Men's WeJknefs; Pauence fees the Advantdge and im· proves ir. Patience enquiles, deliberates and brings t!O a m:nurt Judgment; through your Ci\'il as welJ us Chriftian Co~rfe you cannot 3El: wlfidy and fafely wichout it:, therefore I recommend th1s bleffed Vurue to you. §. 4· Shero Jl'Iercy, whenever it is in your Power, that is forgi\'e, pity :illld help, for fo it fignifits. Ale/C)' is one of the Anributes of Uod, Gen: 19. 19. fxod. 20. 6. Pjal. 86. 15. Jer. 3· 12. It is exalred in ScriptU!e a .. hove all his Works, and is a noble Palt of his lm;1ge in ·Man. God hatlflecommended it JJoj. 12. 6. Keep hlercy and Judgment anJ wait on the Lord. God hath lht:wo h to Man, and made it his Duty, Mic. 6. 8. He lntfJ foen'ed r!1ee 0 .Man w/1.11 1s goo I, ttnd uhtlt doth the Lo,-d nquire of tbu, but to do j 14{1!y, and to loveltleny and to walk humbl'v, or to humble thy felf tQ walk n:ith thy God; a (horr hut ample Exprefiion of God's Lo\'e, and Man's Duty; happy are you if you mind it. ln which you fee Mercy is one of the nvblelt Vinues. Chritt has a Bldflng for them that ha\'e it, blejfrd ttre t hr A!mif•l, (Mat. ;.) for tbry foal/ find Mercy; a llrong Motive ir.deed: In Luke 6. 35, 36. he commands it. 8~ you merciful a1 your Fat her U mer· ci[JII. He bid the J ewr, thH were fo O\'er·righteous, but fo very unmeJci· ful, learn what this meaneth: 1 will bavc Mercy ttnd not Sacrifice, Man . 9· 13: He hit them in the Eye. And in his Parable of the Lord and hisServants, he {hews what will be the End of the unmerciful Steward, Mttt. 18. 34, 35, that having been forgi\•en much by his Mafter, would not forgive a little to his Fellow-Servant. Mercy is a great Parr of God's Law, Exod. 23. 4, ~· It is a material Part of God"s true Faft, lJtt. 58. 6, 7· It is a main Part of God's Covenant, Jer. 31. 34· Heh. S. 12. And the Reafon and Rule of the laft Judgment, .JJ1,,/Ib. 25. 31, to the End: Pray read it. It is a Pan of the ur.defiled Religion, Jam. r. 27. c. 3· 17. Read Prov. 14. :2 r, 22· But the merciful Man's Merc.y reaches farther, even to his Beaft; then furely to Man, his Fellow-Creature, he fhall not want it. Whe1efore, I charge you, opptefs no Rod)r, Man nor Heaft. TJke no 'Adv:mrage upon the Unhappy, pily the Affiitl:ed, make their Cafe your own, and that of their Wi\'eS and pour innocent Children the Condition of yours, .and you cannot want Sympathy, Bowels, Forgiventfs, nor a Difpofition to help and Succour them to your Ability. Remember, It is the Way for you to be forgiven, and help'd in Time of Try:~l. Reld the Lo1d's Prayer, Luker t. Remember the Nature and Goodnefs of Joftt•b to hi s B1·ethren; follow the Example of the Gcod Sttmttritan, and let EJom's Unkindnefs to Jacob's Stock Ob(IJ. Jo.-I6. And the Heathen's ~o lfroel, Z ach. t. 21. c. 2. 8, 9, be a Warning to you." Read alfo, Prov. :;:5. 21, 22. Rom. 12. 19, 20. §. 5· Charity is a near Neighbour ro Mercy: It is generallr t:~ken to confift in this, not to be Cenforious, :~nd to relieve the Poor. For the firit, Remember you mufi be judged, Mtllrh. 7· 1. And for the lafi, Remember you are but Stewards. Judge not, therefore, left you be judged. Be clear your felves before you fiing the Stone. Get the Beam out of your own Eye; it is humbliOg DoUrine; but fa.f"e. Judge, therefore, at your own Peril: See it be righteous Judgment, as you will anfwer it ro the Grear Judge. This Part of Cbarity·alti:> excludes Whifperings, Backbiting, Talebearing, Evil-furmifing, moft pernicious Follies and Evils, of which beware. Read 1 C.or. 1 3· For the other Pan of Ch:niry, relieving the Poor, it is a Debt you owe to God~ You hav:e all you have or may enjoy, wirh the Rent .. charge .. VoL. I. Advice to Children: charge upo~ it. The S~ying is, that be who giver io tbt Poor knJ~ to tbe 90) ~;dP~o~~r Thma~ be fatr, !lnopr improperly, t~e Lord lends ro' us to give to ~ R · ey re at ea arrners by Prov1dence wirhiou a d h C ight you muft not defraud them of You have h' . !1 n . ave a hap. III. when what a d t h . t ts rtvi ege, mdeed rhe o'bjeft, 'yo~ will ~a'~~ ;H.