A Maryage was made in Ca [...]ia a cytie of Galile, & Iesus mother was there / And Iesus and his disyples were called vnto the maryage / & whan theyr wyne fayled, Iesus mother sayde to hym. they haue no wyne / Iesus sayd vnto her, woman what haue I to doo with the? myn houre is not yet come. his mother sayd vnto the mynysters. what soeuer he saythe vnto you do it. There were stōdynge syxe water pottes of [...] o­ne after the maner of the purificacion of the Iewes: Iesus sayd vnto them fylle the water pottes with water, & they fyl­led them vp to the harde brym / & he sayd vnto them poure out nowe & bere vnto the ruler of the feaste / and they bare it. When the ruler of y^e feaste had tasted the water that was turned into wyne, ney­ther knewe whens it was (but the my­nysters whiche drewe the water knewe) he called vnto y^e brydegrome, and sayd [Page 2] vnto hym / all men at the begynnynge vsen to sette forthe the good wyne, and when men haue drōken theyr fylle / then that, whiche is the worse, but thou haste kepte backe the good wyne hytherto.

I Can scacely with my tonge expresse, moste derely beloued brethren, & systren in Chryste, how greatly it reioyseth me, and replenyssheth: & fulfylleth my mynde, all full of ioye, and gladnes: that I do se so great a multy­tude, of you to be assemble here, and to haue come together: & that with so great alacryte, cherefulnes, and good wyll / to the solempne cōmemoracyon of our blyssed lady, bothe vyrgyn & mother. This affeccion of you towarde the mother: is deuocyon, & loue towarde the sone / it is a maner, and custome / left to vs of our olde auncestours & Forefathers: vpon the feastefull dayes, to make some royal and costely feaste, or dyner. Wolde god [Page] that I, whiche am a father & herdesman hauynge charge of soules myght bryng forth out of the moste ryche & plentuous larder, or storehouse of holy scrypture, to you, Whiche are my sones and my shepe in oure lorde, some meate / whiche neuer wyll perysshe / but fatteth and maketh stronge the myndes of men into eternal lyfe / and also that I myght bryng forth the wyne of the spyryte / whiche by a so­bre dronkennes maye so chere and glad your hertes: that euen in the very myd­des of the trybulacyons & euyls of this worlde, you may alwayes synge, gyue laudes, and thankꝭ vnto the lorde with spyrytuall hymnes. Whiche albeit that he is gloryous in all his sayntes: yet in his moste blyssed mother, he hathe speci­ally, or syngulerly aboue all other sayn­tes declared and (as it were) powred out the ryches of his glorye. Let vs therfore all togyther with oure cōmune prayers call for that holy spyryte, whiche lygh­tynge vpon the moste blyssed virgyne Marye, dyd consecrate & make holy her [Page 3] yonge and tender virgyns breste or bo­som, a temple and tabernacle to the de­uyne Trynyte / & whiche made her vn­touchyd wombe the workehouse of that wonderful byrthe, whiche brought f [...]th to vs Iesu chryste the Sauyoure of the whole worlde desyred and loked for of all ages. Fyrste of al this is not vnkno­wen to you good Chrysten people, that the honourynge and worshypyng of the moste holy and blyssed virgyne Marye consystyth and restyth pryncypallye or chefelye in .iiii. thynges / that is to wyt, in laudes or prayses / in honoures / in callynge vpon her / and in Imytacyon or folowynge of her lyfe / of the whiche .iiii. the laste, that is to wyt the Imytacyon of her lyfe, is so the moste chefe and pryncypall: that without it all, the other .iiii. are vnfruytefull or vnprofytable, and this one also contayneth al the other .iiii. within it selfe / for that man hath suffy­cyently praysed Marye / hath suffycyently honoured the blyssed virgyne Marie / and also hath suffycyently called vpon [Page] Marie: who soeuer he be, whiche to the vttermoste of his power doth folowe y^e sobrenes / dothe folowe y^e chastytie / doth folowe the humblenes and lowlynes of Marie / but they whiche throwe folysshe iudgement / and clene out of order, cease not contynuallye to synge, and to hepe laudes, and prayses to Marie / they also whiche with waxe candellys / whiche with gyftes, or obsacyons / whiche with churches, or chapelles do honoure her / & they whiche with longe ambyciōs prayers callyth vpon her desyrynge her helpe and do not so moche as one thynke of folowynge her lyfe whome they do prayse they stande in iopardye, leste the mother do saye vnto them that, whiche the fa­ther sayth by the mouthe of his prophete Esaye, to the poeple of the Iewes that worshypped hym. This people honou­reth me with theyr lyppes / but theyr hertes be farre awaye from me. Agayne y^t also whiche sayth to the same people in the gospell. Not all they that sayen to me mayster, mayster shall enter into the [Page 4] kyngedome of heuen / but he that fulfyl­leth my fathers wyl whiche is in heuen. Let this therfore