5. 7. Mat. 5. 28 32. Gal. 5. 19. 2 Pet. 2. 14. Rom. 2. 22. Ier. 13. 27. Prov. 30. 20 Threatened Psal. 50. 18 c. Mal. 3. 5. 1 Cor. 6. 9. Heb. 13. 3. Ier. 29. 23. Hos. 4. 2 c. Hos. 4. 13 14. Iam. 2. 11. Rev. 2. 22. Punished Lev. 20. 10. Prov. 6. 32. Ioh. 8. 3 4. Scripturall examples Iudah Gen. 38. 16 c. Potiphars wife Gen. 39. 7. David 2. Sam. 11. 4. the Benjamites Iud. 19. 25. Amon 2. Sam. 13. 11 c. Mary Magdalen Iohn 8. 4. The Corinthian 1 Cor. 5. 1. Absalon 2 Sam. 16. 22. Reuben Gen. 35. 22. Lot Gen. 19. 36. Herod Mat. 14. 3. Other examples Ninus King of Assyria fell in love with Semiramis wife of Menon one of his Officers and when he could not perswade Menon to deliver his wife to him he threatened to pull out his eyes whereupon Menon hanged himselfe and Ninus married his wife Diod. Sic. Julius Caesar was a great adulterer defiling many of the chief Senators wives for which amongst other things he was murther'd in the Senate-house Sueto Augustus the Emperour was an adulterer and being at a feast he took a Noble woman from the table her husband being by and had her into a chamber and after brought her back her eyes very red and her hair all disordered Ibidem The like adulterer was Tiberius and most of the Romane Emperours C. Caligula was a most impudent and impure adulterer he took many wives from their husbands and when he had satiated his lust with them hated them as much as formerly he had pretended love to them Theat vitae hum He committed Incest with his own sisters and then banished them Messalina the wife of Cladius the Emperour was one of the most impudent adulteresses that ever was in the world She had a chamber in her palace wherein her selfe with many of the Noble women of Rome did commonly prostitute themselves she sent for Appius Sylvanus a Noble young man and solicited him to lie with her and because he refused she accused him to the Emperour her husband as Potiphars wife did Joseph and caused him to be put to death She also would needs be married to Caius Silus made a great feast at her wedding gave him much of the Emperours treasure She caused divers of the Noble women of Rome in her palace to commit adulterie their husbands standing by and looking on rewarding them greatly for the same but if any refused to do it she hated them exceedingly and by all meanes sought their destruction She eagerly doted upon a common dancer and when she could not prevail with him to lie with her she caused her husband to command him to obey her in whatsoever she should require of him and thereby had her desire with him the like she did with many others She went often to the common Stewes to satiate her lust with all comers Striving with the famousest Strumpets in all Rome to exceed them in their divellish art to vie with them in their filthy lusts For which at the complaint of the Nobles she was put to death Lang. Chron. Nero having made a great feast in a publick Theater after supper commanded all his guests to go into some house hard by into which he had gathered abundance of wives virgins maid-servants and harlots and there to defile whom they pleased commanding that none should be denied so that the servant committed wickednesse with his Mistris his Master being by and base fellowes with Noble virgins their fathers being by c. Xiphilinus Romulus ordained a Law amongst the Romanes that a man might put away his wife if she was proved to have committed adultery or consented to the poisoning of her children but if he put her away for any other cause she was to have halfe his goods and the other halfe went to the goddesse Ceres Plut. Artaxerxes Mnemon King of Persia fell in love with his own daughter a beautiful Virgin called Atossa which his own mother Parysatis perceiving perswaded him to marry her and so to make her his wife and though the Persian Lawes had formerly forbidden such incestuous marriages yet taking counsel with his wicked mother and his own lust he married her after which time he never prospered in any thing that he took in hand Diod. Sic. Nero the Emperour when he rode abroad with his mother Agrippina in his horse-litter used ordinarily to commit incest with her Suet. Cleopatra being very young was with her brother Ptolomaeus King of Egypt besieged in Alexandria by Iulius Caesar After a while she caused one Apollidorus to binde her up in cloaths like a bed and so carried her into Caesars tent where being laid down at Caesars feet the man opens his fardel and a Venus comes forth whose beauty Caesar being taken with used her body at his pleasure not long before she had been defiled by Pompey But these were her childish whoredomes Afterwards Mark Anthony being in Asia raising tributes and ready to underake the Parthian