Selected quad for the lemma: master_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
master_n	foolish_a	good_a	great_a	90	3	2.1190	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A97258	The poores advocate in 8 parts. Shewing, what an incomparable favour it is to the rich: that there are poor to accept of their charity, had they the wit to know it. Wherein is also made plain, that bounty and frugality is the best and surest way to plenty: with many other rational, and strong inducements to make men liberal; were it but for their own ends. Being enough (with the blessing of God) to change even a Nabal into a Zaccheus. By R. Yonnge [sic], florilegus. Who most earnestly begs of all rich men especially, and that for the poors sake, for Christs and the Gospels sake, but most of all for their own (even if their bodies, names, estates, precious souls and posterities) sake; to lay to heart, what is herein propounded to them out of Gods word, touching the poor: and then certainly, they will neither spend so excessively, nor heap up wealth so unmeasurably as they do; when millions of their poor brethren (for whom God would become man and die to redeem) are in such want, that I want words to express it.	Younge, Richard.	1654 (1654)	Wing Y173; Thomason E1452_3; ESTC R209561	58,165	58

particularly determined in the Scriptures because there are so many circumstances which alter the case that no certain rule could be given but it is left in some kinde to the discretion of the prudent Christian to give according to the occasion offered more or lesse as he shall be perswaded in his minde And therefore the Apostle exhorting the Corinthians to abound in this grace addeth that he speaketh not this by commandement but by the occasion of the forwardness of others 2 Cor. 8.7 8. and afterwards 2 Cor. 9.7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart so let him give not grudgingly or of necessity for God loveth a cheerful giver And this the nature of the work requireth for giving is a free and liberal action and therefore is to be done freely and willingly and consequently cannot be done by all in the like proportion because their hearts are not alike enlarged with love and bounty But yet this in the general is required that we give our alms not with a strait and niggardly hand but bountifully and largly the which is implyed by the Metaphor that the Scripture useth of scattering and s●wing seed fitted by the Apostle to this action of giving alms 2 Cor. 9.6 which is usually done with a bountiful and full hand as also by that phrase of opening the hand wide to the poor and needy Dent. 15.11 and of stretching and reaching out to the poor which phrase Solomon useth to expresse the bounty of the vertuous woman Prov. 31.20 And in regard hereof the act of giving alms is by the Apostle tearmed by the name of bounty and opposed to covetousnesse as being contrary unto it 2 Cor. 9.5 And plainly expressed where he perswadeth to this bounty by annexing that gracious promise 2 Cor. 9.6 He that soweth bountifully shall reap bountifully and maketh it to be an especial grace of the Spirit to abound in these works of mercy Verse 8. and an undoubted signe of the sincerity of our love 2 Cor. 8.8 Whence his advice to them is As ye abound in everything in faith in word and knowledge and in all diligence and in your love towards us even so see that ye abound in this grace also 2 Corinth 8.7 Now he only is liberal and bountiful who distributeth what he is able and according as God hath enriched him as the Apostle Peter enjoyns 1 Pet. 4.10 As every man hath received the gift even so minister the same one to another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God Yea that we may be the more able and so the more bountiful and plentiful in good works we are commanded to be careful diligent in preserving and increasing of our estates by all lawful means in acquisition getting by our honest painful labour in our callings and by our frug al husbanding and thrifty spending of our goods that so having greater plenty we may be the richer in good works Which being so let every man I say as God hath enabled him do good and they more good then others who have received more goods then others CHAP. XXIII BUt because this rule also may seem yet too general for that the quantity and proportion is not particularly set down the best way will be to examine what others have done in this case for where the Law written does fail we ought to observe what hath been the practice of the godly that have gone before us To which end take these instances Jacob thought he could not discharge his duty nor expresse his thankfulnesse to God this way except he gave a tenth-part of his substance his vow is of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee again Gen. 28.22 and his hand did second his tongue Zaccheus gave half he had to the poor Luke 19.7 8 9. The Primitive Christians exceeded him Acts 2.44 45. and 4.22 King Alfred the first King of the Anglo-Saxons bestowed the sixth part of his riches and rents upon the poor strangers of the Countrey and sent every yeer little lesse to forreigne Caurches without the Realm John of Alexandria sirnamed the Almoner did use yearly to make even with his revenues and when he had distributed all to the poor he thanked