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
He loveth thee with his feet, that is willing to go to help
thee out of trouble and business. He loveth thee with his hands, that
will help thee in time of necessity, by giving some alms-deeds, or with
any other occupation of the hand. He loveth thee with his body, that
will labour with his body, or put his body in danger to do good for thee,
or to deliver thee from adversity: and so forth, with the other members
of his body. And if thy neighbour will do according to these sayings,
then thou mayest think that he loveth thee well; and thou, in like wise,
oughtest to declare and open thy love unto thy neighbour in like fashion,
or else you be bound one to reconcile the other, till this perfect love
be engendered amongst you.
It may fortune thou wilt say, "I am content to do the best for my
neighbour that I can, saving myself harmless." I promise thee, Christ
will not hear this excuse; for he himself suffered harm for our sakes,
and for our salvation was put to extreme death. I wis, if it had pleased
him, he might have saved us and never felt pain; but in suffering pains
and death he did give us example, and teach us how we should do one for
another, as he did for us all; for, as he saith himself, "he that will be
mine, let him deny himself, and follow me, in bearing my cross and
suffering my pains." Wherefore we must needs suffer pain with Christ to
do our neighbour good, as well with the body and all his members, as with
heart and mind.
Now I trust you wot what your card meaneth: let us see how that we can
play with the same. Whensoever it shall happen you to go and make your
oblation unto God, ask of yourselves this question, "Who art thou?" The
answer, as you know, is, "I am a christian man." Then you must again ask
unto yourself, What Christ requireth of a christian man? By and by cast
down your trump, your heart, and look first of one card, then of another.
The first card telleth thee, thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not be
angry, thou shalt not be out of patience. This done, thou shalt look if
there be any more cards to take up; and if thou look well, thou shalt see
another card of the same suit, wherein thou shalt know that thou art
bound to reconcile thy neighbour. Then cast thy trump upon them both,
and gather them all three together, and do according to the virtue of thy
cards; and surely thou shalt not lose. Thou shalt first kill the great
Turks, and discomfort and thrust them down. Thou shalt again fetch home
Christ's sheep that thou hast lost; whereby thou mayest go both patiently
and with a quiet mind unto the church, and make thy oblation unto God;
and then, without doubt, he will hear thee.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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