THE

RESIDUE OF THE GOSPEL,

DECLARED AT STAMFORD, IN THE AFTERNOON,

BY MASTER HUGH LATIMER.

MATTHEW xxii. 21.

Reddite Casari quæ sunt Cæsaris, et quæ sunt Dei, Deo.

Yield to Cæsar that belongeth to Cæsar, and to God, that belongeth to God.

YE may perceive by that we have said, who spake these words, and upon what occasion they were spoken. Our Saviour Christ spake them to the tempting Pharisees, to the crafty and subtle hollow-hearted Pharisees, willing them to know their duty by their own confession, and to give to Cæsar his due, and to God his due. Our Saviour Christ spake them. If he spake them, we ought to regard them. Regard them I say, and make much of them, for though they were then spoken to them, yet in them they were spoken to all the world. I use to make a rehearsal of that I spake before, but because the time is short, I will omit it. The service must be done, and the day goeth fast away. Therefore I will to my matter, and leave the rehearsal.

These words be words of great importance, and would well be considered: for he that doth this, receiveth great benefits by it, but he that doth it not, incurreth great damage and danger. The occasion was a counsel taken among these holy fathers to snare Christ: a good and charitable deed; yet were they holy men, holy fathers, full of charity up to the head and 'ears. This they learned in their council, and this now they set on broach. But Christ now causeth them to make answer to their own question, as he did also a little before. When he was come up into Jerusalem, and had driven the buyers and

sellers, in the temple. The arch Pharisees, provincials*, and Abbots-Pharisees, came stoutly to him as he was preaching in the temple, and said to him, Qua authoritate ista facis? aut quis dedit tibi istam authoritatem? "By what authority dost thou these things? Who hath given thee this authority? We have the rule of the people of God, we have given thee no such authority."

A wondrous thing, Christ had testimony of his Father; "This is my beloved Son, hear him." John had borne him witness, saying, "Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sins of the world." His works and miracles were testimonies that his doctrine was of God. Well, all this will not serve: He must have license of these holy fathers, or else all is nothing worth. Christ answered not directly to their question, but asked them another question, and made them give answer against themselves, and as it were with one wedge driveth out another: "The baptism of John, was it of God, or of man?" Was John sent of God, had he his authority of God or of man? Here he driveth them to confess his doctrine to be of God. For John, whom they could not deny to have been sent from God, bare witness that his doctrine was true. If they had confessed this, he would have inferred, Why believe ye him not? If they should have said, John was not of God, then would all the people have been against them; yea, in a hurly-burly have stoned them. This they considered within themselves, and yet their malicious hearts would not bear it to confess the truth: nay, rather, like wise gentlemen, they answered, "We know not, we cannot tell."

These Arch-Pharisees thought nothing might be done, or taught, without their license, nor otherwise but as they pleased to interpret. They were like our religion and clergy, that thought nothing might be taught but as they pleased. They would pay no tribute, tax, nor custom. They had their immunities, privileges, and grants, from the Roman bishop. And to maintain this they alleged many scriptures, as thus, Nolite tan

* A provincial was a superior or chief governor of all the religious houses of the same order in a province. To him belonged the visitation, good government, redress of grievances, reformation, correction, &c., of them. He was appointed by the pope.

VOL. J.

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gere Christos meos, which is, "Touch not mine anointed or consecrated people." Which words the Lord spake by the Israelites in Egypt, warning king Pharaoh to leave and cease from persecuting the Israelites; and it maketh as much for our clergy's immunity and proveth it as well, as if a man alleged, Quem terra pontus, to prove that an ape hath a tail. Well, they answered, "Cæsar's;" they confessed it was Cæsar's money, and Cæsar's image and writing upon it. Here Christ compelled them to make answer unto their own question; and if envy should arise, to take it themselves; for they confessed it to be Cæsar's. Then said he, "Give to Cæsar that which is Cæsar's, and to God that is due to God." This answer of Christ I would have you all to learn: Give to your Cæsar, to your king, to our most noble king Edward, our Cæsar, our king and magistrate appointed and given to us of God, give to him that which is due to him. This is a commandment of God, as are these; "Thou shalt not murder. Thou shalt not steal, nor bear false witness against thy neighbours." And as thou art bound upon peril of thy soul to obey the other; so upon peril of thy soul thou art bound to obey and keep this. Look well upon it, for it is upon peril of thy soul. Date, give, give, a heavy word to a covetous heart, to a rebellious heart; they would not hear reddite, or date, pay, or give; but take, catch, keep fast. We are all bound to live in obedience unto our king, under his just and righteous laws and commandments. Christ came indeed to deliver us from burthens and bondage, but that was not from civil and politic laws and obedience. He came to deliver us from the greatest bondage that can be, from sin and damnation, The heaviest burthen that can be, is sin; and in comparison of it, all other burthens are but light and easy matters to bear. Therefore Christ came to deliver us from that; and gave his body to be torn upon the cross for that. Neither could any work, or law, or sacrifice redeem us from that, but Christ only.

