Here begynneth the seconde sermon

Nisi abundauerit iustitia vestra plus quam Scribarum et Phariseorum, non intrabi tis in regnum celorum. Math. 5.

I Dyd remēber vnto you in my fyrst Sermō this other day, somwhat of the Joyes that be aboue in the kyngdom of heuyn. And to that intent I labored to brynge into your myndes an ymage of that gloryous courte, by a comparyson of the plesures that we haue sene in this lyfe here. I than declared vnto you that the pleasures of this lyfe, be they neuer so great: they haue fyue maner of dyuersytees frō ye pleasures of heuyn. Fyrst, the ioyes of this worlde, haue at length a werynesse. The Joyes of heuen neuer haue werynesse / but a. M. yeres is there but one day. Secondly, the Joyes of this lyfe, haue feares adioyned vnto thē / eyther of sykenesse, of dethe, or of trouble. In heuē is no fere of any of these. Thyrdly, the Joyes of this worlde, haue many interrupcyons / by hetes and coldes, by stormes, by tempestes, by nyght, and darkenes, by slepe, and dulnes. In heuen is no interrupcyon at all / but a pure contynuall Joy without any myxture of dyspleasure. Fourthly, the ioyes of this worlde vanysshe away lyke the smoke, and abideth nat / the ioyes of heuyn shal neuer passe. Fyftly the Joyes of this worlde, be lyke myd somer games / & Chrystmas games / or playes. The Courte of kynge Edwarde, the Courte of kynge Rycharde, & the courte of the kynge that now is ded / where be they now? all they were but counterfeyt ymages and dysguysynge for a tyme / it was but a playe for a tyme. But the courte of heuyn is alway stable in one poynte / where the offycers chaunge neuer. There is the true noblenesse, the sure honour, the very glory. This glory, this honour, this noblenes, we shal neuer se, we shal neuer come vnto it, oneles our lyfe be more ryghtwyse than was the lyues of the Jewes. A sore worde, a sore threte, neuer theles it is true. These be nat my wordes, these be nat my thretes, I wrote nat these wordes in the Gospels. The holy Euangelist wrote them, our sauyour Chryste Jesu spake them / they be his wordes that can nat lye / they be his wordes that may perfourme them.

Oh crysten soule, marke well these wordes, ponder theym, wey them / thynke what it is to be excludyd from that place of all pleasure, and to be throwen into the moost horryble dongeon of hell, from the whiche thou shalt neuer be delyuered. This lyfe is shorte, and the Joyes of this lyfe be but as dremes and fantasyes.

They be lyke to the pleasures that a pore man hathe in his dreme / whan he dremeth that he hath gotten a fayre wyfe & innumerable good with her, he thynketh hym selfe cladde in precyouse garmentes, and that he doth handell the golde and syluer and the goodly plate / some of syluer, som of golde / he seeth houses, gardeyns, feldes of his owne, and hath many pleasures. But whan he dothe awake out of his dreme, and fyndeth none of all these thynges, he is a sory man. Suche dremes many men haue had before this.

Francys Petrarke wrytyth hym selfe that he had suche a dreme / and that he had founde a great heuy hurde full of golde / and he had great sorowe and care for the conueyaunce of the same / but as soone as he awaked out his slepe, his treasour was gone. So longe as such a dreme lastyth, who is more ioyouse than such a man is, in his owne oppinyon? who is more ioyous than he is in his owne fantasy?. But al that is but fantasye in dede / it is but a very dreme. And so whan he is awakyd out of his slepe, he fyndeth it in very trouthe / and than perceyueth he ryght well that all that, was but a fantasy.

