Twenty-Seven Sermons, Sermons 2 · Sermon 9
The ix. Sermon made by Maister Doctor Latyiner. Math 11. Luke. 7.
VUhen Iohn beyng in prison heard the works of Christ he sent two of his disciples, and said vntounto him, art thou he that shall come, or doe we loke for another: Iesus answe red and said vntounto them, goe and shew Iohn agayne, what ye hauehave … and seene. &c.
This is red in the churche this day, and it shall serue vsus this day for our ….
It beginneth this, when Iohn beyng in pryson hearde the workes of Christ: and here is to bee had in consideration, of whome he had heard these wonderfull workes which our sauiour did, for he could not heare it without a seller, som body tolde him of it. The Cuangelist Luke in the 7. cap. doth shew, how and by whom Iohn Baptist heard such thinges,Luke. 7 which our sauiour Christ did: namely by hys own disciples.… dis ciples told him of the workes of Christ. For when our sauiour had raised vppe the widowes soune, which was deadat Naine, the disciples of Iohn came by and by, vntounto Iohn theyr …, and tolde hym all thyngs: name lye how Christ raised vp that same young man, whiche had bene dead already. And thys is a thynge to be mcruasled at, that Iohn had so much libertye: that hys disciples could come … hym, and speake with hym: Herode the kyng beyng a cruell man, a … kyng, a miscreaunte, a man of vnbeliefe: No doute it is a greate matter that his disciples coulde hauehave libertye to speake with him: for a man would thynke that no man shoulde hauehave bene permitted to come nere hym. For I knowe that in christian …, some beyng … into pryson for the …, for gods wordes sake, hauehave not bene …, that their frendes should hauehave come nere vntounto them: and here it appeareth moste manifestly that christian princesThe heathenrulers more mer cifull then the … hauehave some tymes more cruellye and extremely vsed goddes preachers, then the gentiles, ye heathen vsed theyr preachers sente vntounto them from God to teache theym, they were more straightlye holden and more extremely handeled then … was: So we reade lykewise of S. Paule which was cast into prison at Rome … that wicked and cruell tyraunt the em …: whiche Emperour though he was a cruell tyraunt, a wycked man, and a venemous persecutour of gods church, and his holy worde: yet for all that, Paule had libertie to speake with eueryevery one that would come vntounto him, and cōmune with …. So that there came vntounto him, which … and … might speake with him what they wold: for s. LukeAct. xxviii … in the last chapter of the … these wordes: And Paul … two yeres ful in his lodgyng, & … all that came in vntounto him, preaching the kingdō of god, and teaching those thinges which concerne the lord Iesus with all confidēce, no mā forbidding him. Here by these words we may perceiue, yt Paule had liberty to say his mynde, and to commune wt hys frends, he was not so straightly kept. But we see … hauehave had experience, that preachers whiche professe that same worde, which Paul taught, are more straightly handled in christian realms, then in … past they wer, when yt rulers … princesA note … ru lers. were not christians: christen princes be … earnest to extin guish gods word and his true religion thē the heathen were, which knew not or would not know god. But now ye might aske what maner of workes were these which oure sauiour … done in the presence of Iohns disciples, which by and by afterward … and told their maister of it, what special thinges had our sauior …. Answer: Luke the Euangelist she … a gret & meruelous act which Christ our sauior hadLuke. 7. done immediatly as Iohns disciples came vntounto him. The sto ry is this: when Christ went into a city which is called Nain and many of his disciples folowyng him, and muche people: when he was come … to the gate of the city, beholde, there was a ded mā caried out which was yt only son of his mother … she was a widow, … much people of yt city wēt wt her: … here you may note by the way, yt these citisens had their buryingBuriall without cities. place wtout the city, which no dout is a laudable thing: and I do much maruel yt London being so rich a city hath not a burieng place without: for no dout it is an vnwholsome thing to bury within ye city, specially at such a time when there be great sicknesses, so that many … together, I think … Manytake their … Paules churche ….many a mā taketh his deth in Paules churchyarde: … thys I speak of experience, for I my self when I hauehave bene there in some mornings to heare yt sermons, hauehave felt such an yl faud red … sauor, that I was the worse for it a gret while after. And I think no lesse, but it be the occasion of much sick nes … diseases: therfore the citisens of Nain had a good and laudable custome to bury the corses wtout yt city, which ensā ple we may …. Now … our sauior saw this corse, … the widow, which was now a miserable … sorowful womā, for she had lost first her husband, … afterward her son, in whō she had all her hope and comfort in this world, hym she had louelove no we: therfore she was sorowfull, and