ON WORKS AND ALMS. 9
from the faith,and piercedthemselvesthrough with many
sorrows."1
11. Are you afraidthatyour patrimonyperchancemay fall
short,ifyou shouldbegin to do liberallyfrom it? Yet when
has itever happened that resources2couldfailthe righteous
man, sinceitiswritten," The Lord willnot slaywith famine
the righteoussoulV 3 Elias in the desertis fed by the
ministryof ravens; and a meal from heaven ismade ready
for Daniel in the den,when shut up by the king'scommand
for a prey to the lions; and you are afraidthatfood should
be wanting toyou, labouringand deservingwellof the Lord,
although He Himself in the Gospel bearswitness,forthe re
buke of thosewhose mind is doubtfuland faithsmall,and
says : " Behold the fowlsof heaven,that they sow not,nor
reap,nor gatherintobarns; and your heavenlyFather feedeth
them : are you not of more value than they?"4 God feeds
the fowls,and dailyfood isaffordedto the sparrows; and to
creatureswhich have no sense of things divinethere is no
want of drinkor food. Thinkest thou thatto a Christian—
thinkestthou that to a servantof the Lord — thinkestthou
that to one given up to good works— thinkestthou that to
one thatisdear to hisLord, anything willbe wanting ?
12. Unless you imagine that he who feedsChrist isnot
himself fed by Christ,or thatearthlythingswillbe wanting
to those to whom heavenly and divine things are given.
Whence thisunbelievingthought,whence thisimpiousand
sacrilegiousconsideration? What doesa faithlessheartdo in
the home of faith? Why ishe who does not altogethertrust
in Christ named and calleda Christian? The name of
Phariseeismore fittingforyou. For when in the Gospel the
Lord was discoursingconcerning almsgiving,and faithfully
and wholesomelywarned us to make to ourselvesfriendsof
our earthlylucre by providentgood works,who might after
wards receiveus intoeternaldwellings,the Scriptureadded
after this,and said," But the Phariseesheard all these
things,who were very covetous,and they derided Him."5
1 1 Tim.vi.7-10. 2 Some editorsread," theresourcesoflife."* Prov.x.3. * Matt.v.26. cLuke xvi.14.