w t loue cxciiii d The Wiues by their faith and good conuersation may conuert the husbande folio cccvii d Wyfe must be first taken and afterward proued otherwise then any other marchaundise fol cc b Wicliffes heresies when they troubled this realme xix a Vix saluabitur iustus is expounded fol. cclxxviii a Women when they woulde be sene to care leaste for their heare or lockes then they care moost fol. ccxviii d Womens heare is many times disgised fol. cxcix a Women whose honesty is light chepe be moste curiouse in disgisinge them selues Eodem c Woman is the weaker vessel is declared fol. ccvi b. Women of Rome in olde time knew not the vse of wine folio ccxxxiiii b. Worme of riches is pryde fo cccv b Women be no meet hearers of moral philosophy xxxiii a Women how they shuld lerne for their soul helth xxxiiii a Woman was last made and first in faute Eodem b. Women haue taught men witte fo xxxv b Worme and not a man why Christ was so called lxxviii b Worldly inheritaunce hath .iii. noughtye properties cxx c Wronges when we ought to remitte them and when we may redresse them fol. xcvi a Wronge there is none when the thinge commeth of mere grace fol. lxxv d Wyues deseruinge to be beaten reneige their wiues state and tourne to the seruauntes state againe fo cciiii b X. XAntippa Socrates wyfe cast a chamber vessell on his heade and what he sayd then fol. cciiii c. d Y. YOnge men be no mete hearers of morall philosophye folio xxxiii a. b. Yonge in age and yonge in maners Eodem clviii b Yonge men must gentilly do after their elders fo ▪ clvii d Finis ¶ The first sermon containing an introduction to the whole matter of the vii giftes of the holy goste And treatyng of the two first giftes called the spirite of sapience and the spirite of intelligence THe blessed euangelist sanct Iohn in the first chapiter of hys gospel after he had somewhat touched the ineffable coeternitie of the second person in trinitie the sonne of God with God the father cōsequently he descendeth to his temporall generacion in fewe woordes comprising the same verbum caro factum est et habitauit in nobis That worde of God the second person in trinitie was cōtent to come alowe and to take our mortal nature vpon him and to dwel among vs not with any diminutiō or decay of the godhead for the infinite glorye of God suffereth neither augmentacion or increase neither decreasyng or decay It is euer one after one maner though it pleased him to hyde the glory of his godhead for a season as condescending to the infirmitie of them that he should be conuersaunt withall and to teache vs the waye of humilitie and that is it that saint Paule sayth semetipsum exinaniuit formam seruiaccipiens He withdrewe his mightie power frō his operacion for if he had shewed it in his owne lykenes all the worlde had not been able to haue receiued him He kept a lower port euer vsing humilitie and lowlynes sufferyng the paynes of our mortalitie with all the despites that the Iewes did to him tyll in conclusion he came to his paynes on the crosse in his painefull passion And that he withdrewe his power from his operacion in the tyme of his bodily presence heare on yerth appeareth euidently by this that if it had pleased him he might aswel haue indued his disciples with the cōforte of the holy ghost whyle he bodily taried among them as to haue differred it tyll the commyng of the holy ghost by sensible signes at this holy tyme of whytsontide In a long sermon that he made to his disciples afore his passion among other holesome lessons he sayd thus vnto thē Expedit vobis vt ego vadā c. It is for your profite that I go from you for if I go not from you the holy ghost wyll not come to cōfort you I haue yet many thynges to teache you but as yet ye can not bear them away but when the spirit of truth the holy ghost cōmeth he shall teache you all truthes necessarye for you to knowe But good lorde what sayst thou Nowe we can not vnderstande suche thinges as we be to be taught than we shal vnderstand How may this be Is he greater of power then thou art Can he do more in teching vs then thou canst do thy selfe good maister Christ to auoyde this scruple doubt āswereth saying No syrs I do not say this for any impotencie in me or for any inequalitie betwixt the holy ghost and me for the thinges that he shall teache you shewe you he shall not speake them of him selfe but of me The cause why I say so is this Omnia quae habet pater mea sunt propterea dixi de meo accipiet annunciabit vobis All thinges that my father hath be myne all power all knowledge all connyng be equally and aswel in the sonne as in the father and in the sonne frō the father like as he hath his generacion production beyng of the father therfore sayth Christ the holy gost shall take of myne and shall shewe it you teach it you for when he shal sensibly come among you he shall shewe you my fathers pleasure which is all one with my pleasure All that he shal teache you he shall take and learne of my father and of me Like as he hath his beyng of my father and of me and as he is the infinite and ineffable loue of my father and of me Thus sayd Christ vnto his disciples for in very deede all the workes of the whole trinitie be al one vndiuidid outfurth among creatures Loke what one person doth the same thyng doth all thre persones likewise Therfore there was nothing that the holy gost taught y e Apostles but Christ could haue taught it them if it had pleased him But he reserued left this power of instructing and cōfortyng the Apostles and others by them vnto the holy gost the third person in trinitie lest if Christ had done all himselfe they would peraduenture haue thought there had be no holy ghost at all or els that the holy spirit had not been of equal power with Christ and with the father of heauen In very dede afterward there risse a pernicious sect of heretikes as Arrius and his faction whiche merueilously troubled al the world in their time saiyng that the seconde person in trinitie was but a creature and lesse of nature power then the father And that the holy ghost was also a creature and a minister and messager of the father and of the sonne and lesse of power then either of them both Because Christ would not haue his disciples to erre in this point he reserued the best porcion of learnyng of godly comfort from them that the holy spirit might teache it them for their comforte that so they might knowe the dignitie of the
holy ghost and might haue cause to glorifie and honoure him likewise as they honoured the sonne and the father by the doctrine of Christ whiche euer attributed and imputed all his lore instruction preaching miracles doyng vnto the father as it is plaine in many places in the gospels Therfore in as muche as they had heard muche of the power of the father and had heard many holesome exhortacions of their maister Christ had seen many merueilous woorkes miracles done by Christ the very soÌ„ne of God the father and knewe very litle manifestly plainely of the holy spirit third person in trinitie therfore as at this tyme by the high wisedome and counsell of the godhead the holye ghost shewed himselfe lighting vpon the Apostles in firie tongues geuing them suche instruction and knowledge suche comfort boldnes as they neuer had before And againe because they should not thinke the holy ghost greater of power then the father or the sonne he warned them afore saiyng Quaecun ê™ audiet â—â—quetur All that he shall heare he shall speake to you As who should say tho the giftes that he shal inspire you withall shall be wonderous yet like as he hath his beyng of my father and of me so al cunning knowledge and other giftes he hath of vs and equally with vs like as he is equal and one in substaunce with vs. And in signe and token of his godhead and godly power it foloweth there Et quae veÌ„tura sunt annunciabit vobis In this he shall specially shewe his godhead because it accordeth most cheifly to God â–ª to knowe secretes to come after and of his godhead it coÌ„meth that men haue suche knowledge reueled vnto them therfore Esaie sayth .xli. Annunciate quae ventura sunt in futuruÌ„ sciemus quia dij estis vos Tell vs what thinges shall come after and so wee shall surely knowe that you bee goddes This quickned their spirites that our sauiour Christ tolde them that the holy ghost should instruct them of thynges to come after for there is nothing that mans mynde desireth more then to knowe what world shalbe hereafter and what shall fall after our daies And the Apostles were verye inquisitiue in suche thinges therfore many tymes they asked of Christ whether he went and which was the way and when he would come to the iudgement and when Ierusalem should be destroyed and not one stone left on another And when he would come to take his kyngdome vpon him and what signe therof they shuld haue with many suche other questions concernyng thinges to come Of this thought carke of mynde our sauiour Christ dispatched them when he tolde theÌ„ that the holy ghost should teache them instruct them of all thynges to come that were mete and conuenient for them to knowe Nowe this presupposed of the godly power of our sauior Christ by whiche he might haue made his disciples as parfite in all giftes of grace as y e holy ghost did and the cause why he did not so descending to my principal purpose I will speake according to this holy tyme and solemne feast of the aboundance plentie of grace with whiche his manhode was indued aboue al other men and wemen that euer had grace And which he deriueth distributeth to all his faythfull people that receiueth grace Of him the Prophet sayth Psalmo .xliiii. Vnxit te deus deus tuus oleo letitiae prae consortibus tuis Kynges and preistes whiche bore the figure of Christe were annoynted with material and corruptible oyle but Christ was annoynted of god the father w t the oyle of gladnes that is to say with the holy ghost which was figured and signified by the sayd material oyle With this oyle of gladnes he was enbrued aboue al his felowes more excellently then any man whiche he is content to take and vse as his felowes coinheritors and copartners of the ioyes of heaueÌ„ They haue graces distributed to them seuerally by partes and the graces that one man hath another man lacketh and men hath them after a remisse and slacke maner not fully nor perfitely And they that haue graces of one kynde yet some hath theÌ„ more fully and perfitely then some other hath But Christes manhode had all graces after the highest maner that could bee geuen to any creature He was full of grace not by measure but aboue measure Saint Stephan was full of grace Stephanus plenus gratia Act. vi But howe He had as much grace as was sufficient for him to preache Christ and to suffre persecution and martyrdome paciently for Christes sake And so is euery good maÌ„ and woman full of grace after a certaine sufficiencie according to their nede and as it is profitable for them The blessed virgin Marye was called in Gabriels salutation plena gratia full of grace by a special prerogatiue or afore others in asmuche as it pleased him of whoÌ„ commeth all grace and goodnes to take her in so gracious fauoure as to take his fleshe and bloud of her most pure virginal body But the maÌ„hode of Christ had all the giftes of grace after a certaine excellencie and superaboundance by which he might deriue and distribute grace to all faithfull people euen like as the head in vs geueth influence to al partes of the body in the vse and exercise of all sensible mouinges as appeareth for when the head is a slepe or mortified with Palseies or suche diseases all other partes of the body be astonied and can do litle or nothing And contrary when the head is of good temperature and well at ease al the body is the better more apt in euery membre to do his office by reason of suche influence as is deriued from the head vnto them Suche influence of grace doth our sauior Christ geue to all christen people for he is oure head and we his lymmes or membres and that godly liuelynes of grace that we haue we haue it of his store and plentie of grace Of this store and plentie of Christes grace the blessed prophet Esay maketh mencion speaking of the misterie of Christes incarnation saiyng capi .xi. There shal a slyppe or rodde spryng out of the rote of Iesse and a floure shall ascende out of his rote and on him shall rest the spirit of God the spirite of sapience and of vnderstanding the spirite of counsell and of fortitude the spirite of science and of pietie and the spirite of the drede of God shall replenishe him By this slyppe or rodde is vnderstaÌ„d the humble virgin Mary very flexible and plyant by humilitie The floure ascending out of that rote signifieth the swete floure of our redemption our sauiour Iesus Christ whiche rose and sprong out of the stocke and roote of Iesse otherwise called Isai kyng Dauids father by the sayd slyppe or rodde Mary disceÌ„ding lyneally of Iesse by Dauid and by other holy patriarkes And on this floure shal the holy ghost rest with
doers you shold haue no thanke of god for you haue euen as you haue deserued Take exāple of our master Christ which once died for our sins the iust for the vniust a good man for shrewes and noughly liuers That so he might offer vs vp to god the father not being noughty as we were before for so we shoulde be no pleasaunt offerynge to almighty God but we must be by example of him Mortified in flesh and quickened in spirit Like as he died for our sinnes and roose againe for oure iustification so muste we be mortified and muste dye to all carnalitie and sinne so that there be none left aliue in vs. And we must be viuificate and made aliue in spirite so that our liuyng be all spirituall good and godly pliant to the inclination of the holy spirit This example of our maister Christ saint Peter brought in to teach vs that thei that being good and vertuous yet suffreth vexatiō and trouble they folow Christ whiche in like maner suffered iniuries paines and passion that he neuer deserued Some there be that by their vexation and trouble that they suffre amēdeth their liues leaueth their vices knoweth god cōmeth to goodnes And they maie be cōpared to y e blessed theife that was condēned to death for his former giltes faults yet in his paines hangyng on the crosse he came to the knowledge of Christe called for mercy had mercye came to paradice to saluation Others there be that for all the paynes and punishementes vexation and trouble that they suffer be neuer the better but bee rather worsse and worsse fretynge chafynge cursynge and blaspheming against God These be like the thiefe on the left hand which for his faults was hanged on the crosse and there hanginge rayled against Christe as others did and descended into hell to paynes euerlastynge The newe translation readeth this place Mortificatus quidē carne viuificatus autem spiritu speaking of Christ which was mortified in the fleshe bodely diyng for vs and was viuificate and euer aliue in the spirite for his soule neuer dyed in signe and token that by his example we shoulde likewise do gostly diynge to all carnalitie and euer liuinge spiritually as I saide afore In quo his qui in carcere erant spiritibus veniens predicauit This text is diuerslye expounded one way thus In which spirite bi which he was euer aliue Christ came and preached to the spirites that were in prison whiche once were harde of beleue when they loked for Goddes pacience and longe sufferance in the dayes of Noe while the Arche or greate shippe was a makinge in whiche shippe a fewe that is to saie viii liues were saued bi the water lifting vp the shippe a flote from the daunger of drowning Christ came in spirite and preached to the spirites that were in pryson The workes of the whole Trinitie be al one outwarde amonge the creatures as I haue manye times tolde you therfore in that that almighty God inspired the blessed patriarch Noe to preach vnto the people of his time penaunce and amendement of lyfe it maye be saide that the father in spirite preached to the people then beinge in pryson and that the sonne in spirite preached to the same prysoners and that the holy goste in spirite preached to the same people For the whole trinitie inspired Noe to preache therfore it is true that euery persone in trinitie did it And so it mai be said that Christ preached to theim for that is true of the seconde person in trinitie is true of Christe Per communicationem idiomatū As we say the sonne of god is a man and a man is the sonne of God And so we say that the sonne of god suffred death on the crosse that a man made the starres in the skye Because of the perfit vnion and knot of the godhead to the manhode in one person and the same person that now is incarnate and made man did it And he preached to the Prysoners that were dull in beleuyng Noe tellyng theim Gods commination and threatenyng to destroy the world wyth water except they would amende And yet they were hard of beleue and loked for more fauour at Gods hand and for longer pacience and forbearynge theim and so trifled tyll the floude came vpon thē and drowned them They were in pryson sayth s Peter whiche after this exposition must be vnderstande morally in as much as they were bounde as prysoners by the bondes of sinne as the prophet speaketh Funes peccatorum circumplexi sūt me The ropes of sins haue wrapt me in rounde aboute and likewise speaketh the wiseman Pro. v. Iniquitates sue capiunt impiū funibus peccatorum suorum constringetur His owne iniquities taketh the wicked persone and wyth the ropes of his owne sinnes he shalbe strayned knit And in that case were the people of Noes tyme for all mankinde had corrupt his way and the maner of his liuing Omnis caro corruperat viam suam Gen. vi All flesh all men left vertue and liued insolently viciously This is one exposition of this text of s Peter But this exposition though it be good catholike yet it semeth more moral then litteral because it taketh the name of the prison of them that were in pryson morally for the custome vse of sinne not for a place where a prisoner is kept in paine sorow to his displesure it taketh the prisoner for him that is intangled poluted defaced with the deformity of customable sinne This prisoner though he be in extreme peril daunger of soule yet not knowyng the case that he standeth in maketh merye fealeth no harme nor paine but counteth hym self most at liberty at hartes ease Therfore I thinke s Peter speaketh of the spirits or soules of thē that woulde not regard the exhortation of Noe made vnto thē for amendmēt of their liues tyll the very floude came vpon thē And then seing the water rise higher higher men and women and other liuynge creatures perishe in the same floude and that there was no place able to saue them from drownynge they toke remorse of conscience and repentaunce as well for their hardnesse of harte contemnynge Noes exhortion as for their owne naughty liuynge so callyng for mercy were receyued to mercy saued their soules Yet in asmuch as the gate to heauen was not opened bi Christ thei were staied in the skirt of hel a place prouided by GOD to receiue their soules that died in the state of grace and in Gods fauour in whiche if they hadde any thinge to be purged as for venial sinnes or for lacke of sufficient satisfaction for mortall offences done by their life tyme hadde first greuous paines for their purgation and then consequently were receiued into Abrahams bosome a place of tranquilitie rest and quietnes where they had no sensible payne They hadde none other paine but onlye the paine of
a husbandman if he wold giue of going to ploughe because he seeth distemperaunce and troublous weather manye tymes and looseth hys labour and cost we shoulde all dye for hunger Lykewyse the shypman or the marchaunt if for one storme or twayne or one losse or twayne he should abhorre and giue of goyng to the sea there would at the last no man auenture to the seas and then farewell this citye of Bristowe and all good trade of marchaundyse and occupying by sea The husbandman often laboreth and breaketh one peece of grounde and litle or nothing gayneth yet at last recouereth in one yeare the losse of many yeres afore And the Marchaunt man although he hath had losse by shipwracke diuers times yet he absteineth not to passe and seke out straunge portes â–ª and many times auentreth on hys olde busynes with a Cabao gathered of borowed money and dothe full well and commeth to great substaunce and riches Then considering that these men bestoweth so great studie and labours about transitorie things that will perish shall we by and by surcesse and leaue preaching if we be not hearde as we woulde be Their condicion and ours is not like they lose both labours and cost but we shall be sure to receiue rewarde of God for oure labours for we haue done that we be bounde to do we haue layde our Lordes money to vsurye and for increase as he biddeth vs do Moreouer consideryng that the diuel neuer despayreth our destruction but euer looketh for it wythout rest shall we despayre the health saluation of our brothers Christ that knew well al thinges that should come after ceassed not to admonishe and teach Iudas whoÌ„ he knew wold neuer be good theÌ„ what shal we do toward our brothers which we knowe not whither they will be good or noâ— Of Iudas he spoke One of you shall betray me I speake not of you al for I know whom I haue chosen One of you is the dyuell He cast them al in an anguish lest he should publish and vtter the traitour and should make him past shame by manyfest and open reprofe The apostle according to this sayth ii Tim. ii Goddes seruaunt must be no wrangler but gentle toward al men teaching them that resyste the truthe if peraduenture God wyll giue them penaunce towarde the knowledge of truthe And thus I truste thys doubt is solued which I nowe moued and that we must do our dutie still preaching and teaching and let God alone with the profit and increase to grow therof And here for thys tyme I must surceasse because I haue long protract the time perceiuing your attentiue eares and diligent audience not doubting but that you will kepe in remeÌ„brance that I haue sayd of the introductioÌ„ and entring into the whole matter of the seuen giftes of the holy gost and of two of the same One called the sprite of sapience the other the sprite of vnderstanding Of the other ye shall heare more hereafter by the grace and helpe of the holye gost who wyth the father and with the sonne lyueth and reygneth one God for euer and euer Amen â–ª ¶ The seconde sermon of the gift of Counsail WOrshipfull audience when I preached last in this place I promised to declare vnto you the seuen gifts of the holy gost which as the prophet Esaye saith rested on the humanitie of our sauiour Christ most abundantly And entring that matter I spoke of the coeternitie and of the equall power of the holye goste with the father and the sonne And how the maÌ„hood of our sauiour Christ had all graces after a higher maner then euer had any other creature And then howe all these seuen giftes presuppoâ—eth faith hope and charitie in him that shall receiue them And then I declared what sapience is and howe manye wayes it is taken And then ioyntly of the gifte of intelligence or vnderstanding and why I shoulde so vnitelye or ioyntlye speake of theym Nowe consequentlye I muste speake of the third gifte of the holye gost called the spirite of counsaile or the gyft of counsaile which like as all the other giftes were giuen to the manhood of Christ and by him to vs like as the holy gost by him is spred on vs and froÌ„ him as from the head be all giftes of grace deriued vnto vs as to his limmes or meÌ„bers as I haue afore said For declaration of this gift of counsel ye shal vnderstand that this gift of the holy gost like as all the seuen gyftes be gyuen to man to help all other vertues that man hath whether they be naturall or gotten by assuefaction exercise vse or custome and also to make man more apt easy to be styrred moued to goodnes by the inspiration or mouing of the holy gost as the children of God Quicumque enim spiritu dei aguntur hij sunc filij dei Rom. viii God is euer redy to moue vs to goodnes thoughe we of our selfe be full dull to go forward hauing al the studie of our hartes set to yll at all times rather then to goodnes Gene. vi Yet where the lyght of reason ouercoÌ„meth sensualitie some intellectuall morall vertues springeth furth as it was in the paygnim Philosophers of which some were taken for excellent in the vertue of temperaunce some in liberalitie or other vertues whiche yet for all their good qualities and vertues gotten by their great paynes and labours lacked the grace that shoulde make them goodmen and acceptable in the sight of God because they lacked faithe the foundation and grounde of all sure spirituall and gostly building To helpe the said gifts gotten naturally or by assuefaction greatly auaileth this gift of the holy gost the gyfte of counsail which is a supernaturall gift of deliberacioÌ„ or aduisement superadded to that natural gift of reasoÌ„ of which the philosopher speaketh vi Eth. oportet prudentem esse bene consiliatiuuÌ„ A prudent maÌ„ a wel practised man saith he must be far casting a good counseller But this property of reason called counceling or forecasting or worldly policie that the philosopher speaketh of â–ª maye be without this supernaturall gyft of counsail that we now speake of for a man may compasse cast contriue alwaies â—e they neuer so many to bring his purpose or his frends purpose to passe and yet may faile of his intent if he lacke this godly counsail that we now speake of And the waies that he thinketh to make for his purpose shal make cleane contrary against him as it is written Psal. ii Populi meditati suÌ„t inania Astiterunt reges terrae principes conuenerunt in vnum aduersus dominum et aduersus Christum eius Which to the letter was writ by prophecie of the conspiracie of the chiefe rulers amonge the Iewes with Herod and Pilate againste our sauiour Christe For they had contryued by theyr counsail how to destroy Christ as appeareth by the EuaÌ„gelistes as it wer by destroying of him
