This daye whiche we do solempnyse and kepe holy in remēbraunce of the tēdre, paynfull, and most gloryous passyon of our sauiour Iesu Christe, is called the good frydaye. And not w^t ­out a cause. For as vpon this daye, god dyde so­moche good for vs, that more good cowd not be done. For as vpon this day, Christe the sone of god, suffrede for vs, he suffrede passyon & deathe, deathe of the crosse: the moost pāguyouse, payn­full and cruell deathe that euer was suffrede. By whiche passion and deathe, he redemed the world: by whiche passion & deathe, moost hyghe­ly he pleased god the fadre, whiche was frome the fall of Adam vnto the tyme of this passion, vtterly displeased with man: by whiche passion and deathe, he reconcyled man to god, & brought hym ayen into fauour, & restored hym to grace. And why dyd god the fadre suffre this his sone,Loue caused the fa­dre to sende hys so­ne to dye for vs. E [...]he. 2. vndre this maner to dye? Surely for loue, for loue that he bare vnto vs, loue was the cause, loue caused hym so to doo. Propter nimiam chari­tatē (saythe thapostle) qua dilexit nos deus, cū esse­mus mortui peccatis, cōuiuificauit nos CHRISTO. For that grette excedynge charytie and loue y^t the fadre of heuen loued vs with all, where we were synners and deade in synne: he dyd quyckē [Page] and reuiue vs ayē by his sone Christe. Loo here maye you se the cause why god dyde this grette good vnto vs. The apostle saythe, it was for his grette abundant charytie, for his maruelous excedynge loue: not for our merytes, not for our desertes, but for loue. What loue? For the loue he bare to hym selfe? Nay, nay. It was for the inestymable loue he bare vnto vs, ‘Propter nimiā (inquit) charitatem qua dilexit nos.’ What dyde he by this loue? ‘Conuiuificauit nos CHRISTO.’ He reuyued vs ayen in Christe, scorne deathe to life. Howe? Christo. In Christe and by Christe. Christ was the doer, in Christe his passiō, in Christe his bloode, whose vertue remayneth in the sacra­ment of baptisme, were we purged, clensed, and made holle: not frome oon, twoo, thre, or foure synnes: but ‘ab oībus iniquitatibus nostris.’ Frome all our synnes, he reuyued vs by this passion, not onely frome synne, but also frome the deathe y^t was due for synne, frome deathe eternall.

And howe dyde the fadre warke this redemp­cyō? In Christo. In Christe, and by Christe. Howe by Christe?Roma. 8. ‘Proprio filio suo non pepercit’ (saythe thapostle) ‘sed pro omnibus nobis tradidit illū. Quo­modo nō etiam cum illo omnia nobis donauit?’ This was y^e maner howe he wrought our redempciō, he spared not his own propre sone whiche was and is consubstanciall and coeternall with him, of on substaunce with the fader, of on beinge, of on power, of on knowledge: on with hym in sub­staunce, [Page] on in beinge, on in power, on in know­ledge: in all thynges oon with the fadre. Thus his onely sone he spared not: but wold he shulde be borne of a virgyne and become mortall, and to suffre deathe for vs. And that is it that thapo­stle saythe, Pro omnibus nobis tradidit illū. He gaue hym for the and for me, & for this man and for that man. For any moo? Ye Pro omnibus nobis. For vs all: for all man kynde. And he saythe, Tradidit. He dyde traade and gyue hym. This tradere, is more than dare. For dare, is to gyue, but Tradere, is dare in potestatem. Tradere is to gyue in to a mannes power, to vse the thynge y^t is gyuē at his or theyr own pleasures to whome it is giuen, to do with it euen what they wyll: as ye wyll saye, to make or marre, to vse at libertie. And so dyde the fadre of heuen for our sake, he gaue hys sone Christe into the handes & power of the Iewes, to vse hym and do with him what they wolde: to handle: to treate, to haale, to lug­ge, to beate, to scourdge, to cutte, to mangle, to crucifye, and cruelly to putto deathe. And so for this cause Tradidit illum. He put hym holly into theyr handes for our saluacyon, to do with him what they wold, and so they dyde.

And he y^t gaue vs so greate a treasure,The fadre gaue vs w^t his sone all goodnes. his own sone, which is his treasure, his wisedōe, his sapiē ce, his power: whiche is y^e glorye of heuē, in whōe angellꝭ dothe glorye, in whome angellꝭ desyreth to beholde, in whose vysage stādeth y^e glorye of [Page] heuen, the felicitye and fruicion ther: he that giueth vs so grette a gyfte, his owne sone, wyll not sticke to giue vs smaller gyftes with this great gyfte, he wyll not stycke to giue vs all gud thynges with hys sone. For he dyde giue to vs w^t hym, muche goodenes, muche profyte, muche comforte. He gaue to vs with hym the gyfte of faythe, y^e gyftes of hope, charitye, paciēcye, tēperancye, peace, lōganimitye, goodnes, benignitie, meknes, tēperancy, prudence, wysedome, chasti­tie, obedience, modestie, contynency, strenghe of soule, good wyll, promptitude and redines, a ply aunt good wyll to liue well. He gaue with hym Dona spiritus, gyftes of the holy gooste. To thys man the gyfte of vnderstandynge, to that man the gyfte of wysedome, to this man the gyfte of pitye, to that man the gyfte of feare towardes god, fortitude and strenghe of soule to labour in god, to resiste synne, to do good deades. He gaue vs with this grette gyfte, grace: grace to be cō ­trite and repentaunt for our synnes, grace to do penaunce, grace to morne, wepe, and lamēte our wycked liues. He giueth vs with his sone, remission of our synnes. And wyll giue vs y^e glo­rye of heuen with hym selfe, if we wyll liue ac­cordingly and lyke vnto Christianes.Loue caused the so­ne to dye for man.

And the fadre dyde not this onely of his highe charitye, thus giue his deere darlynge, his sone for vs: but his mercyfull sone also dyde giue him [Page] selffe for vs. Thapostle saythe. Qui dilexit me, Galat. 2. tradidit seipsum pro me. He that loued me, dyde gi­ue him selfe for me. But why dyde he soo? what hadde we done for him, that he shuld so do to vs? was it of our desertes? hadde we deserued that he shuld so do? Nay. We were wretched synners, we were myserable lyuers, the enemyes to god, and out of fauour: and yet he gaue himselffe in­to the handes of hys enemyes for vs. But why dyde he so? Certaynely for loue. Dilexit me, sayth thapostle. He loued me. Loue was the cause, lo­ue moued and styrred hym to giue hym selffe to the deathe for vs. What loue? The loue whiche I spake of a fore, the loue that he bare to the, to me, and to all mankynde. What gaue he for the? Money? gold? precyouse stones? landes? or goo­des? Nay. He gaue a more precyouse gyfte than so. Tradidit scipsum. He gaue hym selffe. Hym sel­fe, hys body. And not onely hys bodye, but also hys soule, hys liffe, hys deathe, and hys godhede. He gaue hys bodye for the to the Iewes, to hā ­dle, to treate, to beate, to scourge, to turmoyle, to kyll, to slee, to crucifye, to do with it what they wolde: and so dyde they, euen to theyr own dampnacyō, he gaue so hys bodye in to theyr handes to redeme and byethe. He gaue for vs also his bodye beinge a liue to the crosse, beinge deade to the sepulture, that thy bodye beinge a liue, mought liue cleane: & beinge deade, mought [Page] and shuld rest in the sepulture, and at that daye of god to ryse ayen, to be gloryfyed and raigne with hym in glory. He giueth to the ayē this his moost precyous bodye nowe rysen frome deathe to liffe, in that moost holy sacrament of the Eu­chariste, the sacrament of the aultre. He giueth hym selffe vnto vs, bothe bodye and blood: soule, and godhede, nowe raignynge in glory and syt­tynge on the ryght hande of his fadre,Roma, 8. ‘Vbi po­stulat pro nobis, as thapostle witnessyth, & is ther a petycioner for vs to god the fadre. Christus Ie­sus qui mortuus est qui & resurrexit, qui est ad dexte­rā dei, interpellat pro nobis.’ Christe Iesus whiche dyed, whiche rysse frome deathe to liffe, whiche is on the ryght hande of the fadre, he maketh peti­cyon & intercession for vs. He dayly dothe shewe to god the fadre, his manhode whiche he toke vpon hym, & the greuouse maner of his deathe and passion whiche he suffrede for vs: so to mo­ue the fadre to mercy & pytie, so to procure mer­cy for man: whose peticyon cannot be contem­pned but gracyously harde.Barnard. Christe & Mary his modre, dothe dayly intercede for vs to God y^e fadre.

‘Here saythe saynt Barnard in contemplaciō of this mercyfull intercession of Christe beinge in dextera patris, Securum habes accessum o homo ad deum, ubi habes apud patrem, filium intercessorē: apud filium, matrem: mater ostendit filio, pectus & ubera: filius patri, latus & uulnera: ibi nequit esse re­pulsa, ubi tot ostenduntur charitatis insignia.’ O man [Page] thou mayste surely goo and sue to thy lorde god by petycyon, by desyour and prayour for thy ne­cessities of soule. Where thou hast an interces­sour for the. Afore the sone, thou haste his mo­dre Marye. And to procure grace and mercy, to moue god to pytie, she dothe shewe to hir sone Christe, hir breste & pappes: the sone dothe shewe to his fadre, his syde and woundes: there can be no repulse, no denyall of our peticions, where are shewed and alledged so many tokens of loue and charytie.

The shewynge of this breste and pappes,What be­tokeneth the show­inge of y^e brest and pappꝭ of Mary [...] & the [...] wondꝭ of Christe. is no more but a remembraunce of the great infi­nite mercy of god the sone, whiche he shewed to man, whenne he toke manhode for vs▪ borne of a mayden, beinge an infante, and suckynge his modres brestes. As who saye, that mercy, that pitie and compassion that thou shewest to man in this doynge, shewe now vnto hym in his my­serie of synne, haue compassion on hym, shewe thyn olde mercy, graunte thou him his iuste pe­ticiō and humble suyte, remytte hys synne, giue hym grace, take hym to thy fauour.

In like maner dothe god y^e sone shewe to y^e fa­dre his wounde in his syde, & hys other woun­des, to moue hym to like mercy: whiche was so mercyfull to sende downe hys sone, to suffre these woundes and deathe for man. ‘Postulat pro nobis,’ he maketh petition and desyor to the fa­dre [Page] for vs.1. Ioan. 1. Ayen saynt Iohā saythe. ‘Si quis pec­cauerit, aduocatū habemus apud patrem, Iesum Chri­stūiustū, & ipse est propiciatio pro peccatis nostris: nō pro nostris tantū, sed etiā pro peccatis totius mūdi.’ If any man by frayltie dothe offende and synne let hym not despayre, for he hathe an aduocate in heuen afore the fadre, his sone Iesus Christe. Aduocatum iustum, a iuste aduocate. For he pray­eth, not for euery synner that wyll crye and call and neuer ryse frome synne: but for veraye true penytentes, for them that are displeased with them selues and with theyr synne: lett thē crye, lett them call, and anone he callythe with them, and makyth peticyō for thē: anone he heareth, he helpeth, and he then intercedeth to the fadre for them. Iustum, a iuste aduocate, he promoteth none euyll causes. Iustum. He taketh no rewar­des, no gyftes, no brybes. He dothe not accepte any personage but after hys liuynge. He regar­deth not bloode nor byrth, kythe nor kyne, stren­gthe nor wisedome, beawtie nor fayrenes, ry­ches nor pouertie. He regardeth onely the Chri­stiane and vertuouse liffe of man. And after hys deedes he dothe accepte or repell. Iustum. He is a iuste aduocate.

Thre ty­mes Chri­ste prayd for vs. Ioan. 17.And thre tymes I reade that he dyde shewe hym selffe a vocate, a peticioner for vs. Ones before his passion, whenne he sayth to the fadre. ‘Ego pro eis rogo, non pro mundo, sed pro his quos [Page] dedisti mihi, quia tui sunt.’ I pray for them and not for the worlde, I praye for those that thou haste gyuen me, for they be thyn. Secondaryly in .2. hys passion, whenne he sayde, ‘Pater ignosce illis, Luc. 23. quia nesciunt quid faciunt.’ Fadre forgyue them, they wote not what they doo. Thyrdely after .3. hys passion as here, Aduocatum habemus, & caete­ra. The fyrst intercession was by worde. The so­conde was by effusion of his bloode. The thyrde is by his dayly shewynge to the fadre his woun­des, so to moue hym to mercy and pytie, to haue compassion on the worlde.

Of this grette and infinite charytie writeth the apostle Paule in an othec place sainge. Roma. [...]. ‘Vt quid enim Christus pro impijs mortuus est? uix enim pro iusto quis moritur. Nam pro bono quis au­deat mori? Commendat autem deus charitatem suam in nobis, quoniam cum adhuc peccatores essemus, Christus pro nobis mortuus est, in cuius sanguine iu­stificati sumus, in cuius sanguine salui erimus ab ira.’ What moued Christe to dye for wycked synners? Scante we shall fynde one that wyll dye for a iuste man.Noo mā wyll dye for an o­ther, not for hys frynde. And where shall we fynde hym that dare dye for a good man? Our lorde god hathe shewed a commendable and laudable charytie towardes vs, for where that we were synners, wretched lyuers, abhomynable in the syght of god: Christe dyed for vs. In whose bloode, we be iustifyed and made rightuouse: in whose bloode, [Page] we shalbe saued frome the yre & wrathe of god. Lyue thou neuer so well, liue thou neuer so ho­lyly, let se if thou were in the case nowe to dye, vnles thou shuldest gett one that wolde dye for the, where shuldest thou haue one? where shul­dest thou fynde hym that wold doo so muche for the, by whose death thou shuldest escape death? Nowe thou beinge a synner, a mysseliuer, lett see who will dye for the? Any one? Not the fadre for the sone,Christ dy­ed for his enemys. not the sone for the fadre. Yet thou beinge a synner, an ennemye to god: he dyed for the. Frely, without queste. Frely, not hyred, not requyred, but of his owne, mere, mercyfull goodenes offrede hym selffe thereunto, onely for the loue he bare vnto the. And that is it the a­postle saythe. ‘Commendat deus charitatem suam in nobis, quoniam cum adhuc peccatores essemus, & caetera.’ He shewed a meruelouse laudable cha­rytie to vs, in that we beinge horryble synners, yee before we were renate or borne the chyldren of god by baptisme, before we were iustifyed by faythe, ye before that we were borne or knowē to the worlde, Mortuus est pro nobis, he dyet for vs, not requyred, not desyored, not hyred there­unto:Gala. 5. but ‘gratis & sine argento redimimini,’ frely of hys owne mere mocion, of hys owne goodenes, he offrede hym selffe voluntarily to the deathe. ‘In cuius sanguine iustificati sumus, & caeteta.’ In whose bloode, we be iustifyed, purged, washed, & [Page] made clene. In whose bloode we shalbe saued at that grette daye frome the grette wrathe of god, if we liue therafter. That we maye be par­teners of this gloryouse passion and bloode of Iesu Christe, let vs praye. ‘Oremus. Et ipse redimet Israel ex omnibus iniquitatibus eius.Litera.’

