Twenty-Seven Sermons, Sermons 3 · Sermon 7
The seuenth Sermon of Maister Hugh Latymer, which he preached before king …, the. 19. day of Aprill.
QVaecunque scripta sunt ad nostrā doctrlnam … sunt, … thinges that bee written, they bee written to be our doctrine. By occasion of this text (… be norable audience) I hauehave walked this … in the broad field of scripture and vsed my liberty, and intreated of such maters as I thought … for this auditory. I hauehave had adoe with many estates, euen with the highest of all. I … of the duety kinges, of the duety of magistrates, & iudges, of the duety of prelates, and alowing yt that is goodAll … ners and … offended, he that … best may vveli be amended. and disallowyng the contrary. I hauehave taught that we are al sinners: I thinke there is none of vsus al, neither preacher, nor hearer, but we may be amended, and redresse our Iyues: we may all say, yea all the packe of vsus, Peccauimus cum patribus nostris, We hauehave offended and synned with our forefathers. In multis offendimus …, There is none of vsus all, but we hauehave in sondrye thinges greuouslye offended almightys God. I here … of many sautes and rebu ked manye kindes of sinnes. I intende to daye by goddesThe reme dy of syn grace, to shewe you, the remedye of sinne. We bee in the place of repentance, now is the time to call for mercy, whiles we be in this world: we be all sinners, euen the best of vsus all. Therfore it is good to here the remedy of sin. This daye is commonly called good friday, although eueryevery day oughte to be with vsus good friday, Yet this day we ar accustomed spe cially to hauehave a commemoratiō and remembrance of the passion of our sauior … Christ. This day we hauehave in memory his bitter passion and death, which is the remedy of our syn. Therfore I entend to entreat of a piece of a story of his passion. I am not able to entreate of all. That I may do, that yt better, and that it may be to the honor of god & the edificatiō of your soules and myne both, I shall desire you to pray. &c.
In this prayer I will … yon to remembre the soules departed, with laudes and praise to almightie God, that he would vouchsafe to assist them at the houre of their …: In so doyng, you shalbe put in remebrance to pray for your selues, that it may please god to assist and comfort you in the agonies and paynes of deathe.Math. 26.
The place that I wyll intreate of, is the. xxvi. ChapterLuc. xxii. of Sainet Mathew. How be it, as I intreate of it, I will…. xiiii borow parte of Sainet Marke, and Sainct Luke: for they hauehave som what, that sainet Mathew hath not: and especially Luke. The … is, Tunc cum venisset Iesus in villam, quae … Gethsemani, than when Iesus came, some hauehave in …, some in agrum, some in praedium. But it is all one: When Christ came into a grange, into a piece of lande, into a …: it makes no matter, calle it what ye will: At what tyme he had come into an honest mans house, and there eaten his pascal lambe, and instituted and celebrated the LordesIudas dyd not sleepe. nor foreslowe his busines. supper, and set forth the blessed communion: then when this was done, he toke his waye to the place, where he knew Iudas would come. It was a solitarie place, and thyther he went with his eleuen apostles. For Iudas yt twelfthChrist left … of his disciples … the gardē appoin. … them vvhat to do vvhiles he vvente …. was aboute his busynesse, he was occupied about his marchandise, and was prouidyng among the by shops and prtestes, to come with an imbushement of Iewes, to take oure sauior Iesu Christ. And when he was com into this … or graunge, this village, or serme place, whiche was called …: there was a garden saith Luke, into the which he goeth, & leaues. viii. of his disciples without: howbe it he appointed them what they should …. He saith, Sedete hic, donec vadā illuc, & orē, Sit you here, whiles I go yonder & A solitary place is mete for …. A notable place to … doyrges for vsus.pray. He told them that he went to pray, to monish thē what they shuld do to fall to prayer as he did. He left them there, & toke no more with him, but. iii. Peter, Iames, & Iohn: to teach vsus yt a solitarie place is mete for prayer. Then whē he was com into this garden, caepit expauescere, he began to trē ble, in somuch he said, Tristis est … mea vsus que ad … My soule is beauie and pensiue, euen vntounto …. This is a notable place, & one of the most especial & chefest of all that be in the story of the passion of Christ. Here is our remedie. Here we must hauehave in consideration, all his dooynges and sayenges, for our learnyng, for our edification, for our comforte and co ….
