aduerfitie and of long patience which haue spoken in the name of the Lord. Behold we count them blessed which endure Ye haue heard of the pacience of Iob and haue knowne what ende the Lord wade For the Lord is very pitifull and mercifull And pacient Iob himselfe teacheth vs the very same saying Blessed is the man whom God correcteth therefore refuse not thou the chastizement of the almightie For he maketh the wound and bindeth it vp he smiteth and his hands make whole He shall deliuer thee in sixe troubles and in the seuenth the euill shall not touch thee Iob. 5. As some murmur agaynst God onely so other some murmur both against god and man also Such are they who murmur against magistrates And these are of diuerse sorts as the Anabaptists and Libertines who perswade themselues and others that it is a disgrace for a Christian man to suffer a magistrate to rule and reigne ouer him The Papists in like sort who although they acknowledge the power of magistrates and the obedience due vnto them yet as concerning themselues they murmur at all ciuill power exempting thēselues from the same and chalenge large immunities and priuiledges But the blessed Apostles Peter and Paul exempt no persons or degrees of men from the obedience due to kings and princes as plainly appeareth by their doctrine namely wher it is said Let euerie soule be subiect to the authoritie of the bier powers for there is no power but of God and the powers that bee are ordained of God whosoeuer therefore resisteth the power resisteth the ordinance of God and they that resist shall receyue to themselues damnation For Princes are not to bee feared for good woorkes but for euill Wilt thou then bee without feare of the power Doe well so shalt thou haue prayse of the same For he is the minister of God for thy wealth But if thou doe euill feare for hee beareth not the sworde for nought for hee is the minister of God to take vengeance vpon him that dooth euill Wherefore yee must bee subiect not because of wrath onelie Rom. 13. but also for conscience sake For for this cause also pay you tribute for they are Gods ministers serning for the same purpose And the Apostle Peter whose successour the Pope falsely vaunteth himselfe to bee teacheth the verie same doctrine of obedience saying Submit your selfe to all manner ordinance of man for the Lordes sake whether it bee vnto the King as vnto the chiefe heade eyther vnto Rulers as vnto them that are sent of him for the punishment of euill dooers but for the cherishing of them that doe well For so is the will of God that with well dooing yee may stoppe the mouthes of ignorant and foolish men 1. Pet. 2. as free and not hauing the libertie for a cloake of maliciousnesse but euen as the seruants of God Honour all men loue brotherlie felowship feare God honour the King By these places of holie Scriptures it is most manifest that Kings Queenes and other princes are ordained of God are to bee obeyed and honoured of all persons without exception of anie being as Peter termeth them chiefe heades that is subiect to no earthlie potentate within their dominions and therefore Paul in most generall tearmes requireth euerie soule to be subiect of what sexe calling or degree soeuer he be to the king which in earth next vnder God is the chiefe heade Thereby teaching vs that as all manner of persons ought to bee subiect so such subiects as are murmurers disobedient or rebellious agaynst their souereigne doe disobey God and bring vppon themselues damnation also that the gouernment of Princes is a great blessing of God giuen for the common wealth especially of the good and godlie for the comfort and cherishing of whom God giueth and setteth vp princes and on the contrarie part to the feare and for the punishment of the euill and wicked Yea although they should bee wicked and tyrannous whom God hath placed ouer vs in authoritie yet are they to bee obeyed without all murmuring For the which cause God commaunded the Iewes by the mouth of the Prophet Iere. 27. 2. King 24. to obey Nebuchadnezer and was angrie with Zedechias the king because he reuolted from him Ieremie also by the commaundement of God admonished and exhorted the people to pray for the health of the king of Babylon And Dauid would not stretch foorth his hande agaynst Saul the Lords anoynted when hee might haue done it without any difficultie and to his great commoditie The good and godlie sort of souldiers which serued Iulianus the Apostata obeyed him in his militarie businesse neyther did they at any time shew themselues mutinous notwithstanding that they were continually armed Phocas when hee had slaine Mauritius possessed the Empyre by great violence and iniustice and wrote vnto Gregorie Bishop of Rome who obeyed Phocas as his Prince and gaue vnto him great reuerence If wicked Emperours and Kings which were tyrants and cruell oppressours of their people and subiects are by the commaundement of God to be obeyed and not onely obeyed but their prosperous estate also prayed for 1. Tim. 2. howe much more are wee bound in conscience in reason and in nature to obey and wish well vnto a Christian Prince our naturall souereigne and most gracious gouernour and Queene without all murmuring the very roote of rebellion according to the counsell of most wise Salomon My sonne feare the lord and the king and meddle not with them that are