IT is now right honorable, & welbeloued in our Lord, and Sauiour Iesus Christ ij yeares a gone sence that on this day, and this houre I occupyed this place. Sēce which tyme I can not reporte any great newes vnto you out of the world. Saue onely that saying of Terence: Terence. Poeta cum primum. &c. Terence when he begā first to write Poetrie persuaded with himself that all the world would be in loue with his doings, but it fel out otherwise:Reuel. 10. vers. 9. Euē so it commeth to passe with the preachers of the worde of God. The word of God is swete as hony in their mouth. But it is bitter in their belly, men begyn with ioy and clappyng of handes, But if they sticke to the word in continuaunce it wil replenishe their belly, & their bones with bitternes. But, for that there is so great nōber of you come forth to heare, and it séemeth that your desire is great to know what you are come forth to heare, I will therefore tell you. This text that I doe meane to entreate of is onely for almes, and for openyng of your bowels, and ge­uyng relief vnto the poore. And because I would put it in such order that ye might [Page] the better beare it away. I will deuide it into these braunches.

I do halfe distrust that these speches of myne wilbe in vayne, and come backe agayne vnto me, euen as the Prophet E­say saith? Domine quis credet auditui nostro Lorde who will beleue that whiche I haue heard? For it is an hard persuasiō to persuade agaynst money, and it is as much to some to departe from their mo­ney to the poore, as to pull out their eyes and cast them away, or cut of their legges and geue them away. Yet I cannot but comfort my selfe in God, For these that haue the eares to heare me shall heare me. And that I may do it to the better fruite of you here assembled together vn­to the glory of God in heauen: I shall de­sire you to assiste me with your good and deuout prayers. &c.

Now welbeloued, if it please you to [Page] sée ouer with me the contentes and per­sels of this péece of scripture, I will geue you this vew for your better knowledge, First, that almes ought to be geuen, and how, which is conteined in these wordes Mitte panem & Da partem. The second, what ought to be geuen, which is in this worde Panis bread. And to whom we ought to geue vpon the face of the wa­ters to vij. and viij. Why we should geue because after many dayes we shall find it againe. Secondly, because we cannot tell what ill may be chaunce vpon the earth. Thirdly, because cloudes and trees are bounteous, and liberall.

And touchyng the first point that we must geue almes, I cannot but maruell that men are so slow, & hard affectioned in geuyng consideryng the great threat­nyngs of God to those that wil not geue,Threat­ning against hard hartednesse. & the promises of God to those that will geue. Touchyng y^e threatnyngs of God, Let vs thinke thus. 1. Iohn. 3. Qui habet facultates huius mundi. &c. He that hath the substaunce of this world, and seeth his brother want how can the loue of God be in hym. So that this Scripture threatneth, that God will loue him no lō ­ger that doth sée his brother in necessitie, [Page] and will not releue him. The weight of this threatnyng is the losse of the loue of God: the whiche loue is so great that when as the mother forgetteth her child, yet the loue of God continueth stil to his beloued. And it is surely to be thought that those that are verely beloued of god, cannot by depth or hight, heate, or cold, or any violente meanes be seperated a­way.The first threatnyng is the losse of the loue of God. We may sée likewise a president of our punishment for not geuyng almes. In that rich person which S. Luke spea­keth of chap. xvi. The which rich man af­ter his death to his greater grief sée La­zarus who he had cōtēned in one hauē of rest with Abraham: Agayne he could not helpe his frendes by warnyng of thē to a­mēd their liues, & that which was worst of all other, he was tormented in fire. (I am tormented in this fire sayth he.) Fire burneth, scaldeth, scorcheth & tormēteth, and if the world will not beleue this, Let them do as S. Thomas did into Christes woundes, put in their handes, and féele. But the world beleueth that there is no fire, But I beleue that it tormenteth, and that it wilbe founde so. Further we read Math. xxv. Then he will say to those that be on the left hand: go ye cursed frō me [Page] into fire which was prepared from the beginning. When I was a straunger ye dyd not receiue me. &c. So that the fire is not onely hote, but it is euerlastyng­ly hote. Martine Luther sayd, that hee could not remēber God the father with­out horror and feare, except he remem­bred also Iesus Christ. Then,Hell exhor­teth to libe­ralitie. the remē ­braunce of the paynes of hell be without Christ intollerable. But specially eterni­tie of punishmēt hath all terrour in it. If that a man should be preste with a stone as bigge as the whole earth, and euery thousand yeare a byrde should come, and cary away but one bilfull of this stone, yet in tyme the stone would wholy be ca­ryed away. But that whiche is euer can neuer cease. Let therfore fire, and eterni­tie of the fire, exhorte you to be mercyfull vnto the poore.

If you will rather be moued by pro­mises, God promiseth lviij.Promises. of the Pro­phet Esay. If thou doest breake thy bread vnto the poore, and poure out thy hart, Thy light shall rise in darke­nesse, and thy dymnes shalbe as the none tyde, & God shal euer gide thee. He shall fill thy soule in all drouthes, and he shal fatten thy bones, and thou [Page] shalt be as a moist garden and as a foū ­taine whose water shall neuer faile. A­gayne it is sayd come ye blessed of my father possesse the kyngdome prepa­red for you before the foundations of the worlde were layd. When I was a straunger ye did receiue me. &c. So that the possessiō of the kingdome of hea­uen remaineth to those that harbor straū gers, and cloth the naked, and do the like workes of compassion. The pleasures of heauen are ioyfull pleasures, our toung cannot speake how ioyfull, nor our eare heare, nor our hart thinke in what excesse they be. The greater the ioyes they be, the more they exhorte vs to be liberall. Geue therefore: for euen of it selfe it is goodly to geue. Christe sayth it is more blessed to geue then to take. The noble­nes of creatures cōsisteth in geuyng: the Sunne in geuyng his light, the Moone her light, the starres their light, y^e cloudes their water, y^e trées their fruite, the earth her grasse, y^e grasse her floures. Al good natures haue ben well spokē of for geuing. Salust saith Caesar by helping by reliuing & forgeuing got renome. Augustus Cae­sar thought that day to be lost in y^e which he gratified no man with some pleasure, [Page] But you wil say how should a mā geue? Mitte. That is, cast it, mēs almes must be cast. In casting there are two thyngs. The will of the doing, & the readynes in doing. Touching y^e wil it self, Tully saith in his offices, That which is wel done is therfore well done because it is willingly done. Cōcerning the readines in geuing, we must cast it. We must do euē as God doth to vs, if we séeke the kyngdome of heauen all thynges are cast vnto vs. The true obedience of God doth not prolōg,Gene. 7. Gene. 17. Iohn. 10. or driue of from tyme to tyme, Noath the same moment that he was commaunded entred he, and his into the Arke. Abrahā Circūcised his house in the same day he was appointed. Christ sayd to the Apo­stles, come and sée, and streight way they came and sawe. Iacob beyng commaun­ded to goe out of his countrey hoised vp his féete, and went. It is commaūded in the xx. of the Prouerbes that we should not say go, and come agayne to morrow. Iames saith iiij. that we know not what wilbe to morow. Gregory Nazianzen sayth in his Epigrames. That when he had once lost the good tenour of lyfe, gray heares was gotte about his head or hee could recouer it agayne. If we begyn to [Page] harden our hart towardes the poore, be­yng young. If we do not cast our bread readely, but driue their hungry mouthes away greuously, gray heares will come vpō our heads, or we can come backe in­to the way of pitie, and compassion.

And as we must cast our bread for our owne part so rechelesly that the one hand shall not know what the other doth: So must we do it so equally in the behalfe of our poore neighbours, that there may be a diuisiō, for so it is ment in this word Distribue, or Da partes: that is deuide it, or part it.Iob. 31. Tobi. 2. So Iob and Tobi are repor­ted in the Scripture to haue broken their bread. Our people haue not all one belly. As Nero wished that the people of Rome might haue all one necke.Indifferē ­cy in aimes geuyng. One chimney beyng full of fire an other may be cold. One potte beyng full of licour an other may be dry. And one poore mās belly be­yng full, An other poore mans stomacke may be knawyng, and hungry. That is a good stomacke whiche sendeth out nou­rishment vnto all partes of the body. And that is a good common wealth, which loo­keth to euery member of the common wealth. For as it is good for euery one that all should be looked vnto, so it is good [Page] for the whole state of the weale publicke.

Tertulian sayth, where there is no Iu­stice, there is no peace. And it is true, for not onely beggers as Irus and Vlisses do fall foorth for lacke of equalitie, but it goeth further, and higher: For Esaw wi­shed his fathers death, because he had ge­uē all away vnto Iacob. So Caesar sayth in Lucan. That certaine priuate men had caught all the wealth into theyr hands. But that is the speciall, and grea­test hart breake, when as thynges are so vniustly deuided, that worthy men haue litle, And vnworthy men haue much, as when great learned S. Austen is Byshop of little Hippo, and litle learned Aurelius Byshop of great Carthage. Other some expound this word Da partes, rather thus Da partē. That is, geue part. And thē you wil aske me how much a man must geue of his substaunce. I will aunswere with Naziēzen out of his Epigrames.How much a man must geue. Geue all or most, or halfe, or litle lesse. And out of Tobi the iiij. chapter: and if thou hast much geue much, if litle, geue as­much as thou canst. And out of Luke the 3. chap. He that hath two coates let hym geue one to him that hath not, & of meate likewise. Here if ye desire that [Page] I should quallifie this streight commaū dement: surely I will not, our own hard hartes are ready inough to finde excuses▪ But I will let the commaundement ly [...] hard as it doth, stād to your owne perils and quallifie it as you can.

Let vs go forward, and sée what w [...] must geue, and to whom we must geue▪ The texte sayth we must geue bread Bread therefore is the thyng we must geue.What and to whom we must geue. In the which there be two thynges to be noted, the one is to the taker, & the other to the geuer. To the taker as thus. Bread will serue beggers. Beggers may not be chosers. They are bold beggers that in Stangate hole take mēs horses by the heades, & aske money, beggers may not be of the opinion of the Anabaptistes that euery mās goodes are commō. Beg­gers must bee content to take vp their crosse euery day, & to suffer. And to know that mans nature is satisfied with a litle. Agayne here the geuer may learne to geue fréely. The thyng that he geueth is but bread. The Hebrew word Lahem si­gnifieth, bread or fruit. Bread is y^e fruite of the earth. The earth geueth it vs, and therfore we may y^e better geue it agayne. It wilbe sayd that bread in this place sig­nifieth [Page] as in the Lords prayer all things necessarye.Math. 6. I will not greatly stande a­gaynste it. Howbeit I must néedes say it is worthy to be noted. That the fare and the there of the old tyme is contayned in bread, & the drinke of the old tyme is con­teyned in water: But in this thyng as in other thynges the simplicitie of the olde world is quite fled, and new thynges and corrupt thynges are crept in. In old time father Iacob desired hee might haue but bread in his iourney.Gene. 28. In this new tymes it is with vs as Bernard said it was with his Monkes.New fa­shions and old fashiōs quyte con­trary. I maruell (sayth he) that such intēperaunce is growen amongst my Mōkes in their eatynges and drin­kynges. All thynges are dressed with such he defulnes and craft. The pallat is intised with new sawses. Who can tell by how many meanes egges are tos­sed & vexed, with what a do they are tur­ned out, and halfe turned out, made soft made hard, and deminished, fried, rosted, fersed, with other meates, without other meates? The stomacke doth declare it selfe to haue inough by often belchyng: but yet theyr curiositie is not satisfied whilest that the eyes are fild on with co­lore and the pallat with tastes. The vn­happy [Page] stomacke to whom neither colors do shyne, nor tastes are daintie, whilest it is compelled to receaue all thynges, it is rather ouerwhelmed then refreshed.

