The Preaching Bishop Reproving, Part 8 – Part 9
Part of the sixt Sermon of Mr. Latimer, preached before King Edward.
I Intend this day to intreat of a piece of Scripture, out of the first Chapter of Luke v. 1. 2, 3, &c.
I am occasioned to take this place by a Book sent to the Kings Majesty that dead is, by Master Pool. It is a Text that he doth greatly abuse for the Supremacy, he racks it, and violents it to serve for the maintenance of the Bishop of Rome.—
The Text saith, the people pressed upon him; so that Christ was in peril to be thrust into the Pond. A wonderous thing, what a desire the people had to hear our Saviour preach.—
VVhere read you that a great number of Scribes and Pharisees, and Bishops followed him.
There is a Doctor that writeth of this place, his name is Dr. Gorrham, Nicholas Gorrham: I knew him to be a School Doctor a great while ago: but I never knew him to be an interpreter of Scripture, till of late; he saith thus:
Major devotio in laicis & vetulis quam in clericis. There is more devotion, saith he, in lay folk and old wives, and in these simple and vulgar people, then in the Clarks: they be better affected to the Word of God, then the Clergie. I marvel not at the Sentence; but I marvel at such a Sentence in such a Doctor. If I should say so much, it would be said to me, it is an evil Bird that defiles his own nest.—
Our Saviour had said, Luke 4. 43. That he must preach the Kingdom of God to other Cities also; For therefore am I sent,—
Is it not a marvellous thing that our unpreaching Prelates can read this place, and yet preach no more then they do? I marvel that they can go quietly to bed, and see how he allureth them by his example, to be diligent in their Office.—
The preaching of the Gospel, is the power of God to salvation, to every one that Believeth, Rom. 1. 15, 16. Beware,Note. beware ye diminish not this Office, for if ye do, ye decay Gods Power.
Christ saith, Jo. 3. 3. Except a man be born again.—
What is this Regeneration? it is not to be Christned in water (as these fire brands expound it) and nothing else.
How is it to be expounded then? Saint Peter sheweth, 1 Pet. 1. 23, 24, 25. It is the circumstance, and collation of places that make Scriptures plain. We are born saith he, not of corruptible Seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God.—
By the Word of God, by the Word of God preached and opened.
Thus cometh in our new birth.
Here you may see how necessary this Office is to our Salvation.
This is the thing that the Devil wrastleth most against: It hath been all his study to decay this Office; he worketh against it as much as he can, he hath prevail'd too much, too much in it.
He hath set up a state of unpreaching Prelacy in this Realm this seven hundred years, a stately unpreaching Prelacy, he hath made unpreaching Prelates.
He hath stirred up heaps to persecute this Office in the title of Heresie: he hath stirred up the Magistrates to persecute it in the title of sedition.Note. And he hath stirred up the people to persecute it, with exprobrations and slanderous words—
And with Impropriations he hath turned preaching into private Masses; if a Priest should have left Masse undone on a Sunday within this ten years,Note. all England would have wondred at it; but they might have left off the Sermon twenty Sundaies and never have been blamed. And thus by these Impropriations private Masses were set up, and preaching of Gods word trodden under foot. But what doth he now? he stirs men up to outragious rearing of rents, that poor men shall not be able to find their children at the School to be Divines. What an unreasonable devil is this? he provides a great while before hand, for the time that is to come.
He hath brought up now a most monstrous kind of covetousness that ever was heard of; he hath invented a Fee-farming of Benefices,Note. and all to decay this Office of Preaching; insomuch that when a man shall hereafter have a Benefice, he may go where he will, for any house he shall have to dwell upon, or any Glebe-land to keep hospitality withall; but he must take up a chamber in an Ale-house, and there sit and play at Tables all day. A goodly Curate. He hath caused also Patrons to sell their Benefices. Yea, what doth he more? He gets him to the University and causeth great men to send their sons thither, and put out poor Schollers that should be Divines: for their parents intend not they shall be Preachers: but that they may have a shew of learning.
But it were too long to declare unto you, what deceit and means the Devil hath found to decay the office of salvation.—
It is in the Text he taught sitting; Preachers be-like were sitters in those dayes,Math. 23. as it is in another place, they sit in Moses Chair.
I would our Preachers would Preach sitting or standing one way or other.
It was a goodly Pulpit that our Saviour Christ had gotten him here, an old rotten Boat. And yet he preached his Fathers will, his Fathers message out of this Pulpit. He cared not for the Pulpit, so he might do the people good.
Indeed it is to be commended;Note. for the Preacher to stand or sit as the place is, but I would not have it so superstitiously esteemed, but that a good Preacher may declare the VVord of God sitting on a Horse, or preaching in a Tree.