seditious Prou. 24. The first Murmurer and stirrer vp of sedition and rebellion was Lucifer by creation a bright and glorious Angell but through his ambicious pride by which hee was drawen into open rebellion against God hee was cast downe into hell and made the most foule fiend of eternall darknes As the diuell the father of murmurers agaynst the ordained powers of God had this foule fall so also no doubt all those which are possessed with the same spirite are like to incurre the like vengeance of almightie God as by reading al stories most plainly is to be seone Some of the children of Israel being murmurers against their magistrates appointed ouer them by God Num. 12. Num. 11. were stricken with foule leprosie many were consumed with fire suddenly sent from the Lord some time many thousands of them were destroied with the pestilence somtime they were stung to death with a strange kind of fierie serpents and which is most horrible some pricipall men being captaines with their whole bande of murmurers not dying by any vsuall or naturall death of men but the carth opening Num. 16. they with their wiues children and families were swallowed quicke downe into hell The which are notable examples of perpetuall memorie teaching all subiects how highly god is displeased with the murmuring and euill speaking of subiects against their princes for that as the scripture recordeth their murmuring is not against the prince onely
law which he wil haue remaine inuiolable namely Thou shalt not kill The which is the second commandement of the second table and yet the first of the negatiue sort By the which commandement the killing of brute beasts is not restrained Whose life or death God hath referred vnto mans will as appeareth in Genesis but the killing of man is vtterly forbidden that no man be so hardie as to kill himselfe or any other The reason is because man both as touching the bodie and the soule is the most excellent creature of God For albeit he made his bodie of the slime of the earth yet made he his soule of nothing after his owne image Gen. 2. placing the same in the bodie when he had breathed into his face the breath of life Moreouer forsomuch as man is immediatly subiect vnto God therefore God reserueth vnto himselfe the power of mans life or death insomuch that it is vtterly vnlawfull for one man to kil another and therefore Christ said vnto Peter who had a purpose to kill Matt. 26 Put vp thy sword into thy sheath for whosoeuer striketh with the sword shall perish with the sword Notwithstanding they which in a iust warre are souldiers armed by their prince to fight for the liberties of their coūtrey against any forreigne enemie that shal come to inuade the land are not murtherers in shedding their bloud and in killing such enemies 1. Sam. 18 1. Sam. 25 but the Lords souldiers fightting the Lords warre and the Lords battailes as may appeare by manie testimonies out of scripture As when the Syrian king had gathered his power against Iehosaphat Iahaziel the Leuit being inspired with the holy Ghost came to Iehosaphat after hee had made his prayers and gaue him this incouragement saying This is the warre of God not of men 2. Chro. 20 They therfore which fight the Lords battails haue this promise made vnto thē by God himselfe Leuit. 26. One of you shall chase a thousand and ten ten thousand Because the Lord himselfe as the Prophet Dauid speaketh will teach your hands to fight Psal 144. and frame your fingers to the battaile The souldier therefore in this action which fighteth vnder the standard of a Christian prince for the defence of Gods true religion against idolatrous Papists and proude Spaniards which with fire and sworde are readie to inuade need not to feare and stand in doubt their quarrell is Gods and therefore vndoubtedly good Let such therefore take vnto them a good courage and play the men The more blood they shed of such miscreants the more holy are their handes consecrated vnto the Lorde Exod. 32. and the greater blessing they shall receiue from him In like maner the magistrate which punisheth malefactors by death dooth not offende against this cōmandement but doth kill according to the prescript rule of Gods law where he saith Thou shalt not suffer a malefactor to liue The Iudge himselfe should sinne against God Deut. 18. if he should suffer such euill persons notoriously knowne lawfully conuented before him to liue Saul lost his kingdome and procured vnto himselfe the wrath vengeance of god 1. Sam. 15. because he slue not those sinners the Amalechites In like maner when the Lord had deliuered into the handes of Achab Benhadad the king of Assyria Achab entring into league with him let Benhadad go Then came to him one of the Prophets in the worde of the Lord saying 1. King 20. Because thou hast deliuered the man worthie of death out of thy hand thy life shall go for his and thy people for his people Which came accordingly to passe For within a while after he fighting with the Assyrians was slain Hereby it doth euidently appeare that magistrates doe highly displease the maiestie of God which punish not murtherers and such like malefactors being therevnto by God called ordained For what is the cause that many cruel and horrible murthers are committed but the impunitie of such wickednesses For murderers many times find friends which for money wil procure a