Hugh Latimer · 15 of 26

LAST SERMON PREACHED BEFORE KING EDWARD THE SIXTH · Part 1

A Most Faithful Sermon preached before the King’s Most Excellent Majesty and his Most Honourable Council, in his Court at Westminster, by the Reverend Father Master Hugh Latimer, in Lent Anno Domini, 1550.

Videte et cavete ab avaritia. — Luke xii. 15.

Take heed and beware of covetousness.

“TAKE heed and beware of covetousness.” — “Take heed and beware of covetousness.” — “Take heed and beware of covetousness.” And what and if I should say nothing else these three or four hours (for I know it will be so long, in case I be not commanded to the contrary) but these words, “Take heed and beware of covetousness?” It would be thought a strange sermon before a king, to say nothing else but Cavete ab avaritia, “Beware of covetousness.” And yet as strange as it is, it would be like the sermon of Jonas, that he preached to the Ninivites; as touching the shortness, and as touching the paucity or fewness of the words. For his sermon was, Adhuc quadraginta dies, et Ninive subvertetur; “There is yet forty days to come, and Ninive shall be destroyed.” Thus he walked from street to street, and from place to place round about the city, and said nothing else but, “There is yet forty days,” quoth he, “and Ninive shall be destroyed.” There is no great odds nor difference, at the leastwise in the number of words, no nor yet in the sense or meaning, between these two sermons, “There is yet forty days, and Ninive shall be destroyed;” and these words that I have taken to speak of this day: “Take heed, and beware of covetousness.” For Ninive should be destroyed for sin, and of their sins covetousness was one, and one of the greatest; so that it is all one in effect. And as they be like concerning the shortness, the paucity of words, the brevity of words, and also the meaning and purpose; so I would they might be like in fruit and profit. For what came of Jonas’s sermon? What was the fruit of it? Ad praedicationem Jonae crediderunt Deo; “At the preaching of Jonas they believed God.” Here was a great fruit, a great effect wrought. What is the same? “They believed God.” They believed God’s preacher, God’s officer, God’s minister, Jonas; and were converted from their sin. They believed that, as the preacher said, if they did not repent and amend their life, the city should be destroyed within forty days. This was a great fruit: for Jonas was but one man, and he preached but one sermon, and it was but a short sermon neither, as touching the number of words; and yet he turned all the whole city great and small, rich and poor, king and all.

We be many preachers here in England, and we preach many long sermons, yet the people will not repent nor convert. This was the fruit, the effect, and the good that his sermon did, that all the whole city at his preaching converted, and amended their evil living; and did penance in sack-cloth. And yet here in this sermon of Jonas is no great curiousness, no great clerkliness, no great affectation of words, nor of painted eloquence; it was none other but, Adhuc quadraginta dies, et Ninive subvertetur, “Yet forty days, et Ninive subvertetur, and Ninive shall be destroyed: “it was no more. This was no great curious sermon, but this was a nipping sermon, a pinching sermon, a biting sermon; it had a full bite, it was a nipping sermon, a rough sermon, and a sharp biting sermon. Do you not here marvel that these Ninivites cast not Jonas in prison; that they did not revile him, and rebuke him? They did not revile him, nor rebuke him; but God gave them grace to hear him, and to convert and amend at this preaching. A strange matter, so noble a city to give place to one man’s sermon! Now England cannot abide this gear; they cannot be content to hear God’s minister, and his threatening for their sin, though the sermon be never so good, though it be never so true. It is, a naughty fellow, a seditious fellow; he maketh trouble and rebellion in the realm; he lacketh discretion. But the Ninivites rebuked not Jonas that he lacked discretion, or that he spake out of time, that his sermon was out of season made: but in England, if God’s preacher, God’s minister, be any thing quick, or do speak sharply, then he is a foolish fellow, he is rash, he lacketh discretion. Nowadays if they cannot reprove the doctrine that is preached, then they will reprove the preacher, that he lacketh due consideration of the times; and that he is of learning sufficient, but he wanteth discretion. “What a time is this, picked out to preach such things! He should have a respect and a regard to the time, and to the state of things, and of the commonweal.” It rejoiceth me sometimes, when my friend cometh and telleth me that they find fault with my discretion; for by likelihood, think I, the doctrine is true: for if they could find fault with the doctrine, they would not charge me with the lack of discretion; but they would charge me with my doctrine, and not with the lack of discretion, or with the inconveniency of the time. I will now ask you a question I pray you, when should Jonas have preached against the covetousness of Ninive, if the covetous men should have appointed him his time? I know that preachers ought to have a discretion in their preaching, and that they ought to have a consideration and respect to the place and the time that he preacheth in; as I myself will say here that I would not say in the country for no good. But what then? Sin must be rebuked; sin must be plainly spoken against. And when should Jonas have preached against Ninive, if he should have forborne for the respects of the times, or the place, or the state of things there? For what was Ninive? A noble, a rich, and a wealthy city. What is London to Ninive? Like a village, as Islington, or such another, in comparison of London. Such a city was Ninive, it was three days’ journey to go through every street of it, and to go but from street to street. There were noblemen, rich men, wealthy men; there were vicious men, and covetous men, and men that gave themselves to all voluptuous living, and to worldliness of getting riches. Was this a time well chosen and discreetly taken of Jonas, to come and reprove them of their sin; to declare unto them the threatenings of God; and to tell them of their covetousness; and to say plainly unto them, that except they repented and amended their evil living, they and their city should be destroyed of God’s hand within forty days? And yet they heard Jonas and gave place to his preaching. They heard the threatenings of God, and feared his stroke and vengeance, and believed God: that is, they believed God’s preacher and minister; they believed that God would be true of his word that he spake by the mouth of his prophet, and thereupon did penance, to turn away the wrath of God from them. Well, what shall we say? I will say this, and not spare: Christ saith, Ninive shall arise against the Jews at the last day, and bear witness against them; because that they, hearing God’s threatening for sin, ad praedicationam Jonae in cinere et sacco egerunt poenitentiam, “They did penance at the preaching of Jonas in ashes and sackcloth,” (as the text saith there:) and I say, Ninive shall arise against England, thou England; Ninive shall arise against England, because it will not believe God, nor hear his preachers that cry daily unto them, nor amend their lives, and especially their covetousness. Covetousness is as great a sin now as it was then: and it is the same sin now it was then: and he will as sure strike for sin now, as he did then.