God that he had now nothing left him but his Lord and Master Jesus Christ to whom he longed to flie with unlimed and unintangled wings The Lord Harrington gave the tenth of his allowance to the poor and other good uses besides what he gave as he walked and travelled abroad which was not seldom not little Reverend Master Whateley Minister of Banbury also gave the tenth both of his spiritual and temporal means and was earnest upon all occasions in private and publike in pressing this duty of liberality upon others Bishop Hooper at his house in Worcester had every day a great table full of poor people appointed by course which he fed with wholesome meat who were first examined and instructed by himself or others appointed by him in the chief principles of Religion He was said to be spare of diet sparer of words sparest of time and only liberal in relieving the poor Queen Anne of Bullen ever carried about her a purse for the poor as thinking no day well spent wherein some had not fared the better for her yea she kept her maids and such as were about her always employed in sewing and working garments for the poor that there was neither time for idlenesse nor leisure to follow foolish pastimes so resembling Dorcas and the good houswife in the Proverbs Chap. 31.19 Master Bradford Martyr counted that houre lost wherein he did not some good with his tongue pen or purse Yea in a hard time he thought not much to sell his chains rings and jewels for others relief M. George wisebeart a Scotch Martyr to the end he might do the more good forbore one meal in three and one day in four for the most part except something to comfort nature and would lie upon straw in course new canvas sheets which when ever he changed he gave away Giles of Brussels Martyr gave all he could possible spare to refresh some with meat some with clothes some with houshold stuff and withall did minister wholesome exhortation and good instruction to those he relieved and amongst the rest one poor woman being brought to bed wanting a bed he sent his own bed lying himself in straw Yea when he was in prison he ministred to the rest of his fellow-prisoners the best of his fare and contented himself with the very coursest Doctor Taylors custome was once in a fourtnight to call upon Sir Henry Doyle and others of his rich Parishioners to go with him to poor folks houses and there to see what they wanted in meat drink clothing lodging and other necessaries and the like to others that had many children or were sick being himself no lesse free in his spiritual alms as wanting other Master Fox that wrote the Book of

and carnal ●●sts but to employ them to the best advantage for the honour of their ●aster and the good of their fellow-servants according to that of the ●●postle ● Peter 4.10 As every man hath received the gift even so let him ●inister the same to others as good Stewards of the manifold grace of ●od And the like Luk 16.12 Where our Saviour having exhorted us 〈◊〉 make us friends of the unrighteous Mammon adddeth And if ye have ●ot been faithful in that which is another mans who shall give you that ●hich is your own plainly intimating that the riches which we possesse ●●e not our own but Gods and only intrusted unto our disposing as Stwards 〈◊〉 his family As Stewards I say to dispense and lay them out and not Treasurers to lay them up and hoord them in our Chests Or if as ●easurers yet not to reserve them for our own use but for the service of 〈◊〉 Sovereign and the good of our fellow-servants We are not Owners ●●●●r Almaners Stewards not independent Lords of what we do possesse We ●●ve only the use and disposition of what God hath lent us He that is the great Lord and Master of this great family from whom the highest cause riches and all other good things are derived unto us d●every inferiour creature hath ordained all for the common good ●●d commanded them to be communicative The Moon borroweth her ●●●t from the Sun not to keep but to give the same unto the dark corners the Earth the takes from the Sea that she may give to the lesser ri●es The liver ministreth blood to the heart the heart ministreth spirits to 〈◊〉 brain the brain to the whole Microcosme So my pen your substance ●●d what ever gift or talent any one hath are all given us for one end to 〈◊〉 good withall We have every one our talents more or lesse how hap●●● are we if we improve them well to his honour that gave them Now ●●d is honored when as we bestow the wealth which he hath committed ●●to us according to his appointment It is the honour of a good Master ●●●n by his care and providence the house is so well governed that every ●●ficer performeth his duty in his place and all the Family have food ●●venient with all other necessaries belonging to them To which pur●●● our great Lord and Master hath preferred some to be his Stewards ●●●o whom he hath committed his goods not that they should appro●●te them to their own use but that they should wisely justly and cha●bly dispence and dispose of them for the good of all the houshold 〈◊〉 howsoever by vertue of their high place and office they may take ●hemselves as it were a double portion and that which is sufficient not only for nature but for the due maintenance of their person an● not for necessity alone but also for their honest delight