repugne and refuse my saying though being still carnal ye do not rightly vnderstande it nor take it as it ought to be taken but rather labour for the true vnderstanding therof For the woordes which I haue spoken vnto you are not carnall as you interpretate them but be spirite and lyfe and whye Uerely because they beeing spiritually vnderstand do conferre and geue lyfe to the soule He that receiueth these woordes rightly and truely eateth my fleshe and drinketh my blood being coupled to me gayneth thereby euerlasting lyfe But he that willingly refuseth them continueth in death thorough the synnes of his former lyfe and doubleth his owne damnacion of eternall death by reason of infidelitie And all they refuse this bread when it is offered them which beleue not my woordes And I knowe that these thinges are spoken al in vaine to sum folkes being right wel assured that there be sum among you which dooeth not credite my woordes and therefore reiectyng life when it is offered them they be cause of their owne vtter destruccion And for that cause our Lorde Iesus spake these thynges who was ignorant in nothyng yet he knewe well ynough or euer he spake these woordes whiche of his disciples woulde geue faith vnto hym And moreouer he coulde tell this also that euen amongest the twelue Apostles whom he so surnamed for honour sake and whome hee dyd also choose specially to bee aboute hymselfe as most sure frendes He knewe I say that there should be one of theim whiche woulde betraye hym to the Iewes that shoulde put hym to death Therefore to note them whiche though they dyd heare all one woorde and saying with the reste and though also one of the twelue should eate of thesame bread and drinke of the same cup which his felowes shoulde eate and drinke of yet shoulde not they obtaine lyfe thereby because they tooke and receiued that heauenlye bread not spirituallye but carnally Iesus added more and sayde for this cause I tolde you a litle before that no man coulde cum vnto me excepte it were geuen him so to do from heauen of my father To haue heard this my voyce is nothing to haue seen and felte this body is nothyng except the father of heauen haue geuen withall the iyes of fayth with the whiche I am loked vpon to the beholders health and vnles he shall geue therwith heauenly eares of the mynde with the whiche I am heard fruitefully and to the hearers commoditie From that tyme many of his disciples went backe and forsooke hym and walked no more with hym Then sayed Iesus to the twelue wyll ye also go awaye Then Symon Peter answered hym Lorde to whom shall we goe thou hast the woordes of eternall lyfe and we beleue and are sure that thou arte Christe the soonne of the lyuing God Iesus answered them Haue not I chosen you twelue and one of you is a deuill He spake of Iudas Iscarioth the sonne of Simon for he it was that should betraye hym beeyng one of the twelue These wordes of Iesus beyng full of the doctrine of saluacion dyd not descende doune into theyr myndes whose mindes were occupied with earthly desyres and couetousnesse who also vnderstood no heauēly thinges besides the grosse and carnall religion as they vsed it of Moses lawe Therefore after that Iesus had this communicacion among them the more parte not onely of the common people but also of his owne disciples fell awaye from theyr maister and thereby are made wurse whereby they myght haue been muche better in case they had taken all thinges well and receiued hym accordynglye and they so muche forsooke hym that they withdrewe themselfes from his cumpany and from eating and drinking with hym as men that by that facte woulde condemne his doctrine But Iesus to shewe euen now the maner and way how that preachers of the ghospel should behaue themselfes doeth neyther make to humble and vile suite to haue them tarie styll with hym leste he shoulde seme to dooe the thing that other are wounte to dooe that is to shew himselfe to stande in nede of their cumpany Neyther doeth he speake to the reproche of theyr goyng awaye leste therein he myght haue been thought to haue more sought his owne prayse and glory then theyr saluacion and yet he doeth not vtterly put them away from hym because they myght perchaunce afterwarde haue been better aduised but to declare that through their owne faute they were offended and so without any occasion geuen thē went awaye and that his saying shoulde not altogether lacke fruite although that sum made themselfes through infidelitie vnworthie any heauenly gifte Iesus I saye vpon these skylles tourning him towardes the twelue Apostles whom he had admitted and taken vnto hym to be the speciall witnesses and bruters abrode of all the thinges that he wroughte did so get out of theim the open confession of theyr belefe that he neyther retaineth these with flatterye as thoughe he had gonne about his owne buisinesse rather then theyrs neither did he to much feare theym with threatening and chiding leste they shoulde seeme to folowe Iesus rather compelled then with their owne consent perswaded For no man is to be compelled vnto the fayth of the ghospell And Iesus had leauer men should openly forsake him then to haue a disciple colourably aud fayuedly And therfore whiles other were departing from him Iesus saieth to the twelue And will ye also goe away from me ye maye tarye styl and ye lust vnlesse ye thinke it more your commoditie to departe Uerely I doe desyre that it might be euery mans lucke to haue this heauenly gyft by me but it is neither to be geuen to theim that refuse it for they dooe not deserue it nor any manne can attaine to cum by it excepte he be desirouse of it And yet it is the gift of the father that any man doeth couet and earnestly desyre it Here nowe doeth Simon Peter a man alway of a plaine and ardent faith towardes Iesus representyng in his person the whole churche and in the name also of other maketh aunswer cherefully and with great courage saying O Lorde God forbyd that we should forsake the for considering that we be muche desyrous of eternal saluacion and also knowe right wel how bare and vnpleasaunt how colde and vnprofitable those thinges are which the Phariseis teache and seing also that we haue hearde Iohn testifying of the whither els and to what other man should we go from thee ▪ for thou alone speakest the woordes which bring with them euerlasting lyfe Thou that receyuest euery one that will cum shalt not driue vs from the whom thou hast once admitted to thy seruice neyther do we desyre to chaunge our lorde and maister for we shoulde change for the wourse what new maister soeuer we shall choose For we not only trusting vpon thy woordes beleue thee but also wee knowe by the very dedes that thou doest and haue certainlye
kynde of death the buriall the resurreccion thascendyng into heauen the holy ghoste sente downe from heauen the wounderfull toungues of the Apostles the conuersion of the Gentiles and other thynges whiche we sawe and dayly see doen by them that professe the name of Christe Finally the tyme also doeth agree in the which he was prophecied for to come And all these thynges were prophecied not only by the sayinges of the Prophetes but also wer signified by the actes and dedes of the Patriarches Nowe seing thei know these thinges if thei coÌ„pare theÌ„ with these whiche we shewe to haue been doen they shall vnderstande that they loke in vayne for any other Messias thâ—n this whom we speake of he came once humble and abiccte concernyng the fourme of mannes bodye for so Esai prophecied he should come to delyuer all men by his deathe from the tyranny of deathe And he shall cum againe in th ende of the worlde not as now a sauiour but a iudge of all bothe lyuing and deade Now no man is excluded froÌ„ his benefite Than no man shal escape his iudgement But than shal they ioyfully see the iudge dealyng euerlasting rewardes whiche now doe not despise hym a meke sauiour easy to be entrâ—ted This therfore is that only and very Messias whose geneologie and petigre shal forthwith be shewed touching the body whiche he toke for our cause for by hym shoulde spring and cum furth a new nacion not carnall but spiritual which should rather replenish heauen than yearth the which also shoulde be encreaced or multiplied not by the seed of man but by the euangelical fayth whiche is the heauenly seed of Goddes worde Of this faith the autour and father in a misticall fygure was represented by Abraham who the law of circumsicion not yet publyshed deserued the prayse of rightuousnes not before men but before God not by the kepyng of the law but by the sinceritie of faith wherby he doubted nothing of Goddes promises although they wer farre passing the power of nature And for this trust and confidence he was called the father of many nacions which after the example of hym should beleue the gospel of Iesus Christe He nowe his body beyng decaied for age his wife also beyng weake and barain begate Isaac whiche was promised vnto hym who also was a figure of Christe vearyng wood to the sacrifice whereunto he was apoynted Isaac begat Iacob which though he wer the younger brother yet he set his elder brother besyde purchased the inheritaunce to hymself wherin he was a figure of the churche that should be congregated and gathered together of the Gentiles the which the Iewes being excluded encreaseth daily more and more receiuing the grace of the gospell by faythe of the which the Iewes through vnbelefe haue made themselfes vnworthy For thus sayeth God I haue loued Iacob and hated Esau. And in the Prophetes ofte mencion is made of this name Iacob begate Iudas of whome the tribe had his name of the whiche Christ was prophecied to cum of and by whose name as by inheritaunce was promised the newe lawe of the gospel for thus speaketh Hieremie Beholde the dayes do come sayeth the Lorde and I wyll dispose a newe testament to the house of Iudas the house of Iacob And he did not beget him onely albeit he deserued chiefly to be recited in the geneologie but also he begate the other eleuen brothers of Iudas which seuerally gaue names to the seuerall trybes of the nacion of Israell Iudas begat Phares and zaram of Thamar Phares begat Esrom And Esrom begat Atam And Atam begat Aminadab Aminadab begat Naasson Naasson begate Salmon Salmon begat Boos of Rahab Boos begat Obed of Ruth Obed begat Iesse Iesse begat Dauid the kyng Dauid the kyng begat Salomon of her that was the wyfe of Uri Further Iudas had two chyldren at a burden named Phares and zaram not of his lawfull wyfe but of Thamat hys daughter in lawe whyche was maryed to Her the eldest soonne of Iudas vnto whome when Iudas did not perfourme hys promyse that is to saye that she myghte be maryed to Sela brother vnto her housbande that was dead accordyng to the order of the law the woman passyng all measure desirous to haue a chylde tooke the habite of a common woman and coueryng her face by crafte and deceyte laye with Iudas her father in lawe and afterwarde by shewyng of the token whyche she had receyued of hym before that she woulde suffer hym to lye wyth her auouched and proued hym to be father of bothe the chyldren when he otherwyse earnestlye woulde haue brente her accordyng to the lawe The thyng thus doen is not without offence and blame but yet the mysterie hyd vnder thys vnhonest couerture maketh muche for the matter of the Ghospell Lyke as also Phares was a figure and significacion of the churche and Synagogue whiche Phares preuented his brother when he endeuored to goe furthe of his mothers wombe puttyng foorth his hande fyrste Of this Phares Esrom was borne of Esrom Aram of Aram Aminadab of Aminadab Naasson and of hym Salmon Salmon begat Boos of Rahab whiche though she were not of the nacion of Iewes but of the Cananites yet because she preserued the spyalles sent from Iesu the captain guyde of the Iewes and because she betrayed the citie of Hierico she deserued her place in the geneologie of theym whiche throughe faythe were made prayse worthie of God and she exempted out of the sorte and order of common women was chosen and admitted emong the people of God and maryed to an housbande of the nacion of Iewes signifying euen at that tyme that synners heathen people beyng alienate from the religion of God shoulde be coupled vnto Christe throughe the merite of faythe Boos also hade a soonne named Obeth by Ruth a Moabite the whiche also renouncyng her countreye and her bodily affeccions had rather to be planted emong the people of the Iewes that is to say suche as professe the doctrine of Christe Thus at that tyme fygures and shadowes signified before that no kynde of men shoulde be dryuen and kept of from the felowshyp of the gospell so that he bryng with hym faith and a desirous minde of true godlynes Of Obed came Iesse whiche was called also Isai of whose name Esay propheciyng of Christe maketh mencion saying A rod shall cum out of the roote of Iesse Of hym was borne Dauid derely beloued of God bothe kynge and Prophete buylder of the citie of Hierusalem noble through the slaughter of Goliad and after that the wicked kyng Saul was deposed by the coÌ„maundemente of God from a pore shepeherd he was consecrate kyng ouer the Israelites Oute of whose stocke the whole nacion of the Hebrues did loke that Christe shoulde cum as it was prophecied before of men that wer inspired with God And he also did represente by many wayes the fygure of Christe his ofspring Dauid begat Salomon that king of
and came into the citie and founde as he had sayed vnto them and they made ready the passeouer Nowe was the fyrst daye of the feast of swete breade cum on the which daie the Iewes were wōt to offer vp their easter lambe Therfore Iesus disciples said vnto him Whither wilt thou that we go and prepare thee thy easter souper Iesus sent out two of them to make prouision therfore saying vnto them Go ye into the citie and assone as ye bee entred in there shall meete you a man carying a pitcher of water him folowe ye into what house soeuer he entreth in saye these woordes to the good man of the house in my name The maister saith where is the soupyng chāber where I maye eate my easter lambe with my disciples and he shall straightwayes shewe you a large souping chamber paued and already prepared for the feast that shal be made therin There prepare you for vs our easter souper Here marke me the simple obedience of the Apostles suche an obedience as they also shewed before when they were sente out to fetche the Asses foale Marke also this that there is nothyng hyd and vnknowē vnto the lorde so that it is manifest and plaine hereby that he both foreknewe and willyngly suffered whatsoeuer he suffered for our cause Further marke his authoritie At the naming of this worde Lorde or Maister the asse was byanby let go Againe at the naming of thesame worde the soupyng chamber was furthwith shewed them so that it appeareth hereby that it was in his power to do whatsoeuer he woulde he could with a becke haue restrained the priestes phariseis who went about cruelly to tourment hym and put him to death The disciples went theyr waye and came into the citie and founde one carying a water pitcher whom they folowed and entred into the house where he went in and declared vnto the goodman of the house their maisters commaundement He without any tarying shewed them a soupyng chamber wherin the disciples prepared theyr easter lambe that is to saye the last and mysticall souper whiche should both represent the fygure of the olde lawe and also sacramentally present and exhibite vnto them the sacrifyce of the newe lawe and gospell And when it was nowe euentyde he came with the twelue and as they sate at borde and dyd eate Iesus sayed Uerely I saye vnto you one of you that eateth with me shall betraye me And they began to be sory and to saye to him one by one is it I And another sayd is it I He answered and sayde vnto them it is one of the twelue euen he that dippeth with me in the platter The sonne of man truly goeth as it is wrytten of him but wo to the mā by whō the sonne of mā is betraied Good we◠it for that mā if he had neuer been borne In the euentyde Iesus folowed with his twelue disciples whom only as chosen felowes his pleasure was shoulde be witnesses of all that shoulde bee doen in this moste holy feast or maundye When they were all set at the table and takyng their repast Iesus sayed vnto theim I assure you that one of you that eateth with me shall betraye me As he had so sayed eleuen of them were stryken with great sorowe and pensiuenesse For there was none of them all that knewe himselfe fautie saue Iudas only But yet durste they not truste to the weakenesse and frailtie of mans nature Therfore eche of them desyrous to be delyuered of this pensiue carefulnesse by the lordes discrying of the traytoure sayed vnto hym Is it I Neyther was Iudas who knewe hymselfe culpable ashamed to saye with the rest Maister am I he Iesus to shewe vnto his disciples a perfite ensample of leuitie and mekenesse thoughte it better to suffre them a while to be troubled with heauinesse then to bewraye the traytoure vsyng all the wayes and meanes he coulde to cause hym to returne from his wicked and mischieuous purpose Therfore he sayd It shall be one of the twelue who is so familiare with me that he dippeth in the same platter that I do And this is the rewarde whiche he will geue me for my gentle and familiar entertainement Nowe Iudas perceiued that it was not vnknowen vnto the lord where aboutes he wēt and he sawe also suche mekenesse in hym as the lyke had not been heard of before Iesus would not discrie him of whō he should anone after be moste falsly betrayed vnto death vnto the residewe of his disciples because they would peraduenture if the treason had been opened haue cruelly handled hym for theyr maisters sake But oh vncurable malice What stone what diamōd would not so great gentlenesse make to relent specially of hym who could hurt and displease with a becke But thesame gētlenesse more encouraged the wretch to do this wicked and mischieuous dede Then went Iesus foorth with his tale in this wyse howbeit as concernyng me nothing shall be doen otherwise then I will my selfe but as the prophetes haue sayed and prophecied of the sonne of man so shall it be It is expedient for a great many that he be delyuered and betrayed to death But yet woe bee to hym throughe whose malice and wickednesse he shal be betrayed He procureth a thing which shal be soule health to other and to himselfe vtter confusiō It had been better for him that he had neuer been borne Howbeit this wicked mynde purpose of Iudas was neuer a whit refourmed neither with so great mekenesse of the lord nor yet for dread of the great horrible punishmente whiche he threatned him withall so great a michiefe is couetousnesse ¶ And as they did eate Iesus toke bread and when he had geuen thankes he brake it gaue it to them and sayd Take eate this is my body And he toke the cup and whē he had geuen thankes he toke it to them they all dranke of it and he sayde vnto thē This is my bloude of the new testamēt which is shed for many Uerely I saye vnto you I will drynke no more of the fruite of the vyne vntill that daye that I drinke it newe in the kyngdom of God And when they had sayed grace they went out to mount Oliuete And Iesus sayth vnto them Al ye shall bee offended because of me this night For it is wrytten I will smite the shepheard and the shepe shall be scattered But after that I am risen againe I wyll go into Galile before you Peter sayd vnto hym And though all men be offended yet wyll not I. And Iesus sayeth vnto him Uerely I saye vnto the that this daye euen in this nighte before the Cocke crowe twise thou shalt deny me three times But he spake more vehemētly ▪ no if I shoulde dye with the I will not denye the. Likewise also sayde they all Furthermore in this souper Iesus commended vnto his disciples that moste holy sacrement or signe of his death and of
call againe the lyfe after it was once past as to kepe thesame in the body when it was ready to go out therof Therfore Iesus without rebuking the rulers fayth sheweth by the dede it selfe that he can doe much more then the ruler trusted that he could doe I nede not sayth he for this cause go to Capernaum Go thy waie thy sonne whom thou diddest leaue at the poynte of death is now aliue and in helth The rulers faith was somewhat stayed by this saying for he trusting to Iesus woorde maketh haste homewarde And as he was goyng thyther his seruauntes mette with hym to bryng the father good tidinges of his childe that is to saye that he whiche was a litle before at poynte of death was sodeinly recouered that he should not trouble Iesus of whose helpe they had no nede for they supposed that the childe had recouered his health but by hap as men that were ignoraūt what was doen betwene the ruler and Iesus In this poynt verily the rulers lacke of full trust being mixte with some hope caused the miracle to be better beleued For the ruler desirouse to knowe the trueth certaynly whether his sonne was restored to helth againe by chaunce or by the power of Iesu enquired of his seruaūtes at what houre his sonne began to amend Yesterday say they at the seuenth houre that was about one of the clocke at after none the feuer sodeinly lefte hym and byanby your sonne was whole The father knewe that euen at that very houre Iesus sayed vnto hym go home thy sonne lyueth and than he was well assured that his sonne was reuiued not by chaunce but through the power of Iesus And though this miracle was wrought vpon an heathen man yet muche fruite came therof for not only the ruler himselfe beleued that Christ was Messias but also by his perswasiō and exaumple his whole housholde beleued thesame which must nedes haue muche people in it considering that he was ryche and a manne of high autoritie wheras Iesus after he had wrought many miracles amongst his owne countreymē and kinsfolkes had muche a doe to wyn a fewe to the gospell This is the second miracle that Iesus wrought when he was come out of Iewry into Galile to the entent that he myght confirme agayne the former miracle whiche he had wrought in Cana with doyng an other that was greater then it and by the example of a prophane and heathen manne might prouoke his owne countreymen vnto fayth and did euen than by that occasion as it were pronosticate and signifie bothe that the Iewes should be repelled for theyr incredulitie and the Gentiles through faith receyued to the grace of the ghospell ¶ The .v. Chapter ¶ After this was there a feast daye of the Iewes and Iesus went vp to Ierusalem And there is at Ierusalem by the slaughter house a poole which is called in the Hebrue toungue Bethsaida hauing fyue porches in which lay a great multitude of sicke folke of blynd halt and withered waiting for the mouyng of the water for an Angell wente downe at a certain season into the poole and stired the water whosoeuer then first after the stirring of the water stepped in was made whole whatsoeuer disease he had AFter that Iesus had in this wyse begunne his matters among the Samaritanes and the people of Galile he goeth again to Ierusalem euen about the feast of Penthechost intendyng there by reason of the great resorte of people to declare setforth his autoritie to many and to reproue the Phariseis of their infidelitie whiche swelled in pryde through false perswasion of holines and knowledge whom nowe the Samaritanes heathen did so muche excell At Ierusalm verily there was a poole or a certayne depe lake of water whiche the Grekes calleth probatica takyng that name of cattell because the priestes were wonte there to washe the sacrifices that were to be offered and of a lyke reason it is called in Hebrue Bethsaida as a mā would say a slaughter house or an house of cattel This lake hath fiue porches ouer it In these porches lay a great numbre of men that were sicke of diuerse bodily diseases and besydes that there was a great multitude of folkes that were blynde that halted and were lame abiding and lokyng for the mouyng of the water for the Angell of the Lorde went downe at certaine times into the poole and therwithall the water was moued who so than after the Angell had stiered the water stepped first into the poole he was made whole were he sicke or whatsoeuer bodily mayme he had And euen at that tyme was this a figure of baptisme wherby the filthines and diseases of our soules be they neuer so deadly are washed away at once so often as the office of the baptiser Gods operacion from aboue be concurrant with the element of the water There is no doubte but by this occasion muche people at that time were in that place either of such as were gathered together there to beholde and see what was doen or els of them whiche dyd attende vpon the sicke folkes that lay in the fyue porches And a certayne man was there whiche had been diseased .xxxviii. yere when Iesus sawe hym lye and knewe that he nowe long time had been diseased he sayeth vnto hym wylt thou be made whole The sicke man aunswered him Syr I haue no man when the water is troubled to put me into the poole but in the meane time while I am aboute to come an other steppeth downe before me Iesus sayeth vnto him ryse take vp thy bedde and walke And immediately the man was made whole and toke vp his bed and walked And because the miracle myght be the more notable Iesus did chose out from among all the sicke folke one whiche was of them all furthest frō hope of recouery whose disease was dangerouse and almoste incurable and had also holden hym a long tyme finally the saied manne moste of all lacked the helpe and succour of other men was so poore that he was not able to prouide any man by whom he might at due tyme be caryed downe into the water Nor any one of the multitude was cured but only he whose chaūce was first to goe downe into the water This mans great misery must nedes setforth the greatnes of the miracle and thesame mans faith helped muche to the example of other For the palsie had vexed him .xxx. yeres together to teache vs that there is no disease of the soule so deadly and of so long cōtinuaunce but that baptisme and faith in Iesu may easily take it awaye Therfore when that moste mercifull Iesus had beholden this sicke mā of the palsey whom euery body pitied lying withall his membres looce shakyng by reason of that disease also perceyued that sickenes so muche the more to be dispayred of for that it had holden already the miserable creature thirtie yeres together
of man remain still aliue And to thintente also that the whole man shoulde like throughe me my father wylâ—eth thys thyng too that in the last day I shal restore the dead body also to lyfe For this is my fathers wyll that sente me euen by his soonne to geue â—ternall lyfe vnto all men and that not through Moses lawe but by faythe of the ghospell The father dooeth nothyng but by his sonne And therfore he that dooeth not acknowlage the soonne dooeth not acknowlage the father and whoso resisteth the sonne he also resisteth the father The father is inuisible but yet he is seen in his sonne Therfore whoso seeth the sonne acknoweledgeth hym and beleueth his woordes the saide soonne will not suffre hym to perishe but althoughe he bee deade in bodye he wyll rayse hym agayne in the laste daye accordyng to his fathers wylle that he so maye liue wholly both in bodie and soule in the presence of the soonne whome he gaue credite vnto The father hath geuen this power vnto the soonne that he maye restore euen the dead vnto life The Iewes then murmured at hym because he said I am the bread of life which came downe from heauen And they said Is not this Iesus the sonne of Iosephe whose father and mother we â—news How is it then that he saieth I came down from heaâ—â— â–ª Iesus aunswered and saied vnto them Murmure not among youre selfes No man can cumme to me excepte the father whiche sente me drawe hym And I wil rayse hym vp at the laste daie When Iesus had spoken these thinges the people whiche hytherto thorough hope of meate coulde metely wel away with his communicacion now seyng that they sawe their hope of bodilye sustenaunce was taken awaye they fell to quarellyng with hym to maligne against him And also whome they beeing sufficed with eatyng woulde haue made king him doe they no we contemne as a vyle persone â–ª and laie arrogancie to his charge not openlye as yet but murmuring emong theimselues chieflye at that saiyng whiche of all others they oughte to embrace that is to weâ—e I am the liuelye breade whiche descended from heauen They moste coueted and gaped for bodilye foode and with this saiyng they thoughte theimselues deluded and mocked where as in dede a thyng farre more excellent was offred them then they loked for Certes the infirmitie of his manâ—ed offended theim whiche they onely looâ—â—â— vpon with bodily iyes when as they myght bothe of his dooynges and sayinges haue seene the power of god in hym yf they had had iyes of faythe Is not this man saye they Ioseph the carpenters sonne whose father and mother we knowe well enough by sight and to be but poore folkes and of a very meane estate Furthermore how can he for shame say that he came doun out of heauen when as but of late time he was borne here in earth emongest vs a very man of men as we bee Or what meaneth he by tellyng vs of an other father And whyles they wer talkyng secretly one to an other of these thynges Iesus declaring forthwith that meÌ„s very thoughtes wer not hid froÌ„ his knowlage did make more plain and also confirme that which he had spokeÌ„ before saiyng there is no cause why ye shoulde murmure among your selfes at these thynges which I haue spoken vnto you Your infidelitie is the cause why my woordes sticke not in your myndes Ye se and se not you heare and heare not and whyles ye be present yet are ye absent Of trueth whosoeuer cuÌ„meth to me shal obteine eternall life but by fayth muste men cum to me And faithe cummeth not at all auentures but it is hadde by the inspiracion of god the father who like as he draweth vnto him mens myndes by his sonne so by breathyng in fayth secretly into mens soules he draweth them to his sonne in suche wyse that through the operacion of both ioyntly together men cum to them both The father doth not geue this so great a gift but to them that be willing and desirouse to haue it And truely whoso doeth with a redy will and godly diligence deserue to bee drawen of my father he shall obteine euerlastyng life by me For I as I tolde you shall call to lyfe again euen him that is dead when the day shall cum wherin the felicitie of the godly and the destruccion of the wicked shal be finished and fully concluded He that beleueth me receiueth an excellent greate thyng but he ought to thanke the father for it without whom no maÌ„ can beleue and yet for al that they that in the meane season doe not beleue can not excuse theyr faute by saying that they were not drawen For the father so muche as lieth in hym coueteth to drawe all men He that is not drawen is in faute himselfe because he wythdraweth hymselfe from him that els would drawe hym ¶ It is written in the prophetes and they shal be al taught of god Euery man therefore that hath heard and hath learned of the father cummeth vnto me not that any man hath seen the father saue he whiche is of god the same hath seen the father Uerilye verilye I saie vnto you He that putteth his truste in me hath euerlasting life Thynges of thys worlde are learned by mannes endeuour and studye This celestiall philosophye is not vnderstande vnles the secrete inspiracion of the father make mannes hatte apte to bee taught Undoubtedlye thys is that whiche the prophetes long ago dyd saye shoulde be thus Propheciyng before haÌ„d And they shall be al taught of god But the lustes of this world maketh many one vntowardes to be taughte whiche worldelye desyres whyles they euen droune men in these earthlye thynges they suffre theym not to lifte vp theyr myndes to heauenlye thynges The gyfte is goddes but the endeuour is yours I man heareth my wordes with bodily eares in vayne excepte he heare before the secrete voyce of the father whiche must inspire the mynde with an insensyble grace of faythe Therefore whosoeuer fashyon theymselfes to bee apte to receiue this inspiracion the father dooeth thus drawe theym And he onely that is so drawen cummeth finally to me For god is a spirite and is neyther hearde nor seen but to them that bee spirituall And so to haue seene and haue hearde hym is saluacion Many shall see and heare the sonne to theyr peryl and daunger notwithstandyng that ye do glorye in that god was seene and heard to Moses and to the prophetes There was neuer mortall manne that sawe and hard god as he is in his own nature and substaunce that thing is geuen to the sonne of god alone whiche onely came from God with whom he was euermore before he came into this worlde Therfore put clearely out of your myndes the vyle cares of this corporall lyfe labouryng al that ye can that through earnest desyre of thynges that be spiritually good ye may attaine life euerlastyng I would ye should forget
