can wishe in this worlde yet after all this shall succeede the infamous death of Cyrus who with his exceeding great armie was ouercome in the feelde And good cause whie sith as Plato writeth hee sinned much in bringing vppe his children wantonlie commaunding his owne brother to be slaine very treacherouslie Let no man presume so much as to doubte that there is a God the rewarder of the iust and punisher of the wicked that so mercifull on the one part and so perfectlye iust on the other that of his exceeding mercie hee rewardeth the least good deede of vs sinfull wretches and punisheth euerie sinne whatsoeuer vnleast we doe hartelie repent and turne our selues truelie vnto his mercy which we commit against his diuine maiesty Howe commeth it to passe that we are become like horse and mule which haue no vnderstanding If the carter doe but wagge his whippe the horses hie on apace if the shepheardes dogge doe but barke the sheepe doe whirrie all on heapes if the lion roare the beastes of the forrest tremble And yet the Lord calleth dailie and hourelie by signes from heauen by fiers in the ayre by strang courses in the waters by vnnaturall monsters in the earth by losse in the fielde and by scarefire in the house by sicknesse in the bodie by the denouncing of death to our soules and no man trembleth no man runneth no man looketh vp no man once regardeth it O â—sencelesse sensualitie Doe you marueile why your greefe lasteth daie and night and your disseases bee vncurable sith you haue such great store of honour and wealth to ease your minde which poore men wante they want them both in deede and fith they seldome taste the meate the Lorde of his mercie seldome offereth them the sower sawce belonging to such daintie dishes Therfore let al men leaue theyr wandering thoughtes of fancie of chaunce ill lucke wicked men euill mindes deceitfull hartes Non est malum in ciuitate quod non fecit dominus there is no chaunce or fortune in regard of God neither hath the wicked any power to hurte but where the Lord shall permit and hee permitteth not without deserte There is no deserte without sinne no sinne without punishment no punishment without deserued paine vnleast wee repent no repentaunce without sufficient restitution as much as lyeth in vs. Therefore thou which art stronge meruaile not that thou art wounded of the weake whose heart perhappes is greater then thine Thou which art riche and farest daintelie meruaile not that thou lyest sicke pininge consuming groning with the palsey in thy heade the burning in thine heart the Ciatica in thy hippes the stone in the reiâ—es the goute in the thy toe thine arme or thy legge the burning ague through thy whole bodie Thou which art mightie wise and honourable merueile not if thou beest brought vnder if thy foolish doinges breede the repentaunce with discredite Thou which hast honour and riches dominions and power health and Phisitions credite and successe at thy will meruaile not though thou want children or hauing one onely child which is all thy ioye when he is taken away by vntimely death Say not to thy selfe O what ill fortune is this that hauing one onely childe in whome I ioyed hee should bee thus taken from mee neither weepe so bitterlie for thy naturall childe O yee sonnes of the earth weepe not for your children but weepe for your selues and your owne sinnes against God Knowe yee right well that who so euer maketh his ioye of anie thing prouideth for anie thing honoureth anie thinge more or in comparison of the Lord eyther hee shall not enioye it or it shall not enioye him This is the Maior and the Minor is like vnto it which is this There is no aduersitie what so euer commeth to vs but it is for our sinnes though not the thousande parte which wee deserue but as it were a philip in respecte of the cutting off of the heade If wee will but turne our eyes from the vaine cloude of worldlie follie and confusion we shall see most plainelie that there is no sickenesse no vntimelie death no losse of Parentes or children no imprisonmentes no aduersitye what so euer but it is sent of the Lord for our sinne and on the contrarie that the Lorde is so full of goodnesse and loouing mercie that hee continuallie blesseth euerie good deede of ours what so euer and that by his continuall mercies shewed vnto them which loue him and his holy temple where his name is to bee praised to the worldes ende Wee may see it plainelie amongest the heathen that the Lorde is iust in remembring his promised mercies to all them which feare him and say also with that holie Prophet Verely there is a rewarde for the iuste not for the Iewe onelie or the Christian onelie or for this nation this degree this sorte or kinde of men onelie but as saint Peter affirmeth there is no acception of persons with God but in euerie nation who so euer feareth the Lorde a right and worketh righteousnesse he is accepted in the sight of God Let all men therefore learne to feare the Lorde aright let them open the fountaine of theyr charitable compassion towardes theyr brethren especiallie towardes his holie temple At the least let not vs be more vnkind vnto the spouse of Christ then were the heathen Looke backe againe to that highe mountaine from whence wee are newlie discended Cyrus began to builde the temple of the Lorde and hee prospered wonderfullie hee forgatte the Lord and hee came to an euill ende Darius also succeeded him who finished the building of the temple begunne by Cirus willing his lordes and captaines beyonde the floude that in anie wise they should not hinder the Iewes in theyr building But that if they wanted stone or timber or siluer or golde calues goates kiddes salte oyle or wine they should let them haue all thinges at theyr will shewing therein his good minde and the cheefest vse of these worldlie goods in these wordes Vt offerant deo coeli oblationes orentque pro vita regis filiorum eius That they maie offer vp oblations to the God of heauen and praie for the life of the King and his children It is verie straunge and worthy to be let vp as a mirour before the eyes of all Christian princes that these heathen Emperours should attribute so much to the glory of God hearing but a far off seing his mighty maiesty but in a cloude What may be compared to that which followeth in the stile and wordes of Artaxerxes written after this manner Artaxerxes rex regum c. Artaxerxes King of Kinges c. Vnto Eâ—dras the most learned scribe of the law of the God of heauen I haue decreede that of Israell in my kingdomes and dominions who so will goe with thee vnto Ierusalem that hee haue free libertie to goe and what golde or money thou
dangers true vertue atchieueth the greatest victorie And surely if we behold the poore innocent Church all naked in the midst of hir armed enimies daily wouÌ„ded by some betraed by others coÌ„temned of the most If we looke into the world see the smal comfort which poore schollers haue commonly when they come abrode the counterfeit curtesie the seeming friendship the smiling looks the double words the single deedes the smoth promises the doubtfull denials We cannot but confesse that hee which in this vncertainty continueth a certaine asure Patron Arduam virtutis calcauit viam sed tamen gloriosam He hath entred the hard way of perfect vertue but yet that which leadeth vnto true honor He which with the light of heauenly wisedome and the true integrite of a right noble heart hath entred this way at no time diuerting out of the same ether by flatterie of fauning friends or feare of priuie nipping enimies or by double danger proceeding from theÌ„ both He it is whom God loueth whome the better sort doe striue to imitate whose memorie the posteritie shal celebrate for whom we dailie pray and whom I honor with my hart In this perfect resolution I haue presumed to dedicate this my Dissuasiue vnto your Honour at this day a most assured friend to the church of Christ a special benefactor to our Vniuersitie and my most honorable singuler good Patron whoÌ„ I desire to gratifie in the best manner I can deuise Which I haue done the rather to shew my duetie to the common vveale and the sincere affection vvich I beare to your most rare vertue assuring my selfe that you will take it in good part as from him which without all flatterie and with intire affection doth beseech your creator to bestow that vpon you vvhich your most honourable heart doth desire