In old tyme their drinke was contey­ned in the name of water. In the new tyme it is as S. Barnard saith of y^e drinke of his Monkes.In libro A­pologetico de Mona­chis. Primo vinum lymphatum non admittitur &c. First of all we can a­byde no water in our wine. We haue all gotten weake stomackes. I am asha­med to speake it. Thou shalt sée in one dynner halfe cupfulles of wyne caryed backe againe. And diuers kindes of wine are rather smelled to, thē drōkē of. Not so much drōkē as tasted: at lēgth after wit­ty tastyng, & swift allowyng, they chose one whiche is most strong, and heddy. Agayne they myngle their wynes with hony. Do they that for weaknes of their stomacke? truly I do sée none other pur­pose in their so doing, but onely that they may drinke more, or with more pleasure. But when the vaynes are full of wyne, and doe frote and beate all the head o­uer, a man rising so from the table, what other lust then hath he but to go to slepe? And when he is come to his bed, he doth morne not the sinne of his dronkennes: [Page] but because his stomacke is gone that he can eate no more.Gene. 18. In old tyme Aungels were wont to go on foote, In new tyme as Salomon sayth,Gene. 23. &. 38. seruauntes ryde on horsebacke. In old time father Iacob and Iudas traueled farre iorneyes with a staffe on their backe: In these new tymes we cannot traueile from one village to an other, But we haue a sword, & a buc­ler, a Tucke, and a Targette, a dagger & a raper, a muskete, a cal [...]uer, a currier, a hargabush, and an halfe hacke, a pistol & a pistollet, a dagge and a snapehanche. I say the mallice, & curiositie of new times hath driuen awaye the simplicitie of olde tymes.Gene. 27. In old tyme my Lady Rebecka came ridyng to her new husband on a ca­mels backe, In new tyme our Ladyes haue waggyns, couches, and horselitters soft, silkē, & sewtable. In old time the Pa­triarke Iudas dyd know the harlot Tha­mer by her apparell,Gene. 24. In the new time ei­ther matrons are so lightly apparelled, or harlots so grauely, that thinges are blun­dered, and confounded. In old tyme the Prophetes were knowne by their appa­rell,1. Kings. 13 Read Pe­ter Mar­tyrs Com­mentary. As that Prophet whiche was slayne by the Lyon, In the new tyme because some godly men haue a remorse in wea­ryng [Page] [...] [Page] [...] [Page] some kynde of apparell. Therefore other some of the Ministerie pretendyng the same Religion, will go brauely lyke mynions.Gene. 37. In old tyme Ioseph dreamed a dreame that he should be in great estima­tion & that hys brethren should worshyp him, and told it them. In new tyme it is thought a sufferaigne wisedome to be of an hollow, and close hart, and to dissēble in all thynges.Gene. 39. In old tyme Ioseph could not be pulled by his mistres to cōsēt vn­to her, In new time it is a certaine kinde of trade for mē to rise vp by pullyng their mistres.Gene. 49. In old tyme Ioseph forgaue his brethren, that had abused hym, and done hym so many iniuries. In this new time there is nothing but fierce reuengement in all sortes. Euery mā taketh his felow by the throt, And if there lacke iust occa­siōs, they will picke quarels. In y^e time of Iustinus Martyr. They cried out in mat­ters of doctrine LET OLD THINGS PREVAILE. So I put you in remem­braūce of the simplicitie of the old world. In matters of maners doe now cry out Let old thynges preuayle. And this much of that point, what we must geue.

To whom we must geue.Let vs now likewise briefly sée to whō we must geue. The text sayth in the first [Page] lyne vpō the face of the waters. The secōd line to vij. or to viij. You wil say you do not know what that saying meaneth vppon the face of the waters. I thinke so. A good deuine may misse the exposi­tion of this place. I will not take vppon me to vnderstād it. But will tell you how others haue writtē vpon it. And first Ca­stalio commeth into my mynde, who ex­poundeth it thus. Cast thy bread vpon the face of the waters. That is, vnto moist places. By moist places he semeth to meane such places, and persōs as will be fruitfull, and thriue by the castyng of our bread vnto them. But this expositiō me thinketh cānot be true. Because that in this world no man cā tell what successe will come vnto man. Salomon sayth in the ix. chap. of Eccle. All thynges fall out alike vnto all men. One chaunce is to the iust and vniust. The good, & cleane and the vncleane. To him that sacrifi­ceth, and to hym that doth not sacri­fice. Euen as the good is, euen so is he that doth sinne. And as he is that doth sweare, so is he that is afeard to take an othe. Agayne he said, I see that in rū ­nyng it did not preuayle to bee swift. Nor in battaile to be strong, that wise [Page] men doe not alwayes get their bread, nor witty men riches. And that lear­ned men are not alwayes in fauour. But tyme, and chaunce preuayleth in euery thyng. I do hereby therfore ga­ther, that we should not stand still vpon consultyng, whether the partie that we wold geue to, would thriue, or not thriue, be lucky or not lucky, it were but a vayne consultation, because man cannot tell it. And therfore I will let slip this expositiō. An other exposition there is. That to cast thy bread vpon the face of the waters, is to send it ouer the Seas. And if this be true as it is not all together vnlickly: We may sée how large, and farre sprea­ding a thing charitie is, whiche the great and huge body of the monstruous Sea can not dissunder. They be our neigh­bours also which dwell beyond the seas. For charitie stretcheth to the compassion towardes all mē.Charitie is not tyed to a few but spreadeth farre. And if y^t our power be such, we are bounde to reliue those that bee beyond the Seas: then this is but a couetous folly to persuade our selues, That we are not bound in conscience to geue any thyng out of our owne Pari­shes. Nay this is a forcible argument a­gaynst them that prouide onely for their [Page] owne housholdes kinredes, and families. But specially agaynst those which casting away all other care, doe make their bel­ly their onely God. And thinke them selues borne onely to them selues: men most farre of from the obseruyng of this precept. Send or cast thy bread vppon the face of the waters.

There is yet also an other exposition, and that is to cast our bread vpon moyst faces, asmuch to say as faces of teares:Teares. or weping faces, & in déede teares are great cause of compassiō, specially the teares y^t rise frō beggers eyes are of great force, & must néedes be regarded. If the teares of Esaw that wept for losse of goodes, if of Pompey that wept at the sight of the Citie called Cacobasilia, Gene. 17. of Dauid that wept for y^e losse of one city, & two wiues, Of Alexander that wept for the sight of a Tragedy, of Metellus that wept be­cause he was not at the wynnyng of Nu­mydy, If the teares which rise of foyles, of kyndenes, of vnkyndnes, of percell losses, if the teares of vnkyndnes be fa­mous, and remembred: what say you to those teares that rise of beggery, of mise­ry, and of hunger. O what should a man say to those faces, which be made moyst [Page] thorough the styng of hunger. Hunger hath most bitter, and sharpe effectes. It casteth in, all extremities. Prouerb .xxvij. To an hungry soule euery bitter thyng is sweete, it made the Apostles glad to eate the eares of corne. Dauid glad to eate the shewe bread. Lazarus glad to eate cromes. Elias glad of meale, Cor­cutus the Turkes elder brother to lyue long with wyldinges. In the destruction of Ierusalem it made the mother to eate her child In the waylynges of Ieremy it made people to eate theyr owne or­dure. Gene. 41. It made the people crye vnto Pha­rao for bread. It made so great an hun­ger in Samaron, 2. Kinges. 2 that the hed of an asse, and a litle Pigeons dong were dearely sold,Esay. 51. it made them to sound and to lye in the stretes. Apocal. 6. It maketh them blacke as sute, And therfore the horse of hunger is called the blacke horse, And in this place is sayd to make men to shed teares, and haue moyst faces. Dauid sayth that God nombred all his teares in a bottell. Dauides teares were worthy to be preser­ued. But, if euer teares were worthy to be nombred, the teares that are shed for famine, howsoeuer mē neglect them, are vndoubtedly gathered together into gods [Page] bottell, and thence they rayne as waters out of violles in way of reuengement of those that wil not looke vpon thē.He that re­gardeth not teares, re­gardeth no­thyng. Teares are the last thyng that man or womā can moue by. And therfore poore Dido beyng at the last cast desireth Aeneas by her teares to bee good to her: where teares moue not, there nothyng moueth. I de­sire you, good people, by the fayntyng of these poore men, by their blacke faces, by their cryinges, by their sownynges, by their teares to be good, and mercyfull vn-them. And to cast your bread vpon their moyst faces.

The last expositiō of this text, is. That a man should geue his almes, though he haue no more hope to recouer it, then he hath that whiche hee casteth vppon the face of the runnyng water. This sence I thinke to bee nerest vnto the truth. And this sence exhorteth vs vehemently to be francke, and almost desperate in geuing, and taketh away almost all excuse of hol­dyng, and retainyng. Furthermore if ye desire to know to whō we should geue, the text wil tell you, to vij. or to viij. That is to a great nōber. The Scripture saith, geue to euery one that asketh, so God in the begynnyng of the Genesis gaue [Page] herbes & other foode to euery liuing thing. Euery common wealth that letteth any member of it to perishe for hunger, is in so doyng the worse, and more vncharita­ble common wealth. But, there be such doubtes that you cannot be persuaded to parte with any thyng you haue,Obiections of the hard hart. because a man partyng now from his money to a poore man, it is as a man should cast a thyng into the water, it will be lost, and it wil not be remembred. Touchyng that point that you thinke it shalbe lost, ye shal here more afterward.The do­ynges of men are soone for­gotten. Cōcernyng the re­membraunce of your good déedes thus bestowed ye shal here present. I marueile what this world can do wherby it shalbe remēbred? Is not the place of Paradise it selfe, and the iiij. riuers cleane forgottē where they were? If Paradise be forgot­ten, shall earthly remembraunces re­maine? Who doth now beare in mynde what maner of apparell Iulius Caesar, or Salomon did weare? Or what were the fashions in attyre in those dayes?Luke. 16. Who hath in mynde what meate the rich glot­ton dyd eate? is not the Cheualry of ma­ny a mā forgotten?True al­mes neuer forgotten. bookes and booke wri­ters forgotten? Dwellynges, feastes, shewes, Royalties, ioyes, and iestes for­gotten? [Page] all thynges in this world are, or shalbe forgotten. But God is not vniust that hee will forget the worke,Hebr. 6. and loue which you haue shewed in his name.

