not keeping his commaundementes lawes and ordinaunces That when you shall haue the thinges that you desire and your riches and goodes increased then your hart rise and you forget the Lord your God which hath deliuered you frō the hand of your enimies Learne by the example of the people of Israel that he which ought to be right hath kicked he I say which was made fatte thicke and smooth hath forsaken and let God go that made him and despised the God of Israel that saued him As also the same Lord doth witnesse by his Prophet that the iniquitie of Sodome was pride aboundance of bread and idlenesse On the other side submit your selues therfore vnder the mightie hande of God that he may exalte you when the time is come Cast all your care on him for he careth for you Be sober and watch for your aduersarie the diuell as a roring Lyon walketh about séeking whō he may deuoure Sée that ye loue not the worlde neither the things that are in the worlde For all that is in the worlde as the lust of the flesh the lust of the eies and the pride of life is not of the father but of the worlde and the worlde passeth awaie and the lust thereof but he that fulfilleth the will of God abideth for euer And truely we knowe that we are of God and that the world lyeth in wickednesse Déerely beloued absteine from fleshly lustes which fight against the soule And as obedient children not fashioning your selues vnto the olde lustes of your ignoraunce But as he which called you is holie euen so be ye holy also in all manner of conuersation And in al sobernes trust perfectly on the grace that is brought vnto you by the reuelatiō of Iesus Christ And beware my brethrē of the great Babilon the mother of fornicatiō with whom haue cōmitted fornicatiō that kings of earth that they are droncken with the wine of hir fornication For although that that woman was araied in purple and crimson and guilded with golde and precious stones and pearles yet truely she had in hir hand a cup ful of abhominations and filthines of hir fornication And as it happened at the subuersion and destruction of Sodome and of Gomorra that Lots wife looking backe was turned into a piller of salt And euen as Dina the daughter of Iacob going out to sée the daughters of the lande was rauished by the Princes of the sayd lande Feare on your part that ye taking to great pleasure in worldly things ye be not seduced and deceiued and forsaking the commaundements of the Lorde ye be not destroied For as it happened that the children of Israel being induced and prouoked by the wiues of the Madianits did trespasse against the Lord bicause of Peor It is also to be feared that you following to much that which is of the world You do altogether forget the homage obedience which you doe owe vnto the Lord. To be short if the enimie doth oppresse you stand therefore and you loynes girde about with veritie hauing on the brest plate of righteousnesse and your féete shode with the preparation of the Gospell of peace Aboue all take to you the shield of faith wherewith ye may quench all the fierie dartes of the wicked And take the helmet of saluation the swoord of the spirite which is the worde of god And pray alwaies with all manner prayer and supplication Be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might put ye on the whole armoure of God that he may stande stedfast against the craftie assaultes of the Diuell for we wrestle not against flesh and bloude but against rulers against powers against the worldly gouernours the Princes of darknesse of this world against spiritual wickednesses which are aboue If the world do pursue you set your faith as a fort in expugnable against hir pleasures for this is the victorie that ouercōmeth the world euen our faith By which meanes Samuel Dauid and the other prophets haue subdued kingdomes wrought righteousnes obtained the promises stopped the mouthes of Lyons quenched the violence of fire escaped the edge of the sword If your flesh bée weake watch and pray that ye fall not into temptation And beléeue that the Lord which is faithfull shall not suffer you to be tempted aboue your strength but shall in the middest of the temptation make away that yée may be able to beare it To conclude assure your selues vpon the word of God when he saith that his shéepe do heare his voyce and he knoweth them and they followe him and and he will giue vnto them eternall life and they shal neuer perish neither shall any man plucke them out of his hand bicause that his father which gaue them him is greater then all Remember that Moses and Aaron did not enter into the lande of promise bicause they beléeued not the LORD that he might be sanctified by them in the eies of the children of Israel No more then those which were gone out to search the lande shall sée the same lande which I the LORD sware vnto their Fathers But his seruaunt Caleb bicause there is an other manner spirit with him and bicause he hath followed the Lorde vnto the vttermost God gaue him the saide lande for an heritage Finally bicause that the capitaine of Samaria would not beléeue the promise which the Lord made vnto him by the mouth of the prophet Eliseus foreshewing the great aboundance plentiousnesse within a little space was depriued from the fruites therof and troden vnder foote that he died Wherfore be not as some faithlesse people distrusting of the promises of him which is the God of veritie But rather be ye imitators and followers of Gedeon who béeing come to the assault blewe with his trumpet helde his lampes in his hande and brake his pitchers figuring vnto all true Christians that they ought alwaies to kéepe that light of faith to be like vnto the seruaunts attending their masters when they shall bée retourned from the mariages And as the trumpet to lift vp their voice in the middest of all daungers for to magnifie and praise the Lord. Furthermore if néede bée or if the case so require not to spare their bodies which are but as earthen vessels to that heauenly treasure In so dooing beléeue assuredly that by the same meanes by them which they doe thincke to destroy and ruinate the worke of God by the same meanes it shall be established amplified The which is also figured vnto vs by examples in the booke of Exodus where the king of Aegypt purposing to exterminate and altogether to ruinate and destroye the people of God afflicting them through a long seruitude and bondage in making morter bricke and other bondage worke in the fieldes was partly a cause that the Lorde did multiplie and increase his people aboue al other people and prospered
