Every man must be in his own house, according to St. Augustine's
mind, a bishop, not alonely giving good ensample, but teaching according
to it, rebuking and punishing vice; not suffering your children and
servants to forget the laws of God. You ought to see them have their
belief, to know the commandments of God, to keep their holy-days, not to
lose their time in idleness: if they do so, you shall all suffer pain for
it, if God be true of his saying, as there is no doubt thereof. And so
you may perceive that there be many a one that breaketh this card, "Thou
shalt not kill," and playeth therewith oftentime at the blind trump,
whereby they be no winners, but great losers. But who be those now-a-
days that can clear themselves of these manifest murders used to their
children and servants? I think not the contrary, but that many have
these two ways slain their own children unto their damnation; unless the
great mercy of God were ready to help them when they repent there-for.
Wherefore, considering that we be so prone and ready to continue in sin,
let us cast down ourselves with Mary Magdalene; and the more we bow down
with her toward Christ's feet, the more we shall be afraid to rise again
in sin; and the more we know and submit ourselves, the more we shall be
forgiven; and the less we know and submit ourselves, the less we shall be
forgiven; as appeareth by this example following:
Christ, when he was in this world, amongst the Jews and Pharisees, there
was a great Pharisee whose name was Simon: this Pharisee desired Christ
on a time to dine with him, thinking in himself that he was able and
worthy to give Christ a dinner.
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