A Christian instruction, containing the law and the Gospel Also a summary of the…A Christian instruction, conteyning the law and the Gospell Also a summarie of the…

T. I Do know right well now by that which thou sayest, that all such cloakings cannot excuse us before God: but from whence cometh it, that God sometimes doth allow works, which he seemeth to have forbidden? he commandeth to honour father and mother, and to obey the magistrates, and yet notwithstanding he doth often times greatly commend those which do not obey them at all. He forbiddeth murder, and yet sometime he commendeth those that do commit it.

T. I Do knowe righte well now by that whiche thou saist, that all suche clokings cannot excuse vs before God: but from whence commeth it, that God somtimes dothe allow workes, whiche he seemeth to haue forbidden? he commaundeth to honoure father and mother, and to obey the magistrates, and yet notwithstāding he doth often times greatly commend those which do not obey thē at all. He forbiddeth murther, and yet sometime he commendeth those that do committe it.

D. That diversity cometh of the nature of the commandments of God, and of the order whereby he hath disposed them in his Law, for he hath brought and divided the whole into two Tables, in which he hath written & disposed ⟨p. 510⟩his commandments, according to the order & worthiness of the thing that every one of them containeth.

D. That diuersitie cōmeth of the nature of the commandementes of God, and of the order whereby he hathe disposed them in his Lawe, for he hathe broughte and deuided the whole into two Tables, in which he hath written & disposed ⟨p. 510⟩his commaundementes, according to the order & worthynesse of the thing that euery one of them cōteyneth.

T. Declare that order unto me.

T. Declare that order vnto me.

1. 1

Of the manner how to accord and agree the passages and sentences of the law and of the holy Scriptures, which seem to disagree, set forth upon the commandment given to honour father and mother, and what love or hatred he would that we should bear them.

Of the manner hovv to accord and agre the passages and sentences of the lavve and of the holy Scriptures, vvhich seme to disagree, set foorthe vppon the commaundement giuen to honoure father and mother, and vvhat loue or hatred he vvould that we shuld beare them.

T How may this be? hath God given a law which is contrary to it self and doth contain commandments which cannot be observed without transgression of others?

T HOw may this be? hath God giuen a lawe which is contrary to it selfe and doth conteyne commaundements which cannot be obserued without transgression of others?

D. No, if the law be well understood in that meaning & sense, for the which it was given by God, and for the better understanding of all this difficulty. I will declare it unto thee by certain examples which are very familiar: God commandeth me to honour my father: to what end is this commanded me? To the end that God mought be honoured, in the honour that we give to our fathers, acknowledging the goodness that we have received of him by them, who have bin the instruments and ministers of his loving kindness toward ⟨p. 512⟩us.

D. No, if the lawe bée well vnderstoode in that meaning & sense, for the whiche it was giuen by God, and for the better vnderstanding of all thys difficultie. I will declare it vnto thée by certayne examples which are very familiar: God commaundeth me to honoure my father: to what ende is this commanded me? To the ende that God moughte be honoured, in the honoure that we giue to our fathers, acknowledging the goodnesse that we haue receyued of him by them, who haue bin the instruments and ministers of his louing kindnesse toward ⟨p. 512⟩vs.