And in lyke maner, scripture calleth all this lyfe of man but a dreme & fantasy. Dormierūt somnium suum, et nihil inuenerint omnes viri di uitiarum in manibus suis. These wyse men saith scrypture, whan they be awaked out of theyr slepe, none of all these fantasayes wherof they dremyd before, they than fynde in theyr hādes. For whan dethe shaketh them out of theyr dremes, and maketh theym to awake: they must than depart hence with empty hādes / and neyther they shall haue these pleasaūt fantasyes of lyfe with them, nor yet they shall fynde before them the Joyfull pleasures of the lyfe to come. Better it is therfore to wake bytymes, accordynge to ye wordes this dayred of laynt Paule (Hora est iam de somno surgere). Now it is tyme for vs to aryse out of our slepe. A wake mā out of these dremes, and fantasies / and lese not for these dremes and fantasyes whiche be full vncertayne / and how sone we shal for goo them we knowe not / lese not I say for these transytory fantasyes, the Joyes euerlastynge. For whan we shalbe shakyd out of this slepe: yf thā we haue not the ryghtwysnes of good lyuyng, we shalbe excludyd from the kyngdom of heuyn accordyng to the wordes aboue rehersyd. Nisi abundauerit iustitia vestra plus quam scribarum et phariseorum non intrabitisin regnum celorum. Onelesse your ryghtwysnes be more large than was the ryghtwysenes of the scrybes and the pharyseys, ye shall not enter in to ye kyngdō of heuyn. Scrypture tellyth how that the fyrst man Adā was put into a place all of pleasure, named paradyse. In ye which was moche pleasaūt & delycate fruit / but especyally there was two trees, that is to saye the tree of lyfe, whiche was assygned vnto hym to eate vpon, and the tree of knowlege of good and bad, whiche was for bod vnto hym. Almyghty god gaue vnto hym vnder payne of deth that he shold not eate of this tree. But not withstandynge this commaundemēt, Adam folowyng the mynde of his wyfe, left the tree of lyfe whiche was assigned vnto hym, and▪ate of that other whiche was forbed hym. For this dysobedyence, for this vnryghtwysnes, and for brekynge of this commaundement, almyghty god excludyd hym out of paradyse, out of yt place of excellent pleasure, and put hym into this vale of mysery, this wretchyd worlde. And fynyally to the entent that the waye of entresse into that place sholde be kept he set before hym an aungell of the order of Cherubin, and a brēnynge swerd two egged that neyther he nor yet any other of his posteryty, sholde haue entresse there, oneles he were iustified. This, Scripture euydently declaryth the wordes of our sauyour chryst aboue rehersyd (that is to say) that no man shall enter in to the kyngdome of heuyn, yt hath in hym any spot of synne or of vnryghtwysnes. For the whiche more clerely to be shewyd▪ I wyll here touche thre thynges by order. Fyrst, how the demeanour of Adā representeth the demeanour of euery synner in this worlde. The second, how that for the brekynge of iustice and dysobedyence vnto the commaundemente of god, we be excludyd fro the pleasure of heuyn, lyke wyle as he was from the pleasures of paradise. The thyrde, what those lettes do mene which he set in the entresse in paradise, that no synner can entre thyder oneles he be iustifyed before.

Euery man and woman that lyueth in this worlde, hath in them by a maner of representacyon, these two persones Adam & Eue / for they haue a soule and a body / and the soule representeth Adam, and the body, Eue. For as the man sholde order his wyfe, soo sholde the soule rule and gouerne the body. And as the wyfe sholde be ruled by her husbande, soo the body sholde be gouerned and be obedyent vnto the soule.

where the soule gouerneth, there wysdom gouerneth, there reason gouerneth, there Adam is mayster, and there is all well. where the body gouerneth, there foly gouerneth, there bestelynes gouerneth, there Eue is maystresse, and all is amysse.

But here we shall declare thre poyntes necessary to be knowen. Fyrst, what these fruytes do meane and betoken vnto vs. The second▪ whan we synne by tastynge of this fruyte, and whan nat. Thyrdly, the great foly of Adam, and how all synners be in lyke foly.

Finis.

THre maner of frutes there was i Para dyse. One that was called the fruyt of ye tree of lyfe. This, Adam▪ate nat of, all the tyme he was in Paradyse / as apereth. Ne forte mittat manum suam et sumat etiam de ligno vite & viuat ineternum. Than was there another fruyte of the tree, that was called the tree of knowlege of good & bad. And the taste of this fruyte, was to Adam the fruyt of dethe. Besyde these two was the thyrde maner of fruyte / the whiche neyther gaue lyfe nor dethe / but onely refresshed the eater, and was as ye wolde say, Indyfferent. These thre fruytes betoken thre kynde of pleasures that we men taste in this wolde. Fruyt, may well betoken vnto vs pleasure / because that fruyt is pleasant for to taste. And therfore these thre fruytes betoken thre dyuers maners of pleasures whiche be offred vnto vs in this lyfe.

THe fyrst maner of pleasures be the pleasures of lyfe / which fruyt comyth of the tree of lyfe / that is to say (of Cryst Jesu) which is called in Scriptutes (the tree of lyfe). Out of this tree spryngeth moche dylycyouse fruyt. wherof to taste is to be made partyners of euer lastynge lyfe. we taste of this fruyt whan we delyte in his wordes, whan we conforte vs in his doctryne, whan we Joy in his moost blessed byrth, passyon, & Resurreccyon, whan we take pleasure in redyng of his moost gpacyous lyfe. And generally all pleasures in god and godly thynges, is the fruyte that spryngeth of thys moost gracyouse tree. For by hym and of hym aryseth all these gracyouse pleasures vnto vs. And for the tastynge of this fruyt, we shal haue the rewarde of euerlastynge lyfe.

we taste & ete of this fruit whan for the loue of Chryste we gyue almesse vnto the nedy, and do forgyue iuiuryes done vnto vs. whan we pray, fast, watch / any of these to do for the loue of Cryste, is to taste of the fruyt and of the tree of euerlastynge lyfe.

