Sermons on Deuteronomy, Sermons · Sermon 38
On Tewsday the ij. of Iuly. 1555. The xxxviij. Sermon, which is the ninth vponupon the fifth Chapter.
18 Thou shalt not bee an Aduouterer.
SAint Paul speaking of the life of Christians, and hauing exhorted them to the feare of God, addeth yt they must walk vprightly and soberly. Now it is not to be doubted, but that the same is to be referred to the second table of the law. Wil we then obserue the things that our Lord hath commaunded vsus in the second table? It is not ynough for vsus to hurt no mā either in his person or in his goods: but besides this rightfulnesse, it is required that we should liue stayedly and honestly, as is declared in another place. And in the former text of the Epistle to Titus which I hauehave touched,Tit. 2.12. hee saith that we were redeemed by the grace of our Lord Iesus Christ, to the intent we should liue in the feare of God in this world, and also in sobernesse and vprightnesse.1. Tim. 2.2. In another place to Timothie he saieth, that if there bee good gouernment, so as the Magistrates doe their duetie, we shall liue vprightly and honestly in godlinesse. And as touching the feare of God, it is the same spirituall seruice that we hauehave spoken of before, which cōsisteth of our pure worshipping of him, by indeuouring to trust in him, by calling vppon him, and by yeelding him his deserued reuerence: and in respect of our neighbors, [it consisteth] of knowing howe wee ought to behaue our selues one towardes another. These are the two pointes that he setteth downe heare. The first, which is vprightnesse, is that wee offer no man any violence, extortion or deceite as in respect of his goods: and the other, which hee setteth downe by the name of honestie, sobrietie, or stayednesse, is that there be no loosenesse, wantonnesse, leawdenesse, or vnrulinesse in our lyfe. Wee hauehave seene that in expounding the commaundement where GOD forbadde to kill, I told you how he meant that we should abstaine from all outrage and iniurie: and not onelyonly that: but also that wee shoulde indeuour to liue quietly with our neighbours, and not suffer any man to be troubled. And is it so? When wee come to treating of goods, it shall bee declared that wee must not play the theeues, nor beare false witnesse against our neighbours: which things pertaine to Iustice or vprightnesse. Nowe if wee will yeelde euerie man his right: we shal doe no hurt nor wrong to any bodie: and as touching goods also, wee shall not attempt to rob any of their substance.
But here God interlaceth a lawe that forbiddeth to commit adulterie: & that is comprehended vnderunder the terme of sobrietie or stay ednesse. For although we steale awaye no mans goods, nor be murtherers and barreters: yet if wee bee vnchast, wanton, or of beastly conuersation: we must not thinke that God is contented with vsus. Vprightnes & Sobernes are things inseparable: for God hath ioyned them togither in his lawe, and we see that he confirmeth it by his Apostle, who largely expoundeth the thing yt is here touched in fewe words. And therfore if we wil hauehave the true meaning of this text: wee must vnderstand that God commaundeth vsus here to leade an honest and chast life, so as there be no dishonestie nor loosenesse in vsus. That is the effect of this commandement. True it is that here we be expresly forbidden to commit Adulterie, that is to say, to breake the faith of mariage by intising other mens wiues to naughtinesse. But let vsus also weigh ye thing that I hauehave touched here: namely how that vnderunder one particular, God comprehendeth the whole, and setteth vsus downe the thing that ought to mislike vsus euen of nature, to the end we should abhorre all maner of whoredome the more. I told you yesterday, that when men are tempted to doe euill, they beguile them selues, weening that the fault is but small, and so from the lesser they proceede to the greater. Contrariwise, to hold vsus in awe, God setteth before vsus the sins that are heynousest, to ye end we should be striken with feare aforehand, and not bee ledde so easily to commit any fault. As if he should say, beware ye fall not: for it will make ye to breake your necke: beare not your selfe in hand that you shall but slide, for the fall will bee deadly: and therefore take heede of it. Thus ye see in effect why God proceeded in such order in his law: & why he speaketh not now generally of all whoredome, but of Adulterie, which is the breaking of Mariage. Nowe wee knowe that if any thing ought to bee taken for holye in the whole life of man: it is the fayth which the husbande plyghteth to his wife, and the wife to her hu…bande. In deede all the couenants and promises yt we make, ought to be kept faithfully.Psa. … But if wee compare them together: it is not without cause that mariage is called the couenant of God.Prou. 2.17. For in so saying, Salomon sheweth that God is the Lorde of mariage, and therefore that if the husband breake the promise which hee hath made to his wife, hee is forsworne, not onelyonly towardes her, but also towardes God. In lyke case is it on the womans behalfe. Shee doth wrong, not onelyonly to her husband, but also to the liuing God. For it is he to whom she bindeth her selfe: & like as he hath ordeined wedlock and is the author thereof, so will hee hauehave a care for the maintaining therof. Therfore whē we heare the word Aduowtrie: we ought to lothe it, as an expresse defying of God, by wilfull breaking of the holy bond which he hath set in mariage, like mad beastes. And hereby we see in what estimation he hath honestie. Why so? When hee will hauehave vsus sober, chaste, and modest: he sayth, If ye be not honest and well stayed, yee bee no better than Aduowterers. That is to say, whatsoeuer excuse ye pretend before men, and make ye your faults neuer so small and light: I hate ye, for yee stinke, & your whole life is infected in my sight. We see thē as I sayde afore, that here is a strait commaundement to keepe our selues honest & chaste. And hereby it appeareth how fond their excuse is, which say they do no man wrong, whē they be full of disorder and vnrulinesse. For our Lord knoweth well enough to what end he vsed such speach. It was not for yt he was toungtied & wist not how to vtter things in order: but because he intended to shew, that if men made but a smal matter of wantonnesse and vnchastitie: there is another balance [for thē to be tryed by:] namely that he condemneth & accurseth all those for aduouterers, which behaue thēselues vnhonestly or vnchastely. Therefore we hauehave so much the more neede to wey well ye words yt are set downe here, where he sayth Thou shalt not be an Aduowterer. But yet herewithall we must follow the degrees yt are conteined vnderunder this cōmandement.