Your Honours in all dutifull obseruance for euer Euâ—rard Digbye The Preface to the Reader IF my pen Gentle Reader had erst bin dipped in the siluer streames flowing from Parnassus hill or that Apollo with his sweet sounding harp would vouchsafe to direct the passage thereof vnto the top of that high Olympus after so general a view of great varietie fâ—r and neere I might bouldly begin with that most excellent Poet Cicelides Muse paulo maiora canamus But sith I finde it true in this my simple state of life now wel nere spent which the father said vnto his sonne affecting his goulden tressed chariot draweÌ„ with breathing horses through the christall skies Magna petis Phaeton quae non viribus istis munera conueniunt I feare to flie so high a pitch leaue the loftie discourse of higher argument to those which with the Eagles eies of perfect wit are able to behould the bright radiant Sunne of true inuention And sithens sometimes in giuing attentiue eare to the sweetstrains of melodious musicke I have most affected the pleasant mean sith in the life of man the goulden mean is that sure rule by which the wise do passe they sie seas of worldly calamities In a mean stile I mind to record to you a true Christian argument which though in these daies it be but meanly regarded of the most yet it is and alwaies hath bin had in great honor with the highest the greatest mightiest Princes in the world And what is that meane that soundeth so high If you wil listen the note is sweete and the dittie resoundeth the little Church of Iesu Christ. Though my musike bee verie simple and I not practised in the art though the song bee plaine truth and the Echoe thereof most vsually odium parit yet sith naked truth by her owne meere strength preuaileth against all the armies and armed men of the world sith her simplicitie is not able to bee refuted by the finest wittes and most eloquent tongues I am bould to sound my slender oten pipe amongest Mineruaes muses and therewith to gratifie you with Celsus of Verona his dissuasiue plainly translated into our English tongue The truth whereof incited me in simple stile no lesse effectuallie to record the good blessings of the Lord powred on those which loue his church than Celsus hath done to the contrarie Considering that these be those euil daies foreshewed by the Apostle of which it was said charitie shall wax cold and that the generall flow of iniquitie ouer the face of the whole earth doth argue vnto vs the dauning of the latter daie For our soules health I thought it expedient to shew vnto those which shall read this rudely written treatise how daungerous a thing it is in the sight of God how loath some in the eies of all true christians to detract any thing from the true worship of God his holy temple and the reuerend fathers the true disposers of the sacred mysteries in the same In which discourse though in the eares of some I may seeme to sing the treble rather than the meane to nisse the moode and to mistake the figure and therewith to sound some sharps insteed of flattes yet in that my purpose is to profit the good and so little as I may to offend the euill I hope God willing to shewe the truth so plainely so briefly and so truely as that the well disposed may vouchsafe to read and the euill may desire to learne To the end that this little fountaine might flow more abundantlie and therewith deriue it selfe into diuers passages I ment before this to haue published the same indifferentlie to all But afterwards considering the simple plainnes of the same scarce worthie the reading of the learned on good cause hauing halfe vowed neuer to publish any thing hereafter I thought it good rather to present my friend with it as a priuate token of my goodwill then by publishing it to make my selfe a marke for such boults as in this case vsually flie abroad Hauing sometimes walked this waye heeretofore I finde that Poeticall prouerbe most true pronounced by that anncient Alceus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vnder euery stone there lieth a Serpent If the enuious toong were but as the winde which changeth often or as the sting of the little Bee whose greatest swellings are easily asswaged with the annointing of sweet honey Then might I aduenture my little boate into the wide Ocean seas and crie alowd with old Anchises Vela date ventis But sith the venimous tong more mortal then the Cockatrice empoisoneth farther then â—the eye can see infesting the absent with deadly disgrace heereafter Spes fortuna valete shall be my song and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 my full conclusion Euerard Digbie his Dissuasiue The first part THE exiled Poet in the sorrowfull distresse of his banishment gentle Reader hauing penned the record of the same and now readie to send it into the citie Parue nec inuidio sine me liber ibis in vrbem My litle booke saith he I do not enuie thee that thou shalt freelie passe thither whither I cannot come Sith the Poets shadowed stile
the magistrate would counsell mee to giue vp the goods of the Church into his handes I would not willinglie do it Concluding that vnlesse it be in cases set down before by the holie Father saint Ambrose It is not lawful any waie to alienate the goods of the church To this generall consent of scriptures counsels Fathers as the conclusion of the rest succeedeth the great and dangerous punishments which the Lorde sendeth on all them that take any thing from his holie temple of which who so mindeth but to sippe and take a bare tast let him marke these examples plainely propounded in these fewe lines following but if hee will haue more store and is minded to wade further let him enter the dissuasiue it selfe consisting more of example then rule and Celsus of Verona his dissuasiue thereunto adioyned There he shall finde it true by record of sundry histories which is written in holie scriptures concerning those which either take or deteine anie thing once vowed and giuen to the holy Church And what is that wee reade in the Actes of the Apostles that Ananias Saphira his wife consented to keepe backe some of the money which they had once giuen to the Lord. Which how haynous a crime it was let all men note Sith for the same Saint Peter opened his mouth and strooke them both with present death reasoning with them and saying on this maner was it not your owne to haue doone with what you list why then doe you tempt the holy Ghost sith the offence is not against man but against God signifiyng that after it is once giuen or appointed to holie vse no man ought to retract any parte thereof backe againe The like punishment succeeded to all those which spoyled the Church at any time Euagrius in the fourth booke of his historie sheweth that the Duke Gabaones hearing tell that the Vandalls came against him with a puissant army called some of his Captaines to him willing them to put on poore simple apparell and so to passe ouer to the host of the Vandalls marking diligently whether the Vandalls honoured the temples of the christians or spoiled and violated them If they spoyle or violat them saith he then see that in what you can you reedifie and adorne them for the God which the Christians worship I know not but if he be so mightie as they say he is he wil spoile thē which spoile his house The Vandals went forward as they had begun they spoiled the christian temples as they passed with their army they did eat they dranke they sported triumphed enriched with the spoils goods of the church they marched forward And at length ioined battell with Gabaones but moste of them were slain many greeuously wounded in the battell some taken put to diuers torments Quanto rectius ille how much more wisely did that heathen Emperour Alaricus the captaine of the Gotes which besieging that famous Citie of Rome at last conquered it gaue the spoile therof to his soldiers only excepting the faire solemn temple built ouer the tombe of S. Peter for the reuerence which they bare to him commaunding charging most straightly that no man should once touch it or violate any person any goodes or any thing whatsoeuer belonging to the same which was the cause why the whole Citie of Rome was not then clean defaced destroied Let no man in this place obiect on the contrary saying Moses tooke the calfe burnt it to ashes casting thē into the running brooke the Israelits destroied the temples of the heathen