thus I am righteous I walke vprightly I haue recouered my selfe with good workes eyther I am not faln either I haue deserued to be restored againe Such indeede was the saying of the Pharisie iustifying himselfe so he layde out before God his fardle of fastings his rustie packe of almes and tithes but howe sped he the nearer the Churche he made himselfe to be the further he was from GOD he departed home righteous in his owne eyes but so muche the more vnryghteous before god O playe not the Pharisies forget not your selues whose children you are what else but the childe of perdition O earth earth that thou shouldst make so much of thy selfe Nay this is not the way to recouer the lost Paradise this was that fooles Paradise whereinto the Galathians were brought and wherefore S. Paule rebuketh them O ye foolishe Galathians who hath bewitched you are ye foolish saith he to séeke your perfection in your fleshe Take héede then S. Paule counteth thee but for a foole if thou go that way to worke as to saye myne owne deserts shall rayse me vp from my fall no it will be but a vaine bragge in thée and the encrease of thy sinne to say I haue no sinne that were but to proue thy selfe a lier for if we saye we haue no sinne we deceiue our selues and the truth is not in vs nay in so saying we make God a lyer so farre as lyeth in vs this therefore is but a stolne feather belonging to a better bird it is the armes of our heauenly king Christ it is his ensigne wherewith he triumpheth ouer his enimies to saye this who of you is able to reproue me of anye sinne let vs not robbe Christe of his honor let vs not make Gods of our selues for who is good but God To say that we are guiltlesse before the iudgement seat of God in that we shall haue a thousande witnesses against vs euen our own conscience crying and conuincing vs it were a better waye to confesse our selues sinners for that waye there may be some hope for if we acknowledge our sinnes God is mercifull to forgiue vs and to clense vs from al vnrighteousnesse This waye did the holyest of all take for what sayth Dauid that chosen of God he cryeth againste thee againste thee onely haue I sinned and my sinne is euer before me this was the confession of the father and his wise sonne Salomon whom God had endued with such giftes what hath he to say but guiltie wherfore he maketh his prayer and as it were aforehande bespeaketh the mercy of God for him and his people for he foresawe as he sayth that there is no man which sinneth not and he maketh this question who can saye I haue made myne heart cleane I am cleane from sinne And Iob a iust man as the markette of mans iustice goeth he saythe vnto God holding vp his hand I haue sinned what shal I doe vnto thée And Paule the elect vessell doth not he also say guiltie when he protesteth thus of himselfe I knowe that in me that is in my flesh there dwelleth no good thing nay he felt the burthen of sinne so heauie on his back that it causeth him to crie with a great grone and déepe sigh Oh wretche that I am who shall deliuer me from this body of death And that holy Apostle Peter what sayde he but guiltie when he sayd vnto our Sauiour departe from me O Lorde I am a sinfull man Let vs therefore followe the wise counsel of the wise sonne of Syrach My sonne sayth he iustifie not thy selfe before the Lorde for he knoweth thyne heart This accompt therefore must we make of our selues we are bare Adams and naked Eues we haue nothing to hide our sinnes but the more we séeke to cloake them the more they doe appeare our own works they be but figge leaues they will not hide our nakednesse we shall be ashamed of them and will be faine to hide our heads from the presence of the Lorde when the coole of the day cōmeth that he wil call vs to accompt But why do I compare them to figge leaues the Prophete hath made a meeter comparison of them what is our righteousnesse like vnto it is almost a shame to speake of them as they deserue they are sayth he like vnto a cloth bespotted with the flowers of a womā O shamelesse hypocrites that can present the moste holy God with the shamefull cloutes and filthy ragges of their owne righteousnesse and offer that a price of their redemption Hath not God then left a lawe of righteousnesse by the whych we shall be iudged Yea verily But who will stande to the triall thereof that he hath kept that law he that thinketh that iustification cōmeth this waye lette him harken a little to the doctrine of S. Paule By the lawe saythe he commeth the knowledge of sinne that is it proueth vs guiltie it conuinceth vs of vnrighteousnesse and there is the office of the lawe but concerning our