First (as I sayd afore) let vsus vnderstand yt God will hauehave wedlocke to be kept holy. For as our persons & liues are deere vntounto him: so will hee hauehave yt faith and troth that is plighted betweene man & wife, to be mainteined in their price and estimation, that so holy a thing as mariage, be not giuen vp to shame & reproch. This ought to bring to passe, that no man should looke vponupon his neighbors wise with vnchaste eye. And why? For God hath matched her to a husband already, & he wil hauehave her husband to shadow her.…en. 20.16. And whē we thinke any euill, or feele any vnhonest lust: he will hauehave vsus to shun it for feare of that which is tolde vsus, namely that God himselfe taketh vengeance of them that breake the holy fellowship which was knit in his name.…rou. 2.17. In lyke case is it with women in respect of their husbandes: so as a wife may not yeelde to wicked lustes when she beholdeth a maryed man. Why so? For God hath assigned her, her make. If we wil not make warre against our maker, we must liue eueryevery one in his own house, wt such match as he hath: & yt order must be mainteined wtout breach, because god is yt author of it. That is one principal point.
But besides this, we must alwayes come back to the nature of God; & remember that he is not an earthly lawemaker, which forbiddeth but only the outward deede, and in the meane while letteth the lewd affections alone:1. Sam. 16.7. for God will admit no eyeseruice, neither is he lyke to vsus. Men are contented if they perceiue no fault: but God who searcheth mens heartes,Ier. 5.3. respecteth the trueth as it is sayd in Ieremie. Therefore hee in his lawe meant not to restreine our bodyes only: but also had a speciall regarde to our soules. So then let vsus marke, that God not onelyonly forbiddeth the act, so as wedlocke be not broken by any actuall deede: but also hee forbiddeth all wicked lustes and lykinges. And therefore doth our Lord Iesus Chist say,Matt. 5.28. that he which looketh vponupon another mans wife with a wicked eye, is an Aduowter already before God. Though he cannot be blamed by the lawes of men, nor punished as an aduowterer: yet is hee condemned already before God, as hauing transgressed this commaundement. Therefore when we heare this word Aduowtrie, which is so greatly condē ned: let vsus learne, not onelyonly to absteine from all whoredome as touching the actuall deede, but also to keepe our thoughts and conceits chaste, so as we be vndefiled both of eye and heart. For after that maner doth S. Paul define true chastitie,1. Cor. 7.34. when he saith that such as are vnmaried ought to hauehave a care how to please GOD, by keeping themselues pure and cleane both in bodie and minde. He saith not that those continue chast which hauehave not defiled their bodies with whoredome: but which hauehave indeuored to keepe themselues vndefiled both in body and minde.
And when we hauehave thus considered how God curseth and abhorreth all aduowtries: wee must proceede further, and reache out and apply the same to all maner of whoredome. True it is that he which breaketh the faith of wedlocke committeth a dubble offence, and it is much more haynous as I hauehave sayd already. But yet must we alwayes come backe to this poynt, that Gods meaning is that men shal not only not commit any thing against mariage, but also that they shall not leade a beastely lyfe, so as whoredome may hauehave full scope, and vnmaryed folke runne loose to giuegive ouer themselues to lewdenesse with eueryevery one whom they meete with, lyke bru…e beastes: but that we shoulde be pure and cleane both in body and minde. For it is sayd, that not onelyonly our soules,1. Cor. 6.19. but also our bodies are the temples of the holy Ghost, as was declared euen now.Note that he speaketh this, because yt day at the Sermō a mariage was solemnised. And they be Saint Paules owne wordes, where he telleth the Corinthians that it was too too much to their reproche and shame, to suffer fornication and whoredome among them as they did. Knowe ye not (sayth he) that your bodyes are the temples of the holy Ghoste: Beholde, God hath done vsus the honor to choose these wretched bodies of ours which not onelyonly are fraile vessels but also rotten carcases and earth. GOD (I say) notwithstanding this, hath so inhonored them, as to vouchsafe to make them the temples of his holy spirit, that he may dwell there: & shall we goe welter them in all filthinesse, and make hoggescotes or swines styes of them? What a treacherie is that? Again, that is not all.1. Cor. 6.13. Let vsus hauehave an eye whereunto S. Paule leadeth vsus. Our bodies are members of Iesus Christ: therefore if a man giuegive ouer his body to whoredom, it is all one as if he tore Christs body asunder. For it is certeine that wee cannot mingle Gods sonne the fountaine of all cleanesse, with our filth and lothsomnesse. Now then if a man cast himselfe into whoredome: it is as much as a rending of the body of our Lorde Iesus Christ in peeces, as much as in vsus lyeth. Not that wee can doe it in deede: for the sonne of God is not subiect to vsus to be so dishonored at our handes: but yet are wee guiltie of such trayterousnesse, forasmuch as wee would hauehave committed such iniurie against him. Now then let vsus learne that God wil hauehave eueryevery of vsus not only to keepe our faith and troth in mariage for his own parte: but also generally to bee chaste, to walke in purenesse of lyfe, and not to giuegive our selues the bridle to any vncleanenesse or dishonestie. And why? The reasons that I hauehave alledged, ought much to moue vsus thereunto. And therefore looke what hath bin sayd already concerning aduowtrie: let vsus apply it lykewise to this present case: Namely that we hold al our senses in awe with such stayednesse, as the diuell may alwayes bee driuen backe when he tempteth vsus to any vnchastnesse, and not get any enterance into vsus.P…ticles. There was a certeine heathen man that coulde wel skil to say, that it was not enough for a mā to hauehave stay of his hands, (that is to say, that hee coulde refraine from rauine, outrage, and doing of wrong:) but also that he ought to hauehave stay of his eyes, that is to say, that hee ought not to caste any vnchaste looke. If the blinde and ignorant wretches were able to teach vsus thus much: what shall become of vsus when it is tolde vsus (as I sayd afore,) that God hath done vsus so much honour, as to repayre for himselfe, not onelyonly our soules but also our bodies, notwithstanding that they be corruptible, and that (as wee see) there is nothing but rottennesse in them? Seeing then that God taketh them for his owne, and voutsafeth to dwell in them: ought we not to learne to liue warely, that no vncleanenesse or filthinesse bee committed that may driue God away from vsus, when as he would hauehave vsus to be his dwelling place and holy temple? Yea and we must call to minde how S. Paule sayth,1. Cor. 6.18. that all other sinnes are committed outwardly of mans body: but whoredome is committed in the body it selfe. For it is right certeine that wee defile our handes by robberie and stealth (as is auowed in the holy scripture:) insomuch that when we do any man wrong, we hauehave bloudy handes,Esa. 1.15. & 59.…. as sayth the prophet Esay. But Saint Paule very well perceiuing whoredome to bee yet more shamefull, and that men hauehave so much the more neede to beware of it: telleth them that there remaineth some scarre thereof still printed in the bodie of the whoremonger, so that his body is put to reproch by it. Surely wee would be very chare of the preseruing of our honestie, and it would greatly greeue vsus yt it shoulde be steyned or blemished by any man: & why thē doe we make so light account of it, as to steyne and imbrewe it with infamie, before God, before his Angels, & before men? So then let vsus beare this is minde, and we shall be bridled. Although wee finde such frailtie in our selues, and the diuell doe continually tempt vsus:1. Cor. … yet must this serue vsus as a bridle to pul vsus back to the foresaid clearnesse, not onelyonly of body, but also of minde.
