t clean: so the prelate, the preacher, hath many
diverse offices to do. He hath first a busy work to bring his
parishioners to a right faith, as Paul calleth it, and not a swerving
faith; but to a faith that embraceth Christ, and trusteth to his merits;
a lively faith, a justifying faith; a faith that maketh a man righteous,
without respect of works: as ye have it very well declared and set forth
in the Homily. He hath then a busy work, I say, to bring his flock to a
right faith, and then to confirm them in the same faith: now casting them
down with the law, and with threatenings of God for sin; now ridging them
up again with the gospel, and with the promises of God's favour: now
weeding them, by telling them their faults, and making them forsake sin;
now clotting them, by breaking their stony hearts, and by making them
supplehearted, and making them to have hearts of flesh; that is, soft
hearts, and apt for doctrine to enter in: now teaching to know God
rightly, and to know their duty to God and their neighbours: now
exhorting them, when they know their duty, that they do it, and be
diligent in it; so that they have a continual work to do. Great is their
business, and therefore great should be their hire. They have great
labours, and therefore they ought to have good livings, that they may
commodiously feed their flock; for the preaching of the word of God unto
the people is called meat: scripture calleth it meat; not strawberries,
that come but once a year, and tarry not long, but are soon gone: but it
is meat, it is no dainties. The people must have meat that must be
familiar and continual, and daily given unto them to feed upon. Many
make a strawberry of it, ministering it but once a year; but such do not
the office of good prelates. For Christ saith, _Quis putas est servus
prudens et fidelis_? _Qui dat cibum in tempore_. "Who think you is a
wise and faithful servant? He that giveth meat in due time." So that he
must at all times convenient preach diligently: therefore saith he, "Who
trow ye is a faithful servant?" He speaketh it as though it were a rare
thing to find such a one, and as though he should say, there be but a few
of them to find in the world. And how few of them there be throughout
this realm that give meat to their flock as they should do, the Visitors
can best tell. Too few, too few; the more is the pity, and never so few
as now.

By this, then, it appeareth that a prelate, or any that h