THe seconde maner of pleasures, be the pleasures of deth, and bryng our soules to euerlastynge deth. And these be suche pleasures as be forbed by the law of god. They be forbed by the commaundementes of god. who that foloweth these pleasures, and taste of this fruyt: breketh the commaundementes of almyghty god. Suche be they that lyuyth in auowtry / the man that taketh an other woma besyde his wyfe, and that woman that takyth an other man besyde her husbande / they that beleuyth not trewly of almyghty god and of his doctryne / they that commyt periuryes and wyllyngly for swere them selfe vpon a boke or other wyse / they that breke theyr holy dayes, and commyth not to the seruyce of god, and to here the worde of god as other chrysten people do. They that brybe and stele, & by wrongfull meanes get other mennes goodes / they that do nat nat due honour to theyr fathers and mothers / they that commyt, assent, or councell to any murder doynge. They that bere false wytnesse, or brynge vp false slaunders of theyr neyghbours. All these be dedly pleasures and be the fruyte of dethe. And the synall rewarde of these pleasures and of this truyte, shall be euerlastynge deth.

THe thyrde maner of pleasures be those that be indyfferent / so that neyther we shall haue greate rewarde for theym, ne yet great punysshment. And these pleasures, be necessary eatyng, drynkyng, kepyng, walkyng, & spekynge, and necessary recreacyon. For these we shall neither haue euerlastyng punysshmēt, nor yet the rewarde of euerlastyng lyfe. These pleasures be comon to all folke, and indifferent to good & bad / without these pleasures no man may contynue. Euery man must eat, drynke, & slepe. And in these, so longe as they passe nat ye bondes of necessytye, neyther make a man good ne bad, nor make it to deserue other ponysshmēt or any rewarde by theym. Thus ye perceyue what is ment by these thre maner of frutes.

Now secondly I wyll shew vnto you whan the tastynge of this fruyte is dedly synne.

Loke man or woman, whan thou folowest the desyres of thy body: Eue is the ruler.

Whan thou folowes the desyre of thy soule & of thy reason: than Adam is orderer. Therfore saynt Austyn sayth. whan yu begynnest to fele in thy selfe any vnlefull pleasure aryse: there Eue he sayth, tastyth of the apple, and offreth it vnto Adam for to eat / yet Adam is at his lyberty whether he will taste of this apple, ye or nay. That is to say, after that the body be styred to vnclennes, the […]reasonable soule is at his lyberty whether it wyll assent to the styrynges & vnclene delytes of the flesshe ye or nay. But yf it assent, than Adam eteth of the Apple.

Also yf thy reason and thy wyll do assent to this vnlefull pleasure: than doste thou taste of this dedly fruyte of deth. For by this fruyt is betokened (as I sayd before) all vnlefull pleasures / specyally those which be contrary vnto the commaūdement of almyghty god. whā so euer for our pleasure to be done, we breke ye cō maūdement of almighty god: than we taste of this myscheuous fruyt. Our flesshe & carnall desyres, are ꝓne & redy to tast of this fruit of deth, & of all yt nought is & perillous vnto our soules. Our flesshe wolde haue ye carnall pleasures, the worldly rychesse, the cōmodytees & honours of this life. All these desyres aryse in vs by the reason of our flesshe / & no man lyueth, but he felyth in him selfe som desyre of these. Neuertheles, yf his soule & wyll assent nat vnto these desyres: yet Adam hath nat tastyd of the fruyte of deth, nor hath as yet broken the cōmaūdement of almighty god. Many a good man, & many a good woman, felyth in them selfe great temptacyōs, great mociōs, & styringes / now to lechery, now to pryde, now to couetise. But if they be sory for them in theyr soules, & resyst & wrastyll against them, & kepe them selfe so, that they do nat assēt inwardly by theyr wylles to folow these same mocyons, Yet they kepe them fro the eatyng of the apple. This is no synne in them / but it shall be gretly to theyr meryt. These batailes which they make agaynst the sterynges & desyres, so longe as Adam is nat wyllyng to take & folow this pleasure, all is well. So long as the reason of man is content to forbere, & stryueth, there is no synne. But whan Adam (that is to say mā nes reason & wyll) agreeth to the eatyng of this apple, whan he doth assent & is content to take any pleasure contrary to the commaundement of god: than is synne done, than is synne commytted in thy soule, though thou neuer made further in doyng the dede. This consent is syn. Marke what I say. Thou man seest peraduenture a fayre woman, & thou haste a carnall lykynge of her, & a pleasure to beholde her / so yt thy body is styred & moued with an vnclene desyre to haue her at thy wyll / yf thy soule do nat assent vnto this steryng & mocyon of thy body, yet art thou safe front any certayne syn / except thy negligence to repell this thought fro the, & ye suffraūce of it to abyde in thy mynde wtout any resistence / which by the fathers is thought to be synne. But yf thy wyll ones assēt to this desyre of thy flesshe, though they neuer go any forther, or though thou neuer come to the actuall dede, thou doost offende and synne deedly by this only consent of thy selfe. Neuerthelesse, yf thou reuoke this consent betymes, & repēt thy selfe, it is moche lesse offece, & more pardonable, than yf thou perfourmed thy desyre wt the actuall dede. By this that I haue sayd, thou mayst ꝑceyue whan thou doest synne by tastyng of this fruyt. Now let vs here the great foly of synners.