Furthermore we must marke lykewise howe it is sayd,Eph. 5.… ▪ that no man must deceiue himselfe through vaine words: for by reasō of such thinges Gods wrath commeth vponupon the vnbeleeuers. It is not now of late that men begin to flatter thē selues, and to beare themselues in hand that it is not so great and deadly a sin, to commit whordome. Nay wee see howe these scoffers doe skorne God, terming whoredome a naturall sin, and a matter of small importance. There are some such filthie swine which speake after that fashion. Now for that cause S. Paul sayth, let no man deceiue you. Such skoffes flewe abroad in the mouthes of the dispisers of God euen at that time, and many were blinded with them, after the maner of the world, which is to be giuen to selfsoothing. Let no man beguile yee with such lyes, sayth S Paul. Why so? For whoredome is a detestable thing before God, as he sheweth by the punishmentes which he hath sent for it,Numb. … 1. Cor. … as S. Paul noteth in ye tenth chapter of the first E…pistles to ye Corinthians. There he alledgeth this example, that a great nūber of men were slayne for whoredome: whereby it appeareth that God cannot abide it. For ye lyfe of man is precious in Gods sight, as was shewed yesterday: they bee creatures fashioned after his own image. Seeing then that a two or three and twentie thowsande men were so dispatched, & God destroyed such a number of his owne images, that is to say of yt creatures yt he had made: is it not to be sayd that there was a terrible fire of his vengeāce kindled? Yes: and wherefore? Euen for whoredome. Then let vsus conclude that it is not for vsus to deceiue our selues, as though it were a light fault and easie to be pardoned, seeing yt our Lord, who is not ouerrigorous, did punish it so sore: but rather let vsus assure our selues, that we must come to account for it before the heauenly Iudge. Whē men hauehave pardoned vsus neuer so much, and we be of opinion that such maner of vncleanesse and filthines is but a sporte: then must God set to his hand. Therefore let vsus hauehave an eye to him and to the examples that he giueth vsus, that we may continue vnderunder his feare, and indeuer the earnestlyer to keepe our selues from all spottes. And so ye see in effect how this seueth commaundement of the lawe is to be vnderstoode: namely that we must not defile our selues with any vnchastitie or vnstayednesse.
Now if it behoue vsus to keepe both our bodies and our soules vndefiled: ought wee not also to eschewe the occasions yt may intise vsus to whoredome? Yes surely. Let vsus marke then, that whosoeuer doe giuegive themselues to any loosenes, doe seeke nothing else than to cast themselues into Satans snares. And although they be not reproued for it to the worldward: yet are they whoremaisters already before God. Were this wel cō sidered: we should see no more of the wantonnes in apparel, gesture and wordes, that is commonly in the world, which taketh too much libertie in that behalfe. And when men and women attire themselues of purpose to intice one another and as it were to lay baytes of lewdnesse: are not such doinges very trickes of baudrie? In deede their excuse shalbe, as for me, I hauehave committed no whoredom: but yet they set themselues forth as a pray to Satan, & are willing to drawe others with them, as much as they can. Then are they kindes of whoredome before God: and all the loosnesse and superfluitie that is vsed in apparell and attire, is nothing else but a laying of snares for men. Lykewise againe there are gestures and wordes. When a man and a woman haunt one anothers companie, to open a gap to Satan by acquainting thēselues together, so as they may bee caught in his nette, and giuegive themselues ouer vntounto him in bondage: it is whoredome before God. And although there be no deed done, no nor any thing fully agreed vppon: yet will not God leaue such doings vnpunished: for it is too manifest that they were attempted. And hereby it appeareth how fond and childish a shift it is to excuse ones selfe by saying that it is not euill to doe this or that, so there be no intent to doe euill. As for example, such as delight in daū cing and dissolutenesse: is that so euill a thing (say they,) so long as there bee no whoredome committed? yea truely: It is all one as if they would mocke God of set purpose, and blindfold his eyes to buffet him, and in the meane while bid him gesse whether it be euill or no. It is well knowen that dancing can be no better but a prelude to whoredome, to open an entrie purposely vntounto Satan: and a crying out alowd vntounto him, yt he should be bold to come in. That is alwayes the very effect and substance of dauncing. If thou say, I meant no euill: thou makest God a lyer. Behold, S. Paul auoweth that lewde wordes corrupt good manners.2 Cor. 15.33 Yea and hee alledgeth that saying of an heathen man, of purpose to make vsus the more ashamed.Menander. If we admit not the doctrine giuen by S. Paul: let vsus goe to schoole to ye wretched infidels and idolaters: for thy coulde good skill to alledge, that vnhonest speech corrupteth good manners. Now when mens tongues are infected with naughtie and vnchaste talke, and there is nothing in their behauiour and wordes, but signes and marks of vtter dishonestie: if they say hereupon, that they had none euill meaning: is it not a manifest belying of the holy Ghost? Yes: and therefore let vsus marke, that whereas al whoredome is forbidden: it is meant that wee should behaue our selues modestly both in our wordes and in our gestures, & that there should be no inkling of loosenes in vsus that may tend to whoredome or whorishnesse. It is true that all thinges are cleane to them that hauehave a cleane conscience:…t. 1.15. but yet for all that, we must beware that Satan ouertake vsus not, least hee make some breach vponupon vsus. Thus ye see yt this precept ought to be considered in such wise, as we must hauehave an eye, not onelyonly to the very deede of whoredome, but also to all that matcheth with it, to al appurtnances of it, to all that commeth neere it, and to all that may intice or induce vsus to it. To be shorte, wee must come backe to that which I touched euen now out of S. Paul: namely that as wee must not doe any man wrong either in his person or in his goods: so must wee also liue honestly, and put away all loosenesse and disorderednesse from vsus.
And lyke as all lewde talke, and dauncing, and other vnchaste dealinges are condemned before God for kindes of whoredome: so let vsus marke that all other loose misbehauiours shall be condemned lykewise. Yee shall see a sorte of drunkardes that cram themselues lyke brute beastes. And when they be so full that they be ready to burst: thē fling they themselues into all maner of filthinesse till they euen stincke again, not perceiuing their own shame. Therefore whē men behaue themselues so beastly, yt they play the drunkardes and gluttons, and moreouer abandon their bodies to all villanie: thinke wee that they shall scape Gods hand, and not be cursed as whoremongers, though they commit not whoredome in actuall deede? Yes. Yee see then that the sobernesse which Paul speaketh of, doth tell vsus that if wee will bee chaste and stayed before God: wee must not onelyonly absteine from whoredome it selfe: but also vse our eating and drinking soberly for our nourishment, and not to prouoke vsus to lecherie, so as wee should hauehave no more stay nor holde of our selues. That is a thing which we hauehave to marke further.