D. Thou hast well answered: thou doest then see here how that this commandment hath his foundation in the first table, in such sort that if thou dishonour thy father, thou doest not only dishonour that man which is thy carnal father, but in him doest thou dishonour God thy eternal father, of whom the carnal father is nothing else but an Image or instrument, toward whom thou declarest of what affection thou art towards him whom he representeth, and the more near that this image is to thee, and the more near thou drawest to the nature of it, and that God doth more familiarly and more plenteously communicate unto thee his loving kindness by this instrument, and the more that he maketh his image to shine in him, so much the more is thy wickedness & iniquity the greater, but if it should so come to pass that thy father should be untrue toward god, & should require of thee a thing, wherein thou couldest not obey him, unless thou shouldest disobey God, thou art not at all in any thing bound unto him in such a case, for in such ⟨p. 513⟩a case thou art dispensed with in the first table, & by the interpretation & true meaning of the same. For seeing that the honour which thou owest to thy father, doth comprehend the honour of god, & is grounded upon the same, it is certain that if god be dishonoured in that which thy father requireth of thee, thou doest not honour him at all in such sort as thou art commanded by god to honour him, if thou do it in such sort as thy father requireth thee to do, for thy father cannot be truly honoured, in that wherein god is dishonoured, but is dishonoured in that wherein god is dishonoured, although that men cannot always understand & know it. Therefore when thy father doth command thee any thing, thou oughtest to have good regard to the nature of the thing which he commandeth thee to do, if it be a thing that thou mayest do without offence toward God and thine own conscience, seek by all means possible to please him, for the honour of him that doth so command thee, how hard soever it be to do:

D. Thou hast well aunswered: thou doest then see here howe that this commaundement hath his foundation in the firste table, in such sorte that if thou dishonor thy father, thou doest not only dishonor that man which is thy carnall father, but in him doest thou dishonor God thy eternall father, of whome the carnall father is nothing else but an Image or instrumente, towarde whome thou declarest of what affection thou arte towards him whome he representeth, and the more neare that this image is to thée, and the more neare thou drawest to the nature of it, and that God doth more familiarly and more plenteously communicate vnto thee his louing kindnesse by this instrument, and the more that he maketh his image to shyne in him, so muche the more is thy wickednesse & iniquitie the greater, but if it should so come to passe that thy father shuld be vntrue toward god, & should require of thée a thing, wherin thou couldest not obey him, vnlesse thou shouldest disobey God, thou arte not at all in any thing bound vnto him in such a case, for in such

if it be otherwise, in such a case acknowledge ⟨p. 514⟩him not at all for thy father, because that the devil doth require by him that thou shouldest yield him in thy father that honour which thou owest to thy only God, and that he will make thy father his instrument, but leave that Satan transfigured into the likeness of thy father, and say unto him that thou hast no father for whom thou mayst refuse and leave God thy heavenly and eternal father. For if a father should require his daughter to give over her self unto him, that he mought make her a harlot, or else that he himself mought abuse her, or otherwise that he should deliver her to any whoremaster, ought she to acknowledge such a father for her father? and were she bound to obey him in such a matter?

if it bée otherwise, in suche a case acknowledge ⟨p. 514⟩him not at all for thy father, bycause that the deuill doth require by him that thou shouldest yelde him in thy father that honoure which thou owest to thy only God, and that he will make thy father his instrumente, but leaue that Sathan transfigured into the likenesse of thy father, and say vnto him that thou hast no father for whome thou mayst refuse and leaue God thy heauenly and eternall father. For if a father should require his daughter to giue ouer hir selfe vnto him, that he mought make hir a harlot, or else that he himselfe moughte abuse hir, or otherwise that he shoulde deliuer hir to anye whoremaster, ought she to acknowledge suche a father for hir father? and were she bound to obey him in suche a matter?

T. There is no man if he have so much as one spark of good judgement, but would judge her worthy of great blame if she should do it: and worthy of great praise, if she did rather choose to die than to please her father in such wickedness, for by such means she should not obey to her father, but to a bawd, a whoremaster and an ⟨p. 515⟩horrible incest, and to a very Devil.

T. There is no man if he haue so muche as one sparke of good iudgement, but would iudge hir worthy of greate blame if she should do it: and worthy of great prayse, if she did rather choose to die than to please hir father in such wickednesse, for by such meanes she should not obey to hir father, but to a bawde, a whoremaster and an ⟨p. 515⟩horrible incest, and to a very Deuill.