the seuen giftes of grace whiche be there called seuen spirites because thei be the giftes of the holy spirite by appropriation thoughe they come of the whole trinitie as is afore sayd Of these vii giftes of grace that were so excellently in oure sauiour Christ and by him were distributed and diuided to all them that be apt to receiue them I purpose God helping to intreate partly this day differring vntil another tyme or tymes when it shall please God them that I shall not haue leysure or oportunitie to speake of nowe And here is to be noted for them that be learned that the scholastical doctours be of diuers opinions in conferryng and comparing these seuen gyftes of the holye gost to the seuen principal vertues thre theological Fayth Hope and Charitie foure cardinall Prudence Iustice Fortitude and Temperaunce And also to the viii beatitudes that Christe speaketh of Matth. v. And to the fruites of the spirite spoken of Gala. v. So that by many diuisions and subdiuisions they reduce al these seuen giftes of the holy gost vnto the seuen principal vertues aforesayd also to the sayd beatitudes and fruites And contrarywise they reduce all the sayd seuen principal vertues beatitudes and fruites vnto these seuen gifts of the holy gost cōsidering the scriptures expressing all one thing in substance expresseth it in diuers places by diuers wordes And now with more words now w t fewer And in some place omitting that they expresse in other places Other sayth ful reasonably that Fayth Hope and Charitie be presupposed to all these seuen giftes as the rote in a tree or in a plant is presupposed if the tree shall bryng furth leaues blossons or fruites And as we see that the Carpenters axe or tole can do no worke except it be handled of the workeman and ioyned to him by such handeling or touchyng euen so our soules be not moued to the exercise of any of these seuen gifts except they be after some maner ioyned to the holy gost which must be by faith hope charitye These be the very meanes to ioyne man to god to al godly exercise therfore wher these be not there the holy goste doth not inspire anye of his seuen giftes Example we haue of S. Paule which though he were a vessel chosen to be replenished with grace yet he had not hys gyftes of grace furthwith after his stroke that he had as he was commyng vnto Damascus but he was three dayes starke blinde and sore astonyed and afrayd by this feare with praier fasting he was prepared to faith hope and charitie consequently to aboundance and plenty of grace superadded to the graces of faith hope charitye Then seing that these three most necessary vertues be presupposed to the other gifts of the holy gost if I should do quēadmodum sapiens architectus like a wise maister of the works I should first intreate of them as to lay the foundation a fore I begin to garnish the ouer and hier part of our spirituall building But because I dout not but ye haue oft and many tymes heard of them at large omitting them as presupposing the foūdacion to be alredy sufficiently layd I will descend to my principal purpose aduertising you that who so euer lacketh the said graces of faith hope and charitie and will not dispose hym selfe by prayer to obtaine them he shall vnprofitably heare any preaching of the foresaid seuen giftes of the holy goste Then supposing the best that euery one of vs hath them let vs prosecute procede to intreate of these seuen giftes and first of the first gift that is the spirite of sapience or the gift of sapiēce And because that after the minde of the Logicions where is anye equiuocation first we must make a distinctiō afore we giue definitions therfore it is to be noted that sapience or wisdome is takē foure maner of waies as appeareth Iacob .iii. where the apostle asketh this question Is there anye one amonge you wise or wellearned If ye will say yea then sayth the apostle let him shew that by his workes In mansuetudine sapientiae curteisly tractably or gentlely ordering his wysedome Where contrarye if ye haue bitter zeale and enuye in your hartes with striuing and brawling you nede not to be proud deceiue not your selues for thoughe you thincke your selfe neuer so wise and iolye fellowes and thou scolding woman neuer so iolye a dame yet this is not the wisedome that commeth from aboue from God almighty the giuer of all goodnes But this is earthly wisedome beastly wisedome and diuelish wisedome where ye haue expressed foure maner of wisdomes wisedome that commeth from heauen of Gods gift and three other wisdomes that commeth of our gostly enemies Let vs exclude these three and we shal the soner perceyue vnderstande and beare awaye what the godly wisedome is One of these three noughtie wisdomes S. Iames calleth earthlye wisedome and that is it that couetous men be combred with all whych be euer like wantes or Moles moiling in the grounde and when they shuld ascēd aboue such worldlines to godly meditacions as to here sermons or diuine seruice they be as blinde as the Molle Either they cannot perceiue any thing of godly or heauenly coūsail or if they perceiue it yet they haue no swetenes in it but down they would headlong to their lucre and aduauntages againe like as a Molle if a man would feede her with wine and wastel she will none thereof but downe againe to the ground she will and there she is more strong thē a Lion and after her maner wiser then anye other beast Example of this earthlye wisedome we haue in the gospel Luc. xvi when Christ said No man can serue two masters and ye cannot serue God and your riches it foloweth the Phariseis that were riche heard al these thinges laughed Christ to scorne So if a man do preach or exhort the couetous men not to put to muche affiaunce and confidence in the vncerteinty of their riches a mā shall haue a mocke or a shrewd word But let thē beware of the comminacion that is writ Luk. vi Ve vobis diuitibus qui habetis hic cōsolationem vestram Wo be to you riche men whiche haue your consolation and comfort here in this world Ve is a comminacion of payne euerlasting whyche shall fall vpon theym beside the temporall woe and pain that they haue in keping their goodes ▪ for they be rather possessed and holden of theyr goodes then possedeth and holdeth them And they haue their goodes as we say a man hath a paire of fetters or shackels vpon his legges more to his paine then to his pleasure This considered S. Paule writing to Timothe .i. Timo. vi diuitibus huius saeculi precipe nō sublime sapere neque sperare in incerto diuitiarum sed diuites fieri operibus bonis facile tribuere c. Commaund the rich men of this world not to be
scattered all his secte and retinue After him came an other Iudas Galileus which brought vp among the people a pernitious errour that it was not lawfull for them to pay any tribute to the Emperour or to any other alien because thei were the elect people of God and payed to God first fruites tithes and offerynges with other dueties This pleased the people wonderouslye well because it set them at an vnlawfull liberty whiche carnall people moste desireth And so a great multitude folowed him whiche sone after were all destroyed wyth hym To my purpose saith Gamaliel it is best ye let these men alone for if the counsayle and way that they take and folow come of mannes inuention by any carnall and worldlye cast it will be broken it will not hold nor continue no more then the enterprise of Theudas or of Iudas Galileus did But if it come of God ye can not breake it it will stande it will prospere and go forwarde ye can not let it except ye will repugne against God which no mans power is able to do to preuaile repugne it may as al sinners doth but preuaile it can not Of these thre stories compact in one ye se plainly that where so euer in any counsaile men work on Gods halfe hauyng Gods pleasure afore their eyes the counsayle goeth forward And contrary where men haue no respect to god but rather to worldlines it is not the counsaile comming of the holy gost and it will not hold but shal proue contrarye to the entent of the counsailers â–ª as we haue sene by many other examples in our tyme. And suche miscontriued counsayles be and euer hath bene the confederacies and counsails of heritiks therfore they haue not continued nor holden but euer haue bene dissolued and broken Examples of Arrius and his coÌ„federacy Pelagius Manes otherwise called Cubricus or Manicheus Sabellius and suche like And here in our realme of Wicliffe whose heresies sore troubled this realme in the time of Kinge Edwarde the thirde and worse afterwarde in the tyme of king Henry the fift when a great multitude of that faction conspired against the king But because this couÌ„sayle came of man and not of god it would not hold their counsaile was detecte the captaynes taken hanged and burned Likewise nowe in our time Luther in Saxony hath taken to his counsaile and confederacy many of our Englishe men beside them that he hath infected within this our realme their counsaile and confederacy hath no part of this gift of the holy gost that I call the spirite of counsayle because it is grounded on carnalitie and therfore finally it will be broken thoughe almighty God for our synnes suffre vs to be flagelled troubled w t it how long no maÌ„ knoweth but god alone though we trust in God their time be short for their errours commeth to lighte euerye daye more and more And by the diligent and studious labours of our soueraigne moste gracious Prince king Henry the eyght and his encouragyng of greate clerkes to inuestigate trye and searche oute the mere and sure truthes of the scriptures they be so manifestlye impugned that no man can be inuegled or deceiued with them but such a one as in the cleare light will not open his eyes to se the day light That the counsaile and confederacye of all suche heretyks is grounded on carnalitie it can not be hyd Arius heresy rose by occasion that he could not be promoted to the bishopprick of Alexandria where he was priest and reader Inimicitia Enmitye that he had then against Alexander whiche was then promoted and made Bisshoppe and also his owne pride ambicion and auarice these be called Opera carnis Gala. v. They cometh of carnal man Likewise Wicliff because he was disappoynted of the promotion that he would haue had to be heade of a house in Oxforde And Luther disdayning at other meÌ„s exaltation auauntage and profites and others hath maligned here to fore for like occasions and suscitate and sette furthe their heresies for lyke occasions whiche be all carnall and for carnall libertie laboureth with al their might vnder the pretensed colour of euangelicall libertie In verye dede the fayth of Christe and the gospell of Christe geueth vs a libertie but not that liberty that they claime by it It setteth vs at libertie out of the deuils daunger that we were in afore Christes comming It setteth vs at libertie and not bounde to the ceremonies of Moyses lawe but to saye that it setteth vs so at libertie y â— wee may do what we will they sclaunder the gospel of Christe and falsely be lye it Gala. v. Vos in libertatem vocati estis fratres tantum ne libertatem in occasionem detis carnis sed per charitatem spiritus seruite inuicem Ye be called to a libertye by the fayth of Christ but beware that by your libertie ye take no occasion of carnalitie or sensuall luste or pleasure but one helpe an other by the spirite of charitâ—e And saint Peter saythe i Pet. ii Quasi liberi non quasi velamen habentes maliciae libertatem sed quasi serui dei I woulde sayth saynte Peter ye shoulde order your selues as free men and as menne at libertye but not to take your libertye as a clooke for malyce or euyll liuynge as these that call theim selues euangelicall brothers doth nowe adayes whiche counteth them selues by their fayth at libertie to eat when they wyll and what they wyll wythout anye delect choise or exception of dayes or tymes wythout anye exception choyse or diuersity puttyng betwyxt any kindes of meats fisshe or flesshe indifferentlye at all tymes Yea and that is more horrible and shamefull to rehearse it if they were anye thinge a shame to saye it that all flesshe is free for all fleshe to eate it that the pleasure of the bellye desireth or to vse in carnall luste whether it be syster with the brother and yet more horrible then so the parentes with their owne chyldren and the chyldren wyth the parentes if bothe partyes be agreed A sore stroke of God that he hath suffered menne to runne so at large and to fall to such shamefull and beastly blindnes against nature all for lacke of this gracious spirite of counsaile that we now speake of Likewise of purgatory which some men make so ragged iagged that a maÌ„ can not â–ª tel what to make of it Menne can tell well inough by science and good learnynge what to make of it but by experience no man can tell what it is but he that hath bene there But now to declare and to proue Purgatory by scriptures with the expositioÌ„s of autenticall doctours thoughe it be very easy because the matter hath bene so laboured among clerks yet I should make to great a digresson from my principall purpose which is to declare vnto you this thirde gyft of the holy gost the gift of counsayle whiche as I saide is not grounded on
pray to God for this gratious gift of counsail and according to the same to procede in all your assembles consultacions deuisinges in al thinges that you shal go about euer auoyding precipitacion and rashe settinge on in anye of your doinges and so you shall not afterwarde repent your doinges or your sayings through the help of God to whom be al honour and glory for euer Amen ¶ The thirde sermon treating of the fourth gift of the holy gost called the spirite of fortitude GOod and worshipfull audience because it is long sith I preached among you of the giftes of the holye gost which heretofore I promised to declare vnto you as oportunitie would serue Nowe I trust you remember that in my last sermon that I preached of that matter I spoke chiefely of the gift of godly counsail which as I said is a supernaturall gift of deliberation or aduisement superadded to the gyft of prudence or policye that some men haue naturally or by exercise or worldly compasyng or casting for al these may faile and deceiue men if this gift of godly counsail be away as appeareth plainly by the couÌ„sail of the Iewes against Christ to put him to death for feare that els the Romaines would come vpon them and destroy their citie and driue al the people into captiuity and so vpon thys they rested not tyll they had slaine Christ vpon the crosse and then thoughte them selues safe inough til the Romaines came within a season after and destroyed the chief citie Ierusalem and toke the people that wer left to most miserable bondage as I said in my last sermon of that matter By thys it is moste euydentlye true that the wyseman saythe Non est sapientia non est prudentia non est consilium contra dominum Prouerb xxi There is no sapience there is no wyttines there is no counsaile agaynste oure Lorde God As longe as thy cast leaneth ouer much to mans imagination and setteth not god afore but rather worketh against God thys is not the counsail that is the gift of the goly gost No more is the counsail or confederacie of heretikes for they be euer grouÌ„ded on carnall lustes enmitie malice or some other carnalitie and nothing godly but inducing men to carnall lybertie as I declared of diuers heresies and specyallye of the heresye that denieth purgatorye settyng men at loose libertie spending theyr lyues in voluptuousnesse trustyng by one woorde of repentaunce to come to heauen as soone as they that haue lyued in vertue and penaunce all dayes of their lyues Then I declared that to shoofe furthe or shoote furthe mennes sentence vnaduisedly which is called precipitacion is contrarie to this godlie gift of counsail and howe that hurted king Dauid the Prophet and made hym to gyue awaye to a false lying wretche all the goodes of Miphiboseth whiche afterwarde he repented and was for Then fynallye I tolde you that Moyses lacked thys gifte of counsaile when he satte all daye longe hearing the causes of the people and geuing sentences on the same wearying him selfe and the people also when Iethro by the holye spirite of counsaile whiche he then had aduised hym to constitute and sette vnderofficers to beare part of hys paines and labours And then Moyses without anye disdayning without any obstinacye or sturdynesse lowlye and obedientlye dyd thereafter and constantlye by the spirite of Fortitude broughte that to effecte that Iethro hadde counsailed hym And lyke as thys counsailler Iethro had the spirite of GOD the spirite of counsaile so had Moyses the spirite of fortitude strength or manlynesse to sette thys order amonge the people as hys father in lawe hadde counsailed him It was no small enterprise among so vnruly wilfull and sturdye a multitude as that people were to bring such a newe rule and to set so ordinate a Ierarchie among rulers of which some should be lower some higher ordinatelye vntyll they came to Moyses in arduous matters and causes of difficultie and at the last to almightye God where the causes emergent were aboue Moyses capacitie For that people was so hye harted that they would not easely go to the fote but they would for euery trifle go to the head or els they woulde not be ruled nor pleased Fortitude is a morall vertue and fortitude is a gyfte of the holye goste That morall vertue maye be where this gift of the holy gost is away Fortitudo after Aristotle iii. Eth. Est virtus secundum quaÌ„ fortis sustinet timet audet que oportet cuius gratia oportet vt oportet quando oportet Fortitude is the vertue by whiche a manlye man or a verye maÌ„ susteineth or suffreth feareth auentureth on or dare do such things as he ought to suffer feare or adueÌ„ture on for that cause for which he ought so to do as he ought wheÌ„ he ought to suffer feare or auenture But the philosopher doth so exactlye trym and pare this vertue that he pareth almost all away And yet we Christen Philosophers muste pare away somewhat more of that he leaueth and so afore we haue al done we shall see that this morall vertue like as all other morall vertues withoute the assistence and grace of the holye goste be as Esaye sayth .lxiiii. Quasi pannus menstruatae omnes iustitiae nostrae be filthy and veâ—y vile in the sight of God All vertues consisteth in the meane and middle betwixt two vices and because the extremities somtime haue no name we expresse them by circumlocution sometime by two or three thinges for one and sometime by negatiues As here inpauidus wythout feare is one extremitie of this vertue fortitude such a one is he that nothing feareth neither earthquakes fire nor water but suche a one semeth rather insensate and mad theÌ„ bold Likewise in boldnes or venturousnes he that will auenture where is no likelyhoode to scape is in thys extremitie of fortitude and is called folishehardye and semeth to be proude and presumptuous rather then bold a fainer or couÌ„terfaiter of boldnes rather then truly bold or manly For comonly such men hath a certein feare of hart inwardly annexed to their boldnes begynning boldly and at the last will run awaye with shame He that excedeth in the other extremitye and contrary part that is feare is called comonly timidus a cowarde afrayde of his shadowe or where is no cause why he should feare Such be they that in all perils despayreth their hart fayleth them cleane contrary to fortitude or manlynes whyche hathe euer good hope to ouercome where by the iudgement of reason is any likelyhood to ouercome So that generallye fortitude is exercised about feares and boldnes or hardynes as it were to suppresse and correct feare and to moderate and measure hardines or boldnes Certein conclusions the Philosopher putteth in which we Christen men varie from him One is this He that desireth rather to dye then to sustaine aduersitie as pouertie shame reproche or rebuke is not manly for
