of him, who was, if ever any, a mocker of God, religion, and all good men. But first I must desire you, and in you all readers, not to think light of that excellent man, for using this and the like witty similitudes in his sermons. For whosoever will call to mind with what riff-raff God's people were fed in those days, when their priests, whose "lips should have preserved knowledge," (Mal. ii. 7.) preached nothing else but dreams and false miracles of counterfeit saints, enrolled in that sottish legend, coined and amplified by a drowsy head between sleeping and waking: he that will consider this, and also how the people were delighted with such toys (God sending them strong delusions that they should believe lies,) and how hard it would have been for any man wholly, and upon the sudden, to draw their minds to another bent, will easily perceive, both how necessary it was to shew symbolical discourse, and how wisely and moderately it was applied by the religious father, to the end he might lead their understanding so far, till it were so convinced, informed, and settled, that it might forget the mean's and way by which it was led, and think only of that it had acquired. For in all such mystical speeches, who knows not that the end for which they are used, is only to be thought upon?

This then being first considered, let us hear the story, as it is related by Mr. Fox: (pag. 1903. edit. 1570.) " Mr. Latimer (saith he) in his sermon, gave the people certain cards out of the fifth, sixth, and seventh chapters of Matthew. For the chief triumph in the cards he limiteth the heart, as the principal thing that they should serve God withal, whereby he quite overthrew all hypocritical and external ceremonies, not tending to the necessary furtherance of God's holy word and sacraments. By this he exhorted all men to serve the Lord with inward heart, and true affection, and not with outward ceremonies; adding, moreover, to the praise of that triumph, that though it were never so small, yet it would take up the best coat card beside in the bunch, yea, though it were the king of clubs, &c. meaning thereby, how the Lord would be worshipped and served in simplicity of the heart, and verity, wherein consisteth the true Christian religion," &c. Thus Mr. Fox.

By which it appears, that the holy man's intention was to lift up the people's hearts to God, and not that he made a sermon of playing at cards, and taught them how to play at triumph, and played (himself) at cards in the pulpit, as that base companion Parsons reports the matter, in his wonted scurrilous vein of railing; whence he calleth it a Christmas sermon. (Sect. 55.) Now he that will think ill of such allusions, may, out of the abundance b Canus locor. 1. xi. c. 6. Vives, lib. ii. de corrupt. art. Hard. lib. iv.

c In the third part of the three conversions of England: in the examination of Fox's Saints, c. 14. sect. 53, 54. P. 215. 2 F

VOL. III.

Parsons in 3 convers.

of his folly, jest at a Demosthenes for his story of the sheep, wolves, and dogs; and Menenius, for his fiction of the belly." But, "hinc illæ lachrymæ," the good bishop meant that the Romish religion came not from the heart, but consisted in outward ceremonies: which sorely grieved Parsons, who never had the least warmth or spark of honesty. Whether Bishop Latimer compared the bishops to the knave of clubs, as the fellow interprets him, I know not: I am sure Parsons, of all others, deserved those colours, and so I leave him. We see then, what inward purity is required of all Christians, which if they have, then in prayer, and all other Christian duties, they shall lift up pure hands, as the apostle speaks, (1 Tim. ii. 8.) not as Baronius would have it, washed from sins with holy water; but pure, that is, holy, free from the pollution of sin, as the Greek word óríovs does signify.

C

You may see also here refuted those calumnies of the papists, that we abandon all religious rites, and godly duties; as also the confirmation of our doctrine, touching certainty of faith, and so of salvation, which is so strongly denied by some of that faction, that they have told the world, St. Paul himself was uncertain of his own salvation. What then shall we say, but pronounce a woe to the most strict observers of St. Francis's rules, and his canonical discipline, (though they make him even equal with Christ) and the most meritorious monk that ever was registered in their calendar of saints? But we, for our comfort, are otherwise taught out of the Holy Scripture, and therefore exhorted to build ourselves in our most holy faith, that so, "When our earthly house of this tabernacle shall be destroyed, we may have a building given of God, a house not made with hands, but eternal in the heavens.”

This is that which is most piously and feelingly taught in these few leaves, so that you shall read nothing here, but what I persuade myself you have long practised in the constant course of your life. It remaineth only that you accept of these labours tendered to you by him, who wisheth you the long joys of this world, and the eternal of that which is to come.

Oxon, from Corp. Christi College, this 13th of January, 1613.

Plut. in Demosthen.

b Liv. Dec. 1. l. ii. an. V. C. 60.

c Annal. tom. i. an. 57. n. 109, 110. et tom. ii. an. 132. Num.

d S. Paulus de sua salute incertus; Kicheom Jesuit. lib. ii. c. 12. Idolat. Huguen. p. 119. in marg. edit. Lat. Mogunt. 113. interpret. Marcel. Bomper. Jesuita.

e Witness the verses of Horatius, a Jesuit, recited by Posse, Biblioth. Select, part 2. 1. xvii. c. 19.

Exue Franciscum tunica laceroque cucullo:

Qui Franciscus erat, jam tibi Christus erit.
Francisci exuviis (si qua licet) indue Christum :
Jam Franciscus erit, qui modo Christus erat.

The like hath Bencius, another Jesuit.

TWO

SERMONS

UPON

PART OF ST. JUDE'S EPISTLE.

SERMON I.

But ye, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ:

How that they told you, that there should be mockers in the last time, which should walk after their own ungodly lusts.

These are makers of sects, fleshly, having not the Spirit.

