The Golden Book of Christian Matrimony, Chapter 17
¶ The. xvii. Chapter.
¶ Howe maryed personnes shall behaue thē selues not only in workes of mercy, but also in the crosse and aduersite, and wythe theyr seruauntes.
IF Christen maried folkes thorow theyr iust laboures and Goddes blyssyng obtayne ritches aboue necessite. then let them remembre Paules exhortacion, sayeng: Commaunde the i. Timo. …rytch men of thys worlde that they be not hygh mynded nor trust in transitory rytches, but in the lyuynge God, whyche giueth vsus all thynges abundantly to enioye them. Charge them to do good & to be rytche in good worckes, to gyue wyth good wyl, to distribute, layeng vp tresure for them selues agaynste the tyme to come that they maye laye hand of eternall lyfe. For when Math xxv.the Lorde shall come to iudge the quicke & dead, he shall saye to the mercifull. Come hyther, ye blessed of my Father and take the kyngedome prepared for you from the begynnynge of the worlde. For whan I was hongrye ye fedde me, I was thyrsty and ye gaue me dryncke &c.
Gyue almes therfore of thyn nowne substā …e and turne not thy face awaye from the poore Shewe mercye after thy power. If thou haste much, giuegive plenteously. If thou haste lytle gyue therof after thy power. For a good treasure shalt thou lay vp in store for thy selfe agaynst y• day of trouble, yea that small substāce wherof a poore man giueth almose pleseth the Lord much better then when welthye men gyue theyr lytle of theyr great rytches. Example in s. Luke: Remēber Luke. xxi.the comon Prouerbe. That thou sparest from gyuyng for Gods sake, shall the dyuell cary another waye. So saythe Salomon. Some man gyueth out his goodes and is the rytcher, but the nyggarde hauyng ynough wyll departe from no thynge: And yet is he euer in pouerte. He that is lyberall in gyuynge shall euer hauehave plenty. God increaseth louelove and fauoureth ma ryed folke bycause they shewe mercy & charite to the nedy.
And yf God maketh the ritch man poore, he doth well: For he seeth that if he shuld hauehave ritches Afflicciō tech to know godhe would be to proud and forget God and himselfe to, with pouerte therfore and adflicciō wyll he nourtour his chyldren so to teach them his wayes, lest in abundaunce and wealth they runne after theyr owne wayes and lustes. For Tribulatiō is fyer and salte.tribulacion and aduersite are the fyer and salte that purge & preserue vsus from stynkynge & not destroye vsus, but they teache vsus to put our trust in God and not in oure selues nor in no creatures, they draw vsus from transitory thinges to fasten vsus sure to God, and because we shoulde not be condemned wyth the worlde, he plucketh i. Cor. xi.vsus wyth his Crosse from the worlde. Into the which troublouse state of the crosse, whan maryed cowples be cast of GOD, then hauehave they the moost present cōsolacions out of s…riptures to conforte them, and to cause them to reioyce in theyr affliccion, as are the holy Psalmes of Dauid, we hauehave also the godly ensamples of the deare beloued faythefull seruauntes of God as were Iob, Abraham, Iacob. &c. Item the wordes Math. xvi Ioan. xvi.of Christ. Who so wyll serue me, let him dayely take his crosse vponupon hym and folow me. And in Ihon, and Paule is full of conforte in hys epistles specially. Hebreus x. Whan ony of the H…. xi. xii. xiiimaryed personnes be tempted or troubled wyth syckenes or any other fortune, then shulde the to ther, conforte hym or her wythe these confortable ensamples, Psalmes and sentences of gods Syckne…spirite of all consolacion, one suffryng wyth the tother, for so shall the affliccion and Crosse be the easylyer borne, and louelove mutuall the more encreased. Trewe louelove sheweth her selfe moost clearely in trouble and syckenes. And yf the one grudge at the tothers syckenes, he doth agaynst Gods wyll. And if he reioycethe at her, or she at hys affliccion, it is a token of lytle louelove excepte hys reioyce be in the Lorde, so to conforme hym to the similitude of hys sonne Christ, that he myght be lyke hym in glory.
Paul cōmaundeth you to do to your seruaū tes, that yt is iust and equall, louyngly & frendly How seruaū tes must be in treated. Iob. xxxi.vsynge them, remembrynge that ye your selues hauehave a master in heauen, learne of Iob also the same, for your seruauntes are of Goddes creacion as wel as ye, derely beloued and hys chosen children also, yea and your brothren and systers in Christ. Let them therfore for theyr laboures hauehave theyr conuenient food and wages, be not bytter, harde, nor iniuriouse vntounto them in no wyse.
A great offence it is before God to kepe the labourynge seruauntes wages frō hym. Iames Iac. v.sayth vntounto such rytch mē. Beholde the hyer of y• labourers that hauehave reaped downe youre feldes which hyer ye hauehave kept backe by fraude, cryeth and the complaynt of the labourers is entred in to the eares of the Lorde of Sabbaoth.
Ye hauehave had good dayes vponupon erth, and lyued at your pleasure and delyghted your hartes, but it is only agaynst the daye of your slaughter. So Iames sayth that the defraudynge of mens wages wyll be at last a slaughter. Many men vse theyr seruauntes as slaues and beastes, and therfore is theyr ertorted seruyce vnprofitable & vnfaythfull to suche cruell masters, more faythfull is the seruice done of louelove, than for feare & compulsion.
Agayne the seruauntes must laye a parte all euel condicions, prydevnfaythfulnes, brawlyng The dewty… of seruaūte…and murmurynge, pyckyng and tales tellynge, remembryng Paules exhortacion, sayeng, ye ser uauntes be obedient to your masters with feare and tremblynge in singlenes of youre herte, as vntounto Christ, not with eye seruice as mē plesers, but euen as the seruaunt of Christ, that ye may do the wyll of GOD from your hartes wyth… good wyll. Thyncke that ye serue the Lorde and not men.