AL Chrysten people ought this day especyal aboue all the dayes in the yeare, to haue in theyr deuout remembraunce the gloryous passion of our sauyour Iesus Chryst. And to shew them selues prest and redy, redy to suffer & to crucify them selues with Christ, as wel in spi­rite as in fleshe, as wel in soule as in body. To crucifye them selues. I meane, to afflycte the spirite & soule with an inwarde remorse, with an inward remembraunce of theyr owne wretched lyues: euery one to consydre theyr owne synful dedes. Theyr synnes to be soo great & ab­hominable, that it was necessary for Chryst the sonne of God to suffer and dye for it. To consydre that nothyng in this worlde coulde pourge nor clense vs from synne, but the onely bloode of Chryst, his onely Passyon and deathe. And in this remembraunce, to crucyfye our spi­rytes, to mourne and lament, to wepe and sorowe oure sayde synnes, whiche were the cause why Chryste dyd suffer, whiche were the verye cause of this his mooste pityous paynefull Passyon and death. We ought also this day to crucyfye, to afflycte, and punyshe oure bo­dyes, with exterior and outwarde afflyctyons: with bo­dylye paynes and penaunces. As I do not doubte, but many good chrysten people hath done bothe this laste nyght and this day also. This nyght past I say, bothe inwardly and outwardly. Inwarly, by inward deuout remembraunce, howe and what Passyons Chryst suf­fered this nyght and day for vs. Howe that this nyght after he had eate the Paschal lambe with his disciples, after that he had ministred his moost holy precious bo­dye and bloode to them and washed theyr feete: howe he went in to the mount and there prayed vnto god the father, a prolixe, a longe, a deuoute & dolorous prayer: thre tymes desiryng his father to put away that bloody [Page] chalyce, that deathly cuppe, that paynful Passyon, that panguyous deathe. At whiche prayer his mynde was appalled, his soule was panguyde, his body was dys­cōfyted, his nature was decayed, his herte ful of sorow, his mynd soo wonderfully troubled, that all his nature of the manheed soo horrybly was dysmayd, that he fell in a sweate, and swette water and blood, blood & water: by that to shew his greate panguys & paynes, bothe of soule and bodye, bothe inwardlye and outwardly. And in this pityous deuout remembraunces, they haue had I doubte not, moche pitye & compassyon on the same.

They haue also deuoutly remembred I trust, howe that he thryse rose from his deuoute & prolixe prayer, & yoode to his three dyscyples, Peter, Iames and Iohn̄. And how he found them a slepe, & sayde to Peter, ‘Petre dormis? Nō potuisti vna hora vigilare mecū?’ Peter, o Pe­ter, thou that dyddest promise soo lately to dye with me, and now slepest? I beynge in this traunce & at hande to be taken? O Peter, how woldest thou suffer & dye with me, & kanst not holde vp thy heed nor waake with me one houre? What not one houre Peter? They haue re­membred also I doubte not, howe Chryst went volun­taryly towarde that Traytour Iudas, and wyllyngly dyd mete hym, and the Iues whiche came to take hym. And how he asked Iudas & his companye, whom they sought, for in dede they knewe hym not. And shewed to them that he was he, that he was Christ, that he was Iesus of Nazareth whom they sought: & how he amaa­sed them, & threw them by his secret power down to the ground: & suffered them twyse to aryse & then to knowe him, then to take him, to bynd hym, to hale & lugge him from post to pyller, and all spytefull wayes to handle hym. And howe they brought hym tofore thre Iudges, and was before eueryche of them falsely accused, bryn­gynge [Page] agaynst hym false testamonye, vntrue wytnesse, blasphemously at the last cryenge, ‘Reus est mortis, cru­cifigatur.’ He is gylty, worthy to dye. Crucify hym, Cru­cify hym. They bound hym to a pyller, & bette him with sharpe scourges and roddes, not leauyng in his moost blyssed body any hole place from toppe to too, from the toppe of his heed, to the sooles of his feete. Plattynge with greate vyolence a harde sharpe crowne of thorne on his heed, persynge it to the sculle, blyndf [...]lded hym, spyttynge spytefully in his moost blyssed visage, and with theyr fystes and harde reedes beete hym aboute that moost blessed heed and face, whiche the Angelles, and beates of heuen desireth afore althynges to be­holde. Puttynge a reede in his hande in steade of a sep­ture, mockeshly and scornefully knelynge before hym & strykynge hym, sayde: Tell vs who strake the nowe? And who strake the nowe? And who was that? And who was this? With soche mockyshe vilanous wordes and dedes. And when he was thus dault with, they put vpon hym a garmente of Purple in mockadge, & was had out ‘in Pretorium’, into the yelde hall afore the mul­titude of the Iues. And they seynge hym thus apparel­led, thus scourged, thus defaced and beete, cryed, Cru­cifye hym, Crucify hym, he is gyltye, he is worthye to dye. And in conclusyon to satisfy the cruell appetytes of the Iues, he was condempned vnto the deathe: to the deathe of the crosse, which crosse was layde vpon hym, and bare the same moost parte through the citye to the place of his Passion, & there was crucified, & there was set a hygh, so to be sene & wondered on of all the people.

And there ayayne he was newly had in dirysyon, and gaue hym Aysell and Gall, derydynge and scorne­fully mockynge hym with scoffynge & scornfull wordes tyll he was deade. And then they thrast a speare to his [Page] herte. Wherewith ranne out water and bloode in oure redempcyon. All this with many moo thynges, many of you good chrysten people, haue had in your specyall and moost deuout remembraūces this nyght past and this day: sorowynge in your selues to remembre, that ye and we were the veraye cause of his deathe, and why he thus suffered.

Howe dampnable then and howe greate were our synnes, for the whiche it was necessarye for Chryst to suffer and dye? and soo to washe vs in his moost precy­ous bloode? And by these and soche other lyke deuoute contemplacyons, to haue remorse in our soules, sorow­ynge our synnes, repentynge our yll lyuinges, callyng to god for mercye, hauynge inwarde sorow and contri­cyon, lamentynge and wepynge euerye one vpon hym selfe. And though it be percase not pleasaunte vnto you longe to tarye, bycause ye haue this nyght & day vnder this maner, weryed your myndes in soche deuoute con­templacyons, reuoluynge in your hertes this panguy­ous Passyon of Chryst: and your bodyes with watche and prayer, herynge the worde of god this day ones, a herynge diuyne seruyce, with knelynges alredy & with prostracions to the grounde, knockynge your brestes, holdynge downe your heddes in a mournyng fassyon, weriynge also the body with these & other afflyctyons, with great and longe abstinence, fastyng & other many wayes, euery man seuerally after his moost secrette and inwarde deuocyon: Yet this day let vs take more payne then we wolde doo in other dayes. It cometh but oons in the yere. And one thynge shal I assure you of, though your paynes shall be thought moche, yet youre meryte and rewarde shall be moche more.

Let vs therfore soo ordre our selues, that god may se the feruent desires of our soules. Let hym se our hertes [Page] & loues we beare towardes hym. Let hym se & perceyue howe dilygently we doo endeuoure oure selues all the wayes we can, to doo & speake that that may be to the hygh honour laude & glorye of hym & of this his moost gloryous Passyon. And to this purpose and ende, and that we may the more inwardlye be styrred to deuocyō, and loue towardes our sauyor Chryst: I desyre you all to helpe with your deuoute prayers.

OREMVS.

THAT we may the more cōmodyously nowe pro­cede in that we haue prayed for, I wyll take my grounde to speake vpon, the wordes of thapostle which he wryteth vnto the Hebrues in his xiii. Chapit̄ where he consydereth and maketh mencyon of two so­lemnityes, of two hygh solemne feastꝭ.duo [...] One of the olde lawe, another of the newe lawe. That of the olde lawe, was the figure: that of the newe lawe, was the veryte▪ That of the olde law, was the shadowe: that of the new law, was the body. That of the olde lawe dyd but syg­nifye the feast of the newe lawe: that of the newe lawe was the selfe same feast, the trueth, the veryte figured in the olde lawe. That of the olde lawe was called ‘Festum Propiciationis’,Festū propiciat [...]o­nis. the feaste of Propiciatyon or of mercye, the feast in whiche by the sacrifyce done on that day, the people were pourged from certayne immundi­cyes and vnclennes, and brought in to the fauoure of god. The feast of the new lawe, is called ‘Festū redemp­tionis’, the solemnyte, or feast of redempcyon.Festū re­demptio­nis. On which day we all, yee all mankynde, was redemede, wasshed, clensed, pourged, saynctifyed and iustifyed from al our synnes: brought and reconsyled into the fauour of god by the sacrifye that was that day offered. And as the course of the yere gothe about, this is the day. The day [Page] of redempcion, the day of propiciacyon, the day of mer­cye and of reconciliacyon, the day that Chryst offered vp hym selfe for vs.

Hebre. [...]3.The wordes of the Apostle are these, ‘Habemus altare de quo edere non habent potestatem qui tabernaculo deserui­unt. Quorum enim animalium infertur sanguis pro pec­cato, in sancta, per pontificem: horum corpora cremantur extra castra. Propter quod, & IESVS extra portā passus est. Exeamus igitur ad cū extra castra, improperiū eius portan­tes.’ These are the wordes of the apostle, many thynges contryued in fewe wordes. And the Englyshe therof is this: We haue an aulter. We haue an aulter (sayth the apostle:) an aulter, and a sacrifyce vpō this aulter. And they that serueth the tabernacle, maye not eate of this aulter, may not eate of the sacrifyce that is offred vpon this aulter. For the Apostle here (per metonimia) dothe put the aulter for that that is sacrifysed vpō the aulter. The blood of those beastes that were sle [...]ne for the sa­crifyce, was brought in to the holy secrete hygh place of the temple where the arke was, bitwene the hygh aulter (as ye wyl say) & the vayle, by the bushop, & there offred vp for the synne of the people. The bodyes of the beastꝭ that were burned without the pauilyons or tentes, for the whiche, ‘Propter quod’, for whiche what? for the ful­fyllynge of whiche mistery. Also to veryfye and fulfyll the figure, and that the thynge fygured, mought be co­respondente to the fygure, Iesus suffered without the yate, to sanctify the people by his blood. Let vs go out therfore & suffer with Chryst, bearyng his obprobries & rebukes.Altare. Sacrifi­cium. Pontifex Tabernaculum. Seruiti [...] in tacer-Sāgu [...]s. Sancta sanctorū Corpora a [...]alium· Ignis. Castra. Decemdies. Mensis septimus These be the wordꝭ of the apostle now taken.

I wyll by the helpe of our Lorde god, declare these wordes in ordre, euen as they doo stand. Here is an aul­ter, here is a sacrifyce, here is a bushop which dyd offer this sacrifyce, here is a tabernacle, a seruynge of the ta­bernacle, [Page] the bloode of the sacrifyce which was offered by the bushop for the synnes of the people, in the moost holye place of the temple: and the bodyes of the bea­stes (whose bloode was offered) were burned withoute the tentes, And this was done the tenthe day of the se­uenth moneth. Ye here nowe the wordes of the A­postle. Wherin appeareth the manyfeste figure of the Passyon of our sauyour Iesus Chryst, whiche we this day do honour.

In these wordes the apostle toucheth the figure of the law, and brynges it to a spirytual vnderstandynge. For it was cōmaunded in the law in the boke of nom­bers, that the tenthe day of the seuenth moneth,Num [...]. [...] ▪ in the feast that was called the feaste of the propicyatyon, of mercye, of remissyon, or the feast of purgacyon, when the people were pourged. At whiche tyme they shulde take a calfe and a kydde and slaye them.Uitulus Hircus. Hebre. [...]. Whose blood the onely bushop shulde brynge ‘in sancta sanctorum’, in to the moost holy solempne & secret place of the temple, wherin the bushop neuer came, oneles he brought with hym bloode, bloode to offer in sacrifyce. ‘Quia oīa penae in sanguine secundū legem mundabantur, Sāg [...]. & sine sanguinis effusione non fit remissio’ saythe the Apostle. Almoost all synnes after the lawe or in the lawe, were clensed in bloode & by blood: And without the effusyon of blood, was no remyssyon. And in that place of the temple cal­led ‘sancta sanctorum’,Sancta sanctorū Corpus the bushop prayed and offered for the people. The flesshe and corps of the sacrifyce was burned without the tentes, without theyr pauilyons. And it was not lawfull to any that dyd serue the taber­nacle, to eate of the flesshe of that sacrifyce.

Here is a manyfest figure (as I sayde) of the Pa­ssyon of our sauyour Chryst.altare qd The aulter that was con­secrate and halowede in this solenuyte of the bloode of [Page] the eternall testament, was that holy crosse that Chryst suffered on. Whiche as on this day, he dyd consecrate, halowe, dignifye and dedicate: And dyd adourne and decke the same with the members of his moost precious bodye, more gloryously then it had bene enbrowderede & inserte with precyous stoones. For as golde which is the moost precyous metall, is made more precyous whē it is set with precyous stoones, and is dignifyed there­with, whether it be aulter, ymage, crowne, rynge or owche: soo was this aulter the holye crosse bewtifyed, dignifyed, adourned & made precyous: with the mem­bers of that moost precous stoone Chryst, whiche is as Peter sayth ‘Lapis viuus, ab hominibus reprobatus, a deo electus, 1. Peter. 2. Lapis. Christus probatus, angularis & praeciosus.’ This Chryst is (he saythe) the lyuely stoone, whiche men dyd reproue, whiche god dyd electe for the approued stoone, for a cor­ner stoone, for the cheyfe stoone in the buyldynge of his churche, for the stoone that ioyneth the walles of the churche togyther, for the stoone whervpon the fayth of Chryst, and his churche is buylded. A precyous stoone, a stoone of pryce, a stoone of hygh value, farre passyng in the estimacyon of a good chrysten man, all other pre­cyous stoones in the worlde. This precyous stoone Chryst with the members of his moost precyous body, dyd decke, adourne and make precyous this aulter the crosse: When his bodye was by the Iues with a vio­lencye, extremely strayned vpon the same, that all his bones (as testifyeth the Prophet) mought be nombred.Psal. 21. Sacrifi­cium. Upon this aulte [...] was the greate sacrifyce of the world offred, Chryst hym selfe. He was the sacrifyce, & he was the preest. He offered vp hym selfe to god his father, for the synne of man.Hebre. 9. ‘Obtulit semetipsum immaculatum deo vt sanctificaret inquinatos’ saythe the apostle. He offered hym selfe a pure, cleane, immaculate hooste to god, to [Page] redeme the worlde, to sanctify synners, to iustify man.

This Chryst the bushop of good thynges to come (as the apostle wytnesseth) entred oons in to the place called ‘sancta sanctorum’,Hebre. 9. not onely of the temple: but in ‘sancta sanctorum’, in to that holye place of places,Sancta sanctorū in to heuen. He entred with sacrifyced blood lyke a busshop. Not with the bloode of gootes or calues, not with the bloode of rammes or bulles: but with his owne moost precyous bloode. For yf the bloode of gootes & bulles,Hebre 9. Leuit [...] ▪ 1 [...]. and the asshes of the burned calfe sprinkled abroode, were suffycyente to the makynge cleane of the flesshe: howe moche more then the bloode of Chryst? Who by the holy goost dyd offer vp him selfe to god, moost pure moost cleane & immaculate sacrifice, is able to pourge, clense and make fayre our coscyences from the workes of deathe, and to lyue in the lyuynge god?

This is our great bushop as the apostle saythe, ‘Habemus pontificem magnum qui paenetrauit coelos,Hebre [...]. Magnu [...] [...] noster chri­stus est. IE­SVM filium dei.’ We haue a greate bushop, whiche dyd penetrate the heuens, whose name is Iesus the sonne of god. This is our greate bushop, our hyghe bushop, our vniuersall bushop. This is the heed bushop of all bushoppes and of the worlde, named of god (as the a­postle saythe) to be our greate bushop, properly called ‘Summus pontifex’ the hyghest bushoppe, the bushop of bushoppes. For this is he onely that is Summus, Hebre. [...]. Sūmus Maximꝰ vniuersalis ponti­fex christꝰ ‘max­imus & vniuersalis pontifex.’ The bushop of Rome ther­fore ought herein to be abashed, ashamed & to abhorre his owne pryde. For in this he outragyously dothe of­fende god and blasphemeth hym, in that he presumeth to take this hygh name frō our bushop Christ. In that, he taketh away (asmoche as lyeth in hym) the glorye of god, the maiestye apperteynyng vnto Chryst. In that, he taketh vpon hym these names only appropryed vn­to [Page] Chryst, ‘Summus pontifex, maximus pontifex, vniuer­salis pontifex:’ the hyghest bushop, the greatest busshop, the vniuersall bushop, the bushop of all the worlde. I moche maruayle howe he dare be soo bolde to vsurpe and take these greate names vpon hym. Greater blas­phemye can not be, then to take from god, that that na­turally belongeth vnto hym: then to take from god his glorye and honoure, then to vendicate and take vpon hym soche hygh names as besemes noo Chrysten man to vsurpe.Ezeche 42. God sayde by his Prophet, ‘Non dabo gloriā meā altri’: I wyll not gyue my glory away to any other, to any creature. He dothe reserue that glory, that laude and honour that belongeth onely vnto hym, vnto hym selfe: noo man to attempte soo farre, noo man to take somoche vpon hym.

Peter, Peter thou were oons bushop of Rome, & the fyrst bushop of Rome,Petrus pontifex Rome. dyddest thou euer take this name vpon the? ‘Summus, maximus, vniuersalis’? Noo noo noo. And why? for the holy goost was in the. Thou woldest take nomore vpon the then god gaue the. Thou were not desirous of worldly fame and glorye. All that thou soughtest for, was for the glorye of god: as all that wyll rede thy sermondes, thy Epystles and thy lyfe, shall soone perceyue. Looke a great nombre of bushoppes that nexte folowed Peter in the same see, what were they? holy martyrs, holy lyuers, whiche ne­uer attempted thus farre. Lette the bushop of Rome therfore knowledge his greate faulte, his hygh foolye, his vnlawful vsurpacion, his vnpreestly presumpcion: & humble hym selfe to Chryst & god his greate bushop. Wolde god he wolde refourme him selfe. Wolde god he wolde kepe hym selfe within the compasse of his aucto­ryte, and nomore to encroche vpon other mennes iuris­dictyons, but diligently kepe and ouer looke his owne [Page] diocesse, and be content with that. Wolde god he wolde looke vpon his predecessor saynt Gregory in his reg [...]e, whiche was a bushop of Rome, a holy man. Let hym lerne there how he dyd rebuke Iohn̄ that tyme the bus­shop of Constantinople, for takynge on hym soo hygh­lye, in soche names, vniuersal bushop, hyghest bushop, greatest bushop:gregoriꝰ in regis­tro. libro iiij. indictione .xxx Epistola xxx [...]iij. and howe he proued it to be annenste the lawe of god. He saythe there in one place to this proude bushop Iohn̄, what ansfere shalte thou make in that strayte examynacyon at that laste iudgement to Chryst the heed of the vniuersal holy church, that goest aboute to haue subiecte vnto the, all the members of Chryst, by takynge on the the name of vniuersall bus­shop? In an other place ayayne in the same booke he saythe vnto hym,Idem. who arte thou that doest presume to vsurpe a newe name vpon the of vniuersall bushoppe, contrary to the statutes of the gospell and the decrees?