D. Thou hast said well. Then if it be not lawful for a daughter to give over her body to her own father, to abuse it in any kind of villainy, how much less lawful is it then for the soul, which is much more precious than the body, to give over it self to any creature whatsoever he be, whereby it may be joined to the Devil? Then if thy father will be an idolater, and will have thee to be such an one with him, and will have thee to leave Jesus Christ to please him, thou oughtest than to have recourse to the interpretation that Jesus Christ doth make of this commandment, of the honour which is due to father and mother, founded in the first Table: as it shall be more amply declared when we shall come to the exposition of the fifth commandment.

D. Thou hast saide well. Then if it be not lawfull for a daughter to giue ouer hir body to hir owne father, to abuse it in any kinde of villanie, how much lesse lawfull is it then for the soule, whiche is much more precious than the body, to giue ouer it selfe to any creature whatsoeuer he be, whereby it may be ioyned to the Deuill? Then if thy father will be an idolater, and will haue thée to be such an one with him, and will haue thée to leaue Iesus Christ to please him, thou oughtest than to haue recourse to the interpretation that Iesus Christe dothe make of this cōmaundement, of the honor whiche is due to father and mother, founded in the first Table: as it shalbe more amply declared when wée shall come to the exposition of the fifte commaundement.

T. Of what interpretation meanest thou?

T. Of what interpretatiō meanest thou?

D. Of that where he saith:¹ Whosoever doth not hate his father and his mother for my sake: which is to say (as he doth expound it by an other Evangelist) he that shall love them better than me, is not worthy of me, nor may be my disciple: ⟨p. 516⟩behold this interpretation is very plain, which declareth unto us that it is a great virtue, and worthy of commendation, to contemn father and mother in time and place, which is to say, in such like cases as we have already spoken of: for such a contempt of them, is not a contempt, to speak properly, but only in the judgement of man, no more than the hatred which Jesus Christ willeth us to bear them for his sake, is a hatred, but a very true love, founded in the love of GOD. For we must rather judge of things according to their effects, than according to the affections of men, in whom we do consider them, as in divers other like passages of the Scripture: It is written in the Proverbs, in the which Solomon speaketh in the person of wisdom:² All those that hate me, love death. There is none but he hateth and abhorreth death: and yet for all that, seeing that he which despiseth and hateth wisdom, doth purchase his own death, and ruin, doth it not then seem that he loveth it, and that he desireth it? and what could he more do ⟨p. 517⟩if that he desired it? It is also written,³ he that doth take part with the thief hateth his soul: Moreover,⁴ he that spareth the rod hateth his child, yet notwithstanding there is no man that both this for any hatred that he beareth either to his soul▪ and his life, or to his child, but rather for love, if we do consider the affection of the person: yet notwithstanding the truth is even such as the spirit of GOD hath spoken in deed, as the effect doth right well declare. Then, as he hateth in deed, which doth foolishly love, and otherwise than he ought to do: even so doth he truly love, which hateth as he ought to hate, and that same which he ought to hate. The like is of the honour and dishonour: but it is not needful here to speak any more of this matter, considering that it shall have more apt place in the exposition of the Commandment of the which we have now spoken. Therefore I have spoken this but only for an example.

An example to the like purpose, upon the commandment given of the obedience due to Princes, and upon the commandment given against murder.

An example to the like purpose, vpon the commaundement giuen of the obedience due to Princes, and vpon the commaundement giuen against murder.

T. WE also may in mine opinion, say the like of Princes & Lords.

T. WE also may in mine opiniō, say the like of Princes & Lords.

D. S. Peter & S. John do teach us by their example what we ought to think therein: For did they transgress the commandment which commandeth to yield obedience unto Princes & Magistrates,¹ when they did contemn the forbidding of the council of Jerusalem, which was contrary to the commandment of God: and did answer them, that it was better to obey God than man?

D. S. Peter & S. Iohn doe teach vs by their example what we ought to thinke therein: For did they transgresse the commaūdement which cōmaundeth to yelde obedience vnto Princes & Magistrates,¹ when they did contemne the forbidding of the counsell of Ierusalem, which was contrary to the commaundement of God: and did answere them, that it was better to obey God than man?

1. 1Acts. 3.4.5.Actes. 3.4.5.