I wil shut vp briefly thus in the conclusion 5 The Lord out of Syon blesse thee that thou maist see the good of Ierusalem all the dayes of thy lyfe 6 Yea that thou see thy childrens children and peace vppon Israell In this praier of Dauid three circumstances are worth the due coÌ„sideratioÌ„ 1. who praieth A king and a prophet 2. to whom he praieth To the Lorde that dwels in Sion 3. for what For three things 1 For the prosperity of the Church 2 For the long liues of the maried parties 3 And for the peace of Israel which I may well vnderstand the common wealth Great is the efficacity and force of praier both in peace war in prosperity and aduersity in health and sicknes at all times in al estates It is sayd Orante Mose vicit populus wheÌ„ Moses prayed for his people they vaÌ„quished theyr enemies Ioh. 5. Io. 14.16.13 And this is our comfort that whatsoeuer we aske of the father in Christes name if it be coÌ„medious expedient for vs we shall be sure to obtayne it Then no meruell if here the prophet and king of Israell geue himselie to prayer O it is a great matter and of great importance when princes and nobles men of great worship be religious and geuen to prayer to the holy seruice of God For this cause Dauid was accounted a maÌ„ after Gods owne heart 1 King 20 For this cause Iostas that yong king is so highly commended For this cause Ezechias his daies were prolonged 15 yeares loÌ„ger This makes the church of god to grow vp lustily as the palm tree and to florish as the tal Cedar of Libanus the people euery maÌ„ to sit quietly and peaceably vnder his own vine and the commoÌ„ wealth to haue peace plentie as in the happy daies of Salomon Ciril in an epistle to Cheodosius euen in the beginning thus saith Citil Epist ad I heod pâ—etas in Deum est fundamentum regijs honoribies O noble emperour the state of your common wealth hanges of your religion towards God If you serue him aright your kingdoÌ„ shal florish one of your royal seed shall alwaies sit on your royal seate but if you forsake God he wil forsake you hee wil rase and root out your memories from the face of the earth hee wil trample your name and fame vnder his feet he wil east your honors in the dust and this is a curse of al curses The 2 circumstaÌ„ce is to whom he praieth eueÌ„ to the lord of Sion Our prophet prince praieth not to Abraham to Isack to Iacob or to any archangel or angel in heauen but to the lord which dwelled in Syon Mat. 9. Ioh. 16. We haue a plain coÌ„mandement to pray to him alone we haue a firme promise that so praying our praiers shal be hard we haue the exaÌ„ples of al godly men so to pray both in the old new testament Cicero reports of Cesar thus qui ad te non audent accedere Caesar Orat. pro Deiotar tuam humanitatem ignorant They that be affrayd to speak to thee o Cesar they know not thy singular humanity so I say they that alleage eyther their owne indignity or the seuerity of god against sinners so dare not come to Iesus alone by harty prayer they know not his singuler humanity humility The 3 circumstaunce is the matter for the which our prophet praieth which is threefold for the church the loÌ„g liues of the maryed persons for the peace of the coÌ„mon wealth There be 2 deadly mortal enemies to the common wealth and church of god Heresy treachery The subtil serpeÌ„t in Genesis did moue Adam and Eua to tast of the forbiddeÌ„ tree Gen. 3.4 said you shall not dy so the cruell and subtill serpent of Rome eggeth forward encorageth his sworn vassals of Spain France Italy our desperate diuelish English rebels to assay to touch the Lords anoynted and almes them with fayr goldeÌ„ promises you shall not by you shall get you a name you shal be men of great renowne It is an heroical designment and meritorius before God and good catholicks Iuel in a 〈◊〉 of letie A famous and most learned Bishop of this land doth hold there be four ordinary means to keep heresy from our church treason from our coÌ„moÌ„ wealth 1 Learning The first is to maintain vniuersities free schools 2 Preaching The second is to appoint learned preachers in euery parish Church to catechise the youth to teach the people obedience 3 Thankfulnes The third to bee thankful to god for al his benefits 4 Discipline The fourth discipline to reward the godly and punish the wicked The execution of these thinges will make our church common wealth to florish the contempt of these wil make our court as Sion the holy hil of the Lord our church as IerusaleÌ„ the holy city of the lord Luk. 19. our land as Iudea the holy land Sion was Ierusalem was Iudea was but now SioÌ„ is vtterly razed IerusaleÌ„ is vtterly ransacked Therefore let not Rome brag of any prerogatiue of her place for antiquity or pallace for royalty That which hapned to IerusaleÌ„ may happeÌ„ to Rome great controuersy there is