A profitable and necessarye doctrine with certayne homelyes adioyned therunto / set forth by the reuerend father in God, Edmunde Byshop of London ...

¶ The preface of the. x. commaundementes.

THree partes of oure promyse, beynge nowe perfourmed, it is to wytte, first what fayth is, and how it is to be ta∣ken in this boke, secondly the exposy∣tion of the twelue articles of the chry∣sten beleife, theyrdely the declaration of the. vii. sacramentes, the promysed order nowere∣quyreth, that in this fourth place, the tenne commaun dementes, with theyr declaration, be set fourth vnto you, for an introduction vnto whiche ye shall note foure poyntes: Fyrste, what is the lawe, or the com∣maundemente of God, Secondelye, howe the com∣maundementes of God must be obserued, to the plea sure of God, and our saluation: Thyrdely, what gre uous punyshmentes God, dothe in holye Scripture threaten and manace vudoutedlye to be inflycted to the breakers of his commaundementes, and fourth∣lye, what greate rewardes the keapers of hys law, & cōmaundementes, shall receaue at Goddes handes. Touchynge the fyrst poynte, whiche is, what the law and commaundemente of God is you shall knowe that the lawe of God, is a rule gyuen to vs, of God for the good guydynge of our selues. Whiche rule de∣clareth, and sheweth to vs, what is the wyll and plea sure of God for vs to doo, or not to dooe, in thoughte worde. and dede. And when I call it a rule, I meane that as the bryckelayer cannot make a wal euen and strayghte, withoute the direction of hys lyne nor a mason can not hewe any coygne or assler stone, with

〈◊〉〈◊〉 the direction of his squyre and rule, nor the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 master can guyde or styre his shyppe safely to good hauen, or harborough, withoute the direction of the compasse, so neyther man nor woman can order, guyde, and rule theyr lyfe euenly, dyrectly, & streight∣lye, to the wyll and pleasure of almyghty God, with∣out the knowledge and direction of his lawe, and commaundementes, which are the lyne, rule, squyre, and compasse, whereby we maye reare our workes vpryghtly, frame our selfes in vertue constantly, and gouerne the course of lyfe into the hauen of felicitie prosperouslye. And where I saye, that the commaun dementes are geuen to vs of God, I declare thereby, that onely God hath, both (throughe the lawe of na∣ture) in our hartes prynted them, and also in the law of Moyses with his owne fynger, (that is to saye, by the vertue of the holy spyryte) in two tables of stone wrytten them. And laste of all our sauioure Chryste, beynge both God and man, hath ratified and expoū∣ded them in the newe lawe of the Gospell: to the in∣tent that with all diligence we shoulde studye to ob∣serue and kepe the sayd commaundements, not one∣ly because they are so expediente and profitable vnto vs, but especially because that thei are geuen to vs of God, who therby doth declare to vs his godlye wyll and pleasure, vnto whom both we, and all creatures els, are bounde to be obedient.

And as touchynge the seconde poynte, whiche is howe we muste obserue and kepe the commaunde∣mentes of God to his pleasure, and thereby obtayne of him rewarde in heauen, ye shall here note, that we

must kepe the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 three maner of wayes, first holy and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 in theyr perfecte number, being ten, accordyng wherevnto in the first chapiter of S. Luke, in the high and greate commendation of Zachary and Elyzabeth, the parentes of Saint Ihon Baptyste, it is wrytten. Erant autem iusti 〈◊〉〈◊〉 de um, incedentes in omnibus mandatis et iustificationibus domini, sine quere∣la That is to say: And thei both were iust before GOD, walkyng or lyuyngem all the cō∣maundementes & iustifications of GOD without any complaynte agaynst them.

And I do saye those wordes Holye and fully, forasmuch as it is not inough to kepe parte or some of the sayd commaundementes of God, and to leaue parte of them vnkepte: But as in a harpe, a lute, or a vyol (being instrumentes of 〈◊〉〈◊〉) euery string with other must be tuned, and none lefte vntuned, leste thereby some vnpleasant soundes, and discords might be vttered, so we muste putte all and euerye the commaundementes of God, to theyr tuneable fashion and practyse, lest that yf any be left vnused or 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of vs, there might to the pure and cleane eares and iudgemente of Almyghtye GOD, come thereby some vnpleasaunte sownde, and vnswete reporte of our lyues and doynges.

Accordyng wherevnto Saynt Iames in the. ii. chapiter of his epistle sayeth. 〈◊〉〈◊〉; totam legem 〈◊〉〈◊〉 rit, offendat autem in uno, factus est omniū reus. That is to saye:

whosoeuer shall kepe the hole lawe, and yet offende in one poynte or parte thereof, is be∣come gyltie of all.