not without cause:A comfort for al …. But what doth our sauiour: Mary he comforted her, saying wepe not. Here may al widowes, which are destitute of com forte in this worlde, here (I say) they may learne to truste in Christe, and to seeke ayde and helpe by him. For no doute, like as he hath comforted this miserable widowe: so he wyll comfort and helpe all them that call vponupon him, in their nede and necessity. For his hand is not abbreuiated, or his power diminished: he is as strong, as ryche, & as mighty as euer he was: therfore let wydowes learn here to seeke ayde and help by him. Now, when he had comforted her with his words, he came nye, and touched the coffyne: and they that bare the cof fyne … styll. And he said, A dolescens, tibi dico surge, yong man, I say vntounto thee, aryse. And he that was dead sate vppe, and began to speake. Now vponupon this there went suche a rumour thoroughout all the countreys, so that eueryevery mā merueiled at it. And Johns disciples went to theyr maister & told him of it, what wonderfull thynges he dyd. Note here, that when we heare, yt our sauiour is a doer of such wonderful su pernatural works, it shalbe a wonderous great comfort vntounto vsus. For by this his dede, it appeared manifestly, that he is a maister ouer deathe: and hathe power to commaunde him: so that death is in his dominion. For, to raise a man vp, whom … hath deuoured already, is as muche, as to commaundeChrist is lord ouer death. death. But I tell you, death is such an arrogant fellow, and so proude, yea and of so great might & strength, that he wyll geue no man place, nor submit himself to any man, saue onlye vntounto god: vntounto him he must obey and humble himself before his diuyne maiesty. And therfore it appeareth here, that our sauiour is very god, because deathe, that stoute felowe, muste obey hym: he is not able to withstandfor disobey hys commaundementes: whiche is a most comfortable thing vntounto vsus, which beleue in suche a sauioure, which hath power ouer deathe. And therfore, yf he hath power ouer death, then we shalbee sure, that death shall or can not hurte vsus, whyche beleue in hym: for when we beleeue in him, he is able to de sende vsus from deathe, hell, and deuyll. So that they shal beable, with all theyr myghte or power, to hurte vsus, or doe … mischiefe: but we shall hauehave lyfe …. ForIohn. xi. he saith, Qui credit in me, et si mortuus fuerit, viuet, He that beleueth in me, and though he dye, yet he shall liue: that is to saye, though he departe oute of this naturall bodely lyfe: yet for all that, he shall lyue, euerlastingly with me, worlde without ende. This is now an ercedyng comforte, to all chri stian people: for they may be assured, that when they beleue in Christe, when Christe taketh theyr partes, there shalbee nothyng, neyther in heauen, nor in earth, that shalbee able to hurte them, or lette theym of theyr saluation: and so we learne by thys wonderfull myracle, which our sauior did before all the multitude, that he proued himself to be very god, and one that hath power ouer death.An …,
But peraduenture ye wyll saye. No, it foloweth not: he raysed vppe the deade, Ergo he is very god. for we reade in the olde testamente that Elias, and Elisa, (these holye Prophetes of God) … suche workes too: they raised vp the dead as well as he: and yet for all that, they were not goodes: but synfull men as we be: though they had suche a speciall gifts of god, yet they were not goddes, nor yet toke vponupon them to be goddes.
To this question, or obiection, I wyll aunswere hereafter, and if I forget it not. In the meane season, I wyll inoue an other question, which is this. What shoulde moue JohnsAnsvver by an other question. disciples: to come and tell him the miracles which Christ our sauior dyd: thynke ye they came with a good wyll to sette out Christe, and to magnifye hys doynges: or came they with an yll wyll, with an enuious hearte, whiche they beare towardes Christe? Aunswere. They came wyth an yll wyll, wyth an enuious hearte, whiche they barc agaynste Christe: as it appeareth moste …, by the circumstaunces beynge well considered. For ye muste vnderstande, that John hadde verye muche …, to brynge his disciples to Christe: they thoughte that Christe and hys doynges, hys conuersation, were nothynge in comparison of John. For Johns strayghte lyfe, whiche he led in the wyldernesse, made suche a shewe and outewarde glisteryng, that oure Sauiour was regarded for nothyng, in comparison of hym. For our sauiour led not so harde and straight a lyfe, as Iohn did: he eats and drunke, and woulde come to mens tables, when he was bidden: he would kepe company with eueryevery body, ryche, and poore: … receiued hym: and woulde beleue in hym: but Iohn was in the wyldernes, out of the companye of all men. Therfore the disciples of Iohn, they much more regarded Iohn their maister, then Christ their sauiour. And therefore they euer lay vponupon Iohn, in exhortyng hym, yt he wouldIohns dis ciples vvo'dhaue had hym Christ. take vponupon him to be Christ, and the sauiour of the worlde.