The Englyshe of thes wordes is,Christe hath redemed Israel frome all his iniquyties▪ He shall re­deme Israel frome all his iniquyties, He shall redeme Israel frome all his iniquyties. Not frome a patche or a pece, not frome one, two, thre or four iniquyties, but frome all. Frome all ther iniquyties, frome all ther synnes, frome oryginall and actuall, frome veniall and deathly, frome all. And whenne the prophete wrote these wordes, this passiō was to come, and ther­fore sayd Redimet, he shall redeme. And nowe it is paste, and true ꝙ redemit. He hathe verily suf­frede passion and deathe, and hathe redemed Israel frome all hys imiquyties, frome all hys synnes. Howe and vndre what maner the fadre dyd warke this redempcyon, the prophete shew­ethe in an other psalme, sainge.Psal. [...] ‘Notam fecisti in populis uirtutem tuam, redemisti in brachio tuo po­pulum tuum, filios Iacob & Ioseph.’ Thou lorde god fadre of heuen, thou hast declarede, made open, and manyfestly shewed thy vertue emonges thy people. Thou haste redemed thy people in thyn [Page] arme,Iacob, Io­seph quid significāt? the chyldren of Iacob and Iosephe. Ia­cob is called Israel, and signyfieth the people of Israel, the Israelytes. Ioseph is interpretate augmentum siue crescens, an augmentacyon or a growynge: and signyfieth the gentiles whiche were added & ioyned to the Israelites in fayth, and electe to be with them the veraye people of saluation, and to be redemed by Christe, for he redemed all. In these wordes, ‘Notam fecisti uirtutem tuā’ the prophete sheweth the grette power of god whiche he shewed in our redemption,Christe is callid the vertue, power & wysdome of y^e fadre saynge. Thou haste good lorde opened and shewed▪ thy power, thy vertue, thy wysedome vnto the worlde. What is this vertue, power and wysedome of God? The apostle shewed to the Corynthes,1. Cor. 1. where he callithe ‘Christum dei uirtu­tem & sapientiam.’ He calleth Christe incarnate, y^e vertue and wysedome of god the fadre. He is called the vertue and power of the fadre, the wyse­dome of the fadre: for by hym, the fadre maade the worlde of nothynge, by hym he gouerneth y^e worlde, by hym he protecteth, contynueth, and holdeth vppe the worlde, by hym he punyshethe y^e worlde: in some place one punyshemēt, in some place an other. By hym he redemed and saued y^e worlde, and by hym he shall iudge the worlde. This and all other thynges, dothe the fadre warke by hys sone Iesus Christe, whiche is cal­led hys uertue, hys power, and hys wysedome. [Page] This vertue the sone of god,God was knowē to the world or he cāe to y^e pro­phetꝭ, but not to all. was knowen to the worlde many thousande yeres afore he came. For the prophetes almost at the begynnynge of all, wrote that he shulde come in to the worlde, and that he shulde be borne of a virgyne, and y^t he shulde rebuke the worlde for theyr synne, and teache truthe, and warke myracles, make holle the lame and sicke, clense lepres, giue syght to y^e blinde, raysse to life deade bodyes, remytte syn­ne, redeme man: with muche more as is open in the bookes of the prophetes and in the psalmes. He came accordyng vnto the prophetes saingꝭ, and fulfylled all thynges wryten of hym by thē, yet wolde the worlde not knowe hym. [...] ‘In mundo erat & mundus per ipsum factus est, & mundus cum nō cognouit.’ He was in the worlde, y^e worlde was maade by hym, and yet the world knewe hym not. And soo whenne the tyme was come, wry­ten by the prophetes, Christe wolde shewe hym selffe, and came downe frome the heuens, con­ceyued by the holy goost, borne of a virgyne, ta­kynge very manhode vpon hym,Angell [...] shepar [...]des, y^e ore and asse, y^e ster, y^e .iij. kynges, witnes­syd Christ to be god. and beganne playnely to open hym selffe to the worlde. At whiche tyme he sent hys aungels to the shepar­des watchynge theyr shepe, gyuynge to them knowledge that he was borne and comen in to the worlde. The shepardes came to the place wher he was, they sawe hym ther skrawlynge and liynge in a crybe betwene an oxe and an [Page] asse. He sent an other testymony frome y^e heuēs that he was come, a flamynge sterre, to monyshe the thre kynges of the Este partys of the world, to testyfye hys comynge. They came to hym frome farre countreyes. They offrede to hym, gold, myrre, and sens as to theyr lorde and god. He shewed hym selffe at .xij. yeres of age in the temple disputynge ther with doctours and ler­ned men of theyr lawes, prouynge & shewynge by the sayenges of theyr owne prophetes, that god was borne and comē in to the worlde. And yet the worlde knewe hym not [...] yet he was to y^e worlde Deus absconditus. A hyde god, not knowē.' And to shewe hym selffe more openly, he wente oute of Nazareth and Galyley into Iordan, to be baptized of Iohan baptiste,Iohā ba­ptiste witnessyd Christe to be god. whiche Iohan knewe hym to be god, of a mekenes dyde vtter­ly refuse the thynge, iudgynge hym selffe to be farre vnworthy to touche hys mayster Christe, whiche was veraye god and man: of whome he sayd afore, that he was not worthy to vnlachet, nor to beir his shoys.Math. 3. And sayde to Christe, Ego debeo a te baptizari, & tu uenis ad me? I ought to be baptized of the lord god, and thou comest to me? O lorde what meaneste thou? Thou that purgest the worlde, thou that washeste all, com­meste thou to me to be washed? I thy creature, and thou my creatour? I thy seruaūt and thou my mayster? I a synner & thou he that purgeth [Page] synne? I oughte to be washed of the and thou comest to be washed of me? O Lorde god what meaneth this? Christe answerede. ,‘Sine modo, sic enim decet nos implere omnē iustitiā.’ Iohā, Iohan,Christe taught y^e world to submitt them sel­fes to the sacramē ­tis of his chirche. suffre at this tyme, thou knowest not the myste­rye of this thynge, thou knowest not what this thynge meaneth. For vndre this maner, it bese­meth vs to fulfyll all iustice, all iustice id est omnē humilitatē, al humylite. Here christe taughtt all y^e worlde humblye to submytte them selues, vnto the sacramentes of hys churche, what degree so euer they be of: ye and to fulfyll all vertue to him belōgyng. For this iustice cōteyneth in him selfe all vertue, as saythe saynt Ambrose. ‘Vbi iusticia, ibi cunctarum uirtutum concordia.’ Ambrosius. The fa­dre & y^e holy goste witnessid Christe to be God. Where iustice is, ther is an vnitie, a concorde, a ga­drynge to gether of all vertues. And so dyde Io­han obey hys maysters wyll, and baptyzed hym. And then dyde the fadre of heuen open and ma­nyfeste hys sone Christe to the worlde. Not one­ly by the warkes of Christe, but also by testymo­nye of his owne worde. For whēne Christe was thus baptized, and wente oute of the water,Math. [...]. the heuens opened, the holye goost descended in a corporall likenes of a doue, and stude vpon him. The fadre spake frome heuen w^t a lowde voyce, saynge. ‘Hic est filius meus dilectus, in quo mihi cō ­placui.’ And Mathewe wrytynge of hys transfi­guracyon, added more and seyde, ‘Ipsum audite.’ Matth. 17. [Page] This is myne entere beloued sone, this is myne veraye sone.Math. 17. Filius meus dilectus, myne owne be­loued sone in whome I delyte, here hym. He shall teache the worlde, he shall preache truthe, Ipsum audite, here hym. He shall proue hym selffe to be veray god, he shall proue by hys warkes, to be the veraye prophete that shall saue y^e worlde. He shall redeme man, he shall remytte synne, he shall send downe the holy gooste, he shall iudge y^e worlde: Ipsum audite, here hym, folowe hym, obey hys worde, kepe hys commaūdementes, folowe that he byddeth you folowe, doo that he byddeth you doo, he is my sone, Ipsum audite, here hym. What more testimonye nede we to haue of Christe to proue hym to be the sauiour of the worlde then this? then the testimonye of the fadre? the testimonye of the holy goost, hys owne warkes & wonders? Here was open wytenes, here was proue enoughe, to proue that he was the sone of god. And yet he was as Esay dothe say, y^e hydde god, vnknowen to the worlde. ‘Vere tu es deus ab­sconditus,’ Esaie. 45. Deus ab­sconditus. The hidd God. inquit. Thou arte the hydde god, hydde vnto the worlde not knowen to man, the world yet wold not knowe hym.

For as it is open in Mathewe, After that Christe was baptized and wēte into wyldernes, ther ouercomynge the grette enemye of man y^e deuyll by that ayen prouynge hym selffe to be god: and after wente abrode all Iudee, decla­rynge [Page] hym selffe aswell by hys lyuynge, his preachynge, as by myracles doynge, to be veraye god, as Nichodemus sayde vnto hym,Ioan. 5. ‘Nemo po­test haec signa facere quae tu facis, nisi fuerit deus cū eo.’ None maye do these signes y^t thou doeste vn­les god were with hym. And yet he was Deus absconditus mundo. He was god, and hydde to the worlde, not knowē. Yet to make hym more ma­nyfeste and knowen to the worlde, he asked hys disciples, Quem dicūt homines esse filium hominis? What dothe y^e world saye of Christe?Math. 16 whōe dothe they call hym? They answered, Some dothe call the Iohan baptiste, some calleth the Hely­as, some Heremye or one of the ꝓphetes. Christe sayde, whome do you call me? Symon Petre answered. Tu es Christus filius dei uiui. Peter did witnes Christe to be God. Thou art Christe the sone of the liuynge god. Loo, here was an other testimonye & witnes that he was god.

Ayen it was prouyd that he was god, in his transfiguracion in the mount of Thabor: whenne he shewed hym selfe gloryous betwene Moses and Helyas, to Petre, Iames, and Iohā: they herynge the fadre frome heuen raynge as afore, ‘Hic est filius meus dilectus, & caetera.’ Where Petre desyored euer to dwell ther, thinkynge he had ben in heuen and sayde. ‘Domine bonum est nos hic esse: faciamus tria tabernacula: tibi unū, Mosi unum, & Heliae unum.’ Petre sawe suche a glory, [Page] y^t he desyred to a bydde there & neuer to returne ayen vnto y^e worlde.Christe witnessyd of hym self, to be God, by his workꝭ Ioan. 5. Christe many ways she wyd hym to be god cheffly in his passiō resurrec­tion & as­cencion. Virtꝰ dei. Christ is callid the power of God, the wisdom, the arme & y^e right hād. Brachium dei. The ar­me of god And christe in an other pla­ce wytnessed hymselffe y^t he was god, opēly sayn­ge to y^e Iewes, ‘Opera quae ego facio, testimoniū per hibent de me’ ▪ Remyttynge them to his warkes, y^t by hys warkes and myracles, they moughte verely knowe what he was. My warkes sayde he, dothe wytenes what I am. And emōges all his warkes, he cheffely proued hymselffe to be god, by the warkes he shewed in hys passion, by y^e warkes he dyde in our redemptiō. In this pas­sion, he shewed and playnely opened hym selffe, and gaue euydent notes and knowledge to the worlde, that he was veraye god. In this passion he shewed hym selffe to be ‘Virtus & sapientia pa­tris,’ to be the vertue and power, the sapiēce and wysedome of the fadre. In this passion, the fa­dre wolde the truthe thereof shulde be shewed & openly knowen. Here in this passion ‘Notam fecit dominus in populis uirtutem suam.’ He shewed hys vertue: he shewed openly to his people, y^t this his sone was his vertue: and that by this his sone & by hys passion, he wolde warke vertue, and that the redemptiō of mā shulde be wrought by him, by his passion and deathe, and by hys precyouse bloode whiche shuldbe shedde in the same. And that is it that foloweth in the same verse. ‘Rede­misti in brachio populum tuū.’ Thou haste in thyne arme, redemed thy people.

[Page]What is this arme of y^e fadre? Ueryly y^e, that afore he called Virtutem, hys vertue, Christe hys sone. For in an other psalme y^e prophete saythe. ‘Sed dextera tua & brachiū tuū,Psal. 43. Thre names of Christe, dextera / brachiū / illuminatio. Dextera dei. The rigt hand of God. [...] & illuminatio uultus tui, quoniam placuerunt in eis.’ Where y^e prophete dothe describe Christe by thre names. He calleth hym Dexteram, brachium, & illuminationem. The ryght hande, the arme, and the lyght of the vy­sage of the fadre. Fyrst he called hym Dexteram, the ryght hande of the fadre. For Christe incar­nate is signyfyed by the ryght hande. And the reason after Ysodore is, for that, ‘Dextera dicitur a dando.’ The ryghte hande is called the ryghte hande of dando of giuynge, because that of olde, the token of peace was and yet is, giuen by the ryght hand. Demus dexteras hominibus istis, sayde the Machabees. Let vs strike handes with thē, [...] let vs giue handes eche to other, whiche is a to­ken of truyse and peace. And the reason may be, for y^t the philosopher saythe. [...] ‘Pars dextra est prin­cipium motus, & membra dextera sunt fortiora sini­stris.’ The right [...] is redi [...] & strōge [...] than [...]s y^e lyfte In the ryght syde is the origynall begyn­nynge of all the mocions and mouynges of the bodye: and all the ryght parties and membres on the ryght syde, are naturally stronger than the lyfte. For we se the righte hande, the righte arme, y^e righte fote, is more ready in any thinge to do, thenne is the lyfte. And is set and goeth a­fore y^e other almoste in all thynges. And is more [Page] qwyuer, more quyke, more stronge and farre more ready and apte to the doinge of any thyng thenne is the lyfte. And we se by experience, whenne frendes that hathe be longe a sondre mete to gether, they take handes to gedre eue­ryche with other, not the lyfte handes, but the ryght handes. Whenne they also departe, they bydde fare well and shake handes, not the lyfte handes, but the righte. Whēne they make bar­gaynes to gether in token of performaunce of ther bergaynes, they strike handes together, not the lyfte handes, but the right handes. Whenne men hathe bene att variaunce, & ar ayen made attone, in token of truyse and peace, they take handes together, not lyfte handes, but y^e right handes. So forasmoche as the righthande, is the chief hande y^e man warketh w^t, and is more ready, more hāsome & stronger of the two: god y^e fadre wrought all, by Christe his righte hāde: he gouerneth all, by Christe his ryght hande: and shall iudge all, by Christe his righte hāde. And where he was in displeasure w^t mā, & afterwar­de toke truyse and peace with him, in token of a fyrme peace, he gaue man his righte hande, his sonne Iesu Christe. Whēne? Uerily whē he sent him down to take our nature vpon him: in tokē that he gaue his strenghe vnto vs, and wolde nomore strike vs with that hande vnles he be to fare prouok [...]d. Of this hāde wryteth the prophe­te [Page] in an other psalme,Psalm. 6 [...]. ‘Dextera dei.’ The ri­ghthand of godde sēdith vs saynge ‘Me suscepit dexte­ra tua.’ Thy righte hande toke me. Thou tokest me with thy righte hande. Whenne? Surely whenne thy sonne Christe toke my nature, whē ne thy sone toke me into his fauour, whenne thy sone made y^e grette peace betwene the and mankinde. He toke me, he toke me thenne into his protection, to defende me, to protecte me, & to saue me in all persecucions, in all temptaciōs and suggestions that we ar here daily troubled with by the deuil and his angels: by the worlde, and by our own fraile fleshy bodie. Whedre itt be in fleshly desiour, in carnall affectiō, in worl­dely vanitye, in arrogancye or pryde, in malice or displeasur, in inordinate desiour of lucre, in gule or luxus lyuinge, or any other inordinate behauiour. For euery waye the deuyll assauteth vs hy his craftye subtile meanes. Euery waye he assay the howe he maye ouer throwe vs by his temptacions whiche are so secrette, so sotle, so craftye, so busye, so importune, so manyfolde, so hydly done, and so vehement: that & this hande do not helpe vs, itt lyeth nott in vs to resiste. We liue here in cōtinuall persecution. We haue here continually inwarde an spirituall enemy­es: vut beinge stronge in God, beinge stronge in faithe, in hope, and in loue of him: we nede nott to feare. For the deuyll is but weake where the power of God is. ‘Dominus fortis est & potēs,’ Psalm. 2 [...] dominus [Page] potens in praelio. God is myghty, stronge, & of infi­nite power. God is stronge, God is full of mighte and power, stronge and mightye in ba­tell, mightie in power, mightie in creatiō, migh­tie in protection of thes that apperteynithe vn­to him: mightie in gouernaunce, mightie in re­demption. Mightie to do all thinges, in heuē, in earthe, and in hell, as shall appere in the proces­se. God the fadre gaue therfor this his righte hande, his sone, vnto vs: in signe and token of peace, and of truyse. And in token therof, the angels att this truyse makinge, at the comminge of christe firste into this worlde,Luc. 2. sange, ‘Gloria in excelsis deo, et in terra pax hominibus bonae volunta­tis.’ Glorie be to God in heuē, and peace be to all men in earthe that are of good will. So that y^e gyuinge of this righte hande Christe, was a suf­fycient and a conuenient token of peace and attonemēt taken & made betwene god and man.