God forbyd that euer it shulde come in the hertes of chrysten people this blasphemye, in the whiche the ho­nour of all preesthood is taked away, when a man shall rashly and arrogantly, take that name vpon hym. Let this bushop of Rome therfore humble hym selfe vnto our greate vniuersall bushop Chryst, humble hym selfe vnder the myghtye hande of god, & knowe what the apostle doth wryte of the honour & power of this Chryst our greate and hygh bushop. He is he saythe,Hebre. [...].3.4.5.7.8.9. ‘Pontifex misericors, fidelis, po [...]ens, magnus, humilis, paenetrans coelum, compaciens infirmitatibus nostris, offerens dona & sacrificia pro peccatis nostris, condolens hiis qui igno­rant & errant. Qui potest saluum facere a morte, offerens preces & supplicationes cum clamore valido & lacrimis, & exauditus est pro reuerentia sua. Pontifex appellatus a deo. Pontifex sanctus, innocens, impollutus, segregatus a pecca­toribus, excelsior coelis. Non habens necessitatē (quemad­modum [Page] alii) prius pro suis delictis hostias offerre deinde pro populi: Pontifex sedens in dextris dei interpellans pro nobis, Emundans cōscientias nostras ab operibus mortuis Intrans sancta sanctorū per proprium sanguinem. Hic est pontifex confessionis nostrae.’

Let all earthly bushops lerne of this heuenly bushop Chryst. Some of these propertes are appropryed and belongeth onely to God and not to man. In some we ought to folowe hym. In some we can not, ne ought to doo.Miseri­cors. This our hyghe and greate bushop is ‘misericors’, sayth the apostle, mercyfull. A mercyfull bushop, redye to forgyue, redy to remyt those that hath offended hym. He is not cruell, not vengeable, but full of pitye, full of mercye. And in this we ought to folowe hym.

He is ‘pontifex potens’, a myghtye bushop, myghty and full of power.Potens. We be but weyke & feble bushops, not able to doo any thynge but by his permyssyon and helpe. He is able to make sycke, to make hoole: to make ryche, to make poore: to set vp, to put downe. ‘Potens’, a myghtye bushop, myghtye and able to remyt synne, to forgyue, to saue bothe bydye and soule from dampna­cyon. Potens, a myghty bushop and full of power. No power in this worlde but of hym.Roma. 13. ‘Omnis potestas a do­mino deo est.’ All power is of hym. And as he hym selfe wytnesseth,Math. 28. ‘Data est mihi omnis potestas in coelo & in ter­ra.’ All power is gyuen vnto me, in heuen and in earthe. Potens saluare a morte. He can saue the body, and saue the soule. He can delyuer the toone, and delyuer the to­ther from euerlastyng deathe. Who can forgyue synne but he?Ma [...]. 2. Quis potest dimittere peccatū nisi solus deus? ‘Est potens.’ He is a myghtye bushop. Of hym and by hym, Emperours, Kynges, magistrates and potestates: bus­shoppes, preestes, with all other that hath power, hath theyr power and auctorytie. Who is able to turne the [Page] wynde? to make the wynde blow or ceasse, but he? Who is able to say & proue, I wyll nowe haue it rayne, nowe clere: the sonne to shyne, the water to flow, to ebbe, with soche other, but onely he? This is our myghty bushop. ‘Pontifex potens’, myghtye, yee omnipotens, almyghtye. He can doo all. nothynge to hym impossyble.Omnipo­tens. ‘Ipse dixit & facta suntoīa, Mandauit, & creata sunt vniuersa.Psal. 32. Potens ergo est.’ He is a myghtye bushop. We are not soo,

‘Fidelis pontifex.’ He is a faythful bushop. Faythfull.Fidelis. He is a faythfull bushop to god. referrynge all laudes, all honoure and glorye to his father, in althynges that he dyd, miracles or other. He toke neuer the more vpon hym selfe. He was also a faythful bushop to the world. For he dyd all that belongede to the offyce of a good bushop. The verye offyce of a bushop is predicare, Tria ad officium episcopi partinē ­tia. Predica­bat. i. Offic [...] episcopi. ‘ora­re, & sacrificare siue offerre.’ To preache, to praye, to do [...] sacrifyce and to offer. He preachede to his people. He taught the worlde moost holsome doctryne, whereby he called the people to god, he conuerted synners, he called them to penaunce. He made them weepe & lament theyr synnes. They folowed his person, they folowed his worde, they folowed his ensample. They came oute of all coostes to se hym, to here hym, to lerne of hym.Math 14. They forsoke meate and drynke, house and home, and folowede hym wheresoeuer he wente, aswell in wylder­nes as els where. In somoche that after they had folo­wede hym thre dayes, he beynge moued with pitye leste they shuld peryshe for lacke of foode beynge in wylder­nes far from succour, fedde them twyse miraculously. Oons, in the desert with fyue loues & two fysshes, fede fyue thousand men besydes women and chyldren, and were lefte twelue great baskettꝭ,Math. 15▪ twelue maundꝭ full of the brokelettꝭ & offals at that meale. At an other tyme, he fedde in wyldernes to the nombre of foure thousand [Page] men, besydes women and chyldren, with seuen looues and a fewe small fyshes. And was lefte of fragmentes, seuen maundes full.

ij. officiū episcopi, & predicatoris est orare.The second offyce of a bushop he fulfylled also. For he prayed. He was moost deuout in prayer, soo to teache all bushops & preachers not to presume in theyr wytte or lernynge, neyther in theyr capacitye, memorye, fayre tongue or vtteraunce: but that the preacher doo study­ouslye applye his booke, with all diligencye to studye: howe to speake, whatte to speake, afore whome he shall speake: and to shape his sermonde after the audyence. The preacher ought also besydes his studye and prea­chynge, to pray. For by deuout prayer, he shall attayne percase asmoche or more, as by study or lernynge. For without prayer, the wordes wyll lytle preuayle. Looke in Chryst his lyfe, and thou shalt fynde, that in euerye thynge he went aboute he prayed, to shew the valiancye the vertue and strength of prayer. To shewe our ne­cessytes, our weykenes and feblenes of nature. He prayed for his people (as Luke wytnesseth) the space of one hole nyght.Luce. 6. And what a meruelous deuout prayer made he for his people in the mounte the nyghte afore his Passyon? when the chalyce of deathe was represen­ted vnto hym? when he swette water and bloode? when he cryed thryse ‘Transeat a me calix iste?’ Math. 26. Let this chalyce, let this Passyon and bloode, let the vertue therof passe from me vnto all mankynde. Let euery man haue the vertue and merite therof, let it worke in all folkes, let euery faythfull man and woman be pertener therof, let it not be loste but worke to the worldes ende. This was a merueylous deuoute mercyfull prayer. And ayayne he sufferyng and hangynge on the crosse, offered vp for his people ‘Preces & supplicationes cum clamore valido & lacrimis’.Hebre. 5. He offered vp his prayers and supplicacyons [Page] with a hudge crye, with a pityous voyce,Clamor christi i [...] cruce. with a lamen­table and a deathly shryche, and with wepynge teares (to god his father) he hangyng on the crosse, euen when the spirite shulde departe the body, not then forgettyng his people at that houre when all the people forgetteth both the worlde and them selues. Whiche crye was so hudge and great, so meruelous and of that effecte, that the heuens trembled thereat,Celi. Angeli. Sol. Uelum. Terra. Petre. sepul [...]ra. Mortui. Cēturio. Marce 15. the aungels mourned for pitye, the sonne looste his lyght, the vayle in the temple ryued in two, the earth quaued, the stoones rente a son­dre and brast in gobettes, the graues opened, the deade bodyes rose to lyfe and appeared in the citye. Centurio and those that kepte Chryst to se the execucyon done, cryed, ‘Vere filius dei erat iste.’ This was the vndoubted son of god. His prayer & wepynge teares were so plea­saunte vnto the father, that it was herde, ‘Exaudi [...]us [...]st pro reuerētia sua.’ He was herde, & why? [...]. 8. For it was so en­tere, soo deuout, soo reuerently done, in such a maner & fashyon, w^t such a zeale, grounded vpon such a charite, sufferynge for our gylte and not for his owne. And for that he dyd the very offyce of a bushop, soo enterely to pray & so reuerently to offer vp him selfe in sacrifice for his people, he was herde, he was herde: his prayer was herde of god. And that is the thyrde property of a good bushop to offer sacrifice for his people. Euery bushop, euery bushop for his diocesans & for the hole vniuersal churche.iii. officiū Episcopi est sacrificare. Fidelis. In these thre we ought asmoche as we may to folowe Chryst.

Thus this Chryst was & is Pontifex fidelis, a fayth­full bushop. Faythfull, faythfull in his worde, true in his promyse, deceyuynge no man, but profityng all. In all that he dyd or spake, he sought nothynge his owne glorie, but the glorye of god: teachynge therby all bus­shops of the worlde in all that they goo aboute, to do it [Page] to the laude prayse and glorye of God. And herein we ought also to folowe hym.

‘Magnus pontifex.’ He is the great busshop, the hygh bushop,Magnus the supreme bushop, the vniuersall bushoppe ouer all the worlde. Noo greate bushop but he. None hygh, none supreme nor vniuersall bushop, but he. And herein the bushop of Rome outragiously vsurpeth vp­pon God as he dothe vpon the worlde: to take the ho­noure & names (onely to god appropryed) to hym selfe. And doth greuously blaspheme & offende god therein. Greater blasphemye can not be, then to ascrybe to god, that that noo wayes belongeth vnto hym:Blasphe­mia. or to take from God, that that vnto hym is appropryed. It is meete therfore he doo betymes and in season leaue his vniuste encrochementes bothe annenste his Lorde god and also annenste the worlde, leste he do prouoke God to poure oute all his vyalles of wrathe vpon hym: the vees I meane, the maledictions and vengeaunce that Iohn̄ speaketh of in the Apocalyps. I wolde aduise hym to cease the Iniuryes whiche he hathe and daylye dothe annenste the Chryste our greate hygh vniuersall bushop,Apoca. 9. leste thou excōmunycate and stryke, leefte thou shewe thy wrathe and iudgement annenst hym and vt­terly extyncte his pryde and ambicious pretensed auc­torite. For thou wylte be knowen, thou wylte be kno­wen god. And thou arte and wyll be oure greate vny­uersall and supreme bushop what soeuer the bushop of Rome shall attempte to the contrarye, and thou wylte punyshe his worldely arrogancye, & stryke when thou seeste thy tyme. And though it be longe or thou stryke, yet let hym beware, for stryke thou wylte yf thou be vt­terly prouoked. And when thou doest stryke, thy stroke is great, thy stroke is dradful & soore. It vaynquesheth the bodye, it sleyeth the soule, it dampneth bothe. [Page] Beware therfore thou bushop of Rome, & be contente with thyne owne dioces, with thyne owne chardge, as other bushops are with theyrs. For further then thyne owne dioces, thy iurisdiction doo not stretche.

A meruelous blyndnes in the therfore to take vpon the to answere for all the worlde, and arte not able to answere oure greate bushop Chryst for thy selfe at that dradfull daye of Iugemente: when he shall aske but these fewe questions of the, Quomodo intrasti? Questio­nes in iu­dicio epi­scopo fi­ende. ‘Quo­modo rexisti? Quomodo vixisti? Quomodo pauisti? Quae & qualia exempla dedisti? Quid ad meam gloriam fe [...]isti? & huiusmodi.’ How dyddest thou enter into thy bushop­ryke? by me or by the worlde? vnlawfully or lawfully? by simonye or freely? by labour by paction, or called of god? How dyddest thou rule thy cure? thy diocesse? dyd­dest thou pray for thy people? dyddest thou preache me to thy diocesans? dyddest thou gyue them goostly and bodelye foode? dyddest thou minyster spirytuall and goostly salues (the sacramentes I meane) to heale the soores of theyr soules? Howe dyddest thou lyue? dyd­dest thou caste awaye the cure the glorye and pompe of the world? dyddest thou folowe me in humilyte, in cha­ryte, in compassion, in pouertye, in clennes, & in chaaste lyuynge?

Howe dyddest thou gouerne thy diocesans? dyd­deste not thou make of all thynges that thou dyddeste medle with a money matter? in sellynge that whiche was not in the to sell nor giue, that that thou calleddest thy pardons, thy commyssyons, thy breeues, thy dely­gaces, reseruacions, exemptions, appellacyons, bulles and dyspensacions? Dyddest not thou vnder these pre­tenses and lyke other doynges, dysceyue the worlde? Whatte ansfere shalt thou make to this at that daye to our and thy great bushop Chryst, when he shall visyte [Page] the and all thy dioces, me and all my dioces, yee when he shall visytte all the worlde? what ansfere shalte thou then make? I thynke verelye thou shalte then haue ynough to doo, yee and more then thou canst wynde thy selfe oute of, to maake ansfere for thy selfe, for thyne owne dioces and for thyne owne diocesans: thoughe thou vsurpe not vpon other mennes as thou doest. The Apostle wryteth of Chryste humblye, and calleth hym ‘Magnum pontificem’, the greate bushop. And he of Rome is not with this worde contented, but wyll haue a hygher worde for him selfe, in the superlatiue degree. ‘Maximum. Pontificem maximū.’ The greatest busshop. Oh, where is the humblenes and mekenes that shulde be in hym? Alas he that taketh on hym to teache all the worlde, howe can he for shame suffer such blaphemous wordes to passe in his name to his greate shame and rebuke: to the greate daunger of his soule, and to the perylous ensample vnto other. Oh, fye vpon pryde / it is a cōmon Prouerbe, Pryde wyll haue a fall.

Our bushop Chryst was ‘humilis’, meke, lowly, and humble in herte.Humilis. He roode not vpon any palfraye nor curragious horse, but vpon an asse and that but oons. He neuer was borne pompiously abrode in chayre vpō mennes shulders. He neuer profered his foote to anye body to kysse: We rede that he wasshed the feete of his discyples and wyped them.Iohan. 13. We rede that Mary Mag­dalen profered to haue kyssed his feete, but he dyd pro­hybyte her sayeng ‘Noli me tangere’. Touche me not. He wolde not suffer the woman then to touche hym.Math. 20. He ne­uer had garde to defende hym. He neuer folowed the pompe of the worlde. He disdayned not to goo vpon the grounde with his baare fecte. What shall I saye? He gaue ensamples ynough to the bushop of Rome, to me and to all bushoppes, to be meke and humble, he to [Page] knowe hym selfe and we our selues, as yf he and we di­ligently looke in scrypture, we shall fynde. And herein, in mekenes we are bounde to folowe hym.

‘Compaciens infirmitatibus.’ This bushop Chryste,Compatiens. had compassyon of oure infirmites, of oure frayltyes. It is impossible for a man to knowe the afflyctions of the miserable persone that neuer suffered afflictiō, that neuer had experience of paynes, that neuer felte what payne mente. But this bushop Chryste, had experience of our nature: howe weyke, howe feeble the nature of man is. Howe weyke of hym selfe to doo anye good worke without the helpe of God. Howe feble to resyste temptacions. He suffered and felte the infirmytyes and paynes of his naturall body. He hath therfore compa­ssion vpon man when he dothe se hym fall. He soro­weth his ruyne. Teachynge bushoppes in especyall afore all other, to haue compassion and pitye vpon the sinner. To helpe him spirytually, to cōfort hym goo [...] ▪ to helpe hym to aryse from synne, to allure hym to pe­naunce, to drawe hym to vertue, to make hym knowe god, to feare his iustice, to loue his lawes. And thus to seeke all the wayes he and we can, to saue the synners soule, for whome he shall make ansfere to god for his owne diocesans: soule for soule, blood for blood, payne for payne, hell for hell, dampnacyon for dampnacyon: For which soule our great busshop Chryst (as the Apo­stle dothe wytnes) dyd offer gyftes and sacrifyce,Hebre. 5. and sacrifycede hym selfe, hauyng compassion of them that by ygnorancye and by erroure dyd synne and offende God: euen when he was in his greatest agonye vpon the crosse, he cryed to his father forgyue them father,Luce. 2 [...]. forgyue them: they knowe not what they doo, they are ygnoraunt people, they knowe not what is what, nor what daunger they runne in to by this entreatyng me. [Page] They knowe not theyr offences, forgyue them father, forgyue them. In this compassyon we ought also to folowe our greate bushop Chryst.

It foloweth in the formour letter. ‘Est pontifex appellatus a deo.’ Pontifex appellatꝰ He is a bushop, and soo named of god. He is the verye bushoppe. He offered vp the verye sacri­fyce, the sacrifyce of his owne moost blyssed bodye and bloode wherby the synne of the worlde was put awaye. Euery bushop of the worlde is not named a bushop by god. For some cometh in to that offyce, not by the holy goost, not electe of god, (as Iohn̄ sayth) Not entrynge ‘in ouile ouium per ostium, sed ascendens aliunde.’ Some there are that entreth in to the folde of the shepe of god,Iohn. 10. not by the doore: Some there be that entreth in to ha­uynge charge & cure of soule, not by god: but by world­lye meanes, by worldly labour, by importune sutes and intercessyon of frendes, or by theyr owne vnlawfull la­boure, by simonye and suche other wayes. Suche are not named bushops by god.Iohn. 14 Suche entreth not by the doore, not by hym that saythe ‘Ego sum ostium, Ego sum via veritas & vita’. I am the doore, I am the way, I am lyfe, I am truthe, I am ‘Pastor bonus’, the very true and good bushop that entred by god. And all that entreth otherwyse then by god, Chryst calleth them ‘Fures & la­trones’,Iohn. 10 theues, spoylers, raueners, deuourers and deceyuers of the shepe. Theyr liuynge shall declare the same. For suche as sowrōgfully dothe enter, doo studye theyr owne profyttes and cōmodytes. Suche receyueth the fruytes and doo nothynge for it. Suche suffereth theyr shepe to perysshe for lacke of bodyly and goostly foode and sustenaunce, for lacke of preachynge, for lacke of gyuynge good counsell, for lacke of good lyuynge, for lacke of good ensample. And suche for the moost parte lyueth noughtely, carnally, fleshly, vicyously, pompy­ously, [Page] worldly, and not bushoply nor priestly. For they came not in by god, nor by grace. Chryst saythe,Iohn. 10. ‘Qui in­trat per me, saluabitur, & ingredietur, & egredietur, & pa­scua inueniet.’ He that entreth by me shalbe saued. ‘Et in­gredietur & egredietur.’ And he shall goo in and he shall goo out. What is that to say, He shall goo in and he shall goo out? To goo in and to goo out, I thynke he meaneth by goynge in, that he shall haue grace to enter studyously in to the holy scrypture, dayly and nyghtly to medytate, to studye and to profytte in the lawes of god. ‘Et egredietur.’ And he shall explayne and truely in­terpretate and publyshe it vnto the people. ‘Et pascua in­ueniet.’ And he shall fynde there plentye of spirytuall foode for hym selfe and for his people. To edifye theyr soules, to instructe and call them to the knowledge of god, to feede them plentyfully, that they shall not lacke necessaryes to theyr soules. Let vs therfore so lyue that we may be called ‘Pontifices appellati a deo.’

