I am not come to call the righteoâ—s but sinners to repentance Come vnto me all ye that labour and are laden and I will ease you Repent and beleue the Gospell I say vnto you that ioy shall bee in heauen ouer one sinner that repeÌ„teth more then ouer ninetie and nine iust persons which neede no repentaunce The sonne of man is come to â—eke to saue that which was lost Repent and conuert that your sinnes may be done away As ye haue geuen your members seruauntes to vncleannes and to iniquitie from one iniquitie to an other euen so now geue ouer your members seruauntes vnto righteousnes that ye may be sanctified Put of that olde man which is corrupt according to the deceaueable lustes and bee ye renued in the spirite of your minde putting on that new man which after God is shapen in righteousnes and true holines Mortifiâ— your earthy members fornication vncleannes vnnaturall lust euill coÌ„cupiscence and couetousnes which is worshipping of Idoles For which thinges sake the wrath of God vseth to come on the disobedient children among whom ye walked sometime when ye liued in them But now put ye also away froÌ„ you all such thinges wrath fearcenes maliciousnes cursed speaking filthy coÌ„munication Lie not one to an other seing that ye haue put of the olde man with his workes and haue put on the new maÌ„ which is renued into the knowledge and image of hym that made hym Therfore as the electe of God holy and beloued put on tender mercy kindnes humblenes of minde meekenes long suffering forbearing one an other and forgeuing one an other if any man haue a quarrell agaynst an other as Christ forgaue you euen so do ye Aboue all these thinges put on loue which is the bond of perfection And what soeuer ye doe in word or deede doe all in the name of the Lord Iesu geuing thankâ—â— to God the father by hym ¶ Of Baptisme ¶ What Baptisme is BAptisme is the ordinaunce of Christ to washe euery beleuing Christian with water in the name of the father and of the sonne and of the holy ghost S. Paule calleth Baptisme the fountaine of the new birth and renuing of the holy ghost ☜ Probations out of the holy Scriptures All power is geuen vnto me in heauen and in earth Goe ye therefore and teach all nacions baptising them in the name of the father and of the sonne and of the holy ghost teaching theÌ„ to obserue all thinges what soeuer I haue commaunded you Goe ye into all the world and preach y â— Gospell to euery creature He that beleueth and is haptised shall be saued But he that beleueth not shall be damned Except a maÌ„ be borne froÌ„ aboue he can not see y â— kingdome of God Uerily verily I say vnto thee except a maÌ„ be borne of water and of y â— spirite he caÌ„not enter into the kingdome of God That which is borne of the fleshe is flesh and that which is borne of y â— spirit is spirite ¶ To what vse Baptisme was vsed First to be a sure seale and an euident testimony vnto vs that God the father for his sonne Iesus Christes sake hath freely forgeuen vs all our sinnes receaued vs into hys fauour and geuen vs the holy ghost by whoÌ„ we are borne a new not of mortall but of immortall seede by whom also we are made the sonnes and heyres of God and through sayth reckened pure and holy in hys godly sight ☜ Probations out of the holy Scriptures He that beleueth and is baptised shall be saued Repent you of your sinnes and be baptised euery one of you in the name of Iesus Christ for the remission of sinnes and ye shall receaue the gift of the holy ghost Christ loued the congregation gaue him selfe for it to sanctifie it and clensed it in the fountaine of water through the worde to make it vnto him self a glorious coÌ„gregation without spot or wrinckle or any such thing that it should be holy and without blame Not by the deedes of righteousnes which we wrought but according to his mercy hath hee saued vs by y e fountaine of the new birth and renuing of y e holy ghost which he shed on vs abundantly through Iesus Christ our Sauiour that wâ— iustified by hys grace should bee made heyres according to the hope of eternall life Baptisme saueth vs not by the putting away of the filth of y â— flesh but in that a good conscience consenteth to God by the resurrection of Iesus Christ which is on the right hand of God and is gone into heauen Secondly to put vs in remembrance that for as much as we are become the souldiours of Christ we ought so long as we liue valiauntly to fight agaynst the deuill the world and the fleshe to mortifie all vncleane lustes to die vnto sinne and to rise againe new meÌ„ bearing the image of Christ and