princes and kinges for my sake for a witnes to them and to the Gentils And in an other place he sayeth The tyme is coÌ„minge that who soeuer kylleth you woll thynke he hath done hygh seruice to God Truly this that Christ speaketh to his Apostels he speaketh to al right christen men women For they also muste entre into the kyngdom of god by many afflictions Let vs goe then eueryone in his calling armed with the only protection of Christ. The euyll disposed personnes wol fume and chafe against the pure doctrine of Christ but with these doth Chryste couple vs vnarmed and naked He sendeth vs not to hurt any man but like simple and harmeles personnes to helpe al men He commaundeth his preachers and disciples not to seke succours of men to defende them against the violence of wicked persoÌ„s nor yet to be carefull for their lyuynge He byddeth them goe light and vncombred to the office of preaching bearing with them neither wallet nor scrippe that is nothynge that perteyneth to the necessitie of nature for al thinges shal be caste vnto them Neyther to care for theire harbroughe for there shall be euer some to receyue them into their howses only let them do their duties and shewe themselfes true preachers of his worde And into what citie or place so euer they entre he byddeth them first desire peace to the hole familie And if the child of peace be there that is to say a meke man and desirouse of the heauenly doctrine then shal their prayer do him good if not it shall returne to them agayne But here ye wil aske why Christ coÌ„maunded his disciples to salute noman in the way Ye shall vnderstand that in the fourthe boke of kynges the prophete Elizeus gaue lyke commaundement to his seruaunte Giezi sending hym on an hasty message Christe therfore meaneth by thys that he wolde not that hys preachers shuld vnder pretence of greting and interteining of their carnal freendes be by any meanes hindered from the executing of their office But what were these seuentie disciples coÌ„maunded to preache that the kingdoÌ„ of god drew nigh Why ye wil say is it inough for to know this No verily for the deuyl also knew this yet is damned What then This is necessary to be preched that we might be warned to repent so atteyne to the kingdom of Christ. Wherfore go we to let vs imbrase this gospel by feith let vs repent that when Christ shal com in Maiestie we may reigne w t him whiche with the father holy gost is to be glorifyed for euer Amen ¶ On saynt Simon and Iudes day The Gospel Ihon. xv IEsus sayd to his disciples This coÌ„mauÌ„d I you that ye loue togyther If the worlde hateth you knowe ye y t it hated me afore you If ye were of the worlde the worlde wolde loue hys owne Howbeit bycause ye be not of the worlde but I haue chosen you out of the world therfore the worlde hateth you Remembre the word that I told you The seruant is not greater then hys maister If they haue persecuted me they will also persecute you If they haue kept my sayng they wol also kepe yours But al these thinges woll they do to you for my names sake for they know not him that sent me If I had not com and spake to them they shuld haue had no synne But now haue they no clooke for their sinne He that hateth me hateth also my father If I had not done the workes among them which none other man did they shuld haue had no syn But now haue they seen also hated both me and my father But this coÌ„meth that the word might be fulfylled which is writen in theire law They hated me w tout cause The sermon vpon this Gospel OUr Sauiour Christ deare frendes giueth vs here a speciall coÌ„maundement that we shulde loue one an other First bicause he by so many ways hath declared his loue towardes vs. SecoÌ„d bicause in the worlde if we be true folowers and louers of him we shal haue none that wil hartely loue vs but rather the world woll surely hate vs. And why woll the world hate vs bicause the veritie of the gospell is brought vnto vs out of an other world into thys world by Christe and Christ as a straunger cam into this world Wherfore it is no meruayle thoughe he hath many haters and despicers For a strauÌ„ger amonges straungers can not easely fynd freendes Besydes thys whatsoeuer is in thys worlde it is nawght elles but luste of the fleshe luste of the eyen and pryde of lyfe as saynte Ihon wryteth Yea the chief renownes of