for the purifieng of the childwife and also of the childe suÌ„what shuld be offered the most pure virgine Mary wold fulfylle the lawe also in this poynt though in her child byrth she knew was nothing after the maner of other womens byrthes contaminate or spotted but al was ful of heuenly puritie and holynes For what spotte of vnclennes could she haue which by the worke of the holy ghoste conceyued wythout mans knowlege only by imbracement of the heuenly power She goeth therfore with Ioseph who as yet was thought to haue bene father to Iesus vnto Hierusalem bearing the childe with them that they might present him in y â— temple in the sight of the lord to whom he was consecrate not but that al be the lordes but that we shuld be taught by this mystical figure that those mindes be most acceptable to God whiche with a manly strength of spirite haue conquered the lustes of y e fleshe so do auauÌ„ce to thinges heuenly and euerlasting Moses law intending this had commaunded the Iues that euery male so sone as by the openinge of the mothers wombe it was brought to lyght shulde be taken as holy to the lord whether it were of mankynde or of brute beastes that herby also the first frutes might go to the prestes so yet that the first begotten of the mankinde shuld be redemed out of the prestes handes onles the childe were of y â— Leuitical tribe Now surely the selfe law openly deliuereth our Lady froÌ„ the bonde of it where it sayth in the leuiticall boke The wife whiche receiuing sede shal bringe forth a maÌ„child For the blessed virgine our Lady was neither mulier that is to say such woman as haue lyen with man neither receiued she mans sede And as towching the opening of y e matrice surely this heauenly child did in no maner violate the chastitie of of y e virgins wombe but rather preserued halowed it from al spot of vnclennes during her life He then was presented in y â— temple as subiect to y â— law which was lord of al thingê both heuenly erthly He was redemed with a smal price which cam to redeme the hole world w t the price of his bloude For y e law had appointed y e Iues to redeme their first begotteÌ„ son with a lambe of one yeare olde which was giuen in sacrifice And thaÌ„ shuld be added a doue or a turtyll for y â— purifienge of al spot or vncleÌ„nes which might happeÌ„ to be coÌ„mitted in y â— begetting of y â— child or after to thintent y â— that whiche shuld be offered to the lord might be throughly pure Howbeit if they were not of abilitie to giue a lambe the law suffred them to giue in stede therof a turtil doue or a pigeoÌ„ for y â— redemptioÌ„ of y e child The other bird was offered for the purging of the sinne Our Lady therfore and Ioseph offered the pore mens oblatioÌ„ and it is not to be doubted but they wold haue made a richer gift if theire pouertie hadde not letted them Allbeit they re minde was rich in godlynes and to giue vs an exeÌ„ple y e professioÌ„ of pouertie was more profitable But lo there was at this self time in HierusaleÌ„ one SimeoÌ„ a iuste maÌ„ such one as stode in awe of god surelye he might wel be called a iust maÌ„ for he sought not his own but y e peoples weale he awaited for him y t shuld redeme out of boÌ„dage not him only but al maÌ„kind And bicause he was endowed w t this iustice godlines the holy ghost was in him had inspired him that he shulde not dye till he had sene with his fleshely eyen him that he longe before had espyed wyth the eyen of feyth As Mary therfore and Ioseph were bringinge the child into the temple this Simeon also cam by the guiding of the holy gost into the temple toke Iesus in his armes And here sayth Origene an auncient doctour of the church if thou Christen person wi lt in like wise hold Iesus and imbrace him in thy handê thou must with al labour attempt that thou maist haue the holy ghost to thy guide and so come to y â— temple of god as this holy SimeoÌ„ did Thou must be a iust person a fearer of god religiouse deuout godly as he was But what did Simeon ha uing this most blessed child in his armes He blessed and praysed god sayeng Now o lorde thou dost licence thy seruaÌ„t to depart in peace out of this world according to thy worde For myne eyen haue nowe seen him by whoÌ„ it hath plesed the to saue maÌ„kind whom I say thou hast prepared and ordeined in the face of al peoples to be vnto y â— hetheÌ„ persons Panyms which hitherunto for defalt of true knowlege haue worshiped false godê a light for to lighteÌ„ them to disclose thy trouth vnto them againe to thyn own people y â— Israelites a cause of most high glorie This in effect spake Symeon in his