~~~ 1~:, t~~i~~o~eed your Guide, and obferv~ I recommend little .Children, Widows, infirm and aged 'Perfon• chiefl t~ yo~ : Sp:ne. fomethtng out of your own Be11y rather than let r'beifl ~ ptnch d. Avotd !hat great Sin of needlefs Expence on your Perfons and ~n your Houfes, whtle the Poor are hungr¥ and naked. My Bowels have of· ten been m_oved, to fee very :~ged and infirm People but efi eciall helplefs .Children, tie all Ni~hr in bitter Weather, a~ rhe t'hrefhJdr~f ~oflr~. m t~f open Streets, 1or Want of better Lodging. 1 have made this 7 e ton, you were fo ex.p~s'd, how hard would it be ro endure ? The Dtfference between our Condmon and theirs, has drawn from me humble Thanks to God, and great Compaffion and fame Supfly ro thofe poor Crca .. tures. On~e more be good to the Poor: What do fay? be juft to them, a~d you Wlll be good. to your felvcs: Think it your Duty, and do it reli· ~?ufiy. Let the movmg Paff'age, Matrb. 25. 3)· to the End, live in your mds: I w~. ttn Hungry, and Thirity, and Naked, Sick, and in Prifou and Y.ou admtmftred unto Me, and the Bleffing that follow'd: Alfo what h~ fatd to. anor.her Sort, I wtU o'! .Hungry, and Thirfty, and Naked, ancl Stck, and m Pnfon, and youa.dmimftred not unto me ~ for a dreadful Sen· tenc~ follows to the Hard-hearted World. Wo be ro them that take the Poors ~ledge, Ezek. 18. ~2, 13. or ear up the Poor'• Right. 0 devour not th~tr Part ! Lefs lay 1t out in Vanity, or lay it up in Ba_gs, for it will curfc ttie Re!l. Hear whJt the Pjalmijl fays, Pjal. 4r. Blrjjrd ;, br that co~fidereth the Poor, the Lord wilJ deliver bim in Time of Trouble: The Lml mill prejeru~ and keep him _alif!t, and be foall he b!ejJed upon tbe Earth: And thou w~lt not deliver h1m rnto the Will of bU Enemier. The Lord will ft~cn$tbe, h1m up~n fbe Btd of Languijhing: Thou wilt make all his Bed in bn SIC~nefJ. Thts ts the Reward of being faithful Stewards and Treafurers for the Poor of the Earth. Have a Care ~f Excufes,. they are, I know, ready ~t ~and : But r~a~ ~rov. 3· 27, 28. WJth·bold not Good from them, ttJ cchomrt~ u due. when tt/J m the ~ower of thine Httnd to do it. Say not unto thy J\:e1gbhour Go, and co"!~ ag_am, an~ !o Morrow I will give, wbe11 tbDu b~fl 11 by thee. Atfo bear m Mtnd Chnft s Dodrine, Moub. 5. 42. Give to b1m that aftetb thee, and from him Jbat fiiOJJid borr01.1 of thee, turn not thou aw~y. Bu~ ab.ove all, remember the Poor Woman, that gave her Mite ~ whtch Chnft preferred above all, becaufe the gave all, but it was to God's Trea.fury, .ff,Iark .12. 42, 43, 44· · §. 6. Lrb~raltty or Bounty is a noble Quality in Man entertained of f~w,. yet P.ratfed of all, ~ur the. Covetous dlflike it, becaufe it reproaches thetr Sor~Jdnefs. In th1s ~e dtffers from Charity, that the has fometimes other Obje.Cls, and exceeds In Proportion. For the will caft her Eye on thofe, that do n?t abfolurelY: want, as well as thofe that do ~ and always outdoes N~ceffiues and Serv~ces. She finds out Virtue in a low Degree, and ex:~lts tt. She eafes theu Burden that labour hard to live: M1ny kind and g~nerous Spells fuch find at her Hand, that don't quite Want, whora fhe.thmks worthy. The Decay'd are fure to hear of her: She takes one Child, and puts out another, to lighten the Loads of over·charg'd Parents, more to the Fatherlefs. She (hews the Value of Services in her Rewards and is never Debtor to Kindneffes ; but will be Crediwr on all AccounCS: Where another gives Six·pence, the Liberal Man gives his Shilling; and retu.rns double the Tokens he rece-ives. Bur Libera.li!Y keeps Temper too; . Ole IS not extravaga~t any, more than {he is fordid; for !he hates Niggard's Feafts as much as NJggardsFafts; :Jnd as tbe is free, and nor fta.rcht, fo fheis plentiful, but not fupertluous and exrrava~anr. You will hear of her in an Hiftories, efpecially in Scripture, the w1feft as well as heft of Books: Her Exce11ency and her Reward are there. She is commanded and com• 5 Z mended, |