But ah, good God, that would give them a time of repentance after his threatenings! First, to see whether they would amend or not, or he would destroy them. For even from the beginning of the world they fell to sin. The first age from Adam, which was about two thousand years, they fell ever to sin, and they had preachers, Noe and Enoch, and other holy fathers. And in that time a great multiplication was that grew in two thousand years; for that scripture saith, “The sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair, and they took them wives from among all that they had chosen.” This is a long matter to speak of all. But what meaneth this, “the sons of God saw the daughters of men?” Who were these sons of God? The sons of God were those that came of the good men, of the good preachers, of the holy fathers, that were God’s men; as they that came of Seth and Enos, that were good men, and of others. For our grandmother Eve, when Cain had killed Abel, and when she had another son by Adam, who was called Seth, what did she? She gave thanks to God for him; and acknowledged that God it was which had given him unto her; for she said, Dedit mihi Deus semen pro Abel quem occidit Cain: “God,” said she, “hath given me another seed instead of Abel whom Cain slew.” Here is a long matter to talk on. Some will say, Was this a natural mother, was this naturally done, to publish the sin of her own son? What needed she to speak of that matter, or to make any rehearsal of that matter, to open the sin of her son? What needed she this to do? Yes, she was now a good woman: when she believed the serpent, she was not good. But now she had repented that deed, and had taken hold of the promise of God, that there should come of her a seed that should tread down and destroy the head of the serpent. She had taken hold of this promise, and was now a good woman, and a godly woman; she opened the fault of her son, and hid it not. Here could I say somewhat to them, if I would, that spake so much against me for my preaching here the last year. But to return to Eve; and declare that the sons of God are to be understood those that came of good men, as of Seth and Enos, and the same good part of generation. And the daughters of men are to be understood of them that came of Cain and of his seed and therefore our grandmother Eve bade beware of marrying with Cain’s seed, for fear of falling from God to wickedness thereby.

