wyse I am the true vine my father is the husbandmam As who shulde say I am as it were the roote or stocke of the vine you are my meÌ„bres and as who shulde say the bowghes growyng out of the stocke My father of heueÌ„ hath plaÌ„ted me for he it is only that begatte me From him therfore as it were from the husbandmaÌ„ is the stocke come but you be come of the stocke that is to witte of me To the father as to the fountaigne and hed springe redoundeth the thanke of the hole benefite whiche what soeuer he giueth and bestoweth vpon you he giueth through me and his holy spirite The sappe and iuise of the stocke which giueth also to the brauÌ„ ches lyfe and power of bearynge of frute is the spirite whiche is coÌ„mon to the father and to me Thys spirite both knytteth me to the father and also coâ—pleth you to me Euery brauÌ„ch therfore which cleauyng to me and liuynge by my spirite shall brynge forth frute accordyngly hym woll my father purge cuttyng of froÌ„ him the superfluouse voyde lustes to thintent he may bryng forth more pleÌ„teouse also more gentle frute But on the other side he y â— clea ueth vnto me by the outward name of a christeÌ„ persoÌ„ or by an outward profession of feith wheras in dede he bringeth forth no frute of the christeÌ„ charitie this person wol my father cutte of froÌ„ the vine as an vn profitable voyde meÌ„bre of the same For in vayne is he in the vine which hath no frute but leaues only y â— is to say he is a vayne no true christen person which bosteth himselfe of y â— christeÌ„ feith expresseth not the same w t good workê mete for a christen man Now saith Christ ye be cleane for the worde that I haue spokeÌ„ vnto you Suerly deare freÌ„des we are purged and made cleane by Gods worde wherunto we haue giuen feith but we are styll to be purged to thintent we may yet bring forth more pleÌ„tiful frute For who is he as sayth saynte Augustine so cleane in this life which is not yet more more to be made cleane Christe therfore cleaÌ„seth those that be cleane that they maye be yet more frutefull But why saith he not ye be cleane by baptisme Uerely sayth thys holy doctour bicause in the water also it is the word that cleanseth For plucke awey the word and what is the water but water But let the worde come to the water and so is made a sacrament Let vs than take hede that we abide in Christ that he also maye worke in vs hangynge vpon hym For lyke as the braunche yf it be plucked from the vine can bringe forth no frute no more can we bryng forth the frute of any good worke onles we cleaue to Christe by feith and charitie from whens coÌ„meth whatsoeuer maketh to the true and euerlastyng helth I say let vs loke that we be continually knitte and ioyned to Christ as we haue exemple of thys holy man whose memoriall we halowe this daye whiche was an vndoubted liuely braunche of thys vine and brought forth in the sighte of the worlde moost pleasant and acceptable frute to god He remained â—nyt to Christ and therfore Christe was ioyned to hym wherby he both wanne euerlastinge saluation to himselfe and procured vnto god for whose sake he did al thinges glorie amoÌ„ges men For without Christ as Christe him selfe here saith vndoubtedly we caÌ„ do nothing Surely yf any braunche by hys owne fault plucke hymselfe awey from the true vine not only he bringeth forth no frute but as an vnprofitable bowghe being cutte of wyth the knyfe wythereth awey and anon after is gathered w t the other baren bowghes thrown into the fyer to be burned and thus being destitute and voide of the liuely moysture spirite of Christ he dyeth in the mynde thoughe he yet liue in bodye and after this life being seperated pared awey from the vine without recouerie he is cast in to euerlastynge fyer alweys there to brenne for hys punishement bycause he wolde not styll remayne in the vine as a good brauÌ„ch hereafter to haue brought forth and inioyed the frute of euerlastyng ioye And verely we shal abide in Christ if so be that his wordes be beleued of vs if the thinges that we haue be leued we kepe styl in mynd fulfyl the same in our dedes If we do thys there be no worldly stormes that we nede to feare for Christe shal be with vs the father of heauen shal be w t vs the holy goost shal be with vs what thinge so euer we shal aske we shal w tout doubt obteine it For as Austine saith if Chri stes wordes remayne fresh in our mouthes or in our memories be not founde in our life y â— is yf we liue not according to the gospel we be not couÌ„ted as braÌ„ ches in the vine bicause we drawe not life out of the roâ—e Let vs thaÌ„ good people be right braunches of this vine and bringe forth worthy frute to thintent we may remayne in Christ in this world and in the nexte inherite the euerlastynge ioye by Christe oure Lorde To whom with the father and holy ghost be prayse and glorie euerlastyngly Amen ¶ On Philip and Iacobs day