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
pleased god so to worke with her to set forth his owne glorie and power He sent to her therfore nowe in her old age this blessed child to take the reproche of barennes from her He prolonged for this intent her child bearing that the ioy herof might be the greater and she be made the more renowined and notoriouse For all her neighbours kynsfolke which before had knowne her ba rennes were nowe made witnesses of the heauenly grace wherw t God had endowed her For none that saw the child departed w t silence but blessed praysed god which vnloked for had seÌ„t this blessed child vnto her being of this age The eight day therfore they went to circumcise the child according to Moses lawe And bicause Zacharie his father was by gods prouision made duÌ„me and spechles they supposing that the father wold so haue bene best ctÌ„en â–ª ted named him Zacharie by his fathers name But Elizabeth his mother said he shuld not be so called but Ihon shulde be his name whiche name she had lerned not of her husbande whiche at this time was become spechles but by inspiratioÌ„ of the holy ghost signifieng that he that was born shuld be the bedel or messanger of the new law which shuld abrogate the old traditions turne the carnall worshyp into a spiritual grace For Zacharias betokeneth in Hebrue a remeÌ„brer of god Ihon is named the grace of God The iustice of the lawe stode in appoynted workes the iustice of the gospell standeth by faythe through grace fauour Howbeit the kinsfolk wold not be ruled by the mother to giue him this strauÌ„ge name bicause there was none in al their kindred so called but they wolde in any wyfe haue hym called Zacharie by his fathers name And yet at this day there be some better pleased w t the name of Zacharie then w t the name of Ihon these be they that can not yet suffre that the ceremonies of y â— old law shuld be abolished so that in effect they crye we wil none of this new name of Ihon but we wil haue stil the old Zacharie wherfore for asmoch as the childwife the cousins could not agree in the name it was necessarie that the authoritie of the father shuld come betwene to breake the strife But he had not as yet the vse of his tong where now neded speche Wyth signes therfore they signified vnto him what name wold pleace him that his child shulde haue He vnderstanding y â— mater required writing tables to declare that thinge by dombe letters whiche by liuely voice he could not bring forth The tables brought he wrote in this wise Ihon is his name Now cam the time that Moses law shuld speake which before had after a fashioÌ„ described w t figures the grace of the gospel The time now was com that the mouth which vnfeithfulnes had locked shuld now through feyth be opened He had not therfore so sone writen but y â— bond of his tong was loused Neyther did he beginne hys speach with any other thing than with the praysinge of God by whose goodnes so greate ioyes were heped vpon hym Let vs in like maner good people beleue as saynte Ambrose exhorteth vs to thintent our tonge which is bounde wyth the bandes of vnfeithfulnes may be loused And surely onles the Iuishe tonge be putte to silence whyche preacheth carnal obseruations the tong of the gospell can not speake whyche preacheth grace feythe and charitie Al these thingê of y â— olde childwife of the noueltie of the name of the son born by y â— promise of the angel of the father made first of a speaker dombe again of dombe a speaker were blown abrode not only in the neighbours cousins mouthê but also through out al the hylly countrey of Iewry so that they did not only wonder but also were astonyed agast at the strangnes of the thing sayeng w tin themselfes What maner of ê‘son shal this childe be None of al y â— prophetes was so woÌ„derfully born which thinges declare that this is done by gods power which is w t the child beiÌ„g ordeined for high purposes And they thought not thus w tout cause For in dede gods haÌ„d had vttred his heuenly vertue in the childe And to thintent al thinges might be ful of miracles reple nished w t ioy Zacharie also Ihons father being inspired w t the holy ghost brasted forth into this song Blessed be y â— lord god of Israell for he hath visitted redemed his people of Israell Doubtles god visited his people of Israel both wayes whether we vnderstande the material Israelites for he cam to the lost shepe