A notable sermon made within S. Paul's church in London, in the presence of certain of the kings and queens most honourable privy counsel at the celebration of the exequys of the right excellent and famous Princess, lady jone, Queen of Spain, Sicily & Navarre, etc. the xviij. of june. Anno. 1555. By master john Feckenam, Deane of the said Church of Paul's. ¶ Set forth at the request of some in authority whose request could not be denayed. ❧ EXCUSUM LONDINI IN aedibus Roberti Caly, Typographi▪ Mense Augusti. Anno. 1555. Cum privilegio. Gens absque consilio, & sine Theme. Deut. xxxij. prudentia: utinam saperent, & intelligerent, ac novissima providerent. People void of good counsel, void of wisdom, and of all foresight of things to come. utinam saperent et intelligerent: Would God they would be wise and understand, and provide for the last things. THese are the words of the prophet Moses, written in the xxxii. chapter of duty. Which I have chosen as a theme or proposition at this time to stay upon, for so much as you do so manifestly declare yourselves to be gens absque consilio, People clean void of all good consideration, knowledge or counsel what to do: & sine prudentia, & without wisdom & foresight to know how things ought to be done. That by the declaration made of the said theme, you might be brought into some more better consideration of yourselves & of your own most frail and brickle estates: and thereby to learn now at the length (after so oft callings upon, & so many virtuous and most godly instructions) these three notable and chief sessons: whereof the first is sapere, to be iij, Lessons. wise: the second is intelligere, to understand: and the third is novissima providere, to make provision for the last things. That by the first lesson & learning of wisdom, we may have sure knowledge of things past. By our second lesson of perfit understanding, we may have the right consideration of things present: thereby the more earnestly to attain the third lesson of good provision making for the things to come: when Solomon saith in the xiv. of the proverbs: acceptus est regi minister Prou. xiv. intelligens. A wise servant saith he, which by the knowledge of things past, and wise disposition of things present, shall here in his life time make good provision for things to come: acceptus est regi, is approved and accepted before God. Let us therefore at this present learn of the prophet Moses these three notable lessons, that is to say, sapere, intelligere, ac novissima providere, to be wise, to understand, and to provide for the last things, that we may be made wise servants and prudent ministers, & be accepted and approved before God our Lord and king. When by the first lesson (sapere) of wisdom, we may here in this life have intelligence of all things appertaining to God: By our second lesson (intelligere) of discrete and perfect understanding how passing and transitory, how vain and sliding these worldly things are: Whereby we shall the more easily attain the third lesson (novissima providere) of good provision making for the last things and things to come. When by the first lesson of a wise & circumspect knowledge, a man shall perceive Gods most upright & terrible judgements, which can not be deceived: By the second lesson of clear understanding. he shall enter into the remembrance of himself, of his own corruption and mortal nature, which can not be avoided: Thereby to make the better provision for the joys to come, which can not be expressed. Be you wise therefore (dearly beloved) & let us from hence forth be no longer sicut gens absque consilio & sine prudentia, as people void of good counsel, and without wisdom and knowledge: but let us now presently lift up our hearts. & prepare ourselves to learn these three so profitable lessons, sapere, intelligere, ac novissima providere, to be wise, to understand and to provide for the last things: and with so much the better wills, for that it hath pleased almighty God (Qui non Ezec, xviij. vult mortem peccatoris sed, magis ut convertatur et vivat who desireth not the death of a sinner, but rather that he should turn from his wickedness and live) like a most bountiful and most merciful father to send his prophet Moses as an ambassador to excite & admonish, and call upon us for the same with these words which I have chosen for my theme. Gens absque consilio & sine prudentia, utinam saperent & intelligerent ac novissima providerent. People void of good counsel, void of wisdom and all foresight of things to come. Would God they would be wise, & understand & provide for the last things. Hic fiunt preces. Gens absque consilio & sine prudentia Thema. i. &. two. membrum. utinam saperent, & intelligerent, ac novissima providerent. People void of good counsel void of wisdom, and of all foresight of things to come, utinam saperent & intelligerent: Would god they would be wise, and understand, and provide for the last things. First the prophet Moses first to know that this present life is sliding. God's ambassador, earnestly