fashioning our conuersation and maners after his example that we may learne the Lord our God in such holines and righteousnes as is allowed before hym all the dayes of our life ☜ Probations out of the holy Scriptures know ye not that all we which are baptised into Iesus Christ are baptised to die with hym We are buried then with him by baptisme for to dye that likewise as Christ was raised from death by the glory of the father euen so we also should walke in a new life For if we bee graft in death like vnto hym euen so shall we partakers of the resurrection knowing this that our old maÌ„ is crucified with hym also that the body of sinne might vtterly bee destroyed y t hence forth we should not be seruauntes vnto sinne For hee that is dead is iustified from sinne Wherefore if we bee dead with Christ we beleue that we shall also liue with him All ye that are baptised haue put on Christ. Ye are buryed with Christ thorow baptisme in whom ye are also risen againe thorow fayth that is wrought by the operation of God which raysed hym from death If ye then bee risen againe with Christ seke those things which are aboue where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God Set your affection on heauenly thinges not on earthly thinges For ye are dead your life is hid with Christ in God When soeuer Christ which is your life shall shewe him selfe then shall ye also appeare with hym in glory ¶ Of the Lordes Supper ¶ What the Lordes Supper is THe Lordes Supper is an holy and heauenly bancket in the which the faythfull Christians besides the corporall eating of the bread the outward drinking of the wine do spiritually thorow fayth both eate the body of Christ and drinke his bloud vnto the confirmation of their fayth the comfort of their conscience and the saluation of their soules ¶ To what vse Christ did institute hys holy Supper
Fyrst to put vs in remembraunce that hys body was broken and hys bloud shed for our redemption ☞ Probations out of the holy Scriptures The Lord Iesus the same night in the which he was betrayed toke bread and when hee had geuen thankes he brake it gaue it to his disciples saying Take ye eate thys is my body which is broken for you Thys doe ye in the remembrance of me After the same maner also he toke y ◠cup whē supper was done saying This cup is the new testament in my bloud This do as oft as ye drinke it in remēbrance of me For as oftē as ye shall eate this bread drinke of thys cup ye shall shew the Lords death till he come When they were eating Iesus tooke bread and when he had geuen thankes he brake it and gaue it to his disciples and sayd Take eate this is my body And he tooke the cup and thanked and gaue it them saying drinke ye all of thys For thys is my bloud which is of the new testament that is shed for many for the remission of sinnes As they did eate Iesus tooke bread and when hee had geuen thankes he brake it and gaue it to them and sayd Take eate thys is my body And he toke the cup and when he had geuen thankes he tooke it to thē and they all dranke of it and he sayd vnto them Thys is my bloud of the new testament which is shed for many He tooke bread and whē he had geuen thankes he brake it gaue vnto them saying This is my body which is geuen for you This do in the remēbraunce of me Likewise also when he had supped he tooke the cup saying This cup is the new testament in my bloud which is shed for you Secondly to stirre vs vp vnto thankesgeuing while we consider how precious great and inestimable benefites we haue receaued of God the father by the death of hys sonne as deliueraunce from Sathan freedome from the curse of the lawe forgeuenes of sinnes the fauour and good will of God quietnes of conscience the holy ghost righteousnes victory against sinne death and hell saluation and finally euerlasting life That we should not be vnthankfull but rather ioyfully burst out into all kinde of spirituall prayses lauding and magnifying God the father for these hys most hie and singular free giftes the Lord Christ did institute thys holy supper Therfore it is called of the aunciēt Doctors Sacramentum Eucharistiae i. the Sacrament of thankesgeuing ☞ Probations out of the holy Scriptures All that beleued continued daily with one accorde in y ◠temple and brake bread from house to house and did eate their meate together with gladnes singlenes of hart praysing God Is not the cup of thankesgeuing for y ◠which we geue thankes partaking of the bloud of Christ Is not y ◠bread which we breake partaking of the body of Christ Thirdly to put vs in remembraunce that as the bread