¶ A notable and learned Sermon or Homily, made upon saint Andrew's day last past 1556. in the Cathedral church of S. Paul in London, by Master John Harpesfeild doctor of duinitie and Canon residenciary of the said church, Set forth by the bishop of London.  
Vltimo Decembris, 1556.  

¶ Cum privilegio ad imprimendum solum.    

Constituite diem solennem in condensis, usoque ad cornu altaris.  
Honourable, worshipful, and devout christian audience, the holy prophet David, in his hundredth and xvii psalm (whence the words of my theme are taken out) doth in treat of four points most meet to be duty considered, and effectually of us all practised at this present. first he declareth that himself had been in extreme peril and danger of life, and in great affliction & tribulation of mind. secondly, he acknowledgeth that God of his infinite mercy and goodness did delmer him. thirdly that he doth esteem those dangers and vexations as a scourge for sin. fourthly and last he giveth thanks unto GOD his deliverer, and exhorteth all other to do the like.  
Concerning the peril he was in, he saith: Circundantes circundederunt me sicutapes. My enemies compassed me round about as thick as it had been a swarm of Bees. And again within a while after. Impulsus eversus sum ut caderem, I was thrust at so sore, that I was like to be overthrown: and after that he calleth himself, lapidem quem reprobaverunt ędificantes. A stone which the builders did refuse and cast away: meaning in those iii places, the persecution which he sustained at the hands of wicked Saul, who (as it is written in the first book of the kings) sometime threw a dart at David: sometime sent men suddenly David's house, to take him in his beed and bring him unto him, that he might be slain: sometime persecuted him with an open army. Concerning the second point, which is how David in the foresaid Psalm doth confess and acknowledge that god of his mere goodness miraculous lie protected and delivered him, it is there written. Dominus suscepit me, God was my help. Fortitudo & laus mea dominus, & factus est mihi in salutem, God is my strength & my rejoicing, and is become my salvation. Dextera domini fecit virtutem, dextera domini exaltavit me, dextera domine fecit virtutem. The right hand of God hath done mightily, the right hand of God hath exalted me, the right hand of God hath done mightily. Concerning the third point, which is that the prophet David counteth his troubles persecutions as a chastisement for sin, he saith. Castigans castigavit me dominus. God hath chastened & corrected me. The last and fourth point is thanks giving & provoking all other to the like. This point is to be found in many places of the Psalm, but most notably in the words of my theme when he saith: Constituite diem solennem in condensis usoque ad cornu altaris. Appoint you to keep a solemn feast, in great frequencies or multitudes, & concourse of people even reaching to the corners of the altar. It was commanded in the old law that at solemn feasts the people should bring Oxen, Calves, lambs, or Goats, to be offered up upon the altar in sacrifice, and that the priest should sprynkell of the blood upon the corners of the altar: & he now exhorteth them so to do, in giving thanks to God, for that he had delivered him out of the hands of Saul: and he month them to keep a new solemnetie for this purpose, besides the accustomed feasts cominaunded in the law. According to this example given us by king David, it is our part to use ourselves this present day. First to remember what miserable and parilous case we were in of late years. next to consider how God by his mighty hand, and thorough his infinite mercy hath delivered us. thirdly to persuade ourselves, that we worthily suffered those miseries for our sins. fourthly to be thankful, and induce other to thanks giving for our delivery. Which that ye may the rather do, I intend by God's grace and your patience, to stand upon the two first points, and to set forth the exceeding great benefit of our reconciliation to the unity of the catholic church, and the horrible miseries which we were in, in the time of schism and division, & then no more, but touch the other two parts, and so commit you to God. And that the things to be uttered at this present by me, may be to God's honour, to your edification and comfort, I desire you first to help me with your prayers.  
The prayers.  