unlesse it b●● that this their allowance be necessarily to be shortened to supply the ex●●tream necessity of others who need their help yet their Lord and Master requireth of them that they communicate so much of their goods a● they can well spare from these uses to relieve and sustein others of the● fellow-servants who want such things as are needful for their relief a●● maintenance Which who so neglect and either riotously spending an● wasting or nigardly and miserlike keeping and hoording up these goods do suffer the poor to starve for want of necessaries they do herein exceedingly dishonour God when those who are without see the servants of hi● family perish for want of food And let such know that a day wil● come when as like Stewards they shall be called to a reckoning and b● forced whether they will or no to give an account before God his Saint● and blessed Angels how they have used their Lords talents According to that of our Saviour Luk. 16.2 Give an account of thy stewardship for th●● mayest be no longer Steward And if we have incrased and doubled them by delivering them to these bankers the poor members of Jesus Christ then shall we hear that comfortable sentence pronounced by our Lord Well done thou good and faithful servant thou hast been faithful over a few things I will make thee ruler over many things enter thou into the joy of thy Lord Matth. 25.21 But if contrariwise we neglect those charitable uses which our Lord hath enjoyned us and neglecting the poor do spend our Masters goods in excess and riot if then instead of feeding the hungry and clothing the naked we bring in account so much spent in dainty fare and gorgeous apparel so much in stately buildings and costly furniture so much in rich jewels and needless vanities so much laid out on Hounds Horses Hawks and Harlots so much consumed in gaming and revelling in Playes and Interludes so much spent in needless Suits of Law in giving bribes and entertaining rich friends and in a word so much prodigally foolishly and wickedly wasted in the pleasures of sin and voluptuous delights or so much miser-like hoorded up and hid in a napkin then shall we hear that fearful sentence which will make our hearts to ake and our joynts to tremble Thou wicked and slothful servant thou saidst thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not and gather where I have not strewed thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the Exchangers that then at my comming I should have received mine own with advantage take therefore the talent from him and give it unto him that hath two talents and cast ye the unprofitable servant into utter darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth Matth. 25 26 27 to 31. And certainly we must unreason our selves before we can think that God hath caused this inequality of estate amongst men because he respecteth the rich and neglecteth the poor and would have them pampered with all superfluities and delicious dainties and the other starved with want and penury but hereby he would exercise the divers graces which he hath given to his Church and people as namely the charity liberality and fidelity of the rich in dispensing of his talents and the faith affiance and patience of the poor that being approved both might be crowned at the day of Christs appearing according to that of Basil Why saith he do'st thou abound with riches and he want necessaries Surely that thou mightest receive the reward of thy faithful dispensation and he also after many conflicts and victories might have the reward and crown of his patience The wealth of the rich is given them to supply the necessities of the poor as the wealth of the seven plentiful yeers supplied the want of the seven barren Our cups run over with Davids Psalm 23.5 and why run over but that they may run into others empty vessels that the poor may partake of our redundancies He giveth us all things richly and this is to enjoy not to hoord much less to waste Is it fit that some

an ancient Philosopher that the riches of many great House-keepers are like Figs growing on the brim of a deep downfal for as Crows and not men fare the better for these so base fellows and not worthy men have the benefit of those And a late Divine writes that entertaining of Nimrods Esaus Ishmaels and those devouring Dromedaries their followers is but a mock-poor or rather the poison of hosp●tality We read that Abraham and Lot received Angels in the likenesse of men a great honour of hospitality but these rather receive Devils in the likenesse of men Nor do they seldome prove to their entertainers like the sword which cuts the scabberd that preserves it or the Ivy which eats up the tree and undermines the wall that supports it CHAP. XIII IT was hospital●ty when Abigail relieved David and his followers with two hundred loaves two bottles of Wine and five Sheep ready drest with other the like When Shobi Machir Barzillai brought beds and basins earthen v●ssels and divers kinds of victuals for him and for the people that were with him hungry and weary and thirsty in the Wilderness When Job did not eat his morsels alone but made the fatherless eat thereof and warmed the poor with the fleece of his sheep When the Israelits in their feasts and good dayes sent gifts to the poor and portions to them