of the house of Israel or the spiritual Israelites that is the feithful persons which were worthy of this visitation He visited theÌ„ which were now by long sicknes coÌ„sumed he redemed them being sold vnder sinne w t the bloud of his only begotten son He called them his people not bicause at his coÌ„ming he found them his but bicause by visitting he made them his Let vs then praise almighty god that he vouchsaued to make of vs whiche were not his people his people Let vs imbrace y â— iustice not of y â— Iuish law but of y â— gospel of Christ. Who be c. ¶ On saynt Peters and saynt Paules day The Gospell Mat. xxi IEsus came into the partes of Cesarea Philippi asked his disciples sayng WhoÌ„ saye men that I the sonne of maÌ„ am They sayd Some say thou art ThoÌ„ the baptist some Helias some Hieremye or one of the prophetes He sayth vnto them But whoÌ„ say you that I am Simon Peter answered and saide Thou arte Christe the son of the lyuinge God And Iesus answered sayd vnto him Happy arte thou Simon the son of Iona for fleshe and bloude haue not disclosed this vnto the but my father whiche is in heuen And I say vnto the that thou art Peter vppon thys rocke I wyll buylde my churche the gates of helle shall not preuayle agynste it And I will giue to the the keyes of the kingdom of heaueÌ„ and what soeuer thou byndest in erth shal be bound in heuen and what soeuer thou losest in erth shal be losed in heauen The sermon vpon this Gospell THis Gospell my frendes declareth how oure Sauiour Christ after he was com into y e parties of Cesarea Philippi wolde proue how moche his disciples had profeted by so many hys sermons and miracles whyche they had now herde and seen and whether they thought any higher thing of him then the comon people did He demaundeth therfore of them sayeng Whom say men that I am They answered Some saye thou arte Iohn the baptiste for so thoughte the Herodians other say thou arte the prophete Helias bicause he was rauished vp therfore they thought now that he appeared accordynge to the prophecie
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
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
serpentes Leuiathan wolues euill beastes theues and such like of their euil properties Also spirites of the ayer flyeng about bounde wyth the chaynes of darknes vntyl the day of iugement condemned to euerlastinge damnation They caste suche men as be wythout the feare and thought of god into al kindes of vices some into couetise some into pride lechery intemperance crafte deceipt infidelitie conteÌ„pt of god rechlesnes dispayre dissolute and loose liuing dronkennes glotony surfettinges aduowtries blasphemies they raise dissentions seditions warres debates and all vnhappynes Yea and vnder the visour of angels of lyght and vnder the clooke of religion and of godlines they induce idolatry mens dreames sectes heresies and al false doctrines they deuise and driue into mens heddes inchauntmentes euil affections nawghty opinions and wicked counsailes as they did to Dauid in his aduowtry in the slaughter of Urias in nombring of the people and as they dyd to Czechiell whan he disclosed the treasure to the Babylonians To be short they do labour al they can to bring vs to vttre shame and destruction And this we se by open testimonies signes and deades how myghtyly they reygne as Paule saith vpon the children of disobedience and vpon such as wol not beleue gods word nor feare the lorde They confirme therfore the vngodly in theire vngodlynes wyth signes and wonders whiche they shew by their lymmes and ympes the false prophetes as appeareth in the. xxiiij chapter of Mathew or by inchaunters and â—uglers for it is not impossible but the deuil may by art Magik and sorcery worke many wonders and maystres For surely if witchcraftes sorceries and inchauntementes were not made ne coulde not be done God wolde neuer haue forbydden them Thus these euil spirites lye contynually in awayt of mankind they re propertye is to speake deceypte and lyes for that is as Christe sayth theyr owne and they be fathers therof they falsifye and corrupte gods worde wyth wycked doctrine as appeareth by the parable of the sower of good sede and of the deuyll whyche soweth among it darnel they wreste and allege holy scripture wronge they transfigure themselfes into angells of lyght fynally they seke to syfte vs as men wolde fyfte wheate And veryly good people y