his faithfull seruaunt Moses amonge the middest of all his enimies In like manner the Lord did set vp Ioseph in the house of Pharao then though his brethren did sell him to the Ismaelites thincking thereby altogether to deface his memorie from the earth Furthermore did bring to naught all the deliberatioÌ„s of Haman conspiring the death of Mardocheus and of the Iewes Finally the same Lord did drawe from those that were slaine a little Ioas against the rage and fuerie of quéene Athalia his mother The same doth sufficiently teach vs that the meanes that our enimies doe take for to subuert the true christian religion the same meanes doe serue for to encrease and defend it against all the enimies of the crosse of Christ For euen as the good hearbe the more that it is pressed the more smelling it is Euen so the good men the more that they are afflicted of the world the more they do magnifie the religion of the lord The which the Apostle doth witnesse by his owne example when he doth write vnto the Phillippians that the thinges which haue happened vnto him are turned to the great furthering of the gospell So that his bandes in Christ are famous throughout all the iudgement hall and in all other places insomuch that many of his bretheren in the Lord are bouldned through his bandes and dare more franckly speake the word And truely God doth not measure his workes according to the thoughtes of men As it is written by the prophet Esaie that his thoughts are not our thoughtes nor our wayes are not his wayes but as farre as the heauens are hier then the earth so farre doe his waies excéede ours and his thoughtes ours Thou doest sée in Daniel that greate and meruailous Image yea of which the beholding of him was terrible and grimme broken by a little stone hewen out of the rocke without mannes hande Figuring that eternall kingdome of Iesus Christ which â—ought to bring to naught and breake all the monarches and kingdomes of the worlde and be established for euer Thou doest reade in the Scripture of one little Dauyd a figure of the true Disciples of the LORD all readie to fight against the great Philistian without swoord buckler or speare but in the name of the Lorde of hoastes the GOD of the hoast and him whom the sayd Goliah hath railed on and despised Within a little while after Dauyd hauing the victorie did bring the head of Goliah into the citie of Hierusalem and he put his armoure in his tent Furthermore the holy scripture doth teach thée that Iosua which was the leader of the people of God at the sound of the trumpets made the walles of the Citie of Iericho to fal downe yea that the Angell of the LORD at the praier of king Ezekiah did kill a hundreth foure score fiue thousand men of the campe of the Assirians To be short we may not bée ignorant that Iesus Christ béeing pursued to death and béeinge asked of the Scribes and Pharises if hée were Iesus of Nazareth at that simple worde I am he did so stonish and amase a bande of soldiers and officers sent by the high priestes by the Pharises that they went backwards fell to the ground Finally we may better knowe that the Apostles of Iesus Christe and those simple and idiotes haue brought to good order a number of people to the obedience of our Lorde Iesus Christ In such sort that by the preaching of the crosse hath bene destroyed the wisdome of the wise and hath cast awaye the vnderstanding of the prudent Forasmuch as the foolishnesse of God is wiser then men and the weaknes of God is stronger theÌ„ men Also that the Lord hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confounde the wise Assure your selues then of the promises of the Lord though that the world doe conspire men doe imagine mischiefe Fortifie strengthen your selues with a liuely fayth after the example of that good patriarke Abraham and father of all them that beléeue who besides hope did beléeue in hope doubted not in the promises which the Lord made vnto him through vnbeliefe but was made strong in the faith gaue honour vnto God full certified that what he had promised he was able to make good And beléeue that the worke which the Lord hath builded in you shall continue for euer if such and lyke admonitions will not suffice beholde what punishments haue followed those who distrusting of Gods promises haue forsaken the knowen veritie and the true seruice which was due vnto him It is written in the booke of Exodus that when the people sawe that it was long or Moses came downe out of the mountaine they gathered themselues together came vnto Aaron and sayd vnto him vp make vs a god to go before vs For of this Moses the fellowe that brought vs out of the land of Aegypt we wote not what is become of him And Aaron sayd vnto them plucâ— of the golden rings which are in the eares of your wyues your sonnes and of your daughters and of them to make a Calfe of molten metall made an aulter and worshipped it Then the Lord sayd vnto Moses go get the downe for the people which thou broughtest out of the lande of Aegypt haue marred all they are tourned at once out of the way which I commaunded them And the Lord sayd vnto Moses suffer me that my wrath may waxe hot vpon them and that I may consume them Moreouer the children of Israel did committe idolatry and whoredome with the daughters of Moab for that cause the LORDE was angry againste Israel and sayde vnto Moses take all the heades of the people and hang them vp vnto the Lord against the sunne that the wrathe of the Lorde maye tourne away from Israel The said children of Israel did wickedly in the sight of the Lord and serued Baalim and forsoke the Lorde God of their fathers which broughte them out of the land of Aegypt followed straunge gods euen of the gods of the nations that were rounde about them and bowed themselues vnto them and angred the lord And so they forsooke the Lord and serued Baal and Astaroth Wherefore the Lord wared angry with Israel and deliuered them into the hands of raueners to spoyle them and solde them into the hands of their enemies rounde about them so that they had no power any longer to stande before their enemies But vnto whatsoeuer thinges they went the hande of the Lord was vpon them with euill lucke afterwarde the Lord raised vp Iudges which deliuered theÌ„ out of the hands of their opressours After the the Iudge was deade they tourned and did worse then theire fathers in followinge straunge gods in seruing them Wherfore the Lord waxed angry and sold them into the handes of Chusarim king of Mesopotamia Within a litle while after the chil
