eternall life they are they which do testifie of mée And for that cause chiefly the Lord will that the dispensatioÌ„ of his word of his sacraments be open manifest vnto all the worlde to the ende that we may seperate the church and congregation of the true chrystians from so many sectes and companies of heritickes whych doe boast themselues to haue the Churche with them according as Lactancius doth write There would be also daunger or it is to be feared that ceasing the exercise of the religion ther would happen that which is written in the booke of Iudges that is to saye that euery man doe not that which séemed right in his owne eies or that which we doe reade in the time of king Asa that ther was no peace to them that go out and in But great vexation of the inhabiters of all lands for one nation shall destroye an other and one citie another for GOD will trounce them with all aduersitie as oftentimes it happeneth that the Lord being not knowen of his as he ought to be did take from his vnderstanding and wisdome and did fill them with blindnesse or darkenesse did giue vnto them a sléeping spirite eyes that they cannot sée eares that they cannot heare doth tourne their table into a snare that for their rewarde Beholde what doth force constraine me to say that it is in the great cities in the which we ought to establish first the exercise of the true christiaÌ„ religion bicause that oftentimes in the great cities are committed the greatest wickednesse extorcions tyrannies as the Lord so many times hath rebuked by his prophets the inhabiters of Ierusalem that according to the benefites that he hath done vnto them they did multiply increase their iniquities offences And by his prophet Daniel that the iniquitie hath begun of the auncients and doctors of the lawe although that the law was come out of Sion and the word of God from Ierusalem Not without cause the Lorde hath established his temple ordeined his ceremonies in Ierusalem the chiefe citie of Iuda for to reprâ—sse the sinnes of his people and to holde and kéepe them in the obedience of his holy precepts coÌ„maundemeÌ„ts bicause that his word is like a fire like a hammer that breaketh the hard stone quicke mightie in operation and sharper then any two edged swoord and entreth through euen vnto the diuiding a sunder the soule and the spirite wherein the scripture doth teach vs that there is no meanes more greater to same and to bridle the heartes affections of men then the woord of God. The which ought to serue for an example vnto all true Princes for to establish mainteine the exercise of religion I doe meane that in the which the woord of the Lord doth sound daily and is purely and rightly administred for in that point doth consist their power aucthoritie and greatnesse I doe remember for this matter that Licurgus the writer of the lawes of the Lacedemonians could find no time more fitter for to cause the citie of Sparta to florish then to accustome the inhabitaunts of the same to obey the lawes bicause saith hée that the lawes doe teach two things that is to say to commaund and to obey to the commaundement adding ouer and besides the same that the obedience doth consist and lye in the exhortation wherein we are learned taught that the exercise of the true christian religion is so much more necessarie for to mainteine and kéepe the rightes of Princes and Lordes the which by the word of God we doe learne to obey him as our Prince and soueraigne Lord to giue vnto all our superiours that which is due vnto them Tribute to whoÌ„ tribute belongeth Custom to whoÌ„ custome is due Feare to whom feare belongeth Honour to whoÌ„ honour perteyneth not onely for the anger but also for the conscience And although that this onely argument be sufficient for to proue that we haue nothing attempted agaynst the person of a Prince his lawes and preheminences yet truely our enimies haue thought by the meanes to make vs odious hatefull not onely vnto those of the countrey but also vnto straungers But as it happened of late amonge the disciples of the Lord the dooing of the religion béeing troubled for certeine differences or controuersies which were among theÌ„ at that time there the Apostles did assemble themselues together and hauing ordred the dooing of the religyon Notwithstanding that they could not do so much but that they were forced afterward both in their persons and in their religion and declared to bée rebels and seditious throughout all the Sinagogges Euen so is it happened of our time For though that by meere deliberation and aduise of the counsaile learned men and of good consciences haue agréed vnto some differences for to mainteine the vnitie of the kinges subiectes yet truely so many people haue risen against vs from all places that in the end haue declared vs to be rebels seditious to conclude we haue bene forced in our persons goodes conscienses In so much that we may bewaile lament that which S. Peter in his time did deplore lament after the saying of the prophet Dauid Why do the heathen rage together why do the people imagine vaine things the Kings of the earth stande vp and the rulers take counsaile together against the Lord and against his annoynted And we must not héere excuse our selues vnder colour of some yea of the most