Book I, Homily 2 Remixed: Your Overly Rosy Self-Evaluation Is Going To Be The Death of You (John Harpsfield)

(1)

The Holy Spirit never more carefully inspired the Holy Scripture than when demolishing human pride and self-regard, vices universally grafted within all of us, a blight as old as Adam. And therefore many lessons that condemn pride and praise humility are scattered throughout the pages of the Bible. If you want to know yourself, find yourself, and determine, “Who am I really?,” these Biblical examples are all you need.

In the third chapter of Genesis, God gives us all a title and name through our great grandfather Adam, which ought to warn us all to reflect upon who we really are, what we are, our origin, and our destination, saying, “only by the sweat of your brow will you win your bread until you return to the earth: for from it you were taken. Dust you are, to dust you shall return” (Gen. 3:19). Here we see ourselves in the mirror and find that we are merely ground, earth, and ashes and that to earth and ashes we shall return.

Indeed, Father Abraham did well when he remembered this name and title: dust, earth, and ashes, appointed and assigned by God to all humanity; and therefore he called himself by that very name, when he earnestly bargained for the lives of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 18:27).

And we read that Judith, Esther, Job, Jeremiah, and other holy men and women in the Old Testament used sackcloth and cast dust and ashes upon their heads when they repented of their sinful living (Est. 4:1-3; Job 42:6; Jer. 6:26; Jud. 4:11-15; Jud. 9:1). They called and cried to God for help and misery dressed in sackcloth, dust, and ashes with great ceremony, so that they could declare to the whole world how humble and lowly they considered themselves to be, how well they remembered their name and title: their vile, corrupt, frail nature of dust, earth, and ashes.

The book of Wisdom is also willing to demolish our pride and urges us to remember our mortal and earthly condition, which we all have received from Adam. Wisdom tells that every human being, kings as well as subjects, come into the world and go out of the world in the same way: that is, as dirty and helpless beings, as we may see daily (Wisd. 7:1-6).

And Almighty God commanded the Prophet Isaiah to make a proclamation to the whole world. And Isaiah asked, “What shall I cry?” To which the Lord answered, “All mortals are grass, they last no longer than a wild flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, when the blast of the LORD blows on them. Surely the people are grass! The grass may wither, the flower fade…” (Isaiah 40:6-8). And the holy man Job, who had himself deep experience of the wretched and sinful human condition, reveals the same to the world in these words: “Every being born of woman is short-lived and full of trouble. He blossoms like a flower and withers away; fleeting as a shadow, he does not endure…And do you consider it proper, O Lord, that is on such a creature that you fix your eyes, and bring him into court before you. Who can produce the pure from the unclean? No one.” (Job 14:1-4).

And all of us, because of our evilness and natural weakness are so universally inclined to sin that the Scriptures say that God repented that he ever made humanity (Gen. 6:6). Indeed, God’s indignation was so much provoked against humanity that he drowned all the world with Noah’s flood (except for Noah and his little household) (Gen. 6-9).

It is for no light cause that the Scripture calls every person in the world by this word, “earth, earth, earth! Hear the word of the Lord,” says Jeremiah (Jer. 22:29). “Earth” is our right name, calling, and title. The phrase “earth, earth, earth”, pronounced by the Prophet, shows what we are indeed, no matter what style, title, or dignity others call us. In this way, He clearly named us, who knows best, both what we are, and what we correctly should be called.

And He told us through his faithful Apostle St. Paul, “Jews and Greeks alike are under the power of sin. There is no one righteous, no, not one; no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have swerved aside, all alike have become debased; there is no one to show kindness: no, not one. Their throats are open tombs, they use their tongues for treachery, adders’ venom is on their lips, and their mouths are full of bitter curses. Their feet hasten to shed blood, ruin and misery mark their tracks, they are strangers to the path of peace, and reverence for God does not enter their thoughts” (Rom. 3:9-18).

And later in the Letter to the Romans, St. Paul writes, “For in shutting all in the prison of their disobedience, God’s purpose was to show mercy to all” (Rom. 11:32). The Scripture has declared the whole world to be prisoners in subjection to sin, so that faith in Jesus Christ should be the ground on which the promised blessing is given to those who believe (Gal. 3:22).

