delyte in goodly raymeÌ„t bostynge So saynt Cecyle by the coÌ„mauÌ„dement of her father mother dyd weare clothe of golde / but vnder that she ware heare But here wyll some say / yea syr but howe than shall I mary my doughter honourably Am I not in suche a case coÌ„pelled to boste my selfe But I praye the tell me / be not these the wordes of a herte mystrustynge god trustynge more in his owne proper wysdome / than in the cure and prouysyon of god All thoughe saynt Peter teacheth vs and sayeth / caste all youre care on hym for he careth for you / yea it is a token that suche men dyd neuer gyue god thankes for theyr chyldren / neyther haue truely prayed or coÌ„mended them vnto his goodnes Or els they shulde knowe and proue how they ought to aske desyre of god / that they myght marye theyr daughters Therfore god suffereth them to theyr owne wytte care benefytes / and not to ende theyr busynesse conuenyently SO true is that that is coÌ„monly sayd / the father and mother may get heuen iÌ„ theyr owne chyldren / yf they had nothynge els to do For in the bryngyng vp of them to the worshyppe of god / they haue bothe theyr haÌ„des full as the maÌ„ sayth to do good workes For what be the hungry thyrstye naked prysoners sycke and straungers / but the soules of thy chyldren A chrysten mans house is an hospytall of the which god hath made thyne house an inne or an hospytall / makyng the to them as the mayster of the hospytall / that thou shuldest keape them / feade them / gyue them meate and drynke / with good workes and wordes that they may lerne to trust in god to byleue feare hym and to put theyr hope in hym worshypyng his name / not sweryng nor cursynge chastysynge them selfes / prayenge fastynge watchynge laborynge and to serue god and his worde / to kepe his sabothe day that they may lerne to despyse teÌ„porall thynges / to suffre pacyently aduersytie / not to feare dethe not to loue this lyfe Lo how great busynes these be Lo howe many good workes thou haste at home in thy chylde that lacketh all suche thynges / as the soule beynge hungrye thyrsty naked poore prysoned sycke O howe blessyd a thynge is matrymony O howe happye be those houses in the whiche dwell suche fathers and mothers For they be the verye true temple and electe abbay of god / yea rather a Paradyse / of the whiche is spoken .127 psalme Blessyd be he who soeuer honoureth the lorde and walketh in his wayes Thou shalte eate the labours of thy owne haÌ„des / and shalte haue prosperous increase Thy wyfe shal be fruteful as the vyne tree / wtin the walles of thy house / thyne chyldren shal stande about the table lyke the plantes of Olyue trees Lo thus shall that man be blessyd which worshyppe the lorde / the lorde shall blesse the from Syon / and thou shalte delyte beholdynge the prosperyte of Ierusalem all dayes of thy lyfe / and thou shalt se thy chylders chyldren / and the felycytie of IerusaleÌ„ Where be suche fathers mothers / where be they that aske for good workes no man commeth hyther Therfore I say god hath commaunded that thynge / from the whiche the deuyll / our flesshe bloode pulleth vs. It is not goodly in the syght of the worlde / and therfore it is not set by But one ronneth to saynt Iames / another voweth hym self to our lady And no man voweth hym selfe to the glory of god / and to rule and teache well hym selfe and his chyldren / he forsaketh theym whome he hathe taken to kepe by the commaundement af god / and laboureth to serue god other wayes / where he hathe no commaundemente / there is no bysshoppe that resysteth suche frowarde maners / no precher rebuketh these thynges / ye rather they stablysshe such thynges / inuentynge dayly mo pylgrymages canonysynge of mo sayntes sellynge of ê‘dons I praye god therfore to haue mercye on suche blyndnesse ANd agayne vpon the other syde the father and the mother do not soner deserue hell / than in theyr owne chyldren at home whaÌ„ they lacke to them not teachynge theÌ„ these thynges which be spoken of before For what doth it profyte them yf they dye with fastyng prayenge goynge pylgrymage doynge all other good workes In as moche god wyll not aske vs of suche thynges / nother at the tyme of dethe nor at the laste iudgemente but wyll aske a compte of oure chyldren coÌ„mytte to oure custodye This proueth the sayeng