Iosias pulled down the temples of the groues Elias the temple of Baall Dauid eate the shew-bread being lawfull onely for the Priestes Phinehas slew the adulterers being a priuate man of which some were mooued by speciall zeale proceeding from the holy Ghost wherby they were warranted and some were commanded as the Israelits to slay man woman and children which thinges at this day wee must not onely not doe but if we doe thē as Bullinger manie learned writers affirme it is sin in the sight of God Sith the son of man as saith our sauiour came not to destroye but to saue He hath broken downe the wall of separation hath made one shepheard one sheepefold both of Iewes Gentles euen the holy Catholike Church the walles whereof who so diminisheth or casteth downe the Lord shall inflict the tormentes of this world on him and his posteritie vnlesse with hartie repentance he restore that which he hath taken away and in the world to come he shall cast him out into vtter darkenes where the worme of wicked conscience stingeth day and night where the fire is neuer quenched the crie neuer ceased the paine neuer mittigated the miserie neuer ended But to those which loue the Lord and beautifie his holy temple with the finest of their gold the first of their fruites the most hartie goodwill that they can the Lord of his mercie shall redouble their gratious charitie many thousand time into their bosome granting them their heartes desire heere in this worlde and in the world to come the eternall saluation of their soules euen the life euerlasting which God graunt vs all thorough Iesu Christ our only Lord and sauiour Amen Euerard Digbie his Dissuasiue The second part HAuing perused the excellent disswasiue of that worthie man Celsus of Verona though the pages bee fewe in number and the paines of translating the same not worthie the account yet considering the deadlye sleepe into the which we are fallen in these moste daungerous times and that as Hermes Trismegist in his Pymander writeth the vsuall and carefull feeding of our fleshlie bodies is the consumption of our soules In regard of my humble dutie towards the most honorable espouse of Iesu Christ our louing mother the holie church and to my deare country a member of the same I seeing nowe the same doubt daunger of the enemie which was in his daies the same suppliāce collected frō the church the same wound the same swelling the same griefe conceiued doubting least if this vnnaturall wound be long vnhealed it will drawe to an issue which is commonly vncurable without the daunger of the whole bodie I thought good to pen this simple short treatise with Celsus of Verona his dissuasiue thereunto annexed that thereby not the common people onely but also those of higher place and degree might cleerlie vnderstand that hee which eateth the bread of the innocent shall neuer be satisfied he which taketh awaie the clothes of the poore shall neuer bewarme he which spoileth his nurse shall neuer be well lyking he which powleth the church shall neuer be rich and hee which weakeneth his mothers backe shall neuer stand vpright against his enemies in the daie of battaile Therefore my deare bretheren bought with the same price you which loue the Lord more than earthlie kingdomes and which count all worldy honour
the name of that Disciple whom the Lord so loued that he let him leane vpon his breast 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For whose sake we loue another him we loue much more And surelie this most vertuons princes loued our Lord Iesu with a perfect loue which so honoured the name of that disciple whom the Lord loued so much neither did her worthie deuotion conteine it selfe within these walles but proceded like the pleasant flowing riuer which giueth moisture to the pastures round about it In that shee founded a diuinitie lecture to be read publiquely in Cambridge and an other in Oxford with many other gratious deeds elsewhere To these good fruits which this worthie tree of the Lords vineyard did send forth plentifully vnder whose shadow many of vs pore soules are shrowded from the nipping cold in Winter and the scorching heat of Summer at this daie the Lord distilled the heauenlie deaw of his blessing vnto her heart giuiâ—g her a most deuout and heauenlie minde here vppon earth to which all the treasure in the world is nothing comparable with pefect honor true heartie loue of al good Christians To which hee added a faithfull and louing promise made vnto the iust setting her most princely sonne vppon the seat of the kingdome whilest she liued And after her death his childrens children which wee see with our eies at this day to our great ioy peace and comfort most heartily praying God to graunt her a long and prosperous reigne in this world and in the world to come euerlasting felicity Amen Amen is already said my prayer to God shal be amen But thend period is not yet sith in the field of the Lord there is good seede and tares holesome hearbes and weedes sweet roses and stingingnettles We haue now shewed plainly the fruitful seede of this garden and the sweete fragrant flowers growing in the same which daily send vp a most sweete smell into the nostrils of the Lord much like the odoriferous smell of Iacobs garmentes which greatlie delighted the senses of his olde father Isaac or lyke the pretious oyntment powred on the head of Aaron running downe his beard euen to the hemme of his garment Amongst the which good trees now named as there are many passing pleasaunt flowers springing out of many and sundry soiles so the peareles pearle the flower of flowers the rose of England being ioyned with the rest doth make the nosegay full faire and sweet whose pleasant smel because it is so holesome to the head and comfortable to the heart because the oyle thereof doeth comforte the brused sinewes lowseth the dried iointes and mittigateth swelling paines through the whole bodie The Lord hold his holie hand ouer this flower and preserue it to his glory according to the tenor of that old verse Haecrosa virtutis de coelo missa sereno Eternum florens regia sceptra tenet This rose of true vertue euen sent from heauen holding the kingly scepter of this lande shall flourish for euer And good cause why Sith the roote thereof is firmely fixed on the south-east side of this orchyard Ouer which the sunne of heauen hath spred his blessed beames so plentifully that the ground thereof is fresh and greene the flowers faire the smell sweete the fruit most plentiful and verie wholesom Which because it yeeldeth the first and sweetest taste vnto the spowse of Iesu Christ hee hath blessed it as yee haue heard and it shall be blessed And though I bee the vnworthiest of many thousandes to walke thorow this orchard of the Lorde Yet if it shall please you of your curtesie to accompany mee vnto the of ther side ye shall see by the way that wee must decline from euill and doe good that on this side of the orchyard bee many faire and large trees whose bowes be faire the leaues be greene the fruit is well seeming but yet it hangeth so high that it will not come downe the bowes are so stiffe and the trees so vntractable that they will not once bend themselues vnto the hande of the most louing spowse of Iesus Christ. And therefore as the Lord of his mercie hath blessed those abundantly which loue his spouse nourish his children so on the contrary hee maketh those trees barren which yeeld him no fruite He taketh the iuice from them so that their bowes wither their leaues fall from them the bodie dieth the tree is cut downe with his sharpe axe or else with great force pulled vp by the roote and cast into consuming fire But if the ranke root of the euill tree be so full of naturall corruption and venimous posion that it sucke out the iuice from the good trees neere adioining thereto which yeelde wholesome fruites vnto all his saints then the Lorde he sendeth forth his spirite of mighty force and tempest which breaketh the bowes and rendeth the tree in sunder Hee prepareth most exquisite tormentes and vntollerable dolours for all those which impouerish his Church which disgrace the shepheardes of his flocke which treade downe the sides of his simple folde and deuoure his poore lambs thorow the gredie and heathenish desire which they haue to the the goods of this world From this corrupt fountain springeth the vncertaine and the wretched cares of mans life