To the extent possible under law, the Text Creation Partnership has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above, according to the terms of the CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/). This waiver does not extend to any page images or other supplementary files associated with this work, which may be protected by copyright or other license restrictions. Please go to http://www.textcreationpartnership.org/ for more information.
A second impediment, which hindereth men from doing these workes of mercy is, because they looke at this great returne of gaine, as be∣ing many yeares and ages after to bee receiued; for though they like these heauenly treasures, which the Lord promiseth to those, who by gi∣uing to the poore do lend vnto him; and cannot but confesse that God is the best and surest Pay∣master, yet they are discouraged from thus laying
out their mony, because he seemeth to take long daies of payment, and hath appointed the place of receipt in another world, whereas they, both for place and time are wholy for the present, and in truth, desire to be paid in their own coine, that is, in transitory and momentary riches which are subiect to their senses. But to these I answere, that if they liue onely by sense and not by faith, they haue indeed little cause to exchange their earthly possessions for heauenly treasures, seeing they can haue no true hope of comming into that place of happinesse, or of inioying those diuine riches which are prepared onely for the faithfull; and therefore let such keepe their mony till it pe∣rish with them. But let those, who being true Christians, can with the eye of faith pearce the heauens and there behold things inuisible, conti∣nually exercise themselues, in these workes of mercy, notwithstanding this discouragement; seeing they know not how soone the Lord will call them to account, and make all reckoninges straight which are betweene them. For how∣soeuer they may conceiue hope of prolonging their liues to an hundred yeares, yet it may be, it will not last another moneth or day, and so their payment shall be as speedie and quicke, as great and inestimable. But say that the line of their life should outreach the length of their longest hopes, yet haue they good cause to lay out their wealth on this spirituall and heauenly bargaine. First, because if they will waite and expect with patience, they haue such a sure Pay-master who
will not faile to accomplish all his promises. Ac∣cording to that Gal. 6. 9. Let vs not be wearie in * 1.1 well doing; for in due season wee shall reape, if wee faint not. And though our bread seemeth to bee cast on the face of the waters, and so euen cast a∣way, yet we shall surely finde it after many daies, as it is Eccles. 11. 1. Secondly, the inestimable * 1.2 worth of the heauenly reward which also will be euerlasting, when wee do inioy it, may sufficient∣ly incourage vs to lay out our riches on such infi∣nite hopes, though the full payment bee a while delayed. Euen the most greedie Vsurer will lend his mony for longer time, according to the great∣nesse of the interest and increase which hee ex∣pecteth. The husbandman though neuer so co∣uetous is content to spare his seede wheate for a longer time, then his summer corne, & to expect the haruest almost the whole yeare with as much patience and comfort, as he doth a few moneths for the other graine, because hee knoweth that when it commeth it will be of much better value. And we see by experience that our Merchants as willingly venter their wealth into the furthest parts of the East Indies, as into the next adioyning Countries, because their greater gaine will suf∣ficiently recompence their forbearance and re∣ward their patience. And yet the Vsurer meeting with banrupts may with his hoped gaine loose his principall; the husbandman after much cost and paines, may by vnseasonable weather and many casualties, loose both the gaine of haruest, and also a great part of the seede which he hath sow∣ed;
and the Merchant if he looseth not his goods together with the expectation of his gaine, yet he getteth and recouereth them after long time and innumerable dangers. O why then should wee not chuse rather to put out our mony to such a debter, as promising inestimable gaine for the time of our forbearance, is also most true of his promise and all-sufficient to performe? why should wee not patiently expect the comming vp and ripening of the seedes of our beneficence, seeing wee are sure of such a rich croppe and hea∣uenly haruest? and why should wee not like wise Merchants venter our goods into the holy land, seeing though the returne be slow, yet in the end it will bring the best and surest gaine?
Gal 6. 9.
Eccles. 11. 1.