hear, what Christ's holy Apostles do write: Let not the 1 Pet.. outward apparel of women, saith St. Peter, be decked with the braiding of hair, with wrapping on of gold, or goodly clothing: but let the mind and the conscience, which is not seen with the eyes, be pure and clean; that is, saith he, an acceptable and an excellent thing before God. For so the old ancient holy women attired themselves, and were obedient to their husbands. And St. Paul saith, that women should 1 Tim. A. apparel themselves with shamefacedness and soberness, and not with braids of their hair, or gold, or pearl, or precious clothes, but as women should do, which will express godliness by their good outward works. If ye will not keep the Apostles' precepts, at the least let us hear what Pagans, which were ignorant of Christ, have said in this matter: Democrates saith, "The ornament of a woman standeth in scarcity of speech and apparel." Sophocles saith of such apparel thus: "It is not an ornament, O thou fool, but a shame and a manifest show of thy folly." Socrates saith, "That that is a garnishing to a woman which declareth out her honesty." The Grecians use it in a proverb," It is not gold or pearl, which is a beauty to a woman, but good conditions."

And Aristotle biddeth that a woman should use less apparel than the law doth suffer. For it is not the goodliness of apparel, nor the excellency of beauty, nor the abundance of gold, that maketh a woman to be esteemed, but modesty, and diligence to live honestly in all things. This outrageous vanity is now grown so far, that there is no shame taken of it. We read in histories, that when King Dionysius sent to the women of Lacedæmon rich robes, they answered and said, that they shall do us more shame than honour; and therefore refused them. The women in Rome in old time abhorred that gay apparel which King Pyrrhus sent to them, and none were so greedy and vain to accept them. And a law was openly made of the senate, and a long time observed, that no woman should wear over half an ounce of gold, nor should wear clothes of divers colours. But perchance some dainty dame will say and answer me, that they must do something to show their birth and blood, to show their husband's riches: as though nobility were chiefly seen by these things, which be common to those which be most vile; as though thy husband's riches were not better bestowed than in such superfluities; as though, when thou wast christened, thou didst not renounce the pride of this world, and the pomp of the flesh. I speak not against

convenient apparel for every state agreeable, but against the superfluity, against the vain delight to covet such vanities, to devise new fashions to feed thy pride with, to spend so much upon thy carcase, that thou and thy husband are compelled to rob the poor, to maintain thy costliness. Hear how that noble holy woman Queen Esther setteth out these goodly ornaments, (as they be called) when (in respect of saving God's people) she was compelled to put on such glorious apparel, knowing that it was a fit stale to blind the eyes of carnal fools. Thus she prayed: Thou knowest, O Lord, the necessity, which I am driven to, to put on this apparel, and that I abhor this sign of pride and of this glory which I bear on my head, and that I defy it as a filthy cloth, and that I wear it not when I am alone. Again, by what means was Holofernes deceived by the glittering show of apparel, which that holy woman Judith did put on her, not as delighting in them, nor seeking vain voluptuous pleasure by them? But she ware it of pure necessity by God's dispensation, using this vanity to overcome the vain eyes of God's enemy. Such desire was in those noble women, being very loth and unwilling otherwise to wear such sumptuous apparel, by the which others should be caused to forget themselves. These be commended in Scripture for abhorring such vanities, which by constraint and great necessity, against their heart's desire, they were compelled to wear them for a time. And shall such women be worthy commendations, which neither be comparable with these women aforesaid in nobility, nor comparable to them in their good zeal to God and his people, whose daily delight and seeking is to flourish in such gay shifts and changes, never satisfied, nor regarding who smarteth for their apparel, so they may come by it? O vain men, which be subjects to their wives in these inordinate affections! O vain women, to procure so much hurt to themselves, by the which they come the sooner to misery in this world, and in the mean time be abhorred of God, hated and scorned of wise men, and in the end like to be joined with such, who in hell, too late repenting themselves, shall openly complain with these words: What hath our pride profited us? Or what profit hath the pomp of riches brought us? All these things are passed away like a shadow. As for virtue, we did never show any sign thereof: and thus we are consumed in our wickedness. If thou sayest that the custom is to be followed, and the use of the world doth compel thee to such curiosity; then I ask of thee, whose custom

should be followed? wise folks' manners, or fools? If thou sayest the wise; then I say, follow them; for fools' customs, who should follow but fools? Consider that the consent of wise men ought to be alleged for a custom. Now if any lewd custom be used, be thou the first to break it, labour to diminish it and lay it down: and more laud before God, and more commendation shalt thou win by it, than by all the glory of such superfluity.

