The Governance of Virtue, Title page – Table of contents
¶ The Gouernaunce of Uertue, teaching all faythful christiās, how they oughte daily to leade their lyfe, & fruitfully to spend their time vntounto the glorye of God & the health of their owne soules. Newlye corrected & augmē ted by Thomas Becon. 1566
¶ Imprinted at London by Iohn Day.
❧ CVM PRIVILEGIO Regie Maiestatis.
THOMAS BECONVS SACROSĀCTAE THEOLOGIAE PROFESSOR.
AETATIS SVAE. 41 ANo. DN̄I. 1553.
Ora expressa vides viuos immitantia vultus,
Quod potuit calamo pictor & arte vides.
Mentis quam Nullus potuit tibi redere pictor,
Effigiem scriptis prebuit ipse suis,
To the Godly Reader.
GRace groweth after gouernaunce,
Is an olde saide saw in eche place:
If gouernaunce hath good resemblance
Grace delighteth to folow the trace.
Grace glorieth in godly gouernance,
Grace hasteth …o her haule and palace.
Grace doth godly gouernaunce auaunce,
And cause it to excel in eche place.
Where gouernaunce is godly wise,
Sage Sober, Honest, and Prudent:
There doth grace, gloriously deuise,
To hauehave her seate aye permanent.
But if gouernaunce be wicked,
Idle wanton, vndiscrete and vaine:
Grace whiche is godly disposed,
With such gouernaunce can not remaine.
This boke shall thee instruct therfore,
Thy life vertuously to leave:
That grace with thee may euermore,
Remaine as Gods moste blessed seede.
To fight against Sathan and sinnes
To represse errours and heresies:
To pray to God his grace to winne,
In this boke to learne thou maiest deuise.
Take thou it therfore in good part,
As a ioyful Iewel for thy welth:
And geue God thankes withall thy hart.
Which by his worde worketh thy helth.
As for my trauaile and paine,
I craue none other recompence:
But thy life vertuously to traine,
That thou maiest enioy gods presence▪
FINIS
3. Regum 1.
If a man be vertuous, ther shal not an heare of his fal to the ground. But if wickednesse shalbe found in him, he shall dye for it.
Tobi. 4.
LoueLove vertue all the dayes of thy life, and walk not in the wayes of wickednes For while thou studiest for vertues, thou shalt hauehave good successe in al thinges that thou goest about and so shall all they that louelove goodnesse.
A Table to fynde the principall matters contayned in this booke.
AN exhortacion to the Reader.
The Epistle dedicatory.
How a man should be hauehave himself in the morning when he riseth.
A prayer in the morning.
A confession of our sinnes vntounto God the father.
How thou shouldst behaue thy selfe before thou go to dinner.
A prayer before dinner.
Of the behauiour at the Table in dinner time.
A thankes geuinge after dinner.
What is to be done after dinner.
Of Supper.
A prayer before Supper.
Of the behauiour at the table in supper time.
A thankes geuing after supper.
Of going to bed.
A prayer to be sayd when we goe to bed.
A prayer to be sayd▪ when thou art in bed.
Remedies against all kindes of temptacions.
Against Idolatry.
Against infidelity or misbeliefe.
Against the heresy of such as deny Iesus Christ… to be god.
Against the heresy of them, which holde that Iesus Christe the sonne of God, tooke no fleshe of Mary his Mother.
Againste the grosse and fantasticall opinion of the Papistes, which affirm that Christes naturall body and bloud is carnally eaten and dronken in the Lords supper.
Against the plucking away of thy trust and confidence from Christ and his merites, to put in the merites of other creatures, or in thine own good workes, or in the intercession of Saintes, or in sacrifice of the popish Masse.
Against such as go about to diswad… the christian people from the studiing, reading or hearinge of Goddes woorde.
Against strange religion, or newe found woorshipping of God.
Against mens traditions and vnwritten verities
Against the folowing of vngodly forefathers.
Against the wicked olde customes & longe vsages.
Againste suche as slaunder Christes gospell by cal linge it newe learninge.
Against pensiuenes and thought taking for the life.
Against hunger pouerty, or carefulnes of liuing.
Against keping of euill company.
Against idlenes.
Against swearing.
Against lying, slaundering▪ and filthy or vncleane talke.
Against pride or vayneglory.
Against feasting glotony, and dronkennes.
Against fornication and adultery.
Against couetousnes.
Against rebellion and disobedience.
Against malice, grudge, enuy, hatred, and anger.
Against the temptation of the faythfull in consideringe their owne miserye, and contrarywise the wealth of the wicked.
Against the most horrible and dampnable sinne, the sinne against the holy Ghost.
Against the despising of gods word: and of the plagues that folow the same.
Against carnall security and fleshly liuing without the feare of God.
Against the flacknes of doing good workes.
Against the troublous tempestes of sicknes, of losse of goods, or any other kind of aduersity
Against the temptation of the Deuill for no…t satis fieng the lawe of God, and for thy sinfull liuing▪
Against desperation for thy late conuersion and tur ning vntounto God.
Against sinne, death and hel…