This is the seventh sermon of Master Hugh Latimer preached before King Edward on April the 19th 1549. All things that be written they be 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 entreated of such matters as I thought meet for this auditory. I have had ado with many estates, even with the highest of all. I have entreated of the duty of kings, of the duty of magistrates and judges, of the duty of prelates, allowing that that is good and disallowing the contrary. allowing that that is good and disallowing the contrary. I have taught that we are all sinners. I think there is none of us, all, neither preacher nor hearer, but we may be amended and redress our lives. We may all say, yay, all the pack of us. We have offended and sinned with our forefathers. For it is none of us all but we have in sundry things grievously offended Almighty God. I here entreat of many faults and rebuke many kinds of sins. I intend today by God's grace to show you the remedy of sin. We be in the place of repentance. Now is the time to call for mercy whilst we be in this world. We be all sinners, even the best of us all. Therefore, it is good to hear the remedy of sin. This day is commonly called Good Friday, although every day ought to be with us. Good Friday. Yet this day we are accustomed specially to have a commemoration and remembrance of the passion of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. This day we have in memory of his bitter passion and death, which is the remedy of our sin. Therefore I intend to entreat of a piece of a story of his passion. I'm not able to entreat of all. That I may do the better, that it may be to the honour of God and the edification of your souls and mine both, I shall desire you to pray. In this prayer I will desire you to remember the souls departed with lords and praise to almighty God that he did vouchsafe to assist them at the hour of their death. In so doing you shall be put in remembrance to pray for yourselves that it may please God to assist and comfort you in the agonies and pains of death. The place that I will entreat of this is the 26th chapter of Matthew. Howbeit, as I entreat of it, I will borrow part of St. Mark and part of St. Luke, for they have somewhat that St. Matthew hath not. And especially Luke. The text is, Then when Jesus came, some have it in Willem, some in Agram, some in Praedem. Sorry, that's Latin, which I don't understand. We've got Matthew 26 and Matthew 22, Mark 16 here. But it is all one when Christ came into a grange, into a piece of land, into a field. It makes no matter. Call it what you will. At what time he had come into an honest man's house and there eaten his paschal lamb and instituted and celebrated the Lord's Supper and set forth the blessed communion. Then when this was done, he took his way to the place where he knew Judas would come. It was a solitary place. And then he went with his 11 apostles for Judas was the 12th was about his business. He was occupied about his merchandise and was providing among the bishops and priests to come with an ambushment of Jews to take our Saviour, Jesus Christ. And when he was come into the field or grange, this village or farm place, which was called Gethsemane, there was a garden, saith Luke, into the which he goeth and leaves eight of his disciples without, howbeit he appointed them what they should do, he saith. sit you here whilst I go yonder and pray. He told them that he went to pray, to monish them, what they should do, to fall to prayer as he did. He left them there and took no more with him but three, Peter, James and John, to teach us that a solitary place is meet for prayer. Then when he was come into this garden, he began to tremble, insomuch he said, my soul is heavy and pensive even unto death. This is a notable place and one of the most special and chiefest of all that be in the story of the Passion of Christ. Here is our remedy. Here we must have in consideration all his doings and sayings for our learning, for our edification, for our comfort and consolation. First of all, he set his three disciples that he took with him in an order. and told them what they should do, saying, sit here and pray that ye enter not into temptation, but of that I will entreat afterward. Now when he was in the garden, he began to be heavy, pensive, heavy hearted. I like not Oregon's playing with this word. Latin again, it was a perfect heaviness. It was such a one as was never seen a greater. It was not only the beginning of a sorrow. These doctors, we have great cause to thank God for them, but yet I would not have them always to be allowed. They have handled many points of our faith very godly, and we may have a great stay in them in many things. We might not well lack them, but yet I would not have meant to be sworn to them and so addict as to take hand over head whatsoever they say. It were a great inconvenience so to do. Well, let us go forward. He took Peter, James and John into this garden. And why did he take them with him rather than other? Mary, those that he had taken before, to whom he had revealed in the hill the transfiguration and declaration of his deity, to see the revelation of the majesty of his Godhead, now in the garden he revealed to the same the infirmity of his manhood. Because they had tasted of the sweet, he would they should taste also of the sour. He took these with him at both times, for two or three is enough to bear witness. And he began to be heavy in his mind. He was greatly vexed within himself. He was sore afflicted. It was a great heaviness. He had been heavy many times before, and he had suffered great afflictions in his soul as for the blindness of the Jews, and he was like to suffer more pangs of pain in his body. But this pang was greater than any that he ever suffered, yea, it was A greater torment unto