chosen folowed vp wyth hym but so yet that the coÌ„mon sort of people were not forbyden to folowe yf any amonges them had so great affection and grace When he was come to the toppe of the hylle he satte him down not as wery but as goyng about to teache high seriouse thynges which wolde requyre diligent hearers Hys disciples therfore perceyuyng that beganne to drawe nerer vnto hym that nothynge of hys heuenly doctrine myght fall to grownde Begynnyng then to teache hys diuine and most holsom lernyng not out of the proud pulpit of the philosophers neyther out of the arrogaÌ„t chaire of y â— pharâ—sees but out of a seate of grasse he did cast his eyen vpon his disciples and opening hys moost holy mouth vttred the Euangelical doctrine coÌ„cerning the felicitie of maÌ„ as yet vnknowne to the worlde and altogither disagreing from the opinion of all them which thought themselfes moost wyse in the worlde Thys doctrine his disciples yea and al holy men and women imbrased and so obteined the eternall blysse and beatitude here promysed vnto them Let vs therfore heare also thys doctrine foâ— to vs also he spake that we also maye be made blessed All the synnes of the lyfe do sprynge of false opinions and persuasions Aboue all thinges therfore we must studye to plucke these out by the harde â—ootes if we woll be his true people Bicause the most poysoned noysom sicknes of the mynd is pride and arrogance which is a let to man that he can not receyue the true doctrine or rather it is the fountaigne of all hed vices our Sauiour first healeth this disease sayeng Blessed be the pore in spirite for the realme of heauens is theirs Assuredly the slender liuing the lownes of byrth the obscuritye of estate the aduersitye of fortune maketh many men abiecte lowly to set no stoore by themselues And veryly these be y â— nerer to the blesse that the gospel speaketh of if they folow in mynd thither as fortune hath called them But this lownes humilitie of spirite that is here commended staÌ„deth in the affection and not in outwarde thinges Ye woll say how can these men raigne which take nothinge vpon them which giue place to al which set nought by themselues which suffre themselues to be troden vnder fote finally whom noman setteth by but al men despice I answere that it is yet true that the selfe trouthe hath spoken the kyngdom perteyneth only to them the kingdoÌ„ I say of heuen For thinke ye y â— these wilde fyerse cruel personnes do raigne Nay they serue a seruitude they be very villaines bondmen they suffre many lordes tyrantes ouer them They be tormented crucifyed with couetise with ire with enuye wyth lust of vengeaunce wyth feare with hope They skant liue they raigne not But the holy person the saynt the godly deuoute man or woman steyng himself vpon his innocencie vpon god vpon the rewardâ— of the world to com is free voyd of all these cares troubles for wyth a quyet hart he despiseth the thinges of this world and foloweth the heueÌ„ly goodes Doth not I praye you this man obteyne a reigne or a kyngdom farre more goodly and more excellente then is the reygne of tyrantes He is not vnder the coÌ„maundemeÌ„t and rule of the lust nor of couetise neither of none of the other moost noysom pestilencies of the mynde But this holy person being armed with feith as ofteÌ„ as the case requireth doth lay his coÌ„maundement vpoÌ„ diseases and they flee awey he coÌ„mauÌ„deth the sees and they be styll he coÌ„maundeth deuilles and they departe Of thys force and power is the kyngdome of that harte whiche is godly and setteth nought by it selfe distrusting al humane helpes and socours depending holly of God The wordly kyngdom is gotteÌ„ by violence defended by hygh courage But this kingdom is gotten by modestie stablished by humilitie The world iugeth none mete to a lorship or raigne but such as be of hault and high courage But god calleth those chiefly to his kingdom which do moost of al huÌ„ble and deiecte themselfes Iesus goeth forth and addeth a nother lessoÌ„ lyke to thys sayng Blessed be the meke for they shall inherite the earth Who be meke whiche inforce noman which beyng wronged do easely pardon the wrong whiche had rather loose a thynge then stryue for it which set more by coÌ„corde quietnes of mynd then great large possessioÌ„s whiche chouse rather a quiet pouertie then troublesom riches But this sort of meÌ„ be coÌ„monly for their pacience by one or other disturbed and wyped of that they haue Uerily it is trouth but this is a new maner of enlarging possessions The vnpitiful cruell lorde possesseth no not that which he hath wheras the mylde gentle person whiche had rather departe wyth hys right then coÌ„tende for it hath land in so many places as he findeth louers of the Gospell of Christe if he findeth none in thys world yet is he sure of the possession of the heueÌ„ly land out of which he caÌ„not be excluded The worlde bewaileth them as vnhappy whiche be briueÌ„ out of their couÌ„trey coÌ„pelled to liue in straÌ„ge places but Christ calleth them happy which be banished for the Gospels sake beyng made citizens of heuen They be driuen froÌ„ the frauÌ„chise of one citie expulsed out of one countrey but to true disciples of Christ the hole worlde is their countrey to such as be godly ê‘sons heueÌ„ is their home The death of frendes is miserable to the coÌ„mon sorte of people in so moch that some when they haue been depriued of their wifes fathers mothers husbandes chyldren haue kylled theÌ„selfes And for thys cause men come vnto them to aswage the bytternes of their sorowe wyth wordes of comfort But blessed be they which mourne for the loue of the Gospell whiche be also plucked awey from their affections whiche se their moost dearly beloued troubled for the iustice of the gospel which despising the pleasures of this world passe their life in weping watching fasting giuing almoise prayng visiting the poore in such like occupations For with such woll that heauenly spirite ve present secretly coÌ„fortyng rewardyng the short mournyng with in estimable ioye of mynde translatinge theÌ„ to euerlasting blesse Mans couÌ„fortyng ofteÌ„tymes increaseth the grefe while it laboureth to swage it But the holy ghost the true coÌ„forter so chereth the godly mynd that in moost bytter afflictioÌ„s of the bodie it reioyseth By the common opinion of al men hungre is a peynful thing and nedy pouertie is the thyng that euery man eschueth neyther is there any man but couÌ„teth them happy which haue augmented their liuyng so established their thynges as they may now liue in hygh welth and abundaunce But assuredly it is not the heapynge vp of goodes which satisfyeth the mynde nor the welth of
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
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