A Golden Chain

If thou suffer and keep peace in thy self only, thy blessing is the possession of this world: but if thou so love the peace of thy brother that thou leave nothing undone or unsuffered to further it, thou shalt possess heaven. But in this worldly state where thou art no private man, but a person in respect of other, thou must, and art bound under pain of damnation to execute thine office. Of thy servants thou must exact obedience, and must not suffer thy self to be despised. If thou art a ruler, thou must take, imprison, and slay too, not of malice and hate to revenge thy self, but to defend thy subjects and to maintain thine office: the ruler must not oppress his subjects with rents, fines and customs, at all: neither pill them with taxes, and such like to maintain his own lusts: but be loving and kind unto them as Christ was to him: for they be the price of his blood. I will show my mind more plainly by one example. You are in your fathers house among your brethren and sisters, there if one fight with another, or if any do you wrong, you may not revenge or smite, for that pertaineth to the father only. But if your father give you authority in his absence and command you to smite, if they will not be ruled but abuse you, then you are another person. Notwithstanding, yet you have not put off the first person, but are a brother still, and must ever love & prove all things to rule with love: but if love will not serve, then you must use the office of another person, or sin against your father. Even so when you are a temporal person you put not off the spiritual: therefore you must ever love, but when love will not help, you must with love execute the office ⟨p. 641⟩of the temporal person. You must love your neighbour in you heart, because he is your brother in the first state; yet you must obey your ruler who hath power over you, and when need requireth at his commandment you must go with the Constable or like officer and break open your neighbours door, if he will not open it in the Kings name: yea if he will not yield in the Kings name, you may smite him to the ground till he be subdued, and look• what harm he getteth, that be upon his own head.

If thou suffer and keep peace in thy selfe onely, thy blessing is the possession of this world: but if thou so loue the peace of thy brother that thou leaue nothing vndone or vnsuffered to further it, thou shalt possesse heauen. But in this worldly state where thou art no priuate man, but a person in respect of other, thou must, and art bound vnder paine of damnation to execute thine office. Of thy seruants thou must exact obedience, and must not suffer thy selfe to be despised. If thou art a ruler, thou must take, imprison, and sley too, not of malice and hate to reuenge thy selfe, but to defend thy subiects and to maintaine thine office: the ruler must not oppresse his subiects with rents, fines and customes, at all: neither pill them with taxes, and such like to maintaine his own lusts: but be louing and kinde vnto them as Christ was to him: for they be the price of his blood. I will shewe my minde more plainely by one example. You are in your fathers house among your brethren and sisters, there if one fight with another, or if any doe you wrong, you may not reuenge or smite, for that pertaineth to the father only. But if your father giue you authoritie in his absence and command you to smite, if they will not bee ruled but abuse you, then you are another person. Notwithstanding, yet you haue not put off the first person, but are a brother still, and must euer loue & prooue all things to rule with loue: but if loue will not serue, then you must vse the office of another person, or sinne against your father. Euen so when you are a temporall person you put not off the spirituall: therefore you must euer loue, but when loue will not helpe, you must with loue execute the office