so to my purpose is preaching of God's word the cause of rebellion, as Tenterton-steeple was the cause that Sandwich haven is decayed!

And is not this a gay matter, that such should be taken for great wise men, who will thus reason against the preacher of God's word? But here I would take an occasion, by the way of a digression, to speak somewhat to my sisters, the women, to do them some good too, because I would do all folks good if I could, before I take my last farewell, at leastwise here of this place, for I think I shall no more come here; for I think I have not long to live; so that I judge I take my leave now of the court for ever, and shall no more come into this place.

Ahab, was a king, but Jezebel, Jezebel, she was the perilous woman. She would rule her husband the king: she would have to do in all things, and she would order matters as pleased her; and so will many women do, they will rule their husbands, and do all things after their own minds. They do therein against the order appointed them by God: they break the injunction that God gave unto them. Yea, it is now come to the lower sort, to mean men's wives, they will rule and apparel themselves gorgeously, and some of them far above their degrees, whether their husbands will or no. But they break their injunction, and do therein contrary to God's ordinance. God saith: "Thou shalt be subject under the power of thy husband." Thou shalt be subject; women are subjects; you are subjects to your husbands.

At the first, the man and the woman were equal. But after that she had given credit to the serpent, then she had an injunction set upon her: "Thou shalt be subject under the power of thy husband." And as for one part of her injunction she taketh; and she taketh one part of her penance, because she cannot avoid it, and that is, "Thou shalt bring forth children with pain and travail.".. But God hath provided herein. And as Christ saith in the gospel, "The woman when she beareth a child hath sorrow, but afterwards she remembereth not the pain, because there is a soul brought forth into the world."

But as it is a part of your penance, ye women, to travail in bearing your children; so it is a part of your penance to be subject unto your husbands; ye are underlings, underlings, and must be obedient. But this is now made a trifle and a small matter; and yet, it is a sad* * Serious.

matter, a godly matter, a ghostly* matter, a matter of damnation and salvation. And Paul saith, that "a woman ought to have a power on her head." What is this, to have a power on her head? It is a manner of speaking of the Scripture; and to have her power on her head, is to have a sign and token of power, which is by covering of her head, declaring that she hath a superior above her, by whom she ought to be ruled and ordered: for she is not immediately under God, but mediately. For the husband is their head under God, and they are subjects under their husbands. But this power that some of them have, is disguised gear and strange fashions...

But there are now many Adams that will not displease their wives, but will in this behalf let them have all their own minds, and do as they list. And some others again there are now-a-days that will defend it, and say it may be suffered well enough, because it is not expressed in Scripture, nor spoken of by name. Though we have not express mention in Scripture against such laying of the hair in tussocks and tufts, yet we have in Scripture express mention" of wreathen hair." But of these tussocks that are laid out now-a-days, there is no mention made in Scriptures, because they were not used in Scripture time. . .

But these defenders of it will not have it to be evil, because it is not spoken of in Scripture. But there are other things as evil as this, which are not spoken of in Scripture expressly, but they are implied in Scripture, as well as though they were expressly spoken of.

The prophet Isaiah saith, "Woe unto you that arise early in the morning, and go to drinking until night, that ye may swim in wine." This is the Scripture against banqueting and drunkenness. But now they banquet all night, and lie a-bed in the day time till noon, and the Scripture speaks nothing of that. But what then? the devil has his purpose this way, as well as the other; he has his purpose as well by revelling and keeping ill rule all night, as by rising early in the morning and banqueting all day. So the devil has his purpose both ways. Ye noblemen, ye great men, I wot not what rule ye keep; for God's sake hear the complaints and suits of the poor. Many complain against you that you lie a-bed till eight, or nine, or ten of the clock. I cannot tell what revel you

* Spiritual.

+ Braided locks of hair.

have over night, whether in banqueting, or dicing, or carding, or how it is; but in the morning, when poor suitors come to your houses, you cannot be spoken with: they are kept sometimes without your gates, or if they are let into the hall, or some outer chamber, out comes one or other, "Sir, you cannot speak with my lord yet, my lord is asleep, or he has had business of the king's all night," &c. And thus poor suitors are driven off from day to day, that they cannot speak with you in three, or four days, yea, a whole month: what shall I say more? yea, a whole year sometimes, ere they can come to your speech, to be heard by you. Look better to it, speak with poor men when they come to your houses, and despatch poor suitors, as indeed some noblemen do, and would that all noblemen would so do. But some do.

