Sect. 5. Giuing in our life time is much more commendable and acceptable.
Which fault that we may auoyde, let vs consi∣der that it is much better and more commenda∣ble, to giue liberally to these good vses in our life time, making our owne hands our executors, and our eyes our ouer-seers, than to leaue our goods to these vses to bee disposed of at the discre∣tion of others. According to that Eccli: 18. 22. * 1.1 Let nothing hinder thee to pay thy vow in due time, and deferre not vntill death to be iustified. When thou hast enough remember the time of hunger, and when thou art rich thinke vpon pouertie and neede. Secondly, it is much more acceptable to God, as being a more infallible signe of a stronger faith and more firme affiance in him. For if in our life time we giue our goods to the poore because God requireth it, we therby euidently declare that we rest vpon Gods prouidence and promises for our prouision, seing we dis-furnish our selues of a good part of our meanes, euen whilest we haue occasion to vse them. Whereas if we keepe all to our selues till the honre of death, we may be well suspected of diffidence and want of faith, which is the cause why we doe not trust so much in God, as in our owne prouision and store which we haue about vs. So also it is an euidence of greater loue and obedience, if at Gods commandement, and for his sake wee can willingly part with our goods, when they are still in our power, and might be conuerted to our owne vse; than if we bestow them to such vses, when as death approaching we can keepe them no longer. For it is a small matter