endorsed with a curâ—…e on the contrary not only of putting the disobedient childe to death but if this lawe were not at all yet the parents curse should pull vp the house by the roots â—…nsaÌ„ple the cursed seede of Cham ensample the late storie if it bee be true that is written of credible authors to be done in Germanie within this twenty yeres of a father that hauyng â—…idden his chylde goe on his his errand when the chylde stoode still and would not goe the vnaduised father in his fumish anger cuâ—…sed him and said Standest thou still stand still then so still standing I pray God thou mayst abide And euen sodeinly so soone as the curse was spoken the childe stode still and so standing there aboade till the day of his death A terrible ensample of the wrathe of GOD against childrens disobedience and to the confirmation of the authoritie that God hath giuen the parentes ouer their children For of our parents we haue not only our bodily goods but euen our bodies and al. And shal we not then loue them by whose loue we haue our being our life our norishing and vnder God the beginnings of all wee haue Many fathers and mothers now a days complain of the disobedieÌ„ce wilfullnesse and lacke of loue in their children more than they had wont to do What is the cause here of first this is a general obseruatioÌ„ although in particulers it be not altogether true that the parents loue is greter to his child than the childs loue is to his parents where of the townsmen of 〈◊〉 set vp a monument For wher as on a time they had condemned a father and his sonne for certain notorious crimes committed on muche entreatie made to the senate for theÌ„ it was at length graunted that but one of them shoulde die and that on this condition that the one shoulde do the execution on the other and he that executed the other shoulde him selfe escape agree on the matter as they could which of them should suffer The sonne being asked refused to die for the father and had rather execute his father thaÌ„ his father shold execute him The father being demaunded was conteÌ„t to suâ—…fer death him self of his sonnes hand though his sons vnnaturalnesse did greue him rather thaÌ„ he wold put his sonne to death Whervppon this monument was erected for a perpetuail memorie the pictures of bothe father and sonne the son behâ—…dding his father engrauen in marble and this poesie writen vnderneth Amor descendit nâ—…n asceÌ„dit Loue descendeth but not ascendeth And so the ryuers course descendeth but not ascendethe A stone naturally descendeth not ascendeth And the scripture coÌ„mendeth many fathers vnto vs that ful entierly haue loued their sons but few sons like Isaac Ioseph and Tobie are commended vnto vs for the like loue againe vnto their fathers This naturall loue wrought not in the vnnaturalâ—… sonne Absalon but it wrought so deepe in the father Dauid that he cryed out againe Absalon fili mi fili mi Absalon fili mi c. O Absalon my sonne my son Absalon my sonne woulde to God I myghte die for thee O Absalon my sonne my sonne The seconde reason of the sonnes disobedyence is the fathers cockeryng And that was the cause of Dauids weepyng and Absalons destruction euen hys fathers indulgence Thys destroyed Hely and his sonnes also And hathe broughte many foolyshe fathers to their graue with heauinesse and hath brought many sonnes to the Gallowes wyth wrâ—…tchednesse Remember the Fable of the chylde that bitte of his mothers nose when hee went to hanging bicause she would not bite his breche with a good rod when he went to filching A great many mothers nowe a dayes can not abide to 〈◊〉 their children beaten and a number of fathers as wise as the mothers the Schoolemaster that shoulde fetche bloudde of theyr chylde oute alas It were a pityfull syghte But were it not a more pitifull syghte to see howe myserablye the one destroyeth the other they thinke it loue it is more than mortaâ—…l hatrede this foolyshe coâ—…heryng of theyr chyldren Whiche if they feele not in the miseries of this life wherby repentance may saue the soule howesoeuer the body abye the follie of this hatefull cockering loue if not yet after this life the father and mother may mete the sonne in helle and there repeate those heauie and horrible curses that Gregorie teâ—…s of Cuâ—…sed be the houre sayth the father that euer thou wast borne Cursed be the tyme sayeth the sonne that euer thou begattest me and thus the one shall curse baâ—… the other and al bicause of this their cursed cockering Dye fathers and morhers especially you of this noble citie of London shaâ—…e not youre Citie vndoe not youre children and youre selues also We are thorough out all the Realme called cockneys that are borne in London or in the sounde of Bow bell this is your shame recouer this shame as god be praised ye do more than euer was wont to be done It had went to be an olde saying that fewe