But now it will be alledged: and howe then can we absteine from al vncleannesse, considering the frailtie that is in our fleshe? For we see how little stay men hauehave of themselues: whereby it appeareth (doe what they can) how sinnefull our nature is. True it is that men be not able to be chaste: for our Lorde will hauehave vsus to feele the cursednesse of Adams sinne in that behalfe, that is to say in the vnrulynesse of ye flesh, if hee himselfe preserue vsus not by speciall gift, accordingly as it is sayd that it is not giuen to all men,1. Cor. 7.7. but eueryevery man must consider what GOD hath giuen to himselfe,1. Cor. 7.9. and he must vse the gift that hee hath, assuring himselfe that hee is so much the more bound vntounto God. But yet howsoeuer he fare: mariage is prouided for a remedy to all such as hauehave no stay of themselues. Although then that God list to leaue this marke of infirmitie in vsus: yet doth hee appoynt a conuenient remedy for it. Is a man fraile in his flesh, or a woman lykewise? In deede it is a vice: and although it bee as it were a naturall inclination, (yea proceeding of the corrupt nature that wee take from Adam:) yet is it to bee condemned of it selfe. For all such vnstayednesse is farre off from the excellent dignitie which God did put in mankinde, of purpose that wee should hauehave borne his marke, & hauehave bin as Angels. Therefore all vnrulinesse of the fleshe is sinne. Notwithstanding, forasmuch as our Lorde beareth with vsus, he hath ordeyned a meane whereby ye sayd vice shal not be imputed
no stead, we must be faine at length to come to account before ye heauenly Iudge: and thē shall wee feele how it was not for naught yt he sayd by his prophet Zacharie,Zach. 5.3.4 yt his curse shal light vponupon the forsworne person, and vppon ye theefe: yt is to say, whersoeuer we offend, what poynt of y• lawe soeuer it bee: hee will finde meanes well enough how to punishe vsus for it. Men then may well either iustify or flatter themselues: but yet for all that, God will in the end vtter his wrath, both against forswearers and against theeues.
Howbeit, to the intent wee may know Gods will the better, let vsus marke that hee vseth the worde Theft, to make vsus hate all deceite and robbery, and all maner of wrong that wee can deuise to doe to our neighbor, as hath bin shewed heretofore in the expounding of murder and aduowtrie. If a man call one theefe, he will take displeasure at it, (for it is a worde of iniurie) insomuch that hee will not abide to bee so dishonested before the worlde. Now God to bring vsus to the hating of all fraud, couin, deceit, guile, harme, hurte, & extortion which we may doe to another man in his goods: setteth them all downe by the one name of theft. He coulde well enough hauehave spoken after another maner: hee could hauehave sayd, keepe your selues from catching or plucking of other mens goods vntounto you: keepe your selues from working any harme or losse to your neighbors▪ keepe your selues frō doing any maner of violence: but hee sayth in one worde, Steale not. And why? To the intent wee shoulde the more abhorre all deceite, all pilling and polling, all scratching and catching, and al maner of anoyance: and to the intent we should be ashamed, once to make mention of doing any man wrong, yea and euen abhorre it from our heartes, seeing wee shall bee guiltie of theft for it before God. Moreouer, let vsus mark yt there are diuers kinds of theft. For some vse priuie packing and deceite in drawing other mens goods to themselues by subtil meanes and practises. Some vse open force, and that is properly termed either robberie, or extortiō, or spoyling. And othersome deale yet more couertly, so as they seem not to touch a man, neither can they be accused to ye worldward: neuerthelesse forasmuch as they deale not playnly and vprightly, they be theeues before God. After yt maner must wee come to the particular kinds of theft, if wee intend to know what is forbidden vsus in this text.
But by the way wee hauehave to note, that God iudgeth not of theft after the maner of men. For they that are in authoritie and estimation, shall not faile for all that to bee condemned before GOD,Exo. 22.23. Deut. 24.15. yea euen though no man accuse them but onelyonly the crying out of the poore for vengeance, whome they hauehave deuowred. And although they say neuer a word, yet the afflictions which they suffer shall cry out lowde and shrill enough before God, and make an inditement substantiall enough without vttering any word. So then wee must not bring our owne imaginations hither to iudge of theftes, nor thinke our selues escaped from Gods hand, when wee bee not punished by men nor by worldely iustice: for GOD looketh farre deeper. And therefore let vsus beare in minde at a worde, that all maner of harme and all maner of coueting to rake to our selues that which is none of our owne, is called theft in respect of God throughout the whole holy scripture. And in deede when as GOD threateneth by his prophet Esay▪ Esa. ….…that he which hath spoyled and robbed, shall hauehave his turne [to bee spoyled and robbed lykewise:] hee speaketh not of the pe…ie theeues that are caryed to the gallowes: but of the great princes and monarkes that bare …ay in the worlde.Esa. … Also in the first chapter …hen hee speaketh to the holy people that were the Church of GOD: Thy princes and gouerners (sayth hee) are companions of Theeues. Yet notwithstanding it is certeine that they were not arreigned: Nay, they themselues arreigned other men: and yet neuerthelesse they failed not to bee condemned before GOD. So then the theeues that are honorable here beneath, faile not to be accursed by the Lawe, and God hath giuen sentence of them in this text. Therefore wee must be faine to cast downe our eyes knowing yt it shall not boote vsus though our theeuery be excusable before ye world, nor though it bee cōcealed or faced out. For yet for all yt, Gods Lawe shal hauehave his course, & the execution of it is ready at hand. God hath not forbidden any thing, which he calleth not to accoūt. Thus ye see what we hauehave to remember vppon this text.
But now must the thinges which I hauehave touched breefely, bee layde foorth by parcelmeale and specifyed by examples, that they may bee expressed the better. As I sayd afore, if we were diligent in harkening to the things that God declareth: there should neede no long exposition in this behalfe. But what? All our seeking is to intangle our selues, and to take occasiō of doubting though the matter be knowen vntounto vsus. And therefore doth it stand vsus in hand to be pressed the more. I hauehave tolde you already that there are moe kindes of stelth or theft than one. For some play the theeues by stealing away other mens goodes: as if a man say, such a one hath stolne a horse, he hath stolne monie, he hath stolne bedding, pottes, platters or such other lyke thinges. Well the worlde can iudge well enough of these kindes of theft.
