Sermons very fruitful, godly, and learned, preached and set forth by Master Roger Edgeworth, doctor of divinity, Canon of the Cathedral churches of Sarisburie, Welles and Bristol, residentiary in the Cathedral church of Welles, and Chancellor of the same church: With a repertory or table, directing to many notable matters expressed in the same sermons.  
¶ Excusum Londini in aedibus Roberti Caly, Tipographi. Mense Septemb. Anno. 1557.   
Eccles. v. Esto mansuetus ad audiendum verbum dei, ut intelligas, & cum sapientia proferes responsum verum.  

The preface of the author to them that shall read these sermons following.  
IT is honourable and worthy praise, to confess and declare the works of almighty GOD, as the blessed Angel said unto holy Thoby. And therefore they that saw the miracle done by our saviour Christ upon the man that was both deaf and dumb, and was restored unto his sight, and also to his speech, although they were bid to make no words thereof, yet they considering the excellency of the miracle, and perceiving the humility of the doer of the same, as intending more the occultation of his fact, for the avoiding of worldly praise, to give us example of like humility, then to hide his gracious cure, as thinking they should not have done well to let such a marvelous work vanish to oblivion, were the busier to divulge and publish, not only that miracle, but others withal, saying: Bene omnia fecit, & surdus fecit audire, & mutos loqui. This man hath done all things well, he hath made the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak. So I considering that it hath pleased almighty God of his plenteous mercy and goodness, to open my mouth, and to make me occupied in preaching his holy word now by the space of forty years and more, I thought it not good to permit such matters as I have (through God's help) set forth in my sermons, utterly to rot and perish, and lest (as the moral Poet saith) Deferar in vicum, vendentem thus, & arhoma, I have therefore perusing, yea rather superficially running over such sermons as I have preached in times past, found much good matter in them, right worthy to be had in memory, and so compact and set together, that now in my old age I rejoice in God that gave me his gracious gift, so to travail in such study while I was young and lusty. These my long labours hath be in the most troubleous time, and most cumbarde with errors and heresies, change of minds and schisms that ever was in this realm for so long time together, that any man can read of. While I was a young student in divinity, Luther's heresies rose and were scattered here in this realm, which in less space than a man would think, had so sore infected the christian flock, first the youth, and consequently the elders, where the children could set the fathers to school, that the kings majesty, and all the catholic clerks in the realm had much a do to extinguish them, which yet they could not so perfectly quench, but that ever still when they might have any maintenance by men or women of great power, they burst out a fresh, even like fire hid under chaff, which sometimes among will flame out and do hurt if it be not looked to. Against such errors with their appendeceis I have invehied earnestly and oft in my sermons in disputations and reasoning with the protestauntes, until I have be put to silence, either by general prohibitions to preach, or by name, or by captivity and imprisonment, of all which (I thank God) I have had my part. And yet ever when I might have any clear time, I have returned to the same exercise more vehemently than afore, and so will do while I may have strength to speak. And because these sermons were made in English, and toucheth sometimes among, such heresies as hath troubled English folk, I thought it best to set them forth in such language as might presently best edify the multitude. Moreover pleaseth you to be advertised, that when I should preach in any solemn and learned audience, I ever fearing the labilitie of my remembrance, used to pen my sermons much like as I intended to utter them to the audience: others I scribbled up not so perfectly, yet sufficiently for me to perceive my matter and my process. And of these two sorts I have kept (as grace was) a great multitude, which now helpeth me in this my enterprise of imprinting a book of my said exhortations. Moreover I have made innumerable exhortations at my cures, and in other places where I have dwelled, and in the countries there about, and in my journeys, where it hath chanced me to be on sundays, or other holy days, of which I have no signs remaining in writing, although I think verily some of them were as fruitful, as others in which I took more labours, I pray God they may be written and registered in the book of life everlasting. And when I should preach oftentimes in one place, I used not to take every day a distinct epistle or gospel, or other text, but to take some process of scripture, and to prosecute the same, part one day and part another day, and so you shall perceive by my declaration of the vii gifts of the holy ghost, which I preached at Redcliffe cross, in the good and worshipful city of Bristol, in sundry sermons, although I was interrupted many years by the confederacy of Hugh Lathamer, then aspiring to a bisshopriche, and after being bishop of worceter, and ordinary of the greatest part of the said Bristol, and infecting the whole. And so by the exposition of the first epistle of S. Peter, which I preached also in many sermons at the cathedral Church there, where I am one of the Canons, in this also I was many times and long discontinued by the odious schism that was now lately, and by the doers of the same. And in like manner in the Cathedral Church of wells, on the first and second sundays of advent, on Axe wednesday, and others, and there I lacked no trouble by bishop Barlowe and his officers, of which such as be not performed, I intent (if it shall please God) to perform and finish hereafter.  

Of all my said sermons you shall now receive in this book, as hereafter followeth.  
A Declaration of the seven gifts of the holy ghost in six sermons.  
An homily of the articles of our Christian faith.  
An homily of Ceremonies, and of man's laws.  
A perfect exposition of S. Peter's first epistle, in twenty treatises or sermons.   
I have beside these many sermons, made in very solemn audiences on the dominical epistles and gospels, some in the university of Oxford, some at Paul's cross in London: some in the court afore my most honourable Lord and Master king Henry the eight: some in the cathedral church of wells, where hath been ever sith I knew it a solemn and a well learned audience, which I purpose (God willing) to set forth hereafter, as I may have opportunity.   

A repertory or table, directing to many notable matters expressed in this book following.  


A.  ABraham is dead, and Abraham is alive, 
Fol. xxii. d  Abraham, jepthe, and others, what they did for love to their country. 
fol. lii. a  Abstain from their wives men must because of prayers. 
fol. ccvii. c  Acts of parliament in our time hath pretended godliness, but in effect turned to private lucre, with the impoverishinge and undoing of many others, 
fol. cccix. b.  Adam by his life time had separate the issue of cain from the issue of Seth. 
fol, lix. c  Adam, though he had not offended, yet Christ would have been incarnate, and how. 
fol. cxxxvii. c. d.  Adulteringe women's hear with strange colours, etc. is controlinge of God's handy work. 
fol. cc, b. c.  Affections of man's will. 
fol. lv. c.  Affections about good & godly things be laudable. 
lviii. b  Age creepeth upon us many ways, and specially by study, 
fol. ccxxxviii. b c  Almightiness of God giveth us a great light and comfort to believe all the articles of our faith, 
fol. lxxv, a.  Alms given against a man's will, is nigardelye given. 
fol. ccxii. a b  Alms given to the students of the universities is best be stowed. 
Eodem. c.  Anaxagoras felicity. 
fol. xlv. a  An Ape or counterfetter against every virtue, 
fol. xliii. a,  Andrew's prerogative and his charity. 
fol. ci. c  Angels ever seeth the glory of God, and ever desireth to see it, and so shall we do. 
fol, cxxix. a. b  Apostle, is the name of an office. 
fol. c.ii, d  Apostles be of iiii. manners. 
fol. ciii. b  Arrius heresy. 
fol, two. c.  Arrius heresy how it rose. 
fol. nineteen. c.  Articles of our faith be xii according to the number of the Apostles, and why they be called articles. 
fo. lxxiii. b.  Asia the less is full of pleasures. 
fo. lvi. d  Asia, Africa, and Europe, how they be divided. 
fo, cviii, c.  As, importeth not ever equality. 
fo. cxxxii, d.  authors of the stoics, and their opinion of the four affections. 
fol. lv. d  Aulus Gellius story concerning the four affections. 
fol. lvi. c  Authority of prelate's, successors to the apostles. 
fol. xcvi. b  Avarice waxeth young in age. 
fol. clxvii. c  Authority of the master, giveth the scholar a courage to learn in all faculties. 
fol. cclxxix. c. d.  Altars pulled down, and birds put up for the communion with much mutability about the same. 
fol, cccxii. d.  Altars pulled down by heretics of Arrius sect, in saint basiles time. 
fol. cccxiii. d    


B.  BAbilon was build cxxxi year after noah's flood by Nembroth. 
fo. cccxiiii. d  Baptism of infants, contrary to the Anabaptists. 
cxlii. a  Baptism cleanseth all sins, 
fol. cxix, b.  Bezeleel had the spirit of science. 
fo. xlii. c  to Believe there is one god, or to believe god, is not sufficient, but we must believe on one god. 
fol, lxxiii. d,  Believe on the holy church, may be said. 
fo. lxxxv. a  Believe the resurrection. etc. is necessary to take away the fear of death. 
fol. lxxxvi, b. c  Bithynia lieth over the streictes against Constantinople. 
cx. c  Better it is to shine with labour, then to roust for idleness. 
fol. clxxiiii. c.  Bearing one with another easeth the burden, & so doth compassion in infirmities of the soul. 
fol ccx. a  Beauty of face must not be used as an instrument of mischief. 
fol. cclxvii. c  Bilders bad and good. 
fol. clvi. c. d.  bishops must not be to easy or rash in ordering priests, and their peril in so doing. 
fo. clxx. d  Bishops and priests were all one in old time. 
fo. cclxxxvi. c  bishops may command, and compel, when? 
clxxii. a, b,  Blood of Abel cried for vengeance, the blood of Christ cried for mercy. 
fo. cxiiii. a  Blessing is diversely understand and ta●en. 
fol. cxvi. b,  Blessing and well saying by our neighbours, shallbe requited with blessing everlasting. 
fo. ccxvi. a  Blessed be they that suffereth for justices sake. 
fol. ccxix. b  Blessed be they that god correcteth, and why? 
fol. cclxxv. c  Bodily members applied to the soul. 
fol cxxx. a  Bondage came other by iniquity or by adversity. 
clxxxiiii. a  Body of sin. 
fol lxxxii. c d  Bristol was full of diversity of errors. 
fo. ccix, c d  brotherhood is to be loved, and not only the brother's 
ccx. c  Brotherhead of heretics and schismatics is but a can●ell or patch of the very true brotherhood, and like a rotten bow broken of from the tree. 
Eodem. c    


C.  CAre and solicitude we must cast upon god. 
fo. cccvii. b  Calling, or election, of two manners, 
fol. cxii c. d.  Cain for lack of God's fear, was punished with fear. folio. 
lix. b.  Calis Malis is called in latin Calpe, and why it is called ill Calis. 
fol cvii b, c.  Capadotia, situation. 
fol. cx. c.  Carnal in living, and carnal in knowledge. 
fo. cli. c. d  Carnal and wanton company must be left, though it be to thy pain. 
fol. ccxxxii. d  Ceremonies were laid on the jews, to keep them from Idolatry. 
fol. xxxi c.  Cephas, and his interpretation. 
fol. cii. a  Ceremony hath his name, whereof, and what they be. folio. 
lxxxviii. c. d  Ceremonies have been used from the beginning. folio. 
lxxxix. a b  Ceremonies which seemeth to be of small reason and profit, why they were commanded. 
fol. lxxxxii. b  Ceremonies of the old time, were of four manners. folio, 
lxxxx. c.  Ceremonies of the jews were vi c. or more, and very painful and chargeable. 
fol. lxxxxii. b c.  Ceremonies of Christ's church be of, iiii. manners, sacrifices, Sacraments, hallowed things, and observances, 
fol. lxxxxiii. c  Christ hid the glory of his godhead, and why? 
fol. i. b c  Christ might have given to the apostles as great comfort as the holy ghost did, and why Christ reserved the best part of learning for to be taught by him. 
fol. two. a b c  Christian men varieth from the Philosophers in certain conclusions of fortitude. 
fol. xxvii. b c  Children be no meet hearers of divinity, & why. 
fo. xxxiii. a  Christ had the true gift of piety. 
fol. xlvi. b  Christ first heard the doctors read and teach, and afterward asked questions of them. 
Eodem, c  Christ reasoned not with the ignorant (as many doth) but with the very best of the doctors, 
Eodem. d.  At Christ's supper s. Peter begun to understand Christ's words, except ye eat the flesh of a man. etc. 
fol, xxxviii. c  Christ feared to comfort them that fears, 
fol. lxv, c.  chaste spouses to christ how they may be known. 
fo. lxviii b  Christ signifieth an office, as a king, a priest, or such like. 
fol lxxvi. c  Christ, why he chose the death on the cross. 
fol lxxix. a  Christ was of most pure complexion, therefore his wounds were most painful. 
fol lxxix. b.  Christ descended into hell in soul, & why he descended. 
lxxx. c  Charity is compared to a garment. 
fol ccliii. c. d  Christ is a stumbling stone, to whom? 
fol, clviii, a b  Christ is called a stone, why? 
foe clu a.  Church of christ builded on the xii apostles equally. 
clxiiii. b  Christ suffered his pains with joy and gladness in the higher part of his soul, but by the lower portion he was in greatest pain. 
fol, clxxxxiiii a.  Christ's faith was first set forth by homely & rude fishers, and was reproved and pursued by the mightiest people of the world, and yet it prevailed. 
fol. ccxx. b  Christ preached in spirit to the spirits that were hard of belief in noah's time, is understand ii ways. 
fo. ccxxiiii. d  Circuit or compass about, the devil useth. 
fol. clxii, d.  cleans of life is necessary for receiving of grace. 
fo, cxxx. a  Codrus king of Athenis died for his countries sake. 
fo. xlix. a  Covetous men be like molles. 
fol. vi, c  Counsel or policy worldly many times lacketh the spirit of counsel. 
fol xv. d  Counsel of Gamaliel. 
fol. xviii, c  the gift of Counsel was in jethro, which Moses lacked. 
fol. xxiiii. c d  Christian man winneth when he is thought to lose, falsehood loseth when he is glad of his winning. 
fol. cxxxiii. b  Consubstantial, that word is not found in scripture, yet it must needs be used. 
fol. xx. d  Conception of Christ in the virgin's body, is somewhat like the generation of a worm of the moist earth by the heat of the son. 
fol. lxxviii a. and ccxxi c  Communion, much mutability in ministering the communion amongst the heretics, 
fol cccxii. d  Communion of saints, is conformite to the company of holy men & women, as well quick as dead, 
fol. lxxxv. c  ● Commandments of God be moral laws, & ought to be red in churches on sundays & holidays, 
lxxxx. a  covering of sins is of two manners. 
fol cclii. a  Correction beginneth at the church. 
fol. cclxxvi c  Colchis, where it is said the golden fleece was, is in Ponto. 
fol. cx. b.  Counsel Nicene was kept in Bithynia. 
Eodem. d.  Coming to Christ is by faith. 
fol. cliiii. c  Corner stone, the hebrews tale of that stone. 
foe clv, c. d  new Conuerses to Christ suffereth much woe, and persisteth in goodness. 
fol. ccxxxviii. d.  the Company in Bristol brought the common gains into the hands of a few. 
fol. ccxi. b  Commessations, be all extraordinary banketings, 
fo. ccxxxiiii c  Crime is described, 
fol. cclxxxv. c  in Crooked things the middle swarneth from the extremities. 
fol. cccviii. d  Creation, what manner a thing it is. 
fol. lxxv. a.  Crosses by the high ways devoutly erect, maliciouselye cast down. 
fo lxxxxv. a.  Cure we have every one of his neighbour. 
fol. cclxv. d.  Curiosity about new knacks and new learning is reproved with remedy against the same. 
fol. clxxv. b. c  Cuthbert, saint Cuthberte received an anngell for his gest. 
fol. cclxi. b. c    


D.  Dark sayings of Christ made many to err even in Christ's time. 
fol. xxxvii. d  Dampened bodies how they shall ever endure. 
fol. lxxxvii a  the devils sin is irremissible, why? 
fol. lx. a  Desire of the holy fathers to see Christ. 
fol. cxxvii. a b  Death, of a fair death, and of a foul death. 
fo. ccxli. b  Divine productions. 
fol. ix. c  Difference betwixt the mind of a fool and of a wise man, about the affections. 
fol. lvii. c.  Division of tongues was the greatest stroke that ever man was stricken withal, after the loss of original justice. 
lx. d  Differ not to believe, why? by example. 
fol. lxxi. c  Die to sin. 
fol. lxxxii. b.  Discretion of spirits, is necessary for him that shall study scriptures. 
fol. xcix. b. c.  Dowries or gifts of a glorified body. 
fo. lxxxvi. c  Dowries or gifts of a glorious body declared. 
fo. cclxxxi. a  Detraction, and a remedy against detractors. 
fol. cxlvii. b  Desire to have is covetousness, and so is desire to save. 
folio. cclxviii. b. c,  Dukes, Captains, and officers duties under the king. 
folio. clxxxi. b  the Devil killing the latter Adam lost the first Adam, and all his posterity. 
fol. ccxxvii, a  the Devil meddleth not with some, walketh through some, and compasseth about some. 
fol. cccix. d    


E.  EArth is diversly understand. 
folio. lxv. d  Election of two manners. 
fol. cxii. c  Elia the new city of jerusalem. 
fol. cxxviii. b  Embringe days fasted, with prayers for ordering of priests. 
fol. cclxxxiiii. b  Envy is described, & is meet for no place but for hell 
cxlvii d  Envy cometh of vain glory. 
fol. cc. lxiiii. d.  Envy how it may be put away by suffering in the flesh, 
folio. ccxxxiii. a. d  Envied and disdained, is all new conversion, as when Saul prophesied. 
fol. ccxxxvi. c d  Epicures felicity. 
fol. xlv. c  Epictetus determination of the affections 
fo. lvii. d  Ephesus is a city in the country of Asia the less. 
fo. cxi. a  Eve the first woman was made for two uses, and in both she was excedingely punished. 
fol. xcvi. c  Extremities of fortitude. 
fol. xxvii. a  Examples of the gospels to forsake our parents, for to follow Christ in religion. 
fo. lii. d  Exhortation to servants, & to their masters 
fol, xliii. v.  Example of Christ's pains in his most tender body should be our armour and defence. 
fo. ccxxx. c  Example of concord betwixt man and wife, the lampraye with the vevemous viper giveth. 
fo. ccv. c.  Examples declareth and easeth our faith. 
fo. ccxxi. b.    


F.  FAbles pleasantly covereth truths. 
fol. lxi. d  Faith is defined, and that it is necessary for man's salvation. 
fol. lxxi. a b  Faith, hope, and charity, be presupposed to the vii gifts of the holy ghost. 
fol, v, b  Faith helpeth intelligence, and contrary wise. 
fol x. d  Faith at rest and unexercised anon decayeth. 
fo. lxxii c  Faith is the instrument by which God preserveth us in goodness. 
fol. cxxii. a  Faith overcometh all wordliness, and sin, is declared generally. 
Eodem, b  Fear is necessary, 
fol. lviii, d  Fear is divided into six members after Damascen. 
lxiiii. d  Fear is divided into mundane, servile, filial, or chaste. 
Eodem  Fear presupposeth a love. 
fol, lxiiii, d  Fear servile, of god though it be not sufficient, yet it doth good. 
fol, lxvi c  Fear servile, and chaste fear, be like the fear of an adulteres wife, and of a chaste wife. 
fol. lxvii, c, d  Fear servile, is like the hear or bristel that leadeth & bringeth in the thread. 
fol, lxix, b  Fear that is one of the seven gift of the holy ghost, is humility. 
fol, lxx, b  the rule of our Faith, is the whole book of holy scripture. 
fol. lxxiii. a  the Father in trinity is neither elder, nor more of power then the son or the holy Ghost. 
fol. lxxiiii. d  Flatterers of their lords, believe not on one God properly. 
Eodem. c  flattering proveth a man. 
fol. cx●iiii. ●. c  Flattering hosts and tapsters that will let us in our journey to heaven. 
fol. clxxiiii. b  Flesh desireth ease, new inventions, and sweetness of tasting and touching. 
Eodem. c  Flesh desireth against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh, is unproperly spoken. 
fol. clxxvii. a  feebleness of our wits to understand the holy scriptures. 
fol. lxxxxix. a  Fellows to Christ. 
fol. ciiii. c.  Fortitude or manliness, wherein it standeth, and what it worketh in us. 
fol. xxviii. b.  Foundation of our ghostly building is above in heaven, & therefore thither we must build upward. 
fol. clxiiii. c. d  Foams peccati, the nurse or breader of sin, is captain of the wars with the devil. 
fol. ccxxx. d.  Faults be vii that maketh a man's conversation odious, 
clxxviii d  Fraternal love is declared, and his beginning, and his perfection. 
fol. cxl. a b▪  Fear of mind extended into the body is tremor. 
fo. clxxxiiii c  fasting in Lent, & on Fridays, and in the rogation week is umbrayded & mocked of naughty livers. 
fo. cclxxiii b    


G.  GAlatia, situation. 
fol. cx. d  Gaminers be all churls without liberality. 
cclxxxix. a b  Galilean Christ was called for despite. 
fo. cclxxiii. a b  Gentle birth requireth gentle manners, bodily and morally. 
fol. cxl. d  Gifts of the holy ghost may be had, one without another. 
xxiii d  the vii Gifts of the holy ghost be coupled, why? 
fol. ix. b  the Gift of understanding is never taken from good men, in things necessary to be known. 
fol. xi. a  seven. Gifts of the holy ghost be compared to other virtues, after divers opinions. 
fol. v. a b  Gile and subtlety counterfeiteth science & cunning. 
xliii, a  Givers over afore th'end, be like an ape with a green nut. 
cxxii a  Gile is described. 
fol, cxlvi, a  Gile that is good. 
Eodem, c  Give and you shall have given to you, is declared at large. 
folio. ccxii, a  Givers of their own shalt be rich, scratchers of other men's be ever at beggars state, 
fol. cclxi, c  Glory of carnal kindred is poor and vile. 
Eodem. a, b  Glad we ought to be, bearing part of Christ's passions. 
folio, cclxxi, c  Godly wisdom is declared 
fol, viii, b  God will not suffer a good man finally to waver in errors, 
foe, xxxix, c  Good women how they should trim themselves. 
liii, c  God repent, is understanded, 
fol, lix, d  Good spirit speaketh in catholic expounders of scriptures, and in heretics the bad spirit, 
fol, xcix, b, c  glutton, the rich glutton buried in hell. would not that his brothers should come thither, why? 
fo, clxxviii, a  A Goyde is necessary to save a man from masking, moraliter. 
fol. cxc, a  Good and ill be common as well to ill men as to good, and why? 
fol fi ccxli. b. c.  Godmen to be troubled with shrews is no news. 
cclxx c  God about is the devils use. 
fol-cccviii. a  Grace is diversly distributed, and there, of full of grace, with a distinction. 
fol. iiii, a b,  Great sinners require great mercy. 
fol. cxvii. b.  Grow to salvation. 
fo. cliii. d  Graves, spoilers of men's graves of the brazen epitaphs be churls, and worketh for shameful gains. 
cclxxxix. b    


H.  Hardness of scripture is occasion of all heresies, 
xxxvii. d  when Heretics be separate god's mind in the scriptures is known. 
fo, xxxvii, a  Heresy of Novatus. 
Eodem, b,  Herode the second was banished to Lions in France, 
xvi c  Heaven is diversly spoken of in scripture, and of the doctors. 
fol. lxxv, b  without Heaven (after Aristotle) be things leading a most blessed and most sufficient life. 
fol. lxxv. b.  Hellespont the streict, and his breadth. 
fol. cix. a  Heavenly joys be declared, yea rather dreamt by negatives. 
fol. lxxxvii. c  Hearers of ill tales have itching ears, and what hurt they do. 
fol. cxlix. a b  Heat of temptation requireth a tree to shadow us. 
clxxxviii. b  Heaven is a wilderness to many, 
fol. cxcii. a,  Heresies hath no strength but when they meet with a weak faith. 
fol. cccx. d  Heretics ever wavering and unpleasant. 
foe cccxii c  Honour to our parents wherein it standeth 
fo. lii. b  Holy ghost showed his godhead specially reveling things to come. 
fol. iii. a b  Hope lively and dead. 
fol. cxix. c  Honours be like the foam on a running water like smoke, like sleep. 
fol. cxxii. d  Honour of a king. 
fol. c.xci d  Honour hath divers significations. 
fo. ccvi. c  Honour due to the wife by the husband. 
Eodem, d  Hospitality is of two manners. 
fol. cclxii. d  Hospitality looking to be quit again with the like, is a spice of avarice. 
fol. cclvii. a  Hospitality is rewarded abundantly as appeareth by the scriptures. 
fol. cclviii. c  Hospitality is used of very poor men, and requireth no multitude of dishes. 
fo. cclxii. a  Humility hath two offices▪ after one he was in Christ, after the other it is in us. 
fol. ccciii. d.    


I.  Jacob was loved, & Esau reproved without partiality. 
folio. cxxvi. a.  Idleness & sloth is most to be feared in the nobility. 
clxxv b  Idolatry followeth of riotous feasting and banqueting. 
folio. ccxxxiiii. d  Idols men make their wives, children, and their goods. 
folio. ccxxxv. b  Idols be nothing. 
fol. xli. a  Idolatry begun by Ninus king of Babylon▪ and greatly advanced by Semi●amis his queen. 
fo. cccxv. a  jezabelles shameful end and death, notwithstanding her painting and trimming. 
fol. cci. b. c  jews' to obstinately leaned to Moses' law in Christ's time. 
fol. thirty. d  jesus was ever a saviour. 
fol. lxvi. b  jesus and Christ signifieth one person, with a difference 
fol. lxxvi. c  jonas shipwreck signifieth Christ's temptation & trouble. 
fo. cxxxviii. d  john Baptist doubted nothing of Christ, wherefore his question was for his disciples learning, and not for his. 
folio. clxi. c  joshua his shield, signifieth the arms of Christ's passion. 
folio. ccxxxi. b.  Infirmity maketh virtue stronger. 
fo. ccxl. c.  judas was both proditor and traditor. 
fo. cxci. d  judgement of god be of ii, manners, secret & manifest. 
cclxxv. a  judas was chosen to be apostle, not ignorantly, 
cclxxxiii. a  judas Galileus error and destruction. 
fol. xviii. b.  judas Galileus when he set forth his heresy, and how long it continued. 
fol. clxxxi. d  judgement general is greatly to be feared. 
fol. lxxxiii. d  judicial laws be described. 
fol. xc. a  judicial laws as given by Moses bindeth us not, but the same enacted and established by Christian princes bindeth their subjects. 
fol xciii. a  judicial laws Christ left none. 
fol. xcv. c    


K.  king Henry the viii encouraged great clerks to try out the mere truths of the scriptures. 
fo. nineteen. b.  King Henry the viii by his foundations of cathedral churches, conserveth divine service to the honour of god. 
cxx d  Kings spiritually they be that ruleth their affections. 
folio. clxviii. a  kings precellencie. 
fo. clxxx. c  Kissinges of divers manners, good and bad. 
fo. cccxv. a  Kissing one another in the church at the mass time, was used in the primitive church. 
fol. cccxvi. d  Kissing the pax at Mass, and the reason why. 
fo. cccxvii a  Knowledge of things to come hereafter men most desire. 
fol, iii, b    


L,  LAzarus sleepeth, is understanden, 
fol, xxii, d  Lack of fear was a great cause of noah's flood 
lix. b  Laws positive made by man, which bind under pain of deadly sin, and which do not so bind, 
xcvii, a. b  Lechery is cold without meat or drink, 
fol, ccxxxiiii, c,  Levaunt sea stayeth at the bay of Issus Eastward, 
cvii, d.  Levaunt and middle earth sea is described, and his courses, 
fol. Eodem,  Little sins must be killed 
ccxxxi, c  Liberty of the Gospel 
fo, nineteen. d,  Live to sin, 
fol, lxxxii, c  Life of a good christian man is desire. 
fol, clxxiiii, a  Liberty not to be used as a cloak for malice or my slivinge. 
folio. clxxx, d  Love the man, hate the vice, 
fol, ccxv, c, d  Loins of our mind what they be, and that they must be tucked up, 
fol, cxxx, a  Liberal men be best beloved, 
fol▪ ccxli, d,    


M,  MAnda remanda. etc. Esa, xxviii, is expounded, 
clxii, a  Maniche is heresy, 
fol, lxxiii, a  Married we be to Christ by faith. 
fol. lxviii, a  Mary was full of grace, how, 
fol, iiii, b  Mary's prerogative, 
fol, lxxviii. c.  Marry was delivered without any aperture of her body, 
Ibid  Man's traditions or man's laws which bind under pain of deadly sin, and which not, 
fo. xcvi, d  Makers of laws be Gods helpers, and must beware of certain faults, 
fol. xcvii, c  Make not our bodies more precious than Christ made his body. 
fol▪ ccxxix,  Malice, 
fol, cxlv, d,  Married men must lay away their swelling and poison when they company with their wives, that is ever, 
ccvi a  Make a dinner meritoriously, 
fo. cclvii, b,  Messiah, Christus, unctus, be all one, 
fo, ci d  Men be princes, & greatest in their own houses, 
fo, cxcvi b  Mercy of three manners. 
fol. cccxi. c  Mithridates king of Ponius kept open war with the Romans xlvi years. 
fo. c.x. b  Milk signifieth plain doctrine, & of the plenty of milk folio. 
cl. a. b.  Milk sour and crudded 
fo. c.liii. a. b  Modesty is described. 
fol. ccxiii. b  Moses had fortitude performing the counsel of jethro 
folio. xxvi. b.  Moses' wished to be stricken out of god's book, is under stand. 
fol. li. b.  a Mother and her vii sons manfully suffered death. 
folio. xxviii. d.  Mourning undiscrete, is taken away, believing on the article of resurrection of the body. 
fol. lxxxvi. c.  Morale laws what they be. 
fol. lxxxix. c.  Moral laws bindeth all men. 
fo. lxxxx. a  murmuring and grudging, is the property of a swine. 
folio. cclxiiii. c    


N.  NArrations if they be sober doth good to the audience. 
folio. lxi d.  Narration of ii crafts men, of which the better witted thrived worse. 
fo. lxii. a. b.  Name, a good name is a treasure highly to be regarded, and he that taketh it away cannot be forgiven without restitution & that the restitution is very hard. 
fo. cxlvii. c  Numbered of prisoners taken in the siege of jerusalem, and of them that were slain and died by mortyn. 
fol. xvii. a.    


O.  OBey our rulers not tyrants. 
fol. cccv. c. d.  Obedience not co-acted but with charity is required. 
fol. cxl. a.  Obsecration signifieth a vehemency in desire for an others sake. 
fol. clxxi. d.  Obedience of Sara, is an example to all wives. 
fo. cciii. c  observances of the old law. 
fol. lxxxxi. b  Obseruauncee in Christ's church. 
fo. lxxxxiiii. d  Offer thyself to die rather than renege god or his faith 
folio. cccvi a.  Offended men be by God's longa●imite and long sufferance, and so it was in old time. 
fo. clx●. d  Oil signifieth the holy ghost. 
fo. iii. d  Old man signifieth our old living. 
fol. lxxxii. b.  Original justice is declared. 
fo. cxvii. c. d.  Original sin. 
fol. cxviii▪ a.  Orders of Angels were all subject to Christ. 
fo. ccxxvii. d  ordering of priests, and the ceremonies about the same 
folio. cli. d. &. clii. a. b  Our lord, why Christ is so called & that our lord agreeth to God, better than the Lord. 
fo. lxvii. a  Ore dung to stone the slewthfull is understand. 
clxxiiii. d    


P.  PArcialite, when it is used. 
foe cxxxiiii. a  Paul wished to be separate from Christ, for love to his country men, is understand. 
fol. li. c  Paul was very obstinate at the first in keeping Moses' law. 
fol. xxxi. b  Passions many Christ suffered. 
fo. cxxviii. c  Paul and the world were crucified one to an other. 
folio. ccxxxii. b.  Pain that christ suffered for us, we must take as our own by compassion. 
foe cxc. a. b  painting thy here with red or bright colours is a prophecy of the flaming fire of Hell, which thou shalt come to. 
fol. cc. d.  Penance is the most painful Sacrament of Christ's church with comfort to ease the same. 
fo. lxxxxiiii. b.  Penance is necessary is declared. 
fol. cxix. a  Penal laws, how they bind 
fo. xcxvii. b. c  Peter was bishop of Antioch, and how long he tarried there, and that he came from thence to Rome. 
fo. cv. c. d  Penance, the Nini●ites shall condemn them that will not do penance. 
fo. clx. c. d  Peace must be sought and run after else the world will have it away. 
fo. ccxvii. b.  Pilate how he died. 
fo. xvi. c. d  Piete or pity is diversly taken in latin and also in english. 
fo. xliiii b  Pietas, is defined after lactance and after Saint Aug. 
folio. xlv. c  Pietas is called latria in greek, and in Latin Religio. 
folio. ●odem  Piete or reverend worship we own to God, to our country and to our parents, and the order of these. 
folio. xlviii. b. c.  Pietas signifieth mercy pity and compassion. 
fo. lv. a b  pity on students of the universities is best bestowed. 
folio. liv. c. d  Pilgreme what it signifieth, and how that vocable hath been used. 
fo. clxxii. d.  pilgrims must observe vi things in their journey. 
folio. clxxiii. a. b  Plato and Aristotels school, that the four affections must be moderate. 
fol. lvi. a.  Preachers must have sapience, and the hears intelligence. 
folio. xi. d.  prosperity and adversity, good and ill, be common to good and ill, and why. 
fo. ccxli. b  Preachers may not cease perceiving that their audience profitteth not. 
fo. xii. c.  preaching profeicteth many manner of ways. 
fo. xiii. b  priests raiment different from lay men's raiment is a necessary ceremony. 
fo. lxxxxiiii. c  Precipitation of sentence, is contrary to the gift of counsel. 
fol. xxiii. a.  prophecy necessary at the ordering of priests. 
folio. cclxxxv. a  Priesthoddes' excellency. 
foe cliiii. d.  Prelates and Priests must not be lordly nor lowringe. 
folio. clvii. a  proof of man by trouble and by flattering. 
fol. cxxiiii. b.  Praise the judge shall give us for the works of justice and honesty, like as for the works of mercy. 
folio. cxxv c. d  preaching of the Gospel, is called a smell or a sauo●r 
folio. cxxx. b.  Precious is the stone our saviour Christ and laid in the foundation. 
fo. clxiiii a. b.  Priests and kings, we be all men and women how, with a distinction of priesthood. 
fol. clxvii. a. b.  Priests spiritually be they, that offereth to God acceptable sacrifice. 
fo. clxviii. d.  Priesthood the Sacrament, and of his excellency. 
fo. clxix. c.  Prophecy in the ordering of a priest, what it signifieth. 
fol. clxx. b. c.  Precellent is a higher term then excellent, 
fo. clxxx. c. d  Precelencie and high authority of a king. 
fo. eod.  priests hath such power and authority, as was never given to any other creature. 
fol. cclxxxxii. c. d  Priests be more necessari for us then our carnal parents. 
fol. clvi b.  priests must not be proud. 
fo. cc. lxxx●iii. b  praetors office among the Romans, & there note agrave check that one gave to an other of them. 
fol. ccxiii. c. d.  Prophets and apostles and preachers, had harm for well speaking and doing. 
fol. ccxviii●● b. c▪  Prudence is declared, & of how many manners it is. 
cc●liii. d  Provision we be taught by example of four little dea●●es. 
folio. ccxlvi. c. d.  Prudence we be taught by example of the serpent. 
ccl. b. c  Purgatory the vocable. 
fo. xx. c. d  denial of Purgatory, bringeth men to carnal liberty. 
xxi. a  Purgatory hath be reproved by the words of the canon of the mass. 
fol. xxi. c.  Purgation is not the best remedy against a slander, but to avoid the occasion. 
fo. clxxxi. c    


R.  REligion of our time was not like the religion in S. Iheroms time. 
fo. liii b  Regale sacerdotium is expounded. 
fol. clxv. b. ●  rich men have their goods as prisoners have their featters. 
fo. seven. a. b.  Riches that will abide by us, is the riches of the soul. 
folio. ccii● c.  the rich glutton died in his soft bed, and went to Hell, poor Lazarus died in his maungie clovies, and went to Abraham's bosom. 
fol ccxlii. b,  rich proud men, profecteth not so much as the poor, having a good heart, 
fo. cclxii b  Rome was called Babylon. 
fol, cv b, and, cccxiiii d  Rhodes the isle, where it standeth. 
fo. cix, c  Roboam the young king by the wilful counsel of young men, lost ten parts of his kingdom. 
fol. ccci, a.  Rules to expound scriptures- 
fol, clxvi, a    


S.  Salvation of our souls is th'end of our faith. 
foe cxxvi, d  Saul & judas how they were chosen. 
fo. cxii. c  Sapience or wisdom is of four manners. 
fo. vi. b  Sacraments of the old law. 
fol, xc. d  Sacrifices. 
Eodem c.  Sacred or hallowed things. 
fol. xciiii. d,  Sacrifices of Christ's church be many. 
fo. xciii. c  Sacraments of Christ's church be seven. 
fol. xciiii a  Sactus, holy, signifieth firm, fast & sure in goodness, 
cxxxii d  Saba, where it lieth. 
fol. clxi. b  Samaritans were as it were half jews, why? 
fo. cxc, c  Sara called her husband lord, yet husbands must not be lordly toward their wives. 
fo, cciiii, a  Sacrament of baptism was signified by the water that in noah's time saved eight persons in the ship. 
ccxxvi b  Sacrament of the altar is signified by the steene of meal and the gear of oil, & is likewise preserved and continued. 
fol, cclix, a, b  Science of scripture is in worse case than any other faculty. 
fol. xxxvi. a  Science the gift of the holy ghost extendeth to handy crafts, 
xlii b  Scripture, he that followeth not holy scriptures knoweth not Christ, 
Eodem, c  Scripture sometimes speaketh that of the whole, that is verified only in the part. 
fo, clxvi, a,  Search the Scriptures, why? 
Eodem, c  Seven times a day falleth a just man, is expounded. 
cclxxxv d  Sermons, the queen of Saba shall condemn them that will not take labours to come to hear sermons. 
fo, clxi, a  Servants must obey although their masters be unreasonable hard. 
fol, cxci, c  servants must have a loving fear toward their masters, example of joseph. 
fo. clxxxvi. d  Servants many times become better than their masters & buyeth their masters children's inheritance. 
fo. cxciiii. a.  Sickness bringeth ill tidings to the sensual appetite, but to reason they should be welcome. 
fol. ccxl. b. c  Shipwreck or peril on the sea, will make a merchant to know God more than sermons. 
fol. lxiiii b  Semiramis queen of Babylon reigned there victoriousely by the space of xlii years. 
fo. cccxv. b  Sign of the cross, saveth us from the devil. 
fol. lxxix. a.  Sat, or stand in heaven, is understand. 
fol. lxxxiii. b  Simon the son of jonas, is expounded morally. 
fo, cij. b  Simon Magus was driven from Antioch, and afterward from Rome by S. Peter. 
fol. cv. c  Socrates learned sufferance by his froward wives. 
folio. cciiii. d  Sobriety is temperance the cardinal virtue. 
foe cccvii. a  Solicitude that is to be eschewed. 
fol, cccvi, c,  Spirit is diversly taken in scripture. 
fo. cxiii. b  Sprinklinge of the blood of Christ and of Abel, have contrary effects. 
fol cxiiii. a  Spiritual in living, and spiritual in knowledge. 
fol. cli d  Spiritual who be called. 
fol. ccxxix, a  Study in divinity bringeth small profit worldly 
fo. xliii. c  Stoici & Peripathetici agre in substance of the iiii affections, and varieth only in words. 
fol. lvi. c  Stoop they must that will be saved. 
fol. ccci. d.  Stooped Pharaoh, Achab, Nabuchodonoser. etc. 
fo, cccii. c.  Study of scripture without the holy ghost, shall not escape heresies. 
fol. lxxxvi. d  Strokes that Christ suffered were more painful to him, than such like could be to any other man 
fo. lxxix. b  Stone, some falleth on the stumbling stone, and on some the stone falleth. 
fo. clviii. b  Strangers we would take ourselves in this world. 
folio. clxxii. b  Stuardes we be every man in god's household. 
cclxv. d.  stewards and the diversity of them, is declared by the parable of the talents. 
cclxviii. d.  example of Sufferance, we must take of the brotherhood. 
folio. cccxi. c. d  to Suffer pain wrongfully is a special gift of grace. 
folio. clxxxv. d  Suffering for well doing shallbe rewarded. 
fo. ccxxii. b  Some suffereth and be never the better, like the thief on Christ's lift hand. 
Eodem. c. d  Suffering in the flesh maketh a man to cease from sin, declaratur discurrendo. 
fo. ccxxxii. c. d  Some stewards borroweth much & never payeth. 
cclxvi. d    


T.  Taste that God is sweet. 
fol. cliii. c  Thoughts that be good, causeth a good tongue. 
ccxvi. c  Think well and thou shalt speak well. 
Ibidem.  Trinity, the works of the whole trinity be all one outforth 
fol. two. b  Trinitas, that word is not found in scripture. 
fol. xx. d.  The whole Trinity wrought the incarnation of Christ 
fol. lxxvii. d  Trial of our faith. 
fol. cxxiiii. c.  trying of the stumbling stone. 
fol. clxiiii. a  Turpe lucrum, foul gains. 
fol cclxxxix. a  tongues burneth up all if they be ill. 
fo. ccxvii. a.    


V  VAsthi the Emperisse wife to Assuerus, was deposed for disobedience. 
fol. cxcvi. c  Water with the word concurring with faith purgeth the soul. 
folio. ccxxvi. a  Watch with prayer. 
fol. ccli. a  We, is a commination of pain everlasting. 
fol. vi. d.  Virtue is the craft to live well. 
fol. lv. d  virtues infused confirmeth virtues acquisite. 
fol. xi. a  Well doing shall stop men's mouths that raileth against us. 
fo. clxxxi. a  vengeance, let god alone with the vengeance. 
fo. cxci. a.  Virtuous exercise is mocked and railed at. 
cclxxiii. c  Uianders be abundantly rewarded. 
fol. cclxi. b  wives fear of their husbands must be joined with love. 
cxciiii d  The Wives by their faith and good conversation may convert the husband. 
folio. cccvii. d  Wife must be first taken and afterward proved, otherwise then any other merchandise. 
fol, cc, b  Wicliffes' heresies when they troubled this realm, 
nineteen a  Vix saluabitur justus, is expounded. 
fol. cclxxviii. a  Women when they would be seen to care least for their hear or locks, than they care most. 
fol. ccxviii, d  women's hear is many times disguised, 
fol. cxcix. a  Women whose honesty is light cheap, be most curious in disgisinge themselves. 
Eodem. c  Woman is the weaker vessel, is declared. 
fol. ccvi. b.  Women of Rome in old time knew not the use of wine. 
folio. ccxxxiiii. b.  Worm of riches is pride. 
fo. cccv. b  Women be no meet hearers of moral philosophy. 
xxxiii. a  Women how they should learn for their soul health. 
xxxiiii. a  Woman was last made and first in faute, 
Eodem. b.  Women have taught men wit. 
fo. xxxv. b  Worm and not a man, why Christ was so called. 
lxxviii. b  Worldly inheritance hath iii naughty properties. 
cxx. c  Wrongs when we ought to remit them, and when we may redress them. 
fol. xcvi. a  Wrong there is none, when the thing cometh of mere grace. 
fol. lxxv. d  wives deserving to be beaten, reneige their wives state, and turn to the servants state again. 
fo. cciiii. b    


X.  XAntippa. Socrates' wife cast a chamber vessel on his head, and what he said then. 
fol. cciiii. c. d    


Y.  Young men be no meet hearers of moral philosophy. 
folio. xxxiii. a. b.  young in age, and young in manners. 
Eodem, & clviii. b  Young men must gently do after their elders. 
fo.▪ clvii. d    
Finis.   

¶ The first sermon, containing an introduction to the whole matter of the seven. gifts of the holy ghost, And treating of the two first gifts called the spirit of sapience, and the spirit of intelligence.  
THe blessed evangelist sanct john in the first chapter of his gospel, after he had somewhat touched the ineffable coeternity of the second person in trinity, the son of God, with God the father, consequently he descendeth to his temporal generation in few words, comprising the same, verbum caro factum est et habitavit in nobis, That word of God the second person in trinity was content to come allow and to take our mortal nature upon him, and to dwell among us not with any diminution or decay of the godhead, for the infinite glory of God suffereth neither augmentation or increase, neither decreasing or decay. It is ever one & after one manner, though it pleased him to hide the glory of his godhead for a season, as condescending to the infirmity of them that he should be conversant withal, and to teach us the way of humility: and that is it that saint Paul saith, semetipsum exinanivit formam seruiaccipiens, He withdrew his mighty power from his operation, for if he had showed it in his own likeness, all the world had not been able to have received him. He kept a lower port, ever using humility and lowliness, & suffering the pains of our mortality, with all the despites that the jews did to him, till in conclusion he came to his pains on the cross in his painful passion. And that he withdrew his power from his operation in the time of his bodily presence hear on earth appeareth evidently by this, that if it had pleased him, he might aswell have endued his disciples with the comfort of the holy ghost while he bodily tarried among them, as to have differred it till the coming of the holy ghost by sensible signs at this holy time of whytsontide. In a long sermon that he made to his disciples afore his passion among other wholesome lessons he said thus unto than: Expedit vobis ut ego vadam etc. It is for your profit that I go from you, for if I go not from you the holy ghost will not come to comfort you. I have yet many things to teach you, but as yet ye can not bear them away, but when the spirit of truth the holy ghost cometh, he shall teach you all truths necessary for you to know. But good lord what sayest thou? Now we can not understand such things as we be to be taught, & than we shall understand: How may this be? Is he greater of power than thou art? Can he do more in teaching us than thou canst do thyself good master? Christ to avoid this scruple & doubt answereth saying: No sirs, I do not say this for any impotency in me, or for any inequality betwixt the holy ghost and me, for the things that he shall teach you & show you, he shall not speak them of himself but of me. The cause why I say so, is this. Omnia quae habet pater mea sunt, propterea dixi de meo accipiet & annunciabit vobis. All things that my father hath, be mine: all power, all knowledge, all cunning be equally, and aswell in the son as in the father, and in the son from the father, like as he hath his generation, production, & being of the father: therefore saith Christ, the holy ghost shall take of mine and shall show it you & teach it you, for when he shall sensibly come among you he shall show you my father's pleasure, which is all one with my pleasure. All that he shall teach you he shall take and learn of my father and of me. Like as he hath his being of my father and of me, and as he is the infinite and ineffable love of my father and of me. Thus said Christ unto his disciples, for in very deed all the works of the whole trinity be all one & undividid outfurth among creatures. Look what one person doth, the same thing doth all three persons likewise. Therefore there was nothing that the holy ghost taught the Apostles, but Christ could have taught it them if it had pleased him. But he reserved & left this power of instructing and comforting the Apostles and others by them, unto the holy ghost the third person in trinity, lest if Christ had done all himself, they would peradventure have thought there had be no holy ghost at all, or else that the holy spirit had not been of equal power with Christ, and with the father of heaven. In very deed afterward there risse a pernicious sect of heretics, as Arrius and his faction which marvelously troubled all the world in their time, saying: that the second person in trinity was but a creature and less of nature & power then the father, And that the holy ghost was also a creature, and a minister and messenger of the father and of the son, and less of power then either of them both. Because Christ would not have his disciples to err in this point, he reserved the best portion of learning & of godly comfort from them, that the holy spirit might teach it them for their comfort, that so they might know the dignity of the holy ghost, and might have cause to glorify and honour him, likewise as they honoured the son, and the father by the doctrine of Christ, which ever attributed and imputed all his lore & instruction, preaching & miracles doing, unto the father, as it is plain in many places in the gospels. Therefore in as much as they had heard much of the power of the father, and had heard many wholesome exhortations of their master Christ, & had seen many marvelous works & miracles done by Christ the very son of God the father, and knew very little manifestly & plainly of the holy spirit third person in trinity: therefore as at this time by the high wisdom and counsel of the godhead, the holy ghost showed himself lighting upon the Apostles in fiery tongues, giving them such instruction and knowledge, such comfort & boldness, as they never had before. And again, because they should not think the holy ghost greater of power then the father or the son, he warned them afore, saying: Quaecun ꝙ audiet ●●quetur. All that he shall hear, he shall speak to you. As who should say, though the gifts that he shall inspire you withal shall be wondrous, yet like as he hath his being of my father and of me, so all cunning, knowledge and other gifts he hath of us and equally with us, like as he is equal and one in substance with us. And in sign and token of his godhead and godly power, it followeth there Et quae ventura sunt annunciabit vobis. In this he shall specially show his godhead, because it accordeth most & chiefly to God▪ to know secrets to come after, and of his godhead it cometh that men have such knowledge revealed unto them, therefore isaiah saith xli Annunciate quae ventura sunt in futurum, & sciemus quia dij estis vos. Tell us what things shall come after, and so we shall surely know that you be gods. This quickened their spirits that our saviour Christ told them, that the holy ghost should instruct them of things to come after, for there is nothing that man's mind desireth more than to know what world shallbe hereafter, and what shall fall after our days. And the Apostles were very inquisitive in such things, therefore many times they asked of Christ whether he went, and which was the way, and when he would come to the judgement, and when jerusalem should be destroyed and not one stone left on another. And when he would come to take his kingdom upon him, and what sign thereof they should have, with many such other questions concerning things to come. Of this thought & cark of mind our saviour Christ dispatched them, when he told them that the holy ghost should teach them & instruct them of all things to come that were meet and convenient for them to know. Now this presupposed of the godly power of our saviour Christ by which he might have made his disciples as perfect in all gifts of grace as the holy ghost did, and the cause why he did not so, descending to my principal purpose I will speak according to this holy time and solemn feast of the abundance & plenty of grace, with which his manhood was endued above all other men and women that ever had grace, And which he deriveth & distributeth to all his faithful people that receiveth grace. Of him the Prophet saith, Psalmo xliiii Vnxit te deus, deus tuus oleo letitiae prae consortibus tuis. Kings and priests which bore the figure of Christ were anointed with material and corruptible oil, but Christ was anointed of god the father with the oil of gladness, that is to say, with the holy ghost, which was figured and signified by the said material oil. With this oil of gladness he was embrued above all his fellows more excellently than any man which he is content to take and use as his fellows coinheritors and copartners of the joys of heaven. They have graces distributed to them severally by parts, and the graces that one man hath, another man lacketh, and men hath them after a remiss and slack manner, not fully nor perfitly: And they that have graces of one kind, yet some hath them more fully and perfitly then some other hath. But Christ's manhood had all graces after the highest manner that could be given to any creature. He was full of grace, not by measure, but above measure. Saint Stephan was full of grace, Stephanus plenus gratia. Act. vi. But how? He had as much grace as was sufficient for him to preach Christ, and to suffer persecution and martyrdom patiently for Christ's sake. And so is every good man and woman full of grace after a certain sufficiency, according to their need, and as it is profitable for them. The blessed virgin mary was called in Gabriels' salutation plena gratia, full of grace, by a special prerogative or afore others, in asmuch as it pleased him of whom cometh all grace and goodness, to take her in so gracious favour as to take his flesh and blood of her most pure virginal body. But the manhood of Christ had all the gifts of grace after a certain excellency and superaboundance, by which he might derive and distribute grace to all faithful people, even like as the head in us giveth influence to all parts of the body in the use and exercise of all sensible movings as appeareth, for when the head is a sleep or mortified with Palseys or such diseases, all other parts of the body be astonished and can do little or nothing. And contrary, when the head is of good temperature and well at ease, all the body is the better & more apt in every member to do his office, by reason of such influence as is derived from the head unto them. Such influence of grace doth our saviour Christ give to all christian people, for he is our head and we his limbs or members, and that godly livelynes of grace that we have, we have it of his store and plenty of grace. Of this store and plenty of Christ's grace the blessed prophet Esay maketh mention, speaking of the mystery of Christ's incarnation, saying: capi xi There shall a slip or rod spring out of the rote of jesse and a flower shall ascend out of his rote, and on him shall rest the spirit of God, the spirit of sapience and of understanding, the spirit of counsel and of fortitude, the spirit of science and of piety, and the spirit of the dread of God shall replenish him. By this slip or rod is understand the humble virgin Mary very flexible and pliant by humility. The flower ascending out of that rote signifieth the sweet flower of our redemption, our saviour jesus Christ which rose and sprung out of the stock and root of jesse otherwise called Isai, king David's father by the said slip or rod Mary descending lineally of jesse by David and by other holy patriarchs, And on this flower shall the holy ghost rest, with the seven gifts of grace which be there called seven spirits, because they be the gifts of the holy spirit by appropriation though they come of the whole trinity as is afore said. Of these seven. gifts of grace that were so excellently in our saviour Christ, and by him were distributed and divided to all them that be apt to receive them, I purpose (God helping) to entreat, partly this day, differing until another time or times (when it shall please God) them that I shall not have leisure or opportunity to speak of now. And here is to be noted for them that be learned, that the scholastical doctors be of divers opinions in conferring and comparing these seven gifts of the holy ghost, to the seven principal virtues, three theological, Faith, Hope and Charity, & four cardinal, Prudence, justice, Fortitude, and Temperance. And also to the viii. beatitudes that Christ speaketh of, Matth. v. And to the fruits of the spirit spoken of, Gala. v. So that by many divisions and subdivisions they reduce all these seven gifts of the holy ghost unto the seven principal virtues aforesaid, & also to the said beatitudes and fruits. And contrariwise they reduce all the said seven principal virtues, beatitudes, and fruits, unto these seven gifts of the holy ghost, considering the scriptures expressing all one thing in substance, expresseth it in divers places by divers words. And now with more words, now with fewer: And in some place omitting that they express in other places. Other saith full reasonably, 
Sco. iii. di. xxxiiii. & xxxv.  that Faith, Hope, and Charity be presupposed to all these seven gifts, as the rote in a tree or in a plant is presupposed if the tree shall bring forth leaves, blossons or fruits. And as we see that the Carpenter's axe or toll can do no work except it be handled of the workman, and joined to him by such handling or touching, even so our souls be not moved to the exercise of any of these seven gifts: except they be after some manner joined to the holy ghost, which must be by faith, hope, & charity. These be the very means to join man to god & to all godly exercise, therefore where these be not, there the holy ghost doth not inspire any of his seven gifts. Example we have of S. Paul which though he were a vessel chosen to be replenished with grace, yet he had not his gifts of grace forthwith after his stroke that he had as he was coming unto Damascus: but he was three days stark blind and sore astonied and afraid, & by this fear with prayer & fasting, he was prepared to faith, hope, and charity, & consequently to abundance and plenty of grace superadded to the graces of faith, hope & charity. Then seeing that these three most necessary virtues be presupposed to the other gifts of the holy ghost, if I should do quenadmodum sapiens architectus, like a wise master of the works, I should first entreat of them, as to lay the foundation afore I begin to garnish the over and higher part of our spiritual building. But because I doubt not but ye have oft and many times heard of them at large, omitting them as presupposing the foundation to be already sufficiently laid, I will descend to my principal purpose, advertising you, that who so ever lacketh the said graces of faith hope, and charity, and will not dispose himself by prayer to obtain them: he shall unprofitably hear any preaching of the foresaid seven gifts of the holy ghost. Then supposing the best that every one of us hath them, let us prosecute & proceed to entreat of these seven gifts, and first of the first gift, that is, the spirit of sapience, or the gift of sapience. And because that (after the mind of the logicians) where is any equivocation, first we must make a distinction afore we give definitions, therefore it is to be noted that sapience or wisdom is taken four manner of ways, as appeareth jacob iii where the apostle asketh this question: Is there any one among you wise or wellearned? If ye will say yea, then saith the apostle, let him show that by his works, In mansuetudine sapientiae, courteously, tractably, or gently ordering his wisdom. Where contrary if ye have bitter zeal and envy in your hearts with striving and brawling, you need not to be proud, deceive not yourselves, for though you think yourself never so wise and jolly fellows, and thou scolding woman never so jolly a dame, yet this is not the wisdom that cometh from above, from God almighty, the giver of all goodness: But this is earthly wisdom, beastly wisdom, and devilish wisdom, where ye have expressed four manner of wisdoms, wisdom that cometh from heaven of God's gift, and three other wisdoms that cometh of our ghostly enemies. Let us exclude these three, and we shall the sooner perceive, understand, and bear away what the godly wisdom is. One of these three noughty wisdoms S. james calleth earthly wisdom, and that is it that covetous men be cumbered with all, which be ever like wants or Moles moiling in the ground, and when they should ascend above such wordliness to godly meditations, as to here sermons or divine service, they be as blind as the Molle. Either they cannot perceive any thing of godly or heavenly counsel, or if they perceive it, yet they have no sweetness in it, but down they would headlong to their lucre and advantages again, like as a Molle if a man would feed her with wine and wastel, she will none thereof, but down again to the ground she will, and there she is more strong than a Lion, and after her manner wiser than any other beast. Example of this earthly wisdom we have in the gospel Luc. xvi. when Christ said No man can serve two masters, and ye cannot serve God and your riches, it followeth, the Phariseis that were rich, heard all these things, & laughed Christ to scorn. So if a man do preach or exhort the covetous men not to put to much affiance and confidence in the uncertainty of their riches a man shall have a mock or a shrewd word. But let them beware of the commination that is writ. Luk. vi We vobis divitibus qui habetis hic consolationem vestram. Woe be to you rich men, which have your consolation and comfort here in this world. We, is a commination of pain everlasting, which shall fall upon them, beside the temporal woe and pain that they have in keeping their goods▪ for they be rather possessed and holden of their goods, then possedeth and holdeth them. And they have their goods, as we say a man hath a pair of fetters or shackles upon his legs, more to his pain then to his pleasure. This considered S. Paul, writing to Timothe i Timo. vi. divitibus huius saeculi precipe non sublime, sapere, neque sperare in incerto divitiarum, sed divites fieri operibus bonis facile tribuere. etc. Command the rich men of this world not to be proud in their own conceits, neither to trust in the uncertainty of their riches, but to be rich in good works and good deeds, to give gently without frowardness. etc. The other wisdom called beastly wisdom they have, that be over much given to the pleasure of their bellies, and consequently to the pleasure of the flesh and lechery. For of gluttony followeth lechery, and this is the wisdom of them that studieth nothing so much, as how they may please their bellies, as where to get a delicate cup of wine and good cheer. These S. Jude in his epistle calleth spots, for they spotteth and defouleth themselves by ebriety and surfeits, and spotteth other men by their ill examples and evil occasions giving. Hi sunt (inquit) in epulis macule convivantes sine timore seipsos pascentes. Against all these speaketh our saviour Christ. Luc. vi. We qui saturati estis, quia esurietis. Woe be to you that be farced, stuffed, and full fed, for you shall be a hungered at your judgement, when ye shall beg refreshing, and none shallbe given you, and this pain with which Christ doth threaten voluptuous persons is inflict and laid on men's necks, sometimes here in this world as we have seen by many men which hath misspend all that their fathers left them, goods, and lands, and all, and have be ready to beg or steal for very need, and for very lack of their accustomed fare. Much like unto Esau, which for a mess of pottage sold his first fruits. Gene. xxv. et Contempsit quod vendidisset: And he little esteemed, yea rather despised that he had so sold them. So these young ruflers be not sorry, but rather doth malign and fret and chafe, and be ready to fight when a man would umbrayde them for so mispending all their substance, worse than the prodigal and wasteful son that is spoke of in the gospel, which after that he had scattered and wasted by his loose living, all the goods that his father left him, yet at the last he took remorse and repentance, and returned home to his father again. The third evil wisdom is called devilish wisdom, which they have that be wise and witty enough to do mischief, but good they can do none: They be wily to cirumvent men, and to deceive them in all business, exchanges, bargaining, buying and selling, and such other exercise. And such be they also that by oppression leapeth upon men's shoulders like Apes as much as in them is, keeping them down that they shall never come up a loft to any thrift or riches, and that will be glad to wait men a shrewd turn, so that no man shall espy them, or know that they do it, and many times when they have done a man a shrewd turn will make a man believe that they be their best friends. All these be carnal wisdom's and worldly wisdom's, that bringeth a man to death everlasting. Rom. viii. prudentia carnis mors est, And it is counted very foolishness afore God. Of such wisdom speaketh Christ. Luc. xvi. The children of this wicked world all set in malignity and mischief be wiser than the children of light, the children of grace, the children of God. And he giveth laud and praise to the father, because he hath hid the mysteries and secrets of the true faith of Christ from them that be worldly wise and far casting, and hath revealed, uttered, and declared them to such as be children, that is to say small and little in malice, humble and lowly in heart and spirit. For on such the holy ghost will spread his gifts. and on none of them that think themselves so worldly wise, which be very fools afore God. The apostle saint james capit. iii. declareth what is this godly sapience or wisdom coming from almighty GOD above, by the effects and properties of it. first (saith he) it is chaste in deeds and in exterior behaviour, for where the filthiness of lechery is, there is no virtue that can please God, and this is contrary to beastly wisdom. Then it maketh peace, as well within a man's self, or in a man's own conscience, as outward to others, directly against devilish wisdom, that is ever quarreling and waiting shrewd turns. It keepeth a measure and good manner in word and deeds. And so doth neither beastly wisdom nor devilish wisdom. Easy to be counseled or entreated, where earthly wisdom (according to the properties of the earth) is hard to be persuaded against his lucre or advantage. agreeing with good men, as none of the other three wisdoms doth. And full of mercy in heart and deed, And full of good fruits, that is to say, good works, whereas of the other wisdoms cometh no goodness but it be colourable & vainglorious, or for some sinister purpose, judging without simulation, or feigning. Not showing justice and indifferency outward, bearing indignation and parciality in heart inward. Such an humble heart had Solomon when he made his supplication and petition to God in Gabaon iii Regum iii where he offered to God a thousand hosts or beasts to be all burned in God's honour (as the manner was then) saying: I am but young, and know not how to begin, nor how to proceed or make an end of my matters: Therefore give unto me thy servant (O good Lord) a disciplinable heart, ready and apt to learn what and how I ought to do, that I may judge thy people, and discern or put difference betwixt good and ill, without which no man can be able to judge these people, they be so many in number. This desire and prayer of this young king Solomon pleased GOD wonderouselye well. And because he asked not long life, neither riches neither the death of his enemies, but only, wisdom to give discrete judgement, Almighty god said to him: I have done as thou hast said. Dedi tibi cor sapiens & intelligens in tantum ut nullus ante te similis tui fuerit nec post te futurus sit. I have given thee a heart endued with Sapience and intelligence, in so much that among all the kings of Israel that have been afore thee, or that shall come after thee, there was never none like thee. Here ye have express mention of the two first gifts of the holy ghost, Sapience and Intelligence, wittiness or fine and clear understanding. Of the which, Sapience properly serveth for judgement in speculative causes, chiefly concerning almighty God, and celestial creatures and verities or truths about the same, judging and determining that to them a man should surely adhere & lie, & to refuse the contraries, as false & repugnant to the truth. And I must now speak unitedly or jointly of the gift of sapience & of the gift of intelligence or understanding, as the prophet Esay rehearseth them coupled and linked together, because one of them adorneth and helpeth another. For Sapience is much the less if it lack Intelligence or wittiness. And wittiness without discrete judgement of Sapience is very unprofitable. And even like, the gift of counsel without fortitude or manliness is of no price: Nother manliness without counsel or good advisement. No more is science without piety or piety without the discretion of science. And fear must have some of the said gifts concurrent with it, or else no good will come of it. Then to our purpose. Because that our knowledge naturally beginneth at some of our five exterior or outward senses, which we call the .v. wits, if our knowledge shall be elevate above that his common course to heavenly matters, as be things pertaining to our faith, it hath need of some supernatural light, by which it may ascend and pierce into the knowledge of such things as by his natural power he can not attain to. As that there be three persons in one substance of the Godhead. And that the father by his fecund and fruitful memory produceth and getteth his only begotten son the second person in trinity: And that the father and the son by their fecunde and fruitful will bringeth forth the holy ghost coeternal, and of equal might and power with them both. And y● that one God thus distinct in three persons by his endless and mighty power at his pleasure, and when he thought good, made all the world of nought. And that by his only goodness he mainteneth and preserveth the same so that if he would once withdraw his hand of maintenance but one little moment from his creatures: they should suddenly fall to nought as they came fro. And that all the glorious company of angels he made to honour him, like as all other creatures, after their kinds and manners doth. And where as some of the angels swerved from the grace that they were create in, and were damned to be the horriblest creatures and in most pain of all creatures of the world, the others persisting & standing in their goodness, were confirmed in grace, so that now they can not fall, but continually remaineth in the glorious fruition, sight, and love of God, ever ready to do his commandment in heaven, and at his pleasure here in earth toward us mortal men. Hebr. i. These and such high mysteries of heavenly matters to perceive, and as it were by the sharpness of man's wit to pierce into them, (as man may here in this gross and corruptible body) pertaineth properly to the gift of understanding, Ad donum intellectus. And the more perfectly that this gift is inspired into man, by the holy ghost: the more distinctly and plainly he shall perceive such high secrets, though perceive them as he shall do hereafter in glory, we can not yet. And by mature and wise judgement to discern these verities from their contraries, pertaineth properly to the gift of Sapience, or godly wisdom. Ad donum sapientiae. As to discern one God from the false Gods: To know that the iii persons in Trinity be equal in power, and not one of them minister or servant to the other, as Arrius said. To know that there is but one maker of all things, & no more, and not to put two creators, one of good things, an other of evil things, as Manicheus said. And to judge when the angels of God doth truly God's message. And to discern them from the angels of darkness, which many times disguise themselves into the fashion of the angels of light. These and such other high judgements in heavenly causes, pertaineth properly to the gift of sapience or godly wisdom. For this supernatural gift of Sapience the wise man prayed. Sapi. ix. Da mihi sedium tuarum assistricem sapientiam. give me the wisdom from above that is ever assistant by thy seat of glory, and from thence is derived and infused or send down to men. Because that, Si quis erit consummatus inter filios hominum, si ab illo fugerit sapientia tua in nihilum computabitur. If a man be never so profound and excellent in man's wisdom, if he lack this godly wisdom (good Lord) he shall not be esteemed wise, but rather a fool, in as much as worldly wisdom is counted but foolishness afore God i Corin. iii. And the prophet David prayed that he might obtain this supernatural gift called Donum intellectus, the gift of intelligence, wittiness, or fine and clear understanding, saying: Psal. cxviii. Da mihi intellectum ut discam mandata tua. give me intelligence that I may learn thy commandements. Where it is highly to be noted that this noble king and prophet which so well knew God's laws, and that said he had kept Gods eloquent sayings, yet now he prayed for finer and clearer understanding, by which he might yet better ascend and pierce into the same. And we have need so to pray as the prophet did, that this gift of Intelligence may be given us to help our faith, like as in many cases our faith helpeth our intelligence or understanding, according to the saying of Esay. seven. Nisi credideritis, non intelligetis. As saint Augustine and others readeth that letter. Except ye believe, ye shall not understand. For many things there be which except ye believe, ye can not understand, as the articles of our faith, with other like. And many truths there be, that we can not believe except we have understanding, either by hearing the preacher, by instruction, or by study, as Paul saith: Ro. x Fides ex auditu auditus autem per verbum Christi. And this is acquisite faith gotten by labour, study, or hearing: and so is understanding proporcionablye to the same, which both be made more firm, fast, and certain, by faith infused, and by Intelligence or understanding infused and given from above of the holy ghost. And this gift of Intelligence is never withdrawn from good men, specially about such things as be necessary for man's salvation to be known, although some men have it in a higher degree than some other have: but about other things not necessary to be known, it is withdrawn, to pull men down, that the matter & occasion of pride and curiosity may be taken away, and lest men should be to proud of gods gifts: and according to this speaketh saint john. i joh. two. unctio eius docebit vos de omnibus. The ointment, infusion, or inspiration of the holy ghost will teach you in all things necessary to be learned, although very good men having the grace that maketh them acceptable and in the favour of God, may be dull and little or nought perceive of other truths, without whose knowledge a man may come to heaven well enough. chrysostom in a sermon De spiritu scton, useth a more familiar & plainer distinction of these two gifts, Sapience, and Intelligence, saying: When it beseemeth a doctor or a teacher to speak plainly, his gift is called the spirit of Sapience. And where need is that the hearer do wittily perceive that is spoken, the gift that he must have, is named the spirit of understanding, which also is called the spirit of revelation, when need is to learn profound matters. Revela oculos meos & considerabo mirabilia de lege tua. saith the Prophet. reveal or uncover mine eyes, draw the curtain from afore the eyes of my soul by this gift of intelligence, and I shall consider marvelous things of thy law. The spirit of Sapience (saith chrysostom) is given to the teachers, and the spirit of Intelligence and understanding is given to the hearers. I preach, thou understandest, and takest the mind of my sayings having the gift of Intelligence, although thou canst not teach. As the Preacher by the spirit of Sapience judged what was best to be uttered and expressed for thy erudition: so thou by the grace of Intelligence takest his words as they be meant, and learnest that is for thy soul health. Almighty God willing to show, that as he sendeth the spirit of Sapience to the teacher, so he sendeth to the learner the gift of Intelligence, that he may perceive such things as be Godly. giveth to the mouth of the Preacher the grace of Sapience and to the heart of the Learner the grace of Intelligence. Sapience is the armour of the mouth, and Intelligence is the harness of the heart. Therefore sayeth the Prophet. Os meum loquetur sapientiam & meditatio cordis mei prudentiam. Psal. xlviii. My mouth shall speak Sapience or wisdom, and the recording of my heart shall show prudence, intelligence, or understanding, perceiving the thing that I am taught. Yet here you must diligently note, that perfit Sapience is not so much to know God's eloquence, as for to live accordingly to God's eloquence and to his holy word: And Intelligence is little worth, where a man worketh not according to that he hath learned. But what shall I say of them, that hearing Gods eloquence daily declared unto them, yet having their minds occupied about other business, regardeth not to bear away that they hear, and will not learn and understand to do well according to that they learn. And what shall I say of them that may get understanding, and will not come where as they may have it? but when they hear of a sermon toward, will get themselves out of the church, feigning some business to excuse their absence, or else will get them to the Alehouses, or taverns, or else will sit talking on the cross in the churchyard, or on the churchyard walls, making other as lewd as they be themselves by their ill examples, so that for all the preaching that is in their towns where they dwell, they be never the better, but much the worse, whose just damnation by gods just judgement must needs follow as I could declare abundantly if the time would permit. Yet one thing I would feign discuss by the way without any great digression from my principal matter: & it is this: in this case now touched, that is to say, when the person, vicar, curate, or preacher, perceiveth that few men or none be the better for his preaching, whether then and in that case the preacher ought or may cease from preaching, as thinking his sapience, his judgement, and his learning in God's scriptures ill bestowed among them, because they regard it not, and be never the better for it, having none intelligence or godly wittiness gendered or conceived in their minds, neither any reformation or amendment in their livings, nor in their manners, by all the labours of the curate, or the preacher? For this ye shall understand, that though the negligence of the audience discomforteth and discourageth the preacher greatly, yet he can not so give over and cease, because of God's commination and threatening by his prophet Ezech. iii. saying: that if the watch of Israel, the curate, or preacher see his flock do noughtielye, and will not tell them of their fault, nor rebuke them that they may amend, he will require and ask their blood of him. He shall answer for them at the day of doom, Natural examples we have to encourage and comfort the preachers in this behalf, that he be not dismayed but take patience. For we see by experience that the veins of waters floweth and runneth, although no man come to water his cattle at them: and wells although no man draw up water at them, yet they sprinkleth, boileth and welleth up. And brooks, although neither man nor beast drink of them, yet never the less they keep their course and floweth. So he that preacheth must let his vain of sapience flow and run among his audience, although no man drink of it, take heed unto it, or receive it. In this case was Hieremy the prophet, when he saw no profit or increase of virtue come by his prophecy and preaching, but rather persecution and trouble, mocking, laughing, and scorning, by which he was once minded to surcease and leave of, preaching, Yet he saith: that sermo domini factus est in cord meo, quasi ignis exestuams claususque in ossibus meis, et defeciferre non sustinens. cap. xx. The word of God was like flaming fire in my heart (saith this prophet) and it was closed within my bones, so that I left my former purpose, and could not forbear to speak in God's name. Then if he were thus vexed in keeping silence, what shall become of us if we cease, specially where none such persecution is as he suffered, but rather where many taketh good heed and would fain learn? Many profits cometh by declaring the word of God, which should comfort and encourage the preacher to be doing, not withstanding that the audience be negligent: One is, that naughty persons remembering a sermon will be abashed and ashamed of themself, and will not be so shameless to do as they were wont to do. As when the preacher speaketh against riatours, and tavern hunters, the unthrift remembering the holy word, will be more ashamed when he goeth into the tavern than he was wont to be. This is a certain kind of fear called verecundia, bashfulness or shamefastness, it is timor ex expectatione connicij, a fear of reproach or rebuke, lest any man would chide or check him, or say ill by him. This is a very good affection, therefore, if by our preaching yet at the least wise such an affection may be stricken into the heart of any one of our audience, we may be glad of it. another utility & profit is, although by my preaching I make not all men better, yet some men be the better therefore, and they that be good, be more modest and virtuous by my sayings. And although I have not set up them that be sick, yet them that be whole I have made stronger to stand in their goodness, and more steadfast. The third profit, although I have not persuaded men to day, yet to morrow I may peradventure, and if not to morrow, I may the next day after, or the fourth day, or in time to come. Example we may take of a Fisher and the fish that long nibleth at his bait, yet at the last he is taken and cast on land▪ Likewise a husbandman, if he would give of going to plough, because he seeth distemperance and troublous weather many times, and looseth his labour and cost, we should all die for hunger. Likewise the shipman or the merchant, if for one storm or twain, or one loss or twain, he should abhor and give of going to the sea, there would at the last no man adventure to the seas, and then farewell this city of Bristol and all good trade of merchandise and occupying by sea. The husbandman often laboureth and breaketh one piece of ground, and little or nothing gaineth, yet at last recovereth in one year the loss of many years afore. And the Merchant man although he hath had loss by shipwreck divers times, yet he abstaineth not to pass and seek out strange ports▪ and many times aventreth on his old business with a Cabao, gathered of borrowed money, and doth full well, and cometh to great substance and riches. Then considering that these men bestoweth so great study and labours about transitory things that will perish: shall we by and by surcease and leave preaching, if we be not heard as we would be. Their condition and ours is not like: they lose both labours and cost, but we shall be sure to receive reward of God for our labours, for we have done that we be bound to do, we have laid our lords money to usury and for increase, as he biddeth us do. Moreover considering that the devil never despaireth our destruction, but ever looketh for it without rest, shall we despair the health & salvation of our brothers? Christ that knew well all things that should come after, ceased not to admonish and teach judas, whom he knew would never be good, then what shall we do toward our brothers which we know not whither they will be good or no● Of judas he spoke: One of you shall betray me, I speak not of you all, for I know whom I have chosen: One of you is the devil. He cast them all in an anguish, lest he should publish and utter the traitor, and should make him past shame by manifest and open reproof. The apostle according to this saith: two. Tim. two. God's servant must be no wrangler, but gentle toward all men, teaching them that resist the truth, if peradventure God will give them penance toward the knowledge of truth. And thus I trust this doubt is solved, which I now moved, and that we must do our duty, still preaching and teaching, and let God alone with the profit and increase to grow thereof. And here for this time I must surcease, because I have long protract the time, perceiving your attentive ears and diligent audience, not doubting but that you will keep in remembrance that I have said of the introduction and entering into the whole matter of the seven gifts of the holy ghost, and of two of the same: One called the spirit of sapience, the other the spirit of understanding. Of the other ye shall hear more hereafter by the grace and help of the holy ghost, who with the father and with the son liveth and reigneth one God for ever and ever. Amen▪   

¶ The second sermon of the gift of Counsel.  
Worshipful audience, when I preached last in this place, I promised to declare unto you the seven gifts of the holy ghost, which (as the prophet Isaiah saith) rested on the humanity of our saviour Christ most abundantly. And entering that matter, I spoke of the coeternity, and of the equal power of the holy ghost, with the father and the son. And how the manhood of our saviour Christ had all graces after a higher manner than ever had any other creature. And then how all these seven gifts presuppo●eth faith, hope, and charity, in him that shall receive them. And then I declared what sapience is, and how many ways it is taken. And then jointly of the gift of intelligence or understanding, and why I should so unitelye or jointly speak of them. Now consequently I must speak of the third gift of the holy ghost called the spirit of counsel, or the gift of counsel, which like as all the other gifts were given to the manhood of Christ, and by him to us, like as the holy ghost by him is spread on us, and from him as from the head, be all gifts of grace derived unto us as to his limbs or members, as I have afore said. For declaration of this gift of counsel ye shall understand that this gift of the holy ghost like as all the seven gifts be given to man to help all other virtues that man hath, whether they be natural, or gotten by assuefaction, exercise, use, or custom, and also to make man more apt & easy to be stirred & moved to goodness by the inspiration or moving of the holy ghost as the children of God. Quicumque enim spiritu dei aguntur, hij sunc filii dei. Rom. viii. God is ever ready to move us to goodness, though we of ourself be full dull to go forward, having all the study of our hearts set to ill at all times, rather than to goodness. Gene. vi. Yet where the light of reason overcometh sensuality, some intellectual & moral virtues springeth forth, as it was in the paygnim Philosophers, of which some were taken for excellent in the virtue of temperance, some in liberality or other virtues, which yet for all their good qualities and virtues gotten by their great pains and labours, lacked the grace that should make them goodmen and acceptable in the sight of God, because they lacked faith, the foundation and ground of all sure spiritual and ghostly building. To help the said gifts gotten naturally or by assuefaction greatly availeth this gift of the holy ghost the gift of counsel, which is a supernatural gift of deliberation or advisement superadded to that natural gift of reason, of which the philosopher speaketh. vi. Eth. oportet prudentem esse bene consiliatiwm. A prudent man, a well practised man (saith he) must be far casting & a good counsellor. But this property of reason called counceling, or forecasting, or worldly policy that the philosopher speaketh of▪ may be without this supernatural gift of counsel that we now speak of, for a man may compass, cast, & contrive always (●e they never so many) to bring his purpose or his friends purpose to pass, and yet may fail of his intent if he lack this godly counsel that we now speak of. And the ways that he thinketh to make for his purpose, shall make clean contrary against him, as it is written: Psal. two. Populi meditati sunt inania: Astiterunt reges terrae & principes convenerunt in unum adversus dominum, et adversus Christum eius, Which to the letter was writ by prophecy of the conspiracy of the chief rulers among the jews with Herod and Pilate against our saviour Christ. For they had contrived by their counsel how to destroy Christ (as appeareth by the evangelists) as it were by destroying of him to save themselves that they should not lose their place and the people. joh. xi. Lest if the Romans should hear of such a man to be in their country that had so great a retinue of disciples as Christ had, they might peradventure surmise a conspiracy, & consequently some commotion & rebellion against the emperors power, which might be occasion that he should send an army into the country & destroy the country, and take them & all 〈…〉 captivity. This was a far cast & 〈…〉 was not the gift of counsel's coming of the holy ghost, & therefore it proved not with them but went all against them, for the fear that they feared, fortuned to them clean contrary to their miscontrived counsel. For in deed the Romans came at length and destroyed the country, & took the ●ople into miserable captivity, & because none that had to do in this matter should scape unpunished, the vengeance began at the great men that were taken for chief judges in the condemnation of Christ. For Herod● was deprived of his kingdom, by Caius the emperor, and was banished perpetually to Lions in France, and with him Herodias his incestuous concubine, by whose means blessed S. john baptist was beheaded. As josephus antiquitatum. lib. xviii. ca xiiii. writeth. And Pilate after he had ruled in jewrye ten years, was driven home to Rome by Vittellius general governor of Syria, to answer to such injuries and tyranny as he had done in the country: As josephus writeth Antiquitatum. lib. eodem. cap. seven. And at Rome (because he was an unjust judge against Christ) he was vexed and put to so much trouble, sorrow, and mischief: that desperately he beat himself to death with his own hands, as Eusebius writeth in the ecclesiastical story, the second book and vii chapter. And the city of jerusalem, and the people of the jews for their iniquity against Christ, were by the Emperor Vespasian and Titus his son subdued and destroyed, even in the time of their P●sch●l feast, at which time they had done their malice ●gainst Christ, because the time of vengeance might answer & agree to the time of the muse of the same. At the paschal time they s●ed the most innocent blood of Christ, & even then the vengeance for his blood fell upon them & upon their children and issue, according to their own desire, saying: Sanguis eius super nos. & super filios nostros. Let the vengeance for his blood (said they) lie upon us and upon our children. And so it did, for even at the same time of the year xlii years after the Emperor Vespasian, and his son Titus, after they had destroyed the chief Towns and strongest fortalicies and holds of the Realm, came to besiege that city, and in the whole time of that battle took prisoners. lxxxxvii. thousand. And at the same siege were slain, and that died by famine and moreyne, coming chiefly of the stench of the dead corpses lying unburied to the number of a xi C. thousand, as josephus writeth in the seventh book of the jews battle, and xvii Chapter. Therefore it followeth in the psalm rehearsed. Qui habitat in coelis, irridebit eos. Almighty God that dwelleth in heaven will laugh them to scorn, as he did in deed when he rose from death to life again, notwithstanding that they thought him sure enough being once dead, & notwithstanding all the keepers that were set to keep his body from stealing. Et duns subsannabit eos. Our Lord will wring the nose at them, which words importeth a greater indignation & anger then derision doth, and was put in execution at this most horrible, strage, and destruction of that city, and at the taking away of the said prisoners, which they feared, when they said, that if they let Christ scape their hands, the romans would come and take their city, and carry away the people. Here you may see what it is to take counsel against god. The wise man saith. Pro. xxi. Non est sapientia, non est prudentia, non est consilium contra dominum. There is no sapience, there is no wittiness, there is no counsel against our lord God. Sapience is the cognition and judgement of divine and high causes, which is not among heretics that soweth cockle & ill sedes among the corn, setting forth sects and divisions Such wisdom how well learned so ever it seemeth to be, is not the true sapience, because it is against our lord God, which is the god of peace and not of dissension. Also be thy capacity never so quick to perceive and understand the lessons of holy scripture. Yet if thou have amarum zelum, a bitter affection, trusting by thy learning to check & rebuke other men, or to allure other to thy sect, faction, or opinion, as some men have done, reasoning against Purgatory because they would by that destroy prayers for the dead, and so consequently put down abbeys, & chantries which were founded for such prayers, or if thou glory to much in thy learning, all this maketh contra dominum, against God, and is not the true understanding or wittiness, that is the gift of the holy ghost. And likewise of the third gift (of which we now entreat) Donum cosilii, As long as thy cast leaneth over much to man's imagination, and setteth not God afore, but rather worketh against God, as ye heard of these that compassed and counseled for the death of Christ, so to save themselves, it is not the counsel that is the gift of the holy ghost, for it is against our Lord GOD. It leaveth to much to worldliness, and to man's cast, grounded on malice and evil will, therefore it could not hold. According the faiing of gamaliel that honourable learned man among the jews: when the chief rulers among them laid their heads together, & took their counsel how to put the apostles to death for preaching the faith of Christ, Up stood this gamaliel, and gave them better counsel, advertising than to beware how they ordered these men (meaning) the apostles of Christ, & not suddenly to precipitate their judgement against them (for this precipitation of sentence suddenly without mature deliberation or advisement, is the contrary to the gift of counsel that we now speak of, that is, the third gift of the holy ghost.) This he persuaded by two examples, first of one Theudas, which (after josephus) using superstitious crafts, took upon him to be a great Prophet and so deluded the people, that he made many of them to sell their goods, and care for nothing but to follow him. And so brought a great multitude after him to the water side of jordane, to the number of four hundred disciples, where he promised them within three days next following, to divide the water, and to go over with them dry shod as joshua did with his company. But while they were tarrying for this miracle, came on them the captain of the country with his Army, and struck of Theudas head, and destroyed and scattered all his sect and retinue. After him came an other, judas Galileus which brought up among the people a pernicious error, that it was not lawful for them to pay any tribute to the Emperor, or to any other alien, because they were the elect people of God, and paid to God first fruits, tithes, and offerings, with other duties. This pleased the people wondrously well, because it set them at an unlawful liberty which carnal people most desireth. And so a great multitude followed him, which soon after were all destroyed with him. To my purpose, (saith Gamaliel) it is best ye let these men alone, for if the counsel and way that they take and follow, come of man's invention by any carnal and worldly cast, it will be broken, it will not hold nor continue, no more than the enterprise of Theudas, or of judas Galileus did. But if it come of God ye can not break it, it will stand, it will prosper and go forward, ye can not let it, except ye will repugn against God, which no man's power is able to do & to prevail: repugn it may as all sinners doth, but prevail it can not Of these three stories compact in one ye see plainly that where so ever in any counsel men work on God's half, having God's pleasure afore their eyes, the counsel goeth forward. And contrary, where men have no respect to god, but rather to wordliness, it is not the counsel coming of the holy ghost, and it will not hold, but shall prove contrary to the intent of the counsellors▪ as we have seen by many other examples in our time. And such miscontrived counsels be and ever hath been the confederacies and counsels of heritiks, therefore they have not continued nor holden, but ever have been dissolved and broken. Examples of Arrius and his confederacy, Pelagius, Manes otherwise called Cubricus or Manicheus, Sabellius, and such like: And here in our realm of Wicliffe, whose heresies sore troubled this realm in the time of King Edward the third, and worse afterward in the time of king Henry the fift, when a great multitude of that faction conspired against the king. But because this counsel came of man and not of god, it would not hold, their counsel was detect, & the captains taken, hanged, and burned. Likewise now in our time, Luther in Saxony hath taken to his counsel and confederacy, many of our English men beside them that he hath infected within this our realm, their counsel and confederacy hath no part of this gift of the holy ghost, that I call the spirit of counsel, because it is grounded on carnality, and therefore finally it will be broken, though almighty God for our sins suffer us to be flagelled & troubled with it, how long no man knoweth but god alone, though we trust in God their time be short, for their errors cometh to light every day more and more. 
King Henry the eight set forth a book against Luther, in defence of the pope's authority.  And by the diligent and studious labours of our sovereign & most gracious Prince king Henry the eight, and his encouraging of great clerks to investigate, try, and search out the mere and sure truths of the scriptures, they be so manifestly impugned, that no man can be inveigled or deceived with them, but such a one as in the clear light will not open his eyes to see the day light. That the counsel and confederacy of all such heretyks is grounded on carnality, it can not be hid. Arius heresy rose by occasion that he could not be promoted to the bishopric of Alexandria, where he was priest and reader. Inimicitia, Enmity that he had then against Alexander, which was then promoted and made bishop, and also his own pride, ambition, and avarice, these be called Opera carnis. Gala. v. They cometh of carnal man. Likewise Wicliff, because he was disappointed of the promotion that he would have had to be head of a house in Oxford. And Luther disdaining at other men's exaltation, advantage, and profits, and others hath maligned here tofore for like occasions and suscitate and set forth their heresies for like occasions, which be all carnal, and for carnal liberty laboureth with all their might, under the pretenced colour of evangelical liberty. In very deed the faith of Christ, and the gospel of Christ giveth us a liberty, but not that liberty that they claim by it. It setteth us at liberty, out of the devils danger that we were in afore Christ's coming. It setteth us at liberty and not bound to the ceremonies of Moses' law, but to say that it setteth us so at liberty that we may do what we will, they slander the gospel of Christ, and falsely be lie it. Gala. v. Vos in libertatem vocati estis fratres, tantum ne libertatem in occasionem detis carnis sed per charitatem spiritus seruite invicem. Ye be called to a liberty by the faith of Christ, but beware that by your liberty ye take no occasion of carnality or sensual lust or pleasure, but one help an other by the spirit of charity. And saint Peter saith. i Pet. two. Quasi liberi & non quasi velamen habentes maliciae libertatem sed quasi servi dei. I would (saith saint Peter) ye should order yourselves as free men and as men at liberty, but not to take your liberty as a clock for malice or evil living, as these that call themselves evangelical brothers doth now adays, which counteth themselves by their faith at liberty to eat when they will, and what they will, without any delect choice or exception of days or times, without any exception, choice, or diversity putting, betwixt any kinds of meats, fish, or flesh, indifferently at all times. Yea, and that is more horrible and shameful to rehearse it (if they were any thing a shame to say it) that all flesh is free for all flesh to eat it, that the pleasure of the belly desireth or to use in carnal lust, whether it be sister with the brother, and yet more horrible than so, the parents with their own children, and the children with the parents, if both parties be agreed. A sore stroke of God, that he hath suffered men to run so at large, and to fall to such shameful and beastly blindness against nature, & all for lack of this gracious spirit of counsel that we now speak of. Likewise of purgatory which some men make so ragged & jagged that a man can not▪ tell what to make of it. men can tell well enough by science and good learning what to make of it, but by experience no man can tell what it is, but he that hath been there. But now to declare and to prove Purgatory by scriptures with the expositions of authentical doctors, though it be very easy, because the matter hath been so laboured among clerks, yet I should make to great a digresson from my principal purpose, which is to declare unto you this third gift of the holy ghost, the gift of counsel, which as I said, is not grounded on carnality, nor bringeth any man to carnal liberty. As in very deed this opinion of no purgatory doth. Here I will not contend about this vocable Purgatory, I mean the middle or mean place betwixt heaven and hell, in which some souls be stayed afore they can come to that most pure and clean city, into which nothing can enter except it be of the cleanest sort. For which place if I could imagine a more accommodate and convenient vocable or term, I would be glad to use it, because the scriptures hath not the said word Purgatory. Albeit, I know right well that in all Scripture we read not this word Trinitas, or this word Consubstancialis, yet God forbidden that we should deny the blessed Trinity in the Godhead, the son to be consubstantial and of one substance with the father, or the holy ghost to be of one substance with the father and the son, Arrius that pernicious heretic when he was convinced and compelled by authorities and reasoning to grant that all three persons in trinity were of one and equal substance, had none other refuge, but to stick in the vocable or term homoousion, that we call in latin consubstantialis, or unius substantiae, and in english, of one substance, because that word is not used in scripture, he would none thereof, although he could not deny the thing: a poor cloak of defence (God knoweth) to grant the thing, and to vary in the name. Therefore so that I might agree with this audience, and they with me, that there is such a stay and a mean place of punishment after this life, I would not care though I never called it purgatory, but let A. be his name. To deny the said A. and to say that there is no such thing, bringeth a man to a carnal liberty, and giveth man occasion boldly to continue in sin to his lives end, trusting then to cry God mercy for his misliving, and then to go through (as they speak) I trow they mean to go by and by to heaven, as well as he or she that hath lived in virtue & prayers, pain, and penance all the days of their lives. And so should they be in best case, that be lechers, adulterers, covetous, bribers, and oppressioners and extortioners, usurers, perjurers, dicers, and carders, hunters, and haukers, and all such of the worst sort: where contrary the true believe that he that hath not done condign and convenient penance here, shall be punished grievously, according to the gravity of his misliving, afore he enter into that most clear and pure city, (though god may of his absolute power forgive such along misliver for one word of repentance at his last end.) Yet this will make a man beware of himself, and to amend his living, surely thinking (as the truth is) that for his vicious pleasures in which he hath delighted in his life time, and hath not sufficiently satisfied for his fault he shall have afore he come to heaven, such punishment and pain as the least part thereof shall grieve him more than all his unlawful pleasures have done him solace or comfort. This counsel and conformity of good and faithful people withdraweth men from sin, where contrary, Consilia impiorum fraudulenta, the disceiptful counsels and conventicles of wicked men, rather provoketh, and giveth men comfort to continue in sin. I was once in a solemn audience, where I heard a famous preacher labour sore to impugn the said mean place, saying, that if it there were any such place at all, it is a place of ease, quietness, and rest, alleging for his purpose the words of the Canon of the Mass, after the second memento. Qui nos precesserunt cum signo fidei & dormiunt in somno pacis Where we pray for them that begun afore us with the character, print, and sign of Christ's faith, and sleepeth in the sleep of peace. These men like as they take the words of the Mass, and of the service of the church when they seemeth to make for their purpose, would GOD they could be so content to allow and admit the same in other times and places. It followeth there right. Ipsis domine & omnibus in Christo quiescentibus locum refrigeri● jucis & pacis, ut indulgeas deprecamur. Where we pray our Lord God, favourably and with cherishing to give them a place of cooling and refreshing contrary to heat, a place of light contrary to darkness, a place of peace contrary to trouble and unquietness, either by perplexity and confusion of mind, or by terrible visions or otherwise. Now if their new purgatory be a place of tranquillity, a place of light, and a place of rest and peace, it should be but all labour lost for us so busily to pray that they may come to such a place, seeing that they have it already. Then to their allegation, Dormiunt in somno pacis, you must understand these words by a like saying of our saviour Christ joh. xi. After that he had a messenger sent to him from Martha and Mary, that Lazar their brother was sore sick, he tarried in the place where he was then beyond Jordaine, for the space of two days, and then said to his disciples Lazarus amicus noster dormit, Lazar our friend sleepeth. I will go into jeurye where he dwelleth and wake him of his sleep. Then said his disciples: Sir if he sleep, he will be safe anon, when he hath slept enough. They were as wise then, as our new purgatory men be now. They thought Christ had spoken of that rest that man and beast must needs have after their labours, or else shall fail and die, which we call commonly sleep.  
But Christ meaned of the sleep of death. Dixerat autem jesus de morte eius, As he expressed by and by plainly, saying: Lazarus mortuus est, Lazarus is dead. And this is it that holy church in that place of the mass calleth sleeping in the sleep of peace, as Christ spoke in like case. And as the Prophet speaketh in his person. Psal. xv. Caro mea requiescet in spe. My body shall rest in hope to rise again. Then considering that holy church after the manner of holy scripture, useth to call death by the name of sleep, we must be wise and well ware to what things, what words may agree, and by reason whereof they do agree, or else by our words we may deceive our audience, as well as ourselves. If we think that this sleep or death cometh to man by reason of the soul, we err very sore, for the soul never dieth, but is immortal, as well by the consent of the paynim Philosophers, as by the authority of holy scripture. Deus Abraham, deus Isaac, & deus jacob. Exod. iii. Non est autem deus mortuorum sed viventium. Mat. xxii Abraham sleepeth, and Abraham is waking, Abraham is dead, and Abraham is alive. The one part you will grant for it is true, the other is the saying of Christ which can not be false. The first is true by reason of the body. The second is true, by reason of the soul. The soul is departed from the body, the body lacketh his life, therefore we say the man is dead. The soul is immortal, and cannot die, therefore by that reason Christ said Abraham is alive. So now because the bodies be out of pain, we say the men rest or sleep in the sleep of peace. And because the souls be departed in the state of grace, and in the way of salvation which they have not yet perfectly obtained: we pray that they may come to the place of refreshing, to the place of light, and to the place of peace everlasting in heaven. And thus we must take the words of the mass above rehearsed as they were meaned, and we shall give no handfast to the contrary error. And I would they should not so rashly precipitate their sentence in such weighty matters, except they had some better ground. This precipitatio headlong shofing out men's sentence without judgement, is contrary to this gift of the holy ghost, that we now entreat of the gift of counsel, as I touched afore. This was the fault of jepthe jud. xi. which when he should proceed to battle against the Ammonites, he made his vow to God precipitanter headlong and rashly, without counsel or advisement, that what so ever came first against him to meet him at his door, after his coming home, he would kill it & offer it up to be burned in sacrifice to almighty God. So it chanced that when he came home after his victory, his own daughter (which he had and no more children) met him with timbers and such instruments of melody as she had to welcome him home. When he saw her, he tore his clothes and cried: alas my daughter, thou hast deceived me, and art deceived thyself. This precipitation hurt king David, notwithstanding his great wisdom and manifold virtues, when he fled from the persecution and commotion that his own son Absalon raised against him, one Seba that was servant to Miphiboseth (jonathas son, nephew to Saul the king) came to king David, and brought him presents of such dainties as might do him pleasure, and to his servants in that distress and trouble. As Asses for them to ride on, bread and wine and fruits to refresh them in their journey, fleeing from the host of Absalon. King David asked him, where is thy master Miphiboseth? He made a lie on his master, saying: he tarrieth behind in jerusalem, trusting now to be restored to the kingdom of Saul his grandfather. King David by and by rashly without judgement or further advisement (the party neither called nor heard) precipitate this sentence, Tua sint omnia que fuerunt Miphiboseth. two. Reg. xvi. Take thee all that Miphiboseth had. And so he gave away to a lying knave all that good gentleman's goods, which he was sorry for afterward when he knew the truth. He should not a needed to have be sorry if he had avoided this precipitation by the gift of counsel, which the holy ghost for then, withdrew from him, he had it not. For such causes saith Ecclesiasticus: Sine consilio nihil facias, et post factum non penitebis xxxii. Without counsel and advisement do nothing, & after thy deed thou shalt not repent or be sorry▪ These gifts of the holy ghost be not so coherent or linked together, that who so ever hath one of them must needs have all the other. The Prophet Esay saith, that our saviour Christ had them all, and so he had superabundantly. Et de plenitudine eius vos omnes accepimus. john. i. and of his plenty all we take our gifts. Of others we read not that had them all continually, but we find that some that were excellent in sapience, or judgement in Godly causes and heavenly matters, and could instruct and teach nobly well, lacked the gift of counsel to direct and order himself and others accordingly, and had need of other men's counsel. And contrary he that is excellent in giving counsel may be weak in the speculation or judgement of heavenly or Godly matters. Exo. xviii. It is writ of Moses which had received of God the spirit of sapience, by which he was able to give unto the people the laws of God, and to teach them the same, yet he used to sit from morning to night hearing causes, and giving sentences and judgements betwixt parties among the people, and so fatigated and wearied himself and the people also. jethro his father in law considering how that labour was to great for any one man to sustain, and also how the people were cumbered, tarrying so long for decision of their causes, while they might have been sooner sped, that so they might have departed every man to his own, and have been better occupied at home said plainly to him. Stulto labore consumeris. etc. Both thou and this people spend and waste yourselves in a foolish labour, for this business is above thy power and might, thou art not able alone to sustain all this busy labour, but hear my words and my counsel, and our Lord shallbe with thee. Let this people have the in such things as pertain to God, that thou mayst show unto him what they say, and mayst show unto the people again the ceremonies and the rites and manner of worshipping God, and the way that they shall go, and the works that they shall do. And provide among all this people men of power and that feareth God, and that have truth in them, and that hate avarice or covetousness, and make of them officers, some over a thousand of this people, some over a hundred, some over fifty, some over ten, which may judge the people at all times, and what so ever great matter riseth among them, let them refer it to thee, and let them judge the smaller matters and none other, & so thou shalt be more lightened and eased when thy burden is divided among other. If thou do this, thou shalt be able to fulfil God's empery and authority, and shalt be able to sustain that God biddeth thee do, and all this people shall return with peace to their houses or lodging at time convenient. When Moses had heard jethroes counsel, he did all things as he counselled him. Now to my purpose, because no man shall be proud of the gifts that God hath given him, we may see here that Moses having so excellently the gift of sapience to judge and discern and also to teach and instruct in Godly causes, yet as then he lacked the gift of counsel, which this stranger jethro an alien, and not of the people of Israel (though as then he was converted to the faith of one God) had, as appeareth by the wholesome counsel that he gave unto Moses, by which as well Moses' self, as all his whole host were nobly relieved of almighty God, by the mouth of jethro his father in law, giving him that good counsel. Therefore I shall most entirely desire you to pray to God for this gracious gift of counsel, and according to the same to proceed in all your assembles, consultations, devisinges, in all things that you shall go about, ever avoiding precipitation and rash setting on in any of your doings, and so you shall not afterward repent your doings or your sayings through the help of God, to whom be all honour and glory for ever. Amen.   

