worlde I wyll shewe you an 〈◊〉 There was one 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a seruaunte of Saule the kynge he was 〈◊〉 pastorum the maister ouer his 〈◊〉 Whan Dauid flyeng from Saule came to the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 very hungrye and werye and therfore desyred some 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 hauyng none other 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 propositionis the holye bread of that he gaue Dauid and after that he gaue him the sworde of Gohath whome Dauid hadde kylled before Now thys Doeg beynge there at that tyme what doeth he lyke a 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 goeth to Saule the kynge and tolde hym 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 had refreshed Dauid in hys iourney and 〈◊〉 geuen vnto hym the 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 Saule hearyng that beynge in a greate fury sente for all the priestes and theyr wyfes and theyr chyldren and 〈◊〉 them all Thys Doeg nowe that 〈◊〉 was not a peace maker but a peace breaker and therefore not a 〈◊〉 of GOD but of the diuell I coulde 〈◊〉 you of 〈◊〉 other 〈◊〉 of other whisperers for I haue knowen some in my tyme but all suche are the chyldren of the 〈◊〉 they are not Goddes 〈◊〉 for Christe our 〈◊〉 called those Goddes chyldren that are peacemakers not them that cutte 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 throate Seeyng nowe that it is so good a thynge to be a peacemaker 〈◊〉 all them that be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 themselues to be peacemakers let the 〈◊〉 shew 〈◊〉 to be peacemakers when they 〈◊〉 of contentions and 〈◊〉 betwene their tenants send for them here theyr 〈◊〉 and make hym that is faultye to bee 〈◊〉 and so let them be peacemakers but there be some gentlemen in England which thinke themselues borne to nothyng 〈◊〉 but to haue good cheere in thys worlde 〈◊〉 go a haukynge and huntyng I would wishe they woulde 〈◊〉 them selues rather to bee peacemakers to counsayle and healpe poore men and when they heare of any discord to be betwene neighbours and neighbours to set them together at 〈◊〉 this shoulde bee rather theyr exercise than banquettyng and spending the tyme in vayne But they wyll 〈◊〉 it is a great payne and labour to meddle in matters to be a peacemaker Syr you muste consider that it is a greate matter to bee a chylde of God And therfore we ought to be contente to take paynes to be peacemakers that we may be the chyldren of god But in matters of religion we must take heede that we haue such a peace which may stande with god and his word for it is better to haue no peace at all then to haue it wyth the losse of gods worde In the tyme of the sixe articles there was a Bishop whiche euer cryed vnity vnity but he would haue a 〈◊〉 vnitie Saint Paule to the 〈◊〉 sayeth 〈◊〉 vnanimes 〈◊〉 of one mynde but he addeth Secundum 〈◊〉 Christum accordyng to 〈◊〉 Christe that is accordyng to gods holy word els it were better warre than peace we oughte neuer regard vnity so much that we wold or should forsake gods worde for her sake when we were in 〈◊〉 we agreed wel because we were in the kingdom of the diuell we were in blyndnes In Turky we heare not of any discention amongest 〈◊〉 for religions sake The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 now 〈◊〉 haue no 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because they be in blyndenesse Whan the rebelles were vp in Norffolke and Deuonshire they agreed all there was no dissencion but their peace was not Secundum 〈◊〉 Christum accordynge to Iesus Christ. Therfore S. 〈◊〉 hath a 〈◊〉 saying Speciosum quidem nomen est pacis pulchra opinio vnitatis sed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 eam solam 〈◊〉 Ecclesiae pacem esse quae Christi est It is a goodly word peace and a faire thing Unitie but who doutes but this to be the onely ryght peace of the churche which peace is after Christ accordyng to his wordes Therfore let vs set by vnitie lette vs be geuen to loue and charitie but so that it maye stande with godlines For peace oughte not to be redeemed iactura veritatis with losse of the truthe that we wold seke peace so much that we should lose the truthe of Gods worde Beati qui persecutionem patiuntur propter 〈◊〉 Blessed be they that suffer persecution for rightuousnes sake for theirs is the kyngdom of heauen This is the last iourney whan we be demanded of our faith and examined and afterwarde be forced to beleue as they wyl whan we come to that poynte Blessed are we whan we suffre rather all extremities than forsake the truth yea we shall esteme it to be a great blessednes whā we 〈◊〉 in suche trouble And not onely this but who 〈◊〉 suffreth any thing for any maner of rightuousnes sake blessed is he the questmonger doyng vprightly his duetie in dischargyng of his conscience now he shal haue displeasure happy is he and he shall haue his rewarde of God Beati cum maledixerint vobis homines dice. Blessed are ye whan men speake yll of you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 merces vestra multa est c. Be merie because your reward is great in heauen Nowe ye haue heard whiche is the way to heauen what maner a pylgremage we must goe Namely first by spirituall pouertie by hunger and thirst after rightuousnes by mekenes and lenitie by wepyng and waylyng by pitie and mercyfulnes Item we muste haue a cleane hert Item we must be peace makers Item we muste suffre tribulation and affliction Than shall the ende bee Merces vestra 〈◊〉 multa in coelis your rewarde shal be great in heauen Merces this woorde soundeth as though we shoulde merite somwhat by our owne woorkes for reward and merite are correspondent one foloweth the other whan I haue merited than I ought to haue my reward But we shall not thynke so for ye must vnderstande that all our workes are imperfect we can not doo them so perfectely as the lawe requireth because of our fleshe which euer letteth vs. Wherfore is the kyngdome of god called than a rewarde because it is merited by Christ for as touchyng our saluation and eternall lyfe it must be merited but not by our owne workes but onely by the merites of our 〈◊〉 Christ. Therfore beleue in hym trust in him it is he that merited heauen for vs yet for all that euery man shall be rewarded for his good workes in euerlastyng lyfe but not with euerlastyng lyfe For it is written Vita aeterna donum Dei The euerlasting lyfe is a gift of god Therfore we shuld not esteme our workes so perfect as though we should or coulde merite heauen by them yet god hath such pleasures in suche workes which we doo with a faithfull heart that he promiseth to rewarde thē in euerlasting lyfe Now to make an end I desire you in gods behalfe remēbre this pilgremage which I haue taught you set not lyght by it for it is our sauiors owne doctrine he with his owne mouth taught vs this pilgremage whan we will now folowe hym and doo
bee seduced thorough false religion I woulde wyshe that there were suche a feruente zeale now in vs as was in hym then but it is not so we haue no care for the soules of Christian people And that appeareth moste manyfestly by those vnpreachyng prelates For yf they hadde suche an earnest mynde to the 〈◊〉 of Chryst as Saincte Paule hadde no doute they woulde not bee so lordelye so slouthfull in doyng of theyr oueties but they lacke suche an earnest as saincte Paule had such an earnest zeale they lacke They are the enemy of the crosse of Chryste A man may be an enemy of the crosse of Christe two manner of wayes All the papistes in Englande and speciallye the spirituall men be the enemyes of the crosse of Christe two maner of wayes Fyrste when he is a ryghte papiste geuen to monkerye I warraunt you he is in this opinion that wyth hys owne workes he doth merite remission of hys synnes and satisfieth the law thorough and by his owne workes and so thinketh himselfe to bee saued euerlastynglye This is the opinion of all papystes And thys doctryne was taughte in tymes paste in scholes and in the pulpettes Nowe all these that be in suche an opinion they be the enemies of the crosse of Christe of his passion and bloudshedyng for they thynke in themselues Christe needeth not to dye and so they despyse his bitter passion they doe not consider oure byrth synne and the corruption of our nature nor yet doe they knowe the quantitys of our actuall synnes howe many tymes we fall in synnes or howe muche oure owne power is diminished nor what power might the deuyll hath they consider not suche thynges but thynke themselues able with theyr owne workes to enter into the kyngdome of God And therfore I tell you this is the peryllous doctryne that canne be deuysed For all faythefull and true Christians beleue onelye in hys deathe they long to bee saued thoroughe his passion and bloudeshedyng thys is all theyr comforte they knowe and most stedfastly beleue that Christ fulfylled the lawe And that his fulfyllynge is 〈◊〉 so that they attribute vnto Christ the gettyng meriting of euerlasting lyfe And so it foloweth that thei which attribute the remission of synnes the getting of euerlasting life vnto thēselues or their works they denie Christ they blaspheme and 〈◊〉 him For for what other cause did Christ come but onely to take away our synnes by his passion and so deliuer vs frome the power of the deuill But these merites mongers haue so many good workes that they be able to sell them for money and so to bryng other men to heauen to by their good workes which no doubt is the greatest contempt of the passion of Christ that can be deuised For Christ onely and no man 〈◊〉 merited remission iustification and eternall felicitie for as many as will beleue the same they that will not beleue it shall not haue it for it is no more but beleue and haue For Christ shed as much blood for Iudas as he dyd for Peter Peter beleued it and therfore he was saued Iudas would not beleue and therfore he was condemned the faulte beyng in hym onely in no body ells But to say or to beleue that we should be saued by the law this is a great dishonoring of Christes passion for the lawe serued to an other purpose it bringeth vs to the knowlege of our sinnes and so to Christ for whan we be come through the law to the knowlege of our syns when we perceiue our filthines then we be redy to come to Christ and fetch remission of our synnes at hys handes But the Papistes fetch the remission of their synnes not in the passion of Christ but in their own doings they thinke to come to heauen by their own works which is naught We must do good workes we must endeuour our selues to lyue accordyng to the commandementes of God yet for all that we must not trust in our doynges For though we doo the vttermost yet is it al vnperfect whā ye examine them by the rigor of the law which law serueth to bryng vs to the knowlege of our sinnes and so to Christ and by Christ we shall com to the quietnes of our conscience But to trust in our good workes is nothing but a robbing of Christ of his glorie and maiestie Therfore it is not more necessarie to doo good workes than it is to beware howe to esteme them Therfore take heede good christen people deny not Christe put not your hope in youre dooynges for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ye shall repent An other denyinge of Christ is thys masmonging for all those that be massemongers be deniers of Christe which beleue or truste in the sacrifice of the masse and seke remission of theyr sinnes therin for this opinion hath done very much harme and brought innumerable soules to the pytte of hell for they beleued the masse to be a sacrifice for the dead and liuynge and this opinion hath gotten all these abbeyes and chauntries almost the halfe parte of all England and they should haue gotten more yf they had not bene restrained by certayne lawes For what would folkes not do to case them selues from the burthen of theyr sinnes But it was a false easment a deceitful thing Therfore how much ar we bound vnto god which hath delyuered vs from thys bondage from this heuye yoke of popery which woulde haue thurst vs to euerlasting damnation For now we know the verye waye howe we shal bee deliuered we knowe that Christe is offered once for vs And that this one offring remedieth all the synnes of the whole worlde for he was Agnus occisus ab origine 〈◊〉 He was the lambe which was killed from the beginning of the worlde That is to saye all they that beleued in him sence Adā was created they were saued by him They that beleued in Abrahames seede it was as good vnto them and stoode them in as good effecte as it dothe vnto vs now at this day So that his oblation is of suche efficacye that it purifieth and taketh away all the synnes of the whole world They now that wyl be content to leaue theyr synful lyfe 〈◊〉 with sinne and then beleue in our sauior Christ they shal bee partakers of euerlastyng 〈◊〉 Here ye maye perceiue that Christe hathe manye 〈◊〉 in the whole worlde he hathe many that slaunder him that diminish hys glorye namelye all the papistes that truste in their owne merites or seeke remission of their sinnes by the sacrifice of the masse all these nowe are enemies to the crosse of Christ. In summa al those that seke remission of their sinnes other wayes then in the passion of Christe they be 〈◊〉 to God and shal bee damned worlde withoute 〈◊〉 vnlesse they repent But here I muste sate some thinge vnto you and I speake it to the satisfienge of some of you For I think there be