And here I would say a thing to your Majesty: I shall speak it of good will to your highness: I would I were able to do your Grace good service in any thing, ye should be sure to have it. But I will say this: for God’s love beware where you marry; choose your wife in a faithful stock. Beware of this worldly policy; marry in God: marry not for the great respect of alliance, for thereof cometh all these evils of breaking of wedlock, which is among princes and noblemen. And here I would be a suitor unto your majesty; for I come now rather to be a suitor and a petitioner, than a preacher; for I come now to take my leave, and to take my ultimum vale, at leastwise in this place; for I have not long to live, so that I think I shall never come here into this place again; and therefore I will ask a petition of your highness. For the love of God, take an order for marriages here in England. For here is marriage for pleasure and voluptuousness, and for goods; and so that they may join land to land, and possessions to possessions: they care for no more here in England. And that is the cause of so much adultery, and of so much breach of wedlock in the noblemen and gentlemen, and so much divorcing. And it is not now in the noblemen only, but it is come now to the inferior sort. Every man, if he have but a small cause, will cast off his old wife, and take a new, and will marry again at his pleasure; and there be many that have so done. I would therefore wish that there were a law provided in this behalf for adulterers, and that adultery should be punished with death; and that might be a remedy for all this matter. There would not be then so much adultery, whoredom, and lechery in England as there is. For the love of God take heed to it, and see a remedy provided for it. I would wish that adultery should be punished with death; and that the woman being an offender, if her husband would be a suitor for her, she should be pardoned for the first time, but not for the second time: and the man, being an offender, should be pardoned if his wife be a suitor for him the first time, but not for the second time, if he offend twice. If this law were made, there would not be so much adultery nor lechery used in the realm as there is. Well, I trust once yet, as old as I am, to see the day that lechery shall be punished: it was never more need, for there was never more lechery used in England than is at this day, and maintained. It is made but a laughing matter, and a trifle; but it is a sad matter, and an earnest matter; for lechery is a great sin: Sodome and Gomorre was destroyed for it. And it was one of the sins reigning in Ninive, for which it should have been destroyed. But think you that lechery was alone? No, no, coveteousness was joined with it. Covetousness followeth lechery, and commonly they go together. For why? They that be given to voluptuousness, and to the vice of lechery, must have wherewith to maintain it; and that must be gotten by covetousness. For at the first when men fell to sin, and chiefly to lechery, wherefore the world should be destroyed, the book saith, “There were giants in the earth in those days: and after that the sons of God had come to the daughters of men, and there had engendered with them, the same became mighty men of the world, and men of renown,” &c. This is covetousness; for the book saith, Terra erat repleta iniquitate, “The earth was replete with iniquity;” for they oppressed the poor. They made them slaves, peasants, villains, and bond-men unto them. These were giants, so called of the property of giants, for they oppress the weak, and take from them what they list by force, violence, and oppression. They were giants of the property of giants, not that they were greater men of stature and strength of body than other men were. For certain writers speaking of this matter say, that they were giants for their cruelty and covetous oppression, and not in stature or procerity of body. For there is no reason why Seth’s children could beget on Cain’s daughters greater men than others were in stature of body. But they were giants in the property of giants, for oppressing of others by force and violence. And this was covetousness, wherewith God was so displeased, that he repented that he had made men, and resolved utterly to destroy the world; and so called to Noe, and told him of it. “And I will not dispute the matter with them,” saith God, “from day to day, and never the near; but if they will not amend within an hundred and twenty years, I shall bring in an universal flood over their ears, and destroy them all.” This was preached by Noe to them; and so that God of his goodness, patience, and long-sufferance, gave them a time to repent and amend after his threatenings, because they should see their evil doings, and return to God. So they had an hundred and twenty years to repent. This Noe was laughed to scorn; they, like dodipoles, laughed their godly father to scorn.

Well, ye think little of the history: if ye will know the meaning of it, it is a great shew what anger God hath to sin. But how long time hast thou, England, thou England? I cannot tell, for God hath not revealed it unto me; if he had, so God help me, I would tell you of it; I would not be afraid, nor spare to tell it you, for the good-will I bear you but I cannot tell how long time ye have, for God hath not opened it unto me. But I can tell you, that this lenity, this long forbearing and holding of his hand, provoketh us to repent and amend. And I can tell, that whosoever contemneth this riches and treasure of God’s goodness, of his mercy, his patience and long-suffering, shall have the more grievous condemnation. This I can tell well enough; Paul telleth me this: and I can tell that ye have time to repent as long as you live here in this world; but after this life I can make no warrant of any further time to repent. Therefore repent and amend while ye be here; for when ye are gone hence, ye are past that. But how long that shall be, whether tomorrow or the next day, or twenty years, or how long, I cannot tell. But in the meantime ye have many Jonases to tell you of your faults, and to declare unto you God’s threatenings, except ye repent and amend.