And bycause we shulde be the more in assu­raunce of this peace, god the fadre suffrede this his righte hande to be bounden. To be bounden to the pyllour with ropes,God strykyth somtyme w^t his ryght hād, and somtyme with his lefte hād. to the crosse with nayles. Iff thou therefore do feare the iustice and seueritie of God, holde him faste by the ryghte hā ­de. Iff then he stryke the, itt shalbe wyth the lef­te hande, and shall be but an easye stroke. He striketh with the lefte hande whenne he punisheth temporally. Whenne he striketh thy bodye with plage or syckenes, with infirmitie or disease, w^t [Page] trybulacyon or aduersytye. He stryketh wyth hys lefte hande, whenne he taketh awaye thy wyffe, thy husbande, thy chylde, thyne hey­re, thy goodes, thy worldely comforte that thou haddeste so moche pleasure in. Thow haddeste soo moche pleasure in these thynges, that it pulled thy loue and herte, thy seruice and feoty frome God: whereby, thou mough­test haue ronne into eternall dampnaciō. God therefore stryketh with his lefte hande, and ta­keth awaye thyn inordynate loue thou haddest to this worlde and worldely thinges. He taketh awaye the occasion of thy damnacion. Whyche taken awaye,When do the God stryke w^t his right hand. [...] thou mayste more liberally applye thy loue, thy mynde, thy seruice & duetie, towar­des hym. He stryketh with his righte hāde, whē ­ne he stryketh the synner with eternall damna­tion. For itt is written by Salomon. ‘Longitudo dierum in dextera eius, & in sinistra illius diuitiae & gloria.’ In his ryghte hande is that celestiall and eternitye of lyffe: to giue, or to take awaye from whome and to whome he wyll. And in his lefte hande, he hathe this temporall ryches & worldely glorye, to dispose, to giue or to withdrawe, att his pleasure, to whome & frome whome he wyll. And this stroke is called, but a touche, a philip­pe, a tryfull as ye wyll say in comparison of the tother. Manus domini tetigit me, saithe Iob.Iob. 19. The hād of God is dradfull, and to be fearyd The hande of god hathe touched me. Whenne sayde [Page] he so? Uerily whenne the Sabeis violently to­ke frome him fiue hundrede yoke of oxen, fiue hū drede asses. whēne the Chaldeis toke frome him foure thousāde Camels, whenne they slewe his seruaundꝭ, whenne a vehement wynde came & ouerthrewe the house where his chyldren were, beinge merye eatinge and drinkinge, and slewe them. Whenne a flamynge fyre came frome aboue, and brante his seuen thousande sheepe with theyr kepers. Whenne his own bodye was stry­ken with soores & plages so greuously, that noo parte of his bodye was vntouched: but all soore, all foule, all fylthye, all materouse, noysome and ogle to beholde. This hād straake Hierusalē w^t pestilencꝭ .lxx.M. in oon day. This hād deposyd Nabuchodonosor frome his realme into deserte where he liuyd .vij. yerꝭ & a half eatinge moorꝭ, rootꝭ,2. Regū. 24. Daniel. 4. grase and haye with beestis. And all this and suche other temporall punyshmentes, are called but Tactus manus domini, the touchynge of the hande of god. But whenne he stryketh, he stryketh soore. When he strykyth, he stryketh w^t the ryght hande: of whiche stroke the prophete speketh in his psalme, ‘Percussit inimicos suos in po­steriora: obprobrium sempiternum de dit illis.’ He hathe stryken his enemyes, the grett synners of the world and ther posteritye y^t doth foloo them in ther synne and y^t is he sayth ‘Percussit inimicos in posteriora.’ Psalm. 77. 1, Regū. 56 And ther hathe they ‘Obprobrium sem­piternum,’ [Page] euerlastinge shame, obprobry and pay­ne. And a yen the same prophete saythe,Psalm. 20. ‘Dextera tua inueniet omnes quite oderunt’ Thy ryghte hāde lorde god shall fynde all those that dothe haate the, all those y^t hathe neglected thy commaūde­mētes, al thos y^t hathe despysed thy preceptes, y^t hathe contempned thy lawes and ordinaunces that are disobedient vnto the. But whēne shall he thus fynde them? And howe shal he finde thē? verify,Ibidem. The dr­adfull hand of God. ‘Quando ponet eos ut clibanum ignis in tem­pore uultus sui, quando in ira sua conturbabit eos, & deuorabit eos ignis.’ Whenne he shall put them in to a furnes of fyre, whenne he shall come to iud­gement and shewe him selffe a dradfull iudge to the worlde. Whenne he shall in his highe disple­sur trouble them be yond home, be yond the estimaciō of mā Whēne he shall saye,. [...] ‘Discedite a me maledicti in ignem aeternum,’ whenne he shall commytt them to the fyre which shall deuoure thē, the fyre of hell, y^e fyer that neuer shall haue end, wher in they shalbe deuouryd, and neuer consumed, but for euer, to suffer, suffre damnatiō eter­nall.

This is a dradefull hande. This is the hande that destroyed the Sodoms and Gormors This hande strake all the realme of Egipte with y^e ten plages for their disobediency to god,Gene. 1 [...] Gene. 1 [...]. and att la­ste drowned them in the sees and dampnid thē. This hand strake of the Israelitis in deserte for [Page] ther ydolatry in worshyppynge a calf of gold, xxiii. thowsand men.N [...]eri 16 This hāde strake an other sorte of the chyldren of Israel in deserte wyth styngynge serpentis, with fyer and wyth other horryble vengeaunce: as whenne the grounde opened and swalowyd in a lyue Dathan, Abyrō, and Choree: with other theyr beopers & felous for theyr synne. This hāde strake & dystroyd of y^e cōpany of Senacherib in oon night for his blasphemye to the nombre of C.LXXXU thousand and after his own chyldren slewe hym in the tē ­ple of Nesrache worshyppynge his ydole.Esa [...]e. 37. 2 Parali. [...]2. Thys hāde strake Balthasar syttynge att a grette feaste wyth hys nobles,Daniel. 45. where ther appered an hā ­de vpon the wall, an wrytte Mane, Thethel, Pha­res.' Whiche is a terrible storye who lyste to rea­de itt. This hande of god is dradefull, and to be feared. And yf thou wylte besuere of this hand, bynde hym faste,Howm ā may bind the hand of God. and go not frome hym. Howe shalte thou bynde thys hande of God? By deuō te prayour, by inteare peticion, by continuall intercessiō, by true faythe, by perfytte hope, by fer­uent loue and charytie, by godly and christiane lyuynge. Reade y^e .xxxii. chapter of Exodi: And ther shalte thou see howe Moses bounde this hā de so faste,Exodi. 32. that he moughte nott stryke. Whenne the Israelytes, (Moses beynge in the mounte wyth god and hadde receiued the lawes) hadde made them a calfe of golde and honoured itt for [Page] theyr god. God shewed it to Moses, saynge that he wolde therefore destroye them. And Moses maade intercession for his people besekynge god to spare them. And God sayde to Moses, ‘Dimit­te me, ut irascatur furor meus contra populum istum ut deleam eum.’ Moses, saide God, Moses, Suffre me, Suffre me Moses to extende my furye anē ­ste these stubburn people. Suffre me to stryke, Suffre me to destroye them. To whome Moses sayde, O Lorde, O marcyfull god, ‘Quiescat do­mine iam ira tua & esto placabilis super malitiam po­puli,’ Lorde, cesse thy displeasure, hold thy hande, contented, haue compassion on thy people, for­gyue them theyr iniquitye. And itt foloweth in the lettre. Placatus est dominus. God was pacyfyed of hys displeasure and spared his people att y^e requeste and instans of Moses. Loo christē peo­ple here may you see, howe Moses by prayour, stayde the hyghe displeasure of God, and helde hym y^t he coude nott stryke: els wolde nott he haue sayde: o Moses suffre me, Suffre me Moses. Thou seeste nowe Good catholike man the grette pythe and vertue of true prayour.

Praye therefore to thy lorde god y^t he maye staye his stroke of vengeaunce, that he maye be mercyfull vnto the and to his people, y^t he maye withdrawe hys punishynge hand, that he maye spare hys subiectꝭ. Holde hym by prayour, byn­de hym by peticion, pacyfye hym by intercession, [Page] stay hys wrathe by intear desyour and sewte. This hande dothe punyshe and dampne the synner: This hande dothe saue the penytente, thys hande dothe rewarde the good man, this hande dothe crown y^e ryghtuouse person in the heuēs. And yff we lyue well and christianely this rygh­te hande shall defende, protecte, guyyd, and sa­ue vs: soo yff we lyue not christianely, itt shall punyshe,Christe is callid y^e arme of God. Brachium destroye, and vtterly dampne vs. This so­ne of God is not onely called dextera the ryghte hande of god the fadre: but is also called Bra­chium the arme of the fadre. Whiche worde brachium in scripture is many tymes taken Pro potentia & fortitudine, for power and strenghe, and for the sone of god. For the fyrste parte, ‘Videlicet de potentia & fortitudine,’ Psalm. [...]8. itt is wrytten ‘Tu humili­asti sicut uulneratum superbum. In bra chio uirtutis tuae dispersisti inimicos tuos.’ Thane thou lord god, thou haste brought y^e prowd man as lowe, as a man that is woundid. And haste skaterd and dispersyd thyn enemyes in the arme of thy vertue, in thy sone. And as God dothe bringe downe by this hande and arme the prowde wretched syn­ner, and disperse and putto flighte his enemyes: so dothe he ayen wyth his hand exalte, extoll & promote his humble seruandis, thoughe not att all tymes in this worlde, yett he wyll do itt in heuen, Where he wyll auanus hym wyth the feli­citie and sighte of god, And that is itt that a­fore [Page] the prophete calleth, Illuminatio uultis tui the cleer sighte of the godhede. Wherein standeth y^e heuenly ioye, the felicitie and glorye of the fruy­cyon ther. Here now apperithe the grette ver­tue and power of this hande and arme of God. When that he in his passion dyd dysparge, con­uicte & vtterly ouercome all his enemyes, deathe, synne, and the deuyll, and hathe spoyled the helles, and victoriously rose frome the dethe to lyff. Sic notam fecit dominus uirtutem suam. So vndre this maner, god hath shewed & opened to the worlde his vertue, hys wysdom, his hande, hys arme, hys power, hys omnipotency, his sone Ie­su Christe. And especially emōges all other thinges, he declared hym selfe to the worlde, to be veraye god by hys dolorouse passion.

Dyd not he shewe and proue hym selfe to be ve­raye god in hys grette soper and maundye?Christe by his passion euery way [...] declary [...] hymsel [...] to be god whē ne he shewed the secrettes of Iudas mynde and purpose de traditione, howe he shulde betraye hym? whēne he gaue hym selfe, hys own veraye bodye and bloode, to hys disciples in forme of breade and wyne, to eate and drinke? dyd not he shewe hymselfe to be veraye God whenne he in hys prayour vpon the mounte, swette bothe water and bloode? Whenne he dyd prostrate & ouerthrewe the Iewes with a worde? Who can tell the secrettes of mans harte but oonly God? Who can gyue his bodye in forme of breade and [Page] his bloode in forme of wyne but oonly god? who can sweete bloode with water but god? who cā ouerthrowe an armye of men with a worde but God?

Iudas was o­uertrowen.Whenne Christe mett Iudas w^t a grette mul­titude of the Iewes wyth lanterns, torches, fy­re brandes and other lyghtes: with staues, swordes, with other wepons, and in armure, to apprehende and take hym, and knewe hym not whenne they mett hym, for that god hadde taken a­waye theyr knowledge: and Christe asked them, Quem queritis? whome seke you? They answerd ‘Iesum Nazarenum.’ Ioan. 1 [...]. We seke Iesus of Nazareth. And Christe sayde, ‘Ego sum.’ I am, Att whyche worde, Iudas and they all stayde, wente backe and fell to the earthe. He pausyd a lyttyll, and suffrede them a yen to ryse. He askyd them a yē, whome seke you? They answerede, Iesus of Nazarethe. Christe sayde, dyd not I tell you, ‘Quia ego sum?’ That I am he? Iff ye seke me, suffre these my disciples to goo saaf, vn touchid, hurt thē nott. And so put hym selfe voluntarily into hys enemyes handes, and saued his disciples. For he hadde sayde before to his fadre, Quos dedisti mi­hi, Ioan. 1 [...]. ‘non perdidi ex eis quen (que).’ I haue not lofte oon of those that thou haste geuen me to kepe, butt haue preserued them all.

He shewed hymselfe to be god thus in hys takynge whenne he was apprehended. Also in healynge [Page] Malchus, whose eare was cutt of frome his hedde by Peter. He proued hym selfe God in all his wordes, in all his behauyours, in all hys doinges, in all hys answers made before the iudges, and in his meruelouse paciēcy, shewed both before them & the Iewes, whenne he was scourged, when he was beaten, when he was bounde to a pyller, crowned with thorne, blyndfeld bobbed, and when he was euery way moste cruelly entretyd. Whiche he coude not haue doon yff he hadde not bene god, And yet the worlde knewe hym not. Yett was he to the world, Deus abscon­ditus, a hyyd gode. And howe by farther proces­se in his passion, dyd shewe hym selfe more play­nely to the worlde, itt shall appere by a breue epylogacion and rehersall of y^e same. For yff we doo call well to our remembraūce (as we ough­te to do) howe effectuously, howe compēdiously, and with how breue,Triano tanda. Thre thingꝭ to be notyd in thys passio [...] of Christe. how pythy and effectuall wordes, the foure euangelistes hathe w^t a mar­uelouse dyligencie truely & faythefully gadre­de and wryten this passiō of our sauyour christe: we shall fynde the same mooste preciouse passiō to stande princypally in three thynges: whyche dothe instructe and teache vs thre necessarie lessons, for our soules helthe.

The fyrste parte of his passion,1. Christe was spo­lyd of his garmētꝭ & maad nakyd. stoode ‘In rerum suarum ablatione & corporis denudatione,’ in y^t hys clothes were taken frome hym and he lefte na­ked. [Page] For after he hadde bene broughte before so many iudges, wher he was deryded, accused, and by false testimonye condempned to deathe, to the deathe of y^e crosse: he was fyrste scourged, beate, and bare his crosse thorough y^e Citye, to y^e place of passion called Golgatha in the mounte of Caluary: where the Iewes whyche were a­poynted to putt hym on the crosse, spoyled hym frome all that he hadde, frome his clothes and frome his apparell. They toke all frome hym, & lefte hym bare & naked wythoute ragge or bratte, annethe they lefte vpon hym femoralia, any clothe aboute the neyther partes of hys bodye. And yf they lefte somoche as that vpon hym, we reade itt not in the Gospell. Nor yett we reade that any thefe or malefactor hathe bene so na­kydly spoyled, so nakydly lefte whenne he shul­de suffre, as Christe was whenne he shulde dye. For they toke from him not oonly his outeward apparell, but also they spoylyd hym of hys se­crette coote, and toke frome hym, tunicā inconsu tilem, a coote whiche was wythoute seeme, whyche cote they wolde not deuyd as they dyd hys other garmentis, but caste lotte who shulde ha­ue it hoole.Psalm. 23. Diuiserunt sibi uestimenta mea, & super uestem meam miserunt sortem. They deuyded emō ­ges them my garmentis, and caste lotte vpon y^e oon coote sayd God. Loo mā, See how thy lor­de god was thus ignomyniously lefte naked and [Page] baare, and cryed not att itt, grudged not wyth itt, murmured not for hy [...]. He Complayned not, but suffrede, and paciently helde his peace, wherein we Christē people be taughte to remembre paciencie in our aduersitie, to remembre,Iob. 1. ‘Quod nihil in hunc mundum intulimus, nec qui [...] (que) auferre possumus.’ That we broughte nothyng in to this worlde wyth vs, nor shall beare any thynge a­waye whenne we shall departe. The same Iob sayethe, ‘Nudus egressus sum de uentre matris meae, & nudus reuertar.’ Idem. Riche [...] poure cū myth na­kyd in to thys world▪ & nakydly shall de­parte. I was borne & came into thys worlde baare and naked, and baare and naked I shall go frome itt. Be all folkys so borne? do­the all folkis so baarly go owte? be all borne naked and baare? Ar Emperours and Kynges borne naked? and goo nakyd oute? Ye bothe Empe­rours and kynges, Quenes and ladyes, lor­des and gentylmē, riche and poore. All, All, All are born nakyd and baar, and as baarely shall they ayen departe this worlde? Baare, naked, wythoute clowte or clothe: vnles itt be that the grette man shall percase haue a fyner wynding shete thenne shall the poore man, but bothe be mortall, bothe shall dye, bothe shall rotte, bothe shalbe forgoten, bothe be Terra & cinis, [...] puluis & esca uermium, quos hereditabunt serpētes. This fayre bodye of thyn y^t y^u makeste somoche of, y^t y^u dekkest so p̄ciously, y^t y^u settyste somoche by: itt shall a­waye, itt is butt terra & cinis, puluis & esca uermiū [Page] It is but earthe, ashes, duste, & wormes meate. Serpentes haereditabunt illud. Serpentes shall en­heryte thy bodye, as thou doeste naturally enhe­ryte thy fadre his landes. Euen so serpentis, wormes and toodes, shall enheryte thy bodye. Ser­pentes, wormes, and toodes, shall naturally in­gendre & brede of thy bodye. Serpentes, wor­mes, and toodes, shall gnawe, eate, and deuoure thy beawtyfull face, thy fayre nose, thy clere eyes thy whyte handes, thy gudly bodye. Remembre this thou lorde and layde. Remembre this thou Chrysten man and womā. Remembre this ones a daye. ‘Quia nun (que) peccat, qui se semper cogitat mo riturum.’ He shall neuer synne deadly, that euer hathe in remembraunce that he shall dye. He y^t wyll therefore ouercome thys frayle worlde, lett hym leaue the delectacion thereof, Et nudus cum nudo Christo crucem ascendat. And let hym nakedly wyth naked Chryste, Lett him poorely w^t poore chryste, ascende & goo vppe vpon the crosse. And how? I shall anone shewe the.

