Alas alas, thilke great citie that was clothed with bis and purpre, and brasile, and ouergilte with gold and precious stones and pearle. For in one houre all these great riches shall be destroyed, than shall they sey that shall be damned with her. We haue erred fro the waye of trouth and rightwisnes, light haue not shined to vs, and the sonne of vnderstonding haue not resen to vs: we haue be made weery in euerich way of wickednes and of lust, and haue gone hard wayes, but the wayes of God we knew nought: what hath pride profited to vs, or the boast of riches what hath it brought to vs? All this is as a shadow of death, and we mow now shew no token of holynes: in our wickednes we be wasted away. Thinke therefore I read, that thou shalt yelde rekening of thy bayly. Here endeth the first part of this Sermon, and beginneth the second part.

IN which sec?d part with the helpe of God I will shew first, who shall clepe vs to this recKenyng. Afterward, to fore what iudge we shall reckyn: and last what punishyng shall be do to them that ben found false seruauntes and wicked, and what reward shall be gyue to them that be founde good and true. For the first ye shall wetoen that there shall be twey domes. The first doome anone after the departyng of body and of soule, an this shall be speciall. And of this rekenyng or doome speaketh the Gospell of Luke. The second reckenyng or dome shalbe anone after the generall resurrection, & shalbe vniuersal. And of this is to spek? in the Gospel. Marginalia Math. 27. To the first euery man shalbe cleped after other, as the wolrde passeth. To the secunde shall comeo togedre in the stroke of an eye all mankynde. To the first, men shalbe cleped with Marginalia 3. sumners. Sicknesse. Age. Death. three sumners other Sergeauntes: the first is sicknesse, the second is age, and the third is death: the first warneth, the second thretneth, and the third taketh. This is a kyndly order, but otherwise it fayleth, for sume we seeth dyeth that neuer wist what sicknes ne age, as children that ben sodenly slayne. And sume, ye the most part that deyeth now a dayes deyeth, byfore her kynde agee of deeth: therefore I say, that the first that clepeth to this speciall reckning is sicknes, that followeth all mankind, so that euery man hath it: and sum is sicknesse that sume men haueth but nought all. Yet the first sickenesse is double, for sume is withinne in the mightes of the soule, and sume is without in feblenes of the bodie that needis mo be stroyed, whan time by hem selfe is cause of corruption as Philosophie sayth, that thereby feblenes and sicknes. And so may we see hereby, though that a man shut out of the house of hys hart all maner of worldlie and fleshlie thoughtes, yet vnneth shall a man for ought that he can doo, thinke on God onelie, the space of o Pater noster, but that some other thing that is passing, entreth into the soule, and draweth her from contemplation. But O Lorde God, what seekenes is this, an heuie burden on the sonnes of Adam, that on fowle moock and fen of the world we may thinke long ynow. But on that the soule should most delectation haue by kinde, mow we nought thinke so little a space, but if the cokle enter among the whete. Of this seekenes speaketh Poule, where he sayth. Of this seekenes speaketh Poule, where he sayth. I see a lawe in my limmes fighting agenes the lawe of my sprite, and taking me into the law of sinne. So that it fares by vs, as by a man that would looke ageyns the sun, and may nought do it long for nothing. And forsoth that is for no default that is in the sunne, for she is most cleere in her selfe, and so by reason best should be seyn, but it is for feblenes of mans eye. Ryght so, syth Adam our first fader was put out of Paradyse, all hys ofspring haue ben thus sicke, as the Prophet seyth. Our fadres haue eat a bitter grape, and the teeth of the children be wexe an edge. The second sicknes, that is commune to all mankind, commyth of feblenes of the body: as hunger and thorst, cold and heate, sorow & werines, and many other as Iob. 18. sayth. Marginalia Iob. 14. A man that is ibore of a woman, liuing a little whyle, is fulfilled with many miseases. Yet there is other sicknes that commeth to some men, but not to all, as Lepyr, Palsey, Feuer, Dropsie, Blindnes, and many other, as it was seyden to the people of Israell, in holy writ. Marginalia Deutero. But thou keepe the commaundements that be writ in this booke, God shal echen the sicknes of thee and of they seede, great sickenes and long abiding. Yet yee shall vnderstond, that God sendeth other while, such sicknes to good men, and other while to shrewes. To good men God doth it for two causes, and that is sooth. Of sicknes I wol to be vnderstond also, of all maner of tribulations. The first cause, for they shold alway euer know, that they haue none perfection of them selfe, but of God onely, and to echen theyr meekenes. And thus sayth Marginalia Corinth. 12. Poule, least the greatnes of reuelations rere me vp into pride, is giuen a pricke of my fleshe, the Aungell of Sathanas to smite me on the necke, wherefore I haue thrise prayed God, that he shuld go fro me, and he answered me: My grace is suffisant to thee for vertue is fulfilled in sicknes, where on thus sayn the glose. The fend axing Iob to be tempted was herd of God, and nought the Apostle axing his temptation to be remoued. God herd him that shuld be damned, and he herd nought him, that he shuld saue. For oft the sick m? axit many thinges of the leche, that he wol not geue him, & that is for to make him whole of sicknes. Also God sendeth Saincts oft sicknes & persecution, to giue vs sinfull wretches example of patience: For if he suffer his Sainctsto haue such tribulation in this world, and they thankin him thereof, much more wretchis that God sendeth not the hundred aparty of their sorowe, shulden beare it meekely sith we haue diserued a thousand so much as they haueth. Whereof, Marginalia Tobi. 2. Tobie that one day whan he was wery of byrying of poore men, the which shulden haue ley vnburyed, and haue be etene of houndis, and foules, as caraynes, of other vnreasonable bestes, whan for werynesse he had leide him to reste, through Goddis sufferaunce the swallowes that bredden aboue on his hous, maden ordure into his eyen, and he wexet blind. Thus it is writ of this temptation for soth: Therefore God suffered to come to him, that to them that comen after, shuld be geuen ensample of pacience, as by the temptation of holie Iob. For sith from his childhod, euermore he drede God, and euer kept his hestes: He was not agreeued ayenst God that the misthiefe of blindnesse fell to him: but vnmoueable dwelled in the dread of God, thanking him all the dayes of his life. Lo that holy writ sayth expresly, that God suffered this holie man to haue that sicknes, to geue them that should come after him ensample of pacience. Also other whyle, God sendeth syckenes and tribulation to wicked men, and for two causes. First for that they should the rather dreade God, and leaue their sinne. As it is writ: their sickenes hath bene multiplied, and after they haue hyed to Godward. For we see oft men in sicknes know their God, that neuer would haue turned to him whyle they had beene whole. Also God sendeth them sicknes oft to agast other men, lest they follow their sin. As the sickenes of kyng Antioche, MarginaliaAntioche. whome God smote with such a sickenes, that wormes fell out of hys body whyle he lyued, in so farforth, that he stanke so foule, that his frends were so wearye of it, that they might not suffer it. And at the last, when he himselfe might not suffer his owne stinch, then he began to know himselfe, and sayd: It is rightfull, to be subiect to God, and a deadly man not to hold himselfe onely euen with God, and the story saith he asked mercie of God, and made a vowe to God, that he would make the Citie of Ierusalem free, and the Iewes to make them as free as the men of Athens: and that hee would honour Gods temple wyth pretious ary, and multiply the holy vessels, and finde of his owne rent and spenses perteining to the sacrifice. And he would become a Iew, and go ouer all the lond to preach Goddes might. And yet God gafe him not such mercy as he desired. And I trow certein that it was for good. In as much as God knew he would not afterward hold his couenaunt, or els for he axket it too late. What mede was is for him to forsake his wickednes? whan hee was vnmightie to doo good or euill. Neuertheless, I trow he was not dampned, in as much as he had such repentaunce, for repentaunce in this life come neuer too late if it be trew. But by thys vengeaunce that God tooke on thys king, should men see, what it is to be vnobedient to God. And also it is to take heede, that whan euer sickenes commeth, euer it sheweth, that hee that suffreth this deadly, shall nedes dye. For though he may skape of his sicknes, yet hee may not skape death. And so thou must needes come giue rekening of thy bayly. Marginalia The second somner,. Properties of death. The second somnour that shall clepe thee to this particuler doome, is elde or age. And the condition of him is this, though that he tarie with thee, he will not leue thee, till he bring thee to the thirde, that is death. But there be many that though they haue this somnour with them, they take none hede, though they see ther heare hore, her back crook, her breth stynke, her teeth fayle, her yen derk, her visage riuely, her crene wexit heuy to her. What meneth all this, but that age sumneth to the dome.

