for the purifieng of the childwife and also of the childe suÌ„what shuld be offered the most pure virgine Mary wold fulfylle the lawe also in this poynt though in her child byrth she knew was nothing after the maner of other womens byrthes contaminate or spotted but al was ful of heuenly puritie and holynes For what spotte of vnclennes could she haue which by the worke of the holy ghoste conceyued wythout mans knowlege only by imbracement of the heuenly power She goeth therfore with Ioseph who as yet was thought to haue bene father to Iesus vnto Hierusalem bearing the childe with them that they might present him in y â— temple in the sight of the lord to whom he was consecrate not but that al be the lordes but that we shuld be taught by this mystical figure that those mindes be most acceptable to God whiche with a manly strength of spirite haue conquered the lustes of y e fleshe so do auauÌ„ce to thinges heuenly and euerlasting Moses law intending this had commaunded the Iues that euery male so sone as by the openinge of the mothers wombe it was brought to lyght shulde be taken as holy to the lord whether it were of mankynde or of brute beastes that herby also the first frutes might go to the prestes so yet that the first begotten of the mankinde shuld be redemed out of the prestes handes onles the childe were of y â— Leuitical tribe Now surely the selfe law openly deliuereth our Lady froÌ„ the bonde of it where it sayth in the leuiticall boke The wife whiche receiuing sede shal bringe forth a maÌ„child For the blessed virgine our Lady was neither mulier that is to say such woman as haue lyen with man neither receiued she mans sede And as towching the opening of y e matrice surely this heauenly child did in no maner violate the chastitie of of y e virgins wombe but rather preserued halowed it from al spot of vnclennes during her life He then was presented in y â— temple as subiect to y â— law which was lord of al thingê both heuenly erthly He was redemed with a smal price which cam to redeme the hole world w t the price of his bloude For y e law had appointed y e Iues to redeme their first begotteÌ„ son with a lambe of one yeare olde which was giuen in sacrifice And thaÌ„ shuld be added a doue or a turtyll for y â— purifienge of al spot or vncleÌ„nes which might happeÌ„ to be coÌ„mitted in y â— begetting of y â— child or after to thintent y â— that whiche shuld be offered to the lord might be throughly pure Howbeit if they were not of abilitie to giue a lambe the law suffred them to giue in stede therof a turtil doue or a pigeoÌ„ for y â— redemptioÌ„ of y e child The other bird was offered for the purging of the sinne Our Lady therfore and Ioseph offered the pore mens oblatioÌ„ and it is not to be doubted but they wold haue made a richer gift if theire pouertie hadde not letted them Allbeit they re minde was rich in godlynes and to giue vs an exeÌ„ple y e professioÌ„ of pouertie was more profitable But lo there was at this self time in HierusaleÌ„ one SimeoÌ„ a iuste maÌ„ such one as stode in awe of god surelye he might wel be called a iust maÌ„ for he sought not his own but y e peoples weale he awaited for him y t shuld redeme out of boÌ„dage not him only but al maÌ„kind And bicause he was endowed w t this iustice godlines the holy ghost was in him had inspired him that he shulde not dye till he had sene with his fleshely eyen him that he longe before had espyed wyth the eyen of feyth As Mary therfore and Ioseph were bringinge the child into the temple this Simeon also cam by the guiding of the holy gost into the temple toke Iesus in his armes And here sayth Origene an auncient doctour of the church if thou Christen person wi lt in like wise hold Iesus and imbrace him in thy handê thou must with al labour attempt that thou maist haue the holy ghost to thy guide and so come to y â— temple of god as this holy SimeoÌ„ did Thou must be a iust person a fearer of god religiouse deuout godly as he was But what did Simeon ha uing this most blessed child in his armes He blessed and praysed god sayeng Now o lorde thou dost licence thy seruaÌ„t to depart in peace out of this world according to thy worde For myne eyen haue nowe seen him by whoÌ„ it hath plesed the to saue maÌ„kind whom I say thou hast prepared and ordeined in the face of al peoples to be vnto y â— hetheÌ„ persons Panyms which hitherunto for defalt of true knowlege haue worshiped false godê a light for to lighteÌ„ them to disclose thy trouth vnto them againe to thyn own people y â— Israelites a cause of most high glorie This in effect spake Symeon in his maner Let vs therfore good people for our ê‘te also blesse praise god that wheras we y â— inhabitantes of this Realme were before y â— coÌ„ming of Christ wicked Panims ydolaters we now by y â— disclosing of his gospel â—ee his people Let vs labour to be iust and holy persons pore in spirite rich in godlines Let vs desire to be led w t the holy spirite of God So shall we at last depart this world in true peace by Christ our lorde To whom be prayse for euer Amen ¶ Saynt Mathias day the Apostle The Gospell Math. xi IN that tyme Iesus sayd I confesse vnto the O father lorde of heauen and of earth bicause thou haste hyd these thinges from wise and prudent persons and hast disclosed them to yonglinges Uerily father for so semed it good before the. Al thinges be deliuered vp vnto me of my father noman knoweth the sonne but the father neyther knoweth any man the father but the sonne he to whom the son wyll disclose Come to me all ye that laboure and be burthened and I shall quiet you Take my yoke vpon you and lerne of me for I am meke and lowly in harte and ye shall fynde quiet to youre soules For my yoke is pleasant and my burthen is lyght The sermon vpon this Gospel Bycause our sauiour Christ good people what tyme he was conuersant here in earth amonge the Iues hadde vpbrayded them for theire misbeleue declaring vnto them that the Hethen persones were redyer to receyue hym then they at which wordes some were offended therfore he aunswereth to theire thoughtes in thys wyse I confesse that is I do thanke prayse the O father bycause thou hast kept close this heauenly doctrine from the wise and prudent men in their owne opinions such as be the scribes and pharisees and haste opened the same to fooles and
babes after the iugement of the worlde euen to rude vnformed and rusticall persones And here sayth Chrysostomus we be taught vtterly to pluck down our high stomakê to folow humilitie And truly sayth he these wordes whiche our Lorde spake to his disciples occasioned them to be moche more diligent and lowly in hert For bycause it was likely that they stode moch in their owne conceytes for that they did cast out deuiles therfore with these wordes he abateth their courage represseth them For the thing that was done vnto them was a reue lation that is to say a disclosing and opening from god and not their owne propre studie and laboure And therefore the scribes and pharisees estemynge themselfes to be wise prudent fell from the knowlege of godes mysteries bycause of theire pryde and swelling myndes Wherfore if the secrete mysteries of god were hyd from them bycause of thys se then that we be vnder feare and awe let vs continewe as babes for this surely made the apostles of christ to enioy this secrete knowledge For lyke as whaâ— Paule saith tradidit illos deus in reprobuÌ„ sensuÌ„ that is god gaue them vp into a disalowed mynde he speaketh not this inducing god as doyng thys but them whiche gaue the cause so we must vnderstande in like wise this text where Christ sayth that hys father hath hyd this knowlegde from the wyse scribes and pharisees And why were they hid from them Herken what Paule sayth bycause goyng about to stably she theire owne iustice they were not subiecte to the iustice of god Al be deliuered vnto me sayth Christe from my father This he spake les any thing shuld be thought to be les in hym than that whiche is in god For as saynt Austin sayth if our sauiour Iesus Christ the sonne of god hath any thing les in poure then hath god the father then surely all be not his that the father hath for by begettinge did the father gyue the power to hys sonne lyke as all that he hath in hys substance did he by begettynge â–ª gyue to him whom he begatte of his substance Furthermore in the interchaungeable or mutuall knowledge of the father and sonne it is done vs to wyte that none other thinge was in god the sonne then was in God the father For it foloweth in the text and no man knoweth the sonne but the father nor noman knoweth the father but the sonne For surely by this that he onely knoweth the father he doth vs to vnderstande that he is of the selfe same substance that the father is of As if he shulde saye vnto vs. What meruayle â–ª I praye you is it if I be very Lord of all sith there is yet a greater thing in me euen the knowlege of the father of heuen that I am of y â— same substance y â— he is of Thus by these wordê Christ our sauiour declareth himself to be not man only but also god egal in powre w t his father And where he sayeth that none knoweth the father but the son he meaneth not y â— al men be vtterly ignorant of him but this he meaneth that by that knowledge that he knoweth his heauenly father noman ells knoweth him In so moche that that knowlege that men haue either of the father or of the son they haue it by y â— sons disclosing So y e the son discloseth not only his father but also himself vnto vs. For as the holy doctour saint Austin saith The word doth not only open y â— thing that is declared by the word but also it declareth it self But how doth y â— son disclose his fathers wil pleasure vnto vs Surely by his most coÌ„fortable word which is called his gospel Come therfore sayth Christ vnto me al ye that trauayle and I shall set you at rest He sayth not come he and he but come to me all ye that be in cares in heuynes and in synnes not that I myght take punishement of you but that I myght losen your sinnes Come not that I nede to be glorified of you but that I desyre your helth and saluation Come he sayth not wyth fete but wyth maners not wyth body but wyth feyth For this is the spirituall comming wherby one approcheth to god And if ye thus come I shal set you at rest he sayth not I shal saue you but that more is I shal set you in al quyet and reste Take my yoke vpon you What is Christes yoke Surely his Gospel which as Theophilactus saith sheweth vs glad newes forgiuenes of sinnes iustification commynge to heauen and that we be made the children of god O how swete how pleasaÌ„t and easy is this yoke Only let vs put froÌ„ vs pryde of hert and the care of worldely vanities learne of Christe to be meke lowly lyke as the holy Apostle Mathias folowynge hys maisters steppes whose memory we celebrate this day left vs exemple So shall we inioye that heauenly rest voyde of all greuance and replenyshed wyth all solace whyche here is promysed vnto vs. By Christ our lorde To whoÌ„ be all glorie Amen ¶ The Annunciacion of oure Lady commonly called our Ladies daye in Lente The gospell Luc. i. IN the sixt moneth was sent the angel Gabriel of God into a citie of Galilee named Nazareth to a virgine spoused to a man whose name was Ioseph of Dauids house and the virgines name was Mary And the angel being entred vnto her said Hayle full of grace the Lorde is with the blessed arte thou amoÌ„ges women WheÌ„ she sawe hym she was troubled vpon hys worde and deuised what maner greting this shulde be And the angel said to her Feare not Mary â–ª For thou haste founde grace with God Lo thou shalte conceyue in thy wombe and brynge forth a son and thou shalt call his name Iesus He shal be greate shal be called the son of the hyghest and the Lorde God shall gyue hym the seate of hys father Dauid and he shall reigne ouer the house of Iacob for euer and of his reigne shal be no ende Mary said vnto the aungell Howe shal this be for I knowe not man And the aungell answered and said vnto her The holy goost shall come vpon the and the vertue of the highest shall ouershadow the and therfore the thing that shal be born holy shal be called the sonne of God And lo Elizabeth thy cousin she also hath conceiued a sonne in her olde age and this is the sixt moneth to her which was called baren â–ª for no word shal be impossible with God Ma ry said Beholde the handmayde of the Lorde be it doon to me accordynge to thy worde The sermon vpon this gospell IF a Gospell deare people signifieth a gladde tydynges what Gospel can be compared with this gospell which sheweth to the blessed virgine Mary yea vnto vs all the gladdest tydinges that coulde come