Warre sends for Cleopatra to plead her cause before him for assisting Cassius his enemy with money She attires her self after the curiousest and costliest manner that could be and upon the River Cydnus enters into her Galley all guilt with gold the oares covered with silver that kept their stroakes by the sound of Musicians the sailes were of purple silke her self lay under a heaven of gold beset with all sorts of precious stones many Ganimeds stood about her to fanne winde to coole her her Ladies like Nymphs sat up and down the ship burning incense and sweet persumes Being come to the place where Anthony was he to keep the Roman gravity sat in the Tribunal with the Officers and people about him and sends for her thither but she goes straight to her Inne and all the people left Anthony to gaze upon her So that being left alone he returnes to his quarters and sends to invite her to supper She refuses and excuseth herself Anthony could no longer forbear but goes to her sups with her eates and drinks in love her beauty wit and smooth tongue soon bewitched him She could readily speak Hebrew Greek Arabick AEthiopick and Persian language in their own Idiome Anthony being thus taken forgets his Warres his wives and all relations goes with her into Egypt and spends his time in adulteries till vengeance seized on them both which was executed by Octa. Caesar. Lipsius Faustina the wife of M. Anthoninus the Philosopher was insatiable in her lusts She used to prostitute herself in the stews in the baths in the Theaters She used to frequent the places where naked men strove for masteries and there noting those that were greatest of flesh would send for them to commit filthinesse with her She prefered to the Empire Commodus one of her adulterers and the sonne of a sword-player which ruined the Empire Lipsius In France there was one Fredegundis a famous whore who for her beauty was entertained
the strength of him that beareth it and if at any time the furnace be made hotter then ordinary yet then will he make his power to appeare in our weaknesse so steeling our hearts and raising our resolutions that no danger though never so great shal be able to appale it as will appeare evidently in these examples following Constantius the father of Constantine the great to try the faith and beliefe in God of his Courtiers put it to their free choice either to sacrifice to the Idol-gods and so to stay with him or else if they refused to leave their honours and offices and so to depart but those that would leave all and depart rather then to renounce and forsake their faith in God he kept with him still and highly prized them casting off all the rest who he supposed would prove disloyall unto him seeing they had abandoned their beliefe in God Eusebius Luther being cited by an Herauld of Armes to appeare before the Councel at Wormes many of his friends perswaded him not to adventure himselfe to such a present danger to whom he answered that he was resolved and certainly determined to enter into Wormes in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ although he knew that there were so many Devill to resist him as there were tiles to cover the houses in Wormes Slâ—id Com. The Dutches Dowager of Ferrar who was a great Patronesse of the Protestants in France had one Malicorne a Knight of the Order sent by the Duke Guise to seize upon her towne and Castle who began to threaten the Lady with Cannon shot to batter her Castle but she couragiously sent him word that if he proceeded to such boldnesse to do it she would first stand in the breach her selfe to try if he durst be so bold to kill the daughter of a King for so she was whereupon like a snaile he pulled in his hornes and departed French Hist. St. Ierome relates an History of a young man under one of the first persecutions of most invincible courage and constancy against whom the adversaries had very little hope of prevailing by tortures and torments and therefore they took another course with him They brought him into a most fragrant Garden flowing with all pleasure and delight there they laid him upon a bed of downe softly enwrapped in a net of silke amongst the Lillies and the Roses the delicious murmur of the streames and the sweet whistling of the leaves and then all departed presently in comes a beautifull strumpet and useth all the abominable tricks of her impure Art and whorish villanies to draw him to her desire whereupon the young man fearing that he should now beconquered by folly who was conqueror over fury bites off a peece of his tongue with his own teeth and spits it into the face of the whore and so prevented the hurt of sin by the smart of his wound Domosthenes the famous Oratour of Athens