Fifty Godly and Learned Sermons (The Decades)

¹ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool: ye kill them that are fed, but ye feed not the sheep. This sentence should awake the sleepy and careless consciences of many shepherds. For as the priest that serveth the altar, is worthy to live upon the offerings: and the soldier that ventureth, is worthy his wages: and the husbandman that toileth, is worthy the harvest: and the shepherd that feedeth the flock, is worthy to be fed with the milk, and clothed with the wool: so questionless, the priest that serveth not, is worthy no offerings: the soldier that fighteth not, is worthy no wages: the husbandman that loitereth, is worthy of weeds: and the shepherd that feedeth not, can with no good conscience require either the milk or the fleece: but his due reward and just recompense is punishment, for that through his default the sheep are hunger-starved and destroyed of the wolf. But let the ministers of our time well weigh the condition and manner of the time, and then no doubt, they shall see that it is high time to bestir them to the doing of their duties. This time succeedeth a time, wherein was extreme famine of all spiritual food, so that the sheep of this time can never recover themselves of •hat feebleness whereinto they were brought, but by some great and extraordinary diligence. This time succeedeth a time, wherein the multitude of wolves and ravenous beasts was so great, and their rage, and fury so fell in every sheepfold, that the good shepherds were either put to flight, or pitifully murdered: so that the sheep being committed to wolves, did either perish, or degenerate into wolves: so that to regenerate them again into sheep, requireth no small labour. The Church in this time is like land that hath lien (time out of mind,) unmanured, uncompassed, untilled, by reason whereof it is so out of heart, that it requireth arms of iron, and legs of brass to recover it again: or like a ship so worn with winds and tempests, so rent with rocks, so cracked and utterly decayed, that it seemeth a rare piece of cunning to make her take the seas again.

¹ye eate the fatte, and ye cloathe you with the wooll: ye kill them that are fedde, but ye feede not the sheepe. This sentence should awake the sleepie and carelesse consciences of many sheepherds. For as the priest that serueth the altar, is worthie to liue vpon the offeringes: and the souldier that ventereth, is worthie his wages: and the husbandman that toyleth, is worthie the haruest: and the sheepheard that feedeth the flocke, is worthie to be fedde with the milke, and cloathed with the wooll: so questinlesse, the priest that serueth not, is worthie no offerings: the souldier that fighteth not, is worthie no wages: the husbandman that loytereth, is worthie of weedes: and the sheepherd that feedeth not, can with no good consciēce require either the milke or the fleece: but his due rewarde and iust recompence is punishment, for that through his default the sheepe are hunger-sterued and destroyed of the wolfe. But let the ministers of our time well weighe the condition and manner of the time, and then no doubt, they shall see that it is highe time to bestyrre them to the doing of their dueties. This time succedeth a time, wherein was extreame famine of all spiritual foode, so that the sheepe of this time can neuer recouer themselues of hat feeblenesse whereinto they were brought, but by some great and extraordinarie diligence. This time succedeth a time, wherein the multitude of wolues and rauenous beastes was so great, and their rage, and furie so fell in euery sheepfolde, that the good sheepherdes were either put to flight, or pitifully murthred: so that the sheepe being committed to wolues, did either perish, or degenerate into wolues: so that to regenerate them againe into sheepe, requireth no small labour. The Churche in this time is like lande that hath lyen (time out of minde,) vnmanured, vncompassed, vntilled, by reason whereof it is so out of harte, that it requireth armes of yron, and legges of brasse to recouer it againe: or like a ship soworne with windes and tempests, so rente with rockes, so crackt and vtterly decayed, that it seemeth a rare peece of cunning to make her take the seas againe.