And when they had heard of any miracles, that Christe had done, they by and by came vntounto theyr maister, and told hym of it disdainfully: as who say, thus and thus, we hauehave heard that Christ hath done: wherfore shewest not thou thy selfe to: wherfore workest not as well myracles as Christ doth? eueryevery man speaketh of hym: do thou somwhat too, that the people may know thee to be a great man as well as Christ. We reade in the gospell of Mathew, that Iohns disciples came once to Christ, and quarelled with hym, saying: Cur nos & Math. ix.pharisaei ieiunamus frequenter, discipuli autem tui non ieiunāt? Wherfore fast we, and the pharisees, so many a tymes, but thy disciples fast not at al? They thought in theyr owne opinions, that Iohns lyfe was a great deale more to be estemed then Christes, because Iohns lyfe was more painfull, in the outward shew of the world: therfore it greued them that Christ shold be more estemed then Iohn. So yt we may perceiue by Iohns disciples, that they had a good zeale, Sed non secundum scientiam, but not accordyng vntounto knowledge.Iohns dis ci ples dyd naught.
For it is a good thing, for a seruaunt to louelove his maister: but Iohns disciples did naught in that they enuied Christe, and wente aboute to styrre vppe theyr maister to take vponupon him to be Christe. Nowe Iohn, entending to correcte and amend theyr false opinion, which they hadde in Christ, and in hym: (for they regarded him to muche, and Christe whiche was to bee moste regarded, him estemed they for nothinge, in compaIohn plai eth a wisepart. rison of Iohn: therfore Iohn, that good and faithfull man, seyng the ignorauncy of hys disciples, playeth a wyse part, For hearyng them talke of the wonderfull workes, whyche Christ our sauiour dyd, he sendeth them vntounto Christe: with thys question: Art thou he that shall come, or shall we looke for another?
When we loke onelyonly vponupon the outward shew of these wordes, a man might thinke, that Iohn hymselfe, was doutefull whether Christ were the sauiour of the world or not, because he sendeth his disciples to aske such a question of hym. But ye must vnderstand, that it was not done for Iohns sake, to aske such a question, but rather for his disciples sake. For Iohn thought that this should be the way, to bryng them to a good trade, namely to no them to Christ. For as for IohnIohn knevve Christ in his mothers vvombe. hym selfe, he douted not, he knew that Christ was the sauior of the world, he knew it (I say) whiles he was yet in hys mo thers wombe. For we rede in the … of Luke: that after … came vntounto Mary, and brought her such tidings, she arose and went thorough the mountaynes, and came to Ierusalem, to Elizabeth her cosyne: and as she saluted her, the Euangelist saith, saliit infans, in vtero suo, the infant, which was Iohn, lept in his mothers belly: So that Iohn beyng in his mothers belly yet, knew Christ which should be born out of the virgin Mary. After that we rede in the 3. of Mathews when Iohn … baptise Christ, he said vntounto Christ, Ego poMath. 3. tius. I hauehave more nede to be baptised of thee, thē thou of me. So that it manifestly appeareth, yt Iohn douted not of Christ but knew moste certainly, that he was the eternal son of god & the … which was promised vntounto the fathers, to come into the worlde. For it was told him, from aboue, that vponupon whomsoeuer he should see the holy ghoste commyng downe from heauen …, that same was he, whiche afterwarde …: for Iohn after that he had baptised hym, sawe the holye ghoste come doune in a forme of a doue: further Iohn appointed hym with hys finger, sayinge: Ecce agnus … qui tollit peccata mundi See the lambe of God, whiche takethIohn. i. a way the synnes of the world. So (I say) it is most …, that Iohn hymselfe douted not: for he knew it assuredly, that Christe was the sauiour, but he did it onelye to remedye the doutes of hys discyples. Nowe when Iohns disciples came to Christ, they dyd theyr message, saying: Es … ille, qui venturus est, an alium expectamus? Arte thou he that shall come, or shal we looke for another? What doth Christ?Christe shevved himself by dedes. he made not answere with wordes, but with the dedes: he made not muche adoo, in settyng oute himselfe, with greate wordes: but he shewed himselfe to be Christ in dede. For he doth such miracles, whiche no man els could do, but only he which was bothe very god and man. I would wishe of god, that we would doe so to: that when we bee asked a question, whether we bee Christians, whether we hauehave the gospell, the true word of god, or not, I would wyshe (I saye) that we coulde shewe our faith by our workes and godly conuersations: lyke as he shewed hymselfe to be Christ, by his acts and dedes: but I tell you, we be farre otherwise: our acts and dedes disagree farre from our profession. For we are wicked,VVe shevv not oure faith by ourvvorks we care not for gods laws, nor his words: we professe wt our mouth that we be the haters of synnes: but … conuersation sheweth, that we louelove sinne, that we folow the same, that we hauehave a delite in it. So it appeareth, that our wordes and … agree not: we hauehave gods holy worde in our mouthe, but we folow yt wil & pleasure of the diuel in our outward … satiō & liuing. But Christ he did not so: for he shewed himself by his outward works & conuersation, yt he was very … yt sauior of yt world. So we shold do to: we should liue so vprightly, so godly, that eueryevery one might know vsus by our outward cōuersatiō, to be very christiās. We shold so hate & … sins, yt no mā iustly might or could disalow our doings. But what maner of works doth Christ, wherby he sheweth… vvorkes vvher by … is … himself to be yt very Messias & sauior of yt world? Answer. he healeth al maner of diseased folks, yt blind, yt lame, yt …, & al other, which wold come vntounto him, & desire help at hys han des. And finally, he preched the gospel, this ioyful tidings vn to the poore: vntounto thē Christ preched the gospel: But I pray you, howe chaunced it, that he sayth: Pauperes Euāgelizātur. The poore receiue the gospel? answer: because the most part of the rych men in this world, despise & contemn the gospell … esteme it for …: why? wherfore despise … yt gospel? Because they put theyr hope, truste, and confidence in theyr ryches. For the moste parte of the … in this worlde, (I will not say all) do eyther put theyr hope in theyr ryches:The cause … che men contemne the gospell. or els they come naughtely by their riches: or els they keepe it yll, they heape them up together: or els they spende them …. So that it is a very rare thyng to … a godly rich man: for commonly they are geuen to gather and to make …, and so forget the poore in the meane season, whō they ought to reliefe: or … when … them, they spende … naughtely, not as god hath appointed vntounto them, (namelye to helpe their poore and needy neighbour:) but rather do vse them to excesse, wantonnes and pleasure. Therfore Christe saith: The poore receyue the gospell, … they are most … The poore are most mee … he ….therunto, they are all comfortlesse in this world, and so most meete to … the gospell.