But when a marchant taketh more for his ware than it is woorth, or if hee sell vnlawfull wares, and the simple man that knoweth nothing of it is beguiled, and woteth not how to winde himselfe out of the snare: men deeme not this to be theft. Yet notwithstanding such a marchant is a theef though no man condemne him, because hee hath dealt so vnconscionably. Surely hee that hath bin bitten will bee a good and rightfull iudge in that case: if hee spy the collusion, hee will by and by say, hee doth me wrong. We need not to goe to any doctor, [Sergeant, Coūseller,] or great cleark to shewe vsus yt we hauehave wrōg don vsus: eueryevery of vsus knowes it wel enough: but yet for al this, we discern not ye same kinde of theft in our selues, neither doe we sufficiently consider it. Yet notwithstanding, God will not faile to iudge him for a thiefe, which shal hauehave so abused a simple man, by deliuering him vnlawfull wares, seeing hee hath beguiled him for want of iudgement and skil. Lykewise hee that ouerselleth his wares to an vnskilful person therein, is a thiefe as wel as the other. Againe, if a handicraftes man make slight or false stuffe, and the fault be not perceiued, but hee maketh what hee can of it, not regarding to sell it according to the valew of it, but how to inrich himselfe, alledging these excuses for himselfe: hee with whome I hauehave to deale is a rich man, it is al one to me, he hath a good purse. A man doth in deed vse these speeches: but yet true it is, that albeit his shifts may well serue him to the worldward, yet shall Gods Iustice still hauehave his course and take holde of him. When eueryevery man hath bin asked his opinion, and all agree that it is no theft at all: yet will not God vnsay his worde for our pleasure. Ye see then that the theftes which men let slip, shall neuerthelesse come to accoūt before God, notwithstanding that the takers of such libertie, woulde neuer so faine hauehave the lewdenesse pardoned them. For beholde, Gods Lawe is vnchaungeable, as I hauehave tolde you already: and it shall be shewed hereafter that it caryeth execution with it.
Againe sith it is so that we must not goe to worke with craft and subtiltie: wee must come backe to natural vprightnesse, which is to do nothing to another which we wold not hauehave don to our selues.Matt. 7.12. Seeing we hauehave such a rule, we neede no huge volumes to teach vsus that wee shoulde not steale: for eueryevery man may know in one word, how to behaue himselfe towardes his neighbors: that is to wit, that he deale not lewdely, that hee goe not about to inrich himselfe by other mens losses, and that hee rake not other mens goods to him as his owne. Thus needeth there not any moe wordes than this: and then the fairest couerings & countenances that we hauehave, would vanish away. For when we hauehave once beguiled men: we beare our selues in hand that wee hauehave lykewise bleared the eyes of God. Let vsus take an example whereby this poynt may bee plainlyer perceiued. He that hath gotten away another mans goods by sute at the lawe, thinkes himselfe to hauehave as iust title as can bee to possesse them. Why so? because he hath them by order of lawe. I will forbeare to say, that perchaunce the lawe was corrupted. Of a trueth there are that make lawe a flat theeuery by their bribing and other wicked practises, so as they ouerthrow all right and equitie, and the courte of Iustice becommeth oftentimes as a market to sell other mens right in, and to peruert all equitie. And although it be not so: yet if a man finde the means to get another mans goods by craft and subtiltie: alledge he neuer so much that Lawe hath so iudged it, and therefore that there is not a better nor a rightfuller title in the world: yet is it dubble theft, and hee had bin much better to hauehave robbed and spoyled his neighbors house, than to hauehave gotten his goods so vniustly by order of lawe. Why so? For in so doing there is theft, yea and the theft is committed vnderunder colour of Iustice, which is a most holy thing: and that is a treacherie that God cannot abide. If a house be robbed, it shall be grieuously punished: and is it not farre woorse than robberie, when the seate of Iustice which God hath dedicated to his owne maiestie, is so disordered that all things are turned vpside down and confounded? So then let vsus marke well, that what pretence soeuer we can make before men: Gods lawe shal still keepe on his course: insomuch that if wee vse any craftinesse or krinking, or any extortion or voilence: wee shalbe condemned for theeues. If a man misuse his poore neighbor vnderunder colour that he is in authoritie, and by that meanes oppresse him: he is a theefe, and halfe a murtherer, and it is not single theft or robberie, but (as yee would say) qualifyed with murder: and yet for all that, it scapeth and is pardoned. It is true that men will now and then mutter at it: but that is but with halfe mouth: and in the meane while hee that hath misbehaued himselfe, sootheth himselfe, and (which woorse is) the greater thief that he is, the more is he honored. For the more a man hath gotten to himselfe, and the richer that hee is become: the more doe men stoope to him, and the highlier is hee aduanced. Yee see then that oftentimes men come to greate honor in the worlde by theeuery. And therefore let vsus not take any of those skarffes to couer our eyes: but rather let vsus consider what ye holy scripture sayth: namely that we be theeues, if we doe not vntounto others as we our selues would be done vntounto, ne yeelde to eueryevery man his right. For we must define a vice by the contrary vertue. If we will knowe well what theft is: let vsus cōsider what it is to doe right to our neighbors. Now, we doe not right to our neighbors, when we spoyle thē of their goods, and by any meanes rake ye things to vsus which are theirs. To be short, if we vse any couin, violence, or extortion, it is proofe good enough of our theeuery.
Hereby wee see that theft is committed, not onelyonly by taking away of mony and other thinges with our handes: but also by withholding a mās owne from him, and by neglecting to preserue the thinges that God hath put into our handes, according as his will is that eueryevery man shoulde keepe that which he hath. As for example: If a seruant waste or deuour his maisters goods, hee is a thiefe. If a laboring man look to hauehave his wages, and in the meane while louelove to loyter and to hauehave his hand in the platter: surely hee is a theefe, and wee can well skill to deeme him so. But it were expedient for vsus to come to the other kindes also, and to make this comparison, that if wee render not eueryevery man the right yt belongeth to him, such vnindifferent dealing shall alwayes bee taken for theft before God, and wee shall bee condemned for it.
