An infallible vvay to farewell in our bodies, names, estates, precious souls, posterities : together with, mens great losse of happinesse, for not paying, the small quitrent of thankfulness : whereunto is added remaines of the P.A., a subject also of great concernment for such as would enjoy the blessed promises of this life, and of that ot come / by R. Younge ...

CHAP. XXXIV. (Book 34)

That if we bountifully relieve the poor, the reward of o••r charity shall not onely extend to us, but also to our Off-spring and Pro∣geny; the Prophet Esay▪ witnesseth, Chap. 58. where he tells us, that if we will draw out our soule to the hungry, and satisfie the afflicted soule, the Lord will not onely satisfie our soules in drought, & make fat our bones, but th•••• those also that come of us shal prosper unto many generations, ver. 10, 11, 12. And also the Psalmist, Psal. 37. I have been young, ••nd now a•••• old saith hee, yes have I not seene the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging ••••ead, vers. 25. then give•• the reason; He is ever mercifull and

endeth, and his seed enjoyes the blessing, vers. 26. And so Psal. 112. His seed shall be mighty upon earth, the generation of the righteous shall be blessed, Vers. 2. to 6. Now what better inheritance can we leave to our Children, then the blessing of God? which like an ever-springing fountaine, will nourish and comfort them in the time of drought, when as our owne provision which we have left unto them may faile; and when the heate of affliction ariseth, will like standing waters be dried up.

Nor is this only probable, but God hath set down that it shall be so: For he speaks far otherwise of the unmercifull, as Psal. 109. Let his children be fatherlesse, and his wife a widow: Let his children be continu∣ally vagabonds, and beg their bread. (I pray mind it) let them seek their bread also out of desolate places. Let the extortioner catch all that he hath, and let the strangers spoile all his labour. Let there be none to extend mercy unto him, n••ither let there be any to favour his fatherlesse children. Let his posterity be cut off, and in the generation following, let their names be blotted out, and the memory of them cut off from the earth; Because (mark the reason) he remembred not to shew mercy, but persecuted the poor and needy, Vers. 6. to 17. all which he speaks by the spirit of prophe∣sie, Though indeed we want not examples of this in every age. Was not this fulfilled in H••man? and is it not fulfilled daily in our experi∣ence? For hence it is, that riches ill got, or ill kept, shift masters so often.

But take some other instances out of the Scriptures of both kindes; Jon••••than is payd for his kindnesse to David, in Mephibosheth, Jethro for his love to Moses, in the Kenites. 1 Sam. 15. 6. some hundreds of years after he their Ancestor was dead. The Aegyptians might not be un∣kindly dealt withall for their harbouring the Patriarchs, though they afflicted their posterity: But the Moabites and Ammonites were either to dye, or not to enter into the congregation of the Lord, to their tenth ge∣neration, because they met not Gods Israel with bread and water in the wil∣dernesse, Deut. 23. 3▪ 4.

God caused Saul to spare all the Kenites, for that they had shewed mercy to Israel, who otherwise had all of them been destroyed, 1 Sam. 15 6. Another example you have in Job, 21. 18, 19, 20. all which shewes, that God usually blesseth and rewardeth the children for their fathers goodnesse, The loving kindnesse of the Lord (saith the Psal∣mist) endureth for ever and ever upon them that feare him, and his righ∣teousnesse upon childrens children, Psal. 103. 17. And so on the other side, Eternall payments God uses to require of their perso••s onely, tempora∣ry often times of succession, as we sue the Heyres and Executors of our debtors.

Now if this be so; that what the liberall man gives, his seed shall inherit: then the good provision that we should make for our Chil∣dren, consist▪ not so much in laying up, as in l••ying out, and more in making provision for their soules, then for their bodies. I confesse it is the case of ni••e parts of the Parents throughout the L••••d, to provide for

their childrens bodies, not for their soules, (to shew that they begat not their soules, but their bodies) to leave faire estates for the worser part, nothing for the estate of the better part. They desire to leave their chil∣dren great, rather then good; and are more ambitious to have their sons Lords on earth, than Kings in heaven But as he that provides not for their temporall estate, is worse then an Infidell, 1 Tim. 5. 8. So he that provides not for their eternall estate, is little better then a Devill.

The use which I would have you make of the premisses is this; Let none refuse to give, because they have many children, but give the rather out of love to, and for their children sakes, that God (who as you see hath ingaged himselfe) may be their Guardian, and provide and take care for them.

Or if not for their soules, yet for thine owne: For why shouldest thou love thy children better then thine owne person? and in provi∣ding for them, neglect thy selfe? Yea▪ why shouldst thou preferre their wealth before thine own soule? and their flourishing estate in the world, which is but momentany and mutable, before the fruition of those joyes which are infinite and everlasting? Will it nor grieve and gall thy conscience another day to thinke, that for getting, or saving some trifles for thy posterity on earth, thou hast lost Heaven? or to remember, that thy children ruffle it out in worldly wealth▪ and su∣perfluous abundance? when thou shalt be stripped of all, and want a drop of cold water to cool thy scorching soul in hell.