maner Let vs therfore good people for our ê‘te also blesse praise god that wheras we y â— inhabitantes of this Realme were before y â— coÌ„ming of Christ wicked Panims ydolaters we now by y â— disclosing of his gospel â—ee his people Let vs labour to be iust and holy persons pore in spirite rich in godlines Let vs desire to be led w t the holy spirite of God So shall we at last depart this world in true peace by Christ our lorde To whom be prayse for euer Amen ¶ Saynt Mathias day the Apostle The Gospell Math. xi IN that tyme Iesus sayd I confesse vnto the O father lorde of heauen and of earth bicause thou haste hyd these thinges from wise and prudent persons and hast disclosed them to yonglinges Uerily father for so semed it good before the. Al thinges be deliuered vp vnto me of my father noman knoweth the sonne but the father neyther knoweth any man the father but the sonne he to whom the son wyll disclose Come to me all ye that laboure and be burthened and I shall quiet you Take my yoke vpon you and lerne of me for I am meke and lowly in harte and ye shall fynde quiet to youre soules For my yoke is pleasant and my burthen is lyght The sermon vpon this Gospel Bycause our sauiour Christ good people what tyme he was conuersant here in earth amonge the Iues hadde vpbrayded them for theire misbeleue declaring vnto them that the Hethen persones were redyer to receyue hym then they at which wordes some were offended therfore he aunswereth to theire thoughtes in thys wyse I confesse that is I do thanke prayse the O father bycause thou hast kept close this heauenly doctrine from the wise and prudent men in their owne opinions such as be the scribes and pharisees and haste opened the same to fooles and
vnto him If it be thus as thou sayst that god wold haue wedlocke so inuiolabely kept why then dyd Moises make it lawfull to the husbande for any maner cause to put from him his wife so that he giue her a libel of diuorcement as who shuld say how durst Moses be so bold to licence that thing which god wold not haue done To this obiection our sauiour aunswered Moses dyd not permitte ne licence this thing vnto you bicause the thing of the owne nature was honest and rightfulle but forasmoch as he knew the stubbornenes hardnes of your hartes therfore he graunted vnto you the lesser lyghter inconuenience that ye shuld not committe the greuouser offence For assuredly Moses did not allow al kindê of diuorces in that he had leuer y â— the same were suffred or rather winked at then murder shuld ensue be coÌ„mitted Neither did the libel of diuorcement amoÌ„ges the croked Iues whyche Moses theire lawmaker inacted that it shuld be giuen to the womaÌ„ make the diuorce good and lawful but rather that same libel was a witnes and testimonie of the hard harte of the Iues which for euery light cause and triâ—le wold put away their wiues for this cause the law of moses gaue commaundement that such stubburne hard husbandê whyche wolde nedes for such light occasions put awey their wyues or els do worse committe further inconuenience to gyue them the sayde libelle of diuorcement for a certayne recorde witnesse that she is nowe free from his yoke and at her libertie But at the begynnyng sayth Christ to these pharisees when as yet the malice of mâ— was not growen into such an excesse nor as yet maÌ„s nature was not infected with so many vices for the hatred was not so feruent that either poysoning or murdering was feared there was no such licence of diuorces Wherfore neither now is the same licence to be suffred amonges christen men after that the doctrine of the gospell hath brought agayn the christen man to his former state and perfection of nature by regeneration or new byrth And no doubt my freendes Moses amonges the Iues wished in his hart the same perfecte loue and fast knot in wedlocke to be obserued and kept that our sauiour Christ hath tawght vs but as I haue declared the corrupt nawghty maners of the Iues whyche for euery lyght grefe were ready to coÌ„mitte murder and all mischief feared him that he durst not requyre that of them So that our sauiour Christ did not abrogate the auncient lawe of Moses but he made it more clere perfect declaring vnto the froward Iues that it was vnlawful both for them for al other and againste the minde of god and the wille of Moses their lawmaker that they shuld for euery lyght occasion put away their wiues whom they ought to loue to imbrace as their own bodies and their owne flesh For a thing that a man doth is not forthwith lawful for him to do bicause he is not punished in this worlde for the same