which we eate at the Lordes table is made of many graines one loafe and the wine pressed together of sondry grapes is made one wine so we being many are one body wherof Christ is the head And because we all are one body we ought all to be beneficiall one to an other one to loue an other one to beare with an other one to wishe well vnto an other and one to doe for an other what soeuer we be able euen to the vttermost of our power as our head Christ for our health and for our saluation disdained not to bestow his very life and to suffer death euen the death of the crosse for our redemption And as we presently at the receauing of the holy mysteries of Christes body bloud do inioy through fayth in Gods promises all the benefites which Christ obtayned for vs by hys blessed death and glorious passion so lykewise ought they that be partakers of the Lordes table euery one according to hys habilitie at that present to be beneficiall to the poore members of Christ and somewhat to geue that may relieue thē euer after also whē occasion is geuen gladly to distribute vnto the needie some porcion of their goodes wherwith God hath endued them That thys was the custome in the Apostles tyme and in the Primatiue Church yea and long after till the Popishe Masse had driuen out of the Church the right vse of the Lordes supper it is euident enough by diuers testimonyes both of the holy Scriptures and of auncient historyes That we are all one body ☞ Probations out of the holy Scriptures As we haue many members in one body and all members haue not one office so we being many are one body in Christ and euery man among our selues one an others member We though we be many yet are one bread and one body in as much as we all are partakers of one bread As the body is one and hath many members and all the members of one body though they be many yet are but one body euen so is Christ. For by one spirite are we all baptised to make one body whether we bee Iewes or Gentiles whether we be bonde or free and haue all drunke of one spirite For the body is not one member but many c. Therefore if one member suffer all suffer with hym If one member be had in honour all members be glad also Ye are the body of Christ and members one of an other ¶ Of the distribution to the needie All that beleued kept thē selues together and had all thinges common solde their possessions and goods and parted them to all mē as euery man had neede Great grace was there with all them that beleued Neyther was there any among thē that lacked For as many as were possessours of landes or houses solde them and brought the price of the things that were solde and layde it downe at the Apostles feete And distribution was made vnto euery man according as he had neede Distribute vnto the necessitie of the Saintes Be ready to harbour As concerning the gathering for the Sainctes let euery one of you vpō some Sabbaoth day put aside lay vp what soeuer is meete c. It is not my minde that other be set at ease and ye brought into combrance but that there be equalnes now at this tyme and that your abundance may succour their lacke and that their abundaunce may supply your lacke that there may be equalitie agreing to that which is writtē He that had much had not the more abundaunce and he y t had litle had neuer the lesse c. Read the Chapter Of the ministring to y t Saintes it is but superfluous for me to write vnto you for I know the readines of your mind c. Yet this I say he that soweth little shall reape little and he y t soweth in geuing largely and freely shall reape
The Principles of Christian Religion necessary to be knowen of all the faythfull set forth to the great profite in trayning vp of all youth by Tho. Becon Iohn xiij If ye know these thinges blessed are ye if ye doe them Imprinted at London by Iohn Daye dwelling ouer Aldersgate AN. 1569. ¶ Cum Priuilegio Regiae Maiestatis per Decennium THOMAS BECONVS SACROSAC TAE THEOLOGIAE PROFESSOR Ora expressa vides viuos imitantia vultus Quod potuit calimo pictor arte vides Mentis quā nullus potuit tibi reddere pictor Effigiem scriptis 〈◊〉 ipse suis. ¶ The Contentes of this Booke Of fayth WHat fayth is What benefites we receiue of God through◠fayth The Articles of the Christian fayth with confirmations of the same out of the holy Scriptures Of prayer What prayer is What benefites we receiue of God by prayer The Lordes Prayer called the Pater noster with confirmations of euery peticion out of the holy Scripture Of the law What the law is To what vse the law was geuen The x. commaundementes of God with confirmations