Let the Canons be rehears'd concerning the right beftowing of the Patrimony of Chrift; the Canons which command that the Goods of the Church be fpent not in coftly Building, not in fumptuous Apparel and Pomps, not in Feasting and Banqueting, not in Excefs and Wantonnefs, not in enriching of Kinsfolk, not in keeping of Hounds; but in things profitable and neceffary for the Church. For when St. Augustine the Monk (once Bishop of England) ask'd Pope Gregory, how the Bishops and Prelates in England fhould spend their Goods, which were the Offerings of faithful People; the faid Pope anfwer'd (and his Anfwer is put into the Decrees, cap. 12. quaft. 2.) That the Goods of the Bishops ought to be divided into four parts; whereof one part ought to be for the Bishop and his Houfhold, another to his poorer Clergymen, the third to repair and uphold his Tenements, the fourth to poor People.

Let the Canons be rehears'd (yea and that oftentimes) which take away the Filthinefs and Corruption of your Courts, which take away thofe daily new-found Crafts for Lucre; which effectually pull away this foul Covetoufnefs, which is the Spring and Caufe of all the Evils that we feel, the Fountain of all Iniquity.

Laftly, let thofe Canons and Conftitutions of our Forefathers be renew'd, which concern the Celebration of Coun cils; which appoint Provincial Synods to be oftner us'd for the Reformation of the Church, because there never happens any thing more hurtful to the Church of Chrift than the lack of Councils, both general and provincial.

When these Canons are rehears'd (and fuch others as concern us and the Correction of our Manners) nothing will be lacking, but that the fame be put in execution with all Authority and Power, that once (feeing we have a Law) we live according to the Law. For which things, with all due reverence, I call chiefly upon you Fathers (for this execution of the Canons, and obferving of the Constitutions, muft needs begin at you) that ye may teach us Priests to follow you by lively Examples; or elfe truly it will be faid of you, They lay grievous Burdens upon other Mens Backs, but they themfelves will not as much as touch them with their little Finger, Mat. 23. 4.

For indeed if you keep the Laws, and firft reform your own Lives to the Rules of the Canon-Laws, then fhall ye give us light (in which we may fee what is to be done on our part) that is to fay, the Light of your good Example: And we feeing our Fathers fo keep the Laws, will gladly fol low their steps.

The

The Clergy and Spiritual Men being thus once reform'd in the Church, we may then with a juft Order proceed to the Reformation of the Laity's part: which truly will be very eafily done, if we be firft reform'd our felves. For the Body follows the Soul; and fuch as the Rulers in the City be, fuch are the Inhabitants. Wherefore if Priefts that have the Charge of Souls be good, the People will ftreight be good too. Our Goodness will teach them far more clearly and effectually to be good, than all other Teachings and Preachings whatfoever: Our Goodnefs fhall compel them into the right way, truly more powerfully than all your Sufpenfions, Excommunications, and Curfings.

Wherefore if ye will have the Lay-People to live after your Wish and Will, firft live you your felves after the Will of God; and fo (truft me) ye shall effect in them whatsoever ye

would.

Ye would be obey'd by them; and 'tis fit ye fhould (for thefe are the words of St. Paul to the Lay-People, Heb. 13. 17. Obey them that have rule over you, and submit your felves) But if you will have this Obedience, firft do you perform within your felves that which is the reafon and cause why they ought to obey you, which the faid St. Paul teacheth (and it follows in the Text) viz. Take you beed diligently, as those that must give a reckoning for their Souls; and they will obey you.

Ye would be honour'd of the People; and reafon good (for St. Paul writes to Timothy, that the Priefts who rule well are worthy of double Honour, especially they who labour in the Word and Teaching, 1 Tim. 3. 17.) But if you defire to be honour'd, firft look that you rule well, and that you labour in Word and Teaching and then fhall the People have you in all honour.

You would reap their carnal things, and gather Tithes and Offerings without contention; and it is very fit (for St. Paul writing to the Romans, faith, It is their Duty to minister unto you in carnal things, Rom. 15. 27.) But you ought first to fow your fpiritual things, and then ye fhall reap plentifully their carnal things: For truly that man is very hard and unjuft, who will reap where he never did sow, and defires to gather where he never scatter'd.

Ye would have the Church's Liberty, and not be drawn before fecular Judges, this alfo is reasonable (for it is in the Pfalms, Touch not mine Anointed, Pfal. 105. 15.) But if ye defire this Liberty, firft unloose yourselves from the worldly Bondage, from trucking with the World, and from the vile Services of Men; and lift up your felves to the true Liberty, the fpiritual Liberty of Chrift: Place your Hearts and Affections

upon

upon his Service, which is perfect Freedom. Serve you God, and reign in him; and then (believe me) the People will not touch the Anointed of their Lord God.

Ye would be out of bufinefs, in reft and peace; and that is convenient: But if ye would have Peace, return to the God of Peace and Love. Come again to Chrift (in whom is true Peace, which paffeth all Understanding) come again to your felves, and to your prieftly living. And (to make an end) as St. Paul faith, Be ye reformed by the renewing of your Mind, that ye may favour the things that be of God, and the Peace of God fhall be with you..