And in these words and throughout his other letters, St. Paul lets our true colors shine through, calling us children of the wrath of God from birth (Eph. 2:3), saying also that we cannot think a good thought by ourselves, much less can we speak well or do well by our own power.

The wise man says in the Book of Proverbs, “The just man falls seven times a day” (Prov. 24:16). The most tried and true man, Job, feared all his works (Job 9:28: V).

Think on this. St. John the Baptist was sanctified in his mother’s womb and was praised before he was born, being called forerunner of the Lord and great in the eyes of the Lord. John the Baptist was even filled with the Holy Spirit from birth to prepare the way for the Lord Jesus Christ (Luke 1:15, 17, 76), and was commended by the Lord Jesus as more than a prophet and the greatest born of woman (Matt. 11:11).

Yet John clearly admitted that he needed to be baptized by Jesus (Matt. 3:14). He worthily praised and glorified Jesus as Lord and master and humbled himself as unworthy to untie his sandals (Matt. 3:11).

St. Paul frequently and clearly confesses that he is in a similar and low state, ever giving all praise (as a most faithful servant would) to his master and Savior. In addition, St. John the Evangelist, in his own name and in the name of all holy men, no matter how righteous they are, makes this open confession, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth in not in us. But if we confess our sins, God who is faithful and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us” (1 John 1:8-10). Which is why the wise man in the book called Ecclesiastes makes this true and general confession, “There is not one just man upon the earth at does good and does not sin” (Ecc. 7:20).

And David is ashamed of his sin, but has no shame in confessing it. How often, how earnestly, and with much regret does he ask for God’s great mercy on his great offences, and that God should not call him to judgment (Ps. 143:2)? And again, how skillful an accountant of sins is this holy man, when he confesses that they are so many in number, so secret, and difficult to understand, that it is impossible to know, say, or number them (Ps. 40:12)? When David truly, earnestly, and deeply contemplated and considered his sins, but could not find the bottom of him, he prayed to God to forgive him for his secret, hid sins: sins he had no way of knowing or recalling (Ps. 19:12).

David correctly traces his sins to their original root and springhead, perceiving that the inclinations, provocations, stirrings, stingings, buds, branches, dregs, infections, tastes, feelings, and senses of sin continue in him still. Which is why he says, “Take notice and behold that I was conceived in sins” (Ps. 51:5: V). He does not say sin in the singular. He says sins in the plural, for out of one sin, all the rest can spring as out of a fountain.

Our Savior Christ says, “There is none good, but God” (Luke 18:19; Matt. 19:17; Mark 10:18) and that we can do nothing that is good without him (John 15:5), nor can any man come to the Father except through Him (John 14:6). Jesus commands us also to say that we are unprofitable servants, when we have done all that we can do (Luke 17:10). He prefers the tax collector who repents to the proud, holy, and glorious Pharisee (Luke 18:10-14). He calls himself a Physician, but not to those who are whole, but to those that are sick and need of his ointment for their sores (Matt. 9:12). When he taught his disciples (and therefore us) to pray, he taught us to remember that we are sinners, and to ask for righteousness and deliverance from all evils, at our heavenly Father’s hand (Matt. 6:12-13). He declares that the sins of our own hearts defile us (Matt. 15:11, 17-20). He teaches us that an evil word or thought deserves condemnation, affirming that we shall give account for every idle word (Matt. 12:36-37). He says that He only came to save only the sheep that there were utterly lost and otherwise would never return home (Matt. 15:24).

Therefore, few of the proud, just, educated, wise, perfect, and holy Pharisees were saved by Him, because they justified themselves to their neighbors rather than God by their counterfeit holiness. For this reason, good people, let us beware of such hypocrisy, false glory, and justifying of ourselves. Let us bow our heads to look at our feet. Let us strip off our peacock feathers and cast away our proud hearts. Let us finally recognize that we are frail and brittle vessels made of ordinary clay.

