seing they misknowe and offend their creator no more should they enioy it longe if the nomber of Gods elect and his faithfull seruants were accomplished for then would he reuerse the world to the which he giues not this continuance but for their sakes And therfore wicked men ought to honor the good sort by whome they are and prosper in the world as with out them they had ben ere this caried into the déepest botoms But much lesse that those pore blind men can sée the estat of their proper errors seing they haue not the facultie of consideration of thinges necessarie for they haue neyther eyes of fayth nor light of scriptures to deserne that which concernes the health or perdicion of men Touching factions and warrs of one Christian realme against an other there can not happen to the world a more great malediction no ther are no actions of men where with the maiestie of God is more offended wherin such as vnder the pretence of any profite giue councells and be as it were the bellowes to blowe the brondes of such murders cannot but stand guiltie and worthy of a thousand hels in respect of the infinit offences committed against God by breaking the league of Christian fraternitie and indissoluble aliance of amitie wherin Iesus christ hath knit vs together in more strong charitie then naturall brethern one with an other who if they raise contention one against an other what will their Father saye if they strike one an other what cause of indignation against them but if they kill one an other what great displeasur to him it is holden by the scripture the Adam remained a hundreth yeares frō knowing his wife Eue for the sorow which he had of the murder of his sonne Cayn against his brother Abell if such as sowe discord amongst brethern be aboue other most displeasing and abhominable to god what reputacion to those brothers entertayning ciuill debate amongest them selues who in nothing more can incurre so great abhomination afore god if such as only hate their brethren be murderours can not haue eternall life in what daunger of iudgement stand they who not onely hate but oppresse persecute and kill if simplie to bée angrie against reason and of a wicked hart deserueth condemnacion if to offer half an iniurie bringes merit of punishment and if for calling our brother foole we stand in daunger of hell fyer what infliction of punishmēt ought to be prepared for brethern maintayning controuersie by hate enforcing actes of mutuall hostilitie and with great cōtempt of nature cut one anothers throate if God refuseth the prayers or sacrifices of such as present them afore his aulter bearing enimitie against any and not performed reconcilement how can such as slaughter one another so directly against the will and commaundement of the Lord offer eyther prayers or other acts helping to their saluation yea if they purge not their grudge by recōciliation their praiers can not be drawn vp to heauen Let therefore these reasons with others of no lesse consideracion be drawne into déepe coūcell afore warre be taken in hand let all meanes of peace be searched and if there bee malice séeke after attonement yea let not the sunne goe downe vppon your anger saith S Paule if there be question for a towne fortresse or countrey let wise Princes Presidents and Councellours accorde the difference For if warre bée once begonne perill appeares on euery syde and as the euent is vncertaine so the charge of thrée monthes pay for an armie will ryse to more then the profit that comes by it in many yeares besides to a place being gotten with great cost belonges no lesse care to kéepe it and therefore no small grief when it is eftsoones recouered not reckoning the spoyles robberies murders violation of wiues mayds and widowes with other infinit euils incident by the fury of warre for the which what satisfaction can be acceptable afore God wo be to those seducers who for any temporal benefit sturre vp Christiā Princes to lenie warre one against another to the great dishonour of Christian Religion oftentimes their proper ruine by this it hapneth that as Kinges Christian Princes haue ben in diuision the furious tyger of Christendome obseruing his oprtunitie hath entred into our common weale of Europe and made much of it subiect to his tirannie against whom all nations Kings of the faith ought to conspire in one cōmon force and chase him out of the parke of Iesus Christ which he hath already inuaded with violent slaughter of the séely sheepe of our almightie Lord yea they ought also to keepe warre against the Wolues Foxes wandring throughout the world to deuower the residue of this poore flocke I meane heritikes authors of these new reprobat sects against whom the Princes of Christian nations ought to fight no lesse valiantly then did the Jewes