THE fit opportu­nitie of this time, this great cōcourse of all sortes haue moued me to take this text, and to vn­dertake to entreat of the honorable e­state of mariage before this honorable and worshipful assembly: wherein if you cousi­der the antiquity thereof, God appointed it before the fal of Adam in paradise: if you re­spect [Page]the necessity, it is naturall, and there­fore agreeable to all estates: if you seeke af­ter comfort, then virtus vnita fortior, it is not good, man should bee alone. If you care for delectation in an honest matter, then of all bonds and loues none is so delectable, none is so inuiolable as is the bond & loue betwixt the husband & the wife. Lastly if you marke the continuation therof from elder times to these our present daies, then behold our Sa­uior did honor mariage with his honorable presence; Ioh. cap. 2. and with his first most glorions miracle. The godly learned in al ages of all degrees at al times both princes the nobili­ty and gentility the state ecclesiasticall, the people, as Moses, Aaron, Dauid, Eli, Sa­muel, Esay, Zachary, and al the Apostles but Iohn, the auncient fathers, and reuerend bi­shops in the pure and primitiue times, as Tertullian, Hilary, Nazianzen, Spiridion, w^t others haue cōmended, allowed and prac­tised the same, neither to the hinderance of their functions nor detriment of the commō wealth, nor the derogation of the glory of God. Iuelapol. All which haue beene by our men both by penne, and in the pulpit proued substanti­ally by scriptures, sufficiently by fathers, & perspicuously by ancient histories, wherof to discourse more fully I cānot, but wil contēt [Page]my self with a short compendious enarratiō and explication of this text, wherein I note these two things. First a description of the husband, the wife and children with their fe­uerall and singuler dueties. Secondly a peticion or prayer for them.

First in the description of the hitsband the first and chiefest quality wherewith hee must bee adorned and furnished is, 1. Part. to feare god, to serue him aright, to haue a right & a righteous faith, which must be grounded on the woord of God. Let me speake as I haue read, and I do beleeue as I speake: I would haue this husband whom I describe to be a protestant, & to mary a protestant. I would haue them both to be of one religion, and to be of a sound religion, which I am perswa­ded is not the stubborn obstinacy of the Iew nor the Godlesse impietie of the Turke, nor the vain superstition of the Papist, but is the ancient catholick & apostolick faith which is now both preached by vs & professed by you, that is to beleeue rightly, to liue vprightly, to offer the sweetincēse of our praiers to god aboue, steedfastly to beleeue to be saued only by Christs death without any merit of ours, to frequent the church, to receaue the Lords supper in both kinds, to honor & obey Rings & Princes as the most noble and excellent in [Page]their dominions, and in a word to fear God Such a reuerend and religious fear had A­braham ouer his sonne Isaack to mary him not to a prophane gentile or heathenish wo­man, Gen. 2.3. but one of his owne stocke and lyneall discent, that serued & worshipped the same true God that he did: Thus doth the blessed Apostle teach, Cor. 6.14. we must not drawe the yoke with infidels. For betwixt this godly hus­band and vertuous wife, there must be an e­quality in years and in vertues, both young or both old, and no meane loue soone hotte soone cold, but a most ardent and feruent loue which cannot be quenched with a flud of waters, which cannot bee without this fear of God, and except they bee of the same religion, Ambrose. for so defendeth Ambrose: Inter quos est diuersareligio, inter eos non est firma a­micitia. Those that be of a contrary religiō, the loue betwixt them is not sincere nor can­not be of any long continuance. Many erre notoriously in their marriages through their careles contempt of this fear of God. Some mary in their noneage and minority, some respect onely beauty, others harken after lands, others after gold and siluer, follow­ing the Poet:

