the prosperitie of life but to suffer all miseries since he is offensiue to these by whome hee liues in the worlde yea he is worthy to be throwne in a hollowe ditche without burial where carion vermine may deâ—ower his carcase as they do other dead beastes For which consideration the child is bound to this dutie to his parentes and not to refuse death to sustayne them in what so euer concerneth them in honour health and life For hauing receiued all his wealth and benefites of them what more worthy or iust recompense can he retorne then a frank and thankfull prostitution of all that he hath to their vses if he take pleasure to liue doubts not that of all other things of the world life is most excellent if he thinke that the pleasure of life is one of the moste singuler benefites that maye bee demaunded if lastly commodities riches or common goods and honours do please him What reuerence loue honour and obedience is hee bound to beare to his Father and mother by whom or at the least without whom he had not enioyed them but if he make no recompence to his power and lesse thankefull at all to his parents is not his ingratitude intollerable and by iust right him selfe deserue to be depriued of all the same goods The same also being the cause why God by his law takes away without appeale the life of him that offendes his father and mother But if the vnthankfull and disobedient child be flattered with some prosperitie let him thinke it hath no long continuaunce no more then the itch of an olde man is pleasaunt longer then it is clawed but being scratched it falles of smarting For it is written that who curseth or doth euill to his Father and mother his light shal be put out in the middest of darknes that is hée shall loose his prosperitie good hap in the middest of aduersities and darke miseries which shall fall vppon him euen when hee thinkes to sléepe most soundly in the delites pleasures and eases of this world Besides the better to drawe children to obedience God promiseth them long life honour saith he thy father and Mother so shalt thou liue long vpon the earth to which promise aboue all other Saint Paule sayth is added suretie of recompence as in the promise of long life is ment commoditie rest and necessary furnitures of life as plentie of wealth and humane felicities For which cause it is sayd in another place that the blessing of fathers and mothers giueÌ„ to their children confirmeth and continueth in happy succession the houses and families of their children as of the contrary their curse helpeth much to the ruine subuersion of the same Touching the honour they get by obeying their father and mother it is written listen my sonne to the discipline of thy father and let not the law of thy mother be forgotten of thée to the end grace might be ioyned to thy head and collers about thy necke if thou do thy dutie of a good sonne to them God wil giue thée this fauour and credite to be honored of all men raise thée into that estate where thou shalt beare the honorable enseignes of thy high dignitie euen as wée sée kynges beare their diademes vppon their heads and Knights of the order their precious collers of golde about their neckes in signe of their dignitie honour and authority due to them for their vertues by which they haue worthely aspired to such estates Seing then God reserueth for childreÌ„ such ample promises of long life such worldly prosperities and such high honours which thrée béeing the very effect of all that may bee desired to make this life happye in earth comprehend also what else may be attributed to worldly felicitie How much are they bound besids the reasons earst rehearsed to beare humilitie obedience reuerent dutie to their parents whom if they disobey they haue their condemnation to miseries dishononours and to death yea and by their sinne of disobedience they stand in hazerd of the eternall curse The oblation of this duty of children to their parents is indispensible to all purposes but in cases of infidelitie as if the father being an Idolater séekes to seduce his sonne to that impietie in which this straite bond of dutie ceaseth For God is to be preferred and man abuseth his authoritie according to the vnderstanding of the gospell Who hateth not father mother brother sister and leaueth them with all that he hath can not haue the kyngdome of God yea they must leaue the dead to bury the dead to follow the Euangelicall vocation For touching the Apostolicall profession which may be alledged for that they forsooke father mother to follow Iesus Christ and to preach the Gospel it is a vocation perticuler priuileged as when Helizeus abaÌ„doned father mother to go with Helias as for this purpose may be disputed touching the life monasticall But that vocation ought not to bée alleadged to the execution of this commaundement for hée that calles such as he pleaseth reserueth such prouidence ouer the necessities of their parentes that they stande no néed of the peculiar seruice of their children whom their parentes of their proper will ought to exempt from that office of personall and temporal seruice since God calleth them