built vpon him and yee may carry your selues in all things as the ministers of God in much patience in tribulations in necessities in streights in scourges in prisons in labours in fastings in chastitie in long-suffering in the Holy Ghost and in loue vnfained in the word of truth and in the virtue of God Let there not be a lye told amongst you for euery lyer is abominable vnto God God is truth and lying is opposite to truth Flie euery idle word for of euery idle and vaine word wee must giue accompt vnto God Loue silence where there is much talking there cannot but be much lying The speech bewraieth what a man is Let no word come from your mouth which may not sauour of Christ alwaies meditate vpon Gods law Surely nothing hurts a man more then euill society for such is a man made as they are whose society hee vseth The Wolfe neuer dwells with the Lambe A chast man flies the society of the luxurious I thinke it impostible for a man to remaine long in good workes that vseth euill society euery day With the holy saith the Psalmist thou shalt be holy with the innocent thou shalt be innecent with the froward thou shalt learne frowardnesse For euen as euill company hurteth so good companie profiteth Nothing can be compared to this treasure hee that hath found good Companions hath found life flowes with riches And to speake truely very seldome is a man made either good or euill but by company The heart of a child is like vnto a table wherin nothing is at the first ingrauen therefore what hee receiueth from company he reteineth euen vnto old age whether it be good or bad Let youth keepe company with men of yeares and wisedome for if hee be linked to one like vnto himselfe by daily fellowshippe hee shall fall from folly to folly Aboue all things my sonnes sweare not neither by heauen not by earth nor by any other Oath Out of whose mouth Oathes are heard in him is little knowledge and loue of God If it be not true which I sweare I doe in effect denie God for God hath for bidden to take his name in vaine Be instant in continuall prayers Frequent and deuout prayer doth much auaile Prayer doth lift vp a man from earth to heauen and makes him to speake with God Hee obteineth grace of God if his Prayer be deuout and mixt with teares Hezechiah by his prayers and teares did presently obtaine grace of the Lord so that the sentence was changed which had bin denounced At the praiers of Elias the beauen gaue raine which had beene shut vp three yeares and six monethes If ye want any thing aske it of the Lord by prayer and weeping being no whit doubtfull for whosoeuer hath faith but so much as a graine of mustard seed whatsoeuer he shall aske shall be granted vnto him The same Lord that then was is now also rich in all things wherefore let God now be your hope your ioy your thinking and your desire For of him in him and through him are all things in whom we liue and moue and haue our being and without whom we are nothing And now ô my sonnes I shall not speake many things to you for the houre is come vnto which I was borne vpon this condition I came into the world that I might goe out againe The Lord spared not his owne son but made them to die vpon the Crosse for vs all by whose death our death is dead for none of vs liueth to himselfe but dieth whether wee liue we liue to the Lord and if we die we die to the Lord therfore whether we liue or die we are the Lords and for this cause Christ is called the Lord of the liuing and of the dead For if Christ bee dead surely the seruant is not about his Master we must also die and if he be risen againe we haue also most sirme hope that we shall rise againe and if he bee risen to die no more neither shall we die any more after our resurrection but shall alway abide with him in glory When Christ died a man like vnto vs died that the body of sinne might be destroyed that we might be made one body together with him Wherefore my beloued sonnes although I now die I beleeue that my Redeemer liueth and that I shall rise vp out of the earth at the last day and shall bee couered againe with this skinne and in this my flesh I shall see him my Sauiour whom I my selfe shall see who now speake whom ye see now dying and not any other for me And these very eies whereby I now see you shall looke vpon him Wherefore reioice with me and sing cast away the garments of mourning and heauinesse praise the Lord sing a Psalme vnto his name giue glorie to his praise for hitherto I haue walked through fire water behold now he refresheth me I will enter into the house of the Lord that I may pay my vowes from day to day Oh how great a game it is to me to die Because Christ shall bee my life againe