shal be blessed of gods holy hande they shal increase and multiplye they shal replenish the erth and haue it subiecte vnto them accordinge to the saynge of scripture If they feare the Lorde and walke togither in his wayes god shalle surely blesse them prosper and further them in al their doinges Wherfor thou maÌ„ which art hed of thy wife so loue maynteyne cherishe tender thy wyfe euen as Christe hath loued and moste tendrely imbrased his spouse the church If thou so do thou shalt eate the labours of thy haÌ„d as the prophet writeth thou shalt be happy and it shal be wel with the. Thy wife shal be as a plentifull vine tree vpon the walles of thy house Thy chyldren as oliue braunches rownd about thy table Loo sayth he thus shal the man be blessed whiche feareth the lorde This is gods institution of mariage these be the officies of maryed persons In these if ye walke like feithful and right christian persons though through the malice of the worlde ye suffre affliction here ye shal be sure after thys frayle lyfe perpetually to raygne wyth Christe oure lorde whyche wyth the father and holy goost thre per sons and one god is to be glorifyed and praised worlde without ende Amen ¶ At burienges The Gospel Ihon. xi MArtha sayd vnto Iesus Lorde if thou haddest bene here my brother had not dyed But nowe also I know y â— whatsoeuer thou askest of god god wol giue it the. Iesus sayde vnto her Thy brother shal rise againe Martha sayde vnto him I knowe y â— he shal rise at the resurrectioÌ„ in the last day Iesus sayd vnto her I am the resurrectioÌ„ and the life He that beleueth on me though he were dead yet shall he liue And euery one which liueth and beleueth in me shal neuer dye Beleuest thou this She sayeth vnto him Yea lorde I beleue that thou art Christe the sonne of god which cammest into the worlde The sermon vpon this Gospell WElbeloued people in our sauiour Christ this gospel is right comfortable to al feithful and true christian folke For in it is conteyned the glad and swere tydinges to al vnfeyned Christians that is to wit how Christ is our resurrectioÌ„ and our life if we beleue vnfeynedly vpon him and verely this is one of the chiefest articles of our religioÌ„ to beleue that though we dye here bodily for a tyme or rather slepe for so the scripture calleth it yet we shal rise againe and lyue euerlastingly wyth God in heauen through Christ in case we haue had stedfast feith in him and be founde cladde and adourned wyth the wedding garment at the day of the great Solempnitie that is to say at the generall resurrectioÌ„ of the chosen people of god when Christ the sonne of God shal be in full most perfite wise knitte conioyned in mariage to his louing espouse the church or congregation of the feithful persons But ye wol aske what thys weddynge garment is Ueryly after the minde of saint Gregorie it is charitie And that per sone entreth to the maryage but wythout the wedding garment whych being in the church hath feith but lacketh charitie Truly thys mans feith is not the true and liuely feith but it is a feyned feith and a deade feith as saint Iames calleth it bicause it is wythout workes For what auaileth it o my brethreÌ„ sayth thys holy Apostle Saynte Iames if a man wold say he had feith and hath no workes Trowe you that this feith shal saue him if your christeÌ„ brother or suster be naked and lacking dayly sustenaÌ„ce and one of you wolde say vnto them Go your way in peace warme your selues and fylle your belyes and yet neuertheles ye gyue them not the thynges necessarye for the body what wol this helpe So also feith if it hath not deades it is of it self dead By these wordes of saynt Iames we may lerne my freendes that it is not inough for a christeÌ„ man or womaÌ„ to say he beleue in Christ but he must also shew vs his feyth as saynt Iames sayeth by his dedes and workes Wherfore the weddinge wede that we must be cladde with is not bare fayth but it is charitie whyche is the frute of feyth or if ye wol nedes haue it feyth let it be that liuely fâ—yth which is garnished wyth this charitie that is to wit wyth suche zeale loue and affection whiche ye beare to god that for his sake ye freely aide releue your euen christeÌ„ accordinge to youre power And verely these be the workes that almyghty God requyreth of vs if we wol be counted his children and the inheritours of euerlasting blesse He commaundeth that our lyght shuld shyne afore men that they maye se our good workes and glorifye the father of heauen Finally the doers of these as hymselfe doth wytnes shal be called the blessed children of his father at the general resurrection and shal be â—ydden to come and entre into the vnspeakable ioyes of heuen which were prepared for theÌ„ sithens the beginning of the world Neither doth the most excellent clerke saint Hierom disagree from this interpretation saynge that the wedding garment may very wel be called the commaundementes of the lorde and the workes whiche be accomplyshed and fulfilled at the bidding of the law and gospell and he sayth that these workes do in a christen persone make the garment of the newe man whych garment verily who soeuer in the drad full day of iugement shal be found vnder a christen name not to haue shal be forthwith taken and caste into vtter â—arknes where according to the sentence of Christ shal be weping gnashing of teethe This by occasioÌ„ deare freeÌ„des haue I spoken of the weddyng garment wher w t must that sowle be cladde adourned which at y e general resurrectioÌ„ vprising again of al mankinde in flesh according to y â— article of our beleue shal by Christ liue euerlastingly But yet for the better more cleare vnderstaÌ„ding of this gospel I thinke it very expedieÌ„t to repete declare vnto you the very begynning of the historie whiche is red in this gospel accordyng as saynte Ihon the Euangelist doth report it in the begynninge of the xi chapter namely sith in it is conteined the most coÌ„fortable chefest article of the christen mans beleue The historie is this As our Sauiour Christ abode at Iordan it chaunced that in a towne named Bethania a certayne man called Lazarus laye sycke This towne was the natyue place countrey both of the sycke man and of his two susters Mary and Martha Uerely this Mary was she which wyth a notable record of loue towardes our sauiour Christ had annoynted hys hed as he sate at meate wyth a right preciouse oyntment with her heare had wyped hys feete whyche she had washed with the very teares that ranne downe from her eyen By reason wherof
this gospell Bicause our lord had sayde before to Peter that whether he went he could not folowe now but he shuld folow afterward lest y â— other disciples shuld thinke that this promisse was giuen only to Peter our sauiour now to coÌ„fort them sayth Be not troubled but beleue stedfastly In my fathers house be many mansions that is the selfe same Region shal receiue you that shal receiue Peter For there is greate plentie there of mansions and ye shall not nede to say that it is necessary that they were made redy for you albeit if I go prepare you a place yet wil I com againe take you with me Here my frendes ye wol aske how can Christ go prepare vs a place sith there be alredy many maÌ„sions in heuen Saint Austin answereth to this doubt in this wise Trouth it is that there be many maÌ„sions but they be not yet as they are to be prepared For the self same mansions which Christ prepared before in predestinating he prepareth now in working In predestinatioÌ„ therfore they be alredy Els he wold haue said I wil go and prepare that is I wil predestinate but bicause they be not yet in operation he said If I go prepare you a place And surely he now prepareth maÌ„sions by preparing tenantes for the mansions For where he saith in my fathers house be many mansions what thinke we is the house of God but the teÌ„ple of god of which the apostle saith The temple of god is holy which temple be you This house of god therfore is yet in building is yet in preparinge But what is that whiche to prepare he goeth away if he prepare our selfes whiche how can he do if he leaue vs Surely sayeth this holy Doctour he meaneth this that to the preparinge of these mansions the rightuouse man ought to lyue by feythe But if he shuld see it were no feith Christ therfore goeth awey that he may not be seen he withdraweth himself froÌ„ vs that he may be beleued For then is a place prepared for vs if we liue by feith This is the wey that our sauiour Christe here speaketh of Yea Christ himselfe if we beleue in him is the very wey for vs to heuen he is y â— trouth he is the life Let vs not then be troubled good people in our hartes For he that is the way wil not surely leade vs a wilsom wey if we stik vnto him neither will he deceiue vs and put vs in foles paradise sith he is the selfe trouth neither yet wol he leaue vs in the erroure of death sith he is the self life And therfore Christ sayeth further that no man can come to the father but by him he sayth that he that knoweth him knoweth also the father forasmoche as the father and he be one Yea sayth Christ ye that be my disciples do also know my father and ye haue seen him Undoutedly my freendes the disciples of Christe sawe god the father after a certayne maner in Christe commaundynge the wyndes and the sees commauÌ„ding deuilles driuinge out diseases wyth a worde were they neuer so incurable raisinge wyth a worde the deade to life agayn Howbeit y â— noueltie of Christes wordes dyd sumwhat trouble the Apostle Philip whose memory togyther wyth hys felowe saynte Iacob the churche doth thys daye solemnize as it troubled also the reste of the Apostles Wherfore saynt Philip more gready than the other to learne desyreth Christ to shew to them the father and they shuld be satisfied But what saith Christ to them agayn Haue I been so long with