(2)

Since truly knowing ourselves is extremely necessary to come to know God, you have heard in the first part how little our greatest forerunners in the faith thought of themselves, having been taught to do so by God their Creator through His holy word.

By ourselves, we are crabtrees that can produce no apples. By ourselves, we are soil that can grow nothing bur weeds, nettles, brambles, briars, false wheat and tares. Our fruits are numbered a fat zero in the fifth chapter of the Letter to the Galatians. We do not possess faith, charity, hope, patience, chastity, nor anything else good without the help of God. Therefore, these virtues are called there the fruits of the Holy Spirit and not the fruits of human beings (Gal. 5:19). Let us therefore acknowledge ourselves before God as miserable and wretched sinners (as we indeed are). And let us earnestly repent, humble ourselves fully, and cry to God for mercy. Let us all confess with mouth and heart, that we are full of imperfections. Let us know our own works, how imperfect they are, and then we shall not stand foolishly and arrogantly in our own conceits, nor ever think we are justified by the quality of our deeds and the content of our characters.

For truly our greatest deeds are full of imperfections. We do not love God as much as we should: with all our heart, mind, and power. We do not fear God as much as we ought to do. We pray to God, but our prayers are full of great and many imperfections. We give forgive, believe, live, and hope imperfectly. We give and forgive imperfectly. We speak, think, and do imperfectly. We fight against the devil, the world, and the flesh imperfectly.

Yes, let us not be ashamed to confess imperfection, even in all our best works. Let none of us be ashamed to say with holy St. Peter, “I am a sinful man” (Luke 5:8). Let us say with the holy Prophet David, “We have sinned just our ancestors did, we have done error, and treated one another wickedly” (Ps. 106:6). Let us all make open confession with the Prodigal Son to our father and say with him, “We have sinned against heaven and before you, O Father, we are not worthy to be called your children” (Luke 15:18-19). Let us say with holy Baruch, “O Lord our God, we are worthy to be called shameful just as much as you are worthy to be called righteous. We have sinned, we have done wicked things, we have behaved ourselves unrighteously in proportion to all your righteousness” (Bar. 2:6, 12). Let us all say with the holy Prophet Daniel, “O Lord, righteousness belongs to you, to us belongs confusion. We have sinned. We have been naughty. We have offended. We have fled from you. We have turned away from all your precepts and judgments” (Dan. 9:7-11).

 So we learn from all these good people in the Holy Scriptures to humble ourselves and to exalt, extol, praise, magnify, and glorify God. Thus we have heard how evil we are, how in our selves and by ourselves, we have no goodness, help, nor salvation but instead sin, damnation, and death everlasting, which if we deeply weigh and consider, we will better understand the great mercy of God and how our salvation comes only by Christ.

For in ourselves and by ourselves, we find nothing by which we may be delivered from this miserable captivity in which we were cast by the envy of the devil, by the breaking of God’s commandment by our first parent, Adam (2 Cor. 3:5). We have all become unclean, but we all are not able to cleanse ourselves, not to make one another clean (Ps. 51:1-10). We are by nature the children of God’s wrath, but we are not able to make ourselves the children and heirs of God’s glory (Eph. 2:3). We are sheep that have gone astray, but we cannot by our own power return again to the sheepfold, so great is our imperfection and weakness (1 Pet. 2:25).

We may not glorify ourselves, for we are nothing but sinful, nor may we rejoice in any works that we do, which are all so imperfect and impure that they are not able to stand before the righteous judgment seat of God, as the holy prophet David says, “Do not bring your servant to trial, O Lord, for no man who lives will be found righteous in your sight” (Ps. 143:2).

 We therefore must flee to God, or else we shall never find peace, rest, and quietness of conscience in our hearts. For He is the Father of mercies and God of all consolation (2 Cor. 1:3). He is the Lord, whose redemption is plentiful (Ps. 130:7). He is the God who saves us out of his own mercy and extends his one-way love toward us (Tit. 3:5; Rom. 5:8). When we were dead, he voluntarily saved us and provided us with an everlasting Kingdom. And all these heavenly treasures are given to us, not because we deserve them, merit them, or have done good deeds to obtain them (for we have done nothing and deserve nothing) but of his mere mercy he has freely given us everything.

