A Christian Library, Chapter 34
CHAP. XXXIV.
That if we bountifully relieve the poor, the reward of onr charity shall not onelyonly extend to us, but also to our Off-spring and Progeny; the Prophet Esay witnesseth, Chap. 58. where he tells us, that if we will draw out our soule to the hungry, and satisfie the afflicted soule, the Lord will not onelyonly satisfie our soules in drought, & make fat our bones, but that those also that some of us s…ll prosper unto many generations, ver. 10, 11, 12. And also the Psalmist, Psal. 37. I have been young and now am old saith hee, yet have I not seene the righteous forsaken, not his …ood begging bread; vers. 26… then gives the reason; He is ever merc…full and endeth, and his seed enjoyes the blessing, vers. 26. And so Psal. 112. His seed shall be mighty upon earth, the generation of the righteous shall be blessed, Vers. 2. to 6. Now what better inheritance can we leave to our Children, then the blessing of God? which like an ever-springing fountaine, will nourish and comfort them in the time of drought, when as our owne provision which we have left unto them may faile; and when the heate of affliction ariseth, will like standing waters be dried up.
Nor is this only probable, but God hath set down that it shall be so: For he speaks far otherwise of the unmercifull, as Psal. 109. Let his children be fatherlesse, and his wife a widow: Let his children be continually vagabonds, and beg their bread. (I pray mind it) let them seek their bread also out of desolate places. Let the extortioner catch all that he hath, and let the strangers spoile all his labour. Let there be none to extend mercy unto him, mither let there be any to favour his fatherlesse children. Let his posterity be cut off, and in the generation following, let their names be blotted out, and the memory of them cut off from the earth; Because (mark the reason) he remembred not to shew mercy, but persecuted the poor and needy, Vers 6. to 17. all which he speaks by the spirit of prophesie, Though indeed we want not examples of this in every age. Was not this fulfilled in Haman? and is it not fulfilled daily in our experience? For hence it is, that riches ill got, or i'l kept, shift masters so often.
But take some other instances out of the Scriptures of both kindes; Ionathan is payd for his kindnesse to David, in Mephiboshe…h, Iethro for his love to Moses, in the Kenites, 1 Sam. 15.6. some hundreds of years aftet he their Ancestor was dead. The Aegyptians might not be unkindly dealt withall for their harbouring the Patriarchs, though they afflicted their posterity: But the Moabites and Ammonites were either to dye, or not to enter into the congregation of the Lord, to their tenth generation, because they met not Gods Israel with bread and water in the wildernesse, Deut. 23.3, 4.
God caused Soul to spare all the Kenites, for that they had shewed mercy to Israel, who otherwise had all of them been destroyed, 1 Sam. 15 6. Another example you have in Iob, 21.18, 19, 20. all which shewes, that God usually blesseth and rewardeth the children for their fathers goodnesse, The loving kindnesse of the Lord (saith the Psalmist) endureth for ever and ever upon them that feare him, and his righteousnesse upon childrens children, Psal. 103.17. And so on the other side, Eternall payments God uses to require of their persons onelyonly, temporary often times of succession, as we sue the Heyres and Executors of our debtors.
Now if this be so; that what the liberall man gives, his seed shall inherit: then the good provision that we should make for our Children, co…sists not so much in laying up, as in laying out, and more in making provision for their soules, then for their bodies. I confesse it is the case of ni…e parts of the Par…ts throughout the L…d, to provide for their childrens bodies, not for their soules, (to shew that they begat not their soules, but their bodies) to leave faire estates for the worser part, nothing for the estate of the better part. They desire to leave their children great, rather then good; and are more ambitious to have their sons Lords on earth, than Kings in heaven But as he that provides not for their temporall estate, is worse then an Infidell, 1 Tim. 5.8. So he that provides not for their eternall estate, is little better then a Devill.
The use which I would have you make of the premisses is this; Let none refuse to give, because they have many children, but give the rather out of love to, and for their childrens sakes, that God (who as you see hath ingaged himselfe) may be their Guardian, and provide and take care for them.
Or if not for their soules, yet for thine owne: For why shouldest thou love thy children better then thine owne person? and in providing for them, neglect thy selfe? Yea, why shouldst thou preferre their wealth before thine own soule? and their flourishing estate in the world, which is but momentany and mutable, before the fruition of those joyes which are infinite and everlasting? Will it not grieve and gall thy conscience another day to thinke, that for getting, or saving some trifles for thy posterity on earth, thou hast lost Heaven? or to remember, that thy children ruffle it out in worldly wealth, and superfluous abundance? when thou shalt be stripped of all, and want a drop of cold water to cool thy scorching soul in hell.