A03519:57
Certain Sermons or Homilies (First Book of Homilies)
Certain sermons, or homilies appointed by the kings Majesty, to be declared and read, by all persons, vicars, or curates, every Sunday in their churches, where they have cure. Anno 1547.Certayne sermons, or homelies appoynted by the kynges Maiestie, to be declared and redde, by all persones, vicars, or curates, euery Sondaye in their churches, where they haue cure. Anno 1547.
London: printed by Richard Grafton printer to his most royal Majesty, 1547London: printed by Rychard Grafton printer to his moste royall Maiestie, 1547
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Faith, hath stopped the Lions mouths:1 faith hath quenched the force of fire: faith hath escaped the swords edges: faith hath given weak men strength, victory in battle, overthrown the armies of infidels, raised the dead to life: faith hath made good men to take adversity, in good part: some have been mocked and whipped, bound and caste in prison: some have lost all their goods and ⟨image 26⟩lived in great poverty: some have wandered in mountains, hills and wilderness: some have been racked, some slain, some stoned, some sawē, some rent in pieces, some headed, some burnt without mercy, and would not be delivered, because they looked to rise again, to a better state.
Faith, hath stopped the Lions mouthes:1 faithe hath quenched the force of fire: faith hath escaped the swordes edges: faithe hath geuen weake men strength, victorie in battaill, ouerthrowen the armies of infidels, raised ye dedde to lyfe: faith hath made good men to take aduersitie, in good parte: some haue been mocked and whipped, bounde and caste in prison: some haue loste all their goodes and ⟨image 26⟩liued in great pouertye: some haue wādered in moū taines, hilles and wildernesse: some haue been racked, some slayn, some stoned, some sawē, some rent in peces, some hedded, some brent without mercy, and would not be deliuered, because they loked to rise agayne, to a better state.
All these fathers, martyrs, and other holy men, (whom saint Paul spake of) had their faith surely fired in God, when all the world was against them. They did not only know God to be the Lord, maker and governor of all men in the world: but also they had a special confidence and trust, that he was, and would be their God, their comforter, aider, helper, maintainer, and defender. This is the Christian faith, which these holy men had, and we also ought to have. And although they were not named christian men, yet was it a christian faith that they had, for they looked for all benefits of God the father, through the merits of his son Jesus Christ, as we now do. This difference is between them and us, for they looked, when Christ should come, and we be in the time: when he is come. Therefore sayeth saint Augustine: