Twenty-Seven Sermons, Sermons 2 · Sermon 1
The firste Sermon.
SImile factum est regnum … homini regi qui … nuptias filio suo, The kyngdome of heauen is lyke vntounto a certaine king which maried his sonne: And sent forthMath. 22. his seruauntes to call them that. &c.
This is a gospell that conteineth very much… 14. matter: And there is an other like vntounto this in ye. 14. of …,Tvvo parables mea ning al one thing. but they be both one in effect, for they … bothe one thyng: And therfore I wyll take them both in hand together, because they tende to one purpose. Mathew sayth: The kyngdome of heauen is lyke vntounto a certain kyng, which maried his sonne. Luke saith: A certain … a great supper, but there is no difference in yt very substance of the matter, for … to one purpose. Here is made mention of a feast maker, therefore we must cōsider, who was this feast maker: secōdarilySeuen … ges to be … in this para …. who was his sonne: thirdly we must consider to whome he was maried: who were they that called the …: fourthly, who … the gests. And than we must know how the gest callers behaued thē selues: and then howe the gestes behaued themselues towardes them that called them. Whan all these circumstances he considered, we shall synde … good matters couered and hydde in this Gospell.
Now that I may so handle these matters that it may turne to the … of your soules, and to the discharge of my office, I wyll moste instantely desyre you, to … vp youre hearts vntounto God: and desyre his diuine maiestie in the nameThinges to be asked at gods hand. of his only begotten sonne our sauior Iesus Christ, that he wil geue vntounto vsus his holy ghost: vntounto me, that I may speke the woorde of God, and teache you to vnderstande the same: vntounto you, that you may heare it fruitefully, to the edification of your soules: so that you may be edified through it, & youre lyues reformed and amended, so that his honour and glorie may increase dayly amongost vsus. And therfore I shall desire you to saye with me. Our father. &c.
DERELY beloued in the Lord, the gospell that is redde this day is a parable, a similitude, or comparison. For our sauiour compared the kyngdom of GOD vntounto a man, that made a mariage for his sonne. And here was a mariage. At a mariage you knowe there is commonly great feastynges. Nowe you must know who was this feast maker, and who was his sonne, and to whom he was maried, and who were these that should be called, and who were the callers, … they behaued them selues, and how the gestes behaued them selues towardes them that called them.
Now this mariage maker, or feast maker, is almighty god.VVho vvas this mariage maker. Luke the Euangelist calleth him a man, saying: A certayne man ordeined a great supper: He called him a mā, not that he was …, or hath taken our … vponupon him, no not so, for you must vnderstand that there be thre persons in the …, God the father, god the sonne, and god the holy ghost. And these three personnes … the sonne with manhode: so that neither the father, neither the holy ghost, toke flesh vpō them, but onelyonly the sonne: he tooke … flesh vponupon him, taking … ofOnly the sonne became man. the vyrgin Mary. But Luke called god the father a man, not because he toke … vponupon him, but onelyonly compared … vntounto a man, not yt he wyll affirme him to be man. Who was heGod is cal led a … but is not so. now that was maried? who was the …? Mary that was our sauiour … Christ, the second person in the destie, the eternall sonne of god. who should be his spouse? to … was he maried? Mary to his churche and congregation: for heChrist is the bridegroome. The church is the … woulde hauehave all the worlde, to … vntounto him, and to be maried vntounto him: but we see by dayly experience, that the moste … refuse this …. But here is shewed the state of yt church of God: for this mariage, this … was begunne at the beginnyngThe mari age hath la sted euer sence the world begā of the worlde, and shall endure to the ende of the same: yet for all that, the most part refused it: for at the very beginning of ye world, euer the most part refused to com. And so it appereth at this our tyme, how little a numbre … to this weddyng and feast: though we hauehave many callers, … be but fewe of those that come. So ye heare that … is the …: the bridegrome is Christ, his sonne … Sauior: the bride is the congregation.
Nowe what maner of meate was prepared at this …? For ye know it is commonly seene, … at a … the … meate is prepared that can be gotten. What was the chiefest dysh at this great …? what was the …? Mary it was the bridegrome hymselfe: for the father,The bridegroome himselfe vvas the best dish of the feast. the feast maker, prepared none other … of meate for the geastes but the body and blood of his owne naturall sonne. And this is the chiefest dyshe at this banket: … truely is a meruaylous thyng that the father offereth his sonne to be eaten. Uerily I thynke that no man hath hearde the lyke. And trewely there was neuer suche kynde of feastynges as this is, where the father wyll hauehave his sonne to be eaten, and his blood to be dronke.