And for whose sake? For the sake of Jesus Christ, that pure and undefiled lamb of God (1 Pet. 1:19). He is that dearly beloved Son, for whose sake God is fully pacified, satisfied, and reconciled with human beings. He is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29), of whom only it may be said, that he did all things well (Mark 7:37), and in his mouth was found neither guile nor subtlety (1 Pet. 2:22:V). No one but He may say, “The prince of the world is approaching, and he has no rights over me” (John 14:30) And He alone also may say, “Which of you will reprimand me for any fault?” (John 8:46). He is the high and everlasting Priest, who has offered himself once for all upon the altar of the cross and with that one offering, has eternally perfected those who are sanctified (Heb. 7:24-27, 10:14). He is the only mediator between God and man, who has paid our ransom to God with his own blood, and with which he has cleansed us from all sin (1 Tim. 2:5-6; Rev. 5:9, 1:5). He is the Physician, who heals all our diseases (Ps. 103:3). He is that Savior who saves his people from all their sins (Matt. 1:21).

In summary, he is that flowing and most plentiful fountain, whose fullness of grace we all have received (John 1:16). For in him alone are hidden all the treasures of the wisdom and knowledge of God (Col. 2:3). And in Him and by Him, we have from God the Father all good things, pertaining either to the body or to the soul (Rom. 8:32).

O how tightly are we tied to this our heavenly Father for his great mercies, which he has so abundantly declared to us in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior! What worthy and sufficient thanks can we give to Him. Let us all with one accord burst out with joyful voice, ever praising and magnifying the Lord of mercy, for his tender kindness showed to us in his dearly beloved Son, Jesus Christ Our Lord.

To this point, we have heard what we are in our selves, very sinful, wretched, and worthy of damnation. Again, we have heard how that in ourselves and by ourselves, we are not either to think a good thought or do a good deed, so that we can find in ourselves no hope of salvation but rather all those things that lead to our destruction. Again, we have heard the tender kindness of God the Father towards us, and how kind and generous he is to us for Christ’s sake, without our merits or deserving, solely because of his own mercy and tender goodness.

Now, how these exceeding great mercies of God, declared to all in Christ Jesus, are obtained for us, and how we are delivered from the captivity of sin, death, and hell, it will be declared (with God’s help) more extensively in the next homily.

In the meantime, yes, and at all times, let us learn to know ourselves, our frailty, and weakness, without any crowing or boasting of our own good deeds and merits. Let us also acknowledge the exceeding mercy of God towards us and confess that just as all evil and damnation comes from us, so from Him comes all goodness and salvation, as God Himself says through Prophet Hosea, “O Israel, your destruction comes from you alone. I am only your help and comfort” (Hos. 13:9:V). If we thus humbly submit ourselves in the sight of God, we may be sure that in the time of his visitation, He will lift us up into the kingdom of his dearly beloved Son Jesus Christ Our Lord. To whom, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, be all honor and glory forever. Amen.   

     

Book I, Homily 1 Remixed: Read Your Bible (Att. Thomas Cranmer)

(1)

The most useful and necessary thing for a Christian to know is the Bible, because it contains God’s true word. The Bible tells us why God is glorious and how we ought to treat God and neighbor. There is no truth or doctrine that necessary to reconcile us to God or give us eternal life that cannot be drawn out the fountain and well of truth that is the Bible.

         So if you want to go on that spiritual journey, travel that spiritual path, and end up at the right and perfect destination that is God, you need to put your mind to Holy Scripture. Otherwise, you are not going to know much about God and His will, or about what you should do with your life.

         A cool glass of water is delightful when you are thirsty. A steaming plate of something tasty is wonderful when you are hungry. And just as pleasant and satisfying is the reading, hearing, searching, and studying of Holy Scripture, if you want to know God and serve Him. The only tummies that get indigestion from the heaven-sent knowledge and fine cuisine of God’s word are of those who are so addicted to the aimless things of life that they don’t give much thought about God or drawing near to Him. Indeed, if given a choice, they would prefer aimless things to the true knowledge of God.