al one I graunt this to be so yet these be so solitary that they he not alone but accompanied with great flocks 〈◊〉 Fraternities And I maruel if ther be not a great sort of Bishops 〈◊〉 that are brethren germain vnto these as a great sort so euen as right borne worldes childrē by as god title as they But because I cānot speake of al whē I say pre 〈◊〉 I vnderstād bishops Abbots Priors 〈◊〉 deanes and other of such sort that are now called to thys 〈◊〉 as I soe to intreate hereof nothing but of such matters as both appertayne to the glory of Christ and to the wealth of the people of England Which thyng I pray God they do as carnestly as they ought to do But it is to be feared least as Lyght hath many her Chyldren here so the worlde hath sent some of hys whelps hither Amonges the which I know ther can be no concord nor vnity albeit they be in one place in one congregation I know there can be no agreement 〈◊〉 these two as long as they haue mindes so vnlyke and so contrary affcctions iudgementes so vtterlye diuers in all poyntēs But if the chyldren of thys worlde be eyther mo in nombre or more prudent then the Chyldren of Lyght what then auayleth vs to hauc this Conuocation Had it not bene better we had not bene called together at al For as the children of this worlde be euyll so they breede and bryng foorthe thynges euyl and yet there be mo of them in all places or at the least they be more politike than the chyldren oflyght in theyr generation And here I speake of the generation wher by they do engender and not of that wherby they are engendred because it shuld be to long to intceate how the 〈◊〉 oflyght are ingendred and howe they come in at the 〈◊〉 and how the children of the worlde be engendred and come in an other 〈◊〉 How be it I thinke al you that be here wer not ingendred after one generacion neyther that ye al came by your promocions after one maner God graunt that ye engendred worldly do not ingender worldly And as nowe I much passe not how ye were engendred or by what meanes ye were promoted to those dignitics that ye now occupy so it be honest good and profitable that ye in thys your Consultation shal 〈◊〉 and ingender The ende of your Conuocation shall shew what ye haue done the fruite that shall come of your consultacion shall shewe what generation ye be of For what haue ye done hytherto I pray you these 〈◊〉 yeares and mo What haue ye engendred what haue ye brought forth what fruite is come of your long and great assemble What one thyng that the people of England hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 better of an heare or you your selues eyther more accepted before God or better discharged toward the people committed vnto your cure For that the people is better learned and taught now then they were in time past to whether of these ought we to attribute it to your industrie or to the prouidēce of God and the foreseing of the kings grace Dughte we to thanke you or the kynges highnes Whether 〈◊〉 other 〈◊〉 you the king that ye myght preache or he you by his letters that ye should preach ofter Is it vnknowen thinke you howe both ye and your Curates were in maner by violence inforced to let bookes to be made by you but by prophane and lay persons to let them I say be solde abrode and redde for the instruction of the people I am bolde with you but I speake latyn and not englysh to the clergie not to the 〈◊〉 I speake to you being present not behynd your backes God is my wytnes I speake what so euer is spoken of the good wyll that I beare you God is my wytnes which knoweth my hart and compelleth me to saye that I saye Now I pray you a God his name what dyd you so great fathers so many so long a season so oft assembled together What went you about what would ye haue brought to pas two thynges taken away The one that ye which I heard burned a dead man the other that ye which I felt went about to burne one beyng alyue Hym bccause he dyd I can not tel how in hys testament withstand your profit in other poyntes as I haue heard a very good man reported to be of an honest lyfe whyle he lyued ful of good workes good both to the Clergy and also to the Laity this other which truly neuer hurt any of you ye would haue raked in the coales be cauc he would not subscribe to certayne Articles that tooks away the supremacy of the Kyng Take away these two no ble actes and there is nothyng els left that ye went about that I know sauyng that I now remember that somewhat ye attcmpted against Erasmus all be it as yet nothyng is com to light Ye haue oft 〈◊〉 in consultaciō but what haue ye done Ye haue had many thynges in deliberation but what one is put forth wherby eyther Christe is more glorificd or els Christes people made more holyer I appele to your own conscience How chaunced this how came this thus because there were no children of light no children of God amonges you which setting the world at nought would study to illustrate the glory of God and therby shewe them selfes 〈◊〉 oflyght I thynke not so certainely I thinke not so God 〈◊〉 that all you which were gathered together vnder the pretence oflyght would be children of the worlde Then why happened this Why I pray you Perchaunce eyther bycause the chyldren of the worlde were mo in nombre in thys your congregation as it oft happeneth or at the lest of more policy than the children of lyght in their generation Wherby it might very sonne be brought to passe that those were much more stronger in gendryng the euil than these in producing that good The children of light haue policy but it is like the policy of the serpent is ioyned with 〈◊〉 symplicitie They ingendre nothing but simply faythfully and playnly euen 〈◊〉 doing al that they do And therfore they may with more facility be combred in theyr ingendring and be the more ready to take iniuries But the children of this world haue worldly policy forely crafte lyonlyke cruelty power to do hurt more then eyther 〈◊〉 or Basiliscus ingendring doing al things fradulently deceytfully gylefully Which as Nembrothes such sturdy and stout hunters being full of simulation and dissimulation before the Lord deceiue the children of lyght and combre them easely Hunters go not forth in euery mās syght but do theyr affaires closely and with vse of gyle and deceite ware euery day more craftier then other The childrē of this worlde by lyke crafty hunters they be misnamed children oflyghte for as much as they so hate lyghte so study to do the
Christ hath so framed this prayer that I muste needes include my neighbour in it Therfore all those which pray this prayer they pray as wel for me as for them selues whiche is a great comfort to euery faithfull heart whan he considereth that all the churche prayeth for hym For amongest suche a great numbre there be some which be good and whose prayer God will heare As it appeared by Abrahams prayer whiche prayer was so 〈◊〉 that God woulde haue pardoned Sodome and Gemorre if he might haue founde but tenne good persons therin Lykewyse Sainct Paule in shipwracke preserued his companie by his praier So that it is a greate comforte vnto vs to knowe that all good and faythfull persons pray for vs. There be some learned men whiche gather oute of scripture that the prayer of saincte Stephen was the occasion of the conuersion of Saint Paule Saint Chrysostom sayth that that prayer that I make for my selfe is the best and is of more efficacie than that whiche is made in 〈◊〉 Which saying I lyke not very well For our sauiour was better learned than sainct Chrysostome He taught vs to praye in common for all therfore we ought to folow him and to be glad to pray one for an other For we haue a common sayeng amongest vs Who so euer loueth me loueth my hounde So who so euer loueth God wil loue his neigh bor which is made after the image of God And here is to be noted that prayer hath one propretie before all other good workes for with my almes I healpe but one or two at ones but with my faithful prayer I help all I desire God to cōfort al men liuing but specially domesticos fidei those which be of that houshold of god Yet we ought to pray with all our heartes for the other which beleue not that God wil turne their heartes and renew them with his spirite yea our prayer reacheth so far that our very capitall ennemie oughte not to bee omitted Here you see what an excellent thyng prayer is whanne it proceedeth frome a faithfull heart it dooth farr passe all the good workes that men can doo Now to make an ende we are monished here of charitie and taught that God is not only a priuate father but a cōmon Father vnto the whole worlde vnto all faithfull bee they neuer so poore and miserable in this worlde yet he is their Father Where we may learne humilitie and lowlynesse specially great and riche men shall learne here not to be loftie or to despise the poore For whan ye despise the poore myserable manne whome despyse ye ye despyse hym whyche called GOD his father as well as you and peraduenture 〈◊〉 acceptable and more regarded in his syghte than you bee Those proude persones maye learne here to leaue their stubbornesse and loftynesse But there be a great meany whych lyttle regarde this they thynke theim selues better than other men be and so despise and 〈◊〉 the poore in so muche that they wyll not heare 〈◊〉 mennes causes nor defende theym from wrong and oppression of the ryche and myghtie Suche proude menne despyse the lordes prayer they shoulde bee as carefull for their brethren as for theymselues And suche humilitie suche 〈◊〉 and carefulnesse towardes our neyghbours wee learne by this woorde Our Therefore I desyre you on Goddes behalfe lette vs cast away all disdainfulnesse all proudenesse ye and all bybble bable Lette vs pray this prayer with vnderstandyng and greate deliberation not folowyng the trade of monkerye whiche was without all 〈◊〉 and vnderstandyng There be but fewe whiche can saye frome the bottome of their heartes Our Father a lyttle numbre Neither the Turkes neither the Iewes nor yet the impenitent synners can call God theyr Father Therefore it is but vayne babblynge what so euer they praye GOD heareth them not he wyll not receaue theyr prayers The promyse of 〈◊〉 is made vnto theym onely whyche bee faythfull and beleue in God whych endeuour them selues to lyue accordyng vnto his commaundementes For Scripture saythe Oculi Domini super iustos The eyes of the Lorde are ouer the ryghtuouse and his eares open vnto theyr prayers But who are those ryghtuous euery penytente synner that is sorye from the bottome of his hearte for his wyckednesse and beleueeth that GOD wyl forgeue hym his synnes for his sonne our 〈◊〉 Iesus Christes sake This is called in Scripture a iust man that indeuoreth hym self to leaue all wickednes In suche forte Peter and Paule were iuste because they dyd repente and beleued in Christe and so endeuored them selues to liue according vnto Gods lawes Therfore like as they were made iust before god so may we too for we haue euen the self same promise Let vs therfore folow their ensample let vs forsake all sinnes and wickednesse than god will heare our praiers for Scripture saithe Dominus facit quicquid volunt timentes eum clamorem eorum exaudit ac seruat eos The Lorde fulfylleth the desyre of theim that feare hym he also wyll heare theyr crye and healpe theym In an other place he saythe Si manseritis in sermone meo verba mea custo diueritis quicquid volueritis petentes accipietis If ye abyde in me and my woordes abyde in you aske what ye will and it shall be done for you So we see that the promises pertain only to the faithful to these which endeuor themselues to lyue accordyng to gods will plesure which can be cōtent to leue their wickednes and solowe godlynesse those God will heare at all tymes whansoeuer they shall call vpon hym Remembre now what I haue sayd Remembre what is ment by this worde Our namely that it admonysheth vs of loue and charitie it teacheth vs to be ware of stubburnesse and proudnesse consyderyng that God loued as well the begger as the ryche man for he regardeth no persones Agayne what is to bee vnderstand by this woorde Father namely that he beareth a good wyll towardes vs that he is redy and willyng to healpe vs. Heauenly that admonisheth vs of his potencie and abilitie that he is ruler ouer al thinges This I say remembre and folowe it then we shall receyue all thynges necessary for this lyse and fynally cuerlastyng ioy and felicitie Amen Let vs pray Our father ¶ The second sermon vpon the Lordes prayer made by maister 〈◊〉 SANCTIFICETVR nomen tuum Halowed be thy name These fewe words contain the firste petition of the Lordes prayer the other wordes which go before this be no parte of this petition but rather an introduction vn to these petitions and they bee like a preface or learned entrance to the matter that the petitions mighte bee the sooner and with more fauoure hearde For oure Sauiour beeynge a perfecte scholemayster as a learned and an experte orator teacheth vs howe we shoulde begynne our prayer that we might be spedily hearde and howe
may do the work wherunto god hath called him There be many vocations The Magistrates vocation is to see that the common welth be wel ordered to see that the scholes be mainteined to see that the vniuersities be well furnished to see that iustice be executed that the wicked be punished and the good rewarded In summa to kepe euerye one in good order This is their duetye Further we praye that the priestes the spiritualtye or the churchemen as they call them doe their dueties to preache goddes worde to liue godly and to giue a good ensample by their conuersation els they doe against the honour of GOD and their owne honesty Lykewise we praye that seruauntes may doe their dueties For to bee a seruaunte is an honest estate and muche commended in Scripture and Scripture speaketh much to the comforte of them And truely those that lyue in the feare of god consydering that they serue not only their carnal maisters but God hymselfe they be in a good case but they may not bee eye seruauntes Saincte Paule noteth this fault and sayeth that they shal not be murmurers nor frowarde answerers Saincte Paule woulde haue them to lyue so that they maye ornate and sanctifye the name of God For that seruaunte that dothe the thyng whereunto he is called he dothe adorne his estate that seruaunte is a good gospeller that wyll not be an eye seruaunt There be some seruauntes whiche doe their dueties as longe as their maister is in syght but as soone as their maister is gone they playe the 〈◊〉 Unto such felowes I say beware for though your bodely maister see you not yet your great maister god seeth you and wyll punishe you Quod agis toto pectore agito What 〈◊〉 doest doe it from the bottome of thy hearte with a good wyll goe not awaye with the deuils Pater no ster as some doe doe all thinges with a good mynde For I tell you you bee not forgotten in Scripture you are muche commended in the same S. Paule speaketh very honourably of you saying Domino Christo 〈◊〉 you serue the lord Christ it becommeth not you to put a difference what busines you be commanded to do For whatsoeuer it be 〈◊〉 it with a good wil and it is gods seruice Therfore you oughte to do it in respect that god wold haue you to do so for I am no more assured in my preaching that I serue god than the ser uant is in doing such busines as he is commaunded to doe skouring the cādelsticks or whatsoeuer it be Therfore for gods sake consider the matter Some of you think if Christ were here you would go with him and serue him I tel you whan you folow your seruice and do such thinges as your maister and maistresse shall commande you you serue hym as wel as if he were here bodily He is not here bodily now but his worde is here Domino Christo seruitis sayth Saint Paule you serue the lorde Christe Therfore I desyre you in goddes behalfe to walke vprightly and godly Consyder what god sayeth vnto you 〈◊〉 qui facit opus domini negligenter Cursed be he that doth the worke of the lord negligently This scripture perteyneth to you as wel as to me For whā ye do your busines negligently you be cursed beefore the face of God Therfore consider the goodnesse of God that he woulde haue you as well saued as youre maisters Surelye me thinketh it is a great benefite of God to be a seruant For those that kepe houses must make a count afore god for their familye they must watche and see that all thinges bee well But a seruaunt when he can discerne what standeth with goddes commaundementes and what is against it it is ynoughe for hym but he must knowe that he ought not to obey his maister or mastresse whā thei wold commaunde him to doe against god in such a case he may re fuse withstand them For it is writen we must more obey vnto god then man we shold not do against god to please our maisters Again masters mistresses are boūd to consider their dueties to pay vnto their seruants their wages meat and drinke conuentent For it is a greate sinne to defraud the laborer of his wages for it is writē the cry of the laborers shal come before the lord it is a great faut afore god to de fraud thē but ther be som seruāts which be so wicked the thei wil cōplain wtout a cause whā they cannot haue that that they wold haue nor beare al the rule thēselues But I saye it is a great thing for a maister to 〈◊〉 his seruāt again that ser uāt which hath his whole wages doth but half his worke or is a sluggard that same fellow I say is a these afore god For lyke as the maister oughte to pay the whole `wages so likewise the seruaunt ought to do his whole worke Here I might haue occasion to shew howe man and wyfe ought to liue together how thei ought to be faithful louing and friendly one to the other how the man ought not to despise the wyse consydering that she is partaker with him of euerlasting lyfe Therfore the mā ought cohabitur to dwel with her which is a greate thing Agayne see how the woman oughte to behaue her selfe towardes her husband how faithfull she oughte to be Now whan they both yelde their dueties the one to the other then they sanctifie the name of god but when they doe contrary to their callyng then they slaunder the holy name of god Therfore let euery man and woman walke in their vocations We muste haue a good and earnest mynde and wyll to sanctify the name of God for that person that prayeth and desyreth of God that his name maye bee halowed and yet hath no will nor plesure to do it in dede this is not the right sanctifieng of the name of god S. Peter teacheth vs howe we shall sanctifie gods name saying Conuersationem 〈◊〉 gentes habentes bonam Haue a good holy conuersation liue vprightlye in your callyng so that your lyghte maye so shyne before men that they may see your good workes and so glorify god I wyll trouble you no longer it is better a littell wel perceiued and borne awaye then a greate deale hearde and 〈◊〉 behynde Consider wherfore our sauiour commaūdeth vs to call god our Father thā afterward way this 〈◊〉 art heauen Than come to the petition halovved be thy name waye and consider this For nowe is the tyme wherein the name of god shold be halowed For it is a pitifull thing to se what rule and dominion the deuil beareth howe shamelesse men be how the name of god is brought in derision Therfore let vs saye from the bottom of our hearte Sanctificetur halowed that is to saye lord God thorough thy goodnes remoue all wickednes giue