For there be many thynges abominable and stinkyng afore the face of god which be not punished by mans lawes Hitherto haue we intreated the gospell of this day Now we woll sum what towche the officies aswell of the wife towardes her husband as of the husband towardes his wife and so make an end Ye wifes sayth saint Paule be ye subiect to your owne propre husbandes as vnto the Lorde For the man is hed of the wyfe euen as Christ is the hed of the churche and it is he whiche giueth helth to the body Wherfor like as the church is subiecte to Christe so let the wifes be subiecte to their husbandes in al thinges Likewise saint Peter in his first epistle coÌ„maundeth christen wiues to be in subiectioÌ„ to their husbandê to thintent that euen they which obey not gods worde maye without the worde be wonne by the conuersation of the wyues when they behold their chaste conuersation ioyned with reuerence Whose outward apparell he wolde not shuld be gorgeouse nor moch glysteringe to the eye but rather he wold haue them inwardly garnished in the hart being there ful of al cleÌ„nes w tout corruption in such sort as they may haue a gentle quyet spirite which spirite he sayth in gods eye is a thing most gorgeouse sumptuouse For after this maner in olde tyme sayeth this holy Apostle saynte Peter did the holy women which trusted in god attyre themselues and were obedient to their husbaÌ„dê euen as Sara obeyed Abraham her husbaÌ„d calling him lorde whose daughters al ye be as longe as ye do wel Saint Paule also sayth that the woman is the glory of the man For the â—naÌ„ cam not of the woman but the woman of the man Neyther was the man created for the womans sake but the woman for the mans sake WomeÌ„ therfore ought to imploy their diligence vpon the vertuouse bringinge vp of their children to loke wel to their housholde Yea they shal be sayth saynt Paule saued by bearing of children bringing them vp in feith loue of god in holines For this is their office thys is their fuÌ„ction calling wherin they ought to pleaee god to atteine euerlasting blesse They ought to be no taÌ„glers no disputers no teachers in coÌ„mon assembles but herers but lerners kepers of silence w t al subiection These be the officies duties of christen wiues The office of the husband as Paul saith is to loue his wife euen as Christ loued the church He is bounden to loue her as his owne body He that loueth sayth he his wife loueth himselfe For noman euer yet hated hys owne fleshe but nowrisheth and cherisâ—â—eth it euen as the lorde doth the churche He must dwel saith saint Peter w t his wife according to knowlege giuing honoure vnto her as vnto the weker vessel as vnto her which is heire also of the grace of lyfe He may not be bytter to hys wyfe but gentle courteouse and louing Yea finally he must so inâ—iâ—rly loue her y t god coÌ„maundeth him to leaue al other his affectioÌ„s yea euen his owne father and mother and cleaue to hys wyfe But let man and wife take hede that god couple them togither not the deuil Let them be coupled for procreatioÌ„ of children for auoyding of fornicatioÌ„ in al teÌ„perancie holines godly shamefastnes Let theÌ„ not ioyne either for ryches for bewtye for great aliauÌ„ce or which is more fylthy only for the lust of the body lest they be greuousâ—ly punyshed for their intemperauncie as it chauÌ„â—ed to y â— seuen husbaÌ„dê of Sara before she maried w t Thobie the yonger to innumerable other Wherfore my deare frendes let euery man and woman take hede they ioyne in holy wedlocke by gods coupling with al humble reuereÌ„ce and godly feare So doinge they
we thus bewayle the slepe of oure deare freÌ„des why do we feare it our selues Nay why do we not rather desire it for the quyetnes therin Why do we not count them happy wel at ease whiche haue gotten it And with this Gospel do also the wordes of saynt Paule whiche be redde in the epistle of this day agree whiche he wrote to hys Christen brethern the Thessalonians sayng I wold not brethreÌ„ haue you ignorant as concerning them which be fallen a slepe that ye mourne not as the rest of meÌ„ do which haue no hope For if we beleue that Iesus dyed and rose againe euen so wil god bring againe with him them also which slepe by Iesus But Christes disciples beyng troubled with feare suspecting that Iesus spake not of the bodily death in dede which after a new maner of speaking he called a slepe but rather of the common maner of sleping answered and said Lord if he slepe he shall do well ynoughe Uerily the disciples were yet styll afrayd to resort agayne to Iurye therfore asmuche as they coulde they cut