you do ye not yet know me Philip he y â— seeth me seeth also the father Surely if the father of heauen shulde haue spoken vnto his Apostles he shuld haue spoken none other thing thaÌ„ that Christ spake if the father shuld haue wrought he shuld haue wrought the same y â— Christe did worke The same mind is in them both the same wyll â–ª the same power and nature If we beleue this though the corporall presence of Christe as he was here coÌ„uersant amongê his disciples be taken from vs yet we shal se him absent moch better w t the eyen of feith then y â— misbeleuing Iues saw him presently with their fleshly eyen Thus dyd these two holy Apostles Philip Iacob see him after he was ascended vp to his father therfore the thingê that they saw y â— father worke by him the same by him did they bicause they cleaued fast vnto hym by feith charitie Yea Christ vttred also more clearely the power of his godhed after he w tdrew his corporal presence from them Insomoch whosoeuer ioyneth himselfe to Christ by y â— EuaÌ„gelical feith shal by Christ worke also as great thinges yea or greater thaÌ„ Christe him self did worke whaÌ„ so euer the glorie of god shal require a miracle The Apostles therfore healed disea ses euen with their shadowes they conuerted to the feith not a fewe persons as Christ did when he was here in earth but hole nations but yet they did this by Chryste or rather Chryste dyd these thinges in them Lette vs then haue in vs this stronge feith and this brenning charitie and than wythout fayle what so euer we shal desyre in Christes name he woll perfourme it To whom with the father and holy ghoste be rendred thankes and praysynges for euer and euer Amen ¶ On saint Ihon Baptistes day Gospell Luc. j. ELizabethes time was fulfilled that she shuld be deliuered and she brought forth a son And her neighbours cousins herd how the lord had shewed his great mercie vpon her they reioysed with her And it fortuned the eight daye they cam to circuÌ„cise the childe called him Zacharie by the name of his father And his mother answered sayd not so but he shal be called IhoÌ„ And they said vnto her There is none in thy kinred that is named by this name And they made signes to his father how he wolde haue him called And he asked for writing tables wrote sayng Ihon is his name And they al merueled and forth w t his mouth was opened his tong and he spake blessing god And feare can vpon all theire neighbours And in all the hylly countrey of Iewry were al these wordes spred abrode al they that herd them did put them in theyr harte sayeng What maner child shal this be And the lordes haÌ„d was with him And Zachary his father was fylled with the holy ghost prophecied sayeng Blessed be the lord god of Israel for he hath visited and made redemption to his people A sermon vpon this Gospell GOod people the church this day doth soleÌ„nize the birth of saint Ihon Baptist whoÌ„ god had ordeyned to be a messanger to make ready the waye against the coÌ„ming of our sauiour Christ. This holy prophetes mother named Elizabeth was thought to haue bene baren But it
saynt Austine Christe here meaneth that they woll hate hym in hys disciples and true folowers they woll persecute him in them and wol not folowe nor kepe their worde bicause it is his worde Wherfore sayth thys holy doctoure so moche the more wretched be they whiche do these thinges forbicause of this name as they be the more blessed whyche suffre these thinges for this names sake Howbeit the euil do these thinges to the euyl but both be wretched aswell the doers as the suffrers And why wol they do these thinges in spite of Christes name Ueryly saith Christ bicause they haue not knowne god the father of heuen whyche sente me For if they had knowne God thâ— father which sent Christ they shuld haue known Christ to haue preached by the coÌ„maundement and authoritie of hys father a farre other iustice then was preached or practysed of the world If Chryste had not comme and spoken to the worlde it shulde haue had no synne It is the preachinge of the gospell veryly that discloseth all vngodlynes and the vnrightuousnes of the worlde and whiche also setteth open the iustice of god Lette vs not then my freendes be ashamed of the gospell of Chryste For as the Apostle sayeth it is the power of God to the helth and saluatioÌ„ of al that beleueth For the rightuousnes of God is by it opened out of feyth into feyth Now therfore sith the gospel is preached vnto vs whyche discloseth synne we haue no excuse no clooke to hyde our synne wyth We know god and yet we do not glorifie ne worship him as god we be not thankfull vnto hym for the great inestimable benefites which from time to time we haue receiued at his handes We be called by the ministres of his holy word but we wol giue no eare We be tawght and we wil not attende Wherfore it is moche to be feared that like as we haue not regarded to knowe god so god wil giue vs vp into a disalowed minde If a maÌ„ wold hate him that he knew not he might peraduenture seme worthy of pardon and forgiuenes bycause he can not finde in his harte to fauour him whom he neuer sawe But we haue sene Christ and haue harde him thoughe not personally as the Iues sawe him and hard him yet by the preachyng of the gospell we knowe his power and ryghtuousnes and we espye our infirmitie and vnrightuousnes I say in his worde we se him and heare him as wel and as perfectly as the Iues did We haue seen his great benefites we haue hard of his wonderful dedes yet I feare lest there be many worldly persons amonges vs which do hate Christ hys word in very dede thoughe they pretende neuer so muche to loue hym and they hate hym and his worde euen for the same thinges for whiche they ought to loue him and the preachers of his word For in that they hate the preachers of his worde they hate his word and in that they hate his worde they hate hym And verily who so euer hateth Christ and hys preachers or his word doth hate also in very dede god the father by whose authoritie and speciall coÌ„maundemeÌ„t al is doon Wherfore thys very thynge doth heape damnation vpoÌ„ such worldly persons bycause they abuse so lewdly and so stubbernly the offred open goodnes of God If Christ by the preachyng of his mooste holy worde had not vttered amonges them suche miracles and wonders as none of all the prophetes euer vttered whether we woll consider the greatnes or the multitude of them they shulde not haue been in daunger of so heynouse a synne But nowe haue they both herde and seen the trouth and the more they haue herde seen the more they haue hated both it and the preachers therof So that the saynge of God by his prophete is in them fulfylled where it is written they haue hated me wythout cause It might be borne yf one did hate one beinge sturred and prouoked by displeasure and vnkyndnes shewed vnto him to hate him It myght be perdoned yf a maÌ„ wold hate one he knewe not but how can it be borne that one shulde hate hym whom he knoweth and which studyeth to do him all the good he can for hys sauegarde and soule health In thys sort did our sauiour Christ eoÌ„forte his Apostles and by them vs all to suffre tribulation and hatred for hys sake Let vs then folowe them and namely the blessed Apostles Simon and Iude whose memorye we do thys daye celebrate whiche had experience of these counfortes in their crosse whiche they bare for Christes sake neyther wolde they suffre themselfes to be plucked awey from the trouth of Gods worde for al the hatred malice and trouble that the worlde could practise against them If by their exemple we do the same we shal vndoubtedly with theÌ„ be crowned eternally by Iesus Christ our Lorde whiche togither with the father and holy ghost is world with out ende to be praysed Amen ¶ On all halowe daye The Gospell Mat. v. WHen Iesus saw the people he went vp into a montaigne and when he was sette hys disciples cam to him after he had opened his mouthe he taught them sayeng Blessed are the poore in spirite for theirs is the kingdom of heauen Blessed be they that mourne for they shal be couÌ„forted Blessed be the meke for they shall inherite the erthe Blessed be they that hungre and thyrst after ryghtuousnes for they shal be satisfyed Blessed be the pytifull for they shal be pytied Blessed be the pure in harte for they shall se God Blessed be the peace makers for they shal be called the chyldren of God Blessed be they that be persecuted for ryghtuousnes for theirs is the kyngdom of heauen Blessed be ye when they shal â—euile and persecute you and speake euery euil worde agaynst you makyng lyes bycause of me Be glad reioyse for much is your reward in heuen The sermon vpon this Gospell THis daye good people is called all halowe daye is instituted of the Church of Christ that there myght be some certayne tyme to celebrate the memorye of all holy persones or sayntes whiche in this life liued a godly and perfecte life and therfore do nowe enioye eternall blysse in heauen accordyng as in this Gospell is promised vnto them and vnto vs al which wol do the same by our sauiour Christ. Let vs then se what thys Gospel speaketh Ye shall therfore vnderstande that our Sauiour Christ Iesus when he was walkyng here in earthe amonges vs and espyed the people more and more to gather about him of al sortes of meÌ„ he withdrew hym selfe as it were froÌ„ a low place and goyng vp to an high hylle beganne there to sette abroche hys heauenly doctrine declarynge by the very heigth of the place that he wolde teache no low ne coÌ„mon thyng but al highe and heuenly thynges His disciples whom he had specially