soliciting Lais a beautiful strumpet for a nights lodging with her she demanded of him a thousand Drachmas for it but he being affrighted at the name of so great a sum thus replyed I purpose not to buy repentance so deare Non poenitentiam tanti emam Plut. Saint Jerome himselfe shewed his owne resolution by this speech If my father stood weeping on his knees before me and my mother hanging on my neck behinde and all my brethren sisters children and kinsfolk houling on every side to retaine me in a sinfull life I would fling my mother to the ground despise all my kindred run over my father and tread him under my feet that I might run to Christ when he calleth me See his life in my first part Saint Chrysostome also shewes the like heroicall spirit in these words When saith he I was driven from the City none of these things troubled me but I said within my selfe if the Queen will let her Banish me the earth is the Lords and the fulnesse thereof if she will let her saw me asunder Isaiah suffered the same if she will let her cast me into the Sea I will remember Jonah if she will let her cast me into a burning fiery Furnace or amongst wilde beasts the three children and Daniel were so dealt with if she will let her stone me or cut off mine head I have then Saint Stephen and the Baptist my blessed companions if she will let her take away all my substance Naked came I out of my mothers wombe and naked shall I returne thither agiaine Kilian a Dutch Schoolmaster being in prison for the cause of Christ was asked if he loved not his wife and children yea said he my wife and my children are so deare unto me that if the world were all gold and were mine to dispose of I would give it to live with them yea though it were in prison yet my soule and Christ are dearer to me then all Act. and Mon. George Carpenter a Martyr said My wife and my children are so deare unto me that they cannot be bought from me forall the riches and possessions of the greatest Duke yet for the love of my Lord God I will willingly forsake them all Act. and Mon. Benevolus being offered preferment by Justina the Emperesse an Arian if he would be an instrument of some vile service What saith he do you promise me an higher place for a reward of iniquity nay take this away that I have already with all my heart so that I may keep a good conscience and thereupon threw at her feet his girdle the ensigne of his honour Act. and Mon. Polycarpus being accused for that he was a Christian and brought before the Proconsul was perswaded to sweare by the fortune of Caesar and to defie Christ to whom he answered Fourscore and six yeares have I been his servant yet in all this time hath he not so much as once hurt me how then may I speak evill of my King and Lord who hath thus preserved me King Edward the sixth being sollicited by some of his best friends to permit the Lady Mary his sister to have the Masse in her house answered That he would rather spend his life and all that he had then to grant that that he knew certainly to be against Gods truth And in his message to the Devonshire Rebels who stood for Popery Assure your selves said he most surely that we of no earthly thing under heaven make such account as of this one to have our Lawes obeyed and this cause of God which we have taken in hand to be throughly maintained from the which we wil never remove one haires breadth or give place to any creature living much lesse to any subject wherein we will spend our owne Royall person our Crowne Treasure Realme and all our Estate whereof we assure you upon our high honour Act. and Mon. Bernard used to say Lord Iesus I love thee plus quà m mea meos me more then all my goods all my friends all my relations yea more
second having raised a great Army against the French as he was going out of Rome with it he took his keys and threw them into the River Tibur saying That for as much as the keys of Saint Peter would not serve him to his purpose he would be take himselfe to the sword of Saint Paul Of which Pope it is observed that partly by warre partly by cursings he was the cause of the death of two hundred thousand Christians in the space of seven yeares Act. Mon. Pope Nicolas the first prohibited marriage to the Clergy saying That it was more honest to have to do with many women privately then openly to take one wife Insomuch that a Priest of Placâ—ntia being accused to have a wife and children was deprived of his benefice but proving the same woman to be wife to another man and but his Concubine he was restored againe Iohn the twenty fourth was accused before the Councel of Constance for heresie Simony murther poisonings cousenings Adulteries and Sodomy which being proved against him he was