¶ The third sermon, treating of the fourth gift of the holy ghost called the spirit of fortitude.  
GOod and worshipful audience, because it is long sith I preached among you of the gifts of the holy ghost which heretofore I promised to declare unto you, as opportunity would serve. Now I trust you remember that in my last sermon that I preached of that matter I spoke chiefly of the gift of godly counsel, which (as I said) is a supernatural gift of deliberation or advisement, superadded to the gift of prudence or policy, that some men have naturally or by exercise, or worldly compasing or casting, for all these may fail and deceive men, if this gift of godly counsel be away, as appeareth plainly by the counsel of the jews against Christ to put him to death, for fear that else the Romans would come upon them and destroy their city, and drive all the people into captivity, and so upon this they rested not till they had slain Christ upon the cross, and then thought themselves safe enough, till the Romans came within a season after, and destroyed the chief city jerusalem, and took the people that were left to most miserable bondage, as I said in my last sermon of that matter.  
By this it is most evidently true that the wiseman saith: Non est sapientia, non est prudentia, non est consilium, contra dominum. Proverb. xxi. There is no sapience, there is no wyttines, there is no counsel against our Lord God. As long as thy cast leaneth over much to man's imagination, and setteth not god afore, but rather worketh against God: this is not the counsel that is the gift of the goly ghost. No more is the counsel or confederacy of heretics, for they be ever grounded on carnal lusts enmity, malice, or some other carnality, and nothing godly, but inducing men to carnal liberty, as I declared of divers heresies, and specially of the heresy that denieth purgatory, setting men at lose liberty, spending their lives in voluptuousness, trusting by one word of repentance to come to heaven, as soon as they that have lived in virtue and penance all days of their lives. Then I declared that to shoofe forth or shoot forth men's sentence unadvisedly, which is called precipitation, is contrary to this godly gift of counsel, and how that hurted king David the Prophet and made him to give away to a false lying wretch all the goods of Miphiboseth, which afterward he repented and was for. Then finally I told you that Moses lacked this gift of counsel when he sat all day long hearing the causes of the people, and giving sentences on the same, wearying himself, and the people also, when jethro by the holy spirit of counsel (which he then had) advised him to constitute and set underofficers to bear part of his pains and labours. And then Moses without any disdaining, without any obstinacy or sturdiness, lowly and obediently did thereafter, and constantly by the spirit of Fortitude brought that to effect that jethro had counseled him. And like as this counsailler jethro had the spirit of GOD, the spirit of counsel, so had Moses the spirit of fortitude, strength or manliness, to set this order among the people, as his father in law had counseled him.  
It was no small enterprise among so unruly, wilful and sturdy a multitude as that people were, to bring such a new rule, and to set so ordinate a hierarchy among rulers, of which some should be lower, some higher, ordinately until they came to Moses in arduous matters, and causes of difficulty, and at the last to almighty God, where the causes emergent were above Moses' capacity: For that people was so high hearted that they would not easily go to the foot, but they would for every trifle go to the head, or else they would not be ruled nor pleased. Fortitude is a moral virtue, and fortitude is a gift of the holy ghost. That moral virtue may be where this gift of the holy ghost is away. Fortitudo (after Aristotle iii. Eth.) Est virtus secundum quam fortis sustinet timet & audet que oportet, cuius gratia oportet, ut oportet, & quando oportet. Fortitude is the virtue by which a manly man or a very man sustaineth or suffereth, feareth & aventureth on, or dare do such things as he ought to suffer, fear, or adventure on, & for that cause, for which he ought so to do, & as he ought, & when he ought to suffer, fear, or adventure. But the philosopher doth so exactly trim and pair this virtue, that he pareth almost all away. And yet we christian Philosophers must pair away somewhat more of that he leaveth, and so afore we have all done, we shall see that this moral virtue like as all other moral virtues without the assistance and grace of the holy ghost be as Isaiah saith lxiiii Quasi pannus menstruatae omnes justitiae nostrae, be filthy and ve●y vile in the sight of God. All virtues consisteth in the mean and middle betwixt two vices, and because the extremities sometime have no name, we express them by circumlocution, sometime by two or three things for one, and sometime by negatives: As here inpavidus without fear, is one extremity of this virtue fortitude, such a one is he that nothing feareth, neither earthquakes, fire, nor water, but such a one seemeth rather insensate and mad, than bold. Likewise in boldness or venturousnes, he that will adventure where is no likelihood to scape, is in this extremity of fortitude, and is called folishehardye, and seemeth to be proud and presumptuous rather than bold, a feigner or counterfaiter of boldness, rather than truly bold or manly. For commonly such men hath a certain fear of heart inwardly annexed to their boldness, beginning boldly, and at the last will run away with shame. He that exceedeth in the other extremity and contrary part, that is fear is called commonly timidus, a coward, afraid of his shadow, or where is no cause why he should fear. Such be they that in all perils despaireth, their heart faileth them, clean contrary to fortitude or manliness, which hath ever good hope to overcome, where by the judgement of reason is any likelihood to overcome. So that generally fortitude is exercised about fears and boldness or hardiness, as it were to suppress and correct fear, and to moderate and measure hardiness or boldness. Certain conclusions the Philosopher putteth in which we christian men vary from him. One is this: He that desireth rather to die then to sustain adversity, as poverty, shame, reproach, or rebuke, is not manly, for such (after him) have a certain fear in them, and worketh rather of a tenderness or nashnes of heart, then of fortitude or manliness. Contrary to this we read of judas Machabeus the valiant captain, that when Lisias protector of that huge part of Asia, betwixt the river of Euphrates, and the river of Nilus, in the absence of Anthiocus the king had send by the commandment of the said king into the land of juda xl M. footmen, and vii M. horsemen to invade that land, and to destroy it handsmothe, so that there should remain no memory of the jews in all that land. Then this noble captain judas Machabeus gathered his people together, and after fasting that day, with fervent and devout prayer to God, made a solemn exhortation to his people, where he said to my purpose: Melius est nos mori in bello quam videre mala gentis nostrae et sanctorum i Mach. iii. It is better for us to die in battle, then to see the trouble & pains of our nation & of holy men. Where he preferred death temporal to experience of misery & choosed rather to die, then to sustain the calamity, wretchedness & shame, that they should come to, if their enemies should have the overhand over them, & yet the true fortitude & manliness in judas Machabeus passed the manliness of all the paignim conquerors that Aristotle could recite. Aristotle saith also: fortis quanto est virtuosior & felicior, tanto fit in morte tristior▪ A manly man the more that he hath of that virtue, & the more felicity that he hath, the more heavy & sorrowful he is at his death, because that by death he is deprived & disappointed of the greatest felicity, benefit, & goodness that may come to man, which felicity (after him) may be gotten in this world. For though they put an immortality of the soul, yet of the state of souls after this present life, they little determine, but leave it so ragged, that a man can not tell what to make of it. But where the Philosopher saith for a conclusion fortis quanto est. etc. his faith was no better, but we by our faith know that the life to come, is much more excellent than this present life, full of misery and wretchedness, ever mutable and unconstant. notwithstanding for the natural amity betwixt the soul and the body, they be full loath to depart asunder, & naturally feareth such departure, therefore in the overcoming of this fear, & in the contempt of this life & in ieopardinge on great perils for equity and justice sake, & for the faith of Christ, and for the life to come: standeth principally our fortitude, this gift of the holy ghost, by which the holy ghost moveth our souls, & setteth us forth to obtain & come to the end of every good work that we begin, and maketh us to escape & pass all perils that may let our good purpose. And where the pains of death, or the fear of death many times overthroweth & turneth the frail mind of man that man of himself can not overcome the perils of this world, & come to the reward of his labours, but giveth over his good purpose, afore it be perfect and performed. Here the holy ghost helpeth man's mind, giving a certain boldness and trust to come to reward everlasting in heaven as to the most perfect end of all good works, and the very escape of all perils. To this end the true fortitude this gift of the holy ghost, hath his principal eye and respect. This excellent gift of fortitude or manliness rested in our Saviour Christ (as Esay speaketh) and made him to put away and shake of the passions of our frail mortality, which made him to fear death, and to be pensyfull and heavy, when he sweat water and blood in his agony, remembering the death that he should to. But anon he considered his father's pleasure, & by fortitude went fourth to meet them that were sent to take him, and consequently suffered his painful passion on the cross, as he was determined for to do. Wherefore God the father exalted him, and gave him a name above all names, and that is had in reverence of all creatures. Many we read of in the old testament and in the new, that boldly contemned death for justice sake, which had ever their principal respect and eye to reward everlasting: As Isaiah which with a saw was divided in two parts: jeremy the Prophet was stoned to death for preaching to the people the word of God. And ii Mach seven. is written a marvelous story of a mother & her vii sons, in which this gift of the holy ghost the gift of fortitude or manliness appeareth excellently. When she with her vii sons were convented afore the king and the judges, they were required to eat certain meats that were prohibited and forbidden by the law, and to fall to the rites of gentility, which they refused constantly, and therefore were condemned to die, & were brought to execution: the eldest son had first his tongue cut out of his head, than the here and skin of his head striped of together, his fingers and toes cut of, and when he was almost spent, yet he was cast into a great vessel like a friing pan, and fire put under, & there he was broiled and fried until he was dead. His mother & his brothers looking on him, and one comforting another manfully to die in God's quarrel, and for the keeping of his laws saying: Deus aspiciet veritatem & consolabitur in nobis. God will look upon the truth, and will have comfort among us. The second was likewise served, saving that his tongue was not cut out, and at his last end said to the king. Tu quidem scelestissime. etc. O thou most mischievous man, thou destroyest us in this present life, but the king of all the world will raise us up again in the resurrection of life everlasting, that dieth for his laws. The third showed forth his hands and his tongue, and said I have the possession and use of these things from heaven above, but now I despise them for the law of God, because I hope and trust to receive them of him again. And even so all the brothers were arrayed, until they came to the seventh. And that marvelous mother comforted them every one, saying: I can not tell how you did appear within my body, for I gave you not spirit and life, and I did not join together the limbs of every one of you, but the creature and maker of the world, that formed and fashioned man's nativity, and that found the original beginning of all things, will restore unto you again with his mercy both spirit & life, even as you now despise yourselves for his laws sake. Antiochus the king thinking himself to be despised and set at nought, counseled the mother that she should entreat & give good counsel to the youngest son, and to save his life if it might be. And she stooped down to him mocking Anthiochus the King, and said: My son, have mercy on me that bore thee nine months within my body, and gave thee milk of my breasts three years space, and mirced thee, and brought thee unto the age that thou art of, I desire of thee (my son) that thou do look on heaven and earth, and all things that be in them, and do understand that God made them all of nought, and so it may come to pass that thou shalt not fear this butcherly hangman, but shalt be made worthy to have such brothers as be gone afore thee. Take thy death and such part as they have done, that in the time of god's mercy I may receive thee again with thy brothers. While she was thus saying, the young man boldly called upon the tormentors, saying, that he would not obey the commandment of the king, but he would obey the commandment of god's law given them by Moses. And after a sharp lesson & commination given to the king, the king was inflamed with anger, & was wood against him more than against all the other brothers, & so the good young man departed, trusting on god in all points, & at the last, the mother after her sons was spent & put to death. Of like fortitude, manliness & boldness we read in the new testament of. s. Steven, & saint james, & other in the acts of the apostles we read also of saint Peter. s. Andrew, Bartholomew, Laurence, Uincent, & many other whose passions be red in Christ's church, of which all & of others like th'apostle. Heb. xi. saith. Alii distenti sunt non suscipientes redemptionem ut meliorem invenirent resurrectionem, alii ludibria & verbera experti. etc. Some were racked & drawn in pieces, not looking for any ransom, that so they might find a better resurrection, some suffered mocks & stripes, & more over fetters & prisons, & were stoned to death, some were cut in pieces. In all these and such other timidity & cowardness was far away & this gift of the holy ghost, fortitude, manliness & strong heart lacked not, by which they were so constant in suffering adversity for Christ's sake, in hope of reward everlasting. Amen.   

¶ The fourth sermon, treating of the fift gift of the holy ghost, called the spirit of Science.  
THe fift of these gifts of the holy ghost, is the spirit of science, or the gift of science or cunning, for which you shall understand the science is not so precisely taken here as the logitions speaking of science calling it the knowledge of a conclusion proved by demonstration, but science as we now speak of it, descendeth and cometh allow, and is properly the judgement in the articles of our faith, and in such other Godly verities as extendeth themselves to creatures and to man's acts and doings according to saint Paul's saying: Faith worketh by love, And so doth all the whole holy scripture more consisting in practice and exercise then in speculation. This gift of science or cunning as we now speak of it, extendeth also to hand crafts, and occupations as I shall declare hereafter. And it presupposeth the gift of counsel (that I spoke of lately) by which we may with study, deliberation, and advisement, attain to the knowledge of man's acts, and to the knowledge of creatures. But because that many times men's wits in their study and in their singular or private counsels, be ready to invent or imagine of men's acts, and of other creatures laying a part the gift of counsel and good judgement, so cometh many times to man's mind, deception, error, lola●dye, & heresy, contrary to true science and cunning, gelosie, suspicion, slander, and infamy, contrary to quietness of living. Example we have of the people of Israel, which had inbibed so much of Moses' law, and wedded their wits so obstinately to that learning, and leaned so carnally to the same, that notwithstanding all Christ's doctrine, and all the preaching of the Apostles, thought no way to salvation, but by observing and fulfilling the works of the law of Moses, as except men were circumcised, they thought men could not be saved. And after a man had touched any dead thing or any unclean thing, except he should sequester himself vii days from the company of clean people, and except he were washed the third day and the vii day with a certain water made for the same purpose, he should die, with many such ceremonies and usages which were then commanded to be used, and were no more but shadows and figures of our saviour Christ, and of the time of grace that now is, and they should now cease when the verity signified by them is exhibited and performed, like as night ceaseth when the day cometh, and darkness vanisheth away by the presence of light. This they would not understand nor learn for any man's exhortation, but rather persecuted to death all them that instructed them in this verity. In this case was saint Paul, first before his conversion, and many of his country men and kinsfolks the jews, of which he saith. Testimonium perhibeo illis quod emulationem dei habent sed non secundum scientiam. Roma ten I bear them witness that they have a zeal and love to follow the learning that God hath given them by Moses, but they lack science and cunning, they follow not good understanding, in that in which they think themselves cunning, for the said ceremonies were no more but justitiae carnis usque ad tempus correctionis imposite. Certain observances laid on their necks, carnally to be observed and kept, to occupy them and hold them under obedience, and to keep them from the rites and usages that the gentiles used in their idolatry, till the time of correction, the time of reformation (which is the time of Christ's coming) at which time they should surcease and be used no more. Such a zeal and love to learning hath many now adays: And of their learning and knowledge (which they think they have) they will make as great glory and boast as did the jews of their learning. And yet their zeal and learning shall be without that science that is this gift of the holy ghost. In this case be they that so arrogantly glorieth in their learning had by study in the english bible, and in these seditious english books that have been sent over from our english runagates now abiding with Luther in Saxony. Of their study you may judge by the effect. When men and women have all studied, and count themselves best learned, of their learning men perceive little else but envy, & disdaining at others, mocking and despising all goodness, railing at fasting and at abstinence from certain meats one day afore an other, by custom or commandment of the church, at Mass and matins, and at all blessed ceremonies of Christ's church ordained and used for the avancement and setting forth of God's glory not without profound and great mysteries and causes reasonable. By this effect you may judge of the cause, the effect is nought, therefore there must needs be some fault in the cause. But what sayest thou? Is not the study of Scripture good? Is not the knowledge of the Gospels and of the new Testament, godly, good, and profitable for a christian man or woman? I shall tell you what I think in this matter, I have ever been of this mind, that I have thought it no harm, but rather good and profitable that holy Scripture should be had in the mother tongue, and with holden from no man that were apt and meet to take it in hand, specially if we could get it well and truly translated, which will be very hard to be had. But who be meet and able to take it in hand, there is the doubt. I shall declare this doubt by an other like. The Philosopher. i. Ethi. Declareth who be meet and convenient hearers of the science of moral philosophy. And there he excludeth from the study of that learning all young men and women, whether they be young in age, or young in manners and conditions, they that be young in years, be no convenient hearers of Moral philosophy, because they lack experience of things that be taught in that faculty, which be Acts of virtue, and vertuousse living, principally intended in Moral philosophy, of such manner of living, youth hath no experience, or very little, and therefore they can not discern them from their contraries when they hear them spoken of, neither discern the means which be virtues from the extremities that be vices, no more than a blind man can judge colours from their contraries, or can perceive that how much the nigher that any mean colour draweth to white, so much the more it scattereth and disperseth the sight, and hurteth it, or on the contrary part, how much the nigher in degrees it approacheth to the black colour, so much the more it gathereth the sight close together and helpeth the sight, and comforteth it. To tell this tale to a blind man is all labour lost, for he can not tell what you mean (after Aristotle) because a child knoweth not the acts of virtue, of which Moral philosophy treateth (for the end of that philophye is well doing, and good living. Therefore to teach a child the rules of that faculty, is a vain labour. And also because youth is much given to follow their affections and their lusts, they be no kindly scholars of moral philosophy, for the vehement inclinations that they have to do their lust, maketh them that moral lessons, teaching the exercise of virtue can not print in them. And for the same cause they that be young in manners though they be old in years (as the counsellors of Roboam salomon's son were) And such as be a great meinie of our lusty younkers now adays old enough to be wise, and yet as lewd they be as they were at twelve year old, and much worse. They be so headstrong, and so obstinately set to satisfy their concupiscence, and to take their pleasure, that they will not learn any lessons for the contrary. And so they can not attain to the end of moral philosophy which is virtuous works. Women also a frail kind, very obedient to their fancies, and to earnestly and eagerly following their lusts, be very unmeet scholars of moral philosophy. Now to my purpose, the end of Divinity is good doing as appeareth plainly by Moses and the Prophets in the old Testament, by our saviour Christ in the Gospels, and by the Apostles in their Epistles in many places. And therefore divinity is not called a speculative science, but a science of practice or doing. Then as the Philosopher reasoneth of the hearers of philosophy I may say likewise, that children whether they be children in years, or children in conditions & vicious manners for their wilful pronity & headiness to satisfy their lusts & pleasures, whether they be men or women, can not perceive the differences, and diversity of such good works as be taught in divinity neither the things that be spoken of in divinity, their passions doth so sequester and alienate their wits from consideration of them, that they shall be little or nothing the better for hearing of them, if they come where they may hear of them, as at sermons, lessons, and exhortations, to which they come very seldom, they love nothing worse, and think no time worse spent than the time while they be hearing the word of god, full like them that our saviour Christ speaketh of Mat. xiii. reciting the propheci of isaiah: Auribus graviter audierunt, It grieved them to hear the word of God, et oculos suos clauserunt, they shut fast their eyes. Nequamdo oculis videant. Lest they might see with their eyes the works of Christ, & the right way to heaven. And lest they should hear with their ears, & with good will understand the lively word of god that might save their souls, & might be converted from their misliving that so I might heal them (saith Christ) from the sores of their souls that be their sins. For in all such manner of sayings you must understand that the impossibility, yea rather the difficulty to do well, is of ourself only, & not of god. Therefore s. Austin saith they could not believe, by which it is to be understand that they would not believe: they would not mollify their hearts to receive holy instruction. How may a man teach them whether charity or love be the virtue or work of the body or the soul, or of both, or whether it be the work of reason or of the wil Likewise of fruition in which shall stand our beatitude & glory in heaven, whether it be the operation of the wit, or of the will or of both. And also of Angels what manner things they be, & how God speaketh to them, & one of them to another, though they have no tongues. And how they may move from place to place, considering that they fill no place, for they be no bodies. A hundred such things must be considered in the scriptures, which it is but vain labour to teach children, neither to them that be childish, & lewd in conditions. I mean them that of election & of very purpose doth nought, & hath a pleasure in naughty living, in which neither such high considerations as I now touched, neither any moral rules or lessons of good living can print, or have place, they be so blinded by ill custom, & rooted in the contrary vices, & in vicious living. Neither to the most part of women being very sensual parsons and much addict & given to follow their lusts & affections which here among you in this town not only studieth the scriptures but also teacheth it, and disputeth it. S. Paul i. Corinth. xiiii. would that a woman if she would learn any thing for her soul health, she should ask of her husband at home, that he may teach her if he be so well learned, or that he may ask of them that be learned, and so teach his wife, lest peradventure if women should have resort unto learned men, to reason matters, or to ask questions for their learning, by overmuch familyarity some further inconvenience might mischance to both parties. She must not play the reader, she must not keep the schools, but rather Mulier in silencio discat cum omni subiectione: docere autem mulieri non permitto i. Tim. two. Let a woman learn in silence without many words, & without clattering, with all obedience & subjection. For I will not suffer a woman to be a teacher, lest peradventure taking upon her to be a masters she may wax proud and malapert. She must consider her creation, that a woman was last made, and first in fault and in sin. Wherefore it beseemeth women to know their condition & to be subject, and not to reform and teach men. Once she taught and marred all, therefore Paul would have her teach no more. But here you must understand as well for the philosopher's mind of the hearers of moral philosophy, as for. s. Paul's mind of the students in holy scriptures, that although neither children in age, neither in conditions, all given to take their pleasures, and to follow their lusts, be appropriate and most convenient hearers of philosophy, because they lack experience of virtuous works and by childish playing the boys, and plaiing the wantoness be customed in lewdness, yet this notwithstanding if they be under awe and fear of their parents or of masters, or of officers, they may take profit by hearing Philosophy, in as much as if they be straightly hold to such learning, they may be disposed to virtue and restraint from vice by the same. And much like it is of the study of scriptures, if such voluptuous persons be compelled to haunt sermons, lessons, and exhortations, by such means the foolishness and ignorance that is knit in the heart of the wanton and childish person may be driven away by the rod of discipline. And I read of many blessed women that have been virtuously brought up in youth, and well exercised in holy scriptures, as they that saint Jerome wrote to, and many others which we worship for blessed saints in heaven, to which God gave grace to subdue their affections and lusts, and by that they were the more meet to receive the gift of science and cunning by the scriptures. But I read not that they were readers, preachers, or disputers of scriptures. Many wise questions they used to ask and were without countresaiing satisfied with such answers as were given them by them that were learned. I doubt not but they used to teach their maids at home such lessons as might make them chaste and devout. For women may be exercised in teaching after that manner, as appeareth by Saint Paul Tit. two. saying that aged women among other virtues, must be, bene docentes, ut ad castitatem erudiant adolescentulas, well teaching, that they may inform their young women to chastity, and to love their husbands, and to love their children, to be clean in countenance, in words, and in body, to be good housewives benignas et subditas viris suis, boner & boughsome to their husbands. So far blessed Saint Paul giveth women liberty to teach, but not to teach men. All beit saint Jerome in the preamble of his exposition of the psalm: Eructavit cor meum verbum bonum noteth that Ruth, judith, and Hester have books intyteled to their names, and that they taught men wit, and so did the wise woman of Techua conclude king David with her wise questions that she asked him, and taught him by the subtile riddles that she proposed to him, and mitigate his anger with the pretty example that she brought in ii Reg. xiiii. but in deed much of her wisdom in her so doing, came of the wit of joab, that sent her to the king to entreat for Absalon that he might be restored again into his country. The blessed man Aquila and his wife Pryscilla when they had heard Apollo preach Christ, they called him aside and better taught him in the faith of Christ in some points than he was taught afore Act. xviii But here the scripture expresseth not whether the man Aquila, or the wife Priscilla taught Apollo. And it may well be that they both instructed him. For the holy spirit of God breatheth and inspireth his gifts where it pleaseth him, and by them that it pleaseth him, whether it be men or women. Therefore it may so be that it pleased GOD to illuminate the souls of women, and by them for the time to teach men. Sometime for the reproach and confusion of men to make them ashamed of their dullness and sleweth. As it is written judicum. iiii. that Delbora the Prophetess judged the people of Israel, and advanced them to war against Sisara captain of the wars of jabin king of Canaan, in so much that Barach a noble man among the people durst not go to the battle against Sisara except this good woman Delbora would go with him. And sometime women have instructed men for other secret causes, such as GOD only knoweth.  
But this is not to be taken for an argument because it is rare and seldom, but of a common course it becometh women to be subject and to learn in silence, and if they will teach, then to do it with modesty and secretly, and not openly to dispute and teach men, and that is saint Paul's mind as I said afore. Scripture is in worse case than any other faculty, for where other faculties take upon them no more than pertaineth to their own science, as the Physician treateth of things pertaining to the health of man's body, and the Carpenter or the Smith meddleth with their own tools and woorkemanshyppe. Sola scripturarum ars est quam sibi omnes passim vendicant, hanc garrula anus, hanc delirus senex, hanc sophista verbosus, hanc universi presumunt lacerant docent antequam discant, as saint Jerome saith in his epistle ad Paulinum.  
The faculty of Scripture only, is the knowledge that all men and women challengeth and claimeth to themself and for their own, here and there, the chattering old wife, the doting old man, the babbling Sophister, and all other presumeth upon this faculty, and teareth it, and teacheth it afore they learn it. Of all such green Divines as I have spoken of it appeareth full well what learning they have, by this, that when they teach any of their Disciples, and when they give any of their books to other men to read the first suggestion why he should labour such books, is because by this (say they) thou shalt be able to oppose the best priest in the parish, and to tell him he lieth. Lo the charity. Suppose thou have science or cunning by thy study in scriptures, yet thou hast not this gift of the holy ghost, of which we now speak, for it is not without charity: Scientia inflat, charitas edificat, Such science maketh a man proud, but charity edifieth & doth good. If a man think he knoweth any thing by such science without charity, he knoweth not yet how he ought to know it i Corin. viii. he considereth not that he ought to use his science with humility, and with charity toward his neighbour, and that is the science that God alloweth. For lack of this charity, vain is thy study, thy science vanisheth away to vainglory, which agreeth not with the holy ghost. And when the holy ghost is absent, then beware of study in scripture specially above all faculties, for without his special assistance, thou shalt not scape heresy, rather defoulinge the scriptures with thy expositions and ill application like Swine treading pearels under their feet, and ready to invade, and all to tear them that have the true knowledge and understanding of scriptures. Of such speaketh the prophet. Psa. liv. Contaminaverunt testamentum eius. Where he speaketh of them that without charity treateth the scriptures, & have defouled them, leaving the unity of charity, and taking every one away by themself in their own confederacy, refusing the unity and concord of good and faithful people. But what hath come of them? It followeth divisi sunt ab ira vultus eius: They have been divided by the anger of God's face. What better mark can we have to mark heretics? Arrius was divided with his confederacy, Pelagius with his faction, Novatus, Manicheus, wycliffe & such other which have been divided from the congregation of good and faithful people by excommunication here in this world, and it is to be feared lest they be excommunicate from the celestial congregation, & be perished for evermore, except peradventure some of them did penance at the last cast, but whether over late penance be sufficient, it is doubt. What profit came by the division and separation of such heretics? It followeth there appropinquavit cor illius, the heart and mind of him that divided them by his anger, came nigher to men's knowledge by the scriptures. For many things were hid and unknown in the scriptures, but when heretics that vexed the church and troubled it with their questions, were prescised and cut away, than the heart and will of God in the scriptures, was understand & known. For there was nothing so perfectly known nor so commonly known of the blessed trinity and of the divine productions, afore that Arrius barked and railed against it, as was known afterward. The sacrament of penance had never be so well known as it is, if Novatus that heretic had not taught his faction to despise the second table or raff after shipwreck, that is penance, the second help and remedy to save men souls. Baptism is the first that riddeth a man from original sin and from actual sin if any be afore committed: After which baptism if a man fall to sin again, penance is the second remedy. Novatus would none thereof, but that if a man sinned after he was baptized, he was remediless and could not be saved. He gloried to much in his own sincerity and clearness of his living. And so of the single living of priests, of the invocation of saints, & of their prayers for us, of purgatory, of ceremonies of the church, of images, which you without science call idols. In all Christendom were scarce so many that could exactly & profoundly and so readily declare and reason the truth of these matters and defend them from barkers and from gnawers & railers afore this wicked new learning rysse in Saxony, and came over into England among us, as you shall find now in one university, or in one or two good towns: So that generally by the excluding and putting away of errors & heresies the will of God cometh nigher and is better known, declared unto us by the scriptures well laboured and truly understanded. It followeth in the psalm Molliti sunt sermones eius super oleum, et ipsi sunt iacula. The words of God in scripture which afore were hard, by the exercise and labour of catholic clerks be made very soft, yea more soft, easy, and soople than oil, and be made harness and darts, or weapons for the preachers. Of the hardness of scriptures (in which our new divines find no hardness) riseth all heresies. And so they did even at the beginning in Christ's time. When Christ said Io. vi Nisi manducaveritis carnem filii hominis et biberitis eius sanguinem, non habebitis vitam in vobis: Except you eat the flesh of the son of man, and drink his blood, ye shall have no life in you. Many of his disciples hearing these words said: This is a hard saying, & who can abide to hear him say thus? And after that time many of his disciples gave back, and walked not with him, they kept him no company: them said our saviour Christ unto the xii that he had chosen apostles: will you begun also? Peter answered: good master to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of everlasting life. I pray you take heed, and learn here of S. Peter meekly to read and take the words of GOD in his scriptures. Did Peter understand Christ's words, for which a great many of his scholars gave back, and companyed not with Christ? Nay verily, no more than other did. But yet he would not shake of his master for the obscureness of his words, neither despised his word though it were obscure and dark, neither took upon him arrogantly to divine and arede what was his masters mind and meaning by his word that was so dark, as many of our young divines now adays will not stick to do, and rather to say boldly, and to confirm it with an horrible oath, I am sure this is his meaning, and thus it must be understanded, when they be far wide.  
So did not Peter but tarried his time, and so by sufferance and good abiding at the maundy afore the passion, when Christ by consecration converted bread and wine into his precious body & blood, than he perceived what Christ meaned by his saying afore rehearsed: Nisi manducaveritis. etc. except you eat the flesh of a man, and drink his blood, you shall have no life in you. etc. and so did other of the apostles there present than first understand the word. And even then Christ spoke certain words that might have given them light to understand him, saying: Si ergo videritis filium hominis ascendentem ubi erat prius: If you shall see the son of man ascend to heaven where he was afore, as who should say, when you shall see him ascend with a whole body, than you shall perceive that this carnal and gross understanding that maketh you now to murmur and grudge, profiteth nothing at all. At that blessed supper the apostles knew that Christ should ascend whole, and that they should not tear the body as they there saw it with their knives, nor gnaw it with their teeth, that the blood should run about their teeth, neither eat it roasted nor sod, as men eat the meat that they die in the shambles, but that they should eat it in an other fashion than they saw it than, that they should eat his body and drink his blood in a manner that should not loath nor abhor their stomachs, under the form and fashion of bread and wine that they were daily used to. Th●s S. Peter knew not at the first, and yet he spoke to Christ full reverently and lovingly, as it were, saying: ask not whether we will be gone and forsake you, though your words be so obscure that we can not perceive them. For this we know that verba vitae aeterne habes, thou hast the words of life everlasting. As yet he did not understand Christ's words, but full lovingly he believed that the words that he understood not, were very good. Would GOD you would when you read the scriptures, use such a modesty & such charity, that if the sentence be hard and strange, than not to determine yourself to an understanding after your own fancy, but abide a time with longanimity and easy sufferance. Et jacta super dominum curam tuam, & ipse te enutriet. Refer thy mind to God's pleasure, cast thy care upon GOD, and he will nourish thee, he will send thee light, providing for the some man that is well learned & substantially exercitate in the scriptures to teach thee, specially if it be necessary for thy soul health to know it. If it be not necessary for thy soul health, but such as thou mayest be safe enough▪ whether thou know it or not, and mayest come to heaven without the knowledge thereof (as a thousand places in scripture be such) then let it pass, and say with saint Peter: Domine verba vitae eternae habes. O Lord GOD thou hast the words of everlasting life. The words be good, because they be the words of GOD, although I do not understand them. Thus ordering yourselves in the study of holy scriptue, you do like good men, and like gods servants, and God will be good Lord unto you. Et non dabit ineternum fluctuationem justo. And will not suffer you finally for ever to fleet and waver inconstantly, running from one opinion to an other, from one illusion to an other, thou shalt stay thyself by the ancour of faith, and that shall keep thee from the rocks, that be perilous heretics. For if thou fleet and waver till thou fall on one of them, thou shalt have such a crash of false doctrine and lewd understanding that thou shalt not avoid shipwreck, thou shalt not come to the port of safe knowledge, ne to the port of ease, quietness, and caulmenes everlasting in heaven, if thou be made by such false doctrine to err in the essential and necessary points of thy belief.  
Therefore in your learning see that you use charity with humility and lowliness of heart, and then you shall show yourself that your learning is the true science given of the holy ghost, of which we now entreat. And by the same gift you shall as well know what you shall believe, as to judge and discern the things that you shall believe, from the things that you shall not believe. And also you may ascend to so high knowledge, that you shall be able to declare the articles of your faith, and to induce and persuade other men to believe, and also to convince and overcome countersayers, and such as would impugn the faith. Although it be not given to all men to ascend unto so high a degree of science. And because I spoke even now of Images and Idols, I would you should not ignonrauntlye confound and abuse those terms, taking an Image for an idol, and an idol for an Image, as I have heard many do in this city, as well of the fathers and mothers (that should be wise) as of their babies and children that have learned foolishness of their parents. Now at the dissolution of Monasteries and of Freers houses many Images have been carried abroad, and given to children to play with all. And when the children have them in their hands, dancing them after their childish manner, cometh the father or the mother and saith: What nasse, what hast thou there? the child aunsweareth (as she is taught) I have here mine idol, the father laugheth and maketh a gay game at it. So saith the mother to an other, jug, or Thommye, where hadst thou that pretty Idol? john our parish clerk gave it me, saith the child, and for that the clerk must have thanks, and shall lack no good cheer. But if this folly were only in the insolent youth, and in the fond unlearned fathers and mothers, it might soon be redressed. But your preachers that you so obstinately follow, more leaning to the vulgar noise and common error of the people, then to profound learning they babble in the pulpits that they hear the people rejoice in.  
And so of the people they learn their sermons, and by their sermons they indurate their audience and make the people stubborn and hard to be persuaded to science, contrary to their blind ignorance, aswell in this point of Images and Idols, as in many other like. They would have that this latin word Imago signifieth an Idol, and so these new translations of the english bibles hath it in all places, where the translators would bring men to believe that to set up Images, or to have Images is idolatry. And therefore where the scriptures abhorreth idols, they make it Images, as though to have imagery, were idolatry, that God so greatly abhorreth. But you must understand and know that an Image is a thing carved, or painted, or cast in a mould, that representeth and signifieth a thing that is in deed, or that hath be or shall be in deed. And so speaketh our Saviour Christ of an Image, when the pharisees send their disciples with Herodes servants, to ask him this question: whether it were lawful for the jews to pay tribute to the Emperor or not? He called them Hypocrites, and bade them show him the coin or money that was usually paid for the tribute. They brought him a denere, we call it a penny. He asked them: Cuius est Imago hec et superscriptio Mat. xxii. Whose is this Image & the scripture about? They answered: the emporours'. Note here (good friends) that Christ asked not cuius est idolum hoc? Whose is this idol for he knew it was none, but that it was an image, as is the Image of our sovereign Lord the king upon his money coined in London, in Bristol, or in other places, which no man that hath wit would call an Idol. For saint Paul saith. i Cor. viii. Scimus quia nihil est Idolum in mundo, & quod nullus est deus nisi unus. We know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no God but one. Where the blessed Apostle referreth much unto science in this matter of idols, and of meat offered unto them, and spoke to them that were learned, and should have cunning to discern in this matter: saying in the beginning of that. viii. Chapter. Scimus quoniam omnes scientiam habemus. We know, for all we have science and cunning to judge of these meats that be offered to Idols, what know we? Scimus quia nihil est Idolun in mum do & quod nullus est deus nisi unus. We have this science, and this we know, that an Idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no God but one. An image is a similitude of a natural thing, that hath be, is, or may be. An idol is a similitude representing a thing that never was nor may be. Therefore the image of the crucifix is no idol, for it representeth and signifieth Christ crucified, as he was in deed. And the Image of Saint Paul with the sword in his hand, as the sign of his martyrdom is no Idol, for the thing signified by it, was a thing in deed, for he was beheaded with a sword in deed: but an Idol is an image that signifieth a monster that is not possible to be, as to signify a false God which is no God in deed. For as S. Paul said, There is no God but one: As the Image of jupiter set up to signify the god jupiter, is a false signifier, & signifieth a thing of nothing, for there is no God jupiter. And the Image of Venus to signify the goddess Venus is nothing, for that is signified by it, is nothing, for there is no she goddess Venus: As in a like speaking we say Chimaera is nothing, because the voice is sometime put to signify a monster, having a head like a Lion, with fire flaming out of his mouth, and the body of a goat, and the hinder part like a serpent or a dragon, there is no such thing, although the poets feign such a monster, therefore the voice Chimaera is a false signifier, and that is false is nothing, therefore we say Chimaera is nothing but Chimaera signifying a certain mountain in the country of Licia, flaming fire out of the top of it, breeding and having Lions nigh about the higher part or top of the same hill, and downward about the middle part, having pastures where breadeth goats or such other beasts, and at the foot of it marshes or moist ground breading serpents: such an hill there is in the said country, and of the divers disposition of the parts of the said hill, the fiction of the foresaid monster is ymagened, which is nothing, and therefore so we say that Chimaera is nothing, but the same vocable put to signify the hill in Licia aforesaid is somewhat, and a true signifier, for it signifieth a thing that is in deed. as appeareth by Pomponius Mela. lib. i. and Soline Cap. lii. with their expositors, and even so it is true that Paul saith that an Idol is nothing, for there is none such thing as is signified by it, there is no God Saturn, there is no God jupiter, there is no Gods Venus, but I say more, that if a man could carve or paint an Image of jupiters' soul burning in the fire of hell, or likewise an Image of Venus' soul there burning. If saint Paul had seen such a picture or image, he would never have called it an idol, or a thing of nothing, for it should signify a thing that is in deed, for jupiters' soul is in hell in deed, and so is Venus' soul, and other like taken for Gods made of mortal men. After this manner good friends, you must by science and cunning, learnedly speak of Images and Idols, and not to confound the words, or the things signified by them, taking one for an other. And by this you may perceive, that when you will arrogantly of a proud heart meddle of matters above your capacity, the holy ghost withdraweth his gift of science from you, and that maketh you to speak you can not tell what, for the holy ghost will not inspire his gifts but upon them that be humble and lowly in heart. And because I said heretofore, that this gift of science as it is here taken, extendeth to mecanical science, and handy crafts. This appeareth by the text. Exo. xxxi. when the holy tabernacle should be made in desert, almighty God provided an artificer and workman for the same nonce called Beseleel son of Huri, son of Her, of the tribe of juda. I have filled him (saith God) with the spirit of God. Sapientia, intelligentia, & scientia in omni opere. I have given him sapience, by which he might well discern and judge of the things that god would have made, in so much that he was able to teach others the things that he knew by god's revelation and instruction. And this properly pertaineth to the gift of Sapience, as I have said afore. I have filled him with the spirit of intelligence or wyttines, and fine and clear perceiving and understanding, by which he may more perfectly pierce and enter with his wit into the things that be taught him, than he should have done if he had lacked the said gift of intelligence. I have also (saith God) fulfilled Beseleel with the gift of science. Of which speaketh Chrisost. in a sermon of the holy ghost after this manner. When Moses made the tabernacle in wilderness, he had need than not only of doctrine and learning, but also of the gift of a master crafts man, to know how he should sew together fine clothes and silks of precious colours, and how to weave them, plat them, and shape them together. And how he should cast gold and other metals necessary for the ceremonies there to be used, and how to polish precious stones, and also to frame the timber for the same tabernacle. For these and such other purposes almighty God gave him and to his workman Beseleel, the spirit of science, that they might frame all such things accordingly. And even so in your occupations and handy crafts, when you exercise yourselves diligently and truly without sloth, without deceit, guile, or subtlety in all your exercise, ordering yourselves to your neighbour, as you would be ordered yourself, so long your occupation, exercise, and labour is adnexed and joined with charity, and seemeth plainly to come of the holy ghost: for without charity this gift of science coming of the holy ghost will not be, no more than other virtues infused. And contrary, like as every good thing hath an enemy, or at the least wise an ape or a counterfeiter, as fortitude or manliness hath foolish hardiness or rash boldness, which seemeth manliness and is not so, so hath science or cunning, guile or subtlety, which counterfeiteth cunning, and is no true cunning, in as much as it is without Charity, and also without justice. Cicero ex platone i office Sciencia que est remota a justicia calliditas potius quam scientia est appellanda. Science removed from justice is rather to be called wiliness then science. And to this purpose, it is necessary that you servants do your duty to your masters obediently with fear and quaking, in simplicity and plains of heart, as unto Christ, not serving to the eye, as to please man, but like the servants of Christ, doing the will of God with heart and all. Ephe. vi. not deceiving your masters by your idleness, or else being occupied about your own business, when your master thinketh that you be in his labours. And likewise you masters do you to your servants, instructing them in their occupations, for which they came to your service, according to the trust that their parents and friends hath put you in, that they may get their living and yours with truth & just dealing and honesty, and meddle not to much with other men's occupations that you cannot skill on, leas●e while ye be so curious in other men's matters not pertaining to your learning, you decay as well in your own occupation, as in the other, so falling to penury, extreme poverty, and very beggary. For when a tailor forsaking his own occupation will be a merchant venterer, or a shoemaker to become a groser, God send him well to prove. I have known many in this town, that studienge divinity, hath killed a merchant, and some of other occupations by their busy labours in the scriptures, hath shut up the shop windows, feign to take sanctuary, or else for mercery and groserye, hath be fain to sell godderds, steanes, and pitchers, and such other trumpery. For this I shall assure you, that although divinity be a science very profitable for the soul health, yet small gains to the purse, or to the world ariseth by it. Not that I intend to reprove the study of scriptures, for I extol it and praise it above all other study, so that it be used as I have said afore, with modesty and charity, with longanimity and easy sufferance, till God send the a true instructor, not infected with wilful and new-fangled heresies: From which I pray god to defend you all, and send you teachers endued with such science as may instruct you in the truth, by which you may attain to joys everlasting. Amen.   

The fift sermon, entreating of the spirit of Piety.  
Now right worshipful audience I must answer to your expectation, not doubting but that ye look I should perform the promise that I have made you in times passed, when I took upon me to declare unto you the seven. gifts of the holy ghost, which as the prophet Esay. xi. saith, rested on our saviour Christ, and by him be derived to his faithful people, to every one as it doth please his goodness to distribute them, to some more of them, to some fewer, and not so many. And to them that receive the gifts of one kind and manner, yet some persons hath them more intensely, more fully, and more perfectly, & some more remysly, more faintly, and not after so perfect fashion or manner, as I have heretofore declared at large, which I trust in God is not all forgotten. five of the said gifts I have stripped and passed over after the capacity of my poor wit now consequently succeedeth the vi of the said gifts, called Spiritus pietatis, or donum pietatis, the gift of Piety. This word pietas or piety, the latin term is so ambiguose, & so diversly used, both in the scriptures and also of the doctors, that me thinketh it very hard to make it plain in the english tongue for your capacity. The translators of the Bible in to english, calleth pietas godliness, and his contrary impietas ungodliness. But thus speaking of Piety, it seemeth to common and large to be one of these vii gifts distinct from the other, because that thus speaking of it, it agreeth to the other vi. gifts that I have spoken of. For the gift of godly counsel is a certain godliness: the gift of Fortitude also is a certain godliness: The gift also of the dread of God is a godly gift, and a certain godliness, as hereafter shall appear. And if I should english it & call it pity, yet there I should fall into an other equivocation: for this word pity is not ever taken after one manner in the english tongue: sometime it is taken for mercy or compassion that we have on the misery of our neighbour that is in pain or trouble, & thus is pieras sometime taken as I shall show hereafter & sometime otherwise, as when we say to an unthrift or a common malefactor, it is pity to do the good. Here it signifieth rather an offence, a fault or an ill thing, & so speaking, I think this english may come of pio, a verb, or piaculum taken in malam parten, for a crime or a sin, as we take sacer, or such other, sometime to signify that is holy & good, and sometime that is cursed & nought. But we have not yet the principal signification of pietas that we now speak of. Therefore more specially to speak of piety, ye shall understand that the paygnims in their writings used the same term and (as they thought) in the same signification as we use it. Cicero ii officiorum. Deos placatos pietas efficiet & sanctitas. They were deceived by error and worshipped many Gods, yet this they thought good to pacify, content, and please their gods by piety & holiness. Albeit their piety, holiness and integrity or clearness of living in them, were but counterfeit and unprofitable for their soul health, and for salvation of their souls, in as much as it lacked the foundation of faith which as I said in the first Sermon that I made here of these seven gifts, is presupposed necessarily to all these seven gifts of the holy ghost. Lactancius firm●anus divinarum institutionum, Li. iii. ca ix. inveighing against the error of the old Philosophers, which said that man's felicity stood in the knowledge of corporal things as Anaxagoras did, which when he was asked wherefore, or for what cause he was borne? answered. Solis ac celi videndi causa. I was borne and brought into this world (saith he) for to see the sun, and the heaven or the bodies above, as meaning that in the beholding of them with our bodily eyes had stand all our perfection, where he ought rather to have confessed and magnified the power of him that made the Heaven, and in contemplation of his majesty, that is to say, in the interior sight of our minds, occupied about his highness, and in love corespondente, to have constitute our felicity steadfastly, continuing in the same, while we be here in this corruptible body, till at the last we may attain and come to the clear fruition of the same in heaven without any impediment or let. Therefore if a man were asked now wherefore he was made, he should not answer to stare upon the sky (as Anaxagoras said) neither to follow the carnal lust of this flesh, as Aristippus said, neither to be without pain, and to take thy ease or thy pleasure generally, as Epicure said. But rather to say and answer that we were made and brought forth into this world for to worship God, which begot us to do him service. And this after Lactancius. is called Pietas. Dei parentis agnitio▪ The knowledge of God our father and maker not speaking of bare and naked knowledge of GOD as they had. Qui cum cognovissent deum, non sicut deum glorificaverunt. Roma i Which when they knew GOD did not honour him as GOD, neither thanked him for his gifts, but played the fools, falling to idolatry, making Gods of men, birds, and beasts. Therefore saith. s. Augustine four civi. ca xxiii. Pietas vera est verax veri dei cultus. And as he saith ten ci. ca i. it is called by the Greek word Latria, which is properly that service that pertaineth to the worshipping of God, & may be called also by an other latin word, Religio, Religion which properly signifieth the worshipping of God, and taketh his name (secundum Lactancius li. iiii ca xxviii. A religando▪ because that by the bond of the service and worship that we own to God, GOD hath bound man to him to do him service, as to our Lord and master, and to do him worship, honour and reverence as to our father. Thus he hath bound us to him by the faith that he infused and poured into us at our christening and we have bound ourself to him by our promise that we there professed, for his sake to renounce, refuse, and forsake the devil, and all his pomp, and proud works, and so all we were there made religious persons, applied and appointed chiefly to this service that I now speak of, pietas, that is to say: the true worshipping of GOD, or the inward habit, quality or gift of the soul, by the holy Ghost given to man or woman, by which a man or a woman having it, is inclined to goodness, and made well disposed, well minded, prompt and ready to serve GOD, and to do him worship. But because it is plain by the Prophet Esay, (where my matter is grounded) that all these gifts rested in the manhood of our saviour Christ, whom he called the flower that should rise up out of the rod, springing forth from the root of jesse. Let us search the scriptures whether it do appear by his acts that he had this gift. Luke two. when he was twelve year old and able to take some labours, he went with his mother and with his foster father to Jerusalem. They casting no perils, went homeward after the solemnity of the feast, thinking that Christ had been in the company of the neighbours that then went together homeward from Jerusalem after the manner as pilgrims, used to go in flocks together. Thus they passed the way a whole days journey afore they miss him, when they miss him it was no need to bid them seek, they had lost their greatest jewel. They sought him among their friends & acquaintance and could not find him, the next day they returned back to Jerusalem, the third day they sought all about in the City, the fourth day, that is post tridium, after three days they found him in the temple sitting among the doctors, hearing them, and asking questions of them. He first heard them read and teach, and then asked questions, and opposed them. Would GOD our Bible clerks would so do now adays, that they would first hear and learn, and afterward to oppose, for so they should profit themselves, and them that they do oppose. Where now when they do oppose, it is without any learned manner, and more for a vain glory, or for to publish and open men's ignorances, rather than to instruct them, and that appeareth, for commonly they be doing & most busy with them that be unlearned, rather than with them that be learned. Our saviour Christ occupied not himself so, but gate himself among the very best of the doctors that were in the Temple, first giving good advertens and audience to their sayings, and then opposing them for their learning. And after this manner his Parents found him occupied, his mother said unto him: Son, why have you served us so? your father and I with sorrow and care have sought you. And Christ said unto them, why sought you me? Know ye not that I must needs be in those things that be my fathers? Or about my father's business? Where he called the resorting and coming to the temple, and there to be occupied in contemplation, in preaching, reading, teaching, disputing, or reasoning, his father's matters, his father's business. And in this he declared this gift of piety, (that I now speak of) to be in him, and that by this gift, he was inclined so to do, and so to occupy himself in the service of his father, and in the worshipping of almighty God. And after when. s. john baptist was cast in prison, than came our saviour Christ abroad, and preached his holy doctrine in Galilee and other places. Luke. iiii. and in his progress he came to Nazareth where he was nursed and brought up in his childhood. And there came into the church on the Sabbath day as he was wont to do, and stood up and red a portion of the scripture as the manner was. The scripture was of the prophecy of Esay. ca lxi. Spiritus domini super me propter quod unxit me, evangelizare pauperibus misit me. etc. After he had red it, he clasped up the book, & delivered it to the clerk or minister that had the keeping of it, and sat down like a doctor▪ or a reader in his chair, or on his stole and expounded and declared the same scripture, applying it to himself as the true literal sense of that scripture did pretend, saying: hody impleta est hec scriptura in oculis vestris. Now this scripture is fulfilled afore your eyes. The holy spirit of God was on him, and did anoint him and send him to preach to the poor people, that be poor in spirit, and lowly in heart. All this was the service of his father, redounding to his worship, and to his father's honour he applied all his preaching. joh. xiiii. The sermon that you have heard, is not mine, but it is my fathers that send me. Also, joh. xv. In this my father is glorified, that you may bring forth much fruit, and may be made my scholars. He did not attribute or give it to his own glory or praise that his disciples increased in knowledge, and in the fruit of good works coming of the same, but to the glory and praise of his father. Likewise that his disciples and we by them be Christ's disciples, he willeth us to give laudes and glory therefore to the father, although the father's glory and his by reason of his godhead, were & is all one. Thus ye may well perceive through the Gospels, how vehemently and earnestly he was given to the true service and honour of god seeking the glory of God, and not his own glory or the glory of his manhood. Ego non quero gloriam meam est qui querat & judicet. joh. viii. which is the very exercise and practise of this sixth gift of the holy ghost called in latin pietas in english the worshipping of God, or the gift of grace by which we be prompt and ready, and glad to worship God. And when we be so disposed, taking example at our Saviour Christ, coming to his holy Temple or church dedicate to God's honour, where his holy word is red and song, expounded, preached, and declared, and there occupy ourselves in contemplation and prayer like good christian people, it is a great sign that we be partakers of his plenty, having this gift of the holy ghost derived unto us by our saviour Christ. And this (I think) is one proper signification of pietas, and is as saint Ambrose. i offi. xxvii. saith, the first and principal part of our justice, and the beginning of wisdom, to know of whom we have our wit and all other goodness and to do him service according to his benefit. Albeit if we should extend and enlarge the name of pietas, of reverend worship, we shall find that we own service or reverend worship to our country, & also to our parents that brought us into this world, and nursed us, cherished us, and helped us when we could not help ourself, and also to them that be nigh of kindred to us. So that this vocable pietas, seemeth now to have iii significations, to which he agreeth, secundum analogiam quandam, as the Logition speaketh. After a certain order likewise, as there is an order betwixt the things signified, we own a reverend service and worship to almighty GOD, as to our maker, maintainer, and redeemer, as I have said. We own also a reverend service and worship to our country. We also own a reverend honour and worship to our fathers and mothers, & to them that be to us next of kindred. But we be not so bound to serve our country as we be to serve God, nor so straightly bound to our parents & kindred as to our country. If the whole country or the whole realm in which thou were borne, would move thee to do that fact, or that thing that should be contrary to God's pleasure, and contrary to his holy scriptures, forsake thy country, esteem it not, take no part with them, but cleave fast to God's holy word, and resist even to death, the malice and frowardness of such miscreants as would move thee to the contrary. Did not the Apostles so? Were they not all jews borne? was not all the whole country bended to extinct the remembrance of Christ? How oft were they commanded they should not once Preach or speak of his name under pain of stripes? yea, under pain of death? But all this would not serve, all this could not dissever them from Christ, nor from publishing of his faith, and of his holy name, neither trouble, nor perplexity, or distress, nor hunger, nor nakedness, nor peril, nor persecution, nor sword, axe, or any weapon. Ro. viii. second, we be more bound to our country then to our parents or kindred, in so much that if there would any foreign Potentate, or alien power, attempt to invade the Realm where thou art inhabitant, & of the nation, yea: though thine own father, uncle, brother, & all thy kindred that thou hast were on that party, so irrupting into thy country, thou oughtest to forsake them all, & to fight against them all for the defence & safeguard of thy country, yea & (that goeth near to the then so) to forsake thyself and thine own life and health, and to put thyself in jeopardy for thy country sake. The paynim captains did so, the holy men that scriptures doth commend and repute them in Catalago sanctorum, in the roll and number of saints did so likewise. Codrus king of Athens in a battle against the Peloponensis, perceived by an answer that the devil had made speaking in an idol to the said Peloponensis, that they should have the victory, if they killed not the captain of the contrary part: Wherefore the whole host was commanded to save Codrus the king of the Athenensis in any case. This was not so secretly done, but it came to Codrus ear, which for the piety and love that he had to his country, disguised himself like a poor labourer with his sith on his back, and so came among the host of his enemies, and what with shroud words and misbehaviour, and with his scythe he displeased the soldiers, and hurt one of them with his scythe, which turned to him, and with his spear staff killed him. When this was known, the Peloponensis fled, and so the Athenensis had the victory, without any more bloodshedding. In a certain controversy betwixt the Carthaginensis, & the people of Cyrene, a certain city in Libya, (of which it is touched. Act. two. Et parts Libie que est circa Cyrenem,) it lieth eastward from Carthage, now I trow called Tuneiss toward Egypt, both in Africa. In a controversy (I say) betwixt those two parties for the meyres or bounds of their territories and dominions, which continued long to the great murder & destruction of the people of both parties. At the last it was agreed betwixt both, that at a certain time appointed betwixt both the cities there should certain curriers be send forth, & where so ever they met, there to be meyre stones pitched, & such marks made whereby it might be known for ever how far both lordships did extend, they that were sent out of Carthage were two brothers Phileni called, but so it was that these brothers were come a great way further than the other party thought they should. And so the Cyrenensis pretended some fraud to be in the setting forth of these men. But they for their countries sake, and for the avoidance of further trouble of the same, for to assure the contrary party that the thing was done without collusion offered themself there to be buried quick, that their tombs or graves might be the very meires in this purpose, with which the other party thinking no man would make such an offer for the defence of a false matter was content, and so ceased that controversy. In holy scriptures we have examples abundant, how that neither father nor mother, wives neither men's own natural children could withdraw men from the love of their countries, in so much that when some of them were banished and driven out of their country, yet when they herd that their country was in danger & distress, they sticked not to forget all displeasures and unkindness, & to do the best they could to save their countries. It is writ. Gen. xiiii. That the holy patriarch Abraham, being but a stranger in the land of Canaan, now called the holy land, had such reverend love to the country where he was inhabitant, hearing that four kings with their hosts had invaded the country about Sodom & Gomor, & had spoiled the country, & taken away many prisoners, among which they had taken Loath his brother's son, he assembled together all his retinue, Expeditos vernaculos trecentos decem & octo, & followed the chase, & overtook these kings, & beset them about in the night season, & slew them, & recovered all their prey, & brought home again Loath with all his substance, He might have sit still at home, if the love that he had to his country in which he was then sustained for the time, as Denison, had not pricked him forward, jud. xi, It is red of jepthe which in deed his brothers had banished out of his country, yet afterward it chanced that the Ammonites invaded the people of Israel, & wasted & destroyed them▪ right sore, & specially that part beyond the river of jordane called Galaad. where this jepthe was born. The people of Israel were sore discouraged & their enemies so enhanced that the land was almost destroyed, then came messengers to this jepthe where he was in his exile, desiring his aid & succour. He umbraided them of their unkindness, saying: Be not you they that hate me & drived me out of my father's family? & now ye be compelled by very need to come to me for help. Notwithstanding he was moved with that natural & loving reverence that he had to his country, & said to the messengers that if they would make him their captain he would put himself in jeopardy for them, and to do the best he could, And so he did, and destroyed their enemies, and set the land at rest. In like manner did David i Reg. xxiii. When he was driven out of his country by the fury and madness of king Saul, he heard that the Philisties invaded and destroyed Ceila, a certain town in the dominion of Saul, and prepared himself to battle against them, all his friends and kinsfolk that were then with him entreating him to the contrary. Where Pietas erga patriam, the love that he had to his country wrought more in him then all the carnal love to his friends and kinsfolks, and also then the unkindness of Saul that had driven him out of his country, where he for ill repaid good again, he fought with the Philisties, he took all their cattle and provision for victuals. Percussit eos plaga magna, & saluavit habitatores Ceile. He made a great murder among them, and saved the inhabitants and people of the town Ceila. In like manner be all nations bound by the law of Nature, and by God's law, to defend their country. And we for our realm, In so much that if there would any foreign potentate (as I said) or any other seditious persons attempt to infringe or break the laws Godly made for the conservation and quietness of this realm, we be bound to do the uttermost of our power for the suppression, and extinction of them, yea, though they were our natural parents or next of kindred that would so offend. Likewise if any malefactors, seditious, and rebellious persons would raise any unlawful assembly, commotion, or insurrection against the peace, and tranquillity, and quiet cohabitation of the people in the country or realm where thou art inhabitant: Yea, though thine own parents and next of kindred were on that party among such rebellions, the piety, and reverend honour and love that thou owest to thy country, should make thee to do the uttermost of thy power to resist them, and suppress their malice. In so much that if there be any of our English men in exile or banished out of their country, or such as for their offences dare not come into their country, yet if they might perceive in the countries where they walk any murmuring or replying against the Godly and laudable laws of this Realm, or if they might perceive any peril or perturbation, trouble, or war, to be moved against us: the law of Nature should move them to stay all such dangers, and to the uttermost of their powers to resist them, Yea, though they should put their lives in jeopardy for the safeguard of their country. Example ye have now heard of the Ethniches, and also of the holy patriarchs, Abraham, jepthe, and David. And holy Moses after the offence of his people in idolatry, making the calf tanquam Apin Egiptiorum deum, prayed to almighty God for mercy and pardon for their offence, saying: Aut dimit eye hanc noxam, aut si non facis deal me de libro tuo quem scripsisti. Exo. xxxij. A vehement piety and love that he had to his country men, that he prayed, saying: Either forgive them (good Lord) or if thou wilt not, then strike me out of that book of life that thou hast written in thy eternal predestination, he was sure that GOD would not so do. Therefore he was the bolder so to pray, as who should say, if you will needs destroy them (good Lord) why then damn and destroy me with them. He was bold that God would not so do, therefore he thought in manner to enforce GOD to forgive them for his sake, and to save them with him. Such an ardent and burning love to his country men had saint Paul, as he testifieth of himself. Roma. ix. Optabam ego anathema esse a christo pro fratribus meis qui sunt cognati mei secundum carnem qui sunt Israelite. I have desired and wished to be separate & divided from Christ for the love that I have to my brethren, that be my carnal kinsmen the Israelites. How divided from Christ? Origene. Not by prevarication or transgressing of Christ's laws or commandments. He would do no sin for their sakes. For that could not help them, that could do them no good. Also there was no violence or force that could pull him from Christ, as he saith himself. But like as Christ being by reason of his godhead, in the form and nature of GOD, yet he did so humiliate himself, hiding his Godly power, that he become man, and suffered death for our redemption, and so seemed for the time to forsake the father, and was made as a thing accursed, to take away our malediction. Gala. iii. Christus nos redemit de maledictione legis factus pro nobis maledictum, quia scriptum est, maledictus Omnis qui pendet in ligno. duty. xxi. And so saint Paul by example of our master Christ wished to have done that thing in which he might seem to be separate from Christ by devotion, and not by prevarication or sin, so that he might save his country men, and so he did, when he was of all sorts to all men, that he might win all manner of men to Christ. Sometimes using the Ceremonies of the jews to allure them, in which the gentiles thought he did nought, and so to be divided from Christ. And among the gentiles he used such meat as they did, and kept company with them to win them to Christ, where the jews that were converted to Christ, thought he did nought, and so they took him as divided from Christ, by occasions given of them, with which he was conversant, though he did all for Christ's sake and to win all manner of men to Christ. Now as for pietas in parents, the worshipful love and honour that we own to our fathers and mothers, nature teacheth us & the commandments of God, as an exposition or declaration of the law of nature teacheth us the same. This honour consists not only in cap & knee, for ●hi parents might starve for default, for all thy courtesy: but it standeth in ministration of necessary help & comfort in their need. But this kind of piety or love due to our parents doth not so sore bind us, but that we may diminish of it, for to do service unto God. Etiam in operibus superero gationis, in things that we be not bound to do, but take them of devotion, which be now ralled will works, As saint Jerome declareth in diverse places, and specially in his first pistle Ad heliodorum, exhorting him to solitary life, and religion, to leave the young babies his nephews, colling him and hanging on his neck, to leave his mother, though she would with weeping eyes show him the breasts that gave him suck in his childhood, though his father would lie prostrate overthwart the door to stop him the way, he should not stick for all such, for Solum pietatis genus est in hac re esse crudelen. It is a kind of reverend honour of God by itself in this thing to be cruel. He saith likewise, ad rusticum Monachum, in like case. Crudelitas ista pietas est. This cruelty is reverend honour to God. And in a pistle ad Marcellam, de egrotatiōe blesille, He bringeth in examples of the gospel. john & james left their father zebedee in the boat patching his nets & followed Christ. matthew the customer left his counting board whereby he was wont to get his living, and his wives living, and his children's, and followed Christ. An other, Luke ix was bid follow Christ, Christ so bade him, he answered, Sir I pray you let me first go home and bury my father. Christ bade him, let other men alone with burying the dead. Come thou with me, & learn to preach the word of GOD. Tu autem vade, & annuncia regnum dei. Another said he would follow Christ, but he would first bestow his riches that he had at home upon his parents or kinsfolks, or such other, Christ bade him come on forward, & look not backward like a naughty ploughman, for such shall not come to heaven. Of these saith S. Jerome there. Pie●atis genus est impium esse pro domino. It is a kind or one manner of God's worship, impium esse, to be cruel, sore or unlovinge for Christ's sake, as he meaned, persuading to religion or solitary life. Of the same in an epistle Ad fabiolam de vestitu sacerdotum, upon these words, Superpatre suo, et matre sua non inquinabitur, S. Jerome saith. Multa no● facere cogit affectus, & dum propinquitatem respicimus corporum, & corporis, & anime offendimus creatorem. Qui amat patrem aut matrem super Christum non est Christo dignus, discipulus ad sepulturam patris ire desiderans salvatoris prohibetur imperio. Quanti monachorum dum patris matrisque miserentur suas animas perdiderunt? But masters, if in saint Hieroms' time religion had been like to religions as they be now a days, trow ye that saint Jerome would so earnestly have exhorted men to them, no, no, our religious men they be but parietes dealbati, very counterfeit appearing, and not being religious, no more like the religion in Saint Hieromes' time, than an apple like an oyster, as is plain by his writings, and by the Ecclesiastical stories of Eusebius, and the Tripartite story, and such other. Yet one word more de pietate. Another way it is taken for benignity mercy & pity or compassion on our indigent poor, and needy neighbours, and thus taking it, we use to call the works of mercy, works of pity that we do on our poor neighbours. And thus Paul i Tim. two. taketh it, when he teacheth good and honest women how they should array and trim themself without golden rich and costly habiliments, fruntlets, or bracelets, without pearls or precious stones, not plaiting or setting abroad their locks, like stales or baits to take the devil withal, but rather in their apparel to use a certain bashfulness and soberness, not like comen women that studieth how gloriously and disgysedly they may make a show, and set forth their flesh to sale and to be uttered, but rather as good women should array themself, ut decet mulieres promittentes pietatem per opera bona, as beseemeth women promising or shewing pity by good works. Therefore in the same epistle he exhorteth Timothe to the same, saying. Exerce teipsum ad pietatem. Exercise thyself to pity, to do men good. For that is profitable for all things, and hath promise of the life that is now present, and of the life to come. That mercy and pity is rewarded in this world, it is said. Proverb iii Da pauperibus & implebuntur horrea tua saturitate & vino torcularia redundabunt. give unto the poor people, and thy barns and store houses, or aware houses shallbe made full, and thy wine presses shall overflow with wine. And ii Corin. ix. it is said, Qui administrat semen seminanti, et pavem ad manducandum prestabit & multiplicabit semen vestrum, & angebit incrementa frugum justice vestre, ut in omnibus locupletati habundetis in omnem simplicitatem. He that sendeth seed to the sour, will also give bread to eat, and will multiply your seed, and will increase the gains of the grain of your justice, that you may be made rich in all things, and may abound into all simplicity and plains of living. And that the works of pity or mercy hath promise of the life to come, it is plain in the Gospel. Math. xxv. when the son of man shall come in his majesty and all his angels with him, than he shall sit on the seat of his majesty, and all nations shall be gathered afore him, and he shall divide them apart, even as the shepherd parteth the sheep from the goats, and he shall set the sheep on his right hand, and the rank and stinking goats on the lift hand. And then that king will say to them that be upon his right hand, O ye children of my father, come take possession of the kingdom that is prepared for you: for I was an hungered and you gave me meat, I was a thirst and you gave me drink, I was harbourless and you harboured me, and so forth of other works of mercy, for which he will give to the merciful man or woman life everlasting.  
And here (because we speak of the works of piety, or pity) very pity moveth me to exhort you to mercy and pity on the poor students in the universities Oxford & Cambridge, which were never fewer in number, & yet they that be left, be ready to run abroad into the world and to leave their study for very need. Iniquity is so abundant that charity is all cold. A man would have pity to hear the lamentable complaints that I heard lately, being among them which would god I were able to relieve. This I shall assure you, that (in my opinion) ye can not better bestow your charity. Our saviour Christ saith. Math. x. Qui recipit prophetam in noie prophet merceden prophet accipiet. He that receiveth, cherisheth, or maintaineth a prophet in the name of a prophet, or as a prophet, he shall receive the reward of a prophet. All true preachers be prophets, therefore he that cherisheth and maintaineth a preacher, because he is a preacher, more than for any other carnal occasion, shall have the reward of a preacher, which is a wondrous reward. Dan. xii Qui ad justitiam erudiunt multos fulgebunt quasi stelle in perpetuas eternitates. They that instructeth and teacheth many to justice & virtue, shall shine like stars into everlasting eternity. As in example, if this exhortation and sermon which I now most unworthy make unto you, do any good to the souls of this audience, I doubt not but my reward shall not be forgotten, if there be none other stop or impediment on my behalf, and my parents that set me to school in youth, and my good Lord William Smyth, sometime Bishop of Lincoln, my bringer up & exhibitoure first in Banbury to grammar school, with master john Stanbrige, and then in Oxford till I was master of Art, and able to help myself, shall have reward in heaven, for the ghostly comfort that you receive by this my labour. S he or she that bringeth up any students to any good learning, by which they may do good to Christ's flock, whether the faculty be divinity, law physic, rhetoric or such other, there is no doubt but they which found them & maintained them to such learning, shall have reward of God for the good that cometh of their learning. Wherefore in contemplation of this good consideration, and also for because that who so ever giveth so much as a cup of cold water to any poor body of Christ's servants, shall not lose his reward and wages, I shall heartily pray you to extend your charity toward the said scholars and students, and by that ye shall show yourselves to be merciful, and to have this gift of the holy ghost, the gift of Piety, which after the mind of the doctors is all one with mercy. And that the holy ghost by this his gift rested upon our Saviour Christ, it is plain by the cures that he did on them that were sick of diseases uncurable, and also by feeding the hungry sometimes five thousand at once. And also it appeareth that he used to give alms to the poor, and had purses for the same intent, which judas had the keeping of, in somuch that when Christ said unto him: Quod facis, fac citius. That thou dost do it speedily: some of the Apostles thought that Christ had bid him prepare for the feast coming, or else egenis ut aliquid daret. john xii that he should give some thing to the poor people, on which Christ was wont to have mercy & pity and to bestow somewhat upon them. And thus much of this sixth gift of the holy ghost shallbe now sufficient. I pray God we may always use it to God's pleasure, to whom be all honour and glory. Amen.   

¶ The sixth sermon entreating of the fear of God.  
THe seventh gift of the holy ghost is the gift of the fear of God, which rested in our Saviour Christ, as well as the other vi that I have spoken of. There be in the appetite or will of man four affections, or perturbations, or passions that moveth and draweth the will of man hither and thither, and rather to ill then to good cupidite or desire to have, and joy or gladness for the having of the thing that thou hast desired. The other ii be fear of hurt or displeasure, and sorrow for the thing that thou were afraid of when it is chanced or happened. There was a sect of Philosophers called Stoici, whose authors were Zeno, Chrysippus, Epictetus, and certain other, and they put the hieste felicity, perfection, and goodness of man to be, to live according to virtue and to natural reason. So that they put nothing good in man but virtue, which they call the very craft and way to live well, other things (they said) were commoda, profitable for man as life, health, and strength, but none clearly good save only justice or virtue. And because they saw these four affections or passions sore trouble man's reason, & bring a man to many enormities, they said that they came of the corruption of the body & were very nought, and should be clean reject and cast away, & never perceived or seen in any good man, but that in all cases and chances of wealth & woe, a man should keep himself upright, & take all things after one manner. Nam perfectus Stoicus nihil mali patitur. A perfect Stoic suffereth no ill or harm, how so ever the world go, therefore they were called stupidi Stoici, stiff or stubborn stoics. Platonici and also Peripatherici of Aristotle's school, for Aristotle was scholar to Plato they were all of one opinion, & thought likewise that all these four affections were very nought, but yet they would not have them clean extinct and destroyed, because they be natural to man: as it is natural for a heart to be fearful, & to an addre to be venomous, to a spaniel to be gentle & familiar, so it is natural for man to desire, & to be glad to be afeard & to be sorry or heavy. They be uberras quedam animorum, a certain batilnes or frutfulnes of the soul which should not be destroyed, but rather well husbanded & bated, as if a ground or a garden be to rank, it is not best clean to destroy that rankness, but rather to bate it with sand or gravel, or such like, or else the herbs, the graffs & trees that be there set, will canker & be nought. So it is of these iiii. affections after these Philosophers that they must not be clean destroyed, but moderate and kept subject to reason, & measured that they run not to fast at large, nor pass their bonds, & that they pervert not the judgement of reason, but be ruled by reason. But surely here is not all, for they be not utterly vituperable & vicious: for if they were very nought, them no measuring could make them good. Pride can not be good, though ye keep him as short as ye can: Envy can not be good for any restraint or measuring, therefore if they be nought of themself, as these Philosophers supposed, we can not make them good which is not so. S. Augustine, ix. de civi. dei. Cap. iiii. as to combined and agree these two opinions, declareth that they agree in substance, and varieth but only in words. For declaration of which he rehearseth a proper story of Aulus Gellius li nineteen. noctium atticarum. It chanced this Aulus Gellius to be on the sea in a perilous storm, and very rough seas, so that their ship seemed to be in extreme peril of drowning. In the same ship there was a fatherly ancient Philosopher, and of the sect of the stoics, which seeing the rage of the storm and how the sees were ever still ready to swallow them up, begun to wax pale as ashes for fear. There was also in company among many more in the same ship, a rich voluptuous gorbelye, of the country of Asia the less, which Asia in very deed by reason of the fertility of the country, and the commodities of the same is marvelously given to pleasures, and out of those parties all wantonness, insolency & pleasures crept into the city of Rome, so that after that the Romans had subdued that country, & Galaciam otherwise called Gallogrecia, which now we call Galathians, & other countries adjoining, Rome was never good, but gave themselves to ease & pleasure, by which their manliness & hardness in war decayed greatly, & was turned into childishness & wenchlines. This I tell you because of Aulus Gellius word luxuriosus asiaticus. To my purpose, many of them that were in the foresaid ship (although they were then at deaths door) took heed and watched very curiouselye, whether the said philosopher were any thing troubled in mind or no, then at the last when the storm was past and when they were safe and had leisure to talk and jest, the voluptuous man of Asia aforesaid spoke to the said Philosopher mocking him because he was afraid and pale as death, saying that he himself (said he) was without fear, nothing regarding that peril. The philosopher answered as one Aristippus answered to a like question demanded of him by a like person saying, that he did well enough, nothing to care nor to be afraid for the life of such a veri naughty knave as he was, but that he himself ought to be afraid for the life of Aristippus the philosopher, a learned man, which was a more precious jewel, than twenty such ribalds. This rich fellow of Asia was blank and put to silence with this answer. Aulus Gellius then asked of this Philosopher, not intending to anger him or displease him, but for his learning, what was the reason of his fear? The Philosopher because he would teach him, that was so earnestly and wisely minded to learn, drew forth out of his farthel a book of Epictetus a Philosopher of the sect of the said stoics. In the same book Aulus Gellius saith, he red that the said stoics mind was that the things that man's mind seeth, which they call fantasies that be not in man's power whither they come to man's mind or not, and when or what time they fall into man's mind in as much as they come of terrible and fraylefull things, that it can not be chosen but they will move the mind, yea of a very wise man, so that he shall for a while be afraid or shrink for sorrow or fear as though these passions did prevent the office of the mind and of reason. And for all that, the mind to have no opinion of hurt or ill, nor to approve or to consent to these passions or troubles of the mind. And the said Philosophers saith that this is the difference betwixt the mind of a wise man, and the mind of a fool, that the mind of a fool shrinketh and giveth place to such passions and applieth the assent of his mind to the same. But the mind of a wise man although he can not choose but must needs suffer such sudden passions, yet he doth keep a true and steadfast judgement of such things as he ought reasonably to desire or to eschew and avoid without any shaking or wavering in his mind. Which things if they be thus as that Philosopher Epictetus writeth, there is either no difference, or almost no difference betwixt the opinion of the said stoics, and of other Philosophers about these passions, or perturbations of men's mind, for both sects defendeth the mind and reason of a wise man from the dominion and rule of them, & therefore peradventure they say that they fall not into the mind of a wise Stoic philosopher because they do not cloud and darken the wisdom of him, neither mar it with any spot of inconvenience but they chance to the mind of a wise man the clearness of his wisdom remaining safe. And the Philosopher that was in the ship (which I now spoke of) might suffer the said trouble of his fantasy and yet keep this fast sentence in his mind, that the life and the health of his body, which he was like to lose by the rage of the tempest were not such goods or good things as maketh the havers' good men, as justice and virtues doth. Both opinions saith, that they had liefer lose those things, by which the body is kept safe and sound: then to offend and do those things by which justice is violate and defouled. Therefore the mind of man, in which this said sentence is fast printed, doth not suffer any perturbations or passions to prevail against reason, although they chance to the lower parties of the soul of man, but rather ruleth them and maystreth them, not consenting to them, but rather resisting than, exercising the empery, kingdom & rule of virtue. Then thus must we do with them, we must take heed where about they be occupied, & if the object or matter that they be exercised on be good & godly, the affection is commendable: if it be contrary to God's pleasure, & contrary to his laws, the affection about the same is very vicious & nought. When David coveted & desired to have Uries wife in advoutri this was a naughty appetite, a naughty desire, because the thing that he desired was against God's laws. But when he said Concupivit anima mea desiderare iusti●io ●iones was: My soul hath coue●ed & desired vehemently to desire to know thy laws, this is a good affection, a good motion of the mind. And likewise of mirth or gladness when men be glad in our Lord, and rejoiceth in the things that pleaseth him, this gladness is good & gracious, where as if one be merry and glad when he hath done nought, and rejoice in things that be very ill, this gladness is damnable. And even like it is of the third affection or passion which is fear, of which my principal purpose is now to speak. Bestow him well, and he shall be good and laudable, where as if it be otherwise bestowed, nought he will be as other affections be. How necessary and good fear is, the wiseman prover. xxviii. showeth Beatus homo qui semper est pavidus, qui vero mentis est durae corruet in malum. Blessed is the man that is ever afraid, specially of God's displeasure, and consequently of all other offences and excesses. For he that is so hard and stiff hearted, that he nothing feareth, shall be sure to fall to mischief of sins and of pains for the same. And Ecclesiasticus cap. i. Timor domini expellit peccatum, & qui sine timore est non poterit justificari. Fear of God month a man to penance, and so putteth a way sins past and already committed, and it stoppeth a man from doing a miss. Et qui sine timore est, non poterit justificari: He that lacketh fear can not be justified, can not be made a good man acceptable to God, for he that will be justified must be subject to God that shall justify him as to his superior and better. Which subjection cometh by fear, by which a man taketh himself as in the danger of God, where contrary Iracundia animositatis subversio illius est. The anger of pride & presumption is a man's own destruction. Cain had great knowledge of God, & by that he knew his duty was to honour God with the increase of the fruits that God had sent him, & had sometime familiar communication with God. As when God bade him beware of the rage and passion that he was in against his brother Abel, seeing his brother's oblations accepted, and his own rejected, but iracundia animositatis illius the passion and rage of his boldness contrary to fear, made him to kill his brother Abel to his own subversion and destruction, he goat God's curse for his labour. Gene. iiii. God said to him: thou shalt be accursed on earth: when thou hast laboured the ground, it shall give thee no fruits, thou shalt be wavering and running about from place to place upon earth. God put such a mark in his face, a nodding in his head, and trembling of his eyes that all men abhorred him and hated him. And where he for lack of fear of God wrought mischief and murder, he was punished for the same with fear, fearing that every man that saw him would kill him. But it was no godly fear, but rather a frenzy fear that he had in his brain. The greatest cause of noah's flood was lack of fear, for which lack the children of seethe, which afore were religious and virtuous persons according to the doctrine of their fathers at the last leaving their devotion and religion to God or fear of God, and seeing that the daughters of Cain were fair women burned in concupiscence of them, and married with them contrary to Adam's doctrine, for he by his life time had separate cain's brood far of into far countries▪ from the issue of seethe, for the horror of the homicide that Cain had committed, slaying his own brother. Notwithstanding in process of time they drew homeward toward the country that they came fro, & so the children of seethe companying with them, gendered betwixt them giants of an unmeasurable stature, and as unmeasurable in mischief and ill conditions, and so all the world which came of Cain and seethe leaving the fear of GOD, proved mischievous and very nought in all carnal lust, yea against nature, and in all malice and mischief one against another. In so much that God said, he repented that ever he had made man. Not for any perturbation of mind in God, but it is the manner of scripture to speak after the common manner of speech of men. Now we see that when a man marreth that he hath made, it is a sign that he repenteth that ever he made it. Such manner of speaking useth almighty God, intending to destroy man that he had made. Yet because non continebit in ira sua misericordias suas, in his punyshing he will use mercy with correction. He said Non permanebit spiritus meus in homine ineternum, quia caro est. Genesis. vi. My indignation and displeasure shall not abide for ever in man kind, I will not put him to perpetual pains, as the devil is put to, quia caro est, because he is flesh, that is to say frail and weak by the infirmity of the flesh, which was not in the devil, he had none such nourishing of sin as is in our flesh, he sinned by his own wilfulness only, without any enticement or temptation, and therefore his sin is irremissyble, his pains shall be perpetual, they shall never have end. But because man was tempted by the concupiscence of the eye and of the flesh, which will not be overcome without great conflict and battle, therefore GOD gave unto man a hundred and twenty years of repentance, from the first warning given to Noah to make his ship unto the time that the water came in deed. In the which time many a one mended their lives, yea and peradventure some of them that were obstinate in ill afore amended, even when they saw the water come, and while they suffered in the water and were a drowning. Nemrothe Cham his nephew, which begun to be a mighty man on earth, and a stubborn and boystuous hunter afore God. Genesis xi rejected the fear of GOD, and contemptuousely builded a City and a tower of brick, for the stones, and such pitch for the mortar that would abide all weathers, they purposed to make their Tower so high that it should reach up to the sky, because they would get them a gay name, and a perpetual memory.  
And also because they would be sure no more to be drowned with such a raging flood as was in the time of Noah, which was fresh in men's remembrance, and in every man's mouth, till that time and long after. Because he seemed to contend with God, and to make himself and his subjects safe and sure whether God would or no, this is a manifest sign that he had forgotten God's power, and that he lacked fear of God. And his enterprise proved thereafter, for almighty God divided their tongues and languages that one man understood not an other, so that when a work man would call for his axe or for his hamer, his server would bring him mortar, or else would stand mute & bring nothing at all, because he knew not what was asked. One neighbour could not talk to an other, for one could not understand an other. And so they ceased to build their city, and that famous tower, and were dispersed abroad into sundry countries of the world. And where all the world was of one language afore, now every realm and region is of divers tongues and divers languages. And this diversity of tongues that mankind was then first strycken with all, I take for one of the greatest strokes that God ever struck mankind with all, after the loss of original justice by the sin of Adam. For where brute beasts among themselves one perceiveth the voice of an other, and by such voices as they have, they come together or run a sunder. Ravens and other fowls knowing their own voices flieth to their feeding together, and change their places together. But man a reasonable creature, little under the angels in the excellency of his nature, yet perceiveth not what another reasonable creature saith except he be of his own country. An english dog perceiveth a welsh dog, and yet the English man understandeth not a walshe man. The lack of the fear of GOD in this usurper and very tyrant and extortioner Nembroth, brought us to this calamity & wretchedness. If I would run through the holy scriptures, declaring what mischief hath fallen to men, for lack of the fear of GOD, I should sooner lack time than matter. And yet (good and worshipful audience) let us consider the manner of our neighbours here in this city. And I fear me we shall find this gift of the holy ghost, that is to say: the fear of GOD far away from a great meinie of us. We have known some Merchants and other occupiers that in their prenticeship, and while they were journeymen or servants have served God devoutly, and the world busily. And when they have set up and occupied for themselves, have grown to much riches in a little space. In so much that within seven or eight years they have been able to be sheriffs of the City, but when they were fat, that their provender pricked them, they have begun to kick against GOD, and to do noughtelye, neither doing their duty in their tithes and offerings to God of whom they had their thrift, neither to their own souls, keeping themselves in the fear and awe of God, neither toward their neighbours living charitably. They have take their pleasures most voluptuouslie, and have contemned all others dispitefullye which is a sign that the fear of GOD was clean gone, for as the wise man saith. Qui timet deum faciet bona. He that feareth God will do good deeds, and will eschew the contraries, and his thrift shall come accordingly, for example hereof, I read a narration of two crafts men. But yet because (I hear) that some young men be dangerous and will peradventure contemn or despise such narrations as well as some other things which they can not aamende, somewhat to comfort them that would hear examples for their learning, you shall note what the Apostle saith. Ephe. iiii. Omnis sermo malus ex ore vestro non procedat sed si quis bonus ad edificationem fidei ut det gratiam audientibus. Let no ill speech or talking pass out of your mouth, but if you have any good talking to edify and help our faith that it may give a grace to the audience. saint Ambrose expounding the same words saith. Bonae enim & sobriae fabulae dant gratum exemplum audientibus. Good & sober tales giveth pleasant examples to the hearers. Sober tales (he saith) such as be neither wild neither wanton. But such as a man may take good and pleasant examples of, as Esopes fables and such other. Quid est enim aliud scira fabula quam amena veritatis involucio ad hominum usum atque oblectationem comparata? A feet or proper tale is no more but a merry wrapping in or covering of some truth invented and set forth for men's profit, and for their pleasure to allure them better to remember the matter that is spoken of. And for this purpose hearken you unto mynarration. These. two. crafts men that I speak of came to the town to be prentices about one season, they came forth to liberty together, and set up their occupations about one time, the one was more expert in his occupation then the other, more quick more lively, and more pregnant of wit, and he laboured as sore both early and late, as the other did, and yet he could not come forward, but ever almost in beggars estate. The other, although he were not so lively nor quick of natural wit, and in practice of the world as the other his friend was, yet he prospered and grew to great richesses, and to good estimation among his neighbours. I would every man should imagine thee two men to be of their own occupation: if thou be a merchant, think they were two merchant men, if thou be a Grocer, or a Draper, tailor, or Shoemaker, think they were of thy occupation. In process of time, this man that was so far behind, fell in familiar communication with his old acquaintance, and made his complaint unto him marvelling of the chance of them both, considering (saith he) that when we were young I was more likely to come forward then thou. And that I labour and study (saith he) as many ways to have the world, and to come to wealthiness, and more than ever didst thou, & yet it will not be, the more I labour yet never the near, I trow thou haste found some bags or treasure trovy, some hid riches that bringeth thee aloft. Well saith the other man I do remember our bringing up very well, I know thy wit I I know thy cunning & thy feet in thy faculty and occupation, and I do lament thy penury and that thou comest no better forward. And where thou imputest to me & layest to my charge that I have found some hid riches. It is very true. And for our old friendship, I am content to bring thee there as thou mayest find like riches. And appointed to meet together on the morrow at a certain hour to go to seek the said treasure. When they met at the time appointed, this rich man brought his friend to the church, and there he fell on his knees and said his prayers devoutly as he was wont to do. The other man called busily on him to show him this treasure. Tarry a while (said he) we shall anon have a Mass or some divine service compiled or gathered of the word of God, or some sermon or exhortation that may do us good. Anon a priest was ready & went to mass: After mass this poor man's mind was on the money, and called upon his friend which at the last answered after this manner. Friend, thou haste heard and seen part of the treasure that I have found. Here in this place have learned to love GOD, hear I have learned to fear God. Hear I have learned to serve GOD. And when I have done my duty to God, home I go to my work about such business as I have, and all thing goeth forward and so I am come to this honest Alms that GOD hath lend me, with which I am well contented, and do thank God for it, it cometh of God, and not of my deserving. I see thy fashion, thou little regardest God or his service, and less regardest his ministers. Thou hadst liefer go to the market then to Mass. And on the holy day, to idle pastimes, then to hear a Sermon, if ever thou thrive it is marvel. And surely if thou prosper and go forward for a season, thou shalt have one mischance or another that shall set thee further backward in a day, than two or three good years hath set thee forward. Now let us see whether this good man's saying be not consonant and agreeing to the scriptures. He imputeth much of his thrift to the fear of God, & to the service of god, & according to this saith the prophet. Psal. xxxiii. Non est inopia timentibus eum. They that fear God have no poverty, for either they be rich▪ or at the least wise be very well pleased wy●● that little that they have, which passeth all go●d, and precious stones, Est autem questus magnus pietas cum sufficientia. i Timo. vi. i. est Anim● sua sort contento. Piety or mercy with a heart content with that a man hath, is a great gains and winning. Et psal▪ Beatus vir quitimet dominum in mandatis eius volet nimis▪ Gloria & divitie in domo eius. Blessed is the man that feareth God, his will shall be very much in his commandments. Royalty, wealth, and riches shall be in his house. Dispersit dedit pauperibus. He shall be able to distribute and give to the poor people, where he that lacketh such fear of GGD shall be ready to beg and borrow of his neighbours. saint Ambrose. Li. two. devocatione gentium. ca ix. showeth that the grace of God by the means of fear prepareth and maketh ready the will of man to receive the gifts of God, making our wills to consent to the inclination of grace, moving us to goodness, for there is no virtue in him that will not consent to take virtue. There must be a consent of the will, or else virtue will not be there, no more than thou canst make a horse to drink of the water if his appetite be not to drink. This consent of the will, is caused divers ways, sometime by the exhortation of the Preacher, sometime by lectures, lessons, or instruction, and sometime by fear, and yet among all these fear is most of efficacity, to make the will of man to incline or consent to God's pleasure, and to receive his Grace. Did not fear make Pharaoh King of egypt, after seven terrible plagues, that he and all his Land (except the country where the people of Israel dwelled) were punished with all, to say: Peccavi etiam nunc Dominus justus est, ego & populus meus impij. Exod. ix. I have offended and done nought now again, Our LORD is righteous, I and my people be wicked. Fear made him somewhat to relent, bend, and stoup if he had so continued it had be better for him, he mought peradventure a received grace at length. And all saint stephan's long Sermon which saint Paul heard afore the jews stoned saint Stephan to death, at which time saint Paul was present, and kept the tormentors clothes. All the preaching of the Apostles, and all the good examples of the good people newly converted to Christ's saith wrought not so much in him to make him leave his obstinacy and malice against christian people, as did the fear that he took in that terrible struck that he had coming toward the city of Damascus, where he would have take up all the christian men and women that he could there have found, & would have brought them to Jerusalem to be put to martyrdom, according to the commission that he had for that purpose. And I doubt not but one shipwreck or peril on the sea, or to have a ship taken with the Frenchmen now in this time of war should make a marchauntmanne to remember GOD and to fear GOD, and to mollify his heart, to consent and to receive such gifts of grace as God would inspire into his heart, and to serve GOD, and to draw to Godly wisdom more than all the Sermons that hath been made here all this Wytsontyde, wheres as for lack of fear of GOD, they little regard God or his gifts, but take all things as though they came of themselves, and not of GOD, for the more they have, the less Godly they be. And for these considerations saith the Prophet, and also Solomon. Inicium sapientiae ●imor domini. The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, what virtue can make a man so blessed as this fear, for it is the beginner and getter of Godly wisdom, and also the master or teacher of Godly wisdom. And even like as by such fear, the soul of man obtaineth wisdom so by the same it proceedeth and profiteth more and more in wisdom, so that it doth conserve and keep wisdom, and concurreth with wisdom so necessarily, that if fear of GOD once go away Godly wisdom will not tarry, but thy wisdom will vanish away to very folly, to sin, mischief, and all unhappiness. Damascen. orthodox fidei. Libro. two ca xv. divideth fear into six members. In cunctationem, verecundiam, erubescentiam, stuporem, terrorem, & agonian. which should be to long particularly to declare, but this I shall advertise you that every one of them may be mundane, servile, or filial. Mundane or wordly fear, which is called human fear, or man's fear, that commonly troubleth the mind of worldly men, cometh of wordly love, and of carnal love. For all fear presupposeth a love to the thing that he feareth to lack or to lose, if a man loved it not, he would not fear to lack it, or lose it. August. lxxxiii. questi. Now because that worldly love leaneth and cleaveth fast to the world, to worldly wealth, and to carnal ease, and to carnal lust, as to the end in which he putteth his felicity, it can not be good, but must needs be very nought. Therefore when a man feareth to lose his temporal riches, honour, authority, office or pleasure, familiarite, mastership, or friendship, delicate fare or sweet morsels, in so much that rather than he would lose them, he would be ready to serve from the rectitude and stregthnes of justice, and to be a flatterer, and to encourage his master in his iniquity, rather than to lose his masters favour telling truth. This is a worldly and carnal fear, and very nought and damnable, and such was the fear that the Scribes and Phariseis had, saying. Si dimittimus eum sic. etc. If we let him scape thus, than all the people will believe upon him, and then the Romans will come and take our place, and our people into captivity. And Adam our first father, for over much love that he had to his new wife, and for fear of discomforting her if he should not have eaten with her of the said forbidden fruit, brought us all to the calamity, misery, and wretchedness that we be in. And how many have we heard of, that for fear lest they should lose promotion, favour, or friendship that they have looked for, hath fallen to preach and teach pernicious heresies, and many others to speak against reason, and to talk that with their mouth that they have not thought with their hearts. This carnal and worldly fear, if it be with deliberation & advisement, is very nought and damnable, where as if it come of the infirmity and weakness of the flesh which naturally abhorreth death, and abhorreth tortures, imprisonmentes, servitude, bondage, and lack of liberty and of accustomed pleasures, then if this fear be but sudden, though it trouble thy affection, will or appetite very sore, there is no peril in it, it is natural, it can not be well avoided, specially the first motions of this fear. And for the comfort of infirm and weak persons, lest any man or woman sustaining such fear should despair of salvation, our saviour Christ to declare that he was a very man, & that this carnal fear of the flesh is not ever damnable, but naturally ensuing and following the infirmity of the flesh, did vouchsafe to sustain such fear in his own affection or will, when afore his passion he begun to be afraid, and to be weary, Marc. xiiii. he begun to be afraid of the death that he should to, and to be weary of the trouble that the jews put him to, and that he knew they would put him to more grievously afterward, and this fear vexed him so sore, that for very agony and pain, his sweet of his body was like blood trikeling down to the ground. A marvelous parturbation of mind that he was in for that space, but it did not long continue. And therefore the Evangelist Mark said: Cepit pavere & tedere, He begun to be afraid and to be weary. It begun with him, but it did not continue, for anon reason checked this sensuality, and ruled it, directing all his will to the pleasure of his father, and so he proceeded forth to his painful passion with a very good will ruled by reason, to consummate, perform, and end the thing for which he came into our nature by his blessed incarnation. In like manner there is no mundane, carnal, or natural fear coming suddenly upon a man, that can damn a man, if it continue not to long, and if it do not overcome reason. But if it so overcharge the mind, that for any such fear a man do forsake justice, or do the thing that shallbe contrary to God's pleasure, than such worldly and carnal fear is v●tuperable and damnable. servile fear hath the next place, which some writers doth utterly damn and say it is very nought, but it can not be so: for ye know by experience that a master had liefer have a prentyce or a servant that would do his work for fear of strokes, or for fear of beating, then to have such a prentyce that will neither do his work for beating, nor for fear of displeasing of his master, neither yet for love. Of the first may come some good at length, but the other is desperate, and of him cometh nought but anger and vexation of mind to his master, he must be put out of service and cast of. servile fear hath his name of a servant, a slave, or bondman: it is such fear as is in the servant, prentyce, or bondman, or in a shrewd scholar which will do no good but only for fear of beating. So (saith S. Augustine) servile fear of God is when a man withdraweth and keepeth himself from sin for fear of the pains of hell, and for fear lest he shallbe damned with the devils in hell for evermore. Although this fear be insufficient for man's salvation, yet it is very good and profitable, for by this groweth a use and a custom of justice, or of well doing: for he that oft times doth well although it be for fear, shall find ease thereby, and at length shall have a pleasure in well doing, and a love to justice or well doing, though it were hard and painful for him at the beginning, and so the servility, the bondage of the fear beginneth a little and a little to suage, and to be excluded, and it waxeth and beginneth to be amicable & loving fear, by which a man doth well partly for love, and partly for fear. And this the doctors call timor initialis, and it is the mean and next way to the filial fear, the chaste and holy fear that beginneth here, and shall remain and continue in heaven for evermore, as the prophet saith. Timor domini sanctus permanet in seculum seculi. Psalm. xviii. The holy fear of God abideth for evermore, it cometh of charity which never faileth. The foresaid servile fear of God's justice and of his punishment of sinners, prepareth a way to the filial and charitable fear, but when charity and loving fear is once gotten, the former fear of punishment vanisheth and goeth away, for the more that the love is, the less is the fear of punishment. The good that a man doth for love, hath no spice of the bondage or of servile fear: therefore saith Saint john. i joh. iiii. Timor non est in charitate sed perfecta charitas foras mittit timorem, quoniam timor penam habe●, qui autem timet non est perfectus in charitate. In charity there is no fear, but perfit charity driveth out fear, for fear hath pain annexte, and he that feareth is not perfit in charity. Now these words of S. john seemeth contrary to the words of the Prophet, Timor domini sanctus. etc. The holy fear of God abideth for ever. To this I answer first bringing in this example, that like as one blast of wind of the bellows bloweth and filleth two organ pipes or more, so may one breath or inspiration of the holy spirit fill two hearts, and stir two tongues, the two organ pipes so blown by one breath, concordeth and agreeth full well, so may two hearts inspired with one holy spirit concord and agree, as ye shall perceive so that ye will give diligent audience. The Prophet in his saying addeth this word Sanctus or castus, he calleth it holy fear or chaste fear, the Evangelist Saint john doth not add these words, therefore let us put difference betwixt two fears, and so shall we understand the consonaunce and concord of these two organ pipes, the holy Prophet, and the blessed evangelist. There be men that feareth hell pains, lest they burn there with the devils, this fear bringeth in charity, but when he hath brought in charity, this fear avoideth and charity remaineth. If a man fear only for punishment, than a man loveth not him that he so feareth, he desireth not that is good, but exchueth that that is ill. notwithstanding, in as much as a man is ware and feareth that that is ill, he correcteth and amendeth himself, and beginneth to desire that is good, that so there may be in him holy love and chaste love, holy fear and chaste fear. A man can not better declare & make plain these two fears, then if a man put example of two wives, one adulteress, and disposed to take others beside her husband, but she is afraid of her husband lest he punish her and cast her of. The fear that she hath of her husband is only because she loveth her wicked purpose, and feareth least her husband spy her with a fault, more than for any love she hath unto him. The other wife (in my case) is a chaste wife, intending no nother but to live in conjugal chastity, according to the law of matrimony with her own husband, and to refuse all other for his sake, and for the love of him. Both of these wives fear their husbands, but not after one manner: the first feareth least her husband come and take her with the fault, the other feareth least her husband will be gone, or will be long away from her, and absent himself from her sight, and out of her company. The fear that the first wife hath of her husband, is like the bondmans' fear, or the lewd servants fear, & this hath much perturbation & trouble of mind, and pain annexed, which standeth not with charity, as S. john saith in his epistle, for charity expelleth such fear of pain & punishment. But because my sermon is not only to married men, & to married women, ye shall understand that almighty God hath married us all to his only begotten son our saviour jesus Christ, by faith. Saint Paul, the Evangelists and preachers solemnized this marriage, as S. Paul saith for his part. desponsavi vos uni viro virginem castam exhibere Christo. I have married you to one man, that ye keep yourself as a chaste virgin unto Christ, the beutifullest spouse that ever was. Speciosus forma pre filijs hominum. The great love and charity that he had to us, dying for us being his enemies, is a very great cause why we should love him again. Then let all us, and every one of us as his spouse and wife, examine ourself and our consciences, whether we be chaste wives or adulterers. Let every man ask his own conscience this question, wilt thou have thy husband to come to the as yet or no, but that he shall yet longer tarry? Now I have knocked at the doors of your hearts, but what the conscience of every one of you saith inwardly to yourself I can not hear, it cometh not to mine ears, I am a mortal man & know not the secrets of your heart, but he that is absent bodily, & present by the strength of his majesty, hath heard you what you think. If a man would say unto you, lo Christ is here now, tomorrow shallbe the day of judgement: you would not say (I fear me) would god Christ were come, would God to morrow were the day of doom. For they that so would say loveth God vehemently, & if it were said unto them, he will yet tarry longer, they would be afraid lest he would tarry away any longer, and if he came, they would be afraid lest he would go from them again, and would say with S. Paul. Cupio dissolui & esse cum Christo. I would feign have my soul loosed from my body and to be with Christ. Yet again I ask you another question▪ If God himself would come and speak unto you in his own voice (although he ceaseth not to speak unto us by his holy scripture) and would say unto a man, wilt thou sin? then sin. Do what soever thing delighteth the or please thee: what soever thing thou lovest on earth let it be thine own: whosoever thou art angry with all let him die: whosoever thou wilt beat, let him be beaten: whosoever thou wilt judge let him be judged, whosoever thou wilt condemn, let him be condemned, no man shall resist thee, no man shall say to the why dost thou so? no man shall say why hast thou done so? no man shall say do no more as thy list, thou shalt have abundance of all things that thou desirest, and thou shalt live in them and continue with them, not for a season or for a little space, but for evermore, only one thing I warn the that my face thou shalt never se. If you mourn for this saying, if your hearts be sorry to hear this, it is a sign that the chaste fear remaining for ever is sprung up in you. But I say to you, ye shall never leave these pleasures that I have rehearsed, ye shall ever continue with them, and they with you, what will you have more? Surely the chaste fear would weep and wail, and would say, I had liefer thou wouldst take away all these pleasures rehearsed, and let me see thy face. The chaste fear would cry out aloud with the prophet in the Psalm. O Lord God of powers, convert us and show thy face, and we shall be safe. One thing I have asked of our Lord, and that I shall require: that I may dwell in the house of our Lord, that I may see the will of our God, and visit his holy temple. Now good friends, if every one of us will examine our own Consciences after this manner as I have now spoken, how many of us shall we find that hath this chaste fear, this loving fear of the chaste wife, the holy fear that continueth for evermore? I pray God there be many such among us. They that have not such fear, let them begin at the least wise, with servile fear that I spoke of, let them live well for fear of the pains of Hell, that so with continuance they may have a sweetness in well doing, and at the last do well for love. For the said servile fear is not utterly to be condemned, for it is a good gift of GOD, as faith unformed, or without fashion, hope unformed Sapience and science unformed, the gifts of tongues, the grace to do cures, and such other as the Apostle speaketh of i Corin. xii. Not decked nor garnished with charity, which is the fashion and beauty of all other gifts of grace. And the said servile fear is the very way to bring in charity, like as when a man soweth in cloothe the needle goeth afore and maketh the way for the thread to come after, not because the needle shall stick there still in the cloth, but shall pass and go through, that the thread may come after and bide still there. And when a man soweth in leather, the thread hath a bristle, or a hard here, craftily set and joined to the former end of the thread. After the nal hath made the way then afore the thread the said here goeth, not because it shall there abide still, in the hole, but because it shall lead and guide the thread that cometh after, and must there remain still. So doth the fear of pains of Hell prepareth away to love, in asmuch as by oft doing well for fear a man shall find some ease in well doing, and at length shall do well for very love, and therefore the Prophet said. Initium sapienciae timor domini. The fear of GOD is the beginning of wisdom, which is true of the servile fear that serveth or doth well only for fear of pain, and it is true also of the fear that groweth in process, which is partly for fear, & partly for love that is called Timor inicialis, & this is the next mean to the chaste fear or holy fear that remaineth for evermore. But now finally to speak of the seventh gift of the holy Ghost, which as the Prophet Esay sayeth, rested on our saviour Christ. It is not mundane, human, nor carnal fear, neither the servile fear, or the bondmannes' fear. His good and gracious works that he did on earth, he did not for fear of the pains of Hell, or for fear of any other punishments. It was the holy fear that remaineth for ever. It was loving and reverend fear of God, such as all the angels in heaven have now. And that may begin in us & grow up with charity here on earth, and shall shoot up and grow up with everlasting charity or love that shall never fall away or fail, but shall ever abide more and more in everlasting glory. This fear doth not import any perturbation or trouble of mind, but rather a certain reverence toward almighty God. Such is the fear that the angels have in heaven, where is no trouble of mind, or unquietness, but ready and joyful obedience to almighty God. And such reverend fear of the father had our saviour Christ, as appeareth in many places of the gospel, where he protesteth him to do the commandments of his father, and to fulfil his pleasure with many such like. Honorifico patrem. etc. Thus he did lowly and reverently magnify his father, by reason of his manhood by which he was inferior and lower, and subject to his father. And in his manhood he had these seven gifts of the holy ghost, resting on him as isaiah said, and as I have declared in times passed. And this gift of dread or fear of GOD after scholastical doctors, is Humility, which was most excellently in our saviour Christ Phili. two. Humiliavit semetipsum dominus noster jesus Christus. etc. Our Lord jesus Christ did humiliate himself, keeping obedience even to his death on the cross, for which God the father exalted him, & gave him a name above all names, that all creatures in heaven, earth, or hell, shall bow the knee to this blessed name of jesus, and all tongues shall confess that our Lord jesus is in the glory of god his father, there to be mediator, a mean, and entreater for us, to bring us as his coparteners and coenheritours with him to his inestimable glory in heaven, and that we may all come to that inheritance, he grant us for his infinite mercy that for us died. Amen.   

