execution, named hell-fire;* and surely when a man goes to his death, it is the greatest pain in this world: wherefore you may see that there are degrees in our terms, as there are in those terms. These evil-disposed affections and sensualities in us are always contrary to the rule of our salvation. What shall we now do or imagine to thrust down these Turks, and to subdue them? It is great ignominy and shame for a Christian man to be bound and subject unto a Turk. Nay, it shall not be so, we will first cast a trump in their way, and play with them who shall have the better, let us play therefore on this fashion with this card. Whensoever these foul passions and Turks shall rise in our stomachs against our brother or neighbour, either for unkind words, injuries, or wrongs, which they have done unto us, contrary unto our mind, straightway let us call unto our remembrance, and speak this question unto ourselves, "Who art thou?" The answer is, "I am a Christian man." Then further we must say to ourselves, "What requires Christ of a Christian man?" Now turn up your trump, your heart, (hearts is trump, as I said before) and cast your trump, your heart, on this card, and upon this card you shall learn what Christ requires of a Christian man, not to be angry, nor moved to ire against his neighbour, in mind, countenance, or otherways, by word or deed. Then take up this card with your heart, and lay them together: that done, you have won the game of the Turk, whereby you have defaced and overcome by true and lawful play; but, alas, for pity, the Rhodes‡ are won and overcome by these false Turks, the strong castle faith is decayed, so that I fear it is almost impossible to win it again.

The great occasion of the loss of this Rhodes is by reason that Christian men daily kill their own nation, so that the very true number of Christians is decayed: which murder and killing one of another, is increased especially two ways, to the utter undoing of christendom, that is to say, by example and silence. By example as thus: when the father, the mother, the lord, the lady, the master, the

* Tophet, mentioned 2 Kings xxiii.; Isaiah xxx.; and repeatedly by Jeremiah.

+ Evil affections and sensual inclinations.

Rhodes, which, though strongly fortified, was captured by the Turks in 1522. At that period the Turks were invading Europe, and made considerable progress, especially in Hungary.

dame, are themselves overcome by these Turks, and are continual swearers, adulterers, disposers to malice, never in patience, and so forsooth in all other vices. Think you not when the father, the mother, the master, the dame, are disposed unto vice or impatience, but that their children and servants shall incline and be disposed to the same? No doubt, as the child takes his natural disposition of his father and mother, so shall the servants apply themselves unto the vices of their masters and dames; if the heads are false in their faculties and crafts, it is no marvel if the children, servants, and apprentices, joy therein. This is a great and shameful manner of killing Christian men, that the fathers, the mothers, the masters, and the dames, shall not only kill themselves, but all theirs, and all that belong to them, and so this way a great number of Christian lineage are murdered and spoiled. The second manner of killing is by silence. By silence a great number of Christian men are slain, which is in this manner-although the father and mother, master and dame, of themselves are well disposed to live according to the law of God, yet they may kill their children and servants by suffering them to do evil before their faces, and not using due correction according unto their offences. The master seeth his servant or apprentice take more of his neighbour than the king's laws, or the order of his faculty* admits, or he suffered him to take more of his neighbour than he himself would be content to pay if he were in like condition: thus doing, I say, such men kill wittingly their children and servants, and shall go to hell for so doing; and their fathers and mothers, masters and dames, shall bear them company for so suffering. Wherefore I exhort all true Christian men and women to give good example unto your children and servants, and not suffer them by silence to offend. Every man must be in his own house, according to St. Augustine's mind, a bishop, not only giving good example, but teaching according to it, rebuking and punishing vice, not suffering your children and servants to forget the laws of God. You ought to see them learn their belief, know the commandments of God, keep their holy days, and not lose their time in idleness; if they do so, you shall all suffer pain for it, if God is true in his saying, as there is no doubt thereof: and so you may perceive that there are many who break this card, "Thou shalt not kill," whereby they are no * Trade, employment.

winners, but great losers; but who are they now-a-days that can clear themselves of these manifest murders used to their children and servants? I think that many have these two ways slain their own children unto their damnation, were not the great mercy of God ready to help them when they repent thereof.

