whitches, sorcerers and coniurers should suffre punishment of death.

Wherfore good chylderne, feare the Lorde, and take not hys holy name in vayne, beware of ydolatrye, forsweare not, absteine from othes and curses, refrayne your tongues from al vntruthes, raylynges, skoffes and iestes when you talke of holy scripture or matiers concernyng religion, flye from all kynde of wytchecrafte and inchauntementes. For to this commaundement God hath added a special threatenynge, saynge thus. He shal not be giltles before the Lord that taketh his name in vayne.

Beleue surely good children, that these be veray weyghty wourdes and of great importaunce, and thinke not thus with your selues, what? is this so great a mater? I spake not these wourdes in ernest, but in borde. I pray you for Christes sake do not defende your fault with such excuses, but beware that you take not in vaine the name of God, nether in ernest nor in sport. For the holy name of God is to be wourshipped with all honor and religion and he that doth not obey this commaundemente, hym the Lorde shall not count gyltles but shall punishe him greuously. And when God punisheth, he sendeth amonge vs sycknesse, spestilence, hungre, derth, battel, robberies, sedition, manslaughter, and suche like, with these plages he taketh vengeance on oure synnes. Therfore we ought to feare his wrath, and not to take his name in vayne. Hitherto you haue heard fyue wayes wherby we may take the name of God in vayne, now it shall be declared vnto you how you shoulde rightly and duely vse the name of God. Considre that we be professed into our religion, and baptised by the name of God, wherfore good childerne listen diligently to this lesson, and lerne that we ought to vse the name of God thre wayes, by inuocation and callyng vpon him, by confession of his name and his wourd, and by thankes giuyng.

As touchynge the first, we be bounde in all our necessities and parrels to call vpon the name of God, to flye to hym for succoure, with all our hope and confidence, and not to runne to witchecraftes, charmes, sorceries, and suche lyke vanities, for God himselfe saieth, cal vpon me in the day of thy tribulation, I wil deliuer the, and thou shalt glorifye me. Here ye heare good children, that God doth commaunde vs to call vpon him, and not vpon any other creatures besides him, and he saieth in expresse wourdes, cal vpon me in the time of thy tribulation in aduersytye, when thou art in nede and danger. Wherfore no man should dyspaire what soeuer kynde of afflyctions doth chaunce vnto him, but praye for helpe from heauen and cal upon the name of the Lorde who by his mighty and stronge hande is able, and by his fatherly affection wil deliuer and helpe vs, what soeuer and how great soeuer affliction and temtation ouerwhelmeth vs, and therfore he saieth, I wil heare thy prayer.

Here marke good childerne, that it is your bounden dewtie to praye to God, and that they do sinne heynously whiche do not praye, wherfore ye shal learne the Lordes prayer whiche Christe hym selfe hath taught and appoynted, and ye shal say it dayly. For this commaundemente doth bynde vs to praye, for asmuche as it forbiddeth thabuse of Gods name and commaundeth his name to be handled reuerently and religiously. But we can giue no greater honor to Gods name, then to call vpon hym and with al our harte to praye to him, wherfore they kepe not this commaundement whiche do not daily praye.

Secondarily we must confesse the name of God, that is to saie, we ought openly to shewe and declare our faith and belefe in God and in our Lorde Jesus Christ, and not to denie hym although the worlde woulde hate vs therefore, yea although tyrannes woulde torment vs most

cruelly. For Christ hath conforted vs and sayde. Feare Luke xxi. not them that kyl the bodie and haue no power to slaye the soul. And in an other place he sayeth. One heer of your heed shal not peryshe without the wil of your Father, wherefore let vs not be afrayed, but let vs professe openly before all the world the name and worde of God, and our faith. Furthermore (euery man in his vocation) ought to teache and instructe other, that as much as lieth in vs al, maye come to the knowlege of the treuth, and when we do not thus, then we synne and shall be damned, yf we in tyme repent not. For Christ saieth, I say vnto Luke xii. you, whosoeuer confesse me before men, the Sonne of man shall also confesse him before thangels of God. But he that wil denie me before men, shalbe denied before thangels of God.