.2. How Christe was con­temnid & derydyd.The seconde parte of this passion, stode ‘In sum­mo contemptu & irrisione:’ in grette horryble con­tempte & derisiō, whiche y^t Iewes put Christe vn­to. I thinke no earthely mā cā reherse y^e oon parte of the manifolde and open contemptuouse de­rysions, obprobryes, mockes and scornes, why­che they dyd vnto Christe as vppon this night paste and this daye: reputynge and takynge hym [Page] for a spectacle, for a mockynge stocke,Specta­culū quid? for a ma­lefactor, for a contemptuouse person, and for an abbreacher of the lawe. For whenne they came to take hym, they came as Christe him selfe wit­nessythe,Marc. 14. ‘Tan (que) ad latronem existis cum gladiis & lignis comprehendere me.’ Whenne ye came to take me, ye came as the maner is to take a theffe: w^t armure, with swerdes and battes, in the nyght tyme. And whenne I was dayly emonges you in the temple teachynge, ye toke me not, ye layd noo thynge to my chardge. Thus vylenously they toke Christe, they lugged hym to and froo: they strake hym, they buffetted hym, they bounde hym, they pulled hym by y^e heare, they spytte vpon hym, they gaue hym buffattꝭ and strokes to to beyond home. They scourged hym w^t oute pytye or compassiō, they clothed him in purple colour in derisiō, they crowned hym with thorne, they blyndefelde hym, they mocked hym, they put in his hande a reede in stedde of a cepture, And in mockage strake hym by course, & cryed, Tell vs who stryketh the nowe. And lykewyse strake hym aboute the hedde, cryynge, tell vs nowe who strake the? swapte hym vpon y^e face, cryynge who was y^t strake the now? who was that? And kneled downe afore hym salutynge hym in derision, cryinge, ‘Aue rex iudaeorum, Aue rex iudaeorum.’ Hayle kynge of Iewes, Hayle kynge of Iewes. As so saye, thou takest thy selfe to [Page] be kynge of Iewes, and nowe thou arte serued lyke a kynge, nowe thou arte crowned, nowe y^u haste a ceptre in thy hande, nowe thou syttest in thy throne, in purpul colours, Nowe we honour thefor our kynge, Aue rex iudaeorum, Hayle kyn­ge of Iewes. Undre this maner outragiously & beyond all estymacyō of man, they deryded and mockyd hym.

The in­saciable crueltie of the Iewes.And yett not beynge this contente, they had hym forthe ayen in praetorium, into the y^e yeldhall before Pylate, neuer ceasynge but cryed, Iudge hym, condempne hym to the deathe, he is gyltie and wurthy to dye, let hym be crucifyed, let hym be hanged vpon the crosse: lett hym dye a shame full deathe, delyuer vnto vs Barrabas and con­dempne Iesus. Pylate hyring this raage, An­swered I fynd noo cause in hym why he oughte to dye. Take you hym and crucifye him for I kā not. They sayde a yen, we haue a lawe, and af­ter our lawe he oughte to dye. And yff thou lett hym thus goo, thou arte nott frende vnto Cesa­re. Whenne Pylate harde that, he sate down, he gaue iudgement and sentens anenst Christe, he committyd hym to theyre handes to crucyfye. They toke hym, they put of hys purple garmēt, and put on ayen his own apparell, y^t he mought the better be knowen to y^e Iewes, to hys shame & rebuke. They putt a grette hudge crosse vpon his backe, they ledde hym & haalyd him throughe [Page] the citie, they broughte him to the place of execution, they gaue hym aysell and gall to drynke. They faryd so vngoodly wyth hym, that I thin­ke the Euangelistes (whyche were mooste discre­te & soobur in their penne) wolde not for shame expresse all the vngoodly and shamefull maner of theyr ludibryes, of theyr wycked behauiours in this behalfe towardes Christe. But wyth as breue, pure and chaste penne as they coude they expressed, not the nombre of theyr euyl doynges, but onely in parte expressid Modum & formam, the maner & fasshyon of theyr doynges, of their derysions and conuiciouse wordꝭ, of ther outra­gious behauyours towarde Christe. So vndre thys maner was christe our sauiour on euery be halffe skornefully and mokkyshely handlede, vn­mercifully treatyd: In suche wyse, as the pro­phete Esay dothe saye. ‘Vidimus eum, Esaie. 5 [...] & non erat in ipso nec species, nec decor, tan (que) nouissimū. Reputauimus [...]um quasi leprosum & percussum a deo, & humiliatum.’ We loked vpon hym, and ther appe­red nother beawty nor fauour in hym, but as a man out caste of all men. We reputed hym as a lepur, as a man oute of the fauour of God, as a man mooste vile in reputacion, and as an abiec­tt of the worlde.The pa­cyency of Christ. Ibidem.

And what dyd he in all this trouble, in all thies turmuyllys? hitt foloweth. Sicut ouis ad occisio­nem ducitur, & quasi agnus coram tondente obmu­tuit, [Page] non aperiens os suum, In all this aduersitye, he vsed hymselfe lyke vnto y^e propertye of a shee­pe, whiche whenne he is brought to the shamuls to be slayne, And lykewyse the lambe that is vndre the hande of hym that doth shere hym, The shepe cryeth nott, the lambe complayneth not: y^e shepe is put to deathe and strogleth not, the lambe loseth his fleese and some tymes a pece of his skynne & fleshe, and yet complayneth not. Soo Christe, in all these his pangnes, in all these hys paynes and iniuryes, rebelled not, complayned not, murmured not: but paciētly as a lambe suf­frede all suche iniures, wrōges and payns that the Iewes dyd putt vnto hym. Wherein we be taughte, paciently to suffre all obprobryes, all iniuryes, wronges, or dyspleasures done vnto vs by our enemyes, in the cause of God. Paciently to suffre hytt for the name and loue of God, whiche suffrede soo many wronges, so many Iniu­ryes and rebukes for vs. Of this vertue of paci­ence itt is wryten,Eccle. 1. ‘Vs (que) ad tempus sustinebit paci­ens, & postea erit redditio io cunditatis illius.’ The pacient man suffrethe for a whyle, tyll the tyme y^t God shall rewarde all thynges good and badde: and thēne shall he haue his rewarde of ioye and gladnes therfor. So now the seruaundꝭ of god suffrethe derisiōs, rebukꝭ, wronges, iniuryes, trybulacion, reproche, aduersytye, sykenes, infyr­mytyes, hungre, famyne, thyrste, pouertye, myserye, [Page] dysdayne as men vtterly abiecte and out caste of all the worlde: as Paule wytnessythe of the apostles, of the martyrs, confessours,The patiency of y^e apostils. 1. Cor. 4. Expo & prea­chers of the worde of God, saynge, ‘Spectaculum facti sumus mundo, & angelis & hominibus. Nos stulti propter Christum, infirmi, ignobiles: esurimus, siti­mus, nudi sumus, colaphis cedimur, instabiles sumus, maledicimur & benedicimus, persecutionem patimur & sustinemus, blasphemamur & obsecramus, tan (que) purgamenta huius mundi facti sumus, omnium perip­sema us (que) ad huc.’ We are maad and taken bothe to the worlde, to man and aungell, Spectaculum, as a spectacle.Spectacu­lum quid? A spectacle is a thinge that mē do sett vppe openly in derysyon, to be wondrede att, to be gased on. So was christe here maad a Spectacle, sett in hye place to be wondred att, as luke rehersyth. ‘Omnis turba qui simul aderāt ad spectaculū istud & uidebāt quae fiebāt, [...] percutientes pectora sua reuertebātur.’ All the people y^t were pre­sent at thys spectacle, at this passiō of xp̄e, & sawe what was done, they turnyd backward, knokkynge ther brestꝭ, & wēt ther way. This was Christe maad a mokkynge stoke, & so war his disciples. And therfore they say in letter a fore recitid,Stulti. Stulti facti sumus ꝓpter Christū. We be reputed of y^e worl­de as fooles, for that we suffre worldely myserye and pouertye for chryste. Fooles, ydiotes, & fon­nes. ‘Infirmi,’ Infirmi. Ignobiles. weake and not of abylitye to resyste or to auēge our iniuryes, Ignobiles. And to be of [Page] lowe byrthe and vile stocke, vylye borne. We suf­fre for God moche hūgre, penurye, famyne, thyrste, poore apparell and nakednes. We suffre for Christe Colaphos, strypes, beatinges, punyshemē tes:' inprysonement, and all kynde of tormentes and paynes.Instabi­les. Instabiles sumus. We are accompted in y^e worlde as vagabundꝭ, hauynge no houses of our own to resorte vnto. We labour, we toyle for our lyuynge.Maledici­mur. Whenne we be cursed and say­de euyll by, we do blysse and praye for them that soo do, teachinge & preachynge christe vnto thē. Teachinge christe his pouertye, his nedines, his paciencie,Blasphe­mamur. & mekenes. Whēne we be blasphemed, wronge sayde by, and called the seducers and deceiuers of the people: Obsecramus, we do beseche them, paciently to here christe preached, to here the doctryne and worde of christe, whyche they repute as blasphemye.Peripse­ma. Facti sumus peripsema. We are hadde in reputacion of the worlde Abiectis­simi, the vyleste people of y^e worlde, abiectes and of noo regarde, of noo reputaciō, but as caste a­wayes: reputed butt as the rotten parte or as y^e paryng of an aple, or as y^e duste that is swepte out of the house & throwen in to a corner behin­de the doore to be caste to the dunghill. And all this worldely myseryes and shames, they paciētly suf [...]rede for christe his sake, for the loue of god, lokynge for that rewarde that God hathe ordeyned for those that paciently dothe suffre aduersytye [Page] and tribulaciō for hym. Remembringe that the rewardes of our paynes paciently suffrede here for God are of suche excellencye, that they passeth all oure desertes, all our good dedes, and shalbe more thenne kane be estemed. ‘Quia non sunt condignae passiones huius temporis ad futuram gloriā quae reuelabitur in nobis.’ Roma. 8. The pas­sions her can not be cown­turwyll wyth the glory y^t is ordey­nyd for them. For if thou dyddest [...]ulfyll all the preceptes of the olde lawe and of the newe, and suffredeste all kyndes of tormentes:: enprysonement, deathe on the gybett, thy fleshe to be rente and torne wyth instrumen­tes, torture or fyre: ye yf thou shuldyst be cru­cyfyed, lapidate, fryed, broyled or brēte: All thys is not to be wayde nor pondryd to the glorie and rewarde that thou shalte haue in heuen for hyt. Paciently therefore suche aduersityes as chauncheth, are to be suffrede for the loue of God, whyche taughte vs in his yassion, paciently to suffre for hym, whiche suffryd so paciently for vs.

The thyrde parte of this passion, stoode ‘In summa corporis poena & afflictione,’ .3. The ine­stimable payns & afflictiōs that christe suffrid In so horrible and excedinge paynes, whyche were soo manifolde & grette, that all the martyrdomes off martyres, cā not be compared vnto them. His bodye was soo tendre, his complexion was so pure, his nature was so cleane, his afflictions were soo greate and manifolde, hauinge no comforte in his pan­gues, lefte euen poste alone, comforteles, wyth­oute any consolacion or refrygery, wythoute [Page] any ayde or helpe withoute any cūforte or refreshynge, wythoute any mytigaciō or releffe, lefte vtterly to his enemyes handes to doo wyth him euen is they wolde: and so they dyd, aslonge as the soule was in the bodye. They scurgyd hym bownden to a pylleur,Ioan 19. they crownd hym wyth sharpe thorn.Matth. 17. They crucifyed hym, they nayled hym throughe hādes & feete to the crosse. They extended, haalyd and strayned, his blyssyd bodye soo extremely on the crosse,Psalm. 21. that his synous and vaynes crakket: y^t thou moughtest haue nōbred his bones and Ioyntes. They gaue hym aysell and gall to drynke whenne he cryed Sitio, I am a thyrste.Ioan. 19. The tytil set oon y^e crosse of Chryste Ioan. 19. They sett this tytle vpon the crosse He braice, Grece, & latine, bothe in Hebrewe, Greke & laten ‘Iesus Nazarenus rex iudaeorum,’ Iesus of Nazarethe, kynge of Iewes. They lyfte vppe thys crosse on heyghe and rushed it downe to the mortes where itt shulde stande with suche a vyolen­ce,Matth. 27. that all his blyssed bodye was in a newe tor­mente, in a newe passion. They hunge on euery syde of hym a theffe in despyte, and to make the people beleue, that he was warse than they, and that he hadde deserued to dye.

IbidemThe people stode gasynge vpon hym, they derided hym, they blasphemed hym, they shoke their hedes on hym, And mokkishely some sayde, he hathe saued other, nowe let hym saue himselffe. Some sayd, he made hym selfe the sone of God, [Page] lett god nowe helpe hym yf he wyll. Some saide Vah qui destruis templum &c Fye on the that say­dest thou woldest destroye the temple of God & buylde itt vp a yen in thre dayes. Some sayde,Ibidem. if thou be the sone of god as thou makest thy self,Ibidem loose the naylys & come downe from the crosse, and we wyll beleue in the. The rulers of the prystes, the scrybes, and the pharysees dyd as other dyd, deryde and blaspheme hym: and so dyd the twoo theues that were crucified with him. See howe the storye of this passion agrethe with the saynge of the prophete many yeres afore wryt­ten: wher he saythe. ‘Ego sum uermis & non homo, obprobrium hominum & abiectio plebis. Psalm. 21. How vi­lie christe was re­putyd Omnes ui­dentes me deriserunt me, locuti sunt labiis & mouerūt caput.’ All y^e loked vpō me (saithe chryste by his ꝓ­phyte) derided me waggīge their heddes, mouinge theyr lyppes, speakynge blasphemously, & re­puted me as no mā, regardyd me no better then they wuld regard a worme, I was had in y^e ob­probrye of all men, and taken as the abiecte of the worlde. This reproche was soo grette, the­se pangues were soo intense, this pallion was so paynefull: that the prophete Ieremye seynge it longe before in spryte, cryed in the persone of Christe, ‘O nos omnes qui transitis per uiam, attendi­te & uidete si est dolor sicut dolor meus. Tre [...]’ O all ye people of the worlde that shall happen to come by this waye, beholde and see howe I am wounded [Page] how I am crucified, deryded, disdayned, scorned, vylypended, and despysed: vndre suche a fashyō, as neuer was seen. Loke ye dylygently and cō ­sydre, whedre euer any doloure and passiō was or is, lyke vnto this my dolour and passion.

And after many circumstances, chryste spa­ke dyuerse wordes hanginge on the crosse, why­che shewed his horryble paynes to encrease more and more. For the narre he drewe to his dea­the, the more encreased his pangues. And yett in all his tormentes, he forgate not to praye for those that dyd crucifye hym, and for the residue of the vnlerned ignorante Iewes, whyche con­sēted to his deathe saynge,Luce. 2 [...]. ‘Pater ignosce illis, quia nesciunt quid faciunt.’ Forgeue them fadre, forge­ue them: for they woot not what they doo. They knewe hym not, they knewe not what they dyd, therfore he cherytably prayd for them. He cryed also to his father, aledgyd ther ignorācy for ther excuse, heloi heloi lamazabathani? my god, my god,' why doost thou forsaake me?Math. 27. Shaoynge by the­se wordes the grette excessiue payne that he was in, beynge leste barely withoute any comforte, withoute any helpe or socour: And for veraye payne cryed, Sitio, I am a thyrste: Commendin­ge also his modre to the custodie of saynte Iohn,Ioan. 19. a vyrgine to a virgyne: And dyd forgiue the theffe,Luce. 2 [...]. promysinge hym to be in paradyse wyth hym that selfe same daye: And commended his own [Page] soule to his fadre saynge.Ibidem. ‘In manus tuas domine eō mendo spiritum meum.’ I commend and bequay­ue my soule and spyryt in to thy handes fadre. Teaching vs by that ensample, to geue and be­quayue our soules in to the handes of God, whē we shall dye.