greatest part of the people speaking against the Edict and statute of the king for the gift to interprete the scriptures or to sée perceiue the differences which are done in the church is a light and knoweledge which the Lorde hath printed and imbraced in the heartes of the true and faythfull Christians and of those whiche of redie courage and frée will do beléeue the word of god And it is not bounde or tied to the number of personnes aucthoritie or greatnesse According to that which Iesus Christ did promise his Apostels in Saint Iohn that the holy Ghost shall teach them all things and that they shal be all taught of God. The whiche Sainct Peter doth declare more at large shewing that the scripture came neuer by the will of man but holy men of God speake as they were moued by the holy Ghost It is not then in the number of persons that we must way the dooing of the Religion but to the aucthoritie of the scripture and to the aduise of those which with a good conscience doe bring an eminent and ouerpassing knowledge Euen so the auncients in the primitiue Church do condempne Samosetanus and Arrius do take none other iudges for to discerne perceiue the differences then the word of God with the consenting of those which haue béene Disciples or successours of the
the things which are necessaries vnto him Insomuch that the mother by coniectures and presumtions hath regard to geue vnto him that which is agreeable and profitable Beehold the cause wherefore that good Philosoper Plato said that hée of whom the father or mother or their kinsfolkes do lay vp in the house as a treasure hee ought to beeleeue that hee cannot haue one suche Image not more precious in his house if hee honoure them as hee ought To that pourpose the same author reciteth the example of Oedippus who being despised of his own children wished vnto thē the affliction that happened vnto thē as wée doe reade in the holy scripture of Cham one of the sonnes of Noe at the ende hée concludeth that there is not a thing that we ought so much to honoure as the fathers and mothers in their olde age who when they are honoured GOD is well pleased thereby for otherwise God will not heare our prayers and this purtracture and Image of the father is a great deale more admirable then so manie other Images For the liuely Images when they are honoured of vs they doe praie for vs and doe beare vnto vs dayly fauour when they are despised they doe altogether the contrarie but those which haue no life do nothing of all the same For conclusion the sayd Philosopher Plato sayth that hée which doth gouerne himselfe wel towards his father and mother and towardes his graundfathers hée hath with him an Image verie fitte for to winne the loue and amitie of the LORDE Honoure then thy father from thy whole heart and forgette not the sorrowefull trauaile that thy mother had with this Remember that thou wast borne thorowe them and howe canst thou recompence them the thinges that they haue done for thée Here one may demaunde this question that is whether we must obey in all and thorowe all the commaundement of the father the which was thought to haue béene proposed by Aulus Gellius an heathen author and neuerthelesse a learned man and verie auncient The saide authour aunswered that the thinges are either honest wicked or indifferent And concludeth in the ende that to things honest indifferent we must obey him but to thinges that are wicked wee must not obey him calllng the meane things and indifferent the ordinarie actions of this common life which are suche as we do gouerne our selues that is to say to go to the warre to labour and tille the earth to be a Magistrate to defend causes and to marrie Furthermore this learned man doth teach vs that in the places and common charges the deutie and right that the children owe vnto their fathers ought to cease for a certeine time for the childe or sonne beeing in degree of a Magistrate sitting in the iudgment seat before whom there must bée no accaption of personnes And it is often times greatly to be feared that through to great familiaritie there woulde growe a contemning or despising of the dignitie in that cause I say the father ought to acknowledge the sonne as him which is Gods minister In other places and priuate houses the sonne ought to giue all honour and obedience vnto the father Let vs then conclude with an other christian and verie auncient author that wée must honour our father so that he seperate not vs frō the heauenly father we ought to acknowledge this carnall alliance as long as our carnall father shall acknowledge his creator Otherwise we héere the voice of Dauyd which sayth hearken O daughter consider and incline thine eare forget thine owne people and thy fathers house So shall the king haue pleasure in thy beautie for hée is thy LORD and thou shalt worship him The same author hath written in the first of his Epistles that if the necessitie doth so require that the loue of parentes is against the same of GOD and that both of them cannot be kept of him that he must incurre the blame of his parentes for to kéepe pietie and godlinesse towardes god Beholde the warre the which Iesus Christ hath opened of the father to the sonne and of the sonne against the father at his comming saying Thincke