sow his seed.”  So that a preacher is resembled to a ploughman, as it is in another place:  Nemo admota aratro manu, et a tergo respiciens, aptus est regno Dei.  “No man that putteth his hand to the plough, and looketh back, is apt for the kingdom of God.”  That is to say, let no preacher be negligent in doing his office.  Albeit this is one of the places that hath been racked, as I told you of racking scriptures.  And I have been one of them myself that hath racked it, I cry God mercy for it; and have been one of them that have believed and expounded it against religious persons that would forsake their order which they had professed, and would go out of their cloister:  whereas indeed it toucheth not monkery, nor maketh any thing at all for any such matter; but it is directly spoken of diligent preaching of the word of God.

For preaching of the gospel is one of God’s plough-works, and the preacher is one of God’s ploughmen.  Ye may not be offended with my similitude, in that I compare preaching to the labour and work of ploughing, and the preacher to a ploughman:  ye may not be offended with this my similitude; for I have been slandered of some persons for such things.  It hath been said of me, “Oh, Latimer! nay, as for him, I will never believe him while I live, nor never trust him; for he likened our blessed lady to a saffron-bag:”  where indeed I never used that similitude.  But it was, as I have said unto you before now, according to that which Peter saw before in the spirit of prophecy, and said, that there should come after men per quos via veritatis maledictis afficeretur; there should come fellows “by whom the way of truth should be evil spoken of, and slandered.”  But in case I had used this similitude, it had not been to be reproved, but might have been without reproach.  For I might have said thus:  as the saffron-bag that hath been full of saffron, or hath had saffron in it, doth ever after savour and smell of the sweet saffron that it contained; so our blessed lady, which conceived and bare Christ in her womb, did ever after resemble the manners and virtues of that precious babe that she bare.  And what had our blessed lady been the worse for this? or what dishonour was this to our blessed lady?  But as preachers must be wary and circumspect, that they give not any just occasion to be slandered and ill spoken of by the hearers, so must not the auditors be offended without cause.  For heaven is in the gospel likened to a mustard-seed:  it is compared also to a piece of leaven; and as Christ saith, that at the last day he will come like a thief:  and what dishonour is this to God? or what derogation is this to heaven?  Ye may not then, I say, be offended with my similitude, for because I liken preaching to a ploughman’s labour, and a prelate to a ploughman.  But now you will ask me, whom I call a prelate?  A prelate is that man, whatsoever he be, that hath a flock to be taught of him; whosoever