such after him haue a certain feare in them and worketh rather of a tendernesse or nashnes of hart then of fortitude or manlinesse Contrary to this we rede of Iudas Machabeus the valiant captaine that whē Lisias protectour of that huge part of Asia betwixt the riuer of Euphrates and the ryuer of Nilus in the absence of Anthiocus the king had send by the commaundement of the sayde kyng into the land of Iuda .xl. M. footemen and .vii. M. horsemen to inuade that land and to destroy it handsmothe so that there should remayne no memorie of the Iewes in all that lande Then this noble captain Iudas Machabeus gathered his people together and after fasting that daye with feruent and deuout prayer to God made a solempne exhortacion to hys people where he saide to my purpose Melius est nos mori in bello quam videre mala gentis nostrae et sanctorū .i. Mach. iii. It is better for vs to dye in battail then to se the trouble paines of our nacion of holy mē Wher he preferred death temporal to experience of misery chosed rather to dye then to sustaine the calamitie wretchednes shame that they should come to if their enemies shoulde haue the ouerhand ouer them yet the true fortitude manlines in Iudas Machabeus passed the mālines of al the paignim cōquerours that Aristotle could recite Aristotle saith also fortis quanto est virtuosior felicior tanto fit in morte tristior ▪ A manly man the more that he hath of that vertue the more felicitie that he hathe the more heuy sorowful he is at his death because that by death he is depriued disapointed of y e greatest felicitie benefit goodnes that may com to man which felicitie after him maye be gotten in this world For though they put an immortalitie of the soule yet of the state of soules after this present life they litle determine but leaue it so ragged that a man can not tell what to make of it But where the Philosopher saith for a conclusion fortis quanto est c. his faithe was no better but we by our faith know that the life to come is much more excellent then this presēt life full of misery and wretchednes euer mutable and vnconstant Notwythstandyng for the naturall amitie betwixt the soule and the body they be ful lothe to departe asundre naturally feareth such departure therefore in the ouercōming of this feare in the contempt of this life in ieopardinge on great perils for equitie and iustice sake for the faith of Christ and for the life to come standeth principally our fortitude this gift of the holy gost by which the holy goste moueth our soules setteth vs furth to obtain come to the end of euery good worke that we begin and maketh vs to escape passe al perils that maye let our good purpose And where the paines of death or the fear of death many times ouerthroweth turneth the fraile minde of mā that mā of him selfe can not ouercome the perils of this world come to y e reward of his labors but gyueth ouer hys good purpose afore it be parfite and perfourmed Here the holie goste helpeth mans minde giuyng a certain boldnes and trust to come to rewarde euerlasting in heauen as to the most parfite ende of all good woorkes and the very escape of all perils To this end the true fortitude this gift of the holy gost hath hys principall eye and respect This excellent gifte of fortitude or manlynesse rested in our Sauiour Christ as Esay speaketh and made him to put away and shake of the passions of our fraile mortalitie which made him to feare death and to be pensyfull and heauye when he sweat water and blood in his agonie remembring the death that he should to But anone he cōsidered hys fathers pleasure by fortitude went fourth to mete thē that were sent to take hym and consequentlye suffred his painfull passion on the crosse as he was determined for to doe Wherefore God the father exalted him and gaue him a name aboue all names and that is had in reuerence of al creatures Many we rede of in the olde testament and in the new that boldlye contempned deathe for iustice sake whyche had euer their principall respect and eye to reward euerlasting As Esaye which wyth a sawe was deuided in two partes Ieremye the Prophet was stoned to deathe for preaching to the people the word of God And .ii. Mach vii is writtē a marueilous story of a mother her .vii. sōnes in which this gift of the holy gost the gift of fortitude or mālines appereth excellently When she with her .vii. sonnes were conuented afore the kinge and the iudges they were required to eate certaine meates that were prohibited and forbidden by the lawe and to fal to the rites of gentilitie which they refused constantlye and therfore were condemned to dye were brought to execution the eldeste sonne had first his tonge cut out of his heade then the heere and skinne of his head striped of together his fingers and toes cutte of and when he was almost spent yet he was cast into a great vessell like a friynge panne and fire put vnder there he was broyled and fryed vntill he was deade His mother his brothers lokynge on him and one comfortynge another manfullye to dye in Gods quarell and for the kepynge of his lawes saiynge Deus aspiciet veritatem consolabitur in nobis God will loke vppon the truthe and will haue comforte among vs. The second was likewise serued sauinge that his tonge was not cut out and at his laste ende saide to the kynge Tu quidem scelestissime c. O thou moste mischeuous manne thou destroyest vs in this presente life but the king of all the worlde will raise vs vp againe in the resurrection of life euerlastyng that dyeth for his lawes The thirde shewed furth his handes and his tonge and said I haue the possession and vse of these thinges from heauen aboue but now I despise them for the lawe of God because I hope and trust to receiue them of him againe And euen so all the brothers were arayed vntil they came to the seuenth And that marueilous mother comforted them euerye one saiynge I can not tell howe you did appeare within my bodye for I gaue you not spirite and lyfe and I did not ioyne together the limmes of euerye one of you but the creatoure and maker of the worlde that fourmed and fashioned mannes natiuitie and that founde the originall beginnynge of all thinges wyll restore vnto you agayne with hys mercy both spirite lyfe euen as you now despyse your selues for hys lawes sake Antiochus the kinge thinkinge him selfe to be dispised and set at nought counsayled the mother that she shold entreate geue good counsail to the youngest sonne and to saue his life if it might be
And she stowped downe to him mockynge Anthiochus the Kinge and saide My sonne haue mercie on me that bare thee nyne monethes within my bodie and gaue thee milke of my brestes three yeres space and mirced thee and brought thee vnto the age that thou arte of I desire of thee my sonne that thou do loke on heauen and earthe and all thinges that be in them and do vnderstande that God made them all of nought and so it maye come to passe that thou shalt not fear this butcherly hangman but shalte be made worthy to haue such brothers as be gone afore thee Take thi death and such part as they haue done that in the time of gods mercy I may receiue thee againe with thy brothers While she was thus saiyng the yong man boldly cald vpon the tormentors saiyng that he wold not obey the coÌ„maundement of the kinge but he wold obey the coÌ„maundement of gods law geueÌ„ them by Moyses And after a sharpe lesson coÌ„mination geuen to the king the king was inflamed with anger was woode against him more then against al the other brothers so the good yong maÌ„ departed trusting on god in all points at the last the mother after her sons was speÌ„t put to death Of like fortitude maÌ„lines boldnes we read in the new testameÌ„t of s Steuen saint Iames other in the actes of the apostles we read also of saint Peter s Andrew Bartholomew Laurence Uincent many other whose passioÌ„s be red in Christes church of which al of others like thapostle Heb. xi saith Alii distenti suÌ„t non suscipientes redemptioneÌ„ vt meliorem inuenireÌ„t resurrectionem alii ludibria verbera experti c. Some were racked drawen in pieces not loking for any raunsome that so they might find a better resurrectioÌ„ some suffred mocks stripes more ouer fetters prisones were stoned to death some were cutte in pieces In al these and such other timiditie cowardnes was far away this gift of the holye gost fortitude manlines strong hert lacked not by which thei were so coÌ„stant in suffryng aduersitie for Christes sake in hope of reward euerlastyng Amen ¶ The fourth sermon treatyng of the fift gift of the holy gost called the spirite of Science THe fifte of these giftes of the holy gost is the spirite of science or the gifte of science or cunninge for whiche you shall vnderstaÌ„d the science is not so precisely taken here as y e logitions speaking of science callyng it the knowledge of a conclusion proued by demonstration but science as we nowe speake of it descendeth and commeth alowe and is properlye the iudgement in the articles of our faythe and in such other Godly verities as extendeth them selues to creatures and to mannes actes and doinges accordynge to saint Paules saiyng Faith worketh by loue And so doth all the whole holy scripture more consistyng in practise and exercise then in speculation This gift of science or cunnyng as we nowe speake of it extendeth also to hande craftes and occupations as I shall declare hereafter And it presupposeth the gift of counsaile that I spoke of lately by whiche we may with studie deliberacion and aduisement attayne to the knowledge of mans actes and to the knowlege of creatures But because that many times mennes wittes in their study and in their singuler or priuate counsailes be ready to inuent or imagine of mennes actes and of other creatures laiynge a parte the gifte of counsaile and good iudgement so commeth many times to mannes minde deception errour lolaâ—dye heresie contrary to true science and cunnyng geloâ—ie suspicion sclaunder and infamye contrarye to quietnesse of liuinge Example we haue of the people of Israell whiche hadde inbibed so muche of Moyses lawe and wedded their wittes so obstinately to that learnyng and leaned so carnally to the same that notwithstaÌ„dyng all Christes doctrine and all the preachinge of the Apostles thought no way to saluation but by obseruynge and fulfillyng the workes of the lawe of Moyses as except men were circuÌ„cised they thought menne coulde not be saued And after a manne had touched anye deade thinge or anye vncleane thinge excepte he should sequester him selfe .vii. dayes from the company of cleane people and except he were washed the thirde daye and the .vii. daye with a certayne water made for the same purpose he should dye with many such ceremonies and vsages which were then commaunded to be vsed and were no more but shadowes and figures of our sauioure Christe and of the time of grace that nowe is and they shoulde nowe cease when the veritye signifyed by theim is exhibited and perfourmed like as nighte ceaseth when the day commeth and darkenesse vanisheth awaye by the presence of lighte Thys they woulde not vnderstande nor learne for any mannes exhortacion but rather persecuted to death all them that instructed theÌ„ in this veritie In this case was sainte Paule firste before his conuersion and many of his contrey menne and kinsfolkes the Iewes of whiche he saith Testimonium perhibeo illis quod emulationem dei habent sed non secundum scientiam Roma .x. I beare them witnes that they haue a zeale and loue to folowe the learnyng that God hath geuen them by Moyses but they lacke science and cunnyng they folow not good vnderstandynge in that in whiche they thinke them selues cunnyng for the saide ceremonies were no more but Iustitiae carnis vsque ad tempus correctionis imposite Certaine obseruances laide on their neckes carnallye to be obserued and kept to occupy them and holde theÌ„ vnder obedience and to keepe theim from the rites and vsages that the gentyles vsed in theyr ydolatrye tyll the tyme of correction the tyme of reformacion whiche is the tyme of Christes commyng at whiche time they should surceasse and be vsed no more Such a zeale and loue to learnynge hathe manye nowe adayes And of their learnynge and knoweledge whiche they thinke they haue they wyll make as great glory and boast as did the Iewes of their learning And yet their zeale and learnynge shall be without that science that is this gift of the holy gost In this case be they that so arrogantly glorieth in their learnyng had by study in the englysh bible and in these sedicious Englisshe bokes that haue bene sent ouer froÌ„ our englyssh runagates nowe abidynge wyth Luther in Saxonie Of their studie you maie iudge by the effect When menne and women haue all studied and counte them selues best learned of their learnyng men ê‘ceiue litle els but enuie disdainyng at others mockynge and despisynge all goodnes raylynge at fastynge and at abstinence froÌ„ certaine meats one daie afore an other by custome or commaundemente of the churche at Masse and mattens and at all blessed ceremonies of Christes church ordeyned and vsed for the auancemente and settinge forthe of Goddes glorye not without profounde and greate misteries and causes reasonable By this effecte
or that he maye aske of them that be learned and so teache his wyfe least peraduenture if women shoulde haue resorte vnto learned men to reason matters or to aske questions for their learnynge by ouermuche familyarity some further inconuenience might mischaunce to bothe parties She muste not playe the reader she must not kepe the scooles but rather Mulier in silencio discat cum omni subiectione docere autē mulieri nō permitto i. Tim. ii Let a woman learne in silence without many words without clattering with al obediēce subiection For I will not suffer a woman to be a teacher least peraduēture taking vpō her to be a maistres she may wexe proude and malaperte She must consider her creation that a woman was last made and first in faulte and in sinne Wherfore it besemeth women to knowe their cōdicion to be subiect and not to refourme and teache menne Once she taught and marred all therfore Paule woulde haue her teache no more But here you must vnderstād as wel for the philosophers minde of the hearers of moral philosophy as for s. Pauls minde of the students in holy scriptures that although nether children in age neither in cōdicions all geuen to take their pleasures and to folowe their lustes be appropriate and most conuenient hearers of philosophye because they lacke experience of vertuous workes and by childishe plaiyng the boyes and plaiynge the wantons be customed in lewdenes yet thys notwithstandyng if they be vnder awe and feare of their parentes or of maisters or of officers they maye take profite by hearynge Philosophy in as much as if they be straightly holde to such learning they may be disposed to vertue and restraint from vice by the same And muche like it is of the studie of scriptures if such voluptuous persons be compelled to haunt sermons lessons and exhortations by suche meanes the folishnes and ignorance that is knitte in the hearte of the wanton and childishe persone maye be driuen away by the rodde of discipline And I reade of many blessed women that haue bene vertuously brought vp in youth and well exercised in holye scriptures as they that saint Hierome wrote to and many others whiche we worshyp for blessed saintes in heauen to whiche God gaue grace to subdue their affections and lustes and by that they were the more mete to receiue the gifte of science and cunnyng by the scriptures But I rede not that they were readers preachers or disputers of scriptures Manye wise questions they vsed to aske and were without countresaiyng satisfied with such answers as were giuen them by them that were learned I doubt not but they vsed to teache their maydes at home such lessons as might make them chaste and deuout For women may be exercised in teaching after that maner as appeareth by Saint Paul Tit. ii saying that aged womē among other vertues must be bene docentes vt ad castitatem erudiant adolescentulas well teaching that they may enforme their yonge women to chastitie and to loue their husbands and to loue their children to be cleane in countenaunce in woordes and in bodie to be good huswiues benignas et subditas viris suis boner boughsome to their husbands So farre blessed Saint Paule giueth women libertie to teache but not to teache men All beit saint Ierome in the preamble of his expositiō of the psalme Eructauit cor meū verbū bonū noteth that Ruth Iudith and Hester haue bookes intyteled to their names and that they taught men wit and so did the wyse woman of Techua conclude king Dauid with her wyse questions that she asked hym and taughte him by the subtyle riddles that she proposed to hym and mitigate hys anger wyth the pretye example that shee brought in .ii. Reg. xiiii but in dede muche of her wysedome in her so doing came of the wytte of Ioab that sent her to the kynge to intreate for Absalon that he myghte be restored agayne into hys countrey The blessed manne Aquila and hys wyfe Pryscilla when they hadde hearde Apollo preache Christe they called him asyde and better taughte hym in the faythe of Christe in some pointes then he was taught afore Act. xviii But here the scripture expresseth not whether the man Aquila or the wyfe Priscilla taughte Apollo And it maye well be that they bothe instructed hym For the holye spirite of God breatheth and inspireth his giftes where it pleaseth hym and by theym that it pleaseth hym whether it be men or women Therefore it maye so be that it pleased GOD to illuminate the soules of women and by theym for the tyme to teache menne Sometyme for the reproch and confusion of menne to make theym ashamed of their dulnesse and sleweth As it is wrytten Iudicum iiii that Delbora the Prophetesse iudged the people of Israell and aduaunced theym to warre agaynst Sisara captayne of the warres of Iabin kyng of Canaan in so muche that Barach a noble manne amonge the people durst not go to the battayle agaynste Sisara except thys good woman Delbora woulde go wyth hym And sometyme women haue instructed men for other secrete causes such as GOD onelye knoweth But thys is not to be taken for an argument because it is rare and syldome but of a common course it becommeth women to be subiecte and to learne in sylence and if they will teache then to doe it wyth modestye and secretlye and not openlye to dyspute and teache men and that is Saynte Paules mynde as I sayde afore Scripture is in worsse case then anye other facultye for where other faculties take vppon theym no more then pertayneth to theyr owne science as the Phisicion treateth of thynges partaynynge to the healthe of mans bodye and the Carpenter or the Smith medleth with theyr owne tooles and woorkemanshyppe Sola scripturarum ars est quam sibi omnes passim vendicant hanc garrula anus hanc delirus senex hanc sophista verbosus hanc vniuersi presumunt lacerant docent antequam discant as Saynte Hierome saythe in hys epistle ad Paulinum The facultie of Scripture onely is the knowledge that all menne and womē chalengeth and claymeth to them selfe and for theyr owne here and there the chatterynge olde wyfe the dotynge olde manne the bablynge Sophister and all other presumeth vppon thys facultye and teareth it and teacheth it afore they learn it Of all suche greene Diuines as I haue spoken of it appeareth full wel what learnynge they haue by thys that when they teache anye of their Disciples and when they gyue anye of theyr bookes to other menne to reade the fyrste suggestion why he shoulde laboure suche bookes is because by this say they thou shalt be able to oppose the best priest in the parish and to tel him he lieth Lo the charitie Suppose thou haue science or cunnyng by thy studie in scriptures yet thou hast not this gift of the holy gost of whych we nowe speake for it is not without charitie Scientia
science in this matter of ydoles and of meat offered vnto them and spoke to them that were learned and shoulde haue conning to discerne in this mater sayinge in the beginninge of that viii Chapiter Scimus quoniam omnes scientiam habemus We knowe for all we haue science and conninge to iudge of these meates that be offered to Idoles what know we Scimus quia nihil est Idolū in mū do quod nullus est deus nisi vnus We haue this science and this we know that an Idole is nothinge in the worlde and that there is no God but one An ymage is a similitude of a naturall thinge that hath be is or may be An ydole is a similitude representing a thing that neuer was nor maye be Therefore the ymage of the crucifixe is no ydole for it representeth and signifieth Christ crucified as he was in dede And the Image of Saint Paule with the sworde in his hande as the signe of his martirdome is no Idole for the thinge signified by it was a thinge in dede for he was beheaded with a sworde in dede but an Idole is an ymage that signifieth a monster that is not possible to be as to signifie a false God whiche is no God in dede For as S. Paule sayde There is no God but one As the Image of Iupiter set vp to signifie the god Iupiter is a false signifier signifieth a thinge of nothinge for there is no God Iupiter And the Image of Venus to signifye the goddes Venus is nothinge for that is signified by it is nothynge for there is no she goddes Venus As in a lyke speakynge we say Chimera is nothing because the voyce is sometyme putte to signifie a monster hauinge a head lyke a Lion with fyre flamynge out of his mouth and the bodye of a goate and the hynder parte lyke a serpente or a dragon there is no suche thynge althoughe the poetes faine suche a monster therefore the voice Chimera is a false signifier and that is false is nothinge therefore we say Chimera is nothinge but Chimera signifiynge a certayne mountayne in the countrey of Licia flaminge fyre out of the toppe of it bredynge and hauyng Lions nyghe about the hier part or toppe of the same hyl and downewarde aboute the mydle parte hauynge pastures where breadeth goates or suche other beastes and at the fote of it marshes or moyste grounde breadynge serpentes such an hyl there is in the sayde countrey and of the diuers disposition of the partes of the sayd hyll the fiction of the forsayd monster is ymagened whiche is nothynge and therefore so we say that Chimera is nothing but the same vocable put to signify the hyl in Licia aforesayd is somwhat and a true signifier for it signifieth a thinge that is in dede as appeareth by Pomponius Mela. lib. i. and Soline Cap. lii with their expositours and euen so it is true that Paule sayth that an Idole is nothing for there is none suche thinge as is signified by it there is no God Saturne there is no God Iupiter there is no Goddes Venus but I saye more that yf a man coulde carue or paynte an Image of Iupiters soule burnynge in the fyre of hell or lykewise an Image of Venus soule there burnynge If Saynte Paule had sene suche a pycture or ymage he woulde neuer haue called it an ydole or a thynge of nothinge for it shoulde signifie a thing that is in dede for Iupiters soule is in hel in dede and so is Venus soule and other lyke taken for Goddes made of mortall men After this maner good frendes you must by science and connyng learnedly speake of Images and Idoles and not to confounde the wordes or the thinges signified by them takyng one for an other And by this you maye perceaue that when you wyll arrogantly of a proude hearte medle of maters aboue your capacitie the holy goste withdraweth his gyfte of science frome you and that maketh you to speake you can not tell what for the holy goste will not inspyre his gyftes but vpon them that be humble and lowlye in hearte And because I sayde heretofore that this gyfte of science as it is here taken extendeth to mecanical science and handy craftes This appeareth by the text Exo. xxxi when the holy tabernacle shoulde be made in deserte almyghty God prouided an artificer and workeman for the same nonce called Beseleel sonne of Huri sonne of Hur of the tribe of Iuda I haue filled him sayth God with the spirite of God Sapientia intelligentia sciētia in omni opere I haue geuen him sapience by whiche he might wel discerne and iudge of the thinges that god woulde haue made in so much that he was able to teach others the thinges that he knewe by goddes reuelation and instruction And this properly perteyneth to the gyfte of Sapience as I haue sayd afore I haue fylled hym with the spyryt of intelligence or wyttines and fine and cleare perceyuinge and vnderstanding by which he may more perfitly pearce and enter with his wit into the thinges that be taught him then he should haue done if he had lacked the sayd gyft of intelligence I haue also sayth God fulfilled Beseleel with the gifte of science Of whiche speaketh Chrisost. in a sermon of the holy goste after this maner When Moyses made the tabernacle in wyldernes he had nede then not onelye of doctryne and learnynge but also of the gifte of a mayster craftes man to knowe howe he should sew togither fyne clothes and sylkes of precious colours and howe to weaue them plat them and shape them together And howe he shoulde cast golde and other metalles necessary for the ceremonies there to be vsed and howe to polyshe precious stones and also to frame the timber for the same tabernacle For these and such other purposes almighty God gaue him and to his workeman Beseleel the spirite of science that they mighte frame all suche thinges accordingely And euen so in your occupations and handy craftes when you exercise your selues diligentlye and trulye withoute slouth withoute disceate gile or sutteltie in all your exercise ordering your selues to your neighbour as you would be ordered your self so longe youre occupation exercise and laboure is adnexed and ioyned with charitie and semeth plainely to come of the holy gooste for without charitie this gifte of science comminge of the holy gooste will not be no more then other vertues infused And contrarye lyke as euerye good thinge hath an enemie or at the leaste wise an ape or a counterfeiter as fortitude or manlines hath folyshe hardines or rashe boldenes which semeth manlines and is not so so hath science or conninge gile or sutteltie whiche counterfeiteth conning and is no true conninge in as muche as it is withoute Charitie and also withoute iustice Cicero ex platone .i. offic Sciencia que est remota a iusticia calliditas potius quam sciētia est appellanda Science remoued from