Behold the earthly house of this habitation is dissolued that another may succeede not made with hands eternall in the heauens Behold I put off this mortall cloathing that I may put on immortall Hitherto I haue bin in pilgrimage now I returne to my countrey Behold I now receiue the prize for which I ran in the race I touch the hauen which I haue desired with so great a desire Behold I am carried from darkenesse to light from dangers to safetie from pouertie to riches from battell to victorie from heauinesse to ioy from a temporall life to eternall and from a filthy stincke to a most sweete smell Here I am blinde there I am inlightened here I am wounded there I am healed here I am alwaies made heauie there I am made ioyfull liuing here I am dead there I am truely made aliue The life in this world is no life but death a deceitfull life a life loaden with sorrowes weake vmbraticall deceitfull Now thou flourishest by and by thou witherest it is a fraile a momentany a fading life Wherein looke how much thou growest so much thou decreasest when thou goest more forward thou drawest nearer to death O life full of snares how many men doest thou intangle in the world How many through thee doe indure the torments of hell How blessed is he that acknowledgeth thy deceits how much more blessed is he that careth not for thy flatteries and how most blessed is hee that is well rid of thee O sweete and pleasant death thou art truely no death that bestowest true life Thou puttest away feuers and wounds thou quenchest hunger and thirst O most just death good vnto the good and rough vnto the euill thou humblest the proud rich and mightie and exaltest the humble Thou openest the way to eternall punishment to the euill and to eternall reward to the iust
A PATTERNE For WOMEN Setting forth the most Christian life most comfortable death of Mrs LVCY late wife to the worshipfull Roger Thornton Esquire of Little Wratting in Suffolke Whereunto is annexed a most pithy and perswasiue discourse of that most learned holy Father IEROM being his last speech before his death which is able to rouze vp the most drowzy and dead in sinne And finally the last most heauenly prayer of the sayd IEROM a singular help for a poore soule wrestling with the pangs of death to addresse herselfe towards her SAVIOVR By I. M. Bachelour of Diuinity LONDON Printed by Edw. Griffin for Iohn Marriot and are to be sold at his shop in S. Dunstanes Church-yard in Fleet-street 1619. TO THE ETERNAL MEMORIE OF THAT MOST RENOWMED AND BEST DESERVING GENTLE-WOMAN LVCY LATE WIFE TO ROGER THORNTON ESQVIRE WHO DYED IN WRATTING PARVA IN SVFFOLK DECEMB 21. ANNO SALVTIS HVMANAE 1618 BVT EVER LIVETH WITH GOD. IOHN MAYER THE MOST VNWORTHY PASTOR OF THAT CHVRCH AS HIS LAST BOVNDEN DVTY TOWARDS HER HIS LOVING PATRONESSE CONSECRATETH THIS SLENDER PAPER MONVMENT TO THE WORSHIPFVL and singularly religious ROGER THORNTON Esquire my very good Friend and Patron and to the hopefull branches of his late cut-off Vine the comfortable fellowship of God the Holy GHOST IT is a saying Dies dolorē minuit Time lesseneth griefe which if it bee true I may seeme to misse of my marke by bringing again to remembrance your inestimable losse seeing to remember a grieuous accident is to rub euer a sore and to increase patne when time had well nigh worne it away But to set fourth the praises of the dead to arect monuments to their memory are I know not how though no subsidia mortuorum salues vnto the dead yet solamina viuorū by the practise of all ages comforts of friends suruiuing And not without cause seeing it is promised that the memory of the inst shall be blessed the name of the wicked shall rot Pro. 10-17 Wherefore in all ages men haue been carried as it were by a secret instinct thus to seek the continuance of the good memory of their deceased deare ones and so haue had some solace by the remaining shadow which they could not haue by the fading substance Thus laakob set vp a piller to his best beloued Rachel and Absalom being conscious to himselfe of his ill deserts Gen. 35.20 for which it was likely that his memory should not without a Monument set vp a noted piller in his life time to continue his name after death 2 Sam. 18.18 The Man solemn built by Artemisia to her decre husband deceased hath beene for the statclinesse one of the seuen wonders of the world And it is incredible to recoum what costly Pyramides Turkish Emperours haue built for the continuance of name And some haue doted so far not content to haue the memories of their friends thus continued as of excelient men and women they haue delighted in procuring diuine honours vnto them as vnto he and she gods But the