         You know that when you have a fever, you often have trouble keeping down what you eat or drink, even if it would normally taste really good? It’s not that the food is bad. It’s just that your body is infected with disease, so your mouth is too inflamed to taste the food and your stomach is too inflamed to digest it. So it just come right back up. Well, our minds can be infected with sin and a love of the things in this world that do not last longer or matter more than God. And when we are feverish with this disease, the sweet taste of God’s become bitter, not because it really is but because our minds are infected by extensive experience with sin and love of this world.

         Therefore, let us abandon the corrupt judgment of those who think only about what their body wants. Let us attentively listen to and read the Holy Scriptures: the food of the soul (Matt. 4:4). Let us diligently search for the Well of Life in the books of the New and Old Testament, and not splash in the stinking puddles of traditions of our own invention, to justify our lives and save them.            

         For the Holy Scriptures contain all the dos and don’ts; what to believe, what to love, and what God can provide to us. In the books of the Bible, we shall find the Father from whom, the Son by whom, and Holy Spirit in whom everything derives and remains in existence, and that these three Persons are one God and of the same substance. In these books, we may come to know ourselves. In particular, we learn how vile and miserable we are. We also come to know God, how good He is, and how he made every creature as well as us to share His goodness. We may also learn in these books to know God’s will and pleasure to the extent it is convenient for us to know at present.

In the great city now called Istanbul around 1600 years ago, there was a great scholar, bishop, and godly preacher nicknamed Golden-Tongued John, whom we generally call St. John Chrysostom. He said that the divine Scripture contains all things necessary to human salvation. In it, whoever is ignorant may learn from the Scripture and gain knowledge. Whoever is hard-hearted and stubborn in sin, shall find eternal torment there (prepared by God’s justice) to frighten and soften the heart. Whoever is suffering from the miseries of this world shall find relief in the promises of eternal life, to their great consolation and comfort. Whoever is mortally wounded by the Devil shall find medicine to restore him or her to health. If it is necessary to teach any truth, refute false doctrine, rebuke any vice, praise any virtue, to give good advice, to comfort or to encourage, or to do anything necessary for our salvation, Chrysostom tells us that we may learn those things from Holy Scripture.

Fulgentius, a North African bishop of 1500 years ago familiar with suffering torture and exile for his faith, tells us that the Bible contains abundance for adults to eat and children to suck: whatever is proper for all ages, and for all types and classes of human beings.

These books therefore should be often in our hands, in our ears, in our mouths, but most of all in our hearts. For the Scripture of God is the heavenly food of our souls (Matt. 4:4). To hear and obey it blesses us and makes us holy (Luke 11:28; John 17:17). It directs our souls (Ps. 19:7-10). It is a lantern to our feet (Ps. 119:105). It is a sure, steady, and eternal instrument of salvation. It gives wisdom to the humble and lowly (Ps. 119:130). It comforts, delights, cheers, and cherishes our conscience. It is better treasure than gold or diamonds. It is sweeter than honey or honey in the comb.

It is called the better part, which Mary Magdalene did choose, for it can comfort us eternally (Luke 10:39-42). The words of Holy Scripture are called the words of eternal life (John 6:68), for they are God’s appliances and medical equipment, designed for the same purpose. They have power to convert through God’s promise, and are effective through God’s help, and once received inside a faithful heart, they work heaven into the spirit (Col. 1:5-6). They are alive and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, and pierce so deeply as to divide soul from spirit, joints and marrow (Heb. 4:12).

Christ calls a builder wise that builds upon the word, upon its sure and firm foundation (Matthew 7:24-27). By this word of God, we shall be judged, for Christ says, “the word I have spoken will be [our] judge on the last day” (John 12:48). One who keeps the word of Christ is promised the love and favor of God, and that he or she will be the dwelling place of the blessed Trinity (John 14:23). Whoever diligently reads this word and prints it upon on their heart shall find their great affection for the things of this world diminished and grow greatly in desire for heavenly things (promised by God in his word). There is nothing that strengthens our faith and trust in God and maintains the innocence and purity of the heart, and outward piety in word and deed, as the regular reading and memorizing of God’s word. For the regular reading and diligent searching of Holy Scripture prints and engraves things in our heart that in a while, become almost second nature.

