have Food and Raiment convenient for you Prov. 30.8 Heb. 13.5 and ye shall have the best things of a better World in a way of Reversion seeing you are Christ's and Christ is God's And 't is no trifling part of this Inventory neither that Death is theirs for that is of great value with God himself as 't is said pretious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints Psal 116.15 Nor is the Title the Term and the Tenure that the Christian holds this part of his Character and Inventory by but as the Apostle there observeth the fullest the longest and the surest of all others For 1. The Title is the fullest as 't is both by Purchase and by Conquest Also 2. The Term is the lastingest as it includes both time present and to come not only Possession but Reversion too And 3. The Tenure is the safest as it is the highest 't is a Tenure in Capite entailed for greater security upon the Crown therefore is this Famous Clause added all are yours safe enough because you are Christ's and Christ is God's c. CHAP. VII Means for making Old Age to become a Good Age. NOW I come to the Third Particular after 1 st The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that Old Age may be a Good Age. And after 2 dly The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Or Reasons why it must be so c. Then 3 dly The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Or the Means and Manner how this Age which is Evil in and of it self may be made a Good Age. In order hereunto we must First Consider the Dues which by a Divine Appointment ought to be duly paid unto Old Age. And Secondly We must consider the Duties which likewise by a Divine Appointment ought to be daily praâ—tised in our Old Age. NB. Note well The former of these two hath its Dependency upon the latter of them for if those Duties prescribed by God's Precept be not daily practised in our Old Age then those Dues of Honour and Reverence which are propounded also by God's Promise can never be duly paid to our Old Age but the contrary even Scorn and Contempt First Of the first of these namely the Dues that are the Due Homage and Divine Debt which God commands all Mankind to pay unto Old Age. As 1. In Levit. 19.32 which hath been spoken to before where God's Charge runs in this Sense Do thou Honour the Face of the Old Man if thou fearest God who will surely punish thee if thou dost it not And 2. God took it heinously at the Hands of the King of Babylon saying to him Upon the Ancients hast thou very heavily laid thy Yoke and shewed them no Mercy Isai 47.6 3. God did reckon it as a great and grievous Crime to have the Aged and Ancient Ones despised by the Younger Sort and therefore he threatens this as a punishment to the stubborn Jews that the Child shall behave himself proudly against the Ancient Isai 3.5 Such sins as are threatned for punishments are usually great sins and had not the sawcy Carriage of Children towards the Aged especially towards their own Aged Parents been a notorious injury unto Old Persons it would never have been threatned as a Curse and Punishment If it were a great wrong it was also a great sin and if it were a great sin it must expect a great Plague and Punishment Many more Scriptures might here be added with a short descant upon them but to be short this brief following Reference shall suffise As 4 Prov. 20.29 5. Lam. 5.12 6. Job 29.8 and 32.4,6,7 And 7. Rom. 16.3 Lastly 1 Tim. 5.1,2 All which Scriptures do plainly hold forth what Respect and Reverence ought to be given and is commanded by the great God to be given unto Aged Persons even in those Purest times of the Old and New Testaments and how can we learn to write after a more perfect Pattern and a more infallible Copy Yea and upon a brief search of the Ancient Fathers of the Church soon after those pure Scripture times I do find this grave and solid Testimony concerning this very Point of the Honour of Old Age in Clemens Alexandrinus his Book called Paedagogus written in the Year of our Lord 194 who in his Third Book of that before-named Title speaks thus Non est malum Senem videri cum hoc quod sis celare non possis Quo ergo magis Homo festinat ad finem tanto est vere Venerabilior ut qui Deum solum habeat se Seniorem nam ille quoque est Aeternus Sâ—nex qui est iis quae sunt Antiquior Antiquum Dierum illum vocavit Propheta That is in English thus It is no evil to seem Old seeing such as be so cannot conceal it with any Paintings as the same Father a little before this saith such painters of themselves cannot put off Old Age as the Serpent doth his Slough c. For by how much the more a Man hastneth unto his end by so much the more he becometh Venerable and the more to be Honoured as one who hath God alone to be more Ancient than he who is likewise Eternally Old and the Prophet Daniel calls him the Antient of Days And the same Father adds Senum Corona è multa experientia c. That the Crown of Old Men is much Prudence and Experience c. To omit the other Fathers for avoiding prolixity let me only add two more Testimonies to this great Truth The First is That Critick Philosopher who saith Cognata sunt 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The former word signifies Old Age and the latter Honour so these two are of â—ear a Kin in the Greek Language and agreeable hereunto is the Hebrew reading Isai 9.15 where the Ancient and the Honourable are joined together The Second Testimony is that of the great Historian Livy in his 26th Book speaking of an Army how the Younger Bands gave place to the Elder useth these words Vix ut verisimile est Parentum quoque hoc seculo vilis levisque apud Liberos Authoritas that is the Report of former purer golden Times when the Younger had such a Veneration for the Elder seems almost incredible for now we see this present Age is of another Mettal than Gold wherein we behold the disrespect that is commonly shewed not only to Old Men buâ— also to Old Parents whose Authority over their Children is oft vile and contemptible c. yea slighting them most when they should respect them most much unlike to young Joseph who nourished his Old Father Jacob in his Old Age and made the last Seventeen Yearâ— of his Life the best and most comfortable part of his whole Time that he lived in the World Nor is this all to wit disrespect to Old Parents c. buâ— there is likewise a disrespect to Old Pâ—stors who are thought by Young Noviceâ— to be no better than Fools whereas according to the vulgar saying the Old â—re sure