This oure greate bushop Chryst is also, ‘Pontifex sanctus, innocens, impollutus, segregatus a peccatoribus,Hebre. 7 excelsior coelis, sedens a dextris dei, emundans conscientias nostras a peccatis, intrans sancta sanctorum, per proprium sanguinem.’ He is Sanctus. A holy bushop,Sanctus▪ & wylleth vs to be holy in our cōuersacyon: applyinge our selues vn­to godlynes, to the seruyce of god, to lyue lyke bushops lyke priestes: pure, cleane, chaaste, deuoute, studyous, faythfullye laborynge in his worde, prayinge, doynge sacrifyce, and euer to be godly & vertuously occupyed.

He is ‘Innocens’, an innocent. He neuer synned, he neuer offended in worde, thought nor dede. Innocens, Innocēs noyinge noo creature, profytynge all folkes: mekelye sufferynge aduersytyes, obprobryes, re [...]agges, rebukes and reproches, without grudge or contradictyon. ‘Innocens & simplex, simplex sine plica.’ An innocente,Simplex [Page] without plate or wrinkle, without errour or doublenes, without hypocrisye or dyssymulacyon, without flatter­ynge or glosynge, withoute fraude or dysceyte: not ser­uynge the bodye nor the worlde, but god. In this we ought also to folowe our heuenly bushoppe.

‘Impollutus.’ He was vndefylede. He lyued cleane without spotte or blotte,Impol­lutus. without wemme or stayne. No immundicye in hym, noo vnclennes, noo moote nor fyl­thynes: But all pure and cleane, all chaaste and imma­culate, all bryght and shynynge in grace and godlines. In somoche that he was ‘Segregatus a peccatoribus’ clene segregate from all kynde of vnclennes,Segregatus a pec­catis. from all maner of synnes, and from synners. Segregate from them, not from theyr companye,Math. 9. For as Mathewe wryteth, Publicans and sinners came and eate and dranke with hym and his disciples in the house of Leui. And he also came as a Phisycyon, to heale the synner. And yet was segregate from them ‘(quantum ad participacionem cum cis in peccato)’ as touchynge theyr yll lyuynges, not be­ynge particypante with them in synne. But came onely to heale them, and to rydde them from sinne and soores of the soule. He entred the heuens, not with the bloode of kydde nor goote, but with his owne proper bloode. For whiche and for his holynes and perfytenes ‘Excel­sior coelis factus est’.Excelsior celis. He is extolled and exalted aboue all the angels and beates, aboue all the heuens: syttynge on the ryght hande of the father. Whom all the heuenly creatures dothe worshyp, honoure and doo reuerence vnto. Where he prayeth for his people, and is medya­toure in his manheed to his father for vs.

This oure bushop pourgeth our conscyences (as wytnesseth thapostle) he clenseth our soules, he maketh vs inwardly beutyous and fayre. The bushop of Rome lacketh many of these notable vertues. He hath fewe or [Page] noone of these propertyes, fewe or noone of these qua­lytes. He is (as we all are synners) a synner. To whom this worde ‘Magnus’ greate, is not conuenyente, nor can be in hym any wayes veryfyed.Magnus For he cannot forgyue synne as our bushop dothe, nor iustify as he dothe, ney­ther enter in ‘Sctā sanctorū’ w^t his owne blood as he dyd. Howe can he then be called a greate bushop that is (as we all be synners) a synner, a breaker of the lawes of god, and dayly doo or may, fall and synne. And for that cause the lawe cōmaundede that euery bushop & prieste shulde first offer hoostꝭ & sacrifyce for his owne synnes, and afterwarde for the synnes of the people. Howe can he therfore be called a greate bushop or priest?

Our bushop we speake of, is the very greate bus­shop. Noo doole, noo fraude, noo gyle was euer found in his mouthe. And when the prynce of the worlde the deuyll came to hym, he coulde fynde noo poynt of synne in hym. Wherfore Gabryell the archangell shewynge his natiuyte vnto Mary his mother, sayde, [...] ‘Hic [...] magnus & filius altissimi vocabitur.’ He shall be greate, [...] shall be called the sonne of god. And ayayne it is wryt­ten of hym, ‘Propheta magnus surrexit inter nos.’ [...] A great Prophette is rysen amongest vs. Synne, maketh a man smalle and lyttle, lyttle in reputacyon bothe afore god and man. Uertue maketh man greate and of hygh reputacyon.Uirtus. Shewe me one place in scrypture where ye haue redde, that a synner was called greate? I trowe it shall not be founde. Wyll you here whoo were called greate in scripture? It is wrytten of Isaac ‘Quod profi­ciebat valde & factus est magnus valde.’ Gene. 26. He profited great­ly in vertue, and was made greate, greate in reputacyō of the worlde. Moyses was called ‘Magnus’,Exodi. 11. greate for his vertue. Abraham and Iohn̄ baptist lykewyse. Nowe Iesus oure bushop is called ‘Magnus episcopus,’ Luce. 1. [Page] magnus sacerdos. And after hym neuer bushop called Magnus in all scrypture, neyther in the reputacyon of man vnles it be in comparison one of another. And soo sayntes and holy lyuers are called greate in respecte of synners or other meane lyuers. But where Chryst our bushop cometh, whiche not in comparison of other, but ‘simpliciter’ by his owne magnytude & greatnes and of hym selfe euer was & is greate, of whome it is wrytten. ‘A summo coelo egressio eius, & occursus eius vs (que) ad sum­mum eius.’ Psal. 1 [...]. And as the apostle proueth in manye places by expresse worde. But nowe there is no bushop nor priest in this worlde, that may worthely of hym selfe be called great, nor ought to take this name ‘magnus’ vp­pon hym.

This is he therfore of whome it is wrytten, ‘Mag­nus sacerdos ex fratribus suis’. The greate bushop aboue all other.Leuiti. 21. And as he is called and in very dede is ‘Pastor pastorum, Pontifex pontificum, Propheta prophetarum, Sanctus sanctorum, Dominus dominantium, Rex regum. Ita & magnus magnorum est.’ As he is called the herdes man of hyrdesmen, the bushop of bushops, the prophet of prophets, the holye of holyest, the lorde of lordes and kynge of kynges: Euen soo is he called and verylye is Episcopus magnus. Therfore the prophette dyd adde ‘Magnus sacerdos ex fratribus suis’, the great bushoppe or prieste, greate of hym selfe, great in vertue and power, greate of hym selfe, and greate in comparison afore all other. And therfore the Apostle sayde ‘Habemus ponti­ficem magnū, qui paenetrauit coelos, IESVM filium dei.’

We haue a greate bushop, whiche dyd penetrate the heuens, Iesus the sonne of God.

Here may ye now se how the bushop of Rome dothe wrongfully encrouche vpon our greate bushop Iesus Chryst, to take from hym not onely this name ‘Magnus’, [Page] and is not with that name yet contentede, but addeth more ‘videlicet Maximus, Summus, Sanctus, Beatissimus, Vniuersalis’, and soche other. The greatest, the hyghest, the holyest, the blysseddest and vniuersall in the super­latyue degrees. And yet there is no greate bushop, but Chryst onely, noo supreme bushop, but he onely, none hooly, none blyssed, none vniuersall bushop, but onelye he. The bushop of Rome and all other bushoppes are but vnderlynges and vnworthy suffragans vnto this bushop Chryst.

This oure Chryst (as wytnesseth the apostle) is ‘pontifex nostre confessionis’,Pontife [...] nostre cō ­fessionis. the bushop whome we doo confesse to be oure great bushop, our hygh bushop▪ our supreme bushop, our holy blyssed & vniuersal bushop. Whiche names are reserued onely vnto Chryst, and to noo earthly bushop. Not to the bushop of Rome, not to the bushop of Ierusalē, not to the bushop of Antioche▪ nor of Constantinople, nor to any other bushop. No [...] earthly bushop to presume to take vpō hym these hygh and holy names onely to god appropryed.

God of thy goodnes thou mayst and I trust wyll oons make this vayngloryous bushop of Rome, firste to knowe and knowledge the Chryste to be the onelye supreme and vniuersall bushop of the worlde. Secon­darylye to knowe hym selfe, his weykenes, his frayltye and his presumpcyon. To knowe his offyce & bounden duetye vnto the god. To knowe his owne dioces, and to vsurpe noo further. Thyrdlye to haue a lowe, hum­ble, meeke herte and stomake: to feare the god and thy iudgementes, to knowledge his onwe faultes, & vsur­pacyons and to redresse the same.

Nowe to returne vnto our matter it foloweth in the letter firste taken,Litera. ‘De quo edere non habent potesta [...]ē qui tabernaculo deseruiunt’. They that dothe serue the [Page] tabernacle may not eate of this sacrifyce.Edere de taberna­culo quid sit? 2. Corint. 3. We chrysten people that ought to holde the truthe and verytye and not the figures, let vs enquire and serche, ‘Non literam occidentem, sed spiritum viuificantem’: not the letter, but the spiryte: not the bare grāmatical sence, but the spiri­tuall: not the carnall vnderstandynge, but the inwarde thynge mente therby.Tabernaculū quid What is then spirytually this ta­bernacle? What is it to serue this Tabernacle? And what to eate of this sacrifyce?Corpus. This tabernacle is our bodye. Howe shall I proue that? Here what the apostle saythe, beleue hym. What saythe he? he saythe, ‘Qui sumus in hoc tabernaculo,2. Corint. 5. ingemissimus: grauati, o­nerati, eo ꝙ nolumus expoliari, sed superuestiri: Vt obsor­beatur quod mortale & corruptibile est a vita.’ We that be in the tabernecle of this mortall corruptyble bodye, we mourne and lamente. And why? For we are greued and burdened with oure mortall and corrupte flesshlye body, for that we wolde not be spoyled but haue a newe garment: desirynge to haue that whiche is mortall and corruptyble, to be cleane taken away from this lyfe.

Who are they that sayth this? Who are they that are greued, burdened, weryed & fynde faulte with this bodye?Iuuenes The iolye huffaas and ruffelers of this wolde? The yonge galandes of the courte? The lustye Iuuen­tus, youthe? Noo noo, noo. None of these. For there is nothynge in this worlde more pleasaunte more accep­table to them then the bodye. For all there study is how to please this bodye, howe to decke this bodye, howe to feede this body, howe to take the ease of this bodye, the pleasure of this bodye. Euery way sekynge and inuen­tynge, howe to folow the voluptye and carnall desires of this bodye. We se howe they study to set forthe this bodye, to fashon it, to make it appeare more gorgyous, more syghtye & better in makynge and shape then God [Page] maade it. Nowe with this fashon of apparel, now with that. Nowe with this cutte and that garde. I cannot descrybe the thynge, nor I wyll doo. But I se it farre wyde, farre oute of frame, fewe kepynge them selues within theyr boundes: but for the mooste parte outra­gyouslye, excessyuely, and excedyngly out of ordre. In especyall meane men, seruynge men, bestowynge vpon one payre of hoses, in maner asmoche as his halfe yeres wages cometh vnto. Alas how can this be borne? how can this cōtynue, vnlesse they haue lyueloode to mayn­tayne it, as they haue not? And soo in all other theyr ap­parell ratably they doo abuse them selues. It is farre wyde & out of the nocke. It is not well. All the worlde doo se it. All the worlde speaketh of it, & seeth what in­conuenyences dothe folowe thereof: and yet noo man putteth to his hande to the amendemente of it. Ou [...] lorde amende it, and putte in good mennes myndes to remedye the same. Howe we feede this bodye with meates and drynkes of all sortes, & with the diuersy [...] of the same, to quycken the appetite: Howe we [...] to please this body with reste, with ease, with quyetn [...] with games, with sportes & other pastyme: Howe [...] [...]dyous we be to haue worldlye substance to mayntayne this pryde and pompe, this slouth and glotonye: yee to folowe the fleshly, fylthye, voluptuous pleasures of the bodye: All the worlde may perceyue it. And they that so do, shal one wayes or other fele it: eyther here with my­serye, pouertye, syckenes, plaage, or otherwayes: Or els where, with payne and punyshmente.Corpꝰ inimicus homini. Tres ini­mici spirituales. Septē peccata mor­talia.

This bodye is the greatest enemye that man hath, and sonest dothe brynge man vnto dampnacion, which is easye ynough to proue. For we haue but three goost­lye enemyes, the deuyll, the worlde, and the bodye. And there are but seuen deedlye synnes: Pryde, wrathe, [Page] Enuy, Slouth, Glotony, Couytous, and Lechery. Of the whiche seuen, but two properlye are applyed to the deuyll, wrath and Enuy: Two to the worlde, pryde and couytous: And the bodye hath three to hym appro­pryed, Slouth with all his kyndes, Glotony with all his felowshyp, & Lechery with all his braunches. And I rekonne moo dampned by slouth, glotonye, lechery, and with theyr braunches: then by pryde, wrath, enuy, and couytous with all theyr raafull. So consequentlye I rekon the body, to be the auncyent enemy, the greate pursuer of man, the greate poysoner of the soule, the greate occasyon of the dampnacyon of the same. This bodye is soo infeste and busye in temptacyons of the fleshe, that many doo say (as I haue herde them speake) that man can not lyue chaste, for it is Donum dei, a spe­cyall gyfte of god, and euery man hath not that gyfte, as Salomon saythe,Sap [...]en. 8. ‘Non possum esse continens, nisi tu dederis domine.’ I cannot lyue chaste vnles thou Lorde god doo gyue it me. Forsothe true. And nomore can I haue Charyte, Faythe, Hoope, nor anye other vertue: but of the gyfte of god. All vertues are ‘Dona dei.’ He gyueth all these vertues and other lyke vnto vs, yf we wyll: yf we couyte to haue them, yf we make meanes to haue them, yf we wyll with deuoute mynde desyre them of god. Therfore saythe the Euangelyste Mathewe where he speaketh of Chastyte,Math. 19. ‘Non omnes capiunt hoc verbum, sed quibus datum est.’ All do not take this worde but they that god gyueth it vnto. All are not apte to lyue chaste, nor all do dyspose them selues therevnto. Therfore chryst added vnto it, ‘Qui potest capere capiat.’ He that may take it, take it. What is this to say, He that may take it take it? Forsothe it is to saye, He that wyll take it, take it. Soo that he dothe not constrayne anye man that is at liberty, that hath not maade vowe to the [Page] contrary to this nor to that, But leaueth it to his owne free wyll. And therfore saythe, He that may take it, take it. This worde ‘Potest’, may as I thynke be taken here, as it is in many places of scripture, ‘Posse pre velle’.Posse. May for wyll. As here in Iohn̄. ‘Credere nō potuerunt. i. Credere noluerunt’ after Chrisostome.Iohn̄. 1 [...] They coulde not (he saythe) beleue, that was asmoche to say, They wold not beleue. Agayne in Iohn̄, Chryst sayde to the Iues, ‘Non potest mundus odisse vos, me autē odit.’ Iohn̄. 7 The worlde can not hate you. What is this to saye? But that the worlde wyll not hate you, but me the worlde hateth. We say also in oure vulgare tongue, I can not loue that man for his condicyons. Yet I can loue hym yf I wyll, but I wyll not loue hym for his yll condicyons. And agayne, ‘Non potest ille fieri bonus.’ He can not be good. And is no more to say, but he wyll not be good. Another notable ensample we rede of Chryste in the gospell of Marke. [...] That after he had raysed from deathe to lyfe ‘filiam Archisinagogi’, He wente frō thence into his owne countrye where he was borne. There he taught so meruelously, that many of them sayde, How hath this man this lernynge, these gyftes of workynge vertues and miracles? Is not this the sonne of Mary? Is not this the brother of Iacob and Ioseph, of Iuda & Symon? Be not his systers dwellynge heare amonge vs? And thus blasphemed & slaundered hym? To whom Chryst maade answere. There is no Prophet without honour but in his owne countrye, in his owne house & amongꝭ his owne kynne & acquayntance. And foloweth there, ‘Non poterat ibi vertutem vllā facere, nisi paucos infirmos impositis manibus curauit. Et mirabantur propter incre­dulitatem eorū.’ He coulde not do there any miracle, but healed a fewe sycke people with touchynge them. Who wyll saye that Chryst and god coulde not doo miracles [Page] there, to whome nothynge was nor is impossyble? To whome althynges are lyght and easye to doo? Yet the Euangelyst saythe euen soo as I haue rehersed. Why yf the Euangelyst soo saye, then muste it nedes be true that Chryst coulde doo no miracles there? Yee forsothe. It is scrypture, and scrypture is and muste be true.

Why howe shall we then saue bothe these, That to Chryst there is nothynge impossyble, and that Chryste coulde worke noo miracles there? Uerylye scrypture muste be taken as the holye goost and his instrumente the Euangelyst mente it. When Marke sayde, Chryst coulde doo noo miracles there but a fewe, he ment that Chryste wolde doo noo miracles there for the ingraty­tude of the Iues, and for theyr incredulyte and lacke of faythe. ‘Non potuit’ for ‘nō voluit.’ He coulde not. wherin he mente, that he wolde not. So to the former sayinge, ‘Capiat qui capere potest.’ Euery man be contynente and chaast that may. Euery person that may kepe it, kepe it. And is nomore to say, but euery man may haue chastite and kepe chastyte that wyll, hauynge the grace of god, with the helpe of hym & his grace. whereof the apostle saythe,Phillip. 4. ‘Omnia possum in eo qui me confortat xp̄s.’ I may doo and susteyne althinges in hym & by hym that com­forteth me, our lorde Iesus Chryst. And bothe hym and his grace thou mayest haue yf thou call and sue for it, yf thou wylte applye thy selfe to receyue it, as anone shall to the playnly appeare.

