“When a man but half forgives his enemy, it is like leaving
a bag of rusty nails to interpose between them" - Hugh Latimer.
When Hugh Latimer (1487 - 1555) began to preach on March 15, 1549 at the Palace of Westminster, he likely held a great feeling of success for preaching his message to the monarch of England. The religious pendulum had finally swung into his favor in England as he stood before the staunch Protestant King Edward XI. The reign of King Edward XI was the most successful for Latimer, but the reign of King Edward XI lasted only six years. Similar to England's own religious swing, Latimer saw himself as an "obstinate papist" to a primary advocate for the Protestant Reformation in England. Ten years previously to his sermon to King Edward XI, Latimer was locked in the Tower of London for his opposition to King Henry VIII's Six Articles. In six years after this sermon, he would be tried and executed for religious heresy.
When he faced his final moments, he likely could look back upon his life and reflect upon the moments in which he showed true strength in the face of adversity. He had fought for his beliefs in an ever changing moment, but never wavered from fear of consequence. It is very difficult to imagine what Latimer was feeling on October 16, 1555, but it is easy to know that he faced his death with a certainty that had always shone through Latimer.
Latimer spoke to Nicholas Ridley these words: "Play the man, Master Ridley; we shall this day light such a candle, by God's grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out."
Latimer may have spoken in an unstable land in the distant past, but the lessons of his life reign supreme today. It is important that despite the ever changing tide throughout the nation, he never wavered. He fought and died for a cause he believed in. When faced with his certain end, he thanked God for being able to die in a way which would honor everything he had worked for in his life.
When a man but half forgives his enemy, it is like leaving a bag of rusty nails to interpose between them.
Read more at: http://www.azquotes.com/quote/582371
Read more at: http://www.azquotes.com/quote/582371
When a man but half forgives his enemy, it is like leaving a bag of rusty nails to interpose between them.
Read more at: http://www.azquotes.com/quote/582371
Read more at: http://www.azquotes.com/quote/582371