The prophetes long aforehand hadde … of these workes, whiche Christ when he shoulde come shoulde …. For so it is written. God commeth his owne selfe, and wyll delyuer you, then shall the … of the blynde be lightened, and the eares of the … opened, then shall the lame man… 35. leape as an harte, and the domme mannes tongue shal geue thankes. In the wyldernes also there shalbe welspringes. This texte of the Prophet wytnesseth that Christe is veryeEs. y. lx. i. god: for he hath done such … and myracles, of which the prophet speaketh. Now in the same prophet it is further … ten, how that Christ shold preache the gospell vntounto the poore … people, for so he saith. The spirite of the lord god is vponupon me: for the lorde hath annointed me, to preache good thynges vntounto the poore, that I might bynd vp the wounded …, that I myght preache deliueraunce to the captyue, and open the prison to them that are bounde, that I myghte declare the acceptable yere of the lorde.
Here the prophet … that whēn Christ shold come he should be a worker of such actes, and a preacher whyche… vvorkes make … for …. should preache the gospell vntounto the poore: and therfore now when the disciples of … came vntounto hym, demandyng of hym, whether he were Christe or not, he aunswered by hys workes. Lyke as he sayeth in an other place in the gospel to the Phariseis. The works which I do, beare witnes of me. As who say I prove my selfe what I am, by my workes: Again he saith, if I … do the works of my father, beleue me not. So that moste manifestly he proueth himselfe to be that prophet, whiche was spoken of before by the prophetes and other holy men of god. Iohn the Euangelist in his gospel sai eth: and many other signes truly did Iesus in the presence ofIohn. xx. his disciples, whiche are not written in this booke, these are written that ye might beleue, that Iesus is Christ the … of GOD, and that in beleuing ye mighte hauehave life thorough his name. This is a very notable saying and mosteA comfor …. comfortable to all troubled consciences, Iesus hath done ma ny thinges which ar not written, but these are written that we shoulde … him to be Christ: that that Iesus, Maries sonne that was … at Bethleem, and nourished at Nazareth, that he is the sauiour of …: and so in beleuing in hym, we shal hauehave life …. So that there was neuer none that beleued in Christ, which was lost, but all bele uers were saued: therfore it is not to be douted, but yt yf … wil beleue, we shalbe saued to. We … in a booke which isAn histo rie. intituled Vitae patrum, the lyfes of the fathers, in that same booke, we rede that there was ones a great holy man, (as he … to all the world) worthy to be taken vp into heauen: Now that mā had many disciples, and at a tyme he … syck: And in his sicknes he fel in great agony of his conscience: in so much that he could not tel in the worlde what to do. Now his disciples standyng about him, and … him in this case they said vntounto him: how chaunceth it that ye are so troubled father? for certainly there was no body so good a liuer, so … ly, as ye hauehave …: therfore you hauehave not nede to feare, for no dout but you shal come to heauen. The old father made them answer again, saying, though I hauehave liued vprightly, yet for al that it … not help me, I lack some thing yet: and so he did in dede. for … if he had folowed the counsel of his disciples, & had put his trust in his godly conuersation, no dout … should hauehave bene gone to the deuil. For though we ar cō maundedVVe must not put …. to do good workes, & we ought to do thē: yet for al that, we must beware how we do them: when we do them … yt end to be saued by them, then we do them not as we ought to do: then we thrust Christ out of his seate and …. For in dede ye kingdom of god is merited, but not by vsus. Christ he merited the kingdom of heuen for vsus, through his most pain ful death … passion. There hath bene many perfect … amōg the heathen, which liued very well and vprightly, as concerning their outward …, but for al that they wente to the diuel in the end, because they knew not Christ: for so saith scripture, whosoeuer beleueth not in the son, he is iudged alredy. Therfore let vsus lern to know Christ, & to beleue in him: for knowledge must goe before the beleue, we muste first heare yt word of god & know it: And afterward we must beleue the same, & then we must wrastle and striue wt sinne & wickednes, as much as it is possible for vsus: and