First Sermon to His Majesty, Title page – Dedication
¶The fyrste Sermon of Mayter Hughe Latimer, whiche he preached before the Kinges Maiestie wythin his graces palayce at Westminster, M. D. XLIX. the .viii. of March.
Cū gratia et Priuilegio ad imprimendum solum.
¶To the ryghte vertuous & gracious Lady Katherin Douchesse of Suffolke, Thomas Some, her humble and faythfull Oratoure, wysheth Godly fauoure and euerlasting saluacion from god the father through Iesus Christ our mercyfull Lorde.
WHan man is borne for man, that one to another shoulde be a God, and not a deuyll, an helper, no hynderer. VntoUnto whom also the vse of the tonge is only geuen, wherby they do both expresse & shewe the affections of their mindes, there is no man which can say, I hauehave no nede of any man.
☜But amonges infinite mischiefes and euyls of manns pouertie and anguish, by which he hath nede of other mēnes helpe, is the instruction of prudence or vertue & of science. For mākynd doth in thys precel chiefly brute beastes because thei helpe one another by mutual communication.
In learnynge good and vertues maners, the vse of communyng is required chiefly, that men errynge and ignoraunte should be taught, for there is none which shall euer learne of him selfe, all thoughe he be neuer so happily borne.
Therfore, it shal become euerye man, which doth intēd to lyue godly, to heare & learne godly bookes, to printe heauenly documentes in their hartes. For as euyll doctrine, deuilysh bokes, and fylthy talke do corrupt good maners: so faithfull preceptes, godly bokes, chast commonynge and honest, shal edifie, and confirme.
Wherfore▪ intendinge to do good vntounto al mē & namely vntounto suche, as erre & be ignorant, I hauehave gathered, write, and brought into lyght the famous fryday sermōs of Mayster Hugh Latimer, whiche be preached in Lent last past, before oure moste, noble Kinge Edward the sixte, at the new Palaice of Westminster, the thirde yeare of hys reigne. Whiche Sermons (moste vertuous Lady) I dedicate vntounto your honorable grace, nothing doubting but that you wyll gladly imbrace them, not onlye because of their excellēcie, but chiefly for the profyte whyche shal ensue thoroughe them vntounto the ignorante.
For in them are frutefull and godlye documentes, directing ordinatly not only the stepps, conuersatyon, and liuing of kinges: but also of other mynisters and subiectes vnderunder hym. And let no man be greued though it be not so exactlye done as he did speake it, for in very dede I am not able so to do, to write word for word as he did speake, that passeth my capacitie though I hadde .xx. mens wittes, and no fewer handes to wryte withal. As it is vnpossyble that a litell ryuer should receyue the recourse of the main sea wt in his brymmes, so that no water should ouer whelm the sides therof: In lyke maner is it more vnlyke my sym…le witte to comprehende absolutely the abundaunt eloquence and learnyng which floweth most abundantli out of godly Latymers mouth.
Notwithstandyng, yet had I rather with shamefastnes declare charitably thys parte of hys godly documentes, & counsel then with slowthfulnes forgette or kepe close folyshly, that thyng which may profit many.
Who is that wyll not be glad to heare and beleue the doctryne of godly Latimer? Whome God hath appoynted a prophet, vntounto our most noble Kyng, and vntounto our Realme of England, to declare the message of the lyuynge God, to supplante and rote out al sinnes and vice, to plante & graffe in mens hartes the plenteousnes of all spiritual blessynges in Iesus Chryst our Lorde?
Moses, Ieremias, Helias, dyd neuer declare the true message of god vntounto their rulers and people, wyth a more syncere spirite, faithfull minde and godlye zeale, then godlye Latymer both now in oure daies vntounto oure moste noble Kyng & vntounto the whole realme.iij. King. xxij Furthermore also Iosia receyued neuer the boke of gods wyll at the handes of Helkia the hie preiste, or yt admonicion of Hulda yt prophetesse, with a more perfect and godly feare, then oure most noble Kinge doth moste faithfullye, geue credite vntounto the wordes of good father Latimer. And I hauehave no doubte but all godly men wyl lykewise receiue gladly his godly Sermons & geue credit vntounto the same. Therfore this my rude laboure of another mans swet (most vertuous lady) I offer most humbly vntounto your grace, moued ther vntounto of godly zeale, thorough the Godlye fame, that is disperst vnyuersally of your most godly disposicion, and vnfayned louelove towardes the lyuynge, almyghtye, eternall God and hys holye word, practysed dayly both in your graces most vertuous behauour, and also godly charitie towardes the edificatiō of eueryevery membre graffed in Chryste Iesu, most humbly desiryng your grace to accept fauorably thys my temerous interprise. And I your most humble and faythful Oratour shall praye vntounto Iehouah, the God which is of himself, by whom, and in whome, all thynges lyue, moue, & be, that, that good worke whych he hath begonne in you he may performe it vntounto your laste endynge, thorough our Lorde Iesu Chryst, who preserue and kepe your grace now and euer. So be it.
¶The argument of the Sermon.
IN this fyrst Sermō is declared, & taught the godlye election of a Kyng, and a rule of godly lyuynge as touchynge hys owne person. Where he proueth oure moost excellent King Edward, to be our most lawful king both by natiuitie, and cōtrey, yea, and now appoynted in these our dayes to delyuer vsus from the daunger and captiuitie of Egypt and wicked Pharao, that is from, errour & ignorāce & the deuelishe antichrist the Pope of Rome. The forme of his godly rule also he deuyded here in this sermon in thre partes.iij. Fyrst that he shuld not truste to muche vntounto his owne strēgth and policy, but only to walke ordinatly with God and to make him his lodes man and chief guyde. Secondarily that he lyue not lassyuyously and wā tonly, folowyng venerial affections, but to lyue chastly. And whan time shal require, to leade a pure lyfe, vnderunder the yoke of matrimonye, admonishing both his grace, and al other Maiestrates to be circūspecte in chosynge a wyfe, eyther for them selues or for theyr children, hauing this alwaies in minde, that she be, of a faythfull house, godlye broght vp, & of a pure life. Thirdly he admonyshed the kynges grace, that he should not desyre gold & syluer to muche, prouyngs by many argumentes that kynd of vice wyth the other forsaid, to be destruction not only vntounto the kynges grace: but also vntounto the whole realme & people, In these thinges cō systith the whole summe of this sermon.