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1 Pet. ii.

1 Pet. ii.

Matt. xxii.

vered of Chrift. And according to the fame, lo, how St. Peter agreeth, writing by exprefs words in his firft Epistle: Submit yourselves, and be fubject, faith he, unto kings, as unto the chief heads, and unto rulers, as unto them that are fent of him for the punishment of evil doers, and for the praise of them that do well; for fo is the will of God. I need not to expound thefe words, they be fo plain of themselves. St. Peter doth not fay, Submit yourselves unto me as fupreme head of the church: neither faith he, Submit yourfelves from time to time to my fucceffors in Rome: but he faith, Submit yourfelves unto your king, your fupreme head, and unto thofe that he appointeth in authority under him; for that you fhall fo fhew your obedience, it is the will of God, God will that you be in fubjection to your head and king. This is God's ordinance, God's commandment, and God's holy will, that the whole body of every realm, and all the members and parts of the fame, fhall be fubject to their head, their king, and that (as St. Peter writeth) for the Lord's fake; and (as St. Paul writRom. xiii. eth) for confcience fake, and not for fear only. Thus we learn by the word of God to yield to our king that is due to our king; that is, honour, obedience, payments of Rom. xiii. due taxes, cufioms, tributes, fubfidies, love, and fear. Thus we know partly our bounden duties to common authority; now let us learn to accomplish the fame. And let us moft inftantly and heartily pray to God, the only author of all authority, for all them that be in authority, according as St. Paul willeth, writing thus to Timothy in his firft 1 Tim. ii. Epistle: I exhort therefore, that, above all things, prayers, fupplications, interceffions, and giving of thanks be done all men; for kings, and for all that be in authority, that we may live a quiet and a peaceable life, with all godliness and bonefly: for that is good and acceptable, or allowable in the fight of God our Saviour. Here St. Paul maketh an earneft and an especial exhortation, concerning giving of thanks and prayer for kings and rulers, faying, Above all things, as he might fay, in any wife principally and chiefly, let prayer be made for kings. Let us heartily thank God for his great and excellent benefit and providence concerning the ftate of kings. Let us pray for them, that they may have God's favour, and God's protection. Let us pray that they may ever in all things have God before their eyes. Let us pray that they may have wildom, ftrength, juftice, clemency, and zeal to God's glory, to God's verity, to Chriftian fouls, and to the commonwealth. Let us pray that they may rightly use their fword and

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authority, for the maintenance and defence of the catholic faith contained in holy Scripture, and of their good and honeft fubjects, for the fear and punishment of the evil and vicious people. Let us pray that they may moft faithfully follow the kings and captains in the Bible, David, Ezekias, Jofias, and Mofes, with fuch other. And let us pray for ourselves, that we may live godlily in holy and Chriftian conversation; fo fhall we have God on our fide, and then let us not fear what man can do against us: fo we fhall live in true obedience, both to our moft merciful King in heaven, and to our moft Chriftian King on earth: fo fhall we please God, and have the exceeding benefit, peace of confcience, reft and quietnefs here in this world, and after this life we fhall enjoy a better life, reft, peace, and the everlasting blifs of heaven; which he grant us all, that was obedient for us all, even to the death of the cross, Jefus Chrift: to whom, with the Father, and the Holy Ghoft, be all honour and glory, both now and ever. Amen,

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SERMON

AGAINST

Whoredom and Uncleanness.

LTHOUGH there want not, good Chriftian people,

great fwarms of vices worthy to be rebuked, (unto fuch decay is true godliness and virtuous living now come:) yet above other vices, the outrageous feas of adultery, (or breaking of wedlock) whoredom, fornication, and uncleannefs, have not only burft in, but alfo overflowed almost the whole world, unto the great difhonour of God, the exceeding infamy of the name of Chrift, the notable decay of true religion, and the utter deftruction of the public wealth; and that fo abundantly, that, through the cuf tomable ufe thereof, this vice is grown unto fuch an height, that in a manner among many it is counted no fin at all, but rather a paftime, a dalliance, and but a touch of youth: not rebuked, but winked at; not punifhed, but laughed at. Wherefore it is neceffary at this prefent to treat of the fin of whoredom and fornication, declaring unto you the greatness of this fin, and how odious, hateful, and Exod. xx. abominable it is, and hath alway been reputed before God and all good men, and how grievoufly it hath been punifhed both by the law of God, and the laws of divers princes. Again, to fhew you certain remedies, whereby ye may (through the grace of God) efchew this moft deteftable fin of whoredom and fornication, and lead your lives in all honefty and cleannefs, and that ye may perceive that fornication and whoredom are (in the fight of God) moft abominable fins, ye fhall call to remembrance this commandment of God, Thou shalt not commit adultery: by the which word adultery, although it be pro