so liue well and godly, & do al maner of good works, which god hath … vsus in his holy lawes: & then we shalbe rewarded in euerlasting life, but not wt euerlasting life: for yt … life is a gift of god, a … gift, … vntounto men through Christ. Now whē ye disciples of … were come to Christ, & had done theyr …, had asked him whether he wer Christ… life is the gift of god. or not: our … said vntounto thē: Go & shew Iohn again what ye hauehave heard & …: & … we may learn by the way, what a paciēt mā our sauior Christ was, which could so wel beare wt the grosenes of Iohns disciples: for they had … before many times of Iohn, theyr …, yt Christ was the sauior … the worlde, yet they could not … it: and so with theyr … thei came to Christ, which refused thē not nor yet re uiled thē, but entreating thē most louingly & gently, beareth with their weakenes: leauing vsus an … to do so to. For we may … here by his …, not to be hasty, but toAn example of … Christe. … with our neighbors, though they be not by and by … we wold hauehave them to be: yet we … not by and by reuyle them, or … them out of our companye, as …, but … with their weakenes, like as Christ beareth with the disciples of John.
Now to my question which I moued before: how could theThe aunswere … before. workes whiche our Sauior dyd in raising vp the …, how could they proue him to be yt sauior of the world which was promised of God by his holy prophets, when other holy … didde the same workes as well as he? And this must be aun swered to, we may hauehave no doutes in that matter: for when we doute whether he be the very sauiour or not, then we cast doune the foundation of our fayth, and so brynge our selues to the very pytte of hell. Therefore this shalbe my answere, Elias and Elisa raised vp dead bodies, to proue by suche myracles that they were the right ministers of the … god: and that theyr doctrine was the true doctryne, and the … worde of god: to that end dyd they theyr miracles: but they neuer said we be Christes, or we be the sonnes of God, yea and very gods. No no, they neuer toke vponupon them suche thynges: But our sauiour when he dyd the same workes, he toke vponupon hym to be Christe, to be the sauiour of the world, to be the naturall sonne of god, and so to the confirmation of such his sayinges, he dyd such workes: therefore he saieth IIohn. 6. am the bread of life: Item Ego sum resurrectio & vita, I amIohn …. the resurrection and the lyfe. Item Ego sum via veritas & vita,Iohn. …. I am the waye, the truth, and the life, yea and when he talked with the woman at the well, she … vntounto hym: when the Messias commeth he shall teache vsus all thynges. ThenIohn. 4. he saith vntounto her: I am he that speaketh vntounto thee: I am that same Messias whiche was to come, and promised of God, I am he.
Further, he saith Venite ad me omne: qui laboratis, ComeMath. xi. to me al ye that labour and are laden, and I wil ease you. So it appeareth that Christ is the very sauiour of the world, because he dyd the dedes of our sauiour: and then again he toke vponupon hym to be he in dede, and openly confessed it.
Further the time giueth it that Christ shoulde come, for so it was prophecied of the good holye father and … Iacob, when he blessed his sonnes, he said: The scepter shalGene. 49 not departe from Iuda, and a law geuer from betwene hys… fig. … th … of …. feete, vntill Schilo come: and vntounto hym shall the gatheryng of the people be.
Now at that tyme when our sauiour was come, the scepter was taken from Iuda: for all Iurye was vnderunder the domini on of the …, therfore Schilo must needes come. So it appereth that by the reason of the tyme, Christ muste needes come at the same season. So lykewise Daniell in his vision shewed, that after 62. wekes should Christ be …, …. … shall hauehave no pleasure in him. So ye see that by the reasō of yt time he must nedes be the right sauior of al mankind, again Christ raised vppe the dead, and healed the … in his ownChrist … i the …. name, by his own authority: So did not the prophets or the apostles: for they did it not in their own strength, but by the help of god. S. Peter raised vp Dorkas yt good godly womā but not by his own power: but Christ our … he did all things, tanquā authoritatē habēs, as he that had authoritye. … tibi dico, surge, yong man, I saye vntounto thee arise. So his works which he did by his own diuyne power, proue him to be very god, and yt same …, which was promised vntounto the world.
