Selected quad for the lemma: heart_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heart_n	abundance_n	good_a	speak_v	3,617	5	5.5017	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A97258	The poores advocate in 8 parts. Shewing, what an incomparable favour it is to the rich: that there are poor to accept of their charity, had they the wit to know it. Wherein is also made plain, that bounty and frugality is the best and surest way to plenty: with many other rational, and strong inducements to make men liberal; were it but for their own ends. Being enough (with the blessing of God) to change even a Nabal into a Zaccheus. By R. Yonnge [sic], florilegus. Who most earnestly begs of all rich men especially, and that for the poors sake, for Christs and the Gospels sake, but most of all for their own (even if their bodies, names, estates, precious souls and posterities) sake; to lay to heart, what is herein propounded to them out of Gods word, touching the poor: and then certainly, they will neither spend so excessively, nor heap up wealth so unmeasurably as they do; when millions of their poor brethren (for whom God would become man and die to redeem) are in such want, that I want words to express it.	Younge, Richard.	1654 (1654)	Wing Y173; Thomason E1452_3; ESTC R209561	58,165	58

and cost of our host One may easily destroy the force of his good deeds either with his churlish words or by his grim looks as citero observes And as Piety is often wounded so hospitality may be spoiled with loo●s Vultus indicat viru● hospitalem One may read in the face of a man whether he be given to hospitality or no. For as a mans wisdom so an entertainers alacrity and hearty affection makes his face to shine and banishes all heavy looks But a crabbed look like a scar-crow affrighteth the poor so as they cannot with any boldnesse or confidence come to ask relief nor feed securely upon those seeds of beneficence which are cast unto them Which makes the son of Sirac say In all thy gifts shew a cheerful countenance Eccles 35.9 Contrary whereunto is the practice of many who either like evil Nurses are so hard of milk that it cannot be drawn from them without pain and irksomness the which they expresse by their soure looks and wreathed and wrinkled foreheads or else cover the poors nakednesse and relieve their wants as Noahs sons with a better minde did cover the nakedness of their Father with their faces turned another way For as some brow-beat the poor with proud soure and severe looks so there are others as bad as they who turn away their eyes and faces from them as though they were such an eye-sore as might not be endured nor be looked upon without grief and vexation A man would wonder to see how some men out of a desperate resolution to give them nothing will not so much as look upon their miseries lest their conscious eyes should check their churlish hearts and put them in minde of their barbarous inhumanity But let such be assured that as they turn away their eyes from the poor in the day of their misery so the Lord will turn away his face from them in the day of their calamity and as they have stopped their eares at the cry of the poor so they themselves shall cry and God will not hear them as it is Prov. 21.13 Secondly the cheerfulnesse of the heart appears in our affable and courteous language to the party unto whom we do good for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks Matth. 12.34 And surely then are these well suited together Quando adjicimus bona verba bonis rebus when we joyn good words with good deeds which is to speak to his heart who receiveth the gift and doubleth the sweetnes of any benefit Where as to shew ill looks so to give ill words to guests or strangers is to feed them as the Proverb is with a bit and a knock And what ingenuous heart would not be better satisfied and contented with a respective denial of a benefit then with a contumelious grant of it I would rather endure some extremity then be beholding to the alms of a Churle Where is a good and courteous expression like that of Laban to the servant of Abraham Come in thou blessed of the Lord wherefo●e standest thou without seeing I have prepared thee house and room for thy Camels Gen. 24.31 more then doubles a kindnesse Other notable and eminent examples hereof we have in Lot and Boaz and Abraham especially who behaved themselves towards their guests though strangers rather as receiving then doing a kindness And likewise in the Macedonians of whom the Apostle testifieth that in communicating to the necessities of the Saints they were to their power yea beyond their power willing of themselves praying them with much intreaty that they would receive their gifts 2 Cor. 8.2 3 4. It is not so now yea let men be prayed with much intreaty they will not give Yea so contrary to this is the practice of many that if they do give some small relief they will be sure to joyn with their alms proud and insolent expostulations harsh words bitter and upbraiding speeches feeding the poor as they feed their untaught dogs which they would have at command for when they offer them meat they do withall so sneap and rebuke them that they dare