this world as carnal iustice carnall wisdom carnall power be starke nawght For the Iues were rightuouse in flesh but seking to stablish their own ryghtuousnes they were not subiect to the rightuousnes of god The Grekes were estemed the wisest men of the worlde but the wisdom of this worlde was foly before god Christ by his gospel repreueth the worlde of synne vtterly reiecteth the wisdom iustice power of this worlde teaching them to be falshode and no trouthes and he setteth vp an other kynde of iustice that muste be obteyned by feythe an other kynde of wysdom to be lerned of gods worde and an other kinde of power to be gotten by trouble crosse affliction and suffraunce The worldly men therfore not abydyng their thinges to be eyther repreued or reiected do hate Christe they persecutel his gospel and stampe against his word And loke how moch the worlde hateth Christ hys gospel euen so moch they hate so many as purely and syncerely do eyther preache or set forth by any meanes the same They persecute them they kyll them And for this cause Christe armeth al his true preachers and disciples by hys owne exemple that they shrynke not when they be persecuted troubled or vexed sayng If the world hateth you knowe ye that it hated me first ere it hated you as who shulde say Let it not seme straunge that ye be hated of the world for the seruant is not in better ease than hys maister they hated me first wherfor how shuld they not but hate you also Uerely al that be the true folowers of Christe be not of the worlde first bycause Christe hath plucked them aweye by feyth from the maâ—ers of this worlde and hath clothed them wyth the newe heauenly man and secondly bycause they allowe not the thynges of the worlde but counte all worldly thinges mere folies and vanities and as Paule saith the world is crucified to them and they to the worlde The worlde therfore can not but hate them but persecute them but exclude them out of theire companyes yea and if they can put them to death And al these thynges sayth Christe shal they do vnto you for my names sake But what is thys to say for my names sake Surely sayth
entre into the kingdom of heauen Wherfore my frendes by Christes owne wordes here we may be right wel assured that onles we cease froÌ„ all malice and rancour towardes our ChristeÌ„ brothern and susters and become Christen meÌ„ not in name only but also in dede worke beyng made as it were new men and newly regenerate not fleshly but spiritually vtterly casting awey as muche as maye be al carnal and worldly affections and be traÌ„sformed into the hauour and simplicitie of yong chyldern we shall neuer be receyued in to the kyngdom of heauen Let vs huÌ„ble and abase our selues make vs like to these litle babes whom we se cleane voide of malice and of ambitioÌ„ For he that thus woll humble and lowly hym selfe shal be doubtles auauÌ„ced shal be called great in the kingdome of heauen Who so euer verily is by modestie and buksomnes the lest the same person is through vertue the greatest Trouth it is that worldly Emperours kyngê and princes do for most partes loue such as be lyke to theÌ„selfes and amoÌ„ges them such be in most price and reputation which can shyft out other and set forth themselfes Christe in semblable wyse delyteth in such persons as resemble him who what tyme he was here conuersant amonges vs in earth humbled hymselfe and became obedient vnto the death euen the death of the crosse Whan he was reuiled he reuiled not agayn he suffred to be bouÌ„de to be bobbed to be spitted at to be strikeÌ„ to be scourged finally to be crucâ—fied being himselfe without spotte of sinne to thinteÌ„t to purge vs of our synnes Wherfore for his humilitie he hath receiued auaunment and most high exaltation for his obedience he hath receiued most highe honour to haue a name aboue al names for his pacience sufferinge he hath receyued power ouer all for hys infinite charitie he hath receiued praise glorie and thaÌ„kes of al. Let vs lerne therfore of Christ to be meke humble in hart Let vs remeÌ„bre what y â— prophete Dauid sayth The lorde is nere to theÌ„ y â— be of coÌ„trite hart he wol saue such as be huÌ„ble in spirite which fear his wordes Truly good people those that be lowly meke in spirite be most highly auauÌ„ced protected tendred of almighty god He throweth down the mighty