Babylon Ieconias begat Salathiel Salathiel begat Zorobabel Zorobabel begat Abiud Abiud begat Eliachun Eliachim begat Azor. Azor begatte Sadoc Sadoc begat Achin Achin begatte Eliud Eliud begatte Eleazar Eleazar begatte Matthan Matthan begat Iacob Iacob begatte Ioseph the husbande of Mary of whoÌ„ was borne Iesus which is called Christe The sermon vpon this Gospel IN this gospel good people many thinges are to be considered First how that our sauiour Christ the sonne of god wold for the greate loue he bare to mankinde be borne the soÌ„ne of Dauid that is wold take maÌ„s nature vpon hym to succour and help vs which were in flesh condeÌ„ned to pourge our spotted and synful byrth And verily this is the final intent of Christê incarnatioÌ„ as it is wel declared in the epistle to the Hebrues where it is writen that forasmoch as the sonne of god vouchsaued to call godly persones his brethren sayng by the prophet Dauid I will declare thy name to my brethren and otherwhiles also he calleth them the children as in Esay Lo here am I the children whom god hath giuen me and bicause these children and these his brethreÌ„ be men made of fleshe and bloude it pleased hym to be parttaker of the same wyth theÌ„ that by his death he might wipe out him whiche had lordshippe ouer death that is to say the deuyl and deliuer theÌ„ which through feare of death were al their life time subdued vnto bondage For he toke not vpon him angels but the sede of Abraham Wherfore in al thinges it becam hym to be made like to hys brethren that he might be merciful a feithful high prest in thinges towchinge God to thintent to pourge the synnes of the people Now wheras Christ is called here the soÌ„ne of Dauid ye must vnderstand it that he desceÌ„deth lineally from Dauid according to the flesh as saint Paul declareth in the beginning of his epistle to the Romaines lest we ruÌ„ne into y â— errours of certaine heretikê which say that Christe was nothynge elles but a maÌ„ not the son of God but merely the soÌ„ne of Dauid Which errour Christ himself discussed where he propowned this question to the pharisees What thynke ye of Christe whose sonne is he â–ª And when they answered the soÌ„ne of Dauid he asked them why thaÌ„ did Dauid in spirite cal him lord sayng the lord said to my lord syt on my right haÌ„de Meaning hereby that Christe was aboue Dauid not only a man but also god So that ye muste vnderstand him to be the soÌ„ne or issue of Dauid according to the flesh and not accordinge to his godhed And ye shal also marke that he is called the soÌ„ne of Dauid after the maner of speaking of the Hebrues bycause he cam of the ryght line of Dauyd For the Hebrues do calle al lineal nephues nieces be they neuer so long of sonnes and daughters Uerely the hole petigrue of Christe is here so drawen and conueyed from his auncestours that they only be put which were ê‘ttakers of y â— promise which was made of Christ. Ye must therfore marke two maner lines of men whiche beinge well marked doth discerne of whom Christ wold be borne and was borne For albeit the promise of Chryste was made to Adam yet from Cain his soÌ„ne the petigrue of Christ is not coÌ„ueyed So that one line there is whyche deriueth Christê petigree from the meÌ„bres of the true church that is to wite froÌ„ the holy fathers which were parttakers of y e ê“mise And an other line there is which coÌ„teyneth the childreÌ„ that grew out of kinde not folowing their fathers steppes therfor no ê‘ttakers of the ê“mise which two lines if ye diligently marke through out the old testament ye shal se that Christ proceded of the feithful stocke not of that whiche grew out of kinde as Cain Esau and their ofspring were And verily it becam Christ the hed of y e church to come of the membres of the true churche Seconde ye shall vnderstande that oure Sauiour Christ wolde be borne accordinge to the fleshe of the royal bloude of kinges to declare that he shuld be a kynge no worldly kynge but a spirituall kynge for the rulyng and guyding of mens consciencies And forasmuch as kinges were also annointed after the maner of prestes therfore Christ also wold be borne of kinges to shew himselfe an annoynted king that is to say both a king and a prest a king to rule and defende a prest to make intercession and prayer for vs accordyng as saynt Paule sayth of him Which also maketh intercessioÌ„ for vs. And the prophet â—ieremie sayth He shall do the office of a kinge and capitayne But for the eschuing of errours ye muste know that Dauid whose sonne Christ is according to the fleshe administred here hys kyngdome in the erth and therfore it is not to be thought that after that Christ is nowe ascended vp to heuen he exerciseth nomore hys kyngly officies but that he sytteth ydelly in heuen leauyng behind him hys deputie or vicare in erth the bishop of Rome Uerily Christes kingdom is perpetuall and so is his presthode according to the sayng of the prophet Tu es sacerdoâ— inaeternum secuÌ„dum ordinem Melchisedec Thou art an euerlastinge prest accordynge to the order of Melchisedec Thirdly ye shall vnderstande that albeit Christe and also our Ladye hys mother whose memory we solemnize this day Ioseph her husband cam of the right blessed line or stocke and not of the croked cursed lyne as I haue aforedeclared yet many of the persons aswel men as womâ— of this blessed stocke were synners and therfore here in their genealogie is mencion made also of synfull personnes For who were so wicked as kynge Manasses and his sonne Amon whiche be here rekened in Christes petigree Iudas also coÌ„mitted fornication with Thamar Salmon maryed Raab an harlot What shall I speake of Bethsabea wyth whom king Dauid coÌ„mitted greuouse aduowtrie And yet of this Bethsabea whiche was the wyfe of Urie dyd king Dauid begette SalomoÌ„ So that if a maÌ„ wol throughly consider the thinge he shall fynde almost more euell men then good amoÌ„ges the auncestours of Christ and all the women whiche be here named be none of the holy women as saynt Hierom sayth but suche as the scripture disproueth What other thinge meaneth thys but that the holy ghost wolde signifie that like as Christ cam of synners so he also cam into this world for sinners He wold be borne sayeth thys noble clerc saynt Hierom of synners y t he myght wipe awey the synnes of all Yea Christ hymselfe sayeth that he cam not to calle the rightuouse but synners to repentauÌ„ce If then he cam for synners why shuldest thou o maÌ„ despaire for cause of thy synnes Nay rather take harte vnto the and repent For then shal the grace and fauour of Christ be powred more
pleÌ„tifully vpoÌ„ the in that thou hast the more offended according to the sentence of saint Paule Furthermore we may lerne also here a moderatioÌ„ of mynd and demurenes that we hitte noman in the teeth of his auncestours or kynsfolke For yf our Sauiour Christ had amonges his auncestours very tyrantes harlottes wicked ê‘sonnes who is he that hath not amonges hys auncestours and kinsfolke both good and badde Fourthly ye shall marke that saynt Mattheu here doth calle Ioseph the husband of Marie so that it is certaine that betwene Ioseph and Marye was a iust lawfull matrimonie vnder which not without a singuler cause Christ wold be borne to shewe that matrimonie is the state whiche pleaseth God and on the other side to liue in aduowtrye and fornication is a kynoe of life abominable afore God and man Of a virgine verily Christ wolde be borne but yet vnder lawfull wedlocke A virgine to hys mother becam hym that was God but in that she was maryed is setforth vnto vs the coÌ„mendation of wedlocke Uirginitie I say becam her which by secrete inspiratioÌ„ of the holy ghost being herselfe pure and vndefiled conceiued and brought forth him which was moost pure cleane but yet Ioseph was oure blessed Ladies husbande Doth not thys thynge then setforth vnto vs the honour of matrimonie and condemne these wicked heretiques which say that matrimonie is a thynge fylthy vnpure of whom saynt Paule speaketh callynge them spirites of errours and deuelish teachers For if Christ had wolde he myght haue been borne before Marye his mother was betrowthed to Ioseph If matrimonie also were a fowle thing and discoÌ„mended of god as some heretikes haue said why went our Sauiour Christ to a wedding wrought there the first miracle that euer he did by turnyng water into wyne So y e thoughe virginitie be a highe thyng mete for such as be of high ê‘fection yet matrimonie is an honest state Last of all thys Gospell doth condemne those heretikes which denye y t Christ toke fleshe of the blessed virgine say either that he brought a spiritual flesh with him from heuen or that the word so was made fleshe that Christ is only of one nature not of two natures For thys heresie hathe been longe sithens condemned of Christes churche And euen with one text in this gospel it is ouerthrowne where it is said that Iacob begatte Ioseph the husband of Marie of whom was borne Iesus whiche is called Christ. If of Marye Christe was borne then it must nedes folow that he toke flesh of her The Gospel of Luke also proueth the same where the angel sayth to Ma rye Thou shalt conceiue in thy wombe and beare a childe And Elizabeth saith to our Lady Blessed is the frute of thy wombe But howe can she conceyue Christ or howe can Christe be called the frute of her wombe yf he toke no parte of her Finally Paule is playne in this mater which sayeth that Christe was borne of the sede of Dauid concernynge the fleshe What caÌ„ be spokeÌ„ more plainly So ye se according also to the flesh the great nobilitie of Christes bloud For he wold be not only according to the spirite but also according to the flesh the noblest of al meÌ„ Accor ding to the spirite he desceÌ„ded froÌ„ god hys father w t out begynning so that he is the eternal sonne of the eternal god What is higher thaÌ„ this nobilitie And as to the fleshe he is descended of most holy patriarches moost myghty Kinges and Dukes In al the worlde was neuer founde lignage kynred ne house of more nobilitie then this lignage was wherof our Sauiour Christ descended accordinge to the fleshe But his spirituall lignage is without coÌ„parison This haue I therfor set out that ChristeÌ„ men shuld knowe their owne nobilitie For they that beleue in Christe be made by feith the brethren ioyntheires with Christe accordinge to the text before rehersed where Christ sayth I wil shew thy name to my brethren And in an other place he sayth These be my brethren which heare the word of god do it Saint Paul also sayth The spirite witnesseth togither w e our spirite that we be the sonnes of god if sonnes ergo heires heires of God and felawe heires wyth Christ. Nowe also with Christ we be made by feyth one bodye that we maye be his membres What is lefte then but that also we be made parttakers of Christes nobilitie And therfor we be called Christians which by interpretation signifie kingly that is to say of a kinges house and nobilitie by Christ our king But wherfore is this so greate nobilitie to be taken of vs for vayn glorye to despice our neighbour No truely For as Christe the nobler he was both in spirite and also in flesh the huÌ„bler and â—owlyer he made himselfe So let vs also folow Christê exemple and the more noble we be made by Christ so moch let vs beare our selfes y â— more lowly Nowbeit otherwhiles it is not only lawfull but also necessarie to loke alofte and beare our selfes hyghe of our nobilitie not against men but agaynst Satan For it is a great villany and shame for a noble personage to subiect himself to vile seruices For what be more vile or fylthy occupations then the workes of the deuyl which be synnes Here then let vs loke on high in Christ and be ashamed for our nobilitie sake to huÌ„ble our selfes to the fylth of synnes Now ye haue the lignage of Christ according to the fleshe and the nobilitie of him and of al Christians It remayneth therfore y t we also shulde knowlege Christ by feith and garnishe our nobilitie wyth good workes by Iesus Christ our lorde which togither wyth the father holy ghost be praised foreuer Amen ¶ On saynt Thomas day the Apostle The Gospell Ihon. xx THomas one of the twelue called Didymê° was not with them wheÌ„ Iesus cam The other disciples therfore sayde vnto hym We haue seen the lord But he said vnto them Except I se in his handes the printe of the nayles and put my fynger into the prynte of the nayles and thurst my handes into hys syde I wyl not beleue And after viij dayes againe his disciples were within and Thomas with them Iesus commeth the doores beyng shutte and stode in the middes said Peace be with you After that said he to Thomas Bringe thy fynger hither and beholde my handes and reach hither thy hand and thurst it into my side and be not vnfeithful but feithful Thomas answered and said vnto him My lorde and my god Iesus saith vnto him Thomas bycause thou hast seen me thou hast beleued blessed are they which haue not seen and yet haue beleued The sermon vpon this Gospell THis Gospell deare frendes declareth vnto vs the historie of saynt Thomas howe he wolde not beleue Christes resurrection til he had seen him and felt him