in that euery one is set on fire with the sparks of infinite desires Beeing once tottered in the chariot of this vncertaintie man walketh in a vayne shadow disquieteth himselfe in vaine His hart is set on vanitie and all his purchase is the sorrowfull fruits of the flesh Though honor and riches haue no stabilitie though the strength of man is like a brused reede which we bteake in sunder with our fingers though the whole world be a sea of troubles all the prosperities therof waues of perpetuall disquietnes yet man sinful man presumptuous disobedient vnsatiable man though his eies be weake and dim yet will he aduenture to looke against the radiant sunne though he be blind yet will he walke though he bee weake yet wil he striue against the strongest stream though he be naked yet will he offer himselfe to the stroke of death though the drinke be deadly poison yet because the colour is good the cup pleasant the first tast therof sweet he wil drinke a large draught till the tast of his toong empoyson his owne hart till his pleasure breake out with roaring paine till his bodie be dried vp and til his soule all consumed with sinne cry out with Iob Tedet animam meam vit ae meae it irketh me of this wicked life Though this bee thus and daily example of those which descend before our eyes into the graue dooth tell vs all this plainely yet wee daily carke and care for this carkasse of ours knowing well it is but dust wee desire sweete meates which empoison the soule wee reuerence we feare most seruilely wee admire worldly honour which
is lighter than vanitie it selfe The wise high mightie honorable politike rulers of this world trouble themselues all the dayes of their life in fetching in casting in compassing goods lands honour dominion and power They rise vp earely and goe to bed late as sayth the prophet they eate the bread of carefulnes they search and seeke many newe waies They inuente many strange pollicies they aduenture many great daungers they loose many frendes they vndoo many poore schollers widowes and fatherles children euen to the losse of their owne soules and yet they say they loue the Lord and his holy temple O sinfull harts besotted with sensualitie Can that shippe be safe which is tost with euerie surge of the sea and ouerwhelmed with euery blast of wind can that minde bee quiet which boyleth with sundry flames of fire Is there any suretie in lightnes it selfe any certainetie in outwarde fortune any safetie in perpetuall warre any securitie in present daunger any frendshippe in open defiaunce any felicite in outwarde riches anye religion in spoyling the Church Be there two heauens that wee should make our paradise heere on earth or is the Lords arme shortened that hee can not execute his will or his iustice decayed that the sinners shoulde escape vengeaunce Is hee asleepe that hee is not stirred vp with the outrage which the heathen and hard harted worldlings commit against his church or is hee deafe that hee heareth not the crie of the poore or blinde that he seeth not the pride of the world openlie disclaiming the brightnes of the heauens No the Lord is not slack as some count slacknes He which made the heauens so high most carefully he beholdeth the lowest the poorest the simplest creatures here below He which made the eare hee will heare the crie of the poore and hee which made the eie hee will beholde the scarres which be inflicted on the face of his beloued spowse In his compassion hee shall pittie her and in his iudgement he shall draw forth the two edged sword of his wrathfull indignation He shall rise vp like the Gyant to the battaile and shall passe forth as the Lyon to deuour his praie Hee shall redouble the wickednesse of his enemies into their bosoms Hee shall cast downe the house on their heads He shall bring the curse of their desert vpon them and who is able to withstand the surie of his wrathfull indignation to endure his anger or to suffer his heauie displeasure though some men prosper for a while with that which is not their owne being reserued to a greater destiny yet let those which hope for the saluation of Israel learne to feare the Lord aright Let vs not abuse the long patience louing kindnes which the Lord hath shewed in sparing vs so long I grant the Lord is merciful long suffering full of patience and mercie sore grieued with the death of a sinner But yet he is iust in reuenging the iniuries of his spowse If anie offer iniurie to the king or to a noble mā or to a meane man before his face he will reuenge it presently but if wee offer violence to the spowse of Christ or the dead or the fatherlesse or the innocent which cannot speake for themselues nor pleade their owne cause then know that the Lord hath taken the defence of these to himselfe Hee which dwelleth in the heauens hee seeth it Though his blow be long in comming it pearceth deepe euen into the Marrow and the bottom of the soule and that to the third and fourth generation of them that hate him Hee beareth long with them but when he commeth he payeth home Hee suffereth the wicked to deuise many vnlawfull means whereby they waxe rich in this world He letteth them passe on their course oft times with great prosperity euen many yeares diuers liues till at the length when the fruit of sinne is ripe and the first sower thereof is readie to reape a plentifull haruest of his vngodlinesse then besides the danger of the soule the sowthwinde ariseth the heauens ouercast the outragious tempest breaketh out of the cloudes aboue it passeth it pearceth it ouerthroweth so that the haruest which hath bene so many yeares in growing of a sodaine is cleane distroyed and vanisheth out of sight Though thou haue thonsandes of landes and tenne thousandes more than the auncient inheritance of the fathers Though thy money bee heaped in bagges and thou wallow in thy wealth hauing all thinges at thine owne will yet if thou haue robbed thine owne mother to enrich thy treasure thou shalt bee a fatherlesse childe and childlesse father thy selfe so that thou shallt haue no parents in whose presence thou maiest ioy nor leaue any childe behinde thee to weepe for thee at thy graues side Nay that which is a visible curs thy goods for which thou hast drudged so sore when thou art dead shall bee translated into the handes of thine enemies to the end they may strongly bee auenged of thy dearest friendes O let not your eies bee blinded with carnall delight and too much carefulnesse of this earthlie bodie let not the delights of the flesh blot out the well meaning motions of the spirite Be wise betimes and vnderstand this true rule of the spirite least the terriblenesse of the example cause you to tremble at the first sight and after further view breede great amasement in your hart and conscience If thou haue children and childrens children and great store of earthie offices honors and dignities for them all yet if thou spend more time and care in prouiding for them and herein count more of thine owne honour now begunne and budding in thy posteritie then of the prosperitie of the Church of Christ of his diuine worship of of his holie ministers Thy wife shall prooue a stinging serpent in thy bosome thy children shall bee wastfull distroyers of that which thou so carefullie hast built vp thy bodie agonished with sundrie malladies altogether vncurable thy groning daie and night will marre thy melodie conceiued of thine abundance of riches thy hart shall quake with doubtfull feare of thine enemies death will double the discord of thy disquietnesse and if thou were the mightiest and most puissant prince in the world yet if thou count of any earthlie thing before or in comparison of God and his holie Church vnlesse thou repent thy desire shall neuer prosper Concerning this conclusion I minde onely to giue you a tast of which if it please you to pervse Celsus of Verona hereunto annexed yee shall find the whole seruice represented in sundry deynty dishes which manie wicked worldlings take from the ministers of the Chuch setting them on their owne tables Hee hath described the whole course and named sundrie costlie meates whereon the Venetians vsed to feede adioyning thereto their sower sawces which once receiued in at the mouth but hardlie afterwardes digested did breede great hart burninges in their breastes And good