I find in holy scripture that there were two comen weals, instituted, ordained, and appointed by God himself. The one among the children of Israel, the other among the christians. The common weal of the Israelites or jews, was in time before the commonalty of christendom. But this in worthiness is far before it. For the things belonging to that estate, were figures, types, and shadows of things belonging too christianity. The children of Israel were under cruel Pharaoh, in great captivity & thraldom, until such time as god of his goodness called them outs of Egypte, and drowned their enemies in the red Sea: likewise is all mankind thrall to the spiritual Pharaoh, that is the devil, before they come to pass thorough baptism, which because it taketh his force and strength of the blood of our saviour, and is ministered in water, may well be likened to the read Sea, and in it all power of the devil is quite over whelmed and destroyed. The children of Israel having passed the read Sea, were not forth with directly conveyed to the land of promise: but were feign to travail in the barren & unpleasant wilderness, a long space, there abiding much trouble and vexation. Even so christian people after their Baptism are left in this vale of misery, here to endure many sharp & perilous storms, and are not immediately from the Font, had up to the land of the living, which is the land promised to the just. In many other points the laws of Moses was a shadow of christianity, but most especially in the kind & manner of government, is lively represented the government used in Christ's church: which is the matter I specially purpose to set forth unto you, & therefore desire you to give good ear unto it. The comen weal of the jews, in that their passage from Egypt to the land of promise, had two milers, by Gods own appointment set over them, Moses and Aaron both priests: but the one, that is Moses, which was the higher, made priest immediately by God, the other, that is Aaron, made priest at God's commandment by Moses. Of those two rulers, the higher and worthier received at God's hand all that God would have said to the people, and he delivered it to Aaron, and then Aaron delivered if to the people, or at the least instructed the people therein. Contrariwise when the people would have any question demanded of God, Aaron did move that question to Moses, and Moses to God: So that Moses was Aaron's mouth, in things to be moved from the people to God: and Aaron was Moses' mouth in things to be revealed from God to the people: as it is written in the four of Exodus, where god speaketh thus to Moses. Ipse loquetur pro te ad populum & erit os tuum. Tu autem eris ei in his quae ad deum pertinent, that is. Thy brother Aaron shallbe thy spokesman to the people, he shallbe thy mouth. And thou shalt be his spokesman, and his mouth in things that come from GOD. Again Moses went up to the top of mount Sinai, & there talked face to face with GOD: but Aaron in the mean season tarried beneath at the foot of the hill among the people to instruct and guide them. These three points in Moses & Aaron, as they were things fulfilled in deed in their persons, so were they significations of things to come, in the state of christianity. For as S. Paul saith in the first to the Corinthyans' the tenth chapiter. Haec omnia in figura contingebant illis, All these things chanced to the jews in a type or figure. And in the tenth to the hebrews heal so saith, Vmbram habens lex futurorum non ipsam imaginem rerum. The law of Moses had but a shadow of things to come, & not the true shape of those things in deed. To come therefore to the public weal of Christendom, and the government thereof: There are in the church of Christ always two head rulers, both priests, that is, Christ our high priest made by God the father immediately, according as we read in the hundredth and ninth psalm, Tu es sacer dos ineternum secundum ordinem Melchisedech. The other priest inferior to Christ, and yet governor of the whole church, first was saint Peter, and now is his successor. Now Peter was made priest by Christ, as Aaron was by Moses; and his successors are made priests by men as Aaron's successors were. Christ is Peter's spokesman to God, and Peter was Christ's mouth to the church as appeareth in the xxii of Luke, in these words, Simon, Simon, ecce Sathanas experivit vos, ur cribraret, sicut triticum, Ego autem rogavi pro te ur non deficiat fides tua. Tu autem aliquando conversus, confirma fratres tuos. Simon, Simon, behold Satan hath desired you to sift you as it were wheat: but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: & when thou shalt be converted, confirm thy brethren. In that Christ prayeth for Peter to God the father, that Peter'S faith should not fail, he is Peter's mouth to god ward, as Moses was Aaron's. Again in that Peter confirmeth his brethren, in the truth of Christ's religion, he is Christ's mouth to the people. Christ is ascended