But howe is it possyble for hym to lyue chast that hath a desyre to be euer in companye of women? or for women to lyue chast that hath desyre euer to be in com­pany of men? In companye of lyght and suspecte per­sons? suspecte places? secrette and alone? Howe is it possyble for hym to lyue chaste, that hath a lascyuyous petulant eye? a wanton lyght countenaunce? gasynge [Page] in euery womans face? wherby he is tracte and drawen in to concupyscencye? Noo man, noo man can lyue chaaste nor clene, as longe as he hath a lecherous eye, eares gyuen to here euery lyght scurrilous taale, wan­ton wordes prouokynge to synne. Thou canst not pos­syblye lyue chaast as longe as thou hast pleasure to be cōuersant with women, as longe as thou delytest wan­tonly to [...]angle and talke with them. As longe as thou haste pleasure in vncleane touchyngꝭ, in wanton halse­ynge, wanton enbrasynge, or in wanton kyssynge. As longe as thou vseste to resorte vnto suspecte houses, to suspecte places, to suspecte personnes. As long as thou vseste carnall conuersacyon, carnall delectacyon, ouer­moche pleasure in fedynge the bodye excessyuely with delecate meates and drynkes, and with lyke other as I haue touched.

Loke in scrypture howe many hath fallen by soch cōcupyscencye of the eye, of the eares, of the mouthe, of the handes & soforth. And we shall fynde many merue­lous & daungerous ensamples herof yf we reede scryp­ture: as in Dyna, in the wyfe of Putifare, [...] in hol [...]fer­nes, in Iudas, in Salomon, in Samson, and in Dauid the kynge with many many moo. Flee therfore these occasyons, and thou mayste lyue chaste with the helpe of the grace and goodnes of god. Call often vpon hym for helpe. Praye deuoutlye and worthylye vnto hym for this gyfte of chastyte, and apply thy selfe thervnto, and god wyll gyue it the. Gyd wyll gyue it vnto hym that deuoutly and contynually doo aske it, to hym that wyll haue it, to hym that wyll labour and seke meanes to attayne it. He saythe in scrypture playnly, ‘Petite & accipietis, pulsate & aparietur vobis, querite & inuenietis.’ Math. 7. Aske and ye shall haue, knocke and the doore shall be opened vnto you, seke & ye shall fynde. And foloweth, [Page] ‘Omnis qui petit accipit, qui querit inuenit, & pulsanti ape­rietur. Omnis.’ Euery one that asketh shal haue, and they that seketh shal fynde. And to hym that doo knocke, the doore shall be opened. These be the wordes of god, and muste nedes be true, taken in theyr true sence as Chryst spake them. For manye one asketh and gothe without his desyre. Many one seketh that cannot fynde. Many one knocketh and yet cannot come in. And why? Doth not Chryste saye, Euerye man that asketh shall haue? Euerye man that seketh shall fynde? Euerye man that knocketh shall come in? Yes forsothe. Ye shall therfore knowe howe saynt Iames dothe declare this texte, and howe this letter is to be vnderstande. Saynt Iames saythe, ‘Petitis & non accipitis.’ And Chryst sayth, ‘Petite & accipietis’.I [...]to. 4. Chryst sayth, Aske & ye shall haue. Iames saythe, Ye aske and ye haue not that that ye doo aske. To whome shall we gyue credence of these twoo? To Chryst or to Iames? Chryst sayth ye shall haue, Iames saythe ye shall not haue. What is moore contrary then to haue and to not haue? Is there any contradyctyon in scrypture? God forbyd. God forbyd but scrypture shulde be true, and in all places true. Howe shall these two then stande togyther? Rede forthe a lytle moore in Iames, and thou shalt soone know what Chryst mente when he sayd, Aske and ye shall haue. Why what sayth Iames? ‘Petitis & nō accipitis inquit, [...]o ꝙ male petatis, vt in concupiscentiis vestris insumatis.’ Ye aske, ye pray & make peticyons: and yette it is not graunted you. And why? ‘Quia male peritis.’ For that ye aske that that ye shulde not aske, for that ye aske that that ye ought not to aske. Ye aske eyther that that is not meete for you, not holesome for youre soules: eyther els you despayre and are doutfull in your askynge, not hauynge verye cōfydence trust & fayth in god, but doutynge▪ ‘hesitances’ [Page] doutynge in the power or goodnes of god: or askynge those thynges that ye wyll abuse to your cōcupyscency: as in pryde, in glotonye, lecherye and soche other to the hynderance and damnacyon of your soules.

Aske that which ye shulde releue with the necessytes of your soules,Quid pe­tendum? or the great nede of youre poore neygh­bours soules. Aske soche thynges as are necessarye for thy spirytual relefe & comfort, for the wele of thy soule, to lyue chrystianly, purely, in clennes, chastite & in other vertues, & to be a faythfull chrystyan, a true seruant to god. Aske these & soche other constantly, aske faythful­ly, aske deuoutly, aske cōtynually: & god then wyll here the, god wyll then graunte the thy boone, and open his bosome of grace, and poure out his mercyes vpon the. And then shalt thou fynde & haue that thou sekest for.

I rede in the gospell of Luke a parable of a man that hadde a frende came vnto his house. [...] And he not hauyng wherwith to bydde his frende welcome, yoode to a frende of his aboute mydnyght, knockynge busyly at his dore, desirynge to lende hym iii. loues of breade▪ His frende ansfered sayinge, I pray the trouble me not to nyght, my doore is shutte, my seruantꝭ are in bedde▪ I can not nowe ryse to gyue the. The other contynued knockynge, knockynge styll tyll he that was in bedde ‘Propter improbitatem’, for his importune and busye cal­lynge, arose and gaue hym asmoche as he had nede of. It foloweth in the same letter, that Chryst sayde, I say to you, Aske and it shall be gyuen you, Seeke and ye shall fynde, Knocke and it shall be openede vnto you. And foloweth. Uerylye I say vnto you, euery one that asketh receyueth. And he that seketh fyndeth. And to hym that knocketh, it shalbe opened. And foloweth yet in the same letter, Who of you wyll aske your father breade, wyll he gyue hym a stoone? Yf he aske a fyshe, [Page] wyll he gyue hym for a fyshe a serpent? or yf he aske an egge, wyll he profer hym a scorpion? As soo say, nay. As soo say he wyll gyue you your desire and peticyon. And yet foloweth. Yf therfore you that are synners doo knowe howe to gyue & what good gyftes to gyue vnto your chyldren, howe moche moore then dothe god your heuenlye Father knowe what to gyue, howe to gyue, and howe redy wyll be to gyue the good spiryte, the ho­ly goost, the gyftes of grace: to them that askes of hym gracyous and godly peticyons? This parable Chryst spake to animate and encourage vs all to aske of hym when we do lacke, & what we lacke. And therfore saythe euen folowynge, Aske and ye shall haue, seke & ye shall fynde, knocke and the doore shall be opened vnto you.

But thou muste se thy peticyon be honeste and reasonable, standinge with the honour and pleasure of god, and with the welth of thy soule. Aske noo tryffles, Aske noo worldly pleasures, noo carnall peticions, noo fleshly requestes: but godly and heuenly thynges. Aske grace, aske mercye, aske forgyuenes of thy synnes and soche other, as dyd the Publycane, Mary Magdalen, Manasses, Dauid and the Niniuytes, with manye o­ther moo, and obteyned. Thus aske, thus knocke and call, and thou shalt haue. But thou muste also perseuer and contynue in thy askynge. Thou muste call styll vpon god, aske styll, knocke styll, seke styll, sue styll vn­to hym. Seke all the wayes that thou canste ymagyn howe to atteyne thy peticyon & gracyously to be herde. Aske ‘digne’,Digne. worthely, and thou shalt haue thy askynge. He asketh digne, wysely, worthely and perseuerauntly: that dothe aske with the entere affectyons of his herte, with a deuout mynde, with an inwarde deuocyon, with a secrette cloose herte towardes god: with syghynges, sobbynges, wepynges, and with a contryte herte: with [Page] abstinences, fastyngꝭ, mortificacyons of the body, wat­chynge in holy meditacions, studyinge in god, redynge in holy scrypture, holy exercyses of the body, with often prayers, with a hyghe faythe, with a verye confydence and truste in god: serchynge all the wayes that can be, to attayne grace of thy lorde god, to come to thy godlye purpose. And vnder this maner doo and aske, and then god wyl here the, then god wyl helpe the, then god wyll graunte vnto the thy ryghteous boone and peticion.

For he is euer moost preste & redye with his grace, to make to all faythfull peticioners, his commaunde­mentes and other vertues to be lyght, easye & possyble to be obserued and kepte, yf he be faythfully, instantly, deuoutly, enterely, and continually required.

Under this deuoute maner (with the helpe of his grace) it is put in our libertie, eyther to graunt or [...] the consente vnto temptacyon. Els shulde not synne [...] imputed vnto vs. For though we can not be without the infirmitye and sycknes of concupiscencie which [...] it selfe (simpliciter taken) is noo synne, [...] but ‘pena [...]’ the payne of synne, a weykenes of the body inflycte [...] synne, a disposycyon to synne, and an inclynacyon to a fleshlynes, yet it is in our election with the helpe of his grace, not to folowe the passyons of concupiscencye. Without concupiscence this mortall bodye can not be. But hauynge the grace of god, it is in our power to re­syste and withstande it. For scripture saythe, Ec [...]le 18▪ ‘Post con­cupiscentias tuas non eas & a voluntate tua auente. Si prae­stas anime tue concupiscentias, faciet te in gaudium inimi­cis tuis. Agayne. Desideria carnis non perfeceris.’ Galat. 5. Roma. 6. And to the Romanes. ‘Nō regnet peccatū in vestro corpore mor­tali ad obediendū desideriis eius.’ And Moses in Genesis sayth, ‘Subter te est appetitus tuus, & tu dominaberis illius.’ Gene. 4. Folowe not thy concupiscence, and turne from thy wyll [Page] & sensuall appetie sayth Salomō. And ayayn, Yf thou gyue to thy soule occasyon of cōcupiscencye, thou shalt maake thyne enemyes reioyce. Ayayne, folowe not the fylthye desires of thy flesshe. Let not synne reygne in your mortall body to obey to his desires. And in Ge­nesis, Thyne appetite shalbe vnder thy dominyon, and thou shalt be ruler therof. And instructeth vs howe to chastyce our bodyes and to kepe them vnder,Ephesi. 3. sayinge, Mortifye your members, mortifye the synne that reyg­neth in your members. Mortifye fornicacyon, immun­dicye and vnclennes, turpitude and libidinous desires. Mortifye all yll concupiscencye and auaricye. For these rehersede flesshlynes, dothe maculate bothe the bodye and soule. Mortifye therfore all these your members. And Chryst saythe in Mathewe,Math. 11. My yocke is pleasant & swete, & my burden is lyght & easye. And Iohn̄ sayth, His cōmaundementes be not heuye nor greuous.1. Iohan. 5. And Chryste by these exhortacyons sheweth hym selfe to be moost desirous to haue vs lyue cleane, and he euer to be moost preste and redy with his grace, to helpe vs yf we crye and call, yf we make humble suete with deuout pe­ticyon vnto hym, applyinge our selues all that we can, to vse soche deuoute meanes as shall helpe to the at­taynmente of the same, as the holy seruauntes of God dothe. Who vtterly dothe refuse & abiecte these world­lye pleasures, this bodylye comforte. For they felyth this mortall bodye that they doo beare aboute, to be a greuous burden vnto them, what for sorowes, sycknes werynes, fatigacyons and other naturall diseases: for tentacyons and intysementes vnto synne, euer prouo­kynge to yll, and for other greuous and intollerable la­bours, burdens and paynes. They desire therfore to be eased of this burden. They desire with the Apostle ‘Mori, & esse cum Christo’, to dye and to be with Chryst. [Page] They desire to be immortall and impassyble, that they soo mought be rydde oute, of, and from the carnall mo­cyons, concupiscences and the desires of the flesshe. And that is it that the apostle saythe, Ingemissimus. We mourne, we lament and sorowe. And why? ‘Eo [...] nolu­mus expoliari, sed superuestiri.’ They mourne for that they after the naturall desire of the bodye, wolde not be spoyled of this naturall lyfe, but to haue a newe gar­mente put vpon this bodye. What garmente is that▪ Uerylye the vesture of immortalyte. ‘Vt obsorbeatur (in­quit) quod mortale est a vita.’ To haue all that is mor­tall and corruptyble, to be put away: To haue all fyl­thynes of synne and tentacyon, to be obsorpte and cutte from the bodye: & to doo on Chryst for theyr garmente, as the apostle saythe,Roma [...] ‘Indui [...]ini dominū IESVM Chri­stum.’ Doo ye on Iesus Chryste, lyue a Chrystly lyfe▪ [...] Chrystians lyfe, a vertuous lyfe, a godly lyfe. Folowe▪ folowe Chryste in his lyuynge, in humblenes & meke­nes, in continencye & chastyte, in clennes and holynes in benignyte and obedience, in temperancye and pacy­encye, in loue and charyte, in goostly wys [...]om and spi­ritual gladnes, in peace & goodnes, in modestie and su­fferancie: with soche other vertues of the spiryte, which the Apostle reherseth in the fyfth to the Galathyans.Gala [...] ▪ [...].

Thus the Apostle reherseth the miseryes of this body, whiche yonge men doo sett soo moche by, and ho­lye men somoche despiseth. And sheweth the naturall desire for the greate naturall loue that is betwene the soule and the bodye neuer to departe, but to be euer to­gyther: as appereth by the ensample of Chryste in his humanyte shewed, in tyme of that great agony and cō ­flycte that was betwene his body and soule: as yester­nyght in his prayer, thryse cryinge to his father to haue that bloody chalyce of death to be remoued, in remem­braunce [Page] whereof, he swette bloodie droppes, blood and water pirled downe to the ground mooste aboundant­lye from all partes of his moost blyssed bodye. And yet referred he his mynde and wyll to his fathers wyll. Soo naturally desired not to dye. And castynge away that wyll of nature, folowynge the wyll of the father, desired to dye for the redemptyon of man. Whiche re­demptyon coulde not be done without his deathe and passyon,Math. 11. cryinge to his father, ‘Non sicut ego volo pater sed sicut tu vis, fiat voluntas tua.’

Euen soo the holye seruauntes of god, hadde as Chryst hadde, two affeccions: one naturall, another su­pernaturall and aboue nature. Consideringe the natu­rall desire, they wolde not dye. But yet lamentynge the miserable cōdicions of the body, desired to haue the bo­dye clothed with the weede of immortalite, & to be made cleane from all corupte fylthy desires, from all vnclene inclynacyons. Consyderinge on the other party, the su­pernatural desire, they cryed eueryche of them with the Apostle, ‘Cupio dissolui & esse cum Christo.’ We desire to dye, we desire to goo out of this corrupte bodye that so­moche dothe disquiet vs, we desire to be with our lorde Iesus Chryst. Thus they desired that they mought soo be rydde from the carnall desires and affectyons of the bodye: whiche deceyueth the beste man in the worlde, yf he be not well ware.

And thus to serue the tabernacle of this bodye, is none other,Seruire taberna­culo qd? but to folowe and fulfyll the desires of the fleshe. And they do serue this tabernacle, that doth lyue volupteously, carnally, fleshly, and fylthely: folowyng euery mocyon, euery tityllacyon and affectyon of the bodye: as in glotonye, in commessacyons, and ebrie­tyes. They doo serue this tabernacle, that lyueth in slouthfulnes, in ydlenes, ‘in cubilibus & in cōcupiscentiis’, [Page] hauynge theyr pleasure to lye in the beddes of cōcupis­cencye, in luxus and lecherous lyuynge: sousyng them selues in voluptie and carnall behauour. And they that thus doo, doo serue the tabernacle. And all soche, haue not lycence to eate of this solempne hyghe sacrifyce of this daye: I meane the moost blyssed bodye and blood of our sauyoure Iesus Chryst. For the apostle saythe, ‘Qui panem domini indigne māducat, aut calicem domini indigne bibit: iudicium [...]ibi manducat & bibit.1. Corin. [...]1. Et reus e [...]t corporis & sanguinis domini.’ Who soeuer doo eate the bodye of our lorde vnworthelye, and vnworthelye doo drynke his bloode: he dothe eate and drynke his owne iudgement, and shall be gyltye of the bodye and bloode of Chryst. Looke euerye man therfore vpon hym selfe, And doo as the apostle doth say, ‘Probet semetipsum ho­mo, & tunc de illo pane edat & de calice bibat.’ Let euerye man proue hym selfe, let euery man serche his owne cō [...]scyence, ransake his soule, seeke euerye corner therof, pourge & make him selfe cleane, noo synne to remayne▪ noo spotte nor blotte, noo taste nor smacke, noo coloure nor affectyon of synne: And then let hym with a reue [...]rence and a filiall cōfidence, eate of this foode & drynk [...] of this cuppe. Then shal he haue the effecte and merite of this meate and drynge, of this passyon and deathe, of this body and bloode.

In this feaste of propiciacyon the carkases and bodyes of these beastes slayne for sacrifice, were burned and cōsumed with fyre ‘Extra castra’, without theyr tentꝭ. Whiche signifyed that nowe in tyme of the newe testa­ment, in this feaste called the feaste of our redempcion,Extra ca­stra. howe that Chryst that lambe, whiche saynt Iohn̄ bap­tyste spake of, the lambe of god,Math. 7. that taketh awaye the synne of the worlde, the veray sacrifice of the new law: was had out of theyr tentes, out of the citye, out of the [Page] yates of the citye, in to the open felde and hyll of Gol­gotha, the mounte of Caluary, and there suffered, there his most blissed body was tortured with suche paynes, as the cruel Iues could with theyr myscheuous & deuyllyshe wyttes contryue, ymagyne, and inuent. But why was not this bodye of Chryst burned & consumed with fyre without the yates, as was theyr sacrifyce without the tentes? The reason is this. The passion of Chryst is called Combustio, passio xp̄i cōbustio. a burnynge, for that his bodye was decocte, parchede, and consumed to the deathe vpon the crosse with the pangues he suffred in that hudge fyre of loue, of charyte, of tribulacyon of Passyon and deathe.