We reade in a storye, that a certayne man had eaten hysThe history of Astiages and Harpa gus. sonne, but it was done vnwares: he knewe not that it was his sonne, elles no doubte he woulde not hauehave eaten hym. The storye is this: There was a kynge named Astyages, whyche had hearde by a Prophecye, that one Cyrus shoulde hauehave the rule and dominion ouer his realme, after his departure: whyche thyng troubled the sayde kyng very sore, and therfore sought all the ways and meanes howe to gette the sayde Cyrus out of the waye, howe to kyll hym, so that he shoulde not be kyng after hym. Nowe he had a noble man in his house named Harpagus, whom he appoynted to destroye the … Cyrus: but howe soeuer the matter went, Cyrus was preserued and kept alyue, contrary … the kynges mynde. Whyche thyng whan … hearde, whatAn eusample of cruel …. … he? Mary this. Harpagus that noble man which was put in trust to kyl Cyrus, had a sonne … the court, whom the king commanded to be taken, his head, handes, … to be cut of, and his body to be prepared, rosted or sodden, of the beste maner as coulde be …. After that, he byddeth Harpagus to come and eate with him, where ther was …, one dyshe commynge after an other: At lengthe the kyng asked him, Syr, how liketh you your fare? Harpagus thanketh the king with muche praisyng the kinges banket. Now the kyng perceyuyng … to be merily disposed, … one of his seruauntes to bryng in the head, …, and feete of Harpagus sonne, whiche whan it was doone, the kyng shewed hym what … of meate he had eaten, askyng hym howe it lyketh hym. Harpagus made answere though with an … hearte, Quod Regi placet, id … quo que placet, Whatsoeuer pleaseth the kyng, that also pleaseth me. And here we hauehave an ensample of a flatterer or dissembler: for this Harpagus spake againste hisAn … of a …. owne heart and conscience. Surely … ther be a great many of flatterers in our time also, which will not bee ashamed to speake against their owne heart & …, like as this Harpagus did, which had no dout a … hearte, & in his … the act of the kyng … hym: yet for all that, with his tong he praised the same. So I say, we rede not in any storie, that at any tyme any father had … his … willingly & wittingly. And this Harpagus, of whom I rehersed the storie, did it vnwares. But the almightie god which prepared this feast for all the world, for all those that will comeA signe of gods louelove towardes man. vntounto it, he … his only sonne to be eaten, and his blood to be dronken: … he loued his … well, because he … them with so costly a dish. Again, our sauior the bride grome offreth him self at his last supper, which he had with his disciples, his body to he eaten and his blood to be dronke. And to the intent that … should be doone to oure greate comforte, and than agayne to take away all cruelty, …,… dye and … is ea … and … ken …. and horriblenes: he sheweth vntounto vsus how we shall … him, in what maner and forme, … spiritually, to our greate comfort: so that who so euer eateth the mysticall bread, and drinketh the … worthily, according to … of Christ, he receiueth surely the very body and blood of Christ spiritually, as it shalbe most cōfortable vntounto his soule. He eateth with the mouth of his soule, and digested with the stomacke of his soule, the body of Christ. And to be short, who soeuer beleueth in Christ, putteth his hope, …, and confidenceThe … all eating of Christ … the right ea …. in him, he eateth and … him: for the spirituall eating, is the right catyng to euerlastyng lyfe, not the …: all eating, as the … vnderstode it. for that same corporall …, on which they set their myndes, … no commodities at all, it is a spirituall meate that … oure soules. But I … you, how muche is this supper of Christ … amongest vsus: where he himself … vntounto vsus his bodyeThe … is not … ded. and bloud. How much I say is it regarded: how many receiue it with the curate or minister: O Lord, how blynde and dull are we to such thinges, which … to our saluation? But I pray you wherfore was it ordayned principally? Answere. It was ordeyned for our helpe, to helpe our memoryeVVhy the … sup per was or deined. withal, to put vsus in mynde of the great goodnes of god, in redemyng vsus from euerlasting death, by the bloud of our … Christe, yea and to signifye vntounto vsus, that his bodye and bloud is our meate and drynke for oure soules, to feede them to euerlastyng life: yf we were now so perfect as we oughte to be, we shoulde not hauehave neede of it, but to helpe our imperfectnes it was ordeyned of Christ: for we be so forgetfull whē we be not pricked for warde, we hauehave soone forgotten all hys benefites. Therefore to the intent that we might better keepe it in memory, and to remedy this our slouthfulnes, our sauiour… be both … and forgetfull. hath ordeyned this his supper for vsus, whereby we should remember his great goodnes his bitter passion and death, and so strengthen our faith: so that he … this Supper for our sake, to make vsus to kepe in freshe memorye his … ble beuefites. But as I said before, it is in a maner nothyng regarded amongest vsus, we care not for it, we will not come vntounto it: how many be … think ye, which regard this supper of the lorde, as much as a testorne? but verye few no dout of it: And I will proue that they regarde it not so muche: if there were a proclamation made in this toune, that whosoeuer would come vntounto the churche at such an houre, And there go to the communion with the curate, should hauehave a …, whan suche a proclamation were made, I thynke truely allFor a … a pece we should