A14136:117
The Obedience of a Christian Man
The obedie[n]ce of a Christen man and how Christ[n] rulers ought to govern, where in also (if thou mark diligently) thou shalt find eyes to perceive the crafty conveyance of all jugglers.The obedie[n]ce of a Christen man and how Christe[n] rulers ought to governe, where in also (if thou marke diligently) thou shalt fynde eyes to perceave the crafty conveyance of all iugglers.
At Marlborow in the lande of Hesse i.e. Antwerp : the second day of October. Anno. M.CCCCC.xxviii, by me Hans luft i.e. J. Hoochstraten, 1528At Marlborow in the lande of Hesse i.e. Antwerp : the seconde daye of October. Anno. M.CCCCC.xxviii, by me Hans luft i.e. J. Hoochstraten, 1528
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Evil rulers then are a sign that God is angry & wroth with us. Is it not a great wrath & vengeance that the father & mother should hate there children / even their flesh and their blood? or that an husband should be unkind unto his wife or a master unto the servant that waiteth on h•s profit / or that lords & kings should be tyrants unto their subjects & tenants which pay thē tribute / tolle / custome & rente / labouring & toiling to find them in honour & to maintain them in their estate? is not this a fearful judgement of God and a cruel wrath that the very prelates and shepherds of our souls which were wont to feed ⟨image 46⟩Christs flock with Christs doctrine and to walk before them in living there after / and to give their lives for them / to their ensample and edifying / and to strength their weak faiths / are now so sore changed that if they smell that one of their flock (as they now call them and no longer Christs) do but once long or desire for the true knowledge of Christ / they will slay him / burning him with fire most cruelly? 1What is the cause of this / and that they also teach false doctrine confirming it with lies? verily it is the hand of God to avenge the wickedness of them that have no love nor lust unto the trueth of God / when it is preached: but rejoice in unrighteousness. As thou mayest see in the second pistle of Paul to the Thessalonians. Where he speaketh of the coming of Antichrist. Whose coming shall be (saith he) by the working of Satan with all miracles signs and wonders which are but lies / and in all deceivable unrighteousness among them that perish / because they received not any love to the trueth to have ben saved. 2Therefore shall God send them strong delusion / to believe lies. Mark how God to avenge his truth / sendeth to the unthankful false doctrine & false miracles to confirm them and to harden the hearts in the false way / that afterward it shall not be possible for them to admit ⟨p. xlvi⟩the truth. As thou seest in Exodi. vij. and viij.
Evyll rulers thē are a signe yt God is angry & wroth with vs. Ys it not a greate wrath & vēgeaūce yt the father & mother shulde hate there childerne / evē their flesh ād their bloud? or yt an husbāde shulde be vnkīde vnto his wife or a master vnto ye servaunte yt wayteth on hs profite / or yt lordes & kīges shulde be tiraūtes vnto their subiectes & tenaūtes which paye thē tribute / tolle / custome & rēte / laborīge & toylīge to fynde thē in honoure & to maītene thē in their estate? ys not this a fearfull iudgemēte of God ād a cruell wrath yt the very prelates and sheperdes of oure soules which were wōte to fede