a commaundemeÌ„t yea with an autoritie also that if any maÌ„ knew where he were in secrete that they should shew it that he might be appreheÌ„ded With these approued holy customes the bishops and Phariseis that were guides maisters of religion prepared themselfes to the feastful day but in the meane while they vnwares procured the saluacion of the worlde ¶ The .xii. Chapter Then Iesus sixe dayes before Easter came to Bethanie where Lazarus had been dead whom he raysed from death There they made him a supper and Martha serued but Lazarus was one of them that sate at the table with hym IEsus therfore knowyng that they had concluded vpon his death and that the tyme also was nigh when as he had determined willingly to be offred in sacrifice an vnspotted lambe for the saluacioÌ„ of the worlde he would no longer kepe hymselfe in secrete but as one offreyng hymselfe to be a sacrifice the seuenth daye before the feast of Easter in whiche daye the Iewes were wount at a solemne supper as it were to â—aste before hand the pascall lambe he retourned againe to Bethania both to call to remembraunce the lately doen miracle and also to impriente the hope of the resurreccion in the myndes of his disciples whom he knewe should be with his death excedyngly troubled in mynde For there dwelt Lazarus whom he had a fewe dayes before raysed from death to lyfe And the place was more notable for beeyng nigh to Ierusalem There therfore a supper was made readie for Iesus Martha serued him at supper But Lazarus was one of the numbre that sate at supper with him to make it more certain to them all that it was no vision nor gost whiche lately was seen to goe out of the graue home to his house forasmuche as he had nowe liued after his death many dayes and had also both commoned and eaten with other Then toke Mary a pounde of oyntmente called Nardus perfite and precious and anoynted Iesus feete and wiped his feete with hir heare and the house was filled with the odour of the oyntment There did Mary who with a siguler loue loued the Lorde Iesus ardently come to the feast as wel for many other causes as for the late benefite shewed vpon her brother and shedde vpon Iesus head sitting at the table a great quantitie of very precious oyntmente whiche was made of the beste kynde of Nardus to the mountenaunce of a pounde Insomuche that the whole house was filled with the sauour of the oyntmente And yet was the womans suche loue as hath not been heard not herewith content but annointed his fete with oyntmente and washed them with teares and wiped them with her heer not that she thought Iesus did delite in suche delicacies whose moderate sobrietie she knew but great ferueÌ„cie of loue caused her doe as her minde gaue her without stay of herselfe for truely she knew not nor coÌ„sidered what she did but yet through doing honor she gaue aduertisemeÌ„t before hand of Iesus death buriall was a figure of the churche whiche should embrace with godly honor the lord whom the Synagogue despised Than sayed one of the disciples euen Iudas Iscarioth Symons sonne which afterward betraied him why was not this oyntmente solde for thre hundred pence geuen to the poore This he sayed not that he cared for the poore but because he was a thefe and had the bagge and bare that whiche was geuen The disciples thought much at the bestowing of this oyntmente as a thing wastfully spente but specially Iudas Iscarioth was moued withall to whom as to the wurst of them al the purse was committed to thintent that the wurst man should be the disposer laier out of the naughtiest thyng he was wonte as the maner of theÌ„ that hath the handelyng of money is which is common to many to steale priuily somewhat therof to himselfe not with a single pure minde depending of the maistership autoritie that Iesus had ouer him but euen than making prouision for himselfe wherwith he might liue after he were departed out of Iesus felowship He therfore repining against Mary sayed to what purpose is it to loose so precious a thing For neither is our Lord maister delighted in suche nyce thinges neither is this sumptuousnes seming for our feast And in case this woman had been determined to bestowe so precious a thing when it had been geuen it might haue been solde and the price therof geuen to the poore This ye wote well had been more godly and more seming for our maister and vs too Albeit in dede the other Apostles also did speake these thynges of a simplicitie and mente none euill therin yet had Iudas a farre vnlike mynde though his woordes were like vnto theirs for he had no care of the poore mens cause but he kept the purse and the thing whiche frendes sente of their free good will dyd he full vniustly kepe therof priuily stole somewhat euen than shewyng some profe of hymselfe howe vnfit he is for the ministracion of Gods woorde whose mynde the inordinate desire of money doth possesse Than sayed Iesus let her alone against the daye of my burying hath she kept this for the poore alwayes shall ye haue with you but me haue ye not alwaye Muche people of the Iewes therfore had knowledge that he was there And they came not for Iesus sake onely but that they might see Lazarus also whom he raised from death but the hye priestes helde a councell that they myght put Lazarus to death also because that for his sake many of the Iewes went awaye and beleued on Christe But Iesus did so apease his disciples murmuryng that yet he did not openly disclose the malice of Iudas in suche wise he toke Maries part that he signified howe of his owne voluntarie wil he should dye For our Lord Iesus most coueted to haue all folke induced to beleue not that by compulsion of man but by his owne good aduisement he should suffre death for the saluacioÌ„ of man euen as he would and when he would Grudge ye not sayeth he at this womans obsequiousnesse benefite towardes me This coste is not lost but this honor is doen and bestowed against the time of my buriyng which honor this woman doth now preuenting the thing for than shall there lacke wherwith to anoynte You do iudge well of me that beyng aliue I haue alwaie refused suche plesante thinges yet I will that my death and burial be cumly and honorable doe not haue enuy at this my honor which is bestowed on me that shall shortely departe hence Ye shall haue alway with you ready at your hand great plenty of these common sorte of poore men whose nede ye maye succour ye shall haue me but a while And because many of Ierusalem came much to Bethania by reason of the nynesse and bycause of Lazarus in that he was a notable a tyche man and therby knowen to many but
Henry the eyght beeyng otherwyse by al tokens of natural constitucion a man hable and also likely to haue chyldren had alreadye by the twoo most faire blossomes and most freshe floures of the world the lady Maries Grace the lady Elizabethes Grace your Maiesties moste noble and moste dere sisturâ— yet liuyng declared himselfe apte to be veray fruicteful of procreacion yet had he continued eight and twentie yeres Kyng of this Royalme ere he had any soonne in lawfull matrimonie begotten to whome he myght leaue the succession of this his Emperiall croune and sceptre In the meane tyme Kyng Henry as a moste vigilaunt pastour ceaseth not with perpetuall trauayll to procure for the commodities and wealth of Englande he ceaseth not by moste politique and moste holsome lawes to prouide for the establishyng of Englande in peace and tranquilitie And because by the diligent readyng and meditacion yf holy Scriptures he founde and obserued the true blissynges of God and the fountayne of al grace and prosperitie to procede of the knowleage of God and the due obseruacion of his lawes lyke a moste christian Prince and a true defendour of the fayth he conuerted and emploied al his studie and cogitacions to the redresse of such abuses in relygion as by the moste corupte doctrine of the Romishe papacye had by degrees crepte into Christes churche and preuailyng throughe continuaunce of yeres were nowe so confirmed and established throughout all parties of Christendome that the Romishe Nabugodonozor held vs in forer subieccion then euer was Israell holden in the captiuitie of olde Babilon and so should we haue stil continued had it not pleased almightie God of his botomlesse mercie to reise vp a Christian Cyrus your moste puissaunt father to restore vs agayne to our freedome in Christes bloud For the Romishe Nabugodonozor had by wrestyng and peruertyng the holy scriptures of God to the establyshing and maintenaunce of his vsurped supremitie clymed so high that he was not nowe content to sitte in the chaire of Moses but had moste blasphemously exalted hymselfe aboue all that is called God that is to say had made Goddes woorde frustrate that his moste corrupte and moste pestilente doctrine myght take place He had by his deiulishe inuencions caste such a foggie miste of ignoraunce ouer Goddes moste holy Bible he had with his Pharisaicall interpretacions in suche wyse polluted the sinceritie of Christes doctrine he had so infeeted the clere fountayne of Goddes woorde with the suddes of humayne tradicions and the dregges of vayn ceremonies he had by meane of papisticall troumperie so peruerted the vnderstanding of holy scriptures he had so defaced the puritie of the faith with the beggerly patched cloke of supersticious weorkes not commaunded by Goddes lawe he had so perplexed the grace of the ghospell with the false feigned merites and weorkes of supererogacion he had so mangled the Christian profession with mo then an hundred soondry sectes of counterfaicte cloystreers of Antichristes owne generacion liuing like idle loitreers and veraâ—dranes and vnder the pretence of religion deuouryng the common weales that woulde maynteyn theim he had so oppressed the true religion and wurshyppyng of God wyth pilgremages to dead stockes and stones of mannes handie weorke with transferryng the honoure whiche was due to God alone vnto Sainctes and to feigned miracles wyth other kyndes of idolatry innumerable and wyth a purgatorye of materiall fyer and to make some ende of speakyng in a matter of it selfe infinite he had so clene subuerted al good and godly conuersacion and doctrine that Satan had no more power of the worlde whan Christe came downe to yearth for to redeme mankynde then religion was nowe broughte oute of frame by the tyrannye of the Romyshe Babilon nor God and hys soonne Iesus Christe any where lesse founde than whan he was moste buisily named and spoken of in pulpites Beeyng vnder the title and name of Christe the moste eagre aduersarye of Christe and his ghospell he ioyned hymselfe to the Philistines and beyng their Goliah more nere sixtene then sixe cubites high neither feared â–ª ne shamed to shewe hymselfe in playne battayl of defiaunce ne spared to open hys blasphemous mouthe ne to drawe hys tyrannous sweorde ne to shake his huige murderyng speare agaynst the true Israelites of Christes litle selie flocke and moste presumpteously to braggue agaynst all that euer woulde professe the syncere and vpryght doctrine of Gods woorde tyll it pleased God to reyse vp vnto vs an Englishe Dauyd your moste noble father who without anye armoure or weapon of yron and stele without any harnesse of mannes makyng without displeighing any banners in araye of humaine battaile shoulde out of the slyng of his Regall auctoritie cast the corner stone of Goddes woorde whiche lyghtyng vpon the forhead of the sayd Goliah felled his papacie stone dead crushed it to poudre neuer to be hable any more to noye or to face Englyshe Israel Our sayd Dauid kyng Henry the eyght had learned by the boke of Deuteronomie in whiche booke the feithfull seruauÌ„t of God Moyses charged that whomsoeuer Israel shoulde make Kyng ouer them thesame from the tyme that he wer sette in his Regall throne should all the dayes of his lyfe haue continuall meditacion and should styll reade therin to the entente he myght learne to feare the Lorde his God for to kepe all the woordes of hys lawe and his ordinaunces for to dooe theim and that he should not turne from the commaundementes eyther to the ryght hand or to the left that bothe he and his children myght prolong their dayes in his Kyngdome he hadde I saie learned in the same booke on the one syde the blessynges of god promysed to all suche prynces as on theyr owne parties woulde for the loue and feare of god walke vpryghtly in the execucion of the sayde commaundementes and woulde partly by theyr good exaumple prouoke theyr subiectes to dooe the same and partly by due execucion of iustice make them ashamed and also afeard to swerue or declyne from the lorde their god and on the other syde the terrible malediccions and plagues of gods wrathe threatned to all suche as neglected the vpryght obseruyng of all his preceptes and wayes He loued the goodnesse of God and feared his stroke he sawe religion to bee ferre out of frame he sawe some parte of his moste earnest trauailes and endeuour to sette Englande in moste quiet and blissefull state to fayl of condigne effecte through defaulte of reformacion in matters of religion He saw found by experience of his owne manyfolde moste princely enterpryses the onely cause why Christian Royalmes are plagued wyth warres derthes famyns pestilences other mortall extremyties to come of Gods indignacion because the worlde was so ferre gone astraigh from Christe that nothyng was nowe weaxed so odious or detestable as his holy woorde nothyng reputed so blasphemous as Christes holy ghospell nothyng so lyght estemed as Christes blood and passion He sawe the
Maiesties most noble and victorious Reigne throughly tried and the same aswel in peace as also in soondry warres approued neither at home only but also both in fraunce Scotland more then once or twise declared of whose dexterity aswell in marcial feactes as also in ciuile affaires and in ordring of the common weale of whose fortunate and luckie spede in al his worthy enterpryses of whose happye and prosperous successe in all thinges that he taketh in hande of whose passyng great clemencye moderacy on towardes all people in euerye behalf of whose prudence in all ciuill matiers of whose feithful and vigilaunte administracion vnder your Maiestie in your common weale of whose indifferencie in al causes of iustice to be ministred to your people of whose most vpright integrity not onely in ciuil counsayles but also in matiers of religion for the worde of God purely sincerely to be set forth to Gods glory and to the welth and honour of your Emperial croune and dignitie though no manne is hable to say ouermuch yet wil I rather absteyne to say that I coulde and iustly might doe then I will fill his eares with the troumpe of his owne particular prayses whiche I knowe hym to bee nothyng desirous ne willing to heare Onely I shall pray almyghtie God as al Englande and your other dominions with publique and the same vnceassaunt prayers doe to preserue and kepe him vntil such time as your Maiestie being growen to full manstate and absolute discrecion may rewarde him with condigne thankes for his long and the same most feithful and diligent seruice and the same thing also to doe vnto al the other your moste noble and godly Counsaylours For the blisfull state that your Maiestie endeuoureth and daily trauayleth with their assent consent to set this your Empiere in enforceth as many as loue either you or God daily to breake out into this acclamacion O happy King of suche woorthy Counsailours and o happy Counsailours of such a toward King Neither doe we your most beneuolent subiectes any thing doubte but that your Maiesties godly beginninges so prosperously and earnestly to set foorth Gods worde and glory shal dayly more and more occasyon al Christian kinges princes not onely to spoyle the Romishe Egipt by resuming euery one his owne most due tightful title of supreme head within his own Royalmes dominions by abolishing the vsurped primacie of the papacie of Rome with al the Antichristian tradicions issuing from the same but also in publishing the pure and sincere worde of God to theyr peoples and subiectes euery one And than is it not to be doubted but that Christian loue peace vnitie and concorde whiche hath long and many yeres through the malicious practising of the See of Rome been exiled banished from al parttes of Christendome shall vniuersally in a momente returne agayne to the great glory of God to the quieting of the worlde to the benefite of all Christen common weales and to the confusion discoumfeightyng aswell of the Turkes as also of al other the enemies of God and good people And within your Maiesties Royalmes and dominions it is in the meane time nothing to be mistrusted but that by your most gracious prouision such knowlage of Gods worde shal grow that your people shal be to al others a perfeict ensaumple of all godly conuersacyon and behaueour And where Ezechias and Iosias mayntayned true religion and the vpright wurshipping of God but either for his owne time no lenger I trust your Grace shal confirme establish it for euer in the hertes and bowels of all youre most tendre louing subiectes WheruÌ„to certes there cannot be any so ready or sure a way as by publishing the holy scripture gospel of Christ by establishing the vse therof through most holesome ordeinauÌ„ces statutes lawes iniunccions sincere preachers most godly omelies and exposicions in the vulgare toung And in this behalfe if common writers in trifling profane matiers do with much high suit make meanes to obteine and vse the fauourable acceptacion of Princes vnder whose name title proteccion any such weorke may be the more commended and the better habled vnto the readers how much are we al bound to your highnes who of your own mere good zele and of your own accorde doe willingly set forth in the English toung suche fruictfull bookes wherby all your people may bee edified in religion Emong which verely I knowe not any one booke whome for this purpose of briefly pithily sincerely and familiarely expouning the new testament I may iustly compare or at leste wise preferre to thys presente Paraphrase of Erasmus whiche lyke as the moste vertuous ladie Quene Katerine late wife of your moste noble father and now of your ryghte derebeloued vnkle Syr thomas Seimour knight Lorde Seimour of Sudley and high admyrall of your Seaes did ryght graciously procure to be translated into our vulgare toung so your Maiestie more graciously hath by your most godly iniunccioÌ„s willed to be read vsed and studied by euery curate and pryeste to the vndoubted edifying aswell of them as of all other that with a desyre to knowe God shall eyther reade or heare the same For as a wynnower powereth the chaffe from the corne and the boulter tryeth out the branne from the mele so hath Erasmus scoured out of all the Doctours and commentaries vpon Scrypture the dregges which through the faute of the times or places in whiche those writers liued had settled it selfe amonge the pure fine substaunce he hath tried out the refuse that cleued in any the weorkes of suche as wrote whan the doctrine began by patchyng clokyng to decline to insynceritie the trashe and bagguage stuffe that through papistical tradicions had founde a waye to crepe in this man hath sifted out froÌ„ the right doctrine so that aswel in al other his most clerkely wrytinges as also most specyally in these his Paraphrases vpon the newe testament so auncientely wryten as cannot be emended he bringeth in and briefly compriseth the pith of aâ—l the myndes and meninges of all the good Doctours of the churche that euer wrote In iustificacion of feith in honouring God onely in repentaunce puritie of a Christen mans life in detesting of imagery and corrupte honouring of Sainctes in opening and defacing the tiranny the blasphemie Hipocrisie the ambicion the vsurpacion of the See of Rome in noting the abuses of al the abhominable sectes and rables of counterfeiâ—te religions idle cloisters in bewraiing the iugling sleightes and fine practise of poperie in choice of meates in esteming the differeÌ„ce of daies in manifesting of vaine ceremonies vnder the coulour and pretence of holynesse crept into Christes churche in reprehending pilgrimages with al circuÌ„stances of ydolatrie and supersticion in describing of a Princes office in teachyng obedyence of the people towardes their rulers and Gouernours in declaring of a pastours duetie in shewing the parte of an EuaÌ„gelical
Emperour is not a teacher of the gospell but the defendour of it I graunte that but in the meanwhyle mete it is not to be ignoraunt what maner thyng it is for whiche one taketh armour to defende it And forsoth whaÌ„ I consider that herte and mynde of yours in suche wise to bee geuen vnto religion and to godly deuocion that to Bishops Abbottes it may towardes the studie of godlinesse bee aswell a rule as also a spurre me seemeth I can not dedicate this gifte vnto any man more conuenientlye then to youre maiestie So that the thyng whiche I myght aptly haue dedicated to any Christen prince and more aptlye to a Christen Emperoure I doe moste aptly of all dedicate vnto you Charles Muche lesse apte thynges doe they bringe vnto you that geue you great gyftes of precious stones that are gayson to bee found of lustie fierce horses of houndes of riche hanginges that come oute of farre straunge countreyes And moreouer forasmuche as the Euangelistes haue writen the gospel vnto all folkes no persone excepted I do not see why it shoulde not of euery man bee read And I haue so handled it that it maye bee vnderstanded euen of suche also as are vnlettered And surely it shall withe excellent good fruite be read if euery bodye shall take it in his handes of the only mynde and entent to bee made thereby a better man then he was afore and not apply scripture of the gospell to his owne affeccions but contrarywyse refourme and correct his lyfe and his desyres according to the rule and prescripcion therof I haue in this present worke chiefly folowed Origenes beyng singularly aboue others experte in diuinitie and Chrisostome and Hierome of the catholique writers most best allowed That Lorde and Prince of heauen giue and graunte vnto you Charles Emperour most emperiall suche thinges to minde and to go about as are of the principall beste sort the same lord well prosper your endeuours in that behalf to the ende that the moste noble Empier whiche ye haue hitherto had without bloudshed of maÌ„ ye maye semblably aswell enlarge and amplifie as defende and maintayne And this poinct in the meane while it maye please your merciful graciousnes froÌ„ tyme to tyme to haue in your remembraunce that no warre there is vpon so iust lawfull causes taken in hande nor with so good moderacion executed that draweth not after it an huige heape both of abominacions and also of miseries yea and remembre also the greatest porcion of all the harmes to light in fine vpon persones bothe giltles and also vnworthy thesame Yeuen at Basile on the Ides of Ianuarie in the yere of our Lorde a thousande fiue hundred twentie and two ¶ The lyfe of sainct Matthew writen by Hierome one of the auncient doctours of the Churche MAtthew whiche was other wyse also called Leui beyng of a Puplican made an Apostle first of all others composed and wrote in Iewrye the ghospell of Christe in the Hebrue tounge for theyr behoufe and cause whyche beyng of the circumcision had beleued whyche ghospell what person did afterwarde translate into Greke it is not verai certaynly knowen But truely the verye Hebrue selfe is had euen vntill this presente daye in the librarye of Lesarea whyche librarye Pamphilus the martyr did with all possible studiousnes set vp and make And I my selfe also had the same ghospell of Matthew in Hebrue lente me to copye it out of the Nazarites whyche in Beroea a citie of Syria doe vse thesame booke Wherin is to be noted and obserued that whersoeuer this Euangeliste eyther in his owne person orels in the person of our sauiour doethe vse any allegacions of the olde Testamente he doeth not folowe the auctorite of Septuaginta that is to saye of the thre score and ten translatours but of the Hebrue Of whyche sorte are set these two citacions here ensuyng Out of Egypt haue I called my soonne and For a Nazarite shall he be called The Paraphrase of Erasmus vpon the Gospell of saincte Matthew ¶ The firste Chapter IF men so gredely embrace a booke which is set foorth by the industrie of man concernyng the preseruacion or restoryng of health or the waye to increace worldely substaunce or touchyng any other facultie whiche maketh only for worldly commodities with howe muche more feruent loue and desyer ought this boke to bee receyued of all men whose profyt and coÌ„moditie belongeth indifferently to all men This boke promiseth not worldly commodities whiche laste but a whyle but it teacheth all heauenly wysedome delyuered vnto mankynde from the heauenly doctour Christe Iesus And it promiseth alâ—o a wonderfull rewarde not ryches nor kyngdome nor pleasures but true and euerlastynge felicitie vnto the whiche felicitie this booke sheweth the moste ready and easye way for all men It shewethe also the author meane through whome euery man hath health and saluacion and without whome no man maye hope for healthe and saluacion What man woulde not be moued and prouoked with a sure hope of suche a good thynge be he neuer so barbarous or vnlettred And thys wundrefull saluacion whiche neyther mannes indeuour nor the paynfull labour of the Philosophers nor the supersticious religion of the Gentiles nor the diligent obseruacion of Moyses lawe coulde fully perfourme or geue God the maker the preseruer the ruler and restorer of all thynges visible and inuisible dyd shewe and declare in tymes paste by the sayinges of all his Prophetes beyng replenished with his heauenly spirite vnto all the worlde but moste specially to the people of the Iewes whyche at that tyme wer a figure of Christes churche whiche shortly after shoulde be enlarged throughout all the world signifiyng shewyng before by dyuers dark figures shadowes whatsoeuer he hath now plainly made open vnto the world by his sonne Iesus Christe who was the messinger of this free felicitie beyng ambassadour in yearth of God his father in suche wyse that he was also the teacher of the holsome philosophy he was the example he was both the pledge the promiser and the author of the euerlastyng rewarde For God by his secrete counsell whiche mannes wit is vtterly vnhable to serche oute hath suffered mankind beyng of disposicion lyke his first parent and proâ—e to all vice to be entangled with false religions with sondry vices of life and naughtie desyres to the intent that in this time of al times most to bee desired and wished for the whiche Goddes wisdome the orderer of all thinges had appoynted to it selfe al men shoulde with the more desyrous agreable myndes enbrace this philosophie beyng bothe very holsome and of marueylous efficacie after that they haue once perceyued that neyther by those commodities and healpes whyche the worlde promyseth here to be chyefe nor by so many fine exquisite preceptes of the phylosophers nor by so many sortes of religions nor by the scrupulous obseruacion of Moses lawe they coulde actayne vnto true godlynes
