The fyrste collection.

FOr a more strengthynge
of these collections / we shall adioyne
vnto this miracle a parable
of our sauiour Christe / whiche
the same euangelist saynt
Luke telleth in this maner.
The sower he saith we~t forth
to sowe his sede / and in the sowyng some part of
his sede fell nigh vnto the high way / and so was
trodden vpo~: and the byrdes of the ayer dyd eate
vp this sede. An other parte fell vpon the stones /
whiche was couered ouer with a litell erthe / and
so the sede did sprowte: but whan it was sprowted /
it myght take no roote for the hardnes and
drynes of ye stones / but anone withered for lacke
of moysture. A thyrde part fell amonge the thornes:
and this sede rooted and rose vp a litell: but
the thornes ouer grewe it / and so dyd suffocate it /
that it myght brynge forthe no frute. The fourth
parte fell vpon the good erthe / and sprowted / and
toke roote / and shote vp / and brought forth great
increase of frute / an hundred folde so moche.
Wha~ our sauiour had spoke this parable / he cried
mightily / sayeng: Qui habet aures audiendi / audiat:
Who that hath the inwarde eares of heryng / let
hym here and marke this parable.
In this parable we shall note. iiij. thynges: and
of them / by the leaue of all myghty god / we shall
gether as many collections.
Of these. iiij. thynges / the fyrst is the sower / ye
seco~de is ye sede / ye thyrde is ye good erthe / ye fourth
is ye great e~creace of frute. All these. iiij. thynges
vnder other names be co~teyned in ye gospell of the
miracle. There our sauiour is redy to take away
the blyndnes of our hartes. Here is he called a sower
of his sede. The multitude there e~structeth ye
blynde ma~ where Iesus of Nazareth is / & enfurmeth
hym in ye doctryne of faith. Here ye same doctrine
is called the sede of the worde of god. That
multytude / which ther~ hath Christ amo~ge them /
here is called the good erthe. There ye multitude
profiteth in merite / by walkyng & nigh approching
vnto our sauiour Christe: here this merite is called
the plenteous encreace of good frute.
Fyrst tha~ as co~cerny~g ye sower / some person myght
here lightly thynke / yt our sauiour was nat fully
circu~spect in tellyng this parable. for here semeth
to want som thyng yt is chiefly necessary for ye ple~teous
e~creace of frute to be had. here is left out vnspoke~
of ye fauorable dispositio~ & influence of ye heuens /
whiche is pri~cipally req~red vnto ye purpose.
For put that ye sede be neuer so good / and ye erthe
neuer so well prepared & ordred / and that ye sower
do his part neuer so moche / yet if the fauorable influence
of the heuens want / all that labour is but
in vayne / there shall no frute arise of that sowyng.
This is a very trouth / I can nat say the co~trary /
these. iiij. thy~ges must nedes be co~curra~t to worke
eche with other / & ioyne to gether in one purpose.
I say / the influence of the heuyns / the diligence
of the sower / the goodnes of the sede / the due preparation
and tyllyng of ye erthe. And albe it that
here is no speciall mention made of the influence
of the heuyns / it is neuer the lesse included. For
whan we knowe who is the sower / we shall well
perceyue he hath all the influence of the heuyns
in his owne hande: and this shall well appere / if
we ioyne the parable & his declaration to gether.
Ioyne I say the parable with the declaration of
the same / and ye shall fynde that this sower / that
is ment here / is very god. And by this reason: the
parable sayth: Exiit / qui seminat seminare seme~ suum:
He that is the very sower hath issued for to sowe
his owne sede. The declaration is / Semen est verbum
dei. This sede is the worde of god. Nowe tha~
if the sede that this sower doth sowe / be the worde
of god/ & this sede whiche he soweth is his veray
owne: It foloweth necessarily that this sower is
very god: And so must he nedes haue in his handes
the holle influence of the heuyns. Wherfore
here nothyng lacketh in this parable. But as for
the bodily heuyns lette them passe: all is spirituall
that is ment here: the heuyns / the influence /
the sower / the sede / the erth / the frute / all is spiritual:
and we must conceyue all this spiritually.
And therfore our sauiour sayd: Qui habet aures
audiendi / audiat: Who that hath the inwarde eares
of spirituall herynge / and spiritual conceyuyng /
he is mete to here and to conceyue this parable.
Fyrste this sower as I haue sayde is the sonne
of god / our sauiour Christe Iesu: and he is ye very
spirituall sonne of this worlde / Qui illuminat omne~
hominem venientem in hunc mundum / That spreadeth
his comfortable beames vpon the soules of men.
He issued out from the bosome of his father / and
came i~ to this worlde purposely to sowe i~ ye hartes
of men the sede of trouth. He it is that soweth his
owne sede. The preachers of this word be nothy~g
els / but as the cophyns and the hoppers / wherin
this sede is couched. Thus saint Augustine sayth
of hym selfe: Ego quid sum / nisi cophinus seminatoris?
What am I sayth he? verily nothyng els but the
cophyne / or the hopper of hym that soweth. The
preacher may well reherse ye wordes of scripture:
but they be nat his wordes / they be the wordes of
Christe. And if our sauiour Christ speke nat within
the preacher / the sede shalbe but caste in vayne.
Therfore saint Paule sayth vnto the Corrinthies
of hym selfe: In me loquitur Christus: Christe sayth
he / speketh within me. Christe that spake in saint
Paule / was the veray sower: and as he spake in
saint Paule / so spake he in ye other blessed fathers /
whiche for their tyme dyd instructe and teache the
people / and minister this sede vnto them. And nat
only Christ dyd sowe this sede by their mouthes:
but also ye spirite of god gaue his gratious influence
vnto this sede by theyr mouthes / in lyke maner.
Wherfore of this spirite our sauiour saythe:
No~ vos estis / qui loquimini / sed spiritus patris vestri / qui

