ire or wrath, thou must lay down thy oblation. Oblations are prayers, alms-deeds, or any work of charity; these are called oblations to God. Lay down therefore thine oblation: before thou begin to do any of these works, go unto thy neighbour, and confess thy fault unto him; declaring thy mind, that if thou hast offended him, thou art glad and willing to make him amends, as far as thy words and substance will extend, requiring him not to take it at the worst. Thou art sorry in thy mind, that thou shouldest be the occasion of his being offended. "What manner of card is this?" will some say. "Why? what have I to do with my neighbour's or brother's malice? Cain said, 'Have I the keeping of my brother, or shall I answer for him and for his faults?' This were no reason: as for myself, I thank God I owe no man malice nor displeasure, if others owe me any, at their own peril be it. Let every man answer for himself." Nay, sir, not so, as you may understand by this card; for it saith, If thy neighbour has anything, any malice against thee, through thine occasion, Lay down," saith Christ, "thine oblation; pray not to me, do no good deeds for me; but go first unto thy neighbour, and bring him again unto my flock, who has forsaken the same through thy evil words, mocks, scorns, disdainful countenance, and so forth; and then come and offer thine oblation, then do thy devotion, then do thy alms-deed, then pray, if thou wilt have me hear thee."good Lord, this is a hard reckoning, that I must go and seek him out that is offended with me, before I pray or do any good deed. I cannot go unto him. Peradventure he is a hundred miles from me, beyond the seas, or else I cannot tell where; if he were here nigh, I would with all my heart go unto him. This is a lawful excuse before God, provided that thou wouldest in thine heart be glad to reconcile thy neighbour, if he were present, and that thou thinkest in thy heart, whensoever thou shalt meet with him, to go unto him, and require him charitably to forgive thee, and so never intend to come from him until you both depart one from the other true brethren in Christ. Yet peradventure there are some in the world that are so devilish and hard-hearted, that they will not apply in any condition* unto charity. For all that, do what lieth in thee by all charitable means to bring him to unity: if he will in no wise apply thereunto, thou mayest be sorrowful

*By any persuasion, or under any circumstances.

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in thy heart, that by thine occasion that man or woman continues in such a damnable state: notwithstanding this, if thou do the best that lieth in thee to reconcile him, according to some doctors' minds, thou art discharged towards God. Nevertheless St. Augustine doubteth even in this case, whether thy oblations, prayers, or good deeds shall avail thee before God, or not, until thy neighbour come again to a good state, whom thou hast brought out of the way. Doth this noble doctor doubt therein, what aileth us to be so bold, or to count it but a small fault or none, to bring another man out of patience for every trifle that standeth not with our mind? You may see what a grievous thing it is to bring another man out of patience, whom peradventure you cannot bring in again with all the goods that you have: for surely, according to the opinion of great wise men, friendship once broken will never well be made whole again. Wherefore you shall hear what Christ saith unto such persons: "I came down into this world, and so took on me bitter sufferings for man's sake, by the merits whereof I intended to make unity and peace in mankind, to make man brother unto me, and so to expel the dominion of Satan, the devil which worketh nothing else but dissension: and yet now there are a great number of you who have professed my name, and say you are Christian men, who do rebel against my purpose and mind.

I

go about to make my fold; you go about to break the same, and kill my flock. How darest thou (saith Christ) presume to come unto my altar, unto my church, or unto my presence, to make oblation unto me, who takest on thee to spoil my lambs? I go about like a good shepherd to gather them together: and thou doest the contrary, ever more ready to divide and lose` them. Who made thee so bold to meddle with my silly sheep, which I bought so dearly with my precious blood? I warn thee out of my sight, come not into my presence; I refuse thee and all thy works, except thou go and bring home again my lambs which thou hast lost; wherefore, if thou thyself intend to be one of mine, lay down thine oblation, and come no further towards mine altar, but go and seek them without any questions, as it becomes a true and faithful servant."

A true and faithful servant, whensoever his.master commands him to do anything, makes no stops or questions, but goes forth with a good mind: and it is not unlikely but that he continuing in such a good mind and will, shall