wisheth and desireth that we mortal creatures here living in this world; as it were in a slipper passage unto death, should be of such ripe wisdom and perfit understanding, as to know how that this present life is but transitory, and (as job saith) ꝙ quasi flos egreditur that it passeth away as it were job. xiv. a flower, fugit velut umbra, flieth as it were a shadow. & repletur multis miseriis, and is albewrapped in wretchedness, subject to all manner of vanity, defoiled with the filthiness of sin, and that it shall perish within a short time. And therefore in the scriptures the life of man is compared and resembled unto things of most vanity: As sometime to herbs or grass growing in the field, as the prophet David saith. Homo sicut Psalm. cii. foenum dies eius, sicut flos agri sic efflorebit. The days of man are but as grass, he doth flourish for a little season even as it were a flower in the field. Sometime to a shadow and vanity. Homo vanitati similis factus Psal. cxliii. est, dies eius sicut umbra praetereunt, saith the Psalmist. Man is made like unto a vanity, his days pass away as it were a shadow. Sometime to a wind. Ventus enim est vita mea, saith job. My life is but a blast of job. seven. wind: Sometime to a vapour, as Saint james saith. Quae est eni vita vestra? vapour est ad modicum jaco. iiii. parens, & deinceps exterminabitur. What thing is your life, saith saint james? It is, saith he, even a vapour appearing for a little season, and then it vanisheth away: And sometime to nothing. Nihil enim sunt dies mei, saith job. For my days job. seven. are nothing: God so disposing clean to withdraw the inordinate love of this wretched life out of the hearts of men. When there is no man of any wisdom or understanding that should much regard or set by that life which is so uncertain as the flower of the field, so inconstant as the wind, so vain as a shadow, so transitory as a vapour tossed and tumbled in the air, and finally so little worth as nothing: But by this wise knowledge and understanding, the more vile that this present life is known to be, the more easily it may of all men be neglected, despised & set at nought for the love of that life, which shall never vanish, but ever endure. Besides this knowledge, how fikell, how frail, how vain ●●. To know ●he miseries ●herof. and how transitory this present life is, the prophet Moses wisheth unto us a further knowledge to be had of this our mortal life, and that we mortal creatures would be wise and understand, how sorrowful is the first entering of man's life into this wretched The first entry of man into this world is full of sorrow. world, maximo cum fletu, vagi tu, inertia & imbecillitate magna, with much weeping & crying, with much ignorance and feebleness: He is borne naked into the world and naked from hence he must depart again, made of the earth, and to the earth he must return again. How changeable his life is for his time here abiding, and as The time of his abiding here is full of mutability. job. xiv job saith. Nunquam in eodem statu permanens. Never continuing in one state, now rich now poor now hole now sick, now merry now sorry, now couning now ignorant, now seeing now blind, now free now bond, now good now evil, And finally His end departure full of fear how terrible and fearful shall be the passing of the same at his departure again. Over and beside these knowledges, ●. To know the necessity of death. the prophet Moses earnestly wisheth that we miserable creatures here abiding in this world, would once be wise and understand and know the great necessity of death that reigneth over us: An act and decree being already past against us, that die we must. Statutum est (saith S. Hebre. ix. Paul) onnibꝰ hominibus femel mori. It is decreed & appointed for all men once to die. And this great strait & necessity of death than first beginneth to take place in man, when the soul is joined to the body, and continueth in man until the separation of the soul from the body again. For life is no sooner come into the body by the presence of the soul, but but death furthwithall issueth out of his grave and sepulchre to take away the same again: and by the very same way that life goeth, death cometh. Do not we see the order of this present life to be such, that after infancy cometh childhood, after childhood youth, after youth man's state, after man's state age, then old age, and so at the last death? The which order and natural course can by no law, statute or means that man can invent, be infringed or broken, neither yet once stayed or plucked back. No not Minos Minos. Lycurgus. the law maker at Crete, nor Lycurgus at Lacedemony, nor yet the wife Solon in Solon. his laws devised at Athenes, could make any repeal of this decree and ordinance of God. When from the first man Adam, unto this most noble and gracious queen of Spain late departed, none hath escaped or can escape this sentence of death. No not Noah for all his righteousness, Noe. Loth. nor Loath for all his hospitality, nor yet Toby for all his