The new pollecye of warre, wherin is declared not only how y e mooste cruell Tyraunt the great Turke maye be ouercome, but also all other enemies of the Christen pu­blique weale, lately deuised by Theo­dore Ba­sille.

Prouer. 21.

¶The horse is prepared agaynst the day of battel, but the Lorde gyuethe the victory.

[figure]

¶The prayer of Kinge Asa.

ii. Parali. xiiii.

O Lord it is all one wyth the, whyther thou helpest, in few or in many. Helpe vs, O Lord, our God. For we hauynge our whole affiaunce & truste in the & in thy name be come agaynst thys multitude. Thou art the Lord our God, let no man therfore preuayle agaynst the.

¶The prayer of Kynge Iosaphat.

ii. Parali. xx.

IN vs, oh Lorde, there is not so great strengthe, that we may be able to resist this great company, that commethe agaynst vs. But wh [...] ̄ we know not what to do, thā haue we none other refuge nor socour, but only to lyfte vp our eyes vnto the.

¶Kynge Iosaphat to his Souldiours.

BEleue in the Lorde youre God, and so shall, ye be withe­out all ieopardye. Beleue his Prophetes, and all thyn­ges shalbe prosperous vnto you.

¶To the right worshypfull Syr Thomas Wyet Knyght, Theodore Basille wysheth long lyfe, cōtinual helth, and prosperous felicite.

I Thynke ther is no man so farre estrasiged from ciuile humanite, whiche knowethe not, howe moche euery one of vs is endetted to his natiue coū ­trey. For all be it the duty that we owe to oure parentes, Howe greatly we are bounde to our countrey. kynnesfolke, frendes &c, be great euē by the very lawe & instincte of nature, yet the det, wher w t we are obliged to oure contre, semeth to be greater and of moche more valour, than we maye at ony time be able to set our selues francke & fre from it. Our parētes onely gyue vs this grosse, rude and moortall body. Our countrey doth [Page] not only receaue and ioyfully sustē tate it, but also opulently adourne & garnysh both that and the mynde wyth moost goodly and godly ver­tues. It engraffethe in vs the true knowledge of our selues, Our coun­trey is to be more regar­ded thē oure parentes. the fear of God, the loue of God and of oure neyghbour, the true fayth in Gods promises, the vnfayned obediēce toward our superious. It tylleth our hartes wyth the plough of paynful diligēce. It eradicateth all vnfruytful wedes. It eiecteth all vnprofitable cloddes, and maketh the earthe of our hartes so fine, pure, pregnāt & fertile, that it is ready to receaue ony manner of good seed, that may be sowne therupon, and to produce innumerable encrease. What great commoditi­es we receue of our countrey. It sowethe also in the [...]elde of our brestes many precious seedes, as modesty, graui­te, gentlenes, honest behauour, affa­bilite, comite, liberalite, frugalite, [Page] pacience, long sufferaunce, modera­cion, temperaunce, obedience, forti­tude, magnanimite, iustice, equite, continence, humilite, erudicion, prudence, learnynge, wysdome, probite of manners, wythe an whole see of good thynges mo. All this doth our countrey for vs thorow the diligēt exercyse of wyse and sage teachers. So that it may appeare right wel, men be not only moche endetted to theyr natiue coūtrey, but also allu­red vnto the loue and desyre of the same euen by a certayne inspiraciō both of God and nature. For howe glad is an Englyshe man beynge in Fraunce, Germany, or Italy or els where, to knowe by the transmissiō of mutuall letters, what is done in Englōd, in what case the publique weale consisteth, how it prospereth, howe Gods word is set forward, af­ter what manner vertue is mayn­tayned, [Page] and vice detested. &c? Agen, is not the Frenche man, Germayn, or Italion, beyng herein England very desyrous to knowe lykewyse, what is done in his natiue contre?

We reade of some, The feruēt affecciō that some haue had to theyr countrey. whiche, whan they were in straung places, where they wanted no kynd of pleasures, desyred rather to be at home t̄ theyr owne natiue countrey, and to eate beanes and drosse with hogges, thā to be in y • moost floryshyng Realme in the worlde, & to syt at the tables of Kynges, Prynces and such other terrene potestates, and to affl [...]e w t all maner of delicious meates.

To whom is it vnknowē, y t whā a certen noble mā called Leo Byzā ­tius, Leo Byzantius. was greuously accused of cer­ten of the Citie, where he was inha­bited, and lyke to be in daunger of death, and therfore councelled of diuers of hys frēdes to fly into some [Page] straung countrey, he came boldely into the assembly, which consulted about hys matter, and sayde, O ye my Cytysenies, I am counselled to fly but certes I had rather be slayn of you, & so to dye among you, than once to make my self captiue to ony straung countrey. O valeaunt and conrageous harte. O noble & prince lyke stomacke. O vnfayned louer of his natiue countrey. He cho [...]d ra­ther to be flayne although vnrighteously of his contremen, and so to dy amonge them, than he woulde once departe oute of his natiue contre.

The victorious Champyō Ser­torius Sertorius. also, beyng in the warres or els wher, was wont to saye, that he had rather be at home in his owne countrey, and to be the moost base & vile Cytysen of Rome, than beynge absēt to be Emperour of al y • world so swete a thynge is it for a man to [Page] in his owne natiue countrey.

Thus se we how euery nacion is led euen of nature wyth such an vnspeakable louyng affeccion toward his contre, as neuer dyethe, excepte paraduenture ony be of that pesti­ferous and poysoned nature, wher­of one is, which beyng an Englyshe man borne, dauncethe nowe lyke a Traytoure in a Carnalles wede at Rome, & as a shameles mōsture abasheth not to write, Roma est mihi patria.

The loue of our countrey muste nedes be great, seyng that y • graue, prudēt, sage, and wyse gouernours of the publique weale heretofore in all theyr actes soughte nothynge so much as the prosperite and wealth therof. What goodly swete senten­ces dyd they instille into the brestes of theyr yonglynges euen from the cradles, to encourage them vnto y • loue of theyr countre? As these are: [Page] Pugna propatria. Mortem oppete propatria. Dulce & decorū estpropatria more. Fight for the contre. Dye for the coūtrey. It is a swete & semely thyng to dye for the cōtrey. And as they taught other to do this, so dydde they shew goodly & vertuous examples moost worthy imitacion of theyr posterite For no kynd of perel did they refuse for the safegard of theyr conntrey. No rytches, no substance, no posses­sions, no not theyr owne lyfe dydde they spare for to profyt theyr coun­trey. And this maye we se done in y • Histories not only of the baser sorte but also of moost victorious Emperours, puissaunte Princes, and no­ble Consulles.

Kynge Codrus Codrus. ascertayned by y • infallible oracle of Apollo, that hys contre men the Athenians could by no menes enioy the victory of theyr enemies, excepte he hymselfe were [Page] slayne in the batayle, came forth in to the felde amonge the other war­riours wyth a iustye and valeaunt chere, fyghtyng wyth his aduersa­ries couragiously. But in as much as it was not only knowē to y t Athenians, but also to the cōtrary parte what aūswere was gyuen Codrus of Apollo, therfore y • enemies gaue a commaundement that no manne should hurte the body of kynge Co­drus. Which whan he perceyued, he conueyed himselfe out of the army, put of his princelyke armours, clad hymselfe lyke a cōmon Souldiour, and returned shortly into the hoost where both manfully and wyllyngly he dyed, and by this menes saued his contre O moost excellēt Prince worthy immortalite. O condigne spectacle for all rulars to beholde.

A lyke thyng do we read of that noble Consulle Publius Decius, Publius Decius. [Page] which whā he sawe his army great­ly disconforted and almoost slayne, spoored vp his horse sharply, and w t a valeaunt courage braste into the myddes of his enemies army, wher after that he had slayne many, and by his valeaū [...]e encouraged of new the hartes of his Souldiours, he beynge greuously wounded dyed at y • instant, for the healthe of his coun­trey, so that notwithstondynge by his woundes, bloud and deathe the Romans gatte the victory, wherof before they dyd so much dispayre.

A certen woman also among the Lacedemonians, caulled Gyrtias, Gyrtias. whā she herd y • Acrotatꝰ her doughters sonne was greuously woūded in the warres, yea and dead therof, aunswered wyth a lustye harte and sayd, whan he went forthe vnto the enemies, was it ony other lyke, but that he should dye, or els slay them? [Page] It is more mery to heare that he is dead, as it was worthy hym, and y • citie and his progenitours, than to lyue all his lyfe lyke a dastarde, and shew no poynte of valeaūce. O hart more courageous, thā the feminine sexe requireth. Grand mothers are wonte for the mooste parte to loue theyr neuewes and childres chyldrē more tēderly than y • very mothers. Yet this granddame Gyrtias lamē ted nothyng the deth of her neuew, but entierly reioysed that he died so valeauntly in the warres.

Another womā of Lacedemony, A womā of Lacedemony after that she had sent forth fyue of her sōnes vnto battaile, stode before the suburbes of the cytie, waytyng what should be the ende of the bat­tell. In the meane season came a certen man and shewed her that all her sonnes were slayne. To whome she sayd, I dyd not demaūd this of the, [Page] O thou sluggysh slaue, but in what case the contrey stondeth. Whan he had aūswered, that the contrey had gotten the victory, she sayde, oh thā very well, I am glad that my sōnes are thus dead. This noble woman dyd set more by the safegarde of her contrey, than by her priuate affecte toward her chyldren.

Damatria Damatria. also an womā of that nacion, slewe her owne sonne at his returne from the battell, because he behaued hymselfe lyke a coward in the warres, and dyd not fyght manfully for the wealthe of his coūtrey. This semeth to smell barbaryke immanite, and to be to moche cruell, notwithstandyng it is a goodly ex­ample to shewe y t all mothers should desyre nothynge so muche in theyr chyldren as to haue them euermore bent to serue the publique affayres of theyr contre, euē to y • very deth.

[Page]The Emperour Otho Syluius Otho Syl­uius. was determined at a certē tyme, I knowe not for what cause, to gyue ouer the regimente of his Empyre. Many came vnto hym, and desyred hym very instantly, that he woulde not leaue of his imperial dignite, & so forsake the commō weale, and the valeaunt company of noble warry­ours y • he had besides other. Among all one beynge but a Souldiour ta­ken at aduenture, perceauyng that the Emperour persisted in his determinaciō, toke out his swerd & sayd, O Emperour knowe thou, that we all are franckely encouraged thus to do for the. And streyghte wayes he kylled hymselfe. O lusty harte, & frāke couragious stomacke. Whom woulde it not animate to gyue hys lyfe for the health of his contrey, se­yng so many goodly examples viuely described and lyuishly set forth in [Page] histories before his face? To moche brutall is he, that is not moued w t these moost memorable antique monumentes.

But yf I shoulde go forthe to re­hearse all the Histories, whiche de­clare how greatly the feruent petie, the godly affeccion, & the reuerende loue toward the countrey hath ben euer estemed in times past of all gē ­tle and naturall hartes, I should cō pyle a worke moche longer than the Iliades of the Greke Poet Homere, yea I shoulde not only farre excede y • limites of an epistle, but also one­rate and ouercharge the reader.

But to make few wordes, we ar no les boūde to our coūtrey now than our aū cetours were ī times past. euen the very same godly affecciō owe we at this daye to this our natiue coun­trey Englond, that mē of olde time haue shewed vnto theyr countrey, except we be estraūged from all na­turall humanite. And what soeuer [Page] oure Auncetours haue done in ty­mespast, vnto the very same are we boūd nowe lykewyse. So that who so euer detrecteth & refusethe to do for his countrey, what so euer lieth in his power, is an vnnatural braū che, and a corrupte seed, vnworthy to enioye ony fruyte or commodite therof, as I may adde nothing here vnto.

But all men haue not all gyftes, neyther can euery man profitte his countrey alyke. Yet oughte the stu­dious endeuours and diligent em­ploymentes of all men, tende vnto this, that the cōmodite of the pub­lique weale and the helth of the coū tre should be sought aboue al thyn­ges. The rytche man with his ryt­ches, the stronge mā w t his strēgth, the wyse with his wisdome, the po­letike with his pollecy, the eloquēt with his eloquēce, the learned with [Page] his learnynge, the artificer wythe hys science, the plough mā w t his tillyng, and so euery man in his degre accordyng to his knowledge ought to serue his coūtrey. For vnto this doth the lawe both of God & nature bynde vs, the whiche to resist is ex­treme impiete & playne wickednes.

But if ony nacion be estraunged from y • vnnatural affecciō towarde theyr coūtrey, The hartye affeccion of English mē toward ther countrey. certes I thinke Englonde, I meane the Inhabitauntes therof, maye iustly contende wythe ony cōtrey for the alienaciō of this vice. It doth me good yea it maketh me seriously to reioyce euen at y • ve­ry harte, to se how glad my countre mē are to serue the commodities of this our countrey Englond. What so euer our moost excellent Prince, or ony in his name commaundeth, it is with all reuerent feare and lo­uyng expedicion accomplyshed. No [Page] man grutcheth, no man muttereth no man thyncketh the precepte vn­righteous, nor the burden heuy, so feruente a loue do they beare vnto theyr countrey. All with one cōsent employe theyr endeuours to satisfy euen vnto the vttermoste of theyr power the imperiall precepte of the kynges moost royall maieste. This hath Gods word wrought in them, so myghty and fruytfull is y t swerd of the spirite. Ephe. vi. Thanckes be to God for it. The Lorde of heauen myghte graunt, that it may longe prosper, yea & florish in this Realme of Englond. So maye we be sure neuer to be w tout his diuine blyssyng. Lorde let it so come to passe.

It wyl not easly be beleued, The Gētle mē of Kent. after that y • kynges graces letters were delyuered nowe of late to certayne Gentyll mē in this Coūtye of Kent for the prepacion of certē men apte [Page] for the warres, howe expeditely his graces pleasure was accomplyshed in euery condicion. The Gentyl mē (all other businesses layd asyde) im­mediately prouided theyrtofore ap­poynted nomber of men, arrayenge them wyth decēt martiall armours so that nothyng wāted, but al thinges set at such a staye, that they re­ceyuyng premonicion of very lytle time, are redy at al houres to bring forthe theyr men apte & redy for the warres.

Agen the men, The [...] of Kent. which were prest to go vnto the warres, it is almoste incredible to se & perceaue what alacrite & quickenesse of spirite was in them. They semed to be so desyrous to defend theyr countrey, that they in a manner neglected theyr dome­sticall trauayles, theyr priuate bu­sinesses, not moch estemed ther dere wyues and swete chyldren, no nor [Page] yet theyr owne lyues, so that they myght in ony poynt do good to the publique weale of Englond. Whan I sawe this valeaūt courage in thē, and perceaued theyr vnfayned affeccion & loue toward theyr countrey, Lorde God, wyth how great admi­racion and stupore was I affected & striken? My ioye was surely greater thā I cā here expresse, to se this faythfull obedience in them toward the Kynges graces maieste, this feruent loue toward theyr countrey, this harty affecte toward the cōmō weale of Englonde. And I doubte not, but that lyke obeysaunce and prōptitude was also found in other places of this Realme.

These thynges thus done, The good mynd & fer­uent affecciō of y • Author towarde his countrey. I be­gan to thynke with my selfe on this manner, Lord God, vnder howe vnfortunate starre was I borne, that am endewed neither with wyt, pol­lecy, [Page] valeaunce, strength, wysdome, rytches, or ony other thynge, wher­wythe I maye do good to my coun­trey, as other men do. The vayne of my wytte is barren, my pollecye is grosse, my valeaunce is nothynge, my strength is lytle, my wisdom is base, my riches are not worth a Gally halfe peny besydes a few bokes & a lytle slender apparell. Alas what shall I do? Shall I shewe my selfe in no poynt thanckefull to my coū ­trey? Shal other men ieopard both theyr lyues and goodes for the safe­garde of the publique weale, and I in the meane season do nothynge? Shall I be founde an vnnaturall braūche and a corrupte seed: It shameth me to lyue, and I maye ryght well recount my selfe moost misera­ble seynge I am coniecte into suche vnfortunate state, that I am able by no meanes to do that for my coū trey [Page] in acte, whiche my mynde coueteth in wyll.