for whom nothing was prepared When Martha and others received our Saviour into their houses and gave him kinde entertainment Finally it was hosp●tal●ty which God required of them that would keep a true religious fast Isai 58. To deal their bread to the hungry to cover him whom they saw naked and not to hide themselves from their own flesh and unto which Christ exhorted his Hoast Luke 14.12 13 14. When thou makest a feast call the poor the maimed the lame and the blinde and thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just So that if we would be blessed in our bounty the poor must be the object of it For they and not those before spoken of are the ground in which the seed of beneficence must be sown if ever we mean to reap an harvest of happinesse They are the bankers to whom we must deliver Gods talents if we would have them increase in our Masters estimate and so receive the gracious reward of our faithful service Finally these are Gods Factors unto whom if we deliver our goods the Lord himself will acknowledge the debt and will surely pay us with great advantage Whereas they the streams of whose bounty do run another way may well impair by their expences their present means but they cannot thereby increase their future hopes they may perhaps among men have the praise of their munificence and liberality but they shall not by God be approved for their cost nor when they give up their account be blessed in their bounty Or in case thou do'st keep some dayes of feasting and joy for thy friends and rich neighbours as the Jews did Esther 9. As God gives us leave and liberty according to the places and times where●n we live and according to our estate and calling to make such feasts of civility and gratitude of peace and reconciliation of friendship and acquaintance as Abraham made the same day that Isaac was weaned As Isaac made to Abimdech and his followers A● Laban made at the Marriage of his Daughter As Samson made at his Wedding As the sons of Job made one to another and their sisters And as Saint Ambrose now and then to the Governours and Consuls of Millain But always with this proviso that we be not disabled by them from being bountiful to the poor and needy be sure to observe two things First exceed not like Nabal who being but a private man made a feast like a King But rather imitate Socrates who when he had bid many Rich men to Dinner his wife Xantippe being ashamed of the small and mean preparation that he had made said Be content wife for if our guests be sober and vertuous men they will not dislike this cheer and again if they be riotous and intemperate we are sure they shall not surfet Secondly in case thou makest a feast as the said Jews did be sure thou forget not to do as they did let the poor have part with thee Esther 9.22 whom if we remember effectually and to some purpose at such times then all these Feasts shall be clean unto us as Saint Augustine discourseth in his second Sermon de Tempore It was a good Law the Romanes had That no man should presume to make a publick Feast except before he had provided for all the poor in his Quarters as Patritius reports CHAP. XIV BUt of Poor there are two sorts Gods poor and the Devils impotent poor and impudent poor The poor upon whom we should exercise our beneficence is the honest labourer and the poor housholder who either through the greatnesse of their charge or badness of their trade crosses losses sickness suretiship or other casualties being brought behinde hand are not able in the sweat of their face to earn their bread or the blinde and maimed the aged and decrepit the weak widows or young orphans which are either past their labour or not come unto it these are principal objects of bounty and he that is godly and discreet will rather give to those that work and beg not then to those that beg and work not For according to the Apostles rule They that will not labour must not ●at but rather the law is duly and with severity to be executed which though it may seem sharp yet it is full of mercy to the honest poor who might be more liberally relieved if these idle devourers did not eat up their portion and would above all be merciful to those miscreants if by wholesome severity they might be reclaimed from their wickednesse seeing hereby they should be pulled out o● the jaws of the Devil and preserved from falling into fearful condemnation To which purpose Augustine saith It is better to love with severity then to deceive under shew of lenity and to with-hold bread fro● the hungry if being sure of his victuals he neglect justice then by giving unto him to make him rest securely in his unrighteousnesse The sluggard that will not labo●ur in Summmer Solomon saith shall begin Winter and have nothing Nor is every lewd lazel of the canting Common-wealth a fit altar whereon we may offer the sacrifice of our alms-deeds but such as are so through necessity and not of choice For there are many sturdy beggars and vagrant Rogues the blemish of our Government and a burthen to the Common-wealth which kinde of poor are not to be maintain'd in their wicked courses For to feed them is to fat vermine to feed Mice and Rats and Polecats yea it is to feed vice it self to whom they make themselves servants and therefore most wisely and equally do our Laws punish with