And moreover, God’s word is good and effective at enlightening the illiterate who hear it as well as those that faithfully and diligently read it. It can comfort their hearts, and encourage them to do all that God has commanded. It teaches patience in all troubles, in success, humility: what honor is due to God, what mercy and love to our neighbor. It gives good counsel in all doubtful matters. It shows us to whom we should look for help in all perils, and that God is the sole giver of victory in battle (1 Sam. 14:6-23; 2 Chron. 20:1-30) and in the temptations by both temporal and spiritual adversaries (1 Cor. 15:57; 1 John 5:4).

The one who benefits most from God’s word is not always the one who reads it or recites it the most, but the one is who most converted to it, that is, most inspired by the Holy Spirit so that their heart and life is altered and changed into what they read: who is daily less proud, less angry, less greedy, and wants less of worldly and aimless pleasure, who daily abandons their old and vicious life and increases in virtue more and more.

And in summary, nothing keeps us in mind of God and away from ungodliness than regular reading and hearing of God’s word, if it is done with a pious mind and a strong desire to know and follow God’s will. For without a sound eye, pure intent, and good mind, no one is considered good before God (Matt. 5:22). And on the other side, nothing overshadows Christ and the glory of God, nor causes more blindness and all kinds of vice than the ignorance of God’s word (Matt. 22:29).

(2) 

The first part of this sermon strongly encouraged the knowledge of the Bible, declared why such knowledge is necessary and profitable for all, and demonstrated that the true knowledge and understanding of Scripture helps us to know the most necessary points of our duty towards God and our neighbors. Now you shall hear more on the same matter.

If we claim to follow or serve Christ, why are we not ashamed if we know little of his teaching? Indeed, everyone is ashamed to lack the book-knowledge in the profession or hobby he or she claims to practice. Those who call themselves philosophers would be ashamed if they did not read books of philosophy. And likewise ashamed would be lawyers, astronomers, and physicians, if they were not familiar with the literature of their respective subjects. Now can anyone then say that they believe in Christ and his religion, if they will not apply themselves (as far as is convenient) to read and hear and so to know the books of Christ’s Gospel and teaching? Although other sciences are good and worthy of study, yet no one can deny that the Bible is chief among them and exceeds every other incomparably. What excuse can we therefore make at the last day before Christ for delighting to read or hear ordinary literature more than His most holy Gospel? And for finding no time to do that which we should prioritize above everything else? And reading other things than the Bible, when we ought to pause from reading other things?   

Let all of us who have faith and trust in Him therefore apply ourselves, as much as we have time and leisure, to know God’s word by diligently reading and hearing it.

I have heard those who have no strong interest in God’s word wave away their fault with two pointless and feigned excuses. Some excuse themselves on account of their own frailty and fear, saying that they do not want to read the Bible just in case their ignorance leads them into error. Others pretend that the Bible is so difficult to understand that only clergy and scholars should read it.

 The first excuse is silly. Ignorance of God’s word is the cause of all error, as Christ told the Sadducees, saying that they were far from the truth, because they did not know the Scriptures (Matthew 22:29). How then will anyone avoid error, if they remain ignorant? And how will they stop being ignorant, if they won't read or listen to the very thing that will take away their ignorance? Those who have the most knowledge knew nothing when they began, yet they did not dare to avoid reading, for fear they should fall into error, but diligently read, so that they did not remain in ignorance, and through ignorance, fall into error.

And if you will not know the truth of God, a thing most necessary for you, just in case you fall into error… Well, then by the same reasoning: you would never go anywhere, because you might get stuck in a bog. You would not eat any tasty food, so that you would not eat too much. You would not plant anything, nor do your job, nor use anything you have bought. And you would do this (or avoid doing this), because you are afraid that you will lose your seed, your labor, and your other property. By that reasoning, it would be best for you to live idly and never do anything good, just in case something bad happens.