against the Philistines Amalachites other Idolaters Christians ought not to commence sute one against an other least by pleading in processes there arise hate or malice And to the man of GOD better were it to suffer the losse of worldly goods then to vex the quiet tranquillitie of his spirit to lose the exercise of his godly vocation to put him selfe in hazerd of Idolatrie to corrupt Iudges for the gaining of his cause to take occasiō to beare euil wil to his aduersary to forge deceites delayes lies lastly to be constrained for his iustification to discouer the vices of the witnesses suborned against him All which perplexities ioyned to abuses damnable ought to warne arme al Christiās not to attēpt proces for light causes but rather to search all meanes of concord as Iesus Christ commaunds vs And in cases where men are cōpelled to prosecute pleading as S. Paule was to defend him selfe against the false accusations of the Jewes let them beware they beare no malice to the partie whom we are bound to loue according to the aduertisement exāmple of Christ as also whē a Prince raiseth warre against a tirant he ought not to bear hate to his person but pursue him to iustice with compassion Let Princes al other popular states obserue the rules of charitie in whom since God is delited to make his perpetual residence there is no doubt but if she be the guide to our worldly actions we shall bring forth in our cōmon cōuersatiō such true effects of Christianitie that neyther ambiciō malice nor preheminence of place or authoritie shal carie vs into actes of opression against our neyghbour nor yet the consideration of small wronges offered to our selues by others moue vs to take to blame those thinges which by the office of our religiō we ar bound to couer or at least not to enter into violent recompence but to leaue the reueng to God to whom it belongeth Let thefore publike preachers and pastors of the holy word exhorte the worlde on all sides to reconcilement
God and as it were to deface him Besides man being the headde and ende of the workes of God for whome all thinges were created and subsist and for whose restitution God toke vpon him the qualety of man shedding his Blood in the same to whome the Aungelles serue in earth as his ministers and for whome God hath prepared so excellent a kingdome in heauen what offence then doeth the murderer to committe slaughter on a creature so dearelye estéemed of God and so artificiallye made that neyther the heauen the earth nor all the perticular creatures in them can not holde comparison with that incomprehensible workmanship hée that shoulde breake the Image or feiture of a King or raze or plucke downe one of his Castles which hée had erected with great pompe coste yea if the King had employed the life of his proper sonne to make it vp againe after it bee destroied would the King euer receiue this man into grace it is not therefore without cause that in the scripture there is neuer grace graunted to the murderer it is also forbidden to take the price of blood vniustlye spilt meaning that in the Iudge is no power to consent that the Parents of the dead should sell the death of him that was murdered but that life should bee rendered for life neyther doo I thinke that there had béene any paine sufficient to punish the effusion of blood if it had not beene ruled by the Lawe seeing that in true equitie it can not bée possible to satisfye so vile an acte yea though the partie endured straite and long fasting to praye incessantly to God to distribute all his goodes for Gods sake put on héere cloathe to suffer harde lodging and passe in effect thorowe euery pang and passion of a Martyre That is no satisfaction where restitucion is not made with the like who hath power to geue life in exchaunge for lyfe what iust recompence can bée offered to the parentes for the slaughter of theyr Childe or howe can the Sonne bee satisfied for the death of his Parentes euen so in other murders there can bée no iust satisfaction and muche lesse any equalitye So that if for razing or burning a materiall temple or sometimes a common house the offendour suffereth iustlye the torment of the fyre howe shoulde hée escape who pulleth downe to the earth the true and spirituall temple of God and his sacred house Dauid by whom was wrought the death of his Capitaine Vrias coulde neuer haue pardon of God notwithstanding his great penaunce in continuall teares wherewith hée sayde hée watered and bathed euerye night his couche before hée had proued infinite miseries and his sonne conceiued in adulterye dead Yea knowing the lawe to bée inuiolable hée would not graunt Pardon to the murderer Ioab his great Constable notwithstanding the merite of his many seruices and being the onelye meane by the which hée