of Israel cried vnto the Lord. And the Lord stirred vp a sauer and saued them one Othoniel the sonne of Kenes Calebs younger brother and the lande had rest fortie years And Othoniel being dead the children of Israel did wickedly in the sight of the Lord the Lord deliuered them into the hands of Egloh king of Moab whom they serued by the space of xviij years And then they cried vnto the Lorde And the LORD stirred them vp a sauer Ahud the sonne of Gera. Incontinently after the children of Israel began again to do wickedly in the sight of the Lord wheÌ„ Ahud was dead And the Lord sold them into the hands of Iabin king of Canaan whose captaine of warre was Sisara At which time Debora a prophetesse the wife of Lapidoth iudged Israel who exhorted Barack the sonne of Abinoam to deliuer the people but the Lorde at the prayer of Debora trounsed Sisara and all his charyottes and all his heaste with the edge of the sword before Barack insomuch that Sisara lighted downe of his chariot and fled a foote And of all the hoast of Sisara there was not a man left And sodeinly the children of Israel did begin againe to do wickedly in the sight of the Lorde And the Lord deliuered them into the hands of the Madianites by the space of seauen years The Lord had pitie on them and ordeinâ—d Gedeon for a deliuerer of the people 〈◊〉 that tyme there the Madianites were discomfited of a meruailous fashion The same people began againe to committe wickednesse in the sight of the lord And the Lord deliuered them into the hands of the Philstians fortie years but the Lorde hauing compassion of them ordeyned Samson for their deliuerer Saul in the beginning of his kingdome did prosper greatly against his enemies forasmuch as he obeyed the Lord the voice of Samuel But Saul hauing transgressed the commaundement of the Lord who commaunded him to slay all the Amalekites both man and woman infant and suckling and Oxe shéepe Camell and Asse Bicause that he reserued the spoyle is forsaken of the Lorde and his kingdome geuen vnto an other in which place is declared that rebelliousnesse is as the sinne of witchcrafte and stubbernnesse is wickednesse and idolatrie yea to obey is better then offering Dauid bicause that he made alliaunce with the Lorde did profite in going and increasing and the Lord of hoastes was with him insomuch that he wonne many victories that is to say against the Philistians Idumeans Sirians Assone as he had defiled Bethsabe and caused hir husband to bée slaine contemned and despised the word of the lord The Lord said vnto him behold I will stirre vp euill against thée euen of thine owne house and will take thy wiues before thine eyes and giue them vnto thy neighboure which shall sléepe with them in the sight of the sonne And although that the Lord had put away his sinne after his repentaunce notwithstanding bicause in doing this déede he hath giuen the enemies of the Lord a cause to rayle it was sayd vnto him that the childe that was borne of Bethsabe shall dye surely After that time king Dauid being touched wyth greate pride did number his people and the Lord being angry with him did offer him by the prophet Gad to choose of thrée plagues one that is to say famine warre or pestilence And Dauyd choosinge rather to fall into the handes of the Lorde then into the handes of men The Lorde sente a pestilence in Israel And there dyed of the people betwéene Dan and Bersabe lxx thousand men Salomon as long as he serued the Lord prospered wonderfully In the time of his olde age his hearte was tourned after straunge gods the LORD stirred vp aduersaries that is to say Hadad Razon and also Ieroboam Roboam as soone as his kingdome was stablished and made strong forsoke the law of the LORD and all Israel with him wherefore the fith yeare of king Roboam Sesac the king of Aegypt came vp againste Hierusalem bicause he had transgressed against the Lorde And they toke the strong cytyes that were in Iuda and came to Hierusalem Then came Semeiah the prophet to Roboam and to the Lordes of Iuda that were gathered to Hierusalem for feare of Sesac and sayd vnto them Thus saith the LORDE ye haue left mée therefore will I leaue you also in the hands of Sesac Wherevpon the Lords of Israel and the king humbled themselues said the Lord is righteous And when the Lord saw that they submitted themselues the word of the Lorde came to Semiah saying Forasmuch as they humble themselus I wil not destroy them but I wil deliuer them somewhat Ieroboam and the children of Israel were discomfited by Abiah and the children of Iuda fortified bicause they leaned vnto the Lord GOD of their fathers And Ieroboam recouered no streÌ„gth again in the dayes of Abiah And at the last the Lorde plaged him that he dyed Asa the sonne of Abiah reigned in his stéede in whose days the land was in quiet tenne yeares And Asa did that was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his god And Zarah a blacke Morian made warre against him And Asa cryed vnto the Lorde and the LORDE smote the blacke Mores before Asa and Iuda that they fledde Then Azariah the sonne of Obed which had the spiryte of GOD in him went out againste Asa and sayde to him heare me Asa and all Iuda and Beniamin The Lord is with you while ye be with him and if ye seeke him he will be founde of you but and if ye shall forsake him he will forsake you Then Asa and his made a couenant to seeke the Lorde God of their fathers with all their heartes and all their soules so that all that sought not the Lord God of Israel should die for it whether he were small or great man or woman And they sware vnto the Lorde with a loude voice and shooting and with trumpets and hornes And the Lord gaue them rest round about them on euery side Iehosaphat his sonne reigned in his steede and was mightier then Israel And the LORDE was with Iehosaphat bicause hee walked in the olde waies of his father Dauid and sought not Baals But sought the Lord God of his father and walked in his commaundements and not after the dooing of Israel Therefore the Lord stablished the kingdome in his hand all Iuda brought him presents so that he became excéeding riche and glorious and prospered and grew vp on hie The Moabites and the children of Ammon came against Iehosaphat in battell and Iehosaphat bowed himselfe with his face to the Citie and all Iuda and the inhabiters â—f Hierusalem fell before the Lord to bowe â—hemselues vnto the Lorde And as Iehosaphat rose early in the morning to get him â—ut vnto the wildernesse of Thekna he said vnto them heare me Iuda and ye inhabiters of