witty scoffe of Agesilaus King of the Lacedemonians may well bee applied vnto such who when the Thraceans would needs put diuine honors upon him for his good deserts towards them sayd Deos vosipsos priùs facite rùm deisicandorum hominum potestatem vobis esse credam First make your selues gods and then I will beleeue that yeo haue power to make other men gods Wee are not of those Christians that doe thus robbing God of his honour honour the Saints of God departed or such as by excessine cost robbing the poore seeke to inrich the tombs of the dead As rom saith of the costly Churches and Monasteries built to the honour of Saints so may we iustly say heere Quis tam insipiens est vt non intelligat quod talia aedificia non cedunt ad Deigloriam sed ad mundi pompam Who is so foolish that he doth not vnderstand that such buildings tend not to the glory of God but to wordly pomp And againe Qualis potest esse iustitia munerare mortuos spoliare viuos What righteousnesse can this be to honour the dead and to spoyle the liuing we print and paint carue and graue enely for their iust commendation that we may remember that as their memory liueth vpon earth amongst men so their soulos liue alwayes amongst Angells in heauen and that hauing them still as patternes before our eyes we may be whetted on to an imitation of their vertues who haue so happily runne their race finisht their course and already receiued the crowne of righteousnesse This Worthy whom I heere describe deserued more cost then I haue or was able to bestow and I confesse that her excellency compared with the simplicity of this rapsody or hastened labour of mine hath hither to deterred me from making it publique But now because I see it is expected and I might otherwise bee blamed at many hands for neglect of so great good deserts I haue aduentured it forth and if I haue not so fully displayed her colours as I might the fault was in your too great secresie through which her singular pious and charitable acts done by her in so great closenes were hidden from my knowledge so that I could not insert them And because it is for her memory that I have done this I haue diuided it deuoting to her as is most proper the dedication and to you the consolation Wherfore take that which is yours and whereof yee haue inst cause hauing a wife a mother already so highly aduanced in heauen of who I may without flattery to my knowledge Pro. 31.29 vse the words of Lemuels mother Many daughters haue done vertuously but thou furmountest them all It is not if it bee duly considered your losse and but her gaine though I confesse it a great losse to vs all for with the losse gaine redounds vnto vs. Whilst shee liucd wee could haue onely the comfort of one in the iourney with vs now she is dead we may haue the comfort of one our iourney-fellow safely come to the end of the way And this is a double comfort the one for that one of our neere fellow-members is gone from miserie to glory the other for that in her wee haue beene more confirmed who saw her ioyfull end so many as walke after him For wee ought to reioyce with those that reioyce and it was the ancient enstome of the Church of God and now is to giue God thankes for the happy departure of good Christians in regard of their breaking the ice before vs to the confirming of our hope when wee shall follow after Vnto this monument for the further garnishing I haue added a discourse of another Saint dying long agoe which deserueth to be engrauen in marble with a pen of iron And this I haue done to supply my wants through defect of memory in setting downe her speeches and prayers For looke what is heere spoken in exhorting in
if thou wilt come vp to him Whatsoeuer a man doth saith Chrysostome if there bee not humility Chrysost Matth Hom 15. but vaine-glory the soule suffereth shipwracke though it be euen in the hauen of tranquility Et quid infoelicius potest homini accidere quam in ipsa tranquilitatis portu naufragium facere By humility then shee sat safely in the hauen and saw the shore she gat vp vnto the step and beheld God her faluation Fiftly she was annoynted with due subiection to her owne husband as Sarah 1 Pet. 3.6 who reuerenced her husband whose example is most carnestly by S. Peter commended to all wiues promising that thus they become the daughters of Sarah not being terrified with any feare Whetfore hauing this vertue also added shee was doubtlesse without feare stedfast in the faith of her saluation Vnruly wines like vnto Rachel the wife of Iaacob Gen. 30.1 quarrelling with their husbands 2 Sam. 6. or like Michol the wife of David mocking their husbands or like lezabel the wife of Ahab 1 Kin. 21. imperious