him, I think, a greater pain than when he was hanged on the cross, than when the four nails were knocked and driven through his hands and feet, that when the sharp crown of thorns was thrust on his head, this was the heaviness and pensiveness of his heart, the agony of the spirit. And as the soul is more precious than the body, even so is the pains of the soul more grievous than the pains of the body. Therefore there is another which writeth The horror, the uxomeness of death is sorer than death itself. This is the most grievous pain that ever Christ suffered, even this pang that he suffered in the garden. It is the most notable place, one of them in the whole story of the Passion, when he said, my soul is heavy to death. and where he began to quiver, to shake. The grievousness of it is declared by this prayer that he made, Father, if it be possible, away with this cup, rid me of it. He understood by this cup his pains of death, for he knew well enough that his passion was at hand, that Judas was coming upon him with the Jews to take him. There was offered unto him now the image of death, the image, the sense, the feeling of hell, for death and hell go both together. I will entreat of this image of hell, which is death. Truly no man can show it perfectly, yet I will do the best I can to make you understand the grievous pangs that our Saviour Christ was in when he was in the garden. As man's power is not able to bear it, so no man's tongue is able to express it. Painters paint death like a man without skin, and a body having nothing but bones. And hell they paint with horrible flames of burning fire. They bungle somewhat at it. They come nothing near it. But this is no true painting. No painter can paint hell unless he could paint the torment and condemnation both of body and soul, the possession of having of all infelicity. This is hell, this is the image of death. This is hell, such an evil-favoured face, such an ugliesome countenance, such a horrible visage. Our Saviour Christ saw of death and hell in the garden. There is no pleasure in beholding of it, but more pain than any tongue can tell. Death and hell took unto them this evil-favoured face of sin and through sin. This sin is so highly hated of God that he doth pronounce it worthy to be punished with lack of all felicity, with the feeling of infelicity. Death and hell be not only the wages, the reward, the stipend of sin, but they are brought into the world by sin. St Paul, through sin death entered into the world. Moses showeth the first coming of it into the world. Whereas our first father Adam was set at liberty to live forever, yet God, inhibiting him from eating of the apple, told him, If thou meddle with this fruit, thou and all thy posterity shall fall into necessity of death. From ever-living Morte Morieris, thou and all thy posterity shall be subject to death. Here came in death and hell, sin was their mother, therefore they must have such an image as their mother sin would give them. An ugliesome thing, an horrible image must it needs be that is brought in by such a thing so hated of God. Yea, this face of death and hell is so terrible that such as have been wicked men had rather be hanged than abide it. As Ahithophel, that traitor to David, like an ambitious wretch, thought to have come to higher promotion, and therefore conspired with Absalom against his master David, he, when he saw his counsel took no place, goes and hangs himself in contemplation of this evil-favoured face of death. Judas also, when he came with Bushmans to take his master Christ, in beholding this horrible face, hanged himself. Yea, the elect people of God, the faithful, having the beholding of his face, though God hath always preserved them, such a good God he is to them that believe in him, that he will not suffer them to be tempted above that which they have been able to bear. Yea, for all that, there is nothing that they complain more so than of this horror of death. Go to Job, what saith he, who worth the day that I was born in my soul would be hanged, saying in his pangs almost he wist not what. This was when, with the eye of his conscience and the inward man, he beheld the horror of death and hell. Not for any bodily pain he suffered, for when he had boils, blotches, blains, and scabs, he suffered them patiently. He could say then, if we have received good things of God, why should not we suffer likewise evil? It was not for any such thing that he was so vexed, but the sight of this face of death and hell was offered to him so lively that he would have been out of this world. It was this evil favoured face of death that so troubled him. King David also said in contemplation of this ugly face, I have been so vexed with sighing and mourning. Mine eye hath been greatly troubled in my rage, a strange thing. When he had to fight with Goliath, that monstrous giant, who was able to have eaten him, he could abide him, and was nothing afraid. Now what a work! What exclamations makes he at the sight of death! Jonas, likewise, was bold enough to bid the shipmen cast him into the sea. He had not seen that face and visage. But when he was in the whale's belly and had there the beholding of it, what terror and distress abode he? Hezekiah, when he saw Sennacherib besieging his city on every side most violently, was nothing afraid of the great host and mighty army that was like to destroy him out of hand. Yet he was afraid of death. When the prophet came unto him and said, Set thy house in order, for thou shalt surely die and not live, 2 Kings 20, it struck him so to the heart that he fell a-weeping. O Lord, what an horror was this! There be some writers that say that Peter, James and John were in this feeling at the same time, and that Peter, when he said, Depart from me, O Lord, for I am a sinful man, detest some part