law. This place reproveth all them that be very diligent in the study and knowledge of man's law, to know the will of man, and how they should come to riches and goods in the world; but to know the will of God and his law, they be nothing diligent, yea, nor desirous of it: it is well, if they be not adversaries to God's word: but all such shew themselves what they be; peradventure, wise men to the world but fools before God, men that love more this present life than the life to come.

This place should move all lawyers and judges to be diligent to know God's law, lest in their judgments they do judge otherwise than God's law will, by the which all man's law should be ruled; and if God's law should be the rule of man's law (as it is indeed), how shall they rule well man's law, that be ignorant in God's law? Surely after my mind there is nothing more to the hindrance of God's word, or more to the destruction of men's souls in this realm, than that the nobility, and lawyers, and others, that have rule over the people, both in the spirituality and in the temporality, be ignorant in God's law, in the which it becometh them most chiefly to be learned; that they might order all causes and matters, according to God's law. Gentlemen, and a great part of lawyers, be ignorant in God's law, and therefore seldom they do love God's word, or the true teachers of it, and the lay-people follow the gentlemen or rulers.

As touching the spirituality under the bishops, rulers be lawyers, brought up in the bishop of Rome's law, and for the most part, such men, that be igno rant in God's word, be chancellors, commissaries, and officials, which ofttimes do hate God's word, and the true preachers of it, and favour, as much as they dare, the bishop of Rome's laws and his ways. It is a very seldom thing to have a lawyer, a chancellor,

a commissary, a preacher of God's word to be a setterforth of it. How by them that be ignorant it hath been hindered and letted, we have experience enough. I pray God, that all bishops, with all their offices under them may be true favourers of God's word, and earnestly set forwards, and move, and exhort all men to God's word, and to live after it, that God may more and more be glorified of all men. Amen.

Ver. 18-21. And be not drunken with wine, wherein is excess; but be full of the Spirit, and talk among yourselves in psalms and hymns, and spiritual songs, singing, and making melody unto the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks alway, for all things, unto God the Father, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting yourselves one to another, in the fear of God.

The Apostle here forbiddeth drunkenness, as a cause of fornication or adultery. He admonisheth to beware of drinking wine, which provoketh to adultery or fornication. In these words he forbiddeth also all excess and riot in eating and drinking, or other banqueting; of the which come many inconveniences and great diseases, both to the body and soul. Of unreasonable drinking or rioting, we see daily, great sickness to come to the body, as the gout, dropsy, palsy, and many other diseases of the body. Also drunkenness, adultery, fornication, chiding, fighting, man-slaughter, do come of great drinking, which be destruction and death to the soul. The Apostle here not only forbiddeth sin and vice, but also he forbiddeth the occasion and causes of them.

Drunkenness ought to be eschewed for many causes that come of it, that bring men to death ofttimes, both of the body and of the soul. It depriveth men of wit, wisdom, and reason, and maketh them worse than a brute beast, yea, than a swinę,

that wallows over and over in the mire.

Drunken

ness causeth many diseases in the body, it bringeth with it idleness, chiding, brawling, fighting, murder, yea, what mischief doth it not bring with it; death, both to body and soul. It is therefore to be abhorred of all men.

He not only reproveth vice, but he sheweth virtue to be taken in the place of vice; as here he reproveth drunkenuess, and willeth men to be fulfilled with the Holy Ghost, and to sing in their heart spiritual psalms and hymns, giving thanks to God always for his benefits. These spiritual psalms and hymns, he setteth for the fruits of drunkenness. And in this, methink the Apostle willeth that laymen and lay-women should sing spiritual psalms and hymns, as priests and spiritual men, and give thanks to God for all his benefits given to them. And in this he sheweth plainly, that it is lawful for laymen and laywomen, to read the holy Scriptures, and to have them by heart, that they may talk of them, and speak of them to their edifying; and sing spiritual psalms and hymns, giving thanks to the Lord. How should they sing spiritual psalms and hymns, except that they knew them before, and had read them or learned them?

This place evidently sheweth, that it is lawful for laymen and lay-women to read the Scriptures of God, and to talk of them to God's glory and to their edifying. The Apostle doth not here speak only to ministers in the church, but to all men, to whom he forbiddeth drunkenness and its fruits; and for them, the Holy Ghost and his fruits to be received with spiritual thanks, psalms, and hymns, glorifying God alway.

He willeth, that every man shall be obedient, one to another, in his state and degree, and that in the fear of God: that none should contemn another,

thinking himself better than others, but every one should humble himself under others, and think himself worse in his own sight; and in this, he reproveth proud hearts and stomachs, and moveth every one to meekness and lowliness in themselves.

Ver. 22-24. Let the women submit themselves unto their husbands, as unto the Lord; for the husband is the wife's head, even as Christ also is the head of the congregation, and he is the Saviour of his body. Therefore, as the congregation is in subjection to Christ, likewise let the wives be in subjection to their husbands in all things.

Before, the Apostle hath universally taught every man. Now he cometh to particular persons, as to the wife and the husband; he sheweth their duty one to the other. But before I will shew of their duties, I think it expedient something to treat of matrimony, by the which, the man and the wife be joined together, and the one bound to the other by the law of God, and that with such knots as cannot be loosed without the breaking of God's law, and displeasure of God; except it be for such causes, as by the Scriptures may loose the bond of matrimony, as adultery, which is a cause of divorce, as saith Christ (Mat. v.).

First, it is to be shewed, for what causes matri→ mony was instituted and ordinated of God. One cause was, that mankind should be multiplied to the honour and glory of God by a lawful means between man and woman. This mean was by matrimony ordinated of God, as appeareth, Gen. i. where it is written, that after God made man to his similitude he created the male and the female, and blessed them, and said, " Grow and be multiplied, and fill the earth;" and this was one of the chief causes of matrimony.

Another cause was, to avoid adultery and forni

cation, and that matrimony should be a lawful remedy against adultery, forbidden in the general commandment, "Thou shalt not commit adultery" (Exod. xx.). This cause St. Paul sheweth (1 Cor. vii.), saying, "Let every man have his wife, to avoid fornication and every woman have her husband." Adultery of the heart is as well forbidden, as adultery in outward deed or act: to avoid all manner of adultery, both of the heart and of outward act, and for a remedy lawful for the same, it is commanded that they shall marry and take a wife, that have not the gift of chastity and of continence.

The third cause of matrimony is, that charity might more be enlarged, and among strangers more dilated and scattered; and that those, that were strangers, should be more coupled together by charity; as the friends of the wife and the husband by affinity, be more joined together in love and charity. And for that cause it doth appear, that certain degrees of kindred were forbidden to marry together, amongst whom was love already obtained, and commanded, that marriage should be out of certain degrees of kin, to make more love, and to dilate charity, as appeareth Lev. xviii. And also, this thing appeareth in that, that there is more love commanded to be between the man and the wife, than between the children and the father. As it is written (Gen. ii.): "For this (saith God) let the man forsake his father and mother, and cleave to his wife, and they shall be two in one flesh."

To these may be added many other causes of matrimony: that the wife should be as an helper to the husband, and the husband to the wife; that they should labour together to provide necessaries for them and their household; to bring up their children virtuously in love and dread of God, and in other wholesome doctrine or craft. For these and divers other VOL. II;

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