The Preaching Bishop Reproving, Part 4
Part of the Second Sermon preached by Mr. Latymer before King Edward.
And when the King is set in the Seat of his Kingdom, he shall write him out a Book,
Deut. 17.
I Told you in my last Sermon, of Ministers of the Kings people, & had occasion to shew you, how few Noblemen were good Preachers. I left out an History then, which now I will tell you.
There was a Bishop of Winchester in King Henry the Sixth's daies.—
This Bishop was a Great man born, and did bear such a stroak, he was able to shoulder the Lord Protector; it chanced the Lord Protector and he fell out, and the Bishop would bear nothing at all with him, but played me the Satrapa; so—
Was not this a good Prelate? He should have been at home preaching in his Diocess with a Wanniaunt. This Protector was so Noble a Godly man, that he was called of every man the good Duke Humphrey: He kept such a House,—.
And the Bishop for standing so stiffly by the matter, and bearing up the Order of our Mother, the Holy Church, was made a Cardinal at Calice, and thither the Bishop of Rome sent him a Cardinals Hat: He should have had a Tyburne-Tippet, a half peny Halter, and all such proud Prelates.
When he sitteth upon the Throne, what shall he do? Shall he dance and dally, banquet, havvk and hunt?
No forsooth Sir.
What must he do then? He must be a Student; not thinking, because he is a King, he hath License to do vvhat he vvill, as these vvorldly Flatterers are vvont to say, ye trouble not your self, (Sir) ye may havvk and hunt, and take your pleasure; as for the guiding of your Kingdom and People, let us alone vvith it.
These flattering Clavv-backs are Original Roots of all Mischief; and yet a King may take his Pastime in Havvking and Hunting, or such like Pleasures, but he must,—
It follovveth in the Text, Deut. 17. 19. He shall have it with him, in his Progresse.—
He shall read in it, not once a year, but all the daies of his life. Where are these Worldlings novv? these Bladder-puft-up vvily men?Note, Wo vvorth them, that ever they vvere about any King.
But hovv shall he read this Book? As the Homilies are read? Some call them Homilies, and indeed so they may be vvell called, for they are homely handled.
For though the Priest read them never so vvell, yet if the Parish like them not, there is such talking and babling, that nothing can be heard.
And if the Parish be good, and the Priest naught, he vvill so hack and chop it, that it vvere as good to be vvithout it, for any vvord that shall be understood. And yet (the more pity) it is suffered of your Graces Bishops in their Diocess unpunished.
But I vvill be a Suitor to your Grace, that you vvill give your Bishops charge ere they go home,A good motion. upon their Allegiance, to look better to their Flock, and to see your Majesties Injunctions better kept, and send your Visitors in their Tayls, and if they be found negligent in their duties, out vvith them, I require it in Gods behalf, make them Quondams, all the Pack of them.
But ye vvill say, Where shall vve have any to put in their rooms?—
Your Majesty hath divers of your Chaplains, well learned men, and of good knowlede, and yet ye have some bad enough, hangers on the Court, I mean not these,—
What an Enormity is this in a Christian Realm to serve in a Civility,Note. having the profit of a Provostship, and a Deanry, and a Parsonage? But I will tell you what is like to come of it: It will bring the Clergy shortly into a very Slavery. I may not forget here my Scala Caeli, that I spake of in my last Sermon; I will repeat it now again, desiring your Grace in Gods behalf, that you will remember it.
The Bishop of Rome had a Scala coeli, It is now upon the matter a common Prayer matter.but his was a Masse-matter: But this Scala Coeli that I now speak of, is the true Ladder that bringeth a man to heaven: The top of the Ladder, or first Greese is this; Whosoever calleth on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Rom. 10The second step, How shall they call upon him, in whom they have not believed? The Third Stair is this, How shall they believe in him, of whom they never heard? The Fourth Step, How shall they hear without a Preacher? Now the nether end of the Ladder is, How shall they preach except they be sent? This is the Foot of the Ladder. So that we may go backward now, and use the School-Argument, a primo ad ultimum. Take away Preaching,Note, take away Salvation. But I fear one thing.—
Ever since the Bishop of Rome was first in authority,Note. they have gone about to destroy the Gospel, but God worketh wonderfully, he hath preserved it, maugre all their hearts, and yet we are unthankful, that we cannot consider it.
I will tell you what a Bishop of this Realm said once to me, he sent for me, and marvelled, that I would not consent to such Traditions as were then set out.
And I answered him,Latimer desired Gods Word to be the Rule of reformation. that I would be ruled by Gods Book, and rather than I would dissent one jot from it, I would be torn with wild horses. And I chanced in our Communication, to name the Lords Supper: Tush, saith the Bishop, What do you call the Lords Supper? What new Term is that? There stood by him a Dubber, one Doctor Dubber, he dubbed him by and by, and said, that this Term was seldom read in the Doctors. And I made Answer, that I would rather follow Paul, in using his Terms, than them, though they had all the Doctors on their side.