And yet and this should be done, the unpreaching Prelates would laugh it to scorn.
And though it be good to have a Pulpit set up in the Churches, that the people may resort thither, yet I would not have it so superstitiously used, but that in a prophane place the VVord of God may be preached sometimes.—
To have Pulpits in Churches it is very well done to have them, but they would be occupied, for it is a vain thing to have them as they stand in many Churches.
I heard of a Bishop of England that went on visitation (and as it was the custome) when the Bishop should come and be rung into the Town, the great Bells clapper was faln down, the ty-all was broken, so that the Bishop could not be rung into the Town. There was a great matter made of this, and the chief of the Parrish were much blamed for it, in the visitation. The Bishop was somewhat quick with them, and signified that he was much offended. They made their answers, and excused themselves as well as they could, it was a chance said they, that the clapper brake, and we could not get it mended by and by, we must tarry till we can have it done it shall be mended as shortly as may be.
Among the other there was one wiser then the rest, and he comes to the Bishop. Why (my Lord) saith he, doth your Lordship make so great a matter of the Bell that lacketh his clapper; here is a Bell (saith he) pointing to the Pulpit, that hath lacked a clapper this twenty years. We have a Parson that fetcheth out of this benefice fifty pound every year, but we never see him.
I warrant you the Bishop was an unpreaching Prelate, he could find fault with a Bell that wanted a clapper to ring him into the Town; but he could not find any fault with the Parson that preached not at his Benefice.
Ever this Office of preaching hath been least regarded, it hath scant had the name of Gods service. They must sing Salve festa dies about the Church, that no man was the better for it, but to shew their gay coats and garments.
I came once my self to a place,Note. riding on a journey homeward from London, and I sent word overnight into the Town, that I would preach there in the morning, because it was Holyday; and me thought it was a Holydayes worke, the Church stood in my way. And I took my Horse and my Company and went thither, (I thought I should have found a great Company in the Church) and when I came there, the Church door was fast locked, I tarried there half an hour and more; at the last the Key was found, and one of the Parish comes to me, and sayes; Sir, this is a busie day with us, we cannot hear you, it is Robin-hoods day. The Parish are gone abroad to gather for Robin-hood. I pray you let them not. I was fain there to give place to Robin-hood. I thought my Rochet should have been regarded, though I were not, but it would not serve, it was fain to give place to Robin-hoods men.
It is no laughing matter,Note. my friends, it is a weeping matter, a heavy matter, a heavy matter, under pretence of gathering for Robin Hood, a Traytor and a Thief, to put out a Preacher, to have his Office less esteemed, to prefer Robin Hood before the Ministration of Gods Word, and all this hath come of Unpreaching Prelates. This Realm hath been ill provided for, rhat it hath had such corrupt Judgments in it, to prefer Robin Hood to Gods Word: If the Bishops had been Preachers, there should never have been any such thing; but we have a good hope of better. We have had a good beginning, I beseech God to continue it. But I tell you, it is far wide, that the people have such judgments: The Bishops they could laugh at it, what was that to them; they would have them to continue in ignorance still, and themselves in unpreaching Prelacy.
Part of the Seventh Sermon preached by Mr. Latimer before King Edward.
MAny speak of Faith, but few there be that have it. This Faith is a great State, a Lady, a Duchess, a great woman, and she hath ever a great Company and Train about her (as a Noble State ought to have.) First, She hath a Gentleman Usher, that goeth before her, and where he is not, there is not Lady Faith.
This Gentleman-Usher is called Agnitio Peccatorum, knowledge of sin, when we enter into our hearts, knowledge our faults, and stand not about to defend them. He is none of these Winkers, he kicks not, when he hears his Fault. Now as the Gentleman-Usher goeth before her, so she hath a great Train behind her, following after her; the Fruits of good works, the walking in the Commandments of God. He that believeth, will not be idle, he will walk, he will do his business. Have ever the Gentleman-Usher with you: So if you will try your Faith,Note. remember this Rule. Consider whether the Train be waiting upon her: If you have another Faith than this, you are like to go to the scalding House, and there you shall have two Dishes, weeping and gnashing of teeth, much good do it you, you see your Fare.—
Not long ago, a great man said in an Audience, they babble much of Faith, I will go and lie with my Whore all night, and have as good a Faith as the best of them all: I think he never knew other, but the Whoremongers Faith; it is no such Faith that will serve.
It is no Bribing Judges nor Justices Faith, no Whoremongers Faith, nor no Sellers of Benefices Faith.—
If you will believe and acknowledge your sins, so you shall attain to everlasting Life, to which the Father of Heaven bring you and me, AMEN.
FINIS.
End of the text · Hugh Latimer, The Preaching Bishop Reproving (1661)