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.
About this Item
Title
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.
Author
Downame, John, d. 1652.
Publication
London :: Printed by Edward Griffin for Ralph Mabbe, and are to be sold at his shop in Paules Church-yard at the signe of the Grey-hound,
1616.
Rights/Permissions
This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. Searching, reading, printing, or downloading EEBO-TCP texts is reserved for the authorized users of these project partner institutions. Permission must be granted for subsequent distribution, in print or electronically, of this text, in whole or in part. Please contact project staff at eebotcp-info@umich.edu for further information or permissions.
Subject terms
Charity -- Early works to 1800.
Cite this Item
"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." In the digital collection Early English Books Online 2. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/A20764.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed May 3, 2024.
Pages
Sect. 3. That common vagrants and idle persons are not those poore who should be relie∣ued.
So that it is not inough to be bountifull, vn∣lesse we chouse the poore as the obiect of our be∣neficence; and not all that are poore, neither is euery leaude lozell of the canting common∣wealth, a fit altar whereon we may offer the sa∣crifice of our almesdeedes, but such as are so through necessitie and not of choise. For there are many sturdie beggers, and vagrant rogues, the blemish of our gouernment, and a burthen to the common wealth, who haue nothing in pro∣prietie, but their licencious life and lawlesse condition; no knowne father or mother, wife or children, but a promiscuous generation, who are all of kinne, and yet know no kindred, no house or home, no law but their sensuall lust, or some wicked orders of their owne making, fit to main∣taine them in their in ordinate courses; men with∣out religion, Church, baptisme, faith or God in the world, who like idle drones, feede vpon the common spoyle, and liue by the sweate of other mens browes: which kinde of poore are not to be maintained in their wicked courses, for accor∣ding to the Apostles rule, they that will not labour,
descriptionPage 39
must not eate; but rather the law is duely and with seueritie to be executed, which though it seeme sharpe, yet for the present it is full of mercy to the honest poore, who might be more liberally relieued, if these idle deuourers did not eate vp their portion; and would aboue all be mercifull to those miscreants, if by holesome seueritie they might be reclaimed from their wicked liues, see∣ing hereby they should be pulled out of the iawes of the diuell, and preserued from falling into fearefull condemnation. To which purpose Au∣stine saith; It is better to loue with seueritie, then todeceiue vnder shew of lenitie; and to withhold bread from the hungrie, if being sure of his victuals, he neg∣lect iustice, then by giuing vnto him, to make him rest securely in his vnrighteousnesse.