impious and vngodly vses while they liue setting neither house nor heart nor soule nor body in order before they dye Many neuer thinke of Death till they be sicke AND when the summons of death beginne to seize vpon them then they beginne to bestirre them saying as some haue done and must I dye making an vnwilling will giuing and bequeathing what they could no longer keepe Yet when a mans will is made and all things disposed if he can get but a little breathing time a yeare or two ten or more they to whom he hath assigned his lands and bequeathed his goods shal be neuer the better for his gifts vntill he die and that were it possible not till doomes day And they that would haue seemed to haue mourned at his funerall for the losse of so good a benefactor will turne their mourning which should haue been for his death into sorrow and sadnesse for the recouery of his health and will be euen sick to thinke they shal be longer preuented by his recouery of that they were in hope presently to haue enioyed Jf men could see the fruits of their gifts in their posterities in their graues they would repent that euer they were rich HE that flatters not himselfe in the greatnesse of his means to 〈◊〉 what fame will flie of him when he is dead for his bounty distributed not to the needy members of Christ when he was aliue if he could but looke out of his graue and see the gallants that he hath made to ruffle in their riot and lasciuiously commonly to consume what he so long and laboriously scraped together he would wish himselfe rather to haue been a man of farre inferior meanes than to haue been the meanes to increase the sinne of them whom he seemed to loue and would no doubt haue been more carefull in setting his house his soule his body conscience and affections in better order than he had done by giuing it rather to the poore Delay not to set thy life lands and goods in order BE wise therfore thou that hast houses lands possessions and much goods to dispose Set them in order in time and obserue well how and to whom and to what vses thou meanest to dispose them and delay not till thou be sick For thou knowest not when nor where nor how thou shalt end thy life and thinke not that the abrupt making of thy will can bring a disordered house suddainly into such order as God requireth while thou art therfore in thy perfect health set thy house in order against the time of thine vncertaine death and see thou haue well gotten that which thou hast heaped together and if thy conscience strictly examined tell thee that thou hast gotten any part of it by wrong shew thy selfe a good Zacheus restore it fourefold before thou dye that thou maist dye in the fauour of God in Christ otherwise it had been better for thee to haue dyed a begger Fit euery man to make their wills IT is a very religious and Christian duty in euery man possessing any lands or goods in the world to make his will and to settle his estate in good order be it neuer so meane before he dye which is in part meant by Gods command to set thy house in order namely thy houshold lands and goods but that is not all the orderly setling of thy house before thou dye Whereof a family consisteth A Houshold or family consisteth of husband and wife parents and children master and seruants among whom if a godly order be not set continued and kept before thou be constrained through sicknesse to make thy will thou wilt hardly set it in order before thou dye How a family ought to be ordered IF loue and amity haue not been and maintained in the feare of God between man and wife If parents haue not instructed their children in the knowledge of exercised them in the true seruice of God if children haue not obeyed their parents if masters haue not wisely gouerned their seruants giuing them their salaries and necessaries if seruants haue not done their duties faithfully to their masters and all mutually together and sometimes man and wife in priuate serued the Lord in faithfull prayer during their perfect healths that house is out of order head and members and cannot in a moment by a will written in an houre or two be brought into order Therefore deceiue not thy selfe by delaying to set thy house in order and euery part and person thereof and thinke it not sufficient to settle thy worldly goods and lands by thy last will as thou dost imagine thou hast made thy will for whether thou dispose thy lands or giue thy goods while thou art aliue neither shall thy lands nor goods want owners when thou art dead Parents ought to prouide for their children the chiefe hope of children IT is a duty also ioyned with a care in parents to lay vp and prouide for their children and a fatherly dutie it is and a duty that children for the most part take greater hold of than of care to performe their duties to their parents And therefore it is hard to iudge whether he that layes vp little and giues only education vnto his children to liue futurely by some lawfull calling or he that is solicitous and ouer-carefull to prouide for the present maintenance of his children in idlenesse before and in wantonesse through the hope of great portions after his death be most to be condemned if the 〈◊〉 be not more blameable he is more superstitious than the former too much care argues least faith He that cares not for his family i◠an infidel and he that is too solicitous for