of it. He was so astonished he wist not what to say. It was not long that they were in this anguish, some say longer, some shorter. But Christ was ready to comfort them and said to Peter, Be not afraid. A friend of mine told me a certain woman that was 18 years together in it, I knew a man myself, Billney, little Billney, that blessed martyr of God. Billney was the one who led Lattimer to Christ. That blessed martyr of God, what time he had borne his faggot, and was come again to Cambridge, had such conflicts within himself, beholding this image of death, that his friends were afraid to let him be alone. They were feigned to be with him day and night, and comforted him as they could, but no comforts would serve. As for the comfortable places of scripture to bring them unto him, it was as though a man would run him through the heart with a sword. Yet afterward, for all this, he was revived and took his death patiently and died well against the tyrannical sea of Rome. Who will be to that bishop that had the examination of him if he repented not? Here is a good lesson for you, my friends. If ever you come in danger of endurance in prison for God's quarrel and his sake, as he did for purgatory matters, and put to bear a faggot for preaching the true word of God against pilgrimage and such like matters, I will advise you first and above all things to abjure all your friends, all your friendships. Leave not one unabjured. It is they that shall undo you and not your enemies. It was his very friends that brought Bilney to it. By this it may somewhat appear what our Saviour Christ suffered. He doth not dissemble it himself when he saith, My soul is heavy to death. He was in so sore an agony that there issued out of him, as I shall entreat anon, drops of blood, an ugsome thing surely, which this fact and deed showeth us. What horrible pains he was in for our sakes! But you will say, How can this be? It were possible that I and such others be great sinners should suffer such affliction. the Son of God, what our Saviour Christ, who never sinned, how can this stand that he should be thus handled? He never deserved it. Mary, I will tell you how. We must consider our Saviour Christ two ways, one way in his manhood, another in his Godhead. Some places of Scripture must be referred to his deity, and some to his humanity. In his Godhead he suffered nothing, but now he made himself void of his deity. As Scripture saith, Whereas he was in the form of God, he emptied himself of it. He did not hide it and used himself as though he had not had it. He would not help himself with his Godhead. He humbled himself with all obedience unto death, even to the death of the cross. This was in that he was man. Of course, Jesus didn't cease to be God when he died on the cross. He took upon him our sins. not the work of sin, I mean not so, not to do it, not to commit it, but to purge it, to cleanse it, to bear the stipend of it. That way he was the great sinner of the world. He'd bear all the sin of the world on his back, he would become debtor for it. Now to sustain and suffer the dolars of death is not to sin, but he came into this world with his passion to purge our sins. Now this that he suffered in the garden is one of the bitterest pieces of all his passion. This fear of death with the bitterest pain that ever he abode due to sin which he never did but became debtor for us. All this he suffered for us. This he did to satisfy for our sins. It is much like as if I owed another man twenty thousand pounds and should pay it out of hand or else go to the dungeon of Ludgate. And when I am going to prison, one of my friends should come and ask, where to go with this man? And after he had heard the matter should say, let me answer for him. I will become surety for him. Yeah, I will pay all for him. Such a part played our savior Christ with us. If he had not suffered this, I, for my part, should have suffered according to the gravity and quantity of my sins, damnation. For the greater the sin is, the greater is the punishment in hell. He suffered for you and me in such a degree as is due to all the sins of the whole world. It was as if you would imagine that one man had committed all the sins since Adam. You may be sure he should be punished with the same horror of death in such a sort as all men in the world should have suffered. feign and put case. Our Saviour Christ had committed all the sins of the world, all that I for my part have done, all that you for your part have done, and that any man else have done. If he had done all this himself, his agony that he suffered should have been no greater nor grievouser than it was. This that he suffered in the garden was a portion, I say, of his passion, and one of the bitterest parts of it. And this he suffered for our sins, and not for any sins that he had committed himself. For all we should have suffered, every man according to his own deserts. This he did of his goodness, partly to purge and cleanse our sins, partly because he would taste and feel our miseries, that he should rather help and relieve us, and partly he suffered to give us example to behave ourselves as he did. He did not suffer to discharge us clean from death, to keep us clean from it, not to taste of it. Nay, nay, you must not take it so. We shall have the beholding of this ugsome face, every one of us. We shall feel it ourselves. Yet our Saviour Christ is suffer to the intent to signify to us that death is overcomable. We shall indeed overcome it if we repent and acknowledge that our Saviour Jesus Christ pacified with his pangs and pains the wrath of the Father. Having a love to walk in the ways of God, if we believe in Jesus Christ we shall overcome death. I say it shall not prevail against us. Wherefore, whensoever it chanceth thee, my friend, to have the tasting of this