moste dearely belouyd brethren, and systers be our pryncypall studye and care, to folowe, as moche as we maye, the vertues of the blyssed virgyn Marie in our maners, and cōuersacyon of lyuynge leste she also may saye to vs / this people honour me or worshype me with songes / with pypes / recor­dars / and other instrumentes of musyc­ke / with waxe candels, and garlandes: but theyr herte is all sette on suche thyn­ges / which I haue alwayes hated with my sone Iesu: that is to wyt / on ryches on pleasures / on synfull / and vngra­cyous playes / vnfylthy tales / and vn­clenlye cōmunycacyōs / & on pryde / they gyue to me y^e pryncypal seate or place in the churches, and in aulters / but within theyr owne brestes or myndes they wyll geaunte me no seate or place at all / they synge and crye to me Regina celi / domi­na angelorum / vita / dulcedo / et spes nostra / that is to saye, they call me quene [Page] of heuen / ladye of aungels / they call me theyr lyfe and swetnes / theyr hope & cō ­forte / I am saluted euery where / with moste honourable tytles or names / but not euery one that saythe to me lady la­dy, shall entre into the kyngdom of my sone / but they onely whiche folowynge the example of my sone, do obey the cō ­maundementes of god / and whiche en­deuourynge them selues to expresse and counterfayte the example gyuen of me do laboure to obtayne the fauour of my sone by folowynge of his mother / in whom what so euer thyng is worthy to be folowed: it is y^e gyfte of the sone. Let vs not therfore suppose or byleue, that the moste holy vyrgyn hath delyte or is pleased with such fastes wherwith some men vpon certayne dayes do honoure & worshyp her fastynge onely for this en­tent, that the next daye folowyng, they may the more largely be made dronken: or that she hath delyte or pleasur in those songes, whiche certayne persons do synge vnto her / whiche are moste corrupte [Page 5] with flesshely luste and ryote / or that she hath delyte in theyr gyftes and offeryn­ges, which are on all sydes defyled with fornycacyons & adulteries. Not for that the moste mercyfull vyrgyne doth hate or tourne awaye her face from synners / but who soeuer are asshamed and do re­pent them of theyr fylthynes or synnes, ar now no lenger synners / what soeuer thynge is dyspleasaunt or myslykynge to the sone: can not be pleasaunt or well lykynge to the mother. I know that in some places the chapell of our Ladye is sette forth (as it were to shewe) ful of sylkes / syluer / golde / and precyous stones / so that they whiche there do worshyp the vyrgyne, maye seme to worshyp mam­mon or ryches / how moche more acceptable and pleasaunt shuld it be to the blys­sed vyrgyn Marye, If suche ryches we­re bestowed and dealte forthe in almesse to the reseuynge and socorynge of Chrystes membres / in whom the mother also with her sone after a maner is eyther vexyd and afflycted, or els comforted [Page] relyued, and refresshyd? Yf it lyke or pleas you so well to haue an ymage of the blyssed virgyne / let it be made after suche maner, after whiche she her selfe pleased almyghtye god / and let her be portred suche maner one, as shall be a goodlye thynge for vs to folowe / that is to saye, lette there appere chastytye / mekenes / and sobryetye / in the counte­naūce or face / in all the state, or behauy­oure of the bodye / and also euen in the very vesture or garmentes, and appa­rell of her. ¶Now I wyll in fewe wordes open / and declare vnto you what thynge it is conuenyent, and mete to folowe moste pryncypallye, in the vyr­gyn Marie. But fyrste I wyl admonysshe you in the waye of charytye of this one thynge / that there can not be a more perfecte, or a more sure rule, or forme, & example of holynesse, and vertues lyfe taken of any then of y^e son: howbeit this is vndouted / that there is nothyng in y^e mother: whiche swarueth, or is dysagre­ynge from the doctryne of the sone. And [Page 6] here be nowe of attente myndes, geuyn­ge audyence, & good hede al your yonge bothe boyes / and wenches / wyues / and wydowes / maryed men / olde men / and olde women / there is none of you / but you shall haue somwhat that ye maye folowe in the blyssed vyrgyne: the pryncypall poyntes and as it were markes / whereupon we ought to haue our iyes stedefastlye sette / and wherof we wyll now speke. ‘¶Are these, her vyrgynall, her maydenly behauour and symplenes ioyned / with moste hyghe prudence / her moste hyghe felycytie ioyned with most perfecte humylyte / her moste hyghe cha­stytie in wedlocke / the sedulytie, and dylygence of her in doynge the offyce, and dutie of a mother: the passynge great fortytude, and strenghe of her mynde in y^e frayle, and bretell womankynde.’ How greatly her mynde / and loue was sette on virgynyte / purytie / and clennes / it is euydente euen hereof / seynge that she was so troubled / and dysmayde at the cōmyng in of y^e aungell to her / as LukeLuc. 