them is no lesse HE shewes not himselfe a Christian in deed that cares not for his family but spends his time in idlenesse and his meanes in vnthriftinesse but rather an infidel But he that exceeds in coueting which in it selfe is sinne and striues against the streame of Gods direction getting by right or wrong spending superfluously vpon his family or hoording and laying vp for his posterity as is said before hauing little or no regard to help releeue and comfort the poore that haue an interest in the superfluity of his abundance as if the Lord could not prouide for his children if they feare and serue God aswell as he hath done for himselfe this man shewes himselfe as neere an infidel as the former Parents should leaue behind them good examples for their children to imitate THE best portion thou canst leaue behind thee is a manifest example and paterne of a godly life for thy children and friends to imitate and to giue them if conueniently nothing else some necessary manuall trade or lawfull profession to liue by when thou art dead Great patrimonies oftentimes soone spent IF thou haue lands and possessions and great stocks of money to leaue to thy children thou thinkest them richly prouided for and thy house in good order and yet we see
memorie or of sense performe it Some haue long and lingring sicknes looking as it were euery day to dye and yet can hardly finde time to set their house and liues in order Suddaine death preuents men of setting their houses in order SOme also are taken suddainly not only in the time of common infection wherein all sorts are in most and equall danger but in time of seeming greatest safetie and of least cause of feare which we haue seene by the suddaine death of many which haue taken no time at all to settle their estates but haue been inforced to leaue their houses in the same order they were in whē they liued cleane out of order And few there be that prouidently and timely set and wisely keep and continue their houses and liues in such order as by Gods command they ought to doe by reason of their worldly cares And that is the reason that many goe disorderly to their graues how pompously soeuer they be attended on at their funerall solemnities Many inconueniences grow by the neglect of setting mens houses in order before they dye THe neglect of this commanded dutie of setting their worldly estates in order a dutie in humane discretion and Christian policie fit to be remembred and performed of all men is also the cause that many quarrells contentions sutes in law enmities sinister vngodly and malitious practices sometimes tending to bloud doe arise not only betweene strangers but betweene brethren betweene brethren and sisters wife and children and dearest neerest kinsfolks and friends contending especially for lands and goods of such as dye without orderly disposing of that they are constrained to leaue behind them when they dye All men are bound to this duty of setting their houses in order ALL men therefore are bound to this dutie but especially such as haue great possessions to dispose and much goods to be queath and to set in order aboue other times when any common plague or sicknesse raigneth to set their houses in order for there is no man or woman priuiledged at such a time And there is commonly no man but hath either issue or some neere of bloud lawfully to inherite his lands and friends to enioy his goods yet if he dispose them not in his lifetime but leaues them to catch that catch may it cannot be but sutes and quarrells will arise betweene such as will contend for the right of inheritance left doubtfull The like about Administrations of goods of an intestate dead partie causing many times more monie to be spent in law than the lands or goods are worth they contend for thus vncertainly left And therefore better it were for a man to dye not seized of a foote of land nor possest of more goods than will bring him decently to his graue than by the greatnes of his possessions and his much wealth vndisposed and not duly ordered to breede vncharitable and vnchristian quarrells among kinred and friends to the offence of God for the pelfe he leaues behinde him when he dyes And perhaps sinisterly and corruptly gotten which seldom prosper long to them that shall enioy them Aduertisements to the rich men RIch men therefore aboue all other haue neede to remember to set their houses and estates in order in time knowing their time is short and vncertaine and the greater possessions and the more abundance of wealth they haue the more circumspect ought they to be to liue in the feare of God and to set their houses in order before they dye for the more they haue the greater will be their accompt and the more haue they to answere for when they are dead for howsoeuer men either borne to inherite or haue gotten and purchased as they will say with their owne monies and haue heaped vp great abundance of riches and possessions by their owne industries policies and worldly wisdome They must not yet thinke as many doe that these possessions and goods are so theres as to vse them at their owne pleasures to the fulfilling of their owne carnall delight or to hoord them vp and as it were to wrap them in a napkin that none may be the better for them vntill they be inforced to leaue them whether they will or not assuming vnto themselues that