Fyrst of all, he set his thre disciples that he toke with him in an order, and … them what they should doo, …:… di …. Sedete hic, & …, … & … Sit here, and pray that ye enter not into temptation. but of that I will … afterward. Now … he was in the …, Coepit …. …, He began to be heauy, pensiue, … hearted. I lyke … playing with this worde …, it was a perfect heauynesse: it was suche a one as was … seene the the greater, it was not onelyonly the beginning of a …. … These doctours, we hauehave great cause to thank God for them… ours are o …. but yet I would not hauehave them alwais to be allowed, They hauehave handled many pointes of our faith very godly: and we may hauehave a great stay in thē in many thinges: we myght not wel lacke them: but yet I would not hauehave men to be sworne to them and so addict as to take hand ouer head what … they say, it were a great inconuenience so to doo. Will, let vsus go forward. He toke Peter, Iames, and Iohn, into this gardeyn. And why dyd he take them with hym, rather than other? Mary … that he had taken before, to whom he had reueled in the hylle, the … and declaration of his …, to see the … of the … of his Godhead: nowe in the garden he reueled to the same the infirmitie of his man …: because they had tasted of the …, he would they should … also of the …. He tooke these with hym at bothe tymes: for two or thre is inough to beare witnesse. And he began to be heauy in his mynde. He was greatly vered within …: he … afflicted, it was a great …: … had ben heauy many … before, and he … great afflictions in his soule, as for the blyndnes of the Jewes: and he was like to suffer mo … of paine in his body. But this pang was greater than any he euer …: yea it was a greater … vntounto hym, I think a greater payne than whan he was hanged on the …, thā whan the sower nailes were knocked and … through his hands and fete, than whan the sharp crowne of thornes was … on head. This was the … and pensiuenes of his hearte, the agonie of the …. And as the soule is more precioūs than the bodye: euen so is the paynes of the soule more greuous thanne the … of the bodye: Therfore there is an other which writeth, Horror mortis grauior ipsa: …, The horror and … of death is sorer … death it self. This is the most greuous pain that euer Christ …, … this …, that he suffred in the gardeyn. It is the moste notable place one of them in the whole story of the passion, when he sayd, Anima mea tristis est, vsus que ad mor tem, My soule is heauy to death And Cū cepisset expauescere, And whan he began to …, to shake. The … of it is … by his prayer that he made, …, si possibile est. &c. Father, if it be possible, away with this cup, ryd me of it. He vnderstode by this cup his paines of death. For he knew well inough, that his passion was at hande, that Iudas was come vponupon him with the … to take hym. Ther was … vntounto hym no we the image of death, the image, the sence, the … of hell: fo death and hell go bothe together. I will entreate of this image of hell which is deathe. Truely no man can shewe it perfectly, yet I will doo the best I can, to make you vnderstād the greuous panges that our … Christ was in, when he was in the gardein: As mans power is not able to … it, so no mans tongue is able to expresse it. Painters paint death lyke a man without skin, and a body hauing nothing but bones. And helle they painte with horrible flames of brennyng fyre: they bungie…. somewhat at it, they come nothyng nere it. But this is no true paintyng: No painter can paint hell, vnlesse he could paint the … and condemnation both of body & soule, the possession and hauyng of all …. This is hell, this is the image of death, this is hell, such an euil fauored face, such an vgsom countenance, suche an horrible visage our sauiour Christ saw of death and hell in the gardein. There is no pleasure in behaldyng of it, but more pain than any … tell. Death and hell … vntounto them this euill fauoured face of …, and through sinne. This sinue is so hyghly … of God that he doth prenoūce it worthy to be punished with lacke of all felicitie, with the felyng of infelicitie. Death and … be not only the wages, the reward, the stipend of sinne: but they are brought into the world by sin, Per … mors saith S. Paule through sinne death entred into the worlde. … sheweth the first coming in of it into the world: wher as our first father Adam was set at libertie to lyue for euer: yet God inhibityng him from eatyng of the apple, told him, If thou medle with this …, thou and al thy posteritie shal fall into necessitie of death, frō euer liuing, Morte morieris, thou and all thy posteritie shalbe subiect to death: here came in death and hell. Sinne was their mother. Therefore they must hauehave such an image as their mother sinne would geue them. An … thyng & an horrible image must it nedes be that is brought in by such a thyng so hated of God: yea this face of death & hell is so terrible, that suche as hath benThe exā ple of A. chitophel which hā … hym selfe. wicked men, had rather be hanged than abide it. As Achitophell that traitour to Dauid lyke an ambitious …, thought to hauehave come to higher promotion: and therfore con spired with Absalon against his master Dauid. He, whan he saw his counsaile toke no place, goes and hanges himselfe, in contemplation of this euil fauoured face of death. Iudas also whan he came with … to take his mayster Christ, in beholdyng this horrible face, hanged hym selfe.
Yea the elect people of God, the faithfull hauyng the beholding of this face, (though God hath always preserued them suche a good God he is to them that beleue in hym, that he wyll not suffer theym to bee tempted aboue that, that they hauehave ben able to beare:) yet for all that, there is nothyngeIob cursed the … of his … the … he did invvardly be holde the horror of deathe. that they complayne more … than of this horror of death. Go to Iob, what sayth he? Pereat dies in quo natus sum, suspendium elegit anima mea, … worthe the day that I was borne in, my soule would be hanged: sayeng in his panges almoste he wyst not what. This was whan with the … of his conscieuce, and the inward man, he beheld the horror of death and hell, not for any bodily paine that … suffered: for when he had byles, botches, blaynes, and scabbes, he suffered theym pacientely: … saye then: Si bona suscepi, de manu Domini, &c. … we hauehave receyued … thyngesVVhy Iob vvas vexed. of GOD, why shoulde we not suffer lykewyse euill. … was not for any suche thyng, that he was so …: but the … of this face of death and hell, was offered to hym so lyuely, that he woulde hauehave been out of this worlde. It was this euill fauoured face of death that so troubled hym. … Dauid also sayde in contemplation of this vgsome …, … in gemitu meo, I hauehave … sore vexed with sighyng and mournynge. Turbatus est à … oculus … Dauid fea red not Goliath the mon strous … but he fea … deth. Ionas fea red not the sea, but he sea red death. … feared not the … ty army of Sennache …, but he fered deth.Mine eye hath bene greatly troubled in my rage. A strange thynge, when he hadde to fyghte with Goliath that monstrous …, who was able to hauehave eaten hym, he coulde abyde hym, and was nothynge afrayde. And nowe what a …? what exclamations makes he at the syghte of death? Ionas likewise was bold ynough to byd the shipmen cast hym into the sea, he had not yet … that face & visage: but when he was in the whales bealy, aud had there the beholdyng of it, what terror and distresse abode he? … whan he sawe Senacherib … his … on eueryevery side most violently, was nothyng afrayde of the great hoste and myghty army that was lyke to destroye hym out of hande, yet he was afrayde of death. Whan the … came vntounto hym, and sayd: Dispone domui …, morte morieris, & n on viues, It stroke hym so to the heart that he fell a wepyng. O Lord, what an horror was this? There be some writers that4. Kin. xx. sayes, that Peter, Iames, and Iohn, were in this felyng at the same tyme: and that Peter, when he said, … à me Domine, quia homo peccator sum, did tast som part of it: he wasLittle Bilney the blessed martyr of god had vvonder full … in his mynd. so astonished, he wyste not what to saye. It was not longe that they were in this anguishe, some sayes longer, somme shorter: but Christ was readie to comfort them, and sayd to Peter, Netimeas, Be not afrayd. A frende of myne told me of a certayne woman, that was eyghtene yeares together in it. I knewe a man my selfe Bilney, little Bilney, that blessed martyr of God, what tyme he had borne his fagott, and was come agayne to Cambridge, had suche … within hymselfe, beholdynge this ymage of deathe, … hys friendes were a frayde to lette hym be alone: they were fayne to bee with him daye and nighte, and comforted hym as they coulde, but no comfortes woulde serue. As for the comfortable places of Scripture to bryng them vntounto hym, it was as though a man woulde runne hym thoroughe the hart with a sworde: yet afterward for al this he was reuiuedBylney … hys death paciently. and toke his deathe paciently, and died well against the tyrannicall sea of Rome. Wo will be to that bishop, that had the examination of hym, if he repented not. Here is a good lesson for you my frendes: If euer ye come in danger, in durance, in prison for gods quarell, and his sake (as he did forA good … son for such as … in prison … the … sake. purgatorie matters, and put to beare a fagot for preachyng the true worde of God agaynst pilgremage, and suche like matters.) I will aduise you first and aboue all thyng to abiure all your frendes, all your frendeshyp, leaue not one vnabiured: it is they that shall vndoo you, and not your ennemies. It was his very frendes, that brought Bylney to it. By this it may somewhat appere what our sauiour Christs suffered: he dothe not dissemble it hymselfe, when he saythe,Christe vvas in a gony. My soule is heauy to death: he was in so sore an agonie, that there issued out of hym, as I shall entreate anone, droppes of blood: An vgsome thing surely. which his fact & dede sheweth vsus, what horrible paines he was in for our sakes. But you wil say, how can this be? It were possyble that I & suchAn … to an obiection … and … menting. Christ suf fred nothing in his god head. other, as be great sinners should suffre such affliction. The sonne of God, what our sauiour Christ? neuer sinned, … can this stand that he shold be this handled? he neuer deserued it. Mary I will tell you, how we must consider our sauiour Christ two ways, one way in his māhod, an other in his godhed. Som places of scripture must be referred to his deity & som to his humanitie. In his godhed he suffrēd nothing: but now he made him self void of his deity, as … saith, Cū esset in forma … exinaniuir seipsum, Wheras he was in the forme of God, he emptied himself of it, he did hide it, & vsed himself as though he had not had it, he would not helpe him selfe wyth hys Godheade, he humbled himselfe wyth all obedience vntounto deathe, euen to the deathe of the crosse: thysHowe Christe toke vponupon hym oure synnes. was in that he was man, he tooke vppon hym our synnes, oure synnes, not the worke of synne. I meane not so, not to doe it, not to commytte it, but to purge it, to cleanse it, to beare the stypende of it: and that waye he was the greate synner of the worlde, he bare all the synne of the worlde onVVhy Christ was the greate synner of the vvhole vvorlde. his backe, he would become detter for it.
Nowe to sustayne and suffer the doloures of deathe, is not to synne: but he came into this worlde, wyth hys passion to purge our synnes. Nowe thys that he suffered in the Gardyne is one of the bitterest … of all hys passyon:Christs suf ring in the gardeyne vvas one of the … of all his passiō. … feare of deathe, was the bytterest payne that euer he abode, dewe to synne, which he neuer dyd, but became detter for vsus. All thys he suffered for vsus, thys he dydde to satisfye for oure synnes. It is muche lyke as yf I oughte another man twenty thousande poundes, and shoulde paye it out of hande, or elles goe to the dungeon of Ludgate? and whenHe declares vvhat Christ did for vsus by a similitude I am goyng to pryson, one of my friendes should come, and aske, whether goeth thys manne? And after he hadde heard the matter, shoulde saye, lette me aunswers for hym, I will beecome suretye for hym. Yea, I wyll paye all for hym. Suche a parte played our Sauiour Chryste with vsus. If he hadde not suffered thys, I for my parte shoulde hauehave suffered, accordyug to the grauitie and quantitie of my synnes,The greater the sin is, the … is the paine. damnation. For the greater the synne is, the greater is the punishement in hell. He suffered for you and me, in suche a degree as is dewe to all the synnes of the whole worlde. It was as yf you woulde ymagine, that one man had committed all the synnes sence Adam, you may bee sure, he shoulde bee punished with the same horrour of deathe, in suche a sorte, as all men in the worlde shoulde hauehave suffered.
Fayne and put case oure Sauiour Christe, had committed all the synnes of the worlde: all that I for my parte hauehave done, all that you for your part hauehave done and that any man els hath done: yf he had done all thys hymselfe, hys agonye that he suffered shoulde hauehave bene no greater nor greuouser, then it was. This that he suffred in the gardyne was a … I say of his passion, and one of the bitterest partes of it.His suffe ring in the gardē vvas … painfull. And this he suffered for our synnes, and not for any synnes that he had committed himselfe: for all we shoulde hauehave suf fered eueryevery man according to his own desertes.