O ciues ciues quarēda pecunia primum, vir­tus post [...]. And many one for land takes [Page]a foole by the hand. Others are not ashamed to holde this vile and villanous opinion, as prophane Atheistes, Agood marriage if the wife were away. But are we stronger than Sampson, wiser than Salomon, greater than Achab to tempt the Lord, who all most grieuously offended in this point? Sampson was thereby dishonored, Salomon brought so far through idolatrous women from this fear of God, that some of the auncient fa­thers doubt of his saluation. Ring Achab of himselfe was solde to all mischiefe, but was made the worse through the wicked counsel of his vngratious wife Iesabel: 1 King [...].22. but they both had their tragical ends and well deser­ued: a terrible spectacle for the like to al po­sterity. These worldly marriages are iustly refuted by him who saide, Mallem virum pecunia, quàm pecuniā viro indigentem. Themist. offic. 2. Bet­ter is an honest poore man than a wicked rich man. And those foolish marriages are forbid by the wise man in his booke Ec­clesiasticus, Marrie thy Daughter, Cap. 7.25. and so shalt thou perfourme a weightie matter: but giue her vnto a man of vnderstanding. Glaucus in Homer preferred copper be­fore Goolde, Hom. Iliad. [...]. whereby hee shewed his follie. Martha chose the woorser part, Luk. 10.41. whereby shee shewed her woorldelinesse. [Page] [...] [Page] [...] [Page]Esau preferred a messe of delicate broth be­fore his birthright, for the which he is called of the Apostle a prophane man. Heb. 12.16. So many prefer beutie before bounty, riches before vertue, gold and siluer before shamefastnesse and godlines, lands and inheritances before honesty and discretion. But this our religi­ous husband must feare the Lorde with a Godly feare, Ios. 24.15. like the good sonne of Iosua who hath this blessed testimony that he fea­red the lord with his whole family. Pro. 1.7. For this fear of the Lord is the beginning of al wise­dome. Luk. 18.2. As for those men that resemble the ri­gorous iudge, that neither feare God, nor good man, that neuer thinke of the saluation of their sinful seduced soules, that either be Athiestes or Libertines or Machiuelians or Spend-thriftes or couetous Nabals or great Gamsters or Luxurious and Riotous persons or seditious and traiterous papists, are no fitte men to bee such a husband as I propose. But such I commend as here out Prince and Prophet, in royalty a Prince, in learning a Prophet, Mat. 10.28. doth, who fear not men that can kill the body, but fear the Lord who can kill both body and soule, and cast both into hell fire, euen such a one as walkes not in the waies of the wicked or in his owne waies, but in the waies of the Lorde, which [Page]is the second qualitie and duety of a good & Godly busband.

2 And walkes in his waies.

The second quality of this husband is to walke in the water of the Lorde, wherein I may decipher vnto you the wit and wisdome of a godly and religious husband. 1. Cor 9.24. Our life is aptly resembled to a race or course or a iourney, in going whereof a man must haue a wise and expert guide to direct him in his iourney. This guide of our religion of our life of all our actions is the woorde of God. For so our Prophet erclaimeth with a zea­lous exclamation, vsing a retoricall subtec­on both playing the opponent & respondent himselfe. Psal. 119.9. O wherewith shall a yong man learne to redresse and reforme his waies: Euen by ruling himselfe according to thy woorde. This worde is a rule to iudge the straight from the crooked, a squire to direct our building by, a compasse to guide our shippe by, a Law to iudge controuersies by, and as a God in this world to decide and de­termine all matters which shall arise in the Churches of God, euen to the end of the world. For our purpose the Iewes erred in marriage they would seeke a diuorse for e­uery trifle, they would marry wiues that were yong, faire, & wealthy, and when they [Page]were either old or poore or deformed, they would put them away. They did also make the Church of God a denue of theeues by their prophane selling and buieng in it: but our sauiour reforms these notorious errors by two principles: Mat. 19.8. the one is, It was not so frō the beginning: Mat. 21.13. the other, It is writ, my house shalbe called the house of praier. And certainly this husband shal shewe his wise­dome in this, if he guide himselfe, his wife and family according to this rule, to walke in the waies of the Lorde, which are fully and faithfully sette downe in the olde and newe Testament, Ier. 8.9. for so the prophet think­eth, You thinke you are a wise people, but you reiect the Lawe of God, and what wise­dome can be in you? And Austen cites out of Iob, Enchirid. ad Laur. c. 2 this sentence, Hominis Sapientia est pie­tas. The Godly man is the wise man. This wise husband may learne in this woorde to loue his wife entirely, Pro. 5.18. to be merry with her in the Lord, to abstaine from too much bit­ternesse, Col. 3.19. to dwell with her according to knowledge, not to bee rigorous but courte­ous towardsher, for w^t the most, courteous perswasions preuail more than sharp repre­hensions doe. But chiefly his wisedome shal appeare in this, to bring to his house no ill, naughty & defamed persons. So Menelaus [Page]did fondely in entertaining to his house friendely that lewed and lasciuious Parts, whereby his wife faire Helena was defiled, as also he must be sufferable in the impor­tunities of his wife. For as a litle iarre in musick is not easily espied, so a litle shrewd­nesse in the wife may be colerated. 1. Pet. 3.7. For this cause Saint Peter would haue house bands to honour their wiues, which consistes in this, in prouiding sufficiently for their necessities by a godly prouidence, & to beare with their infirmities in the Lord, Prou. 29.18 Eccle. 9. and in no wise, a wise houseband may bee iealous ouer the honesty of his wife, for that either needes not, or bootes not. Ouely let him hee as zealous in religion, as wise in his go­uernement of himselfe, his wife and fami­ly: so let him auoide idlenesse, and labour diligently in his vocation, which is the third quality of a good houseband.