of euery commaundemēt out of the holy Scripture Of Repentaunce What repentaunce is Of the fruites of repētaunce declared by the word of God Of Baptisme What Baptisme is For what vse Baptisme was ordained Of the Lordes Supper What the Lordes Supper is To what vse Christ did institute it The duty of all estates and degrees accordyng to the doctrine of Gods holy word The dutie of the hye powers and of the other temporall Magistrates The dutie of Subiectes toward the hi◠powers The dutie of Byshops and Ministers of Gods worde The duetie of Parishioners vnto the Ministers of Gods word The dutie of Husbandes vnto their wiues The duetie of Wiues vnto their Husbandes The duetie of Fathers and Mothers vnto their children The duetie of Children towardes their Fathers and Mothers The duetie of Maisters to their Seruauntes The duetie of Seruauntes to their Maisters The duetie of Widowes The duetie of Olde men The duetie of Olde women The duetie of Young folke The duetie of all degrees and estates generally both toward God and their neighbour FINIS To the most gentle and godly disposed childe M. Thomas Cecill sonne to the right honourable Syr Williā Cecill Knight and Secretary to the Kings Maiestie Thomas Becon wisheth the fauour of God with the encrease of vertue and learning II of holy letters we be not sleepie nor vaine readers but diligētly marke what we read we shall easilie perceaue that among other commaundementes of God this is not the last nor the least which he geueth cōcerning the bringing vp of youth in y ◠knowledge of his blessed will For y ◠godly wisedome knoweth right well that except the younglinges of a common weale be vertuously brought vp and faithfully framed according to the right rule of Gods holy appointment it can not come to passe but that his glory the good parentes being once deceased must needes bee obscured in thys world the inuocation of his name cease and all godly religion decay yea the men them selues if they bee worthy that name must needes become brutelike and be caryed about with euery straunge doctrine cōtemne all laudable lawes breake all good orders follow their fleshly appetites lyke vnreasonable beastes so at last bring both thēselues their realmes vnto vtter destruction Therfore as God in his holy law requireth of parentes nothing more earnestly thē to bring vp their children vertuously and according to his word so likewise all godly fathers and mothers haue euer from the beginning done their vttermost endeuour to traine vp their younglinges euen from the very cradells in the nurture feare and doctrine of the Lord supposing them selues then best to please God and most to doe the true office of godly and naturall parentes when they studie how to garnish not theyr childrens bodies with gay and sumptuous vestures but their mindes with noble and precious vertues not bow to lift them vp to transitory dignities worldly honours which as dayly experiēce teacheth are more brittle then glasse and fade away lyke the grasse but how to make them honourable and prayse worthy in the sight of good mē and profitable to the cōmon weale through vertue learning wisedome and counsell And the more the parentes them selues did excell other in knowledge wisedome and learning the greater desire had they to bring their children vnto the lyke perfection bearing heauily that theirs shoulde in any poynt degenerate from their fathers vertues and not orderly aunswere to the godly qualities of their noble parentes Histories both godly and Ethnicke doe minister vnto vs examples aboundantly in this behalfe which I would here gladly recite if I had not attempted the lyke enterprise already in my preface to the Gouernance of Vertue Againe if I were not fully perswaded that you haue heretofore both red and also heard of your teacher the same or els the like histories Your right honourable and most worthy father knowing the good pleasure of God in thys behalfe hath also after the example of all other noble godly parentes painfully trauailed both by him self and by learned teachers to bring you vp euen frō your cradell in the knowledge of Gods will and of good letters that you might as in age so likewise in vertue and learning grow and encrease vnto hys comfort vnto your owne commendation vnto the profite of the common weale hereafter And as your father is learned and hath a brest stuffed with all godly vertues so is hys desire to haue you both learned vertuous that when he shall geue ouer to nature God so disposing hee may leaue behinde hym hys owne image yea as I may so speake hym selfe not onely