Many there be whiche folow the steppes of the olde Adam / they leue the moost profytable fruyte and take the worse. Adam lefte the fruyte of lyfe, and tastyd of the fruyte of dethe.

Adam, all the whyle that he was in Paradyse, he neuer touched the tree of lyfe / as playnly it dothe appere by the wordes wryten in the same storye. Ne forte sumat etiam de ligno vite et comedat et viuat in eternū. That is as moche to saye, leest peraduenture he eate of the tree of lyfe, and so lyue for euer.

Almyghty god wolde betymes haue hym excludyd out of paradyse, leest he sholde haue etyn of the tree of lyfe, lyke as he had done before of the tree of dethe. Adam tasted of the tree of deth, & so brake the cōmaundement of almyghty god thereby / wherby he became mortall, & was assured for to dye. But yf he had absteined therfro & kept hym selfe to the fruyt of the tree of lyfe: he sholde neuer haue dyed, but haue lyued euer lastyngly. Thus all synners do / they leue the gracyous fruyt wherby they myght meryt the lyfe euerlastyng, & boldly taste & eat of the pestylent fruit, wherby they deserue the deth euerlastyng. Yf Adam had had any lyke example before hym of som punysshment taken for synne, as was taken vpon hym selfe for brekyng of this cōmaun dement: it is full lyke that he wolde haue esche wed that offence / but he neuer saw example of suche ponysshement. And for this cōsyderacyon the madnes of synners in tastyng of this vnlefull fruyte is moche more greuous & odyous bebefore the tyē of god / for whā they haue nat only ye example of this sore punisshment, but many other mo before theyr iyes: yet they wyll nat beware, but styll cōtynue in theyr foly & madnes. This one example, yf there were no mo wryten in all scrypture, myght suffyse to make the synner to represse & leue his wretchyd pleasures that be agaynst the lawes & cōmaundementes of almyghty god / seyng so greuous punysshmēt was taken vpon the fyrst man Adam for so lytle a defaut. This greuous punysshmēt was taken vpon hym for eatyng of an apple. Thus he yt was so ꝑfytely created & made by the handes of god nat many houres before & was lifted vp to suche a dygnyty. Yet for the fyrst faut yt euer he made, & for so lytle a faut, he was spoyled of his dygnyte: & cast out of Paradyse, the place of excellēt pleasures, into mysery & wretchydnes / & fynally striken with dethe / & nat only in hym selfe, but in all his postorytye. Yf this one defaut in hym that neuer herde ne saw any example of punysshment before, were thus sore punysshed / how greuously shall in other men the multytude of defautes be toutmentyd, whiche hath herde and sene many great & greuous punysshmentes taken for synne, & for brekyng of the commaundementes of almighty god?. Yf this lytle defaut was thus roughly intreated / how roughly shall be punysshed the horryble & abhomynable trespasses that stynke before the nostrels of god, & crye vengeaunce at his eares, whan so openly without any chaunge, they be commytted & done before the face & iyen of god, & prouoke hym to be reuengyd of them. For what may ye suppose or thynk, whan this fyrst defaut of man which neuer offended before, nor saw any correccyon done before for synne, was thus straytly correctyd, but yt moche more straitly the contynuaunce & longe lyuyng in syn, hepyng syn vpon syn from day to day / and after so many examples of correccyon done & shewed before, shall at the last be greuously correctyd & punysshed, yf betymes they wyll nat repent thē selfe and sue for remedy.

The great foly of Adam, apereth many wyse.