2 When thou eatest the labours of thine owne hands thou shalt bee blessed, and it shalbe well with thee.

This good husband must not be idle and slothfull, but labor faithfully & painefully in that vocation wherein God hath called him. Gen. 2.15. So Adam before his fall had this charge of God to dresse the garden of Eden. Gen. 3.15. And af­ter his fall this precept, In the sweate [Page]of thy brows thou shalt eate thy bread. The diuine Philosopher Plato sawe so much by the instinct of nature Nemo sibi nascitur, Cic. Offic. 1. wee are borne to defend our Country to benefit and gratifie our friendes and neighbours. There be foure parts in the commō wealth. The Prince as the head, the honorable and woorshipfull, as armes and shoulders, the state ecclesiastical as eies, the common mul­titude as the feete. O blessed and happie shall that realme be when these foure partes agree in a sweete consort and melody in the amiable and blessed loue of peace and vnity, discharging their duties fully and faithfully in the feare of God. The Prince in appoint­ing, the nobility and gentry in counselling, the preachers in feeding, and the people in beying. 2. King. 18. For Princes, the imitation of Da­uid of Ezechias of Iosias is worth the imi­tation, who al were very diligent in appoin­ting good lawes for the religion of God, and also I may not forget the great zeal & lear­ning of Alphred king of this lād, Act. and Mon. who diuided the day into three parts, some hours he took for his priuat study & seruice of god, some he reserued for the hearing of matters of state and the common wealth, and the rest he left for his rest, repast and recreation. For coun­sellers they may imitate Ioseph, who vnder [Page]king Pharao ruled the land of Aegypt with great and singular wisdom and prouidence, Gen. 41.39. Dan. 44.5. & they must bee as Daniel was to Darius, in whom the enemies coulde finde no fault touching the gouernment of his kingdome. For the Clergy to feede by preaching by hospitality by godlines of life, Humfred de vita Iuel. to follow that reuerend Bishop of Salisbury, who follo­wed the noble emperour who said, O where should a captaine die but in the fielde: so his poesy was, O where should a Bishop die but in the pulpit? For where preaching faileth there the people perisheth. Prou. 29.18 Rom. 13.12. For the common people they must be obedient to their Magi­strat to loue and honor their Prince, to bear that nature and affection to their soueraign as did the Israelites to Dauid the king of Israel, who al made this noble protestation, It is better that a thousand of vs dy than Dauid our king. God saue Dauid the king, if hee die the great light of Israel is quen­ched: So let al faithful and loyal subiectes beare this affection to our most noble and gracious Princesse Elizabeth. 2 Sam. 18.3. It is better that a thousand of vs die by the seditious treacheries of our false forsworne and frau­dulent countrimen than Elizabeth our Queene. God protect and preserue Eli­zabeth: If shee die and miscarie the great [Page]light of Israell shall be quenched.