of chryste the .2.3 chapytre of Luke Ye women of Ierusalem wepe not for me but for your selues for your chyldren for lo the tyme shall come whan they shall saye Take hede al you that haue householdes and chyldren Happye be the baren and the wombes whiche haue not borne chyldren and the brestes whiche haue not gyuen sucke Why shulde they so complayne / but that all theyr dampnacyon coÌ„meth to them for theyr sones / whiche yf they had lacked peraduenture they shulde haue ben blessyd Trewely these wordes shulde open the iyes of the Fathers and mothers to loke spiritually vpon theyr chyldren leste the wretched chyldren shulde be deceyued by the false carnall loue of theyr father and mother whaÌ„ they be not angrye with theym bycause they obey them after the coÌ„mon nature of the people / by the whiche thynges theyr free wyll is stablysshed and waxeth stronge / and yet the coÌ„maundemente of God therfore coÌ„maundeth vs to honoure our Father our mother that that chyldren may be made lowe demure meke / theyr free wyll broken dystroyed Therfore as it is sayde in the other coÌ„maundementes that the workes must be so obserued that they procede out of the fyrst worke euyn so here / let no man thynke that the orderynge and bryngynge vp of his chyldren is suffycyent of it selfe / but yf it be done in the grace fauoure of god / so that a maÌ„ doubteth nothynge of it / but that he pleaseth god in all suche workes Therfore let these workes be nothynge els to a maÌ„ but sygnes and exercysynges of fayth to truste in God / to haue a surenesse in his grace and lyberall wyll For without this fayth noo worke other lyueth / or is good and pleasaunte to god For many of the Hethens and gentylles haue brought vp theyr chyldren well / but that dyd profyte theym nothonge bycause of theyr vabeleue THe seconde worke of this coÌ„maundemeÌ„t is to honour our spirituall mother holy churche and the ecclesyastycall power coÌ„maundynge forbydgynge ordeynynge makynge cursynge or absoluynge In all these we muste obey them and as we honoure loue and feare our bodely fathers mothers euen so we must obey the spyrytuall power in all thynges whiche be not contrary to the thre fyrste coÌ„maundementes of god But in this worke the matter is farre iÌ„ worse
oughte to moue all other to caste away this great pompe with Bulles sealles baners pardons / wherwith the myserable people be moued to buylde temples to gyue and founde abbayes and suche lyke and in the meane tyme fayth is suppressed and put to syleÌ„ce yea rather vtterly oppressed But where fayth hathe no dyffecence bytwyxte workes there is no worke pompous and prowde better one thaÌ„ another after her And of a truth it is the fayth only wyll be the true worshyp seruyce of god not suffryng any such name or prayse to be gyuen to one worke or other / but as far forth as she dothe vouchesalfe / which thynge / she than dothe / whan the worke is done in and of her But this yll was fygured in the olde testament / whan the Iewes forsoke to offre in the temple offred in other places / as in wodes and in hylles / euen so do they which be busye and redy to do all thynges neuer do this heade worke of fayth WHere be they nowe whiche aske what be good workê what they oughte to do or howe they myghte be good ye where be they which saye that we so preche faythe that we teache no good workes and that there oughte none to be done Doth not this fyrst coÌ„maundement make vs more busynes / than any man can fulfyll For yf one man were a thousand meÌ„ / ye all men or all creatures / yet here he had ynoughe to do / and more than he myght away with whyles he is coÌ„maunded to lyue contynue alwaye in fayth / and trust to god / and to put trust in no other / so to haue one true god / seynge than that mannes lyfe can not be one moment wtout dede faute trouble or flyghte / for the lyf of man as we se neuer resteth / let hym that wolde be good and full of good workê begynne to be alwaye in this faythe let hym lerne ofte tyme to do and leaue vndone all thynges in suche trust / for so shall he fynde howe great busynes he hathe to do / and howe all thynges stande in faythe / and that faythe can not be ydell / and that the selfe same ydelnes is somtyme the exercyse and worke of faythe And to be shorte / there is nothynge that can perysshe or lose to vs that byleue that all our workê please god / for thaÌ„ they can not be / out good merytoryous / so sayeth saynt Paule / 1. Corin. 