Hugh Latimer, a farmer’s son, was born about the year 1491, at Thurcaston, in Leicestershire.  He was an only son, with six sisters, who were all well cared for at home.  He was a boy of fourteen when sent to Clare College, Cambridge.  When about twenty-four years old, he had obtained a college fellowship, had taken the degree of Master of Arts, and was ordained Priest of the Roman Church at Lincoln.  In 1524, at the age of about thirty, he proceeded to the degree of B.D., and on the occasion of

Tu quis es ?  Which words are as much to say in English, “Who art thou?”  These be the words of the Pharisees, which were sent by the Jews unto St. John Baptist in the wilderness, to have knowledge of him who he was: which words they spake unto him of an evil intent, thinking that he would have taken on him to be Christ, and so they would have had him done with their good wills, because they knew that he was more carnal, and given to their laws, than Christ indeed should be, as they perceived by

Now you have heard what is meant by this first card, and how you ought to play with it, I purpose again to deal unto you another card, almost of the same suit; for they be of so nigh affinity, that one cannot be well played without the other.  The first card declared, that you should not kill, which might be done divers ways; as being angry with your neighbour, in mind, in countenance, in word, or deed: it declared also, how you should subdue the passions of ire, and so clear evermore yourselves

Put on all the armour of God, that ye may stand , &c.  [Ephes. vi. 10, et seq.] Saint Paul, the holy apostle, writeth this epistle unto the Ephesians, that is, to the people of the city of Ephesus.  He writeth generally, to them all; and in the former chapters he teacheth them severally how they should behave themselves, in every estate, one to another; how they should obey their rulers; how wives should behave themselves towards their husbands; children towards their parents; and servan

Filii hujus seculi , &c.—Luc. xvi. [8]. Christ in this saying touched the sloth and sluggishness of his, and did not allow the fraud and subtlety of others; neither was glad that it was indeed as he had said, but complained rather that it should be so: as many men speak many things, not that they ought to be so, but that they are wont to be so.  Nay, this grieved Christ, that the children of this world should be of more policy than the children of light; which thing was true in Christ’s

Quæunque scripta sunt ad nostram doctrinam scripta sunt .—Rom. xv. 4. “All things which are written, are written for our erudition and knowledge.  All things that are written in God’s book, in the Bible book, in the book of the holy scripture, are written to be our doctrine.” I told you in my first sermon, honourable audience, that I purposed to declare unto you two things.  The one, what seed should be sown in God’s field, in God’s plough land; and the other, who should be the sowers: that is t

MATTHEW XXII. [2,3.] Simile factum est regnum coelorum homini regi qui fecit nuptias filio suo . The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which married his son, and sent forth his servants to call them that, &c. This is a gospel that containeth very much matter; and there is another like unto this in the fourteenth of Luke: but they be both one in effect, for they teach both one thing; and therefore I will take them both in hand together, because they tend to one purpose.  Matt