1. [Page] tellyth in his gospell. No doubte of it she vnderstode / and knewe full well / howe great a treasure chastytie, or clen­nes is / but she perceyued also agayne / howe great hardenes / and dyffycultie it is to kepe the sayde treasure / for whi­che so many men / with so many tray­nes / and wyles doo lye in wayte / and whiche many one haue loste afore they knewe howe good a thynge / and howe great a treasoure they had of it in theyr possessyon. Nowe howe farre are these vyrgyns awaye from the example of y^e blyssed vyrgn Marye / whiche wylfully and of theyr owne mynde do rōne forth to play, & to haue cōmunycacyon / with yonge men farre vnlyke to the aungell And whiche vyrgyns also with beckes and sygnes with bourdes and mery conceytes / with flatterynge wordes and behauoure / with gestꝭ / and lettres of loue do prouoke also y^t thynge / wherby they may lease theyr vyrgynytie or mayden hede. The blyssed vyrgyne Marye had an husbonde with whome she lyued in [Page 7] one house: & yet y^t notwithstandyng she was trobled & dysmayde at the cōmyn­ge in of the aungell in a straunge & vn­knowen shape, that she had neuer sen before / and she feared al thyngꝭ euen those also wherin is no ieopardye at al. That she had ben maryed vnto an husbonde / she dyd it bycause of the custome vsed amonge the people of the Iewes / and al­so to obaye the auctorytie and cōmaun­dement of her parentes / and yet for all that on virgynytie was all her desy­re. This she declaryth playnlye her selfe whan she saythe I knowe no man / for here the verbe of the present temps syg­nyfyeth y^e purpose of her mynde. Many women ar kept from vnclēnes through the great fere that they haue of infamye & losse of theyr good name / but the blys­sed vyrgyne Marye whyles for the loue of chastyte and clēnes, she regardeth not the infamye of sterylytie and of beynge called a barayne woman / whiche was accompted a great rebuke amonge y^e Iewes / she deserued both .ii. of them / that is [Page] to wyt, that she remaynynge styll a virgyne, shuld brynge forth a chylde / beyn­ge veray god & veray man / howe may they for shame saye them selues to be the worshyppers of this virgyne / whiche euen in that tyme: in which they professe virgynytie, do vse vngracyous wan­tōnes, or els whiche beynge nowe olde women / and paste chylde berynge / yet neuerthelesse haue delectacyon / & burnynge luste to pleasure of y^e flesshe now beynge oute of season for them? Nowe this that is shamefull, and vnsemely in a woman is moche more shamefull in y^e kynde of men. Those that desyre to be taken for virgynes after the example of the blyssed virgyn Marie: let them be hole / and in euery poynte virgynes / for certeyne maydes haue theyr bodyes vntouchyd / or vndefyled / but the tieryn­ge or apparellynge of them selues (not without medycynes payntynge I warrant you) to set forth them selfe / and to cause them to appere beautyfull is vn­chaste / & vnclene / they vse wanton lo­kes / [Page 9] cytie of the moste blyssed virgyne / this was an euydent argumēt and token se­ynge that thoughe she loued syngulerly perpetuall virgynytie, yet of a symple mynde / she beynge a yonge mayden ly­ued in one howse with her yonge spouse or husbande. Nowe harken somwhat of the wysdom of this yonge virgyne / for folysshe virgynes the spouse refuseth / & knoweth them not / as it is redde in the gospell.Mat. 25. After y^t the aungell had saluted her / she doth not forthwith salute hym agayn / neyther she lepyth out by an by: but quyetly abydynge she cōsyderyth & thynketh in her mynde,Luc. 1. what maner sa­lutacyō y^t myght be / And agayn whan the aungel had promysed to her / that she shuld brynge forth so noble a chylde neyther she mystrusteth his ꝓmyse / neyther she is proude or ouer merye & glad ther­fore / but demurely and discretelie she de­maundeth of the aungel / after what maner / or by what meanes that thyng shulde come to passe which he had promysed vnto her she not losynge the treasure of [Page] her virgynytie, wherupon was all her herte and desyre set / she had seen the con­course of the shepherdes / she had seen the veneracyon & worshyp, whiche the thre noble wyse men that came out from far countrees had done to her sone / she had harde also the prophecyes of Anna: and Symeon, & yet for al y^t she blabeth forth none of all these thynges (as the moste parte of women wold) but holdyng her tongue, she gatheryd all these thyngꝭ togyther, and kepeth theym in her herte or mynde / it is the moste sure token y^t may be of wysdom, euen in men also / y^t they can kepe secrete to theym selues so great felycyte / wherof came this so great wys­dom in a yonge virgyn, in a tendre da­mosell, hauynge none experyence, & vnbroken in the worlde? That wysdom is an ouerlate & a wretched wysdom: