2.

Heare now how we are provoked of god to conversion by the wordes of the prophetes.psal. xciiii. Even thys daye (sayth David) yf ye heare his voyce, do not harden your hartes, as in the daye of provocation in the wildernes. In that he sayeth this daye, he meaneth all the time of our lyfe tyll we come (if it so chaunce) even to the extreme age: for penaunce is not weyed by length of time, but by purenes of affection. Have we not red how the Levites washed away their moste grevous sinne in the wildernesse, not in a great longe continuaunce of tyme, but in a lytle short houre of one day.Luc. xxiii. The thefe also that hong upon the crosse neded no longe space to enter into Paradise, but so muche space suffysed hym as would serve for the speaking of a few woordes, so that in a litle moment of tyme, obteininge remission of the sinnes of his hole life, did enter into Paradise before any of Christes holy Apostles. What shall we say of martirs? have we not sene them often tymes in one daye, yea, some tymes within the space of an houre, receive the crownes of eternall rewarde? wee muste therefore begyn onely, and set upon it with a manly courage, and firste let us be moved and angry with that harlot our owne luste that deceived us, and than let us turne our holle affection and love to the exercise of vertue. For that is it that God wylleth [Page lxxxx] nd requireth of us. He seketh not that length of time, but specially loketh to this if our conversion be true and pure. For whiche cause we often see that manye whiche began laste, are by their faithful endevour made formest. It is not so evil to take a fal, as it is to lye styl after the fall, and not to rise againe, and with a certeine pleasure & determination of mind to walter styl in sinne, & at last to cloke and cover his noughty purpose of sinning still under the wordes of desperation.Hier. viii. Againste whom the prophet crieth out with a certeine indignation, saying: doth not he that falleth aryse againe? Or is not he that is turned backeward converted againe? If thou saye, the state of our question is, whether any faithful and Christen man if he fal, may be restored again? To this question I aunswer. In this same that we say, he fel, we graunt that once he stode before he fel. No man saieth that he is fallen, that ever did lye, and never stode. Yet let us bring forth holy scripture concerning this matter, if any thing be spoken eyther in parables, or in playne sentences.Luc. xv. What other thinge thinke you is ment by the shepe, which going astray from the other nynetie and nyne, was afterwarde sought and brought home to the flock upon the shoulders of the shepeherde, doth it not plainelye declare bothe the fall and the restitution of a Christen man? For that shepe and the other nynetie and nyne, were al of one flocke and under one pastor.

It fedde upon the same pasture, dranke the same water, & was lodged within the same fold [Page] that the other wer, but it wandred a great way, it strayed farre throughe the hylles and harde rockes and many croked wayes of errour, yet the good shepeheard dydde not leave it nor suffred it to perish, but seketh it, & bringeth it home againe. Not compellinge it by prickes and beating, but bearing it uppon hys owne shoulders. And not onelye this parable dothe shewe unto us the commoditie of returninge,Luc. xv. but also that other of the prodigall and ryottous sonne, and that was a sonne, not a straunger, and brother germayn to hym that never went from hys father. He was a sonne which is reported to have gone to the furtheste borders of all sinne, for he went into a farre countrey, farre from god that was the riche man, and beyng a noble man borne, was made worse than a bonde manne or slave. But yet returning home, and repentinge hym, was receyved into hys former state, and restored to his former glory. But if he had despayred and consideringe those miseries that chaunced unto hym, had bene ashamed to returne to hys father, and had bidden styll in the farre straunge countrey: he shoulde never have attayned these thinges that he hath, but by penury and famine should have suffred moste miserable and unhappy death. You see nowe howe great profit there is of penaunce, and how greate hope there is of conversion by penaunce. The prodygall sonne received his former state of glorye by penaunce, which his elder brother kept stil by pe [...]severaunce. Therefore derely beloved, havinge these exaumples of penaunce, lette us not continue in evyll nor dyspayre to bee reconcyled, but let us come agayne to oure Father, and drawe nere to almightie GOD. Beleve me, he wyll never turne his face from hym that turneth to hym, yf wee doe not make oure selves straungers to GOD.

3.

And thys honour in ministringe to the Priestes of Christes Church for theyr lyuinge, Malach. iii Exod. xxii. Num. v.xviii. Deut. xiiii Mat. v. as I haue saied before, is not onelye expressed in the wrytinges of the holy Prophetes, and in the old lawe of Moyses, whyche was the fygure declaryng what ought to be done in the new testament where ryghtwisnes doth and ought more to abound than it did in the Scrybes and Pharisyes, and yet in this point concerninge the lyuinge of the ministers it was not a bare ceremonye shadowinge a truthe to come, nor yet onelye iudiciall perteyninge onelye to the gouernement of the cyuyle state of that people of the Iewes, whiche is nowe dissolued, but did instructe men how they should behaue theim selues in that behalfe to God and their neighbour, whiche ought to take place & be obserued aswel now amonges [Page] us in the newe Testament as amonges them in the old: but also is declared to be due to be payed of Christen people nowe in the time of the newe testament by the consente of Christes universall Churche,Hierom. in. i. cap. Malach. August. de rectitud Cath. conuersationis. Concil. Lateran. cap. liii. Deut. xiiii as well by the testimonye of the holye Fathers and the universall custome of the sayde Churche ever since the time that anye Realme was holly converted to the fayth of Chryste, as by the determinacion of generall counsell: The consent and judgement of whom, our Savioure christ hath taught to be observed in all doubtes as a sure argumente of the undoubted truthe, and a sure pyller for everye Christen man to leane unto. And as the withdrawinge or not payinge of this duetie of tythes from God that hathe reserved the same in token of hys universall dominion, to thintent men should learne to feare hym at al tymes, is verye sacrilege and the contempt of God and his true religion: so is it the cause of darth,Malach. iii. and famyn, and many other plages which by Gods juste judgemente fall upon the people therfore: lyke as the honouringe of God and hys ministers in this point and the true paymente of the same, is the cause that God dothe blysse hys people in sendinge unto them aboundaunce and plentye in all corporal and spiritual benediction. For which cause I shal most hartely require you to consider what I have saied concerninge your duetie to God and the ministers of hys Churche in loving, obeying, and honouring them, whiche I speake not for their glory or gayne worldly, but for your profyt discharging my selfe in declaring [Page clxvi] unto you the wyll and commaundement of God in thys behalfe, to thintent ye might avoide his high displeasure for doynge the contrary, and on the other side obteyne the aboundaunce of hys grace and blessing like obedient servauntes and thankful children, whom he shall at the last day rewarde with the fruition of his glory throughe the merytes and mercy of his onelye sonne our Saviour Jesus Christ, to whom with the father and the holy ghost be all honour and glorye world without end. Amen.