recouered his Kingdome so well did hee know the indignation that God bare to sette murder and suche as by malice spill blood which cryeth on earth continuall vengeance afore God against the murderer and against the Iudge that delaieth sharpe and spéedy iustice yea also against the inhabitauntes of the place if they bée carelesse to procure seuere punishment this is also one argument that the effucion of blood is of great displeasure with God for that who so killeth another by chaunce being frée from malice farre from any moode of grudge must of necessity withdrawe him selfe into a Toune of refuge assured by the lawe there to remaine vntil the death of the great Priest otherwaies there is no suretie of his life From thence comes the custome of our time to sue to the Prince for grace in cases of such murders For much lesse that the lawe geues pardon to the Traiterous or malicious murderer seeing shée giues power and commaundement to kill him yea euen afore the high Aulter of the Temple The Lawe forbidding murders and distributing as hath béene sayd seuere punishmentes hath also a meaning to restraine and defend the causes motions propratiues to such sinnes as iniuryes choller 's inimities wicked cousayls false reports detractiōs diffamations enuies desire of reuenge couetousnesse debates quarels factions warres The which causes for that they were not wel vnderstoode in the lawe Christ toucheth expresseth some of them when he saith vvho is angrye vvith his brother vvithout cause is vvorthy of condemnation but more hée the speakes an iniury to him thirdly who with the hart of an enemy accomplisheth the iniurie if hée that calles his brother or neighbor foole bée of hel what punishmēts are due to contencions detractiōs vniust violences if he that beareth hate to his brother in his heart bée a murderer afore God expressing this damnable grudge by outward signes by which the magistrate may bée induced to certainty of iudgement is he not bound to put in execution the sentence of the scripture specially if they bée propratiues to the murder such as séeme to geue apparant motion to the facte But if the doctrine of god were rightly preached vnderstoode how could there bee any assault or acte of murder when euen to bée angry hate or speake euil of our neighbor brings with it the paine of eternal damnation Let vs loue one another yea beare such affectiō to our enemies as to die for them according to the example of Iesus Christ who loued prayed and did many benefits and dyed also euen for his enemies ¶ Diuers punishmentes of whoredome according to the diuersitie of kindes of the same sinne ¶ The .8 Chapter THE thirde commaundement forbiddes whordom of what kind soeuer it be fornicatiō which wée call simple as betwéene a man a woman not maried hath béene alwaies in the law of nature condemned to the fire as witnesseth Iudas who condemned Thamar his moare being accused of whoredome aftershée had béene the Widdowe of twoo of the dead Children of Iudas by succession of death as the Lawe and custome of that tyme did beare yea hée had committed her to the fire if hee had not béene guiltie in the fact In the law of Moyses if the Daughter had defiled the house of her Father with actes of lust and that hée knewe of it shee was stoned to death with her whoremonger yea if she cryed not out in open voyce in what place soeuer the violence was vsed shée dyed by the Lawe and her rauisher also the most excusable fornication was condemned to infamye and gréeuous correction of fines Moyses forbadde that there shoulde bee no whoore nor stewes and in respect of the grauetye of that sinne the lawe receyued the offering of a whoore no otherwaies then as money for the sale of a dogge In the new testament such whoredoms are pronounced worthy of eternal death then nothing lesse doo they merite corporall death according to God Christ sayeth They do transforme and defile a man and Saint
of their father at least touching necessarie reliefe and what more apparant wrong to their saide Father giuing them the saide goods in super aboundance to the end to compart them to the ayde of his other children shal not he haue iust reason to disenherit those vnthankfull rich children and conuert the inheritance to the others who were not relieued but of their handes and would not endure hunger and nakednesse to impart compassion with them If there were no brotherhood but onely societie as being all companions and conseruauntes in the seruice of one maister who giuing them as to his deputies and stewardes money and prouision to entertayne his house if they conuerted all to féede them selues or made priuate vses of it in their owne houses whereby their fellowe seruauntes complayned is it not sayd that such seruaunts as murderers shal be bestowed