D

4

loquitur in vobis?Ye be nat the speakers he sayth
but ye spirite of your father speaketh within you.
Farther more / bothe this sower & this influe~ce co~tinueth
in ye churche vnto the worldes ende: For ye
sower sayth of hym selfe: Ecce / ego vobiscu~ omnib=9=
diebus vsq~ ad co~summatione~ seculi: Trust assuredly
that I am & shalbe with you vnto the ende of the
worlde. And for ye spirite our sauiour also promest /
that he shuld abyde with ye churche euerlasty~gly /
Vt maneat vobiscu~ in eternu~. This most holy spirite /
whiche is the bountious fontayne of influence of
all graces / after the corporall ascention of our sauiour
vnto the heuens / was se~te downe vpon the
churche / accordyng to the promyse of our sauiour
before made: to thentent that the sowyng of this
sede shulde neuer want the heuenly influence of al
graces.
Nowe than to my purpose / thus farre we be /
ye nowe conceyue I suppose that this spirituall
sower / all be it so that he be corporally asce~ded
vnto his father / yet neuer the lesse he by his godhed
& by the assistence of his grace / hath ben euer
sens veryly presente with his churche / to sowe
there in the sede of his worde. And also the heuenly
influence / that is to saye/ the influence of
the holy gost / is fauorably spred vpo~ the towarde
& well wyllyng hartes / to thentent that this sede
may brynge forthe a plentuous encrease of good
frute / and in this gratious purpose they both / I
say bothe the sower and this holy spirite / haue co~tinued /
and wyll so co~tinue / vnto ye worldis ende.
Who tha~ may dout / but in this lo~ge tyme / whiche
is aboue fyftene hu~dred yeres / the true sede of the
worde of god / that is to say the scriptures of god
haue bene truely taught vnto the people: and the
people hath truely beleued and gyuen true faithe
vnto the same doctryne of the scriptures?
Who is so deuyllysshe / that maye thynke that
our sauiour Christe / the whiche so derely beloued
his churche / that for the weale of hit / wolde suffre
so bytter / so villaynous / so horrible a dethe /
and shede his mooste precious blode in the crosse /
to prepare the hartes of his people for the receyuyng
of this sede? I saye who may thynke / that
euer he / that dyd so moche for vs / wolde breake
his promyse vnto vs? And if he haue nat broke
his promyse: than hath he ben with his churche
all this longe tyme of fyftene hu~dred yeres: and
hath sowen the trewe sede of his worde: and his
moste holy spirite also hath bene al this tyme present
in the churche: and hath gyuen vnto the towarde
hartes his gratious influence / both to receyue
this sede / and also to brynge forthe plentuous
frute.
Nowe than / if this sede were thus truely sowen:
than wolde I lerne / who were the mynysters
of this trewe sede? Who but the preachers
of this worde: I say the holy doctours / whiche
taughte the people: and to whome by the holy
spirite was commysedde the gouernaunce of the

D.ij.

flocke of Christe / as saynt Paule sayth in ye Actis
of the Apostles: Attendite vobis / et vniuerso gregi / in
quo vos spiritus sanctus posuit episcopos / ad rege~dam ecclesiam
dei / quam acquesiuit sanguine suo: Take hede vnto
your selfe / & to the holle flocke of Christe / where
the spirite of god hath ordeyned you bisshoppes /
to gouerne his churche: the whiche he so derely
purchased by his owne moste precious bloode. Ye
herde in the tellyng of the miracle / howe the fyrste
meane for the blynde man to come vnto his sight
was heryng. For as saynt Paule saythe: Fides ex
auditu: Faith cometh by heryng: by the preaching
of the holy doctours the people herde the worde of
god / & beleued it. For as saint Paule sayth: Quomodo
credent ei / de quo non audierunt? Howe shall the
people beleue / if they here nat? Et quomodo audient
sine predicante? And howe shall they here without
it be preached vnto them? This is than the ordre
and the holle cheane: the blyndenes of our hartes
can nat be put a way / but by true faith: true faith
can nat be gotten / but by herynge of this worde.
The heryng of this worde shal nat be had / but by
the meanes of preachynge: preachynge can nat
be ministred without the preacher: the preacher
can nat profitte / oneles Christe Iesu whiche is
the veray sower speke within hym: and also the
spirite of Christe gyue his influence vnto ye same.