of the causes of goyng thither But Iesus by litle litle prepared their myndes to the beholdyng of the miracle which he wolde shewe For first of all he had rather calle him a slepe than dead that according to the maner of holy scrip ture he myghte shewe the hope of resurrection For they slepe rather then be dead which lye in rest and shal liue agayn For it is not so easy for any of vs to raise him that slepeth as it is for Christ to calle the dead agayne to lyfe The disciples therfore not vnderstandyng that he spake of slepe and of wakynge agayne to thintent they myght perceiue y t he knewe al thinges said openly vnto them after the coÌ„mon maner of speakyng â–ª Lazarus is dead I am glad for your sakes that I was not there bicause ye may beleue Neuertheles lette vs goe vnto hym Christe doth not here tell hys disciples that he wolde rayse him againe for he had rather haue it signified than expressed and he had rather perfourme it then promise it in this behalfe also giuing vs an exemple of demurenes and to flee vayne glorie And he sayeth that he is glad for their sakes that he was not ther. Why so For if he had been present at hys freendes departure and had forthwyth retorned hym to lyfe the pharisees and other whiche were euer ready to sklaunder al that Christe did wolde haue sayd that he was not dead in dede but in a trauÌ„ce for a tyme as by diuerse sickenesses it hathe chaunced to many one But now he being so long dead yea and buryed in hys graue they could not make that cauillation Christ therfore was glad for hys disciples sake that they myghte beleue But what shulde they beleue First that Christ was the true Sauiour of the worlde whiche raiseth the dead out of their graues yea and out of euerlasting daÌ„nation and helle if he had not dyed for vs. Second that he is ready euen in the middes of our troubles to helpe vs and careth for our sauetie as we haue exemple in Lazarus which was sicke yea and dyed he felt not Christes helpe yet Christ cared for hym his care was not vayne For he raised him agayne froÌ„ deth Thomas therfore which in the Greke is called didymus in Englishe a twyn one of Christâ— Apostles ê‘ceyuing that Christ wold nedes goe into Iurye agayn amonges his enemyes sayd to hys felawes Let vs goe to that we may dye with him as who shuld say sith our maister woll nedes â—eopard himselfe amonges the pharisees which seke his death let it not be said that we wol leaue our maister let vs dye wyth him Uerily thys exhortation of Thomas hath in it more rashenes than feith For albeit he is now ready to dye with Christ yet he wold not beleue hys resurrection if he had not seen in his haÌ„des the printe of the nayles So also Peter boldly ê“mised that he wolde dye with Christ but it was not feithfully and truely therfore forthwyth he denyed hys maister But afterwarde both saynt Thomas and also saint Peter were two of the stroÌ„gest and surest af all their felawes in their feith as appeareth by their actes And here we haue exemple that saintes and the cho sen people of God do otherwhiles fall by gods suffraunce into frayeltie wherfore let not vs despaire though we haue been wretched sinners yea though we haue denyed Christ with Peter Only lette vs playe Peters parte and by repentauÌ„ce rise agayne no doubt god wol take vs agayn vnto his grace But to our Gospell Christ with his disciples goeth forth fyndeth that Lazarus had lyen in his graue foure dayes alredy And Bethanye where Lazarus his susters dwelt was nighe vnto Hierusalem about xv furloÌ„ges of and many of the Iues cam to Martha Marye to coÌ„fort theÌ„ ouer their brother Truly it is the worke of charitie to coÌ„fort the heuy and troubled persoÌ„s yea it is the worke of the holy ghost and for thys cause is the holy ghost called in scripture a couÌ„forter bycause in aduersitie he coÌ„forteth the beleuers feithful christen ê‘sons And therfore the Apostle Paule doth nuÌ„bre gentlenes goodnes kyndnes towardes the neyghbour amonges the workes of y â— spirite And albeit it may be that the worke of coÌ„forting other â–ª in wyelted vngodly persons doth not ê“cede of the holy spirite of the lorde but rather of a curtesy neighberhode or nerenâ—s of bloud as appeareth in these Iues which cam to coÌ„fort the two suâ—ters Martha Marye as also the loue charitie of HetheÌ„ ê‘sons wherby they imbrace their welwillers coÌ„meth of a carnal affection yet in the godly ê‘sons it coÌ„meth of feyth true charitie is the worke of the holy ghost not of the flesh Frâ— thermore we do se here that many Iues cam to coÌ„fort these two susters not without the great ê“uideÌ„ce of