Perseverance
In both his religious and secular poems, Lydgate writes about people who demonstrate perseverance. He continually entreats the reader to "go eche day onward" as he says in "Vox Ultima Crucis." Whether seen through the perspective of the Christian dutifully persisting in his battle against sin or through the perspective of the beggar wandering the streets of London, the message is the same. The third term of Lydgate's poems is that life is difficult. There are seemingly endless and insurmountable challenges, but still he urges the reader to press on. In a religious context, this looks like remembering that Christ has already accomplished the sinner's salvation and reserved their place in heaven. For the more secular texts, this looks like summoning the strength to continue looking to improve one's self despite immense obstacles.
Sacrifice
Forming a contrast between one another "The London Lackpenny" and "The Testament of John Lydgate" provide a question and answer central to Lydgate's writing. In "Lackpenny" he describes a beggar seeking money for boat fare and food from various sources throughout the city of London. While the beggar desperately needs the money for his survival, he simultaneously recognizes that he is asking people to give him something which they have earned. Still, they have much, and he has none. He's asking for someone to sacrifice something precious in order to save him. This is the very literal sacrifice which Lydgate presents as Christ's death in "Testament." Christ speaks to the sinner out of love, reminding them that he has already made the ultimate sacrifice of his life and suffering for this person in order that they may join him in heaven. Although Christ's sacrifice does not feed the lackpenny, he does offer assurance that, in death, the beggar has already been assured provision.
Heaven as the Place of Rest
Heaven is the topic of "That Now Is Hay Some-Tyme Was Grase." In this context, heaven is represented as a clean, grassy place. The grass itself resembles the "green pastures" of Psalm 23 which is a religious symbol for rest. In contrast to the constant busyness and wandering of "The London Lackpenny," heaven is described as the place where the sinner will find eternal rest. Again, the Savior reminds the sinner in "The Testament of John Lydgate" that those who enter into heaven with him have found paradise, the place of eternal bliss.
