Certain Sermons or Homilies (First Book of Homilies)

By these threatenings we are monished, that if we, which are the chosen vineyard of God, bring not forth good grapes, that is to say, good works, that may be delectable, & pleasant in his sight, when he looketh for them, when he sendeth his messengers, to call upon us for them, but rather bring forth wild grapes, that is to say, sower works, unsweet, unsavoury & unfruitful: then will he pluck away all defence, & suffer grievous plagues of famine, & battle, dearth & death, to light upon us. Finally, if these do not yet serve, he will let us lie wast, he will give us over, he will turn away from us, he will dig & delve no more about us, he will let us alone, & suffer us to bring forth, ⟨image 52⟩even such fruit as we will, to bring forth, brambles, briers, and thorns, all naughtiness, all vice, & that so abundantly, that they shall clean overgrow us, suffocate, strangle, & utterly destroy us. But they, that in this world, live not after god (but after their own carnal liberty) perceive not this great wrath of god towards them, that he will not dig, nor delve any more about them, that he doeth let them alone even to them selves. But they take this for a great benefit of god, to have all their own liberty: & so they live, as carnal liberty were the true liberty of the Gospel. But god forbid (good people) that ever we should desire such liberty. For although, god suffer sometimes the wicked, to have their pleasure in this world: yet the end of ungodly living, is at length eternal destruction.

By these threatenynges we ar monyshed, yt if we, whiche are the chosen vyneyarde of God, bryng not furth good grapes, yt is to say, good workes, yt may be delectable, & pleasaūt in hys sight, whē he loketh for thē, when he sendeth his messengers, to cal vpon vs for thē, but rather bring furth wyld grapes, yt is to say, sower workes, vnswete, vnsauery & vnfruictfull: thē wil he plucke away all defence, & suffre greuous plagues of famyne, & battaile, dearth & death, to light vpō vs. Finally, if these do not yet serue, he wil let vs lie wast, he wil geue vs ouer, he wyl turne away frō vs, he will dygge & delue no more aboute vs, he wil let vs alone, & suffre vs to brynge furthe, ⟨image 52⟩euen such fruite as we wyl, to bryng furth, brābles, bryers, and thornes, all naughtynes, all vice, & that so abundantlye, that they shal cleane ouergrow vs, suffocate, strangle, & vtterly destroye vs. But they, that in thys worlde, lyue not after god (but after theyr awne carnal libertie) perceyue not thys greate wrath of god towardes them, that he wyll not dygge, nor delue any more about them, that he doeth let them alone euen to them selfes. But they take thys for a great benefite of god, to haue all theyr awne libertye: & so they liue, as carnall libertye were the true libertye of the Gospel. But god forbidde (good people) that euer we should desyre such libertie. For although, god suffre sometymes ye wicked, to haue their pleasure in thys world: yet the end of vngodly liuyng, is at length eternall destruction.