scarcely take it but are ready to let it fall out of their hands and mouthes for fear of beating Now this turns a benefit into an injury so that he doth not so much comfort the poor men by his gifts as he doth vex and afflict his soul with his manner of giving causing him in his heart to preferre a courteous refusal before a grant that is so soure and churlish But you may usually observe that this insulting arrogancie is a weed that ever grows on a dunghil and that they are puft mindes and base spirits that have thus to trample upon inferiours Whereas misery with good natures is made a Loadstone of mercy it is contrarily made a footstool for pride to trample on and nothing so midnights the soul of him that is fallen as scorn contempt whence the Spaniards have their Proverb In the house of one that was hanged we ought not so much as to name a rope It is no hard nor unheard of thing With a gift to purchase an enemy Nam injuriae altiùs quam merita descendunt Wrongs pierce deeper then gifts and the memory taketh faster hold of them when as it easily suffereth these to slip out whence that Eccles 18.15 My son blemish not thy good deeds neither use uncomfortable words when thou givest any thing Verse 16. Shall not the dew asswage the heat so is a word better then a gift Verse 17. but both are with a gracious man Verse 18. A fool will upbraid churlishly and a gift of the envious consumeth the eyes for as to shew ill looks so to give ill words to guests or strangers is to give them good meat and put pins therein Thirdly this cheerfulnesse shews it self in the manner of the action when it is performed readily and speedily but of this and that more fitly in the seventh Head or Division where we shall treat of the time when we are to give our alms Only let me minde you of this that with these works of mercy we must be sure to joyn the affection with the action and the action with the affection the one being as the fountain the other as the stream the one the root the other the fruit that floweth and springeth from it And as we are to take heed of bare alms without mercy so much more of naked mercy without alms which is that false visard and counterfeit of mercy wherewith Hypocrites disguise themselves For as the Apostle James speaks Chap. 2. If a brother or sister be naked and destitute of daily food and one of you say unto him Depart in peace be ye warmed and filled notwithstanding you give them not those things which are needful for the body what doth it profit Verse 15 16. CHAP. XXII SIxtly the next point to be considered is the quantity of our alms how much we are to give the which is not

them such base and sluttish food as they would scarce offer unto their dogs But do these think we think them children of the same Father Yea members of the same body whereof Chr●sti●s the head and partakers in hope of the same precious promises with themselves Or which is more that in them they lend unto the Lord who j●s●ly scorneth our base refuse yea we lend to Jesus Christ himself and will we give unto him swill and swines meat who hath given himself unto us and vouchsafeth to nourish our souls and bodies with his most precious body and blood O consider this ye that so basely esteem of the poor and let what you give be worth the giving It is an honourable and generous custome that the Jews have who give to the poor th● b●st of what they have because God is to have the best and what is given to the poor for Gods sake is given to God It is to be feared that those Jews will one day rise up in judgement against the most of Christians in this last and worst Age. It is an uncharitable charity when men will give nothing to the poor but what they cannot make use of themselves The mouldiness gives their bread the Fly gives their meat the Moth gives their garments but will Christ accept of these for his poor members No he that accepteth and highly rewardeth a cup of cold water given for his Names sake where is no better thing to bestow Mark 10.42 will strictly call thee to an account for spoiling of his good creatures God hath given you much goods to the end you may do much good but you with-hold them from the owners thereof Proverbs 3.27 until they are unfit to give and every way unwholesome to use But with what measure ye mete Christ will measure to you again Matth. 7.2 You give his friends brethren and children the refuse of what you have And he when you shall stand in the greatest need of all at the last day will give you the refuse of what he hath viz. Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire Matth. 