not that I am come to sende peace into the earth I came not to send peace but the swoorde for I am come to set a man at variance against his father and the daughter against hir mother and the daughter in lawe against hir mother in lawe And a mans foes shall bée they of his owne housholde he that loueth his father or mother more then mée is not méete for mée Furthermore I will saye with the Philosopher Plato that such is the duetie of the childe towardes the father that he ought to thincke that all that which belongeth to him belongeth properly to the father I meane the goodes of the bodie the externall goodes and those of the spirite forasmuch as of them the sonne may comfort the father If our father haue néede of our counsell for to aide him in some thing truely we ought not to forsake him I doe except aboue all the LORD vnto whom all things apperteine Plutarch doth amplifie that duetie towardes our fathers and mothers as followeth The brute beastes a little while after they haue brought foorth their young ones are out of all care and are verie well but the nourishing and bringing vp of man is ful of all trauaile the aduauncement of him verie slowe and to acquire and get vertue that is a thing of long continuaunce And often times the fathers before that their children do come to perfection do die Euen as Ariston did neuer sée Plato to professe philosophie Also the victories of Tuchitidus Sophocles were neuer knowen vnto their fathers and mothers And verie well hath Valerius said that nature is the mister is of pietie who without any minister aide of voice without the vse of letters of hir own proper force and strengthe hath shed out into the heartes of children the loue that they ought to beare to their fathers Wherfore thē doth learning profit in this matter saith this good author he aunswereth that it doth profit not for to make their spirites better but more easie to bée taught and instructed In the same booke the same author doth propunde vnto vs the example of a vertuous and good woman Who of longe time nourished hir father béeing prisoner altogether aged and lame of hir owne milke Furthermore the seueritiē and crueltie of the olde lawe against the obstinate and rebellious children doth sufficiently declare what ought to bee the obedience of the children towardes their parentes Witnesse of this shall Moses bée who sayeth in this manner When a man shall haue a wicked and rebellious childe which will not obey nor hearken vnto the voyce of his father or mother and they shall chastise and correct him and he will not obey them then the father and mother shall take him and bring
sonne bicause hee serued to him as an instrument for to giue vnto him the corporal life what honoure what homage what obedience owe wée vnto him which dayly doth shew vs the meanes for to conduct and leade vs to eternall life And what shall hée bée which will not receiue those whom the Lorde by hys prophet speaketh off saying O how beautiful are the feet of the Embassador that bringeth the message from the mountaine and proclaimeth peace that bringeth the good tidings and preacheth health and saith vnto Sion thy God is the king And in Daniel The wise such as haue taught other shal glister as the shining of heauen and those that haue instructed the multitude vnto godlinesse shal bée as the starres worlde without end Wherefore Sainct Paul doth teach vs that the Elders that rule wel are worthy of double honoure most specially they which labour in the word teaching The same Apostle exhorted the Thessalonians that they should know theÌ„ which laboure among them and haue the ouersight of them in the Lord which giue them exhortatiton That they may haue theÌ„ the more in loue for their works sake Also the same Apostle in his Epistle vnto the Hebrewes doth aduertise them to remeÌ„ber them which haue the ouersight of theÌ„ which haue declared vnto them the word of God and to follow their faith considering what hath béene the end of their conuersation Also the same Apostle in his Epistle which he sent vnto the Galatians desireth theÌ„ that he that is taught in the word minister vnto him the teacheth theÌ„ in all good thinges For as he himselfe witnesseth in an other place saying if we haue soweÌ„ vnto you spiritual things is it a great thing if we reape your carnall things do ye not vnderstand how that they with minister about the sacrifice eate of things of the temple and they which wait at the aulter are partakers with the aulter EueÌ„ so also hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should liue of the gospel EueÌ„ so sayth the sonne of Siraac feare the Lord with al thy soule honor his priestes The same sufficieÌ„tly declareth that eueÌ„ as we owe vnto our carnall fathers honoure and obedience with the things which are necessarie vnto them for their life also we ought to owe vnto our spiritual fathers to the conductours of our soules the like dueties And forasmuch then as the Lorde hath cruelly punished those whiche haue shead the bloude of their carnall fathers or haue done vnto them any other wrong Also the Lord hath shewed his vengeaunce vpon those which haue despised the holy admonitions of the pastors of our soules My witnesse shal be Achab who dispising the voice of Micheas within a little