allow some poor pittence to keep them from famishing They who make no spare of their most costly Wines but swallow them down themselves with great excess and provoke yea even compel others to drink of them unto drunkenness will not give a little small drink to the poor members of Iesus Christ to quench their thirst they have not for the poor some worn and cast Apparel to cover their nakedness and keep their bodies from the injuries of Wind and Weather but they have enough not onely for their own use but also for pride and ostentation their Chests full thrust with rich Clothing and their Wardrobes thorowly furnished with gorgeous Garments which serve for little other use then to keepe those from sloath and idleness that keep them from moulding and Moth-eating And whereas they have no course Clothes to cover naked Christ they have costly Ornaments of Arras and Tapastry for their walls Finally They have not a few pence to spare for the relieving of naked and hungry Christ be hee in never so extream necessity but they have many shillings and pounds to spend wastfully and riotously upon Dicing and Gaming vain Sights and obscene Stage-playes and so upon all other sinful pleasures and worldly delights which their carnal appetites can any way desire But what a fearful reckoning have these men to make at the day of Judgement when they give in their accounts unto God And with what indignation will Christ look upon them who have thus meanly and basely regarded him Then they wil have the wit or cause to wish that they had not thus occasioned Christ to deal with them as they have dealt with him and his But there is no perswading them to believe that are ordained to perish But say thou hast but a small pittance of this Worlds goods and not such plenty or superfluity as is before spoken of yet oughtest thou out of that little thou hast to spare somewhat to relieve those that are in extream necessity either by selling what thou canst spare or if thou hast nothing to sell yet God commandeth thee rather then thou shouldest neglect these Works of Mercy to labour with thy hands that thou mayest have to give unto him that needeth Ephes. 4.28 And therefore excuse not thy neglect of this duty by saying that thou hast nothing for them unless thou hast nothing to waste upon thy superfluous vanities nothing to sell unless thou art unable by thy honest labour to earn thy living and art thy self such an one as needeth by others to be relieved that the poorest are not exempted from this duty we may see in the example of the poor Widow who was so commended by our Saviour for casting into the Treasury her two mites which was all her substance Mark 12.43 In the Macedonians who being themselves poor gave even above their ability to the relief of those that were poorer 2 Cor. 8.2 In the Apostles Acts 3.6 and in our Saviour Christ himself who though he were so poore that he lived upon what others out of their love and duty ministred unto him as appears Luke 8.3 yet he himself gave Alms to those who were in greater want as we may gather Iohn 12.6.8 Yea if we did indeed rightly consider it our small means should move us the rather to give and the more carefully to exercise this Christian duty since this is the means whereby being poor we may become richer as I have plentifully proved in the Prevention of Poverty Chap. 30. which I may not stand to repeat See Prov. 3.9 10 11.24 25. 28.27 Psal. 112.3 Isa. 32.8 Luke 6.38 2 Cor. 9.6 Which Scriptures shew that giving to the poor does not weaken but much strengthen our Estates and is so far from being the cause of our want and poverty that it is the onely means to keep us from it and bring to us plenty and abundance Besides if having little we are content in obedience to God to part with somewhat we perform a duty the more acceptable to God and in the day of Christ's appearing we shal be so much the more richly rewarded and for the present our Work will be so much the more commendable as wee may see Mark 12.43 2 Cor. 8.2 Neither are we to imagine that if we be careful in feeding Christ that he will be careless in feeding us that he will deny us meat who hath given us his precious blood that he will suffer us to want Earthly trifles who hath provided for us heavenly riches Let such more then heathenish diffidence be far from us who professe our selves to be of the Houshold of Faith But rather let us believe God under hope above hope that is when in respect of humane means and second causes we have cause to despaire as Abraham in the case of a Child when there was no possibility in Nature nor probability in Reason CHAP. LX. Obj. BUt there are many Richer by far then thee who give as little as thou dost therefore if they neglect to give much more mayest thou as thou supposest and yet be excused To this I answer If thou wilt do as others or as the most and richest do then wo unto thee for the most and greatest go the broad way to destruction