And for a fardre knowledge and contempla­cion of this glorious passion,Quin (que) notan [...]. Fyue thigis dyd augmentyd the payns of this passion. ye shall vnderstand that fyue thynges ther war which specially augmēted the paynes of his passion, videlicet ‘Locus, tēpus, persona a qua sustinuit, persona passa, & persona ꝓ qua passꝰ est.’ The fyrste was Locꝰ. The place where he suffrede, whyche was Ierusalem, a re­gall citye, a metropolyke citie, a citye of magni­fycencye, a famouse and a populose cytie: to whiche Citie was the comen course and haunte of all the worlde.. [...]. Locus. In whiche citye whenne he wen­te throughe bearinge his crosse to his passiō, his countenaunce was so pituouse, he was so wea­ke and feble, the stretes beynge full of people, they wepe in euery corner, to see that dolorouse syghte, to see that panguyous body.Luce. 2 [...]. Expo. Xp̄e exhortid y^e, peo­ple to wepe oon thē selues & oon their children To whome Chryste sayde, ‘Nolite flere super me, sed super nos ip sos & super filios uestros.’ Wepe not for me, but wepe for yourselues and for your chyldrē, For your selues and for your chyldrē, wepe not for me. For I shall ryse shortely a yen and shewe comforte to the worlde. Wepe vpon your selues, wepe vpō your wycked lyues: for for your wretchednes, [Page] you and your citye shall perishe, wepe therfore vpon your selues, and wepe vpon your chyldrē. What war his chyldren, and whose were these chyldren. Certeynly eueriche of them hadde children. The children that christe ment, were ther wycked dedes. The chyldren that ye brynge for­the, are Opera uestra, your warkes. Wepe your wycked warkes, wepe your wycked deedes, we­pe your synnes. Thou haste bene a proude vay­ne gloriouse man, full of pryde and arrogancye, full of pompe and vayne glorye, full of dysdayne and inobediencie: wepe this thy pryde, wepe thy vayne glorye, thy pompe and thy arrogancye. Thou haste commytted aduoutrye, fornication, inceste & other carnall fylthye lyuynges: wepe and vtterly repent the for thyn abhominable aduoutrye, for thy viciouse fornicaciō, for thy foule incestuouse lyuynge, for thy caronouse voluptu­ouse mysse usinge thy bodye. Wepe these and all thy other damnable chyldren: synne I meane, whiche thou haste noryshyd and broughte in to this worlde. Wepe thy disobedience to god, thy malyce and glotonye, thy couetousnes & leche­rye, thy othes and periurye, thy vsurye, symonye and blasphemye: wyth suche other thyn abho­minable deadꝭ. These are thy childrē, wepe these, lamente thy synne & sorowe,Peter. Mary Mag­dalen. thy wretched lyffe. Peter, thryse forsoke his master chryste, & wepte, and was forgouen. Mary magdalen, abhomy­nablye [Page] lyued after a fleshely maner: and wepte, and was forgeuen. Dauid,Dauid. Latro. lamented his aduoutrye, his murdre and pryde, and was forgeuen. The good theffe, this daye sorowefully repēted hym of his mysselyuinge, and was forgeuen. wepe thoue wyth them, and thou shalte haue mercye, remyssion and forgyuenes as they had.Luce. 2 [...] ‘Fle­te super nos & super filios uestros.’ Wepe vpō your selues and vpon your chyldren.Matth. 2 [...]. He was ledde extra portam, out of the yates, into the place cal­lyd Golgotha in the moūte of caluary, a fylthye stenchiouse place, a place where comenly the of­fenders of the lawe were put to execucion, as ye wyll saye here in Englōd, Tyborn, a rebukefull and a slaunderouse place, mete for homycides, for murderers and felons. And ther were presēt his kynsfolke and frendes, his moore, hys disci­ples, and acquayntaunces wyth other: whose presens also dyd augment his paines.

The seconde thynge that augmented the paynes of this passion, was Tempus, .2. Tempus. the tyme of his passion. For it was doon in the grett solempne feaste of the Iewes, in the feaste of Pashe. Att whyche tyme for the reuerence of theyr pashe & of their temple, ther resorted thidre oute of all y^e contreys of Iudee, and of all other nacions a bowght. And they beynge then present in the cytye, rāne in multitudes to this spectacle, to this shewe, to this syght. Afore whome openly chryste [Page] was hanged vppe Pro ludibrio, for a mockynge stocke, and howe they deryded hym ther hanginge, ye haue harde.

The thyrde cause of augmentynge the pay­nes of this passion was persona a qua. .3. Persona á qua. ‘A qua susti nuit.’ The person of whome and by whome he suffrede. For itt was not doon by straungior nor by euery neyghbour, butt bye his nighe acquaintaunce, by his nighe frendes, by his domestica­lls and nyghe neighbours, by his bredren the Iewes, of whome he lynyally descended, & was borne of their stocke, lynyally descendinge from kynge Dauid. And for thys cause Chryste this daye cryethe by his prophete,Esa [...]. [...]. ‘Filij matris meae pug nauerunt contra me, & quos nutriui & exaltaui, ipsi spreuerunt me.’ My modres chyldren foght fay­tis a yēste me, and those that I haue nourished, broughte vppe, and haue promoted: despysethe me.Psalm. 97. A yen. ‘Amici mei & proximi mei aduersum me appropinquauerunt & steterūt, Et qui iuxta me erāt, de longe steterunt & uim faciebant qui querebant ani mam meam.’ This he spake, to shewe cumulum miserie sue, to shewe y^e hepis & abundancy of hys misery, to shewe howe y^e euery waye his payns dydd increase, whenne they that oughte to loue him, forsoke him. For all his disciples fledde: whē he was taken: Peter denied hym thrys [...]: the syke forsoke their phisicion, the seruaundꝭ their lorde, the creatures their creator, the synners their saviour. [Page] The gentyles and Iewes drewe nye to hym, not to comforte hym, not to helpe him, but to noye hym, & wryste hym to more & more payn And they that of congruence oughte to haue bē cheffly his frendes (as the Iewes): mooste were a yenste hym, & layde vyolente hādes vpon him, and put hym to all this passion.

The fourthe thynge y^t augmented the payne of his passiō, was Persona passa. .4. Persona passa. The person that suffrede, whyche was hym self, Christe itt was y^t sufferyd, which was of hym self an innocente, pure in harte, chaste in bodye, cleane in thoughte worde & dede. ‘In cuius ore non erat dolus, Esaie. 5 [...]. nec pec­catum fecit,’ saythe Esay. Neuer euyll worde pas­sed his mouthe, neuer euyll thoughte in his har­te, hee neuer commytted synne: hee itt was that dydd create heuen, earthe, the Sees, and all y^t is therin. Hee it was that holdethe vppe y^e world wyth his hande that staythe hyt, that gouerne­the hyt, that mouith and sterithe hytt this way and that way, vp and down, to and froo at his pleasure, he hytt is that dothe rule, gouerne & ordre, all at his wyll. Hee it was that sees all, y^t knoweth all, the sone of god, veraye god, veraye man, mooste of myghte, highest of power: and omnypotent in all his warkes, he it is that came in to this worlde to saue all mankynde, to redeme man, and so dyd: and washed vs in his bloode. And yett moste vnnaturally, they dyd put hym [Page] to cruell deathe. He lamentablye therefore do­the crye by his prophete ‘Ropule meus quid feci ti­bi,’ Michee. 6. aut quid molestus fui: responde mihi. O my peo­ple, what haue I doon to the? haue not I doon y^e good? haue nott I holpen the? haue nott I bene beneficiall vnto the? haue not I don for the mo­re good thenne thou canste deuise? Quid debui tibi facere quod nō feci? Esaie. 5. The re­proff of fals chrystē peopel ‘Responde mihi.’ What oughte I do for the, that I haue not doon? Shewe me oon Iote. ‘Aut quid molestus fui?’ haue I euer ben molestious or grewus vnto y^e? haue I euer doon any grefe to the? any iniury? any hurte or wronge? ‘Responde mihi.’ Answere, answere yee or naye, spake to me. If I haue doon to the soo manyfolde benefytes, and neuer dyd the hurte: why arte thou so vnkinde vnto me, as this cruelly to crucifye me? Responde mihi. Answere me: I broughte the oute of Egipte,Exod. 20. oute of thraldome,' oute of thyn enemyes hādes, drye foote throghe the sees. I destroyed thyn enemyes. I fedde the in deserte fortye yeres with manna and coturnices,Exod. 16. wyth all dayntye foode, and gaue the water oute of the harde stone.Ibidem. 17. I gaue the ‘terram fluen­tem lac & mel,’ the lande of beheste: wherein was abundancye of all pleasures.Exod. 30. What oughte I to do for the, that I haue not doon? Responde mihi. Shewe me.Hiere. 2. I planted the my beawtefull vyne yarde. I chose de to be myn electe children, myn holye people, people chyeffely and a for all other [Page] chosen. I came downe vnto the, I was conuer­saunte wyth the, I fedde the wyth my worde, I fedde the wyth meate, I healed thy sicke & soore, I gaue the blynde syghte, the deffe hearynge, y^e dome speache, the lepurs clēnes, y^e laame their lymmes, and lyffe to chose y^t were deade. What coude I do more butt I dydd hytt for the? And yet thou vnkindely doste arredye a crosse for me, and doste crucifye me vpon hytt.

O Chrysten man and woman, thynkeste thou that god wyll not leye annenste the att that day his manyfolde bountuouse benefites that he hathe shewed vnto the the? and a yen thyn outragiouse vnkyndenes whyche thou sheweste vnto hym? Chrysten man, chrysten man, euery oon of you looke in your selues, whedre god hathe doon any thynge for you or not? looke a yen howe vn­kyndely ye haue recompensed hym. Cōsidre his goodenes, consydre your wykednes. For he day­ly cryeth oute vnto you and to vs all by his pro­phete, ‘Popule meus quid feci tibi, Michee. [...]. aut quid molestus fui, responde mihi.’ Ye Chrysten people, what haue I don vnto you, that ye shulde thus vnientylly vse your selues towardes me? Can ye saye any thynge to it? Respōde, speake, lett me here what ye can saye hereunto? I do the daily good, and y^e dayly doste crucifye me, by this abhominable lyuinge, by thy outeragious pompe and pryde, by thy wyckyd malice and enuye, by thy beestly glotonye [Page] and voluptye, by thy fylthy lecherouse & carnall lyfe, by thy heynous peryurye and blas­phemye. O Christen man, Quid feci tibi? What haue I doon to thy? what occasyion haue I go­uen,' why thou shuldeste this intreate me? thus to crucifye me wyth thy synnefull lyuynge? thus to gyue me aysell and gall wyth thy carnall be­hauiour? thus to launce me to the harte wyth y^e spere of thy blasphemouse tōge. Thyn abhomi­nable lyuinge greues me more then dyd y^e crosse, then dyd the nayles, thē dyd the aysell and gall, then dyd the spere, then dyd the crown of thorn and the scurgꝭ. Thy synfull lyff greues me more then dyd all the tormētes that were putt vn­to me. O christen man, Q‘Quid feci tibi? Quid male feci? Responde mihi.’ Shewe me yf thou can, any occasion of vnkindenes on my behalfe doon vn­to the. And thou withe oute cause thus cruelly to entreate me? O vnkynde christen man, what shalte thou ley for thyn excuse att y^e daye of iud­gement whenne this shalbe layde annenste the? whenne thy iudge god shall ley this vnto thy chardge. When he shall shewe the, the crown of thorne, the scurges, the buffatꝭ, the strokꝭ, y^e crosse the naylys, the aysell, the gall, the sharpe spere, the woundꝭ and all the artilery & armes of hys passion: when he shall ley to thy chardge, that y^u ware the doer of hytt, that thou war the cause and occasyon of his passion and deathe? Then [Page] shall he say vnto the, Responde mihi. Synner, make āswere hereunto. What answere wylte thou then make to thy dradfull Iudge god? how wyl­te thou excuse the? Excuse ther, wyll nott serue: our wycked warkes wyll thēne condempne vs: ‘Quādo unusquis (que) recipiet ꝓut gessit in corpore suo, siue bonum siue malum.’ 2. Cor 1.5. After our deadꝭ we shalbe taken. Wherein as our dedes thē be: so shall we receyue: good or badde, Ioye or payne, heuen or hell, comforte or dampnacion.

Haue therfore compassion on thy lorde God, and heyre his lamentable complaynte. Shewe pytye vpon hym, putt not this heuye crosse to hym ayen to beare, ease him of his heuye burdē, Suffre w^t Chryste, beare this crosse wyth hym. Suffre paciently for his sake suche aduersytye as he dothe sende, whedre itt be syckenes or po­uertye, myserye or hungre, thyrste, contumelye or shame: whedre itt be rebuke of the worlde, tortures, passions, aduersyties, or other paynes. Suffre, Suffre wyth hym. He was an innocente and deserued it not, thou arte a synner and doeste deserue itt. Hee entrede the heuens wyth payne, & thynkest thou to come thydre wyth Ioye and worldely pleasure?Hieron▪ ‘Nemo potest hic gaudere in mū do, & regnare cum Christo in caelo’ saithe saincte Ierome. No man maye haue here cōtinuall Ioye, and Ioye in heuen: heuē here and heuen. Worl­dely glorye, is not the waye to heuen. Heuen is not wonnen wyth eatinge and dr [...]nkynge, with [Page] dalyinge and playnge, with sportinge and hoy­tynge: but wyth payne and penaunce, with mysery & pouertye, with aduersitye and tribulaciō. ‘Non est regnum dei esca & potus, Roma 14. saith the apostle. And a yen. Oportebat Christum pati, & sic intrare in regnum dei.’ Marc. 8. Chryste sufferīge payn, en­tred y^e he­uens. Actu. 14. It was behoueable Christe to suf­fre, and so by sufferaunce and paynes to entre y^e heuēs. Muche more we ought to suffre, For chryste taught vs, that ‘Per multas tribulationes opor­tet nos intrare in regnum dei,’ that we muste entre y^e heuens by tribulacion and aduersitye. So chryste taught vs, that penaunce is the veraye redye waye to heuen, the waye by the whyche Chryste and all his folowers came thidre:Matth. 4. Ther for hee sayd, Poenitentiam agite: appropinquabit regnū dei.' Doo ye penaunce and that shall brynge you to y^e kyngedome of God.

.5. Persona ꝓ qua passꝰ est. Chryste techythe vs her cheritye.The fyfte thynge that augmentyd the pay­ne of this passion of our sauyour Ihesu chryste, was Persona pro qua passus est, y^e persō for whome he suffrede. He suffrede for vs synners, for vs vn­profytable wretches, for vs vnkynde people, for vs his enemyes, beinge oute of y^e fauour of God, stādinge in state of dāpnacyon: & yett he suffrede for vs. What more loue kowde ī thys worlde be shewed, thēne a mā to dye for hys enemies as ye harde afore? Here be we taughte loue & cherite, here we be taught to opē oure bowelles of mer­cye to oure poore neyghbours in tyme of necessitie, [Page] to suffre payne for their cōforte, to suffre dea­the rather then their soules shulde peryshe. God gaue vs ensāple. ‘Christꝰ passꝰ est pro nobis, 1. Petri. 2 Expo. nobis relinquēs exēplū, ut sequamini uestigia eiꝰ.’ christe suffrede for vs, leuynge you ensāple, howe ye shulde folowe his steppes. Passꝰ est, he suffrede. Passus, he suffred. Why suffred he? he was no malefactour, he was no synner, he dyd no iniurye, he profeted euery bodye. Why dyd he thenne suffre? Passus est ꝓ nobis. He suffred for vs, why for vs? because we were synners, and borne the chyldren of wrathe and of damnacion. He suffrede therefore for vs, for our redemption, to redeme vs frome synne, to delyuer vs frome y^e dewell, to saue & brynge vs into y^e fauour of God. And for this dyd he suffre. Dyd he suffre for any other thynge thēne thys? yee forsothe. wherefore? Vobis relinquēs exemplū. To gyue vs ensample. what ensample? ‘Vt sequa mini uestigia eius.’ That we maye folowe his steppes, that we maye walke the waye he walked, y^t we maye lyue the lyffe he lyued, as nyghe as the frayltye of nature wyll suffre. To suffre whēne itt shall fortune aduersitye, tribulacion, mysfor­tune, displeasure of the worlde, pouertye, myse­rye to chaūce: or suche other. To suffre for him, for he suffrede for vs. He is our hedde, we be hys membres. Therfore we oughte to conforme our selues to our hedde, christe. And for y^e purpose Chryste saythe in the Gospell,Matth. 16. Expo. ‘Qui uult uenire post [Page] me, abneget semetipsum, tollat crucem suam, & sequatur me.’ He that wyll come after me, muste denye hymselfe. He muste take his crosse & folowe me. And here ar foure thinges taught.Quatuor notanda Thoue muste forsake thy selffe.