or none but were vnthâ—…ifts and came to nothing that were cockneys borne for so are we termed abroade But God be praised this is nowe a false rule and hath ben a good while since chiefly since the Gospels light hath shined on this noble citie it hath brought for the many worthy gouernors â–ª not able preachers godly pastors wise couÌ„selors pregnaÌ„t wits graue students welthy citiâ—…ens and is ful of maruellous towardes youth God blesse them and I trust will euery day more and more so blesse this renoumed citie that where before for wâ—…nton bringing vp it hath bene althoughe in other thyngs famous inâ—…ug he yet in this poynt of our births place a speck of blushing a terme of cockney a note of nipping vs It shall hereafter by Godly education be a thing to glory in that we borne in sutche a glorious citie as not only God hath made the hed of other in welth and honor but also a myrror of other in godlinesse and religion And that this may be loue your children but hate cockering Read and reade ouer twentie times and write it in steele and iron as Iob saith that is graue it in youre memorye that woorthie chapter in this pointe the thirtie chapter of Iesus the sonne of Syrach and there thou shalt see what the cockering of the chyld will bring bothe father and chyide vnto and what the contrary The third cause of childrens disobedience is the yll ensample of their parentes soone crookes the tree that good camocke will bee It soone prickes wil be a thorne the yong cockrel will learne easily to crow as he heareth the old cocke A great many suche crauen cockes there are that crowe full yll fâ—…uoredly and teach their cockrels to do the same scarse ere they be out of the shell We are prone inough and to proue of our selues to all vice without a teacher and
yet because he is a man as am I hath in him the image of god as I haue hath a soule as well as I to be saued whatsoeuer he be therfore he is my neighbor Ensample The parable of the Samaritane what a neyghborly parte hee shewed to the Iewe and euen the same affection of neyghborly loue is required of vs It is a greate loue that God here requireth Diliges proximum tuum sicut teipsum thou shalte loue thy neyghbor as thy selfe This word as thy selfe is a great matter a maruelous loue Quis vnquā odio habuit carn◅m suam Who at any time hated his owne fleshe Who loues not him self best at least in his owne conceyte Doo not our common prouerbes saye It is a deare colup is cut oute of the owne fleshe Neare is my coate but nearer is my shirt And for this the diuell desired so mutche to touche but the skinne of Iob for hee knewe that passed losse of goodes and cattell of seruauntes and children and touched hym to the quicke and then he durste haue layd Skynne for skynne all that euer a manne hath hee will gyue for his lyfe But this loue that a man hath to him selfe God requireth to bee imparted to his neyghboure also this thē is a maruelous great loue that god requireth But where is this loue becom no man can attain to the perfection thereof Nay where is the other neighborly loue become of them that dwell about vs Surely it is gone to the Turkes and Iewes and almost cleane it from Englande It is wonder to see how Turkes will holde together howe Iewes will one helpe another how theeues wyll conspire howe beastes will agree howe Papists will vaunt of vnitie how dyuells will nestle them selues seuen diuels in one man yea a whole legion together in a man and two neighbours bothe professing them selues christians both but falsely callyng them selues Gospellers cannot abide the one the other but hateth persecuteth vndermyneth and woulde eate vp one an other if they could Scarce one towne one citie one country can holde two men nay will two townes two cities two coūtries hold one man This is not one for an other and God for vs al but euery one for himself the diuel for all Suche vnsatiable couetousnesse and implacable hatreds reigne in our hartes that this neighborly loue is gone except in fewe yet all wil babble of this loue of God but in dede al is but babbling Litle care they for this loue of God to them that set so little by his commaundemente that loued them For this is his cōmaundement that we beleue in the name of his sonne Iesus Christe and loue one an other as he gaue cōmaundement VVhich if we do not we are in darknesse our eyes are blinded and knowe not whether we go yea we hate God bicause we hate his creature For if any mā saye I loue God and hate his brother hee is a lyer Howe can he that loueth not his brother whome he hath seene loue God whom he hath not seene Let vs therfore reconcile our selues betimes if any mā haue ought against his brother or thy brother haue ought against thee agree with thine aduersarie quickely lest thine aduersarie deliuer thee to the iudge the iudge deliuer thee to the sergeant and thou be cast in prison verily