Gods name in vaine which way so-euer one doe not keepe his oath nor commit the euill he sware too yet he sinned in that he made no greater reckoning of Gods name but to take it vp lightly and pawne it afore he had considered whether he had lawfully so done or not and if he doe keepe his wicked oath that is most of all sinfull for then he makes God an author patrone and calls him for a witnesse and allower of his euill So that for one to sweare he will be meet with such an one that hath done him wrong that he will be reuenged of him or such like this is a grieuous profaning of Gods holy name for Gods name should feare vs from euill not binde vs to euill Thirdly Gods name is exceedingly dishonoured and polluted by swearing falsely by forswearing ones selfe which is most vsually called perjurie This is an horrible sinne tending to a most fearefull damnation for if one shall giue account for euerie idle word as Christ saith and if one be subject to damnation for euerie vaine oath as Saint Iames affirmeth then what shal be-come of those that will dare to call God to beare witnesse of a false thing and beare themselues out in a lye by pretending his name Therfore in Zaccar 5. the Lord shewes that his curse like a fretting leprosie shall come vpon the forswearer and vpon his house to consume him and deuoure his posteritie and substance and shall eat into them like a fretting leprosie till it haue brought them to naught And in the 15. Ps it is set as a note marke of a true christian that hauing sworn to his hindrance he will yet keepe his oath Then how far is he from a good man that will of purpose sweare that which he neuer purposeth to performe and set a better coulour vpon an vntruth by garding it with an oath For it were better loose any commoditie then of Gods fauour and suffer damage in any thing then in the matter of Gods glory Now the circumstances doe aggrauate this sinne It is verie wicked and cursed if it be in a priuate place and in a priuate cause But when one comes before a magistrate in a publique assembly and in a matter publikly knowne and to be publikly tryed according to the truth and justice then to winne credit to a lye and vniust dealing by calling the true God to vvitnesse and to behold is most notorious and euen to lye against the holy ghost as Peter saith to Ananias And this is to bring a many sinnes into one to be a theefe and rob the innocent to peruert justice and trueth and therefore when one comes to be a witnesse before the face of the congregation in judiciall manner then purposely vppon set mallice to shrowd and thrust forward a lye as it were vnder the protection and safeconduct of Gods most holy name is one of the highest and sorest breaches of this commandement and abuses of his name Now the way to preserue one against all these abuses of Gods name is to feare an oath as in Ecclesiasticus setting a good man and opposing him to a sinner he giues him this marke that he feares an oath and if one be a frayde to accustome his tongue to swearing he shall not easily be ouertaken with wicked and much lesse perjured swearing but he that hath so lauish a tongue as it can with as much facilitie and nimblenesse poure foorth oathes as any other words he is in continuall daunger to fall into that foule and most odious and hatefull sinne of perjurie And thus wee haue heard how this commandement is broken Now where God forbids any ill he commands the contrary good Therefore we must see what it commands It commands generally to glorifie Gods name As is shewed in the Table following Gods name is glorified in life by a godly holy liueing in christian profession speach or without an oath in speking of Gods words titles attributs works reuerently and to good vse and edification in the lawfull vse of an oath by obseruing these rules in the persons or making that hee be a christian beleeuer else hee cannot sweare lawfully taking that he do require and will accept an oath else there is no calling thing that it bee first true in judgement and knowledge secondly a matter of wait and importance thirdly taken with great feare and reuerence of gods name FIrst for life a christian is bound heere to behaue himselfe so that his whole conuersation may bring glorie to the name of God He must so profit in knowledge and conscience by the word of God which he professeth make such a good proceeding in pure religion as that he may beautifie his religion by a blamelesse and vnspotted behauiour Thus in Mat. 5. Christ saith Let your light so shine foorth that men may see your good works and glorifie your father which is in heauen He would haue christians be as lights and the light which they must send forth on euerie side must be a gratious and christian behauiour that men seeing beholding these beams may glorifie not them and commend them for this a Pharise will doe seeke to haue men magnifie him and speake well of him but a christian must desire that by his meanes men may be brought to magnifie the profession of God and to speake and think most reuerently of that word that hath wrought such grace and such reformation in them The life must be the first beginner in religion or else the speach is but ridiculous as the Lord saith What hast thou to doe to take my words within thy mouth and hatest to be reformed One goes beyond his calling and commission when he dare call himselfe a christian and God his father and will not yeld obedience vnto his commandements in his practise So 1. Peter 2. 