Tullie saith Fluctibus saepe obruitur antequam portum conspicere valet After hee haue bin long tired and scratched in the bushie woods peraduenture he shal come to the death of the Hare And yet in our moral the course is not so hard nor halfe so vncertaine For when the wished preferment which you meane is once to be atchieued who so hard harted that will not bestow it on the best Is it detur meliori or detur pulchriori I know not but I am sure hee that seekes shall find Gladly would I learne that kinde of seeking If his wished preferment lye in the court he must prouide a friend in the court who is alwaies better than the pennie in purse What if it be in the countrie these things haue all one certaine rule But as the giuer is so is the way of obtaining Then the learned are in worse case than they were before because the way is more vncertaine for hee must sometimes sue to the good honest Farmer in the Countrey who knoweth a golden angell better than a Latine word sometimes to the gentleman in the Citie sometimes to his wife his sonne his daughter his cosin his steward his factor sometimes to the Noble man and all his circumstances before he can come to the matter And when he hath done if hee bee not so well seene in secret Philosophie that hee can talke learnedlie with the secretarie his studying at the Vniuersitie so many yeares his riding into the countrie the citie the court his expenses his paines his hope is all lost Is this the seeking which you meane and must the poore learned man after hee hath read so many volumes and studied so many yeares in so manie sciences and tongues runne and ride post hast from place to place from countrie man to gentleman from him to his wife from both to the court to the noble man to his sonne his clerke his secretarie alas poore scholler Whilest wee haue bene seeking after your manner we haue almost lost the game which wee begunne to hunt and yet I hope wee are not runne so farre counter but that wee may easilie vndertake it againe Sith it followeth conuenientlie if they be good minded men which pittie the poore distressed case of the learned then they be euilly minded which are the cause thereof diminishing the liuinges of the Church wherewith the learned ought to bee mainteined Without such contingent seekinges the last dispaire of most learned mens desire From this riuer conduit pipe floweth a channell of fowle troubled water wherewith whilest these worldly minded men do vse to wash their faces they appeare much more deformed than before sith the tasting often of the sweetnesse of this troubled earthlie channel in hart and minde are so bewitched with the loue of this present life that the honor of God the reuerence of his name the due hearing of his word the daylie celebrating of his diuine Seruice together with the immunitie and perfect freedome of his ministerie is much decayed I passe ouer al the examples and plaine speaches of contempt vsed against the ministers of Christ at this day Those which be thus euilly minded towards the Church of Christ nay towardes Christ himselfe are the Christians are they comparable to the heathen in their kinde or worthie to bee numbred amongst men though their titles be many their honour great their landes inestimable yet thinke yee that these men shall prosper here on earth as for heauen turne backe good sir this is not the way The gate by which yee must enter in thither is verie lowe the way narrow the iourney long your bodie is idle your doinges dissolute your chariti cold your hart to high yee cannot come in Our Lord and Sauiour Christ when hee liued here on earth hee willed that the litle Children should come to him saying that of such consisteth the kingdome of God And yet if the children treading in the steppes of their fathers contemne the minister of God or in their childishnesse dishonour him If the children of Bethell scorne the good prophet Elizeus like graceles boyes crying out on him goe vp you bald pate go vp though they be smal yong yet their crie pearceth to the heauens The Lord shall listen verie attentiuely when ought doth sound against the honour of his prophets he shall open the window of his wrath in his displeasure two shee Bears shall come out of the wood shall deuour two and fortie of them that thereby both olde and young may learne to reuerence the prophets of the Lord sent vnto them Euen as the countenance of the mother beholdeth the sucking child in her armes most louinglie as the eie of the Hawke minting at her pray doth most fixedlie and fiercelie behold the same euen so the Lord dooth continually behold his embassadours his prophets his pastors his ministers and not their life onely and their safetie but their good mainteine and regard so that the sonne shall not burne them by daye nor the moone by night The pride of sinfull flesh shall not represse them long nor the greatest tyrant in the worlde shall disgrace them in any word or sprinckle any spot in their face but it shal be washed off againe euen with his owne precious bloud Well and wisely did the Poeâ—s faine that the contemners of the goddes alwaies came to euill end Amongest a number of examples this appeareth plain in Aiax who counted more of bodilye valour than of Mineruaes wisedome and with hawtie speach disdained that it shuld haue the due reward therfore he was berest of commoÌ„ wit vnderstanding being stricken with a most furious fit in which he slewe himself vpon his own sword What should I rehearse the manifold plagues punishmeÌ„ts which the Lord sent vpon the conteÌ„ners of his holie worship euen from Noe vnto the birth of our S. Christ whose life because that tirant Herod sought by his bloudy sword to cut off froÌ„ the earth that with the shedding of much innocent bloud therefore the Lord on a soleÌ„ne feast day wheÌ„ he shewed himself vnto the people in his highest glory the multitude to flatter him cried most blasphemosly it is the voice of a God not of a man then euen then the Lorde from heauen stroke him by the hande of his angell so that presently his flesh rotted crawling full of quicke worms and lice which deuoured him most miserably before the face of all the people If carnall sensualitie did not too much dimme our eyes I should not neede to holde out this my obscure light vnto you now at the noon daye when the light of the Gospell shineth most cleare and bright round about vs. If we had cunned the rules of true christianitie by hart or vnderstood the truth of them or had receiued the vertue of wel woorking into our consciences therewith renewed in the spirite I should not neede at this day so
past them all Which good and vertuous practises after they beginne to be forgotten euen so likewise that auncient glorie and dignitie of your name by litle and litle began to diminish by litle and litle it began to bee obscured and therewith also distinguished And although I am greatly grieued when I see so manie slaughters so many calamities so many and such ill proceedings so many and so great disgracings of of your auncient dignitie which are well knowne throughout all Italie yet I am of this opinion vnder your correction be it said which thinke that this new and vnusuall tasking and tolling of the Church is the chiefe cause of your ill and vnhappie successe in those things which ye tooke in hand For when I weigh with my selfe and consider the course of times past I am easily induced to bee of their opinion and to speake plainely that which I haue good cause to thinke It seemeth that all your great losse and aduersities proceed from hence as from a most corrupt and poisoned fountaine And that it is so indeede it appeareth plainely to all men which will recorde the most excellent and famous factes of ancient time now to repeat the beginnings of your auncient exploits Who is so vnskilful who so simple and so ignorant in all matters whatsoeuer which knoweth not the beginning of this your common-wealth how wonderfull howe famous how diuine it was how greatly and in most ample manner it increased aboue the customable manner and course of all other Cities For all things fell out so luckily and had so good successe that all things therein seemed to increase and therein also to flourish For in short space it became famous throughout the whole worlde not onely in abundance of most pretious iewels in sumptuous and magnificent buildings in great strength and store of shippes but also ye inlarged your dominions farre and neere both by sea and by land And through your