diligence in burying the dead Toby. could escape this rigorous sentence of death. When it was neither the strong & mighty faith of Abraham, nor the supplanting Abraham. of vices that was in jacob, nor the great meekness of the jacob. prophet Moses, nor the chastity of joseph, nor yet the holiness Moses. joseph. of the prophet Samuel, that could persuade death to be the more favourable to them. The great wisdom, riches, might & power, of king Solomon, Solomon. the great strength & force of Samson against his enemies, the puissance of the king and prophet David, his feats of chivaltie & great might in arms could not avail against the assaults of death: death being favourable to no man, but like cruel and tyrannous to every man. And therefore I do read that death was portrayed & painted of the Paynims with the face and countenance of a tyrant having in his hand ready bent bow and arrows to kill, slay, and shoot at every man without all respect or acception of persons. And in daily losing of his darts at us, albeit that sometime he overshoteth us, and in failing of us slayeth kings. Queens, Dukes, Earls, Lords: Sometime his dart lighteth to short of us, and in the stead of us, striketh our servants, our tenants and our poor innocent neighbours dwelling by us, sometime his dart maketh a very narrow miss of us on the right hand, and killeth our wives, our children, our friends & kinsfolks so dearly beloved. And albeit that his fierce dart glide sometimes to wide on the left hand, and in failing of us, killeth our adversaries and enemies, and thereby bringeth us oft-times into a vain comfort, foolish mirth and rejoicing, making us believe that he is our friend in the dispatch of those that love us not: Yet the tyranny of his hand is such that he will not fail at the length to hit us. And whereas death at the beginning was so unripe and unperfit a boweman, that he first shooting and loosing his darts at our first father Adam, it was nine hundred and thirty years, Adam, 930. (whose age was no fewer years in numbered) before he could strike him. And whereas he bore his bow daily bend against his son Seth, it was nine hundred Seth. 912. and twelve years, before he could hit him. And whereas he daily lay in wait to overthrow with his dart Mathusalem, Mathusalem. 969. Enoches' son, it was nine hundred threescore and nine years before he could overthrow him. Yet within a certain space after, by daily custom and exercise of his hand, he began to wax a more perfect bowemanne, every day shooting more near his mark than other, in so much that by the time & days of king David, he got him such a readiness and steadfastness of shooting, that he would not have failed (for the more part) to strike his mark within the space of. lxx. or. lxxx. years, like as the prophet David witnesseth saying. Dies annorum Psal. 89. nostrorum in ipsis septuaginta annis. Si autem in potentatibus octoginta anni, & amplius eorum labour & dolour. The days of our age▪ saith he, are. lxx. years, and if men be so strong that they come to. lxxx. what so ever is more, is nothing but labour and sorrow. Thus you may perceive not The tyranny of death only the necessity of death, that die we must: but also how cruel a tyrant death is, whose tyranny daily increaseth against us more and more, every day shuttling our lives and shooting more near the mark then other. Whose assaults and lying in wait for us be wonderful subtle and crafty. Sometime he maketh toward us as it were with open battle, sending before him unto us diverse infirmities and sicknesses: and unto, some hoar hears, bleared eyes, trembling and shaking hands, stooping shoulders and crooked backs, as it were messengers or heralds at arms sent before him. Sometime he cometh privily creapinge as a thief, and stealing upon us like as he did upon the richman, of whom we read in the twelfeth of saint Luke's gospel, sending to'vs no warnings or messengers at all before him. Therefore almighty God, to cause us to be in a readiness against his sudden coming, and oftentimes to have the uncertain hour of death in remembrance (which our frail and deadly sickness maketh us so oft to forget) hath sent unto us his Prophet Moses: which prophet Mo●ses much lamenting and sorrowing our great blindness, saith unto us these words of my Theme. Gens absque consilio, & sine prudentia: utinam saperent et intelligerent, ac novissima. etc. But why doth the Prophet Moses so vehemently wish and desire unto us this clear wisdom, and perfit understanding of the vanity of this present life, of the misery of the same, of the filthiness of our own corruption, and the necessity of death? Doubtless for because the perfit knowledge and through understanding of these things are in us, the destruction of pride, the quenching of envy, the very medicine of malice, the driving away of lechery, and the extirpation of all worldly boast & vanity, and finally the recovering of everlasting life. For what thing (I pray you) lieth in the compass of man's wit, that sooner moveth a man to meekness, & to