Thincke not that I am come to sende peace vnto the earthe. I came not to send paeace but a swearde. For I am come to sett a man at variance against his father / and the doughter against her mother / and the doughter in lawe against her mother in lawe. And a mãnes foes shalbe they that are of his own housholde. For frõ hence forthe ther shalbe fyue in one howse deuyded / thre against two / and two against thre.
The father shalbe deuided against the sonne / and the sonne against the father. This not spokẽ as though that dissension in itself did pleas Godd the autor of all peace / but bicause he will haue that peace which stondithe vppon euell and wicked thinges broken / and haue vs all conioyned in that which is holy and goode. And therfore we do not allowe whẽ mariages frẽdshippes and leagues are broken without necessitie / and vnder an vntrue pretence of religion. Agayn we do dissalowe thos which are kept againste the cõmaundement of Godd with playne hurte of true religion / and open denyinge of the faithe. All persons must bende themselues to peace and concorde so far as they maye / with retayninge of sowndnes in religiõ: But whẽ it can not be retayned / let none thincke that to keape peace with them he must cõmitt Idolatrie.
And therfor the Apostle of Christ saith: If any brother haue a wyfe / whiche beleauith not / if she be contẽt to dwell with hym / let hym not putt her awaye. &c. But if the vnbeleauinge do departe let hym depart. A brother or a Syster is not in subiectiõ to such. But Godd hathe called vs in peace. Euen so truly it is an vnnatural thinge not to norishe the children / or to neglect the aged parẽtes / or to forsake frendes and familiars. Godds worde doth euery wheare commaũde that we shuld do reuerence and dutie to them to whom by the lawe of Godd / and man / we owe it. In which sense we do willingly admitte that sayinge of the Apostle. That he which doth not prouide for them which be of his howshold / both denieth the faith / and is wors thẽ an infidele. We do acknowledg that they are deuels and not men whosoeuer they be / which do wickedly disturbe wel ordered policies / ãd howsholdes. But yet in all theis we do also acknowledge this / ãd we se it taughte in the whole scripture as for an vndoubted truithe / that the lord Godd is better thẽ all theise / that the couenant and bonde of religiõ doth excede all other bondes in the world. And that the lord doth both so will and cõmaũde / that we shuld esteame him aboue all thĩges / ãd loue hym aboue al thinges / and that when he speakith we all shuld holde our peace / that there we shuld not thincke at all of coloured expositions and excuses / but only of symple and playne obedience / such / as we reade that Abraham shewed vnto Godd / whõ Godd