I never preached in Lincolnshire afore, nor came here afore, save once when I went to take orders at Lincoln, which was a good while ago; therefore I cannot say much of Lincolnshire, for I know it not: but I dare say, if Lincolnshire be as other places that I know, this text condemneth a great many of Lin

colnshire, and driveth them down to hell for breaking of this commandment; "Give to Cæsar that which is due to Cæsar, and to God that which is due to God."

The office of a magistrate is grounded upon God's word, and is plainly described of St. Paul, writing unto the Romans, where he sheweth that all souls, that is to say, all men, ought to obey the magistrates, for they are ordained of God; and to resist them, is to resist against God.

"For he is God's minister, ordained to punish the wicked, and maintain the good." Wherefore we ought to pay to him tribute, custom, taxes, and other things that he requireth upon us, as Christ saith here: Reddite, give to Cæsar. How much we should give, he defineth not, but leaveth it to Cæsar's officers to determine, and to his council to appoint. Christ was not the emperor's treasurer, therefore he meddled not with that point, but left it to the treasurer to define and determine. He went about another vocation, to preach unto the people their duty, and to obey their princes, kings, emperors, and magistrates; and to bid them give that the king requireth of them; not to appoint a king what he shall require of them. It is meet for every man to keep his own vocation, and diligently walk in it, and with faithfulness to study to be occupied in that God hath called him unto, and not to be busy in that God hath not called him unto. Therefore, saith Christ, "Give to Cæsar," but he appointeth not how much, for that should his treasurer know, and should warn him of it when he hath enough, that the people be not oppressed with unnecessary burthens, nor that the king's treasures be to seek when they should be occupied. The king must have his treasures aforehand, what chance soever come suddenly. It is no reason when the king should occupy his treasure in maintenance of a commonwealth, in defence of a country, in maintaining of his wars, that then his money should be in thy purse to seek, and ungathered. Nay, he must have it in a readiness, at hand, that it be not to seek, And he must have as much as is necessary for him; for so much is due to a king as is necessary, and so much may he require by the law of God, and take of his commons, as is necessary. And that must not thou, nor I, that are subjects, appoint, but the king himself must appoint it, his council must appoint it we must give it, we must pay it, for it is due to

the king, and upon peril of thy soul thou must pay it. And as he that taketh my tippet or my cloak doth me wrong, and is a thief; so he that doth not pay to the king that is his due, without fraud or guile, doth the king wrong, and is in peril of his soul for so doing. Well, mark it well now, and see whether this text be a nipping text for covetous men, or no; "Give to Cæsar that is due to Cæsar."

When the parliament, the high court of this realm, is gathered together, and there it is determined that every man shall pay a fifteenth part of his goods to the king; then commissions come forth, and he that in sight of men, in his cattle, corn, sheep, and other goods is worth an hundred marks, or an hundred pound, will set himself at ten pound; he will be worth no more to the king, but after ten pound: tell me now whether this be theft or no? His cattle, corn, sheep, in every man's eyes, shall be worth two hundred pound, besides other things, as money and plate; and he will marry his daughter, and give with her four or five hundred marks, and yet at the valuation, he will be a twenty pound man; doth he give to Cæsar that which is due to Cæsar? Doth he not rather rob the king of his bound duty and debt, that he owed to the king? Yes, it is very theft, and thou mightest with as good conscience take my cloak or my tippet from me, as so unjustly take, or withhold from the king, that which the parliament hath given unto the king; it is thy bounden duty to pay him truly that which is granted; for it is due debt, and upon peril of thy soul thou art bound to obey it. Yea, I will say more; if the king should require of thee an unjust request, yet art thou bound to pay it, and not to resist and rebel against the king. The king indeed is in peril of his soul, for asking of an unjust request, and God will in his due time reckon with him for it; but thou must obey thy king, and not take upon thee to judge him: God is the king's judge, and doubtless will grievously punish him, if he do any thing unrighteously. Therefore pray thou for thy king, and pay him his duty, and disobey him not. And know this, that whensoever there is any unjust exaction laid upon thee, it is a plague and punishment for thy sin, as all other plagues are; as are hunger, dearth, pestilence, and such other. We marvel we are plagued as we be, and I think verily this unjust and unfaithful dealing with our princes,