The Gospell Ihon. xiiij IEsus sayd to his disciples Let not your hart be troubled Beleue in god and beleue in me In the house of my father be many dwellingê If it were not so I wold say vnto you I go to make ready a place for you if I go to make ready for you I wil com again take you to my self that where I am ye also may be And whether I go ye know the way ye knowe Thomas sayth to hym Lord we knowe not whither thou goest how can we know the way Ie sus saith to him I am the way and the trouth the life None coÌ„meth to y â— father but by me If ye knew me ye shuld know my father also And now ye know him ye haue sene him Philip saith to him Lorde shew vs the father we haue inoughe Iesus sayth to him So long time am I with you haue ye not knowne me Philip he that hath sene me hath sene the father how sayst thou shew vs the father Be leuest not that I am in y â— father the father in me The wordes that I speake to you I speake not of my self But y â— father which dwelleth in me he doth the dedes Beleue me that I am in the father the father is in me Els for y â— selfe dedes beleue me Ueryly verily I saye vnto you he that beleueth in me the workes that I do he shal also do greater also then these shal he do bicause I go to my father and whatsoeuer ye shal aske in my name that wil I do The sermon vpon
serpentes Leuiathan wolues euill beastes theues and such like of their euil properties Also spirites of the ayer flyeng about bounde wyth the chaynes of darknes vntyl the day of iugement condemned to euerlastinge damnation They caste suche men as be wythout the feare and thought of god into al kindes of vices some into couetise some into pride lechery intemperance crafte deceipt infidelitie conteÌ„pt of god rechlesnes dispayre dissolute and loose liuing dronkennes glotony surfettinges aduowtries blasphemies they raise dissentions seditions warres debates and all vnhappynes Yea and vnder the visour of angels of lyght and vnder the clooke of religion and of godlines they induce idolatry mens dreames sectes heresies and al false doctrines they deuise and driue into mens heddes inchauntmentes euil affections nawghty opinions and wicked counsailes as they did to Dauid in his aduowtry in the slaughter of Urias in nombring of the people and as they dyd to Czechiell whan he disclosed the treasure to the Babylonians To be short they do labour al they can to bring vs to vttre shame and destruction And this we se by open testimonies signes and deades how myghtyly they reygne as Paule saith vpon the children of disobedience and vpon such as wol not beleue gods word nor feare the lorde They confirme therfore the vngodly in theire vngodlynes wyth signes and wonders whiche they shew by their lymmes and ympes the false prophetes as appeareth in the. xxiiij chapter of Mathew or by inchaunters and â—uglers for it is not impossible but the deuil may by art Magik and sorcery worke many wonders and maystres For surely if witchcraftes sorceries and inchauntementes were not made ne coulde not be done God wolde neuer haue forbydden them Thus these euil spirites lye contynually in awayt of mankind they re propertye is to speake deceypte and lyes for that is as Christe sayth theyr owne and they be fathers therof they falsifye and corrupte gods worde wyth wycked doctrine as appeareth by the parable of the sower of good sede and of the deuyll whyche soweth among it darnel they wreste and allege holy scripture wronge they transfigure themselfes into angells of lyght fynally they seke to syfte vs as men wolde fyfte wheate And veryly good people y â— the wycked spirites haue these effectes powers and operations it is playne manifest also by the witnes of holy doctours of the church First the excellent clerke saynt Augustine in hys sermons writeth in thys wise All the euilles of the worlde be wrought by the falshode of the deuill whiche hath sette warre in heauen and in paradise deceipt hatred amonges the first brethern and in al our workes hath sowne darnelles Lactantius also that noble writer is not behind with his recorde sayng There is a certayne wicked and deceiptful spirite which is enemye to man and foe of iustice thys spirite lyeth in awayte of al mankinde And such as knowe not God them doth he entangle and wrappe in errous he drowneth them in foly and shadoweth them in darknes Also saynt Gregorie writeth â–ª that the wille of Satan is alway wicked but his power is neuer vnrightuouse or vnleful for of himselfe he hath his wille but his power he hath of God Wher fore good christen people sith we stand in this state and condition that yf we be euill and voyde of vertue and of the true feare of God we be in dauÌ„ger of these so noysom and wicked spirites and agayne yf we loue and serue God we be protected and fensed w t the good angelles whose benefites I haue heretofore brefely remembred it shal be our partes euermore