Matthewe. 9.

37 Then saide he to his disciples, Surely the haruest is great, but the labourers are fewe. 38 Wherefore pray the Lord of the haruest, that he woulde sende labourers foorth into his haruest.

CHrist our Sauiour, after he
was baptized by Iohn and
tempted by Satan in the wildernesse,
began to execute the
Commission whereunto his
father had sent him, chose vnto
himselfe a nomber of disciples to be at his commandement,
& so tooke his progresse through a
great part of the countrey. In the meane way,
in euery place where he came, he taught the
people that the kingdome of God was come amongest
the~: he healed their diseases: wrought
strange miracles before their eies: & gaue many
singular and euident tokens of his comming.
But specially, he behelde in what state the
poore people stoode, touching their readines in
receiuing Gods trueth, in al the country where
he had bene: and therefore at ye end of his circuit,
he was moued wt pitie, & said, he saw the~ in most
woful case, forsaken and lost, as if they had bene
a flocke of sheepe without a heard: and that not
through their owne malice, but through the wilful
blindnesse and negligence of them that were
set to guide them.
Sheepe as Aristotle and Plinie write of
them are a simple kinde of cattel, profitable to
many vses, ready to receiue al maner wrongs,
without skil, to helpe or succour it selfe: it coueteth
to breake out of the folde or close, if it may
espie any hole open, it strayeth and wandreth abroade,
many times hangeth in the briers, many
times is taken vp by the Wolfe: it is euer in
daunger of the winde and raine, yea, of the very
grasse and water it liueth by, and thereof is infected
ofte~times with a nomber of maladies: so
that the health and safetie of the sheepe, resteth
onely in the care and diligence of the shepheard.
To such a kinde of cattel are the people likened.
Christ saith not, they were like vnruly sheepe,
that would not be guided by their heard: but he
saith, They were like poore lost sheepe, that had
no heard at all. For, the people of themselfe were
not vnwilling to receiue the Gospel: but there
was none to instruct them. And for that, he addeth
an other similitude, to declare the same, and
sayeth, The haruest in deede is great, but the
workemen are but few: the corne is ripe, & ready
to be cut, but there lacke hands to fetch it in.
The comming of these times was promised
long afore, euen from the first creation of mankinde,
but the perfourmance thereof at the first
was darke, and as it were wrapt vp, and hid in a
cloude, and like corne buried in the ground.
After, it was somewhat more cleerely set
forth in the lawe giuen by Moses. After that, it
was reuiued by the Prophetes, and in maner
plainely, in what place, at what time, of what
mother, of what house or stocke Christ should be
borne: what doctrine he should teache, what miracles
he shoulde worke, what death he shoulde
die, howe he should be buryed, howe he shoulde
arise, howe he should ascend into heauen, howe
the heathens should be called to beleeue in him,
howe the holy Ghost should be sent, and to conclude,
howe Christ shoulde come at the last, to
iudge the worlde. After that came Saint Iohn
the Baptist, to point out Christ plainely with his
finger, and to say, Ecce agnus Dei, qui tollit peccata
mundi, Behold the lambe of God, that taketh
away the sinnes of the worlde.
Last of al, Christ himselfe began to preache
and prophecie of himselfe, and to gather vnto
him a chosen people, that shoulde be folowers of
good workes. Then was the accomplishment
and fulnesse of time come to passe, that had so
long bene looked for: then the kingdome of
God began to suffer violence, and men violently
euen by force, brake in vpon it: then the corne
sowed and cast into the ground by the patriarks
long before, and watered & cherished by the dew
of the Prophets, was ripened and kerned by the
spirit of God: then was the haruest great, and
the eares white, euen ready to be cut.
Yet this notwithstanding, Christ sayeth, the
haruest men are but fewe. He saieth not, the haruest
is great, and there are but fewe Scribes, but
few Pharisees, but few Sadduces, but few priests,
but fewe Leuites: For the priestes and Leuites
were distributed through the whole country. In
euery litle towne or borough there was a colledge,
& as one of their Rabbines recordeth, in ye
citie of Hierusalem there were no lesse then 400
schooles: so that the no~ber was almost infinite.
Moreouer, they vsed commonly to say, as it
is reported by the Prophet Ieremie,Non peribit
Lex a sacerdote, nec consilium a sapiente, nec
sermo a Propheta. It can not bee that the true
vnderstanding of the Lawe shoulde be taken
from the Priest, nor good counsel fro~ the wise,