with the ypocrites and wicked and feele perpetuall tormentes Let therefore the ritch sort by the aduise of the Scripture acknowkedge the poore as their bretheren and in the same consideration let them entreat them faithfully in houshold societie according to the will and commaundement of the great Maister who hath giuen them prouision enough to nourishe the whole multitude of his familie by which there is no doubt but GOD as a discrete Father of a houshold and wise and rich maister bringes compotent prouision of all sortes of necessary reliefe yea euen to aboundance to féede and entertaine his familie and is not accustomed to withdraw that bountifull store if it be not to correct the disobedience of his dissolute and vnthankfull children and seruaunts So that let the riche vnderstand here suffering the poore to smart in necessitie in what estate of sharp condemnacion they stande afore God whose stewardes and officers they are to distribute his treasure not to the fancie of their vayne pleasures or to kéepe it to vnprofitable vses but after the necessitie of their owne familie be satisfied to commit the rest to distribution to their poore bretheren and fellow seruaunts whom if they abandon and vse in negligent compassion euen so many miseries diseases and deathes as they shall suffer for want of succours shal be reserued and refined vpon the heades of the rich in the eternall iudgement of god Let them not be ignorant that God hath not replenished the earth with so many poore but to be a meane to the rich men vsing ayde and compassion of their saluation as without whom they cannot be receyued into the kingdom of recompence For so he that aydes a prophet receiueth the hyer of a prophet and who hath compassion of the poore receyueth the recompence of the poore which is the kingdome of god And so the rich man may haue paradise aswell as the poore so that he giue him societie in hys ritches Saint Paule in these few wordes cōprehendes all the dutie of the rich mā Instruct O Timothe sayeth he the rich men of the world not to be proud nor to lay vp any hope in their vncertayne riches but in GOD who impartes to euery one plentifull meanes of honest and sufficient hauiour Let them do well and bée riche in good workes gyue easely that is in liberalitie and without grudge or force communicat their riches to the needie and so lay a foundacion of euerlasting life Let them be the seruauntes of God and not thralles to worldly goods wherein who reposeth confidence falles into miserie from the which riches can not deliuer thē saith the wise man but vertue onely afore God they draw men into infinit sinnes makinge their owners more couetous forgetting God and the dutie of nature they vexe them with disquiet of mind and will not suffer them to afford cōpassion to the néedie no not by way of loane the same being the cause why Christ holdeth it no more possible for a riche man to bée saued then a great Camell to passe thorow the eye of a néedle and for the rarenes of good rich men it is saied right happy is that rich man which hath ben founde without blot hath not gone after gold couetousnes hauing this propertie in rich men neuer to be satisfied but with the plentie of goods increaseth in desire to haue more as the fyer becomes hoater being fed with aboundance of drie wood If there be any rich man saith he without blot as not proud not couetous not iniurious not dissolute but humble liberall pitifull to the néedie and not carefull of the pleasures of the world we will praise him Rich men haue their example in Loth and Abraham great almes giuers who of their wealth made instrumentes of pietie Let the poore also for their partes bée humble patient without murmur and pride a vice aboue all other most intollerable in pouertie let them offer their bodies to labor to the ende they be not vnworthy of the bread they eate Let thē reioise in the promise of that wealth which farre excéedes the value of worldly goods not douting but if god had séene that the aboundance of earthly treasure had ben necessary for them he had ordeyned them to it aswell as others but knowing their infirmities he foresaw that the abuse of riches would haue led them to haue displeased God and so be instruments of their eternall destruction Let thē follow their humble vocation in mildnes and dutie of mind with this suertie that their heauenly protector patrone will neuer leaue them without succours in all their affaires and necessities But nowe because Christ biddes vs giue to all that aske whereupon question may rise whether we be bound to giue alwayes or to giue to him that borroweth or lende without demaunding profit Firste we must consider that in the commaundement of IESUS Christe to gyue to all that aske is meant to gyue to the poore and in the