to serue God and to stande in awe of hym lest by any meanes we might offend and displease him and so through our fault it shulde come to pas that we myght be depriued of these good angelles the euill shulde haue power vpon vs. But now let vs procede to the declaration of our gospell First therfore ye shall vnderstande that an exemple of the naturall ignoraunce blindnes and infirmitie of mankind is here set forth in the disciples of Christ which as yet measured the kingdom of heuen after the fashon of the kyngdome of the worlde The disciples come therfore to Christ aske him who is the greater man in the kyngdoÌ„ of heuen Surely according to the mynde of auncient doctours thys was a certayne humane affection whiche crept into the Apostles mindes and as it were a pricke of enuie and of ambition They had herd of the kyngdom of heuen they had seen iij. Apostles led aparte with Christ in to the mountayne that is to wit Peter Iames and Ihon they had herde how the keys of the kingdom of heuen were giuen to Peter and howe it was said to him Blessed art thou Simon the sonne of Iona and I say to the thou art Peter and vpoÌ„ this rocke wol I buylde my churche they espyed Peter also to talke more familiarly more boldly wyth the lorde lately also they sawe hym preferred before the rest of the Apostles in paynge of the tribute and in maner matched with Christ. For these and suche other thynges whiche as yet they dyd no perfectly vnderstande they had a lytle preuye grudge and enuie at Peter syth to hym as they thought the principalitie of the kingdoÌ„ of heuen was appointed wher neuertheles they perceiued he was yonger in yeares then they They came therfore as I sayde to Iesus and asketh hym who shall haue the chief authoritie in the kyngdome of heauen For it coulde not be yet dreuen out of their heddes but that there shulde be such like dignities and powers in the heauenly and spiritual kyngdom as they sawe in princes courtes of this world Our sauiour Christ therfore to thintent he wold cleane banish this carnal affection and vtterly expel the same out of their myndes calleth a certayne chyld vnto him whoÌ„ he setteth in the myddes of his disciples the chyld being yet very tendre of age and â—ut a babe voyde of all affections ether of ambition or of enuie simple pure innocent and liuynge by the only guyde and conducte of nature Thys chylde beynge thus sette amonges them our Sauiour sayeth in this wise vnto them Uerily onles ye be coÌ„uerted and be made as childern it is not possible for you to come into the kingdom of heuen For declaration of thys texte ye shall vnderstande that Christ did not here coÌ„mauÌ„de the Apostles that they shulde haue the age of chyldreÌ„ but the innocencie and the thing that the childreÌ„ do possesse bicause of their chyldhod they shulde possesse by their industrie so that in malice they might be chyldreÌ„ but not in wisdom as who shulde saye lyke as this child of whom I giue you an exemple doth not continew in angre neyther thynketh he one thyng and speaketh an other so you also onles ye haue such innocencie and purenes of mynd ye caÌ„ not
themselfes be good of nature and theire office is to execute gods busynes and to take charge and cure of vs mortall men They defende and protect I say al good folke from the assaultes and violence of the deuyll they nourish concord peace vertues good studies artes sciencies polecie coÌ„mon welthes discipline shortly to speake mans helth and salfgard That these be the properties and offices of good angells appeareth very playnly by innumerable places of hooly writte wheare the good fathers were holpen and be nefited of them as in the olde testament were Abraham Iacob Loth Tobie the children of Israel being in the wildernes the three children whiche were cast into a hote furnaâ—e Eleas Elizeus and many others In the newe testament saynte Peter whiche was led out of prison by an angel also saint Paule whyche was certifyed of the shypwrake and of saluation and diuerse other But lette vs marke how great their power and vertue is One angell in one night strake all the firstbegotten of the countrie of Egipt One angel in one night strake down the hole armie of Sennacherib as appeareth in the fourthe boke of the kinges One angell in a plage of pestilence destroyed thousandes of men as appeareth in the seconde boke of kinges I let pas the visions of the prophetes Esaye Elie Elizeus Ezechiel Daniel and the rest where the Lorde by hys angells dyd speake and teach thinges whiche were to be done taught Also the reuelacions of saynt Ihon setforth in the boke of the Apocalipse Furthermore when so euer almighty god wold set out any singulare thing to mankind he shewed it afore by his angels as for exemple of Sampson of Iohn Baptist yea and of Christ himself to be borne The angels were present at Christes byrth at his death at hys resurrection