lawlesse libertie and abusing that speech Js it not lawfull for me to doe with mine owne what I list no they are not so simply thine that thou shouldest abuse them but to vse them to his glory that gaue them or rather lent them vnto thee Though peraduenture to thine owne vexation thou gettest them to thy more care thou keepest them and to thy most griefe thou must leaue them which last approueth that they are not thine as thou reputest them thine for thou must leaue them and they will leaue thee whether thou wilt or not yet if in the meane time thou vse not thy possessions and wealth to the good of Gods children howsoeuer thou dispose them to be inioyed after thy death it wil not profit thee giue them to whom or to what vse thou wilt for if thou labor not in thy life time to be assured that thy name is written in the booke of life good deedes to be done by a deputie after thy death cannot auayle thee while therefore thou hast time doe good and while thou hast power ouer the lands and goods that God hath lent thee to be vsed by thee to Gods glory and comfort of his needy members Leaue not that duty required euen of thy selfe to be performed thou knowest not by whom after thy death Rich men must answere according as they haue receiued and bestowed HAst thou many talents put them to good vse and thou shalt haue a good reward for if he that receiued but one talent was cast into vtter darkenes for not applying it to the good of Gods children what will become of them that haue great possessions and many talents of siluer and gold layd vp in their chests doing no good with them to the poore children of God when they shall suddainly be called before the high and seuere Iudge Will their answere be sufficient to say I haue appointed mine heire to giue such and such lands and mine executor such and such Legacies to good and pious vses But may it not to be said rather vnto him Thou foole couldest not thou thy selfe haue done it better in thy life time and not to haue left the doing of it in trust to an vncertaine Attorny after thy death who is as mortal as thy selfe The cause why rich men will not part with any their wealth before they dye THou mayst say as many men thinke if I should giue or dispose my lands or goods while I am in perfect headth how could I maintaine mine estate according to my ranke I was the Son of a worshipfull or honorable Father whose lands descended vnto me 〈…〉 I not to make the best of it and increase it if I can Why should I giue away that
many times that the great patrimonies and portions left by carefull Fathers to their children consumed and riotously spent before their parents be halfe consumed in their graues which might be some cause to restraine fathers from being too solicitous superfluously to enrich their children seeing so many examples of the euill successe of other mens care The best portions fathers can leaue their children IF thou therfore haue possessions lands or goods to leaue to thy children season them while thou liuest as much as is in thee both by paines practice and prayer in the true knowledge of faith and obedience to God in Christ and then if they abuse what thou leauest them thou hast discharged the part of a religious and carefull father And so shall the disorderly consuming or abusing of them light vpon their owne heads pouerty and misery fit rewards for the riotous Possessions and wealth without wisedome hurt posterities RIches and reuenewes are indeed the good blessings of God and necessary means to shew bounty and liberality to them that haue need but if wisedome be not ioyned with the riches and possessions thou leauest behind thee if the feare of God guide them not in the godly vse and preuent the vngodly abuse of them it had been better for thee to haue died without being owner of them and better for thy children that they had none of them at all for when children destitute of vnderstanding smell the sauour of rich possessions or great portions assured them after their parents death it infects their minds as the pestilence which sheweth it selfe by the tokens so this infection doth by the apparent marks of insolencie pride and a very noisome swarme of impious vices wherby God is dishonored the simple seduced the godly abused and the vulgar likwise infected Fit for parents to conceale what they meane to leaue their children ANd therefore discreet parents will conceale their purpose of disposing their lands and giuing their goods and keep the knowledge of what they haue from their children as they will keep gunpowder from the fire for as a a sparke will set the whole into a flame suddainly so let a father once inkindle hope in a disorderly sonne and it shall set all his vngodly desires on fire which will hardly be extinguished till comming to his hands all be speedily consumed Not so to respect posterities as to neglect the members of Christ. ANd therefore it behoueth thee not so to respect thy posterity as by their greatnesse expected to make them more proud and wicked in present Nor so to regard to benefit thy friends as to neglect the poore children of God For as hath been said before thou art but a steward of that thou hast and therefore if thou giue the childrens bread which are the distressed members of Christ and bestowest it to superfluous vses remember the vniust steward being called to an accompt as