the perfection of all holiness, then doth the consideration of his own corruption: and the diligent understanding how that he liveth here in this wretched world as an outlaw a pilgrim, a geste full poor in all virtues, full unstable in living, peradventure not abiding here till to morrow? For this manner of consideration & diligent understanding, doubtless shall cause a man to despise all the boast of this life, the business of worldly vanities, and all unclean lusts and delectations of the flesh. And in this manner of thinking, the soul receiveth knowledge of sin, the knowledge of sin bringeth repentance, repentance causeth amendment and satisfaction making for sin, and all these together do engender in a man a very hope, sure trust, and firm strength in our Lord God. The which thing the Prophet Moses throughly considering, wisheth by fervent desire, saying unto you the words of my Theme. utinam saperent & intelligerent ac novissima providesent. Would God men would be wise and understand, and provide for the last things. But alas how long shall we be sicut gens absque consilio & sine prudentia, as it were people void of good counsel and without foresight and wisdom? All to few being among us that have the consideration, the wisdom and clear understanding of these things in perfect remembrance▪ Full few there be that set before their eyes the knowledge of their own infirmity, their bodily corruption, the mind of their sins, the day of their death, or yet the pains of hell: but much like unto brute beasts do proncede living here in this world, neither regarding God, nor yet very much fearing the devil. Would God therefore, in followings this exhortation of the prophet Moses, we would once begin to wax wise, to understand, and to make provision for the last things: And The glass of our own corruption. that by the contemplation and beholding of ourselves in this so profitable a mirror and glass of our own corruption, and frail nature, and of the great certitude of death that abideth therein. At whose first entry and breaking into our houses, behold how the conscience beginneth to dread, how the heart quaketh, the head stoopeth, the wit wasteth, the strength faileth, the visage waxeth pale, the tongue fombleth, the breath goeth away, the speech very rare and thin, all the beauty of the body clean turned into a griselye and filthy corruption: and after that the body is buried, it falleth into a carionlyke stench, the flesh clean turned into grubbes meat. Be you wise therefore, O ye mortal creatures, and understand how that this is an horrible sight, but it is full profitable. O how blessed and happy is he, that circumspectly beholdeth himself in this mirror or glass, when there is no craft, no medicine, none instruction or teaching that sooner destroyeth all vices, and planteth all virtues, then doth the inward beholding of a man's own corruption and last end. To this glass therefore repair Young men ye first, O ye lusty young men, (which by the deceitful wantonness of your youth do go so upright, stretching out yourselves, bearing up your heads aloft with lusty courage) and learn of strong Samson, of mighty Golias, and of the hardy captain Holofernes, and other which perished in the boast of their own strength, what great folly it is to glory in the strength of the body, which shall so seen decay and be overthrown. To this glass come ye all, O Old men. ye old fathers, unto whom death being very favourable hath sent before him unto you so many messengers, as your hoar hears, bleared eyes, droping noses, sagginge cheeks, your lips hanging, stowping necks and shoulders: come you hither and behold yourselves and learn at the least ways now in your old age to be wise & understand what vain hope you be in, which do look and make your most vain accounts, to live one year longer: be ye never of so great an age, ever creeping away and fore fearing to die. O ye old fathers and hoar hears, why fear ye to die at. lxx. or lxxx. years of age, when all the time that ye shall live after is in heaviness, in grievous aches, in continual decaying, and never upright, but rolinge, relinge and ready to fall in to the grave, which you do so loath? Why therefore fear ye so sore to die, when by death God doth change us from an old filthy house into a new? For certainly death is but a play, wherein the player (if he be wise) adventureth but a little to win much. Which thing is very easily perceived of all those men which are of perfect knowledge, how much blessedness God is of, unto whom we hope to go by death, and of how much evil these worldly men are, with whom we are conversant here by life. O ye gentlemen and men of Gentlemen nobility, come you hither also to behold yourselves in this glass. And here you shall learn to be wise & understand, whether the filthy grub worm or maggotte dare not aswell breed in your, flesh of your blood whereof you brag so much, & waste & consume your carcases, of your parts always so daintily made of & so the nourished & fed, aswell as other inferior & poorer