12. Haue your conuersation honest among the gentiles c. that they may glorifie God in the day of their visitation q. d. Therebe many of Gods elect that are as yet vnregenerate and as bitter against Gods truth as any of the reprobates and will speake as ill of profession and professours as any other but God will visit them hereafter by his good spirit and the sunne of grace shall shine in their darke harts to their enlightning and Gods word shall work faith repentance in their harts who when God hath shewed the same mercie to them that in former time he did to you shall magnifie God for those good things that haue bene in you which haue caused them that bare an hard minde to religion afore to loue and like it so much the more now And though they stand out long yet at length they shall be wonne and then they will magnifie God And euen bond men are commanded notwithstanding their low estate the basenesse of their condition yet to bring some glory to God and win some reuerence to their glorious profession by their good dealing No man is
vnkindly with her God must needs come to loke to this disorder But if God had come and hearing her rash prayer straight made examination and proceeded to punish the chiefe offender who should haue bene first plagued who was the first mentioner of taking Agar to Abraham was not Sarah her selfe what must Abraham take her through her meanes and motion and now when the matter falls out ill she will fall out with her husband How could it fall out better sith she was the author of so ill a beginning So that such kinde of imprecations as to wish God be judge in auengmēt rashly and hastely is a great dishonour to God as likewise in cursing as Gods vengeance ouertake you and such like horrible speaches when God forsooth must needes become their officer to reuenge their quarrell and serue their malicious humour So likewise to praise God and giue God thanks for an euill thing as Saul at the wickednesse of the Ziphims when Dauid had deliuered them and done them good now they to curry fauour with Saul and to get his good will came to betray him to Saul and to discouer where hee was that Saul might take him hee breakes out blessed be you of the land c. One might haue done a good dutie and discharged a good conscience as Ionathan did he would neuer thank God for that but let one come and help him to bring his mischeuous purpose to passe then God be blessed and much good thanks there must bee But Dauid did not so to him that slew Saul though he had bene a cruell and an vnjust aduersarie So for gamsters when they cousen and rob one an other vnjustly of their mony without conscience and warrant they might euen as well before God cut his pursse then forsooth God must be praised for their theeuerie or I thank God I haue sped well I haue good luck What is God a gamster is he a dicer now must he be at euery idle persons beck when he is robbing his neighbour Monstrous persons that dare be so impudent they shall feele and see if euer God waken their conscience in this lyfe and if he doe not in the life to come that it was a fault bad euough to take away ones goods in this manner and far greater when they will dare to abuse the name of God in it Now the best medicine to preserue vs from all these sinnes and abuses of Gods titles is that which is set downe in Deutero 28. 58. Feare the glorious and fearfull name of the Lord thy God Feare it so that one name it not nor think not of it but with great awe and reuerence for if one be audacious to take Gods name in his mouth without feare due regard God will lay plagues on him and those not short and slight sore and grieuous of long continuance and durance And if one doe tremble and feare before God thus he shall neuer abuse his name Thirdly Gods name is taken in vaine by abusing his properties and by abusiue speaking of them as of his power his wisedome mercie patience goodnesse and such like which are abusd when we speake of them carnally and carelesly or contemptuouslie As in the 2. Kings 7. When the prince on whose arme the king leaned heard the Prophet say that corne should bee so cheape so suddainly after that extreame dearth he said though God should make windowes in heauen that could not bee so Now to speake so basely of Gods power and so contemptuously as though his strength were to bee measured by mans strength and God could not tell how to bring it to passe because hee could not tell how nor saw no meanes for there hee aludes to Noahs floud q. d. if God should raine corne as fast as hee rayned water then it could not bee so but it could bee and was so and hee saw it so but had no good by it for he was prest to death of the throng as a just reward of this his contemptuous speach vnbeleefe of gods power So likewise his prouidence and wisedome is abused when one frets and speakes grudgingly against Gods worke vnder the name of fortune and chance oh what ill lucke was that what ill-fauoured fortune