Now if our husband be any of these four, he hath something to doe, he must be careful to prouide for his house, to feede & cloth his family, to instruct his wife and children, to pay his seruants their wages faithfully and truely, and to walke in that vocation with a good conscience whereto God hath called him. Ari. oecom. lib. 1. cap. 6. The office of the husband, is to get, the duery of the wife is to keepe: the office of the husband is honeslly to maintaine his liueli­hood, the duty of the wife is, prudently to go­uerne the househould. Such a noble care had the noble Emperor Valerianus of whome thus it is writ, Euseb. lib. 7. cap. 9. Aula Valeriani erat referta pijs viris, & Ecclesia Dei facta est. The court of Valerianus the Emperour was fraught and furnished with godly men, and made the Church of God. Such a noble Captaine was Cornelius who hath this re­port to feare the Lorde with his whole fa­mily. Act. 10.1.2. Thus if our husband labor in his vo­cation he shal haue this blessing of the Lord to eate the fruites of his own labours. Eccles. 1. The most noble and learned King Salomon in those 12. Chapters of his book Ecclesiastes declares most largely and learnedly how all things vnder the cope of heauen are nothing but griefe, sorowe, vexation & anguish, griefe [Page]of body, sorrow of hart, [...]ix [...]tion of braine, and anguish of mind: but yet this to bee our part and portion and a blessing of God in this life, when wee both sow and trape, when we both plant the vine and drink the vine, when we build houses and dwell therein, when we can be content to liue of our owne, for that is our owne that doth vs good, when we eat & drink without gluttony and drunkennes, in sobriety and modesty in the fear of God. This is a bles­sing, this is a great blessing, this is a great and gracious blessing of God himselfe, and such a blessing shal this religious and wise & politick husband enioy, whē I haue described to you: wherin because I haue bin longer than either perhaps I should or you expected, I wil be the shorter in the description of the wife and chil­dren. Which thus foloweth in the Text.

3 Thy wife shall bee as the fruitful vine on the sides of thine house, & thy children like the oliue plants round about thy table.