to him selfe to doe to him a seruice spirituall and of more greater perfection and fruite then any function wherein they could employe them yet touching the vocation Monasticall Saint Augustin holdes good that in necessitie of the parentes the child being a Monke is bound to leaue his Monasterie to succoure them for as the law of God derogates not the right of nature but rather confirmes then restraines it so by greater reason in the humane and positiue statutes specially such as be in Monasteries there caÌ„ be no preiudice Therefore did the Scribes and Phariseis vnder colour of religion ordeyne that the childe giuinge all his goods to the temple was not bound to ayde hys father and mother yea by that meane he held him self no more bound to serue them according to that constitution by the which they expressed that such honour to God grounded vpon that deuotion abrogated all honor and naturall dutie which the childe ought to showe to his father But Iesus Christe gyueth them to vnderstand that by such tradicions they commit great impietie resisting the first ordinance of God natural and diuine also and inuiolable by his Scripture We sée that euen the most perfect and Apostolike life was not exempted from this subiection as Christe him selfe was subiect to Joseph and the virgin Marie and exercisinge xxx yeares after his diuine vocation he reiected not froÌ„ his trayne his mother his Auntes and cousines but called them and entertayned them with him I meane the poore of the reuenues which men presented him withall no lesse did the Apostles to their parentes and kinred of whom the greatest part which were
as in prescribing Medicines without the knowledge of the phisition purging restrayning and geuing Diottes yea taking vppon them the qualitye of sufficient Maisters being not halfe instructed in the office of simple seruauntes of these are sprong our Triaclors gadding vp and downe the Countrey Bragging that in them is power to Cure all Diseases and many mo Tying Laces about mens Armes and Shreedes aboute theyr Neckes with theyr Cossinges enchamtors and Sorcerors of these some vndertake with greate impudencye to reméedye Ruptures and Disloâ—ations by holy wordes sending away the girdle of the pacient But in suche Charmes those holy wordes are abused being written and spoken by the holy spirite to other endes yea olde wiues carye suche generall practise in these thinges hauing more Cures then the great Phisitions that to good workemen the Arte is become vnprofitable Lastly there be Horse Leaches who whispering secretly in the Eare of the Horse do bragge that they heale him which is also one of the Sorceryrs of Satan ⧠The discourse continued of the abuses happening in the vvorlde by the supposed name of Phisitions Pothecaries and Surgeons The .9 Chapter THus we see the foolish world abused and yet no man complaineth but such as vnderstanding the common misery of this deceite do sée many diseases become incurable and mo passe by the peryll of death we speake not here of the conference and confederacie which Charmers haue secretely with the deuyll who with Papers and certayne wordes either intelligible or made holy against reason do vndertake to heale men and beastes not sparing to deale with daungerous and desperate cures which drawes great concurse and admiration of people and yet it is but a subtile kinde of idolatrie wherein as it were better for the pacient to abide the hazarde of death then to take remedie at the handes of such Sorcerers so in the case of inchantment the Christian man ought not to resort to the remedie of Witches but recommende him selfe to God without whose power nothing can be done The couetous lewde Pothicaries desirous to make spéedy sale of their Drognes and by quicke vent to raiâ—e present gaine do solicite the Phisitions to prescribe manye simples in the composition of their medicines geuing great estimation to them that confect most not regarding the goodnesse of the confection and much lesse what conformitie it hath with the disease of the pacient and least of all fauouryng the expenses of his Purse There be also of them which sell this for that against whom is no lesse rigour to be vsed then to those lewde Notaries which in writings of importaunce wyll vse etcetera In these men the Phisitions reappose great trust touching the receiptes which they sende to them wherein their negligence bringes no small offence for that they ought to see the Droages to the ende there bee no supposition which may sende the patient to his last ende These abuses are eyther the instrumentes of death or at least the causers of long and languishing diseases they wyll not sticke to affirme that they are neuer without all sortes of Droages of Arabya which they can well set out in the showe of manye gallande Boxes which being but painted without cary also lesse matter within There is also another abuse no lesse daungerous which is the corruption of Droages by their long and negligent keping by which corruption as Phisicke is turned into poyson and the facultie to cure into mortall perill of life So in this expert Phisitions haunting Shoppes are