pardon But when through such facilitie of remission pardon a second murther by the same malefactors is committed what else are such friends to bee accounted but buiers and sellers of bloud Wheras God to the contrarie hath said Ye shal take no recompence for the life of the murtherer Num. 35. which is worthy to die but he shal die the death Therefore those magistrates doe highly please god which administer iustice against such bloody mē according to the law of God man Thus much concerning the letter of the commaundement Thoushalt not kill By giuing the which precept the Lorde is not onely carefull to haue obedience from our hands but also from our hearts and tongues so that both thoughts and words as well as actions must come vnder subiection vnto him that neither of them be infected with malice which the Lord so hateth and abhorreth For we must interpret the law according to the nature of the law-giuer Man by reason that he onely seeth the deed and cannot discerne of the heart maketh lawes for the outward doings and punisheth them alone without proceeding further But the Lord who searcheth the very heart and reignes maketh lawes for it and punisheth euen the consent of heart going against his law For inasmuch as the Lord hateth the euill it selfe he cannot but abhorre it wheresoeuer he shall find it whether in hand heart or tongue Of the sinne of adulterie Christ saith Who soeuer beholdeth a woman and lusteth after her Matt. 5. hath alreadie committed adulterie in his heart And Saint Iohn sayeth also Whosoeuer hateth his brother is a man-slecr For as Saint Hierom sayeth Quiodit fratrem suum qui occidit pari poena digni sunt Hee which killeth and hee which hateth his brother deserueth one and the selfe same punishment Whereby wee see that not onely grosse euils come into reckoning before the Lorde but euen hatred setled in the heart although the hande hath neuer beene stretched foorth to execute the same Neither commeth it before him as some trifling thing which dooth not greatlie displease him but appeareth monstrous hauing no other shape vppon it nor lesse account made of it then of murther Thus must we thinke of hatred consented vnto in the heart that it hath a blouddie face in the sight of the Lorde and therefore is to be abhorred and loathed as the crueltie of murther Saint Augustine sayth that the Iewes no lesse killed Christ then the Romans did although the Iewes layde no violent hands vpon him Whereunto also accordeth Saint Hierom writing vpon Isai Thou sayth he hast not killed with the sword but thou hast killed with the will And God in his law pronounceth a curse agaynst this secred murther saying Cursed is he that smiteth his neighbour secretly Therefore sayth the Lorde Deut. 27. Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart Hatred ouerruleth
their obiects that is to say by the matter wherein they are imploied as the sight is knowne because it apprehendeth the light and discerneth colours and the hearing likewise in that it admitteth soundes and voyces let vs see what the effect of Schisme and sedition is It may truly be said to effect and bring in priuation and expulsion of two most excellent things that is to say of Order and of Vnitie Order according to Saint Augustines opinion is that by which all things and all persons high or lowe equall or vnequall are disposed and set in their proper places All things in the world are not equall and of like valour but then they seeme to be ordered when they are well disposed and set in conuenient places and humane actions haue then an order when things are framed according to their condition and worthines Vpon the which matter Chrisostome hath notably written in his Homilye 23. vpon Saint Paul his Epistle to the Romanes where hee saith that because equalitie of honour and condition causeth oftentimes many dissensions God hath ordained principalities and many subiections as that of the man and his wife of the father and the sonne of the olde man and the yong of the bond and the free of the master and the seruant of the teacher and the disciple and of the king and the subiect And no maruaile if God hath appointed this order among men when as he hath made the like in our bodies as the head in the highest part and therin the eyes as windowes vnder them he hath placed the mouth to take in sustenance and prouision for strength then the breast to containe the vital parts the stomach to concoct the meates then the loynes legges and feete for supporters of the whole The which being thus ordered within our view do shew forth the great wisedome of the workemaister But if the saide parts be confounded transposed and out of order they make not a man but a monster The like is to be seene among beasts as in Bees in Cranes in flocks of sheepe and among wilde beasts The Sea is not without this discipline where also innumerable sculles of fishes are defended and garded vnder one principall leader If God in the creation of all liuing things hath established such an order among the beasts deuoide of reason how much more necessarie is it that there be order for the good gouernment of men his most excellent creatures to whom he hath made subiect all other things that in God his most excellent common wealth there may be a superioritie also and a subiection a principalitie and an obedience among men according to their seuerall