name of GOD Otherwayes it coulde not bee an acte of vertue and worthy of the eternall reward promised to the almes giuer And as in giuing to him that hath giuen or if we doe pleasure to him of whom wée haue receyued or hope to receyue benefit is but an acte ciuill cōmon to the Pagan So also to giue to the poore by a natural compassion for the onely regard of his pouertie is a worke of naturall boūtie which some make morall But séeing the act is not done to the end that it ought that is to Gods honor to the which all déedes ought to be conuerted it is not worthie of recompence of God because there is nothing done for him Well we are bound according to the rate of our hauiour to giue alwaies to the néedie but with this lesson to know first who be truely needie of whō there be thrée sortes the one is he that is extreemely poore to him I owe my vittailes and garmentes that remaine aboue the necessitie of myne owne vse And if I be not able to succour al such needie people at the least with Saint
follow All which hapneth by the default of the head in whom was vnderstanding both to kéepe him selfe and the body from euill and also to prouide remedy if it did happen euen so when there is either ill prouidence to preuent an euill or worse negligence to purge and cure it nor seeking out the cause till the effect be expressed it is then we see plagues famine with other rodds of God wherewith yet as he doth not scourge specially a countrey or common weale without great offence as one that will not strike with his staffe but where he finds obstinacie and resistance So let vs then do as children to their father whoÌ„ they haue offended for he strikes as a father and seeing him staÌ„d with rods in his hand ready to discipline fall vpon their knées at his feete and with teares demaund pardoÌ„ on whom in respect of their hartie submission as he is coÌ„tent to bestow but two or thrée little lashes presently cast the rods in the fier so also if their wéeping humilitie had appeared afore he tooke the rods in his haÌ„d they had not at all felt the smart euen so deales GOD with vs correcting vs with easie discipline as his children and if we crie him mercy there is nothing more familiar with him then forgiuenes yea he will burne his roddes and embrase our conuersion withall such is his goodnes towardes vs that afore he enter into correction be inuites vs to submit acknowledge to the end he be not constrayned being a iust iudge to lift vp his hand and make vs feele the rod conuert sayth he by his Prophets to me and I will be conuerted to you I will kéepe no remembrance of your faultes yea I will repent me that I went about to strike you it is grieuous to him to scourge his people and an act which becomes him not properly his nature is to do mercy for the which he is called mercifull long suffring patient and mercy it selfe he would not punish Dauid vppon his person notwithstanding he had deserued extreame Iustice but pardoned his sinnes when hee asked forgiuenes with great contrition griefe Touching the rods which he holdeth in his hand and strikes not but sheweth them as matters of feare to offenders we sée that Josophat being threatned with such roddes which were the Moabites Ammonites Sirians his enemies withdrew himself altogether to god published fastings through all the couÌ„trey of Juda asseÌ„bling all the people to pray to god in the teÌ„ple he in the middest of theÌ„ made this oration O Lord God which art the god of our fathers the god of heaueÌ„ and hast dominion ouer the kingdoms of all nations in thy hand is force and power there is none that can resist thée is it not thou O Lorde that hast killed all the inhabitants of this land being idolators and pagans before thy people of Jsraell We haue not force to resist so great a multitude and therfore not knowing what we should do there restes nothing to vs but to turne our eyes to thée O Lord as hoping in thée only for ayde and succours And as he continued thus in prayer wherin there was not so meane a woman and least childe which did not pray with him in the temple behold the prophet spake vnto him feare not this multitude it shall not be thy warre but the warre of God which hapned accordingly for all those armed enemies forsaking their purpose fell vpon the Jdumeans and after slaughtered one an other without any necessitie of him to go to the battell so happened it in the time of Ionas to the towne of Niniuie where the king vnderstanding the hand of God to be ready to destroy them with in xl dayes commaunded a general fast for thrée daies yea euen little children and beastes were restrained to abstinence and ioyning to this penance contrition and supplication for mercy it fell out that the Citie felt not the roddes of God otherwaies then in feare Touching the