or if thou wilt not live be Precepts but by Examples why dost thou then propound for thy pattern those who are carnal covetous and not rather the example of our Saviour Christ and the holy men of God whose bounty even out of their poverty is for this very purpose recorded in the Scriptures I but wil the Worldling say I have a great Charge and many Children and therefore I must not give away my Goods to strangers for the Apostle teacheth us that Parents must lay up for their Children and that he who neglecteth this duty hath denyed the Faith and is worse then an Infidel 1 Tim. 5.8 Unto whom I answer with Bazil They who are miserable having Wife and Children would not be liberal if they were without them Again Was not the Gospel written as wel to the married as unmarried To Parents as wel as to those who have no Children Thirdly Didst thou desire Children of God or did he give thee Children that thou mightest make them a Plea and Priviledge to neglect his Commandments and thy duty and love to Christ Or maist thou not justly fear if thou thus abusest the blessing of posterity that God wil lessen their number lighten thee of this Charge and so take away thy excuse by depriving thee of thy chiefest comfort The which should be most just with God so to punish thee seeing thou makest Idols of them loving them better then God who gave them But thy Children are dear unto thee and must be provided for and reason good Yet let thy God be dearer and let them not make thee to neglect him who gave thee to thy self and them unto thee and hath provided all that thou enjoyest both for thee and them
serve God as our servants serve us of which many have too good cloaths others too much wages or are too fine fed to do work as â—sops Hen being over-fed was too fat to lay or perhaps too many under them as a Gentleman having but one servant thought him over-burdened with work and therefore took another to help him but having two one of them so trusted to the others observance that oft-times they were both missing and the work not done then he chose a third but was worse served them then before whereupon he told his friend When I had one servant I had a servant when I had two I had but half an one now I have three I have never an one Few men can disgest great felicity Many a man hath been a loser by his gains and found that that which multiplied his outward estate hath abated his inward and so on the contrary David was never so tender as when he was hunted like a Partridge 1 Sam. 26.20 Ionah was at best in the Whales belly Stevens face never shone so fair as when he stood before the Council Acts 6.15 Whilest the Romans had wars with Carthage and enemies in Affrick they knew not what vices meant in Rome Now if the winter of the one is found to be the spring of the other and the corruption of prosperity the generation of piety who will esteem those things good which make us worse or that evil which brings such gain and sweetness Before I was afflicted saith David I went astray but now I keep thy commandement Psal. 119.67 These evils do press us but it is to God and to holiness Yea how much lower our afflictions weigh us down on Earth so much the more earnestly our affections mount up to Heaven An Egge will swim in sâ—lt water but sink in fresh so we King David among so many publick and private calamities and disasters kept his head above water and stood upright in his heart to God But King Solomon his son even sunk in the midst of delights and pleasures Too much rankness layeth the Corn and Trees over-laden with Fruit are their own ruine Happy was he Iohn 9. in being born blinde whose gain of bodily sight made way for the spiritual who of a Patient became an Advocate for his Saviour who lost a Synagogue and found Heaven who by being abandoned of sinners was received of the Lord of glory God rarely deprives a man of one faculty but he more then supplies it in another The defect of corporal sight hath not seldome mended the memory for what is taken from one sense is divided amongst the rest When Zachary was dumbe Iohn Baptist the voice was a breeding Hannibal had but one eye Appius Claudius Timelon and Homer were quite blinde So was Mulleasses King of Tunis and Iohn King of Bohemia but for the loss of that one Sense they were recompensed in the rest they had most excellent memories rare inventions and admirable other parts Or suppose he send sickness the worst Feaver can come does not more burn up our blood than our lust and together with sweating out the surfets of nature at the pores of the body we weep out the sinful corruption of our nature at the pores of the conscience Yea the Authour to the Hebrews saith of Christ himself that though he were the Son yet as he was man He learned obedience by the things which he suffered Heb. 5.8 As in humane proceedings Ill manners beget good Laws so in Divine the wicked by their evil tongues beget good and holy lives in the godly