theim yf hereafter for hatred of me they begyn falsely to blame that that is done For yf thou were not leprouse before why dyd they remoue the from the congregacion If thou be not nowe cleane why haue thei receiued of thee thy gyft as of hym that was pourged clensed Iesus would that the people should testify how muche profyte the Leaper had by his faith and howe lyghtly with a woorde he toke awaye all his disease to thintente they myght geue eare vnto his doctrine with the same faythe whereby they myght be healed of the diseases of the minde ¶ And whan Iesus was entred into Capernaum there came vnto hym a Captaynt and besought hym saying Lorde my seruaunte lyeth at home sicke of the Palseye and is sore vexed And Iesus sayethe vnto hym whan I come I wyll heale hym And the captayn aunswered and saied lord I am not worthy that thou shouldest cum into my house but onely speake the worde and my seruaunt shal be healed For I also my selfe am a man vnder the aucthoritie of another and haue soldiers vnder me and I say vnto this man go and he goeth and to another cum and he commeth and to my seruaunte do this and he doth it Whan Iesus hearde these wordes be meruayled and sayed to them that followed hym Uerely I say vnto you I haue not found so great fayth in Israell And I saye vnto you that many shal come from the Easte and weste and shal sit with Abraham Isaac and Iacob in the kyngdome of heauen But the chyldren of the kyngdome shal be caste out into the 〈◊〉 darkenes there shal be wepyng and gnasshyng of teethe And Iesus sayed vnto the Captayne go thy waye and as thou beleuest so be it vnto the. And his seruaunte was healed in the same houre Therfore after that he had taught the Iewes by thys facte and dede that the waye vnto ealth was easie by the sincerenes of fayth So forthwith he teacheth in the captayne of an hundred menne that the waye vnto health was not stopped from the Gentiles so that they haue fayth mete and worthy for the ghospell For whan he was entred into Capernaum whiche is a towne not farre from the poole of Genesareth in the borders of zabulou and Neptalim there came vnto hym a certayne captayne the whiche kynde of men the Iewes abhorred for two causes First because they be vncircumcysed for the moste parte and alienes from Moyses lawe secondlye because that kynd of lyfe is defamed commonly But the good Iesus whiche came to heale all men turneth not hym awaye neyther The captayne maketh a requeste vnto hym saying Lorde I haue a seruaunt at home whom I loue intierly for that he is faythfull and profitable in seruice He nowe wholy vnprofitable lyeth vpon his bedde diseased with the palseye and he is not onelye vnprofitable vnto me but also he is sore vexed with the rage of his disease being now at deathes dore And this kynde of disease lyke as it is daungerouse and greuous so is it not lyghtlye cured by the arte of Phisicians Iesus delightyng in the fayth of the man whiche doubted not but that with a worde he was hable to heale his seruaunte beyng absent to thintente he might declare vnto all menne the fayth and truste of the man ioyned wyth greate humilitie of harte aunswered I wyll come and I wyll heale hym Whereunto quod the Capitayne Lorde I am no Iewe I am a captayne to be abhorred of the Iewes for twoe causes and thereforâ— muche vnworthye that thou shouldeste enter into my house and be defyled wyth my companye There is no nede of thy bodelye presence Onelye saye the worde and suche is thy power and myght furthwith my seruaunte shall be healed Thou haste aungels and messengers to whome thou mayeste commit suche busines I knowe by my selfe I haue a ruler to whome I am subiecte I am obediente to his commaundementes neyther is it nedefull for him to do all thynges It is sufficiente for hym to committe his matters wyth authoritie Agayne I haue souldiers vnder my rule by whome I dooe those thynges whyche be not meete for me Onelye I geue my commaundemente and they obey thesame I commaund one to goe some whither and he goeth I commaund another to cum and he cummeth Agayne vnto myne owne priuate seruaunte I saye do this or do that and he spedely doeth what he is commaunded If my seruauntes obeye me beeyng a sinner and an abâ—ecte howe muche more oughte youres to be obediente vnto youre commaundementes Iesus hearynge these thynges merueyled not for that he was ignorante of the mannes faythe but because he woulde cause all men to meruayle at it and turnynge vnto the Iewes whiche folowed hym and as it were castyng theym in the teeth with their vnbelefe sayed This I assure you hitherto haue I not founde so greate faythe in my people of Israell as I haue founde in this straunger whiche neyther knowethe the Prophetes neyther hath receyued my doctryne nor hath â—een my miracles Ye stande in your owne conceyte because ye be the children of the patriarches whome god loueth â–ª because ye are the peculiare people of god to whome this healthe and saluacion is promysed But this I assure you the tyme shal be that many shall come on euery syde from the vttermoste partes of the worlde whom ye do lothe and abhorre as straungers and alyens whiche shall enter in by fayth and sytte in the kyngdome of heauen wyth Abraham Isaac and Iacob and your fathers shall acknowledge them for theyr euangelicall faythe as theyr lefull chyldren and shall take them to theyr table to be partakers of the euerlastynge felicitie Contrarye wyse the chyldren of the kyngdome whiche touchynge the fleshly kynrede cummeth of the stocke of Abraham Isaac and Iacob for theyr vnbelefe shall not onelye not be receyued to that goodlye and happye feaste but they shall bee thruste out into the outwarde darkenes because they woulde not see before the lighte that was offered them There shall they be punished for theyr vnbelefe wepyng and gnasshyng with teeth hauyng intelligence nowe to late from what greaâ—e felicitie they be fallen by theyr malyce and enuye shall make theyr sorowe the more what tyme they shall se straungers aliens to be receyued to the felicitie and honoure whyche was promysed vnto them When Iesus had spoken these thynges vnto the Iewes to the intente they should geue the more credite vnto his saying through the miracle he turnyng vnto the captayne sayeth Go thy waye and as thou haste beleued so be it done vnto the. Clerelye declaryng that helth is not geuen neyther to the stocke and kinred neyther to the other merites but to fayth onely whiche he required and founde lacke of in moste parte of the Iewes And as he sayed so the thyng folowed For it was tried that the selfe same time the Capitaynes seruaunte was sodeynlye delyuered from his disease that no manne shoulde suspecte
theyr neyghbour as did his kinsfolkes who being grosse of capacitie through fleshly wisedom interpreted his heauenly wisedom to be nothing els but fury and madnes not that moued by worldly affeccions doe cause a man to leaue of any godly enterpryse or busynesse as his mother and kinsfolkes did He loueth a multitude whiche is desyrous to heare the ghospell and word of God wholy hangeth vpon the â—eliefe therof Wherfore whan the Lord Iesus was cum vnto the sea and there taught as he did before thither assembled again a great numbre of people insomuch that he was constrayned through the noyse hurly burly they made thrusting one another out of place to take aboate out of the whiche as it had bene out of a pulpet he taught them sytting thicke together on the shore as if it had bene in a round stage or place ordeyned for men to behold sightes shewes in Learne here thou art a preacher teacher of the gospell what is meant by this fygure Auoyde thou so the rablement of clamorous vnquiet people that yet thou cease not to do thy duetie in preachyng teachyng of goddes word When there is any ieopardy leste thou be thrust downe and ouerwhelmed with the trouble of worldly busynesse so that thou canst not now teache get the into the ship of the gospell whiche knoweth no maner of earthly rufflyng and out of that pulpit thou shalte quietly teache the weake and rude multitude Go not farre from the shore be nigh vnto the same alwayes atteÌ„peryng thy â—se asmuch as thou canst vnto the capacitie of the people For they are not as yet able to folow the. Fyrst of all thou must attempre thy doctrine according as theyr rude and ignoraunt myndes can awaye withall tyll suche tyme that they haue well profited therin For whom dyd Iesus teache out of the boate but a rude and an vnlearned multitude of all sortes of people ¶ And he taught them many thinges by parables and sayed vnto them in his doctrine Herken to behold there went out a sowier to sow And it fortuned as he sowed that sum fell by the waye syde and the fowles of the â—yer came and deuoured it vp Sum fel on stony ground where it had not muche earth and immediatly sprang vp because it had not depth of earth but assone as the Sunne was vp it caught heate and because it had not rootyng it widred awaye And sum fell among thornes and the thornes grewe vp chokedâ— and it gaue no fruite And summe fell vpon good grounde and did yeld fruite that sprang vp and grewe and brought forth sum thyrtie folde and sum sixtiefolde and suâ— an hundred folde And he sayed vnto them he that hath eares to heare let him heare He put furth vnto them parables that is to saye similitudes of thinges moste knowen to all menne For this is the playnest manour of teachyng and moste conuenable for the rude insomuche that it appeareth at the firste syght to the wyse of this worlde a chyldishe thing and to be laughed at But yet this manoure of teaching pleased the euerlastyng wisedome The Philosophers made all thinges darke vnto theyr hearers with argumentes fourmed by great arte and subteltie The Rhetoricians enforced mennes myndes with a meruaylous plentifulnesse of eloquent speache The Phariâ—â—â— gathered together certaine hyd misteryes farre excedyng the capacitie of the vulgar people But the Lorde chose vnto hym this kynde of doctrine as plainest and farre from all manour of playerlike ostentacion to the intent that all the glorie gotten by renewing of the worlde through the ghospell shoulde wholy appertaine and be ascribed to the might and power of God Wherefore he moued them by many parables to receyue with sincere beliefe cleane myndes the doctrine of the ghospell from whence the begynning of our saluacion procedeth And because it behoued to haue this thing fast setled and printed in all theyr myndes before he began to teache them he commaunded them diligently to attende and heare what he would saye Harken ê™ he yf anye haue eares to harken withall It is a fable and not a parable except a man geue eare therunto Neyther hath euerye manne cares to heare the parables of the ghospell whiche are subtelly plaine wyselye folishe and darkely manifest For they hyde heauenly wisdome vnderneth a vyle and folyshe coueryng Neyther thought Iesu it sufficient yf they gaue diligent eare he woulde also they shoulde beholde and see with theyr iyes those thinges that he purposed to saye Blessed are they that haue both pourged eares and cleare iyes when Iesus speaketh Beholde sayeth he there wente out into the fielde a certaine sowier to sowe his sede the whiche he had very pure and good And whiles that desyrous of plentifull increase he caste it euery where it chaunced that sum of it fell by the hye waye syde whiche ioyned vnto the fyelde And that sede because it remained still aboue grounde by reason the way was harde and seere the foules that thither came anon after picked vp and deuoured Agayne an other porcion therof fell vpon a stonye grounde whiche because there laye manye stones vnderneth couered with a litle moulde or duste sprang vp to tymely For the warmenesse of the weather brought it out of the grounde And anon as the heate of the Sunne waxed once feruente the corne that thus sprang vp before due season was hurte and partched therwith And because it coulde not for stones take rootyng but lacked rootes to drawe moysture out of the deapth of the earthe therwith to nourishe and defende it againste the heate of the sunne it widdered awaye before it came to earing Againe an other porcion of this sede fell vpon a grounde the whiche in dede was ranke and fertyle but yet ouergrowen with thornes briers Nowe when these thornes were once growen very thick in heigth and breadth it came to passe that the yong corne whiche sprang therof was smothered before it appeared in syght not for waÌ„t of moysture but for lacke of ayer And for this cause neyther had the sowier any profit hereof at all But yet for all this the labour of the same sowier was not vtterly frustrate and in vaine For there was summe of the sede that light vpon a good grounde and therof sprang grasse the which grewe and waxed vntill it came to it full ripenesse And of this sede there was not one vnfruitfull grayne notwithstanding that al yelded not like increase For there were many eares whiche of one grayne yelded thirtie summe other thre skore and a great sorte and hundred ¶ And when he was alone they that were about him with the twelue asked him of the parable and he sayed vnto them to you it is geuen to knowe the misteries of the kingdom of God But vnto them that are without all thinges happen by parables that when they see they may see and not discerne and when they heare they maye heare and not vnderstand
leste at any tyme they should tourne theyr synnes should be forgeuen them And he sayd vnto thē knowe ye not this parable And how then will ye know all other parables When the Lorde had spoken these wordes then to the intent they should not be forgotten but that euery man should searche out with himselfe the meaning of the parable he sayed moreouer He that hath eares to heare let hym heare declaring vndoubtedly hereby that they all heard not that thing whiche they heard Nowe when not those twelue specially chosen disciples themselfes vnderstode well by reason they were as yet raw and ignoraunt what this similitude meant yet durst they not openlye aske hym any question But after they had once gotten him alone then were they holde to desyre hym that he would vouchesafe the expounde them the misterie and secrete meaning therof Then Iesus putting vs in remembraunce how all thinges are not to be disclosed to all persons but that the doctrine of the ghospell ought to be dispensed according as time serueth the capacitie of the hearers can away withall sayed vnto his disciples The princes of this world make few priuie vnto theyr secretes none but suche as are pycked felowes tryed persones whome they maye safely make of theyr counsayle If they haue any secrete thyng that kepe they from the knowleage of the comminaltie It is geuen vnto you whom I sorted and piked out from among the commune people to knowe the misterie or priuitie of the kyngdome of heauen because you are familiarlye conuersaunt with me But vnto the commune sorte and suche as are not familiar companions of my courte whether I doe or speake anye thyng all is in parables For they neyther haue meete eares nor meete iyes What they heare they beleue not what they see they depraue and fynde faute with And so is verified in them that the prophete sayed before shoulde cum to passe that when they see best yet see they not and when they heare best yet they heare not because they vnderstand not Truly he vnderstandeth not whoso beleueth not Nowe sinnes are not released but to suche as beleue that sinnes are freely released by vertue of the gospell Therfore through their vnbelefe it cummeth to passe that they are not turned to God because they tourne themselfes away from God nor are deliuered from theyr synnes because they refuse the medicine wherewith all synnes are healed By these wordes Iesus signified those persons whome a litle before he vnderstoode by the grounde that for sundrye causes is barrayne vnfruitfull And to make his disciples more apt to receyue his doctrine he chideth them a litle for theyr dulnesse Doe you not yet sayeth he gesse what is mente by this parable sith the sence therof is easie to be coniectured And howe then will you boulte out the true meaning of all the rest since that I neyther speake nor do any thyng that hath not in it a significacion of sum secrete matier I wyll expounde vnto you this parable to the intente that you maye lykewyse accustome your selfes to searche out the secrete meanyng that lyeth hyd in other ¶ The sowier soweth the worde and they wherof sum be rehersed to be by the way syde are those where the worde is sowen and when they heare Sathan cummeth immediatly and taketh awaye the worde that was sowen in theyr hartes and likewise the other that receiue sede into the stony ground are they whiche when they heare the worde at once receyue it with gladnesse yet haue no roote in themselues and so endure but a ryme Anon when trouble and persecucion ariseth for the wordes sake they falle immediatly There be other also that receyue sede into thornes and those are suche as heare the worde the cares of this world and the deceiptfulnesse of riches and the lustes of other thinges entee in and choke the worde and it is made vnfruitefull And other there be that haue receyued sede into a good ground they are suche that heare the worde and receyue it so that one corne doth bryng forth thirtie sum sixtie sum a hundreth The fielde is the worlde wherein are very many vnmete hearers of the doctrine of the gospell The sowier is the sonne of man who came downe frō heauen into earth The sede is the woorde or doctrine of the ghospell by the whiche the will of God is declared vnto the worlde His will is this that all men distrusting their owne strength do trust with all their harte minde the promises of the ghospell that is to saye that through fayth all mens sinnes are forgeuen if after the trueth once knowen they giue themselfes to the studie of true vertue and godlinesse Therfore by the seede whiche as I saied fell by the hie way side they are vnderstand signified who slightly and as mē otherwise occupied heare the ghospell like as they woulde heare anye fable or phantasie of mans inuenciō And amōg all none heareth goddes worde with lesse profit then they do For anon as they haue heard it cummeth Satan and putteth other thoughtes imaginacions in their mindes and by that meanes plucketh out the sede before it haue gotten roote be fastened therin so that they do not so muche as remembre what they haue hearde Nowe the sede that is receiued into a stony ground betokeneth those persones who gredely ynough heare the ghospel gladly deuoure thesame perceyuing it to be both true and holsum but because they ley it not vp in theyr hartes by depe cogitacion for they are letted so to do by other affeccions which wholy possessing theyr mindes will in no wise geue place vnto the worde of God they continue not in that they feruently couragiously began neyther do they bring forth any fruite of euangelike or christian godlinesse but suche fruite alonely as lasteth but for a season and all is because they haue no rootes And so cummeth it to passe that in prosperitie they beleue the gospell as grasse newly sprōg vp cause men to haue a good opinion of theym that they wil proue well But assone as anye aduersitie or persecucion for the profession of goddes worde doeth arise and assaulte them byanby they offended therwith do vtterly forsake their former purpose The seede that fell vpon the thornie grounde signifieth those that diligently heare and beare in mynde the wordes of the ghospell But the loue of deceitfull riches and the inordinate desyres of other thinges whiche allure and toile men vnto them with a false apparaunce of vertue do enter into their myndes and there dayly as theyr propertie is encreasyng at the length ouergrowe the seede so that it can neuer spring vp and cum to be corne Finally the sede that light vpon a good ground betokeneth those that geue good eare vnto the doctrine of the ghospell and beleue all that they heare and conuey it into the moste inwarde corners of theyr hartes vntill that it
in dede Therfore Iesus eftsones humbled himselfe to theyr lownes and forsakyng the toppe of the mountayne came downe to the reste of his disciples and the multitude Here remembre thou that art a preacher of the ghospell howe muche more it becuÌ„meth the to humble and abase thyselfe to the capacitie of the weake the whiche wast once lyke weake as they be yf thou haue any hygh or excellent qualitye in thee the same is Christes and none of thyne ¶ And as they came doune from the hyll he charged them that they shoulde tell no man those thynges that they had sene tyll the sonne of manne were risen from deathe againe And they kepte that saying with them â–ª and demaunded one of another what the rising froÌ„ death againe shoulde meane And they asked hym saying why then say the Scribes that Helyas muste fyrst cum He answered and sayd vnto them Helias verely when he coÌ„meth fyrst restoreth all thynges And the sonne of man as it is wrytten of hym shall suffre many thynges be sette at naught But I saye vnto you that Helyas is come and they haue done vnto hym whatsoeuer they would as it was wrytten of him As they were cummyng doune from the hyll or ere they camme to the multitude the Lorde Iesus forbad those three to tell any bodye what they hadde sene tyll after the tyme that the sonne of manne were rysen agayn from the dead Other heretofore when they were lykewise commaunded to holde their peace did so much the more blase abrode those thinges whiche they were charged not to disclose But these .iii. bycause they heard the fathers voyce saying heare hym c. did as they were commauÌ„ded kepe secrete what they had seâ—e insomuch that they disclosed it not to the residue of the Apostles before the time appointed They wyste not what the matter meante but yet they supposed there was some earnest cause why Iesus woulde not haue it published vnto the people before his resurreccion were knowen For what other good shoulde they haue done by tellyng it abrode but made themselues a laâ—ghyng stocke vnto they faythles Who woulde haue beleued it to haue been matter in dede that Iesu had appeared in such wyse syth menne shoulde se hym sone after putte to so muche shame and villany and in conclusion suffer death vpon the crosse But the disciples whoe durst not after they had once hearde the fathers voyce distruste the wordes of Iesu not vnderstandyng what he meante by these wordes ensuing When the sonne of manne shall ryse from death c. fell to reasoning the matter among themselues and supposed verely that incoÌ„tinent after his resurreccion the glory of that kyngdome shoulde begynne whereof they had nowe taken a saye howbeit there was a certaine scruple or doubt whiche made muche against them and that was because his death was at hande the whiche he had ofte tymes warned them of before promisyng he would relyue on the thyrd daye after thesame But they had learned of the prophecy of Malachy howe Hely should come before the great daye of the Lorde And because they coulde not assoyle this doubte among themselues they moued the question to Iesus Lord say they thou hast perfourmed thy promise We haue seene the brightenes of the kyngdome of God Therefore we beleue that after thy resurreccion thou wilt cum in semblable likenes and suche a one as thou diddeste whylere appeare vnto our syght But what is the cause that the Scrybes takyng theyr authoritye of the prophecy of Malachy doe saye that the same daye shall not come vnlesse Hely the Thesâ—ite come before to make the people in a readines agaynste the cumming therof leste the Lord smyte al menne with cursyng Certes Hely whome we sawe with the in the mountayne is not yet come Neyther is there as yet anye thynge done by hym Therefore eyther the kyngdome of God shall not come byanby after thy resurreccion or els there is an other sence and meanyng of the prophecy then the Scribes doe teache Unto this question of the disciples the Lorde Iesus made a doubtfull aunswere for that they were not as yet receyuable of the whole mystery hereof For abhorryng those thynges whiche pertayned a greate deale more vnto theyr saluacion they dreamed onely vpon the glorye of that kyngdome whereof they had taken a taste perceyuinge not howe this is also the kyngdome of God when the holy ghoste the ghospell beeing sprede abrode and euery where preached subduethe all the puissaunce bothe of this worlde and also of oure ghostlye enemy the deuyll That kyngdome beganne to appeare what tyme the lame walked the blynde sawe the dumme spake the lepers were clensed and the deuils caste out Nowe whan this kyngdome shoulde come whereof they had a litle before taken a taste the Lord would not haue them to knowe yet to thintente they should more pacyentely take his deathe whom they loued out of measure he suffred them to dreame for a whyle that the bryghtnes of the same kyngdome shoulde shortelye cumme whereof there was a saye geuen in the mountayne Therefore he temperethe hys answere so discretelye that he approueth the prophecye and yet dothe not altogether condemne the interpretacyon of the Scrybes but only reproueth theyr vngodlye argumentacyon wherby they concluded that the kyngdome of God was not yet come because that same Hely whiche was promysed long agoe of the Prophete Malachy had not as then appeared in the worlde For nowe the spyrytuall kingedome of God whiche thynge the proude Scrybes and Phariseis vnderstode not began to come Nowe was Hely after the mysticall vnderstandynge alredy come Therefore Iesus sayde bothe that whiche Malachy prophecyed of Hely and also that whiche the Prophetes spake before of the sonne of man shal come doubtles You reade of Hely how he shall come before the great â–ª and dreadfull daye of the Lorde to tourne the hartes of the fathers to theyr chyldren and the heartes of the chyldren to theyr fathers to th entent that the yonger sorte and posteritie maye perceyue howe that is already come and perfourmed whiche theyr forefathers and elders awayted for Therefore this Hely goynge before restore the all thynges and amendethe whatsoeuer is not right leste the Lorde come to the great mischief and vengeaunce of all men if he fynde them vnprepared But like as the prophecie of Malachy speakyng of Hely the forecurrour is true euen so are the prophecies of other Prophetes like true whiche foretell howe it shall cumme to passe that the sonne of manne or euer he shewe hys maiestie shall suffer many thynges shal be sette at naught be mocked and in conclusion putte to death Yea to saye the truthe whatsoeuer was prophecied of Hely to cumme is already accomplished and fulfylled the whiche thing beyng as yet vnknowen vnto the Scribes and Phariseis I disclose vnto you my deare frendes For Hely is already cumme whoe shewed how the kyngdome of God was present