At the last I remembred y e poore wydowe of y e Gospel, Luke. xxi. which althogh she were not able to cast into y • trea­sury so moche as the rytche mē dyd, yet offered two minutes & ware ac­cepted for her good wyll. I called also vnto remembraunce, howe gen­tylly king Artozerzes, Kyng Arto­zerzes. with diuers other were wont to receaue base, sī ­ple, homely & cōmon gyftes of theyr subiectes, & to geue them rewardes worthy a Prīce for theyr good wyl. Whan I perpēded these thynges w t my self it encouraged me to do some what (althoughe y e somewhat maye ryghte well be recounted some lytle nothyng) that I may shew my selfe not altogither vnworthy the bene­ficence of my countrey. And for as muche as I haue bene trayned vp from my cradles in the court of Lady [Page] Mnemosyne & her doughters, & exercised in the wrastlynge place of Apollo (althogh I maye iustly seme to haue bene there but a vayne ga­zer and ydle spectatour) I thought it not vndecente accordynge to my profession of letters to bryng for the some litteral lucubraciō which beīg diligentely red and followed of my coūtremē, shoulde not be altogither vnfruytfull to our cōmon coūtrey. I haue therefore in thys tumulte & noyse of warres compyled a certen lytle Treatyse, entitled, The polle­cy of warre, The cont [...]tes of thys boke. not vnworthy the rea­dynge chefely at this tyme. ‘In it I haue declared in howe pitefull case y • christen publique weale consisteth almoost vniuersally. I haue shewed also what is the cause of these cruell warres, that reygne n [...]we almoost thorowe out the whole worlde, & by what meanes they maye be ceased. [Page] I haue furthermore openned after what manner we maye get the vic­tory of our enemies. Agayne I haue shewed howe y • Souldiours ought to behaue them selues bothe whan they go to y e warres, and whā they are in them, that God maye be on theyr syde. Moreouer I haue declared, howe they that tarye at home, oughte also to behaue them selues, vnlesse that for theyr iniquite & vn­ryghteous behauoure God forsake our army. Finally I haue here opē ­ned how christen men shall returne frō the warres after they haue got­ten the victory, and on what man­ner they shall behaue them selues, y • theyr countrey may enioye peace & tranquilite euer after.’

All theyse thynges haue I done in this lytle treatyse followyng, Si quis lo­quitur ut sermones Deiloqua­tur. ac­cordyng as I trust, to the vayne of the holy scripture And as gladly as [Page] I haue compiled this shorte worke, so gladly would I haue done ony o­ther thynge for the incolumite and safegarde of my countrey, yf it had lyghen in my power. Uerely let all men beleue me, if my rytches & wis­dome had bene equall withe Salo­mons, if my pollecy & strengthe had bene lyke with Sāpsons, I would no lesse hartelye haue employed thē all for the wealthe of my countrey, than I haue bestowed my labour in settynge for the this lytle treatyse. But whan I maye not do y • one, let it suffice that I do the other. The Poet sayth, In magnis uoluisse satest. Nether is he altogyther ingrate & vn­kynd, which for his puissaūce maynly cōtēdeth to shewe hymselfe thākefull and kynd agayne, although his acte at all tymes dothe not greatly aunswere his good wyll. Notwyth­standyng I trust, yf this my worke [Page] be diligently read, marked and fol­lowed, it shall not onlye declare my honest and naturall harte towarde my countrey, but also teache men a more godly fashō in the warres, thā hathe bene hytherto vsed of many. I praye God, it maye brynge forthe no lesse frute, than I haue entēded. But this my labour what so euer it be I offer to your ryght worshypful mastershyp, both because ye are one whom God aboue many other hath endewed w t moost goodly qualities, worthy the renowne of worshyp, & apte for the godly administraciō of the publique weale no lesse in y • per­fecte knowledge of the diuersite of Languages, than in the actiuite of martiall affaires, & also for as much as ye haue euer hytherto earnestely embrased not only the studies of humayne letters, but also y • graue ex­ercises of diuine litterature, trustīg [Page] y • ye wyll accepte this my lytle gifte with that beneuolence, which al mē cōmende & prayse in you. If I shall maye obtayne this, it shall not only not repēt me of my labour employ­ed ī this behalfe, but also encourage me hereafter to attēpte some other enterprises of no lesse weyghty and graue importaunce, & dedicate thē also vnto your name. In the meane season God the Author of all good­nes and the myghty shelde of them, that repose theyr affiaunce in hym, [...]ought vouchsafe to preserue your good mastership in continuall wor­shyppe, and dayly encrease the same more & more vnto the glorye of hys name, the conseruacion of the publique weale, the cōtētacion of your good mynde, & the cōforte & ioye of so many as vn­faynedly loue you.

AMEN.

[figure]

The pollecy of warre.

[figure]

I Thynke ther is no man, that hath y e Chri­sten fayth dwellyng in his harte, and looke the for another worlde af­ter this lyfe muche more blissed, wel thy & quiet thā this is, but that be­leueth assuredly that thende of this moost miserable & wretched worlde [Page] with all the vayne pompe and pom­pous vanite therof is at hande, at the leest not farre of, as y e holy scriptures testify in many places. For yf we searche the diuine volumes dili­gently, & ponder what tokens shall immediately go before the daye of iudgement, we shall haue a iust oc­casiō to thinke & vndoubtedly to be perswaded, that the vayne glory of this synfull world, yea the world it self is at y • latter age, & redy as they saye to be buried & wrapped vp in y • floud of Lethe. Among all the other tokens & signes of the day of iudgement, which are to many for to re­hearse at this present, doth not our moste merciful sauiour Iesus christ in the Gospell of Mathewe declare, Mat. xxiiii. that we shall heare of wōderful bat­tels, & that naciō shall ryse agaynst nacion, & kyngdome agaynst kyngedome, and that there shall be pestilē ces, [Page] honger and earthquakes in all places, agen that the faythfull preachers of Gods word, & the true chri­sten men shall be greuously afflicted ponyshed, troubled, hated of all na­cions, yea and cruelly slayne for his names sake? The niserable state of this worlde. As I maye leaue of to speake of the extreme pestilences, of the feruent honger, & terrible earth quakes, wherwythe diuers londes now of late haue bengreuously troubled, & yet are not fre from them, as I maye also speake nothyng of y e ty­ranicall persecucion, the vngentle handlyng, the cruell empresonment the bocherlyke slayeng both by fyre sweard, water, hempe, famin, secret murther▪ &c. of the true prechers of Gods worde & of the other faythful Christians, whiche haue boldly and gladly offered them selues vnto the very death for the glory of God and the name of his sonne Iesus Christ [Page] for a wytnes agenst the popysh kingdome & all theyr wycked doctrine. What fears & cruell warres reygne now almoost in euery place thorowout the worlde? Howe many forren Princes do inuade now a dayes one anothers Realme? What ambicion occupyeth the hartes of temporall rulers, which moueth them both w t swerde and fyre vnmercifully to de­stroye the iust & ryght possessions of other, that they alone as Gods may reygne in this worlde? Doth not y • Prince recount himselfe moost happy, whiche wyth all kynd of violēce agaynst all equite and iustice canne moost dilate & enlarge hys Empyre & dominiō? Thus is the christē pub­lique weale rēt & torne, & miserably defloured. Thus is all good order chased awaye out of the boundes of Christendom. Thus is y e study both of diuine & humayne letters vtter­ly [Page] neglected & set nought by. Thus is iustice and all kynd of humanite exiled, & in theyr stede is entred vn­punyshed robbery, cruell thefte. In­satiable spoylynge of other mennes goodes, & an whole see of barbarous & beastlyke manners. To conclude, thus is it come to passe, y • we haue scasely so muche as a steppe of true godlynes lefte among vs, into such miserable case are we fallen in these perillous & latter dayes, accordyng to the prophecy of Christ. Who lame tethe not to heare theyse thynges? Whose harte dothe not tremble and shake euen as the quakynge flames of Aetna, to remēber this great ca­lamite & greuous misery of y • Chri­sten publique weale? What man is so farre estraūged from all naturall humanite & tender compassion, that wisheth not rather to be out of this wretched worlde, than to beholde so [Page] dolorous syghtes & pitiefull specta­cles? O the vnspeakable wretched­nes of this world. O the infinite cares & innumerable troubles of this poore lyfe. O the madnes of mortal men, which consyder not these thinges, but lyke brute beastes go forth to followe theyr sensuall appetites & beast like pleasures. Mark well. Certes the state of this worlde requireth not delici­cious fare, but continuall fastynge, not gorgious apparell, but weryng of sackeclothe, not annoyntynge w t swete bawmes, but sprynkelyng w t asshes, not resting in soft fether beddes, but lieng vpon the hard groūd, not laughyng, but mournyng, not iestyng but lamentyng, not scoffing but waylyng, not wanton wordes, but feruente prayers, not playenge at the dyse & cardes, but continuall meditacion in the lawe of our Lord God, not heapynge vp togyther of [Page] worldly possessions, but the glad di­stribucion of them to the poore mē ­bers of Christ, that we may be rytch in the lyuyng God, and haue all our trust & confidence in hym. Wo be to them that laugh at theise thynges. Wo be to them that seke not vnto y • vttermost of theyr power to redresse these piteful enormities of the chri­sten publique weale. Wo be to them that saye, peace, peace, all is well, all is well, and consyder not that a fi­nall destrucciō is at hand, if we correcte not oure synnefull manners shortly, & amend our wycked lyues. Clense your handes O ye synners, sayth S Iames, Ia [...]o. [...]iii. v. & purge your hertes O ye waueryng mynded. Suf­fer affliccions, sorowe ye and wepe. Let youre laughter be turned into mourning. Go to now ye rytch mē, wepe & howle on your wretchednes that shal come vpon you. Ye prestes [Page] and ministers of the Lord mourne, Iorl. [...]. wepe, lament, and cease not to crye both day & night vnto God on this manner: Be fauourable, O Lord, be fauourable to thy people. Let not thyne herytage be broughte to con­fusion, leest the Hethen be Lordes therof. Psa. lxx [...]iii Wherfore should they saye a­mong y • Hethen, wher is now theyr God. For surely surely we had ne­uer more occasiō to mourne, lamēte & bewayle our miserable lyuynge, & to pray to God for a redresse of these miserable enormities, wherwith we are greuously oppressed thē we haue at this presēt day. As I maye speke nothynge of Englonde, (whome I moost hūbly beseche God graciously to preserue ī prosperous estate, and alwaye to gyue her a glorious and triumphāt victory ouer her enemi­es) howe are other forren kyngedōs miserablye vexed wythe continuall [Page] warre? How are y • goodes of y • faythful spoyled among them? This also ought to moue ony true Englysshe hart to haue pitie & compassion vpō the Christen brothers, dwell they neuer so farre from vs, seyng that we be knytte togither in one fayth, initiated wyth the same misteries, professe one God and one kynde of reli­giō, hope to be saued by one menes, that is to say by the moost precious bloud of our sauiour Iesus christ &c Whyle we haue time, Gala. vi. sayth s. Paule let vs worke good toward all men, but chefely toward them, that be of the housholde of faythe. As I maye speake nothyng of y • dissenciō amōg christen Prynces (which is a thyng more dolorous than can be sufficiētly lamented) whose hart doth it not make to faynte, yea plenteouslye to blede for to cōsyder howe greuously & wythoute all marcye the people of [Page] Christ in many places be moost cru­elly inuaded, The Tur­ [...]es crudelite handled, led captyue, miserably intreated, empresonned, slayne, murthered, and all theyr goodes spoyled, brent & taken awaye of that moost spytefull & Nerolyke Tiraunt y • great Turke, that mortall enemy of Christes religion, that de­stroyer of the christē fayth, that peruerter of all good order, that aduersary of all godlynes & pure innocency? To whome is it vnknowen how lyke an īsatiable ambicious Tyrāt he goeth forth dayly more & more to enlarge his Ethnysh kyngdome, to set forth the glory of his Mahumet, to deface the honour of our Lord y • alone and true God, to obscure the vertue of hys word, to hynder y e promocion of Christes Gospell, yea and vtterly to extinguish & quenche the sayth of Christ, that the glory maye [...] gyuen to his Mahumet alone, & [Page] y • his furious tyranny may reygne vniuersally thorowe out all y • world and make menne lyke bruyte bea­stes to do after his plesure in al thinges vnto y • vtter dishonour of God, & the damnaciō of so many as leane to his moost diuellysh commaunde­mentes? Hath not his fearce and furious tyranny gone thorowe out al Asia, Grece, Illiria and Thracia, Note. w t diuers other Regions? Hath he not there both destroyed theyr chyrches and shewed suche crudelite amonge thē as was neuer heard? What shal I speake of Hungarye, sometyme a floryshynge and noble Realme, but now moste miserably assayled, inuaded, yea and in many places therof piteously oppressed both by swearde and fyre of this moost cruell enemy of Christes religiō? I passe ouer ma­ny other Empyres and kyngdoms, whiche also haue tasted of hys furi­ous [Page] tyranny and lyonlyke crudelite And who is able to expresse ether by tonge or penne how miserable a lyfe the Christians lyue vnder the dominion of this Turkysshe Tyraunte? Alas is it possible, that he should be a frende & mercyfull rulare to men of the christen religion, seynge that he is an enemy to vs both in name, dede, lawe, professiō, kynd of religiō, maners, ordināces. &c. Surely surely Christen men w t hym are in worse case, thā brute beastes are with vs. Doth not he wrytyng to the kynge of Polonia, threate in his letters, y e he wyll yoke his fatte prestes in the plough, & make thē to tyll his land? If he handleth them on thys wyse, whom we haue in so hygh estimaciō for the ministryng of the holy miste­ries, what is than to be thought of the baser sorte of the Christians. O Lorde be mercifull to vs, I am sure [Page] he wyll scasely thynke them worthy to take the breathe of the ayer.

Who seethe not nowe, howe misera­ble the state of the Christiannes is vnder this moost cruell Tyraunte, whiche notwithstandynge hath ex­alted & encreased his myghte aboue all Christen Monarchies or Empy­res▪ And it is to be feared, seynge he hath such prosperous successe & try­umphant victories agenst the Chri­stians, that no naciō shall be able to resist and wythstonde his tyranny, excepte there be some godly remedy found shortely. For al thynges pros­per so well wyth hym, that no man nedeth to doubte, but that he is the scourge of God to ponish vs for our wycked and abhominable lyuynge, whiche without all shame is at this daye vsed amonge vs.

Thus se we in what state y • chri­sten publique weale stondeth, yea rather [Page] lyeth, & is troden vnder foote: Let vs nowe behold, what the occa­sion of it is, and by what meanes it may be repayred & brought agayne vnto the pristme beauty & olde glo­ry, that we hauing the victory of al our enemies maye with one accorde synge perpetuall prayses to y e name of our Lorde God. Amen.

What the occasiō of all these cru­el warres is, wherwith we are so miserably oppressed, it may easly be ꝑ­ceaued by Histories of the holy scriptures. The cause of warres. For verely so ofte as I pōder this matter w t my selfe, me thyncke I se more clerely than the Sonne, y • as the only occasion of Goddes blis­syng is, the true worshyppyng of hī and the followynge of his worde, so lykewyse the alone occasion of hys cursynge, that is to saye, of his pla­ges, whyther it be by swearde, pesti­lence or hōger (for by these thre wayes [Page] God is wonte to ponysh the wic­kednesse of his people) is Idolatrye, Note well. straung worshyppyng of God, despisynge of hys worde▪ kyllynge of the true preachers, & wycked lyuynge. Do not the diuine Histories shewe euidētly, that so longe as the people of Israel obeyed God, serued him accordynge to his worde, hathened to hys preachers, walked in his wayes led a pure and innocēt lyfe, they en­ioyed all kynd of felicite & pleasure, and euer gat the oue [...]hand of theyr enemies? Howe dydde the publique weale of Israel florysshe vnder that moost noble Captayne & victorious Prynce Iosue? What kyngdom did they inuade and not subdue? What dyd they take in hande, & broughte not vnto fortunate successe & pros­perous ende? Howe came thys to passe, by theyr owne pollecye, wytte and strength? Na verely. For they [Page] dispayred of theyr owne strengthes and sayde, we are not able to go vp agaynst the people, for they are strō ger than we They are mē of a great stature, yea we are like greshoppers in cōparison of them? It was God that dyd fyght for them. Num. xiii. xiiii. God slewe theyr enemies. God gaue them the victory, and brought them into the possession of that londe. Feare not y • people of that londe, sayd Iosue, for they are but breade for vs. Theyr shylde is departed from them, & the Lorde is wythe vs, feare them not therfore. The Lorde youre God, Iosue. xxiii. he shall expell and cast them out before you, and ye shall conquere theyr lō ­des, as the Lorde youre God hathe sayde to you. One of you shall chase a thousand, for the Lord your God he fyghteth for you.

