570 HOW TO DO GOOD TO MANY. must now be rich towards God; Luke xii. 21. It is no victory over the world to leave it when you cannot keep it; nor will any legacy purchase heaven for an unholy, worldly soul. IV. Yet they ghat will do, good neither living nor dying are . worst of all. Surely the last acts of our lives, if possible, should be the best ; and as we must live in health, so also in sickness, and to the last, in doing all the good we can; and, therefore, it must needs be a great sinto leave our estates to those that are like to do hurt with them, or to do no good, so far as we are the free dis- posers of them. The case, I confess, is not without considerable difficulties, how much a man is bound to leave to his children, or his nearest kin- dred, when some of them are disposed to live unprofitably, and some to live ungodlily and hurtfully. Some think men are bound to leave them nothing ; some think they ought to leave them almost all; and some think that they should leave them only so much as may find them tolerable food and raiment. I shall do my best to decide the case in several propositions. 1. The case is not with us as it was with the Israelites, who might not alienate their inheritances from the tribes; yet even they had power toprefer a younger son, that was more deserving, before an elder, that was worse. 2. Where either law or contract have disabled a man to alienate his estate from an ungodly heir, there is no room for a doubt what he must do. 3. Nature teacheth all men to prefer a child that is pious and hopeful in his provisions, and legacies, before a stranger, that is somewhat better, and not to alienate his estate for want of ahigher degree of goodness. 4. When there is just cause to disinherit an elder son, a young- 'sr is to be preferred before a stranger; or a kinsman, if there be no tolerable son. 5. And a son that ought not to be trusted with riches, or a great sstate, yet ought to have food and raiment; (unless he come to that state of obstinate rebellion in sin, for which God's law com- manded the Israelites to bring forth their sons to be put to death ; in such cases the house of correction is fittest for them ;) yet' should he have such food as may humble him, and not to gratify his lust. 6. If a man, that bath the full power to dispose of his estate, real or personal, have sons and kindred, that, according to the judgment of sound reason, are like, if they had this estate, to do mischief with it, or maintain them in a.wicked life, or in a mere unprofitable life of idleness, living only to themselves, and fleshly
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