or strong Drink may be allow'd, or indulg'd to any Kings, Princes or Nobles, in a moderate Way; it ought much lefs to be deny'd, or more plentifully afforded to thofe miferable Wretches, and the meaner fort of Mankind; who are at the Point of perifking, or being loft for Want of fuch reviving Allowances and preferving Refreshments. 'Tis the most generous A&t of Charity, to comfort and relieve fuch neceffitous Starv'lings; who are in imminent Danger of Death, and whofe Lives are almost overwhelm'd with Grief of Heart, and Trouble of Mind. A King, of ordinary Compaffion or Clemency, will never refuse, out of his Royal Bounty, to fuccour the Needy, and fupport the Comfortless in any deplorable Circumstances; either of Want, Perfecution or Imprisonment. Strong Drinks and healing Cordials are more requifite Helps, or properer Remedies for him that labours under thefe miferable Conditions, Misfortunes, Restraints, Oppreffions,or Indifpofitions of Life; than for Peers, Princes, or crown'd Heads, that fit at the Helm basking themselves in the Sun both of Honour and Pleasure; folacing with the richest Juices of the Grape; indulging themselves beyond Nes ceffity; enjoying the perfecteft Health of happy Conftitutions; and wanting no fuch extraordinary Reliefs, either to fupport or strengthen Nature. Give these Give these fuperfluous Confolations and Restoratives to the poor Infirmaries of languifhing Invalids, or difabled Soldiers. Send them away to the Hofpitals of the Sick and Wounded in Spirit. Let the Man a-perishing drink the best, the strongest and the most generous Wines moderately; to take away the Heaviness of his Heart, and to cure the MaF

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ladies of his difpirited Body, as well as the Grief of his impoverish'd, dejected or defpairing Soul. Healthful Perfons, that roll in Wealth and revel in Welfare, have not Half fo great an Occafion for fuch unneceffary Indulgences.

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REMARK S.

OME Interpreters have taken upon them to restrain this Expreffion of Men ready to perish, to fome particular Malefactors; as if it fignify'd only fuch as were under Sentence of Death, condemn'd for fome heinous Crimes, or actually a-carrying to the Place of Execution: fuppofing it a Custom to give those poor Crea

a comforting Draught of Wine, or a Glafs of fome other strong Liquor, to fupport their Spirits from finking by the Way, and fainting under the Profpect of a difmal Approach; or else alluding to the more degenerate Practice, in the Jewish Common-Wealth, of granting thofe dying Offenders fome intoxicating Potion, to make them infenfible of the Pain of their Punishments. But I fhall rather chufe to believe, according to the most learned Expofitors; that it imports all Perfons, in general, without any Limitation, reduc'd to extreme Poverty, and the miferable Want of common Neceflaries for their Well-Being. The Hebrews, Syrians and Grecians have all understood it in this Senfe. And the latter Part of this Verfe, as well as the next, fully explains it fo, beyond Exception and Cavil. Now, according to Dr. Patrick's Commentary, this Precept gives us an exact "Account of "their Condition, to whom a larger Quantity than

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"ordinary, of Wine or ftrong Drink, is fit to be "allow'd. Not to Kings; who have innumerable "Ways to relieve their Cares, and to divert their "Minds, when any Thing troubles their Heads, or afflicts their Bodies: But to poor miferable People, that are ready to faint under their heavy Burthens and Oppreffions. For whom this "is a prefent Relief, and the only Succour fome"times they are capable of receiving; when they are in a very melancholy Mood, or defponding "Circumstances of Diftrefs. And they that are of fuch a forrowful Temper, or otherwise made exceeding fad, can better bear a great Deal of Wine, without any Disorder, than the Sanguine, and they who are gay and merry in the full Injoyment of all earthly Satisfactions to their Hearts Content. To be brief! In this unlimited Acceptation, it couches the most divine, commendable, and beneficial Doctrines in the whole Syfteme, either of Religion or Morality.

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I. CHARITY is the Queen of all Chriftian Virtues; the Miftrefs of Salvation with a good Faith, and the greatest Grace of the Universe, in doing Good to Mankind; confider'd either in our Love towards God, or in our Regard towards our Neighbour. He is amiable above all Things for his own Sake; for his infinite Goodness, Omniscience and Power. We are indebted to him for our Life, Motion and Being, either Temporal or Eternal; and are only poor, infolvent, unprofitable Creatures: when we have done all we can here to ferve him, and to discharge our Duty. We can pay him nothing but what is his own, what is his Due, and what falls infinitely fhort of the Obligation. Heaven and Earth; Fire, Air

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and Water, all demand our good Will and Gratitude; the whole Worship, Devotion and Adoration both of our Souls and Bodies, for the omnipotent fovereign Creator of them all out of nothing. To Be; Ay, that alone requires all the Glory, as well as Affection we are Mafters of, and more Amazement. The Mystery shews the Disability of our Performance. We cannot acquit our felves in any Kind or Proportion for his manifold Bleffings; but only by an abfolute Love, entire Refignation, and perfect Obedience to his divine Pleasure, or indifpenfable Commands.

IN the next Place, it is a principal Injunction upon all Chriftians, to love their FellowCreatures as their Brethren, or their Neighbours as themselves, next after God; by conferring of Benefits upon the Neceffitous; by doing all manner of good Offices to the Com. fortless; and by redreffing with Acts of Kindnefs, or Gifts of Charity, the Grievances of the Diftreffed. We are highly oblig'd to fuccour all afflicted and unfortunate Sufferers for Con. science-Sake, according to our utmost Ability. Charity commands us to exhilarate the Hearts of the Poor, to revive their Spirits, and to preferve their Bodies from ftarving. 'Tis our Duty to prevent their Despairing of Relief, as well as perishing for want of it in the Expectation. Delay and Sufpence are the most profefs'd Enemies of this prevalent, pious Virtue. And if a Glafs of Wine, Ale or Brandy, can easily contribute any Thing towards their Prefervation; who would grudge fuch a fmall Matter out of Hand, but the most uncharitable Churl, or hardest-hearted Mifer in the World? Giving of Alms, without doubt, is

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not only a divine Obligation, a facred Relief, or a kind Present to the Poor upon Earth; but must also justly be esteem'd a most acceptable Oblation to God himself, laid up in Heaven. There is the great Treafury of all good Things, true Riches and everlasting Happiness. 'Tis only giving away a Trifle at prefent, to receive an immenfe Sum of Wealth hereafter; a more exceeding Weight of Glory in a future State. By this Means we may turn our Money, which is the common Inftrument of Avarice Below, into an Occafion of Mercy Above, and vafter Advantages of Felicity than this Life can afford. Let the Rich therefore treat the Poor with Compaffion and Relief, not with Contempt and clofe-fifted Repulfes. What fignifies a Morfel of Bread out of their Abundance, or a Draught of ftrong Drink out of the Affluence of their plentiful Fortunes? What Harm would a round Sum do out of fuch People's Pockets? It would be no more mifs'd than a Drop of Water out of the Ocean, or the South Sea; if thofe that deal in it, had any Charity left in Company with their Riches. And peradventure it may happen to be fome of their own Cafes another Time, to ftand in Need of an Alms; for Fortune is fickle, and they are accountable to higher Powers.

II. LIBERALITY, in the next Place, is one of the moft generous fpirited Virtues in Morality, that moves a Man's Heart to difpofe freely of his Goods of Fortune or the Body; according to the best Rules of Difcretion and Reafon. It makes him proportion and adjust his Bounties to his Ability, without any Mistake, Profuseness or Vain-Glory. Upon this Confideration, he bestows his Money upon thofe