The progress of divine providence, set out in a sermon preached in the Abbey…The progresse of divine providence, set out in a sermon preached in the Abbey…

3. The third instance of their making the state of the Christian Church worse then of the Jewish,¹ is their unwarrantable and inhumane penance (which oft they enjoin to their penitents, for satisfaction) and other barbarous courses, whereunto they persuade men upon pretence of merit and perfection. They have in these cases some whom they stile Hermits, who live in remote places from all society, and feed upon such fruit, roots, and other things that the earth bringeth forth, lodging in Caves, Dens or Cellars, digged out of the ground. Others they call Anchorites, who live enclosed betwixt walls, and on the Sabbath receive their sustenance for the whole week. Others they either enjoy, or persuade to whip their naked backs with scourges of cords, wires, and sharp rundals, till the blood run down, and skin and flesh be torn from their backs. Others must lie in shirts of hair cloth. Others go bare foot and bare legged to such and such shrines. Others undertake long pilgrimages to remote lands; nay, they stick not to send a Queen to Tyburn upon penance. Did the Law ever impose such hard tasks upon any that were under the pedagogy thereof?²

3. The third instance of their making the state of the Christian Church worse then of the Jewish,¹ is their unwarrantable and inhumane penance (which oft they enjoyn to their penitents, for satisfaction) and other barbarous courses, whereunto they perswademen upon pretence of merit and perfection. They have in these cases some whom they stile Eremites, who live in remote places from all society, and feed upon such fruit, roots, and other things that the earth bringeth forth, lodging in Caves, Dens or Cellars, digged out of the ground. Others they call Anchorites, who live enclosed betwixt walls, and on the Sabbath receive their sustenance for the whole week. Others they either enjoy, or perswade to whip their naked backs with scourges of cords, wyers, and sharp rundals, till the blood run down, and skin and flesh be torn from their backs. Others must lie in shirts of hair cloth. Others go bare foot and bare legged to such and such shrines. Others undertake long pilgrimages to remote lands; nay, they stick not to send a Queen to Tiburn upon penance. Did the Law ever impose such hard tasks upon any that were under the pedagogy thereof?²