a long life of constant prosperous successes he was surprised by his enemies, and hanged up till the dew of Heaven wets his cheeks, and the sun melted his grease. Such is the condition of those persons who, living either in the despight or in the neglect of religion, lie wallowing in the drunkenness of prosperity or worldly cares: they think themselves to be exalted till the evil day overtakes them; and then they can expound their dream of life to end in a sad and hopeless death. I remember that Cleomenes was called a God by the Egyptians, because when he was hanged, a serpent grew out of his body, and wrapped itself about his head; till the philosophers of Egypt said it was natural that from the marrow of some bodies such productions should arise. And indeed it represents the condition of some men, who being dead are esteemed Saints and beatified persons, when their head is encircled with dragons, and is entered into the possesion of devils, that old serpent and deceiver. For indeed their life was secretly so corrupted, that such serpents fed upon the ruins of the spirit, and the decays of grace and reason. To be cozened in making judgments concerning our final condition is extremely easy; but if we be cozened, we are infinitely miserable.

SECT III.

Of exercising Charity during our whole Life. HE that would die well and happily, must in his lifetime, according to all his capacities, exercise cha

rity *; and because religion is the life of the soul, and charity is the life of religion, the same which gives life to the better part of man which never dies, may obtain of God a mercy to the inferior part of man in the day of its dissolution.

1. Charity is the great channel through which God passes all his mercy upon mankind. For we receive absolution of our sins in proportion to our forgiving. our brother. This is the rule of our hopes, and the measure of our desire of this world; and in the day of death and judgment the great sentence upon mankind shall be transacted according to our alms, which is the other part of charity. Certain it is, that God cannot, will not, never did reject a charitable man in his greatest needs, and in his most passionate prayers; for God himself is love, and every degree of charity that dwells in us is the participation of the divine nature and therefore, when upon our death-bed, a cloud covers our head, and we are enwrapped with sorrow; when we feel the weight of a sickness, and do not feel the refreshing visitations of God's loving kindness; when we have many things to trouble us, and looking round about us we see no comforter; then call to mind what injuries you have forgiven, how apt you were to pardon all affronts and real per

* Respice quid prodest præsentis temporis ævum.
Omne quod est nihil est, præter amare Deum.
+ Quod expendi habui,

Quod donavi habeo ;

Quod negavi punior,

Quod servavi perdidi.

secutions, how you embraced peace when it was offered you, how you followed after peace when it ran from you: and when you are weary of one side, turn upon the other, and remember the alms that by the grace of God, and his assistances, you have done, and look up to God, and with the eye of faith behold his coming in the cloud, and pronouncing the sentence of doom'sday according to his mercies, and thy charity.

2. Charity, with its twins daughters alms and forgiveness, is especially effectual for the procuring God's mercies in the day and the manner of our death, Alms deliver from death, saith old Tobias; and alms make an atonement for sins, (Tob. iv. 10, and xii. 9.) said the son of Sirach; and so said Daniel, (Ecclus. iii. 30. Dan, iv. 21.) and so say all the wise men of the world. And in this sense also is that of St. Peter, Love covers a multitude of sins; (1 Pet. iv. 8. Isa. i. 17.) and St. Clement in his constitutions gives this counsel, If you have any thing in your hands, give it, that it may work to the remission of thy sins. For by faith and alms sins are purged. The same also is the counsel of Salvian, who wonders that men who are guilty of great and many sins will not work out their pardon by alms and mercy. But this also must be added out of the words of Lactantius, who makes this rule complete and useful; But think not, because sins are taken away by alms, that by thy money thou mayest purchase a licence to sin. For sins are abolished, if because thou hast sinned thou givest to God, that is to God's

poor servants, and his indigent necessitous creatures*: but if thou sinnest upon confidence of giving, thy sins are not abolished. For God desires infinitely that men should be purged from their sins, and therefore commands us to repent: but to repent is nothing else but to profess and affirm (that is, to purpose, and to make good that purpose) that they will sin no more.

Now alms are therefore effective to the abolition and pardon of our sins, because they are preparatory to, and impetratory of the grace of repentance, and are fruits of repentance; and therefore St, Chrysostome affirms, that repentance without alms is dead, and without wings, and can never soar upwards to the element of love. But because they are a part of repentance, and hugely pleasing to Almighty God, therefore they deliver us from the evils of an unhappy and accursed death: for so Christ delivered his disciples from the sea, when he appeased the storm, though they still sailed in the Channel. And this St. Hierome verifies with all his reading and experience, saying, I do not remember to have read, that ever any charitable person died an evil death. And although a long experience hath observed God's mercies to descend upon charitable people, like the dew upon Gideon's fleece when all the world was dry; yet for this also we have a promise, which is not only an argument of a certain number of years (as experience is,)

* Agere autem poenitentiam nihil aliud est quàm profiteri et affirmare se non ulteriùs peccaturam.

+ Orat. 2. de poenitentia.

but a security for eternal ages. Make ye friends of the mammon of unrighteousness, that when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations. (Luke xvi. 9.) When faith fails and chastity is useless, and temperance shall be no more, then charity shall bear you upon the wings of cherubims, to the eternal mountain of the Lord. I have been a lover of mankind, and a friend, and merciful; and now I expect tọ communicate in that great kindness which he shews that is the great God and father of men and mercies, said Cyrus the Persian, on his death-bed.

I do not mean this should only be a death-bed charity, any more than a death-bed repentance; but it ought to be the charity of our life and healthful years, a parting with portions of our goods then when we can keep them *. We must not first kindle our lights when we are to descend into our houses of darkness, or bring a glaring torch suddenly to a dark room, that will amaze the eye, and not delight it, or instruct the body: but if our tapers have in their constant course descended into their grave, crowned all the way with light, then let the death-bed charity be doubled, and the light burn brightest when it is to deck our hearse. But concerning this I shall afterwards give account.

* Da dum tempus habes, tibi propria sit manus hæres. Aufert hoc nemo quod dabis ipse Deo. ⠀