heauenly Iewels of Christes doctrine then if ye shoulde open all â—inges cofers of worldly treasures and deale to euery one suche abundaunce as might make them al welthy and riche for euer in this world And as ye haue herein doen a dede worthy suche thankes and rewardes as lieth in none but only God to repay and a dede to vs your most louing and obedieÌ„t subiectes so beneficial as no hert can esteme muchelesse any tongue or pen expresse so doubte I not but that ye haue doen a good thyng to your most regal spouse the kynges maiestie so acceptable that he wil not suffre it to lye buried in sileÌ„ce but wyll one daye whan his godly wysedome shall so thynke expediente cause the same Paraphrase to be published and set abrode in print to the same vse that your highnesse hath ment it that is to say to the publique commoditie and benefyâ—e of good English people now a long tyme foore thirstyng and houngrynge the synâ—ere and playne knowledge of Gods word For his most excellente Maiestie beyng a man after the hert of the Lord being a right Dauid chosen to destroy Goliah the huge and cumbreous enemy of Israell without any armour and with none other weapon but the stone of Gods word cast out of the â—yng of the diuine spirite workyng in him his lawes made here in England being the elected instrument of god to plucke downe the Idoll of the Romishe Antichrist who folowyng the steppes of his father Lucifer hathe not onely vsurped a kind of supremitie tyrannie ouer all princes on earthe â–ª aswell christen as heathen but also hath ensourged against heauen and hath lifte vp and exalted hymself aboue al thyng that is called God making void the plain commaundementes for the aduauncing of his own more then Pharisaical tradicions peruertyng the true sence of the holy scriptures and wiestyng them to the maintenaunce of his abominacions beyng both afore God and manne detestable his hyghnesse beyng our Ezechias by the prouidence of God deputed and sent to be the destroier not onely of al counterfait relygioâ—s who swarmed amoÌ„g vs like disguised maskers not mummers but mumblers who vnder the cloke of holines seduced the people and deuoured the houses of riche widowes and were mainteners of al supersticion idolatry rebellioÌ„ but also to roote vp al Idolatry doen to dead images of stone and tymber as vnto God and committed to other creatures in steade of the treatour directly against the expresse woordes of the precepte Thou shalt haue no mo goddes but me his most excellent maiestie I say from the first daye that he wore the emperiall Croune of this realme foresaw that to the executing of the premisses it was necessary that his people should be reduced to the sinceritie of Christes religion by knowyng of Goddes worde he considered that requisite it was his subiectes were nousled in Christ by reading the scriptures whose knowlage should easily induce them to the clere espiyng of al the fleightes of the Romishe iugglyng And therfore as soone as myght bee his highnesse by most holsome and godly lawes prouided that it myght be leful for al his most faithful louyng subiectes to reade the word of god and the rules of Christes discipline whiche they professed he prouided that the holy Bible should be setforth in our owne vulgar language to the ende that Englande myghte the better attayne to the synceritie of Christes doctryne whiche they might draw out of the clere fouÌ„tain and spring of the ghospell running euermore clere without any more or mud rather then out of the muddie lakes puddles purposely infected with the filthy dregges of our Philistines the papistes who had stopped our spriges to driue vs to their poysoned muddy gutters and forowes By this his maiesties most godly prouision it hath cum to passe that the people which long time had been led in errour and blindnes by blind guides moÌ„kes fryers chauons and papistical preachers do now so plainly see the clere light that they do williÌ„gly abhorre idolatry supersticion they do now know their dutie towardes God their prince they do now enbrace yâ— veritie for verities sake they see where and how the leauen of the papistes hath by continuauÌ„ce of time for default of scripture soured all the whole batche of Christes doctrine they see howe being led by blynd guydes and pastours in the derkenes of ignoraunce they fel daily in the depe pitâ—e of manifold errours with thesame guides thei see that lyke as the olde Phariseis in the time of Christes being vpon earth had corrupted the sincere doctrine of gods word and the pure vnderstanding of the lawe teachyng the people to leaue their poore fathers and mothers destitute contrary to the playne commaundement rather then to let their treasurie to be not enriched whiche kynd of offring themselues of meâ—e couetise had inueâ—ted and dyd apply thesame to the mainteynaunce of themselfes in gluttony and sensualitie so now had the wicked papistry deuised a meane to picke the riche folkes purses the poore vulgare people clene to dengur vnder the colour of goyng on pilgremage to this or that stocke of mans handy makyng vnder pretence of sekyng health of the soule remission of sinnes at the handes of Peter Iames Iohn Marie which could not geue it but whan suche thinges were asked them blushed to beare god thoâ—ly autour gener of all good thinges to be so blasphemed They see now that lyke as the couetous Phariseis passed lesse at the violacioÌ„ or breakyng of gods preceptes then of their tradicions and put more justice in washyng the outesyde of their dishe or their cuppe then in the innocencie of life and puritie of the conscience within in offryng of myntes and rue for their lucre then in perfourmyng the office of charitie to the neyghbour sooner to wynke at their owne blasphemies against god then to remit a small trespace committed by their weake brother against the fond ceremonies which they and the lawyers had deuised and added besides the lawe so the beaste of romishe abominacion to had clene subuerted the true interpretacion of Christes ghospell and by his mere tiraÌ„nie ioyned with most crafty delusion to had inuected into Christes church and holy congregacion al thinges that were contrary to Christ that is to wete in stede of pure faith such as Christ requireth a faith lapped in a patched cloke of beggerly workes and ceremonies of his owne dressyng settyng forth in stede of religion supersticion offrynges in stede of charitie buildyng of chauntries in place of releuyng and mainteining the liuely temple and image of God in the poore encensyng of images in stede of the pure sacrifice of an innoceÌ„t life in stede of trusting in gods mercies trusting in treÌ„tals masses of scala cell in stede of heaueÌ„ a purgatory consisting of material fier thesame to be redemed with money geuen to him in stede of declaryng our free
for any callyng vnlesse duetie moue it therunto and beeyng abrode it maketh haste in doyng any poynte of duetie it taketh more laysure Mary in all her iourney visited ne saluted not one bodye by the waye vntyll she was come to Elizabeth Neither was that same a salutacion or greting of the common sorte All good happe and blisfulnesse dyd of this gretyng eyther other encreace vnto them both and the efficacie of the spirite of God dyd in them bothe the more plenteously abounde Mary carryed with her in her wombe the fountayne of all ghostely gyftes of grace and through the inspiracion of the babe in her bealy she was nowe altogether in case that nothyng came out of her harte or her mouth but onely of God Therfore it came so to passe that as soone as the salutacion of the virgin Mary had once souned in the eares of Elizabeth the babe whiche she beyng an aged woman had than in her bealy dyd leape and spryng as ye would say skyppyng for ioy and gladnesse Iohn not yet beyng borne felte the diuine power of his Lorde but euen a 〈◊〉 afore conceiued and within the enclosure tabernacle of his mothers wombe doth with gesture magnifie him whom he should afterwarde set forth magnifie with his voice Neither did Elizabeth without fruit perceiue and fele the holy leaping of her litle babe within her Through her babe enspired from heauen the mother also is inspired and altogether is full and whole sodaynly taken with an happy and blissed kinde of infeccion Through the voyce of Mary the heauēly power of God perceth into the babe within the wombe of Elizabeth and through the babe with this sodayne blastyng so taken the mother too is adblasted in suche sorte that she on her partie also beeyng replenished with the holy ghoste did not nowe kepe in the ioyes of her herte although she had afore kept her selfe within doores and had no talke with her as one that would not for shame be acknowen to be conceyued with chylde but with a mighty great voyce which voyce her mighty great affeccion and zele did worke in her she cryed out and vttered suche thynges through the mocion of the spirite as she neither could deme of the swellyng of her bealie ne yet had learned of any mortall manne And euen as though she had heard the Aungell talkyng with Mary thus doeth she begynne her gratulacion O happy and blissed mayden sayeth she thou shalt haue and enioy the chiefe prayse emong all women worthy commendacion And holy is the fruite also of thy virginly wombe out of whiche shall come forth that same woondrefull floure who by the voyce of all nacions shall be preached throughout all the whole vniuersall worlde of whom long and many a day gone the Prophetes haue prophecied and he shal haue the chiefe laude and prayse emong all thynges bothe that are in heauen and that are in yearth I acknowlage it to bee a greater thyng and of more excellencie then a mortall man that thou bearest enclosed within the chambre and tabernacle of thy wombe If age or yeres only be estemed in vs twaine it is not vnmete for a young damisell or mayden to come to an aged womā but if the dignitie or worthynesse of both our babes that we go withall be compared it had been my duetie in all haste to come and visite thee I truly on my parte was happie and fortunate enough with this benefite of God that I go with a chylde the whiche shall in tyme to come be a person of no small dignite and estimacion but of what my deserte is so great happinesse chaunced vnto me that she whiche muste bee the mother of my Lorde shoulde thus of her owne accorde take paines to come to me For by an vndoubted tokē haue I felt the cumming hither of my Lorde For loe immediately whan the voyce of thy salutacion souned in mine eares I felt my young chylde stiere and leape vp in my wombe as one shewyng an earnest desire and gladnesse to go mete his Lorde and to do vnto him his bounden duetie of reuerence and homage And thou too forsouth beeyng a mother doest not vnlyke to the chylde in thy bealie for he beyng the Lorde and maister doeth vouchesafe to come set hys seruaunte of purpose to sanctifie hym and to replenyshe hym with the holye ghoste and thou beeyng so ferre the superiour in dignitie doest not thynke it peinfull to come to me that am thyne inferiour so muche the more lowely behauyng thy selfe as thou doest surmounte and excelle in heauenly gyftes of grace whiche gyftes thou doest veray well in that thou doest not impute them to thyne owne merites forasmuche as they are thynges geuen thee of the free bounceousnesse of God And certes in this behalfe art thou much happie that thou diddest not mistrust the promisses of the Aungell though they semed neuer so muche vnlykely to be beleued Thou haste conceyued without helpe of man and doubt is there none but that the residue of thynges whiche the Aungell hath promised vnto thee in the lordes name shal with sembleable trueth and suertie be perfourmed vnto thee ¶ And Marie sayed My soule magnifieth the Lorde and my spirite hath reioyced in God my sauiour Whan Elizabeth had by the spirite of prophecie spoken these woordes Mary also who through maydenly shamefastenesse had hitherto cōceled the ioyes of her harte being now sodainly rauished with the holy spirite of God of whom she was full and had been a good whyle erst could no longer temper herselfe ne forbeare but that with an himne of reioycing and thankes geuing she must braste out into the lande and prayse of God to whose goodnesse it is to be attributed whatsoeuer high or especiall good thyng doeth chaunce to manne or woman of this worlde O Elizabeth sayeth she not without good cause doest thou reioyce in my behalfe but yet this cummeth euerywhit of the gyfte of God yea and of his free gyfte and not one iote of it there is that I can presumpteously impute to myne owne desertes And therfore not my tongue onely but also my soule acknowledging it owne weaknesse doth euen from the botome of my harte rootes magnifie exalte the lorde with prayses and howe muche the lesse of merite it acknowlageth in it selfe so mouche more vehemently doeth it meruayle at the greatnesse of Goddes benefites I haue cause wherfore to geue hym thankes I haue cause why to talke largely of his beneficiall goodnesse but cause haue I none wherfore to reioyce to my selfe-warde Yet neuerthelesse my spirite beeyng enflamed with the spirite of God doeth for ioy not possible to be vttred in woordes skyp and leape within my body not in it selfe but in God who is both to me and to all persons the onely cause and worker of all saluacion For he hath loked vpon the lowe degree of his hande mayden so behold from henceforthe shall all generacions
for the holy ghoste to the ende that he may bee woorthy to haue Iesus to his geaste And whan they sawe him they merueiled And his mother sayde vnto hym Sonne why hast thou thus deite with vs Beholde thy father and I haue soughte thee sorowyng And he sayd vnto them howe is it that ye sought me Wist ye not that I must goe aboute my fathers businesse And they vnderstoode not that saying whiche he spake vnto them And he went downe with them and came to Nazareth and was obediente vnto them But hys mother kepte all these sayinges together in her hearte And Iesus prospered in wisedome age and in fauoure with god and men And beholde euen in the meane tyme whyle the sayd merueilouse chylde Iesus doeth with this foundacion and entreing make a preparatiue to the executing of the heauenlye businesse of restoring mankinde to saluacion whiche to doe he was come downe from heauen hys father and mother commeth sodaynely in place to whome the mystery of gods intente and purpose was not yet fully knowen There was yet still remaynyng in them some litle spyece of humayne affeccion although they had with a naturall louing carefulnesse soughte aboute for the chylde And Ioseph for hys parte holdeth hys peace who knew veray wel in his conscieÌ„ce that he had no right ne title to the childe that hys spoused wyfe had borne but the mother as she thoughte she mighte well doe by autoritie maketh halfe a querele to hym Sonne sayeth she why dooe ye handle vs after suche sorte as thys why dyd ye prieuelye steale away from vs loe your father and I beyng nowe by the space of two or three daies in greate care and heauynesse haue bene seeking all about for you fearing on your behalfe the daungier and peryll of all suche misaduentures as the naturall tendernesse of parentes dooeth commonlye vse to feare the chauncyng of vnto theyr children that they loue whan they bee absente from them To these wordes of Marie whiche had proceded of an affeccyon in dede right tendre naturall but yet somewhat humayne and worldelye for respecte whereof it was not conueniente to interrupte or breake the godlye talke that was than in hande Iesus aunswered halfe roughelye not that he was in anye fume or indignacion with hys parentes but to shewe that in the affayres of the ghospell which to doe he was sente of hys heauenly father no mannier autoritie of any man what euer he be ought to haue place The auctorytie of parentes ouer their children hathe certayn due lymytes and boundes howe ferre it maye extende whiche autoritye it is lawefull and also necessarye to renounce and vtterly forsake as often as any matier of eternal saluacion commeth in place For mete it is that thynges worldelye geue place vnto godlye thynges and that the respecte and regarde of God to whome we are bounden debtoures aswell of bodye as of soule and of whose bounteouse lyberalytie we looke for the inherytaunce of the lyfe euerlastyng be aboue them of whome after the fleshe we are borne and broughte vp to succede them but in some porcyon of good and substaunce worldely In dede greatly bounden we are euen to oure parentes too but a greate deale more are we bounde to god to whome we are bounde euen that euer we had any fathers or mothers at all So lykewyse at an other time after this he made an aunswere not all of the ientyleste manyer vnto hys mother whan she at a mariage spake vnto hym and moued hym of some wyne for the feaste and dydde with a certayne autoryâ—ie because she was his mother require hym to shewe a miracle wheras miracles were not to bee shewed but to the glory of hys heauenlye father So dyd he also at an other tyme more snappy shelye make aunswere vnto them that from preachyng the gospell called him furth of the throng presse of the people in the name of his mother of his kynsfolkes But the aunswere that he made at thys tyme was in manier and fourme here folowyng What was the cause ê™ he why ye dyd with suche pensyfe carefulnesse seeke aboute for me dyd ye not remember in your myndes that I muste nedes bee aboute my fathers businesse as often as he calleth me to the office and function appoyncted vnto me But what thyng these wordes of Iesus myghte meane his parentes dyd not euen veraye well vnderstande For it expressed in hym a certayne excellencie aboue the common rate of a man especially at suche a tender age of childehood And albeit that of a likelyhod of thinges that had afore passed they loked for no common trade ne yet no meane thing at the handes of theyr chylde yet for all that dyd they not fully and throughly vnderstande the highe excellencye and maiestie of the power of god they didde not yet perfectely knowe by what woonderfull dryfte and conueyghaunce god the father had determyned to redeme mankynde by his owne sonne They hearde in these woordes of Iesus a namyng of his father where as they veray surely knewe that he had no father in thys worlde on yearth they heare him speake of his fathers affayres businesse of whiche affayres he had neuer spoken worde ne made mencion to them afore that day But they thoughe they were the parentes are all hushte and speake not a worde but doe reuerently take the woordes whiche they vnderstode not And Iesus seeing thys humbled hymselfe and shewed hymselfe obedyente to his mother to Ioseph his foster father not that he oughed vnto theÌ„ any duttie of obedyence but of hys owne goodnesse he submytted hymselfe for a season to theyr weakenesse to bee ruled and ordred by them and therewithall he also gaue vnto all chyldren a fourme and an exaumple with what earneste endeuoure and with what greate reuerence they oughte to bee at theyr parentes commaundemente forasmuche as the chylde Iesus who oughed no seruice ne obedience to any bodye sauyng onely to hys heauenlye father dyd in suche wise obeye a father that was but counterfeyâ—te and hys mother that bore hym withoute any harme or dyspleasure of empayryng her chastytie and maydenhood thereby Thus did the Lorde Iesus thinke it good in suche wise to temper all hys sayinges and doynges that nowe he woulde shewe furthe as ye woulde saye certayne lytle sparkes of hys godlye power and an other tyme agayne would he humble hymselfe to the lowe degree of a man poorely borne into this worlde Uerayly his so doyng was expediente for vs to the ende that it myght by all mannyer wayes be perswaded vnto mankinde the veritie and true substaunce bothe of the dyuyne nature and of the nature of manne to bee coupled together in hys one persone The feloweshyppe of a nature beeyng common both to him and vs did greatly make for the purchasing of loue We doe more earnestly and also more fruictfully loue thinges that be nere to oure owne nature and family are to deale with
manne through his sonne For of suche chaungeyng nowe to coumpanye of menne and to preachyng and nowe to solitarye contemplacion and to prayer it foloweth that fyrst yf one at certayne seasons pause from dooyng benefites it auoideth clotyng werines in the receyuers of them and reneweth a freashe appetite to desyre moe and secoundarily that whoso hath sequestred hymselfe from men to talkyng with God returneth better and also more hertye and cherefull to hys office that he hath for a tyme rested from And as for the Lorde Iesus he dyd in suche wise temper and ordre all his whole lyfe that myndyng to shewe vs a paterne howe to liue he woulde oftentymes shewe hymselfe to bee manne and oftentimes agayne he woulde shewe veray plaine tokens of his godhed And truely nothyng dooeth better make a teacher of the ghospell hartye quicke and freashe to the office of preachyng nothyng dooeth so well sence hym and arme hym agaynste all corrupcion of this lyfe as dooeth often goyng from al coumpany of men into places solitary not to ydlenes not to gamyng or to other sensuall pleasures of whych sorte the reposyng of the riche cobbes of this worlde whan they sequestre themselfes from the resorte of men for the moste parte arâ— but to the readyng of holy scripture bookes to pure prayer to thankes geuing to the contemplacion of thynges heauenly and finally to thâ— perfeict clensyng of the soule yf percase any spotte haue been caughte throughe liuyng in coumpany with the people Of these thynges had Christ on his own behalf no manier nede at al but his minde was to expresse in hymselfe a paterne for vs to folowe Dayly conuersacion of the pastoure or curate emong the people doeth oftentimes brede contempt that he is not regarded and on the otherside litle good it is that suche an one can doe as continually absenteth hymselfe from all mennes coumpanies A ryght teacher of the gospell therefore shall shewe his head abrode as often as the people shall nede the foode of euangelicall doctryne and as often as diseases of the soule growyng sore vpon them doe require the helpe of one to cure them Agayne as soone as they haue been well fedde and after that helpe hath bene done to the euils of a greate mayny than lest on the one side familyaritye maye engendre contempte or on the othersyde to muche presence may be a clotyng to them let him sequestre himself into his solitary closette to the ende that from his holy study at his booke as from veraye talkyng with God he may returne again to helping of his neighbours at euery one time greater man then at an other and all tymes better man then he was afore ¶ And it happened on a certain day that he taught and there sate the Phariseis and doctours of law which were come out of al the townes of Galile and Iewry and HierusaleÌ„ And the power of the Lord was present to heale them And beholde men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a paulseye and they sought meanes to bryng hym in and to lay him before him And whan they coulde not finde on what side to bring him in because of the presse they went vp on the top of the house and let him down through the tiling bed and all in the middes before Iesus Whan he saw their fayth he sayed vnto him manne thy sinnes are forgeuen thee After the lyke sorte veraylye as is afore expressed dyd the Lorde Iesus returne agayne from wildernesse to Capernaum and restored hys presence to the desyres of all the people beyng nowe made sharpe and eager with sore longyng for him And there euen as he was sittyng in a certayn priuate house and teaching for wheresoeuer Christe teachâ—th sittyng there is the churche there had come swarmyng thither not nowe the basse and the inferiour sorte of people only but also the Phariseis swellyng in pryde vnder pretence cloke of holinesse and also the doctours of Moses lawe who beeyng muche moued wyth the fame of Iesus hadde purposely come thither from ferre places not onely out of all the townes of Galile where Capernaum stoode of Iewry whiche laye nexte adioynaunte vnto thesame Galile but also out of the veray city of Hierusalem whiche Hierusalem dyd presumpteously take vpon it selfe the higheste preemynence of all godly perfeccion and also of wisedome But as for Iesus forasmuche as he was the fountayne of all helthe dyd altogether from toppe to tooe sende out from him nothyng but a certayn effectuall godlye power for the healyng of man which thyng to dooe was the onely cause of his comyng into thys worlde And the more principall parte of man dyd of good congruence take the place to bee cured firste With his woordes he healed diseases of theyr soules And therfore first he taught and the same he dyd sittyng downe lyke one that tooke vpon hym as of iuste cause he myght the full autority of a doctour and teacher The puttyng awaye of diseases of the bodye was yet remaynyng nexte to bee doonâ— the whiche euryng of the bodye because it was a thyng open to the iyes of them all myghte frame in them a perfeicte beliefe of suche thynges as with more fruite and power also thoughe not althyng so apparente to the iye were wrought and doen in the soules And beholde a matter euen there readye prepared wherupon to exercise and shewe hys godlye power There was euen presence a manne possessed wyth the disease of the paulsey lâ—yng bedred not habâ—e to stiere and he was caryed thyther of foweâ— menne So soore was thys disease vpon hym that all the senewes in euerye partâ— of the whole bodye were taken withall and so holden that the pieteous creature coulde dooe nothyng but lye still in hys bed and was none otherwyse carryed aboute but as a corpse or a deade carkesse Albeit the veraye nature and kynde of thys disease besydes furth of it selfe is suche that the Phisicians at moste tymes haue but homelye spede and lucke in wrastlyng with it But they that carryed the sicke man hadde â—o greate beliefe confidence in Iesus that they put no manier doubt but that the same Iesus to whom they knewe that there was no kind of disease vncurable as soone as he should beholde the pieteous syght facion of thys straunge plague would be moued with compassion and helpe immediatly All the moste adoe was lyke to be how the pieteous creature myght come to be in the sight of Iesus For suche an one is nowe already at a veray nigh poynt to be made perfectely whole who hath once forsaken the lurckyng corners of sinnyng and as a man in miserable state dooeth offre hymselfe to the syght of Iesus acknowelageyng his own extreme distresse lookyng for Iesus moste merciable goodnesse But as touchyng thys diseased man thâ—let why they brought hym not in to laye hym at Iesus feete was the thicke presse of people whiche is a common set to
the maliciouse imaginacions of the same vnto the people but by demaunding a question touched and hit theyr conscience throughly home saying I woulde with all my hearte learne of you that professe the knowlage of the lawe whether it bee leefull to helpe the neighboure with dooyng him a good turne on the sabboth daye or elles to leaue the neyghbour destitute of succour in his woe and distresse whoÌ„e a man is able to helpe And whether is it lawfull to saue a mans lyfe on the sabboth daye or els to caste awaye the same For he playnely casteth away an other mans lyfe that whan it lyeth in his power to saue it doeth not saue it And whan the lorde had caste his iyes round about and no man there was that would make any aunswere he sayd vnto the man holde furth thy hand And immediatly he stretched furth his hande at libertie whiche afore was lame and shrounken together and in such case that it could not stiere a whit So great was the vertue and power of Iesus bidding him to stretche it furth What shoulde the Scribes and Phariseis in this case doe The miracle was more euidente then that it coulde bee denyed and veray common reason did allow that a godly thing it was at any manyer tyme to helpe to the preseruacion of men but hauing been long accustomed to the olde soureswig of Moses lawe they coulde not awaye with the muste of euangelicall charitie Wheras of these actes theyr duetie had bene to acknowlage the power of the Godhead and to acknowlage the autour and firste maker of the lawe they are turned into starke staring madnesse And now euen out of hande they enter a consayll emong themselues of commyttyng murder what way they might destruie Iesus bring him to his death This was with those ioyly captaynes of religion a thing lawfull to dooe on the sabboth day wheras to the same it was a mattier of conscience to geue helth to a man being in extreme miserie on the Sabboth daie And it fortuned in those daies that he went out into a mountaine for to praye and continued all night in prayer to god And assoone as it was daye he called his disciples and of them he chose twelue whome also he called Apostles Simon whom he also named Peter and Andrewe his brother Iames and Iohn Philip and Bartholomewe Mathewe and Thomas Iames the sonne of Alpheus and Simon whiche is called Zelotes and Iudas Iames sonne and Iudas Iscarioth the same that was the traytâ—ur The lorde Iesus eftesons departing from the cities and from the greate resorte of people sequestred himselfe and went vnto a mountayne to pray and all the same night did he passe ouer in deuoutly praying vnto god teaching vs a lesson thereby in case we shall bee willyng to beginne any thyng whiche we woulde fayne haue to be luckie and prosperouse in the proceding of it that we than beginne of making our earneste prayer that it maye please God handesomelye and fauourably to sende the good ayde of his spirite vnto the thinges that we goe about to enter And whan it was brode day lighte he called vnto him his disciples whome he had now as perpetual companyons witnesses of those thinges whiche he wrought Out of them he pieked out a certayne nouÌ„ber of special persons whome for this only coÌ„sideracioÌ„ he named apostles because he entended to send them abrode shortelye after as ambassadoures of the gospel throughout all the worlde and theyr office to be nothing els to do but what they had in commission froÌ„ him The names of the said Apostles are these first Symon who afterwarde had his name geuen him in the Sirians tongue and was called Cephas in Greke petros in Latine saxum in Englysh a stone for none other cause verayly but for his sound constant professioÌ„ by the which whaÌ„ the people were in a wauering maÌ„mering what he was Peter being as the voyce of all thapostles together pronouÌ„ced the sentence that Iesus was the soÌ„ne of the liuing god Unto Peter was Andrew his own brother associate as a felowe Then Iames and Iohn Philip and Bartholemewe Mathewe and Thomas Iames the sonne of Alphei and Simon surnamed zelotes Iudas the sonne of Iames and Iudas Iscariothe who afterward betrayed Iesus whome Iesus chose not vnaduisedly as one that wist not what he did but by prouydence to the entente that he woulde by exaumple of this Iudas teache all creatures what an horrible mattier it is to abuse the fauourable goodnesse of oure salueour towarde vs. Yea and in all the whole noumber of the Apostles was there not so muche as any one that was a man eyther of power or of rychesse or of learnyng not one that was eyther a Pharisee or a Scribe or a bishop He pieked them out vnlearned and rawe or grene in cunning euerye one of them to the ende and purpose that he might poure newe wyne into newe bottels And he came downe with them and stode in the plaine fielde and the compaignye of his disciples and a great multitude of people out of all Iewrie and Hierusalem and from the sea coaste of Tyre and Sydon whiche came to heare hym and to bee healed of theyr diseases and they that were vexed with foule spirites and they were healed And all the people pressed to touche hym for there went vertue out of him and healed them all These Apostles thus chosen vnto hym he came downe from the mountayne vntil he were come into a certayn plaine that was able to receiue a great multitude of people For suche thynges as require purytie of moste perfeccion are to be dooen in the mountayne Emong thynges of moste hyghe perfeccion deuoute prayer hath the firste place the next place hath the special chosing out of them to whome the despensacion and stewarding of goddes word is to be committed There were presente also the residue of his disciples and a veraye great noumber of all sortes of the people besides which had come thither out of all Iewry yea and from Hierusalem selfe too and also from the cities of Tyrus and Sydon lying on the sea coast For the hounger of hearing the gospell preached had drawen thither many folkes euen out of ferre parties and many the hope to receiue bodely health had semblably allured For euery one that came Iesus deliuered from all kindes of diseases or impedymentes that they were holden with Yea and they also whiche were vexed of vncleane spirites were made whole And all this geare was doen of hym so lightly and so easily that some with a mere woorde of bidding were restored to theyr helth and others he healed in a moment sodainly with the onely touching of his garmente that he ware For there was in him the fountayn and fulnesse of the effectual vertue and power of God which proceded from hym none otherwise then light doth from the sonne or heate from the fyer and so brought he health vnto all persones