For in the olde lawe, euerye greuous, bytter and paynfull Passyon is called Combustio, a burnynge, As it is wrytten in Iosue,Iosue. 7. ‘Quicun (que) in hoc facinore fuerit deprehensus, comburetur igni.’ Who soeuer be taken in this faulte, he shall be burned in the fyre. And after it foloweth in the same Chapiter, Iosue cōmaunded the Israelites to stoone Acham filium Zare for his lyke of­fences to the deathe, & to burne all his goodes ‘in val­le Achor’. Soo that it appeareth euidently, euery payn­full deathe, to be called a burnyng. But why wolde not Chryst suffer within the tentes, within the Citye, with­in the yates? Certaynely, for bycause that within the tentes and Citye, was commytted soo moche ydolatry, soche abhominable lecherye, soo fylthye aduoutry, soo stynkynge fornicacyon with soche other. What shall I say? I say that in the Citye reygned all synne.

Due ciui­tates. Ciuitas Ierusalē.Saynt Augustyne saythe, two loues maketh two cityes. The loue of god maketh the citye of Ierusalem▪ a holy citye, the citye of god within mannes soule. And in this citye reygneth humilitye, mekenes, obediencie, charite, fayth, hoope, abstinencye, chastyte, prudencye, temperancy, iustice, cōstancy, with suche other vertues. [Page] The loue of the worlde maketh the citye of Babylon,Ciuitas babiloni­ca. the citye of the deuyll within mannes soule. And in this citye reygneth pryde, pompe, vayneglorye, arrogancye, dysdayne, yre, wrath, rancour, malyce, displesure, hate­redde, enuy, slaunder, murther, slouthe, ydlenes, world­lye pastyme, pleasure, glotony, bankettyng, greate wel­fare, auaryce, gyle, deceyte, oppressyon, vsury: with soch other. Of which citye the prophet saythe,Psalm 5 [...]. ‘Vidi iniquita­tem & contradictionem in ciuitate, dic ac nocte circundat eam super muros iniquitas & labor. In medio eius iniusti­tia. Non defecit de plateis eius vsura & dolus.’ I se iniquite and contradictyon reygnynge in the citye, aswell an­nenst truthe as annenst iustyce with all that they may, promotynge iniquyte, oppressynge truthe & innocency. And soo continually day & nyght as farre as the com­passe of the walles gothe. And vpon the walles he sawe iniquyte, impiete, laborynge in synne. These mal [...]dyes with many other dothe compasse this citye, bothe with­in and without. These abhominacyons dothe in this citye reygne. And ouer this he sayd, that in the myddes of this citye, reygneth wronge doynges, iniuryes, with afflictyons & oppressyon of poore people. In the stretes of this Citye reyneth vsurye and gyle, falsehoode and diceyte in all maner of kyndes. Yet there is one thynge one yll whiche the prophet sawe not in this citye. What is that? That whiche specyallye aboue other thynges shulde haue bene sene. What is it? That whiche moost is abused in this worlde. I pray the what is it, maake noo moore a doo: tell it? That whiche almoost destroy­ethe the churche of Chryst. Then I pray the shewe it. Shewe what it is, let it be knowen that remedye maye be had and the thynge holpen. What is it?Simoni [...] Forsothe it is Simony▪ Simony. Choppynge and chaungynge, byinge & sellynge of benefices and of spirytuall gyftes [Page] and promocyons. And noo better marchandyse is now a dayes, then to procure vousons of patrons for bene­fyces, for prebendꝭ, for other spirituall lyueloode: whe­ther it be by sute, requeste, by letters, by money, bar­gayne or otherwayes, yee whether it be to bye them or to sell them, thou shalt haue marchandes plentye, mar­chandes ynoughe for it.

These vousons are abroode here in this citye. In whiche citye? In mooste parte of all the greate citye of this realme. In the shoppes, in the streetes a common marchandyse. And they that doo come by theyr benefy­ces or promocions vnder soche maner, shall neuer haue grace of god to profete in the churche. I coulde speake a great deale more in it, but lytle shall nowe serue, for that they be here presente that maye helpe it▪ that can helpe it, and I truste in the greate mercye of god, they wyll helpe it, helpe to destroye the great abusyon of it. For it is nowe farre wyde, farre out of the nocke, farre out of frame, and hath greate nede of admendemente. I cōmende the redresse thereof to god and to them that hath the auctorite to do it, to correcte it, & to amende it. Wold god there were an enquiry made thorowout this realme, how many hath vnder Simony & Simonyall patron, entred in to theyr benefices? Oh what a raafle shulde be founde? Let them beware, let them beware of the wordꝭ of Peter spoken to Symon Magus whiche wolde haue bought ‘Donum spiritus sancti,Simon Magus. Actu. 8.videlicet dare spiritū sanctum in signo visibili per impositionē manuum.’

He wolde haue boughte of Peter that power to haue gyuen the holy goost by visible sygne, that was to haue gyuen to men power and auctoryte to haue wroughte miracles, to haue healed the sycke, or to haue spoken all kyndes of languages, by layinge his handes on them. And wold haue solde soch power for lucre & for money, [Page] spirytuall for temporall, temporall for spirytuall. Peter seynge his deuyllyshe mynde, sayde vnto hym. ‘Pecunia tua tecum sit in perditionem. &c.’ Thy money shall be to thy confusyon and dampnacyon. Perysshe thou & thy money with the, for that thou woldest gyue money for the gyfte of god.

We reede lyke storye in the booke of Kynges,4. Regū. 5. Giezi. of Giezi, that after Heliseus had healed ‘Naaman principe milicie regis Syrie’ of his leprye, whiche brought with hym to gyue the prophet for his healthe,Talentū. ten talentes of syluer, & syxe thousande peces of golde, with ten chaun­ges of ryche apparell, whereof the prophet wolde none. That seynge Giezi, ranne after Naaman when he was departed, and sayde vnto hym, My mayster Helis [...]us hath comen vnto hym two yonge men from the mount of Ephraim, the chyldren of the prophettes. [...] Gyue them one talent of syluer, & eueriche of them double chaunge of thyne apparyll that thou broughtest with the. And he gaue hym two talentes & all the apparell he asked. To whome the prophet his mayster sayde, For this [...] deede, the lepry of Naaman fall vpon the & to all thyne yssue and succession after the for euer. And streyght out of hande, he was strycken a greate leyre. Se nowe in these two ensamples the heuye hande of god vpon Si­monakes.

Simonye is to gyue or to sell a spirytuall thynge for a temporall, or a temporall for a spirytuall.Simonia quid? And all they are Simonakes that dothe eyther bye or sell bene­fyces, prebendes, spirytuall promocions, the sacramen­tes of the churche: eyther with money or money worthe: by vnlauful meanes, vnlauful seruyce, vnlauful sutes, with a corrupte mynde in obteyninge spirituall promo­cyons, or otherwyse lyke. And tyll soche Simonakes be weeded out & deposed from theyr spiritual lyuelode, [Page] that they come so by, it shall not be well in the Churche of Chryst, christen soules shall peryshe. For soche be not ‘Pastores, sed fures & latrones:’ priuye theues & open rob­bers, more regardynge the fruytes and profet [...]es, then the soules that Chryst so derely bought with the pryce of his moost precyous bloode.

But howe is it then, that our greate prophet sawe not this greate abhominacyon to reygne in the citye as he sawe other? Surely he sawe it. And is conteyned in this worde ‘Iniquitas’, whiche he doubleth and twyse re­herseth it in the place afore taken.Iniqui­tas. ii. Where in the firste iniquite is conteyned all temporall and bodely synnes: in the seconde iniquite is conteyned, all spirytuall ini­quite and synnes of the soule.

And for that soche abundancie of iniquites, and of vnlawfull pactyons & other synnes dothe reygne vsu­allye in Cityes, in tentes and in houses. Chryst therfore wolde not suffer within the tentes, within houses nor in cityes, but dyd reproue soche wycked Cityes sayinge, ‘Ve tibi Corozain. Ve tibi Bethsaida. Nam si in Tyro & Sydone facte essent virtutes,Math▪ 11. quae facte sunt in vobis, olim in cinere & cilicio egissent poenitentiā.’ Woo be to the Co­rozain. Woo be to the Bethsaida. For yf soche vertues hadde bene shewed in Tyro and Sydon, as hath bene wrought in you: soche preachynges, soche openynge of scrypture, soche wonders and miracles, soche godly in­structyons and ensamples: they wolde vndoutly haue done penaunce, lyinge in the ashes, in the dust, prostra­tynge them selues lyke great penitentes vnto thearth▪ wearynge heere nexte vnto theyr bodyes, & wolde haue cryed for Mercy, Mercy, Mercy: and neuer to haue ry­sen tyll they mought haue perceyued the greate mercye of god to haue wrought in them.

‘Verumtamen. &c.’ But I shall tell you one thynge [Page] saythe Chryst. The synnes of Tyro and Sydon shalbe at that day of Iudgement more remissyble, more easely punyshed and not soo dampnably, as your synnes shall be. For it is moore greuous to repell faythe, vertue, and the truthe of the worde of god: then neuer to heare the worde of god and to dye in gentilytie. And it is moore synne to knowe the lawes of god and not to kepe them, then not to knowe them and neuer to obserue them. For scrypture saythe, Lu [...]e 12. ‘Sciens voluntatem domini & non faciens, vapulabit plagis multis.’ And soo Chryste prayed in tyme of his passyon moost specially for the ygnorant Iues that crucifyed hym, not knowynge hym. He cryed ‘pater ignosce illis.’ Father forgyue them. And why? He sheweth the cause. What is it? ‘Quia nesciunt quid faciut.’ They wote not what they do. They wote not what they doo. He alledgede for theyr excuse, theyr ygnorauncye: that he mought the sooner opteyne mercye for them. And soo to shewe that they that dothe offende by ygno­rauncye, doo not so greuously offende, as they that doo offende by malyce or of knowledge. He prayed for ton [...] more specyally then for tother.

And foloweth in the same letter. And thou [...]a­pharnaū that haste bene extolled to the heuens, whose fame hath bene spred farre and nere, wyde and broode for a famous citye, because of the notable preachynge the worde of god and miracles within the shewed: And bycause thou haste reiected this worde, & not folowyng the holye ensamples and miracles that hath bene done in the, ‘Vs (que) in infernum descendes.’ Thou shalte descende into hell. Thou shalt be more greuously punyshed then the Sodomites. For yf the Sodoms & Gomors hadde herde that preachyng and sene those miracles & vertues that thou haste herde & sene, they mought haue stande tyll this daye. For they wolde haue done penaunce as [Page] dyd the Niniuytes at the preachynge of Ionas, & haue bene soo saued by penaunce. I preache and doo mira­cles amonges you my selfe sayde Chryste. Ye heare all truthe by me preachede, ye se all kyndes of miracles by me wrought. Yet ye wyll gyue no credence, but of ma­lyce doo repunge and reiecte that that ye knowe to be true, to your extreme dampnacion & confusyon. And to reiecte the worde of god and his truthe when ye here it and knowe it, it is moore greuous synne then the synne of the Sodomites. For it is ‘Peccatū in spiritum sanctū’, wyttynglye to impunge the truthe of the worde of god. which synne is accompted irremissible. Neuer to be for­gyuen, neyther here neyther els where.

By these rebukes & exclamacyons made by Chryst annenste these cityes, we may soone perceyue and con­iecture, howe moche yll, howe greate perylles, what a­bundance of synne dothe reygne in cityes to the damp­nacyon of the synners, yee & many tymes to the damp­nacyon & destruccyon of the cityes, yf it were not for the prayer and good lyuynge of some good people: whiche manye tymes causeth god to spaare and forbeare his strooke of vengeaunce that he wolde els gyue,Gene. 18. were it not for them. As we reede in Genesis when Abraham maade desire to god to spare Sodome & not to destroy it yf fyftye iuste people mought therin be founde. It was graunted hym, but so many mought not be found within the citye. Then maade he further desire, yf that fyue and fourtye mought be found, whiche coulde not be. After, came downe to fourty iuste people, they could not be founde. After that descended to thyrtye. They coulde not be founde. After came to fyue and twentye, yet it coulde not be. After to ten, and coulde not be soo many iuste people founde there, but all wretches & syn­ners, all deuyllyshe lyuers, foure persons except. Then [Page] god departed from hym, & nomore wolde here hym.

What and god wolde so nowe determyne to come downe with his hande of punyshment, and say, ‘Discen­dam & videbo vtrū clamorem qui venit ad me opere com­pleuerint, an non est ita vt sciam?’ Gene. 18. To viewe the cityes of the worlde now a dayes? What abhominacyons shuld he fynde in them worthye extreme punyshment? What fornicacyons, what aduoutryes, what stupour, what deflourynge of virgyns, Sodomitical and vnnaturall synnes? What scortuous houses, lecherous beddes, aduoterous chambers, flesshly concupyscencyes, sur­fettynges, dronkenes, glotonous lyuynge with soche other therunto belongynge? What fraude, gyle, dys­ceyte? What falseheed in byinge and sellynge? What vsurye, Simonye, blasphemye, periurye, ydolatrye, with other iniquites of all kyndes? He shulde fynde he shulde fynde in a great sorte of cityes, burghes, tounes and houses: stynkynge lecherous beddes. I feare farre beyonde home, farre beyonde the abhominacyon of the Sodomes. And yet he spaareth. Yet he holdeth his strikynge hande. Yet he withdraweth vengeance by the prayers and good lyuynge of some Abrahams, of some of Abraham his chyldren, of some good men & women. And yet I feare the ende what wyll come thereof yf we amende not in ceason, yf we amende not in ceason.

I feare the vees, the vees in scripture: the ‘Ve tibi,’ Ue. ve. ve ‘Ve vobis’. The threateninges of god, & the curse of god gyuen in scripture. I fere they wyll fall vpon vs, yf we do not penaunce in ceason. Surge ergo. Surge qui dormis. Aryse out of thy bed of synne thou lecher. Aryse oute of thy denne of slouth. Aryse out of thy custome of synne. Aryse from thy wyckednes thou synner. Aryse, aryse. We say god is mercyfull. We say god wyll forgyue. We say aske & haue, and so forsoth. And we brynge the [Page] people with fayre promises in our preachyngꝭ into soche presumpciō of the mercy of god, that we almost neyther fere hym nor his iustyce. Beware, let vs chrysten people beware, for god dothe threaten vs with these dradfull wordes.Luce. 10 ‘Ve vobis, ve vobis. Tollerabilius erit Sodomis, & omnibus ciuitatibus gentium in die iudicii q̄ vobis.’ Woo be vnto you synfull lyuers, woo be to you false chrysten people, that dothe not obserue the lawes of god, woo be to you for your abhominacyon of lyuynge. It shall be more tollerable to the Sodoms and Gomors, and to the cytyes of the gentyles at that daye of iudgemente, then to you.

Loo chrysten man, loo. God dothe fery ouer and defarre that dradfull accompte of our lyues and dedes tyll the day of Iudgement. Where and when he wyll minister iustyce & not mercy: vnlesse it be that he damp­neth not the synner so depely as he hath deserued. And this dradful day and greate accomptes we regard not, we feare not, we take noo hede of: but then we shall fele and haue experyence of it to oure greate feare, to oure greate dampnacion and payne, yf we prouide not ther­fore in ceason.

But why shall it be moore tollerable to the So­doms and gentyles then to false chrysten people at tha [...] day? Ueryly for that they herde neuer the worde of god declared amonges them. They had neuer the prophettꝭ nor scripture. They had neuer the gospell taught them. We haue Moses & the prophettes. We haue the olde testamente and the newe. We haue the Gospell and the holye scrypture publyshed, taught & preached amongꝭ vs: spoken, opened, declared, & manifestly shewed vnto vs. We haue it in Hebrue, in Greke, in Latyn, and in Englyshe. We haue it in our owne mother tongue. We ioye and reiose moche and soo may we, that we soo [Page] haue it in oure vulgare speche, that we here it, that we reede it, that we haue it in our bosomes and hangynge at our gyrdles, that it is dayly preached amonges vs. But what shall all this profette, yf we lyue not there­after? yf we lyue not well and Chrystyanly? What shall we be the better for it yf we amende not our lyues? We continue for all that in sinne, we doo no penaunce, we feare not god nor his threatenynges in Scrypture, we feare not his iustyce, we feare not his iudgemente, we feare not hell. The synnes of the Sodoms, of the Gomors, of the Corozaites, of the Bethsaites and of the gentyles, shall be more remissyble, of lesse dampna­cyon and lesse punyshment then oures: then oures that are Chrysten people, that haue the scrypture soo redye at hande and lyueth not therafter.

Saynt Augustyne saythe of Aristotele, August [...] ­nus. ‘Omnium Philosophorum profundius racet in inferno.’ Of all the Philosophers that euer were, Arystotele lyeth loweste in hell. And why? For he had moost knoledge of all phi­losophers, and was dryuen by his naturall knoledge, [...] to knowe ‘primā causam,’ god: and yet worshypped hym not. Soo we chrysten people, we haue the bookes and gospell of Chryst. We haue all the scrypture in Eng­lyshe, we haue knowledge of god and of his lawes: and yet doo not we lyue therafter. What shall we say to it▪ but that, ‘omnium hominum iacebimus profundius nos christiani in dampnatione in inferno.’ Of all the people of the worlde, yf we be dampned, we shall be moost gre­uously dampned. We. we chrysten people.

I promise you,Lapis of­fentionis Petra scā dali. 1 Petri. [...] Roma. 9. Esai. 8.2 [...]. I promise you this gospel of Chryst (as it is wrytten of Chryst hym selfe) is ‘Lapis offencio­nis, & petra scandali.’ Whiche wordes were spoken bothe of Chryst & of his scrypture. Peter sheweth in his firste Epystle, and is grounded in Esai, that god dyd put in [Page] Syon a stoone, a hygh stoone, a greate stoone, a corner stoone, a prouede stoone, a chosen stoone, a precyous stoone. And that they that beleueth in this stoone, shall be saued. Sayinge further, This stoone shall be ho­nour to you that dothe beleue in him. This stone shalbe to them that beleueth not in hym, ‘Lapis offentionis’ the stoone that the workemen, the buylders that Dauid spake of,Psalm. 117 dyd reproue and reiecte, ‘Lapidem quem repro­bauerunt edificantes, hic factus est in caput anguli.’ But that notwithstandynge, this stoone is maade the cheyfe stoone in all the buyldynge, the cheyfe stoone in the wall. The corner stoone that ioyneth and holdeth faste all the worke togyther. This stoone is ‘Non cre­dentibus, lapis offentionis’, The stoone of offence, the stoone of slaunder,Christe is lapis an­gularis. to them that offendeth in worde. Here are meruelous sayinges. Who is this stoone? and what is this stoone? Chryst is this stoone. ‘Chryst is the great & hygh stoone that beareth the hole churche, that buyldeth to the heuens, that holdeth vp al, that ioyneth the walles togyther,Lapis ap­probatus ioynynge the Iues and gentyles in one church. ‘Lapis approbatus’, a proued stoone, a tryed stoone,Lapis e­lectus. Lapis preciosus. tryed, tryed to be a firme stronge stoone. Lapis electus, a verye electe stoone, chosen of god to the worke of our redemptyon.’ Lapis preciosus, a precyous stoone, for that the godheed was ioyned to the manheed. And as this stoone is to those that lyueth Chrystyanly, ho­noure, rewarde, defence and proteccyon: euen soo is he to synnefull lyuers Lapis offentionis & petra scandali. A stoone of offence, a stoone of slaunder, and soo sayde Simeon in the gospell,Luce. 2. ‘Hic positus est aliis in ruinam, a­liis in resurrectionē cui contradicetur.’ Chryst th [...]s stoone was, is, and shall be in to the ruyne and fall of manye, and in to the rysynge and sauynge of many. ‘In ruinam multorum.’ In to the ruyne and destructyon of manye. [Page] Of howe many? surely of all those that presumeth vpō theyr owne iustyce, vpon theyr owne deedes: that dothe not beleue in god and in his scrypture. He shall be into the ruyne and dampnacyon of them that wyll be seene and taken in the worlde outwardly for iuste and rygh­teous, and be inwardly holowe, false, wycked and syn­full, ypocryus & vntrue to god. To these & soche other, Chryst is ‘Lapis offentionis & petra scandali, & in ruinam’.