learn to fight to wrastle to leape to daunce to put at the stone not setting by the honor of their fathers Béehold briefly that which wée thinke to bée due aswell towardes the parents of our bodies as of our soules I will end by the same sentence whereof came this word Children obey you fathers and mothers in the lord For so is it right Honor thy father and mother that is the first commaundement that hath any promise that thou maist bee in good estate and liue long on earth Obey them that haue the ouersight of you submit your selues to them for they watch for your soules euen as they that must giue accomptes To the end that in all things God be glorified through our Lord Iesus Christ vnto whom bée glorie for euer So bée it Prouerbes 23. â— Giue care vnto thy Father that beegate thee and despise not thy Mother when she is olde A Prayer O Lord which hast said by the mouth of thy faithfull seruant Moses that the imagination of mans heart is euill euen from the verie youth of him Direct through thy holy mercy and fatherly goodnesse in such wise my way and guide my pathes to the right and godly commaundementes that they may loue thée euen as the true children ought to loue their fathers and mothers and may feare thée as my souereigne Lord I doe honour also those whoÌ„ thou hast chosen for to bring me forth into the worlde to the ende that by that meanes my dayes may be prolonged vpon the lande obeying and walking alwayes after thy holy precepts and commaundementes and that receiuing in good part the holy admonitions and corrections of my parentes I may shewe by workes that I am not a bastarde but that I am a sonne lawfully begotten To conclude that in humbling my selfe vnder the yoke of thy holy lawe I may be felowheire of him which in all thinges made himself subiect obedient to Ioseph and Marie and alwayes to doe the thinges which were pleasing and agréeable vnto thée our Lord Iesus Christ vnto whom be glorie for euer Amen ¶ A BRIEFE ADVERTISment vpon the duetie of the Fathers towardes their children Cap. 19. Collossians 3. d. ¶ Fathers prouoke not your children to anger least they cast downe their heart IT is written in the sixte Chapter to the Ephesians Ye fathers moue not your children to wrath but bring them vp in instruction information of the LORD Now we may plainely perceiue that the true office of a father towardes his children consisteth chiefly in two thinges that is to say to instruct them in the lawe of GOD and other honest disciplines and also to correct them in all modestie and christian gentlenesse As touching the first Salomon in his proâ—erbes sayth O my sonne forgette not â—y lawe but sée that thine heart kéepe â—y commaundementes For they shall â—olong the dayes and yeares of thy life â—nd bringe thée peace For as witnesseth â—e same Salomon Where no Prophet 〈◊〉 there the people perish but well is him â—hat kéepeth the lawe And as touching â—he seconde it is sayde in the same place that the rodde and correction ministreth wisdome but if a childe bée not looked vnto hée bringeth his mother to shame Nourture thy sonne with correction and he shall comfort thée yea hée shall doe thée good at thine heart The which is â—eclared more at large in Siraac as followeth An vntamed horse will bée harde so a wanton childe will bée wilfull If thou bringe vp thy sonne delicatelie he shall make thée afrayde and if thou playe with him hée shall bringe thée to heauinesse Laugh not with him least thou weepe with him also and least thy teeth be set on edge at the last Giue him no libertie in his youth and excuse not his follie Bow downe his necke while he is young hit him vppon the sides while hée is yet but a childe least hée waxe stubbourne and giue no more force of thée and so shalt thou haue heauinesse of soule Teach thy childe and bée diligent therein least it bée to thy shame And Salomon in his prouerbes saith withholde not correction from the childe for if thou beatest him with the rodde hée shall not dye theroff Thou smitest him with the rodde but thou deliuerest his soule from hel The same Siraac doth set foorth vnto vs the instruction which we ought to kéepe as well towardes the sonne as towardes the daughter when hée saith If thou haue sonnes bringe them vp in nourture and learning and holde them in awe from their youth vp If thou haue daughters kéepe their bodie and shewe not thy face chéerefull towardes them Marrie thy daughter and so shalt thou performe a weightie matter But giue hir to a man of vnderstanding If thy daughter be not shamefast holde hir straitely least shée abuse hir selfe through ouer much libertie Wherefore inasmuch as the children are willingly moued with certaine little giftes and honest presents It should also be verie good that their fathers should let theÌ„ vnderstand and knowe the great goodnesse which the Lorde hath ordeined to them which obserue and kéepe his lawe and the daunger and persecutions which doe followe and haue alwaies followed those which are transgressors of his lawe That is the cause wherefore in the lawe of Moses are so often repeated the blessings vnto the kéepers of the lawe and to the transgressors of the same the cursinges which are contained chiefly in the bookes of Leuiticus and Deuteronomium And also in the prophesie of Esaie the Lorde sayde If ye be louing and obedient ye shall enioye the best thing that groweth in the lande But if ye bée obstinate and rebellious yée shall be deuoured with the sword for thus the Lord hath promised with his owne mouth And by his prophet Baruch he saith O Israel heare the commaundementes of life ponder them well with thine eares that thou maiste learne wisdome But how happeneth it Israel that thou art in thine enimies lande thou art waxen olde in a straunge countrie and defiled with the dead Why art thou become like them that goe downe to their graues Euen bicause thou hast forsaken the well of wisdome For if thou haddest walked in the way of GOD truely thou shouldest haue remained still safe in thine owne lande That is the verie cause which hath induced oftentimes the Lorde to cause to be set vp for the people a certaine marke and perpetuall monument in the places in which he hath giuen witnesse of his puissance and greatnesse to the ende to declare and shewe vnto the people that he was fauourable vnto them Also that the little children regarding beholding and marking such tropes and monumentes they shoulde be admonished by their parentes of the goodnesse and benignitie of the Lorde I will recite for this matter three examples of the olde lawe the first is in the booke of Deuteronomium where the LORD hauing giuen