froÌ„ their prowd seates exalteth the huÌ„ble he filleth the hungry w t good thinges letteth the rych departe emptye He resisteth the prowd giueth his graces to the lowly persons Let vs then be huÌ„bled vnder the mighty hand of the lord For as saynte Iames sayth hath not god chosen the pore Certaynly the pore in spirite lowly persons be they whom God hath in his special fauour grace For like as in the great mens courtes of this worlde y â— prince or great man taketh the vyllanye or displeasure as done to himselfe when one doth a displeasure to one of hys great lordes or special seruauÌ„tes againe taketh a good turne benefite as done to himself when it is bestowed vpon them euen so the great king of kinges lord of lordes god almyghty doth so tendre loue his huÌ„ble and meke seruauntes though in the face of the world they seme as persons despised and not regarded that who so euer receyueth one of theÌ„ in Christes name he couÌ„teth the thing done to himself as though the partie had receiued Christ himself And on the other side he that offendeth any one of these simple and base persons which truste vpon the lord which depend hole vpon him shal be more greuously punished then if a mylstone were hanged about his necke he cast into the depe see For what a more shameful wicked parte can be shewed than to greue and hurt them which wil noman no hurte which enuye noman which preferre themselfes before noman whiche loue al persones indifferently Wo be to the worlde therfore for greuynge of suche ones Howbeit the malice of men is so greate that these greues must nedes be Wherfore who soeuer coueteth to come to heauen let him beware howe he hurte them yea let hym take hede he hurte not hym selfe Let no affection be so deare to vs but let it be forthwyth karued and cut awey yf it shulde hindre vs in our iourney to heauenwarde Our hande our fote our eye be necessarye membres yet rather then they shulde hindre vs Christe byddeth vs cast them awey For were it not better sayth he to go to heuen maymed or lame or wyth one eye thaÌ„ with hole meÌ„bres to be cast into hel fyer But sayng this he ment not that any membre of the body shuld be cut awey but he wolde haue the affections cut of whiche calle vs awey from the studie of eternal saluation For a frende which a maÌ„ can skant want is as it were hys one hande Thy father whom thou dost truste on is thy fote Thy wyfe or sonne whom thou tenderly louest is thyne eye And as there is nothynge so preciouse that ought to plucke vs from heauen so nomaÌ„ be he neuer so lowe pore ought to be despised but rather holpen Let vs then offend none of those litle ones namely sith there angelles which haue charge ouer theÌ„ do coÌ„tinually beholde the face of almighty god in heuen so y t by this we may know in what reputatioÌ„ they be w t god seing he hath giuen theÌ„ such kepers coÌ„ductours Let vs thaÌ„ endeuour our selfâ— to be suche lowly huÌ„ble persons as our Sauiour Christ here speaketh of y t we may haue such auÌ„gels to coÌ„ducte leade defend kepe vs in al our weyes by Christ our lord who be praised glorified AmeÌ„ â–ª ¶ On saint Lukes day the Euangeliste The Gospell Luke .x. THe Lord appoynted also other seueÌ„tye and he sent them two two before hys face in to euerie citie and place whether he hymself wolde come and he sayd vnto them Uerely the haruest is moch but the laborers are fewe Pray therfor the lorde of the haruest that he wol thurst out laborers into his haruest Go your weyes Lo I send you as lambes amonges wolues Beare ye no wallet nor scrippe nor shoes and salute noman by the wey In what house ye enter fyrst say peace be to this house And verely if the son of peace be there youre peace shall reste vppon hym â–ª if not it shall returne to you But se ye abyde in the same house eating and drinkinge suche as they haue For worthy is the laborer of his rewarde The sermon vpon this Gospell SAint Luke god people whose memory y â— church doth this day solemnize though he was none of the .xii. Aposteles of Christ nor of the couÌ„trey of the Iues but a Grecian borne at Antioche and at the beginninge of Christes preaching in Iurye not beinge with Christ as he himself witnesseth in the preface of hys Gospell yet