god y t many might be witnesses of the great mira cle of raising Lazarus froÌ„ deth For this is y â— cast of of gods workâ— y t they shew â— farre otherface in y â— begynning thaÌ„ in y â— ende Many of y â— Iues were gathered to coÌ„forte these susters loo beside their loking for they be made witnesses of Lazarus resurrectioÌ„ Martha assone as she herde that Iesus was commyng went and met him but Mary sate styl in the howse Martha therfore so sone as she cam into Iesus sight sayd vnto him Lord if thou haddest bene here my brother had not dyed But now I knowe that what soeuer thou askest of god god wol surely giue it the. Uerily this Martha beleued in Christe but not as it behoued her to beleue For she knewe not yet that he was god â–ª that he wrought hys miracles by his owne
Babylon Ieconias begat Salathiel Salathiel begat Zorobabel Zorobabel begat Abiud Abiud begat Eliachun Eliachim begat Azor. Azor begatte Sadoc Sadoc begat Achin Achin begatte Eliud Eliud begatte Eleazar Eleazar begatte Matthan Matthan begat Iacob Iacob begatte Ioseph the husbande of Mary of whoÌ„ was borne Iesus which is called Christe The sermon vpon this Gospel IN this gospel good people many thinges are to be considered First how that our sauiour Christ the sonne of god wold for the greate loue he bare to mankinde be borne the soÌ„ne of Dauid that is wold take maÌ„s nature vpon hym to succour and help vs which were in flesh condeÌ„ned to pourge our spotted and synful byrth And verily this is the final intent of Christê incarnatioÌ„ as it is wel declared in the epistle to the Hebrues where it is writen that forasmoch as the sonne of god vouchsaued to call godly persones his brethren sayng by the prophet Dauid I will declare thy name to my brethren and otherwhiles also he calleth them the children as in Esay Lo here am I the children whom god hath giuen me and bicause these children and these his brethreÌ„ be men made of fleshe and bloude it pleased hym to be parttaker of the same wyth theÌ„ that by his death he might wipe out him whiche had lordshippe ouer death that is to say the deuyl and deliuer theÌ„ which through feare of death were al their life time subdued vnto bondage For he toke not vpon him angels but the sede of Abraham Wherfore in al thinges it becam hym to be made like to hys brethren that he might be merciful a feithful high prest in thinges towchinge God to thintent to pourge the synnes of the people Now wheras Christ is called here the soÌ„ne of Dauid ye must vnderstand it that he desceÌ„deth lineally from Dauid according to the flesh as saint Paul declareth in the beginning of his epistle to the Romaines lest we ruÌ„ne into y â— errours of certaine heretikê which say that Christe was nothynge elles but a maÌ„ not the son of God but merely the soÌ„ne of Dauid Which errour Christ himself discussed where he propowned this question to the pharisees What thynke ye of Christe whose sonne is he â–ª And when they answered the soÌ„ne of Dauid he asked them why thaÌ„ did Dauid in spirite cal him lord sayng the lord said to my lord syt on my right haÌ„de Meaning hereby that Christe was aboue Dauid not only a man but also god So that ye muste vnderstand him to be the soÌ„ne or issue of Dauid according to the flesh and not accordinge to his godhed And ye shal also marke that he is called the soÌ„ne of Dauid after the maner of speaking of the Hebrues bycause he cam of the ryght line of Dauyd For the Hebrues do calle al lineal nephues nieces be they neuer so long of sonnes and daughters Uerely the hole petigrue of Christe is here so drawen and conueyed from his auncestours that they only be put which were ê‘ttakers of y â— promise which was made of Christ. Ye must therfore marke two maner lines of men whiche beinge well marked doth discerne of whom Christ wold be borne and was borne For albeit the promise of Chryste was made to Adam yet from Cain his soÌ„ne the petigrue of Christ is not coÌ„ueyed So that one line there is whyche deriueth Christê petigree from the meÌ„bres of the true church that is to wite froÌ„ the holy fathers which were parttakers of y e ê“mise And an other line there is which coÌ„teyneth the childreÌ„ that grew out of kinde not folowing their fathers steppes therfor no ê‘ttakers of the ê“mise which two lines if ye diligently marke through out the old testament ye shal se that Christ proceded of the feithful stocke not of that whiche grew out of kinde as Cain Esau and their ofspring were And verily it becam Christ the hed of y e church to come of the membres of the true churche Seconde ye shall vnderstande that oure