death, that thou shalt be tempted with this horror of death, what is to be done then? Whensoever thou feelest thy soul heavy to death, make haste and resort to this garden. And with this faith thou shalt overcome this terror when it cometh. Oh, it was a grievous thing that Christ suffered here. Oh, the greatness of this dolar that he suffered in the garden, partly to make amends for our sins and partly to deliver us from death. Not so that we should not die bodily, but that this death should be a way to a better life and to destroy and overcome hell. Our Saviour Christ had a garden, but he had little pleasure in it. You have many goodly gardens. I would you would in the midst of them consider what agony our Saviour Christ suffered in his garden. A goodly meditation to have in your gardens. It shall occasion you to delight no further in vanities, but to remember what he suffered for you. It may draw you from sin. It is a good monument, a good sign, a good munition to consider how he behaved himself in this garden. Well, he saith to his disciples, sit here and pray with me. He went a little way off, as it were a stone's cast from them and falleth to his prayer and saith, Father, if it be possible a way. with this bitter cup, this outrageous pain, yet after he corrects himself and says, not my will, but thy will be done, O Father. Here is a good meditation for Christian men at all times, and not only upon Good Friday. Let Good Friday be every day to the Christian man, to know to use his passion to that end and purpose, not only to read the story but to take the fruit of it. Some men, if they had been in this agony, would have run themselves through with their swords, as Saul did. Some would have hanged themselves as Ahithophel did. Let us not follow these men, they be no examples for us. But let us follow Christ, which in his agony resorted to his Father with his prayer. This must be our pattern to work by. Here I might dilate the matter as touching praying to saints. Here we may learn not to pray to saints. Christ bids us pray to thy Father that is in heaven, to the Creator, and not to any creature, and therefore away with his avarice. Let God Let God alone be our avowery and his protector. What have we to do to run hither or thither, but only to the Father of heaven? I will not tarry to speak of this matter. Our Saviour Christ set his disciples in an order and commanded them to watch and pray, saying, Where to should they watch and pray? He saith by and by that ye enter not into temptation. He bids them not pray that we not that we be not tempted. For that is as much to say as to pray that we should be out of this world. There's no man in this world without temptation. In the time of prosperity, we are tempted to wantonness, pleasures and all likeness in time of adversity to despair in God's goodness. Temptation never ceases. There is a difference between being tempted and entering into temptation. He bids therefore not to pray that they be not tempted but that they enter not into temptation. To be tempted is no evil thing, for what is it? No more than when the flesh, the devil and the world doth solicit and move us against God. To give place to these suggestions and to yield ourselves and suffer us to be overcome of them, this is to enter into temptation. Our Saviour Christ knew that they should be grievously tempted, and therefore he gave them warning that they should not give place to temptation, nor despair at his death. and if they chanced to forsake him, or to run away, in case they tripped or swerved, yet to come again. But our Saviour Christ did not only command his disciples to pray, but fell down upon his knees, flat upon the ground, and prayed himself, saying, Father, deliver me of this pang and pain that I am in, this outrageous pain. This word Father came even from the bowels of his heart when he made his moan, as who should say, Father, rid me that I am in such pain that I can be in no greater? Thou art my Father, I am thy Son. Can the Father forsake his Son in such anguish? Thus he made his moan. Father, take away this horror of death from me. Rid me of this pain. Suffer me not to be taken when Judas comes. Suffer me not to be hanged on the cross. Suffer not my hands to be pierced with nails, nor my heart with a sharp spear. A wonderful thing that he should so oft tell his disciples of it before and now, when he cometh to the point to desire to be rid of it, as though he would have been disobedient to the will of his father. Before he said he came to suffer, and now he says away with this cup. Who would have thought that ever this gear should have come out of Christ's mouth? What a sense is this? What should a man say? You must understand that Christ took upon him our infirmities, of the which this was one to be sorry at death. Among the stipends of sin, this is one to tremble at the cross. This is a punishment for our sin. goeth other ways with us than with Christ. If we were in like case and in like agony, almost we would curse God, or rather wish that there was no God. This that he said was not of that sort. It was referring the matter to the will of his father. But we seek by all means to be it right, be it wrong, of our own nature to be reared out of pain. He desired it conditionally, as it might stand with his father's will, adding a Veruntimen to it. So his request was to show the infirmity of man. Here is now an example what we shall do when we are in a like case. He never deserved it. We have, he had. He never deserved it. We have. He had a verent amen and notwithstanding. Let us have so too. We must have a nevertheless thy will be done and not mine. Give me grace to be content to submit to my will unto thine. His fact teacheth us what to do. This is our surgery or physic when we be in agony and reckon upon it. Friends, we