iustification we knowe saythe he that what soeuer the lawe saythe it sayth it to them which are vnder the lawe that euery mouth may be stopped and all the worlde founde culpable before GOD. And this is his conclusion therefore by the workes of the lawe shall no fleshe be iustifyed Nay let vs not take this waye let vs rather craue a pardon than pleade the law for that we see is a bone that choketh vs all if we stande vpon the plea we are sure to be caste in the great debte of sinne and after to be throwne in that prison of darkenesse neuer to be let loose againe no not til we haue payde the vttermost farthing Yet then we slide we fall here is no holde to be had no reste to be founde whiche way then shall we nowe turne vs Shal we séeke excuses to cloake our offences Shall we say this man or that man prouoked me to wickednesse had not this cause bene I had not transgressed neyther will this cloake serue vs it is not able to kéepe off the smoking raine of Gods wrathe which is poured downe out of heauen vpon all vnrighteousnesse This way was fyrst of al sayed but it would not preuayle with God for when God called Adam to reckening and sayd why hast thou eaten of the tree whereof I commaunded thée that thou shouldst not eate then did Adam put it ouer to Eue and so sayde the woman whiche thou gauest to me she brought of the trée and I did eate then God called the woman saying why hast thou done this and she layde the blame vpon the Serpent hauing no more to say but this The Serpent beguiled me and I did eate But God helde not Adam excused by Eue nor Eue by the Serpente euery one of them beareth his iniquitie and they drinke all of one cup that is of the curse of God so he that giueth euill counsell shal haue the rewarde of
for if righteousnesse be by the law then Christ died with out a cause Neyther will excuses serue to saluation for then shoulde the Serpent haue bene cursed alone as vpon whome all the blame was layde but if the Serpent seduce and be followed if the Deuill tempt and be not withstoode both Adam Eue man and woman they must néeds drinke of the cup of Gods curse This for the knowledge of oure selues what the world is which God so loueth and so setting before vs our reward by iustice the terrible torments intollerable flames of hel fire with the bitter byting worm that neuer dyeth whiche Satan threatneth leading vs forward fast fettered with the chaine of sinne what might we do but lye sweating in the myserable pitiful pangs of desperation what comfort might we finde one in another but teares and torments sorowes sighes crying and howling wéeping and wayling groning and gnashing of téeth But the merciful God the louing Lorde when we stoode at this point in manner at defiance with God although he sawe that al flesh had corrupted his way although he knew the imaginations of mans heart to be euil euen from his youth and saw that we alwayes bare a styffe stomacke agaynst him and his holy will yet hath he not vtterly cast vs of but blessed be his name for euer he hath shewed vs a glad and chearefull countenance hée taketh pitie vpon vs it grieueth him we should deserue his wrath but it woulde more grieue him that we should die the deserued death Wherefore he hath shewed vs marueylous kindenesse and more mercie than when we stoode first in his fauour yea more mercie I will not say than man might deserue but more than we coulde deuyse to aske For beholde he hath opened vnto vs all his treasure and endlesse riches of his infinite mercie choosing out as it were the best iewell of all hys store and stocke euen that precious pearle his owne glorie in whome is all his delight his onely begotten hys best beloued sonne in whome dwelleth all the fulnesse of the Godheade bodily in whome are hid all the treasures of wisedome and knowledge who is the verie expresse Image of the inuisible God him he hath not spared to make our Messias and to sende vs a sauiour to rayse vs from that foule fall of our first father to regenerate and make vs a new to conquer the world to slay the séede of the serpent and sée that we shoulde not perish but liue and reigne with him in his kingdome euerlastingly and how Christ hath approued himselfe a sauioure and how he persited that knotty worke of our redemption and made all sure that it might not perish what he suffered before he said it is finished we haue séene some shewe thereof but O that we could consider it worthily and weigh it in a iust ballance then should our harts vndoubtedly waxe hote with the feruent loue of God so maruellously declared in hys sonne our sauioure bearing this in mind alwayes that whatsoeuer he suffered he suffered for vs