Thys he dydde of hys goodnesse, partely to purge andVVhy Christ suf fered such paynes in the … All men shal beholde the vgsomface of death. cleanse oure synnes, partlye, because he woulde taste, and feele oure miseries, Quo posset … nobis, That he shoulde the rather helpe and relieue vsus: and partlye he suffered to geue vsus example to behaue our selues as he dydde. He dyd not suffer, to discharge vsus cleane from death, to kepe vsus cleane from it, not to taste of it. Nay, nay, you muste not take it so. We shall hauehave the beholdyng of thys vgsome … euerye one of vsus, we shall feele it our selues. Yet our Sauiour Christe dyd suffer, to the entente, to sygnifye to vsus, that deathe is ouercomable. We shall in dede ouercome it, yf we repente, and acknowledge, that oure Sauiour Iesu ChristeHovv vve shal oner com deth. pacifyed with his panges and paynes, the wrathe of the father, hauynge a louelove to walke in the wayes of God: yf we beleue in Iesus Christe, we shall ouercome deathe. I saye, it shall not preuaile againste vsus. Wherfore … it chaunceth thee my frende, to hauehave the tastyng of thys death,VVhat is to be done vvhen the horrour of death comes. that thou shalte bee tempted with thys horrour of deathe, what is to be done then? when so euer thou feelest thy soule heauye to deathe, make haste, and resorte to thys gardyne, and wyth this fayth thou shalt ouercome thys terrour when it commeth. Oh it was a greuous thing, that Christ suffredVVhy … suf fered such pain inthe garden. here. Oh the greatnes of his dolour that he suffred in the gar den partly to make … for our fins, and partly to deliuer vsus from death, not so, that we should not dye bodily, but that this death should be a way to a better life, and to destroy and oneccome …. Our Sauioure Christ had a gardyne, but he had litle pleasure in it. You hauehave many goodly gardynes, I would you wold in the middes of them cousider what agony our sauiour Christ suffred in his gardyne. A goodly meditationA medita tion for vsus in our gar dynes. to hauehave in your gardynes. It shall occasion you to delight no farther in vanities, but to remember what he suffered for you. It may … you from synne? It is a good mo nument, a good sygne; a good … to consider howe he behaued him selfe in this gardyne.
Well he saieth to his disciples. Sitte here and praye wyth me. He wente a lyttle way, of, as it were a stones caste from them, and falles to his praier, and saith: Pater si possibile est tran seat à … iste. Father if it be possible, Awaye with thys bytter cuppe, thys outragious payne. Yet after he … him selfe, and sayes: … non sicut ego volo, sed sicut tu vis, Not my wyll but thy … bee done O father. Here is a good meditation for Christen menne, at all tymes, and not onelyonly vponupon good Fryday: Lette good fridayEueryEvery day shold bee good friday to a christē mā bee eueryevery daye to a Christian man to knowe, to vse hys passion to that ende and purpose, not to reade the story, but to take the fruite of it.
Some menne yf they hadde bene in thys agony, would1. Sam. xxx hauehave runne theymselues thoroughe with theyr swordes as2 Samuel xviii. Saule dyd, some woulde hauehave hanged themselues, as Achytophel did. Let vsus not follow these men, they be no examples for vsus, but lette vsus folowe Chryste, whiche in hys agonye resorted to hys father with his prayer: This must be our patrone to worke by. Here I mighte dilate the matter as touchyngeVVe must pray ogod and not to sainctes. praying to Sainctes. Here we maye learne not to praye to Saynctes, Christe byddes vsus, Ora patrem qui est in coelis. Praye to thy father that is in heauen, to the creator, and not to anye creature. And therefore awaye with these anouries: Lette God alone bee oure auowrye, what hauehave we to doe to runne hither or thither, but onelye to the father of heauen? I wyll not tarye to speaks of this matter.
Our Sauiour Christ sette his disciples in an order, and com maunded them to watche and praye, saying: Vigilate & orate. Watche and prays: wherto shold they watche & pray, heVVhy the … vvere com maunded to pray. sayeth by and by, Ne … in tentationem, That ye enter not into temptation. He byddes them not pray that they bee not tempted, for that is as muche to saye, as to praye that we shoulde be out of thys worlde. There is no man in thys worlde without tēptation. In the the time of prosperity we are tempted to wantonnes, …, and all lyghtnes: in tyme of aduersitie to dispayre in goddes …. TemptationA differēs … being tem pted and … in to temptation. neuer ceases. There is a difference betwene beynge tempted and entryng into temptation. He byddes therefore not to praye that they be not tempted, but that they enter not into temptation. To bee tempted is no euyll thing.
For what is it? no more then when the fleshe, the dyuel, and the worlde dothe solicite and moue vsus against god.
To geue place to these suggestions, and to yelde our selues, and suffer vsus to be ouercome of theym, thys is to enter into temptation. Oure Sauiour Christe knewe that they shoulde bee greuously tempted, and therefore he … theym warnynge, that they shoulde not geue place to temptation, nor dyspayre at his deathe. And yf they chaunced toThe apostles vvere vvarned of theyr …. forsake hym, or to runne awaye, in case they tripped or swarued, yet to come agayne.
But our Sauiour Christe dyd not onelyonly commaunde hys Disciples to pray, but fell downe vponupon hys knees flat vponuponChrist dy … pray in his agony. the ground and praied himselfe, saying: Pater …, transeat à me calix iste. Father, deliuer me of this pange and payne that I am in, thys outragious payne, this word, Father, came euen from the bowels of hys hearte, whenne he made hys mone, as who should say, Father ryd me, I am in suche payne that I can be in no greater? Thou arte my Father, I am thy sonne, Can the father forsake hys Sonne in suche anguish? Thus he made hys mone. Father, take away this … of death from me, ryd me of thys payne, suffer me not to be taken when Judas comes, suffer me not to bee bāged on the crosse, suffer not my … to be perced wt … nor my harte with the sharpe speare. A wonderfull thynge, that he shoulde so oft tel his … of it before, and nowe when he commeth to the paynte, to desyre to be rydde of … thought he woulde hauehave bene disobediente to the wyll of hys father. Afore he sayed, he came to suffer, and now he sayes away with this cup. Who woulde hauehave thought yt euer this geare should hauehave come out of Christes mouth: What a case is this? What shuld a man say? You must vnderstande, that Christ … vponupon him our infirmities, of the whyche thysChrist … vp on him all oure infirmities, except sin. was one, to be sory at death. Among the stipends of … this was one, to … at the crosse, this is a punishmet for our synne.