chosen folowed vp wyth hym but so yet that the coÌ„mon sort of people were not forbyden to folowe yf any amonges them had so great affection and grace When he was come to the toppe of the hylle he satte him down not as wery but as goyng about to teache high seriouse thynges which wolde requyre diligent hearers Hys disciples therfore perceyuyng that beganne to drawe nerer vnto hym that nothynge of hys heuenly doctrine myght fall to grownde Begynnyng then to teache hys diuine and most holsom lernyng not out of the proud pulpit of the philosophers neyther out of the arrogaÌ„t chaire of y â— pharâ—sees but out of a seate of grasse he did cast his eyen vpon his disciples and opening hys moost holy mouth vttred the Euangelical doctrine coÌ„cerning the felicitie of maÌ„ as yet vnknowne to the worlde and altogither disagreing from the opinion of all them which thought themselfes moost wyse in the worlde Thys doctrine his disciples yea and al holy men and women imbrased and so obteined the eternall blysse and beatitude here promysed vnto them Let vs therfore heare also thys doctrine foâ— to vs also he spake that we also maye be made blessed All the synnes of the lyfe do sprynge of false opinions and persuasions Aboue all thinges therfore we must studye to plucke these out by the harde â—ootes if we woll be his true people Bicause the most poysoned noysom sicknes of the mynd is pride and arrogance which is a let to man that he can not receyue the true doctrine or rather it is the fountaigne of all hed vices our Sauiour first healeth this disease sayeng Blessed be the pore in spirite for the realme of heauens is theirs Assuredly the slender liuing the lownes of byrth the obscuritye of estate the aduersitye of fortune maketh many men abiecte lowly to set no stoore by themselues And veryly these be y â— nerer to the blesse that the gospel speaketh of if they folow in mynd thither as fortune hath called them But this lownes humilitie of spirite that is here commended staÌ„deth in the affection and not in outwarde thinges Ye woll say how can these men raigne which take nothinge vpon them which giue place to al which set nought by themselues which suffre themselues to be troden vnder fote finally whom noman setteth by but al men despice I answere that it is yet true that the selfe trouthe hath spoken the kyngdom perteyneth only to them the kingdoÌ„ I say of heuen For thinke ye y â— these wilde fyerse cruel personnes do raigne Nay they serue a seruitude they be very villaines bondmen they suffre many lordes tyrantes ouer them They be tormented crucifyed with couetise with ire with enuye wyth lust of vengeaunce wyth feare with hope They skant liue they raigne not But the holy person the saynt the godly deuoute man or woman steyng himself vpon his innocencie vpon god vpon the rewardâ— of the world to com is free voyd of all these cares troubles for wyth a quyet hart he despiseth the thinges of this world and foloweth the heueÌ„ly goodes Doth not I praye you this man obteyne a reigne or a kyngdom farre more goodly and more excellente then is the reygne of tyrantes He is not vnder the coÌ„maundemeÌ„t and rule of the lust nor of couetise neither of none of the other moost noysom pestilencies of the mynde But this holy person being armed with feith as ofteÌ„ as the case requireth doth lay his coÌ„maundement vpoÌ„ diseases and they flee awey he coÌ„mauÌ„deth the sees and they be styll he coÌ„maundeth deuilles and they departe Of thys force and power is the kyngdome of that harte whiche is godly and setteth nought by it selfe distrusting al humane helpes and socours depending holly of God The wordly kyngdom is gotteÌ„ by violence defended by hygh courage But this kingdom is gotten by modestie stablished by humilitie The world iugeth none mete to a lorship or raigne but such as be of hault and high courage But god calleth those chiefly to his kingdom which do moost of al huÌ„ble and deiecte themselfes Iesus goeth forth and addeth a nother lessoÌ„ lyke to thys sayng Blessed be the meke for they shall inherite the earth Who be meke whiche inforce noman which beyng wronged do easely pardon the wrong whiche had rather loose a thynge then stryue for it which set more by coÌ„corde quietnes of mynd then great large possessioÌ„s whiche chouse rather a quiet pouertie then troublesom riches But this sort of meÌ„ be coÌ„monly for their pacience by one or other disturbed and wyped of that they haue Uerily