A20764:383
The plea of the poor. Or A treatise of beneficence and alms-deeds teaching how…The plea of the poore. Or A treatise of benificence and almes-deeds teaching how…
The plea of the poor. Or A treatise of beneficence and alms-deeds teaching how these Christian duties are rightly to be performed, and persuading to the frequent doing of them. Necessary for these times, wherein the works of mercy are so much neglected, or so undiscreetly practiced. Published by John Downame Bachelor in Divinity.The plea of the poore. Or A treatise of benificence and almes-deeds teaching how these Christian duties are rightly to be performed, and perswading to the frequent doing of them. Necessary for these times, wherein the workes of mercy are so much neglected, or so vndiscreetly practized. Published by Iohn Downame Bachelour in Diuinitie.
London: printed by Edward Griffin for Ralph Mabbe, 1616
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Sect 6 Their objection answered, who say their goods are their own; so that they need not to give except they list.
Sect 6 Their obiection answered, who say their goods are their owne; so that they need not to giue except they list.
So that here is met with one special objection ⟨p. 172⟩of worldly men, whereby they excuse their not giving of alms when they are pressed unto them; namely that their goods are their own & therefore they are not tied to employ them in such uses, but have free liberty to dispose them at their pleasure; seeing they are not absolutely their own, but the Lord, who is chief owner of them, hath only entrusted these talents unto them as his servants & stewards, not giving them full authority to dispose them at their pleasure, but hath limited them to those uses which he hath appointed and determined; of which this is one of the chief that they give some chief portion of them to the relief of the poor. According to that of the Apostle. 1. Pet. 4. 10. As every 1man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. And so our Saviour having exhorted us to make us friends of the unrighteous Mammon, addeth, And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another mans, who shall give you that which is your 2own? plainly intimating that the riches which we possess are not our own but Gods, and only entrusted unto our disposing as stewards of his family. As stewards (I say) to dispense and lay them out, and not as treasurers to lay them up, and hoard them in our chests; or if as treasurers, yet not to reserve them for our own use, but for the service of our sovereign and the good of our fellow servants. And this was typically signified by the gathering of Manna, which though the Lord rained it down from heaven, and could as