The Ready Way to Good Works, Chapter 12
CHAP. XII. Of what wee muſt give.
ALL actions (as you have heard) muſt be well circumſtantiated, clothed with all requiſite adjuncts and properties, or elſe they can never bee either morally or religiouſly good. Therefore we muſt looke unto the matter of our bountie and liberalitie, that it bee our owne goods lawfully given, not unjuſtly extorted from any by uſutious and wrongfull dealings. As we would be accounted mercifull, ſo ſhould we be found juſt; and the Prophet tels us, that the Lord firſt requires us to doe juſtly, then next to ſhew merciemercy.Mich. 6. 8. Job. 31, 20. Job warmed the poore with the fleece of his, owne flocke, ſo … muſt … tuum, ſaith Iſaiah thy bread to the hungry, de propria facultate ſaith Austine, & …stis labor…bus. Now that it may be called properly our owne, wherein wee have a true right and intereſt, which we may diſpoſe of as wee pleaſe, which … doe cu…ty by lawfull meanes, by inheritance, juſt purchaſe, free gift, honeſt labour, or have gotten by an ordinarie and conſcionable courſe of trading.
If then the wealth which wee have formerly horded up andExod. 22. Prov. 6. 31. and now enjoy were ſtollen, or unjuſtly gotten any way, as by violence, craft, fraud, deceit, by2 King. 8. 3. 6. 1. Theſ. 4. 6 cunning, over-reaching, lying, forſwearing, oppreſſion, bribery extortion, forged cav…lation, by unequall ballance, falſeDeut. 22. 3. weights, deceitfull meaſures: If wee have enriched our ſelves byLuk. 19. detaining and with-holding thatLevit. 6. 2. 5. 2 King. 6. 5. 1 Sam. 12. 3. Mich. 6. 10. 11. Pſal. 37. 1. Gen. 43. 12 Ezech. 33. 15. & 18. 12 Lev. 25. 14. 17. 27. 2 Sam. 12 6. 1 King. 20. 34. Nehem. 5. 7. 11. 12. Deut. 23. 18. which wee have found and others loſt, or what was committed to our truſt, cuſtody, and improvement in the behalfe of others, or what wee have borrowed with a reſolution not to repay it, or what wee have gotten by overvaluing our owne, and undervaluing our neighbors goods, by gayning advantagiouſly through the ſimplicitie and ignorance of unſuſpicious and plaine-dealing Chriſtians, by prevarication and meere trickes of Law, by * uſurie and unchriſtian exaction from the poore, or by any other ſinfull and evill way, ſuch unrighteous treaſures and ill gotten goods may not be the matter of our charitie and beneficence, but they muſt bee reſtored againe to the true owners as the quoted Scriptures do require and command. Goods ill gotten (ſaith a learned man) are for restitution, not for diſtribution. Good uſes cannot juſtifie things unjuſtly gotten, neither can the intention of a good end take away the pravitie of an evill action: the defect of one circumſtance may marre a good worke, but there muſt be a concurrence of all to make it vertuous and good. *Nolite velle facere eleemoſynas de foenore & uſuris & injuſte acquiſitis. Auſtin.Plinie that lowde trumpeter of Trajans prayſes, though a heathen man, yet could tell his Emperour, that the poore were not to bee fed like wilde beaſts with blood, ſpoile, and rapine, and that, which was to be * Liberalis dat de ſi… nec pauperos, ut fera catulos, coede & ſanguine nutrit. Plin. Panegyr: ad Trajanum.given to them, ought not to be taken away from any others. Selymus the grand-ſigneour, that unnaturall murtherer, and bloody butcher of his owne father, may be a witneſſe to induce and ſtrengthen this truth, for when he was ſollicited and perſwaded to beſtow ſome of that in charitable works, which was unjuſtly gotten from others, hee made anſwere, that ill gotten goods were to bee reſtored and not to be imployed and laid out upon holy and pious uſes. HenceLuk. 19. 8 was it that Zacheus reſolved to make reſtitution of that which he had by falſe accuſation taken away from any man, that ſo hee might bee ſure to give of that which was his owne unto the poore.
What we give muſt bee that1 Cor. 16. 2 which God bleſſeth and proſpereth, now tis not God but the Divell that doth further men in their wicked wayes of getting, and in their unconſcionable and unjuſtifiable courſes: What wee lend unto the Lord muſt bee by us lawfully gotten, by honeſt wayes and meanes, I may not make one glad with my bountifulneſſe and liberalitie, and another to grieve through my extreme oppreſſion, ſecret cozenage, and more unobſerved the every. Non eſt putinda cleemoſyn…, ſ…pauperibus dispenſetur, quod ex illicitis rebus acquiritur. Our almes muſt not onelyonly bee a worke of mercy, but of righteouſneſſe, as may bee concluded from the native ſignification of the word in the originall tongue according to which it is called righteouſneſſe. Therefore all depopulating incloſers, and hardhearted Land-lords, that pull downe houſes and ſet up hedges, unpeople townes, and create beggers, that increaſe their revenues, or ſupport their pompous ſtate, by racking of rents, intolerable fines, horrible oppreſſions, unreaſonable forfeitures and exactions, are never to bee reputed truly charitable and bountifull men: well may they make a faire ſhew; feaſt their Tennants once a yeere, flatter themſelves, and delude others with their vaine-glorious hoſpitalitie, which they mainetaine with their poore neighbours labours, much rapine and crueltie: but in the ſight of God all their outward expreſſions and bountie and liberalitie will prove but abominable Sacrifices. Secondly, all ſymoniſts and ſacrilegious perſons who either ſell Spirituall livings, rob God of his Dues, and the Church of their Tithes, or live onelyonly upon impropriate Parſonages, the truly intended maintenance of the Miniſters at the firſt, are to bee accounted mercileſſe and uncharitable men, for they can never by their ſeeming hoſpitalitie, or frequent Almes-deedes reconcile themſelves to the offended Jehovah, and wipe away their ſpirituall blood guiltineſſe before the Lord. Thirdly, all ſuch who by wilfull ignorance, ſtupid careleſſeneſſe, ſuffer their rotten and unhappie flocke to feede in impure and hurtfull paſtures, to walke in their owne wayes and crooked courſes while they themſelves in the meane time, but ſpend their lives & livings inEzech. 33. 6. Act. 20. 26. pride, idleneſſe, pleaſures, goodfellowſhip, &c. are to be reputed moſt cruell, mercileſſe, and bloody butchers of mens ſoules: well may they ſtop the fooliſh peoples mouthes with a few courteous complements, and a faire outward ſhew, but they ſhall never beare away the name of right, liberall, and charitable men: for is it hot a poore peece of love and charitie to feed mens carcaſſes with a little earthly and vaniſhing nutriment, and to ſtarve their poore foules which are ſpirituall and immortall ſubſtances. Thus as evill gotten goods are no good matter for workes of Charitie, ſo are they as ill a foundation for works of Pietie; there is no poſſibilitie of acceptation for them, either in the one, or in the other, for the Lord hateth robbery for burnt ſacrifice. the hire of a whore andEſai. 61. 8. the price of a dogge are an abomination unto him: and he thatEcclus. 34. 18. ſacrificeth a thing wrongfully gotten, his offering is odious, and the gift of unjuſt men are not accepted.