worldly thynges than GOD and his worde shall bee shutte out from his supper that is to say from euerlastyng ioy and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is a great matter to despyse Gods woorde or the mynister of the same for the office of preachynge is the office of saluation it hathe warrantes in Scripture it is grounded vpon Gods worde 〈◊〉 Paule to the Romaines maketh a gradation of suche wyse Omnis quicunque 〈◊〉 no men domini saluabitur quomodo ergo inuocabunt in quem nō 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quomodo credent 〈◊〉 quem non 〈◊〉 That is to say who soeuer shall 〈◊〉 on the name of the Lord shal be saued but how shal they call vpon hym in whom they beleue not how shal they beleue on him of whom they haue not herd How shal thei heare without a 〈◊〉 And how shal they 〈◊〉 except they be set At the length be concludeth sayeng Fi les ex 〈◊〉 faith commeth by hearyng where ye may perceiue how necessarye a thyng it is to heare gods word and how needefull a thing it is to haue preachers which may teach vs the worde of god for by 〈◊〉 we must come to faith thorough faithe we must bee instified And therfore Christe saieth himselfe Qui credit in me habet vitam aeternam he that beleueth in me hath eucrla styng lyfe When we heare gods worde by the preacher and beleue that same then we shall be saued for s. Paule sayeth Euangelium est potentia dei ad salutem omm credenti the gospel is the power of god vnto saluation to all that beleue the gospel preached is gods power to the saluation of all beleuers this is a greate commendation of this 〈◊〉 of preachyng therfore we ought not to despise it or little regarde it for it is gods instrument whereby he worketh faith in oure heartes Our Sauiour saith to Nicodeme Nisi quis renatus fuerit except a man be borne a new he can not see the kingdome of god But how commeth this regeneration by hearyng and beleuyng of the worde of god for so saith s. Peter Renati non ex semine mortali corruptibili we are borne a newe not of mortall seede but of immortall by the word of god Likewise Paule sayth in an other place Visum est deo per 〈◊〉 predicationis saluos facore 〈◊〉 It pleased god to saue the beleuers thorough the foolishnes of preachyng But peraduenture you will say What shall a preacher teach foolishnes No not so the preacher when he is a right preacher he preacheth not foolishnes but he preacheth the word of god but it is taken for foolishnes the worlde estemeth it for a trifyll but howsoeuer the world estemeth it S. Paule sayeth that god will saue hys thorough it Here I myghte take occasion to inueigh agaynste those whiche little regarde the office of preachyng which are wont to say what nede we such prechings euery day Haue I not syue wyttes I know as well what is good or yll as he doth that preacheth But I tel thee my friende be not to hasty for whā thou hast nothyng to follow but thy syue wyttes thou shalte goe to the deuyll wyth them Dauid that holye Prophete saide not so he trusted not his fiue wittes but he said Lucerna pedibus meis verbum tuum domine Lord thy word is a candell vnto my feete here we learne not to despise the worde of god but highly to esteme it and reuerently to heare it for that holy day is ordeined apointed to none other thing but that we should at that day heare the word of god exercyse our selues in al godlines but there be some which think that this day is ordeyned only for feastyng drinking or gaming or such foolishnes but they be much deceiued this daye was apointed of god that we should heare his worde and learne his lawes and so serue him but I dare say the deuyll hathe no dayes so muche seruice as vpon sondayes or holye dayes which sondaies are apointed to preaching and to heare gods most holy worde therfore god saith not only in his commaū dements that we shall abstayne from working but he sayth sanctificabis thou shalt halow so that holyday keping is nothing els but to abstein from good workes and to do better workes that is to come together and celebrate the communion together and visite the sicke bodies these are holy dais workes And for that ende god commaunded vs to abstayne frō bodily works that we might be more mete apt to do those workes which he hath apointed vnto vs namely to fede our soules with his worde to remember his benefites to geue him thankes and to cal vpon him So that the holy day may be called a mariage daye wherein we are maried vnto god which day is very nedeful to be kept The foolishe common people thinketh it to be a belly 〈◊〉 day and so they make it a 〈◊〉 daye there is no wickednes no rebellion no 〈◊〉 but she hath most commonly her beginning vpō the holy day We read a story in the 15. chapiter of the booke of that Numbers That there was a 〈◊〉 which gathered sticks vpō the Sabboth day he was a 〈◊〉 of gods ordinances and lawes like as they that now a dayes go about other busines whan they should heare the worde of God and come to the common prayer whiche felowes truelye haue nede of sauce to be made more lustier to come and fede vpon Christ than they be Now Moses and the people consulted with the lord what they should do how thei should punish that felow which had so transgressed the Saboth day he shall dye sayth god which thing is an ensample for vs to take 〈◊〉 that we transgresse not the law of the Sabboth day for though God punish vs not by and by as this man was punished yet he is the very self same god that he was before and wil punish one day eyther here or els in the other worlde where the punishment shal be euerlasting Likewise in the 17. chapiter of the prophet Hieremy god threateneth his fearefull wrath anger vnto those which do 〈◊〉 his sabboth day Again he promiseth his fauour and all prosperity to them that will kepe the holy dayes sayeng princes and kynges shal go thorough thy gates that is to say thou shalt be in prosperity in wealth and greate estimation amongest thy neighbours Agayn yf ye will not kepe my sabboth day I will kyndell a fyre in your gates that is to saye I will destroy you I wyll bryng you to naught and burne your cities with fire These wordes pertain as well vnto vs at this tyme as they pertained to them at their tyme for god hateth the dishallowyng of the Saboth as wel now as then for he is and remaineth stil the old god he wil haue vs to kepe his Saboth as well now as then for vpon the Saboth day goddes sede plough goeth that
he can bryng thee alofte when it pleaseth him when it is to the furtherāce of his glorye and to the saluation of thy soule John Baptist made no sute for that office namely to be a preacher and to baptyse the people yet for all that god sought hym oute god called hym there unto god would haue him in this office of preachyng So lyke wise Iosephe when he was in Egypte solde of hys owne brethren where he serued with a great man a greate officer he was Potiphar was his name Nowe when he had bene a whyle with him his 〈◊〉 percetuyng his beauty cast her loue vpon him and so would haue hym to be naught with her but Joseph beyng a man that seared god wold not folow her but rather 〈◊〉 her beastly lustes ranne his wayes and lefte his cloke behynde hym And so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thorough false accusations he was cast into prison Thynks ye now that god saw hym not yes yes he sawe him though he was in the darke pryson yet he saw him For when it seemed him good he brought him out agayne of the prison and made him lorde and ruler ouer all Egipt though he lay in a dongeon though he could make no sute for his 〈◊〉 yet god when it pleased him could call him therunto Therfore let vs learne here by the ensaumple of this good Josephe lette vs learne I saye that when we bee meete and that God wyll haue vs to beare offices he wyll call vs thereunto by law full meanes by hys magistrates he wyll not forgette vs for he seeth vs in euery corner he can pycke vs oute when it is hys wyll and pleasure Moyses that greate friende of God what was his occupation Mary he was a shepharde he kepte his fathers in lawe sheepe and though he was in a greate wyldernesse where there was no body aboute hym yet it pleased GOD to call hym and to make hym a captayne ouer his people Israell And thys Moses was very lothe to go to take such a greate charge vpon hym yet at the length he went because it was the callyng of god Therfore let vs folow this ensaumple of Moyses let vs not take in hande any office except we be called thereunto of GOD excepte we haue a lawfull callyng Oure Sauiour commaundeth his disciples and also vs that we shall praye vnto God that he wyll sende labourers into his haruest that is to saye that he wyll sende preachers Whereby it appeareth that our Sauiour woulde that no person shoulde take vpon hym that office excepte he be sent of god except god call hym thereunto Kynge Saule thoughe he was a wycked man in hys ende yet he was made a greate hinge of god for what was hys father No verye great man I tell you and Saule his sonne wente to seke hys fathers affes and so by chaunce because he could not fynde the asses he came to the Prophete Samuell whiche by and by before he departed from hym annoynted hym to bee kynge ouer Israell GOD commaundyng hym so to doe Nowe thys Saule he sceketh not for it it came neuer in hys hearte to thynke that he should bee kyng in so muche that he 〈◊〉 hymselfe when Samuell woulde prclaime him king before the whole congregation yet for all that he coulde not hyde himselfe so but GOD spyeth hym oute and so finally brought him to the kyngdome Here ye see moste manifestlye that whanne GOD wyll haue a thynge to bee doone he canne synde suche meanes whereby it muste needes bee doone Wherefore shoulde nowe anye of vs goe aboute to thruste theymselues into offices wyithoute the callyng of GOD And no doute they that 〈◊〉 so they shewe theymselues to haue no saythe in GOD at all they truste not GOD they thynke they shall brynge all matters to passe by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 owne power and wyttes but it is seene that suche felowes spede euer yll that wyll take in hande to 〈◊〉 them selues without any laufull callyng Dauid that 〈◊〉 man holy 〈◊〉 of god what was he Mary a keper of shepe he thought not that he should be king till he was called ther 〈◊〉 of god But I pray 〈◊〉 what was Ionas the Prophet was he not in the bottome of the great sea in the bellye of a great and horrible whale what hapned vnto hym sawe not god 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he saw hym he had not forgotten hym he called hym out again and so sedeth 〈◊〉 to 〈◊〉 to preach vnto them and teache them penaunce to leaue theyr synful life Now god would haue hym to that 〈◊〉 therfore he cal 〈◊〉 hym and was able to do it 〈◊〉 he lay euen in the hor rible fishes 〈◊〉 Now therfore lette vs well 〈◊〉 this that when god wil haue a man to beare an 〈◊〉 he can and is able to fetch him wheresoeuer he bee and that man that is so called of god to any office no doute god wil work with hym he wyl prosper all his doings he will 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from all his enemies he wyll not let him perishe 〈◊〉 and yf any man take in 〈◊〉 an office whereunto he is not called no dout that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 haue no good lucke god will not prosper hym And not onely that but he will 〈◊〉 punishe that 〈◊〉 that wil take in hande an 〈◊〉 whereunto he is not called of god which 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 aboute to promote himselfe As we haue an example in the boke of that Numbers that when 〈◊〉 Dathan and Abyram would not be contente with their vocation wherunto thei were called of GOD but woulde 〈◊〉 higher and promote themselues what hapned The grounde claue asonder and swalowed them vp with wife and children and al that they had this was their ende this rewarde they had for their ambition Whereby it appeareth that GOD wyll that euerye manne shall keepe hymselfe in his vocation til he be further called of god We reade further in the bookes of the kinges that when Dauyd would bryng in the arke of GOD into his citye as they were going with it there was one 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 name he fearyng leaste the arke shoulde fall because the 〈◊〉 stumbled went and helde it vp with his handes which was against his 〈◊〉 for he was not appointed 〈◊〉 for it 〈◊〉 the office of the Leuites to 〈◊〉 the Arke no body 〈◊〉 should come 〈◊〉 vnto it Now what hapned God stroke hym by and by to death because he toke vpon him an 〈◊〉 vnto which he was not called yet after mans reason 〈◊〉 Oza had done a good worke in keepyng the arke frome 〈◊〉 but what then God will that his order shal be kept which he hath appointed in his worde Further we reade in the Bible of a kyng which was called 〈◊〉 which woulde take vpon him the office of a prieste to offer incenses vnto the Lorde whervnto he was not called of god but would do it of his owne 〈◊〉 will would promote himselfe to