excellent wisedome and the wise forsight of your ancestors ye haue entirely preserued the same So that the force power of Italie somtimes the Queen mistris of the whole world could not at any time vanquish the same What then was the true cause of such great prosperitie and happie successe vnlesse it were because there was neuer any Citie in which either religion was more imbraced or true iustice longer or more religiously preserued I hope it may be spoken without suspition of flatterie for I seeke to speake little in comparison of the thing and the weight of the matter dooth passe beyond the bounds of my speech Who will not greatly commend the sincere and singular loue which your auncestors bare vnto religion the great and inuiolable obseruance of iustice and holines their exceeding great charitie and liberalitie towards the poore meÌ„bers of Iesus Christ their inestimable bounty towards the adorning and beautifiyng of holy temples euen vnto this present day This thing is manifest both by the fresh memory of deuout meÌ„ also by our temples richly adorned and by our ample churches ful of holy monuments which as it is apparent were built in times of olde onely by the oblations and charitable deuotions of your auncestors For although they were alwayes accounted liberall and deuoute concerning those things which appertaine to the worshippe of God and their seruice towards religion Yet notwithstanding when they began to bee oppressed with these calamities and were so sore distressed then especially by their good woorkes they earnestly required helpe from heauen then euen with great distribution of almes with great faith with great deuotion they did striue to please and pacifie God the giuer of all good things What diuers seasons how vnlike or rather plaine contrarie obseruance of religion holy worship haue succeeded I had rather other meÌ„ should iudge than I for the thing is so plaine manifest that he which hath but halfe an eye may easily see it But concerning this hereafter Now I return vnto the ages of your auncestors who as wee haue shewed being so well strengthned waged batraile against their enemies in defence of their dominions They went forth into the field and valiantly ioyned battaile neither did they returne home againe till their enemies were discomfited ouercome They obtained the victory deuided the spoile Wherefore Camillus deserued immortall fame which as Liuie writeth oftentimes and earnestly exhorted the people herevnto Behold saith he O ye worthy Romanes either the prosperous or the afflicteed state of Rome in these yeares and ye shall find most surely that whilest we were religious all thinges went well with vs but when wee once neglected our dutie to religioÌ„ all things went against vs. And now O worthie prince howe much better were it with your whole commonwelth if you would propound vnto your selues the most excellent discipline of your ancestors and their worthy lawes concerning religioÌ„ how much more wisely excellently were the coÌ„monwelth ruled if by the example of their high wisdome and noble actes you would waxe more warie Out of question you should not be molested with so many discommodities so many warres so many dangers but as in times of old with the vanquishing of your enemies you should obtaine victorie with great triumph But if you haue worse successe in these daies than you looke for or would desiâ—e no maruell when as the godly lawes of your auncestors by little and litle are cleane forgotten when religion it selfe and the reuerence of holy priests is lesse practised than it was wont and lesse than reason would it should be Pardon mee I pray you if I speake plainly for most men nay almost all which are ruled by reason are of the same opinion I speake all this to doe you good therefore you may more easily pardon mee And now let vs returne to that from whence wee haue digressed Those thinges were vnwisely neglected of you which wee spake of before and that truely for those were the onely thinges which in times past aduaunced you your common wealth to such dignities such glory such happie fame Wherfore not without good cause your happy successe your famous spoils your victorious triumphs are come to an end and now your great fame and glorie the great auctority maiestie of your name which hath resownded most famously through the whole world which seemed wonderful to all people princes kindreds and nations is in hazard now to be extinguished Count yee nothing of this O yee most famous Venetians do you not thinke of these things do you not magnifie all these Marke I pray you this one thing wisely way and consider this one thing euen in your owne conscience way this one thing truely How many victories how many conquestes how many spoiles haue you atchieued against your enemies how many happy euents haue you had in these so long warres since you inuented this strange and pestilent councell in that you feare nothing at all to lay violent hands on church goods
and holy things dedicated to God almightie which impietie beleeue me will not helpe you one whit in these your great daungers and extreame necessitie And although peraduenture it seeme not so to many yet without all doubt as a most fierce piercing poyson which with the deadlie contagion thereof is woont to infect and poison all things which come neere it Euen so your great strength and preparation to warre by your former impietie towardes the Church is like which God forbid to bee cleane vanquished and destroyed Iulius Caesar would neuer haue admitted such wicked councel though he were an heathen who as it is apparant in his life wheÌ„ he entred by chaunce into Aruernia the meÌ„ of that countrie pointed to the sword of Caesar hanging in their Church as it were a spoile got from the Emperour by force of armes Caesar entring the Church seeing the sword he smiled to him selfe saying nothing and when his frendes willed that it should bee pulled downe Caesar in any wise would not suffer it Out of question hee did both wisely and religiously for hee accounted the sword and all thinges else dedicated to holy vse to bee sacred thinges therefore he thought it vnlawfull to touch them any more with carnal hands or to haue them in any wise employed in humaine affairs Also your auncestors would neuer haue done so they would neuer haue imagined any such thing Those ancient rulers much renowmed for their great wisedome which being free from all danger from aduersitie from all extremitie they would neuer haue hearkened to such counsell nor haue accepted of any such subsidie And that most wisely for they knew full well that the best kinde of gouerment by which a common wealth is preserued augmented and encreased be two especially Religion and Iustice. Which when they are maintained the common wealth is safe and sure but if they faile it must needes also decay With these kinde of artes and orders rather then by force of armes they obtained this ample dominion which is enlarged by sea and land But so soon as these excellent artes began to waxe out of vse forthwith rhe Empire it selfe began to decay and come to ruine Which thinges if you will consider aright ought to forewarne and stirre you vp into a greater deuotion and more dutifull obseruation of Religion and holy thinges Neither ought these examples of your owne countrie affaires which haue fallen out vnluckily onelie bee a warning vnto you but also that great care and dutifull deuotion which your auncestors continuallie and plentifâ—lly yeelded vnto diuine thinges and vnto them whose function was to attend vppon the same Amongest the Aegyptians as Diodorus affirmeth all the yearly reuenues of the land were deuided equallie into three partes The first part the Priestes did challenge to themselues who were of such auctoritie amongest them that al things were gouerned by their councell and wise foresight being free from al burdens taxes they had the second place of the rule and dignitie next the king Also the Indians diuiding the whole common wealth into seauen tribes constituted the tribe of the priests in the first place free from all burthen seruice yeelding them great honor reuerence But yet in mine opinion concerning worship and dutie towards God the Aethiopians did farre excell all others For with them the priestes and keepers of their temples were in such great honour that they onely were the men whom they thought eligible to bee