HOM. XXIX.

For Rogation Week.

These strange encroachments, good neighbours, should be looked upon. These should be considered in these days of our perambulations; and afterward the parties admonished, and charitably reformed, who be the doers of such private gaming, to the slander of the township, and the hindrance of the poor. Your highways should be considered in your walks, to understand where to bestow your days works, according to the good statutes provided for the same. It is a good deed of mercy to amend the dangerous and noisome ways, whereby thy poor neighbour, sitting on his silly weak beast, founder not in the deep thereof, and so the market the worse served, for discouraging of the poor victuallers to resort thither for the same cause. If now therefore ye will have your prayers heard before Almighty God, for the increase of your corn and cattle, and for the defence thereof from unseasonable mists and blasts, from hail and other such tempests, love equity and righteousness, ensue mercy and charity, which God most requireth at our hands. Which Almighty God respecteth chiefly, in making his civil laws for his people the Israelites, in charging the owners not to gather up their corn too nigh at harvest season, nor the grapes and olives in gathering time, but to leave behind some ears of corn for the poor gleaners. By this he meant to induce them to pity the poor, to relieve the needy, to shew mercy and kindness. It cannot be lost, which for his sake is distributed to the poor. For he which ministereth seed to the sower, and bread to the hungry, which sendeth down the early and the latter rain upon your fields, so to fill up the barns with corn, and the winepresses with wine and oil; he, I say, who recompenseth all kinds of benefits in the resurrection of the just, he will assuredly recompense all merciful deeds shewed to the needy, howsoever unable the

Levit. xxiv. Deut. xxix. 1 Cor. ix. 10. Joel viii.

HOM. XXIX.

For Rogation Week.

6

poor is upon whom it is bestowed. O,' saith Solomon, let not mercy and truth forsake thee. Bind them about thy neck,' saith he, and write them on the table of thy heart; so shalt thou find favour at God's hand.'

Thus honour thou the Lord with thy riches, and with the first-fruits of thine increase; so shall thy barns be filled with abundance, and thy presses shall burst with new wine: nay, God hath promised to open the windows of heaven upon the liberal righteous man, that he shall want nothing. He will repress the devouring caterpillar, which would devour your fruits. He will give you peace and quiet to gather in your provision, that ye may sit every man under his own vine quietly, without fear of the foreign ene mies to invade you. He will give you not only food to feed on, but stomachs and good appetites to take comfort of your fruits, whereby in all things ye may have sufficiency. Finally, he will bless you with all manner of abundance in this transitory life, and endue you with all manner of benediction in the next world, in the kingdom of heaven, through the merits of our Lord and Saviour: to whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost be all honour everlasting. Amen.

Prov. iii.

The instruction afforded in this Exhortation worthily demands the attention of the multitude, to learn to do unto others what they expect others to do unto them in similar situations and circumstances.

HOM. XXX.

On Matrimony.

HOMILY XXX.

Of the State of Matrimony.

THE word of Almighty God doth testify and de clare whence the original beginning of matrimony cometh, and why it is ordained. It is instituted of God, to the intent that man and woman should live lawfully in a perpetual friendship, to bring forth fruit, and to avoid fornication. By which mean a good conscience might be preserved on both parties, in bridling the corrupt inclinations of the flesh within the limits of honesty; for God hath straitly forbidden all whoredom and uncleanness, and hath from time to time taken grievous punishment of this inordinate lust, as all stories and ages have declared. Furthermore, it is also ordained, that the church of God and his kingdom might by this kind of life be conserved and enlarged, not only in that God giveth children by his blessing, but also in that they be brought up by the parents godly, in the knowledge of God's word, that thus the knowledge of God and true religion might be delivered by succession from one to another, but finally many might enjoy that everlasting immortality. Wherefore, forasmuch as matrimony serveth us as well to avoid sin and offence, as to increase the kingdom of God; you, as all other which enter the state, must acknowledge this benefit of God, with pure and thankful minds, for that he hath so ruled your hearts, that ye follow not the example of the wicked world, who set their delight in filthiness of sin, but both of you stand in the fear of God, and abhor all filthiness. For that is surely the singular gift of God, where the common example of the world declareth how the devil hath their hearts

bound and entangled in divers snares, so that they in their wifeless state run into open abominations, without any grudge of their conscience. Which sort of men that live so desperately and filthy, what damnation tarrieth for them! St. Paul describeth it to them, saying, 'Neither whoremongers, neither adulterers, shall inherit the kingdom of God.' This horrible judgment of God may be escaped through his mercy, if so be that ye live inseparately, according to God's ordinance. But yet I would not have you careless without watching. For the devil will assay to attempt all things to interrupt and hinder your hearts and godly purpose, if ye will give him any entry. For he will either labour to break this godly knot once begun betwixt you, or else at the least he will labour to incumber it with divers griefs and displeasures.

And this is the principal craft, to work dissension of hearts of the one from the other; that whereas now there is pleasant and sweet love betwixt you, he will in the stead thereof bring in most bitter and unpleasant discord. And surely that same adversary of ours doth, as it were from above, assault man's nature and condition. For this folly is ever from our tender age grown up with us, to have a desire to rule, to think highly of ourselves, so that none thinketh it meet to give place to another. That wicked voice of stubborn will and self-love is more meet to break and to dissever the love of heart, than to preserve concord. Wherefore married persons

must apply their minds in most earnest wise to concord, and must crave continually of God the help of his holy Spirit, so to rule their hearts and to knit their minds together, that they be not dissevered by any division or discord. This necessity of prayer must be oft in the practice and using of married persons, that oft times the one should pray for the other,

1 Cor. iv.

And

lest hate and debate do arise betwixt them. because few do consider this thing, but more few do perform it, (I say, to pray diligently,) we see how wonderfully the devil deludeth and scorneth this state, how few matrimonies there be without chidings, brawlings, tauntings, repentings, bitter cursings, and fightings. Which things whosoever doth commit, they do not consider that it is the instigation of the ghostly enemy, who taketh great delight therein; for else they would with all earnest endeavour strive against these mischiefs, not only with prayer, but also with all possible diligence. Yea, they would not give place to the provocation of wrath, which stirreth them either to such rough and sharp words of stripes, which is surely compassed by the devil, whose temptation, if it be followed, must needs begin and weave the web of all miseries and sorrows. For this is most certainly true, that of such beginnings must needs ensue the breach of true concord in heart, whereby all love must needs shortly be banished. Then can it not be but a miserable thing to behold, that yet they are of necessity compelled to live together, which yet cannot be in quiet together. And this is most customably every where to be seen. But what is the cause thereof? Forsooth, because they will not consider the crafty trains of the devil, and therefore give not themselves to pray to God, that he would vouchsafe to repress his power. Moreover, they do not consider how they promote the purpose of the devil, in that they follow the wrath of their hearts, while they threat one another, while they in their folly turn all upside down, while they will never give over their right, as they esteem it; yea, while many times they will not give over the wrong part indeed. Learn thou therefore, if thou desirest to be void of all these miseries, if thou desirest to live peaceably and comfortably in wedlock, how to make thy earnest prayer to God, that he would govern both your hearts by the holy Spirit, to restrain the