Sauiour Christ wolde be borne accordinge to the fleshe of the royal bloude of kinges to declare that he shuld be a kynge no worldly kynge but a spirituall kynge for the rulyng and guyding of mens consciencies And forasmuch as kinges were also annointed after the maner of prestes therfore Christ also wold be borne of kinges to shew himselfe an annoynted king that is to say both a king and a prest a king to rule and defende a prest to make intercession and prayer for vs accordyng as saynt Paule sayth of him Which also maketh intercessioÌ„ for vs. And the prophet â—ieremie sayth He shall do the office of a kinge and capitayne But for the eschuing of errours ye muste know that Dauid whose sonne Christ is according to the fleshe administred here hys kyngdome in the erth and therfore it is not to be thought that after that Christ is nowe ascended vp to heuen he exerciseth nomore hys kyngly officies but that he sytteth ydelly in heuen leauyng behind him hys deputie or vicare in erth the bishop of Rome Uerily Christes kingdom is perpetuall and so is his presthode according to the sayng of the prophet Tu es sacerdoâ— inaeternum secuÌ„dum ordinem Melchisedec Thou art an euerlastinge prest accordynge to the order of Melchisedec Thirdly ye shall vnderstande that albeit Christe and also our Ladye hys mother whose memory we solemnize this day Ioseph her husband cam of the right blessed line or stocke and not of the croked cursed lyne as I haue aforedeclared yet many of the persons aswel men as womâ— of this blessed stocke were synners and therfore here in their genealogie is mencion made also of synfull personnes For who were so wicked as kynge Manasses and his sonne Amon whiche be here rekened in Christes petigree Iudas also coÌ„mitted fornication with Thamar Salmon maryed Raab an harlot What shall I speake of Bethsabea wyth whom king Dauid coÌ„mitted greuouse aduowtrie And yet of this Bethsabea whiche was the wyfe of Urie dyd king Dauid begette SalomoÌ„ So that if a maÌ„ wol throughly consider the thinge he shall fynde almost more euell men then good amoÌ„ges the auncestours of Christ and all the women whiche be here named be none of the holy women as saynt Hierom sayth but suche as the scripture disproueth What other thinge meaneth thys but that the holy ghost wolde signifie that like as Christ cam of synners so he also cam into this world for sinners He wold be borne sayeth thys noble clerc saynt Hierom of synners y t he myght wipe awey the synnes of all Yea Christ hymselfe sayeth that he cam not to calle the rightuouse but synners to repentauÌ„ce If then he cam for synners why shuldest thou o maÌ„ despaire for cause of thy synnes Nay rather take harte vnto the and repent For then shal the grace and fauour of Christ be powred more
entre into the kingdom of heauen Wherfore my frendes by Christes owne wordes here we may be right wel assured that onles we cease froÌ„ all malice and rancour towardes our ChristeÌ„ brothern and susters and become Christen meÌ„ not in name only but also in dede worke beyng made as it were new men and newly regenerate not fleshly but spiritually vtterly casting awey as muche as maye be al carnal and worldly affections and be traÌ„sformed into the hauour and simplicitie of yong chyldern we shall neuer be receyued in to the kyngdom of heauen Let vs huÌ„ble and abase our selues make vs like to these litle babes whom we se cleane voide of malice and of ambitioÌ„ For he that thus woll humble and lowly hym selfe shal be doubtles auauÌ„ced shal be called great in the kingdome of heauen Who so euer verily is by modestie and buksomnes the lest the same person is through vertue the greatest Trouth it is that worldly Emperours kyngê and princes do for most partes loue such as be lyke to theÌ„selfes and amoÌ„ges them such be in most price and reputation which can shyft out other and set forth themselfes Christe in semblable wyse delyteth in such persons as resemble him who what tyme he was here conuersant amonges vs in earth humbled hymselfe and became obedient vnto the death euen the death of the crosse Whan he was reuiled he reuiled not agayn he suffred to be bouÌ„de to be bobbed to be spitted at to be strikeÌ„ to be scourged finally to be crucâ—fied being himselfe without spotte of sinne to thinteÌ„t to purge vs of our synnes Wherfore for his humilitie he hath receiued auaunment and most high exaltation for his obedience he hath receiued most highe honour to haue a name aboue al names for his pacience sufferinge he hath receyued power ouer all for hys infinite charitie he hath receiued praise glorie