for either one must say that things come to passe by chance hap as hap may without any disposing of Gods so hee chargeth God to bee too carelesse a gouernour that lets all things runne at randome without counsell and aduice when hee had made a world to let it goe at peraduentures and at randome or if wee say that God gouernes all things rules in the world and appoints what things how they shal come to passe then he chafes and murmureth against Gods gouernment vnder the name of fortune speaking ill of luck speaks ill of Gods wisedome a propertie of his So likewise in abusing any of Gods properties to defend euill as is the common custome of most men if you reprooue them and admonish them of any fault this makes them care for nothing oh God is mercifull true God is mercifull but to whom to the penitent and humble person that hates his sinne and studies to forgoe it but hee is not mercifull to those that loue their sinne and like their sinne and that haue a root of bitternesse in them and make Gods mercie an incouragement to harten them in their sinne not to allure them to repentance and make his loue and kindnesse a protector to their lewdnesse to such he will shew no mercie but his wrath shal burne against them to the bottome of hell So that in speaking of Gods attributes speake of them with reuerence and to that good vse for which God hath reuealed them So lastly Gods name is taken in vaine without an oath in speaking vnreuerently of his workes either those admirable actions of God within himselfe as his election and reprobation when vaine man because his shallow conceit and foolish braine cannot comprehend how God should bee just if hee appointed any to damnation or how it were not long of him if hee should decree of their destruction before that it were as they say a plaine wrong and God could not maintaine it for this weakenesse of his that cannot reach to the depth of these things hee will therefore denie them and say there bee none whereas hee should rather with silence and reuerence wonder at this hidden secret and not prie into it as Paul in Rom. 10. did hauing spoken sparingly of it hee breakes out in admiration and so concludes O the deepenesse of the riches of the wisedome c. This is an horrible prophanesse So for the outward workes of creation of redemption and the passion of Christ when one can speake so lightly and without all vse of these great things that should make one feare before God and increase the reuerence towards his Magestie and griefe and hatred of sinnes Thus much for taking Gods name in vaine by speach
young are not oathes too reefe in the familie among elder folkes if he rayle and speake euill was not his parents dealing a president to him Lightly there be but few ill humors in the child which he did not draw from the parents and that ill sappe which doth appeare in the bud came first from the roote Therefore in pitie as smiting at themselues and their owne sinnes they must giue chasticements to their children Thirdly it must be done with prayer that God will giue them wise hearts to giue most due and seasonable correction and their children also soft hearts to receiue it with patience and to their profit Be it that the child doe well deserue correctio yet to flie vpon him in a passiō this is too beastly a rage for a cow will not rush vpon her calse in furie nor a sheepe will not deale so with her lambe and indeed this doth but harden the childs heart and imbitter him and make him more stubborne and fearce and mischieuous Therefore that one may correct his child for some good end it must be done with prayer and so it shall be done also with great calmenesse and meekenes and without mixture of wrath and passion For if the word and Sacrament be vnprofitable without Gods blessing which why should he giue if one thinke too much to aske it much lesse may one looke for eyther blessing or profit by the rod vnlesse he aske it of God But being ioyned with prayer because it is Gods ordinance God will giue a blessing and it shall doe good A thirde dutie to be performed in infancie especially belonges vnto the mother the former were common to both parents but this is her speciall dutie to nurce it Not to throw it from her so soone as shee hath brought it into the world but as God hath giuen her as her wombe to beare so breasts and milke to nourish her child so let her be thankfull to God for the blessing and vse them to that end that he gaue them For this is so naturall that euen the beasts will not omit it the poorest and leanest beasts that is yet will suckle her young ones her selfe and will not be so vnnaturall as to post them ouer to another And this is noted of the good women in scripture that they did much reioyce in suckling their children with their owne breasts as Sarah saith that now she shall giue sueke a thing that greatly gladded her heart And it is noted as a plague and punishment to haue a barren wombe and drie breasts and therfore it is foule fault when God hath giuen a good blessing for one wilfully to turn into a curse Those women therfore that haue failed in this dutie must be humbled as hauing omitted a good duty that god required at their hands those that haue done it must