Yet there is an other doubt that a mā must geue to so many, to vij. or to viij.An other excuse. A­las will they say, we shalbe ouerwhelmed with nomber. A man by geuing to so many beggers, hym selfe in tyme shalbe a begger. Dauid aunswered to this, I ne­uer saw the iust man forsaken, nor hys seede beggyng his bread. He meaneth this, that in so long a lyfe as Dauid had leadd, a man shall scarce sée that vpon an vpright harte in geuyng a man shalbe brought to beggery. But let vs sée the weight of this doubt, thou sayest thou art afrayd to geue vnto vij, or to viij. Let me heare what y^u sayest, is it so great a thing to geue vnto vij, or to viij? But y^u makest it no great doubt, thou thy selfe alone to set vpō vij. viij. ix. x. or xx. dishes. To haue xx. coates, xx. houses, xx. farmes, yea xx. Lordshyps. If thou be a Lawyer thou art not afeard to vnder xx. poore men, or a Marchaunt to eate vp twenty Mar­chauntes. Where there is no feare thou art much afearde: and where there is much feare, y^u art nothyng afeard. The world can euer easly find a staffe to beate [Page] a dogge. The world is neuer without ex­cuse, it is euer ready to finde delayes, and finde shiftes to kéepe in their almes. So Naball whē Dauid made his moane to hym for relief at his hand, Though hée were a starke foole otherwayes, yet he redely founde excuses to deny hym his re­quest.1. Sam. 25. For first sayth Dauid who is Na­ball, Nabals excuse. or who is the sonne of Isa? Secōd­ly he sayth, that many seruauntes were gone a side from their master. Thirdly, that such meate as hee had it was pro­uided, but for him, & his sherers. Wel, go to, let vs examine these reasons of Naball, and pursewe hys excuses. Who is Dauid quoth Naball, and who is the sonne of Isa? Abigall a wise woman, the wife of Naball did know Dauid. The seruauntes of Naball dyd reporte very well of Dauid. Dauid had kylled great Golliath, Dauid was knowne to the Ladies of Israell, and all Israell: yet Na­ball doth not know Dauid. Naball dyd knowe Dauid, but Naball would not know Dauid. Deafe eares in aduersi­tie, deafe eares in aduersitie. Neuer in miserie doth any Naball know any Da­uid. Let vs sée this second excuse, Many seruauntes bee gone a side from theyr [Page] master. Naball here séemeth to accuse Dauid of goyng aside from his master, that is of a schisme, or rebellion, Neuer thinkyng with him selfe the great cruelty of his Master Saule, The perillous accu­sations of Doeg, yea and at such tyme as Dauid went about to asswage the deui­lishe, and vntēperat nature of Saule with pleasaunt, and well tewned musike, At the same tyme Saule went about to kyll Dauid. These thynges Naball would not consider, for surely Naball, and wic­ked men will to the death accuse iust mē, rather then by their almes they wil relief thē. Nabals third excuse was y^t such pro­uision as hée had was for him, & his shea­rers, and this excuse is also worthy to be thought vpon. Let vs consider Dauid & Naball, what was Dauid? as I sayd be­fore, a triumpher vpon Golliath, a man of wyde renome, & vnder God the glory of Israell. What is Dauid? At this instāt when he made his supplication to Nabal a poore Gentleman, yet a Gētleman, yea a very honest godly & famous gentlemā. What was Dauid? like to be a Prince, a Kyng, and his séede to rule in secula secu­lorū. Now what was Naball? His name sayth, he was a foole. His good wife sayd [Page] he was a foole, and his maners proclaimed hym to bee a foole in secula seculorum▪ Yet foolish Nabal and his foolish shearers must haue all. And Dauid and his godly company must lacke all: Thus what for feare to cast our bread into the water or for feare to geue it vnto to many as to vij. or viij. or els for other excuses which wordly Nabals can inuent: Dauid and poore men are most sparyngly refreshed, charity is quenched, and we dare not cast our bread vppon the face of the waters. But these doubtes are no doubtes, wherfore we should not geue,The first reason why we should geue. but the reasons that folow are great reasons wherefore we shuld geue, because after many dayes we shall finde it agayne. And here the world can doubt nothyng, but that we shall finde it agayne. For God sayth in this place we shall finde it agayne. In Eccl. 3. It is sayd, That the Lord which doth recompence fauour for fauour wilbe myndefull hereafter. That hee whiche geueth in tyme of his fall shall receaue relief agayne. In Psalme xlj. It is sayd. Blessed is he which doth consi­der of the poore and nedy. Because in the day of necessitie the Lord will de­liuer him. The Lord will kepe him and [Page] quicken hym. He shal be blessed in the land, and shall not be geuen ouer into the handes of hys enemies. The Lord shall prompt hym vp in the bed of his sorrow. And turne his couch in his in­firmitie. So by these, and many other places it is playne, that God sayeth we shall finde our almes agayne.The truth of the word of God proueth that we shall re­ceaue our almes a­gayne. Neither cā the hard harted man sticke here, except he will doubt whether Gods wordes bée true or no, The whiche if he do let him knowe what Dauid sayth Psalme. xciij. saying, thy testimonies are very true. Esay sayth xlv. chap. De ore egressum est verbum meum & nō reuertetur. The word is gone out of my mouth and it shall not returne. 2. Cor. 1. It is sayd: All the promises in Christ be yea & amen. And this is true of all Gods other pro­mises, They bee all yea and amen,Gene. 49. Old Iacob promised that Christ would come so it fell out it was yea and amen.

For God fulfilled that which he pro­mised by Iacob. Gene. 15. He promised Abrahās séede lyke the Starres from the sky: It came so to passe as we read in third booke of the kynges:3. Kinges. 3 I am sayth Salomon in the middest of this people, whiche can not be nōbred nor compted. His pro­mise [Page] that he made to Sara was true. Hi [...] promise that hee made in xxx. of Exodus in deliueryng hys people out of Egyp [...] was true, That whiche he promised t [...] Iosua of the wynnyng of the Citie Ha [...] and all the kynges that conspired agayn [...] him was true likewise.Iosua. 8. 1. Kings. 13 3. Kinges. 3 1. Samu. 65 1. Sam. 4. He promised Dauid his kyngdome, Salomon wisedome Pharao destruction by water, Saule loss [...] of his kyngdome, Helye necke breake Salomon the deuiding of his kingdome And all these proued true, all and euer the wordes of God shalbe found certain that is yea & amen. Neither are we alon [...] to venture of the certeintie of these promisses. They haue bene that haue ventured long before, and with great ieperdie vpō the bare word of God.Gene. 12. Abraham ventured to forsake the acquaintaunce o [...] his youth, his kinsfolke, and frēdes, and and to leaue that which he had long sen [...] with his eyes, to go to that whiche he neuer saw, So ventured he to set vpō kyng Gederlaomer and his felow kings.Gene. 14. And further to kill his own sonne, and all this vpon the bare word of God.Gene. 6. Noe ventured to defray great sommes of money for the buyldyng of an Arke, All the whole world laughyng on him to scorne, by the [Page] onely warraunt of Gods worde, Moses ventured to forsake the kynred, and ac­quayntaunce of Pharao, and rather to suffer affliction with the people of God onely for the trust he had in that worde. And as it is sayd in xj to the Hebr. what shall I more say? the tyme will fayle me if I should rehearse of Gedion, of Barach Sampson, Iepth, Dauid, Samuell & the Prophetes. If all these haue ventured, why dare not you venture? vppon mans word the world wil venture: mans word is but pēne inke and paper. Gods word is a rocke, Gods word is not subiect to casualtie. Mans word is subiect to craft & casualtie. If therfore we venture vpon any ground, Let vs venture vpon Gods worde, why should we not venture? In short tyme after we must venture, for we must dye, & leaue our goods we wote not to whom. So in Luke xij. Foole this night they will fetche away thy soule. And then that whiche thou hast gotte whose shall it be? So in Eccle. 3. I hate my labour in the whiche I haue labo­red vnder the sunne. Because I must leaue it vnto a man which shalbe after me. And no man can tel whether he be wise or a foole. And yet he must be a [Page] Lord in all the labour, which I haue la­bored vnder the sunne. Heyres apparēt I saye are not alwayes heyres at your death you must venture it, therfore now venture it. Vēture, for after many dayes ye shall receaue it agayn. But it forethin­keth you y^t God differreth your reward many dayes and that it shalbe long or you finde it.Iob. 1. Know you what Iob sayth. If we take good thyngs at Gods hand, Why doe we not take ill thinges likewise? If we be well content y^t God should lōg dif­ferre our punishmēt why are we not likewise cōtent y^t God should lōg differre our ioy, & reward? God suffered Cayne long vnpunished, He suffered the sinners be­fore the stud Cxx. yeares after he had warned them. He suffered the Amorittes, whilest their iniquitie was filled vp. He suffered Sodome, and Gomorra whilest the crye of their wickednes was multi­plied, and their sinne was to much made haynous.Esay. 1 [...]. He suffered Mohab iij. yeares, he threatened that the people should bée slayne on the alter in Ierobohams dayes for their wickednes,1. Kings. 13 yet he differred this punishment CC. and lx. yeares. He suffe­red vngodly men to prolong their dayes by their malice. He suffereth wicked men [Page] to liue in great prosperitie, and to be bu­ryed honorably.Eccl. 7. and 10. And their sonnes to be great men, And ryde on horsebacke. He suffered the rich man in S. Luke to eate and drinke euen to his death. He beareth with iniquitie in all men, and suffereth it long vnpunished. Therfore if it be long or we finde our bread agayne, we must be content with it. If it greue vs that it is differred many dayes. Let vs remem­ber that Dauid also being a good, and iust man was vnlooked to many dayes. And therefore he crieth often Ʋsquequo. Psalm. 6. and .13. How long, how long Lord, how long, and this he crieth oftēs. The people of God sayth, that they were exercised with miseries euen from their youth. Godly men dye vnburied, and hee that did saue a Citie.Eccl. 9. God suffered hym in this worlde to bee cleane forgotten. Sara suffered long vexa­tion of Hagar, and her sonne, Abraham suffered long the iniurie of Abimileckes seruauntes, Ioseph suffered longe the wronges of his brethren, and of his mi­stris. Ieremy suffered longe and many wrongs. Paule suffered lōg troubles, and wronges. The people of God Apocal. vi. cry out how long O Lord thou that art holy and true. Doest thou not Iudge [Page] and reuenge our bloud on those that dwell on the earth. So that God exerci­seth good men long in the troubles of this world,Our tyme is but short though trouble make it seme long. And therfore we may be conten­ted if after a long tyme we finde the fruit of our almes agayne. Neither be these dayes long dayes in déede, but in opiniō, and though they be many dayes, yet are they but dayes. For the length of our life is not worthy to be named in y^e name of yeares. Our life is as Iacob sayth of hys life my dayes are but a few. Ioseph be­yng borne in the midle age of Iacob is sayd in Scripture so bee the sonne of hys old age. For a man beyng a child, is euen now at his middle age: and beyng at hys middle age is euen now at his olde age. An hundred yeares in age is but the yeares of childhode, so it is sayd a child of an hūdred yeare old.Esay. 38. The Prophet Esay calleth lx. yeares but one moment. He tel­leth his people he would forsake them for a moment, He meaneth lx. yeares in the captiuitie of Babilon. Paule calleth the greefes that we haue in this worlde the griefes of a moment, Dauid compareth mās life to wind, to talke, & to a shadow: Esay cōpareth it to the remouyng of a ta­bernacle. Iob to an Egles wyng and to a [Page] Weuers shittell. So that these many dayes are in déede but a few dayes. Go to it frely therefore, For after a fewe dayes though you thinke them many dayes. What soeuer you mercyfully bestow vp­pon the poore ye shall finde it agayne.

