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The Baptist having pressed his hearers to bring forth fruits meet for repentance, here they enquire of him what fruits they should bring forth? He tells first the fruits of charity and mercy: He that hath two coats, let him give to him that hath none. This is not to be understood strictly, as if the command required us to give the clothes off our back to every one that wanted them. But it directs those that have the things of this life in abundance, to distribute and communicate to those that are in want.
Learn hence, that an extensive liberality, and a diffusive charity in distributing such things as we can well spare towards the relief of others' necessities, is an excellent fruit of repentance, and a good proof and evidence of the truth and sincerity of it. Let him that hath two coats impart to him that hath none.
Note, that the Baptist here doth not make it unlawful for a man to have two coats, but means only, that he that has one coat which his brother wants, and he at present doth not, should rather give it him, than suffer him to be in want of it.
Teaching us, that it is not lawful to abound in those things which our brother wants, when we have sufficient both to relieve his and our necessities.