orders and degrees without the which there can be no gouernment but a confusion Anarchia or gouernment of states without a king is of all regiments the worst For where there wanteth a chiefe heade there the people are as sheepe readie for the butcher God gaue Israel in his wrath the choise of foure things namely whether they would haue Rehoboam a foole to be their king the Storke to rule ouer them Assur to be their king or whether still they woulde bee at this stay Nullus Rex est nobis quia non timuimus Iehouam That is We are destitute of a king because we haue not feared the Lord. To haue Rehoboam is ill to haue Ieroboam is woorse to haue the king of Asstria is worsse in the third degree but Nullus Rex No king is woorst of all When there is no king euerie man doth what liketh him best Iudg. 17. Where there is no king men be like fishes the great deuour the small Though it be ill to haue a Lion or a Woolfe to be our king yet it is better to haue one then many to feare one then many A prince is called the breath of our nostrels Iere. 20. And Daniel likeneth him to a great shadowing tree But if God send vs in steade of his good Angell an euill Angell in steade of a tree to keepe vs from the heate of the Sunne a Iuniper tree which will suffer no plant to prosper neare it in steade of light a stinking snuffe it is I confesse a great cursse but if he take both the one and the other from vs all his heauie displeasure is fallen vpon vs. When Iacob had blessed his sonnes with all good things in the end as if he had yeelded nothing without a ruler he beseecheth God to giue them a faithfull Ruler like Ioseph This order and this gouernement therfore God hath giuen vnto his people from time to time in his great loue and fauour for a blessing as the Prophet Dauid acknowledgeth in the Psalme 77. Where he sayth Thou leddest thy people like sheepe by the handes of Moses and Aaron God him selfe is the General and principall leader for the whole worlde is his Moses and Aaron are but Gods hands Gods lieutenants here in earth the one with the worde the other with the sworde They bee both Gods handes Gods guides and Gods pastors They both together may be compared to the two Cherubims with their wings spread to defend and couer the Arke It is most true that Natura non abundat in rebus superfluis nec deficit in necessarys Nature dooth not abound in superfluous things nor faile in necessarie things It is a maimed bodie where either hand Moses or Aaron do want The coniunction of both which maketh a happie gouernment For the which cause Moses was glad of Aarons companie He will be glad said God to Aron when he seeth thee 2. Sam. 24. vers 18. So Dauid had his seeing Gad to be his watchman he would not trust his owne sight onely If Gad the Prophet Dauids Seer had seene no better then Dauid at one time he and all his had beene lost The good that commeth by this coniunction made king Iehosaphat not to vndertake his warres vntil he had asked counsaile of the Priest The which Ioshua neglecting made a couenant with the Gibeonites Ioshua 9. which he afterward too late repented Aaron Gods high Priest is pro Rege Lege Grece That is He commaundeth the king to be honoured the lawe to be kept and the people to be loued The people are of great power being a multitude whom Moses cannot gouerne well without Aarons hand When Alexander came into India and saw there the great Behemoth the Elephant and Porus his little sonne riding on his backe and ruling him as he list he wondred greatly and said Sivires suas noscet non reciperet sessorem If he knew his great strength he would not so easily be backed So may it be said of the multitude that if they be not politiquely and wisely gouerned as well by the one as the other they will not be easily commaunded In simplicitie the people are like sheepe they liue by example And the people haue this propertie of sheepe that if one leape into the ditch all will follow that one Therefore they
before and with falshood shameful deceit withdraweth stealeth it from the right heires she ladeth first her honest poore husband with great shame great trauel labor sorrow and pain in that he is compelled to bring vp those adulterous children which are not his own Moreouer she dishonoreth her father her mother her kinred her children euen her lawfull children who in time to come will be ashamed of her and of whom doubt will be made in the world whether they be lawfully begotten or no. Therefore when they speake of their mother or heare her named they are abashed and ashamed Adultresses also make their husbands to be despised and of no reputation though they be honest and vertuous men These and such like innumerable confusions shame hurt hishonour and filthinesse follow vpon abhominable adultery besides the poisonings murders treasons manslaughters and other mischiefes that ensue by reason of the same which I ouerpasse This did the ancient and noble men of old time weigh consider and therfore righteously and vpon iust occasion haue they appointed the punishmeÌ„t of death as due for the abhominable sin of adulterie Yet adulterers alledge for their defence that this rigorous punishment of death appointed by god hath not bene executed or put in practize at any time vpoÌ„ the offenders For Dauid was an adulterer say they and yet receiued no punishment therfore Yea the Lord Christ himselfe