25.41 Minde and remember that And so much of the fourth general CHAP. XVIII FIfthly as touching the manner how what we give must be with alacrity and cheerfulness and not grudgingly whence it hath the title of giving given unto it As a gift is a free and liberal action done willingly and cheerfully and not grudgingly and repiningly the which the Lord forbiddeth and condemneth Deut. 15.10 but requireth the contrary often See 1 Pet. 4.9 Be ye harborors one towards another without grudging And the like 2 Cor. 9.7 Every man as he purposeth in his heart so let him give not grudgingly or of necessity for God loveth a cheerful giver Whence that short and pithy exhortation Be given to hospitality Rom. 12.13 1 Tim. 3.2 wherein the Apostle speaks as Menelaus in Homer few words but very fit expresse emphatical and significant For he saith not here as elswhere Be not forgetful to entertain strangers nor as Saint Peter Use hospitality but Be given to hospitality Yea he sayes not exercising but pursuing hospitality as Chrysostome noteth upon the place For the word in the original signifies eagerly to pursue and follow it Christians must be given to hospitality like Job Abraham and Lot For as the Apostle exhorts the Thessalonians to follow that which is good and the Hebrews to follow peace with all men and Timothy to follow after righteousness and the Corinthians to follow after charity So doth he exhort the Romanes to follow after hospitality Which vertue is also by St. Peter commended to the believing Jews and by St. John commended to Gaius and Demetrius and the contrary vice blamed and reproved in Diotrephes 3 John 5 6 8 9 10 12. It is said Rom. 12.8 He who sheweth mercy let him do it with cheerfulnesse And this the Lord chiefly respecteth and rewardeth for so it is said Prov. 11.25 The liberal soul shall be made fat not the hand but the soul and heart An example whereof we have in David who was accepted for his readinesse to build the Temple though he never performed it in act but only had a desire to build it 2 Sam. 7. And in the particular case of giving alms that if there be a willing minde it is accepted according to that a man hath and not according to that he hath not 2 Cor. 8.12 which chearfulnes was practised by the faithful the of Church of Corinth who were so forward in ministring to the poor Saints that the Apostle professeth it needless to remember them of it 2 Cor. 9.1 A bargain is valued by the worth of the thing bought but a gift by the minde of the party giving because of gifts the minde is the best part The gra●e of a benefit is voluntarinesse the freenesse of the minde and the opennesse of the heart Therefore Saint Paul commends the Corinthians for that they were willing and forward 2 Cor. 8.10 Gods people are a willing people Psal 110.3 And it 's a brave thing to be like Araunah who had but a subjects purse yet a Kings heart Wherefore do not afford thy riches and with-hold thy self which was Cains crime for he offered to God sua non se as one saith his goods not himself and therefore God rejected his oblation Non tua des te ipsum detineas as Augustine speaks God commands us to love mercy not shew it only he likes not that our alms should come from us as drops of blood from the heart It is not enough for us to do good and to be rich in good works unlesse we be also ready to distribute and willing to communicate as it is 1 Tim. 6.18 Besides his outward works of mercy are from an inward habit and th●refore it is no more painful or grievous unto him to do them then it is for the eye to see or the ear to hear Yea rather they are the delight of his soul and it is his meat and drink thus to do the will of his Father Works of mercy should not need to be drawn out of us through the importunity of suitors but kindly naturally and readily flow from the heart and inward fountain of bounty and benignity Alms should flow from us as water out of a spring as light from the Sun a● honey from the combe and not squeezed from us as juice out of an Orange or verjuice from a Crab so that we be glad of an opportuni-of doing good as the Cow of yielding her milk even seeking earnestly after an object that we be glad of an opportunity of shewing mercy And he that doth so shall easily heare of some that labour hard and yet cannot get clothes to put on nor bread to eat that have rags for their raiment and scarce straw to lie upon that drink water and live on wort leaves or pulse ye● on grains like a hog or scraps like a dog yea let us but go into some

back lane as it is our duty to visit the poor that their misery may the more affect our hearts for things seen more feelingly affect us James 1.27 Matth. 25.36.43 and we shall thereby be better able to make good choice of objects and the better know how to fit our alms to their necessities and joyn spiritual alms with our corporal which will treble the benefit that it may make us more humble and thankful and occasion us to burst forth into praising of God who hath dealt far otherwise with us to teach us temperance and frugality that we may have the more to give c. Or send our servant and there he shall hear the children crying for hunger and the parents out-crying them because they have no food to giue them some lying in straw for want of beds others drinking water instead of better drink another sort neer starved with hunger for want of bread or escaping that quaking and shivering with cold for lack of fire Now relieve these and those that are yet unborn shall blesse you and bless God for you and indeed no want is so worthy of relief as that which is loathest to come forth Neither cease there for as the fountain sending forth its streams first filleth one empty hole as it runneth and then goeth into another and never ceaseth till it hath fill'd all so the fountai● of the righteous mans bounty never ceaseth to communicate the streams of his beneficence but after he hath supplied the wants of one and many he still seeketh after more Yea I have read that the Turks are wont to send their servants abroad purposely to hearken among their neighbours which of them have most need of victuals money raiment who shall condemn Christians CHAP. XIX AS what will many a rich Citizen say living in the heart of the City we know none in such want and think also that they speak reason for if you observe it the same shall be their plea hereafter when they shall be arraigned at the bar of Gods justice for their abominable and detestable cruelty They will even answer Christ himself Lord When saw we thee an hungry or naked Matth. 