The second way by whiche we must kepe y^e com∣maundementes of God, is that we doo kepe them with a ryght intention: that is for the loue, for the honor, and for the glory of God onelye, and not for anye honoure or glorye, to be geuen to vs, of man in thys lyfe.

For whosoeuer in doinge of hys good dedes, intendeth principally to get honor, glory or reward of man, hath a wronge intention, and hys dede soo done (yea although it be commaunded of God) is not pleasaunte or acceptable vnto God. And of thys ryghte intention speaketh our sauiour Chryst in the vi. chapiter of Saynte Mathewe sayinge. Lucerna cor∣poris tui est oculus tuus, Sioculus tuus fuerit simplex, totum corpus tuum lucidum erit. Si autem oculus tuus fuerit nequam, totum corpus 〈◊◊〉〈◊◊〉 nebrosum erit That is to saye: The light of thy bo∣dy is thine 〈◊〉〈◊〉. 〈◊〉〈◊〉 thine eie be simple or 〈◊〉〈◊〉, then all thy body wilbe bright or cleare but yf thine eie be euill or nought, all thy bodye wilbe full of darkenes.

Heare by the eye is vnderstanded the intente, the regarde, or purpose of mans hart, and by the bodye, is ment the wordes, actes and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of man, proce∣dynge from the harte, and by that intente directed and ordered.

Therefore Saynt Paule agreing herevnto doth exhorte vs, in his first Epistle to the Corynthyans, and in the. x. chapiter, saying thus. Siue manducatis, siue bibitis, siue aliud quid facitis, omnia in gloriam dei facite That is to saye: Whether ye do eat, whether ye do drink, or whether ye do any other thinge ells, do ye all thinges vnto the glory of GOD

Nowe the thyrd way whereby we must obserue the commaundementes of GOD, is with constancye and perseueraunce to contynue in the doyng of thē. For as our Sauiour Chryst sayeth in the. x. of Ma∣thewe. Qui perseuer auerit us{que} in finem, hic saluus erit. That is to saye: He that doth perseuer, or continue, vn∣till the very ende shall be saued. And in dede so constantlye we shoulde kepe Goddes commaunde∣mentes, that no temporall payne threatened or put vnto vs in this worlde, shoulde moue vs to breake any of them. Such a constant seruaunt to God was Susanna of whome we reade in the. xiii. chapiter of Danyell, that when she was prouoked to y^e synne of adultery by two olde iudges, vnder no lesse paine then to be accused in open iudgement, whiche was death by the lawe, she woulde not graunte to that synnefull dede, but sayde these wordes. Angustie sunt mi∣hi undi{que}, sienim hoc egero, mors mihiest: siautem non egero non effugi∣am manus 〈◊〉〈◊〉. Sed melius est mihi abs{que} opere incidere in manus homi∣num, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 peccare in conspectu domini. That is to saye: Alas I am in trouble on euery side, for yf I com∣mitte this dede it is death to me, and if I doo

it not, I cannot escape your handes. Well it is better for me to fall in to the hands of mē, than to synne in the syghte of GOD.

We wyll passe ouer the honorable auncyent fa∣ther Eleazar mencyoned of in the seconde boke and the. vi. chapiter of the Machabees. We wyl not stay vpon the. vii. brethern and theyr mother, spoken of in the. ii. boke and seuenth chapiter of the Macha∣bees, of whiche one of the chyldren sayde. Parati sumus magis mori. {quam} patrias deileges preuaricari. That is to saye: We are redy rather to die, then to breake or transgresse the lawes of God which oure fa∣thers kepte. But of late dayes, in the tyme of oure pestiferous scisme, the new broched brethern, rather woulde tumble to hel headelonge, then they would doo as the catholyke Churche from Chrystes tyme hetherto hath done, concernynge the lawes of GOD, and the rytes of the sayde catholyke churche. And yet forsoth they wyll chaleng martyrdome, but those seuen innocentes doo condempne them in this case. And thys nowe haue ye heard howe ye should kepe the commaundementes of GOD to his pleasure, firste in kepyng them all and euery of them, and not in kepyng some, and to offende in the other. Secōd∣ly in kepyng them with a ryght intention, whyche is for the loue of God, and eternall rewarde, whych is God hymselfe. And thyrdly in obseruyng the same with constancye and perseueraunce to the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of our lyfe. In which doinge, ye kepe 〈◊〉〈◊〉 to the plea∣sure of God, and to your eternall 〈◊〉〈◊〉 & with∣oute

kepyng of them ye neyther can please him, nor haue lyfe euerlastyng, accordyng to Chrystes owne sentence and iudgement, when he sayd. Si uis ad 〈◊〉〈◊〉 in∣grediserua 〈◊〉〈◊〉. That is to saye: 〈◊〉〈◊〉 thou wylte entre to lyfe, kepe the commaundementes.

