I of men without CHAP are made be called before you and rehearsed, those laws (I say) that restrain vice and those that further virtue. 'First, Let those laws be rehearsed that do warn you As against ordination fathers that you put not over soon your hands on every man, or admit unto holy orders. For there is the well of evils, that proper in the broad gate of holy orders opened, every man that offereth quiry; himself is admitted without pulling back. Thereof springeth and cometh out the people that are in the Church, both of unlearned and evil priests. It is not enough for a priest (after my judgment) to construe a collect, to put forth a question, or to answer to a sophism; but much more a good, a pure, and a holy life, approved manners, meet learning of Holy Scripture, some knowledge of the sacraments;-chiefly, and above all things, the fear of God and love of the heavenly life. against "Let the laws be rehearsed that command that benefices of nepotism the Church be given to those that are worthy; and that proand preferment of in- motion be made in the Church by the right balance of virtue, sufficient not by carnal affection-not by the acceptance of persons; whereby it happeneth now-a-days that boys for old men, fools for wise men, evil for good, do reign and rule. priests; against simony; Let the laws be rehearsed that war against the spot of simony-which corruption, which infection, which cruel and odious pestilence so creepeth now abroad, as the canker evil in the minds of priests, that many of them are not afraid now-a-days, both by prayer and service, rewards and promises, to get them great dignities. "Let the laws be rehearsed that command the personal against non-resi- residence of curates in their churches. For of this many evils dence; grow, because all things now-a-days are done by vicars and parish priests; yea, and those foolish also and unmeet, and oftentimes wicked; that seek none other thing in the people than foul lucre, whereof cometh occasion of evil heresies and ill Christianity in the people. against clerical secularity; "Let be rehearsed the laws and holy rules given of fathers, of the life and honesty of clerks. That forbid that a clerk be no merchant, that he be no usurer, that he be no hunter, that he be no common player, that he bear no weapon; the laws that forbid clerks to haunt taverns; that forbid them to have suspected familiarity with women; the laws that command soberness, and a measurableness in apparel, CHAP and temperance in adorning of the body. I faults in the monk. "Let be rehearsed also to my lords, these monks, canons, against and religious men, the laws that command them to go the similar strait way that leadeth unto heaven, leaving the broad way of the world; that command them not to turmoil themselves in business, neither secular nor other; that command that they sow not in princes' courts for earthly things; for it is in the Council of Chalcedon, that monks ought only to give themselves to prayer and fasting, and to the chastising of their flesh and observing of their rules. Above all things, let the laws be rehearsed that pertain The bishops to to and concern you, my reverend fathers and lord bishops, to laws of your just and canonical election, in the chapters of their own your churches with the calling of the Holy Ghost. For because that is not done now-a-days, and because prelates are chosen oftentimes more by favour of men than by the grace errors them of God, therefore truly have we not a few times bishops full Some of little spiritual, men rather worldly than heavenly, savouring worldly; more the spirit of this world than the spirit of Christ. resident, their "Let the laws be rehearsed of the residence of bishops in others non. their dioceses; that command that they look diligently and and negli. take heed to the health of souls; that they sow the word of gent of God; that they show themselves in their churches at the duties; least on great holidays; that they do sacrifice for the people; that they hear the causes and matters of poor men; that they sustain fatherless children and widows; that they exercise themselves in works of virtue. the Church on mere gran. "Let the laws be rehearsed of the good bestowing of the others patrimony of Christ; the laws that command that the goods the money spending of the Church be spent, not in costly buildings, not in sump- of the tuous apparel and pomps; not in feasting and banqueting, not in excess and wantonness, not in enriching of kinsfolk, deur not in keeping of dogs; but in things profitable and necessary to the Church. For when St. Augustine, sometime bishop of England, did ask Pope Gregory, how that the bishops and prelates of England should spend their goods that were the offerings of faithful people; the said Pope answered (and this answer is put in the Decrees, in the 12th CHAP chapter and 2d question), that the goods of bishops ought to I be divided into four parts, whereof one part ought to be to the bishop and his household, another to his clerks, the third to repair and uphold his tenements, the fourth to the poor people. Bishops' courts need reform; and provincial councils ought to be held When clergy reformed, laity will follow "Let the laws be rehearsed, yea and that oftentimes, that take away the filth and uncleanness of courts; that take away those daily new found crafts for lucre; that busy them to pull away this foul covetousness, which is the spring and cause of all evils; which is the well of all iniquity. At last let be renewed those laws and constitutions of fathers of the celebration of councils, that command provincial councils to be oftener used for the Reformation of the Church. For there never happeneth anything more hurtful to the Church of Christ than the lack both of council general and provincialwhen these laws and such other are rehearsed that be for us, and that concern the correction of manners, there lacketh nothing, but that the same be put in execution with all authority and power. That at once (seeing we have a law) we live after the law. For which things with all due reverence I call chiefly upon you fathers. For this execution of the laws and observing of the constitutions, must needs begin of you, that ye may teach us priests to follow you by lively examples, or else truly it will be said of you, 'They lay grievous burdens upon other men's backs, and they themselves will not so much as touch them with their little finger.' 