that we shall dye and that we haue but a shorte tyme to lyue here in this worlde And as we dye so we shall rise agayne If we dye in the state of damnation we shall rise in that same 〈◊〉 againe yf we dye in the state of saluation we shal rise agayne in that same estate and come to euerlastyng 〈◊〉 bothe soule and bodie For if we dye now in the 〈◊〉 of saluation then at that last generalday of iudgement we shal heare this ioyful sentence procedinge out of the mouth of our sauiour Christ when he wil saye Venite 〈◊〉 dicti patris 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 paratum 〈◊〉 ab exordio mundi Come ye blessed of my father possesse that kyngdome whiche is prepared for you from the the beginnyng of the worlde And thoughe we haue muche misery here in thys worlde thoughe it goeth harde with vs though we muste 〈◊〉 in the brydell yet for al that we must be contence for 〈◊〉 shal be sure of our deliuerance we shalts sure that our saluation is not farre of And no dout they that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wyth synne stryue and fight with it they shall haue the assistaunce of god he will helpe them he wyll not forsake them 〈◊〉 wyll strengthen them so that they shal be able to liue vp rightlye and thoughe they shall not be able to fulfyll the lawes of god to the vttermost yet for al that god will take theyr doings in good parte for Christes his sonnes sake in whose name all faythefull people dothe their good workes and so for 〈◊〉 sake they be acceptable vnto god and in the ende they shal be deliuered out of all miseries and trou bles and come to the blisse of euerlasting ioy and felicity I pray god that we may be of the nūber of those which shall here this 〈◊〉 most comfortable voice of Christ our sauior when he wil say Venite benedicti patris 〈◊〉 ye blessed of my father possesse the kingdom which is 〈◊〉 for you 〈◊〉 fore that foūdatiō of the world was layed There be a great nūber 〈◊〉 that christian people which in that lords 〈◊〉 whē they pray thy kingdom come pray that this day may come but yet for all that they are drowned in the world they saye the woordes with theyr lyppes but they cannot tell what is the meanyng of it they speake it onely with theyr tongue which saying in dede is to no purpose But that man or woman that saieth these woordes thy kingdome come wyth a faythfull heart no doute he desyreth in very dede that God wyll comme to iudgement and amend all thynges in this world to pul doune Satan that old serpent vnder our fete But there be a great number of vs which be not 〈◊〉 Some haue liued in this worlde 50. yeres som 60. yet for al that they be nothyng prepared towardes his commyng they thinke euer he wil not come yet but I tell you that though his generall cōmyng be not yet yet for al that be wyll come one day and take vs out of this worlde and no doute as he fyndeth vs so we shall haue yf he 〈◊〉 vs redy and in the state of saluation no doute we shal be 〈◊〉 for euer worlde without ende Agayn yf he 〈◊〉 vs in the state of damnation we shal be damned world without ende there is no 〈◊〉 after we be ones past this world no 〈◊〉 wil help than nor nothing that man is able to do for vs. Therfore it is 〈◊〉 for euery one of vs to take 〈◊〉 betymes let vs not 〈◊〉 to long with our amendement least peraducnture we shall com to short for no dout we 〈◊〉 rewarded accordyng vnto our desertes But there be some and hath bene a greate number of vs which haue trusted in masses and pilgrimages in setting vp 〈◊〉 and such like 〈◊〉 but I tel you al this geare wil not help it is to no purpose for if al that masses which 〈◊〉 said in all 〈◊〉 sence the masse beganne if all these masses I say were bestowed vpon one man to bryng hym out of the state of damnation it were all to no purpose and to no effect Therfore let vs not put our hope trust in suche 〈◊〉 for if we do no doute we shall deceiue our selues Again ther be som people which differre delay their amēdmentes of lyfe 〈◊〉 such tyme as they shall dye thenne they take in hande to leaue sin when they are not able to do any more They wil take their pleiures as long as 〈◊〉 be able to haue 〈◊〉 they thinke it be tyme enough to repente at the laste houre when they shall depart and forsake this worlde Suche people dothe very naughtely and no doute they be in a daunger ous estate for they are not sure whether they shall haue at that same laste tyme gracc or not to repente and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for theyr synnes Peraduenture their heartes shal be so hardened in synne and 〈◊〉 that they shall not be able to repent or be sorye for theyr fauites Therefore the beste and surest 〈◊〉 is to repent betymes whyle we haue tyme and to be sory for our wyckednes and to take an earnest mynd and purpose to leaue synne when we do so then no doute we shal bee taken vp with Christe and dwell with him in heauen euerlastingly in great honor and glory where we shal haue such ioy which no tonge cā expresse no eies hath 〈◊〉 nor eares hath heard that inestimable felicities 〈◊〉 which god hath laid vp for his faithful And lyke as our pleasure ioy shal be inestimable if we repēt betymes leue sins so like wise the 〈◊〉 of thē that wil not leaue sin but euer go forward in 〈◊〉 shal be inestimable 〈◊〉 ble to their pain shal be 〈◊〉 yet thei shal beare thē Therfore let euery man take hede how he spēdeth his tune how he taketh his plesure in this world sor 〈◊〉 as that general gret day shal be vncertai so also our particuler day wher we shal depart this world shal be 〈◊〉 peraduēture some of vs shal die to 〈◊〉 or that next day therfore it shal be meete 〈◊〉 for vs to make ready leste we be taken sodeinly vnwares And then shall they see the sonne of man come in a cloude with power and great glory Saincte Paule to the Thessalonians setteth out the commyng of Christe and our resurrection but he speaketh in the same place onely of the rysynge of the good and 〈◊〉 that shall bee saued But the holye Scripture in other places wytnesseth that the wycked shall ryse to and shall receyue their sentence of Christ and so go to hell where they shal be punished world without ende Now S. Paules wordes be these This saye we vnto you in the word of the Lord that we which shal liue and shall remayn in the comyng of the lord shal not come be fore them which slepe For the
learne by thys wonderfull myracle which our sauior did before all the multitude that he proued himself to be very god and one that hath power ouer death But peraduenture ye wyll saye No it foloweth not he raysed vppe the deade Ergo he is very god for we reade in the olde testamente that Elias and Elisa these holye Prophetes of God 〈◊〉 suche workes too they raised vp the dead as well as he and yet for all that they were not goodes but synfull men as we be though they had suche a speciall gifts of god yet they were not goddes nor yet toke vpon them to be goddes To this question or obiection I wyll aunswere hereafter and if I forget it not In the meane season I wyll inoue an other question which is this What shoulde moue Johns disciples to come and tell him the miracles which Christ our sauior dyd thynke ye they came with a good wyll to sette out Christe and to magnifye hys doynges or came they with an yll wyll with an enuious hearte whiche they beare towardes Christe Aunswere They came wyth an yll wyll wyth an enuious hearte whiche they barc agaynste Christe as it appeareth moste 〈◊〉 by the circumstaunces beynge well considered For ye muste vnderstande that John hadde verye muche 〈◊〉 to brynge his disciples to Christe they thoughte that Christe and hys doynges hys conuersation were nothynge in comparison of John For Johns strayghte lyfe whiche he led in the wyldernesse made suche a shewe and outewarde glisteryng that oure Sauiour was regarded for nothyng in comparison of hym For our sauiour led not so harde and straight a lyfe as Iohn did he eats and drunke and woulde come to mens tables when he was bidden he would kepe company with euery body ryche and poore 〈◊〉 receiued hym and woulde beleue in hym but Iohn was in the wyldernes out of the companye of all men Therfore the disciples of Iohn they much more regarded Iohn their maister then Christ their sauiour And therefore they euer lay vpon Iohn in exhortyng hym that he would take vpon him to be Christ and the sauiour of the worlde And when they had heard of any miracles that Christe had done they by and by came vnto theyr maister and told hym of it disdainfully as who say thus and thus we haue heard that Christ hath done wherfore shewest not thou thy selfe to wherfore workest not as well myracles as Christ doth euery man speaketh of hym do thou somwhat too that the people may know thee to be a great man as well as Christ. We reade in the gospell of Mathew that Iohns disciples came once to Christ and quarelled with hym saying Cur nos pharisaei ieiunamus frequenter discipuli autem tui non ieiunāt Wherfore fast we and the pharisees so many a tymes but thy disciples fast not at al They thought in theyr owne opinions that Iohns lyfe was a great deale more to be estemed then Christes because Iohns lyfe was more painfull in the outward shew of the world therfore it greued them that Christ shold be more estemed then Iohn So that we may perceiue by Iohns disciples that they had a good zeale Sed non secundum scientiam but not accordyng vnto knowledge For it is a good thing for a seruaunt to loue his maister but Iohns disciples did naught in that they enuied Christe and wente aboute to styrre vppe theyr maister to take vpon him to be Christe Nowe Iohn entending to correcte and amend theyr false opinion which they hadde in Christ and in hym for they regarded him to muche and Christe whiche was to bee moste regarded him estemed they for nothinge in compa rison of Iohn therfore Iohn that good and faithfull man seyng the ignorauncy of hys disciples playeth a wyse part For hearyng them talke of the wonderfull workes whyche Christ our sauiour dyd he sendeth them vnto Christe with thys question Art thou he that shall come or shall we looke for another When we loke onely vpon the outward shew of these wordes a man might thinke that Iohn hymselfe was doutefull whether Christ were the sauiour of the world or not because he sendeth his disciples to aske such a question of hym But ye must vnderstand that it was not done for Iohns sake to aske such a question but rather for his disciples sake For Iohn thought that this should be the way to bryng them to a good trade namely to no them to Christ. For as for Iohn hym selfe he douted not he knew that Christ was the sauior of the world he knew it I say whiles he was yet in hys mo thers wombe For we rede in the 〈◊〉 of Luke that after 〈◊〉 came vnto Mary and brought her such tidings she arose and went thorough the mountaynes and came to Ierusalem to Elizabeth her cosyne and as she saluted her the Euangelist saith saliit infans in vtero suo the infant which was Iohn lept in his mothers belly So that Iohn beyng in his mothers belly yet knew Christ which should be born out of the virgin Mary After that we rede in the 3. of Mathews when Iohn 〈◊〉 baptise Christ he said vnto Christ Ego po tius I haue more nede to be baptised of thee thē thou of me So that it manifestly appeareth that Iohn douted not of Christ but knew moste certainly that he was the eternal son of god the 〈◊〉 which was promised vnto the fathers to come into the worlde For it was told him from aboue that vpon whomsoeuer he should see the holy ghoste commyng downe from heauen 〈◊〉 that same was he whiche afterwarde 〈◊〉 for Iohn after that he had baptised hym sawe the holye ghoste come doune in a forme of a doue further Iohn appointed hym with hys finger sayinge Ecce agnus 〈◊〉 qui tollit peccata mundi See the lambe of God whiche taketh a way the synnes of the world So I say it is most 〈◊〉 that Iohn hymselfe douted not for he knew it assuredly that Christe was the sauiour but he did it onelye to remedye the doutes of hys discyples Nowe when Iohns disciples came to Christ they dyd theyr message saying Es 〈◊〉 ille qui venturus est an alium expectamus Arte thou he that shall come or shal we looke for another What doth Christ he made not answere with wordes but with the dedes he made not muche adoo in settyng oute himselfe with greate wordes but he shewed himselfe to be Christ in dede For he doth such miracles whiche no man els could do but only he which was bothe very god and man I would wishe of god that we would doe so to that when we bee asked a question whether we bee Christians whether we haue the gospell the true word of god or not I would wyshe I saye that we coulde shewe our faith by our workes and godly conuersations lyke as he shewed hymselfe to be Christ by his acts and
dedes but I tell you we be farre otherwise our acts and dedes disagree farre from our profession For we are wicked we care not for gods laws nor his words we professe with our mouth that we be the haters of synnes but 〈◊〉 conuersation sheweth that we loue sinne that we folow the same that we haue a delite in it So it appeareth that our wordes and 〈◊〉 agree not we haue gods holy worde in our mouthe but we folow that wil pleasure of the diuel in our outward 〈◊〉 satiō liuing But Christ he did not so for he shewed himself by his outward works conuersation that he was very 〈◊〉 that sauior of that world So we shold do to we should liue so vprightly so godly that euery one might know vs by our outward cōuersatiō to be very christiās We shold so hate 〈◊〉 sins that no mā iustly might or could disalow our doings But what maner of works doth Christ wherby he sheweth himself to be that very Messias sauior of that world Answer he healeth al maner of diseased folks that blind that lame that 〈◊〉 al other which wold come vnto him desire help at hys han des And finally he preched the gospel this ioyful tidings vn to the poore vnto thē Christ preched the gospel But I pray you howe chaunced it that he sayth Pauperes Euāgelizātur The poore receiue the gospel answer because the most part of the rych men in this world despise contemn the gospell 〈◊〉 esteme it for 〈◊〉 why wherfore despise 〈◊〉 that gospel Because they put theyr hope truste and confidence in theyr ryches For the moste parte of the 〈◊〉 in this worlde I will not say all do eyther put theyr hope in theyr ryches or els they come naughtely by their riches or els they keepe it yll they heape them up together or els they spende them 〈◊〉 So that it is a very rare thyng to 〈◊〉 a godly rich man for commonly they are geuen to gather and to make 〈◊〉 and so forget the poore in the meane season whō they ought to reliefe or 〈◊〉 when 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 them they spende 〈◊〉 naughtely not as god hath appointed vnto them namelye to helpe their poore and needy neighbour but rather do vse them to excesse wantonnes and pleasure Therfore Christe saith The poore receyue the gospell 〈◊〉 they are most 〈◊〉 therunto they are all comfortlesse in this world and so most meete to 〈◊〉 the gospell The prophetes long aforehand hadde 〈◊〉 of these workes whiche Christ when he shoulde come shoulde 〈◊〉 For so it is written God commeth his owne selfe and wyll delyuer you then shall the 〈◊〉 of the blynde be lightened and the eares of the 〈◊〉 opened then shall the lame man leape as an harte and the domme mannes tongue shal geue thankes In the wyldernes also there shal be welspringes This texte of the Prophet wytnesseth that Christe is verye god for he hath done such 〈◊〉 and myracles of which the prophet speaketh Now in the same prophet it is further 〈◊〉 ten how that Christ shold preache the gospell vnto the poore 〈◊〉 people for so he saith The spirite of the lord god is vpon me for the lorde hath annointed me to preache good thynges vnto the poore that I might bynd vp the wounded 