There foloweth an other reasō.The second reasō wherfore we should geue almes. Thou canst not tell what wilbe tyde vpō, the earth. So y^t here Salomon semeth to say this much, There will some thyng fall on y^e earth that thou knowest not of, if thou diddest know of it, o [...] wouldest know, it would surely styrre thée vp to be liberall. And that thou doost not know particular chaūces I do not greatly blame thée. In déede Salomon sayth truly, We doe not know thynges to come. For it was not geuē vnto the Apostles to know tymes, & the moments of times, For euen in these thynges where our booke lyeth open, we are deceaued for lacke of knowledge. So Gregory Naziēzen semeth not to know the true honor of Mariage.Orat. 31. Nor Iustinus Martyr the state of aungels, and their af­fection towardes womē. Nor Austen the true meanyng of the Psalmes.Lib. 3. cap. 8. Nor Ie­rome of the litle prophets. Nor Ireneus y^e age of Christ. Tertuliā knew not truth in secōd Mariages. Nor Chrisostome in [Page] frée will and taking of othes. The Coun­cell of Ephesus was deceaued with Eu­tiches heresie. The first Coūcell of Nice had cōmitted a great foly but for Paphnutius. The third Councell of Carthage was deceaued, in forbiddyng prayers to be made vnto y^e sonne of God. The third Councell of Nice knewe not the truth & therfore they set vp Images and cādles, and dissanulled the writynges of Epi­phanius. Peter Martyr semeth to some not to haue vnderstode what Sinus Abrill ment. Beza saw some thynges that Cal­uine sawe not. And Mollineus would seme to sée further then Beza. Musculus confesseth he knoweth not that saying of S. Iohn, That you may be one as I and my father am one. Bucer is thought not to haue determined well of vsury. Casta­lio sayth that he vnderstandeth not the x. part of the Apocalipse. Mans knowledge fayleth in all thynges, Vesalius is repro­ued by Columbus in the Anatomi. Fu­xius by Matheolus in the Herball. And Matheolus by others. Galene the great Phisitian is reproued by many, Paracel­sus hath controled them all and is con­troled him selfe. In Arithmeticke they cannot hit the rule of Algebra, In Geo­metri [Page] Cardanus saith but Euclide hath not handled the matter with dexteritie inough. In Astronomy Ptolome and all his assistaūce are called backe by Coper­nicus; In Logicke they are called backe by Ramus. In morall Philosophie, they know not what the chief good of man is, In the Gréeke toung, the phrase of all men is controled by Dionisius Halicar­nasseus. In the Latine toung there is no mans stile, but it hath some blemish ex­cept y^e stile of Iulius Caesar. If in toungs and Artes, where nature endoctrineth and our booke doth helpe we know not and are deceaued, then in thynges to come, the knowledge whereof is most hidden, it is no maruell though our fore sight bee nought worth, if these easier thynges be so hard to attaine vnto, then those harder thinges are most hardly dis­cussed and specially the knowledge of thyngs to come is in truth it selfe a thing of great difficultie.Astrologie. And here appeareth vnto me a déepe matter, a wide contro­uersie, and a large fielde to speake with or agaynst the Astologers. And the mat­ter is somwhat doubtful. For if I speake with them my text speaketh agaynst thē, If I speake agaynst them. The greater part of men who laugheth all learning to [Page] scorne will haue better will to be rude; & lesse loue to be learned. If I speake with them Picus Mirandula speaketh against them. If I speake agaynst them Ierony­mus Cardanus, Iouianus Pontanus, & Marsilius Ficinus speaketh with thē. Speakyng with them Caluine of a great iudgement speaketh agaynst me, if I speake agaynst them Phillip Melancthō a man of much learnyng will not speake with me. And to conclude I say as our Sauiour Christ some tyme sayd, who be­yng called to bee a Iudge, and [...]per in matters of law about partyng of inheri­taunce (he sayd) who hath appointed me a iudge amongst you? Christ would be no iudge in such basse matters.Pyuish ho­lynes ma­keth foolish iudgement. But I dare not iudge in these learned matters, Neither will I seme to ouer rule the iud­gements of such woorthy, & excellent fa­thers, yet what I mistake I will say. And that I say, semeth to me to be voyde nei­ther of reason, nor of conscience. First therefore I mislike the pyu [...] holynes of some. Who either to reserve (as they thinke) the more power to God, do take away all the vertue, and worthynesse of the creatures: or els to please M. Caluin the more, do take away all Comercia coeli, [Page] that is all the influences of heauen. But as Iob said Go to the beasts of the field and they will teach thee. Iob. 12. So I will thē to resort, but to the contemplation of na­ture, and they cannot be ignoraunt. The herbe called Orphan liueth without any roote.Naturall proffes. The Mallow and the Marigold & the herbe called Holitropium apply thē selues to the presence or absence of the sunne. The Bittell accordyng to y^e forme of the moone, commeth out and goeth in with one course. The Pise myre in the full moone, worketh day & night. Cucu­bers in the full moone be more full, in y^e wayning of the moone more emptie. Shel Fishes follow the course of y^e moone. The fallyng sickenes and the sicknes of eyes Mens sicknesses, and womens infirmi­ties, are increased and decreased by the semblaunce of the Moone. Yea and the great huge Sea, also foloweth the pro­portiō of the Moone likewise. This graū ­teth also Caluine him selfe, that mellan­colly, coller, & other humors are moued and wrought by the Planettes, and tou­chyng mās bodyes somewhat more may be graunted. Howbeit, he that denyeth that the heauēly bodyes, haue no doings towardes, or vpon the inferiour bodyes, [Page] for my parte I thinke them not onely to be witles but also to be myndeles. But here I doe specially mislike, that the A­strologians will not onely geue out their gessinges in generall matters. But al­so in particular countreys, and cases, They will forspeake of warre, and of peace, and of dearth, and of chepth, and as they call them, particular matters of fortune: it yrketh me farther more to re­member the vanitie of these men. For as the Saracens will seeme to deriue their antiquitie from Sara. And the Haggerēs from Haggar, (and that whiche would make a sober man to laugh,The Astrologers do falsely clayme an­tiquitie.) The He­roldes also, will fetch their antiquitie of their imblasenyng, from Cain and Abel, The Papistes their Religiō from Peter: So these Astrologians will defende their fact, and proue their Arte good by the ex­amples of Adam, of Abraham, Isaac, & Iacob. As who would saye Astrologie were a thing of great primacie. We read in déede that Adā gaue very proper He­brew names to foules, fishes, & herbes. But that hee had any knowledge in the Starres that we read not.