while after was slaine in battaile Also king Asa which caused the prophet Hanani to be imprisoned bicause that he declared the truth which was partely the cause that the king Asa fell into a certeine disease in his féete whereof he dyed Aso Ioas which caused the prophet Zacharie to be stoned to death and for that déede he fell into greate griefes diseases Insomuch that his owne seruants conspired against him for the bloud of the children of Iehoiada the priest slew him on his bed What shall I say of Heliseus who being mocked of the little children at the same instant was reuenged by Gods punishment of the iniurie wrong the which they did vnto him when two beares came out of the woode and eate fortie and two of the boyes Woe be vnto thée then thou Alexander how great so euer thou hast béen for thy renown and worldly prowesses when thou didest cause Clytus to be slaine who preserued so carefully thy life When I say thou hast caused to be slaine that great philosopher Calisthenes bicause he would not worshippe thée telling thée that such duety homage apperteineth to one onely God our true and soueraigne lord I wil omit willingly to speake of Parmeno and Philotas who were the conductors of all thy enterprises and vpon whom thou diddest put an repose all thy force strength whome thou hast recompeÌ„sed with the like reward for so many good seruices I do speake also vnto thée O thou people of Athens which hast chased and driuen out of thy Citie put to death in Cyprus he which established for thée the lawes for to assure thy puissance and greatnesse among so many enimies Shal I forget Licurgus which hath béene banished and driuen away of them whom he hath instructed by which meanes one of his eyes was put out in a common sedition In like maner Aristides banished from his countrie whom his own could neuer rebuke but that he was too iust The time will not serue mee to speake of Socrates the great Philosopher which was choked with poyson by those whom he hath nourished in all religion godlines righteousnesse Also Seneca which was slaine by Nero although that he lead his younge life in all good manners disciplines These matters here are referred vnto those which do honoure their fathers feare to disobey theÌ„ And sometime that rather for their authoritie puissance then of a christian charitie faithful amitie and do not beleeue that so many wrongs and violences committed against the true ministers of God do merite deserue a worthy and open punishment They will nourish rather in their houses some Iester and one that is plesaunt at that table then a good man which would teach their children in good learning to feare god What say I wo bée vnto mee if I do not speake it they do giue the great charges and Ecclesiastical dignities to their domesticall seruants so ignorant are they and do chase driue away those whiche for their wisdome excellent knowledge will do greatly their endeuor to instruct them in al good disciplines Wherof coÌ„plained sometime Basil the great speaking of Gregory NaziaÌ„zenus as he doth write Of our time saith that good author this name of Bishop came from poore people children seruants Insomuch that of the Lordes houshold there is no man which dare put him selfe against them And neuerthelesse they haue driuen away my brother Gregory of Nazianzenus haue brought in his place amaÌ„ what say I a man yea a villaine bond seruant In such sorte that it seemeth that wee are also returned to the time of Ieroboam where it is said that Ieroboam turned not from his wicked way but turned away and made of the lowest of the people priests of the hilaulters whosoeuer would he filled their hands they became priests of the hilaulters Or rather to the time of whom it is spoken in the second booke of the Machabees at which time the priestes were no more occupied about the seruice of the aulter but despised theâ—iemple regarded not the offrings yea gaue their diligece to
for to draw them away from the lawe of the lord The father then which is a true Christian shal do nothing in the presence of his children which may make them swarue stray away from the lawe of the lord To this same purpose hee exhorteth al men generally where he saith Let no corrupt communication proceede out of your mouthes But that which is good to the vse of edefiyng that it may minister grace vnto the hearers Also in the same Epistle hee doth aduertise them that fornicatyon and all vncleanenesse or couetousnesse bee not once named amonge them as it bee commeth Saincts neyther filthynesse neyther foolyshe talking neyther iesting which are thinges not comely but rather gyuing of thanks For as witnesseth a certaine auncient and Christian authour verie learned Among other thinges wee ought to keepe the word as a thinge consecrated vnto the Lorde yea as our owne bodies bicause that by the worde wée ought to fighte for the trueth The reason is great and verie proper of him whiche hath sayde that it is easye to followe vices In suche sort that when wée cannot immitate and follow easely the vertues wée doe followe the faultes or vices This authour doth giue the example of Alexander the great who forgetting the vertues of Laonides his maister coulde neuer refraine himselfe from the vices of him And the Philosoper Plato hath Christianly