bloody sacrifice. For Christ himself said, "It is perfectly finished:" "I have taken at my Father's hand the dispensation of redeeming mankind. I have wrought man's redemption, and have despatched the matter." Why then mingle ye him? Why do ye divide him? Why make you of him more sacrifices than one? Paul saith, "Christ our passover is offered up;" so that the thing is done, and Christ hath done it, and he hath done it once for all: and it was a bloody sacrifice, not a dry sacrifice.

Why then, it is not the mass that avails or profits for the quick and the dead. Woe to thee, O devil, woe to thee, that hast prevailed so far and so long; that hast made England to worship false gods, forsaking Christ their Lord. Woe to thee, devil, woe to thee, devil, and all thy angels. If Christ by his death draw all things to himself, and draws all men to salvation, and to heavenly bliss, that trust in him; then the priests at the mass, at the popish mass, I say, what can they draw, when Christ draweth all, but lands and goods from the right heirs? The priests draw goods and riches, benefices and promotions to themselves; and such as believed in their sacrifices they draw to the devil. But Christ is he that draweth souls unto him by his bloody sacrifice. What have we to do then, but to eat in the Lord

at his supper?

What other service have we to do to him, and what other sacrifice have we to offer, but the mortification of our flesh? What other oblation have we to make, but of obedience, of good living, of good works, and of helping our neighbours? But as for our redemption, it is done already, it cannot be better: Christ has done that so well, that it cannot be amended. It cannot be devised how to make that any better than he hath done it. But the devil, by the help of that Italian bishop* yonder, his chaplain, has laboured by all means that he might, to frustrate the death of Christ and the merits of his passion. And they have devised for that purpose to make us believe in other vain things by his pardons; as to have remission of sins for praying on hallowed beads; for drinking of the bakehouse bowl; as a canon of Waltham Abbey once told me, that whenever they put their loaves of bread into the oven, as many as drank of the pardon bowl should have pardon for drinking of it. A mad thing, to give pardon to a bowl! Then to pope Alexander's holy water, to hallowed bells, palms, candles, ashes,

* The pope.

and what not! And of these things, every one has taken away some part of Christ's sanctification; every one has robbed some part of Christ's passion and cross, and has mingled Christ's death, and has been made to be propitiatory and satisfactory, and to put away sin. Yea, and Alexander's holy water yet at this day remains in England, and is used for a remedy against spirits, and to chase away devils; yea, and I would this had been the worst. I would this were the worst. But woe worth thee, O devil, that hast prevailed to evacuate Christ's cross, and to mingle the Lord's supper. These are the Italian bishop's devices, and the devil hath shot at this mark to frustrate the cross of Christ: he shot at this mark long before Christ came; he shot at it four thousand years before Christ hanged on the cross, or suffered his passion.

For the brazen serpent was set up in the wilderness, to put men in remembrance of Christ's coming: that as they which beheld the brazen serpent were healed of their bodily diseases, so they that looked spiritually upon Christ that was to come, in him should be saved spiritually from the devil. The serpent was set up in memory of Christ to come, but the devil found means to steal away the memory of Christ's coming, and brought the people to worship the serpent itself, and to cense him, to honour him, and to offer to him, to worship him, and to make an idol of him. And this was done by the market men that I told you of. And the clerk of the market did it for the lucre and advantage of his master, that thereby his honour might increase; for by Christ's death he could have but small worldly advantage. And so even now has he certain blanchers* belonging to the market, to stop the light of the gospel, and to hinder the king's proceedings in setting forth the word and glory of God. And when the king's majesty, with the advice of his honourable council, goes about to promote God's word, and to set an order in matters of religion, there shall not lack blanchers that will say: as for images, whereas they have used to be censed, and to have candles offered unto them, none are so foolish to do it to the stock or stone, or to the image itself; but it is done to God and his honour, before the image. And though they should abuse it, these blanchers will be ready to whisper the king in the ear, and to tell him, that this abuse is but a small matter; and that

* White washers, persons who gloss over popish doctrines and practices.

the same, with all other like abuses in the church, may be reformed easily. "It is but a little abuse, say they, and it may be easily amended. But it should not be taken in hand at the first, for fear of trouble or further inconveniences. The people will not bear sudden alterations; an insurrection may be made after sudden mutation, which may be to the great harm and loss of the realm. Therefore all things shall be well, but not out of hand, for fear of further business." These are the blanchers that hitherto have stopped the word of God, and hindered the true setting forth of the same. There are so many put-offs, so many put-byes, so many respects and considerations of worldly wisdom. And I doubt not but there were blanchers in the old time to whisper in the ear of good king Hezekiah, for the maintenance of idolatry done to the brazen serpent, as well as there have been now of late, and are now, that can blanch the abuse of images, and other like things.