nother to be without payne and to take thy ease or thy pleasure generallye as Epicure sayde But rather to saye and answere that we were made and brought forth into this world for to worshippe God whiche begote vs to doe hym seruice And this after Lactancius is called Pietas Dei parentis agnitio ▪ The knowlege of God our father and maker not speaking of bare and naked knowledge of GOD as they hadde Qui cum cognouissent deum non sicut deum glorificauerunt Roma .i. Whiche when they knewe GOD did not honour him as GOD nother thanked hym for his gyftes but played the fooles fallynge to Idolatrye makynge Goddes of menne birdes and beastes Therfore sayth s Augustine .iiii. ciui ca. xxiii Pietas vera est verax veri dei cultus And as he saythe .x. ci ca. i. it is called by the Greke word Latria which is properly that seruice that perteineth to the worshippyng of God may be called also by an other latine word Religio Religion which properly signifieth the worshippyng of God and taketh his name secundū Lactanciū li. iiii ca. xxviii A religando ▪ because that by the bonde of the seruyce and worshippe that wee owe to God GOD hathe bounde manne to hym to do hym seruice as to our Lord and master and to do him worshyppe honour and reuerence as to our father Thus he hath bounde vs to hym by the faythe that he infused and poured into vs at oure christenynge and wee haue bounde our selfe to hym by our promysse that wee there professed for hys sake to renounce refuse and forsake the deuyll and all hys pompe and proude workes and so all wee were there made religious persones applied and appoynted chiefelye to thys seruyce that I nowe speake of pietas that is to saie the true worshippynge of GOD or the inwarde habite qualitie or gifte of the soule by the holye Goste geuen to man or woman by whiche a manne or a woman hauing it is inclined to goodnesse and made well disposed well minded prompte and ready to serue GOD and to do hym worshippe But because it is playne by the Prophet Esay where my matter is grounded that all these gyftes rested in the manhode of our Sauioure Christe whom he called the flower that shoulde rise vp out of the rodde springynge forthe from the roote of Iesse Let vs searche the scriptures whether it do appere by his actes that he hadde this gift Luke ii when he was twelue yere olde and able to take some labours he wente wyth his mother and wyth his foster father to Hierusalem They casting no perylles wente homewarde after the solemnitie of the feast thinking that Christe hadde been in the companye of the neighbours that thē went together homwarde frō Hierusalem after the maner as Pylgrymes vsed to go in flockes togither Thus they passed the way a whole daies iourney afore thei missed him when thei missed him it was no nede to bid thē seke they had lost their greatest iewel They sought him among their frends acquaintance and coulde not finde him the nexte daye they returned backe to Hierusalem the thirde day they sought all aboute in the Citye the fourth daye that is post tridium after thre dayes they found him in the temple sittynge among the doctours hearynge them and askynge questions of them He first hearde them reade and teache and then asked questions and opposed them Woulde GOD our Bible clerkes woulde so do nowe adaies that they woulde firste heare and learne and afterward to oppose for so they should profite them selues and theim that they do oppose Where nowe when they do oppose it is wythout anye learned maner and more for a vayne glorie or for to publishe and open mennes ignoraunces rather then to instruct them and that appeareth for commonlye they be doinge most busie with theim that be vnlearned rather then with them that be learned Our sauiour Christe occupied not him selfe soe but gate him selfe amonge the verye beste of the doctours that were in the Temple firste geuinge good aduertens and audience to their saiynges and then opposynge them for their learnynge And after thys maner his Parentes founde him occupied hys mother saide vnto hym Sonne why haue you serued vs so your father and I with sorowe and care haue sought you And Christe said vnto them why sought you me Know ye not that I muste nedes be in those thinges that be my fathers Or aboute my fathers busines Where he called the resorting and commyng to the temple and there to be occupied in contemplation in preachinge readynge teachinge disputynge or reasonyng his fathers matters his fathers businesse And in this he declared this gift of pietie that I nowe speake of to be in him and that by this gifte he was inclined so to do and so to occupy him selfe in the seruice of his father and in the worshippyng of almighty God And after when s Iohn Baptiste was cast in prison then came our sauiour Christe abroade and preached his holye doctrine in Galilee and other places Luke iiii and in his progresse he came to Nazareth where he was nourced and brought vp in his childhode And there came into the churche on the Sabboth daie as he was wont to do and stode vp and redde a porcion of the scripture as the maner was The scripture was of the prophecye of Esay ca. lxi Spiritus domini super me propter quod vnxit me euāgelizare pauperibus misit me c. After he had redde it he clasped vp the booke deliuered it to the clerke or minister that hadde the kepyng of it and sate downe like a doctour ▪ or a reader in his chaire or on his stole and expounded and declared the same scripture appliyng it to him selfe as the true litterall sence of that scripture did pretende saiynge Hodie impleta est hec scriptura in oculis vestris Now this scripture is fulfilled afore your eyes The holye spirite of God was on him and did annointe him and sende him to preach to the poore people that be poore in spirite and lowlye in herte All this was the seruice of his father redoundyng to his worshippe and to his fathers honour he applied all his preachinge Ioh. xiiii The sermon that you haue hearde is not mine but it is my fathers that sende me Also Ioh. xv In this my father is glorified that you maye bringe furthe muche fruite and may be made my scholers He did not attribute or geue it to his owne glorye or prayse that his disciples increased in knowledge and in the fruite of good works comming of the same but to the glorye and prayse of his father Likewise that his disciples and we by them be Christes disciples he willeth vs to geue laudes and glorie therfore to the father although y e fathers glorie and his by reason of his Godheade were is all one Thus ye may well perceiue through the Gospels howe vehemently and earnestly he was
and to talke that with their mouth that they haue not thoughte with theyr heartes This carnall and worldly feare yf it be with deliberation aduisement is very nought and dampnable where as yf it come of the infirmitie and weakenes of the fleshe whiche naturallye abhorreth death and abhorreth tortures imprisonmentes seruitude bondage and lacke of libertie and of accustomed pleasures then yf this feare be but sodayne though it trouble thy affection wyll or appetite verye sore there is no peryll in it it is natural it can not be well auoyded specially the fyrst motions of this feare And for the comfort of infirme and weake persones least any man or woman susteyninge suche feare shoulde dispayre of saluation oure Sauioure Christ to declare that he was a very man that this carnall feare of the flesh is not euer dampnable but naturally ensuing and folowinge the infirmitie of the fleshe did vouchesafe to susteine suche feare in his owne affection or wyll when afore his passion he begonne to be afrayde and to be wery Marc. xiiii he begonne to be afrayd of the death that he should to and to be wery of the trouble that the Iewes put him to and that he knewe they woulde put him to more greuouslye afterward and this feare vexed him so sore that for very agony and payne his swete of his body was like bloude trikeling downe to the ground A merueilous parturbation of minde that he was in for that space but it dyd not longe continue And therefore the Euangelist Marke sayd Cepit pauere tedere He begonne to be afrayde and to be werye It begon with hym but it dyd not continue for anone reason checked this sensualitie and ruled it directing all his wyll to the pleasure of his father and so he proceded forth to his paynefull passion with a verye good wyll ruled by reason to consummate perfourme and ende the thinge for whiche he came into oure nature by his blessed incarnation In like maner there is no mundane carnall or naturall feare coÌ„minge sodenly vpon a man that can dampne a man if it continue not to longe and if it do not ouercome reason But if it so ouercharge the mynde that for any suche feare a man do forsake iustice or do the thinge that shalbe contrarye to Goddes pleasure then such worldly and carnall feare is vâ—tuperable and dampnable Seruyle feare hath the next place whiche some wryters doth vtterly dampne and say it is very noughte but it can not be so for ye knowe by experience that a mayster hadde leuer haue a prentyce or a seruaunte that woulde do his worke for feare of strokes or for feare of beatynge then to haue suche a prentyce that wyll nother do his worke for beatynge nor for feare of displeasinge of his mayster nether yet for loue Of the fyrste maye come some good at length but the other is desperate and of him commeth noughte but angre and vexation of minde to his maister he must be put oute of seruyce and caste of Seruyle feare hath his name of a seruaunte a slaue or bondeman it is suche feare as is in the seruaunte prentyce or bondeman or in a shrewde scholer whiche wyll do no good but onelye for feare of betynge So sayth S. Augustine seruyle feare of God is when a man withdraweth and kepeth him selfe frome sinne for feare of the paines of hel and for feare least he shalbe damned with the deuyls in hell for euermore Although this feare be insufficient for mans saluation yet it is verye good and profitable for by this groweth a vse and a custome of iustice or of well doynge for he that oft tymes doth wel although it be for feare shall fynde ease thereby and at length shal haue a pleasure in well doynge and a loue to iustice or well doynge thoughe it were hard and paynfull for hym at the beginninge and so the seruilitie the bondage of the feare beginneth a litell and a litell to swage and to be excluded and it waxeth and beginneth to be amicable louing feare by whiche a man doth well partlye for loue and partely for feare And this the doctours call timor initialis and it is the meane and next way to the filial feare the chast and holye feare that beginneth here and shall remayne and continue in heauen for euermore as the prophete sayth Timor domini sanctus permanet in seculum seculi Psalm xviii The holy feare of God abydeth for euermore it commeth of charitie whiche neuer fayleth The foresayde seruyle feare of Goddes iustice and of his punyshment of synners prepareth a waye to the filial and charitable feare but when charitie and louinge feare is once gotten the former feare of punyshment vanysheth and goeth awaye for the more that the loue is the lesse is the feare of punyshment The good that a man doth for loue hath no spyce of the bondage or of seruyle feare therefore sayth Saint Iohn i. Ioh. iiii Timor non est in charitate sed perfecta charitas foras mittit timorem quoniam timor penam habeâ— qui autem timet non est perfectus in charitate In charitie there is no feare but perfyt charitie dryueth out feare for feare hath payne annexte and he that feareth is not perfyt in charitie Nowe these wordes of S. Iohn semeth contrary to the wordes of the Prophete Timor domini sanctus c. The holye feare of God abydeth for euer To this I aunswere fyrst bringing in this example that lyke as one blaste of winde of the belowes bloweth and fylleth two organ pipes or moo so may one breath or inspiration of the holy spyryte fyl two heartes and styrre two tongues the two organ pipes so blowen by one breath concordeth and agreeth full well so maye two heartes inspired with one holye spirite concorde and agre as ye shall perceaue so that ye wil geue diligent audience The Prophete in his sayinge addeth this worde Sanctus or castus he calleth it holye feare or chast feare the Euangelist Saynt Iohn doth not adde these wordes therefore let vs put difference betwixt two feares and so shal we vnderstand the consonaunce and concorde of these two organ pipes the holye Prophete and the blessed Euangeliste There be men that feareth hell paynes least they burne there with the deuils this feare bringeth in charitie but when he hath broughte in charitie this feare auoydeth and charitie remaineth If a man feare onely for punyshment then a man loueth not him that he so feareth he desireth not that is good but exchueth that that is yll Notwithstandinge in as muche as a man is ware and feareth that that is yll he correcteth and amendeth him self and beginneth to desire that is good that so there may be in him holy loue and chast loue holy feare and chast feare A man can not better declare make playne these two feares then if a man put example of two wiues one aduoutresse and disposed to take others beside her
they wold not so sore charge the consciences of theyr subiectes but that wheÌ„ they breake the said lawes whether it be with contempt or withoute they shoulde suffer the temporall paines determined ordained for them that offende the said lawes And so they binde the seconde way by the payne to be inflicte on the breakers of the same Thys due obedience of the subiectes to theyr heades rulers and other premisses considered al noble Princes and Prelates and all others that commonly be called to high counsels to make lawes had nede maturely to consider that in their offices they be Gods helpers and the mean betwixt God and hys people and to be well ware that they make none such humane traditions as maâ— barre or deface the law of God as they dydde to whoÌ„ Christ vmbraideth that they for their own lucratiue traditions disswaded from the law of the honour of theyr parentes Math. xv And that they doe not binde suche heauye and vnportable burdens vpon their subiects backes as they wil not set one finger to to helpe men to beare Math. xxiii as the Scribes and Pharisies did whych then had the aucthoritie both temporall and spiritual vnder the Romaines And that they haue no malicious eye towarde anye partie diuisyng lawes for theyr neyghbours destruction or excogitating lawes for the impouerishynge of other men alleuiatyng theyr owne charges and making others fal down vnder their burdens The Prophet sayth to them that be constitute and set in suche authoritie Psa. lvii O ye children of men if ye speake truelye of iustice and ryghteousnesse then se that ye iudge streightly neither declining on the right hand by affection to your selfe or to your friende neither on the leaft hand by malice or displeasure to your foes or to them that you fauour not Considering that the iust iudgement of God shall be against them that measureth the power that they haue receiued of God after their owne wickednes not according to Gods lawes Wher they that iustly and charitably haue vsed their authority shall haue suche reward prepared for them in heaueÌ„ as no â—ong can tel nor hart can think Of whiche that we may be partakers he graunt vs that for vs dyed Amen An expositioÌ„ of the first epistle of Saynt Peter the Apostle set fourth in traictises or Sermons preached in the Cathedral Churche of Bristow by maister Roger Edgeworth Doctour of diuinitie one of the canons of the same Cathedrall church THe gret wise maÌ„ king SalomoÌ„ y t by his wit searched out the natures kinds of all creatures on erth as far as any man might and dysputed reasoned of all the trees in the wood from the highe Ceder tre growing in Libanus where â—uch trees be abundant vnto the poore and lowe I sope that groweth out of the walles and that write and reasoned of beastes and birdes wormes and fishes and to whom resorted people of all nations and from all kinges of the world to heare hys wysedome yet he confesseth Ecclesiastes i. Cuncte res difficiles et non potest ea homo explicare sermone All thinges be hard to be knowen no man can perfitely expresse them by mouth For as the Logition speaketh we knowe not the substantiall and perfite dyfference and distinction betwyxte creatures of the world that we se afore our faces euery day Therfore it is no merueil though our wits be very thin feable and weake to vnderstaÌ„d the holy scriptures For the faire beuty of godlye truth comprised and contained in the scriptures lyeth so priuely hid like a heauenly treasure layd vp in them that it wyll not appeare but onely to them that seeke and searche for it wyth a whole minde and with a clere hart And in asmuche as mans reason is grosse and combred wyth many ydle thoughtes and with muche busynes of the worlde running in mans minde this maketh vs the more blinde vnmete to finde the sayd treasure specially because that in spirituall and heauenly matters as Saint Paule saith we se but as it were in a glasse obscurelye and as a thyng farre of vnperfitelye And beside this I knowe that the thinges that be spoken of in Gods holye and liuely worde be endited by the holy spirite of God Wherefore it is not for euery man to examine theÌ„ and discusse them after his own iudgement for no man may worthely medle wyth hys doyâ—ge but he that hath the holy spirite and specially that gift of the holy spirite that S. Paule speaketh of .i. Corin. xii Discretio spirituum where he sayth that to some man is giuen the spirit of sapience to iudge and reasoÌ„ of celestial matters to other the gift of scieÌ„ce in lower exercise to som is giuen faith by the same spirite To som power to discerne spirites to know when the good spirite speaketh and when the bad and noughtye spirite speaketh In catholike and true expounders of scriptures speaketh the good spirite in heretikes speaketh the bad and noughty spirite And in the holy scripture which is the worke of the holy spirite of the holy gost for he inspireth all the writers of the holye scriptures he is the chiefe author of holy scripture and they that be named the doers thereof as Mathewe Marke Luke Iohn and S. Peter whom we haue now in hand be but as the Scribes Notaries Scriueners and as it were the very quils or pennes of the holy goste Lingua mea calamus scribe saith the Prophet In the holye scriptures I saye when a texte maye haue diuers expositions and may be diuersly taken and euery way good and catholike yet to attaine to the verye prescise and true meaning of the holy gost is no small grace this is the grace of DiscretioÌ„ of spirites or of putting difference betwixte spirites And withoute this gift no maÌ„ shal be able to pas fafely through the scriptures without a foyle Nowe who shall haue this gift and who shall lacke it it standeth chiefely in Gods handes and not in our merites and deseruing For these considerations it is no merueil that it be perilous to speake of almighty God of heauenly or godly causes far aboue our reache In somuch that many wise and wel learned men haue rather chosen silence to hold their tonges then to take labours in expouÌ„dinge or preching y e scriptures But this is not inough for theÌ„ to whom the office of teaching is coÌ„mytted As to bishops to whoÌ„ is coÌ„mitted the whole cure of their dioceses To Archdeacons persons vicars al other hauing cure of soules to al such it is very hurtfull noysome to kepe silence as s. Paule full well considered saying .i. Corin. ix Ve mihi est si non euangelizauero I am sure of wo euerlasting if I do not preach Christ biddeth scruramini scripturas search labour in y e scriptures he biddeth vs also seke and we shall finde Therefore we must search seke least we heare the reproche that Christe gaue the