so much the more to blame by how much they forbeare to cast such poysons into Sinke holes for to throw them into Riuers were to infect the Fish but it hapneth that the Phisition is either gossop neighbour friend or parent to this pratling Pothicarie wherby the tromperie shall not be discouered yea it behooueth the Phisition to vse silence if hée will haue Credite and gaine by his Pothicarye The ignoraunt knoweth not what to saye to it who much lesse that hée can comprehende the abuse séeing of the contrarye hée is often taught by the Pothicarye to prescribe his receiptes and compounde his Droages There bée Phisitions called by the multitude conscionable as to whose knowledge is ioygned regard of conscience and desyre to discharge the dutye of honest men they neuer prescribe medicine of importaunce but they taste the Droages and sée the making of the composition and where they finde corruptions they caste them out committing the offendours to the censure of the Magistrate to whome also belonges the rate and taxation of Droages if the Pothicaries excéede therein Touching Surgeons and suche whose want of vse makes them ignoraunt they are so muche the more worthy of reprehension as from them are deriued perillous diseases to many and to the more sort death with these maye bée coupled the couetous Surgeons who to aduaunce their gaine of a litle wheale can make a great Vlcer prolonging the paine of the patient to geue more value to their practise But to preuent ignoraunce it were expedient not to receyue any professour of that Arte without good proofe of his knowledge and exact examination of the rest touching his resolute sufficiencye Let him bée sworne not to abuse the Arte to the hurt of any nor suffer his seruauntes vnder him to vndertake any Cure eyther in the Citye or Countrey without his commaundement and Counsell as both to searche truelye the state of the disease and appoint due reméedye calling if néede require the assistaunce of the Phisition but not as some doo who hauing a Phisition friende doo call him rather for theyr common gaine then for any necessitye of the disease which is a suttle Robberye cunninglye cloaked with apparant reason Here is requisite the wise aucthoritye of the Magistrate to whome according to the grauitye of the matter belonges to applye exact reformation For in it is hazarded the state of your lyues O ye Gouernours and the health of your Familyes Friendes Parentes Kinred Parishe whole common weales and euerye priuate mans well doing whereunto you haue Dedicated your selues with solemne othe to discharge your dutye in good offyce and equitye of conscience But here it may be obiected that greater is the necessitie to reforme the ecclesiasticall abuses which I do not onely confesse but wishe it with expresse desire for that as by the other the bodie is led to hurt and hazarde so in this is laide vp the health or perdition of Soules wherein as Iesus Christ saith is no exchaunge or commutation nor any thing more precious more diuine or of more woonderfull excellencie then the soule fourmed to the image and semblaunce of God the daughter of God the Spowse of Christ and sanctuarie of the holy Ghoste I wishe in God that touching Preaching no man might be admitted to that estate without the study of ten or twelue yeres in holy Scripture ioyning with all the conference of Lectures and Lessons of learned men as also I woulde that in the Vniuersities
corporall death is decréed in the Lawe of nature and other seuere iudgement of God inferred to the wicked as to Cayn for kyllyng his brother by the tremblyng of his bodye to the murtherers by the sworde to the worlde for his delightes glorie and whordome by the flood to them of Sodome and Gomorrhe for sinnes against nature by the fire of heauen to the adulterers and rauishers of women by terrible vengeaunce and to the chidren of Iudas who had done abhominable actes by paynes of suddaine deathes which they sawe euen by a naturall iudgement pronounced or inflicted as to Thamar for committing whordome and to the Sichimites for the Rape of Dina the daughter of Iacob If gouernours punishe not suche faultes by like paynes at the least let them ordaine others either conformable or neare approching them alwayes considering that corporall paines in the lawe bée figures and foreshowes of the eternall death which sinne deserueth In like sort where they sée in the Lawe of Moises certaine sinnes to bée punished by the body let them iudge them right sore displeasing and hateful to God who loueth his creature so dearelye as hée hath geuen him his owne image and likenesse and for whome he hath made the inferiour heauens the earth and the Elements with all thinges conteyned in the same and for whose cause hée sent his proper sonne vpon the earth to suffer all miseries yea most cruel and sclaunderous death And therfore being thus instructed bothe by the lawe whiche punisheth certaine sinnes with death specially suche as bée against the ten coÌ„maundements of the Moral Lawe or directly against Gods honour our neighbour or a wholâ— common weale and also by the Gospell to whom certeine sinnes