The plea of the poore. Or A treatise of benificence and almes-deeds teaching how these Christian duties are rightly to be performed, and perswading to the frequent doing of them. Necessary for these times, wherein the workes of mercy are so much neglected, or so vndiscreetly practized. Published by Iohn Downame Bachelour in Diuinitie.

Sect 7. Giuing almes in our life-time most sutable & comely for a Christian.

Fiftly, it is most comely and sutable that a cha∣ritable life should goe before a charitable death, and it well beseemeth a Christian so to liue con∣tinually as he meaneth to dye. For who can ex∣pect a pleasant epilogue, after a direfull tragedie? or that he should be pittifull, compassionate and liberall in the end, who in all his former course hath beene cruell, hard-hearted and niggardly? or that God will honour him with a close of bountie and blessednes, who hath all his whole life dishonored God & wronged his poore Saints with his extreame miserablenesse and gripplenes? or how shall a man take his words spoken in extre∣mitie of sicknes, I giue and bequeath pounds and hun∣dreds to these and these good vses, who would not in his whole life part with a few pence to releeue the poores necessitie and preserue them from staruing? who seeing such dissonancie and disa∣greement betweene his present words and former practise, would not thinke that he raued and tal∣ked idly, rather then out of a setled iudgement and good deliberation? Againe, it better futeth with the nature of these good workes to be done by our selues in our life-time, then to be left vnto

the discretion of other to bee done by them after our death; in which respect our Sauiour calleth our good workes by the name of lights, to imply vnto vs, that wee must see them goe before vs, and not suffer them by others to be held behinde our backes.