the estates doe destroy the Iudges and in the meane time it must néeds be that the Iudges doe liue by stelth and doe get againe through dishonest gaine that that they haue vnlawfully disboursed Furthermore I wil not muse or studie to marke and discouer the faultes of ours it is inough for me that euery one doe knowe that the puissance and greatnesse of the cities and common wealthes doe not lye and consist in an excessiue and madde number of magistrates â—endinge and seruing rather to the ruine and destructioÌ„ of the people then to the comforting of them No morâ— then the iustice and true rule to liue well to so many newe Edictes and statutes But to the wisdome of the magistrates and true vsage and exercise of the religion and iustice And I will not bee abashed if an Emperour of Rome called Licinius Cesar did call sometime a heape and companie of officers mothes and rattes As also one may daylie sée that they do despise so many waies the edictes and statutes of the Prince and of the superiors Bicause that the number of magistrates serueth nothing to the common wealth no more then so many edictes and statutes of the magistrates to the helping and comforting of the subiectes I will ende this matter by the prayer which king Salomon made aswell for his owne regarde as for the regard of all his people O Lord forasmuch as thou hast caused a younge Ladde to reigne ouer thy people giue vnto him a heart full of knowledge to iudge thy people and to knowe the good from the euill that he may walke in thy waies in truth and righteousnesse and kéepe thy statutes and commaundements Giue vnto him grace that he may duely and rightly rule his subiectes vnder the obedience of thy lawes and ordinaunces teaching them the way by the which they shall walke in the worke that they shall doe Finally O Lord cause that the same Prince doe prouide among the people vertuous men and fearing God men louing truth and hating couetousnesse and which doe iudge thy people at all seasons in all right equitie iustice In the fauour of him which iudgeth the poore with righteousnesse and with holynesse reformeth the simple of the worlde Our Lorde Iesus Christ vnto whom be glorie for euer Amen Prouerbes 29.14 The seate of the king that faithfully iudgeth the poore shall continue sure for euermore Prouerbes 28. Bicause of sinne the lande doth oft chaunge hir prince But through men of vnderstanding and wisedome a Realme endureth long A Prayer O Lord which by thy mightie and puissant hand hast made the world of nothing and which doest dispose all thinges with a meruailous order and counsell Which settest vp againe righteousnesse in the ballaunce and iudgement in the weights yea by whom the kings reigne and the Princes make iust lawes Direct so by thy grace the young age of our king vnder thy feare that he reigning ouer vs in all equitie and righteousnesse he doe mainteine his people in the kéeping of the lawes which do concerne the aduauncement of thy glorie and the libertie of thine O Lorde make him to vnderstand that as al puissance and power is from thée So the Prince is the minister of God for all mens wealth To the ende that the may employ bestowe the giftes which thou hast giuen vnto him to thy glorie to the aduauncement of the kingdome of thy sonne and to the comfort of his people Assist through thy fatherly goodnesse all those which are of his counsell That they may acknowledge that thy feare is the beginning of wisdome and that they doe not séeke onely their priuate commodities but also those of other mens or that they séeke not their owne but those of Iesus Christ vnto whom bée glorie for euer Amen A BRIEFE DEMONSTRATION vnto those which doe make it no conscience to shed the innocent bloode vnder preteÌ„ce I know not of what foolish zeale Wherein is shewed by examples of the scripture how odious before God such cruelties are Cap. 11. Genes 9. a. ¶ He which sheddeth mannes blould shal haue his bloude shed by man againe For God made man after his owne likenesse 1. Samuel 15. g. ¶ Samuel said vnto king Agag as thy swoord hath made women childlesse so shall thy mother be childlesse among other women SAlomon doth witnesse in his prouerbes that ther be sixe things which the Lord hateth and the seuenth he vtterly abhorreth A proud loke a dissembling tongue handes that shed innocent bloud an heart that goeth about with wicked immaginations féete that be swift in running to doe mischiefe a false witnes that bringeth vp lies and such one as soweth discord amonge bretheren That is the cause wherefore Dauyd prayed the Lord that he will not destroy his soule with the sinners nor his lyfe with the bloude thirstie Where that good Prophet speaking vnto GOD doth crie thou O God shalt cast them downe into the pitte of destruction For the bloud thirstie and deceiptfull man shal not liue out halfe their daies The Lord trieth the righteous but his heart hateth the wicked and him that loueth violence The which is sufficiently declared vnto vs by examples of the scripture yea who will begin from the creation of the world For froÌ„ the lawe of nature Cain killed his brother Abel for that cause the Lord said vnto Cain What hast thou done The voice of thy brothers bloud cried vnto me out of the earth And nowe cursed be thou as perteining to the earth for when thou tillest the ground she shall hence foorth not giue hir power vnto thée a vagabund and a runnagate shalt thou be vpon the earth In the lawe that is written Pharao king of Aegypt went about by all meanes to afflyct the people of GOD vntill that he caused to be killed al the men children of the Hebrewes But in a little while after all the first borne in the lande of Aegypt were killed Pharao and all the Aegiptians were drowned in the seas In the time of the Iudges Abimelech desiring to reigne ouer Israel caused to bée killed all the children of Gedeon except Ioatham insomuch that Abimelech was made king in Sichem But within a little while after this vengeaunce happened vnto him For Abimelech hauing besiged the Citie of Thebes and taken it and going to take a tower wherein the people were gotten together a woman did caste a peace of a milstone from the wall vppon his head and all to brake his brayne panne â–ª So as sayth the Scripture all the wickednesse of Abimelech which hée did vnto his father in sleying his thre score and ten bretheren God did bring vpon his head The Quéene Iezabel caused Naboth to bée killed for to haue his vineyard But the Scripture doth teach vs that the Lord spake against Iezabel saying that the dogges shal eate Iezabel vnder the walles of Iezrael the which came to passe For Iehu