allowe the wicked actes of your forefathers whiche actes of theyrs ye doe not onely folowe but also earnestly labour to passe and to go beyond them So often hath the goodnesse of God called you backe to emendment and at all tymes haue ye wickedly shewed more extreme crueltie against them that layed the trueth euen in your lappes whiche trueth was vnto you for none other cause odious sauing that it contraried your naughtie lustes and desyres Wherfore the wysedome of God whiche ordreeth all thynges by suche prouidence as cannot in wordes be expressed before it wil punishe the obstinate malyce of this nacion hath determined to leaue nothyng vnassaied whereby they maye bee conuerted to better wayes But after that aswell the botomelesse goodnesse of God as also the peruersenesse of them not possible to be woonne to goodnesse shall once bee declared to all creatures so muche the more greuous tormentes shall they endure howe muche the longer space they haue been suffred and with how muche greater benefites they haue been prouoked and occasioned to repentaunce Wherfore thus spake the wysedome of God within it selfe what shall I doe more then I haue dooen to this vnrewly nacion I sent Moses vnto them I sent many prophetes of olde tyme. I sent Iohn the Baptiste Against Moses there was conspiracie wrought the prophetes euery one they either slewe orels plagued with affliccion no nor Ihō neither would thei not heare though he were more then a prophet neither did he escape scotfree for geuing good aduertisement The sonne of man is come and to hym do they woorke destruccion and death I shall hereafter sende vnto them the last prophets of all who shall ghostely expound the lawe vnto them I shall sende the apostles that shall haue great vertue in workyng miracles that shal freely doe good to all people that shall bryng vnto al folkes saluaciō with excedīg smal charge to be bought that is to wete with faith And yet will they not heare these neither but wil persecute them tormēt thē driue them awaie yea and sum of them wyll they slea so farre shal their malice excede the goodnes of god At laste whā their malice shal be so ferre growen that they shall not onely matche but also excede and passe the abominacions of all ages past than shall the vengeaunce of God fall sodaynely vpon them and than shall bee required at their handes the bloud of all the prophetes which hath been shed sens the first creaciō of the worlde that is to wete from the bloud of Abell who was firste of all men slaine by his brother Cain beyng enuious against him vnto the bloud of Zacharie the prieste sonne of Ioas who callyng backe the people to better aduised wayes was stoned to death by sedicion of the people betwene the temple and the aultare And the sayd zacharie euen at the momente whan he departed from this life bothe testifiyng his own innocencie and theyr wickednesse sayed The Lord see this and require it And euen now approcheth the tyme of this vengeaunce One nacion shall as ye would say bee punished for al the hainous dedes of their forefathers because it hath gone beyond all the malice that euer hath reigned in them all It shall cum to passe vndoubtedly that the wisdome of god hath sayd afore shall cum to passe The Iewes of these daies because they excede the rebellion the peruersenesse and the crueltie of all that in olde tyme haue been shall in suche greuous sorte bee punished as though they alone had accomplyshed and dooen all the yll partes that euer their auncestours haue in soondrie ages wickedly played Woe vnto you lawiers for ye haue taken away the key of knowlage ye entre not in your selues and them that came in ye forbad Whan he thus spake vnto them the lawiers and the phariseis began to were buisy about him and capciously to aske him many thinges laiyng wait for hym and sekyng to catche sum thyng out of his mouth wherby they might accuse hym Woe vnto you lawiers and woe again who openly professyng the knowelage of the lawe whiche is ghostly and takyng into your handes as due vnto you the keies of science and cūning whiche ought to haue opened a way into the kyngdome of heauen yet neither haue ye intred in thither your selfes but others that wer willing to haue gon in ye haue kept out For while ye peruersly expound the lawe ye do as one might say lay battrey against that whiche is the principall chefe foundacion of al the lawe At these maner woordes of Iesus beyng in dede halfe bitter by reason of so plain speakyng of the trueth but yet workers of hearth if suche as thei wer spoken to had been willing to receiue the medicine wer both the Phariseis and also the lawiers sore offēded but because they knew priuely in their owne consciences that the thinges whiche wer spoken wer euen very true they would make no countenaūce at it before the people but yet in the meane tyme they lay sure awayt to all the saiynges of Iesus huntyng and serchyng if any thyng might procede foorth of his mouthe wherupon they might grounde or make a foundacion of sum surmised matter against him to the end they might seme to persecute him not of a certain priuate hatred but of zele to religiō and of a loue towardes god For this propertie also hath pharisaical hypocrisie that it worketh ne attēpteth none so wicked an acte whereon it layeth not a fayre glose of loue and duetie towardes God The .xii. Chapter As there gathered together an innumerable multitude of people in so muche that they trode one an other he began to say vnto his disciples first of all beware of the leauen of the Phariseis whiche is hypocrisy For there is nothyng couered that shal not be vncouered neither hid that shall not be knowen For what thynges ye haue spoken in derkenes shall be hearde in the light And that whiche ye haue spoken in the eare euen in secrete places shal be preached on the top of the houses I say vnto you my frendes Be not afrayed of them that kyll the bodye and after that haue no more that they can do But I wyll shewe you whom you shall feare Feare him whiche after he hath kylled hath power to cast into hell Yea I say vnto you feare hym Are not fiue sparowes bought for two farthinges And not one of them is forgotten of god Also euen the very heares of your head are all noumbred Feare not therfore ye are more of value than many sparowes ANd because the Lorde Iesus knewe the malice of the Pharyseis the Scribes and the lawiers to be vncurable it was his pleasure openly to notifie and publishe theyr hypocrisye to the ende no creature mighte vnawares be deceiued by their cloked counterfaytyng and so many coumpanyes of people euen than standyng round about in so thicke presse that they trode one vpon an others heles he began to
gods worde committed vnto them And he added an other parable to that that wente afore to the ende he woulde the better enkiendle his disciples perpetually to bee incuÌ„bent vpon theyr office and he also propouned and set before them aswel a rewarde whan they had duely executed theyr office as also a punishmente to any suche as were slacke in his office A rare thing it is saieth he emong men to finde an experte and a feithfull stewarde to haue the dysposicyon of ones goodes who whan hys maister is from home in a straunge countrey will see well to hys householde of whiche he is made ouerseer and deputye not to vse hymselfe as a Lorde or a tyranne ouer it but oute of the tresoures of hys Lorde to bring furth pay vnto euery body his due allowaunce as much as conuenieÌ„t is and at suche times as is requisite Blessed shall that seruaunt be whome hys lorde sodaynly returnyng home shall finde attendaunt vpon his office For hauing approued and tryed hys vpright trueth and diligence in the proporcions assigned out vnto him he wil make him rewler of all his goodes and wil â—ouchesalue to vse hym in manyer as halfe a partener with hymselfe of all his goodes and substaunce In the contrary parte in case the said seruaunt be neither one of honestye to truste vnto nor yet wyse and experte in hys offyce but taking a pryde through the absence of his lorde and by reason of the office of stewarde or deputie commytted vnto hym shall saye in hys owne mynde my maister doothe nowe sette a long daye of cummyng home agayne and peraduenture he will neuer come agayne in the meane tyme I will dooe all as myne owne fansie seruethe me and thus shall beegynne to vse crueltie ouer his felowe seruauntes bothe men and weomen not onely not feedyng them of his wheate that is theyr mayster aswell as hys but also pumbleyng and beatyng them and vsurpyng a certayne tyrannye ouer hys other felowes he dooe for hys owne parte all the whyle eate and drynke and bankette and vse to drinke himselfe dronke wastfully consuming his maisters goodes in filthye sensuall pleasures and in tyottous excesse what iudge ye that suche a stewarde shall haue for hys laboure Forsouth hys lorde shall returne home agayne at suche a daye whan he was not looked for and at suche an houre as he was not knowen of and the seruaunte dooynge whatsoeuer hymselfe lusteth without feare or care hys lorde shall separate and cutte of from hys housholde nor shal vouchsalue to suffer hym to bee one of hys house but shall rekon hym in the noumber of the other vnfeithfull persones assured to suffre condygne punyshemente forasmuche as he woulde not bee myndefull of hys office An euangelicall stewarde and dispenser of Goddes woorde can not by any thyng better winne his lorde and maisters herte vnto hym then whan his lorde is absent to represent the gracious bountie of him towardes the neighboure and not to thynke himselfe a lorde ouer the neighboure but remembre that he is a felowe seruaunte with him ¶ The seruaunte that knewe his maisters will and prepared not himselfe neyther did according to his will shall bee beaten with many stripes But he that knewe not and did commit thinges worthy of stripes shal be beaten with fewe stripes For vnto whomesoeuer much is geuen of hym much shal be required And to whome men haue committed muche of him will they aske the more And certes the more perfeict knowlage that a man hath or shall haue of the veritie euangelicall so muche the more grieuous shall hys condemnacion be if he be negligente or slacke to folowe that he hath learned to be the righte way For the Gentiles to whome the trueth hath neither by meane of the law ne by meane of the gospell bene shewed shall be nothing so sore punished as the Iewes whome the law of Moses did instruct to some forwardnes in godly exercise And emong these againe the Phariseis suche as are experte in all the poynctes of the lawe shall be more sharpelye punished then the symple ignorauntes But moste grieuous punyshemente of all others shall they haue whome the trueth being wel knowen whom so many miracles whome my liuely exaumple hath not moued to the zele and earneste exercyse of theyr duetie towarde God I haue hydden nothyng from you Whatsoeuer thyng my heauenly fathers will hath bene that ye shoulde knowe by meane of me I haue opened and declared it vnto you Beware ye therefore by the exaumple afore goyng of the negligent seruaunt that regardeth not hys maysters commaundemente For suche a seruaunte as hys maister hathe had and vsed in higher degree aboue the rest as one to whome he hathe commytted the disbursing and bestowing of hys goodes to whome he hathe opened the priueties of his counsayle whome he hath put his truste in whan he went into fer parties from home excepte he shall dooe that he is commaunded to dooe and shall prepayre hymselfe to the executyng and dooyng of suche mattyers as he knewe that hys maister woulde with all his hearte haue to bee dooen he shall abye with manye a sore strype But whoso shall bee of the noumber of the seruauntes to whome the lorde hath not opened the will of hys hearte yf suche an one shall dooe any offence woorthye punishmente he shall drinke but with a fewe stripes Than is there no cause why the despensacion of Goddes woorde and of the ghospell beeyng commytted to youre charge shoulde make you any thyng the more haulte in takyng vpon you but rather the more carefull to discharge youre duetie well He dooeth more verayly take vpon hym a charge then an honoure whoso taketh in hande any office or ministracion in the churche It is a thyng of free gratuitee that is so commytted vnto anye man and it is committed vnto euerye man of veray purpose to bee broughte furth and vsed to the common vtilitie of all the whole housholde indifferently And lyke as maisters doe require a more streight and precise accoumpte at the handes of suche an one whome they haue put in trust with moe thinges then an other so at the handes of such an one to whome a larger gifte or ministracion of knowlage and of autoritie hath bene geuen of God there shall more be required then at the handes of the others and to whose credyte a larger and greater ministery hath bene deputed the moe persones that he oughte to haue dooen good vnto so muche the more shall there at hys hande bee required The more learning that thou hast with so muche the better will teache thou the richer that thou arte so muche the more gladly relieue thou the poore the more that thy power is so manye the moe persones leat thyne auctoritie draw and bryng vnto the ghospell It is an other mannes that thou haste and not thyne owne and the true owners will is to haue lyberally bestowed vpon others that
and ranne away from them to auoydeit And as for beyng the Messias he had also in veray factes dedes afore that tyme declared hymselfe to bee thesame Wherfore if he had affirmed and auouched hymselfe to be the Messias yet ought not they to haue laid that matier to his charge as a cryme except they had first openly proued that suche thinges as the Prophetes had foresayed concernyng Messias did not agree ne serue to be spoken of hym The hope that they had to put him to a foile and an ouerthrowe was in the greate noumbre of suche a multitude beeyng conspyred together agaynste hym and in that Iesus whom they had accused was altogether destitute and fredeles and finally the iudge being as they supposed a man of no godlines at all Pilate although he was a wurshipper of idolles yet beeyng a man of muche more equitie and conscience then the priestes of the Iewes wynked at the fyrste artycle of the accusacion whiche concerned that tribute ought not to be payed vnto Ceasar and made as though he herd it not partely because he smelled and well apperceyued that it was but a forged matter and partely beecause it was no newe thyng for that poynte to bee reasoned and disputed of amonge the Iewes for so muche as all the whole secte of the Phariseis thought that a people peculiarly and specially chosen and dedicated vnto God ought not to pay any tribute to heathen nacions But of the artycle concernyng to bee a kyng he questioned with Iesus in whom he sawe no spyece ne lykelyhode of any worldly reignyng or of beeyng a kyng he was but one sole persone his apparell his countenaunce all the behaueour of his body shewed all tokens of humilitie and symplenesse Wherfore the president whan he had hearde the accusers tooke him aparte and asked hym whether he were the kyng of Iewes Than Iesus aunswered so thou sayest For the lord did euermore so moderate his aunsweres that bothe he myghte approue his innocencie and yet not laboure to escape from condemnacion and iudgemente forasmuche as he was determined to dye He was the kyng of Iewes and that poynte it was not congruente for hym to saye naye vnto but an other kynde of reigne and kyngdome it was that he went about to recouer to hymselfe and his father After the diuine nature of his Godhead he was the kyng of al thynges of whiche diuine nature Pilate suspected ne thought no suche thynge at all in hym and as touchyng the reygne and kyngdome euangelicall the sayd Pilate had no vnderstandyng forasmuche as he was a man ignoraunte of the lawe and of the Prophetes sauyng that he had hearde that there was looked for of the Iewes one Messias their kyng whatsoeuer he was he coulde not tell whom the whiche rumour he beeyng a man nothyng at all supersticious passed not muche vpon Therefore althoughe he vnderstoode not the aunswere of Iesus yet beeyng not ignoraunte of the Iewes malyce and gatheryng the sobrenesse and humilitie of Iesus euen by his veraye countenaunce he came forth to the byshops of the Iewes and the multitude being there gathered in a clouster together I haue sayed he examined this partie of suche faultes as haue been laied to his charge and I fynde none offence in hym But they as men knowyng in theyr owne conscieÌ„ces what and how they had doen where thei wer not able with euident profes to conuince him and to get the ouerhande of hym they set out the throte and made an opeÌ„ outcry against hym linking together crimes vpon crimes and lies vpoÌ„ lies as thicke as could be Nay ferther more say they a sedicious felowe he is he thoroughly moueth and perswadeth the people all Iewrye ouer with his doctrine beginnyng at Galilee and so all the waye euen tyll he was come to this verye citye This same forsooth is the speciall cryme and faulte that is alledged and laied against euangelical veritie that it maketh coÌ„mocions and sedicioÌ„s in the people whan it is the deuelish sort of men that insourgeth and reyseth garboyle agaynst the veritie whiche they deadly hate and cannot abyde Suche tumultuous garboyle is not of right to bee imputed to the true preachers of the ghospell but to the vncurable malice of such persones as haue more desire to haue the holsom trueth vttrely oppressed and ouerwhelmed then to laye aparte the disease of their malicious hertes For none otherwise dooeth the doctrine of the ghospel trouble the people but as a medicine of physycke dooeth grutche or stiere the body For excepte there bee fyrste a stieryng and a roumbleyng in the body it muste nedes wholly peryshe altogether Whan Piâ—ate heard mencion of Galilee he asked whether the man were of Galilee And as sone as he knew that he belonged vnto Herodes iurisdiccion he sent him to Herode which was also at Hierusalem at that tyme. And whan Herode sawe Iesus he was excedyng glad For he was desyerous to see hym of a long season because he had hearde many thynges of hym and he trusted to haue seene summe myracles dooen by hym Than he questioned with hym many woordes But he aunswered hym nothyng The hygh Priestes and Scribes stoode foorth and accused hym streyghtly And Herode wyth hys men of warre despysed hym And whan he had mocked hym he arayed hym in white clothyng and sente hym agayne to Pylate And thesame daye Pylate and Herode were made frendes together For before they were at varyaunce This accusacion forasmuche as it moued Pylate but a litle or nothynge for he sawe that the wholle mattier was dooen by a conspyracie of the chiefe rewlers and certayne others of the people which were consenters and helpers forewarde to the malyce of thesame head men to saye as they sayed he was veraye desyrous and earneste to remoue both the priesoner and also his accusers to the examinacion and trial of an other iudge to the end that in case he might not bee hable to delyuer Iesus yet at leastwise himselfe for hys parte might be ridde and despeched of the cause He quickely tooke an occasion of thys one lytell woorde Galilee of the whiche countrey Herode was Tetrarche or prynce He therfore demaunded whether Iesus was one of Galilee it was aunswered that he was a Galilean because emongst the common people he was belieued to bee a Nazarite for he had been brought vp there in hys childehoode and had afterwarde led moste parte of hys yeres there Therfore as soone as Pylate perceyued â–ª that to sitte in iudgement vpon the priesoner did belonge vnto Herode he shiefted hym ouer to Herode who at that tyme as it chaunced was at Hierusalem howbeit al this whole matter too was wrought and doeÌ„ by the dispensacion of the wisedome and ordeinaunce of God to th end that the Lorde Iesus might bryng wyth hym a testimonie of hys innocencie from all the benches and courtes of iustice there and that the malice of the byshops Scribes
his manhed bringing in stede of man a vain vision similitude of man Some contrariwise woulde take from him his godhed falsely saying that his beginning was but than whan he was borne of the virgin Mary because they being blinded with yerthly affeccions coulde not attain the mystery of Gods counsaill howe very God toke vpon hym to bee very man that one person shoulde bee both that in the meane while nothing should be withdrawen from the immutable nature of god and yet the perfectnesse of his manhed shoulde still remain I shall therfore set forth sum thinges more plainly in the ghospell so much as the spirit of Christ hath vouchsaued to open vnto me and asmuche as he had thoughte sufficiente to obtein saluacion by thorow the faith of the ghospell But as I began to say forasmuche as there is nothing any where emonges all the thinges that euer God made wherof we may make comparison whiche can throughly agree with the truth of the godhed I must though improprely vse the termes of thinges that our vnderstaÌ„ding is acquainted with to thintent that I may geue some knowlage to other of thinges whiche passeth all mens vnderstanding and vtteraunce Therfore as holy scripture calleth God that most excellent minde whiche mind is both greatter better then all thinges that can be imagined euen so it calleth his onely sonne the woord of that minde For although the sonne bee not the same that the father is yet he is so very lyke the father that a man may see the one in the other that is to say the father in the sonne and the sonne in the father But the resemblaunce of the father the sonne whiche in mans generacion is many waies vnperfit is moste perfit in God the father and his sonne And there is nothinge which dooeth more fully and euidently expresse the very secrecye of the minde then the true declarynge of it by woorde for that is the very loking glasse of the minde whiche cannot be sene with bodely iyes And if we couete to haue any man knowe the will of our minde that thinge is broughte to passe by no meanes more certainly or quickely then by speache whiche beinge fetched out of the inward priuiâ—ies of the minde conueiethe by a certaine secrete efficacie the minde of the speaker into the minde of the hearer through the eares of the hearer Neither is there any thynge amonges men more effectuall to stire vp euerye mocion of their mindes then to vttre it by speaking For if we haue auctoritie we maye shortly appoynte with our woorde what we will haue done Therfore he is called the sonne because being equal in al other thinges with his father he is distinctâ— and differeth in onely proprietie of person He is called the word because god whiche in his own proper nature can no waies be comprehended woulde be knowen to vs by him neither was his pleasure to be knowen for any other cause but to thintente we mighte attain euerlastinge felicitie by the knowlage of him This birthe is not teÌ„poral or during but for a time ne yet this woorde is like to mans woorde There is no corporall thing in God nothing that passeth with time or can be conteined in place neither is there in him any thynge at all subiect to beginninge proceding age or any mutabilitie he is alwaye one whole and altogether in himselfe and the sonne is continually begotten of him euen such an one as he is himselfe eternall of him that is eternall almightie of him that is almightie most good of him that is best in conclusion God of God neither later in time nor inferior to hys father the euerlastinge worde of the euerlasting mind by the which the father speaketh to himselfe al waies as it were by a secret thought yea before the world was made being knowen to no body but only to himselfe and his sonne He did euermore shall begette the sonne in himselfe and in like wise did euermore bringe foorthe his almighty woorde he had no nede of any thinge that is create to whose felicitie nothinge can be added but of his naturall goodnesse he hath made this whole ingine of the world and set therin euangelicall mindes and mankinde as in the meane betwene aungels beastes to thinthent he might gather of thinges wunderfully create and also of himselfe the power the loue and goodnes of the makir thereof And as if there were a greate mighty king whatsoeuer he commaunded to be doen shoulde be doen by and by euen so the veraye almightye father hath made all thinges by his sonne and woorde And firste by this way he shewed furth his woord by whom he woulde be knowen as though he had spoken vnto vs himselfe And beinge so knoweÌ„ by the wonderfulnes â—f his moste fayre workemanship might wind himselfe into our inward mocions Therefore they do erre and go very far froÌ„ the trueth whiche thinke the worde of god to be so after him in time from whom it procedeth as emonges vs the mind goethe before the speache And so they also whiche take the worde of God by the whiche God the father hath made all thinges to bee numbred emonges thinges create But their errour is more rude grosse whiche do suppose the sonne and woord of God than to haue begun and neuer before whan he was borne bodily of the virgin Mary What thinge soeuer is create hath his beginning in time but the sonne of God was twise borne once of his father before time or rather with out time very God of him that is verily God Again he was borne of the virgin Mary in time appointed thereto eternally of the euerlastynge father very man of mankynde For it hath pleased God after this sorte to bringe furthe agayne to vs hys woorde that is to saye his sonne to thintente he mighte be knowen after a more plaine waye or more familiarly That person therfore is wicked which maketh argumente that Iesus Christ was nothinge els but manne or that contendethe him to haue beene create emonges other creatures The father did be get him that was bothe his sonne and his woorde yet all one after soundry waies once in time as touchinge his manhed and alwaye without all time as touchinge his godhed For beefore there was this vniuersall creacion of thinges both yearthly and heauenly the eternall woorde was alredy with the euerlastinge father And this woorde did so procede from the father that yet it remained still with the father He was of suche an inseperable nature with the father that by proprietie of person he was with the father And yet he did not cleue to the father as the accidente doeth to the substaunce But he was god of god he was god in God and he was God with God by reason that they both had but one diuine nature common to both They twaine were so bothe one that nothing made difference betwene theim sauing onely the proprietie of person of the