malicious Iewes Erratis nesciētes scripturas neque virtutē dei You er you go out of the way for ignorance of the scriptures because you know not the vertue power of god S. Paule calleth our sauiour Christ the vertue and power and the wisdome of God Christū dei virtutē et dei sapientiā i. Cor i. Thē cōsidering that Christ is the vertue power of god who so euer knoweth not the scriptures knoweth not y e power vertue of God it foloweth that he that knoweth not y e scriptures knoweth not Christ the more knowledge that you haue of the scriptures the better you know Christe the lesse knowledge that you haue of the Scriptures the lesse you know Christ to be ignorant or not to know the scriptures is to be ignorant not to know Christ. An other occasion I haue to labour in the scriptures to expound them to you which is cōmen to me with master Deane of this churche and to all my brothers Canōs here Not speakynge of my Lorde oure byshoppe whyche I doubte not but he full well consydereth hys dutye to GOD and to hys flocke The occasion is this although I be neither parson nor vicare nor curate of this good and worshipfull flocke yet there is an other yoke layd as well vpon my necke as vpō other of my brothers here by which I feare least there wyll come wo to vs afore God except we preach the scriptures vnto you performing the thing that we haue taken vpon vs byndyng our selues to the statutes that the Kynges moste gratious Maiestye hath deuised for the ordering of all vs the ministers of this his church in which it is prouided that maister Deane and euerye Canon shall preache or cause to be preached certayne Sermons yearely at this church Therefore I wyl forget my owne imbecilitie weakenes and vnhablenes and according to the porciō and measure of that talent and litle knowledge that God hath giuen me I wyll auenture vpon the exposition and declaration of this first epistle of the blessed Apostle S. Peter after my best power helping and settynge fourth the veritie repelling and reprouing falsity Trusting to Gods helpe which neuer fayleth thē that trust vpon him that my sayd labour shall be as wel profetable to me as fruteful to them that shall heare me The matter is harde as all scripture is but it is full of good learning and of fatherly counsell very mete for a Christen soule to learne and to folowe therefore my labour shall not lacke hoping and trustyng in Christes helpe and in hys holye spirite whych I shall muche the rather obtayne if you wil vouchsafe to buttresse me helpe me and comfort me with your praiers Petrus Apostolus Iesu Christi electis aduenis dispersionis Ponti Galatiae Cappadociae Asiae Bithiniae ▪ secundum prescientiam Deipatris c. Petre Apostle of Iesu Christe vnto the straungers dispersed in Pontus Galatia Cappadocia Asia and Bithinia electe accordinge to the foresyghte of God the father to haue your spirit sanctified to haue obedience and to haue the bloude of Christe sprinkeled vpon you Grace and peace to you be multiplied This is the salutation that this blessed Apostle Saynt Peter begynneth his letter with all As the maner is when one frende wryteth to an other fyrst he beginneth with recommendatiōs that be salutations consequentlye procedeth to his purpose Accordinge to the same maner I wyll fyrste declare these recommendations vnto you whiche done when I shall come to his processe I shall tell you his principal purpose in his epistle and prosecute the same perticuletlye and in percels as it lyeth in the letter Fyrst we must considre who wrote this letter Seconde to whome he wrote it Thyrde frome whence he wrote it Fourth for what purpose and intente he wrote it For the fyrst it appereth that Saint Peter Christes Apostle writte it whiche was fyrst called Simon Christ turned his name and where afore he was called Simon Christ called him Peter Ioh. i. Blessed S. Andrew one of S. Iohn Baptists disciples after he had diuers times heard his maister geue excellent testimonye and commendations of Christ and on a time S. Iohn and two of his disciples of which S. Andrew was one stode together and sawe Christe go by and then sayd S. Iohn Lo the lambe of God the sayde disciples made no more tarienge but lefte theyr olde maister supposinge he was content they should do so and folowed Christe and taried with him where he abode al that day vndoubted with most heauenly lessons and godly learning although the scriptures expresse not what they were In this appeareth the excellent prerogatiue of this blessed Apostle S. Andrew in as much as he was the fyrst taken to acquaintaunce with Christe of all the disciples and also his aboundaunt charitie in as muche as he dyd not kepe to him selfe the treasure that he hadde founde but would not rest tyll he had made his brother Peter partaker of the same As sone as he found his brother then called Simon he said to him we haue foūd Messias whiche is as much to say in English as anointed We cal him Christ after the greke word for Messias in the Hebrew ▪ Christus in the greke vnctus in the latin anointed in the englysh is all one Saynt Andrewe as I sayde broughte him to Christe whiche looked vpon hym and sayde Tu es Simon filius Iona tu vocaberis Cephas Thou arte Symon the sonne of Iona thou shalte be called Cephas in the Hebrewe whiche is as muche to saye in the Greke and in the latyn as Petra Hieronimus super epistolam ad Galath capit ii Non quo aliud significet Petrus aliud Cephas sed quod quam nos Latinae Grecae Petram nominemus hanc Hebraei syri propter lingue inter se viciniam Cepham nuncupent And by this nowe by the waye is confounded the ignoraunce and erroure of certayne summalistes takynge for one of theyr strongest reasons for the supremitie of the pope of Rome this text spoken to Peter Tu es Simon tu vocaberis Cephas whiche they interpretate caput a heade as thoughe Christe sayde thou shalte be called the head concludynge of that hym to be the heade of the Apostles and consequently his successors the popes of Rome to be heade of all the churche of all countreys whiche thoughe it be very true yet this texte proueth not so muche for in the texte it is sayde expresselye Cephas quod interpretatur Petrus Cephas by interpretation is as muche to saye as a stone or of stone yf it be an adiectiue Here such summalistes would plainlye destroye the texte of S. Iohns Gospell to make for theyr purpose which nede not for ther be as well holye Scriptures as aunciente wryters whiche proueth abundauntly the sayd primacye of the pope Therefore lette vs take the texte as it is meaned for the chaungynge of Simons name into Peter whiche soundeth
faythfull people as well Iewes as Gentyles dispersed as straungers here and there in the saide countreis S. Peter wrytte his epistle and he calleth them electe and chosen by the knowledge of God the father not excludynge the sonne or the holye Gooste for the prescience foreknowledge and knowledge is all one in all three personnes in trinitie Whom the father doth predestinate or choose to grace or to saluation the same doth the sonne and also the holye Gooste predestinate and chuse to be saued Theyr workes amonge creatures be all one but in as muche as Saynte Peter calleth theym that he writeth vnto electe and chosen by the knoweledge of GOD the father We muste not thynke that all they that were conuerted to CHRISTES fayth in the sayde countreis to whiche Sainte Peter wrote were electe by suche election as Christe speaketh of in the parable Math. xxii Multi sunt vocati pauci vero electi Manye be called and but fewe chosen for here it is meaned that fewe be chosen fynallye to be saued and to be sure of lyfe euerlastynge It is not to be thoughte that Saynte Peter would make to all them that he wrote vnto anye suche assuraunce but he taketh election more largelye as Christe speaketh of it Nonne ego vos duodecim elegi vnus ex vobis Diabolus est Ioh. vi Dydde not I chose you twelue and one of you is the Deuylles birde And also Ioh. xv Non vos me elegistis sed ego elegi vos You haue not chosen me but I haue chosen you Where we muste vnderstande by this election the vocation and callinge to the faith and to beleue on Christe for neyther they that this was spoken to nor any other were chosen because they beleued on CHRISTE but because CHRISTE chose theym therefore they beleued on hym so that GODDES eternall election was the cause of oure vocation to fayth And therefore Sainte Paule sayth Ephes. i. Elegit nos in ipso ante mundi constitutionem GOD the father chose vs in CHRISTE afore the worlde was made he chose vs to be saued by the fayth of CHRISTE whiche is the onelye and verye necessarye waye to saluation Nowe to my purpose all these people of these countreis to whiche Saynt Peter wrytte were electe and chosen by the prescience and foreknowledge of GOD to be called and to come to Christes fayth and to continue in the same as GOD knew GOD knewe who were his that woulde finallye continue in CHRISTES fayth and be saued and who woulde fall frome the same to infidelitie agayne or by sinne and misliuinge deface and defoule theyr fayth and be dampned But here yet riseth a doubte for Saynte Paule sayth Roman vii Quos presciuit predestinauit hos vocauit c. Theim that he afore knewe and dydde predestinate he called and them that he called he iustified and them that he iustified he magnified and glorified and appointed finallye to glorie euerlasting Therefore it shuld seme that if they were called they were iustified and if they were iustified then muste it nedes folowe that they were gloryfyed Here you muste vnderstande that there is two maners of calling or chosinge one is secundum presentem iustitiam accordinge to a certayne iust maner of liuinge that men be of for the tyme of theyr callinge and as they appeare in the face of the worlde as the scripture speaketh of Saule i. Reg. ix Erat Saul electus bonus non erat viâ— de filiis Israel melior illo Saul was chosen and good and of all the issue of Israell there was not one better then he Then he was good after he was noughte So Iudas when he was chosen was good ynough although he afterwarde betrayed his mayster and ours For this kinde of callinge doth not so confirme men in goodnes but that they may fall and be noughte so was Saul and so was Iudas and so were manye of them that S. Peter writte vnto although thei were called and chosen to Christes faith by the ministery and labour of S. Peter S. Paule or of others of the Apostles There is another election chosinge or callinge whiche is secundum dei propositum accordinge to Goddes determinate purpose Of this S. Paule speaketh Rom. viii Scimus autem quoniam diligentibus deum omnia cooperantur in bonum his qui secundum proposituÌ„ vocati sunt sancti To them that by Goddes determinate purpose be called all thinges worketh for the best yea sinnes that they do maketh theÌ„ to repent theyr doyng and to arise by penaunce and to be better ware of suche sinnes thereafter and to do no more so Therefore I say to the letter of S. Peters epistle they were elect and chosen as God knewe that all shoulde come to the faith of Christe In sanctificationem spiritus to be saÌ„ctified in spirite by baptisme and to haue their soules in the way of saluation in sanctificationem spiritus saith the vulgate and comon text per sanctificationem spiritus in obedientiam c. saythe the newe translation and they come all to one purpose For by that that we haue our spirit sanctified and made holy by Gods holy spirite the holy gost we come to obedience and be made obedient to the faith of Christe and be redy to fulfyll perfourme and do the workes of the spirite and to bring furth the fruites of the spirite which be charitas gaudium pax patientia c. Gala. v. And S. Paule prayed almighty GOD for his disciples and by them for vs all .i. Thessa. v. Ipse autem deus pacis sanctificet vos per omnia vt integer spiritus vester et anima corpus fine querela in aduentu domini nostri Ieâ—u Christi conseruetur The God of peace make you all holy in euery point that your spirite your soule and your bodye maye be kepte without complaint in the comming of our Lord Iesu Christ. In which wordes he diuideth man into three partes the spirite the soule and the body where you shall note that the spirite sometyme signifieth the whole soule of man and so it is taken in the prophetes words in the psalme In manus tuas commendo spiritum meum which Christ spoke vpon the crosse And it foloweth there Inclinato capite tradidit spiritum he bowed his head and yelded bp his spirite that is hys soule But when we finde in the scriptures such a distinctioÌ„ of the partes of man as the Apostle putteth in the place aboue rehersed then we muste take the spirite more preseisely for that parte of the soule by whiche we vnderstande and reason a matter And that same parte Saynte Paule calleth in an other place the minde Mente seruio legi dei carne autem legi peccati Roman vii Wyth my mynde I serue the lawe of GOD but by my fleshe I serue and incline to sinne And lykewyse Galathians v. Caro concupiscit aduersus spiritum spiritus autem aduersus carnem so that he called afore
the mynde here he calleth it the spirite Wee vse not to call the minde anye thinge els but the reasonable porcion and parte of the soule And sometime the Apostle ioyneth them bothe together Ephesians iiii Renoua mini spiritu mentis vestre be you renewed in the spirite of your mynde whiche is noughte els but your minde as in an other place hee vseth lyke manner of speakinge Collossians ii In expoliatione â—dip oris carnis The bodye of oure fleshe that is to say the fleshe and suche maner of speakinge we vse in the Englysh tounge the citye of Brystowe whiche is no more to saye but Bristowe The Citye of London is but London The towne of Wells is no more but Wells And nowe to my purpose I thinke that Sainte Peter in this present salutacion taketh the spirite for the whole soule of man comprisynge reason and the sensible powers wyll and sensualitie whiche all together is sanctified by the holye Goste infusinge and powring faith and charitie into our soules when we came to the grace of Christendome and by thys as I sayde wee be made obedient to Christes faythe and readye to fulfill his commaundementes Et aspersionem â—anguinis Iesu Châ—isti And you be electe accordinge to Goddes knowledge to haue the bloode of Iesu. Christe sprinckeled and cast vppon you The bloode of Abell the fyrst Martyr was shedde and sprinckeled on the grounde wheÌ„ Cain his brother kylled him but this blood sprinckelinge cried for vengeaunce Genesis iiii Vox sanguinis fratris tui clamat ad me de terra saieth almighty GOD the voyce of thy brothers bloude cryeth vnto me from the grounde as thoughe GOD sayde Thy deede is so manyfest that it neede none accuser the verye bloude shedde on the grounde declareth thy manslaughter cryeth for vengeance Nunc igitur maledictus eris super terram que aperuit os suum suscepit sanguinem fratris tui de manu tua Therefore saythe almyghtye GOD thou shalte be cursed vppon the grounde whyche hath opened her mouthe and hathe receyued the bloode of thy Brother from thy hande The bloude of Christ cryed for mercie and forgyuenes yea for theym that crucified hym Pater ignosce illis quia nesciunt quid faciunt Father forgyue theym saythe Christe for they knowe not what they do Therfore Saynte Paule comparynge these twoo aspersions together saythe Accessistis ad sanguinis aspersionem melius loquenteÌ„ quaÌ„ Abel Heb. xii ye become to the sprinckling of blood that speaketh better then Abels bloud spake To this aspersion we come by baptisme in which the efficacitie and strengthe of Christes passion commeth vpon vs putteth away â—ynne blame takinge his strength 〈◊〉 to do at the bloode of Christ shed for our redemption that they that be sprynckled with the bloode of Christ might auoyde and escape from the power of the diuel as the people of Israel by the bloude of the Lambe escaped and went out of the bondage of Egipt We see also in Moyses lawe that euery thing that should be â—anctified were wont to be sprinckeled wyth the bloud of the sacrifices killed for that purpose signifying the clensing and halowing of our soules by the bloude of Christ. Gratia vobis pax multiplicetur This is the conclusion of Saint Peters salutacion or recommendacion in whiche he gyueth them his blessing of grace peace Origene vpon a like blessing saith I think that this blessing of peace grace which is giueÌ„ to Gods welbeloued seruaÌ„ts to whoÌ„ the Apostels writeth is no lesse of strength theÌ„ the blessyng that the holy Patriarch Noe gaue vnto his sonnes Sem and Iaphet which was fulfylled by the holye Goste vpon them that were so blessed And lykewyse no lesse strength then the blessing that Abraham had of Melchisedeche or then the blessynge that Iacob had of his father Isaac or then the blessing that the twelue Patriarches hadde of theyr father Israell Then I saye that thys blessynge that Saynt Peter gaue theym that he wrytte vnto was no lesse then the sayde blessinges for he had in hym selfe the holye spirite and in the holye spirite he wryt hys letter and in the same spirite he gaue his blessing Then by the same holye spirite they shall take theyr blessynges that be blessed of the Apostles or of theym that haue the holye spirite wythin them speciallye if they be founde worthye and in whom the blessynge maye fall or els the sayinge of Christe shall bee brought to passe that he saythe in the Gospell Si fuerit ibi filius pacis pax vestraÌ„ veniet super eum sin autem pax vestra ad vos reuertetur If there be the chylde of peace your peace shall fall vpon hym and if no your peace shall retourne to you agayne And that is wrytte of peace is lykewyse to be vnderstande of grace for Saynte Peter ioyneth together grace and peace for peace is neuer withoute a speciall grace of GOD nor grace without peace Therefore where is lacke of grace there canne be no peace and where wee haue no peace wee maye be sorye that wee lacke grace This grace and peace the Apostle prayeth that it maye be multiplyed vppon them that he wrytte vnto that is to saye that it maye growe and encrease euer more and more from daye to daye And because hys meanynge was not onelye by theym that he had seen wyth hys bodelye eyes in the countries where he hadde laboured but also to all other nations that shoulde heare or see thys hys blessed Epistle It is not to be doubted but thys blessyng of grace and peace he wysheth also to vs speciallye if we may saye wyth the Prophet Aduena egosum apud te peregrinus sicut omnes patres mei Psalm â–ª xxxviii I am as a straunger with thee good Lorde and a Pilgrame or wayfaring man as all my forefathers haue beene he wrytte his letter to suche straungers therefore if we counte oure selfe as such straungers not setlyng our mindes to much in the worlde but countynge oure selues not to haue anye citie or stedfast abiding here but stretching and settinge fourthe our selues to the euer lastinge citye of heauen and to the glory to come Then let vs take heede to his blessed doctrine in this Epistle take it said vnto vs aswell as vnto them that al we may by his instruction come to such grace as may bring vs to glory euerlasting through the help of Iesus Christ our Lord. Amen ¶ The seconde sermon BEnedictus deus et pater dnÌ„i nostri Iesu Christi c. After his salutacion here the apostle proceedeth to hys matter and processe in this Epistle or letter remembring hys pastorall office and dutie aswell to them that he writ vnto as to vs and all Christen people that shall come after vs specially if we take our selues as straungers and wayfaring people in this world He entended by his writing to confirme theym and vs by theym in the faithe that they
be so prone and headstronge to all actuall Synnes as to pride couetuousnesse anger enuye and such other whyche all make agaynste saluation and worketh to dampnation euerlastynge All these miseries and wretchednes considered it is playne that mankynde hath nede of greate mercy and manifolde and abundant mercy to releue hym And therfore Saynt Peter sayde that almightye God by his greate mercye regenerate vs and gote vs again to life agaynst al these mortal deadly miseries The regeneration new begettyng is by the water of baptisme wyth y e words the cooperation and working of the holy spirit without whiche no man maye see the kyngdome and glorye of God By this the dutye or debt of originall iustice is washed away so that GOD will require it no more of vs but he geueth vs in the stede of the sayde originall Iustice an other gyfte equiualent and as good to helpe vs to heauen as it was whiche is the grace that maketh vs in the fauoure of God againe and acceptable to hym This gifte God sendeth into our soules with fayth at our Baptisme and will still at all tymes require it of vs lyke as afore he required the saide originall iustice so that the former debt and dutye of originall Iustice is chaunged into this latter debte and dutie to conserue and kepe the grace geuen vs at our baptisme And yet the mercy of God is so great toward miserable mā that if it mischaunce vs to lose the same baptismall grace by sinne he hath prouided vs an other helpe the seconde table a seconde remedy by penaunce to washe awaye our sinnes and to make vs cleane againe that we may recouer his grace and fauour So that like as originall iustice after it was lost was recompensed by the grace of baptisme so the grace of baptisme after it is lost by actuall sinne is recompensed by grace geuen vs with remission of our sinne bi penance And so loke how necessary baptisme is to wash vs frō the deformitie of originall sinne and to restore vs to grace so necessary is penāce to clense vs frō the deformitie of actual sinne cōmitted after baptisme to restore vs to grace fauour of god And euē like as God requireth originall iustice of al men that be not baptised as of Turkes Saracens Paignims and Infidels which all receiued it in Adam and as for lacke of it they remayne the children of anger of damnation so of al that be christened he requireth the said grace geuē with baptisme they that haue lost it by deadly sinne remaine the children of damnation except thei be healed by penaunce whiche shal geue them grace equiualent to the baptismal grace like as I said that baptisme geueth grace equiualent to originall iustice Al be it the disobedience and rebellion of the powers of our soules for lacke of the foresayde originall iustice dothe remayne in vs as a payne for Adams synne and as a nours◠and a breader of actuall synne and because almightye GOD while he dothe scourge vs doth not forgette to be mercifull he leaueth the sayde disobedience and rebellion of the powers of our soules as a matter of vertue if we will labour and striue against it to ouercome all vices that it woulde incline vs to By this regeneration also all actuall synnes mortall and veniall be cleane forgeuen when anye manne or woman dothe worthelye receiue it He hathe begotten vs againe sayeth saynt Peter into a liuelye hope by the resurrection of Iesus Christe By whiche the Apostle meaneth that lyke as there be two maner of fayethes a deade fayth and a liuelye fayeth so there be two maners of hope a deade hope and a lyuelye hope Hope is the expectation and lokynge for euerlastyng beatitude and ioye throughe grace and our merites Then the hope of hym that will hope and loke to come to heauen and wyll doe no good thynge to brynge him thither is a deade hope and a presumption rather then hope Thys considered the blessed manne Iob whose hope on God was so firme and sure that he sayde Etiam si occiderit me in ipso sperabo Iob. xiii Althoughe he wyll kyll mee yet I wyll hope and truste vppon hym Yet he sayeth there Veruntamen vias meas in conspectu eius arguam ipse erit saluator meus Non enim veniet in conspectu eius omnis ypocrita I wyll discusse my lyfe accuse myne offences afore hys face And then he wyll be my Sauioure For there is no Hypocrite none that wyll shewe oute warde more hope deuotion or holinesse then they haue in deede that shall come in hys sight Therfore lyke as wee haue powred into vs at our regeneration or Baptisme a liuelye fayeth so wee haue a liuynge or liuelye Hoope that lyke as Christe rysse from deathe to a lyfe immortall so shall wee dooe for the father of heauen so disposed and ordeyned for vs that hys sonne shoulde dye for vs that when hee hadde destroyed deathe by hys resurrection he myghte geue vs good example and lyuelye Hope that wee shoulde lykewyse ryse agayne from death to lyfe For lyke as he dyed for to shewe and geue vs Example not to feare Deathe so he roose agayne because wee shoulde surelye hope lykewyse to ryse agayne Into an inheritance that is vncorruptible vndefowled and neuer fadynge conserued and kepte in store in heauen The inheritaunce of Heauen as the Apostle saythe here hathe three excellente properties whyche wee maye ymagine by three contrarye properties whiche no purchaser wyll haue in anye Patrimonie manour or Lordshippe that he shoulde bye or purchase for him selfe to inhabite or dwell in Firste if it bee a rotten grounde where all thynge anone moulleth the tenauntes and mortises of tymber buyldynge rotteth oute and loseth their pynnes The walles or rouffes gathereth a mosse or a wylde Fearne that rotteth out the Lyme and Morter from the stones And where the Sea or freshe water weareth out the ground so that all thinges that there is in shorte space commeth to nought Hee is not wyse that wyll bestowe hym selfe or hys money on suche a grounde Second if there bee in the Lande or House any infectyue or pestylente Ayre disposynge menne to manye infirmityes and genderynge adders snakes or todes or these stingyng scowts or gnats that will not suffre men to slepe a man shoulde haue litle ioye to dwel in such a manour Third if it be suche a grounde where all thinge withereth and dryeth awaye for lacke of moysture where hearbes proueth not and trees groweth not to theyr naturall quantitie where the leues waxeth yelowe and falleth at Lammas tyde where men soweth a busshel and reapeth a peck and for redde wheate reapeth like rye or otes that is bestowed on suche a purchase is but cast awaye The inheritaunce of this transitorye worlde hath all these noughty properties rehersed and manye worse townes and towres castels and manours decayeth continuallye and where noble men haue dwelled nowe