their kinges and that which seemeth vncredible they were of such auctoritie and credit amongest them that when they thought good they gaue notice to the kinges that they should die affirming that it was the sentence of their gods which was the cause that al their Kinges til the time of Ptolomy the second obeyed the edict of the priestes and willingly tooke their death at their appointment not constrained but euen by old custome being loth to alter the superstition Wherefore they boast that they haue reaped this fruit and reward for that their great pietie towardes their goddes that the inuasions of all their enemies and that crueltie could neuer do them any harme and that they were neuer conquered or subiect to any forraine nation For Cambyses that most mightie king of the Persians wheÌ„ he once assaulted them with a most dreadfull armie most of his souldiers being destroied with great ignominie he lost almost his whole armie Hercules and Dionisius hauing trauailed through the whole world would not once trouble the Aethiopians in respect that they were so religious The same thing also appeareth in the holy Bible For in the booke of Genesis we read that in the dayes of old there was so great so strange a famin through the whole world that corne and victuals were scarcelie to be had in any place The fiercenes of this famine was especially in Aegypt pinched them sorer than other nations insomuch that the inhabitants of the lande were compelled to sell their farmes their possessions and their houses nay their houshold stuffe for victuals Which when they began to faile them through the long and harde famine at length least through hunger they should die straungely most miserably they gaue themselues also into the kings hands Wherefore that religious steward of the king hauing laid vp exceeding great store of prouision euen of purpose He bought the whole land of Aegypt the possessions of the Priests excepted and their countries into the hands of king Pharao From which time vntill Moses as the scripture witnesseth the fift part of the increase of Aegypt was paid vnto the king But those thinges which appertained to the priests and the keepers of the temples they were safe from this lawe for Pharao did not onely giue them faire and large possessions but also hee appointed that they should be duly fed and nourished all the time of the famine by the common store and prouision which was the cause that they sold not their possessions and goods as the other people did What should I heere make mention of the Romans did not they appoint a most solemne priesthood to the ministers of holie thinges did they not alwaies imploie their greatest studies and paines in preseruing and increasing religion For as Valerius Maximus saith that citie preserued religion aboue all other things whatsoeuer so that the highest and chiefest magistrates did willingly yeeld themselues and their seruice vnto holy rites hoping assuredly that they should attaine the chiefe rule and magistracie of the worlde if they humbled themselues deuoutly vnto the heauenly power But to what end doe I shewe these things sith all bookes that euer was written either diuine or prophane are full of these examples and cleare monuments and therefore read you those books and peruse them diligently Neither thinke you that the priests and ministers of God as some talke should now be poore physitions as they were somtimes But on the
of the Frenchmen And Brennus himselfe beeing sore wounded in many places and not able to indure the paines and exceeding anguish of his wounds he killed himself with his owne dagger and so for his bold attempts he had his deserts by deserued death WheÌ„ â—yrrâ—us had coÌ„pelled the Citizens of Locris to giue him a great portion of the treasure of the goddesse Prosorpina wheÌ„ he was sailing away loden with his wicked praie he and his whole nauie by force of a sodaine tempest was beaten against the shores of the goddesse on which the money being found againe it was restored to the olde custodie of the treasurie But what should I speake anie more of these things for I feare me that if I should comprehend all the examples of auncient times appliable to this purpose in this treatie that I shoulde keepe no meane in writing of the same for they bee so manie that they can scarce bee numbered I omitte the example of Qu Cipio who beeing Consull when hee had sacked the Towne Tholosam and that there was found much golde and siluer in the Temples of the same Towne whosoeuer presumed to touch anie of that golde in that spoile in lue of his deserts hee died therefore in most horrible griefe and anguish I omit Xerxes the king of the Persians which sent foure thousand soldiers to Delphos to destroy Apollos Temple which companie was cleane destroied with lightning and tempest that Xerxes might vnderstande thereby the greater iniurie hee offered to God so much the lesse his force shoulde bee to resist Which reuenge truelie may bee applied to these our daies for wee haue seene it oftentimes chaunce in like sort vnto you euen in these daies since you beganne to take the goods of the Church into your owne handes and to paie Souldiers wages therewith For as you your selues can witnesse verie well not onelie your Shippes full fraughted with munition for warre were destroied with diuerse tempestes with thundering and lightning from heauen but also manie thousandes of souldiers afflicted with diuers calamities died most miserablie so that none or verie fewe which you sent vnto the warre came safe home againe Tell me O most renoumed Venetians how should these strange ouerthrowes these strange slaughters and destructions of men these manie calamities and miseries come but that this your warre is not onelie against man but also against God and his true worship a worde in this matter is inough Now I mind to applie my speach vnto these our times and to couclude with domesticall examexamples for we must not content our selues with the examples of auncient times if our owne bee appliable also hereunto Especiallie sith manie will saie vnto me why doe you propound vnto vs the examples of the Pagans temples and their wicked gods why doe you rehearse their reuengementes against their enimies sith by the hand of God at length they were all taken away To whome I may well answere in good time that I make mentioÌ„ of those heatheÌ„ gods to the end we might thereby vnderstand how seuere a reueÌ„ger our God eueÌ„ the God of all Gods of his iustice ought to bee vnto those which presume wickedly to take away the goods of the church and transport them vnto other vses sith that those which were falselie called gods and which indeede were no gods or rather God himselfe by them sent such cruell plagues and punishmentes for the contempt of their religion The cause why the most righteous God permitted that they which were rather deuils then gods should so grieuouslie punish men was because forasmuch as they knew they contemned the true religion and the true God Sith those idols were most wickedly contemned of them which though falselie yet the whole people tooke them to be true gods and they seemed to these men which spoiled them so wickedlie to bee true gods indeede Wherefore God himselfe brought iust punishment vpon them for this contempt of that which they faithfullie beleeued to bee God And nowe in these daies that cloud of ignorance beeing cleane remoued sith he is more barbarously contemned of vs surely he will punish vs more seuerely greeuously But nowe from whence wee digressed let vs returne vnto these of our time to tell what great death slaughter chanced to that wicked Fredericke the second for violating the libertie of the church I shall not need many words for that is plaine inough to those which read the histories For when he was made Emperor by Innocentius the third and had taken the crosse in his hande against the enemies of the Christians then euen vnto his owne vndooing deuising most vnhappily with himself how he might take away the goodes of the church now dedicated to holy vse he was not afraid to take them wickedly and to imploy them prophanely herevpon hee became so blinde in his owne opinion that hee made a sacrilegious pact with the mightie king of Aegypt the Soldan concerning the suppressing of religion religious houses and concluded that from which a christian man ought especially to abhorre But hee did not