TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE HENEAGE, EARL OF NOTTINGHAM, LORD HIGH CHANCELLOR OF ENGLAND, AND ONE OF HIS MAJESTY'S MOST HONOURABLE PRIVY COUNCIL. MY LORD, I TAKE the boldness to present your Lordship with some of the fruits of my deceased son's studies in Divinity. And since it hath pleased God, to my unspeakable grief and loss, to deprive me of so great a blessing and comfort of my old age; it is no small mitigation of my sorrow, that whilst he lived he was not unprofitable to the world; and that, now he is dead, he hath left those monuments of his piety and learning behind him, which, I am told, are generally thought not unworthy to be imparted to the public. If these Sermons be such, I have no cause to doubt but they will easily obtain your Lordship's patronage, who are so known a favourer of all that is virtuous and worthy, especially of Religion and the ministers of it; of which I had particular experience upon the death of my good son, when your Lordship was pleased, with so much humanity and condescension, to send to comfort me under that sad loss, and to express your own resentment of it. But whatever these Sermons be, since I have no other way to acknowledge my great obligations to your Lordship upon all occasions, I hope your Lordship will please favourably to accept of this, how small soever, yet sincere testimony of my dutiful respects and gratitude. I am, My Lord, Your Lordship's most obliged and most obedient servant, THOMAS BARROW. THE DUTY AND REWARD OF BOUNTY TO THE POOR: IN A SERMON PREACHED AT THE SPITTAL UPON WEDNESDAY IN EASTER WEEK, TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE SIR RICHARD FORD, LORD MAYOR OF LONDON, AND THE COURT OF ALDERMEN. Right Honble, As out of grateful respect, I did (although otherwise indisposed for such employments) endeavour to discharge that service, which you vouchsafed to call me unto, in conceiving and uttering these meditations; so now in publishing them, I do purely submit to your commands, meaning therein to approve myself, Right Honble, Your most obedient Servant, B. S. VOL. I. Isaac Barrow. 1 FORD, MAYOR. Martis secundo die Maii 1671. Annoq; Domini Regis CAROLI Secundi Angliæ, &c. vicesimo tertio. This Court doth desire Dr BARROW to print his Sermon, preached at the Spittal on Wednesday in Easter Week last, with what farther he had prepared to deliver at that time. AVERY. IMPRIMATUR. Sam. Parker, Rmo in Christo Patri ac Domino Dno Gilberto Archiep. Cantuar. a Sac. Dom. Jul. 3, 1671. SERMON I. THE DUTY AND REWARD OF BOUNTY TO THE POOR. PSALM CXII. 9. He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth for ever; his horn shall be exalted with honour. S this whole Psalm appears to have a double SERM. As this whole Psalm appears I. intent; one to describe the proper actions and affections of a truly religious or pious man; (of a man Who feareth the Lord, and delighteth greatly Ver. 1. in his commandments;) the other to declare the happiness of such a man's state, consequent upon those his affections and actions, whether in way of natural result, or of gracious recompense from God: so doth this verse particularly contain both a good part of a pious man's character, and some considerable instances of his felicity. The first words (He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor) express part of his character; the latter (His righteousness endureth for ever, his horn shall be exalted with honour) assign instances of his felicity. So that our text hath two parts, one affording us good information concerning our duty, the other yielding great encouragement to the performance thereof; for we are obliged to follow the pious man's practice, and so doing we shall assuredly partake of his |