spoken when he did write that a father must not get for his children greate abundaunce of golde but a greate deale of shame and feare The which they can not doe but in correcting the impudencie and vnshamelesse boldenesse of the children For the wise lawegiuer I meane him which garnished the cities and other common wealths with good laws will commaund rather the auncientes that they bée shamefast and fearefull before the younge men and that they take good héede that not a younge man heare sée nor speake any wicked and dishonest thing For when the olde men haue but a little shame it is necessarie that the younge men bee muche vnshamefast That is then an excellent discipline of the younge and of the olde not only the correction the which they doe by woorde but if hée which doth rebuke and checke do in all his lyfe time that which hée teacheth When I doe speake héere of the couersation of the fathers or auncientes I meane not onely their domesticall seruauntes but also other people that liue wickedly which maye tourne the spirites of the children from the veritie as it is euidently séene that euill wordes corrupte good manners Who soe toucheth pytche shall â—ée filed withall sayth the sonne of Siraac and hée that is familiar with the proude shall clothe himselfe with pride That is the cause wherefore Dauid did confesse that hee hathe not sitten amonge vaine personnes and hathe no felowshippe with the deceitefull That hée hathe hated the congregation of the wicked and that hée will not sit amonge the vngodly In the same Psalme hee prayeth the Lorde that hee will not destroye his soule with the sinners nor his life with the bloudthirsty In whose hands is wickednesse and theyr righte hande is full of gytes Beholde the doctrine of Salomon crying with a loude voyce saying My sonne heare thy Fathers doctrine and forsake not the lawe of thy Mother For that shall bringe grace vnto thy head and shall bee as a chayne aboute thy necke My sonne consent not vnto sinners if they entise thee and saye come with vs lette vs laye wayte for bloude and lurke priuely for the innocent without a cause let vs swallow them vp like the hell let vs deuoure them quicke and whole as those that goe downe into the pitte So shall we finde all manner of costly riches and fill our houses with spoyles Cast in thy lot amonge vs we shall haue all one pursse My sonne walke not thou with them refraine thy féete from their wayes For their féete runne to euell and are hasty to shead bloude These places of the Scripture teacheth vs sufficientlye that the duetie of a father consisteth not only to instruct well his children among his domesticall those of his familie But also if it bée possible among strauÌ„gers I wil rehearse vnto thee for this matter the example of Dina the daughter of Iacob who being departed from her fathers house desiring earnestly to see the host of the children of Sichem was rauished and defloured by Sichem I wil rehearse for the same purpose the example of the children of Israel who beeing not content to dwell in Sittim But willing to communicato with the Moabites were seduced by them and committed fornication with the daughters of Moab In like maner the women which were rauished by the Beniamites which came out to daunce I speake this for some men that are carefull inough that their daughters be not hurt or stoung with the serpent or snake and feare not that they be wounded with the hammer of all the whole world neither regarde they I say that they doe not drincke of the wine of that great Babilon the mother of all fornication Insomuch that Plutarch complained not without a cause as of a straunge thing that we accustome our children to take their meate with the right hande which if it happen that they do take it with the left hand we doe chastise and correct them grieuously and haue no regarde what disciplines we learne them The sayd author doth recite one Crates a verie auncient man which was accustomed to saye O that it were permitted me to goe vp to the highest place of the Citie I would crye aloude O ye Citizens what doe you that you bestowe all your trauaile to heape together money and haue no regarde or care of the children for whom you hoorde it vp and to whom you will leaue it That is one of the vanities that which Salomon in his booke of Ecclesiastices did bewaile wheÌ„ he said I was wearie of all my labour which I had taken vnder the sunne bicause I should bée faine to leaue them vnto an other man that commeth after mée for who knoweth whether he shall bée a wise man or a foole And yet shall hée be Lorde of all my laboures which I with such wisdome haue taken vnder the sunne Is not this a vaine thing For all the same which wée haue spoken off before we will not incitate or moue the fathers to shewe too great seueritie towardes their children but to shewe vnto them howe difficile and harde the nurture and gouerning of the children in their youth is According to that which the Philosopher Plato doth witnesse vnto vs that the childe is a greate deale worse to bée entreated and gouerned then all other beastes Forasmuch as he hath not yet perfectly tasted the fountaine of wisdome and euen as saith hée it happeneth vnto plantes that is to say that it is verie easie to prepare and dresse the