And if you are afraid that reading Holy Scripture will bring you into error, I will show you how you may read it without any danger. Read it humbly, with a meek and lowly heart, always intending that your knowledge of the Bible may give glory to God and not to yourself. Do not read it without daily praying to God that He will guide your reading to good results: and interpret the Bible no further than you can plainly understand it.

For St. Augustine, a great bishop and philosopher in North Africa 1600 years ago, says that the knowledge of Holy Scripture is a great, large, and tall place, but the door is very low, so that the tall and arrogant man cannot run in but must duck, crouch, and so humble himself before entering. Self-importance and arrogance is the mother of all error; humility should fear none. For humility will only search to know the truth, it will search, and will bring together one place in Scripture with another. Where it cannot find the meaning, it will pray, it will ask of others that know, and will not presumptuously and rashly claim anything that it does not know.

Therefore, the humble man may search any truth boldly in the Scripture without any danger of error. And the ignorant ought to read and search Holy Scripture more often, to bring them out of ignorance. One may benefit only hearing the Scripture but will benefit much more by both hearing and reading. This is what I have to say about the fears of the ignorant about reading the Scripture.

What I have to say about the difficulty of Scripture is this: Whoever is not able to eat solid food can suck sweet and tender milk, deferring the rest until they are strong enough to grow in knowledge (1 Cor. 3:3; Heb. 5:12-14). For God embraces the educated and uneducated, rejecting none, but is indifferent to all. And the Scripture is just as full of low valleys and flat roads that are easy for every man to use and walk in, as it is of high hills and mountains, which few can climb.

St. Chrysostom says that whoever gives their mind to the Holy Scriptures with diligent study and burning desire will not be left without hope. For either Almighty God will send some godly expert to teach, as He did to instruct the Ethiopian eunuch, the treasurer of Queen Candace, who having interest in reading Scripture (although he did not understand it) had such desire for God’s word that God sent His Apostle Philip to teach him the true meaning of the Scripture that he read (Acts 8:26-39). Or else, if we lack an educated person to instruct us, God himself will enlighten our minds and teach us the necessary things that we do not know. And in another place, Chrysostom says that humane and worldly wisdom or science is not needed for the understanding of Scripture. What you need is the revelation of the Holy Spirit, who inspires the true meaning in those that search with humility and diligence.   

For everyone who asks will receive, those who seek will find, and to those who knock, the door will be opened (Matt. 7:8). If we read once, twice, or three times, and do not understand, let us not stop, but continue reading, praying, consulting one another, and so still by knocking, at last, the door shall be opened (as St. Augustine says).

Although many things in the Scripture are spoken of mysteriously, yet there is nothing spoken of mysteriously in one place that is not spoken of more familiarly and clearly in other places within the understanding of both the educated and uneducated. And it is the duty of everyone to learn, memorize, and make use of those things in the Scripture that are clearly understood and necessary for salvation. We should be content with ignorance of the dark mysteries until God reveals them. In the meantime, God will not count it against anyone if they lack aptitude or opportunity to read the difficult parts of the Scriptures, but it is not a good idea that those who are fit to read these parts should not read them because others are unfit. Nevertheless, the reading of the whole Scriptures should not be avoided on account of the difficult parts.
And in conclusion, St. Augustine says that the Scriptures amend all, strengthen the weak, and comfort the strong. So certainly, no one are enemies to the reading of God’s word, unless they are so ignorant, that they do not know how healthy it is for them, or else are so sick that they hate the most pleasant medicine that can heal them, or so ungodly that they would wish people to continue in blindness and ignorance of God.

Let us ruminate and (as it were) chew the cud that we may have their sweet juice, spiritual effect, marrow, honey, kernel, taste, and consolation. Let us park, quiet, and strengthen our consciences with their most infallible certainty, truth, and perpetual assurance. Let us pray to God (the only author of these heavenly studies) that we may speak, think, believe, and depart from this world according to their truth and wholesome teaching. And by that means, we shall have God’s protection, favor, and grace, peace that passes all understanding, and a quiet conscience in this world, and after this miserable life, we shall enjoy the endless bliss and glory of heaven: which Jesus Christ grants to us all for whom he died. To Him, with the Father and the Holy Spirit be all honor and glory, now and forever. Amen.

