benefites, wherfore we ought to honor them, obey them, to be willyng and redy both to learne and do that whiche they commaunde vs, and to eschew those thinges which they forbid vs. For this obedience pleaseth God and is a most acceptable honoring of him. Take hede also that you refuse not nor grudge to do such thinges as thei shal commaunde you, nether that you play the truans or runne awaye from your teachers, maysters or other artificers into whose house tuition and custodie your fathers and mothers shall committe you. For this is a great synne before God, the which shal not escape vnpunished. But specially you must eschew this most detestable kynde of disobedience (which now a daies is very commen) that you intangle not your selues with mariage without the knowlege and consent of your parentes. For this is a point not only of notable disobedience, but also of great folyshenes. For what is more miserable or can trouble a man more in this world, then a mariage euel matched and vnmetly coupled. This is that grefe and punyshment that dayly troubleth and scourgeth vs all our lyfe tyme, from the whiche ther is no meanes to escape but by death only. And it is to be feared, when we go aboute to marie ourselues, not makynge our parentes priuie to suche contractes or bargaynes but contemnyng their auctoritie, that God wil not prosper such mariages, nor giue therto his fauour and blessyng. But if you wil kepe Gods commaundementes, and honoure your parents, then God wil loue you, and powre his giftes vpon you most aboundantly. Now good children you haue herde what you ought to do, I praye you be willing to performe that thing, which your bounden dewtie requireth of you. For saincte Paul saieth, that this is the first or chiefe com- Ephe. 6. maundemente hauynge a promyse annexed vnto it. For herin God doth promyse, that he whiche doth honour his father and mother, shall lyue a long lyfe, and shal abyde in his natiue countrey. And he that doth not honoure

theim, shalbe dryuen out of his countrey, and shal shortely dye. And surely this we proue to be true by dayly experyence. For when childerne be wanton, wilde stiffenecked, stubburne, and refuse to be ruled by their parentes and scholemasters, or do not serue their maysters truly, when thei wil not haue in reuerence their preachers and curates, or do not obey the common rulers, then God scourgeth theim, some with one punishment, some with an other. Some is maymed, some leaseth an eye, one hath suche a fall from an horse that lyeth for starke deade, an other is drowned. And here I wyl not speake of those vnthrifty young men whiche be pickers of quarels and in their wylfulnes thone slayeth thother. But yf perchaunce these dysobedient childerne escape punyshmente in theyr yought, yet when they come to mans state, and kepe howses of their awne, then commonly suche children do not auoide this threat and indignation of God. For then many times they runne into suche dette, that they be compelled to forsake their natiue countrey, and to flye into sanctuarie, or elles to wandre in straunge regions lyke banyshed menne, farre from their kynsfolkes acquaintance and frendes, where no man doth helpe them, trust them, or haue pitie of theim. And many of them, whilest they go about to auoyde extreme pouertie by lying, stelyng, robbyng, and other il meanes are cast in prison and afterwarde hanged. These and suche lyke paynes men do wourthelye suffer in their age, whiche in theyr youth dysdayned to folow the counsell of theyr parentes.

Wherfore good children, obey youre parentes and maiestrates, then you shall proue wise men, able to helpe both your selues and other. Then God shal blesse you, that you may longe continewe in the contrey wherin you wer borne and bredde, and dwell amonge your parentes, brethren and sisters, frendes and acquayntaunce many yeares. Then extreme pouertie shall not oppresse you,

wherby you should be compelled to leaue your countrey, neyther the rages or parrels of warre shall dryue you out from thense, so many and so great benefites hath God promysed to obediente children. And there is no doubt, but that he will perfourme that thing whiche he hath promised. As we feale by experience, that as long as we obey our parentes, and suffer our selues to be gouerned accordyng to Gods wyll, so long we be brought vp in the feare of God, to our great commoditie and profit. And this is the true meanynge of the fourth precept, whiche I pray you depely to prynt into youre memories, that when you shall be asked how you vnderstande the fourth commaundement, you may answere, we ought to loue and dreade our Lorde God, and for his sake to honoure oure parentes, teachers masters and gouernours, to obey them and in no wise to dispise them.