perly

perly understood of the unlawful commixtion or joining together of a married man with any woman befide his wife, or of a wife with any man befide her husband; yet thereby is fignified alfo all unlawful ufe of thofe parts, which be ordained for generation. And this one commandment (forbidding adultery) doth fufficiently paint and fet out before our eyes the greatnefs of this fin of whoredom, and manifeftly declareth how greatly it ought to be abhorred of all honeft and faithful perfons. And that none of us all fhall think himself excepted from this.commandment, whether he be old or young, married or unmarried, man or woman, hear what God the Father faith by his most excellent Prophet Mofes; There fhall be no Deut. xxiii. where among the daughters of Ifrael, nor no whoremonger among the jons of Ifrael.

Here is whoredom, fornication, and all other uncleannefs forbidden to all kinds of people, all degrees, and all ages without exception. And that we fhall not doubt, but that this precept or commandment pertaineth to us indeed, hear what Chrift (the perfect teacher of all truth) faith in the New Teftament: Ye have beard, faith Chrift, Matt. v. that it was faid to them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: but I say unto you, Whofoever feeth a woman, to bave bis luft of her, bath committed adultery with her already in bis beart. Here our Saviour Chrift doth not only confirm and establish the law against adultery, given in the Old Teftament of God the Father by his fervant Mofes, and make it of full strength, continually to remain among the profeffors of his name in the new law: but he alfo (condemning the grofs interpretation of the Scribes and Pharifees, which taught that the forefaid commandment only required to abflain from the outward adultery, and not from the filthy defires and impure lufts,) teacheth us an exact and full perfection of purity and cleannefs of life, both to keep our bodies undefiled, and our hearts pure and free from all evil thoughts, carnal defires, and flethly confents. How can we then be free from this commandment, where fo great charge is laid upon us? May a fervant do what he will in any thing, having commandment of his master to the contrary? Is not Chrift our master? Are not we his fervants? How then may we neglect our mafter's will and pleafure, and follow our own will and fantafy? Ye are my friends, faith Chrift, if you keep thofe John xv. things that I command you.

Now hath Chrift our mafter commanded us, that we fhould forfake all uncleannels and filthinefs both in body

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Matt. xv.

and fpirit: this therefore muft we do, if we look to please God. In the Gospel of St. Matthew we read, that the Scribes and Pharifees were grievously offended with Chrift, becaule his difciples did not keep the traditions of the forefathers, for they wafhed not their hands when they went to dinner or fupper. And, among other things, Christ anfwered and faid, Hear and underfland; Not that thing which entereth into the mouth defileth the man, but that which cometh out of the mouth defileth the man. For thofe things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the Matt. xv. heart, and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, breaking of wedlock, whoredom, thefts, falfe witnefs, blafphemies: thefe are the things which defile a man. Here may we fee, that not only murder, theft, falfe witnefs, and blafphemy defile men, but alfo evil thoughts, breaking of wedlock, fornication, and whoredom. Who is now of fo little wit, that he will efteem whoredom and fornication to be things of finall importance, and of no weight before God? Chrift (who is the truth, and cannot Mark vii. lie) faith, that evil thoughts, breaking of wedlock, whoredom, and fornication defile a man; that is to fay, corrupt both the body and foul of man, and make them of the temples of the Holy Ghost, the filthy dunghill, or dungeon of all unclean fpirits; of the boufe of God, the develling-place of

Titus i.

John viii.

Rom. vi.

1 John iii. John viii.

Mark vi,

Satan.

Again, in the Gofpel of St. John, when the woman taken in adultery was brought unto Chrift, faid not he unto her, Go thy way, and fin no more? Doth not he here call whoredom fin? And what is the reward of fin, but everlasting death? If whoredom be fin, then it is not lawful for us to commit it; for St. John faith, He that committeth fin is of the Devil. And our Saviour faith, Every one that committeth fin is the fervant of fin. If whoredom had not been fin, furely St. John Baptift would never have rebuked King Herod for taking his brother's wife: but he told him plainly, that it was not lawful for bim to take his brother's wife. He winked not at the whoredom of Herod, although he were a king of power; but boldly reproved him for his wicked and abominable living, although for the fame he loft his head. But he would rather fuffer death (than fee God fo difhonoured, by the breaking of his holy precept and commandment) than to fuffer whoredom to be unrebuked, even in a king. If whoredom had been but a paftime, a dalliance, and not to be paffed of, (as many count it now-a-days) truly John had been more than twice mad, if he would have had the

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