ouer their husbands and helping them forward in sin or like Peninnah the wife of Elkana puft vp 1 Sam. 1. because of their fruitfulnesse or like the daughters of lerusalem vainely decking themselues without end in superfluous implements to the needlesse cost of their husbands these and the like haue such a mist or dark clowd of blacke sinnes before their eyes as that they cannot see this saluation they may haue hope indeede but their hope is presumption the end of which is damnation Now as this elect seruant of God was beautified with these graces in her health so they remained in her without being dimmed in her last sicknesse 1. For heauenly zeale shee gaue a sure instance heereof in the beginning of this sicknesse by commanding her seruants not to trouble her with any worldly affaires for now she would wholly be setled to heauen And indeed shee lay in her sicke bed as in heauen full of heauenly speeches and of heauenly comfort Now all her practise was praying confessing of sinnes singing Pâ—almes and godlâ— conference 2. For wisdome when strength of body falled her this was strong yet in he euon vnto the end most wisely shee spake to euery thing with much vnderstanding producing sundry places of the holy Scriptures Being much troubled for her sinnes and buffetted by the temptations of Satan she sayd that shee had yet much assurance because that Mat. 11.28 Come vnto mee saith the Lord all you that are weary and beauy laden and I will refresh you Hee biddeth to come sayd shee and come all yea euen such wretches as I am Againe Lue. 10. Mary said shee that had chosen the better part was promised that it should neuer be taken from her and the gifts and calling of God are without repentance And againe the Church saith Come and the Spirit saith Come who so will and drinke of the water of life freely Another time being dealt withall about willingnesse to depart out of this world yea said shee Lot was a worthy man yet he was faine to bee pulled out of Sodom Another time after great trouble of mind being restored againe to comfort by prayer Thou art a God sayd shee that hearest prayer therefore to thee shal all flesh come with many like sayings excellently applied which I cannot repeat againe 3. For true loue that still abounded in her towards God her loue did wonderfully shew it selfe by the great care which she had all the time of her painfull sicknes that nothing in her passions might proceed from her to scandalize that holy profession which she had entertained wherby God might bee dishonoured and by her great remorse and sorrow for any behauior amisse in her greatest extremity No heart could bee pricked more for sinne then her tender heart was for her slips in her greatest passions shee wished rather to bee as Lazarus then to bee any way a scandall or meanes of the opening of wicked mouths against the Gospell Oh that we had all in our health and freedom from distractions that tendernesse of heart and affection towards Gods glory so should not blasphemous mouths bee set so wide open to speake euill of our Christian profession neither should so many stumble and be hindered from the right way She exceeded also still in loue of her neighbours as her almes were alwayes great so now much more willing that both money and cloath should bee plentifully giuen to the poore round about She thewed a right mother like affection to her children commending to them in patticular the feare of God and the loue of the vertuous and charity to the poore with many other good exhortations to her maidens likewise she had memorable speeches of instruction and admonition and the like 4. For Humility shee did with all patience beare her sicknesse no discontented speeches no impatient complainings no distempered groanings were heard to come from her but when shee had greatest pangs her mourning was inward and when shee had any little time of respit she was very cheerefull singing and talking comfortably A most happy woman then was she Simeons most delightfull sight was her sight in health and sicknesse to the last with her eies shee did see her saluation 2. For the ioy Now lettest thou thy seruant depart in peace Lettest depart or dismissest or lettest loose 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 euen as a man let loose out of prison or held longer then he would from the place which hee desireth to goe vnto but now sent away Inpeace that is in ioy and comfort for such as depart in peace goe away comfortably Doct. Note that Simeon obtaining this fauour to see the Lords saluation did ioyfully dispose himselfe to goe out of this world and euery Simeou that is euery faithfull person is likewise ioyfull