Fyrste the veraye folower of God muste for­sake hymselfe, whiche is a grette thynge to doo. Ye but ther is a grette rewarde foloweth there of. Howe shalte thou forsake thy selfe? It is im­possible to goo frome thy selfe. Who can folowe this councell? Yes, god dothe nother commaū ­de nother counsell any thynge, but that that is easye of hytt self to doo.Math. 11. For he saithe ‘Iugum meū suaue est & onus meum leue.’ My Iooke is pleasaū ­te and my burden is lyghte.Iugum dei quid? What is the Ioo­ke of god Onus dei quid? What is y^e burden of god Luce. 1. What is this Iooke, and what is this burden? This Iooke is the commaundementes of god, whiche dothe yooke and couple god to man and man to god. This burdē is penaunce, whiche is to some, thought to be veraye heuye and burdenouse, and yett is ytt ve­raye lyghte, veray easye and ientyll, ‘Hominibus bonae uoluntatis,’ to them that ar well wyllynge. Itt is no mastrye to forsake thy selfe, to goo frō thy selfe, yf thou lyste. Itt is no mastrye to for­sake thy frowarde wyll, thyn own appetyte, thy sensuall desiours, thy fleshely lustes, y^e pleasure of thy bodie, y^e worldely vanytie yf y^u wilte thy selfe, if y^u wilte folowe Xp̄e, yf y^u wilte cōmytte thy will to his wyll: And hee y^t this dothe, dothe forsake hymself. Christe whenne he was in mooste pan­gues [Page] and paynes, whenne he was in his praye [...] in the mounte, beinge in that horryble conflicte betwene sensualitye and reason: the tone wolde oon thynge, the other wolde an other. Whē chryste cryed Transeata me calix iste, Fader put away this chalis of deathe: Sensualytie wolde lyue, Reason wolde dye: the bodye wolde lyue, the spyryte wolde he shulde dye: Butt christe gaue ouer his wyll and the sensuall appetyte of the fleshe, & sayde to his fadre, ‘Pater non sicut ego uolo, Luce. 2 [...]. sed sicut tu uis, fiat uoluntas tua,’ Nott as I wyll fadre, butt as thou wylte: thy wyll & pleasure be fulfilled. Soo thou good chrysten man, yf any suche con­flycte be in the, folowe nott sensualitye: folowe reason, praye to god for helpe and assistans, re­presse thy carnall will, coarce thy bodye, desiour god for grace, call to hym for strength in all tēp­tacion, desyour his comforte in all aduersitye and tribulacion, And saye wyth chryste, ‘Pater nō sicut ego uolo, sed sicut tu uis, fiat uoluntas tua.’ Fa­dre of heuen itt shall not be as the bodye wolde, as the fleshe desyrethe: butt as thou wylte lorde, thy wyll be euer fulfylled.

Secondarily the veraye folower of God mu­ste beare his crosse. Whose crosse?. [...]. penāce is y^e crosse of xp̄e why­che y^u mu­ste bear. The crosse of Chryste. What is the crosse of Christe? Penaūce. Thou muste do penaunce. Thou muste punishe that bodye that hathe offēded. Punishe thy prowde bodye with lowe submyssion to god and wyth [Page] mekenes. Punyshe thy malice, thy rankor & ha­trede, with loue, zeale and charitye: thy slouthe and sluggyshenes, with true labour, toyle & good warkes: thy glotonye and bankettinge, wyth tē ­perancye, fastynge and prayour: thy couetouse­nes and wronge doynges, wyth almes, liberaly­tye and warkes of pytie, thy lecherye and volup­tuouse lyuinge, wyth fastynge, abstinencye, pra­your and good occupacion. This to labour thy bodye in suche payne, trybulacyon, aduersitye, godly watche, prayour, studye, contemplacion. fastynge▪ abstinencie, paciencie, and sustaynynge stoutgly suche other payns is, y^e veraye vearinge of the crosse of Chryste.

But thou muste veare thyn own crosse, Crucē' suam saythe chryste,.5. Thoue muste veaer thyn own crosse. non alienam: thyn own crosse not an other man for the. Doo thyn own penaū ce, lett nott an other man do penaunce for the. What shall thys mannes humblenes proufett thy pryde? What shall his pytie proufett thy cru­elnes? his fastinge thy glotonye? his labour thy slouthe? his chastytie thy lecherye? his faythe thyn infydelitye? what dydd the humblenes of y^e publicane prouffett the prowde pharisey? what dyd the abstinencye of poore Lazare, helpe y^e ry­che gloton? What dyd the penaunce and passion of chryste prouffett the impenitencie and disperacion of Iudas? The publicane his mekenes, did condempne the proude pharisei. The miserye of [Page] Lazar, dydd confounde the ryche dyues. The penaunce of Christe, shall condempne the obstina­te synners of y^e worlde. For chryste bare his own crosse: Lazar, his own crosse: the publicane, hys own crosse: And yett we dysdayne to beare our own crosses. We ar ashamed to humble our sel­ues to God, to our superiours, to y^e lawes of chryste his chirche, to the aduertisemente of the worde of God, to the coūcell of our goostely fadres. We ar ashamed to doo penaunce, ashamed to take payne, ashamed to punyshe y^e bodye w^t fastinge, prayour, or otherwyse. We ar ashamed to as­ke forgiuenes of those that we haue offended, or to forgiue the offender, or to do any poynte of penaunce. O synner, whereof cometh this but of obstinacye? of disdayne? of pryde of harte? of lac­ke of grace? O Synner, Synner: beare thyn own crosse, doo thyn own penaūce, punishe thyn own bodye. For christe saythe in Mathewe, ‘Qui nō baiulat crucē suam, nō est me dignus.’ [...] He that bearithe nott his own crosse, he that dothe nott pe­naunce in his own person, he is not worthye for me. Tollat crucem suam. Lett euery man therfore beare his own crosse, and do his own penaunce, yf he loke to haue remyssion of his synnes. And sainte Iohn saythe.1. Ioan [...]. Expo. How the xp̄en mā owght to walke Qui dicit se in Christo manere debet sicut ille ambulauit, & ipse ambulare. He that saythe that he that dothe dwell in Chryste, he oughte to walke as Chryste dyd walke. Christe [Page] walked in humilitye, christe walkyd in obedien­ce, in chastytie, in prayour, in fastinge, temperancye, loue, charitye, penaunce, and in suche other vertuous. Do thou soo thou christen man.

Fourthely, therfor he saythe in y^e former letter of Matthew a for rehersed,.4. Howe y^u owghtest to foloo Chryste Sequatur me. He mu­ste folowe me saithe Chryste, Folowe thou thy mastre christe in these and in all suche other lyke vertues. For the former letter of Peter saythe, ‘Vt sequamini uestigia eius.’ And in the tother lettre ‘Et sequatur me.’ Here is the veraye forme and ru­le of a chrysten man and woman, to folowe the steppes of Christe, to folowe the lyff of Chryste, to folowe the ensample that Chryste gaue vs. He saithe,Ioan. 13. ‘Exemplum dedi nobis ut quemadmodum ego feci, ita & nos faciatis.’ I gaue you ensample howe to lyue, howe to do: y^t ye shulde walke as I wal­kede, lyue as I lyuid, do as I dyd. Why, how walkyd chryste? howe lyuyd he? howe dydd he? ‘Om­nia bene fecit,Marc. 7. [...]. Petr. 2. and ayen? Peccatum non fecit, nec est inuētus dolus in ore eius.’ He dyd all thynges well, he dyd no synne, ther was no gyyl in hym, no do­le, no frawd nor suttyltye, noo dobulnes, but truthe. He was an innocēte, he deserued not to dye, nott to be punished, and yet he wolde suffre, yett he wuld suffre payne, suffre passyon and deathe. He wuld gyue his soule and liffe for his people: to instructe vs synners what we shulde doo, in seynge this innocente soo voluntarily and wyth [Page] oute cause to suffre: so to instructe vs voluntary lye to sustayne payne for our synnes, to instructe vs that the veraye true and suere waye to heuē, is by payne, by payne and sufferynge, as a for is rehersyd.Marc. 8. Expo. ‘Oportebat Christum pati & sic intrare in regnum coelorū, in gloriam suam.’ It was behoueable Christe for to suffre, & so to enter the heuens. Thys worde, Sic, is added,Actu. 14. Presūpcion of sy­nes. to shewe the ve­raye maner and forme, to shewe the veraye strayt rule and hyghe waye to the synner, howe to attchyue & purchays the glorye of God. And a yen for our parte saithe, ‘Per multas tribulationes oportet intrare in regnum dei.’ The veraye waye to heuen, is to lyue in muche trouble & aduersitye, to suffre muche payn and mysery.

Let no man therefore, be soo suere of him selfe to saye. Christe hathe suffrede for me. Chryste hathe shedde his bloode and washed me. Christe ha­the payde my rawnsome, he wyll not loose thys grette price: howe euer I lyue, he hathe rede­med me: howe euer I lyue, I shall be sauede, I nede not to doo any penaunce for my synne, for Chryste hathe satisfyed for me. My syne is was­hed awaye, Itt is consumed and sowped vppe by vertue of this bloode. And suche other presūptuous wordꝭ they haue to mayntayn ther fleshe­ly and carnall lybertye, to there own confusion and dampnacion. O meruelouse God what a presumpcion is this emonges vs Chrysten peo­ple? [Page] what a blyndenes raigneth emonges vs: y^t haue receued the lyghte of grace and knowled­ge of the lawes of God? Thoue chrysten man & womā I tell y^e, that God is full of mercy, y^e god is as full of mercy as we haue spoken of, and I assure the ayen, he is euen as iuste oon y^e tother syde. God that here wyll remytte the synne of y^e penytente, ther wyll condempne to deathe y^e presumptuouse synner, the vnpenitent person, the wretchid lyuer. This iuste iudge god dothe re­quyre of the besydes the price of his bloode, pe­naunce: mercye towardes thy neyghbour, fear and dred of god, he requirethe of the a synner re­pentans, soroo, contricion, confession, he requy­rethe of the a trewe faithe, a constante hoope, a feruēte charithe, and faithefull charitable war­kes. He requyrithe of the, the obseruacion of his lawes, and to be a true feloer of hym. He requyrethe of the, to lyue in his obediency, in humili­tye, in simplicite of herte, in clēnesse of that kind of chastitie that thou arte callyd vnto, he requy­rythe of the to be constante in hym, to flee syne, to resyste temptacion, to loue vertue, and to walke in that callynge that thou arte callid vnto, to lyue cristianly. Scripture playnly dothe shewe all this and muche more y^t is requyrid to a chry­sten man to doo, The placꝭ wher, are manyfeste.

He gaue vs an other ensample. For itt folo­weth in the former lettre ‘Qui cum malediceretur,1. Petri. 2. [Page] non maledicebat: cum pateretur, non comminabatur.’ Chryste gaue her an ensā ­ple of charitie. Whenne the Iewes saide euyll by hym, in blas­phemynge hym, rebukynge hym saynge, ‘Reus est mortis, Crucifigatur, Vah qui destruis templum, des­cēde de cruce & credemꝰ tibi, Salua te ipsū si potes, dae moniū habes:’ And suche other scornefull, rebuke­full & blasphemouse wordes: Yet Nō maledicebat, he gaue noon euyll answere, but prayde for thē, & kepe hym in a muette, in a charitable silēce: And all was to giue y^e and me knowledge, howe to folowe hym in hys steppes, in his lyuynge, in his ensample, Vt sequamini uestigia eius. To haue you folowe his steppes, and to tell you of all hys steppes, of all his ensampulis, tyme wyll nott suffre. The some of the hooll tale is, that he she­wed and proued hym selfe in all his doingꝭ to be veraye god. And yett was he deus absconditus, A hydde god to the worlde, the worlde knewe hym nott. [...] Chryste dyinge cryid. Caelum. Angeli. Sol. Luna. Stellae. Velum. Terra. Petrae.

Therfore to gyue them more experience of his godhedde, he wolde dye, ‘Et cum clamore ualido ex­pirauit.’ With an horrible houge crye, he gaue vppe his soule, he yelded vppe his spyryte, he departed the worlde. Att whiche howdge voyce, all y^e creatures of the worlde were astoned and mo­ued. The heuēs tremulde. The aungels wepte. The sonne, y^e mone, the sterres, loste their lyghte. The vayle in y^e tēple rente in twoo peces. The earthe throughe the worlde quauyd. The stone [Page] braste in sōdre.Sepulcra. Mortul. Centurio. Matth. 27. The graues opened. The deade bodies rose & appered to dyuerse in y^e Citie. Cen­turio and those y^t were wyth hym, seynge thys grette terrible tokens, cryed, Vere filius dei erat iste'. Undoubted this was the sone of God. Thys was the veraye sone of god.Marc. 15. Other cryed. ‘Hic homo iustus erat.’ This was a iuste mā, this was an innocente, alas, what haue we doon. They we­re dysmayde, they were abashed, they wyste not what wolde come of itt, they feared vengeaunce and the grett stroke of god, they tremuld in their hartes, they hylde down their heddes as men dismayde, they cryed inwardely, alas what haue we doon. They knocked their brestes, they returned with heuye hartes to their houses,Luce. 23. ‘Percutiē tes pectora sua reuertebantur.’ And were in suche horrible drade and feare, that in y^e worlde they wiste nott what to doo: but syghed and sobbed, wepte and lamented, and wente theyr waye. Lokynge for some grette stroke and punishemēt to fall vpon them, for this grette abhominable deade they had don. This our sauyour Chryste, dyd for his people dye: ‘Et ipse redemit Israel ex omnibus iniquitatibus eius.’ This he hathe redemed Israel his people frome all ther iniquities.Litera▪ Expo. Whiche people? The Israelitꝭ, the gentyls: ye all the world. Frome whiche iniquities? Frome this & that? ye frome this & frome that, and frome all. Frome all iniquytyes. Frome iniquitie originall [Page] and actuall: actuall veniall, and actuall mor­tall.

The prophete many yeres afore this redempcion was wrought, beinge in assurans of hytt veraly to come, spake these wordes in the future tens, in the tyme to come, saynge Redimet Israel, he shall redeme Israel. But now we maye saye 'Redemit Israel, in the tyme that is paste, he hathe redemed Israel frome all his iniquyties & syn­ne. And howe, ye haue harde: by this his deere dolorouse deathe and passion.

And whenne he was deade, Ioan. 19. Ioseph. ‘Venit Ioseph ab a­rimathia & petijt corpus Iesu a Pylato &c.’ Ioseph of Arymathy, of that citie, came boldely vnto Pylate, and asked licens to take downe the body fro­me of the crosse and to burye itt, And hadde lea­ue soo to doo.Nicode­mus. And with him came Nichodemus an other secrette disciple of Christe, bothe iuste & good men. And in meane tyme whyles they were askynge this lycēs, came certayne souldiours of the Iewes, deputed to kepe this bodye that itt shulde nott be taken awaye: and braake the shā ­kebones of theyr legges that were crucifyed w^t Christe. And whenne they came to Iesus & sawe hym deade, they braake nott his legges: butt a souldiour wyth a spere, opened his sayde, & laū ­ced hym to the harte. And streyghte forthe gowshed oute bloode and water,Exiuit sā ­guis & a­qua. blud in our redempcion, water in our purificaciō: blud in remissiō, [Page] water in mundifyinge & washinge: blud in price, wator in baptysme, bludd and wator rane oute of his herte and syyd. Thenne Ioseph with Nycodemus toke downe this moste preciouse bodye, and reuerently layde itt in a fyne sin­done, in a fyne fayre lynyn clothe: as ye wuld saye,Syndon. Myrre. Aloes. clothe of rayns, clothe of the fyneste soorte. And they sprynkelede the bodye plentifully w^t myrre and aloes, allmooste to the moūtenance of a .C. poundes. And wrapped this bodye in y^e cleane fyne Syndon and clothe honorably,Syndon Nouū se­pulchrū. and putt hym into a newe sepulcre, wherein neuer bodye was buryed afore. A straunge sepulcre, nott his own, and layde a howdge stone vpon y^e mouthe of the sepulcre,Lapis. where he laye deade .xl. houres: whiche was thre dayes inclusiue. Oon parte of the frydaye, the saterdaye hoolle, & parte of the sondaye. And thus was he buryed with honor, and reuerens, kepte with aungels, wyth theyr diligent obsequye and seruyce, wyth grett reuerence and custodye.Angeli. How they to­ke Xp̄e frō the crosse & buryd hym.

O thou christen mā, lerne howe to burye thy lorde & God. Fyrste take hym reuerently downe frome y^e crosse. But howe shalte thou take hym frome the crosse? Suerly by hauynge in thy de­uoute and pituouse remembraunce, his deathe. To remembre particulerly, euery parte of his passion, his mawndye whiche he made to his disciples, the washynge of their feete, y^e panguyou­se [Page] prayer he made in the mounte. To remembre his betrayinge, howe he was taken, howe bette and bobbed, howe he was broughte tofore dy­uerse iudges, howe falsely he was accused. To remembre howe he was scourged and beaten, crowned with thorne: blyndfelded, deryded, bobbed and bette, condempned to deathe: and howe he baare his crosse to the place, where he dydd suffre. To Remembre the naylinge, the crucifyinge, the derydynge, the blasphemye, the scornes and mockes, whyche the Iewes dydd vnto him. To Remembre the mercye he shewed whēne he prayed for his tormentours, the aysell and gall he tasted, the lamentable complaynte he made to his fadre of the excessiue paynes he hadde as a man lefte alone wythout all comforte. To Remembre howe tenderly he hadde his modre in remembraunce in that deathely pangues whēne he deputid hir in to y^e custodie of his disciple Iohn to remēbre a yen howe he thirsted, howe he for­gaue y^e theffe and promysed him paradise. How he cōmended his soule in to his fadres handes, howe he shewed that he hadde fulfylled all thin­ges that was wryten of hym by the prophetes. To Remembre howe that att his crye whenne the soule departed, all the creatures in heuen, earthe and hell, was astoned and moued to pitie and to compassion: and in their maner, lamēted & wepte his deathe. This oughtest thou euerry [Page] daye to remembre. For this is the spyrituall ta­kynge downe of Chryste frome the crosse. To haue his passion and euery particuler & singuler parte of the same in thy cōtinuall remēbraūce.