Whence Plutarch adviseth us so circumspectly to demean our selves as if our enemies did alwayes behold us Nothing sooner brings us to the knowledge and amendment of our faults then the scoffs of an enemy which made Philip of Macedon acknowledge himself much beholding to his enemies the Athenians for speaking evil of him for saith he they have made me an honest man to prove them liars even barren Leah when she was despised became fruitful So that we may thank our enemies or must thank God for our enemies Our souls shall shine the brighter one day for such rubbing the cold winde cleanseth the good grain the hot fire refines the pure gold Yea put case we be gold they will but try us If Iron they will scowre away our rust I say not that a wicked heart will be bettered by affliction for in the same fire that gold is made bright and pure dâ—oss is burnt and consumed and under the same flail that the grain is purged and preserved the husks are broken and diminished Neither are the Lees therefore confounded with the Wine because they are pressed and trodden under the same press or plank but I speak of affliction sanctified and of the godly Yet let not the wickedest man be discouraged for as when Christ called the blinde man the Disciples said Be of good comfort he calleth thee so I may say to thee that art burthned with any kind of affliction Be of good comfort Christ calleth thee saying Come unto me by repentance and amendment of life and I will ease thee of thy sins and sorrows here and hereafter only as the blinde man threw away his garment and followed Christ so do thou answer him I will forsake my sins and follow thee For if God like a prudent Prince makes offers and fames of war it is but to mend the conditions of peace But farewel I am for the already resolved to whom I say if the needle of affliction be drawn through us by reason of wicked mens malice it is but to convey with it the threed of amendment and their worst to the godly serves but as the thorn to the brest of the Nightingale the which if she chance to sleep causeth her to warble with a renewed cheerfulness For as blowes make balls to mount and lashes make Tops to go which oâ— themselves would fall so with their malice we are spurred up to duty and made persevere in it for commonly like Tops no longer lasht no longer we go Yea these very tempestuous showers bring forth spiritual flowers herbs in abundance Devotion like fire in frosty weather burns hottest in affliction Vertue provoked ads much to it self With the Ark of Noah the higher we are tossed with the flood of their malice the neerer we mount towards Heaven When the waters of the flood came upon the face of the earth down went stately Turrets and Towers but as the waters rose the Ark rose still higher and higher In like sort when the waters of affliction arise down goes the pride of life the lust of the eyes In a word all the vanities of the World But the Ark of the soul ariseth as these waters rise and that higher and higher even neerer and neerer towards Heaven I might illustrate this point by many observable things in nature We see Well-waters arising from deep Springs are hotter in Winter then in Summer because the outward
would obtain omit not to pray for the assistance of Gods spirit otherwise thy strength is small yea except God give thee repentance and removes all impediments that may hinder thou canst no more turn thy self then thou couldst at first make thy self We are not sufficient of our selves to thinke much lesse to speak least of all to doe ought that is good 2 Cor. 3.5 Job 15.4 5. We are swift to all evill but to any good immoveable Wherefore beg of God that he will give you a new heart and when the heart is changed all the members will follow after it as the rest of the creatures after the Sun when it arisest Importune him for grace that thou mayest firmly resolve speedily begin and continually persevere in doing and suffering his holy will Desire him to regenerate thy heart change and pu 〈…〉 then thy will renew thy affections and beat down in thee whatsoever stands in opposition to the Scepter of Jesus Christ. Only this let me addâ— Be sure you wholly and only rest on your Saviour Iesus Christ for salvation abhorring to attribute or ascribe ought to doing for our very righteousnesses are as filthy rags Esa. 64.6 And the sole perfection of a Christian is the imputation of Christs righteousnesse and the not imputation of his own unrighteousnessâ— a rule which we are very apt to swerve from either on the right or left handâ— wherefore if you would not erre observe this golden mean endeavor to live as if there were no Gospel and to dye as if there were no law And now for conclusion If thou receivest any power against this great evil forget not to be thankfull and when God hath the fruit of his mercies he will not spare to sow much where he reaps much and so having set before you life and death I leave you to choose