are so abhominable as it condemnes them to eternall death and perpetual tormentes where is gnashing of téeth and lamentable sighinges they maye conclude suche offences to bée worthy of death specially where a whole common weale is iniured or offended For touching secréete sinnes wherein is no meane of proofe let them refer them to the iudgement of God and to the repentaunt Men sayeth the Scripture haue no power nor facultie to iudge but in matters apparant to the eye God séeing into the heart discernes the secréet things wherof hée defendes the iudgement to al others But where God is offended the coÌ„mon weaâ—e iniured there let theÌ„ follow the iudgement of god which we know to be thundred vpon sinners committing such faultes Therefore let Iudges bee well aduised and geue no libertye of life to suche whom God hath already condemned in heauen both to corporal and eternall death Let them acknowledge that they are here erected as imitatours executours of his iudgement Let them remember Saul who pardoned Agag whom God had condemned to death and Saul for his indulgencye was reproued depriued of his kingdom Let them not also forget the grace which Helias shewed to his dissolute children who for that they were abhorred of god were the cause of his death I meddle not with the reproches which God gaue to the gouernours of Israell because they suffered sinne with impunitye suffering suche to liue who had defiled the earth with theyr wickednes people abhominable to God and worthy so many deathes as they had committed horrible vices And therefore hee condemneth those Iudges euen so often to eternal death as they gaue sufferaunce to others to commit suche faultes without inflicting vpon them corporall death To this let them adioyne this aduertisement that as one member corruptes the rest so the rotten part disposing continuall infection into the rest of the body deserues to bée cut of euen as the good Surgeon not suffering a Canker to encrease cuttes it of so soone as it beginnes to appeare Let them not doubt but that according to the Gospel al euil wicked men which the Law of nature and Moises condemne yea the humane lawe also according to reason do adiudge to death ought to die For as the Gospel so aloweth al those lawes as is before prooued S. Paul aduiseth the Corinthians by them all others to take awaye the wicked man who being corrupt in maners corruptes others for which cause he compares them to the leuine aduising notwithstanding that the punishmeÌ„t come from the magistrate who hauing the sworde is a iust terror to the offeÌ„dor for that he carieth it not in vain being the minister of god executour of his law which euen in the gospel condemneth the man that hath done euil Wherefore al men disposed into the action of wickednes must be punished by the magistrate otherwaies he should bring abuse to his estate Is it not the magistrate by whom S. Paul willeth that all such in a coÌ„mon weale should be cut of by death which vexe the church and are mutinus sedicious iniurious false prophetes wherin because it may be douted to what vices the scripture appointeth punishment specially by death I meane to declare by order the paines of such as the law coÌ„demneth to the ende the magistrate leaue theÌ„ not vnpunished in his coÌ„mon weale nor iustifie such by which he should draw malediction as god hath already condemned by the scripture Heare we must not winke at an error of our time receiued almost thorow al christeÌ„dom which is that we obserue no better the imitacion so often recoÌ„mended to vs of the iudgements of God to leade vs being also commaunded in the scripture according to the same in the punishment of sinnes which is a kinde of infidelitye and ignorance of God or presumptuous boldnes or at least an inseÌ„sible dulnes This error deriueth partly from the humane lawes made by the Pagans whose gouernment being led for the most part by fleshly reason suffred impunity for many sinnes which God by his law condemneth to death as diuinations sorceries diuers sorts of magike with whoredomes sauing women whoremongers for men that made the lawes were exempted the virgins vestal or incestuous women with their adulterors condemning no more coÌ„mon vseries excessiue interestes with like sinnes which God abhorreth Gouernors of common weales ought in no wise to hold conformety with these Pagan iudgemeÌ„ts But reforme them making felt the grauitye of such sinnes by the rigour of worthy punishmeÌ„t Men were wont to haue regard only to punishe such sinnes as séemed to beare preiudice to a coÌ„mon weale and therfore sinnes common against god or which of their owne nature be common or Publike wherin the world delights without contradiction are left vnpunished the same being an occasion to prouoke the wrath of God vpon a whole nation destroye whole kingdomes If the auncient canons of the Church bée wel searched it wil be found that al such offences are punished by long straite penance as are also al othes yea the most execrable that men tooke in vaine of god or of the gods diuers opinions of religion although they were absurde wicked and lastly inuocation to the
