Whole Works, Tracts 1 · Tract 2 · Body of tract · Part 5 – Part 8
¶ The office of a Father, and how he ſhould rule.
FAthers moue not your children vntounto wrath: but bring them vp in y• nurtour and information Rigour in parentes towardes their chilchildren is to be eſchued.of the Lord. Ephe. vi. and Colloſ. iij. Fathers rate not your children, leaſt they be of deſperate minde, that is, leaſt you diſcourage thē. For where y• fathers and mothers are weywarde haſtie and churliſhe, euer brauling and chiding: there are yt children anone diſcouraged and hartleſſe, and apte for nothing, neither can they The right bringing vp of children.do any thyng aright. Bryng them vp in the nurtoure and information of the Lord. Teach thē to know Chriſt, and ſet Gods ordinaunce before them, ſaying: ſonne or daughter, God hath created thee and made thee, thorough vsus thy father and mother, and at his commaundement hauehave we ſo longe thus kindely brought thee vp, and kept thee from all perils, he hath commaunded thee alſo to obey vsus, ſaying: childe obey thy father and mother. If thou meekely obey, ſo ſhalt thou grow both in the fauour of God & man, & knowledge of our Lord Chriſt. If thou wilt not obey vsus at hys commaundement: thē are we charged to correct thee, yea, and if thou repent not and amende thy ſelf, God ſhall ſley thee by hys officers, The deſtruction & marring of children.or puniſhe thee euerlaſtingly. Nurtoure thē not worldly, & with worldly wiſedome, ſaying: thou ſhalt come to honour, dignitie, promotion, and riches, thou ſhalt be better then ſuch and ſuch, thou ſhalt hauehave iij. or iiij. benefices, and be a great doctoure or a Byſhop, and hauehave ſo many men wayting on thee, and do nothing but hauke and hunte, and lyue at pleaſure, thou ſhalt not neede to ſweate, to laboure or to take any payne for thy lyuing and ſo forth, filling thē full of pride, diſdaine, and ambition, and corrupting theyr myndes wyth worldly perſwaſions. Let the fathers and mothers marke how they themſelues were diſpoſed at all ages, & by experience of their owne infirmities, helpe their children and keepe them from occaſions. Let them teach their children to axe maryages of The maryage of children without con… of their paren…es is vnlawfull.their fathers & mothers. And let theyr elders prouide mariages for them in ſeaſon: teaching them alſo to know, that ſhe is not hys wyfe which y• ſonne taketh, nor he her huſband which the daughter taketh wythout the conſent and good wyll of their elders, or them that hauehave aucthoritie ouer thē. If their frends wil not marry thē, then are they not to blame, if they marry thēſelues. Let not yt fathers & mothers alwayes take the vtmoſt of their authoritie of their children, but at a time ſuffer with them, and beare theyr weakneſſes, as Chriſt doth oures. Seeke Chriſt in your children, in your wiues, ſeruants, and ſubiectes. Father, mother, ſonne, daughter, maiſter, ſeruaunt, kyng and ſubiect, be names in the worldly regiment. In Chriſt we are all one thing, In Chriſt we are all ſeruaunts, and he that hath knowledge is bounde.none better then other, all brethren, & muſt all ſeeke Chriſt, and our brothers profit in Chriſt. And he that hath the knowledge whether he be Lorde or kyng, is bounde to ſubmitte hymſelfe and ſerue his brethrē, and to geue hym ſelfe for them, to winne them to Chriſt.
¶ The office of an huſband and how he ought to rule.