do it still For in the primitiue Church when widows were to be chosen that should haue the sicke and weake seruants committed to their charge and tending none were to be admitted to this office but those that had nourced their children themselues though they were otherwise good women and vertuous yet if they had not beene so mercifull to their children there was a suspicion left that howsoeuer God would change and alter their hearts if they were vnnaturall to those that were so neare to them ye would be negligent to those that were further of them and therefore they were not to be trusted with this office So much for the duties which parents must performe to their children in their tender yeares Now those follow which must be performed when they grow to more ripenes of yeares And these are first To bring them vp in some profitable and lawfull calling by which they may liue honestly and Christianly and not be fruitlles burdens of the earth and clogs to their friends drones that must liue on other mens sweat and can do nothing themselues but that they be trayned vp in some honest occasion whereby they may be able to maintayne themselues and doe some good to others So Adam did though he was rich enough and had large possessions to leaue to his sonnes For they had the whole world to be deuided amongst them that was patrimonie sufficient yea he would not let his sonnes spend their time idely liue like idle fellowes hauing nothing to doe but brought vp the one in husbandrie and the other in keeping sheepe probable and lawfull vocations The like is seene in Isaac who was a great man and of such great wealth as that Abimelech the king confesseth he was greater and mightier then he Notwithstanding all this greatnesse Iacobs bringing vp was not in idlenesse and sloth but he was exercised in husbandrie and had verie good skill in handling cattle and had it not beene for this what would he haue done when persecution came when he was faine to leaue his fathers if he had done nothing before and could haue done nothing now but eate and drinke and sleepe who would haue giuen him intertainment and where should he haue had maintenance on that price but hauing beene trayned vp laboriously and being a verie good shepheard though he was gone from his father yet he could take paines and get his liuing so that euerie one would be willing to haue had him and the place where he came was much the better for him And Iacob himselfe till they begin to set vp and inrich themselues by this crueltie and oppression of others Therefore eyther let it be well gotten or it will doe them no good for it carries the curse and plague of God who will do more hurt then al the wealth can do good Secondly for the vsing while one hath it vse it well be not a slaue and a drudge for his children but let one enioy his portion and take his part while he liues and reioyce in Gods benefits with thankfulnesse and temperatenesse For it is a soule fault that one should say O I haue many children what then therefore there is nothing but rauening and scraping for God faith that a good man is mercifull and lendeth and his seed enioyeth the blessing he is mercifull first to himselfe for mercie begins at home he will not be afraid to take a good meale and enioy Gods benefits because of his children but is mercifull in an honest cherishing his owne bodie and then he is mercifull to others also abroad he will lend and doe good to whom he can and doing so then his seed enioyeth the blessing they fare the better for it For indeed those children are alwaies best prouided for whose parents beare this mind that they had rather trust God with their children then riches with their children and make this their hope when wee are dead yet God is aliue Indeede if God were deade or should not looke to our children though we were liuing yet we might be afraid and thinke they should be vndone but so long as God liueth vse the
doe it not principally because his master commands but because God commands not because his Maisters eye is vpon him but because Gods pure eyes behold him either to punish him if he doe not his dutie or to reward him if he doe it faithfully This is the cheese point at which seruants must ayme Commandement Ephes 6. 5. In singlenesse of your heart as vnto Christ And there is a reason why one must cheefly seeke to please God and not man for if one doe so this will follow that one shall not doe it in eye seruice that is this when the Maister lookes on to be so nimble and readie to doe as much as two or three but no sooner the Maisters eye is turnd away but all is giuen ouer and the time spent idle and nothing is done or if it be t is naughtily and negligently But where this is not that one chiefly respects God his obedience can neuer be constant it is but by sits and starts and hangs vpon the masters eye take away that and all is done Secondly if one serue not God then he is streight discouraged at vnkindnesse here 's no rewarde for ones paines no respect had of ones labour indeede if oneserue his master only he may truely say so of times but if one serue God and do it in obedience to God he cannot at anie time say here is no consideration had of ones diligence t were