well overcome all dangers and stops, whatever betides him in his journey, and shall effectually bring to pass his master's will and pleasure. On the contrary, a slothful servant, when his master commands him to do anything, he will ask questions, where, when, which way? and so forth: and he puts every thing in doubt, so that although both his errand and his way be ever so plain, yet by his untoward and slothful behaviour, his master's commandment is either quite undone, or else so done that it shall stand to no good purpose. Go now forth with the good servant, and ask no such questions and put no doubts; be not ashamed to do thy Master's and Lord's will and commandment. Go, as I said, unto thy neighbour that is offended by thee, and reconcile him whom thou hast lost by thy unkind words, by thy scorns, mocks, and other disdainful words and behaviour, and be not nice to ask him the cause why he is displeased with thee; require of him charitably to remit, and cease not till you both depart one from the other true brethren in Christ. Do not thy master's message with cautels* and doubts, like the slothful servant; come not to thy neighbour whom thou hast offended, and give him a pennyworth of ale, or a banquet, and so make him a fair countenance, thinking that by thy drink or dinner he will show thee like countenance. I grant that you both may laugh and make good cheer, and yet there may remain a bag of rusty malice, twenty years old, in thy neighbour's bosom; and when he departs from thee with a good countenance, thou thinkest all is well then. But now I tell thee it is worse than it was, for by such cloaked charity, where before thou didst offend Christ but once, thou hast offended twice herein: for now thou goest about to give Christ a mock, if he would take it of thee: thou thinkest to blind thy master Christ's commandment. Beware and do not so, for at length he will overmatch thee, and take thee wheresoever thou art, and so as I said, it should be better for thee not to do his message on this fashion, for it will stand thee in no purpose. "What?" some will say, "I am sure he loveth me well enough now. He speaketh fair to my face." Yet for all that thou mayest be deceived. To speak fair proves not true love in a man. If he loves thee with his mind and heart, he loves thee with his eyes, with his tongue, with his feet, with his hands and

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his body; for all these parts of a man's body are obedient to his will and mind. He loves thee with his eyes, who looks cheerfully on thee, when thou meetest with him, and is glad to see thee prosper and do well. He loves thee with his tongue, who speaks well of thee behind thy back, or gives thee good counsel. He loves thee with his feet, who is willing to go and help thee out of trouble and busiHe loves thee with his hands, who will help thee in time of necessity, by giving some alms, or with any other employment of the hand. He loves thee with his body, who will labour with his body, or put his body in danger to do good for thee, or to deliver thee from adversity, and so forth, with the other members of his body. And if thy neighbour will do according to these sayings, then thou mayest think that he loves thee well, and thou in like wise oughtest to declare and open thy love unto thy neighbour, or else you are bound one to reconcile the other, till this perfect love is engendered amongst you. It may be, you will say, I am content to do for my neighbour what I can, saving myself harmless. I promise thee Christ will not hear this excuse: for he himself suffered harm for our sakes, and for our salvation was put to extreme death. I wish if it had pleased him, that he might have saved us and never felt pain; but in suffering pains and death, he gave us an example, and teaches us how we should do one for another, as he did for us all. For, as he saith himself, he that will be mine, let him deny himself, and follow me in bearing my cross and suffering my pains. Wherefore we must needs suffer pain with Christ to do our neighbour good, as well with the body and all its members, as with heart and mind.

Now I trust you know what your card means, let us see how we can play with the same. Whensoever you go and make your oblation unto God, ask of yourselves this question, "Who art thou?" The answer as you know is, "I am a Christian man!" Then you must again ask of yourself, what Christ requires of a Christian man? By and by cast down your trump, your heart, and look first upon one card, then upon the other. The first tells thee thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not be angry, thou shalt not be out of patience. This done, thou shalt look if there are any more cards to take up, and if thou look well, thou shalt see another card of the same suit, wherein thou shalt

know that thou art bound to reconcile thy neighbour. Then cast thy trump unto them both, and gather them all three together, and do according to the virtue of thy cards, and surely thou shalt not lose. Thou shalt first kill the great Turks, and discomfit and thrust them down. Thou shalt fetch home again Christ's sheep which thou hast lost, whereby thou mayest go both patiently, and with a quiet mind unto the church, and make thy oblation unto God, and then without doubt he will hear thee. But yet Christ will not accept our oblation, although we are in patience, and have reconciled our neighbour, if our oblation be made of another man's substance-it must be our own. See therefore that thou hast gotten thy goods according to the laws of God and of thy Prince. For if thou gettest thy goods by polling† and extortion, or by any other unlawful ways, then if thou offer a thousand pound of it, it will stand thee in no good, for it is not thine. In this point a great number of executors offend; for when they are made rich by other men's goods, then they take upon themselves to build churches, to give ornaments to God and his altar, to gild saints, and to do many good works therewith; but all in their own name, and for their own glory. Wherefore, saith Christ, "they have in this world their reward," and so their oblations are not their own, nor are they acceptable before God. Another way God will refuse thy voluntary oblation, as thus; If thou hast gotten ever so truly thy goods, according to both the laws of God and man, and hast with the same goods not relieved thy poor neighbour, when thou hast seen him hungry, thirsty, and naked, God will not take thy oblation. when thou shalt offer the same, because he will say unto thee: "When I was hungry, thou gavest me no meat; when I was thirsty, thou gavest me no drink; and when I was naked, thou didst not clothe me: wherefore I will not take thy oblation, because it is none of thine. I left it to thee to relieve thy poor neighbours, and thou hast not done therein according unto this my commandment, I will have mercy, rather than sacrifice. Wherefore until thou dost the one as well as the other, I will not accept thine oblation." Evermore bestow the greatest part of thy goods in works of mercy, and the less part in voluntary works. Voluntary works are called all manner of offering in the church, except your offering days, and your tithes. * Evil passions and sinful lusts. + Fraud, robbery.