it is trouth but this is a new maner of enlarging possessions The vnpitiful cruell lorde possesseth no not that which he hath wheras the mylde gentle person whiche had rather departe wyth hys right then coÌ„tende for it hath land in so many places as he findeth louers of the Gospell of Christe if he findeth none in thys world yet is he sure of the possession of the heueÌ„ly land out of which he caÌ„not be excluded The worlde bewaileth them as vnhappy whiche be briueÌ„ out of their couÌ„trey coÌ„pelled to liue in straÌ„ge places but Christ calleth them happy which be banished for the Gospels sake beyng made citizens of heuen They be driuen froÌ„ the frauÌ„chise of one citie expulsed out of one countrey but to true disciples of Christ the hole worlde is their countrey to such as be godly ê‘sons heueÌ„ is their home The death of frendes is miserable to the coÌ„mon sorte of people in so moch that some when they haue been depriued of their wifes fathers mothers husbandes chyldren haue kylled theÌ„selfes And for thys cause men come vnto them to aswage the bytternes of their sorowe wyth wordes of comfort But blessed be they which mourne for the loue of the Gospell whiche be also plucked awey from their affections whiche se their moost dearly beloued troubled for the iustice of the gospel which despising the pleasures of this world passe their life in weping watching fasting giuing almoise prayng visiting the poore in such like occupations For with such woll that heauenly spirite ve present secretly coÌ„fortyng rewardyng the short mournyng with in estimable ioye of mynde translatinge theÌ„ to euerlasting blesse Mans couÌ„fortyng ofteÌ„tymes increaseth the grefe while it laboureth to swage it But the holy ghost the true coÌ„forter so chereth the godly mynd that in moost bytter afflictioÌ„s of the bodie it reioyseth By the common opinion of al men hungre is a peynful thing and nedy pouertie is the thyng that euery man eschueth neyther is there any man but couÌ„teth them happy which haue augmented their liuyng so established their thynges as they may now liue in hygh welth and abundaunce But assuredly it is not the heapynge vp of goodes which satisfyeth the mynde nor the welth of
vnto him If it be thus as thou sayst that god wold haue wedlocke so inuiolabely kept why then dyd Moises make it lawfull to the husbande for any maner cause to put from him his wife so that he giue her a libel of diuorcement as who shuld say how durst Moses be so bold to licence that thing which god wold not haue done To this obiection our sauiour aunswered Moses dyd not permitte ne licence this thing vnto you bicause the thing of the owne nature was honest and rightfulle but forasmoch as he knew the stubbornenes hardnes of your hartes therfore he graunted vnto you the lesser lyghter inconuenience that ye shuld not committe the greuouser offence For assuredly Moses did not allow al kindê of diuorces in that he had leuer y â— the same were suffred or rather winked at then murder shuld ensue be coÌ„mitted Neither did the libel of diuorcement amoÌ„ges the croked Iues whyche Moses theire lawmaker inacted that it shuld be giuen to the womaÌ„ make the diuorce good and lawful but rather that same libel was a witnes and testimonie of the hard harte of the Iues which for euery light cause and triâ—le wold put away their wiues for this cause the law of moses gaue commaundement that such stubburne hard husbandê whyche wolde nedes for such light occasions put awey their wyues or els do worse committe further inconuenience to gyue them the sayde libelle of diuorcement for a certayne recorde witnesse that she is nowe free from his yoke and at her libertie But at the begynnyng sayth Christ to these pharisees when as yet the malice of mâ— was not growen into such an excesse nor as yet maÌ„s nature was not infected with so many vices for the hatred was not so feruent that either poysoning or murdering was feared there was no such licence of diuorces Wherfore neither now is the same licence to be suffred amonges christen men after that the doctrine of the gospell hath brought agayn the christen man to his former state and perfection of nature by regeneration or new byrth And no doubt my freendes Moses amonges the Iues wished in his hart the same perfecte loue and fast knot in wedlocke to be obserued and