whi­che is goten or cōmeth to man by longe experyence of hurtes or euylles / the holy ghost dothe remplysshe and fulfyll euen the mynde of yonge wenches, & of yon­ge boyes also with sage prudence or wysdom / lette [Page 10] euery man purge or clense his owne mynde from vyces: that y^t ghoste the gyuer of wysdom maye vouchesafe to entre into it. Nowe as for the felycyte of the blyssed virgyne Marie, what ne­de we to speke of it? who was euermore worshypfully saluted and greted of an Aungell? to whom was euermore great or royall promyses brought? he that is y^e maker of heuen and erth sendeth an em­bassage vnto the virgyne / Gabryell doth the message / and is maker of y^e maryage, a chylde is promysed vnto her suche one as was neuer afore nor synce ꝓ­mysed to any / he shall be (sayd the aun­gell) great and shall be called the sone of the hyghest,Luc. 1. and the lorde god shall gyue to hym the seate of his father Dauid & he shall reygne ouer the howse of Iacob for euermore, and of his kyngdom shall be none ende. what more hygh promyses maye be made then these? Nowe after that the aungell had brought her in such byleue of the sayd promyses, trowe you that this so great felycyte dyd any thynge [Page] mynysshe the humylyte or lowlynes of this yonge virgyne? Forsothe it my­nysshed it nothynge at all / but rather encreased it. Beholde (sayd she) the hande mayde of the lorde of this so great a bu­synes, she chalenged or toke vnto her selfe no parte of the glorye or prayse, onely she professeth and knowlegeth her self to be an hande mayde obedyent and redy, or well wyllynge to all thynges / what soeuer it shuld please the lorde to do with her. Nowe when she was great with the heuēly chylde / she disdayneth not for cause of good maner & curtesy to visyte her cosyn beyng an olde woman & great w^t chylde / her cosyn Elyzabeth sayd to her howe chaunseth this to me y^t the mother of my lord doth thus come to me / yet for all that she beyng alwayes lyke her self and contynuynge stylle one maner wo­man answered and sayd agayne / for he hathe loked vpon the lowe estate of his hande mayde / she graūteth and speketh of her happynes / but she bosteth nothynge her dignyte, neyther she sayth / all ge­neracyons [Page 11] shal call me happy & blyssed, bycause I haue deserued it: by bycause he hathe done great thynges to me, whi­che is of myghte and power to do what soeuer he pleas / and she sayth not, & holy or gloryous is my name: but she sayd, & blyssed is his name / And albeit she knewe well ynough that she had suche a noble chylde in her wombe: yet for all that she disdayneth not, ne dispyseth her hus­bande / what soeuer seruyce any obedy­ent wyfe doth to her husbāde that same / moche more habundaūtly dyd she to Ioseph / she gothe with hym to the taxe or cessynge / whiche Cesar had cōmaunded with hym she bare the chylde to his Cir­cuncision / with hym she fynysshed all y^e cerymonyes of the Purificacion / she fo­loweth hym into Egipt: For when they shuld haue admonyciō to fle into Egipt y^e aūgell appered then not to Marie, but to Ioseph, that the auctoryte shuld be or rest in y^e mā. In theyr retornyng agayn from Egipt, she cleaueth to hym & neuer departeth from hym, neyther disdayneth [Page] she to be comenly called y^e wyfe of a car­penter / neyther she is a shamed of that loue & poore or vyle brethren & susters, or kynnesfolke / neyther she taketh it greuously that her sone was accompted to be the sone of Ioseph / whome she her selfe also called the father of Iesu / ther­unto was neuer wyfe in this worlde / y^t hath more reuerently obeyed her husbande / then dyd the mother of god / harken nowe ye women that do worshyppe the moste blyssed virgyn Marie. What shal here those new wedded wyues say: whi­che beyng proude of their beaute & youth dyspyseth & setteth at nought theyr hus­bandes. what shall these matrones or dames say whiche often tymes amonge casteth in theyr husbandes tethe the dowry & rychesse whiche they brought to hym. Yea and also otherwhyles dryueth them out of the house: as yf they were ladyes or mastresses / & not wyues / what shall they say? whiche ouer turneth or destroyeth the hole house w^t chydynge & braw­lynge. The most blyssed virgyn Marie [Page 12] with moste reuerence, & dreade pleaseth, and obeyeth her husbande Ioseph, she neuer gyueth to hym frowarde answers / neyther taketh she vpon her at any tyme to rewle or mayster hym: or to haue her mynde fulfylled afore his / & are you as­shamed to obey & folowe your husbādes myndes: without whom ye ar barayn & without honour: and to whome also the auctoryte and cōmaundement of god & of the apostle Paule hath made you subiectꝭ? And it is no doubte but loke howe great reuerence she vsed toward her husbande / as great sedulyte and dylygence she vsed in the kepyng & bryngyng vp of her sone / she leadeth