First in that, yt he wolde preferre the pleasure of his lyfe before the pleasure of god, Secondly in that, that he lefte the fruyt of the tree of lyfe, & tastyd of the fruyte of the tree of dethe. For by this meanes he lefte the Joyes of Paradise, the which he myght haue kept, & also was throwen out therof into the myseryes of this lyfe, whiche he endured by ye space of. M. yeres almost. And at the last he suffred deth, which he myght haue eschewyd. And fynally after his deth was kept in the pryson of darkenes, called (limbus patrū ) frō the face of almyghty god, & fro the ioyes of heuyn by thre thousande yeres. And all this ponysshmēt fell vpō hym for the tastyng of an apple. was nat this a wonderfull foly?.

But yet greater is the madnes of them that folow his steppes / in the whiche condycyon be all synners that breketh the commaundement of almyghty god. They preferre the pleasures of theyr flesshe, before the pleasure of god. They taste of the fruyte of the tree of dethe, and leue ye fruyte of lyfe vntastyd of. And therfore as Adam lost the Joyes of Paradyse: so they lese the Joyes of a clere conscyence. As Adam was cast into mysery: so they euer after indure mysery, and suffre the frettynge and gnawynges of theyr troubled conscyence, whiche hath a contynuall remors & a corsy of theyr synfull dealynge. Adam suffred temporall dethe / and they shall suffre euerlastynge dethe. Adā was kept in darke pryson fro the face of god, and fro the Joyes of heuyn by thre. M. yeres / and they shall be kept in the pryson of hell from the face of god and all the gloryouse court of heuyn, by innumerable thousandes & thousades of yeres / that is to say, for euer.

By this than ye may lerne to know the great foly of synners, that for a lytle transytory pleasure, they do exclude them selfe from the place of euer lastynge pleasure, and for the same also they must nedes be throwen into euer lastyng mysery. Adam, as ye haue herde, myght haue continued many yeres in Paradise / and fynally at the last sholde haue ben translate into the Joyes of heuyn / but for the castynge of an apple contrary to the commaundement of god, he was soon excluded from thens, and so lyued in this worlde in payne and mysery almoost. M. yere / and after his dethe, yet was he kept fro the syght and face of almyghty god by the space of thre thousande yere and more.

But ye wyll say vnto me after this maner. Syr we were borne and ordeynyd for to haue the Joyes and pleasures of heuyn for our inherytaunce / and it was derely bought for vs by the bytter passyon of our sauyour Chryste Jesu, and by the same it was assuredly promysed vnto vs.

To this I answere and say, that no mannes inherytaunce is so sure vnto hym, but he may lese it by his foly. we haue herde of many noble men, & great Erles & Dukes, that for theyr mysbehauour agaynst theyr Prynce, for theyr treason & traitoury haue lost theyr inheritaūce, & yet they were borne vnto the same, & theyr aū cetours many yeres before, had possessyō therof.

And yu crysten man, whan so euer yu cōmyttest any dedly iyn, yu deest great treason vnto thy Prynce ye, vnto ye prynce of all prynces our sauyour cryste Jesu / for to hym yy hast ꝓmysed to kepe thy fayth & treuth, & to forsake the deuyll & all his workes. This promise thou made whan thou becam a crysten man & receyued the sacrament of Baptyme. But contrary to this ꝓmyse thou haste done many tymes yu hast falsed this promyse, thou haste vyolate this promyse, & betrayed thy prynce. Thou hast folowyd the councell of his enemy & set at nought the cōmaundement of thy moste gracyous & louynge prynce. That strong holde which he most specyally desyred, & with blody swete laboured to haue gotē & kept vnto hym selfe (yt is to say thyne hart) yu hast betrayed into the handes of his enemy the deuyll, & let hym haue entresse there, & suffereth hym to reigne there, & there to make his dōghyll agaynst thy promise, against the cōmaundemēt of thy prynce, & therfore ryghtwysly thou shalt be excluded from thyne inheritaūce. And where thou sayst that our sauyour cryste Jesu bought this inheritaunce with his moste bytter passion for the it is of a trouth. But this is more to thy condempnacyon. For the more payne yt he hath taken to bryng the to this inheritaūce, the greater is thyne vnkyndnes, & the more odyous & detestable is thy treason & traytory towarde hym But know this for a certayn / he nether bought this inherytaūce for the, ne made promyse therof, but with condicion / which condicyon yf thou kepe, yu shalt be sure to haue this inherytaunce / and yf thou breke it, than shalt thou be sure to forgoo the same.

Ye here dayly of promyses and of leases that be made with certayne condycyons / that he that taketh this lease, shall do thus or thus as the case requyryth. And yf case be that he obserue these condycyons, well / this lease is good and sure. But yf the condycyon be broken, the lease is of no valew.