Now when our … had told the disciples of … his wor kes and miracles which he did, he addeth a prety clause, and geueth them a goodly …, saying: Et beatus qui nō … on the galle.fuerit offensus in me, And blessed is he that is not offēded by me: here he toucheth them, he rubbeth thē at the gall, he did not meane Iohn, for Iohn was not offēded: but he did mean thē thēselues: for they were offended because of his familiar and meane conuersation. But ye will say, how can a mā be hurt by him, from whom commeth no hurt at all? Mary I tel you, Iohns disciples were hurte of Christ, and yet the faulte was not in Christ but in them: Christ lyued a common lyfe, he was a good familiar man, he eate and dranke as other did he came to mens tables when he was called: in so much that some called hym a gloser: therfore the disciples of Iohn, … his symple life, were offended with him. But I praye you should Christ hauehave forsaken his maner of …, and folow the lyfe of Iohn, because some were offended with him? No not so. It was scandalum acceptum & non datum, they toke offences themselues, he gaue thē none: he did according… taken and … geuen. vntounto hys calling, as he was appointed of his father. Here I hauehave occasion to speak of offences. Scandalum is slaūder, … it hath an other signification wt vsus: it is taken for an … or hurt, ye may define it so. An offence is, when I say order any thing great or smal, or speak any word wherby my … is made the worse: but this offence is of two maner of …, first when I do well, and an other man is offended with myOffence is of … for …. well doinges, this is Scandalū acceptū. he taketh offence, I … none, again Scandalū … is, when I do wickedly & with my yll ensample hurt my neighbor, this is offence geuen. There were many at our sauiors time which were offē ded wt him, because he preched yt word of god, & rebuked sinsMath xv. but Christ saith, Sinite illos, let thē alone, care not for thē, let them be offended as long as they wil, we may not leaue the preachyng of the truth, for offences sake, because my neighbor can not away with it. No not so, let vsus say the truth, hauyng a calling, as in dede eueryevery man hath a calling, & moste specially prechers: We rede in the gospel of Iohn, when our…. …. … saith vntounto his …, & to yt other people: Nisi comederitis, except ye eate the flesh of yt son of mā, ye shal hauehave no life in you. By these sayings of Christ, wer many offēded wt him, in so much yt the gretest … went frō him & forsoke hi they could not abide him. Now was Christ to be blamed for yt? because he said so? No no, for he said nothing but yt truth. So likewise yt preacher when he saith the truth, is not to be blamed though some be offended wt him. When Moses came into Egipt what … hapned because of his com ming, in so much yt almost yt whole lād perished: was he …? No, for he did nothing but yt which god cōmaūded him, but the Egiptiās, they wer obstinate, thei wold not obey the voice of god: therfore Moses hurt them not, but they hurt thē A good thing … not be lef. vndone.selues wt their infidelity and obstinate heart. So ye see, yt we may not leaue yt truth to be vnspoken or an honest dede to be vndone, because som … offended wt it. As for an ensāple, here is a priest which … by himself yt he hath not the gift of …: & therfore wold fain mary, but he is afraide yt som of his parishners shold be offended wt it, wt his mariage: now shal he leaue his mariage because som wilbe … wt him? No yt he shal not, let yt priest instruct his parishners, tel thē out of yt word of god, ye it is as … for him to mary, as wel as for another mā after yt he hath taught thē: if they wil not beleue him or refuse his doctrine let him mary, & care not for their offences. I told you before, yt there be two maner of offēces, scandalū datū, & scandalū acceptū, scandalū … is, when I offend my neighbor by my wickednes, by my … & inordinate liuing: scan dalū acceptū, when he is offē ded wt me whē I do a good dede: but for al yt we ought not … leaue an bonest act: because of an other mās offences. But I tel you, it is a perilous thing, & a … sin to do such a thig wherby my neighbor shalbe made yt worse, by my wicked en… al …. sample. As we hauehave an ensample of … which offēded al Israel, for he went & set, vp two golden calues, by whiche act he gaue occasion to the whole people to cōmit idolatry against god: and this was a heynous horrible sin: for of it … wonderful mischief after. So likewise we rede of a great … in scripture, which is called Zambri, which gaue an yl ensā ple in cōmitting lechery openly wt a whore, whō Phinees yt godly mā killed: for his act of lechery was a stōbling block to al yt people of Israel. So ye see yt scādalū datū, is a wicked act which I do, wherby my neighbor is made yt worse. Therfore I pray you for gods sake, beware of such offences: for so it isMath. … writē in yt gospel of Mat. V ae hoī … quā scandala veniunt, … vntounto yt mā or womā by whō offēces come. Therfore I say let vsus beware, let vsus kepe our selfes … yt … of gods hoAgre vvith gods vvord and passe … for offence. ly word, so yt all our doinges may be agreable vntounto yt same: & thē … whē we agre wt gods word, yt world wil nedes be offen ded wt vsus, let vsus not care for yt, for they hurt not vsus but thēsel …. Let vsus therfore take good hede to our selfes, lest we do any thing