shal be saued as thou hast afterwardes confirmed it by thine Apostle that he that striueth for a mastrie shall not be crowned except he striue as he ought to do Giue vs grace that we all continuing in one spirit and striuing altogether in one minde through the faith of the gospell we may not be troubled by our aduersaries and that we be not as children wauering caried about with euery winde of doctrine But let vs folow the truth in loue in all things grow vp into him which is the head that is to say Christ Giue vs such constancie strength in the midst of those troubles of our enemies that we faint not in any thing so that with ioy we may end our course the charge which we haue receiued of thée for to testifie the gospel of thy grace Embrace so our harts our soules in thine heauenly loue through thy holy spirite especially that for al afflictions or threatnings we nothing varie frō thy lawe either to the right hād nor to the left that we hauing rightly accomplished the course of this presēt life And the time of our departing aprochīg euery one of vs may say with thine apostle I haue fought a good fight haue fulfilled my course haue kept the faith From heneforth is laid vp for me a crowne of righteousnesse which the Lord that is a righteous Iudge shall giue me at that day not to me onely but vnto all them also that loue his comming For all which thinges Lord we pray thée in the fauoure of him who for to accomplish and fulfill thy will humbled himselfe and became obedient vnto the death euen the death of the crosse our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ To whom be glorie for euer So be it ¶ A BRIEFE ADVERTISMENT for to shew that we must simplie obey the voyce of the Lord without further inquiring of the cōmaundement to beleeue that euē as he is iust in al his works he is as puissāt for to fulfil in vs his wil. Cap. 14. e 1. Samuel 15. ◠¶ To obeie is better then offering and to giue heede is better then the fatte of Rammes For rebelliousnesse is as the sinne of witchcraft and stoubournnesse is wickednesse and idolatrie IT is written in the booke of Iesus Siraach that many are excellent of great renowne but vnto the wise are the secretes reuealed For great power belongeth onely vnto God and he is honoured of the lowely Séeke not out the things that are aboue thy capacitie and search not the ground of such things as are too mightie for thée But looke what God hath commaunded thée thincke vpon that alwaie and be not curious in many of his works For thou hast not to doe to sée with thine eyes the things that are secrete where the sonne of Syrach doth exhort vs to execute willingly and with a frée will the commaundement of the Lorde without enquiring any further what is the cause of his commaundemen◠bicause that the seruaunt that knoweth his maisters will and prepareth not himselfe neither doth according to his will shal be beaten with many stripes And truely as a certeine christian authour hath verie well said the Lord hath left the effect of many things of which he hath hid from vs the causes Insomuch that we séeing with our eye the fulfilling of them yet for all that we know not to what end the Lorde hath ordeined them and in the meane time he would be obeyed The which is taught vs by an exāple in the booke of Samuel where the Lorde commaunded Saul to destroy wholy all the Amalechites both man woman infant suckling and oxen shepe camels and asses But Saul spared a liue of the shéepe and of the oxen and fat things and the lambes and al that was good for to haue sacrificed it vnto the Lorde Then the Lord saide it repenteth me that I haue made Saul king because he hath not perfourmed my commaundementes In which place is shewed that to obey is better then offering The like example is witten in the booke of the kings where the Prophet which did contrarie vnto that that the Lord said vnto him that is to say that he shoulde not eate breade nor drinke water nor to turne againe by the same way he went and he doing contrarie was torne in péeces and deuoured of a Lyon. In all this we ought not to take any excuse vpon the difficultnesse and hardnes of the commaundement or smalnesse or weakenesse of our strengthes For he which maketh the commaundement doth giue vnto vs also the meane to execute it Let vs remember that Moses being called of God for to deliuer the children of Israel excused him selfe saying Oh my Lord I am not eloquent no not in times past namely since thou hast spoken vnto thy seruaunt But let vs marke what the Lord vnto him Who hath made mannes mouth or who hath made the dum or the deafe the seing or the blinde haue not I the Lord Go therfore I wil be in thy mouth teach thée what thou shalt say Euen so Ieremie being chosen of the Lorde to bée a Prophete vnto the people of Hierusalem excused himself saying Oh lord God I am vnméet for I am yet but young and the Lord said vnto him say not so I am to young For thou shalt goe to all that I shal send thée vnto and whatsoeuer I commaund thée that shalt thou speake And although that the commaundement of the Lord doth séeme to be sometime according to mans sight either to hard or contrarie vnto that that they do ordinarily Yet hée ordeineth all to a good end and for iust occasions As we do sée that it séemed to mans iudgement that the children of Israel should haue bene vanquished or taken by Pharao king of Aegipt hauing the red sea against them as a fort ineuitable for to stop them of their way It séemed also that they going to the promised lande vnder the conducting and leading of Iosua should neuer haue entred the floud of Iordain letting them But the LORD which hath commaundement vpon all his creatures deuided the waters and the children of Israel went in through the middest of the sea vpon the drie ground And the water was a wall vnto them both on their right hand and on their left hand As much chaunced of the floud Iordain for the waters which came downe from aboue did stoppe and stoode vpon a heape a great way off And the waters that were on the side of the salt sea vanished and dried vp the people went rightouer against Iericho Furthermore the Lord séemeth sometime to commaund thinges altogether against the order of nature and good manners as when he cōmaunded Abraham to sacrifice his onely sonne Isaac for to proue his obedience Also he commaunded the Prophet Oseas to take an harlot to his wife Also he commaunded an