But howe came it to passe, that they prospered on thys wyse, & had [Page] God so on theyr syde, that nothyng was able to preuayle agaynste thē? Uerely because they dyd abyde stedfast in the lawe of the Lorde. They ranne not an whorehuntyng after straunge Goddes. They dyd stycke fast vnto y • Lorde theyr God. They harkened to his faythfull prechers. They worshipped & serued him not after theyr owne fāsy, but accordīg to the prescripte of his holy worde. They sought hys glory in all thyn­ges, and wrought accordyng to hys holy wyll. So came it to passe, that they were made blyssed & fortunate of God.

Agayne in the boke of Iudges & of Kynges, do we not se in thē that so long as the Israelites walked ac­cordyng to Gods worde, they pros­perred and floryshed aboue all naci­ons, and whan they fell vnto Idolatry & wycked lyuynge, that god sto­red [Page] vp some Tyrāt, which oppressed thē w t cruell battell, sheddyng theyr bloud, & spoylyng all y t they had? Nether dyd God cease thus to ponyshe thē, vntil they fel to repētāce, know ledged theyr faultes, amēded theyr wicked lyuing, & becam faythful to y e Lord. Moreouer what was y e occasiō y • God at the last suffered the Is­raelites to be led awaye captiue in­to Babylon of the kynge of Caldey, iii [...]. Re. x [...]iii [...]. xx [...]vi. the yong men to be slayne w t swerd in the holy Tēple, yea nether yonge man nor mayden to be spared, ney­ther olde man, neither yet so muche as him y • stouped for age, al y e vessels of y e house of God both great & smal & the tresures therof, & y • treasures of the kyng & of his Lordes to be caryed to Babylon euery whytte, the house of God to be burnt, the waul­les of Ierusalem to be brokē downe, & all the places therof to be burnte [Page] wythe fyre and all the goodly stuffe therof? What was y e occasion, I say that all thynges wente thus to ha­uock w tout mercy? Forsorth y e scripture sayth, theyr kynge Sedechias fyrst of all dyd y e, which displeased y • Lord. He hūbled not himselfe before Ieremias y e Prophet at the mouth of the Lord, but was styffe necked & hard harted to turne vnto y • Lorde God of Israel. All y e rulers also of y e prestes wyth the people trespassed apace after all abhominacions of y e Hethen, & polluted the house of the Lorde, which he had halowed in Ie­rusalē. And the Lorde God of theyr fathers sent to them by his messan­gers, sendyng them betymes, for he had compassiō on his people and on his dwellyng place. But they moc­ked the messangers of God and des­pised theyr wordes, and misused his Prophetes, vntyll the wrath of the [Page] Lorde so arose agaynste hys people, that it was past remedy.

Here se we agayne that the occa­siō of this miserable captiuite, whi­che y • Iewes sustayned, was bicause they receaued not the Prophettes, harkenned not to Gods worde, but folowed theyr owne sātasies, wrou­ghte that whiche was good in theyr owne syghte, and lyued after theyr owne sēsuall & beastlyke appetites.

What shall I speake of the finall destrucciou of the Iewes at Hieru­salē after Christes ascension? What was y e cause of that theyr greuous misery and vnoutspeakable calamite? Was it not because they crucitied the sonne of god, despysed his do­ctrine, slewe his Apostles, walked after theyr owne tradicions, followed theyr olde wycked forfathers, lyued all in pleasure, regardyng nothyng the threatenynges of God. &c?

[Page]Howe chaunced it, The Assyrians and Grekes. that the mighty Monarchies or Empyres of the Assyrians & Grekes, which floryshed not only wyth all kynd of temporal rytches, but also wyth moost e [...]cel­lent & learned wyttes, are nowe so miserably opprest of the Turkes tyranny? Was not theyr disobedience to Gods word cause therof, & theyr wycked lyuynge more lasciuious & wantō, than that effeminate kyng Sardanapalus?

Howe came it to passe, The Rho­des. that the Rhodes euen in our tyme is subdu­ed of the aforsayd Tyraunt, turned from Christ vnto Mahumet, from the christen religion vnto the Tur­kish profession? Was not supersticiō Idolatry, Hypocrisye, fayned holy­nes, colored chastite, that is to saye, fylthy whoredome, stinckyng fornt­caciō, vncleane aduoutry, dissolute lyuing. &c. cause therof? If we rōne [Page] thorowe oute all the histories bothe holy and prophane, where is entreated of warres, we shall fynde that y • contempte of Gods worde & wicked lyuyng are the only occasions, that suche bloudy battels and cruel war­res haue at ony tyme bene stoored vp. For God is a ryghteous Lorde, Behold and marke. & a longe season prouoketh he vnto repentāce. If there followeth none amendment, than storeth he vp one Tyraūt or other to take vengeaūce on vs, to shed our bloud, to oppresse vs wyth sweard, to [...]yll our wyues sonnes and doughters, to consume wythe fyre all that euer we haue, to make oure kyngdoms desolate, & at y • last vtterly to roote vs out of this world, that hys name thorowe our abhominable lyuyng may no more be blasphemed, rayled vpō and euell spoken of. Esaie. i. If ye wyll be obediēt and heare me, sayth God by his prophet, [Page] ye shall eate the good fruytes of the earth. If that ye wyll not, but pro­uoke me to anger, surely y e swearde shall deuour you, for the mouth of y e Lorde hathe spoken it. Esaie. v. Agayne, my people is led captiue, and broughte into bondage, bycause they haue no knowledge. And theyr noble menne haue dyed for honger, and theyr ar­my haue peryshed for thyrste. They haue cast awaye the lawe of y • Lord of hoostes, saythe the Prophet, and haue blasphemed the worde of y e ho­ly one of Israel. And therfore is the wrath of the Lorde kyndled agenst his people, and he shaketh his hand at them, yea he shall smyte so, that y • hylles shall tremble. And theyr kar­kases shall lye in y • open stretes lyke mier. Esaie. xvii. &c. Also in another place, thou shalt be desolate, bycause thou hast forgotten God thy sauiour, & haste not remembred thy stronge helper. [Page] Therfore shalte thou plante a fayre plante, & graffe a straunge braūche, but in the day of haruest, thou shalt reape an heape of sorowes & miseri­es. Agen, these people are obstinate, Esaie. xxx. they prouoke me vnto anger, they are lyenge chyldren, and euen suche chyldren, that wyl not heare y • lawe of God. Dic nobis placentia. They saye to them that se, se nothyng, and to the southsayers, tell of nothynge for to come, if it be eyther good or honest, but speke ple­saunt thynges vnto vs, and preach vs false thynges. Tread oute of the waye, go oute of the path, turne awaye the holy one of Israel from vs. Therfore thus saythe the ho­ly one of Israel, for as moche as ye haue cast awaye this worde, & haue conforted your selues wyth power and nymblenes, and put youre cōfi­dence therin, therfore shall ye haue this mischefe agen for your destruc­cion [Page] & faull, lyke as an hygh waull, that falleth because of some ryfte or blast, whose breakyng cometh sodenly. And your destrucciō shall be lyke as an earthen potte, which breketh no man towchynge it, but breaketh so sore, that a man shall not fynde a sheuer of it to fetche fyre ī, or to take water with all out of the pytte. For the Lord God euen that holy one of Israel hath promised thus. Esaie. x [...]ii Also in another place, who suffred Iacob to be troden vnder foote and Israel to be spoyled? Was it not y • Lord hym selfe agenst whom we haue synned? We had no delyghte to walke in his wayes, neyther were we obediēt to his lawes. Therfore hath he poured vpon vs his wrathful displeasure & straunge battell, which makethe vs haue to do on euery syde yet wyl we not vnderstond. He burneth vs vp, yet synketh it not into our hartes.

[Page]The Prophet Ieremy also sayth what man is so wyse to vnderstond this? Iere. ix. or to whome maye the worde of the Lordes mouth be spokē, that he maye shewe, wherfore the lond is peryshed so, & burnte lyke a wylder­nes, so that no man goeth thorowe? Yea the Lorde hymselfe sayde: By­cause they haue forsaken my lawe, y e I gaue them, & haue not hearde my voyce nor yet walked therafter, but followed y • wickednes of theyr own hartes, & ronne after straung gods, as theyr fathers taught thē: Ther­fore thus sayth the Lord of hoostes the God of Israel: Beholde I wyll fede this people wythe wormeode, & gyue them gall to dryncke. I wyll scatter them also among the Hethē, whome neyther they nor theyr fa­thers haue knowē. And I wyl send a sweard among them to persecute them, & neuer leaue vntyll I bryng [Page] them to nought. Iere. xxvi. Itē, yf ye wyll not obey me, saythe the Lorde, to walke in my lawes, whiche I haue gyuen you, and to heare the wordes of my seruauntes the Prophettes whome Isent to you risyng vp tymely, and styl sendyng: If ye wyll not followe them, I saye, than wyll I do vnto this house, as I dyd vnto Sylo, & wyll make this cytie to be abhorred of al the people of the earth.

Thus se we not only by histories but also by manifest textes of y • ho­ly scripture, The despy­synge of goddes worde, & wycked ly­uynge cause all these pla­ges. that the despisynge of Gods worde and the dissolute man­ner of lyuynge is the occasion of all the greuous and fearce plages that God poureth vpon vs. And we nede not doubt, but these very same thinges are euen at this daye the foun­tayne and head spryng of all the po­nyshmentes that God lay vpon vs. For euen as it was in the tyme of y e [Page] olde Iewes, A compari­son betwene y • olde world and ours. euen so is it now in the worlde. They hated Gods word thā euen so do they nowe. They persecuted the Prophettes & true prechers of Gods verite, euē so do they nowe. They mayntayned the wicked tra­dicions of theyr forefathers, euen so do they nowe. They estemed theyr owne imaginacions aboue Goddes worde, euen so do they nowe. They preferred theyr owne actes, lawes, decrees, constitucions, &c, aboue the ordinaunces of God, euē so do they nowe. They coulde not abyde theyr wycked lyuynge to be reproued, no more can they do now. They hated the lyght of Goddes worde, and lo­ued to walke in darkenes, euē so do they nowe. They lyued in all kynde of wycked abhominacion, euen so do they now. Theyr men of law for lu­cres sake mayntened false matters contrary to equite, euen so do they [Page] nowe. Theyr officers of the commō weale dyd not behaue them selues vprightly in matters of contrauerly, but polde & pyld all y • they might come by, euē so do they now. Theyr prestes were all gyuen to couetous­nes euen from the hyghest to the lo­west, yea they were blynd & as [...]ome dogges not able to barke, euē so are they nowe. They abused the name of God by vnlawfull othes, euen so do they nowe. They were dihonou­rers of y e ciuile magistrates, euen so are they now. They were disobediēt to theyr parentes and superiours, euen so are they nowe. They were mans [...]ears & thyrsted innocēt bloud euen so do they nowe. They were abhominable whoremōgers, stynking fornicatours, and vncleane adulte­rers, euē so are they now. They dyd chose rather to liue in abhominable whore huntyng, than in the state of [Page] christen wedlocke, Hebre. xiii. which is hono [...]a­ble among all men, and the bed vn­defiled, euen so do they nowe. They were theues and vniust vsurpers of other mēs goodes, euen so are they nowe. They couytted theyr neygh­bours goodes, wyfe, seruaunt, hand mayde, &c, euen so do they nowe. All kynde of synne raygned among thē vnponyshed, euen so dothe it nowe. The threatenynges of Goddes law were laughed to scorne among thē, euen so are they now. What so euer synne raygned than, that same flo­rysheth & tryumphethe nowe. What shall we than say, but as the cōmon prouerbe is, lyke faulte, lyke ponyshmēt? ii. Pet. ii. If God that ryghteous Lord dyd not spare the olde worlde in the tyme of Nohe but drowned it: If he agayne fauoured not the filthy So domites and vnclene Gomorians, but cōsumed thē with fyre & bryme­stonne [Page] from heauen, what terrible iudgemēt and greuous plages shall we than looke for, seyng we rowe in the same hauen, stycke in the same myer, and cōmyt the very same ab­hominacions.

O Englond, Of Englōd Englond myn owne natiue countrey, for whose wealth & prosperite I do not only shed oute prayers, but also salte teares conti­nually to the Lorde our God, & am redy at euery hour wyllyngly to su­stayne ony burden, that can be layd on my shoulders for thy safegarde: Would God, would God thou wast not partaker of those greuous enormities and wicked synnes, which I haue nowe rehearsed. Woulde God thou dyddest not aduse y • moost pre­cious benefites, where w t thou arte endewed from aboue before al other nacions. Woulde God thou dyddest regard the plesures, that God hath [Page] done the by restorynge vnto the the light of his holy word, & by sending the so noble and vertuous a Prince to mayntayne y • same. Exod. xvi. Would God thou wast not lyke to the olde diso­bediēt & murmuring Iewes, which had pleasure rather to be in Egypt wyth the grecy flesh pottes, than in the seruyse of God wyth the celesti­all meate Māna. Would God thou myghtest not iustly be resembled to Lothes wyfe, Gene xix. whiche after she was delyuered from the fylthy Sodomites, had a delyght to looke backe a­gen vnto them. Would God y e name of the moost highest were not disho­noured by thy shamefull and abho­minable othes, whiche thou dayely vsest. Wolde God thou wast not disobedient, but faythfull & true in all poyntes to thy superiours. Would God thou wast not polluted wythe fornicacion, adultry, whoredome, in [Page] cest, and all other vnclēnes. Would God thou wast not an vniust taker awaye of other mēs goodes. Would God thou dyddest not thyrste after the sheddynge of innocent bloude.

Would God, thou wast not redy to beare false witnes agenst thy neighbours. Would God thy men of law were not eaters of gyftes, & oppres­sours of the poore people for lucres sake. Would God thy pastours and spiritual sheppardes were not so giuen to pleasure, ambicion, pryde, couetousnes, delicate fare, gorgious apparell, idlenes, &c, y t they haue no mynde to fede Christes flocke w t the syncer word of God. Yea would god they were not callers backe & vtter despisers of y e same, Math. xxiii neither entryng into the kyngdome of heauen themselues, nor yet sufferyng other that would to enter. To be shorte, would God thou wast not a manifest trās­gressour̄ [Page] and opē offendour of gods moost holy law, that thou myghtest be fre from the vengeaunce and plages of God, y e are lyke to faull vpon the, if thou doste not shortly repent and amend thy synnefull lyuynge. O Englōnd, God calleth Englōd vn­to repentāce diuers way­es. Englond, God calleth the vnto repentaūce diuers wayes, as by his worde, by the preachynge of the same, by sendyng the suche a vertuous, mercyful, fatherlyke and puyssaunt a Prynce, by endewyng the with other innumerable benefi­tes If thou regardest not this goodnes of God, surely Englonde great wyll be thy dānacion, greuous wyl be thy plages, intollerable wyll be thy ponyshmentes, to moche lamen table wyll be thy finall destruccion. O Englond with wepyng teares I saye vnto the, Luke. xix, as Christ sayde vnto Hierusalem: If thou dyddest know euē at this thy tyme, those thynges [Page] whiche belong vnto thy peace, sure­ly thou wouldest be more diligēt to looke after them. For easyer & more tollerable shall it be for Sodome & Gomorre, for Tyrus & Sydon at y • daye of iudgement than for the, ex­cepte thou repentest and embracest with metyng armes, as they saye, y • goodnes and great mercy of GOD which is nowe proferred the.

Of these thynges aforsayde is it euident that thoccasion of all these cruell warres & other plages, wher­with we are so miserably oppressed, is the despisyng of Gods word, and the wicked and dissolute manner of lyuynge that is vsed amonge them that professe Christ by mouthe, but lyue Mahumet in dede.

Nowe lette vs consyther a­gayne, by what meanes the christen publique, weale maye be repared & broughte agayne vnto the pristine [Page] beauty and olde glorye, that we ha­uing the victory of all our enemies maye with one accorde syng perpe­tual prayses to y e name of our Lord God. AMEN.