How y^u shall lay christe in his wyn­dynge sheett.Thenne laye hym in a cleane fyne Syndon, in a cleane wyndinge shete. That is, to see thy cō science to be pure and cleane. Cleane withoute weme of synne. Cleane, that nothynge therein remayne, whereby God moughte be offended, y^t ther be in the nother delyte vnto synne nor consent, nor acte, nor custome, nor bloot, nor spote, nor smake, nor taste: lett noo colour nor defence of synne be wythin the, dispayre nor presumpci­on: but a hool faythefull true truste and affiaunce in the hyghe mercye of God.

How y^u shalte dresse the body of christe w^t myrre & aloes. Myrre. Iudit 10. Fear of God, Eccle. [...]3.Thenne sprynkle and caste vpon hym plenty­fully, bothe myrre and aloes. Myrre is bittur, & is a dryer and a consumer of humorꝭ and a pre­seruer frome corrupciō. Vnxit me mirrho optimo,' He anoynted me with mooste preciouse myrre. And signifyeth Timorem domini, y^e feare & dread of God, whiche dryeth vppe the humour of syn­ne,' whiche defendeth man frome thacte of ini­quytye and preserueth hym in grace and in fa­uour of God. ‘Timenti deum non occurrent mala, sed in tentatione deus illum conseruabit, & liberabit a malis’ No euyll nor hurte, noo dangiour of synne shall chaunce to him that feareth god: but God shall preserue hym in tyme of temptaciō, & wyll [Page] delyuer hym frome all euyll. And a yen. ‘Timor domini expellit peccatum, & qui sine timore est, Ibidem. 1. nō poterit iustificari.’ The feare and dradde of God do­the expell synne. And he that is withoute feare of God, cā nott be iustifyed. Haue thoue therfor the feare and dread of God.

Thenne take aloes, whiche is also bittur of it selfe: but it is pleasaunte in sauour,Aloes. pleasaunte in smelle. And lykewyse purgeth humorꝭ & con­serueth the bodie frome putrifaction: and sygni­fyeth veraye contricion, whiche thoughe itt be of it selfe bittur and displeasaunte, yett itt dothe merueloussely purge and clense man frome the humor of synne, and conserueth hym graciously in the fauour of God, & preserueth hym frome all inconueniences of the soule. Date uinum his qui amaro sunt animo, faythe scripture.Pra [...]er [...] Vinum. Expo. Gyue thē wyne that ar this sorowefull in their hartes for their synnes. Comforte them that ar inwarde­ly aggreuyd wyth themselues and repentaun­te for ther synnes. Date uinum his, gyue them wy­ne. what is this wyne, but a spirituall inwarde comforte? And so dothe god inwardely cōforte y^e veraye true contryte penitent person. He is not alyue that can tell nor declare, the speciall in­warde comforte, the secrette Ioye & gladenes, that the true penitent hathe by twen god & him. For thoughe he wepe opēly, thoughe he mourne and lamente outwardely: noon can tell but onely [Page] god and the partie, what inwarde conforthe the wepynge penitent hathe. Videmus cruces [...]o­rum, sed non unctiones saythe sint Barnard. Wee see ther crosses, wee see ther soroo & lamentinge, wee see ther fastynge, abstinency, wache, study, contemplacion and prayour. Wee see the paciēcy in pouertye, wee see y^e mysery and payn they do suffre for god: But wee see not the vertuousnes of the holy gooste, wee see not the conforte, y^e Ioy they haue in god inwardly, we see not that heuē ly visions, that swett dremes, nor that angelyke cumforte they haue. This oughtest y^• to wrappe and ley vppe this blyssed bodye of chryste & God.

Sepultura Howe thoue shaltt lay criste in the se­pulture. Lapisquid significat. Constātia Perseuerā tia.Thēne put this body in to the sepulture, this sepulture is thy soule, thoue puttyste hym in to the sepulture, whenne thou doeste receyue hym, burye hym in this sepulture of thy soule, kepe hym ther, lett hym reste wythin the, laye a sto­ne vpon this sepulcre. This stone is ‘constantia, perseuerantia,’ the vertue that is called cōstancye, perseueraunce, to be constaunte and perma­nente in that godly penitent lyffe that thou ha­ste nowe taken vpō the, and to continue in ver­tue. For thapostle cōfortinge good people to continue in vertue, saythe, ‘Fratres stabiles estote & immobiles, habundantes in omni opere domini semper, scientes quod labor uester non est maius in dn̄o.’ 1. Cor. 15. Bredren in Chryste, be you allwayes growinge and increasynge plentyfully in euery good warke of [Page] God. Wauer not, lett not euery wynde nor eue­ry lyghte worde call you frome your vertuouse conuersacion that ye haue taken on you. For itt is nott he that begynneth in vertue, but he that perseuereth and continueth, that shalbe crow­ned. ‘Esto fidelis us (que) ad mortem, Apoc. [...] ▪ & dabo tibi coronā uitae’ saythe god. Be thoue a faithefull seruaunt & continue in vertue vnto thy deathe, and thenne I wyll gyue the y^e crowne & rewarde of glorye. And the euangeliste Mathewe wytnessythe the same saynge, ‘Qui perseuerauerit us (que) in finem, Matth. [...] hic saluus erit.’ He that dothe perseuer and contynue in vertue to his lyues end, he shalbe sauyd. Ma­ny ther be that begynneth well, but fewe dothe continue. Iudas begā well, but endyd naught. Paule begane nawght, but endyd well. Itt is not the begynner, but the continuer in vertue y^t shalbe rewarded and saued.Lap [...]. This stone sygnify­ethe also Firmū propositum non relabendi: A stedefaste purpose no more to fall, but cōstantly to stād and continue in thy godly purposse, in thy godly lyffe of penaunce.

This wyth honour Chryste was buryed, & re­sted in his sepulture thre dayes exclusiue, [...] & was obsequyously and reuerentely kepte wyth aun­gels. And thys he shewed hym selfe to y^e worlde, aswell by his lyffe tyme as by his deathe, that he was veraye God. And yet he was to the worlde, 'deus absconditus, a hydd god, [...] and not knowen to [Page] y^e worlde. For as Mathewe shewethe after he was buried, y^e pryncis of the prystes & the pharyseis came to pylate sainge, Sir, we remembre we ell that this deceiuer of the people sayde whē ­ne he was a lyue, that he wolde aryse after the thyrde daye frome dethe to lyffe. Commaunde ye therefore that his sepulcre be kepte & watched tyll the thyrde daye be paste, leste peraduenture his disciples wyll come & stele hym away, & tell the people that he is rysen frome deathe to lyffe. And thenne shall the opynion of the people be warse thenne euer itt was before. Pylate sayde, yee knowe ryght well howe to kepe hym, ye haue kepers enoughe,Chryste descēdyd to y^e hellꝭ and was [...]her whi­lis y^e body lay in the sepultu­re, and what his descēciō thether dyd pro­fet vs? Ioan. 12. Expo. do as ye lyste in that. They wē te theyr waye, & sett kepers abowte the sepulcre to watche the same. And sealed the grette sto­ne that was layde on the mouthe of y^e said sepul­cre, that no man shulde open the same but it shulde be knowen and punished.

These thre dayes whiles this bodye laye dea­de in the sepulcre, the soule of Christe Ioyned to his godhede, descended to the helles, nott as oon y^t was gyltye, not as oon worthye to go thedre, not as oon ther to be enprysoned: butt as a vic­tor, as a noble capitayne, as a conquerour whyche tryumphed and hadde victoryously ouerco­me his enemyes, and cōquered all vndre his hā ­de. For he sayde longe afore this. ‘Si exaltatus fuero a terra, omnia traham ad me.’ If I be exalted and [Page] lyfte vppe frome the earthe, I wyll drawe all vnto me. And mente, that whenne he was lyfte vp vppon the crose, that thenne he wolde drawe all his people vnto him, and cause all the people thē to knowe him, and so didde. Didde not he drawe vnto him, by a meruelous admyraciō of his dea­the, passion, & ascēcion, the heuen? the aungels? when they sayd, ‘Quis estiste qui uenit de Edō tinctis uestibus de Bosra?’ Who is this that cūmithe from Edom and Ierusalē so victoriously in blody ap­parell? dydd not he drawe vnto hym by admyra­cion of this passion the sone? the mone? the ster­res? the vayle? the graues? the deade bodyes? y^e stones? the earthe? dyd not he drawe vnto hym the hartes of Centurio and of those that were w^t hym cryinge, Vere hic filius dei erat? dydd nott he drawe vnto hym the hartes of those that wente awaye frome the crosse lamentinge and wepyn­ge? And nowe he descended in to y^e helles to pull vnto him y^e resydue, the captiues that were ther? He drewe vnto hym all that were his electes in hell, whome the dewell tirannously dyd possesse. He drewe vnto hym all, ‘Omnia (inquit) ad me tra­hā.’ I wyll drawe all vnto me, of euery kynde of people some, of euery nacion some: of euery degree, of euery state, of euery sexe. He lefte noon behynde hym that was his by faythe and good lyuynge.

He had promysed a fore by his prophete, vtterly [Page] to spoyle hell and to sleye deathe:Osee. 13. Expo. saynge, ‘Ero mors tua o mors, ero morsus tuꝰ inferne.’ O thou deathe, I shalbe thy deathe, and thoue hell, I wyll byyte the. Chryste was y^e deathe of deathe, chry­ste slewe and ouercame deathe: Chryste bytte y^e hell whenne he toke all wyth him that was his: and lefte those behynde that appertayned nott vnto hym. We see that, that a man killethe, he destroyethe itt vtterly, soo that itt shall haue no­more beinge, and that, that a man bytethe, he takes parte awaye and parte he leauethe. Ther­fore forasmoche as Chryste dydde vtterly slaye deathe in his electes, he was mors mortis, deathe to deathe. And for y^t he toke parte owte of hell, & parte lefte ther: he dydde nott vtterly slee or kyll hell, but dydd byte itt: he toke awaye parte and lefte parte: he toke awaye the good and lefte the badde, he toke away the electꝭ & lefte the dānatꝭ.

Thenne and ther att the comynge of our lor­de Iesu Chryste to hell,The ex­clamaci­on & murmur of y^e d [...]uels in the cum­minge of Chryste to [...]ell. the boltes losed, the loc­kes and yates opened, he bounde y^e prynce of darkenes, he troublede the legions of dewelles, hee losed y^e iuste people, he delyuered the captiues, he putt them to lybertie, he gaue lyghte to those that were in darknes. He shewed hym selffe ther gloriouse to his electes, terrible to the tartariās, to the dewellꝭ and to the dampned sorte. Whiche sayde wythin them selues, what dradfull & hor­ryble lyght [...] is this that is come here in to this [Page] our darkenes? who is this that soo tryumphu­ously dothe inuade vs? he is an Inuador & nott a suter, he comethe to take awaye and nott to tarye, he comethe as a conquerour and not as a prysoner, he comethe as a iudge & nott as oon y^t shulde be iudged, he comethe to delyuer and not to brynge prisoners. If he were gyltye, he wolde not be so bolde, nor come so tryūphusly as he do the. And if he be god, what dothe he here in hell, and wherefore comethe he? If he be man, why presumethe he so boldly? If he be man, why co­methe he so strongely? If he be God, what dothe his bodye in the sepulcre? If he be man, howe is ytt that he dothe loose these our prysoners? Wee knowe well that he was betrayede, we knowe well that he was taken, bounden, il­luded, deryded, mocked, scourged, bobbed, beete, crucifyed, and dyed: And yett here he lyuethe, here he shewethe his hyghe power. For neuer man came hydre afore nowe, that dydde put vs in this feare and subiection. Neuer man afore hym, toke awaye our power. For y^e whyche they made an owte crye anenste their prynce Sathanas, saynge, what haste thou don? Is not this he in whose deathe thou mooste reioycyddyste? Is not this he in whose crosse and deathe y^• thoughtyste to haue subdued all the worlde? And loo, he breaketh all thy prysones, he lettythe to lyber­tye all thy captyues, he loose the all thy pryso­ners, [Page] he turnethe their sorowe into Ioye, theyr darkenes into lyghte, their bandes into lyber­tye, theyr paines into pleasure. O sathane what haste thou don? that treasure that thou brough teste in by the tree in paradyse, thou losyste by y^e tree of the crosse. Our cōforte is gone, our Ioye is turned into sorowe. For whēne thou dyddeste cause this chryste to be hanged on y^e crosse, thou dyddeste loose thy possessions her in hell.

And after all these complayntes of y^e dewellꝭ, streyghte and oute of hande, all the holye fadres ther, dydd welcome Chryste their lorde god, whō they so longe had loked for, in whome was theyr truste and expectacion, their hope & Ioye, theyr lyffe and comforte. For he was their lyffe, their solace, their consolacion and Ioye. In this hys cominge, our bādes brake, our darkenes fledde, our deathe dyed, our payne surceased, our lyffe is restored.

Resurre­ctio Chri­sti. The effe­cte of y^e resurre­ction of Chryste.This pray in hell vndre this maner taken, the soule of chryste returned vnto y^e dead bodye, vn­to the body that lay dedd in the sepulture: y^e bodye reuyued, he raysed hym selfe to lyffe by hys own godly power, and rysse oute of the sepulcre a lyue. He appered vnto Mary magdalen, & cal­led here by her name, Maria. He appered vnto dyuers of his disciples many tymes, and many ways, to approue his resurrection and to putt itt oute of doubte, he appered vnto thē all to ge­ther [Page] and shewed the woundes of his handes & of his syde. And to putt awaye all suspicion, hee badde sainte Thomas putt his fyngers into his woundes, and his hande into his syde. He eate & dranke wyth them, and many ways prouid that he was verely ryssen. Thus his deathe was our lyffe, his buryall, was our quyetnes after our dethe tyll the bodye shall ryse a yen. His descencyō into hell, delyuered vs frome thens. His gloriouse resurreccion, shall reyse vs frome deathe to y^e lyffe. His ascencion shalbe the cause of our ascencion into the heuens.

And of what effecte his deathe was, the apo­stle she wythe wher he saithe ‘Iustificati sumꝰ in sā ­guine ipsius, & cū inimici essemus,Roma. 5▪ Theste­cte of the dethe of Chryste▪ reconciliati sumus deo per mortem filij eius.’ Wee are iustyfyed in the bloode of chryste. And where we were his ene­myes, we are reconcyled to god and broughte in to his fauour by the deathe of his sone. So that his bloode and deathe was our iustificacion, our redempcion, our remyssion, our sanctificacion, our lyffe and saluacion.

And what his buryall dydde prouffet vs,The effecte of the buriall of Chryste. Roma. 6. Expo. Ambr [...]s [...]u [...]. y^e apostle shewethe sainge ‘Consepulti sumus cum Christo per baptismū in mortem.’ We be buried with Chry­ste by baptysme into the deathe. Wherepon sainte Ambrose saythe, we that are baptysed, are bu­ryed in chryste, that frome hensforthe, we oughte to folowe his lyffe, in whiche lyffe hee roose: y^e [Page] nowe we continuinge in his preceptes, do no more fall into our olde accustomed synnes.

He descended to y^e helles. Wherefore? Certainely to delyuer vs frome thens.The effe­cte of the descēcion of Chri­ste in to hell. Zacha. 9. The ꝓphete za­charye saythe. ‘In sanguine testamenti tui, eduxisti uinctos tuos de lacu, in quo non est aqua.’ In the blo­de of thy testament, thou haste deliuered thy prysoners oute of the dongion, in whyche dongion was no water, no consolacio nor comforte. And meanethe, howe that he of his meer mercye, haue delyuered our forefadres oute of hell, and vs oute of the same: & oute of the daungior of dāp­nacyon.

