A Christian Library, Chapter 3
CHAP. 3.
MAny an one hath his father unfeathered to warm him, but pride, drunkenness, gamming, &c. plucks them away again so fast, that he soon becomes naked and bare. He is like a barren plot of ground, for let him receive never so much seed and manuring, Sun and showers, he remaines ever dry and fruitlesse, and no marvail, when not onelyonly his leud and vicious courses bring Gods curse upon all he hath or takes in hand; but when he and what he hath, is also cursed for his fathers sake. For whereas the Holy Ghost saith of the just man, His seed shall be mighty upon earth, his generation shall be blessed, &c. Psal. 112.2 and many the like, Psal. 103. where God hath promised to blesse and reward the children; yea, the childrens children for their fathers goodnesse, vers, 17. Isa. 58.10, 11.12. Psal. 37, 25, 26 & 112.2 to 6. Of which I might give you examples, not a few. The children of Noah were preserved from drowning for their fathers sake, Gen. 7.1. Mephibosheth fares the better for his fathers goodness…: The Kenites for Ie…broes, 1 Sam. 15.6. and that some hundreds of yeers after their Ancester was dead; Phineas his seed for his … Numb. 25, 11, 12, 13. Solomon for his father Davids sake, 2 Sam. 1. …. Ishmael for Abrahams sake, Gen. 17.20. And all Isarel fared the better for Abraham, Isaac, and Iacobs sake, Deut. 4.37. 1 Kings 11.12. The loving kindnesse of the Lord, sayes the Psalmist, indureth for ever, and ever, … them that fear him, and his righteousnesse upon childrens children, Psal. …. Exod. 20.6.
And as God usually blesseth, and rewardeth the children for their fathers goodness, so on the contrary, Exod. 20.5. Eternal payments God uses … of the persons only, temporary oftentimes of succession as we sue … … third and fourth generation, Exod. 20.5. As for the sin of Haman, his ten … were hanged, Hester 9.13, 14. And so for Sauls sin, his seven sons were …kewise hanged, 2 Sam. 21.6. and thus for Achans sin, all his sons and daughters were stoned to death, and burned with fire by the Commandment of Moses, who was in Gods stead, Iosh. 7 Yea God hath peremtorily threatned, Psal. 109. that the children of a cruel and unmercifull man, shall be Vagabonds and beg their Bread, and that none shall extend mercy or favor unto them, ver. 7. to 17. God will make those children beggers, for whose sakes the fathers have made so many beggers; this is a truth which the father will not beleeve, but as sure as God is just, the Son shall feel. As what common and daily experience have we thereof, had men but the wit to observe it? for hence it is, that riches ill got, shift Masters so often. As rare it is, if the wealth of an Oppressor doth last to the fourth generation, seldom to the second; for commonly in this case, as the father was the first that raised his house, by his extreme getting and saving, so the son proves the last, in overthrowing his house by excessive spending and lavishing; as Tullius Cicero answered a P…odigal that told him he came of beggerly parents; for no man when his means is gone, will ever after trust him with a stock to begin the world again; the case standing with him, as it did with the unjust Steward, who having wasted his masters goods for the time past, could not be trusted with the like for the the time to come; and whereas hitherto he hath with Esau, rejected the blessing of prosperity, it will be denyed him hereafter, though he should seek it with tears: and which is worse then all, if death find him (as is much to be feared) as banquerupt of spiritual, as of Worldly goods, it will send him to an eternal prison: for what can we think of them, that do not onelyonly lose crusts and crummes, which our Saviour would have carefully gathered up, Iohn 6.12. but even lavish and wherle away whole patrimonies; yea, most wickedly spend them in riot, and upon Dice, Drabs, Drunkenness? O the fearful account which these unthrifty Bayliffs will one day have to give up to our great Lord and Master, when he shall call them to a strict reckoning of their talents! if he was condemned that encreased not the sum concredited to him, what then shal become of him that lawlesly and lavishly spends and impaires it? bringing in such a reckoning as this; Item, spent upon my … pleasures, and pride, fourty years, and five hundred or ten thousand pounds &c. let them be in their right senses, they cannot thin that God will take this for a good discharge of their Steward-ships, though the devil may and will make them beleive, that Christ will quit all scores between … father and them.
And thus I have made it plain, that want and beggery, is the … parent to riot and prodigality, and that he who when he should not … too much, shall, when he would not, have too littel to spend a … young gulls. I have likewise shown, that what the covetous …
As O that the covetous Moule, who is now digging a house in the earth for his posterity, did but fore-see how his Prodigal son will consume wh… he with so much care and industry hath scraped together; for should he have leave hereafter to come out of hell for an hour, and see it, he would curse this his folly, yea, if possible, it would double the pain of his infernall torment, as it fares with Gnipho the Usurer, who (as Lucian feigneth) lying in hell, lamenteth his miserable estate, that one Rodochares, an incestuous Prodigal, on earth consumed his goods Wastfully, which he by unjust means had scraped together so carefully; the which seemeth to have some affinity with the word of truth; why else is Dives being in hell torments, said to lift up his eyes, and to see Abraham a farre off and Lazarus in his bosome, parlying so seriously about his brethren, whom he had left behind him? Luke 16▪23▪ &c. Why else doth our Saviour say, that the wicked shall gnash their teeth for vexation, when they shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Iacob in the Kingdome of heaven, and themselves thrust out of doors? Luke 13.28.
But that thou mayst the better foresee, or at least fore-think what will follow, I will shew thee thy case in sundry other persons.
Clodius, son to Esophus the Tragedian, spent marvelous great wealth which his father left him. Epicharmus the Athenian, having a large patrimony left him by his parents, consumed it in six dayes, and all his life time after lived a begger. Apicius, in banquetting, spent great revenues, left him by his parsimonius father, and then because he would not lead a miserable life, hanged himself. Pericles, Calias, and Nicius, by prodigall lavishing and palpable sensuallity, spent in a short time very great patrimonies, left them by their parents, and when all their means was gone they drank each of them a poysoned potion one to an other, and dyed in the place.
Again, we read that Caligula, in one year of his reign, spent prodigally, sixty seven millions of gold, which Tiberius his Predecessor had gathered together, as Tacitus tells us, and whereas Iohn the 22. left behind him, (as Petrarch reports) two hundred and fifty tun of gold; insomuch that an odde fellow made this jest of him, Erat Pontifex maximus … tumen maximus. Pope Sixtus Quintus, (called of … by-word, for selling our Kingdom to Philip of Spain, Six …,) through his intollerable covetousnesse, left in his Exchequer five … his succers…r Gregory the fourteenth, wasted four of them in ten …