The happiness of the church, or, A description of those spiritual prerogatives wherewith Christ…The happines of the church, or, A description of those spirituall prerogatiues vvherewith Christ…

God often in the Scriptures hath promised to be a Father of the fatherless, and to provide for those, whom the Parents faith have left to his protection. By this promise did Christ commend himself to his Disciples, ^aI will not leave you Orphans: we translate it comfortless, the original is Orphans, or fatherless children. ^bThe Lord relieveth the fatherless, and the widow. You may read 2. Kin. 4. that God would work a miracle; rather then a poor widow, with her two fatherless children, should want. Hath God made himself their Guardian, and must their means be secured by usurious contracts? Surely GOD hath just reason to take this the most unkindly of all the rest. Leave not thy children the inheritance of thy sin, turn not the providence of God from them by iniquity, who hath promised to protect them, if committed to him. Lo the wit of a worldly man! he takes thought to make his children rich, and yet takes the only course to undo them. No casualty shall fall upon their stocks, (so they plot) by an act of God or man: but here certain loss falls presently upon their souls; and a final ruin shall impartially at last consume their estates. For God will blast the stocks and branches, that are planted in the moorish and muddy ground of usury. The dependence on God is abandoned, and how justly may the Lord forsake them, that forsake him! Neither is this sin only damnable to the Parents, but also dangerous to the children: who are by this means dyed in the very wool of their youth, with the scarlet wickedness of Usury.

God often in the Scriptures hath promised to be a Father of the fatherlesse, and to prouide for those, whom the Parents faith haue left to his protection. By this promise did Christ commend himselfe to his Disciples, ^aI will not leaue you Orphanes: we translate it comfortlesse, the originall is Orphans, or fatherlesse children. ^bThe Lord relieueth the fatherlesse, and the widow. You may read 2. Kin. 4. that God would worke a miracle; rather then a poore vvidow, with her two fatherlesse children, should want. Hath God made himselfe their Guardian, and must their meanes be secured by vsurious contracts? Surely GOD hath iust reason to take this the most vnkindly of all the rest. Leaue not thy children the inheritance of thy sinne, turne not the prouidence of God from them by iniquitie, who hath promised to protect them, if cōmitted to him. Loe the wit of a worldly man! he takes thought to make his children rich, and yet takes the onely course to vndoe them. No casualtie shall fall vpon their stocks, (so they plot) by an act of God or man: but here certain losse falls presently vpon their soules; and a finall ruine shall impartially at last consume their estates. For God will blast the stocks and branches, that are planted in the moorish and muddy ground of vsury. The dependance on God is abandoned, and how iustly may the Lord forsake them, that forsake him! Neither is this sinne onely damnable to the Parents, but also dangerous to the children: who are by this meanes dyed in the very wooll of their youth, with the scarlet wickednes of Vsury.