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

FYrst the sworde betokeneth that terry∣ryble punysshment, that moost dredfull punysshment, that punysshment of euerlastyng dethe bothe in soule and body.

¶ There is a greate dyfference betwyrte thys sworde and the sworde of temporall Prynces / and especyally for two causes.

¶ This is a wonderfull swerde / for at the fyrst stroke it sleeth bothe soule and body. A kynges sworde dothe nat so. Quum occiderint corpus, non amplius quid faciant. whan that sworde hathe slayne the body, it can nat rage no fur∣ther. But this sworde sleeth bothe the bodye and the soule. And in a token therof it is two edged. ¶ Forthermore the dethe stroke that this sworde dothe gyue, takyth nat awaye the felynge from a man / neyther of the soule nor of the body. The kynges sworde taketh away the felynge from the body forthwith / for pryck it, bete it, bounche it, brenne it / it felyth none of all these paynes. But cōtrary wise, this sworde gyueth rather a more perfyte selynge, & a more clere perceyuynge of the payne than had the

persones before they were stryken with it. And therfore our sauyour tellyth of the great payne that the ryche glotton felt, whiche lay dampned and broyled in the fyre of hell. Amongest other of his paynes, he felt so great and so paynfull a dryenesse in his tongue, that he was fayne to begge one drop of lycour to refressh his tongue, and coulde nat get it in his thyrst. Many syn∣ners peraduenture wolde be glad y^t they sholde haue neyther felynge nor beynge, neyther in soule nor bodye, after this lyfe / for than they sholde fele no payne. But that can nat be so / for they shall haue perfyte felynge, & very perfyte∣ly fele the greuous paynes that they shal be in / whiche shall be as greuouse as thoughe they were in the contynuall paynes of dethe euery moneth. desiderabūt mori et mors fugiet ab eis. Theyr paynes shall be so excedyngly greuous, that they shall wysshe to dye a thousand tymes, and dethe shall alway flee from theym. They shall neuer dye, but lyue euer in the contynuall paynes of deth. ¶ Our sauyour saith of Judas, consyderynge the paynes that he sholde suffre for his offence, Melius ei esset si natus non fuisset homo ille. It had ben better for hym that he ne¦uer had ben borne. whiche worde may in lyke wyse be sayd of all them that shall be excludyd from the heuyn celestyall▪ into the dongeon of dampnacyon / for it had ben moche better for theym that they neuer had ben borne into this worlde, than to endure that greuous stroke of that two edged sworde.