shall come to it. We shall feel it at one time or another. What doth he now? What came to pass now when he heard? Heard no voice, his father was dumb. He resorts to his friends, seeking some comfort at their hands. Seeing he had none at his father's hand, he cometh to his disciples and finds them asleep. He spake unto Peter and said, Our Peter, art thou asleep? Peter before had bragged stoutly as though he would have killed. God have mercy upon his soul. And now, when he should have comforted Christ, he was asleep. Not once buff nor baff to him, not a word. He was fain to say to his disciples, vigilate et orat, watch and pray. The spirit is ready, but the flesh is weak. He had never a word of them again. They might at the least have said, oh, sir, remember yourself, you are not Christ. Came not you into this world to redeem sin? Be of good cheer, be of good comfort. This sorrow will not help you. Comfort yourself by your own preaching. You have said it behoveth the Son of Man to suffer. You have not deserved anything. It is not your fault. Indeed, if they had done this with him, they had played a friendly part with him, but they gave him not so much as one comfortable word. We run to our friends in our distresses and agonies, as though we had all our trust and confidence in them. He did not so. He resorted to them, but trusted not in them. We will run to our friends and come no more to God. He returned again. What shall we not resort to our friends in time of need? And trough you we shall not find them asleep. Yes, I warrant you, and when we need their help most, we shall not have it. But what shall we do when we shall find lack of them? We will cry out upon them, upbraid them. And chide, brawl, fume, chafe, and backbite them. But Christ did not so. He excused his friends, saying, Vigilate et orat, spiritus quidem promptus est caro autum inferma. O, quoth he, watch and pray. I see well the spirit is ready, but the flesh is weak. What meaneth this? Surely it is a comfortable place. For as long as we live in this world, when we be at the best, we have no more but the readiness of the spirit with the infirmity of the flesh. The very saints of God said, My will is good, but I am not able to perform it. Romans seven. I have been with some and feign they would feign they would. There was readiness of spirit, but it would not be. It grieved them that they could not take things as they should. the flesh resisteth the work of the Holy Ghost in our hearts, and lets it. We have to pray ever to God, O prayer, prayer, that it might be used in this realm, as it ought to be of all men, and especially of magistrates, of counsellors, of great rulers, to pray, to pray, that it would please God to put godly policies in their hearts. Call for assistance. I have heard say, when that good Queen that is gone had ordained in her house daily prayer both before noon and after noon, the Admiral gets him out of the way like a mole digging in the earth. He shall be Lot's wife to me as long as I live. He was, I heard say, a covetous man, a covetous man indeed. I would there were no more in England. He was, I heard, say, an ambitious man. I would there were no more in England. He was, I heard, say, a seditious man, a contender of common prayer. I would there were no more in England. Well, he is gone. I would he had left none behind him. Remember you, my lords, that you pray in your houses to the better mortification of your flesh. Remember God must be honoured. I will you to pray that God will continue his spirit in you. I do not put you in comfort that if you have once the spirit, you cannot lose it. there be new spirits start up now of late that say after we have received the spirit we cannot sin i will make but one argument saint paul had brought the galatians to the profession of the faith and left them in that state they had received the spirit once but they sinned again as he testified of them himself he saith He was once in a right state and again. Once they had the spirit by faith, but false prophets came when he was gone from them and they plucked them clean away from all that Paul had planted in them. And then said Paul unto them, Oh foolish Galatians, who had bewitched you? If this be true, we may lose the spirit that we have once possessed. It is a fond thing. I will not tarry in it, but now to the passion again. Christ had been with his father and felt no help. He had been with his friends and had no comfort. He had prayed twice and was not heard. What did he now? Did he give prayer over? No, he goeth again to his father and saith the same again. Father, if it be possible, away with this cup. Here is an example for us. Although we be not heard at the first time, we shall give over our prayer. Nay, we must do it again. We must be importune unto God. We must be instant in prayer. He prayed thrice and was not heard. Let us pray threescore times. Folks are very dull nowadays in prayer to come to sermons to resort to common prayer. You housekeepers and especially great men, give example of prayer in your houses. Well, did his father look upon him the second time? No, he went to his friends again, thinking to find some comfort there. But he finds them asleep again, more deep asleep than ever they were, their eyes were heavy with sleep. There was no comfort at all, they wist not what to say to him. A wonderful thing how he was tossed from post to pillar, one while to his father and was destitute at his hand, another while to his friends and found no comfort at them. His father gave him looking on and suffered him to bite upon the bridle a while. Almighty God beheld this battle, that he might enjoy the honour and glory, that in his name all knees should bow in heaven, earth and hell. This that the father would not hear his own son was another punishment due to our sin. When we