Paul in many places pronounceth them abhominable before God the same agréeing with common experience wherein wée sée that in no Synne is more power of beastialitye ouer man nor more draweth him into thraledome yea it kéepes him in more subiection then the Wine that makes him Droncke or the King that commaundes him The Wise man sayeth that as Wine and Women doo make men Apostates and to abuse theyr honourable profession so all sinne is without man sauing this whiche corruptes effeminates defiles and dishonoureth euerye parte of the man yea it pollutes the sacred Temple of GOD and bringes to passe that the holye members of IESVS Christe are made infected members of a Whoore If the Lawe did so expreslye forbydde that there shoulde bée no whore in Israel which countreye was but a shadowe of Christendome and that the paine was no lesse then death Why should it be endured amongst Christians who being most cleare and holy by that holy and deuine profession ought to expresse as great power of perfection as the light hath ouer darknesse there is no sinne which bringes to man more miseries blindnesse and beastlynesse nor by whose occasion more controuersies and murders do rise if it did onely but make man lose the reputation of his honour and libertie of his minde that extreme wretchednesse ought to make it hatefull much more then is it detestable by howe much it leades him into the destruction of his soule which is the principall Besides that the sinne is monstrous to lose the séede which GOD hath ordeyned for the generation of man so precious in nature yea if there be encrease of children what shame and dishonour followeth their foule procreation and to howe many vices are they subiect for the contempt which the worlde hath of them in their education If then so generall slaunder hang ouer all Christendome by fornication if it make Realmes subiect to reproches of forreine Nations if in it be nourished the occasion of euyll doyng by wicked examples so manye secrete murders of Infantes without Baptisme and the enforced deliuerie of wretched maydes to auoyde sclaunder of the worlde If lastlye vnder the winges of fornication be hatched the Egges and broode of so many diuisions questions controuersies murders and warres why should there be sufferaunce of whoredome so reprobate and condemned and the onely Nurse of all miseries happening to Nations and men were it not better to condemne it to death or at the least to ioyne it to such gréeuous paynes that there might be no further wyll to followe such allurement the miserable cause of all wretched deathes Here if any wyl obiect the example and custome of the Gentils who to entertayne their pleasures in their brothell places helde opinion that man and woman consenting to suche Acte did no wrong to any séeing hauing libertie they stoode also in power to do what they woulde Let them be aunswered with this text of S. Paul Do you not knowe that you are not of your selues but that you are redeemed with a great price vvhich is the blood of Iesus Christe therfore glorifie God and carye him both in your bodies and in your spirites for so doth it appertaine to him the body was not made to play the whoremonger but to serue God who in the resurrection wyll geue it an immortall glory where some may obiect that the sinne is naturall I confesse it as touching a nature corrupted which beyng the more daungerous ought so much the more to be eschewed and corrected So much may be sayde also af naturall choller procéeding of nature vicious and so of all other vices but by the grace of Iesus Christ that vicious or corrupt nature by studie and exercise of doctrine may be reformed and by vertue chaunged by force tamed so by constraint brought to God. Socrates confessed that the Philosophie of Zophyrus was true as who saye his iudgemente by naturall coniecture vpon the lineaments of his body pronounced him to be a great whoremonger which being reprehended in Zophyrus by Socrates friendes he tolde them that Zophyrus had not iudged amisse as touching his inclination but Philosophie made him another man so that when it is sayd that this sinne is common throughout the worlde we must conclude that there is no feare of God no exercise of true doctrine nor any vse of vertue no not so much as Moral by the which thinges the Philosophers Gentiles eschewed sinnes and wonne the reputation of honest people Let vs feare that the worlde be not fallen into the like estate of wretchednesse as when God powred the generall flood ouer all the earth that as the Scripture saith All fleshe had corrupted his vvay meaning that man euen from his youth ranged after the delyte of his fleshly pleasure the same being one signe of the ende of the worlde wherein S. Paul saith that men shal be more louers of them selues then of god Let these terrors be warnings to vs to correct our vnbridled lustes after filthy and fowle pleasures Let youth restraine their inclination by good discipline continuall labours and perpetuall study of vertue Let them learne to beare the Yoke of the Lorde from the beginning mortifiyng their passions and frayle desires by meditation