To obtayne the victorye of oure enemies, Of gettyng the victorye ouer oure enemies. what than is to be done? Shall we prepare vs innumerable thousandes of stronge and valeas [...]t warryours? shall we make vs strēg Castels, myghty Bulwarkes, inu [...] cible fortresses, gorgious charettes fears gunnes, well castyng bowes, swyft arrowes, sharpe speres, great pollaxes, courageous horses, wyth other thynges innumerable, y • per­tayne vnto martiall affaires? How weake & vnable theyse thynges are to get the victory of our enemies, y • holy scriptures shewe in diuers pla­ces. Howe puyssaunt was Holofer­nes Holofernes. and incomparable in martiall affaires? what wāted he that shuld [Page] healpe any thynge at all to get the victory? What may be named, that he fayled concernyng the pollecy of warre? What Prynce in the worlde thought hymselfe of sufficient puis­saunce and strong ynough to enter battell wyth hym? He had such affi­aunce in his martial armours that he thoughte, he myghte lyghe vpon his one syde, and gette the victory. But howe lytle all his valeaunce & strength profytted hym, Iudith. xiii. xiiii. the scriptures shewe euidently, which teache y • by one woman he was not only de­stroyed, but also all his army put to flyghte. So lytle do all the pollecies and feates of mens braynes auayle where the healpe of God wantethe.

What shall I speake of that arrogant and proude tyraunte Senna­cherib, Sennache­rib. which gloried so much in his martiall valeaunce & strong power in matters of warre, that he despy­sed [Page] & blasphemed the lyuynge God, [...]iii. Re. xviii ii. Par. xxix thynkyng hymselfe able ynough to subdu and ouercome so many, as he should warre with all, though God hymselfe toke parte agaynste hym? But to what poynte came all hys proud crakes? Esaie. xxxvi What dyd al his martiall armours & weapons of warre profytte hym? Dyd not God in one nyghte send his Aungell, and slewe of that tyrauntes company a great sorte of thousandes, in so much that that arrogant kynge of the Astyri­ans returned backe wyth shame y­nough, & shortely after was slayne euen of his owne sonnes?

Let these two Histories suffice to shewe howe lytle affiasice is to be re­posed in humayne strēgthes & mar­tiall affaires. Psal. cxxvi. Uerely except y e Lord bylde y e house, he laboureth in vayn that byldeth it. Excepte the Lorde kepeth y e citte, he watcheth in vayne [Page] that kepeth it. Psal. xxxii. A kynge shall not be saued, sayethe Dauid, by his owne great hoost, neyther shall a gyaunt be holpen in the abundaunce of his strēgth. A horse is but a deceauable thyng to saue a man, it is not y e po­wer of his strēgth that can delyuer hym. Beholde the eyes of the Lorde are vpon them that feare hym, and put theyr trust in his mercye, that he maye delyuer theyr soules from death, & norysh them in the tyme of honger. Salomon also saythe, Pro [...]. xii The horse is prepared agaynste the daye of battell, but the Lorde giueth the victory. The Psalmograph saythe agen, Psal. xix. some put theyr trust in charettes and some in horses, but we wyll caull vpon the name of oure God. They are broughte downe & fallen, but we are risen and stonde ryghte vp lyke men.

Here se we that all the pollecies of [Page] warre, that the wyttes of men can inuent, are but vayne, and of them selues not able in ony poynte to get the victory. What shal we than say? Are the armours of warre to be neglected? Whither armoures of warre are to be neglected̄ Are the pollecies for obtay­nynge of victory to be despised? Is no prouision to be made for the con­seruacion of the Christen publique weale, but let all thynges ronne at hauocke, as careles swyne, chaunse what chaunie wyl? God forbyd. we may not attempt God by ony mea­nes. A Prynce shall imagine those thinges that are worthy a Prynce, Esaie. xxxii. The dutye of Prynces in martiall affaires. sayth the Prophet Esaye, & he shall stonde ouer his captaynes. Euery Prynce therfore ought with all diligence & pollecy to prouyde all thyn­ges that should conserue & kepe his Realme in safe estate, and fre from the daunger of suche as woulde in­uade theyr dominiō, and euery sub­iecte [Page] ought not only to be contēted frely & wyllyngly to render vp hys goodes to his Kyng and Prince for the prosperous mayntenaunce of y e kyngdome, The dutyl of subiectes in y e tyme of warres. wherin he is inhabited, but also with a glad hart to bestow his very lyfe for the safegard of the same, which thynge the very Gen­tiles neuer disdayned to do, but re­counted thē selues than moost hap­py, whan they myghte moost of all both bestow theyr goodes and theyr lyfe also for y • helth of theyr natiue coūtrey, as we read in diuers histo­ries. And in this poynte, I meane for al thynges, that should conserue and kepe this Realme of Englonde safe and free from the inuasion and daūger of our enemies, what kynge dome in the world is to be compared vnto this Englysh Empyre? Howe hath oure moost puyssaunte and re­doubted Kynge fortressed this hys [Page] moost floryshyng Monarchye, Englōd for­tressed tho­row the liberal and wise proussion of our Kynge. Em­pyre and kyngdome wyth all thyn­ges that ony man can inuēt for the prosperous conseruacion of a cōmō weale? Neuer was there Prynce, y t toke lyke paynes for the safegard of his cominalte. Neuer was there fa­ther, that so greatly watched for y • healthe of his sonne, as he doth for ours. To moche ingrate, vngentle & vnthāckefull is he, that doth not agnise and knowledge the vnmeasura ble kyndenes of this moost excellent Prynce. If thys title Pater patriae might lawfully at ony time be ascribed vnto ony temporall rulare, cer­tes to our moste victorious Prynce it is moost of all due & conuenient. For he is a very ryght & true father to this our countrey of Englonde, as his moste godly actes and vertuous enterprises do manifestly shew euery day more and more. We read [Page] that Augustus the Emperour, Augustus Caesar. whē he had both garnyshed very pleasātly and fortressed very strongely the Citie of Rome, so y • so moche as laye in hys power he had made it safe & sure agaynst all insultes and inua­sions of enemies for many yeares after his time, was wonte reioysyng of his acte to say, Romā lateritiam acce­ [...]i, marmoream relinquo. That is to saye, I toke Rome made of tyles, but I leaue it of marble. How moch more iustly maye oure moost bounteous Kyng saye, I toke Englonde made of tyles, but I leaue it of marble. If ony Realme therfore may reioyse & repose theyr affiaunce in martial armours & all kynd of fortresses, that make vnto the safe preseruaciō therof, surely we Englysh mē haue most iust occasion to gyue God thankes for them, seyng that we aboue all o­ther nacions vnto our great conso­lacion [Page] and the vtter consternacion of our enemies are moost opulently enryched with them thorowe y e godly prouision and deuine pollecye of oure moost redoubted Kynge. But what, shall we flye vnto them, as vnto an holye Anchore and inuincible Bulwarke, whan the fearce tumul [...]te and cruel noyse of warres begyn [...]neth to ryse vp amonge vs, and re­pose oure whole affiaunce in them? God forbyd. Note of mar [...]tial armour­tes. For as weapons apte for warre are not to be neglected, & as all kynde of pollecies, that maye conserue the publique weale, are to be proued, so is not y e trust of a chri­sten mā to be put in thē, as though our safegarde or delyueraunce dyd depende on them. For the scripture sayth, Psal. xxxii A kyng shall not be saued by his owne great hoost, nether shall a gyaunt [...]e holpen in the abundaūs of his owne strength. &c. Notwith­standyng [Page] we must prepare all thin­ges, and with a lusty and valeaunt courage go vnto the warres euē as though there were no hope of victory, Marke wel. but of oure owne strength only, yet must all our whole affiaunce be reposed in the myghtye strength of our Lord God, and looke for y • vic­tory at his hand only, nothyng doutyng, but that he wyll fyght for vs, & gyue vs the ouerhand of our ene­mies, if we enter bartell for a iust & godly cause. For it is god only, that gyueth ouer theyr enemies into the hādes of his people. It is God that fyghteth. We & all y e euer we bryng, are but instrumētes & means, wher by God subdueth oure aduersaries vnto vs, euen as bread and meate are but meanes only, wherby God fedeth vs. It is God that is the victorious and triumphant champion as Salomon, saythe, Prouer. xil The horse is [Page] prepared agaynst the day of battel, but the Lorde gyueth the victorye. Note that he saythe, the Lorde gy­ueth the victory.

Howe came it to passe that y • Is­raelites gat y e vpper hande of theyr enemies so ofte? By theyr owne va­leafice? Na verely, but by y e strēgthe of Gods power. Deut. xxxi. The Lord thy God sayth Moses, shall go before the. He shall put awaye all these nacions in thy syghte, and thou shalte possesse them. Go to it therfore manfully, & take a good harte vnto you. Feare ye not, nor be not once adrad at the syght of thē, for y e Lorde thy God, he is thy captayne and gyde, & he wyll not leaue nor forsake the Agen, Deut. xxxii. how came it to passe, y • one chased a thou­sand, and two put ten thousande to flyght, but that theyr God solde thē & the Lorde snarled them. For oure God is not as theyr GOD. Also in [Page] another place, Deut. xxxii [...] Happy arte thou, O Israel, who is lyke vnto the? A peo­ple that arte saued by the Lord. He is thy shylde & helper, he is y e sweard of thy glory. And thyn enemies shal hyde the mselues from the and thou shalte walke vpō theyr hygh hylles.

How chaunsed it, Iosue. x. that the noble captayne Iosua had so many victorious cōquestes ouer hys enemies? What sayth y e scripture, The Lord God of Israel dyd fyghte for hym. But let vs heare what God sayd vnto hym, Iosue. [...] Aryse and go ouer this Iordane, thou and all the people wythe the into the Iond, which I shall giue to the children of Israel. All the pla [...]ces that the soles of your feete shall tread vpō, wyl I giue you. Agen, Iosue. x [...]. be not afrayd of thē, for to morowe a­bout this time wyl I deliuer al thy enemies slayne in the sight of Isra­el, and thou shalte hough theyr hor­ses, [Page] & burne theyr charettes wythe fyre.

Moreouer after the death of Io [...]sua, [...]. i. the chyldren of Israel asked the Lorde, who should go vp fyrst vnto the Cananites to fight agaynst thē. The Lorde auuswered, Iuda shall go vp, beholde I haue deliuered the londe into his hendes: Marke that it is sayd, y e Lorde delyuered y e lond into his handes. So that it is God that gyueth the victory. Who gaue the victory of theyr enemies vnto y • Israe­ [...]e., [...] whan Othoniel, Ahod, Sange [...], Delbora, Barach, Gede [...]o, I [...]pte, Samson. &c. reygned, but y e Lorde only, as it appeareth by the histories. How wōderful is y e history of Gedeō, [...]. as I may let passe y • other & no lesse manifest & euidēt to shew, that God alone gyueth the victory and not the strength and pollecy of ony man, be it neuer so valeaūt and [Page] subtile. The Madianites whyche came to fyghte agaynst Gedeō and his company, had in theyr army an hondred & fyue and thyrty thousād valeaūt men, Madiani­tes. which laye along in y • valey lyke greshoppers ī multitude and theyr camels were without nō ber, euen as the sande by y • sea syde. Gedeon bryngeth only with hym a cōpany of two & thyrty thousande, and yet of these God commaunded hym to put awaye all excepte thre hōdred. His wordes were, these: The people that are wyth the, are to many for me to gyue the Madianites into theyr handes, lest Israel make theyr boast vnto my dishonour, and saye, our owne hand hath saued vs. And whan there were of Gedeons company xxii. M departed, so that there abode w t hym only ten thou­sande, God sayde once agayne vnto hym, the people are yet to many.

[Page]The conclusion was, that all went theyr waye besydes thre hondred, & by them only thorowe his myghty power dyd God gyue the Madianites into Gedeons hādes, so that of them that were slayne of the Madi anites, were an hondred and twen­ty thousand men that drewe swer­des. O wonderfull victory. O the mighty & stretched out hand of god O the valeaunce of this our Lorde God, which is almyghty and full of puyssaunce to defende and saue his seruantes. [...]. xxxill Here se we this to be true y • one shall chase away a thou­sand, & that two shall put ten thou­sand to flyght. Hereto pertaynethe the sayeng of kyng Asa, Asa. [...] which pray [...]ed to God on this manner. O Lord it is all one with the, whither thou helpest in few or in many. Helpe vs o Lorde our God. For we hauyuge oure whole affiaūce and trust in the [Page] and in thy name become agaynste this multitude. Thou arte y • Lord oure God, let no man therfore pre­uayle agaynst the. And accordynge to hys prayer God gaue hym y • vic­tory and made the blacke Mores to flye and so were destroyed.

Furthermore who gaue Iosaphat Iosaphat. the victory ouer the Moabites and Ammonites, but God alone? Dyd not he in his prayer speake on thys manner vnto God? The [...] of Iosaphat. In vs, oh Lord there is not so great strength, y • we maye be able to resist this great cō ­pany, that commethe agaynste vs. But whan we knowe not what to do, than haue we none other refuge nor succour, but only to lyft vp our eyes to the. God therfore streyght­wayes stored vp Iazi [...]l the sonne of Zacharias, whiche sayd, Herken al Iuda, & ye that dwell in Ierusalē, and thou kyng Iosaphat also, thus [Page] saythe the Lorde vnto you. Be not afeard nor faynte harted by the reasō of this great multitude. For the warre is not yours, ii. Para. xx. but Gods. It shall not be you that shall fyght, only steppe ye forth boldly, and stonde to it lyke men, and ye shal se y • helpe of the Lorde vpon you. O ye of Iu­da & Ierusalem feare ye not, nor let not your hartes fayle you. To mo­row ye shall go forth agaynst them, & the Lorde shall be wyth you. The kyng hym selfe also sayd whan they went forth vnto battell, Beleue in the Lorde your God, and so shall ye be without al ieopardy. Beleue his Prophettes, & all thynges shall be prosperoꝰ vnto you. And according to all these thynges aforsayde came it to passe, so that Iosaphat & his cō pany returned home with a glorioꝰ victory, thorowe the meane & puys­saunt power of God. Notwythstā ­dynge [Page] when Iosaphat afterwarde ioyned frendshyp wythe Ochozias kyng of Israel, which was a wicked doer, & coupled hym selfe with hym to make shyppes to go into Charlis for golde, and semed by this means both to haue his mynde estraunged from God, & hys affiaunce reposed in mortal amite, God deceaued him of his purpose, broughte his enter­prises vnto none effecte, so that hys shyppes were broken on suche sorte, that they ware not able to go vnto Charsis.

What shall I speake of the noble and triumphante victories, whiche God gaue to Ezechias, Iudith, Es­dras, Iudas Machabeꝰ, Ionathas, Symon. &c?

Thus se we that it is God y • figh­teth for his people, subduethe theyr enemies, and giueth them the victory, & that wythout his ayde, helpe & [Page] socour, all is but vayne & frustrate, what so euer man inuenteth of hys owne carnall brayne, seme it neuer so polletyke and wyse. Cursed be he, Iere. xvii. sayth Ieremy, that maketh flesh his arme, & whose harte departeth from the Lorde. But blyssed is that man that trusteth in the Lorde, & whose hope the Lorde hym selfe is. Psal. [...]. For he shall be as a tree that is planted by the water syde, whiche spreadethe oute the roote vnto moystenes, so that ne neadethe not to feare whan the heate commethe, and hys le [...] ­ues shall be grene. &c. Wo be vnto thē, sayth the Prophet Esaye, Esa. xxxi. that go downe into Egypt for helpe & trust in horses, & cōforte them selues in charettes because they be many, and in horse mē, because they be lusty and strong, and haue not put theyr confidēce and trust in the ho­ly one of Israel. Agayne, what pre­sūpciō [Page] is this that y u trustest vnto? Esa. xxxv [...] Or by what coūcel or strength doste thou determyne to go to warre? vpon whome doste thou trust, seynge y • castest thy selfe of frō me? Lo, thou puttest thy trust in a brokē staffe of rede, I meane Egipt, which he that leaneth vpō, it goeth into his hande & shu [...]teth hym thorow. Esa. xxxiii. The Lorde is our captayne, y e Lorde is our law gyuer, the Lorde is our kynge, he it is that shall saue vs. For he gyueth strengthe to the wery one, & power vnto the faynt. Esaye. x [...]. Chyldren are wery & faynte, & the strongest men [...]aull lyke weakelynges, but they y e truste in the Lorde, shall be endewed with strengthe. They shall haue wynges lyke Aegles, they shall ronne & not [...]aull, they shall walke & not be wery Feare not, saythe God, Esaye. xli. for I am w t the. Turne not once backe for I am thy God. I haue made the strong, & [Page] I haue holpen the, & the right hand of my ryghteous one hath takē the. Behold all they shall be confounded & ashamed, that fyght agaynste the. Yea they shalbe, as thogh they were not, & the mē shall perysh, that once speake agaynst the &c. Esaye. xlv. I wyll go be­fore the, & bryng downe the proud & arrogant of the earthe. The brasen dores wyl I breake & burst the yron barres. And I wyll gyue the, y • hyd treasures, & the thynge whiche is secretly kepte, that thou mayst know that I am the Lorde. The vnrygh­teous shall perysh at one clappe, as Dauid sayth, Psal. xxxv [...]. & the remnauntes of the vngodly shall vtterly be destroyed, but the health of the ryghteous is of the Lord, & he is theyr defēder in the tyme of trouble. The Lorde shall healpe them & delyuer them, he shall set them free from the wycked, yea he shall saue thē in dede, because [Page] they haue putte theyr trust in hym. Agen, Psal. xxvi. the Lorde is my lyghte & my healthe, whome then shall I feare? The Lord is y e defender of my lyfe, for whome than shall I be afrayde? Whā the wycked came vnto me for to eate my flesh, they that wrought me ony wo, and were myn enemies, stōbled & fell, so that now although an hoost of men were layd agaynste me, yet shall not my hart be afrayd. And though there rose vp warre a­gaynst me, yet wyll I put my trust in hym, God hymselfe also sayth by the Psalmographe, Psal. xC. for asmoche as he hath trusted in me, I wyl deliuer hym, yea I wyll defend hym, seynge he hath knowen my name. He cryed vnto me, & I wyl fauourably heare hym. I am wyth hym in tribulaciō I wyll delyuer hym & glorify hym. I wyll replenyshe hym withe longe lyfe, and at the last I wyll shew him [Page] my sauyng health.