hym euery yere ones to y^e temple in Hierusalem to shewe that chyldren shulde learne in theyr ten­dre age to loue and worshyp god / when she had loste hym with howe great care and dylygence dothe she seke hym? And she neuer resteth vntyll she dothe fynde hym / what was y^e blyssed virgyn Ma­rie affrayde of any mysfortune y^t might come to her sone: had she seen any token [Page] of lyghtnes or wyldnes in her sone / no verely none attall / but she taught you, y^t be mothers hauynge chyldren / & gaue to you a lesson that you can neuer be dylygent ynoughe: & take so good hede as oughte to be taken vnto your chyldren in theyr tendre age / youth is frayle and redy to folowe & to be ledde into all ma­ner vyce. They do worshyp Marie vn­deuoutly who soeur be neclygēt aboute the bryngynge vp of theyr chyldren / as who shuld say, it were ynough onely to haue conceyued them & borne theym / ye moreouer certeyn women there be / whi­che by wycked and vnlaufull craftes and meanes, do put from theym selues the yrksomenes of berynge theyr chyl­de / & the laboures of gyuynge it sucke. And they offēde or synne nothyng lesse whiche with lowde & vngracyous exā ­ple gyuyng / infecten and corrupten the feble yonge age / & whiche teacheth chyl­dren vnthryftynes & vyce / Before they can perfectly speke. The moste blyssed virgyn Marie she was very carefull & [Page 13] dylygent aboute her sone Iesu / & doste thou wylfully sette out and betray thy sone and doughter / vnto all maners or kynde of fylthynes a synne. Doubtles hereof it cōmeth to passe / that so many womē repent them that euer they were fruytefull & not barayne / bycause they brynge vp euyll & noughtly y^e chyldren well borne / and yet to haue brought vp or taught theyr chylde well: is the offyce more properly belongyng to the father & mother / then to haue begotte it / or to ha­ue borne it / but howe is it possyble / for them to teache and brynge vp theyr chyldren wel whiche eyther be not abydyng at home / or ellys whiche lyueth fylthely and shamfully at home / so y^t by the con­uersacyon and company with theyr pa­rentes / the chyldren do learne fylthy cō ­munycacyon & rybaldry, do lerane wantones / doo learne to be dronkardes / and to be brawlers / to be dysers and carders to be blabbes and full of ydle and vayne wordes / to be backbyters and sclaū ­derers / and generally do lerane of them [Page] all maner vyce and synne. But here of­freth it self vnto vs large mater / so speke of, yf we wolde compare the most excellent vertues of the most holy virgyn vnto our maner of lyuynge / but yet we shal take very moche profyte. Yf we shal study to amende our maners whiche be corrupte vpon euery syde / accordyng to the exāple of this blyssed virgyn. Now it resteth, or remayneth to touche som­what of y^e fortitude, or ghostly strenght of this virgyn: for bothe these be tokens of magnanimite, and stronge mynde.

¶Neyther to be proude, or hygh mīded in prosperyte: neyther to be sadde, & lette the herte falle in aduersyte. Albeit that the worshypfull name of Iesu wexed famouse / & he was so greatly spoken of for his so many & great myracles don: yet we do neuer rede that this most holy virgyn chalēged euer or toke vnto her self any porcion or parte of y^e prayse / yea moreouer we scacely rede that she was present at any myracle: saue only when at the brydall he torned water into wy­ne / [Page 14] she harde all thynges and she gathe­ryd them togtyher in her herte and myn­de makyng no wordes / but alwyes bearyng the person of an hande mayde whiche she hath professed her selfe to be. with lyke constaunce and stronge mynde she toke it: when her onely sone and dearely beloued was often tymes in ieoperdye by the reason of the Phariseys lyeng in wayte for hym / and in cōclusyon. when he was taken, & was bounde, when he was scourged, when he was condemp­ned and iudged to death, and when he was ledde to be crucyfyed / the other women wepte / and they were rebuked of our lorde / what felte she then in her mo­therly breast or mynd? she was not with out felynge or perceyuyng of all thyngꝭ she sorowed and had compassyon with her sone / but she subdued and kepte vn­der y^e naturall or carnall affeccion with the strenght of y^e spyryte / she kept in her sobbynges / she held backe and kept in y^e teares / whiche wolde fayne haue braste out / and when all the other disciples were [Page] slypt and shronke awaye from theyr master for feare / she only and Iohn̄ sto­de nere to the crosse of her sone. All those ar contumelyous pyctures & to the dys­honour of our lady / whiche representen or setten her forth fallyng to the groūde & in a swoune without any felyng or ꝑceyuynge of her self / well nere deed for sorowe / she neyther cryed out ne tare her heares / ne knocked her breste, ne cryed out callyng her selfe wretched or vnfor­tunate / she toke