betwixt the Iesuits vs wher antichrist shuld sit and who he is Ad Did. I wil say nothing of S. Ierom only I wil cite one senteÌ„ce of Bernard which shal make the matter cleare Ep. 125. Bestia illa in apocalypsi cuâ— datumest os loqueÌ„s blasphemias bellu gerere cum sanctis Be. ad Gau. de lorator petre cathedram occupat tanquam Leo paratus ad pradam The beast spoken of in the Apocalyps to whom is giuen a mouth to speak blasphemies and to make war with saines doth now occupy the seat of Peter as a Lion prepared to his pray The place then for Antichrist is the great city BabyloÌ„ Roma Septicollis sited on seauen hils The names of the hils he Palatinus 2 Thes 2. Capitolinus AùeÌ„tinus Caelius Esquilinus Viminalis Quirinalis Then for the person who is that great Antichrist if ye ty him to one person then it must eyther bee the Turk or y Iew or the heathen emperor or the Pope But if Antichrist eueÌ„ the great antichrist must sit in the teÌ„ple of god as god if antichrist must deceaue by false and frandulent miracles Apoc. 18. if antichrist must be a false and foolish prophet as Balaam if antichrist must haue the name of mistery writen in his forehead as once the hypriest of the Iews had in his Lamina sanctit as sehouae Holines to the lord if antichrist must ouercome by flattery by sweet sugred speaches as harlots doe not by arms dint of sword as cruel tyrants doe theÌ„ where antichrist shal sit who antichrist is I refer it to the iudgemets of the learned consciences of the godly that heare me this present day To God the father c
faithfully painefully in that vocation wherein God hath called him Gen. 2.15 So Adam before his fall had this charge of God to dresse the garden of Eden Gen. 3.15 And after his fall this precept In the sweate of thy brows thou shalt eate thy bread The diuine Philosopher Plato sawe so much by the instinct of nature Nemo sibi nascitur Cic. Offic. 1. wee are borne to defend our Country to benefit and gratifie our friendes and neighbours There be foure parts in the commoÌ„ wealth The Prince as the head the honorable and woorshipfull as armes and shoulders the state ecclesiastical as eies the common multitude as the feete O blessed and happie shall that realme be when these foure partes agree in a sweete consort and melody in the amiable and blessed loue of peace and vnity discharging their duties fully and faithfully in the feare of God The Prince in appointing the nobility and gentry in counselling the preachers in feeding and the people in beying 2. King 18. For Princes the imitation of Dauid of Ezechias of Iosias is worth the imitation who al were very diligent in appointing good lawes for the religion of God and also I may not forget the great zeal learning of Alphred king of this laÌ„d Act. and Mon. who diuided the day into three parts some hours he took for his priuat study seruice of god some he reserued for the hearing of matters of state and the common wealth and the rest he left for his rest repast and recreation For counsellers they may imitate Ioseph who vnder king Pharao ruled the land of Aegypt with great and singular wisdom and prouidence Gen. 41.39 Dan. 44.5 they must bee as Daniel was to Darius in whom the enemies coulde finde no fault touching the gouernment of his kingdome For the Clergy to feede by preaching by hospitality by godlines of life Humfred de vita Iuel to follow that reuerend Bishop of Salisbury who followed the noble emperour who said O where should a captaine die but in the fielde so his poesy was O where should a Bishop die but in the pulpit For where preaching faileth there the people perisheth Prou. 29.18 Rom. 13.12 For the common people they must be obedient to their Magistrat to loue and honor their Prince to bear that nature and affection to their soueraign as did the Israelites to Dauid the king of Israel who al made this noble protestation It is better that a thousand of vs dy than Dauid our king God saue Dauid the king if hee die the great light of Israel is quenched So let al faithful and loyal subiectes beare this affection to our most noble and gracious Princesse Elizabeth 2 Sam. 18.3 It is better that a thousand of vs die by the seditious treacheries of our false forsworne and fraudulent countrimen than Elizabeth our Queene God protect and preserue Elizabeth If shee die and miscarie the great light of Israell shall be quenched Now if our husband be any of these four he hath something to doe he must be careful to prouide for his house to feede cloth his family to instruct his wife and children to pay his seruants their wages faithfully and truely and to walke in that vocation with a good conscience whereto God hath called him Ari. oecom lib. 1. cap. 6. The office of the husband is to get the duery of the wife is to keepe the office of the husband is honeslly