nor the word from the Prophet. They read and
expounded the Lawe to the people euery day:
they had their dayly sacrifice, and whensoeuer
the oxe, or calfe, or sheepe, or goate was slayne,
and offered vnto God, as then the maner was,
the priest for his share had the breastlet that couereth
the heart, in token, as Origen writeth, that
the priest should be a man of counsel. He had also
appointed to him ye right shoulder, & the tongue,
in token that he should be pro~pt & ready in good
workes, and eloquent to declare the law of God.
The Bishop had euermore before his breast a
tablet, wherein was embrodered in letters of
golde, Vrim, and Thumim: in token that he
should be a man both perfect in life, and also ful
and plenteous in the trueth of God. In the same
were set twelue stones, and therein grauen the
names of the twelue tribes of the people, that he
might haue them euermore in remembra~ce. The
skirtes or hemmes of his roabes were set with
belles of gold, and pomegranates: in token that
his life should giue a good sauour, and his voice
should ring, and be heard among the people.
The Phariseis had certaine special poyntes,
and sentences of the Lawe written round about
in the borders of their garmentes, that it might
neuer be out of their eyes: they prayed, no men
more, and that in euery corner of the streetes:
they fasted twise euery weeke: the bed that they
laye vpon, as Epiphanius writeth, was but a
spanne broade, & yet, that they might sleepe with
lesse ease, they strowed thornes vnderneath the~.
Briefely, al their life in appearance was such, &
all their apparel and behauiour so seemely and
decent, that if a man would paint out wisdome,
sobrietie, and perfect holinesse, he could haue no
better paterne. And therefore, they were called
Pharisæi, that is, diuided, as men in holines and
perfection of life farre passing all the rest of the
people.
Yet for al this, notwithstanding their great
shewe of wisedome, of learning, of perfection of
life, & the great multitude of them, Christ saieth
there were fewe workemen to go to the haruest.
For, They did prophecie out of their owne
heartes, they did not rise vp in the gappes, nor
made vp the hedge for the house of Israel to
stande in the battaile in the day of the Lorde:
they haue seene vanitie, and lying diuination,
saying, the Lord saith it, and the Lord hath not
sent them: and they haue made others to hope
that they would confirme the wordes of their
prophecie, saith Ezechiel.
No, contrariwise, these that should haue bene
the chiefe haruest men, were the wasters and destroyers
of the haruest. My people sayeth God
hath bene as lost sheepe: their shepherds haue
caused them to go astray, & haue turned them
away to the mountaines. Christ telleth the
Pharisees, they haue made his fathers house a
denne of theeues. He speaketh thus of them, All
that euer came before mee, are theeues and
robbers. Notwithstanding their stoute learning
and shew of holinesse, they were nothing els but
theeues & robbers: they did robbe mens soules,
they stale the sheepe out of the folde, they spoiled
God of his glory.
When they sawe the people followe thicke
after Christ, and to haue him in reuerence, they
cryed out, none of the princes and great holy
learned men beleeue in him, but these rascals,
that thus runne after him, are accursed, & ignorant,
and knew not the law. The vnlearned sort
said of Christ, he casteth out vncleane spirits by ye
power of God: the great learned men said, no, he
throweth out deuils by ye power of Beelzebub ye
prince of ye deuils. The vnlearned marueiled, &
were astonied at ye wonderful works that he did:
the learned saide, he hath a deuil, he is out of his
wittes. The vnlearned sayde, no doubt a great
Prophet is risen amongst vs: the learned sayd,
He deceiueth the people. The vnlearned sayde,
God hath visited, and sent comfort amongst his
people: the learned said, Behold a glutton, and a
companion of Publicanes & sinners. The great
learned shepherds persequuted Christ, & chased
him from place to place: the poore sheepe folowed
him into the desert. They that were the guyders
of the flocke, crucified Christ, and shed his
blood: the poore flocke set their whole affiance
in his death, and so dranke his blood to the reliefe
of their soules, they beleeued in him, they
knew the time of their visitation.
And therefore, notwithstanding there were
grosse & damnable errours amongst the people,
as wel as amo~gst the learned: yet Christ chalenged
not the people for them, but only ye priests &
the Pharisees that tooke vpon them to leade the
people: for that he saw the Pharisees and priests
offended euen of malice, & the poore people only
of ignorance and simplicitie. Woe be vnto you