wherby our neighbor might be offended. for our sa uior saith, whosoeuer doth offēd one of these litle ones, which beleue in me, it wer better … him yt a milstone wer hāged about his neck, & that he wer drouned in yt depe of yt sea. Ther fore let parents take hede how they speake in the presence of theyr litle children, & masters oughte to take heede how they giuegive ensāples vntounto their seruāts. For there be som masters & parents yt wil speak so … & … before their childrē & seruāts, yt it is out of measure: & not onelyonly yt, but … will also sweare in the presence of their children, yea they will teache them to sweare. Our Sauiour how earnestly he commaunded vsto beware of sweryng, therfore parentes ought to take …, and speciallye suche as bee rulers ouer houses, or be …: yf they do sweare, all the householde will swere to, for it is commonlie sene that the seruant foloweth the … of his …, when they be yll, but the seruauntesThe … are not hasty fo … en sample. are … so … their … in goodnes. and … is so … in an vse, that we can saye nothing at all, … we … by god, or by my saith, or such … but there be some which when they be … decause of … they will say … wil not beleue me … I … is a token that they hauehave bene great lyers. For … true man is to … without … and … certain … that when a man … not …, or hath not a … to breake this law of god, … is to …, he is I … neither … any …, to do … Swering and lying …for because swering is as wel forbidden as lying, & lying, as swering: therfore he … maketh no … in the one, wyll make lesse … in theother. I my self hauehave had … in vsage to say in my earnest matters: yea by S. Mary: and such lyke thynges, which in dede is naught. For we are cōmaunded not to swere at al. Therfore … vntounto thē that swereth, that … their neighbors or their children by swering, or other-wickednes. For it were better that a … wer hanged about our neck then to offend any body: that is to say, he were better to be killed bodely, to suffer … Agaeat … to be sone offen ded.punishment bodely, for they that offende, they bee … of their neighbors. But we are faulty the most part of vsus, two maner of wais: first we wilbe offended when there is no offence geuen, and again we wil be bold to do … thing wherby our neighbour may be … offended. But he … is a charitable man, wil not be lightly …: for certainly it is a great faulte to be rashly offended. And to indge our neighbors deings to be naught and wicked, afore we know the truth of … matter: For we cannot see the heartes of men. Therfore … long as … thing … not openly wicked, let vsus not be offended. Again, if the … bee necessary & good, let vsus not feare … ces: yet we must take heede … we walk charitably. We hauehave a liberty in the gospel, yet … must take hede that we vse that1 Cor. 6 same liberty aright, accordyng vntounto the rule of charity: for s. … saith, o nnia … sod non omnia conducūr, All … are … vntounto me, but not al things perfit. I must … with him, that is weake in …: As for an ensaumple, we may eate flesh vponupon frydayes by gods word, if there wer not a law made by the king and his most honorable …: if there were no law (I say) then I might cate … vponupon fryday: yet for … that we must vse our liberty so that the vse of it may … our neighbour, or … it when it may doe harme. So like as my liberty must be subiecte to charitye, so my charity must be agreable to the … of the faith: forThessa. v … of …. we may by no meanes leaue the truth, leaue gods word, … che we must most stedfastly kepe. We hauehave a law that saith, Abomni specie mala abstinete, So that it is not a smal matter to be a …. We rede a story that one Attalus & Baldwine were cast into prison, for gods religions sake, in which prison … were some which wold not cate …, … drink wyne. Now thesame Attalus was instruct of god … he shold monish those prisoners their rigorousnes, which … did. And so at the length brought them to … their foolishnes. But we can not do so here in Englād. For our … is takē away by a law, yf there wer no such law, thē we might eate as wel … vponupon frydayes as vponupon holy …. And thisRefraining of flesh is a matter of pollicy. law is but a matter of pollicy, not of religion or holines: and we ought to liue accordyng vntounto … lawes of … realme, made by the kinges …: for in al maner of things we … to … our selfes … the hedges of the lawes: in eating & … king, in apparel, in pastimes. In summa, our whole conuer … shold be agreable vntounto the lawes. For scripture saith, … i Peter. ….we shold be obedient to al maner of ordinances, made by the lauful maiestrate: therfore we must spend our life, & take our …, so that it may stand with the order of the reaim. … we wold hauehave in consideration these offences, to take … de of geuing offences. And again to beware of … or rashnes to … or condemn our brother: for to be offended haste ly is against charity. But the world is so ful of offences, and so redy to be offended, that I think if our sauior were here vponupon erth again as he hath ben bodely, and shold talk with a woman at the wel as he did once, I thinke that ther woulde some be found amongst vsus, which woulde be offended with him, they would think that he had bene naught with her: … I pray yon beware of rash … and rash …. IfRash … ces must be …. …. …. …. my neighbor doth somwaht wherby I am …, let me go vntounto