cupierunt videre quae vos videtis et non viderunt et audire quae auditis et non audierunt Esay lxiiii prayed and wysshed Vtinam dirumperes coelos et descenderes Woulde God thou wouldest break the heauens and wouldest come downe to be incarnate And the Prophet Dauid Psal. lxxix Excita potentiam tuam et veni vt saluos facias nos Wake rayse and stirre vppe thy olde power whiche thou were wonte to shewe by wonderous myracles shewed in olde tyme in Noes time in Moyses time This power of thine semeth nowe a siepe vntill thou renewe it againe declaringe the veritie and signification of the saide myracles by thy blessed comminge into oure nature by thy incarnation And he coūteth almightie God angrie with him because he came not Quousque irasceris super orationem serui tui in whiche he declareth the vehemencye of his earnest loue and desyre to see Chryst and sayde Shewe thy face and we shalbe safe And yet not doubting but that he would come he sayth in an other Psalme Inclinauit coelos descendit caligo sub pedibus eius Where for the certentie and surenes of his Prophecie he vseth the pretertēce for the future tense speaking of the time to come as thoughe it were past in dede because he was as sure of it as though it had be past as we vse to saye in common speach of one that is past remedye or sure to dye he is but a deade man He hath inclined the heauēs and came downe and trode darkenes that is to say sinne downe vnder his feete Damasc. li. iii. Cap. i. Hoc est inhumiliabilem eius altitudinem in humilitate humiliauit descendit ad seruos suos The highnes of his Godhead whiche can not be made lowe by nature he broughte a lowe by his humilitie and gentlenes whiche is the newest the straungest and most wonderous worke that euer was wroughte Of whiche sayth Ieremie Cap. xxxi Creauit Dominus nouum super terram foemina circundabit virum Oure Lorde hath wrought a newe thinge or a straūge thinge vpon the earth a woman shall enuyron or compasse aboute a man that is to saye the blessed Uyrgyn Marye for she compassed about and closed within her vyrgynall bellye oure Sauyoure Christe a perfecte man in connyng knoweledge and vertue euen frome the fyrst instante of his incarnation And Daniel that holye Prophete Vir desideriorum a man ful of desires because he was so desirous to knowe of the retourne of his people of Israell from the captiuitie of the Medes and Persies and of the comminge of Messias and what shoulde betide his people at the later ende he was asserteyned by an aungell sent from GOD not onelye of the retourne of the people from captiuitie but also of the mistery of Christes incarnation and of his passion and at the last of the final desolation and abhominable destruction of the newe citie of Ierusalem by the Emperours Uespasian and his sonne Titus and at the last by Elius Hadrianus whiche of the ruynes of the olde citie destroyed by Titus made a towne there and called it Elia after his owne name Of these blessed prophetes that laboured and searched so diligently for to knowe of the time of grace that the spirite of Christe proceading from the sonne and from the father and therefore he is called the spyryte of Chryste as he is called the spirite of the father that inspyred the sayde holye Prophetes and spoke in theym woulde tell them when it shoulde be within howe manye yeares after them in quale tempus into what manner of time it should be differred as whether tyll time of peace or of warre Iacob the blessed patriarch said it should come when there should be no kinges and rulers as of the linage of the Iewes so it proued for our sauiour Christ come whē He rode an alien and straunger was made kinge by the aucthoritie of Augustus then Emperoure of Rome And Esay sayde of that time Et conslabūt gladios suos in vomeres et lanceas suas in falces ca. ij It should be in time of peace when all the world liued in rest and peace and had no warre but lyued quietlye vnder the rule of the Romaines so that all men mighte blowe their swordes into plowe yrons and their speare heades and moris pikes into sithes hokes and sickles to cut their hay or corne Then Christ should come saith S. Peter suffer paines and passions prenuncians eas quae in Christo sunt passiones speakinge in the plurell number for he suffred in soule and in his body and also in his limmes or members as he doth now daylie in his elect people and true seruauntes and should haue for the same futuras glorias two speciall glories he had after his passion that is to say the glory of his resurrection the glory of his assention All they sayth S. Peter had knowledge by reuelation that they labored not for them selfe but for vs not to haue thē perfourmed in their time nor vpon them selues but vpon vs according as they be nowe taught you by the ministers of the word of God y t haue preached to you continually sith the holy gooste was sente from heauen vpon the Apostles in sensible signes as fierye tongues wyth diuersitie of languages geuen by the holy Goste On whom the blessed Angels in heauen desire to beholde and loke on Not that they lacke that glorious sighte at anye tyme but Saint Peter vseth this maner of speakynge because the ioyfull contemplation and sight of the Godheade euer beinge presente with them dothe saciate them and perfectly content them and yet so that they be neuer wearye of it but euer desire to continue in that contemplation For Christe sayth Math. xviii Angeli eorum in celis semper vident faciem patris mei qui in coelis est The angels see and desire to see desiereth to see and seeth For lest there shoulde be anye doubt in their desire they be saciate and content and assured whyle they desireth And leste there should bee anye lothinge or fulsomenes or wearines in their sacietie or fulnes while they be full yet they desire Therefore they desireth to see and that without laboure or payne for contentation foloweth their desire and they be content without lothsomenesse for their fulnesse is inflamed by their desire And euē so wee shal be when we shal come to that well of life there shal be printed in vs a delectable thirste or desire and fulnesse of contentation withall but there shall be in the thirste no necessitie nother in the fulnes anye lothesomenesse for while that we be desierous to see that glory of GOD we shall be full of that sight and whyle we be full yet we shall desire to se it styll after such a maner as we can not now perfectly perceiue tyll we come to that state in which we shalbe like the angels and then wee shall knowe it by experience as
thy goodes to healpe and to saue thy neadye brother and do it not of pride or boastynge but of thy mooste entier and inwarde swetenesse of mercye towarde hym Peraduenture thou wilt saye why shoulde I geue my money to saue him from harme He is none of mine let him perishe in his owne iniquitie noughtines I haue nothing to do with him If thou answer or think after this maner the loue of our father of heaueÌ„ abideth not in thee And if the loue of our father abideth not in thee thou art not borne or gotten of God then how canst thou glorye or be gladde that thou art a christeÌ„ man Thou hast the name but thou hast not the dede of a christian man Renati noÌ„ exsemine corruptibili sed incorruptibili c Borne again not by any corruptible sede but by an iÌ„corruptible sede bi the word of the liuing god that abideth for euer Here y e blessed apostle s. Peter reasoneth swadeth vs to cleannes of life to chastice our soules in obedient charitie in fraternal loue by reason of our spiritual birthe There is no naturall gentleman of birthe but if it soo chaunce that for the tyme hee be moued to dooe a myscheuous deede if a discrete man woulde moue hym to the contrarye recitynge hys Progenye and Auncestoures saiynge beware what ye do remeÌ„ber your blood distayn not your kinred shewe your self a gentleman not as a furious beast or a bawdy villaine or as a churle or a thefe least al your kinred and louers will be ashamed of you If there be anye gentlenes in the person such vmbrayding and rehersall shall make him to leaue hys naughtye purpose and to take a good way with him and not to defoule his kinred with any vilany Accordynge to that saith saint Peter much more you should dispose your selfe to goodnes considering your regeneration and second natiuitie which was not by corruptible seede of man and woman but by the vncorruptible sede that is to say by the word of God that abideth for euer It is but a pore glory to be proude of the filthie substaunce that man is gotten by nor of the bodies or bloode of theyr carnal fathers and mothers which fadeth and continually runneth to corruption As Esay the prophet saith Esa. xl Omnis caro vt fenum omnis gloria eius tanquam flos agri exaruit fenum et flos eius decidit verbum autem domini manet ineternum All fleshe is lyke grasse of the medowe and hys glori that is to sai carnal lust or pleasure is like the floure of the medow that maketh a pleasant shewe for the time and so doth carnall delectacion content and please for a while but euen as the floure within awhile withereth and falleth a way so doth carnall ioye fade and fall it abideth not but many times turneth to repentance but the worde of God that is the seede by which you were gotten and made the children of God by regeneration by your seconde getting abideth for euer giueth life euerlasting to theÌ„ that be gotten bi it And this is the holi word that hath â—en preached among you saith saint Peter by me by other Apostles By this holye woorde of God you were first instruct and taughte to leaue your old vaine errours and vices and to renounce the deuyll wyth all his pompe and all his naughtye workes And by the word of God concurrent and ioyned with the element of water you wer baptised goten to Christ made his children wher afore you were the children of Gods yre of dyspleasure as all they be that after that waye be not new borne to God by baptisme The former carnall generation or birthe saueth no man nor woman the seconde doth and therefore it is necessarie for all them that shal be saued what sexe kynde or age so euer they be of contrarye to the secte and heresy of the Anabaptists that woulde haue no man baptised till they were of yeares of discretion in so much that they baptise again al them that in childhoode were christened leauing all youth in dispeyre of saluation withoute anye way or helpe to be saued and in worse case then the infantes of the Iewes were which by Moises law should be circumcised on the eyght daye after they were borne and by that circumcision should not perish but be saued For as saint Paul saith Roma v. Si vnius delicto multi mortui sunt multo magis gratia dei donum vnius hominis Iesu Christi in plures homines abundauit Wher the Apostle compareth the offence of Adam to the grace of Christ for the grace of Christe is muche stronger and may extende and sprede it selfe further then the offence of one pure and frayle man might do therefore in asmuche as death crept in among men by one Adam then muche more by our sauiour Christ one man and God in one parson of power infinite the gift of grace is dilated and spred vpon all men that be made apte to receiue it which is onely by baptisme actuallye receiued or els in vowe or purpose And therefore in asmuche as the synne of Adam killed all infantes it must needes be that Christes grace in the sacrament of baptisme shal quicken the same infantes and make theym spirituallye alyue againe in Christe or els as I sayde it shoulde be weaker then Adams synne also because Christ saith Iohn iii. Nisi quis renatus fuerit ex aqua et spiritu sancto non potest introire in regnum dei Except a manne be borne againe by water and the holye spirite he cannot entre into the kyngdome of heauen And euen lyke as they that were circumcised in theyr infansye knewe not what it meaned that they suffered with great paine neither perceyued anye thinge of the promysse that God made to them that suffred it In like maner baptysme saueth oure chyldren infauntes althoughe they perceyue nothynge what is done vnto them neyther the reason thereof But Christ that saide Sinite paruulos venire ad me Mathewe xix Let babes or children come to me hathe prouyded armes to beare theym to hym which be the armes of our mother holy church by whose eares also they be cathechised or instruct and by her mouthe they confesse their faithe and in her faith they be saued And this is very reasonable that other mens faith may helpe in thys sacrament of soule health as wel as other mens faith hath helped them that haue be bodely diseased in sicknes and sores of theyr bodie speciallye because God estemeth and regardeth more the health of the soule then of the bodye We haue in the gospell of the Canaan womans doughter that by the importune sute and prayer of her mother she was delyuered from the dyuell that she was obsessed with all O mulier magna est fides tua fiat tibi sicut vis Math. xv fides tua inquit non fides filie And also
Centurio a captain in Capharnaum came to Christ praying him to helpe his seruant that was yll vexed with a paulsy Christ offered to come him selfe to the mans house to heale his seruaunt No saith he I am not worthye to receiue you into my house but once say the word and my seruant shall be whole and according to his beliefe so he sped for his seruant was whole by and by after the maister had confessed his beliefe An other that was impotent by a pawlsye and his frendes coulde finde no waye to bringe him to Christe for preasse of people that were about him in the house At the last they were fame to vntile the house and let him in by the roofe of the house Quorum fidem vt vidit dixit homo remittuntur tibi peccata tua et ait paralitico tibi dico surge tolle lectum tuum vade in domum tuam Luke v. Mark ii He saw the faith of them that so conueyed the syckeman in at the roofe of the house and forgaue the man his sinnes and cured him of his pawlsy at the contemplation of theyr faith that brought him to Christe And this texte maketh plainly for our purpose for here it appeareth that by the faith of other men this sickman had aswell soule health as bodely healthe for he had his sinnes forgiuen him for his soule health and was rid of his pawsy for his bodely healthe And euen so it was generallye of Christes cures that he did which were euer full and perfite for he healed the whole man soule and bodye for he vsed not to heale the bodye but he woulde fyrste heale the soule because that the infirmities of the body commeth comonly of the sinnes and syckenes of the soule either originall or actuall The Gospels hath many suche examples in whiche it is plaine that the belief and praiers of others helpeth against bodely sickenes then muche more it helpeth against this daungerous sickenes of the soule that is originall synne the common malander and mischiefe of all the issue of Adam which if it be not cured and healed wyll surely let hym that is diseased with it from the sight of the glorie of God for euer For as I saide God regardeth more the health of the soule then of the body And consideringe that the infantes haue the said originall sinne by an other mans preuarication and transgression reasonable it is that they be releued and discharged of the same by the meane of other mens faith as by the vniuersall faith of the church and by the faith of the godfathers and godmothers and of other assistents at the christening of the childe so that we muste not exclude or denie the mercye grace of God from any man or woman borne into this worlde but that after their bodelye birthe to death they be new borne to life by Gods holye worde and by water with the inspiration of grace of the holye spirite the holye Gost. And by this that I haue said you maye answer to the chiefe reason of the Anabaptistes that they vse against the said veritie alledging that Christ sayth Math xviii Qui crederit baptisatus fuerit saluus erit He that beleueth and is baptised shall be saued and he that beleueth not shal be dampned Of this they take that it is necessary for him that shall be baptised that he beleue Now say they infantes lackynge the vse of reason cannot beleue therefore they be vnmete to be baptised I tolde you that they be saued by the beliefe of the church and beleueth in the beliefe of the church and in the belief of theyr Godfathers and godmothers other assistents representing the church as I declared by diuers examples of the gospell as wel of soule health as of bodely health procured of Christ by the belief of others or els as the scholasticall doctours sa◠very well in receyuing of the sacrament of baptisme the grace of faith is infused and powred in to the soule of him or her that is baptised and so they haue the habyte or theologicall vertue of fayth or the thing by which afterwarde as they increase in the vse of reason they may beleue actually and in dede Example a Phisicion though he be fast a sleepe he hath the science of phisicke but yet if you put an vrinall in his hand he cannot iudge the disease of the sickman as longe as he is a slepe albeit he hath the sciēce in his soule by which whē he waketh he can iudge according to his learning And I trust you haue now herd sufficiently of the new birthe that saynte Peter speaketh of which is more to be pondred then the carnall byrth by corrubtible matter for the sede cause of this generation is vncorruptible it is the worde of God that abideth for euer therfore consideringe whereof we came and be gotten to life and to God we ought to haue special cleanenes in our life and to chastice oure soules vnder obedient charitie and in fraternall loue attentius more earnestly then we haue don and more diligently cōsidering the nobilitie of thys our second byrthe by the vncorruptible seede of Gods holye worde that abideth for euer and hath bene preached among vs as saint Peter sayth in the ende of hys first chapter And now you haue heard the first chapiter of this first epistle of saint Peter declared as my poore wyt and learning wold serue me I pray God it may be to hys pleasure and to the edifying and profyte of oure soules Amen ¶ The fift treatise or sermon The second chapiter DEponentes igitur omnem malitiam et omnem dolū simulationes et inuidias et omnes detractiones sicut modo geniti infantes rationabiles sine dolo lac concupiscite In the fyrst chapiter of this epistle which I haue passed ouer and expounded as God put into my minde the blessed Apostle saint Peter chiefelye magnifyeth our regeneration and seconde byrth by which we be borne to life euerlasting where throughe oure carnall parentes we were borne to dye Fyrst he giueth thankes to God that hath done so moche for vs as so to get vs againe to the inheritance of heauen that wil neuer be corrupt that neuer wil be defowled nor fade or wither away and in the meane season will bring vs to the soule healthe by Christes faith that al the old prophets labored to see and to obteine but thei were answered that it would not be for theyr time but all the labours that they tooke in prayers contemplacion and study should serue for them that shuld come after which be wee that haue sene and heard the trouthe by theym that haue preached Christes gospel continually sithe the holye Gost was sent from heauen in sensible signes of fyrye tounges sone after Christes gloryous ascention And for this consideration sainte Peter exhorteth vs to be cleane of lyuinge and while we be here to liue in feare considering the indifferencye of our iudge in
chyldren that be beginners Saynt Paule perceauinge that the Corinthians were verye carnall and worldelye not hauinge theyr mindes eleuate to hygh learninge fed them with milke like chyldren as he sayth i. Cor. iii. yet afterward hearing of theyr dissentions and debate aboute their baptistes Cum quis dicat ego sum Pauli alius auteÌ„ ego Apollo where as one sayd I am Pawles Christen maÌ„ because I was christened of Paule an other sayth I am Apollo his Christen man because I was christened of Apollo He spied that theyr carnalitie was not all gone therfore yet he said they were not able to take sadde meate nor to be taught as spirituall men but as carnall folkes callinge them carnall folkes that he calleth there animalis homo whose sences and appetites be depressed and kepte downe to sensuall pleasures not submittinge them selues to the rule of reason directed by the holy gooste and these be carnall fleshely or beastly in liuinge Carnall fleshly or beastlye in knowledge be they that of almighty God and heauenlye thinges imageneth and iudgeth by corporall phantasies as of God that he is a fayre olde man with a white beard as the paynters make him and that the ioyes of heauen stondeth in eatinge and drinkinge pypinge and daunsinge these be grosse imaginations of carnall wittes And euen so they be spirituall in liuinge that be ordered in theyr liuinge in theyr thoughtes wordes and workes by the instincte and inclination of the holy goost ruling and guiding them to goodnes and such persons wil be as well ware and afrayd to come in that place where they may be hurte in soule as they wyll be ware to come where they maye be hurte in theyr bodies and wyll be as glad to cure and heale the soule if anye thinge be amisse as they would be to heale the bodye if it were diseased in them the feruencie and heate of the spirite waxeth not faint by multiplying of iniquitie neither by the coldnes of charitie and in theim the spirite is not quenched vnderstandinge by the spirite that spyryte whiche is conserued kepte whole and sounde with the soule and the bodye as S. Paule speaketh and not the substaunce of the holy ghoste whiche can not perishe or be hurte But we vnderstande by the spirit the graces and giftes of the holy gooste whiche by oure vertue or by our vyce be kindeled or quenched as S. Hierome writeth in his epistle ad HedibiaÌ„ And they be spirituall in knowledge that considereth of almightie God aboue all thinges that his excellencie and glory passeth all thinges that may be sene or imagined by mannes wittes and that he is not prescribed or determined to anye place but that he is infinite and vnmeasurable and all one and whole in euery place and that of the aungels and of celestial ioyes iudgeth aboue all corporall and bodelye creatures and that consydereth that after the generall resurrection men and women shall nother marye nor be wedded but shall be as Goddes Aungelles in heauen They that by exercyse in hearynge the holye Scriptures haue theyr wyttes eleuate aboue the commonne sorte of people becomme to yeares of dyscretion and loke for faster feadynge and hygher learnynge then the younger sorte dooth whiche muste be fedde with mylke or suppynges that wyll be easelye digested They that Saynt Peter wrytte vnto were but newly conuerted to Christes faith by his preachinge amonge them in his progresse in Pontus Galatia Capadotia c. Therfore specially he aduertiseth them euer to desyre that mylke of playne doctrine concerninge the fyrst principles and necessary articles of our fayth in whiche he had instructed them This is milke without gile or deceipt there is no falsehead admiâ—te or mingled with it saith Saint Peter meaninge that there is an other mylke that is mixt with gile or falsehead as the mylke that is spoken of Prou. i. Fili misi te lactauerint peccatores ne acquiescas eis My child if synners and noughtye lyuers geue the suck of mylke consent not to them as if they say come let vs take a standinge for a purse we shall get good ynough to make mery withall or els let vs be auenged on this man or that man he is euer contrary to our workes let vs rydde him out of the worlde and so we shal enioye our robberies quietly no man shall speake agaynste vs. Thus all they that intendeth mischief wyll geue sucke of this flateringe milke to make others as badde as they be them selues Therefore he sayth Prouerb xvi Vir iniquus lactat amicum suum ducit eum per viam non bonam A wycked man geueth milke to his companion and bringeth him in a shreude trade and into an yll waye As he that is a baudy felowe geuen to horehuntinge wyll make many more suche and bringe them to yll companye and to noughte wyth hym so wyll dycers so wyll carders and so wyll all vnthriftes fyrste to pleasures and consequently afterwarde to the very botome of all yll and finally to perdition and destruction This milke of temptation is not withoute gile but hath euer falseheade and gyle annexed and ioyned with it therefore we had greate nede to beware of it And yf wee shall set mylke of doctrine agaynste mylke of doctrine then considre howe the flatteringe mylke of heresie feadinge men with fayre flattering wordes and settynge afore men a counterfeit libertie to eate drynke withoute any delect choyse or difference of meat of time or place settinge litle by diuine seruyce and prayers and lesse by fastynge or abstinence This mylke is crudded and sowre and so are theyr hartes that geueth it and theyrs that fedeth vpon it or sucketh it Coagulatum est sicut lac cor eorum theyr hart is crudded lyke Milke Ambrose vpon the same Vt enim lac natura sua purum speciosum ac syncerum est sed corruptione coacescit sic cordis humani natura pura ac perspicua est priusquam viciorum admixtione coacescat Euen lyke as milke by his owne kinde is pure fayre and cleare but it waxeth soure by corruption so mannes hart is pure cleare and indifferente to all doctryne but whan the teacher is soure and corrupte it is no maruayle yf he do sone corrupt his scholer speciallye yf the scholer haue not his wytte well exercised to put difference betwyxte good and yll And howe many haue we knowen so fedde with this soure crudded milke that they haue bene made stronge and sturdie felowes paste correction or reformation growinge towarde destruction euerlasting This is the ende of the noughty noursinge with the badde milke where the iust and gratious mylke of true doctrine maketh a man to growe to saluation as S. Peter sayth here specially if you haue tasted saith he that oure Lorde God is swete and good As who shoulde saye some there be that for all the teachinge and preachinge that they haue yet they be neuer the better neither haue any swetenes in God nor