Among the trees that be fertil and fruitful the Oliue is commended for his fatnes, Iudg 9.9 [...] the fig tre for his sweetnes, the vine for cheerfulnes, for wine driues away sorrow, & is a souerain restoratiue for an heauy and pensiue hart: so a­mong all creatures men and weomen be only commended for their learning, wisdom & god­lines. The comparison of a woman to the vine [Page]I wil not amplify largely but touch it briefly. First the vine is weak, Plin. lib. 4. & must be vnderset and vnderpropped by some sure and strong stay: so the wife is the weaker vessell more subiect to infirmities, & a wise modest man wil not dis­close hir infirmities, but tolerat the same with good discretion: 2. Sa. 11.1.7. so Bersabe was more beauti­ful than strong, when she defiled hir body with Dauid, brake her faith and loue with hir good husband Vrias: which was the very occasion of his death. Eua the mother of all shewed her selfe very weak when shee was beguiled with an aple. Gen. 3.6. Gen. 19.26. Lots wife was both weak & wicked, when she looked back in token she lusted after Sodoma and Gomorra against the comman­demēt of God, but she was turned into a piller of salt: a terrible spectacle & most horrible mo­nument of wicked back-sliders and sinful re­uolters, Plinie. l. 14. to al godly posterity. Secondly a vine is not only weak but low too, it growes near the earth: So a godly wife must not be proud and stately in her owne conceits, but humble & modest in the presence of her husband. For a godly wife neither must nor will seek a soue­raignty or superiority ouer her husband. Lomb. lib. 4 For the woman (as the master of the sentences doth allegorise) was made of the rib of man, that he should entreat her gently as his mate: she was neither made of the head, that she should vsurp [Page]autority & power ouer him, nor yet of the feete that she shuld be abused as a slaue & vile seruāt by him: And euen as the lowest soils be com­monly most battle and fertil, so those wee men that be most modest & humble, are mest filled & furnished with gods gifts & graces, Iam. 4.6. euen in the greatest measure. For as the holy scripture saith, god resisteth the proud, Plin. l. 14. & giueth grace to the hūble. Thirdly the vine is fruitful, it be a­reth grapes plentifully, which wel ripened, & mightily pressed, do yeeld great store of wine, Galen. de. Sa. 4. which cheereth the hart of man, refresheth the vital spirits, heateth the cold stomack, helpeth the rawnes and crudity & many other infirmi­ties of the same. Ther are many wiues which are fruitful in children, and this is a corporall blessing: for so many godly children, so many blessings of God. In the old law sterrility and barrennes was deemed as a curse of God, and therefore many godly & religious weomen as Sara, Rachel, Rebecca, Gen. 3 [...]. Anna w^t others har­tily & hūbly prayed of god, that he would giue thē children. Psal 127.5. O happy & blessed is the man that hath his quiuer ful of godly children brought vp in the fear of the lord, they shal be a terror to the enimy, a stay to the country, & a comfort to their parents. But ther is another spiritual blessing, Good reli­gion. ther is another fruitfulnes beeter thā this, that is, that the wife be inuested & ador­ned [Page]with good qualities. First that she feare God religiously, & walk in his waies, for then shal God procure & purchase hir fauor & grace in the eies of her husbād. And therfore we find by experience that diuers weomen not so fair being godly, are better liked and loued of their husbands, than others more amiable & beau­tiful, Plinie. and yet not so godly. For as the loadstone draweth hard yron to it: so this fear of god in y^e wife wil easily moue a wise husbād: but it wil force a waiward husbād to entreat hit louing­ly & gently. Loue. And as to season vnsauery meats, pleasāt & delicat sauces be prepared: so to giue a good relish to the sweet food of honest mari­age it must be tempered & seasoned w^t a most ardent & feruent loue. And good reason to loue them to whō we haue giuen our bodies and al, and chosen to bee partakers of all ioies and sorrows, of wealth and wo, of health & sicknes, & for whō we forsake father, mother, brother, sister, frind, kif & kin & al, & that not for a time, but during y^e course of our life. I say it is good reason we should like & loue them, & that with a most near & dear affectiō. We read of noble Iulia Pompeys wife, who expressed the signe of a most louing wife, for being w^t child, when she saw her husbāds warlick coat brought in­to the city al imbrued with gored bloud, fel in­to a sudden sound, scriching most rufully and [Page]wofully crieng out. O Pompey Pompey fare­wel, and so this noble lady with her vntimely child presē [...]ly dyed. The greatest maintainer of this houest loue is shamefastnesse, Shamefast. [...] which is such a vertue in a woman, that without it the rest are al disgraced. For this shamefastnes is giuen to weomen, for a defence to keepe their reputatiō, for a castle to preserue their chasti­ty, for a fort to maintain their honor, and for a garland to aduance their prayse and commē ­dation. [...] Aristotle the famous philosopher re­quiers in a mayd to bee mar [...]ed foure thinges, [...], riches, good parētage, beauty & vertue. Beauty is cōmendable, a good parentage is honorable, wealth, land & a good inheritaunce is not to bee contemned: but the chiefest dowry, the best inheritance, the most pretious Iewell in a woman is vertue, & espe­cially the vertue of obedience. So our Apostle teacheth, Wiues obay your husbands. Ephes. 5 22. Obedience Man is fitter for this soueraynty of rule & regunent then a woman, euen by the lawe of nature, ha­uing greater skill to rule, experiēce to gouern, capacity to cōprehend, wisdome to vnderstād, strēgth to execute, carefulnes to prosecute, pa­tiēce to suffer, and a greater courage and mag­nanimity to performe and perfect all purposes and practises whatsoeuer. Host. 1.2 [...] In the booke of He­ster wee reade of king Hasuerosh king of the [Page]Medes & Persians, he had a masterly and im­perious shrewe to his wife Queen Vasti, who would not obay him in a certayne matter. Whervpon he called and conuēted his nobles and counsellours and by their coūsell she was put away, and hee maried the noble and vertu­ous lady Queene Hester. But let this imperi­ous Oueene goe. Let vs passe ouer Zantippe Soccates wife. Exod. 4. lob. 2.9. Let Sipora Moses wife, let Iobs wife and good Tobias also, as most no­ble and notorious shrewes goe, and let euery godly wife follow the good example of godly Sara, who obeyed her husbād Abrahā with all dutifull reuerēce and called him Lord in tokē of her singular humility. Good name. And as she must be o­bedient, so she must haue an especial care of hir good name. For a good name is as a sweete oyntment and as a most delicious & precious perfume. Plutarch in Caesar. Cesar wold haue his wife Pompeia not only fre from dishonesty, but also fre frō al suspiciō both of dishonesty & disloyalty. There be many waies to preserue this good name, but I take this to be as one most chiefe and ex­cellēt in a maid or wife to be resident at home, as the snaile, Tit. cap. 2.5. & not oft to range & run abroad as Dina did. To keepe home. For by this means the house shal be better gouerned, her husband better plea­sed, all euill suspicions auoyded, and great ex­pences saued. For fewe there be but they are [Page]great wasters in their gay and gorgeous ap­parel, which is the more encreased by gosso­ping and gadding abroad as the manner is in some places. But our Apostle teacheth godly weomē not to delite in too gay and garish ap­parel, 1 Pet 3. 1 [...] 2.9. but so to attire themselues as wel becō ­meth modest matrons, and as is fittest for the vocatiō of their husbands. And here our king and propher Oauid in modesty a prophet, in maiesty a king would haue a godly wife to be as a side & part of the house, or as a wall to the house to defend it, not to bee a ruine to pull it down, either by y^e pride of her fancies, or pomp of her train, or delicatnes of her dyet, or sump­tuousnes in Iewels, or brauery in apparel, or lightnes in conuersation, to roote vp the wals of her house, to turne vp al topsituruy, and not to leaue one stone vpon another.

