Sermons Upon all the Sunday Gospels

^t goodness. These present places & such like declare, y ^t god will not forsake y ^e faithful, but y ^t he will help & bless them in all their necessities, as god himself saith: I will not fail thee, neither forsake thee. How mercifully dealt he in times paste with that poor widow, which was Eliseus hostesse, in multiplying & increasing her oil. Herof cometh it, that Jesus Sirach conforteth & exhorteth us moste goodly, saying: Abide thou in y ^e word of god, & exercise thyself in it, & remain in thy vocatiō. Let it nothing move thee, y ^t the wicked are rich & wealthy, put thou thy trust in God, & abide in thy calling. For it is an easy thing to god, suddenly to make a poor man riche. God blesseth y ^e goods of y ^e righteous. This place fortresseth us against y ^e covetousness of y ^e wicked & exhorteth us to trust in god, and to do our duty in our vocatiō, & in so doing it promiseth that GOD will prosper and increase, the goods of the righteous, that is to say, of them that do believe. Labor or pains taking is not here excluded, but faith is required, which faith doth her office in every vocation, and yet committeth all care to God.

Therefore he that desireth to live in this world cōmodiously, and to want no good thing, let him commit himself wholly to god▪ and truly believe in him, and at his hand loke for all necessary things: so shall he have good success in all his doings, and have abundance of all things necessary for this present life. Of this thing the present miracle contained in the gospel of this day is a most evident testimony, and sure witness, wherein is expressed Christ's hospitality toward the people which for the fervent affection and dere love that they bare both toward y ^e hearing of Christ's doctrine, and the beholding of his miracles, followed him even into the wilderness, having no regard neither to their things at home, nor to their things abroad: yea the care of fedinge their belly they utterly neglected, and thought them selves most happy, in y ^t they might hear and see Christ. Here appeareth it manifestly, that they shall lack nothing, which follow Christ with a faithful mind.

Moreover if we commit the care of our belly to god, then shall we be free from many and diverse troublesome cares, wherewith the unfaithful and covetous persons are wrapped, vexed, and entangled: We shall also be preserved and kept from many grievous and noisome sins. For we see, that the wicked moil & turmoyle them selves, swyncke and sweat beyond all measure, carcke and care without ende, to get y ^e goods of the world: neither can they have any quietness in their breaste, but are like to men that are diseased of the dropsye, which the more they drink, the more they thyrste. For such insatiable covetousness occupyethe their hearts, that the more they have, the more they covet, according to this saying of the Poete: Crescit amor nummi, quantum ipsa pecunia crescit, That is to say: The more money a man hath, the more doth he desire. Blessed S. Paul paynteth out this matter very lively and truly. They, saith he, that will be rich, fall into temptation and snares and into many foolishly and noisome lusts, which drown men into perdition and destruction. For covetousness of money is the root of all evil: which while some lusted after, they erred from the faith, and tangled them selves with many sorrows. But thow man of God, flee such things. Folow Ryghtuousnesse, Godliness, Faith, Love, Pacience, Meekness. &c. These words of the Apostle prove sufficiently, that the wicked and ungodly are troubled with marvelous great cares and lusts, yea and holden captive at the devils pleasure: in danger of perdition and utter destruction: free from all goodness and godliness. These raging lusts and carkinge cares do so greatly vex the unfaithful, that to satisfy their covetous desires, they attempt all kind of mischief: to get money, they spare no man, neither are they afraid of God, nor stand in awe of God's vengeance. For covetousness blyndeth men's eyes, and provoketh them unto all ungodliness and cruelty, so that it is not without a cause called of the Apostle, the root of all euyls. But Faith delyuereth us from all these things. For faith taketh away from us all bely care and pensiuenes for the sustentation of this present life: it worketh according to her vocation and calling: it taketh in good part, whatsoever God sendeth, be it much, be it lyttell: it useth no vnlaufull means to get the goods of this world: it dependeth only upon the blessing of the heavenly Father, and with that is abundantly content. Godlines is great riches (saith y ^e apostle) if a man be content with y ^t he hath. For we brought nothing into the world: neither may we carry anything out. But when we have food and raiment, we must therewith be content.

Suche as are ungodly and wicked people take vnrestfull pains for a lyttell and transitory pealfe of this world. To gain and to get, they spare no labor, no travail, both by sea and by lande, yea and that many times not without great danger of their life. Verily no lucre, no gain, no advantage ought so to be esteemed, that for that any man should rashly caste him self into a danger, or hasarde his life. Notwithstandyng at this day all men in a manner without exception, are so given to covetousness and filthy desire of worldly goods, that for their sake they neither spare good name and fame, nor life, nor substance: yea the salvation of their souls will they not fear to hasarde for to get money, so that it is truly said of the Prophet: Frome the lease unto the moste, they hange all upon covetousness, and from the Prophet to the Prieste, they go all about with falsehode and lies. Agayne he saith: Frome the lowest to the highest, they follow all filthy lucre, and from the Prophet unto the priest, they deal all with lies.