deposed and imprisoned whereupon through vexation and griefe he ended his wretched life A certain Cardinal in Rome much blamed a Painter for colouring the visages of Peter Paul too red to whom he tartly replied That he painted them so as blushing at the lives of those who stiled themselves their successors Pope Honorius the second sent one Iohn Cremensis his Legate into England to disswade the Clergy from marriage who having called a Convocation the Legate made a very accurate speech in the praise of a single life and how fit it was that Ministers should live sequestred from the cares of the world but the night following he himselfe was taken in the very act of adultery Mat. Paris Pope Iulius called for his Pork flesh which was forbidden him by his Physicians and said that he would have it Al despito de Dio in dispite of God And having appointed a cold Peacock to be reserved for him when he missed it the next meale he grew into a great rage and being requested not to be so angry for such a trifle he answered That if God was so angry for an Apple why might not he be as angry for his Peacock Act. Mon. Doctor Cranmer with the Earle of Wiltshire and some others being sent by King Henry the eighth to the Pope about his divorce from Queen Katherin when the day of hearing was come and the Pope sitting in his Pontificalibus put forth his foot to be kissed of the Ambassadors an unmannerly Spaniell of the Earles ran and caught his great Toe in his teeth so that the Ambassadors disdaining to kisse where the Dog had taken an assay let the Pope draw back his foot and so they lost the espicial favour offered unto them Speed Chron. 10. 12. Pope Paul the third when his sonne Farnesis had committed an unspeakable violence on the body of Cosmus Chaerius Bishop of Fanum and then poisoned him held himselfe sufficiently excused that he could say Haec vitia me non commonstratore didicit He never learned this of me Pope Pius Quintus spake thus of himselfe Cùm essem Religiosus sperabam bene de salute animae meae Cardinalis factus extimui Pontifex creatus penè despero When I was first in orders without any other Ecclesiastical dignity I had some good hope of my salvation when I became a Cardinal I had lesse since I was made a Pope least of all Corn. è Lapi Before the Pope is set in his chair and puts on his tripple Crown a piece of Towe or Wadd of straw is set on fire before him and one is appointed to say Sic transit gloria munda The glory of the world is but a blaze Also one day in the yeare the Popes Almoner rides before him casting abroad to the poor some pieces of brasse and lead profanely abusing that Scripture saying Silver and Gold have I none but such as I have I give unto you Pope Adrian the sixth having built a faire Colledge at Lovain caused this inscription to be written upon the gates thereof in letters of Gold Trajectum plantavit Lovanium rigavit Caesar dedit incrementum Utrecht planted me there he was born Lovaine watered me there he was bred up in learning and Caefar gave the encrease for the Emperour had preferred him One to meet with his folly and forgetfulnesse wrote underneath Hic Deus nihil fecit Here God did nothing The Popes have a book called Taxa Camerae Apostolicae wherein men may know the rate of any sinne upon what termes a man may keep a whore be a Sodomite murther his father c. When the Emperour Henry the seventh having pacified Germany went into Italy to reforme the many and great abuses there A certain Monk to gratifie the Pope mixed poison with the bread of the Eucharist and gave it him whereof he died Simps Ec. Hist. King John of England having broken with the Pope was afterwards no good friend to him and his clergy especially to their loose and licentious lives whereupon as the King in his progresse rested himself for two dayes at Swinstead-Abby not far from Lincolne a Monk of that house went to his Abbat and told him that he had a purpose to poison the King saying It 's better that one man should die then that all the people should perish The Abbat wept for joy and absolved the Monk from all his sinnes Then did this varlot mixe the poison of a filthy toade with a cup of excellent wine and brought it to the King saying My Liege here is such a cup of wine as you never drank a better in all your life I trust this wassail shall make all England glad and therewithal began a good draught to him and the King pledging him shortly after died Anno Christi 1605. when the powder-plot was in agitation Catesby one of the Plotters repaired to Garnet a Popish Priest with this case of conscience Whether it was lawful in some cases to destroy the innocent with the wicked This good father so soon as he perceived the conspirators to be in