Gene .xv. It is sayd to Abraham, Nū ­ber the Starres of heauē if thou canst. [Page] Austen in his booke De Ciuitate Der. xvi. chap. sayth thus. That those are to bee contemned, which say they haue foūd out the nomber of the Starres, For it is onely the propertie of God to know the Starres & their names. And surely if y^t any of thē should at any tyme haue had any knowledge in that sciēce; My thinke that the Patriarke Isaac should séeme to be instructed therin. For of him it is wri­ten,Cap. 24. vers. 62. Isaac went into the fieldes to stu­dy. But of the other it is not writtē that they went to study or dye study. Of the same Isaac we doe read that hee dyd not know the day of his death, Therfore we may thus conclude. Isaac the studient did not knowe the chief parte of Astrologie, that is his fatall houre. Therefore Adā, Abraham, and Iacob, whiche in Scrip­ture haue no name of stud [...]en [...]es dyd not study Astrologie, or at lea [...] were igno­raunt in those thynges, which the Astro­logers do challenge vnto them selues. I wil not vrge here the textes of Esay or S. Austen, or of Tertulian in his booke De habitu Mulicrum. Let them by me enioy their Arte whether it bee much; or little. νόμος, or λό [...]ς, Rule or Iudgement. How­beit I meruell, if that cleare iudgement [Page] may be rendred in their science. Why thē do they alwayes write darkely, or falsly? darkly, like Appollo y^e deuil of Delphos. Such a profound impostor, or deceauer was Nostradamus, who gaue out y^e text openly. But kept the Cōmentary in the chaūcery of his own brest. Our mē are a litle more dull they write playne, for they write playne lyes, and both halfe disclay­myng, and cortallyng of their Arte, yet they pouder it with lyes still. There hath so many gone about to tell vs great truthes, & so few hit in litle truthes, that I suspect it, there is not any truth great or litle in that their great mistery of A­strologie. But though they know not particular chaūces or tymes, or moments of tymes, yet though we neuer vew y^e face of heauen, but poore vpon the earth like brute beastes, which God hath framed to looke where they like best. This must nedes be the entry doore, The threshold, The Alpha, Eccl. 8. and the a. b. c. of all Diuini­tie, Scio quod beue erit timentibus Deū. &c. I knowe that it shalbe well vnto those that feare God, and are afrayde of hys face. And it shall not bee well vnto the wicked: Neither shall they prolong theyr dayes, because they are not a­frayde [Page] of his face. Here then stay. And you shall sée together with me. Whether it be lykely that ill, and mischief will fall vppon the earth, the case is this. If the feare of God be in men, there wil no mis­chief fall vppon the earth. If the feare of God be not in mē there will mischief fall vpō the earth. And here I enter into the fearefull & discoraging questiō. Whether the feare of God be in this generation or not. The feare of God ye know, and the loue of God are most nearely knit toge­ther. And where soeuer is the loue, and feare of God there is y^e kéepyng of Gods commaundements. So that now I must demaund whether that Gods cōmaunde­mentes be kept on earth.Iohn. 14. And now this questiō groweth from bitter to bitterer, from worme woodde to gall, From worse to worste. For, (thought I) for me to go tell the breache of the lawes throughout the lād, And y^e breakers of Gods lawes, and the illnes that may, & will lyght vpō the lād: Since Ionas so feared it, Michae so felt it, and Ieremy so smarted for it: (As I say) I tooke it be a toto cold occu­pation, and a very vnthriftie. Sith that I my selfe also haue tasted it before with myne owne experience. And harke, how [Page] feare cast in many extremities. This lād (thought I) is deuided into the Nobilitie, the Clergy, the Lawyers, & the people. If I should checke the offēces of the Nobili­tie, I should speake agaynst Lyons. If of the Lawyers,Soph. iij. I should speake agaynst Wolfes. If of the Clergy I shold speake agaynst Foxes, if of the people I should haue to do with Waspes. And in déede in this respect I could not but compare the Nobilitie vnto Lyōs. For as if any beast annointed with y^e Lyons greace, no beast of the forest will annoy hym. And as the Prouerbe sayth, it is a greuous thyng to awake a Lyon: so no doubt it is both gre­uous and ieberdous to speake against the vices of the Nobilitie, and to wake them out of that sléepe of sinne, wherein they so swetly and quietly slomber. Though Christ him selfe called the Priestes and Pharise is wolues vnder Lābes skinnes, yet I will rather now call the Lawyers Wolues, both because they are gréedy to swallow; and also in might and power stronger then the Clergy. The Clergy as it nowe is resembled most aptly (my thought) the nature of Foxes, who thought they séeme to sléepe before company, yet they will spoyle and praye when [Page] no body looketh on & surely they sleepe as sinne is sayd to sléepe in Genesis.Gene. [...]. Synne sayth the text slepeth before the dores: That is sinne sléepeth whilest we lyue. But whē we go out of the dores of this life it sitteth vpō vs. So they will dissēble their reuengement before the eyes of the world, but when the preacher is gone out of the Pulpit, They will set vppon hym. The people I thought to bee lyke vnto Waspes. For if one Waspe styng vpon a pyuishe affection, a nomber also will styng for felowshyp. So that to conclude I sée nothyng from the worlde but emy­nent daunger. And here I assure you I stode in a crosse way, that I could not tell which path was better to treade. For dis­pleasure beyng so neare vnto me frō the world. And God beyng so farre of to the iudgement of flesh & bloud: I was driuen into a most vncerteinetie: Nor in all this world I could find any one maner thyng y^t in this case could reliue me, I left ther­fore y^e dwellers vpō earth, & lifted vp my mynde vnto hym that dwelleth in heauē, in whose cause I did thinke once again to venter. And his spirit dyd assure me, y^t so farre as heauē is exalted aboue earth. So farre is his strength exalted aboue mans strength [Page] Gods strength and his mainteinaunce a­boue mans mainteinaunce, I dyd there­fore by the fauourable protection of God purpose with my selfe to vtter my con­science, How despised and odious soeuer it should be in the eyes of the world. But because I was not very certeine whe­ther it woulde better edifie this age to speake in roughnes, or in myldenes of spi­rite, I thought to vse both wayes, and kyndes. And to do as the wise, Lapidary doth with his pearles, who accordyng to their nature doth tēper some of thē with hony. And some of them with vynager. So I will deale with some gently, and with other some sharpely. Neither will I charge them with sinne from my selfe: but I will aske them of their owne con­science. And first to begyn with the No­bilitie, I must nedes say as Iob said some tyme vnto God, O that a man might speake vnto you as hee doth vnto hys neighbour. I would then demaunde of you many questions. And first I would aske of you, whether it bee not in your Court as it was in the Court of Pharao. Where there was Princeps Pistorū, and Princeps Laniorum, Gene. 11. The Prince of Ba­kers, and the Prince of Butchers. My [Page] question is this, whether that officers and masters of belly cheare and instru­mentes of worldly pleasures doth grow vp to great principallitie, And rather by those meanes then by wisedome gouer­nement, temperauncy, councell, actiuitie, Cheualry &c? Agayne if I might speake to you as a man doth to his neighbour, I will aske you if all preachers bee not to you as Micheas was to the Court of A­chab, whilest he pronounced victory a­gaynst the Syrians, hee was a trime pro­phete and in great price: but at an other battell whē he sayd they should not wyn, he was in great disdayne.3. Kyngs. 22 So that ser­uyng their appetites they loued him, and not seruyng their appetites they dyd not loue hym. Agayne I would aske of you this question, whether that you be of Sa­lomons opinion in this point, who sayth by takyng away the wicked man from the kynges presence, Prouer. 29. his throne shalbe established, And if ye be of that opinion whether you do practise, it or no? Also I would aske of you whether you doe not rather delight to be noble men like vnto Esau, Gene. 34. whose nobilitie was in carying foure hundred men after him, then to Ia­cob whose nobilitie was in the inuoca­tion [Page] of the true God, In callyng of hym, The God of Abraham, The God of I­saac, The God of Iacob. Whether that ye be not like to that nobilitie whiche is spoken of in the fourth of Osee. Where it is sayd.Osee. 4. Their nobilitie or chief men loue bryng ye filthely? Whether ye be of the opinion of our Sauiour in the vi. of S. Iohn. Caro non prodest quicquam. The flesh (sayth he) profiteth nothyng. And if the flesh profite nothyng, Whe­ther you can thinke that bloud or gentry profiteth any thing? Agayn, whether that your Seruyng men do not vse their bad­ges as Cayne dyd hys marke. Because Cayn had a marke that if any men killed him, he should be punished seuen tymes as greuously, But if Cayne kylled any we read in this world of no punishment: So I wil aske you whether if one chaūce to kyll one that hath your badge, or marke hee bee sure of execution,Gene. 4. or not? But if any of yours chaunce to kill one, whether that then through the priuiledge of your badge, and marke hée is not vn­touchable, These & many other the lyke questions if I might speake vnto you as to my neighbour, good Lordes and noble men, I would demaunde of you. But as [Page] in fleyng of an hare, or conny it is not ve­ry hard to plucke of the skynne whilest it come at the head, but then it is very busie and difficulte: so in controlyng of vyce, it is neuer so hard in reformation, and stayeth so much as when it commeth to you, who are the heads, and I in this bu­sines am more likely to hurt my selfe thē profite you. But that whiche I cannot, God can. To whom I pray for you. And to whom I commende you, and your vertuous amendement. If I might speake to y^e Lawyers as vnto my neighbour, I would aske them but this one question. Whether they do not iudge Secundū aspe­ctū, that is accordyng to y^e outward shew.Iohn. 7. Whether that the face of a noble and a meane mā, a rich man & a poore mā be all one or no? Of y^e clergy I wold demaūde, whether that in conscience, they doe not thinke themselues like vnto Cucumers, the whiche Cucumers, if it thunder frō heauen torne them selues round about: so whether that they, if there be any thundryng from the Court either by speach, or by letter do not turne their affection & that very roundly. Agayne, I would de­maunde of them, whether that they doe not suppose that the worlde doth thinke [Page] vs very cowardly and foolish shepheards, that dare speake so boldly agaynst the Pope, or agaynst ceremonies, or with ceremonies, in whiche matters we are vpholded with one faction or an other: But agaynst vice we speake nothyng, or very fayntely: And as cockes nipt with kites clawes, we cakle, but we crow not. Also I would aske of the Cler­gy, and that by their owne experience of those that haue preached sincerely, whe­ther a man preachyng frely against these two vices, vncleannes of lyfe & bribery should not haue hys soule driuen lyke a Sparrow from place to place, should not haue forrowes made vpō his shoulders, haue his soule made low vnto the dust, & be blacked with slaunders and aduersity. To these Londonners because I may speake as vnto my neighbours. I will thus say & demaunde of them. How they do liue accordyng to the profession of the Gospell, consideryng there is so fewe of them good and so many of them naught. And agayne whether they had not rather both the preacher, and Pulpits were set on fire, Then they would forsake that swete and gaynfull sinne of vsury. Whe­ther those which haue had occasion to try [Page] them haue not founde them as vnmercy­full as the mercyles Exchecker, as voyde of Religion as the Papist. I appeale to God that knoweth this, to the world that cannot for shame denye it. If I say the truth go about your owne amendement, & not to hurt me. And thus much I haue spokē in gentlenes of spirite. If you mer­uaile what can be sayd more rougher I will speake to you out of the 5. of Iere­my. Go, and search throughout all the stretes of Ierusalem, and see and know and enquire in euery strete, whether you can finde such a man, and whether there bee such a one as doth iudge­ment and seeketh the truth and I will spare the Citie. And as truly as God li­ueth, they will sweare a very lye. And I said, truly these men are poore mē and they are but fooles. Because they doe not know the way of Iehoua. And the Iudgement of their God. I wil go ther­fore to the vpper sorte and speake to them for they know the Iudgement of Iehoua their God, but they also truly had broken the yocke, They had burst to peeces the bandes. So that the cause of the destruction of this Citie was, that the people was not southefast in worde, [Page] and the nobilitie was violent in worke: Euen so it is now thorough towne and countrey, There is fraude and deceate, in bargens and in all speches amongest the people. The nobilitie or vpper sorte are very violent, for they do not take that thyng in hand, whiche they will not dis­patch either by fauour or money, and no rich mās matter or noble mās matter is an ill matter, or at least an vnlucky mat­ter, I may be deceaued, but if it be as I take it, and I pray God I do not mistake it, if it be so, I will vtter my mynde as I am compelled: And I will sweare an old othe sworne oftens before by the Pro­phetes Ʋiuit Iehoua, God lyueth & by Gods lyfe is all one. God lyueth, or by Gods lyfe, Except you do amēd you shall all together perishe. I hate no man, I sée no man, I mynde no man: but vppon very loue, and good hart I speake it, ex­cept ye repent ye shall all perishe. O ye knowe, alas you knowe, But alas you will not know, what ill may betide vpō the earth. But here some men do thinke their state so sure that no ill can betyde to them vpon the earth, but let vs examine this opinion. Where doest thou lyue? vp­pō the earth, what is aboue thy head? heauen. Who is the dweller in heauē? God. [Page] And thence sayth Ieremy our sinnes be­ing tyed to Gods hand doth rele amayne vpō our neckes. God hath diuers wayes to punish, and diuers kyndes of punishe­mentes, when as in the Prophet Esay, Esay. 6. God councelled with the Cherubins, How to punish the wicked people, one of the aungels sayd thus, and an other sayd thus. So that here by it appeareth that God hath diuers kyndes of punishmēts. Is mās hart so foolish,Plagues may chaūce vpon the earth. that it doth thinke that there can no mischief betyde vpon the earth? There is a thing they call wa­ter or rayne, the whiche once came so lar­gely out of heauen that it destroyed well nigh euery liuyng thyng vpon the earth. But thou wilt say there is a raynebow, I say the raynebow is the worldes raynebow, & not thy raynebow. In the rayne­bow it is couenaunted that the worlde shall not all be destroyed, Yet thou mayst be destroyed. This euill therfore may chaunce to thee vpō the earth. There is a thyng they call snow Iob calleth it y^e treasures of Gods snowes.Iob. 38. God hath whole treasures, & storehouses of snow to destroy y^e wicked. That ill also may be tyde vpō the earth. There is an other thyng called Hayle:Exod. 9. which in Egypt de­stroyed [Page] all the cattell, trées, and fruites. So likewise in Fraūce, the yeare of our Lord viij. hundred xxv. And though there be a Raynebow, which promiseth saftie to the world from rayne, yet there is no haylebow. This therfore ill may chaūce vpon the earth. Blondus in his ix. booke writeth that after the death of Adeota­tus, there were so great stormes of light­nynges and thunders, that it destroyed all thynges saue onely a few Pulsis and rootes. These illes also may betide vpō the earth. There is also blustring and furious wyndes, whiche as Cuspinianus writeth in the tyme of Comnenus the Emperour blew downe an huge brasen Image.Iob. 1. And in the tyme of Iob blewe down Iobs house & his progeny. This ill also may betide vpon the earth. There is also the ayre it selfe which may engen­der frogges to trouble thée, as in Egypt, and Grashoppers as in Fraunce, and I­talie, and as Cromerus reporteth in Polonia the yeare of our Lorde. 1473. This ayre if it be very whote may bring the plagues of pestilēce and of the swea­tynges sicknes, wherewith we are well acquaynted, if it be very cold it may de­stroy all the foules of the ayre, as some [Page] times in the dayes of the Emperour Iu­stinian, it may frees the Sea and kill fishes as in y^e tyme of y^e Emperour Pho­cas, which is testified by Nicephorus & Paulus Diaconus. These illes also may betide vpon the earth. There is also an other thyng most dredfull and violēt cal­led fire. And though all other plagues fayle, that plague wilt not faile Mallachi iiij. it is sayd that the day of Iudgement will burne like an ouen. Esay lxvj. it is sayd Behold the day of the Lord shalbe in fire. The fires y^t be in your Cities you cā helpe thē with clāpes & buckettes,The great daungers many ways hangyng o­uer our heades. if it be wilde fire you can quēch it with milke & vinager. But this fire as Esay sayth cā not bee quenched, It is sayd in Luke xvij. That in the dayes of the sonne of man it shalbe as in the dayes of Noe. In the dayes of Noe a litle doue could not set her foote on the grounde for the a­boūdaunce of water. In the dayes of the sonne of man a litle doue shall not sette downe her foote, but it shalbe singed with fire. This euill wilbe a generall e­uill, and this euill shal betyde vpon the earth. But let me come neare vnto thée, And demaunde a fresh of thée. Doest thou beleue that no mischief can betyde vpon [Page] the earth? vppon what part of the earth doest thou dwell? In an Ilād. Thou must remember the Isles called Maiorica and Minorica were destroyed with connyes. As also the Isle Anaphe, as Eustachius writeth, if it be an Iland, the sea may eate it vp, as it hath done diuers Ilandes. There is also great daunger by the na­ture of the place of the arriuall of ene­mies. This ill also may betyde vpō this kynde of earth. But what profession is thy Iland of? Of a Christian profession. Therefore the Turke is the great and sworne enemy. What is y^e Turke. One that hath most large and wyde Signio­ries, one that vseth seuere discipline and policie, One that wynneth much, and lo­seth litle: One y^t hath a good affectiō to I­landes, and this last yeare hath wonne y^e fine & wealthy Iland of Cyprus. And no dout is set on by God to go forward. The Turke they wil say is farre of. But God whistelleth to those that are farre of that they come lyke bees, to light where hee wil haue them. Thou laughest at me per­aduenture to sée me so carefull. I morne for thée without peraduēture to sée thée so careles. Thou laughest at me, and God at thée. Thou carest not, but care, thou [Page] laughest but wéepe. And do good whilest thou mayst thou cāst not tell what ill will betyde vpon the earth.

What is the name of the Iland? Eng­lād: what neighbours hast thou? Fraūce and Flaunders. The one thou canst not reteyne in frendshyp but as men. The o­ther is thyne enemy most subtill, experi­enced, willyng and able to doe the hurt. Do good therfore to all men, and cast thy bread vppon the face of the water, For thou canst not tell what ill will betyde vpon the earth.

Is England an whole Iland? No, but halfe an Iland, how is the other halfe, Scotland affected. Some well, and ma­ny ill, as you haue vnderstanded. They haue bene oftens in minde to put out the candle of Englād. To take away our Io­sias the breath of our nostrels, and to set vp hipocrites vpon vs. O Englād, what if thou be sodenly ouer taken as the wo­man with her child panges? Then wilt thou wish that thou haddest bene mercy­full, & delt thy bread. Whē thou shalt sée, & féele what ill wil betyde vpon the face of the earth. But beyng but halfe an I­land, art thou firme and trustie within thy selfe? Nay, art not thou a snacke with [Page] young thyne owne broode beyng ready to bight out thy belly? Englande hath swordes drawen out agaynst her, but prouideth no buckler. The state of England is lyke to children sittyng rechlesse in the Market stede. We playe, and pype to thē but they relent not: our Sermōs are like vnto y^e musike which Aristotle speaketh of.Ethic. 1. Which when it is once done there is no more remembraunce of it. They be­leue Lawyers in law matters and folow them, Phisitians and follow them: Coū ­cellors and follow them, they here prea­chers but they do not follow them. I am very sory, for I doe verely thinke that some ill wil betyde vpon this earth.