in to the high mount of heaven,  appareat nunc vultui dei pro nobis. That he might appear before the face of God for us. But the other ruler that is Christ's vicar, remaineth here on earth, to govern the church militant, as did Aaron among the Israelites, as shall anon appear most evidently by inevitable authorities of the new testament. Now when God had placed those two priests in the government of the jews, he would such obedience to be given unto, them of the whole people, that none might once repine against the authority of either of them, as is evident in the xvi of Numbres, where Chore, Dathan, and Abiron, for making rebellion against Moses, and Aaron, were swallowed up in to the earth alive, and most terribly perished, that the rest might by their example, fear at any time to attempt the like. And in the xvii of Numbres, GOD to declare, that he had appointed Aaron as well as Moses, to be ruler over the Israelites, caused every captain of the twelve tribes to bring in a rod to Moses, and all the twelve rods to be laid in the tabernacle all night, and whose rod should burgin on the morrow, that he was the chief governor under Moses. Which being done, on the morrow, Aaron's rod was found with buds on it. The same authority that was in Aaron at that time, and thus confirmed miraculously, remained in the high priest, Aaron's successor from time to time so long as the estate of that common weith endured. Even so is it ut Christendom. Peter first was placed in the chief government under Christ, and after Peter his successors continue in the same, and have the rule of the whole church. But you will peradventure require farther proof hereof, and would gladly here whether this may be established by the gospel, and the ancient fathers: wherein for your contentation I will somewhat say. And first touching Peter and his authority we read in the xvii of Matthew, how the gatherers of the tribute money came to ask the tribute of Christ, and how Christ bade Peter cast his angle into the see, & look what fish he took first, he told him that in his mouth he should find so much money as two men were bound to pay and said, da eyes pro me et te. pay that money to them for me and thyself. Upon this fact of Christ S. Augustine saith Didrachma capitum solutio intelligitur. salvator cum pro se et Petro dari jubet, pro omnibus exoluisse videtur: quod sicut in saluatore erant omnes causa magisterii, ita et post salvatorem in Petro omnes continentur: ipsum enim constituit caput eorum: that is to say, The tribute money was head money or payment which every head or ruler was bound to pay. Wherefore when our saviour commanded the tribute to be paid for himself and for Peter, he seemeth to have paid for them all. For as they were all in our saviour by reason he was their master, so after our saviour they were all contained in Peter. For he had made Peter their head or ruler. The same S. Austin writing upon that place of S. Luke in his xxii chapter where Christ saith that he prayed for Peter, hath these words, Non oravit pro jacobo et joanne et reliquis, sed pro Petro in quo reliqui continentur, Christ did not pray for james and john and for the rest of his Apostles, but for Peter, in whom the rest are contained. In the xxi of Matthew we find how our saviour said unto Peter in most special and earnest manner, pasce agnos, pasce agnos, pasce oves, fede my lambs feed my lambs, feed my sheep: And though certain of the other apostles, & they also the most nota blessed, were then present, Yet he gave the charge only to Peter. Whereupon Cyprian, Chrisostome, Ambrose, Austin, gather that Peter was made ruler above & over them all. Now as concerning Peter's successors, where they are to be found and of their authority writeth the ancient father Ireneus, in his third book against thee; heresies of Valentinus, and other heretics, and in the third chapter of the same book in this manner. Quoniam valde longum est omnium ecclesiarum enumerare successiones, maximae et antiquissemae et omnibus cognitae a gloriosissimis duobus Apostolis Petro et paulo Romae fundatae et constitutae ecclesiae, eam quam habet ab apostolis traditionem et annunciatam hominibus fidem per successiones episcoporum pervenientem usque ad nos, indicantes confundimus eos omnes qui quoquo modo vel per sui complacentiam malam, velvanam gloriam, vel per caecitatem et malam sententiam, preterquàm oportet colligunt. Ad hanc enim ecclesiam propter potentiorem principalitatem necesse est omnem convenire ecclesiam, hoc est eos qui sunt undique fideles, that is to say. Forasmuch as it were a long process to recite the succession of all christian seas, we show the succession of Bishops in the greatest, the most ancient, and the most known sea, founded and established at Rome by the most gloria apostles Petre & Paul: and we declare what is the tradition, which that sea hath received from the apostles and what faith hath been preached to men there, and is comen by