But now remaineth to see how we may liue in such sorte, as God may not curse vsus as if wee were theeues. The first poynt thereof is to learne to louelove our neighbors, as Saint Paul sheweth in the thirteenth to the Romans.Rom. 13.8.9.10. And it is a wonder that men should make so light of the taking away of other mens goods, seeing that if a man aske vsus whether it be so harde a matter to louelove our neighbors: wee will aunswere, no. For nature hath voutsafed to linke men together in vnitie, and God hath created them all after his owne image: and therefore it ought to bee no hard nor combersome matter to vsus, to louelove one another. Now it is so, that if a man hauehave louelove hee will neuer bee a theefe, as sayth Saint Paul: yea and if wee did willingly consider, what wee owe to other men of right, and howe wee be bound vntounto them: wee should not neede all these warninges, Thou shalt not play the theefe, Thou shalt not play the aduowterer, Thou shalt not play the murderer. All this were needelesse, as Saint Paul sheweth in the same place. But what? there are very fewe that thinke vponupon that. Nay contrariwise, (as I hauehave told ye already,) when wee hauehave stolne other mens goods, wee fall by and by to seeking of vaine excuses: and when we hauehave done any deceit, shrewd turn, or extortion, strightwais we shift it off with an excuse redy at hand: But yet in so doing it appeareth that wee hauehave no louelove in vsus, and that wee bee as wilde beastes, so as wee be not worthie to bee taken for men, because wee breake the bonde of vnitie which GOD had set among all the children of Adam. Thus much for that one poynt, namely that it behoueth vsus to minde this lesson of charitie, if wee will not bee counted theeues.
Againe there is another poynt, which is that wee must not couet to bee rich.1. Tim. 6.9.10. For as soone as the desire of gayning is setled in vsus: it is certeine that wee shall become theeues, and it cannot bee otherwise. This will seeme strange at the first blush: but when euerie of vsus shal hauehave gathered home his wittes to himselfe, [we shall finde] (as the heathen themselues coulde well skill to say) that euen nature teacheth vsus, it is vnpossible for vsus to couet to bee riche, but wee shall bee inflamed to rake to our selues by hooke or by crooke. Will wee then shunne theft? Wee must lay aside couetousnesse, that is to say the desirousnesse of inriching our selues. To the intent this worde be not cauilled at: how shall wee doe it? Let vsus learne to bee contented with our state. For as for him that hath no certaine stay, but is alwayes tossed and turmoyled with coueting: his affections harrye him to and fro, so as hee can neuer hauehave any rest, to say, Here must I hold my selfe within my bounds, I say that the state which GOD hath giuen to eueryevery man, must bee as a bound to hedge him in, as though it were sayd to him: Beholde, thy God will hauehave thee to stay vppon that which hee giueth thee, content thy selfe therewith: if thou doe not, thou not onelyonly troublest the whole order of the worlde, but also defyest thy GOD, as though thou meantest to bid him battell.
Yee see then that the thing which we hauehave to marke, is that inasmuch as we hauehave the rule of charitie to leade vsus, wee must learne to bee contented with our state. And why? Because wee knowe it is Gods will, and that hee will hauehave a triall of our obedience. And that cannot bee done without keeping of Saint Pauls rule:… which is, that we hauehave learned to bee riche and to be poore, to bee hungrie and thirstie, and likewise to hauehave aboundance. Saint Pauls saying is, not onelyonly that wee must bee patient in pouertie, whereof hee protesteth himselfe to hauehave felt his part, and therefore hath giuen vsus an example thereof, and shewed vsus the way: but also that wee must learne to bee riche and to hauehave aboundance. And how is that? They seeme to bee but wordes to no purpose: for eueryevery man knowes wee hauehave neede to bee exhorted to patience when wee be in pouertie. Why so? For wee shall bee tempted: and it is a harde and grieuous thing, when a man hath not breade to eate. And although hee had but browne bread, yet would hee faine hauehave ease and quietnesse with it.
So then as touching pouertie, eueryevery man will graunt that wee hauehave neede to bee comforted, and to bee tolde that wee must not grudge against GOD, nor bee inticed to doe euill. But when hee sayth that wee must know how to bee riche: men will laugh that speach to skorne, as if it were not grounded vppon any reason, and yet is that lesson needefuller than the former. And why? Let vsus consider a little what rich men are: They be gulfes that can neuer bee filled, yea and much more vneasie to bee contented than poore men. If a man compare the rich and the poore together: lyke as hee shall finde poore men which martyr themselues, and repine, and are induced to filching and to doe many lewde turnes: so shall hee finde the most part of them contented with that which God giueth them, and so keeping on their course. But if a man goe to the rich sorte, specially to kings and princes: hee shall finde them so inflamed, and so farre in louelove with the riches of this worlde: as they cannot be satisfied. Nay, it euen greeues them at the heart, that the sunne shineth vppon the poore. To be short, it is seene that if God shoulde giuegive the whole earth in possession to the riche: yet the moste parte of them would neuer thinke it enough. For (as I sayd) it greeueth them that the light of the sunne should be common to the poore, or that they should hauehave water to drinke. Yea and although the poore take paynes, and do the best they can: yet doth the rich man malice him. Although hee shed sweate and bloud for him: yet the riche man thinkes that hee plucketh the guttes and bowels out of his bellie, whē he eateth of his cost. This nigardship, or rather beastly crueltie of the richer sorte, is apparant: & it is too common a thing. Not without cause therefore doth Saint Paul say that wee hauehave greatly profited, when we hauehave learned to bee rich: that is to wit, when we be not desirous to gather still more and more, so as if GOD hauehave giuen vsus any aboundance, we followe our trade still without coueting in this wise: O, such a peece of ground were good for me: I must needes purchace that, and the next to it.