long escape the iust vengeance of God For after that he had spoiled many cities after many dissentions had with the church of Rome after that hee had deuoured many temples after many most cruel barbarous sacrileges hauing his own sonne in a ielousie that he affected his Empire he shut him vp in most filthie dungeons til he died And he feeling the great grieuous censure of the church as the righteous God had appointed he was strangled of his own sonne Manfredus most cursedly Here I will not omit the like calamities of the princes of Carraria in the like impietie for when they began once wickedly to challenge to themselues the ordering of those things which belong only to holie function by reason of the pestilent councell which they had taken very soone after they lost that famous citie Patauium most strong both by situation force which was thought almost to be inuincible Neyther fained he which wrote that saying Vnlesse the Lord keepe the citie the watchmen watch but in vaine And vnlesse the Lord of hostes doe helpe truly he laboureth but in vaine which leadeth the armie forth trusting onely to his owne wit and pollicie So also did that holy woman Iudith sing before the Lorde when she cut off the head of the insolent Holifernes with his owne sworde she did sing most excellently in this manner O Lorde thy power consisteth not in the multitude of an host neither in the strength of an horse but the praier of the humble and meeke was alwaies acceptable before thee Wherfore if you put your confidence in your strong and mightie nauie of goodly ships and do not seeke to please God with good works and more diligent deuotion in your religion ye haue good cause to feare least whilest yee haue offended him hoping for victorie yee striue in vaine when according to the heuenly saying of Dauid wee must
cause why for if the Lord promise long life and happie daies to them which dutifullie honor their father and their mother shall hee not pull out his flaming sworde of indignation and cutte of the line of their posteritie which dishonor their spirituall mother the holie church pilling and powling her of her iewels ornamentes auncient liberties large possessions making her loathsome euen in in the sight of the heathen If thy louing mother tooke thee vp out of the wildernesse from the mouthes of manie wilde beastes if shee brought thee in her louing armes into her house and lapped thee warme in her owne clothes if she suckled thee with her tender brestes if she sustained many great losses harde aduentures in bringing thee vp if she suffered many troubles daungers in defending thee nay if shee haue beene most greeuously persecuted once twise thrise nay more than tenne times for thy sake is it not barbarous crueltie for thee when thy mother is olde to take her iewels from her necke her clothes from hir backe her house ouer her head her meate out of hir hande Wilt thou scratch the teate that gaue thee sucke or diminish the liuing of the Church which giueth the spirituall foode for the soule though the holy scripture had not once mentioned it yet the law of nature dooth threaten a dreadfull doome to all those which destroy their owne parents God the Creator of nature it selfe dooth neuer leaue it vnpunished Let vs propound vnto our selues the life the honour the dignitie the blessed memorie and immortall glorie of those worthie princes already mentioned And on the contrary the sinister beginnings the euill successe the miserable endes of all those which neglected the glorie of God and the prosperous estate of his Church which of all Christians especially of all true nobilitie ought most to bee abhorred Doe but lift vp your eie and looke at tbose which haue shaked their head at Sion by shaking of Sion her selfe haue meant to strengthen themselues on all sides Fixe your eies stedfastly yea but a little on those gracelesse ympes after many great plagues and destructions sent on them ye shall see the clowde cleane vanished and in the house of the wicked no man lefte His habitation shalbe voide and there shall no man remaine to saie with the olde Prophet alas my brother alas my vnckle alas my loouing father Nowe hauing bent our eyes vnto the viewe of sundrie examples let vs looke into the ages past and see if euer the Godly were vtterlie destitute or that the enemies of the Church of God euer continued long in honour or if those which anie waie impared the Church prospered afterwardes in their generations Come and see nay I pray you reede and vnderstand that the Lord hath alwaies beene most ielous ouer his beloued spouse Tell mee if you bee so olde or your memorie so good can you name anie what so euer which at anie time in anie nation diminished the state the liuing the honour the safetie of the church of Christ and scaped the handes of the almightie Dauids eating of the shewe breade in the dayes of Abiather the high Preest is aunswered by the Lord of truth extreame necessitie droue him therevnto and yet as the learned write hee might more safely doe it because he was both a Prophet and a king herein prefiguring the person of a sauiour Christ who was a king a preest and a Prophet But let vs proceede plainly saying the sooth of our conclusion The Lord in executing his iudgementes hath no respecte of persons neither pardoneth he this greeuous voluntarie sinne of detracting from the Church so easilie as hee dooth other sinnes of infirmitie But rather hee sheweth his most seuere iudgement against those which take the liuing of the leuit from the Church and impropriate the same vnto themselues their wiues and their children Ely was a goodlie old Priest aud verie learned He was so beloued of the Lord that by the mouth of God hee and his seede were appointed to minister in the house of God hee had the freedome and prerogatiue of the Priests and he onelie had the disposing of the Arke the house the sacrifice of God in his daies Till at the length together with the vse of holie rites thorough the hope of small gaine hee suffered great abuse to enter into the house of God in that the sonnes of Ely forgetting God the due reuerence which they ought vnto his holy sacrifice applied the vse thereof more to the feeding of their owne selues then to the solemne and reuerend pacifying of the Lord for the sinnes of the people They seldome offered themselues whē any of the people came to offer vp vnto the Lord whilest the meat was boiling the Priests boy came hauing a fleshhook in his hād he thrust it deep into the caudron what piece soeuer came vp that the Priest tooke to himself This did they vnto all the people of Israel which came to sacrifice in the house of God at Silo. Yea before they burnt the fat the priestes boy came to him which offered saying giue me a portiō that I may rost for the priest I will not stay to take boiled flesh at thine hands but I must haue it rawe To whom when he which offred vnto the Lorde answered not so but according to the custome let the fat be burnt first take then at your pleasure To whome the boy replied nay but if thou wilt not giue it me presentlie I will take it whether thou wilt or no. Herevpon the sins of the sonnes of Elie was grieuous in the sight of God because they being sinfull flesh tooke to their owne vse that which was bestowed on the sacrifice of the God of heauen Elie heard all those things of his sonnes and more then that and he said vnto them verie mildlie howe is it my sonnes that I heare of such wickednes committed by you against the Lord doe so no more my sonnes doe so no more Consuetudo peccandi tollit sensum peccati They sinned still by dailie custome without regard they offended the Lord without remorse the old father spake to his sonnes sometimes but so louing lie that hee hated his children that hee fed their humour and nourished them in their wanton wickednes forgetting that truth which he spake with his lips If one man sinne against another God may be pacified for them both but if man sin against God who shal intreat for him or make sufficient satisfactiō This mild old man waxed towards his end As is the vse of natural fathers he loued his sons too much too vehementlie too childishlie in that he was loather to loose their fauning looks then the fauor of the Lord. Alas say some you must beare with nature he was verie old and his greatest ioy was his sons Was his ioy here vpō earth And did he reioice more in his fleshly childrē then