But admitte thou feare no generall punishmentes by warres, by plagues, by famine: Yet much ill may fall vpon the earth. What particular mā art thou but some ill may chaunce to thee vpon the earth. Il may hap to euery man. Art thou a Magistrate? if thou be a good one thou mayst be tost & wrong like Dauid: If thou bee an ill one, thou mayest breake thy necke like Hely. If y^u be a noble mā thou mayst be sodēly dabte to the hart with a dagger like Abner or lyke Amasias. If y^u be an old Courtier thou mayst be put to death,2. Kings. 20 at the com­myng [Page] in of a new kyng like Ioab. If thou lackest example read the bookes of the kynges what hath chaunced vnto kings. Truth it is, & tyme doth tell that kynges thē selues, and Courtiers of great estate haue their florishyng, and their fallyng, their Regno, and their Regnaui, their Sursum, and their Deorsum. Let them therfore breake their bread and liue well for they know not what ill wil betyde vppon the earth: If thou be a Minister and a good Minister, then thou shalt alwayes be oppressed in the world, if thou be an ill Minister thou mayst bee destroyed for thyne Idolatry as Helias the Prophete destroyed Balles Priestes. If thou bee a graser of cattaile, thou mayst be stayne of thyne owne brother like Abell. If thou bee a ploughman thou mayst chaunce to kill an other like vnto Cayn. If thou be a landed man, thou mayst be spoyled lyke Naboth: 3. Kyngs. 21 either by violence of Courty­ers, either by subtiltie of Lawyers. No trade nor estate through the whole com­mō wealth hath any charter of safty. Cast thy bread therfore vppon the waters, de­uide it, and part it, for thou canst not tell what wil betyde vpō the face of y^e earth: for both thy selfe art subiect vnto euils, & [Page] thy goodes are subiect vnto euilles. For what hast thou which is not subiect vnto casualtie? Hast thou gemmes, iewels, and pearles? Théeues may burst in, & steale them. Hast thou gold, siluer, coyne, plate, and mettals? Rust may freate them, or théeues may steale them. Hast thou tape­stry, silkes, clothes, wardropes, mothes may eate them? and of them selues they will waxe old. Hast thou great stockes of shéepe, they may bee burnt from heauen as Iobs were. Hast thou oxen, cattell, horse? enemyes may take thē away. Hast thou houses, and fayre mansion places? They may be burnt with fire like to Ierurusalem, or they may be blowne downe like to Iobes houses? Hast thou grasse & corne? it may bee as in the dayes of the Prophet Helias.3. Kings. 17 The heauens will not heare the earth. And the soyle shalbe barren, for lacke of rayne and moy­sture. Whilest thou hast light and tyme woorke that whiche is good. Breake thy bread and cast it vpon the waters, thou knowest not who shall enioy it. For thou "knowest not what wilbe tyde vppon the earth: For as whē the Mulbery tree doth budde, it sheweth the spring to be at hād, as the commyng of the swallowes is an [Page] argument of Sommer, lightenynges of thunder, smocke of fire, bright skye of fayre weather, Prickyng in the left syde of pluresies, Suddenly thernes of sicke­nes, and rutlyng in the throate of death: Euē so, & more then so I gather, & strongly suppose, that some ill wil hap vpō the face of the earth. Trée may budde and yet no spring come, Swallowes may flye and yet no Sommer come, Smocke may be and yet no fire, voluntary lythernes & yet no sickenes, Prickyng in the left side and yet no pluresie: But where there is so much sinne, and so small repentaunce, Gods mercy so abused and his iustice so egged on, There must nedes some ill be tyde vpon the earth. You will say you know not, I thinke, so but the more is your shame, the greater is your Iudge­mēt: you know, not say you? lie for shame say not so,Forewar­nynges of mischief. Paules stéeple long ago gaue you light inough to knowe by burnyng. The Thamis and other waters might haue taught you by their extraordinary flowyng. The Starres by their blasing, mountaines by mouyng, Thine owne people by rebellyng. These thynges ar­gue that thou shalt be sicke, and disease­full. Agayn, I will reason with thée as S. [Page] Paule doth in prouyng the resurrection. If (sayth S. Paul) that the resurrection bee not, then all our preachyng is in vayne. So may I say of these tymes we haue all ioyned together, All y^e preachers of this land haue séene mischief hangyng ouer thy head, Either all our preachyng & foreseyng is to no purpose or els some mischief wil betyde vpon the earth. But thou wilt say, thou knowest it not, Alas, therefore poore blynd countrey, for thou wilt not see, deafe countrey for thou wilt not heare, [...]eedles, for thou w [...]t not féele, If thy preachers would goe lyke Esay in sacke cloth, like Ieremy, with yrōs about their necke, if they would deuide theyr clockes lyke as the Prophet did to Iero­boam, 2. Kings. 11 yet I would haue no hope of thy recouery. Thou art like Esau who now hauyng lost his patrimony did sit downe eate, drinke, and was mery. Thou art like the Iewes whom Esay speaketh of xxviij. chap.Examples of depe securitie. Who cryed out, That they had smittē truce with death, & made a couenant with their graue. Sodome would not know that the vengeaunce of God come vpon it, and therfore early in the mornyng fire, and brimstone rayned vpon them, and they were destroyed be­fore [Page] they could well open their eyes to sée the maner of their destruction.

The people of Constātinople was so quyet whē the town was takē, that their enemyes beyng presente and their va­murs broken, they woulde geue nothing to y^e réedifiyng therof. Therfore y^e Empe­rour, his Captaines, and people were ta­ken, and murthered. The Empresse and her Gentlewomen were abused. The Empire for euer was remoued from the east. This was before foretold her by her Prophetes, but Constantinople would not sée it. When the Duke of Bourbon sacked Rome, and the campe did now en­uirone the whole towne, the Pope, and hys Cardinals were so quyet, that beyng at Masse there were some of them takē, their goodes spoyled, & them selues moc­ked, & derided in most vilanous maner. Cassandra cried out that the horse which was in Troye would destroy Troye, yet the blynde Troyans would not heare it, nor sée it, They heard harnessed men clincke in the horse belly, but they would not marke it. Harnest men in an horses belly destroyed Troye: And harnessed mē in a Lyōs belly wil they not destroy En­gland? The horse they sayd was so holy [Page] that it might not be destroyed, and yet the holy horse destroyed the Citie, it yrketh me except you take hede to your selues to forthinke your miseries. Cassandra rent her heare vpon the destruction of Troy. Ieremy wished for eesternes of teares to wéepe the sinnes of his people.Ierem. 9. Christe wept vppon Ierusalem, Luke. 19. we may with teares of bloud be sory, and morne for the stormes y^t will rage in this natiō. If they will not be warned, watch, watche, fast, fast, pray, pray, cast your bread geue your bread, breake your bread, for you know not what ill will betyde vpō the earth.

If the cloudes be full, they will poure out their rayne vpō the earth, the cloudes hauyng much rayne they let it fall. The trées hauyng fruites,An other reason to be liberall. they let them drop. The fountaines hauyng waters they let them runne. The cattell hauyng milke they let it streme. The shepe hauing woll they yeld it. The foules hauyng fethers they cast them. By these naturall exāples mans nature is exhorted to bee liberall. The cloudes if they be full they yeld forth their rayne, if the cloudes reteyne their owne fulnes it is a burthen to y^e cloudes to reteine it.Much ri­ches are burthens. Much rayne is a burthen to clouds, & much riches are burthēs to mē. Abraham is sayd in xiij. of Genesis to be [Page] burthened with golde. Abraham was a good man, and yet it burthened hys head to bee busie with the care of his gold. A­gayne, to be puft vp in pride and vayne earthly cogitations is a burthen to the soule, but that is the effect of much riches as doth appeare in the first of Timothy the vj. chap. Therfore to be very riche is a burthen. Agayne to eate much, drinke much, and rest much is a burthen vnto the soule, though it bee pleasaunt to the body. But in the xij. of Luke it is proued that aboundaunce of riches maketh one to eate much, drinke much, & rest much: Therfore as much rayne is a burthen to cloudes: So much riches are burthens to men. Agayne, that whiche doth plucke a mans hart into diuers thoughtes and cogitations, that is a burthen vnto men. But in y^e vj. of Mathew, it is sayd where thy treasure is, there is thy hart: So that if a mans treasure be in an hundred places, his hart is in as many places therfore to be very riche is a very great bur­thē. Agayne, y^t which maketh a man vn­fit for the kyngdome of heauen is a great burthen vnto a mans soule. But much riches maketh a man as vnapte to go to heauen as a camell to créepe thorough a [Page] nedels eyes. Therefore aboundaunce of riches is a burthen vnto man. Agayne, that whiche maketh a man to depart vn­willyngly out of his life is a burthen vn­to mans soule, but that doe great riches. As doth appeare Sirach xli. O death howe bitter is thy memory vnto hym that doth lyue quietly. &c. Therefore plenty of riches is a burthen vnto mans soule. A litle will serue nature. Much riches doth in our lyfe tyme disease vs. And will at our death trouble vs. Ther­fore as y^e cloudes poure out their rayne let vs bee frée and dispence them. Much riches made Ezechias lay his hart to the.Esay. 39. Much riches vndid Salomon, and vndid the Church of Rome, and in all degrees & states are very pestiferous. In the no­bilitie they haue this effect, They worke appetite without measure, and as a dropsie mā, the more he drinketh, the more he may: so these men as it is in the 5. of E­say ioyne house to house, and lande to lande: euen so farre as there is no more ground to purchase. In corrupt spirituall and tēporall officers, this aboundaunce of money worketh all maner of mischief. Salust, sayth y^t a kyngdome is easly preserued by y^e meanes by y^e which it is gotten. [Page] These mē some to take good héede to that saying of Salust, for they get their roomes with money, and mainteine thē with mo­ney. The strength of the Eliphante is in hys snoute, Of the Bore in his tuske, of the Lyon in his pawes of the Dogge in his iawes, of the Horse in his hofe, of the Bull in his hornes, of the Hare in her féete, of the Vrchen in his prickes, of the Cocke in his spurres, of the Ha [...]ke in her tallentes, and of these Magistrats in their money.The loue of money corruptetly the commō wealth. This money is their sa­crifice for all their sinnes, the Monarche of the world, the master of misrule, the abater of discipline, y^e smother of wrinc­led countenaunces. The wynges whiche they flye with, the legges that they stand vpon, the staffe that they leane vpon, the buckler that heareth of, and y^e sword that stricketh, their glory, and their God that holdeth vp their head. Though a thou­sād sinnes, & enormities cōpasse them on the right hand, And ten thousand on the left hand, yet vnder the patronage of mo­ney they will lay them downe, and slepe quyetly. I had rather if I were rich bring ten Riuers from Ware to London, build vp ten new Exchanges, build vp Paules steple many tymes, them onely to defray [Page] such sommes of money as are swallowed vp in this Realme by the way of corrup­tion. O that Magistrates, and Ministers should euidently in the sight of the world redeme their sinnes with money. O that money so basse, and earthly a thing shuld preserue wickednes, and conquere hone­sty, wryng, and vndoe godly preachers, confound learning, suppresse godlynesse, hurt heauen, and do iniury to God hym selfe. How much better were it for these men if they be full to do like the cloudes, to gowsh, and drope out where it nedeth "and to cast their almes vppon the face of the earth? Also to the commō sort of peo­ple aboundaunce of riches is a great bur­then Gregory Nazienzen sayth that a great belly cānot enter in at a narrow gate. But these men hauing aboundaūce of riches do stroute out their bellyes with eating, and drinkyng. Therfore riches is a burthen vnto them. Agayne, it is reported of Naball, 1. Kings. 25 that when his wife had geuen some of his goods to Dauid his hart was as heauy as a stone: So likewise in these Londonners the grief of geuyng a­way and the feare of losing, maketh them some tymes heauyer to bee weyed in a payre of ballaunce, their couetous hart [Page] and wretched humor maketh thē so hea­uy. To cōclud it maketh sadnes.Marke. 10. For the yoūg man that was very rich went sade away sayth the Scripture: Agayne it ma­keth quarelling, and brabling, as betwixt Lot and Abraham. Luke. 12. And the two brethrē in S. Luke, whiche stroue about inheri­taunces. And commonly in this world, it maketh great garboiles. And when as they them selues will not bestow it vpon the poore or to good vse, Then the commō place will sucke it vp. The Kinges bench will suppe it vp, and the Chauncery will swallow it vp. Therfore do like y^e cloudes which drope vpon the dry ground. Geue accordyng to the necessitie of those that want,The cloudes be­stow the rayne wher it nedeth. be plentyfull vnto thy poore and fo­low the example of the liberall cloudes which let their waters gushe vppon the face of the earth. And if there might be reason in an vnreasonable thyng, me thinke these cloudes might moue vs vn­to liberalitie. For how reasonable is this in y^e cloudes that they bestow their rayne where it needeth that is vppon the drye earth. Where it needeth the cloudes are liberall. And where it nedeth not I wold not haue you liberall. As for example you bestow vpon your bellyes vj. vij. or ten [Page] dishes, your bellyes are filled with much fewer, your bellyes therfore nede it not. You haue for your backes chaunge of ap­parell, fewtes many and costely: The poore haue none, y^e ayre is their peticotte, and they are cōpassed with cold, as with a garment, your backes neede it not, the poore nede it. You haue huge quantitie of clothes, and silkes aboute your loynes, they haue scarce Ieremyes lynnen brée­ches aboute their loynes,Ierem. 13. your loynes neede it not, their loynes neede it. You haue proude and rich chaines about your neckes, I doubt in this case obseruyng true charitie howe you can doe it. Your neckes nede it not. They dye for extreme miserie therfore they nede it. Ye Ladies, and Gentilwomen ye woare farthingals about your legges, your legges are other­wise from the cold warmely inough fen­ced, The legges of the poore are vnclo­thed: yours are to much clothed: your legges nede it not, theirs nede it. Ye La­dyes and Gentilwomen ye are women, and but women, S. Paule willeth you not so decke your selues with gold. But you, you decke your selues, you pricke your selues, you pruen your selues, you spangle your selues, you pouder your sel­ues. [Page] And being but earthen Ladies you, would make your selues golden Ladyes. Beleue me Ladyes you nede it not, The poore dyeth for it, therfore they neede it. Also touching your fethersFethers. what say you to fethers? You say ye do & wil weare thē, I thinke so, for I sée it in dede, ye weare them greate, huge, monstrous, redde, white, blacke, blew, raynebow colerd, partie colerd, and in all kynde of coul­lours. The world cā witnesse you weare them, and yet me thinketh you nede thē not. For, if the weather bée whote they helpe you not with shaddowe, if it bee extreme cold they warme you not with heate: if your heare fall of, they are not comfortatiue, If your brayne panne pe­rish they are not restrictiue, nor if your brayne perishe they are not restoratiue. Truely accordyng to my iudgement I thinke your heades nede them not, The poore dyeth for want, therfore the poore nede them. Agayne diuers richmen hang great huge walles with Tapistrie, and their galleryes with chargeable, and cost­ly pictures, and pile great heapes of plate vppon their tables. I say not but these thynges may be suffered, but that in so great excesse of some men, that some o­ther [Page] men should dye for want that is in­tollerable.An other reason to liberalitie. Bestow it not therfore vppon your walles, & tables, which nede it not, but poure it out vpō the poore which nede it. Now agayne here followeth an other argument to persuade vs to liberalitie, which is to be drawen likewise out of the former wordes, which say that the clouds rayne vppon the earth. So that the ar­gument is this. The cloudes whiche dyd ascende from the earth do by all meanes they can benefite the earth. So we that haue our begynnyng from God must by all meanes we can employ all our benefi­cence towardes God. But benefite God we cānot, nor we nede not, for the earth is his, and the fulnes thereof, But if we helpe the poore, we helpe him, if we féede the poore, we féede him, visite thē, we vi­site him, cloth them, we cloth him, if we poure out vpon them, we poure out vpō him, so we shall supply their necessitie, & faithfully, and truly fulfill our own duty.