IN the former sermon it hath ben declared vnto you, how you shoulde vnderstande the fourth precept, in the which you haue learned, how you must behaue your selues towardes youre fathers and mothers and all com

Gene. iiii.

men ministers in the publyke weale. Nowe foloweth the fift commaundemente. Thou shalte not kyll. Whiche teacheth vs howe we oughte to ordre oure selues towardes eche of oure neighbours, that we hurte theim not, nether in theyr goodes, nor in theyr lyfe. For among al worldly goodes, and bodely gyftes, there is none more precious then health and lyfe. Therfore God before al other damages and hurtes doeth chiefely forbydde this, that we kil not our neyghbour. And this commaundement doth not onely restrayne our handes from kyllyng with violence and forse, but it forbyddethe also all angre, enuie, wrathe, hatred and malyce, that we be not manquellers Roma. vii. neyther in harte, wourd nor deade. For the lawe is spirituall (as saynt Paule sayeth) and requyreth of vs obedience, not onli in outward worke but also in thaffection of hart and inwarde motions and most secret senses of the same. And it is an hye wisedome, to looke in the botome of this commaundemente, and rightly to vnderstande the same. Therfore our Lorde Jesus Christ dyd expounde this commaundement, his own selfe, lest we should erre and falsely vnderstand it, as the Jewes dyd, for the Jewes thought, that as long as they had refrayned theyr handes from killyng and slayng, so long they had kept this commaundement. And although theyr hert had bene full of hatred, enuie, and malice towardes their neighbour, and with contumelious wordes or dedes hadde gyuen occasion of manslaughter, yet thys they counted for no syn, and their scribes and pharises did so teache them. Therfore Christ in the fifte of Mathew sayth. Uerely I saye vnto you, excepte your righteousnes excead the righteousnes of the scribes and pharises, ye cannot entre into the kyngedome of heuen. Ye haue heard that it was sayde vnto them of the olde time. Thou shalt not kyll. Whosoeuer kylleth shalbe worthy to be iudged. But I say vnto you, that whosoeuer is angry with his brother, shalbe worthy to be iudged.

Math. v.

Here you see good children, that Christ doth as ernestly forbydde hathered, angre and enuye, as he doeth bloudy manslaughter. For he that is angry with his neyghbour, killeth hys neyghbour in harte and wyll and breketh this commaundemente of God, thou shalte not kyll. And marke well good children, that he sayeth not, thy hande shall not kyl, or thy sworde, spere, or gunne shall not slaye. But he sayeth, thou shalt not kyll, that is to saye, thou whiche art made of body and soule, shalt neyther kyl with any of thy bodely members, nether yet with thy inwarde mind or wyll, neyther with woorde nor deede. But here peraduenture some wyll saye. What thinke you syr of traytors, commen theues, robbers and murtherers oughte not suche to be kylled? I answere that they ought to be kylled, but yet God sayeth, thou shalt not kil, thou shalt kepe peace with al men. Who then shall kyll suche malefactors? Leaue punishement to me (sayeth God) and I wyll reuenge. God himself wyl do execution vpon such open transgressors of his lawes. And therfore here in this worlde, God hath ordeined vnder him kinges, princes and other maiestrates, and hathe gyuen theym theyr swordes to this vse, that thei should be his deputies in kylling suche offenders. And when suche commen gouernours do their office in punishynge open malefactors, then they do a true honoure and seruice to God, and are hys ministers, as saint Paul sayth to the Romaynes. The maiestrate is Goddes offycer. Roma. xiii. And when the publike minister doeth kill an open transgressor, we oughte to thinke that God kylleth hym, forasmuche as the offycer doeth the same by the commaundement and ordynance of God. Wherfore good children, althoughe menne do neuer so greate wronge vnto you, and hurte you ether in your bodies or goodes, yet take it paciently, refrayne your handes from bloudshedyng, strike no man violently, but committe the matier to God. For he hath saied, leaue vengeance to me