An homily or sermon of the articles of our christian faith.  
faith (as saint Paul saith to the Hebrews) is the beginning of heavenly joys that we hope to come unto, making our wits surely to assent & agree to things that we do not yet see, nor know by experience. Everlasting life shall stand in the clear knowledge of the Godhead, and of the glorified manhood of our saviour Christ knit in one person, to the second person in Trinity, one God with the father, and with the holy Gost. This knowledge and sight we shall have in heaven clearly and perfectly, which we have here but darkly by heresaye. But let us lean fast by our faith to this that we hearesaye by God's scriptures and live accordingly, and we shall not fail to come to the clear knowledge in heaven, where we shall know God, as he knoweth us without corporal similitudes to conduct us to that knowledge, and without any impediment. Without faith it is impossible to please GOD. For he that will come to God must needs believe as the Apostle saith. Hebre. xi. We must not diffarre nor refuse to believe so long, till we can declare or prove by reason the articles or points that we be bound to believe, for if we would be so dangerous it might chance that by the difficilitye of the scriptures, & of the things that we should believe we might be withdrawn and kept back from the merit and reward of our faith for ever. He that would so differ to believe, should be like a man almost dead for hunger, which having bread and meat offered him, would not open his mouth to eat thereof, till he knew who made the bread, and dressed the meat, and how and with what instruments or tools it was made and dressed. He were like to be dead for hunger afore he came to that knowledge. Better it were for him first to take his meat and save his life, and afterward if need were, at leisure to labour for such knowledge if he might obtain it. So best it is for us with an open heart, to believe as we be taught by Christ's church, and to feed our souls with such Godly food, and to save our lives by faith, & afterward by exercise to attain to more distinct and plain understanding of that we do believe according to such measure of faith as shall please God to distribute to every one of us. There was never man saved from the beginning of the world, neither shall be to the end of the same, but by his belief on God's reward, provided for his faithful people, by the merit of our saviour Christ, as by the mediator and mean to come thereto. The holy men and women that were afore Christ's incarnation by the space of five thousand years and more, were saved by their faith of salvation by the mediator that was to come, and in sign thereof, they used their sacrifices afore the law written, and also in the time of the law writ by Moses, as figures to protest and signify the mystery of the mediator which the ancients, and they that had higher revelation, and that were best learned among them, believed more distinctly and plainly then the younger and simpler sort did or were bound to believe. And now in the plenteous time of grace, both young and old be bound to have express faith of Christ's incarnation already exhibited and performed, and of such articles and points as be commonly declared, and openly set forth in the church concerning our salvation by our saviour Christ, as the only mean to obtain the same. All be it, they that have clearer wits, and they that be set in authority and office, specially to have the rule and cure of Christ's flock, be bound more expressly, dystynctlye, and plainly to have the knowledge of subtyller and higher considerations, concerning the Articles of our faith, than the rude and unlearned folk, so that they may by their knowledge and learning declare the truths and the possibility of the same, to them that be ignorant and would learn. i Pet. iii. To declare I say but not to prove by reason the verity of them. They must also be able to reply and convince them that frowardly would repugn and countersaye any article of our faith. They have ever been impugned and persecuted by heretics, wilfully and grossly, leaning to their carnal imaginations. And yet God of his goodness turneth all to the best against their expectation. It is very profitable and necessary that our faith should be set to work, for as saint Ambrose saith. Fides inexcercitata cito languescit, & crebris ociosa tentatur incommodis. super. illud. psal, cxviii. Iniqui▪ persecuti sunt me adiwa me. Our faith when it is unexercised, anon waxeth sick and faint. And when it is idle, it is tempted and tried with many discommodities. Remissas excubias callidus insidiator irrumpit. As we see that he that wililye and craftily lieth in wait will soon break in to an Hold or Fortress, where the watches be slack and sleapye, even so when our faith the watch of our Soul, lay idle and was not exercised and tempted by contrary heresies, spying how to break into the fortress of our souls, it was easy to sow the sedes of errors in our souls, to destroy our faith and our souls. Forty or fifty years afore this present year of Christ. M.D.xlvi. the common faith of the church was at rest and in manner idle without trouble. And by that, when the germans suscitated and raised up all manner of heresies by Luther and that rabble, anon they were received in all countries, for pax fidei corruptele materia est. Ambrose. The peace and rest of faith is the matter and cause of corruption of faith. men's wits were unexercised & not cumbered with such news, and could not forthwith by learning spy the falsity of them, therefore they were taken for truths of all carnal and wilful people, and so believed to the utter confusion of many a one. The true rule of our belief is the whole book of holy scripture, but because it is to much for every parson to learn all that, and to bear it way, therefore the holy ghost hath otherwise instruct his holy church to gather the most necessary things for Christian people to believe into xii articles, according to the number of the xii Apostles, which as the holy fathers writeth, & as it is credibly thought after they had received the holy ghost & the gift of tongues by which they could speak all manner of languages, and must depart a sondre into divers countries to preach the faith of Christ. They thought it necessary to make a gathering of the said articles and lay them together to be taught to all people, that so they might by the same shot or gathering know that as well they among themselves as all people of their teaching varied not but agreed in one faith, even like as soldiers under one captain useth one badge, and one watch word. And according to the number and names of the said Apostles I shall in my process divide the said articles. They be called articles, that is to say, truths of God and of his gracious effects, compact and knit into short sentences, binding us without ambiguity or wavering to believe them.  
THe first article saint Peter laid to this collation and shot or gathering, and it is this: I believe in God the father almighty, maker of heaven and earth. In which article ye must note the order of the words. first it is said I believe to declare that it is no point of our charge to discuss and reason the high judgement and secrets of God, nor to require and ask these busy questions, when, how, or why, but plainly and steadfastly to lean to our faith, believing on one God. It is not sufficient to believe that there is one God, for the devils in hell believe that, and so did the paynim Philosophers, but they did not glorify him as God, but played the fools in their fancies, as other idolaters did. It is not sufficient to believe GOD as thou believest thy neighbour or thy brother, when thou thinkest that his saying is true, for so doth many a sinful person, and yet nought will do according to God's words, which he believeth to be true. But we must believe on God, or in God, that is to say▪ with our belief we must extend and set fourth ourselves with love to God so to be incorporate to him, and made one spirit with him, and this is the good and perfect faith, adorned and decked with charity, which only shall save us. And in case thou be in deadly sin & out of charity, yet cease not to say this thy belief in this gathering or shot of the Apostles, called the Crede, for it is the belief of the universal church, which doubtless is not without charity, and so by the merit of the whole congregation of Christian people, thou as the unfruitful member mayst labour to come to the belief of the whole, & then truly to say, that thou for thine own part believest in god, which afore was not true, but in the voice of the whole church. If thou believe on God, thou must believe he is of infinite power, but one & no more, for it is not possible two powers infinite to be. Then the superstitious errors of Paygnyms worshipping creatures as their gods, as jupiter, Mars, Venus, Sun, Moon, or any element, must needs be false. And the heresy of Maniche making two first causes, or two Gods, one of good things which after him were only things invisible, and the other he put the causer and maker of all ill things. He called all visible creatures ill and nought, moved by a rude imagination, because they may hurt or do ill, as the fire burneth him that cometh to nigh unto it, and is ill to him, therefore he said it was ill by kind, and made by the devil. And water because it choketh him that is drowned in it, and so is ill to him, therefore he said it was nought, by nature, and the effect of the naughty God. And all they that use sorcery, charms, witchcrafts by invocation and calling on dampened spirits, that first taught men and women to use such foolishness and to give faith to them, looking for revelation of secrets or for knowledge of things to come, or for help of the devils, which they ought to look for only of God. And generally who soever obeyeth man more than God, doing that for the pleasure of his Lord or master, or for affection or carnal favour to his worldly friend or lover, which he would not do to please God, or doing for his lovers sake that is contrary to God's pleasure: All such maketh their friends their God, & so do all they that labour to satisfy their carnal lust, or their bellies, more than to subdue them to God's pleasure. All such make their flesh or bellies their Gods, and do not believe on one God, as is afore declared. It followeth in this first article, The father almighty, in which is expressed the first parson in trinity, the original fountain of the whole trinity, by whose fruitful memory the second parson in Godhead the son of God is gotten, ask not the manner how, for the angels cannot tell. The Prophets were ignorant thereof: Esay saith: his generation who can declare? as who should say no creature. We must believe it, and reason no farther in it. Not that the father is elder than the son, neither of greater power, but that like as the fire is not without heat, neither the sun in the firmament without brightness: so was the father never without the son, neither had any power to do any thing but that the son had the same power to do the same like him, and so hath the holy ghost the third person in trinity, product and brought forth by the will of the father, and of the son, coeternally with the father & with the son. Almightynes of power is here applied to the person of the father by appropriation, although it agree to the almighty son, & to the almighty holy ghost, not three almighty's, but one God almighty. And by this that we believe him to be almighty, we have a great comfort and light to believe all the articles that follow in our creed, for if he be almighty, he may make heaven and earth of nought, he may make a man to be borne of a virgin, he may forgive sins, and give life everlasting. Maker of heaven and earth, maker by creation, that is to say, without any matter or stuff to make it of. That a man maketh, he maketh of somewhat, or of some stuff, therefore he can be no creator: but almighty god made heaven and earth of nothing, therefore he is justly called the creator of heaven and earth. What is here to be understand by this word Heaven, there be two opinions, for which ye shall first understand that heaven is called one manner of wise: the empiriall heaven above the starry sky, and above all the orbs that moveth there, in which is neither place nor vacuity, neither time, but only things leading a most blessed life. This far Aristotle dreamt and discussed primo de celo & mundo, and it agreeth with holy scriptures, and with holy doctors, there putting the felicity of Angels and men that shall be saved in the fruition, that is to say in the clear sight and love of God, there most abundantly showing his glory. This the prophet in the psalm calleth the kingdom of GOD, saying to God of the same. Thy kingdom is the kingdom of all worlds, as who should say, whatsoever number of years can be thought or spoken of, this kingdom passeth it, for this king almighty God was never without a kingdom, by which it seemeth to be eternal and everlasting, for it is the very clearness of God, coeternal with him, and not created with other visible creatures, and to this were admitted and received the holy angels after their creation, for so long space and such durance as God knoweth best, afore that he made heaven and earth that Moses spoke of. And of this mind is saint Basile as appeareth in the first homily of his exameron. Heaven is taken an other way, for the bodies above, as Sun, Moon, Stars, with the orbs and circles there. Heaven is called also the third manner, all that is above the earth and so the said bodies above, with the speires of the fire and of the air be compriseed under one name of heaven, & so it is taken in the psalm when we say, the birds of the heaven, for the birds of the air. And (after this opinion) so taketh Moses this word Heaven when he saith that in the beginning God made heaven & earth. And by the Earth there is to be understand the water and earth together, which as then were not dissevered and divided till the third day when the earth first appeared dry. The second opinion which is more common taketh this word Heaven for the empiriall heaven replenished and fulfilled with the glorious company of Angels, which was made together with the earth, understanding by the Earth the first unfacioned matter or stuff, of which almighty God made, disposed, and garnished all other kinds of creatures that may be seen, or feeled as well in the firmament above, as under it, to his own glory & to do service unto man. Therefore we have great need to take heed that using Gods creatures for our profit or pleasure, we in no case dishonour God, using them contrary to his honour, & contrary to his pleasure & intent that he made them for  
THe second article saint john Evangelist laid to this shot or gathering, which is this: And in jesus Christ his only son our Lord, ever repeating this word, And I believe, so that this is the sentence: And I believe on jesus Christ his only son our Lord. The second person in trinity the coeternal son of the father, knowing afore the world began, the sin of Adam, & of the miserable case that man should come to, was determined to save mankind from the danger of the same & therefore he was ever worthy to be called a saviour. jesus is as much to sai as a saviour, them this name was his for ever, it is the name that the father gave him by production in his godhead & was newly divulged & published by the angel to our blessed Lady his mother, & afterward to his foster father joseph with the interpretation of that name saying: Ipse eni saluum faci. po. s. a pec. eorum For he shall save the people from their sins, which only God can do, and none other▪ Gods pleasure was that the same name that he had in his Godhead should also be his name in his humanity, for his humanity was the instrument and mean by which he wrought and performed our salvation and redemption jesus and Christ signifieth one person that was borne of the virgin Mary, yet there is some difference betwixt the names. jesus is his proper name, as we say Henry, Thomas, Roger, or such like. Christ is the name of a sacrament as saint Austin speaketh, or of an office super epist. Io. tract. iii. as we say a king, a prophet, a priest. Christ is as much to say as anointed, and he was anointed before all other men, by the chiefest ointment which is the holy ghost, one God with him and with his father, of which ointment the anointing with oil is the sacrament and sign. It followeth, his only son which (as saint Peter writeth) was not declared by any fables. But by that that he with john & james saw and heard on the holy hill where Christ showed them the majesty of his glorious body as it should be after his resurrection: because they should not fear nor waver when they saw the miserable process of his painful passion. Therefore (saith he) two. Pet. i Christ took of God the father honour and glory by a voice coming down to him from the great doing glory after this manner: this is my well-beloved son in whom I have pleasure, give ear unto him. And Christ in many places of the gospels calleth God his father, and him himself the son of God, he is true and very truth, and cannot lie, he is the only begotten son in the father's bosom, everlasting as the father is. He was afore Abraham was made, & afore all other creatures, not made but begotten of the substance of the father, very God of God the father. Not two Gods but one God, and one light, and of one substance with the father. By whom as by his wisdom and craft the father made all creatures, as saint john saith: all things were made by him, he is our Lord, which ye must here understand by his humanity & manhood, for by reason of the Godhead we may sai so of the father and of the holy ghost, although it be not so expressed in the Apostles Creed. For God is our Lord, & so we should call him by reason of his universal dominion over all mankind, & over all other creatures. The Lord importeth a vage dominion and uncertain power, but there is no power, dominion or authority so certain as the power that God hath over us, wherefore it seemeth we may not conveniently call him, the Lord. And moreover we use to say the Lord, speaking of such Lords as have nothing to do with us, as the lord of Dale, the lord of Kilmayn and such like, whereas if we were their tenants, or otherwise held of them we would say my lord of Dale, or our Lord of Dale, and so of others. Wherefore professing our due subjection to almighty God, we should in common speech call him our Lord, not dimissing ourselves from our allegiance to his highness. And I have known very honest men that in communication long afore the new translations of the bible came abroad, used sometimes to swear by the Lord, no more intending or meaning to swear by God, then by any Lord in the isles of Orchadie, so thinking to swear by, they could not tell what, or by nothing, albeit lest they should offend them that be addict to the new gise: I have advertised them to leave such sayings, till men may be better informed. But to my purpose now, because all power in heaven and earth was given to Christ, and all thing was subject under his feet, and he in his manhood taught his Apostles and all us by them, and in his manhood redeemed us, and in the same shall judge us, therefore we may justly by that reason call him our lord and master, as it is expressed in this article.  
THe third article was added by S. james brother to saint john the Evangelist, son of zebedi called james the more: That was conceived by the holy ghost, and borne of the virgin Marie, the author and doer of this conception was the whole trinity, the father, & the son, & the holy ghost, for the works of the trinity outward among creatures be undyvided, so that what so ever one person doth, the same thing doth all three persons. But in asmuch as this blessed incarnation of Christ came of the mere goodness, grace, mercy, and love of God, which is appropriate to the holy ghost, as power to the father, & wisdom to the son. Though all these agreeth to all three persons, therefore the scripture saith (as very true it is) that the holy ghost was the deer thereof, but how it was performed & done, we can better believe than declare it: faith may do very much in this article, and in all other articles of our faith, speech can do very little. Saint Austin faith, that like as by the heat and influence of the sun, a worm is gendered of the moist earth, so by the inspiration of the holy ghost, santifyinge the heart of the virgin, the flesh of Christ was conceived, form & fashioned of the flesh of the virgin without the work of any seed of man, working to the same, and therefore Christ said of himself by the mouth of his prophet that he was a worm and not a man, because he was not conceived as other men be. In this marvelous conception the profit and whole nature of man, soul and body together, was unite and joined in one person unto the son of God, and neither to the father nor to the holy ghost because there should be no confusion, but that he that was the son of god should also be the son of man. Borne of Mary the virgin he that came to renew the nature of man cankered with sin, chose a new manner to be borne of a maid, and not of a corrupt woman. And when the God of majesty took his body, and was borne of a virgin, he was no more polluted, nor defouled then when he made man of the earth, as when the Sun or fire worketh on the clay, he amendeth and hardeneth that he toucheth and fileth not itself. And it is as possible, credible, and lykelye, that he was borne of a virgin, as that he made Adam of earth, and Eve the first woman of the rib of Adam's side, all is the work of God, to whom nothing is impossible. Great was the prerogative of that virgin Mary, and the love that god had to her, in that that his only begotten son, by whom he made all the world, he gave unto her to be the fruit of her womb and her natural son. God that made all thing was made man of her purest blood, to renew mankind, that by sin was brought to nought. While the son of God was in his father's glory, not descending to our infirmity, he was unknown, but when that word of God was made man, and dwelled amongst us: he was seen and known on earth, and was conversant with men, for whose sakes he that is Lord of all the world is made our brother, coming forth & being borne of the blessed virgin, ever close and clean with out any aperture or division of her blessed body, even like as after his resurrection he came into the chamber among the disciples, the doors being shut, and like as the sun beams cometh through the glass and breaketh it not.  
SAint Andrew laid his portion to this shot or gathering by these words of the fourth article: That suffered under Ponce Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried. This Ponce Pilate was precedent and ruler of the country, and highest judge there, set in his authority by Tiberius the Emperor of Rome, to whom the most part of the world was then subject, he is here named not for any honesty to his parson but for to declare the time when Christ suffered. The death on the cross he those, and neither to have his neck broken, nor his bones burst, as being cast down from a hill, as his neighbours were about to serve him in Nazereth Luke four where he was brought up in youth, neither to be stoned to death, as the jews would have killed him, when he hid himself and went out of the temple. john viii And all was for our health, and for to save us, for (as saint Austin saith) we can not ever bear with us rocks, stones, or swords to defend us from the devil, but the sign of the cross is soon made with a little moving of our hand to save us from his falsehood. This is the sign by which with his mighty word is consecrate the body of Christ, the Fount is hallowed, priests and other degrees of the church take their orders, and all things that be hallowed by this sign of Christ's cross, with invocation of his name, be sanctified. The cross laid down on the ground extendeth his parts toward the four parts of the world, East, West, north, and south, and so did the body of Christ when he was nailed on the cross, lying on the ground in sign and token that his love extended to all parts of the world, and that for their sakes he suffered so great pains as he did, which doubtless very far passed the pains that any other man might suffer, by reason of the complexion of his body, which was excellently pure & quick. for it was made of the purest substance of a clean maid undefouled, & not mixed of such vile matter as our bodies be, and it was never mystempered by ingurgitation or unclean diet. Therefore it must needs be very pure and clean. And according to the proportion, rate, or manner of the disposition of the body, is the disposition of the senses of the body, and specially of the touching or feeling, than it must needs follow that his touching or feeling was exerceding pure, quick, and lively, by which ye may be sure that the stroke or wound that would little aggrieved another man, was great grief to him. Then consider how his head was bobbed and beaten and pricked with sharp thorns, his hands & feet▪ bored through and torn with great nails. And after that, the cross & he hanging on it, hoist up, & let down into the mortesse made for it, and to be shogged and shaken, having no stay but his own sinews flesh, and skin rend and torn in his hands and feet. This was a pain of all pains, specially in that pure complexioned and tender body▪ After this he suffered his soul to depart out of his body, and so died bodily, that he might deliver us from the death of the soul, which cometh by sin, for like as the soul giveth life unto the body, so God giveth life unto the soul, therefore like as when the soul is gone from the body the body is dead, so when God is gone from the soul the soul is dead, and that is ever when we sin, for God and sin dwell not together, no more than light and darkness▪ Roma. v. From this danger we were reconciled to God by the blood of his son, for he washed us from our sins in his own blood, and so delivered us out of the devils danger which had none other hold upon us, but by the ropes and bonds of sin. He was burled that so he might bless the burial and gra●es of all good men, for the consolation of all them that shall be buried in the earth. Of his grave Esay prophesied long afore, saying: that his grave shall be glorious. Esay. xi. as in deed it was, hewed out of a new stone intended for a worshipful man that provided it for himself, but he was very glad to bestow it on a better man. He was wrapped in fine ●lothes and powdered with costly spices. The grave was honoured with the presence of Angels, visited of holy women and of the disciples, and afterward devoutly sought of noble Emperors, and of other great men, & we Christian people in the remembrance of the same use a laudable ceremony, garnishing after the best manner that we can in our churches every good friday a goodly sepulture, in which we repose the blessed body of Christ.  
consequently followeth the fifth article added by saint Philip, He descended into hell, not his body, for it remained in the sepulchre till his resurrection, but in his soul with the Godhead, for the principal parts of Christ's mannehoode which the godhead once took to him, he never left.  
His Godhead was with the body in the grave, & with the soul in hell for the consolation of our first parents, and of all Patriarches and Prophets, and of all good men and women, that afore his coming remained there without any sensible pain, but only in the grievous pain of lack of glory, from which they were stopped as by a pain for original sin, because the ransom was no rather paid. Thither it pleased him of his goodness to descend, for to confound his enemies the devils, that like as he had overcome them on earth by his blood, so he might at home among themselves in hell triumph over them taking their prays and prisoners out of their holds against their wills. The Prophet zachary said that Christ would thus do by these words. zacha. ix. Thou in the blood of thy testament, hast let fourth out of the lake or dungeon, in which there was no water or refreshing, them that were bound there. And the blessed Apostle saint Peter confirmeth the same in his first epistle & third chapter, saying that Christ came in spirit and preached to them that were in prison, which some time were hard of belief when they looked for God's patience in the days of Noah, while the ship was a making, in which a few, that is to say eight lives were saved by the water. He came in spirit in his soul, for his body remained in the grave (as I said) and preached, declaring that the mystery of his incarnation and passion was performed, by which hell should be spoiled, and the way to heaven should be opened to all good men and women, whose souls were in captivity, among which were many of them that were alive in that space of. C. xx. years that God gave to the people to amend their lives, and to No for a warning to prepare and make his ship ready, of which some would not believe, Noah many times and busily exhorting them to amend their lives, yet at the last when they saw the waters rise still, and increase without any ebbing, they repented and were sorry for their sins, and so died penitent, and descended to the skirt of hell, where were the souls of many patriarchs and Prophets, and of other holy men and women, which by Christ's presence had consolation inestimable, as well as they that S. Peter speaketh of in this place, for if they of which it seemeth less, had comfort by Christ's descending to them, then much more they that were of higher perfection, had such consolation & comfort by his presence, and by their deliverance out of that prison. S. Basyl saith on these words of the Psalm, Dirupisti vincula mea, Thou hast broken my bonds, because thou hast set us at liberty from the bondage of sin, and descending into hell, hast loosed from death mankind, there being captive, and holden in the unevitable custody of hell. So it was verified that was said in his name to sin and to hell. Osee. xiii▪ O death I will be thy death, O hell I will bite the. He that eateth, occupieth all that he eateth, he that biteth, taketh part and leaveth part: so did the soul of Christ take that part of the prisoners in hell which died in charity, & left behind him in torments and pains with the devils▪ all them that beside original sin, had committed mortal sin, and died without satisfaction for the same.  
Saint Thomas put the sixth article of our faith, saying: The third day he rose again from death. For on sunday early in the breaking of the day, while it was somewhat dark, he joined his soul unto his body, and rose from death to life, and came forth of his chest or grave, and out of the monument or cave in the which the grave was, being fast shut, with a great stone rolled to it for a door▪ and surely sealed. And forthwith came the Angel from heaven, and removed the stone that was rolled to the door of the said cave, and sat upon it, to declare that christ was risen and gone: and anon came the three Maries, and they saw and heard the Angels, appearing to them like men, which told them that christ was risen, but they scarcely believed the Angels, rather thinking that his precious body was stolen and carried away out of the grave. notwithstanding (as they were bid) they went to give knowledge to the Disciples, which then kept themselves together in great pensiveness for the loss of their master, and as close as they could for fear of shrews. Marry Magdalene made best speed, and told Peter and john what she had seen and heard, and consequently the same day, and other days following, as well the said holy women as the Apostles and other Disciples, were by evident and sensible signs, well assured that he was bodily risen in deed, and not fantastically nor faynedlye. He was the first that ever rise to life immortal, never to die again. Other there were that were raised from death to life by the power of God, but after certain years they died again. Christ rose by his own power, and never died again, therefore the Apostles called him the beginning and first begotten among dead men. Col. i. The beginner and cause of his own resurrection, which was by his own power, and also of our resurrection, that like as he died for our sins, and rose again to justify us: so we should mortify ourself to sin, that we may rise again with him, and live to God, walking in a new life while we be here, that finally we may rise with our bodies and souls glorified to immortal life. Our old man was crucified with Christ, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that we should no more do service to sin. Our old man signifieth our old living in sin, like Adam the first man that sinned, of whose offence descended to all his posterity the nourishing and feeding of sin, the dart and prick of death, which the Apostle many times calleth by the name of sin. this we must mortify and kill, that so the body of sin may be destroyed. We live to sin when we live after the inclination of the said nurse and breder of sin, so that sin reign in our mortal bodies to obey the desires of sin. And contrary we die to sin, when we do not the desires of sin, neither follow the inclinations of sin, that so the body of sin may be destroyed in us: the body of sin, is the whole rabble and multitude of sins together, like limbs of one body, as fornication, uncleanness, avarice, contention, wrath, guile, brawling, dissension, heresies, envy, riot or surfeit, and such other, when these be mortified in us, than we die with Christ. And this mortification we must busily and continually bear upon us, and then we shall be sure to live with him, by renewing of our living contrary to vice, using justice and virtue, that so we may give light of good example to all others, that they may glorify and laud God in us, that finally we, and they with us, may rise to immortal glory.  
THen followeth the seventh article, which S. Barthelomew put to this gathering, and it is this. He ascended into heaven, and sit●eth on the right hand of GOD the father almighty. That is to say, the condition of our nature which he took of the virgin his mother, he took up with him, and set it on the right hand of his father, above the sky, and above all the orders of angels, and above all thing that is named not only in this world, but also in the world to come. Therefore let us ascend up in devout heart with Christ, while we be in this present life, that when the day of the general resurrection shall come, we may follow him, ascending in body thither, as he is gone afore us bodily, opening the way for us. Mich. two. For like as he rose from death to life to make us likewise to rise, so he ascended to make us to ascend. For which purpose we must well know and remember, that with Christ ascendeth not pride, neither covetousness, lechery, or any other sin, he was our physician, he cured us and made us once hole, but he took with him none of our malanders, therefore if we come after him, we must leave all these and cast them of, lest they press us down, that we may not ascend to that glorious place, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of his father, that is to say, equal with the father by his godhead, and in the inheritance and highest wealth and glory of God by his humanity, to entreat for us as our attorney toward the father. To sit, belongeth to a judge, because our saviour now being in heaven, considereth and judgeth all men's acts, and at the last shall manifestly and openly come to judge them, and to give sentence, therefore it is said that he sitteth. Saint Steven saw him standing on the father's right hand, as one ready to fight for him, and to help him constantly to suffer the persecution of the jews, where ye must not imagine any material body, or right hand or lift hand in the godhead, or any material stoles to sit on in heaven, it is a manner of speaking of the scripture by a similitude, rather than that there be any such parts there in deed. And likewise to sit or stand in heaven, signifieth no more, but there to be at his pleasure, and to show himself as it please his majesty.  
THe eight article saint Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist said: From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. In the same body he will come to the judgement, in which he ascended into heaven, to judge all christian and heathen, for all we that be, hath be, & shall be, shall stand afore Christ's seat of judgement, that every man may receive the duty of his body as he hath done, whether it be good or ill ii Cor. v. And so Christ said, that when he should come in his glory with his angels, than he shall pay every one according to his deeds. These words are greatly to be feared: for he saith not, that then he will give after his mercy to every one, but after their own deeds, here he is merciful, there he will be all righteous: therefore the longer that he looketh for our amendment here, so much more grievously he will do vengeance if we will not amend. This judgement is greatly to be feared, for the high wisdom of the judge, and for the clear knowledge that he hath, for all things be naked, bare and opened to his eyes, as well the secret thoughts of mind, as open deeds, there shall need no witness to accuse the sinners, for their own consciences and their thoughts shall be the accusers, and witnesses of their own iniquity, accusing, or excusing in that terrible day. Roma, two. His first coming to take our nature upon him, was in infirmity, weakness, and poverty, but his second coming, that shall be to this marvelous judgement, shall be in mighty power and majesty. His power is almighty in itself, and beside that, all the world will take his part, and fight with him against lewd sinners, there shall be no man to speak or to entreat for them, and then he will be very terrible and angry to reproved sinners, in so much that they shall wish the mountains and hills to fall upon them, and to hide them from the anger of the Lamb. Oh marvelous agony and fury of mind that they shall be cumbered with, to be so afraid of a Lamb. He will show himself very amiable, pleasant, and comfortable to his elect people, and therefore to them he will be as a Lamb, and to the others, wondrous sore and grievous.  
THe ninth article of our faith, is of the third person in Trinity, the holy ghost, expressed by saint james the son of Alphey, called james the less, because he came later to be CHRIST'S scholar, than the other james, the Son of zebedee, of whom I spoke in the third Article.  
This is the article, I believe in the holy Gost. Like as we must believe on the father & on the son, so must we believe on the holy ghost: for he that believeth not on all three persons, taketh no profit believing on one or twain of them, for this is the catholic and common faith, to believe one God in Trinity, and a Trinity of persons, that is to say: three persons in one Godhead. The holy ghost the third person, is brought forth by the fruitful will of the father, and of the son, as the equal will and love of them both, of equal might and power and majesty with the father and with the son, on whom we must believe. After the article of believing on the holy ghost, conveniently followeth two other articles concerning the works of grace of the holy ghost. One is of the work of grace, in getting that thing that is good, the other in amoving and avoiding that is ill.  
OF the first grace Simon the Apostle, called Chananeus and zealots, putteth the tenth article of our creed saying. The holy catholic Church, the communion of saints. After the minds of some holy doctors, we may not say properly that we believe in the holy Church, or on the holy Church, for the Church is not God on whom we believe, as is aforesaid, it is the house of God. Albeit if we say so, it may be allowed: as S. Paul praised the colossen. i. for the faith and charity that they had in Deo, & in omnes sanctos, on God and on all holy persons, because that by their faith and charity, they extended themselves to God and all good men. So in as much as we extend and set forth ourselves to conform ourselves to the unity of all holy church, and to the communion and company of all holy folks, by our faith adorned with charity, moving ourselves to such conformity in perfection of life, we may by that reason say that we believe on the holy Church, and on the communion of saints. This Church is called holy, as for a distinction and difference from the Church that the prophet speaketh of, saying: I hate the church of imaginers of mischief, dissension, and debate. For such Churches be not holy, but rather ill and very nought. It is also called holy, because the people and company of the same be washed from the uncleanness of sin by the holy Sacraments of the church, taking their efficacity and strength at the blood of our Saviour Christ. It is called catholic, that is to say: universal or whole over all the world, not muttering in sundry corners or countries, as heretics have imagined their Churches. There can be no greater treasure, no greater honour gotten, then to have the grace of the lively faith of this universal church. This faith saveth sinners, worketh miracles, ministereth Sacraments: who so ever he be, or in what state or condition so ever he be, if he be not in this faith of the catholic church, he is no true christian man, neither can be saved, like as there was no man nor woman saved alive in the great flood that was in the time of Noah, but only they that were within his great ship, The communion of saints, or of holy persons, that is to say, like as I believe the holy church to be one and holy, and that if I will be saved I must conform myself to that unity, not swaruinge from it by heresies or dissension, so I must in perfection of life conform myself to the fellowship and company of holy persons, as well of them that be now alive, as of them that be departed to God afore us. For if we will have communion or fellowship with the saints or holy men in everlasting life, we must study to follow them in living, for they must perceive in us somewhat of their virtues, that so they may vouchsafe to pray for us to almighty God. And although we can not suffer martyrdom as some of them did, yet at the lest wise we must by example of them repugn and resist ill, and unlawful concupiscence (and the rather by their prayers) that so we may obtain forgiveness of our sins, having a marvelous good help thereto by the holy Sacraments of this catholic church, which sacraments all holy men and women commoneth and useth fellowlike, poor and rich all together. And by the unity and communion in the faith and Sacraments of this holy church we receive as well the merit of Christ's passion and of his holy life, as of the good living, and good deeds of all holy people, being all one, knit together by the lively faith of the said catholic Church, according to the prophets: saying. I am partaker of all them that fear thee, O Lord. And therefore every true limb of the said Church is partaker of all the good that is done thorough all the world, and he that is excommunicate and cast out of this unity, looseth his part of all the said good works.  
THen followeth the eleventh article, expressed by Jude, otherwise called Thadeus, the brother of james the less aforesaid. The forgiveness of sins. It concerneth the amotion and putting away the thing that is ill and most noisome to man, that is sin, which by the authority that Christ gave to the Apostles, and by them to their successors ministers of the Church, and by the virtue of the Sacraments is loosed and taken away. For while we be in this world, how great so ever our sins shall chance to be, they may be all washed away by the strength that Christ left in his Sacraments.  
THen followeth the twelfth and last article of the Crede, laid to this shot or gathering by S. Mathy, that was chosen to make up the perfit number of the xii Apostles, after that judas the traiter was gone from them, & had hanged himself, it is this. The resurrection of the body, and life everlasting, that is to say, glory, rialtie, and joy everlasting of body and soul. It is very necessary for us steadfastly to believe this article, to take from us the fear of death: for if we thought there were no life hereafter, we might well fear death as a thing most horrible, which now we take as a necessary mean and high way to eternity, and life everlasting. Therefore we should not undiscreetly mourn or cry for fear of our own death, neither for the death of our friend, considering that it maketh for the profit of our bodies and of our souls: for ever still from the time of man's conception in his mother's body, till he be buried, he may take hurt, and may be corrupt, but he shall rise again uncorruptible, by the dowry or gift of impassibility, neither fire, weapon, sickness, neither any other thing can hurt him. Likewise in this life man's body is dim and dark, and giveth no light, but it shall rise in glory, clearness, and brightness, by the gift of clearness. Man's body is now dull and heavy, and long a moving, and not able to stir itself without labour, but it shall rise nimble and quick, able to move from place to place (how far distant soever they be) in a twinkelinge of an eye, by the will and commandment of the soul, and this shall be by the dowry or gift of Agility: Our body is now gross, and no more able to be present with an other body, than the body of a brute beast, but it shall rise so spiritual, fine and piercing, that it may go through an other body, and be present in one place with an other body, by the gift of Subtility: even like as I said afore, that the body of our Saviour Christ came from the womb of the virgin mary, and as he came among his disciples when the doors were shut, so that his flesh, bones, and blood were present with the ooken boards, and iron twistes of the door, or with the walls, without any division of his body, or of the door, or of the iron works, or of the walls. These wondrous indumentes, dowries, and gifts of a body glorified, were showed in our Saviour Christ's body at his transfiguration, for our comfort, declaring that like as he showed them in himself then, so we should assure ourself to have them in us, when we shall rise to life everlasting. Where contrary they that shall be dampened, shall have their bodies uncorruptible, for they shall ever endure passable, and subject to all pains of extreme heat, extreme cold without any mean, beside the worm and grudge of mind, fretting and gnawing their own consciences, which shall never cease. Their bodies shall be dim, dark, heavy, and shall supply the rooms of chains, fetters and stocks, to keep them down in that detestable prison of hell. Then finally to speak of life everlasting of body and soul in heaven, what tongue is able to tell, or what wit can compass how great the joys of that high city be? to be among the companies of blessed spirits and holy angels, and to behold the countenance of the godhead, ever present with them, and not to be dismayed with fear of death, and to rejoice of the gift of everlasting incorruption, without disease or sickness, for there shall be no pain, sorrow, nor mourning. There shallbe no fear of poverty, no feebleness of sickness, there no man shall be hurt, no man shall be angry, no man shall envy or disdain an other, there shall be no covetousness, no hunger, no gaping for promotion or honour, no fear of the devil, there shall no devils lie in wait for to tempt us, no fear of hell, there shallbe no death of body or soul, but a life full of pleasure endued with immortality, there the blessed folk shall shine like stars, and they that teacheth other to live well, shallbe like the brightness of the firmament. Wherefore there shallbe no night, no darkness, no clouds, no sharpness of cold or heat, but there shallbe such temperature and measure of all things, as no eye hath seen, no ear hath heard, neither any man's heart hath comprehended or attained to, but only of them as have be worthy, or shallbe found worthy to have the same pleasures, whose names be written in the book of life everlasting. In which book, that we may be registered, he grant us for his infinite mercy that for us died. Amen.   

An homily or sermon, entreating of Ceremonies and man's laws.  
GOod Christian people, forasmuch as now of late many men hath so little favoured the Ceremonies of Christ's church, & also man's traditions, or laws made by man, reputing them invalide and of no strength to bind Christian people to observe and keep them, that they have run into so great perversity, as to despise as well such laudable usages as hath been used among christian people continually, sith the time of the Apostles unto our days, as also to reject the very Sacraments of God, the principal Ceremonies of our faith, to the extreme danger of their own damnation, and of all them that have given faith to their doctrine, because you shall not err in like opinions, but rather shall know how necessary Ceremonies be, that so you may have a love to them, ye shall first hear the ancienty of Ceremonies, & then the necessity of Ceremonies, And consequently somewhat I shall speak of man's traditions and laws, and of the strength that they have to bind men that be subject to the same laws, to keep them. For the first ye shall understand, that this vocable or latin word Ceremony (as Valerius Maximus writeth in the first book of his stories) hath his name of a town in Italy called Cerete, into which town (when the city of Rome was taken by the frenchmen) the priest of Quirinus, and the professed maidens called Vestales virgins with their Idols, and other sacred things (after their manner) that they could convey out of the city, were carried in a wain and there received, & had in very great veneration. And thereof it was ordained, that things pertaining to the service of their Gods, should be called Ceremonies, because the Ceretanes worshipped them in that decay, and destruction of the city of Rome, as well as when it flourished in prosperity. And the translators of holy scripture useth the same latin word, to signify the rites, manners, and usages accustomed in the service of the true and only living God almighty, maker of all creatures, and about things dedicate, applied, and belonging to the same service, calling them Ceremonies. They be external or outward protestations, and declarations of the inward worshipping of GOD, which is by faith, hope, and charity, and hath been used in the time when the law of nature had his course, and afterward in the time of the law written, unto Christ's time, and finally in the time of grace from the first public and open preaching of Christ's Gospel, and so shall continue unto the worlds end. Almighty God allowed and commended the holy patriarch Abraham unto Isaac, saying: I will give to thee and to thy posterity all these countries hereabout, and all nations of the world shall be blessed in thy seed for Abraham's sake, because he obeyed my voice, and kept my commandments, my ceremonies, and my laws▪ Gene. xxvi. What ceremonies kept Abraham for which he was worthy thus to be commended? verily some special devout fashions or behaviour that he used about the sacrifices or services of God as he had learned of his anceters, which I think verily were even the same, or much like to them that afterward were expressly commanded by God, and written by Moses. Abel Adam's son learned of his father to honour God with the fruits that God send him, and to make oblations to him of the same. Enos that was son unto Seth, begun to call upon the name of God, inventing devout words by the way of prayer to honour him. Enoch the fourth generation after him, of whose goodness scripture speaketh, saying: that he walked with God, and appeared no more among the sinful people, for God took him away, doubtless he was no less ceremonious in sacrifices, oblations, and prayers▪ than his progenitors were. And of No the holy Patriarch it is expressly written, that when he came out of his ship after the great flood with his sons, his wife, and his sons wives, and all the beasts that were saved by that ship. Forthwith he erected and made up an aultare for almighty god, and offered sacrifices of part of the beasts and birds that were clean, burning them upon the same aultare, and our Lord God smelled the sweetness of his oblation, accepting it graciously for the faith and devotion of the offerer, and not for the things self that were offered. Here you have manifest ceremonies, the aultare was Ceremonial, so was the distinction of the clean beasts from the unclean. And of the clean fowls from he unclean, the burning up of the whole carcases, head, feet, bowels, and all except the skin was ceremonial. But afore that we entreat of these ceremonial laws, I think it necessary somewhat to speak of moral laws, and also of judicial laws, which known, the ceremonies may be more evident. The moral laws commanded by God be they that be of the judgement of right reason or much consonant & agreeing to the same, & that shall move a man to fulfil & do them, although there were no law written to compel a man to fulfil them, as this. Thou shalt honour thy father & mother, for reason will that thou shalt do the best thou canst for them, that brought thee into this world, and nourished thee, and cherished thee, when thou were not able to help thyself. Of this kind be the ten commandments of God sonderly expressed to his elect people of Israel, and by them to us, to reduce them and us to the light of natural reason, which by evil exercise was blinded in them, as it was throughout all the world in that time, and as I fear me, it is in many of us now, for malice was never so abundant. For this purpose it is very necessary that they should be declared in the churches on sundays and holy days to put men in remembrance of their duty to GOD, and to their neighbours, other moral rules there be, which bind as monitions by the way of honesty, as this. Afore a white head thou shalt rise up and do thy duty. And this, Honod● the person of an old man, with many others like. And of the said moral commandments dependeth both the judicial precepts, and the ceremonial. The judicial laws be as it were yokes or bonds to bind the people, to keep and do that reason would to be done in an order to God and to their neighbour, determining the pains and punishment for transgressors, quieting and ending strife, pleas, and controversies, having their strength to bind, not of the necessary judgement of right reason, but only by institution, or of that that they be made by them that have authority to make laws, example of this. A moral law this is. Thou shalt not kill avy man, woman, or child. Then if a man break this law by prepensed malice, killing a man, the judicial law sayeth the he shall die for it, where as if he did it by chance medley, without any such intended mischief, he might save himself by some sanctuary. Thou shalt honour thy father and mother, is a moral commandment. To punish them that do contrary the judicial law saith: whosoever hurteth father or mother shall die for it. And whosoever raileth upon them giving them opprobrious words shall also die for it. ¶ Ceremonies used afore Christ's time were of four divers manners. Some consisted in sacrifices. Some in sacraments. Some in hallowed things, or things dedicate or applied to God's service. Some in observances. Sacrifices they had, of which some were offered for the sins of the people, or of particular persons Some of devotion to pacify God's displeasure, and to obtain his grace and favour, or for to obtain some special benefit of almighty GOD. Some were all burned, some were part burned, part roasted or sod, and part appointed for the priests part, part for the owner that offered it to make merry with all. And they were commonly of rudder beasts, of sheep, or goats. And among birds, of doves or turtles, and seldom of sparrows, as in the purgation of Lepris, which (as S. Paul saith) can not purge the conscience of them that serveth in them, for it is not possible sin to be taken away by the blood of bullocks or goats. Hebr. x.  
¶ Sacraments they had among them as circumcision, and the paschal lamb, and order of the priests ministering in the tabernacle or temple, and the water of expiation made of the ashen of the red Hefer & running water, to cleanse folk from their irregularity by touching of a dead corpse or of any other unclean thing. Saint Paul calleth them neady and poor principles, for they neither give grace to the users, neither giveth to the ministers any spiritual power to remit sin. The priest by his order had power to kill the cow and to burn her, and to mingle the ashen with running water, & to sprinkle it upon the unclean and so to purge him from an external irregularity of his flesh, that so he might lawfully come into the courts of the tabernacle, & stand amongst honest men, where as afore he ought not so to do. And for this th'apostle saith, they sanctify folks for the cleansing of the flesh▪ Heb. ix. Even like as when a prelate dispenseth with a bastard or with a man that hath but one eye, that he may be made priest, by this dispensation, he giveth him not any grace, but only taketh away the irregularity & maketh him able to be ordered, where afore he was not so.  
¶ Of the third manner of ceremonies were sacred or hallowed things to gods service. As the tabernacle & temple, the parts of them, the courts about them, the implements and utensils, as cruets, cups, mortars, caudrons, and kettles. And so were certain days and solemn feasts as the seven. day of the week, the seventh year, the jubilee year, with a great multitude more, which should be to long here to be rehearsed.  
¶ The observances were certain religious manners of livings that the people of Israel, and the holy fathers their progenitors as the elect and chosen people of GOD used, to show themselves distinct and different from all Idolaters, of which the world was then full. In Moses time almighty God expressly commanded them by Moses and Aaron to observe & keep a prescise manner in their diet. They should eat no flesh of any four footed beasts, but only of such as were both cloven footed, and did also ruminat his meat, or chew quyd. All other they should repute unclean and not eat of them. They should neither eat pork, pig, hare, nor conies, with many others. They were forbidden all fish that had not both fins and scales, tench, eyes, congres, loaches, & culles, with many others were not for for them, of birds, all raveners living by prey, as hawks, griefs, kites, and all kind of ravens, or crows, and such like, and swan flesh, with many others they were forbidden as things unclean to be eaten & to be touched. And they should not drink nor occupy the water or other liquor that any such or any part of them had fallen into, the vessel containing such liquor, should be counted unclean, and if it were an earthen vessel, it should be broken and cast away. Albeit, brooks, wells, mayrs, ponds, and cisterns made to gather water, and to keep them, might be occupied for drink, and to dress meat, although such filthy forbidden things had fallen into them. How they should punish themselves with fasting. In the feast of expiation or cleansing, & many other seasons, and how the wives vow to offer, or to fast, or to do any such like thing of devotion should be approved by her husband as soon as he knew of it, or else not to bind her. And in case he would say contrary on the first day that he knew of his wives vow, she was discharged, & he with out fault, but if he deferred it till the morrow then next following, she was bound to perform her vow. And if then he would compel her to do contrary, he should bear the peril of her iniquity, transgressing & breaking her vow. The vows & promises of the maids dwelling within their father's houses, did likewise bind, if the father said not contrary on the first day that he knew thereof, if afterward he would say nay, on his peril, the sin was his. As concerning their raiment, they should wear no cloth woven of woollen & linen thread together as be our carpets & tapstery works. They should also have in the skirts of their gowns certain ribbons in colour resembling the sky on a clear day. No man should wear a woman's garment, neither any woman a man's garment, for that was abominable afore god. Of yoking their cattle in their ploughs, of sowing their vyneyards & their fields, And of the very birds nests they had ceremonial observances appointed them. In all these this is to be taken for a general rule that such ceremonies as seemeth to be without any sad reason, & without any necessity or profit in keeping of them, or eschewing them. Almighty God intended to remove his people far of from the ●ites of Idolatry, in which such things as be here forbidden were used. The pain for not observing these ceremonies in many cases was death, whereby they were very dangerous painful & untolerable as. s. Pet. saith, they were so heavy that neither Jews in his time being, neither their forefathers could bear them. Act. xv. They were very many to the number of vi hundred, or above, of which some were very chargeable, what pain and charge was it for every man to appear in jerusalem, three times in the year, how far of so ever he dwelled. Likewise to keep holy day all the vii year in devotion, & neither to plough nor to sow, nor to gather corn, & so in the space of two years together, they had but small sustenance. ¶ Now we have heard how these Laws bound the jews to observe and keep them under the pains expressed for transgressors of the same, it is necessary to know how they bind us christian people in the time of grace exhibited and given us by our saviour jesus Christ. For this you shall understand that the moral precepts, because they be consonant and agreeing to the light and judgement of right reason, which is one in all men naturally printed in their Souls at their creation, they must needs bind us christian people as well as they bound the jews. All be it the jews as very ignare & rude unperfitly and grossly understood the said moral commandments, as thinking it sufficient to keep this commandment. Thou shalt not kill, if they held their hands they thought it none offence to be angry with their neighbour. To imagine mischief against him. This imperfection of their gross understanding our saviour Christ clearly taketh away, forbidding us to be angry with our neighbour inwardly in our heart or by exterior signs in word, hand, or in countenance. Mat. v. taking away the very rote of homicide. The iudicialles of Moses law as given by him, hath this imperfection annexed, that they make a man to do well for fear of punishment more than for love. And fear hath ever pain annexed, and therefore Moses' law was called the law of fear, and by that is a painful law. It would abhor a man's heart to hear how many times the pain of death is inculcated and repeated among the said judicial laws specially, but they as given by Moses bindeth not us christian people, notwithstanding because in many points they be very civil and wholesome rules to direct comonalties, or particular persons, where Christian princes and noble counsa●les thinketh it good to take any of the said judicial laws of Moses, and to stablish them, to order their subjects, than the said subjects be bound to observe and keep them, not as given of Moses, but as newly made by their own superiors and rulers. But as for the jews ceremonies, because they were the very figures and only significations of Christ to come, and of some sacraments & ceremonies to be used in Christ's church in the time of grace now already exhibited and performed, given us by our saviour Christ. They must needs surcease, for when the verity of the signs and figures be put in execution, the shadows be of no efficacity. It is mortal sin now to use them putting any trust of salvation in them, for in so doing we should show ourselves to be of the jews faith, thinking that our redemption by Christ is not yet sufficiently performed, which is plain false and damnable to be believed. Notwithstanding Christ's church is not clearly without ceremonies, some ordained by Christ, & by his Apostles, and holy fathers, by the common consent of noble princes and commonalties, for the adorning, advancing and setting forth of Christ's religion. For we have sacrifices, sacraments, sacred or hallowed things and observances, proportionably to the four that (as I told you) were used in Moses' law, one most excellent sacrifice is the busy and daily sacrifice and offering in the mass of the blessed body and blood of our saviour Christ, in the form of bread and wine. This sacrifice we be taught and commanded to use by the eternal priest, after the order of Melchisedech, our saviour jesus Christ at his last supper, sacrificing unto his father bread and wine, turned by the virtue of his holy and mighty word into his own body and blood. And in this doing most devoutly is called to man's remembrance his blessed immolation on the cross, and is presented unto his father for health and grace to them that be a live, and for rest and quietness for all them that be departed in faith. A contrite and a troubled heart for a man's sins the Prophet in the psalm calleth a sacrifice which almighty God will not despise. And in an other psalm God saith by the same prophet, the sacrifice of laud and praising shall do me honour, kill the wantonness of thy will, and the rankness of thy flesh in the love of him, and so thou shalt set upon God's altar, that is to say, on Christ's cross the most acceptable sacrifice unto him, and who so ever voweth and payeth to God all that he hath, all that he liveth, all that he understandeth, (as the Apostles did) he offereth to God an holocaust, that is to say an alburned sacrifice. For generally every deed that we do, by which we show ourselves to cleave and stickefast unto God, referred to an heavenly end, may be called a sacrifice.  
¶ Sacraments we have also seven in number, taking their efficacity and strength at our saviour Christ, and left in the church as wholesome medicines against the manifold infirmities and diseases of our souls▪ These be the very few and manifest sacraments, in which the mercy of god would have his church free and at liberty as saint Austin writeth in his book of the customs of the church to januarye. And yet all these be not necessary for every man that shall be saved. For every man taketh not holy orders, neither every man contracteth matrimony, many a man is saved without confirmation, and also without the blessed sacrament of the altar, and with out extreme unction that we call Inoyling. Baptism is necessary, and to them that after baptism have fallen to mortal sin, penance must needs be had. And this seemeth to be the hardest Sacrament or ceremony that Christ left in his Church, specially for that part of it, that is confession, in which we reveal and utter to a mortal man the sins that afore were privy and secret betwixt GOD and us. But to mitigate this confusion or shame, we must inwardly consider the losing of our sinful bonds, and by that to be set at liberty, out of the devils danger, & this shall make us not to be ashamed to tell the truth for our soul's sake. Let us with all consider that he to whom we be confessed, is most straightly bound to keep our counsel under a more privy seal, than we be ourself bound, and so we shall not need to stick nor shrink to make a plain confession. Sacred or hallowed things we have very many, as churches and Churchyards, Chalice, Corporas, Cruets, Uestimentes, and other ornaments of the ministers, doing service in Christ's church, beside their daily raiment, showing distinction of them from the laife which is a veri honest ceremony & necessary to be used, albeit a great many of us priests little regard it, going in our apparel like the lay men, by that declaring that we be ashamed of our order, and would be glad to pull our head out of that yoke if we might. We have also observances of holy days, as sundays and other solemn feasts by course succeeding after the revolution of the year. We observe also certain solemn times of fasting, as the fast of Lent, & the Embre days, and in the remembrance of Christ's passion we punish our bodies with abstinence and fasting every fridai. The devout ceremonies on Palm sundays in processions and on good fridays about the laying of the cross and sacrament into the sepulchre, gloriously arrayed, be so necessary to secure the labilitie of man's remembrance, that if they were not used once every year, it is to be feared that Christ's passion would soon be forgotten, the crucifixes erected in churches, & crosses by the high ways were intended for the same purpose, although some pestiferous people have overthrown them and destroyed them, for the very contempt of Christ's passion, more than to find money under them, as they have pretended. We observe as a necessary ceremoni likewise a sober silence in the church in time of preaching the word of God, and also while divine service is a doing, with many such other ceremonies which were to long here to be rehearsed.  
¶ And finally to speak of the judicial laws the jews were never yoked nor troubled with half so many given to them, as we be pressed withal, what with ecclesiastical laws and other statutes and acts above number. So that (as saint Austin in the book of the customs of the church saith) the condition of the jews seemeth more tolerable and easy to be borne, than the case that Christian people be in. For the jews never knew the time of liberty, and yet they were not bound but only to the burdens expressed in God's laws, and not to men's presumptions as we be, in so much that if a jew well learned in Moses' law, and converted to Christ's faith, would consider his former bondage while he was of the jews sect, and would confer it to this bondage that he must live in with Christian people, he would think Christ's law much more untolerable, than Moses' law was to him. For what with our judicial laws and our ceremonials, we have more laid upon our backs, than we can well away withal, and but very few days passeth over us, but we break a great many of them, and not without peril to our souls. Then where is the sweet promise of our saviour Christ: Come unto me all ye that labour and be overburdened and I shall refresh you, and make you bear lighter, for my yoke is sweet, and my burden but light. For this ye shall understand, that comparing the old law unto the new law of Christ, we may consider Christ's law one way, as given of Christ, and so very true it is that Christ's law is much more easy than Moses' law. For the judicial laws be none left us by Christ, but he biddeth us to leave all pleas and actions, in so much that he willeth us not to require eye for eye, nor tooth for tooth as Moses' law would, but rather if a man would afore a judge claim thy coat, thou shalt not stick with him, but rather give him thy coat and thy cloak withal. On a time there came one to Christ that had a matter in variance betwixt him and his brother, about the division of their inheritance or lands, and would have had Christ to take the matter in hand and to call his brother, & to bid him divide their possessions, that either of them might know his own: But Christ would none thereof, and refused to be their judge in that behalf, saying: O man, who made me your judge or the divider betwixt you? I came not for that intent, I will not meddle in such matters now, & therefore his good scholar S. Paul writeth to the Corinthians: that it was a great fault among them that they had such judicial causes among them: why do not ye rather (saith he) take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer to be beguiled? And this we be bound to do, in case that by our extreme and greedy ask of our own, there may be like to arise some greater inconvenience, or ill example to our neighbour, but in case by our sufferance, malicious or covetous persons may take a courage or boldness to persist in their ill doing. We be not bound so to refrain to ask our own, but rather with modesty and sober behaviour we may afore a competent judge redress the injury done unto us, & to require our right by judicial laws, as well ecclesiastical as temporal, to which they that be subject to the same laws, be bound to obey, in asmuch as they be made by men, whom God hath constitute & set in power and authority or by his secret counsel permitted & suffered to bear rule & authority, & to have the ministration & execution of the laws. Of the authority of prelate's, successors to the Apostles saith Christ that whosoever heareth them heareth him, & whosoever despiseth them, despiseth him▪ And generally of all rulers saith the Apostle, commanding every man to be subject to higher powers. For there is no power but of god, & the things that cometh of God be reasonably disposed & ordered, & therefore he that withstandeth superior power, withstandeth God's ordinance, & they that so do, procureth their own damnation. And therefore of very necessity they should be subject to their heads, not only for fear of their anger and punishment, but also for discharge of men's consciences, so that they should do nothing contrary to the princes and rulers of the people, but that they should exercise the works of justice and goodness, with tranquillity and quietness without tortures or compulsion. Then considering that for our conscience sake we must obey the just ordinances of our rulers, it is plain that if we do contrary, we hurt our consciences with inobedience, negligence and contempt, and so we sin and deserve pain, whereof it followeth that to observe & keep man's traditions, constitutions, and laws, made by our superiors, having authority over us, as well for observing and keeping of the ceremonies & other bound duties of the church, as for other laws temporal, godly devised for the quietness of the kings subjects spiritual and temporal, is necessary for our soul health. And that to disobey and contemn them, is pernicious and perilous, as Samuel said: Obedience is better than sacrifice, for disobedience, repugnance, and resistance, is like the most detestable vice of sorcery and idolatry. But whether we be bound under pain of deadly sin to keep all the reasonable laws and traditions made by men or not, it is doubtful. For this ye shall understand that some laws bindeth men to do such things as be necessary to obtain the love of GOD and of thy neighbour, as this: thou shalt worship one God▪ thou shalt do none adultery. And these also which be necessary because God hath commanded them: Thou shalt be baptized, thou shalt keep holy God's holy day, thou shalt be confessed to a priest with all such as be necessarily derived of them, & agreeing to them, whether they be given by God or by man, edifying charity, and commanding to eschew, and not to do the thing that is contrary to charity. Now because charity is the life of the soul, without which the soul is dead, whosoever transgresseth and breaketh any such laws, whether they be made by God or man, killeth his own soul, and sinneth deadly. So that charity is the very true mirror or glass, by which thou mayst try and discuss & have a great evidence, as well of thine own deeds as of other men's deeds, whither they be godly or devilish, holy or sinful. Some positive laws there be that bind not so sore as these do, because the violation and breaking of them, maketh not directly against the love of God and of thy neighbour. As the positive laws of fasting, the prescise observing of the ordinal in saying divine service, the laws of humanity or courtesy. And this: Thou shalt make no leasings, with a great number of temporal laws, which a man transgressing, doth not ever sin deadly, except there be concurrent a contempt or dyspisinge of the authority of the law, which may make the offence that else was but venial to be mortal. As in them that we have heard of, that for very frowardness and despite of superior authority have eaten flesh in Lent, which after Easter would have been glad to have eaten fish, if they could have gotten it. Penal laws bindeth two manner of ways, one way because the maker of the laws would have them kept, and we be bound to obey them, not only for fear of pain, but also for our conscience sakes. But they bind no way under pain of deadly sin, in asmuch as it appeareth by the minds of the makers of the law, that they would not so sore charge the consciences of their subjects, but that when they break the said laws, whether it be with contempt or without, they should suffer the temporal pains, determined & ordained for them that offend the said laws. And so they bind the second way by the pain to be inflict on the breakers of the same. This due obedience of the subjects to their heads & rulers, and other premises considered, all noble Princes and Prelates, and all others that commonly be called to high counsels to make laws, had need maturely to consider, that in their offices they be God's helpers, and the mean betwixt God and his people, and to be well aware that they make none such human traditions, as ma● bar or deface the law of God as they did, to whom Christ umbraideth that they for their own lucrative traditions, dissuaded from the law of the honour of their parents. Math. xv. And that they do not bind such heavy and unportable burdens upon their subjects backs, as they will not set one finger to, to help men to bear Math. xxiii. as the Scribes and pharisees did, which then had the authority both temporal and spiritual under the Romans. And that they have no malicious eye toward any party divising laws for their neighbours destruction, or excogitating laws for the impoverishing of other men, alleviating their own charges, and making others fall down under their burdens: The Prophet saith to them that be constitute and set in such authority. Psa. lvii. O ye children of men, if ye speak truly of justice and righteousness, then see that ye judge straightly, neither declining on the right hand by affection to yourself, or to your friend, neither on the left hand by malice or displeasure to your foes, or to them that you favour not. Considering that the just judgement of God shall be against them that measureth the power that they have received of God after their own wickedness, & not according to God's laws. Where they that justly and charitably have used their authority, shall have such reward prepared for them in heaven as no ●ong can tell, nor heart can think Of which that we may be partakers, he grant us, that for us died. Amen.   

An exposition of the first epistle of Saint Peter the Apostle, set fourth in traictises or Sermons, preached in the Cathedral Church of Bristol, by master Roger Edgeworth, Doctor of divinity, one of the canons of the same Cathedral church.  
THe great wise man king Solomon, that by his wit searched out the natures & kinds of all creatures on earth as far as any man might, and disputed & reasoned of all the trees in the wood, from the high Cedar tree growing in Libanus (where ●uch trees be abundant) unto the poor and low I soap, that groweth out of the walls, and that writ and reasoned of beasts and birds, worms and fishes, and to whom resorted people of all nations, and from all kings of the world to hear his wisdom, yet he confesseth Ecclesiastes. i. Cuncte res difficiles et non potest ea homo explicare sermone All things be hard to be known, & no man can perfitly express them by mouth. For (as the Logition speaketh) we know not the substantial and perfit difference and distinction betwixt creatures of the world, that we see afore our faces every day. Therefore it is no marvel though our wits be very thin, feeble and weak to understand the holy scriptures. For the fair beauty of godly truth comprised and contained in the scriptures, lieth so privily hid like a heavenly treasure, laid up in them, that it will not appear but only to them that seek and search for it, with a whole mind, and with a clear heart. And in asmuch as man's reason is gross, and cumbered with many idle thoughts, and with much business of the world, running in man's mind, this maketh us the more blind & unmeet to find the said treasure, specially because that in spiritual and heavenly matters (as Saint Paul saith) we see but as it were in a glass obscurely, and as a thing far of unperfitelye. And beside this I know that the things that be spoken of in God's holy and lively word be indited by the holy spirit of God. Wherefore it is not for every man to examine them and discuss them, after his own judgement, for no man may worthily meddle with his doing, but he that hath the holy spirit, and specially that gift of the holy spirit that S. Paul speaketh of i Corin. xii. Discretio spirituum, where he saith, that to some man is given the spirit of sapience, to judge and reason of celestial matters, to other the gift of science in lower exercise: to some is given faith by the same spirit. To some power to discern spirits, to know when the good spirit speaketh, and when the bad and naughty spirit speaketh. In catholic and true expounders of scriptures, speaketh the good spirit, in heretics speaketh the bad and naughty spirit. And in the holy scripture which is the work of the holy spirit, of the holy ghost, for he inspireth all the writers of the holy scriptures, he is the chief author of holy scripture, and they that be named the doers thereof as matthew, Mark, Luke, john, and S. Peter, whom we have now in hand, be but as the Scribes, Notaries, Scriveners, and as it were the very quills or pens of the holy ghost. Lingua mea calamus scribe (saith the Prophet.) In the holy scriptures (I say) when a text may have divers expositions, and may be diversly taken, and every way good and catholic, yet to attain to the very prescise and true meaning of the holy ghost, is no small grace, this is the grace of Discretion, of spirits, or of putting difference betwixt spirits. And without this gift no man shall be able to pass fafely through the scriptures without a foil. Now who shall have this gift, and who shall lack it, it standeth chiefly in God's hands, and not in our merits and deserving. For these considerations it is no marvel that it be perilous to speak of almighty God, & of heavenly or godly causes, far above our reach. In somuch that many wise and well learned men have rather chosen silence, & to hold their tongues then to take labours in expoundinge or preaching the scriptures. But this is not enough for them, to whom the office of teaching is committed. As to bishops to whom is committed the whole cure of their dioceses. To Archdeacon's, persons, vicar's & all other having cure of souls, to all such it is very hurtful & noisome to keep silence as s. Paul full well considered saying i Corin. ix. We mihi est si non evangelizavero I am sure of woe everlasting if I do not preach. Christ biddeth scruramini scripturas: search & labour in the scriptures: he biddeth us also, seek and we shall find. Therefore we must search & seek lest we hear the reproach that Christ gave the malicious jews. Erratis nescientes scripturas neque virtutem dei: You ere, you go out of the way, for ignorance of the scriptures, & because you know not the virtue & power of god. S. Paul calleth our saviour Christ the virtue and power, and the wisdom of God. Christum dei virtutem et dei sapientiam i Cor i. Then considering that Christ is the virtue & power of god, & who so ever knoweth not the scriptures, knoweth not the power & virtue of God, it followeth that he that knoweth not the scriptures, knoweth not Christ, & the more knowledge that you have of the scriptures, the better you know Christ, & the less knowledge that you have of the Scriptures, the less you know Christ, & to be ignorant or not to know the scriptures, is to be ignorant & not to know Christ. An other occasion I have to labour in the scriptures, & to expound them to you which is comen to me with master Deane of this church, and to all my brother's Canons here (Not speaking of my Lord our bishop, which I doubt not but he full well considereth his duty to GOD and to his flock. The occasion is this: although I be neither parson nor vicar nor curate of this good and worshipful flock, yet there is an other yoke laid as well upon my neck, as upon other of my brothers here, by which I fear lest there will come woe to us afore God, except we preach the scriptures unto you, performing the thing that we have taken upon us, binding ourselves to the statutes that the Kings most gracious Majesty hath devised for the ordering of all us the ministers of this his church, in which it is provided that master Deane and every Canon, shall preach or cause to be preached certain Sermons yearly at this church. Therefore I will forget my own imbecility, weakness, and unableness, and according to the portion and measure of that talon and little knowledge that God hath given me, I will adventure upon the exposition and declaration of this first epistle of the blessed Apostle S. Peter, after my best power, helping and setting fourth the verity, repelling and reproving falsity Trusting to Gods help which never faileth them that trust upon him, that my said labour shall be as well profitable to me, as fruitful to them that shall hear me. The matter is hard (as all scripture is) but it is full of good learning, and of fatherly counsel, very meet for a Christian soul to learn and to follow, therefore my labour shall not lack, hoping and trusting in Christ's help, and in his holy spirit, which I shall much the rather obtain, if you will vouchsafe to buttress me, help me, and comfort me with your prayers.  
Petrus Apostolus jesu Christi electis advenis dispersionis Ponti Galatiae, Cappadociae, Asiae, & Bithiniae▪ secundum prescientiam Deipatris. etc.  
Petre Apostle of jesus Christ, unto the strangers dispersed in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, elect according to the foresight of God the father, to have your spirit sanctified, to have obedience, and to have the blood of Christ sprinkled upon you: Grace and peace to you be multiplied.  
This is the salutation that this blessed Apostle Saint Peter beginneth his letter with all. As the manner is when one friend writeth to an other, first he beginneth with recommendations (that be salutations) & consequently proceedeth to his purpose. according to the same manner, I will first declare these recommendations unto you, which done, when I shall come to his process, I shall tell you his principal purpose in his epistle, and prosecute the same perticuletlye and in parcels as it lieth in the letter. first we must consider who wrote this letter: second, to whom he wrote it: third, from whence he wrote it: Fourth, for what purpose and intent he wrote it. For the first it appeareth, that Saint Peter Christ's Apostle writ it, which was first called Simon, Christ turned his name, and where afore he was called Simon, Christ called him Peter. joh. i. Blessed S. Andrew, one of S. john Baptists disciples, after he had divers times heard his master give excellent testimony and commendations of Christ, and on a time S. john and two of his disciples, of which S. Andrew was one, stood together and saw Christ go by, and then said S. john, Lo the lamb of God, the said disciples made no more tarrying, but left their old master (supposing he was content they should do so) and followed Christ, and tarried with him, where he abode all that day undoubted with most heavenly lessons, and godly learning, although the scriptures express not what they were. In this appeareth the excellent prerogative of this blessed Apostle S. Andrew, in as much as he was the first taken to acquaintance with Christ of all the disciples, and also his abundant charity, in as much as he did not keep to himself the treasure that he had found, but would not rest till he had made his brother Peter partaker of the same. As soon as he found his brother then called Simon, he said to him, we have found Messiah, which is as much to say in English as anointed. We call him Christ after the greek word, for Messiah in the Hebrew▪ Christus in the greek, unctus in the latin, anointed in the english, is all one. Saint Andrew as I said brought him to Christ, which looked upon him and said. Tu es Simon filius jona, tu vocaberis Cephas: Thou art Simon the son of jona, thou shalt be called Cephas in the Hebrew, which is as much to say in the Greek and in the latin as Petra. Hieronimus super epistolam ad Galath, capit. two. Non quo aliud significet Petrus, aliud Cephas, sed quod quam nos Latinae & Grecae Petram nominemus, hanc Hebraei & syri propter lingue inter se viciniam Cepham nuncupent. And by this (now by the way) is confounded the ignorance and error of certain summalistes, taking for one of their strongest reasons for the supremity of the pope of Rome, this text spoken to Peter, Tu es Simon, tu vocaberis Cephas, which they interpretate caput, a head, as though Christ said, thou shalt be called the head, concluding of that, him to be the head of the Apostles, and consequently his successors the pope's of Rome to be head of all the church of all countries, which though it be very true, yet this text proveth not so much: for in the text it is said expressly, Cephas quod interpretatur Petrus: Cephas by interpretation is as much to say as a stone, or of stone (if it be an adjective.) Here such summalistes would plainly destroy the text of S. john's Gospel, to make for their purpose, which need not, for there be as well holy Scriptures as ancient writers, which proveth abundantly the said primacy of the pope. Therefore let us take the text as it is meaned, for the changing of Simons name into Peter, which soundeth in the english (as I said) a stone, or of stone. Christ that is the true and sure stone upon which the Church is builded, gave him a name derived from himself, that like as he is the firm and fast stone, so should Simon be all one with him, and of stone with him, as all we of the name of Christ be called Christians, and should be all one with him. And morally Simon the son of jonas was called Peter. Simon by interpretation is as much to say as obedient: jonas a dove, most gentle, handsome, and tame bird: Obedience is the child of the dove, of gentleness and courtesy, and that we be obedient to good counsel, to godly exhortations, or to our masters, it cometh of a gentle and curtyse heart, for gentleness gendereth obedience, & they that be proud, stubborn and sturdy, will never be obedient: they that be obedient shall change their name into the better, they shall be Peter, firm and fast in goodness, by that they shall be incorporate to Christ, the firm and fast rock & foundation of all our goodness, we shallbe called Christians or Christian men and women, and by that we shallbe the children of God, the friends of God, and the body of God with Christ, and coperteiners of his inheritance, and kingdom with him. And in this that Christ changed the name of Simon into Peter, he declared that it was he that by his godhead had authority so to do, and that it was he that in the old testament changed the name of Abram into Abraham, of Sarai into Sara, of jacob into Israel, as now he called Simon, Peter, and john and james the sons of zebedee he called Boanerges, quod est filii tonitrui. Marc. iii. the children of thondre. It followeth in the text. Apostle of jesus Christ. Apostolos in the Greek is as much to say as one that is send: it is the name of an office, according to them that Christ chose to be send forth through all the world, to preach the good tidings of remission of sins by Christ, and of life everlasting. But this name is not appropriate to them only, but it agreeth also to many other, as well in the old testament as in the new. Moses' was a blessed prophet, and he might also be called Apostle, because God sent him to do his message to Pharaoh king of Egypt. Exo. iii. where he excused his unableness▪ desiring God to provide an other to be sent thither. And it is written. isaiah. vi, Quem mittam & quis ibit nobis? Whom shall I send (said the voice of almighty GOD) and who shall go for us to this people, Isaiah answered. Ecce ego, mitte me, Lo, here I am, send me. Saint john Baptist fuit homo missus a deo, was sent from God, and by that he was Apostle, he was also a prophet, and more than a prophet. And Saint Paul calleth Christ Apostle. Heb. iii. Considerate Apostolum et pontificem confessionis nostre jesum. In as much as God the father sent him to be incarnate for our redemption. Saint Jerome on the beginning of the Epistle to the Galathians, putteth a distinction of four manners of Apostles. One kinnde of Apostles be they that be sent, not from man, or by man, but by jesus Christ, and GOD the father, as Moses, Isaiah, john baptist, Peter, Paul, with their company. Of the second manner be they that be sent of GOD by man, as by a mean betwixt GOD and them, as joshua was made the guide and instructoure of the people of Israel by God's will, declared by Moses, which in God's behalf put him in authority. Nu, xxvii. And so I doubt not but S. Augustine Anglorum Apostolus, was sent of God by the ministry and setting forth of S. Gregory, one of the best bishops of Rome that ever was after S. Peter) into this realm, to convert the people to Christ's faith, and so he did speedily, God assisting and helping forth his godly purpose. And likewise when the kings majesty, or the prelate's under him, send forth catholic preachers among the people, sincerely to instruct them to virtue, it is to be supposed that they be Apostles send of God by man. The third manner is of them that by man's favour & affection, more than for learning or any good condition in them, be sent or set forth to take upon them the office of preaching. And yet they lowly considering their infirmity and inability, and the highness of the office, that they be put in, by prayer, and exercise of study may come to such grace, that they may worthily execute the Apostles office, that they took upon them. The fourth manner of Apostles, be neither sent by God nor good man, as pseudo-apostles, false preachers of heresies, schisms, dissension, and division, of which speaketh Paul ii Cor. xi. Such pseude Apostles, or false Apostles, be subtle and deceitful workmen, disguising themselves into the Apostles of Christ, and no marvel, for Satan as self disgiseth himself into an angel of light, therefore it is no marvel though his ministers and servants do so likewise: They speak in God's name as though God sent them, & yet God saith not as they say, neither sent them to do his errand. Such was not blessed S. Peter, but he was sent by almighty God our Saviour jesus Christ, as he saith here in this salutation or greeting. jesus, is as much to say as a saviour, and therefore in as much as Christ by reason of his godhead, was ever a Saviour of the world, he had that name from the beginning of the world, and also afore the world was made, because that he ever intended to save the world, after that it should perish. And for this cause the Angel Gabriel, when he had joseph that he should not put away Marry his wife, but cherysshe her, declaring that the child that she went with all was begotten, not by any misorderinge of her virginal body, but by the operation of the holy ghost, and that he should call the child jesus, because he should save the people from their sins. The Angel bade him not give him that name, but bade him that he should call him so, by the name that he had ever, for he was ever a Saviour. Many we read of in the old testament that were called jesus, as jesus Nave, otherwise called joshua, and jesus filius josedech Eccl. xlix. and jesus filius sirach. Eccl. l. but none of them could save the people from their sins, but only our jesus the son of Mary the virgin.  
Christ, is as much to say as anointed, & so was our saviour Christ with the oil of gladness, that is to say: with the grace of the holy ghost, signified by the gentle supplenesses of oil▪ pre consortibus tuis, better, and above his fellows. By that the Prophet compareth him to his fellows ye may plainly understand, that he meaneth of the manhood of Christ, by which he become our fellow, for the godhead is but one, & hath no fellow in substance. Kings were anointed, and so were priests, and also prophets, every one of them for divers offices, and with material oil: but Christ was ointed with spiritual ointment of the holy ghost, and also not only for any one of those three offices, but for them all three, for he was and is king and priest, and a prophet. Therefore the prophet said full well pre consortibus tuis, above all other men, which was perfectly declared, performed, and fulfilled, when he was baptized in jordan water, & the holy ghost descended like a dove, and light upon him, and abode in him. joh. i. Now I must (according to my promise) declare, unto whom S. Peter wrote his letter or epistle. He wrote it to the strangers dispersed in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadotia, Asia, and Bithynia, chosen by the prescience and foreknowledge of God the father. Aduenae strangers were called among the jews such as were gentiles or paignims borne, & for devotion to one God, were converted to the rites and laws of the jews, & were circumcised, and kept their ceremonies as the jews did, and these by the Greek word were called proseliti. Many such there were in old time, & even in Christ's time, of which very many were converted to Christ's faith by the preaching of the Apostles, and by the wondrous miracles that they saw wrought every day by the power of Christ's name, like as an infinite number of the jews were converted to Christ's faith, anon after the coming of the holy Ghost upon the apostles by whose grace and comfort they preached boldly, and Christ ever wrought with them, confirming their preaching with signs and miracles, above man's power to do. Notwithstanding assoon as. s. Stephan was slain for Christ's faiths sake, there rose such a persecution among these new christian people that they fled, & were scattered & dispersed abroad into divers countries all, except the apostles, And the same apostles after they had made. s. james the less, the son of Alphei, bishop of jerusalem, they thought it necessary to go abroad among other nations to publish the faith of christ, at which time there is no doubt but. s. Peter went abroad among the gentiles as well as other, for it was he that had first revelation so to do by the vision that appeared to him in joppes, upon which he went to Cornelius captain in Cesaria, & to him and to his family & company preached Christ as it is plain. Act. x. And many sure & ancient auctors writ that after thordination of. s. james bishop of Jerusalem, S. Peter came to Antioch one of the chief cities of Syria, and there tarried a while preaching Christ and proceeded further into the countries that be here spoken of, in the Salutation at the beginning of this Epistle. pontus, Galatiae, Capadotia▪ and other, and occupied the time among them by the space of five years after some, & by the space of vii, years after other and then came back to Antioch & there continued bishop and chief instructor of Christ's flock, for the space of seven years more, and from thence chased away Simon Magus, and detected his errors. And afterward heard that the said Simon magus was come to Rome, and had there divine honours done to him as to a GOD, and had Images erected in his honour, and that he made all the City to dote upon him like mad men, for this occasion he came to Rome as Eusebius saith. Li. two. ecclesiastic history. ca xiiii. and there within a while quenched the blindness of Simon Magus, and of that devilish woman that he had in his company, by whose deceitful forcerye he alured many to give credence to him. And that Saint Peter being at Rome, wrote this Epistle, and sent it from Rome, as well to such strangers as were dispersed and scattered abroad in the countries of Pontus, Galatia, capadotia, etc. by occasion of persecution, as to all others inhabitants of the same countries among which he had preached in his long and painful progress, and had converted them to Christ's faith, which all he counted as strangers to the world. And so in the second chapter of this epistle, he prayeth them to take themselves, saying: Obsecro vos tanquam advenas & peregrinos. Even like as we have in the acts of the apostles xv. That saint Paul after he had planted Christ's Gospel in the countries where he had laboured preaching, he used to take an opportunity and convenient time to go through again from place to place to visit them, and to see whether they persisted and stood as firm and fast in faith as he had left them. In like case saint Peter having so busy a piece of work and so great a charge on his hand, as to teach all that huge and great city of Rome, then being lords and rulers of the world, in which then was in manner a confusion of all vices and sins, of all opinions, of all superstitions and errors by concourse of all nations resorting thither, for decisions of causes which doubtless brought with them the superstitions, and the vices▪ and naughty livings of their countries, as we see by experience, where little concourse of strangers is, there is plain manner of living, and after one manner, but in port towns they be of an other sort. The germans and Sarons bring in their opinions. The Frenchmen their new fashions. Other countries given to lechery, run to the open bars or stews. And for such confusion of the inhabitants. Saint Peter in the end of this his first epistle calleth Rome by the name of Babylon, as you shall hear (by God's help) when we shall come to that place. For this exceeding charge that, s. Peter had take upon him, he might not intend to go among them again, to confirm them, and to make them more steadfast in faith, but sent to them this excellent and noble epistle, full of fatherly counsel, which they might every day read, to make them remember their master, and to live according to his doctrine that he had given them. But now riseth a doubt of no small importance. Saint Paul in his epistle to the Galatheis in the first Chapter, saith that after his conversion he took his journey into araby, and after he had laboured a season in that country, he returned again and came to Damascus (the chief city of Syria. Esay. seven. Caput Syrie Damascus.) And then after three years of his conversion, he came to Jerusalem to see Peter, & tarried there with him. xv. days, & there he saw none other of the apostles at that time, but only saint Peter and james the less called Christ's brother, which then was made bishop and overseer of Christ's church in Jerusalem: For all the residue of the apostles were then dispersed abroad to preach the word of GOD. After this Saint Paul (as he sayeth) went abroad into the coasts of Syria and Celicia, where he was brought up in youth. For he saith of himself. Act xxii Ego sum vir judeus, natus in Tharso Ciliciae. I am a jew by kindred born in Tharsus, a city in Cilicia, which is a country in main Asia. For the jews were not all born in jury, but as their parents were dis●abper; sed into all countries, so they had their children in divers countries. And then after xiiii years, s. Paul came again to jerusalem to confer the gospel that he preached, with the apostles that were the pillars of the Church, Peter, james, and john, which he found then at Jerusalem. Now good friends take heed. Hear we have of saint Paul which in the place alleged sworn, & took god to witness, that he lied not, we may well believe him, & must needs so do, the holy ghost spoke in him. Here (I say) we have first three years next after Paul's conversion afore his coming to Jerusalem, when he tarried there with Peter fifteen days. And then we have fourteen years more afore he came to Jerusalem to confer his preaching with the other Apostles, and at both times he found Sayncte Peter at Jerusalem. So that by this we have, that saint PETER was at Jerusalem, seventeen years and more after Christ's ascension, for. s. Paul was converted in the first year after Christ's ascension in February next after as the church representeth, at that time, keeping the feast of the conversion of S. Paul. Now (I pray you) when went saint Peter abroad among them that were dispersed in Pontus, Galatia, Capadocia, & c? And when was he bishop of Anthiochia? To this I say that as for the three first years that saint Paul spoke of, saint Peter tarried very much at jerusalem with james, there to order the primitive & first church of Christ in all the world. Their presence because they were of high reputation, was very necessary for that purpose, so that in all that time I think he went very little among the gentiles, except it were by some chance, or by revelation, as he came to Cornelius at Caesaria. His most labour was about the conversion of jews, to convert them to Christ.  
Then afterward in the xiiii year that. s. Paul speaketh of (the church of Jerusalem being reasonably well established) there is no doubt but saint Peter went abroad into all countries preaching Christ chiefly to the jews that were dispersed into many countries, there living like strangers, after the persecution that roose after the martyrdom of saint Stephan, and for many such troubles as fell upon them, exhorting them to patience, and declaring that through many troubles we must come into the kingdom of God. And in this time he sticked for no labours, but came to the countries of Pontus Galatiae. etc. Countries of main Asia, of which some of them be almost as far north east from Jerusalem, as we be northwest, and to them preached Christ's faith, and returning back, came again to Antiochia, where he tarried and ruled Christ's flock as bishop there by the space of seven years or more. Saint Jerome saith. Super Gal. two. Primum episcopum Antiochene ecclesiae Petrum fuisse accepimus, & Romam exinde translatum. From Antiochia he went to Rome to convince Simon Magus (as I said afore.) And from Rome came back again unto Jerusalem to a counsel in the eighteenth year after Christ's ascension, at which time. s. Paul was warned by revelation to ascend also to Jerusalem to confer his Gospel with the other Apostles, and there met with Peter, james, and john, as he saith in the second chapter to the Galathians. And then saint Peter took his leave and returned to Rome again, where he continued, and in the countries thereabout to his lives end. And from thence he wrote this Epistle as I said. Now if I shall perform the exposition of this epistle, as I have taken upon me, I must somewhat speak of these countries that saint Peter rehearseth here in the salutation of his letter, for here they be written as you have heard. Pontus, Galatia, Capadocia, and so forth. Therefore if they shall not be somewhat set forth and declared, whereto be they written here? If they shall not be described unto them that hear or read this epistle, let them be stricken out of the book, why should they cumber any more paper? To hear of them shall be pleasant to all men that delighteth in natural histories of Geography, or Cosmographye, and to all mariners and merchants that have traversed the seas. And to them that would have their souls edified in virtue, it shall not be unprofitable, by reason of some moral learning that may concur among. For this you must first understand that Mare mediterraneum, the middely earth sea, which our merchants calleth the Levant cometh out of the main ocean sea, running into the land at a very narrow entry, called the straights, betwixt two mountains or rocks, one called Calpe in Granado, on the south part of Spain, and the other called Abila, in Mauritania, where that Mores inhabit. And the said mountain called Calpe, our marcauntes calleth Calis, adding to it for the evil and dangerous passage by the same Malis ill, after the language of the country, there Calys Malys. Ill Calys, because of a great multitude of ragged rocks lying in the threshold or bottom of the said gate, so that when any ship shall pass in or out at the said straight, the mariners must be sure of an high water, and a measurable wind, else they shall find it an ill passage and perilous. The said two rocks, cleves, or promontories, be called Gades and Column Hercules. Hercules' posts, and standeth one on the one side of the said entre, and the other on the other side and maketh like a gate into the levant. And as Pliny writeth, In prohemio terc●i naturalis historiae. It is but five miles broad, where it is strayghtest, and passeth not ten miles over where it is broadest. pomponius Mela agreeth, saying: Libro primo. Non amplius decem milibus passimum patens. A wondrous work of GOD, by so narrow a passage to bring into the main Land so great a Sea as it maketh, running forth Eastward, and leaving Africa on the right hand, and Europe on the lift hand, till it come as far as Celiciae, in maygne Asya, and there stayeth in a certain bay called Sinus issicus, the bay where the river of Issus openeth into the same sea, and it goeth no further Eastward: enuironning and containing within itself a great multitude of the most fertiysles that we can read of, and specially the excellent Isle of Cyprus, notwithstanding afore the said levant become so far Eastward, it turneth Northward, long and many a mile. first it runneth together and entereth into a narrow streict called Hellespontus, much narrower than the said gate out of the ocean into the levant that I now spoke of, for this straight passeth not much three quarters of a mile over, and when it is passed that straight, it spreadeth abroad again like a sea, and is called Propontis. Then yet more Northward it runneth together into a narrower streict than any of the two that I have spoken of, this streict is called Thratius Bosphorus. The country of Thracia, where Byzantium, now called Constantinople, is chief city, is on the West part of it, and the said Constantinople lieth nigh to the same streict. This straight is so narrow, that in calm weather men may hear birds sing from the one point to the other, and men's voices also from Europe into Asia, and contrariwise, out of Asia into Europe. When the sea passeth that streict, than it spreadeth abroad into a marvelous great sea called Pontus Euxinus, And yet again gathereth itself together into as narrow a straight as this that I spoke of last, and it is called Cymmerius bosphorus, and beyond him it spreadeth abroad again into a huge meare or standing water called Meotis, into which runneth the fierce and swift river of Tanais coming out of the mountains of the North, and is drowned in the said Meotis. Here have you heard (more shortly than the matter requireth) the course and ways of the middle earth, sea, or levant, which you may more sensibly perceive, if you will confer my sayings to a table or map of the world. In the said levant be Ilamndes, as Pomp. Mela reckoneth about. C.xl of which some be the most excellentes of the world, specially in the forthright course betwixt Calis Malis, & Cilicia, there is Corsica, where the Romans have their vine cors. There is Sardinia, Sicilia, and Creta, which we call Candy, there is the most fertile and fruitful Island of Cyprus. And toward the mouth of the return Northward, called Hellespontus (that I spoke of) is the well known isle of the Rhodes, lately inhabited with christian men, now by the rage of the Turk, perverted to miserable subjection and bondage.  
Now for the text you shall understand, that these countries that Saint Peter speaketh of lieth in great Asia, which is the third part of the world, divided from Africa by the river of Nilus, that runneth thorough Egipte, down unto the said middle earth Sea, or levant, & divided from Europe, by the seas running Northward into the standing water called Meotis, and by the swift river of Tanais, running out of the mountains, in the North part of the world, and descending into the said Meotis. And the said Asia containeth in quantity more ground, than both Africa and Europe doth. And the said countries that Saint Peter preached in, and to which he wrote his letter or Epistle, lieth not so in order as saint Peter, rehearseth them, but saint Peter rehearseth them out of their order of purpose (I think) meaning that vicinity to jerusalem, or priority in receiving the faith, doth not derogate or hindre the other that were later converted, but that first and last, all is one in christ: As saint Paul in a like speaketh. Galath. iii. Non est judeus, neq, Graecus, non est servus, neque liber, non est masculus, neque femina, omnes enim vos unum estis in CHRISTO JESV. furthest of from jerusalem, and most Northward lieth Pontus, on the east side of that broad sea called Pontus Euxinus, that I spoke of even now. Pomponius Mela, capite de summa Asiae descriptione. Circa pontum aliquot populi alio alioque fine omnes uno nomine pontici dicuntur. Hieronimus de nominibus Hebraicis. Pontus' regio multarum gentium, juxta mare ponticum, quod Asiam Europamque disterminat. It containeth divers countries, and of divers languages. There is Colchis, where jason had the Golden fleice, as poets feign. Mithridates that noble king, that kept open war with the Romans by the space of six and forty years, was king there in Ponto first, and afterward of Armenia, Capadotia, and of the most part of all maygne, and great Asia: And I think verily it is two thousand mile about by land from jerusalem, where saint Peter begun to preach. In which all bishops, and all they that have taken upon them cure of souls, or the office of preaching, have example to take pains and labours in ministering the word of God to their people, and not to lie at rest & pleasures in a corner at their manors. Next to this is Capadocia, where S. George the martyr was borne, as appeareth by his legend, & this Capadocia hath on his North coast the said sea Pontus Euxinus, and it runneth a long on the same sea, and hath on his east side both Armenyes the less and the more, and is divided from the greater Armeny, by the river of Euphrates, and extendeth southward as far as Cilicia that I spoke of, and hath on the West side Bithynia, Galacia, Paphlagonia. Then by the sea coast Bithynia lieth next, and it lieth against Constantinoble, sometime called Bizancium, in so much that the East point of the land, making the streict called Thracius Bosphorus, is in Bithynia, and part of Bithynia lieth on the sea that is on the South part of that street called Propontis, & part of it on the North part of that streict on pontus Euxinus. And in the said Bithynia is the city called Nicaea, where the gracious Emperor Constantine, with. CCC. and xviii bishops, kept the most authentical and blessed counsel, called concilium Nicenum, in which Arrius heresies were condemned, and many blessed statutes made. Then cometh Galacia, sometime called Gallogrecia, it lieth without the straight called Hellespontus, southward, super mare Egeum, and in this country S. Paul had laboured as well as S. Peter, and had instruct them very perfectly in Christ's faith. notwithstanding by pseudo-apostles, and false preachers, they were brought into the jews ceremonies, which when S. Paul knew, he writ to them a very earnest epistle to call them home again, you have it amongst his other epistles, called the Epistle to the Galathies, or Galathians. Then cometh Asia the less, which is but a part of maigne Asia, that (as I told you) is the third part, and greatest part of the world, and in this country standeth the noble city of Ephesus, in which sometime was the famous temple of Diana, that is spoken of. Act. nineteen. And to the people of this city. S. Paul wrote his epistle, entitled, the epistle to the Ephesies, or Ephesians, The country is exceeding wealthy and fruitful, and the people excedingely given to carnal pleasures, therefore S. Paul called them beasts. i Cor. xv. Si ad bestias pugnavi Ephesi quid mihi prodest. etc. Here I have briefly declared the site and standing of these countries that S. Peter speaketh of in his salutation and beginning of his epistle, you must not think that all these countries be immediate and next together one to another, but there be some great countries betwixt them, which is not to my purpose now to speak of, but conferring one of these to another of them, they lie by the Geographye, in that order as I have told you. To all faithful people, as well jews as gentiles, dispersed as strangers here and there in the said countries. S. Peter writ his epistle, and he calleth them elect and chosen by the knowledge of God the father, not excluding the son, or the holy ghost, for the prescience, foreknowledge, and knowledge, is all one in all three persons in trinity. Whom the father doth predestinate or choose to grace or to salvation, the same doth the son, and also the holy ghost, predestinate and choose to be saved. Their works among creatures be all one, but in as much as saint Peter calleth them that he writeth unto, elect and chosen by the knowledge of GOD the father, We must not think that all they that were converted to CHRIST'S faith, in the said countries to which Saint Peter wrote, were elect by such election as Christ speaketh of in the parable. Math. xxii. Multi sunt vocati, pauci vero electi. Many be called, and but few chosen, for here it is meaned, that few be chosen finally to be saved, and to be sure of life everlasting. It is not to be thought that saint Peter would make to all them that he wrote unto, any such assurance, but he taketh election more largely, as Christ speaketh of it, Nun ego vos duodecim elegi, & unus ex vobis Diabolus est? joh. vi. did not I chose you twelve, and one of you is the devils bird. And also, joh. xv. Non vos me elegistis, sed ego elegi vos. You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you: Where we must understand by this election, the vocation and calling to the faith, and to believe on Christ: for neither they that this was spoken to, nor any other were chosen, because they believed on CHRIST, but because CHRIST chose them, therefore they believed on him, so that GOD'S eternal election was the cause of our vocation to faith. And therefore Saint Paul saith, Ephes. i. Elegit nos in ipso ante mundi constitutionem. GOD the father chose us in CHRIST, afore the world was made, he chose us to be saved by the faith of CHRIST, which is the only and very necessary way to salvation. Now to my purpose, all these people of these countries to which Saint Peter writ, were elect and chosen by the prescience and foreknowledge of GOD, to be called, and to come to Christ's faith, and to continue in the same as GOD knew. GOD knew who were his, that would finally continue in CHRIST'S faith, and be saved, and who would fall from the same to infidelity again, or by sin and mislivinge deface and defoul their faith, and be dampened.  
But here yet riseth a doubt, for saint Paul saith. Roman. seven, Quos prescivit & predestinavit hos & vocavit. etc. Them that he afore knew and did predestinate, he called: and them that he called, he justified: and them that he justified, he magnified, and glorified, and appointed finally to glory everlasting. Therefore it should seem, that if they were called, they were justified, and if they were justified, then must it needs follow that they were glorified.  
Here you must understand that there is two manners of calling or choosing, one is, secundum presentem justitiam, according to a certain just manner of living that men be of for the time of their calling, and as they appear in the face of the world, as the scripture speaketh of Saul. i Reg. ix. Erat Saul electus & bonus, & non erat vi● de filiis Israel melior illo, Saul was chosen, and good, and of all the issue of Israel there was not one better than he. Then he was good, after he was nought. So judas when he was chosen was good enough, although he afterward betrayed his master and ours. For this kind of calling doth not so confirm men in goodness, but that they may fall and be nought, & so was Saul, and so was judas, and so were many of them that S. Peter writ unto, although they were called and chosen to Christ's faith by the ministry and labour of S. Peter, S. Paul, or of others of the Apostles. There is another election, choosing, or calling, which is secundum dei propositum, according to God's determinate purpose. Of this S. Paul speaketh. Rom. viii. Scimus autem quoniam diligentibus deum omnia cooperantur in bonum his qui secundum propositum vocati sunt sancti. To them that by God's determinate purpose be called, all things worketh for the best, yea, sins that they do maketh them to repent their doing, and to arise by penance, and to be better ware of such sins thereafter, and to do no more so. Therefore I say (to the letter of S. Peter's epistle) they were elect and chosen, as God knew that all should come to the faith of Christ, In sanctificationem spiritus to be sanctified in spirit by baptism, and to have their souls in the way of salvation in sanctificationem spiritus saith the vulgate and common text, per sanctificationem spiritus in obedientiam. etc. saith the new translation and they come all to one purpose. For by that, that we have our spirit sanctified and made holy by God's holy spirit the holy ghost, we come to obedience and be made obedient to the faith of Christ, and be ready to fulfil, perform, and do the works of the spirit, and to bring forth the fruits of the spirit, which be charitas, gaudium, pax, patientia. etc. Gala. v. And S. Paul prayed almighty GOD for his disciples, and by them for us all i Thessa. v. Ipse autem deus pacis sanctificet vos per omnia ut integer spiritus vester, et anima, & corpus, fine querela in adventu domini nostri Ie●u Christi conseruetur. The God of peace make you all holy in every point that your spirit, your soul, and your body may be kept without complaint in the coming of our Lord jesus Christ. In which words he divideth man into three parts, the spirit, the soul, and the body where you shall note that the spirit sometime signifieth the whole soul of man, and so it is taken in the prophets words in the psalm, In manus tuas commendo spiritum meum, which Christ spoke upon the cross. And it followeth there: Inclinato capite tradidit spiritum, he bowed his head and yielded up his spirit, that is his soul. But when we find in the scriptures such a distinction of the parts of man, as the Apostle putteth in the place above rehearsed, than we must take the spirit more preseisely for that part of the soul by which we understand and reason a matter. And that same part saint Paul calleth in an other place the mind. Mente seruio legi dei carne autem legi peccati. Roman. seven. With my mind I serve the law of GOD, but by my flesh I serve and incline to sin. And likewise Galathians. v. Caro concupiscit adversus spiritum, spiritus autem adversus carnem, so that he called afore the mind, here he calleth it the spirit. We use not to call the mind any thing else, but the reasonable portion and part of the soul. And sometime the Apostle joineth them both together. Ephesians. iiii. Renova mini spiritu mentis vestre, be you renewed in the spirit of your mind, which is nought else but your mind, as in an other place he useth like manner of speaking, Collossians. two. In expoliatione ●dip oris carnis. The body of our flesh, that is to say, the flesh, and such manner of speaking we use in the English tongue, the city of Brystowe, which is no more to say but Bristol. The City of London, is but London. The town of Wells, is no more but Wells. And now to my purpose I think that Saint Peter in this present salutation taketh the spirit for the whole soul of man, comprising reason and the sensible powers, will, and sensuality, which all together is sanctified by the holy Ghost, infusinge and pouring faith and charity into our souls, when we came to the grace of Christendom, and by this as I said, we be made obedient to Christ's faith, and ready to fulfil his commandments. Et aspersionem ●anguinis jesu Ch●isti. And you be elect according to God's knowledge, to have the blood of jesu. Christ sprinkled and cast upon you. The blood of Abel the first Martyr, was shed and sprinkled on the ground, when Cain his brother killed him, but this blood sprinckelinge cried for vengeance. Genesis. iiii. Vox sanguinis fratris tui clamat ad me de terra, saith almighty GOD, the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground, as though GOD said: Thy deed is so manifest, that it need none accuser, the very blood shed on the ground declareth thy manslaughter & crieth for vengeance. Nunc igitur maledictus eris super terram que aperuit os suum, & suscepit sanguinem fratris tui de manu tua. Therefore (saith almighty GOD) thou shalt be cursed upon the ground, which hath opened her mouth, and hath received the blood of thy Brother from thy hand. The blood of Christ cried for mercy and forgiveness, yea for them that crucified him. Pater ignosce illis quia nesciunt quid faciunt. Father forgive them (saith Christ) for they know not what they do. Therefore saint Paul comparing these two aspersions together, saith: Accessistis ad sanguinis aspersionem melius loquentem quam Abel. Heb. xii. ye become to the sprinkling of blood, that speaketh better than Abel's blood spoke. To this aspersion we come by baptism, in which the efficacity and strength of Christ's passion cometh upon us, & putteth away ●ynne & blame, taking his strength 〈◊〉 to do at the blood of Christ shed for our redemption, that they that be sprinkled with the blood of Christ, might avoid and escape from the power of the devil, as the people of Israel by the blood of the Lamb escaped and went out of the bondage of Egypt. We see also in Moses' law, that every thing that should be sanctified, were wont to be sprinkled with the blood of the sacrifices killed for that purpose, signifying the cleansing and hallowing of our souls by the blood of Christ. Gratia vobis & pax multiplicetur. This is the conclusion of Saint Peter's salutation or recommendation, in which he giveth them his blessing of grace & peace. Origene upon a like blessing saith, I think that this blessing of peace & grace which is given to God's well-beloved servants, to whom the apostles writeth, is no less of strength than the blessing that the holy Patriarch Noah gave unto his sons, Sem and japhet, which was fulfilled by the holy Ghost upon them that were so blessed. And likewise no less strength than the blessing that Abraham had of Melchisedeche, or then the blessing that jacob had of his father Isaac, or then the blessing that the twelve patriarchs had of their father Israel. Then I say that this blessing that Saint Peter gave them that he writ unto, was no less than the said blessings, for he had in himself the holy spirit, and in the holy spirit he writ his letter, and in the same spirit he gave his blessing. Then by the same holy spirit they shall take their blessings that be blessed of the Apostles, or of them that have the holy spirit within them, specially if they be found worthy, and in whom the blessing may fall, or else the saying of Christ shall be brought to pass that he saith in the Gospel: Si fuerit ibi filius pacis pax vestram veniet super eum, sin autem pax vestra ad vos revertetur: If there be the child of peace, your peace shall fall upon him, and if no, your peace shall return to you again. And that is writ of peace, is likewise to be understand of grace, for saint Peter joineth together grace and peace, for peace is never without a special grace of GOD, nor grace without peace. Therefore where is lack of grace, there can be no peace, and where we have no peace, we may be sorry that we lack grace. This grace and peace the Apostle prayeth that it may be multiplied upon them that he writ unto, that is to say, that it may grow and increase ever more and more from day to day. And because his meaning was not only by them that he had seen with his bodily eyes in the countries where he had laboured, but also to all other nations that should hear or see this his blessed Epistle. It is not to be doubted but this blessing of grace and peace he wisheth also to us, specially if we may say with the Prophet: Aduena egosum apud te & peregrinus sicut omnes patres mei. Psalm▪ xxxviii. I am as a stranger with thee good Lord, and a Pilgrame or wayfaring man as all my forefathers have been, he writ his letter to such strangers, therefore if we count ourself as such strangers, not settling our minds to much in the world, but counting ourselves not to have any city or steadfast abiding here but stretching and setting fourth ourselves to the ever lasting city of heaven, and to the glory to come. Then let us take heed to his blessed doctrine in this Epistle, & take it said unto us, aswell as unto them, that all we may by his instruction come to such grace as may bring us to glory everlasting, through the help of jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.   

