|
Jonathan Edwards
(1703-1758)
The great
Reformed, American theologian Jonathan Edwards provided famous and
needed direction on the questions prompting Sabbath House. Here is
the first section of a series of sermons on charity. Other sections
will be posted soon.
Christian Charity or
The Duty of Charity
to the Poor,
Explained and Enforced (1732)
"If there be among you a poor man
of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which
the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart,
nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother: but thou shalt open
thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient
for his need, in that which he wanteth. Beware that there be not
a thought in thy wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, the
year of release, is at hand; and thine eye be evil against thy
poor brother, and thou givest him nought; and he cry unto the
Lord against thee, and it be sin unto thee. Thou shalt surely
give him, and thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest
unto him: because that for this thing the Lord thy God shall
bless thee in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thine
hand unto. For the poor shall never cease out of the land:
therefore I command thee, saying Thou shalt open thine hand wide
unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land."
-- Deuteronomy 15:7-11
SECTION I
The words explained.
Subject: ’Tis the most absolute
and indispensable duty of a people of God to give bountifully
and willingly for the supply of the wants of the needy.
THE duty here enjoined, is giving
to the poor. “If there be among you a poor man of one of thy
brethren, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand
from thy poor brother: — Thou shalt surely give him.” Here by
thy poor brother is to be understood the same as in other
places is meant by neighbor. It is explained in Lev.
25:35 to mean not only those of their own nation, but even
strangers and sojourners. “And if thy brother be waxen poor, and
fallen in decay with thee; then thou shalt relieve him: yea,
though he be a stranger, or a sojourner.” The
Pharisees indeed interpreted it to signify only one of their own
nation. But Christ condemns this interpretation, Luke 10:29,
etc. and teaches, in contradiction to their opinion, that the
rules of charity, in the law of Moses, are to be extended to the
Samaritans, who were not of their nation, and between whom and
the Jews there was the most bitter enmity, and who were a people
very troublesome to the Jews.
God gives us direction how
we are to give in such a case, viz. bountifully, and
willingly. We should give bountifully, and
sufficiently for the supply of the poor’s need. Deu. 15:7,
8, “Thou shalt not shut up thine hand from thy poor brother; but
thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and lend him
sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth.” And again,
in verse 11, “Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother,
to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land.” Again, we should
give willingly and without grudging. Deu. 15:7,
“Thou shalt not harden thine heart from thy poor brother,” And
verse 10, “And thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest
him.”
We may also observe how
peremptorily this duty is here enjoined, and how much it is
insisted on. It is repeated over and over again, and enjoined in
the strongest terms. Deu. 15:7, “Thou shalt not harden thine
heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother.” Verse 8, “But
thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him.” Verse 10, “Thou shalt
surely give him.” Verse 11, “I command thee, saying, Thou shalt
open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy
needy.”
Moreover, God strictly warns
against objections, Deu. 15:9, “Beware that there be not a
thought in thy wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, the year
of release, is at hand; and thine eye be evil against thy poor
brother, and thou givest him nought, and he cry unto the Lord
against thee, and it be sin unto thee.” The matter concerning
the seventh year, or year of release, was thus: God had given
Israel a law, that every seventh year should be a year of
release; that if any man had lent anything to any of his poor
neighbors, if the latter had not been able to repay it before
that year, the former should release it, and should not exact it
of his neighbor, but give it to him. Therefore God warns the
children of Israel against making of this an objection to
helping their poor neighbors, that the year of release was near
at hand, and it was not likely that they would be able to refund
it again before that time, and then they should lose it wholly,
because then they would be obliged to release it. God foresaw
that the wickedness of their hearts would be very ready to make
such an objection. But very strictly warns them against it, that
they should not be the more backward to supply the wants of the
needy for that, but should be willing to give him. “Thou shalt
be willing to lend, expecting nothing again.”
Men are exceedingly apt to make
objections against such duties, which God speaks of here as a
manifestation of the wickedness of their hearts: “Beware that
there be not a thought in thy wicked heart,” etc. The warning is
very strict. God doth not only say, Beware that thou do not
actually refuse to give him, but, Beware that thou have not one
objecting thought against it, arising from a backwardness to
liberality. God warns against the beginnings of uncharitableness
in the heart, and against whatever tends to a forbearance to
give. “And thou give him nought, and he cry unto the Lord
against thee, and it be sin unto thee.” God warns them, from the
guilt which they would be liable to bring upon themselves
hereby.