blasphemie vnto my charge because I doe more seke the glory of God then mans prayse Ye obiect against me the breakyng of the Sabboth daye who haue saued a man on the Sabboth day when as the holy religion of the Sabboth doeth not stay you from deuisyng and labouring to destroye an innocent and not only an innocent but suche one as hath deserued good at your handes Is this to magnifie Moses whom ye preferre before me Is this to honour and reuerence God whom ye with feyned religion wurshippe Doeth not the law curse him that sheadeth innocentes bloud â–ª Neither doeth it permitte any power or autoritie of putting to death but vpon malefactours nor vpon them neyther except they be lawfully conuicted and condeÌ„ned Why than do ye contrary to the lawe trauaill about my death that being sent of God do preache his wil and pleasure to you according to the intent of the law that do seke his glorye and not mine owne that do not effectuously seke a kingdome or riches to myself but that do frely offre saluacion to all men that hurte no maÌ„ but do good to all men This saying of Iesus did vexe and trouble the Phariseis mindes for two causes first because they perceiued well that their craftie inuencions though they were secretly doen were not hid from his knowledge whom they supposed mighte soone without difficultie haue been made awaye yf the thing that they went about could haue been kepte secrete from him Secondarily his woordes pinched their mindes because he did appeale them of sinnefull transgression of the lawe in the presence of the people who would haue been thought moste true obseruers of the law They laying snares for the innoceÌ„t bloud feared not the knowledge of God but they feared to haue their dedes knowen to the people Therfore to face out the thyng by dissimulacioÌ„ they let fare as if they thought the multitude did not knowe their wickednes so fell to open rebukes and checkes as is the maner of all wicked persons that are taken with the maner in a mischeuouse dede that caÌ„not be excused Thou hast say they the deuill seyng thou makest the father of heauen very God himselfe to be auctour of thy doctrine to auaunt thy selfe thereby God is true and thou by the deuils instigacion art vntrue Who goeth about to deuise thy death â–ª The Lorde Iesus did not brawle with them again with any checking answere to their so furiouse blasphemie lest he should haue made them more woode by putting to of furie to them that were already cruel and furâ—ouse but geuing vs an ensaumple of mildenesse full gentelly he telleth them the cause why he did the dede for the whiche they quarelled with hym And where as themselfes in very dede were breakers of the lawe in all thinges yet did they accuse Iesus as a transgressour of the lawe because he had healed a man sycke of the Palsey on the Sabboth day I saieth Iesus did one certain dede on the Sabboth daye which was neyther euil sinfull nor yet vnhonest but wherwith I gaue health to a man that was miserably diseased which you your selues could not but allowe commend in case it had not been doen on the Sabboth day But they do rather breake the Sabboth whiche goeth about that thing on the Sabboth which is sinful and wicked on what daye soeuer it bee doen. The religion of the Sabboth is not so great but it ought to giue place to those thinges whiche are of more weight â—nd greatter importaunce and good and godly euery daye whensoeuer they be doen. If Moses himselfe whom ye highly esteme and attribute so much vnto haue geuen you the same exaumple and hath doen before me like wise as I haue doeÌ„ If also the very lawe do teache that worke maye be doen on the Sabboth day without breakyng the lawe of the Sabboth eyther ye muste nedes absolue and cleare me or els â—n case ye condemne me ye must also coÌ„demne Moses with me and the lawe it selfe to because whatsoeuer he gaue vnto you was a lawe Moses gaue circumcision vnto you not that circumcision began euen very than whan Moses lawe began for it was geuen of God to the Patriarches before the lawe was writen for that cause circumcision is a greatter matter in religion then the Sabboth daye because it went before the lawe and is as it wer the head of the lawe But the very same Moses whiche commaunded circumcision commaunded the Sabboth daye You do circumcise a man on the Sabboth daye and ye thinke not that ye violate the Sabboth day therin because of the dignitie of circuÌ„cision wherunto ye thinke that the religion of the Sabboth ought of right to geue place like as the Deacons and Priestes doe also in the temple these thinges whiche be pertaining to Goddes seruice and yet in so doyng they take not theymselfes to be breakers of the Sabboth daye for somuche as they esteme the thyng that they doe to be of more holynesse then that it should be omitted because of the Sabboth daye Consideryng therefore that ye doe circuÌ„cise a man on the Sabbothe daye leste throughe not beynge circumcised he should not be one of you neyther doe you wene that the Sabboth day is by that worke the wurse kept I meruaill why than do you like disdainfull men make suche clamour that by my worke the Sabboth daye is vnkept and broken who haue healed not one parte alone of maÌ„ but haue preserued and saued the whole manne altogether on the Sabboth daye Although circumcision were before the lawe and is after a sorte the very beginning chiefe parte of the lawe â–ª yet it is not perpetuall For men were acceptable and dearly beloued of God before there was any circumcisioÌ„ and the time shal be when God shall mislyke and refuse the ouerthwarte circuÌ„cision of the fleshe beyng without the inward circumcision of the herte But to geue health both of body and soule to a mans â—â—ly wretched neighbour as it is a greater acte and a more holy dede than to circumcise a man so is it alwaye good before the law in the tyme of the law and after the law because it is of it owne selfe good Why than doe ye in a cause not vnlyke yea in a much better matter as touchyng my behalfe wurship and haue Moses in reuerence and accuse me as giltye of a greater crime For I doe not now dispute whiche of vs twayne is greatter then the other Take Moses still as he is for an excellent man let it be so that I am euen as you suppose me to be a mean and an abiect person yet if ye loke well about you and do consider the matter rightly either ye ought to coÌ„demne vs bothe or to assoyle vs bothe And the very lawe of trueth teacheth vs this that in geuyng iudgement ye should loke vpon the matter and not the persone and he standeth accursed that through fauouring the
stande muche in your owne conceyte because ye be the sonnes of Abraham I know that ye be borne of Abraham as touching the flesh but this honour is but smal vsual and coÌ„mon to al Iewes If ye wil algates be thought to be Abrahams posteritie and children of a moste holy father nothing degenerate in your dedes declare you to be his sonnes For it is the propertie of a very true naturall childe to resemble and expresse the fashion maners of his parentes Abraham did so muche beleue God that where as there was promised him of God a populouse succession and great in nuÌ„ber to come of his sonne Isaac he doubted not at one commaundement of God to â—lea his sonne Isaac But ye see now how farre ye be of from the maners of your father whiche do your endeuour to kill euen me for no cause els but that you being blinded with desyres of the flesh and the worlde do not vnderstande my communicacion and wordes whiche be spirituall Abraham not doubtyng of the promyses did in a thing against nature beleue the aungel by whome god spake vnto him To me whom ye se and by whom god speaketh to you promising greater thynges then in times paste he did to Abraham ye do not onelye not geue credence but also maliciously seke and deuise my death Do not therefore arrogantly chalenge Abraham to be your father Euery our is before God the sonne of hym whose acres and condicions he folowethe For as the children seeth theyr parentes do at home so will they do and growe to be of lyke affeccion maners I proue both by wordes and dedes that I am his sonne from whom I was sente for I speake that which I haue sene and heard of my father You lykewyse do the thynges whiche you haue seen your father do ¶ They aunswered and sayde vnto hym Abraham is our father Iesus sayeth vnto theÌ„ If ye were Abrahams children ye would do the dedes of Abraham but now ye go about to kill me a man that hath tolde you the trueth â–ª which I haue hearde of God this did not Abraham Ye do the dedes of your father Then sayed they vnto hym we were not borne of fornicacion we haue one father euen god Iesus saied vnto them If God wer your father trulye ye woulde loue me for I proceded forth and came from God neyther came I of my selfe but he sent me Why doe ye not knowe my speache Euen because ye cannot abide the hearyng of my woorde Ye are of your father the dâ—uill and the lustes of your father wyl ye serue He was a murtherer from the begynning and abode not in the trueth because here is no trueth in him when he speaketh a lye he speaketh of his owne for he is a lyar and the father of the same thing And because I tell you the trueth therefore ye beleue me not Forsomuche as the Iewes toke this saying of our Lorde Iesus in euill parte they frame their aunswere in suche sorte that they go aboute therein to picke out of Iesus wordes some thing spoken to AbrahaÌ„s rebuke which thing if it had been so in dede they woulde haue prouoked the people to haue stoned Christe for where as he had openly testified that their dedes were euill and added further that they did those thinges whiche they had sene theyr father do neyther did they knowledge any other father then Abraham they toke it as if by this saying of Iesus Abraham the Patriarche had been reproued who had hymselfe been suche one as were the children that came of him But Iesus spake nothing sore at all against Abraham but reasoned coÌ„trary to their saying prouing that therfore they were not the children of Abraham because they were moste farre from his wayes moste vnlike him If ye will sayeth he be taken for the true children of Abraham do as your father did beleue Goddes worde For he of trueth through notable affiaunce in God deserued the commeÌ„dacioÌ„ of righteousnes and was called righteouse Now although ye haue neuer doen boastyng Abraham to be your father neuertheles your studie and drifte is to kill me a maÌ„ that albeit I were none other but very man yet were I innocent and one that harme no man and you therefore woulde â—lea me because I tell you the trueth whiche I do not fayne of myne owne heade but that trueth whiche I haue hearde of God insomuche that whosoeuer distrusteth me thesame must nedes distruste God But Abraham will not acknowledge you for his sonnes whiche goe about a wicked matter and muche disagreable to his maners And if it be so that euery one is that mans sonne whose dedes he foloweth and that your dedes withall are farre vnlike to Abrahams you muste nedes haue some other father whosoeuer he be whose naturall disposicion you do resemble and shewe your selfe lyke in condicions The Iewes beeyng of trueth more prouoked by these sayinges nowe as it were geassing to what ende the processe of Iesus wordes tended and whom he noted to be their father aunswere whom els apointest thou for our father that takest awaye our father Abraham We be not base gotten we maye reioyce in that which is common to all the Iewes who are not onely the succession of Abraham but also the sonnes of God whiche calleth Israell his first begotten childe And we are Israelites And if thou take away our father Abraham from vs if thou geue vs another father then God the common father of all our nacion thou art not only iniuriouse and dispiteful to vs but to the whole nacion of the Iewes Wheras this was a wicked and shameles aunswere for what coulde be more shameful theÌ„ to boaste themselfes to be the children of God who knewe themselues giltye in such great faultes who also laied in wayt to bring the sonne of God to death Iesus replied sharpely to this answer and saied If God were your father that is to witte if ye were very true and naturall Israelites ye woulde I am sure loue me as a brother begotten of the common father of all and as one that doeth expressely folowe his fathers behaueour and maners euen as it becummeth a true naturall childe For I neyther shewe foorth any other thyng then God the father nor I do none other mens busynes then my fathers from whom I proceaded and came into this world For I neither speake nor do any thing of my selfe I do not apoint my selfe to this embassage but he sente me whom ye clayme to be comon father to you all And yf ye saye trueth why do ye not acknowledge his speache that is the same fathers sonne and his very true sonne who was also with his father before he came into the world neither speaketh he any thyng but at his fathers appoyntment Why can ye so very euill beare my wordes wheÌ„ as by me god speaketh vnto you If ye beleue God to be true beneficiall an health geuer frendely
playne blasphemous because he beyng a mortall man semed to take vpon hym the eternalitie a thyng for God only cōuenient they coulde not withholde theyr handes but toke vp stones and wente in hande to ouerthrowe and presse hym with stones But Iesus professyng hymselfe to be God to declare hymselfe to be a very man also gaue place to their fury not because he feared theyr forcible violence whiche he had power to kepe of but to teache vs by the waye that when time requireth that the trueth of the ghospell should be preached valiantly and boldely and again that when we had once executed our duetie the fury of euill men should not causelesse and in vayne be prouoked and exasperate for our Lorde Iesus knewe that it coulde not haue been beate into the heades I will not say of the grosse and ignoraunte multitude but not of his disciples and they to be brought to belefe therof in case he had openly preached himselfe to be both God man and thesame to be all at once both mortall as touching his manhed and also immortall as touching his deitie and as perteyning to the fleshe to be a man borne of a virgin in time as touchyng diuine power to haue been alwaye before all time God of God Surely this so secrete a misterie was rather to be at time conueniente perswaded to the worlde by miracles death resurreccion ascendyng to heauen and by the inspiracion of the holy ghoste then before due tyme to be brought in and vttered in open playne woordes to them that would not belue it Therfore Iesus withdrewe hymselfe from them geuyng place to theyr fury and wente secretly forth of the temple by that acte declaryng beforehande that afterwarde the light of the ghospell beyng repelled of the wicked and voluntary blynde Iewes should be put ouer to the Gentiles their house left to them desolate which only thought themselfes the true seruauntes of God and obseruers of true religiō And so Iesus which is the author of true godlines wente to an other place The .ix. Chapter And as Iesus passed by he sawe a manne whiche was blynde from his byrth and his disciples asked him saying Master who did sinne this manne or his father or mother that he was borne blynde Iesus sayed neyther hath this manne sinned nor yet his father and mother but that the workes of God should be shewed THerfore our Lorde Iesus did now for a while geue place to the fury of them whom as yet he sawe incurable and falleth in hande with miracles to declare his Godly power whiche he coulde not all this while dryue into theyr headdes by any perswasion of woordes And loe there fel forthwith a matter in his waye not vnlike those thynges which were doen in the temple For of trueth much a doe was there with the blynde But suche as were blynde in soule not in body whiche is the moste vnhappy kynde of blyndnesse And so muche also the wurse as that although they were more then blynde yet they thought themselues quicke sighted so that they were not only miserable but also vnworthy to be cured For somuch as miser was not that blynde man whom Iesus sawe as he passed by whiche man lacked onely bodily sight and was borne blinde so that it was a maladie aboue the Phisicions cure but yet coulde Christe heale it This man had an inwarde sight sawe with iyes of the soule when Iesus therfore sawe the man and had compassion on him much pitying his misery the disciples which called to their remembraunce that Christe had sayd to the man that was healed of his palsey Go and hereafter sinne no more leste some wurse thing come vpon the supposing that euery blemishe of the body had come of some faulte of the soule axed Christe of the blinde man and sayed through whose sinne chaunced it that this man should be borne blinde for where as none coulde sinne or he were borne whosoeuer is borne with any sickenes or impediment of body is to be thought punished for some other mans faulte which thyng should yet seme against equitie the disciples therfore sayed Maister whēce came so great euill to this felowe that he should be borne blinde Whether came it of his owne or of the sinne of his parentes Iesus aunswered Neyther did this man through his owne sinne deserue to be borne blinde who coulde not sinne when as yet he was not nor his parentes For as the lawe teacheth God punysheth not the chyldren for the faultes of theyr parentes excepte the children folowe the sinnes of theyr parentes But blyndnesse chaunced to this man vpon a casualtie and not through any mans sinne as in the course of mans life many thinges chaūce to many folke This mans misery lacke of sight was not prohibit but suffered to chaunce vnto hym because that by hym the mightie power and goodnesse of God whom the blinde Iewes so obstinately cryeth out vpon should be declared to mē The more vncurable the disease is the more famous and commendable shall be the healing of thesame I must worke the worke of hym that sent me whyle it is daye The night cummeth when no manne can worke As long as I am in the worlde I am the light of the worlde Assoone as he had thus spoken he spatte on the grounde and made clay of the spettell and rubbed the clay on the iyes of the blynde layed vnto hym Goe washe the in the poole of Siloe which by interpretacion is asmuche to saye as sent He wente his waye therfore and washed and came agayne seeyng For this cause was I sent into the worlde euē to procure the glory of God with suche dedes as should cause the vnfaythfull to beleue my woordes to be true and to thintent also that those whiche will beleue should be cured of their blindnes I must doe this commaundement diligently while it is daye for yf menne haue any worke in hande they be wonte to doe it in the day The night perdy is vnhansome to worke in Therfore in the meane tyme whyle prensent day geueth vs leaue to worke we may not cease For the night shall come when as men all in vaine would worke and cannot As long as I am in the worlde I am the light of the worlde If men make spede to finishe the worke which they goe about for some commoditie of this life before night how muche more behoueth it euery man to labour that while they haue me with them they may go thorowe with the busines of the eternall saluacion In fauour wherof whatsoeuer in the meane season I doe in this worlde I doe it for that thing sake and to further saluacion For what other thing doe I then that all folke should through iyes of faith see and acknowlege God and his sonne whom he sent into the worlde I shall within a while departe hence than shall those that haue nowe had no will to worke desyre lyght in vaine The Lord
Ierusalē the feast of the dedicacion and it was winter And Iesus walked in the temple euen in Salomons porche Than came the Iewes rounde about him and sayde vnto him How long doest thou make vs doubt If thou be Christ tell vs playnly When Iesus had tolde a long tale of these thinges that were straunge vnhearde of and far aboue the common capacitie of most men there fel a newe iar in opinions among the people for some sayde that whiche they had already many tymes sayed whensoeuer he disclosed theyr secrete conspiracies or if he spake or did any thyng aboue the power of manne he hath the deuyll saye they and is madde For the wordes whiche he speaketh lacke common sence What pleasure is it to heare this felowe Againe some folke els sayde these be no suche mans wordes as is in the deuils daunger For his woordes smelleth of the power of God specially for as muche as his deedes be agreable to his wordes As his wordes be suche be his dedes He speaketh thinges farre passing mans wit but the same doth thinges which far excede mans power Can a mad man and he that is possessed with a deuil open blinde mens iyes It is the propertie of deuils to put out ones iyes that seeth but to geue fyght to him that is borne blind cummeth of the power of God Forasmuche than as it is euident that that thyng is doen by hym hys talke cannot procede of a noysome deuil whose dedes appereth playne to come from a beneficiall God The Lorde Iesus maketh no aunswere to thys altercacyon teachyng vs by the way that the wieked are not alway to be striuen with in wordes and that by dedes it is rather to bee declared what we can dooe than by woordes and sumtimes place is to bee geuen to the furie of the eiuil sorte nor the moderate temperaunce of the ghospell is at any tyme to bee forgotten After all thys the feastful daye ministred newe matter to sette in hande and dispute with hym agayne That solemne feaste was than whiche they call the dedicacyon of the temple for because the temple was reedefyed and repayred after the exile that was made at Hierusalem by the Persians Neyther was Iesus absent at this feasteful daye a newe maker of the law and of a new temple that is to say the churche chefe deuyser and maister of the woorkes And it was winter A full very mere tyme for theyr myndes whiche throughe loue of the colde lawe dyd not burne in the loue of the ghospell Therfore Iesus was not nowe in the inner parte of the temple but walked in the porche which ioyneth to the temple that is called Salomons temple to the intent that the very place shoulde declare that peacemaker to be presente whiche shoulde reconcyle all thynges in heauen and earth There walked truely the aucthor of the lawe of the ghospel Moses lawe being nowe at a poynte to cease The Iewes therefore leste he should escape theyr handes came rounde about him whyle he was walkyng there sore moued with many of his sayinges and dooynges neyther dyd they well agree among themselues some maliciously fynding faulte with al thing some gathering of hys dedes and wordes a certain thing to be honored in him aboue mannes power And they set vpon hym with these woordes Howe long wilt thou kepe vs in a doubtful mynde and therewith sette the people on a rore If thou bee that verye Messias whome we looke for tell it vs openly without all colour Iesus aunswered them I tolde you and ye beleue not The workes that I doe in my fathers name they beare witnes of me But ye beleue not because ye are not of my shepe as I sayd vnto you My shepe heare my voyce and I know them and they folow me and I geue vnto them eternal life and they shal neuer perishe neyther shal any man plucke them out of my hande My father whiche gaue them me is greatter than all and no man is able to take them out of my fathers hande I and my father are one But although Iesus was not ignoraunt that they dyd demaunde of a peruerse mynde this thing whiche they had both oftentymes hearde and myght also haue perceiued the same by his doinges yet he maketh them a gentle aunswere more desyrous to enstruct them then to angre them What nedeth it me sayth he so often to speake of my selfe and tell who I am namely forasmuch as if I doe openly testifie the trueth ye call the recorde therof arrogancie I haue already tolde you if ye woulde beleue me who I am Yea though ye dooe not credite my woordes yet ye cannot be ignoraunt of the thyng whiche ye desyre knowe of me There is no surer profe than dedes Ye see my doynges which your selues doe witnesse I doe at my fathers will and not the deuilles as some doe misreporte If my actes be worthie to bee imputed to God beleue that I am sente of God But ye dooe neyther beleue my dedes nor my woordes whereof I am not the cause but your owne corrupte and suspiciouse mynde They that meane well and playnelye and bee not polluted with the naughtynesse of thys worlde beeleue my woordes and lyke good shepe knowe the voyce of a good shepeherd and semblably I knowlage them for my shepe though after the worlde they be poore sely thinges But ye therfore doe not knowledge my voyce because ye are not of the number of my shepe whose simplicitie is lightely taughte when as youre myndes be swollen with ambicion leuened with malice with enuie corrupted infected with couetousnes and with sundrie affeccions of this worlde defyled from whiche vices if ye would purge your minde verely euen you also should heare my voice neither should you so doe without benefit For first of al ye should therby auoide death which hangeth ouer all rebels agaynst the sonne of God moreouer ye shall obteyne therby euerlasting life For of trueth those my shepe how simple and vnlerned soeuer they be after the iudgement of the worlde as long as they doe knowleage me the shepeherde and all the while they folow me as gyde dooe through my liberalitie get euerlasting life when as other that are taken in the worlde for men of great felicitie goe to euerlastyng death They be symple shepe harmelesse weake lacking all worldely succour The world riseth against these with all engiens and force But the aduersarye shall not haue so greate power that he shall be hable to take them out of my handes The world hath auctoritie of phariseis dignitie of priestes it hath armed kynges hye magistrates iudges places of iudgement prisones cheines roddes axes broddes to pricke with exile deathes whatsoeuer is wont to bring feare yea euen to stedfast myndes On the other syde it hath riches pleasures dignities honours and what soeuer is wont to corrupt most vncorrupt myndes The world vseth all these engines to plucke my shepe out of my handes but I beeyng theyr
his disciples kepyng silence for feare because he of late escaping the handes of the Iewes was thought to be more safe in the deserte Iesus sayd vnto them Let vs go into Iewrie again WheÌ„ the disciples heard Iewry named remembryng howe vengeable and cruell the Phariseis hatred was cowardes him and how often they had taken vp stones to cast at him how ofteÌ„ they endeuored themselues to apprehende hym the disciples I saye stoode in dreade not onely of theyr maisters harme but also of theyr owne For as yet they had not receiued the holy ghost and bare a certayne worldely affeccion towardes Iesus themselues lykewise through feblenes lothyng death Therefore dissuading him from goyng agayne into Iewrie they say Sir haue you forgotten how that there a while agoe the Iewes would haue stoned you vnlesse ye had secretely withdrawen youre selfe And will you goe thither agayne puttyng your selfe in open daunger But Iesus did coumforte theyr fearefulnesse by a parable signifying that nothing is to be dredde of them that cleane to Christ who is the light of the worlde For the night hath vayn feares The daye knoweth no suche terrours Hathe not the daye sayeth Christe twelue houres The night shall not come before his tyme. In the meane tyme whosoeuer walketh in the daye stumbleth not for why the sunne maketh him to see and to eschewe stumblyng But the sunne beeynge taken awaye whosoeuer walketh in the night stumbleth because he lacketh light I am the light of the worlde it is right mete that you be guided by me and folow my conductyng and not to goe before the lighte Be not afrayde before the tyme. So long as I geue light vnto you there is no ieopardie The night shall come wheÌ„ you beeing disseuered from me shall bee troubled ¶ This sayd he and after he sayd vnto them our frende Lazarus sleapeth but I got to wake him out of slepe Then sayd his disciples Lord if he slepe he shal doe well inough Howbeit Iesus spake of hys death but they thought that he had spoken of the naturall slepe Then sayd Iesus vnto theÌ„ playnly Lazarus is dead and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there because ye may beleue neuertheles let vs goe vnto him When Iesus had with this saying mitigate the Apostles feare he sheweth the cause of his goyng furth on his iourney saying Our frende Lazarus sleapeth I therfore go hence to wake him When as the disciples that were troubled with feare supposed that Iesus dyd not speake of very deathe but of the common slepe they aunswer Sir if he slepe there is no cause why you should goe thither for slepe in sicke folke is woont to bee a token of recouery of health The disciples wer loth to go into Iewry again and therfore to the vttermost of theyr power they doe auoyde the causes of going thither But Iesus did by litle and litle prepare the myndes of his earnestly to consyder and beholde the miracle to come For he had therfore leauer say fyrst he was aslepe then dead to the entente he might after the vsage of holye scripture shewe the hope of the resurreccion For they be rather aslepe then dead whiche reste to lyue agayne Neyther is it so easy for any of vs to awake hym that sleapeth as it is for the Lorde to call the dead to lyfe Therefore the discyples not vnderstandyng the thyng that he spake of sleape and waking out of sleape to let them know that no hidde thyng was vnknowen to him he sayth vnto them more playnly Lazarus is dead nor he added not the thing that was than more stoute to be spoken as concerning the raysing him vp agayn For he woulde rather that to be signifyed than expressed and hys mynde was rather to dooe the thyng than promyse it euery where makyng readye for vs an exaumple of modestye and temperaunce And because he aunswered them that tolde hym his frende was sicke that that sickenes was not deadly but chaunced to the entente that Goddes glorye and hys sonnes also shoulde bee set furthe by it a lyke thyng sheweth he to his disciples saying I am glad that I was not there while my freÌ„de was sicke and dyed and for youre cause I reioyce that youre truste whiche I perceyue to bee weake as yet may bee strengthed and confirmed with a more euident miracle For if the sicke man had mended and recouered healthe I being present it might haue bene thought a casualtie in case I had at hys sisters requestes raysed hym that had bene newly dead the Phariseis whiche fynde faulte with all thynges mighte haue layed for them that it had bene a lacking of senses or but a swouning no death for that sumtimes happeneth in some diseases that the bodies lying a long time in swoune come to lyfe agayn Now for asmuche as it is a very death in dede there shal be a more plenteouse matter of beliefe Therfore let vs go to him The going thither pleased not the disciples for feare of the Iewes which feare slacke sore in theyr mindes and yet coulde they not improue the godly and weightie cause of that iourney And albeit Iesus was not ignoraunt what thing troubled the myndes of his disciples and though also he swaged theyr dreade by reason that he sayed he shoulde goe to Bethania and not to Hierusalem yet neuerthelesse the nyenesse of the place that they feared made also theyr timorouse myndes afrayd Then sayed Thomas which is called Didimus vnto the disciples let vs also â—o that we may die with hym Then went Iesus and fouÌ„d that he had lien in his graue tower daies already Bethanie was â—yt vnto Hierusalem about fiftene furlonges of and many of the Iewes came to Martha and Marie to coumfortt them ouer theyr brother The disciples being carefull and pensyfe and yet durste they not refuse to do their maisters commaundement Thomas whome the Grekes cal Didimus and in Latine is named geminus a twinne being more timorouse than the rest sayeth vnto his felowes let vs also goe if it be certaynly thus to dye with him for as muche as his determinate mynde is to bring bothe himselfe and his into a manyfeste peril of lyfe wheras he may so deuise that bothe shall be in safetie Iesus than went furth with hys disciples to Bethania founde that Lazarus had lyen in hys graue fower dayes alreadye Uerily Bethania was about fiftene furlonges of from Hierusalem and thereof came the discyples feare and thereupon also arose occasion that caused the miracle haue moe witnesses and lokers vpon For the nighnes of the place caused many to come thither out of Hierusalem euen of fauoure they beare to Marie and Martha and of neyghbourlye duetie to coumforte them in the deathe of theyr brother Whiche kinde of office and duetie was wont to be doen to riche folke euen for honour sake Martha assone as she hearde that Iesus was cumming went and met him but Marie sate stil in the