10. whyther therfore ye eate or drynke / or what soeuer you do / do all to the prayse of god / it can not be done in the same name / but yf it be done in the same faythe / Also to the Romaynes / for we knowe well that all thynges worke for the beste to them that loue god Therfore the sayenge of them that say that we forbyde good workes and preache onely fayth / is lyke as I shulde say to a sicke man / yf thou haddest helthe / thou shuldest haue all the workes of thy membres without the whiche / the workes of the meÌ„bres be nothynge / of this he myght vnderstonde That I forbyd the workes of the membres / whan my meanynge is that he muste haue helthe and than worke all the workes of all his membres / so fayth must be the chiefe craftêman buylder and capytayne in all workes / or elles the workes be vtterly noughte BVt yf thou saye / why haue we than soo many Lawes bothe spyrytuall temporall so many cerymonyes of churches monasteryes and abbeys to moue cause and prouoke men to good workes / yf faythe do all thinges after the fyrst coÌ„maundement I answere for no cause but that we al nother haue nor set by this faythe / for yf we all hadde this faythe / we neded no lawes / but euery one of vs shulde do alwayes good workes as the same faythe do teache hym There be foure maner of men / the fyrst nowe named whiche neade no lawe of whome sayeth saynte Paule .i. Timoth .i. The lawe is not gyuen to a ryghtwyse man / the is to a faythfull man For suche maner of men do all what so euer they knowe or may with a free mynde regardyng this onely with a sure and stable faythe that the grace and beneuolence of god helpeth them in all thynges The seconde sorte or kynde of meÌ„ ben they / which wyl mysse vse this lybertie / falsely styckynge beynge bolde of it waxe slowe / of the which speketh saynt Peter in his fyrst epystle the .ii. chapytre / sayeng for so is the wyll of god / that with well doynge / ye shulde stoppe the mouthes of al ingnorauÌ„t meÌ„ / as fre not as thoughe you toke lybertie for a cloke of malicyousnes / but euen as the seruauntes of god / as thoughe he shulde saye / lybertie of faythe gyueth no lycence to synne nother cloketh it / but gyueth power to do all maner of workes / to suffre all thinges / howe soeuer they come to haÌ„de / so that no man is bouÌ„de peculyerly to one worke or to some workê As saynt Paule sayeth to the Galatianes the fyrste chapytre Bretherne ye were called into lybertie / onely let not your lybertie be an occasyon vnto the flesshe / but in loue serue one another / these men therfore must be coÌ„pelled by lawes and kept with doctrynes warnynges The thyrde sorte be wycked men / euer redye to synne and vyce / whiche must be compelled bothe with spyrytual and temporall lawes / euen lyke wylde horses and dogges / and yf they amende not / let theym be punysshed with extreme ponysshement by the teÌ„porall swerde as saynte Paule sayeth to the Romaynes the .xiii. chapytre / for rulers are not to be feared of good doers / but of yll / wylte thou be without feare / of the power Do well than / and so shalt thou be praysed of the same For he is the mynyster of god for thy welthe / but yf thou do yll / thou feare / for he beareth not the swerde for nought / for he is the mynyster of god to take vengeaunce of them that do yll The fourth kynde of men be they / which be yet wyld weake and chyldren in the vnderstandyng of fayth and spyrytuall lyfe / whiche must neades be intysyd tyckled as chylderne with outward wordes cerymonyes with adournyng the churches with organnes / and what soeuer is done in the temple / with prayer fastynge what soeuer is vsed other in the temples or abbeys / vnto they lerne to knowe fayth / howe be it here is a great faute / that rulers offycers alasse for sorowe be so accustomed weryed in these cerymonyes outwarde workes and faythe lette alone which they ought to haue alway to teache aboue these workes lyke as the mother gyueth the chylde with mylke other meate vntyll the chylde it selfe maye eate stronger meate by it selfe BVt for as moch as we