and comfortable against the terrours of death whensoeuer it commeth The changing of their haires into gray in olde age the wrinckling of their faces their deafe eares dirnme eyes their lame and aking limbs summoning to death doe not dismay them If their streights be such as that they see nothing but death before their eyes yet they reioice with Paul saying I haue fought a good fight I haue runne a good race now remaineth for mee the crowne of righteousnesse c. And great reason is there that the faithfull should cheere vp themselues when death approcheth because there is nothing in death to hinder but all things to further their ioy For death is nothing but a letting loose of the soule to goe to Christ for which cause Paul speaking heere of saith Phil. 1.17 desiring to bee loosed and to be with Christ which is best of all Now who would be grieued to bee let loose and not rather reioice to be let loose from the streight prison of the body that the soule may enioy the liberty of its proper Countrey viz. heauen from whence it came 2. Death is
most deare sonnes serue the Lord with feare and reioyce before him with trembling lay hold vpon his righteousnes least yee perish from the right way Taste and see how sweet the Lord is The rich haue wanted and beene hungry and such as haue slept here in their riches and pleasures haue found nothing but such as seek after the Lord doe want no good thing I haue bin yong and now am old yet neuer did I see the righteous forsaken to the end nor his seed wanting bread Be yee followers of pouerty that ye may be his followers who when he was in the likenes of God vpholding all things by the word of his power in whose house are riches and glory yet he abased himself taking vpon him the forme of a seruant and was borne poore and penurious and was more than poore and penurious all the time that hee liued here and died most poore and was buried whereupon The foxes saith he Luc. 10. haue holes and the birds of the ayre nests but the Sonne of man hath not whereupon to lay his head He also biddeth the Apostles not to carry scrip or satchell and he aduised the yong man to sell such things as he bad and to giue to the 〈◊〉 it is impossible 〈…〉 and in riches and to 〈◊〉 Christ Is there 〈◊〉 There riches be 〈…〉 is more 〈◊〉 Doe not all euils aâ—â—e out of pride as out of one roote For when a man is made rich and the glory of his house is increased doth he not wax proud and if he be proud are not his wayes euer polluted and then the rich man sitting in secret with his riches doth deuise how he may slay the innocent His eies look vpon the poore and he layeth wait in secret that he may catch him as a Lion in his den saying in his heart God hath forgotten he hath turned away his face and will neuer see But when the Lord through patience doth vse more delay in executing iudegment he is more full of anger and therefore hee is an hundreth times more to be feared when he doth patiently tolerate euils than when he doth hastily punish For God doth sometime suffer the good to be vexed of the euill and of the proud so that they make long furrowes vpon their backs continue in their wickednes But though the Lord seemeth a litle to forget the poore yet he will not euer forget to be mercifull for he is the helper of the fatherlesse and the protector of the poore he resisteth the proud and giueth grace to the humble He breaketh the arme of the sinner and wicked one and heareth the desire of the poore and iudgeth the cause of the fatherlesse and of the humble that the proud man vpon earth may not exalt himself any more Wherfore my most dearely beloued sonnes if ye will be poore be humbled vnder the mighty hand of God that yee may not loose those things which yee doe Pouerty is no whit acceptable vnto God without humilitie Hee chose rather to take flesh of blessed Mary for hir humilitie than for any other vertue For as out of the onely root of pride all euils do arise so out of the onely roote of humilitie all good things are bred Learne of our Sauiour who being gentle and humble in heart abased himselfe for vs becomming obedient euen to the death of the Crosse For which cause I say vnto you if ye will be humble be obedient to euery humane power for Gods cause He is not obedient but negligent who expecteth to be bidden the secoud time it is said that Peter and Andrew at the voice of one bidding left their nets and all that they had and followed the steps of the Lord. True obedience alwaies wisheth in nothing to follow a mans owne will but the will of another For Christ left this for an example vnto vs in his last supper when hauing washed the feete of his disciples he said vnto Peter that vnlesse