Downame - Puritan-02038 v2

r. 654 Of thefbortnefe andfrailtyofmanslife. with a purpofe to bequeath them to their friends, when them.. felues cankeepe them no longer; yet oftentimes God with his ouerruling hand fo difpofes of them, that they neuer enioy them.For Tome outlinetheir heires,and hauing loft theirpofte- ritie and kindred,are forced whether they will or no,to leaue vnto ftrangers the fruits of their labours. Others haue heires vnto whom they leaue their goods, but they are not fure that they (hall enioy them;for thechildren do not alwaies roll that which their fathers caught in hunting; but as many enioythofe goods which were neuer bequeathed thé,fo many vino whom they were bequeathedneuer doe enioy them, it being onely in their power to giue their riches, and bequeath legacies to whomthey will, but not to maintaine their gift when they are gone, nor tovphold that rightvntowhich they haueintituled Pfal.39.6. them. And this the Pfalmift plainly afñrmeth:Dou6tleffe (faith he) man malketh éna Jhadow, and difgaieteth himfelfein vaine; he hsapeth vp riches,and cannot tell who Jhallgather them. To the 1013.z7.14.1 5. fame purpofe lob faith,that though the children of lbicked risen bee 16.& 20.10. in great number, thefivord f alldeflroy them, and his pofü)-ityJhdll not be fatisfiedwithbread. His remnant /ball be buried in di ùb,and his widower Jhallnot weepe. Yhough he fhould heapevp f lueras the dull and prepare raiment as the clay,he may prepare it,but the stiff: fháil put it on,and the innocent (hall diuide the filwer. Yea not one- ly &angersdoe often become heires, but fometimes allo ene- mies, and thofe whom a man inhis life molt hateth, after his death make a prey of his riches, and skornefully infult in his Chryfofì.ad fpoile. In which refpe6 one faith, that - the couetousmansla- pop Antioch. bour is certaine, but the fruit ofhis labours vncertaine.For bee horoil.z.tom.i. taketh paines and confumeth himfelfe with cares in gathering riches, and after his death his inheritance and poffeffionscome into the hands of his enemies, who have circumuented him with innumerable trecheries, and taking onely with him his fins,he leaueth his ftrbftance to other men. Now what can bee more miferable, then to tire and fpend a mans felfe with paines, that his enemies may reape all the profit? and to withhold euen neceffaries'from ones own vfe,for the increafing of that wealth which his enemies will fpend in fuperfluitie and excefle? In which refpeel one iuflly much preferrcth the riches offaith and a good confcience,before.the wealth of the world. Faith ( faith hee)