He is called a stoone for the similitude & propertye of a stoone. He was called ‘Lapis & Petra’.Lapis Petra Christus. And bothe wordes dothe sygnifye a stoone. Lapis a lytle stoone, Pe­tra a greate stoone. Lapis, after he is polyshed: Petra, a­fore he is polyshed. Chryst was Lapis offentionis when he appeared here in the worlde, and shewed him selfe to be but a very lytle stoone, a stoone not polyshed. Lytle. Soo lytle that he was not knowen. Lytle, for he was humble, meeke, lowe, vile, poore, reiecte, reprouedde, nought set by, and of noo reputacyon. He was then ‘Lapis offentionis.’ Ouer troden of the worlde, not regarded, but reiagged and out caste of all. Not had in estimacyon, euyll intreated of the Iues, for that he she­wed hym selfe in soo humble, meeke, and soo lowlye a fashon.

They tooke noo heede of this lytle stoone, they sawe the frayle fleshe the bodye, but the maiestye of his godheed they sawe not. They consydered the mortall man, whome they mought haue knowen for god by his workes, but wolde not. They thought they coulde not stumble at soo lytle a stoone, & wente aboute to breake hym in peces, vtterly to put hym oute of fashon, out of memorie. But the more they hughe vpon him, the more he grewe, the more he waxed, the more his fame spred. As Daniell wytnesseth sayinge, Danie. ii. ‘Creuit lapis & factus est mons magnus, qui repleuit totam tarram.’ This stoone [Page] grewe and encreased, and was maade a great hyll, and replenyshede the hoole worlde with his maiestye and power, with his worde and with his miracles.

Euen when the Iues had beaten hym in gobettes as ye wyl say, beatyng and scourgynge hym, raggynge and rentynge his precyous bodye, naylynge hym to the crosse, thynkynge so vtterly to haue destroyed hym and his name for euer. Dyd not he then growe lyke to a greate mountayne? Dyd not his name and fame then spreade through the world? Dyd not all creatures then confesse hym to be god? In token wherof, dyd not the vayle of the temple rente in twayne?Ueluin. Terra. Saxa. Sepulcra Mortui. Sol. Dyd not the earth quauer and quaake through the worlde? Dyd not the stoones breake in gobbets? Dyd not the graues open? Dyd not the deade bodyes ryse frō deathe to the lyfe & appeared in the citye to theyr acquayntaunce? Dyd not the sonne & the bodyes aboue loose theyr lyght by three houres space through the worlde? Dyd not Dionisius Ariopagita then reedynge in Athens,dionisius (beynge but an infydele and a Pagan, but yet a notable Philosopher) seinge these meruelous wōders say, ‘aut deus patitur, aut machina mūdi statim dissoluetur?’ Eyther god doth suffer deathe, eyther the hoole worlde shall nowe peryshe and be destroyed?Latro. Luce 23. Dyd not the thefe openly confesse hym to be god euen when he was moost deryded of the Iues? Cryinge, Remember me lorde when thou comest in to thy kyngdome? Remember me Lorde? remember me? Dyd not Chryst in token that he was very god,Christus. graunt vnto that selfe same thefe, then and there Paradyse? Dyd not Chryst in the departure of his soule crye ‘cum clamore valido?’ Clamor. with an hudge voyce which neuer man dyd but he onely at the departynge of the soule? Dyd not Centuryo and all that were with hym,Centurio Luce. 23. seynge these great wonders that were then shewed openly crye [Page] ‘Vere filius dei erat iste?’ Undoutedly this was the verye sonne of god?Populus Dyd not all the people that were presente at this greate spectacle, goo home to theyr houses hol­dynge downe theyr heedes, beynge as men amaased, abbashed, strycken with great drade and heuynes, fea­rynge the ende what shulde folowe, knocke theyr brestꝭ?Percuti­entes peeto ea. As whoo say alas what haue we done? This was the sonne of god? The great prophette of the worlde? The sauyour of mankynde? Alas what haue we done?

Howe merueylously grewe the fame of Chryste a­brode more and more euen at his deathe, euen when the Iues thought his name shulde haue ben clene extincte and vtterly forgotten. Dyd not that noble and iuste man Ioseph of Arimathia (of that citye of Iuda) come boldly to Pylate and asked the bodye of Iesu to take it downe and burye it?Ioseph. And he and Necodemus toke it downe from the crosse,Nichodemus. and wrapped it moost reuerent­lye in a fyne clene Syndone, a clothe of rayns as it were, a fyne clothe: and sprynklede this precyous stoone the body of Chryst plentefully and abundantly with swete and fragrante Aromates, with myrre and Aloes, with spyces of the beste sorte to the mountenance of one. C. pound weyght, precyously confecte and myngled: and put hym into a new tombe wherin neuer body was bu­ryed afore? and layde a great stoone vpon hym? hono­rablye? But was here all? Naye.Maria Magdalena. Iacobi. Salome. The three Maryes ‘Maria Magdalene, Iacobi & Salome’, markynge where he was buryed, bought Aromata, spyces & the moost pre­cyous vnctyons they coulde gette for money, to dresse and anoynte this precoyus bodye. And bycause it was to laate that frydaye to do theyr obsequye and seruyce therunto, and on the Sabaoth day it was notiefull to doo soche thynges: They came earlye therfore on the Sonday in the mornynge to the tombe with these pre­cyous [Page] spyces and vnctyons, to haue minystred to this holy bodye obsequye, honour and reuerence.

And goynge by the way, one questioned w^t another, whoo shall lyfte vp this great stoone from the mouthe of the tombe?Math. 28. We are women, and are not able to do it. Whoo shall doo it? And in meane tyme came a greate earthquaue, and an angel came from heuen and remo­ued the stoone and sate vpon it. He was as bryght as the lyghtenynge, his clothes as whyte as the snowe. And for feare of hym, the kepers that watchede the se­pulchre, fell downe amased, as they had bene deade, as men in a traunce: and streyght therevpon came these Maryes, and wolde haue entred the sepuchre, and were waare of this yonge man, an angell in that similitude, appearynge in a whyte vesture, beynge on the ryght­syde of the tombe. And for feare of hym, were meruey­lously astonyed.

To whome the angell sayde, Women: be not a­frayde. I knowe that ye doo seke Iesus of Nazarethe whiche was crucifyed.Resurrectio xp̄i. He is not here. He is rysen, as he sayde before he wolde. Come ye nere and viewe the place where he was put. Goo your waye, tell his dyscy­ples and Peter this, and he wyll be there afore you. He appearede afterwarde vnto them, and to his discyples many tymes and many wayes, prouynge hym selfe by many euydent argumentes and proues to be veraylye rysen, as in the gospell openly appeareth.

The fyftieth day after his resurrectyon, he ascended to the heuens,Ascentio Christi. and sytteth on the ryght hande of the fa­ther in glory. He shall come agayne & iudge the worlde. Whose fame and name is nowe openlye knowen and spredde ouer all. Ouer all the worlde.

Se nowe howe he is growen from a lytle stoone, ‘in magnū saxū’ in to a greate hudge stoone, into a greate [Page] rocke, in to a greate hyll, yee into a greate mountayne▪ He was here in the worlde ‘lapis offensionis, & petra scan­dali.’ He was here greuously offendede, outragyouslye slaundered, and to this day is, bothe offended & slaun­derede, by thy wretchede lyuynge thou synner, by thy synfull deedes, by thyne inobediencye in breakyng his lawes, in blasphemynge his name, and otherwyse of­fendynge his maiestie. Beware, this stoone elles shall fall vpon the, this stoone shall vtterly destroye the yf thou looke not the better vnto thy selfe. This stoone elles shal cōdempne the when he shall come at that day: when this scrypture also that thou haste soo vsually in thy handes, shall condempne the for that thou knewest it, reddest it and herdest it declared vnto the, & folowed it not. For scrypture saythe as is afore rehersed,Lu [...]e. 1 [...]. ‘Qui cognouit voluntatem domini sui & non facit, vapulabit plagis multis. Qui non cognouit & non fecit, plagis vap [...] ­labit paucis.’ He that knoweth the wyll & pleasure of his Lorde & doth it not, he shalbe bette with many strypes. And he that knoweth not his lordes pleasure and doth offende hym, he shall be punyshed, but more easely.

And to returne agayne to this stoone. Lykewyse as a stoone lyinge styll is many wayes profytable and hurteth noo bodye,Soli [...]do. vnlesse he wyll wylfullye styrre the stoone, or stombe at the stoone, or hurte hym selfe negli­gently annenst the stoone: Euen so Chryst our sauyour is a profytable stone to all them that faythfully cleueth vnto hym, and he defendeth them from stormes & from aduersytes that maye chaunce to theyr soules by temp­tacyon or otherwyse. But yf we negligently or volun­taryly doo offende hym, yf we slaunder him, and dispise his cōmaundementes, not obeynge his lawes, not fo­lowynge the holsome instructyons of his scrypture: we stumble then at hym, and he & his sayde scrypture shall [Page] accuse vs and cōdempne vs at that day. And he shalbe to vs, ‘Lapis offentionis & petra scandali’. A heuy stoone, a weyghty stoone, & shall fall vpon vs, presse vs, breake vs, conuycte vs, and condempne vs vnto euerlastynge deathe, and paynes.

It foloweth in the letter taken, ‘Extra portā ciuitatis etiam passus est Christus.’ Extra portā. Chryst suffered not onely with­oute the tentes and citye, but also without the yates of the citye. For the yates of the citye were also spottedde with synne. By the gates of this citye are vnderstande the gates of the citye of mans soule, of whome the pro­phette wryteth by an other worde,Ieremi. 9. ‘Mors intrat per foene­stras.’ And calleth them here wyndowes & there gates. Death entreth in to the soule by the wyndowes or gatꝭ, by the fyue sences of the body, which are called the fyue wyttes of man. Deathe and synne entreth by these in to the soule. Howe? verylye by syght, by smellynge, by hearynge, by touchynge, and by tastynge. And Chryste neuer synned in any of these, nor any other wayes, but suffered death without gylte, that we by this his godly ensample, may so shutte these gates of our soules that noo carnall desyre, noo fleshly lyuynge, noo fylthynesse doo enter in to our hertes by them. He therfore wente out of the citye, out of the tentes, out of the gates. And as he wente oute of the gates to suffer for vs, to sanc­tifye vs by his bloode: so let vs goo out of these gates, out of all carnall affectyon and from all delectacyon of these our fyue senses, from all fylthy lyuynge, from all occasyon of synne that doth corrupte our soules by any of the fyue wittes. And let vs suffer somwhat for Christ that suffered somoche for vs.

‘Exeamus igitur’ saythe the Apostle. ‘‘Exeamus ad eum extra castra. Exeamus.’ Let vs goo oute, let vs goo oute.’ From whence? out of the tentes, out of the cityes, oute [Page] of the gates, out of our tabernacles, out of our bodely and fleshly lustes, fleshly desires and fleshly conuersa­cyon, for it stynketh in the syght of god. And as longe as we abyde within the compasse of fleshly lyuyng and carnal cōuersacion, soo longe we shall not come to god. For to hym we can not come, vnlesse we go out, vnlesse we flee the corrupte bodye and his fleshly affectyons. Ye shall se that it is mete soo for vs to doo, by ensample of them that are good maryed people lyuynge after the true rules of matrimonye. For though the acte of ma­trimonye be lawfull, honeste, & necessary, merytoryous, and of hygh meryte yf it be well obserued, Yee and as the Apostle doth call it ‘Honorabile connubiū, Hebre. 1 [...]. & thorum immaculatum’, Honorable matrimonye & the pure clene immaculate bedde: the bedde withoute synne yf it be dulye obserued: Yette it is not syttynge nor comely for the maryed man or woman, streyght from that bedde, streyght from that lawfull merytoryus acte, to come to this great sacrifyce, to this heuenly food, to eate of this flesshe and bloode of Chryst and god. For the sayde A­postle where he writeth to the Corinthians, doth playn­ly counsell them that are maryede, by theyr owne free wyll and mutuall consente, to absteyne from that law­full meritorious acte ‘ad tempus’, for a tyme, for the tyme of prayer: to the intente theyr prayer may be the moore deuoute and better herde. Howe moche more then wyl­lethe he them to absteyne from that acte when they shal goo to receyue this hyghe sacrifyce? this holye foode? god and man? Dothe not he to them that wyll eate of this sacrifyce saye, ‘Probet seipsum homo, & sic de illo pa­ne edat. &c’? Let euery man proue hym selfe, serche his conscyence, pourge his soule: & then eate of this blyssed sacrifice, then go to it with a reuerence & hygh deuociō. We must therfore fyrste goo out from these cityes, out [Page] from these tentes, out of these gates of this carnall bo­dye, and forsake the fylthye corrupte fleshly abusyons that are comonly vsed and cōmytted in all these senses: and then pourge vs, clense vs and maake vs pure and apte to receyue this holye sacryfyce. For many fylthye ymaginacyons remayneth of these fleshly actes, many yll circumstancyes, not meete hauynge them to eate of this holye meate. Therfore fyrste pourge and apte our selues to the receyte therof. And then we goo ‘Extra’, then we goo out, then we goo out with Chryst that suf­fered ‘Extra portam’, without the gate of the Citye.

Nowe yf the good deuoute maryed man and wo­man by the counsell of the Apostle dothe absteyne ‘Ad tempus ex cōsensu vt vacent orationi’, [...]. Corint. 7. for a tyme by theyr owne mutuall consente, to gyue them selues moore de­uoutly to prayer, that so theyr prayer may be the better and sooner herde of god:Ad sacer­dotes. Moche moore then ought we priestes of cōgruence & duety to lyue cleane and chaast, whiche are bounden dayly, nyghtly, hourely, yee conty­nuallye eyther to praye, or to studye, or to preache, or to gyue good counsell, or to offer vp that moost holy sacri­fyce for the people and our selues, or to be euer redye to minyster the sacramentes at all tymes, day and nyght as necessyte shall requyre, & as they shalbe called vpon by those that hathe neede to call for the same: Nowe to chrysten and confirme, nowe to minister the sacramentꝭ of penaunce and order, nowe the sacramentes of ma­trimonye, of the aulter, and extreme vnctyon. So that we bushops and priestes in especyall & aboue all other, ought of our congruence and of verye duetye, euer to be in a redynes, euer to be cleane, euer to be vndefylede and vnspotted in oure lyuynge as nyghe as frayltie of nature wyll suffer, that our prayers maye be the better herde, the moore alowede & more pleasaunt in the eares [Page] of god, and that our ministracions may be to him more acceptable, moore profytable to our soules, and moore desirous and pleasaunte to the people for whom we are ordeyned minysters. And let eueryche of vs folowe the counsell of the apostle. Mortifye our members of oure bodye, kepe vnder the fleshe,Collosse. 3. extyncte vices and concu­piscencyes of the same as nyghe as we maye, And saye with the same Apostle,Galat [...] We be crucifyed with Chryst to the crosse. We lyue not as the bodye wyll, but Chryste lyueth in vs. Chrystes lyfe we lyue or ought to lyue, hym we ought to folowe. And this is the goynge out of the tentes, this is the goynge out of the cityes & gates, whiche the Apostle speaketh of sayinge,Lite [...]e [...]. ‘Exeamus [...] eum extra castra’.

But what shall we do there when we be thus gone out of the gaates to Chryste? It foloweth in the letter, Improperiū eius portantes. [...] We muste beare ‘improper [...] eius.’ We must helpe to bere his great crosse, his weyghtye burden the great reproche I meane, the reprofe, the rebukes, the viletyes, the contumelyes, the obprobryes▪ the abloquies, the paynes, the Passyons, the pangues and the crosse. Penaunce, penaunce I meane, tribula­cions, aduersyties, miseryes & infirmyties with Christs and for the loue of Chryst. For his loue to beare pacy [...]ently the reproche of the crosse, the reprofe of the world, in folowynge thy Chryst, in bearynge his crosse, in do­ynge thy penaunce, in folowynge hym in perfyte and christian liuynge, in despisyng the world, in punyshyng the bodye and soche other: yf we lyste to be parte takers of this holye sacrifyce, of this immaculate lambe, the lambe of god whiche was as on this day offered vpon the aulter of the Crosse for vs.

The Apostle saythe,Galathi. 6. ‘Ego porto stigmata Iesu Christi in corpore meo.’ I beare the markes of the woundes of [Page] Iesu Chryst in my bodye.Stigma­ta quid? ‘Stigmata. Stigmata’ are called the scotches, the markes or scarres, that are lefte in the fleshe after a wounde is healed. And here dothe signify the infirmityes, the aduersytes, the tribulacyons and afflictyons bothe of the mynde and of the body, whiche the Apostle suffered for Chryst.

For he was beate, he was scourged, he was banys­shed, enprisoned, tormoyled, lapydate and stooned. He was reiecte and had in hatered of the worlde, with suf­ferynge innumerable iniuryes for Chryst his saake, as in his Epystles appeareth,2. Corin. 11. sayinge. ‘In laboribus pluri­mis, in carceribus abundantius, in plagis supra modum, in mortibus frequenrer: quinquies quadragenas vna minus accepi. Ter virgis coesus, semel lapidatus, ter naufragiū per­pessus, nocte & die in profundo maris.’ And besydes this, folowynge reconeth vp the greate heepe of daungers and aduersytyes he suffered. And all for Chryst. Ther­fore he sayth, I beare the markes and scarres of Christ: not myne owne, but of Chryst and for Chryst, for spea­kynge and preachinge hym, for shewinge of trueth and of his worde.