¶ The second sermon  
BEnedictus deus et pater dni nostri jesu Christi. etc. After his salutation here the apostle proceedeth to his matter and process in this Epistle or letter, remembering his pastoral office and duty, aswell to them that he writ unto, as to us and all Christian people that shall come after us, specially if we take ourselves as strangers and wayfaring people in this world. He intended by his writing to confirm them and us by them in the faith that they and we have received by the preaching of the word of God, & in virtuous living, agreeing to the same: He beginneth his process with laudes and thanks to God the father of heaven, for his abundant and great mercy, in this that he hath regenerate and begotten us again to life by our saviour Christ. Where we afore by our carnal parents were generate and gotten to die. Therefore he saith, blessed be God and father of our Lord jesus Christ (that is to say) God that is the father of our Lord jesus Christ the first person in trinity, fountain, well, and original beginning of the whole trinity, to which saint Peter giveth his laudes and thanks, not excluding any person in trinity, for the father and the son, and the holy Ghost have all one Godhead, equal glory and coeternal majesty. For this you must understand that this word blessed hath divers significations according to the thing that it is joined withal. When we say bless God, or say blessed be GOD, it is a word of thanks, and is as much to say as laud, praise, and thanks be to GOD. For by our blessing GOD we cannot increase his glory, neither make him any thing the better by our thanks although so doing we accomplish & do our bound duty to him, but when God blesseth us, his willing well to us, or saying well by us is his deed. Therefore when he blesseth us, he giveth us some gift of grace or temporal subsidy and help by his mere liberality and gentleness, and not of duty nor of our deserving. third when the father or a friend blesseth the child, he giveth him temporal goods, or wisheth him well, and prayeth for him well to do, as Isaac blessed his sons, jacob and Esau, and likewise jacob and other holy Fathers blessed their children, as I said of saint peter's blessing in the later end of the salutation of this Epistle. saint Peter (as I said) beginneth with thanks, offering to GOD at the beginning a sacrifice of laud, remembering the saying of the Prophet: Sacrificium laudis honorificabit me: The sacrifice of laud and praising, shall do me honour saith almighty God. And like as he that will do bodily sacrifice to God, must do it by the hands of a Priest, or of a bishop. So this sacrifice of laud Saint Peter offereth to GOD the father by the hands of the great Priest and bishop our Saviour jesus Christ, making mention of him saying: pater domini nostri jesu Christi, The Father of our Lord jesus Christ. And by this Saint Peter giveth us good example to begin all our works with thanks and praise to him for his own glory, and with desiring and praying for his grace to prevent us & to set us forward at the beginning of our works, and to be concurrent and working with us in all our affairs and proceedings in our business. Qui secundum misericordiam suam magnam regeneravit nos in spem vivam per resurrectionem jesu christi ex mortuis. Which according to his great mercy by the resurrection of jesus Christ from among the dead, hath begotten us again into a lively hope. According to the rate of man's offence almighty GOD multiplieth his mercy. And though all sins compared to almighty God against whom they be committed be infinite, yet considering the frowardness of the heart, and will of the sinner, some sins be more grievous than other be, and require proporcionablye greater abundance of mercy in the forgeving of them then other doth. Therefore saint Paul though he were a blasphemer and a persecutor of christian people, yet because he did it ignorantly for lack of faith, he found mercy, and was forgiven his sins. i Timo. i. But king David could not pretend ignorance in his taking of an other man's wife, neither in causing Urye the same woman's husband (that never offended him) to be slain unjustly. These sins were great and horrible, & therefore he cried and called for great mercy. Miserere mei deus secundum magnam miam tuam. And for manifold mercy according to his manifold sins. Then let us according to this consider the miserable case that mankind was in afore we were regenerate by Christ, and we shall perceive that our regeneration by baptism taking his strength at Christ's passion came of mercy, yea of great mercy, and of manifold mercy. Our first father Adam at his first creation had the supernatural gift of original justice, given him for himself, and for all his posterity and issue. This gift of original justice in him made a perfect tranquillity and quietness in all the powers of his soul, so that his will by this original justice should obediently do after the pleasure of god, and all the inferior sensible powers, should likewise obey the will so directed and ruled by original justice, the will should have prevented the sensible powers, so that unlawful appetites should never have been in them. As, for to sin in adultery with an other man's wife, or for to steal or take away an other man's goods, Men should have had none such unlawful lusts. And by the same gift the will should have commanded the sensible powers at time and place convenient, to exercise their appetites according to justice. As to use natural generation at times convenient with a man's own wife, to eat and drink as reason and justice would. There should have been no dissension, strife, or debate, betwixt man and man, but continual rest & peace. And in this case, all mankind should have been if Adam had kept his obedience to almighty GOD, but as a punishment for his disobedience to God, all his inferior powers disobeyed their superiors. And this gift of original justice was given him for himself, and for all his posterity. And therefore like as God would him to have kept it, so he would all his posterity to have done, and requireth it of all men and women that ever came of Adam by carnal propagation, for we all aught to have it. And therefore almighty GOD justly requireth of every person having in him the nature of man, that gift of original justice which he gave to the whole nature of man. And now the lack of that original justice with the debt or duty to have it, is called original sin, which maketh all the Issue and children of Adam, the children of God's indignation and anger. And so we by that be left free from justice and bond to sin and to damnation. A miserable case that we be in sin, and be made the children of anger and of damnation afore we have the use of Reason, and afore we can do any sin. And beside that we be made subject to all misery, vexation, sickness, and trouble while we be here. For if Adam had kept his obedience to GOD, there should nothing have disobeyed us, neither wind, nor rain, heat, nor cold to distemper us. And then to consider how for thee lack of the said gift of original justice, we be so prone and headstrong to all actual Sins, as to pride, covetousness, anger, envy, and such other, which all make against salvation, and worketh to damnation everlasting.  
All these miseries and wretchedness considered, it is plain that mankind hath need of great mercy and manifold and abundant mercy to relieve him. And therefore Saint Peter said that almighty God by his great mercy regenerate us, and got us again to life, against all these mortal & deadly miseries. The regeneration & new begetting, is by the water of baptism, with the words & the cooperation and working of the holy spirit without which, no man may see the kingdom and glory of God. By this the duty or debt of original justice is washed away, so that GOD will require it no more of us, but he giveth us in the stead of the said original justice, an other gift equivalent, and as good to help us to heaven as it was, which is the grace that maketh us in the favour of God again, and acceptable to him. This gift God sendeth into our souls, with faith at our Baptism, and will still at all times require it of us like as afore he required the said original justice, so that the former debt and duty of original justice, is changed into this latter debt and duty, to conserve and keep the grace given us at our baptism. And yet the mercy of God is so great toward miserable man, that if it mischance us to lose the same baptismal grace by sin, he hath provided us an other help, the second table, a second remedy, by penance to wash away our sins, and to make us clean again, that we may recover his grace and favour. So that like as original justice (after it was lost) was recompensed by the grace of baptism, so the grace of baptism after it is lost by actual sin, is recompensed by grace given us with remission of our sin by penance. And so look how necessary baptism is to wash us from the deformity of original sin, and to restore us to grace, so necessary is penance to cleanse us from the deformity of actual sin committed after baptism & to restore us to grace & favour of god. And even like as God requireth original justice of all men that be not baptized, as of Turks, Saracens, Paignims, and Infidels, which all received it in Adam, and as for lack of it, they remain the children of anger & of damnation, so of all that be christened he requireth the said grace given with baptism, & they that have lost it by deadly sin remain the children of damnation, except they be healed by penance, which shall give them grace equivalent to the baptismal grace, like as I said that baptism giveth grace equivalent to original justice. All be it the disobedience and rebellion of the powers of our souls, for lack of the foresaid original justice doth remain in us as a pain for Adam's sin, and as a nurse and a breader of actual sin, and because almighty GOD while he doth scourge us, doth not forget to be merciful, he leaveth the said disobedience and rebellion of the powers of our souls, as a matter of virtue, if we will labour, and strive against it to overcome all vices, that it would incline us to. By this regeneration also all actual sins, mortal and venial be clean forgiven, when any man or woman doth worthily receive it. He hath begotten us again (sayeth saint Peter) into a lively hope, by the resurrection of jesus Christ. By which the Apostle meaneth, that like as there be two manner of fayethes, a dead faith, and a lively faith, so there be two manners of hope, a dead hope, and a lively hope: Hope is the expectation and looking for everlasting beatitude and joy, through grace and our merits. Then the hope of him that will hope and look to come to heaven, and will do no good thing to bring him thither, is a dead hope, and a presumption rather than hope. This considered the blessed man job, whose hope on God was so firm and sure that he said. Etiam si occiderit me, in ipso sperabo. job. xiii. Although he will kill me, yet I will hope and trust upon him. Yet he sayeth there, Veruntamen vias meas in conspectu eius arguam & ipse erit salvator meus. Non enim veniet in conspectu eius omnis ypocrita. I will discuss my life & accuse mine offences afore his face. And then he will be my saviour. For there is no Hypocrite, none that will show out ward more hope, devotion, or holiness, than they have in deed, that shall come in his sight. Therefore like as we have powered into us at our regeneration or Baptism a lively faith, so we have a living or lively Hoop, that like as Christ rysse from death to a life immortal, so shall we do, for the father of heaven so disposed and ordained for us that his son should die for us, that when he had destroyed death, by his resurrection he might give us good example and lively Hope, that we should likewise rise again from death to life. For like as he died for to show and give us Example not to fear Death, so he roose again, because we should surely hope likewise to rise again Into an inheritance that is uncorruptible, undefowled, and never fading, conserved and kept in store in heaven. The inheritance of Heaven (as the Apostle saith here) hath three excellent properties, which we may imagine by three contrary properties, which no purchaser will have in any Patrimony, manor, or Lordship that he should buy or purchase for himself to inhabit or dwell in. first if it be a rotten ground where all thing anon moulleth, the tenants, and mortises of timber building rotteth out and loseth their pins. The walls or ruffs gathereth a moss or a wild Fearne, that rotteth out the Lime and Mortar from the stones. And where the Sea or fresh water weareth out the ground: so that all things that there is, in short space cometh to nought. He is not wise that will bestow himself or his money on such a ground. Second if there be in the Land or House any infective or pestilent Air, disposing men to many infirmities, and gendering adders, snakes, or toads, or these stinging scowts or gnats, that will not suffer men to sleep, a man should have little joy to dwell in such a manor. Third, if it be such a ground where all thing withereth, and drieth away for lack of moisture, where herbs proveth not, and trees groweth not to their natural quantity, where the leaves waxeth yellow and falleth at Lammas tide, where men soweth a bushel and reapeth a peck, and for red wheat reapeth like rye or oats, that is bestowed on such a purchase, is but cast away. The inheritance of this transitory world hath all these naughty properties rehearsed, and many worse, towns and towers, castles and manors decayeth continually, and where noble men have dwelled, now dwelleth daws and crows, the vaults and ruffs be so ruinous, that no man dare well come under them: Where is Troy? where be the old Emperies and monarchies of the Assyrians, of the Caldeis, Medes, Perseus', and of Rome, whose Emperors had under them in manner all the world, for their time? Where is the devotion that noble men and rich merchants hath had to magnify and increase God's service to his honour? If God had not preserved our most gracious Sovereign King Henry the eight, which by his princely zeal, love, and devotion to God, hath erect this Cathedral Church of Bristol, and many other such within this Realm, God knoweth what case divine service should have been in. All thing waxeth old and decayeth in process of time, so that corruption and decayeth in process of time, so that corruption and death is the end. second how frequent and many infirmities reigneth: we see daily infections of pestilence, pocks great and small, & these new burning agues, and innumerable others, more than the Physicians have written of in their books. These contaminate and defowleth men's bodies by infections, aches and pains even to death. And what corruption and infection of manners cometh to the soul, by evil examples, ill words, and such other occasions, it were to long to be spoken of now. third, the common sterility and barrenness of the ground, the great scarcity of all manner of vital and of fruits of the earth, we feel it so many times to our great pain and discomfort, that it need not to be declared. But the inheritance that (as saint Peter saith here) is kept for us in heaven, hath three proprieties contrary to these three rehearsed, there is no rotting, ruin, corruption or decay, but immortality contrary to all fear of death. There is no feebleness of sickness, there is none infection of body by corrupt air, nor of soul by temptation or by evil example, for into that glorious city and dwelling place can no unclean thing enter or come. third, there shall nothing welow or wither away, but shall ever be kept fresh and flourishing by that well of life almighty God. There shall be no loathsomeness or weariness by long use and continuance as there is in all worldly plea pleasures, there shall all good men and women shine like the son. Math. xiii. Oh good Lord what beauty and brightness shall our souls have when our bodies shall be as bright as the sun? There shall be no heaviness, no labour, no pain, no sorrow, no fear, no death, but ever still shall continue health of body and mind. There shall never rise dissension or debate betwixt neighbour and neighbour, no misery, no need or necessity, no hunger, no thirst, no cold to hurt thee, ne heat to inflame thee, no faintness for fasting, no sluggardie for much eating, no temptation of our ghostly enemies. The flesh shall not resist against the spirit, there shall be no will to sin, nor possibility to offend. But our saviour Christ will give us such pleasure with the company and fellowship of the glorious angels, as no heart can think nor any tongue express. This joyful inheritance is conserved and kept in store in heaven (saith saint Peter) for you that by virtue and power of god be kept by faith unto salvation, which is ready to be showed in the last time at the general judgement. Here he saith that this inheritance is kept in store, not for all men that be regenerate by baptism, but only for such as persever and continue in goodness to the end by God's special preservation. For perseverance cometh principally of God, and of ourself but secundarelye, and is necessary for all them that will be saved. Name in cassum bonum agitur si ante terminum vite deseratur saith saint Gregory. Good works be done but all in vain, if they be left and given over afore the end of a man's life. For he that giveth over and ceaseth to do well afore he have proved the uttermost of it, or be come to the end, is like an Ape, whose condition is, when he tasteth the utter hull or husk of an nut, and perceiveth it sour and bitter, casteth away the nut afore he hath tasted the sweetness of the curnell. And cur Saviour Christ saith in the parable of him that would borrow bread of his neighbour. Luke. xi. Si perseveraverit pulsans etc. If he continue still knocking, if his friend will not give it him because he is his friend, yet for his importunity & continual craving he will rise and give him as many as he hath need of. And he telleth us what is the instrument or mean by which God doth preserve us, and make us to persever and continue in grace and good living. It is faith and such like faith as I spoke of hope even now, saying: that God hath regenerate us by his great mercy into a lively hope, and so the faith by which GOD keepeth us, is a lively faith adorned with Charity and with good works accordingly. By faith Christ abideth in our hearts, by whose presence we overcome all assaults of our ghostly enemies. Faith maketh us to understand the filth and uncleanness of sin, that so we may abhor sin, and flee from it. Hec est victoria que vincit mundum fides nostra, i. john. v. This is the victory that overcometh the world, our faith (saith saint john) it overcometh the pleasures of the flesh, telling us that the flesh is like a felon guilty and most worthly condemned to mortality and death, and ever still resisting and fighting against the spirit, wherefore it deserveth rather tortures, pain and punishment, than delicates or pleasures. Faith also maketh us to know that the Apostle saith, Si secundum carnem vixeritis. moriemini, if ye live after the pleasures of the flesh, ye shall die, wherefore if ye have followed your carnal pleasures, eating and drinking, revealing and rioting in this holy time of Christmas lately passed, which ye should have spent in devotion and holiness, ye must repent your fault, and do penance therefore. Faith maketh us to contemn and despise worldly wealth and riches as the devils mouse snatch, and snare, that maketh a man to catch & hold others men's goods so long till the devil hath caught them and hold them in his danger. Saint Paul saith: i. Tim. vi Qui volunt divites fieri, incidunt in tentationes et in laqueum diaboli. etc. They that will be made rich falleth into temptations and snare of the devil, and into many desires unprofitable and noisome which drowneth men into death and destruction, therefore he biddeth the said Timothe to command the rich men of the world not to be to high in their own conceit, nor to trust in the uncertainty of their riches, but in the living God, which giveth us all things abundantly, aswell to bring us to the eternal fruition of the glorious Godhead, as to live by in this world. Faith condemneth & despiseth honours, as a foam on the running water, as smoke, or as sleep. The said ●ome swelleth and groweth into a great quantity, but yet hollow it is without any stuff in it, and for nothing good at length. So honour and riches maketh men to swell and grow up to great estimation, yet commonly hollow they be, and void without virtue or good conditions or good works. Smoke when it riseth up out of the chimney, it shooteth up a great higthe, and then swelleth abroad as it were into a great cloud, but anon it vanisheth away and cometh to nothing. And even so doth rich men's honour and goods, as we see by daily experience. Sleep is mingled with many dreams of riches, lands, possessions, and carnal pleasures, but when they have slept out their dream, and when they wake it is away they find nothing in their hands, of all that they had pleasure of in their dreams. So doth all transitory pleasures, in them is no steadfast security. Therefore averting and turning our minds from them, we must settle our hearts on heavenly joys that will never fail nor fade. To which he bring us that made us almighty God.  
To whom be glory honour and praise for ever. Amen.   

¶ The third sermon.  
IN quo exultabitis modicum nunc si oportet contristari in variis tentationibus. In which you shall rejoice & be merry, although now a little you must be sorry in divers temptations, persecutions, and troubles. In which (saith Saint Peter) referring to that he spoke of immediately afore in tempore novissimo, In the last time or last day, where he said that the joyful inheritance that shall never fade nor decay, is conserved and kept in store in heaven, for you that by the virtue and power of God be kept by saith unto salvation, which is ready to be showed in the last time, that is to say, at the general judgement, In which you shall rejoice and be merry (saith S. Peter here.) And marvel not (good friends) and specially you that be learned, that I made a point betwixt the antecedent and the relative: For the grave sentences of the Apostle here in this epistle be so long, and so coherent one part to an other, and so full of good matter, that if when I have entered on the declaration of the one part, I should needs proceed and declare the whole sentence, I should be to long in most part of my sermons, & to tedious for the audience, which I would be loath to be. And therefore serving the time I make an end of my exhortations, where I perceive myself somewhat weary, and the audience also weary of standing, and yet (thanked be God) not very hasty to draw away. Therefore so that you will give ear and apply your minds to that I shall say, you shall perceive the coherence of this process that I shall declare unto you at this time, to that I said afore in my former sermon upon this Epistle of Saint Peter. Here you shall understand that the blessed Apostle S. Peter for man's consolation & comfort, lest we should to sore lament & be sorry for the differing & delay of the joys of heaven, for which we be regenerate, as he had said before now, he moveth us to joy & gladness, because a weak person in the faith would say peradventure, in asmuch as S. Peter saith we be regenerate to be children of God, & to be inheritors of his uncorruptible heritage: how is it that he letteth us take so much harm with vexation & trouble and persecutions, which all faithful people suffered in the primitive church, & no man liveth without such like yet to this hour, nor shall do hereafter? S. Peter answereth that it is not for any hurt to faithful people, but rather to their great profit, even like as gold when it is cast into the fire to be tried taketh no hurt by the fire, but rather much good, in asmuch as it is made purer & finer by the fire. Eccle. xxvii. Vasa figuli probat fornax et hōines justos tentatio tribulations The furnace proveth the crockers pots or pitchers & so doth the tentation of trouble prove and try the good men or women. For like as the pitchers that be whole & sound be made faster, harder and stronger by the fire, so they that be cracked or broken, flieth in pieces: even so good men by trouble be confirmed & made better, where naughty and unsteadfast parsons be all to broken through impatience, & I read that not only by trouble a man is proved & tried, but also by overmuch prosperity. For he that is in wealth many times forgetteth god & himself, & by adulation & flattering, is brought beyond himself. Pro. xxvii. Quo modo probatur in conflatorio argentum et in furnace aurum sic probatur homo ore laudantis: even as silver is proved in the blowing place & gold in the furnace, so a man is proved by the mouth of a praiser whither he be truli virtuous. for if he be never the prouder for men's praising, but rather the better, it appeareth that his virtue is true virtue which groweth and increaseth by laud and praising, but if a man be prouder for laud and praising, his virtue is vain and counterfeited. Then to the letter of saint Peter: The trial of your faith more precious than gold that is tried by the fire, may be found worthy to have praise, laud and glory and honour, when jesus Christ shall show himself. There is no artificer that hath so great pleasure to work in fine gold neither any man having jewels of pure gold tried to the uttermost, as almighty God the high workman, maker and owner of all thing will rejoice to see our faith tried by temptation and trouble and vexation, for by that proof it shall appear to God and man much more firm, fast and sure, then if there had be none such assay or experience of it. Consider the blessed Apostles of Christ and other blessed Saints, what persecution, pains, and punishment they suffered, even to the death in the defence of their faith. And in our time what trial and proof of men's faith hath there been by froward heretics, impugning and reasoning against the very essential & necessary articles of our faith, making weak men and women to waver and doubt in them, or clearly to renounce them, putting no faith in them, and so of the sacraments of the church. And I say more, that now every day our faith is impugned, tried and proved by all kindesand manners of temptation to sin. If a man see an other man's wife, that is delectable to the eye, to have his concupiscence and desire of her, or thou wife in like case of any man beside thine own husband. After this delectation and pleasure, creepeth into thy soul consent to offend with her, here I say thy faith is tempted and proved, for which you must remember, that as I said before of the words of saint john: This is the victory that overcometh the world, our faith, for our faith on God, and on his holy word, telleth us that no man shall desire to have an other man's wife, neither any woman to have an other woman's husband, neither any man beside her own husband. Likewise if thou see another man's good lie by the negligently, so that thou mayst convey it away and no man to see the if thou take it away, or consent thereto, here thy faith is tried and proved nought, for thy faith telleth thee, that thou shalt take away none other man's goods. Likewise in thy occupying, if for covetousness to get the penny, thou sell false or naughty ware, or by false weights or measures deceive thy neighbours, so doing, thou showest thyself to forget thy faith to God, and to his holy word. Statera justa & equa sint pondera. levit. xvii. Let thy balance be just, and thy weights equal. And. Ezech. xlv. Statera justa & ephi justum, and also biding the do none otherwise to an other man, than thou wouldst an other man should do to the. And contrary wise, when thou art tempted to such unlawful Lechery as I spoke of, or to false pyckinge, stealing, or robbing, or to deceive any man or woman by false occupying, if thou stick steadfastly to thy faith, doing accordingly to God's holy word, than thy faith by this temptation is proved good, and much better in the sight of God, then if it had never been so tried. And by this it is like to gold tried by the fire, and shall be found worthy to receive praise, glory, and honour, when Christ shall show himself in his glory at the general judgement, than he will give to the blessed children of his father, which then shall be set upon his right hand, dissevered from the refuse, deputed to damnation on the lift hand: to all them I say, that hath their faith tried by temptation, and proved sound and pure as gold▪ Christ will give laud and praise, saying to you. I was an hungered and you gave me meat: I was a thirst and ye gave me drink: I lacked clothes and ye gave me clothes, and so he will say, I had need of such ware as you occupied, and you served me faithfully and trustily, and my wife was in thy sight, and in thy company, where thou might have had occasion to tempt her to ill, and yet thou diddest not. And to the honest wife, widow, or maid, he will give like laud and praise, saying: that where they were sore tempted to incontinency, yet they did strongly and steadfastly resist and withstand for God's sake, and for his holy words sake, for such works of justice and honesty the judge will praise us, as well as for the works of mercy, which be namely expressed in the Gospel, because we shall by them think likewise to be praised for all like good and godly works. And when he or she that have this praise shall say: I never served the of any ware, and I never saw thy wife for whom thou givest me these thanks, he will say: That you did for the least of my servants, that you did to me, occupying with my servants justly without guile or deceit, thou occupied justly with me, and abstaining from my servants wife, daughter, maid, or servant, thou did show thyself honest toward my wife, daughter, or servant. Now what joy, and pleasure, and comfort it shall be for a Christian man to have such laud and praise of the high judge at that terrible day when folk shall have need of comfort, judge who can? It passeth my brain. Our faith so tried by trouble or temptation, shall be found worthy to have glory, when the judge shall say to us: Venite benedicti patris mei possidete paratum vobis regnum. Math. xxv. Come you blessed children of my father, and take possession of that glorious kingdom, that was prepared for you from the beginning of the world, in which we shall be no more servants, but coparteners and coinheritours with our saviour Christ, and with all the glorious Angels, and glorious company of heaven, where we shall have the gra●e that GOD gave us here, consummate, performed, and in his highest perfection, which we call glory, which honour we shall have (as saint Peter sayeth) when we shallbe set a loft and in high estate, which shall appear more evidently by the dejection and overthrowing of others, of which. Esa. xxvi. saith. Tollatur impius ne videat gloriam Dei. Take away the wicked sinner, that he see not the glory of GOD: And also Christ saith. Go from me you wicked persons into fire everlasting, when the dampened men and women, weeping and wailing, and crying out, when they see the exaltation of good men, shall say. Nos autem insensati. etc. Sap. v. we dastards esteemed and counted their lives but foolishness or madness, lo now how they be counted among the children of God. All this shall redound to the honour of them that shallbe saved. This said praise, glory, and honour, we shall be endued with all by christ, when he shall show himself in his glory. Therefore, though you do not now see him, yet ye love him. For (as Saint augustine saith) we may love things that we see not, so that we have knowledge of them, for no man can love that, that he hath no knowledge of. We know Christ by hear say, by reading, and hearing his holy gospels declaring his gracious goodness, for which we must needs love him. And although you see him not, yet you do believe upon him, for which belief you shall be merry, and have such joy as no tongue can tell, for it shall be the joy of the glory of heaven, when you shall receive for your reward, the end and perfection of your faith, which is the health of your souls. Now here you know by Saint Peter's words, what is the end of your faith, it is the health of your souls, which health shall exclude all sickness, pain, and misery, for none such can come into that glory of heaven, where you shall have the said health and salvation, and never afore, for here is no joy but it is contaminate, defouled, and interrupted, by discomfort, pain, and trouble. And here you must understand perfect faith, garnished, and adorned with charity and good works according, for none other will serve us to come to that glorious reward of health everlasting. De qua salute exquisierunt atque scrutati sunt Prophetae. Here saint Peter stirreth up our devotion, and love that we should have to our soul health, that we shall obtain and get by the trial and proof of our faith, as he said afore. He taketh an argument of the old father's holy prophets, that in old time prophesied of the grace that should fall upon us by the coming of our Saviour Christ, which they vehemently desired to see in their time, but they could not: As Christ saith. Math. xiii. Multi prophet et justi cupierunt videre quae vos videtis et non viderunt, et audire quae auditis et non audierunt. Esay. lxiiii. prayed and wished, utinam dirumperes coelos, et descenderes. Would God thou wouldst break the heavens, and wouldst come down to be incarnate. And the Prophet David Psal. lxxix. Excita potentiam tuam, et veni ut saluos facias nos. Wake, raise and stir up thy old power, which thou were wont to show by wondrous miracles showed in old time, in noah's time, in Moses' time. This power of thine seemeth now a siepe, until thou renew it again, declaring the verity and signification of the said miracles, by thy blessed coming into our nature by thy incarnation. And he counteth almighty God angry with him, because he came not, Quousque irasceris super orationem servi tui: in which he declareth the vehemency of his earnest love and desire to see christ, and said: Show thy face, and we shallbe safe. And yet not doubting but that he would come, he saith in an other Psalm. Inclinavit coelos & descendit & caligo sub pedibus eius. Where for the certainty and sureness of his Prophecy, he useth the pretertence for the future tense, speaking of the time to come, as though it were passed in deed, because he was as sure of it, as though it had be past, as we use to say in common speech, of one that is past remedy, or sure to die, he is but a dead man. He hath inclined the heavens, and came down and trod darkness, that is to say, sin, down under his feet. Damasc. li. iii. Cap. i Hoc est inhumiliabilem eius altitudinem in humilitate humiliavit, & descendit ad servos suos. The highness of his Godhead, which can not be made low by nature, he brought a low by his humility and gentleness, which is the newest, the strangest, and most wondrous work that ever was wrought. Of which saith jeremy. Cap. xxxi. Creavit Dominus nowm super terram, foemina circundabit virum. Our Lord hath wrought a new thing, or a strange thing upon the earth, a woman shall environ or compass about a man, that is to say, the blessed virgin mary, for she compassed about and closed within her virginal belly, our saviour Christ, a perfect man in cunning, knowledge, and virtue, even from the first instant of his incarnation. And Daniel that holy Prophet, Vir desideriorum, a man full of desires, because he was so desirous to know of the return of his people of Israel, from the captivity of the Medes and Perseus', and of the coming of Messiah, and what should betide his people, at the later end he was ascertained by an angel sent from GOD, not only of the return of the people from captivity, but also of the mystery of Christ's incarnation, and of his passion, and at the last, of the final desolation, and abominable destruction of the new city of jerusalem, by the Emperors, Uespasian, and his son Titus, and at the last by Elius Hadrianus, which of the ruins of the old city, destroyed by Titus, made a town there, and called it Elia, after his own name. Of these blessed prophets that laboured and searched so diligently for to know of the time of grace, that the spirit of Christ, proceeding from the son, and from the father (and therefore he is called the spirit of christ, as he is called the spirit of the father) that inspired the said holy Prophets, and spoke in them, would tell them when it should be, within how many years after them, & in quale tempus, into what manner of time it should be differred, as whether till time of peace, or of war. jacob the blessed patriarch said it should come, when there should be no kings and rulers as of the lineage of the jews, & so it proved, for our saviour Christ come, when He road an alien and stranger was made king, by the authority of Augustus, than Emperor of Rome. And Esay said of that time. Et conslabunt gladios suos in vomeres et lanceas suas in falces ca ij. It should be in time of peace, when all the world lived in rest and peace, and had no war, but lived quietly under the rule of the Romans, so that all men might blow their sword into plough irons, and their spear heads and moris pikes, into scythes, hokes, and sickles to cut their hay or corn. Then Christ should come (saith S. Peter) & suffer pains and passions, prenuncians eas quae in Christo sunt passiones, speaking in the plural number, for he suffered in soul, and in his body, and also in his limbs or members, as he doth now daily in his elect people, and true servants, and should have for the same futuras glorias, two special glories he had after his passion, that is to say, the glory of his resurrection, & the glory of his ascension. All they (saith S. Peter) had knowledge by revelation, that they laboured not for themself but for us, not to have them performed in their time, nor upon themselves, but upon us, according as they be now taught you by the ministers of the word of God, that have preached to you continually, sith the holy ghost was sent from heaven upon the Apostles in sensible signs as fiery tongues with diversity of languages, given by the holy Ghost, On whom the blessed Angels in heaven desire to behold and look on: Not that they lack that glorious sight at any time, but Saint Peter useth this manner of speaking, because the joyful contemplation and sight of the godhead, ever being present with them, doth satiate them, and perfectly content them, and yet so that they be never weary of it, but ever desire to continue in that contemplation. For Christ saith. Math. xviii. Angeli eorum in celis semper vident faciem patris mei qui in coelis est. The angels see, and desire to see, desireth to see, and seeth: For lest there should be any doubt in their desire, they be satiate, and content, and assured while they desireth. And lest there should be any lothinge, or fulsomeness, or weariness in their satiety or fullness, while they be full, yet they desire, Therefore they desireth to see, and that without labour or pain, for contentation followeth their desire, and they be content without loathsomeness, for their fullness is inflamed by their desire. And even so we shall be when we shall come to that well of life, there shall be printed in us a delectable thirst or desire, and fullness of contentation withal, but there shall be in the thirst no necessity, neither in the fullness any lothesomenesse, for while that we be desirous to see that glory of GOD, we shall be full of that sight, and while we be full, yet we shall desire to see it still, after such a manner as we can not now perfectly perceive, till we come to that state in which we shallbe like the angels, and then we shall know it by experience, as they do, through the help of our saviour jesus Christ, who with the father and the holy Ghost, liveth and reigneth for ever. Amen.   

The fourth treatise or Sermon.  
PRopter quod succincti lumbos mentis v●e. etc. Wherefore tuck up the Loins of your mind, and be sober, and perfect, and trust on the grace that is offered you by the revelation of jesus Christ, as obedient children, not made like to the former desires of your ignorance, but like that holy one that called you, that so you may be holy in all conversation, because it is written. You shall be holy, for I am holy. Now in contemplation that all that the Prophets laboured and desired to hear and to see, they were instructed by the holy Ghost, that they should be performed, not for their times, but on us in our times, that have heard the preachers of the Gospel ever sith the sensible coming of the holy ghost in fiery tongues from heaven. Therefore the blessed apostle Saint Peter exhorteth us so to dispose ourselves, that we may be able and apt to receive this grace so that by our own fault we be not frustrate and disappointed of it. And to that purpose is first required cleanness of life, which the apostle meaneth, bidding us, Tuck up the loins of your mind, and be sober and perfect, He useth a manner of speaking often used in the scriptures, which speaking of the soul of man applieth to it bodily members or limbs, and the operations and works of the body. As the eyes of the soul. Ad te levaui oculos meos▪ and Levaui oculos meos in montes. I have lift up mine eyes to the mountains, not the bodily eyes which some men lack, but the sight of the mind, which serveth as well by night as by day. And the Apostle▪ Ephe. i. Det vobis illuminatos oculos cordis vestri, ut sciatis que sit spes vocationis eius He prayeth that God would give them the eyes of their heart, (that is to say, of their mind) lightened to know what they might trust for, by his calling. And two. Cor. two. He calleth the preaching of the Gospel a smell or savour, because that like as the thing that is not seen is perceived by the savour, so the invisible GOD is smelled out and perceived among the people by the preachers. And then as (you know) they that be used to stinking savours can not live in Bucklersbury, or in the pothecaries shop. So to some the true preaching is a smell or savour that infecteth and killeth them, as to them that maligneth, grudgeth and abhorreth true doctrine, which be worse, and more sick for the word, where to other it is a savour of life, and bringeth them to life everlasting. And the scripture speaketh as though the soul had a mouth, and limbs of tasting, it appeareth by the prophet. Gustate & videte quoniam suavis est dominus. Taste and see that our Lord is sweet. And Esay speaketh as though the soul had womb or belly to conceive child. Esa. xxvi A faciae tua domine concepimus & quasi parturivimus & peperimus spiritum salutis. He speaketh to almighty God as one longing to see the glorious and most delectable face of God, which is so delectable that the angels of heaven desireth to behold it, and hath inestimable pleasure in the contemplation of it, as I said a little rather, and as saint Peter saith here in this Chapter. By the beauty of thy face (saith the Prophet) we have conceived, and have in manner traveled, And also be delivered, and have brought forth the spirit of health, that is to say: Securam fiduciam, sure trust to come to the thing that we desire to see. He useth this metaphor and similitude of conceiving and labouring of child, because that like as the mother hath pain in traveiling, and joy when the child is borne, so that the former pain is anon forgotten for joy of the child. joh. xvi. so the desire to see the face of God, to see the Godhead, hath now pain annexed, for the dilation & differringe of it, we can not have it when we will, and as the wise man saith, pro. xiii. Spes que differtur affligit animam▪ The hope that is deferred, prolonged, and put of, vexeth the mind. But yet the sure trust to come to that glorious sight, doth somewhat comfort us for the time, but when we have perfectly obtained and gotten it, than the pain will be clearly past, and clean forgotten. Saint Paul useth like manner of speaking to the Gala. iiii. calling them his little children, because they were so childishly turned by pseudo-apostles and false Preachers, from the sincerity of the true doctrine of the Gospel that he had instructed them in. My babes (saith he) of which I travail now again until Christ be new formed in you. I traveled once to bring you from Infidelity to the true faith of Christ, as earnestly in mind as the mother doth bodily for her child. And now that you be thus inveigled, I must labour and travail for you again to bring you to the right trade again. Even such manner of speech useth Saint Peter in these words rehearsed, bidding us. Tuck up the loins of your minds The bodily loins be the breaders of carnal lust, and therefore Christ biddeth: Sint lumbi vestri precincti. That your loins be gird up with the girdle of chastity, that they fly not abroad to unlawful lusts of the flesh, and because the exterior acts of the body riseth of the inward concupiscence of the mind, Saint Peter would have the loins of our mind gird up, that they vage not roving abroad by the lewd thoughts and unclean meditations. The loins of the mind be the wit and will, when the wit is gird in and kept close, and exercised in honest study, and the will desireth nothing but that is conformable to honesty, them the loins of your mind be tucked up as Saint Peter would have them and so you shall be clean of body from unlawful acts of the flesh. And this is a great part of cleanness of life. Soberness pertaineth to cleanness of life, and is also necessary to that we shall be able to hope and look for that perfect grace and glory that is offered us against the revelation and glorious coming of our saviour jesus Christ at the general judgement, at which time he shall appear in his glorious majesty to confound them that contemned him in his infirmity. Soberness is the virtue by which a man measureth himself against the enticements and occasions of surfeit, and against the flood or streams of drunkenness. This virtue is so necessary for man, thath without it all goeth to havoc, for it is the defence and safeguard of the mind, and of the ●immes of the body. It defendeth honesty and chastity as a strong ward or castle, so that when soberness is broken and gone, chastity is soon defouled. Loath, when he was drunken defouled his own daughters which he would never have done, if he had kept soberness. Soberness is conserver of friendship & amity & of peace, where drunkenness breaketh them. Spes jubet esse ratas Ad prelia trudit inermem. Horac. It maketh all thing sure that a man would have. If the drunken man would kill the devil, surely he will think he can do it while his cups be in. He will fight though he lack both weapon and harness, and will break a loveday and fall to variance with his best friend, yea, though it be his own brother, Where contrary soberness excheweth such rashness and avoideth perils. Soberness requiteth one good turn for an order, and abhorreth pride and arrogancy, and keepeth his household in measure with honesty, and keepeth fidelity trustily with every man, that putteth trust in him. Where drunkenness by pride of heart bringeth forth unkindness, as pride doth ever, for a proud man thinketh all things done of duty that a man doth for him, & so never regardeth to do good for good again. The sober man keepeth his household in measure where the drunkard is ever in extremities. Finally, Soberness may be called the mother of all virtues, and drunkenness mother of all vices. Therefore without loathsome excess the belly would be filled: for what profit doth it to take to much of that that thou shalt lose by and by? Nature is content with a very little. Therefore if thou charge it over much, either thou shalt by that thou hast taken have little pleasure, or else great hurt. Therefore Saint Peter saith we must be sober, and generally we must be perfect in all works of virtue, and so shall boldly hope to see the glory of Christ. Where contrary he that no good doth, and liveth viciously, may be sore afraid of that glorious coming, lest he come to shortly, and to soon for him. Quasi filii obedientie non configurati prioribus ignorantiae vestre desiderijs. As children of obedience, or obedient children unto the monition and wholesome lessons of your father, not forgetting that I have taught you. Show not yourselves like unto your old blindness in carnal vices, and in all other iniquity, to which you were given afore you were called out of the darkness of ignorance unto the light of faith, by your spiritual fathers the Preachers of the word of GOD among you, but conform yourselves to that holy one that called you, which was chiefly our saviour Christ, by whose word published among them by the Preachers, and specially by Saint Peter that had laboured among them, they were reduced and brought to the light of knowledge, that so (sayeth Saint Peter) you may be holy, firm, and fast in goodness against vice, against trouble and vexation, for that is the signification of this word, Sanctus, firm, fast, and sure in goodness, that is holy in all your conversation and dealing, like as he that called you is holy. To confirm that Saint Peter allegeth the saying of almighty GOD in the xix Chapter of Leviticus, commanding the people of Israel, and by them all us faithful and true Israelites christian people. Sancti estote, quoniam ego sanctus sum dominus deus vester. Be you holy for I your Lord GOD am holy. And our Saviour Christ in the Gospel hath a like saying. Mat. v. Estote & vos perfectisicut & pater vester celestis perfectus est. Be you perfect as your heavenly father is perfect. Where this word (sicut) As, importeth not equality, but a certain imitation or following, as Saint Paul biddeth: Estote imitatores dei, follow God as nigh as man's fragility will permit or suffer, though no creature can attain to be equal with God in holiness or perfection. And here good neighbours I should by these words of S. Peter exhort you to be fast, sure, and steadfast in the good opinions that you have been reduced unto by catholic preachers, where afore by pseudo-apostles, and lewd preachers, you were seduced and brought into sinister opinions, in which you walked darkly and blindly, contempninge the sacraments and ceremonies of Christ's church, and so using a lewd liberty, you fell to all desires of dark ignorance, living carnally, neither regarding prayers, fasting, abstinence, nor chastity For surely this is the effect of such lewd liberty, as some men would vindicate and claim by the Gospel, where there is nothing more contrary to the Gospel. Et si patrem invocatis eum quae sine personarum acceptione judicat. etc. In these words the Apostle persuadeth, and reasoneth, that we ought to be of clean life, sober and perfect, that we may obediently, and reverently hope and look for glory at the revelation and coming of Christ in his glory, saying: If you call him your father that judgeth without partiality according to every persons work, see that you be conversant in fear (and in your conversation have fear) for the time that you be here abiding in this world. In which words he willeth us to consider almighty God as our father, and also as our judge. In that he is our judge, we own unto him fear, as to our Lord and master, that may do with us what shall please him, and in that he is our father, we own unto him love, as to our maker and regeneratour. according to the saying of Malachi. i. Si pater ego sum ubi est honor meus, si dominus ego sum ubi est timor meus. If I be your father as you call me, Pater noster qui es in coelis, where is the honour that you own to me? If I be your lord, where is the fear that you own to me. saint Peter joineth them both together, meaning that we own unto almighty God love, as to our father, and fear, as to our lord and judge, and specially because he judgeth without partiality or affection to any party, having respect to a man's works, and not to the person. But yet here riseth a doubt upon saint Peter's words▪ that God judgeth without partiality, it seemeth contrary, by the words of Malachye the Prophet aforesaid, where the word of God said by that Prophet in the first Chapter, Nun frater erat Esau jacob, dicit dominus & dilexi jacob, Esau autem odio habui. They had done neither good nor ill, as S. Paul saith. Roman. ix. therefore not for any thing of their part God said, I loved jacob, and I hated Esau, and then in very deed, for that that God loved jacob, jacob proved a good man, and for that he hated Esau, Esau proved nought, and all his posterity for the most part. And jacob for his goodness, and for good works following of the same was saved, where Esau, or they of his issue, for their noughty living, were reproved and dampened: therefore, of this it seemeth that God was partial in his election, because there was no cause in the parties wherefore one should be elect rather than the other, and also in the sequel that came thereof, dampninge Esau or them that were naughty and ill of his issue, and saving jacob for his goodness and virtue which God gave him. Therefore (by this objection) it seemeth not true that Saint Peter saith, that God our father judgeth without partiality, in as much as it seemeth he was partial in these two personnes jacob and Esau, as well in the predestination and election of them afore they were borne, as in the course of their lives, and in the manners of their livings, and finally, in the salvation of the one, and reprobation or damnation of the other. For answer to this objection you must understand, that when there be any two persons, having on their own part, or in themselves equally, the reason or cause why they should be willed, loved, or accepted, than the will of him that accepteth, or loveth the one rather than the other, offendeth by acception of persons, or by partiality. As if we compare any two things to the will of a creature, as to my will, or to thy will, if thou love or favour one more than the other, there is some just cause, or (at the lest wise) some apparent cause, why thou favoreste the one more than the other, for the goodness in the thing that is loved or else the apparent goodness in it, is the cause why we do love it. But speaking of the will of God, there is nothing, no goodness in the creature, that causeth or maketh the will of God to love it. For the thing that is temporal & transitory, causeth not the thing that is eternal, as is the election, predestination, and favour or love in God: but rather contrariwise the will of God is cause of all goodness in man. And therefore God can not be partial, neither accepter of persons, because in man, or any other creature, there is no goodness of our own that should make god, or cause God to love us, but that he loveth us as he loved jacob, before he had done other good or ill, it cometh of God's mere grace and liberality, and not of jacobs' deserving nor of ours, and in this doing, he doth no wrong to the other party that is reproved, as Esau was, for generally, injustice or wrong hath no place, where a thing is given of mere grace, if it be given to the one and not to the other, for grace or favour may be given to one and not to an other without any injustice or wrong to the other party. As appeareth plainly. Math. xx. of them that were hired to work in the vinyeard, of which some came to work primo mane, early in the morning, and some at five of the clock at night, and yet they had equal wages, they that came last, as much as they that came first. And when some that had laboured all day grudged thereat, and complained to the master and owner of the vinyeard, because they had laboured all day▪ and borne the burden and the heat of the day, and had no more wages than they that had laboured but one hour, they were answered one for all. Amice non facio ribi iniuriam, tolle quod tuum est et vade. He had no wrong, that the other that came last, was made as far forth as he that came first, because it stood in the mere liberty and grace of the master, to bestow his money as it pleased him, as he said: An non licet mihi quod volo facere? May not I do with mine own as it pleaseth me. As S. Paul saith. Rom. ix. An non habet potestatem figulus. etc. Hath not the pitcher maker of clay, power to make of one piece of clay, one vessel to do honest service at the board, and an other to do vile offices? so in our purpose, in as much as it stood in God's mere liberty, to mind or will to jacob and to Esau as it pleased him, Esau had no wrong by that that jacob was elect, neither almighty God was partial in saving the one, and not saving the other, for there was no cause given of th'one more then of tother. And even so saith S. Peter, that almighty God our father judgeth without acception of persons, or partiality, crowning his own works in us, rewarding us for the works that he hath made us to do indifferently, to poor and to rich, to jews and Gentiles, otherwise then the carnal father doth, which useth his own child more partially, and more favourably than his bondmen or prentices. But almighty God our father taketh to heart, and for his children, the bondmen or drudges of this world, yea and also them that were his enemies afore, so that they will yield and be obedient, and they that afore were his children, may for their mislivinge be excluded from their inheritance in heaven, for he will judge us according to our works, as Saint Peter saith here, secundum uniuscuiusque opus. And this is plainly against them that regard not works, trusting so much to their faith, that little they care what work they do. Here saint Peter saith that we shall be judged after our works: And Christ in the Gospel declareth the same, Esurivi, & dedistis mihi manducare. etc. I was hungry and ye gave me meat, I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink. etc. Therefore Saint Peter biddeth us use a certain fear in all our conversation while we be here abiding. And a little afore Saint Peter willed us to be holy in all our conversation and dealing, buying and selling, eating and drinking, working and resting, speaking and talking, all these be works and deeds after which we shall be judged, therefore in them we have need to use fear of God, and surely, all the sinful living of people cometh for lack of fear. Why doth one neighbour deceive an other now in this fair time, by false weights or measures, by false lights, by false oaths? because they fear not God that hath forbid us so to do. Likewise of adultery, why doth a wedded man take an other man's wife, or a wife another woman's husband? It is for lack of fear of God, that forbiddeth us to desire in mind to have an other man's wife. Likewise generally to all men and women he sayeth: Non mechaberis, Thou shalt do no lechery. Men speak frankly and freely when they slander their neighbour, as though there were no hurt in so doing, and all for lack of fear, men fear not God that biddeth us by the prophet, Refrain thy tongue from ill, and thy lips that they speak no guile. Psal. xxxiii And fear is so necessary, that without fear no man can be justified, or made good in the sight of GOD. Eccles. i. and if he can not be justified, than he can not be saved. It followeth in the text Scientes quod non corruptibilibus auro vel argento redempti estis de vana vestra conversatione paterne traditionis sed precioso sanguine quasi agni incontaminati & immaculati Christi. Here Saint Peter reasoneth or swadeth, that we ought to be of clean life, and in all our conversation to live in fear, while we be dwelling as tenants at will here in this world. This he persuadeth by consideration of the price that was paid for our redemption or ransom, out of the devils danger, & out of our former conversation, & naughty living, which price was neither gold nor silver, nor any such corruptible substance as is used among men, to redeem men's offences, or to make amends for faults or harms done among men, but you were bought & delivered from your naughty living & from your vain and foolish conversation by the precious blood of Christ, offered for us on the cross, like a most pure and clean lamb, without spot or blemish, and neither groaned nor grudged, so suffering no more than the lamb doth, when he is led to the slaughter house. We must no more now think ourselves vile or little worth, for once we pleased our Lord God so well, that he chose rather to die for us, than he would lose us, it can be no small thing of valour that God was content to pay his own blood for. By his precious blood you were delivered from your vain and foolish conversation, that you learned by your father's traditions, by your father's teaching. They that S. Peter writ to, some were of the jews, and some were of the Gentiles, as I declared in the beginning of this Epistle. They that were of the jews, had learned of their fathers to leave the true understanding of the laws of God, and to follow certain precepts and rules of their traditions and teaching, as to let their own parents die for hunger, & to bestow their goods in offering at the Church▪ Mat, xv. not that Christ forbiddeth to help the ministers of the Church, but that when thou mayst help both, thou shouldest so do, but if thou be not able to do both, see that thou fail not to do thy duty to thy parents, cherysshinge and helping them, for this is thy bounden duty. And also the curious and prescise observance of the jews ceremonies, may be understand by these father's traditions, which were but vain, and little good did to the soul, for they gave no grace to the soul, but specially after the publyshing of Christ's Gospel, they seized and did no good, but much hurt to the soul. They that were of the gentiles were brought up as their fathers were in idolatry, and taught to worship Idols, false Gods, which in deed be things of nought, and very nothing, as saint Paul saith i Cor. viii. & ten Now to our purpose, they were taught by their fathers and bringers up, to worship that for a god, and to give it divine honour that was no God, were brought up in a foolish trade, and in vain conversation, by their father's lore, traditions, and teaching: from such vain conversation, we were redeemed, not by money, but by the precious blood of the lamb our Saviour Christ, most immaculate, and undefouled from all sin, original & actual. He was known (sayeth saint Peter) and appointed of God afore the world was made, that he should redeem us, And he was declared and known plainly now in the latter days, And toward the end of the world for our sakes, and to save us, that by his instruction published and spread abroad among us by the preachers of his Gospel be made faithful believers on almighty God, which raised our said saviour Christ from death to life again, and gave him glory at his resurrection, and also at his glorious ascension, because you should trust to to have like glory by him. And all this was not for any indigence or need that he had to be so exalted, but for our sake, that so (sayeth saint Peter) your faith might be on God, and your whole hope and trust in GOD that you may receive like glory of GOD. Because saint Peter sayeth that the mystery of Christ's incarnation, & of his passion, by which we should be redeemed was known afore, and appointed afore the world was made. You must understand that this that saint Peter saith of the eternal predestination and foreknowledge of the second person in Trinity, the son of God to be incarnate, was not only for the redemption of man, from the prevarication and offence of Adam, but although Adam had never offended, yet notwithstanding the son of GOD would have be incarnate, taking the nature of man upon him to beautify in himself the whole man, aswell the outward man, as the inward man, that so mankind, Sive ingrederetur sive egre deretur pascua inveneret. Whether he should come in by his wit, or did go forth by exterior senses he should every way find pasture, feeding and refreshing pasture within by knowledge and contemplation of the godhead to the comfort of the reason, pasture outward, in the flesh and body of our saviour, to the comfort of the exterior senses. For if Adam had not sinned, but had stand steadfast in the state of innocency, he should at the last have been translated from paradise into the glory of Heaven, and so should all his posterity without any death, by the only will or desire of mind, where his glory should have been very lean and bare, if no exterioure sense, should have his own delectation in the thing that he is exercised in, as the sight in seeing or the touching in feeling, the ear is in hearing. Therefore to satisfy both the reason and the sensible powers, it was necessary that GOD should have a body and should be made man, that he might be perceived by the senses, as well as by the wit. And to such beatitude & joy we were appointed and chosen in Christ afore the making of the world, as the Apostle saith. Ephe. i. Benedixit nos in Christo jesu sicut elegit nos in ipso ante mundi constitutionem. God the father hath blessed us in Christ, as his limbs or members, like as he hath choose us in him afore the making of the world, so that the choosing of Christ GOD and man in one person was presupposed, and went afore the choosing of us his members to be incorporate, unite, and joined to him by faith & grace as one body with him. Like as the builder first intendeth a house of this fashion or that fashion, & then intendeth to provide timber, lime, and stone, and workmen to make his house. Therefore sayeth the Apostle that GOD chose us in Christ. first choosing Christ to glory inestimable, and then consequently and secondarily, he chose us in him, as his members to be glorified in him, and with him, and by him. And therefore saith our Saviour unto his Father, speaking of his disciples. Dilexisti eos sicur & me dilexisti. joh. xvii. Thou haste loved them as thou haste loved me. Aug. Because that he loved us in him, like as he chose us in him afore the making of the world, for he that loved his only begotten son, surely must needs with all love his members, which he hath adopt and chosen to be his children with him. And thus our ghostly enemy the devil knew full well, for afore his fall he saw in the godhead that mankind should be exalted so high, as to be knit in one person to almighty GOD, and that all his faithful people should in him & by him be exalted above the nature of angels, when he saw it, he disdained and envied thereat. And forthwith at the beginning of mankind pursued and tempted our first parents to bring them to sin, by that trusting to disappoint him, and to stop the glory that GOD intended toward mankind, and to bring mankind so far out of favour with GOD, that it should never be joined in one person with God, and consequently to stop & let us all from the joys of heaven, for which almighty God had chosen us in Christ afore the world was made, so that our Saviour Christ might say with the prophet jonas, which by the peril of shipwreck that he was in, signified and figured the passion of Christ, like as by his being in the whales belly three days and three nights was figured the sepulture of Christ three days and three nights, in the bealye of the earth. When the storm rysse so perilously, that the seas were ever still ready to swallow up the ship that be was in: he said unto the shipmennes. Tollite me, & mittite in mare, & cessabit mare a vobis. Scio enim ego quoniam propter me tempestas hec grandis est super vos. jonae. i. Take me (saith this blessed prophet) and cast me into the sea, and the sea will cease his rage, for I know that this great tempest and storm lieth so sore on you for my sake. As though our saviour Christ said. Take me and cast me into the storms of temptation and trouble, and the storms shall cease, & shall not so sore trouble you. In eo enim in quo passus est ipse & tentatus, potens est & eye qui tentantur auxiliari. Heb. two. In that that he suffered and was tempted, he is able to help them that be tempted or troubled. For he will not suffer us to be tempted above our power, but will get us advantage to resist temptation, and a way to scape from it, that we shall be able to abide it, and not to be overthrown by it. i. Cor x. Now further to the saying of jonas. For I know that this storm is raised for me. So might our saviour Christ say that the storm of temptation, that the devil by God's permission, raised against our first parents and ceaseth not with the same storms to assault all his posterity, was raised for Christ's sake, because the devil knew that the godhead & manhood of Christ should be joined in one person, & so should be exalted far above him, the envy that he had at this, made him to bend his ordinance, & to set forth all his engines of temptation against mankind to stop him from that exaltation & honour. So that the devil first saw the exaltation of mankind in Christ to be one person with the son of God, & envying thereat, procured the impediment (asmuch as in him lay) by the sin of Adam. And this is a sign that even so it was in God's foreknowledge and election, that first he determined the son to be incarnate, and mankind to come to that glory, to be one person with God, and secundarilye, knowing that Adam would fall, & would bring all his posterity into danger of damnation: the high counsel of the Godhead appointed our said Saviour Christ to be the mean to save mankind again by his blessed passion, that he should suffer in his passable and mortal body, which he took upon him for that purpose. For in very deed if Adam had not offended. Christ should not have been incarnate in a mortal or passable body, nor should have come as a redeemer, when there was nothing to be redeemed, but he should have come as a glorifier to make mankind partiners & partakers of his glory, after the highest manner that might be, in one person with almighty God in Christ, & we his members of his body to have our part of the same glory with him. But in asmuch as man had by disobedience offended almighty God, & had need of a redeemer he showed himself for our sakes (as, s. Peter saith here) now at the last cast of the world, in a mortal body made of a woman, made under the law, that he might deliver them that were subject to the law, that so by Christ our faith and our hope should be in god. that by him we may be bold to trust for like grace of him, as I said before. It followeth in the text. Animas vestras castificantes in obedientia charitatis in fraternitatis amore. etc. Chastifiing your souls in the obedience of charity. Pull down your souls & keep them under obedience, yea & in charitable obedience. For obedience co-act & by compulsion, as thieves in the jail obey their keeper, lest he will punish them or cast them in sorer prison, is not the thing that god will reward, except it be charitable, that is principally for the pleasure of god, that would the inferiors should obey their rulers or betters, & consequently for the love to the party that thou oughtest to be obedient unto. And you must keep brotherly love loving one an other like as brothers, so that if one at any time hurt another, yet remember that we be all brothers in Christ redeemed with one blood & by the remembrance we must let the displeasure pass, forgetting it, & returning to fraternal love again And this must come of a simple and plain heart without dissimulation, feigning, or flattering, even after that. s. john in his epistle biddeth us▪ i. Io. iii. My children let us not love in word and tongue alone, but in deed and in truth, specially considering that as he saith afore. whosoever hath the substance of this world, and seeth his brother have need and closeth his heart from him, how doth the love of god abide in him? In asmuch as he contemneth the infirmity and poverty of his even christene. For this is the beginning of fraternal charity, to have pity on our neighbour's infirmity. And to die for our brethren is the perfection of charity, the highest point of charity and of fraternal love that is there spoken of, In that we know the charity of GOD that he laid away his life for us, and we must lay aside our souls for our brothers. And our saviour Christ in the gospel saith. Maiorem charitatem. etc. Greater charity no man hath then to lose his life for his friends. And so we here the perfection of charity, but yet let us more inwardly consider the beginning of the same Fraternal love. If thou be not meet and ready to die for thy brother, yet give thou of thy goods to help and to save thy needy brother, and do it not of pride or boasting, but of thy most entire and inward sweetness of mercy toward him. Peradventure thou wilt say, why should I give my money to save him from harm? He is none of mine, let him perish in his own iniquity & naughtiness, I have nothing to do with him. If thou answer or think after this manner the love of our father of heaven abideth not in thee. And if the love of our father abideth not in thee, thou art not borne or gotten of God, then how canst thou glory or be glad that thou art a christian man? Thou hast the name, but thou hast not the deed of a christian man. Renati non exsemine corruptibili sed incorruptibili. etc. Borne again not by any corruptible seed, but by an incorruptible seed by the word of the living god & that abideth for ever. Here the blessed apostle. s. Peter reasoneth & swadeth us to cleanness of life & to chastise our souls in obedient charity, & in fraternal love, by reason of our spiritual birth. There is no natural gentleman of birth but if it so chance that for the time he be moved to do a mischievous deed, if a discrete man would move him to the contrary, reciting his Progeny and Ancestors, saying: beware what ye do, remember your blood, distayn not your kindred, show yourself a gentleman, & not as a furious beast or a bawdy villain, or as a churl or a thief, lest all your kindred and lovers will be ashamed of you. If there be any gentleness in the person, such umbrayding and rehearsal shall make him to leave his naughty purpose, and to take a good way with him, and not to defoul his kindred with any villainy. According to that saith saint Peter, much more you should dispose yourself to goodness, considering your regeneration and second nativity, which was not by corruptible seed of man and woman, but by the uncorruptible seed, that is to say, by the word of God that abideth for ever. It is but a poor glory to be proud of the filthy substance that man is gotten by, nor of the bodies or blood of their carnal fathers and mothers, which fadeth and continually runneth to corruption. As Esay the prophet saith. Esa. xl. Omnis caro ut fenum, & omnis gloria eius tanquam flos agri, exaruit fenum, et flos eius decidit, verbum autem domini manet ineternum All flesh is like grass of the meadow, and his glori (that is to sai) carnal lust or pleasure, is like the flower of the meadow that maketh a pleasant show for the time, and so doth carnal delectation content and please for a while, but even as the flower within awhile withereth and falleth a way, so doth carnal joy fade and fall: it abideth not, but many times turneth to repentance, but the word of God, that is the seed by which you were gotten and made the children of God by regeneration by your second getting, abideth for ever & giveth life everlasting to them that be gotten by it. And this is the holy word that hath ●en preached among you, (saith saint Peter) by me & by other Apostles. By this holy word of God you were first instruct and taught to leave your old vain errors and vices, and to renounce the devil with all his pomp and all his naughty works. And by the word of God concurrent and joined with the element of water, you were baptized & gotten to Christ, & made his children, where afore you were the children of God's ire & of displeasure, as all they be that after that way be not new borne to God by baptism. The former carnal generation or birth saveth no man nor woman, the second doth, and therefore it is necessary for all them that shall be saved, what sex, kind or age so ever they be of, contrary to the sect and heresy of the Anabaptists that would have no man baptized till they were of years of discretion, in so much that they baptize again all them that in childhood were christened, leaving all youth in despair of salvation without any way or help to be saved, and in worse case than the infants of the jews were, which by Moses law should be circumcised on the eight day after they were borne, and by that circumcision should not perish but be saved. For as saint Paul saith. Roma. v. Si unius delicto multi mortui sunt, multo magis gratia dei & donum unius hominis jesu Christi in plures homines abundavit. Where the Apostle compareth the offence of Adam to the grace of Christ, for the grace of Christ is much stronger and may extend and spread itself further than the offence of one pure and frail man might do, therefore in asmuch as death crept in among men by one Adam, then much more by our saviour Christ one man and God in one parson, of power infinite, the gift of grace is dilated and spread upon all men that be made apt to receive it, which is only by baptism actually received, or else in vow or purpose. And therefore in asmuch as the sin of Adam killed all infants, it must needs be that Christ's grace in the sacrament of baptism shall quicken the same infants, and make them spiritually alive again in Christ, or else (as I said) it should be weaker than Adam's sin, & also because Christ saith. john. three Nisi quis renatus fuerit ex aqua et spiritu sancto non potest introire in regnum dei. Except a man be borne again by water and the holy spirit, he cannot entre into the kingdom of heaven. And even like as they that were circumcised in their infansye, knew not what it meaned that they suffered with great pain, neither perceived any thing of the promise that God made to them that suffered it. In like manner baptism saveth our children infants, although they perceive nothing what is done unto them, neither the reason thereof. But Christ that said: Sinite paruulos venire ad me. matthew. nineteen. Let babes or children come to me, hath provided arms to bear them to him, which be the arms of our mother holy church, by whose ears also they be cathechised or instruct, and by her mouth they confess their faith, and in her faith they be saved. And this is very reasonable that other men's faith may help in this sacrament of soul health, as well as other men's faith hath helped them that have be bodily diseased in sickness and sores of their body, specially because God esteemeth and regardeth more the health of the soul then of the body. We have in the gospel of the Canaan woman's daughter, that by the importune suit and prayer of her mother she was delivered from the devil that she was obsessed with all: O mulier magna est fides tua fiat tibi sicut vis: Math. xv. fides tua (inquit) non fides filie. And also Centurio a captain in Capharnaum came to Christ, praying him to help his servant that was ill vexed with a paulsy, Christ offered to come himself to the man's house, & to heal his servant. No (saith he) I am not worthy to receive you into my house, but once say the word and my servant shall be whole, and according to his belief so he sped, for his servant was whole by and by, after the master had confessed his belief. An other that was impotent by a pawlsye, and his friends could find no way to bring him to Christ for press of people that were about him in the house. At the last they were fame to untile the house and let him in by the roof of the house. Quorum fidem ut vidit, dixit, homo remittuntur tibi peccata tua, et ait paralitico tibi dico, surge, tolle lectum tuum & vade in domum tuam. Luke. v. &. Mark. two. He saw the faith of them that so conveyed the syckeman in at the roof of the house, and forgave the man his sins, and cured him of his pawlsy, at the contemplation of their faith that brought him to Christ. And this text maketh plainly for our purpose, for here it appeareth that by the faith of other men, this sick-man had aswell soul health as bodily health, for he had his sins forgiven him for his soul health, and was rid of his pawsy for his bodily health. And even so it was generally of Christ's cures that he did, which were ever full and perfit, for he healed the whole man, soul and body: for he used not to heal the body, but he would first heal the soul, because that the infirmities of the body cometh commonly of the sins and sickness of the soul, either original or actual. The Gospels hath many such examples, in which it is plain that the belief and prayers of others helpeth against bodily sickness, then much more it helpeth against this dangerous sickness of the soul, that is original sin, the common malander and mischief of all the issue of Adam, which if it be not cured and healed, will surely let him that is diseased with it, from the sight of the glory of God for ever. For (as I said) God regardeth more the health of the soul, then of the body. And considering that the infants have the said original sin by an other man's prevarication and transgression, reasonable it is that they be relieved and discharged of the same, by the mean of other men's faith, as by the universal faith of the church, and by the faith of the godfathers and godmothers and of other assistants at the christening of the child, so that we must not exclude or deny the mercy & grace of God from any man or woman borne into this world, but that after their bodily birth to death, they be new borne to life by God's holy word, and by water with the inspiration of grace of the holy spirit, the holy Gost. And by this that I have said you may answer to the chief reason of the Anabaptists that they use against the said verity, alleging that Christ saith. Math xviii. Qui crederit & baptisatus fuerit, saluus erit. He that believeth and is baptized, shall be saved: and he that believeth not shall be dampened. Of this they take that it is necessary for him that shall be baptized, that he believe. Now say they, infants lacking the use of reason cannot believe, therefore they be unmeet to be baptized. I told you that they be saved by the belief of the church, and believeth in the belief of the church, and in the belief of their Godfathers and godmothers, & other assistants representing the church, as I declared by divers examples of the gospel, as well of soul health as of bodily health, procured of Christ by the belief of others, or else (as the scholastical doctors sa● very well) in receiving of the sacrament of baptism the grace of faith is infused and powered in to the soul of him or her that is baptized, and so they have the habit or theological virtue of faith, or the thing by which afterward as they increase in the use of reason, they may believe actually and in deed. Example, a Physician though he be fast a sleep, he hath the science of physic, but yet if you put an urinal in his hand, he cannot judge the disease of the sick-man, as long as he is a sleep, albeit he hath the science in his soul, by which when he waketh he can judge according to his learning. And I trust you have now herd sufficiently of the new birth that saint Peter speaketh of, which is more to be pondered then the carnal birth by corrubtible matter, for the seed & cause of this generation is uncorruptible, it is the word of God that abideth for ever, therefore considering whereof we came and be gotten to life and to God, we ought to have special cleanness in our life, and to chastise our souls under obedient charity, and in fraternal love attentius more earnestly than we have done, and more diligently considering the nobility of this our second birth, by the uncorruptible seed of God's holy word that abideth for ever, and hath been preached among us, as saint Peter saith in the end of his first chapter. And now you have heard the first chapter of this first epistle of saint Peter declared as my poor wit and learning would serve me. I pray God it may be to his pleasure and to the edifying and profit of our souls. Amen.   

¶ The fift treatise or sermon.  
The second chapter.  
DEponentes igitur omnem malitiam et omnem dolum & simulationes et invidias, et omnes detractiones, sicut modo geniti infantes rationabiles sine dolo lac concupiscite. In the first chapter of this epistle (which I have passed over and expounded as God put into my mind) the blessed Apostle saint Peter chiefly magnifyeth our regeneration and second birth, by which we be borne to life everlasting, where through our carnal parents we were borne to die. first he giveth thanks to God that hath done so moche for us as so to get us again to the inheritance of heaven, that will never be corrupt, that never will be defouled, nor fade or whither away, and in the mean season will bring us to the soul health by Christ's faith, that all the old prophets laboured to see and to obtain, but they were answered that it would not be for their time, but all the labours that they took in prayers, contemplation and study, should serve for them that should come after, which be we that have seen and heard the truth by them that have preached Christ's gospel continually, sith the holy Ghost was sent from heaven in sensible signs of fiery tongues, soon after Christ's glorious ascension. And for this consideration saint Peter exhorteth us to be clean of living, and while we be here to live in fear, considering the indifferency of our judge in whom is no partiality. And knowing the price that was paid for us, which was no corruptible metal, as gold or silver, but the precious blood of a pure Lamb our saviour jesus Christ, and considering that the seed by which we were regenerate is not corruptible, as the seed of our parents is, by which men be gotten to die, but it is immortal, as he is immortal that it cometh of, almighty God. The seed is the immutable gospel by which we come to baptism, that washeth us from all our sins, where I showed you how necessary that sacrament is to all sexes and to all ages, as well infants as other, that like as they be killed or hurt by an other man's sin, so they may be revived by other men's faith. Now consequently in this second chapter the blessed Apostle saint Peter entreateth of the nursing or bringing up of them that were by the said holy seed gotten and borne to Christ, and so to life everlasting. This is a natural order that saint Peter keepeth here, for naturally the birth goeth afore the nourishing. And because he that hath a shrewd stomach, filled with nocive and ill humours, must first have his stomach purged, afore any meat shall do him good, therefore saint Peter like a good Physician for the soul, counseleth us first to rid the stomaches of our souls, our hearts or consciences from all malice or will to hurt our neighbours. That is malice, and he that hath such an appetite to hurt an other man or woman, is called a malicious person, otherwise willing to do to others, than he would an other should do to him which is contrary to the law of nature, & to the judgement of right reason, for the judgement of reason giveth that we should none otherwise will, intent, or do to any other than we reasonably would they should will, intent, or do to us. From this generality he descendeth to the particulars & special vices saying: that we must also rid our souls from all guile and imagination to deceive our neighbours under the pretence and colour of some honesty or goodness, as I read Gen xxxiii. When Dina daughter to jacob, and sister to the xii Patriarches sons of Israel, would walk abroad to see the women of the country, and to be seen, as the manner of maidens is, spec●tatū veniunt, veniunt spectentur ut ipse, she came to the town where Emor was Lord, and a great prince there, which had a son called Sichem, as soon as he had cast his eye upon this fair damsel Dina he was enamoured & would needs have her, and so had his pleasure of her whither she would or not. And yet his love suaged not but ever still he loved her more and more. In so much that he prayed and required his father to be suitor to jacob, father to the damsel and to be wooer for him that he might have her to wife & marry with her, and so did Emor this young man's father, but jacob would make no grant till his sons came to the communication. When they herd that Dina their sister was deflowered and ravished by force, they chafed and took the matter very angerly. Notwithstanding after large offers and fair promises made to them by this good gentleman Emor, and by the young man Sichem his son. Responderunt filii jacob, Sichem & patri eius in dolo, sevientes ob stuprum sororis. The sons of jacob made answer to Sichem and to his father, in guile, for they were in a rage for the raveshing of their sister. Mark their answer and their intent, and you shall perceive the guile, and what guile is. This was their answer: It is unlawful and a great offence for us to marry our sister to a man that is uncircumcised, but if ye will come to our religion and be circumcised as we be, than it shall be lawful for us to marry together, your men with our women, & our men with your women, and so we may dwell together, and live like friends, and if you will not then let us have our sister away, and we will be gone. This offer pleased Emor and his son Sichem very well. Sichem made no tarrying, but did as they desired, and forthwith was circumcised, for the fervent love that he had to Dina, and then the father and the son came into the town & persuaded all the people to agree, and so they did agree & circumcised all the men of the town, what age so ever they were of. But than followed the subtle & false intent of Dinays' brothers sons of jacob. For on the third day after the circumcising of the people, when their wounds were sorest that they might not well stir: in came to the town with their swords in their hands simeon & Levi, brothers to Dina by father & mother, for Lya was their mother. Gen. thirty. & they slew all them that were circumcised and Emor lord of the town and Sichem his son with all, & took away their sister with them. And then came in the rest of jacobs' sons with their bushmentes, and made havoc of all that was left. Here you see that their pretence was good and godly, but their intent was nought, & this is dolus, guile. If there have been any such guile used by fair promises and large offers to train any man or woman to be of sinister or false opinion or heresy to kill his soul, under the pretence or colour of evangelical truth or liberty, this must be left and laid down as saint Peter saith here: The subtlety and guile that is used in uttering of your wares by such wiles as you use, for the colourable setting forth of them, must be left and laid down, and no more used. There is an other guile, which in comparison of this is called bonus dolus good guile, such as men of war fighting in a just cause useth to cirumvent and deceive their enemies. Such guile joshua▪ viii. used against the town of Hay, where his host were afore put to rebuke, driven back, and lost. xxxvi: men. joshua. seven. At the second saute he set a strong bend of men to the number of five thousand in a stolen at the West side of the town of Hay. And then the captain with his army showed freshly against the town, as though they would have fought with them. The king there encouraged by the victory at the former skirmish, advanced forth boldly against joshua the captain. And joshua recoiled back and ran away, as the other company had done afore, and when by his reculing he had slocked the king of Hay a great wai out of the town, he gave a sign to them that lay in the stolen, which rose up and got into the town then being without people, for every man and woman was run out to pursue joshua, and to get somewhat in the chase, and they set it on fire and burned it, and forthwith came forth on the back of the king of Hay and his host, and then joshua with his host returned upon them, & so betwixt the captain and the stolen, they were destroyed and taken every mother's son. This was bonus dolus a laudable guile, to vanquish and overcome Gods enemies, which had discomforted them afore. You must also lay away and put from you all simulation or feigning, showing one thing for an other, having one thing in the mouth and an other thing closed within the heart, as joab did to Amasa. two. Reg. xx. suspecting that Amasa would have put him out of favour with the king David when he met with him, he came lovingly to him and said. Salue mi frater, God speed you or God save you my brother, and with his right hand he took Amasa by the chin, as though he would have kissed him, but with his left hand he drew his dagger and struck him in the side, so that his guts fell about his feet, & there he died. Here was sore simulation and feigning, this was a false flattering kiss like judas kiss, by which he betrayed his master. This must be left & laid down and no more used. There is also an other simulation which may be called good and laudable, and such used king David as it is written i. Reg. xxi. when he fled to Achis king of Geth, when the kings servants saw David, they said among themselves: is not this David king of the land of Israel? David was sore afraid, and when he came afore Achis the king, he changed his countenance, and fell down among their hands, and then flapped his hands, and laid his shoulders against the doors, & his spittle draveled down upon his beard. Then said Achis to his servants: why have you brought this mad man afore me? have we not mad men enough of our own? Why have ye brought this fellow to play the mad man in my presence? And upon this David was let go like a fool, and so escaped the danger of them that would have brought him a gain to king Saul, which then was his mortal enemy. And to this fact of David agreeth full well this common proverb: Stultitiam simulare loco prudentia summa est, To feign foolishness in some case, is very high wisdom. This is not the pernicious simulation, by which men with flyring cheer would creep into a man's bosom and yet kill him if they could. And so must all envy be laid away, that is sorrow for an others man's wealth or welfare, or gladness for his hurt or hindrance. For here on earth no man envieth him that hath neither virtue moral nor intellectual, neither theological, but rather bemoneth him and is sorry for him, according to the old proverb, I had leaver he envy me, than bemoaned me. This is that devilish vice, that is not so meet for any place as for hell. In heaven it cannot be, for there shall be the greatest joy possible of one neighbour in an other, every man shall rejoice of an other man's glory, as much as of his own. In hell this vice shall be at rest, for there he shall see nothing to disdain at, or to envy at, there shall be no wealth, no prosperity, no exaltation, or promotion to be envy, but all pain, sorrow, and care. And of this shall come no joy to the envious soul, but all freating and gnawing in his own conscience, and every one of them that there shall be against an other. It is the sin that is most contrary to charity, and by that most displeasant to almighty God, and most acceptable and pleasant to the devil. And of this envy cometh and followeth this other vice that saint Peter here would have us purged of that so we might be able to receive the milk that he would nurse us and feed us with all. That vice (saith saint Peter) is detraction, or backbiting, by which secretly behind a man's back, a man's fame or good name is defaced and defouled. Such backbiters that depraveth and missayeth men behind their backs destroying their good name, Saint Paul rehearseth among them that God hath let run in reprobum sensum into such madness as to think nothing good, but that is nought in deed, and to do as is unconvenient for men to do, Susurrones detractores, deo odibiles, they be such as God hateth or as the other translation hath dei osores, such as hateth God, for they hate their neighbours whom God would have them to love, & so they love neither God nor his pleasure & commandment. The greatest treasure that a man hath, is his good name and fame, therefore Ecclesiast. xli. biddeth us, Curam habe de bono nomine, hoc enim magis permanebit tibi quam mill thesauri preciosi et magni: thou must care and take heed and provide for thy good name, for that will stick by the better than a thousand rich and great treasures, and Solomon saith. Pro. xxii. Melius est bonum nomen, quam diuitie multe. Better is a good name then great riches. Therefore he that diminisheth thy good name, doth worse than if he piked thy purse, or stole all thy riches, and can never have his offence forgiven, till he have made restitution, and then considering how hard it is to pull out of men's heads that opinion that thou hast once brought into their heads by thy railing & backbiting tongue. By this you may consider the danger of that vice, for the frowardness of frail man is such, that it is more easy to bring out of his head a good opinion once conceived by an other, than an ill. Thou shalt tell a good tale, or a good report by one twice or thrice afore a man believe it, but a naughty report be it never so false, is soon taken, but not so soon dissuaded again. And by this also appeareth the danger & peril of them that giveth ear to backbiters, for they be partakers of the offence, & so be in like damnation beside the sinister & rash judgement that they have of their neighbour by such detraction and lewd report of the detractor or backbiter, for to misjudge thy neighbour to be a thief, or to be a lecher, or adulterer, to be an heretic, or such other mortal sinner, except the fact be evident and plain, or the signs so evident, that they can not be countersaid, is deadly sin. Therefore (as S. Jerome saith, Epistola ad Nepocianum de vita clericorum) we must beware that we have neither itching tongues, nor itching ears: itching tongues, busy clatering and railing, itching ears, ever open and glad to be clawed with news and naughty tales. But few there be that forsake this vice of detraction, and a man shall seldom find one so clear and blameless, that he will not be glad to reprove and blame other folks living. And men have so great pleasure in this vice, that they that be not polluted or spotted with other vices, yet they fall to this vice, as into the extremest and last snare of the devil, and the lightness of the hearer giveth occasion, authority, and courage to this detraction & backbiting, for if there were no hearers, there would be no tale bearers, therefore we should make an hedge of thorns before our ears, lest we should here any wicked tongues, Eccle. xxviii. Let the terrible sentence of damnation at the general judgement prick our ears, as it were thorns, and then we shallbe afraid to hear shrewd tales. And the prophet rehearsing the virtues that maketh a man meet to dwell in the tabernacle of our lord, reckoneth this for one: opprobrium non accepit adversus proximos, that hath not taken or believed ill saying against his neighbours, such a one is meet to dwell in heaven, than he that is of contrary appetite, must dwell in hell. Peradventure you will say, I should do a man wrong if I should not hearken to his tale, I may little do and I may not lend him mine ears and give him the hearing, & what wrong can I do, when other men telleth me the tale? it is not my saying, it is theirs, let them beware that telleth the tales. Not so my friend, for thy part is therein, for if thou wouldst not lend thine ears and give audience with a good will, but were loath to hear the backbiter, he would be as loath to bear tales to thee, they should none fasten nor print in thee, no more than an arrow when it is shot against a stone, fasteneth in the stone, it fasteneth not in the stone, but sometime reboundeth and flieth back upon him that shot it: let the detractor learn to leave his backbiting, by that he seeth the loath to hear him, for so thou shalt drive shame into his face. Remember the counsel of Solomon. Proverb. xxiiii. Cum detractoribus non commiscearis quoniam repent consurget perditio eorum, & ruinam utriusque quis novit. Meddle not with backbiters, for their destruction shall rise suddenly, and who knoweth the ruin of them both: of the backbiter, & of him that giveth him the hearing? as who should say, no man but God alone. All these vices rehearsed, and such others, must be laid away & purged out of the stomachs of your souls, which done, you shall even like reasonable infants lately borne, covet & desire to be fed with that milk that is without guile or deceit, the milk of the soul, and not of the body, by which you may grow, & wax big toward salvation, specially if you have tasted (saith S. Peter) that God is sweet, good, & curtise. Here be diversities of translations, one saith, infants rationabiles, an other saith, rationa boil & sine dolo lac, the third readeth it, Lac illud non corporis sed animi, & this last agreeth with the second, meaning that the milk that we must desire to be nursed with all, is not the milk of the body, as neither cow milk, nor the milk of woman's breasts that feedeth the body, but it is the milk of reason by which the reasonable soul is nursed and fed, and that is holy doctrine, as I shall say anon. The first translation saying infant's rationabiles, saith so not without a cause, for infants and babes have some properties not laudable, as ignorance, oblivion, insolency, and wantonness, which S. Paul taxeth. i. cor. xiiii Nolite pueri effici sensibus sed malitia paruuli estote. etc. Be you not children lacking discretion, but as a child beareth no malice, so must we beware that we bear no malice: this is a good property in which we must follow the child, & withal we must use reason to discern the good from the ill, that no persuasion or reasoning pervert us from the true and wholesome doctrine, to any error or heresy, for the true milk, the true doctrine that shall make us to grow to health and salvation, is without guile, & without deceit, it beguileth no man. Blessed S. Peter calleth by the name of milk, the first principles of our faith, and necessary rules that every man and woman must believe, if they shall come to God & be saved, as the mystery of Christ's incarnation of his passion & resurrection, and such like as be commonly preached and taught in the church, these must be uttered and showed to all men and women after a plain manner, by such homely and familiar examples as they may suck, take, and understand. saint Paul. Heb. vi. giveth to the Hebrews plenty of such milk, as first for them that cometh to Christ, repentance, abrenunciation, and forsaking the devil with all his pomp, and of their old manner of sinful living, either by themselves or by the church in their names, because of infants that I spoke of heretofore. Another is faith on God: the third is baptism and the effect thereof, the four is Confirmation by imposition or setting the bishop's hands on him or her that is confirmed: the fift is the resurrection of our bodies: the sixth, is the eternal judgement and reward that God shall give us, according to our works. These be the beginnings of christian doctrine, with which they that newly cometh to Christ, must be fed plainly, and without any exquisite or high points of divine learning concerning the same, for such high learning is it that S. Paul calleth. Heb. v. Solidus cibus, sad meat, or fast meat, that shall rather hurt a beginner, then feed him or do him good, it may turn his stomach, and make him to give up all, as things unpossible for him to digest, to attain or learn, & to exercise and to perform in deed. And this meat agreeth well with them that be perfect, perfectorum autem est solidus cibus, eorum qui pro confuetudine excercitatos habent sensus ad discretionem boni et mali, that by use have their wits exercised to discern the good doctrine, from the bad and corrupt doctrine, the truth from the falsehood, as they be not able to do that be but beginners, like children or babes: for as young infants many times will sit moiling in the axen, & put earth or coals into their mouths, and other things that may do them hurt, as soon as that shall do them good, so he that hath not his wits exercised by often hearing the scriptures taught and declared, & that can not weigh and judge the things that he heareth, whether they be true or erroneous, he shall as soon gape and eat into the belie of his mind earth or coals, as kyndelye feeding, as soon errors and heresies to poison him, as true doctrine to edify him, and to strength him. But he that remembreth what he hath heard, and when any new manner of teaching ariseth, will confer it to the true preaching or teaching that he hath heard afore of catholic clerks, and that by such collation can spy whether this new way be safe & sure or no, such a one is strong and passed childhod, and may be fed with fast meat. The preacher may be bold afore such men to speak of higher matters, than he may afore children that be beginners. Saint Paul perceiving that the Corinthians were very carnal and wordly, not having their minds elevate to high learning, fed them with milk like children, as he saith i. Cor. iii. & yet afterward hearing of their dissensions, and debate about their baptistes, Cum quis dicat ego sum Pauli, alius autem ego Apollo, where as one said, I am Paul's Christian man, because I was christened of Paul, an other saith, I am Apollo his Christian man, because I was christened of Apollo. He spied that their carnality was not all gone, therefore yet he said they were not able to take sad meat, nor to be taught as spiritual men, but as carnal folks, calling them carnal folks, that he calleth there animalis homo, whose senses and appetites be depressed and kept down to sensual pleasures, not submitting themselves to the rule of reason, directed by the holy ghost, and these be carnal, fleshly or beastly in living. Carnal, fleshly or beastly in knowledge be they, that of almighty God and heavenly things, imageneth and judgeth by corporal fantasies, as of God, that he is a fair old man with a white beard, as the painters make him, and that the joys of heaven standeth in eating and drinking, pypinge and dancing, these be gross imaginations of carnal wits. And even so they be spiritual in living, that be ordered in their living, in their thoughts, words, and works, by the instinct and inclination of the holy ghost, ruling and guiding them to goodness, and such persons will be as well ware and afraid to come in that place where they may be hurt in soul, as they will be ware to come where they may be hurt in their bodies, and will be as glad to cure and heal the soul if any thing be amiss, as they would be to heal the body if it were diseased, & in them the fervency and heat of the spirit waxeth not faint by multiplying of iniquity, neither by the coldness of charity, and in them the spirit is not quenched, understanding by the spirit, that spirit which is conserved & kept whole and sound with the soul and the body, (as S. Paul speaketh) and not the substance of the holy ghost, which can not perish or be hurt. But we understand by the spirit the graces and gifts of the holy ghost, which by our virtue, or by our vice be kindled or quenched, as S. Jerome writeth in his epistle ad Hedibian, And they be spiritual in knowledge, that considereth of almighty God above all things, that his excellency and glory passeth all things that may be seen or imagined by man's wits, and that he is not prescribed or determined to any place, but that he is infinite and unmeasurable, and all one and whole in every place, and that of the angels and of celestial joys, judgeth above all corporal and bodily creatures, and that considereth, that after the general resurrection men and women shall neither mary nor be wedded, but shall be as God's Angels in heaven. They that by exercise in hearing the holy Scriptures, have their wits elevate above the commonne sort of people become to years of discretion, and look for faster feeding, and higher learning, than the younger sort doth, which must be fed with milk or suppings that will be easily digested. They that Saint Peter writ unto, were but newly converted to Christ's faith, by his preaching among them in his progress in Pontus, Galatia, Capadotia. etc. Therefore specially he advertiseth them ever to desire that milk of plain doctrine, concerning the first principles and necessary articles of our faith, in which he had instructed them. This is milk without guile or deceit, there is no falsehood admit or mingled with it (saith Saint Peter) meaning that there is an other milk that is mixed with guile or falsehood, as the milk that is spoken of. Prou. i Fili misi te lactaverint peccatores ne acquiescas eyes, My child, if sinners and naughty livers give the suck of milk, consent not to them, as if they say, come, let us take a standing for a purse, we shall get good enough to make merry withal, or else let us be avenged on this man or that man, he is ever contrary to our works, let us rid him out of the world, and so we shall enjoy our robberies quietly, no man shall speak against us. Thus all they that intendeth mischief, will give suck of this flattering milk, to make others as bad as they be themselves. Therefore he saith. Proverb. xvi. Vir iniquus lactat amicum suum & ducit eum per viam non bonam. A wicked man giveth milk to his companion, and bringeth him in a shrewd trade, and into an ill way: As he that is a bawdy fellow, given to horehuntinge, will make many more such, and bring them to ill company, and to nought with him, so will dicers, so will carders, and so will all unthrifts, first to pleasures, and consequently afterward to the very bottom of all ill, and finally to perdition and destruction. This milk of temptation is not without guile, but hath ever falsehood and guile annexed and joined with it, therefore we had great need to beware of it. And if we shall set milk of doctrine against milk of doctrine, than consider how the flattering milk of heresy, feeding men with fair flattering words, and setting afore men a counterfeit liberty to eat & drink without any delect choice, or difference of meat, of time or place, setting little by divine service and prayers, and less by fasting or abstinence. This milk is crudded and sour, and so are their hearts that giveth it, and theirs that feedeth upon it, or sucketh it: Coagulatum est sicut lac cor eorum, their heart is crudded like Milk. Ambrose upon the same. Vt enim lac natura sua purum speciosum ac syncerum est sed corruptione coacescit sic cordis humani natura pura ac perspicua est priusquam viciorum admixtione coacescat. Even like as milk by his own kind is pure, fair and clear, but it waxeth sour by corruption, so man's heart is pure, clear, and indifferent to all doctrine, but when the teacher is sour and corrupt, it is no marvel if he do soon corrupt his scholar, specially if the scholar have not his wit well exercised, to put difference betwixt good and ill. And how many have we known so fed with this sour crudded milk that they have been made strong and sturdy fellows, passed correction or reformation, growing toward destruction everlasting. This is the end of the naughty noursinge with the bad milk, where the just and gracious milk of true doctrine maketh a man to grow to salvation (as S. Peter saith here) specially if you have tasted (saith he) that our Lord God is sweet and good: As who should say, some there be that for all the teaching and preaching that they have, yet they be never the better, neither have any sweetness in God nor in his holy word, and it is no marvel if they never cease to defile him, and his holy word with earthly desires and pleasures. And as we see that he that hath no pleasure in his meat, but eateth it against heart, and against his stomach, shall not profit by his meat, so he that feeleth no sweetness in Christ and in his holy word, how can he grow to salvation by it? it will not be. Then we taste that God is sweet▪ when we delight in his words, and comfort ourselves with his holy lessons set forth in his scriptures. And when we glory and comfort ourselves in Christ's birth, his passion and glorious resurrection, and when we take pleasure in reading and hearing his most gracious life and conversation, than we taste that God is sweet. And by the same we grow to salvation and health (as Saint Peter saith here) when for the sweetness and love of God and for consideration of his word, we bring forth godly fruits, as giving alms to them that be needy, remitting and forgiving injuries and wrongs done to us, and when we can be content for our soul health to pray, to fast, and to watch, these be manifest signs that by the sweet milk of God's doctrine, we grow to salvation and wax strong in God, and by that shall be the more able to perform our painful journey, that we must walk here in the wilderness of this world, labouring and going towards our country, which looketh for us, heaven above, to which also we all desire to come through the help of our saviour Christ. Amen.   