whippes wherewith hee scourgeth for not hauing thus preueÌ„ted and yet in correcting them selues and asking pardon he forgiueth them it is written of the Jsraelites that they cryed to God when they were in tribulacioÌ„ he deliuered them from their necessities which is amplie declared in their deliuerance from the captiuitie of Egypt wherein they felt sharppe and smartinge roddes yet crying mercy to God they were heard and deliuered Dauid seeing the furie of the plague vppon his people and lifting vp his eyes to heauen where hée saw an Aungell holding a sword ouer Jerusalem in signe of the punishement which hee made of the people by plague cryed with a lowd voyce O Lord God it is I that haue offended punish me afterwardes he offereth sacrifice to God and the death ceased Ezechias for particular example who féeling in his persone the discipline of God by a disease whereof he must dye after he had acknowledged him selfe and cryed to God for grace had answer to liue yet xv yere with the receipt of the remedie to heale his infirmitie And touching the publike affliction which he and his town of Ierusalem suffered by the Assirians that had besieged the town made breaches to enter the same night by great miracle the Aungell of God slew a hundreth foure score and sixe thousand of his enemies which brought such confusion and feare to their King Senacherib that he fled early in the next morning In these maibe noted as it were by the way that as it is said in the booke of Iudith accordinge to the promises which God made in his lawe when the people of Jsrael serued God well and obserued his law they were not vexed of straungers nor felt common miseries but such as offered to oppresse them were confounded as Pharao and his ofte in the chase of these people were swallowed in the red sea euen so when the Israelites fell froÌ„ this course and offended God he stirred by enemies on all sides of whom they were either ouercome slaughtered or at least by other hurtes felt and found the certein tokens of gods wrath whose effects thei proued w extréeme miserie if they did not repent many nations people were not reformed by preachings nor threats of gods iudgements but scorned the prophets that pronounced them calling them fooles mad men and sedicious and deliting in their owne scornes they saied let the day of God come we sâ—are it not for wée haue the temple Many trusted in Idolles and others hoped for succours of Kings to be strong against their enemies yea there were that persecuted the good Prophetes that foretold their calamities to come and the false Prophetes reassured them againe with promises of all good successe yea when famines diseases or other punishements hapned they laid the occasions to the good Prophetes and catholike people as some of them attributed their plagues to the starres which were the Chaldeis others
is but foolishnes afore God so with him such fleshly wisedom is also enuied therfore who seekes to be wise according to God let him labor to be a foole according to the world as if Saint Paule had said that there is no other wisdom according to god then the holy scripture according to the which we must aspire to become wise But if we moderate and rule our selues by our own knowledge and fleshly iudgment contrary to the doctrine of the same wisdom we are fooles and beguile our selues in faith such philosophie being suttle deceitfull and no lesse differing from faith then bestialitie from the sense of reason the same being the cause why the wise man saith that vaine are those men in whō is no knowledge of God And to resolue touching the opinions of those new philosophers concerning the euentes of the miseries happening in Christendome it is méete we stand resolutly vpon the iudgement of the scripture without passing further following simply the which briefly we haue spoken before which is in effect that we beléeue that they fal vpon the earth by the wisdome and prouidence diuine to such as knowe and loue God and that for their profit benefit and health sayeth S. Paule and that he empouerisheth not but to enrich againe hurtes not but eftsoones to cure and heale nor strikes none to death but to reuiue them againe to life he sendes not into hell meaning eternall miseries but eftsoones to deliuer them so that nothing hapneth but by Gods prouidēce and that for our profit whereby the elect and holy ones receyue their probation and are kept in bridle and made better Secondly wée muste thinke that he kéepeth vs not in punishement for our sinnes no longer then we deserue it no more then the Phisicion purgeth his patient but according to the necessitie of his disease for which cause affliction is called purgation And as the mettall by the fyer is purified of his rust and earthy filthines vntill he be refined