with his haÌ„des For as the historie telleth Christe had appeared to the rest of hys felawes when he was awey and when they shewed him of it with one hole voice and consent yet he said he wold not beleue it tyl he had sene the prynte of the nayles in Christes handes and felte his woundes Uerely as saint Gregory saith this was not done by casualtie y e saynt Thomas the chosen disciple of Christ was not then present For the high clemencie of god wrought this thinge y e the doubtyng disciple whyle in his maister he gropeth the woundes of the fleshe might heale in vs the wouÌ„des of infidelitie For the infidelitie of saynte Thomas profyted more to the Christen feith then did the feith of the beleuing disciples For while he by gropyng is brought againe to the feith our mynde is all doubt set apart stablished in the feith Thre thynges then are here to be considered in thys historie First the hardnes of belefe in saynt Thomas whiche albeit he was one of the electe disciples of Christe and longe conuersant wyth hym and continually instructed of his risyng againe yet he doubteth Seconde the goodnes and tendre mercie of Christ which wolde not thus leaue him Thyrdly the constancie of thys blessed Apostle in the feith ouer after euen til his lifes ende It was doubtles a very grosse infidelitie and hardnes of be leue in saint Thomas that after so longe coÌ„paning with our Sauiour Christ and hearynge him oftentimes afore his passion say he shuld rise agayne yet he wolde not beleue his resurrection nâ— not wheÌ„ his felawes so coÌ„stantly had shewed hym how they saw him wyth their eyen what he said vnto them Hys felawes verily were grosse til they had receyued the holy ghost for they wold skant beleue his resurrection til they had seen him But saynt Thomas was grosser thaÌ„ they all For he said he wold not beleue y â— resurrectioÌ„ tyl he had seen the prynt of the nayles in Christes haÌ„des yet this was not ynough to make him beleue but he wolde also fele hys wouÌ„des with his owne handes And here we haue a lyuely image of the nature disposition of the fleshe For the flesh can not be brought to beleue but by sensible signes tokens Neither was thys carnalitie in Thomas only but it is in al meÌ„ for we be made of one mowld and god hath coÌ„cluded all meÌ„ vnder infidelitie that he might haue mercie of all Consider therfore the tender mercie of our lorde howe for one of his disciples sake he shewed himselfe hauing woundes he dyd it not forthwyth but after viii daies to the intent he being amoÌ„ges his felawes certified of theÌ„ might be kyndled vnto a greater desire and that he might be made the more feithfull in tyme coÌ„myng Our Sauiour Christe therfore eight daies after he had appeared to his felawes caÌ„ where as they were gathered togither Thomas with them He entred in vnto them the dores being shutte wyth hys accustomed salutation greteth them sayng Peace be amonges you And forthwyth turnyng hymselfe to Thomas whose infidelitie could not be hidde from him whiche bicause he ê‘ceiued proceded not of malice but of weaknes he vouch saued to heale He had him behold his haÌ„des and grope his side Thomas according as Christ had bidde him beheld the print of the nailes and thurst his hand into his side And forthwyth wyth an exclamation cryed my lorde my God Thus from a grosse and stubburne infidelitie was he brought to a fast and constant feith So Paule at the beginning was a very fierce persecutour of y â— church but afterward he becaÌ„ a right feithful Apostle and teacher of the people For these wonderful iugementes of god be for this cause described forth vnto vs that we shuld lerne to knowe the exceding goodnes of god which turneth euil into good My lord and my god sayth saint Thomas Uerily he y t confesseth god to be his god hath renouÌ„ ced al y e be his possessed those y e be gods The erth is the lordê al that is therin We be the lordes the lord is ours Wherfor al the goodes of god be ours through feyth in oure sauioure Iesu Christe This high confession of saint Thomas truly our sauiour commended but yet he suÌ„what towched him for his hardnes of beleue saing Thomas bicause thou hast seen me thou hast beleued blessed are they y â— haue not seen and yet haue beleued Saint Thomas saw one thing beleued an other he saw maÌ„ confessed god He saw Christ in flesh he felt him after his resurrection which was a great furtheraÌ„ce to his feith But blessed be they y t neuer saw Christ in flesh yet haue beleued on him Certainly this kynd of people be we Gentils as many of vs as reteyne Christ in mynde whoÌ„ we haue not seen in flesh as writeth saint Gregorie if so be yet that we folow prosecute our feith with good workes For that ê‘sone doth truly vnfeynedly beleue which practizeth in working y e thing that he beleueth Such a true ernest beleuer was this blessed man saynt Thomas Let vs then take exemple of him that we may haue the rewarde that he hath euerlastinge ioy by Christe oure lorde who be praysed for euer Amen ¶ On candelmas day otherwise called the purification of our Lady Gospell Luc. ii WHen the dayes of purification were come according the lawe of moyses they brought Iesus to Hierusalem to present him to the lord accordinge as it is wrytten in the lordes lawe that euery male opening matrice shal be called holy to the lord to giue in sacrifice according to that is said in the lordes law a payre of turtyl doues or two yong pygions And behold there was a man in Hierusalem named Simeon and this maÌ„ was iust deuout awayting for the comfort of Israell the holy goste was vpon him And he had receyued an answere of the holy ghoste that he shuld not se death before he saw the lordes Christ. And he cam by the holy gost into the temple And while the father mother were bringing in the childe Iesus that they shuld do accordinge to the vse of the lawe for him he also toke him in his armes blessed god and said Lord now lettest thou thy seruaÌ„t depart according to thy word in peace For myne eyen haue seen the sauiour sente from the whom thou haste prepared before the face of al peoples a light for the reuelation of y e Gentils and a glory of thy people Israel A sermon vpon this Gospell WHen the purification daye was comme good people that is to wite the. xlij daye from the birth of our sauiour Christ at which day y e old law of Moses coÌ„maunded y â— if it were a man chyld that was born it shuld be presented to the lorde
wyse I am the true vine my father is the husbandmam As who shulde say I am as it were the roote or stocke of the vine you are my meÌ„bres and as who shulde say the bowghes growyng out of the stocke My father of heueÌ„ hath plaÌ„ted me for he it is only that begatte me From him therfore as it were from the husbandmaÌ„ is the stocke come but you be come of the stocke that is to witte of me To the father as to the fountaigne and hed springe redoundeth the thanke of the hole benefite whiche what soeuer he giueth and bestoweth vpon you he giueth through me and his holy spirite The sappe and iuise of the stocke which giueth also to the brauÌ„ ches lyfe and power of bearynge of frute is the spirite whiche is coÌ„mon to the father and to me Thys spirite both knytteth me to the father and also coâ—pleth you to me Euery brauÌ„ch therfore which cleauyng to me and liuynge by my spirite shall brynge forth frute accordyngly hym woll my father purge cuttyng of froÌ„ him the superfluouse voyde lustes to thintent he may bryng forth more pleÌ„teouse also more gentle frute But on the other side he y â— clea ueth vnto me by the outward name of a christeÌ„ persoÌ„ or by an outward profession of feith wheras in dede he bringeth forth no frute of the christeÌ„ charitie this person wol my father cutte of froÌ„ the vine as an vn profitable voyde meÌ„bre of the same For in vayne is he in the vine which hath no frute but leaues only y â— is to say he is a vayne no true christen person which bosteth himselfe of y â— christeÌ„ feith expresseth not the same w t good workê mete for a christen man Now saith Christ ye be cleane for the worde that I haue spokeÌ„ vnto you Suerly deare freÌ„des we are purged and made cleane by Gods worde wherunto we haue giuen feith but we are styll to be purged to thintent we may yet bring forth more pleÌ„tiful frute For who is he as sayth saynte Augustine so cleane in this life which is not yet more more to be made cleane Christe therfore cleaÌ„seth those that be cleane that they maye be yet more frutefull But why saith he not ye be cleane by baptisme Uerely sayth thys holy doctour bicause in the water also it is the word that cleanseth For plucke awey the word and what is the water but water But let the worde come to the water and so is made a sacrament Let vs than take hede that we abide in Christ that he also maye worke in vs hangynge vpon hym For lyke as the braunche yf it be plucked from the vine can bringe forth no frute no more can we bryng forth the frute of any good worke onles we cleaue to Christe by feith and charitie from whens coÌ„meth whatsoeuer maketh to the true and euerlastyng helth I say let vs loke that we be continually knitte and ioyned to Christ as we haue exemple of thys holy man whose memoriall we halowe this daye whiche was an vndoubted liuely braunche of thys vine and brought forth in the sighte of the worlde moost pleasant and acceptable frute to god He remained â—nyt to Christ and therfore Christe was ioyned to hym wherby he both wanne euerlastinge saluation to himselfe and procured vnto god for whose sake he did al thinges glorie amoÌ„ges men For without Christ as Christe him selfe here saith vndoubtedly we caÌ„ do nothing Surely yf any braunche by hys owne fault plucke hymselfe awey from the true vine not only he bringeth forth no frute but as an vnprofitable bowghe being cutte of wyth the knyfe wythereth awey and anon after is gathered w t the other baren bowghes thrown into the fyer to be burned and thus being destitute and voide of the liuely moysture spirite of Christ he dyeth in the mynde thoughe he yet liue in bodye and after this life being seperated pared awey from the vine without recouerie he is cast in to euerlastynge fyer alweys there to brenne for hys punishement bycause he wolde not styll remayne in the vine as a good brauÌ„ch hereafter to haue brought forth and inioyed the frute of euerlastyng ioye And verely we shal abide in Christ if so be that his wordes be beleued of vs if the thinges that we haue be leued we kepe styl in mynd fulfyl the same in our dedes If we do thys there be no worldly stormes that we nede to feare for Christe shal be with vs the father of heauen shal be w t vs the holy goost shal be with vs what thinge so euer we shal aske we shal w tout doubt obteine it For as Austine saith if Chri stes wordes remayne fresh in our mouthes or in our memories be not founde in our life y â— is yf we liue not according to the gospel we be not couÌ„ted as braÌ„ ches in the vine bicause we drawe not life out of the roâ—e Let vs thaÌ„ good people be right braunches of this vine and bringe forth worthy frute to thintent we may remayne in Christ in this world and in the nexte inherite the euerlastynge ioye by Christe oure Lorde To whom with the father and holy ghost be prayse and glorie euerlastyngly Amen ¶ On Philip and Iacobs day The Gospell Ihon. xiiij IEsus sayd to his disciples Let not your hart be troubled Beleue in god and beleue in me In the house of my father be many dwellingê If it were not so I wold say vnto you I go to make ready a place for you if I go to make ready for you I wil com again take you to my self that where I am ye also may be And whether I go ye know the way ye knowe Thomas sayth to hym Lord we knowe not whither thou goest how can we know the way Ie sus saith to him I am the way and the trouth the life None coÌ„meth to y â— father but by me If ye knew me ye shuld know my father also And now ye know him ye haue sene him Philip saith to him Lorde shew vs the father we haue inoughe Iesus sayth to him So long time am I with you haue ye not knowne me Philip he that hath sene me hath sene the father how sayst thou shew vs the father Be leuest not that I am in y â— father the father in me The wordes that I speake to you I speake not of my self But y â— father which dwelleth in me he doth the dedes Beleue me that I am in the father the father is in me Els for y â— selfe dedes beleue me Ueryly verily I saye vnto you he that beleueth in me the workes that I do he shal also do greater also then these shal he do bicause I go to my father and whatsoeuer ye shal aske in my name that wil I do The sermon vpon