Therefore, to return to my matter, I say as I said at the beginning, Videte et cavete ab avaritia. Videte, “see it”: first see it, and then amend it. For I promise you, great complaint there is of it, and much crying out, and much preaching, but none amendment that I see. But cavete ab avaritia, “Beware of covetousness.” And why of covetousness? Quia radix est omnium malorum avaritia et cupiditas, “For covetousness is the root of all evil and of all mischief.” This saying of Paul took me away from the gospel that is read in the church this day, and it took me from the epistle, that I would preach upon neither of them both at this time. I cannot tell what ailed me; but (to tell you my imperfection) when I was appointed to preach here, I was new come out of a sickness, whereof I looked to have died, and weak I was: yet nevertheless, when I was appointed unto it, I took it upon me, howbeit I repented afterward that I had so done. I was displeased with myself: I was testy, as Jonas was when he should go preach to the Ninivites. Well, I looked on the gospel that is read this day: but it liked me not. I looked on the epistle: tush, I could not away with that neither. And yet I remember I had preached upon this epistle once afore king Henry the Eighth; but now I could not frame with it, nor it liked me not in no sauce. Well, this saying of Paul came into my mind, and at last I considered and weighed the matter deeply, and then thought I thus with myself: Is covetousness the root of all mischief and of all evil? Then have at the root, and down with all covetousness. So this place of Paul brought me to this text of Luke, “See and beware of covetousness.” Therefore, you preachers, out with your swords and strike at the root. Speak against covetousness, and cry out upon it. Stand not ticking and toying at the branches nor at the boughs, for then there will new boughs and branches spring again of them; but strike at the root, and fear not these giants of England, these great men and men of power, these men that are oppressors of the poor; fear them not, but strike at the root of all evil, which is mischievous covetousness. For covetousness is the cause of rebellion. I have forgotten my logic, but yet I can jumble at a syllogism, and make an argument of it, to prove it by. Covetousness is the root of all evil: rebellion is an evil: ergo, covetousness is the root of rebellion. And so it was indeed. Covetousness was the cause of rebellion this last summer; and both parties had covetousness, as well the gentlemen as the commons. Both parties had covetousness, for both parties had an inordinate desire to have that they had not: and that is covetousness, an inordinate desire to have that one hath not.

The commons would have had from the gentlemen such things as they desired: the gentlemen would none of it; and so was there covetousness on both sides. The commons thought they had a right to the things that they inordinately sought to have. But what then? They must not come to it that way. Now on the other side, the gentlemen had a desire to keep that they had, and so they rebelled too against the king’s commandment, and against such good order as he and his council would have set in the realm. And thus both parties had covetousness, and both parties did rebel. I heard say that there were godly ordinances devised for the redress of it. But the giants would none of it in no sauce. I remember mine ownself a certain giant, a great man, who sat in commission about such matters; and when the townsmen should bring in what had been inclosed, he frowned and chafed, and so near looked, and threatened the poor men, that they durst not ask their right.

I read of late in an Act of Parliament; and this act made mention of an Act that was in king Henry’s days, the third I trow it was; yea, and such another business there was in king Edward’s time, the second also. In this Parliament that I speak of, the gentlemen and the commons were at variance, as they were now of late. And there the gentlemen that were landlords would needs have away much lands from their tenants; and would needs have an Act of Parliament, that it might be lawful for them to inclose and make several from their tenants, and from the commons, such portions of their lands as they thought good. Much ado there was about this Act: at last it was concluded and granted that they might so do; provided alway, that they should leave sufficient to the tenant. Well; it was well that they were bound to leave sufficient for them. But who should be the judge to limit what was sufficient for them? Or who shall now judge what is sufficient? Well; I for my part cannot tell what is sufficient. But methought it was well that the tenants and poor commons should have sufficient. For if they had sufficient, thought I, they had cause to be quiet. And then fell I to make this argument within myself: if at that time it were put in their will and power that they might inclose, leaving to the tenant that were sufficient for him; if they had it then in their power, thought I, that they might this do, they would leave no more than sufficient. If they left to the tenants and poor commons no more in those days but sufficient; then if they had any more taken from them since that time, then had they now not sufficient.