cry unto him, he will not hear us. The prophet Jeremy said, they shall cry unto me and I will not hear them. These be Jeremiah's words. Here he threateneth to punish sin with not hearing their prayers. The prophet saith, they have not had the fear of God before their eyes, nor have not regarded discipline and correction. I never saw surely so little discipline as is nowadays. Men will be masters. They will be masters and no disciples. Alas, where is this discipline now in England? The people regard no discipline. They be without all order. Where they should give place, they will not stir one inch. Yea, where magistrates should determine matters, they will break into the place before they come, and at their coming not move a whit for them. Is this discipline? Is this good order? If a man say anything unto them, they regard it not. They that be called to answer will not answer directly, but scoff the matter out. Men, the more they know, the worse they be. It is truly said, knowledge maketh us proud and causeth us to forget all and set away discipline. Surely in Popery they had a reverence, but now we have none at all. I never saw the like. This same lack of the fear of God and discipline in us was one of the causes that the father would not hear his son. This pain suffered our Saviour for us, who never deserved it. Oh, what it was that he suffered in this garden till Judas came. The dolers, the terrors, the sorrows that he suffered be unspeakable. He suffered partly to make amends for our sins and partly to give us example what we should do in like case. What comes of this gear in the end? Well, now he prayeth again. He resorted to his father again. He was in sorer pains, in more anguish than ever he was. And therefore he prayeth longer, more ardently, more fervently, more vehemently than ever he did before. O Lord, what a wonderful thing is this! This horror of death is worse than death itself, and is more ugsome, more bitter than any bodily death. He prayeth now the third time. He did it so instantly, so fervently, that it brought out a bloody sweat, and in such plenty that it dropped down even to the ground. There issued out of his precious body drops of blood, What a pain was he in when these bloody drops fell so abundantly from him. Yet, for all that, how unthankful do we show ourselves toward Him that died only for our sakes and for the remedy of our sins! Oh, what blasphemy do we commit day by day! What little regard have we to His blessed Passion, thus to swear by God's blood, by Christ's Passion! We have nothing in our pastime but God's blood, God's wounds. We continually blaspheme His Passion in hawking, hunting, dicing and carding. Who would think he should have such enemies among those that profess his name? What became of his blood that fell down, Troye, was the blood of Hales. There's a notice that the blood of Hales was once taken for a religious relic. Of it, well worth it. What ado was there to bring this out of the king's head? This great abomination of the blood of Hades could not be taken a great while out of his mind. I'm not quite sure of the analogy there. You that be of the court and especially ye sworn chaplains beware of a lesson that a great man taught me at my first coming to the court. He told me for goodwill, he thought it well. He said to me, you must beware how as how server you do that you contrary, not the king. Let him have his sayings, follow him and go with him. Marry out upon this council. Shall I say as he says, say your conscience or else what a worm shall you feel gnawing? What a remorse of conscience you shall have when you remember how you have slacked your duty. It sounds like Latimer was being told to preach smooth things to the king. But Latimer was always faithful to the word of God. There's a good wise verse. The drop of rain maketh a hole in the stone, not by violence, but by off-falling. Likewise, a prince must be turned, not violently, but he must be won by little and little. He must have his duty told him, but it must be done with humbleness, with a request of pardon, or else it were a dangerous thing. Unpreaching prelates have been the cause that the blood of Hades did so long blind the king. Well worth that such an abominable thing should be in a Christian realm. Yeah, bishops who don't preach the truth. An abominable thing. But thanks be to God it was partly redressed in the king's days that dead is, and much more now. God grant good will and power to go forward, if there be any such abomination behind that it may be utterly rooted up. Oh, how happy are we that it hath pleased almighty God to vouchsafe that his son should sweat blood for the redeeming of our sins. And again, how unhappy are we if we will not take it thankfully that we are redeemed so painfully. Alas, what hard hearts have we! Our Saviour Christ never sinned, and yet sweat he blood for our sins. We will not once water our eyes with a few tears? What a horrible thing is sin, that no other thing would remedy and pay the ransom for it, but only the blood of our Saviour Christ. There was nothing to pacify the Father's wrath against man, but such an agony as he suffered. all the passion of all the martyrs that ever were, all the sacrifices of patriarchs that ever were, all the good works that ever were done, were not able to remedy our sin, to make satisfaction for our sins, nor anything besides but this extreme passion and bloodshedding of our most merciful Saviour Christ. But to draw toward an end, what became of this threefold prayer? At the length it pleased God to hear his son's prayer and sent him an angel to corroborate, to strengthen, to comfort him. Christ needed no angel's help if he had listed to ease himself with his deity. He was the son of God. What then? For so much as he was man, he received comfort at the angel's hand as