25.44 they know no such thing they know not that there are out-Parishes so opprest with poor That the inhabitants are not able were they willing to maintain a tithe of them They know not what a number of their brethren there are kept at Tunis and Angi●r under Turkish slavery in such a lamentable and sad condition as if they were already half in Hell who ●●gh●●●●th ease be ransomed would rich men hearken to the grievous moans o● their wives or parents that would daily come to solicit them in their be●a●f had the any hope to speed they know none of this many the like that scould name as breeding up poor folks children at least providing that they may be taught to read placed forth thousands whereof are brought up and fitted for the gallo wes only for Hell Nor will they inquire nor come where they might have seen and informed themselves Luke 9.23 They are willingly ignorant but this will not be sufficient to keep them from being hid Depart y●ou●sed into everlasting fire Mat. 25.41 The righteous considereth the cause of the poor and will seek ou● for opportanities of doing good but the wicked regard not to know i● Prov. 29.7 For it thou diddest at least if thou wert known to be a mercifulman and not taken notice of for a Churlish Nabal thou wouldest daily have such objects of charity propounded to thee as might justly move thee to deprive thy self of necessaries for their relief were not thy heart of stone and thy bowels of brass I professe it amazes me that such mens consciences will permit them a minites rest Nor do I wonder at any thing more then at the seeming comfort and peace of conscience that some have in that they abound in wealth faring like Dives deliciously every day having all things in excesser while they see and hear of so many that are in great extremity and want As they cannot choose but hear sad stories of the great extremity of some who beg not Obsection But here some that they may the better excuse themselves will say If it be so how comes it to passe that professors of Religion do not by their example teach us this lesson for we see they are as covetons and miserable as others for whereas some of them have thousands I see but little good they do And indeed this is an Objection that I cannot tell how to shape an answer to it save only that there are many professors of religion that are not possessors of it They wear indeed Christs livery but are none of his neither do they know God nor the power of Religion For if they were indeed converted and had the Spirit of Christ they could not but be merciful and liberal witnesse Zaceheus and they in the second and fourth of the Acts. So far forth as we are godly we are imitators of the godly nature But in nothing do we more resemble God then when we are bountiful and beneficial to all that need our help God delights in mercy more then in sacrifice Hosea 6.6 And a merciful man is stricken to the heart with the miseries of others and is compell'd to help them if he can The power of religion and godliness lieth in the practice of it James 1.22 By this shall all men know ye are my Disciples if ye love one another John 13.35 Every one that loveth is born of God 1 John 4.7 If we love we will not suffer nor can we endure they should want whom we love Again God whos 's our riches are for only our sins can we challenge as our own commands us to be pittiful and merciful 1 Pet. 3.8 Luke 6.36 Micah 6.8 Christ was so 2 Cor. 8.9 Isai 25.4 Matth. 15.32 Mark 8.2 7. And his precept to all believers is Learn of me Matth. 11.29 Believers did so in all ages Cornelius gave much alms to the poor Acts 10.1 2. Paul did so Acts 24.17 Dorcas was full of good works and alms deeds which she did Acts 9.36 39. The good woman in the Proverbs stretched out her hands to the poor and needy Prov. 31.20 Job was a father to the poor Job 29.16 31.16 to 21. Zaccheus was a miserable wretched and covetous extortioner but when he was converted he became as liberal Half my goods I give to the poor Luke 19.7 8 9. The Primitive Christians sold their possessions and goods and parted them to all men as every one had need Acts 2.44 45. 4.22 to 38. 2 Cor. 8.14 15. The believing Corinthians were willing even above their power 2 Cor. 8.2 3 4. And the like of Abraham and Lot and Boaz many others mentioned in the word And indeed all that are truly converted godly The righteous sheweth mercy and giveth Mat. 5.7 Col. 3.12 Psal 37.21 So that if