It goeth otherwayes wyth vsus, then with Christ, if we were in like case, and in like agony, almost we wold curse God, or rather wish that there wer no God. This that he said, was not of that sorte, it was referringe the … to the wil of his father: but we seke by al means be it ryght, be it wrong of our owne nature to be rid out of payne, he desyred it conditionally, as it might stād, with his fathers wil, adding A veruntamen to it. So his request was to shew the infirmity of man, here is nowe an example what we shal doo, when we are in lyke case. He neuer deserued it,… for vsus when we are tempted. we hauehave. He had a Ueruntamen, and not withstandynge, let vsus hauehave so to, we muste hauehave a neuerthelesse, thy wyll be doone and not mine. Geue me grace to be contente to submit my wil vntounto thine. His fact teacheth vsus what toWhen we are in Agony what phisik we should vse. do. This is our surgery, our phisike, when we be in agony, and recken vponupon it frends, we shal come to it, we shal fele it, at one time or an other. What does he now? what came to passe now, when he had hard no voyce? hys father was domme. He resortes to his frends, seking some comfort at their hands, seing he had none at hys fathers hād, he comes to his disciples, and finds them a slepe, he … vntounto Peter and sayd. Ah Peter art thou a slepe? Peter be fore had bragged stoutly, as though he wold hauehave killed God hauehave mercy vponupon his soule. And now when he shuld hauehave comforted Christ, he was a slepe, not once buffe, nor baffe to hi, not a word, he was fain to say to his disciples. Vigilate et orate. Watch and pray, the spirite is readye, but the flesh is weake, he had neuer a word of them agayne. They might at the least hauehave said. Oh sir remember your self, are you not Christ? came not you into thys world, to redeme sin? be a good chear, be a good cōfort, thys soro we wil not help you, cōfort your self by your own preaching, you hauehave said: Oportet filium hominis pati. You hauehave not deserued any thing, it is not your faulte. In dede if they had don this with him, they had plaide a frendlye parte wyth him, but they gaue him not so muche as one comfortable word. We run to our frends in our distresses & agonies, as though we had al our trust & confidence in them, he did not so, he resorted to them, but trusted not in thē, we will run to our frends & come no more to God, he returned againe. What? shal we not resort to our frends in time of neade? & trow ye we shal not finde thē a slepe? Yes I warrant you,We shall finde our frendes sle ping. & when we nead their help most, we shall not hauehave it. But what shal we do, when we shal finde lack in them? we will cry out vponupon them, vpbraid them, chide, braul, fume, chafe & backbite them. But Christ did not so, he excused his frēds saying: Vigilate & orate, spiritus quidem promptus est, caro autē infirma. Oh (quoth he) watch and pray, I se wel the spirit is redy, but the flesh is weak. What meaneth this? surely it is a cōfortable place. For as longe as we liue in this worlde, when we be at the best, we hauehave no more but Promptitudinē spiritus cū infirmitate carnis. The readinesse of the spiryte with thinfirmity of the flesh. The very saintes of god said: Velle adest mihi, my will is good, but I am not able to perform…. …. it, I hauehave ben with some, and sain they would, faine they would, there was redinesse of spirit, but it would not be. It greued thē that they could not take thinges, as they shuld do. The flesh resysteth the work of the holy ghoste inNow the flesh resistes. our harts, and lets it, lets it. We hauehave to pray euer to god.m. L. wisheth prayer to be vsed: Oh prayer, prayer, that it might be vsed in this realm, … it ought to be of al men, & specially of magistrates, of coun sailers, of great rulers, to pray, to pray, that it wold plese God to put godly policies in their harts. Cal for assistans. I hauehave hard say, when that good Quene that is gone had ordeined in her house, daily prayer bothe before none, & after none, the Admirall gettes him oute of the waye, … a moule digging in thearth. He shal be Lottes wyfe to me as long as I liue. He was I hard say a couetous man, a couetous man in deede. I woulde there were no moe in Englande. He was I hearde saye an ambitious man. I woulde ther wer no mo in Englād. He was I hard say a seditious …, a contemner of common prayer, I wold there were no mo in England, wel he is gon. I wold … had left … behinde him. … you my lordes, yt you pray in your houses to the better mortificatiō of your flesh. Remēber god must be honored, I wil you to pray yt god will continue his spirite in you. I do not put you in cōfort, that if ye hauehave once the spirite, yeHe … thē to prayer. cannot lose it. Ther be new spirits start vp nowe of late. yt say after we hauehave receiued the spirite, we cannot synne. I… spirites … start vp. wyl make but one argument. Saint Paul had brought yt … to the profession of the faith, & left them in that …, they had receiued the spirite once but they synned again, as he testified of them him self. He sayeth: Currebatis bene. Ve were once in a ryght state, and again; recepistis spiritū ex operibus legis, an ex iusticia fidei? Once they had the spirit by faith, but fals prophets came (when he was gone frō them) & they plucked them clean away from al that Paule had planted them in, and then said Paul vntounto thē. O stulti Galathe quis vos fascinauit? If this be true, we maye lose the spirit, that we hauehave once possessed. It is a fod thing, I wil not tary in it. But nowe to the passyon again. … had bene wyth hys father, & felt no help, he had bene wyth hys frendes, and had no comfort, he had prayed twise, and was not hard, what did he now? did he geue prayer ouer? no, he goeth againe to his father, and sayeth the same againe, fatherChrist … ed in prayer if it be possible, awaye with this cup, here is an exāple for vsus, although we be not hard at the firste tyme, shall we geue ouer our prayer? nay we must to it againe, we muste be instant in prayer. He prayd thrise and was not harde, let vsus pray three score times, … are … dull nowe a dayes in prayer, to come to sermons, to resort to common prayer. You houskepers, & especially great mē geue exāple of prayer in your houses. Well, did his father looke vponuponHouse kepers and great men must geue exā ple of prayer. him this second time? no, he wente to his frendes agayne, thinking to finde some comfort there, but he findes them a slepe again, more deper a slepe