I went one day myself betimes in the morning to a great man's house to speak with him, on business that I had of my own. And methought I was up betimes; but when I came thither, the great man was gone forth about such affairs as behoved him, ere I came. Well, yet, thought I, this is well, I like this well: this man somewhat regards and considers his office and duty. I came too late for my own matter, and lost my journey, and my early rising too: and yet I was glad that I had been so beguiled. Follow this example, you great men, and arise early in the mornings, and be ready for men, to speak with them, and to despatch suitors that resort unto you. But all these I bring to disprove them that defend evil things because they are not expressly spoken against in the Scripture. But what matters that, when the devil has his purpose, and is served as well one way as another way? though it is not expressly spoken against in Scripture, yet I reckon it is plainly enough implied in the Scripture.

But now to come to my matter again: "See and beware of covetousness:" and I shall desire you to consider four things: Who speaketh it—what he speaketh-to whom he speaketh-and wherefore he speaketh it. As here, Christ speaks to a rich man against avarice: and why against avarice? what shall be the end of all covetous persons?— Eternal damnation. "For the covetous persons, saith Paul, shall not possess, nor enter into the kingdom of God." Here therefore I shall desire you to pray, &c.

ON COVETOUSNESS,

BEING

A second Sermon preached before King Edward in the afternoon of the same day.

LUKE xii.

See and beware of covetousness.

He

FIRST, who spake these, words? Christ spake them; if I had spoken them of myself, it had been little worth. But Christ spoke them, and upon a good occasion: the story is, "There were two at strife between themselves," (Luke xii.) and by this it appears that Christ spoke to them well. Christ spoke these words at that time; and now he speaks them by his preacher, whom ye ought to believe; and so it is all one. But upon what occasion did he speak it? There were two brethren at strife together for lands, wealthy men, as it appears, and the rich fellow would not tarry till Christ had ended his sermon, but interrupted it, and would needs have his matter despatched at once. was at Christ's sermon, but yet he would not defer his worldly cause till Christ had made an end of his godly exhortation. This was a thorny brother,* he was a gospeller, he was a carnal gospeller, as many are now-a-days for a piece of an abbey, or for a portion of chantrey lands, to get somewhat by it, and to serve his interest. He was a gospeller, one of the new brethren, somewhat worse than a rank papist. Howbeit, a rank papist now-a-days shall sooner have promotion than a true gospeller shall have, the more pity. But this was a thorny gospeller, he heard Christ's preaching and followed him for company, and heard his words; but he was never the better for it; the cares of the world so choked the word of God in him, that

* Mark iv. 18, 19.

he could not hear the sermon to the end, but interrupted the sermon for his worldly matter ere it were all done.

And what was Christ then doing? He was sowing good seed, but it fell upon stony ground, so that it could not take any root in this man, to bring forth good fruit in him. And let me tell you of the seed that Christ was then sowing; bear with me awhile, and seeing that I come now to take my last farewell of this place, hear me patiently, and give me leave a little while, and let me take my leave honestly.*

At the time when this fellow interrupted Christ's sermon, he was preaching a long sermon to his disciples, and to the people, being gathered together in a wonderful great multitude, as appears in the twelfth chapter of St. Luke's gospel and there he first of all taught his disciples a good lesson, saying, "Beware in anywise of the leaven of the Pharisees." What is this leaven of the Pharisees? Leaven is sometimes taken for corrupt living, which infects others by the evil example thereof, and against such corrupt living, God's preacher must cry out earnestly, and never cease till it is rooted up. In the city of Corinth one had married his step-mother, his father's wife: and he was a jolly fellow, a great rich man, an alderman of the city, and therefore they winked at it, they would not meddle in the matter, they had nothing to do with it; and he was one of the head men, of such rule and authority, that they durst not, many of them.

But St. Paul hearing of the matter, wrote unto them, and in God's behalf charged them to do away such abomination from among them. St. Paul would not leave them till he had excommunicated the wicked doer of such abomination. If we should now excommunicate all such wicked doers, there would be much ado in England.

66

You that are magistrates show favour for affection to such, and will not suffer that they should be rooted out or put to shame. 'Oh, he is such a man's servant, we may not do him any shame. Oh, he is a gentleman," &c. And so it is not now any thing looked unto. Lechery is used throughout England, and yet it is made a matter of sport, a matter of nothing, a laughing matter, and a trifle, not to be passed on, nor to be reformed.

But beware, you that are magistrates, their sin doth *Fairly, properly.