in lineamentes of body but also in vertue in godlines in wisedome in knowledge and by thys meanes bee counted of hys posteritie a worthy member of the common weale both in him selfe and 〈◊〉 hys sonne It is your dutie therfore to satisfie the good desire of so naturall a father and to aunswere the expectation of many which looke to finde in you hereafter that vertue learning wisedome and grauitie that is euidently perceaued in your most worthy father Thys shall bee brought to passe if according to your beginning ye goe forth diligently to call on the name of God to applie your mind to good letters to giue eare to the wholsome admonicions of your most deare father and to take heede to the daily exhortations of your teacher euer framyng your life according to your knowledge And that ye may do this the more cōueniently I geue you thys little treatise which shall aboundauntly instructe you in those pointes of Christian Religion which at thys present do most of all become your age In it are cōtained the principles of our profession which I haue so opened with the conference of the other scriptures that they may worthily seeme to striue with large Cōmentaries I haue also set forth the duties
The kingdome of God is not meate and drinke but righteousnes peace ioy in the holy ghost The kingdome of God is not in wordes but in power ¶ The third Peticion THy will be done as in heauen so likewyse in earth ☞ The confirmations Teach me O Lorde to doe thy will for thou art my God Not euery one that sayth vnto me Lord Lord shall enter into the kingdome of heauen but hee that doth the will of my father which is in heauen Whosoeuer doth the will of my father which is in heauen he is my brother sister and mother This is the will of him that sent me that whosoeuer seeth y â— sonne and beleueth on him hath euerlasting life Fashion not your selues lyke vnto thys world but bee ye chaunged through the renuing of your mind that ye may proue what thing that good and acceptable and perfecte will of God is This is the will of God euen your sanctifying that ye abstaine from whoredome that euery one of you know how to keepe his vessell in holâ—â—es and honour and not in the lust of concupiscence as the heathen do which know not God For asmuch as Christ hath suffered for vs in the flesh arme ye your selues likewise with y e same minde For he which suffereth in the flesh ceaseth from sinne that hee from hence forth shoulde liue as long time as he remayneth in the flesh not after the lustes of men but after the will of God For it is sufficient for vs that we haue spent the time that is past of the life after the will of the Gentiles walking in wantonnes lustes excesse of drinking and abominable idolatry ¶ The fourth Peticion GEue vs this day our dayly bread ☞ The confirmations I haue bene younge now am old yet saw I neuer y e righteous forsakeÌ„ nor hys sede begging their bread He is euer mercifâ—â—â— and lendeth yet haue his children Gods plentie and inough The eyes of all waite vpon thee O Lorde and thou geuest them their meate in due season Thou openest thy hand and fillest euery liuing creature with thy blessing The Lorde will not let the soule of y e righteous suffer hunger but he taketh away y e riches of y e vngodly The blessing of the Lord maketh men rich as for carefull trauaile it doth nothyng therto Two thinges haue I required of thee that thou wilt not deny me before I dye Remoue from me vanitie and lies Geue me neither pouertie nor riches onely graunt me a necessary liuing least if I be too full I denie thee and say who is the Lord And least I being constrayned through pouertie fall vnto stealing and forsweare y â— name of my God Be not careful for your life what ye shall eate or drinke nor yet for your body what rayment ye shall weare Is not the life more worth then meate and the body more of value then rayment Read forth the chapter Cast all your care on God for he careth for you ¶ The fift Peticion ANd forgeue vs our debtes as we forgeue our debters ☞ The confirmations And forgeue vs. I am he yea I am he which put away thine iniquities and that for mine owne sake and will remeÌ„ber thy sinnes no more As for thine offences I driue theÌ„ away like the cloudes thy sinnes as the miste Turne thee again vnto me and I will deliuer thee God is the king which forgeueth hys seruaunt the ten thousand talentes No man can forgeue sinne but God alone God is the most louing father which ioyfully receaueth home againe hys lost sonne when hee repenteth and conuerteth Our debtes They are all gone out of y e way they are