he would yeild vnto him he should haue no part with him Wherefore my most beloued sonnes as yee haue one name so haue one wil and one will for it is a good and pleasant thing for brethren to dwell together in vnitie Let no man be greater or lesse amongst you but after the example of Christ let euery man be greatest in humility Let the greatest amongst you in humility become a fellow to the least when he doth well but when he sinneth let him lift vp himself against vice through the zeale of righteousnes Neuer make any couenant with sinne let a man be loued so as that his vice may be hated It is a great signe of loue to reproue a man in all the least offences Vaine humilitie doth oftentimes much hurt It is no true humilitie to suffer vices by holding a mans peace Cry out cease not lift vp thy voice as a trumpet saith he to Esay tell my people of their sins and I would to God that euery creature could cry out against sinne because that although the sinner doth not feare God he would yet be afraid of men The negligence and vaine humilitie of the shepheard makes that the Wolues can bee bold against the Lambes Looke not vpon the countenance of the mighty for there is no acceptance of persons before God Do in all things that which is iust ye must rather obey God than men If yee conceale the truth for feare of the mighty do yee not consider in your selues that your righteousnesse doth not exceede the righteousnes of the Scribes and Pharisees Do not honor a rich man more than a poore man vnlesse he be better Yea that I may speake truly honor rather a poore man for in a poore man doth shine the image of Christ in a rich man the image of the world We all come from one roote of flesh we are all bred members of one another in the same body whereof the head is Iesus Christ What honor then hath the rich and mighty man merited more than the poore man Peraduenture because he is rich and mighty but if it be thus why do wee preach that the glory of the world is to be despised Surely I thinke that no man is to be honoured for the vse of euill things If thou honourest the rich more than the poore thou preferrest the world before God and if thou louest any thing in the world more than God thou art not worthy of God Giue I pray you the things of God vnto God and the things of the world vnto the world Let goodnes euery where be honoured let wickednes be euery where disgraced But because I am speaking of those that do glory in their fading riches and of those that are proud of a certaine nobilitie of the filthy flesh which is soone to returne to ashes and of vaine and light power and dignitie for they are lifted vp by the blast of some foolish titles and doe tread others vnder feete through contempt and by this they thinke
be beloued of the world The Lord doth often correct and chaslise those whom be loueth If ye must glory in the world glory willingly in your tribulatious and aduersities for Christ promised these vnto his Disciples whom he loued euen vnto the end and that in signe of his chiefe loue when in his last supper he said Verily I say vnto you yee shall waile and weepe but the world shall reioyce Reioice my most beloued sionnes when the world hateth you Desire to suffer contumelies and reproaches of men because ye shall be blessed when men shall curse you and persecute you and say all manner of euill against you falsly for the sonne of mans sake Know that ye are not of the world for if yee were of the world the world would loue his owne Thinke it all ioy when ye haue many reproaches and oppositions in the world knowing that euen out of these doth arise valour and patience and patience hath its perfect worke Virtues are tried by patience euen as gold by the fire He that hath other virtues without patience carries gold in earthen vessells In your patience onely said our Sauiour ye shall possesse your soules Valour is ioyned vnto patience a patient man is of a valiant minde and he which is penitent and valiant may securely hope for the good things of the life to come Keep patience in your minde and whilst yee haue time exercise it in your workes For patience is a couering whereby our ship saileth securely in the stormes of this world what winde soeuer bloweth without any feare of danger Let reproachfull words moue none of you to reuenge or hatred of your neighbour Be ye mercifull euen as your Father is mercifull who doth raine vpon the iust and the vniust and makes his Sunne to shine vpon the good and the bad Hee shall haue iudgement without mercie that doth not exercise mercie and mercie reioiceth against iudgement If ye will not from your hearts forgiue such as offend you neither will your Father