Seven godly and learned sermons preachedSeuen godly and learned sermons preached

And thus pride, even amongst such as professed Christ and his Gospel, brake the love and unity which should have been amongst them that lived under the Gospel. Pride it was that caused the Jews to hate the Gentiles, and the Gentiles to despise the Jews. Pride it was that caused Lucifer so much to exalt himself, and make himself equal with God. Pride it was that caused Corah, Dathan, and Abiram, to conspire against Moses and Aaron. Pride it was that caused such as could indifferently eat all meats, to ⟨image 104⟩think them selves more perfect than such as could not so do. Pride it was again, that caused the other which could not indifferently use all meats, to think them selves more holy than the rest. Therefore in this place S. Paul willeth the Romans for avoiding of all dissension, first to put away all pride, which is the very root and mother of all discord. Be not high minded, said he, for so shall you abate this rancour and malice among you, but humble your selves, humble your courage; be not proud of your wit, of your great learning, of your eloquence, but make your selves equal to them of the lower sort. This is the golden chain of humility. For like as pride is the mother of all wickedness, so is humility the mother of all virtue: like as pride maketh us like unto Lucifer, so humility maketh us like unto Christ. Therefore Christ him self, when he first gave his Disciples charge for to preach, when he first gave them in commandment upon the mount, to publish abroad his Gospel,¹ Beati pauperes, said he, and why so? quoniam ipsorum est regnum ⟨image 105⟩caelorum,² Blessed are the poor, for theirs is the kingdom of God. And again, Beati mites, and why so? quoniam ipsi possid•bunt terram, Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. So again, to his Disciples he said,³ Discite ex me, quia ego mitis sum, Learn ye of me, for I am meek, I am gentle, learn this of me said Christ.⁴