ruft and corrupt the old truth? Ye call your learning old it may indeed be called old, for it cometh of that Serpent which did pervert God's commandment and beguiled Eve; fo it is an old custom to pervert God's Word, and to ruft it, and corrupt it. We be a great many that profefs to be true minifters of the gospel, but at the trial, I think it will come to pass as it did with Gideon, a Duke, which God raised up to deliver the children of Ifrael from the Midianites, in whofe hands they had fallen, because they had broken God's commandment, and displeased him yet at length he had compaffion on them, and raised up Gideon to deliver them. And when they heard that they had a Captain or a Duke that should deliver them, they affembled a great number, about thirty thousand: but when it came to pass that they should fight, they departed all fave five hundred. So, I fear me, that at the trial, there will be found but few minifters of the true gofpel of peace, and armed in the true armour of God. It followeth," And above all things take the "fhield or buckler of faith." The buckler is a thing wherewith a man most chiefly defendeth himself: and that must be perfect faith in Jefus Chrift, in our Captain, and in his Word. It muft alfo be a true faith, it is elfe no part of the armour of God: it muft not be feigned, "but a fure buckler, which may ftop or quench the violence of the flaming darts of the most wicked. "Take alfo the helmet of health," or true health in Jefus Chrift, for there is no health in any other man not the health of a grey friar's coat, or the health of this pardon, or that pardon; that were a falfe helmet, and should not defend from the violence of the wicked. "And the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word " of God." Lo St Paul teacheth you battle, to take in your left hand the fhield of faith, to defend and N° 1. C bear bear off the darts of the devil; and in the other hand, a fword to ftrike with against the enemy; for a good· man of war may not stand against, and defend only, but muft alfo ftrike againft his enemy. So St Paul giveth us here a fword, "The Word of God." For this fword is it that beateth this great Captain our enemy. Chrift himself gave us an example to fight with this fword, for he answered the devil with the Scripture, and faid, "It is written." With this fword he drove away the devil: and fo let us break his head with this fword, the true Word of God, and hot 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 paffeth, I will therefore make an end. Let us fight manfully, and not ceafe; for no man is crowned or rewarded but in the end. We muft therefore fight continually, and with this fword, and thus armed, and we shall receive the reward of victory. And thus the grace of our Lord Jefus Christ be with all your fpirits. Amen. SERMON SERMON II. By the Reverend Father in Chrift Mafter HUGH LATIMER Bishop of Worcester. Preached to the Convocation of the Clergy, before the Parliament began, the fixth day of June, the twenty eighth year of the reign of the late King Henry VIII. Tranflated out of Latin into English, to the intent that things well faid to a few, may be understood of many, and do good to all them that defire to understand the truth. BRE RETHREN, ye be come together this day, as far as I perceive, to hear of great and weighty matters. Ye come together to entreat of things that moft appertain to the commonwealth. This being thus, ye look, I am affured, to hear of me, who am commanded to make as a preface, this exhortation, (albeit I am unlearned and far unworthy to utter such things as fhall be meet for this your affembly.) I therefore, not only very defirous to obey the commandment of our primate, but also right greatly coveting to ferve and fatisfy all your expectations; lo, briefly and as plainly as I can, will fpeak of matters both worthy to be heard in your congregation, and alfo of fuch as beft fhall become my office in this place. That I may do this the more commodiously, I fhall take that notable sentence, in which our Lord was not afraid to pronounce, " the children of this C 2 world "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 fentence, as a good ground and foundation of all fuch things, as hereafter I fhall speak of. Now I fuppofe that you fee right well, being men of fuch learning, for what purpose the Lord faid 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 fomewhat deeper in this matter, and as nigh as I can, fetch it from the first original beginning. For undoubtedly, ye may much marvel at faying, if ye will ponder both what is faid, and who faith 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; fee what they fignify in fcripture. I marvel if I marvel if ye will all agree, that the children of the world should be wiser than the children of the light. To come fomewhat nigher the matter, thus the Lord beginneth: There was a certain rich man which had a Steward; and the fame was accused unto him that he had wafted his goods. And be called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy Stewardship: for thou mayft no longer be Steward. B RETHREN, because these words are to be spoken in a parable, and are fo wrapped in wrinkles, that yet they feem to have a face and similitude of a thing done indeed, and like an history, I think it 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 Chrift do pertain pertain unto us, and admonish us of our duty, which do and live after fuch fort, as though Chrift when he fpake any thing, had, as the time ferved him, ferved his turn, and not regarded the time that came after him, neither provided for us, or any matters of ours; as fome of the Philofophers thought, which faid, that God walketh up and down in heaven, and thinketh nothing of our affairs. But, my good Brethren, err not you fo; stick not you to fuch 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 fhall perceive that God by his example shaketh us by the noftrils and pulleth us by the ears. Ye fhall perceive very plainly, that God fetteth before our eyes in this fimilitude, what we ought moft to flee, and what we ought fooneft to follow. For St Luke faith, "the Lord fpake these words to his difciples." Wherefore let it be out of all doubt, that he spake them to us, which even as we will be counted the fucceffors and vicars of Chrift's difciples, fo we be, if we be good difpenfers, and do our duty. He faid 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 evermore have, I fay not one, but many Stewards, even to the end of the world. He is man, feeing 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 at whofe hand we receive both our lives, and all other things neceffary for the prefervation of the fame. What man hath any thing, I pray you, but he hath received it of his plentifulness? To be fhort, it is he that "openeth his hand, and filleth all things living "with his bleffing," and giveth unto us in moft ample wife his benediction. Neither can his treasure be spent, how much foever we lavish out, how much |