him, and speake with him: but to iudge him by and by without knowledge, that same is noughte. And further we must folow this rule, Nemo quod suūest …, sed quod al terius, No man shall seeke his owne … but his neyghbors. I must vfe my liberty, so that my neighbor may not … hurte by it, but rather …. So did S. Paule, when he …, & at another time, when be perceiued … the people was stout in defending the ceremonies of the law he would not …. Now when the disciples of John wer gone, then he beginneth to speake to the people of John Baptist: for our … had a respect to …, to bis … mation, lest the people shold thinke that … were in … of him, whether he wer … or not. What went ye out in … wyldernes to … A rede that is … of the … There was once an old mā which coūcelled a yong man, … shold… councel … by an old … be like as a rede, he should be ruled as the world goeth: for a rede neuer breaketh but it foloweth the wind which way socuer it bloweth, the ocke tree somtimes breaketh because she wil not bend. But Christ speaketh these words to the greats commendation of …, because of his stedfastnes: there bee many redes now adais in the world, many men wil go with the world. But religion ought not to be subiect vntounto pollicyMany re des in he …. but rather pollicye vntounto religion. I feare me there shalbe a great number of vsus redes when there shal come a persecutiō, that we must suffer for goddes worde sake. I feare me there will be a great many that will chaunge, whiche will not bee constant as John was. When a man is in the wrong or exronious waye, then he may and should chaunge: but …, saieth Saint Paule, we muste endure and stande … in that which is good and right, in goddes word we shoulde stande fast, but not in …. So that first we must see that we bee righte, and afterwarde we muste stande. This is a greate praise wher with our … praised …, for it isGod ge … no smal matter to be praised of him which … the least thoughts of all men.
… what went ye oute to … A man clothed in softe ray ment: be holde they that were soft raymentes are in kyngesCleargy menought not to … fine …. houses. Here in these wordes our Sautour condemned not … geare, as Sylke, Sattyne, …: for there is nothyng so … but it maye bee worne, but not of eueryevery bodye, kynges and great men are allowed to weare suche fyne geare: but … he was a cleargy man, it behoued not hym to weare suche geare: peraduenture yf he had bene a slatterer as some bee nowe a dayes, then he mighte hauehave gotten suche geare, but … knowyng his office, knewe well ynough that it behoued not hym to weare suche fyne geare: but howe oure cleargye men were then, and with what … I canne not tell; but I canne tell that it beehoueth not vntounto theym to weare suche delicate thynges.
Sainete … disallow gorgeousnes in women, howe muche more then in menne: for a man woulde thynks that women shoulde hauehave more libertyes in suche tryfles, but holye Scripture disalloweth it: and not onelye in women,Men …. stand by the … and contra. but also in men. For he nameth women, because they are more geuen to that vanitye them menne bee. For Scripture vseth sometymes by this worde women, to vnderstand men too. And agayne by the woorde … it vnderstandeth women too. For elles we shoulde not … in all scripture that women shoulde bee baptised.
Here were a good place to speake againste oure cleargye menne, whiche goe so gallauntlye nowe adayes. I heare saye, that somme of theym weare veluette shooes, and veluet …: such felowes are more meete to daunce the morrice daunce, then to bee admitted to preache. I praye God amende suche worldelye felowes, for … they bee not meete to be preachers.
… I wyll make an ende, as concernyng offences: peraduenture ye wyll saye howe chaunceth it that God suffereth suche … in the … Aunswere: … sunt iuditia altissimi, The … of theRom. xi. most highest are inscrutable, god can vse them to … purpo ses: therfore he sayth, … est vt scandala veniant, thē ye wyll say: why should we then be damned for offences, when offences are nedefull? Answer. When we do yl, we shal receiue our reward for our ylnes: for it is no thanks to vsus whē god can vse them to good purposes, we ought to be punished when we do naught. Therfore the best is to beware and take heede of offences, & all other vngodlines and liue vprightlye in the feare of god. So that we may inherite the lyfe … which he hath prepared for vsus from the beginnyng of the world, whiche graunte vsus god the father, god the Sonne, and God the holy ghost, one god and three per sons, now and euer worlde without ende.
Amen.
FINIS.
27 SERMONS PREAched by the ryght Reuerende father in God and constant Matir of Iesus Christe, Maister Hugh Latimer, as well such as in tymes past hauehave bene printed, as certayne other commyng to our handes of late, whych were yet neuer set forth in print. Faithfully perused & allowed accordyng to the order appoynted in the Quenes Maiesties Iniunctions.
1. Hys sermon Ad clerum.
2. Hys fourth sermon vponupon the plough.
3. Hys .7. sermons before kyng Edward.
4. Hys sermon at Stamforde.
5. Hys last sermon before kyng Edward.
6. Hys .7. sermons vponupon the Lordes prayer.
7. Hys other. 9. sermons vponupon certayne Gospels and Epistles.
¶ Imprinted at London by Iohn Day, dwelling ouer Aldersgate.
¶ Cum gratia & priuilegio Regiae Maie. statis, per septenium. Anno. 1562.