7

Scribes & Pharisees, that haue taken away the
keyes, & shut vp the kingdome of God before
the people, and neither wil you enter in your
selues, nor suffer others yt would gladly enter.
But, as for the people, he had compassion on
them, for that he sawe they were forsaken, and
perished euen as sheepe without a hearde: that
they had a certaine zeale of God, although not
according to knowledge: that they fell into the
pitte, not of wilful malice, but onely because
they followed the blinde guydes, that fel before
them: that they were Gods haruest, and lay abroade,
and were lost, and no man would take the
paines to fetch them in.
Saint Paul was not onely lead away by ignorance,
but also was a most earnest persequuter
of the Church of Christ, yet was he a portion of
Gods haruest. And therefore as soone as God
had striken him downe from his horse, he knewe
he had done amisse, and cryed out, Lorde, what
wilt thou that I do? And after, he writeth of him
selfe, God hath had mercy, and taken mee to his
grace, because I knew not what I did.
Many there were that cried out vpon Christ,
crucifie him, crucifie him: & after, when he hong
vpon the crosse, nodded their heads vpon him, &
made mowes at him, & did him al maner of spite
& vilanie, & yet pertained they to Gods haruest,
and afterwarde, as it is credible, were crucified
for him, & shed their blood for him themselues.
Euen so are there, euen at this time, many that
of ignorance persequute the Gospel of Christ, &
as it were crucifie Christ againe: which if they
felt in deede, that it were the Gospel of God,
they would not so litle regard their owne saluation.
God make them to be of his haruest, and
send out labourers to fetch them in.
Whensoeuer we begin to feele a lacke within
our selues, and can suffer our selues to be infourmed,
and taught by the Spirit of God, then
may we be assured God wil take vs for his haruest.
Plato the olde Philosopher imagineth, that
the god Loue was borne of the Lady NoValue, that
is to say, Madame lacke or necessitie. For, no
man loueth a thing, before hee feele himselfe
stande in neede of it: so, loue is the childe, and
lacke or neede is the mother.
Saint Augustine writeth of himselfe, that before
he became christened, a friende of his offred
him the Scripture to looke vpon: but he, after
he had read a litle, because he felt in himselfe no
lacke of it, he despised it, and flong it from him.
Afterwarde he beganne to finde much follie in
himselfe, and because he could see no redresse, he
fel to weeping and prayer. In the middest of his
mourning and groning, he heard a voyce,
Tolle,
lege: tolle, lege. Take vp, and reade: take vp, and
reade. He marueiled much what it should be. At
the last, hee tooke vp a booke that lay by him of
Paules epistles, and the first wordes that he set
his eyes vpon, were these, Induimini Dominum
Iesum Christu~, Put ye on the Lord Iesus Christ.
S. Hierome writing vpon the prophet Nahum,
sayth, In aduentu Messiæ, populus qui fuerat consopitus
sub magistris, excitabitur, & ibit ad montes
Scripturaru~. What time Messias shal come,
the people that were lulled a sleepe in ignorance
by such as shoulde haue bene their teachers,
shal awake, and get them forth to the
mountaines of the Scriptures.
And Chrisostome vpon the Genesis, Si desit ministeriu~
hominis, ipse Dominus superne illustrabit
mentem nostra~. If the ministerie of man be wanting,
the Lord himselfe wil lighten our minde
from aboue. And Christ in ye Gospel of S. Iohn,
saith, My sheepe heare my voyce, & folow me,
& they wil not folow a stranger, but flie from
him. And to conclude, whosoeuer feeleth a lacke
within himselfe, and can suffer himselfe to be enformed
& taught by the spirit of God, he may be
assured, God wil take him for his haruest. Thus
was the haruest great, the laborers very few, the
scatterers & wasters, almost infinite. This was
the state of the Church at the co~ming of Christ.
Euen likewise in these our dayes, Christ our
sauiour hath gone abroad in progresse, and done
marueilous cures, & shewed strange miracles amo~g
his people, & hath caused his gospel to ring
throughout the world. And as he said then, eue~ so
may it now be said, Messis multa, The haruest is

L.i.