then euer they wer. Theyr eyes wer heauy with slepe. There was no cōfort at al, they wist not what to say to him. A wonderful thinge, howe he was toste from poste to piller, one while to his father, and was destitute at his hand, another while to his frends, and found no comfort at them, his father gaue him loking on, and suffred him to bite vponupon the bridle a while. Almighty God beheld this battail, that he might enioy yt honor and glory, that in his name all knees should bow, Celestium, Terrestrium, et infernorum, in heauen, earth & hell. Thys that the father wold not hear his own sonne, wasGod punishes sin in not hearing ofour pra yers an other punishment due to our sinne. When we crye vntounto him, he wil not hear vsus. The prophet Ieremye sayeth: Clamabunt ad me, & ego non exaudiam eos. These beIeremies words, here he threatneth to punishe sinne, with not hearing their prayers, the prophet sayth: They hauehave not had the feare of God before their eyes, nor hauehave not regarded discipline and correction. I neuer saw surelye so litle discipline as is now a dais. Men wil be masters, they will be masters, & no disciples. Alas where is this discipline now in Englande. The people regarde no Discipline, they be wythout al order. Where they should geue place, they wilPeople are withoute order or honesty. not stur one inch, yea, where magistrates shuld determine matters, they wil breake into the place before they come, and at theyr comming not moue a whit for them. Is this discipline? Is thys good order? If a man say any thing vntounto them, they regard it not. They that be caled to answer, wil not answer directly, but skoffe the matter oute. Men the more they know, the worse they be, it is truely sayde. sciencia inflat, knowledge maketh vsus proud, and causeth vsusThe more we know thewors we be. to forget all, and set a way disciplin. Surely, in Poperye they had a reuerence, but now we hauehave none at al, Ineuer saw the like. This same lack of the feare of God, and dysciplineIn time of popery ther was som reuerence but now none at all. in vsus, was one of the causes that the father wold not hear his sonne. This pain suffred our sauior Christ for vsus who neuer deserued it. … what it was, that he suffred in thys garden, till Iudas came. The dolors, the terrors, the sorrowes that he suffered, be vnspeakable. He suffred part ly, to make amends for our sinnes, & partly to geue vsus exā Why christ suf fered so sore in the garden.ple, what we should doo in like case. What comes of thys gear in thend. Wel, now he prayeth again, he resorteth to his father again. Angore correptus prolixius orabat. He was in sorer pains, in more anguish thē euer he was, & therfore heChrist prayed the third time and swettes bloud. prayeth lōger, more ardētly, more feruētly, more vehemētly thē euer he did before. Oh lord, what a wōderful thinge is this, this horror of death is worse thē death it self, more He prayeth now the third time. He did it so instantlye, so feruently, that it brought out a bloudy sweat, & such plēty that it dropped down euen to the groūd. There issued out of his precious body drops of blud. What a paine was heOure ingratytude and vnthank fulnes to God, which di ed for vsus. in, when these bloudy drops fel so aboundantlye frō hym? Yet for al that, how vnthankful do we shewe oure selues toward him that died only for our sakes, & for the remedy of our sinnes. Oh what blasphemy do we commit day by day, what litle regard hauehave we to his blessed passion thus… & swearing in al our pastimes. to swear by gods bloud, by Christes passion. We hauehave no thing in our pastime, but gods bloud, gods woundes. We continually blaspheme his passyon in hauking, hunting, dising & carding. Who wold think he shuld hauehave such ennemies amōg those that professe his name. What becameThe bloud of … was taken once for a religious relique. of his bloud that fel down trow …? was yt bloud of Hales of it, wo worth it. What a do was it to bring this oute of the kinges hed. This great abhomination of the bloud of hales could not be taken a great while out of hys minde. You that be of the court, & especially ye sworn chaplains beware of a lesson that a great man taught me at my first cōming to the court he told me for good will, he thoughteM. Latimers lesson that was taught hym at his first comminge to the court. it wel. … sayd vntounto me. You must beware how so euer ye do that ye cōtrary not the king, let him hauehave his saiyngs, folow him, go with him. Mary out vponupon this counsel, shal I say, as he sayes? Say your cōscience, or els what a worm shal ye fele gnawinge, what a remorse of conscience shall ye hauehave, when ye remēbre how ye hauehave slacked your duety? It is a good wise verse. Gutta cauat lapidem, non vi sed sepe cadendo. The drop of raine maketh a hole in the stone,A princes mind must be perswaded, but not violent ly forced. not by violence, but by oft falling. Likewise a prince must be turned not violently, but he must be won by a litle and a litle. He must hauehave his duty told him, but it must be don with humblenesse, with request of pardon, or els it wer a daungerous thing. Unpreachinge prelates hauehave bene the cause, that the bloud of Hales did so long blinde the king. Wo worth that such an abhominable thing, shoulde be in a Christen realme, but thankes be to God, it was partlye redressed in the kinges dayes that dead is, aud much more now. God graunt good wil, and power to goo forward, if ther be any such abhomination behind, yt it may vtterly be roted vp. O how happy are we, that it hath plesed almigh ty God to vouchsafe, that his sonne shuld sweat bloud for the redeming of our synnes, and again how vnhappy are we, if we wil not take it thankfully, that was redemed so painfully. Alas what hard hartes hauehave we. Our sauioure Christ neuer synned, and yet sweat he blud for our sinnes we will not once water our eyes wyth a few tears. What an horrible thing is sinne? that no other thinge would remedySinne is horrible, and why. and pay the raunsome for it, but only the bloude of our sauiour Christ. There was nothing to pacifye the fathers wrath against man, but such an agony as he suffred al the passion of al the martyrs that euer were, all the sacrifices of Patriarkes that euer were, al the good workes that euer were done, were not able to remedy oure synne, to make satisfaction for our sinnes, nor any thing besides,What was the only remeadye for oure synne. but this extreme passion and bloud sheddinge of our most merciful sauiour Christ.