of death and the iudgement of god Let Parentes according to the counsell of Chrisostome rather vse a ripe care in oportunitie to mary their children then to leaue them in the handes of daunger to offende God and damne their Soules ⧠Continuaunce of the punishment of this sinne according to his other kindes ⧠The .9 Chapter TOuching Incestes amongest néere Parentes or with religious women or rauishmentes of maydes the Law hath alwayes condempned them to death The Positiue Lawe hath alwayes iudged worthye of the fire Inceste with the maides cōsecrated to god At Rome the Vestal Virgines Pagans beyng defiled with Inceste were buryed quicke and so dyed miserablie The auncient Church receiued not the incestuous religious man or woman to the Communion vntyl death In all times the lawe of nature hath condemned adulterie to extreame punishment Pharao and Abimelech iudged it one of the greatest sinnes that coulde be as by whose occasion death did not onely followe such as had commited it but also it drewe infinite miseries vppon houses Courtes and Kingdomes Amongst the Hebrues the offendour was stoned to death At Rome by the Cornelian Lawe it was lawfull to kyll the adulterer without reprehension and also for a man to refuse his wife for the suspicion of that vice euen as for the sinne beyng notorious and prooued the Christian may dissolue mariage touching cohabitation In many places men cut of the nose of the adulterer and sometimes the eares as in Egypt they pluckt out both the eyes of Locres that was the cause why Zalence King of that people pulled out owne of his owne eyes and another from his sonne who was taken with the acte which he did to accomplishe the Law notwithstanding the importunitie of
much it is an instrument to sow discord among brethrē This cryme of false witnesse can haue no excuse as hath theft nor stayeth not vppon one poynt certaine to do wrong but sometyme it rauisheth a mans goodes sometimes deuoureth his life most often endangereth his honor wherein if in the acte of one of these thrée euyls is sufficient cause of death howe much more is he wretched in whom they all thrée concurre with equall power Salomon compareth it to a Dart a Sworde and to Arrowes as if he shoulde attribute no lesse euyll to it then a wicked man may do with those thrée instrumentes Besides all this he contemneth the Iudge and derides his iudgement and by consequent both God and his iustice beléeuing as an Atheist either that there is no God which vnderstandes his falshood and not punish it or not fearing him stands in carelesse state and defieth him in what he can do against him and so is a contemner and prophaner of Iustice and of him which administreth it in the name of the Soueraigne Iudge the same being a sinne against the first Table in this case The false witnesse is adiured ordinarily in the name of God to speake the trueth and therefore is periured wherein he committes eftsones a crime most damnable for which cause Salomon saith often times that much lesse that he shall escape vnpunished but that he shall perishe miserablie the same falling vpon the two olde Iudges of Israel who falsely deposed against Susanna Therefore gouernours of common weales haue great reason to search diligētly after such plagues and to restraine all pardon and grace from such wretched offendours The wise man saith that if false witnesse bearers were but simplie in the case of lyers théeues they had alredie inherited perdicion much more then in so great cōcurse of offences do they iustly deserue seuere punishment No lesse iustice is due also to their subornors inducing them to lye to periure them selues and depose falsly to the domage of another the like also to all falsefiers with counterfaite stampes signes and seales of Princes or priuate men corrupt Notaries making false contractes caryers of vntrue reportes and lyes to be short the like iustice is due to all other working falshood either by worde writing actes subornation or supposition whether it be in case of doctrine or life Such as deceiue by faire wordes as flatterers by faigned promises as abusers by scoffes as Maskers and Cosoners with other Pharisées Ypocrites and false Prophetes being the children of Satan the great father of lyes and shifting ought to passe vnder rigorous punishment For such falshoodes are not onely preiudiciall to our neighbour but also do derogate for the most part the diuine honour for that God being the trueth it selfe is by lyes and falshood falsified and dishonoured either through ignoraunce of God or for want of his feare which is a kinde of infidelitie ¶ There is a double lust or vnlawfull couetousnesse forbidden vs as the vvife daughter or handemayde of our neighbour by the vvhich is forbidden all fleshly lust and the desire of the vvealth honour and life of any man this couetousnesse is the cause of all sinnes and the resistaunce of it is a counter defence against all sinnes to our neighbour meanes to resist it and not to suffer to seede any roote of sinne for by litle and litle it grovves great and becomes desperate against all remedies The .11 Chapter THE twoo last commaundements