thou shalte not come out thence tyll thou haue payde the vtmost farthing Be therefore affectioned one to loue an other with brotherly loue Owe nothing to any man but one to loue an other For he that loueth an other hath fulfilled the lawe For this commaundement Thou shalt not commit adulterie thou shalte not steale thou shalt not beare false witnesse thou shalt not couet and if there be any other commaundement it is briefly comprehēded in this saying euen in this Thou shalt loue thy neighbor as thy self Loue doth not euil to his neighbor therfore loue is the fulfilling of the law On the contrary parte though I speake with the tongs of men and angels and haue not loue I am as a soūding brasse or a tinkling cimbal though I had the gift of prophecie and knew all secrets and all knowledge vea if I had al faith so that I could remoue moūtaines and had not loue I were nothing although I fede the pore with al my goods though I geue my body that I be burned haue not loue it profiteth me not Loue suffreth lōg loue is bountiful loue enuieth not loue doth not bost it self it is not puffed vp it disdaineth not it seketh not her own it is not pro uoked to anger it thinks no euil it reioyceth not in iniquitie but reioyseth in the truthe it suffreth all things it beleuethe all things it hopeth all things it endureth all things loue dothe neuer fall away c. Nowe be it for all this high commendation of neyghbeurly loue when it once entreth comparison wyth thys surpassyng loue of God it hathe so many du◅ties to bynde it and so many infirmities to lose it that So God loued the worlde that no brotherly loue of neyghbors one to an other were it neuer so entier a loue is able to compare therwith We reade in stories of great loue that fathers and mothers haue borne theyr children and that chyldren againe haue borne their parentes This also is a godly loue and worketh so effectually in the hearts of the ◅ne the other with such priuy linkes of natures chayne of loue that not only the ciuile people but the most barbarous Scythians are moued there withall Whome when Darius pursued with an armie royall from place to place in the holtes and deserts of they ▪ countrey at the length demaunding of them by his Heralt when they would once m◅ke an ende of ◅light and a beginning of fight they answered that they had neither towns nor lands for the which they woulde conten◅e but if he draue them once to the toombs of their parents Darius shold then feele that the Scythians coulde and would lay aboute them In the whyche one onely so notable an aunsweare saith Valerius the wilde and barbarous nations haue fully cleered them selues of the name of sauage For nature is such a cunning schoolmistresse that needing no teachyng of the voyce or vse of letters euen of her propre and hiddē force she instilleth a loue of the parents into the hearts of the children Thus wrote the Heathen Chronicl◅r of the Romains that knewe not God nor ascrib◅d this loue to him Mutch more then should we be ashamed to degenerate from this naturall loue hauinge the commaundement of God to binde vs thervnto Honor thy father and thy mother that thy dayes may be prolonged in the lande whiche thy Lorde thy God hathe giuen thee This is the first comaundement sayeth S. Paule that hath a promise annexed thervnto and therfore we ought a greate deale more to embrace the same yea it is
sonne than vs but only he did it for the loue of vs yet his loue of vs is onely in and for his sonne The Prince might seeke glorie and renowne by this strange fact as the Philosophers did in al their sufferings but Christ sought ignominie due to vs to bring vs to raigne in glorie with him In the ende the Prince must nedes die and his sonne also and how soone either of them God knowes And whether by not so famouse a deathe or no God knowes And how they shold haue liued with what troubles feares and changes God knows These things might moue them to be the willinger to suffer death that once they must nedes suffer and this they know But the sonne of God was not subiecte vnto deathe he neded neuer to haue died for death had no power ouer him as he truly sayd Habeo potestatē ponēdi animam meam iterum sumendi eam I haue power to geue ouer my life and to take it againe It lay in his owne power to die or not to die but that of his mere loue he vouchesaued for to die Moreouer the Princes death could worke but a small and trifling benefit the sauing of theyr bodily life for a whyle that perchaunce myght die body and and soule within a minute of an houre after But the death of oure vnspotted Lambe the sonne of God is become suche a sweete and acceptable sacrifice to GOD the Father and so effectuall vnto vs that if any man sinne we haue an Aduocate with the Father Iesus Christ the righteous he is the propitiation for our sinnes and not for oure sinnes onely but for the sinnes of the whole