hauehave communicants …. the towne would come and celebrate the Communion to get a testorne. But they will not come to receyue the bodye and bloud of Christ, the foode and nourishment of their soules: to the augmentation, and strength of their faithe? Doe they not more regarde nowe a testorne then Christe? But the canse which lettes vsus from the celebratyng of the Lords supper, is this: we hauehave no mynde nor purpose to leaue sinne, and wickednes:The cause why wee … no mynde to com to the cōmunion. which maketh vsus not to come to this supper, because we be not redy nor meete to receiue it. But I require you in gods behalfe leaue your wickednesse, that ye maye receiue it worthely according to his institution. For this supper is ordeyned, as I told you before, for our sake, to our profites and commodities: for yf we were perfect, we should not … this outward sacrament: but oure sauiour knowyng our weakenes and forgetfulnes, ordeyned this supper, to the augmentation of our faith: And to put vsus in remembraunce of his benefites. But we will not come: there come no mo;e at ones, but suche as … the holy loues, from house to house, whicheMen come to the communion of custome. folow rather the custome than any thyng els. Our sauioure Christ sayth in the gospell of saint John, Ego sum panis viuas, qui de coelo descendi, I am the liuyng breade, whicheIohn. 6. came downe from heauen. Therefore who … feedeth ofVVho so ea teth … sles fleshe shall …. our sauiour Christ, he shall not …, deathe shall not … agaynst him, his soule shall depart out of his body, yet death shal not get the … ouer hym: he shal not be damned: he that commeth to that mariage, to that banket, deathe shalbe vntounto him but an entrāce, or a doore to euerlasting life. Panis quem ego dabo caro mea est, The breade that I will geue, is my fleshe, which I wil geue for the life of the world. As many as will fede vponupon him, shall attaine to euerlasting lyfe: they shall neuer die, they shall preuayle agaynst deathe:Death hath … his …. death shall not hurt them, because he hath … his strengthe: if we wold consider this, no doubt we would be more desyrous to come to the … than we be: we would not be so cold, we wold be content to leaue our naughtle …, and come to the Lordes table.
Now ye hauehave heard what shall be the chiefest dishe at this mariage, namely the body and blood of Christ. But nowe there be other dishes, whiche bc sequeles or hangynges on, wherwith the chief dishe is poudred: that is, … of synnes.The … of dishes that are … this supper. Item the holy gost which ruleth and gouerneth our hertes: Item the merites of Christ, whiche are made ours: for whan we … vponupon this dishe worthily, than we shall hauehave … of our synnes, we shall … the holy ghost: … all the merites of Christ are ours, his fulfylling of the … is ours, and so we be … before God: and finally attayn to euerlasting life. As many therfore as fede worthily of this …. shall hauehave all these thynges with it, and in the ends euerlastyngelyse. S. Baule saithe: … proprio filio suoRom 8. non pepercir, sed pro nobis omnibus tradidit illum, … non … cum … omnia … donabit? He which spared not his owne son, but gaue hym for vsus all: how shall he not with hym geue vsus all things also? Therfore they that beThe cōmodities that … ne ot cō …. … in Christ, are partakers of all his … and benefites of … life, & of …: He that hath Christ, hath al things that are Christs: He is our preseruation from damna tion, he is our comfort, be is our helpe, our remedie. … we fede vponupon hym, than we shall hauehave remission of our synnes: the same remission of … is the greatest and most cō fortable thing that can be in the world. O what a cōfortable thing is this, whan Christ …: Remittuntur … peccata,Math 8 … generall prodamati on. Thy sinnes ar forgeuen vntounto the. And this is a standing sentence, it was not spoken onelyonly to that same man, but it is a generall proclamation vntounto al vsus: all and eueryevery one that … in …, shall hauehave forgeuenesse of their sins. And this proclamatiō is … out daily by his ministers … preachers: … proclamation is the word of grace, … worde of … & consolation. For like as synne is the most … & the … est thyng in heauen and in earth: So the mosteNothing is so … as …. … thyng is the remedy agaynst synne: which remedy is declared & offred vntounto vsus in this word of …: & the power to distribute this remedy against sinnes, he hath geuē vntounto …, which be gods treasorers, distributers of … word of god: for now he speaketh by me, he calleth you to this wedding by …, being but a poore man, yet he hath sent me to call you. And though he be the author of the word: yet he will hauehave men to be called through his ministers to that word. Therfore let vsus geue … vntounto the minister whan he speaketh gods worde, yea rather let vsus credite God whan he speaketh by his ministers, and offreth vsus … of our sinnes by his woorde. For there is no sinne so great in this world, but it is pardonable as long as we be in … worlde, & call for merciemercy: for here is the tyme of merciemercy, here we may com to forgeuenes of our sinnes. but if we ones die in sinne & …, so that we be …, let vsus not looke for remission …: for the state after this life is vnchangeable: but as long as we bc here, we may … for mercy. Therefore let vsus not dispaire, let vsus amend our …, and crte vntounto god for forgeuenes of our sinnes: and than no doubt we shall obtain remission, if we call with a faithfull heat vponupon him, for so he hath promised … vsus in his most holy worde.