and thaÌ„kes of al. Let vs lerne therfore of Christ to be meke humble in hart Let vs remeÌ„bre what y â— prophete Dauid sayth The lorde is nere to theÌ„ y â— be of coÌ„trite hart he wol saue such as be huÌ„ble in spirite which fear his wordes Truly good people those that be lowly meke in spirite be most highly auauÌ„ced protected tendred of almighty god He throweth down the mighty froÌ„ their prowd seates exalteth the huÌ„ble he filleth the hungry w t good thinges letteth the rych departe emptye He resisteth the prowd giueth his graces to the lowly persons Let vs then be huÌ„bled vnder the mighty hand of the lord For as saynte Iames sayth hath not god chosen the pore Certaynly the pore in spirite lowly persons be they whom God hath in his special fauour grace For like as in the great mens courtes of this worlde y â— prince or great man taketh the vyllanye or displeasure as done to himselfe when one doth a displeasure to one of hys great lordes or special seruauÌ„tes againe taketh a good turne benefite as done to himself when it is bestowed vpon them euen so the great king of kinges lord of lordes god almyghty doth so tendre loue his huÌ„ble and meke seruauntes though in the face of the world they seme as persons despised and not regarded that who so euer receyueth one of theÌ„ in Christes name he couÌ„teth the thing done to himself as though the partie had receiued Christ himself And on the other side he that offendeth any one of these simple and base persons which truste vpon the lord which depend hole vpon him shal be more greuously punished then if a mylstone were hanged about his necke he cast into the depe see For what a more shameful wicked parte can be shewed than to greue and hurt them which wil noman no hurte which enuye noman which preferre themselfes before noman whiche loue al persones indifferently Wo be to the worlde therfore for greuynge of suche ones Howbeit the malice of men is so greate that these greues must nedes be Wherfore who soeuer coueteth to come to heauen let him beware howe he hurte them yea let hym take hede he hurte not hym selfe Let no affection be so deare to vs but let it be forthwyth karued and cut awey yf it shulde hindre vs in our iourney to heauenwarde Our hande our fote our eye be necessarye membres yet rather then they shulde hindre vs Christe byddeth vs cast them awey For were it not better sayth he to go to heuen maymed or lame or wyth one eye thaÌ„ with hole meÌ„bres to be cast into hel fyer But sayng this he ment not that any membre of the body shuld be cut awey but he wolde haue the affections cut of whiche calle vs awey from the studie of eternal saluation For a frende which a maÌ„ can skant want is as it were hys one hande Thy father whom thou dost truste on is thy fote Thy wyfe or sonne whom thou tenderly louest is thyne eye And as there is nothynge so preciouse that ought to plucke vs from heauen so nomaÌ„ be he neuer so lowe pore ought to be despised but rather holpen Let vs then offend none of those litle ones namely sith there angelles which haue charge ouer theÌ„ do coÌ„tinually beholde the face of almighty god in heuen so y t by this we may know in what reputatioÌ„ they be w t god seing he hath giuen theÌ„ such kepers coÌ„ductours Let vs thaÌ„ endeuour our selfâ— to be suche lowly huÌ„ble persons as our Sauiour Christ here speaketh of y t we may haue such auÌ„gels to coÌ„ducte leade defend kepe vs in al our weyes by Christ our lord who be praised glorified AmeÌ„ â–ª ¶ On saint Lukes day the Euangeliste The Gospell Luke .x. THe Lord appoynted also other seueÌ„tye and he sent them two two before hys face in to euerie citie and place whether he hymself wolde come and he sayd vnto them Uerely the haruest is moch but the laborers are fewe Pray therfor the lorde of the haruest that he wol thurst out laborers into his haruest Go your weyes Lo I send you as lambes amonges wolues Beare ye no wallet nor scrippe nor shoes and salute noman by the wey In what house ye enter fyrst say peace be to this house And verely if the son of peace be there youre peace shall reste vppon hym â–ª if not it shall returne to you But se ye abyde in the same house eating and drinkinge suche as they haue For worthy is the laborer of his rewarde The sermon vpon this Gospell SAint Luke god people whose memory y â— church doth this day solemnize though he was none of the .xii. Aposteles of Christ nor of the couÌ„trey of the Iues but a Grecian borne at Antioche and at the beginninge of Christes preaching in Iurye not beinge with Christ as he himself witnesseth in the preface of hys Gospell yet