Sermons on the Card, and Other DiscoursesLatimer, Hugh
Religion
Sermons on the Card, and Other Discourses
Latimer, Hugh
Church of England -- Sermons; Sermons, English -- 16th century
These evil-disposed affections and sensualities in us are always contrary
to the rule of our salvation. What shall we do now or imagine to thrust
down these Turks and to subdue them? It is a great ignominy and shame
for a christian man to be bond and subject unto a Turk: nay, it shall not
be so; we will first cast a trump in their way, and play with them at
cards, who shall have the better. Let us play therefore on this fashion
with this card. Whensoever it shall happen the foul passions and Turks
to rise in our stomachs against our brother or neighbour, either for
unkind words, injuries, or wrongs, which they have done unto us, contrary
unto our mind; straightways let us call unto our remembrance, and speak
this question unto ourselves, "Who art thou?" The answer is, "I am a
christian man." Then further we must say to ourselves, "What requireth
Christ of a christian man?" Now turn up your trump, your heart (hearts
is trump, as I said before), and cast your trump, your heart, on this
card; and upon this card you shall learn what Christ requireth of a
christian man--not to be angry, nor moved to ire against his neighbour,
in mind, countenance, nor other ways, by word or deed. Then take up this
card with your heart, and lay them together: that done, you have won the
game of the Turk, whereby you have defaced and overcome him by true and
lawful play. But, alas for pity! the Rhodes are won and overcome by
these false Turks; the strong castle Faith is decayed, so that I fear it
is almost impossible to win it again.
The great occasion of the loss of this Rhodes is by reason that christian
men do so daily kill their own nation, that the very true number of
Christianity is decayed; which murder and killing one of another is
increased specially two ways, to the utter undoing of Christendom, that
is to say, by example and silence. By example, as thus: when the father,
the mother, the lord, the lady, the master, the dame, be themselves
overcome by these Turks, they be continual swearers, avouterers,
disposers to malice, never in patience, and so forth in all other vices:
think you not, when the father, the mother, the master, the dame, be
disposed unto vice or impatience, but that their children and servants
shall incline and be disposed to the same? No doubt, as the child shall
take disposition natural of the father and mother, so shall the servants
apply unto the vices of their masters and dames: if the heads be false in
their faculties and crafts, it is no marvel if the children, servants,
and apprentices do joy therein. This is a great and shameful manner of
killing christian men, that the fathers, the mothers, the masters, and
the dames shall not alonely kill themselves, but all theirs, and all that
belongeth unto them: and so this way is a great number of christian
lineage murdered and spoiled.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account