The holy scripture maketh mention of a sinne agaynst theThere is a sin … holy ghoste. holy ghost, which sin can not be forgeuē neither in this world nor in the world to com: And this maketh many … vnquiet in their heartes & consciences: for some there be which euer be afraide least they hauehave cōmitted that same sinne agaynst the holy gost, which is irremissible. Therfore som say, I cannot tel whether I hauehave sinned against the holy ghoste or not: if … hauehave cōmitted that sinne, I know I shalbe damned. But I tel you what ye shal do, despaire not of the mercy of god, for it is immeasurable. I can not denye but there is a sin against theVVe can not … against the holy ghost. holy ghost which is …, but we can not iudge of it … hand, we can not tell which man hath … yt sinne or not, as long as he is …: but whan he is oues gone, thā I can iudge whether he sinned against the holy ghost or not. As now I can iudge that Nero, Saul, and Iubas and such like, that died in … and wickednes, didde committe this syn against the holy ghost: for they were wicked & continued in their wickednes still to the … ende, they made an end in their …: but we can not iudge whether one of vsus sin this sinne against the holy ghost or not: for though a man be wicked at this time, yet he may … & leue his wickednes, to morow, and so not commit that syn against the holy ghost. Our … Christ pronounced against the scribes and phariseis, that they had committed that synne againste the holye ghost: because he knew their heartes, he knew that thei woldChriste … the heartes of the phariseis. still abide in their wickednesse, to the very end of their liues. But we can not pronounce this sentence againste any man, for we know not the heartes of men: he that synned nowe, peraduenture shall be turned to morowe, and leaue his synnes, and so be saued. Further, the promyses of Christ … Christs pro mises are generall.sauiour are generall, they pertayne to all mankynd: he made a generall proclamation, sayenge: Qui credit in me, habet vitam aeternam, Who so euer beleueth in me, hathe euerlastyng lyfe. Lykewise sainct Paule saythe: Gratia … supta peccatum, The grace and … of God excedeth far our synnes. Therfore let vsus euer thynke and beleue that the grace of God his mercye and goodnesse excedeth our sinnes. Ite consider what Christ saith with his owne mouth: Venite ad me omnes qui laboratis. &c. Come to me all ye that laborMath. 11. & are laden, & I will ease you. Mark here he sayth: Come allChrist calleth all … go him. ye: wherfore than should any body despaire, or … out him self from these promises of Christ which be generall and pertaine to the hole world? For he saith, Come all vntounto me, And then againe he saith, Refocillabo vos, I will … youyou shall be … from the burthens of your sinnes. Therfore as I sayde before, he that is blasphemous and obstinate wicked, and abydeth in his wickednesse … to the very end, he synneth against the holy ghost, as S. Augustine and all other godly writers doo affirme: but he that leaueth his wickednesseTo conty … in syn to the ende is to synne against the holy ghost. and synnes, is content to amende his lyfe, and than beleuyng in Christ, seketh saluation and euerlastyng life by hym: no doubt that man or … who soeuer they be, shal be saued: for they feede vponupon Christ, vponupon that meate that God the Father, this feast maker, hath prepared for all his gestes.
You hauehave heard now who is the maker of this feast or ban ket: and agayn you hauehave hearde what meate is prepared for the gestes, what a costly dy she the housefather hath ordeyned at the wedding of his …. But nowe ye know that where there be great dyshes and delicate fare: there be cōmonly prepared certain sauses, whiche shall geue men a great … and appetite to their …, as mustard, viniger, and … sauses. So this feast, this costely dishe, hath his sauses: what be they: Mary the crosse, affliction, tribulation, persecution,… me at … hauehave … sauce. & all maner of …: for like as sauses make … the stomacke, to receiue meate, so affliction styrreth vp in vsus a desire to Christe. For whan we be in … we are not hun gry, we care not for Christe: but whan we be in tribulation, and cast in prison thā we hauehave a desyre to him: thā we learn to call vponupon him: than we hunger and thurst after hym, than we are desyrous to fede vponupon him: as long as we be in health and prosperity, we care not for him: we be slouthful, we hauehave no stomacke at all, and therfore these sauses are verye necessary for vsus: we hauehave a common saying amongest vsus, whā we see a felow sturdy, lofty, and proude, men say, this is a sausye felowe: signifying him to be a highmynded felowe, which taketh … vponupon him then he aught to doe, or his estate …: which thing no doute is naughte and yll: for eueryevery one ought to be hauehave himselfe accordyng vntounto his callyng and estate: but he that wilbe a christen man, that intēdeth to comeHe that wil … to … must bee …. to heauen, must be a sausye felow: he must be well poudered with the sause of affliction, and tribulation, not with proude nes and stoutenes, but with miseries and calamities: for so it is written, omnes qui ple volunt, … in Christo persecutionem