〈◊〉 that I myght preache deliueraunce to the captyue and open the prison to them that are bounde that I myghte declare the acceptable yere of the lorde Here the prophet 〈◊〉 that whēn Christ shold come he should be a worker of such actes and a preacher whyche should preache the gospell vnto the poore and therfore now when the disciples of 〈◊〉 came vnto hym demandyng of hym whether he were Christe or not he aunswered by hys workes Lyke as he sayeth in an other place in the gospel to the Phariseis The works which I do beare witnes of me As who say I prove my selfe what I am by my workes Again he saith if I 〈◊〉 do the works of my father beleue me not So that moste manifestly he proueth himselfe to be that prophet whiche was spoken of before by the prophetes and other holy men of god Iohn the Euangelist in his gospel sai eth and many other signes truly did Iesus in the presence of his disciples whiche are not written in this booke these are written that ye might beleue that Iesus is Christ the 〈◊〉 of GOD and that in beleuing ye mighte haue life thorough his name This is a very notable saying and moste comfortable to all troubled consciences Iesus hath done ma ny thinges which ar not written but these are written that we shoulde 〈◊〉 him to be Christ that that Iesus Maries sonne that was 〈◊〉 at Bethleem and nourished at Nazareth that he is the sauiour of 〈◊〉 and so in beleuing in hym we shal haue life 〈◊〉 So that there was neuer none that beleued in Christ which was lost but all bele uers were saued therfore it is not to be douted but that yf 〈◊〉 wil beleue we shal be saued to We 〈◊〉 in a booke which is intituled Vitae patrum the lyfes of the fathers in that same booke we rede that there was ones a great holy man as he 〈◊〉 to all the world worthy to be taken vp into heauen Now that mā had many disciples and at a tyme he 〈◊〉 syck And in his sicknes he fel in great agony of his conscience in so much that he could not tel in the worlde what to do Now his disciples standyng about him and 〈◊〉 him in this case they said vnto him how chaunceth it that ye are so troubled father for certainly there was no body so good a liuer so 〈◊〉 ly as ye haue 〈◊〉 therfore you haue not nede to feare for no dout but you shal come to heauen The old father made them answer again saying though I haue liued vprightly yet for al that it 〈◊〉 not help me I lack some thing yet and so he did in dede for 〈◊〉 if he had folowed the counsel of his disciples had put his trust in his godly conuersation no dout 〈◊〉 should haue bene gone to the deuil For though we ar cōmaunded to do good workes we ought to do thē yet for al that we must beware how we do them when we do them 〈◊〉 that end to be saued by them then we do them not as we ought to do then we thrust Christ out of his seate and 〈◊〉 For in dede the kingdom of god is merited but not by vs. Christ he merited the kingdom of heuen for vs through his most pain ful death 〈◊〉 passion There hath bene many perfect 〈◊〉 amōg the heathen which liued very well and vprightly as concerning their outward 〈◊〉 but for al that they wente to the diuel in the end because they knew not Christ for so saith scripture whosoeuer beleueth not in the son he is iudged alredy Therfore
let vs lern to know Christ to beleue in him for knowledge must goe before the beleue we muste first heare that word of god know it And afterward we must beleue the same then we must wrastle and striue with sinne wickednes as much as it is possible for vs and so liue well and godly do al maner of good works which god hath 〈◊〉 vs in his holy lawes then we shal be rewarded in euerlasting life but not with euerlasting life for that 〈◊〉 life is a gift of god a 〈◊〉 gift 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vnto men through Christ. Now whē the disciples of 〈◊〉 were come to Christ had done theyr 〈◊〉 had asked him whether he wer Christ or not our 〈◊〉 said vnto thē Go shew Iohn again what ye haue heard 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we may learn by the way what a paciēt mā our sauior Christ was which could so wel beare with the grosenes of Iohns disciples for they had 〈◊〉 before many times of Iohn theyr 〈◊〉 that Christ was the sauior 〈◊〉 the worlde yet they could not 〈◊〉 it and so with theyr 〈◊〉 thei came to Christ which refused thē not nor yet re uiled thē but entreating thē most louingly gently beareth with their weakenes leauing vs an 〈◊〉 to do so to For we may 〈◊〉 here by his 〈◊〉 not to be hasty but to 〈◊〉 with our neighbors though they be not by and by 〈◊〉 we wold haue them to be yet we 〈◊〉 not by and by reuyle them or 〈◊〉 them out of our companye as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with their weakenes like as Christ beareth with the disciples of John Now to my question which I moued before how could the workes whiche our Sauior dyd in raising vp the 〈◊〉 how could they proue him to be that sauior of the world which was promised of God by his holy prophets when other holy 〈◊〉 didde the same workes as well as he And this must be aun swered to we may haue no doutes in that matter for when we doute whether he be the very sauiour or not then we cast doune the foundation of our fayth and so brynge our selues to the very pytte of hell Therefore this shal be my answere Elias and Elisa raised vp dead bodies to proue by suche myracles that they were the right ministers of the 〈◊〉 god and that theyr doctrine was the true doctryne and the 〈◊〉 worde of god to that end dyd they theyr miracles but they neuer said we be Christes or we be the sonnes of God yea and very gods No no they neuer toke vpon them suche thynges But our sauiour when he dyd the same workes he toke vpon hym to be Christe to be the sauiour of the world to be the naturall sonne of god and so to the confirmation of such his sayinges he dyd such workes therefore he saieth I am the bread of life Item Ego sum resurrectio vita I am the resurrection and the lyfe Item Ego sum via veritas vita I am the waye the truth and the life yea and when he talked with the woman at the well she 〈◊〉 vnto hym when the Messias commeth he shall teache vs all thynges Then he saith vnto her I am he that speaketh vnto thee I am that same Messias whiche was to come and promised of God I am he Further he saith Venite ad me omne qui laboratis Come to me al ye that labour and are laden and I wil ease you So it appeareth that Christ is the very sauiour of the world because he dyd the dedes of our sauiour and then again he toke vpon hym to be he in dede and openly confessed it Further the time giueth it that Christ shoulde come for so it was prophecied of the good holye father and 〈◊〉 Iacob when he blessed his sonnes he said The scepter shal not departe from Iuda and a law geuer from betwene hys feete vntill Schilo come and vnto hym shall the gatheryng of the people be Now at that tyme when our sauiour was come the scepter was taken from Iuda for all Iurye was vnder the domini on of the 〈◊〉 therfore Schilo must needes come So it appereth that by the reason of the tyme Christ muste needes come at the same season So lykewise Daniell in his vision shewed that after 62. wekes should Christ be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shall haue no pleasure in him So ye see that by the reasō of that time he must nedes be the right sauior of al mankind again Christ raised vppe the dead and healed the 〈◊〉 in his own name by his own authority So did not the prophets or the apostles for they did it not in their own strength but by the help of god S. Peter raised vp Dorkas that good godly womā but not by his own power but Christ our 〈◊〉 he did all things tanquā authoritatē habēs as he that had authoritye 〈◊〉 tibi dico surge yong man I saye vnto thee arise So his works which he did by his own diuyne power proue him to be very god and that same 〈◊〉 which was promised vnto the world Now when our 〈◊〉 had told the disciples of 〈◊〉 his wor kes and miracles which he did he addeth a prety clause and geueth them a goodly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saying Et beatus qui nō fuerit offensus in me And blessed is he that is not offēded by me here he toucheth them he rubbeth thē at the gall he did not meane Iohn for Iohn was not offēded but he did mean thē thēselues for they were offended because of his familiar and meane conuersation But ye will say how can a mā be hurt by him from whom commeth no hurt at all Mary I tel you Iohns disciples were hurte of Christ and yet the faulte was not in Christ but in them Christ lyued a common lyfe he was a good familiar man he eate and dranke as other did he came to mens tables when he was called in so much that some called hym a gloser therfore the disciples of Iohn 〈◊〉 his symple life were offended with him But I praye you should Christ haue forsaken his maner of 〈◊〉 and folow the lyfe of Iohn because some were offended with him No not so It was scandalum acceptum non datum they toke offences themselues he gaue thē none he did according vnto hys calling as he was appointed of his father Here I haue occasion to speak of offences Scandalum is slaūder 〈◊〉 it hath an other signification with vs it is taken for an 〈◊〉 or hurt ye may define it so An offence is when I say order any thing great or smal or speak any word wherby my 〈◊〉 is made the worse but this offence is of two maner of 〈◊〉 first when I do well and an other man is offended with my well doinges this is Scandalū acceptū he taketh offence I 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 none again
sayth he Who trowe you is a faithful seruaunt He speaketh it as though it were a care thing to finde such a one as though he wonld say ther be but a few of them to finde in the world And howe fewe of them ther be throughout this realm that geue meate to their flocke as they should do the Uisitours can best tel To few to few the nioze is the pity neuer so few as now By thys then it appeareth that a prelate or any that hath cure of soul must diligently and subitancially worke labour Therefore saith Paule to Timothe Qui episcopatum desidcrat bic bonum opus desiderat He that desireth to haue the offi e of a Bishop or a prelate that man desireth a good woorke Then if it be good woorke it is worke Ye can make but a worke of it It is Gods worke Gods plough that plough God woulde haue styl goyng Suche then as 〈◊〉 lyue ydlelye are not good prelates or Ministers And of such as do not preach teache nor do not their duties God saith by his prophet Jeremy Ma ledictusqui facit opus dei fraudutenter 〈◊〉 or deceitfully some bookes haue negligenter negligently or slackly How ma ny such prelates how many such bishops Lord for thy mercy are there now in England And what shal we in this case do Shal we company with them O Lord for thy mercy shal we not company with them O Lord whither shal we flee frō them But curssed be he that doth the woorke of God negligently or gylefully A sore woord for them that are negligent in discharging their office or haue done it fraudulentlye for that is the thyng that maketh the people yll But true it must be that Christ saith Multi sunt 〈◊〉 pauci vero electi Many are called but few are chosen Here haue I an occasiō by the way somwhat to say vnto you yea for the place that I alledged vnto you before out of Jeremy the. 48. Chapter And it was spoken of a spirituall woorke of God a worke that was cōmaunded to be done it was of shedding bloud of destroying the Cities of Moab for saith he cursed be he that keepeth backe hys swoorde from sheddyng of bloud As Saule when he kept backe the swoord from sheddyng of bloud at what time he was sent agaynst Amalech was refused of God for beyng disobedient to Gods cōmaundementes in that he spared Agag the Kyng So that that place of the Prophet was spoken of them that went to the destruction of the Cities of Moab amonge the whych there was one called Nebo whych was much reproued for wolatry supersticion pride auarice cruelty tiranny for hurdnes of hart and for these synnes was plaged of God and destroied Now what shal we say of these rich citizens of Lōdon What shal I say of them shal I cal them proude men of London malicious men of London merciles men of Lōdon No no I may not say so they wyl be offended with me than Yet must I speake For is there not raygning in London as much pride as much couetousnes as much cruelty as much oppression as much supersticion as was in Nebo Yes I thynke and much more to Therfore I say repent O London repent repent Thou hearest thy faultes told thee amende them amende them I thynke if Nebo had had the preachyng that thou hast they would haue conuerted And you rulers officers be wise and circumspect 〈◊〉 to your charge se you doo your duties rather be glad to amende your 〈◊〉 lyuing then to be angrye when you are warned or told of your fault What a do was there made in London at a certain man because he said and in dede at that tyme on a sust cause 〈◊〉 quoth he nay butterflies Lord what a do there was for that word And yet would God they wer no wrose then Butterflies Butterflies do but theyr nature the Buttersly is not 〈◊〉 is not greedy of other mens 〈◊〉 is not ful of 〈◊〉 hatred is not malicious is not cruel is not merciles The Butterflye 〈◊〉 not in her own dedes 〈◊〉 preferreth the tradicions of men before Gods word it cōmitteth not idolatri nor worshippeth false Gods But London can not abide to be rebuked such is the nature of man If they be pricked they wyl kick If they be rubbed on the gale they wyl wynce But yet they wyl not amende theyr faultes they wyl not be yl spoken of But how shall I speake well of them If you could be content to receyue and folow the word of God and fauour good preachers if you could beare 〈◊〉 be tolde of your faultes if you could amend when you heare of them if you would be glad to refourme that is a mysse yf I might se any such inclinacion in you that you would leaue to be mercyles and begin to be charitable I would then hope wel of you I would then speake wel of you But London was neuer so yl as it is now In tymes 〈◊〉 men were ful of pity and compassion but now there is no pity for in London their brother shal die in the stretes for cold he shal lye sicke at theyr dore betwene stock and stock I cannot tell what to cal it and perish ther for hunger was there any more vnmercifulnes in Nebo I thinke not In tymes past when any ryche man dyed in London they were wont to help the poore Scholars of the 〈◊〉 with exhibycion When any man dyed they would bequeth great sums of mony towarde the relife of the poore When I was a scoler in Chambridge my self I heard very good report of London and knew many that had reliefe of the rich men of London but now I can heare no such good report and yet I enquire of it and herken for it but now charitie is waxen cold none helpeth the scholer nor yet the 〈◊〉 And in those 〈◊〉 what did they whē they helped the scholers Mary they main teined gaue them liuinges that were very 〈◊〉 and professed the Popes doctrine now that the knowledg of Gods word is brought to lyght and many earnestly study and labour to set it forth now almost no man helpeth to maintayn them Oh London London repent repent for I thinke God is more displeased with London then euer he was with the City of Nebo 〈◊〉 therfore repent London remembre that the same god liueth now that punished Nebo euen that same god none other he wil punish syn as wel now as he did then he wil punish that iniquity of Londō as wel as he did thē of Ne bo Amend therfore And ye that be prelates 〈◊〉 wel to your office for right prelating is busy labouring and not lordyng Therefore preach teach let your plow be doing Ye Lords I say that lyue like loiterers 〈◊〉 wel to your office that plow is your office charge