worlde To conclude there is as mutche difference betweene this or any other case that can be put of any creature husbande wife parentes children frend enemie neighbour stranger maister seruant prince subiect or whose loue soeuer it be as is betwene the creature creator as is betwene the person of a wretched mortal man the person of the liuing and immortall god The loue of God therefore whereby he so loued the worlde that he gaue his sonne for it doth excell all comparison doth excede all speache doothe passe all vnderstanding Wee speake but in a darke speeche theron we vnderstand it but as chyldren we see it but thorough a gl◅sle we know it but in part yea the angels meruaile at it and cannot fully conceaue the breadth the length the depthe the heigthe of this incomprehensible loue of God to manne and to knowe this loue of Christe whiche go◅th beyonde all knowledge But that we may haue some taste of this sweete loue of God some ioy of this his excellent gifte let vs deare beloued as we maye a little beholde the same He gaue his only begotten son Here are two things to be considered The one is the thing it self that for this loue he bestowed vpon vs The other is the maner of his bestowing it The thing that he bestowed was euen his sonne not his seruant but his sonne not his frende but his sonne euen his true begotten sonne and that his only begoten son Such as the father is suche is the sonne the Father is God the sonne is God God of the substance of his father very God and equall to his father in substance eternitie grace glorie power and euery thing For all that the Father hathe hee hathe giuen to him and he and the father are one Hee is the expresse image of the inuisible God the first begotten of all creatures the wisdome of his father by whome the world was made the light of the worlde the way the truth and the life the authour and fynisher of our faithe the prince of pastours and great shepeherd of our soules the true vine the bread of lyfe the rock and fountayn of the liuing waters the corner stone of the building and foundation therof the king of glorie the prince of peace the anoynted of God the high priest the mediator of the new Testament the lamb of god that taketh away the sinnes of the world the reconciler of God and man the Emanuel the Messias the blessed seede the hope and redemption of Israell The lord sauior Iesus Christ in whome is the fulnesse of the diuinitie in whom only is layde vp the vnsearchable treasorie of all the riches of the glorie grace fauor of this infinit loue of God euen the only begotten son of god So muche more excellent than the angels in as much as he hath obteined a more excellēt name thā they For vnto which of the angels sayde he at any tyme Thou art my son this day haue I begotten thee And agayne I will be his father and he shall be my sonne and againe when he bringeth in his firste begotten sonne into the world be saith And let al the angels of God worship hym c. to the Son he saith O god thy throne is for euer euer the scepter of thy kingdom is a scepter of righteousnes thou hast loued righteousnesse and hated iniquitie wherfore God euen thy God hath anoynted thee with the oyle of gladnesse aboue thy fellows And thou Lord in the beginning hast established the earth and the heauens are the workes of thine handes they shal perish but thou dost remayn and they al shall waxe old as doth a garmēt and as a vesture shalt thou fold them vp they shal be changed but thou art the same and thy yeares shal not fayle Vnto whiche of the angels sayde hee at any tyme Sitte thou at my right hād til I make thy enemies thy foote stoole And hath he then poured foorth on vs poore and wretched synfull misers sutche treasures of hys blessings that he hath giuen vs euen this his son in quem desiderant angeli prospicere on whom the angels desire to looke yea saithe the same sonne him self Dedit vnigenitum filium suum He gaue his only begotten sonne O infinite and vnspeakable loue O most preciouse gifte O most orient pearle O most happie marchant that can get this iewel The price of this gifte can not be tolde the value of this iewel is inestimable siluer and gold pearle and stone is nothing comparable to this wonderfull gifte of god No we are not bought with corruptible things as siluer and golde but with the precious bloud of Christ the sonne of God The sonne of God why could no lesser gift haue serued vs might not he haue geuen vs an angell But euen his sonne And that his only begotten son Might not he haue gyuen vs one of his adopted sonnes some notable man or womā some patriarche some Prophet some apostle or some holy sainte of god No God spared not to giue his his onely begotten son for man Yea nothing coulde sufficiently pacifie the wrath of God satisfie his iustice make due recompence for our vndue offence reconcile vs to the fauour of GOD againe vanquishe