If this text be expounded as it is commō ­ly, [Page] then this argument riseth vpon it. It thou dye thou must lye like a rotten trée, and beare no fruite.

But thou must dye:

Therfore thou must lye & beare no frut,An other reason per­suadyng to liberalitie. nor geue almes, when thou art dead.

The Maior or greater propositiō, may be thus enlarged. The fall of man is like the fall of a trée. So it is sayd in xxv. Gene. That Ismaell dyd fall before hys bre­thrē. A trée beyng fallē beareth no frute. Grasse beyng fallen beareth no flower: nor a mā beyng fallē & dead cānot worke. Therfore it is said Eccle. ix. The dead do not knowe any thyng, nor there is not any farther reward for them. So that here is taken away either doing, or sufferyng in an other world, in the way of re­warde of purgyng. Neither is there a­ny Purgatory, but onely the bloud of Ie­sus Christ, which doth purge vs from all our sinnes. Tyndall, and Frith, and Ce­lius Curio haue discredited that matter. Master Hardings loude voyce hath helpt to ryng down the paynes of Purgatory. And Verone hath hunted Purgatory vn­to the death. And as S. Iames sayth to rich men in his 5. chap. Goe to you rich mē, and houle. Because your riches are [Page] rotten: So it may be sayd, houle you he Monkes, and you she Monkes, and all you farmers of the prouince of Purgato­ry,Apocal. 18. it is fallen, it is fallen. Her marchants may houle, and morne for those thynges that were dearely sold, and for precious value, are now not worth any thyng, all her fatte thynges and notable thyngs are gone and can be found no more. Purga­tory is chased to the death, there is no Purgatory after this lyfe. There is no doyng of good nor sufferyng of ill by the way of clensing, & therfore Salomon cō ­pareth a liuing dog, & a dead Lyon toge­ther, & preferreth the liuing dog, before y^e dead Lyon, because the dogge cā do some thyng,Eccl. 9. & the Lyon nothyng. At our death commeth our consummatum est. There is a full pause and a periode that we can woorke no farther, therefore the riche man beyng in hell, could neither helpe him selfe nor his frendes. And therefore beare frutes and yelde frutes whilest ye stande, for bee you sure that the dayes will come on that you must fall, and be­come both lyuelesse, and frutelesse, You must dye bee you well assured. Doe you not sée how cloudes vanishe away trées fall downe, and grasse vadeth: so lyke­wise you must perish. Marke also what s. [Page] Iohn sayth. The world passeth, 1. Epist. 2. but you are a parcel of y^e world, therfore you must passe and perishe likewise. The long ly­ues of Adam and Mathusala had an end, therefore your short lyues must haue an end. It is said that Adam liued and dyed, Noe lyued and dyed, Iacob lyued and dyed, So that death and dying is the kée­ping of the song. Now these two pointes doe appeare both that we must dye, and also when we are dead, that we shalbe frutelesse, and vnprofitable. Let vs doe good whilest we can, for the dayes will come that we shall not be able.

And though this exposition doth please some, and yeldeth conuenient matter for this purpose, yet me thinketh it may be expounded more fittly, and sensibly to the meanyng of Salomon, and that is thus.

That is, there are stāders by together vp the fruite, & this exposition may be as well iustified by the Hebrew toungue as the other. And serueth the authours drift very aptly, as though he should thus say, [Page] Cloudes yeld rayne, and trées geue their fruite. Trées passe not whether it bee to the North, or to the South. But where so euer men will resorte together them, There they will let fall of all sides vnto all men. Thus cloudes and trées are pat­ternes of frenesse, and mirrors of libera­litie. And thus much séemeth Salomon to say in these latter wordes where he spea­keth of trées. Where in I note these iij. thynges,Note. the one that he vseth eloquence in persuadyng to almes, the other that he likeneth as it were the sight and shew of the world to an apple trée about y^e which men runne for fruite, and the last that he proueth liberalitie out of these naturall scholes as out of cloudes and trées.

And first concernyng the eloquence of Salomon it is noted in this place by o­thers before me. And therefore I am the bolder out of this particular place to ryse vp to a generall, and speake some thyng of eloquence. And but that I looke to haue better occasion here after to write some full treatise of the eloquēce of preachers, I would nowe haue vsed both order, and more spéech to the handlyng of this mat­ter. And first touching that obiectiō which they haue out of S. Paule, speakyng of [Page] the persuasible woordes of mans wise­dome. Me thinketh that spéech of S. Paul should be no preiudice to eloquence. For he speaketh of those that goe about to de­ceaue by such kynde of spéech. Otherwise in persuadyng to Religion S. Paul hath vsed rhetoricall woordes of mans wise­dome,Ephes. 1. and also reasons of mans wise­dome. So he proueth that the holy Ghost cannot bee remoued by the nature of a pawne or pledge, he proueth likewise the resurrection by corne cast into the groūd: Therfore neither this saying of S. Paul, Nor any saying or doyng of hys that I know can be agaynst eloquence. So that it be vsed as it should be and be such elo­quence as it should be. Touchyng that which S. Ierome telleth of him selfe, that he was cited before the tribunall seate of God, for to much reading and delighting in Tullies eloquēce, I force not whether it were so, or it were not so. For as the old saying is, where the Philosopher lea­ueth, there the Phisitian begynneth: So I say where Tullyes eloquence endeth and ceaseth, there the eloquence of Diui­nitie begynneth: And therefore I would put a great difference betwene Tullyes eloquence, parliament eloquēce, and Di­uinitie [Page] eloquence. And truly our spéeches shall as much differ from theirs, as the spirite doth from the mynde, and almost as heauen doth from the worlde, so much differre this and that kynde of eloquence. I doe not wreake down as intollerable, neither doe I thinke it all together sacri­lege, to persuade with a common world­ly phrase, and with an humaine kynde of Rhetoricke. But the wordes of the scrip­ture are holy, and heauenly, & wil worke greater,Diuine elo­quence. and more déeper impressiōs, and the eloquence of Scripture is as fitt for holynes, as the wordes of Homere be fit for warre, or the woordes of Cicero for peace, or the woordes of Catullus for wantonnes. And truly for diuinitie mat­ters we haue eloquence inough to be ga­thered out of the scriptures. And it were no hard matter (but that I deferre it to some other treatise) to shewe by a large discourse the great plenty of figures, and eloquent spéeches that are to be found in the Scriptures. So Esay vseth the figure of Paronomazia, when hee sayth Sorim Sorerim, as though a man would say, carnall Cardinals, fleshly Friers. Again, in the xxiiij.Esay. 24. chapter he vseth these wordes Paecath, Pacad, Pac. As though I should [Page] speake in our Englishe phrase Darthe, Daunger, Death. So likewise he sayth in an other place: I looked for Mishpar and behold Mishpa, whiche is as this, I thought hee would haue healt me, & be­hold he beate me.Ierem La­ment. 2. The Prophet Ieremy vseth the figure Anaphora in begynning certeine Verses, with one letter in hys lamentatiōs. It is written that old father Iacob made his testamēt in Versis. And S. Ierome and Arator do write, that Iob in the Hebrew toung did write Hexame­ter verses. Dauid vseth he figure of Epiphonema, when he endeth thus, blessed is euery one that trusteth in him. Psalm. 2. Paul vseth y^e figure of exclamatiō whē he sayth thus. Wretched man that I am who shall deliuer me from the body of this death. Iob vseth the figure of wishyng when he sayth.Iob. 6. O that my sinnes were wayd in a payre of scoales. S. Paule v­seth the figure of Antistasis when he set­teth these woordes together απορουμενος εκπορουμενοι.1. Cor. 4. As though a man should say Courtiers, Carters, Ma [...]sis, Mattockes, Kynges, Caytif [...]es.Psalm. 4. Dauid vseth the fi­gure of Reticentia, as thus, Sonnes of men how long my glory vnto shame? He meaneth, how long will you study to [Page] bryng my glory vnto shame?Actes. 23. S. Paul vseth the figure of Sarcasmos or tauntyng, as when he sayth I knew not he was a Ma­gistrate,3. Kings. 24 so doth the Prophet Micha say Go vp ye shall wynne hee meaneth they shall not wynne. So y^e Prophet Hely bid the Priestes cry hygher,1. Kings. 18 when in déede he iested at them, and thought it was to no purpose at all for them to cry. To con­clude, the Scripture is ful of figures, and eloquent speches, as when the Prophet Ezechiell will describe an obsequious Clergie, hee sayth they put cushynes vn­der the elbowes of Magistrates. To be obstinate, the Scripture calleth to be of an hard necke. To be impudent, it calleth a brothels brow. A sowthyng page it cal­leth a geuer of titles. An eloquent man it calleth a personage of spéeches, a bablyng hipocrite it calleth a mā of lippes. To liue sorrowfully it calleth to eate the bread of sorrow. To lyue ioyfully it calleth to liue the dayes of heauen. If any man be wel­thy, the Scripture will say that hée may washe his wayes with butter, And that oyle doth drop out of his rockes. To be low brought the scripture calleth to haue hys soule cleane to the dust. But these thynges are infinite, and will rather [Page] beséeme a great Diuinitie dictionary, thē a péece of a small Sermon. Salomon him selfe in the xij. of Eccle. sayth, that he stu­dyed to search out pleasaūt wordes, & to handle his matters handsomly. And he that wil sée in déede what eloquence is to be founde in Scripture, let hym read Castalio in his preface to the 5. bookes of Moses, and Strigelius in his preface to the Psalmes. Nay let hym perfectly and with iudgemēt, read the workes of Mo­ses, of Iob, of Dauid, of Salomō, of Esay of Michae. And, I thinke he wil no more hereafter be an aduersary to eloquence, For, by the faythful, and close imitatiō of these men is gotten a true, & godly kynde of eloquence. And, thus much cōcernyng the gift of eloquence that it be not despi­sed in preachers, as also that preachers do not vse a vayne, & frothy kinde of elo­quence, as also that you good hearers will at this tyme suffer your selues to be mo­ued by the eloquent words of Salomon, who exhorteth you by the example of cloudes, and trées to be liberall.