supersticion and Idolatrye And one that wyll nothing at all 〈◊〉 els very weakely resist the Deuils plough yea happy it is if he take not part wyth the Deuyl where he should be an enemy to hym it is wel if he take not the Deuiles part agaynst Christ. But in the meane time the Prelates take theyr pleasures They are Lords and no labou rers but the Deuil is diligent at his plough He is no vnpreaching prelate He is no Lordly loyterer from his cure but a busy plough man so that among al the prelates and among al the packe of them that haue cure the 〈◊〉 shal go for my mony For he styl applyeth his busynes Therfore ye vnpreaching prelates learne of the Deuil to be diligent in doing of your office Learne of the Deuil And if you wyl not learne of God nor good men for shame learne of the Deuyl ad 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dico I speake it for your shame If you wil not learne of God nor good man to be diligent in your office learne of the Deuil 〈◊〉 there is now very good hope that the Kinges maiesty being by the helpe of good gouernaunce of his moost honourable counsailours he is trained brought vp in learning and knowledge of gods word wil shortly prouide a remedy and set an order herein which thing that it may so be let vs praye for hym Praye for hym good people praye for hym ye haue great cause and neede to praye for hym FINIS THE SEVEN SERmons of the reuerend father M. Hughe Latimer whiche he preached before our late souerayne Lorde of famous memory king Edward the .vi. within the Preaching place in the Palace at Westminster in the yeare of our Lorde 1549. the first Sermon the .viii. of Marche wherunto are added other two Sermons aswel that he preached at Stamford as also the last that he made before the late kyng Edward whiche he called hys vltimum vale ¶ Imprinted at Lōdon by Iohn Day dwelling ouer Aldersgate ¶ Cumgratia priuilegio Regiae Maiestatis per septennium An. 1562. ¶ To the righte vertuous and gratious Lady Katherine Douches of Suffolk Thomas Some her humble and faithful Oratour wisheth godly fauour euer lasting saluation from God the father through Iesus Christ our mereifull Lorde WHan man is borne for man that one to another should be a God and not a deuyll an helper no hynderer vnto whom also the vse of the tonge is only geuen whereby they doo both expresse and shew the affections of their mindes there is no man which can say I haue no nede of any man But amonges infinite mischiefes and euilles of mans pouertie and anguish by whiche he hath nede of other mens helpe is the instruction of prudence or vertue and of science For mankinde in this do precel chiefly brute beastes because they helpe one another by mutuall communication In learnyng good and vertuous maners the vse of commoning is required chiefly that men erryng and ignoraunte shoulde be taught for there is none which shall euer lerne of himselfe al though he be neuer so happily borne Therfore it shall become euery man which do intende to liue godly to here and learne godly bokes to print heauenly documēts in their harts For as euill doctrine deuelish bokes filthie talke do corrupt good maners so faithful precepts godly bokes chast cōmoning honest shal edifie cōfirm wherfore intending to do good vnto al men and namely vn to suche as erre and be ignorante I haue gathered writ and brought into lighte the famous fryday 〈◊〉 of M. Hugh Latimer which he preached in Lēt last past before our most noble king Edwad the sixt at the new palaice of westminster the third yere of his reigne which Sermōs most vertuous La dy I dedicate vnto your honorable grace nothing doubting but that you will gladly imbrace them not only because of their excellencie but chiefly for the profit which shal ensue thorough them vnto the ignorant For in them are fruteful godly documents directing ordinatly not only the steps cōuersation and liuing of kings but also of other ministers and subiectes vnder him And let no man begreued though it be not so exactly done as he did speake it for in very dede I am not able so to doo to wryte word for word as he did speake that passeth my capacitie though I had xx mens wittes and no fewer handes to write with all As it is vnpossible that a little ryuer should receiue the recourse of the mayne sea with in his brimmes so that no water should ouer whelm the sides therof In lyke manner is it more vnlyke my simple witte to comprehende absolutly the aboundante eloquence and learning whiche floweth most aboundantly out of godly Latimers mouth Notwithstanding yet had I rather with shamefastnes declare charitably this parte of his godly documents and counsell then with slouthfulnes forget or kepe close folishly that thing which may profete many who is that will not be glad to heare and beleue the doctrine of godly Latymer whom God hathe appoynted a prophet vnto our most noble Kynge and vnto our Realme of England to declare the message of the lyuing god to 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 oute all sinnes and vice to plant and graffe in mens hartes the plenteousnes of all spirituall blessynges in Iesus Chryste oure Lorde Moyses Ieremias Helias did neuer declare the true message of God vnto theyr rulers and people with a more sincere spirite faythfull minde aud godly zeale then godly Latimer dothe now in our dayes vnto our moste noble Kynge and 〈◊〉 the whole realme Furthermore also Iosia receyued neuer the boke of Gods will at the handes of Helkia the hye priest or the admonicion of Hulda that prophetesse with a more perfect and godly feare then oure most noble Kynge doth most faithfully geue credite vnto the wordes of good fa ther Latimer And I haue no doubt but all godly men will lykewise receyue gladly his godly Sermons and geue credit vnto the same Therfore this my rude laboure of another mans swete most vertuous ladye I offer most humbly vnto your grace moued there vnto of godly zeale thorough the godly fame that is disperst vniuersally of youre most Godly disposicion and vnfained loue towardes the lyuyng almightye eternall God and his holy worde practysed dayly bothe in your graces most vertuous behauour and also godly charitie towards the edificatiō of euery mēbre graffed in Chryst Iesu most humbly desyring your grace to accept fauourably thys my temerous enterpryse And I your most humble and faythfull Oratour shall praye vnto Iehouah the God whiche is of hymself by whom and in whom all thynges lyue moue and be that that good work which he hath begonne in you he may perform it vnto your last endyng through our Lord Iesu Chiste who preserue and kepe your grace now euer So be it The argument of the fyrst Sermon IN this first Sermon is declared taught the godly
an odious thinge I comming riding in my waye and calling to remembraunce wherefore I was sent that I must preache and preach before the Kinges Maiesty I thought it mete to frame my preaching according to a King Musyng of thys I remembred my selfe of a booke that came from Cardinall 〈◊〉 Maister Poole the Kinges traytor which he sent to the Kinges Maiesty I neuer remember that man me think but I remember him wyth a heauy hart a wytty man a learned man a man of a noble house so in fauour that if he had taryed in the Reame and would haue 〈◊〉 hym selfe to the Kynges proceedinges I heard saye and I beleue it verely that he had bene Byshop of 〈◊〉 at this day To be a bidden by he would haue done much good in that part of the Realme For those quarters haue all wayes had great nede of a learned man and a preaching prelat A thing to be muche lamented that suche a man shoulde take suche a way I heare say he readeth much Saynt Ieromes workes is wel sene in them But I would he would folow saynte 〈◊〉 where he expoundeth this place of scripture Exite de illa popule meus Almighty God sayth Get you from it get you from Rome he cals it the purple whoore of Babilon It had bene more commendable to go from it then to come to it What hys sayinges be in hys boke I donot wel remember it is in the farthest end of my memory He declareth hym self in it to haue a corrupt iudgment I haue but a glymmering of it yet in gencrally I remember the scope of it He 〈◊〉 about to disswade the king frō his supremicy In hys perswasions he is very homely very quicke sharpe with the King as these Cardinals wyl take wel vpon them He sayth that a King is an odious word touched the place how God was offended with the Israelites for calling for a Kyng Uerye lyghtly he semeth to set forth the title of a king As though he should mean what is a King What should a King take vpon hym to redresse matters of religion It pertayncth to our holy father of Rome A King is a name and a tytle rather suffered of God as an euyl thyng thē alowed as a good thing Calling this to remembraūce it was an occasion that I spake altogether before Now I wyl answer to thys For the answcr I must somewhat ryppe the eyghte chapter of the fyrst booke of the Kinges And that I may haue grace c. TO com to the opening of this matter I must begyn at that chapter That the vnlerned although I am sure here be a great many wel learned may the better com to the vnderstanding of the matter Factum est cum senuisset Samuel fecit filios suos iudices populo c. It cam to passe when Samuell was strycken in age he made his sonnes Judges ouer Israel Of Samuel I myghte fetche a processe a far of of the storye of Elcana who was hys Father and who was hys Mother Elcana hys Father had two wyues Anna and Phenenna and dyd not put them away as men do now a dayes There was debate betwene these two wyues Phenenna in that doing of sacrifice embrayded Anna by cause she was barren and not fruitful I myght take here occasion to entreat of the duty betwene manne and wyfe which is a holy relygyon but not religiously kepte But I wyll not cnter into that matter at thys tyme. Well in processe of tyme God made 〈◊〉 fruitful thorow her deuout prayer She brought foorth Samuel who by the ordinaunce of God was made the hygh priest Father Samuel a good man a singular example and singular patcon a man alone fewe such men as father Samuel was To be shorte he was now come to age he was an old man an impotent man not able to go from place to place to minister iustice 〈◊〉 elected and chose two suffragans two coadiutours two cohelpers I mean not hallowers of belles nor Christiners of belles that is a popish 〈◊〉 he made them to healp hym to discharge his office he chose hys two sonnes rather thē other because he knew them to be wel brought vp in vertu learning It was not for any carnall affection he cared not for 〈◊〉 renowne or reuenewes but he appoynted thē for the case of the people the one for to supply hys place in Bethsabe and the other in Bethlem As 〈◊〉 haue now in England for the wealth of the Realme two Lordes presidentes Surely it is weldone and a goodly order I would there were a third in an other place For the ease of hys people good Father Samuell and to discharge hys offyce in places where he could not come hym selfe he set hys two sonnes in office with him as his suffragaynes and as hys Coadiutours Here I might take occasion to treate what olde and impotent Byshoppes should do what old preachers should do when they come to impotency to ioyne with them preachers preachers not Belhalowers and to depart parte of theyr lyuing wyth them I myght haue dilated this matter at large But I am honestely preuented of thys commune place I am very glad of it It was very well handeled the last Sonday They that wyl not for the office sake receyue other regard more the flese then the flock Father Samuel regarded not hys reuenewes Our Lord gyue thē grace to be affected as he was and to folow hym c. Though I saye that I would wysh mo Lord presidentes I meane not that I would haue prelates Lords presidentes nor that Lord Bishops should be Lord presydentes As touching that I sayd my 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 the last yeare And although it is sayd 〈◊〉 it is not ment that they should be Lord presidentes the 〈◊〉 of a presidentship is a 〈◊〉 office it canne not be that one man shall discharge both wel It foloweth in the text Non 〈◊〉 filii eius in 〈◊〉 eius c. Hys sons walked not in his waies heare is the mater here ye se the goodnes of Samuel how whē he was not able to take the paynes hym selfe for theyr owne ease he appoynted them Iudges nere vnto them as it were in the further partes of his Realme to haue Iustice ryghtly ministered But what folowed Though Samuel wer good his children wel brought vp looke what the world can do Ah crafty world Whom shal not this worlde corrupt and deceaue at one tyme or other Samuel thought hys sons should haue 〈◊〉 wel but yet Samuels sonnes walked not in theyr Fathers waye Why what then Is the sonne alwayes bound to walke in the fathers way No ye must not take it for a generall rule Al sonnes are not to be blamed for not walking in theyr Fathers wayes Ezechias dyd not folow the steppes of hys Father Ahaz and was wel alowed in it Iosias the best