Oh chrysten man, the very condycyon of thy lease, is this. Si vis ad vitam ingredi, serua mandata. Yf thou wylt entre into the kyngdome of lyfe, thou must obserue and kepe the commaundementes of god. This condycyon obseruyd, thou shalt entre. But yf this condycyon be broken, than farewell, thy lease is broken.

And therfore man, yf thou wylt nat obserue this condicyon (that is to say) yf thou wylt nat kepe the commaundementes of our Sauyour Chryste, neyther loke for to haue this inherytaunce, nor that any promyse shall be perfourmed vnto the, or that any benefyte shall aryse vnto the by the passyon and precyous blood of our sauyour chryste Jesu.

Oh wretchid synners, Oh most stynkyng lechours, that lyue thus synfully against ye lawes & commaundementes of our sauyour Jesu that so waste your bodyes and dystroye your soules in the foule synne of Lechery / to you this aunswere appertayneth. And you moost horryble bawdes, the whiche kepe this foule bawdry and brodelry in your houses, stynkynge bothe in the syght of god and also before the worlde. And you that vse these blasphemous othes and great periuryes, and that breke your holy days ordeyned by the chyrche. To you and vnto all other suche that breketh the lawes and commaundementes of our lorde, this worde appertayneth. I say vnto you that ye shall neuer enioye that inherytaunce aboue in heuen, bycause ye wyll nat endeuour your selfe to kepe the condycyons therunto belongynge. Ye wyll nat labour to get a ryghtwyse lyfe / and therfore nat I, but our sauyour sayth vnto you the wordes aboue rehersyd, Nisi abundauerit iustitia vestra plus quam Scribarum et Phariseorum nō intrabitia in regnum celorum.

NOw thyrdly we haue to speke of ye stopnes that be in the way, that (without suffycyent Justyce) shall let many to entre / and these thre be they. First, the double two edged swerde. The seconde, the brennynge flambe.

The thyrde, the aungels of the order of Cherubyn. Euery one of these thre, yf there be nat in vs perfyte Justyce, shall let vs frome the entresse into the moost gloryouse kyngedome.

Shortely to saye yf there be dedly synne in vs, it must take punysshemente by the two edged sworde / the whiche of that one syde sleeth the body, and of that other, the soule / and bothe at one stroke. Yf there be any venyall synnes abydyng in vs, they must be clene scoured by the flambe of this sayd fyre / and they shall be swyn gedere they passe. Yf there be neyther deedly synne nor venyall synne in vs remaynynge / Yet yf our soules be nat apparellyd accordyngly with good workes, we shal nat entre there. For the aungels shall so duely and streyghtly examyn and make serche of euery suche person that shall couet or prese to entre there, that nothynge can escape ne passe wt out theyr streyght examynacyon.

FYrst the sworde betokeneth that terryryble punysshment, that moost dredfull punysshment, that punysshment of euerlastyng dethe bothe in soule and body.

There is a greate dyfference betwyrte thys sworde and the sworde of temporall Prynces / and especyally for two causes.

This is a wonderfull swerde / for at the fyrst stroke it sleeth bothe soule and body. A kynges sworde dothe nat so. Quum occiderint corpus, non amplius quid faciant. whan that sworde hathe slayne the body, it can nat rage no further. But this sworde sleeth bothe the bodye and the soule. And in a token therof it is two edged. Forthermore the dethe stroke that this sworde dothe gyue, takyth nat awaye the felynge from a man / neyther of the soule nor of the body. The kynges sworde taketh away the felynge from the body forthwith / for pryck it, bete it, bounche it, brenne it / it felyth none of all these paynes. But cōtrary wise, this sworde gyueth rather a more perfyte selynge, & a more clere perceyuynge of the payne than had the persones before they were stryken with it. And therfore our sauyour tellyth of the great payne that the ryche glotton felt, whiche lay dampned and broyled in the fyre of hell. Amongest other of his paynes, he felt so great and so paynfull a dryenesse in his tongue, that he was fayne to begge one drop of lycour to refressh his tongue, and coulde nat get it in his thyrst. Many synners peraduenture wolde be glad yt they sholde haue neyther felynge nor beynge, neyther in soule nor bodye, after this lyfe / for than they sholde fele no payne. But that can nat be so / for they shall haue perfyte felynge, & very perfytely fele the greuous paynes that they shal be in / whiche shall be as greuouse as thoughe they were in the contynuall paynes of dethe euery moneth. desiderabūt mori et mors fugiet ab eis. Theyr paynes shall be so excedyngly greuous, that they shall wysshe to dye a thousand tymes, and dethe shall alway flee from theym. They shall neuer dye, but lyue euer in the contynuall paynes of deth. Our sauyour saith of Judas, consyderynge the paynes that he sholde suffre for his offence, Melius ei esset si natus non fuisset homo ille. It had ben better for hym that he neuer had ben borne. whiche worde may in lyke wyse be sayd of all them that shall be excludyd from the heuyn celestyall▪ into the dongeon of dampnacyon / for it had ben moche better for theym that they neuer had ben borne into this worlde, than to endure that greuous stroke of that two edged sworde.