cease / is kept two maner of wayes Fyrst by our owne exercyse / secoÌ„darely by another outwarde exercysynge or mocyon Therfore our exercyse must be so ordered / that fyrst we se wherunto our flesshe is gyuen / and to what our wyll and reason prouoketh vs / that we resyst them and folowe them not / as the wyse man sayeth do thou not go after thyne owne lustes and appetytes / and Deuteronomye the .xii. chapytre Do that onely that I coÌ„maunde the / and thou shalte put nothynge to the lorde nor take nothynge awaye Here a man muste haue the prayers euer in vse / whiche Dauyd prayed saynge Lorde brynge me in the way of thy coÌ„maundementê / and not into couetyce Item shewe me thy wayes / and teache me thy pathes / that my steppes be not moued such many / the which all this prayer conteyneth Lorde let thy kyngdome come / for there be so many and so manyfold appetytes and lustes / and somtyme so subtyll and goodly by the suggestion of the euyl spiryte / that it is vnpossyble for a man to rule hym selfe in his lyfe Let hym therfore forsake handes and fete put hym selfe / to the rule of god / trustyng nothyng in his owne reason / as Hieremye sayth Lorde the waye of man is not in his owne power And that was fygured whan the chyldren of Israel went out of Egypt / where they had no way / no meate no drynke nor helpe Therfore god went byfore them by daye tyme in a clere clowde / but at nyght in a fyerye pyllar / nourysshyng them with aungelles foode / from heuen / so kepynge theyr shoes and clothes / that they were not torne / as it is red in the bokes of Moyses And therfore let vs praye / lorde lette thy kyngdome come / that thou mayst rule vs and not we our selfes / For there is nothyng more perillous iÌ„ vs / than our owne propre wyll reason And this is the cheyf and hyghest worke / of god and the beste exercyse to leaue our owne workes / and to be voyde fre and ydle from all our owne wyll and reason / commyttynge our selfe to god in all thynges / specyally / where as spirytuall good thynges appere AFter this spirytuall exercyse foloweth the exercyse of the flesshe / to kyll his euyll grosse desyres / to make rest and quyetnesse whiche we muste kyll with fastyng Here lerne of fasting watchyng with other laboures and exercyse of the body wherfore they serue for what inteÌ„t they shulde be done watchyng and labour Out of the whiche grounde we lerne howe moch / and wherfore we ought to fast watche and labour For there be many blynde men alas for sorowe that faste watche laboure onely for this cause / that they thynke they be good workes in them selfe / and that they deserue many thynges in them / and so contynuynge in suche thynges so longe / that otherwhyles they dystroye theyr owne bodyes and make theym selfes desye in the heades But yet they be more blynde / whiche measure not onely theyr fast after theyr multytude or greatnes / but also after the meates thin kynge that it is moche better yf they eate not flesshe egges or butter And yet of all other they be worse / that faste for sayntes chose dayes / as whaÌ„ one fasteth wednysday and another saturdaye / he fasteth for saynt Barbara and another for saynt Sebastyan suche other All these seke none other thiÌ„ge in fasting but the worke in it selfe / by the which they thynke they do well I here wyttyngly passe ouer many which so fast fro meate / that yet they drynke tyl they be dronken / some eate fysshe other deintyes so costly whan they faste / that they might eate flesshe egges and butter farre better cheape / but suche maner of fastynge / is no fastynge / but rather a mocke both to fastyng and to god / therfore I wolde the euery man shuld chose what daye what meate howe moche he wolde fast / after his owne mynde / so that he there rest not / but let hym marke the state of his flesshe / so fast watche and labour / that he tame the fearsnes and wantones of it / neuer the more that the pope / bysshop / churche / goostly father or any other man coÌ„maunded it / For the maner and rule of fastiÌ„g watchynge and labour / is to be taken of no man / nother after the multytude of meates or dayes / but after the increasynge or dyscreasynge of the concupyssence and outragyousnes of the flesshe / and for to kyll oppresse them / fastynges / watches / and labour was ordayned / for none other cause / for yf there were no suche desyres it were as good to eate / as to faste to slepe as to