all thinges forasmuch as it is not subiect to any filthinesse or corruption as are the other creatures Insomuch that the soule of a true Christian regenerated through grace and wounded of that heauenly loue is sicke for that true spouse which is Iesus Christ And which is more it sigheth incessantly for the deliueraunce of this body which of it selfe is subiect to corruption Euen soe Dauyd did crye out saying wo is mée that I am constrained to dwell with Mesech and to haue mine habitation amonge the Tentes of Cedar My soule is a thirst for God yea for the liuing God saying Alas when shall I come to appeare béefore the presence of God These are also the words of Sainct Paul I am saith hée compassed in on both sides desiring to be loosed and to bée with Christ The which is a great deale better for mée that if for their vertue we doe loue them whom we neuer saw as saith Cicero and if such is the force and strength of vertue which if one may behold it with the eyes it will stirre vp and imbrace in vs a meruailous desire to loue it how much more ought wee to loue God of whom as of the Nurse of al things doth descend euerie good and perfect gift To conclude if wée loue them whiche may helpe vs with all things which are necessarie for vs How much more ought wee to loue God which is all in all and with whom all pleasure dwelleth as Dauid witnesseth that fulnesse of ioy is with his countenance and at his right hand there is pleasure and ioy for euer That men shal be satisfied with the plenteousnesse of his house and hee shall giue them drink of the riuer of his pleasures for by him is the well of life and in his light shall wee see light I do say this not onelie for the eternall goodnesse which are promised vnto the blessed in the resurrection to come but also for the goodnesse whiche the Lorde giueth vnto vs in this present life Euen so the same prophete saith so is this wide and great sea also wherein are thinges créeping innumerable both small and greate beastes There goe the ships ouer and there is the Leuiathan whome thou hast made to take his pastime therin They waite all vppon thée that thou maist giue them meate in due season When thou giuest it them they gather it and when thou openest thine hande they are filled with good But when thou hidest thy face they are sorowfull And if thou takest away their breath they die and are turned againe to their dust Againe when thou lettest thy breath goe foorth they are made and so thou renuest the face of the earth And in an other place hee saith O feare the Lorde ye that be his saincts for they that feare him lacke nothing Furthermore in the that the Lorde desireth that wee shoulde loue him so perfectly we are sufficiently aduertised that those which doe giue vnto other creatures the homage and obedience which is due vnto the Lorde be they deade creatures or liuing creatures they loue not GOD perfectly forasmuch then as God hath chosen vs as a chast virgin for to be presented to his Christe according as hée hath foreshewed by the Prophet Oseas that he will marie his owne selfe vnto her in righteousnesse in equitie in louing kindenesse and mercie and in faith yet when we doe seperate the loue which we owe vnto the Lorde for to giue of that whiche apperteineth vnto him vnto other creatures truely we are vnto him vngentle Bicause he is a gelous God visiting the sinne of the fathers vpon the children vnto the thirde and fourth generation That is the cause wherfore Moses saith in the same booke Thou shalt worshippe no straunge god For the Lorde is called gelcus because he is a gelous GOD. For that same cause Sainct Peter seing that Cornelius fell downe at his féete to worshippe him he tooke him vp saying stande vppe for euen I my selfe am a man Acknowledging verie wel that Cornelius for the affecttion that he did beare vnto him did forgette the homage and obedience that he owed vnto the Lorde In like manner Barnabas and Paul séeing that the inhabiters of Listria woulde doe sacrifice vnto them they rent their clothes and ranne in among the people crying and saying O men why do ye these things We are mortall men like vnto you In like manner it is written in the Reuelation of S. Iohn that the Angel séeing that Sainct Iohn was fallen downe at his féete to worshippe him he saide vnto Sainct Iohn sée thou doe it not I am thy fellowe seruant and one of the brethen whiche haue the testimonie of Iesus worshippe god Euen so hath not Herod done for vpon a day appointed Herod being aâ—aied in royall apparell and sitting in his â—eate made an Oration vnto the people And the people gaue a shoute saying it is the voyce of a God and not of a man And immediatly the Angell of the Lorde â—mote him because he gaue not God the honour so that he was eaten of wormes Asmuche also happened vnto Alexander the greate for hauing taken the Citie of Babilon raised him selfe against the commaundement of the liuing GOD and woulde that his people shoulde worshippe him and offer vnto him Sacrifices Wherefore within a little while after he died through Gods punishement for hee being ouer drie for lacke of drinke fell into a gréeuous sicknesse of whiche hee dyed And that great personne who as the worlde thought feared not to bee ouercome of men was ouercome and vanquished of wine The same doth learne vs and sufficiently declare vnto vs that the loue the whiche wée ought to beare vnto the creatures ought to be ruled and gouerned by the worde that wee ought not to compare it to the loue which we ought to beare vnto GOD our creator I do speake this for those whiche according to their priuate affections and indiscréete zeale do beare such honour as it pleaseth them vnto the creatures and in the meane time consider not that the Lord is gelous of the loue and obedience that they owe vnto him What shall I say of those who making profession of the Christian religion do beare vnto wicked spirites the loue that they owe to their lord And in what aduersitie or affliction that they finde themselues in haue recourse As Saul vnto the Magicians and Witches not trusting themselues of the promise of the LORD Who saith Call vppon me in the time of trouble so will I heare thée that thou shalt thancke me Things truely which are verie much forbidden in the lawe of God where Moses admonished the people of Israel saying Turne not your selues to them that work with spirites neither regarde them that obserue dismall dayes that ye be not defiled by them for I am the Lord your god And in the booke of Deuterenomium