patientur, whosoeuer will liue godly in Christ, he shal hauehave persecution and miseries, he shall hauehave sause enough to his meate. Agayn our sauiour saith, qui vult meus esse discipulus, abnegat semetipsum & tollat crucem suam & … me: He that will be my disciple must deny himselfe, and take his crosse vponupon hym, and followe me. Is there anye man that wyll seede vppon me, that wyll eate my …, and drynke my bloude? Abnegat semetipsum, Lette hym forsake hymselfe. O thys is a greate matter, thys is a bytyng thynge: the deniyng of my owne wyll. As for an ensaumple. I see a faire woman, and … in my hearte an yll appetite to commit lecherye with her. I desyre to fulfyll my wanton luste wyth her. Here is my aypetite, my luste, my wyll: but what muste I doe? Marye I muste denye my self and folow Christ. What is that? I must not followe myVVe must … selues. owne desyre, but the wyll and pleasure of Christe. Nowe what sayeth he? Non fornicaberis, non adulte raberis, Thou shalt not be a hoore …: Thou shalt not be a wedlock … ker. Here I must … my self, and my wyll and geue place vntounto his wil, abhorre and hate my own wil, yea and further more I must ernestly cal vpō him, that he wil geue me grace to withstande my owne luste and appetite, in all maner of thynges, whyche maye … agaynste … wyll: as when a manne do the me wronge, taketh my lyuyng from me, or hurteth me in my good name and fame, my wyll is to auenge my selfe vponupon hym, to doe hym a foule turne agayn: but what sayeth god? … vindictam ego retribuam, UntoVVe must leaue the reuenge to god. me (saith god) belongeth vengeance, I wyl recompence tho same. Nowe here I muste geue ouer my owne wyll and pleasure and obey hys wyll, thys I muste doe, yf I wyll feede vppon hym, yf I wyll come to heauen: but thys is a bytter thynge, a soure sause, a sharpe sause: Thys sause maketh a stomacke: for when I am … or wronged, or am in other tribulation, then I hauehave a greate desyre for hym, to feede vponupon him, to be deliuered from trouble, and to attayne to … and ioye.
There is a learned man whiche hathe a saying, whicheThe crosse … vsus …. is moste true, he sayeth: Plus crux quam … ad Christum, The crosse and persecution brynge vsus … to Christe then prosperitie and wealthe. Therfore Saint Peter sayeth: … sub … manum Dei, Humble your selues vnderunder the myghtye hande of GOD: Looke what GOD layeth vppon you beare, it wyllyngly and humblye. But you wyll saye, I praye you tell me what is my … Aunswere. This that God layeth vppon you that same is your crosse: not that whiche you of your owne wylfulnesse laye vponupon your selues. As there was a certayne secte whyche were called Flagellarii, whyche scourgedThe … that men lay vponupon themselues is … Christes …. themselues wyth whyppes, tyll the bloude ranne from their bodies: thys was a crosse, but it was not the crosse of God, No no, he layde not that crosse vponupon theym, they … it of theyr owne heade. Therfore looke what God layeth vppon me that … is my crosse, whiche I oughte to take in good parte, as when I fall in pouertye, or in miseries, I oughte to bee contente withall: whan my neighbour doth me wronge, taketh a waye my goods, robbeth me of my good name and fame, I shall beare it wyllynglye, considerynge that it is Goddes crosse, and that nothynge canne bee… us …. doone agaynste me wythoute hys permission. There falleth neuer a sparrow to the grounde withoute his permission: yea not a heare falleth from oure heade withoute hys wyll, Sceyng then that there is nothyng done wythoute hys wil, I oughte to beare this crosse whyche he layeth vppon me, wyllynglye withoute anye … or grudgynge. But I praye you consider these woordes of Saincte Peter well: Humiliamini sub potenti manum Dei, Humble your selfes vnderunder the mighty hande of GOD. Here Sainct Peter signified vntounto vsus that GOD is a mighty GOD, which can take awaye the crosse from vsus whan it … hym goodGods hād is …. yea and he canne sende patience in the myddes of all trouble and miseries. Saincte Paule that electe instrumente of God shewed a reason wherefore GOD layeth afflictions vponupon vsus saying: Corripimut à domino ne cum mundo condemnemur, We are chastened of the Lorde leaste we shouldThecause … bee condemned wyth the worlde: for you see by daylye experience that the moste parte of wycked menne are luckyeChrist laieth … those that be his. in thys worlde: they beare the swynge, all thynges goeth after theyr myndes, for GOD letteth them hauehave theyr pleasures here. And therfore there is a common sayinge, The more …, the more lucky: but they that pertayneThe … vvicked the more lucky. to God, that shall inherite euerlastyng lyfe: they must goe to the potte, they muste suffer here accordyng to that scripture: Iuditium à domo … incipit, the iudgemente of god beginneth at the house of God: therefore it commeth of the goodnes of god whan we bee put to taste the sause of tribulation: for he doth it to a good end, namely that we should not be cō dēned with this wicked world: for these sauses are very good for vsus, for they make vsus more hūgry & lusty tocome to Christ and fede vponupon him. And truely when it goeth well with vsus, we forget Christ, our hearts and mindes are not vppon