But ye, beloved, edify yourselves in your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost.

And keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.-JUDE 17-21.

THE Occasion whereupon, together with the end wherefore this Epistle was written, is opened in the front and entry of the same. There were then, as there are now, many evil and wickedly-disposed persons, not of the mystical body, yet within the visible bounds of the church, "men which were of old ordained to condemnation, ungodly men, which turned the grace of our God unto wantonness, and denied the Lord Jesus." For this cause the Spirit of the Lord is in the hand of " Jude the servant of Jesus and brother of James," to exhort them that are called, and sanctified of God the Father, that they would earnestly "contend to maintain the faith, which was once delivered to the saints." Which faith, because we cannot maintain, except we know perfectly, first, against whom; secondly, in what sort it must be maintained; therefore in the former three verses of that parcel of Scripture which I have read, the enemies of the cross of Christ are plainly described; and in the latter two, they that love the Lord Jesus have a sweet lesson given them how to strengthen and establish themselves in the faith. Let us first therefore examine the description of these reprobates concerning faith; and afterward come to the exhortation, wherein Christians are taught how to rest their hearts on God's eternal and everlasting truth. The description of these godless persons is twofold, general and special. The general doth point them out,

received

from God himself.

The particular
In the general

and shew what manner of men they should be.
pointeth at them, and saith plainly, these are they.
description we have to consider of these things: First, when they
were described, "They were told of before." Secondly, the men
by whom they were described, "They were spoken of by the
apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. Thirdly, the days when they
should be manifest unto the world, they told you, "they should
be in the last time." Fourthly, their disposition and whole demean-
"Mockers and walkers after their own ungodly lusts."

our,

2. In the third to the Philippians, the apostle describeth certain; "They are men (saith he) of whom I have told you often, and now with tears I tell you of them, their god is their belly, their glory and rejoicing is in their own shame, they mind earthly things."

These were enemies to the cross of Christ, enemies whom he saw, and his eyes gushed out with tears to behold them. But we are taught in this place, how the apostle spake also of enemies, whom as yet they had not seen, described a family of men as yet unheard of, a generation reserved for the end of the world, and for the last time; they had not only declared what they heard and saw in the days wherein they lived, but they have prophesied also of men in time to come. And "you do well (saith St. Peter) in that you take heed to the words of prophecy, so that ye first know this, that no prophecy in the Scripture cometh of any man's own resolution." No prophecy in Scripture cometh of any man's own resolution; for all prophecy which is in Scripture, came by the secret inspiration of God. But there are prophecies which are no scripture; yea, there are prophecies against the Scripture: my brethren, beware of such prophecies, and take heed you heed them not. Remember the things that were spoken of before; but spoken of before by the apostles of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Take heed to prophecies, but to prophecies which are in Scripture; for both the manner and matter of those prophecies do shew plainly that they are of God.

Of the spirit 3. Touching the manner how men, by the spirit of prophecy of prophecy in Holy Scripture, have spoken and written of things to come, we must understand, that as the knowledge of that they spake, so likewise the utterance of that they knew, came not by these usual and ordinary means whereby we are brought to understand the mysteries of our salvation, and are wont to instruct others in the same. For whatsoever we know, we have it by the hands and ministry of men, which lead us along like children from a letter to a syllable, from a syllable to a word, from a word to a line, from a line to a

sentence, from a sentence to a side, and so turn over. But God himself was their instructor, he himself taught them, partly by dreams and visions in the night, partly by revelations in the day, taking them aside from amongst their brethren, and talking with them as a man would talk with his neighbour in the way. Thus they became acquainted even with the secret and hidden counsels of God, they saw things which themselves were not able to utter; they beheld that whereat men and angels are astonished, they understood in the beginning, what should come to pass in the last days.

ner of

4. God, which lightened thus the eyes of their understanding, Of the progiving them knowledge by unusual and extraordinary means, did phets' manalso miraculously himself frame and fashion their words and writ- speech. ings, insomuch that a greater difference there seemeth not to be between the manner of their knowledge, than there is between the manner of their speech and others. When we have conceived a thing in our hearts, and thoroughly understand it, as we think with' in ourselves, before we can utter in such sort, that our brethren may receive instruction or comfort at our mouths, how great, how long, how earnest meditation are we forced to use? And after much travail and much pains, when we open our lips to speak of the wonderful works of God, our tongues do faulter within our mouths, yea, many times we disgrace the dreadful mysteries of our faith, and grieve the spirit of our hearers by words unsavoury, and unseemly speeches: "Shall a wise man fill his belly with the eastern wind? (saith Eliphaz) Shall a wise man dispute with words not comely? or with talk that is not profitable?" (Job xv. 2, 3.) Yet behold, even they that are wisest amongst us living, compared with the prophets, seem no otherwise to talk of God, than as if the children which are carried in arms, should speak of the greatest matters of state. They whose words do most shew forth their wise understanding, and whose lips do utter the purest knowledge, so long as they understand and speak as men, are they not fain sundry ways to excuse themselves? sometimes acknowledging with the wise man, 66 Hardly can we discern the things that are on earth, and with great labour find we out the things that are before us. Who can then seek out the things that are in heaven?" Sometimes confessing with Job the righteous, in treating of things too wonderful for us, we have spoken we wist not what: sometimes ending their talk, as do the history of Maccabees; if we have done well, and as the cause required, it is that we desire; if we have spoken slenderly and barely, we have done what we could. But "God hath made my mouth like a sword," saith Isaiah, xlix. 2.