it accords to our infirmity. His obedience, His continuance and suffering so pleased the Father of Heaven that for His Son's sake be He never so great a sinner. Leaving His sin and repenting for the same, He will owe Him such favour as though He had never committed any sin. The Father of Heaven will not suffer Him to be tempted with this great horror of death and hell to the uttermost and above that He is able to bear. Look for it my friends, by him and through him we shall be able to overcome it. Let us do as our saviour did and we shall have help from above. We shall have angels help if we trust in him. Heaven and earth shall give up rather than we shall lack help. He saith he is a helper in time of need. When the angel had comforted him, and when this horror of death was gone, he was so strong that he offered himself to Judas and said, I am he. To make an end, I pray you take pains. It is a day of penance, as we used to say. Give me leave to make you weary this day. The Jews had him to Caiaphas and Annas. And there they whipped him and beat him. They set a crown of sharp thorns upon his head and nailed him to a tree. Yet all this was not so bitter as this horror of death and this agony that he suffered in the garden, in such a degree as is due to all the sins of the world and not to one man's sins. Well, this passion is our remedy. It is the satisfaction for our sins. His soul descended to hell for a time. Here is much ado. These new upstarting spirits say, Christ never descended into hell, neither body nor soul. In scorn they will ask, was he there? What did he there? What if we cannot tell what he did there? The creed goeth no further, but saith he descended hither, thither. What is that to us if we cannot tell, seeing we were taught no further? Paul was taken up into the third heaven. Ask likewise what he saw when he was carried thither. You shall not find in Scripture what he saw or what he did there. Shall we not therefore believe that he was there? These arrogant spirits, spirits of vain glory, because they know not by any expressed Scripture the order of his doings in hell, they will not believe that ever he descended into hell. Indeed, this article hath not so full Scripture so many places and testimonies of Scriptures as others have, yet it hath enough, it hath two or three texts, and if it hath but one text, one text of Scripture is of as good and lawful authority as a thousand and of as certain truth. It is not to be weighed by the multitude of texts, I believe certainly and verily that this realm of England have as good authority to hear God's word as any nation in all the world. It may be gathered by two texts. One of them is this, go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creatures. Again, God will have all men to be saved. He accepts not the Englishmen here, nor yet expressly nameth them. And yet I am assured that this realm of England, by this gathering, is allowed to hear God's word as though Christ had said a thousand times, go preach to Englishmen. I will that Englishmen be saved, because this article of his descending into hell cannot be gathered so directly, so necessarily, so formally. They utterly deny it. This article hath scriptures two or three, enough for quiet minds. As for curious brains, nothing can contend them. This, the devil stirring up of such spirits of sedition, is an evident argument that the light is come forth, for his word is abroad when the devil rusheth, when he roareth, when he stirreth up such busy spirits to slander it. My intent is not to entreat of this matter at this time. I trust the people will not be carried away with these You arrogant spirits! I doubt not that good preachers will labour against them. But now I will say a word, and herein I protest first of all, not arrogantly, to determine and define it. I will contend with no man for it. I will not have it to be prejudiced to anybody. but I offer it unto you to consider and weigh it. There be some great clerks that take my part, and I perceive not what evil can come of it, in saying that our Saviour Christ did not only in soul descend into hell, but also that he suffered in hell such pains as the damned spirits did suffer there. Surely I believe verily for my part that he suffered the pains of hell proportionably, as it corresponds and answers to the whole sin of the world. He would not suffer only bodily in the garden and upon the cross, but also in his soul when it was from the body. He was a pain, which was a pain due for our sin. Some write so, and I cannot believe it, that he suffered in the very place, and I cannot tell what it is. Call it what ye will, even in the scalding house, in the ugsomeness of the place, in the presence of the place, such pain as our capacity cannot attain to. It is somewhat declared unto us when we utter it by these effects, by fire, by gnashing of teeth, by the worm that gnaweth on the conscience. Whatsoever the pain is, it is a great pain that he has suffered for us. I see no inconvenience to say that Christ suffered in soul in hell. I singularly commend the exceeding great charity of Christ that for our sakes would suffer in hell in his soul. It sets out the unspeakable hatred that God hath to sin. I perceive not that it doth derogate anything from the dignity of Christ's death, as in the garden when he suffered it derogates nothing from that he suffered on the cross. Scripture speaketh on this fashion, he that believeth in me hath life everlasting. Here he sets forth faith as the cause of our justification. In other places as high a commendation is given to works, and yet are the works any derogation from that dignity of faith? No, and again Scripture saith, It attributeth here our justification to his resurrection. There was a Latin quote there which I didn't read. And doth this derogate anything