more consolacyon and conforte of the redempcyon of mankyn­de / then she dyd heuynes or sorowe of y^e death of her sone / & in this poynte also she sheweth her self an hande mayde: accordyng to her promyse, vnto hym whose wyll and pleasure it was after this maner to restore the kynde of man / and she thought her self to haue ben happely a mother, which had brought forth y^e auctor of helth & sauyour to the worlde, she preferred y^e publyke and comen felycyte before her owne pryuate sorowe or grefe where then be nowe those women whi­che [Page 15] for y^e losse of money / or for a smaller hurte or dyspleasure do brynge forthe or cast theyr chylde before the due tyme / for sorowe & care? where be these men whi­che for the death of theyr lytell doughter dystemperen all theyr hole houses with fonde and folysshe lamentyngꝭ / cōplaynynges and wepynges. It is red that the moste blyssed virgyn Marie dyd beholde and se the moste bytter and cruell dethe of her sone / but we rede not any where that she wept and made lamen­tacyon: other women wepte / and for the lacke or wante of theyr lord taken from them / whome they dyd not yet loue spi­ritually / they were almoste out of theyr wyttes and besydes them selues / Marie only, hauynge a strong mynde, holdeth her peace abydynge y^e wyll and pleasu­re of god / peraduenture you do suppose or iudge it but a meane thynge and not so hyghly to be estemed to become y^e bonde seruaunt or hande mayde of the lord. Verely there is nothyng more diffycyle or harder to acheue & attayne, for who [Page] soeuer hathe ones wholly gyuen or put hym self to y^e wyl & pleasure of the lord, gyuyng the prayse only to hym / yf any welth, or good chaunce hath ben betyde hym or loketh for socoure or ayde from no where els, but onely from hym. Yf he be in dystresse or in aduersyte / that man can not but stonde styffe and vnabas­shed for any wyles or fearefull assaltes that Sathan can do or inuent agaynst hym. But of these thynges parauentu­re we shal at another tyme haue oportunytie to speke more largelye. Nowe the solempnytie of this daye requyreth that we shulde pyke oute somwhat or take some parte of the gospel which hath ben redde to you: vnto the glorye of the sone and of the mother: and to our ghostlye helthe & comforte / they whiche are all re­dye maryed / or els whiche ar purpossed to be maryed / & desyrous to haue a mate in wedlocke gladlye / and with attente eares here this hygh honour to haue ben geuen to matrymonye / and wedlocke.

¶That chryst with his dysyples & mo­ther, [Page 16] whan he was bydden to the bryde­ale or maryage feaste / refused not to go thyther / but moreouer vouchesafed to put it to hono^r by doyng so great a my­racle at it / but for this cause y^e lorde hym selfe beynge a virgyne, & also the sone of a virgyn: ones hath honoured matrymony / to the entente that we shulde not dyshonest it with our fyltynes, or vn­clennes / ye and euen now a dayes also, where soeuer the man and wyfe are ioy­ned togyther in chaste and faythfull matrymonye with agreable myndes, and with equall loue and exercyse of vertue there the lorde Iesus dysdayneth not to be present with his mother. Neyther she is greued to beseche & entreate her sone for theym: yf any thynge be wantynge to theym, that whiche appertayneth to the more pleasauntnesse or iocundytye of theym that are maryed / all thoughe theyr substaunce or rychesse be neuer so slender or small / and thoughe that they haue a great many of chyldren / for that wyne whiche Iesus gyueth, makethe [Page] dulcet and swete all thynges: be they els neuer so heuy / sorowfull and paynfull. Moreouer this thynge also is to be mar­ked, that as it is syttyng or due that the chyldren do obeye and folowe the wyll of theyr mother / so lykewyse it is conue­nyent aud semely that the auctoryte of the parentes do gyue place to that whi­che the gospell calleth vs / for in this no­thyng is to be consyderyd or regardyd / but only what maketh most to y^e glorye of god, and to y^e cōmune soule helthe of the people. That his mother callynge vpon hym doth saye / they haue no wy­ne: it is a poynte of a certeyn louyng sollicytude or carefull dylygēce / that she gy­ueth place to y^e auctoryte of her sone / answeryng here to outwarde apparaunce somwhat hardelye, or sharpely in this wyse.Io. 2. woman what haue I to do with the / it is a poynte of certeyne wyse hum­blenes and mekenes: agayne y^t she sayth pryuely to the mynysters, what soeuer thynge he shall say vnto you / do it, it is a poynte of a certeyn trust & confydence [Page 17] that she had in her sone. Nowe a dayes, certeyne fathers & mothers abusen theyr auctoryte, that they haue ouer theyr chyldren: whyles they compell theym whe­ther they wyll or not to entangle theym selfe in wedlocke or ellys in the order of preesthode, or to put them selfe into some