forbid concupiscence whiche without this prohibition many woulde haue thought to bée no sinne and are as preseruatiues of the other former which be Thou shalt not lust after thy neighbours wyfe nor couet his house his fielde his seruant his maide his Oxe his Asse nor any thing that is his I call them with good reason preseruatiues séeing God in them forbiddes vs all lust aswell after women pleasures with Gluttony as the desyre of other mens goodes in gréedines In the same is forbidden al coueuetousnesse of Estates honours and dignityes by ambition presumption and glorye and no lesse the thyrste after another mannes life by hate enuye or Auarice Wherein we are expreslie commaunded to beare desire and will to doo pleasure and seruice to our neighbour by the contraye defence to haue no affection or disposition to hurt him This wicked lust is the principall roote and first cause in the corruption of nature to make vs Whoremongers to become théeues to commit murder to enter into false testimony and to be stained with all other vices So that as when the Lawe stoppes the conduittes of these common offences against our neyghbour shée foreseeth that the vices rising therupon ouerflowe no more the worlde So if the first societye comprehended in this lust or thirst after glorye and pride were as well chained that shée issued not out of her vncleane channell whiche is our nature corrupte in Adam restrained by the first commaundements aswell of the first as second Table by the which man is taught to humble and make him selfe nothing before God expressyng the same humility in obedient heart and wyll to such as haue fatherly rule in a common weale there should be no more ouerwening ambition vaine glory nor presumption causes of so many intollerable euylles enuyroning the worlde And hauing remedies in these first commaundements such as God hath prouided for vs we must not fayle to arme our selues therewith and refraine to do the thing wherwith he may be offended The remedyes are fayth holy doctrine continuall prayer and assistaunce of the holy spirite inspiryng into our heartes secrete mocions to do well together with diligent exercise of vertue and studie of moral and pollitike disciplines by the which we are enterteyned Ciuilly in a state of common duetie towardes our neighbours and common weale Let therefore gouernours of common weales vse prouidence that of these originall springs there issue out no infect or corrupt ryuers which then comes best to passe when diligence is most applyed to youth to exercise them in good doctrine loue to vertue the better to entertaine those graces which they haue receiued in their first renouatiō by faith baptime For as it is a thing easie that a Tree notwithstanding in her first nature she be wylde and sauage yet beyng well griffed doth bring foorth and deliuer to her labourer good and swéete fruites with continuaunce of the same fertilitie being relieued at the roote and often lycoured euen so it is easie to a Christian when he is griffed and renued in Iesus Christ by baptisme where he hath taken the holy Ghost the aucthour of euery good worke to bloome in good wyll florish in doctrine fructifie in all good workes the roote of that trée being holy spirituall diuine taking her norriture of the worde of God and which Trée is made liuely by the holy spirite augmented fortified enterteyned by the sacraments specially by the sacrament of the Communion which is
by so much are they slowe in pittie but as men resolued whollye in forgetfulnesse of GOD they reioyce they laugh they sing at their Tables and passe their time in enterchaunge of wanton companies If this abuse be reprooued vnto them they aunswere Malencollye is hurtfull to their health not remembring the warning of Iesus Christe against them O wretchednesse saith he vppon you that laugh for you shall wéepe and lamente And miserye also vpon you O ye riche men which take your pleasures here and haue your consolations And no lesse vnhappye are all your others which fyll your bellyes for you shall endure eternall hunger In this are most to be reprehended Magistrates and gouernours to whose prouidence are committed so many poore people in their common weale that haue so manye desolate soules to comfort kepe so many sorowfull persons in delay of iustice and yet wil geue them neither hope in their causes nor helpe in their necessities And as they stande guiltye in the same vice with those intemperate sort if they correct not their conuersation with fines paynes and punish their bodyes to whom the Scripture pronounceth malediction Euen so they stande subiect to fall with them but much more gréeuouslye if they vse not diligence to take away the cause of this wretchednesse At Rome in the time of the Pagans there was a Law coherciue against excessiue and extraordinary expenses Much more then in the common wealth of Christendome should there be Statutes and seuere cohercions against superfluities and damnable delytes Let those epicures and belly gods of this worlde looke vp to the warning of Iesus Christ and prediction of Iob. They leade saith he their liues in good