him:tis be tertaha … a …. therfore it is better to hauehave affliction then to be in prosperity. for ther is a comon …, Vexatio dat intellectum, vexation geueth vnderstanding. Dauid that excellent king and Prophet saith, Bonum est mihi quod … me domine Lord saith he, it is good for me that thou hast pulled doune my stomake, that thou hast hūbled …. But I pray you, what sause had Dauid? how was he humbled? Mary this, his owne … Dauid sauce to his meate… his daughter. After that, Absalon one other of his … killed his owne brother. And this was not inough, but his own sonne rose vp against him, and traiterously cast him out of his kingdome, and … his wife in the syght of all the people. Was not he vered? had he not sausses? Yes yes, yet for all that he cryeth not out agaynst God, he murmured not, but saith: Bonum est mihi quod humiliasti me, Lorde it is good for me that thou haste humbled me, that thou haste brought me lowe: therfore whan we bee in trouble, let vsus be of good comfort, knowyng that God doothe it for the best. But for all that, the deuyll that olde serpent, the ennemye of mankynde doothe what he can daie and nyghte to bryng vsusThe … stil to make … for vsus. to this sause, to caste vsus into persecution, or other myseries, as it appered in the Gospell of Mathew, where oure Sauiour castyng hym oute of a manne, seyng that he coulde doo no more harme, he desyred Christ to geue hym leaue to goe into the swyne: and so he caste theim all into the sea. Where it appeareth, that the deuyll studieth and seekethe all maner of wayes to hurte vsus, eyther in soule, or … bodye: But for all that, lette vsus not despaire, but rather lyfte vp our heartes vntounto GOD, desyryng his … and comforte, and no doubte whan we dooe so, he wyll healpe,To consider this, is comfortable. he wyll eyther take awaye the calamities, or els mitigate them, or at the leaste wyse sende pacience into oure heartes, that we maye beare it wyllyngly.
Nowe you know at a great feast whan there is made a delicate dyner, and the gueste fare well: at the end of the diner they hauehave …. certain …, custardes swete, & delicateThe … at …. things; so … we come to this diner, to this weddyng, and feede vponupon Christ, and take his sauses which he hath prepared for vsus: at the ende commeth the sweete meate, what is that? Mary remission of synnes and euerlastyng lyfe, suche ioy that no tonge can expresse, nor heart can thynke: whiche God hath prepared for all them that come to this diner, and fede vppon his sonne, and … of his sauses. And this is the end of this banket. This banket or mariage diner was made at the very beginnyng of the world, God made this mariage in paradise, & called the hole worlde vntounto it, saying: Semen This mariage vvas made in pa radise.multeris conteret caput …, The seede of the woman shal vanquishe the head of the serpent: this was the first callyng. And this calling stode vntounto the faithful in as good stede as it doth vntounto vsus, which hauehave a more … callyng.
Afterwarde, almightie God called agayn with these wordes, speakyng to Abraham, Ego ero Deus tuus & seminis Abraham vvas biddē to this ma riage.tui post te, I will be thy God, and thy seedes of thee. Nowe what is it to be our God? Mary to be our defender, our comforter, our delyuerer and helper: who was Abrahams sede? Mary Christ the sonne of God, he was Abrahams seede: in hym and thorough hym, all the worlde shall be blessed, all that beleue in hym, al that come to this dyner and fede vponupon hym. After that, all the prophetes their onelyonly intent was to call the people to this weddyng. Nowe after the tyme was expired, which God had apointed, he said: Venite, parata sunt omnia, Come, all thinges are ready. But who are these callers? The first was Iohn Baptiste, whyche not onelyonly calledIohn Baptist pointed to this meat with his …. with his mouthe, but also shewed with his fynger, that meate whyche GOD had prepared for the whole worlde. He sayth: Ecce agnus Dei qui tollit peccata mundi, Lo the Lambe of GOD that taketh away the synnes of the world. Item, Christ hym selfe called, sayinge: Venite ad me omnesMath. xi. qui laboratis, Comme to me all ye that trauayle and laboure, and I wyll refresshe you. Lykewise the Apostles cryed and called all the whole worlde, as it is written: Exiuit sonus eotum per vniuersam terram, Theyr sounde is gone thorough out all the worlde. But I praye you what thankes hadde they far theyr callynge? for theyr labour? Mary this, Iohn Baptiste was headed: Christe was … the Apostles were killed, this was their rewarde forThe … that they hauehave which be the callers of … is a … les …. their labours. So all the preachers shall looke for none other rewarde: for no … they must be suffrers, they must taste of these sauses: their office is, Arguere mundum de peccato, to rebuke the world of synne, whiche no doubte is a thankles occupation. … audiant montes … domini, That the high hilles, that is, greate … and lordes may heare the iudgementes of the Lorde: they muste spare no bodye, they must rebuke high and low whan they doo amisse, they must stryke … with the swoorde of Goddes woorde: which no doubte is a thanklesse ocupation: yet it muste be doone, for GOD will hauehave it so.