'Forsooth, if ye keep the laws, and if ye reform first your life to the rules of the canon laws, then shall ye give us light (in the which we may see what is to be done of our part), that is to say the light of your good example, and we seeing our fathers so keeping the laws, will gladly follow the steps of our fathers. The clergy and spiritual part once reformed in the Church, then may we with just order proceed to the reformation of the lay part; which truly will be very easy to do, if we first be reformed. For the body followeth the soul, and such rulers as are in the city, like dwellers be in it—wherefore, if priests that have the charge of souls be good, straight the people will be good. Our goodness shall teach them more clearly to be good than all other teachings and preachings. Our goodness shall compel them into the right way, truly CHAP more effectually than all your suspendings and cursings. Wherefore, if ye will have the lay people to live after your wish and will, first live you yourselves after the will of God, and so (trust me) ye shall get in them whatsoever ye will. "Ye will be obeyed of them, and right it is. For in the Thus may Epistle to the Hebrews these are the words of St. Paul to the the bishops lay people, 'Obey your rulers, and be you under them.' But ed and if ye will have this obedience, first perform in you the reason obeyed and cause of obedience which the said Paul doth teach, and it followeth in the text, 'Take you heed diligently, as though ye should give a reckoning for their souls,' and they will obey you. "You will be honoured of the people; it is reason. For St. Paul writeth unto Timothy, 'Priests that rule well are worthy double honours, chiefly those that labour in word and teaching.' Therefore, if ye desire to be honoured, first look that ye rule well, and that ye labour in word and teaching, and then shall the people have you in all honour. "You will reap their carnal things, and gather tithes and offerings without any striving-right it is. For St. Paul, writing to the Romans, saith, They are debtors, and ought to minister unto you in carnal things;' first, sow you your spiritual things, and then ye shall reap plentifully their carnal things. For truly that man is very hard and unjust that 'will reap where he never did sow, and gather where he never scattered.' be honour have true "Ye will have the Church's liberty, and not to be drawn And the before secular judges; and that also is right. But if ye desire Church this liberty, first unloose yourselves from the worldly bon- liberty dage, and from the services of men, and lift up yourselves into the true liberty, the spiritual liberty of Christ, into grace from sins, and serve your God and reign in Him, and then (believe me) the people will not touch the anointed of their Lord God. . . . "These are they, reverend fathers and right famous men, that I thought to be said for the reformation of the Church's estate. I trust ye will take them of your gentleness to the best. And if peradventure it be thought that I have past my B I CHAP bounds in this sermon, or have said anything out of temper, forgive it me, and ye shall forgive a man speaking of very zeal to a man sorrowing the decay of the Church; and consider the thing itself, not regarding my foolishness; consider the miserable form and state of the Church; and endeavour yourselves with all your minds to reform it. Such abuses, still lin gered on "Suffer not, fathers, this your so great a gathering to depart in vain; suffer not this your congregation to slip for nought. Freely ye are gathered oftentimes together (but by your favour to speak the truth), yet I see not what fruit cometh of your assembling, namely, to the Church. "Go ye now in the Spirit that ye have called on, that by the help of it, ye may in this your council find out, discern, and ordain those things that may be profitable to the Church, praise unto you, and honour unto God: unto whom be all honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen." In this earnest and vigorous appeal to the representatives of the clergy and to the bishops, we may observe that Colet looked upon the decay of religion throughout the Church as the result of evils and abuses among the clergy, the nature of which practical is such that they cannot be said to have been however, brought about by the ecclesiastical or theological system which characterised the pre-Reformation Church of England. Complaints of a similar description were made by Latimer forty years afterwards, by Tenison' at a still more recent date, and by not a few farseeing men in the last and earlier part of the present century. As men's thoughts came to dwell more on the subject of reformation, they gradually came to see that other changes were needed, and that the medieval phase of religion was, in reality, wearing out. The habits of the Knight's Life of Colet, pp. 252264. See also Seebohm's Oxford Reformers of 1498, pp. 162-178. 8 Latimer's Sermons, ii. 243, and many other places. • Ellis' Orig. Letters, III. iv. 333. |