And thus the sacrifyce of the olde lawe dothe syg­nifye and figure vnto vs spirytually, the very sacrifyce of the newe lawe. And by bothe of them, the apostle ad­monysheth & exhorteth all chrysten people to lyue soche a pure lyfe, as that which was figured in the olde lawe, maye be by vs taught, of vs receyued, borne away, and fulfylled in the newe lawe.

And as the bodyes of the beastes soo kylled in sacri­fyce were burned ‘Extra castra’,Corpora cōbutta. without the tentes: euen soo Iesus Chryst was turmoyled, tortured, passyoned & payned, kylled & slayne in sacrifyces without the gates of the citye. Soo instructynge vs to suffer without the tentes, without the cityes and gaates: I meane to cast [Page] away all vtwarde and bodylye pleasures, all carnall affectyons, which are comonly vsed in cityes & tounes. And to suffer, to suffer for Chryste penaunce & paynes, to punyshe and afflycte the bodye that hathe lyued soo noughtely, that hath offended god soo greuously: and from henceforth to lyue without deedly synne, to lyue a chrystyan lyfe, cleane from synne, in a cleane body and a cleane soule, and to forsake suspecte places where syn is vsed, so euery way to flee the occasyon of synne. The occasyon of synne and daunger of the soule.

This sacrifyce in the olde lawe,Leuitt 16. Nouē cō ­ditiones huiꝰ dici. was cōmaunded to be done the seuenth moneth, the tenth daye: sayinge, The seuenth moneth, the tenth day, ye shal afflycte and punyshe your soules. That daye, ye shall doo noo vyle worke. That day, ye shalbe clensed and pourged from all your synnes. That day, shalbe your Sabaoth day, your day of reste. That day, ye shall afflycte & punyshe your soules with perpetuall relygyon. That day, shall be to you moost solempne and festyuall. That day, shal be called holy. That day, shall be the appoynted daye when ye shall pray for all the multitude of Israell, and for all theyr synnes.

Wyll ye se nowe how this day of the olde lawe cal­led ‘Festum propitiationis’, doth quadrate and agre with this day of the newe lawe called ‘Festum redemptioni [...]’? [...]

Ye shall vnderstande that by the seuenth moneth, for that the nombre of seuen which is the nombre of the Sa­baoth kepte euery seuenth day, is vnderstand the tyme of grace. The Sabaoth day, is the day of rest, of quiet and deuocyon. To quiete your selues in god, to applye your selue all ye can that day to his seruyce, abstenyng that day from all vyle workes, in especyall from synne whiche is the moost vyle worke of all, and betokenethe the tyme of grace. In which tyme Chryst came into the [Page] worlde & suffered, wherby he gaue grace to the worlde, and maade the yeare of grace, the greate Iubilye, the ioyous yeare, the yeare of gladnes, the tyme of comfort the verye Sabaoth day to the holye fathers that were in Limbo deliueryng them from payne, gyuynge them the Sabaoth and restfull day of eternall glorye, and to all theyr folowers that lyueth Chrystyanly.

Annus iubileus.This was with them the yeare of Iubilye. This was the yeare of grace, the yeare of mercye, the plea­saunte yeare that Esaie speaketh of Chryste, sayinge, ‘Spiritus domini super me, eo ꝙ vnxerit me dominus. Ad annunciandum mansuetis misit me,Esai. 6. vt mederer contritis corde, & praedicarem captiuis indulgentiā & clausis aperi­tionem: vt praedicarem annū placabi [...]em, vt consolarer oēs languentes, & dimitrere confractos in requiem. & cetera.’ The spiryte of god (he saythe) is vpon me, and hathe anoynted me, the father hathe sent me to shewe to meke people grace, to heale contryte penitente personnes, to preche pardon & remission to captyues, libertie to priso­ners, to preache the yeare pleasante to god, to comforte all sycke and sore, to put those that are weryed in payne into reste.Dies sab­bati. This day is this Sabaoth day, the day of reste. This day Chryst made Sabaoth day, holy day amongꝭ his sayntes in Limbo. This day he chaunged theyr darkenes in to lyghte, theyr payne in to pleasure, theyr bandes in to libertye, theyr pryson and hell in to Paradyse, theyr heuynes in to ioye, theyr sorowe in to comforte, theyr laboures into quyete, theyr misery into glory. What shall I say? I say all this signifyeth, that we ought to kepe our Sabaoth day holy, quietly, in he­uenly contemplacyon, sincerely in deuocyon, deuoutlye in prayer, obsequiously in god. That day, that daye to absteyne from all vile workes, from all synne, from ser­uytude & bondage of the deuyll. Under this maner we [Page] ought to kepe the Sabaoth day. But all this we turne vpsodowne, as the comon vulgare is, turne the catte in the panne. Whiche is asmoche to say. Nothynge is ob­serued taht ought to be obserued, but doo euen cleane contrarye, to that we are bounden to doo.

This Sabaoth day we maake nowe mooste vile. In this Sabaoth day we doo mooste offende god, and doo commytte moost synne, bothe in the churche, in the citye, in the towne, in the villadge, in the house, in the felde, in the bodye & in the soule. Looke, looke and con­sider well the behauyour of the world in these thynges. And we shall soone perceyue the mischeues and the ab­hominacyons that are custumablye vsede on the holye Sabaoth day: in pryde, in vaynglorye, in arrogancye, in disdayne, ypocrisy, blasphemy, periury, incōtinencie, fornicacyon, aduoutrye, inceste, sacriledge, vnlawfull games, glotony, dronkenes with other soche moo infi­nyte abusyons. Thynke you that god is pleased with soche kepynge of our Sabaoth day? Nay, nay. The deuyll dothe mocke soche kepynge of the holye dayes. Dothe not the prophet say, ‘Deriserunt Sabbata vesti [...]’ ▪ The deuylles dothe deride mocke and scorne your holy dayes? this maner of kepynge your holy dayes? [...] And god shall stryke it, god shall punyshe it, god wyll ad­uenge it. It is his day, & ought to be kepte in holines. And to hym onely.

And yf we well cōsider the tenth day of the seuenth moneth that the lawe speketh of, it is this day▪ Decimus dies sep­timi mensis. Bycause the nombre of ten apperteyneth ‘Ad decalogum’, vnto the ten commaundementes. For in the commaunde­mentes is the perfection of all the lawe. And the perfec­tyon of the lawe was as on this day declarede, opened & perfited, when Christ hangynge on the crosse, euen at the departure of the soule, cryed ‘Consummatū est’.Iohan. 19. All is [Page] fulfylled. All that is wrytten of the sonne of man con­cernynge mans redemptyon, is in this passyon fulfyl­led & done. Here Chryst fulfylled all the ten preceptes.

Here he fulfylled all the cōmaundmentꝭ in this one Passyon, in the loue he baare to the father by his obe­dience vnto the deathe: and by the loue he baare vnto man in sufferynge this deathe for hym.Math. 22. ‘In hiis duobus pendet tota lex & prophetae.’ In that he shewed soo hygh charyte as neuer was shewed afore. The apostle sayth, Finis praecepti charitas. And agayne ‘plenitudo legis dile­ctio’.1. Thimo. 1. Charyte and loue, is the verye ende, the very ful­fyllynge and perfectyon of the law. All this law of god standes in loue. In loue of god and loue of thy neygh­boure.

But when was charyte and loue moore liberallye shewed then vpon this day? Chryste all dayes of his lyfe, shewed euer abundant loue & charyte to the world: in preachynge, in teachynge, in shewynge to the people the wayes to god: in instructynge them to vertue, in fe­dynge them, in healynge them, in workynge amonges them all maner of miracles.

multi gradus charitatis.But that that ye call the hygh poynte of charyte, was neuer shewed tyll this day. For there are manye degrees of Charyte. It is a greate poynte of Charyte (as sayth saynt Iohn̄) when thou seest thy neyghbour in necessyte, not to shutte thy bowels of mercy annenste hym: but to helpe hym, & refreshe hym with somwhat in tyme of his great nede.1. Iohan. 8. That yf thou doo not, ‘Quomo­do mane [...] charitas [...]’ saythe Ioh [...] ▪ How dothe charyte remayn in the? This [...] all men to helpe the [...] [...]edye in tyme of necessyte. The poore persone that is in extreme nede, not to suffer hym to peryshe for lacke of meate, of drynke, of clothe, of harbour, of [...], of [...], of wrappyngꝭ, of dressynge, of [...] forte. [Page] Suffer hym not for lacke to dye at thy gate as Lazarus dyd at the ryche mannes doore and was dampned ther­fore: euer synce cryenge to Abraham for one droppe of water for his comforte and releefe, and is denyed, neuer shall haue it, butte for euer burne in hell. An hygh poynte of charyte therfore is it, to helpe, helpe and suc­coure the nedye in tyme of his necessyte, of extreeme miserye. Euer in soche case to put to thy mercifull hande. For as saynt Ambrose dothe saye, ‘Si non pauisti occidisti.’ Yf the miserable wretche dye for wante of thy comforte & releefe, thou sleest hym. Thou shalte maake answere for him, as Diues doth for Lazarus. Reede the storye in Luke the syxtenth. Charyte therfore I say re­quireth euery person after his habilitye, to ayde, com­forte and succoure the nedye, euerye one accordynge to his habilitye, in case of neede. Is there any greater charyte then this? Yee forsothe. Luke wryteth of a man that laboured in goynge from Ierusalem vnto Ierico:Luce. [...]. And theues fell vpon hym, spoyled hym, robbed hym, wounded hym and lefte hym for deade. There lye­ynge soore wounded at poynte of deathe, it chaunced a priest to passe by. He sawe this soore man lyinge there,Prisbite [...]. greuously gruntynge and groninge, and passed by, ha­uynge noo pitye nor cōpassyon vpon hym: not somoch, as to gyue hym one worde of comforte. Lykewyse after hym came by a deacon and passed forthe,Diaconꝰ. shewynge noo poynte of mercy, noo compassyon, noo pytye, noo com­forte, but let hym lye.Samari­tanus After hym came by a Samari­tane. This Samaritane seynge this miserable person thus spoyled, wounded and lefte for dead: moued with pitye and compassion, drue nere, and put to his handes and comfortably handlede the woundes, scoured them with wyne, refreshed & anoynted them with oyle, gently and welfauouredly wrapped & lapped them, & layinge [Page] hym vpon his beaste, brought hym in to an house, and diligently loked vnto hym for his helth. The nexte day came to se hym, and gaue the owner of the stable two pence, sayinge vnto hym, Take charge I praye the of this weyke soore man. And what so euer thou doest be­stowe moore vpon hym for his helthe, I shall at my re­turne alowe it the, what soeuer it cost. Here was a hygh charyte, here was a great loue, here was greate mercy, hygh pitye and meruelous compassyon shewed.

3. Math. 18. Debitor.Is there any greater charite then this? Yee for­sothe. What is that? Mathewe wryteth of a great man that hadde manye detters, and amonges all, one was brought forthe that owed to hym ten thousand talentꝭ. This vulgare talente was accompted ‘inter Iudeos & Hebreos’ to conteyne.Talentū quid? CC.lxxxvii.li. and .x.s̄. Soo that ten thousande talentes appeareth to be a wonderfull summe and a meruelous great dette. This greate man required his money. The dettour had it not to paye. This greate man cōmaūded his dettour and his wyfe, his chyldren and all that he hadde to be solde, and he to haue the money in recōpence of his dette. This dettour dyd prostrate hym selfe to the earthe, and maade hum­ble sute and peticyon vnto this greate man, sayinge, Syr, haue pacyence and suffer me a whyle, and I wyll pay you all my dettes. The lorde moued with pitie, for­gaue hym all, & put hym and his clearelye to lybertie.

Here was a meruelous great charitie. Is there any hygher charitye then this?4. Math. 18. Peter. Yee, yee forsothe. What is it? Peter came to Chryst and asked hym a question. Howe often his brother offendyng hym, was he bound to forgyue hym, seuen tymes? Chryst answered. I saye thou shalt forgyue hym not onely seuen tymes, but se­uentye and seuen tymes. But what yf he offende the seuen score tymes, shalt thou forgyue hym▪ Yee though [Page] it were seuē hundred tymes, yee seuen thousand tymes, Yee ‘toties quoties’ as saynte Ierome expoundeth it.Ieroni­mus. As often as euer he doth offende the, soo often art thou bounden for goddes saake to forgyue hym his offence. ‘Non iniuriam, sed offensam.’ The iniuryes & wronges thou arte not bounden to forgyue, but may by charitie sue for thy ryght by course of lawe, & sue for thy money, thy landes, thy goodes and soche other. But thoffence, the dyspleasure, the trespasse, the herte burnynge, the maner of doynge the thyng: thou art bound ‘toties quo­ties’ to forgyue, ‘toties quoties’ as often tymes as he doth trespasse the: and not to owe anye grudge or displea­sure annenste hym. That yf thou soo doo, thou shewest a hygh charitie. But yf thou doo bothe forgyue the of­fence and also the iniurie, thou shewest a farre greater charitie.

But is there any hygher poynte of chariti [...] th [...] this? These are great. Yet there is one passeth them all. What is that? Forsothe when a man wyll suffer [...] to saue his frendes lyfe. Yee but whoo wyll doo tha [...] ▪ Whoo wyll voluntarylye dye for his frende? Man [...] there are that wyll be bounde, that wyll spende & [...] theyr goodes rather then theyr frende shulde misca [...] ▪ But whoo wyll dye for his frende? We reede & se many tymes, the father, the mother dothe put them selues in daunger of lyfe for theyr chylde. We se also the ser­uaunt for the mayster beynge in daunger, dothe ven­ture to runne bitwene his mayster & the dagger poynte or the dynte of the sworde, and runneth vpon deathe to saue his maysters lyfe, yee and manye tymes is sleyne in his maysters defence, by reason wherof his mayster escapeth. Is not this a greate loue? yes forsothe. Yee but he dyd this vpon aduenture, vpon a hasarde as ye wyll saye. He mought aswell by manheed, fortune, or [Page] chaunce medlaye haue escaped as to haue bene slayne, whiche maketh hym the bolder. Yee but what father or or mother, what chylde or seruaunt wyll wylfully, paci­ently and without resystence, lay downe his heed vpon the blocke, or runne to the gybbytte or golow tree, or o­therwyse: wyllfully, voluntaryly, pacyently and with­out resystence dye for theyr frende or foo? We reede of none vnlesse it be the holye martyrs that voluntarylye dyd suffer for the loue of god. And this is the greateste charitie we spaake of yet. For Iohn̄ saythe, ‘Maiorem charitatem nemo habet, q̄ vt animā suam ponat quis pro amicis suis.’ Iohan. 15. Noo man may haue a greater charyte, then to dye for his frendes. There can noo loue nor charytie be greater then this, can there trowe ye? Yee forsothe. What is that I pray you? what is it?

‘Mori pro inimicis.’ To dye for thyne ennemyes. ‘Quis est hic & laudabimus eum?’ But whoo wyll soo do? Shewe one synce the begynnyng of the worlde,Ecclesi. 31. and we wyll laude hym and prayse hym aboue all other. For soche one is prayse worthye. Can we shewe one soche? Yee forsothe. Where shall we fynde hym? where shall we fynde hym? Yonder he lyeth. Where? In yonder se­pulchre. What is he? what is his name, tell vs that we may know hym? His name is Iesus Chryste, Iesus of Nazareth.

O Iesus of Nazareth. Yonder in the tombe lyeth thy moost precyous bodye, thy lyuely bodye, not deade, but a lyue. A lyue. ‘Nam Christus resurgens ex mortuis, iam non moritur,Roma. 6. mors illi vltra non dominabitur. Quod enim viuit, viuit deo.’ Chryst is rysen from deathe, nowe he is not deade. Deathe shall haue noo more dominion ouer hym. That he lyueth, he lyueth in god and to god, he lyueth and shall reygne euer a lyue. He dyed oones for vs, and his deathe was our lyfe▪ His resurrectyon [Page] was the cause of our resurrectyon. His ascentyon was and shalbe the cause of our entrye in to heuen and pos­sessyon there. This is he that hath shewed this hyghe poynte of charitie. This is he that hath done this vali­aunte acte. This is he that hathe suffered death for his frendes and for his foos, for his louers and for his en­nemyes, for the & for me, for all the worlde. This is he. This is he that dyd put hym selfe wylfully in his ene­myes handes, that voluntarylye suffered this vyle, re­bukefull, slaunderous, panguyous, payneful & shame­full death of the crosse, and nowe is the moost gloryous death of deathes. This is he that washed and pourged vs all in his blood, that redemed vs, that iustifyed vs, that restorede vs from deathe to lyfe, that brought vs out of thraldome, that maade vs free, that hath recon­cyled vs vnto the father, that hath restored vs to grace, that hath maade vs ‘Haeredes, haeredes dei, Roma▪ 8. cohaerede [...] Christi.’ That hath maade vs enhereters, enhereters to god, coenhereters with Chryst, with hym selfe. This is he whome we ought to laude, to loue, to serue & prayse, whome we ought to honour and worshyppe, to adoure and doo sacrifyce vnto, for that he hath doone somoche for vs that none els coulde nor wolde doo. Soo that on this day was fulfylled all thynges that was promisede in the lawe concernynge the redemption of mankynde. Therfore, Therfore this day may be well signifyed by the tenthe day of the seuenth moneth. In whiche daye the very quyete and reste was graunted vnto all fayth­full people. And the perfytenes of the lawe (whiche is charyte) was manifestly this day declared in this hygh worke of the redemptyon of man.

It foloweth in the letter,Dies c [...]leberrimus ‘Erit vobis dies iste coele­ber [...]imus, & vocabitur sanctus.’ This daye ye shall kepe moost solempne, moost hygh and festyuall, and shalbe [Page] called holye. Whoo is he that dothe not se this day of verye dutye to be kepte for a hygh day? for a holy day? And soo to be called, and soo to be taken, and soo to be accompted, and soo to be kepte and holden? In whiche day (as the yeare gothe aboute) ‘Pascha nostrum immo­latus est Christus’,1▪ Corin 5. our Paschal lambe Chryst & god was offered, by whose bloode the worlde was redemed. In this day of the immolacyon of the very Paschall lambe Chryst, Israell was deliuered from the seruitute of the Egyptyans. Pharao the deuyll with all his companye and malygne power, were drouned in the red See, were ouercome, suffocate, vaynqueshed, & vtterly dyscomfete by the bloode and water that gusshed and ranne out of the syde and mooste tender herte of this oure Paschall lambe Iesus Chryst.