But to draw toward an end, what became of this thre fold prayer, at the length, it pleased God to hear his sōnes prayer, and sent him an angell to corroborate, to strengthen, to comfort him. Christ nead no angels help if he had listed to case him self with his deitye. He was the sonne ofWhye Christe receyued comfort of thangel. God, what then? for so much as he was man, he receyued comfort at the aungels hand, as it accordes to our infirmity. His obedience, his continuance and sufferinge, so pleased the father of heauen, that for his sonnes sake, be he neuer so great a sinner, leauing his sinne, and repentinge for the same, he wil owe him such fauoure, as thoughe he hadNote a comfor table promyse, and a ioyfull …. neuer committed any sinne.
The father of heauen wil not suffer him to be tempted wyth this great horror of death and hel to the vttermost, and aboue that he is able to bear. Loke for it my frendes, by him and through him, he shalbe able to ouercome it, let vsus do as oure sauioure Christ did, and we shal hauehave helpeA lesson for vsus in tyme oftēptation. from aboue, we shal hauehave angels help, if we truste in hym, heauen and earth shall geue vp, rather then we shall lacke helpe: he sayeth he is. Adiutor in necessitatibus, an healper in tyme of nead. When the angell had comforted him, and when this horror of death was gon, he was so strong, that he offred hym self to Iudas, and sayd, I am he. To make an end, I praye you take paynes, it is a daye of penaunce (as we vse to say) geue me leue to make you wery this day. The Iewes had him to … and Annas, and there they whipte him, & The horror of deathe, and the agonye whyche christ sustained in the garden excedeth the other paynes.bet him, they set a crowne of sharpe thorne vponupon hys head, and nailed him to a tree, yet all this was not so bitter, as thys horror of death, and this agony, that he suffred in the garden, in suche a degree as is due to all the synnes of the world, and not to one mannes synnes. Well, this passyon is our remeadye, it is the satisfaction for oure synnes. Hys soule descended to hel for a time. Here is much a doo, these new vpstarting spirites, say Christe neuer descended into hel, neyther body nor soule. In … they wil aske, was he there, what did he there? what if we cannot tel what he didAgaynst suche as denye that Christ descended into hel. there? The Crede goth no further, but sayth, he descended thither, what is, that to vsus if we cannot tell seing we were taught no further. Paul was taken vp into the thirde heauen, aske likewise what he sawe, when he was caryed thyther, you shal not finde in scripture what he sawe or what he did there, shal we not therfore beleue that he was ther. These arrogant spirites, spirites of vaine glorye, because they knowe not by any expresse scripture, the order of hysArrogant spitits of vayne glory. doinges in hel, they will not beleue that euer he descended into hell. In dede thys article hath not so full scripture, so manye places and testimonies of scriptures as other hauehave, yet it hathe inough, it hath ii. or iii. textes, and if it had but one, one texte of scripture, is of as good and lawful authoritye as a …. and of as certayne truth. It is not to be wayed by the multitude of textes.
I beleue as certainlye and verelye that thys realme of Englande hathe as good authoritye to heare Gods word, as anye natyon in all the worlde, it maye be gathered by two textes, one of them is thys. Ite in vniuersum mundum, & predicate euangeliū omni creature. Go into the whole world, & preach yt gospel to al creatures. Again, Deus vult omnes hoīs saluos fieri. God wyll hauehave all men to be saued, he exceptes not the English men here, nor yet expresly nameth them, and yet I am as sure, that thys Realme of Englande, by this gathering, is allowed to hear Gods word, as though Christ had sayed a thousand times, go preach to Englysh men. I wyl that English men be saued. Because this arti cle of his descending into hel, cannot be gathered so direct ly, so necessarily, so formally they do vtterly deny it. This article hath scriptures two or thre inough for quiet minds as for curiouse braines, nothinge can content them. ThysCurious braynes are neuer content. the deuils sturring vp of suche spirites of sedityon, is an euident argumente, that the lighte is come forthe, for hys word is a brode, when the deuil rusheth, when he roreth, when he stirreth vp such busy spirites, to sclaunder it. MyAn argumente that Goddes word is abrode entente is not to entreate of this matter at this time. I trust the people wil not be caryed awaye with these newe arrogant spirites, I dout not, but good preachers will labour against them. But now I wil say a word, and herein I protest first of al not arrogantly to determin, and define it, I wil contend wyth no man for it, I wil not hauehave it be preiudice to any body, but I offer it vntounto you to consider & way it. There be some great clarkes that take my parte. and I perceiue not what euill canne come of it, in sayinge,Bear with father Latymer in this place. that our sauiour Christ did not only, in soule descend into hel, but also that he suffered in hel such paines, as the dam ned spirites did suffer there. Surelye, I beleue verelye for my part, that he suffered the pains of hel proporcionably, as it correspondes and answers to the whole synne of the world. He wold not suffer only bodelye in the garden, andFire, gnashing of teethe, the worme of conscience, are termes, vttrynge to vsus the pains of hel. vponupon the crosse, but also in hys soul, when it was from the body, which was a paine due for our sinne. Some wryte so and I canne beleue it that he suffered in the verye place, and I cannot tell what it is, cal it what ye wil, euen in the skalding house, in the vgsomnesse of the place, in the presence of the place, such pain as our capacity can not attain vntounto, it is somwhat declared vntounto vsus, when we vtter it by these effectes, by fyre, by gnashynge of teth, by the worme that gnaweth on the conscience. What so euer the pain is, it is a great pain that he suffered for vsus. I see no inconuenience to saye, that Christ suffered in soule in hell. I singularly commende the exceding great charitie of christ, that for our sakes would suffer in hel in his soule. It settes oute the vnspeakeable hatred that God hathe to sinne. I perceyue not that it doth derogate any thing from the dignitie of Christes death, as in the garden, whē he suffered, it derogates nothing from that he suffred on the crosThe … phrase and maner of speaking of the scripture is to be noted. Scripture speaketh on this fashion: Qui credit in