hauing still that voice of our Sauiour ringing in our eares and fresh in our harts the zeale of thy house hath consumed me Christe was sicke of that consumption euen of zeale to make vs an holy house to his father and what soeuer was done by Christe on the earth let vs recken altogyther vppon the ende whereof he himselfe protesteth the sonne of man came to saue that whyche was lost and whatsoeuer was layde vppon him let vs recken that ours by ryghte and that we deserued a thousande folde more than so for we alas like giddy shéepe haue gone astray we haue turned euery one of vs his owne way we were oppressed with burthen of sinne but by him we are eased and refreshed for he hathe layde vpon him the iniquitie of vs all that are come vnto him with our heauy lode surely he hath borne our infirmities and caried our sorrowes he was wounded for our transgressions he was broken for our iniquities the chastizement of our peace was vpon him and with hys stripes we are healed he came downe from the high heauens to raise vs that were fast slipping to the déepe darke hell he refused not to take vpon him the burthen of our flesh that we might by him be quickened in the spirit he liued amongst vs men that we by him might liue with God he suffered suche euill entreatie at that Foxe Herods handes least we might be a portion for Foxes and a pray for woolues he followed that thanklesse office of preaching that we myghte not perish but liue by hys worde for though the deuill say nay yet Christ sayth truely that man liueth by euery worde procéeding out of the mouth of God and therefore rather than hée woulde leaue vs vnprouided of that necessary foode whiche he brought from heauen he tooke well a woorth the misreports of the wicked blasphemers That we might call on him as a Sauioure he suffered himselfe to be called a Samaritane a sinner a surfetter and for our souls hâ—altâ— it was that he wrought so many a miracle by the meanes of one body cured visibly sauing a thousand soules by inuisible operation of faith so Christ himselfe saith vnlesse you sée signes and wonders you will not beléeue therefore to lay that salue to our sore also he professeth himselfe a Phisition and a Surgion nothing disdaining the company of such as were in miserie and despised of men he shut not his eyes to the blinde he came to the lame that coulde not come to him he looked on the Lepres he visited the sicke he wepte with the sorrowfull he lamented wyth Lazarus fewer times bidden to feastes than he was founde at burialls But this is to be accounted the least part of al the paines sorowes of our sauiour The cup the cursed cup of his crosse what hart is so harde that may consider that without great admiration of Gods mercy with howe bitter temptations did he take the tast therof before his hour came with what heauinesse of hart did he vtter his complainte vnto his disciples and againe to his father when he sweated that bloudy water let vs heare then our Sauioure himselfe vttering his complaints by the mouth of the Prophets Thus saith one he is despised and reiected of men he is a man full of sorrowes and hath experience of infirmities we hidde our faces from him we estéemed him not thys we knowe howe it was accomplished in that the hanghtie high Priestes and proude Pharisies regarded not but vtterly dysdayned our Sauiour by another Prophet he saith he that eateth bread with me lifteth vp his héele against me This we saw performed by saucy Iudas who when he had dipped with our Sauiour in his dish streight after gote him out and made vp his bloudy bargaine and as Christ forewarned his disciples deliuered the sonne of man into the handes of sinners another Scripture is he is
for his owne glorie then for the benefite of man Of the waters God created the great Whales euery thing liuing and mouing which the waters brought forth in abundāce according to their kinde euery fethered foule according to his kinde God saw al that he had made and lo it was very good and al these things were made as good for the necessitie of man God made these creatures for man yea he made them blissed for man saying bring forth fruite multiplie Now when God had thus prouided all things to mans hand set them in so blissed estate then came the course of our creation then he said let vs make man how after what forme in what moulde was he cast In our Image saith the almightie according to our owne likenesse not as other his creatures therfore that this high point of Gods loue might with the déeper consideration enter our harts Moyses repeateth it double Thus God created man in his image in the image of God created he him neyther did he make him