euen so God clenseth vs of our iniquities vnder faith in Iesus Christ making vs by that meane become better therfore when he layeth his hand vpon vs he doth it with the clemencie of a father but if we correct our selues his roddes are throwne into the fire and with our deliuerance he giues vs spirituall pleasure ioye and plentie of all necessarie benefites Thirdly if he sée we perseuer in vices he continueth his punishment making them so much the more sharpe and gréeuous by howe much our sinnes are cankered and of hard cure not sparing according to our obstinacie merit and grauetie of our wickednes to roote vs vp by death as he did Herod or else deliuereth vs vp to our owne lustes and wil punish vs no more as reseruing vs for his iust and terrible iudgement as he dealt with the rich man This is that which according to the scriptures we ought to beléeue touching the calamities which God sendes to a common weale or a whole realme and therefore to those dispusers and doctors of policie speaking not only so rashly but also in infidelitie of the aduersities of the world be it sayed that they learne a new lesson speak as Christians least the world hold them in the reputacion of infidelles and men ignorant of god Touching such as maintaine that thorow out the world and in all ages there haue bene miseries and therefore not to bée holden strange that in this time perticular nations suffer aflictions let them ioyne with all these further cōsiderations that God vseth other wayes I meane for other causes to touch with miseries those men and nations which acknowledge honor and worship him in true religion as their souereigne Lord then he doth to other eyther Apostats and schismatikes or all together Infidels the good sort and holy ones receiue these afflictions as disciplines corrections by the which being aduertised of the indignation of their heauenly Father against them they are stirred to conuertion to crie him mercie and with all dutie to dispose themselues to serue him where the others when he hath rebuked thē yet they are not chastised by those scurges which in déede he will not suffer to worke the effect of correction in them as knowing their obstinacie but as they are punished for that they haue done wrong to his children being to them as Lions and wolues to the pore flocke so he maketh them vnderstand it to th end they do no more wronge to them That is the cause why Esay and Ezechiell fore tell the desolation of many townes and regions of the infidells as hauing vexed with cruell warrs the Israelites or to stay them with mutuall warrs from offering oppression and tiranny to the faithfull as we sée proued by many examples in the olde Testament And albeit God serued his turne with them and made them his scorges to whip his children the axes to dismember them yet he ment not that they should tiranously deale with them but as oftē times it hapneth they acknowleged not how nor for what they were victors but proudly attributed to themselues the glory of victories So for that pride and tiranny God sent them afterwards other tirants that requited them with iust recompence both for that they might vnderstand they had euill done so to vex his people as also to call them to a better modestie if afterward he should send them to discipline his people for no other causes God séemes to care for such reprobates but with the sentence of the scripture deliuereth them vp to their perticular affections desiers and wills with whome the deuill who is their prince doth what he list And where he giues them the fruition of this inferior world common with his other people as helth libertie and plintie of goodes He doth that of his generall prouidence not meaning for their impietie to break the order established from the beginning of the world as giuing blessing to the earth to beasts fishe and men for procreacion hauing so disposed the Elements the generation and corruption of naturall thinges all which do aswell bring profit and pleasure to Idolators and infidels as to the people of God and euen so so many calamities and miseries yea often times more and death it selfe do happen aswell to those as to others as the wise man saith Here may be deserned how our babling naturall disputers doo slide with their swéet error in to extreme impietie not seing in to the high councell and wisdom of God who as he is wise constant and immouable in his generall ordenances so he enterteyneth the order established in perpetuall prouidence of his creation they consider not as wisemen ought to do and much lesse see in to the cause why he hath made all this that is nor for what end he entertayneth and preserueth it They ought to haue learned that the vnfaithfull and euill liuer deserue not to possesse the vse and benefit of any creature