altogether abominable there is none that doth good no not one Who can tell how oft hee offendeth Oh clense thou me from my secrete faultes Who can say my hart is cleane I am free from sinne There is not one righteous maÌ„ in all the earth that doth good and sinneth not Behold God hath found vnfaithfulnes among his own Sainctes Yea y â— very heauens is vncleane in hys sight How much more then abominable and vile is maÌ„ which drincketh wickednes lyke water All the children of men are wicked all their workes are nought neither is there any truth in them All are hypocrites and wicked We are all become vncleane and all our righteousnesses are as a cloth polluted with menstrue We are all vnprofitable seruants All haue sinned and want the glory of God If we say we haue no sinne we deceaue our selues and the truth is not in vs. But if we confesse our sinnes God is faithfull and righteous to forgeue vs our sinnes and to make vs cleane froÌ„ all iniquitie As we forgeue our debters He that seeketh vengeance shall finde vengeance of y e Lorde which shall surely keepe hym hys sinnes Forgeue thy neighbour the hurt that he hath done thee and so shall thy sinnes bee forgeuen thee also when thou prayest A man that beareth hatred agaynst an other how dare hee desire forgeuenes of God He that sheweth no mercy to a man which is lyke him selfe how dare he aske forgeuenes of his sinnes If he that is but fleshe beareth hatred and kepeth it who will intreate for hys sinnes Remember the ende and let emnitie passe If ye forgeue other men their trespasses the heauenly Father shal forgeue you But if ye wil not forgeue men their trespasses no more shall your Father forgeue you your trespasses When ye stand pray forgeue if ye haue ought against any maÌ„ that your father also which is in heaueÌ„ may forgeue you your trespasses Forgeue and it shal be forgeuen vnto you Forbeare one an other and forgeue one an other If any man haue a quarell agaynst an other like as Christ hath forgeuen you euen so do ye likewise Christ forgaue his persecutors and prayed for them saying father forgeue them for they know not what they do S. Stephen forgaue his enemies and prayed for them on thys maner O Lord lay not this sinne to their charge ¶ The sixt Peticion ANd lead vs not into temptation ☞ The confirmations My Sonne if thou wilt come into the seruice of God stand fast in righteousnes and feare arme thy soule to temptation c. Watch and pray that ye fall not into temptation The spirite is willing but the flesh is weake Blessed is the man that standeth fast in temptation For when he is tried he shall receiue the crowne of life which the Lord hath promised to them that loue him Let no man say wheÌ„ he is tempted that he is tempted of God For as God cannot be tempted with euill so neither he himselfe tempteth any man vnto euill But euery maÌ„ is tempted when he is drawen away and
your God The Prophet which shall presume to speake a word in my name which I haue not commaunded hym to speake or that he speaketh in the name of straunge Gods the same Prophet shall die Iehu king of Israell caused all the priestes of Baal to be slaine and all the images to bee fet out of the temple of Baal to bee burnt He caused also hys captaines and men of warre to breake the image of Baal and to destroy the house of Baal so y t Baals house was made a draft house vnto thys day And because Iehu thus sought the glory of God and destroyed idolatry with the maintainers therof he liued quietly in hys kingdome vnto hys dying day and hys children vnto the fourth generation sat on the seate of Israell King Iosias put downe the ministers of Baal whom the kings of Iuda had fouÌ„ded to burne incense in the hill altars and cities of Iuda that were round about Ierusalem also them that burnt incense vnto Baal to the Sunne to the Moone to the Planets and to all the Hoste of heauen That they ought to iudge equally ☜ Probations out of the holy Scriptures Ye shall doe no vnrighteousnes in iudgement Thou shalt not fauour y e poore nor honour the mightie but in righteousnes shalt thou iudge thy neighbour Moses sayd to y â— Iudges heare the cause of your brethren iudge righteously betwene euery maÌ„ and his brother the straunger that is with hym See that ye know no faces in iudgement but heare the small as well as the great and be afrayde of no man for the iudgement is Gods King Iehosaphat said also to the Iudges Take heede what ye do for ye execute not the iudgementes of man but of God which is with you in iudgement Wherfore now let the feare of the Lord be vppon you and take