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The obedience of all degrees proued by Gods word and firſt of children vntounto theyr elders.
GOd (which worketh all in all thynges) for a ſecrete iudgement and purpoſe and for hys godly pleaſure, prouided an houre that thy father and mother ſhould come together, to make thee throughe them. He was preſent with thee in thy mothers wombe and faſhioned thee & brethed lyfe into thee, and for yt great louelove he had vntounto thee, prouided milke in thy mothers breſtes for thee agaynſt thou were borne: moued alſo thy father and mother and all other to louelove thee, to pitie thee and to care for thee.
And as he made thee through them, ſo hath he caſt thee vnderunder the power & authoritie of them, to obeye and ſerue them in his ſtede, ſaying: honor thy father and mother. Exo. xx. Which is not Our fathers and mothers are to vsus in Gods ſtede.to be vnderſtand in bowyng the knee and puttyng of the cappe onelyonly, but that thou louelove them with al thyne hart and feare and drede them and wayte on their commaundementes, and ſeke their worſhyp, pleaſure, will and profite in all thynges, and geue thy life for them, counting them worthy of all honour, remembryng that thou art theyr good and poſſeſſion, & that thou oweſt vntounto thē thine owne ſelfe, and all thou art able, yea and more then thou art able to doe.
Vnderſtand alſo that what ſoeuer What wee doe to our fathers & mothers, that we do to God.thou doeſt vntounto thē (be it good or bad) thou doeſt vntounto God. Whē thou pleaſeſt them, y• pleaſeſt god: whē thou diſpleaſeſt thē, thou diſpleaſeſt God: whē they are angry with thee, god is angry wt thee: neither is it poſſible for thee to come vntounto y• fauour of God againe (no though all the aūgels of heauē pray for thee) vntil thou hauehave ſubmitted thy ſelf vntounto thy father and mother agayne.
If thou obey (though it be but carnally The reward of obedience.(either for feare, for vayne glorie or profite) thy bleſſyng ſhalbe long lyfe vponupon the earth. For he ſayth, honour thy father and mother, that thou mayeſt liue long vponupon the earth. Exod. xx. Contrarywiſe The reward of diſobedience.if thou diſobey them, thy life ſhalbe ſhortned vponupon the earth. For it foloweth. Exod. xxj. He that ſmiteth his father or mother ſhalbe put to death for it. And he that curſeth (that is to ſay, rayleth or diſhonoured hys father or mother with opprobrious woordes) ſhalbe ſlayne for it. And Deut. xx…. If any man hauehave a ſonne ſtubburne and diſobedient, which heareth not the voyce of his father and the voyce of hys mother, ſo that they hauehave taught hym nurtoure and he regardeth them not, then let his father and mother take hym, & bryng him forth vntounto the Seniours, or elders of the Citie and vntounto the gate of the ſame place. And let them ſay vntounto the Seniours of that Citie: this our ſonne is ſtubburne, and diſobedient. He will not harken vntounto our voyce: he is a rioter, and a dronkard. Thē let the men of the Citie, ſtone hym with ſtones vntounto death: ſo ſhall ye put awaye wickedneſſe from among you, and all Iſraell ſhall heare and ſhall feare.
And though that the temporall officers (to their owne damnation) be negligent in puniſhing ſuch diſobedience (as the ſpirituall officers are to teache it) and winke at it or looke on it thorough the fingers: yet ſhall they not ſcape vnpuniſhed. For the vengeance God auengeth diſobedience hym ſelfe though the officer will not.of God ſhall accōpanie them (as thou mayſt ſee Deut. xxviij.) With all miſfortune and euill lucke, & ſhall not depart from them vntill they be murdered, drownde or hanged, either vntill by one miſchaunce or an other they be vtterly brought to nought. Yea & the world often tymes hangeth many a man for that they neuer deſerued, but God hāgeth them becauſe they would not obey and harkē vntounto their elders: as the conſciences of many well finde when they come vntounto the galowes. There can they preach and teach other, that whiche they thē ſelues would not learne in ſeaſon.
