it. And yet this wisedom and knowlege of the Ten Commaundementes, is but onely the begynnyng of sapience, for it is the teaching of the lawe. But when the doctrine of fayth in Christe is taughte vnto you, then you learne a greater and higher wysedome, the whiche the vngodly or vnfaythfull do not vnderstand nor perceyue, but God onely doeth gyue it downe frome heauen, to make vs feare him and beleue his holy worde. Wherfore good children, learne nowe dilygently the beginning of wisedom, that is to saye, tholy Ten Commaundementes, and gyue so good eare vnto them, that you maye learne them without booke, and reherse them when you come home.

Here folowe the Ten Commaundementes, whiche must be recited so tretably and distinctly, that children by often hearinge of them, maye print them in theyr memories and saye them by rote.

These are the holy Ten Commaundementes of the Lorde our God.

I am the Lorde thy God, thou shalt haue none other goddes but me.

The Seconde.

Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vayne, for he shal not be gyltles before the Lorde, that taketh hys name in vayne.

The Thyrde.

Remember that thou sanctifie the sabboth daye.

The Fourthe.

Honour thy father and thy mother, that thou mayst lyue a long lyfe in the lande whiche the Lord thy God shall gyue vnto thee.

Thou shalt not kyll.

The Fifth.

The Eyght.

Thou shalt not beare false witnes agaynst thy neyghboure.

The Nynthe.

Thou shalt not couet thy neyghbours house.

The Tenth.

Thou shalt not couet thy neyghboures wyfe, nor hys man seruaunte, nor his mayde seruaunt, nor his oxe, nor hys asse, nor anye thynge that is thy neyghboures.

Now good children these are the Ten holy Commaundementes of the Lorde God, in the whiche he hath opened his wyl vnto vs, and hath declared what is godly and what is vngodly, what we should do, and what we should not do.

These ye shall learne with greate diligence, not only

to reherse them but also to vnderstande what is ment by them, and what the Lorde God doeth require of vs in these his Commaundementes: to thintent that when you be asked any question of them, you maye answere to the purpose, and that also in time to come you may teache your children to feare God, after suche sort and maner as you your selfes be nowe instructed. For it is a great shame, bothe before God and the worlde, for a Christen man to be ignoraunt in the Commaundementes of God, and not to know that doctryne that perteyneth to euery Christen man, seynge that euery Christen man is bounde, openly to declare his doctrine, and to gyue a rekenyng of his fayth, when nede shall so requyre, and to brynge vp hys chyldren in the same.

THE FIRST SERMON.

Thou shalt have none other goddes but me.

A DECLARACION OF THE FYRST COMMAUNDEMENT.

TO thintent good children that you maye the better vnderstande the lawe of the Tenne Commaundementes, you muste firste of all knowe, that God gaue to Moses the Ten Commaundementes, written in two tables of stone, wherfore they be diuided in two partes. In the

Exo. xxxii.

first table were written the three firste commaundementes, pertaynynge to God, whiche teache vs how we should behaue our selues toward God, as well inwardely in harte and mynde, as outwardly in wordes and deades. In thother table were grauen seuen preceptes, perteynynge to oure neyghboures, whiche teache vs howe we oughte to ordre our selues towardes our prynces, magistrates and rulers, towardes oure wyues chyldren and seruauntes and towardes all states of men, teachynge vs that we shoulde not be disobedient, that we do wrong to no man, that we hurte no man, that we lie not in wayte to kyll anye man, that we defloure not other mennes wyfes, and to be shorte, that we hurt not our neyghboures, neyther in body, goods nor good name.

But nowe let vs consyder the First Commaundement, and the declaracion of the same. I am the Lorde thy God, thou shalte haue none other goddes but me. This commaundement good children, teacheth vs how we ought to vse oure hartes towarde God. Firste that we ought to acknowleg with all our harte, that God made heauen and earthe and all thynges conteyned therin, and to take hym onely to be the true God and to be oure God. Secondarely this commaundement teacheth vs to feare him, as a lyuing God, because he doeth punishe the vngodlye, and to cleaue vnto hym wyth a sure faith, because he is true and faithfull and doeth not deceyue vs in any thing, whiche he hath spoken or promised. Thyrdly this commaundement teacheth vs to loue him wyth all our heart, for of him we receyue oure lyfe, oure breath, oure health, and all other gyftes both bodyly and goostly. And we haue not the least of his giftes by our desertes, but he poureth them all vpon vs frely, through his infinite goodnes and endles mercie. Contrariwyse we ought not to receaue into our hertes as God, ani creature eyther in heauen or in earth, that is to saie, we ought to feare no creature nether in heauen nor in erth so muche

as God, neither ought we to put such confidence and truste in any thynge, neyther should we so hartily loue any creature as our Lorde God, omnipotent. For yf we attribute to anye creature so muche feare, trust, loue as aperteyneth onely to hym that made all creatures, by and by we make that creature our God, and of it we frame to oure selues an idoll. The whiche is a very heynous, an abominable and horrible sinne, directly against the first table and the first and chefest commaundement of God. Therefore suche greate offenses the trewe and lyuynge Lorde God will not leaue vnpunished, for he himselfe sayeth: I am the Lorde, my title and my name is the Lorde, I wyll not gyue my glorye to another: meanyng therby that he wyll not suffer that any other thinge shoulde be estemed as God besydes hymselfe, or that we shoulde gyue godly honour in hearte, affection woorde or deede to anye creature, but onelye to hym that was neuer created, and yet dyd create all thinges.

But here peraduenture you wil muse good children, askynge this question: Howe can we haue other goddes before the Lorde, seeynge there is but one God, one Lorde, whyche hathe made heauen and yearth. To thys I auns were that in deede there is none other God but that moste excellent and omnipotent Lorde. Ley sure hold on this article with a stedfast faythe good children, beleue this, dowbtyng nothing therin, cleaue surely to this rocke. But yet this notwithstandyng, fooles, infidels, and vngodlye men, take some other thing for theyr God, the which in dede is not God, nor can be by any meanes. For lyke as many times we take some men for honest, riche or noble, whiche be not so in dede: so oftentimes we feare some thing asmoche as we do God, which is not God in dede. And of creatures we make goddes thre manner of wayes.

The fyrst is, when a man feareth anye creature, and