watch to be ydell as to laboure / one as good as another without all dyfference IF therfore a man perceyue fynde / that ther groweth more fearsnesse in his flesshe by eatynge of fysshe / than by egges flesshe He than oughte to eate flesshe no fysshe And agayne yf he feale his heade to be corrupte and his body and his stomake to be weake with fastyng / or that he hathe no neade to oppresse the fearsnesse of his flesshe let hym leaue fastynge eatynge slepynge restynge as moche as he hathe nede for the helthe of his body / not lokynge whether it be agaynste the coÌ„maundementes of the churche / her ordre or decre / for there is no coÌ„maundement of the churche nor constytucyons of any ordre / that maye ordayne prescrybe fastynges watchynges and laboure more straytelye than they profyte to tame and mortyfye the voluptuous desyres of the flesshe But where soeuer without this purpose and ende they coÌ„maunde fastyng meates slepe and watches more hardely than the flesshe may suffre / or more than is neade to the kyllynge of the lust of the flesshe / so that nature is corrupt and the heade lost / than let no man thynke that he hathe done a good worke / excusynge hym selfe other by the coÌ„maundementes of the churche / or els by the constytucyons of his ordre / for he shall seme to haue wanted to hym selfe / and as moche as laye in hym to be a mansleyer and stryker of hym selfe No truely the bodye is not gyuen to kyll his naturall lyfe or worke / but onely to oppresse his fyersnesse / excepte the fyersnesse be so great / that it can not be resysted without the hurte losse of naturall lyfe And as I sayde before in the exercysynge of fastynge watchynge and labour / a man must haue an eye not to the worke in it selfe not to the dayes multytude or meates / but onely to the fyers wanton Adam / so that the wantonesse and fyersenesse may be taken from hym OF these we may perceyue howe wyselye or folysshelye some woman great with chylde do / and howe sycke men
case thaÌ„ in the fyrst For it wolde become the ecclesyastycall power to punysshe synnes by excoÌ„munycacyon / cursynge lawes / and to compell theyr spirytual persons to goodnes / that they myghte haue a cause to do good workes and to exercyse them selfes to obedyence / and gyuyng honoure to the power But we se that the spirytuall power taketh no hede at all to kepe theyr chyldren in theyr offyce / but so to deale with theyr people subiectes as mothers folowynge theyr louers As it is sayd in the .ij. chap. of Ozee They preache not they teche not they resyste not they rebuke not they punysshe not / and to be shorte there is no ecclesyastycall gouernynge left in all chrystendome What than shulde I speake in this worke There be lefte yet some fastyngdayes and holy dayed / which it were better to anulle / but no man careth for that So there is no thynge that flouryssheth nowe / but excoÌ„munycacyon for duetyes accustomed / the whiche thynge oughte not to be But the power of the churche shulde se that adulterye vnclennesse glotonye pryde vnmesurable ryote of all thynge and suche other vyces be punysshed and let And also that the colleges and abbeyes parysshes scoles be well ordred / and the goddes seruyce be holely kept in theÌ„ And that the yonge bothe men maydes in the scoles and abbeys haue good and coÌ„nynge men prouyded to teache them that they may be wel brought vp / that the olde may ê“fyte the yonge by good example / that the chyldren coÌ„mon welth may be fylled garnysshed with goodly youth For so saynt Paule taught his discyple Titus / that he shuld teache well and gouerne all degrees estatê yonge and olde men and womeÌ„ But nowe we lyue euery man after his owne wyll euery man teacheth hym selfe yea alas for sorowe it is come to the poynt / that the places in the which goodnes shulde be taughte be now made scoles of vanyties so that no maÌ„ taketh hede of outragious youth IF euery thyng were ordered after this maner than a maÌ„ myghte shewe howe honour and obedyence ought to be done to ecclesiastyke persones But it is nowe with theym as it is with bodely fathers mothers whiche suffer theyr chyldren to moch after theyr owne mynde wyll / and ecclesyastycall power dothe nowe graunte and dyspence / and for money pardoneth more than it may pardone Here I wyll let many thynges passe