But the faithefull with much less business and travail do get all good things at the hand of the Lord, seeing that they first of all seek the kingdom of GOD, and the righteousness thereof, and trust only to the goodness of God, and afterward eschewyng ydelnesse, they labor in their office, every man according to his vocation & calling. By this means it cometh to pass, that God blesseth their travail, and increaseth their goods daily more and more, as the wise man saith: The blessing of the Lord maketh men rich: as for carefulle travail it doth nothing thereto. Thys is therefore the true and spedy way to wax rich, even first of all to seek the kingdom of GOD, and the righteousness thereof, to believe the word of GOD, to look for all good things at the hand of God, to be content with that which is sufficient and diligently to labor in our office, every man according to his vocation and calling: and so may we be sure to have good success in all our trauayles, so that we shall want no good thing They therefore are utterly deceived, which otherwise go about to get the go • des of the world, and will sodeinly wax riche by right or by wrong. Hear what Solomon saith: A man that dealeth faithfully, shall be filled with blessings: and he that maketh to much haste for to be riche, shall not be vngyltie. He that will be rich, all to sone, hath an evil eye, and consydereth not, that poverty shall come upon him.

Here we see, by this testimony of Solomon, that the blessing of GOD is granted to the faythefulle man: but contrarywyse, to him that is unfaithful and covetous, poverty and the curse of GOD is threatened, according to our common proverb: Haste maketh waste. Again: Soone rype, soon rotten: Lette us not therefore thorough infidelity make to much haste unjustly to be rich, but let us patiently and with a faithful mind look for all necessary good things at the hand of God: and so undoubtedly shall all things succeed and come to pass according to our desire.

But if we trust not God, nor cast all our care upon him, but walk in infidelity and vnrightousnes: then shall we not only labor in vain, but also thorough our incredulity, we shall provoke the whotte wrath, fierse anger, and the unquenchable displeasure of almyghty God against us. For God is most highly offended, when we believe not his promises, but doubt of his fatherly care and bounteous liberality toward us, which he hath confirmed, declared & shown with so many signs tokens and miracles. Therefore Christ in a certain place of the Gospel did upbraid his disciples by their incredulity and unbelief, saying: Why take ye thought, because ye have no bread? Perceaue ye not yet, neither do ye understand? Have ye your hearts yet blinded? Have ye eyes, and see not? And have ye ears and hear not? Doo ye not remember, when I brake five loaves among five thousand men howe many baskets full of broken meat toke ye up? They said unto him, twelve. When I brake seven loaves among four thousand: Howe many baskets of the leauynges of the broken meat toke ye up? They said seven. And he said unto them: How happeneth it then, that ye do not understand? Here may we see howe greatly the slowness and unbelief of the disciples grieved Christ, and how sharply he reproved them that by this means he might heal and redress their infirmity. If we also will not caste away our unbelief, surely we shall worthyly deserve the wrath of god and moste grievous punishment. Therefore blessed Paul doth dehorte and dissuade us from incredulity or unbelief, saying: Let us not tempt Christ, as some of them tempted him, and were slain of the serpentes: neither murmur ye, as some of them murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. The apostle in this place very wittily fraieth us away from incredulity by the example of other, that is to say, the old Israelites. It is a fair thing to beware by another man's madness. Hitherto pertaineth another exaumple, wherein we read, that a certain noble man was trodden down of the people even unto death, because he would not believe the promise of Helizeus the prophet, which he prophesied concerning the deliverance from famyn to be at hand. This present fact threateneth also to the unfaithful the vengeance of GOD which shall fall upon them that believe not the promise of God. Therefore that we may not so wretchedly perish with them: let us caste the care of our life on God, believe his promise, and loke for all good things at his merciful hand.

Ye have heard (dearly beloved) howe Christ even of his own free will was moved with fatherly pity and tender compassion toward the people, which followed him, to hear his doctrine, and to se his miracles, and howe miraculously and marvelously he fed so great a multitude in the wilderness, that hereby we should have a sure argument and an infallible token of his fatherly care toward us, and so commytte our life unto him. Ueryly this so ready care and goodness of Christ toward the people, ought of right to move us, that we should give over our selves wholly unto him. This requireth of us also the first commandment. And that we should thus do, we are provoked with many and noble promises of GOD, which he hath also confirmed with so many noble and notable miracles. To ende, if we worship GOD with a true faith, and caste all the care of our life upon him: thenne undoubtedly will God give us all things that we have need of for the sustentation of this present life, and deliver us from a great multitude of cares, wherewith the hearts of the unfaithful are continually most myserably vexed and tormented. For there is no surer nor more easy way to get richesse, then to trust in God, and with a faithful and constant mind to look for his blessing, and to hope for to receive of him all things, whereof soever we have need. If we will not thus do, then thorough our incredulity shall we deserve the wrath of GOD and have our portion with the Idolaters and hypocrites in that lake, that burneth with fire and brimstone. Whyche thing GOD for his son Christ's sake turn away from us, and make us partakers of his glorious kingdom, thorough the same CHRIST our Lord: To whom with God the Father and the holy Ghost be all honor and glory both now and ever. Amen.