sole and comfortlesse but male and female created he them neither when he had made man straight he cast him of set him as it wer a grasing with other his creatures so taking no further care of him but without long delay he gaue him his heauenly blessing he made him a souereigne and a ruler ouer all other his creatures and streight gaue him possession of them God blessed them and sayd bring forth fruite and multiply and fil the earth and subdue it and rule ouer the fish of the sea and ouer the foule of the heauē and ouer euery beast that moueth on the earth Now beholde the loue of God towardes man in his firste creation God viewed all the glorious workes of his fingers and they were all pleasant in his sight but he did moste glorie in man as the perfection of all his workes wherefore hée coulde not but delight in him while he kepte himselfe in that estate man was nowe a blessed man when God had blessed him and blessed euery thing about him wherefore Dauid rauished in manner with the consideration hereof bursteth out in vehemencie of spirite and sayth what is man O Lorde that thou art mindfull of him or what is the sonne of man that thou visitest him for thou hast made him a little lower than God thou haste crouned him with glorie and worship thou makest him to haue dominion ouer the workes of thy handes thou hast put all thinges vnder his féete all shéepe and Oxen yea and the beastes of the field the foules of the aire and the fish of the Sea and that which passeth through the pathes of the Seas besides all this he made him a Prince of Paradise and placed him in a garden of pleasure where he turned him on no side but euery eye was full of the blessing and loue of God. The fifth Chapter ¶ The fall of Adam and his miserable estate by occasion thereof THus God loued the worlde euen in his first foundatiō wherin he shewed manifolde tokens of a fatherlye fauour towardes man but this was not that speciall loue here meante there was yet no néede of that loue let vs therefore nowe consider the occasion of this our necessitie why God shoulde so shewe his mercie towardes vs as is here mentioned let vs search the sore so shall the salue séeme more precious He that can not in himselfe finde what he is of himselfe let him loke vpon Adam as the childe on the father and the true image of vs all so iustly valewing our selues what we are whom God so loueth we shall haue occasion to set the greater price on that loue and it may be as a spur vnto vs stirring vs vnto a further thankefulnesse Nowe therefore when God had so mercifully dealte with Adam settling him in that place of pleasure giuing him such libertie as these wordes do import Thou shalte eate freely of euery tree of the Garden yet leaste the pot might set vp himselfe against the potter least by presumption man shoulde aduance and equall himselfe with his creator it was the good pleasure of the almightie God to giue him this brydle to byte on and to kepe down that stomacke which he foresawe woulde shortly swell with pride so to restraine his libertie as in those wordes is expressed But as touching the tree of knowledge of good and euill thou shalte not eate of it for whensoeuer thou eatest thereof thou shalte dye the death This was the holy commaundement of our heauenly father whiche it had bene the parte of man willingly to haue obeyed alwayes to haue obserued neuer to haue resisted so might he haue kept his possession in Paradise For all the benefites which God had moste plentifully bestowed vppon man he desired but this one thing that is obedience to his will. This was a sacrifice wherewith he woulde be pleased he hath alwayes cryed for obedience euen from the firste man hither vnto but he could neuer get it at any mans handes excepting Christe the righteous For Adam how did he behaue himselfe what obedience shewed he he stopped his eare at the voice of the liuing God his louing Lorde who dealte so mercifully and liberally with him it was forgotten whiche God sayde thou shalte dye and that voyce of the serpent ye shal not dye howe soone did that enter the eare For the man he gaue eare to the Woman the Woman to the Serpent they brake the commaundement they eat of the excepted trée so the blinde led the blinde and they fel togither into the ditch they became subiecte to the curse of God who called them to accompt for their disobedience and gaue to euery one his seueral curse here is the point here lieth the matter a bleeding this is the olde sore as they say bred in the bone that will neuer be gotten out of the fleshe passing mans cunning to cure without a speciall remedie prouided of god O Adam how wert thou bewitched thou