Sermons on the Card | Page 6

joy; and by him, and in
him, again we lost the same.
The heirs of the captain of Calais could not by any manner of claim ask
of the king the right and title of their father in the thousand pounds of
possessions, by reason the king might answer and say unto them, that
although their father deserved not of himself to enjoy so great
possessions, yet he deserved by himself to lose them, and greater,
committing so high treason, as he did, against his prince's
commandments; whereby he had no wrong to lose his title, but was
unworthy to have the same, and had therein true justice. Let not you
think, which be his heirs, that if he had justice to lose his possessions,
you have wrong to lose the same. In the same manner it may be
answered unto all men and women now being, that if our father Adam

had true justice to be excluded from his possession of everlasting glory
in paradise, let us not think the contrary that be his heirs, but that we
have no wrong in losing also the same; yea, we have true justice and
right. Then in what miserable estate we be, that of the right and just
title of our own deserts have lost the everlasting joy, and claim of
ourselves to be true inheritors of hell! For he that committeth deadly sin
willingly, bindeth himself to be inheritor of everlasting pain: and so did
our forefather Adam willingly eat of the apple forbidden. Wherefore he
was cast out of the everlasting joy in paradise into this corrupt world,
amongst all vileness, whereby of himself he was not worthy to do any
thing laudable or pleasant to God, evermore bound to corrupt affections
and beastly appetites, transformed into the most uncleanest and
variablest nature that was made under heaven; of whose seed and
disposition all the world is lineally descended, insomuch that this evil
nature is so fused and shed from one into another, that at this day there
is no man nor woman living that can of themselves wash away this
abominable vileness: and so we must needs grant of ourselves to be in
like displeasure unto God, as our forefather Adam was. By reason
hereof as I said, we be of ourselves the very children of the indignation
and vengeance of God, the true inheritors of hell, and working all
towards hell: which is the answer to this question, made to every man
and woman, by themselves, "Who art thou?"
And now, the world standing in this damnable state, cometh in the
occasion of the incarnation of Christ. The Father in heaven, perceiving
the frail nature of man, that he, by himself and of himself, could do
nothing for himself, by his prudent wisdom sent down the second
person in Trinity, his Son Jesus Christ, to declare unto man his pleasure
and commandment: and so, at the Father's will, Christ took on him
human nature, being willing to deliver man out of this miserable way,
and was content to suffer cruel passion in shedding his blood for all
mankind; and so left behind for our safeguard laws and ordinances, to
keep us always in the right path unto everlasting life, as the evangelists,
the sacraments, the commandments, and so forth: which, if we do keep
and observe according to our profession, we shall answer better unto
this question, "Who art thou?" than we did before. For before thou didst
enter into the sacrament of baptism, thou wert but a natural man, a

natural woman; as I might say, a man, a woman: but after thou takest
on thee Christ's religion, thou hast a longer name; for then thou art a
christian man, a christian woman. Now then, seeing thou art a christian
man, what shall be thy answer of this question, "Who art thou?"
The answer of this question is, when I ask it unto myself, I must say
that I am a christian man, a christian woman, the child of everlasting
joy, through the merits of the bitter passion of Christ. This is a joyful
answer. Here we may see how much we be bound and in danger unto
God, that hath revived us from death to life, and saved us that were
damned: which great benefit we cannot well consider, unless we do
remember what we were of ourselves before we meddled with him or
his laws; and the more we know our feeble nature, and set less by it, the
more we shall conceive and know in our hearts what God hath done for
us; and the more we know what God hath done for us, the less we shall
set by ourselves, and the more we shall love and please God: so that in
no condition