Againe, not to be desirous to be stil increasing, is not all that a riche man hath to doe. Wee must also bee poore in our heartes: that is to say, wee must not bee proude to trust in our riches, nor take occasion by them to oppresse the weaker sorte, and such as hauehave no estimation nor friendes in the worlde to maintaine them. And finally wee must bee readie to become poore whensoeuer it shall please God. Let him that is nowe verie riche, which hath his garners, storehouses, and Cellars full, which hath his purse well stuffed, which hath Landes and possessions, and which hath a good trade of marchandize: let him (say I) not thinke it straunge if GOD list to bereaue him of all, neyther let it grieue him and vexe him ouermuch, but let him bee patient as Iob was and say,Iob. 1.21. seeing it is Gods will to take againe the things that he had giuen mee, his name bee blessed for it. It is a verie hard thing (say I) to hauehave skill howe to be riche: yea verily, if wee submit not our selues to Gods will, to accept quietly whatsoeuer he giueth vsus, that is to say to beare pouertie patiently when he sendeth it, and to holde our selues contented with the goods that he hath put into our hands, without setting of our heartes vppon them. Otherwise wee must alwayes needes be theeues. For the poore shall bee tempted to doe euill, and they beare themselues in hand that God dispenseth with them for it: in so much that nowe and then they vse this shift, O, I see howe such a man goes about to eate the flesh from my backe, and he would destroy mee if he could: & why then should it not bee lawfull for me to bee reuenged of him? See how euerie man would be his owne caruer: but it is not for vsus to doe so. Verily when a man is become riche euen by pilling and powling, by suttletie and deceite: yet is it not for vsus to spoile him of that which he hath, bicause he must make account of it vntounto God. Nowe then if wee bee poore, wee shall by and by bee prouoked to theft, if wee hauehave not this bridle to say, What thoe? It is our Lordes will to exercise vsus, and therefore are wee needie of worldly goods: wee hauehave not as we would wish, and that is bicause God mindeth to humble vsus by that meanes. Marke that for one point. And therewithall, let vsus labour to ouercome this temptation. For wee see howe that euen Salomon desireth that hee may not bee poore, for feare least he should bee prouoked to steale.Prou. 30.9. Seeing that such a person was afrayd, yea and made sure vntounto GOD in the name of the faithfull: ought not wee to stand vponupon our garde? Yes: and therefore let al such as hauehave lacke and scarcetie of bread and drinke, and wote not which way to turne them, but leade a verie slender life, so as some time they can scarcely get halfe their fill of bread: and let others also which hauehave not their commodities as they woulde desire: let them (say I) put themselues into Gods hand, and pray him to graunt them the grace to liue in such sort, as they may not bee caried to doe any man wrong or harme, vnderunder pretence that need driueth them vntounto it. And as for them that hauehave the world at will, and money in their purse: let them take good heede that they oppresse not the poore, as they commonly doe, by laying their snares for them. Loe howe the rich men deale. If they see a poore man going to decaye: they play the Hunters, they fall by and by vponupon him, and they neuer leaue tossing and turning of him about, till the poore soule bee at length intrapped. Therefore let such as are wealthie beware that they bee not ouergreedie, but rather let them holde themselues backe, so as they abuse not their abundance. Let not such as hauehave abundance steppe vp to oppresse such as hauehave it not. After that manner must wee proceede in this case. Yea and in stead of being suttle to seeke thinges a farre off, let vsus when occasion serueth to doe it, let vsus aduisedly repulse all such naughtinesse. And in stead of imagining all to bee well wonne when wee can inriche our selues by other mens losses: let vsus assure our selues that such riche folke doe cut the poore folkes throtes, & that they make many widowes and fatherlesse children, though they thinke it not. Howbeit for as much as our flesh is sharpe witted and suttle in seeking such occasions: let vsus thinke vponupon our God, who intendeth to trie vsus. Wee may well hauehave a sword in our hand: but let vsus beware wee doe no harme with it, and let vsus consider that if wee were in like case as poore folkes are, wee would gladly bee succoured. To be short, if we wil abstaine from theft, let vsus bee neither wolues nor Foxes. For as many as deale by deceit and craftinesse, they be like foxes: and what neede so euer the poore hauehave, if they followe the prouocation to doe euill, they shewe themselues to bee no more men, by their vniust raking of other mens goods vntounto them. And as for them that rob with violence: they be like wilde beastes, which seeke nothing else but to deuour all. So then, to ye intent we be not theeues, let vsus not be cruell.
Therewithall, whatsoeuer worldly thing wee want, let vsus waite for it to hauehave it by the blessing of God. If wee helde this rule: surely all couetousnesse, all fleecing, all fraude, and all other like thinges woulde soone bee amended. Wee should neede none other medicine to heale all our diseases than this, namely that we coulde lifte vp our eyes to heauen to saye, God is our Father, hee will prouide all that wee want, it is hee to whom wee must trust for all things that belong to the mayntenaunce of this present lyfe, and at a woord, his blessing is the welspring of all riches. If wee were well perswaded of this: wee shoulde not neede anymore, eyther preceptes of the Lawe to forbid vsus theft, or any other warnings and aduertisementes. This onelyonly one woord woulde suffice vsus. But what? Wee aske GOD our dayly breade, protesting that it is his peculiar office to feede vsus: and yet in the meane whyle wee fall to filching, deceyuing, and malicing: and is not that an vtter scorning of God? I say with my mouth, giuegive me my dayly bread: and in the meane season I goe and seeke it at the diuels hand. For if wee vse vnlawfull meanes, so as wee beguile one and fleece another: at whose hand fetch wee our welfare? Is it at Gods hande? Are wee not companions with theeues and robbers? So then, it is certaine that our whole seeking is to bee inriched by the Diuell, when wee giuegive our selues so to craft and extorsion. And moreouer the same is a sure token of our vnbeliefe, and that wee looke not for anye thing by Gods blessing, ne thinke him riche ynough to finde vsus. Loe at what poynt we bee. Neuerthelesse these things ought to profite vsus. When wee heare that our Lorde curseth thest and robberie, and that he abhorreth it: let vsus likewise hate and abhorre it, assuring our selues that he iudgeth not after the fansie of man, but will hauehave vsus to liue in such vprightnesse, as euerie man may hauehave his right, and no man bee hindred or impeached in his goods and substaunce, and therefore wee must still hauehave the more staye of our selues. Againe, forasmuch as wee bee so inclined vntounto euill: let vsus seeke meanes to holde vsus in awe of our God, and to restraine vsus from stealing as I hauehave shewed you before. And sith wee knowe that hee hath knit vsus togither: let vsus keepe that Law and rule of equitie. Furthermore let vsus not couet to bee riche: but to bee short, let vsus put this lesson in vre, of bearing pouertie patiently, and let vsus not bee eager of getting, and of promoting our selues out of measure. And finally let vsus abhorre all crueltie and deceite: and specially let vsus learne not to bee so beastly, as to thinke that our catching & snatching by hooke and by crooke, is able to inriche vsus. Let vsus not beguile our selues in that poynt. Why so? For the true richenesse (as I saide afore,) is the blessing of GOD. Then must wee drinke of that fountaine, and bee filled with it, if wee will abstaine from all thest.
