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and defend only, but also strike against his enemy. So St. Paul giveth us here a sword, "The word of God." For this sword is it that beateth this great captain our enemy. Christ himself gave us an ensample to fight with this sword, for he answered the devil with the scripture, and said, "It is written." With this sword he drave away the devil: and so let us break his head with this sword, the true word of God, and not with any word of the bishop of Rome's making, not with his old learning, nor his new learning, but with the pure word of God. The time passeth, I will therefore make an end.

Let us fight manfully and not cease; for no man is crowned or rewarded but in the end. We must therefore fight continually, and with this sword, and thus armed, and we shall receive the reward of victory. And thus the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all your spirits. Amen.

THE

SERMON

THAT THE REVEREND FATHER IN CHRIST,

MASTER HUGH LATIMER,

Bishop of Worcester,

Made to the Clergy, in the Convocation, before the Parliament began, the ninth day of June, the twenty-eighth year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord King Henry VIII.

Translated out of Latin into English, to the intent that things well said to a few, may be understood of many, and do good to all them that desire to understand the truth.

Filii hujus seculi, &c.-Luc. xvi.

as far as I

Ye be come

BRETHREN, ye be come together this day, perceive, to hear of great and weighty matters. together to entreat of things that most appertain to the commonwealth. This being thus, ye look, I am assured, to hear of me, which am commanded to make as a preface, this exhortation, (albeit I am unlearned and unworthy) such things as shall be much meet for this your assembly. I therefore, not only very desirous to obey the commandment of our pri mate, but also right greatly coveting to serve and satisfy all your expectation; lo, briefly, and as plain as I can, will speak of matters both worthy to be heard in your congregation, and also of such as best shall become mine office in this place. That I may do this the more commodiously, I have taken that notable sentence, in which our Lord was not afraid to pronounce, "the children of this world to be much more prudent and politic, than the children of light in their generation." Neither will I be afraid, trusting that he will aid and guide me to use this sentence, as a good ground and foundation of all such things, as hereafter I shall speak of.

Now, I suppose that you see right well, being men of such learning, for what purpose the Lord said this, and that ye have no need to be holpen with any part of my labour in this thing. But yet, if ye will pardon me, I will wade somewhat deeper in this matter, and as nigh as I can, fetch it from the first original beginning. For undoubtedly, ye may much marvel at this saying, if ye well ponder both what is said, and who saith it. Define me first these three things, what prudence is, what the world, what light, and who be the children of the world; who of the light see what they signify in scripture. I marvel if by and by ye all agree, that the children of the world should be wiser than the children of the light. To come somewhat nigher the matter, thus the Lord beginneth:

There was a certain rich man that had a steward; which was accused unto him that he had dissipated and wasted his goods. This rich man called his steward, and said, What is this that I hear of thee? Come, make me an account of thy stewardship, thou mayst no longer bear this office.

BRETHREN, because these words are so spoken in parable, and are so wrapped in wrinkles, that yet they seem to have a face and similitude of a thing done indeed, and like an history, I think it much profitable to tarry somewhat in them. And though we may perchance find in our hearts to believe all that is there spoken to be true; yet I doubt whether we may abide it, that these words of Christ do pertain unto us, and admonish us of our duty, which do and live after such sort, as though Christ when he spake any thing, had, as the time served him, served his turn, and not regarded the time that came after him, neither provided for us, or any matters of ours; as some of the philosophers thought, which said, that God walked up and down in heaven, and thinketh never a deal of our affairs. But, my good brethren, err not you so; stick not you to such your imaginations. For if ye inwardly behold these words, if ye diligently roll them in your minds, and after explicate and open them, ye shall see our time much touched in these mysteries. Ye shall perceive that God by this example shaketh us by the noses and pulleth us by the ears. Ye shall perceive very plain, that God setteth before our eyes in this similitude,

what we ought most to flee, and what we ought soonest to follow. For Luke saith," the Lord spake these words to his disciples." Wherefore let it be out of all doubt, that he spake them to us, which even as we will be counted the successors and vicars of Christ's disciples, so we be, if we be good dispensers, and do our duty. He said these things partly to us, which spake them partly of himself. For he is that rich man, which not only had, but hath, and shall have, evermore, I say not one, but many stewards, even to the end of the world.

He is man, seeing that he is God and man. He is rich not only in mercy but in all kind of riches: for it is he that giveth to us all things abundantly. It is he of whose hand we received both our lives, and other things necessary for the conservation of the same. What man hath any thing, I pray you, but he hath received it of his plentifulness? To be short, it is he that "openeth his hand, and filleth all beasts with his blessing," and not only giveth unto us in most ample wise his benediction. Neither his treasure can be spent, how much soever he layeth out, how much soever we take of him, his treasure tarrieth still, ever taken, never spent.

He is also the good man of the house; the church is his household, which ought with all diligence to be fed with his word, and his sacraments. These be his goods most precious, the dispensation and administration whereof, he would bishops and curates should have. Which thing St. Paul affirmeth, saying, "Let men esteem us as the ministers of Christ, and dispensers of God's mysteries." But, I pray you, what is to be looked for in a dispenser? This surely," that he be found faithful," and that he truly dispense, and lay out the goods of the Lord; that he give meat in time, give it, I say, and not sell it meat I say, and not poison. For the one doth intoxicate and slay the eater, the other feedeth and nourisheth him. Finally, let him not slack and defer the doing of his office, but let him do his duty when time is, and need requireth it. This is also to be looked for, that he be one whom God hath called, and put in office, and not one that cometh uncalled, unsent for; not one that of himself presumeth to take honour upon him. What is to be looked for? Surely, if all this that I say be required in a good minister, it is much lighter to

VOL. I.

D

require them all in every one, than to find one any where that hath them all. Who is a true and faithful steward? He is true, he is faithful, that coineth no new money, but taketh it ready coined of the good man of the house; and neither changeth it, nor clippeth it, after it is taken to him to spend, but spendeth even the self-same that he had of his Lord, and spendeth it as his Lord's commandment is; neither to his own advantage uttering it, nor as the lewd servant did, hiding it in the ground. Brethren, if a faithful steward ought to do as I have said, I pray you ponder and examine this well, whether our bishops and abbots, prelates and curates, have been hitherto faithful stewards or no? Ponder, whether yet many of them be as they should be or no? Go ye to, tell me now as your conscience leadeth you, (I will let pass to speak of many other) was there not some, that despising the money of the Lord, as copper and not current, either coined new themselves, or else uttered abroad newly coined of other, some time either adulterating the word of God, or else mingling it (as taverners do, which brew and utter the evil and good both in a pot) sometime in the stead of God's word, blowing out the dreams of men? While they thus preached to the people, the redemp→ tion that cometh by Christ's death, to serve only them that died before his coming, that were in the time of the Old Testament; and that now since redemption and forgiveness of sins purchased by money, and devised by men, is of efficacy, and not redemption purchased by Christ? They have a wonderful pretty example to persuade this thing, of a certain married woman, which when her husband was in purgatory, in that fiery furnace that hath burned away so many of our pence, paid her husband's ransom, and so of duty claimed him to be set at liberty. While they thus preached to the people, that dead images (which at the first, as I think, were set up, only to represent things absent) not only ought to be covered with gold, but also ought of all faithful and Christian people, yea in this scarceness and penury of all things, to be clad with silk garments, and those also laden with precious gems and jewels. And that beside all this, they are to be lighted with wax candles, both within the church and without the church, yea and at noon days, as who should say, here no cost can be too great; whereas in the mean time, we see Christ's faithful and lively

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