Thus have I recited to you (Reverend Fathers, and right Famous Men) the Particulars which I thought fit to be spoke for the Reformation of Ecclefiaftical Affairs. I truft you will take all (out of your Gentleness) in good part. If perad venture it be thought that I have pafs'd my bounds in this Sermon, or have faid any thing out of temper, forgive it me ; and ye fhall forgive a Man fpeaking out of mere Zeal, a Man heartily lamenting the Decay of the Church: and confider the thing it felf, not regarding any Foolishness. Confider the miferable Condition and State of the Church, and endeavour your felves with all your Souls and Abilities to reform it.

Suffer not, Fathers, this your great Convocation to depart in vain; fuffer not this your Congregation to be for no end. Truly ye are gather'd oftentimes together, but (by your favour to fpeak the Truth) I fee not yet what good cometh of your affembling, namely to the Church.

Go ye now in the Spirit that ye have call'd upon, that by the help of it ye may in this your Council find out, decree, and ordain thofe things that may be profitable to the Church, a Praife unto You, and an Honour to God; unto whom be all Honour and Glory now and for ever. Amen.

The

The

LIFE of Dr. COLET.

Written by Erafmus Roterodamus.

The CONTENTS.

S. 1. His Birth and Parentage. 2,3. Hu Wealth, Comeliness, and Studies in feveral Countries. 4. He expounds St. Paul's Epiftles in Oxford; and thereupon, 5. Is made D.-D. and Dean of St. Paul's Church. 6,7. Sir Thomas More's Judgment of him, and fome others, and of a City Life. 8. His Behaviour in God's Houfe and his own. 9. Hu Garments. 10. How he diftributed bis Church-Revenues, and how his own Inheritance. 11, 12, 13. St. Paul's School built, endow'd, and defcrib'd. 14. His Houfe at Richmond. 15, 16, 17, 18. His natural Temper fubdued by Philofophy and Religion. 19-24. His Opinions. 25, &c. His Afflictions.

OHN COLET was born in London, the Son of Henry Coles (Knight, and twice Lord Mayor of that City) and Chrifti an his Wife; who was a Matron of very rare Piety and Chriftian Fortitude, whereof I will give but one Inftance. She had eleven Sons, and as many Daughters of the fame Husband; all which the faw buried, except John who was her Firft-born. God was pleas'd to take Sir Henry away, when fhe was a very old Woman. And when she was fourscore and ten years of age, her Countenance was fo comely and entire, her Behaviour fo cheerful and pleasant, that if you had seen her, you would have faid, fure the never had any Sorrow or any Child bearing in her Life: yet, unless my memory fail much, fhe out-liv'd her Son John. So much Strength of Mind was there even in a Woman, caus'd not by Philofophy or human Learning, but by fincere Piety to God and Truft in Chrift. A fhame for many Men!

§. 2. Lib. xv. Epift. 14. pag. 702. Of these two and twenty Children, John being the eldeft, was according to the Law of England his Father's fole Heir; whereby he muft have inherited a very confiderable Fortune, tho the reft had all lived: but they were all dead when I firft began to know him. And Nature was as indulgent to him as Fortune; for he had a very proper, tall, handfom, and comely Body. In his youn

ger

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ger days he much addicted himself to the Study of Scholaftical Philofophy, and commenc'd in England Mafter of Arts; an Honour due not fo much to his ftanding in the University, as his Knowledg in the seven liberal Sciences: in none whereof he had been then ignorant, in moft of them exquifitely learned. All Tully's Works were as familiar to him as his Epiftles. He had read over Plato and Plotinus fo diligently, that when I heard him fpeak, methought I heard Plato himself talk, lib. 5. ep. 2. pag. 309. c. And he had a Smattering in each part of Mathematicks.

§. 3. Being thus well principled at home, he began to look abroad, and improve his Stock in Foreign Parts. In France he added to his Humanity, what he thought neceffary for the Study of Divinity which then he effectually prosecuted in Italy. Amongft the Antients he was moft taken with Dionyfius, Origen, St. Cyprian, St. Ambrofe, and St. Hierom: but among them all he moft digefted St. Auguftin. And yet he did not fo tie himself to Antiquity, but that (as occafion ferv'd) he fometimes furvey'd Aquinas, Scotus, and other Schoolmen. In a word, he was well vers'd in both Laws, and fingularly read in Hiftory, both Civil and Ecclefiaftical. And because he faw that England had her Dantes and Petrarchs as well as Italy, (who have perform'd the fame here, which they did there) thofe and thefe, he both read and diligently imitated; accommodating thereby his Stile to the Pulpit, and Preaching of the Gospel,

S. 4. After his Return from Italy, he ftaid not, long in Lon don (where his Parents lived) but chofe to live in Oxford, where he publickly (yet freely and without ftipend) expounded St. Paul's Epiftles, being not full thirty years of Age, younger than I was by two or three months. There and then I had the happiness to come firft acquainted with him: For tho at that time he had neither took nor defir'd any Degree in Divinity, yet there was no Doctor whatsoever, either of Theology or Law, no Abbot nor dignify'd Perfon in the whole Univerfity, that did not frequent, and (which is more) take Notes of his Lectures. Which was to be imputed either to Colet's Authority, or their Studioufnefs and Modefty, chufe you whether.

S. 5. But before he left Oxford, they honour'd him with the Degree of Doctor; which he accepted rather to please the Givers than himself. From that University and thefe Sacred Imployments, he was call'd back to London by the Favour of K. Henry VII. who beftow'd upon him the Deanery of St. Paul's, that he might be Prefident of his College, whofe Epiftles and Learning he loved fo well. [He was made both Doctor and Dean, Ann. 1504. l. 10. ep. 8. p. 512.] Of all the Deaneries