that I myghte speke of / for I se moo thynges than be well Couetyse sytteth and gouerneth and the churche teacheth that that it shulde forbyd And besydes these it is open to euery mans iyes / that the lyuynge of the spyrytualtie is moche more vngoodlyer and vyler / than the lyfe of the lay or seculer men Wherfore the chrystyan coÌ„mon welthe muste nedes be dystroyed / and this coÌ„maundemeÌ„t subuerted For where there were suche a bysshoppe as wolde take hede vysyte loke vpon and go aboute all suche orders and degrees with so great dylygence and laboure as he is bounde / truelye one cytie were to moch for hym For in the tyme of the apostles / whan the churche was most stourysshynge / euery cytie hadde one bysshop although the last parte of the worlde was not than chrystened Howe thanne shulde it be well amonges men / whan one bysshop wyll haue thus moche / another so moche the thyrde chalengeth halfe the worlde / and the fourthe wolde haue all the worlde vnder his rule Therfore it is nowe tyme to praye to god for grace For we haue ecclesyastycall power ynoughe / but as for ecclesyastycall gouernyng we haue lytell or none In the meane tyme he that knoweth myghte helpe / that the colleges or preestes abbeys and parysshes scoles / were well ruled and gouerned For this also is the ecclesyastycall power to make fewer colleges abbeys and scoles where as no profite coÌ„meth of them Truely it is better to haue no colleges nor abbeys at all than to haue euyll rule or ordre in them wherby god is greuously offended THerfore whan the superyours be froward and suffre theyr offyce to decay it must neades folowe that they abuse theyr power settynge forthe outwarde euyll workes bothe them selfe to the people / none otherwyse thaÌ„ the father mother yf they commaunde any thynge contrarye vnto god Here therfore we must beware wyse For the apostell shewed before that suche peryllous tymes shulde come / in the whiche suche superyours or offycers shulde rule Yet suche superyours haue this cloke to couer theyr iniquitie withall / to beare men in hande that they repyne resyste the power of god / yf at any tyme what soeuer they statute or ordayne be vndone or let Therfore let vs than take in our handes the thre fyrst coÌ„maundementes of god / and the ryght table beyng sure that no man nother bysshoppe nor pope / no nor aungels maye ordayne or commaunde any thynge contrarye / dysagreinge or repungnyng to the thre fyrst coÌ„mauÌ„demeÌ„tes theyr workes But yf they go about the contrary it is nought worth nother byndeth any man And we also do synne obeyeng suche coÌ„maundementes constytucyoÌ„s / eyther doyng theÌ„ or twynkelyng at them By this a man may lyghtly perceyue / howe that sycke meÌ„ be not bounde with the coÌ„mauÌ„demeÌ„tê of fastyng / nother womeÌ„ great with chylde / nother they that may not fast for any other cause wtout hurt And that we may serche this matter more groundelyer / There is nothyng nowe that commeth from Rome / but the marte fayre of all thyngê of the churche which be opeÌ„ly bought solde with out any shame / as ê‘doÌ„s ê‘ysshes abbeys dioces prelacy benefyces what soeuer was made ordayned in any place to the honour of god By reason wherof all the ryches goodes and money of all the worlde be not onely dryuen to Rome / which were but a lytell losse But also parysshes dyoces and prelacy be pulled forsaken and wasted So that Goddes people is dyspysed and loste / the worde name and glorie of god be trode vnder fete fayth is dystroyed and all to the ende that suche colleges and offyces maye be gyuen not onely vnto vnlerned folysshe and vnworthy / but also to Rome ronners the chefe heddes of al noughtye packes in the worlde And so those thinges that were founded to the worshyp of god to the fyndynge of prechers whiche shulde rule and correcte the peonowe spente vpon horses horse kepers and moyles / Yea and yf I maye speake somwhat vnshamefastly / vpon the whores and also whore hunters of Rome / of whom yet we haue no kyndnes but be mocked vnto oure tethes lyke fooles SEyng therfore the all these intollerable folysshenes be done vnder the name of god and saynt Peter as thoughe the ecclesyastycall power were ordayned to haue the glorye of god in shame mockyng to distroye chrystyan coÌ„mon welth bothe of bodye and soule We oughte