Wherefore considering that we are so prone and ready to continue in sin, let us cast down ourselves with Mary Magdalen; and the more we bow down with her towards Christ's feet, the more we shall be afraid to rise again in sin, and the more we know and submit ourselves, the more we shall be forgiven, and the less we know and submit ourselves, the less we shall be forgiven, as appears by this example.

When Christ was in the world amongst the Jews and Pharisees, there was a great Pharisee whose name was Simon. This Pharisee desired Christ on a time to dine with him, thinking in himself that he was able and worthy to give Christ a dinner. Christ refused not his dinner, but came unto him. In time of their dinner, there came into the house a common sinner, named Mary Magdalen. As soon as she perceived Christ, she cast herself down, and called unto her remembrance what she was of herself, and how greatly she had offended God, whereby she conceived in Christ great love, and so came near unto him, and washed his feet with her tears, and shed upon his head precious ointment, thinking that by him she should be delivered from her sins. This great and proud Pharisee, seeing that Christ accepted her oblation in good part, had great indignation against this woman, and said to himself, "If this man Christ were a holy prophet, as he is taken for, he would not suffer this sinner to come so nigh him." Christ, understanding the evil mind of this Pharisee, said to him: "Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee." Say what thou pleasest," quoth the Pharisee. Then saith Christ, "I pray thee tell me this: If there be a man to whom is owing twenty pounds by one, and forty by another, and the man to whom this money is owing, perceives these two men are not able to pay him, and he forgives them both; which of these two debtors ought to love this man most?" The Pharisee said, "That man ought to love him best that hath most forgiven him." Christ said, "So it is with this woman. She hath loved me most, therefore most is forgiven her: she hath known

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her sins most, whereby she hath most loved me; and thou hast least loved me, because thou hast least known thy sins, therefore because thou hast least known thine offences, thou art forgiven least." So this proud Pharisee had an answer to allay his pride; and think you not, but that there are amongst us a great number of these proud Pharisees, who think themselves worthy to invite Christ to dinner, who shall presume to sit by Christ in the church, and disdain this poor woman Magdalen, their poor neighbour, with a high, disdainful, and solemn countenance, and be always desirous to climb highest in the church, reckoning themselves more worthy to sit there than another? poor Magdalen under the board, and in the belfry, hath more forgiven of Christ than they have; for it is likely that these Pharisees less know themselves and their offences, whereby they love God less, and so they are forgiven less.

I would to God we would follow this example, and be like unto Magdalen. I doubt not but we all are Magdalens in falling into sin, and in offending: but we are not again Magdalens in knowing ourselves, and in rising from sin. If we are true Magdalens, we should be as willing to forsake our sin, and rise from sin, as we were willing to commit sin, and to continue in it, and we then should know ourselves best, and make more perfect answer than ever we did, unto this question, "Who art thou?" To the which we might answer, that we are true Christian men and women: and then I say you should understand and know how you ought to play at this card, "Thou shalt not kill;" without any interruption of your deadly enemies the Turks, and so triumph at the last, by winning everlasting life in glory. Amen.

THE SECOND

OF

THE SERMONS OF THE CARD.

JOHN i.

And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent Priests and Levites from Jerusalem, to ask him, Who art thou?

Now you have heard what is meant by the first card, and how you ought to play with it, I purpose again to deal unto you another card, almost of the same suit; for they are of such near affinity, that one cannot be well played without the other. The first declared, "that you should not kill;" which might be divers ways, as being angry with your neighbour, in mind, in countenance, in word, or deed. It declared also how you should subdue the passions of ire, and so clear yourselves from them: and where this card kills in you those stubborn Turks of ire; this second card wills not only that they should be mortified in you, but that you yourselves shall cause them to be mortified also in your neighbour, if your neighbour has been through you moved unto ire, either in countenance, word, or deed. Now let us hear the tenour of this card.

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Therefore, if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee; leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way, first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift."

This card was spoken by Christ, as St. Matthew testifies in his fifth chapter, against all such as presume to come to the church to make oblation unto God, either by prayer, or any other deed of charity,* not having their neighbours reconciled to them. Reconciling is as much as to say, Restore thy neighbour unto charity, who by thy words or deeds is moved against thee: then if thou hast spoken to, or of thy neighbour, whereby he is moved to *Love to God and man.