Thirdly we ought to praise and magnifie the name of God and to thanke him for al his benefites both bodily and gostly, whiche he hath gyuen vnto vs and ceasseth not dayly and hourely to powre vpon vs most liberally. For so the Lorde hath commaunded in the Psalme saying, cal vpon me in the day of thy tribulation and I wil deliuer the, and thou shalt honour and glorify me. Here you perceiue good childerne, that God our heauenly Father doth hear our prayers and heapeth vpon vs infinite benefites, for this cause, purpose and intent, that we should be glad and ioyful to praise him, and with al our harte rendre thankes vnto hym. Wherfore when soeuer we praye, before we aske any new benifyte, we ought to thanke him for tholde, and to glorifye his name for the great treasures of gyftes heretofore geuen

vnto vs.

And by this meanes both he wil be the more willyng to heare oure prayers, and also our fayth shalbe the more strengthened and confermed. For when we call to oure remembraunce, how God oftentimes heretofore hath herd our supplications, and delyuered vs out of many and per

rellous daungiers, we be therby moued lesse to doubt of his goodnes, and stedfastlye to hope, that he nowe also, wyll be as merciful vnto vs, as he was wont to be in tymes passed. Therfore sayeth the prophete Dauid, I wil call vpon the Lord praysyng him, and he wyll saue me from myne enemies. Now therfore good chyldren, ye shal learne this lesson and practise it diligently, fyrst of al to prayse and thanke God for al his benefites, and afterwarde to call vpon him in all youre necessities: so God wyll be the more redy to heare youre peticions, and youre fayth also therby shall be the more nourished and increased. For he that wyll trewely and effectually praye, before all other thynges must beleue and perswade himself for a suertye, that God wyll heare his prayer.

Wherfore good children, nowe I praye you learne so to vnderstande this seconde commaundement, that ye take not the name of God in vayne, that ye gyue not yourselfes to idolatrie, that ye sweare not customablye nor without a necessarie cause, that ye neuer commit periurie, that you curse no bodye, that ye abuse not the name and word of God to vntruth, vncleane and vnhonest communication, that ye applie not your mindes to witchcraftes and sorceries. For these faultes as yet neuer escaped vnpunished before God. Contrarywyse you shall reuerentlye vse the name of God to his glorye and to the profit of youre neyghbour, by calling vpon him, by praying and gyuynge thankes vnto hym, and by open profession of his doctrine and religion.

And when ye shal be demaunded, howe vndrestande ye the seconde commaundemente, ye shall answere. We oughte to loue and feare God aboue all thyng, and not to abuse his name to idolatrie, charmes, periurie, othes, curses, ribaldrie and scoffes, that vndre the pretence and coloure of his name we begile no man by swearynge, forswearynge and lyinge, but in al our nedes we should cal

vpon hym, magnifie and prayse him, and with oure tongues confesse, vtter and declare our faythe in him and his doctrine.

YE

THE THIRDE SERMON.

A declaracion of the thirde precepte.

E haue herde howe the seconde commaundemente is to be vnder standed, in the whiche we learne howe we oughte to ordre our selfes towarde God, both in hert and in wordes. Now foloweth the third precept, which is this.

For

THIS commaundemente good children teacheth howe we should behaue ourselfes toward God in workes. when we haue a mynd to serue God and to shew to him as to our Lord and Maker the greatest pleasure that we can, then we muste not chose by thaduise of oure owne imagination, nether this nor that worke, but we muste sanctifie the sabboth, day that is to say employ and bestow it vpon godly and holy workes and busines.

And here note good children, that the Jewes in the Olde Testamente were commaunded to kepe the sabboth day, and they obserued it euery seuenth day called the

Nume. xv.