There be many men which be not so cruell as to persecute or to kyl the preachers of Gods worde: but whan they be called to … vponupon Christ, to come to this banket, to leaue their wicked liuings, than they begin to make their excuses, as itThe excu ses that such vse to make as are loth to leaue their … appeered here in this gospell: Where the … sayd, I hauehave bought a …, and I must nedes go and see it, I praye thee hauehave me excused. An other sayd: I hauehave bought fiue yoke of …, and I goe to proue theym, I pray thee hauehave me excused. The thirde sayde, I hauehave maried a wyfe, and therfore I can not comme: and these were their excuses. You muste take hede that you mystake not this text: for after ye … letter, it semeth as though no husbandman, no byer or seller,… hede ye vnderunder this aright. nor maryed man, shall enter into the kyngdom of God: Therfore ye muste take heede, that ye vnderstande it aright. For to be a husbandmanne, to … a byer or seller, to bee a maryed manne, is a good thynge, and allowed of GOD: but the abuse of suche thynges is reproued husbandmanne, and maryed man eueryevery one in his callynge, maye vse and doo the woorkes of his callynge: the husbande manne may goe to ploughe: they maye bye and sell. Item, menne may marye, but they may not sette theyr heartes vponupon it. The husbandman maye not so applye his husbandrye, to sette asyde the hearynge of the woorde of GOD: for whanne he doothe so, he synneth damnably: for he more regardeth his …, than GOD and his woorde: He hathe all luste and … in his husbandrye, whyche pleasure is …. As there be many husbandmē, which wil not comeHusbandry must not hold … from god. to …, they make their excuses that they hauehave other …, but this excusyng … naught: for cōmonly they go about wicked matters, and yet they wold excuse them self, to make them selfes …, or at the least way, they … their …. Which thing it self is a great wickednes: to do wickedly, & than … that same wickednesse: to neglect and despise Gods word, & thā to excuse such doings, like as these men do here in this gospell. The husbandman saith, I hauehave bought a ferme, … hauehave me excused: thother saith, I hauehave bought fiue yoake of …, I pray the … me excused: Now whā he cometh to the maried man: that same felow saith not, hauehave me excused, as the other say, but he onelyonly saith, I cannot come. Where it is to be noted, thatThemaried man saith he can not come. the affections of … lustes & concupiscence are the strongest aboue all the other: for there be some men whyche set al their heartes vponupon voluptuousnes: they regard nothing els, neyther God nor his word: And therfore this maried man saith: I can not come: because his affections are more … and more vehement thā the other mens were: but what shall bee … rewarde whyche refuse to come? The housefather sayth: I say vntounto you, that none of those men whiche wereThe revvarde of them that refuse to come. bydden, shall tast of my supper. With these wordes Christ our sauior teacheth vsus, that all those that louelove better worldly thynges than GOD and his worde, shall bee shutte out from his supper, that is to say, from euerlastyng ioy and …: … it is a great matter to despyse Gods woorde, or the mynister of the same: for the office of preachynge is the office of saluation, it hathe warrantes in Scripture, it is grounded vponupon Gods worde. … Paule to the RomainesSaint Paules … on. maketh a gradation of suche wyse: Omnis quicun que … no men domini saluabitur, quomodo ergo inuocabunt in quem nō …, … quomodo credent … quem non …? That is to say, who soeuer shall … on the name of the Lord shalbe saued: but how shal they call vponupon hym, in whom they beleue not? how shal they beleue on him of whom they hauehave not herd? How shal thei heare without a …? And how shal they … except they be set? At the length be concludeth sayeng, Fi les ex … faith commeth by hearyng: where ye may perceiue how necessarye a thyng it is, to heare gods word, and how needefull a thing it is to hauehave preachers, which may teach vsus the worde of god: for by … we must come to faith, thorough faithe we must bee instified. And therfore Christe saieth himselfe: Qui credit in me, habet vitam aeternam, he that beleueth in me hath eucrla styng lyfe. When we heare gods worde by the preacher, and beleue that same, then we shall be saued: for s. Paule sayeth. Euangelium est potentia dei ad salutem omm credenti, the gospel is the power of god vntounto saluation, to all that beleue: the gospel preached is gods power to the saluation of all beleuers:The com … of the … of prea ching. this is a greate commendation of this … of preachyng, therfore we ought not to despise it, or little regarde it: for it is gods instrument whereby he worketh faith in oure heartes. Our Sauiour saith to Nicodeme: Nisi quis renatus… 3. fuerit, except a man be borne a new, he can not see the kingdome of god. But how commeth this regeneration? by hearyng and beleuyng of the worde of god: for so saith s. Peter Renati non ex semine mortali corruptibili, we are borne a newe, not of mortall seede, but of immortall by the word of god. Likewise Paule sayth in an other place: Visum est deo per … predicationis saluos facore …, It pleased god to saue the beleuers thorough the foolishnes of preachyng. But peraduenture you will say. What? shall a preacher teach foolishnes? No not so, the preacher when he is a right preacher, he preacheth not foolishnes, but he preachethThe vvorld … vvord of god to bee foolishnes. the word of god: but it is taken for foolishnes, the worlde estemeth it for a trifyll: but howsoeuer the world estemeth it, S. Paule sayeth that god will saue hys thorough it.