to maintaine his liuelihood the duty of the wife is prudently to gouerne the househould Such a noble care had the noble Emperor Valerianus of whome thus it is writ Euseb lib. 7. cap. 9. Aula Valeriani erat referta pijs viris Ecclesia Dei facta est The court of Valerianus the Emperour was fraught and furnished with godly men and made the Church of God Such a noble Captaine was Cornelius who hath this report to feare the Lorde with his whole family Act. 10.1.2 Thus if our husband labor in his vocation he shal haue this blessing of the Lord to eate the fruites of his own labours Eccles 1. The most noble and learned King Salomon in those 12. Chapters of his book Ecclesiastes declares most largely and learnedly how all things vnder the cope of heauen are nothing but griefe sorowe vexation anguish griefe of body sorrow of hart â—ixâ—tion of braine and anguish of mind but yet this to bee our part and portion and a blessing of God in this life when wee both sow and trape when we both plant the vine and drink the vine when we build houses and dwell therein when we can be content to liue of our owne for that is our owne that doth vs good when we eat drink without gluttony and drunkennes in sobriety and modesty in the fear of God This is a blessing this is a great blessing this is a great and gracious blessing of God himselfe and such a blessing shal this religious and wise politick husband enioy wheÌ„ I haue described to you wherin because I haue bin longer than either perhaps I should or you expected I wil be the shorter in the description of the wife and children Which thus foloweth in the Text. 3 Thy wife shall bee as the fruitful vine on the sides of thine house thy children like the oliue plants round about thy table Among the trees that be fertil and fruitful the Oliue is commended for his fatnes Iudg 9 9â— the fig tre for his sweetnes the vine for cheerfulnes for wine driues away sorrow is a souerain restoratiue for an heauy and pensiue hart so among all creatures men and weomen be only commended for their learning wisdom godlines The comparison of a woman to the vine I wil not amplify largely but touch it briefly First the vine is weak Plin. lib. 4. must be vnderset and vnderpropped by some sure and strong stay so the wife is the weaker vessell more subiect to infirmities a wise modest man wil not disclose hir infirmities but tolerat the same with good discretion 2. Sa. 11.1.7 so Bersabe was more beautiful than strong when she defiled hir body with Dauid brake her faith and loue with hir good husband Vrias which was the very occasion of his death Eua the mother of all shewed her selfe very weak when shee was beguiled with an aple Gen. 3.6 Gen. 19.26 Lots wife was both weak wicked when she looked back in token she lusted after Sodoma and Gomorra against the commandemeÌ„t of God but she was turned into a piller of salt a terrible spectacle most horrible monument of wicked back-sliders and sinful reuolters Plinie l. 14. to al godly posterity Secondly a vine is not only weak but low too it growes near the earth So a godly wife must not be proud and stately in her owne conceits but humble modest in the presence of her
or brauery in apparel or lightnes in conuersation to roote vp the wals of her house to turne vp al topsituruy and not to leaue one stone vpon another Now if the godly wife bee as the fruitfull vine or fat florishing oliue no maruaile if her children bee finely and fitly resembled to the braunches of the vine or tender plants of the oliue tree The braunche is tender it wil bend or bowe at your pleasure the yong children be pliable as soft waxe they be flerible as tender oliue branches then a gentle rod wil break no bones Prou. cap. Ephe. 6.4 then he that spares the rod doth spil spoile the childe For this is the exhortation of S. Paul you Parents bring vp your childreÌ„ in the faith and fear of the lord get you schoolmasters both to instruce them by doctrine and reforme them by discipline For a child better vnborn than vntaught Arist pol. l. 8. cap. 3. The old Grecians as the noble philosopher saith were woÌ„t to teach their childreÌ„ 3. things 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the which thus the fine ingenious poet hath expressed In Eunuch Facpericulum in literis in palaestra in musica They were trained vp in the liberal ingenious arts as chiefely Grammar Rhetorick Musick in feats of actiuity whereby their bodies were made the stronger to abide tough long study the better Pro. 22.6 And king SalomoÌ„ who was diligently taught of Nathan the prophet giues forth this precept profit teach a child in his youth vertu learning wheÌ„ he coms to years he wil not forget it Act 7.22 So Moses so Dantel so Samuel so Paul so Timothy so Origen were trained vp from their infancy both in diuine learning 2 Tim. 