good earnest peremptorily resolved that without all doubt it was when the good coming by it might make compensation for the losse of their lives Pope John the twenty third calling a Councel at Rome against the godly Christians in Bohemia when the Councel was set the Masse of the holy Ghost sung and the Pope placed in his chair there came flying in amongst them an ugly Owle with an ill-fauoured hooting and set her self upon a crosse beam just over against the Pope casting her staring eyes upon him whereupon the whole company began to marvel and whispering each to other said Behold the Spirit is come in the likenesse of an Owle The Pope himself blushed at the matter and began to sweat fret and fume and so being in great distraction dissolved the Councel for the present yet afterwards calling another Sessions when they were met in
tore him all to peeces Act. and Mon. Sigismund the Emperour having granted letters of safe conduct unto Iohn Hus and Ierome of Prague under the faith and protection of himself and the Empire yet suffered them to be unjustly burnt at the Councel of Constance after which time the said Emperour never prospered in any thing that he took in hand he died without issue male and his daughters son Ladislaus died also childlesse whereby his name was quite extinguished in one age And his Emperesse became a dishonour also to the royal place which she held and so Gods judgements justly followed him for his perjury Luther Elfred a Nobleman in the dayes of King Ethelstane of England conspiring against his Sovereigne intended at Winchester to have pulled out his eyes but his treason being discovered he was sent to Rome to purge himself by oath where before the Altar of Saint Peter and in the presence of Pope Iohn the tenth he abjuring the thing suddenly fell down to the earth and being carried by his servants into the English schoole within three dayes after he there died Sp. Chron p. 340. Goodwin Earle of Kent Anno 1055. being charged by King Edward with the death of his brother Alfred excused himself with many words and at last eating a morsel of bread wished that it might choake him if he were guilty thereof but before he stirred one foot from the place he was according to his own imprecation forthwith choaked In the reigne of Queen Elizabeth one Annis Averies in the City of London widow forswore her selfe for a little mony which she should have paid for six pounds of Towe at a shop in Woodstreet and by Gods just judgement she immediately fell down speechless casting her excrements upwards which should have been voided downwards and so presently died Act. Mon. A certain Inne-Keeper in the town of Rutlinguen receiving a Budget of money from a passenger to keep for him forswore the same before the Judge giving himself to the devil if he swore falsly and was by two that testified against him which indeed were two Fiends of Hell presently in the presence of the Judge hoisted up into the aire where he vanished away with them and was never found after One hearing perjury condemned by a godly Preacher and how it never escaped unpunished said in a bravery I have often for sworne my self and yet my right hand is no shorter then my left which words he had scarce uttered when such an inflammation arose in that hand that he was forced to go to the Chirurgion and cut it off lest it should have infected his whole body whereby it became shorter then the other A rich young maide in Saxony promised marriage to a proper young man but poore He fore-seeing that wealth and inconstancy might alter her minde freely disclosed his thoughts to her whereupon she made a thousand imprecations to the contrary wishing that if she ever married another the devil might take her away on the wedding day yet afterwards the fickle wench was betrothed and married to another At dinner two men on horseback came to the house and were entertained at the feast and after dinner one of them leading the Bride a dance he took her by the hand and led her a turne or two and then in the presence of all her friends he caught her crying out for help and went out at the gate where he hoisted her up into the aire and vanished away with his companion and horses so that she was never seen more Sword against Swearers Philip King of Macedonia was a great contemner of all oaths and held the religious observation of them as a vaine thing for which cause the vengeance of God followed him and all his posterity For himself being scarce fourty six years old was slaine and his whole family was quickly extinguished Arideus one of his sons was slaine by Olympias his wife Another son that he had by Cleopatra was by his mother tormented to death in a brazen vessel compassed about with fire