Now if the godly wife bee as the fruitfull vine, or fat florishing oliue, no maruaile if her children bee finely and fitly resembled to the braunches of the vine or tender plants of the oliue tree. The braunche is tender, it wil bend or bowe at your pleasure, the yong children be pliable as soft waxe, they be flerible as tender oliue branches, then a gentle rod wil break no bones, Prou. cap. Ephe. 6.4. then he that spares the rod doth spil & spoile the childe. For this is the exhortation of S. Paul, you Parents bring vp your childrē [Page]in the faith and fear of the lord, get you school­masters both to instruce them by doctrine and reforme them by discipline. For a child better vnborn than vntaught. Arist. pol. l. 8. cap. 3. The old Grecians (as the noble philosopher saith) were wōt to teach their childrē 3. things [...]. the which thus the fine & ingenious poet hath expressed, In Eunuch. Facpericulum in literis, in palaestra, in musica. They were trained vp in the liberal & ingenious arts, as chiefely Grammar, Rheto­rick, & Musick, & in feats of actiuity, whereby their bodies were made the stronger to abide tough & long study the better. Pro. 22.6. And king Salo­mō who was diligently taught of Nathan the prophet giues forth this precept & profit, teach a child in his youth vertu & learning, & whē he coms to years he wil not forget it. Act 7.22. So Moses, so Dantel, so Samuel, so Paul, so Timothy, so Origen were trained vp from their infancy both in diuine learning, 2 Tim. 3. and most of them also in prophane literature. The fruit shalbe this, as S. Ciril saith, Contra Iu. lib. 7. pueri sacris literis enutriti, po­stea fiunt religiosissimt, children nousled & nur­sed vp from their tender yeares in reading and hearing holy Scriptures, they shal reape this fruite thereby not to be superstitious or hereti­cal in opinions, or hauty and lofty in spiritēs, but to be most religious, & as the king of Isra­el saw, They wil remēber such things as they [Page]learn in their youth, Pro. 2 [...]. the better whē they come to years of discretion. And as in battle it is a necessary point & poll [...]y for the getting of the victory & conquest euer our enimies, that whē one soldiar is slain, that another presētly take his station and place & therein fight manfullie and coragiously so in the good geueinment of a cōmon wealth, whē a good father dieth some learned and wise men take it to be a necessary point & pollicy for the mantenance & preserua­tion of peace & vnity against eiull dissention & cōspiracy, that y son take his place if he be able to weald & dicharge the like functiō & veretiō.