Theffe­cte of the resurre­ction of Christe. Te [...]alo. 4.And what his gloriouse resurrecciō dyd proufett vs, the apostle shewethe to the Thessalonicē cꝭ where he saythe. ‘Si credimus qm̄ Iesus mortuus est & resurrexit, sic & deus eos qui dormierunt per Iesum adducet cum illo.’ If we beleue that criste was deade and is rysen frome deathe to lyffe: so shall God the fadre by Iesus, by the vertue of his re­surreccion, brynge wyth Iesus that daye of the grett resurreccion, all those that hathe and are departed by deathe frome this worlde. All those and all other shall by vertue of his resurreccion, that daye a ryse. And foloweth in the same place ‘Ipse dominus in iussu & in tuba dei, & in uoce archā geli, Ibidem. descender de caelo: & mortui resurgent.’This lorde God Iesus, att the commaundemente of hys fadre, shall descende frome the heuens in y^e voice [Page] of the trumpe, in y^e voyce of tharchaungell. And the deade shall aryse. This voyce that shall ar­rayse all that shalbe thenne deade, and call to gether all the hool world, is called tuba, a trūpe. In this trūpe of god, in this voyce of tharchaungell, Chryste shall descende frome heuen, chryste shall manifestly & openly come to iudge y^e world. In whyche resurreccion, all thaduersaryes of God, the Iewes, the paganes, the false Chrystē people, shalbe condempned: and the veraye true Chrysten man and woman, shall receyue ther rewarde and glorye, of whome itt is wrytten. ‘Beati qui habēt partem in resurrectione mortuorū. Apoc. [...]0▪’ Blessed be those that hathe their parte in the resur­reccion of iuste people that ar deade. Uppō this gloriouse resurrection of Chryste, all the some of our felicitie dependeth. By this resurrecciō, we be delyuered frome the tyrannye of the deuyll: by this resurreccion, we be delyuerede frome eternall deathe: by this, we shall ryse to y^e euer­lastynge lyffe: by this, we shall entre into the enheritaūce of God, into y^e euerlastinge glorye, and raigne in y^e euerlastinge felicitye.

And what good his gloriouse ascencion dydd to vs, itt apperythe by Iohn the Euangeliste,The effe­cte of the ascenciō of Chri­ste. Ioan. [...]4. to whome Chryste sayde and to the resydue of hys disciples, and in thē to all vs of the worlde, ‘Vado parare nobis locum, & iterum ueniam & accipiā nos [Page] ad meipsum: Ioan. 6. ut ubi ego sum, & nos sitis. Ayen, Expe­dit nobis ut ego uadam. Nam si ego abiero▪ mittam ad nos spiritum ueritatis, ille nos docebit omnia, & ducet nos in omnē ueritatem.’ I departe nowe by myn ascensyon frome you sayde Chryste. I go to prepare & arreadye a place for yow. And I wyll come ayen att my iudgemēt, and wyll take you to my selffe: that ther as I am, you shalbe. And saythe ayen:Theffe­cte of the cūmynge of y^e holy gooste. It is expedient to haue me departe frome you by myn ascencion. For if I departe, I wyll sende to you the spryte of truthe, he shall teache you all, all thynges necessarye for your soules: he shall teache you all truthe, and shall brynge you into all true knowledge: he shall lyghtyn your hartes, he shall gladde youre myndes, hee shalbe your inwarde coforter, your inwarde so­lace. He shall pull & rauishe youre myndes into God, he shall make you despyse this worlde, hee shall fyxe and anchore your myndes and loue in me. Hee shall purge and clense your soules, hee shall fyll you full of grace, and shall make you y^e [...]eraye tēples and vessels of god. Loo, loo. Here maye ye see the grette prouffett of the passion of Chryste, of his buryall, of his descenciō into hell, of his resurreccion, and of his ascension into y^e heuens. Thus our mooste blyssed sauiour Iesus Christe shewed and proued hymselfe euery way­es bothe in his natiuitie, in hys lyffe, in hys deathe, in hys passion, in his buriall, in his descencion [Page] vnto hell, in his resurreccion, in his ascē cion, & in sendinge the holye gooste in to his chirche for our cōfortes, to be veraye god.

Lett vs therefore Christen people for whome Chryste hathe thus shedde his bloode, gyue thā ­kes for his passion, lett vs ioye in his resurrecciō, lett vs laude hym for his ascenciō, for all y^e hoole catholique chirche thrughoute the worlde dothe reioyce therein: besechinge him that dydde this moche for vs, that he wyll of his mercyfull godenes brynge and make vs tascend in to thys hys glorye. Lett vs Chrysten people reioyce y^e cryite was borne, to teache vs, that he died, to heale vs. For his crosse was deathe to hym, & to vs lyffe. His natiuitie was ioye to all the worlde. His lyf­fe & doctrine was to vs lyght & cōforte: his pas­sion & deathe was to vs lyffe and solace: his re­surreccion was to vs ioye and glorye.Ad [...] ▪ For after he was deade & wente to the helles, he reuerted ayen to the worlde and tryumphed. For he appered to sainte Thomas & saide, putt thy fingre in to the woundꝭ of my syde, touche my woundꝭ, see howe that oute of them ranne bloode. Loke thomas vpon y^e pryce of y^e worlde, looke vpō y^e sygnes of the nayles, for in those woūdes shalte y^u fynde remeadye & healthe for all y^e sores of thy soule.

And to you y^e Iewes, scrybes, and pharysees: beholde you this sepulcre,Ad Iudae­os & pha­risaeos. & recognice your sacrilege cōmitted annenste your lorde God, beholde [Page] you the grette crosse, beholde you y^e roughe nay­les, beholde the sharpe spere. Beholde the soore greuoouse woundyd bodye, whyche ye prykled, whiche ye scourged, whiche ye wounded & enui­ously entreated. Beholde you y^e sepulcre in why­che he was buryed. It is voyde, the bodye is ry­sen and ascended to the fadre, to your confusion & dampnacion. For Chryste reseruethe fixuras clauorū, the markes and scarres of the nayles & woūdes, to shewe vnto you att that greate day, your facrilegiouse tyrānye whiche ye haue done vnto y^e bodye, y^t ye maye ther see your deades, that ye maye ther see your myscheuouse actes, your abhominable doyngꝭ, to your own confu­sion, shame, and dampnacion. O pharyses, scrybes, and Iewes: consydre your malyce: consydre your malignitye commytted annen­ste your maker chryste. Reuoke your malice, putt awaye your enuiouse hartes, do ye penaū ­ce, wepe and wayle your synnes, crye to this cru­cyfied chryste that he maye remytte and forgyue you your offenses.

Ad chri­stianos.And you chrystē people, come ye nere, Ioye ye and cōforte your selues in this chryste & god, in this sauiour of the worlde. Studye you to lyue in hym, to lyue in a sobrenes, in a clennes & chastitye, to lyue chrystianely, godly and vertuously.

Chrysten mā thou haste harde nowe, howe many wayes criste hathe opened & shewed him selfe [Page] to the worlde, and proued hym selfe veraye god. And namely in his passion & deathe, in his descē cion to hell, in his resurreccion: and principally whenne he ascended vnto the heuens bodely, & ther sytteth in dextera patris on the ryghte hande of the fadre.

And afterwarde accordinge to his promyse sē ­te downe the holye gooste in symilitude of fyerye tongues vpon the Pentecoste daye emōges his disciples:Missio spiritus san­cti. Theffe­cte of the cūmynge of y^e holy gooste. whyche gaue them veraye knowledge of chryste to be god. They wente thenne streight forthe abroode & preached chryste, and taughte hym to the worlde. At whose wordꝭ the people came in, they ranne to penaunce, they toke baptys­me, they beganne to smake of god, they lamēted their synnes, they cryed for mercye, they begāne a Chrystian lyff. And to declare Chryste abro­de to all the worlde, the disciples deuided thē selues into sundrye partes and countreyes:Petrus. Paulus. Mattheꝰ. Thomas. Bartholo­maeus. Andreas. Iohannes. Iacobi. Peter into Ierusalē, Antioche, and Rome. Paule into Rome, Damaske, Atheyns, Galathy, Corynthy, Sythia & Tracy. Mathewe into Ethyope, Thomas into India Inde. Bartholomewe into the other India. Andrewe into Achaia & Ierusalē, Iohn into Asia. Bothe the Iames, in terrā Iu­de into the lande of Iude. And the residue of thē after ther lymytacion & lotte: some into oon coū trey, and some into an other: so to edyfye chryste his faythe, so to buyld his chirche, so to shewe [Page] god to the worlde. And annon Chryste grewe in knowledge to the worlde, annon the people be­ganne to knowe hym: to smake and sauour of hym: butt not in all partꝭ. For after that Paule was conuerted & wente abrode preachinge christe,Act. 17. he came into the cyte of Athenes. And as his custome was, euer whenne he came into a Citye or towne, he wolde fyrste vysyte the tēple or chirche, and so dydd ther, & walked aboute their tem­ple, and behylde the maner of their sacrifyce & culture of their goddꝭ: where he sawe many ymagies & aulters. And vpon euery aulter was a title sett vppe to shewe in whose honour itt was dedicated. Some aulter was dedicate as appered by the scripture to the goddꝭ of Asia, some to the goddis of Europe, some of Aphryca. Some to Iouis, some to Mercury, to y^e Sonne, to Mars, to the Mone, & to suche other. And ouer oon aulter was wryten for the tytle to whome that aultre was dedicate, thes wordꝭ▪ Ignoto deo. This aulter is consecrate in y^e honour of the vnknowen god,Ignoto deo. Ignoto deo, to y^e vnknowen god. And Paule seynge this, cryed to the people, ‘O uiri Atheniē ses, per omnia uideo nos superstitiosos.’ O you peo­ple of Athaynes,Act. 17. I see you almoste in all thynges concerninge your rytes & customes in your tem­ple, to be superstitiouse. I se your aultres dedicate, some to oon god, some to an other. Unto tho­se that ar no goddes but creatures, symulacres [Page] & deade thinges. And oon of your aulters is made & sanctifyed ‘Ignoto deo,’ to an vnknowē god. ‘Quem ergo ignorantes colitis, Ibidem. hunc ego annuncio nobis.’ I am no p̄acher nor teacher of newe goddis. I do not faynt any newe goddꝭ, but I do shewe you the olde god, the god of Gods, the God euer­lastynge, the god that is withoute begynnynge, and shalbe wythe oute endynge, the onely god of heuen and earthe, whyche ye yett knowe not, & yet ye worshipe him in your tēple at oon of your aulters: where is wryten Ignoto deo, Dedicat to an vnknowen god. ‘Et quem ignorantes colitis, hūc ego annuntio nobis.’ I preache this god vnto you that ye do worshipe and knowe not. Ye worshipe a god att this aulter, and knowe nott whome ye worshype, nor what God, I preache hym vnto you. This is he that madde heuen and earthe & all that is therin. This is the lorde of all. Of him all thynges hathe theyr beynges. This is hee y^t maade the fyrste man of nawght, & of that oon man, all man kynde. This is he that toke y^e same nature oon hym, so to be knowen to the worlde. And that is itt that the phylosopher saythe, & rehersid by the appostul, ‘Ipsius enim & genus sumus.’ A [...]atus poeta. [...] He toke our nature and became man. ‘In ipso vi­uimꝰ, mouemur & sumus.’ In hym & by hym we ly­ue & haue our beynge, our mouynge, our lyff, & all that we haue. This is he y^t ye haue putto deathe & passion, This is he y^t suffrede for you, y^t dyyd [Page] oon the crosse.Chryste is now declaryd vnto all y^e worlld. He is the price of the world, he hathe washed you in his bloode. He was the sacry­fyce for y^e hool worlde, he made thattonmēte be­twene god and man. He is the mediator that procurethe remyssion of synne. And he shall come a yen and iudge y^e worlde. Hunc ego annūtio nobis. This god I shewe & preche vnto you and to all y^e worlde. This is he that was vnknowen, that nowe is knowen to all y^e worlde to be God. And thoughe the Iewes and pagans, thoughe the Sarysons, infydelles, & Turkes, wyll nott yett knowe hym, worshype hym, nowe take hym for theyr god: att the daye of iudgemente whenne he shall come ayen, thēne shall they see him, thē shall they feale hym & knowe him. Thē shall thei knowe y^e hygh myght & power of this lord & god. Then shall they knowe y^t he is veraye god. Thē shal he shewe hī sylf to y^e world as he is, Esaia. 3. Apoc. 1. Chryste shall cōe in a ma­ieste. god & mā. ‘Ecce ueniet cū nubibꝰ & uidebit eū oīs oculus & qui cum pupugerunt. Et plangent se super eum omnes tribus terre, etiam Amen.’ He shall come in y^e clowdes and (as Mathewe dothe saye) he shall come in a grette maiestye, and euery eye, euery person, ye all mā kynde shall thenne see hym, ye and they that hathe pryked and prouoked hym to wrathe and to displeasur and they that hathe crucified & woūdyd hym. All shall see & knowe hym thēne.

Thēne shall see hym in a maiestye all the vn­faythefull naciōs & false Chrystē people. Thēne [Page] shall see hym in a maiestye the Iewes & mini­stres of Pylate, whome they dyd deryde, scorne, prycke and crucifye. They shall thenne see hym to theyr greatte discomfyte, shame, & reproche: to their grette sorowe, heuynes, feare, and confusion. '‘Et plangent se super eū omnes tribus terrae.’ Then shall be y^e grett wepynge. All the trybs and nacions of y^e worlde shall thenne wepe thē selues vpon hym. Also saye, Thoughe in this worlde be meruelouse wepīges, heuines, and sorowes, for suche myseryes as here ar: yett in comparyson of y^e wepinge that shalbe att that daye: all these wepinges, sorowes and lamentinges, ar but tryfles, fantasies, and shadowes.

Ther shall wepe the infydeles that wolde not beleue in Chryste, y^e dydd putt Chryste to deathe.Infidel [...] Ther shall wepe the gentyls that worshyped false ydols and cōmytted ydolatrye,Gent [...]l [...] Falsi chri [...]stiani▪ Ther shall we­pe the false Chrysten man that hathe brokē his faythe and promyse made to god in his baptys­me: he shall weepe the abbreache of the faythe, y^t he hathe broken. He shall wepe the grace that he hathe loste, y^e good dedes that he hathe omytted, the synne that he hathe cōmitted, the heuen and Ioye that he hathe loste, the hell and payne y^t he shall haue. Ther shall they weepe this passiō of Chryste whose merites they haue loste. Ther shall weepe the cruell Iewes,Iudaei. Iewes. whyche wuld not beleue in Chryste, but cruelly crucifyed hym to the deathe. ‘Tunc aspicient ad eū quē confixerunt & [Page] plangent cum planctu quasi unigen [...]tum, & dolebunt super cum ut doleri solet in mor [...]e primogeniti. In die illa erit planctus magnus.’ Thēne shall they see and beholde hym that they dyd crucifie and fastē to y^e crosse, and shall weepe and sorowe hym, as men ar wonte to weepe y^e deathe of theyr chylde whē ­ne they haue but oon. In that daye ther shalbe muche wepinge, muche sorowe and wonderfull heuynes: syghinge, sobbynge, and extreme lamē tacions.

Weepe therfore thoue Chrysten man whyles thou lyueste, weepe thy synne, sorowe thy misse­deds, lamente thy wretched lyffe. Call to thy mercyfull lorde god, yondre he is, in yondre sepulcre he lyethe, resorte vnto hym, sue for mercye, call for grace, aske forgyuenes, entre into his woundes by a secrette meditacion, by a deuoute remē braunce. Humbly besekinge hym y^t thou mayste be pertener of the meritis of his glorious passiō: that his bloode maye washethe, that his bodye maye fede the, that his woundes maye heele y^e, that his passion maye saue the, that his deathe maye quicken the, that his passion maye bryngethe to his glorie and ioye eternall.

Knele down euery man and woman in y^• pla­ce ye stande in: and vndre this deuoute maner of contēplaciō say eueryche of you .v. pater noster, v. Aues, and oon credo, in honour of these woundes, in honoure of this deathe, in honoure of this [Page] bloode, in honoure of this our lord God, whyche lyethe in yondre sepulture. And yf thou do thys wyth an inteare loue and with a highe deuocyō, It is not I that can expresse the inwarde solace and comforte that thou shalte haue, nor y^e grette grace that shall ensue: Thou shalte fele itt thy selfe wythin the, but thou cāste nott expresse hit. Thoue shalte feale a lyghtnes in thy herte, a gladnes in thy stomake, a ioy in thy soule, a fla­mynge loue with in y^e, a desiour to be wyth god: and god shalbe with the. And the more thy loue & desyour is knyt in him y^e more surely, thou haste hym, the more shalbe thy inward vnctions, y^e more grace is with the, the ner god is vnto the. And the more thy loue is in him, the more shall be thy deuocion: the more shalbe thy comforte, y^e more shallbe thy Ioye, the more shall be thy re­warde: her by grace, ther by glorye, whyche Ie­sus, that is veary loue, that for loue of the, thys hathe suffrede: graunte the and vs all the glory that he hathe bought vs vnto by this his glori­ous passion. Amen

DEO GRATIAS, DOMINVS DEDIT.