great, and marueilous forward: yea, euen there
where as no worldly hope of haruest could haue
bene. Many there are that hunger & thirst after
the kingdome of God, which is the knowledge
of his Gospel: many that are yet greene & ignorant,
many that lie by the way side, and yet haue
gathered no roote, many that as yet are but
tares and darnel, I meane, blinde and obstinate,
but when Gods holy wil shalbe, may be turned
into good corne, and pertaine to his haruest.
But ye laborers are few. I say not, there be but
few Cardinals, few bishops, few priests yt should
be preachers, few Archdeacons, few Cha~celors,
few Deanes, few prebendaries, few vicars, few
parish priestes, few monkes, few friars: For the
nomber of these is almost infinite. Gregorie Nazianzene
in his time, complained at the multitude
of priestes, and sayd, they were almost as
many as the rest of the people.
And Iustinian the emperour in his time, was
faine to restraine ye no~ber of them, & to giue co~mandement,
that in one cathedral Church there
should neuer be aboue 60. priests, & 100. deaco~s.
The like order was take~ in a general cou~cel, for
the abating of the multitude of monks, & friers.
And in the booke called opus tripartitum, ioyned
to the council of Laterane these words were
written, Totus fere mundus obloquitur, & scandalizatur
de multitudine religiosorum pauperu~, qui
introierunt in mundum, qui non iam religiosi, sed

11

trutannij vocantur. Welneare the whole world
crieth against, & is offended at the great multitude
of begging monks & friars, which are entred
into the world, & now for their behauiour,
are called not religious men, but varlets. These
be the wordes of the Councel.
The nomber of these is great: but alas, the
nomber of labourers is very smal. And yet they
giue a shewe to the worlde, that they be pastours
and feeders of the flocke, that they be the fathers
of the people, that they be the teachers of the
multitude, that they be the labourers in the haruest,
that the whole Catholique Church stayeth
altogether vpon them.
They giue the Bishoppe of Rome these titles,
that he is the onely key of Christian faith, that
hee is greater then the Apostles, for that they
could erre, and he cannot: they say, he is Christs
Uicare, whereas in deede to any mans sight,
Christ may be contented to be his Uicar. They
say, he is no bare man, but a god, as it is written
in the Decretalles, of Nicolas the Pope, and
many other the like, which I leaue.
The Pope calleth the Cardinalles, Cardines
mundi, &c. The very hookes and stayes of the
worlde, vpon whom the doores of the church
militant must be turned. Another saieth: As a
doore turneth vpo~ the hooke, euen so ye church of
Rome, is ruled by the Cardinals. Therfore they
haue pillars & pollaxes caried afore the~, in token

L.ii.

that they be the pillars and staies of the Church:
and pollaxes, to beate downe al euil doctrine.
And what shal I speake of bishops? their clouen
miter signifieth perfect knowledge of the
new testament and the old. Their crosiars staffe,
signifieth dilige~ce in atte~ding ye flock of Christ.
Their purple bootes & sandales, signifie, yt they
should euer be booted, & ready to go abroad thorough
thicke & thinne, to teach the Gospel. And
thereto they apply ye words of ye prophet, Quam
speciosi pedes euangelizantiu~ pacem, euangelizantium
bona? How beautiful are the feete of them
which bring glad tidi~gs of peace, which bring
glad tidings of good things? But alas, in what
kind of thing do they beare the~selues for bishops.
These mistical titles & shewes are not inough
to fetch in the Lords haruest: they are garments,
more meete for players, then for good laborers.
S. Bernard writeth thus to Eugenius ye bishop
of Rome, who sometime had bene his scholar,
Thou which art the shepherde, iettest vp and
downe shining in golde, & gorgeously attired:
but what get thy sheepe? If I durst speake it,
these thinges are not the fodder for Christes
sheepe, but for deuils. Whatsoeuer apparell
they haue vpon them, vnlesse they will fall to
worke, Christ wil not know them for labourers.
How then can the bishop of Rome be take~ for
ye chiefe pastor of Christ, which these 900. yeres
hath not opened his mouth to feede the flocke?
These 900. yeres, I say, since Gregorie the first
of that name, it can hardly be found, that euer any
bishop of Rome was seene in a pulpit. One of
themselues, Adrianus 4. a bishop of Rome, was
wont to say, Succedimus non Petro in docendo,
sed Romulo in parricidio. We succeede not Peter
in teaching, but Romulus in murthering.
And in a canon of the Apostles it is decreed,
that ye bishop that teacheth not his flocke, should
be deposed. To which purpose they alleadge S.
Augustine: Episcopatus, nomen est operis, no~ honoris:
vt intelligat se non esse Episcopu~, qui vult præesse,
no~ prodesse. A Bishops office is a name of labour,
not a name of honour: that he which coueteth
the place of preeminence, & hath not a
desire to doe good, may knowe he is not a Bishop.
Thus saith Origen, thus saith Chrisostome,
thus say diuers others of the old fathers, whome
it were long, & needelesse to rehearse. Multi sacerdotes,
pauci sacerdotes, saith Chrisostome: multi
nomine, pauci opere. There are many priestes,
& fewe priests: many that beare the name, but
fewe that be priests in deede. Thus the haruest
is great & plenteous, but ye laborers are but few.
The labourers are but few, but ye destroyers &
wasters are exceeding many: yea, such as should
be the haruest men, most of al destroy the corne.
I wil not here report that I am wel able, that
your eies haue seene, and that many of you haue
felt: the state of our time hath bene such. Saint

