Oh London, London! repent, repent; for I think God is more displeased with London than ever he was with the city of Nebo.Repent therefore, repent, London, and remember that the same God liveth now that punished Nebo, even the same God, and none other; and he will punish sin as well now as he did then: and he will punish the iniquity of London, as well as he did then of Nebo.Amend therefore.And ye that be prelates, look well to your office, for right prelating is busy labouring, and not lording.Therefore preach and teach, and let your plough be doing.Ye lords, I say, that live like loiterers, look well to your office; the plough is your office and charge.If you live idle and loiter, you do not your duty, you follow not your vocation: let your plough therefore be going, and not cease, that the ground may bring forth fruit.
But now methinketh I hear one say unto me: Wot ye what you say? Is it a work?Is it a labour?How then hath it happened that we havehad so many hundred years so many unpreaching prelates, lording loiterers, and idle ministers? Ye would have me here to make answer, and to show cause thereof.Nay, this land is not for me to plough; it is too stony, too thorny, too hard for me to plough.They have so many things that make for them, so many things to lay for themselves, that it is not for my weak team to plough them.They have to lay for themselves long customs, ceremonies and authority, placing in parliament, and many things more.And I fear me this land is not yet ripe to be ploughed: for, as the saying is, it lacketh weathering: this gear lacketh weathering; at least way it is not for me to plough.For what shall I look for among thorns, but pricking and scratching? What among stones, but stumbling? What (I had almost said) among serpents, but stinging? But this much I dare say, that since lording and loitering hath come up, preaching hath come down, contrary to the apostles' times: for they preached and lorded not, and now they lord and preach not.For they that be lords will ill go to plough: it is no meet office for them; it is not seeming for their estate.Thus came up lording loiterers: thus crept in unpreaching prelates; and so have they long continued.For how many unlearned prelates have we now at this day! And no marvel: for if the ploughmen that now be were made lords, they would clean give over ploughing; they would leave off their labour, and fall to lording outright, and let the plough stand: and then both ploughs not walking, nothing should be in the commonweal but hunger.For ever since the prelates were made lords and nobles, the plough standeth; there is no work done, the people starve.They hawk, they hunt, they card, they dice; they pastime in their prelacies with gallant gentlemen, with their dancing minions, and with their fresh companions, so that ploughing is set aside: and by their lording and loitering, preaching and ploughing is clean gone.And thus if the ploughmen of the country were as negligent in their office as prelates be, we should not long live, for lack of sustenance.And as it is necessary for to have this ploughing for the sustentation of the body, so must we have also the other for the satisfaction of the soul, or else we cannot live long ghostly.For as the body wasteth and consumeth away for lack of bodily meat, so doth the soul pine away for default of ghostly meat.But there be two kinds ofinclosing, to let or hinder both these kinds of ploughing: the one is an inclosing to let or hinder the bodily ploughing, and the other to let or hinder the holiday-ploughing, the church-ploughing.
The bodily ploughing is taken in and inclosed through singular commodity.For what man will let go, or diminish his private commodity for a commonwealth? And who will sustain any damage for the respect of a public commodity? The other plough also no man is diligent to set forward, nor no man will hearken to it.But to hinder and let it all men's ears are open; yea, and a great many of this kind of ploughmen, which are very busy, and would seem to be very good workmen.I fear me some be rather mock-gospellers, than faithful ploughmen.I know many myself that profess the gospel, and live nothing thereafter.I know them, and have been conversant with some of them.I know them, and (I speak it with a heavy heart) there is as little charity and good living in them as in any other; according to that which Christ said in the gospel to the great number of people that followed him, as though they had had any earnest zeal to his doctrine, whereas indeed they had it not; Non quia vidistis signa, sed quia comedistis de panibus."Ye follow me," saith he, "not because ye have seen the signs and miracles that I have done; but because ye have eaten the bread, and refreshed your bodies, therefore you follow me." So that I think many one now-a- days professeth the gospel for the living's sake, not for the love they bear to God's word.But they that will be true ploughmen must work faithfully for God's sake, for the edifying of their brethren.And as diligently as the husbandman plougheth for the sustentation of the body, so diligently must the prelates and ministers labour for the feeding of the soul: both the ploughs must still be going, as most necessary for man.And wherefore are magistrates ordained, but that the tranquillity of the commonweal may be confirmed, limiting both ploughs?