All the scriptures heretofore re­hearsed declare euidently that God alone is the myghtye helper, & that he only it is, whiche gyueth the vic­tory of theyr enemies to his people, that is, to so many as beleue & trust in hym, and that withoute hym all hymayne industry, labour wyt, conueyaunce, pollecy. &c. are of none ef­fecte, yea rather hurteth than pro­fytteth, hyndereth then furdereth, destroyeth than sauethe. Blyssed is that londe, whiche hath God theyr mercyfull Lorde & puyssaunt defender. For they shall prosper in al thinges, and what so euer they shal take in hand, shall vndoubtedly come vnto good effecte, nether shall ony mā be he neuer of so greate baleaunce, myght, strēgth, puyssaunce and po­wer, be able to do them ony harme. If God be on oursyde, who is able [Page] to preuayle agaynst vs, as the holy Apostle Paule sayth?

But it wyll be demaunded per­aduenture, By what means God maye gyue vs the victo­ry. how God maye be made so mercyfull, that he wyll gyue vs y e victory of our enemies. I aunswere by oure vnfayned conuersion from wickednes vnto true godlynes. We heard b [...]fore that al the plages that God casteth vpon vs, whyther they be battell, honger, pestilence or ony other, chaunse vnto vs for our syn­full & abhominable lyuyng, wher w t God is so greatly prouoked vnto anger: Agayne, that he wyll not cease thus to plage vs, if he loueth vs, vntyl we earnestly repent & studiously amende our lyfe. If he seeth, y t none amendment wyll followe his correccion, yet wyll he go forth styll to po­nyshe vs, and neuer cease vntyll he hath rooted vs & our memory oute of the earth, because his holy name [Page] may be no more blasphemed among the Hethen thorow our wyckednes and abhominacion. Your misdedes sayth Esay, Esaye. lix. haue seperated you frō your God, & your synnes haue hyd­dē his face from you, that he should not heare you. The Pro­phet descri­beth the mā ­ner of this worlde. For your handes are defyled wyth bloud▪ & your fyngers with vnrighteousnes. Your lyppes speake leasynges, & your tonge set­teth out wickednes. No man regar­deth ryghteousnes, no man iudgeth truely Euery man hopeth in vayne thynges, & imaginethe deceate, con­ceaueth werynes & bryngeth forthe euell. They brede cockatrice egges, & wea [...]e the spyders webbe, who so euer eteth of theyr egges dyeth, but if one treadeth vpon them, there cō meth out a serpēt. Theyr webbe maketh no cloth, nether can they couer thē wyth theyr labours. Theyr de­des are the dedes of wickednes, and [Page] the worke of robhery is in theyr hā ­des. Theyr feete runne vnto euell, & they make haste to shed innocent bloude. Theyr councels are wycked councelles, harme & destruccion are in theyr wayes, but y e way of peace they know not. &c And a lytle after, our offenses are many before the, O Lord, & our synnes testify agaynst vs, yea we must nedes confesse that we offende, and knowledge that we do amysse, namely transgresse & dis­semble agaynst the Lorde, and faull awaye from our God, vsyng presūptuous & traytorous imaginacions, & castyng false matters in our har­tes. ‘For equite is gone asyde, and ryghteousnes stondethe a farre of. Trueth is fallen downe in y • strete, & that thyng that is playne & open, maye not be shewed. Yea truethe is layde in presonne, & he that refray­nethe hym selfe from euell, must be [Page] spoyled.’ When the Lorde sawe this, it displeased hym sore, y • there was no where ony equite. He saw also, y • there was no man, whiche had pitie therof, or was greued at it. And he helde hym vp by hys owne power, & cleued to his owne ryghteousnes. He putrighteousnes on hī for a brest plate & set y • helmet of helth vpō his head. Ephe. vi. v. Chess. [...]. He put on wrath in stede o [...] clothyng, & toke gelousy about him in stede of a cloke, lyke as whā a mā goeth forth wrothfully to recōpēce his enemies, & to be reuenged of hys ad­uersaries, namely y • he myght recō ­ [...]ēs & reward y • ilādes, wherthorow y • name of the Lord myght be feared frō y • risyng of y • sonne to the goyng downe of y e sonne. For he shall come as a violent water streame, whiche the wynd of the Lorde hath moued.

Hytherto haue I rehearsed the wordes of the Prophet Esay, wher­of [Page] we learne, that our wickednes is y • cause of Gods wrathe toward vs, notwythstandyng if we cease from our īiquite, God wyl surely fauour vs, turne awaye his wrathefull dis­pleasure, pardonne our synfull ini­quite, forgyue our wycked lyuyng, wype awaye our vnclennes, and be our myghty shelde & defender agēst all our enemies, Esaye. [...]. as he sayth in ano­ther place, youre handes are full of bloud. Notwythstondyng wash you make ye clene, put awaye your euell thoughtes out of my syght, cease to do euell, learne to do well, seke iudge mēt, helpe y e poore oppressed, delyuer y • fatherles, defend y e wydow & come on your waye, & reproue me, saythe the Lord. If your synnes be as red as scarlet, yet shall they be made as whyght as snowe. And if they were like purple, yet shal they be like whi­te wolle. Yea yf ye wyll be contēted [Page] and heare me, ye shall eate the good fruytes of the earth. If ye wyll not but prouoke me vnto wrath, ye shall be deuoured with y e swerde, for thus hath the Lorde promysed wyth hys owne mouth, It is commonly sayd, Iere. iii. sayth God by y e Prophet Hieremy, if a man putteth awaye his wyfe, & she goeth from hym, and marryethe another husbonde, shall he resorte ony more vnto her? Is not that woman than defyled & vncleane? But as for the thou hast played the har­lot w t many louers, yet turne agen to me, sayth the Lorde, & I wyll re­ceaue the. Thou stynckynge Israel turne agayne, sayth the Lorde, and I wyll not turne away my face frō you, for I am mercifull, saythe the Lorde, and I wyll not be angry for euermore.

Thus se we y • though God dothe plage vs for oure wyckednes, yet if [Page] we repent & amende our synfull ly­uynge, he wyll haue mercy vpō vs, & turne awaye his anger from vs. For the Lordes hande is not so shortened, Esaye. [...]ix. that it can not healpe, nether is his eare so stopped, that it maye not heare. To obtayne therfore his fauour, that he maye fyght for vs, & get vs the victory ouer our aduersaries, the only & moost nexte waye is to redresse our noughty māners, to walke in the pathwayes of his holy commaundementes & to do that, which he wylleth vs to do. So may we be sure thorowe his diuine vale­aunce to subdue all our enemies, as he hymselfe testifieth, sayeng: Leu [...]ti. xxvi. If ye walke in my commaundementes, & & kepe my preceptes, ye shall pursue your enemies, and they shall fall before you. Fyue of you shall chase an hondred straungers, and an hōdred of you shall put to flyght ten thou­sande. [Page] But if ye wyll not heare m [...], but despyse all my commaundementes, I wyll set my face agenste you, & ye shall fall before your enemies, & ye shalbe subdued to them that hate you, yea ye shall flye, whan no man pursueth after you. For if we enter battell with our aduersaries, & yet be polluted wyth synne, surely God wyll nether fyght for vs, nor yet w t vs. God is not the captayne of wic­ked & noughty people. He fightethe not for them y t embrace īiquite, but for suche as seake after true godly­nes, pure innocēcy, & loue to walke in his moost holy commaundemen­tes. To suche as are transgressours of his holy word, & yet dare presume to enter battell, & to looke for helpe at his hād, he sayth, se y • ye go not vp & that ye fyght not, Nume. xiiii. Deut. i. for I am not a­mōg you, vnlesse ye be plaged before your enemies. If such fyght, it shall [Page] chaunse vnto them, as it dyd vnto y • Israelites, which whā they had greuously offēded God & disobeyed him would contrary to the commaundement of God take vpon thē to fight agenst the Amnorites, but for theyr disobediēce, notwithstonding theyr myghty valeaunce & polletyke wis­dome in martial affaires, they were chased awaye, kutte, hewed, & gre­uously slayne. So shal it chaunse to the wycked and vngodly.

Iosue hadde a manifest promyse made to hym of God, that he should sudue the cananites, & enioye theyr l [...]nde peasably, & that therfore he neded not to feare for to fyght agenst them, Iosue. vii. yet notwythstondyng loste he at one tyme the felde, & his mē were slayne & put to flyghte for the synne of one man, whiche contrary to the commaundement of God had takē of the excōmunicate thynges. For [Page] the offens of hym alone could not y • chyldrē of Israel stond before theyr enemies, for asmoche as God was not wyth them. Nota. If the synne of one man deserued so great vengeaunce that for his offence only many were slayne & put to flyght, what shal we than saye vnto that army, which is replete wyth all kynde of synne, as whoredome, fornicacion, adultrye, thefte, tyranny, shedyng of innocēt bloud, sweryng, glotony, droncken­shyp. &c. How is it possible for them to prosper? How can God be among them to fyght for thē & to gyue thē the victory? A good lessō If we wyll subdue our enemies, we muste seake all means possible to haue God on oure syde. We maye not only prouide, that we scoore of the rust of our harnes that it be clene, but that we also put out of our brestes the rusty & fylthy synnes, that haue cankred oure soules [Page] so long, & so become pure and clene. For what is the cause that our bat­tels do but lytyll prosper many ty­mes, but onlye that we be synfull, & God is angry wyth vs? Could that Nerolyke tyraunt the great Turke haue subdued so moche of Christen­dome, ☜ if we had lyued accordynge to our profession? Na verely, our syn­nes haue gotten him so many victories. Our wyckednes hath made vs captyue & thraull to his tyrannye. Let vs looke what synne reygneth amonge vs, & let vs vtterly wype y • out, so shall we prosper agaynst the violence of our enemies.

It was not wythoute a cause, y • God, after Acā the sonne of Carmi, of whom I spake before, had trans­gressed his holy precepte by takyng of the excommunicate goodes, com­maunded Iosue, that he should san­ctify the people, & [...]yd thē sanctifye [Page] them selues before they wente ony more to battell, & kyll hym, whyche had so trāsgressed agenst the Lord. For whā that was done, they pros­perred tryumphantly euer after in all theyr warres, & God gaue theyr enemies into theyr hādes, & they enioyed the lond in peasable possession. Although this sanctifyeng of y e Is­raelites dyd cōsist in externall cere­monies, as in wasshyng, purgyng & c [...]ensynge them from the fylthynes of both theyr bodyes & garmentes, & in abstayning from the company of theyr wiues, yet shadoweth it to vs also our māner of sāctifyēg, whiche is spiritual. Howe we oughte to sanctifye our selues. It requireth of vs that we should purge our selues of all iniquite, wash awaye the fylthynes of ‘our hartes, & put from vs all carnal cōcupiscēces & fleshly lustes, so that we may be cleane both in body and soule, & be founde worthy to haue [Page] God our captayne. They that thus sanctify them selues, are fytte to go vnto the warre of the Lorde.’

‘God gaue a commaundement to the Israelites & sayd, Deut. xxiii. whan thou goest out wyth the hoost agenst thyne enemies, kepe the from all wycked­nes, for the Lorde is among you. If there be ony man that is vnclene by the reason of vnclennes, that chaū ­seth hym by nyght, let hym go oute of the hoost, & not come in agen vn­tyll he haue washed hymselfe wythe water before the euen: & than whan the sonne is downe, let hym come in to the hoost agen. Thou shalte haue a place wythout the hoost whyther thou shalte resorte to, & thou shalte haue a sharpe poynte at the ende of thy weapon, & whan thou wylt ease thy selfe, dygge therwyth & turne, & couer that, which is deparred from the. For the Lorde thy God he wal­keth [Page] in thyn hoost to rydde the, and to set thyn enemies before the. Let thyn boost therfore be pure, that he le no vncleane thynge amonge you, and turne from you.’

Here God commaūdeth that the hoost should kepe them selues fre f [...]ō al wickednes. The cause is this. For the Lorde is amonge you, sayth he. God is pure, [...] therfore muste y • hoost be pure, that commeth to b [...]ttell in his name. God is wythout al synne therfore must his warryours detest nothynge more thā synful wycked­nes. God hateth y e workes of darke­nes therfore must his Souldiours abhore the workes of darkenes, and haue a pleasure to walke as y • chyl­dren of lyght. Agayne, he declareth howe pure & fre from all vnclennes the hoost ought to be, seyng he wold haue them so clene & honest in those thynges that chaunse naturally If [Page] God can not abyde the pollucions, whiche chaunse in the nyght tyme, howe moche lesse can he awaye with whoredome & adultry. If God wyll haue soche purite shewed in thinges whiche corporall necessite c [...]pelle. [...] vs to do, is it to be thoght y • he wyl admit ony thyng, y • is d [...] cotrary to hys cōmaūdemēt, as thefte, tyrany, swearyng, droncke [...]hyp, glotony quarellyng. &c? God walketh in the hoost of hys Seruauntes, therfore oughte they to be pure & fre from al vnclennes, leest God turneth from thē, & so altogyther go to hauocke. But alas it chaunceth contrary w t vs nowe a dayes. For whan they, y t professe Christe, shoulde go vnto the warres, they prepare them selues after a more wicked manner, Howe the H [...]th [...]n pre­pare thē [...]l­ues [...]nto battell. than the Hethen do. For the Hethen come so berly togyther, cōsulte sagely of thi ges that shall moost auaunce y • prosperous [Page] state of the publique weale, sette all thynges in a goodly stey in theyr Bealme appoynt certē wyse & prudent rulars to gouerne theyr lā des in the meane season, exhorte so many as tary at home to lyue well, & wyth al instans and harty means to praye vnto the Goddes for them, that they maye haue fortunate suc­cesse ī theyr warres & returne home agayne as noble conquerours with victorious triūphe. This done they prepare them selues soberly & pru­dently vnto y • warres, euer hauing respecte to an honest & innocent mā ner of lyuyng, that theyr goddes by no meanes maye be displeased with thē, & diligently callyng on y e name of theyr Goddes both daye & nyght for helpe & strengthe agaynst theyr enemies. Thus go they vnto y e bat­tell, as mē redy to gyue theyr lyues for the heal the & safegarde of theyr [Page] coūtrey, beyng desyrous of nothing but only to defende theyr Empyre, and to enlarge the boundes and li­mites therof.

Howe Christen men prepare thē selues vnto the warres, How christē men prepare them selues vnto battell. it is more open than it nede here to be expres­sed. As I maye speake nothynge of suche as go wyth an euell wyll vn­to the battel. What a nomber goeth there only to pycke, steale, robbe, & that they maye come home agayne well ladē with spoyles & robberies? Howe lytle respecte haue they vnto the conseruacion & defence of theyr natiue countrey, so that theyr pac­kes may be wel enfarsed, laden and stuffed? What dysyng, cardyng, and all kynde of volupteous royot is v­sed among them? What dryncking, gullynge, quaffynge & superfluous banckettyng do they vse? What manacyng, brawlyng, chydyng, & fyghtyng [Page] is heard & sene dayly amonge them? The wicked nes of Soul diours in y • warres. What whoredome is there cō mytted among them? What mayde escapeth vndefloured? What wyfe departeth vnpolluted, as I may ad nothyng here vnto? What abhomi­nable swearyng is vsed among thē? How is God rent and torne among them by vnlawfull othes? How de­syrous are they to shed bloude, and to make hauocke of altogyther?