By this than ye may conceyne, that this swerde meanyth euerlastynge ponyshment / and that it shall be a stop to all thē that shall be founde in dedly synne (that is to saye) that hath broken the lawes and the cōmaundementes of almyghty god and hath so commyt any dedly synne, of the whiche here before theyr deth and departure hence out of this world, they haue nat suffycyently repētyd them. Neuertheles, who that eyther hath taken sufficyent repētaunce in this lyfe, or els hath trewly kept the commaundementes of almyghty god / to thē this swerde shal be no stop nor any impedymēt. The stroke of this swerde can nat anoye them, nor they shall nat be stryken with this swerde.

THe flambe of this swerde betokenyth vnto vs the fyre of purgatory / ye whiche is ordeynyd for them that be founde in any venyall synne / for euery venyall lynne must be scouryd out of our soules, ere we can be suffryd to haue any interest. But here peraduenture ye wyll aske me what venyall synnes be. To this quest yen saynt Austyn sayth that venyall synnes be these synnes that we dayly commyt / without the whiche the fraylty can nat cōtynue in this lyfe. In to these maner of synnes we dayly fall & offende / whan we eate and drynke more than very necessytye requyryth / whan we speke more ydle wordes than nedyth to be spoken / whan we holde our peace & le iust cause to speke, as in tellynge other folkes theyr fautes, and so forbere for lothnesse of dyspleasure / whā we be more neclygent in prayer thā were profytable for vs / whan we be slacke in hauynge pytye and compassyon vpon the pore / whan we cheryshe and nourysshe our bodyes to delycatly without cause / whā we let the tyme passe from vs vnfruytefully / whan we iangle ydelly and vnfruytefully / whā we be dull and slepy in the seruyce of god / whan we speke more roughly thā the cause requyryth / or agayne flater more than is expedyent. These and other lyke vnto those (as sayth saynt Austyn) be suche as must be scouryd in the fyre of purgatory. But ye wyll say agayne / Syr no man lyuyth so parfytely but yt he dayly fallyth in some of these. A trouth it is / and therfore the same saynt Austyn sayth, that the holy saynt lyuyd nat without many of these. But whan so euer they fel in any of these, they were sory and knew theyr offence. And so must we do whan we so fall in any of these, we must be sory therfore, and knowlege our offencys / and almyghty god wyll than be mercyfull vnto vs yf we so do. But in no wyse we may repute them as nought, and rekyn them to be no synnes, for thā we shall fynde them great synnes. And especyally whan we shal approche into that fire, we may nat therfore I say recōpt them as nothynge / for than they shall encrease vpon vs dayly more & more, & that so largely that the nomber of them shall be importable. These durynge this lyfe may be lyghtly put asyde by betynge of our brestes, & by ostēdynge the wordes in the Pater noster, Dimitte nobis debita uostra, forgyue vs father our dettes, By vysityng also of thē that be seke / by cōfortynge of them that be in trouble / by forgyuynge of our iniuryes / by pacyēt suffrynge of aduersytye and by many other suche. But we may nat accompt them as nought / for saint Austyn saith / though they be lytle, yet many lytels makyth a moche. It is but a lytle thynge he sayth one corne of grauell / but yet thou mayst ouerlade thy bote with many of them. Thou mayst put so many cornes in to thy bote, that it shall be ouerchargyd / and fynally drowned. And so lyke wyse yf thou be neglygent of these lytle synnes / yu mayst hepe so many of them togyther, that fynally they shall drowne thy soule. And in another place the same saynt Austyn dothe lyke them to lytle blaines and scabbes / and the dedly synnes to great mortall woundes. Many blaynes or scabbes in a man or a woman, though they slee nat, yet they defourme and dysfygure the face and the body of mā, and makyth it lothsom to be lokyd vpon. And so sayth he, these lytle synnes defourme our soules, and makyth them vngoodly to be loked vpon / and vnworthy the presence of almyghty god. They may be also lykenyd to the rust of a knyfe, and the dedly synnes to the cancre. The rust that is nat cankeryd may more easely be remoued with a lytle rubbynge and scourynge, thā may the very cancre, And so lykewyse these lytle synnes, albeit they cancrenat the soule lyke as dothe the greate synnes: yet they rust the soule. And therfore they must haue a scouryng / either in this worlde, or els in the fyre of purga ory. we shall nat escape nor passe by that flambe, tyll tyme we be clene scoutyd from all venyall synnes. A trouth it is, the two edged swerde can nat harme the, yf thou haue no dedly synne in thy soule. But yf the brennynge flambe shall swynge away thy venyall synnes ere thou passe that way.