chylde the father and if at the fyrst he haue not suche louinge feare of his mayster yet beware of his angre feare correctiō as the bondman or prentise doth by vsing thy self to do wel for suche seruile feare thou shalte find ease in wel doing shal begin to do well for loue so of a good seruaunt thou shalt be made a good sonne faithfull and louing to thy maister and by that thy maister shall loue the better thē any child he hath Prou. Si sit tibi seruus fidelis sit tibi tanquam anima tua Euen as him self you must do your seruice with simplicitie of hearte sayth S. Paule withoute doublenes so that as you shew your self outward to be diligent and true so you must be in hearte inwardlye euen as you should serue Christ that bought vs with whom it boteth no man to dissēble you muste not serue to the eye while your maister loketh vpon you as it were to please men but as the seruauntes of Christ doing the wil of God with good mind and with a good will as seruing our Lord God that hath geuen your maisters power ouer you and hath made you subiecte to them not as doinge seruice vnto men for the power that they haue ouer you cometh of God therefore if ye be false to theim you be false to God that wylleth you to be true to your maisters And S. Paule wylleth Titus his disciple byshop of Candy to commaund al seruantes to please their maisters in al thinges that is not contrary to Gods pleasure non contradicentes nō fraudātes alia littera nō responsatores non suffurantes no choplogikes that wil countersay their maisters geuing them thre wordes for one be it well be it yll be it true be it false that your maisters sayth you should be contēt geue thē no answer but let them say what it please thē you muste be no lurchers or priuey pykers or stealers but in al thing shewing good fidelitie that so you may adourne do worshyp to the doctrine of Christ in al thinges for y e good liuing of the scholer is the ornament worshyp of the maister But now I pray you yf the maister bidde his seruaūt to entre into religiō is the seruaunt bounde to obey his maister in that If his master bidde him take ordres and be a preist is the seruaunt bound to obey his mayster if his maister bidde him take a wife and be maried is the seruaunt bound to obey him in these cases or in suche other No verelye for where S. Paule or S. Peter biddeth the seruauntes obey theyr maisters in all thinges you muste vnderstande this in all thinges parteininge to bodelye workes and not spiritual workes in workes parteining to the administration guiding and orderinge of theyr maisters housholde and of his tēporall busines and not parteining to such a perpetuall yoke as is matrimonye Haec est enim gratia si propter Dei conscientiam sustinet quis tristitias patiens iniuste Because he had bydde seruauntes obey their maisters althoughe they were crabbed and out of the schole of Christes doctrine yf they were infideles or oute of the schole of discrete iudgement in correction In these wordes he geueth them spirituall and goostly counsayle and comforte saying This is a speciall gyfte of grace of the holy gooste if anye of you suffer sorowe and payne wrongfully propter conscientiam Dei hauing in his conscience a respect to the pleasure of God which would not the seruaunt to grudge against his maister and also remembring the reward that God will geue to al them that for his sake suffreth more then els thei were bound to suffre S. Paule sayth Phil. i. Vobis donatum est pro Christo non solum vt in eum credatis sed ut etiam pro illo paciamini It is geuen you for a speciall gifte of grace not onely to beleue vpon him i. Cor. xii Alij datur fidesin eodem spiritu by the holy spirite of God the holy gooste to one is geuen faith by whiche we beleue on Christ on his holy worde but also for Christ it is geuē you sayth Paule as a speciall grace to suffre for Christes sake as many holy Apostles and martyrs did for when the heat of the loue of God is inspired into the soule of man by the spirite of God the holy goost it geueth a certaine gladnes and a certain swetenes to a man which suffreth him not to be deiecte with anye aduersitie but maketh him bold and constant against all vexation Example we haue of the Apostles whiche after they had receiued the holy goost at this holy time of Whitsontide Ibant gaudentes a conspectu consilii quoniam digni habiti sunt pro nomine Iesu contumeliam pari Actu v. when they were reuiled threatned and well beaten for their settinge forth and preachinge Christes faith and were commaunded they shoulde do so no more they went with mery hartes from the counsayle of the Scribes and Phariseis that they were conuented and called afore because it had pleased God to thinke them worthye to suffre suche despites for Christes sake We se also by experience that heate causeth and maketh boldnes in man and beaste therefore the beastes that haue hootest hartes be moost bold and for this cause the lion is bolder then is the horse or an oxe because his harte hath in it a more feruente heate then the other haue in theyr hartes So when the holy goost inspireth the feruencie and heate of his loue into the hart of any man or woman it maketh that person wonderous bolde to suffer persecution and all maner of payne yea martyrdome propter conscientiam dei as S. Peter speaketh knowinge in his conscience that it is Gods pleasure he shoulde not reneige God but rather constantly suffre all aduersitie for Gods sake This feruent heate made S. Paule to say Rom. viii Certus sum quia neque mors neque vita c I am sure that nether death nor life nor the aūgels nother thinges presēt nor thinges to come nether any other creature maye disseuer or put vs a parte frome the charitie and loue of God whiche is in Christ Iesu our Lorde So the seruauntes that be tormented and beaten and vexed with bitter and feruent wordes must take it as a kynde of martirdome this they must suffre euer hauinge a timerouse conscience towardes God and surely theyr rewarde shall not be forgotten at length though they suffer for a tyme. Quae est enim gratia si peccantes collaphisati suffertis What thanke shall you haue yf you do noughtelye and play the sluggardes or the false bribers in youre maisters busynes and then for your noughtye doynge be well boxed beaten and canueste and so suffer as you deserue What thanke shal you haue for your suffering none at all Sed si benefacientes patienter sustinetis haec est gratia but if you do well and then suffer
lacke of glorye which doubtlesse was a greuous payne for theim that daylie and hourely loked for it as the wisemanne saithe Pro. xiii Spes que differtur affligit animam The hoope that is prolonged and put of vexeth and punisheth the minde Amonge these were manye of them that were swalowed vp in the water at Noes floude Yet diynge penitent as I sayd of which saint Peter here maketh special mencion vnderstandynge by them all the rest of the holye fathers that were in the same pryson and in the paine of lacke of glory To these spirites or souls of theim thus beinge in that painefull Prison where they were payned with the hōger thirst of eiger and gredy desire to see the glorie of God Christe came in spirite in his soule while his bodye laye stil in the sepulchre and preached declared and reueiled vnto them that the high misterie of his painful passion was exhibited and perfourmed and mans raunsome payed by the price of his precious bloude and there he was conuersaunt with them to their greate consolation and comfort and to the confusion of all the deuyls in hell tyll the time when it pleased him to vnite and ioyne his soule to his body againe agaynst the time of his glorious resurrection and then toke away with him suche as were to his pleasure as he sayde afore that he woulde do Ego si exaltatus fuero à terra omnia traham ad meipsum If I be lyft vp from the grounde I shall drawe all thinges to me as well in hell as in earth for of both he drewe a great part to him According to this speaketh the increate wysedome of God the seconde person in Trinite Eccle. xxiiii Penetrabo omnes inferiores partes terre inspiciam omnes dormientes illuminabo omnes sperantes in domino I shall pearce and entre into all the lower partes of the earth and I wyll loke on all theim that be a slepe whose bodies rest in their graues in the slepe of peace and I wyll geue light to all them that hope in theyr Lord God And Saint Augustine in the .cxxvii. sermon sayth Omnia ab stulit vtique electa electi quamuis in tranquillitatis sinu tamē apud inferni claustra tenebantur Non enim infideles quosque pro suis criminibus aeternis suppliciis dedicos ad veniam dominus resurgendo reparauit sed illos ex inferni claustris rapuit quos suos fide actibus recognouit Christ toke awaye with him all that were electe and chosen for suche althoughe they were in the bay or bosome of tranquillitie ease and reste yet they were kepte and holden within the clausures of hell For our lord Christ when he rose did not repaire or restore to pardon and forgiuenes all infideles and such as for theyr crimes or mortall sinnes were deputed to euerlastinge paynes and punishmentes but them he plucked out of the cloysters and clausures of hell whiche he knew for his owne by their fayth and by their dedes For the soule of Christe ioyned to the Godhead from whiche it was neuer separate descended into the said darke place gaue light to thē that were ther kept in prison By occasion of that he spoke of Noes shyppe in whiche a fewe lyues were saued by the water that is to saye the liues of Noe and of his wife and the liues of theyr three sonnes and of theyr thre wiues .viii. personnes in all the blessed apostle Sainte Peter declareth the allegorye of the same fygure sayinge that like as the sayde .viii. personnes or liues were saued from drowninge beynge lifte vppe in the shippe a flote aboue the grounde euen so sayth he In like fourme and maner you be saued by baptisme from dampnation euerlastinge Non carnis depositio sordium sed conscientiae bone interrogatio in Deum The water alone is not the thinge that doth it althoughe his propertie be to washe away the filth and vncleanes of the body but it is the examination and discussion of a good cōscience toward God saith S. Peter because that in the water the worde doth make cleane the soule as S. Augustin speaketh tract .lxxx. in euangel Iohan. Uppon these wordes Iam vos mundi estis propter verbum quod locutus sum vobis Ioh. vx Take away the holy sacramentall wordes from the water and what is the water but bare water Accedit verbum ad elementum fit sacramentum The worde ioyned to the element of water maketh the sacramente For the water can nor of it selfe haue suche strengthe as to touche the body and withall to clense the soule but onely by the worde And by the worde not because it is soūded or said by him or her that doth christe but because it is beleued According to that S. Peter had said Act. xv Fide purificans corda eorum God clensith theyr hartes by fayth the water and the worde concurringe with the same fayth Then this clensing of the soule must not be attribute to the water excepte we put to the worde and then ioyne theim both together and they shall be of suche strength that they may purge and make cleane the least chylde that euer was borne whiche as I haue sayde in tymes past beleueth in the fayth of the churche lyke as he or she that is of discretiō beleueth by his own faith Al these circumstances S. Peter speaketh in few wordes Conscientie bone interrogatio in deum the examination or discussion of a good wel beleuing conscience toward God comprehending as wel the cathechisation or instruction going afore the baptisme where y e party may haue such oportunitie as the Sacramentall wordes with the water with faith and all together According to this saith S. Paul Eph. v. Christus dilexit ecclesiam et seipsū tradidit pro ea vt illā sancti ficaret mūdans eā lauachro aque in verbo vite Christ loued his churche deliuered him self to sinfull mennes handes that he mighte make her holye clensynge her with the lauer of water in the worde of lyfe This blessed Sacramente of baptisme by whiche we be regenerate and gotten agayne to God was signified by the water that drowned the earth and earthly carnall people and saued the eyght liues that then were saued And that the water of the sayde flud saued none that were out of the shippe signifieth that all heretikes that be out of the common receaued fayth of the churche althoughe they were in the water although they be christened and glorieth to be called christen men yet by the same water they shall be drouned into hell by which the ship the catholike churche was lifte and borne vp into heauen and saued as the materiall shippe of Noe was lifte vp into the ayre aboue grounde and saued by water And lyke as they that were drowned in Noes floude had theyr corpsis wasshed from exterior fylth of theyr bodies whiche preuayled them not against drowninge so there was
in the noughty sorte of christen people deposirio sordium carnis a clensinge and wasshinge away of the filth of the flesh by the water of baptisme when they were christened but it preuayled not to eternall saluation because they lacked a faythfull conscience well instructed examined and tried towarde GOD by the resurrection of Christ from the dead that like as he rose from the dead so our consciences should ryse frome deade workes of synne to liuelye workes of grace and vertue no more to dye or synne agayne whiche is in the right hande of God swalowynge vp consuminge and destroyinge death that so we might be made inheritours of euerlastinge life That a man swaloweth he consumeth so that it shall no more appeare in the fourme and fashion that it was of afore so Christe made by his death that death shuld be consumed in as much as by his death the deuyl that is the auctor causer of death was ouercome his heart was burst He begilinge and deceiuyng oure fyrste parentes kylled them â–ª and made them and all theyr posteritie subiect to death but kylling the latter man the latter Adam our Sauioure Christe he loste the fyrste man oute of his snares whiche kylled his hearte and was verye death to him He had power to bringe all them to death that descended of Adam whome he hadde kylled yf they came of hym by carnall propagation takinge of him the spotte of sinne but abusinge his libertie and procuringe the death of our moost innocent Sauioure Christe that came not of the sede of Adam by generation betwixt two parentes nor had any spotte of sinne by Adam he was worthy to lose his libertie and so he loste an infinite numbre of them that he thought him self sure of and dayly loseth his expectation and none can gette but suche as wylfully wyll runne into his daunger After this victorye ouer the deuyll Christ went vp into heauen as S. Peter sayth here and had subiect vnto him Aungels potestates and vertues where S. Peter expresseth three orders of Aungels of heauen to be subdued and subiecte vnto Christ by them vnderstandinge al the residue of the Aungels which as S. Dionise in his boke de celesti Hierarchia writeth according to that he had learned of his maister S. Paule by whome he was baptised and also taughte in the catholyke fayth be diuided into .iii. Hierarchies Euery Hierarchie conteyninge .iii. orders of Aungels and so they make nine ordres in the whole Saint Dionise that wrytte his booke of these heauenly creatures was S. Paules disciple and scoler and learned of him that could best declare the truthes of theim in as muche as he was rapte into heauen and there sawe suche secretes as a man might not speake Notwithstandinge as muche as semed to agree to mortall mans capacitie for to knowe as was mete and profitable for men to learne he declared to this blessed S. Dionise and to others of his disciples that had theyr wittes illuminate aboue others whiche the sayde S. Dionise committed to writing in his boke rehearsed that the posteritie that shoulde come after him in Christes churche mighte be instructe by the same In the sayde boke he rehearsed the names of euerye order of aungels in euery one of the saide Hierarchies The fyrste and highest Hierarchie conteyninge the .iii. orders Seraphin Cherubin and Thronos The seconde conteyneth Dominationes virtutes potestares The thirde Hierarchie and lowest hath in it these thre orders Principatus Archangelos et Angelos As appereth by s. Dionise in the sayde boke Cap vi vii.viii .ix. And by S. Gregory Homil .xxxiiii. super Euangelia All these were subiecte and subdued to Christes manhod when he came to heauen by his marueilous ascension Of all these orders Saint Peter in this place rehearseth thre orders one of the loweste Hierarchie Angelis and two of the middle Hierarchie potestates et virtutes by them vnderstandinge all the other Aungels which though they were euer sith theyr fyrst creation subiecte and subdued to Christes Godheade yet here in this place he maketh speciall mention of theyr subiection to Christ that he might shewe that the humanitie of Christ was so exalted and set alofte by his ascension whiche Saint Peter here speaketh of that it was preferred and set aboue the excellencie of all the Aungels of heauen Accordinge to the sayinge of the Prophet Omnia subiecisti sub pedibus eius And Saint Paul phil Dedit illi no men quod est super omne nomen vt in nomine Iesu omne genu flectatur celestium terrestrium infernorum GOD the father hath geuen hym a name aboue all names that to his name all creatures in heauen in earth and of hel shall bowe the knee and be subdued and obediente vnto him To whome be all honour and glorye for euer Amen The .xiiii. treatise or sermon The fourth Chapiter CHristo igitur passo in carne vos eadem cogitatione armamini quia qui passus est in carne de siit a peccatis c. The blessed Apostle Saynt Peter in diuers places of this epistle that we haue in hande vehemently extolleth and coÌ„mendeth the most aboundant mercy of God by whiche he hath regenerate and gotten vs agayne to lyfe where we were afore by oure carnall parentes gotten to death And we see by experience that one that hath a greate affection or vehement loue to any thinge wyll be euer busie as it were one that coulde neuer haue done or that woulde be euer gladde to speake of it So Saint Peter coulde neuer geue thankes ynoughe he euer inculcateth bringeth in the remembrauÌ„ce of the benefyt of oure redemption because we shoulde euer haue it in minde And because it is not ynough to remember it but we must also in our liuinge conforme oure selues to the same holynes he geueth vs manye holesome morall lessons and fatherly exhortations teachinge vs to lyue vertuousely and holyly contrarye to vices and vicious liuinge And because our regeneration and sanctification coÌ„meth by baptisme whiche taketh his efficacitie and strength of Christes bloude shedde in his payneful passion therfore euer amonge he speaketh of the excellente mysterye of the sayde passion of Christe and of his gloryous resurrection by whiche as he sayd in the ende of the thyrde Chapiter whiche I declared in my laste sermon vpon the same he swalowed vp drowned and consumed death of the soule to make vs heyres of lyfe euerlastynge And in as muche as the worlde and the spyryte be aduersaries and euer at variaunce euen so be worldlye and carnall personnes enemyes to spirituall personnes Spirituall I call good lyuers that worketh accordynge to the inclination and styringe of the holye spyryte the holye gooste Then considerynge that the carnall people be the more sorte and the greater number and the good lyuers be fewer in number it is no maâ—ueyle that good people suffereth muche wo vexation and trouble in this worlde that were able to ouerthrowe a