3. and most of them also in prophane literature The fruit shal be this as S. Ciril saith Contra Iu. lib. 7. pueri sacris literis enutriti postea fiunt religiosissimt children nousled nursed vp from their tender yeares in reading and hearing holy Scriptures they shal reape this fruite thereby not to be superstitious or heretical in opinions or hauty and lofty in spiriteÌ„s but to be most religious as the king of Israel saw They wil remeÌ„ber such things as they learn in their youth Pro. 2â— the better wheÌ„ they come to years of discretion And as in battle it is a necessary point pollâ—y for the getting of the victory conquest euer our enimies that wheÌ„ one soldiar is slain that another preseÌ„tly take his station and place therein fight manfullie and coragiously so in the good geueinment of a coÌ„mon wealth wheÌ„ a good father dieth some learned and wise men take it to be a necessary point pollicy for the mantenance preseruation of peace vnity against eiull dissention coÌ„spiracy that y son take his place if he be able to weald dicharge the like functioÌ„ veretioÌ„ 4 Loe surely thus shal the man be blessed that feareth the Lorde This religious fear of God which brings to the husband wife children both temporall spirituall blessings both in this life and in the life to come doth consist in following vertues forsaking vices which must be with al carefulnesse auoided Now the noysome and poisonful weedes which will hurt both husband wife childreÌ„ must with al diligence be grubbed out of the grounds of our harts least the venemous contagious weeds stifle ouer-grow the good pure corn The weedes be the sin of Sodom Bomorra polygamy incest adultery fornication al vncleannes coÌ„mon gaming riotous prodigal liuing carelesse security in the parents stubborn contumacy in the childreÌ„ These hainous horrible vyees consume our bodies wast our goods shorten our liues discredit our good names make our enimies to mock vs giue occasioÌ„ to the papists to blaspheme the name of god the religioÌ„ which we professe endanger the saluation of our sinneful soules and neuer escape the due dreadful punishmentes of God either in this life Eccles 7.8 2 Sam. 12.10 Gen. 9. Gen. 19. or in the life to come Take exaÌ„ple by Dauid the sword of God did neuer depart from his house By Noah he was mocked of his own son By Lot he coÌ„mitted incest with his own daughters by AnacleoÌ„ a noble poet who was so famous a bibber of wine and strong drinks that he was choked with a huske of a grape Take example of Eli an old iudge 1 Sam. 2.22 an old priest an old father of his two rebellious sonnes Hophny Phinees in the end the wicked luxurious sonnes were killed in battle one of their wiues died with child Chap. 4. theold father Ely fel backward froÌ„ a stool brake his necke the arke of God was taken of the barbarous Philistines the glory departed from Israel For this purpose I haue read this excellent history There came once before wise Solon a father with his son one accusing the other The father complained of the disobedience of his son the son accused the father of his ill education which was the cause of his disobedience Solon wel considering the cause perceiuing a falt to be in both did thus determine and decide the matter because the father had not brought vp his son in good instruction dutiful correction therfore the father after his death should be depriued of his sepulcher and the son for his disobedience should be disinherited You wil perhaps think this a sharp iudgemeÌ„t of a wise graue iudge but sore diseases need strong medecins and if Solons determinatioÌ„ were put in vre in these our daies I feare me some fathers would lack the honor of their burial some sonnes would be put from their inheritance But if the godly husband wife children do auoid these notorious vices if the husband be religious wise laborious in his vocation if the wife bee chast modest obedient huÌ„ble if the children be wel schooled and brought vp in the faith and feare of the Lord then they al shal be blessed both in the city and in the field Deut. 24. in the fruit of their bodies in the fruit of the ground in their cattle in their basket in their comming in in their going out their Oxen shal be strong to labour Psal 144. their sheep shal bring forth ten thousand in the streetes they shall not go into captiuity they shal be blessed in al the labors of their hands euen as the trees of the lord ful of suck sappe as the trees planted by the waters side they shal be plaÌ„ted in the house of the lord they shall prosper and florish in their yong years in their old age they shal be fatre fat and wel liking yea they shal see the church of God florish their children liue long peace in the coÌ„moÌ„ wealth For the which 3. here our prophet and Prince Dauid prateth which petitioÌ„ of Dauid