wert once in an highe and heauenly estate but thou arte falne flat to the earthe thou werte sure in Paradise but now thou art endaungered to become a firebrand of hell it was swéete meat perchance thou tastedst but thou shouldest haue remembred the sowre sause that followed Coulde not these blessings and manifolde benefites receyued of thy creator coole thy presumptuous courage coulde not the feare of falling into the contrarie plagues and calamities stay thy wilfull appetite O howe didst thou forget that threatning thou shalt dye the death that double deathe the due rewarde of thy sinne But thou shouldest haue bene obedient obedience had bene the waye to haue kepte thee vpright but nowe thou hast receiued thy wages the wages for sinne is death Whilest thou keptst thy selfe within the bounds which thy louing Lorde hadde appoynted for thée then waste thou an happie Adam O thanke God for that nowe arte thou vnhappie and in miserie thanke thy selfe
Sara Kings also should come And to cōfirme vs in opinion that this is the very true promised seede by the whiche Abraham should become a blessed father and we his happie Children and by the which Adam should subdue the Serpent S. Paule proueth vnto vs arguing of the forme of the promise he sayth not to the seedes as speaking of many but and to thy seede as of one as thoughe he hadde sayde of all the Kings comming of Sara yet was there but one by whome we shall obtaine the kingdome of heauen of all the seede of Abraham whyche was innumerable as the starres of the heauen and the sande of the Sea shore yet was there but one séede whyche brought this blessing with it and that was as he there sayth onely Chryste and as S. Iohn here speaketh the onely begotten sonne of God for it was not that earthly Isaack that fleshely sonne of Sara but it is this heauenly Isaack the onely begotten sonne of God that bringeth his blessing on his backe neyther was it that Iacob the begotten of Isaack but the onely begotten of God in whome the promise was performed this is that wise warie Iacob that supplanteth and vndermineth all enuious Esaus this is the mightie and sturdie Israell that subdueth all powers to whom al knées be they neuer so stiffe shal crouch here beneath and aboue in earth in hell and in heauen this is the very séede out of which springeth all blessing all that are blessed among the begotten of men it is by this begotten of God this seede blesseth both the begetting and begotten the sonne and the father the first as Alpha and the laste as Omega without this heauenly Iacob had that bene but a detested Esau and not a beloued Iacob without this Isaack had that other bene in worse case than wilde Ismael and in this Isaack stoode the chiefe ioy of Abraham yea before Abraham was this Isaack was for but in respecte of him had blessed Shem bene an accursed Ham it is written that Noah foūd grace in the sight of the Lord had it not bene for this gracious Lord he had not founde suche grace for it was the hope of this grace giuen by Chryste that bore the Arke and saued him from those roaring floudes And this Isaack stoode by Abell shadowing him with his blessing while Caine was cursed and this is the selfe seede that saueth Adam from the serpent And that blessed among women the mother of our Sauioure wherein stoode hir blessednesse but in that the Angel said Thou hast found fauor with God for loe thou shalte conceiue in thy womb beare a sonne and shalt cal his name Iesus and she of hir selfe from henceforth shall all nations call me blessed From that tyme when God had so shewed his fauour as that she was ouershadowed by the power of the highest and had conceiued that fruit of the wombe then from that time became she blessed and not she onely but all those nations calling hir blissed haue part with hir in the blissed séede in the conceiued fruite Iesus This therefore is the loue wherewith God so loueth vs that he sending his onely begotten sonne his dearely beloued Chryste we stand in possibilitie to become the blessed sonnes of blessed Abraham let vs therefore the children with our father reioyce in this daye whereof the Aungell speaketh and wherof the Lorde himselfe sayth Thou art my sonne this daye haue I begotten thee This day was such as many Kings and Prophets desired to sée yea happy were they that were so happie as to hope for this day for all the blessed among the fathers rested in this hope This was the comfort of Iacobs féeble spirite nowe entring into the graue for thus he gloryed before his son Ioseph visiting him in Egypt in his sicknesse and to him was it ioyfull tydings to hear that saying at his fathers mouth God almightie