Here I myghte take occasion to inueigh agaynste those whiche little regarde the office of preachyng which are wont to say, what nede we such prechings eueryevery day? HaueHave I not syue wyttes, I know as well what is good or yll, as he doth that preacheth. But I tel thee my friende: be not to hasty, for whā thou hast nothyng to follow but thy syue wyttes, thouDauid … not his … vvittes shalte goe to the deuyll wyth them: Dauid that holye Prophete saide not so, he trusted not his fiue wittes, but he said. Lucerna pedibus meis verbum tuum domine, Lord thy word is a candell vntounto my feete: here we learne not to despise the worde of god, but highly to esteme it, and reuerently to heare it: for yt holy day is ordeined, & apointed to none other thing, but yt we should at that day, heare the word of god, & exercyse our selues in al godlines: but there be some which think that this day is ordeyned only for feastyng, drinking, or gaming, or such foolishnes, but they be much deceiued: this daye wasThe right vse of the holy daies. apointed of god, that we should heare his worde, and learne his lawes, and so serue him: but I dare say, the deuyll hathe no dayes so muche seruice as vponupon sondayes or holye dayes, which sondaies are apointed to preaching, and to heare gods most holy worde: therfore god saith not only in his commaū dements that we shall abstayne from working, but he sayth, sanctificabis, thou shalt halow: so that holyday keping is nothing els, but to abstein from good workes, and to do better workes, that is to come together, and celebrate the communionHolydaies …. together, and visite the sicke bodies, these are holy dais workes: And for that ende god commaunded vsus, to abstayne frō bodily works, yt we might be more mete & apt to do those workes, which he hath apointed vntounto vsus, namely to fede our soules with his worde, to remember his benefites, & to geue him thankes, and to cal vponupon him. So that the holy day may be called a mariage daye wherein we are maried vntounto god, which day is very nedeful to be kept. The foolishe common people, thinketh it to be a belly … day, and so they makeAll mis … begin … on the holy …. it a … daye: there is no wickednes, no rebellion, no …, but she hath most commonly her beginning vpō the holy day. We read a story in the 15. chapiter of the booke of yt Numbers, That there was a … which gathered sticks Nume. 15.vpō the Sabboth day, he was a … of gods ordinances and lawes: like as they that now a dayes, go about other busines, whan they should heare the worde of God, and come to the common prayer, whiche felowes truelye hauehave nede of sauce, to be made more lustier to come and fede vponupon Christ than they be. Now Moses and the people consulted with the lord, what they should do, how thei should punish that felow which had so transgressed the Saboth day: he shall dye sayth god. which thing is an ensample for vsus to take …, that we transgresse not the law of the Sabboth day: for though God punish vsus not by and by, as this man was punished, yet heGod vvil pu … one day. is the very self same god, that he was before: and wil punish one day eyther here, or els in the other worlde: where the punishment shalbe euerlasting. Likewise in the 17. chapiter of the prophet Hieremy, god threateneth his fearefull wrathHie. 17. & anger vntounto those which do … his sabboth day. Again he promiseth his fauour, and all prosperity to them that will kepe the holy dayes, sayeng: princes and kynges shal go thorough thy gates, that is to say: thou shalt be in prosperity in wealth and greate estimation amongest thy neighbours. Agayn, yf ye will not kepe my sabboth day, I will kyndell aPlagues … such as …. fyre in your gates, that is to saye: I will destroy you, I wyll bryng you to naught, and burne your cities with fire. These wordes pertain as well vntounto vsus at this tyme, as they pertained to them at their tyme: for god hateth the dishallowyng of the Saboth, as wel now as then: for he is and remaineth stil the old god: he wil hauehave vsus to kepe his Saboth, as well now as then: for vponupon the Saboth day goddes sede plough goeth:The saboth day is gods plowing day. that is to say, yt ministery of his word is executed, for the ministryng of gods worde is gods plough. Now vponupon sondaies god sendeth his husbandinen to come and tyll, he … his callers, to come and cal to the wedding, to bydde the gestes, that is, all the world to come to that supper. Therfore for the reuerence of god consider these things, consider who calleth, namely god: consider againe who be the gestes, all ye? Therfore I cal you in gods name, com to this supper, halow yt saboth day: that is, do your holy day work, com to … supper, for this day was … of god to that ende that his word should be taught and heard: preferre not your owne busines therfore before the hearing of the worde of god. Remember the story of that man which gathered stickes vponupon the holye day: and was put to death by the consente of god: where god shewed himselfe not a cruell god: but he woulde geue a warnyng vntounto the whole worlde by that man, that all the world should kepe holy his Saboth day.
The almighty euerliuyng god geue vsus grace to liue so in this miserable worlde, that we maye at the ende come to the great Sabboth day, where there shalbe euerlastyng ioye and gladnes.
Amen.