which of them you like best Only think what account you shall give of that you have read for if this warning prevail not it is much to be feared the next will be that of The Son of man Mat. 25.41 Depart from me c. Post-Script YOu that fear God or have any bowels of compassion towards the precious souls of those poor ignorant men women and children whom you hear to swear and curse as Dogs barks that is not more of curstnesse then out of custome with them to read these few pages neither count it as a thing indifferent which may either be done or dispensed withall for besides that God hath commanded the duty of admonition Heb. 3.13 2 Tim. 2.25 and commended the practise of it Rev. 1.2 6. and condemned the contrary v. 20. If you do not it or the like you hate your brother Lev. 19.17 and make your self guilty both of his sin and ruine Ezek. 3.18 to 22. For as none but a Cain will say Am I my brothers Keeper so these could never continue their cursing and swearing as they doe if they were but so happy as to meet with timely and faithfull admonition Nor can you love God and patiently hear these miscreants blaspheme his holy Name as they do 2 Pet. 2.7 8. Or manifest your self his by adoption and regeneration for wel-born children are touched to the quick with the injuries of their Parents and not to be moved in this case is to confesse our selves bastards Yea it is a base vile and unjust ingratitude in those men that can endure the disgrace of them under whose shelter they live Which being so make it a part of your charity to give of them as you meet with occasion as that you shall hourly do even as you passe the streets if you but mind it And me thinks none that are able should spare to be at a farthing cost when that farthing may possibly prove saving of a Swearers soul. And to that end any one may have what they please giving so many farthings to the poor And also other Books or more generall concernment upon the like terms repairing to the Blew pales over against the high Constables short of Shoreditch Church where there is a Glasse Lanthorne in the window Imprimatur JOHN DOVVNAME THO. GATAKER Adde this together with the Abstract of the Drunkards Character to God 〈…〉 The Printer to the Reader IT being observed that many meeting with some of this Authors Collections do earnestly enquire after the restâ— I think it not amisse to satisfie their desire and save them further labour by setting down the severals which are these The Cause and Cure of Ignorance Errour Enmity c. already printed The Cure of Misprision or Mistake already printed The Victory of Patience already printed The Drunkards character with an addition already printed The Character or Touch-stone of a true Beleever already printed The Character of formall Hypocrite or Civill Justiciarie already printed Characters of the kindes of Preaching already printed Compleat Armor against evill Societie already printed Cordiall Counsell already printed Gods goodnesse and Englands unthankfulnesse the second Edition that is divided into chapters and sections already printed The first part of the Pastors Advocate already printed An Abstract of the Drunkards Character already printed The second part of the Pastors Advocate to be printed The Arraignment and conviction of covetous cunning and cruel Governors Polititians Officers Judges Lawyers c. with the lovely and lively characters of Iustice Thankfulnesse Contentation Frugality Liberality c. to be printed The Laymans Library or the poor mans Paradise to be printed FINIS ENGLANDS Vnthankfulness striving with Gods Goodness for the Victory as Abaslom strove with David whether the father should be more kinde to the son or the son more unkinde to the father Or Enough being welweighed to melt an heart of Adamant By R. Younge Florilegus In reference to Leviticus 19.17 and Isaiah 58.1 In reading whereof reflect upon your selves hearken to conscience and what concerns you apply it not to others as David did Nathans Parable 2 Sam. 12.1 to 8. And Ahab the Prophets 1 King 20.39 to 43. Want of application makes all means ineffectual and therefore are we Christians in name only because we think our selves Christians indeed and already good enough The fourth Impression Imprimatur Thomas Gataker CHAP. I. § 1 A Wise man saith Solomon foreseeth the evil and preventeth it but fools go on and are punished Prov. 22.9 An argument that most men yea almost all men are stark fools as willfully appear if we observe but these three things The Precepts of the Gospel The Predictions of the Gospel The Testimonies of the Gospel First Observe but how strict holy just and good the Precepts or Rulesâ—â— â—â— by which we ought to walk Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy minde and with all thy strength Mark 12.30 Whether â—â— eat or drink or whatsoever ye do do all to the glory of God 1 Cor. 10.31 Whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you even the same