men's. O ye gentlewomen & fair Gentle women. ladies greatly delighting in pure glasses, forget not I pray you to behold yourselves in this glass of all other most profitable, which are so fondly given here in this world to set forth yourselves, with your browdred hear (which is a great abuse) your fingers be set with rings, bearing purses full of sweet savours & smells, and bands about your necks finely wrought with silk, and beset with pearls, with bracelets full of gaudies, and such other like manner of disguisings. O ye foolish women which do bestow and spend a great part of your lives in the devise of such vanities. utinam saperetis & intelligeretis. Would God you would once learn to be wise, perceive & understand with what goodly trinkettes you shall be appareled in the straightness of your graves and sepulchres, where ye shall with job say. Putredini dixi, pater meus es tu matter mea job. xvij. & soror mea vermibus. I said unto corruption, thou art my father: and unto the worms you are my mother and my sister. Why do ye therefore make so much of so filthy a carcase, and waste so much time in washing, kemming and pranking of the same, unto no small pride and ostentation: when ye do but lose your labours, and in so doing you do nothing else, but flower a filthy dunghill, and garnish a smoky miskin, which you shall never make savoury, wash him never so much. O ye great richmen, men of rich and honourable men. authority, honour and estimation, which are as Gods here in this world, all things therein being at your commandment by reason of your authority and riches, Come you also and repair unto this glass, & tell me whether you can with all your authority, might and power, with all your gold silver, and worldly treasures, either fear or corrupt death, yea so much as to make him so partial and favourable to you, that he will let you escape: like as in all other worldly things else, you can do, perverting all good laws by the suppression of justice. O ye worldings which live here as gods upon the earth: Do not you here living perceive, how the time flieth without returning? how the life traveleth on her journey without ceasing? how the flesh consumeth without feeling? and how the glory of this world passeth as it never had been? (The lands, possessions, riches, jewels and treasures thereof oftentimes falling into those men's hands, who by our wills should have the lest part thereof.) Why therefore be ye so forgetful of your selves, and so noselde in all worldly vanities, as though they should ever continue and never take end. O ye kings and Princes▪ ye kings Princes. magistrates and rulers of this world. O ye prelate's & bishops, having charge of Christ's Priests, Byshippes & subjects church and family. O all ye of high and low degree, whether ye be governors or subjects, masters or servants, superiors or inferiors, come hither & behold your selves in this clear mirror and glass of your own corruption: & by a diligent examination and consideration with your selves Consider what we were. what you have been, and of how vile a matter borne in to this world (nempe ex menstruo mulieris:) What you are at this present touching the What we are. body, when as S. Bernard saith. Considera quid per oculos, quid per nares, per os, per aures, coeterosque corporis meatus emiserit, et nunquam vidi vilius sterquilinium. Consider well, saith he, what a man sendeth forth and avoideth by his eyes, his nostrils, his mouth, his ears, and other the passages and pooers of the body, and thou mayest well say nunquam vidi vilius sterquilinium. I never saw a viler dunghill: And what we shall be, nempe terra et What we shall be. civis. Even very earth and ashes. Quia pulnis es & in pulverem reverteris. For dust thou art, & Genes. iij. into dust thou shalt return again: and you shall begin to wax wise, perceive and understand, how much more matter we have in ourselves of humility then of pride, of meekness then of ostentation, of sorrow then of joy, how much more matter also of abhorring ourselves, then of glorying in ourselves, of contemning & setting this world at nought then of rejoice in the world, & of following the most godly and wholesome counsel of the prophet Moses, then of neglecting the same. Which prophet as an ambassador sent of God to pluck us into a more perfit remembrance and knowledge of ourselves with most earnest and hearty desire wisheth the same, saying unto us the words of my theme. utinam saperent et intelligerent. etc. And this wisdom and understanding being first obtained and got by the consideration and diligent beholding of ourselves in this mirror and glass of our own corruption & mortal nature: let us now proceed to the last part of this theme, & express in a word or. ij. what To provide for the last things. provision must be made of our parts for the last things, & so I shall shortly commit you to go. And touchig a right order to be observed in this provision making for the last things: first I shall declare unto you, what these last things are, & so after