the water drowneth both horse and man Another kind of prudence is Cautio warines lest we be begiled with vices cloked vnder the colour of vertues as Amasa was begiled of Ioab ii Reg. xx This Ioab fearing least Amasa shoulde haue ben made cheife captayne of the warres of kinge Dauid enuied him and dissembled with him and as thei were setting forward to a certaine batail met with him louingly saluted him and toke him by y e chin as though he would haue kissed him and said to him salue mi frater God spede my cosin for in dede they were sisters children he had a weapō by his side with whiche he stroke him in the side that his guttes fell out and so he died There is none so perilous gyle as that is hidde vnder the similitude and colour of frendship By this kinde of prudence we shal spie when pride disgiseth him self vnder the similitude name of clenlines and when lechery is cloked taken for loue and we shall perceaue that in great aboundaunce in worldly welth is hid much indigence nede lacke of vertue and grace and also that vnder the ignominie shame and sclaundre of Christes crosse is most excellent pulchritude and beautie that vnder the folishnes of preaching of Christ as many hath taken it is couered most godlye vertue and wysedome Our sauiour exhorteth vs to prudence wisdōe by example of a serpent Estote prudentes sicut serpentes Mat. x. Be you wise like serpentes The serpent to saue her heade wyll laye forth all the whole body in daunger and perill and so should we do to conserue and saue Christe in vs and to kepe his fayth and his graces in vs we shoulde lay al our bodies in daunger rather losing body goodes and all then him And therefore s. Paule saith Rom. viii who can separate or diuide vs from the charitie and loue of Christ I am sure that nother death nor life neither any other creature can parte vs frō the loue of god that we haue in christ Iesu thus soyth s. Paule in the name of euery good christen man woman Second we may learne prudēce by the serpent whiche when he casteth his olde slowe or skin he crepeth into some straite place as betwixt stones or blockes or rockes there stripeth him selfe cleane out of his olde scurfe into a new skinne And so must we do we must get vs into the strait waye of penaunce and by that stripe cleane away from vs our olde faultes and sinnes Eph. iiii Deponite vos secundum pristinam conuersationem veterem hominem qui corrumpitur secundum desideria erroris Put downe awaye from you your olde man your olde maner of liuinge in lustes of errours all oute of the righte waye of iustice and of good liuinge Thirde the serpent when he perceiueth a charmer aboute to charme him oute of his hole or denne he laieth one of his eares faste to the grounde and stoppeth the other eare with his taile By whiche propertie we be taught against the suggestions of oure goostly enemies to stoppe one eare with the earth that is the remembraunce of our own vilenes and infirmitie and the other eare with oure taile that is to saye with the remembraūce of our death and ende to whiche we drawe dayly Eccle. vii In omnibus operibus tuis memorare nouissima ineternum non peccabis In all thy workes remember thy last ende and thou shalte neuer sinne but shall euer haue a good and ready soule to god And that we all may so haue he graunt vs that by his painful passion redemed vs. Amen The xvi treatise or sermon ET vigilate in orationibus I haue sufficiently as I trust exhorted you in my former sermon to vse prudence and circumspection in all your affaires and doinges now I must aduertise you to beware of such thinges as may be impedimentes to hinder you and lette you from well doinge The Apostle S. Peter wylleth you to take good hede where aboute we go sayinge Et vigilate in orationibus And watche in prayers Slepe not in youre prayers for the deuill slepeth not but watcheth craftely to pull awaye your hearte from you and from the thinge that you intende to praye for Watche and take hede that your minde thinke on nothing els but vpon that you desire in your praier awaye with all carnall thoughtes out of your mindes lette the intente of youre minde be sincere and cleare towarde God and praye vnto him not so muche with the sound of your mouth as with the swetenes of youre minde and so both youre prayer of mouth and of hearte together shalbe mooste acceptable to him And thoughe praier be necessary at all times and in all places yet at this time when holye Churche readeth this processe that we haue nowe in hande for the Epistle of the Masse we shoulde be moost vigilaunte and diligent in prayer that we mighte be the more apte and mete to receiue into the hostrie of our soules the holie Goostes graces at this holye time of Whitsontide now comming And so did the blessed virgin Marye mother of Christe with other holy women and the Apostles after that they had sene Christes ascention they retourned to Ierusalem and got them into an hie halle or a lofte where they were perseuerantes vnanimiter in oratione continuinge in prayer withoute anye notable interruption Vnanimiter al of one mind knitte together by the bondes of Charitie for so must they be that do wait and loke for the holy Gost. For Spiritus discipline effugiet fictū Sap. i. The holy spirite that geueth learninge wyll flye from one that is fayned that fayneth him self or is a dissembler Therfore he that will haue that holy spirit let him continue in praier in vnitie concorde and charitie in hearte and minde And euen so S. Peter exhorteth vs here saying Ante omnia autem mutuam in vobismetipsis charitatē continuam habentes Afore all thinge you muste haue within your selues continual charitie euery one to another Quia charitas operit multitudinē peccatorum for Charitie couereth the multitude of synnes That you may obtaine and gette of almyghtye God that you praye for aboue all thynges be sure of Charitie by whiche you may do good to others as well as to youre selues Accordinge to this Saynt Iames sayth Iaco. v. He that causeth a synner to retourne from his errour shall saue his soule from death and shall couer the multitude of his synnes And the prophete sayeth Psalm xxxi Beati quorum remisse sunt iniquitates quorum tecta sunt peccata Blessed be they whose iniquities be forgiuen and whose sinnes be couered But for this you must vnderstande that oure sinnes may be couered two maner of wayes one waye is by the sinners owne dissimulation hydynge and clokinge But after this maner to hyde oure sinnes maketh vs not blessed but rather accursed in as muche as they styll remayne and liueth in the
he wyll requite moste comfortable thankes wheÌ„ he shal recken to you your good and charitable dedes and for them shall byd you venite benedicti patris mei Come you blessed children and receiue the kyngdome that is prepared for you in the glory of heauen Amen ⸫ ¶ The .xvii. treatise or sermon COnsequently foloweth in the text of Saynt Peters epistle Vnusquisque sicut accepit gratiaÌ„ a domino in aâ—terutrum illam administrantes sicut boni dispensatores multiformis gratie dei Experience teacheth that a great housholde wythout good officers is a troublous and an vnruly busines For where is no quiet order of the subiectes among them selues and of theym all in theyr degree toward theyr great mayster soueraygne or ruler euery man taketh his owne way and so foloweth strife brawling and variaunce and at the last destruction The housholder must be fain to breake vp houshold if his folkes amende not The great housholder almighti god hath a great a chargeable familie that is the vniuersal multitude company of al maÌ„kinde which thoughe he could rule at his plesure according to his own wil yet it hath pleased him to put an order in this houshold som head officers som mean som lower in auctoritie som subiectes seruantes diuisiones ministrationeÌ„ sunt ideÌ„ auteÌ„ dominus .i. Cor. xij There be diuers offices but one Lorde whiche would euery maÌ„ to do his office in his degre that he is called to euery one to helpe other like meÌ„bers or lyms of one body which be euer redy one to help cherish an other for the safegard of the whole bodie i. Cor. xij But in this there is a difference betwixt y e great housholde of God mans houshold that in maÌ„s houshold som ther be onelye ministers hauing charge ouer no more but of theÌ„ selfe in that houshold but as in y e great houshold eueri man womaÌ„ hath charge cure ouer another though som more som lesse cure therfore saith Ecclesiasticus .xvij. MaÌ„dauit illis vnicuique deo proximo suo Almightie God hath giuen such a commaundement in his houshould that euerye one shoulde care for his neighbour one for an other And for thys cause Sainte Peter in these wordes of hys epistle rehearsed exhorteth vs to bestowe suche giftes as God hath giuen vs not euery man vpon him selfe or for him selfe but euery one for an others profite like good stuards in a housholde He wylleth vs to be as good stuardes in gods house A stuard receiueth treasure or money of his lordes cofers and therewith byeth all necessaries for the houshold distributeth or bestoweth it to euery one of his lords seruantes as they haue nede And so we all receiue the treasure of our great maister almightye God he openeth his store house of grace and wealth and replenisheth vs all with the blessinges of his gracious gyftes more precious then golde or siluer To som he giueth knowledge and cunning in spirituall causes to some in temporall matters to some learning in phisicke to some in surgerye to som in handy craftes to some in marchandise or in such other occupiyng To some he sendeth landes by enheritaunce to som by purchase and generally looke how many waies God giueth a maÌ„ to liue by with so muche of his treasure he chargeth him withal and wilbe sure for a compt therof Ther is not the poorest begger that goeth froÌ„ doore to doore but he hath part of this treasure and is countable for it to almightye God and therefore faint Peter ful wel calleth vs al Gods stuardes willing all men like as he hath takeÌ„ grace of our Lord God so to bestowe the same one vpon an other like good dispensatours or stuardes of the many form graces of God Wher s. Peter speaketh of such graces as be frely giuen as well to good men as to the bad indifferently whych be called Gratie gratis date keepynge the general name of graces gyuen to the common vtilitye and profette of the Churche of the whole Congregacion of GODS folkes and Christen people The other grace is specially called gratia gratum faciens that grace that maketh the hauer acceptable to God and in his fauour whiche is by an other name called charitie Of the former graces the Apostle Saint Paule speaketh .i. Cor. xii Alij quidem per spiritum datur sermo sapientie alij sermo scientiae alterifides in eodem spiritu alij gratia sanitatum c. To one is giuen by the holy spirit of God the grace of sapience to speake in heauenly matters To an other science to discerne iudge in lower causes and so of others Nowe because that in the vsing and bestowing of al such gyftes receiued of Gods treasure the hauer oughte to haue a streight and a right intent Saynt Peter saith here that if any man speake the wordes of exhortacion according to any of the sayd giftes he should speake them as the words of God and not as his owne woordes counting himselfe but onelye as the minister or stuarde and not as the owner of the worde And likewise he that bestoweth any corporall subsidie or helpe vpon his nedye neighbour let him so do it as though it came of Gods sendyng to the reliefe of the poore and not of his owne strength or vertue Tanquam ex virtute quam administrat deus attributynge it to God that gaue him the wyll and the power so to do so that in all thinges God may be honoured through our Lorde Iesu Christ the mediatour betwyxt God and man And they that so vseth them selues among theyr neyghbours maye be called good stewardes where some others euer receyueth of theyr maisters treasure and neuer paieth nor bestoweth it An other sort of stuards payeth and dealeth but they pay shreud paymeÌ„t Of the stuarde that receiueth and neuer paieth and of the good and iust stuarde it is wryt in the psalme .xxxvi. Mutuabitur peccator non soluet iustus autem miseretur tribuet A synfull stuarde a fautie stuarde boroweth and neuer payeth euer receiueth of his maysters treasure neuer thanketh GOD for it nor bestoweth it on Gods seruantes and houshold mayny What treasure receiueth suche a synner of almightye God Aug. Accepit vt sit vt sit homo non pecus c. Hath receiued of god his being that he is somwhat and that he is a man and not a beast He hathe taken the shape of a mans bodye and the distinction of his fiue wits or senses eyes to se eares to heare nosethrils to smell the roofe of the mouth wyth the tonge to taste handes to handle and feete to go and walke and health of body with all But all these be comon to man and beast yet maÌ„ hath receyued more then all these the Minde that can vnderstand and may perceiue the truth and dyscerne the right from wrong and may search out secretes and may by the same prayse and laude God and loue
geueth good comforte sayinge if you be vmbrayded and missaied for vsynge vertue and iustice that is for Christes sake you be blessed for euerlastinge blessing is promised you And that perteineth to honoure to glorye and to the vertue of GOD and also his holye spirite resteth vpon you In this present lyfe you shall be worthye to haue honoure in youre good workes and for well doynge and vertuous lyuinge Nam honor est praemium virtutis Honor is the rewarde for vertue and in time to come you shall be partakers of Christes honour And nowe you shall haue the glorye of a pure cleare conscience whiche is the glory of a Christen man and the very waye to come to glorye of body and soule Gloria nostra haec est testimonium conscientie nostrae ii Cor. i. This is my glory saith S. Paul the witnes of mine owne conscience without remorse or grudge for my conuersation hath be in simplicitie amonge you without carnall or crafty subteltie or deceipt saith S. Paule Euen like glorye of your owne consciences shall reste vpon you whiche shall comfort you agaynst the insulties and sclauderous raylinge of all your aduersaries Let them say what they wyll you can not let them you know your selues cleare and fautles and the vertue and strength of God ouer the deuyll and all his membres shall also reste vpon you and no marueyle for his holy spirite the holy goost the causer of these benefites and of all other goodnes resteth vpon you and therefore as muche as in them is almightie God that resteth in you is missaid and rayled at in you but as in you and for your part and as you muste take it he is glorified and that is said redoundeth to his glorye by you Nemo autem vestrum patiatur vt homicida aut fur aut maledicus aut alienorum appetitor When you take paine and be rayled on for iustices sake you maye be gladde But I woulde not sayth S. Peter here that any of you shoulde suffer for manslaughter as a murtherer or as a thefe or as a sclaunderer or backbiter or blasphemer or as one that goeth about to take awaye other mens goodes to spoile and robbe them The theues suffer imprisonmēt and death for theyr offences this paine they suffer for theyr iniquitie Heretikes be likewise put to shame and many times to death for theyr misbeleife and heresies and for blaspheminge and missayinge Gods holy scriptures to the yl example and peruerting of many a christen soule bringing them also to like damnation There be none such to be reputed blessed for theyr paines sufferyng because it is not for Christe nor for iustice sake but for theyr owne faultes yll doinges and ill sayinges but yet some suche men and women that haue so suffred for theyr faultes be so obstinate in theyr malice and so glory in theyr errors and iniquitie that they be not ashamed to saye they beare theyr crosse with Christe when they beare theyr fagottes in open penaunce to escape theyr burninge They beare theyr crosse in dede as the thefe dydde that was hanged on Christes lefte syde not to theyr saluation but to theyr cōdempnation which they here beginne and in hell shall consummate perfourme and continue the same for euer Si autem vt Christianus non erubescat sayth S. Peter If you suffer as a Christen man or woman eyther displeasures in body and goodes or by wordes for that thou arte a good Christen man or liueste like a good christen man or woman be not ashamed what so euer be sayd or done against the but rather glorify God giue laude and prayse and thankes to God that hath geuen the grace to be thought worthye to suffer contumely or despites for Christes name Glorificet autem deum in isto nomine quoniam tempus est vt incipiat iudicium a domo dei For nowe is the time for the iudgement of God to beginne at the house of God The iudgement beginneth in our lyfe time for whiche you muste note that the iudgement of God is of two maners one is priuie and secrete the other shall be manifest and openly knowen to all men and women The fyrste is in this life the other shalbe at the day of dome and the generall iudgement For almighty God will leaue no ill vnpunished therfore in as much as he sharpely wyll punishe sinfull persons with the intollerable paynes of hell with the deuylles after this lyfe he suffreth them to take their pleasure while they be here a while and to leade a mery life in welth in prosperitie but at a trise sodenly they be plucked awaye and descendeth downe into hell to that vntollerable and eternall iudgement And when God sendeth to such malefactours any paynes or trouble they fret and chafe rayle and grudge agaynste GOD and in theyr rage dyeth and beginneth theyr hell with paynes and sorowe here that hereafter in hell shall continue for euermore no tounge can expresse the sorowe and paynes that there shall be But others that by suche strokes and correction as God sendeth them be exercised for theyr purgation and be made better and better taketh them for a warning to conuert and amend their liues such correction doth thē much good Therfore it is written Iob. v. Beatus homo qui corripitur a domino Blessed is the man or woman that is correct and punished of our lord God And the reason is this for if mannes correction maye be good and holesome then Gods correction muste nedes be much more holesome for man knoweth not parfitly the maner and measure of holsome correction neither is omnipotent to take awaye the punishment when it is ynoughe or when he lyste ▪ nor to do good and to ease a man in tyme conuenient but God by his omnipotency by that he is almightie and knoweth all thinges he knoweth how much or how litle he maye punishe his childe and seruaunt and he euer punisheth hym to do him good either to trie him and to proue his constauncy or to make him amende his lyfe For there is no man liuinge that can say he is all cleare but that he hath sinned or done amisse and many things that in our iudgement semeth to be iust and well done yet in the iudgemente of God they may be nought For man seith and iudgeth after the exterior apparaunce but God seith the secretes of the heart and al other circūstaunces And in as much as all mankinde was at the beginning iustly condempned for the offences of Adam God will not easely deliuer vs from that malandre neither from so greate a disease which also maketh that sinnes be euer ready and we euer running headlong to them but iustice good liuing is full of labour and payne and is hard to come to but that loue and charitie maketh that easy to them that loueth God whiche to other is very painefull And this is the occasiō of this priuie iudgement of God by which he sendeth
the flesh but these men these priests be the aucthors and doers of that byrth which we haue of God and of that blessed regeneration and trew liberty by which we be made the children of God by adoption and speciall grace The Iewes priestes of Moyses law had power not to pourge clense the bodie from leprie of them that were infecte with the same disease but rather to discerne iudge whether men were purged or not purged from that disease and yet was their priesthod in hie estimacion and ambitiously desired as appered bi Chore Dathan and Abyron which for their obstinate and greedie desyre sanke into Hell the earth opened and swalowed them vp with all theyr confederacie Then coÌ„sider how the priesthod of the new Testament is amplified made of more sanctimonie by reason of the most holie misteries and sacramentes with whiche it is exercised then euer was the priesthod of Moyses law For Christes priestes doth not only declare and iudge whether men be purged fro the lepres of the soule or not but rather doeth purge them in deede by the power that Christ hath geuen to them Therfore after Chrisostom looke howe great difference there is betwixt vehement loue and desire of a thing and the contempt or despising of a thing so greatly thei that despiseth the holy priesthod of Christes ministers be more detestable to be reproued then euer were Chore and Dathan and their confederacy which with so ardent and feruente desyre aspired to the priesthod of Moyses time The one sanke downe into the gapinge earth which swalowed theÌ„ downe into Hell then let not the other thinke to escape without more shame and vengeauÌ„ce Moreouer yet further to compare the priestes to our naturall parentes Almighty God hath geueÌ„ to priestes more power vpon vs then to our naturall parentes For our parentes begetteth vs into this present temporall lyfe but the priestes getteth vs into euerlasting life Our carnall parentes can nother saue vs from temporall sickenes nor froÌ„ temporal death but the priestes not only when they regenerate vs by water and with the holy spirite or when by their holy doctrine they recouer vs from vice to vertu but also when we be bodyly sicke also sicke in our soule they cure and heale vs obtayning by the succour and help of their prayers bothe health of body and soule witnesseth S. Iames Iaco. vlt. Infirmatur inter vos aliquis accersat presbiteros ecclesie orent super euÌ„ vngeÌ„tes euÌ„ oleo in nomine dnÌ„i oratio fidei saluabit infirmuÌ„ et alleuiabit euÌ„ dominus et si in peccatis sic remittentur ei WheÌ„ any maÌ„ amoÌ„ge you is sicke let him sende for the priests of the church let them pray ouer him anoynt him with oyle in y e name of our Lord the praiers of faythfull persoÌ„s shal saue y e sick our lord shal set him vp agayn And if he be in sinnes they shalbe forgiueÌ„ him Natural pareÌ„ts cannot help theyr children if they offende against princes or kinges in anye poynt of treason or greuous offence where priestes many times obteineth grace mercy and fauour for theyr spirituall children not of mortall princes but of almighty God wheÌ„ he is offended with them Well thys excellencie of priesthod coÌ„sidered which I haue now at large declared euer presupposing their excellency power and auctority to be principallye vpon the soule of man in such things and doinges as be toward God to whom be all honour glory for euer Amen ¶ The .xix. treatise or sermon WOrshipful frendes I truste you remember that in my laste sermon that I made in this place I entred on the fift chapter of Saynt Peters first epistle In which I declared vnto you how Saynte Peter like as he had giuen good and godly lessons to all kynde maners of men and women maryed and single masters and seruauntes bondmen and freemen so because the ministers of the church shuld not lak learning he instructeth prelates and priests and informeth theÌ„ of theyr dutie alluring al priestes to giue credence to his doctrine by that he professeth him selfe to be a priest and one of such experience of the affayres of our Sauiour Christe that had sene as well the glory of Christes glorified body at his transfiguration as also the vexacion that he suffred in the whole processe of his painful passion and that he was partaker of the same And then consequentlye I descended to speake of the order of priesthode and of the dignity of the same which I declared at large bi the scriptures and by the auncient writers holye fathers And I had litle thanks for my labour specially of them that beinge priestes be ashamed of that name and of likelyhood would faine de discharged of theyr order if they could tell howe most agreued they were with me because I said nothing in the defence of theyr shameful and incestious bawdry which they would couer wyth the name of matrimony so by them sclaundring that holy sacrament Then I declared many properties of a good priest which to exchew prolixitie I will now not rehearse againe for I trust you haue not al forgotten them These properties of a good priest or prelate thus declared let vs see what Saint Peter now here in the letter willeth them to do Pascite qui in vobis est gregem dei Feede the flocke of God that is vnder your hand Because that now lateli this matter of the diuersitie of shepeheards and pastours was very well and aboundantly handled and declared I wil passe ouer it presupposing these good properties afore rehersed of him that shal be a good shepheard or pastour We must take heede to our charge Act. xx Atten dite vobis vniuerso gregi in quo vos spuÌ„s sâ—tuÌ„s posuit episcopos regere ecclesiaÌ„ dei quaÌ„ acquisiuit sanguine suo Take hede to your selfe sayth S. Paule to the priestes prelates of Ephesus and to all the whole flocke in whiche the holy goost hath set you bysshops Lo here he calleth them byshops they were not then all in such preminence or so set in aucthoritie or superioritie aboue others as bishops were then sone after and be now but he meaneth priestes afore he called them maiores natu ecclesie the elders of the church or congregation Now he calleth the same byshops these S. Paule biddeth take hede to their flocke Saynt Peter byddeth them feede their flocke as Christe had commaunded Peter to feede his lammes and to feede his sheepe his people whiche should be lyke laÌ„mes full of simplicitie tractablenes and geÌ„tlenes which Christ willeth all them that wilbe saued by him to vse So Saynt Peter descendeth as by an ordinate Iherarchie and giueth like charge to such as he had constitute and ordeyned to be curates after him willing them to feede the flocke prouidentes non coacte prouiding for theÌ„ without coaction They must wyth discrete solicitude and studie prouide such