Leui. xxiiii.

saith that he wyl reuenge his maiesti and glori, if any man wil translate that, vnto any creature picture or ymage, and that with such vengeance, that it shal extende vnto theyr children, nephewes and nephewes children. Like as on the other side he promiseth his mercye and goodnes to their posterite that kepe his lawe and commaundementes. Employ therfore youre hole hartes and myndes to his preceptes good children, and exchewing al ydolatry or honoring of caruinges or paintinges geue to God only his due honor and glory now and from hensforth world without ende. Amen.

THE SECONDE SERMON.

YE haue herd the declaracion of the first commaundement, in the which we be taught how we oughte to behaue oure selfes towardes God in our hertes, now foloweth the seconde commaundement which is this.

Thou shalte not take the name of the Lord thy God in vayne, for he shal not be giltles in the sight of the Lorde, that taketh his name in vayne.

THIS commaundement good children teacheth vs howe we ought to behaue our selfes toward God in wourdes, biddyng vs not to speake of the name of God

in vayne or with out great cause, but to vse it only when it tendeth to the praise and glory of God, and to the profyt of our neighbour, that euery man maye perceaue by our wourdes and communication, that we in our hartes do reuerently and humbly feare, magnifie and wurship God and his holy name. For by this our good example other men are prouoked and encoraged to glorifie the name of God. And contrariwyse when in scoffynge and iestyng we be light to abuse the name of God, then other men are offended, and therby also are made more vnreuerent toward God and lesse passe of God and godly thinges, and so by this meanes we burden our selues with an other mans synne. For Christ sayeth in the ghospel of Mathew the xviii. chapter. He Mat. xviii. that gyueth cause of offence to any of the weake bretherne, it were better for hym that a mil stone wer hanged about his necke, and so drowned in the botome of the sea, wherfore I praye you, diligently beware, that you gyue no suche kynde of offence to your bretherne, how the name of God is taken in vayne, to thentent you may the soner eschewe this synne. For the name of God is taken in vayne diuerse wayes.

The first is when men gyue the title and name of God, to those thinges whiche are not God in dede. As the heathen did cal the sonne the moone and the starres, goddes, also thei called certen men kinges and tyrannes, goddes and as the Jewes did, which made a calfe of gold and sayed: This is the God whiche brought vs out of Egipt. And this (good children) is so heinous a fault, that God in the olde testament commaunded hym to suffre death that should committe this synne, and yf any citie had so offended, he willed the same citie to be burned and vtterly destroyed, and all that were founde therin to be kylled. Therfore let vs dylygently eschew this offence, or elles God wyll horriblye punishe vs.

The seconde waye of takynge the name of God in vayne, is when we fors were our selues, or sweare deceiptfulli, other in commen iudgement, or in oure dayly affaires and communicacion, entendynge therby to deceiue our neyghbour. Wherfore you muste diligentlye take hede that you vse not to swer lightly thorough an euell Math. vi. custome but do as Christ teacheth vs, lette your communicacion be yea, yea, and nay, nay. But when necessite dryueth you to an othe, or the publyke officer commaundeth you to sweare, then be not forsworne, but speake the trueth and faythfullye perfourme and obserue that thing that you haue sworne. And yf it shall chaunce any of you in tyme to come, when you shall come to mans state, to be called to any office in the commen wealth, beware that you gyue no cause nor occasion to othes not necessarie. For whatsoeuer sinne is committed by suche othes, that God doethe impute to thofficer whiche exacteth the same, and not to the subiectes whiche are bownde to obey, not onelye for feare of punishemente, but also for conscience sake.