Preface to the Books of Homilies Remixed

A few weeks ago, I was reading a rather superior-toned essay by Gerald Bray on Anglicanism. My favorite bit was his incredulous attitude toward The Episcopal Church, who he thought regarded Richard Hooker as the leading light of Anglican theology. I like Hooker as much as the next man, but my experience is that most who regard Hooker in that light are not particularly familiar with much of what he wrote. The deeper problem of Bray's essay is that Anglicanism is simply not entirely encapsulated by the theological tradition of the Church of England of 1552, c. 1560, and 1662. The American episcopate is of dual Scottish and English generation. The Church was truly in England long before there were 39 Articles and resided just in much in St. Mary Primrose Hill under Dearmer as it did in All Souls, Langham Place under Stott. And I do not think that Thomas Cranmer, who gave us common prayer, cast his hand into the fire to agree with Calvin and Zwingli any more than he did with Bede. In an era when Nigerian Anglicans are being catechized with the New Zealand Prayer Book, the doctrine of the Church of England is a part of Anglicanism, but a good sight far from the whole.

At the same time, Bray helpfully reminded me that the doctrine of the Church of England includes a series of texts that I knew existed but never read. Article XXV mentions that:

The Second Book of Homilies, the several titles whereof we have joined under this Article, doth contain a godly and wholesome Doctrine, and necessary for these times, as doth the former Book of Homilies, which were set forth in the time of Edward the Sixth; and therefore we judge them to be read in Churches by the Ministers, diligently and distinctly, that they may he understanded of the people.  

The Article then lists all of the Homilies in the Second Book, but not the first. These Homilies are not received in the The Episcopal Church by our version of Article XXXV, since they preach against various things we think are more justifiable, like rebellion against the Crown. (Independence Day is on the kalendar, after all.)

However, in a few months, I will be a communicant of the Church of England. (Long, good story.) So I thought I should take a look at the Books of Homilies. Entirely of 16th century vintage, they are written in early modern English, but are half as lively (at least) as one of Shakespeare's plays, written in similar language. They were written for a world in which priests had not necessarily attended, graduated, or learned much at university. Or at least might not have been up to speed with the rather violent and sudden reforms of the English Reformation.

Instead of trying to preach in those complex times, those priests could read (and were required to read under many circumstances) these King and Archbishop-approved sermons to remain safe and appear smart. At the same time, like common prayer in English, these homilies attempted to make the theology and theological method of the Reformation accessible to people of all classes. Even the illiterate were encouraged to hear, memorize, think about, and shape their life according to the Bible.

Gerald Bray notes that the genius of Anglican doctrine is to find the core of Christian doctrine and make it known. For example, the "Mere Christianity" of C.S. Lewis. I already can see how the Books of Homilies fit into this tradition. Which is not to say that I think they are right about everything or only teach what is fundamental, but they come quite close for their context.

Over the next year or so, I will be posting what I call "remixes" of each homily. These remixes are idiosyncratic renderings of these 16th century texts into modern language. They are not authoritative. The text is based on the 1623 edition of the homilies posted here but has been substantially modified. I have included Scriptural citations from an 1858 edition found here

I have not included any citations from the Fathers. They are occasionally cited by name, but the citations would be of interest to a small proportion of the original audience and the likely Internet audience. If preached in church today, you could imagine the congregation having access to a Bible in some form but not a Patristics collection like this. Those with genuine interest should consult the 1858 edition linked.

In some cases, I have omitted Scriptural citations from the 1858 edition that did not make sense to me. In some cases, I have discovered citations that do not make sense in Protestant translations since the King James Version but do make sense in the Latin Vulgate, which is the Bible the writers of the homilies would have known from childhood, even if some of them had read the Hebrew and Greek texts in the original. These citations are marked with a V.