¶ The sixth treatise or sermon.  
AD quem accedentes lapidem vivum ab hominibus quidem reprobatum a deo autem electum & honorificatum. etc. To whom ye come (saith S. Peter) as to the living stone that men have reproved and set nought by, but God hath chosen & made him to be honoured, and on him be you builded like living stones into spiritual houses, in sacerdotium sanctum, & to a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by jesus Christ. Now presupposing that we have tasted that god is sweet & pleasant to our souls, in these words rehearsed, the blessed Apostle S. Peter beginneth to advance us, & set us forward to higher perfection, willing us (in as much as we be come to Christ, as to the firm, fast, & sure stone, & foundation of the church & of all godly religion) that we should be edified & builded on him as spiritual houses builded on the fast rock, and that we should be as holy priests, offering spiritual sacrifices, that may be acceptable to God, by our saviour jesus Christ. In these words be many things to be noted and to be declared: first that our coming to Christ, as S. Peter here meaneth, is not to come to him on foot, nor on horseback, but we must come to him by faith, formed and adorned with charity, and with charitable works, by which they that sometime were far of, be made nigh in the blood of Christ. And so came England to Christ, not sailing over the sea, nor by peregrination to the holy land where Christ was bodily conversant for the time, but by firm and fast faith on Christ, that they conceived by hearing the preachers that GOD sent among them. And so the people of Pontus, Galatia, Capadotia▪ etc. that Saint Peter writeth this letter unto, by faith and charity came to Christ's grace, by which they dwelled in Christ, and Christ in them. Christ is here called a living stone, by which you may plainly see, that the stone here, is not the stone that we tread on, nor the stone that you see in the pillars or walls of the church, for they be not alive nor living stones, but this is a manner of speaking by a methaphor or a similitude, for of all parts of the earth the stone is the fastest and the surest to build on: soft earth, sand, or clay, will be soon washed away with floods or streams, and the building soon shaken with wind or storms, but that building that is well set on the hard rock, standeth fast and shrinketh not for any violence. For this property of the stone, our Saviour Christ is called a stone, as well here as in many other places of Scripture. This stone (saith saint Peter) was reproved, despised, and nought set by among men, but it was chosen of God, and set in honour, alluding to the words of the Prophet David. Psal. Cxvii. Lapidem quem reprobaverunt edificantes hic factus est in caput anguli. And also to the saying of the Prophet Isaiah. Ecce ponam in Zion lapidem summum angularem probatum electum preciosum. And because Saint Peter toucheth and speaketh first of the reproach of this stone, according to the words of the Psalm, and afterward of his exaltation and honour, according to the words of Esay, I will keep the same order and process in my declaration. Because that the mystical senses and understanding of the Scriptures, whether it be moral sense, allegory or anagogical sense, presupposeth a true literal sense on which they be grounded. Therefore because that the Prophets in their writings, and also the Evangelists in the Gospels, and also the Apostles Saint Peter and Saint Paul in their epistles, & Luke in the Acts of the Apostles, hath many times in mind this verse of the Psalm, Lapidem quem reprobaverunt edificantes, hic factus est in caput anguli. The stone which the builders reproved and cast by, it was made the head stone in a corner of the building. Was there any such stone in deed so set at nought, and cast by in the building of Salamons' temple, or in king David's palace in Zion, or in any such other notable building spoken of in the scriptures? Surely I think no, there was none such a stone, albeit the Hebrews hath an old tale, that when king David was well minded to build a temple for God to be honoured in, and was answered that he should not do that deed, because he was a blood sheder, and had done many battles, but that his son Solomon should do it, for he should be a quiet man, and a man of peace, and at rest and peace with all nations. The said king David prepared money, stones, and timber sufficient for the said buildings, and squared them, and polysshed them, and trimmed them accordingly, so that his son should lack nothing for that chargeable edifice and buildings, all this is true. Then say they moreover, that among the said stones that king David had provided, he saw by revelation one stone that would never be framed, set or laid handsomely in any place, and that therefore the builders would cast it by, & set nought by it, & yet at the last it should have a place at one corner in the top and highest part of the temple, there to be the very bond and key stone to join two walls together as one wall, & so they say, it was at the consummation & ending of the temple that Solomon builded. And of this revelation they say, the prophet had occasion to say, Lapiden quem reprobaverunt edificantes, hic factus est in caput an guli. But because this narration hath no evidence of scripture, it is not best to ground any scripture upon it, and specially this scripture that is so oft in mouth with our saviour Christ & with the evangelists, and in the Apostolical epistles. But we must take the said words of the psalm Lapidem quem repro. etc. spoken originally, and to the letter of our Saviour Christ self, and so he allegeth the same words. Mat. xxi. as spoken by himself after the parable of the good man that made a vineyard, and set it to labourers to dress it, and keep it, and when time came to gather the fruits, he sent his servants to gather the fruits, first one company, and after an other company, and these rude fellows the labourers in the vineyard took some of them that were sent to them and beat them, and clue some of them, so that at the last the good man was fain to send his own son, thinking that the unkind churls yet would be afraid to meddle with him, yet notwithstanding him they cast out of the vineyard or garden, and killed him also as they had done others that were sent among them afore. Now saith Christ, what will the said goodman the owner of the vineyard do to these farmers and labourers in the vinyeard that have done this mischief? They answered: The ill and naughty wretches he must destroy & put them to death, & must set forth his vinyeard to other tenants. And then because they should perceive & understand more by this son that the goodman sent among them, he allegeth this of the psalm, making for his purpose, saying: did you never read: The stone which the builders reproved and cast by, was made the head stone for the corner of the building? meaning that the goodmannes' son that was cast out of the vinyeard to be slain, and the stone that the builders reproved and cast by for nought, was all one. He was the only and dearest son of the father of heaven, whom the unkind jews cast out of the city of jerusalem, and led him to the mount of Calvary, the place of execution without the city, and there killed him, and even he was the stone that the builders cast by, and despised for a thing of nought, and yet afterward the same stone joined the two walls together as one wall, the jews and the gentiles, in the unity of one church: The builders that be here spoken of, were the scribes and the Pharisees, and learned men among the jews, which knew by the Scriptures that they had red, that Christ was the very anointed, that was so long afore promised of almighty God, by the mouths of his holy Prophets, for they saw all things that were spoken of afore, to be performed in the anointed that they looked for, performed in Christ in very deed. They saw the time that jacob in the blessing of his son judas appointed, & also Daniel the prophet spoke of to agree, & then put in effect & come in deed, that when that holy one of all holy ones should come, there should be no more kings anointed of the lineage of jude. For that time that christ came, Herode was their king an alien, an Idumey, descending of Esau, & not of They saw also his wondrous works and miracles above the power of any pure man to do. Their learning and the experience that they had of Christ's Godly power, and of his wisdom should have moved them to edify the people in the faith of Christ, they should have believed on him themself, and should have persuaded the people likewise to believe upon him, and to take him for the true Messiah, but they did clean contrary, perverting and misexpounding the scriptures that speak of him, and swading the people that he was but a dissembler, and that he was a tavern hunter, a wine drinker, a quaffer, a companion with the Publicans with whores & naughty livers. Like as a builder gathereth and joineth together stones and other matter or stuff to make a house, even so should they have gathered and laid in frame together the texts of Moses and of the Prophets, and such other Scriptures of the old Testament, applying them to Christ, of whom and by whom they were intended and spoken, that they so doing, might have builded the people as spiritual houses on Christ, as on the firm and sure rock or stone. Which they did not, but rather dissipate and scattered abroad the building, dividing the people into schisms and divers opinions of him, and rather not to be stablished on him, but to be clean shaken away from him. The blessed apostles, Evangelists, and holy doctors gathered together the texts and sayings of the holy scriptures as stones or timber or stuff to make up their audience, and build them as spiritual houses on Christ. And so doth saint Peter in this his letter that we have now in hand by the authority of David and Esay, declaring Christ to be the precious and best beloved stone that GOD had chosen, although men had reproved him, and set little by him, which yet notwithstanding he should be the hedstone to join together the jews and gentiles in one church. And not only then he was reproved of the builders of that time, the Scribes and Phariseis and their audiences and Scholars the carnal jews, but as well now adays he is reject and despised of many builders and Preachers, blaspheming and missaiing his godly and mighty power in many points, as far forth as they dare, for fear of the kings laws. And of this it cometh that so many miscreants and misbelievers so little regard the blessed and most reverend Sacrament of the Aultare, and also the Sacramental confession of sins unto a Priest, as though Christ were not able by his Godly power to make of bread and wine, his own flesh and blood, and to give power to a priest by his words to do the same likewise, Or as though GOD were not able by his officer to deliver men from the prison and bondage of their sins. They that by their preaching, reading, or teaching, sow such heresies among the people, they be naughty builders, they cast away the binding stone our Saviour Christ, that he may not join together all people in the unity of one faith, they scatter the stones, the authorities of the scriptures by their misunderstanding, and false interpretation, more than gathereth them to edify and build their audience on the lively and living stone our Saviour Christ. To all them that believe not well themselves on God, In quo & positi sunt, in whom we live and move, and be (as saint Paul speaketh) God hath made us and set us, and ordained us to believe upon him. And beside that offendeth in words against Christ, and against his blessed Sacraments after the manner aforesaid, our Saviour Christ is Lapis offensionis, & petra scandali. As saint Peter sayeth here, he is a stumbling Stone, such a one as men take harm of, and be aggrieved withal, not for occasion given of him, but by the pride of men's hearts, and sturdiness or hardness in not believing. The jews were offended and thought amiss of Christ because they saw him in the infirmity of his flesh. They saw him eat and drink, sleep, and labour as other men did. They knew his bringing up in youth, and where he was nursed, and who was his mother & who were his kinsfolks. This made a great meinie of them to shake him of, and in no wise to believe upon him, and by that this stone fell upon them, & all to crasshed them to nought. Quia super quem ceciderit lapis iste conteret enim. Math. xxi. On whom so ever this stone falleth, it will bray him and crash him. And in that place Christ sayeth, that some men falleth on this stone, and breaketh or hurteth themselves on it. And on others this Stone falleth and brayeth them or crassheth them as corn or other grain is brayed betwixt two mill stones, or in a querne. They that (conserving and keeping their faith) yet falleth sometimes to sin. They fall upon the stone, and taketh harm, and be hurt by their fall As when a christian man or woman not erring in the articles of our faith, yet by infirmity of the flesh, or by temptation of the devil falleth to sin, they fall on Christ this living Stone, and hurteth themselves right sore, bringing themselves in danger of death and damnation everlasting, and making themselves more unable to resist sin an other time, for the oftener thou sinnest, the more ready thou shalt be to sin again, and the more unable to resist temptation, but when a man or woman falleth to infidelity or to heresy, then far well. For this stone falleth upon them and breaketh them to dust and to ashen everlasting. Qui non credit iam iudicatus est. He that believeth not is judged already. The sentence is given and passed in the mind and foreknowledge of the judge our saviour Christ. Because that saint Peter saith here that Christ was Lapis offensionis & Petra scandali. The stone that men should take hurt by, and that by him men should take occasion to fall even as the prophets had said of him afore. And as the Gospels rehearseth of him likewise. I think it necessary to demore and tarry in the declaration of that manner of speaking of the Scriptures, and what is meaned by the same. Luke. two. It is written that when Christ's foster father, and Mary his mother presented him in the temple, as the law was. The holy and well disposed man simeon took him in his arms with great joy, because he knew it was he that should be the consolation and comfort of Israel. And he knew the time was then come, or very near hand, when Christ should come. He knew it also by revelation of the holy ghost that then moved him to go to the Temple, as it is there said. Et venit in spiritu in templum. Where after great joy of that he had seen, he then desired to be let go in peace, to die. And among other things, he said this plainly to mary the blessed Maid and mother of Christ, as a cordial, or rather a corrosive. Ecce positus est hic in ruinam & in resurrectionem multorum in Israel, & insignum cui contradiceretur, Et tuam ipsius animam pertransibit gladius. Lo (sayeth he.) This child is set to make men fall, and to make many men to rise among the people of Israel. And he is set as a sign or a mark that folk will countersay & speak against. And as for your part (said he) to Marry his mother, the sword of sorrow shall pierce your heart, which yet shall redound and turn to the comfort of many others. Here you see that this blessed man said that Christ should be the ruin of many a one, and such a one as should be countersaid and spoken against of many others. And. Mat. xi. When saint john Baptist sent two of his disciples to Christ to ask him a question for their learning, whether it was he that they looked for, that about that time they knew should come to save mankind, or whether they should look for another? Because they should not say as the jews were ever ready and wont to say. Tu de te ipso testimonium dicis, testimonium tuum non est verum. Thou bearest witness of thyself, thy witness is not true. Christ referred them to his works that by them he might allure them to believe upon him, knowing that the blind were made to see: The lame were made to go: The leprous be made clean, the deaf to hear▪ The dead were raised to life again, and that the poor were taught the Gospel and good tidings of life everlasting. And at last he said unto them. Beatus est qui non fuerit scandalizatus in me. Blessed is he that by me taketh none occasion to fall, or to offend. In which words Christ touched the messengers and many others by them. They saw him a mortal man as other were, they could scarce believe any Godhead in him, yet seeing that Christ knew their wan and faint believe, and the secrets of their hearts, this made them to have more affiance & believe upon him, for it is above the knowledge of a pure man to know the secrets of an other man's mind. They knew he spoke by them, & he knew they were offended by that they saw in him And not only these messengers of saint john, but also many a thousand others be offended by Christ, and by Christ's words every day. Because men see not the blood run about the priests fingers in the mass at the fractions of the Sacrament, they be so hard hearted, and so dull in believe, that they will not believe that Christ said, true when he said, this is my body, or my flesh and blood in the sacrament of the aultare because they perceive not by it as they do by other flesh and blood in the Shambles, not believing that Christ by his Godly power causeth and maketh his own flesh and blood there secretly under the form of bread and wine for to augment and increase the merit of our faith, which should be small or none, if we saw that with our bodily eyes that we see by the faithful eyes of our christian hearts. They that be addict and wedded to their carnal senses, their fy●e wits be offended and aggrieved to here, that they must believe that thing that they see not. And even so they judge by sacramental confession of sins, thinking men no more bound now to be confessed, neither any otherwise then to God, because that afore Christ's time when the sacrament of penance was not instituted nor ordained, it was enough to be confessed to god. But now that Christ hath appointed an other manner, somewhat more painful, men can scant be even with Christ, nor content with him. But have recourse backward, reculing to the jews custom, and forsake the way that Christ hath ordained to remit sins by penance, which is the only and necessary way to be saved for them that after the sincerity of baptism hath fallen to sin again. if they shall have opportunity to come to it. They that will not submit themselves to penance, so oft hearing the efficacity of that Sacrament, shall be condemned by the words of Christ, Mat. xii. Viri Ninivite surgent in judicio cum generatione ista & condemnabunt eam quia penitentiam egerunt in predication jone. The people of the great City of Ninive were greatly given to carnal pleasures, and to vicious living. Wherefore they were threatened that within forty days their city should be overturned and destroyed, yet by the preaching of jonas the prophet they did penance in sackcloth, in cloth of hear and ashes, and fasted both man and beast, as well the king and the nobility, as the common people. In contemplation whereof God was merciful, and turned his sentence of destruction into mercy and salvation. They did fruitful penance after their manner, and christian folk despise to do penance as is prescribed and taught them, and therefore the Ninivites shall condemn the christian folks at the day of judgement, and shall appear more just afore God, then christian people shall that will do no penance as they be taught to do. Thus Christ saith, but very few attendeth to his saying, or believeth it, and why? Because they be slandered or offended by Christ. Men see not Christ take the naughty livers and destroy them by and by, nor cast them into the fire afore their faces, but differreth it till the sinners be dead, or till the day of doom, of which men hear very oft, but they see it not, therefore they count it but tales. And because Christ forbeareth them till then, they care for no more, they care not what they do. They will believe no more than they see like as dull and brute beasts. And they regard not to come unto Sermons to hear the word of GOD declared, whereby they might learn to believe that they see not. And therefore the queen of Saba in the south part of the world shall rise in judgement and shall condemn you. Math xii. For she came even from the farthest and best part of lucky and fruitful Arabia, lying on the meridional Ocean in the uttermost part of the world unto Jerusalem to hear the wisdom and wise words of Solomon. And he whose words you may hear at Sermons, is much greater, and much wiser than ever was Solomon. It is almighty God and his increate wisdom, his only begotten son our Saviour jesus Christ, whose words far pass the wisdom of Solomon. She came many hundred miles to hear Solomon. You be so slothful and negligent that you be loath to come from the Bridge to the Trinityes to hear Christ's words. If you came from beyond Bedminster or Stapleton to hear God's word at every sermon at the trinities, yet your pains and labours should not be comparable to the pains & labours that this noble woman took to come to hear Solomon. Therefore at the terrible day of doom she shall be praised for her diligence, where christian people shall be condemned for their sloth and negligence. At Sermons (I say) you shall be taught to believe that you see not, as saint john's disciples (of which I spoke even now) were taught by the check that Christ gave them, saying: Blessed is he that is not offended by me. By which they perceived that Christ meaned by them that they were offended by him, not believing any godhead or Godly power to be in him, because they considered no more but the infirmity of the flesh, which they saw in him as in other men, but then perceiving that he knew their thoughts, this made them the more inwardly and earnestly to consider the miracles and marvelous works to which he referred them, and by that to take him as one far above a pure man according to saint john Baptistes expectation, for he sent them to Christ (as I said afore) to ask a question for their own learning, and not for his. For he doubted nothing what Christ was, nor of his power. And men that now a days giveth little credence to the commination and threatening that GOD giveth to the sinful people by the mouths of his preachers, being offended and taking occasion of ruin, and occasion of their hardness of heart in not believing, by God's longanimity and long sufferance, because they see not the stroke of God fall by and by, in that following the obstinacy of the old jews, for even so it was in old time. The Israelites believed not the holy prophets which were their preachers, because they saw not the punishments for sin come to pass afore their faces, that the prophets said would fall upon them. Therefore they made a mock of the prophet's words, saying in mockage. Manda remanda, manda remanda, expecta reexpecta, expecta, reexpecta, modicum ibi, modicum ibi. Esa. xxviii. For declaration whereof you must understand that when the holy Prophets would withdraw the people from vice and Sin, they used the word of Commandment (as saying) God sendeth you word and commandeth you, thus to do, and thus to say, and thus to live. And when they preached or prophesied of God's benefits that God would do for the people if they lived well, and according to his pleasure, they used the word of Expectation and looking for, as saying, if you keep his laws and commandments, you may surely look for plenty of corn and cattle, you may look for health of body, increase of issue, and to overcome your enemies, with such other temporal rewards, which most alured the carnal jews for their time. Yea, say the carnal jews mocking the prophets. Command & command again, command & command again, look for and look for again, look for and look for again. Modicum ibi modicum ibi, of your threatenings that you would have us to fear, & of your fair promises that we should look for, we see little here, we see little there. Therefore because you thus order yourself to the word of god & to his preachers (saith the pro. isaiah there) even as you said in your raising & mocking of God's word so it shall fall upon you, you shall command and cry for help and none shall you have, you shall command men to pray for you, and their prayers shall not be heard, you shall look for mercy and look again, and little or none shall you have here, and less shall you have there, none shall you have at all. Propter hocaudite verbum domini viri illusores. Hear the word of God you mocking men that make so light of the word of GOD in the preachers mouths, or in the divine service of the church, which is none other but the word of God. Dixistis nos percussimus fedus cum morte & cum inferno fecimus pactum flagellum inundans cum transierit non veniet super nos quia posuimus mendacium, spem nostram & mendatio protecti sumus. You have said or you order yourselves to gods word even as though you said thus. We have strick hands & made a liege or agreement with death: And we have made a covenant and a bargain with hell, we be agreed with death that he shall not take us, and with Hell that he shall not hurt us, we be agreed and be friends, we be not afraid of death nor of hell, we be safe enough. Therefore Flagellum inundans cum transierit non veniet supernos. When the scourge of GOD that over runneth all like as a flood runneth over a whole country (as the vengeance of God doth) it shall not fall on us nor hurt us, all that these common preachers saith, threatening us be but lies, we trust upon lies, and by liars and false flattering preachers that giveth us sweet words, and setteth us at liberty to live as we list, & promiseth fair to us, we be defended and safe enough. I think the prophet Esay saw our time in spirit, or else he could never so plainly have set forth and described our time. For how greatly men be slandered, that is to say, offended and taketh occasion to do naughtily by God's long sufferance and differing of his stroke, thinking all but fables and trifles that is spoken of Gods vengeance, and how little men regard his preachers taking all that they say for very trifles & mockage, it was never more in experience in Esays time, than it is in our time. Therefore the said prophet isaiah as for a redress of all these enormities of the old time showeth us a remedy (if it may be taken) speaking of the same stone that. s. Peter speaketh of here, & reciting the same sentence that. s. Peter grounded his saying on in the words of his eipstle which we have now in hand. Ecce ego mittam in fundamentis Sion lapidem angularen, lapidem probatum preciosum infundamento fundatum, qui crediderit non festinet. S. Paul. Ro. x. &. s. Peter here readeth. non confundetur. I will set in the foundation of Zion (by which is understand the Catholic church of Christ, which begun in Zion, where the holy temple was founded within the city of jerusalem) a corner stone, tried, and proved, and precious, laid in the foundation. Whosoever believeth on him, let him make no haste (saith the old text of Esay) shall not be ashamed sayeth. s. Peter, and also. s. Paul. And both cometh to one purpose: He that believeth on this stone our saviour Christ which is called a stone for his sureness and fastness, and steadfastness. Let him make no haste. s. querere retributionem. glow. inter. to have forthwith the reward for his believe. Let him make no haste to see by and by the threatenings of GOD'S words spoken by the Prophets or Preachers, nor to obtain and have by and by the rewards that God's word, promiseth unto them that do well and virtuously. It will not be had forthwith, as these, viri illusores, these mockers of God's word, would have it. But it is differred till the time when it shall do us more good, as God knoweth better than we do. And therefore believe, and at length thou shalt not be confounded, ashamed, or dismayed, according to the letter of saint Peter and also of saint Paul. And according to this saith the prophet. Expecta dominum viriliter age, & confortetur cor tuum & sustine domine. Tarry and look for our Lord God, play the man, & be not so childish as to believe nothing that is promised thee, except thou have it in hand forthwith. And then thy heart shall be comforted saith the prophet. Therefore sustain & bear with our lord And likewise the comminations & threatening for oppression, extortion, & such other misliving, that these mockers of God's word thinketh will never come because they see it not at hand, they shall then know, when they shall feel them in deed. Sola vexatio intellectum dabit auditui. Esay. Only the vexation when it cometh, will make you to understand that you have heard by the prophets and preachers. This Stone is proved and tried (saith Esay and also Saint Peter.) A mason when he shall work a stone. first he will prove whether it be sound or not, lest if it break when he hath laboured on it, his labour be all lost. He will assay the vain or grain with his axe, he will knock on it with his sledge hammer or mallet, and if it gerre & sound not well, he will cast it by, and not meddle with it. If it ring and sound close like a Bell, than it is for his purpose, good for his work. Christ was tried with knocks & many strokes, and yet he never gerred, nor spoke any word of anger or debate to them that struck him, no more than the Lamb doth when he is led to the slaughter house. Precious he was, & so precious, that with the price of his precious blood, he redeemed and bought that thing out of the devils hands that all the riches of the world could not buy again. He is laid & set in the foundation of the catholic church & yet nevertheless he is the headstone & the highest stone of the same, for he is the beginning & also the consummation & ending of our beatitude, of all our grace & goodness. And on him were leied & set the xii. apostles immediately & equally, according to the saying of the Apo. xxi, Murus civitatis habet fundamenta xii & in ipsis twelve nomina xii apostolorum agni. The wall of the heavenly city that. ●. john saw in his revelation & vision, had xii foundations, or foundation stones, and in them were the names of the xii. apostles, of the lamb our saviour Christ. And on them equally was founded, laid, and set the whole edifice and building of Christ's church. Thus saith. s. Jerome expressly. Primo contra iovinianum. And upon Christ as upon the principal foundation, and on them and their holy doctrine all Christ's church, the whole congregation of christian people, and every man an woman of the same must build as spiritual houses apt and able for almighty God to inhabit and dwell in. Saint Augustine deviseth this edifice of Christ's church, on Christ and on his apostles nobly well, saying: that when the foundation is laid here on earth, the walls be builded upon it, and the weight of the walls presseth and weigheth downward, because the foundation is beneath allow, but in asmuch as our foundation is in heaven, we must be builded upward toward heaven, and thitherward we must weigh and run, because we must follow the foundation, and lie on the foundation. The earthly building beginneth at the ground, for there lieth the foundation, but the spiritual foundation on is on high in heaven. Therefore thither toward him our spiritual building must ascend, that we may be such spiritual houses, as saint Peter exhorteth us to be, in the words of his epistle which I read now unto you. And that we all may be so, he grant us that for us died. Amen.   

¶ The seventh treatise or sermon.  
THe blessed Apostle Saint Peter prosecuteth this spiritual building that I spoke of in th'end of my last sermon, saying that we must be builded on this stone our saviour Christ as an holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by jesus Christ. Occasion of this saying saint Peter took of the saying of all mighty God by Moses, to the people of Israel Exod. nineteen. If you will hear my voice, and will keep my commandment, you shall be my peculiar and special people of all people: all the world is mine, et vos eritis mihi in rengnun sacerd otale et gens sancta ta. And I will have you a priestly kingdom and an holy nation. Alluding to this Saint Peter writeth here Vos autem genus electum regale sacerdo cium gens sancta populus acquisitionis. You be a chosen kindred, a princely or a kingly priesthood, an holy nation, a people that are won. This text cannot be negligently passed over, but must be earnestly looked on, specially because that at this text many men stumble and hurt themselves, taking occasion of heresy. Of this saying of almighty God in Exodo, and the rehearsal of saint Peter of the same text here in this place, they will prove (if they may) that all men and women be priests as well as they that be ordered by a bishops hands, because that saint Peter writ these words to all them that he had preached unto, & by them to us and to all other that shall come after till the worlds end, as well to women as to men of all degrees, and of all ages that were baptized and had taken upon them Christ's livery. All such saint Peter calleth regale sacerdotium, kings and priests: and to confirm their opinion they allege the saying of saint john in the first chapter of the apocalypse, where he speaketh of Christ, saying: Qui dilexit nos, & lavit nosa peccatis nostris in sanguine suo et fecit nos regnum et sacerdotes deo et parrisuo. He loved us and washed us from our sins in his blood, and made us a kingdom & priests to God and to his father. Of these authorities the Lutherians take an argument and occasion to confound and deface all good order of divine and human things, allowing the women to serve the altar, and to say mass while the men tarry at home, and keep the children and wash their rags and clothes: and aswell they might allow the women to be captains of their wars and to lead and guide an army of men in battle, while their husbands tarry at home to milk the Cow, and to serve the Sow, and to spin and card. To eschew such horrible confusion and misordring of the world that would offend honest ears to hear it, and to declare that if they well understood the texts alleged, they should find none occasion of such error. We must return to the said texts, and weigh the sayings of almighty God by Moses, to the people of Israel, and the sayings of S. Peter and saint john, so that we may conserve and keep that ordinate I herarchie and good order among people, that God would have us to keep, and that all the gospels and the Apostles letters be full of. Saint Ambrose in his first book de vocatione gentium, cap. iii. giveth us a very notable rule to expound scriptures, and it is the same rule in effect that Tichonius putteth for the third rule which he called de specie et genere, as S. Austin writeth iii. de doctrina Christiana. Saint Ambrose rule is this: In scripture many times that thing is said and spoken universally of the whole, which is verified and true only of the part. He putteth there many examples, of which some I will rehearse, leaving the other for to avoid prolixity and tediousness. The prophet saith in the psalm: Allevat dominus omnes qui corruunt et erigit omnes eli sos, Our Lord God taketh up all them that fall, and setteth up all them that be broken or bruised. By this text it seemeth that who soever falleth to sin, God setteth him up again, or if he be broken against the stone, (that I spoke of afore) by sin God setteth him on his feet again, which if it might be so understand and found true, then should never man nor woman be dampened, and then it might seem true that I said of the mockers of God's word that they had made a liege with death, and a covenant with hell, that neither death nor hell should hurt them. And our Saviour saith in the Gospel: Si exaltatus fuero a terra omnia traham ad me ipsum. As though he promised that when he was crucified, he would convert and draw to him all men and women of the world which is not yet performed, but many persist and continue in infidelity. And likewise in the negatives it is written in the psalm: Dominus de celo prospexit super filios hominum ut videat si est intelligens aut requirens deum, omnes declinaverunt simul inutiles facti sunt non est qui faciat bonum, non est usque ad unum. Psa. xiii. Our lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see whither there were ever a wise one, or one that sought for god, all be wried away, they be all together unprofitable, without fruit of good works. There is none that doth any good, no not so much as one. Likewise saith the Apostle. Phil. two. omnes que sua sunt querunt non que jesu Christi. All men seek for their own profit, and not those things that be for Christ's pleasure. Here be hard sayings if they be not helped by the rule that saint Ambrose teacheth us to remember when we expound scriptures. The rule is this: The scripture speaketh many times of the whole meaning, but the part of the same, as speaking of the whole world meaneth but part of the same, and speaking of all men, meaneth but part of them. Or as the Logition speaketh in such sayings of the scriptures, there may be understand distributio pro generibus singulorum, non pro singulis generum, vel econuerso. As when the prophet said: that God taketh up to him all that fall down. For of all them that falleth, he taketh up some, and leaveth the other in their filth & mire. And when Christ said that when he should be exalted on the cross, he would draw all the men & women of the world unto him, for in deed of all parts of the world some he drew unto him. Likewise the prophet said: all be wried away, because that aswell of the jews as of the Gentiles a great meany declined to idolatry and to other vices, so that among such as declined and wried away, there was scant one found good & profitable, that would convert and turn again Where Saint Paul saith that all seek their own profit, and no man seeketh for that Christ would have them to seek for, surely true it is that among all men a great many there be such, and even so (saith saint Ambrose) we must understand the saying of saint Peter that we have now in hand, taken of the saying of almighty God by Moses to the people of Israel, you be a chosen kindred, kings and priests, the whole for the part, for of the multitude of Christian people there were and be kings, and of that multitude should be elect and made priests, and not that all the multitude that saint Peter or saint john writ unto men and women were all and every one of them priests, no more than they were all kings, and yet they be equally called aswell kings as priests. Were they all elect and chosen? were they all holy? were they all won and gotten as a vantage to God, to preach and declare the virtue and power of God that called them from darkness unto his marvelous light of grace & of his holy gospel? All this Saint Peter here reporteth of them that he called kings and priests, and yet a great multitude of them, & after until our time, and now in our time (God knoweth) showeth little that they be called to that wondrous and marvelous light, but rather chooseth to lie in blind darkness, and be gladder to hear and learn such lewd and foolish plays & lewd lessons as may keep them still in their blindness▪ Qui aliquando non populus dei, nunc autem populus dei qui non consecuti misericordiam, nunc autem misericordiam consecuti. To them saint Peter saith here, that some time they were not God's people, but now they be God's people, which is to be understand of part of them, & not of the whole number. And so is the other saying to be understand that where sometime they lacked God's mercy, now they have gotten gods mercy, which in deed the election or they that God knew for his own hath gotten, where they that be reprobate and naughty and vicious hath it not. In like manner we say that tribus juda, was tribus regia. The family or house of juda, was the house of kings among the people of Israel, yet they of that house were not all kings, although the kings of jerusalem were of that house ever after Saul till Herode the first usurped, coming in by intrusion by the power of the Emperor of Rome. We say also that tribus levi erat tribus sacerdotalis, the family, house, or issue of Levi was the house of priests, for there should none be priests by Moses law, but only of that tribe, yet for all this saying, which is true, they were not all priests that were of the tribe or kindred although they were all ministers in the temple in some office higher or lower in the same. Even so the Apostle calleth us kings and priests, for of Christian people there be, and hath be, and shallbe some kings and some priests, for if a man would eagerly and frowardly by these texts of the Apostles, prove all Christian people to be priests, he must by the same grant that all Christian men and women be kings, which a madman would not say, and so he should be worse than mad, except they would transfer the name of kings to a spiritual understanding, calling them kings that can rule their own passions, affections, and sensual appetites, which to do is a princely point, and a part of a noble man. prover. xvi. Melior est patiens viro forti & qui dominatur animo suo expugnatore vrbium Better is the patient man, than he that is strong of body: and he that ruleth his own will, is more to be esteemed, than he that conquereth towns and countries. For the conquest of towns and countries is outfurth, the other is inward, when a man's heart overcometh itself, and subdueth himself unto himself, which the conquerors commonly do not, but rather be overcome of their own concupiscence, ambition and covetousness. Well, if ye will take kings in such a spiritual signification, than I pray you be content to take the name of a priest in a like spiritual sygnifycation, and so let us call all them priests that be the spiritual members of the high Priest our saviour jesus Christ by part taking of his priesthood.  
And then like as they that be spiritually kings, be not kings anointed with material oil, for the office of a king, as all kings were by the old law, and also be now adays in the time of grace neither hath like authority, might, and power over realms and countries, as such kings hath. Even so you must understand of the mystical and spiritual priests, and their priesthood, that it is not of such authority, efficacity and strength, as is the priesthood of them that by material oil and imposition of the bishops hands be consecrate and made priests for such offices as almighty God by his scriptures hath assigned to them, of which I shall speak anon. This spiritual priesthood is no more but our baptism, or Christendom, in which we be anointed with that oil of gladness the holy Ghost, given us at our baptism, which Christ had pre consortibus suis afore and above all us his coparteners. And of his plenty of that grace of the holy Ghost we take our part after such measure as it pleaseth him to distribute unto us. And after this manner saint Peter here willeth us to be builded on the living stone as spiritual houses, and as a holy priesthood offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to god by jesus Christ. And this priesthood is common to all men, as well lay men as priests. And Saint Iherome in his dialogue contra luciferianos calleth this sacerdotum Laicum the lay priesthood indifferent to all men and women that be christened, & their spiritual sacrifices that they offer be proporcionable to their priesthood as the sacrifice of justice, the sacrifice of laud and praise of god, the sacrifice of prayer and such other, as be common to all manner of good men and women: And such as saint Paul Rom. xii. prayeth every person to offer to God, saying: obsecro vos per misericordiam dei ut exhibeatis corpora vestra hostiam sanctam viventem deo placentem. I pray you for the mercy of God, that you give your bodies as an holy host, as a living sacrifice pleasant to almighty God by our saviour jesus Christ. These be the spiritual hosts that saint Peter speaketh of here, and these be every man and woman's sacrifices that will show themselves to be of Christ's faith and belief, and these be made acceptable to God by the merits of our saviour jesus Christ, on whom we believe. By this you may judge how far wide from this general lay priesthood, and from the sincerity of their Christendom they be that will neither sacrifice to God justice or righteous dealing, but useth all oppression, extortion, theft and bribery, neither will give to God the sacrifice of laud, praise, and thanks, but rather blasphemy to God's reproach, and to his despite, and will not use prayers in the church nor in other places, but rather with their babbling in the church, and mocking of divine service letteth and hindereth other men from their prayers, and from attending and hearing gods service. They give not their bodies as a holy sacrifice to God, but rather as a stinking sacrifice to the flesh & to the devil, not lively but sinful and deadly, not pleasant, but as an instrument of mischief, displeasant to God and man. There is an other priesthood which is one of the seven sacraments, called the order of priesthood, far above the foresaid lay priesthood in dignity and in authority. This order and dignity of priesthood our saviour Christ gave to his disciples after his last supper when he took bread in his hands, and converted it into his body by these words saying: This is my body. And taking the cup with wine in his hands, he said: This is my blood. And consequently he said to his disciples: Hoc facite in meam come morationem, do you this that I have done, and so doing remember me: where he gave them authority to consecrate bread and wine into his blessed body and blood as he had done. And in this he gave them power on himself, and on his own very body and blood, in which consisteth the chief office of a priest, and giving them power to consecrate that most reverend sacrament of the altar, he made them priests, and with all in so doing, he instituted and ordained the sacrament of order. And after his glorious resurrection, 〈◊〉 gave unto the said Apostles power and jurisdiction upon his mystical body, that is, the church or multitude of Christian people. When he came in among the Apostles, the doors of the chamber being fast shut●●, and said unto them: Pax vobi● peace be among you, and then he breathed upon them and said: Take you the holy Ghost, whose sins you forgive, shall be forgiven, and whose sins you retain and not forgive, shall be retained and not forgiven. And as the Apostles took their order of priesthood at Christ's hands, giving them the holy ghost, by which they had authority on his own body, and also on his mystical body which is the church and the multitude of Christian people, so the Apostles by imposition and laying their hands on such as they chose for to be priests or bishops made them priests, giving them authority to consecrate Christ's body and blood, and to minister the sacrament of penance, forgiving sins, and retaining sins as they see it necessary, and likewise to minister all other duties of a priest. The holy Ghost spoke to the ministers of the church that were in Antiochia: Segregate mihi Saulum et Bar●●●am in opus ad quod assumpsi eos. Act. xiii. And it followeth, tunt ieiunantes & orantes imponentes▪ que eis manus dimiserunt eos. With fasting & praying and laying their holy hands on Saul (afterward called Paul) and on Barnabas they ordered them priests, and sent them forth to execute priests offices. Saint Paul writeth unto his scholar Timothe: Noli negligere gratiam que in te est, que data est tibi per propheciam cum impositione manuum presbiterij. i Timo. iiii. Be not negligent in the grace that is given thee by prophecy, with leing the priests hands upon thee. prophecy he called here (after Saint Ambrose) the election by which he was chosen as one that should be a meet Minister and teacher in Christ's Church. And such prophecy is used, or should be used to this day in making of priests, where the bishop or his sufficient depute sitteth upon oppositions of them that shall be made priests where he ought to have mature and discrete examination aswell of his manners and conversation, as of his learning, oportet autem illum testimonium habere bonum ab hijs qui foris sunt. i Timo. iii. He ought to have good report of the infidels (saith saint Paul) & then much more he ought to have good report of the layfe, that be neither priests nor ministers of the church, upon which examination if the bishop and his officers think him meet to be a priest, they set him forth to the bishop's hands to take orders. This allowing of his living and of his learning, with hope that he will so continue and increase in goodness, is it that S. Paul in this place calleth prophecy. Imposition of the bishop's hands, hath with it concurring certain holy words, by which words he (as I said afore) is confirmed, made strong and able to exercise that he was chosen to, taking authority by which he may be bold to offer sacrifices to God in Christ's steed. And because of the peril that is in making unworthy priests, S. Paul warneth Timothe i Tim. v. Manus cito nemini imposueris, neque communicaveris peccatis alienis, Where s. Paul with a contestation as Timothe should answer afore God and our saviour Christ, and his elect Angels of heaven commandeth him that he be not to easy and light to set his holy hands on any man to promote him to that ecclesiastical dignity of priesthood, because he will nothing to be done in giving orders without a foresight and a fore judgement, lest peradventure if he be found reprovable and vicious, the bishop that promoted him, may repent his deed, and also lest he be contaminate & partaker of the vices of him that he hath ordered, because he hath suffered him so lightly to pass his hands without sufficient trial of his living. Many other authorities of scripture, and specially of S. Paul I could rehearse, in which it doth evidently appear how prescise he is in the said order of priesthood, and how it doth surmount the other common anointing, by which all they be anointed that be christened (as I said) for though all they that be anointed at their baptism be embrued with the holy ghost, yet by imposition of the bishop's hands on him that is ordered with the holy words concurrent with the same, the holy ghost is given to a priest for to give him authority an higher office that every man may not attain to: As for to consecrate the body and blood of our saviour Christ in the most reverend sacrament of the altar, & to minister other sacraments, and specially the sacrament of penance, which in this holy time all well disposed good christian people run to, as to the necessary remedy to save their souls. Here I should more largely demore and tarry on this sacrament of penance, but that I remember that here afore declaring those words of S. Peter in the first chapter, secundum misericordiam suam magnam regeneravit nos in spem vivam. I touched that matter sufficiently.   

¶ The viii treatise or sermon.  
CHarissimi obsecro vos ranquam advenas et peregrinos abstinere vos a carnalibus desiderijs que militant adversus an●mam. etc. These words which immediately followeth the process that I preached of in my last sermon on saint Peter's epistle, be red in the church this present Sunday for the epistle in the Mass, where in contemplation of that he had said immediately afore, that they were sometime not the people of God, but rather Idolaters and the people of the devil, and that now they were the people of God, converted to the belief on one God and on our Saviour Christ by hearing the preaching of Christ's gospel, and that sometime they were without God's mercy, and that now they had obtained his mercy. By reason of this he calleth them very well-beloved, and as his well-beloved children and friends he entreateth them to use virtue and to give to all them among whom they should be conversant example of holy conversation and living. And afterward he exhorteth them to due subjection toward their heads and rulers. I beseech you (saith he) as Strangers and pilgrims to keep yourselves from carnal desires which fight against the soul. This obsecration or beseeching signifieth a certain vehemency in desiring as it were for God's sake, or for the love of our Lady, or of all the saints of heaven, or for their faiths sake, by which they trusted to be saved, of which he had spoken much afore. So he prayeth them, and not after the imperious commanding of Bishops & their officers, which yet have not all laid away the lowering brows of the Pharisees. Not that I deny but that bishops and their discrete officers may command them that be of their jurisdiction to do the thing that is conformable to God's commandment, and if the contumacy & sturdines of the party proceed so far that they will not be reform by reason, & by fayremeanes, then to compel them by the censures of the church to amend their lives, as saint Paul did by the notorious adulterer that kept his own mother in law to paramour in Corinth. And he bid Titus ii Hec loquere & exhortare et argue cum omni imperio, that he should rebuke them that be sturdy and fauty with all authority to command, albeit when desiring or beseeching may serve, it doth best beseem a prelate or a curate, & therefore S. Paul writing to his scholar and loving friend Philemon, saith: Multam fiduciam habens imperandi tibi, quod ad rem pertinet propter charitatem magis obsecro. I may be bold to commannd the to do the thing that shallbe for the profit of th● soul, but yet for the love that I have to thee, I had leaver pray thee to be good to Onesimus thy servant. And even so S. Peter might have been bold to command them that he wrote unto, but he had leaver desire them as strangers & pilgrims We call them strangers that dwell not in their own country, but in a strange place. So saint Peter willeth us to count ourselves as not at home in our own country, because that by the fault of our first parents we be banished from Paradise, which God gave us to dwell in, and be come into this vale of misery and sorrow, not to live delicately, and to take our pleasure, but to take pain and sorrow, and to do penance, and not to settle ourselves on worldly wealth and pleasures here, but to go forth like pilgrims or wai faring men, considering that we have no steady and permanent city here, but that we seek for an other, the city of heaven above. Like as Saint Paul speaketh of Abraham, Isaac and jacob, and others. Heb. xi. which abiding in the land of Canaan, and had not received the promises made unto them, confessing that they were Pilgrims and strangers upon earth, signifieth that they seek for a better habitation and dwelling place, that is to say, the country of heaven above. An old use hath perverted the name of a pilgrim, because folk were wont to go from place to place to honour saints in places dedicate for their honour, and to kiss their images, and they only in times past were called Pilgrims, therefore now men think the proper signification of this word Pilgrim to be none other but such as goeth about such devotions, but his signification is more general, it signifieth a wayfaringe man or woman that abideth not still in one place, but removeth from place to place, till at the last he may come to his journeys end where he would be, and in such case we be, never at rest, but ever labouring through the troublous storms of this world, to come to our inheritance and dwelling place that God hath made for us, and that our saviour Christ by his blessed blood is entered in afore us, to make us room. And therefore let us do as wise pilgrims do when they intend to take a great journey upon them. They dispose such goods as they have, and set them in safe custody, and provideth for their family or household. We know not when we shall be called to take this far journey out of this world into an other world, as long as we be here, we be ever onward, and entered on this journey. Therefore it is necessary that we bestow our goods on charitable works, so setting them in safe custody, and that we order our family, that is to say: all the powers of our bodies and of our souls, providing for them accordingly, as the man did that took his journey into a far country. Mat. v. He called his servants and delivered them his goods So must we give to some of our family .v. talents to be well occupied against our lords return when he shall come to the judgement to sit on our audite: our body must be charged with .v. senses, which we call our five bodily wits They must be well employed, well spent, & well ordered: So that we close them up against all things that shall be contrary to God's pleasure. That our ear hear no ill words, that our eye see no unhonest thing▪ that our mouth delight not in things that be to sweet & delicate, nor speak any filthiness, neither any lies. And that we open the same our senses to all things pertaining to God's pleasure, that our ear do gladly hear the word of God, and divine service, and all communication of honesty. And that we conform our eyes and our mouth likewise to such honesty▪ To the second Servant that is Reason, we must give science and knowledge, in which he may exercise itself, and have delection in that is good and may detest and eschew that is ill. To the third servant that is our Will, we must give one talon, that is the love of god, & we must beware, lest when we have this talon committed unto us, we dig an hole in the ground and in the same hide the money of our Lord in earthly and worldly things, as the proud man in excellency and authority, superfluous and gay apparel, And the covetous man in worldly wealth and riches. And the lecherous man in delectation of the flesh. second, a pilgrim must take diligent heed that he keep the way toward his country, the way of the commandments of GOD that he lose not that way. And if peradventure he go out of that way, he had need of Penance to reduce him into the right way by the direction of grace, which commonly is conferred and given to all Penitentes. third, a pilgrim had need to beware that he make not too long tarrying by the way, but daily keep his days journeys, proceeding from virtue to virtue, like as a Bee tarrieth not still on one Flower, but flieth from Flower to flower, to gather her Wax and Honey. Virtue doth strengthen our Souls in the exile and banishment of this world.  
fourth, in as much as the whole life of a good christian man is Desire, therefore although a pilgrim by reason of his body be in the way, yet by his mind he should be ever in his country, having his mind upon Heaven, and ever desiring the same. And therefore Christ teacheth us thus to pray, Adueniat regnum tuum, We desire that thy Kingdom may come. fift, a pilgrim should not over load himself with superfluities, but only with such things that shall be necessary for his way i Timo. vi. Habentes alimenta & quibus tegamur his contenti simus. Having meat, and drink, and cloth, let us be so content. sixth, a pilgrim should not strive and vary, nor go to law with them that be borne in the country where he traveleth, that is to say: with worldly persons, as Cicero saith i offi. Perigrini est minime curiosum esse in re publica aliena. The office of a Pilgrim is not to be to busy in a strange comminaltye, but must suffer mocks and other hurts as they of the country will do unto him. We shall find in our way many flattering Hosts, and Hosteses, and divers wanton Tapsters that will entice us by their good cheer to tarry still with them, and so for to spend ourselves and our goods among them. Saint Peter telleth us what they be, and biddeth us beware of them. Carnal desires he calleth them or fleshly lusts, and biddeth us abstain from them, because they fight against the soul. The flesh desireth ease, the flesh desireth new knacks with change of pleasures. The flesh desireth sweetness of tasting and of touching. By the flesh I mean carnal men and women given to follow the inclination of the body. For the first, the flesh would have rest, and abhorreth pain and labour, and had liefer rust for sloth and idleness, then to shine fair and bright with labour. The ploughman's share or coulter of his plough if it be well occupied it showeth fair and bright and doth much good, if it lie unoccupied in a corner, it rusteth and cankereth to nought, and doth no man good. So with labour a man shall be shining and bright afore God and man, and shall do much good where the slothful man shall be ever unprofitable and nothing set by, like the wevyll in the corn, and a very spill pain. The scripture speaketh shame of him. Eccle. xxii. In lapide luteo lapidatus est piger & omnes loquentur super aspernationem illius. The slothful person is stoned with a stone of mire, and every man shall speak of the shame that he shall be put to, where by the hardiness of the stone & the filthiness of the mire, is signified the hard and vile punishment that the idle person shall sustain. And the same sentence is aggravate by that cometh after in the same chapter, De stercore boum lapidatus est piger & omnis qui tetigerit eum excutiet manus. The slothful shall be stoned with ox dung, and every man that toucheth him shall shake his hands from the filth. Every man that is conversant with him, and partaker of his vice, must needs make clean his hands, and make amends by penance. The same text is otherwise expounded, understanding by the oxen the preachers of the word of God, according to the saying of Moses. Non alligabis os bovi trituranti in horreo. which saint Paul understandeth of the preachers which ought not to have their mouths mouselled or so bound up, but that they may take their sustenance and living by their preaching: then by the dung of these Oxen may be understand the sharp and hard reprehensions by which they rebuke such dull and idle sluggards, with such ox dung the slothful sluggard must be stoned and beaten as is abovesaid. And he must be served like an ill willy bondman or servant. servo malivolo tortura & compedes mitte illum in operationem ne vacet. Eccle. xxxiii. He must have sore punishment and prisonment by the heel's, and must be set to work lest he be idle. Multam enim malitiam docuit ociositas. For idleness is chief masters of all vices, and of all malice and mischief. And where this vice of sloth and idleness is greatly to be feared of all christian people, yet most of the nobility, which be most idly brought up in youth, and therefore it will be hard for them to leave it in age. secondly I said the flesh would take pleasure with wanton knacks, raiment of the new trick, with curious and costly change of the same, And with new inventions of learning, never content with the old, be it never so good, but ever vaging and roving curiously for new and new. It delighteth in bawdy songs, unhonest and filthy plays, or pageants, interludes of schisms, dissension, & heresies, which carnal men & women be gladder to follow, & to pay money to hear their own bane & very poison to their souls them to come to hear a sermon for their soul's health which they may have here many times by the kings provision, and cost them nothing. They be also curious, busy, and inquisitive to hear news of their neighbours livings, and communelie lighteth more on men's vices (if any be) then on their virtues, and be ready to publish them and blast them abroad, and to make all matters worse, rather than to amend them, and make them better, uncharitably, and very devillyshelye. This curious and busy roavinge of men's fancies about diversities of things, shall never satiate nor please a man, but rather a man by such new fangleness is made more hungry and more greedy, and never content. For the wise man saith. Non saciatur oculus visu nec auris auditu impletur. Eccle. i. There is nothing by saying or hearing in this world, that can fully satiate the appetite of man. But by the sight, and by the hearing man is rather stirred and moved, to desire yet more and more. Therefore Optimum est gratia stabilire cor. Hebre. xiii.  
best it is every man to pray for grace, and by grace to stay his heart as a ship is stayed by the Ancre for fear of crasshinge. For commonly these curious and busy meddling wits after they have long roved, they fall upon some noyful fantasy that pleaseth them for the time, & there they settle their hearts to their own confusion and worldly shame, with danger of damnation everlasting. third, the flesh that is to say, carnal people, desireth the sweetness of tasting and touching. Of tasting, as of delicate and pleasant meats and drinks, and the sweetness of touching, as bracing and kissing, and consequently, of the works of lechery. Of all these saith saint Paul. Si secundum carnem vixeritis moriemini. If ye live after these desires of the flesh, you shall die for ever. For they fight like cruel Soldiers against the salvation of our Souls. And saint Paul. Gala. v. Caro concupiscit adversus spiritum, spiritus autem adversus carnem. Hec enim sibi invicem adversantur ut non quecunque vultis illa faciatis. The flesh coveteth and would fain have against the Spirit, and the spirit against the flesh, for these be enemies one to another, so that you may not do the things that you would do. As he saith also. Rom. seven. The good thing that I would do, I do not, but the ill that I hate, that I do. I delight in the law of God by my inner man, but I perceive a law or an inclination in my limbs of my body that haileth me like a bond man into the law of sin. And in the same chapter he saith, I myself by my mind serve the law of God, but by my flesh I serve the law of sin. A wondrous thing it is, that there should be such a continual battle and deadly conflict in man, betwixt the soul and the body, in which commonly the body, that is the worst part of man, hath the over hand and the better side. And the soul very foolishly taketh pleasure in the body, which is his mortal enemy, and would bring him to naught. Might not he be counted a fool that would make merry in his mortal Enemies house, and would there spend himself, his money, and his time as his foe his host would have him do? And yet it is a marvel how this may be, that the body and the soul should be enemies, or that betwixt them should be any conflict or strife, for as saint Cyprian saith. In prolo▪ li. de operibus christi. The soul useth the limbs and members of the body, as a smith useth his hammer or an veld as his tools to work with, then what enmity can be betwixt them, more than is betwixt the workman and his tool? And also considering that the body is as it were the shop in which the soul worketh all thing that he wil There he formeth and fashioneth the similitudes and images of all filthiness and of all malicious drifts. The body is not the doer or causer of the sin but the soul, for to him is given free liberty of will, by which he may have delectation and consent to prosecute the sin, or to skip back from it, and to avoid it. The body (you know) when the soul is gone is without any sense, & is meet for no use, but is a very stinking lump of earth and carrion. Therefore (saith S. Cyprian) when we say that the flesh or the body fighteth against the soul & the soul against the body, it is unproperly spoken. Quia solius anime lis ista est que secum rixatur & cum proprio arbitrio litigat. This contention is only of the soul, which striveth with itself & with his own liberty within itself. The manner followeth there. Desiderii sui veneno mens ebria corpus contumeliis applicat, & iunctis complexibus ambo in mortiferas suavitates elapsi obdormiunt. The mind as it were being drunk with the poison of his own desire, applieth and setteth the body to despiteful and naughty works, and so the body and the soul embracing themselves, slippeth into mortal pleasures both together, and sleepeth in them. But when they awake, and the deed is past, & they remembreth themselves, most commonly the horror of their sin maketh them confused & ashamed. And ever such a vengeance or correction followeth the sinner, that when he hath taken to much and surfeited in his own lusts, he vometeth and braketh it out upon himself, as it were one angry and weary of himself, and of his naughty doing: God hath so provided for the sinner, that he shall be his own scourge. And this is comen in all sins, except Avarice (sayeth saint Cyprian) in which it doth not so well appear, for the covetous person is never weary of gathering and heaping goods together, that he may sacrifice to his Idol mammon the God of Avarice and ambition, he is never ashamed whether it be his own, or other men's, so that he may by catching and scraping get it to him. And therefore it is a very true saying: Omnibus viciis senescentibus sola avaritia invenescit. When all vices wax old, covetise only waxeth young again. Conuersationem vestram inter gentes habentes bonam. etc. Where Saint Peter exhorteth them that he writ to, and us by them, that they should be of good conversation among them that they dwelled among that where they rail and backbite you, saying evil of you, calling you fools, because you leave their superstitions and idolatry, calling you malefactors, and naughty livers, reputing the sorrow and pains that you suffer, to be inflict and laid upon you for your sins and ill living. Yet when they do consider you and weigh your conditions by the good works that they see you use, they may glorify and laud God at the day of their visitation, when God shall visit their Souls by his grace to take example of your good living, and to follow the same, and by example of you to convert themselves to the faith that you be of. Here you may note how the blessed Apostle esteemeth good example giving, it is the thing that is necessary for all men that will be saved for their own part. And it is the occasion and cause of the salvation of all others with whom they be conversant. And the glory in heaven shall be exceedingly increased by the confluence and coming thither of them that have been converted to virtue by occasion of thy good example: where contrary, evil example giving shall damn him that giveth it. We homini per quem scandalum venit. Woe, that is, damnation everlasting shall come to him that giveth occasion of ruin or of sin, and shall damn all them that by this evil example take occasion of sin, and by their damnation the pains of the evil example giver, shall be grievously increased, when he shall meet with them in Hell, that shall come thither by his example giving. This knew full well the rich glutton that was buried and laid in Hell, when he desired Abraham to send one home to his brethren and their families, to bid them amend their lives that they come not here. This desire came of no charity, for in Hell is no charity, but it was only for the cause aforesaid. He knew well that the evil example that he had given them by his life time to eat and drink, to revel and riot, to go gorgeously and in fine, soft; and rich apparel, to follow the lusts of the flesh, to use cruelty, oppression, and extortion in the country to gather riches as he had done, should bring them thither to him, to the great cumulation & increase of his sorrow, and so for his own ease he willed them well, for fear lest by their damnation, he should have more sorrow and pain in hell. Saint Peter likewise in these words showeth us that although commonly, Cum sancto sanctus eris, & cum perverso perverteris. With the holy, a man shallbe holy, and with a froward sinner, a man shall be naughty and sinful, for like maketh like. Yet the other is not impossible that the naughty may live among the good, and the good may live among the evil. For judas was nought with Christ, and with the other of the Apostles that were good. And Abraham, Isaac, jacob, joseph, job, Thoby, and such others, were very good among them that were nought. Even as you see in natural example. A goodly Rose springeth up among the thorns, and a goodly Oak among the rughe briar bushes. A candle giveth best light in the dark, and the Stars showeth fairest in the night. If your conversation shall be seen good to them that you shall dwell among, you must beware of the vii faults that be spoken of. prover. vi. Se● sunt que odit Dominus, & septimum detestatur anima eius. There be two things that our Lord hateth, and the seventh his mind abhorreth. You must beware you have not Oculos sublimes, high looks, by manifest signs setting forth your pride, it will be long afore any such allure men to goodness by their example, but rather men shall hate them, and also their conditions, few men can well agree with them, Linguam mendacem, You must be no liars, but to have a true tongue in your head, and not accustomed to pernicious and perilous lies who will set by such a liar, or learn any good by his evil example. Manus effundentes sanguinem innoxium. An homicide or murderer, that will kill or procure the death of them that be innocent and have not offended. Cor machinans cogitationes pessimas. He that hath a venomous heart, ever studying to hurt his neighbour. Such an heart must needs now and then burst out and show itself, it will no more be kept in, than fire covered under straw, which must needs burst out in one place or an other. Pedes veloces ad currendum in malum, Ever ready to do harm and to hurt their neighbours, as when they perceive a man prone and ready to anger, with him they will be doing, as thinking it is a good sport to kindle him & make him angry & to make him fight & brawl, or to blaspheme god, neither regarding the death of their brother, nor the despite of God. He that hath burned a poor man's house thatched with straw, might think he had grievously offended, than you may be sure that he hath not a little offended that hath burned God's house, his even christian. And even such they be that provoketh others to drunkenness, or to any other vice, ever running and ready to do shrewd turns. And as Titus the noble Emperor Vespasians son was wont to say, that he had lost the day, when peradventure in the day he had not done some man good. Amici, hody diem perdidi, quia nemin● benefeci. So, contrary they think the day lost in which they have not done some man hurt, either by backbiting men or slandering them railing or mocking them, or picking and stealing from them, or otherwise. Proferentem mendacia testem fallacem. Where afore the wiseman had reproved generally a lying tongue, Here he reproveth specially the liar, that will in open judgement give false testimony and witness, both to hurt his neighbour, and also to pervert justice, which is hurt to the common wealth. The seventh and worst of all which God abhorreth, is Qui seminat inter fratres discordiam. He that soweth discord and debate among brethren. We be all brethren in God, and GOD would have us to love like brethren, to agree in one mind and one will in God like brothers, to agree in opinions, Vt idipsum dicatis omnes & non sint in vobis scismata. That one saith, an other should say, without schisms, diversities of minds in things concerning our faith, ceremonies, and usages of Christ's church, of such diversity of opinions commonly followeth dissension and debate betwixt neighbour & neighbour, by which the unity of the church, the unity of the congregation of Christ's people is dissolved and cast asunder, which GOD most desireth to have kept and knit together by the bond and knot of charity, and abhorreth the contrary. If we eschew and avoid all these seven, our conversation shall seem good to them that we occupy withal, and dwell among, so that when they consider our good works, they may take example of the same, and have a cause to say well by us, and to glorify God by us, which shall (through Christ's help) return to the common comfort of us all in heaven. Amen.   

The ninth treatise or Sermon.  
SVbiecti igitur estote omni human creature propter deum. In these words which I have taken to declare unto you. saint Peter willeth us to give example of due subjection and humility, which is the mother and keeper of virtues. Be you subject (saith he) and lowly to all manner of men constitute and set in authority over you, whether they be faithful or infidels, as most part of them were at that time, under whom they lived that. s. Peter wrote his epistle unto, in the countries rehearsed. Pontus, Galatia, Capadotia, etc. This we must do, not only for fear of punishment, but rather for discharge of conscience, because it is gods will we should so do. Witnesseth. s. Paul: Ro. xiii. Non est potestas nisi a deo, & qui potestati resistit dei ordinationi resistit. There is no power but it cometh of god, & therefore he that resisteth power & authority of office resisteth god's ordinance & so worketh toward his own damnation. Sive regi quasi presellenti. As well to the King as chief ruler in his realm, in all temporal authority, as to dukes and other captains or officers sent from him to do vengeance, punishment, and correction, on malefactors and evil doers, and to the laud and praise of them that be good. saint Peter knew no precellencye or excellency over a whole realm, bearing the sword of justice, and having the execution of justice over all his subjects, but in the king whom he calleth Precellent, which I take for a more magnificent and noble term then Excellent. Example. In an university many be excellent clerks, as it were out of the common sort, & passing a great meinie of them that be learned, but none may well be called precellent but he that passeth them all in learning. So in authority he is Precellent that passeth all other power and authority, which in his own realm, and in the administration of justice over his own subjects, is only the king, & therefore from him is derived the ministration of justice to all inferior justiciers, judges, & justices. The authority of a king over his subjects is well set forth iii Esd. iiii. O viri num precellunt hoies qui terram & mare obtinent. O sirs be not those men Precellente & highest of all in might & power, that keepeth both the land & sea, and all that is in them. Rex autem super omnia precellit. Such is the King, for he is highest, & over all, and is lord of them. Here he useth the word Precellent, which. s. Peter useth. Et oia quecunque dix erit illis faciunt. Al that the king biddeth them do they do And if he send them to his army in his wars, they go, and there they pull down hills and make plain ground, castles and towers, they slay and be slain, and passeth not the kings commandment: when they have overcome their enemies, they bring to the king all their prays, and they that go not to war but ploweth the ground, when they have reaped, bring the king his part: And if he alone bid them kill, they kill: if he bid them forgive, they forgive: if he bid them strike, they strike: if he bid banish, they banish: if he bid men build, they build: if he bid cut down, they hue down: if he bid them set, they set: and all the people what power soever they be of, obeyeth him. And for all this he taketh his ease, his meat & drink, and his sleep, and others watcheth and keepeth his body from harm, and they may not go every man his way to do what he will, but at a word they obey him. Now sirs how say you, is not the king worthy to be called precellent, whose fame and royal name is set forth after this manner? Of the duty of dukes, Captains, or great officers under kings, you hear: They have authority to edify, not to destroy, to do good, and not to do ill: to punish vice, and to advance and set forth virtue: to correct them that be bad, and to laud, praise, and cherish them that be good, if they do otherwise, their damnation is just, they well deserve it. And for them and us, this is god's will and pleasure, that with well doing we should stop men's mouths, that foolishly will rail, and ignorantly, knowing nothing of the matter that they rail against, with our well doing we should make them hold their peace, or to say the best, and not with scolding, brawling, or chiding again, nor by actions on the case, nor by citations, or by such litigious process. If thou be slandered, a purgation is not the thing that S. Peter biddeth the run to, but he biddeth the do well, and so thou shalt stop men's mouths. Avoid the occasion on which the rumour and slander rose, and the rumour will soon cease, where as by contentious and litigious process, many men will speak of the matter that never heard of it afore, and will be more ready to speak the worst then the best. Quasi liberi & non quasi velamen habentes malicie libertatem sed sicut servi Dei, You must give good example and occasion to men to say well, and to leave their railing or missaying against you, not for any bondage, or for servile fear, but like free men set at the liberty, at which Christ hath set us, doing it with heart and all. And we must beware that we use not our liberty as a cloak or covering of malice and of mischief. Remember what judas of Galiley did, that is spoken of. Actu. v. and josephus antiquitatum, li. xviii Cap. i he calleth him judas Gaulonites, homo ex civitate cui nomen erat Gamala, He seduced a great multitude, and made them to rebel, under the pretence of a Godly liberty, in as much as they were the elect people of God, & paid to him first fruits, tithes, and other duties. Wherefore (he said) they ought not to pay tribute to any man, nor to recognise any other lord but only God. This heresy grew so sore that it perverted a great multitude of the people to consent unto it, but anon the auctor of it, & as many of his sect as could be found, were slain with him, albeit the smoke of this heresy smelled long after, for this judas the heresiarch set forth this heresy tempore professionis, when by the commandment of the emperor Octavianus Augustus, ibant singuli ut profiterentur in civitates suas, every man went to the place where he was borne, there to have his name taken, & to pay his head penny or tribute, professing their subjection to the Romans, at which time joseph & Mary went to Bethleem where they were borne, & they being there, came the time that Mary should be delivered of child, & there Christ was borne. And afterward more than xxx years, they moved a question to Christ touching this heresy. An licet censum dare Caesari an non, Mar. xxii. Whether it were lawful to pay tribute to the emperor or not? Christ said ye: declaring the same by the coin of the money, which was the emperor's image. It is but temporal, & why should not a temporal lord have temporal subsidy & aid? it is his duty so to have, therefore pay it (saith christ) you must needs do so. The said judas pretended a liberty, by that they were of the holy line of Abraham, Isaac, jacob, & Gods elect people, but this liberty he should have understand ghostly and not carnally, but he turned it to carnality, as josephus expressly saith. Obtentu quidem utilitatis defensionis communis, revera autem proprium lucrorum gratia tota seditio gerebatur. All the commotion and fray was made under the pretence and colour of a common profit, and common defence, but in very deed it was for their own private and proper lucre. What mischief hath come in Saxony by a pretenced liberty, is not unknown: evangelical liberty setteth no man at large to live as he list, but this it setteth us at liberty from the bondage of sin, and also making us subject to god and to our king, and to all our rulers, constitute and set in office over us, and to do unto them our due service and bounden duty freely, Non solum propter iram, sed propter conscientiam. Rom. xiii. That is to say: not for fear of strokes, not for fear of prisonment, nor for fear of death, but freely, frankly with heart and all, and with a good will, as free men and not as bondmen, but for discharge of your own conscience as God's servants, considering it is God's pleasure you should do so, and not as the servants of the flesh, or the world, covering vices under the cloak of liberty. It followeth, Omnes honorate, As the Apostle. Rom. xii. saith. Honore invicem prevenientes, Every man thinking another better than himself, for that virtue or good quality may be in an other that is not in thee, and by that thou may take him for thy better, and honour him. All this S. Peter speaketh to advance humility, and to put it in every man's bosom as far forth as he may. Fraternitatem diligite. S. Paul saith of the fame. Ro. xii. Charitatem fraternitatis invicem diligentes. Though charity extendeth to all men, yet principally to christian people which be all our brothers in Christ regenerate and gotten again to Christ by the Sacrament of Baptism, as we be, Deum timete, scilicet, Timore filiali, as the child should fear his father: and next after him, Regem honorificate, which is highest to be honoured of all powers temporal, for ever the fear of God must go afore, so that doing our duty to our king, or to any other potentate or authority, we forget not the fear of God, neither do any thing contrary to God's pleasure. And then we must not only honour, but honorifie him, that is, we must do the best we can to make others to do him honour, and their duty to him. And it is highly to be noted, how entirely to men's hearts almighty God striketh the honour of a king, and the reputation that he should be had in of all his subjects, saying by the mouth of the wise man. Eccles▪ x. In cogitation tua regine detrahas, & in secreto cubiculi tui ne maledixeris diviti quia & aves celi portabunt vocem tuam, & qui habet pennas annunciabit sententiam. Where we be plainly monished and warned, that neither in anger nor in sport or lightness, we think any ill against our king, or against a great man, for that a man rolleth in his mind, it will burst forth one way or another, and many times when we think least upon it, and fear least, it will come forth, yea, though we speak against them in our bed, or in our bed chamber, the birds of the air, the utterers of counsel, whether they be good angels or bad, will utter thy counsel to thy condemnation, no man can tell how, but even as though the birds of the air, or the mouse pepinge in the hole in the walls of thy chamber, uttered thee, and they that have wings will utter the sentence: a swift judge will soon give sentence of thy condemnation. Here the wise man plainly biddeth men beware that they dishonour not their king neither in deed, in word, nor in thought. servi subditi estote in omni timore dominis, non tantum bonis & modestis sed etiam discholis. After that the blessed Apostle heretofore hath instruct and taught generally and commonly all them that he wrote to, and all others by them: now he descendeth to the specialties, giving certain special lessons to special estates of men and women, first beginning with them that be in servile state, as bondmen, prentices, and all other servants men and women. All such S. Peter exhorteth to be obedient, and subject to their lords and masters, aswell to their lords and masters that be good, virtuous and honest, and measurable in all their doings, keeping the mean in their acts and in correction, according to the judgement of right reason (this is called modesty) as to them that be discholi (saith our text) truandes, mitchers that will not keep the school of Christ's faith and of his doctrine, to them that were infideles, and generally swerving and going out of the school and right learning of honesty, and of measure in their living and in their punishing Some readeth it pravis, crabbed, crooked, and cumberous. Some readeth it difficilioribus, to hard, sore and cruel. So that this is the Apostles mind, that what condition so ever your masters be of, you must do your duty and true service unto them. Servitude cometh either of iniquity or of adversity: Of iniquity came the bondage that Cham was cursed withal, because he mocked his father lying bare, he had his father's curse. Maledictus Chanaan puer servus servorum erit fratribus suis. He cursed Cham in his child and issue, with perpetual bondage. And after this manner, that is, by iniquity, hath many men given themself to perpetual bondage, to save their necks. Adversity made the people of Israel bond unto the Egyptians, and after this manner they that be taken prisoners in battle, be sometimes deputed to perpetual servitude. This is spoken of bondage or villanage, in which state who so ever be set, must be subject & obedient to his lord. And not only they, but also all others, as well prentices as covenant servants, what state soever their masters be of, & that with all fear, S. Paul saith, Eph. vi. Cum timore et tremore, with fear of mind, like as you were your master's child, reverently fearing to offend or displease their father, so must you have a loving fear, lest you do the thing that should displease your master. Such fear had good joseph when his masters tempted him to be nought with her, he alleged his masters goodness toward him, & the benefits that he had done unto him, being but his servant and very bondman, saying. Genes. xxxix. my master hath committed and delivered to me all that he hath in his house, so that he knoweth not what he hath in his house, no more but the meat that he eateth and the drink that he drinketh when it is set afore him, there is nothing but it is under my hand and at my pleasure, except only you that are his wife. Then how may I do this fault and sin against my lord? Fie for shame hold me excused, I will not do it. If his master had been his father he could not have expressed more loving fear toward him, by this giving example to all servants to love their masters, and to fear them, and not only with fear of mind, but also that the fear that is in their heart should extend into the body, which S. Paul calleth tremor, to make the servants to quake for fear. Albeit this quaking fear accordeth properly to the bondman that doth all thing for fear of strokes. And S. Peter speaketh generally of all manner of fear, saying: in omni timore, so that the servant should chiefly fear his master lovingly, as the child the father, and if at the first he have not such loving fear of his master, yet beware of his anger, fear correction as the bondman or prentice doth, & by using thyself to do well for such servile fear, thou shalt find ease in well doing, & shall begin to do well for love, & so of a good servant thou shalt be made a good son, faithful and loving to thy master, and by that thy master shall love the better than any child he hath. Prou. Si sit tibi servus fidelis sit tibi tanquam anima tua, Even as himself you must do your service with simplicity of heart (saith S. Paul) without doubleness, so that as you show yourself outward to be diligent and true, so you must be in heart inwardly, even as you should serve Christ that bought us, with whom it booteth no man to dissemble, you must not serve to the eye while your master looketh upon you, as it were to please men, but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God with good mind and with a good will, as serving our Lord God that hath given your masters power over you, and hath made you subject to them, not as doing service unto men, for the power that they have over you, cometh of God, therefore if ye be false to them, you be false to God that willeth you to be true to your masters. And S. Paul willeth Titus his disciple bishop of Candy, to command all servants to please their masters in all things that is not contrary to God's pleasure, non contradicentes, non fraudantes (alia littera) non responsatores, non suffurantes, no choplogikes that will countersay their masters, giving them three words for one, be it well be it ill, be it true be it false that your masters saith, you should be content & give them no answer, but let them say what it please them: you must be no lurchers or privy pykers or stealers, but in all thing showing good fidelity, that so you may adorn & do worship to the doctrine of Christ in all things, for the good living of the scholar, is the ornament & worship of the master. But now I pray you, if the master bid his servant to enter into religion, is the servant bound to obey his master in that? If his master bid him take orders and be a priest, is the servant bound to obey his master? if his master bid him take a wife and be married, is the servant bound to obey him in these cases, or in such other? No verily: for where S. Paul or S. Peter biddeth the servants obey their masters in all things, you must understand this in all things parteininge to bodily works, and not spiritual works, in works pertaining to the administration, guiding, and ordering of their masters household, and of his temporal business, and not pertaining to such a perpetual yoke as is matrimony. Haec est enim gratia si propter Dei conscientiam sustinet quis tristitias patience injust. Because he had bid servants obey their masters, although they were crabbed and out of the school of Christ's doctrine, if they were infideles, or out of the school of discrete judgement in correction. In these words he giveth them spiritual and ghostly counsel, and comfort saying: This is a special gift of grace of the holy ghost, if any of you suffer sorrow and pain wrongfully, propter conscientiam Dei, having in his conscience a respect to the pleasure of God, which would not the servant to grudge against his master, and also remembering the reward that God will give to all them that for his sake suffereth more than else they were bound to suffer. S. Paul saith. Phil. i Vobis donatum est pro Christo non solum ut in eum credatis sed ut etiam pro illo paciamini. It is given you for a special gift of grace, not only to believe upon him, (i. Cor. xii. Alij datur fidesin eodem spiritu, by the holy spirit of God the holy ghost, to one is given faith by which we believe on Christ & on his holy word) but also for Christ it is given you (saith Paul) as a special grace to suffer for Christ's sake, as many holy Apostles and martyrs did, for when the heat of the love of God is inspired into the soul of man by the spirit of God the holy ghost, it giveth a certain gladness and a certain sweetness to a man which suffereth him not to be deject with any adversity, but maketh him bold and constant against all vexation. Example we have of the Apostles, which after they had received the holy ghost at this holy time of Whitsuntide, Ibant gaudentes a conspectu consilii quoniam digni habiti sunt pro nomine jesu contumeliam pari. Actu. v. when they were reviled, threatened, and well beaten, for their setting forth and preaching Christ's faith, and were commanded they should do so no more, they went with merry hearts from the counsel of the Scribes and Phariseis, that they were convented and called afore, because it had pleased God to think them worthy to suffer such despites for Christ's sake. We see also by experience, that heat causeth and maketh boldness in man and beast, therefore the beasts that have hootest hearts be most bold, and for this cause the lion is bolder than is the horse or an ox, because his heart hath in it a more fervent heat then the other have in their hearts. So when the holy ghost inspireth the fervency and heat of his love into the heart of any man or woman, it maketh that person wondrous bold to suffer persecution and all manner of pain, yea martyrdom propter conscientiam dei (as S. Peter speaketh) knowing in his conscience that it is God's pleasure he should not reneige God, but rather constantly suffer all adversity for God's sake. This fervent heat made S. Paul to say Rom. viii. Certus sum quia neque mors: neque vita, etc. I am sure that neither death nor life, nor the angels, neither things present nor things to come, neither any other creature, may dissever or put us a part from the charity and love of God, which is in Christ jesus our Lord. So the servants that be tormented and beaten, and vexed with bitter and fervent words, must take it as a kind of martyrdom, this they must suffer ever, having a timerouse conscience towards God, and surely their reward shall not be forgotten at length, though they suffer for a time. Quae est enim gratia si peccantes & collaphisati suffertis? What thank shall you have, if you do noughtelye and play the sluggards, or the false bribers in your masters business, and then for your naughty doing be well boxed, beaten, and canueste, and so suffer as you deserve? What thank shall you have for your suffering? none at all. Sed si benefacientes patienter sustinetis haec est gratia, but if you do well and then suffer unjust vexation and strokes, this is a matter of thanks, worthy to be rewarded. Take example of joseph that I spoke of afore, he was true to his master, he run away and fled fornication: he was falsely accused and unjustly condemned and cast in prison, and laid fast in irons, all this he took patiently, and suffered very soberly and humbly, and therefore his reward was very great and notable. first God sent him a grace in his fashion and behaviour by which he pleased the jailer and keeper of the prison, in so much that he struck of his irons, and made him overseer and ruler over all the prisoners there, and to give them their meat that they were allowed at times convenient. Then almighty god superadded an other grace, illuminating joseph's wit, with understanding of secrets that should come after, signified to him by dreams, by which gift he red and expounded the dreams of the sergeant of the seller, and of the sergeant of the bakehouse that were in the jail with him, and by that occasion two years after he was called out of prison to interpretate the kings dream, and so he did, for which he was exalted and made ruler of all the realm of egypt. By this blessed patriarch joseph, almighty God giveth to all them that be in bondage, or in any painful service, a great solace and comfort, that they may learn by him, that in the lowest state of men, which is the state of servants, yet men may be highest in manners, & in good conditions. joseph was in bondage & in miserable service, and Pharaoh the king reigned over all his subjects, but the service of joseph was more blessed and more profitable to the realm of Egypt, than the reign of Pharaoh. For all Egipte▪ had be undone and lost for hunger, if Pharaoh had not set all his realm under joseph, and subdued it to his rule. You may also learn by him (as S. Ambrose noteth, that although your bodies be subject to bondage and service, yet your minds be at liberty, your masters be masters of your bodies, but not of your souls. Therefore what pain soever your bodies suffer, your wits may be at liberty, and may ascend toward God, having a conscience and respect to his pleasure, and for his sake do your service faith fully, and what so ever pains you suffer wrongfully, yet take them patiently, and you shall not lose your reward of almighty God. To whom be all honour and glory for ever. Amen.   

The tenth treatise or sermon.  
THe blessed Apostle Saint Peter in this matter that I have to be declared unto you, prosecuteth further the thing that I partly touched in my last sermon, which is of the patient sufferance that the servant or subject ought to use toward his master or superior, saying: In hoc enim vocati estis. consider your calling: GOD hath called you to serve (saith S. Peter) and not to control, to suffer, and not to remurmer, brabble, or chide against your masters, and in your well doing and patiented suffering of vexation and unjust punishment, you be the true followers of Christ's passion, as S. Peter saith here, in which he glorifieth much the state of bondmen or servants, comparing their patience to Christ's patience in his passion. That man that will not learn patience of Christ, can never be saved by Christ: Remember the highness of his estate, by which he was equal with his father of heaven, and then the abjection and vileness of his passion and his pains that he suffered without any cause given thereto on his behalf, and this remembrance will make a stony heart to mollify and wax tender. And now my matter of Saint Peter's epistle leadeth me somewhat to speak of Christ's painful passion, which is most necessary for all christian folks to hear of, not only in the passion week in time of lent, but aswell in all times of the year it should be ever in mind and in remembrance to make us to consider the benefit of our redemption & the punishment of the contemners of the same, and specially now in the hot time of the year, when all sins most fervently doth assault us and tempt us, we had most need of shadow to save us from the heat of temptation: now folk be most prone to the filthiness of the flesh, now men be prone to anger, to war and dissension, the heat of the time disposeth men thereto, now men be ready to proule and go about by avarice to increase their riches, by deceiving or supplanting their neighbours, the time is fair to labour in. All these worketh toward destruction of man's soul, by a devilish heat of worldliness, contrary to the heat of godly love inspired by the holy ghost (that I spoke of even now.) Therefore against this heat, we must take a tree to shadow us, & to keep our beauty, that the devilish heat of temptation do not mar our colour. Prou. iii. Lignum vite est omnibus qui apprehendunt eam, sayeth the wise man, speaking of the increat wisdom the second person in trinity, our saviour Christ in whom the manhood is joined to the same wisdom in one person, he is the tree of life to all men & women that can catch or take him. And the spouse saith. Can. two. Sub umbra illius quem desiderabam sedi. I reposed myself and sat down in the shadow of him that I desired & loved. We must repose ourself, and lovingly rest in the shadow of Christ's passion, that we may save ourself from sin, and gather our strength again, by which we may be able to overcome the devil, and to resist all his assaults. Christus passus est pro nobis, Christ fuffered for us generally for us all, what state or degree so ever we be of, for us (he saith) to move us to compassion, and in our mind to suffer with him, in asmuch as he suffered not for his own fault, nor for any advantage for himself, but for to redeem us & to make amends for our faults, and for to advance us into the favour of God again. Therefore he that hath a noble and a gentle heart will count the pain that Christ suffered to be his own pains, because they were taken for his sake. So did king David ii Reg. ultimo, when he saw the angel of God striking the people, and kill them, because he had proudly caused the people to be numbered. He cried to God & said: I am he that hath sinned and done amiss, these be poor lambs or sheep, what hurt have they done in this matter● as who should say none. I beseech the turn thine anger against me, and spare them. Esay▪ liii. Vulne ratus est propter iniquitates nostras attritus est propter scellera nostra. He was wounded for our iniquities, and all to torn for our ill deeds. Therefore Christ's passion is or should be our passion as well because of the occasion of his passion, which was our sins, as by the utility and profit that cometh of the same, not to him but to us. Vobis relinquens exemplum, to you servants specially. Now to my purpose, giving example of the despites that were done to him, of the trouble and vexation that he suffered, of the whips and scourges that he was beaten with. And if you be overcharged with heavy burdens, remember the heavy burden of the cross that was laid on his shoulders when he was not able to bear it, but fell down under it, he was so faint and weary with long abstinence & with watching all the night afore, and with much rude handling by them that came with judas for to take him, & with much haling & pulling of him from one judge to an other, and then with the ache & smarting of man● sore stripes that he suffered, & with shedding of his blood at his scourging when he was whipped. And then remember what villainy they intended against him, putting him to that death that they thought most despiteful, hanging him on the cross that he was nailed on, as we now a days esteem hanging on the gallows, & that in the common place of execution for felons and malefactors, as we say here at Mighel hill, or in London, at Tyburn or such others. And finally then consider the death that he suffered for our sakes▪ you must take him for your mirror or glass to look in, & for your example, that you may follow his steps. He was unguilty to die, for he never did animant in deed, neither any guile or false word that came out of his mouth, by which any man might be deceived. All this & that followeth S. Peter taketh of the liii chapter of Esay, where the prophet hath the same sentence. It is a great discomfort for him that hath a great journey upon him to do, to go out of his way, therefore he had need to beware at the beginning, for a little error at the beginning will be a great error at the end. As when there be ii ways meeting together if the Pilgreme take the wrong way & go on a quarter of a mile, that may be soon amended, he may with a little labour come into his way again, but if he go on still till he be a dozen mile or twenty mile out of his way, it will be a shrewd pain to cost over the country to get into the way again. The surest thing to keep a man from masking and straying out of the way, & also to bring a man into the way if he be out of the wai, is a wise guide to go afore a man to lead him the way. Blessed S. Peter like a good shepherd fearing lest his lambs bondmen, prentices, & servants (to which specially he speaketh now) should by the rigour & roughness of correxion be driven out of the right way to heaven by murmuring, grudging, chiding and checking their masters, or brawling and fight with them, (this is the straight way to hell) biddeth them follow the steps of their guide our saviour Christ, which suffered much more pain than they could have laid upon them, never offending nor giving cause to the same. And our mother holy church in the Epistle of the second Sunnedaye after Easter, readeth the same words of saint Peter's Epistle, exhorting all her children, all Christian people to follow the steps of our guide our saviour Christ that we serve not out of the way to heaven, in which were set a little afore in the holy time of Lent by the Sacrament of penance, and at Easter by the most reverend sacrament of the altar, the true Viaticum meat to strength us in our journey. We must follow him, thinking that if God the father spared not his only begotten natural son, but put him into sinful men's hands, & let him be beaten for our sakes, than he will not spare his handy works, and his children by adoption. If he scourged his son that was without sin, will he suffer them to be unscourged that be full of sin? It will not be. God scourgeth every child that he taketh for his, therefore if you be excepted from the scourge, you be excepted from his children. For he that is a sure steadfast christian man must not only do well, but must also be content to suffer ill, remembering that Christ never said ill by any man, yet he was missaied, & very il spoken to. Cum malediceretur non male dicebat, When he was missayed he missayd no man again, nor said any ill. He was called a Samaritane, which was as despiteful among them, as is now to be called an heretic with us. For the Samaritans were but as it were half jews, they came of the Assyrians and used the superstitions of the Gentiles, & yet mingled much of Moses' law with their errors, therefore the jews loved them not, nor companyed with them. He was also called traitor against the Emperor, tavern hunter. etc. And where he knew much worse by them, yet he gave them never an ill word again. Cum pateretur non comminabatur. When they laid on him with rods and scourges: he threatened not that he would be revenged, or that he would be even with them. Ecclesiasticus saith xxii That like as a fore the fire burneth the vapour and the smoke riseth on high, sic et ante sanguinem maledictio & contumely et mine. So afore blood shedding ill railing words, despites, and manishing or threatening goeth afore. Where Christ had vengeance in his hand, and might have cast it upon them by and by, he would not so do, but tradidit vindictam ei qui judicat just (as saith the new translation) he committed the vengeance to God the father that judgeth iustli, letting him alone with the vengeance, as in deed God biddeth us do. Mihi vindictam & ego retribuam, mea est ultio & ego retribuam Deu. xxxii. Ro. xii. Let me alone with the vengeance, and I will requite them. And so he did in deed by the jews, he paid them home every half penny ut in proverbio. The blood of Christ fell upon them and upon their issue xlii years after, when the noble Emperor Vespasian & his son Titus destroyed the city of jerusalem, with such an horrible strage and murder, as would abhor any iron heart to consider, as josephus in the last book de bello judaico expresseth it. Our translation saith: tradebat autem iudicanti se injust He committed himself, or delivered himself to him that judged unjustly, to Pilate, which partly to please the jews that pursued Christ, partly for fear, lest he should be accused of treason to the Emperor for letting a traitor scape, as they said Christ was, because he would be a king (they said) and that was treason against the Emperor. But there is neither favour nor fear meed nor dread that should have made him to condemn an innocent that never offended the laws. Now how Christ committed himself to Pilate, you must consider that first he delivered himself to judas coming to meet him, when he came with his company to take Christ, judas delivered him to the ministers that came with judas to take Christ, and they delivered him to the princes of priests, scribes and Pharisees that had paid money to judas for him: They delivered him to Pilate which wrongfully condemned him. This delivery of Christ's part proceeded and came of obedience to his father and of most abundant charity and love toward mankind. Of judas part it came of covetousness to recover the loss of the ointment that Mary Magdalen bestowed upon his feet anointing them. And on the Scribes and Phariseis part it came of rank malice and envy against Christ. I take not prodere and tradere for one. Prodere is to work the treason, and that was done when judas consulted with the princes of the priests, and agreed with them on a price, than the treason was wrought, when Christ was bought and sold. deliverance was made afterward when judas met him in the garden and kissed him and they set hands on him. judas was proditor and traditor, he wrought the treason, and also made deliverance. Qui peccata nostra ipse pertulit in corpore suo super lignum. Even he delivered himself to the unjust judge which bore our sins upon his body, nailed fast upon the tree of the cross. He bore our sins upon his body (saith saint Peter) not as my surpeles beareth his whiteness, nor as thy gown beareth his blackness, for my surpelesse beareth his wytenesse, so that I may say my surpeles is white, and thy gown beareth his blackness, so that I may say thy gown is black. But though Christ bore our sins, I may not say that Christ was a sinner, for he never sinned in word nor deed, as Saint Peter said afore. When we bore our iniquity we be wicked, when we bear our sins we be sinners, it is not so of Christ, therefore when we say that Christ bore our sins, you must understand that he bore the pain and punishment that we were worthy to bear for our sins, as the Prophet Isaiah said of him long afore. Esa. liii. Ipse autem vulneratus est propter iniquitates nostras, attritus est propter scelera nostra. He was wounded for our iniquities, and all to torn with whips, scourges. and rods, with many blows and bobs, and with the nails and with the spear, and all for our grievous offences, that like as he died bodily, so we may die to sin, so that sin die in us, and have no life nor strength in us, and may live to justice, so that virtue and good manner of living be quick, lively and fresh in us. Cuius livore sanati sumus, the words of Isaiah. With his blue wales and scars in his flesh after the scourges, stripes and strokes that made his skin to rise, and to be black and blue, we were healed from the sickness of our souls, that that made his body sick and sore, made us whole & sound. Et dominus in eo posuit iniquitatem omnium nostrum. Even the same sentence that Saint Peter saith: peccata nostra ipse pertulit in corpore suo. Our Lord God the father put upon him all our iniquities. And still the blessed Apostle S. Peter alludeth to the same chapter of Esay, where the prophet saith: Omnes nos quasi oves erravimus. Al we went a straying like sheep out of the flock, and out of the keeping of our shepherd, & so saith S. Peter: You were once like sheep strayed out of God's flock, but now you be converted and turned again to the pastor and feather, bishop and overseer of your souls. And in this process saint Peter also seemeth to teach us the parable of the gospel of the man that had a C. sheep, of which one was strayed away, and he left four score and nintene in desert, and went to seek that sheep that was strayed away, and when he had found her, he cast her on his shoulders, and was glad, and when he came home with her, he called his friends and his neighbours about him, praying them to be merry with him, because he had found the sheep that was lost, and so they made more cheer and mirth for that one sheep, then for all the rest that still kept the flock. This odd sheep that strayed out of the flock, signifieth the tenth kind of reasonable creatures that God made to honour and laud him. God made the ix. orders of Angels, all reasonable creatures, and the tenth is mankind, which was by sin gone at large out of the fold of Paradise, and out of the compass of God's favour. The second person in trinity owner of this sheep, left all the rest of his reasonable creatures and sheep or flock the ix orders of Angels in desert in heaven, which the innumerable multitude of dampened angels had forsaken and left, and so to them it was a wilderness, as a thing forsaken. And so it was to man that was made finally to inherit heaven, yet following his pleasure regarded it not, but had lost it, and yet to this day it is reputed as a wilderness, or as a thing forsake of the most part of people that will not walk in the straight way that bringeth a man to heaven, but had leaver keep the broad way of pleasure, easily hopping and dancing to hell, and therefore to them heaven is a wilderness, and also in the woods of the wilderness there be many birds that singeth sweetly, with many and divers sweet tunes: so in heaven where the inhabitants shall praise our Lord God world without end. There be also in wilderness many sweet and pleasant flowers, and so there be in heaven the red roses of Martyrs, the violets of Confessors, the lilies of Uirgines: For such considerations heaven may be called a wilderness, as Christ calleth it in this parable. There he seemed to leave them when he came allow, and was by our mortal and passable nature minished and made somewhat lower than the Angels, though by his Godhead he were far above them. Here in earth he found the sheep that was lost, and neither beat it nor stroke it, nor brawled with it, nor railed nor chid, but lovingly got it upon his shoulders, when his shoulders and arms were racked and strained to fet the holes that were bored for the nails in the side arms of the cross, for then (as Esay saith, and saint Peter rehearseth the same here) he bore our sins upon his tender body on the cross, he suffered upon the cross the pains that we should have suffered for our sins. Saint Ambrose upon the same saith: Humeri Christi brachia crucis sunt, illic peccata mea deposui, in illa patibuli nobilis ceruice requievi. The shoulders of Christ be they that be extended upon the branches of the cross, there upon them (said S. Ambrose) I laid down my sins on the neck and shoulders of that noble gallows, I rest myself. But because Christ in his parable saith that the shepherd cast the sheep upon his shoulders gaudens being glad and merry, but seeing all this concerneth his painful passion on the cross in which he suffered pains untolerable: how can it be that he with joy and gladness cast his strayed sheep upon his shoulders▪ it was to his pain and not to his pleasure, as it seemeth. In very deed although he bore our sins (that is to say, the pains for our sins) to his pains, ache and smarting: yet knowing what should come of it, he was glad to take the pain and to save his sheep. For in this you must understand that the reasonable soul of Christ (comprehending both wit and will) elevate to the contemplation and fruition of almighty God, is called the superior & highest part of the soul. The same soul applied to inferior and lower things, is called the lower portion or lower part of the soul As when the wit or will is applied or inclined to the five wits, or to their sensual appetites or to other lower worldly business, pains or pleasures, albeit when the wit or will is exercised about any such lower matters in an order to God's pleasure, they belong to the higher portion and may be called the higher portion of the soul largely or commonly speaking of the higher portion. To our purpose, although the lower part of the soul of Christ had sorrow & pain with the sensible powers of the body that smarted and ached right sore with the flesh, which was most tender in Christ, because he was of most pure & tender complexion. In the higher part of his soul, both ways had ever joy and gladness. As for the first way in the contemplation and fruition of the godhead, there is no doubt, for it gave Christ's soul beatitude, even such joy and gladness as he hath in heaven now. After the second manner also, when Christ considered his painful passion as the mean appointed by the father to redeem man's soul, & to bring home the sheep that was lost & strayed away by sin, he took the pains with a good will and very gladly. We have a like example of Saint Paul, which by the higher part of his soul, and by his deliberate and well advised will, desired to be dissolved and to be with Christ All beit the will unite in amity and love to the sensual appetite desired to abide still in the flesh and to live. In like manner were the blessed Martyrs which in their bodies suffered unmeasurable torments and grievous pains, yet remembering God's pleasure, & the rewards that they should have for the same, they took them gladly & with good cheer. And so it standeth together that Christ bearing the pain for our sins upon his back on the cross, yet bore them gaudens with joy and gladness in the higher portion of his soul, knowing that by his pains and by his death man should be restored to favour again, that afore was attainted & out of God's favour. And that where we were afore like strayed sheep out of the blessed flock of God's faithful people, now we be converted and turned again to the pastor and bishop of our souls, as S. Peter said to them that he wrote unto. To the pastor, the shepherd, the feather of our souls our saviour Christ, whom afterward in his epistle .v. chap. He calleth the prince of pastors, master of the craft, the chief shepherd of the shepherds, the chief feeder of the feeders, the chief bishop of the bishops, the chief curate of all curates, and not only of the flock. Him all pastors and curates aswell spiritual as temporal must follow. Here I should speak more largely of pastors and bishops, but I shall defer it unto the .v. chapter of this epistle, where (God helping) that matter shallbe more largely entreated. Now I shall exhort you as well masters as servants, men and women to consider that we have a shepherd and an overseer in heaven our saviour Christ, therefore you masters order your servants as you would Christ should order you with mercy and favour. And you servants so order yourself to your masters, as though you served Christ with simplicity of heart without doubleness, serve not only to the eye while your masters looketh upon you, playing the wantoness while they be absent, for if you do so, you are double hearted, which is contrary to simplicity and plainness, serve as though you served God and not man and so being in bond service, you shall make your hearts free and at liberty, and shall turn bondage into liberty of heart, and shall serve god, and serving him you reign, you be like kings ruling and commanding and keeping under your affections and wayward appetites of the body, and so you may come to such fortune, that you may be masters over them that be free men, yea and may peradventure be masters over your masters children. servo sensato liberi seruient Eccle. x. And we have heard sometimes of servants which in process of time have bought their masters children's inheritance, or their goods, but these be no dastards but witty servants, that come to such exaltation. And so you see that God ever requiteth & rewardeth the true servant either bodily and temporally, is in this example rehearsed, or ghostly giving him quietness of mind, by which he shall serve his master truly, and so doing he serveth Christ, and shall come to him, for so is his will, that who soever serveth him should finally be there as he is. And that we all may so serve him in our calling in the service that god hath appointed us to, that we may at the last come to him he grant us for his infinite mercy that for us died. Amen.   