the rest of his sons perished in the like manner and his son Alexander after his great conquests in the prime of his dayes and in the middest of his victories died miserably as some think of poison Pausanius A certain maid in London that had stolen many things from her Mistris being examined forswore them wishing that she might rot if ever she touched them or knew of them but being yet carried to prison she began so to rot and stink that they were forced to thrust her out of prison into a common hospitall Iohn Cooper a godly man in Queen Maries dayes was falsely and maliciously accused of treason for speaking some words against the Queen and accordingly executed but one Grimwood who had sworn falsely against him being shortly after about his labour in the harvest and in good health suddenly his bowels fell out of his body and so he died most miserably Act. Mon. CHAP. XXV Examples of Gods Iudgements upon common Swearers BIshop Ridly in a Sermon at Pauls Crosse related a story of a young Gentleman of Cornwall in the dayes of King Edward the sixth who riding in the company of other Gentlemen began to swear and swagger and being reproved for it he swore the more and raged worse to whom one Master Haines a Minister with gentle words said that he should one day give an account thereof whereat the Gentleman being in a fume bade him take no thought for him but to prepare for his own Winding-sheet Well said the other amend for death gives no warning Gods wounds said he care not thou for me still raging worse and worse till coming to a bridge which passed over an arme of the Sea the young Gallant so spurred and switched his horse that he leaped over with him into the water who as he was going cried Horse and man and all to the devil Act. Mon. A Serving-man in Lincolnshire for every trifle used to swear by Gods precious blood and would not be warned by his friends till at length falling into a grievous sicknesse he was again much perswaded by his friends to repent which counsel he still rejected and hearing the Bell to toll in the very paines of death he start up swearing Gods wounds the Bell tolles for me but he shall not have me yet whereupon the blood issued out in a most fearful manner from all the joynts of his body from mouth nose wrists knees heeles and toes and other parts of his body and so he died Mr. Perkins Michael a Jewish Rabbin as he was swearing and blaspheming the Name of Iesus fell down and brake his neck Socrat. Eccl. Hist. Three Souldiers passing through a Wood in the Countrey of Samurtia there arose a tempest of thunder and lightning and one of them to shew his contempt of God and his judgements burst forth into swearing and blasphemy but the tempest tearing up an huge tree it fell upon him and crushed him to peeces
ones the daughter of my people is become cruel like Ostriches in the wildernesse Lam. 4. 3. CHAP. XXXII Examples of fond Parents and the miseries that they have brought upon themselves thereby FOrbidden Deut. 13. 8 9. Prov. 19. 18. 13. 24. 29. 17. Scriptural Examples Eli 1 Sam. 2. 22 29. David to Adonijah 1 Kings 1. 6. to Absalom 2 Sam. 18. 33. How severely God punished Eli for his indulgence to his wicked sonnes See it in 1 Sam. 2. 27 c. 3. 11 c. David also who cockered Absalom and Adonijah above all the rest of his children was most afflicted by them one breaking out into open rebellion wherein he died the other usurping the Crowne before his fathers death which cost him his life also 2 Sam. 15. 1 King 1. 5 c. A certaine woman in Flanders contrary to the will of her husband used to feed her two sonnes with money to maintaine their riot yea to furnish them she would rob her husband but presently after her husbands death God plagued her for this her foolish indulgence for from rioting these youngsters fell to robbing for the which one of them was executed by the sword and the other by the halter the mother looking on as a witnesse of their destructions Ludo. Vives A young man in our owne Nation as he was going to the gallows desired to speak with his mother in her eare but when she came instead of whispering he bit of her eare with his teeth exclaiming upon her as the cause of his death because she did not chastise him in his youth for his faults but by her fondnesse so imboldened him in his vices as brought him to this wofull end Seleucus marrying Stratonica the daughter of Demetrius shortly after Antiochus the sonne of Seleucus fell in love with his stepmother and not daring to discover it for feare of the displeasure of his father he pined a way from day to day at last one of his Physicians found out the cause of his disease and acquainted his father therewith who out of indulgence to his sonne calling