did abrogate and dissolue the punishment of adulterie forsomuch as he commaunded not the woman taken in adultery to be put to death Iohn 8. but bad her go her way and sinne no more and for because no man condemned her he also let her go To this I answere God hath once alreadie reuealed his will in his lawe concerning the punishment due to this sinne now if men do not execute the punishment according to Gods commaundement yet remaineth the law of God irreuocable and sure Therefore this is a vaine obiection And albeit all sentences and iudgements that haue beene executed of olde vpon adulterers be not extant in holy Scripture it is no maruaile For Gods booke is not so generall a Register that wee must looke to finde in the same the actes and punishments of all vnthriftes and brothels and the execution of all such malesactours The storie of Susanna telleth howe it was like to haue gone with her which plainly sheweth that such execution was then in vse Dauid also committed adulterie once in his life which was the occasion of the horrible murther also which he committed so that he caused not onely his faithfull seruant Vriah but other noble men in like maner to be slaine What came of it Truth it is he was not stoned to death But what chaunged vnto him Surely euen as he had dishonoured another mans childe so sawe he shame vpon his owne children while he liued and that with great wretchednesse For Amon defloured Thamar his owne naturall sister and they both were Dauids children And Abshalom did miserably slay Amon his brother for committing that wickednesse with his sister Thamar Not long after did the same Abshalom driue his owne naturall father Dauid out of his Realme and vnnaturally and shamefully lay with his fathers wiues Whereupon there followed an horrible great slaughter in the which Abshalom was slaine with many thousands mo of the common people Now let euerie man indifferently weigh with himselfe whether it be not a lesse thing once to haue execution and to die then to abide the death of so manie and that so long with such miserie and sorrow Therefore was Dauid more grieuouslie punished then if he had beene but once stoned to death Let euerie man then learne here by this example that none can escape the hande of God although the worlde lay no hand vpon him God neuerthelesse punisheth and that with a more heauie iudgement when hee doth it not here but deferreth it vnto another worlde And whereas they make Christ a maintainer of adulterers that is too intollerable wickednesse Christ neuer gaue libertie to sinne for hee sayth I came not to breake the lawe but to fulfill it Saint Paul also sayth To the righteous there is no lawe giuen but to the vnrighteous and disobedient to wheremongers to periured to liers and blasphemers And to the Galathians he sayth Walke ye in the spirite so are ye not vnder the lawe Therefore forsomuch as adulterers do walke in the flesh and not in the spirite they are vnder the lawe neither hath the Lord taken the lawe and punishment from them Moreouer as touching the storie in the 8. chapter of Saint Iohn we must consider that the Lord said vnto the adultresse Woman hath no man condemned thee And when she had answered No man lord He sayd Neither do I condemne thee For with this answer laid he before her the sentence of the Iudges to strike her coÌ„science that she might feele and see what she had deserued But forsomuch as he was not come nowe to giue sentence as a Iudge but to saue hee woulde not condemne her and therefore neither medled with the law nor act The Lord was now come to haue mercie vpon sinners and to call to repentance Therefore said he also to this woman Go thy way and sinne no more By which words the Lorde doth warne all such as are tangâ—â—◠〈◊〉 adulterie to cease from henceforth and to amend In so doing God wil haue mercy vpon them and take from them the same dishonour paine and punishment which they haue greatly deserued For God hath no delight in the destruction of a poore sinner but will rather that they conuert and liue But if they will not turne if they will needs be stiffe necked and set foorth their shameles foreheads then verily doth God watch ouer their wickednesse and sayth thus vnto them by the mouth of the Prophet Hieremie In the desire of vncleane lust they are become like vnto stallandes euery one neieth after his neighbours wife should I not punish this Wherefore all they that do persist in this wickednesse may dayly looke for the heauie vengeance of God to fall vpon them Therefore that thou mayest eschue the same and the contagion of so foule a leprosie embrace these fewe lessons as speciall preseruatiues 1 Eschew idlenesse and euer be occupied in some honest labour 2 Auoyde all occasions of euill all suspect houses and wanton companie 3 Beware of filthie communication wanton songs and histories of bawderie 4 Vse sobrietie and temperance in meat drinke sleepe and apparell 5 Looke not to narrowly vpon the beautie of a woman 6 Be dayly conuersant with such persons as are both chaste honest vertuous and godly 7 Remember often the passions of Christ for sinne 8 Consider the certaintie and suddennesse of death and of the day of iudgement 9 Vse dayly faithfull and feruent prayer vnto God for the gracious gift of chastitie and of cleannesse of heart So dooing thou shalt be sure to reape the fruit to thy continuall