and at sundry other tymes Ye shal morouer vnderstand that there be angels and also archaÌ„gels that is to saye chiefe or principall angels and they haue distincte officies and seueral functions wherby god almyghty exerciseth hys wonders The Apostell Paul therfore teacheth that there be powers dominatioÌ„s vertues And according to their officies and properties they haue names as saynte Michaell whose memorie the church doth this day celebrate as Gabriel as Raphael whiche for their high kind of ministration be called Archangels For lyke as a king hath vnder him princes dukes capitans lieutenantes coÌ„stables and other officers to defend men from iniuries to kepe the peace to brydell and punishe â–ª â—auenours and euil disposed persons euen so hath god who is king of kinges his angels vnder him of diuerse officies for mans sauegarde and defense against noysom spirites The angels I say of god whether they be sene or not â–ª sene be alweyes ready and assistent to good personnes and be theyr kepers which thing the ladder that Iacob saw reaching vp to heauen by whiche ladder the angels of god ascended descended doth manifestly declare But here peraduenture ye woll aske thys question why angels do not so often nowe appeare as they did in old tyme To this questioÌ„ the apostle maketh answere in the first chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrues where he sayeth that the lorde in times paste spake to y â— fathers by his angels but to vs he haue spoken by his only begotten sonne whom the father coÌ„maundeth vs to heare whose coÌ„maundementes and teachinges be set forth vnto vs by the foure Euangelistes Mathew Marke Luke Ihon. Howbeit an other cause also why the angels appeare not as often to vs as they did in olde time to the auncient fathers may be very wel forbicause the world is now set all in naughtines men be commonly nothinge so pure so bertuouse nor so deuout as they were in times passed Yet it is manifest playne by Christes own wordes in the gospel of this day that euery good person hath his angel whych beholdeth the face of god the father in heuen Such an angell no doubt had Paule whom he called his angell as appeareth in the Actes of the Apostles Such peculiare angels had the good auncient fathers and finally such angels haue al good men and women at this day appoynted vnto them of almyghty god Wherfore the more fuller and replenished a man be wyth feyth and godly awe the more often also the nerer be the angels to him for accordinge to the coÌ„mon prouerbe lyke delyteth in the lyke And on the contrary side know we for certaine they be offended with fylthynes wyth vnclennes wyth malice wickednes and for thys cause forthwyth they departe from the persons who soeuer they be which be spotted with the same If we be then pure good doubt we not but god hath giuen commaundement to his angels ouer vs that they shuld kepe vs in all oure wayes Herunto also do the auÌ„cient doctours of the church ful wel agree Saynt Hierom writing vpon the gospel of Matheu sayth The worthines surely of soules is great forasmoch as euery one hath his angel appointed vnto him for his keper euen from his byrth The noble clerke Drigen also sayth there is at hand to euery one of vs yea euen to the least of vs al which be in the church of god a good angell the lordes messanger to direct vs to rule vs to monish vs to gouerne vs which seeth daily the face of the heuenly father for the correcting of our doinges and obteyning of mercie for vs. Neither doth saint Gregorie disagre from this which writeth that euery one of vs haue a propre and peculiar angell appoynted to the keping of him and one euil angel to his exercise Also saynt Bernard exhorteth vs to be deuout â–ª louing and kynde to so worthy kepers Hithersito my frendes we haue spoken of the good angels Now wol we intreate sumwhat of the euyll angels to the intent we maye the bettre espye what great coÌ„modities and benefites our lord doth giue vnto vs by his good angels whan on the contrary side we shal behold the incommoditie and mischiefe that commeth of the badde angells For how can a man so well knowe what a good thinge peace is as when it is compared with batel which is the contra ry They be therfore called badde angells bycause they bring to pas nothing that is good they haue sundry names otherwhile in scripture they be called euill spirites Satan Deuiâ—les cacodemones and feendes Satan in the Hebrue betokeneth an aduer sarie bicause he is agaynst god against his worde and against our helth and â—aluatioÌ„ Diabolus that is to say deuil betokeneth a sklaunderer and an accusour forasmoch as he accuseth vs and doth euyil interprete al thinges be they done neuer so wel and godly Cacodemon signifieth a crafty knower and full of suttelcie and deceipt al set on mischief They be also called by a resemblanÌ„ce of properties roring lyons dragons