his Nobles and people together said I have decreed to make Antiochus my sonne King of all my superior Provinces and to give him Stratonica for his wife and Queen and if she scruple the unlawfulnesse of the marriage I desire you that are my friends to perswade her that all things are honest and just that a King shall decree for the publick profit Plut. Andronicus one of the Greek Emperours doted with such extream impotency of partial affection upon his Nephew young Andronicus that in comparison of him he disregarded not only the rest of his Nephews but his own children also being unwilling to spare him out of sight either day or night but when this young man was stept further into yeares besides a world of miseries and molestations created to his Grand-father in the mean time at last he pressed without resistance upon his Palace with purpose to surprise his person though the old Emperout intreated him with much affectionate eloquence that he would reverence those hands which had oftentimes so willingly embraced him and those lips which had so oft lovingly kissed him and that he would spare to spill that blood from which himselfe had taken the fountaine of life yet for all this he caused the old Emperour to be polled shaven and made a Monk and not only so but also the very Anvile of much dunghill-scorne and vilest indignities untill the workmanship of death had finished the sorrowful businesse of a wretched lfie Turk Hist. Austine upon a terrible and dreadfull accident called his people together to a Sermon wherein he relates this dolefull story Our Noble Citizen saith he Cyrillus a man mighty amongst us both in work and word and much beloved had as you know one onely sonne and because but one he loved him immeasurably and above God and so being drunke with immoderate doting he neglected to correct him and gave him liberty to do whatsoever he list Now this very day saith he this same fellow thus long suffered in this dissolute and riotous courses hath in his drunken humour wickedly offered violence to his mother great with childe would have violated his sister hath killed his father and wounded two of his sisters to death Adfrat in Eremo Ser. 33. Chasten thy sonne betimes and let not thy soul spare for his crying Prov. 19. 18. CHAP. XXXIII Examples of Brethrens love each to other THey ought to love one another Prov. 17. 17. 1 Pet. 3. 8. Rom. 12. 10. Heb. 13. 1. It 's an excellent thing Psal 133. 1. Scriptural examples Jobs children Job 1. 13. Lazarus Martha and Mary John 11. 19 c. Joseph Gen. 43. 29 c. 45. 14. Joab and Abishai 2 Sam. 3. 27 30. Judah Gen. 37. 26. In the beginning of the reigne of Darius King of Persia one of his Nobles called Intaphernes conspired against him which being discovered to Darius he caused him and all his kindred to be cast into prison But Intaphernes wife exceedingly weeping and houling Darius gave her leave to choose any one of the prisoners whose life she would have spared whereupon amongst them all she chose her brother and Darius asking her why she â—…se her brother rather then her husband or son she answered Because if God please I may have another husband and children but my Parents being dead I cannot have another brother This so pleased Darius that he granted her the life not only of her brother but of her son too Herod Darius King of Persia being dead left two sons Ariamenes or as some call him Artabazanes and Xerxes these both claimed the Kingdome but brotherly love so prevailed with them that they were contented to stand to the judgement of the Persian Nobles yet in the interim Xerxes being in Persia performed all the offices of a King and Ariaments coming out of Media Xerxes sent great presents to him commanding the messengers to tell him Thy brother Xerxes presents thee with these gifts and if by the consent and suffrage of the Nobles he be declared King he promises thee the chiefest place next unto himself To which Ariamenes returned this answer Truly I willingly accept of these gifts yet claim the Sovereignty to belong to me but will reserve the next place of dignity for my brother Xerxes The Persian Nobles referred the determination of this controversie to their Uncle Artabanus who having heard both sides determined for Xerxes because Ariamenes was borne to Darius whil'st he was a private person Xerxes after he was a King the mother of Ariamenes was the daughter of Gobrias a private woman the mother of Xerxes was Atossa a Queen Ariamenes hearing this judgement without any distemper of spirit rose up worshipped his brother and taking him by the hand placed him in the Kingly throne and ever after was very obsequious to him Plut. Herod And he fell upon his brother Benjamins neck and wept and