sealing tyll all theyr mony were spent as they haue times to seale in so our Sauiour Christ had his time of sealyng When he was 〈◊〉 in earth with his Apostles and in the tyme of the primitine churche Christes doctryne was sufficiently sealed already with seales of his own makyng what should our seales do What nede we to seale his seale it is a confirmed doctrine alredy O Luther when he came into the world first and disputed against the decretales the Clementines Alexandrines Extrauagantines what a 〈◊〉 had he But ye will saye peraduenture he was deceyued in some thynges I wyl not take vpon me to defend him in all points I wil not stand to it that al that he wrote was true I thinke he wold not so himself For there is no man but he may erre He came to further further knowledge but surelye he was a goodly instrument wel I say when he preched 〈◊〉 they called vpon him to do miracles they wer wrought before so we nede to do no myracles In dede whē the popish prelates preached first they had nede of miracles the deuil wrought some in that preaching of purgatory But what kind of miracles these were all England doth know but it wil not know A wonderful thing that the people wyll continue in their blindnes and ignorance stil. We haue greate vtilitie of the miracles of our sauiour Iesus Christ. He doth signify vnto vs by this wonderful worke that he is Lord as wel of the water as of the lād A good comfort for those that be on the water when they be in any tempest or daunger to call vpon him The fish here came at his commaundement Here we may learne that all thynges in the water are subiecte to Christ. Peter said Syr we haue laboured all night and haue not caught one finne how be it at your worde we wyll to it a freshe By this it appeareth that the gaine the lucre the reuenues that we get must not be imputed to our labour we may not say gramercy labour it is not our labor it is our sauiour Christ that sendeth vs lyuing yet must we labour for he that said to Peter labour and he that bad the fishers labour biddes all menne to labour in their busines There be some people that ascribe their gaines their encrease gotten by any faculty to the deuil Is there any trowe ye in England would say so Now if any man should come to another and so gat hys lyuing by the diuell he would fall out with him There is not a man in England that so safeth yet 〈◊〉 there some that thinke it For all that get it with false bying sellyng with circumuention with vsury impostures mixte wares false wayghtes deceyuing their lordes and mai sters all those that get their good on this fashion what doe they thinke but that the deuill sendes them gaines riches For they bee his beyug vnlawfully gotten what is this to say but that the diuell is authour of their 〈◊〉 when thei be so gotten For god inhibites them Deus non volens iniquiratem tues God wyll no iniquitie These folke are greatly deceiued There be some agayn impute all to their labors and workes 〈◊〉 on the holy day they cannot finde in their heartes to come to the Temple to the blessed communion they must be workyng at home These are wide again on the other side And som there be that thinke if they worke nothing at al they shal haue inough they wil haue no good exercise but gape and thinke that god wil send meate into their mou thes and these are far wide they must worke he had the fyshers worke Our sauiour Christ 〈◊〉 Peter work he that said so to them sayes the same to vs euery man in his arte Benedictio dei facit diuite n. The blessyng of god maketh a man ryche He lettes his sonne shyne vppon the wycked aswell as vpō the good he sendes riches both to good and bad But this blessyng turnes to them into a malediction and a curse it encreaseth their damnation Saint Paule writyng to the Thessalonians dyd put an order howe euery manne should worke in his 〈◊〉 Cum essemus apud vos hoc praecipiebamus 〈◊〉 vt si quis nollet operari is nec edat When I was among you saith he I made this ordinance that whosoeuer would not do the worlt of his vocation 〈◊〉 haue no meat It were a good ordinance in a common weale that euery man should be set on worke euery man in his vocation Let him haue no meate Now he saith furthermore Audiuimus quosdam inter vos 〈◊〉 inordinate nihil o. peris facientes I here saye there is some amongest you that 〈◊〉 inordinately What is that word inordinately 〈◊〉 geuyng thēselues to no occupation for their 〈◊〉 Curiose 〈◊〉 Curious men geuē to curiositie to searching what other men do Saint Paule saieth he heard say he could not tel whether it were so or no. But he toke occasien of hearing saye to sette out a good and wholsom doctrine His autē qui sunt eiusmodi precipimus obsecramus We 〈◊〉 and desire you for the 〈◊〉 of god if there be any suche that they will do the workes of their vocation and go quietly to their occupation and so eate their owne bread els it is not their owne it is other mens meate Our sauiour Christ before he began his preachyng lyued of his occupacion he was a carpenter and gat his lyuing with greate labour Therfore let no man disdain or think 〈◊〉 to folow him in a meane liuing a meane vocation or a common callyng and occupation For as he blessed oure nature with taking vpon him the shape of man so in his doyng he blessed all occupations and artes This is a notable example to signify that he 〈◊〉 al ydlenes When he was a Carpenter thenhe wente and did the worke of his calling and when he was a preacher he did the workes of that callyng He was no vnpreaching prelate The bishop of Rome shold haue learned that at him And these gainers with false arts what be they They are neuer content with that they haue though it bee neuer so much And they that are true 〈◊〉 are satissied with that that god sendes though it be neuer so litle Quest magnus pietas cum 〈◊〉 sua sorte contento Godlines is great gain it is lucre inough it is vātage inough to be cōtēt with that that god sends The faithful can not lack that vnfaithful is euer lacking though he haue neuer so muche I wyll now make an end Labores manuū tuarū Let vs al laboure Christ teacheth vs to labor yea the bishop of Rome himself he teacheth him to labor rather thē to be 〈◊〉 of that church Let vs put our trust in god Labores manuū tuarū Cast thy 〈◊〉 vpō that lord he wil norish thee 〈◊〉 thee Again that
had hard no voyce hys father was domme He resortes to his frends seking some comfort at their hands seing he had none at hys fathers hād he comes to his disciples and finds them a slepe he 〈◊〉 vnto Peter and sayd Ah Peter art thou a slepe Peter be fore had bragged stoutly as though he wold haue killed God haue mercy vpon his soule And now when he shuld haue comforted Christ he was a slepe not once buffe nor baffe to hi not a word he was fain to say to his disciples Vigilate et orate Watch and pray the spirite is readye but the flesh is weake he had neuer a word of them agayne They might at the least haue said Oh sir remember your self are you not Christ came not you into thys world to redeme sin be a good chear be a good cōfort thys soro we wil not help you cōfort your self by your own preaching you haue said Oportet filium hominis pati You haue not deserued any thing it is not your faulte In dede if they had don this with him they had plaide a frendlye parte wyth him but they gaue him not so muche as one comfortable word We run to our frends in our distresses agonies as though we had al our trust confidence in them he did not so he resorted to them but trusted not in thē we will run to our frends come no more to God he returned againe What shal we not resort to our frends in time of neade trow ye we shal not finde thē a slepe Yes I warrant you when we nead their help most we shall not haue it But what shal we do when we shal finde lack in them we will cry out vpon them vpbraid them chide braul fume chafe backbite them But Christ did not so he excused his frēds saying Vigilate orate spiritus quidem promptus est caro autē infirma Oh quoth he watch and pray I se wel the spirit is redy but the flesh is weak What meaneth this surely it is a cōfortable place For as longe as we liue in this worlde when we be at the best we haue no more but Promptitudinē spiritus cū infirmitate carnis The readinesse of the spiryte with thinfirmity of the flesh The very saintes of god said Velle adest mihi my will is good but I am not able to perform it I haue ben with some and sain they would faine they would there was redinesse of spirit but it would not be It greued thē that they could not take thinges as they shuld do The flesh resysteth the work of the holy ghoste in our harts and lets it lets it We haue to pray euer to god Oh prayer prayer that it might be vsed in this realm 〈◊〉 it ought to be of al men specially of magistrates of coun sailers of great rulers to pray to pray that it wold plese God to put godly policies in their harts Cal for assistans I haue hard say when that good Quene that is gone had ordeined in her house daily prayer bothe before none after none the Admirall gettes him oute of the waye 〈◊〉 a moule digging in th earth He shal be Lottes wyfe to me as long as I liue He was I hard say a couetous man a couetous man in deede I woulde there were no moe in Englande He was I hearde saye an ambitious man I woulde ther wer no mo in Englād He was I hard say a seditious 〈◊〉 a contemner of common prayer I wold there were no mo in England wel he is gon I wold 〈◊〉 had left 〈◊〉 behinde him 〈◊〉 you my lordes that you pray in your houses to the better mortificatiō of your flesh Remēber god must be honored I wil you to pray that god will continue his spirite in you I do not put you in cōfort that if ye haue once the spirite ye cannot lose it Ther be new spirits start vp nowe of late that say after we haue receiued the spirite we cannot synne I wyl make but one argument Saint Paul had brought that 〈◊〉 to the profession of the faith left them in that 〈◊〉 they had receiued the spirite once but they synned again as he testified of them him self He sayeth Currebatis bene Ve were once in a ryght state and again recepistis spiritū ex operibus legis an ex iusticia fidei Once they had the spirit by faith but fals prophets came when he was gone frō them they plucked them clean away from al that Paule had planted them in and then said Paul vnto thē O stulti Galathe quis vos fascinauit If this be true we maye lose the spirit that we haue once possessed It is a fod thing I wil not tary in it But nowe to the passyon again 〈◊〉 had bene wyth hys father felt no help he had bene wyth hys frendes and had no comfort he had prayed twise and was not hard what did he now did he geue prayer ouer no he goeth againe to his father and sayeth the same againe father if it be possible awaye with this cup here is an exāple for vs although we be not hard at the firste tyme shall we geue ouer our prayer nay we must to it againe we muste be instant in prayer He prayd thrise and was not harde let vs pray three score times 〈◊〉 are 〈◊〉 dull nowe a dayes in prayer to come to sermons to resort to common prayer You houskepers especially great mē geue exāple of prayer in your houses Well did his father looke vpon him this second time no he wente to his frendes agayne thinking to finde some comfort there but he findes them a slepe again more deper a slepe then euer they wer Theyr eyes wer heauy with slepe There was no cōfort at al they wist not what to say to him A wonderful thinge howe he was toste from poste to piller one while to his father and was destitute at his hand another while to his frends and found no comfort at them his father gaue him loking on and suffred him to bite vpon the bridle a while Almighty God beheld this battail that he might enioy that honor and glory that in his name all knees should bow Celestium Terrestrium et infernorum in heauen earth hell Thys that the father wold not hear his own sonne was an other punishment due to our sinne When we crye vnto him he wil not hear vs. The prophet Ieremye sayeth Clamabunt ad me ego non exaudiam eos These beIeremies words here he threatneth to punishe sinne with not hearing their prayers the prophet sayth They haue not had the feare of God before their eyes nor haue not regarded discipline and correction I neuer saw surelye so litle discipline as is now a dais Men wil be masters they will be masters no disciples Alas where is this discipline now in Englande The people regarde no
Discipline they be wythout al order Where they should geue place they wil not stur one inch yea where magistrates shuld determine matters they wil breake into the place before they come and at theyr comming not moue a whit for them Is this discipline Is thys good order If a man say any thing vnto them they regard it not They that be caled to answer wil not answer directly but skoffe the matter oute Men the more they know the worse they be it is truely sayde sciencia inflat knowledge maketh vs proud and causeth vs to forget all and set a way disciplin Surely in Poperye they had a reuerence but now we haue none at al Ineuer saw the like This same lack of the feare of God and dyscipline in vs was one of the causes that the father wold not hear his sonne This pain suffred our sauior Christ for vs who neuer deserued it 〈◊〉 what it was that he suffred in thys garden till Iudas came The dolors the terrors the sorrowes that he suffered be vnspeakable He suffred part ly to make amends for our sinnes partly to geue vs exā ple what we should doo in like case What comes of thys gear in th end Wel now he prayeth again he resorteth to his father again Angore correptus prolixius orabat He was in sorer pains in more anguish thē euer he was therfore he prayeth lōger more ardētly more feruētly more vehemētly thē euer he did before Oh lord what a wōderful thinge is this this horror of death is worse thē death it self more He prayeth now the third time He did it so instantlye so feruently that it brought out a bloudy sweat such plēty that it dropped down euen to the groūd There issued out of his precious body drops of blud What a paine was he in when these bloudy drops fel so aboundantlye frō hym Yet for al that how vnthankful do we shewe oure selues toward him that died only for our sakes for the remedy of our sinnes Oh what blasphemy do we commit day by day what litle regard haue we to his blessed passion thus to swear by gods bloud by Christes passion We haue no thing in our pastime but gods bloud gods woundes We continually blaspheme his passyon in hauking hunting dising carding Who wold think he shuld haue such ennemies amōg those that professe his name What became of his bloud that fel down trow 〈◊〉 was that bloud of Hales of it wo worth it What a do was it to bring this oute of the kinges hed This great abhomination of the bloud of hales could not be taken a great while out of hys minde You that be of the court especially ye sworn chaplains beware of a lesson that a great man taught me at my first cōming to the court he told me for good will he thoughte it wel 〈◊〉 sayd vnto me You must beware how so euer ye do that ye cōtrary not the king let him haue his saiyngs folow him go with him Mary out vpon this counsel shal I say as he sayes Say your cōscience or els what a worm shal ye fele gnawinge what a remorse of conscience shall ye haue when ye remēbre how ye haue slacked your duety It is a good wise verse Gutta cauat lapidem non vi sed sepe cadendo The drop of raine maketh a hole in the stone not by violence but by oft falling Likewise a prince must be turned not violently but he must be won by a litle and a litle He must haue his duty told him but it must be don with humblenesse with request of pardon or els it wer a daungerous thing Unpreachinge prelates haue bene the cause that the bloud of Hales did so long blinde the king Wo worth that such an abhominable thing shoulde be in a Christen realme but thankes be to God it was partlye redressed in the kinges dayes that dead is aud much more now God graunt good wil and power to goo forward if ther be any such abhomination behind that it may vtterly be roted vp O how happy are we that it hath plesed almigh ty God to vouchsafe that his sonne shuld sweat bloud for the redeming of our synnes and again how vnhappy are we if we wil not take it thankfully that was redemed so painfully Alas what hard hartes haue we Our sauioure Christ neuer synned and yet sweat he blud for our sinnes we will not once water our eyes wyth a few tears What an horrible thing is sinne that no other thinge would remedy and pay the raunsome for it but only the bloude of our sauiour Christ. There was nothing to pacifye the fathers wrath against man but such an agony as he suffred al the passion of al the martyrs that euer were all the sacrifices of Patriarkes that euer were al the good workes that euer were done were not able to remedy oure synne to make satisfaction for our sinnes nor any thing besides but this extreme passion and bloud sheddinge of our most merciful sauiour Christ. But to draw toward an end what became of this thre fold prayer at the length it pleased God to hear his sōnes prayer and sent him an angell to corroborate to strengthen to comfort him Christ nead no angels help if he had listed to case him self with his deitye He was the sonne of God what then for so much as he was man he receyued comfort at the aungels hand as it accordes to our infirmity His obedience his continuance and sufferinge so pleased the father of heauen that for his sonnes sake be he neuer so great a sinner leauing his sinne and repentinge for the same he wil owe him such fauoure as thoughe he had neuer committed any sinne The father of heauen wil not suffer him to be tempted wyth this great horror of death and hel to the vttermost and aboue that he is able to bear Loke for it my frendes by him and through him he shal be able to ouercome it let vs do as oure sauioure Christ did and we shal haue helpe from aboue we shal haue angels help if we truste in hym heauen and earth shall geue vp rather then we shall lacke helpe he sayeth he is Adiutor in necessitatibus an healper in tyme of nead When the angell had comforted him and when this horror of death was gon he was so strong that he offred hym self to Iudas and sayd I am he To make an end I praye you take paynes it is a daye of penaunce as we vse to say geue me leue to make you wery this day The Iewes had him to 〈◊〉 and Annas and there they whipte him bet him they set a crowne of sharpe thorne vpon hys head and nailed him to a tree yet all this was not so bitter as thys horror of death and this agony that he suffred in the garden in suche a degree as is