appeared vnto me at Luze in the lande of Canaan and blessed me in the which blissing was cōteined the promise of the hoped and performed sauiour and a litle before his last breath he declareth his hope by these words O Lord I haue waited for thy saluation and this was the comfort wherewith the prophetes comforted themselues and the people of God declaring it in suche sorte as though the insensible creatures the heauens and the earth the mountaines and the valleyes should be refreshed withall such was the prophecie of Esaye Reioyce O heauens and be ioyfull O earth burst forth into prayse O mountaines for God hath comforted his people and will haue mercie on his afflicted And by the prophet Zacharie thus said the Lord Reioyce with great ioy O daughter Sion shoute for ioye O daughter Ierusalem behold thy King commeth vnto thée And by Micheas And thou Bethléem in the land of Iuda art not the least among the Princes of Iuda for out of thée shall come the gouernour that shall féede my people Israell and to the comforte of the gentiles thus he saith speking as it were to his Chryste Beholde thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not and a nation that knewe not thée shall runne vnto thée bicause of the Lord thy God and the holy one of Israell thus was Chryste alwayes a comforte for the hope of the fathers to rest vpon and by him was their hope full with ioy So did God loue them his chosen of Israell that he hath sent thē the gouernor that should féede his people he hath sent them the good shepeherd that should saue the lost shepe But this loue is suche that it resteth not in the compasse of Ierusalem for S. Iohn saith it is the loue wherewyth God loued the worlde God hath sent his sonne and he hath sent him as well for the light and ioye of the Gentile as for the glory of the Iewe and we that knew not God may now know him and nowe if fayth fayle not it shall please God as well to be called the God of Englande as the God of Israell for he hath sent the promised seede of Abraham that shall blesse the one nation as well as the other and he hath sente his sonne to bestowe his loue vpon all partes of the worlde that in him all people shoulde be blessed The tenth Chapter ¶ What Chryste is and in what state he wrought the worke of our saluation NOwe this hithervnto spoken we haue béene thus farre in the fauor of God and haue tasted howe gracious the Lorde is that we know euen for the loue he beareth vnto vs he hath sent vs a redéemer whiche shall be a reconciliation for vs and shall quicken vs lying in the shadowe of death that we might not perishe but liue for euer and who it is that he maketh our redéemer as by the fleshe the blessed séede of Abraham a true man and yet the onely begotten sonne of God him he hath not spared to make a Messanger of saluation
discorde and bodyly trouble thereof ensuing there is also apparant perill that may pearce the soule For so sayth the Lord to his people Israell concerning their ioyning with forein nations Deut. 7. Thou shalt make no couenant with them neither shalt thou make mariages with them neyther giue thy daughter vnto his sonne nor take his daughter vnto thy sonne for they wyll cause thy sonne to turne away from me and to serue other Gods Then will the wrath of the Lorde waxe whote against you and destroy thée sodenly You are no Israelite here might be sayd how then yet a Christian I trow and by fayth the daughter of Abraham Then this must you recken to be written for your learning There are no Heathites no Amorites no Cananites to be feared yet are many in our dayes bothe faythlesse and godlesse as the obstinate Papiste double dealing Gospeller in whom there is no lesse daunger of deceite and although the persons be not one yet litle differēce seemeth to be in the cause For first mark the reason and then apply it The mariage of a Cananite was forbidden the Israelite for feare lest he should be withdrawen from the true worshippe of the true God of Israell and do we not sée in experience that the wicked wife corrupteth such men as we iudge sometime moste vpright in lyfe and stedfast in profession of the truthe And howe muche more danger is there least the vnbeléeuing and wicked man alter the good nature of the honest woman into his owne nature séeing that to hym she is subiect as the body to the head ye must of necessitie be one in fleshe with him whome ye shall choose foresée therefore by wisdome that hys religion be one with yours sée that you change not your maners with your name presume not of your self herin you are not wiser than Salomon yet as in the .9 of the .1 of the kings his wisdome was so bewitched by the means