Thirdely we abuse the name of God not onely in vayne but also veri vngodly, when with horrible cursyng and bannynge by the name of God we wyshe to other the vengeaunce of God. The whiche syn now in our time is moche vsed. Insomuch that now a dayes you shall heare not onely men, but also women and children outragiouslye curse and banne both themselfes and other, sayinge after this wise. By Goddes soule I would I hadde neuer been borne, or I woulde the grounde should open and swalowe me vp. By Goddes body I wolde thou wert hanged, by Goddes passion I woulde the deuyll had the, by Goddes woundes I woulde it were on a wylde fyre, or suche other lyke deuilyshe cursinges, and wishinges which offence is not onely abominable before God, but also so shamefull before the world that it abhorreth good Christen eares to heare suche haynous

blasphemie. For Saint Paul in the seconde chapter of thepistle to the Philippians wryteth thus. In the name of God all knees do bowe downe, bothe in heauen in earthe and vnder the yearth, that is to saye. Not onelye aungelles and men do wourship our Lorde and God Jesus Christe, but also the damned spirites and deuelles in hell, do quake at his name, and by theyr tremblyng do declare that they most reuerently acknowlege the name of his maiestye. But these more then deuylish swerers banners and cursers, without reuerence to the mooste honorable name of God, without curtesy or bowing to him, who with a becke maketh all the world to shake, do blowe and bluster oute of theyr vngodly mouthes such blasphemies as by the same they do not onelye hyghly dishonour God, but also do wishe to theyr neyghbours, all kinde of miseries, plages and aduersities that can be imagined, whereas our dutye is to loue our neyghbour and wishe wel to him, as to ourselfes. Now consider what a great wickednesse it is, to wyshe euyll thinges to men by the name of God, seyng that by thys name we ought to desier and praye for all good thinges, bothe to our selues and to oure neyghbours.

Wherfore when ye heare ani man vsing suche spytefull curses and blasphemies of Gods name, doute not but that he in that deede is wurse then the Deuyll himselfe. For the Deuil when he heareth God named trembleth therat, and dareth not so vnreuerently behaue hymselfe to that moste holy name where as these wretched and most vngodly persones, do shewe no feare nor reuerence thereto at all. But ye good children take hede for Gods sake, that you accustome not your selfes to suche kynde of blasphemies. And when you shall heare other outragyng with suche horrible curses, flye frome theym as frome pestilence, and thynke this with youre selfe. I wyll conuey me out of this naughtie companye, leste peraduenture I also maye be infected with this contagious

D

custome of

swearynge and cursing, and so maye be made at the lengthę more abhominable in this poynt, than is the Deuill hymselfe.

Fourthly the name of God is taken in vayne, when men do abuse the worde of God purposelye makynge false expositions vpon holy scripture, and wrestynge the same from the true sense to their euil purpose, or whan men make a trifle or a lawghynge sporte of the wordes of holy scripture, as these papistes do whiche say that thys verse of the Psalme. He shall drinke of the broke by the way, and therfore he shall lyft vp his hedde, is verefied of the gose and the gaundre. This abuse doth brede a contempte of the worde of God, and it doeth corrupt or mynish the authoritie of Gods doc

trine.

Fyftly they do misuse the name of God, which do abuse it to charmes, witchcraft, sorceries, nicromancies, inchauntementes, and coniuringes. And this is not onely a great sin, but a thynge of his owne nature moste vayne and folishe. For perswade your selfes this thynge for a suertie, good chyldren, that all kynd of witchecraft is of his own nature nothing elles but lies, gyles and subtilenes, to deceaue ignoraunt and simple men, as many haue proued by experience to their great losse and vtter vndowyng. Wherfore beware of them, beleue them not, do not learne them, neyther feare that an other mans inchauntementes are hable to hurt you. For they be nothing els but the Deuils instrumentes, by the whiche he doth prouoke men to horrible synnes, that the name of God may be blasphemed dyuerse waies, that we may defile our soules with detestable ydolatrie, that one man may suspecte an other, that anger, enuy and hatred myght be sowen amonge men, and that out of this roote might springe vp backbytyng slaunderyng and al myschief. This vice pleaseth well the Deuyll, but God hath forbid it, and commaunded in the olde lawe that