We may observe here several
enforcements of this duty. There is a reason of this duty
implied in God’s calling him that is needy, our brother:
“Thou shalt not shut thine hand from thy poor brother.”
And Deu. 15:9, “Beware that thine eye be not evil against thy
poor brother.” And verse 11, “Thou shalt open thine hand
wide to thy brother.” We are to look upon ourselves as
related to all mankind, but especially to those who are of the
visible people of God. We are to look upon them as brethren, and
to treat them accordingly. We shall be base indeed, if we be not
willing to help a brother in want. — Another enforcement
of this duty is the promise of God, that for this thing he will
bless us in all our works, and in all that we put our hands
unto; a promise that we shall not lose, but gain by it (Deu.
15:10). — Another is, that we shall never want proper objects of
our charity and bounty. Verse 11, “For the poor shall never
cease out of thy land.” This God saith to the Jewish church; and
the like Christ saith to the Christian church, Mat. 26:11, “The
poor ye have always with you.” This is to cut off an excuse that
uncharitable persons would be ready to make for not giving, that
they could find nobody to give to, that they saw none who
needed. God cuts off such an excuse, by telling us, that he
would so order it in his providence, that his people everywhere,
and in all ages, shall have occasion for the exercise of that
virtue.
From this account the doctrine is
obvious, that it is the absolute and indispensable duty of the
people of God, to give bountifully and willingly for supplying
the wants of the needy. — But more particularly,
I. It is the duty of the people of
God to give bountifully for the aforesaid purpose. It is
commanded once and again in the text, “Thou shalt open thine
hand wide unto thy poor brother.” Merely to give something is
not sufficient. It answers not the rule, nor comes up to the
holy command of God. But we must open our hand wide. What we
give, considering our neighbor’s wants, and our ability, should
be such as may be called a liberal gift. What is meant in
the text by opening the hand wide, with respect to those that
are able, is explained in Deu. 15:8, “Thou shalt open thine hand
wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his
want, in that which he needeth.” By lending here, as is evident
by the two following verses, and as we have just now shown, is
not only meant lending to receive again; [for] the word lend
in Scripture is sometimes used for giving; as in Luke 6:35, “Do
good and lend, hoping for nothing again.”
We are commanded, therefore, to
give our poor neighbor what is sufficient for his need. There
ought to be none suffered to live in pinching want, among a
visible people of God, who are able, unless in case of idleness,
or prodigality, or some such case which the Word of God excepts.
— It is said that the children of Israel should lend to the
poor, and in the year of release should release what they had
lent, save when there should be no poor among them. It is
rendered in the margin, to the end there be no poor among
you; i.e. you should so supply the wants of the needy, that
there may be none among you in pinching want. This translation
seems the more likely to be the true one, because God says, Deu.
15:11, that there shall be no such time when there shall be no
poor, who shall be proper objects of charity. — When persons
give very sparingly, it is no manifestation of charity,
but of a contrary spirit. 2 Cor. 9:5, “Therefore I thought it
necessary to exhort the brethren, that they would go before unto
you, and make up beforehand your bounty, whereof ye had notice
before, that the same might be ready, as a matter of bounty, and
not as of covetousness.
II. It is the duty of the visible
people of God to give for the supply of the needy, freely,
and without grudging. It doth not at all answer the rule in the
sight of God, if it be done with an inward grudging, or if the
heart be grieved, and it inwardly hurt the man to give what he
gives. “Thou shalt surely give,” says God, “and thine heart
shall not be grieved.” God looks at the heart, and the hand is
not accepted without it. 2 Cor. 9:7, “Every man according as he
hath purposed in his heart, so let him give, not grudgingly, or
of necessity; for God loveth a cheerful giver.”
III. This is a
duty to which God’s people are under very strict obligation.
It is not merely a commendable thing for a man to be kind
and bountiful to the poor, but our bounden duty, as much a duty
as it is to pray, or to attend public worship, or anything else
whatever. And the neglect of it brings great guilt upon any
person.
__________
More to follow...
|