Luce. 11. Fortis armatus.This day ‘Fortis ille armatus’, that stronge gyaunt the deuyll, whiche Luke wryteth of, whiche was armed and accompanyed with soo greate a multytude of syn­ners of all sortes.Arma. Galea. Whose armoure are ‘Luxuriosi’, leche­rous people. His helmette & heed peece Superbi, proude people. His bowe ‘Detractores’, detractours, slaunderers and backebyters:Areus. Whoo shuteth theyr arrowes farre and wyde, and woundeth men in there name and fame that are absent and farre of.Sagitte. His arrowes are ‘Infamia’, Infamye & slaunder, backebytyng, detractorius wordꝭ and yll reportes.Scutum. His buckeler or shylde are ‘Ypocrite’, ypocrytes, dissymulers, setters forthe of holynes by vt­warde pretence and shewe, but the deuyll of ypocrisye is within them. This great and myghty gyante, which soo strongly by violence,Gygas. kepte ‘A trium suum’ as saythe the Euangelyst, myghtely kepte his castell the worlde, kepte it by tiranny, by violencye and strength, from the firste fall of man tyll this day of Chryst: but was as on this day vtterly ouercome, ouerthrowen, vaynqueshed [Page] and conuycte, vtterly discomfette and cast vnder foote: and maade soo feble & weyke, that nowe he is not able to ouercome the least person that is, vnlesse it be he that wyll wyllyngly be ouercome as saynte Ierome saythe, ‘Debilis est hostis, qui vincere non potest nisi volentem.’ Ieroni­mus. He is a weyke enemye and can ouercome none, vtterly none, but those that wyll wyllynglye be ouercome, as the Apostle also dothe wytnesse vnto the Corinthyans, sayinge, God is faythfull in all his promyses. For he dothe not suffer you to be tempted further then ye may beare: but euer is redye with his gracyous assystance and helpe, eyther not to suffer the temtacyon to be more then thou mayest resyste or ouercome, eyther shall soo temperate and mitigate it, that thou mayest resyst it, yf thou call vpon hym for helpe.

Coulde the deuyl thynke you ouercome saynt Ka­theryn, saynt Margarite, whiche were but of .xiiii. and xv. yeares of age or there aboutes? Nay nay nay. Noo neyther the deuyll, nether the worlde, neyther the pry­sons, neyther the yngyns of wheles, neyther the fyre, neyther the sworde coulde ouercome these two yonge damysels: but stronglye they dyd ouercome the deuyll and all his bende, as maye appeare to those that wyll reede there lyues which are red in the church, as when Maxencius beynge an Instrumente vnto the deuyll, perswadynge saynt katheryn from the fayth of Chryst vnto ydolatry, by hym selfe, by rethorecyans and lerned men of the hyest sorte of lernynge, but neyther with his fayre promyses, neyther with his threatenynges, ney­ther with his tortures, engence of the wheles, neyther with theyr lernynge in Rethoryke nor other wyse, could reuoke her from the fayth of Chryst, but euer she sayde ‘fat [...]or me nihil aliud scire nisi Christum deum esse, & hunc crucifixū.’ I knowledge me to knowe none other thyng [Page] wherby I shalbe saued but by Iesus Chryst the sonn [...] of god, and he to be crucifyed. And by his crucifyxcyon and deathe to be saued. None other wayes to be saued, but by his death and Passyon.

And howe saynt Margarete that yonge damysell ouercame the deuyll, & his membre & instrumente Oli­brium, whiche nether with his citacyons, neyther with his fayre promyses, neyther w^t his sharpe threatenyngꝭ, neyther with enprysonmentes, neyther with passyons nor tormentes, coude neyther perswade her to his flesh­lye voluptuous desire, neyther to fall to his ydolatrye, neyther yet any wayes to forsake her spirytuall spouse Iesus Chryst: but sayd, As Chryst hath suffered death and passyon for vs, soo shall I moost gladly suffer for hym. Thus bothe of them beynge but damyselles and maydens and of very tender age: stronglye ouercame the deuyll and all his members, & all theyr temtacyōs.

It foloweth in the former letter, A stronger then he came. &c. A stronger thē he came sayth Luke, a strōger. ‘Fortior eo venit.’ There came a stronger then he was. Whoo was that? Chryst our champyon, Chryste oure heed and capitayne. He fought for vs this day a batell, & was sore wounded & slayne. But by his woundes, by his Passyon, by his death & blood: he wanne the batell, he had the victorie, he ouercame his enemye, he spoyled and toke from hym all his armoure, artylery, power & men, in whome all his trust & comforte stoode in. ‘Arcū cōtriuit & cōfregit arma & scuta combussit igni. s. infernali.’ Psal. 45. Chryst braake his enemyes bowe, Chryst destroyed his armoure, Chryst burned his buckler, Chryst toke away all his power and strength, Chryst put hym to fleyght. This day Chryst triumphed vpon the crosse, and euery way ouercame this our aūcient & cruel enemy the deuil.Princeps huiꝰmūdi This day the prince of darknes the prince of this world [Page] the deuyl, by victory of the crosse was repelled, put out, and banyshed. This day Chryst w^t his myght & power descended to the hels in his soule & godheed, and brake open the gates as ye wyll say: entred the prisons, toke out ‘spolia belli’, the spoyle of the felde, the spoyle of the batell: animas sanctorum, the soules of the holy fathers and mothers, whom the deuyll by his tiranny, vniustly there kepte. This day Chryste by his crosse as with a keye, opened the gaates of Paradyse, & brought thyder these holy soules afore spesyfyed, and gaue them therof possessyon, restorynge them to theyr ryght enherytance.

What shall I say more? I say this day the greate mediatour bytwene god & man Iesus Chryst, very god & very man, dyd put away, raase & cansell ‘Cyrographū illud’, that wryte that obligacyon of synne, whiche was written annenst vs, wherof thapostle to the Collocensis doth testify saynge, ‘Delens nobis oīa delicta. quod aduer­sus nos erat. Cyrographū decreti quod erat cōtrariū nobis.’ Col [...]os. [...] ▪ And Chryst cancelled this obligacion & blotted it clene out, and brake the seale, & put away synne, & put away all soche tytle wherby the deuyl mought any wayes ca­lenge or clayme vs. Yee and pleased the father and re­consyled vs to hym, so pacifyinge his dyspleasure by sheadynge his bloode vpon the crosse.

What feast therfore is more festiuall or ought more solempnly to be kepte then the feast of this day? or more to be had in reuerence? And for that there is no cōmaū ­dement for this day to be kepte holy, I thynke it to be, bycause euery man, womā, yee & chylde hauyng reason: are moued in theyr owne cōsciences, grounded vpon a great zeale, loue and entiere deuocion, this day amongꝭ all other dayes of the yeare, to keepe holye: in remem­braunce of this moost blissed passion, in remembraunce of the greate benefytes that came to man by the same.

[Page]For yf the vniuersal churche doth solempnyse and kepe holy that day in which apostle, a martyr, or virgyn departeth out of the labour, toylinge, & vexacion of this miserable worlde vnto rest, to glory & ioye: how moche more ought we then solempnly & deuoutly to kepe this day holy? in whiche our heed, our sauyour, the heed of the hoole churche Iesus Chryst, went out of the worlde to the father by passyon & death? and brought into Pa­radyse with hym an infinyte nombre of holy patriarkꝭ, prophettes, martyrs, confessours, virgyns & beates of all sortes? Not onely delyuered them from the labour & toilyng of this miserable world, but also deliuered them out of that dungion & pryson of hell, & brought them to the glory & fruition of the ioye in heuen, by the glorious victorye by hym done as on this day vpon the Crosse?

This is therfore a day to be sanctyfyed, to be kepte holy. This is ‘Paschalis dies’, the pachal day, y^• pashe day, the day that Chryst passed out of this transitorie world to rest. And what soeuer he be that gothe out of this la­boryous lyfe to reste & ioye, he gothe vnto the sayd reste and ioye by the vertue of the crosse and passyon theron sacrifysed, as on this daye. Here was the grounde, here was the begynnynge, here was the foundacyon & occa­syon of all oure ioye and glorye we looke for.

This day the Crosse was maade an instrumente wherby the gaates of hell (as ye wyll say) were opened, the stockes broken, the bandes loosed, the darkenes ex­pelled, the payne voyded, and bondage put to libertye. This Crosse as on this daye, was lyke to the staffe of Dauid, with which as he ouercame Golyas, so Chryst in this crosse ouercame the deuyll. This Crosse this day was made the keye, wherby the gates of Paradyse & heuen were opened. This crosse was this day ma [...]de the standard erecte & set vp in sygne & token of eternall [Page] victorie. Wherby our spirytuall enemys are dayly put to flyght & dyscomfet. Wherby our hope & comforte is fortefyed. Wherby we are defended from the power of the malygne spirites. From theyr temptacyons, frō all theyr aduaunces, from all theyr pompes. This crosse was maade this daye the waye wherby we are brought ‘ab exilio ad patriā’, frō exile to our countrey. This crosse with the passyon of Chryst wrought vpon the same is maade this day our assurance wherby we shall attayne the euerlastyng glory. So that now it appeareth to all the worlde, that this daye is festiuall, holye, gracyous and gloryous. A day to be halowed and kepte holye. A day to gyue laudes thankes and praysynges to god for his greate beneficiall actes shewed vnto vs and for vs as on this day.

Some percase wyll obiecte & say, yf this day be soo solempne as we speake of:Obiectio why doo the Churche then maake this day soche tokens of mournyng as it doth▪ Yf it be so hygh a day, where are the sygnes & tokens of the feaste? where is the solempne ryngynge of belles to matyns, to masse, to euensong, to diuine seruice? Where are the solempnytyes of the masses sayd & songe, as are in the other festyuall dayes? Where are the solempne songes of discant, pricked song, faburden, square note, regalles & organs? Where are your warblynge voyces▪ reeches & pleasaunt reportes in your syngynges? where are the ryche ornamentes of the aulters the ryche ves­timentes, coopes, plaate and iewels, wont vpon suche dayes to be set vpon the aulters? Where is the greate welfare, the greate dynners, the double seruyce, the de­licate meates & drynkes on suche festiuall dayes wonte to be vsed? Where are your musicall Instrumentes of all sortes, and youre blowynges to dynner with trum­petttes? Where are your harpes, your lutes, your cym­balles, [Page] your flutes, your taberettes your, drunssades, and dowcymers? Where are your vialles, your rebec­kes, your shakebushes: and your swete softe pleasaunt pypes? Where are your merye communicacyons, your merye iestes, fables and taales wonte to be had at your table for merye pastyme on soche dayes? All, all this is put vnder foote, all is this day in a muetie, in a scy­lence. All soche thynges are on this day turned vpsoo­downe, turned in to sadnes, into mournynges, and into dolorous lamentable fashyons.

Noo priest this day dothe celebrate, but onely one in euery churche: and he to be the greatest priest of auc­torytie within the same Churche: in sygne and token, that Chryst which was ‘Magnus sacerdos secundū ordine Melchisedech’,Hebreo. 6. the great prieste after the order of Mel­chisedech, dyd suffer this day, and offered vp hym selfe vpon the crosse to the father, to the father of heuen for man.

These solempne songes and instrumentes of the churche, this day are turned ‘In Luctum & Lamentum’, in to mournynges and lamentable tunes, in to flattes and faaes, in to baase lowe breestꝭ, in to straung tunes, in to submysse softe and sobre mournynge voyces: soo vtwardly to shewe, the inwarde mournynge & inwarde heuynes of oure hertes: mournynge and lamentynge this panguyous Passyon of Chryste, as men redye to suffer with hym and for hym, as true penitentꝭ cryinge to be perteners of this Passyon and deathe, cryinge to haue remyssyon of our synnes. Cryinge ‘Ignosce pater, ignosce pater’,Luce. 23. Forgyue vs oure synnes Lorde, forgyue vs our synnes father of heuen. And for all other kyndꝭ of musycall instrumentes, this day we doo vse prayer. Deuoute prayer. Cryinge to god, callynge for mercye, diligently suynge for remissyon of oure synnes. [Page] And euen whyles the meate and drynke is in our mou­thes, to remember the aysell and gall that the Iues this day gaue hym when he cryed on the crosse ‘Scitio.’ I am a thyrste.

This day for the precyous apparell, some weareth sacke clothe, some heere nexte vnto theyr bodyes. Some gothe wolwarde, some baare legged, baare footed lyke greate penitentꝭ, & not lyke as men gothe a holydayes in precyous apparell. But blacke, blacke: in blacke in token of our synnes, for whiche Chryst dyed.

And for delicate meates and drynkes, some fasteth this day to onelye breade and drynke, some to breade & water, some to fruytes and potages, some absteyneth tyll nyght, as theyr bodyes are able to beare euery one after his or theyr deuocyons, and abilytyes of theyr bo­dyes. And for myrthe and merye cōmunicacyon, some are this day in continuall sylence and contemplacyon▪ in secrete and inwarde remembrance and studye of this glorious passyon of Chryst. Howe, what, what maner, what panguyes, and vnder what fashon he suffered. Some in cōtinal prayer, euery one after soche deuocyō as god gyueth hym grace. This is the maner and fasshon of kepynge the solempnytie and feast of this day. But all these vtwarde doynges, of sylence, prayer, con­templacyon, fastynge, abstynencye, goynge wolwarde, baare legged or baare footed with all soche other: yf it be not done with an inwarde mynde, with an inwarde deuocyon, with a true herte, a true fayth to god and for his loue: I wyll not gyue a strawe for it. Yf it be not done for his loue, it is not vayleable, not profytable, nor meritoryous. Beware of dyssimulacyon, for yf that come abrode, all is marred, all is dasshed.

But why is this vnwonte maner of solempnytye obserued and kepte this day onely, cōtrary to all other [Page] dayes of the yeare? I thynke verylye that fyue causes may be alledged and assygned for it, 5. cause cō dicionis huiꝰ diei. ‘videlicet Legis prae­ceptio, Peccatorum nostrorum deploratio, Supra mortem Christi compassio. Exterioris solennisationis translatio. Et excellentissime festiuitatis summa religio.’

The fyrste cause is, as it is wrytten in the lawe i. of the solempnytie and feaste of the propicyacyon, as a figure of this daye, ‘Sabbatum requietionis est. Affligeres animas vestras.’ Agayne, ‘Omnis anima quae non fuerit af­flicta in hac die, exterminabitur de plebe.’ This is the Sabaoth day,Sabbatū requieti­onis. the day of rest: This is the day in which ye shall afflycte and punyshe your selues. Aīas vestras, your soules, your mindꝭ, aswel as your bodies. Agayn, Euery man that dothe not this daye afflycte & punyshe hym selfe, shall be banyshed & put out from my people saythe god. Se ye nowe whether the maner of the ob­seruacyon of this day kepte by chrysten people, doo not agree and quadrate with this letter, euen as it is wryt­ten to be kepte in the lawe. Seynge that noo day in the yeare, man dothe soo well absteyne as this daye: Yee bothe from vyle workes of the body, & also from synne: kepynge this day holye, affyctynge them selues aswell in bodye as in soule, in fastynge and prayer, in goynge some wollwarde, some in heere, in knelynges, prostraci­ons and knockynges theyr breestes: in lyftynge vppe theyr hertes to god, and inwardlye lamentynge theyr synnes, with manye other wayes afflyctynge and pu­nyshynge them selues this day afore all other dayes in the yeare. Yee and doo kepe this day hygh and holye, and vnder soche a fashon, that they doo specyallye ab­steyne this day, from soche kynde of synnes, as they do in other holye dayes moost offende in. As in multilo­quye, stultiloquye, scurrilytye. From ianglynge and moche language, from folyshe and scurrylous speache, [Page] from wanton wordes, from lyght behauyoure, from swearynge and ydle othes, from periurye and blaphe­mye, from voluptuous meates and drynkes, from fyl­thye and flesshlye lyuynge, & soche other vsuall synnes.

This day with all diligencye that they can, they do auoyde and flee vtterlye (for the moost pa [...]re) all kynd of synnes that are in other tymes most vsed & haunted: and studiously doo vse them selues in vertue, in prayer, in deuocyon, in meditacyon and contemplacyon, in stu­dyinge Chryst, in deuoute remembraunce of his payn­full passyon and the greate benefytes of the same: euer cryenge & callynge vpon god for mercy, for remyssyon, for indulgencye and pardon of theyr synnes, and to be parteners of the hyghe merytes of this mooste blyssed Passion, and that they may be therby pourged, clensed, iustifyed, and thereby brought vnto the enherytaunce of heuen. And vnder this chrystyan behauyour good people doo this day holyly, deuoutly & penitently passe theyr tyme in holynes, in contemplacyon, in prayer and penaunce. In somoch that he or she is wondered vpon, yee despysed and reiecte amonges the good people, that doth not vse them selues better and more deuoutly this day, then an other day. That doo not this day vse them selues moore godly & chrystyanly, then any other day.

The seconde cause of the solompnyte & deuocion of this day is ‘Deploratio peccatorum nostrorum.’ That ii. we shulde this day lamente, weepe & mourne our owne synnes. For yf euery man and woman doo depely con­sider the enormytyes and magnitude of theyr offenses towardes God, whiche were and are soo greate and haynous, that it was necessarye for the sonne of god to suffer for doynge of them away: we shall haue occasyon ynough, inwardly to lamente & wepe our sayd synnes. For scrypture saythe.1 Petri. [...] ▪ ‘Christus mortuus est pro peccatis [Page] nostris, iustus pro iniustis.’ Chryste dyed for our synnes▪ the ryghteous for the vnryghteous, the good man for the synner, Chryst for man. Chryst I saye dyed for our synnes. Not onely for the synnes which soch a synguler persone or soche a man dothe: but for the synnes of the hoole worlde, whiche were done from the begynnynge hytherto, and that shall be done to the worldes ende.

The other thre causes why this vnwont maner of this solempnitie is vnder this fashon obserued & kepte this onely day, I shall reserue it tyll the nexte yeare or some other conuenyent tyme as shall be thought moost expedyent for the audyence. And in meane season shall exhorte you all in our Lorde God, as of olde custome hath here this day bene vsed, euery one of you or ye de­parte, with moost entere deuocyon, knelynge tofore our sauyour lorde god, this our Iesus Chryst, whiche hath suffered soo moche for vs, to whome we are soo moche bounden, whoo lyeth in yonder sepulchre: In honoure of hym, of his passyon & deathe, and of his v. woundes, to say .v. Pater noster .v. Aues, and one Crede. That it may please his mercyfull goodnes to make vs parte­ners of the merites of this his moost gloryous Passyō, bloode and deathe. Whoo haue you in his mercyfull kepynge and preseruacyon, Iesus Chryst, Qui regnat cum patte & spiritu sancto per infinita secula. AMEN.

DEO GRATIAS. Dominus dedit.