¶ The xi treatise or sermon.  
The third chapter.  
SImiliter et mulieres subdite sint viris suis, ut & si qui non credunt verbo, per mulierum conversationem sine verbo lucrifiant, etc. Here in the first part of this third chapter the blessed Apostle ascendeth from the information that he gave to them that be in servile state (of which I entreated in my last sermon) unto them that be joined together in the yoke of marriage. First speaking to the wives, and ordering them toward their husbands, & also in their exterior behaviour. And consequently he teacheth the husbands their duties toward their wives. S. Peter saith: Similiter et mulieres. etc. likewise women must be subject to their own husbands. Likewise (saith s. Peter) as I have spoken of the subjection of the servants to their masters, so I must advertise & counsel the wives to obedience & subjection according to their calling, that they do reverence unto their husbands with fear, as Saint Paul saith. Ephe. v. Vxor autem rimet virum suum. Let the wife fear her husband with such loving fear as I have spoken of afore, more for love, fearing to displease him, then for strokes or punishment. And in the same chapter s. Paul biddeth wives be subject to their husbands as unto our Lord & master Christ, for it is our lord God's ordinance that the man should be the head of the woman, as Christ is the head of his spouse and wife the church or multitude of Christian people, therefore like as the church is subject, obedient, and doth reverence to Christ, as the body to her head, so ought the wives to their husbands as to their head in all things that be good and according to God's pleasure. Of the contempt of due subjection and obedience of the wife to the husband, I read a notable story. Hester i where it is written that the great king and conqueror Assuerus king of the Medes and Perseus', & over cxxvii. provinces and realms, made an exceeding sumptuous feast to all the nobility and head officers of his Empery and dominions, the preparation and provision for the same, with the invitation and access of his gests, continued ix score days, the solemnity of the feast continued vii days. There was such provision, such service of all officers, and such delicates of meats & drinks that wonder it is to hear of it. And like as that king kept his feast in the solemn place provided for the same: so did Vasthi his Queen keep her feast, to all the queens Ladies and noble women of the Emperye, and that in the palace where Assuerus was wont to dwell, for the kings feast was kept in Haalys or tents wondrously wrought with costly stuff, and strongly stayed by pillars of fine Marble after a gorgeous fashion all of pleasure, there the king kept his solemn banquets, and left his palace for the Queen Vasthi with the other Ladies. On the vii day of this feast when Assuerus the king had well drunk, & was well warmed with wine, he sent his Chamberlains to call Vasthi the queen to him, willing her to put on her head her diadem or crown and to come forth after her goodliest manner, because he would show to his kings and lords the beauty of his queen, for she was very fair and beautiful, but she refused to come at him, and contemned the kings commandment, sent to her by his chamberleins, for this cause the king was sore dismayed, & waxed wondrous angry, and in a rage called all the great wisemen of his privy counsel that were ever at hand (as the manner of kings is to have such counsel ever ready) and by their counsel he did all weighty matters, because they knew the laws of God and man: he asked their counsel what sentence should be given against Vasthi the queen for her pride and obstinacy. They answered all by the mouth of Manucha one of the chief of the counsel, which after this manner spoke to the king afore the princes of the counsel. Non solum regem lesit regina Vasthi. etc. The queen hath hurt not only the kings highness, but also all the people and princes and noble men that be within the dominion of king Assuerus, for the words of the queen will go abroad among all women, and make them to contemn their husbands saying: The noble and mighty king Assuerus bade Vasthi his queen come into his presence and she would not, and no more will I but when me list And by this example given of her, all the wives of the Princes of the Perseus' and of the Medes will set little by the commandment of their husbands. Wherefore the indignation and displeasure that your highness hath conceived against her is just and not without a cause. And therefore (if it be your pleasure) let a proclamation be send from your person, that queen Vasthi shall never more come in your presence, but that an other better than she shall take her reign, that she hath as one with you. And let the same commandment be diwlled and proclaimed in all Provinces and Realms of your Empery, even to the furthest part thereof, that so all wives, as well of the great men, as of the common and lower people may give honour and obedience to their husbands. This counsel pleased the King and the princes that were present with him, and the king according to the same, sent forth his letters into all countries of his empery, written in divers languages, and divers letters, that every man might read and understand them, containing this argument, that the men be princes and greatest in their own houses, wherefore it followeth that the wives be subject and under obedience to them. By this story all good wives may note and mark what cometh of contempt and disobedience of the wives to their Husbands. She was deposed from her high estate and put away from her husband, because she list not to obey nor to be subject to his commandment. Almighty GOD made the first woman for two uses or purposes, one for to multiply mankind by generation, an other cause, for domestical cohabitation, and to dwell with the man for his comfort. And in both these two, the woman was sore punished because she tempted her husband to eat of the forbidden fruit. first where she should have borne child without pain, she was deputed to exceeding pain with many throws and pangs while she is with child, and with much more pain when she is traveling to be delivered. second, to our purpose now, where there should have been none inequality betwixt the man and the wife, now for a punishment for her fault she must be content to hear, Sub viri potestate eris, & ipse dominabitur tui. Thou shalt be under the power of thy husband, and he shall be thy ruler. And yet let us consider the goodness of god, how he useth mercy with the rod of correction, in this sore beating of woman kind, with these two strokes of pain with child, and of subjection to the husband, God hath provided that the first is eased by the birth of the child into the world, which so comforteth the mother, that anon she hath forgotten all the former pain that she took with her child. And the second is notably relieved, by this that by the dominion and rule of the husband, the wife is much eased of solicitude & thought for outward provision of necessaries, & for defence of her right, and for answering to unjust vexation, and such others. And also specially by this, that by the goodness and gentle behaviour of the wife, husband is many times made much better than he would else be. And this saint Peter teacheth in this place, saying: Vt si qui non credunt verbo, per mulierum conversationem sine verbo lucrifiant. He would specially that they should remember their subjection and gentleness toward their husbands, that if there be any of their husbands that peradventure believeth not the word of God preached among them, which the wives doth believe, they may be won and converted to Christ's faith, by the holy conversation of the women without preaching. When they consider your holy conversation (saith saint Peter) with loving fear of God and of your husbands. And here is to be noted that saint Peter wrote this epistle or letter to the countries where some were converted to Christ's faith, and some were not. And as the women commonly be more tender hearted then the men, so many times they were sooner converted to Christ's religion, than the men were. And in this case he exhorteth the women to show their faithful manner of living by loving obedience & subjection, that so by their good & godly conversation, they might allure their husbands to the same faith that they were of, & to believe as they did. And here you see now again how highly the blessed apostle esteemeth honest conversation as a mean of as great efficacity to allure men to goodness, as is the word of exhortation or preaching, as he had said afore in the second chapter. Conuersationem vestram inter gentes habentes bonam, etc. Bidding them be of good conversation, that where men backbite you and say evil by you, as of malefactors, when they consider your good works, they may glorify God, and be converted to God by your good example. And I doubt not but that in this troublelous time of new opinions and errors that hath now many a day persecuted the minds of good faithful people, the steadfast and faithful conversation of the honest wives hath stayed their husbands in the right trade, and made them good men, where else they would have erred as others have done, as well in this city as in other places. Quarum non sit extrinsecus capillatura, aut circumdatio auri, aut indumenti vestimentorum cultus. Because Saint Peter had bid all wives please their husbands with obedience and due subjection, lest they should think this subjection and pleasing of their husbands to stand in trimming and dressing their bodies curiously and wantonly for their husbands pleasures, he declareth that he meaneth nothing less, & biddeth them that they use not to make their here for the nonce, setting it abroad smoothly slicked, to make it shine in men's eyes, or curiously plaited in traces, or as gentle women use now adays, purposely neglected hanging about their eyes, as it were saying: I care not how my here lie, and yet while they do so, they most care how to pull abroad their locks to be seen. And so when they take upon them to care least then they care most for their here. Some there be that can not be content with their here as God made it, but doth paint it and set it in an other hue, as when it was white hoore, they die it fair and yellow, or if it be black as a crow, it must be set in some lighter colour, as brown, or aburne, or red: And so must their brows and the bryes of their eye lids be painted proportionably. All this disgising of women's here saint Peter calleth by one name, Capillatura, making their here, or curiously dressing their here, which he dissuadeth and counseleth to the contrary. And. s. Paul i Timo. two. biddeth all women apparel and ray themselves in comely raiment with bashfulness or shamefastness, and with sobriety. Non in tortis crinibus, not with their here plaited or sliked abroad. And both the blessed Apostles biddeth women not to use superfluity, of these golden habiliments (as they be now called) nor of over costly raiment dashed with Pearls or precious stones. saint Peter calleth such precious and costly garnisshinge of raiment, Cultus indumenti vestimentorum, as who should say, Indumenti indumentorum, or Vestimenti vestimentorum. The dressing of the raiment of all raiments, to signify the preciousness or riches of the raiment, as we use to say, the flower of all flowers. A fellow of all fellows, to signify the excellency of the thing. saint Peter and saint Paul which were sure that they had the spirit of God, and spoke by the spirit of God, in God's name, dissuadeth such costliness, and biddeth women not to set their minds thereon. For as saint Cyprian saith. Li. de habitu virginum. Chastity in virgin, wife, and widow consisteth and standeth not only in the sound integrity, and wholenes of their flesh, but also in a certain shamefastness and honesty of their apparel, for lightly there is no more precious and costly dressing then is among them whose honesty is light cheap. Therefore in no case let your raiment deface and slander the sincerity and integrity of your bodies, but that like as you keep your bodies chaste and clean after your calling, whether it be virginity, marriage, or wydowehode. So let the dressing of your heads, and the appareling of your bodies be chaste, clean, and after a sober fashion, not like players disguised after any wanton manner, lest the lightness of your dressing show the lightness of your conditions. Almighty God by the mouth of the blessed prophet isaiah. iii. reproveth very earnestly and grievously this costly & gorgeous dressing & wanton behaviour of women which was then used in jerusalem, as it is now in our time in England, Pro eo quod elevate sunt filie Sion, & ambulaverunt collo extento & nutibus oculon● ibaut. etc. He punisheth them with shame contrary to their pride and jollity, saying: Decaluavir dominus verticem filiarum Zion, & dominus crinem earum nudabit. He bringeth them to shame from top to toe, beginning at the head of which they were so proud, and so unto the shoes of their feet. God will pluck thee hairs from their head, that they took so much thought to set forth and to paint it, and will make it bare, and show it as it is. That every man may see it was not their own, but perwynes or painted, either here by temporal misery & sorrow & sickness, or in hell when all the world shall wonder at their pride. Their trimmed shoes, their nouches, brooches, and rings, their chains, dimisentes, and pendents, their costly edges, and precious habiliments shall come to nought. And then their pleasant odours of musk, civet, and of all perfumes, shall be turned into stench. Erit pro suavi odore fetor. And for joy and mirth, shall come sorrow and mourning, for their pride and exaltation, shall come vileness and dejection. What man or woman will be so mad as wittynglye to use that hath been the destruction of other women? If a man or a woman die upon the meat and drink that he hath taken, it may well be thought poison that he hath taken, and a man would be well ware that he eat not of the same. You hear how for such curious and wanton behaviour, followed a grievous stroke of correction: therefore beware you be not poisoned with the same drink, lest you come to a like end. This adulteration & changing of god's handiwork by painting woman's here to make it seem fair and yellow, or of their leers of their cheeks to make them look ruddy or of their forehead to hide the wrinkles & to make them look smooth, is of the devils invention & never of gods teaching. Therefore I must exhort all women to beware of counterfeiting, adulterating, or changing the fashion and form of God's work, either by yellow colour, black or red powder, or by any other medson corrupt or change the natural lineamentes or favour of man or woman, because they that use that manner of doing seemeth to go about to correct or amend the thing that god hath made, and striveth against God, violently setting hand upon his work. If there were an excellent Painter or a carver that had made a goodly image of the best fashion that he could, if a busy body would take a toll, and take upon him to amend the image so made, should he not do injury to the said gay workman, and also despite unto him? Yes surely, For he should seem to count the workman but a fool, & nothing cunning. Then consider almighty God the workman of of all workmen, he made the face and body of man and woman as he thought best, than I pray you what arrogancy and presumption is it for man or woman to set to the pencil or toll to make it better? Thinkest thou that God will not take vengeance on thee for thy striving with him to amend: yea, rather to mar that he hath made. Therefore in that that thou thinkest thyself that thou art made fairer. thou art made fowler in deed, begging of colours made with powder of stones, with rinds of trees or with juice of herbs, the thing that thou hast not of thyself. More over Christ saith. Mat. v. Non potes unum capillum album facere aut nigrum. Thou canst not make one here of thy head white or black. And yet thou by thy pride wilt prove him a liar, and make thyself a better workman than he, painting thy here or thy face not only black or white (for women set little by such colours, but also yellow or red (malo praesagio futurorum, saith S. Cyprian) with a shrewd ossinge or prophesying of the colour that thy head shallbe of in the red fire of hell, when thou shalt come thither. Now I pray the that so paintest thyself, art thou not afraid, lest when thou shalt appear afore the judge at the general judgement, he will not know thee, but will put the away from the reward that is provided for all good people in heaven, saying: what have we here? The figure of her face is stained or polluted into a strange countenance. How canst thou see God with such eyes as he made not, but as the devils craft hath died and stained like the fiery glistering eyes of the serpent, with whom thou shalt burn for evermore? The first that I read of that thus painted her phisnomy was the naughty queen jesabel, the common butcher and murderer of all the preachers and prophets of almighty God. She was wife to Achab king of Israel, that destroyed Naboth for his vineyard, when Hieu sometime servant to Achab and to his son joram, was anointed king, and had slain his Lord and master joram by God's commandment, he came into jezrael, where the kings manor was, there to do vengeance on jezabel that naughty queen: she trusting to have grace and favour at his hands if she might move him to concupiscence, painted her eyes and her hear and her face after the best fashion. But this would not help, they that were above in the chamber with her, were commanded to pitch her down at the window, and so they did, and there she was all to trodden under the horse feet, so that there was no more left but the skull of her head, and her feet, and the knockels of her hands, which served for the dogs, according to the prophecy of the blessed prophet Helye. In agro jezrael commedent canes carnes jezabel. iiii. Reg. ix. You see what painting served for. But now married women will pretend and make an excuse by their husbands, saying: that they take all the labours in painting and trimming themselves to please their husbands, and so doing, they make their husbands partakers of their offence, and consequently of their damnation for company sake. And I shall advertise all married men, and all them that have daughters to keep, that whether the tiring or trimming of your wives and daughters be for to please you as they say, or to please themselves as you say, that you suffer not them to use it, because it is not godly (as I have told you) and also because of the peril that may come of it. For when they set themselves forth so curyouselye, and goeth abroad in the streets, or sitteth in their shop windows, or else peradventure at feasts and banquets with vicious company, it is not you alone that they would have to look upon them, it is not you alone that is pleased with the sight of them, it is not you alone that casteth their eyes after them, or that draweth long sighs of carnal love after them, this is not the way to keep them for yourselves. Beware therefore good husbands that you set not your wives or daughters so to sale, for fear least harm come of it. And you good wives beware of the danger and peril of your honesty, and specially beware of the peril of your souls. If you nourish the lust of concupiscence, and set on fire the breading of sin so being as a sword or dagger to strike an other man to the heart, and as a very poison to destroy others, you know the peril of it. Woe be to him or her (saith christ) that giveth occasion of ruin, woe and sorrow everlasting in hell. Bear not your selves proud of your husbands riches, saying: my husband hath lands and rents to maintain all the costs that I do upon me, my husband hath gold enough in his coffers, his riches cometh in and increaseth dayelye: The time shall come that you shall say wringing your hands, and gnashing your teeth in Hell. Sapient, v. Quid nobis profuit superbia? aut divitiarum iactantia quid contulit nobis? Talia dixerunt in inferno qui peccaverunt. etc.  
They that have sinned, shall say after this manner in Hell. What did our pride avail us? Or what profit had we by boasting of our riches? As who should say, none at all, but rather aggravatethe our damnation. If thou be rich, let the poverty feel thy riches, help them with thy riches, and bestow it not in superfluous ornaments. Study to dress your souls (saith S. Peter here) and trim the inward man, qui absconditus est cordis homo, that is hid within you, your souls which God seeth very well, and do it so that your spirit be not corrupt or defouled with sin, but be quiet, not troubled with inordinate concupiscence or desire of the flesh, nor of the mind, studying for to do displeasures or to do hurt. And also that your spirit be modest, keeping a mean and measure in all your sayings and doings, such a soul (saith S. Peter) est in conspectu dei locuples, is rich in the sight of God, for the true riches is the riches of virtues, they will stick by us, where other be flux and fading, and will away. Such is the riches that we ought to be glad of, for these we ought to labour: and with such riches S. Peter biddeth all wives to adorn themselves, to be clean in soul: and as for outward dressing, to keep an honest measure as beseemeth women, shewing sadness and honesty, in huswyfery and in good deeds. Sic enim aliquando et sanctae mulieres sperantes in deo ornabant se subject propriis viris. For so (saith he) holy women that hoped and trusted in God, arrayed themselves here afore in old time, which were subject and obedient to their own husbands. Example he taketh of Sara, that was wife to the blessed Patriarch Abraham. I think that if we saw now in our time the tiring of her, the dressing of her head, and the whomelines of her raiment, it would make us laugh, and yet it was good and huswyfely for that time I doubt not. But the raiment that S. Peter commendeth in her, was the raiment of her soul, her prompt and ready subjection and obedience to her husband, she forsook her country, and her kindred and acquaintance, to accompany him, and do as he would have her to do. And in process, when the three angels appeared like men to Abraham sitting at his door, and he invited them to his house, he bad Sara his wife make speed, to take flower and knead it, to make them a cake baken under a pan for their dinner, she full obediently did as she was bid, while he run to his herd of cattles, and took a fat young calf and gave it to his servant to dress it and to seethe it, and so with milk and butter, and that sod veal, he made them good cheer, I trow their drink was water, for it was in the fervent heat of the day, and in a hot country, would God men could be content with such hospitality now a days, there should many more be fed then be, and the hospitality should be more acceptable to God then it is now, with diversity of exquisite dishes, dashed with spices and delicate wines, and used for kindred and friends, and such as can requite like again: If poor people have any thing, it is those scraps that be next the dogs meat. And yet more, when Abraham her husband bad her that she should not say that she was his wife, but that she was his sister, and he her brother, she did so as the time served. And more over saint Peter noteth her obedience and subjection to her husband, by that she called him her Lord, and that was when the Angel told Abraham that Sara his wife should bear him a child, she stood behind the bower door and smiled, saying: What, shall I play the wanton now in mine old age, & Dominus meus vetulus est? and my Lord is an old man? It was her husband that she called Lord, in that giving to all wives example of subjection and obedience to their husbands: And saint Peter sayeth to all wives, you be all her daughters as long as you do well, and like sober matrons as she did, and so doing, you shall not need to fear any trouble or displeasure of your husbands, but shall live quietelye and lovingly together.  
Viri similiter cohabitantes secundum scientiam, quasi infirmiori vasculo muliebri impartientes honorem.  
Now you have heard the fatherly and wholesome counsel that saint Peter hath given to all wives, teaching them how they should order themselves to their husbands, and to the world, because the husbands shall not be to sore nor cruel to their wives, nor to high and lordly over them, he giveth also to the husbands a wholesome lesson as it were, saying: Similiter, Even like as I have exhorted the wives to do their duties to their husbands, so I must exhort and counsel you to do your duties to them, although I have told you that Sara called Abraham her Lord, by her humble and lowly heart, yet you must not so take yourselves as lords over your wives, nor use them as your servants, nor as your drudges, but as your makes, and as your fellows, specially in domestical cohabitation, and dwelling in one house with them, and in your conjugal act together, according to science, and to the judgement of right reason, and by wisdom.  
Saint Ambrose. Epist. lxxxii. saith, the wife must do reverence to the husband, as to her head and ruler, but no service, as his servant, drudge, or bondwoman. She must be content to be ruled by her husband, but not to be compelled by correction, no, not so much as by chyding. For indigna est coniugio quae digna est iurgio, she is not worthy to be a wife, that is worthy to be chid. Then you may be sure she is much more unworthy to be a wife that will not do her own work without strokes: her husbands work is her own work. Strokes be meet for your lewd servants and bondewomen, and not for your makes. Therefore all wives when they will deserve beating, they reneige and refuse the honesty of a wife, returning to servants state again. They should not be taken forth with the grave and sad matrons, and with honest wives, but let them come behind with the servants, because they have not left their servile conditions. And then (good men) as you would your wives should honour you, so must you part honour with them, honouring the woman as the weaker vessel (saith S. Peter.) And if she be crabbed and shrewshaken, yet you must bear with her as ye would she should forbear you when you be out of the way, in your fume or in your rage. Socrates that noble Philosopher had two wives (as S. Jerome writeth, primo contra iovinianum) with which he had much sorrow, and specially with Xantippe, as Aulus Gelius writeth, and also Saint Jerome there. On a time after she had bitterly scolled and railed at him, he went from her, and let her alone, and as he went forth of the door, she bestowed the purtinence of a chamber vessel upon his head for his fare well, he did no more but with his handekercheife wiped his head, and said: I knew it would be thus, that after thunder claps would come a shower. And when his scholars and friends would ask him how he could forbear her, and why he drive her not out of his doors? No (sayeth he) not so, I have a jewel of her, for she doth so exercise my patience, that when I come abroad, I care not what any man sayeth or doth to me, it grieveth me not, I am so used to suffer her, that none other can grieve me: For true it is that trouble worketh patience. Many such examples of gentiles histories I could rehearse, in which appeareth how many noble men have borne with their wives, and forborn them, though their conditions were lewd and naughty, led thereto by the very light and judgement of reason, without preaching of the holy word of GOD. Christian men be taught by our saviour christ, that how soever the conditions of the man or the woman be, they must every one suffer the other, for better for worse, till death them depart. Adultery may depart bed and board, but the indivisible knot of wedlock can not be dissolved. Saint Jerome reciteth the saying of Theophrastus that noble moral philosopher, saying: Vxoris nulla est electio sed qualiscunque obuenerit habenda est. He thinketh there is no choice of a wife, but what manner so ever she be of, men must take her: men shall never learn her conditions (saith he) till after they be married. A horse, an ox, a cow, first be proved afore they be bought, and so is cloth woollen and linen, so is the pot, the pan, cheyres, stools, cups, and such other ornaments and implements, only a wife (saith he) is not showed what she is, least peradventure she should displease and be reject and refused, afore she be taken or married. He sayeth this only of the women, but we have known as much uncertainty when women have chosen their husbands, and as much ill proof of them. But how so ever that be, mutual love, and mutual sufferance shall ease much of this ambiguity, by turning necessity into virtue, and specially the man which is naturally more strong, and should be more wise and discrete, must remember the infirmity of the woman, and must bear with her, and must study for the quietness of his house. saint Ambrose Exameron. libro. v. cap. seven. reciteth a notable example to move all married folks as well men as women, to concord and to agree together. The example is of the lamprey, and a serpent called Vipera nequissimum genus bestie, a serpent most mischievous and venomous. If there be any of them with us, it is the adder. The property of this serpent is this, when he list to gender, specially where he breadeth nigh the Sea coast, he cometh to the water side and there hisseth after his manner, calling to him his make the Lampreye, with his continual hissing. The Lampreye, as soon as she perceiveth him there, draweth to the shore, and shallow water, and when the adder spyeth her coming, he vommiteth and braketh away out of himself all his poison and venom, and so cometh to her clean and wholesome, and then companieth with her, and then they gender together.  
Here may the man and the woman learn to bear and suffer every one the manners of the other. Here may the man learn to order his wife with soberness, and the wife to be gentle and obedient. What thing is worse than venom of a Serpent? And yet the Lampreye feareth not that, in her make the adder, she cometh gentillye at his calling, and lovingly embraceth him.  
Therefore good wives, if your husbands be venomous, crabbed, and cumberous, or (as you call it) shrew shaken, you must come at his calling, do as he biddeth you, be gentle unto him, and so though his venom hurt others, it shall not hurt you. And you married men, be you prudent as the Serpent, work wisely, and lay away your venom, when you shall company with your makes, that is alway and ever, for you must ever dwell with her (as saint Peter sayeth here) therefore you must alway lay away your poison, so that you use none toward her. You must alway lay down as well all your churlysshe swelling, as all your lordly and proud fashion, let her perceive none such in you, remember you be not her Lord (as I said) ye be but her husband, and her make. The Adder layeth away his poison for his make the Lampreyes' sake, and so must you do away all pride, malice, and crabbedness for your wives sake, and so doing you shall dwell with your wife, secundum scientiam, according to science and wisdom (as Saint Peter saith here) considering that she is the weaker vessel, the weaker creature, for all we be God's vessels, either the vessels of God's ire, or the vessels of his mercy. The woman for the most part is weaker than the man, in mind and also in body, and disposed to more infirmities, therefore you must do her honour accordyngelye. This word honour in Scripture hath a large signification: sometime it signifieth reverence and obedience, and so it is not taken here, for the man oweth none such to the wife: Sometime it signifieth provision of necessaries, and so is it taken in the commandment of GOD, of the honour that every man oweth to his parents, for whom he must not only bow with cap and knee, but also is bound to provide for them necessaries if they need. third, in this place of saint Peter, it may signify honest entreating of her in your conjugal act, in which you must use science and wisdom, knowing that the said act, for the intent to get children to be brought up in Christ'S faith and in virtue, is good and commendable: if it be to relieve the infirmity of the flesh, and to keep you from others, it is tolerable, otherwise to do like brute beasts for prolonging of thy lust, is vicious and sinful, you must give honour and spare her, and not mysuse her in this manner. And when you perceive that she hath conceived, you must abstain, for fear least you destroy that GOD hath made: you must consider also that she is disposed to divers infirmities, and when you perceive her in such case, you must give honour and spare her, cherysshe and comfort her: you must also honour her with solicitude and provision, that she lack nothing necessary. Remember that she is coinheritoure, and copartner of the gracious gift of life everlasting in heaven, as well as you, therefore use her thereafter, not as a filthy wretch would use a calotte or a strumpette, the vessels of God's indignation and wrath, apt for destruction and damnation. The wife is the vessel of grace, and apt to come to the glory in heaven as well as the man, for in Christ there is no difference betwixt man and woman. Galath. three Non est servus neque liber, non est masculus, neque femina, omnes enim vos unum estis in Christo jesu. There is no difference betwixt the bondman and the freeman, betwixt the man and the woman, all is one in the grace of faith on Christ, and in glory to be obtained and gotten by Christ.  
Then to conclude with Saint Peter, you must use yourselves toward your wives, dwelling and keeping house with them, after science and wisdom, without crookedness, rigour, and malice, honouring them, bearing with them, and forbearing them, as the weaker vessel, and disposed to many infirmities, and therefore using them honestly, providing for them after your ability and power, that they lack not that is necessary for them, because they be partakers of like glory as you be. And all this must you do (saith Saint Peter) Vt non impediantur orationes vestrae, that your prayers be not let and hindered from their effect by the contrary, for if there be rancour, malice, and strife betwixt you, GOD will not hear your prayers, for he is the GOD of peace, and not of dissension and debate. Therefore he that will be heard, must be peaceable, and no brawler. If you be not clean of conversation, absteininge for causes above mentioned, but follow your lust like beasts, you shall hindre your prayers that they shall not be heard. There be days appointed for fasting, and holy days appointed for prayer and holiness, if you will not at such times abstain, but please the flesh, your prayers will be let and hindered by fleshly lust, that God will not hear them. And therefore S. Paul i. Corin. seven. biddeth the man and the wife by one assent to abstain, that they may attend to their prayers. You may see how both the Apostles, Saint Peter and Saint Paul agreeth in this, having good occasion by the authority of the old testament, for there was commandment given to the people of Israel two days before they should have the law given them in the mount of Sinai, among other points of cleans. Et ne appropinquetis uxoribus vestris. Exo. nineteen. that they should not come nigh their wives. For though the act of matrimony be lawful, yet it hath some uncleanness annexed and concurrente with it, and specially it depresseth and pulleth down the wit from contemplation of heavenly things, because of the vehement carnal pleasure in the act. Now both these must be removed, when you shall give yourselves to god in fasting, keeping holy days, and such holiness▪ and likewise receiving the Sacrament of the altar, and that was signified. i Reg. xxi. Si mundi sunt pueri maxim a mulieribus manducent, where king David and his company were sore a hungered, they came to Achimelech the high priest, than dwelling in Nobe, where the tabernacle and the Arch of GOD was, he desired meat, this priest Achimelech had none but the twelve holy loves of bread that stood afore the Arch, by a certain ceremony of their law, which Achimelech was content to give them, so that they were clean from women. And then you may be sure that such cleans and much more, is required to them that shall worthily receive that holy and gracious bread that came down from heaven, our saviour Christ under the form of bread, and his precious blood under the form of wine. To which most reverend body and blood be all honour and worship for ever. Amen.   

The twelfth treatise or sermon.  
IN fide autem omnes unanimes, compatientes fraternitatis amatores. These words be red in Christ's church for the epistle in the mass, the fift Sunday after Trinity sunday, and be written in this third Chapter of Saint Peter's first Epistle, where after he had afore given fruitful and wholesome exhortations and lessons, to special estates of men and women, as to them that be in bondage, and to all prentices and servants, and to all serving men and women, and afterward to wives and to married men, of which I entreated in my last sermon. Now the blessed Apostle returneth to general lessons to all men and women, using us as good schoolmasters and governors of noble men's children ordereth them that be under their governance, first exercising them in the things that shall beseem their birth, and consequently how they shall eschew and avoid the contraries, and such things as do not beseem a gentleman, so doth S. Peter, first exercise us in well-doing, and second, in avoiding ill doing, that so we may be conformable to our birth of God by baptism, and may use ourselves according to that gentle, noble, and gracious new nativity and birth. In fide autem omnes unanimes. He biddeth us be all of one mind in our faith, and in all matters concerning our faith. The new translation hath. In summa omnes unanimes. In conclusion to be short, be all of one mind, and in the epistle of the said fift sunday after the trinity, it is read: Omnes unamines in oratione estote. Be you all of one mind in your prayers, which might seem to have some coherence to that went immediately afore, where he bade the man and wife to agree, lest by the contrary by their dissension and variance their prayers might be let and hindered. And then according to the same he willeth all men and women to be of one mind in their prayers, for if there be discord among them, their prayers will not be heard. But let us take this text of Saint Peter's epistle as it is writ in the common translation, In fide omnes unanimes, Be all of one mind in your faith, as they were that be spoken of. Act. iiii. Multitudinis credentium erat corunum et anima una. The multitude of them that believed in the primitive church, had one heart and one soul, one will and one mind. And therefore it followeth: Et gratia magna erat in omnibus illis, there was great grace in them all. For where is concord and unity, there the holy ghost spreadeth his grace abundantly, and contrary where be schisms and diversity of errors and opinions, God withdraweth grace, and then men run without bridle from one opinion to an other, from one heresy to an other, till men be set all on a roar and out of quietness, as it appeareth evidently in Germany, where be almost as many heresies and divers ways in their faith, as be cities or towns, every city taking his own wai & his own fashion in their sacraments & ceremonies. This confusion S. Paul greatly feared to come among his disciples the Corinthers' when he prayed them for god's sake, & for the name of our lord jesus Christ ut idipsum dicatis omnes, et non sint in vobis scismata i Cor. i. That they should say all one way, so that there should be no schism or division among them, but that they should be perfect in one mind, as well in their doings as in their knowledge or learning. He would not they should vary so much as in thought or mind. Here among you in this city some will hear mass, some will hear none by their good wills, some will be shriven, some will not, but for fear, or else for shame, some will pay tithes & offerings, some will not, in that worse than the jews which paid them truly, and first fruits & many other duties beside. Some will prai for the dead, some will not, I hear of much such descension among you, I will not descend to the specialties, but with s. Paul & with s. Peter I pray you accord you (good masters & friends) for fear lest the anger of God fall upon this city, which God forbid it should. Compatientes, we must one suffer with an other, & bear one with another, like the loving members or limbs of one mystical body of Christ. Let us take example of our own limbs in our own bodies, if one hand be not able to do thy business, anon cometh the other hand to work, and if thy hands will not serve, thou settest to thy foot, yea, & if need be thy teeth and al. If any part of our body be hurt, the eyes seeketh for a plaster, the feet laboureth to seek a surgeon, the tongue laboureth declaring the grief and praying for help, & so every part of our bodies taketh pain & laboureth one for an other, and with an other, so considering that we be the limbs of Christ's body, we should lovingly one bear with an other to relieve the pain and labour that we see our neighbour sustain. If there be three or four bearing a great burden, if there be a good fellow or two that will come & set to their shoulders to bear with them, this will greatly lighten their burden ease them & comfort them, so when he that is in pain seeth other men sorry & ready to set to their hands to relieve him, ease him, and comfort him, this mitigateth his pain wondrously, and this is true as well in spiritual infirmities of the soul, as in bodily pains and infirmities. After this manner saint Paul took the diseases of other men. two. Cor. xi. Quis infirmatur et ego non infirmor? Who is sick or weak in his faith or in virtue or any point of virtuous living, but that I am sick with him, being as sorry for him as I should be for myself if I were so diseased. Quis scandalizatur et ego non uror? Who is offended, as who should say there is no man offended taking occasion of desperation or of any sin, by the painfulness of trouble, or by ill example of others, but that I am burned for his sake with the flames of charity, taking compassion for him & with him ● And even so we all should every one bear an others burden, thinking an other man's misfortune as his own. Charity requireth that we should after this manner take our neighbour's hurt or displeasure, & then you may perceive of this how far they be from charity that rejoice of other men's harm or displeasure, and will insult and umbraid them of it, and make it worse rather than better. Fraternitatis amatores, you must love the fraternity, the brotherhood, not only your brothers (as we be all brothers in God our father, and in Christ our regeneratour, that hath got us again by baptism) but we must also love the brotherhood, that is to say, the company, unity, and knot of the brothers all together, for although enerye man and woman by himself must be loved, yet we must more love the comontie or common concord of them all together, than the particular persons of the same, or then any particular company among the same whole multitude. Heretics have gathered to them special companies which they have called a brotherhood, as now in our time many calleth their confederacy the brotherhood, but they be but patched pieces and cantels of the brotherhood. They divideth, disperseth, & scattereth that universal and common brotherhood that Saint Peter here speaketh of, rather than advanceth it or doth it any good. They be cantels broken of from the catholic & universal brotherhood of faithful christian people, they seemed sometime to be of the brotherhood, but they were not truly & steadfastly of them, for as s., john saith i joh. two. If they had been of them they would have tarried with them, but by their swerving away, they manifestly show themselves that they were no true members of Christ's mystical body the catholic church, but rather like superfluous & corrupt humours evomited & cast out to relieve & ease the body that was infected by them. If men had not better loved their private & singular opinions, than the common fraternity, there should never so many heresies have sprung up among Christian people. When the common knot of fraternity is once broken, than men take their liberty and run at large, every man as his opinion will draw him, till at the last they mar all. And even so it is in cities and towns and great commonalties, except men love better the comontie and the common wealth, than their singular profit and advantage, the state of the town or city decayeth and all goeth to ruin. Examples we read of the Romans, which while they magnified the common wealth, prospered wondrously, but after they had brought the rule and authority of the city into the power of a few people, so that none should rule but they. And afterward when they were stricken with ambition and desire of honour that every man would be a lord and a ruler, anon by intestine battles, seditions, and parts taking, all came to nought, they lost all their royalty and dominions, a great deal faster than they had got them afore. You have in this city erect a certain confederacy, which you call the company, I pray God it may do well, but I perceive a certain mundanitie in it, a worldly covetous cast to bring the gains that was indifferent & common to all the merchants of this city into the hands of a few persons. Therefore good neighbours love the whole brotherhood & universal company of Christ's faithful people, divide it not, & if there be any cantel broken out, pray for them that they may return and come home again to the great flock and congregation of Christian people, and that they may hereafter love the whole fraternity. Misericordes, you must be merciful. Our saviour Christ in the gospel, exhorting us to mercy, like as our father in heaven is merciful, putteth three kinds of mercy. Luc. vi. One consisteth in not judging nor condemning our neighbour of any mortal crime without evident signs. For he that without evidence of a manifest fact, or of such signs as can not be countersayd & excused by any tergiversation will judge his neighbour and inwardly condemn him as a malefactor, hath a cruel heart and is not merciful. The second kind of mercy that our saviour speaketh of there, standeth in forgiving offences done to us, like as we would be forgiven, Dimittite et dimittetur vobis, forgive, and you shall be forgiven. But because that in the naughty world that now runneth by overmuch suffering, ill persons may take occasions of boldness to do ill. It is not at all times necessary to forgive both the offence and the injury. The offence and displeasure of mind, and the ill will to the person that hath offended thee, must needs be forgiven and laid away, but the wrong done unto thee, thou mayst redress by the order of the laws, ever without any sinister desire or purpose to undo or notabli to hurt him that thou suest at the laws. Notwithstanding if thou forgive the injury aswell as the offence, it is a deed of supererogation & well done, & shall not be unrewarded at the day of judgement, as Christ saith, quod cumque supererogaveris cum rediero, ego reddam tibi● Luc. x. Whatsoever thou bestowest over head above thy duty when I come I shall pay it thee. The third kind of mercy consisteth in relieving the need of thy poor neighbour with thy alms of such things as thou perceivest him to have need of, whether they be bodily or ghostly. Date et dabitur vobis, give charitably and there shall be given you grace in this world, and hereafter life everlasting, specially if you give as S. Paul speaketh two. Cor. ix. sic quasi benedictionem, et non quasi avaritiam, as a blessing, and not as avarice, that is to say, abundantly and not niggardly or against your wil Chrisost. Qui elimosinam dat invitus avare dat. He that giveth his alms against his will, giveth it niggardly, more coveting to save it for himself, then to relieve the poor folks by it. We must be liberal according to our power, considering that qui parce seminat parce et metet, he that soweth spareli and thin, shall reap thin, & he that soweth in blessings with a good will and plentifully (as blessings be given) shall reap & gather in plenty at the time of reward everlasting, not understanding by him that sparely soweth him that little hath & little giveth, for if his mind be prompt & redi to give more if he had more & might more spare, god will accept him among the large givers, and his good will shallbe accept according to that he hath, and not after that he hath not. two. Cor. viii. as the poor widows offering of ii half farthings was better accept, than the rich gifts of the rich men that offered to the church stock in jerusalem. And among other poor and needy persons I pray you extend your mercy and charitable alms on the poor students of the universities of this realm, which like as they were never fewer in number, so they were never poorer of exhibition to find them necessaries, by your abundance and plenty of that goods that God hath sent you, mercifully bestow upon them that you may be part takers of the graces that God hath given them, and so betwixt you and them there may be some equality (as S. Paul speaketh, exhorting the Corinthers' to do their alms on the poor Christian people at jerusalem, then lately converted to Christ's faith) so that with distributing part of your temporal substance among them, you may receive part of the learning and other graces that God hath given them, by which they may supply & make up that you lack in spiritual gifts, like as you supply that they lack in temporal goods. Even like as it is written in the story of Exo. xvi. when the people of Israel should gather Manna that they were fed with in desert, he that gathered most had no more than he that gathered less, they had but the measure called Gomor, for every person, and so God disposed that meat that they were equally served & every man had enough, so according to S. Paul's mind, God will do with your charitable alms bestowed on them, & with their gifts of grace, that you shall have enough, and they shall have enough, you shall be never the poorer at the years end, but the richer, & beside that you shall be increased in grace & goodness by them, by which all things shall go the better forward with you, and they shall have by you more temporal help for to sustain them to their study, & their gifts of grace shall be never the less. And moreover that is most to be embraced and regarded, Augebit incrementa frugum justitiae vestre, God will augment the increase of the corn of your justice. justice is holiness & good living, the corn & fruit that cometh of justice, is reward everlasting, which shallbe increased & enlarged by your alms so that you may now gather what is the reward of merci, pity & alms deeds, you shallbe rewarded here temporally with increase of your riches, & ghostly with increase of grace, & finally with abundance of glory and joys everlasting in heaven. And all this our saviour Christ compriseth in few words, data et dabitur vobis give, and all these afore said shallbe given you. And I fear me that because men be so hard and straight laced, that they will not departed with their transitory & worldly substance to them that might redub spiritual solace to them by their prayers, God withdraweth grace, & also suffereth you to decay & not to come forward in temporal substance. It followeth in the text of s. Peter's epistle, Modesti, Tully primo officiorum diffineth Modestia after the mind of the stoics: Modestia est scientia earum rerum que agentur aut dicentur loco suo col locandarum, it is a knowledge to set in their own place all things that shallbe done or said, to place all our doings & sayings according to the opportunity of the time as occasion shall serve. It is a foul thing & a great fault to bring in light language, & to speak gestingly as it were in an alehouse when men be in communication of an earnest & sad matter. tuli bringeth example of Pericles & Sophocles which were fellows or brothers together in the office of Pretura. They were Praetors together, highest officers in the city of Rome next to the Consuls in so much that in the absence of the Consuls they bear the consuls authority: They were a mean betwixt the Consuls & the common people, so that they should refer unto the commons such things as were decreed by the Consuls, & the Counsel of the senate concerning the people, & of such things as the people had to do withal, & they had the hearing of the causes of the people & authority to give sentences and make laws & ordinances, for the ordering & quietness of them, & to advance and to set them forth to war as need required. And as Marcus Varro primo de lingua latina, saith of that the office had his name praetor dictus ꝙ periret exercitui: because he should go afore the host & guide them. They should also speak for the people unto the senate, & should defend then from wrong. The said two. praetors were on a time in counsel together about a cause concerning their office, & by chance there came by them a well-favoured & fair child, than Sophocles in the middle of their matter said: O puerum pulchrum Pericle, O brother Pericles, lo yonder is a fair child: the other answered him: pretorem Sophocle decet non solum manus, sed etiam oculos abstinentes habere, It beseemeth a Praetor not only to have his hands abstaining from bribery, but also his eyes from wanton concupiscence. If Sophocles had said those words in a time when men were about to choose men to do a feat, as is used with us to play in an interlude, to play a virgin's part or a wooers part, or such like, when men use to choose fair and we●fauored young men for their purpose, the said Sophocles should a deserved none such cheek, but then in the middle of an earnest matter to speak of such light fashions or fancies, because his saying was not well placed, he lacked Modestia that we speak of now, and was to be blamed. Likewise if a man in his study, or riding in his journey, would muse in making verses, or how he should tell his tale afore a judge, or if a divine would muse or record his sermon by the way riding, all this were good and laudable, but if he would so do, or would be in his dumps when he were among his loving friends and good fellows at a feast, or at a banquet: he should seem to be a churl and to lack good manners, because he knew not his time. Or if a man would sing in the middle of the market, or in a court at the bar afore the judge when there be weighty matters in hand, he should offend against modesty, & against all good humanity, so that he may be called modest or mannerly that in all his behaviour useth good manner and measure, and a mean. Modestia cometh of modus a measure, which is a virtue. Nimietas (as S. Iherome saith) is his contrary vice, which is forbid by the common proverb, Ne quid nimis do in nothing to much. To much passeth measure and passeth good manners, such as in their fare at their board or in their apparel and raiment exceedeth their substance spending and wasting more than their lands or occupying will extend to, or maintain, they keep no modesty no measure, nor good manner, they offend in Nimietie, they come unto to much. How many (think you) of our neighbours now at the holy time of Christmas coming, will exceed modesty and good measure in their fare, spending so much now for ostentation & pride, that they shall far the worse in their dish till Easter. It were best to keep such a measure now, that you may have somewhat left to help yourself an other time. As for modesty and measure in apparel, was never less used, velvet & other silks be as commonly on the poor men's back, that liveth from hand to mouth, as on the gentleman, or as on the alderman of this city. The pride of the world is such, that it bringeth all men almost to the extremity of nimietie & unto to much. Therefore S. Peter knowing that pride is an adversary to modesti, to manerlynes, and to the mean, he exhorteth us as for to conserve and keep modesty to use humility. Humiles (saith he) lowly of heart, so that when god giveth you any of these gifts of goodness aforesaid, you be not proud of them, but thank God for them, attributing all to God that gave them to us, and may take them away when he list. It is but a very foolishness for a man to be proud of that he hath not of himself, but that may be taken from him at every twinkling of an eye, if it please the giver. Humilitas dicitur ab humo, it hath his name of the earth of the ground, which is lowest & most gross element. We must know our state, our condition, whereof we come & whereto we shall, which if men would inwardly consider, they should never be proud of any gift that god hath given them, whether it be kindred, lands, possessions, office, authority, acquaintance with great men, and to be in favour with them. If men would consider how hardly such gifts be obtained, & how soon God can whip them away when it shall so please him, as daily experience teacheth, men would fall to the ground, they would be humble, lowly, & nothing proud, but attribute all to God, and take nothing as their own. And so doing they should deserve more benefits of him hereafter. Amen.   

¶ The xiii treatise or sermon.  
NOn reddentes malum pro malo, nec maledictum pro maledicto. Now after this godly instruction how we shall order ourself in well doing, beseeming our birth in Christ by baptism. Here consequently he willeth us to leave & eschew such vices as shall not beseem a good christian man, bidding us that we shall not redub ill for ill nor requite a shrewd turn for a shrewd turn, neither an ill word for an ill word, nor check for check, nor slander for slander, although after the judgement of the world it may peradventure seem lawful par pari refer, to requite taunt for taunt, or like for like, but god will none such retalliation in word nor deed, but contrari that we should do good for ill, & should bless & say well for ill saying, as ● Peter saith here and our saviour Christ saith, Mat. v. Diligite inimicos vestros benefacite hijs qui oderunt vos ●t orate pro persequentibus et caluniantibus vos ut sitis filii patris vestri. A marvelous sanctimony that Christ requireth of us. Christian folk. He biddeth us love our enemies, & to do well to them that hateth us & to pray for them that pursue us, and for them that unjustly vex us at the law that so we may be the children of our father in heaven. We must love our enemies, not their enmity or their vices & sins, for them we must hate, but the nature, the mankind, the person must be loved, for every man & woman, in asmuch as they be made after the image of God, & may receive almighty God into their souls by knowledge and love, must be loved charitably, for the love of charity is founded upon the communion and indifferent receiving of perpetual beatitude, that is to say all creatures that now have everlasting joys in heaven, or that may hereafter come to that joy, & receive that glory, be to beloved by the love of charity. Now there is no man nor woman so bad while they be in this world living▪ but they may be saved & may come to glory. Therefore our charity & love should extend to all men & women, & to our enemies, in asmuch as they may amend their manners, & may do away their malice, & may come to heaven, by the same reason must be loved, & we be bound to extend our charity upon them. And when Christ biddeth us pray for them that doth us hurt, or would trouble or vex us, we be bound to prai for them to God, to send them grace in this world & glory in heaven at their end. If we pray to god to increase their substance, or to send them health, or to send them honour or worship, this is more than we be bound to do, although if we pray so for them, we do well and we shall not lose our reward for our good will, & for our prayer. It was the time of persecution, when s. Peter wrote this epistle when christian people had much trouble & vexation, & many ill words. And because that men be more ready to requite ill words then ill deeds, for men dare not at all tunes strike when they be stricken, nor rob when they be rob, yet words be soon paid home & many times worst than they be given, of which cometh much dissension, anger & breach of charity. Therefore the apostle specially biddeth them that he wrote to, & us by them, beware of that fault, & endeavour ourselves to say well when we be ill said by, & for cursings to pai hom blessings again for which he bringeth a vehement pers●oasiō by that that we be called to Christ's faith to have God's blessing by inheritance which shall be given us at our judgement. Therefore s. Peter meaneth that what soever we desire to have in the world to come, in the same thing we should exercise ourselves in this world, blessing our Lord & maker by laud & praising him & blessing our brothers & sisters our even christian, saying well by them & wishing & praying them good in this world so preparing ourselves for the heavenly blessing that shall never fail us. S. Peter alleged the prophet David in the psal. xxxiii. whosoever will love life everlasting in heaven, in which no man dieth, and will love to see good days that shall never be darkened nor discontinued by any night, let him refrain his tongue from ill sayings, not blaspheming the name of god, nor murmuring against him. And let him refrain his lips that they speak no guile nor deceit against his neighbour, but be true in thy words, & in keeping thy honest promises, for unlawful & unhonest promises thou shouldest make none, but if thou have made any such, thou shouldest repent thy folly & break thy promise. Christ saith. Mat. xii. Ex verbis tuis iustificaberis, et exve●bis tuis condemnaberis, by thy words thou shalt be justified & approved as a good man afore god, and by thy words thou shalt be dampened, the children of Adders being naughty themself can not say well, ex abundantia enim cordis loquitur os, for the mouth speaketh of the stuff of the heart. Il words declareth an ill heart, & good words declareth a good heart. And therefore when the prophet & also s. Peter forbiddeth the tongue from ill, he forbiddeth the heart from ill thoughts, aswell as the tongue from ill words. S. james saith jac. iii. Be a horse never so strong & fierce, yet with a good bit in his mouth & with the bridle a man may turn him & wind him as he list, and likewise a ship, though it be very great and unweldi, & be set forth in his way with a right boistous & strong forwinde, yet with a little stern it may be turned & winded as the master that holdeth the helm list. So the tongue is but a little limb of a man's body, et magna exaltat, & it setteth forth many great matters, mors et vitam manibus lingue, it bringeth life temporal and much quietness, if it be well bestowed and causeth life everlasting to him that well useth his tongue in godly doctrine and ghostly exhortation uttered in season, where contrary a wicked tongue maketh much trouble in this world, and many times death temporal and eternal followeth of it. A little fire burneth a whole grove, or a great wood. An ill tongue is a fire that marreth all and burneth up, consumeth, and wasteth all goodness, specially when the fire of hell hath set it on a flame, when the devil hath blown the coal. It is an unquiet mischief full of deadly poison. Prohibe linguam tuam a malo. When the devil moveth thee to say ill, then play the controller, play the commander, bid thy tongue keep itself within his bonds, and say none evil, though thy courage would contrary. And then Declinet a malo, & faciat bonum. Where the blessed apostle Saint Peter by the words of the Prophet biddeth us use justice in our works and deeds, as he hath willed us to use justice in our thoughts and in our words. And because there be two principal parts of justice, one to decline from evil, and the other to do good, he that will see good days, must decline from evil, so performing the precepts negative. Thou shalt not take the name of God in vain. Thou shalt not kill any man, woman, or child. Thou shalt not steal nor rob. Thou shalt do no lechery, nor such other. The second precept concerning the other part of justice, is to do good, fulfilling the precepts affirmative, believing on one God, loving him, and fearing him: Keeping thy holy day holy, worshipping thy father and mother, and generally so doing to an other, as thou wouldst an other should do to thee. Inquirat pacem & prosequatur eam. Let him seek peace with God and man, and earnestly follow it. The world can give no peace, but will rather drive away peace, and make dissension and debate betwixt god and man, and betwixt man and man. Therefore the Prophet saith not only thou must seek for peace, but also thou must pursue it, run after it, labour and find all means possible to catch it, and to hold it, else it will be gone, the world and carnality will have it away from thee. And because he that declineth and avoideth from evil, and doth well, and also laboureth and taketh pain to obtain justice, taketh great labour and pains in so doing. The blessed apostle saint Peter forth with comforteth us, telling what is the reward of justice, and of good men that keep justice. Oculi domini super justos. This shall be their reward. first our Lord God's eyes will favourably behold them, and lovingly look upon them as on his friends, as a man's eyes runneth much on the thing that a man loveth. second, his ears will be open, & mercifully inclined to hear their prayers, where contrary he will make a face and look with a terrible countenance upon them that do ill, and keep not these parts of justice afore rehearsed, nor careth for peace, nor will not labour for to obtain it. Where the prophet applieth corporal limbs or membres to almighty god, condescending to our infirmity of our wits, which must be led up by corporal similitudes to the consideration of heavenly things of the manner used among men, by his amiable casting his eyes upon us, his loving favour, and by his frowning & terrible countenance his anger and displeasure. Et quis est qui vobis noceat si boni emulatores fueritis ● Here the apostle excludeth a certain doubt that might move men's minds saying, that if we shall thus do as you say, not requite evil for evil, nor check for check, but contrary ways do good for ill, & bless or say well for ill words, and ever to labour for peace and quietness, than every man would tread us under foot, and would hurt us and rob us, and do us displeasures one after another, & so we should be in worse case than all other men be. To this. s. Peter answereth, comforting us as it were, marueiling why we should think so, saying: who is he that will hurt you, if you be the followers of good deeds, as saint Paul speaketh. Tit. two. Sectatores bonorum ●perū● Ensuers and followers of good works, but rather will favour you, & cherish you? And so will all good men do. Yea, good. s. Peter why askest thou that question? Dost thou marvel of this? I pray the why was jeremy the Prophet stoned to death? Why was Esay sawed to death. Was it not for their good living, and for their Preaching? And why were thou thy self & thy fellows the apostles so bitterly threatened & commanded that you should no more preach in Christ's name? Was it not because you followed the thing that was good? Why were you cast into the common geyle at that time when the angel of god in the night time opened the prison door & bade you go and stand in the temple and speak all the words of this christian life, Act. v. And afterward when Gamaliel had by his counsel somewhat stated the malice of the officers, yet you were well beaten & commanded to speak no more in Christ's mane And also when Herode agrippa would have slain thee as he had done james brother to saint john to gratify the jews. And finally, when Nero caused thee to be killed in deed, was not all this because thou were Emulator boni: et sectator bonorum operum. A good doer? Why was saint Stephan martyred? and likewise a great multitude in the Primitive church, was it not for well doing? And in the Gospel of this present third sunday of Lent, when Christ had cast out a devil out of a man that was both dumb, deaf, & blind. The people marveled & praised the miracle, where others as the Scribes and Phariseis said he wrought that miracle by the power of Belzebub chief of the devils. So that where they durst not hurt him with their hands, they did the worst they could to hurt him with their malicicious tongues. And you good neighbours here in Bristol, I trow you learned of them that I have spoke of. If a man abstain from whitemeate this holy time of Lente, you will call him hypocrite, and daw fool, and so rap at him, and strike him with your venomous tongues, and use him as an object, excluding him out of your company, where he ought rather to be afraid of your company, & to abhor it because of your carnal lust to please the mouth and the belly, and for your evil example giving to others, you be such as Jude speaketh of in his epistle. In epulis suis macule convivantes. When you be on your Ale bench or in your banquets at the hot and strong wine, you spot your own souls and spotteth others by your evil tongues and ill examples, teaching youth to be as evil as you be. Then have at the preachers, than they hurt men with their railing tongues, and more hurt they would do with their hands if it were not for fear of the kings laws. You had need to amend this manner, you must be content to hear your fauts told you, that you may so amend them, for fear lest the devil lead you still in your affectate and blind ignorance, till he have brought you to the blind exterior darkness in hell, where he would have you. Cherish your Preachers as beseemeth good men to do, or at the leastwise if you will do them no good, do them no hurt, lest God take their part, and execute his vengeance against you. And then to the preachers and to all good livers I say, that if the worst fall that you be troubled with evil persons that have no respect to your good living, but that will rather invent matters against you, and pike quarrels, by which they may unquiet you, and trouble you, let your trouble gender patience, and so you shall convert necessity unto virtue, making a matter of virtue of it. Count yourselves blessed in that you suffer for justice sake. This lesson saint Peter learned of our master Christ. Math. v. Beati qui persecutionem patiuntur propter justiciam, quoniam ipsorum est regnum celorum. Blessed be they (saith Christ) that suffer persecution for justice and good livings sake, for their pain and sorrow shall be recompensed with joys everlasting in Heaven, the pain shall be but short, but the pleasure shall never have end. Therefore fear you not any thing that seemeth to them terrible and fearful, that would pervert and overthrow a carnal worldly person, and that you be not turned from your virtue, nor from any good purpose by their thunder bolts, comminations, threatenings, prisonment, or other punishment, let none such trouble you. Dominum autem Christum sanctificate in cordibus vestris. But that you sanctify our Lord and master Christ's in your hearts. Sanctus significat firmum, sanctificare firmare. Make Christ sure in your hearts, so that he go not from your remembrance, neither out of your love, for fear of any trouble or pain. Parati semper ad satisfactionem omni poscenti vos rationem de ea que in vobis est spe & fide. Ever being ready to satisfy every man that asketh you the reason of the hope & faith that is in you. For they that be better learned & more exercised in christian religion, must instruct them that be ignare & not learned, as charitably and soberly teaching them by sensible & plain examples & persuasions as they can. And if they that would inquire of our faith be infidels, or else peradventure heretics that have swerved from the common received faith of Christ's church. If such would be inquisitive & busy, questioning rather to take us in fault by our answers, & to put us to rebuke, them for zeal or love to learning, as though our hope were of things never like to be obtained or gotten, & our faith were without reason▪ or of things unpossible or unlikely, & not worthy to be accept or received of any wise man, yet they may be answered reasonably. That if the things that we hope & believe were not so obscure & removed from our carnal senses as they be, our merit should be but small: therefore because god would reward us abundantly for our faith, & for our hope, he would us to take more pain than for to adheir & stick to such things only as we see afore our face. Many there be that be so addict & wedded to their bodily senses that they will not believe much more than experience showeth than, or then that they may attain to by their own gross reasons, by that showing themselves not much better than brute beasts. And of such sturdy hardness of heart cometh this diffidence & wavering about the verity of Christ's body & blood in the most reverend sacrament of the altar. And about the state of souls after this present life with many such other matters of our faith, which be now adays without bridle or stay brought into question. But he that believeth there is a heaven & doth hope to come to heaven, must ascend while he is here, & must believe that of heavenly secrets, that he heareth by the true preachers of Christ's word. And take this for a principal reason why thou shouldest believe & hope as christian people be taught, that when Christ's faith was first published & declared abroad in all the world, it was first set forth by poor men, homely & rude fishers, of the most abject sort of the people, for such Christ chose for his apostles. And their doctrine was reproved & pursued of the most mighty sort of the world. Great emperors have despised it, & have many times by express laws laboured to extinguish the name of Christ, & have beaten & slain them that believed on Christ, or have preached or spoken in Christ's name, which yet notwithstanding the more trouble that tyrants hath stirred against Christ and his doctrine, and against his preachers, and against his faithful people, the more excellently the faith of Christ hath flourished, advanced, and gone forward: so that the labour of the poor fishers with God's assistance vainquished and overcame the authority of all the potentates of the world, maligning against our faith, and against our hope. So that I count this one of the greatest miracles that ever GOD wrought for the proof and confirmation of Christ's faith: And now (good neighbours) if there be any among you, that in time paste have maligned against your preachers, or against the common received faith of Christ's church, amend your faith assuring yourselves that Christ's true doctrine will have his way, and will prevail at length, be your malice never so greatly set against it. Moreover, thus we may say to Infideles that would examine us of our faith, that our faith hath be so confirmed by such miracles as could not be done, but only by the power of GOD, therefore if we be deceived in our believe, god hath beguiled us, which can not be, for God is true, & very truth itself, and can not be witness of any falsity. And for the manner how to satisfy every person particularly in several doubts, and how we should use ourselves, the apostle S. Paul advertiseth us, saying. Col. iiii. Sermo vester semper in gratia sale sit conditus, ut sciatis quomodo oporteat vos unicuique respondere. Let your communication be such, that it may be acceptable and pleasant to them that would learn of you, and let it be powdered with salt, that is to say, with savoury wisdom, that you may know how to answer every person according to such measure of grace, as shall please God to give every one of you, as he will not fail to do, for Christ hath so promised. Lu. xxi. I will give you a mouth and such wisdom as all your adversaries shall not have power to resist. But this must be done with modesty and with fear, without presumption, pride, or arrogancy, with modesty and good manner outward, and with fear inwardly in your hearts, so that you wade not to far, least in your declaration you bring in more deep and obscure matters than were asked of you, and lest you trust to much to natural reasons, and familiar examples, intending to prove that can not be proved by natural reasons, nor by examples. Although natural reasons and familiar examples may do much to declare and to set forth the things that we believe, and to declare the possibility of them that such things may be, and then join the verity of the scripture to this possibility, and this shall make a man more sweetly and lovingly to believe the thing that he believed afore. Take example in the Article of the incarnation of the son of God. We steadfastly believe that the holy Ghost formed and fashioned in the virgin's body of her most pure blood, without any mixture or help of man's seed, a perfit man's body, perfectly distinct in all lineaments and proportions belonging to a man's body, although it were of small quantity at the beginning, yet in process it was nourished and increased, & growed to a greater quantity as other children doth in their mother's body. This we believe, as we believe other articles of our faith, and we take it for an unfallible truth. And then if we will muse or study how this may be, let us take a natural example to help our believe. We perceive that of the moist ground the sun by his heat and influence naturally gendereth first a little worm, which in time groweth to a greater quantity, than we may be bold to believe that the infinite power of god may do like, and much more in Christ's Incarnation. Such natural reasons and examples might be given to declare other articles of our faith, which must be done manerlye: that is, with Modesty, (as S. Peter speaketh) & also with fear, lest we pass our bonds. And specially we must have an eye to our own conscience Conscientiam habentes bonam, having a good conscience, so that in the matters that we declare to others, we waver not within ourselves, but that we do inwardly believe the things to be true, that we say we believe: & that in our outward behaviour & living, we show it in our works. And so whosoever would backbite you, or rail at you (saith. s. Peter) or would unjustly accuse you afore any judge, as though your faith wax▪ nought, nor worthy to be received of any wiseman, they considering your steadfastness in Christ's faith, & your good conversation and living in Christ, may be ashamed of themselves, and may leave their accusements & their tayling, & may amend their lives, and come to grace. They that ignorantly will teach and declare the thing that is false, & that they know not, they have no good conscience, their conscience is not sufficiently instructed, they know not what they say, they be no good readers, no good schoolmasters, nor good preachers. They also that for to please the world or for promotion, profit, or advantage, will be of one opinion now, & soon after of another mind, & at one time doth teach one thing, & at another time doth teach the contrary as the wind bloweth & as the world changeth, they at the first had no good conscience. The science or knowledge of their hearts or minds was not good but erroneous or else vafre, wily, & subtle, which. s. Peter would not have in any christian man or woman. Melius est enim ut bene facientes (si voluntas dei velit) pati quam male facientes. For if it be gods will that you suffer persecution, tentation, or trouble for the exercise of your faith, & for the increase of your reward, better it is that you suffer for well doing then for evil doing. For you shall have reward of GOD for your patient suffering of vexation that you have not deserved. Where as if you were malefactors, and ill doers, you should have no thank of god, for you have even as you have deserved. Take example of our master Christ which once died for our sins, the just for the unjust, a good man for shrews and noughly livers, That so he might offer us up to god the father, not being naughty as we were before, for so we should be no pleasant offering to almighty God: but we must be by example of him, Mortified in flesh, and quickened in spirit: Like as he died for our sins and roose again for our justification, so must we be mortified, and must die to all carnality and sin, so that there be none left alive in us. And we must be vivificate and made alive in spirit, so that our living be all spiritual, good, and godly, pliant to the inclination of the holy spirit. This example of our master Christ saint Peter brought in to teach us that they that being good and virtuous, yet suffereth vexation and trouble, they follow Christ, which in like manner suffered injuries, pains, and passion that he never deserved. Some there be that by their vexation and trouble that they suffer, amendeth their lives, leaveth their vices, knoweth, god & cometh to goodness. And they may be compared to the blessed thief that was condemned to death for his former guilts & faults yet in his pains hanging on the cross, he came to the knowledge of Christ, & called for mercy & had mercy, & came to paradise, & to salvation. Others there be that for all the pains and punishments, vexation and trouble that they suffer be never the better, but be rather worse and worse, freting, chafing, cursing, and blaspheming against God, These be like the thief on the left hand, which for his faults was hanged on the cross, and there hanging, railed against Christ as others did, and descended into hell, to pains everlasting. The new translation readeth this place. Mortificatus quidem carne vivificatus autem spiritu. speaking of Christ which was mortified in the flesh, bodily dying for us, and was vivificate and ever alive in the spirit, for his soul never died, in sign and token that by his example we should likewise do: ghostly dying to all carnality, and ever living spiritually, as I said afore. In quo & his qui in carcere erant spiritibus veniens predicavit. This text is diversly expounded, one way thus. In which spirit, by which he was ever alive, Christ came and preached to the spirits that were in prison, which once were hard of believe, when they looked for God's patience and long sufferance in the days of Noah, while the Arch or great ship was a making, in which ship a few, that is to say. viii. lives were saved by the water, lifting up the ship a float from the danger of drowning. Christ came in spirit, and preached to the spirits that were in prison. The works of the whole Trinity be all one outward among the creatures (as I have many times told you) therefore in that that almighty God inspired the blessed patriarch Noah to preach unto the people of his time, penance and amendment of life, it may be said that the father in spirit preached to the people then being in prison, and that the son in spirit preached to the same prisoners, and that the holy ghost in spirit preached to the same people. For the whole trinity inspired Noah to preach, therefore it is true that every person in trinity did it. And so it may be said that Christ preached to them, for that is true of the second person in trinity is true of Christ. Per communicationem idiomatum. As we say, the son of god is a man, and a man is the son of God. And so we say that the son of god suffered death on the cross, & that a man made the stars in the sky, Because of the perfect union and knot of the godhead to the manhood in one person, and the same person that now is incarnate and made man did it. And he preached to the Prisoners that were dull in believing, No telling them Gods commination and threatening, to destroy the world with water except they would amend. And yet they were hard of believe, and looked for more favour at God's hand, and for longer patience, and forbearing them, and so trifled till the flood came upon them and drowned them. They were in prison (saith. s. Peter) which after this exposition must be understand morally, in as much as they were bound as prisoners by the bonds of sin, as the prophet speaketh. Funes peccatorum circumplexi sunt me. The ropes of sins have wrapped me in round about, and likewise speaketh the wiseman. Pro. v. Iniquitates sue capiunt impium & funibus peccatorum suorum constringetur. His own iniquities taketh the wicked person, and with the ropes of his own sins he shallbe strained & knit. And in that case were the people of noah's time, for all mankind had corrupt his way, and the manner of his living. Omnis caro corruperat viam suam. Gen. vi. All flesh, all men left virtue and lived insolently, & viciously. This is one exposition of this text of. s. Peter. But this exposition though it be good & catholic, yet it seemeth more moral than literal, because it taketh the name of the prison, & of them that were in prison morally for the custom & use of sin, & not for a place where a prisoner is kept in pain & sorrow to his displeasure: & it taketh the prisoner for him that is entangled, polluted, & defaced with the deformity of customable sin. This prisoner though he be in extreme peril & danger of soul, yet not knowing the case that he standeth in, maketh merry, & fealeth no harm, nor pain, but counteth himself most at liberty, & at hearts ease. Therefore I think. s. Peter speaketh of the spirits or souls of them that would not regard the exhortation of Noah made unto them for amendment of their lives, till the very flood came upon them. And then seeing the water rise higher & higher, & men and women, and other living creatures perish in the same flood, and that there was no place able to save them from drowning, they took remorse of conscience, and repentance, as well for their hardness of heart contemning noah's exhortion, as for their own naughty living, & so calling for mercy, were received to mercy, & saved their souls. Yet in asmuch as the gate to heaven was not opened by Christ, they were stayed in the skirt of hell, a place provided by GOD to receive their souls that died in the state of grace, and in God's favour, in which if they had any thing to be purged, as for venial sins, or for lack of sufficient satisfaction for mortal offences done by their life time, had first grievous pains for their purgation, and then consequently were received into Abraham's bosom, a place of tranquillity, rest, and quietness, where they had no sensible pain. They had none other pain, but only the pain of lack of glory, which doubtless was a grievous pain for them that daily and hourly looked for it, as the wisemanne saith. Pro. xiii. Spes que differtur affligit animam. The hoop that is prolonged and put of, vexeth and punisheth the mind. Among these were many of them that were swallowed up in the water at noah's flood, Yet dying penitent (as I said) of which saint Peter here maketh special mention, understanding by them all the rest of the holy fathers that were in the same prison, and in the pain of lack of glory. To these spirits or souls of them thus being in that painful Prison, where they were pained with the hunger & thirst of eager and greedy desire to see the glory of God. Christ came in spirit in his soul (while his body lay still in the sepulchre) and preached, declared, and revealed unto them that the high mystery of his painful passion was exhibited and performed, and man's ransom paid by the price of his precious blood, and there he was conversant with them to their great consolation and comfort, and to the confusion of all the devils in hell, till the time when it pleased him to unite and join his soul to his body again, against the time of his glorious resurrection, and then took away with him such as were to his pleasure, as he said afore that he would do. Ego si exaltatus fuero à terra omnia traham ad meipsum. If I be life up from the ground. I shall draw all things to me, as well in hell as in earth: for of both he drew a great part to him. According to this speaketh the increate wisdom of God, the second person in trinity. Eccle. xxiiii. Penetrabo omnes inferiores parts terre, & inspiciam omnes dormientes, & illuminabo omnes sperantes in domino. I shall pierce and enter into all the lower parts of the earth, and I will look on all them that be a sleep, whose bodies rest in their graves in the sleep of peace, and I will give light to all them that hope in their Lord God. And Saint Augustine in the cxxvii sermon, saith. Omnia ab stulit utique electa, electi quamuis in tranquillitatis sinu tamen apud inferni claustra tenebantur. Non enim infideles quosque & pro suis criminibus aeternis suppliciis dedicos ad veniam dominus resurgendo reparavit, sed illos ex inferni claustris rapuit quos suos fide & actibus recognovit. Christ took away with him all that were elect and chosen: for such although they were in the bay or bosom of tranquillity, ease, and rest, yet they were kept and holden within the clausures of hell. For our lord Christ when he rose, did not repair or restore to pardon and forgiveness all infideles, and such as for their crimes or mortal sins were deputed to everlasting pains and punishments, but them he plucked out of the cloisters and clausures of hell, which he knew for his own by their faith and by their deeds. For the soul of Christ joined to the Godhead, from which it was never separate, descended into the said dark place, & gave light to them that were there kept in prison. By occasion of that he spoke of noah's ship, in which a few lives were saved by the water, that is to say, the lives of No and of his wife, and the lives of their three sons, and of their three wives viii persons in all: the blessed apostle saint Peter declareth the allegory of the same figure, saying: that like as the said viii persons or lives were saved from drowning, being lift up in the ship a float above the ground, even so (saith he) In like form and manner you be saved by baptism from damnation everlasting. Non carnis depositio sordium sed conscientiae bone interrogatio in Deum. The water alone is not the thing that doth it, although his property be to wash away the filth and uncleanness of the body, but it is the examination and discussion of a good conscience toward God (saith S. Peter) because that in the water, the word doth make clean the soul, as S. Augustin speaketh tracked lxxx in euangel. johan. Upon these words, jam vos mundi estis propter verbum quod locutus sum vobis. joh. ux. Take away the holy sacramental words from the water, and what is the water but bare water? Accedit verbum ad elementum & fit sacramentum. The word joined to the element of water, maketh the sacrament. For the water can nor of itself have such strength as to touch the body, and withal to cleanse the soul, but only by the word. And by the word, not because it is sounded or said by him or her that doth christ, but because it is believed. According to that S. Peter had said. Act. xv. Fide purificans corda eorum. God clensith their hearts by faith, the water and the word concurring with the same faith. Then this cleansing of the soul must not be attribute to the water, except we put to the word, and then join them both together, and they shall be of such strength, that they may purge and make clean the least child that ever was borne, which (as I have said in times past) believeth in the faith of the church, like as he or she that is of discretion believeth by his own faith. All these circumstances S. Peter speaketh in few words, conscienty bone interrogatio in deum, the examination or discussion of a good & well believing conscience toward God, comprehending as well the cathechisation or instruction going afore the baptism (where the party may have such opportunity) as the Sacramental words with the water, & with faith and all together. According to this saith S. Paul. Eph. v. Christus dilexit ecclesiam et seipsum tradidit pro ea ut illam sancti ficaret mundans eam lavachro aque in verbo vite. Christ loved his church, & delivered himself to sinful men's hands, that he might make her holy, cleansing her with the laver of water in the word of life. This blessed Sacrament of baptism, by which we be regenerate and gotten again to God, was signified by the water that drowned the earth, and earthly carnal people, and saved the eight lives that then were saved. And that the water of the said flood saved none that were out of the ship, signifieth that all heretics that be out of the common received faith of the church, although they were in the water, although they be christened, and glorieth to be called christian men, yet by the same water they shall be drowned into hell, by which the ship, the catholic church was lift and borne up into heaven and saved, as the material ship of Noah was lift up into the air above ground, and saved by water. And like as they that were drowned in noah's flood had their corpsis washed from exterior filth of their bodies, which prevailed them not against drowning: so there was in the naughty sort of christian people deposirio sordium carnis, a cleansing and washing away of the filth of the flesh by the water of baptism when they were christened, but it prevailed not to eternal salvation, because they lacked a faithful conscience, well instructed, examined, and tried toward GOD by the resurrection of Christ from the dead, that like as he rose from the dead, so our consciences should rise from dead works of sin, to lively works of grace and virtue, no more to die or sin again, which is in the right hand of God, swallowing up, consuming, and destroying death, that so we might be made inheritors of everlasting life.  
That a man swalloweth he consumeth, so that it shall no more appear in the form and fashion that it was of afore, so Christ made by his death, that death should be consumed, in as much as by his death, the devil that is the auctor & causer of death was overcome, his heart was burst. He begilinge and deceiving our first parents killed them▪ and made them and all their posterity subject to death, but killing the latter man, the latter Adam our saviour Christ, he lost the first man out of his snares, which killed his heart and was very death to him. He had power to bring all them to death that descended of Adam (whom he had killed) if they came of him by carnal propagation, taking of him the spot of sin: but abusing his liberty, and procuring the death of our most innocent saviour Christ, that came not of the seed of Adam, by generation betwixt two parents, nor had any spot of sin by Adam, he was worthy to lose his liberty, and so he lost an infinite numbered of them that he thought himself sure of, and daily loseth his expectation, and none can get but such as wilfully will run into his danger. After this victory over the devil, Christ went up into heaven (as S. Peter saith here) and had subject unto him Angels, potestates, and virtues, where S. Peter expresseth three orders of Angels of heaven to be subdued and subject unto Christ, by them understanding all the residue of the Angels, which as S. Dionise in his book de celesti Hierarchia, writeth according to that he had learned of his master S. Paul, by whom he was baptized and also taught in the catholic faith) be divided into iii Hierarchies. Every Hierarchy containing iii orders of Angels, and so they make nine ordres in the whole. Saint Dionise that writ his book of these heavenly creatures, was S. Paul's disciple and scholar, and learned of him that could best declare the truths of them, in as much as he was rapt into heaven, and there saw such secrets as a man might not speak: notwithstanding, as much as seemed to agree to mortal man's capacity for to know, & as was meet and profitable for men to learn, he declared to this blessed S. Dionise, and to others of his disciples that had their wits illuminate above others, which the said S. Dionise committed to writing in his book rehearsed, that the posterity that should come after him in Christ's church might be instruct by the same. In the said book he rehearsed the names of every order of angels in every one of the said Hierarchies. The first and highest Hierarchy containing the iii orders, Seraphin, Cherubin, and Thronos. The second containeth, Dominationes virtutes, & potestares. The third Hierarchy and lowest, hath in it these three orders, Principatus, Archangelos, et Angelos. As appeareth by s. Dionise in the said book. Cap, vi. vii.viii. & ix And by S. Gregory. Homil. xxxiiii super evangelia. All these were subject and subdued to Christ's manhood, when he came to heaven by his marvelous ascension. Of all these order's Saint Peter in this place rehearseth three orders, one of the lowest Hierarchy Angelis, and two of the middle Hierarchy, potestates, et virtutes, by them understanding all the other Angels, which though they were ever sith their first creation, subject, and subdued to Christ's godhead, yet here in this place he maketh special mention of their subjection to Christ, that he might show that the humanity of Christ was so exalted and set aloft by his ascension (which Saint Peter here speaketh of) that it was preferred and set above the excellency of all the Angels of heaven: according to the saying of the Prophet, Omnia subiecisti sub pedibus eius. And Saint Paul. phil. Dedit illi no men quod est super omne nomen ut in nomine jesu omne genu flectatur, celestium, terrestrium, & infernorum. GOD the father hath given him a name above all names, that to his name all creatures in heaven, in earth, and of hell, shall bow the knee, and be subdued and obedient unto him. To whom be all honour and glory for ever. Amen.   

The xiiii treatise or sermon.  
The fourth Chapter.  
CHristo igitur passo in carne & vos eadem cogitatione armamini, quia qui passus est in carne de siit a peccatis. etc. The blessed Apostle Saint Peter, in divers places of this epistle that we have in hand, vehemently extolleth and commendeth the most abundant mercy of God, by which he hath regenerate and gotten us again to life, where we were afore by our carnal parents gotten to death. And we see by experience, that one that hath a great affection or vehement love to any thing, will be ever busy, as it were one that could never have done, or that would be ever glad to speak of it. So Saint Peter could never give thanks enough, he ever inculcateth & bringeth in the remembrance of the benefit of our redemption, because we should ever have it in mind. And because it is not enough to remember it, but we must also in our living conform ourselves to the same holiness, he giveth us many wholesome moral lessons, and fatherly exhortations, teaching us to live virtuously and holily, contrary to vices and vicious living. And because our regeneration and sanctification cometh by baptism, which taketh his efficacity and strength of Christ's blood, shed in his painful passion, therefore ever among he speaketh of the excellent mystery of the said passion of Christ, and of his glorious resurrection, by which as he said in the end of the third Chapter, which I declared in my last sermon upon the same, he swallowed up, drowned, and consumed death of the soul, to make us heirs of life everlasting. And in as much as the world and the spirit be adversaries, and ever at variance, even so be worldly and carnal persons, enemies to spiritual persons. Spiritual I call good livers, that worketh according to the inclination and styringe of the holy spirit, the holy ghost. Then considering that the carnal people be the more sort, and the greater number, and the good livers be fewer in number, it is no marvel that good people suffereth much woe, vexation, and trouble in this world, that were able to overthrow a good man or woman, and to make them to leave their virtue, and to fall to anger, brawling, or such other inconvenience: A remedy and a succour against this peril saint Peter giveth us in these words. CHRISTO passo in carne & vos eadem cogitatione armamini. In as much as christ hath suffered in his flesh, be you armed in the same remembrance. They that were newly converted to CHRIST in the primitive Church had much vexation by infidels, and also by some false christian men, and even so be we many times vexed, and ever shall be unto the worlds end, with shrews and naughty livers, that ever goeth about to disturb and trouble good men, and to work displeasures to them that would serve GOD and the world, in virtue and with quietness. Saint Peter gave to them that he writ unto, the same defence that he would all us to use against all persecution, trouble, and unjust vexation, that is, the remembrance of Christ's passion, the thinking on CHRIST'S passion. Remembrance of CHRIST'S passion, must be our harness and our weaponne to put away all extreme trouble and vexation, and by the ●ame we shall likewise and yde and put of all insults and assaults of temptation to sin: for such remembrance of CHRIST'S passion which he took for our sake, moveth a man to macerate and punish his flesh, to conform himself to CHRIST'S pains, being content to take pain in our bodies, as Christ did in his, and not making ourselves more precious and delicate, than christ made himself, for the love that he had to us.  
CHRIST fasted forty days, and neither eat nor drunk, I say not that we must fast likewise without meat and drink, it passeth our power: but yet as the wise Poet Horace saith. Est quodam prodire tenus si non datur ultra. We must go somewhat onward, though we can not come to the uttermost: we must do the best we can to come toward his fast, taking such meat, and at such times as by the universal counsel of Christ's church be allowed to be eaten in the forty days of Lente: then how far wide from his fast they be that contemptuousely taketh flesh, or other dyattes prohibited, judge you. After he had eaten of the paschal lamb at his last supper, on the thursday in the evening with his disciples, he went forth with them into the place called Gethsemani, where he took himself to prayer, and was in a marvelous agony for consideration of the pains that he should to, and anon came judas with his company to take him, and then they haled him forth from judge to judge, from post to pillar, ut dicitur, so that he never eat nor drunk after, save that in the extreme faintness afore his death, when he would have drunk, they gave him such drink as he would not drink of, after he had a little tasted it, so that from the thursday in the evening, until the friday at three a clock at afternone, when he expired and died, he never eat nor drunk, notwithstanding the great labour and untolerable pains that he suffered in that mean time.  
Now good loving friends, how we that will not take pains to fast nor abstain at times appointed, but only when it please us, (that is as much to say, as never at all, as it proveth in effect) do con form ourselves to Christ'S pains that he took, judge you: either we must deny christ, or else count him a fool, which is a very denial of him, or else set little by his example, to which saint Peter in his words rehearsed referreth us, willing us to arm ourselves by remembrance of the untolerable pains that he suffered in his most tender body. When he was railed against, and called heretic, and traitor, a benchewhystler, a blowboll, a fellow with ribalds, knaves, whores, and drabs, all this wind shaken no corn, all this moved him not, but ever still he proceeded in his godly purpose and for ill words gave to them again blessed words of godly exhortation, and good counsel. If we would take to heart this good example of his wondrous patience and sufferance▪ there should never any backebitinge or sclaunderinge, any railing or missaying once move us to anger or impatience. This remembrance of Christ's passion was signified by the shield that joshua life up against the king of hay, of which it is written. josu. viii. Hai by interpretation is as much to say as confusion. The king of Hai is our adversary the devil, and he hath a captain of his wars called foams peccati, the nurse or the breader of sin, because many doth obey him, and he is the captain of confusion, because he inclineth his subjects to work against the judgement and sentence of right reason, and there as reason ruleth not, is nothing but confusion, and all out of course and good order. GOD bad him Pone insideas urbi post eam, lay a stolen behind the city, on the backside because we must ever watch and labour against the army of confusion, the multitude of mortal sins, as well in age as in youth, because that he overcame the great wise man Solomon when he was an old man, notwithstanding all his wisdom, as he hath done many a one moor, as well in age as in youth. When joshua lift up his shield on high on a spear, that it might be seen a far of, that part of joshua his host that lay in the stolen, and also the company that were with the captain joined together, and environed and closed in the whole multitude of the town of hay, and killed them every mother's son, man, woman and child, saving the king alive, whom they brought to joshua the captain. joshua by interpretation signifieth health or salvation, and signifieth in many of his acts our saviour Christ. joshua his shield thus lift up in the sight of all joshua his company, which gave them courage to fight manfully, signifieth the arms of Christ'S passion, which likewise lift up in the remembrance of good christian people, shall make them to fight against all the sins that may arise or come of the temptation of the devil, or of his chief captain the breader of sin, which by the offence of Adam remaineth in our flesh. We must spare none of God's enemies, mortal sins, for if we do, it will be laid to our charge, and to our condemnation: Example we have of Saul, which when he should fight against the Amalachites, was commanded to kill all that he took, man and beast: contrary to the commandment he saved Agag the king of the country, i. reg. xv. for the which he was reproved and cast out of God's favour, and soon after deprived of his kingdom, and all his issue after him, and the kingdom transferred to the tribe of juda by king David, which was of that tribe or family, in sign and token, that when we shall fight against vices, we must not leave any little sin alive, but kill them all, for else as long as one remaineth in us, we can not be counted just and good men afore God. Sanctificate bellum et pugnate pugnam domini. joel. iii. Then we sanctify a battle, and make an holy battle, when we kill all the enemies of the soul, that is to say, all sins, and when we mortify our flesh, and cut away all ill concupiscence of the same, that we may be holy in body and spirit: and thus playing the victors and conquerors, we may say with the Apostle. Gala. vi. Mihi absit gloriari nisi in cruce Domini nostri jesu Christi, per quem mihi mundus crucifixus est & ego mundo. Where the pseud apostles, against which Saint Paul speaketh there, reputed trouble and pain, suffered for Christ's sake, to be nothing profitable, as many pseudo-apostles and false gospellars sayeth now a days, or if they say if not with their tongues, yet they show it in their works. saint Paul contrary, gloried in nothing ●o much, knowing the great reward that he should obtain for the same: even like as other of the apostles, when they were convented afore the counsel of the jews, and there rebuked and sore beaten for speaking in Christ's name, Ibant Apostoli gaudentes a conspectu consilii quo niam digni habiti sunt pro nomine jesu contumeliam pati. Actu. v. they went away with mirth and gladness, that God had esteemed them, and taken them as worthy to suffer for Christ's sake pains and despites. So did Saint Paul glory, communicating, and taking part of Christ'S pains on the Cross, knowing (as saint Ambrose sayeth) that the love of the Cross causeth life, and the love of the world, bringeth death and destruction.  
invicem sibi mortui sunt dum nihil concupiscit Apostolus mundi, & dum nihil habet mundus suum quod agnoscat in Apostolo, sicut & Dominus ●it, ecce venit princeps mundi huius & in me invenit nihil. joh. xiiii. The Apostle and the world were one crucified to another (sayeth saint Ambrose) while the Apostle had no concupiscence or desire of wordly pleasures, and while the world had nothing that he could know for his own, in that blessed Apostle. Even as our saviour Christ speaketh: loo, the Prince of the world cometh, and findeth nothing in me that he may claim for his own. And who so ever hath so done by remembrance of Christ's pains and passion, so macerating his flesh, so punysshing, subduing, & quenching his carnal concupiscence, he shall so doing, conform himself to Christ's pains, and shall be mortified and made dead to sin, and shall live to christ. Nam qui passus est in carne desiit a peccatis. In which words saint Peter giveth us an excellent lesson, and a general rule, that he that suffereth and taketh pains in the flesh, ceaseth from sin, and leaveth sin, as it may be declared, discurring generally thorough all sins. When a man or woman is tempted to lechery, by overmuch farcinge or fyllinge the belly with meats, and hot wines, let him take pain to punish the belly with abstinence, and anon the pang will suage: And if it be by wantonne company, or communication, than sequester thyself from that occasion, though it be painful to the so to do, and with all occupy thy mind about thy occupation, or in some honest and virtuous meditation, and so thou shalt not be overcome with temptation, but shall scape it, and leave it, and convert thyself to virtue.  
Likewise in anger, which is a certain kindelinge or inflaming of the blood about thy heart, suffer in thy body, take pain in thy body, let not the occasion of that heat come to thy heart, stop thy mouth give fair words though it grieve thee, and anon thy anger will suage, and so thou shalt make a friend of him that thou were moved against afore, and shalt make a matter of virtue of that which if thou had followed, would have turned to murder or mischief, and to thy damnation. Likewise of envy of which it least seemeth, when thou seest an other man prosper and go forward in honesty, in substance, in reputation and estimation among the people. If peradventure thy carnal mind would think thy said neighbours preferment and thrift to be derogation and hindrance to thy state, and to thy estimation, and wouldest be sorry to see him so to prosper, but wouldst rather be glad to say or do that might pull him back. This is plain envy, clean contrary to charity, and most odious to God. What remedy. Pa●iaris in carne, & desines etiam ab hoc peccato. Suffer in thy flesh, and in thy carnal fancy: strive with thy passion be not so foolish as to think that his thrift hindereth thee, but rather take thou pain in thy body to thrive, and to go forward in honesty and in riches as well as he, & compel thy mind to consider that thou shouldest love thy neighbour, and consequently that thou shouldest be glad of his avancement and rejoice in it, as one lover should do in an other. And so thou shalt cease from that sin of envy. And even so you shall leave all other vices, if you will by imitation and example of Christ take pain in your bodies, punish your bodies, and strive with your carnal affection, according to saint Peter's saying. Qui passus est in carne, defiit a peccatis. He that hath suffered in his body, hath done with carnal vices and sins, that so for the rest of his life time while he shall live, in the flesh in his body, here in this world he may live not after the flesh of carnal man, which hath pleasure commonly in voluptuous pleasures of the flesh, but according to the will of GOD, in sincerity and cleanness of life. Sufficit enim preteritum tempus ad voluptatem gentium consummandam his qui ambulaverunt in luxuriis. For the time paste is enough for to fulfil the will of paynims and gentiles that have walked, that is to say, have led their lives in all manner of Lechery and pleasures of the flesh. You know that as I have oft said Saint Peter writ to the new christened people newly converted, some from the Gentility, and some from the jews ceremonies also, now he speaketh specially to them that afore were gentiles, which were most blind, and lest knew GOD. To them he sayeth be you content, now no more, you have enough and too much of that voluptuousness that you have used like paynims that knew not God. And lived in all kind of Lechery outward by exterior filthy exercise of your bodies, Desideriis and in uncleanly and wanton appetites in mind inwardly, and as it were running in Reprobumsensum, as saint Paul speaketh. Rom. i. desiring nothing that is good for their souls in deed, but rather contrary, desiring that thing for good which is nought in deed. Even as it were one that in a fervent Fever had his mouth infect with nocyve humours, which judgeth that thing to be bitter that is sweet or pleasant in taiste in deed. So evil and vicious excercise corrupteth the appetite that it shall run on the thing that is nought, rather than to desire the thing that is good. And these desires that saint Peter speaketh of here, extendeth not only to the unlawful lusts of the flesh, but also to unnatural desires and lusts, which saint Paul grievously taxeth. Rom. i Vinolentiis commessationibus. And because it is necessary to amove the cause, if the effect shall be amoved, therefore the blessed Apostle reproveth gluttony, of which commonly ensueth lechery, And specially of overmuch drinking of wine, as saint Paul saith: Nolite inebriari vino, in quo est luxuria. Be not drunk with Wine, for in wine is lechery, as the effect in the cause. And therefore as Valerius Maximus writeth. Lib. two. Vini usus Romanis foeminis ignotus fuit ne scilicet in aliquod dedecus pro laberentur quia proximus a libero patre intemperantie gradus ad inconcessam venerem esse consuevit. The women of Rome in the old time when Rome flourished in highest authority & dominion, knew not the use of wine for fear lest they should fall to any shame or villainy for the next stepped of intemperancy from the God of wine, was wont to be to unlawful lechery. And Terence, saith▪ Sine cerere & baccho friget venus. Without meat and drink Venus is cold, the fleshly lust shall not trouble thee. In sign and token that one of them followeth of the other, the belly is next above the privity, to give us to understand that if we restrain the belly from superfluity of meat and drink, the incontinency of lechery shall be cold, and little shall trouble us. Where contrary, he that is given to the pleasure of the belly, shall not avoid the filthiness of lechery, Commessationibus, in extraordinary refections, banketynges, breakefastes, after nonemeates, reresuppers, and such other lewd and unseasonable wanton bealyglee. All these feedeth lechery, and so doth all other potations, and bibbinge, and bolling, and revellinge, and so doth drunkenness following of the same. And in the old time afore the faith of Christ was received of these folks that Saint Peter writ to, of such excess in meats and drinks, followed not only the uncleanness of the flesh in lechery, but also the unlawful and detestable Sins of idolatry, and worship of false Gods, worshipping that for a God that was no God, as sometime the Sun and Moon, and such other creatures, and many times dead men and women whose bodies were rotten in the ground, or in the Sea, and their souls dampened in hell, as jupiter, Mars, Venus, or such other as had exceeded in one notable work or other, while they were alive. And that this crime most odious to GOD, and most derogating his honour and glory followeth of revelling and ryating appeareth by the people of Israel, which while Moses was in the mount with almighty GOD, receiving the laws, they sat down to eat and drink, Sedit populus comedere & bibere, & surrexerunt ludere. Exod. xxii. And then they rose up to dance and sing, and play on such instruments as they had in worship and honour of their Calf that was new made, which was plain idolatry. And Lactancius firmianus divinarum institutionum. Lib. primo capi. xxi. sayeth of such sacrifices of the Gentility. Epulisque saciati noctem lusibus ducerent. And so you shall read of most part of their solemn feasts. I have declared to you here afore what is an idol, and what is idolatry. An Idol and an Image is not all one. Every Idol is an Image, but not contrariwise. For when Christ asked them for the coin of their money, and they brought him a Denere, he asked not whose is this idol? but whose is this image? An Image properly representeth a natural thing: or a thing that is or hath been, or may be, as the Image of the Crucifix. An Idol representeth and signifieth that that never was nor can be, as when a man maketh a picture to represent the God jupiter, or the Goddess Venus, which neither be nor can be, for there is no god jupiter, nor goddess Venus, neither can be any such. Therefore what soever representeth them for Gods must needs be an Idol. You make an Image an Idol, giving divine honour unto it, or looking for help of it, or thinking that one Image of our Lady can help thee better than an other, for there is in the Image no such divine power. The wise Poet sayeth very fetelye. Qui fingit sacros ●igno vel marmore vultus, non facit ille deos: qui colit ille facit. He that maketh holy faces in Timber or in stone, maketh not Gods, he that worshippeth them he maketh them gods. And so thou makest an Idol of thy wife, or of thy child by overmuch loving them or cherishing them, and doing more for them then thou wouldst do for GOD. And slacking or leaving thy duty to God to please them, after the manner of saint Paul's speaking, when he calleth Avarice Idolorun servitus, Covetousness is Idolatry, because the covetous man maketh his money his Idol and his GOD, doing more for to get richesses, than he would do to get God. And taking more mind on riches then on God. And doing that for his goods sake, that he would not do for God's sake. And after this manner you may make an Idol of the newest Image that is, if you will give it such honour as is not kindly for it. Make no more of an Image, but only take it as a representer to signify, and to put you in remembrance of the thing that it is made after, and pass no more upon it. In quo admirantur non concurrentibus vobis in eandem luxury confusionem. Here. s. Peter toucheth a common experience which chanceth to them that from vice be converted to virtue, or from a comen manner of living to more worship or to more honesty, or from poverty to great riches: Such as were their equals afore, such as were their companions, or as lewd as they were afore, will mock them, guessed at them, yea and some will bitterly rail, and dispitefullye backbite them. Example we have. i Reg. x. of Saul which was but a rude person, and seeking his father's Asses that were strayed away, he met with Samuel the Prophet, who by God's commandment anointed him king of the realm, and told him afore hand certain things that should be fortune him, that when he saw them come to pass, and come to effect as they were told him, he might by them assure himself that Samuel was a true Prophet, and that he declared to him God's mind sincerely and truly▪ Among other, this was one sign, when thou shalt come to a certain town in thy way (said Samuel unto Saul) there thou shalt meet a company of Prophets. Et insiliet in te spiritus domini & prophetabis cum eyes & mu●aberisin virum alium. The spirit of our lord shall fall upon thee suddenly, & thou shalt prophesy as they do, and thou shalt be changed into another manner of man. And as Samuel the prophet said, so it chanced in deed. And Saul prophesied with them, singing & lauding god, & also speaking by the way of prophecy of things to come. Of this came the murmur and admiration, and wonder of them that knew him, and were acquainted with him afore, even as saint Peter speaketh here, they said. Quenam res accidit filio Cis▪ Num & Saul inter Prophetas? Cis was father unto Saul, what is become unto the son of Cis? What is Saul among the Prophets, or one of the Prophets? These men did not thank GOD for the gift that God had given to Saul, but rather disdained, and fell to mocking of him. Other there were that manifestly despised him. Filii autem Belial dixerunt Num saluare nos poterit iste? & despexerunt cum. The devils children, malicious persons said. Can this man save us from our enemies? They despised him and set him at nought, and would not take him as their King, nor brought any present unto him as others did. Even according to such common practice of the world speaketh saint Peter here. They that yet still persisteth and continueth in their old accustomed vice and misliving filii belial, the devils birds marveleth at you. That you forsake them, and that you fall not to such confusion of all Lechery and voluptuous living as they do, and as you were wont to do, blaspheming and missaiing you, because you abstain from their noughty conversation, they despise you, and set not a straw by you, but sayeth: Will you see this Pope holy whoreson? Num Saull inter Prophetas. We shall have a Prophet or a Preacher of him, with such other blaspheming and railing words. Qui reddent rationem ei qui paratus est judicare vivos & mortuos. Which shall make a reakening and account for their railing, unto him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead, our Saviour jesus Christ, unto whom the father hath given authority to judge all them that shall be judged, for if you hold your tongue and speak nothing, that just judge will not keep silence, nor hold his tongue, but will pay them home for their blasphemy and railing, and shall give you large reward for your Patience, according to that Saint Paul sayeth that patience trieth a man, a trial worketh hoop of salvation. And that hope shall not be confounded, but shall be satiate with joys everlasting in heaven, according to our expectation. Amen.   