of those forein womē with whō he matched in mariage that he became a fond Idolater so fel into the hands of god Of this example I trust you will take sufficient warning so that herein I néede not make any moe wordes vnlesse you obiect to me or any other to you the place of S. Paul 1. Cor. 7. The vnbeleeuing husband is sanctified by the wife and the vnbeléeuing wife is sanctified by the husband If we marke the purpose of Saint Paule the answer shall not be hard The verse next afore dothe conteine his purpose which is that the beleeuing woman already maried to the vnbeléeuing man should not vse his infidelitie as an occasion to departe from him the words are The woman which hathe an husbande whiche beleeueth not if he be content to dwell with hir let hir not forsake hym and the other he ioyneth as a reason to confirme this sentence so that that place serueth to this that if you and your husband were first both of you vnbeleeuers afterward it pleased God to call you to the knowledge of thys truthe your husband continuing in his infidelitie or if nowe beeing grounded you shoulde aduenture the mariage of an Infidell you ought not yet for the hope of sanctification to séeke a separation For as you should do ill to take on the yoke of an infidell so shoulde you do worse to shake it off withoute some iuster cause and although that be not a sufficiente cause to breake the knot that is knit whereas is hope of sanctification yet is it iust and necessarye wherefore to refraine mariage For the mariage of an vngodly Infidell I graunt is a mariage not lightly to be dissolued but yet an vngodlye mariage and that whiche lacketh sanctification whiche is easie to gather eue◠of the same wordes of S. Paule alleaged Wherefore as if your head were fast in the yoke I would counsell you to continue for the hope of sanctification that you might win your husbande so nowe standing frée tempt not God presume not match not with any that you knowe to be out of the housholde of faythe for feare of corruption least you leese your selfe before you winne an other Thus I haue spoken hitherto for my last wower who pleadeth honestie vertue and godlinesse and who I doubt not shall spéede bicause that God is on his side Here if ye demaunde of me whether I woulde haue you so precise as only to regarde the honestie and vertue withoute any further respect Truely although peraduenture I shall seeme too spirituall in this poynt that if you had your eye fully fixed vpō the marke without wauering other wayes no doubt but God would prosper you the better for as muche as he shall thereby haue triall that you depend wholly vpon him and his prouidence and then shall you be least in danger of snares And of this that it ought so to be we may take a warning of the maner that God vsed in the first mariage making in the. 2. of Genesis as whilest he was prouiding for Adam the woman that shuld be his wife and his cōfort he caused an heauie sléepe to fall vpon the man and whilest he was a sléepe he tooke out that ribbe wherof he framed the woman So verely I would thinke that God did most worke with you if you layde Adam a sleepe I meane if you remoued all carnall affections and worldly respectes whyche procéede as earthly from Adam whyle that this bargaine were a driuing This I know is farre wide from worldly wisdome but this way you shall go néerest to make a mariage of Paradice and so shall you séeme moste to marrie in the lord And if you may not abide so straite binding yet swarue as litle as you may if thys be not your whole building yet at the least let it be your chiefe foundation if thys be your grounde haue no doubt but there will growe and folowe other good followers So then I thinke you shall gather a good summe if you cast your accomptes in this wise if vertue come alone she is not to be refused if she come with the companye of suche as the world estéemeth not as a seruant but as a maistresse which is hard and seldome she is also to be imbraced But yet if you stande on this poynt you are in greater danger to slide for vertue clothed is not so sure to trust as if it be naked bare Then a little vertue excéeding in one maye not be supplied with great store and abundance of other gifts and goodes in an other for we must in our doings first seeke the kingdome of heauen as for other things after them seeke the Gentiles if they be sought with care euen when we thinke vs nearest we are often furthest off and shoote to short If we attaine the thing desired yet we lacke the fruition as when we wanted the thing If we enioy it yet the space is shorte But if they come as vnbidden guestes then are they most welcome yea if we