Why, (said the Bishop) cannot we without the Scriptures order the people? How did they before the Scripture was first written?
But God knoweth, full ill yet would they have ordered them.Note. For seeing, that having it, they have deceived us, in what case should we have been novv vvithout it? But thanks be unto God, that by so vvonderful a Miracle he hath preserved the Book still.—
It is in the Text, that a King ought to fear God, he shall have the dread of God before his eyes. Work not by vvorldly Policy, for vvorldly Policy feareth not God. Take heed of these Clavv-backs, these venomous people, that vvill come to you, that vvill follovv you like Gnato's & Parasites, Note.if you follovv them, you are out of your Book, if it be not according to Gods Word, that they counsel you; do it not fo… any vvorldly Policy, for then you fear not God.—
But vvherefore shall a King fear God? It follovveth in the Text, that he may prolong his daies in his Kingdom.—
Remember this, I beseech your Grace; and when these Flatterers and Flebergibs, another day shall come and claw you by the back, and say, Sir, trouble not your self: What, shall you study? Why should you do this or that?
Your Grace may answer them thus, and say, What Sirra! I perceive you are a weary of Us, and our Posterity: Doth not God say in such a place, that a King shall write out a Book of Gods Law, and read it? Learn to fear God. And why? That he, and his might reign long. I perceive now, thou art a Traytor.
Tell him this Tale once, and I warrant you, he will come no more to you, neither he, nor any, after such a sort.
And thus shall your Grace drive such Flatterers and Claw-backs away.—
You have heard how a King ought to pass the time.—
He may learn at Solomon.—:
What was Solomons Petition? Lord, said he, Da mihi cor docile: he asked a docible heart, a wise heart, and wisdom to go in and to go out.—
So your Grace must learn how to do of Solomon. Latimer a faithful Bishop.You must make your Petition, now study, now pray.—
Now when God had given Solomon wisdom, he sent him by and by occasion to occupy his Wit. For God never gave a Gift, but he sent occasion at one time or other, to shew it to Gods Glory: As if he send Riches, he sendeth poor men to be helped with them.—
One Word note here for Gods sake, and I will trouble you no longer.
Would Solomon, being so Noble a King, hear two poor women? They were poor, for as the Scripture saith, they were together alone in a House, they had not so much as one servant betwixt them both. Would King Solomon, I say, hear them in his own person? Yea forsooth. And yet I hear of many matters before my Lord Protector, and my Lord Chancellor,Note this court Preachers that cannot be heard. I must desire my Lord Protectors Grace to hear me in this matter; That your Grace would hear poor mens Suites your self: Put them to none other to hear: let them not be delayed.
The Saying is now, that Money is heard every where; if he be rich, he shall soon have an end of his Matter.—
Hear mens Suites your self, I require you in Gods behalf; put it not to the hearing of these Velvet-Coats, these Up-skips.—
I cannot go to my Book, for poor Folkes come to me, desiring me,—
I walk somtimes in my Lord of Canterburies Garden, looking in my Book, as I can do but little good at it; but somthing I must do, to satisfie this place:Note. I am no sooner in the Garden, anon my man cometh, and saith, Sir, there is one at the Gate would speak with you: When I come there, then it is some one or other, that desireth me, that I would speak his matter may be heard; that he hath lien thus long,—
A Gentlewoman came to me,—
There is a poor VVoman that lyeth in the Fleet.—
I beseech your Grace that you will look to these Matters, hear them your self, view your Judges, and hear poor mens Causes.
And you proud Iudges hearken what God saith in his Holy Book. Audite illos, ita parvum ut magnum: Hear them saith He, the small aswell as the great, the poor aswell as the rich. Regard no person, fear no man, why? Quia Domini judicium est, the judgment is Gods.
Mark this saying thou proud Iudge. The Devil will bring this Sentence at the day of doom: Hell will be full of these Iudges: If they repent not and amend.
They are worse then the wicked Iudge that Christ speaketh of,Luke 18. that neither feared God nor the world.—
Our Iudges are worse then this Iudge was: for they will neither hear Men for Gods sake, nor fear of the world, nor importunateness, nor any thing else. Yea, some of them will command them to ward, if they be importunate. I heard say, that when a Suitour came to one of them, he said, what fellow is this that giveth these folk counsel to be so importunate, he would be punished and committed to ward. Marry Sir, punish me then, it is even I that gave them counsel, I would gladly be punisht in such a cause. And if ye amend not, I will cause them to cry out upon you still:O zeal! even as long as I live. I will do it indeed. But I have troubled you long: Beati qui audiunt, &c.