thou must be thou knowest not how soone and thinke before-hand how thou canst answere it As all men are stewards so they must thinke of their accompt IT wil be required of thee how thou hast bestowed thy masters goods the goods that God the great master of the family hath put into thy hands to giue euery of his seruants his due portion out of it If thou say as he knoweth thou hast done I haue maintained my wife with some part of the goods thou gauest me according to the best fashions the time afforded I haue according to my calling furnished my table inuiting my friends to be partakers with mee with part I attired my children and brought them vp as became the children of a father of my reputation I built me a faire and chargeable house with complete furniture within and without I haue purchased lands for my children after mee Some gold and siluer plate c. I haue disposed and giuen to my friends before I dyed Many idle expences wil be disallowed at the great Audite HEre is a large bil and of diuers particulars too great it is to be feared to be allowed at that great and generall audit for the Auditor is iust he will allow only necessaries but as for superfluous charges he will disallow so wilt thou be found charged to answere what thou hast vnnecessarily spent Duties required of euery man to haue alwayes his house his soule and body in order of most men omitted HE gaue thee in charge indeed as before is remembred that thou shouldest prouide for thy family thy wife children and seruants but remember withall thou wert commanded to feed the hungry to cloth the naked and distressed widowes whom thou hast neglected for the pride of thy wife whom thou mightest haue comely and decently attired and yet clothed the desolate widowes also Thou mightest haue plentifully furnished thy Table and vsed thy meats and drinkes with thy friends in the feare of God with thanks yet not to eate thy mâ—rsells alone with thy friends that would require thee with the like but that the poore the fatherlesse the widow and the hungry should haue been partakers with thee Thou mightest haue competently clothed thy children and yet haue couered the naked too though but with the cast raggs of thy children if thou wouldest bestow no better on them Thou mightest haue builded thee a competent house for thy selfe and family to haue liued and lodged in and haue reserued one poore houell for the harbounlesse members of Christ to haue had shelter in and not to passe by and see them lye without doores like forlorne beasts The poore members of Christ haue right to a part of euery rich mans goods THou mightest lawfully haue purchased land for thy children yet mightest thou haue allowed some part with Ananias and Saphira to haue releeued the needy that haue no earthly portion Thou mightest haue giuen and bequeathed thy siluer and gold which thou keptst in thy chests to thy children and friends and not haue forgotten that thou hast giuen that whereunto as touching a part Christ in his members had right A house disordered in a mans life can hardly be left in order when he dyes HOw wilt thou answere the omission of all these precisely required duties and thy superfluous expence bestowed vpon thy selfe and thine Is it possible that a house thus dâ—sorderly guided euen to thâ— last can be set in order before a man dye though the law can find no fault or flaw in the orderly conueyance of thy lands nor with thy last will yet there is a law that requires charity and mercy that will condemne thee to be a steward to be bound hand and foote and to be cast into vtter darkenesse Redeeme the time REdeeme thou therfore the time whosoeuer thou art that liuest set thy house in order it is yet time if thou haue but the will though preuented of the deed doe thine endeauour and it shal be accepted neuer too late to amend How to set thy house in order SET thy house in the true feare and
haue the mastery yet there will rest so many and so strong rebellions desires in the corrupt part of the heart as will breake forth bee it neuer so strongly guarded with faith and the feare of God though they preuaile not so much to hurt as to exercise euen the most righteous man in resisting them An Hypocrite may shew himselfe in outward behaviour a good Christian. HAppy is the man that hath a perfect heart renewed and purged from that originall corruption which it hath by nature for it maketh that true and essentiall difference which distinguisheth a sincere Christian from a counterfeit An Hypocrite may seeme by outward exercise of Religion and holy duties to be a very righteous man as Cain who was as forward in his sacrifice as Abel was The Pharesee in his prayer seemed to abound in the outward practice of fasting in almes-giuing and paying tythes yet an Hypocrite An hypocrite may look like a true Christian haue the habit of a Christian speake like a Christian verbally pray like a Christian and in outward holinesse make shew to be a christian and yet harbor within him a false filthy and a heart full of corruption and iniquity which hee learneth of his master the Deuill who can transforme himselfe into an Angell of light God loueth a cleane heart BEware therefore whosoeuer thou art that thou shew not more forged holinesse without than thou hast sincerity in thy heart for God cannot allow of a counterfeit conuersation Hee loueth a pure