forgiue you He doth in vaine aske for mercie which denieth mercie to others Herein is our virtue established herein standeth our stipend and reward if wee lone our friends in God and our enemies for God That wicked seruant which receiued mercie and denied mercie to his Fellow-seruant did therefore deserue to haue the seueritie of iustice Iustice without mercie is crueltie and therefore mercie is to be mingled with iustice All our law is in mercie God could haue condemned all in iustice whom he saued in mercie Wherfore he that wanteth mercie is no Christian It is almost imposlible that a mercifull and godly man should not pacifie Gods anger Blessed are the mercifull for they shall obraine mercie A man without mercie is as a shippe in the midst of the sea in euery part full of holes The Preist which dissereth from the men of this world in apparell yet agreeth with them in life Cerainely there is no beast in the world so cruel asan euill Preist for hee deth not suffer himselfe to be am ended and can neuer heare the truth and that I may smish in a word he excceds all men in naeghtinesse Alas how much hath couetousnesse growne in some that are spirituall in habit and name yea that I may speake truely couetousnesse is the cause of this spiritualitie who truely are rauening Wolues in sheepes cloathing If thou seest a Priest couetous and without mercie flie more from him then from a Serpent There are some which thinke that all the fruite that they are to bring foorth is to build Churches and Monasteries in a wonderfull manner whose couetousnesse is so great that they think the world and all things too little for them Their minde and thoughts are altogether set vpon this that they may picke other mens purses Our Sauiour reprouing such saith Woe to you that build the tombes of the Prophets Behold they that build Monasteries and set vp Churches of rare workemanshippe seeme to doe a goodly worke but if they shew mercie to the poore that is a good worke indeede Wouldst thou haue thy worke to please God prouide that the poore may haue ioy of it what Church is more deare to God then man Yee are the Temple of God saith the Apostle when thou reachest out thy hand vnto the poore when thou succourest a man in his necessitie When thou bringest the wandring in to the right-way Oh what an admirable temple and acceptable vnto God hast thou built Breake thy bread vnto the hungry and bring the poore wandring into thy house Let not man excuse himselfe and say I haue nothing to giue to the poore if thou hast any garment or any other thing besides very neeessaries and dost not succout a poore-man in want thou art a theefe and a Robber Wee are beloned only Stewards and not Possessours of things temporall One man hath so much more then hee needeth as an hundreth might hue vpon which perish thorough famine Hee that hath a little and giuoth nor robbes one but such rob beth so many as he giueth not vnto being in want But perchance thou wilt say ô Wretch it is mine owne my Parents left it me How could they leaue that to thee which was not their owne if it were their owne whence had they it who gaue it vnto them what brought they with them when they came into the world what shall they carrie away when they go out Certainely such things of the poore as wee possesse will crie for vengeance in the day of iudgement before the eyes of Gods iustice The law of nature requires this that what we desire should be done vnto vs wee should doe vnto other What other thing doth the old law publish and if thou aske the doctrine of the Gospell what other thing doth it infinuate These truely shall bee Witnesses before GOD the iudge What therefore should I say to these that onely gather together stones and erect wals aloft that their worke may appeare to the eyes of man and that the building may be praised Who is so foolish as that he vnderstandeth not that such buildings are not to the praise of God but for worldly pompe But some man will say what is it not good to build Monasteries and Churches that God may bee honoured thereby I answere it is good so that the poore in the meane while crie not to God against such How can I build an house pleasing vnto God or to his Saints of those monies for which the poore crie out What iustice can it be to reward the dead and to spoile the liuing and out of the want of the poore to offer vnto God Certes if this iustice should please God he should be the companion of violence and if it displeaseth God it cannot please the Saints Wherefore most beloued sonnes as new borne babes desire the sincere milke of the word that yee may grow thereby if ye haue tasted how sweet the Lord is For verily if ye be not