Relygyon / or ellys whyles they drawe them backe from the preachynge of the gospell / or whyles the father or mother compelleth theyr sone beyng a prynce or gouernoure to begyn betayle or warre, whiche shallbe cause of great hurte or destruccyon to the cōmen weale. For the prynce or gouernoure in as moche as he beareth a publyke persone & is a cōmen offycer, he maye safely not hurtynge the naturall loue and reuerence, whiche he oweth vnto his father, make answere to his father on this wyse / in this thyng I wyll not take you, or regarde you, as my father / I wyll more regarde the profyte of the cōmen welth / the gouernaun­ce wherof I haue taken vpon me, then I wyll regarde the pryuate auctorytie [Page] of my father / Here is perauenture a mā hauynge wyfe & chyldren at home, and his mother cōmaūdeth hym to go in pylgrymage to saynt Iamys in Cōpostel­la, bycause she hath made suche a vowe or promesse: lette hym say to his mother. In other thynges I wyll take you and obey you as my mother: but in this thinge I muste obey god, whiche cōmaun­deth me to prouyde & se vnto my wyfe & chyldren. For whose cause it is well don and accordynge to godes cōmaūdemēt, that a man do also forsake his father or mother / and these thynges we haue spo­ken as touchynge to the lyterall sense of the gospell / but for as moche as our lord hathe turned the water of the vnsauery lawe into the beste wyne, it is ryght & accordynge or mete that we also do get out some more pryue and hydde sense or meanynge / It was no great thynge y^t a yonge wenche was ioyned to a hus­bande in matrymonye. But it is a ve­ry great mystery, & to be honoured euen of the Angelicall spirites, that the spyryte [Page 18] that is to wytte the sone of god is ioy­ned with y^e flesshe of man, that is to say: the nature of god with y^e nature of man For the sone of god toke vnto hym our nature / & by a meruaylous glue it was brought to passe y^t the same person was bothe god & man. There was present in the same our lord Iesu at this same spyrytuall maryage bothe the spouse & the spouses / there was present in that spyrytuall brydale & feaste that blyssed wombe, in whiche that wonderfull and vn­specable maryage, was celebrated & made / in whiche wombe, as in the worke­house of the holy ghost that Gyaunt of thre substaunces, was formed / whiche shulde vaynquyshe depresse and subdue all the tyrannye of Satan. There is al­so another mysterye of the sayd marya­ge / the sone of god feruentlye loued the churche whiche he hathe puryfyed with his owne blode, to the intent y^t he myght haue her a Spouses mete and accordyn for hym selfe,Ephes. 5. hauynge no maner wem­be, or spotte,Nota. neyther any wryncle in her [Page] at all / and for y^e loue of this spouses this meruaylous and wonderfull wo wer descended from heuen & cam into the wombe of a virgyn, from whense beynge clothed with the robe or vesture of our fles­she came forthe, as a spouse or brydegro­me from his bryde chambre. This wombe of y^e virgyn was certeynly,Ezech. 44. that yate whiche Ezechyell sawe towarde the ry­synge of the sonne / out of y^e whiche yate there arose or spronge the lyghte Iesus chryste to men syttyng in darkenes, & in the shadowe of deth / whiche yate remayned styll closed or shytte to y^e prynce the sone of god enterynge in & also brought forth to vs the same Prynce clothed in the body of man, as ī his weddynge garment, the seale or closure of her chastyte beynge vnhurte / he then after he was come forthe of this chambre / wedded a newe spouses the churche / he maryed her hauynge no dowry or rychesse / he mary­ed her beynge in captyuyte / he maryed her beynge fylthy & contamynate. But her thus deformed and full of spottes, he [Page 19] hath puryfyed with the bath of his most precious blode he hath raunsomed her beynge prysoner with his owne precyous deth / and her beynge bare and naked he hath plentefully enryched with spyryta­all gyftes & vertues. The soule of eue­ry one of vs moste dearely beloued bre­thren, is the spouses of Chryste we haue ben raunsomed and bought with an ex­cedynge great pryce, from the thraldom of the deuyll, lette vs not nowe wylfully falle agayne into his seruytude and bondage. We haue ben freely wasshed from fylth, let vs not nowe lyke swyne retorne agayne vnto the soyle or myre of vyces and synnes / we haue ones re­ceyued the doctryne of the gospell, & we haue dronke in the moste swete spyryte of Iesu: lette vs not nowe beynge vn­kynde to hym for his so great lyberalyte twardes vs, ronne agayne to the adul­terer the deuyll / but contynuynge in the fayth & promyse made at the receyuyng of baptysme / by whiche promyse we ha­ue renounsed the deuyll and all his pompes / [Page] let vs alwayes haue in remēbraū ­ce that we were spoused to one husban­de,1 Cor. 2 that we shulde kepe our selues a cha­ste virgyn to our spouse