and cleane heart if that be well seasoned and in good order the actions will appeare by a truely sincere not by a counterfeit course of life The markes of a pure heart IF thou couet to heare the Word preached if thou hunger and thirst for righteousnesse if thou pray often faithfully and fervently if thou loue the godly vnfainedly and desire to doe good vnto all cheerefully Surely thy heart is well prepared to keepe all thy thoughts imaginations desires thy tongue and all the senses of thy body in good order and to set all other things in order before thou dye Lastly examine the Affections of thy heart To examine how the heart standeth principally affected AFfection is the highest degree of loue lust and hatred and one of these doth commonly possesse euery heart which whoso doth dilligently examine hee shall be able to judge whether his heart be right with God or ouerruled by Sathan Although the Prophet Ieremy saith that the heart is deceitfull and wicked aboue all things who can know it None indeed can know the heart of another man nor how it standeth affected but by his outward behauiour and conuersation which hee may dissemble to men but God will examine and finde out his most inward euill and ungodly affections how cunningly soeuer they be dissembled for hee seeth not as man seeth man looketh vpon the outward appearance but the Lord beholdeth the most secret affections of the heart But a man that is not partiall and loues not to deceive himselfe in his own vaine imaginations by little search may finde how and whereunto his owne heart is most affected And happy is hee that findeth his heart affected as were the Iewes at the preaching of John Baptist By whose eager loue and desire of the Word euen the Kingdome of God suffered violence And through their violent affections they seemed to take it by force there was such forwardnesse and zeale in them to heare the Word as they vsed a godly striuing to get it which godly and violent affection God himself approueth There is nothing in the world that we ought so to affect and desire as to heare the word the Gospell of Christ our Saviour preached whereby we apprehend such loue in him towards us as cannot but draw our uttermost loue and affection againe towards him in whom wee haue assurance that our soules shall be saued in the day of judgement the end of all happinesse Euery man commonly affecteth his owne Countrey best and they are but two Heaven and Earth and as wee stand affected to either of these wee shall finde and feele how we are againe affected of them To affect them both no man can and to be affected of both is impossible Hee that hates the light cannot but affect darkenesse and hee that imbraceth this world and the things in it cannot truely affect heauen and heauenly things no man can serue two masters God and Mammon The men affecting this world are in part knowne by the things they are obserued to loue and seeke in this world They that set their affections vpon this worlds honours and seeke ambitiosly as Absolom did to the dethroning of his father to reigne as king They that affect and hunt after pleasures to fulfill their beastly lusts the drunkard that riseth early to follow strong drinke the whoremaster the couetous person the enuious the proud cannot these know themselues and bee knowne of others to affect the world and the lusts of the flesh more then heauen and the saluation of their owne soules Such are the infinite vanities that lurke in mens heartes that steale away their affections from God and godlines As where one truely affecteth the best things many affect those things wherein there is not onely no profit but deadly danger as some their neighbours wiues as Dauid some their neighbours lands as Achab some the beautie of women as Sichem some pride popularitie and vaine glory as Herod some gurmondy as the Glutton in the Gospell some the increase of riches and reuenewes as the rich man mentioned by Christ and common vsurers some through the force of their vnresistable affection to haue their lust of Women being preuented haue not only become distracted and crased in their braines but pricked on by the instigation of Sathan haue been their owne hangmen and executioners vnfit to name any though many such haue beene of late memory Nay some which is strange to consider both men and women haue fallen so farre in loue with the beautie and feature of their owne Persons as they haue diued so deepe into conceit of their owne excellencie as hath carryed them to more frensie wherein many haue beene knowne to haue perished desperately Some againe are partiall in their affections towards their children seeming to affect one intirely and to disrespect another meerely wherein there may bee cause in regard of Vertue or Vice but if it proceed onely of carnall respects it is reprouable Jsaac loued Esau more than hee loued Iacob Ioseph affected Manasses aboue Ephraim Abraham affected his sonne Jsmael so intirely as hee would haue preferred him before his promised seed Isaac O that Ismael might liue in thy sight Thus doth blind affection often incounter the light euen of diuine reason And yet wee see strongest carnall affections variable what a man affecteth to day he loatheth tomorrow what he tenderly embraceth now hee reiecteth within a while The affection of Ammon towards his sister Thamer was most hot and