me, habet vi tam aeternam. He that beleueth in me, hath life euerlasting. Here he settes furth fayth as the cause of our …, in other places as high commendation is geuen to works, and yet, are the workes any derogation from that dignitie of faythe? No. And againe scripture sayeth: Traditus est propter peccata nostra et exuscitatus propter iustificationem, &c. It attributeth here oure iustification to his resurrection, & doth this derogate any thing from his death? not a whyt. It is whole Christe. What with his natiuitie, what withChriste wrought our saluation in all his doinges. his circumcisiō, what with his incarnation, and the whole proces of hys lyfe, with his preaching, what with his ascen ding, descending, what with his deathe, it is all Christ that worketh our saluatiō. He sitteth on yt right hand of yt father, & al for vsus. All this is the work of oure saluatiō. I would be as lothe, to derogate any thing frō Christes death, as yt best of you all. How vnestimably are we bound … him? what thāks ought we to geue him for it? We must hauehave this cō tinually in remembraunce. Propter te morti tradimur tota die. For the, we are in diyng continually. The life of a christen man is nothing but a readines to dye, and a remembraūce of deathe. If this that I hauehave spoken of Christes sufferyng in the gardeine, and in hell, derogate any thing from Christes death and passion, awaye with it, beleue me not in this if it doo not, it commendes and settes fourth very well vntounto vsus, the perfection of the satisfaction that Christe made for vsus, and the worke of redemption, not onelyonly before witnes in this worlde, but in hell in that vgsome-place, where, whether he suffered, or wrastled with the spirites, or comforted Abraham, Isaac, & Iacob I will not desier to know. If ye like not that whiche I hauehave spoken of his sufferyng, let it goo, I will not stryue in it, I will be preiudice to no body, wey it as ye list, I doo but offer it you to consider? It is like his soule did somwhat the thre dayes that his bodye lay in the graue. To say he suffered in hel for vsus, derogats nothing from his death. For all thinges that Christ did beforeChrist was be neficiall to vsus in all his dooinges. his suffering on the crosse, and after, doo worke oure saluation, Yf he had not bene incarnate, he had notdied, he was beneficiall to vsus with althinges he did. Christen people should hauehave his suffering for them in remembraunce. Let your gardaynes monish you, your pleasaunt gardains what Christ suffred for you in the Gardaine, and what com moditie you hauehave by his sufferyng. It is his will ye should so doo, he would be had in remembraunce. … youre pleasures with the remembraunce of his bitter passion. The whole passion is satisfaction for oure sinnes, and not the bare death, considering it so nakedly by it selfe. The … of speaking of scripture, is to be considered. It attributeth oure saluation, nowe to one thinge, nowe to a nother that Christ did, where in dede it pertayned to all. Oure SauiourThe blessed cō munion is a re membraunce of Christes passion. Christ hath left behind him, a remembraunce of his pas ssion, the blessed communion, the celebration of the Lordes supper: a lack it hath ben long abused, as the sacrifices wer before, in the olde law. The Patriarks vsed sacrifice, in the fayth of the seade of the woman, whiche should breake the serpents head. The Patriarks sacrificed on hope, and after warde the worke was estemed. There comes other after, and they consider not the faythe of Abraham, and the patriarkes, but doo their sacrifice according to their owne imagi nacion, euen so came it to pas with our blessed communiō.
In the primatiue church, in places, when their friendesThe vsage of the primatiue churche in the receuing of the … at the buriall of the dead. were dead, they vsed to come together to the holy communion. What? to remedye them that were dead? No, no. A strawe, it was not instituted for no such purpose. But then they would call to remembraunce goddes goodnes, and his passion that he suffered for vsus, wherein they cōforted much their faith. Other came afterwarde and settes vp all these kindes of massyng, all these kindes of iniquitie.
What an abhomination is … the foulest that euer was, toMassing was the foulest … that …. atribute to mans work our saluatiō. God be thanked that we hauehave this blessed communion set forth so now, that we maye comfort, encrease, and fortify our fayth at that blessed celebration. If he be giltie of the bodye of Christe, that takes it vnworthely, he fetcheth great comforte at it, that eates it worthely: He doth eate it wortely, that doth eate it in fayth. In fayth? in what fayth? not long a go agreat mā,The great mā that neuer knew other … the whore … fayth. said in an audience. They babble much of faythe, I will go lye with my, whore all night, and hauehave as good a fayth, as the best of them all. I thinke he neuer knew other, but the whoremongers fayth. It is no suche fayth that will serue. It is no … Iudges, or iustices faythe, no rentraisers fayth, no whoremongers fayth, no leas mongers fayth, nor no seller of benefices fayeth, but the fayth … the passion: ofWhat … will serue. oure Sauiour Christe. We must beleue that our Sauiour Christ hath taken vsus againe to his fauour, that … hath delyuered vsus his owne body and bloud, to plead with the deuil, and by merite of his owne passion, of his owne mere liberalitie. This is the faythe I tell you, that we must come to the communion with, and not the whore mongers faith Loke where remission of sin is, there is ackowleding of sin also. Fayth is a noble dutches, she hath euer her gentlemā Fayth is a … ble woman she is at her gentleman vsher going before her, & her train after her.vsher going before her, the confessing of sinnes, she hathe a trayne after her, the frutes of good workes, the walkyng in the commaundementes of God. He that beleueth, wyll not be idle, he will walke he will doo his busines, hauehave euer the gentelman vssher with you. So if ye will trye fayth, remember this rule, consider whether the trayne be wayting vponupon …. If you hauehave another fayth thē this, a whoreThe true … of faythe. mongers fayth, you are lyke to go to the Scalding house, and there you shal hauehave two dishes, weping and gnashing of teeth, much good doo it you, you see your fare. If ye wyll beleue and acknowledge your sinnes, you shal come to the blessed communion of the bitter passion of Christ, worthely and so attayne to euerlasting life to the whiche the father of heauen brynge you and me.
Amen.
¶ The ende of the seuen Sermons, that M. Latimer Preached before King ….