it is saide when thou art come into the lande which the LORD thy GOD giueth thée sée that thou learne not to do after the abhominations of these nations Let there not be founde among you that maketh his sonne or daughter to go thorowe the fire or that vseth Witchcrafte or a chooser out of dayes or that regardeth the flying of foules or a Sorcerer or a charmer or that councelleth with spirites or a prophecier or that asketh the aduise of the deade The which also the Prophet Esay confirmeth by the like wordes saying and therefore if they say vnto you aske counsell of the Southsayers Witches Charmers ▪ and Coniurers then make them this aunswere Is there a people any where that asketh not counsell at his GOD whether it be concerning the deade or the liuing If any man want light let him looke vpon the lawe and the testimonie whether they speake not after this meaning Also the Prophet Ieremie saith in this manner And therefore followe not your Prophetes Southsayers Expounders of dreames Charmers and Witches which say vnto you Ye shall not serue the king of Babilon For as righteousnesse hath no felowshippe with vnrighteousnesse neither light with darkenesse or Christe agréeth not with Belial or the faithfull hath no part with the infidell or the temple of GOD agréeth not with idols and no man can serue two maisters for either hee shall hate the one and loue the other or els he shall leane to the one and dispise the other Such people doe euidently declare that they loue not God perfectly That is the cause wherefore the LORDE rebuked his people bicause they haue plaied the harlotte ▪ with many louers And in the Prophet Oseas the Lorde threatneth the same people that he will discouer their foolishnesse euen in the sight of her louers These thinges are so muche more dampnable of our time that the sonne of God manifested him selfe to vs for to declare vnto vs the eternall lawe of his father For as saith the Apostle writing vnto the Hebrewes If the worde whiche was spoken by Angels was stedfast and euerie transgression disobedience receiued a iust recompence of rewarde How shal we escape if we dispise so greate saluation asmuch will we say of those whiche giue their bodies to an other kinde of vngodlinesse and of sinne For as long as they giue themselues to vices so long doe they drawe themselues from the loue and obedience that they owe vnto the lord These are the wordes of the prophet Esaie when he saith your misdéeds haue seperated you from your God and your sinnes hide his face from you that he heareth you not Forasmuch then as our members are the temple of god yet truely in consecrating them both to the one the other we make them members and temples of an other then of god And consequently forsaking the LORDE for our true spouse we doe altogether so as harlottes who committe fornication with all sortes of men That is the sentence of Saint Paul writing vnto the Corinthians know ye not saith he that your bodies are the members of Christ shall I then take the members of Christe and make them the members of an harlotte GOD forbid the bodie is not for the harlotte but for the Lorde and the LORDE for the bodie ye are dearely bought for a price therefore glorifie GOD in your bodie and in your spirite for they are Gods. Knowe ye not saith the same Apostle that to whome soeuer ye commit your selues as seruauntes to obey his seruaunts ye are to whom ye obey whether it be of sinne vnto death or of obedience vnto righteousnesse Euen so Iesus Christ séeing that the Iewes aduaunced themselues saying we are of Abrahams séede and were neuer bounde to any man aunswered them that whosoeuer committeth sinne is the seruaunt of sinne For as the same Apostle witnesseth for to bee the séede of Abraham they are not therefore all children but in Isaac shall the séede be called that is to say those which are children of the flesh are not therefore children of God but those which are children of promise are reputed and taken for children and in vaine doe they promise libertie which are themselues the bonde seruauntes of corruption for of whomsoeuer a man is ouercome vnto the same he is in bondage Let not sinne reigne therefore in your mortall bodie that we shoulde obey sinne in the lustes of the bodie neither giue we our members as weapons of vnrighteousnes vnto sinne but giue our selues vnto God as béeing dead béeing made aliue and let vs giue our members as weapons of righteousnesse vnto god Let vs here conclude that as the Lord is perfect he desireth also of vs a perfect loue and a whole and sounde heart I meane not fayned nor dissmbled In such sort that those which thincke to loue God and the worlde together those I say abuse themselues greatly For as saith saint Iohn if any man loue the world the loue of the father is not in him Knowe yée not saith Sainct Iames that the friendship of the worlde is enmitie to God ward Whosoeuer therefore will bée a friende of the world is made the enimie of god Beholde that which moued S. Paul to confesse that if he studied to please men he should not bée the seruaunt of Christ The which is also figured in the olde lawe where it was commaunded not to offer vnto the Lord no oxe or shéepe wherein is any deformitie And cursed be the dissembler which hath in his flock one that is male and when he maketh a vowe offereth a spotted one vnto the Lord. As also the same lawe woulde that we should not haue in our bagge two manner of weightes that is to say a great and a small But that we must haue a perfect a iust measure For that cause was Ananias greatly punished as we doe reade in the Actes of the Apostles who hauing solde a possession and kept away parte of the price his wife also being of counsell and brought a certeine part and laide it downe at the Apostles féete Then said Peter Ananias Howe is it that Sathan hath filled thine heart that thou shouldest lye vnto the holy Ghost and kéepe away part of the price of the possession Thou hast not lyed vnto men but vnto god When Ananias heard these wordes he fell downe and gaue vp the ghost The like happened vnto his wife The same doth sufficiently declare vnto vs that we ought not to offer vnto GOD a heart that is vicious and full of dissimulation As the lawe doth not permitte that wée shoulde offer vnto GOD a foule thing and vncleane And as it desireth and commaundeth that wée shoulde haue a iust measure and weight so the LORDE woulde that man shoulde kéepe towarde his neighboure all fidelitie and equalnesse following the saying of the Apostle Sainct Paul writinge vnto the Thessalonians