what provision of our parts ought to be made for them. And these last things being many in numbered (when all these things may justly be called novissima, the last things which shall serve at the last, & be of comfort to the soul of man, when all friendship, all help, comfort & pleasure of this world shall fail.) But here at this present, to use brevity, I shall entreat chiefly of these four last Four las● things. things, that is to say, of death, of the judgement of God, of the pains of hell, and of the joys of heaven. For the which four last things I would have you in the short course of this present life to make provision. First that First. we may here finish our life, and die well. second, that we ma receive second. at the hands of God a comfortable & a merciful judgement. Thirdly, we must here provide third. to avoid the horrible pains of hell. Fourth & last we must proprovide fourth. so here to live that we may be partakers of the life everlasting & joys of heaven. And to avoid confusion herein, the manner of this our provison making must be sundry & diverse, like as the vocations degrees, and estates of men be sundry and diverse. As the Bishops, Priests & prelate's of Christ's church having the flock of Christ committed to their great cure and charge. They must make their provision for these four last things by a circumspect feeding of Christ's flock with good and wholesome doctrine, by a diligent search of their parts to be made for the lost sheep which have perished in the late plague of errors and Heresies: by a wise bringing of them back again into the fold and unity of Christ's church, by a merciful binding and knitting of the wounds of the sore cut and mangled sheep: by a charitable nourishing and comfoting of the weak, sick & feeble among them, having in their breasts toward their flocks the very zeal of a good pastor and shepherd: whose zeal is such (as Christ witnesseth) ꝙ anima suamdet pro ovibus suis, that he will john. x. not stick to give his life for his sheep, like as our saviour christ hath given us example already, and as Moses' desired deleri de libro vitae, to be blotted Exod. 32. out of the book of life: and saint Paul Anathema esse a Christo Roma. ix. pro fratribus, to be accursed from Christ for his brethren. And their provision for these four last things being on this wise laid for, & circumspectly made, God shall grant them all, and send unto them a quiet & blessed death, and a most comfortable and merciful judgement, delivering them from the horrible pains of hell, and restoring them to the eternal bliss and joys of heaven. All the rest of Sheep of the flock of Christ. Christ's family or household, which are not shepherds but sheep of his fold and pasture: You must here begin and make your provision for these iiij. last things. First by a diligent giving ear, and hearkening to the voices of your shepherds, & by a circumspect and wise refusal of all counterfeit and strange voices. When the true sheep of Christ non sequuntur alienum, joan. x. sed fugiunt ab illo, quia non nove runt voces alienorum, do not follow a strange shepherd, but flee from him, for they know not the voices of strangers. Neither will they be deceived by the strange voices of the Arians Arians. in denying the deity of our saviour Christ: nor by the strange voices of the Nestorians Nestorius' Eutices. and Eutichianes in deneiing of Christ's humanity: nor by the strange voices of the Manichees in their denial of Manes. the free choice of man: nor yet by the strange voices of the pelagians Pelagius. attributing to much to the free will of man. When the true sheep of Christ will not be deceived by the barren voice of Eunomius the Eunomius Solifidiane, nor by the monstrous voice of Beringarius, Beringarius. in his denial of Christ's very Real and bodily presence in the most blessed Sacrament of the altar, nor yet by the evil skreakinge and most strange voices of Martin Luther. Bucer. Peter Martyr. Luther, Martin Bucer, Peter Martyr, Corolastadius, Zwynglius, Oecolampadius & Zwinglius. Oecolampadius. other, the very palebreakers of the unity of Christ's church, the breders of all schisms & contentions in the same, the blasphemers of Christ's sacraments, the subverters of all good orders and constitutions, the revivers of old cankered and rusty heresies, and now by them new furbished and set forth to the show and therefore their books justly condemned here in this realm by a late proclamation set forth by the king and queens majesties. Whereunto I do exhort you to be obedient, & to bring in your books of heresies, according to the purport thereof: forasmuch as the true sheep of Christ will give no ear unto their most monstrous and strange voices: when these & all other like voices which do dissuade from the antiquity, unity and universality of Christ's church must needs be most monstrous and strange voices. Therefore O ye Londoners and inhabitants of this city, Londoners Cease your great folly I beseech you, & be you no longer sicut gens absque consilio & sine prudentia, as