of Malachie other some say y u art Hierimie bycause he bare the figure of Christ and bycause vpon him it was said Lo I haue coÌ„stituted the this day ouer peoples kynges that thou shuldest plucke vp disseuer build and plante which thingê in very dede were to be accoÌ„plished in Christ. Iesus hearing this to thintent he wold wrynge out yet a more certaine and hygher coÌ„fession of his disci ples who ought best to haue knowne him asked theÌ„ saynge But who saye you that I am Then saynte Peter made answere for him his felowes for of al them was the question asked and sayd Thou arte Christ the son of the lyuinge god Iesus answered Blessed art thou Simon the son of Iona for flesh bloud hath not opened this vnto the but my heueÌ„ly father And I saye agayne to the thou art Peter or Cephas in the Hebrue that is to say a rocke vpon this rocke shall I buyld my churche that is to saye vpon this rocke of thy confession I shall buylde my church For this coÌ„fession conteineth the suÌ„me of the christeÌ„ feith accordyng to the Apostle Paule sayng If thou confesse wyth thy mouth our lorde Iesus with thy hart beleue that god raysed hâ—â— froÌ„ death to life thou shalt be saued So the christeÌ„ church is buylt not vpoÌ„ the person of Peter but vpoÌ„ the feith as Chrysostome sayth And this is the confession of feith Thou art Christ the sonne of the lyuyng god Wherfore Peter as saint Augustine affirmeth doth here represeÌ„t the hole church to whoÌ„ the keyes were deliuered For yf we wold say the church were buylt vpoÌ„ the person of Peter we shuld put an other fouÌ„dation of the church then Christ whiche is agaynst Paul For he sayth none may put any other fundation but that which is put alredy Christe Iesu. For men wylling to be buylt vpon men sayde I hold of Paule I holde of Apollo another sayde I holde of Cephas which is Peter But other which wold not be built vpoÌ„ Peter but vpoÌ„ the rocke said I hold of Christ. Wherfore sayth Erasmus I do muche meruaile of some which do wrest this text to the byshop of Rome sith it is ment not vpon hym but vpon all Christen persons which thynge Origen the auncient Doctour doth excellently declare saing If therfore we in lyke wyse by the reuelynge of the father which is in heuen for in heuen is our conuersation woll coÌ„fesse that Iesus Christ is the sonne of the lyuyng god it shal be also said vnto vs. Thou art Pe ter c. For euery one that is a folower of Christ is a Peter that is to say a rocke But there be some men which can be contented with nothing onles it be vn measurable Christe therfore did cal him Peter that is to saye a sure stone or rocke whiche wauereth not hither thither wyth â—ondry opinions vpon thys rock of thy coÌ„fession saith Christ woll I buylde my church y t is to wit my house palace whiche I wyl so establishe vpoÌ„ a sure immouable fundatioÌ„ y e no force nor power of the Helly kingdoÌ„ shal be hable to coÌ„quere it The deuyl layth sege to vs w t many engyns he laboureth to brynge agaynste vs the hole rowte of wycked spirites but by Christes helpe his church shall stand let vs only take hede this coÌ„fession remayne wyth vs. The heuenly kingdom is the church the kingdom of the deuil is the world which noman nedeth to be aferde of so he be a Peter And for this thy confession saith Christ I wyl giue the the keyes of the kingdom of heueÌ„ Behold saith Origen how great power the rocke hath vpoÌ„ which Christes churche is buylt that also her iugementes shall remayne sure euen as God him selfe iugynge by the same Let him therfore be faultles which shal bynde or lose an other that he maye be founde worthy to bynde and to louse in heuen And that Christ gaue this authoritie aswel to other as to the person of Peter it is very playne by other places of scripture and namely in the. xx chapter of Ihon where the euening after his resurrection he sayd to all his disciples As my father hath sent me so I send you And after he had so said he breathed vpoÌ„ theÌ„ sayng Whose synnes so euer ye shall forgiue be forgiuen and whose synnes ye shal retayne be reteyned And in like maner before his death he sayde to them all What so euer ye shal bynd vpon erth shal be bound in heauen and what so euer ye shal louse vpon erth shal be loosed in heueÌ„ Let vs not thaÌ„ attribute that to one which was spokeÌ„ to many Let vs not buyld Christes church vpon the person of any mortall maÌ„ which is to buyld it vpoÌ„ the sande but let vs build it vpon the sure rocke that is to witte vpon the coÌ„fession of feith that these holy Apostles saynt Peter and Paule made preached whose memorie we solemnize this day Let vs confesse with our mouth beleue with our harte that God raised Christe from death to life y â— he is the true Messias Sauiour And no doubt we shall enioy the heueÌ„ly enheritauÌ„ce prepared for vs before the making of the worlde by Christ our lord to whoÌ„ be praise euerlastingly AmeÌ„ ¶ On Mary Magdalens day The Gospell Luc. vij ONe of the pharisees desired Iesus that he wold eate w t hym And being entred into y e pharisees house he sate downe And beholde a womaÌ„ in the citie which was a synner knowing that Iesus sate in y â— pharisees house brought an Alabaster box of ointment standing at his feete behinde weping began to water hys feete w t the teares wyth the heare of her hed she wiped kyssed his feete with the oyntmeÌ„t anoynted them The pharisee seyng this which had called him spake w tin himselfe saynge If thys were a prophete he shulde haue known who what maner person is thys woman which towcheth him for she is a synner Iesus answered said vnto him Simon I haue sumwhat to tel the. He said maister say on A certayne lender had two dettours the one ought fyue huÌ„dreth pens the other fyfty They not hauyng wherw t to make payment he forgaue them both Which of them now tel me wil loue him more Simon answered said I suppose y t he whoÌ„ he forgaue the more suÌ„me He sayd vnto hym Thou haste rightly iuged and turning himself to the womaÌ„ he said to Simon Seest y u thys womaÌ„ I entred into thy house water to my feete y u gaueste me none but this womaÌ„ hath watered my feete w t teares wyth the heares of her hed she hath wiped theÌ„ Kysse y u gauest me none but this womaÌ„ froÌ„ the tyme I entred hath not lefte kyssing of my feete Thou anoyntedst not my hed
w t oyle but this woman hath anoynted my feete w t oyntmēt For which thing I tel the many synnes be forgiuen her bicause she loued moche But he to whōles is forgiuē loueth les And he said to her Thy synnes be forgiuen the. And they y ◠sate at meate with him begāne to say within themselfes who is thys whiche also forgiueth synnes But he said to y ◠womā Thy feith hath saued y ◠go in peace The sermon vpon this Gospel THe gospel red in the church this day good peo ple is right cōfortable to all christē men womē cōteineth a very holsom doctrine For the most part of them which iustifie thēselfes be puffed vp w t a vayne opiniō of godlynes before they haue atteyned to the true iugemēt separatyng thēselfes as lābes frō gootes not vouchesauing ones to be cōuersant in the same house nor yet to eate the same meates with other but abhorring al which be not of like perfection as they thinke thēselfes to be of Saynte Luke therfore a phisiciō more of the soule thā of the bodye sheweth vs here howe Christe our Sauiour most tenderly did visite other He entred therfore in to a pharisees house not so much to take bodily sustenaūce of the pharisee as to giue goostly fode and instructiō to the pharisee to heale him of his vain opiniō wherby he iustified himselfe For lo as he sat at meate w t the pharisee Mary Magdalen for that was her name after the mynde of aunciēt doctours being at y ◠tyme a notable synful woman hearyng y ◠Christ which of his moost tēdre mercy was ready to receiue al synners was there cam moost penitently thither into the house to bewayle her synful life to heare some cōfort of her saluatiō She had already herd of the great miracles y t he did specially howe merciful he was to al repentant synners She therfore moued w t thys fame came wyth great humilitie stāding behind him at his feet wept so plētifully that euen w t the teares whiche fel frō her eyen she washed Christes feet which she wiped agayn not w t any cloth but with the very heare of her heade she thought not this ynough but she also kyssed them anoynted thē w t a very preciouse oyntmēt which she brought w t her The pharisee seinge thys despiceth this dede in his harte reproueth not only the synful womā but also our lorde which suffred her thus to do Sayng w tin him selfe yf thys mā were a prophet doubtles he shulde haue knowne what maner womā this is for she is a notable synner By like yf she had come thus to the pharisees feet he wold violētly haue spurned her awey with his feete And in like maner it is to be feared sayth saynt Gregory y ◠some persōs which be indowed w t the office of presthod yf they haue doon any thing in outward apparaūce iustly anone they despice their vnderlinges haue great skorn indignatiō at al y ◠cōmon sinners in the world Howbeit not only the religious persōs suche as haue diuided thēselfes frō the cōmon sort of people haue been infected w t this vice but also ge nerally euery mā is readier to espye a mote in his bro ther 's eye thā a beame in his owne Thus he despiced y ◠miserable synner which was infected him selfe w t enuye w t presūptiō w t the sicknes of bacbyting sklādering of other was so much y ◠more incurable y ◠he acknowleged not hys disease For it cōmeth cōmonly so to pas y ◠mē be soner cōuerted frō notable open vices as aduowtry ydolatry such like than frō such as cloke thēselfes vnder y ◠colour of