Thus ye have heard declared unto you, what God requireth by his word concerning the moderate use of his creatures. Let us learn to use them moderately, as he hath appointed. Almighty God hath taught us to what end and purpose we should use our apparel. Let us therefore learn so to behave ourselves in the use thereof, as becometh Christians, always showing ourselves thankful to our heavenly Father for his great and merciful benefits, who giveth unto us our daily bread, that is to say, all things necessary for this our needy life: unto whom we shall render accounts for all his benefits, at the glorious appearing of our Saviour Christ: to whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost, be all honour, praise, and glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

Romh. x.

Matt. Vi

I'sal. I.

Matt. vii.

SERMON

Concerning Prayer.

HERE is nothing in all man's life, well beloved in

THER

our Saviour Christ, so needful to be spoken of, and daily to be called upon, as hearty, zealous, and devout prayer, the necessity whereof is so great, that without it nothing may be well obtained at God's hand. For as the Apostle James saith, Every good and perfect gift cometh from above, and proceedeth from the Father of lights; who is also said to be rich and liberal towards all them that call upon him, not because he either will not or cannot give without asking, but because he hath appointed prayer as an ordinary means between him and us. There is no doubt but he always knoweth what we have need of, and is always most ready to give abundance of those things that we lack.

Yet, to the intent we might acknowledge him to be the giver of all good things, and behave ourselves thankfully towards him in that behalf. loving, fearing, and worshipping him sincerely and truly, as we ought to do, he hath profitably and wisely ordained, that in time of necessity we should humble ourselves in his sight, pour out the secrets of our heart before him, and crave help at his hands, with continual, earnest, and devout prayer. By the mouth of his holy Prophet David he saith on this wise: Call upon me in the days of thy trouble, and I will deliver thee. Likewise in the Gospel, by the mouth of his wellbeloved Son Christ, he saith, Ask, and it shall be given you; knock, and it shall be opened: for whosoever asketh, receiveth; whosoever seeketh, findeth; and to him that knocketh. it shall be opened. St. Paul also most agreeably consent

The first Part of the Sermon concerning Prayer.

269

1 Tim. ii.

Phil. iv. Col. v.

ing hereunto, willeth men to pray every where, and to continue therein with thanksgiving. Neither doth the blessed Apostle St. James in this point any thing dissent, but earnestly exhorting all men to diligent prayer, saith, If James any man lack wisdom, let him ask it of God, which giveth liberally to all men, and reproacheth no mun. Also in another place, Pray one for another, saith he, that ye may be James v. healed: for the righteous man's prayer availeth much, if it be fervent. What other thing are we taught by these and such other places, but only this, that Almighty God, notwithstanding his heavenly wisdom and foreknowledge, will be prayed unto, that he will be called upon, that he will have us no less willing on our part to ask, than he on his part is willing to give? Therefore most fond and foolish is the opinion and reason of those men, which therefore think all prayer to be superfluous and vain, because God searcheth the heart and the reins, and knoweth the meaning of the spirit before we ask. For if this fleshly and carnal reason were su ficient to disannul prayer, then why did our Saviour Christ so often cry to his disciples, Watch and pray? Why did he prescribe them a Luke xxii. form of prayer, saying, When ye pray, pray after this sort: Matt. ti. Our Father, which art in heaven, &c. Why did he pray so often and so earnestly himself before his passion? Finally, why did the Apostles, immediately after his ascension, gather themselves together into one several place, Acts i. and there continue a long time in prayer? Either they must condemn Christ and his Apostles of extreme folly, or else they must needs grant, that prayer is a thing most necessary for all men, at all times, and in all places. Sure it is, that there is nothin; more expedient or needful for mankind in all the world, than prayer. Pruy always, saith St. Paul, with all manner of prayer and sup- Ephes. vi. plication, and watch therefore with all diligence. Also in another place, he willeth us to pray continually, without 1 Thess. v, any intermission or ceasing; meaning thereby that we ought never to slack or faint in prayer, but to continue therein to our lives' end. A number of other such places might here be alleged of like effect, I mean, to declare the great necessity and use of prayer: but what need many proofs in a plain matter? seeing there is no man so ignorant but he knoweth, no man so blind but he seeth, that prayer is a thing most needful in all estates and degrees of men. For only by the help hereof we attain to those heavenly and everlasting treasures, which God our heavenly Father hath reserved and laid up for his children in his dear and John xvi