succession of bishops even unto us, and so doing we confound and put to silence all those, which by any means either by standing to much in their own conceit, or for vain glory, or through blind ignorance, or through wrong opinion, do gather otherwise in matters of religion than is behovable. For unto this sea, by reason of the higher government, every sea, that is, all faithful, wheresoever they dwell, must needs have recourse. The like is also in Saint Austin in his, cxlv. epistle, where he improving the sect of the Donatists writeth in this manner, Si ordo episco porum sibi succe dentium considerandus est, quanto citius et vere salubri ter ab ipso Petro numeramus, cui totius ecclesiae figuram gerenti dominus ait. Tu es Petrus, et super hanc Petram aedificabo ecclesiam meam, If the order of Bishops succeeding one another is to be considered, how much more sooner & in deed more wholesomely do we reckon from Peter himself, unto whom bearing the figure of the whole church, our lord saith: Thou art Peter, and upon this rock will I build my church: And within a little after he saith In hoc ordine successionis nullus Donatista invenitur. In this order of succession no Donatist is found. Thus concerning the primacy of S. Peter and his successors, we have matter sufficient both in scripture and in the fathers to content us. But it may not here be omitted, that though in the numbered of many successors of Saint Peter it might sometime chance some one or more to be evil: yet that nothing can prejudicate to the authority nor men ought therefore to withdraw their obedience. And that in this point also ye may see good matter to content you: I shall recite a notable saying of Saint Austin in his foresaid epistle to this effect, where he writeth in this manner. In illum autem ordinem episcoporum qui ducitur ab ipso Petro usoque ad Anastasium, qui nunc eandem sedet cathedram, etiam si quisquàm traditor per illa tempora surrep sisset, nihil praeiudicaret ecclesiae, et innocentibus christianis, quibus duns providens ait de praepositis malis: Quae dicunt facite, quae autem faciunt nolite facere. Dicunt enim & non faciunt, ut certa sit spes fidelis quae non in homine, sed in deo collocata nunquàm tempestate sacrilegi scif matis dissipetur, that is to say. Though some traitor had by these days crept into that order, or numbered of Bishops, which is reckoned from Peter unto Anastasius, which now sitteth in that sea, yet were it not prejudicial to the church, and to the innocent christian folk, for whom our lord providing saith. Do the things which they say, but that they do, do ye not: for they say and do not, that the hope of a christian man might be sure, and being set not on man, but on god, should never be shaken with any tempest or storm of wicked schism. Now that ye have heard how necessary it is for all christendom to be under the government of the Apostolic sea, and thereby must needs perceive that the benefit of our reconciliation and reduction to that sea, is a most excellent and exceeding great benefit: I think good to note unto you the circumstances incident with the same, whereby the benefit is made the more notable. This most joyful reconciliation came unto this realm on the first feastival day in the whole year, by the order of the ecclesiastical service, that is, on saint Andrew's day. It came in the feast of S. Andrew brother to S. Peter, to whose sea we are reconciled, in the day of such a saint as was crucified, as both Peter was, the first that enjoyed this authority, and as Christ was, who gave the authority unto Peter. It chanced in the time of a parliament, and by the full consent and glad approbation of the whole realm, in that parliament represented: It came unto us by our own country man the most honourable lord Legates grace, who never swerved from that sea: In the reign of our sovereign's king philip and queen Mary, who always continued in their obedience to that supremicye. It came by see unto us, a meet passage for the authority of him, which was called to that authority from the see, and in his feast, who was made an apostle from the see, that is of a fisher. I shall not need much to speak of the great evils that this realm is rid from by this benefit. Every man feeleth in himself the great relief, that he hath by his reconciliation: I mean not only for the temporal cruelty, misery, tumult, fear, and tyranny, which cease by this benefit, but most of all for the inward ghostly relief, of which saint Paul speaking in the second chapter of his first epistle to the Corinthians, sayeth: Quisscit hominum quae sunt hominis, nisi spiritus hominis qui ipso est? Ita et quae dei sunt nemo novit nisi spiritus dei, what man knoweth the things which are in man, but the spirit of man which is within him? Even so those things which long to god, none knoweth but only the spirit of god. In which words saint Paul giveth us to weet, that who so hath not the spirit of god in him, knoweth not gods truth. Now