holines Our Lorde therfore not hearing the pharisees wor des but espyeng his inward thoughtes answereth him sheweth himselfe to be lorde of the prophetes He asketh y ◠pharisee whē a creditour forgiueth two dettours the one a greater sūme y ◠other a les whether of thē welloue him best He answered he y t hath more forgiuē him Thā said Christe seest y u this woman Thou baddest me home to thy house water to my fete y u gauest me none this woman hath washed thē w t teares dryed thē agayne w t her heare She neuer ceased kyssinge of them syns I came into thy house Yea moreouer she hathe anoynted them w t oyntmēt Wherfore I tel the many synnes be forgiuē her bicause she hath loued much speaking this he turned him to the woman said thy feith hath sa ued the go in peace Oh howe cōfortable is this exemple to all synners Christe came to cal synners to repētance not those that thought thēselfes holy iust So here in the person of the pharisee may very wel be figured the people of the Iues whiche loked for Christ whā he came of presūption they wolde not know him But in Mary Magdalē maye be figured the synful Gentils ▪ whiche vnloked for of thē louingly receiued him Let vs then good people folow thys holy woman and not dispaire thoughe we be neuer so greate synners Only lette vs come to Christ wyth strong feith desire forgiuenes lamentynge and wailynge our offences brastynge out into workes of loue and charitie as she dyd and no doubt we shal be forgiuen as she was and at last en ioye euerlastynge blesse by Christe our Lorde who be praysed Amen ¶ On saint Iames day the Apostle The Gospell Mathew xx THere cam to Iesus the mother of Zebedees sonnes with her sonnes worshypping and demaunding somwhat of him But he sayd vnto her What wilt thou haue She sayth vnto him Saye that these my two sonnes may sitte one on thy right hand one on thy left in thy kingdō Iesus answered sayd Ye wot not what ye aske Can ye drinke the cuppe that I shal drynke They say to him We can He sayeth to them Ueryly my cuppe ye shall drynke But to sytte on my ryght hande and on my left it is not myne to gyue but to them for whom it is prepared of my father A sermon vpon this Gospell FReendes the gospell of this day declareth vnto vs how the mother of saynt Iames and saynte Ihon which were called the sōnes of Zebedee cam to Christ to aske a certayne petition of him Saynt Marke the Euangeliste telleth the tale as though the sonnes themselues asked the peticion And in dede it was theyr petition and sute to Christ but to thintent they myght the soner obteyne it they toke they re mother wyth them and had set her to speake for them as appeareth well by Christes answere This womans name was Salome which by interpretation betokeneth peacefull and truly she begat the children of peace And a great praise of this woman is gathered out of this text as
themselfes be good of nature and theire office is to execute gods busynes and to take charge and cure of vs mortall men They defende and protect I say al good folke from the assaultes and violence of the deuyll they nourish concord peace vertues good studies artes sciencies polecie coÌ„mon welthes discipline shortly to speake mans helth and salfgard That these be the properties and offices of good angells appeareth very playnly by innumerable places of hooly writte wheare the good fathers were holpen and be nefited of them as in the olde testament were Abraham Iacob Loth Tobie the children of Israel being in the wildernes the three children whiche were cast into a hote furnaâ—e Eleas Elizeus and many others In the newe testament saynte Peter whiche was led out of prison by an angel also saint Paule whyche was certifyed of the shypwrake and of saluation and diuerse other But lette vs marke how great their power and vertue is One angell in one night strake all the firstbegotten of the countrie of Egipt One angel in one night strake down the hole armie of Sennacherib as appeareth in the fourthe boke of the kinges One angell in a plage of pestilence destroyed thousandes of men as appeareth in the seconde boke of kinges I let pas the visions of the prophetes Esaye Elie Elizeus Ezechiel Daniel and the rest where the Lorde by hys angells dyd speake and teach thinges whiche were to be done taught Also the reuelacions of saynt Ihon setforth in the boke of the Apocalipse Furthermore when so euer almighty god wold set out any singulare thing to mankind he shewed it afore by his angels as for exemple of Sampson of Iohn Baptist yea and of Christ himself to be borne The angels were present at Christes byrth at his death at hys resurrection and at sundry other tymes Ye shal morouer vnderstand that there be angels and also archaÌ„gels that is to saye chiefe or principall angels and they haue distincte officies and seueral functions wherby god almyghty exerciseth hys wonders The Apostell Paul therfore teacheth that there be powers dominatioÌ„s vertues And according to their officies and properties they haue names as saynte Michaell whose memorie the church doth this day celebrate as Gabriel as Raphael whiche for their high kind of ministration be called Archangels For lyke as a king hath vnder him princes dukes capitans lieutenantes coÌ„stables and other officers to defend men from iniuries to kepe the peace to brydell and punishe â–ª â—auenours and euil disposed persons euen so hath god who is king of kinges his angels vnder him of diuerse officies for mans sauegarde and defense against noysom spirites The angels I say of god whether they be sene or not â–ª sene be alweyes ready and assistent to good personnes and be theyr kepers which thing the ladder that Iacob saw reaching vp to heauen by whiche ladder the angels of god ascended descended doth manifestly declare But here peraduenture ye woll aske thys question why angels do not so often nowe appeare as they did in old tyme To this questioÌ„ the apostle maketh answere in the first chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrues where he sayeth that the lorde in times paste spake to y â— fathers by his angels but to vs he haue spoken by his only begotten sonne whom the father coÌ„maundeth vs to heare whose coÌ„maundementes and teachinges be set forth vnto vs by the foure Euangelistes Mathew Marke Luke Ihon. Howbeit an other cause also why the angels appeare not as often to vs as they did in olde time to the auncient fathers may be very wel forbicause the world is now set all in naughtines men be commonly nothinge so pure so bertuouse nor so deuout as they were in times passed Yet it is manifest playne by Christes own wordes in the gospel of this day that euery good person hath his angel whych beholdeth the face of god the father in heuen Such an angell no doubt had Paule whom he called his angell as appeareth in the Actes of the Apostles Such peculiare angels had the good auncient fathers and finally such angels haue al good men and women at this day appoynted vnto them of almyghty god Wherfore the more fuller and replenished a man be wyth feyth and godly awe the more often also the nerer be the angels to him for accordinge to the coÌ„mon prouerbe lyke delyteth in the lyke And on the contrary side know we for certaine they be offended with fylthynes wyth vnclennes wyth malice wickednes and for thys cause forthwyth they departe from the persons who soeuer they be which be spotted with the same If we be then pure good doubt we not but god hath giuen commaundement to his angels ouer vs that they shuld kepe vs in all oure wayes Herunto also do the auÌ„cient doctours of the church ful wel agree Saynt Hierom writing vpon the gospel of Matheu sayth The worthines surely of soules is great forasmoch as euery one hath his angel appointed vnto him for his keper euen from his byrth The noble clerke Drigen also sayth there is at hand to euery one of vs yea euen to the least of vs al which be in the church of god a good angell the lordes messanger to direct vs to rule vs to monish vs to gouerne vs which seeth daily the face of the heuenly father for the correcting of our doinges and obteyning of mercie for vs. Neither doth saint Gregorie disagre from this which writeth that euery one of vs haue a propre and peculiar angell appoynted to the keping of him and one euil angel to his exercise Also saynt Bernard exhorteth vs to be deuout â–ª louing and kynde to so worthy kepers Hithersito my frendes we haue spoken of the good angels Now wol we intreate sumwhat of the euyll angels to the intent we maye the bettre espye what great coÌ„modities and benefites our lord doth giue vnto vs by his good angels whan on the contrary side we shal behold the incommoditie and mischiefe that commeth of the badde angells For how can a man so well knowe what a good thinge peace is as when it is compared with batel which is the contra ry They be therfore called badde angells bycause they bring to pas nothing that is good they haue sundry names otherwhile in scripture they be called euill spirites Satan Deuiâ—les cacodemones and feendes Satan in the Hebrue betokeneth an aduer sarie bicause he is agaynst god against his worde and against our helth and â—aluatioÌ„ Diabolus that is to say deuil betokeneth a sklaunderer and an accusour forasmoch as he accuseth vs and doth euyil interprete al thinges be they done neuer so wel and godly Cacodemon signifieth a crafty knower and full of suttelcie and deceipt al set on mischief They be also called by a resemblanÌ„ce of properties roring lyons dragons
entre into the kingdom of heauen Wherfore my frendes by Christes owne wordes here we may be right wel assured that onles we cease froÌ„ all malice and rancour towardes our ChristeÌ„ brothern and susters and become Christen meÌ„ not in name only but also in dede worke beyng made as it were new men and newly regenerate not fleshly but spiritually vtterly casting awey as muche as maye be al carnal and worldly affections and be traÌ„sformed into the hauour and simplicitie of yong chyldern we shall neuer be receyued in to the kyngdom of heauen Let vs huÌ„ble and abase our selues make vs like to these litle babes whom we se cleane voide of malice and of ambitioÌ„ For he that thus woll humble and lowly hym selfe shal be doubtles auauÌ„ced shal be called great in the kingdome of heauen Who so euer verily is by modestie and buksomnes the lest the same person is through vertue the greatest Trouth it is that worldly Emperours kyngê and princes do for most partes loue such as be lyke to theÌ„selfes and amoÌ„ges them such be in most price and reputation which can shyft out other and set forth themselfes Christe in semblable wyse delyteth in such persons as resemble him who what tyme he was here conuersant amonges vs in earth humbled hymselfe and became obedient vnto the death euen the death of the crosse Whan he was reuiled he reuiled not agayn he suffred to be bouÌ„de to be bobbed to be spitted at to be strikeÌ„ to be scourged finally to be crucâ—fied being himselfe without spotte of sinne to thinteÌ„t to purge vs of our synnes Wherfore for his humilitie he hath receiued auaunment and most high exaltation for his obedience he hath receiued most highe honour to haue a name aboue al names for his pacience sufferinge he hath receyued power ouer all for hys infinite charitie he hath receiued praise glorie and thaÌ„kes of al. Let vs lerne therfore of Christ to be meke humble in hart Let vs remeÌ„bre what y â— prophete Dauid sayth The lorde is nere to theÌ„ y â— be of coÌ„trite hart he wol saue such as be huÌ„ble in spirite which fear his wordes Truly good people those that be lowly meke in spirite be most highly auauÌ„ced protected tendred of almighty god He throweth down the mighty froÌ„ their prowd seates exalteth the huÌ„ble he filleth the hungry w t good thinges letteth the rych departe emptye He resisteth the prowd giueth his graces to the lowly persons Let vs then be huÌ„bled vnder the mighty hand of the lord For as saynte Iames sayth hath not god chosen the pore Certaynly the pore in spirite lowly persons be they whom God hath in his special fauour grace For like as in the great mens courtes of this worlde y â— prince or great man taketh the vyllanye or displeasure as done to himselfe when one doth a displeasure to one of hys great lordes or special seruauÌ„tes againe taketh a good turne benefite as done to himself when it is bestowed vpon them euen so the great king of kinges lord of lordes god almyghty doth so tendre loue his huÌ„ble and meke seruauntes though in the face of the world they seme as persons despised and not regarded that who so euer receyueth one of theÌ„ in Christes name he couÌ„teth the thing done to himself as though the partie had receiued Christ himself And on the other side he that offendeth any one of these simple and base persons which truste vpon the lord which depend hole vpon him shal be more greuously punished then if a mylstone were hanged about his necke he cast into the depe see For what a more shameful wicked parte can be shewed than to greue and hurt them which wil noman no hurte which enuye noman which preferre themselfes before noman whiche loue al persones indifferently Wo be to the worlde therfore for greuynge of suche ones Howbeit the malice of men is so greate that these greues must nedes be Wherfore who soeuer coueteth to come to heauen let him beware howe he hurte them yea let hym take hede he hurte not hym selfe Let no affection be so deare to vs but let it be forthwyth karued and cut awey yf it shulde hindre vs in our iourney to heauenwarde Our hande our fote our eye be necessarye membres yet rather then they shulde hindre vs Christe byddeth vs cast them awey For were it not better sayth he to go to heuen maymed or lame or wyth one eye thaÌ„ with hole meÌ„bres to be cast into hel fyer But sayng this he ment not that any membre of the body shuld be cut awey but he wolde haue the affections cut of whiche calle vs awey from the studie of eternal saluation For a frende which a maÌ„ can skant want is as it were hys one hande Thy father whom thou dost truste on is thy fote Thy wyfe or sonne whom thou tenderly louest is thyne eye And as there is nothynge so preciouse that ought to plucke vs from heauen so nomaÌ„ be he neuer so lowe pore ought to be despised but rather holpen Let vs then offend none of those litle ones namely sith there angelles which haue charge ouer theÌ„ do coÌ„tinually beholde the face of almighty god in heuen so y t by this we may know in what reputatioÌ„ they be w t god seing he hath giuen theÌ„ such kepers coÌ„ductours Let vs thaÌ„ endeuour our selfâ— to be suche lowly huÌ„ble persons as our Sauiour Christ here speaketh of y t we may haue such auÌ„gels to coÌ„ducte leade defend kepe vs in al our weyes by Christ our lord who be praised glorified AmeÌ„ â–ª ¶ On saint Lukes day the Euangeliste The Gospell Luke .x. THe Lord appoynted also other seueÌ„tye and he sent them two two before hys face in to euerie citie and place whether he hymself wolde come and he sayd vnto them Uerely the haruest is moch but the laborers are fewe Pray therfor the lorde of the haruest that he wol thurst out laborers into his haruest Go your weyes Lo I send you as lambes amonges wolues Beare ye no wallet nor scrippe nor shoes and salute noman by the wey In what house ye enter fyrst say peace be to this house And verely if the son of peace be there youre peace shall reste vppon hym â–ª if not it shall returne to you But se ye abyde in the same house eating and drinkinge suche as they haue For worthy is the laborer of his rewarde The sermon vpon this Gospell SAint Luke god people whose memory y â— church doth this day solemnize though he was none of the .xii. Aposteles of Christ nor of the couÌ„trey of the Iues but a Grecian borne at Antioche and at the beginninge of Christes preaching in Iurye not beinge with Christ as he himself witnesseth in the preface of hys Gospell yet
them for none other cause but for the iustice sake of the Gospell whiche hurteth none and helpeth all For euen thys selfe thynge sturreth vp their hatred for which they oughte to haue shewed their loue neyther for any other cause do they rendre wronge then for the whiche they ought to haue giuen thankes Christe sayeth not blessed be they that suffre persecution of the Hethen people For thoughe a man suffre persecution as the holy Doctour ChrysostoÌ„ sayth of he retikes or of meÌ„ of power whiche seme and be called christians he is blessed w t saint ThoÌ„ Baptist with innumerable other holy martyres For yf it be true that the prophetes be martyrs which were stayne of their owne natioÌ„ w tout doubt he y t for gods cause suffreth any thing though he suffre of his owne nation hath the reward of martyrdoÌ„ And therfore the scripture hath not put the ê‘sons of y â— ê‘secuters but the cause only of the persecution that we shulde not loke who it is that psecuteth but for what cause But ye wol say who can loue such as for pleasures reÌ„ore agayne displeasures hatred and euel turnes It is an harde thinge I graunt but the rewarde is greate And what is the reward not a garlande of flowres or bay leaues not an oxe or a goote but the kyngdom of heuen Unto thys turnament we must prepare our selfes so many as woll be Christes disciples if we desire to wynne the crowne of the EuaÌ„gelicall felicitie Mans crueltie is nothyng y t ought to fraye vs from it Noman can hurte vs yf we cleaue to iustice The persecution of the euill shall not plucke awey oure innocencie but it shall rather increase our blesse Yea in the mydde stormes of the persecution we shal be blessed Let vs call to mynde my frendes the valiant martyrs and holy both meÌ„ women children which haue been before our time the memorie of all whom the church doth this daye solemnize how coÌ„stantly how paciently they suffred al vilanouse wordes al mockes skornes vnworthy punishementes yea and many of them death for the trouthes sake When men cursed them wyth bytter curses when men assawted them wyth all kynde of mischief when men falsely accused them and layd to their charge all the crymes they coulde bycause they were true folowers disciples of Christe they bewayled not theÌ„selfes as vnhappy and miserable but rather they reioysed and triumphed therin forasmuche as the more their enemies and ê‘secutours did rage agaynst them the more dyd their rewarde increase in heuen Their hurte God turned to their good The damage that they suffred of men he turned to their lucre The reproche he turned into euer lastynge and true glorie The crimes and vpbraydynges whych men brought falsly against them he turned into the titles and triumphes of true godlines mens cursinges he turned into prayses and reioysinges not only afore God whom to please they thought it ynough â–ª though they displeased the hole worlde besides forth but also afore men For of wicked and vngodly men to be dispraised for godlines is to be praysed and to be tormented of the haters of god is to be crowned Prayse and glory amoÌ„ges men they sought not for and yet neuertheles it folowed the true vertue of the owne accord Thus the holy prophetes whyche haue bene afore vs thus the blessed martyres the confessours the virgines the deuoute wydowes and brefely to speake all the halowes and godly personagies before oure tyme be rewarded crowned nowe with the crowne of immortalitie Let vs therfore dearly beloued frcendes folow them in liuing that we may also folow them thither where they now be in perpetual ioy with the father sonne and holy gost three persons and one god who be praysed foreuer Amen ¶ On the day of weddyng The Gospell Mat. xix THe pharisees cam to Iesus temptynge him and sayng Is it lawful for man to put awey his wife for all maner of causes He answered and sayde vnto them Haue ye not red that he that made man at the beginning made them man and woman and said for this cause shal man leaue father mother and cleaue to his wyfe they two shal be one fleshe Wherfore they be nomore two but one fleshe Lette not man then put a suÌ„dre that which god hath coupled togither The sermon vpon this Gospel Forasmoch as welbiloued audieÌ„ce in our Sauiour Iesu Christ we be assembled at this present tune for the solemnizatioÌ„ of matrimonie betwen these two persoÌ„s in the face of the churche accordinge to the laudable custome and rites of the same I inteÌ„d with your fauours first ere I expownd this gospel brefely to declare y â— first institutioÌ„ ordinauÌ„ce of matrimonie to thinteÌ„t not only these two ê‘soÌ„s here cou pled togither but also al other which be here gathered togither aswel maried as to be maried maye be admonished instructed of their office dutie herin First therfor ye shal vnderstand that almighty god what time he first made created man in paradice consydering of his botomles wisdom how necessary mete and conuenient it was to couple man and womaÌ„ togither in wedlok both for the comfort aide and helpe of one an other and for the multiplicatioÌ„ and meyntenaunce of mankinde in lawful successioÌ„ and also to thintent that therby generation of issue might after mans fall be continually from tyme to time maynteined vntyll the ende of the world without synne or offêse towardes god did not only euen than at the beginning and in paradice knytte Adam and Eue togyther in matrimonye and dyd ordeyne and blesse the same by his holy worde but also dyd declare and set forth the vertue and strength therof by the mouth of AdaÌ„ for he being inspired as saint Austine and other holy doctours say wyth the holy ghost when he was by almighty god whiche made him knytte and coupled in lawfull mariage wyth Eue his wife spake as a prophet these wordê folow yng Loo now these bones of Eue my wyfe be fourmed of my bones and this her flesh of my flesh She shal be called a woman bycause she is taken forth of the man And for this cause shall man leaue his father and his mother and cleaue fast vnto his wyfe and they tweyne shal be one flesh By which wordes it is ment that by the strength and vertue of maryage ryghtly made the man and wyfe whiche before were two bodies be now made one bodye durynge their liues so that herafter the husbande as saynte Paule sayth hath not power ouer his owne bodye to vse it as him lusteth but it is hys wiues neyther hath the wyfe power of her owne bodye but her body is her husbandes body and wyth hym only may she vse the acte of matrimony And therfor they two so knytte conioyned by gods ordenaunce may in no wise â—e deuided for any affection either to father or mother or