heede be doing the thing that pleaseth hym For there is no vnrighteousnes with y â— Lord our God that should haue any respect of persons or take rewardes A king that sitteth in the throne of iudgement and looketh well about hym driueth away all euill He that sayth to y â— vngodly thou art righteous him shall the people curse yea the comminaltie shall abhorre hym But they that rebuke the vngodly in them doth God delight and a rich blessing shall come vpon them Iudge the thing that is right O ye sonnes of men O loue righteousnes ye that are the Iudges of the earth That they ought to take no bribes ☜ Probations out of the holy Scriptures Thou shalt take no giftes for giftes blinde the fight and peruert the wordes of the righteous Wrest not thou y â— law nor know any person neither take any reward for giftes blind the wise and peruert the wordes of the righteous That which is iuste and right shall thou follow that thou mayest liue and enioy the land which the Lord geueth thee Thou shalt seeke out among all the people men of actiuitie such as feare God true men hating couetousnes and make them heades ouer the people The fire shall consume y â— houses of such as are gredie to receiue giftes Woe be to them y â— geue sentence with y â— vngodly for rewardes but coÌ„demne the iust cause of the righteous Therfore like as fire licketh vp the straw and as the flame consumeth y â— stubble eueÌ„ so theyr roote shall be as corruption their blossome shall vanish away like dust He that kepeth hys hand that he touch no reward he which stoppeth hys eares that hee heare no counsell against the innoceÌ„t bloud he it is that shall dwell on hie That they ought not to oppresse the common people ☜ Probations out of the holy Scriptures The encrease and prosperitie of the commons is y â— kinges honour but the decay of the people is the confusion of the prince Like as a roaring Lion and as an hungry Beare euen so is an vngodly prince ouer the poore people Where the prince is without vnderstanding there is great oppression and wronge but if he bee such a one as hateth couetousnes hee shall long raigne When the righteous haue the ouerhand the people are in prosperitie but when the vngodly beare rule then that people mourne With true iudgement y â— king setteth vp the land but if he be a maÌ„ y â— oppresseth the people with gatheringes he turneth it vpside downe O heare thys worde ye that do poore meÌ„ wronge and oppresse the needie ye that say to your Lordes bring hether let vs drinke Therfore the Lorde hath sworne by hys holines The dayes shall come vpon you that the enemies shall cary you away c. O woe be to the proud wealthy to such as thinke theÌ„ selues so sure which hold them selues for the best of the world and rule the house of Israell euen as they list Ye are taken out for the euill day euen ye that sit in the stoole of wilfulnes Ye that lye vpon beds of Iuory â—nd vse your wantonnes vppon your couches ye that eate the best lambes of the flocke and the fattest calues of the droue ye that sing at the lute and in playing of instrumentes compare your selues to Dauid ye that drinke wine out of goblets and annoynt your selues with the best oyle but as for Iosephes hurt none of you all are sory for it Therfore now shall ye be the first of them that shall be led away captiue and the lustie cheere of the wilfull shall come to an end c. The Lorde is minded to smite the great houses For ye haue turned true iudgement vnto bitternes and the fruite of righteousnes into wormewoode O ye that oppresse the poore and destroy the needie in the land shall not your destruction come vppon you as a water streame c. O ye heades of the house of Iacob ye leaders of the house of Israell should not ye know what were lawfull right But ye hate the good loue the euill Ye plucke of men skinnes and the fleshe from their bones Ye eate the flesh of my people and fâ—ay of their skinne ye breake their bones ye chop them in peeces as it were into a Caldrone as fleshe into a pot Now the time shall come that when they call vnto the Lorde hee shall not heare them but hide hys face from them because that through their own imaginations they haue delt so wickedly c. Beholde here am I sayd Samuell to the children of Israell beare recorde of me before y â— Lord before his annoynted Whose oxe haue I takeÌ„ or whose Asse haue I taken whom haue I done wrong to whom haue I hurt or of whose hand haue I receaued any bribe to blind my eies therwith and I will restore it you againe They sayd thou hast done vs no wronge nor hurt vs neither hast thou taken ought