you Therefore beleue this retaine this haue this surely fixte in youre hertes whiche thyng yf you doe in dede the withdrawyng of the syghte of this bodye shal bee no harme vnto you ye shall better see me beeyng absente with the iyes of faythe and thesame thing whiche ye nowe see my father dooe by me whiche doe faste cleaue vnto him all manner of wayes shall I dooe by you if you will cleaue to me by fayth and charitie Yea and I shall also more euidently extende foorth the mightie power of my godheade after that I shall remoue awaye from you this my manhead yea and moreouer whoso euer dooeth ioyne himselfe to me by true christen fayth like as I am naturally alwaie ioyned and neuer disseuered from the company of my father thesame persone shall also dooe greater thynges than I doe so often as the glorye of God requireth a miracle For as my father worketh nowe by me so shall I worke by you And because it is so expediente for the saluation of manne that I doe goe againe to my father ye shall succede me and by course enter into my roume concernyng the ministracion of the ghospell Nor this thyng shal onelye bee doen but what thing soeuer elles ye shall aske of my father in my name whiche shal appertayne vnto the prayse and glorye of my fathers name and myne that same shall I doe to the ende that by you also I maie bee glorified emong men as my father hath beene hitherto glorified by his soonne Let not my departure therefore trouble you whiche shall tourne to your greate commoditie and prefermente Than moste of all shall I bee youre ayde in al affayres and purposes whiche make for true health when as I shall take awaye from you this sielye body Onely aske the thing that you couete my father shall heare your desires and I beeing a continuall presente aduocate vnto him will bring to passe that what soeuer ye shall aske shall bee obteined for as he denieth me nothing whiche dooe no manner of thing that redoundeth not to his glorye so will I denye you nothyng so long as ye doe that whiche shall set forth the honoure of my name Forsooth my spirite shall put into your myndes what you ought to aske Thus to be greued with my going hence is no proufe of christen charitie for so men are dismaied when a frende remoueth whome they shall soone after forget If ye loue me truely as I dooe loue my father declare your charitie towardes me in very dede ye shall soothly and certainelye declare it if ye dooe kepe my commaundementes So shall it come to passe that as my father loueth me and denieth me nothyng In like wise shall he also loue you obeying my preceptes whiche be the veray commaundementes of my father Thus it is nedefull for the saluacion of the worlde that I doe absente my selfe from you And yet going awaie I wyll not leaue you desolate and altogether without coumforte But rather if ye abide firmelie in my loue and kepe my commaundementes I shall obteine of my father by praier after my returne againe vnto him that he which denieth me nothing shall sende you an other coumforter whiche after he be once sente shall not goe awaie from you as I nowe do concerning this manner of corporall presence I am pulled awaie from you but he shall continue with you for euer He shall be the spirite of me and my father whiche shall make you of carnall folke spirituall and he shall tourne this worldelye affeccion whiche ye nowe beare towardes me into an heauenlye loue he shall also with secrete inspiracions putte in you the treweth of all thinges whiche ye nowe vnderstande as it were but by a dreame and throughe a cloude This speciall pledge of me shall bee peculiar and propre vnto you For I haue all this while exhibite my selfe generallye and in common to eiuill and good leste anye mighte make excuse that he was not inuited to saluacion But this worlde whiche coueteth muche and gapeth for goodes that bee of the worlde and deceitfull cannot receiue that spirite beecause he is heauenlye and true And why can it not because it hath grosse iyes whiche deliteth and loueth not but grosse and earthlye thynges it seethe not hym nor knoweth hym for he withoute noyse beyng all whisshed and still tasteth in hymselfe to the secrete senses of the mynde if he fynde anye where a conueniente place to reste in But truelye you in case that the delusions and deceytfull thynges of this worlde beeyng despysed ye wyll folowe thynges that be good in deede and liue well you I saie shall then knowe hym because he will not onely come vnto you as I am come one that may bee seen but he shal also abyde continually with you nor he shall not in suche sorte be conuersaunte emong you as the aduocate is with his client but he shall inhabyte hymselfe in the secrete inner partes of your soules and shall toyne hymselfe as it were giued to your spirite that he maye become one spirite in all folkes and because he shal be as it were bred and planted in your hertes he shall accumpany and assist you in all thynges and the meane tyme shall not bee long ere this coumforter that shal be in the steade of me and my vicegerante shall come vnto you Wherfore there is no cause why your hertes should be discoumforted or afeard good children whom I haue perfeitly begotten and sumwhat framed with the heauenly doctryne of gods woorde and do nourishe you beeyng as yet but vnperfite and not fully taught vntill ye growe vnto the strength of the ghospell ¶ I will not leaue you coumfortlesse but will come to you yet a litle while and the world seeth me no more but ye see me For I liue and ye shall liue That daye shall ye knowe that I am in my father and you in me and I in you He that hathe my commaundementes kepeth thē thesame is he that loueth me And he that loueth me shal be loued of my father and I will loue him and will shewe mine own selfe to him Although I goe hence for a tyme and shal no longer liue a manne with men yet wyl I not leaue you in the meanetyme fatherlesse and without confortable succoure at my hande For I will cumine to you agayne before I returne to my father and I wyll shewe my selfe before your iyes and bee seene of you with a very bodye in dede but than not mortal to the entente that I maye aduaunce and bryng you from loue of the fleshe to the spirite for it were no great matter yf I should geue this my bodye to you alwaye to looke thereupon because euen the wicked dooe also beholde it to theyr damnacion within a whyle therfore I shal be out of the worldes syghte for death and the graue shall take me awaye frō the syght of worldly folkes Neuerthelesse I wyll see you again and
they ought to thanke for theyr saluacion They knowe of whom to bee succoured and whome to leane to They doe depende vpon thee I praye for them I praye not for the worlde but for them whiche thou hast geuen me for they are thyne And all myne are thyne and thine are myne and I am glorifyed in them And nowe I am not in the worlde and they are in the worlde and I come to thee Holye father kepe thorowe thyne owne name them whiche thou hast geuen me that they also maye be one as we are Whyles I was with them in the worlde I kepte them in thy name Those that thou gauest me haue I kepte and none of them is loste but that loste chylde that the scripture might be fulfylled Therefore I praye for them whome beyng withdrawen out of the worlde thou wouldest shoulde be thine and my prayer is that thy goodnes would stablyshe and make the thyng perpetually theyr owne which thou haste begun in them I do not nowe praye for the worlde which being blynded in euyl desyres doeth stubbernly oppugne and reclayme agaynste my doctrine hauyng enuie at theyr owne saluacion when it is freely offred them I praye for them whom thou hast committed to my tuicion because thei be not of this worlde but thine and agaynst the malyce of the deuill they cannot be in sauetie but by thy continuall ayde I therefore o father commende them to thee that it maye please thee to let them be alwaye thyne lyke as I am perpetually thyne for euer And therfore are they myne because they bee thyne For betwene vs are all thynges common For whatsoeuer is myne thesame is also thyne And whatsoeuer is thine thesame is also myne And like as thou arte honoured and glorifyed by my doctryne among menne so am I glorifyed by the beliefe of these whiche sticke vnto me constauntly when as the Phariseis and the scribes stāde obstinately in the deniall therof For these shall after a sorte succede me in offyce and come into my roume and after that I be takē a way out of this world they shall make bothe thy name and myne to be of famouse memorye throughout all the worlde I haue played the preachers parte and dooen my funccion and office therein wherein these shall succede me and come to lyke offyce And nowe am I not in the worlde whiche I do furth with leaue and goe out of it but yet these abyde styll in the worlde in my steade to disperse abrode throughout all nacions of the worlde that whiche they haue learned of me But I leauyng them behynde me come whole to thee O holy father kepe and preserue them in preachyng of thy name whome thou gauest me to teache and so kepe them that they maye preache and teache those thynges which thou haste wylled me to preache and whiche thynges I haue taughte obeying thy wyll in all thynges And this do that as I neuer went from thy commaundementes but in all thynges haue agreed and consented to thy wyll so bothe the doctrine of these and also theyr lyfe do neuer dissent frō myne For so shall our name be truely glorifyed by them yf as we agreyng within ourselues do bothe the one and the other glorifie eche other so euen these neuer dissentyng from vs doe make our name famouse all the worlde thorowe For whatsoeuer they haue taught and doen ▪ because it shall be perceyued to haue come from vs it shall therfore redound and be referred to the prayse and glorie of our name As long as I lyued in theyr company familiarly as a man with men I was diligente to kepe them as thyne and as men that thou haste put me in truste withall euē with bodely seruice and doynges also and I haue reteyned and continued thē hitherto in league with vs. So manye as thou gauest me haue I faythfullye kepte safe and neuer one of this couente or felowship hath perished except one whiche though he lyued in my companye yet was he none of myne but borne to damnacion whiche hymselfe through his owne faulte willinglye called for and occasioned to fall vpon hym For I omitted nothyng that should haue reuoked him and haue brought him to better mynde And this thyng truely dyd not happē by casualtie but holy scripture dyd long tyme before shewe it should come to passe that a familiar and a companion of householde shoulde betraye to death his owne lorde and Maister Notwithstandyng throughe thy godlye deuise and diuine prouidence it is come to effecte and purpose that also this mannes death and damnacion shall be profitable and do good to the publique healthe and saluacion of the whole worlde synce that by hym is procured the thyng without whiche saluacion coulde not be had and sithe also an example is gotten thereby whiche ought to counsayle and admonishe euery man to abyde constantly and to perceyuer in the thyng that he hath once begunne and taken in hande leste he by his owne folie turne to his owne vtter destruccion and cause of his owne damnacion that thyng whiche by the mere bountie and free goodnes of God was geuen hym to obteyne thereby eternall health and saluacion Nowe come I to thee and these wordes speake I in the world that they might haue my ioye full in them I haue geuen them thy worde and the world hath hated them because they are not of the worlde euen as I also am not of the worlde I desyre not that thou shouldeste take them out of the worlde But that thou kepe them from euill They are not of the worlde as I also am not of the worlde Sanctifie them thorow thy trueth Thy worde is the trueth As thou dyddest sende me into the worlde euen so haue I also sent them into the worlde and for theyr sakes sanctifie I my selfe that they also might be sanctified thorowe the trueth But nowe lyke as these matters are dooen by thy eternall wisedome and iudgement euen accordyng as thou wouldest haue it so I now after I haue finished the thynges that thou commaundedst me do leaue the worlde and come to thee But I that shall go hence do in the meane while speake these thynges vnto thee not that I am any thyng doubtfull of thy wyll but that I maye by this prayer comforte and stablishe my disciples to the entent they maye vnderstand how that thou wilt care and prouide for them after that they shall wante the presence and sight of my body and that they maye also put awaye sorowfull pensiuenesse for that they knowe howe that I shall lyue agayne and so theyr ioye to be soone renued agayne when they haue sene me risen from death to life and in conclusion after they haue seene me taken vp into heauen and they to haue receiued that heauēly spirite the holy ghost one that shal be both in steade of thee and me they maye conceyue and receyue no temporall or vnperfite ioye whiche maye ryse by the sight of my body when it is
ignoraunt that Iudas woulde come thither with a bande of harueysed men to attache hym because Iudas that betrayed hym knewe full well that our Lorde Iesus was wonte often to gette hymselfe Secretely thither late in the night with his disciples to praye They tooke the night tyme for this cause leste the company that Iesus had with him shoulde make resistence and let them to take hym For Iudas that was of a disciple become a traytoure and of a cumpanion to hym that was a redemer made a capitaine of theuishe souldiers came into the gardeyne where the lorde beyng with his disciples prayed with the bād of men whiche he had taken vnto hym by the appoyntmente of the Bishoppes and Phariseis with whome he had couenaunted to betraye Iesus and bryng hym into theyr handes And verily they brought with them fierbrandes and lanternes by meanes whereof he might be discerned and knowen in the night Nor they came not withoute sweardes and staues agaynste the force and violence of Christes disciples yf percase any would haue profered to defende their lorde Howbeit Iesus knowyng all thynges that were wroughte and dooen agaynst him to teache playnly that hymselfe wittingly and willingly did suffer al that he suffered not tarying for theyr cumming went forward to mete them as they were cumming towardes him and of his owne mynde vnforced asked them whom they sought leste for lacke of knowledge they myght haue layed handes vpon some of his disciples And when they had answered hym Iesus of Nazareth he sayed boldely vnto them I am very he whom ye seke There was then also Iudas Iscarioth present and his bande of mē with him whiche Iudas had a litle before betrayed Iesus with a kysse vnder a false pretended frendeship ere the Lord had spoken these woordes Yet did Iesus neither in the meane time bewray him of whom he was betrayed nor spake any rough rebukefull woordes against the souldiers that were hyred to attache him because he would styll euen tyll all were fully ended shewe his disciples exaumple of gentlenesse and modeste mekenesse But as soone as Iesus had sayed vnto them I am he the bande of men beyng soore afrayed went backwardes and fell to the grounde not able to sustayne and abyde the violence of the Lordes voice Then asked he them agayne whom seke ye They sayed Iesus of Nazareth Iesus answered I haue tolde you that I am he If ye seke me therfore let these goe their way that the saying might be fulfilled which he spake of them whiche thou gauest me haue I not lost one After that they were come to themselfes againe and made ready to set vpon Iesus the secound time the Lord asked them once againe whom they did seke And when they had nowe answered as before saying they sought Iesus of Nazareth he made them a lyke bolde answer as he had doen before and sayed I toulde you euen very nowe that I am thesame manne ye looke for And if ye seke me I do lycence you to medle only with me suffer ye therfore these to go theyr waye against whom I geue you no interest at this present The cause why Iesus did thus was to declare by a manifest tokē that he could not haue been apprehended except he had permitted himselfe to be taken in that he had once with one woorde put backe and cast downe to the grounde both a desperate and an armed multitude of souldiers and Iudas selfe too that shameles traitour Moreouer lyke as he gaue thē leaue to take himselfe so on the other syde he restrayned them from hauyng power ouer his disciples because he had tolde beforehande that the fiercenesse of that storme should for that presente time light vpon his owne head alone and as for the rest although they were somewhat ouerthrowen deiect yet should they be safe without hurte vntill he should see them agayne herein declaring hymselfe to play the parte of a good shepeherde which redemeth the health of his flocke with the losse of his owne life Then Symon Peter hauing a swerde drewe it and smote the hye priestes seruaunt and cut of his right eare The seruauntes name was Malchus Therfore Iesus sayeth vnto Peter Put vp thy swerde into thy sheathe shall not I drinke of the cup which my father hath geuen me Then the cumpany and the captayne and ministers of the Iewes tooke Iesus bounde hym and led hym away to Aunas firste for he was father in lawe to Cayphas whiche was the hye priest thesame yere Cayphas was he whiche gaue councell to the Iewes that it was expedient that one man should dye for the people Nowe then Symon Peter whiche bore a notable ardente loue towardes his Lord because he had made a great braggue of himselfe no lesse then that he would be content to dye to saue his Lordes lyfe seing the armed band of men to lay hand vpon Iesus forgat what the Lorde had sayed vnto hym And so beyng in a sodayne rage drewe out a swerde not tarying to bee commaunded of his Lorde to doe it stroke the Byshops seruaunt whose name was Malchus but the stroke light not as he would haue had it he onely stroke of the felowes right eare euen accordyng as the Lorde did staye his hande to the entent he should geue but a small wounde Howbeit Iesus did forthwith of his owne gentlenesse heale the man againe And in dede the Lorde suffered him that should be a ruler of his churche to fall of a godly zeale truely into this errour for that he might afterward more surely and more effectuously put awaye all desire to doe vengeaunce and shake of altogether priuate reuenging and vse of weapons since he had once rebuked him whiche as yet hauing no contrary commaundement did of very deuocion and of a godly affeccion goe aboute to defende his moste vertuouse godly Lorde against the wicked So then Iesus verily put awaye by his diuine power the force of the men of warre from Peter but yet withall he chideth Peter as a disciple when he seeth hym hotely set to fyght out the matter and sayth Peter what doest thou Hast thou forgotten what thou hast heard of late whiles thou diddest exhorte me not to dye that is to witte howe thou wast called Satan and commaunded to folowe behynde To what purpose is thy swerde drawen because thou wouldest hynder my death whiche I goe to suffer willingly and apoynted so to doe by my father It becummeth the to folowe and not to repell my crosse Therfore put thy swerde into thy sheath Matters of the ghospel are not so to be defended It thou wilt succede me as my vicar thou must fight with no other swerd than of Gods woorde whiche cutteth away sinnes and saueth the men Shal not I drinke of this cuppe of death whiche my father hath geuen me to drinke How shall it come to passe all we to be one according as I prayed to my father excepte that like as I doe obey
standyng forasmuche as Christe hymselfe sittyng taughte the people Yet he that taketh in hand an apostles offyce ought to stande vpright in mynde And here consydre in the meane while Peters dignitie He was the fyrste man readye where occasion required to set foorth the ghospell Than had he put vp hys materiall sweorde wherewithall Christe hymselfe was not pleased and pulled out a spirituall sweord Suche one ought he to bee that is the chiefe byshop among the people Peter stode vp but not all alone he had eleuen apostles standyng besydes with hym leste he shoulde seme to vsurpe to hymselfe some violente gouernaunce One vttered the tale but one for all thother lyke as he alone before openly confessed in the name of all the reste Iesus Christ to be the sonne of the liuyng God But wherupon dyd this shepeherd a pore creature vnlearned so boldely vaunt hymselfe as once to loke vpon so great an assembly of people Excellent oratoures when they shall come afore an assembly of people or in presence of prynces to pronounce an exact oracion whiche they haue canned on their fyngers endes doe chaunge oftentymes their colour cannot vtter their wordes in mynde they are not a lytle abashed But this vndoubtedly was that heauenly drounkennesse thys was that sobrefulnesse of swete wyne He stode in presence before a greate multitude he tooke vnto hym eleuen apostles not as a garison of men for hys defence but as felowes wyth hym of one company he set hys iyes stedfastly vpon the people as one vnknowen to them whome he knewe not he lyft vp hys voice on hyghe and takyng none aduysemente with hymselfe what he woulde saye he spake to them practisyng euen than the selfe same thyng whiche the lorde before had taught him He spake not for his owne lucre and aduauÌ„tage but as a good shepeherde defended hys flocke neyther handled he hys matters with sharpe wordes of mans inuencion but vsed for his defence onelye holy scripture Nowe was this multitude desyrous to knowe what Peter woulde say And let vs lykewyse for oure partes geue hede forasmuche as these hys wordes wer spoken to all men At the beginning whan he had once wyth the mouyng of hys hande asswaged the murmur the noyse of the company he began with such a preface as shoulde without any retorical colour of flattery make them attent Ye that are my brethren sayeth he of Iewry who ought to knowe both the lawe and eke the prophetes and of all other mooste specially whiche dwell in this noble citie of Ierusalem where the fountayne is of religion and knowleage of the lawe somewhat peraduenture here is for you to wondre at but nothyng that any man can iustely fynd faute withall Wherefore all ye that here bee presente geue good eare a whyle to my wordes and learne of me how the thyng standeth For it is touchyng all your profittes so to dooe These men of Galile whom here ye see stand by me are not as some of you suppose drounken wyth newe wyne seeyng it is yet but three of the clocke and no man is woonte to be drounke in the mornyng before the sonne rysyng But nowe ye see that in these men is fulfylled whyche thyng to come god did long afore thys tyme promyse by hys prophet Iohel Herken vnto the prophecy and trusâ—e ye to that that is promised you therein Doe not ye fynde faute with the thing because ye haue seldome sene the lyke but rather enbrace that mercifulnes whiche god dooeth profte vnto you For Iohel being inspired with the holy gost foreseing that god who had giuen to Moyses and some others his prophetes at soondry times his owne blessed spirite for your saluacion would at the last after he had sent his owne onely begotten sonne powre out most plenteously the same spirite not vpon one or .ii. lyke as ye haue seene for these many ages past but a fewe prophetes but vpon all nacions through the worlde whosoeuer woulde with sincere fayth receyue this chereful and gladsome message whiche we at his commaundement doe nowe bring vnto all you hath left that heauenly prophecy in wryting after this manier It shall come to passe saieth the lorde in the latter dayes of the world I will powre out of my spirite bouÌ„tifully vpon all men and sodaynely shall your sonnes prophecy and your daughters and your yong men shall see visions and your olde men shall dreame dreames and vpon my seruauntes and vpon my hande maydes will I powre out of my spirite in those dayes and they shall prophecye And I will shewe woonders in heauen aboue and tokens on the yearth beneth bloud and fyer and the vapour of smoke The Sunne shal be turned into darkenes and the mone into bloud before that the great and notable day of the lorde come And whosoeuer shall cal vpon the name of the lorde shall bee saued These thinges hath the prophet Iohell tolde you in his prophecye many liues a goe And nowe ye see that that he prophecied of as touchyng the plentifull shedyng of the spirite in effect declared before your iyes And it is not to be doubted but that god will as faithfully perfourme the same that thaforesayde Iohell hath prophecied of the plages that shall chaunce But there is no cause why ye shoulde dispayre the prophet teacheth you a sure way to your saluacion seeyng that he sheweth to you the perill and daungier thereof Call ye vpon the name of the lorde and ye shall be saued ¶ Ye men of Israel heare these woordes Iesus of Nazareth a manne approued of God emong you with miracles wounders and signes which God did by him in the middes of you as ye your selues knowe hym haue ye taken by the handes of the vnrighteous persones after he was deliuered by the determinate counsell and foreknoweledge of God and haue crucyfyed and slaine him Whom God hath raised vp and lâ—ced the sorowes of death because it was vnpossible that he should be holden of it For Dauid speaketh of him Afore hande I saw God alwayes before me For he is on my righte hande that I should not bee moued Therfore did my herte reioyce and my tongue was glad Moreouer also my fleshe shall reste in hope because thou wilt not leaue my soule in hell neyther wilte the suffre thine holy to see corrupcion Thou haste shewed me the wayes of lyfe thou shalte make me ful of ioy with thy countenaunce But as touching the maner howe ye muste call vpon the name of the lord lysten ye that are the chyldren of Israell nowe vnto me and to the reste of my tale geue good hede Many of you knewe Iesus of Nazareth whyche persone beeyng long a goe promised by the sayinges of all the prophetes god hath nowe sette abrode before all you to beholde and hath commended hym to you in sondry and great myracles and wonders whiche he hath doen and wroughte by hym beefore all your iyes For verayly god was