L.iii.

Bernard saw it in his time, & therfore saith,
Omnes
amici, & omnes inimici: omnes necessarij, &
omnes aduersarij.
Al are friendes, and al are enemies:
all are helpers, and al are aduersaries, or
hinderers. Againe,
Heu, heu, Domine Deus, ipsi
sunt in persequutione tua primi, qui vide~tur in ecclesia
tua primatum diligere, gerere principatum.
Alas, alas, O Lord God, they are the chiefest in
persecuting thee, that seeme to loue the highest
roomes, and to beare rule in thy Church.
The time being so short as it is appointed me,
wil not suffer me to speake of the~ that eue~ now
hinder Gods haruest: & being such me~ as should
stay the people, as much as they may do by their
exa~ple, disquiet & disturbe the~ y withstand at this
time, & resist your graces doings, not in dark or
doubtful matters, wherin somthing may be said
on both sides, but in such thi~gs, as they the~selues
do know were appointed by Christ, published by
ye Apostles, receiued by ye old doctours, & vsed &
frequented in ye primitiue & catholique Church.
Why then wil they not receiue them? Christ
himselfe giueth the reason: Quia dilexerunt magis
gloria~ hominum, quam gloriam Dei. Because
they loued the praise of men, more then the
praise of God. They know they should danger
their credit, if they should once againe turne.
Why would not the Pharisees suffer ye people
to beleeue in Christ? Cyrillus maketh answere,
Quia quicquid Christo credentium accesserit, sibi
detractum putabant. This was the cause saith he,
for that they thought, how many soeuer faithful
came vnto Christ, so many were lost from
the~. And therefore they had leuer keepe ye traditions
of their elders, then hazard their estimation.
And Chrisostome vpon the same matter, saith,
Cum timerent ne principatum amitterent, ceu legu~
latores, vt maiores esse viderentur, multa innouabant,
quæ res ad tantam peruenit nequitiam, vt
præcepta sua custodire~t magis qua~ mandata Dei.
Lest they should lose their authoritie, as if they
had bene law makers, men able to stablish and
ordeine lawes, to the ende they might seeme
greater, they altered much, which thing in the
end grew to such a wickednes, that they kept
their owne commandementes more then the
commandements of God. Thus euen now the
Lordes haruest is great, the labourers fewe, and
the destroyers and hinderers aboue nomber.
O lift vp your eies, & co~sider how the hearts of
your poore brethre~ lie waste, without instructio~,
without knowledge, without ye food of life, without
ye co~fort of Gods word, such a miserie as neuer
was seene amo~g heathe~s. The Turks haue
teachers sufficient for their people, the Iewes,
albeit they haue no stayed countrey, but liue in
banishment, and wander about, yet haue they
their teachers: the Christians which this day
liue in India, Æthiopia, Barbarie, Mooreland,
and other places vnder the persequution of heathen
princes, yet haue their instructours in true

L.iiii.

religion. The Christians in old time, when they
liued vnder tyrants, and were dayly put to most
shameful death, & were hated, & despised of al the
worlde, yet neuer lacked ministers to instruct
them. It is therfore most lamentable, that Christians
liuing vnder a Christian prince, in ye peace
& libertie of the gospel, should lacke learned ministers
to teache them, and instruct them in the
worde of God: this is the greatest plague, that
God doeth end vpon any people.
Contrariwise, the greatest blessing which any
people ca~ receiue at Gods hands, is to haue prophets
& preachers, by who~ they may be instructed.
When ye Prophet declareth ye mercy of God
towardes Israel, yt he would put an end to their
afflictions, & bring them home againe from Babylon,
he saith thus, Behold saith the Lord I wil
send out many fishers, & they shal fish the~. In
the like sort saith Esai, How beautiful vpon the
mou~taines are the feete of him, that declareth
and publisheth peace? that declareth good tidings,
& publisheth saluation, saying vnto Sion,
thy God reigneth? The voice of thy watchmen
shalbe heard: they shal lift vp their voyce, and
shoute together. And Baruch: Nor the Agarens
that sought after wisdome vpon the earth, nor
the marcha~ts of Nerran & Theman, nor the expou~ders
of fables, nor the searchers out of wisdome,
haue knowe~ the way of wisdome. There
were the giants, famous fro~ the beginning, that