THe thyrde stop that we shall fynde before vs whan we shall couet to enter, shal be Cherubyn. Cherubyn betokenyth the streyght examynacyon that shall be made of euery person the whiche shall passe and enter into that kyngdome / for these aungels shall gyue hede that all suche as shall entre there, be accordyngly aparelled with the iustyce of good workes. Ye se that in the kynges courte, the porters standynge▪ before the gate, wyll nat suffre any person to entre that is nat in honest apparell. For yf his garmēt be raggydor torne, he shall nat entre there. In lyke maner these blyssyd aūgels of Cherubyn, which is as moche to say as (plenitudo scientie) that is plentye of connynge and knowlege, and nothynge can escape theyr iyes, but that they wyll anon perceyue yf we want our apparell (that is to say) the ryghtwysenes of good workes. For it suffysyth nat to them that shall entre there, yf they be scouryd of theyr euyll workes / but they must haue also many good workes. For of theyr apparell ye prophete sayth, Domine quis habitabit in tabernaculo tuo? My lorde who shal inhabyt in thy tabernacle? And he answereth, Qui ingreditur sine macula, et operatur institiam, He that entreth without any spot, & worketh rightwysenes. we must bothe be clene of al scabbes of synnes, & also be apparellyd with the workes of ryghtwysenes. And our sauyour sayth of hym that was nat apparellyd accordyngly, that he sholde be bounde hande and fote, and so throwē out into outwarde darkenes, where shall be wepynge and gnastynge of teeth. Thou must therfore haue thy garment made of ryghtwyse workes, or els thou shalt nat entre into that kyngdom. whan thou art clensyd from dedly synne, and purged from venyall synne / yet yf there be founde in the no good workes, thou shalt nat be suffryd to entre there. Thou must brynge with the a clene garment of iustyce / whiche was betokenyd by that whyte garment that was taken vnto the at the Sacrament of baptysme by the preest whan he sayd vnto the, Accipe vestē candidā quā perferas ante tribunal dn̄i nr̄i Jesu christi, Take here this whyte garment, to the entent that thou maist bryng it before the trone of our lorde Jesu chryst. This garmēt yf thou haue lost, or torne, or solde, thou must study bytymes to repayre it agayne by / som good workes. But alas I feare me that this garmēt be farre to seke with many persōs. Som hath smodged this garment with the smoke of worldly affeccyon / some hath male it and spot it with many venyall synnes / som hath foule blottyd it by dedly synne / som hath made it vggly by pryde / som by wrath and enuy hath torne it / some hath made it horrybly stynkynge by lechery / som by couytyse hath clerely cast it from them. But none of these as saynt Paule sayth, Regnum dei possidebunt, Shall haue possessyon of the kyngdome of god. we must therfore study to recouer this clene white garment agayne by ryghtwyse lyuynge, and kepyng of the commaundementes of almyghty god / of the which my purpose is to speke at large for the tyme that I inten[…] to be occupyed with you / for doubtlesse as I […] […]hersyd vnto you the wordes of our sauy[…]ur, […] […]etyng vs all, Nisi abundauerit, &c. Onelesse your ryghtwyse lyse be more amyle, than was the lyfe of the scrybes and pharyseys: ye shall nat entre into the kyngdom of heuen. & Thus than I suppose ye conceyue those thre thynges that I promysed to declare. Fyrst, how after the exāple of Ada[…] and Eue whiche brake the commaundement of god: euery other synner fallyth vnto synne. The, secōde how that for the vnryghtwysnes of synne, and brekynge of the commaūdemētes of god: all synners nat amendynge theyr lyfe, shal be excludyd from the intresse into the kyngdom of heuyn. The thyrde, that there standeth suche stoppes in our way, that oneles we begyn ones to enfouime our lyfe by the true kepynge of the cōmaundemētes of god, to recouer agayn this vnryghtwysnes that we haue lost, we shal neuer haue entresse into that kyngdome.

wherfore it shall be expedyent for euery true chrysten man and woman to lerne to know the commaundementes of our lorde / to the entente that he may endeuour hym selfe to kepe them / and so by the kepynge of them, he may recouer agayne the possybylytye to entre into that ioyfull and gloryous place / the whiche he graunt vs, qui cum patre et spiritu sancto viuit et regnat deus.

Amen.