impious to say so to make God a lyar vnfaithfull but there is sufficient consideration and reward if one serue God for then if his master doe not recompence him he whome he serueth will As the example of Iacob shewes He serue a coueteous maister one that made no conscience of his promise to a poore man as this is alwaies the tricke of a couetous man he cares not what promise he breake to a poore man Yet Iacob made conscience of his dutie and endured his couetousnesse for twentie yeares space and serued him to with all his might so that hee was pnicht by heat in the day by cold in the night and if sleepe departed from his eyes and if euer any thing were spoild by wilde beasts he made it good yet Laban all this while did nothing but seeke to eate him vp and to rauen all frō him that he could Then God comes and tels him that though Laban was thus churlish yet he could haue wages enough and because he serued God God will pay him though man doe not and so hee did and that throughly and fully for by Gods owne hand and prouidence most of Labans best cattle were turned to Iacob and so he grew far more welthy had a larger recōpence then euer he looked for So that if on serue two maisters he shall commonly haue double wages For God will incline the heart of his maisters to fauour him when he is faithfull and himselfe also will fully reward him with abundant blessing in his soule and bodie and conscience and name and posteritie after him For no man euer serued God in a calling but hee may as well pray for Gods blessing and as surely looke for it be the worke neuer so meane and base that he goes about as the minister when he preacheth or prayeth or administreth the sacrament or doth any worke of his calling The last dutie of seruants is to pray for their gouernours and for good successe vpon their labours in their gouernours businesse This is commanded 1. Tim. 2. Where it is commanded that not euery place of authoritie one is in the inferiour should pray to God for him if he be bad to conuert him be mercifull to him if good to strengthen him and giue him continuance and increase of these graces Likewise when seruants goe about matters of weight concerning their maister they must pray to God for direction and successe as when Abraham trusted his seruant with a great matter namely to fetch a wife for his sonne he goes about with prayer to God to direct him and giue him a good proceeding and euent and where God had blessed him he giues thankes to God and prayseth him as hee would not trust his own strength but cals to God for assistance so hauing obtained assistance he lets God haue the praise and then when he was intreated to stay ten daies and might haue had all courteous and liberall intertainment yet he would not but tels them that seeth God had blessed him and his maister expected his comming they should not nowe hinder him and nothing could containe him from his Maister that looked for him This confutes those that neuer pray God to giue a blessing to their gouernours and to bestow grace vpon their masters and hence it iustly comes to passe that they want many good things from their masters which they shoud haue because they performe not all the duties of a good seruant in that they call not vpon God for their master And those are also reproued that will be desirous to be employed in their masters affaires and to haue dealing in businesses committed to them but they are so presumptuous in a carnall confidence of their owne abilitie that they runne boy strously and rudely vpon matters not entreating the helpe of the great God in things of great moment and then it is iust that God should crosse them because they take away that he neuer sanctified and if they will not aske a blessing is not it righteous that he should turne their wit into folly and though they goe about it prudently crosse and ouerturne all their policy because they trust more in policie then in his blessing The seruant therfore must craue Gods assistance that he may vse good meanes after a good manner and with good successe And an other vse heere is to be made of those which haue beene seruants but now are not this is their dutie euen to goe backe and see wherein they haue fayled in any of these things and for that aske mercie at Gods hand and craue pardon else they shall be lyable to these two euils First that God may iustly plague them now for their former sinnes and secondly that as they failed in their dutie to their masters so their seruants shall faile in dutie to them whereas if one haue repented he may looke and haue some hope that God in mercy will so order his seruants hearts as that they shal not recompence his owne euill vnto him because the blood of Christ hath washed it away But such as will pilfer deale wickedly with their masters not repent for it and make some repentance it is most iust from God that they themselues should be spoyld and robd without any amends Thus much concerning the duties of seruants the duties of the master follow For as God binds the inferiour to his duty so he requires that the superiour be carefull in his place and calling too Now the masters duties consist in two maine points Namely in chosing them with wisedome and