But nowe herewithall let vsus come also to Gods threateninges. When he hath shewed vsus sufficiently that this commaundement is exceeding rightfull, and hath also giuen vsus meanes to liue vprightly without hurting or wronging of any man: perceyuing vsus to bee harde hearted still, and that our wicked lustes doe turne vsus the contrarie waye: hee addeth threates to make vsus afraide. And is it a small matter when he sayeth,1. Cor. 6.10. Eph. 5.5. that theeues and robbers shal not enter into the kingdome of God? Nowe then, shall wee set so much store by this present life, that to gather a little good for the maintaining of it in this worlde, wee shall wilfully prouoke God to displeasure? He telleth vsus that we shall be banished out of his kingdome. If we had any spark of fayth at all, woulde not this threatening pearce vsus to the heart? Yes: but our Lorde proceedeth yet further. For in as much as he sees vsus to bee so fleshly, and so greatly giuen to the earth: he telleth vsus that euen in this worlde he will make vsus to goe backewarde: in so much that he which thinketh to further himselfe by his crinking, pilling, and deceyuing, shall bee consumed, and a secrete curse shall waste him away. According whereunto it is sayde in the forealledged text of Zacharie, that Gods curse shall lyght vppon the house of the theese, and there abide vntill he bee consumed.Miche. 6.12.13.14.15. Also wee see howe hee speaketh of it by the rest of the Prophets: In so much that our Lorde telleth vsus, that when men weene they hauehave inriched them selues and doone much: hee will blowe vppon them, yea and he will blowe after such a sorte, as all shall vanish away, and that so sodainely, as a man woulde neuer hauehave looked for. But God passeth yet further. In deede it is ynough and too much alreadie, when wee see howe our Lorde mocketh at those which martyr themselues so much in heaping vp of riches, when all goes to decay and slippeth away like water: but a man shall see moreouer, that the same goods are a cause of the ouerthrowe of such as hauehave beene in some reputation. Looke mee vponupon a father that hath pilled & powled and prouoked Gods wrath against himselfe all the time of his life: When he dyeth, hee beareth himselfe in hand that his children shall become little princes. Nowe had he left them but a little, that they might hauehave falne in trade of occupying, and had he taught them to hauehave trauailed honestly, then they might hauehave had competent wherewith to find thēselues. But behold, the father spinneth a halter for eueryevery of his children, by making them to trust after that fashion in their euill gotten goods, so as they must needes eyther goe to the gallowes, or come to some other vnhappie ende. And what is the cause of it? The wrath of God which is present with them to consume all the goods that were gotten by stealth and by powling. The house of them must needes bee accursed: and God must needes shewe himselfe a iust iudge, both against the theeues, and against all such as dally with his diuine Maiestie. If a man tell them of it, they make but a iest of it, as these scoffers doe, who will say, well well sir, the tyme is worth the money they thinke, all is one. And if a poore man bee neither of abilitie nor of credite to make his part good against them: O how they welter themselues in the meane whyle in their wickednesse! But wote yee what? When God seeth men so sotted, and that hee can not bring them backe to the heauenly lyfe, in so much that they make no reckening of being banished from the kiugdome of heauen: well then goe to (saieth he:) I summon you aforehand, for I will begin to put my sentence in execution. I will shew how my curse lyes vppon euill gotten goods, and that they which hauehave possessed them for a time, must be dispossessed of them, and that themselues and their goods with all their whole ofspring must be consumed togither. Now when wee see all these things: must wee not needes be mooued at them, if the diuell hauehave not vtterly bewitched vsus? Yes. What remayneth then? We must holde faste the good conscience which God requireth of those that are his,Psal. … so as euerie of vsus trauell quietly for our liuing, and goe no… about to grieue other mē, but seeke by al meanes to passe our life without offending of God, that if we hauehave no great reuenew nor much to spend: sobrietie may serue vsus for a dubble portiō. After that maner must wee deale.
But now if theft [to manward] be so condemned of God: what shall bee done if wee rob him of his honour? For wee must compare thefte towardes man, and theft towards God togither. Beholde, it is God that hath forbidden vsus to bee theeues. And why? Bicause he will hauehave vsus to keepe equitie and vprightnesse one towards another. Yea and looke what goods soeuer he appointeth to our vse, he will hauehave them so vsed, as wee possesse them not by wicked shiftes. He that hath much, must spend them as one that hath but onelyonly the laying out of them, and not the ownership of them: and he that hath but litle, must be contented with it, as I hauehave saide alreadie. Now if God will hauehave vsus to keepe such an euen hand towards our neighbours, for the preseruing of their goods which they hauehave in their hands: if he make such account of the goods yt he hath created, as he wil not hauehave them defiled by guilefulnes, by violence, or by such other like dealings: what will he doe in the thing which he setteth much more store by? So then, when wee hauehave liued soundly & vprightly in all respects among our neighbours, so as we hauehave indeuoured to giuegive eueryevery man his due: let vsus also yeelde our God his right: yt is to say, let vsus glorifie him, and beware yt he remaine vnimpeached in his Maiestie, so as we take not more vponupon vsus than is lawful for vsus as we see men commōly do, who are so bolde, that when they hauehave bin so mad as to oppresse their neighbors, by & by they set vp their hornes against God. When they hauehave spoiled other men of their goods, they woulde make God their vnderling too, and they will not obey him further than they list themselues. Therefore we must beware of al these things. And to conclude, let vsus also beware, not onelyonly yt we abstaine from all iniurie and anoyance: but also yt as neere as we can we suffer not any man to be vexed or indomaged. For these are the two things that God commaundeth:Esa 56.1. Ier. 22.3. Ezech. 45.9 namely Iustice and iudgement: Iustice consisteth in yeelding eueryevery mā his right: and Iudgement consenteth not to any euils, nor suffereth the poore to be misused, which hauehave no meane to maintayne themselues. For if I see a man oppressed before my face, & indeuour not to helpe him: I am consenting to the theefe, so as the saying of the fiftith Psalme may be verified of mee,Psal. 50.18. thou sawest a theefe & …annest with him. Now is it not a running with theeues, when we labour not to restraine them, but either wink at them, or giuegive thē the bridle [to doe what they list?] Yes: and [in so doing] we be consenting to the robberie that is committed, and we must answere for it, as the eues before God, although no reckening be made of it among men. There…ore let no man thinke that he is bound but onelyonly to keepe his own goods: but let vsus also beware that we indeuour to maintaine and procure the welfare of our neighbours as we would our own, and as the rule of charitie willeth vsus to doe. Thus ye see how we shal not be found to be theeues both before God & man, & how the goods yt he hath put into our hands may be blessed, so as he shall make them to prosper, and wee hauehave such contentment, as we shall euer mount vp to the heauenly heritage, being sure that there wee shall hauehave the perfect fulnesse of all good things.
Nowe let vsus kneele down in ye presence of our good God, with acknowledgment of our sinnes, praying him to make vsus feele them better than wee hauehave doone, and that wee may profit more and more in the keeping of his holy Lawe. And bicause wee bee so corrupt and frowarde, that all our thoughtes and affections goe the contrarie way: it may please him to reforme vsus by his holy spirit, and to draw vsus in such wise vntounto him, as we renouncing the world and despising these mortall and transitorie things, may mount vp to the heauenly kingdome, where we shall hauehave all contentation and rest. And so let vsus all say, Almightie God heauenly father, &c.