Chryste / & lette vs not suffre our senses to be corrupted by the wylynes and crafte of y^e serpent, from the sympfycyte whiche is in chryste Iesu / Chryste is a Ialous louer, & not without good cause whiche dyd gette or wynne and set at lybertie his spouses to hym selfe / so dearely lette vs gyue dyly­gence that we maye be present alwayes at this spyrytuall weddynge or marya­ge, lette vs by vnfayned fayth, by pu­re and perfyte charyte cōtynue and abyde in the embrasynges of our spouse,Io. 15 let vs that be braunches, abyde and contynue in the vyne tree / lette vs whiche be the membres,1 cor. 12 or lymmes abyde in the body,Io. 17 that by the spyryte whiche glueth or soudereth all thynges togyther: we may be made so one with hym: as he is al one with his father, let the synagoge of the Iewes drynke theyr owne colde & vn­sauery water whiche hath loste her sponse [Page 20] / he drynketh this water wheresoeuer he be that putteth his truste and hope of helthe and saluacyon in cerymonyes, in outwarde thynges in the power or strenghte of man. Lette vs syttyng at the table of our spouse be made dronken with the spyrytual wyne of the doctryne whiche the spouse hath largely & plentuous­ly powred forth vnto vs / let vs be made fatte with the precyous body of hym: and with the pocion or drynke of his precyous blode let vs alwayes waxe yonge as touchynge our inwarde man, all thoughe our outwarde man do decay & fall away. They which be not yet apte or able to be fedde with stronge and substācyall meate ar to be nourysshed with mylke vntyll that they be growen to y^e strēgth that they be mete to receyue this drynke & this meate / that thynge (sayth Paule) is not the fyrste whiche is spyry­tuall / but that whiche is carnall.1 Cori. 17. The iewes had a carnal lawe whiche the wretched men do cleue vnto, and wyll not yet leue it / but to vs which by receyuynge [Page] the spyryte of Chryste are made spyrytuall: it is a great shame to be alwayes infantes or babes, & to sucke mylke, but it is a moche more shame after that we haue tasted of the wyne of heuenly doc­tryne, to retorne agayne to the water of the Iewes, it is the propertye of other men fyrste to sette before theyr gestes the beste wyne / and afterwardes that whi­che is worse, that is, to fall from better to worse thyngꝭ / But chryste hath chaū ­ged this order to the contrarye, whiche kept the beste wyne behynde and sette it forth laste to teache vs that we shuld alwayes profyte or goo forewarde from weake thynges to more stronge and substancyall thynges / lette vs pray and beseche the lorde that he wyll gyue to his spouses moste plentefull fecundite, that is to say: that the sede of the gospell may moste largely be spred abrode / and that dayly there maye be borne quycke yssue or chyldren / fyllynge the howse of god, for through our vyces and synnes / we se it brought to passe, that nowe the lymytes [Page 21] of the Churche be brought into so narowe rowme, and that also amonge these whiche professen the name of the Churche: so fewe be whome the spouse doth recognyse to be his / one of vs doth blame another / the pryuate persone fyn­deth defaulte with the prynces or gouer­noures, the laye men with the preestes / why doo we not rather with agreable myndes go aboute eche man to amende his owne selfe: then to rebuke another mans lyfe? yf we wyl do so, by this meane the spouses of Chryste shall florysshe and prospere, by this meane the brydale feaste shall waxe merye and cherefull / Paule cryeth / you men that are maryed loue your wyues,Ephes. 5. as Chryste loued the Churche and let no man hate his owne flesshe, but lette hym nourysshe and che­rysshe it. gyuynge honoure to the more weake vessell, lykewyse as chryste hath suffered and doth suffre his spouses,1. Pe. 3 for­gyuynge her synnes and alwayes dra­wynge her vnto better thynges, lyke­wyse the wyues agayne on theyr par­tes, [Page] accordynge to the doctryne of the A­postle lette theym be subiecte and obedy­ent,Coll. 3. so as is mete and conuenyent in the Lorde, and lette there be suche tempera­ture of auctorytie and of obsequy or ser­uyce betwene theym that the vnlaufull man maye be saued / by the faythfull or chrysten woman,1. Pe. 3 and that the vnchry­stened woman may be sanctyfyed by y^e chrysten man her husband. And I wol­de wysshe that all men and women shulde so come togyther ofte vnto the pray­synge of the blyssed virgyne Marie, yf by the gyfte of the sone, and the exam­ple of the mother, euery one of them my­ghte retorne home better then he came, & myght mynysshe somwhat of theyr vy­ces and make some encreace & augmen­tacyon of vertues / suche worshyppyng it is wherwith the most blyssed virgyn Marie is pleased, suche also her Sone loueth and reioyseth in. To whome with the Father and the holy ghost be glory & prayse without ende. Amen.

¶Laus deo.