from his death? Not a whit. It is whole Christ, what with his nativity, what with his circumcision, what with his incarnation and the whole process of his life, with his preaching, what with his ascending, descending, what with his death. It is all Christ that worketh our salvation. He sitteth on the right hand of the Father and all for us. All this is the work of our salvation. I would be as loath to derogate anything from Christ's death as the best of you all. How inestimably are we bound to him. What thanks ought we to give him for it. We must have this continually in remembrance. For thee we are in dying continually. The life of a Christian man is nothing but a readiness to die and a remembrance of death. interjection. If only our kings and princes had preaching of this sort and sat through preaching of this sort and paid attention, what a difference it would make. This is glorious preaching by Hugh Latimer to King Edward VII. If this that I have spoken of Edward VI, sorry. If this that I have spoken of Christ's suffering in the garden and in hell, derogate anything from Christ's death and passion away with it, believe me not in this. If it do not, it commends and sets forth very well unto us the perfection of the satisfaction that Christ made for us and the work of redemption, not only before witness in this world, but in hell, in that ugsome place where whether he suffered or wrestled, With the spirits all comforted, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, I will not desire to know. If ye like not that which I have spoken of his suffering, let it go. I will not strive in it. I will be prejudiced to no body. Weigh it as ye list. I do but offer it you to consider. It is like his soul did somewhat the three days that his body lay in the grave. To say He suffered in hell for us derogates nothing from His death. For all things that Christ did before His suffering on the cross and after do work our salvation. If He had not been incarnate, He had not died. He was beneficial to us with all things He did. Christian people should have His suffering for them in remembrance. Let your gardens monish you, your pleasant gardens, what Christ suffered for you in the garden and what commodity you have by His suffering. It is His will, you should so do. He would be had in remembrance. Mix your pleasures with the remembrance of His bitter passion. The whole passion is satisfaction for our sins, not the bare death, considering it so nakedly by itself. The manner of speaking of Scripture is to be considered. It attributeth our salvation now to one thing, now to another, that Christ did, where indeed it pertained to all. Our Saviour Christ hath left behind him a remembrance of his passion, the blessed communion, the celebration of the Lord's Supper. Alack, it hath been long abused, as the sacrifices were before in the old law. The patriarchs use sacrifice in the faith of the seed of the woman which should break the serpent's head. The patriarchs sacrificed on hope and afterwards the work was esteemed. There came other after and they consider not the faith of Abraham and the patriarchs but do their sacrifice according to their own imagination. Even so came it to pass with our blessed communion. in the primitive church, in places where their friends were dead. They used to come together to the Holy Communion. I'm just checking. What, to remedy them that were dead? No, no, a straw. It was instituted for no such purpose. But then they would call to remembrance God's goodness and his passion that he suffered for us, wherein they comforted much their faith. Others came afterward and set up all these kinds of massing, all these kinds of iniquity. What an abomination is it, the foulest it ever was, to attribute to man's work our salvation. God be thanked that we have this blessed communion set forth so now, that we may comfort, increase and fortify our faith at that blessed celebration. If he be guilty of the body of Christ that takes it unworthily, he fetches great comfort at it that eats it worthily. He doth eat it worthily that doth eat it in faith. In faith? In what faith? Not long ago a great man said in an audience, they babble much of faith. and will go lie with my whore all night and have as good a faith as the best of them all. I think he never knew other but the whoremonger's faith. It is no such faith that will serve. It is no bribing judge's or justice's faith, no rent raiser's faith, no whoremonger's faith, no leasemonger's faith, nor no seller of benefits' faith, but the faith in the passion of our Saviour Christ. We must believe that our Saviour Christ hath taken us again to his favour, that he hath delivered us his own body and blood, to plead with the devil, and by merit of his own passion, of his own mere liberality. This is the faith I tell you that we must come to the communion with, and not the hormongous faith. Look where remission of sin is, there is acknowledging of sin also. Faith is a noble duchess, she hath ever her gentleman usher going before her. The confessing of sins, she hath a train after her, the fruits of good works, the walking in the commandments of God. He that believeth will not be idle, he will walk, he will do his business. have ever the gentleman usher with you. So if ye will, try faith, remember this rule, consider whether the train be waiting upon her. If you have another faith than this, a whoremonger's faith, you are like to go to the scolding house, and there you shall have two dishes, weeping and gnashing of teeth. Much good do it you. You see your fare. If you will believe and acknowledge your sins, you shall come to the blessed communion of the bitter passion of Christ worthily and so attain to everlasting life, to the which the Father of heaven bring you and me. Amen. Amen. Wonderful preaching by Hugh Latimer.