6. Every reasonable man is convinced of this. And perhaps you do not concern yourself so much about the doctrine, but the mischief that is done, “How many poor families are starved, ruined, brought to beggary!” By what? Not by _contributing_ a penny a week (the usual contribution in our societies) and _letting that alone_, when they please, when there is any shadow of reason to suppose they cannot afford it. You will not say, any are brought to beggary by this. Not by gifts to me: for I receive none; save (sometimes) the food I eat. And publick collections are nothing to me. That it may evidently appear they are not, when any such collection is made, to cloathe the poor, or for any other determinate purpose, the money is both received and expended before many witnesses, without ever going through my hands at all. And then likewise all possible regard is had, to the circumstances of those who contribute any thing. And they are told over and over, _if there be a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath_. But where are all these families that have been brought to beggary? How is it, that none of them is forth-coming? Are they all, _out of town_? Then indeed I am in no danger of clearing myself from _their_ indictment. It is the easiest thing of a thousand, for one at _Newcastle_ to say, that I have beggared him and all his kindred. If one of the long-bearded men on _Tyne_-bridge, were to say so just now, I could not readily confute him. But why will you not bring a few of these to tell me so to my face? I have not found one that would do this yet. They pray, you would have them excused. I remember a man coming to me with a doleful countenance, putting himself into many lamentable postures, gaping as wide as he could, and pointing to his mouth, as tho’ he would say, “he could not speak.” I enquired of his companion, what was the matter? And was informed, “he had fallen into the hands of the _Turks_, who had used him in a barbarous manner, and cut out his tongue by the roots.” I believed him. But when the man had had a chearful cup, he could find his tongue as well as another. I reflected, how is it that I could so readily believe that tale? The answer was easy, “because it was told of a _Turk_.” My friend, take knowledge of your own case. If you had not first took me for a _Turk_, or something equally bad, you could not so readily have believed that tale! 7. “But can it be, that there is no ground at all for a report, which is in every ones mouth?” I will simply tell you, all the ground which I can conceive. I believe many of those who attend on my ministry, have less of this world’s goods than they had before, or at least, might have had if they did not attend it. This fact I allow; and it may be easily accounted for, in one or other of the following ways.