cheare and pleasures and vpon the point of death they fall into hell The riche man in the Gospell is not punished but because he helde sumptuous feastes put on gorgeous attire and despised the poore And when in hell he cryeth to refresh his tongue with one drop of water Abraham aunswered him My sonne thou hast receiued in thy lyfe thy benefites meanyng thou hast had richesse thou hast taken thy pleasures and made great cheare and this Lazarus felt nothing but miseries therfore content thy selfe thou canst not haue thy felicities twise neither he his perplexities againe Who in life tastes of pleasure after death shall be recompensed with displeasure as of the contrarye for him that suffreth euil for the honor of God is laid vp in heauen euerlasting good Other gluttons dronkards in general haue their sentence to be shut out of the kingdome of God wherein to auoide tediousnes I will not nowe medle with the examples of miseries hapned to glottons as to the Sodomites Israelites Holofernes to al which the sinne of epicurity brought miserable death Heare may bée resolued the question of some whether it bée lawfull to make banquets and whether they may be made to Ritche men wheren is to be considered that if the ende bée good and grounded vppon some office of Ciuill honestye they are not reproued Abraham made a godly banquet the same day his sōne was wained or taken from the nourse but it was an invitement to thanke God with his houshold friends for geuing him a sonne in his olde age Lot banqueted Angels whome hée tooke to bée certaine poore passangers Isaac banqueted with Abimilech for confederation of amity Ioseph congratulated the cōming of his Brethren with a sumptuous feast expressing only his feruent and natural loue to them The scripture geues much mention of Banquets Mariages and feastes of Kings such as were made on the solempne daies of sacrifices to God into the which were receiued the poore Leuites or ministers of the Temple other needy people as also in the new Testament speciallye on those daies when the communion was ministred the poore with the rest for the societye of christian Loue being made partakers of the Banquet whereof it tooke the name Agape that is charitye Christ him selfe was often at Banquets Mariages But whosoeuer made banquets to maintaine gluttony for which S. Iames reproues the Ritchmen of his time or for vaine glorye they haue theyr share with the wicked Ritche man in the Gospell in the tormentes of hell Touching mockers and scoffers let them thinke they are in the warning of Salomon That as their sinne is gréeuous so the iudgementes of God are prepared for them For séeing they ought to loue theyr neighbour as them selues they ought not onelye to bée sorye for the faulte which they reprehend and scoffe at in another but to haue compassion of it to correct it and to pray to God for him that hath the errour Repulse them farre from you sayeth the wise man for in them is nourished the causes of many contencions and therfore besides their condemnacion they shal be sure to be scoffed of others for that Gods iustice keepes his course ⧠Scoffers and men of pleasaunt conceyte pretending none other ende but to encrease pleasure are rebukeable But more if their I esting turne to the reproche of any so do they offend God Hovve vvee are bounde to employe our time It is not forbidden for all that to recreate our selues for honest purposes nor to vse our pastime and pleasure ⧠The .4 Chapter LET Scoffers and the vaine conceyted sort commonlye called pleasaunt men practising to make others laugh liue in pleasure not thinke they are without rebuke In whom albeit séemes no purpose of hurt to any yet the ende tending to the scorne of another can not bée without sinne and therefore suche pastime cannot auoide the due blame of vice Saint Paul reproueth them when hée willeth that there bée no fornication nor vncleannes nor couetousnesse named amongst them as is conuenient beséeming to holines And much lesse that there bée villany cloaked with fond speache or slenting contrarye to ciuill modestye which ought to be farre remoued from christians whose exercise standes in geuing thankes to God praising him and speaking of him employing the time also in discourse of thinges profitable good honest and tending to edifye the company Iesus Christ calleth this scoffing meaning idle wordes whereof there is reckoning to bée geuen in the iudgement of God speache vnprofitable time lost And as by S. Paul wée are warned to vse no talke but suche as maye serue and apply to edifye our neighbour So our tongue was consecrated of god by baptisme not to be emploied to other vses then to forme deuout speaches the handes to minister holy workes all the other members to be disposed to actes of goodnes acccording to theyr office for being dedicated to God to prophane thē in thinges worldlye vile filthy and vicious were as a detestable sacrileage impiety farre more greater then the prophanation which Balthasar vsed of the vessels of the temple of Salomon wherwith he banqueted his Cōcubines féeling therfore a sodaine terrible iudgement of God the night folowing And