The rapacite of wolfes, the violēce of lyons, the fearsenes of tygres, is nothyng in comparison of theyr fu­rious & cruell tyranny, & yet do many of thē this, not for the safegarde of theyr countrey (for so myghte it seme the more tollerable) but for to satisfy theyr bocherlyke affectes, to boaste another daye, of howe many men they haue bene the death, & to brynge home the mo prayes, y • they maye lyue the fatter euer after for [Page] those spoyles and stollen goodes.

As concernyng the inuocacion & callyng on the name of God, it is so farre out of remēbraunce, that ma­ny of them do not so muche as once thyncke or dreame of it. Howe is it possible, that these warres shoulde prosper, where there is no regard of god, no respecte to honeste no desyre of mutuall concorde, no endeuoure employed to make God mercyfull vnto vs. Surely these warryours had nede to sanctify them selues, or els they be not defēders but destroyers of the common weale, for y e safe­gard wherof they wyl seme to fight For be theyr valeaunce & myght neuer so stronge, yet can they not prosper, if God blysse not theyr labours as we heard before. Howe the Souldiours ought to prepare thē sel­ues vnto battell. It is therfore expedient, that they whiche shall pre­pare them selues vnto battell, and offer theyr lyues for the wealthe of [Page] theyr coūtrey, sanctify them selues, I meane, expurge and put away all vnclennes, & wicked behauour both of body and mynde, and so appoynt them selues in euery condicion, as though the tyme were come, y • euen now they should departe out of this worlde, and render an accomptes of theyr lyfe here spent.

They maye not go vnto y • war­res, as tyraūtes, whose hartes ima­gine miscefe, whose mouthes breath manslaughter, whose wordes boste lyonlyke crudelite, whose handes de syre to be embrued w t bloude, whose feete are swyfte to runne vnto euel, whose dedes bryng to passe finall destrucciō, but as charitable parsons, which (if the loue of theyr countrey dyd not prouoke them vnto it, for whose wealth euen by the commaū dement of God and the lawe of na­ture they are bounde to gyue theyr [Page] lyues) woulde by no meanes breake the bonde of Christen amite wythe no man, but rather suffer moche in iury, than they would be once at displeasure wyth ony man. But in as moch as they are fyrst prouoked yee and that vnworthely, seynge also it is no priuate iniury, but a common wrong to inuade ony Realme, and to disturbe the inhabitauntes ther­of, therfore they come nowe in the name of God vnto battell, not for theyr owne cause, but for the cōser­uacion of the publique weale, that they enioyenge peace & tranquilite for euer after, maye the more freely prayse God, and lyue accordynge to his moost holy worde.

Moreouer all the tyme of y • warres it shall be necessary, Clennes of lyfe. y t they kepe thē selues so pure, as they can, and by no means haue ony felloweshyp w t the vnfrutefull workes of darkenes, [Page] but apply them selues vnto the frutes of the sp [...]rite that they may remayne in the fauour of God, and haue hym theyr myghty captayne.

Let thē that can read whā they haue cōuen [...]t leasure, Readyng of the holy scriptu [...]es. rede the ho [...]y Scriptures. chefely suche histories as declare the omnipotency and al­myghtye power of God, whiche he hath shewed to his seruauntes in tymes past by gyuyng them the victo ry ouer theyr enemies, & let thē conceaue a sure faythe in theyr hartes therof, & nothyng doubte, but that he wyl be that same puyssaūt Lord to them, if they walke accordyng to hys word, that he in times past was to the other. For he is styll a Lorde of that same puyssaunce & strength. Let them that can not rede, herken to them that do rede, and gyue vn­doubted & earnest faythe thervnto. Preachers amonge the Souldiours

It would helpe moch vnto true [Page] godlines for to haue faythfull prea­chers also amonge y • souldiours in y • tyme of warres, whiche myght de­clare vnto them the feare of God, exhorte them vnto vertue, moue thē vnto the true cōfidence in Goddes helpe, encourage them manfully to fyght, when tyme requireth, & shew them howe honest & godly a thynge it is to ieoparde theyr lyfe for y • wel­the of theyr countrey, whyche of all deathes y • very Ethnyckes recoūted moost glorioꝰ, & of highest renowne.

It is also very necessary, [...] prayer. that the Souldiours gyue them selues vn­to feruent prayer, & desyre y • healpe of God wyth moost humble suppli­cacions, that he wyll be theyr mighty shelde & defence, but chefely whā the tyme cōmeth, that they must enter battell with theyr enemies. Let them than wythe one mynde caull vpon God, ☜ desyre his helpe, & praye [Page] that for hys mercyes sake he wyll strengthen them, yea fyght for thē, be theyr captayne, & gyue them the victory of theyr aduersaries, y t they returnyng home agayne lyke vale­aunt conquerours, maye syng per­petuall prayses to his moost blyssed and holy name.

This done, let them go to fyghte valeauntly, hauyng theyr whole affiaunce reposed in God alone, and in hys myghtye helpe. Yet let them so fyght, as though the victory dyd only depēd of theyr owne strēgthes wyttes and pollecies. Let them not dispayre, but take a good harte vn­to them, beynge perfectely persua­ded that God is on theyr syde, and wyll surely helpe them. But if they shoulde dye, seyng that theyr cause is lawfull, iuste and ryghteous, se­ynge also they fyghte not for theyr owne priuate cōmodite, but for the [Page] wealth of an whole Realme, let thē not doubte, Psal. [...]xv. but that theyr death is precio [...]s in the syght of God, & therfore they maye be sure for this mor­tall lyfe to receaue a lyfe of immor­talite full of eternall ioye & glory.

Therfore lette them not once feare, but steppe vnto it with a lusty & valeaunt courage, come theyr lyfe, or come theyr death.

Thus moche haue I spoken con­cernyng the Souldiours and them that shall fyght for the safegarde of the countrey, that they maye know howe to behaue them selues y t God maye be on theyr syde, and returne home agayne wythe a glorious and triumphant victory.

Nowe it remayneth to shew how they shal behaue thēselues y • remay­ne & tary at home, Howe they ought to be­haue thēsel­ues that ta­ry at home. vnlesse the vale­aunce & godly behauour of y e Soul­diours do not profytte so moche, as [Page] our wicked & dissolute manner of lyuynge shoulde hynder & hurte. For howe canne GOD be in oure ar­my and fyght for vs, if we be wicked & vngodly? If we therfore wyl haue prosperous successe in our warres, we must fyrst so lay asyde all vngod lynes, that there maye appeare no­thynge in vs, wherby God maye be displeased. For whome god fighteth. For God wyll only fight for them, that are pure, clene, fayth­full, charitable, modeste, mercifull, benigne, honest, louers of theyr coū ­trey, haters of discorde, seakers of peace, maynteners of amite &c. The other he refuse the, & knowledgethe thē not for his people, nether wyll he fight for them. We must therfore repent vs of oure olde wicked man­ners, take vpon vs a new lyfe, if we wyll haue God on our syde in y • battell. Lette euery man consyder hys faulte, wherin he knoweth himselfe [Page] gylty, and quickely put it away frō hym. Let no man be quycke sighted in other mennes faultes, and stōne blynde in his owne. Let al mē seake howe they maye best please God.

For the strōgest Bulwarke & moost inuincible fortresse that cā be made for the safegarde of the countrey, ☜ is to lyue well. If ony domage chaū ­ceth to the coūtrey, our wyckednes is cause therof. And as I may speke my mynd frely, certes it doth moch greue me, to beholde the iniquite of the worlde, & to se how vertue is set asyde, I hadde almoost sayd, set at nought.

What shall I speke of the famili­are cōmunicacion Familiare cōmuni [...] & dayely talke, y • is vsed among y • Christians? What other thyng do we heare in thē thā cursynges, bannynges, backebytynges, blasphemies, euel reportes, wā ton wordes, idle tales, vnclene com­municaciō. [Page] &c? Of theyr thoughtes God shal iudge, but theyr dedes are so manifeste, that euery man maye easly iudge the tree by the fruyte, & the lyon by his pawes.

Howe lytle do many ciuile magi­strates regarde the publique affai­res of the cominalte, Ciuile magistrates. so that theyr cofers maye be enryched, & they lyue in all wealth and pleasure?

Nowe lytle do many lawers Lawers. ten­der the pytiefull complaynt & rygh­teous cause of the poore oppressed? Howe lyke gaping wolfes do many of thē inhiate & gape after wycked mammon, so that whosoeuer bryn­geth moost mony, is moost allowed, & hathe the lawe moost on his syde, in what so euer case the matter stō ­dethe, be it ryght or wronge? Howe long also do they suffer the cause cō mytted vnto them to hange in the lawe, before ony iudgement can be [Page] gyuen, or finall determinacion had & all to poll and pyll the poore men, and vtterly to empouerysh them, so that thorow theyr deceatfull crafte & couetous mynde, the symple peo­ple are beggered, theyr wyues and chyldren brought vnto extreme misery, and set in suche case, that they are neuer after able to helpe thē sel­ues nor theyr neyghbours, nor yet to profyt y e publique weale of theyr countrey. O gapyng wolfes. O rā ­pynge lyons. O insatiable dogges. O crafty foxes.

What crafte, deceate, subtilite, Mer [...]h [...] ­tes. & falshode vse marchauntes in byyng & sellyng? Howe reioyse they, whan they haue begyled theyr christē bro­ther? What a sporte haue they, to deceaue a simple hobbe and playne fellowe of the countrey? How fayre do they speake to hys face, & lowte hym behynde his backe? How false [Page] & sleyghtye wares do they vtter for true and good?

The other men of al occupaciōs Men of oc­cupacion. vse lyke crafte and subtilite. Fewe walke vpryghtely. All gyue theyr mynde to couetousnes. No man studieth to serue the publique weale w t theyr science, as they are bounde to do. All seake theyr owne profyt and not that whyche is Iesus Christes. Where is y • christen charite become, [...] whiche seakethe not her owne? Let no man seake his owne, sayth saynt Paule, but the profyt of other.

Howe do many Gentyll mē Gentyll mē. not only get into theyr hādes other mē ­nes landes and tenementes, y t they maye lyue lyke Lordes alone in a towne, and yet kepyng slender hou­ses and hongry hospitalite, but also after suche sorte let out theyr lōdes to other, yea and that for so hygh a pryce, as they were neuer wonte to [Page] be ī tymes past, ī so moch y • they whi­che hyre thē, are vtterly beggered & redact to extreme pouerte? By this means is the galant pompe & lasci­uious pleasures of Gentyll menne mayntened, but the poore fermers are greatly empouerished, hospitalite is decayed, releuynge of the poore people is vtterly layd asyde, the cō ­mon wealth is miserably oppressed, penury, scarsenes & dearth of all thī ges is brought into y • Realme. Few are able to helpe theyr Prynce, whā nede requirethe. No man is able to set forth hys chylde vnto learnyng, wherby it is come to passe, that such blynde ignorancy, and rude Chaos of ba [...]barous and rusticall māners reynge nowe in the world vniuersally. These thynges desyre are dresse, God graunte it maye come to passe shortely.

What shal I speake of certē ritch [Page] and gredy cormorauntes, Hoorders vp of corne. those lo­custus and caterpyllers of the com­mon weale, whiche, whan they haue plenty of grayne and se abundans therof reygne amonge the people, are greately greued therat, and do not only not sel theyr owne corne to mayntayne the cōmodide of y e poore but also by other mennes grayne, & hoorde it vp, vntyll they haue made a great dearth, and than, scarsenes of corne beyng in euery place, bring they forth theyr grayne & sell it vn­to the vtter empoueryshment & ex­treme vndoynge of the poore comi­nalte. O cruell murtherers and vn mercifull bloudsoupers. The wys [...] man sayth, [...] the bread of the nedy is the lyfe of the poore, he that defrau­deth hym of it is a mansleare. Sa­lomon also sayth, Prouerb. xi. Who so hooredeth vp his corne, shall be cursed amonge the people, but blyssynge shall lygh­ten [Page] vpon theyr heades, that sell it. How can these deuouring caterpyllers than escape the vengeaunce of God, that hangeth ouer theyr hea­des, seynge they esteme more theyr owne priuate fylthy lucre, than the welth of so great a multitude? God mought once quenche theyr outra­geous insatiable thyrst of couetous­nes, & gyue thē grace to vse his gif­tes vnto the profyt of the Christen people.

As touchyng the common byers & sellers The cōmon byers a [...]d sellers. & barga yne makers, what falfe swerynge, crafty i [...]glynge and deceatfull gyle do they vse amonge them, that they maye beg [...]le theyr christen brothers? How lytle is this cammaundement of S. Paule ob­serued among them? [...]. Thess. iiii. Let no mā go to farre and defraud his brother in bargaynyng, for the Lorde is a ven­ger of all suche thynges. Dothe not [Page] he thyncke hym selfe moost wyse, y • can moost deceaue his neyghbour? Here is a wonderful charite and an harty neyghbourhoode.

As I may come to y e grosser syn­nes what whoredom reygneth ther nowe a dayes? Whore m [...]ngers. Howe lytle is hono­rable wedlocke estemed? Howe ma­ny wyncke, I wyll not saye, laughe at y • abhominable vnclennes, which not a fewe commytte at this tyme? Who careth though it be knowne, y • he hath lyghen wythe an whore all nyght and so defyled hymselfe, men haue so rubbed theyr forhedes now a dayes, and become past all shame, so lytle ponyshment also is there ap poynted for this fylthy abhomina­cion? I would whoredome were not growne vp into suche boldnes, that it dare compare wythe holy matri­mony for pleasaunt & easy lyuyng. I would stynckyng fornicaciō were [Page] not so had in price, that it were pre­ferred aboue honorable wedlocke. I woulde there were not, which, whā they haue wrought wickednes, Preuer. ii. glo­rye, rejoyse, and boste of it vnto the euell example of other.

What shall I speake of false wytnes bearers, False wyt­nes bearers. which for a lytle mony or for hatred borne towarde the parsō, are redy streyghtwayes to gyue false euidence, yea and to be sworne also that it is true, whan nothynge is more false? So that by theyr vn­iust and false wytnes bearynge, the innocent is wrongefully condēned, & the wycked hathe the vppermoost hande. Thorowe such is muche innocent bloud also oftentymes shedde. O pitefull case. O lamētable chaūse Would God al false witnes bearers were handled according to the com­maundemēt of God, Deutronomy, the .xix. Salomō sayth, A false wit­nes [Page] shal not escape vnponyshed, Prouer .xix. and he that speaketh lyes, shall peryshe.

I let passe manslaughter, Malorum mare. thefte, glotony, surfetyng, dronckeshyp, dysyng, cardyng, quarellyng, with an whole see of euels mo, which at this daye reygne in the worlde. Do not all these thynges prouoke God vn­to anger, and make hym displeased wyth vs? Howe can God be in oure army, and make the warres to pros­per, seynge that they for whome the battell is, are wicked and replete w t all synne and abhominaciō? Certes this our iniquite must he redressed, it we wyll haue God mercifull vnto vs, & blysse our endeuours in martiall affaires.

But as I may leaue of to speake of grosse and corporal vices, Spirituall vices. & turne my communicacion vnto spirituall matters, what shall we saye vnto y • Idolatry, Idolatry. supersticiō, false worshypipyng [Page] of God, confidence in ceremo­nies, trust in popysh pardons, gad­dyng on pylgrymage, gyldyng of y­mages, settyng vp of candelles, &c, whiche reygne yet in diuers places of the worlde? Mōstruous sectes. What a sorte of ydle mōstruous sectes also are there yet noryshed in many Realmes vnder the pretexte of holynes, which do nothyng but lyke gredy cormoraūtes deuour the paynfull laboures of o­ther mennes handes?

