ABSTRACT
Martin seeks to address his readers from his position as an experienced secular governor and parliamentarian, but also to negotiate a position as a religious scholar with some knowledge of the Christian's duty of charity. Martin illustrates his treatise with examples of Christian leaders who successfully combined their civic responsibilities and Christian obligations and performed regular acts of charity. He employs the method of instruction favoured by Catholic reformist preachers that is, to instruct by example to encourage Christian charity, in this case, towards the poor of the Grand Bureau. He cites the example of Christian men who were not only governors within their community but also led 'faithful Christian' lives of charity and 'through this received God into their hearts'. Martin demonstrates that like these Christian leaders of the past, Paris's leading citizens can combine their civic responsibilities and Christian obligations, and presents supporting the 'holy work' of the Grand Bureau as an excellent way of doing so.
