be the man that doth the work of God fraudulently, guilefully, or deceitfully; some books have it negligently or slackly." How many such prelates, how many such bishops, Lord, for thy mercy, are there now in England? And what shall we in this case do? shall we company with them? O Lord, for thy mercy! shall we not company with them? O Lord, whither shall we flee from them? But "Cursed be he that doth the work of God negligently or guilefully.' A sore word for them that are negligent in discharging their office, or have done it fraudulently; for that is the thing which makes the people ill.

But it must be true that Christ saith, "Many are called, but few are chosen." (Matt. xxii.) Here I have an occasion by the way to say somewhat unto you; yea, for the place that I alleged unto you before out of Jeremy, the fortyeighth chapter. And it was spoken of a spiritual work of God, a work that was commanded to be done, and it was of shedding blood, and of destroying the cities of Moab. For, saith he, "Cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from shedding of blood." As Saul, when he kept back the sword from shedding of blood, at the time he was sent against Amalek, was refused of God for being disobedient to God's commandment, in that he spared Agag the king. So that place of the prophet was spoken of them that went to the destruction of the cities of Moab, among which there was one called Nebo, which was much reproved for idolatry, superstition, pride, avarice, cruelty, tyranny, and hardness of heart; and for these sins was plagued of God and destroyed.

Now what shall we say of these rich citizens of London? what shall I say of them? Shall I call them proud men of London, malicious men of London, merciless men of London? No, no, I may not say so; they will be offended with me then. Yet must I speak. For is there not reigning in London as much pride, as much covetousness, as much cruelty, as much oppression, and as much superstition, as there was in Nebo? Yes, I think, and much more too. Therefore I say, Repent, O London! repent, repent. Thou hearest thy faults told thee, amend them, amend them. I think, if Nebo had had the preaching that thou hast, they would have converted. And, you rulers and officers, be wise and circumspect, look to your charge, and see you do your duties; and rather be glad to amend your ill living than be angry when you are warned or told of your fault.

What ado was there made in London at a certain man, because he said, (and indeed at that time on a just cause,) "Burgesses," quoth he, 66 nay, butterflies."* What ado there was for that word! and yet would that they were no worse than butterflies. Butterflies do but their nature; the butterfly is not covetous, is not greedy of other men's goods; is not full of envy and hatred, is not malicious, is not cruel, is not merciless. The butterfly glories not in her own deeds, nor prefers the traditions of men before God's word; it commits not idolatry, nor worships false gods. But London cannot abide to be rebuked; such is the nature of men. If they are pricked, they will kick; if they are galled, they will wince; but yet they will not amend their faults, they will not be ill spoken of. But how shall I speak well of them? If you could be content to receive and follow the word of God, and favour good preachers, if you could bear to be told of your faults, if you could amend when you hear of them, if you could be glad to reform that which is amiss: if I might see any such inclination in you, that you would leave off being merciless, and begin to be charitable, I would then hope well of you, I would then speak well of you. But London was never so ill as it is now. In times past men were full of pity and compassion, but now there is no pity; for in London their brother shall die in the streets for cold, he shall lie sick at the door, and perish there for hunger. Was there ever more unmercifulness in Nebo? I think not. In times past, when any rich man died in London, they were wont to help the poor scholars of the universities with exhibitions. When any man died, they would bequeath great sums of money toward the relief of the poor. When I was a scholar in Cambridge myself, I heard very good report of London, and knew many that had relief from the rich men of London; but now I hear no such good report, and yet I inquire of it, and hearken for it; but now charity is waxen cold, none helps the scholar nor yet the poor. And in those days, what did they when they helped the scholars? They maintained and gave them livings who were very papists, and professed the pope's doctrine:

*This was spoken in allusion to the fickle conduct of many of the London citizens a few years before. In the latter part of the reign of Henry VIII., when the king hearkened again to his popish counsellors, many citizens became favourers of Romanism who had promoted the Reformation at first.

and now that the knowledge of God's word is brought to light, and many earnestly study and labour to set it forth, now hardly any man helps to maintain them.