But what more madhead may be than a man to be cleped, and drawe to so dreadfull a reckenyng there, where but he aunswere well he forfeteth both body and soule to damnation for euer. If seing a litle wordly merth on the way, he thinketh so mekill theron, that he forgetteth who draweth him, or whether he draweth. So doth he that is smiten with age and liketh so on the false world is wealth, that he forgetteth whether he is away: Herefore sayth an holy Doctour, that among all abusions of the world most is of an old man that is obstinate: for he thinketh not on his out going of this world, ne of passing into the lyfe that is to come: he heareth messengers of death, and he leueth hem not, and the cause is this, for the threfold cord that such an old m? is bounden with, is hard to breke. This cord is custome, that is of three plightes, that is, of idel thought, vnhonest speach, and wicked deede: the whiche if they groweth in a man from the childhood into mans age, they maketh a treble cord to bynde the old man on custome of sinne. Herefore sayth Marginalia Esaye. Esay breake the bondes of sinne. Thinke herefore whosoeuer that thou be that art this sumned, that thou might not scape that thou ne shalt yeld the rekenyng of thy baily.

Marginalia The third somner distinctio mortis. The third somner to this reckenyng, is death. And the condition of him is, that whan euer he come, first, other the sec?d, other the last houre he ne spareth, neither power, ne yougth, ne he dreadeth no thretning, ne he taketh hede of no prayer, ne of no gift, ne he graunteth no respit, but withouten delay he bringeth forth to the dome. Herefore seyth Sainct Austen. Marginalia Augustinus. Well ought euerie man drede the day of his death. For in what state a mans last day findeth hym, whan he dyeth out of this worlde, in the same state