The second tome of homilies of such matters as were promised, and entitled in…The second tome of homilees of such matters as were promised, and intituled in…

Before we come to the declaration of the great and manifold gifts of the holy ghost, wherewith the church of God hath ben evermore replenished: it shall first be needful, briefly to expound unto you, whereof this feast of Pentecost or Whitsuntide had his first beginning. You shall therefore understand, that the feast of Pentecost, was always kept the fifty day after Easter, a great & solemn feast among the Jews, wherein they did celebrate the memorial of their deliverance out of Egypt, and also the memorial of the publishing of the law, which was given unto them in the mount Sinai, upon that day. It was first ordained and commanded to be kept holy, not by any mortal man, but by the mouth of the Lord him self, as we read in Levit. 23. & Deut. 16. The place appointed for the observation thereof, was Jerusalem, where was great recourse of people from ⟨p. 415⟩all parts of the world, as may well appear in the second Chapter of the Acts, wherein mention is made of Parthians, Medes, Elamites, inhabitants of Mesopotamia, inhabitants of Jury, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, & divers other such places, whereby we may also partly gather, what great and royal solemnity was commonly used in that feast. Now as this was given in commandment to the Jews in the old law, so did our Saviour Christ, as it ¹were, confirm the same in the time of the Gospel, ordaining after a sort, a new Pentecost for his disciples, namely when he sent down the holy ghost visibly in form of cloven tongues like fire, and gave them power to speak in such sort, that every one might hear them, and also understand them in his own language. Which miracle, that it might be had in perpetual remembrance, the Church hath thought good, to solemnize and keep holy this day, commonly called Whitsunday. And here is to be noted, that as the law was given to the Jews in the mount Sinai, the fifty day after Easter: so was the preaching of the Gospel, through the mighty power of the holy ghost, given to the Apostles in the mount Zion, the fifty day after Easter.

BEfore we come to the declaration of the great and manifolde gyftes of the holye ghost, wherwith the church of God hath ben euermore replenished: it shall first be nedefull, briefly to expound vnto you, wherof this feaste of Pentecoste or Whitsuntide had his first beginnyng. You shall therefore vnderstande, that the feast of Pentecoste, was alwayes kept the fiftie day after Easter, a great & solempne feast among the Jewes, wherein they dyd celebrate the memoriall of their deliueraunce out of Egypt, and also the memoriall of the publishing of the lawe, whiche was geuen vnto them in ye mount Sinai, vpon that day. It was fyrst ordeyned and commaunded to be kept holye, not by anye mortall man, but by the mouth of the Lorde him selfe, as we reade in