Oh London, London, repent, repent; for I think God is more displeased with London than ever he was with the city of Nebo. Repent therefore, repent, London, and remember that the same God liveth now that punished Nebo, \ even the same God, and none other; and he will punish sin as well now as he did then: and he will punish the iniquity of London, as well as he did them of Nebo. Amend therefore. And you that are prelates, look well to your office; for right prelating is busy labouring, and not lording. Therefore preach and teach, and let your plough be going. Ye lords, I say, that live like loiterers, look well to your office the plough is your office and charge. 'If you live idle and loiter, you do not your duty, you follow not your vocation; let your plough therefore be going, and not cease, that the ground may bring forth fruit. But now methinks I hear one say unto me: "Wot ye what you say? Is it a work? Is it a labour? How then hath it happened, that we have had for so many hundred years so many unpreaching prelates, lording loiterers, and idle ministers?" You would have me here to make answer, and to show the cause thereof. Nay, this land is not for me to plough, it is too stony, too thorny, too hard for me to plough. They have so many things that make for them, so many things to say for themselves, that it is not for my weak team to plough them. They have to say for themselves, long customs, ceremonies, and authority, placing in parliament, and many things more. And I fear this land is not yet ripe to be ploughed: for, as the saying is, it lacketh weathering: it lacketh weathering, at least it is not for me to plough. For what shall I look for among thorns, but pricking and scratching? What among stones, but stumbling? What, I had almost said, among serpents, but stinging? But this much I dare say, that since lording and loitering hath come up, preaching hath come down, contrary to the apostles' time: for they preached and lorded, not, and now they lord and preach not. For they that are lords will ill go to plough: it is no meet office for them; it is not seeming for their estate. Thus came up lording loiterers: thus crept in unpreaching prelates, and so have they long continued. For how many unlearned prelates have we now at this day! And no marvel; for if the plough.

men that now are, were made lords, they would give over ploughing; they would leave off their labour, and fall to lording outright, and let the plough stand: and then both ploughs not walking,* nothing should be in the commonweal but hunger. For ever since the prelates were made lords and nobles, their plough standeth, there is no work done, the people starve. They hawk, they hunt, they card, they dice, they pastime in their prelacies with gallant gentlemen, with their dancing minions, and with their fresh companions, so that ploughing is set aside. And by the lording and loitering, preaching and ploughing is clean gone. And thus, if the ploughmen of the country were as negligent in their office as prelates are, we should not long live, for lack of sustenance. And as it is necessary to have this ploughing for the sustentation of the body, so must we have also the other for the satisfaction of the soul, or else we cannot live long spiritually. For as the body wastes and consumes away for lack of bodily meat, so the soul pines away for default of spiritual meat. But there are two kinds of enclosing, to hinder both these kinds of ploughing; the one is an enclosing to hinder the bodily ploughing, and the other to hinder the holy day ploughing, the church ploughing.

The bodily ploughing is taken in and enclosed for the gain of individuals. For what man will let go, or diminish his private advantage for a commonwealth? And who will sustain any damage for public benefit? The other plough also no man is diligent to set forward, and no man will hearken to it. But to hinder it all men's ears are open; yea, and there are a great many of this kind of ploughmen, who are very busy, and would seem to be very good workmen: I fear some are rather mock-gospellers, than faithful ploughmen. I know many myself that profess the gospel, and live nothing thereafter. I know them, and have been conversant with some of them. I know them, and I speak it with a heavy heart, there is as little charity and goodt living in them as in any others, according to that which Christ said in the gospel to the great number of people that followed him; as though they had an earnest zeal for his doctrine, whereas indeed they had it not; "Ye follow me, saith he, not because ye have seen the signs and miracles that I have done; but because ye have eaten the bread, and + Holy and virtuous.

* Working.

refreshed your bodies, therefore you follow me." So that I think, many now-a-days profess the gospel for the living sake, not for the love they bear to God's word. But they that will be true ploughmen, must work faithfully for God's sake, for the edifying of their brethren. And as diligently as the husbandman plougheth for the sustentation of the body, so diligently must the prelates and ministers labour for the feeding of the soul; both the ploughs must still be going, as most necessary for man. And wherefore are magistrates ordained, but that the tranquillity of the commonweal may be confirmed, limiting both ploughs?

But now for the fault of unpreaching prelates, methinks I could guess what might be said for excusing of them. They are so troubled with lordly living, they are so placed in palaces, couched in courts, ruffling in their rents, dancing in their dominions, burdened with ambassages, pampering themselves like a monk that maketh his jubilee; and moiling in their gay manors and mansions, and so troubled with loitering in their lordships, that they cannot attend it. They are otherwise occupied, some in the king's matters, some are ambassadors, some of the privy council, some to furnish the court, some are lords of the parliament, some are presidents, and some comptrollers of mints.†

1

Well, well, is this their duty? Is this their office? Is this their calling? Should we have ministers of the church to be comptrollers of the mints? Is this a meet office for a priest that hath cure of souls? Is this his charge? I would here ask one question; I would fain know who controlleth the devil at home in his parish, while he controlleth the mint? If the apostles might not leave the office of preaching to the deacons, shall one leave it for minting? I cannot tell you; but the saying is, that since priests have been minters, money hath been worse than it was before. And they say that the evilness of money hath made all things dearer. And in this behalf I must speak to England. "Hear, my country, England," as Paul said in his first epistle to the Corinthians, the sixth chapter; for Paul was no sitting bishop, but a walking and a preaching bishop-but when he went from them, he left there behind him the plough going still; for he wrote unto them, and rebuked them for

* Drudging.

+ The popish prelates who are described by Latimer in this and the preceding paragraphs, were accustomed to hold offices of state, and to be concerned in the government.