But good king Hezekiah would not be so blinded; he was like to Apollos, fervent in spirit. He would give no ear to the blanchers; he was not moved with these worldly respects, with these prudent considerations, with these policies: he feared not insurrections of the people: he feared not lest his people would not bear the glory of God, but he (without any of these respects, or policies, or considerations, like a good king, for God's sake and for conscience sake) presently plucked down the brazen serpent, and destroyed it utterly, and beat it to powder. He out of hand cast out all images, he destroyed all idolatry, and clearly extirpated all superstition. He would not hear these blanchers and worldly wise men, but without delay followed God's cause, and destroyed all idolatry out of hand. Thus did the good King Hezekiah; for he was like Apollos, fervent in spirit, and diligent to promote God's glory.

And good hope there is that it shall be likewise here in England; for the king's majesty* is so brought up in knowledge, virtue, and godliness, that it is not to be mistrusted but that we shall have all things well, and that the glory of God shall be spread abroad throughout all parts of the realm, if the prelates will diligently apply to their plough, and be preachers rather than lords. But our blanchers, who will be lords, and no labourers, when they are commanded to go and reside upon their cures, and preach in

* Edward VI. had then just succeeded to the throne, and the grosser corruptions of the church of Rome were being removed.

their benefices, they would say, Why? I have set a deputy there; I have a deputy that looks well to my flock, who shall discharge my duty. A deputy, quoth he, I looked for that word all this while. And what a deputy must he be, trow ye? Even one like himself; he must be a Canonist: that is to say, one that is brought up in the study of the pope's laws and decrees; one that will set forth papistry as well as himself will do; and one that will maintain all superstition and idolatry; and one that will not at all, or else very weakly, resist the devil's plough; yea, happy it is, if he take no part with the devil: and where he should be an enemy to him, it is well if he take not the devil's part against Christ. But in the mean time the prelates take their pleasures. They are lords, and no labourers; but the devil is diligent at his plough. He is no unpreaching prelate: he is no lordly loiterer from his cure; but a busy ploughman; .... he still applieth his business.-Therefore, ye unpreaching prelates, learn of the devil: to be diligent in doing of your office, learn of the devil: and if you will not learn of God, nor good men, for shame learn of the devil; "I speak it for your shame:" if you will not learn of God, nor good men, to be diligent in your office, learn of the devil. Howbeit there is now very good hope that the king's majesty, being by the help of good governance of his most honourable counsellors, trained and brought up in learning, and knowledge of God's word, will shortly provide a remedy, and set an order herein; which thing that it may so be, let us pray for him. Pray for him, good people; pray for him. You have great cause and need to pray for him.

ON

THE PASSION OF CHRIST,

BEING

The Seventh Sermon preached before King Edward, within the preaching place in the garden of the palace at Westminster, April 19th, 1549.*

Romans xv.

"All things that are written, they are written to be our doctrine."

By occasion of this text, most honourable audience, I have walked this Lent in the broad field of Scripture, and used my liberty, and treated of such matters as I thought meet for this auditory. I have had to do with many states, even with the highest of all. I have treated of the duty of kings, of the duty of magistrates and judges, of the duty of prelates; allowing that which is good, and disallowing the contrary. I have taught that we are all sinners; I think there is not one of us all, either preacher or hearers, but may be amended, and redress our lives. We may all say, yea, all of us, "We have offended and sinned with our forefathers," there is none of us all; but have in sundry things grievously offended almighty God. I have treated of many faults, and rebuked many kinds of sins. I intend to-day, by God's grace, to show you the remedy of sin. We are in the place of repentance, now is the time to call for mercy, whilst we are in this world; we all are sinners, even the best of us all. Therefore it is good to hear the remedy of sin.

*During Lent that year Latimer preached seven sermons before king Edward VI. and his court. A pulpit was set up in the garden, the chapel being too small for the numbers that attended. In the six first of these sermons Latimer treated very fully of the duty of kings and those in authority, and boldly reproved the unjust and iniquitous practices then prevalent. These sermons are very interesting, but they are historical rather than doctrinal; this seventh sermon refers more particularly to the Scriptural doctrines of truth.