4 Loe surely thus shal the man be bles­sed that feareth the Lorde.

This religious fear of God which brings to the husband wife & children both temporall & spirituall blessings both in this life and in the life to come, doth consist in following vertues, & forsaking vices: which must be with al care­fulnesse auoided. Now the noysome and poi­sonful weedes which will hurt both husband, wife & childrē, must w^t al diligence be grubbed out of the grounds of our harts, least the vene­mous & contagious weeds stifle & ouer-grow the good & pure corn. The weedes be the sin of Sodom & Bomorra, polygamy, incest, adulte­ry, fornication, al vncleannes, cōmon gaming, riotous & prodigal liuing, carelesse security in [Page]the parents, & stubborn contumacy in the chil­drē. These hainous & horrible vyees, consume our bodies, wast our goods, shorten our liues, discredit our good names, make our enimies to mock vs, giue occasiō to the papists to blas­pheme the name of god, & the religiō which we professe, endanger the saluation of our sinneful soules, and neuer escape the due & dreadful pu­nishmentes of God either in this life, Eccles. 7.8. 2 Sam. 12.10 Gen. 9. Gen. 19. or in the life to come. Take exāple by Dauid, the sword of God did neuer depart from his house. By Noah, he was mocked of his own son. By Lot, he cōmitted incest w^t his own daughters: by A­nacleō a noble poet, who was so famous a bib­ber of wine and strong drinks, that he was cho­ked with a huske of a grape. Take example of Eli an old iudge, 1 Sam. 2.22. an old priest, & an old father: & of his two rebellious sonnes Hophny & Phi­nees, in the end the wicked & luxurious sonnes were killed in battle, one of their wiues died with child, Chap. 4. theold father Ely fel backward frō a stool & brake his necke, the arke of God was taken of the barbarous Philistines, & the glo­ry departed from Israel. For this purpose I haue read this excellent history. There came once before wise Solon a father with his son, one accusing the other. The father complained of the disobedience of his son: & the son accused the father of his ill education, which was the [Page]cause of his disobedience. Solon wel conside­ring the cause, & perceiuing a falt to be in both, did thus determine and decide the matter: be­cause the father had not brought vp his son in good instruction, & dutiful correction, therfore the father after his death should be depriued of his sepulcher: and the son for his disobedience should be disinherited. You wil perhaps think this a sharp iudgemēt of a wise & graue iudge, but sore diseases need strong medecins, and if Solons determinatiō were put in vre in these our daies, I feare me some fathers would lack the honor of their burial, & some sonnes would be put from their inheritance. But if the godly husband, wife & children do auoid these noto­rious vices, if the husband be religious, wise & laborious in his vocation, if the wife bee chast, modest, obedient & hūble, if the children be wel schooled and brought vp in the faith and feare of the Lord: then they al shal be blessed both in the city and in the field, Deut. 24. in the fruit of their bo­dies, in the fruit of the ground, in their cattle, in their basket, in their comming in, & in their going out: their Oxen shalbe strong to labour, Psal. 144. their sheep shal bring forth ten thousand in the streetes, they shall not go into captiuity, they shalbe blessed in al the labors of their hands, e­uen as the trees of the lord ful of suck & sappe, as the trees planted by the waters side, they [Page]shalbe plāted in the house of the lord, they shall prosper and florish in their yong years, in their old age they shal be fatre, fat, and wel liking, yea they shal see the church of God florish, their children liue long, & peace in the cōmō wealth. For the which 3. here our prophet and Prince Dauid prateth, which petitiō of Dauid I wil shut vp briefly thus in the conclusion.

5 The Lord out of Syon blesse thee that thou maist see the good of Ierusalem all the dayes of thy lyfe.

6 Yea that thou see thy childrens chil­dren and peace vppon Israell.

In this praier of Dauid three circumstan­ces are worth the due cōsideratiō. 1. who prai­eth. A king and a prophet. 2. to whom he prai­eth. To the Lorde that dwels in Sion. 3. for what. For three things.

• 1 For the prosperity of the Church.
• 2 For the long liues of y^e maried parties.
• 3 And for the peace of Israel, which I may well vnderstand the common wealth.

Great is the efficacity and force of praier both in peace & war, in prosperity and aduer­sity, in health and sicknes at all times & in al estates. It is sayd, Orante Mose vicit populus, whē Moses prayed for his people they vāquished theyr enemies. Ioh. 5. Io. 14.16.13. And this is our comfort that whatsoeuer we aske of the father in Christes [Page]name if it be cōmedious & expedient for vs, we shall be sure to obtayne it. Then no meruell if here the prophet and king of Israell geue him­selie to prayer. O it is a great matter and of great importance when princes and nobles & men of great worship be religious and geuen to prayer & to the holy seruice of God. For this cause Dauid was accounted a mā after Gods owne heart. 1 King. 20 For this cause Iostas that yong king is so highly commended. For this cause Ezechias his daies were prolonged 15 yeares lōger. This makes the church of god to grow vp lustily as the palm tree and to florish as the tal Cedar of Libanus, the people euery mā to sit quietly and peaceably vnder his own vine, and the commō wealth to haue peace & plentie as in the happy daies of Salomon. Ciril in an epistle to Cheodosius euen in the beginning thus saith, Citil. Epist. ad I heod. p [...]etas in Deum est fundamentum re­gijs honoribies. O noble emperour the state of your common wealth hanges of your religion towards God. If you serue him aright your kingdō shal florish, one of your royal seed shall alwaies sit on your royal seate: but if you for­sake God he wil forsake you, hee wil rase and root out your memories from the face of the earth, hee wil trample your name and fame vnder his feet, he wil east your honors in the dust, and this is a curse of al curses.

