Here after ensueth two fruytfull sermons, made [and] compyled by the ryght Reuerende father in god Iohn̄ Fyssher, Doctour of Dyuynyte and Bysshop of Rochester

SEcondly, the remembraunce of Purga∣tory sholde make vs so to lyue here, that whan we depart hence, we be nat taryed by the waye and be arested for our dettes, & so be cast into that paynfull pryson / from the whiche, no man shall be delyueryd, tyll tyme he haue payd the vttermost ferthynge.

¶ Marke well what Saynt Austyn sayth of this fyre / that it is more greuouse than any paynes that thou canst se, fele, or thynke in this world / wherby thou mayst be sure that it farre passeth the common fyre that we haue here in this worlde.

Take than a profe of this fyre whether thou mayst endure to suffre thy fynger in it by the space of halfe an houre. Consyder whether thou mayst indure that payn ye or nay. And yf thou mayst nat indure that payne whiche is a thou∣sande partes lesse. what vnwysdome is it for the to Jeoparde thy soule vnto the fyre of Pur gatorye, where thou canst nat tell how many houres, how many days, how many yeres thou shalte there abyde.

¶ Do therfore as dyd a ryghte good father an holy man / whan he was tempted to synne, and was almoste ouercome by temptacyon, he sayd vnto hym selfe, let me fyrst proue and assay whe ther I may endure the payne that is ordeyned

for synne, before that I do take any pleasure or the same. And forthwith into the fyre that was before hym, he put in his fynger. But whan the payne of brennyng waxed so great y^t he myght no longer suffre his fynger in fyre, he cryed / say eng. It is a great madnes to take that pleasure y^t nedes must haue so greuous payn folowyng. This gracyouse man vsed a synguler wysdom. Yf we shall do well, we must do in lyke manner / we must folow the same wysdome. Before we entre into synne, let vs fyrst assay how painfull that fyre is. And than I suppose we shall de∣uyse and study with our selfe how that we may escape the fyre of Purgatory.