The fifteenth treatise or Sermon.  
●Iuant autem secundum Deum in spiritu. In these words that I have now read unto you the blessed Apostle saint Peter showeth us the commodity that came to them that being infidels had the Gospel and good tidings of Christ's doctrine preached unto them And the same commodity cometh also to all them that being in deadly sin, and so dead spiritually heareth the Gospel and the word of God preached unto them, which is amendment of life. Thus he sayeth. Propter hoc. etc. For this cause the Gospel and holy doctrine of Christ's faith was preached to you, and to them while they were afore dead by infidelity, and for lack of the life of grace, that they might be likewise judged, or condemned by carnal vicious persons as you be, and might be likewise had in despite as you be for Christ's sake, and for your good virtuous living. And notwithstanding sinister judgement of naughty men, yet they should live Godly, and according to God's pleasure, in spirit, for commonly those two things followeth of the receiving of Christ's faith, and for living according to the same, first that accidentally and by occasion of good and christian living, men suffereth much woe and vexation, and many despiteful words. Second even of purpose of them that preacheth or converteth men to good, they that be so converted may live virtuously according to God's pleasure. Omnium autem finis appropinquabit. Because he said even now that Christ is ready to come to judge the quick and the bead, as though he would not be long nor tarry. Now he saith according to the same that the end of all men is at hand, for as Christ saith in the Gospel, of that day of judgement no man knoweth how nigh it is, or how far of it is. And therefore we must ever think upon it, as thinking every morning it would be come afore night. And even so we must think of our own particular judgement at our departing, every man and woman for our own part, as well for the authority of God's word, that in many places giveth us warning to be ever ready, as for the manifold prognostications and messengers of death that we have every day. Of which one is Age, which daielye creepeth upon us, advertising us of our end to which he daielye driveth us, as by lack of natural heat, and by cold following of the same. And this cometh to many men by long continuing in this life, and by multitude of years. To others it cometh afore their time accedentallye, and in a manner vyolentelye, as by sickness, pains, and aches, and to others by unmeasurable solicitude and care of mind. Eccle. thirty. Cogitatus ante tempus senectam adducit. And to others by overmuch Study and watching for to get learning and knowledge. Vigilia honestatis tabefaciet carnes, & cogitatus illius auferet somnum. Eccle. xxxi. ●●●chyng about matters of honesty and goodness shall consume the flesh, and the thinking on such things will take away a man's sleep, for of much thought and of profound study about weighty matters, and likewise of musing on terrible and troublous causes there cometh into the sensual appetite of man many passions and troubles to vex him, and unquiet him, as fear and sorrow and heaviness, or such other, which many times altereth the body sore and unmeasurably, so that a man's natural complexion is distempered by the same, and a man's natural moisture is consumed, and natural strength weakened and decayed, and so the flesh widdereth and drieth, the skin wrinkeleth and quaketh. And therefore said the wiseman. Pro. xxv. Sicut tinea vestimento & vermis ligno, ita tristicia viri nocet cordi. As a moght hurteth a garment and a worm consumeth a Tree: so doth sorrow and heaviness hurt a man's heart, and consequently all the body after. And therefore holy job in his great calamity and vexation said. Cutis mea aruit & contracta est. job. seven. My skin is withered and shrunk together. This said holy job, considering that his natural moisture was consumed by age, & for his manifold diseases and sores. another pro●ostication & messenger of our end is sickness, sores & malenders, as weakness of complexion, disposion to many fevers & to be now & then vexed with one fever or 〈◊〉 other, head ache, colic, the stone, gouts, & running legs, dropsy, and palsy. All these biddeth us beware, and giveth us warning afore. But many there be that will take no warning by these infirmities, but be as maliciouselye disposed in blasphemy, & covetousness, even while they be subject to such diseases, as they were in health. They never remembreth death, till they be so taken that they can neither stir hand nor foot, and can scarcely speak or hear. As we have known of these hell hounds ruffrans and riatours that by their life time had never devotion toward god, neither regarding mass nor other divine service, not her the sacrament of Christ's church, which when they have been taken with fervent sickness that they could not by the help of physicians recover, have fallen to raging, blaspheming, & swearing, and so died desperately. After which sudden death followeth and preventeth the disposing of a man's Soul to GOD, or of his goods to the world, all the said messengers, infirmities, and diseases, they bring shroud ridings to the body, and be nothing pleasant for the sensual appetite: in as much as they put men to pain. And help to draw men to the grave, but to the reason they should be welcome, for they be medicynable and wholesome for the soul, in as much as they letteth men and keepeth men from sin, and maketh them more fervent to please GOD, and to live virtuously, When men's infirmities be multiplied and cometh one upon an other, men will make haste to know God and to come to God, amending their lives. And. s. Paul considering that (virtus in infirmitate perficitur ii Cori. xii.) virtue is made perfect in infirmity, in as much as sickness and weakness of body is the matter and occasion to exercise Patience, to exercise Temperance and Chastity, and also by syckensse knowing a man's own infirmity, he shall be made more lowly and meek and so strong to exercise himself in virtue. And also because that virtue is never so perfect, as when it hath some infirmity contrary that it may strive against, as Chastity when it is not tempted by carnal concupiscence, is not so perfect as when it is tempted, and so patience is most excellent that is proved and tempted by vexation of Shrew's, and by displeasures, and therefore saint Paul saith Libenter gloriabor in infirmitatibus meis ut inhabitet in me virtus Christi. I shall gladly and with a good will rejoice and be proud in mine infirmities, that so I may be conformable to Christ, having virtues in me more eminent and more excellent than else they would have been. Propter quod placeo mihi in infirmitatibus meis, in contumelijs, in necessitatibus, in persecutionibus, in angustijs pro Christo. I please myself (as a proud man doth) when I am weak and sick, or diseased in body, and when I am dispitefullye vexed, and when I am in great and extreme need, in persecution, in distress, or in streictes. Cum enim infirmor tunc potens sum. When I am sick and weak, than I am strong and mighty. Ambrose. Verum est quia tunc vincit christianus cum perdere putatur, & tunc perdit perfidia cum se vicisse gratulatur plaudit ●gitur cum illi insultatur & surgit cum premitur. It is true that the apostle saith, for then a christian man overcometh and hath the overhand when he is thought to lose, and to have the worse. And then falsehood loseth when he is glad of his winning, or that he hath overcome and gotten the upper hand. And therefore saint Paul was most glad and proud in God, when men kicked and wrought displeasures against him, and he rose upward when men thought they pressed him down. another common messenger of death, is example of others that we see plucked away from us every day, of all ages, of all states and degrees, As well unthrifts and naughty livers, as blessed men of the best sort. There is no day, but we hear of the death of one or other, by which we may assure ourselves that we shall go after. And almighty God many times suffereth blessed men and good livers to die suddenly, and sometimes more miserably in the reputation of the world, than tyrants, extortioners, and bribers, and such other of the worst sort. Temporal wealth, and temporal penury and poverty, is common, as well to good folk, as to the bad folk, and so is that we call miserable death, & a fair death. For the first. S. Aug. i. ci. dei ca viii. Temporalia bona & mala utrisque voluit esse communia, ut nec bona cupidius appetantur quo mali quoque habere cernuntur, nec mala ●●piter evitentur quibus & boni plerumque afficiuntur. God would that good things and ill chances should be comen to good men and to bad, because good things should not be to greedily desired which we see naughty people to have and enjoy, nor ill things should not be shamefully eschewed and abhorred, which most commonly good people hath and be cumbered with all. The most diversity is in the use and occupiing of prosperity and of adversity. For a good man is never the prouder for prosperity, neither overcast, broken, or marred by adversity, where contrary, a naughty person in felicity is corrupt by pride and arrogancy, and with infelicity, with ill chances & adversity is sore vexed and punished, & many times brought to desperation yet beside this almighty God showeth his marvelous work in the distribution or dividing of prosperity and adversity, as well as of a good death and a foul death, in that that if GOD should by and by correct every sin with some manifest pain, he should leave nothing to be punished at the general judgement▪ and again if GOD did punish no no fault nor sin now in this present life, men would think there were no Godly providence at all, or that GOD cared not for the world, or what that men did in the world. And likewise, when men pray for prosperity, or for sufficiency herein this world if God would not of his liberal goodness grant men somewhat of their petitions sometimes among, men would think that he had nothing to do with them, or that worldly wealth pertained not to him, and were none of his to bestow when he would, and again if he should grant them to every man that would ask for them, men would serve god for none other thing but for them, and the service of God should not make us godly and devout toward him, but rather greedy and covetous to the world. Therefore although there be no dissimilitude betwixt the things that good men & naughty men in differently suffereth, yet there is great diversity and difference betwixt the sufferers. As if a man chafe in his hand, or else against the fire tallow or grease, it giveth an horrible stinking smell, where as if you likewise chafe by the same fire a pleasant ointment, it giveth a fragrant and sweet savour. And like as God sendeth wealth and woe indifferently to good men and to ill men, for causes best known unto his wisdom, even so he sendeth our end and death sometime to evil men easy and worshipful in the sight of the world, and to good men shameful and vilenous as men taketh it. Many men desireth a good death, and a fair death, and feareth and abhorreth a fowl death. And yet (to say the truth) all manner of death is a good death to them that be good, and to sinful persons almaner of death is a fowl death, as Saint Austin declareth in his book de disciplina Christiana. Therefore if thou be afraid of a fowl death, thou must fear a fowl and a sinful life, for if thou love a fowl and a sinful life, and wouldst have a fair end, thou lovest better thy death then thy life, which I declare after this manner. All things that a man loveth he would fain have them fair and good, as in example: If thou love thy coat or thy gown, thou wouldst fain have it fair and good. Thou lovest thy friend, thou wouldst fain have him good. Thou lovest thy son or thy child, thou wouldst be glad he were good. Thou lovest thy house or thy chamber, thou wouldst fain have it fair and good. Then how is it that thou wouldest fain have a fair and a good death at thine ending? Is it not for like causes, that thou hast a special love to it. And therefore thou prayest God (considering that thou must once die) that God would send thee a fair death, and that God would save thee from a fowl death. Thou art afraid to die ill, but thou art not afraid to live ill, & therefore thou lovest thy death better than thy life. amend thy ill life, and never fear an ill death. For non potest male mori qui bene vixerit, he can not die ill that hath lived well. But against this you will peradventure object thus: hath not many good men been drowned by tempest or by ship wrack in the seas & lost their lives with their goods & all? Hath not many good men been slain amongst their enemies in battle? Hath not thieves killed many good men in their own houses, or else by the high way side▪ Hath not some good men been killed with wild beasts, yea & many all to torn in pieces with such wild beasts? and have you not herd of some innocents that have been hanged on the gallows as felons, murderers, or like malefactors? Be not all these ill deaths? be they not fowl deaths? Ask the eyes of the carnal and fleshly man, & they will say they be fowl deaths, & ill deaths. But examine & ask the eyes of our faith & they will judge them and call them fair deaths, because that God saith by the prophet, preciosa est in conspectu domini mors sanctorum eius. The death of the holy & good men is precious & of great price & estimation in the sight of our lord. Be not such deaths as I have spoken of, the veri deaths that blessed Martyrs (whose martyrdoms we keep high & holy in Christ's church) have suffered for Christ's sake? Therefore let us endeavour ourselves to have a good life while we be here, & than whatsoever occasion we have to die, we shall go out of this world to rest & quietness that shall be without all fear of trouble, & shall never have end. The rich glutton that is spoke of in the gospel that went every day in purple & soft silks, & fared every day delicately, it is to be thought that he died in a soft bed, in fine sheets & costly counterpoints or coverlets, but straight out of them he was cast into hell, where he begged one drop of water to coal his tongue, & to refresh him & could not get it. Poor Lazar the beggar died in his mangy clouts full of matter of his sores, among the dogs that licked his scabs without meat or drink, in hunger & thirst, he could not get the crumbs & scraps that fell from the rich man's board, yet out of all this miseri he went straight into Abraham's bosom, a place of rest & quietness without any distemperance to trouble him or to disease him: Take heed of their end, and by that consideration judge which was the better death, either the rich glutton, which died into hell, or the death of poor Lazar which died into health, rest, & quietness. I doubt not but your mind giveth you that poor Lazar died the better death, except you would wish to die in rich clothes, & to be powdered with costly spices, and your souls to stink in hell, and to beg water, and none to have given you. What profeit got the rich glutton by his gay tomb of fine marble or of touch stone, or else of some costly metal, more than the poor man by his homely burial? little or none. Therefore to conclude, thou shalt learn to die well, and to die a fair death: if thou wilt learn to live well. Our saviour Christ led the most blessed and virtuous life that ever any man lived, and therefore though his death seemed to his enemies the cruel jews most vile and villainous, yet it was the marvelous death that killed death, and killed also the author and causer of all death. Therefore finally considering that the end of us all is come at hand (as saint Peter saith here) let us take example of Christ and of his holy word, and also of holy men and women that hath taken pains to follow his steps, and let us conform our living unto their lives, and let us arm ourselves with the consideration and busy remembrance of Christ's life, and of his passion & his death, as I said at the beginning of this exhortation, & then there is no doubt but whether we die by land or by water, we shall die a precious and a good death, that shallbe the mean and high way to quietness, rest, and joys in everlasting life with Christ. Estote itaque prudentes et vigilate in orationibus, therefore be you prudent and watch in prayers. These words of saint Peter with certain that followeth be red in Christ's church for the epistle of the day, on the sunday within the octaves of the ascension: which is the sunday next afore Whit sunday. Saint Peter considering the manifold troubles of this world that virtuous faithful people be ever cumbered with all, and also considering the shortness of our abode here, that it will away, and is come to an end, therefore he saith: be you prudent and watch in prayers. Be you prudent (he saith) there be divers manners of prudence. The Philosopher saith that omnia naturaliter bonum apperunt: All things naturally desireth the thing that is good for them, and so doth the things that lacketh their senses after their manner, for they naturally desireth to come to their natural quantity and strength, and to furnish and to set forth the beauty of the whole world, and to save themselves by a certain methaphoricall prudence, or a similitude of prudence or provision, as you see that when a young tree groweth nigh unto a great tree the young tree will grow outward from the greater tree, as it were to save itself from the shadow or dropping of the greater tree, naturally providing for his own safeguard, by such a natural prudence or provision. The brute beasts also desireth that is good for them by a certain common prudence, which is and may be called A provision for things to come by remembrance of things past. As a Horse or a Cow that hath be fed in a good pasture, or wintered in a warm stable, will draw to the same again when they have need. But man which is a reasonable creature, provideth for the thing that is good for himself or for them that long to him by prudence more properly taken, which is recta ratio agibilium circa hominis bona et mala. vi. Ethi. id est ratio rectificativa agibilium. The reason or a quality or a virtue in the reason that maketh straight & setteth in order all things that man doth to obtain that is good, & to eschew that is bad. It is also the virtue by which a man can give good counsel & make wise provision for all things that longeth to a man's life. But then in as much as the wiseman saith: Contra bonum malum est, et contra malum bonum. Every good thing hath an enemy, and so hath every virtue, or at the lest wise an Ape or a counterfeter that seemeth a virtue & is none but rather a vice: So there is a certain prudence of hypocrites that pretendeth a gravity and a politic cast in all their affairs and doings, & yet they look more for vain praise of the people, and that they may be seen to be wise and politic, then for any right or straight intention to do any good by their policy to God's pleasure, or to do any man good by the same. Because that Prudence and sapience be sometime taken for one, as appeareth where the Apostle saith. Ro. viii. Prudentia carnis mors est. The prudence of the flesh is death. And there right he saith, Sapientia carnis inimica est deo, The Sapience or wisdom of the flesh is enemy to God. Therefore as saint james maketh a distinction of three manner of wisdom's. jacob. iij. So we may divide prudence or providence, calling some earthly prudence or wisdom, some beastly wisdom, and some devilish wisdom or provision. Earthly prudence or wisdom, is the wisdom of them that studieth vehemently and far casteth to get the wealth and riches of the world, and drowneth themselves in the same even as it were Moles or Wants that be never well but when they be toiling or moiling in the earth, and there they be wiser and can better skill than any other beast. Even so be these worldly wise men which be never well but when they be gathering riches & muck of the world, more serving their riches then serving God. Against which speaketh our saviour Christ, Nemo potest duobus dominis servire deo et mammone. No man can serve two masters, God and his goods or riches. The Phariseis that were covetous men, heard this and laughed him to scorn, therefore they heard ve vobis divitibus, you such rich persons shall have woe everlasting, for the joy that you now take in your riches. beastly wisdom they have that obey the pleasure of the belly, and applieth their wits chiefly to content the same, in that following the property of very beasts, to which Christ said: We vobis qui saturati estis quia esurietis. Woe be to you that be farced and stuffed full of meats, for you shall be a hungerd, both here, and in the world to come.  
Esau for greediness of a mess of pottage lost his first fruits, yea & made but a trifle of it, he took no thought for his loss, worse than the prodigal and wasteful son that is spoken of in the gospel, for when he had spent all, he took repentance, returned to his father again, asked mercy, and had it. But our spill pains that drinketh & wasteth all that their fathers or friends hath left them, loveth nothing worse than to hear of their riot and waste, and will be ready to fight if a man speak to them of it, and will swear wounds and nails, that if they had twice as much more, it should go the same way, they would sell every inch of it. Such men be weary of their wealth, they can not bear wealth and plenty, they can not bear so heavy a burden, therefore they must learn to bear light, to bear poverty and beggary, and for lands, rents, and worship full estate must hop in a cutted cote, proficientes in peius proceeding and going forth every day into worse and worse. devilish wisdom or prudence they have that by example of the devil exalt themselves to the uttermost of their power. He would have exalted himself above the sters of heaven above the estate of all angels, and said he would be like the highest, equal and as good as God. Esay. xiiii. Mark the sequel that followed of his pride, and beware of it. Veruntamen in infernum deijcieris in profundum laci, but thou shalt be cast into hell into the deepest of the lake, and so he was overturned from the gloriousest angel in heaven, and made the foulest devil in hell, and yet proud men seemeth worse than he was, for he desired no more but to be like GOD, and equal with God, but the proud man would be better than God. For where God would have his will fulfilled and done when it is just and good: the proud man would have his will done and fulfilled, whither it be right or wrong. Against all these worldly prudences and wisdoms saith almighty God, as it is rehearsed i Cor. i. I shall destroy the wisdom of worldly wise men and shall reprove the prudence and providence of such prudent persons: Hath not God (saith the Apostle) made the wisdom of the world very foolishness? It hath pleased almighty God to save faithful people by the preaching of the gospel, which worldly wisemen repute and take as very foolishness, and as a foolish thing. They take their policy and worldly providence as though it came of themselves and not of God, and therefore they thank not God for it, neither honour him, but rather labour and study to destroy his honour & to quench it, and therefore God of his just judgement many times taketh that away from them that he gave them so that while they think themselves wise, they prove very fools, and God turneth their cast and their drift to a frustratory, vain and foolish end contrary to their expectation. The prudence and wisdom that saint Peter in this place of his epistle that we have in hand would have us to use, is spiritual prudence, the wisdom of the spirit, of the which S. Paul speaketh. Ro. viii. Prudentia autem spiritus vita et pax. The wisdom of the spirit by which man worketh according to the inclination of the holy spirit is life and peace, that is to say, it is the cause of life everlasting, and of peace and quietness here, & to join them together, it is the cause of life with peace and quietness everlasting in heaven. This wisdom no sinner hath, as appeareth many ways. first, because a sinner loseth a great inheritance for a little trifle of pleasure, as Esau did for a mess of pottage, as I said afore. And it is writ. job. xxviij. Sapientia non invenitur in terra suaviter niventium, Wisdom is not found in the land or country of them that liveth delicately all at pleasure. second, sinners lacketh prudence, for they little regard to recover their inheritance again, where they might so do with a little labour and pain like them that be spoken of in the psalm, pro nihilo habuerunt terram desiderbilem, The Israelites esteemed not the delectable land that was promised them, but would rather have turned back again into Egypt, even so do sinners desperately little regard the land of life ever lasting in heaven. third, a sinner lacketh prudence, because he doth wilfully cast himself into the snares of him that will not fail to draw him and strangle him to death everlasting. Birds that be meshede in a net, can not get out when they would without help, but the more they strive, the sorer they be holden in the net, Even so saith the wiseman. prover. v. Funibus peccatorum suorum unusquisque constringitur. Every sinner is wrapped and strained with the ropes of his own sins, and the more he laboureth, striveth, and struggleth to satiate and content his vicious appetite the harder he is holden and meshed in delectation, and in custom of his sin, and so he prepareth and dresseth his own death Sapi. i. Deus mortem non fecit: impij manibus ac pedibus accersierunt eam. God made not the death of sin, but wicked men with hand and foot have called it in and pulled it to them. Fourth, it is plain that sinners lacketh prudence and wisdom, by that they be not afraid of the justice of God knowing that he hath justly condemned so many Angels for sin, and that the Angels were made devils for breaking their obedience to God. And that so many men and women be dampened for transgressing and breaking his commandments, and that our first parents and all their posterity were stricken with mortality and necessity to die, for disobedience and for sin, and that for sin all the world was destroyed with water, and that for sin the five cities Sodom, Gomor, and their neighbours were destroyed with fire, brimstone, and such horrible stinking tempest. And thus it is evident every way that a sinner lacketh the spiritual prudence and wisdom that we speak of. This godly prudence that we speak of, hath three operations and works, of which cometh their effects proporcionablye, one is provision, the second is Circumspection, the third may be called Caution or wariness.  
To provision we be moved by example of four poor little beasts that be spoken of. prover. thirty. Quatuor sunt minima terre & ipsa sunt sapientiora sapientibus. There be four of the least things breeding on earth, and they be wiser after their manner than some wise men be. And here we must take our examples of unsensible things and of brute beasts and dumb creatures, according to the counsel of holy job. xii. jeterroga iumenta & docebunt te: & volatilia celi et indicabunt tibi: loquere terre & respon debit tibi, et narrabunt pisces maris. Ask the beasts and they will teach thee, and so of others. Then it may be said that we ask these dumb creatures questions to learn wit by them, when we consider their natural dispositions, examining and discussing and searching out their natural operations and virtues. And then they answer us and teach us, when by consideration of them we ascend and rise up to the knowledge of god, or to some learning, to which we come by consideration of their properties. As here in our purpose we be answered by the work of the Emyt, and taught to eschew sloth, and to provide for the time to come, he is one of the four that the wise man referreth us to, saying: formice populus infirmus qui preparat in mess cibum sibi. One is the poor Emytte or Pismyre, which in harvest and in time of fair weather provideth meat to live by in winter, of whose diligence and provision he spoke afore. Prou. vi. Vade ad formicam o piger, & considera vias eius, & disce sapientiam. O thou idle man or woman, go to the Emytte, and consider his labours and pain that he taketh, and learn wit. He hath no ruler, captain or scolemayster but only his own natural inclination and disposition, where we be many ways taught to provide, as well by almighty God in his scriptures, and by the preachers, as by our masters and by good example givers, and yet the said poor beast hath a cast of provision that many of us lacketh, for he provideth aforehand in fair weather meat to live by in winter, and in fowl weather when he may not labour, and so the slothful man may learn by him. In so much as so little a worm, lacking a captain, guide, or schoolmaster, taught only by nature, provideth so handsomely for herself, while she may stir about and labour against the time to come. Much more we that be reasonable creatures made after the image of God, and called to the sight of his glory, and that be helped with so many masters and teachers, & having him that made us for our guide and captain, aught and must needs for shame gather together the grains and fruits of good works, by which we may live the everlasting life in time to come. This present life is like the summer or the harvest time: for now in the heat of temptation and trouble is the time to gather the merits of rewards everlasting, the good works for which we shall be rewarded in heaven. The day of doom, and the time after this life may be called winter, for than will be no time to labour for a man's living, but every man and woman shall be compelled to show forth that he hath laid up in the barn or garnard of his former works by his life time, and upon them he shall live, or perish for hunger, for according to them he shall have his reward. Lepusculus plebs invalida qui collocat in petra cubile suum. Here is some diversity of translations, for that in our text is called lepus culus, in other is called herinacius, and hericius & Mus. And in the psalm. Ciii. it is said, petra refugi um herinacijs, the rock is a refuge, a place of safe guard and defence, for that beast. It is a little rough beast, and buildeth in the rocks in Palestine, in the holy land. I think we have none of them here with us. For the same our translation in the proverbs of Solomon putteth Lepusculus an Hare or a Leveret. This word Saphan in the Hebrew hath divers significations, of which one is a Hare, and so it is put in our common translation. A Hare is a weak beast and a fraiful, ever running away, more trusting to her feet and to her form or resting place, then to her own strength. Sometime she maketh her form in old grofes, rocks, or quarries, spent, left, or forsaken, and signifieth the weak good Christian people that seek not to revenge the wrongs done unto them, and hath this point of prudence and wisdom, not to trust in their own strength, but to put their trust principally in our redeemer & saviour jesus Christ, signified by the stone or rock in which (as it is said here) the Hare maketh his bed or form. And so we all should be timorous and frayfull of our own selves, or of our own merits, and must commit ourselves to the protection and defence of God, as in a tower of strength to save us from our enemies that would destroy us. Regem Locusta non habet & egreditur vuiversa pro turmas suas. Locusta is a certain long Fly, bigger than the Cricket, or then the grasshopper, they be very many in Africa, and in south part of Asia. Their property is to fly flocking together, as it were all with one accord, having no king nor captain to set them forward. The Bees have a captain or master be whom they follow when they will swarm, and so hath not these Locusts, by which is commended unto us the prudence and wisdom in concord and unity, fellow like without coercion or compulsion▪ For though concord and unity with obedience under one head and ruler be very good and necessary, and according to Gods lawee and to his pleasure, yet this brotherly love and concord without coercion, pleaseth him much more, & maketh the devils of hell afraid to set upon us. And therefore the spouse our saviour Christ calleth his best beloved the holy church, the congregation of faithful people Terribilis ut castorum acres ordinata, Canti. vi. Terrible like the forward or the onset of a battle well set in order and in array. They that have experience knoweth this right well, that when two armies or hosts shall meet together in battle, that host that advanceth forward in a ray very close joined together, shallbe terrible to the contrari part and shall make them soon afraid, because they can not spy any place where to break the ray, but they must needs come upon the pikes, upon the artillery, upon the whole ordinance and peril of the battle, where contrary if they be dissevered, divided and parted abroad, than the contrary multitude runneth in among them, and scattereth them as dogs doth in a flock of sheep, and destroyeth and killeth where they list. Even so when our gostli enemies seeth us close knit together by the links of charity and of concord in goodness, they be afraid of us, for they love nothing worse than love and unity in goodness: they be in despair to do us any hurt, and fly away from us. We be ever in war and battle against the devils our ghostly enemies, and they be ever ramping and roaring and labouring to overcome us, and to bring us to damnation everlasting, therefore we must needs make a close bulwark of ourselves by a frame of charity, agreeing fast and sure among ourselves by concord and unity, and so save ourselves, as the wise man exhorteth us to do by example of the said Locusts that so ordinately keepeth their array when they fly abroad. Stellio manibus nititur & moratur in edibus regis. A Stote a Ueyry, or a weasel clyngeth and cleaveth fast with his feet, which standeth him in stead of hands, and by them he scratcheth and climbeth very nimlye on the walls, on the roofs, and on all other places of great men's houses, yea and buildeth and breedeth in the kings palace: and where he hath no wings to fly up, he getteth up with his hands or feet as high as he list to do: by this teaching us this point of prudence and of provision, that where we may not obtain our intent one way, we must assay another way. As if a man be not of such natural pregnancy, and quickness of wit as others be, yet by his diligence and busy exercise in study and contemplation, and in prayers, he cometh sometime to the knowledge of holy scripture, and to such graces of virtues, by which he may build his dwelling place, in the kings house of heaven above. And you see many times, that in the trade of merchandise, and in handy crafts, men that be not most clear of wit, yet by their continual pains taking, and by diligent appliing their wits that they have unto their work, they come to more cunning and knowledge in their faculties, and to more abundance of riches by their exercise, than they that have far better wits. And as we see that many birds that have feathers and wings to fly and mount up on high, yet they abide and build allow among the briars, frisses, and bushes, and sometimes upon the ground, while this stellio, this stoote or weasel that hath no wings, trusting to her nails, climbeth up to the top of the tower: so they that be well witted, and might mount high by their wits, many times giveth themselves to sloth and idleness, keeping themselves allow in shrewd unthrifty and noughty works, while good simple people, that lacketh the wings of subtle wits, trusting to their nails, to their busy labours, cometh to great knowledge, and to grace and goodness and finally to the kings house and towers in heaven above, as I said. And this for this first kind of prudence or wisdom, which I called provision. The second kind of prudence may be called Circumspection, by which we look well about, and take good heed that we do truly keep the mean of virtue, so that while we exchew and avoid one vice, we fall not into the other extremity and contrary vice, as that while we avoid avarice and covetousness, we fall not into prodigality and wastfulness: and that while we avoid cowardness, we fall not into foolish hardiness, or to rash brainesicknes. They be not circumspect enough, that so exchueth, and avoideth from temporal trouble and pain, that they run into everlasting pain, or that so flieth from worldly poverty, that they fall into everlasting need and scarcity, when they shall beg and nothing shall be given them. All such be like a skittish starting horse, which coming over a bridge, will start for a shadow, or for a stone lying by him, and leapeth over on the other side into the water, & drowneth both horse and man. Another kind of prudence is Cautio, wariness, lest we be beguiled with vices cloaked under the colour of virtues, as Amasa was beguiled of joab. two. Reg. xx. This joab fearing lest Amasa should have been made chief captain of the wars of king David, envied him, and dissembled with him, and as they were setting forward to a certain battle, met with him, & lovingly saluted him, and took him by the chin, as though he would have kissed him, and said to him, salve mi frater, God speed my cousin (for in deed they were sisters children) he had a weapon by his side, with which he struck him in the side that his guts fell out, and so he died. There is none so perilous guile, as that is hid under the similitude and colour of friendship. By this kind of prudence we shall spy when pride disgiseth himself under the similitude & name of cleanliness, and when lechery is cloaked & taken for love: and we shall perceive that in great abundance, & in worldly wealth, is hid much indigence, need, & lack of virtue and grace, and also that under the ignominy, shame, and slander of Christ's cross, is most excellent pulchritude and beauty, & that under the foolishness of preaching of Christ (as many hath taken it) is covered most godly virtue and wisdom. Our saviour exhorteth us to prudence & wisdom by example of a serpent, Estote prudentes sicut serpents, Mat. x. Be you wise like serpents. The serpent to save her head, will lay forth all the whole body in danger and peril, and so should we do to conserve and save Christ in us, and to keep his faith and his graces in us, we should lay all our bodies in danger, rather losing body, goods and all, than him. And therefore s. Paul saith. Rom. viii. who can separate or divide us from the charity and love of Christ? I am sure that neither death nor life, neither any other creature can part us from the love of god that we have in christ jesus: thus soyth s. Paul in the name of every good christian man & woman. Second, we may learn prudence by the serpent, which when he casteth his old slow or skin, he creepeth into some strait place, as betwixt stones or blocks, or rocks, & there stripeth himself clean out of his old scurf into a new skin. And so must we do, we must get us into the straight way of penance, and by that stripe clean away from us our old faults and sins. Eph. iiii. Deponite vos secundum pristinam conversationem veterem hominem qui corrumpitur secundum desideria erroris. Put down away from you your old man, your old manner of living, in lusts of errors, all out of the right way of justice and of good living. third, the serpent when he perceiveth a charmer about to charm him out of his hole or den, he layeth one of his ears fast to the ground, and stoppeth the other ear with his tail. By which property we be taught against the suggestions of our ghostly enemies, to stop one ear with the earth, that is, the remembrance of our own vileness and infirmity, and the other ear with our tail, that is to say, with the remembrance of our death and end, to which we draw daily. Eccle. seven. In omnibus operibus tuis memorare novissima & ineternum non peccabis. In all thy works remember thy last end, and thou shalt never sin, but shall ever have a good and ready soul to god. And that we all may so have, he grant us, that by his painful passion redeemed us. Amen.   

The, xvi. treatise or sermon.  
ET vigilate in orationibus. I have sufficiently (as I trust) exhorted you in my former sermon, to use prudence and circumspection in all your affairs and doings, now I must advertise you to beware of such things as may be impediments to hinder you, and let you from well doing. The Apostle S. Peter willeth you to take good heed where about we go, saying: Et vigilate in orationibus, And watch in prayers. Sleep not in your prayers, for the devil sleepeth not, but watcheth craftily to pull away your heart from you, and from the thing that you intend to pray for. Watch and take heed that your mind think on nothing else but upon that you desire in your prayer, away with all carnal thoughts out of your minds, let the intent of your mind be sincere and clear toward God, and pray unto him, not so much with the sound of your mouth, as with the sweetness of your mind, and so both your prayer of mouth and of heart together, shallbe most acceptable to him. And though prayer be necessary at all times and in all places, yet at this time, when holy Church readeth this process that we have now in hand for the Epistle of the Mass, we should be most vigilaunte and diligent in prayer, that we might be the more apt and meet to receive into the hostrie of our souls the holy ghosts graces, at this holy time of Whitsuntide now coming. And so did the blessed virgin mary mother of Christ, with other holy women, and the Apostles, after that they had seen Christ's ascension, they returned to jerusalem, and got them into an high hall, or a loft, where they were perseverantes unanimiter in oratione, continuing in prayer, without any notable interruption. Vnanimiter, all of one mind, knit together by the bonds of Charity, for so must they be that do wait and look for the holy Gost. For Spiritus discipline effugiet fictum. Sap. i. The holy spirit that giveth learning, will fly from one that is feigned, that feigneth himself, or is a dissembler. Therefore he that will have that holy spirit, let him continue in prayer, & in unity, concord, and charity in heart and mind. And even so S. Peter exhorteth us here, saying: Ante omnia autem mutuam in vobismetipsis charitatem continuam habentes. Afore all thing you must have within yourselves continual charity, every one to another, Quia charitas operit multitudinem peccatorum, for Charity covereth the multitude of sins. That you may obtain and get of almighty God, that you pray for, above all things be sure of Charity, by which you may do good to others as well as to yourselves. according to this Saint james saith. jaco. v. He that causeth a sinner to return from his error, shall save his soul from death, and shall cover the multitude of his sins. And the prophet sayeth, Psalm. xxxi. Beati quorum remiss sunt iniquitates, & quorum tecta sunt peccata. Blessed be they whose iniquities be forgiven, and whose sins be covered. But for this you must understand, that our sins may be covered two manner of ways: one way is by the sinners own dissimulation, hiding, and clokinge. But after this manner to hide our sins maketh us not blessed, but rather accursed, in as much as they still remain, and liveth in the sin, or to the increase of his damnation. Another manner of covering our sins, is when they be so covered, that God seeth them not, and that is to say: that he imputeth them not to us, nor layeth them to our charge, for after the manner of speaking of scripture, than he saith sins and looketh upon them, when he punisheth them, and then he saith them not when he doth not punish them. And therefore the prophet said in another place: Auerte faciem tuam a peccatis meis: Turn away thy face from my sins. As who should say, with the eyes of thy mercy look upon me, and see me, but see not my sins, but as it were one that had forgot them, punish them not, know them not, but forgive them, and impute them not to me, nor lay them to my charge. And in this case be they, that without guile or dissimulation uttereth their sins: Of such it is said. Nec est in spiritu eius dolus: In such a man's spirit there is no guile, where contrariwise, they that useth guile and clooking their faults, how much the more they labour in defence of their sins, boasting their own merits, and their own well doings, and saith not their own iniquities, neither speaketh of them, so much their goostlie fortitude and might decayeth, and waxeth weaker. And therefore against proud men that trusted much in their own good deeds, and would not be a known of their faults, Christ putteth a parable of the proud Pharisei and the humble publican: The Pharisei praised himself of his virtues, but he spoke nothing of his faults: The publican cloaked not, dissembled not, used no guile, but took upon him as he was, and therefore the one was justified and judged for a good man, where the other was condemned. Christ defended the Publican and gave sentence, acquitinge him as not guilty, and covered his sins, not any more to impute them to him, or to lay them to his charge, where the proud Pharisei even in the temple, in the surgeons shop, and under the surgeons hand, showed forth his whole limbs, where he was not sick nor sore, declaring his virtues, but his sins he covered and hid from the Surgeon, and therefore he was not cured, he might have said, Quoniam tacui inveteraverunt ossa mea dum clamarem tota die. Because I held me still my bones waxed old and decayed to nought, while I cried all day long. The bones of the soul be virtues, for as the bones of the body maketh the body strong, so doth virtues make the soul strong. These bones, these virtues decayeth and draweth to nought, while we be still and cry all day long. A strange manner of speaking of the scripture. It is even of the same manner that I spoke of now: The Pharisei was still and held his tongue, and yet cried to loud: he was still, clokinge and hiding his faults with silence, and yet he was loud enough, boasting and praising himself of his virtues and of his well doings, of which he should have spoken not a word, and therefore his virtues availed him not to salvation of his soul, but decayed to nought as his soul did. So (good neighbours) there be enough and to many of us, that cry loud enough, boasting and praising our well doings, if any be, but to speak and confess our faults we be still enough, and hold our tongues. As many men of their glottenye, of drinking men under the board, of ryottinge and surfeiting, and of wasteful banqueting, and of their pride & malicious taunting of poor men, & of sclaunderinge and backebiting, they take no remorse or grudge of conscience, but rather rejoice in mind, & make much boasting outward of the same. They use not to reveal & utter such faults to their ghostly father, and to almighty God, with contrition and sorrow for them, but rather glorieth in their ill doings, to the increase of their own damnation: If they would with a lowly heart uncover them to the surgeon, he would make them whole, where as if they be hid, they will rankel and fester to everlasting corruption. Pride maketh a man to hide his faults to his damnation: Charity putteth away Pride. Charitas enim non inflatur, Charity is not proud, and therefore it disposeth a man to humility, making him content to show himself as he is, to the surgeon, and so he shall be cured and well at ease before God. Beatus enim cui non imputavit dominus peccatum. He is blessed to whose charge our lord God hath not laid any sins, but giving him charity, covereth his sins. S. Peter considering this, exhorteth us above all things to have charity, for it covereth the multitude of sins. And therefore it may be called a wholesome and healthful garment for the soul, for divers necessary properties of a garment. first like as a garment conserveth and keepeth a man's lively and natural heat within him, so doth charity conserve the life of the soul, so that he that lacketh it, lacketh life and is dead. i joh. three Qui non diligit manet in morte, He that hath not love or charity, abideth in death, he is all cold and stiffed. This lively heat of the soul is conserved and saved by keeping the commandments of god, which be all comprehended in love or charity, according to Christ's answer to a certain learned man that opposed him, saying: master, what shall I do to have everlasting life? Christ opposed him again in his own learning. what is written in the law? how read you? He answered: Thou shalt love God above all things, with thy whole heart, with thy whole soul, with all thy strength, and with all thy mind: And thy neighbour as thyself. Thou sayest well (sayeth Christ) Hoc fac & vives, do that and thou shalt live. And all this is done by keeping the ten commandments of God. In the three first commandments we be taught how to order our love toward God, and in the seven last, how we shall extend our love to our neighbours. And if we perform and fulfil these for love, we shall please God, and deserve heaven by them, where as if we keep them only for fear, we would do the contrary if we might, and be no thank worthy. Albeit better it is to fulfil the commandments for fear, than not to fulfil them at all: for by oft doing well for fear, we may gendre a love to well doing, & so at last we shall do well for love, and shall have a sweetness in well doing. Second, charity is compared to a garment, for like as a garment defendeth a man in external heat & in cold, in wet & dry wether, so doth charity award & defend the soul in prosperity, & in adversity. For as s. Paul saith, Diligentibus deum omnia cooperantur in bonum. To them that loveth God, all things worketh to good, & for both prosperity & adversity God is to be lauded & thanked, when all things that man liveth by cometh plentifully, when the fruits of the earth proveth largely, when God maketh the son to shine upon good & bad men indifferently, and sendeth rain to the just men as to the unjust, these and such other pertain to temporal life & prosperity, & he that will not love god & laud him for them is very unkind, By this almighty god showeth what he reserveth and keepeth in store for them that be good, while he giveth all such pleasures to them that be nought. Then if thou have plenty, thank GOD that gave it thee, or if thou lack, yet thank God, for he is not taken from thee, that giveth all things, though his gifts be withdrawn for a time. Remember what holy job said, when he was spoiled of all that he had. Dominus dedit, dominus abstulit, sicut domino placuit ita factum est sit nomen domini benedictum. This is very true charity toward God, that so laudeth God in prosperity, that yet it keepeth a man up, that he be not broken nor overthrown in adversity. And here is highly to be considered the true sentence and mind of holy job, concerning providence, cure, or provision about things longing to man, which many of the paignim philosophers imputed to destiny, or to fortune, or to influence of the stars, or such other causes. For job saith: Dominus dedit, GOD hath given it to me. Where he confesseth that worldly prosperity cometh to man, not by chance nor by destiny, nor by influence of the stars, nor only by man's study and labour, but of God's dispensation & disposing. And in that he saith, Dominus abstulit, God hath taken it away, he confesseth that adversity cometh to man also by God's providence: meaning by this, that man hath no just cause to complain or grudge against God, if he be spoiled of all temporal goods & gifts. For the things that God giveth, gratis, without any deserving of us, he may give them for a time, or else to a man's last end, as it pleaseth him. Therefore when he taketh them away afore our end, or when we have most need of them, there is no cause why we should complain. And when holy job saith: Simo cut domino placuit, ita factum est, sit nomen domini benedictum, He declareth, that considering that if a man be spoiled of all that ever he hath, yet if he love God, he should conform his will to God's will, & so not to be supped up or overcome with sorrow, but rather to be glad, & to give thanks to God that it hath pleased him to fulfil his will upon him, as the apostles did, Ibant gaudentes a conspectu consilii quoniam digni habiti sunt pro nomine jesu contumeliam pati, they went from afore the counsel, neither weeping nor grudging, but with a merry heart, that it had pleased GOD to repute them worthy to suffer despites for Christ's name, and for his sake. As if a sick man take a bitter potion, he should be glad so to do, in hope of health that he trusteth to receive by the medicine. And so, if God visit his lover with adversity, doubtless it is for some better purpose, that he knoweth better than we. Therefore, although the flesh would grudge, yet reason should be content & glad of it. third, like as a garment covereth a man's secrets and uncleanly parts that a man would not have seen, so doth charity cover the uncleanliness of the soul, so that without it the soul goeth naked. Therefore it is said. Apo. xvi. Beatus qui vigilat & custodit vestimenta sua ne nudus ambulet, & videant turpitudinem eius. Blessed is he that walketh as one regarding & caring for his own salvation & safeguard, and that keepeth his raiment of virtues, lest he walk naked at the day of the general judgement, that all the angels & holy company coming with Christ may see his filthiness. Fourth, Charity is the wedding livery or garment, without which no man can be allowed to sit at Christ's feast, but if he presume to come without it, he shall be taken up, and bound hand and foot, and cast into the dark dungeon of hell. It is written. Hester. iiii. that it was not lawful for any man to enter into the court of king Assuerus, being clothed in sackcloth, or such vile raiment. Assuerus by interpretation is as much to say as beatitude, so it may not be, that any man without charity, being as one wrapped in a sack, or vile rags of vices, to come into the court of everlasting beatitude in heaven. This is the heavenly virtue, by which mortal men yet here living, be made like the inhabitants of heaven. Of this virtue it is written. Can, viii. Valida sicut mors dilectio, Love or Charity, is mighty and strong as death. The strength of Charity could not have been more nobly expressed. For who can resist or withstand death? Fire may be withstanden, weapons may be withstanden, kings and men of great power may be withstanden: but when death cometh itself alone, who resisteth or withstandeth it? There is nothing stronger than it, and therefore charity is compared unto the strength of it. And because that Charity killeth in us that we were afore, killeth sin, with which we were infect afore, and maketh us as we were not afore, therefore it causeth in us a certain death, such as he was dead with that said, Mihi mundus crucifixus est & ego mundo. The world is crucified, killed, and dead to me, and I to the world. This is the virtue that never falleth nor faileth, but in the high and heavenly city above, is consummate and made perfect, and set in highest perfection, that here is feeble and weak, and abideth much trouble, and hath many interruptions.  
It followeth in the text of this epistle. Hospitales invicem sine murmuratione, You shall keep hospitality, and open households, or your houses open one to another without ill will or grudging. Saint Paul commending the constancy and steadfast faith of the holy patriarches, Abraham, Isaac, and jacob, and others, among other virtues, specially commendeth them, Quod confessi sunt se hospites & advenas super terram, declarantes se patriam inquirere. Heb. xi. because they confessed and took themselves as gests & strangers, or wayfaring men, in the land which was promised them as a peculiar inheritance, yet they settled not their minds on it, but ever had an eye to th'inheritance that should never fail, which is heaven above, signified by the said land that they were in then: by this giving us example, that while we be here, how great so ever wealth and riches, patrimony, lands, or revenues God giveth us, yet we should not settle our minds to fast on them, as in them to prefix our end & our felicity, as men thinking none other heaven, but that we should ever by example of such holy fathers, set forward ourselves to win the sure habitation of heaven that never decayeth nor faileth, taking ourselves while we be here, as strangers pilgrims, and wayfaringe men in a strange country. For in very deed, we were cast into this painful and troublous world, by occasion of the sin of our old Adam, out of the quiet and pleasant seat of paradise, and sent away into exile & banishment. And so here we have not our own country, Dum enim domi sumus in corpore peregrinamur a domino ii Cor. v. While we be at home in our mortal bodies, we be pilgrims and strangers from our Lord God. Therefore let us not look for that thing in the way in our banishment, that is kept for us at home in our country. For rest and ease of our souls, in grace and virtue, we should travail and labour like strangers and wayfaringe men, every one doing good one to another while we have time here, and specially by liberal comonication and distribution of that we have, one to another, for of such help and relief pilgrims have most need. And though among moral virtues justice is most excellent: yet as the Philosopher saith, liberales maxime amantur, they that be liberal be most beloved, because they help many others, & many others fareth the better for them. One kind of liberality is hospitality, that S. Peter speaketh of here. It is the bounteousnes & largeness in giving meat & drink & lodging one to another, every one relieving an others need, according to the power that God hath lent them, & this shall relieve the need of poor wayfaring men very greatly. There be ii manners of hospitality, one is bodily hospitality, the other is spiritual hospitality, the first is lauded in the Gospel, by the words that Christ shall say to them that shall be set on the right hand of the judge at the day of judgement. Venite benedicti p●is mei. etc. Come to me you the blessed of my father, & take the kingdom that is prepared for you from the beginning of the world. For I was an hungered, and you gave me meat, I was a thirst, and you gave me drink, I was a stranger, and lacked harborough or lodging, and you took me in and gave me lodging. And saint Paul counseleth the Hebrews that he wrote to among other things, saying. Hospitalitatem nolite obliu●sci, per hanc enim placueruut quidam angelis hospicio receptis. Heb. xiii. Forget not hospitality, for by hospitality some men have pleased angels that they received into their houses, which they thought first to have been men, but afterward they perceived that they were angels appearing to them in the likeness of men. Such were they that appeared to Abraham in Mambre when they told him that Sara his wife should bear him a child to be his heir. And such were they that appeared to Loath in Sodom, and bade him avoid out of that town, for it should forthwith be destroyed. Upon which saith Origene Loth dwelled in Sodom, we read not many good deeds of his, hospitality only is praised in him, he scapeth the flames, he scapeth the fires for that only that he opened his house to gests and strangers. The angels entered the house where hospitality was kept. The fire entered into the houses that were shut up against gests. But all men be not like disposed to hospitality, for some men Hospitem velut hostem vitant & excludunt. They shun & shut out a gest as they would an enemy. Let them beware of the fire with the Sodomites. Some other be liberal and keepeth good houses, but it is for some corrupt intent, either because they can not be merry without companions and good company, and so they do it to please themselves, which cometh of carnality. Some other doth it of pride and vain glory, or for some temporal profit or advantage. As Tully the noble orator commendeth hospitality, but his motive and consideration is nought, it is to worldly. He saith ii offi. Est enim valde decorum patere domos hominum illustrium, illustribus hospitibus. It is very seemly for noble men's houses to be open for noble gests, but his cause why he saith so, is carnal. For it followeth there Reipublice est ornamento homines externos hoc liberalitatis genere in urbe nostra non egere. etc. It adorneth and doth honour to our common wealth, that men of strange countries lack not this kind of liberty in our City (speaking of Rome where he dwelled.) Est etiam vehementer utile. etc. It is also wondrous profitable for them that would be able to do much or many great things among strangers, to be in good credence of riches, of love, and favour among people of strange countries, by the means of their geastes, which they have received in hospitality. So that Tully's mind was to get commodity by his hospitality, either to himself, or to his city and country men. This is a worldly policy coming of the worldly prudence that I spoke of afore. And as S. Ambrose saith. super Luk. xiiii. Hospitalem remuneraturis esse, est affectus avariciae. To be a great householder or viander looking for acquittal, or for to be recompensed with as good or better again, is the affect or desire of avarice, rather than of liberality. And therefore our Saviour Christ declaring to us the very true liberal hospitality of the Gospel, in the said xiiii chapter of Luke. Cum facis prandium aut coenam, noli vocare amicos tuos, neque fratres, neque cognatos, neque vicinos divites, nequando & ipsi te vicissim invitentac. etc. When thou makest a dinner or a supper, do not call thy friends, nor thy brethren, nor thy kinsfolks, nor thy rich neighbours, lest an other time they bid thee again, as thou hast done them, and so thy benefit be redobbed or quit thee home. But rather when thou makest a feast, call poor people, weak folks, halt, and lame, and blind, and thou shallbe blessed, because they can not quit thee with as good again. For thou shalt be quit at the resurrection of good men. Mark that he saith. Lest they bid thee again, and so thy benefit be redobbed or quit. As who should say: If thou wilt do this meritoriously to be rewarded of GOD therefore, thou must be well aware that thou do it, so that thou look for no temporal reward to come thereof, but as willing fully to eschew & avoid all expectation of reward, or recompensation in this world, that thou mayest be rewarded in the resurrection of the just. For though of hospitality come great reward temporal, and increase, yet that is not the thing that we must look for, nor intend to have, lest when we have that we lose all the other. Of the reward for hospitality, there be in scriptures many gay examples which seeming temporal, yet signifieth the spiritual impinguation and feeding, and profit of the soul. I read iii Reg. xvii▪ of the blessed prophet Helye, that on a time as he came toward a town called Sarepta sidoniorum, within the territory of Sidon, he found a woman gathering a few sticks to make her a fire, he desired her to give him a little water to drink, and a morsel of bread. She answered and said she had no bread. I have no more (said she) but a handful of meal in a steen, and a little oil in a gearre, & I gather now (said she) duo ligna, two sticks, as a man would say, a few sticks to bake it, and make bread for my son and me, and when we have eaten that, we have no more, we will die. No (said Helye) be not afraid. Thus saith the God of Israel. Thy steen of meal shall not fail or lack nor thy gearre of oil shall be any thing less, till the time when GOD shall send rain upon the earth. For in deed this fortuned in the time of the long famine that was in that country for lack of rain, by the space of three years & an half (according to the prayer and petition of the same Prophet Helye, for the correction and punishment of Achab the king, and jesabel his queen, and of their false prophets, and of their people. And as the Prophet promised, so it proved in deed. By this example, you see how the poor hospitality of the said good woman exhibited and bestowed on Helye, was recompensed with plenty sufficient, where all the country else was in great penury and need. And here you shall note that this meal in the Steen that was so long reserved and continued by the word of the Lord God of Israel, was a figure, and signified the most reverend and blessed Sacrament of the Aultare. The widow that was so long sustained with this meal, signified Christ's holy church, the whole congregation of faithful men and women, which by that that Christ her spouse and husband was slain and buried, and then rose again, and departed from her into heaven, and hath left her viduate and without his visible presence, although he hath left her his blessed body and blood in this blessed Sacrament, which this widow all faithful folks must bake and digest with the said two trees, signifying the remembrance of his painful passion that he suffered on the cross (for a cross is made commonly of two trees,) according to saint Paul's saying. As oft as you shall eat this bread, or drink of this cup, you shall show the death of our Lord until he come, and shall show himself in his glorious majesty at the general judgement, which time though it shall be a terrible and an horrible time to sinners, and to all damnable persons, yet it shall be a time of grace, of solace, and comfort to all his true & loving servants. This was signified by the rain that came from Heaven upon the earth, when Helye said that the Steen of meal should not fail, nor the gearre of oil should not be diminished, till GOD send rain from heaven for the comfort of the country, as his grace shall come for the comfort of us all, at that day. This meal and Oil were continued so long to sustain iii persons, not by any natural power, but by the supernatural power of God. And so is his body made of bread and wine by the word of Christ, and by his Godly and infinite power, above nature. Therefore let not natural reason cumber itself in the examination or trying how it may be, but steadfastly believe that thus it is, for so God saith. And although it be called bread and the cup of wine, as well in the Gospel, as of S. Paul, yet there is neither bread nor wine after the consecration, but very flesh and blood. Tell me how a handful of meal and a little oil could continue so long▪ and to feed so many persons, and I shall tell thee, how of a little bread and wine shall be made a perfect body of a man and his blood. Thou canst say no more to the first question but Hec dicit dominus Deus Israel. As Helye said. Thus saith the GOD of Israel. and thus it was in deed. And even so I say unto thee. Thus sayeth the God of Israel our Saviour Christ. This is my body, This is my blood. And therefore so it is, and must needs be so in deed. And so shall continue Donec veniat, until he come to the general judgement in his visible majesty, among us. And then shall cease this blessed Sacrament, in which for the time we see Christ's body enigmatically, and in a strange similitude by our faith, which manner of seeing him shall then cease, when we shall see him face to face in his own likeness, when he shall cast down and tread under his feet all them that now so despitefully rail, and geste, and mock his blessed body that he hath left us in this blessed Sacrament, for our comfort. And now to return to the story. In process of time, it chanced that the said good widows child died, to her great discomfort. And she desired the Prophet Helye to pray for him, that he might revive and live again. And so the Prophet did, the child revived, & the Prophet gave him to his mother alive again. Lo, here was another notable recompense for hospitality exhibited to this good man. first the safeguard of all their lives: second the raising of the child from death to life again. Likewise it is writ iiii. Reg. iiii. of the blessed Prophet Helise, that he used to resort to an honest house in the town of Suna, where a worshipful woman mistress of the house perceiving him to be a holy man exhorted her husband to make for the said Helise a parlour with a bed in it, and a table, and a cheer, and a place to set his candle on. And so they did. The said prophet resorted thither divers times and lodged in the same parlour, and had good cheer on a time when he was minded to pay for his cheer. he bade Giezi his servant to ask of her whether she had any matters to do with the king, or with any of the counsel, or with any great man in the court, or with the captain in the Wars, that he might be suitor for her, and speak for her. She answered, that she dwelled among her own friends and kindred: and needed none of his help in any such matters. Then said Giezi to his master, you must understand that she hath never a child, and her husband is an aged man, as who should say, it should be most comfort for them both if they might have issue by your prayer, whereupon the Prophet promised her that she should conceive a son by a certain day that he appointed, and so she did to the great comfort of the husband and of the wife. This was a notable reward for their hospitality bestowed upon their gest that holy Prophet. In process of time the same child fell sick on a certain disease that begun with a fervent ache in his head, and died upon the same. Then this devout mocher laid the corpse of her dead child upon the bed where Helye the Prophet was wont to lie in the parlour which (I told you) was made and ordained for the Prophet: and she shut up the parlour door upon him, and got an ass saddled, and took a servant with her, and rid with all speed to seek Helye. She found him in his house, in the hill called Carmelus, and declared to him the chance of the death of her child, and prayed for help. He bade his servant Giezi take his staff and run a pace, and to lay the stasse upon the child's face: and so he did, but Non erat vox neque sensus, He neither spoke nor ●eled, it would not help. The good woman feared so much and would not departed from the Prophet, but she would have him to come himself. He was content so to do. And when he came to the Corpse, he laid himself upon the corpses, his mouth upon the child's mouth, his eyes upon the child's eyes, his hands upon the child's hands, and so the child's flesh began to wax warm, and he yaned seven times, and opened his eyes, revived, and lived. And Helye gave him to his mother again alive, and so departed. Here these honest Uianders had double acquittal for their good cheer and hospitality that they bestowed upon this good man. It is also writ. joh. xi. that where Martha and mary her sister had great disconfort by the death of Lazarus their brother, their good geste our Saviour Christ, which had many times gentle entertainment with them, and with their brother Lazar then late departed, recompensed them with the marvelous raising the said Lazarus to life again after he had been four days dead and buried. This miracle was to their great consolation and no small admiration to all the country. And it is writ in the Story of my blessed patron saint Curthberte, in whose honour my parish church of Welles is dedicate where I am vicar, that when he was cozener or officer in the monastery (where he was) to whom it belonged to receive & entertain strangers, he thinking that he had received to the hostry a poor way faring man, and going about to provide meat for him, perceived afterward that he had received into his office an angel, in the likeness of a man. And so I doubt not but many good christian men have been rewarded for their hospitality: for God's power is not coarted, neither his gratitude any thing less toward man now in the time of grace, than it was afore Christ's incarnation. Many such example we have, declaring to us the excellency of hospitality, and that true it is that the wiseman saith. Pro. xi. Alii dividunt propria & ditiores fiunt, alii rapiunt non sua & semper in egestate sunt. Some men distributeth and giveth abroad their own goods, and be richer & richer. Others scratcheth and taketh by violence other men's goods, and be ever in need and at beggars estate And saint Paul saith. two. Co. xi. Qui seminat in benedictionibus, in benedictionibus & metet. He that soweth and distributeth abroad liberally, & with a gentle heart, shall be rewarded in blessings largely. For it can not be false the truth saith. Date & dabitur vobis. give, & you shall have given you. But peradventure a man would say. I have nothing to keep hospitality withal. I am but a poor man. I have nothing to spare. I have nothing to give. How shall I exercise this virtue of hospitality? How should I be a good Uiander, or an householder? To this I say that evangelical hospitality, the hospitality of the gospel that is praised and commanded by Christ, requireth not multitude of dishes, nor delicate change of meats nor diversity of exquisite wines or other drinks. We read of no such feasts that Christ came to. And the blessed patriarch Abraham (whose hospitality is so greatly praised) when he received the angels into his house, he bade his wife Sara make haste to bake some bread under the asshen, or under a pan while he went to the hurde, and fet a young calf, and he sod them some veal, and served them with sod veal, butter, & milk. Here was their dinner. Gen. xviii. And Christ's feasts that he was bid to, were but Manducare panem, but to eat some meat sufficiently to sustain nature and no more. And chrysostom answereth to the said scruple & doubt in a certain Homely that he made in the laud and praise of Priscilla and Aquila for their gentle entertaining of S. Paul, of which it is writ. Act, xviii. and Rom. xvi. They were but poor, but their heart was good & liberal. They were bold in God's quarrel, they feared no peril, & they had great thought and study to do good to others. And of that it came that they saved many a one, and deserved well of many. For the pompose rich men can not profit the church and congregation of Christ's servants, as the poor men may, that have a good heart and a good will. The rich man hath many things that grieveth him, & much business in his mind that letteth him to do any good He is afraid of his house, for his servants, for his Lands, for his riches, lest any man hurt them, or take any thing away from him. Et qui multorum est dominus, idem multorum servus esse cogitur. He that is master of much, is compelled to be servant to many. But the poor man that lacketh all these things, is like a Lion, fire cometh from him, he riseth and advanceth himself with a gentle and bold courage against all men that be nought. He doth all things with facility and easily that may do good to the church, whether need be that men should be rebuked, reproved, or blamed for evil doing or saying, or whether perils, hatred, or enmity should be sustained and borne for Christ's sake. For he that once hath despised this present life, doth easily overcome all other things that might put him to fear. But we (God help us) for the love that we have to this transitory life, and ease, and for fear of losing that little that we have, be afraid of our shadow, and dare not speak nor look in God's cause, or in a cause of justice, but will be more ready to speak against him that we know to be in the right, if we may know that we shall please the great man, or to have our pleasure upon him, or to have any advantage by our doing. The second manner of hospitality may be called spiritual hospitality, which like as there be two manner of gests, so proportionably there be two manner of hospitality. The devil & deadly sin be shrewd gests for the soul of man. Almighty god and his grace be good gests and profitable for the soul. The devil when he entereth into the soul of man by suggestion and temptation on the devils behalf, and by consent of the will of man, taketh away all goodness, spoileth the Soul from all virtues, burneth up all that he findeth with the fire of lust, and of unlawful concupiscence, and overturneth all the walls and defences of discipline, and of good instruction, that was wont to award and defend the Soul from his enemies. Like as in example and figure it is written. i. Macha. i. That Antiochus illustris king of Syria send into Jerusalem the captain of his Tributes with a great Army of fighting men, which first spoke fair to them entreating of peace In dolo, all in guile. As to make them think he came for their commodity, & to do them good, but as soon as he was received, he rob and spoiled the city, he set it on fire, destroyed the walls, and brought all to nought. Even so doth the devil by the soul of man, when he is once entered and harboured there. Factum hoc ad insidias sanctificationi, & in diabolum malum in Israel. All that turneth to the harm & hurt of all the temple of God, of all holiness of the soul of man, & is a great devil in Israel, an horrible ravener, & enemy to godly contemplation, & to all devotion. And you must understand that in some men sin is a gest or a stranger, & in some other he is one of household, yea rather a king or a ruler, as in example. Incontinency or lechery was in king David but as a stranger, as appeareth by the parable or riddles that Nathan the prophet proposed to king David, of a rich man that had many sheep of his own, and yet he stole from a poor man one poor sheep that he had and no more, for meat to feed his gest or stranger that came upon him. Parcens ille sumere de ovibus & bebus suis, ut exhiberet conuivium illi perigrino qui venerat ad se, tulit ovem viri pauperis & paravit cibum illi qui venerat ad se. two. re. xii. All this was said for the reproach of king David, which having many wives of his own, yet to satisfy and feed his lecherous lust, which is here called his gest or stranger) he took the sheep of his poor neighbour, the wife of Vry, & abused her to satisfy his unlawful lust. This adultery and unlawful lust in him was not domestical or of household, but came suddenly upon him as a stranger, and soon after went away, as appeareth by his penance that he took by and by, saying: peccavi domino, I have sinned against god. He spared not to confess his fault, whereupon god was merciful to him, as the prophet them told him saying. Dominus transtulit peccarum. God hath taken away thy sin, thou shalt not die for it. So blessed is he which after his offence whether it be by the flesh, or by the world hath grace to take repentance, and to do penance. For in such a person sin is not of household, but only as a gest or a stranger. Example we have how sin is sometime of household, continuing & as a lord or king, by Solomon of whom it is written. three reg. xi. when he was an old man, his heart was made crooked and naughty by women, so that he worshipped false Gods, and his heart was not strait and perfect with our Lord God, as the heart of his father David was. His unlawful lust mastered him and kept him under even to his end, and as it is to be feared, to the extreme peril of his soul. And so in others, when their customable sin comtinueth to the end, it is a shrewd sign that it reigneth, and is a Lord or a king in them. All such comers and goers, whether they be as gests or as of household, must be put out of the doors or else they will destroy their host that harboureth them. Almighty God when he is harboured and lodged by his grace in your souls, is a profitable gest that all the house shall far the better for, all shall prosper in Godliness and goodness where he inhabiteth. One way to win him and to bring him to our house is by the liberal receiving of his poor servants to some sustenance, which I called evangelical hospitality or viandry, for which he that useth it, shall be invited to the everlasting refreshing in heaven. Hospes eram, & colligistis me, sayeth Christ: I was a geste or a stranger, and you called me in, and brought about me all things necessary, which Christ reputeth as done to himself, when it is bestowed upon his poor and needy creatures. And this must be done sine murmuratione, without murmur or grudging. For he that is liberal or free and large of gifts with murmuring & grudging, hath not tree liberality, but lasheth out as for a cloak to cover & hide his niggardness. and not without some privy grief in his heart for wasting of his substance. The murmurer & grudger with his well doing hath the property of a hog, which sleeping in his sty, & waking and going abroad to his feeding useth to grunt and groan as it were one never pleased, but thinking all to much that he doth be it never so little. As it is writ of the unkind people of Israel. Num. xi. Ortum est murmur populi quasi dolentium pre labore. There rose a grudge among them as they had been folks being sorry for their labours. Even so they that giveth and yet groaneth withal, seemeth to be sorry for their goods, as lest they should have nothing left, or that their goods should fail, and be wasted and decay, if they should help the needy. Your hospitality or viandre must also be without grudging, not disdaining that an other man is more commended than you, either for entertaining & feeding more than you do, or else for making them better cheer than you do, for such grudging groweth & cometh of envy. And envy cometh of vain glory: for no man envieth another as better esteemed & taken than he, but because he would be best esteemed & taken himself, which is plain vanity, pride, & vain glory. To avoid this every man should help an other according to his talon & ability. And he shall be rewarded according to his good will in that he hath, & not in that he hath not, as. s. Paul saith. two Co. ix. Si enim voluntas prompta est secundum id quod haber accepta est, non secundum id quod non habet, If the will be prompt and ready, GOD is pleased with it, if it work according to his substance, for it is not required neither looked for, that a man should do more than he may, or then his goods will extend to, or bear. And contrary to all such grudging as Saint Peter reproveth here, the Apostle Saint Paul exhorteth us. Rom. viii. Qui prebet in hillaritate. He that giveth, should give with a good cheer, and with a merry heart. And two Corin. ix. Hillarem datorem, diligit deus. He saith God loveth a cherable giver, and to such he will requite most comfortable thanks when he shall reckon to you your good and charitable deeds, and for them shall bid you venite benedicti patris mei, Come you blessed children and receive the kingdom that is prepared for you in the glory of heaven. Amen. ⸫   

¶ The xvii treatise or sermon.  
COnsequently followeth in the text of Saint Peter's epistle, unusquisque sicut accepit gratiam a domino in a●terutrum illam administrantes sicut boni dispensatores multiformis gratie dei. Experience teacheth that a great household without good officers, is a troublous and an unruly business. For where is no quiet order of the subjects among themselves, and of them all in their degree toward their great master, sovereign or ruler, every man taketh his own way, and so followeth strife, brawling, and variance, and at the last destruction. The householder must be fain to break up household if his folks amend not. The great householder almighti god hath a great & a chargeable family, that is, the universal multitude & company of all mankind, which though he could rule at his pleasure according to his own will, yet it hath pleased him to put an order in this household, some head officers, some mean, some lower in authority, some subjects & servants, divisiones ministrationem sunt, idem autem dominus i Cor. xii. There be divers offices & but one Lord, which would every man to do his office in his degree that he is called to, & every one to help other like members or limbs of one body, which be ever ready one to help & cherish an other, for the safeguard of the whole body. i Cor. xii: But in this there is a difference betwixt the great household of God, & man's household, that in man's household some there be only ministers, having charge over no more but of themself in that household, but as in the great household every man & woman hath charge & cure over another, though some more, & some less cure, therefore saith Ecclesiasticus xvij Mandavit illis unicuique deo proximo suo. Almighty God hath given such a commandment in his household that every one should care for his neighbour, one for an other. And for this cause Saint Peter in these words of his epistle rehearsed, exhorteth us to bestow such gifts as God hath given us, not every man upon himself, or for himself, but every one for an others profit, like good stewards in a household. He willeth us to be as good stewards in gods house. A steward receiveth treasure or money of his lords coffers, and therewith buyeth all necessaries for the household & distributeth or bestoweth it to every one of his lords servants as they have need. And so we all receive the treasure of our great master almighty God, he openeth his store house of grace and wealth, and replenisheth us all with the blessings of his gracious gifts more precious than gold or silver. To some he giveth knowledge and cunning in spiritual causes, to some in temporal matters, to some learning in physic, to some in surgery, to some in handy crafts, to some in merchandise or in such other occupying. To some he sendeth lands by inheritance, to some by purchase, and generally look how many ways God giveth a man to live by, with so much of his treasure he chargeth him withal, and willbe sure for a count thereof. There is not the poorest beggar that goeth from door to door, but he hath part of this treasure, and is countable for it to almighty God, and therefore faint Peter full well calleth us all God's stewards, willing all men like as he hath taken grace of our Lord God, so to bestow the same one upon an other like good dispensators or stewards of the many form graces of God. Where s. Peter speaketh of such graces as be freely given as well to good men as to the bad indifferently, which be called Gratie gratis date, keeping the general name of graces given to the common utility and profit of the Church, of the whole Congregation of GOD'S folks and Christian people. The other grace is specially called gratia gratum faciens, that grace that maketh the haver acceptable to God, and in his favour, which is by an other name called charity. Of the former graces the Apostle Saint Paul speaketh i Cor. xii. Alij quidem per spiritum datur sermo sapienty, alij sermo scientiae, alterifides in eodem spiritu, alij gratia sanitatum. etc. To one is given by the holy spirit of God, the grace of sapience to speak in heavenly matters. To an other science to discern & judge in lower causes, and so of others. Now because that in the using and bestowing of all such gifts received of God's treasure, the haver ought to have a straight and a right intent. Saint Peter saith here that if any man speak the words of exhortation, according to any of the said gifts, he should speak them as the words of God, and not as his own words, counting himself but only as the minister or steward, and not as the owner of the word. And likewise he that bestoweth any corporal subsidy or help upon his needy neighbour, let him so do it as though it came of Gods sending, to the relief of the poor, and not of his own strength or virtue. Tanquam ex virtute quam administrat deus, attributing it to God that gave him the will and the power so to do, so that in all things God may be honoured, through our Lord jesus Christ the mediator betwixt God and man. And they that so useth themselves among their neighbours, may be called good stewards, where some others ever receiveth of their masters treasure and never payeth nor bestoweth it. another sort of stewards payeth and dealeth, but they pay shrewd payment. Of the steward that receiveth and never payeth, and of the good and just steward it is writ in the psalm xxxvi Mutuabitur peccator & non soluet, justus autem miseretur & tribuet. A sinful steward, a faulty steward borroweth and never payeth, ever receiveth of his masters treasure, & never thanketh GOD for it, nor bestoweth it on God's servants and household mayny. What treasure receiveth such a sinner of almighty God? Aug. Accepit ut sit, ut sit homo & non pecus. etc. Hath received of god his being, that he is somewhat, and that he is a man and not a beast. He hath taken the shape of a man's body, and the distinction of his five wits or senses, eyes to see, ears to hear, nostrils to smell, the roof of the mouth with the tongue to taste, hands to handle, and feet to go and walk, and health of body with all. But all these be common to man and beast, yet man hath received more than all these, the Mind that can understand and may perceive the truth, and discern the right from wrong, and may search out secrets, and may by the same praise and laud God, and love God. But when he that hath received all such benefits at God's hand, liveth not well but viciously, he payeth not that he ought, he giveth no thank to the giver, nor bestoweth these gifts to God's honour, nor to the profit of God's poor people, nor to the wealth of his own poor neighbours, no more than other gifts of grace that God hath given him. The gifts of nature, as bodily strength, must be bestowed not as an instrument of mischief to fight, quarreling, brawling, or to theft or murder, or such like, but must be bestowed in good exercise, avoiding of idleness. As the wiseman saith: Quicquid potest manus tua instanter operare, nihil est enim apud inferos quo tu properas, Whatsoever thy hand can work, do it busily, for there is no work to do in hell, whither thou makest haste by thy idleness. Likewise beauty of face, in which most part of women exceedingly glorieth, should not be used as an instrument of mischief to allure any person to concupiscence, by curious and wanton trimming thyself like a staale to take the devil. And so the gifts of grace, as cunning, learning, perspicuity & clearness of wit should ever do good to thy neighbour, and not only to please thyself. And riches that God sendeth must be so bestowed, that in any wise we beware of covetousness, and of nigardness, as Christ biddeth us. Luke. xii. Videte & cavete ab omni avaritia, quia non in abundantia cuiusquam vita eius est. Take heed & beware of all covetousness, for a man's life standeth not in the abundance of his possession. Where our Saviour Christ forbiddeth not only desire to have, but also desire to save. Desire to have damneth many a one, as it is plain of robbers, thieves and bribers, and of such as deceive men in buying and selling, and they that giveth false evidence, or beareth false witness to win and get a living, or to get the great man's favour, or else peradventure to save their own lives. For (after Saint Austin) this avarice and covetousness to save a man's own life is an horrible avarice, & greatly to be feared, that a man for his mortal life's sake will lose him, which where he was imortal, was made mortal to make the immortal, and to give the life everlasting. It were better to die for truth, and to save the life of the soul, by which thou mayst come to everlasting life, then to lose that life and to be brought to death everlasting, we should be content rather to contemn this wretched life, then to commit any sin, & we should be content to say with him, Nudus egressus sum de utero matris me, & nudus revertar illuc. job grudged not in all his calamity, but took it thankfully, and said: I came out of my mothers belie all naked & bare, and so I will return thither again. Naked he was without bodily apparel, but he had plenty of raiment that would never rot. So better it were for us to be brought to such misery as job was, yea and that our enemy or a tormentor that thirsteth man's blood should slay us out of hand, then that we should by our own tongue for any desire of life or of lucre or advantage slay our own souls. And where Christ said: Cavete ab omni avaritia. etc. he speaketh specially against this covetousness and desire to save, as appeareth by the parable there of a rich man, whose lands had brought fourth a rich crop of grain: In so much that he studied by himself and said, what shall I do nowo▪ This will I do, I will take down and break mine old barns, and I will make them larger, and there I will bestow and lay up mine increase and all my goods: and then I will say to myself: O my soul, thou hast goods enough laid up for many years, now take thy rest, eat & drink make feasts and banquets at thy pleasure. But God said to him: Oh thou fool, this night they will take thy soul from thy body, and then the goods that thou hast gotten, who shall have them? And even so and in like case is he (saith Christ) that hoardeth and storeth for himself, and is not rich to godward. Generally all such as do not use the gifts that God hath given them, but drown them and hide them, all to themselves, and nothing to the wealth of their neighbours, their household fellows, Gods folks, all such be slothful stewards, and be like him that Christ spoke of Math. xxv. in the parable of a great man that went from home into a strange country, and left his goods among his servants to be employed and occupied for his profit in his absence. To one he gave five talentes, to an other two, to the third he gave one talon, and this man that had but one talon in stock, knit his masters money in a clout and hid it in the earth, and did no good upon it. When the master came home, and should sit in his audite, where every man had laboured upon their masters stock, and had gotten good increase, this last man brought the money whole again, & excused himself, laying the fault on his master saying: I know that you be a rough man, a sore cruel man, a hard man, you will look to gather where you nothing cast abroad, and you will reap where you nothing sowed, therefore I thought good to be sure without any los, thus I have hid it, & lo here it is, you have your own good again. But for his sloth his talon was taken from him, and he was cast into exterior darkness, where shallbe weeping & gnashing of teeth. This was for his sloth and negligence in which he offended, fearing undiscreetly his masters sharpness. But other stewards there be (that I spoke of afore) that without fear of God payeth shrewd payment, abusing Gods gifts to their own lust and liking, and to hurt their fellows Gods servants. Of such stewards take example. Math. xxiv. Si autem dixerit malus servus in cord suo, moram facit dominus meus venire: & ceperit percutere conseruos suos, manducet autem et bibat cum ebriosis, veniet dominus serui●llius in die qua non sperat & hora qua ignorat, et dividet eum partemque eius ponet cum hipochritis: illic erit fletus & stridor dentium. If the shrewd servant say in his mind: my master is long a coming, & upon that beginneth to strike and hurt his fellows, & to eat and drink with drunkards, his Lord and master will come when he thinketh not▪ & will divide his soul from his body, and will lay his part with hypocrites, his soul with false christian people, with such as beginneth well and end naughtily, that seemed good Christian men, & yet dissemblers they were, and inwardly naughty livers and damnable into hell. Luc, xii. readeth it Et cepit percutere pueros et ancillas, and beginneth to strike the children & the maids. By the youth of the children & by the womankind understanding them that be frail, & that easily and soon taketh occasion to do nought. In the said exterior darkness shallbe weeping for smoke & heat, & gnashing of teeth for cold. It is said in the verse of the psalm above rehearsed, justus autem miseretur & tri●uet. The just man, the true servant and steward to God is merciful & dareth: all the gifts of nature and of grace that God hath given him, he applieth to God's honour, and to do good to his neighbour, and such wealth & riches as god hath lent him, he parteth with his needy neighbour, and bestoweth on works of mercy & pity. And if he be truly a just man, although he be but poor in worldly riches, yet he is rich in soul. Look in his coffer, thou shalt find it void and empty, but look & consider his soul, and thou shalt find it full of charity. He hath no stuff nor substance outward, but inwardly he hath charity, passing all worldly treasure. And if he find nothing to give outward, yet he giveth and dareth benevolence & good will, he giveth counsel, yea and he helpeth by prayer and is sooner heard of God, and doth more good than he that giveth bread and meat. He hath ever somewhat to give that hath his breast full of charity. The very poor people dareth & giveth among themselves one to an other of the treasure of their good wills, they be not all barren and unfruitful. The blind man is led by him that seeth, which dareth his eyes because he lacketh money to lend, because that with in him he had a good will which is the treasure of the poor. Holy job saith xxix Oculus fui ceco, & pes claudo, I was an eye to the blind, & the foot to the lame, helping them not only with my goods but also if need required setting to my helping hands without any attorney or proctor. Of the bestowing of the goods of fortune he saith: Pater eram pauperum. In which words for the vehemency of his mercy and pity, he leaveth the name of a dispensatour or steward, and useth the name of a father, converting the office of charity into the affection and fervent love natural, using them on whom he bestowed his charity, pity, & alms, as entirely and lovingly as a father useth the child, as though he did his charity, not only for dread of God, but also for fatherly love unto his neighbours. Would God all we Christian people, in which there should abound more plenty of grace than was in men of the old time, would bestow & use our lords treasure, the gifts of nature, of grace, & of fortune, after the example of this blessed father: that so we might be counted good dispensators & stewards of the maniform graces of god, as blessed S. Peter willeth us for to be. Charissimi nolite peregrinari in feruore qui ad temptationem vobis fit, quasi novi aliquid vobis contingat My very well-beloved friends be not dismayed or troubled in your minds, in the fervency & heat of persecution & vexation that now is so hot against you, which heat almighty God suffereth to come upon you for your trial, to try you & prove you. marvel not, & be not troubled (I say) as though any news or strange thing betid you or chanced unto you, for it is the old manner that good men sustain harm and displeasure by shrews, where afore in the process that I declared in my last sermon, the Apostle Saint Peter had exhorted them that he writ to, to communicate, & lovingly to bestow upon their neighbours such gifts as God had given them. Now consequently he teacheth them to take pain and to abide sorrow and affliction, yea even to death & martyrdom, if the case require, saying: Nolite peregrinari, (as our text hath it) marvel not, saith the other text. But in asmuch as when a man is sore dismayed & troubled, his wits seem to be fro home, straying and not close together, therefore it is said here noli●e peregrinari, be not you in that case as men out of themselves, in such hot and perilous times: but consider that such perturbation and trouble cometh unto you to tempt you, not by temptation, that shall condemn you (for God so tempteth no man) but to try you and prove you whether you be steadfast or wavering in your faith, and in all other goodness as he said afore in the first chapter: Now you must be sorry in divers temptations, that the trial and proof of your faith much more precious than gold that is tried by the fire, may be found worthy to have land, glory, and honour at the revelation and showing of jesus Christ, at the day of judgement. This is no news, for so suffered Christ for us all, and so must they suffer that will live a true Christian life, and so in the primitive church suffered many a one martyrdom for Christ's sake: of which thing they that Saint Peter writ to had good knowledge and experience. In a fervent and a cruel battle, the soldiers perceiveth and taketh an excellent comfort by the manliness of their captain and by examples of mighty men that have been praised for their noble acts. It is very unfytting & unmeet for a soldier to sit at ease in his hale or tent, or in his lodging at his pleasure, while his captain laboureth sore, and is in peril in the battle among his enemies, and it is as unseming, that where the captain is sore hurt and wounded, the soldier studieth to sleep in a whole skin, and beareth never a scar in his body. Our saviour Christ is our chief captain in our daily battle against our ghostly enemies, let us take example of him, and follow his steps, after the counsel of saint Peter in the beginning of this chapter where he willeth us to be armed with the remembrance of Christ's passion that he suffered in his flesh. And saint Paul biddeth us lay away all the burden of sin that is about us and with patience run to the battle that is set forth against us, like as the Apostles and Martyrs & other blessed saints suffered their bodies to be torn, rend, and mangled, looking upon Christ the author of our faith, and perfourmer & maker perfit the same, and inwardly considering his pains that he suffered for us all, while he might have had joy and pleasure, yet he suffered death on the cross and despised shame, he regarded not the shame that his enemies thought they put him to. Let us remember him that suffered such contradiction and countersayinge against him, and let us not be weary nor shrink in our minds, considering that if we be fellows and partakers of his pains, we shallbe likewise partakers of comfort with him two Cor. i. And therefore if it be comfort for us to hear of the abundant reward that we shall receive for our pains taking, let not the pain of labours make us afraid, For this is sure that no man shallbe crowned as a victor, but he that will take pain lawfully to fight, and therefore he that now refuseth to fight in this present life against our ghostly enemies, shall have no crown or garland of victory in the life to come. And what soever pain we suffer for our captain's sake, for Christ's sake, we ought to be glad of them, not only because we follow his steps, according to our duties, but also because we be as his fellows and partakers of his passions and pains that he suffered, as s. Peter saith here Sicut communicantes Christi passionibus gaudete, Be you glad as men taking part of Christ's passions, & made his fellows and like unto him, suffering pain and trouble as he did, that so at the time when he shall show himself in his glory, you may be merry and glad, and may be fellows with him, and partakers of his joy and glory. saint Paul said: Collossi. i. Gaudeo in passionibus & adim pleo ea que desunt passionum Christi in carne mea pio corpore eius quod est Ecclesia. saint Paul was in prison in Ephesus when he wrote his Epistle to the colossenses, where he saith the words rehearsed: I am glad in my passions and pains that I suffer, and I fulfil and make up those things that lacketh of Christ's passions in my flesh. Christ's passions that he suffered in his own person, were full and perfect and nothing lacking, as hunger thirst, strokes and death, but because he doth esteem and repute his catholic Church as his body, and taketh every good Christian man as his limbs and members of that his body, and counteth all the hurt and harm that is done to them, as done to himself: As he said to saint Paul at the time when he went to pursue the Christian people that were in Damascus, Saul, Saul quid me persequeris? Actuum, ix. Saul (for so he was first called) why pursuest thou me? Yet he was then in heaven, where no persecution could approach to hurt him, but because they were his limbs fast joined to him by faith adorned with charity, he took and regarded their pains, as though he had suffered them himself. In like manner saint Peter in this place of his Epistle willeth all them that suffereth pain for justice sake to rejoice and be glad, as taking part of Christ's passions, that they may likewise rejoice to take part of his everlasting glory.  
Si exprobramini in nomine Christi beati eritis. You must not only patiently & gladly sustain bodily pain for Christ, but also contumelious & despiteful words must be gladly suffered. Elipham one of jobs friends that came to vysete him in his calamiti, reputed it a great benefit of God to be hid from the scourge of an ill tongue. A flagello lingue absconderis. job. v. but he had no respect to the life to come▪ but only pondered & weighed the benefits that God giveth to men in this world, which worldly people most regardeth and most earnestly desireth to have, for they would have no ill spoken to them, nor of them. And yet they that be very good men, would be loath to be ill said by, they would be loath to be distained, blotted, or spotted in their name and fame, because it is their highest riches and treasure, and therefore the prophet prayed: Domine libera an imam meam a labijs iniquis & a lingua dolola. O Lord deliver my soul, deliver me from unjust lips and from a tongue that is deceyteful, from all ill speaking. And well is he that can escape them, as few or none doth now adays, such is the iniquity of the world that folk think it no fault but a merry gest to rail and slander their neighbour, and to bring a man into an infamy, which many times turneth to his destruction and undoing. God amend them, they think to displease their poor neighbour and to hurt him, but yet many times they fail, God preserving his servant, but they be sure that they have hurt their own souls, and procured their own damnation, but if their railing and jesting us be for justice, for well doing or saying, for Christ's cause, or in Christ's cause, and thou canst have no remedy but men will rail, then remember blessed S. Peter's comfort, Si exprobramini. etc. If you be umbraided, & called fools for taking that way that you do, and for refusing your old trade and manner of living, you be blessed here in hope, and after this present life shall be blessed in heaven in deed, which (to the letter) was spoken for the comfort of them that were newly converted to Christ's faith, and called Christian men and women, which the infideles took for a name of despite, and they used other names of reproach against them, as calling them Galileans: and Christ was called Galileus, because he was brought up in Galilee, but they that would not believe on him, called him by that name in despite, because they would not confess him Christ, nor call him jesus: As julianus Apostata used to call him, till at the last he cried Galilee vicisti to his pain. And if they feared not to missay and rail against the master, let not the disciples and servants look to scape without despite. Therefore when you use any such devout christian manner of abstinence as hath be used in old time among christian people. As if you abstain from flesh, and from whitmeate in the holy time of Lent: or if you fast Fridays and Wednesdays, or more days in the week in that holy time, or in this holy week now present called the Rogation week, the procession week, if men not willing to run afore a law, new made by them that have authority, would observe the accustomed fast, abstaining from flesh every day in this week, except the thursday that is dedicated in the honour of Christ's glorious ascension, and taking but one meal on the monday, and on the wednesday, as the old manner was, you shallbe called hypocrites, and foolish Pharisees, with such other odious names: or if a priest say his matins and evensong, with other divine service daily, according to his bounden duty, he shall be mocked and jested at, yea and not only of light brains of the layfe, but also of men of our own cote and profession, lewd and foolish priests, that neither serve God devoutly, nor the world justly nor diligently, but give them selves to walking the streets, and beating the bulks with their heels, clattering light and lewd matters, full unseminge for their profession, and some of them more given to reading these foolish english books full of heresies, than any true expositors of holy scriptures. Such men be they that desteyneth the ancient gravity of the Church, and such be most prone and ready to mock all them that intendeth well. To all them that be deluded or mocked, and molested with such railers, S. Peter giveth good comfort, saying: if you be umbrayded and missaied for using virtue and justice (that is for Christ's sake) you be blessed for everlasting blessing is promised you: And that pertaineth to honour, to glory, and to the virtue of GOD, and also his holy spirit resteth upon you. In this present life you shall be worthy to have honour in your good works, and for well doing and virtuous living. Name honour est praemium virtutis. Honour is the reward for virtue, and in time to come you shall be partakers of Christ's honour. And now you shall have the glory of a pure & clear conscience, which is the glory of a Christian man and the very way to come to glory of body and soul. Gloria nostra haec est testimonium conscientie nostrae. two. Cor. i. This is my glory (saith S. Paul) the witness of mine own conscience, without remorse or grudge, for my conversation hath be in simplicity among you without carnal or crafty subtlety or deceit, saith S. Paul. Even like glory of your own consciences shall rest upon you, which shall comfort you against the insulties and sclauderous railing of all your adversaries. Let them say what they will, you can not let them, you know yourselves clear and faultless, and the virtue and strength of God over the devil and all his members shall also rest upon you, and no marvel, for his holy spirit, the holy ghost, the causer of these benefits, and of all other goodness resteth upon you, and therefore as much as in them is, almighty God that resteth in you, is missaid and railed at in you, but as in you, and for your part, and as you must take it, he is glorified, and that is said redoundeth to his glory by you. Nemo autem vestrum patiatur ut homicida, aut fur, aut maledicus aut alienorum appetitor. When you take pain and be railed on for justices sake, you may be glad.  
But I would not (saith S. Peter here) that any of you should suffer for manslaughter, as a murderer, or as a thief, or as a slanderer or backbiter, or blasphemer, or as one that goeth about to take away other men's goods, to spoil and rob them. The thieves suffer imprisonment and death for their offences, this pain they suffer for their iniquity. Heretics be likewise put to shame, and many times to death for their misbelief and heresies, and for blaspheming and missayinge Gods holy scriptures, to the ill example and perverting of many a christian soul, bringing them also to like damnation. There be none such to be reputed blessed for their pains suffering, because it is not for Christ, nor for justice sake, but for their own faults, ill doings, and ill sayings: but yet some such men and women that have so suffered for their faults, be so obstinate in their malice, and so glory in their errors and iniquity, that they be not ashamed to say they bear their cross with Christ, when they bear their faggots in open penance to escape their burning. They bear their cross in deed, as the thief did that was hanged on Christ's left side, not to their salvation, but to their condemnation, which they here begin, and in hell shall consummate, perform, and continue the same for ever. Si autem ut Christianus non erubescat (saith S. Peter.) If you suffer as a Christian man or woman, either displeasures in body and goods, or by words, for that thou art a good Christian man, or liveste like a good christian man or woman, be not ashamed what so ever be said or done against thee, but rather glorify God, give laud and praise, and thanks to God that hath given the grace to be thought worthy to suffer contumely or despites for Christ's name, Glorificet autem deum in isto nomine, quoniam tempus est ut incipiat judicium a domo dei. For now is the time for the judgement of God, to begin at the house of God. The judgement beginneth in our life time: for which you must note, that the judgement of God is of two manners: one is privy and secret, the other shall be manifest and openly known to all men and women. The first is in this life, the other shallbe at the day of doom, and the general judgement. For almighty God will leave no ill unpunished, therefore in as much as he sharply will punish sinful persons with the intolerable pains of hell, with the devils after this life, he suffereth them to take their pleasure while they be here a while, and to lead a merry life in wealth & in prosperity, but at a trise suddenly they be plucked away, and descendeth down into hell to that untolerable and eternal judgement. And when God sendeth to such malefactors any pains or trouble, they fret and chafe, rail and grudge against GOD, and in their rage dieth, and beginneth their hell with pains and sorrow here, that hereafter in hell shall continue for evermore, no tongue can express the sorrow and pains that there shall be. But others that by such strokes and correction as God sendeth them, be exercised for their purgation, and be made better and better, & taketh them for a warning to convert and amend their lives, such correction doth them much good. Therefore it is written, job. v. Beatus homo qui corripitur a domino, Blessed is the man or woman that is correct and punished of our lord God. And the reason is this, for if man's correction may be good and wholesome than God's correction must needs be much more wholesome: for man knoweth not perfectly the manner and measure of wholesome correction, neither is omnipotent to take away the punishment when it is enough, or when he list▪ nor to do good and to ease a man in time convenient: but God by his omnipotency, by that he is almighty, and knoweth all things, he knoweth how much or how little he may punish his child and servant, and he ever punisheth him to do him good, either to try him, and to prove his constancy, or to make him amend his life. For there is no man living that can say he is all clear, but that he hath sinned or done amiss: and many things that in our judgement seemeth to be just and well done, yet in the judgement of God they may be nought. For man saith and judgeth after the exterior appearance, but God saith the secrets of the heart, and all other circumstances. And in as much as all mankind was at the beginning justly condemned for the offences of Adam, God will not easily deliver us from that malandre, neither from so great a disease, which also maketh that sins be ever ready, and we ever running headlong to them, but justice & good living is full of labour and pain, and is hard to come to, but that love and charity maketh that easy to them that loveth God, which to other is very painful. And this is the occasion of this privy judgement of God, by which he sendeth trouble and pain to good men with the bad indifferently, for all have sinned, and have need of gods glorious help. Some by the said pain & trouble that God sendeth, be exercised for their purgation, and to be made better by the same, such as be good, as job, Toby, and such like, others be warned for their conversion and amendment of their lives, and other that contemneth the calling, it blindeth toward their condemnation, as I said▪ Now is the time that God's judgement should begin at God's house, the Church of Christ, the congregation of good faithful people, which must be exercised with pain and trouble to learn the way to glory and joy everlasting, where reproved & damnable people, lead a merry life in wealth and prosperity, & feeleth no pain nor displeasure, but laugheth at other men's harms and glorieth in nothing more, then to make themselves rich of other men's goods, lands and possessions, to their everlasting impoverishing. And if we shall yet more specially speak of the house of God, it is to be feared, lest even like as ezechiel the prophet saw in his vision, vi. angels like men, with weapons in their hands to execute God's vengeance on the reversion & leavings of jerusalem, & they had going afore them one clothed in linen, having a penner & inkhorn hanging at his back, which was commanded to make the sign of Tau, upon all them that lamented and wailed for their own sins, and for the sins of the people: the other vi men were commanded to go forth & kill all them that had not the said sign of Tau marked in their foreheads, and to spare neither old nor young, man, woman, nor child. Et a sanctuario meo incipite. Ezeck. ix. And begin at my holy church, saith almighty God, because that the iniquity of the people, rose that time by some occasion of them of the church, either because of ill example giving unto the people, or else because they would not by wholesome lessons instruct them to live vertuouselye, or else for fear of displeasure of great men, would not sharply reprove their vices, and noughty living. The day of judgement is at hand, as appeareth by many signs, continual war or suspicion of battle, countries against countries, realms against realms, princes against princes, continual plague of moreine and pestilence, trouble & vexation continually, and fear lest GOD hath bid the ministers, the executors of his justice & vengeance, to begin at his church, for well is he that can do any hurt or displeasure to a priest, to take their lands & livings, is thought gotten good, & no good so easily gotten, to jest, rail and mock at them, and to do them despites, is thought best pastime, not regarding the prohibition of God, Nolite tangere Christos meos: et in prophetis meis nolite malignari. touch not mine anointed (saith God) and malign not, imagine no mischief, nor do any such harm to my prophets, such as preach & teach, and tell you of the will of God. So every way God's stroke & judgement beginneth at the church, albeit s. Peter in this place taketh not the church so precisely, for the ministers of the church, but more generally for the congregation of good faithful people, which almighty God permitteth and suffereth to be flagelled and scourged here, because he will not damn them eternally, but will shortly set them at rest in heaven above, where they shall be no more scourged nor vexed, peeled nor polled. Si autem primum a nobis, quis finis eorum qui non credunt evangelio dei▪ If Gods judgement begin, and be so sore upon us that believe upon him, what shall be their end that believe not God's gospel, or that have believed it in times past, and now believeth it never a deal? If he punish them that he loveth, how shall they speed that he loveth not▪ And if he whip & beat his children, what shall the wicked & naughty servants look for but to be bound hand and foot and cast into exterior darkness, to damnation everlasting. Et si justus vix saluabitur, impius et peccator ubi parebunt▪ And if a good man shall scarcely and with much a do be saved, where shall the wicked & common sinner appear? Aristotle saith. Quod fere fit non fit sed quod vix fit fit. That is almost done or well near done, is not done: but that is scarcely done, yet it is done though it be with much a do. So if a man do many times well, and live well long and many a day, yet at the last falleth to sin and liveth nought, and so dieth, this man was almost saved, but yet he was not saved all out in deed, because he died in deadly sin, and out of the state of grace, as offending and breaking one commandment or another, and he that breaketh one commandment, Factus est omnium reus, is made guilty in them all, as much as concerneth everlasting salvation: for if a man break one, than the observing and keeping of all the rest shall not save his soul from damnation. But the just man, the good liver, taketh pain and labours to avoid from sin, and to please God by virtuous living, and by doing good works, and it is not one days work only, but he must continue in well doing, and in continual battle against the devil, the world, and the flesh. It is no small business, but continual pain and sorrow, as S. Paul said, Actu▪ xiiii. Per multas tribulationes oportet nos intrare in regnum Dei. Through many troubles and much business (which can not be avoided, overcome, or passed through, without a special assistance of almighty God) we must come to heaven. And that is it that S. Peter saith here, vix saluabitur justus, the good man, the good liver shallbe saved scarcely, or with much a do. I heard one preach in an excellent and learned audience, which expounding this text of S. Peter, justus vix saluabitur▪ resolved this word vix foolishly into the iii letters, u.i.x. understanding by v. virtute. by i. jesu. by x. Christi. as though S. Peter had meaned that a just man, or a good liver shallbe saved by the virtue or power of jesus Christ. And this is true, for with out his power no man shallbe saved: but this is not taken of the said word vix, so resolved by an Etymology, for it is a foolish Etymology in every point, and specially because that why this letter ten should signify Christi, there is no reason, although the greeks ch, which is the first letter of Christus in the greek, be made like our latin x. But this common text of S. Peter (which is almost in every man's mouth) is taken of the Prou. xi. Si justus in terra recipit, quanto magis impius et peccator. If a good liver receiveth pain & punishment here on earth, how much more may the naughty livers look to receive & take? If the martyrs have suffered innumerable displeasures, & untolerable pains for Christ's sake here in this world: how much more sorrow & pains groaneth & looketh for their tormentors that put them to those pains? And if holy job & the old patriarches & prophets, & in Christ's time, the apostles, martyrs, & such other received much pain, & suffered sorrow & displesurs to please almighty God, how much more sorrow may they look for in another world, that here liveth at pleasure, & be merry & laugheth at other men's harms, & taketh more pains to hurt than, then to do them good? The good livers taketh pains on earth, here in this world, the sinners, malicious people, bribers, oppressioners, & extortioners shall suffer their pains without end, in the horrible pains of hell. And this is it that s. Peter meaned by the said text, that if the good man shall with much a do be saved, that is vix, scarcely, where shall the vicious wicked sinner appear? he can not so come to salvation, than no remedy but he must come to damnation, with the devil and all his dampened company in hell. Then for the final conclusion of this matter of suffering adversity, pains and trouble for Christ, and for justice sake, S. Peter concludeth saying: Itaque & high qui paciuntur secundum voluntatem dei. etc. Therefore they that suffereth of ill folks: by the will & permission of God, this is called Voluntas signi▪ it is a sign that he is content it should so be▪ because he suffereth it for the time, and it seemeth that he will so, because he suffereth it. They that so suffereth, let them commit their lives, their souls to almighty God their faithful maker, in good works, let them live well and do well, nothing presuming on their own power, & then let him alone withal, when you do the best, and you can do no more, let him alone with the rest, for he is faithful (saith S. Peter) he is trusty and faithful, and will not fail to acquit abundantly the pains that you take, yea and much above any man's deserving. And here you must not forget how S. Peter biddeth us commend once selves to God in good deeds, then only faith is not enough, you must work charitably withal, to declare yourselves to have a lively faith, vivificate, made alive, and adorned with charity and good works, which shallbe acquitted surely and faithfully with glory in heaven everlastingly, which he grant us. etc.   