The Mariage alſo of the children Mariage.perteineth vntounto their elders, as thou mayſt ſee. i. Cor. vij. and throughout all the Scripture, by the authoritie of the ſayd commaundement, child obey father and mother. Whiche thyng the heathen and gentiles hauehave euer kept and to this day keepe, vntounto thee great ſhame and rebuke of vsus Chriſtē: in as couetouſnes maketh our ſpiritualitie that they cannot ſee that which a Turke is aſhamed of.much as the weddyngs of our virgins (ſhame it is to ſpeake it) are more lyke vntounto the ſaute of a bitche, then the mariyng of a reaſonable creature. Se not we dayly three or foure calengyng one woman before the Commiſſary or Officiall, of whiche not one hath the conſent of her father and mother. And yet hee that hath moſt money, hath beſt right, and ſhall hauehave her in the deſpite of all her frendes and in deffiaunce of Gods ordinaunces.
Moreouer when ſhe is geuen by the iudge vntounto yt one party, & alſo maried, euen then oft tymes ſhall the contrary party ſue before an hyer iudge, or an other that ſuccedeth the ſame, & for money deuorce her agayne. So ſhamefully doth the couetouſnes and ambition of our Prelates mocke with the lawes of God. I paſſe ouer with ſilence how many yeares they will prolōg the ſentence with cauillations and ſuttletie, if they be well monyed on both parties, Get her with child ſay they ſo ſhall thy cauſe bee beſt.and if a damſel promiſe ij. how ſhamefull Councel they will geue the ſecond, and alſo how the religious of Sathan do ſeparate vnſeperable matrimonie. For after thou art lawfully maryed at the commaundemēt of father and mother, and with the conſent of all thy frendes: yet if thou wilt be diſgiſed eke Gods commaundementes breake they throughe their owne traditions.vntounto one of them, and ſweare obediēce vntounto their traditions, thou mayſt diſobey father and mother, breake the othe which thou haſt ſworne to God before his holy congregation, and withdraw louelove and charitie the hyeſt of Gods cō maundements, and that dutie and ſeruice which thou oweſt vntounto thy wife: whereof Chriſt can not diſpence with thee. For Chriſt is not agaynſt God, but with God, and came not to breake Gods ordinaunces, but to fulfill them. That is, hee came to ouercome thee wt kindnes, and to make thee to do of very louelove the thyng which the law cōpelleth thee to doe. For louelove onelyonly and to do ſeruice vntounto thy neighbour is the fulfillyng of the law in yt ſight of God. To be a Monke or a Frier, thou mayſt thus forſake thy wife before thou haſt lyne with her, but not to be a ſeculare prieſt. And yet after thou art profeſſed, the Pope for money wil diſpence with Money maketh marchaundiſe.thee, both for thy coate and all thy obedience, & make a ſeculer Prieſt of thee: likewiſe as it is ſimonie to ſell a benefice (as they call it) but to reſigne vponupon a penſion, and thē to redeine the ſame, is no ſimony at all. Oh crafty iugglers Iugglers.and mockers with the word of God.
¶ The obedience of wiues vntounto their huſbandes.
AFter that Eue was deceaued of the Serpent, God ſaid vntounto her Gene. iij. Thy luſt or appetite ſhall perteyne vntounto thy huſband, and he ſhall rule thee or raigne ouer thee. God whiche created the woman knoweth what is in that weake veſſell (as Peter calleth her) and hath therefore put her vnderunder the obedience of her huſband, to rule her luſtes and wanton appetites. i. Peter. iij. exhorteth wiues to bee in ſubiection vntounto their huſbandes, after the enſample of the holy wemen whiche in old tyme truſted in GOD, and as Sara obeyed Abraham and called hym Lord. Whiche Sara before ſhe was maried, was Abrahams ſiſter and equall with him: but as ſoone as ſhe was maried Mariage altereth the degree of nature.was in ſubiection, and became with out compariſon inferior. For ſo is the nature of wedlocke by the ordinaunce of God. It were much better that our wiues folowed the enſample of the holy wemen of old time in obeyeng their huſbands, then to worſhyp them with a Pater noster, an Aue and a Credo, or to ſticke vp candles before their images. Paul Ephe. v. ſayth: wemen ſubmitte your ſelues vntounto your own huſbādes, as vntounto the Lord. For the huſband is the wiues head, euen as Chriſt is the head of the congregation. Therfore as the congregation is in ſubiection to Chriſt, likewiſe let wiues be in ſubiectiō vntounto their huſbādes in all things. Let the woman therfore feare her huſband, as Paul ſayth in the ſayd place. For her huſband is vntounto her in yt ſtede of God, that ſhe obey him, and wayte on hys commaundementes. And hys commaundementes are Gods commaundements. The huſband is … the wife in gods ſtede.If ſhe therfore grudge agaynſt him. or reſiſte hym, ſhe grudgeth againſt God, and reſiſteth God.