17

were of so great stature, & so expert in warre.
Those did not the Lord chuse, neither gaue he
the way of knowledge vnto the~, but they were
destroyed because thy had no wisdom, & perished
through their owne foolishnes. He hath
found out all the way of knowledge, and hath
giuen it vnto Iacob his seruant, and to Israel his
beloued. And againe, O Israel, we are blessed:
for the thinges that are acceptable to God, are
declared vnto vs. He hath not dealt so with euery
nation, neither haue they knowledge of
his iudgements, saith the Prophet Dauid.
But when God taketh away his ministers
which should preach peace, & open vnto the people
the will of God, & make knowen his iudgements,
it is a token yt God is highly displeased
with his people. Where there is no vision, the
people decay: they know not what to beleue.
Of this miserie speaketh Ieremie, The yong
children aske bread, but no man breaketh it
vnto them. Of this speaketh Esay, The poore
and needie seeketh water, and there is none.
They woulde haue some counsell, some comforte,
and there is no man to giue it them.
My sheepe wandered sayeth God through
all the mountaines, and on euery high hil: yea,
my flocke was scattered through all the whole
earth, and none did seeke or search after them.
They were full of diseases, they were pined for
hunger, and taken vp by the wolfe, but none
had care to deliuer them.
In such state as the flocke is in, which hath
no shepherde: or the shippe which is tossed by
the tempestes amiddes the surges and rockes
of the Sea, and hath no skilfull Pilote to
guide it: or the yong sucking childe, that hath
no nource to feede it: euen in such state are
your soules, if you haue not the ministerie of
Gods worde abiding with you. You are children,
the Preacher is your nource: you are
a Shippe in daunger of many wreckes through
the boysterous tempestes of this worlde, the
Preacher is your Pilote to guide you safely
towardes the hauen of rest: you are the flocke,
the Preacher leadeth you from daungerous
places, to feede vpon the wholesome pastures
of Gods holy worde. Who so euer they be
which reioyce not in the increase of the Lordes
haruest, he forsaketh them, and leaueth them
comfortlesse, and giueth them fewe or no labourers.
Wherefore pray the Lorde of the haruest,
that he would sende foorth labourers into his
haruest. It is the Lorde which casteth the first
seede into the earth, which doeth moisten the
ground, and maketh it fruitful, and giueth forth
his sunne, that it may come to ripening. All
the soile, fielde, corne, and the husbandrie thereof
is the Lordes. Let vs pray to him to send foorth
labourers to trauaile and take paines.
Notwithstanding we ought to pray to God,
that he will stirre vp and set foorth men to instruct
his people: yet that nothing embarreth ye
authoritie of princes. For, as God calleth him
inwardly in the heart, whome he wil haue to be
a minister of his word: so must he be authorized
of his Prince by outward and ciuill calling, as
I coulde shewe at large, if time would suffer it.
So Salomon the king deposed Abiathar the
high priest, and set vp Sadoc. So Iustinian deposed
two bishops of Rome, Siluerius & Vigilius,
& authorized others. And the same Iustinian
was wont to say, that he had no lesse regarde to
the Church of God, then he had to his owne
soule. So Constantinus, Valentinianus & Theodosius
called them selues Vasallos Christi, The
vasalles of Christ. And Socrates in his storie
saith, We haue also herein comprised the Emperors
liues, for that sithence the Emperours
were first christened, the affaires of the Church
haue depended of the~, & the greatest counsels
both haue bene, and are kept by their aduise.
It pertaineth therefore also to kings and Princes
to sende out labourers into the haruest.
Labourers they must be, and not loyterers.
For Christ compareth the teaching of his people
to thinges that be of great labour, as to
plowing and fallowing of the grounde, to
planting of a vine, to rearing of a house, to
threshing of corne, to feeding of sheepe, to leading
of an hoste, and keeping of warre: in
which thinges is required much diligence and
labour.