They in Christ are equal with you. Peers of the realm must needs be. The poorest ploughman is in Christ equal with the greatest prince that is. Let them, therefore, have sufficient to maintain them, and to find them their necessaries. A plough-land must have sheep; yea, they must have sheep to dung their ground for bearing of corn; for if they have no sheep to help to fat the ground, they shall have but bare corn and thin. They must have swine for their food, to make their veneries or bacon of: their bacon is their venison, for they shall now have hangum tuum, if they get any other venison; so that bacon is their necessary meat to feed on, which they may not lack. They must have other cattle as horses to draw their plough, and for carriage of things to the markets; and kine for their milk and cheese, which they must live upon and pay their rents. These cattle must have pasture, which pasture if they lack, the rest must needs fail them: and pasture they cannot have, if the land be taken in, and inclosed from them. So, as I said, there was in both parts rebellion. Therefore, for God’s love, restore their sufficient unto them, and search no more what is the cause of rebellion. But see and “beware of covetousness”; for covetousness is the cause of rebellion. Well now, if covetousness be the cause of rebellion, then preaching against covetousness is not the cause of rebellion. Some say, that the preaching nowadays is the cause of all sedition and rebellion: for since this new preaching hath come in, there hath been much sedition; and therefore it must needs be that the preaching is the cause of rebellion here in England. Forsooth, our preaching is the cause of rebellion, much like as Christ was the cause of the destruction of Jerusalem. For, saith Christ, Si non venissem et locutus fuissem eis, peccatum non haberent, &c. “If I had not come,” saith Christ, “and spoken to them, they should have no sin.” So we preachers have come and spoken to you: we have drawn our swords of God’s word, and stricken at the roots of all evil to have them cut down; and if ye will not amend, what can we do more? And preaching is the cause of sedition here in England, much like as Elias was the cause of trouble in Israel; for he was a preacher there, and told the people of all degrees their faults, and so they winced and kicked at him, and accused him to Achab the king, that he was a seditions fellow, and a troublous preacher, and made much uproar in the realm. So the king sent for him, and he was brought to Achab the king, who said unto him, “Art thou he that troubleth all Israel?” And Elias answered, and said, “Nay, thou and thy father’s house are they that trouble all Israel.” Elias had preached God’s word; he had plainly told the people of their evil doings; he had shewed them God’s threatenings. In God’s behalf I speak: there is neither king, nor emperor, be they never in so great estate, but they are subject to God’s word; and therefore he was not afraid to say to Achab, “It is thou and thy father’s house that causeth all the trouble in Israel.” Was not this presumptuously spoken to a king? Was not this a seditious fellow? Was not this fellow’s preaching a cause of all the trouble in Israel? Was he not worthy to be cast in Bocardo or Little-ease? No, but he had used God’s sword, which is his word, and done nothing else that was evil; but they could not abide it. He never disobeyed Achab’s sword, which was the regal power: but Achab disobeyed his sword, which was the word of God. And therefore by the punishment of God much trouble arose in the realm for the sins of Achab and the people. But God’s preacher, God’s prophet, was not the cause of the trouble. Then is it not we preachers that trouble England.

But here is now an argument to prove the matter against the preachers. Here was preaching against covetousness all the last year in Lent, and the next summer followed rebellion; ergo, preaching against covetousness was the cause of the rebellion. A goodly argument! Here now I remember an argument of Master More’s, which he bringeth in a book that he made against Bilney: and here by the way I will tell you a merry toy. Master More was once sent in commission into Kent, to help to try out, if it might be, what was the cause of Goodwin sands, and the shelf that stopped up Sandwich haven. Thither cometh Master More, and calleth the country afore him, such as were thought to be men of experience, and men that could of likelihood best certify him of that matter concerning the stopping of Sandwich haven. Among others came in before him an old man, with a white head, and one that was thought to be little less than an hundred years old. When Master More saw this aged man, he thought it expedient to hear him say his mind in this matter; for, being so old a man, it was likely that he knew most of any man in that presence and company. So Master More called this old aged man unto him, and said “Father,” said he, “tell me, if ye can, what is the cause of this great arising of the sands and shelves here about this haven, the which stop it up that no ships can arrive here? Ye are the eldest man that I can espy in all this company, so that if any man can tell any cause of it, ye of likelihood can say most in it; or at leastwise more than any other man here assembled.” “Yea, forsooth, good master,” quoth this old man, “for I am well-nigh an hundred years old, and no man here in this company any thing near unto mine age.” “Well then,” quoth Master More, “how say you in this matter? What think ye to be the cause of these shelves and flats that stop up Sandwich haven?” “Forsooth, sir,” quoth he, “I am an old man; I think that Tenterton steeple is the cause of Goodwin sands. For I am an old man, sir,” quoth he, “and I may remember the building of Tenterton steeple; and I may remember when there was no steeple at all there. And before that Tenterton steeple was in building, there was no manner of speaking of any flats or sands that stopped the haven; and therefore I think that Tenterton steeple is the cause of the destroying and decay of Sandwich haven.” And even so, to my purpose, is preaching of God’s word the cause of rebellion, as Tenterton steeple was cause Sandwich haven is decayed. And is not this a gay matter, that such should be taken for great wise men that will thus reason against the preacher of God’s word?