¶ The obedience of Seruauntes vntounto their Maiſters.
SEruauntes obey your carnall maſters with feare and tremblyng, in ſingleneſſe of your hartes as vntounto Chriſt: not with ſeruice in the eye ſight as mē pleaſeres: but as the ſeruauntes of Chriſt doyng the wil of God from the hart with good will, euen as thoughe ye ſerued the Lord, and not men. Eph. vj. And i. Pet. ij. ſeruauntes obey your maſters with all feare not onelyonly if they be good and curteous: but alſo though they be froward. For it commeth of grace, if a man for conſcience towarde God endure grief ſuffering wrongfully. In ſufferynge wronges patiētly …e folow the ſteppes of Chriſt.For what prayſe is it if when ye be buffeted for your faultes, ye take it paciently? But and if when ye do well, ye ſuffer wrong and take it paciently, thē is there thanke with God. Hereunto verely were ye called. For Chriſt alſo ſuffred for our ſakes, leauing vsus an example to follow hys ſteppes. In what ſo euer kynde therefore thou art a ſeruaunt, during the tyme of thy couenauntes, thy maiſter is vntounto thee The maſter is vntounto the ſeruan̄t in Gods ſtede.in the ſtede and rowme of God, and God thorough hym feedeth thee, clotheth thee, ruleth thee, and learneth thee. His cōmaundementes are Gods commaundementes, and thou oughteſt to obey hym as God, and in all thinges to ſeeke his pleaſure and profite. For thou art his good and poſſeſſion, as hys Oxe or hys Horſe, in ſo much that who ſo euer doth but deſire thee in hys hart from him without his louelove and licence, is condēned of God, which ſayth Exod. xx. See thou once couet not thy neighbours ſeruauntes.
Paule the Apoſtle ſent home Onemus Our ſpiritualtie retayne mens ſeruauntes not to honour God, but their. traditions and ceremonies onelyonly.vntounto his maiſter (as thou readeſt in the epiſtle of Paule to Philemon). In ſo much that though the ſayd Philemon with his ſeruaunt alſo was cō uerted by Paul, & obeyed vntounto Paule and to the worde that Paule preached, not hys ſeruaunt onelyonly, but alſo himſelfe: yea and though that Paule was in neceſſitie, and lacked miniſters to miniſter vntounto hym in yt bondes which he ſuffered for the Goſpels ſake: yet would he not retaine the ſeruaunt neceſſary vntounto the furtheraunce of the Goſpell, wythout the conſent of the mayſter.
O how ſore differeth the doctrine Chriſtes doctrine & the Popes differre.of Chriſt and his Apoſtles, from the doctrine of the Pope, and of his Apoſtles. For if any man wyll obeye neither father nor mother, neither Lord nor maiſter, neither King nor Prince, If thy maſter pleaſe thee not ſhaue thy ſelfe a Monke a Frier or a Prieſt.the ſame needeth but onelyonly to take the marke of the beaſt, that is, to ſhaue himſelfe a Monke, a Fryer, or a prieſt, and is then immediatly free and exempted from all ſeruice and obedience due vntounto man. He that will obey no man (as they will not) is moſt acceptable To obey no man is a ſpirituall thyng.vntounto them. The more diſobedient that thou art vntounto Gods ordinaū ces, the more apt & meete art thou for theirs. Neither is the profeſſing, vowing and ſwearyng obediēce vntounto their ordinaunces, any other thyng, thē the defiyng, denying & forſwearyng obedience vntounto the ordinaunces of God.