Nowe to come to speake of the thyrde parte or poynte of our diuision, made in the begynnynge of thys preface, it is to wytte, of the greuous paynes punishmentes, and afflictions that God in scrypture doth threaten and menace to be inflicted vpon such as breake hys commaundementes, ye shall vnder∣stand first that the trangressours of Goddes law, & commaundementes are generally accursed of gods owne mouth, as the Prophette Dauyd in the. 118. Psalme declarethe, sayinge: Maledicti qui declinant a mandatis tuis. That is to saye: Cursed be they which doo declyne or 〈◊〉〈◊〉 from thy commaun∣dementes. And of the particuler, sharpe, and dred∣full scourges, punyshmentes, and plages, whiche do lyght vpon the trangressours of these commaunde∣mentes, ye may rede in the. 〈◊〉〈◊〉 chapiter of Leuiti∣cus, and in the. xxvii and. xxviii. chapiters of Deute∣ronomy. And howe that (to the terrible example of other) almyghtye God hath from tyme to tyme exe∣cuted his Justyce vpon aswell pryuate men & wo∣men, as also vpon myghty rulers, prynces, kynges, and emperours, besydes thē vpon Townes, Cities, ye, & hole countryes and kyngedoms, in scourgyng, 〈◊〉〈◊〉, afflyetynge and plagynge them, for breaking & trangressing of his lawes & commaūde∣mentes,

the scryptures most habundantly do testify. As that some were of the earth swalowed vp quicke euen vnto hell and euerlastynge payne, and that o∣ther some (yea fyne hole Cities) with fyre & bryme∣stone, poured downe from heauen were quyte brent vp and consumed, and ferther that a greate num∣ber of chyldren by beares sent by God sodenly were deuoured, for theyr lewde and wycked behauioure, with very many other such lyke terrible examples in the Scryptures at large sufficientlye expressed, which were to longe, particulerlye here to rehearse, and are easye there to be founde. Wherefore to con∣clude thys thyrd parte, we aduyse all men to haue contynually before theyr eyes, that dreadeful saying of S. Paule in the. vi. to the Romaynes. Stipendia pecca timors That is to saye. The stipend or rewarde of synne is death. Meanyng thereby, not onelye here in thys worlde, temporall death of the body, but also after thys lyfe, death eternal & payne in hell fyre.

And as concernynge the fowerth and last part of our first proposed diuision, it is to wytte, of the great rewarde and blessynges which shall come to them that in such sorte as before we haue expounded kepe the lawes and commaundementes of allmigh∣tye God, fyrst ye shall note those comfortable words of almyghty God in y^e twentyth chapiter of Exodus, where he sayth of hymselfe thus. Faciens misericordiam in millia, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 qui diligunt me 〈◊〉〈◊〉 custodiunt precepta mea. That is to saye: Doynge mercy vnto thousands, to thē that loue me, & kepe my commaūdements.

And agayne in the. xxvi. of Leuiticus, he sayth, Si in prae ceptis meis ambulaueritis. & mandatamea custodieritis & feceritis 〈◊〉〈◊〉: dabo uobis pluuias temporibus suis, & terragignet germen suum, & pomis Arbores replebuntur. That is to say. If ye walke in my preceptes, and kepe my commaundementes and do them. I wil geue vnto you raynes in their due seasons: and the earth shall bringe furth her sede, and the trees shalbe replenished with fruite. In the. vi. chapiter also of Ecclesiasti∣cus, it is wrytten, Cogitatum tuum habe in praeceptis dci, & in māc datis illius maxime assiduus esto, & ipse dabit ubi cor, & 〈◊◊〉〈◊◊〉 dabitur tibi, That is to say: Haue thy thought in the preceptes of God, and be thou conty∣nuallye occupied in his commaundementes and he will geue the a harte, and desyre of wysedome shalbe geuen to thee. Whych thinge is well proued by the testimonye of kynge Dauyd, who sayth of hym selfe in his. cxviii. psalme. Super senes intellexi, quia mandata tua qu. esiui. That is to saye: I haue had vnderstanding more then the olde men, because I haue soughte thy commaunde∣mentes.

And here omittynge infinite testimonyes of scri∣pture, whiche declare, that not onely in this worlde, all helth, welth, and prosperitie is promised to the ke∣pers and obseruers of Goddeslaw, and commaun∣dementes, but also after this lyfe acrowne of immor∣talitie, and eternall ioye and blysse: we wyl here con∣clude

repeatynge agayne one shorte sentence of oure sauioure Chryste in the. xix. of Mathewe, wher he sai∣eth thus. Si uis ad uitam ingredi, serua mandata. That is to saye. Of thou wylt entre into lyfe, kepe the com maundementes.