Moreouer howe slacke almooste vniuersally are the curates & spiri­tuall sheppardes to do theyr office? Spirituall sheppardes. Howe negligēt are they to fede chri stes flocke wyth the sincerite of goddes word? How lytle do they esteme the soules of theyr parysheners (for whose saluacion oure Lorde Iesus A [...]um [...]. xx. Christe disdayned not to haue hys blyssed body brokē and his precious bloud shed) so y t they maye deuoure [Page] the sat of the shepe, & gorgiously be clad with theyr wolle? Howe many of them dayly hunte, hawke, fyshe, & what not, after spirituall promoci­ons, and whan they haue them, neglecte theyr office, be absent frō theyr benefices, cōmit theyr cure to suche vnlearned prestes, as canne scasely iudge betwene A and B? what a nō ber also of them come vnto theyr benefices, non per ostium sed aliūde, that is to saye, not by the doore Christ, Ioau .x. nor for ony mynde or loue y t they haue to the glory of God, and the saluacion of christen mēnes soules, but for the desyre of fylthy lucre, for an easy lyuyng for to be called master Parsonne, M. Uicare, M. Curate, M. Chaplen, &c? Howe lytyll liberalite do they shewe to paryshners? Howe longe is theyr hande in receauyng, & shorte in gyuynge? Howe wycked and abhominable is theyr lyuyng? [Page] Howe colde & litle feruent are theyr prayers? Howe rare & seldome are theyr studies in the holy scriptures, wherin they are bounde to be occu­pyed both day and nyght? Psal. [...]. Are these fytte prestes to stonde betwene the people & God to pacifye his wrath? Are these fyt prestes to make inter­cession for the synnes of the people? Are these fytte prestes to whom the flocke of oure Lorde Iesus Christe should be commytted? Our Lord be mercifull vnto vs. Undoubtedly there is greate scasenes of sheppar­des, whan it is come to this poynte that wolues muste haue the cure & charge of shepe. I feare moche that if this great absurdite be not redressed shortely, the flocke of Christ shall be miserably spoyled, rēt, torne and deuoured. God sende vs once suche sheppardes, as maye fede his flocke wyth godly doctrine and vertuous [Page] lyuynge.

Agayne to whom is it vnknowē, Dissencion betwene the spiritualte & temporalte. what dissension reygneth among y • Spiritualte & Temporalte, as they are called, now a dayes in many places? Seldome doth the one reporte well of the other. The laye man ha­teth the preste, the prest agayne bur nethe not in charite. The laye man thyncketh all y t euer the preste hath, is to moche, seyng he taketh so lytle payne in settyng forth Gods word and in doynge hys duty. The preste agen thyncketh all to lytyl, though he maye dispende hondreds yearely, and do nought for it. Wyll this commaundement of GOD by his holy Apostle neuer be looked vpon & ear­nestly put in execucion? ii. Thess. iii. Qui non labo­rat, non manducet. He that labourethe not, oughte not for to eate. Certes vntyll the prestes be more seriously bent to loue God and his worde, to [Page] preache the Gospell of Christe, & to lyue accordyng to theyr office, they shall neuer be estemed nor regarded among the people, but hated, contē ­ned, and detested. Let the prestes remember the sayenge of God the fa­ther by his Prophet, Oze. iiii. & take hede be­tymes: Seynge therfore thou haste refused knowlege, I wyl refuse the, so y e thou shalt no more be my prest. Agayne by the Prophet Malachy, Ma [...]a. ii. The lippes of a prest shal kepe knowledge, and at his mouth shal men require the lawe, for he is a messanger of the Lorde of hoostes. But as for you, O ye prestes, ye are gone clene out of the way, and haue caused ma ny to be offended at the lawe. Ye haue broken the couenaūt of Leuy, sayth the Lord of hoostes. Therfore haue I made you to be despysed, & to be of no reputaciō among all the people, because ye haue not kept my [Page] wayes, but bene parcial in the law.

Here may all men se why prestes are so lytle regarded at thys daye, Why prestes are so lytle regarded nowe a dayes. verely because they hate knowledge kepe not y e wayes of our Lord God, nor endeuoure them selues to fede Christes flocke wyth Goddes moost blyssed worde. ☞ If they wyll therfore be had agē in price & reuerēt estimacion, as it is conuenient, let thē cast away theyr olde manners, shyne as the lyght of the worlde, Math. v. sauour as y • salte of the earth, loue God and his word, preach Christes Gospell purely, meditate in the lawe of the Lord both day and nyght, Psal. i. dissuade no mā from readyng the holy scriptures, exhorte all men vnto pure innocen­cy, and a christen state of lyuynge, & aboue all thynges be the very same vnto the people in dede, that they professe in worde. So shall they re­couer theyr olde dignite, and be had [Page] in honour of al mē. i. T [...]. v. Yea so shal y • lay men haue them in reuerēce as true spiritual fathers, giue them double honoure, minister vnto them abun­dauns of all thynges, receaue them as an Aungel of God, yea as Christ Iesus himselfe, and be redy at all tymes euē to dygge out theyr eyes to do them pleasure, Gala. v. as Saynt Paule wryteth.

Furthermore nowe that y • lyght of Gods word is come abroad amog diuers nacions, Despisers of Gods word. how vnthanckefully is it receued? How many wynke and speare theyr eyes, because they wyll not se it? Howe many are obstinately blynde? What a nomber is there, that had rather walke styl in y e darkenes of mens tradicious, thā in y • glorious lyght of gods trueth? Yea I wolde there were not, y • perse cute this open verite of Gods word theyr conscience bearyng wytnes y • [Page] they do euell, and condemnyng thē for so doyng. This is the condemnaciō, Ioan. iii. sayth Christ, that lyght is come into the world, and men haue loked darckenes rather than lyghte. For theyr workes were euel. Euery one that doth euell, hateth the lyght, nether comethe he vnto the lyght, be­cause his workes shoulde not be re­proued. But he that workethe the trueth, cometh vnto the lyght, that his workes maye be perceyued, that they are done by God.

Another sorte of people there are whyche receaue Gods worde at the fyrste entraunce very ioyfully, Sliders backe from the trueth of goddes worde. and make moche of it, shewyng them sel­ues so feruent, that they wyll seme to be ready for to gyue theyr lyues for it. But full soone is theyr whot loue colde. For whā they se that the worde of God fyghteth so manifest­ly wyth theyr wycked lyuynge, and [Page] condemneth theyr ambicion. pryde, couetousnes, effeminate māners &c than are they wery of it, despyse it, & caste it awaye, being lothe that any man shoulde meddle wythe all. Thā do they contemne the celestial Mā ­na, & chose rather to be fed wyth the greasy fleshe pottes of Egipte. Thā fall they agen vnto theyr olde blyndnes, so that this cōmon sayeng may wel be verefyed of them: Prouer. xii. ii. Pet. ii. The dogge is turned to his vomet agayne, and the sowe that was was wasshed, to her wallowyng in the myre. Better had it bene for thē not to haue kno­wen the waye of ryghteousnes, thā after they haue knowne it, to turne frō y • holy cōmaūdemēt gyuē to thē.

There be yet another sorte of people, which desyre to be called gospel­lers Gospellers. and earnest fauourers of God­des worde, promisynge many thyn­ges for the glorye therof, and yet in [Page] theyr conuersacion are they no lesse wycked, than the other be. They cō ­fesse that they know God, Tit [...]. i. but wyth theyr dedes they deny hym, and are abhominable and disobedient, & vn­to all good workes discommēdable. Thorow theyr iniquite the name of God is not glorifyed, Roma. ii. but blasphe­med and euell spoken of amonge the Hethen. Suche maye be compared to that sonne, whiche promysed hys father, Math. xxi. that he woulde worke in his vyneyearde, and yet dyd not. But what do I? If I shulde go forth to declare the abhominable wickednesses that raygne nowe in the worlde vniuersally, I shoulde neuer make an ende, thoughe I had an hondred tonges and an hōdred mouthes, as the Poet sayth. Psal. xiii. All are fallen out of the ryght way, they are all togither become vnprofitable, ther is none y t doth good, no not one.

[Page]Where such a wycked sorte is at home, thoughe the Souldiours be neuer so good and vertuous, howe can God fyght for thē? If God had pleasure in wyckednes, if God dyd loue them y t worke iniquite, I wolde than thyncke in dede, y t God wolde be in oure armye, and fyght for vs. But seyng that he hateth all them that worke iniquite, Psal. v. and destroyeth them that speake lyes, & abhorrethe suche as be deceatfull and desyrous of bloudsheddynge, we maye knowe right well, that excepte we amende oure wycked manners, and repente vs of our synfull lyuyng, we shal neuer obtayne the victorye ouer oure enemies at the hande of God, wyth out whose helpe what cā preuayle: If we do, surely it is gyuē vs for the greater plage and destruccion, Marke wel. that shall fall vpon vs hereafter, as ma­ny thynges are oftentymes gyuen [Page] & graunted to the wycked for theyr greater damnacion. Therfore if we wyll go the ryght waye to worke, & haue our Souldiours to prosper in the warres, Howe they ought to be­haue thē sel­ues that ta­ty at home. let so many as tary at home repent them of theyr wycked lyuyng, be sory for theyr offenses be wayle theyr mysery, & take a newe lyfe vpon them. Bryng forth frutes sayth the Baptist, worthy of repen­taunce. For euery tree y t bryngethe not forth good fruyte, shall be cutte downe, and cast into the fyre.

Let the ciuile Magistrates pro­cure aboue all thynges the wealthe of the poore cominalte. Math. iii. magistrates la. vers. Let the lawers do all thynges vpryghtely, and not the deuour the poore oppressed. Let the marchauntes seake to lyue truely by theyr occupyeng, Marchaun­tes. & not to be to great gayners. Let thē know that a christen man maye not onlye serue his owne, but also his neygh­bours [Page] necessite. Let the Gentyl mē Gentyl mē be as fathers to y e poore people, that dwell in y c contrey by thē, and so let out theyr londes, that men maye be able to lyue therby, to mayntayne hospitalite, to set forthe theyr chyl­dren to learnynge, and to healpe to beare the charges of the comō weale whan tyme requireth. Let thē that be rytche men, Rytch men. and haue plentye of corne, not hoord it vp, but gladly sel it to the other, that the nedy maye haue wherof to lyue. Let suche as be common byers and sellers Byers & se­lers. & bar­gayne makers deale iustly w t theyr christen brothers, and by no menes deceaue them. Let them that haue hytherto ben adulterers Adulterers. or vnclene persōs forsake theyr wycked liuing and learne to possesse euery mā his owne vessel in holines and honour. i. Thes. iiii. Fals wyt­nesses. Let them that haue bene false wit­nesses in times past, testify y • trueth [Page] euer after this. wicked par­sons. Let them that haue vsed māslaughter, theafte, glotony, surfettynge, dronckeshyp, dysynge, cardynge, quarellynge or ony other vice, vtterly forsake it, and become newe men. Let the Idolaters leaue theyr Idolatrye, Idolaters. and learne to put theyr trust in the lyuynge and true God alone. Let them that be spiri­tuall ministers and Curates, Spirituall ministers. take hede vnto them selues and to al the flocke, wherof the holy ghoste hathe made them ouersears to rule the cō gregacion of God, whiche he hathe purchased with his bloud. Act. xx. Let thē be diligent to preach Gods word to theyr pary shners, euer settynge be­fore theyr eyes this commaūdemēt of christ, Ioan. xxi. pasce, pasce, pasce, fede, fede fede. S. Paule also sayth, ii. Tin [...]. iiii preach y • worde, be feruent, be it in season or out of season. Improue, rebuke, ex­horte with all longe sufferynge and [Page] doctrine. If they be not able to pre­ach them selues, let them get them coadiutors & fellowhelpers, or elles can not they stond before God with honest and clere consciences. Wo be vnto me, i. Cor. ix. sayth s. Paule, if I preach not the gospell. Agayne, i. Cor. i. Christ sent not me only to baptise, y t is to saye, to minister the sacramentes, but al so to preache the gospell. Let them also lead a godly lyfe correspondent to theyr techyng. Let them be glad distributors of theyr goodes to ther poore paryshners. So shall it come to passe, that they shall be dere and welbeloued both of God and man.

Lette the laye men by no means hate the prestes, The lay mē nor the prestes the laye men, but beyng of one mynde, loue one another feruently Let the lay man reuerence the preste as his father let the preste agayne receaue and ioyfully take vnto hym the lay [Page] man, as hys sonne. By this means shall muche godly mutuall loue en­crease of both parties. Despysers of Gods worde. Let thē that haue hytherto spered theyr eyes at the lyght of Gods word, open theyr eies, cast awaye theyr blyndenes, be glad to receaue the light of Christes moost blyssed gospell, beyng assuredly persuaded, that otherwyse they can not be the chyldren of saluaciō. Let them that in tymes past recea­ued Goddes worde, and dyd caste it awaye afterwarde, Slyders backe from the truth of gods worde laye hande on it once agayn, as Peter dyd, and be so earnest followers of it, that they ne­uermore slyde awaye. Lette them that wyll be counted Gospellers Gospellers. & seriouse mayntayners of Goddes trueth prouide, that theyr lyuynge maye aunswere to theyr loue, and that they maye be the very same in worcke and truethe, that they pro­fesse in worde & tonge. So shal they [Page] adde moche glorye to the Gospell of Christ, and cause it the more feruētly to be embrased of all men.

If euery manne of euery degre, Let euery mā amende one wyll on this wyse redresse hymselfe, his lyfe and conuersaciō, & become a newe man bothe in worde & dede, howe can ony tyraunt, be he Iewe, Turke, Saracē, or ony other, Rom [...] viii. ouer­come vs? God is on oure syde, who can be agaynste vs? God fyghte the for vs, who can than preuayle? The battell is Gods, howe can it than be lost?

Nowe after that we haue chaunged our olde manners and put on a new lyfe, Of prayer [...] callyng on y • name of go [...]d we must fall in hand wyth the other frutes of the spirite, chefely prayer and callynge on the name of God. For thorow prayer we rede in the diuine Histories, that many haue preuayled agaynste theyr ene­mies, and gotten the victory. The [Page] wyse manne sayth, Prou. xviii. the name of the Lord is the moost myghty & strong Bulwarke, vnto that doth y e rygh­teous man flye and is holpen. Psal. xlix. Call vpon me, saythe God, in the daye of thy trouble, and I wyll delyuer the & thou shalte honour me. The scrip­ture also sayth, Ioel. ii. Actum. ii. Rome. x. who so euer callethe on the name of the Lorde, he shalbe sa [...]e. Unto this name of oure Lorde God let vs flye wyth cōtinuall and seruent prayers. Let vs lamēt and bewayle our cause to his diuine maieste. Lette vs desyre hym to be our captayne and valeaunt defender in oure warres. And that we maye be the more frāckely encouraged to go vnto God for helpe, let vs set before our eyes the histories of y • holy scriptures, whiche shewe howe greatly y • true and christen prayer hath holpē the people of God in tymes paste, to get the victory ouer theyr enemies.

[Page]Moses Moses. was assuredly bothe a ve­ry good and valeaūt captayne of y • Israelites, and procured nothynge more than ther helth and saluacion yet notwithstandynge whan Ame­lech came to fyght agaynste Israel, Exo. xvii. he went not forthe streyght wayes wyth them vnto battel, but toke w t hym Aharō and Hur, and went vp into the toppe of an hyll and there prayed, appoynting Iosua to be captayne of the Israelites in his stead. He doubted not, but that he should do more good beynge absent wythe hys prayers, than he shoulde do be­ynge present wyth the martiall ar­mours, as it came to passe. For whā Iosua & his cōpany began to fighte agenst Amelech, who fought best, I praye you? By whose valeaūs was the victory gotten? By the Souldiours that were presēt in the battel, or rather by Moses, which was ab­sent [Page] from it? Let vs heare what the scripture sayth: Whā Moses lyfted vp his hādes, Israel dyd ouercome, but if he dyd let hys handes downe neuer so lytyll, than had Amelech y • better. Therfore whan Moses handes were wery, Aharon & Hur toke a stonne and put it vnder hym, and he sate downe theron. And Aharon and Hur steyed vp hys handes, the one on the one syde, the other on the other syde. And it cam to passe, that his handes were steadye vntyll the Sōne was downe. So that Iosua Iosua. chased awaye Amelech and his peo­ple wyth the edge of the sweard.

Iosua Iosua. x. also that moost victorious captayne thorow prayer did not only ouercome his enemies in the bat­tell, but also caused the Sonne and the Moone to abyde and stond styll wythout ony remouyng for y • space of an whole daye, vntyll he was re­uenged [Page] of his enemies.