HUſbandes louelove your wiues, as Chriſt loued the congregation, and gaue hymſelfe for it, to ſanctifie it, and clenſe it. Men ought to louelove their wiues, as their owne bodyes. For this cauſe ſhall a man leaue father and mother, and ſhall continue with his wife, and ſhall be made both one fleſh. See that euer one of you louelove his wyfe euen as hys owne bodye: All thys ſayth Paul. Ephe. v. and Collo. iij. he ſayth huſbādes louelove your wiues, and be not bitter vntounto thē. And Peter in the thyrd chapter of hys firſt epiſtle ſayth: men Mē ought to rule their wiues by Gods worde.dwell with your wiues according to knowledge, (that is, according to the doctrine of Chriſt) geuing reuerence vntounto the wife, as vntounto the weaker veſſell (that is, helpe her to beare her infirmities) and as vntounto them that are heyres alſo of ye grace of lyfe, that your prayers be not let. In many thynges Why the man is ſtronger then the woman.God hath made the men ſtronger then the women, not to rage vponupon them, & to be tyrantes vntounto then, but to helpe thē, but to beare their weakeneſſe. Be curteous thereaefore vntounto them, and winne thē vntounto Chriſt, and ouercome them with kyndnes, that of louelove they may obey y• ordinaunce that God hath made betwene man and wife.
¶ The office of a maiſter, and how he ought to rule.
PAule Ephe. vi. ſaith: ye maiſters do euen ye ſame thinges vntounto thē (that is, be maiſter after ye example & doctrine of Chriſt, as he before taught y• ſeruauntes to obey vntounto their maiſters as vntounto Chriſt) putting away threanings (that is, geue Teach thy ſeruaunt to know Chriſt, and after Chriſtes doctrine deale with hym.thē fayre wordse, & exhort thē kyndely to do theyr dutie: yea nurtour them as thine own ſonnes with y• Lords nourtour, that they may ſee in Chriſt a cauſe why they ought louingly to obey) and remember (ſaith he) that your maiſter alſo is in heauen. Neither is there any reſpect of perſons wyth hym, that is, he is indifferent and not parciall: as great in hys ſight is a ſeruaunt as a maiſter. And the third chapter to the Col. ſaith he: ye maiſters, do vntounto your ſeruaunts that which is iuſt and equal, remembring that ye alſo hauehave a maiſter in heauen. Geue your ſeruaunts kinde wordes, fode, rayment and learnyng. Be not bitter vntounto them, rayle not on them, geue thē no cruell countenaunce: but according to the enſample and doctrine of Chriſt, deale with them. And when they labour ſore, cheriſhe them Do all thyng with Gods worde.agayne. When ye correct thē, let Gods worde be by, and do it wyth ſuch good maner that they may ſee how that ye doe it to amende them onelyonly, and to bring them vntounto the way which God biddeth vsus walke in, and not to auēge your ſelues, or to wreke your malice on them. If at a tyme thorough haſtines ye exceede meaſure in puniſhing, recompence it an other way and pardon them an other tyme.
¶ The dutie of Landlordes.
LEt Chriſten Landlordes be content wyth their rent and Landlordes ſhould raiſe no rentes, nor bring vp new cuſtomes.olde cuſtomes, not reyſing y• rent or fynes & bringing vp new cuſtomes to oppreſſe their tenauntes: neither letting two or three tenauntryes vntounto one man. Let them not take in their communes, neyther make parkes nor paſtures of whole pariſhes. For God gaue the earth to God gaue …he earth to men.men to inhabite, and not vntounto ſheepe and wilde deare. Be as fathers vntounto your tenauntes: yea be vntounto them, as Chriſt was vntounto vsus, and ſhew vntounto them all louelove, and kyndnes. What ſoeuer buſines is among thē, be not parciall, fauouring one more thē an other. The complayntes, quarels, and ſtrife that are among them, counte diſeaſes of ſicke people, and as a mercifull phiſition heale them wyth wiſdome and good councell. Be pitifull and tender harted vntounto them, and let not one of thy tenauntes teare out an others throte, but iudge their cauſes indifferently and compell them to make their diches, hedges, gates and wayes. For euē for ſuch cauſes were ye made landlordes, and for ſuch cauſes payde men rent at the beginning. For if ſuch an order were not, one ſhould ſley an other, and all ſhould goe to waſt. If thy tenaunt ſhall labour and toyle all the yeare to pay thee thy rent, and when he hath beſtowed al his labour, his neighboures cattell ſhal deuoure his frutes, how tedyous and bitter ſhould his life Landlordes ſhould withſtand the worng of the Tenauntes.be? Se therefore that ye doe your duties agayne, and ſuffer no man to doe them wrong, ſaue the kyng onelyonly. If he doe wrong, then muſt they abyde Gods iudgement.