the spirit of god can not be but in them that are of the body, which is governed with god's spirit, and this body is the Church: whereof they are not, which divide themselves from the government appointed by god to be in the church, which government is as you have heard, the obedience to the sea of Rome, from which we have divided ourselves of late years: and where unto we were by this days benefit united and reconciled again. We were I say rid from that misery, which saint Paul speaketh of in the second chapter of his Epistle to the Ephesians, saying: Eratis illo in tempore sine christo, alienatia conversatione Israel, et hospites testamentorum, promissionis spem non habentes, et sine deo in hoc mundo. Ye were at that time without Christ: Ye were straying from the conversation of Israel, ye were strangers from the testaments having no hope of the promise, and men without god in this world. If we now perceive these two points which I have declared, the one of gods singular benefit as this day conferred and bestowed upon us, the other touching the dreadful dangers we were in before, we have then a third part to play with king david, that is, to acknowledge these miseries to have comen upon us for our offences in saying every one of us. Castigans castigavit me dominus, et morti non tradidit me. God hath chastened me, but he hath not delivered me into death. The fourth point also is to be joined to the other three, that is to give thanks as David did, and to exhort all other to do the same, which for my part I shall do with the words of my theme, saying unto you. Constituite diem solennem in condensis usque ad cornu altaris. Of late men pulled down altars, contemned the service and sacrifice of the altar, but now we must come in great multitudes to the altar, to the service of the altar, and the sacrifice of the altar, I mean to the Mass. And in consideration of the high work of god done on the altar, we must make great solemnity, specially on this day And behold besides the benefit of our reconciliation chancing on this day, we have yet by S. Andrew a confirmation of our belief in the sacrament and sacrifice of the altar by that he said and did this day. For among other answers which the blessed apostle S. Andrew made to the cruel Aegeas, he said: Omnipotenti deo qui unus & verus est, ego omni die sacrifico. Non thurisfumun nec taurorum mugientium carnes, nec hircorum sanguinem, sed immaculatum agnum quotidle in altari sacrifico cuius carnes posteaquàm omnis populus manducaverit, & sanguinem eius biberit, tamen integer parmanet & immaculatus, that is. I do offer sacrifice every day to God almighty, not the smoke of franckencens, nor the flesh of roaring bulls or the blood of goats, but I sacrifice every day on the altar the immaculate lamb, whose flesh after that all the people hath eaten and hath drunk his blood, yet he abideth whole and immaculate. What can be plainer spoken either of the presence of Christ's body & blood in the sacrament of the altar, or of the sacrifice of the Mass, than here is spoken? And as plainly the same blessed apostle uttereth in that that followeth, another point worthy to be considered. For when Aegeas marveling at his talk said unto him: Quomodo potest hoc fieri: how can this be done? S. Andrew answered. Sivis scire quomodo potest fieri, assume formam discipuli ut possis discernere quod quaeris, It thou wilt know how it may be done, take upon thee the shape or form of a disciple or learner, that thou may discern the thing that thou askest. Which because Aegeas would not do, he could not understand the mystery, as in our days, so many as would pray supteously teach themselves, & not learn of Christ's church, erred in the truth of Christ's sacraumentes. Wherefore I ethorte you with the words of my theme: keep this day a solemn day: keep solemn procession, make great solemnity, so as your devotion may stretch even to the altar: or rather the prophet David foreseeing in spirit the benefit of christian unity, doth exhort you thereto, and with the prophet David, S. Peter the prince of the Apostles (to whose authority we are recovered) exhorteth you, and with David & S. Peter, Peter's brother saint Andrew, whose feast we keep, exhorteth you: and with thee, & above them, Christ our saviour exhorteth you, to rejoice and be thankful for the great benefit of god comen this day unto you, that we keeping ourselves with in his fold on earth, may be found in the numbered of those lambs, which sranding on his right hand at the day of Dome shall hear our lord say unto them. Come ye blessed children of my father possess the kingdom which was prepared for you from the beginning of the world. Which send unto us all, the father, the son, and the holy ghost, to whom be all honour & glory world without end.  
Amen,   

Imprinted at London, by Robert Caly, within the precinct of the late dissolved house of the grey Freers, now converted to an Hospital, called Christ's Hospital.