people without good counsel, and all foresight what will ensue & follow hereafter: utinam saperetis & intelligeretis, ac novissima provideretis Would God you would be wise, perceive and understand, & make provision for these. iiij. last things, by eschewing of all strange voices, and herkeninge unto the voices of your shepherds, & by a diligent calling of yourselves into some better remembrance, considering how long time they have spent in calling upon you, with how much patience your slothful return from your wicked errors and heresies hath been borne withal at the hands of God, at the hands of our most noble king and our most merciful lady and Queen, and also at the hands of your Bishops and preachers among you. Whereas you being persons seduced with many strange voices of these deceitful Mayremaides do daily recompense this their most merciful toleration and gentilenes, with most cursed and wicked speakings, blaspheming God, and raising up false lies and rumours against our most gracious king and Queen. In so much that I for my part at this time occupying this place (of very great zeal and love which I have ever borne unto you,) am forced thus much to say unto you: that except you give better ear to the voices of your shepherds: except ye shortly return from your wicked heresies into the unity of Christ's church again: and except you become wise and understand, and shortly amend this your small regard and most evil provision making for these four last things: Doubtless your evil believing and corrupt living shall bring you unto a miserable and lamentable death and ending: and to receive therefore at the hands of God, a straight and most upright judgement, to your great loss of eternal joy and bliss everlasting: and to the winning of the perpetual torments & pains of hell. Ye gentlemen and noble men which in living here in this Gentlemen and noble men. world be very politic and full of all manner of worldly provisions, utinam saperetis & intelligeretis ac novissima provideretis: Would God you would be wise, and understand, & make provision for these four last things, that you may finish the race & course of this short life with a quiet death, and finally to receive at the hands of God a merciful judgement. into joy and bliss, and not to sustain the torments of hell. The manner of this your provision making must be, by the maintenance of God's glory and honour, by your upright ministration of justice, & by the authority committed unto you of God, to defend the catholic faith and religion of God, his church and most blessed sacraments, and all the ministers of the same, serving God in their byshopriches, Cathedral churches, houses of religion, universities, colleges or else where. When otherwise doubtless your provision made for these four last things shall be all to short and after a wrong sort. O ye therefore that are sicut gens absque consilio et fine prudentia, as people void of counsel, wisdom and all foresight: utinam saperetis Would God you would be wise and understand whether this your provision by you and your advise and counsel made here (as for an example) in this Cathedral church of Paul's, where of the numbered of. lviij. or. lx. priests, be now left by your provision, but only twelve priests, called Peticanones, here daily to serve God in the Queer: whether this your pretenced seeking of God's glory and honour in all your doing, may be called a provision, or rather a subtraction or plain diminution of the same. O ye that are wandering here in this world sicut gens absque consilio et sive prudentia, as people without counsel and void of wisdom and all foresight: Is this a provision for the upholding of Christ's catholic faith and religion here in this realm by night and day prayer, by reading, preaching and teaching, by liberal alms giving and relieving of the poor membres of Christ, to overthrow monasteries, colleges & hospitals, to spoil bishopriches and their Cathedral churches, so craftily to cramp & fleece the universities by a covetous exchanging of their lands? Is this your provision? O gens absque consilio & sine prudentia. O ye people void of counsel, understanding & foresight: utinam saperetis. O would God you would once become wise, to perceive & understand that except ye shortly repent and do penance here in season for your great wickedness, here to confess and acknowledge the same, here to make satisfaction & to restore again, doubtless your provision for these. iiij. last things will be very slender and right nought worth. When otherwise you shall be sure here to finish your lives with a lamentable and most miserable death, and finally receive at the hands of God a fearful and terrible judgement: to the loss of perpetual joy and bliss: and to the winning of the everlasting pains and torments of hell. And here a little further, & somewhat more generally to speak touching the provision making for these four last things after such sort, and as the Apostle Paul hath already prescribed unto us in his Epistle to the Ephesians the .v. and vi chapters, as first: Such among us as be married and have wives, Married men let them provide by a godly love unto their wives: like as Saint Paul teacheth, saying: Viri diligite Ephes. v. uxores vestras, sicut christus dilexit sponsam suam ecclesiam, et semetipsum tradidit pro ea. Ye husbands, saith saint Paul love your wives like as Christ loved his spouse the church, and gave himself for her. Ye married Married women. women and wives, you must make your provision by your due obeisance unto your husbands. The Apostle Paul willing the same, saith. Mulieres Ephes. v. viris suis subditae sint, sicut domino, quoniam vircaput est mulieris, sicut christus caput est ecclesiae Sicut igitur ecclesia subiecta est christo, ita & mulieres virissuis in omnibus. Ye women, faith he, be you subject unto your husbands as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the woman, as Christ is the head of the church. Therefore like as the church is subject unto christ, so let women be to their husbands in all things. Such as be fathers and have children, you Fathers. must provide by a godly & virtuous education of your children. Et vos patres, saith saint Paul, Ephesi. vi. nolite ad iracundiam provocare filios vestros: Sed educate illos in disciplina et correctione domini. And ye O fathers, saith he, provoke not your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and correction of our lord. And ye children, ye must make Children. your provision by rendering your dew obedience unto your parents, and by honouring and reverencing of them. For so S. Paul teacheth you saying. filii Ephes. vi. obedite parentibus vestris in domino: Hoc enim justum est. Honora patrem tuum, et matrem tuam, ut bene sit tibi et sis longaews super terram. O ye children, saith the apostle, obey your parents in our lord: for that is right. Honour thy father & thy mother, that thou mayest prosper, & live long upon the earth. And all ye that be masters & have Masters. servants you must provide by a discrete governance of your servants, remittentes minas, not by overmuch threatening them: scientes ꝙ et illorum et vester dominus est in coelis, et ꝙ personarum acceptio non est apud deum. Knowing that both their master & yours is in heaven, & that there is no respect of persons with god. And servants Servants must make their provision by doing their faithful service & obedience unto their lords & masters. servi obedite dominis vestris cum timore et tremore in simplicitate cordis vestri, sicut christo, non ad oculum seruientes quasi hominibus placentes, sed ut servi christi facientes voluntatem dei exanimo. O ye servants, saith Paul, obey your masters with fear & trembling in the singleness of your heart, as it were unto Christ, not doing service unto the eye, as they do which go about to please men, but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God, even from the very heart. So that all kind of men for the time of their abode here in this world, must here make their provision for these four last things, whether they be married or unmarried, wife or single woman, parents or children, masters or servants, superiors or inferiors, magistrates bearing rule, or subjects being ruled, whether they be of the clergy or of the laity: Every man must here provide, by a circumspect and diligent walk in their vocations for the love, favour and friendship of God, by observation of his commandments, Christ himself witnessing the same, and saying: Si praecepta mea seruauerits, manebitis john. xv. in dilectione mea. If you will keep my precepts, you shall abide in my love, and have my favour and friendship. Whose love and friendship at the last hour of death, shall stand us in better stead than all the riches and lordships of the world: When at that hour, though all thy friends, kinsfolks & acquaintance should come with millions of gold, or yet by force of arms, they may not at that dreadful grisly and last hour, do thee any help or comfort: When other help, refuge or succour at that time thou shalt have none, but only at the hands of God. Let us therefore in all the mean space of this present life so dread and fear God, so embrace and love him, and so honour and worship him, that we at the last hour may have his favour & friendship. Et si deus pro nobis quis Roma. viii. contra nos? And if god be on our side, who can be against us? And then we shall be sure to have at the finishing and knitting up of this life a very quiet and a joyful death: to receive at the hands of God a very merciful and most comfortable judgement, thereby to avoid and escape the torments of Hell: and to inherit the joys of heaven. To the which he bring us all that hath so dearly bought it for us, by the effusion of his most precious blood. To whom with God the father & the holy ghost be all praise▪ honour, & glory for now and evermore. Amen. Imprinted at London by Robert Caly, within the precinct of the 〈◊〉 dissolved house of the Gr●ye Friar's, now converted to an hospital, called Christ's hospital▪ The twenty day of August. M.D.L.U.