Seven godly and learned sermons preachedSeuen godly and learned sermons preached

So David, notwithstanding he was a King, a Prophet, and a man chosen, even according to the heart of God, yet he humbled himselfe, & said,¹ Non ambulavi in magnis, nequè in mirabilibus super me▪ I am not high minded, I have no proud looks, I do not exercise my self in great matters, which are too high for me. ²So Paul, God hath chosen the foolish things of this world, that by them he may be able to confound the wise: he hath chosen the weak things, that thorough them he may subdue the ⟨image 105⟩strong. Thus God useth humble & lowly things,³ saith S. Paul, Ex ore infantium et lactantium perfecists laudem tuam: Out of the mouth of very babes & sucklings hast thou made perfect thy praise, even by the mouths of infants & sucking babes thou hast ordained strength, and spread abroad the glory of thy name. So Paul, notwithstanding he was a great learned man, and skilful in the Laws among the Jews, yet he bragged not, nor boasted of his great knowledge he had, but he humbled himself,⁴ and said, Ego me arbitror nihil scere nisi Christum, & eum quidem crucifixum: I think thus of my self, that I know nothing, save Jesus Christ, even the same that was crucified, other knowledge have I none to avaunt my self of said S. Paul. And upon this foundation of humility, it pleased almighty God, at the first to erect & build his holy Church, upon his Apostles, I say, who were the very patterns of meekness, it seemed good unto God to build his holy Church. And after them such as were of the congregation of Christ, such as professed the name of Christ, were not proud men, were ⟨image 106⟩not men of haut courage, nor high minded. And therefore, as we read in the Acts of the Apostles,⁵ Erat illis cor unum, & anima una, They were all of one heart, and one mind together. So at the beginning, the Disciples of Christ were poor in spirit, and therefore were they meet to inherit the kingdom of Heaven: they were meek in heart, & humble of mind, and therefore were they meet to possess the earth: they learned at Christ to be meek and lowly, they had the same sense in them that was in Christ, and therefore they humbled them selves unto death: they were counted the foolish things of the earth, therefore were they meet instruments to confound the wisdom of the world: they were counted the weak things, & therefore were they meet to overcome the mighty.