â— the wycked spirites haue these effectes powers and operations it is playne manifest also by the witnes of holy doctours of the church First the excellent clerke saynt Augustine in hys sermons writeth in thys wise All the euilles of the worlde be wrought by the falshode of the deuill whiche hath sette warre in heauen and in paradise deceipt hatred amonges the first brethern and in al our workes hath sowne darnelles Lactantius also that noble writer is not behind with his recorde sayng There is a certayne wicked and deceiptful spirite which is enemye to man and foe of iustice thys spirite lyeth in awayte of al mankinde And such as knowe not God them doth he entangle and wrappe in errous he drowneth them in foly and shadoweth them in darknes Also saynt Gregorie writeth â–ª that the wille of Satan is alway wicked but his power is neuer vnrightuouse or vnleful for of himselfe he hath his wille but his power he hath of God Wher fore good christen people sith we stand in this state and condition that yf we be euill and voyde of vertue and of the true feare of God we be in dauÌ„ger of these so noysom and wicked spirites and agayne yf we loue and serue God we be protected and fensed w t the good angelles whose benefites I haue heretofore brefely remembred it shal be our partes euermore to serue God and to stande in awe of hym lest by any meanes we might offend and displease him and so through our fault it shulde come to pas that we myght be depriued of these good angelles the euill shulde haue power vpon vs. But now let vs procede to the declaration of our gospell First therfore ye shall vnderstande that an exemple of the naturall ignoraunce blindnes and infirmitie of mankind is here set forth in the disciples of Christ which as yet measured the kingdom of heuen after the fashon of the kyngdome of the worlde The disciples come therfore to Christ aske him who is the greater man in the kyngdoÌ„ of heuen Surely according to the mynde of auncient doctours thys was a certayne humane affection whiche crept into the Apostles mindes and as it were a pricke of enuie and of ambition They had herd of the kyngdom of heuen they had seen iij. Apostles led aparte with Christ in to the mountayne that is to wit Peter Iames and Ihon they had herde how the keys of the kingdom of heuen were giuen to Peter and howe it was said to him Blessed art thou Simon the sonne of Iona and I say to the thou art Peter and vpoÌ„ this rocke wol I buylde my churche they espyed Peter also to talke more familiarly more boldly wyth the lorde lately also they sawe hym preferred before the rest of the Apostles in paynge of the tribute and in maner matched with Christ. For these and suche other thynges whiche as yet they dyd no perfectly vnderstande they had a lytle preuye grudge and enuie at Peter syth to hym as they thought the principalitie of the kingdoÌ„ of heuen was appointed wher neuertheles they perceiued he was yonger in yeares then they They came therfore as I sayde to Iesus and asketh hym who shall haue the chief authoritie in the kyngdome of heauen For it coulde not be yet dreuen out of their heddes but that there shulde be such like dignities and powers in the heauenly and spiritual kyngdom as they sawe in princes courtes of this world Our sauiour Christ therfore to thintent he wold cleane banish this carnal affection and vtterly expel the same out of their myndes calleth a certayne chyld vnto him whoÌ„ he setteth in the myddes of his disciples the chyld being yet very tendre of age and â—ut a babe voyde of all affections ether of ambition or of enuie simple pure innocent and liuynge by the only guyde and conducte of nature Thys chylde beynge thus sette amonges them our Sauiour sayeth in this wise vnto them Uerily onles ye be coÌ„uerted and be made as childern it is not possible for you to come into the kingdom of heuen For declaration of thys texte ye shall vnderstande that Christ did not here coÌ„mauÌ„de the Apostles that they shulde haue the age of chyldreÌ„ but the innocencie and the thing that the childreÌ„ do possesse bicause of their chyldhod they shulde possesse by their industrie so that in malice they might be chyldreÌ„ but not in wisdom as who shulde saye lyke as this child of whom I giue you an exemple doth not continew in angre neyther thynketh he one thyng and speaketh an other so you also onles ye haue such innocencie and purenes of mynd ye caÌ„ not