Whā y • Philistines came to fight Samuel. agaynst the Israelites, the chyldren of Israel were greatly afrayd of thē in asmuche that they came to Sa­muel and sayd, i. Reg. vii Cease not to cry vn­to the Lord our God for vs, that he maye saue vs out of the handes of y • Philistines. Samuel toke a yonge lambe, and offred it all togyther for a burnte offering vnto the Lorde, & cryed vnto y • Lorde for Israel. And the Lord heard him. And it came to passe, that whā Samuel offered the burnt offeryng vnto the Lorde, the Philistines began to fyght agaynst Israel, but the Lorde thondered a great thonder that same daye vpon the Philistines, and turmoyled thē that they were slayne of the chyldrē of Israel, & so brought vnder, that they came no more into the coostes of Israel.

[Page]Agayne by prayer kyng Asa Asa. ouer came Zarach the Morian wyth all his army.

By prayer also hys sonne Iosa­phat ii Par. [...]iiii. valeauntly subdued the Moa­bites Iosaphat. and Ammonites. ii. Para. xx.

Item Ezechias Ezechias. that moost holye Prynce thorowe prayer ouercame y e proud tyraunt Sennacherib wyth all his hoost. iiii. Reg. xx.

Dyd not the moost vertuous womā Iudith Iudith. xii. by prayer ouercome Holofernes and his army?

By prayer Iudas Machabeus Iudas Ma­chabeus. gat the victorye ouer hys enemies. But in two battels whē he shoulde fyght wyth Antiochus and prayed, not, he fled away. And when he dyd fyght wyth Bacchiddes & Alcinus, he was slayne because he dydde not praye as before. i. ma [...]. iiii ix. By prayer Iona­thas, when all had forsaken hym, excepte a fewe, obtayned the victory.

[Page]Of these sewe histories it is eui­dent Ionath [...]s. & manifest how greatly y • true & christen prayer, i. Macha. ii. that procedeth frō a faythfull and repentaunt barte, profyteth in the tyme of warres to obtayne the victory of our aduersaries. ☜ Unto prayer therfore as an holy anchore must so many as tary at home flye incessantly, desyryng god for his sonne Iesus sake to haue pi­tie on vs, to strengthen our armye, to be our captayne, to syght for vs, to discō [...]yte our enemyes, & to gyue vs the victory. But these our pray­ers maye not be colde, lasye, & only procedyng from the lyppes, but ser­uent, earnest, & rysynge of the very effecte of the harte. For to mumble with our lyppes, to bleate with our tonges, to rore with our throtes, to shake our heades, to lyfte vp our hā des. &c. profyteth nothyng at all, excepte the prayer cōmeth frō a [...]ayth [Page] full & repentaunt harte, as we may perceaue by dyuers places of y e scripture, Searche the Pathwaye vnto prayer Esa. x [...]i [...]. Math. xv. Lament. iii. & as I haue abundantly pro­ued in my Pathwaye vnto prayer. This people honour me with theyr lyppes, sayth Christ, but theyr hart is farre from me. Uerely they wor­shyp me in vayne. Let vs looke wel [...] vpon our owne wayes, sayth y e Prophet Hieremy, & remember our sel­ues, and turne agen vnto y • Lorde. Let vs lyfte vp our hartes w t oure hādes vnto the Lord that is in hea­uē. Therfore let our prayers be fer­uent & harty, that God may se, that there is amendment in vs, and that we thyrst the glory of his name, and the health of our countrey. Markewell And al­though it be necessary to pray at all tymes, yet at that tyme chefely let vs hartely call vnto God, whā oure Souldiours shal fyght. All y e tyme by no means let vs cease from prayer, [Page] but incessauntly crye vpon God, & neuer leaue vntyll he hath gyuen vs the victory, whiche thynge vn­doubtedly he wyll do, Lament. iii. if he perceaue that we call feruentely vnto hym. For the Lorde is full gentle & good saythe the Prophet, to them y • seake hym.

But as cōcernyng the publique prayers, Publique prayers as Processions, Masses, &c [...]t were expediente, that before ony such thynges were done, there were sermons Sermons made to the congregacion in the whiche they should be exhor­ted & admonyshed to repent, to be­ [...]eue, & to take a newe lyfe vpon thē [...]nles they pray in vayne and God [...]eteste theyr supplicacions. For w t [...]ut repentaunce, [...]ayth, and renoua [...]ion of lyfe, prayers bothe publique and priuate are nothing acceptable [...]n y • syght of god. To al such as pray [...]o, God the father by Salomō spea­keth [Page] on this manner: [...] Seynge that I haue called & ye refused it, I haue stretched out my hand, and no man regarded it, but all my coūcels haue ye despised, & set my correccions at nought. Therfore shal I also laugh in youre destruccion, & mocke you, whan the thynge that ye feare, commeth vpō you, euen whan y • thyng [...] ye be afrayde of, fallethe in sodenly, lyke a storme, & youre misery lyke [...] tempest, yea whan trouble and heuines commeth vpon you. Than shall they caull vpon me, but I wyll not heare, they shall seake me earelye, but they shall not fynde me, And y • because they hate knoweledge, & re­ceaued not the fear of the Lord, [...]ut abhorred my councell, and despised my correccion. Esa. i. Also by the Prophet Esaye, whan ye shall stretche out [...] youre handes, I wyll turne awaye myne eyes from you, and whan ye [Page] shall be styll bablynge of your pray­ers, I wyll not heare you. Therfore whē we entend to pray, let vs bring with vs repentaūce, sayth, & amendment of lyfe, so may we be sure to be hearde.

The sermon once done, let them fall earnestly vnto prayer, & desyre God wyth one mynde to be mercy­ful vnto the countrey, as I taught before.

After the prayers let euery man quietly returne home euer bearing in his mynde the safegard of his cō ­trey with a continuall eleuacion of hys harte vnto God for y • welth of the same. And let them so behaue them selues, y • God may be pleased wyth them. And as they haue pro­mysed God to become newe men so let them walke in a newe lyfe, euery man doynge hys office accordynge to hys vocacion & callyng. For yf after [Page] our prayers and the promisse of amendement of lyfe, Note. we returne a­gayne vnto oure olde wyckednesse, what other thynge do we, than pro­uoke God vnto anger, mocke him, & seake the very destruccion of our cō trey. Lette vs therfore be the very same in dede, that we haue promised in worde. So shall it come to passe assuredly, that God shall be in oure army, fyght for vs, strengthen oure Souldiours, chase awaye our ene­mies, and giue vs y • victory, so that nether Turke, Iewe, Saracen, nor any other Tyraūt shall may be able at ony tyme to preuayle agenst vs.

Whan we haue once gotten y • vic­tory ouer our enemies, After what [...]orte y • soul­diours shall returne hōe after they haue gotten the victorye so that now the tyme requireth, that our Souldiours shall come home agayne, it must be prouided y e theyr returne be godly, modest, sober and thankefull vnto our Lorde God for the victo­ry [Page] which he hath giuē vs. And whā they be once come home, let the peo­ple gather togyther, & the preacher make a solemne sermon vnto them, declaring how greatly we are boūd to God for this tryumphant victo­ry that he hath gyuē vs, and exhor­tynge them to be thanckefull agen to God for inestimable kyndenes.

The sermon once done, let all the people bothe men, women, A sermon after the victory wyth thankes & praises. and chyl­dren wyth ioyfull voyces syng har­ty prayses to oure Lorde God, con­fessyng that by hys omnipotent po­wer alone, it is come to passe, y • we haue gotten the victory, as that noble mā Pytho Pytho. returnyng from the warres sayd to the Athenians, whā they meruelled greatly at hys pros­perous chaūse, and praysed hym be­cause he hadde slayne kynge Cotys: There is no thancke, sayth he, to he gyuē vnto me, but vnto God alone, [Page] ‘who beyng the Author, thys acte is very nobly done. As for me, I dyd none other thynge but put my hel­pynge hande and diligence vnto it. God alone gaue the victory, to hym therfore be all the thācke, prayse, ho­nour and glory.’

We read also in diuers places of the holy Scripture, that after God had gyuen the victory to his people ouer theyr enemies, they brast oute streyght wayes īto prayses, & gaue God harty thanckes, as we rede of the chyldren of Israel at theyr dely­ueraunce out of Egypt, which whā they sawe theyr enemy kynge Pha­rao wyth all his army drowned in y • see, Exo. xv. and them selues preserued, what goodly songes, lawdes and prayses, dyd they syng to theyr Lorde God? Howe dyd Debora and Barach af­ter the victory prayse God, I [...]ic. v. because Sisara & his company were slayne [Page] and they graciously kepte safe?

Whan y • Holofernes was slayne, and his army put to flyght, what a goodly songe dyd Iudith Iudith. xvi. synge to y • Lorde? Howe ioyfully came all the people togither vnto Ierusalem for to gyue prayse & thākes vnto theyr Lord God, and to offer theyr burnt sacrifices and promysed offeringes?

After thexample of these deuout and holy parsonnes ought we also, whā we haue gotten the victory, to gyue God thanckes, and to offer the Sacrifice of prayse vnto hym. So shal we shewe our selues not vnworthy hys beneficence, yea so shall we prouoke God to continewe a gentle & fauourable Lorde vnto vs, when he shall perceyue that we be thācke­full, and do not forget his inestima­ble benefites, which he dayely shew­eth vnto vs.

Nowe remayneth the laste parte [Page] of thys oure worke, whiche is to de clare, after what sorte we shall be haue our selues, whan we haue gotten the victory of our enemies, tha [...] we maye enioye peace and tranquilite for euer after. How we shall be haue our selues, y • we maye enioye peace euer after. We heard before that the cause, why God plageth vs eyther with warres, pestilēce or hō ­ger, is Idolatry, false worshyppyng [...] of God, y • despisyng of Christes gos­pell, wycked lyuyng, effeminate mā ners. &c. Nowe if we wyll be fre frō these plages, and lyue in rest & qui­et, we muste cease to commyt suche greuous synnes agaynst God, and seake both to serue hym accordyng to his word, and also to lead a pure and innocent lyfe. By this means shall God blysse our countrey wyth peace, encrease it with thabundans of all thynges, & make it to floryshe aboue all other nacious.

That thys thyng maye the more [Page] aptely be brought to passe, it is con­uenient that the ciuile magistrates and head rulars of euery countrey prouyde that there be learned cura­tes, Learned cu­rates. which maye teache the people y • true worde of God, that they maye knowe howe to worshyp hym accor­dyng to the holy scriptures. It shall profit also not a lytle vnto true god liues to haue modest, learned, Wyse and godly scolemasters. graue and godly Scholemasters in euery coūtrey, that maye bryng vp youth not only in y e knowlege of humayne letters and ciuile māners, but also in the feare of the Lorde, that they maye learne euen frō theyr cradles, as they saye, to knowe God, to vn­derstond his worde, to honour hym aryght, Fathers & mothers. Masters & Mastresses & to walke in his holy path­wayes. This thyng also ought al fathers & mothers, masters & mastres­ses do in theyr houses, that suche as be vnder them maye knowe & serue [Page] God aright, By this means shall all Idolatry and false worshyppyng of God shortely decay & vanysh away, and the true seruyse of God only re­mayne among vs.

Nowe as concernynge purite of lyfe, Purite of lyfe. thys shall easily follow of y • true knowledge of God. For he that is engraffed in God, is a member of God hath Gods spirite in hym, which ex­citeth and moueth hī vnto all goodnes, as Christ sayth, Ioan. xv. I am the vyne, & ye are y • braūches. He y • dwellethe in me, & I in hym, he bryngeth forth muche fruyte. The fruytes that we brynge forth must be for euery man to lyue accordyng to his vocacion & callynge. Let them that be tēporall rulars Temporall rulars procure peace in theyr Real­mes aboue all thynges, vse theyr of­fice iustly, seke not only to be feared but also to be loued, shewe them sel­ues mercifull gydes and tender captaynes [Page] of the people, and so behaue thē selues in all thynges, that they may be the very Image of GOD. By this means shall theyr kyngdōs well prosper and longe continewe. Let them agayne that be subiectes shewe all reuerēt submissiō to theyr Subiectes. heades and rulars, being alway obediēt euen from the very harte with­out ony ether preuy dissimulaciō or open resistaunce.

Let them that be byshoppes Byshoppes and other spirituall ministers lay asyde all tyrāny, and hawtynes of mynde and walke wyth all gentle softenes & tender compassion toward y • shepe of Christ committed to theyr cure & charge. Let thē be as moost louyng fathers to Christes [...]ocke, and if ony of the shepe chaunse to runne astray and to go oute of the waye, let them not therfore vngentylly entreate y • shepe, but as it is the office of a good [Page] sheppard, by fayre meās call it home agayne vnto the folde & loue it new agayne. Luke. xv. Let them remember thistory of the lost shepe, and cōsyder how tenderly the head sheppard our ma­ster Christe fetched it home agayne euen vpō his shulders. The seruaūt of the Lorde maye not fyght, saythe S. Paule, but be peasable & gentle toward all men, ii. Tim. ii. redy to teache, sufferyng the euell with mekenes, enformyng thē that resiste, if that at ony tyme God maye gyue them repen­taunce to know the trueth. Let thē that be paryshners and laye people reuerence the Bishoppes and other spirituall ministers, Laye people Malach. ii. gyuynge them no lesse honour, i. Cor. i. than the chylde gy­ [...]eth the father, Math. v. remembrynge that they be the aungels of God, i. Cor. iiii. the messangers of Christe, Ioan. xxi. the lyghte of the worlde, the salte of the earth, the dispensatours of the misteries of God [Page] the feders of theyr soules, the confortours of the weake, the Phisicions of the sycke, y • vpholders of y e whole, the exhorters vnto vertue, the fray­ers awaye frō vice. &c. which watch continually for the healthe of theyr soules.

Let all other parsons publique or priuate so lyue, Heb. xiii. Parsonnes of euery degre that there be no dissencion among them, nor grudge one toward an other, euer settynge before theyr eyes this sayeng of the Psalmographe, Psal. xxxiii seake after peace, & mayntayne the same. Nether shal it be vnsyttynge to haue in memory this verse of the Poet.

Candida pax homines, Ouidius Lib. iii, de arte amādi, Godly ad­monicions. trux decet ira feras. If ony discorde chaunse to aryse at ony tyme among vs, let it not long remayne, but let all means possible be sought, that frendly concord and vnfayned amite may euermore rey­gne among vs. Lette vs charitably [Page] heare and monysh one another. Lee vs reporte well one of another. Let vs enterpret all thynges vnto the best. To conclude, let christen chari­te so beare rule amonge vs, that we may be al of one mynde, [...] euen as we be all one body, and haue one heade, which is Christ.

If we wyl on this manner gyue diligence, that we maye be at peace both wyth God and man, we maye be sure not onlye to exchewe all the assaultes of our enemies, and to be free from those plages, where withe y • disobedient be turmoyled thorow the myghty hande of God, but also to enioy perpetual trāquilite, peace [...]este, quietnes, and to haue our Re­almes abunde with all kynde of cō ­modities that pertayne vnto y • properous conseruacion of a publique weale. And if it shuld so chaunse at ony tyme, y • ony forrē Prynce ether [Page] Christen or Hethen shuld be moued of some euell spirite to assayle oure contry, God wyll so watche the bor­ders & coastes of our Realmes that no Tyraunte shoulde preuayle, nor once be able to twytche agaynst vs: So myghty a Bulwarke & stronge Castell is the hand of God for them that worshyp hym accordyng to his worde, put theyr truste in hym, call vpon his moost blyssed name, & lede a pure and innocent lyfe.

Wherfore I exhorte all Christen mē, The conclu­sion of the boke. chefely my contrey men of Eng­londe (for whose wealth and prospe­rite I haue cōpyled thys lytle trea­tyse, beyng moued vnto it thorow y • loue that I beare towarde my con­trey) that they wyll from hensforth (all supersticion layde asyde) feare, loue, honoure and worshyp God ac­cordyng to his word, and lead a lyfe so pure and innocēt, that they maye [Page] be knowne by theyr cōuersacion to pertayne to Christ. So shall it assu­redly come to passe, y t God shall not only gyue vs in this worlde a glori­ous victorye ouer all oure enemies both corporall and spiritual, but also after this lyfe bryng vs vnto that celestial cōtrey wher all ioye, peace, plesure and felicite is. AMEM.

¶Gyue the glory to God alone.

¶Imprynted at London in Botulphe lane at the sygne of the whyte Beare, by Iohn̄ Maylerre for Iohn̄ Gough. Anno Dn̄i. 1542.

Cum priuilegio ad imprimendum solum. Per Septennium.

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