The 2 circumstāce is, to whom he praieth: euē to the lord of Sion. Our prophet & prince praieth not to Abraham, to Isack, to Iacob, or to any archangel or angel in heauen, but to the lord which dwelled in Syon. Mat. 9. Ioh. 16. We haue a plain cōmandement to pray to him alone, we haue a firme promise that so praying our praiers shal be hard: we haue the exāples of al godly men so to pray both in the old & new testament. Ci­cero reports of Cesar thus, qui ad te non audent accedere Caesar, Orat. pro Deiotar.tuam humanitatem ignorant. They that be affrayd to speak to thee o Cesar, they know not thy singular humanity: so I say they that alleage eyther their owne indignity or the seuerity of god against sinners, & so dare not come to Iesus alone by harty prayer, they know not his singuler humanity & humility.

The 3 circumstaunce is the matter for the which our prophet praieth, which is threefold: for the church, the lōg liues of the maryed per­sons, for the peace of the cōmon wealth. There be 2 deadly & mortal enemies to the common wealth and church of god. Heresy, & treachery. The subtil serpēt in Genesis did moue Adam and Eua to tast of the forbiddē tree, Gen. 3.4. & said, you shall not dy: so the cruell and subtill serpent of Rome eggeth forward & encorageth his sworn vassals of Spain, France & Italy & our despe­rate diuelish English rebels to assay to touch y^e [Page]Lords anoynted and almes them w^t fayr goldē promises, you shall not by, you shall get you a name, you shal be men of great renowne. It is an heroical designment and meritorius before God and good catholicks. Iuel in a [...] of letie. A famous and most learned Bishop of this land, doth hold there be four ordinary means to keep heresy from our church, & treason from our cōmō wealth. 1 Learning. The first is to maintain vniuersities & free schools. 2 Preach­ing. The second is to appoint learned preachers in euery parish Church to catechise the youth, to teach the people obedience. 3 Thank­fulnes. The third to bee thankful to god for al his benefits. 4 Disci­pline. The fourth discipline to reward the godly and punish the wicked. The execution of these thinges will make our church & common wealth to florish; the contempt of these wil make our court as Sion the holy hil of y^e Lord, our church as Ie­rusalē the holy city of the lord, Luk. 19. our land as Iu­dea the holy land. Sion was, Ierusalem was, Iudea was, but now Siō is vtterly razed, Ie­rusalē is vtterly ransacked. Therefore let not Rome brag of any prerogatiue of her place for antiquity, or pallace for royalty. That which hapned to Ierusalē may happē to Rome great controuersy there is betwixt the Iesuits & vs wher antichrist shuld sit, and who he is. Ad Did. I wil say nothing of S. Ierom, only I wil cite one sentēce of Bernard which shal make the mat­ter [Page]cleare. Ep. 125. Bestia illa in apocalypsi cu [...] datumest os loquēs blasphemias, & bellu gerere cum sanctis,Be. ad Gau. de lorator.petre cathedram occupat tanquam Leo paratus ad pradam. The beast spoken of in the Apocalyps to whom is giuen a mouth to speak blasphemies and to make war with saines, doth now occupy the seat of Peter as a Lion prepared to his pray. The place then for Antichrist is the great city Babylō, Roma. Septicollis. sited on seauen hils. The names of the hils he Pa­latinus,2 Thes. 2.Capitolinus, Aùētinus, Caelius, Es­quilinus, Viminalis, Quirinalis. Then for the person who is that great Antichrist (if ye ty him to one person) then it must eyther bee the Turk, or y Iew, or the heathen emperor, or the Pope. But if Antichrist euē the great antichrist must sit in the tēple of god as god, if antichrist must deceaue by false and fran­dulent miracles, Apoc. 18. if antichrist must be a false and foolish prophet as Balaam, if antichrist must haue the name of mistery writen in his forehead as once y^e hypriest of the Iews had in his Lamina, sanctit as sehouae Holines to y^e lord, if antichrist must ouercome by flattery, by sweet & sugred speaches as harlots doe, not by arms & dint of sword as cruel tyrants doe: thē where antichrist shal sit & who anti­christ is, I refer it to y^e iudgemets of y^e lear­ned & consciences of the godly that heare me this present day. To God the father. c&.