;To OfFriendshipfaraïlizritie tndfathers. 6 When we haue metour friends and hu b armdone ourChi!i dutieoffahirätion;wemú$ not therereff,but proceedto talkeQf1piritnall matters thatwemay edifieone another. ' 7 He is a diuell that is mill amt tg,good; but he is goody that is good amongeaillr idcte. 8 We become often hardned in or harts in thecompary ofehegodly,becaufe,we prejrrzntion. presume too muchone ofthegoodnes another, " - 9 It is agood thing tohauethe acqu tanceofagoodMan ra O-1 atfe to 'WYlofetakechAaronarid liar with m, knowinglits°wne- infirm! ,thouglio therwifewe fee he was amanioftaregrace dgreat ftrenglr. So it is ^òft aydeoftee prophets, thattheyhad euerfome with them, dthe Apoftlesarefent bycr and two to preach, thatone might helpanother. Christ2 "fdriletimes takes Peter and I.a, nor that he hadneed fo todo, but becaule he Would 'eau 's atí exarple, which weemuff folloive being ready to vfe all helpsfor our infirmities' cvli?,htheLord íhall offerdntovs. We malt not {fay in ourlélnes but vfe the aduife of others Err this caufe icisfayd, that two haue ttote. better wages thenone,and that ifone fal the other may ruife him vp Where we fee chat when men agree togither onegrace ofGod doth fet on fireanother, and the morethe bet- ter,ifthey'confent togatherfor a threefold cord is not eafily broken: yeathough wetake fad! tò'vsas are inferior tovs ingifts, yetifthey be faiehfull, the Lordby tliem'maylíeip Exod.t7.11. vs:asIÍrsr wasfar inferior toMoyfet,and yet Mavférwasdtrengthenedbyhim. And where 24,54. asMoÿPerinprayer takes but twowith him,we learne tomake a choife of 'our Minipanic, for chat but fewe being faithful' may more profitevs and prenaile withGod, thena great multitude which haue but a thew in them. t t Great is the loue ofnature, Iof ph coulde notdilleinble it, for that he was fainéto beealone,that hee might more freelybreakeforth inmares tohis brethren. Yea even that xhe Iola roughEfate When he fawhis brother Iacób a far off hisheart melted in him. And likeas no &Amy. affection ofloue or liking is fovehement whileft it lafteth;fono contention is lbbitterand simite. fo deadly as that of brethren. AChriftall broken will neuer be set together againet AJéíitosa. and there is no water will prooue foexceeding colde as that which bath been once beate. a.Tm.3.3. Wherefore let men endeuourby all meares to cherish naturali affeEtion, and the ra- therfor that thefpirit of God prophecieth that in. thelaft dayes men shah o antnaturall affehdion. "' . to Fatherswe commonly count and call thanofwhotne wearebynature, or vnder whome weare bygouerninert,whether ecclefialticall or ciuill: or behind whom we are in n f Fathers, age and in gifts. Angufineconfef(eth he rebelled against hisfather in beauen, when he re- 'Loh +, filledthe inftruaiontt ir*smother onearth:for though then (faithhe)Icould not fee what the dii,yet nowI fee, that thou O Lord fpeakeff, andnot the alone, and thy inftruEtión was refilled when herteaching was neglehhed. Necdefull it is then for fathers-tobe taught of God, who for that'they befathers are tobee heard wherein they doe- teach fromGod. Ciuillfathers are carefullytofurnüh themfelues with knowledge, that they may learne toknowe when to ffrike and when riot to ftrike;for if they ftrike whenGod dothnot command them,what are they better thanmurtherers? If theyItrike not whenGod coni- mandeth,whatdoe rheybut chargevpon themfelues the fxnne and punifirmentof others. -13 That our fpirtruallfathers had needof God tobe their teachier,ifeuerthey mmmto teach aeight,,vüo will not grant? vponwhom ifGod vouchfafeth found learning, it is as waterpocered to theroots ofan Ohuetree,fromwhenceis fliedout themoyffure to all the gioivi, branches:orasadewefailingvponthemountaines,wheretherainereftechnot,buttrick- leth downe into thenattier skirts,and makes the va'iies florifh as the fields whichGod baths blelied. Greene witsare as greenewood, though they arebeawtifuli to the thew, yet rinaste of intriall they aredifcouered ; yet ifthe yonger fort bee ignorant, the auncient in dayes ite' mayinftrubtthem :but iftlie gray heads beignorant, who (hall reade them the rules of inf trudion?lfyouth offend, theaged will rebuke them; but iftheaged offend, who fhall telltlíem? Ifthey count it contempt tobe taught and admonishedby their inferiors, their contempt (hall confound themwith (name of confcience to fee, howindeedofbeingho- nored fortheir ageand yeares, theygrow tobee despised for their ignoraunce andman- nets moltvnleemely. k a 4
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