The Governance of Virtue 2, Fragment
learne to do well. Seke iudgement healpe the poore oppreſſed be fauourable to the fatherles, defende the wydowe, and than come & reproue me, ſayth the Lord. If your ſynnes be as redde as ſcarlet, yet ſhall they be made as whyt as ſnow, & if they be lyke purple, yet ſhal they be made lyke whyte wolle. Yf that ye wyll be contented & heare me, ye ſhal eat… the good frutes of ye earth. Yf yt ye wyl not but ꝓuoke me vntounto angre, the ſwerde ſhal deuourey…u, for the mouth of the lorde hath ſpoken it
Iere. vii.
¶Put your burnte offerynges to your ſacrifices and eate the fleſhe. For whan I brought your fathers out of the lande of egipte, I … not one worde to them of … … ferynges and ſacrifices, …. xi. cōmaunded them, ſayen… … to your my voyce, & I ſhalbe yo… … thē out ſhal be my people, & wa… … wayes that I hauehave cōmaūded you that ye may proſper.
Amos. v.
¶ I hate & vtterlye defye your holy dayes & where as ye ſenſe me whō ye come togyther, I wyl not accept it. And though ye …ffer me brēt offerynges, yet wyl not I receyue your gyftes. Away frō me wyth ye noyſe of thy ſōges, for I cā not abyde the hearynge of thy playeng at the orgā nes. Prouide ye equite may flow as the water, and ryghteouſnes as a myghty ſtreame. For in theſe thynges hauehave I delight & pleaſure ſayth the Lorde.
iii. Reg. xviii.
How longe wyl ye halte on both partes? Yf the Lord be God follow hym? Yf Baal be God, follow him
Math. xv.
¶ This people draweth nygh vntounto wt theyr mouthe, & honoureth me …yr lyppes, but theyr hart is … …o me, verely they worſhype … …ayne, teachyng doctrine, euē page missing woulde not obey theyr Lodre God.
Pſal. lxxviii.
Let them put theyr hope in God, & not forget the workes of the Lorde but ſeke after his cōmādemētes. Let them not be lyke theyr forfathers which were a frowarde & a ſpiteful nacyō, a naciō yt wold neuer be true harted nor beare an vpryght mynde towarde God.
Pſal cxv.
Be not hard harted as your forefathers were, which chode & rebelled agaynſte me.
Pſal. cvi
We hauehave ſinned wt our forfathers we hauehave done vniuſtly and cōmitted iniquite.
Pſal xlvi.
Truſt not in rulars, no… …he ſons of mē, in whō is no he… For … theyr …eth goeth awai, thei returne vntounto theyr erth in ye day ſhal al their thoughtes, coūcels, deuyſes & imagy naciōs cōe to nought.
Hiere. xi.
I hauehave alwaye ſayd vntounto your forfathers ſyns I brought thē out of ye londe of Egipt euen vntounto thys daye, hear my voyce, but they wold not heare, nor once bow theyr eare vntounto it, but euerye one of them is gone a ſtray in the frowardnes o… his wycked hart. Yea the people of Iuda and the men of Ieruſalem are alſo fallē vntounto the wyckedneſſe of theyr forefathers, which woulde not heare my wordes, in ſomuche yt they are all redy gone awaye after ſtraūge goddes and ſerue thē. The houſe of Iſrael & the houſe of Iuda hauehave broken the couenaūte whiche I made with theyr fathers. Therfore thus ſayth the lorde. Beholde I wyll brynge in extreme punyſhementes vponupon them ſo that they ſhal not eſcape frome them. They ſhall … vntounto me, but I wyll not heare the … cityes of Iuda & the inhabyte… of Ieruſalem ſhall go & crye vntounto thē to whō they offred Sacryfice, & yet …hal they not ſaue thē in ye tyme of theyr trouble. According to ye nōber of thy cities were thy goddes O Iuda, & after ye nōber of thy wayes o Ieruſalē, haſt ye ſet vp altares of abhominacion to do ſacryfice vntounto Baalim.
Hiere. xvi.
Your forefathers hauehave forſake me, ſayth the Lorde, & they are gone away after ſtrange Goddes & hauehave ſerued thē and worſhypped thē, yea they hauehave vtterly gyuē me ouer and hauehave not kept my lawe. But you hauehave wrought more abhominacyon then al your forefathers hauehave done For behold eueryevery one of you walke after ye lewdenes of his owne wycked harte, & wyl not heare me.
Ezechi. ii.
Theyrfore fathers hauehave broken my couenaūt euen vntounto this daye, & they to whō I ſend yt are childrē … out al ſhame & of ſuch an hart. not be reclamed.
Ezechi. …x.
¶Walke not in the cōmaundemē tes of youre forefathers, nor kepe not theyr ordinances …ther pollute your ſelfes with they… ydols. For I am the Lorde your God. Therfore walke in my preceptes and kepe my iudgementes and do them.
Daniel. ix.
¶ Confuſion of face & vtter ſhame be vntounto vsus, vntounto oure kynges, vntounto ours rulers, and to oure forfathers, whyche hauehave ſynned.
zacha. i.
Be not lyke youre forefathers, vntounto whome the Prophettes in tymes paſt cryed, ſayeng. Thus ſayth the Lorde of hooſtes. Turne frome your euyl wayes and frō your abhominable thoughtes, but they woulde not harkē nor gyue any attendance vntounto me ſayth the Lorde.
ii. Paral. xix.
Oure forefathers hauehave ſynned & hauehave done euyll in the ſyghte of the ſame day, & ſaye, becauſe of yt whyche the lorde dyd for me, whan I departed out of Egipte. Therfore ſhal it be a ſigne vntounto the in rhyn hāde, & a token of remēbraūce before thyne eyes, yt the lawe of the lord may be in thy mouth, how yt ye lord brought yt out of Egipt wt a myghty hand
Numer. xv.
¶ Speake to the chyldrē of Iſrael & ſaye vntounto thē, that they make thē gardes vponupon the quarters of theyr garmētes amōg al your poſterities & put yellowe rybādes vpō the gardes in the quarters. And the gardes ſhal ſerue you, that ye may loke … on thē & remēber al the cōmaūd…ē tes of the Lorde & do thē, that order not youre ſelues after t… …eanynge of your owne hart… go a whorīg after your own… …es Therfore ſhal ye reme… … …al my commaūdementes & … vntounto God.
…t. iiii.
Take hede to thy ſelfe nowe & kepe wel thy ſoule, that ye forget not the thynges whych thyn eyes hauehave ſene & that they departe not out of thy harte all the dayes of thy lyfe. And thou ſhalte teache them thy chyldrē and thy chylders chyldren.
Deut. vi.
¶ Here O Iſrael ye Lord our god is one Lord only. And yu ſhalte louelove the Lord thy god wt al thy harte, wt all thy ſoule, & wyth al thy myght. And theſe wordes, whych I cōmaū de the this daie, ſhalt yu take to hart and ſhalt reherſe thē vntounto thy chylmes, & ſhalt talke of them, whan yu ſ…ſt in thyne houſe, & whan thou w…r eſt by the way, whā thou lyeſt do…abl… and whan thou ryleſt vp.
And …ark… ſhalte bynde them for a ſygne be ſ…n thyne hande, and they … be a to… of remēbraūce before … …es fore ſhalt writ thē vponupon y• hauehave … of thy houſe & vpō thy gates
End of the text · Thomas Becon, The Governance of Virtue 2 (1549)