The, xviii. treatise or sermon.  
The fift Chapter.  
GOod and worshipful audience, considering my bounden duty and due obedience that I own to the superior powers, I have abstained now from preaching these .v. or vi years, but now that it hath pleased them more favourably to look upon me, and to licence me, I shallbe glad to return to that my old exercise, and to come among you to do my duty in that behalf, at such times as I may conveniently. Furthermore I trust you remember, and I doubt not but many here present doth remember that about viii or ix years agone, I took upon me to preach unto you, here in this city, the first epistle of S. Peter, in which in many sermons I came over four chapters of the same epistle, afore I was prohibited for to preach. And now beginning where I left, I purpose (GOD helping) to prosecute the residue of the said epistle. The .v. chapter beginneth thus.  
Seniores ergo qui in vobis sunt obsecro, consenior & testis Christi passionum, qui & eius quae in futuro revelanda est glory communicator, pascite. etc. i Pet. v. Because the blessed Apostle Saint Peter would leave none estate of people destitute of learning, and without ghostly exhortation, therefore after his wholesome lessons given afore, generally to all manner of people, as well rich as poor, as to bondmen and servants, & then to wives and married men, & then returning to general lessons indifferent for all men. Now consequently in these words rehearsed he informeth priests, which God hath appointed to be among the people, as launterns of light, to lead and guide his people toward the salvation of their souls, which is the end and perfection of our faith, as he said afore. Capi. i. In all manner of doctrine the authority of the master hath great efficacity, and doth very much in making the scholar to apply his mind to that is taught him, to learn it, and bear it away. Therefore Saint Peter, because he would here teach priests, he professeth himself to be a priest as they be, and therefore they should be gladder to hear him, and to follow his doctrine. As if there should be a matter of the trade of merchandise to be entreated of among the merchants of this city, if there came in a merchant of grave and long experience, all the others would give ear and listen to his talk, and would be glad to follow his counsel. Likewise among carpenters or masons, if the kings chief carpenter or master mason of his grace's works came in place, being known for most excellent of the realm in their faculties, all the carpenters, all the masons in the city would anon resort unto them, to hear some learning of them. Even so it is in matters of higher learning pertaining to our soul health. And for such considerations S. Peter here professeth himself to be a priest, and a priest not made at all adventures, as these lewd ministers be made now a days of shoemakers, smiths, cobblers, and clouters, as well married as single, but one taught & brought up under the prince of priests our saviour Christ, therefore they should assure them selves that he would teach them nothing but that should beseem a priest. And yet furthermore to amplify his authority, he calleth himself a witness of Christ's passions and pains that he suffered for us. Testis Christi passionum, Though all Christ's life were a very passion, and a time full of trouble, pain, and persecution, yet chief his passion begun when he prayed on the bank beside Gethsemani, in the mount Olivete, when he was in a marvelous agony, that made him sweet so sore, that the drops fell from him like water mixed with blood. Then came judas, and a train with him of the precedents soldiers, & also of the bishop's men, & set hand upon him, & led him full boistuously, first to Annas, then to Caiphas, that was pontifexan ni illius, then to Pilate, then to Herode, because all the world should wonder on him, as condemned by so many judges, and none of them all speaking one word for his dispatching or acquitting. Then they brought him back again to Pilate which condemned him to death, partly to stop the jews mouths and their clamor, partly for fear lest he should have been accused to the emperor for letting one scape that took upon him to be a king, as the jews bore him on hand that Christ did, as preparing or intending a commotion or rebellion against the emperor. Of all this process Peter was oculatus testis, a witness that saw it with his eye, to his great discomfort, pain and heaviness, and specially after that the cock had crowen thrice, when Christ looked back upon him, and so pierced his heart with his look, that he remembered what he had done denying his master, that then forth he went and wept bitterly, and afterward by his preaching and teaching he testified the same process of his passion, and of his glorious resurrection and ascension, and sticked neither for threatening, beating, nor imprisonment. This should make all them that would believe on Christ to credit him, and to do as he bade them. Another persuasion he expresseth, Qui et eius quae in futuro revelanda est gloriae communicator. I am a Priest as you be, I am a witness of Christ's pains and passion which I saw with mine eyes, and third, I was partaker of his glory, which shallbe revealed and openly showed in time to come, meaning the marvelous and glorious sight that he saw at Christ's transfiguration, of which S. matthew writeth in the xvii cha. At which time he saw the glory of Christ's glorified body for the time: for the which it is to be understanded that there be four dowres (as they be called dotes corporis gloriosi) of a glorious body, for which you must consider that the soul of our saviour Christ from the first moment of his conception was glorious, & had the gifts of glory by reason of the perfect union of it to his Godhead, albeit by God's pleasure & ordinance it was, that the glory of Christ's Soul did not redound and show itself in his body, that so his body might be mortal and passable to perform the price of our redemption. And by like provision of God it was, that for the time of his transfiguration, the like glory should redound and show itself in his body, although it were not permanent and continuing, as it is now in his blessed body, and shall be in our bodies when we shall rise to salvation and life everlasting at the general judgement. It was for the time in him, as Passio transiens, a quality passing, and therefore for that time not properly the dowry of a glorified body. Quia dos de sua ratione importat qualitatem permanentem. And this that I say of these gifts or dowryes of a glorious body, is not only a fraske or a knack of the scolastical learning, but it is the true doctrine of saint Paul i Co. ●v. where he declareth the manner how dead men's bodies shall rise at the general judgement, saying: Seminatur in corruption, surget in incorruption. Where he expresseth the gift or dowry of impassibility. Now our bodies be subject to all pains of sickness, strokes, and like harms, than we shall rise impassable, so that neither fire nor water, sword, nor any other weapon shall hurt us, by the dowry or gift of impassibility. Seminarur in ignobilitate, surget in gloria. Our bodies shall be buried in ignobility, that is to say, dim, dark, colourlesse, but it shall rise in glory by the gift of clearness and brightness, that is to say, in such clearness and brightness that no mortal eye shall be able to behold it. Seminatur in infirmitate, surget in virtute. Our bodies shall be sowed or buried in Infirmity, that is to say, dull, weak, & not able to stir hither or thither, but they shall arise in might, strength, and subtlety, so penetrative & piercing, so subtle and fine, that it shall be able to pierce through the stonewals without any division or breaking either of our bodies or of the wall, even like as Christ came among his disciples without breaking of the doors or walls, or any division of his own body Seminatur corpus animale resurget corpus spirituale. Our bodies be buried as of the kind of the flesh such as beasts have, but it shall rise a spiritual body, by the gift or indument of Agilitye, so quick, so nimble, so quiver, that a man shall be where he list in a moment or time unperceptible. And so we have of saint Paul these four gifts that I spoke of, and of which saint Peter meaned when he said that he was communicator or partaker of Christ's glory, which though it were marvelous at that time of his transfiguration, yet it shall be revealed & showed much more manifestly, & more gloriously when he shall come in glory to judge the quick & the dead. Part of this glory. s. Peter saw at the time of Christ's tranfiguration, as I said, when he could not well tell what he said or did. But he was so well pleased with the fight that he saw, that he would have been glad to have tarried there still, & all his company with him as well Moses & Helias, as john & james. Bonum est nos hic esse. Here is good abiding for us, & he wished lodgings to be made for Christ, & also for Moses and Hely, and would have placed himself (I think) with Christ and his two companions with Moses & Hely. But anon his courage was delayed when he saw a bright shining cloud covering them, by the which was signified the presence of the holy ghost. And out of the said cloud came the voice of the father, saying: Hic est filiu● meus dilectus in quo mihi bene complacitum est ipsum audite. This is my well-beloved son in whom I delight hear him. When Peter, john, & james heard this voice, they fell flat on their faces, and were sore afraid. Christ came to them and touched them, bade them arise & fear not, & when they looked up, they saw no man but Christ their master alone. These three allectives which. s. Peter toucheth to allure them to give credit to his writing, and to his doctrine thus declared, let us further proceed to the letter S. Peter calleth such priests, seigniours or elders, & ancients, specially for their ancientnes, gravity & sadness, in manners & conditions. In very deed presbyter in the greek is by interpretation signior in the latin, in English an ancient, or an elderman. Albeit every old man, or ancient man is not a Priest, but only such as by prophecy, or election and imposition of a prelate's hand is picked out & chosen among the more to be addict and appointed to God, and to be a minister of God in the Church or congregation in things belonging to God and to his service, somewhat like as in this example. In cities and towns we call them Aldermen not ever that be the eldest men within their ward, but such as partly for their substance, and more for their honesty and sadness and wisdom be thought worthy to rule the streets, and the people within their wards, and so they be called eldermen or aldermen by election, although they be young men by years. But these seigniours or elders that we call priests be made, and ever have been made continually as well in the law of Moses, as in the time of grace and the law of the Gospel, by the imposition and laying on of the prelate's hands, and other ceremonies longing to the same, by which they that be so ordered receiveth a special gift of grace, that maketh their ministery & service approved & allowed of God, and acceptable to him, and maketh the administration of the Sacraments effectuous and able to perform that they signify, that is to confer and give grace as they were ordained for to do. And this blessed ceremony was not done without great and Godly solicitude, premeditation, and preparation afore by devout prayers and fasting, afore the promotion of men, unto the holy ministry and appointed service of God, according to the example taken as well of our Saviour Christ, as of his apostles,. Saint Luke writeth. Luke. vi. Factum est autem in diebus illis. Exiit jesus in montem orare, & erat pernoctans in oratione dei: & cum dies factus esset vocavit discipulos suos & elegit duodecim ex ipsis quos & apostolos nominavit Simonem, quem cognominavit Petrum & Andream fratrem eius. etc. Christ went up unto an hill to pray, and he tarried all night in his prayers to God▪ And when day came, he called to him his scholars or disciples, and of them he chose twelve, which also he named apostles. Simon to whom he gave surname Peter, and Andrew his brother, and so forth of others till he came to judas that was the traitor, whom (as saint Ambrose noteth) Christ chose not unwares or ignorant what he would be, & how he would prove, but by especial providence, foresight, & of purpose. For our saviour Christ took upon him man's infirmity & frailness, & therefore he refused not such pains of our infirmity, as men commonly do sustain. He was content to be left and forsaken, as many men be of their friends sometime that they loved best. He was content to be uttered when he might have been secret and quiet. He was content to be betrayed of his own scholar, & servant & to be committed by him into his enemies hands. And all this he suffered for us, and for this purpose, To give us example that if thou or I be forsaken of our own fellow or friend, or if we be uttered, and our secrets revealed and opened, or if we be betrayed and put into the danger of our adversaries by our own fellow, or one that we have done for, we should moderately take it, and well a worth that our judgement hath erred and gone amiss, that we have taken him of greater honesty than he is, and that we have taken him for one of better fidelity and credence, than he showeth himself to be. We must be content that our benefit that we have done for him hath perished & is clarely lost, we ought to be content as well as Christ was with judas, and with all the displeasures, despites, and pains that he suffered by occasion of his falsshode. And here also. s. Ambrose noteth, that in this prayer & watch of Christ all night long afore he chose his xii Apostles to be his ministers in his Church, we may learn what we ought to do for our own soul health, seeing that Christ took so much pain, not for himself, but for our wealth only, to watch and pray that we might have such ministers chosen by him that might faithfully instruct us for the salvation of our souls. We may also by this example of Christ consider what we ought to do, when we will enterprise or set upon any good or godly work or business, considering that Christ when he should choose his apostles to accompany him & to learn of him, and then to be sent forth to preach his doctrine, prayed, & prayed alone, & prayed all night long without sleep, and without meat or drink. Thapostles according to the example of their master Christ used like manner. As we have Act. xiii. where it is written that the holy Ghost spoke unto them that were in Antiochia, prophets and doctors with other company there serving God & fasting. Segregate mihi Saulum & Barnaban in opus in quod assumpsi eos. Separate & set out for me Saul (which was afterward called Paul) & Barnabas into the work for which I have taken them. And it followeth▪ Tunc ieiunantes & orantes imponentesque eyes manus dimiserunt illos. They altogether fasted & prayed & put on them their holy hands & sent them forth likewise. Act. xiiii. I read that Paul & Barnabas returning back by the cities of Listra, Iconium, and Antiochia, confirming and staiing the minds of their disciples, & exhorting them that they should persever & steadfastly continued in their faith which they had received. And declaring and persuading them that by many tribulations & much trouble we must enter into the kingdom of god. And when they had made for them priests in every church, & prayed devoutly for them with fasting they committed & betook them to our Lord God, on whom they believed. And here (good & worshipful audience) it is to be noted that in the Primitive church even in th'apostles time, when soever there were priests ordered to be God's ministers, the people used fasting & praying, fasting that their wits & minds might be more clear and elevate, & apt to pray. And praying to almighty God for grace that they which were chosen & admitted to so excellent a function, ministry & service, might be worthy to do their duty in their service & calling. And even according to the apostles examples, such fasting & praying hath been used hereafore even to our time: For at such times as holy orders be given, we have certain days four times in the year called imbring days, in which all christian people used fasting & praying to god, that it may please him to inspire such grace into the hearts of the prelates & pastors that they may circumspectly look upon the qualities, conditions, & learning of them that shallbe ordered, so that they be not accused hereafter for putting on their hands to soon or unadvisedly, or to rashly on them that taketh orders, so communicating or taking part of other men's faults, as. s. Paul speaketh. i Timo. v. Manus cito nemini imposueris neque communicaveris peccatis alienis. Put not thy hands to soon upon no man, neither take thou part of other men's sins, for the Prelate or Bishop that giveth orders to one that is unworthy because of his vice or ignorance, & lack of learning, and by that occasion liveth not like a priest or can not do his service and duty like a priest, than he that gave him orders is partaker of his fault, and shall bear his part of the judgement, condemnation, and punishment for the same. This is no small peril for Prelates that give orders, therefore very christian charity moved christian men and women to pray to GOD, specially at such times, to inspire them with the abundance of his grace to take heed what they do in this behalf. And as well for them that shall take Orders, and shall be deputed to that most holy and excellent ministry. How highly the Apostle saint Paul God's elect and chosen vessel esteemeth and regardeth this putting on of hands upon them that shall be ordered and promoted to holy orders, appeareth by his letters written to his disciples Tymothe and Titus. He biddeth Tymothe. i Ti. iiii. Nolineg ligere gratiam quae in te est, quae data est tibi per prophetiam cum impositione manuum presbiterii. See that thou do not neglect or make light of the grace that is in thee, which was given the by prophecy or election with imposition or putting on thee, the hands of the priesthood or prelate's. By this that he calleth prophecy, he meaneth election or choosing, in as much as when men make election of any person to an office, or to perform or do any business, they have a certain expectation or hope that the person so elected is able to do the thing that he is chosen for, and will perform it in deed that belongeth to his calling. And, two. Tim. i Admoneo te ut resuscites gratiam dei que est in te per impositionem mannum mearum. I warn thee that thou stir up and exercise the grace that is in thee, the which was given thee by putting on thee my hands. After that Paul being at Ephesus, met with certain new converted christian men, and asked them, whether they had received the holy ghost. No (said they) we have not heard of him whether there be any such thing or no. Then after they were baptized in the name of jesus (for afore they had been baptized only in the baptism of john in the name of him that should come after. Et cum imposuisset illis manus Paulus venit spiritus sanctus super eos & loquebantur linguis & prophetabant. When Paul had set his hands upon them the holy ghost came upon them, & they spoke with tongues of divers languages, & prophesied. And he willed his disciple and scholar Titus, whom he had made Bishop of Creta (which now we call the isle of Candye,) to constitute and make priests in every City. Sicut & ego disdosui tibi. As I have prescribed and given thee a rule, and taught thee (saith he) even as he had ordered Timothe & him, even so he taught them to promote and to give orders to others. And as he expresseth there, Oportet Episcopum sine crimine esse. I will prosecute some points of saint Paul's writing to Titus in this matter, for it agreeth much with his like saying to Timothe. first he requireth that a priest be sine crimine, without crime. A crime is more than a sin, or a fault, for it is a notable or a great fault, worthy to be accused and to be condemned. Some sins be lighter, and not damnable, such as it very hard for any man to escape. And therefore said s. john in his epistle i Io. i Si dixerimus quoniam pec. If we say that we have no sin, or no fault, we deceive & beguile ourselves, & there is no truth in us, specially of such sins as the frailty of man customably falleth unto, and can not well eschew them, which we call venial sins. The wiseman speaketh. Pro. xxiiii. Septies in die cadit justus, & resurget. A just man, a good man falleth vii times in a day, the determinate number is put for the uncertain number. It is as much to say, As a good man falleth oft, and riseth again. The scripture calleth him a just man, and yet saith that he falleth, by which it is plain that such falling destroyeth not his justice, Therefore it must needs be taken of such falling or faults without which man doth not lead his life in this wretched world. By ignorance, by oblivion, omission, or forgetting of duties undone, by surreption or privy creeping of matters into men's minds, by necessity, by fragility of the flesh every day, either willingly, or against our wills we offend, & yet rise again, so that such frailness of the flesh of man hurteth not nor destroyeth a man's justice or righteousness, if he be a just man or a good man where contrary the wiseman saith there. Impij autem corruent in malum. Because that wicked persons neither good to God, nor good to man doth run down headlong to ill, to sin, and to damnation. So that when they have fallen by consent to sin, penance, and repentance is laid aside and despised. And then must needs follow eternal damnation. Then to saint john's saying. Si dixerimus. etc. Of veviall sins it is plain, for without such we can not lead this frail life. And of deadly sin there is no man that can certainly and surely know what case he standeth in afore god, and whether he be worthy hatred, or the love of GOD, except it be by special revelation, than a man affirming himself to be clear and without sin, should presume to far proudly boasting himself of such sincerity, pureness, and holiness, as he was not sure of, and by that in deed should be in the sin of pride and presumption, and not clear. Then when Saint Paul saith that Titus should promote to be a Priest, such as be without crime, that is to say: such as be without any enorm dete●table, and notorious fault or vice, or sin. Oportet enim Episcopum sine crimine esse. For a bishop must be without blot or blemish of crime And that is it that he saith to Timothe. i Ti. three Oportet episcopum irreprehensibilem esse. without any matter by which he may be reproved as criminal. And here is to be noted that even now S. Paul spoke of the ordering of priests, and now by and by he telleth the same tale of bishops, saying: A bishop must needs be without crime, wherefore you must note that in the apostles time a priest and a bishop were all one, every Bishop was a priest, and so he is yet in our time, and every priest was a bishop, as it is taken plainly, and proved by these words of saint Paul here. And this S. Jerome noteth in an epistle that he writeth ad evagrium, where he saith also that afterward in process of time, they used to choose one to be preferred and made overseer and ruler over other, to avoid schisms and divisions in the church, for fear lest every one inventing new ways and making parts, and drawing a congregation after him, should break the unity of the church. And such a one so elect and chosen, & set in higher room and state than the rest, they called Episcopum a superintendant, that is, a bishop, to take heed and oversee the others. Even like as if in the time of war, the host being destitute, or without a captain, should choose a captain among themselves, and call him their Emperor, or as if the Deacones should choose one among themselves, whom they knew to be circumspect, wise, and diligent, and would call him an archdeacon, or chiefedeacon, for what thing is it that the Bishop but a priest doth the same, except it be giving of orders, confirming of children, and some other consecrations and blessings, which by common consent of the church were given to the bishop's office. Saint Augustine in an epistle that he writeth to saint jerom agreeth to the same, saying: Quanquam secundum honorum vocabula, que iam ecclesie usus obtinuit Episcopatus presbiterio maior sit, tamen in multis rebus Augustinus Iheronimo minor est. Although by the terms of honour (which now the use of the church hath gotten) a bishop is greater than a priest, yet notwithstanding in many things Augustine is less of reputation than Jerome, albeit Augustine were a bishop, and Jerome but a priest. Well then we must take it indifferently as well of a bishop as of a priest, yea and also of a deacon i Ti. iii. that they must be without crime, even as it beseemeth gods stuard of his spiritual treasure, which requireth a more trusty minister than any worldly treasure doth. A priest also must not be proud, for a proud man thinking that his preferment to the dignity of a priest, is more because of his excellency and deserving, and because he thinketh himself so necessary for the church, that the congregation hath need of him, and can not be without him, and so falleth to contemn and despise others that be as good and better than he, and by that falleth into the snares of the devil. As saint Paul sayeth, De neophitis. i Timo. iii. Where he would not have him promoted to be a Bishop or a Priest that is a new converse. As who should say, yesterday at the Cart, or in the barn among his corn and his threshers, or in the common market, and to day at the altar to entreat the sacrament, yesterday at the open sises, sessions law days, or the courts, & to day to minister in the church, yesterday at dice and cards, and all unthrifty games, and to day to turn and read the holy books of the scriptures, or the holy mass book, yesterday to dancing and daliing, and to day to consecrate priests, widows or virgins. Such sudden changes s. Paul liketh not, for fear lest they that be so newly promoted, would soon forget themselves & their calling, Non Iracundum, a priest must not be a fumishe or passionate man, anon in a rage for every turning of a straw, or for a triful, for he that is as a judge among the people (as priests be) must weigh all▪ matters afore they take them to heart, lest in their anger they shall not see the right, but rather say or do otherwise then reason would. Iratus is he that for some cause is kindled or moved, and provoked to anger. Iracundus is he that for light occasion or small cause is moved to auger, Saint Paul would not have a Priest to be soon on fire or angry, but rather with Patience, longa●imitye, and long sufferance to bear with his neighbour, Non vinolentum, no great drinkers of wine, they must be, that be promoted to holy orders, specially above all men, because that we be set in the stead and place of the Apostles, therefore we must observe not only their words, & preaching, but also there abstinence. Nolite inebriari vino, in quo est luxury, sayeth Saint Paul. The filthiness of Lechcrye and carnal lust, cometh principally of taking to much wine, and hot or strong drinks, and with overmuch feeding, for it is true that Terence said. Sine Cere & Baccho friget Venus▪ Esay sayeth. Capi. v. We quin potentes estis ad bibendum vinum & fortes ad miscendam ebrietatem. Woe be unto you, eternal pain shall come to you that be strong to drink Wine, and to mengle drunkenness, not only to be drunk yourselves, but also to make others drunken. Let us therefore above all other men, remember the wise man's decree and sentence. Cogitavi a vino carnem meam abstinere, ut animam meam transferam ad Sapientiam. Ecclesiastes. two. I have thought, decreed, and determined myself too abstain my Body from Wine, that so I might turn my Soul and wit to Wisdom. And we read of Davyell and his fellows. Dany. two. That they refused the meats of the Kings reward, and from his board, and took pulse and herbs of the garden to eat, and water to drink, and so they became wiser than all their companions, & excellently learned in all books, & in all sciences. For in very deed abstinence with study breadeth science and learning, which is most beseming and necessary for all prelate's and priests. Non percussorem, they must not be light fingered, or ready to strike, or to hurt any man. As they be commonly that will not refrain their passion or anger, and also they that be drunken with wine, which the Apostle excludeth here immediately afore. And some men devoutly understand, that Non percussorem, that he must not by words in preaching rap at any man, striking his conscience with perverse and false doctrine, and with seditious opinions. And saint Peter sayeth here. Pascite qui in vobis est gregem dei, providentes non coacte, sed spontanee secundum deum neque turpis lucrigratiased voluntary. Prelates and Priests must not be to desirous or greedy of unhonest lucre, gains, or winning. You must understand that the occupying that well beseemeth some man, is unfitting and evil dreaming some other man. And that is honest to one man, is filthy, unhonest, and evil dreaming to an other man. A Draper, a Mercer, a Shoemaker, and a hardwareman may stand in the open Market and sell his ware to the most advantage and gain, thereby sufficiently to sustain himself, and his family or household. A Knight, a squire, or a well landed man may not so do with his honesty. It were filthy, shame, and dishonesty for him so to do, and his winning should not be but filthy winning, horrye shift, and shameful gains.  
So a priest that hath refused worldly trouble & toiling, and given himself only to the service of God, may not with his honesty (yea but with his shame) give himself to worldly chevesance, merchandise, chopping and changing, buying good cheap, selling dear. That occupying or gains that is tolerable and somewhat honest in other, is turpe lucrum, shameful gains in him. But yet there is a more filthy gains that some prelate's and priests laboureth for, to the great infamy of the church, and that is the greedy appetite that they have to get winning at dise and cards and such unlawful games, and myspendinge their good hours at the same. This is vere turpe lucrum filthy or unhonest gains. The Philosopher four Ethi. saith, that turpe lucrum est quum aliquis parvi lucri gratia obprobrium sustinet, filthy and unhonest gains or winning, is when a man for small advantage sustaineth shame or an ill name, and he putteth example of disers, and gameners, and robbers of dead men's graves: As we had amongst us these that steal plates of brass with Epitaphies from men's graves or tombs, or iron from the grates or partcloses and all such privy pikers, and also hoores and horehunters. All such saith the Philosopher, lucri gratia negotiantur & opprobria sustinent, they lay forth their ware for advantage, and getteth despite and shame there by, and they be all illiberales, churls without liberality or bounteousness, or gentle heart, as it is plain of these gameners which studieth to get & win of their own friends and lovers, to which they should rather do good then harm. For amity and freendeshyp would that one friend should help an other, rather than take from him that he had, or apayre his living. And these filthy comen strumpets, after they have received their promise that they looked for, careth cot though his head were of, that even now she occupied with all. Saint Peter's mind is and also Saint Paul's, that we should not apply our minds nor our labours to worldly lucre, by any kind of merchandise or chaffering, and that we should not look for gains, by any kind of gamning or unhonest exercise of our bodies. As it were saying to every one of us, as well to priests as to religious men or women, where any be. Labora sicut bonus miles Christi jesu. Nemo militans deo implicat se negotijs secularibus ut ei placeat cuise probavit ii Timo. two. Labour & take pains as a good Sadiour of Christ jesus, of God's retinue, no man nor woman, being a Soldier to God or of God's retinue, wrappeth or entangleth himself in seculare or worldly business, or occupation, we must not turn our spiritual profession that we have taken upon us, into worldly exercise for lucre, that by Godly exercise we may like good warriors please him, to whom we have given and promised ourselves, and for whom we have tried and proved ourselves, as every man must do, that will take such charge upon him. And some there be that maketh a merchandise of the word of God, using their preaching & teaching all for lucre & advantage, turpiter affectantes lucrum, unhonestly, greedy & hungry for money & lucre, thinking all that lost that goeth beside their beards, or that they cannot get, it grieveth them that any men should open their mouths in a pulpit but themselves, that so they might gather in, their sermon nobles. If a good man or woman, by testament or other ways, will or give any money, for to have certain sermons preached, than they make shift, than they make friends, that they may be the doers of it, more for the lucers sake, then for zeal to the soul health of their audience. S. Paul over & above the properties afore rehearsed, reciteth many other necessary for a priest, which were to long to be declared every one, which doubtless declareth a marvelous sincerity, pureness & honesty, required a prelate or a priest, & in all them that have given themselves to be God's soldiers & ministers, of which conditions & qualities S. Iherom saith contra pelagi. Li. i Nullus aut rarus est qui omnia habet que habere debet episcopus, either none therebe or very few or seldom seen, that have all the qualities that a bishop ought to have. Then it is our part, every one of us to labour to be one of those few, that so we may not only take honour & worship by our orders, but also may do worship to the order. S. john Chrisost. de sacerdotio. Li. vi saith Functio sacerdotalis angelicam virtutem requirit etenim sacerdotis animum solaribus radijs puriorem esse oportet ne quando spiritus sanctus desolatum illum reliquat ut dicere illi liceat vivo ego non amplius ego, vivit autem in me Christus. The office of a priest requireth the virtue of an Angel, for the priests soul and mind must be more pure & clear then the sun beams for fear left the holy ghost leave him desolate and without his help and assistance, so that the priest may say with saint Paul, I live now no more I, not as I was and not as I lived afore, for Christ liveth in me. And in the third book he saith: Sacerdotium in terra quidem peragitur ceterum in rerum celestium classem ordinemque referendum est. Priesthood is occupied and used on earth, but it must be referred & taken as into the order of heaven and of heavenvly things. And well worthy (saith he) for no mortal man, no angel, nor archangel, neither any other creature, but the very holy ghost himself hath disposed this order, for he was the author and causer that mortal men yet abiding in the flesh, should conceive in their minds this ministry, service and office of the angels. Therefore a priest must needs be of such pure sanctimony and holiness, as though he were set even in the heaven & stood even in the middle among the angels of heaven. This chrysostom declareth by a comparison of the mysteries of the old law unto our mysteries & secrets of the time of grace, saying: terribilia namque atque horrifica fuisse feruntur. etc. Men say that the things that went afore the time of grace, were terrible and honourable (as no doubt they were in their time) such were the small bells and pomegranates about the skirttes of the priests vestments. The xii rich precious stones curiously set in the golden plate on the priests breast. And other precious stones set upon his shoulders, his mitre upon his head, and his rich and large girdle about his middle, and his garment preciously broidered and wrought down side to his feet. Then to consider the honour of the tabernacle, and afterward of the temple, and specially of that most and reverend part thereof called sanctum sanctorum, the holiest part or place of all holy places, and was divided from the larger part called sanctum, by a rich veil or curtain, which at the time of Christ's death was rend and torn down from the top to the neither part, as it is plain in the gospel. Then to consider the great & wondrous quietness and silence in the same temple used, with other circumstances about the same ceremonies, surely it is a wondrous thing to muse upon and to be remembered. But yet (saith chrysostom) if we convert our contemplation to consider what things the time of gra●e hath brought to us, and would discuss and examine them, we should judge all the said nobility and excellency of the old testament to be light & small matters, and might say with saint Paul ij. Cor. iij. Nec glorificatum est quod claruit in hac part propter excellentem gloriam. Where S. Paul of purpose compareth the glory and the excellency of the ministers of the new testament to the glory and ryaltie of the ministers of the old testament. That thing that flourished and was had in glory and riallie esteemed, was not glorified in this behalf, in respect of the excellent glory of the things of the new testament of Christ. As the Apostle saith a little before. Si ministratio mortis litteris deformata in lapidibus fuit in gloria, ita ut non possent intendere filii Israell in faciem Mois● propter gloriam vultus eius que evacuatur quo modo non magis ministratio spiritus erit in gloria? two. Cor. iii. If the service of death, described and written with letters in the stones of the two tabels, was had in glory and reverence so that the people of Israel could not look upon the face of Moses, which was the minister of that law for the glory and shining brightness of his face, which is soon taken away, for it tarried not. How then can it be that the service of the spirit, by the grace of the new Testament should not be in glory much more? He calleth the ministration and service of the old Levites & priests of Moses' law, the ministration and service of death, because that Moses' law was the occasion of death of the soul, not of itself, but by the malice and ill will of man, which commonly laboureth and inclineth to the thing which is forbidden, & so runneth headlong to break the commandments of God, which be set forth by Moses' law, and consequently to run headlong to death everlasting. And also Moses' law is full of the comminations and threatenings of the death of the body, for the breaking of it. He that gathered sticks on the holy day was put to death: he that missayde his father or mother, should die for it and such other. Yet the ministers of the same were had in glory & great reverence, which the Apostle declareth by the glory & shining brightness of the face of Moses' when he came down from the mount from GOD, bringing down with him the laws, than his face had certain bright & shining beams coming from it which appeared to the people like horns, ascending upward from his face, so that the people's eyes could not abide the sight to look upon him, but run back away from him, in so much that he was fain to put a veil, or a covering over his face when he spoke to them, and when he went up to talk with God, he uncovered his face, and when he should declare God's pleasure to the people, he covered his face again that they might more easily approach and look upon him and hear him, as it is plain in the story. Exo. xxiiii. Of this the Apostle saint Paul argueth. If the ministration and service of death, which also is evacuate, abolished and gone, were had in glory and reverence as it was in deed, as appeareth by the story now rehearsed, then much more the ministration and service of the spirit of the new law and Testament, in which the holy spirit of GOD is given to faithful people, which is also the service of love, and of liberty of the soul, must needs be had in glory and in reverence. For in comparison of the glory of the law of the Gospel and of the law given by christ, the former, glory, and clearness of Moses' law, is not seen but vanisheth away, even like as the light of the Moon or of the stars, is hid and showeth not by the light of the son in a clear day. Then saith chrysostom converting his contemplation to our mysteries of the new testament of Christ, and to the ministers of the same. Let us consider (among other things) how it is committed to them here dwelling on earth in this mortal body, to dispense and bestow the treasure and riches of heaven, for it is given to priests to have such power as almighty God would neither give to the angels, nor to any of the archangel's, or to any other angels of heaven. For it was never said to any of them, whatsoever thou losest on earth, shall be loosed in heaven, whatsoever thou bindest on earth, shall be bound in heaven. This bond toucheth the very soul of men, and reacheth up even to heaven above, so that whatuer the priest doth in this behalf here beneath on earth, almighty God doth ratify and allow the same above in heaven, and he being the lord and master, doth approve the sentence of his servant. Now what may a man call this else but that in manner all the power in heaven is committed and granted to the priest, for Christ saith, whosoever sins you forgive, they be forgiven, and who soever sins you restrain or bind, they be restraint & bound. Tell me (saith Chrisostom) what power can be given greater than this one? The father hath given to the son all power in heaven and earth. But now I see (saith chrysostom) the same power the son hath given to the priest which the father hath given to him. imagine that if a noble king had given to one of his faithful and true servants or subjects power to cast into prison whom it pleased him, and to take him out of prison again or any other prisoner that he thought well to do, such a man should be counted a marvelous man, and in great favour with his sovereign and worthy to be highly esteemed of all the realm. And it were a plain madness for any man to despise such an authority, even so it were a manifest madness to despise or little regard that authoriti, without which we can not obtain our soul health here in this world (saith Chrisostom) nor can obtain the good promises of the joys of heaven. Here you must understand Chrisostom that he speaketh of them that be of age and dyscretion, and hath time and opportunity to use the sacraments which the priest ministereth. For no man can come to heaven, except he be regenerate by water and by the holy ghost, and he that eateth not the flesh of Christ, & drinketh not his blood, can not have life everlasting. All these things be performed and brought to pass by the priest, them how can it well be that without their help we may escape the everlasting fire of hell, or obtain or win the reward of the eternal garland and crown of glory? These be they, these be they (I say) to whom the spiritual traveling and the births or deliverance of souls to God be put to, and they be put in credit and trust with them. By them we put on us Christ for our garment, when we be made Christian men, by them we be buried with Christ by baptism, as Saint Paul speaketh, and be made the limbs and the members of his blessed body. For these considerations we ought to fear them, & to do them more honour, then to our carnal father, for by our carnal parents, we be borne, ex sanguinibus & voluntate carnis, of blood, & the peasure of the flesh, but these men, these priests, be the authors and doers of that birth, which we have of God, and of that blessed regeneration and true liberty, by which we be made the children of God, by adoption and special grace. The jews priests of Moses' law had power, not to purge & cleanse the body from lepry of them that were infect with the same disease, but rather to discern & judge, whether men were purged or not purged from that disease, and yet was their priesthood, in high estimation and ambitiously desired, as appeared by Chore, Dathan and Abyron, which for their obstinate and greedy desire sank into Hell, the earth opened and swallowed them up, with all their confederacy. Then consider how the priesthood of the new Testament, is amplified & made of more sanctimony, by reason of the most holy mysteries and sacraments with which it is exercised, then ever was the priesthood of Moses' law. For Christ's priests doth not only declare and judge whether men be purged fro the lepers of the soul or not, but rather doth purge them in deed, by the power that Christ hath given to them. Therefore (after Chrisostom) look how great difference there is betwixt vehement love and desire of a thing, and the contempt or despising of a thing, so greatly they that despiseth the holy priesthood of Christ's ministers be more detestable & to be reproved, then ever were Chore and Dathan, and their confederacy, which with so ardent and fervent desire aspired to the priesthood of Moses' time. The one sank down into the gaping earth, which swallowed them down into Hell, then let not the other think to escape, without more shame and vengeance. Moreover yet further to compare the priests to our natural parents. Almighty God hath given to priests more power upon us, then to our natural parents. For our parents begetteth us into this present temporal life, but the priests getteth us into everlasting life. Our carnal parents, can neither save us from temporal sickness nor from temporal death, but the priests not only when they regenerate us by water and with the holy spirit, or when by their holy doctrine, they recover us from vice to virtue, but also when we be bodily sick, & also sick in our soul, they cure and heal us, obtaining by the succour and help of their prayers, both health of body and soul, witnesseth S. james, jaco. vlt. Infirmatur inter vos aliquis, accersat presbiteros ecclesie & orent super eum ungentes eum oleo in nomine dni & oratio fidei saluabit infirmum et alleviabit eum dominus et si in peccatis sic remittentur ei. When any man among you is sick, let him send for the priests of the church & let them pray over him, & anoint him with oil in the name of our Lord & the prayers of faithful people shall save the sick, & our lord shall set him up again. And if he be in sins, they shallbe forgiven him. Natural parents cannot help their children, if they offend against princes or kings in any point of treason or grievous offence, where priests many times obtaineth grace, mercy, and favour for their spiritual children, not of mortal princes, but of almighty God, when he is offended with them. Well this excellency of priesthood considered, which I have now at large declared ever presupposing their excellency, power and authority to be principally upon the soul of man, in such things and doings as be toward God, to whom be all honour & glory for ever. Amen.   

¶ The xix treatise or sermon.  
WOrshipful friends, I trust you remember that in my last sermon that I made in this place, I entered on the fift chapter of Saint Peter's first epistle, In which I declared unto you, how saint Peter like as he had given good and godly lessons to all kind & manners of men and women, married and single, masters and servants, bondmen and freemen, so because the ministers of the church should not lak learning, he instructeth prelate's and priests, and informeth them of their duty, alluring all priests to give credence to his doctrine, by that he professeth himself to be a priest, and one of such experience of the affairs of our Saviour Christ that had seen, as well the glory of Christ's glorified body at his transfiguration, as also the vexation that he suffered in the whole process of his painful passion, and that he was partaker of the same. And then consequently I descended to speak of the order of priesthood, and of the dignity of the same which I declared at large by the scriptures and by the ancient writers holy fathers. And I had little thanks for my labour, specially of them that being priests be ashamed of that name, and of likelihood would feign be discharged of their order, if they could tell how, & most aggrieved they were with me, because I said nothing in the defence of their shameful and incestuous bawdry, which they would cover with the name of matrimony, so by them sclaundring that holy sacrament. Then I declared many properties of a good priest, which (to eschew prolixity) I will now not rehearse again, for I trust you have not all forgotten them. These properties of a good priest or prelate thus declared, let us see what Saint Peter now here in the letter willeth them to do: Pascite qui in vobis est gregem dei, Feed the flock of God that is under your hand. Because that now lately this matter of the diversity of shepherds and pastors was very well and abundantly handled and declared, I will pass over it, presupposing these good properties afore rehearsed of him that shall be a good shepherd or pastor. We must take heed to our charge Act. xx. Atten dite vobis & universo gregi in quo vos spiritus s●tūs posuit episcopos, regere ecclesiam dei quam acquisivit sanguine suo. Take heed to yourself (saith S. Paul to the priests & prelate's of Ephesus) and to all the whole flock, in which the holy ghost hath set you bishops. Lo, here he calleth them bishops, they were not then all in such preminence or so set in authority or superiority above others, as bishops were then soon after: and be now, but he meaneth priests, afore he called them maiores natu ecclesie, the elders of the church or congregation. Now he calleth the same bishops, these S. Paul biddeth take heed to their flock. Saint Peter biddeth them feed their flock, as Christ had commanded Peter to feed his lambs and to feed his sheep, his people which should be like lambs, full of simplicity, tractableness and gentleness. which Christ willeth all them that willbe saved by him to use. So Saint Peter descendeth as by an ordinate Iherarchie, and giveth like charge to such as he had constitute and ordained to be curates after him, willing them to feed the flock, providentes non coacte providing for them without coaction They must with discrete solicitude and study provide such pasture and feeding for them, as shall be good and wholesome, & not driving them to rank feeding that will bane them: to corrupt ground, as to a certain spire white grass, that groweth in some ground, or to grounds that be morish, maresh or otherwise unwholesome, & like to coothe the flock, for such the flock most desireth. And if they be let run at their own liberty, to such feeding they will draw, rather than to wholesome pasture. Beware that you pasture not, nor feed the people with seditious learning or opinions of Heresy, for such seemeth at the first show white, fair, and pleasant, yet baninge it is, and shall utterly destroy the flock. You must not also let them run to much to the rank feeding of carnal liberty, for that shall puff them up, and make them swell up, to Pride and disobedience, and consequently to take their pleasure by all carnal lusts, and so shall rot them and destroy them for ever. Feed Christ's flock with holy doctrine of God's word, making them to obey their rulers, that be set in authority over them. And here in this realm, to have in great reverence the kings Majesty, and in all our doings to be obedient unto his laws: As well the Prelates and preachers in their sermons and exhortations, as the subjects in performing and doing the same. For it is our part to captivate our wits, and to credit our superiors, not thinking ourselves▪ better learned than any others be, but rather thinking that thing that is set forth by his grace with the assent of his clergy & of his honourable counsel, to proceed of higher knowledge than our wits can attain to, Non coact●, their feeding & provision for gods folk, must be frank and free without coaction. For all the works of our religion must come of a good will, following the example that we have of the old Testament. In the making of the tabernacle and the ornaments to the same belonging, all the people of Israel with devout mind and with a free heart and will, offered their first fruits and such jewels as they had, to the furniture of the same, and the workmen also offered themselves freely to do their works, as a figure and sign and token that in the spiritual edifying of the spiritual temple of God, which we be: the doers and builders priests and curates, preachers & teachers should do their labours of their own accord, without any greedy eye to gather riches by the same, or to despise any others by their doings. And yet they shall not die for default, but according to Saint Paul's doctrine, their audience that hath spiritual food of them, must be diligent and leberall to help them in all necessary temporalites, and to see that they lack not, Neque ut dominantes in cleris. Beware of the lowering brows and proud looks and hearts of the old pharisees, they look for dominion, they will be like lords & masters, they will be had in reverence, they will have cap and knee, and not only that, but also will look for presents, gifts, and bribes, and do little or nothing therefore: Saint Peter would not that any priests should so use themselves but rather to be in manner felowlyke, humbly and lowly behaving themselves among their brothers, so giving to them as well as to the lay see example of humility, and lowliness, affabiliti and gentleness. Remember our saviour Christ's saying in the parable of the ill servant. Mat. xxiv If the ill servant say or think in his heart, my master tarrieth very long, he cometh not home now all is in my hand, all is in my governance, than he beginneth to play the lord, & then he beginneth to strike & vex his fellows, & as one that had forgotten himself, & also his lord or master, giveth himself to eating & drinking with drunkards & riatours: them will come home his master at the time when he was not looked for. And shall divide him the soul from the body, & shall cast part of him his soul first, and after the whole body and soul together with hypocrites, that is to say, with false christian people, reprobate, & damned, there as shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. By this servant spoken of in this parable, be all evil rulers understanded, which as they follow the Lordly manners of this cruel servant here mentioned, so they shall have like punishment, and shall be likewise tormented in hell for evermore. Beware therefore of plaiing the Lords among your brethren, but be as one of them Examino, with heart and all, that they may likewise show themselves to the people that they must teach. And thus doing (saith saint Peter) when the prince of pastors our saviour Christ shall come in his glory at the general judgement, you shall receive the crown or garland of everlasting glory and joys of heaven that shall never fade, welowe, or widder away, but shall be ever fresh and pleasant, above that any mind of mortal man can apprehend, perceive, or understand to our endless solace and comfort which. etc. It followeth in the text. Similiter adolescentes subditi estore senioribus. When he hath fatherly instruct and taught the Presidents, the Prelates and Priests, that they should take pain and solicitude or care to feed their flocks, and to provide such pastures for them as should be most wholesome, and not infectious, coothinge or rotting grounds too feed upon for to bane them. And that this they should do with a good will, and not by coaction or compulsion against their wills. And that they should not play the Lords and tyrants among their clergy, but that they should show themselves as the form, that patron, or fashion of their flock, and to be familiar with them as one of them, that by their behaviour their neighbours may learn to conform and fashion themselves to the manner that they see them use, promising them that for their so doing they shall receive a reward inestimable, that is to say: the fresh and unfadinge crown and garland of eternal and everlasting glory, when the prince of pastors our saviour Christ shall appear in his majesty at the general judgement, to reward every man after his deservings. Now consequently, the blessed apostle teacheth yongelynges, youngmen and women, how they should behave themselves toward their elders as to their betters, and that they should be subject, and submit themselves unto them and to obey them, similiter. Likewise as your Elders must care and provide for your Soul health without coaction, even from the bottom of their hearts, so must you even from the heart with a good will without coaction obey them, that so your rulers may do their duties gladly and comfortably, and not with sorrow, or to their pain, for that shall not profit you, as Saint Paul saith. Hebr. xiii. Obedite prepositis vestris & subiacete eye ipsi enim pervigilant quasi rationem pro animabus vestris reddituri, ut cum gaudio hoc faciant & non gementes hoc enim non expedit vobis. Obey them that be set in authority over you, and submit and lowly subdue yourselves unto them, for they watch and take pain to oversee you, as men that should yield and make account for your Souls, them you must obey so gently that they may have joy and be glad to take pains for you, and not to groan or mourn in their solicitude and pains taking, for that is not profitable for you. Obey them that Preach and teach you the word of GOD, specially taking heed to their doctrine howsoever their living be. If their conditions be noughty, then as Christ teacheth us. Que dicunt seruate & facite, secundum opera eorum nolite facere. Math. xxiii. What they say take heed and do it, but after their doing do not you, When they say, and live not or do not according to their saying. Vt cum gaud●o hoc faciant. That they may be glad of their labours taking among you, like as an husbandman which is glad to do his work, when he seeth the trees of his setting & graffing prove well, & bear fruits, When he seeth the fields of his tilling bear plentifully such Corn or grain as he hath seen, than he perceiveth that he hath not laboured in vain, bend his back, and galled his hands in vain, and that he hath not without some cause suffered and borne the heat of Summer, and the cold of Winter: he is glad of his pains taking, this shall make him glad and merry so to do an other time. And even so shall the elders be glad, when they see their young men or subjects, whether it be in things pertaining to God, or else to the world profit, and go forward by their informations and labours taken among them, and will be sorry and sore aggrieved of the contrary. And this will do you no profit, but rather hurt. It shall do them good to be sorry for your evil doing, or for your not profiting, but it shall do you no good but rather hurt, in as much as beside your evil doing, you vex your Heads. Overseers, and rulers, and so aggravate your own vices and lewdness. Therefore saith saint Peter. Adolescentes subditi estote senioribus, Where you shall understand that there be two manners of yongelinges. Some be young for lack of many years, as the word is commonly taken, others be worthy to be counted yongelinges because they have young, light, lewd, and childish conditions, more like children, then like sad men or women of natural and ripe gravity and discretion. Such a distinction of young persons, useth the Philosopher in the beginning of his first book of the ethics, declaring who and what manner of men be meet and profitable hearers of Moral philosophy, or of matters of Policy, where he hath this conclusion. That younglings be not most meet hearers or scholars of Moral philosophy, which he proveth thus. The proper and convenient Hearer or learner of any science or faculty, must be such as can surely and evidently, or plainly know the principles and conclusions of that Science when they hear them, and that can of them give right judgement, whether they be well to be done or contrary. But younglings can not so do, therefore they be not meet hearers of that faculty. That they can not so do, he proveth: for the principles and conclusions of all Moral philosophy, and of all worldly policy, be of man's acts and doings, which be not well known, but only by experience, and of them the youngmen have none experience, and therefore of them they have no perfit judgement, no more than a Apprentice▪ new bound to the Draper's craft can by his hand or by his eye give true judgement whether the clothes in his master's shop be truly and surely wrought and coloured or not: or the Grocer's apprentice whether the spices and other wares in his master's shop be quick or tainted or whether they may be sold to loss or to gains. They must have long experience afore they can come to such knowledge. Even so must they have experience of men's doings that shall be good moral Philosophers, or politic persons, and such be not these yongelings that take no heed to gravity and sadness. And this is true (sayeth the Philosopher) whether they be young in years or young, secundum morem, in manners and conditions, as be these young ruffians and lusty bloods. They be to obstinately and stifelye bended, and set to follow their own passions and appetites, thinking the way that they be noseiled in, brought up, and used to, to be best. They will not be persuaded nor counseled, but even as they have been used and brought up, that will they use, and so will they continue by their good will who so ever faith nay. Teach them how to use themselves temperately in their dietes, in eating and drinking to avoid ingurgitations and rioting by night and by day, it helpeth not, how to use themselves chastelie according to to the Laws of right reason, or patiently against fumes or passions and anger, moderate liberality, against prodigality and waste, they be so wilful, they be so wanton, they be wedded to follow their own passions to follow their old trade as they were wont to do, more like children then like men, that it booteth not to exhort them to the contrary. The holy Scripture speaketh of such youngelynges iii Regum. xii. where it is writ that after the death of Solomon the king, succeeded him Roboam his son. And when the power of the whole Realm came to crown him and make him king, and to profess their obedience to him, first they desired one petition of him, saying: after this manner your father laid on us a very hard, and heavy burden, therefore our desire is, that now you shall diminish and bate a little of your father's hard and sore commandment, and of that very heavy yoke that he laid upon us, and we shall do you service.  
This heavy yoke and burden was no vile service that Solomon put them to, for it is written. Capite. ix. that Solomon set or put none of the people of Israel to any Servile work or drudgery, but these sore coactions were certain money, grain, and victuals, which they paid every month toward the furniture of the charges of salomon's house and family, which were very great in deed, as appeareth iii Regum. iiii. And for this purpose there were twelve rulers, or master purueyours assigned by the King, over every tribe one, beside their undertakers and gatherers, and some purloiners, by such the people were grievously oppressed, as appeareth by their humble Supplication here made. Well the young king somewhat amazed at their request, bad the people depart till the third Day after, and then they should have an answer what he would do. In that time he consulted, first with the ancient Fathers and grave counselors that were of counsel with Solomon the King his father, which gave him this counsel. Si hody obedieris populo huic & seruieris & peticioni eorum censeris locutusque fueris ad eos verba levia erant tibi servi cunctis diebus. If you do after the pleasures of these people this day, and do give place to their petition, and if you will speak to them soft and gentle words, they will be your loving servants at all times. But he rejected this sage and wise counsel that these grave men gave him, and called to him the lusty bloods and young ruffians that were nursed from youth, and brought up with him, and were at hand every day with him for his solace and pastime, and said unto them: what counsel will you give to answer this people that have said to me, make light this yoke and ease us of it that your father hath laid upon us? Then they said according to their wilful wits lacking experience. Thus shall you say unto them. Minimus digitus meus grossior est derso patris mei. My least finger is greater and stronger than my father's back, or then his whole body. My father laid on you a heavy yoke, and I will lay on more poise upon your yoke: My father did beat you with scourges, but I will beat you with scorpions. These scorpions be scourges having knots of wire or lead on the cords, and specially on the ends, And they be so called after a certain venomous Worm, which when he stingeth, turneth up his tail over his head, and so stingeth, and so perelouslye, that without there be had by and by a certain Oil of scorpions in which Oil such scorpions have beaten them selves to death) there is no help nor remedy, but present death. Of this compass stroke that the Scorpion maketh when he stingeth, the said scourges have their name, because they wind about the body, and break or tear sorest at the ends of the cords with the said knots of wires or lead. His answer was as he should say, look what pain of oppression or exactions, or other griefs my father did put you to, and I will put you to more, and sorer handle you then ever did he. Here was an answer even like the wits of his cocbrained counseilours. A foolish rash, and naughty answer, and so came of it. The people were so galled, exasperated, and grieved with this answer, that of the xii tribes of Israel ten tribes shrunk from him, and refused him, and were never after subject to him nor to any of his issue. So that of the xii parts of his realm he lost ten & only ii tribes juda and Benjamin sticked to him, and followed him. And all this came so to pass, because he followed young counsel. And you must not think that these counseilours were children, or young in age, for as the Scripture saith, they were nursed and brought up with the young king Roboam. And when he begun his reign he was one and forty years of age, and then of like age must his mates be. And that is the time when men should have most preignaunt wits to give good counsel. And he that hath not learned some experience or practice and trade of the world by that age will never be wise. Yet it were good they had a creanser somewhat to stay them, that they run not to eternal damnation. And though it will be hard to make an old dog to stoop, yet stoop he must that will be saved. And therefore▪ s. Peter saith here. Omnes invicem humilitatem insinuate. All men stop & show humility one to another, every man be lowly one to another, even as that you would one creep into an others bosom by lowliness, Insinuate, by which he meaneth an inward & hearty lowliness that we must use among us. If thou wilt not, god will make thee to come allow, for god loveth no pride, but ever resisteth them that be proud. And showeth grace to them that be lowly in heart, saith s. Peter, james. jac. iiii. saith the same, how God hath ever resisted the proud, you may know how Lucifer the most excellent angel for his pride was pulled down and made the foulest devil in hell, he said he would ascend and get up to be equal and like the highest. Nay not so (saith god) but thou shalt be cast down to the bottom of the lake, or dungeon of hell. Eve our first mother she would have been a Goddess, & like to god in knowledge, but God stopped her of her enterprise, & cast her into such blind darkness & ignorance as we all be in, by occasion given by her. And then what humility and lowliness hath done, yea, and in them which at other times were very proud & out of God's favour, appeareth by Pharaoh the king of Egypt, which after the great stroke of vengeance & horrible plague of hail stones, with whirl winds, thunder, and lightening, such as was never seen scythe Egipte was first made. The said king begun to take remorse for his obstinacy and begun to relent, and said unto Moses and Aaron. Peccavi etiam nunc, dominus justus est: & ego & populus meus impii, orate Dominum. etc. I have offended now again, our Lord is just and righteous, I and my people be nought and wicked, pray you to your lord that these Thunders and Haylestormes may cease, that I may dimisse you, and let you go, so that you tarry not here any longer. Exod. ix. Like wise when that wicked king Achab heard the terrible comminations of God for the death of Naboth, & for other his and his wives naughty living. Scidit vestimenta sua, & operuit silicio carnem suam ieiunavitque & dormivit in sacco, & ambulavit demisso capite factus est autem sermo domini ad Heliam Thesbitem, dicens: Nun vidisti humiliatum Achab coram me? quia igitur humiliatus est mei causa non inducam malum in diebus eius. He toore his cloothes and covered his body with cloothe of Hear. And he fasted, and lay and slept in sackcloth, and went louting and holding down the head. And then the word of our Lord God came to Helie, saying: Dost thou not see how Achab the king is become lowly afore me? Therefore because he is humiliate for because of me, I will not bring in this mischief of punishment in his time.  
And Nabuchodonosor king of the Caldeis after his great pride that he had conceived by his great and prosperous success and speed that he had in his great conquests and in his great glory and pride that he had of his noble & large city which he had amplified exceadingly four square, so that every side of the square (as it is written of it, was xvi. mile long when he said: Nun hec est Babilon civitas magna quam edisicavi in domum regni, in robore fortitudinis me, & in gloria decoris mei? cumque sermo adhuc esset in ore regis, vox de celo ruit. Tibi dicitur Nabuchodonosor rex, Regnum tuum transibita te & ab hominibus eiicient te & cum bestiis atque feris erit habitatio tua fenum quasibos comedes, & septem tempora mutabuntur super te donec scias quod dominetur excelsus in regno hominum, & cuicumque volverit det illud. Eadem hora. Is not this Babylon the great city that I have builded for a palace of mi kingdom in the might of my manliness, and in the glory of my beauty. And even while this saying was in the king's mouth, a voice came all in haste from heaven. This is said to thee Nabuchodonosor king. Thy kingdom shall go from thee, and they shall cast thee out from man's company, and thy abiding shall be with wild beasts. Thou shalt eat hay like an ox. And seven years shall change and go over thee, until thou know that there is a high one that is lord in the kingdom of men, & that he may give it to whom soever he will Eadem hora. The same time this word and saying was performed, he was stricken with such amencye and madness that he ran abroad out of men's company, he eat hay & grass like a best, he lay forth out of any house. The dew, rain, hail, and snow fell on his body, his nails growed out like an eagle or a kites cleiss & the here of his head clotted together as long as an eagle's wings. Then after that seven years were spent upon him after this manner, almighty god that took away the use of his wit, restored it unto him again, then he lift up the eyes of his body & of his soul unto almighty god, he lauded & praised god whose power is everlasting, & all that it peaseth him he doth as well in heaven above, as among them that dwelleth on earth, & there is none that can resist his hand & power, or that can say to him, why hast thou done so? Therefore now (saith he) I Nabuchodonosor laud and magnify and glorify the king of heaven, for all his works are true, & all his ways be judgement. Et gradientes in superbia potest humiliare. Dan. iiii. And then that goeth in pride, he can humiliate & pull down, as it proved in effect by himself in deed. When he exceeded in pride, God resisted him & pulled him down. And when he knew himself and became lowly, god sent him grace even as▪ s. Peter saith here. In the new testament we have examples of the proud Pharisey and the lowly Publican, one was repelled for his pride, the other was justified and allowed for his lowliness. And generally, all the Scribes and Phariseis which did all their works that they did, that they might be seen and praised for their doings which ever proved nought at length, and prevailed not, where contrariwise the humility of the blessed virgin mary mother of Christ, & the meek lowliness of all Christ's disciples which they learned of him, obtained grace here, and glory everlasting at their end. Humiliamini igitur sub potenti manu dei ut vos exaltet in tempore visitationis Considering therefore these examples how pride hath a fall, & prevaileth not where humility & lowliness is exalted & set aloft. Therefore concludeth s. Peter that you and all we must be made low in our hearts under the mighty hand of god, that it may please him to exalt us at the time of his visitation, as well every man for himself, when every man shall departed out of this world, as at his great and general visitation, at the general judgement, when he shall call to account all that ever died sith the beginning of the world till that time. And then according to the philosopher's rule. Sicut simpliciter ad simpliciter, sic magis ad magis & maxime ad maxim. As they that be humiliate and made lowly in heart now in this time of battle against our ghostly enemies, shallbe exalted and set aloft in glory, so he that is more lowly, shall be more exalted in glory, and he that is is most lowly shallbe most exalted among them that for their humility shallbe exalted, & contrary he that here is exalted by pride, shall be made most low, in pains everlasting. Yet furthermore to declare the nature of this virtue of Humility, you shall understand that Humility in us and in Christ, of whom, and by whom we must learn to be lowly, is not in all points after one manner in him and in us. For in us humility is a virtue that by his office restraineth and keepeth down the appetite of man from inordinate desire of excellencies that a man hath not yet obtained, but as it were being content with the state that a man hath already. another office is to incline a man's will or appetite not to use or show to the uttermost such power, might, honour, or authority as a man hath. Now because there could be in Christ no such inordinate desire neither any excellency able to be desired above that which he had continually from the moment of his conception, yea, and by his Godhead ever afore the world was made, therefore humility in Christ was not after the first manner, but was in him only after the other office of humility, by which he kept close his mighty power, & ever showed himself courteous, gentle, patiented, and as an underlinge to every man. And all for to give us example to keep a low sail, & not to have any hy opinion of ourselves, thinking our feet there, as our head will never come. As they have, which when they can read the english Bible, think they have as perfit understanding of the Scripture as though they had studied in it forty years. We must use lowliness both ways, that is to say: by Humility to keep down our hearts from desire of exaltation above our calling. And also not to brag or boast of that little that we have, thinking ourselves a great deal better than other be, but rather thinking every man better than we be, as having some gift of God, that we have not. In humility. Superiores sibi invicem arbitrantes. Saith S. Paul. Phil. two. By humility you every one must think an order better than you. Therefore it is not with out cause, that the apostle s. Peter so earnestly, exhorteth us to humility, as to the virtue contrary to pride, which the world doth hoist us up unto, & not for any profit unto us but rather contrary for our overthrow and down fall, even as the men of Nazareth led Christ to the top of of the hill on which their City was builded, only because they would have pitched him down & have broke his neck, but he so invisibly conveyed himself away among them, that they had not their purpose. And the devil carried our saviour Christ & set him on a gallery of the temple, because be would have had him pitch himself down to the ground, & therefore humiliation is necessary for him that willbe saved. And all things considered, we have no cause to be proud at all, but we have many causes to be lowly considering our own misery, first how miserably & how unclenly we were gotten, & as uncleanly borne, & then how wretched we be in our education, nursing & bringing up, where every beast by and by, as soon as he cometh into the world can make some shift for himself to find the teete or other kind of feeding, man can make none such shift but rather if help were not, should forthwith perish. Then in process of our life, how many infirmities we be subject unto, Pocks, Meesils, Axes, and Agues, sweating Pestilence, beside troubles and unquietness of the mind, and how miserably we live in soul daily offendinge him that made us, almighty God by this unthrifty and naughty breder of sin, the nurse of sin, which the Apostle calleth sin, remaining in our flesh as the drags of our first infection and corruption, taken of Adam, by which cometh gluttony, lechery, pride, malice, murder, robbery, and all other iniquity, which all poiseth and presseth us down to damnation everlasting. Then what cause I pray you, have we to be proud, none (god knoweth) but contrari great cause to come allow and study to use humility, & by frequenting the same to gender in us, the habit or virtue of humility. And by that virtue we shallbe inclined to the contempt of the glory of this world, and to despise the exaltation, the honour, the worships, wealth & pleasures of this present life, as things flux and fading, inconstant and of no valour. Christ teacheth us the same, speaking of himself. Io. viii. Si ego glorifico me ipsum gloria mea nihil est. If I glorify myself beside or contrary to the rule of god's truth, my glory is nothing. Then much less worth is our glory which commonly is vain, and in things contrary to his pleasure. This considered s. Paul. i Timo. vi. Divitibus huius sec. pecip. non sublime sap. Neque sperare in incerto divitiarum. willing Timothe to speak to the rich men, & bid them not to be proud nor to trust in the uncertenty of their riches, but to put their trust in the living god, Aug. Non expavit divitias apostolus sed superbiam que est vermis divitum. The apostle was not afraid of riches, but rather of pride, which is the moght, the worm that eateth up the rich men. And he is worthy to be called a great man, a rich man and a good man, that having much riches is not overcome with that vice of pride. And he that thinketh himself a great man because he is rich, he is a proud man, he swelleth in the flesh & is not full, but as a thing blown up & ready to burst, and yet is there no sure and permanent stuff within him. We must also come allow submitting ourselves to superior powers, lowly obeinge them that be set in authority over us, considering that their authority cometh of God, & is given them of almighty God, either by his well pleased will or at the least wise by his sufferance. Non enim est potestas nisi a deo: Itaque qui resistit potestati ordinationi dei resistit. Qui autem resistunt ipsi sibi damnationem acquirunt. Ro. xiii. Ye may object, yea sir? I put the case that they would pursue me for my faith, or would compel me to reneyg any article of my faith, must I obey them under pain of damnation? No sir. We must not understand S. Paul that he speaketh of tirrannes', or persecutors of the faith, but of such rulers or men of authority, as he speaketh of there. Principes non sunt timori, boni operis sed mali. Of such princes, or rulers that make not men afraid for well doing, but rather that laud and praise men for well doing, and of such as be terrible to malefactors and to ill doers, them we must obey under pain of damnation, in all their just commandments and requests, not only for fear of punishment, but also for conscience sake. The other we may not obey in no cause, but rather make some shift removing to some other place out of their danger, if it may be, or by some other way to stay themselves for the time, but if there be no other remedy, but thou shalt be urged or constrained to deny, thou must rather offer thyself to die then to refuse god or his faith. S. Peter in the second chapter of this epistle biddeth us, Subiecti estote omni human creature propter deum sive regi quasi precellenti, sive du. tamque ab eo missis ad vindictam malefactorum laudem vero bonorum And it followith deum timete, regem honorificate. On a time, when there was a contention among his disciples, & not without some cause as it seemed, because they perceived by diverse sayings of our master Christ, that he would be gone from them, and that he should be betrayed of one of them there present at supper with them, and that he should be ill handled of the Prelates and high priests, and of the Scribes, pharisees & such other, they thought it meet to have a precedent, a head & a ruler among them to order them & to provide necessaries for them. Christ hard their talk, and first extolled the aucthoriti of princes saying. Reges gentium dnantur eorum: er qui potestatem habent super eos benefici vocantur. Luk. xxii. Kings of people be lords over them, and they that have power over them, be called sovereign lords or gracious lords. But you must not do so, I will have no such lording or mastership among you, but he that is highest or thinketh himself best of you, let him be as the youngest or as the least of you al. And he that will go formest, let him be a servitor, take example of me. Whether is he greater that sitteth at the board at meat, or he that waiteth & serveth at the table? I am among you as a servant at the board, & even so must you be, & you will be high. Then considering that, that christ would so have it among his disciples that prelacy among them which were equals, should come by humiliation then much more his pleasure is, that we should humiliate ourselves to them, that by Gods will be set in sovereignty, superiority, rule or authority over us. And that is it that S. Peter saith. Humiliamini sub potenti manu dei ut vos exaltet in tempore visitationis. Make yourselves humble and lowly, under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you, & set you up in honour, at the time of his visitation, at the general judgement, when he shall for your lowliness here in earth, sort you among the Angels in heaven, with every order of Angels, some men and women, according to their good living here, & as it shallbe seen good, to his godly wisdom. To whom be all glory & honour, for ever, Amen.   

The twenty treatise or Sermon.  
OMnem solicitudinem vestram proiicientes in eum. Where Saint Peter considering that the world doth unquiet many a man, and doth alienate his mind from the exercise of humility toward GOD, and of other Godly virtues by overmuch cumberaunce of mind, with solicitude, cark, and care of the world, exhorteth us to cast all our solicitude, thought, and care upon almighty God, for he hath cure over us, and careth for us. The world doth even as Christ speaketh of the seed sown among the bushes, thorns, or briers, it can not prove, for the thorns suffocate it, stiful it, hinder it, and marreth it. Solicitude and care of the world is the thing that the world cumbereth us with. To exclude this, saint Peter here counseileth us to cast upon God all our care, all our solicitude and cumberaunce of mind, let him alone with it. Yea, sir shall I do so? This is a good easy way if it would serve I have father and mother, a great charge of household to care for, shall I let God alone with them, & go play and make merry? Shall I look whether he will send them meat by the birds, as he did to Helie by the crows and ravens, or to bake a cake under a pan. etc. No, that were to tempt God. etc. But I must do that pertaineth to man's industry and to man's labour and diligence, and then no further to cumber my mind, or to wear away myself with cark, but then to cast all the rest of my care upon him, even as the mariners cast their anchor unto the land, to more & set fast their ship & to stay it fast, for there is sure hold. when we have done our diligence, let us lay all the rest in his lap, for he careth for us as a merciful father for his children. So that moderate solicitude is not reproved, but solicitudo obruens & confundens intellectum, such solicitude as doth over whelue and confound a man's wit. And because that Mundus par immoderantiam sauciat. The world woundeth man by excess and superfluite, therefore Saint Peter biddeth us be sober, contrary to gluttony, which killeth more than doth the sword. And this sobriety is the same virtue that we call temperance, which is one of the four cardinal virtues, of which the wise man Sapi. viii. speaketh, among the praises of sapience, saying: that the godly sapience. Sapientia increata. The wisdom of the father, the second parson in Trinity, of whose wisdom every man and woman hath a spark, that lighteneth and inclineth him to goodness and to eschew ill. This heavenly Sapience and wisdom (saith the wise man.) Sobrietatem et prudentiam docet et justitiam & virtutem quibus utilius nihil est in vita hominibus, heavenvly wisdom, the increate wisdom of the father of heaven, teacheth a man soberness, that is temperance, and prudence, & justice, and virtue or power, that is fortitude. And these be the four cardinal virtues, unto which all moral virtues be reduced, et vigilate, watch, take heed that you fall not to sin, beware, for you have a shrewd whelp to bite you, to bring you to sin if he may. A duersarius vester diabolus tan quam leo rugiens circuit querens quem devoret. Where s. Peter useth the devils own term, a word of his own confession. Cum venissent filii dei ut assisterent coram deo affuit inter eos etiam sathan, cui dixit dominus unde venis? Qui respondensait, circuivi terram et perambulavi eam. job. i. When the children of god the good angels came to stand afore god our lord the adversary the devil was also among them. The good Angels be called here the children of God▪ in as much as they be made like unto him by participation of his glory, & for the gracious favour and love that he hath toward them, and they toward him. The ill Angels were not ill by creation or by name, but of their own froward will, declyninge and going away from the favour of god. To show that as well all good things that men do, inclined by the good Angels, as also all ill, unto which they be moved by the ill spirits be openly known to almighty GOD, as also the spirits good and bad, the ministers of the same works, for it is said, Cum assisterent coram deo filii dei, affuit inter eosetian Satan. Satan the Devil was among them, not so taking that saying of holy job, as that Satan was one of the good Angels that continually and still beheld the glory of GOD. For so only the good Angels and blessed spirits, that be associate with them, hath that joyful and glorious sight, but it is so said of Satan, in as much as his acts and deeds be seen and known to almighty God. And because the good Angels do nothing but according to God's pleasure, and to his commandments, therefore the Scripture taketh their acts, as well known, and therefore it is not said that God asked of them any questions, but of the devil, because his acts agree not to god's pleasure, but be in manner strange to him, for he doth not approve them nor allow them, but asketh of his doing as of a strange thing, like as he asked of cain, where is thy brother Abel? and, quid fecisti? What hast thou done? Even so in our purpose, Our lord God spoke to Satan, that is to say, made him to understand that he knoweth all things. And even so you must understand the other saying: that Satan answered God again, not that he gave any knowledge to almighty God that he had not afore. But it is as much to say, as that Satan considered and understood that all his doings were plain and open to the sight of God. Let us consider his answer. Circuivi terram & perambulavi came. I have compassed or gone about the earth: and have walked through it. By this circuit or going about the world of Satan is understand his callidyte, wiliness, and subtlety to search, whom he may deceive and bring into his snares. And this is it that saint Peter meaneth, Aduersarius vester diabolus tanque, lo rugiens circuit querens quem devoret. Wily persons goeth compass about the bush. Psal. in circuitu impij ambulant, in a compass like as in all crooked things, Medium exit ab extremis. The middle or mean goeth out from the extremities, like as in things that be straight the middle wrieth not, neither goeth out from the extremities, as appeareth plainly in a straight line, in which every part lieth straight, and none swerveth aside out of course, so they that be just and straight, when they intend a thing or say it, in their doings, & setting forward toward that end or purpose, they serve not by wrenches and wiles, & bypathes, but goeth as straight as they may, to the thing that they intend or promise, and to bring their purpose to pass, and to good effect. But the wily Pie, the false shrew, in his beginning will pretend a goodly and Godly matter, as for the glory of God, for a common wealth, or for some work of merci or some other. Albeit in his process he will exorbitate, he will go awry, he will compass the matter so, that it shall finally end in a money matter. For to get lands or possessions, or for to rob men of their livings, or some such devilish purpose. The devil (saith s. Peter) goeth about like a roaring Lion, seeking for his pray whom he may devour and incorporate to him self, making him one body with himself, for the devil hath his mystical body, compact and made of such as he hath ravende and swallowed up by their sins, they be counted and taken as his limbs and membres. And for to get such he goeth about by compasses, wrenches and wiles as his property is, not to go straight or after a plain fashion, but about the bush by compasses, in which medium exit ab extremis. The midell exhorbitateth from the straightness of truth, as pretending some common pro●ect, or some honesty or common wealth or some particular pleasure or honest gains or such like, but in prosecuting of his purpose, he will clean go compass and awry from justice & from charity, and will end finally upon some money matter for a private lucre to himself, with the spoiling, robbing, or undoing of their poor neighbour. Examples of this we have seen in our time more than I can have leisure to express or to rehearse at this time. In the acts of parliaments that we have had, made in our days, what goodly preambles hath gone afore in the same? even quasi oraculum apollinis. As though the things that follow, had come from the counsel highest in heaven, and yet the end hath been either to destroy Abbeys or Chauntreys, or Colleges, or such like, by which some have gotten much lands, & have be made men of great possessions which (by God's just judgement) they have but a short while enjoyed, but many an honest poor man hath been undone by it, and an innumerable multitude hath perished for default and lack of sustenance, & this misery hath long continued, and yet hath not an end. Thus the devil goeth about, as he said by himself. job. i. When God asked of him where he had been, he said he had compassed about the earth & walked throw it. Where ye shall understand, there be three sorts of reasonable living creatures, of which one is in heaven as Angels and saved souls, which the devil neither goeth about by temptation to bring them to sin, neither walketh throw them to perform his malice, actually bringing them to sin. Another kind of reasonable creatures is in hell which the Devil walketh through, in the middle among them, which he seizeth not to torment and punish above measure, he doth not compass about to tempt them, for he hath brought them to his purpose already. The third kind is here on earth, as we mortal men and women whom our goostlie adversary the devil compasseth and goeth about by diverse kinds of temptation, to overthrow and bring to sin, and over some of them he doth prevail, perverting them and bringing them to sin, which holy job calleth parambulation or walking through them, and they may be understand by the said earth, which the devil said that he compassed about and walked through. And that he doth like a roaring Lion, because that when he can not by his privy lurking & temptations over come them, he goeth to work with manifest and open terrors, bearing men in hand that they rebel against the King, and a against the kings procedings, which was wont to be their suit anchor, when they had none other argument, when they shake out the King or my lords grace, or such other potentate to fortify their way and exorbyta●eth from the true trade of true doctrine, than they roar like the devil, & as the devils ministers, to devour men up to falsehood and Heresy, they know that as Solomon saith. Pro. xx. Like as the roaring of a Lion, even so is the fear of a King, who so doth provoke him, sinneth against his own soul. And thus they have shaken poor men, and made them either to say as they say, or else to hold their peace and say nothing. The Devil the author of these troubles, Saint Peter biddeth us resist by faith, in which in very deed as Saint Paul sayeth in the last Chapter to the Ephesians. In all things taking the shield or buckler of faith, with which ye may quench all the fiery Darts or weapons of the most wicked devil. But Saint Peter addeth and putteth to more than Saint Paul doth, exhorting us to be strong in faith, and by that to resist the fiery Darts of temptation, meaning that many have faith, and yet they resist not the devils roaring and fierce temptation, and because they be not forts in fide, strong in faith, but very weak in faith, therefore they be soon overthrown & overcome. And that is the cause that Heresies so much prevail among us, and perverteth and turneth the most part of people, As saith that great ancient Father Tertullian libro de prescriptionibus contra hereticos. Hereses apud eos multum valent qui in fide non valent. Where he imputeth (as he well may) all the strength of heresies to the weakness of the people, saying: Heresies be of great strength among them that be of no strength in faith, or that have no strong faith. He putteth an example of these tourneamentes, as fighting with Battle Axes, or justinge at the Tilt, or at proving of masteries, as Wrestling or such other. Not he that is most strong, hath ever the best game, or hath the victory, but is many times overcome of a very wretch and of a weak man, and he that doth overcome, doth not always overcome, because of his own strength, but because he met with a wretch or with a weak man, that had no strength. And therefore it proveth many times, that he that now overcame, when he shallbe afterward matched with a man of good strength shall have a foil and be overcome. So saith Tertullian. Non aliter Heresis de quorundam infirmitatibus habent quod valent. Nihil valentes si in bene valentem fidem incurrant. Even so Heresies getteth and hath of the weakness of some persons that they be so strong as they be. And should be of no strength, if they should match or chance upon a faith that is mighty & strong. Therefore if you will resist the roaring of the Devil, and quench the fiery Darts of the most wicked, you must do it by faith, and that by strong faith, for a faint and a weak faith will not be able so to do. How many think you of this audience here present be there? A great many I am sure, that would have said once within this twenty years, that no man living no nor an angel of heaven or all the devils in Hell, should never have perverted you from the sure affiance and fast faith that you had toward the blessed Sacraments of the church. But after that there came among you a great multitude of pleasant preachers, preaching liberty, and so pleasures following of such lewd liberty, how soon you have been overthrown & turned another way, judge you, and all for lack of strength in faith. Therefore I shall most hartlie pray you that willbe saved by your faith, adorned and decked with charity, that you will be strong in faith, and not to follow every puff or blast of new doctrine, that so you may receive finem fidei vestrae salutem animarum vestrarum. Cap. i. The end and reward of your faith, that is the health of your souls, that shall never fade nor fail, as he said afore in the first chapter of this epistle. And like as in the beginning of this present chapter, he parswaded by example of himself, the pastors, prelate's, & priests: even so now he exhorteth them that he writ to, by example of the brotherhood or other faithful people to the sufferance & perseverance in persecution, saying: Scientes eandem passionem ei que in mundo est vestre fraternitati fieri. Knowing that you have the same passion and suffering in you, that hath be laid on your brotherhood. Here S. Peter induceth a strong parswasion to this purpose, that we should strongly resist all temptation, knowing that the same pain and passion that you have, also have your brotherhood that is abroad in the world, your brothers in Christ, faithful people men and women suffer like temptation by the Devil our ghostly enemy as you do, they suffer like persecution of infidels and Heretics as you do, yet they persist and stand strongly in the fast faith, in which they have been instruct by true faithful people, and by true preachers. Therefore considering that they stand steadfastly, it were shame for you that you should lightly be overthrown. And because that even from the beginning of the world, good men have been sauted, persecuted and tempted, and yet have not been overthrown. Therefore you should be ashamed, if you only should be worse than all men, and the very refuse and dogboltes of all your brothers, not able to suffer any thing. And because such sufferance with perseverance in the same, hath need of help to succour man's weakness. Therefore the blessed Apostle Saint Peter hath recurs and runneth to God's help and assistance, saying: Deus autem omnis gratie qui vocavit nos in eternam gloriam suam in Christo jesu modicum passos ipse perficiet, confirmabit, solidabitque. almighty GOD the giver of all grace which hath called us by our Saviour CHRIST into his eternal glory, which he would us to receive finally after this present life. Modicum passos, although we have suffered but little, for all that we can suffer is very little and almost nothing in comparison of the everlasting glory that is prepared for us. He shall make you perfect in that you be unable of yourself adding and putting to more virtues to them that ye have already, he shall confirm and make sure your weakness, for of ourselves we be but weak and ready to be overthrown by every suggestion or temptation. Of him and by him we be strong and able to suffer tribulation and trouble. Solidabit, And where we have now but as lose limbs or members shaken with fear and with errors, and scarce agreeing every man within ourselves in our opinions and in matters of our faith, but as it were one while of one mind and a none of another mind, and very wavering and unsure. And this is the very property of Heresies, they be ever unsteadfast and not agreeing among themselves, but some take one way and some an other, and that pleaseth at one time, displeaseth at an other time: for example, how many manners and diverse ways of ministering the Communion have we had among us? I have known one while the Priest to take the bread upon the patten of the Chales, and turned his back to the Altar, and his face down to the people, and said the words of consecration over the bread, & then laid it upon the Altar and afterward done like wise with the Chales & the wine. Then because there seemed to much reverence, to be given to the Sacrament by this way, the people were all driven out of the chancel except the ministers, that the Communion should not be commonly seen nor worshipped. And anon that way seemed not best, and therefore there was veils or curtains drawn, yea and in some churches the very Lent cloth or veil hanged up though it were with hallelujah in the Easter time to hide it, that no man should see what the priest did, nor hear what he said. Then this way pleased not and the altars were pulled down and the tables set up, & all the observance said in english, and that openly that all men might hear and see what was done, and the bread commanded to be common used bread levende with salt, barm, and such other. And then soon after were all corporaces taken away to extenuate the honour of the sacrament, & it laid down on the profane board cloth. And at the said tables the Priest one while turned his face Eastward, an other while turned his back eastward, and his face toward the West, as the jews useth to worship. And anon by commandment turned his back Southward, and his face to the north, and finally, after the last book that was set forth he turned his face to the South. And this book made swepestake of the blessed sacrament, declaring there to be nothing else but bare bread and wine. This pulling down of altars & setting up of boards was used by the heretics that were of Arrius sect, as saint Basil rehearseth in divers places, & specially Epistola. lxxii. speaking of one Eustathius a disciple of Arrius, which was made Bishop in minor Armenia, As he came through Paphlagonia a country in maigne Asia.  
Basilidis Paphlagonici altaria cum Paphlagoniā transiret subvertit Eustathius & propriis mensis liturgiam obivit. This Basilides not the heretic, but Basilides the better, bishop of Paphlagonia, a familiar acquaintance of Basilius used altars as they had been used ever still sith the beginning of Christ's church. The said Eustathius coming through his country or diocese, pulled down the altars, & said his masses after his fashion upon boards or tables, as we did lately. And after in the next epistle he saith. Quamobren cum Dardania redirent heretici, altaria Basilidis in agro Gāgrenorū subverterunt mensasque suas substituerunt. When certain heritiks came back again from the country called Dardania, they overthrew the altars of Basilides the bishop in the country of the Gangrenes, and set up in steed of them their own boards or tables. All such wavering and inconstancy in opinions, if we convert ourselves to the god of all grace, that of his great mercy hath called us by our saviour jesus Christ, he will solidate, stay it, & settle us sure, contrary to all such inconstancy, to him be glory & empery world with out end. Amen. Then followeth the conclusion of this very fruitful epistle, in which first he declareth the messenger by whom he wrote this letter, because they knew the man very well, and knew him for a true disciple, & a true brother of theirs as he took him. Per Siluanum fidelem fratrem vobis ut arbitror, breviter scripsi. I have written a short epistle to you by Silvanus whom you know, you need not to suspect him, for you know he is faithful, and no false apostle (of which they were then greatly afraid) & for their false messengers of which the world was full then. A short epistle it is in quantity, but very long, & abundant and plentiful in virtue & strength, and in sentence, & good matter, as it appeared by such matter as I have brought forth from time to time, in exposition, & declaration of this epistle. Obsecrans & contestans hanc esse veram gratiam dei in qua statis. Praying & beseeching you for God's sake to conform your selves unto that I have written (saith. s. Peter.) And protesting here & afore God that this is the true grace of the Gospel in which you stand. Therefore be steadfast & continued in the faith of the same, according to. s. Peter writing in this epistle that his holy doctrine may take note in you & bear fruit of good works. Salutat v●s ecclesia que est in Babilone collecta & Marcus filius meus. Here he sendeth recommendations unto them from his company, saying: that the Church or congregation of Christian faithful people gathered and assembled together in Rome, recommendeth them to you, and wisheth you well to do. And here he nameth Rome by a strange name, calling it Babylon, and comparing it to Babylon the great City, in the Realm of Caldey, first founded by Nembroth, a hundred xxxi year, after the great flood. And greatly amplified by Semiramis the queen, wife to Ninus sometime king there, Berosus. Ipsa hanc vrbem maximam ex oppido fecit ut magis dici possit illam edificasse quam ampliasse. As the ancient historiographer of the Caldees Berosus writeth antiquitatum libro quarto, saying. Anno centesimo, trigesimo primo a salute ab aquis, prima omnium gentium & civitatum fundata est a Saturno Babilonico nostro urbs & gens nostra Babilonica multiplicataque est nimis numero posteritatis. etc. Where he calleth Nembroth Saturn of Babylon, and Belus his son jupiter of the Caldeis, his son was Ninus, which was husband to Semiramis the queen that after her husband reigned there marvelous vyctoriouslye by the space of xlii years. Berosus saith, In the fourth place reigned at Babylon the wife of Ninus, Semiramis, the Ascalonite xlii years. This woman exceeded and passed all men in chivalry triumphs, riches, victories, & empery. There is no man comparable to this woman There be so many magnificent and noble things spoken and written of her life, both to her reproach & chief to her laud & praise. And afterward it was most amplified by the great conqueror Nabuchodonosor which said in his jolly royalty. Da. xiiii Nun hec est Babilon civitas magna quam edificavi in gloria mea? Of which I spoke in my last sermon here made, declaring how GOD could pull down them that would not stoop, by example of this proud Nabuchodonosor that had Daniel and other of the Israelites in captivity at the time when he made this proud boasting. By the name of this Babylon. s. Peter calleth Rome, because of the confusion & uncertenty of innumerable idolatries that there in Rome were used as horribly as ever they were in Babylon where by the commandment of king Ninus husband of the the said Semiramis the queen was first erect a temple & an image of Belus the God his father, & then by like commandment of the queen was Ninus her husband deified, to which she had commanded among her people divine honours to be given. And by example of her, many other great men caused like divine honours to be given to great men's images of their ancestors, and so began their first idolatry, which afterward was spread through all the world, which by Christ and his apostles, and their holy doctrine was extinct and quenched. And even like as the elect people of God, the people of Israel, among which were Ezechiel, Daniel, and many other holy men and women were a small number in comparison among the people of the city of Babylon, and there in much vexation, mocking, and scoffing, and great discomfort, lamenting the lack of the holy city of Jerusalem, and the destruction of the same, and the comfort of their own country of the holy land. They hanged up their pipes & instruments of music on the willows in Babylon, and could not sing the comfortable songs used in the temple of jerusalem, although they were many times provoked thereto. Even so was. s. Peter & a few now converses to Christ's faith with him in Rome, notwithout much trouble & discomfort. All they that were thus assembled with the blessed Apostle thus coarted & streicted, yet had great solace & comfort to hear of the constancy of christian people how they were daily multiplied and increased. All such as there were with him had them recommended to these good blessed people that saint Peter writ this Epistle to. And so did saint Mark his disciple by him instruct and baptized, and afterward fully instruct in Christ's way. In so much that he writ the Gospel of Christ, which was allowed and approved for true by saint Peter. This Mark saint Peter calleth his son, because that by him he was christened and taught all things necessary for an evangelist, or for one that should preach the Gospel for to know. Salutate invicem in osculo sancto. Salute you one another by holy kissing one another. By holy kissing (he saith,) meaning that there be diverse manners of kissing, some holy and some not holy, for some do kiss for flattering and nothing with the heart, but for a sinister or a lewd purpose. As Absalon David's son kissed the people, alluring them to magnify him, as when men came to the court to sue for their matters, he used to stand at the gates, and would come to the suitors, and would know their causes, and then would kiss them, saying: It is pity that the king looketh no better on these matters, would God I had authority to redress these causes, as I would surely do if I might, or I would he should set some other man to do it, for he is Old, and will take no labours. All these and such other flattering words and behaviour, he used among the people aspiring to the crown, which thing he most earnestly attempted afterward, when he made his father to forsake the City, and to shift for himself as well as he could. This came of such flattering corpses. There is a manner of kissing which is a feigning kissing. And so joab kissed Amasa. two. Regum. xx. fearing that he would aspire into the favour of the king, that he should be like to put him out of favour, when he met him at an opportunity, for his purpose, came to him flattering, and took him by the chin with the one hand, and kissing him, drew out his skeen or hanger with the other hand, and stroke Amasa in the side so sore a wound, that his guts fell about his feet. Here was a feigning cross, feigning love, where was nought else but malice and hatred. There is an other traitorous cross, and such kissing used judas to our saviour Christ, not for any love which he ought to have had toward him, but only to give to the Soldiers and Servants of his company a sign that they might know Christ, and then set hand on him and craftily to carry him away, Abducite caute, as he had given them instructions. The traitor was afraid (now that he had gone so far) lest Christ should by his mighty power have scaped from them, as he might if he would invisibly, as he did at Nazareth, when the malicious people for his preaching, & for reproving their vices, rubbing them on the gall, they would have pitched him down the cleave or rock on which their citi stood & was builded on. Then jesus transiens per medium illorum ibat. Invisibly he scaped away that never a man spied him This judas knew he could do, and therefore he ●ade them beware, and convey him away craftily. There is an other bawdy or lecherous cross as the adulterous woman or the courtesan kisseth the youngman, as it is write. Pro. seven. Apprehensum deosculatur invenem & procaci vultu blanditur. She coled the young man & kissed him, & with her fliering countenance flattered him. All these manners of kissing must be left, and you must among you (saith. s. Peter to his scholars that he writ unto) kiss like dove's with peaceable cosses, chaste cosses in sign of peace & love. And this was much used in the primative church, and afterward even to our time in the holy church at the holy time of mass, when the priest in some places, & specially in chathedral churches kisseth the deacon, & then the deacon goeth down to the step of the quere, & kisseth the rectors, & they go every one on his side and kisseth the seniors, and they upward on both the sides the quere till all the quere have given the cross of peace one to another. And this is daily observed in the cathedral church of wells at high mass, even to this present time. And because that (as it is written in Genises) Our corrupt nature is prone to naughtiness more then to goodness, & in asmuch as some have more followed carnality and carnal love then chaste love, the people have misused the said cross of peace, turning it to wantannes. Therefore such kissing of peace at the mass hath been left, where hath been present both men and women, & when the priest hath given the cross of peace, saying to his minister, Pax tibi & ecclesie dei. He kisseth the pax of silver or other metal, or other honest stuff, & that is carried about through the church, that they that will not chastened & lovingly kiss one another, may at the lest wise kiss that pax, so by imitation & following the usage of the primitive church, & the counsel of. s. Peter here willing us one to kiss an other in a holy cross, or every one kissig the said pax that an other hath kissed, which is no small sign of concord, amity, & friendship. Where contrary he that loveth not another, will not with a good will kiss nor touch that that his adversary hath kissed or touched. Gratia vobis oibus qui estis in Christo jesu. Amen. He begun his epistle with hearty prayer, for grace to them that were dispersed as strangers in Pontus, Galatia. etc. Gratia vobis & pax multiplicetur. And even so he endeth his epistle or letter, wishing & praying for grace to all them that be constant and remain steadfast in Christ jesus, to whom with the father and with the holy Ghost be all honour and glory for ever. Amen.  
FINIS.