incarnate he had notdied he was beneficiall to vs with althinges he did Christen people should haue his suffering for them in remembraunce Let your gardaynes monish you your pleasaunt gardains what Christ suffred for you in the Gardaine and what com moditie you haue by his sufferyng It is his will ye should so doo he would be had in remembraunce 〈◊〉 youre pleasures with the remembraunce of his bitter passion The whole passion is satisfaction for oure sinnes and not the bare death considering it so nakedly by it selfe The 〈◊〉 of speaking of scripture is to be considered It attributeth oure saluation nowe to one thinge nowe to a nother that Christ did where in dede it pertayned to all Oure Sauiour Christ hath left behind him a remembraunce of his pas ssion the blessed communion the celebration of the Lordes supper a lack it hath ben long abused as the sacrifices wer before in the olde law The Patriarks vsed sacrifice in the fayth of the seade of the woman whiche should breake the serpents head The Patriarks sacrificed on hope and after warde the worke was estemed There comes other after and they consider not the faythe of Abraham and the patriarkes but doo their sacrifice according to their owne imagi nacion euen so came it to pas with our blessed communiō In the primatiue church in places when their friendes were dead they vsed to come together to the holy communion What to remedye them that were dead No no. A strawe it was not instituted for no such purpose But then they would call to remembraunce goddes goodnes and his passion that he suffered for vs wherein they cōforted much their faith Other came afterwarde and settes vp all these kindes of massyng all these kindes of iniquitie What an abhomination is 〈◊〉 the foulest that euer was to atribute to mans work our saluatiō God be thanked that we haue this blessed communion set forth so now that we maye comfort encrease and fortify our fayth at that blessed celebration If he be giltie of the bodye of Christe that takes it vnworthely he fetcheth great comforte at it that eates it worthely He doth eate it wortely that doth eate it in fayth In fayth in what fayth not long a go agreat mā said in an audience They babble much of faythe I will go lye with my whore all night and haue as good a fayth as the best of them all I thinke he neuer knew other but the whoremongers fayth It is no suche fayth that will serue It is no 〈◊〉 Iudges or iustices faythe no rentraisers fayth no whoremongers fayth no leas mongers fayth nor no seller of benefices fayeth but the fayth 〈◊〉 the passion of oure Sauiour Christe We must beleue that our Sauiour Christ hath taken vs againe to his fauour that 〈◊〉 hath delyuered vs his owne body and bloud to plead with the deuil and by merite of his owne passion of his owne mere liberalitie This is the faythe I tell you that we must come to the communion with and not the whore mongers faith Loke where remission of sin is there is ackowleding of sin also Fayth is a noble dutches she hath euer her gentlemā vsher going before her the confessing of sinnes she hathe a trayne after her the frutes of good workes the walkyng in the commaundementes of God He that beleueth wyll not be idle he will walke he will doo his busines haue euer the gentelman vssher with you So if ye will trye fayth remember this rule consider whether the trayne be wayting vpon 〈◊〉 If you haue another fayth thē this a whore mongers fayth you are lyke to go to the Scalding house and there you shal haue two dishes weping and gnashing of teeth much good doo it you you see your fare If ye wyll beleue and acknowledge your sinnes you shal come to the blessed communion of the bitter passion of Christ worthely and so attayne to euerlasting life to the whiche the father of heauen brynge you and me Amen ¶ The ende of the seuen Sermons that M. Latimer Preached before King 〈◊〉 ¶ A Sermon of Master Latimer preached at Stamforde the. ix day of October Anno. M. CCCCCL Reddite ergo quae sunt Caesaris Caesari et quaesunt dei deo Geue that that is Cesars to Cesar and that that is Gods to God THys doctrine is greuous heuy and irkesom to couetous hartes rebellious and seditious heartes Geue geue they cā not awaye with it it cannot sticke in their mindes nor settle in their stomakes they would rather be taking scraping and catching then geuing But godly persons will well accept and take it for it is to them a greate pleasure Joye and comforte For the better vnderstanding of this place ye shall vnderstande Christe came to bring vs out of bondage and to set vs at libertye not from ciuill burthen as from obaying the magistrates from payng taxe and tribute but from a greater burthen and a more greuouser burthen the burthen of sin the burthen not of the body but of the soule to make vs free from it and to redeme vs from the curse and malediction of the lawe vnto the honourable state of the children of God But as for the ciuill burthens he delyuered vs not from them but rather commaunded vs to pay them geue geue sayth he to Cesar obedience tribute and all thinges dewe to Cesar. For the vnderstanding of this text it shall bee nedefull to consider the circumstance going before whiche thing dewly considered geueth a great lighte to all places of the scripture who spake these wordes to whom they were spoken vpon what occasyon and afore whom Therfore I will take the whole fragemente and shred taken out of goddes 〈◊〉 for the gospell of this day wrytten in the gospell of Mathew the. xxii 〈◊〉 Tunc abierunt Pharisoei Then went the Pharisies and toke a counsel Luke hath Obseruantes marking spying looking tooting watching like suttel crafty sleightie felowes they toke a councel sent to him their disciples which shoulde fain thē selues iust mē godly men glad to learne his doctrine And with them Herodes seruaunts to trap him in his words they sayd to him M. we know that thou arte a true man teachest the way of god in veritate truly carest for no mā For thou regardest not the personage of man Tel vs ther fore what thinkest thou Is it lawefull to geue Cesar tribute mony or no This was their question that they wold haue 〈◊〉 him with In 〈◊〉 to this they would haue caught him by the fote But Iesus cognita malitia 〈◊〉 knowing their malice their wickednes their 〈◊〉 nes he sayd to them hipocrits why do ye tempt me Shew me a piece of the tribute mony And they brought him a peny And he sayd to them whose image is this and the writing They aunswered Cesars He sayd to 〈◊〉 Geue to 〈◊〉 that that belongeth to Cesar and to god that that
mile VVhit mourning it is that maketh blessed VVe must go frome sorovve to ioy and not from one 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to an other The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The third mile or dais iourney 〈◊〉 maner of 〈◊〉 the one lauful and the other 〈◊〉 VVe must goo to god 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A 〈◊〉 man may go to the law but how The 〈◊〉 ple of 〈◊〉 seph to be folowed of vs. The 〈◊〉 mile or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 haue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sell. This sense 〈◊〉 to 〈◊〉 and i ther fore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 gred 〈◊〉 righteous 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bisshop 〈◊〉 thir 〈◊〉 after 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dauid hū 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nes The 〈◊〉 mile or dais iour ney 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 must be merciful Magistrats may not 〈◊〉 mercy in iudge ment Alesson for iustices The sixt mile ordais iourney Faithe puri 〈◊〉 the heart God is sene here by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this 〈◊〉 face to face The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The history of 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Reg. 22 Doeg was a peace-breaker A 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A 〈◊〉 for al 〈◊〉 Peace in po 〈◊〉 not the right peace Be not de 〈◊〉 by the faire 〈◊〉 of peace VVe may not lose truth for peace The eight 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 iourney A questmōger may be happy An itineral vvherin the way to hea uen is set forth plain 〈◊〉 Christ hath merited for vs. Paule 〈◊〉 keth 〈◊〉 of goddes people Iob. 7. VVe may not looke for ioye here and hense to A similitude The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 VVe must not trust in our 〈◊〉 strength The 〈◊〉 of Aiax 〈◊〉 strēgth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 must 〈◊〉 no 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 our The cause vvhy 〈◊〉 Paul 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vs to be 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 Iob. 41. It must be gods armour that we muste put on VVe may not take such weapons as the deuill vvill appoint vs. 1. Peter 5. The deuill 〈◊〉 matters Gene. 3. The 〈◊〉 hath had 〈◊〉 Diuelles vvere Angels Note what the deuils nature is Diuels re 〈◊〉 whē they do 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 men and 〈◊〉 must fight Math. 〈◊〉 The deuils pow 〈◊〉 is 〈◊〉 ed. The diuil les haue not their full 〈◊〉 tes before the last day VVe nede not to feare the diuels VVhat it is to haue Christ vvith vs. Math 28 Anabapti stes mis. take this place The priuate 〈◊〉 is 〈◊〉 The lord 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cases 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The sub 〈◊〉 may not rebel Iere 48 VVho so refuseth to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 some case is a 〈◊〉 of god The diuel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Psalm 〈◊〉 The deuill loseth no time To vvhat end saint Paule geueth such names to the diuell The weapons that the deuill vs vse haue vs vse The sutteltie of the deuill A good me 〈◊〉 for a sicke man The rin ging of ho 〈◊〉 belles The deuill taught vs 〈◊〉 ho ly belles VVe desire 〈◊〉 more then the vvorde of god An history It vvas pi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 La 〈◊〉 had gone so lōg to sehole The partes of armour and 〈◊〉 Iob vvas 〈◊〉 armed Vvith lying 〈◊〉 deuil deceiued man The deuil is father 〈◊〉 lyers Many sore sentences 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 4. All estates are full of lyeng Note this 〈◊〉 ye 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 make children leaue lying 〈◊〉 master 〈◊〉 man God 〈◊〉 not our lyes God requireth all to be 〈◊〉 in the 〈◊〉 con uersations Math. 5. vvhy Christ saide yea yea nay nay A prouerb to true 〈◊〉 al liers 〈◊〉 this storie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as a car nal 〈◊〉 VVould to god this 〈◊〉 not prouedtrue in a great number of vs. Kepe some vvhat for a fonle day A 〈◊〉 example for lyers to 〈◊〉 hede 〈◊〉 The cause why 〈◊〉 nis 〈◊〉 not lyars 〈◊〉 as he did in Anadias A gesting lye maked v to for sake god A great 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 keth that nothing is so euill pēt as that the person or curate 〈◊〉 VVe may not requit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vvrong Iustice bi deth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 es to d. their dutie one to an other The thirde arm ouris 〈◊〉 shoes that is a 〈◊〉 dines to heare the vvorde of god The buck ler of 〈◊〉 VVho they bee that haue this buckler The hel met of 〈◊〉 VVe may not lack this sword Only gods worde is our weapō against the deuil Christ ouer came the with this 〈◊〉 Say the truth and shame the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 preacher hath 〈◊〉 to strike 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sworde of gods vvord Prayer is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The mynd must pray if vve shal be heard Al 〈◊〉 are saints Saint Paul did not hūt for benefices A faint 〈◊〉 ted souldiour is not mete 〈◊〉 be a preachers All estates haue 〈◊〉 to 〈◊〉 Prayer is no 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is damnable not to pray vato God in trouble Al this god granted for his 〈◊〉 sake VVe must pray at all times Luke 18. A shorte 〈◊〉 is of great 〈◊〉 Pre 〈◊〉 may strike Emperours and 〈◊〉 Philip 3. A sermon made at Stamford The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are 〈◊〉 pointed This 〈◊〉 is 〈◊〉 to vs 〈◊〉 as to the 〈◊〉 The prince must be o beyed in things not against god This realm is ful of 〈◊〉 ues Gods mat ters 〈◊〉 not be tri fled v vithal Two thinges conside 〈◊〉 we shal be vvel coutent He that pai 〈◊〉 his due tie shal haue neuer the lesse Deut. 28 VVe shall 〈◊〉 our goods 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the king God loueth a cherefull 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 seme 〈◊〉 gant but 〈◊〉 not so It is a 〈◊〉 gerous thing to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Learne hovv long men 〈◊〉 be 〈◊〉 ed. VVe are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be sainctes apes 2 Machbeus 12. Iudas 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is 〈◊〉 to be 〈◊〉 ed. Maryvvas 〈◊〉 arrogant 〈◊〉 4. To 〈◊〉 our 〈◊〉 on is dam nable Num. 〈◊〉 That only is vvell done that god wil leth vs to do VVe must 〈◊〉 in oure 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the sain 〈◊〉 did in 〈◊〉 Apo. 2 Sathan is lose 〈◊〉 Saint Paul vvas a vve per. Vve vvepe not as S. Paul did 2. Tim. 2 VVhat sla undering is A fable of S. Bernhard and his hostes Theues sworue to be true A good wishe Vn preaching pre lates haue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 zeale All the pa pistes in 〈◊〉 are enemies to Christe 〈◊〉 mongers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 fore 〈◊〉 not be sa ued VVe must work but not trust in our workes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 deny Christ. A man vvil spare no 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his soule Apoc. 13 Christe hath 〈◊〉 ny ene mies Not the blynde guide a loue but he and his 〈◊〉 together Ezech. 3 Ezec 33. Only he that recei ueth war ning shal be salfe It is daun gerous to haue an 〈◊〉 cu rate An history of a 〈◊〉 limitor Some be wery be fore the haue lea ned A good vvish for England False doc trine com pared to a 〈◊〉 An 〈◊〉 ction or doubt An aun swere to that obie ction 〈◊〉 fyre 〈◊〉 not althat is 〈◊〉 in to it Danie 3. God suf frednot he fyre to do his nature God hath manye vvayes to saue 〈◊〉 Reg. 18 God had hys num ber in Eli as tyme. Iohn 6. 〈◊〉