kept that our sauiour Christ hath tawght vs but as I haue declared the corrupt nawghty maners of the Iues whyche for euery lyght grefe were ready to coÌ„mitte murder and all mischief feared him that he durst not requyre that of them So that our sauiour Christ did not abrogate the auncient lawe of Moses but he made it more clere perfect declaring vnto the froward Iues that it was vnlawful both for them for al other and againste the minde of god and the wille of Moses their lawmaker that they shuld for euery lyght occasion put away their wiues whom they ought to loue to imbrace as their own bodies and their owne flesh For a thing that a man doth is not forthwith lawful for him to do bicause he is not punished in this worlde for the same For there be many thynges abominable and stinkyng afore the face of god which be not punished by mans lawes Hitherto haue we intreated the gospell of this day Now we woll sum what towche the officies aswell of the wife towardes her husband as of the husband towardes his wife and so make an end Ye wifes sayth saint Paule be ye subiect to your owne propre husbandes as vnto the Lorde For the man is hed of the wyfe euen as Christ is the hed of the churche and it is he whiche giueth helth to the body Wherfor like as the church is subiecte to Christe so let the wifes be subiecte to their husbandes in al thinges Likewise saint Peter in his first epistle coÌ„maundeth christen wiues to be in subiectioÌ„ to their husbandê to thintent that euen they which obey not gods worde maye without the worde be wonne by the conuersation of the wyues when they behold their chaste conuersation ioyned with reuerence Whose outward apparell he wolde not shuld be gorgeouse nor moch glysteringe to the eye but rather he wold haue them inwardly garnished in the hart being there ful of al cleÌ„nes w tout corruption in such sort as they may haue a gentle quyet spirite which spirite he sayth in gods eye is a thing most gorgeouse sumptuouse For after this maner in olde tyme sayeth this holy Apostle saynte Peter did the holy women which trusted in god attyre themselues and were obedient to their husbaÌ„dê euen as Sara obeyed Abraham her husbaÌ„d calling him lorde whose daughters al ye be as longe as ye do wel Saint Paule also sayth that the woman is the glory of the man For the â—naÌ„ cam not of the woman but the woman of the man Neyther was the man created for the womans sake but the woman for the mans sake WomeÌ„ therfore ought to imploy their diligence vpon the vertuouse bringinge vp of their children to loke wel to their housholde Yea they shal be sayth saynt Paule saued by bearing of children bringing them vp in feith loue of god in holines For this is their office thys is their fuÌ„ction calling wherin they ought to pleaee god to atteine euerlasting blesse They ought to be no taÌ„glers no disputers no teachers in coÌ„mon assembles but herers but lerners kepers of silence w t al subiection These be the officies duties of christen wiues The office of the husband as Paul saith is to loue his wife euen as Christ loued the church He is bounden to loue her as his owne body He that loueth sayth he his wife loueth himselfe For noman euer yet hated hys owne fleshe but nowrisheth and cherisâ—â—eth it euen as the lorde doth the churche He must dwel saith saint Peter w t his wife according to knowlege giuing honoure vnto her as vnto the weker vessel as vnto her which is heire also of the grace of lyfe He may not be bytter to hys wyfe but gentle courteouse and louing Yea finally he must so inâ—iâ—rly loue her y t god coÌ„maundeth him to leaue al other his affectioÌ„s yea euen his owne father and mother and cleaue to hys wyfe But let man and wife take hede that god couple them togither not the deuil Let them be coupled for procreatioÌ„ of children for auoyding of fornicatioÌ„ in al teÌ„perancie holines godly shamefastnes Let theÌ„ not ioyne either for ryches for bewtye for great aliauÌ„ce or which is more fylthy only for the lust of the body lest they be greuousâ—ly punyshed for their intemperauncie as it chauÌ„â—ed to y â— seuen husbaÌ„dê of Sara before she maried w t Thobie the yonger to innumerable other Wherfore my deare frendes let euery man and woman take hede they ioyne in holy wedlocke by gods coupling with al humble reuereÌ„ce and godly feare So doinge they