And now to the 2. point whiche sayth where the apples fal there they are: And, here y^e matter falleth out so fitly that I cā not but compare the great busines dea­lynges [Page] and struglyngs in this world, vn­to a company of all kynde of people wat­chyng about an apple trée, lepyng, & snat­chyng about it for apples. Wheresoeuer apples fal, there they snatch, & there they are. And whersoeuer any litle commodi­tie falleth out in the commō weale, there swarmeth together whole legions to ga­ther of worldlynges,The world like an ap­ple tree. there they are. Nei­ther is it blamefull that men should go a­bout their owne commodities, But that they be two busie and to diligēt. And that often tymes they beate the trée to much, to soone, & to many wayes. Neither care they whose the trée is, or whose y^e apples bee, or whence they droppe, so that they may ouertake thē. For the apples of the mouth, young and foolish boyes will ad­uenture all hassardes, for the apples of the eyes and the apples of y^e purse, this whole foolishe age of ours is most aduen­turous. Where aduauntage is there they are. If there be aduaūtage in corruptyng of the holy Bible, there they are. And therfore in the common translation, they haue so corrupted it. It was profitable, that some thyng should be writtē in com­mendation of the fragments of Christes body, and therfore they haue deuised that [Page] Clement should write suche a treatise. Mōkeries & Abbeyes were profitable, & therfore they haue brought to passe, that Dionisius Ariopagita shoulde speake of mōkes in his dayes. To cōclud, they haue sought out profite vnder y^e name of Igna­tius in certaine Epistles. And vnder the name of Gayus in certain Decretal Epistles, they haue abused the name of S. Cy­priā, to write of the Reuelation of y^e head of Iohn Baptist, because Reliques were profitable. They haue sought profite by thrustyng in a booke called Farrago Ser­monum, into S. Austens workes. And iiij. false quyers of paper into the Councell of Constantinople. Turnebus reporteth that for profite a couple of Gentlemen in hys countrey sayde they were in hande with writyng of such bookes as in déede they neuer went about to write, and that was for profite. And to conclud, where soeuer it bee, or howe daungerous so e­uer it be, how foolish soeuer it be, if there bee hope of profite, there they will bee, and there they wil séeke for aduauntage: as by cardyng, dising, tablyng, poppet playing, stage playing, walkyng on rops, flying in the ayre, eatyng of poysons, di­uyng in the sea, deluyng in the bowels of [Page] the earth, alcumistrie, lottaries, and such like: but specially at the Court and about the Court, For that from thence drope the rich golden apples,In kynges Courtes y^e apples are most besie­ged. there they thrust in, and crowde in, There they créepe in, and burst in, there is the world, there is all in all, there is the greatest wealth of apples, and therefore there they are. Let "neuer princes thinke it otherwise. Those that flocke about Courtes, they do it for apples, many for loue, but most for cōmoditie. If the apples be in the South there they will be, if they be in the North, there they will be, if y^e apples be gone they will all forsake the trée, if the apples be there they will clynge, & watch, & ward about it. And therfore watch coūcellors, preach preachers, & pray people. That God will lōg mainteine, & support our good & natu­rall Prince Quéene Elizabeth in all her Royalties, proprieties, wealthes, and cō ­modities, for if they can dispoyle her of these, if they can plucke, and pil [...]ere away the apples, they will soone brynge dis­daine vnto the trée: Though the trée be neuer so beautifull, and good, and though the roote therof be neuer so stedy and cer­taine, yet the eye of this wretched world alwayes gapeth after apples, & ancreth [Page] onely vpon gaine.Luke. 17. Worldly men are mo­ued by worldly baytes, Eagles are al­wayes houeryng about carryes, Beares about honny, Crowes about wormes, Bees about oyle, Wolues about shéepe, Foxes aboute pullyne, Kytes about gar­bage, & the world about aduauntage. Be­leue not good Christen people that bee of wealth, y^e most of them that séeme to loue you, they loue you, but for apples, special­ly you noble mē, trust not these fawning, flering, flattering parasites: what soeuer they say vnto you. If the dayes of heauen go frō you, if your soules be brought low, it shall thē to late appeare, that they came to gayne, and gather, to plucke, and de­plume you, and when your apples are gone, & your fruites missyng, if by stri­kyng downe of your bodies, & pluckyng vp of your rootes they may but warme them. They will do the best to strike you downe & by the rootes to plucke vp your families.

My second wordes in this case are vn­to my brethren of the ministery, we are simple, and not so thoroughly trayned vp in the worlde as other be, our greatest dread is not from the Papistes: because we trust them lest: but there bee other [Page] apple gatherers, who myndyng coue­tous intentes, apples, and commodities yet professyng holynes, godlines, and An­gelicall nature, they will persuade you that your woordes are very spirite, that the holy ghost speaketh in you, that they are edified onely by you, that ye haue the gift: but if they can once come by flatteryng, and glosyng to abuse you, and when they haue so done, they will clappe their doores vppon you,1. Kings. 13 as Ammon did to Thamar: They will wryng you, and trayne you to their purpose, and soone af­ter their will despise you. If you haue ap­ples they will loue you, if you haue no apples, they will lothe you. My nexte spéech is to you Gentlemen of the Innes of Court, and elles where, your good wittes and good byrthes wyll not suffer me to leaue you vnadmonished, you haue also apples for you are borne to landes, and lyue odes, your Delicta iu­uentutis call for expenses, so that you are brought into y^e vsurers handes, & they as a spung will clense you, and wryng you. Vsurye is called in the Hebrew tounge Tocke and Tarbethe, Tocke signifieth losse, for there is none that meddeleth with it, but hee loseth either bodely or [Page] ghostly. It is also called Tarbethe that is deceite, for the greatest cosinage couin and collusion that can be is in vsury, and in vsurers, vsury is sayd to bite in the Scriptures, in déede it biteth, for it bryn­geth you out of the Court into the Coun­ter, from silkes to sacke cloth, from plen­ty to penury. If you wilbe wise in tyme beleue not their money lent at a pinche their great dynners, and their swete en­terteinementes, for in the ende they will but bite you. No beast by biting doth hurt (almost) except it be angry, but these men smilyng and smerkyng will bite you, and vndoe you. The bityng of a snacke may be cured with the herbe Dittanye. The bityng of a madde Dogge may be cured with a Crabfish: but the bityng of an v­surer is so chargeable that it is almost vncurable.Vsurers. The styngyng of a Scorpion is healed with the body of a Scorpion broosed into triacle, and surely me thinke the Magistrates should doe right well if they woulde satisfie all those that haue bene bite by vsurers, either with their goods if they haue them, or els with y^e pu­nishment of their bodyes, if they haue thē not. God molifie their hartes, or breake their téeth, and direct men so in a tempe­raunce [Page] of lyfe, that they light not into the mouthes of these Wolues. For surely they shalbe daungerously biten, whilest you haue apples & landes they will flocke about you, and cherish you, But when your apples and wealth is gone they will cast you of, and abrenounce you.

And now to the very last part of this Sermon, wherin I thinke it worthy the notyng, that God styrreth vp the libera­litie of men by cloudes and trées. There nedeth me thinketh no remembraunce to be kepte by house pictures, or Churche pictures, to styrre vs vp to heauenly con­siderations, for the heauen, the ayre, the earth, the sea, are ful of such creatures as may welbe our remembrauncers.Psal. 19. The heauens declare the glorye of God, sayth the Psalmist,Diuinitie to be found out in crea­tures. the starres may put vs in remembraunce of our vncleannes, sithens that they are not cleane in Gods sight. And of the omnipotencie of God, whiche out of the barren wombe of Sara did raise vp a people like vnto the starres of heauen.Gene. 15. The Sunne and Moone may teach vs obedience in Genesis. 1. whiche beyng once commaunded to moue neuer ceassed since the begynning of the world. The lightenyng may teach vs the bright­nesMath. 17. [Page] of our Sauiour,Iohn. 3. the winde may put vs in remembraunce of the nature of the holy ghost, whiche bretheth where it list. The dew may bring vs in minde of peace and concorde,Psal. 33. whiche is compared to the swete dewe of Hermon hill. Whē we sée the Egle flye we may remēber that God is able to take away our infirmities,Psal. 103. as he taketh away age from the Egle, & re­neweth her into youth. The Pellicā doth put vs in minde of the solitarines y^t good mē are often driuē vn [...]o. The Storke in discretion y^t we should haue in knowyng the time of our saluation.Ierem. 8. The voyce of y^e Crane & of the Swallow, may teach vs how poorly we shal speake at y^e day of our death.Esay. 38. The Estredge runnyng away frō her young ones, may teach vs the ingra­titude of some parentes, that wil get chil­drē & not norish them.Ierem. La­ment 4. The Cocke crow­ing may put vs in mynd of Peters offēce, & of Peters repentaunce.Math. 26. The Henne ga­thering together, & shrouding of her chic­kens may put vs in remembraūce of the tēder hart of our sauiour Christ towards vs.Luke. 13. Ierem. 17. The Partridge which vseth to sit vpō other byrdes egges, is an Image of a co­uetous man, that hordeth vp other mens goodes. Whē soeuer we sée the lightnyng [Page] of a sparrow we cannot but remēber the prouidence of God.Marke. 10. The camell at a ne­dels eye is the image of a couetous man at heauēs gate. A bullocke being leadd to slaughter doth signifie a yōg mā folowing an harlot. An hind desiring to drinke doth put vs in minde of the affection that our soules should haue to God.Psal. 42. A goate doth put vs in mynde of the seperatiō y^t shalbe in the day of Iudgement. A calfe doth re­mēber vs of the calues of our lippes, that is of prayer. The worme doth remember vs of our bassenes. The pisemyer of la­bour.Esay. 1. The oxe and y^e asse of kyndnes for they knowe their master, and their cryb. The dogs of courtesie for they licked La­zarus woūdes.Math. 16. The vyne doth represēt Christ, and the braunches vs. The oliue trée doth put vs in minde of an house wel furnished, with a vertuous wife and good childrē.Luke. 13. The figge trée doth teach vs that those are accursed, whiche bring foorth no good frute.Amos. 6. Wormewoode doth put vs in mind of y^e nature of an ill Iudge y^t turneth y^e frute of Iustice into wormewood. The sight of a lylly telleth vs we should not bee carefull for braue apparell.Math. 6. The groweth of y^e musterdsede, teacheth vs y^e power of the kyngdome of God,Luke. 13. Cocle [Page] doth tell vs y^t there shall alwayes be wic­ked in y^e church of god in this life. Euē so did God sometymes induce Iob to know God, & him self by these natural cōtēpla­tions. As by the treasures of his snow,Iob. 38. by the foūdations of the earth, by y^e doores of the sea, by the motiōs of Orion, & Arcturus, By his thūdring, by the nature of y^e crow, by the affections of the wild asse, by the gloriousnes of the pecoke, by the dis­position of the estridge, by the strength of the horse, by Behemoth & Leuiathan, by the rising of the hauke agaynst y^e South, and such the like meanes. And so in this place Salomō exhorteth vs to almes, and liberalitie by cloudes, and trées. Iob said whē I heard thee, I did not so minde it, but now that I see thee in thy workes, Iob. 4 [...]. I repent me and am ready to cast dust vppon me: As Iob whiche could not be moued by hearing, was allured to repen­taunce, by the sight of creatures: so you I dout not, though you do not mynde these arguments, which you haue heard from me with your eares: Yet the seyng of these creatures will make you mercyfull as cloudes, and plentyfull as trées, and teach you to gather good affections out of this schole of nature. In necessitie you [Page] shall finde it agayne, what so euer you disburse, what day so euer, come you shall haue made your frendes of your Mam­mon.Luke. 16. Which otherwise would haue ben occasion of sinne and iniquitie. The aun­gels of those poore men, whom you haue reliued with the bowels of mercy shall receiue you out of this vayne and mise­rable world which fadeth,1. Iohn. 2. & the lust ther­of into euerlastyng tabernacles whiche shall not perishe nor the likyng thereof. Howbeit, this is not in your castyng or breakyng of bread, nor in your almes, déedes,Rom. 9. or workes, though for many cōsi­derations you must do it. But in the effe­ctuall passion, & meritorious bloud­shed of our Lorde Iesus Christ. To whom with the father and the holy ghost be all honor & dominion for euer and euer. Amen.