in Egypte vntyl Pharao dyed and an other kinge succeded hym with whom Ioseph was not so muche in fauoure as he before had been with Pharao This same king fearyng lest the Hebrewes shoulde to muche increase kepte vnder our kynred craftely and dealte euil with our fathers commaundyng the mydwiues by proclamacion that they should cast out men children that none shoulde remayne on lyue At the same tyme was Moyses borne agaynst whome these men falslye reported of me that I shoulde haue spoken blasphemous wordes This Moises was in fauour before god who suffered not him to perish for by his prouidence priuely was he nourished for thre monethes space in his fathers house Yet for feare of the kynges commaundement he was cast out in a twiggen basket or hamper playstred ouer with lyme into the ryuer of Nilus As it chauÌ„sed Pharaos daughter toke him vp beyng muche delited with the propernes of the childe nouryshed hym vp at home for her owne sonne Than was Moyses taken for an Egypcian and instructed from his childhood in al maner cunning and wisdome of Thegypcians and was myghty in woordes and dedes And whan he was full fourty yere olde it came into his herte to visite hys brethren the children of Israel And whan he sawe one of them suffre wrong he defended him auenged his quarell that had the harme done to hym smote yâ— Egyptian And he supposed his brethren woulde haue vnderstande how that God by his hand should deliuer them But they vnderstoode not But whan he was fully cum to fourty yeres of age he thought it good to visite his brethren the childreÌ„ of Israel For he expressed alwayes tendre loue towardes his owne nacion of whom he had his beginnyng And whan he had seene as he was conuersaunt amongest them one of the Israelites suffre wroÌ„g of an Egyptian he auenged the Hebrewes quarell and slewe the Egyptian Declarynge euen than the towardenes of a good capitayne And he supposed that the Hebrewes had knowen allready at that time howe God had determined to saue the people by hym and to deliuer them from the bondage of Pharao And this Moyses presented in hymselfe a figure of Iesus of Nazareth whome god verily hath chosen to redeme the people from bondage of synne But lyke as the Israelites perceiued not this in Iesus euen so nor than dyd they vnderstande that in Moyses And the next day he shewed hymselfe vnto them as they stroue and woulde haue set theÌ„ at one againe saiyng Syrs ye are brethren why hurte ye one another But he that dyd his neighboure wrong thrust hym awaye saiyng wilt the kyl me as thou diddest the Egipcian yesterday who made the a ruler and iudge ouer vs Than fled Moyses at that saiyng and was a straunger in the lande of Madian where he begate two sonnes The daye after as he was in waye agayne to visite his brethren he found two Israelites stryuing togyther partyng them a sundre he would haue set them at one agayne saying what do ye syrs sithen that ye are brethren and of one nacion why hurte ye one an other but he that dyd his neyghboure wrong thrust him a backe that woulde haue sette them at one saying what medleste yâ— in our matter who made the a iudge and ruler ouer vs wylt thou slaie me al so as thou slewest the Egypcian yesterday And where as al that Moyses did was by inspiracion of the holy ghoste yet founde he shortly there amongest his owne brethren sum that rebelled agaynst hym Whan Moyses heard of this perceyuynge how his face was not vnknowen abrode fearyng for his owne parte the Egiptians fled into the land of Madian where he begat two sonnes ¶ And whan fowerty yeares were expired there appeared to hym in the wildeâ—nes of Mount Sinai an aungel of the lord in a flame of fyre in a bushe Whan Moyses saw it he woondred at the sight And as he drewe neare to behold the voyce of the lord came vnto him I am the God of thy fathers the God of Abraham the God of Isaac and the God of Iacob Moyses trembled durst not beholde it Than sayd the lord to him out of thy shooes from thy feete for the place where thou standest is holy ground I haue perfectly seen the affliccions of my people in Egipt and I hearde their gronyng cum I am doun to deliuer them And now cum and I wyll sende the into Egypt And fourty yeares after an aungell of the Lorde appeared vnto Moyses in wyldernes vpon Mount Synay in a Bushe which seemed to be all on fyre Moyses beyng as one dismayde at this sight assayed to go nere therunto to see what thynge it was But the Lorde whose voyce sounded in the bushe forbade him I am he sayd the god of your fathers the god of Abraham the god of Isaac the god of Iacob Moyses whan he heard this name trembled therat for feare and durst loke no neare Than sayed the lorde put of thy shooes from thy feete for the place where thou standest is an holy ground Moyses obeyed the lorde Than forth he wente in his talke I haue wel marked how my people in Egipte hath been troubled and haue hearde their groning And therfore of compassion towardes them am I cum downe to delyuer them And now cumme and for this cause wyll I sende the into Egypte Beholde and see howe playnely is Iesus of Nazareth signified here by Moyses The people of Israell reiected Moyses before they knewe what he was saiyng Who made the a ruler and iudge ouer vs Lyke woordes spake oure brethren vnto Iesus in what authoritie dooest thou these thynges and who gaue the this authoritie For al this while knewe not they that god for the pitie he had to our people than had sent them this capitaine and purchaser of libertie and gyuer of lyfe euerlasting This Moyses whom they forsoke saiyng who made the a ruler a iudge thesame dyd God send to be a ruler and a deliuerer by the handes of the angell whiche appeared to hym in the bushe And the same brought them out shewyng wonders sygnes in Egipt and in the read sea and in the wildernes fourty yeares This is that Moyses which sayed to the childreÌ„ of Israell A Prophete shall the lorde your god rayse vp vnto you of your brethren lyke vnto me hym shall ye heare And Moyses whom his brethren despysed god aduaunced to honoure and made him a capitaine a gouernour and a deliuerer of his people And for his ayde and assistence he had with him thangell presente whiche appered to him oute of the burnynge bushe By whose helpe broughte he hys people oute of Egipte workynge manye woonders and meruailes in the lande of Egipt soone after in the rede sea and besydes that in wildernes by the space of fourty yeares As Moyses was to one nacion or people alone so truly is Iesus of Nazareth vnto al that will folowe his guyding Nowe lest
furth of enterludes appointeth time for his players to come and goe euen so doeth here the angell moderate the settyng out of these two persons and their meting For at the same tyme as god would haue it a certaine gelded man being a Chamberlayne toke his iourney a person halfe maymed in that he lacked his stones by reason wherof he was not a perfecte man of body but right wyse for all that and of a manâ—y stomacke an Ethiopian borne blacke skynned but one that shoulde sone after be clothed with a garment of a laÌ„bes flece immaculate as white as snowe and chaunge his naturall complexion in the fonte of baptisme a head officer to Candace quene of Ethiope whom she had made her high treasurer Here speake we of a sorte of people delicatly brought vp by reason of theyr excesse and superfluitie which are well worthy to be in subiection to a woman Riches is the norisher of all superfluitie This man of a deuout mynde had taken his iourney towardes Ierusalem For the temple there was of so great renowme that diuers nacions yea oute of far countreyes came and brought with them sundry gyftes In consideracion whereof the priestes had muche dysdaine and hatred at them that sayd this temple should be once distroyed This chamberlayne meaned well and godly but fowle was he deceyued to seke in the Iewes temple for religion whence it was euen than all ready to depart vnto the heathen And as he was in his repayre homewarde sitting in his chariot he mispent not the tyme in fables or elles in slepe but for the loue that he had to religion was in readyng Esaye the prophete declaring to vs where we ought to seke for Christe For in temples is not he hydden but in bokes of holy scripture ¶ Then the spirite sayde vnto Philip go neare and ioyne thy selfe to yonder charet And Philip came to hym heard hym read the propheâ— Esaye and sayde vnderstandest thou what thou readest And he sayde how can I excepte I had a guyde And he desired Philip that he would come vp sytte by him The â—enour of the scripture that he read was this He was led as a shepe to be slayne like a lambe dumme before his shearer so opened he not his mouth Because of his humblenes he was not estemed But who shal declare his generacion for his lyfe is taken from the yearth The ChaÌ„berlaine aunswered and said I praye the of whoÌ„ speaketh the prophet this of himselfe or of some other man Whan Philip had here in his waye mette with him the angell warned hym againe priuely and sayde go to and approche thou neare vnto this charet Whan Philip had made good spede thyther he heard the Chamberlaine readyng Esay the prophete and streyght therupon perceyuyng his good zele and endeauour vnto religion sayde to him vnderstandest thou what thou readest Than answered he howe should I vnderstand a man as I am geuen wholy vnto temporall busines excepte I had one to expounde to me the secret sence and meaning of the prophete And with that desired Philip the he would step into the chariote and sit by hym that they might the more commodiously talke togyther Up went Philip and sat by the Chamberlayne Marke me how well doth Philip here resemble a trewe preacher of the gospell and howe plainly in this chamberlayne is suche Heathen people described as couet to knowe Christe There must nedes be wonderfull great encrease of all godlynes where the one hasteth in muche desyre to teache the other hartely biddeth hym to his compaynie desirous to learne Here was nothing done by chauÌ„ce god did set al in rule and ordre For this chaÌ„berlaine happened for his parte vnawares vpon that place of the prophete whiche described Iesus Christ. This was the place of Esay he was led as a shepe to be slayne and as a lambe helde he his peace before the person that clyppeâ— hym and not once opened his lyppes Because of his humblenes he was not estemed Who shall declare his generation For his lyfe is taken away from the earth This texte of Esaye whan Philip had repeated to hym the chamberlayne was more enflamed with ardeÌ„t affeccion to knowe whome the prophete spake of and sayd of whoÌ„ I praye the speaketh the prophete these wordes of himselfe or of sum other See how apte this chamberlaine was to learne He had heard that Esaye himselfe was cut in pieces at commaundement of kyng Manasses with a wodden sawe and ignoraunt was he not that prophecies laye sumtymes after suche sorte of doubtefull that what seamed to be spoken of this person or that after the historical sence oftentymes myght after a more priuey or misticall sence pertayne to another But easye is it to teache that person whiche in suche wyse demaundeth ¶ Philip opened his mouth and began at the same scripture and preached vnto him Iesus And as they went on their waye they came vnto a certain water and the ChaÌ„berlaine said see here is water what doth let me to be baptised Philip said vnto him yf the beleue with all thyne herâ—e thou mayest And he aunswered and sayd I beleue yâ— Iesus Christe is the sonne of God And he commaunded the charet to stand styll And thei went downe bothe into the water both Philip also the Chamberlaine and he baptised him And as sone as they were come ouâ— of the water the spirit of the lorde caught away Philip and the chamberlayne saw him no more And he wente on his way reioisyng but Philip was found at Azorus And he walked thorow oute the couÌ„trey preaching in al the cities tyll he came to Lesaâ—ea Than Philip as one that was ready with ryght good wil to teache opened his lyppes and begynnyng at this place of the prophete expounded to hym briefly the principall poyntes of the gospell that is to saye that this person whom the prophete spake of was the sonne of god â–ª throughe whome god had decreed and by his prophetes promysed frely to saue all that woulde put theyr truste in him and that he woulde for this cause haue hym to be borne againe very man of the virgin Mary And where the one natiuitie and eke the other can not be in worde expressed whether it be his eternall generacioÌ„ of his father whiche from euer was withoute circumscripcion of tyme or that he once had of the virgin by the holy ghostes handyworke without maÌ„nes help takyng so vpoÌ„ hym mannes nature that he departed neuer from his godhed the prophete Esay seing this in spirite and muche astoyned therat sayde who shall be able to declare at lengthe his generacion Furthermore that he was the trewe paschall lambe for whose deathes sake his father had appoynted to delyuer not onely the Israelytes but al other nacions also from bondage of synne and from death euerlastyng And therfore delyuered he hym into the handes of the priestes scribes phariseis and head men amoÌ„g the people who brought him
to thintent thou shouldeste receiue thi sight againe and be replenished with the holy gost Ananias had vneth spoken these wordes but there fell from the iyes of Paule in the same place as it were certaine scales of a fishe so recouered he his sight And immediatly he stode vp and was baptised After that whan he had receiued sum foode he was well strengthned In this maner that excellent capitayne of Christes gospell he that shoulde soone after obscure the glory renowne of other his apostles receyued at the hand of Ananias a poore and huÌ„ble disciple the holy ghost before that he receiued baptisme But nothing is done out of ordre that is done at Iesus Christes coÌ„maundement whoÌ„ Paule hadde for hys teacher For so had he gyuen his apostles authoritie that he woulde neuerthelesse reserue vnto hymselfe the higheste authoritie of all the whole matter Than was Saule certayne dayes with the disciples which wer at Damasâ—o And streight waye preached Christ in the Synagoges howe he was the sonne of God But al that hearde him wâ—re amased and sayed is not this he that spoyled them which called on this name in Hierusalem and came hyther for that entent that he might bring them bounde vnto the highe priestes But Saul encreased the more in strength coÌ„touÌ„ded the Iewes whiche were dwelling at Damasco affirmyng that this was very Christe Than Saule beyng sodainly chaunged abode for certaine dayes in companye with the disciples whiche were at Damasco And without any further delaye he begonne furthwith eâ—en there contrary to the byshoppes commaundement to sette vpon the office that he was appoynted vnto by Christe And he went into the Iewes Synagoges and published openly and frankly affirming that Iesus of Nazareth was the sonne of god for whose sake alone all men shoulde haue profered them accordyng to the Prophetes foresayinges health euerlasting The Iewes which knew of Saules cruel fiercenesse agaynst the Christians by the rumoure that was bruted abrode reioysyng that they had gotten suche a valiaunt defendour of Moses lawe whan they had hearde that he did so earnestlye preache Iesus name of Nazareth they maruayled what had chaunced vnto the manne that he was so sodainlye quyte altered and sayde amongest themselues is not this the same Saule who of late did all that euer he could assaulte theim that called vpoÌ„ this name at HierusaleÌ„ whiche name he blaseth nowe abrode and famously publisheth and nowe but of late came hyther purposely to take all suche persons yf he myght fynde any here and to bryng them faste bounde to the highe Bysshoppes there to be punished at theyr wyll and commaundement Howe cummeth this to passe that he hathe so sodaynly caste of his Iewyshe condicions and forsaken Moyses and hathe become a professoure of the crucified But Paule whome that name in veray dede than better agreed with after that he once became of a troublesome person a teacher of sobernesse and quiet libertee so litle was afrayed at suche manier sayinges of the Iewyshe that he beyng euery daye the better strengthened with spirituall coumforte confounded and muche troubled the Iewes that were dwellynge at Damasco affirmyng constauntly and prouing by the testimonies of holy scripture that Iesus of Nazareth whome he had before of ignoraunce persecuted and dyd nowe preache was the trewe Messias that was promysed to the worlde and that none other should be borne hereafter at whose handes the Iewes ought to looke for euerlastyng health ¶ And after a good whyle the Iewes tooke councel together to kyll him But their laying wayte was knowen of Saule And they watched the gaâ—es daye and nyght to kil hym Than the disciples toke him by night and put him thorowe the walle and let him downe in a basket And wheÌ„ Saule was cumme to Ierusalem he assayed to couple himselfe with the disciples but they were all afrayed of him and beleued not that he was a disciple But Barnabas tooke him and brought hym to the Apostles and declared to them how he had seene the Lorde in the waye and that he had spoken vnto him and how he had done boldely at Damasco in the name of Iesu. And he had his conuersacion with them at Ierusalem speakyng boldely in the name of the lorde Iesu. Whan Paule had taken suche an enterpryse vpon him many dayes at Damasco no litle to the disciples ioy and comforte and not without a greate rumble and murmour of those that did not than beleue the Iewes at lengthe layed their heades in councell togither to thintent that they might by lying in wayte for him slaye hym O what a nacion is this that murthereth men Paule reasoned taught and vanquished the Iewes with testimonyes of their owne lawe as it were with their owne weapons But there was nothyng els with them but conspiracies stockes prisons stripes and sondry kyndes of deathe But this had the lorde by promisse assured his welbeloued seruauntes of that they shoulde not lose no not a heare of one of their heades excepte his father suffered it The tyme was not than come for that excellente warryoure to dye in the gospelles cause he had than many battels behynde to fyght for Christes people many daungerouse perylles were to come for him to sustayne in fyght of battell many cities and countreys wer lefte for him to subdue by goddes holy worde and to call vnto Christes yoke Wherfore Paule as it was goddes wil had warnyng that the Iewes laye in wayte for him insomuche that they kept the gates day and night in watche for him that he should not away escape but that they would kil him To bring this acte to passe they had procured them ayde of the Lieftenaunt of the citie who was the debytie of king Aretas to thintent that yf theyr priuey watche had not wel proceded to theyr purpose they would neuertheles openly by force slay him The disciples than conceyuing in their myndes how that the lesse the person cared for himselfe the more was he worthy to be saued woulde not suffer so valiant a warryer in Christes worde peryshe Wherfore they hydde him and by night let hym downe by a corde of the towne walles in a basket Euen so oftentymes yea bolde and valiaunt capitaines do runne awaye to thintent that they maye accordyng to the prouerbe be able to fyght againe O what a woondre is it to see the course of thinges turned vpside down Nowe lurketh he in corners starteth away who a litle before with many sore thretnynges persecuted and now prouide they to saue Paules lyfe whome he before inuented crafty meanes to slay After this whaÌ„ he was once come to Hierusalem and would haue accoÌ„panyed with the disciples with whome the olde Saule was to well knowen Paule as thaÌ„ vnknowen al were afraied of him as the shepe of the woulfe not trustyng his woordes that he was a disciple callynge well to their remembraunce what crueltie he was wonte to expresse in persecutyng Christes flocke
world is not of any great estimacioÌ„ but in the sight of god highe in fauour by reason of his godlynes and is otherwise called Peter He hosteth at a certaine mannes house in Ioppa whose name is Simon a tanner by his occupacioÌ„ and dewelleth by the sea syde Of this Peter shalt thou learne what thou must do to obtaine saluacion Whan the aungell had this sayde he vanished awaye Than by and by Cornelius sent a couple of his housholde seruauntes and with them one that was a souldier retaynyng to hym whose honeste conuersacion and trustynes he hadde great profe of for not onely all Cornelius owne housholde resembled him in godly liuinge but there were sum souldiers also that folowed the vertuous trade of their capitaine And whan he had shewed them all the matter and effecte as touching his vision he sent them to Ioppa These thinges were done in the euening ¶ On the morowe as they weÌ„t on their iourney and drewe nye vnto yâ— cytie Peter went vp vpoÌ„ the top of the house to praie about the sixt hour And wheÌ„ he wexed huÌ„gry he would haue eaten But while they made readye he fell into a â—â—aunce sawe heauen opened a certaine vesselle came downe vnto him as it had bene a great shete knyt at the fower comets was let downe to the earth wherein were al maker of fower footed beastes of the earthe and vermin and wormes and fowles of the ayer The nexte daye Cornelius messengers went on their iournaye In those dayes so meane an embacie as that was had Peter the chiefe pastoure of Christes Churche no disdayne at And whan as they were almoste at Ioppa Peter thesame time as he was accustomed had gon vp into an hyghe chamber to praye almoste at the syxte houre that is to say about noone And as he was an hungred in his prayer he mynded to eate summe meate after his long abstinence And whyles that meate was a dressyng accordyng to Peters commaundement he was rauyshed with the spirite of god So chaunceth it specially with them that vse prayer and fasting For god discloseth not his mysteryes to the fulle belyes and slouthfull persons His vision was this He sawe heauen open and from thence a great vesseâ—l let downe to the yearth as it had ben a great sheete knotted and fastened with coardes at euery of the fower corners For in olde tyme meate was serued to the table in great brode lynen clothes In this vessell were all kyndes of fower foted beastes and virmin which crepe on the ground and lyue on the earthe and byrdes that lyue in the ayre as well vncleane as cleane together indifferently This was meate that the Iewes dyd abhorte but yet was it thesame that Iesus longed after whan he sayd to his disciples profering him meat I haue meat to eate that ye knowe not ¶ And there came a voyce to him Aryse Peter kill eate But Peter sayed not so lorde for I haue neuer eaten any thing that is commen or vncleane And the voyce spake vnto hym againe the seconde tyme what God hath clensed that call not thou commen This was done thryse and the vessell was receyued vp againe into heauen Whyle Peter also mused in himselfe what this vision which he had seene meaned beholde the meÌ„ which were sent from Cornelius had made inquitaunce for Symons house and stoode before the doore and called out one and asked whether Symon which was syrnamed Peter were lodged there Peter muche maruayling what this vision ment a voyce spake and sayed vnto him aryse Peter kyll and eate And althoughe that the lorde had warned his dysciples that they shoulde make the Gentiles also partakers of his ghospell yet to thintent they should the more boldely dooe thesame he againe was admonished by a vision But Peter as a Iewe yet abhorting the meate that by the lawe was forbyd sayed Oh lorde god forbid that I shoulde eate any suche meates For vnto this day haue I dewly kepte the trade of my forefathers For hytherto neuer eate I any meate that was suspeÌ„ded or vncleane To this thesame voyce that had spoken before made aunswere that whiche God hath made cleane thou whiche art but man call not it vncleane After this vision had thryse appered to this ende that he should more certainly beleue it strayght wayes the vessell was taken vp into heauen Than Peter beyng cumme againe to his remembraunce whyles he was musing with himselfe in a greate perplexitie what this vision shoulde meane and whether it were a dreame eyther els some significacion of goddes wyll beholde those menne that Cornelius had sente stoode at Symons dore the tanner and callyng forth one of the seruauntes enquired whether that one named Peter were hosted there Whyle Peter thought on the vision the spirite sayde vnto him beholde men seke the aryse therfore and get the downe and go with them doubte not for I haue sent them Peter went downe to the men whiche were sent vnto hym from Cornelius sayde beholde I am he whom ye seke what is the cause wherfore ye are come Thei said Cornelius the Capitaine a iust man and one that feareth God and of good report among all the people of the Iewes was warned by an holye Aungell to sende for thee into his house and to heare wordes of the. Then called he them in and lodged them But before that woorde was broughte to Peter that some there were that woulde speake with hym and whyles he satte imaginyng in hys mynd what the vision should meane the spirite of god sayed to hym for god speaketh after sondry wyse to his electe beholde three menne stande at the doore and enquyre for the. Therefore aryse and get the downe and goe with theym nothyng doubtyng For I sent them And then shalte thou vnderstande what the meanyng of thys vision is that thou somuche musest of With that Peter wente downe and came to the menne and sayde loo I am the verye same Symon Peter whome you seke for What is thoccasyon of your cummyng hyther Peter boasted not of his visyon but required the heathens confessyon For the benefyte of grace that cummeth by the ghospell ought not to be thruste before them whiche set nought by it as in lyke maner it ought not to be denyed to theÌ„ that are desyrouse of it Than they aunswered Cornelius whiche by office is a capitayne of a bande of menne but yet a manne of good conuersacion and that feareth God well credited and lykewyse estemed and reported as wel of his owne housholde as also throughout all Iewry was warned by the apperaunce of an holy auÌ„gell that spake to hym to sende for thee home to his house that he myght receyue at thy handes knowleage what he ought to doe to obtayne saluation Peter perceyuing the visions to agree and nowe vnderstandyng what that voyce sygnified whiche thryse had sayed what God hath clensed that accompte thou not vncleane bad them comme nere the
done astonied thereat merueiling that the gracious gyfte of the holy ghoste was also powred furth vpon the Gentiles whiche were not circumcised For they supposed the promise of the Prophetes to pertayne to the Israelites onely whereas in very dede the prophetes sayed before that the spirite of God shoulde bee shed on all those whatsoeuer they were that woulde call on the name of God And the chaunce that folowed expressed the meaning of thys token whyche they had sene For they began in presence of all men that hearde thē to speake diuers languages praysyng muche the bountifull goodnes of God This so euident a token was declared for the Israelites that were alreadye presente and circumcised that from thenceforth they shoulde not stycke to call theym whiche were not circumcised to be partakers of the faythe of Christe it was lykewyse done for Cornelius frendes to put them oute of doubt that by theyr fayth they were nothyng inferiour to the Iewes yea thoughe they kepte no◠the Iewes lawes Here accordyng to the pleasure of god the ordre was chaunged for first they whiche were newly instructed in the fayth had wonte to b◠christened and afterwardes by laying handes on theym receyued the holye gost But here without laying of theyr handes on them fyrste the holy ghoste was geuen that the apostle shoulde nothyng stycke to ministre that whyche was of lesse estimacion seeing that God of hys owne accorde had gyuen that whiche was of more excellencie Than Peter as thoughe that he woulde doe nothyng wythout the consent of the Iewes thoughe he had already purposed it sayed to them that came wyth hym Is there any man here that wyl saye nay but that these men maye be chrystened albeit they bee not circumcysed whiche haue receyued the holy ghost aswell as we And whan as no man sayed contrary he commaunded them to be christened in the name of Iesus Christe All this matter beyng happely finished as Peter was makyng hymselfe ready to returne to Ioppa they entreated him to tarry wyth them a fewe dayes for asmuche as they were very desirous to haue more perfecte knowledge of the gospell Peter beyng thus intreated was content to abyde For he knewe that the Iewes would scarsely brooke it that he shoulde be in housholde conuersaunt with them that were not circumcised ¶ The .xi. Chapter And the apostles and brethren that were in Iewry hearde that the heathen had also receiued the word of God And whan Peter was come vp to Ierusalem they that were of the circumcisiō ▪ coutended against him saying thou wentest vnto men vncircumcised and diddest care with them THe rumour of this fact came ouer to the other apostles eares whiche remayned at Hierusalem and to the eares of the brethren also whiche were abrode in Iewry that the gentyles had also receyued the woorde of God For it was an harde thyng to kepe this matter close partely because this captaine was by reason of his office of so great estimation and partly agayn for that many were Christened together either els because the Iewes were present at the dede dooing for the chaumberlaine that we spake of before whan he was Christened as he rode by the waye was alone withoute wytnes as one that had stollen the benefitte of the ghospell from the Iewes and partely also because it was doen in one of the noble cyties of Palestine But Peter knowing certainly that it would be noysed abrode and that there woulde some Iewes reproue this hys doyng toke diligent hede euery waye that he myght not deserue any rebuke forasmuche also as God had put thys in his mynd which had shewed him this vision three times because he shoulde nothyng stycke to dooe it On the other parte by reuelacyon of the holye ghoste he perceyued that messangiers were come frome Cornelyus whome he foorthwith dyd not receyue into the house leste he beyng a Iewe myghte haue semed to haue been desyrous to compaynye wyth the heathen but spake to theym at the doore and before wytnesses asked theim why theyr cummyng was Thys question he asked rather for the Iewes sakes that were presente then for hys owne Besydes thys after he perceyued that the vysions dyd agree bothe on the one parte and the other he went thyther but yet not withoute the compainy of some Iewes whiche were knowen to bee menne of good credence who shoulde beare witnes what were doen and without whose consent he woulde do nothyng to th entent that by these meanes afterwarde yf anye man woulde grudge at his doynges they as wytnesses myght become proctours of hys cause Agayne whan he was come to Cornelius house he dyd not foorthwith enter in as a man desyrous to talke with hym but sente in woorde to him that he was come that Cornelius myghte meete hym and bryng hym in and yet was he neuerthelesse well assured that he shoulde bee welcum This captayne fell prostrate at Peters feete and wurshypped hym whiche was to all the Iewes that were present a greate token to meruayle at of his ready minde Agayne in hearing of thē all he asked what his wyll was with hym that he had sent for hym to th entent that the Iewes whiche came with hym hearyng the tale of Cornelius owne mouthe myghte the better beleue it And fynally the holy ghoste came downe by hys owne accorde before that they had eyther made theyr prayers eyther had theyr handes layde on them either they had receiued baptisme Neither yet did he vpon this christen them before he had commoned with the cyrcumcised that were present and had expressed vnto them that it were not mete to deny them baptisme whome God had endowed wyth hys holy ghoste This was that great wysedome of Peter beyng a pastor and agreable with the ghospell He well knewe the nature of the Iewes howe muche they stode in theyr owne conceyte because they were circumcised and howe deadly they abhorred those that were not circumcised This was the occasyon that he imagined all shyftes to auoyde offence of any manne He was desyrous to make the Gentyles partakers of the ghospell but yet in suche sorte that by the occasion thereof he should not lese the Iewes yf it myght be Nowe after that Peter had by chaunce returned to Hierusalem where by reason of the rumours it was knowen howe Cornelius had been christened they whiche were circumcised and had receyued the gospell disputed against him saying wherefore dyddest thou enter into the houses of the vncircumcised contrary to the tradicion of our forefathers and not content with that diddest also sitte at the same table and eate those meates whiche are forbydden in Moyses lawe ¶ But Peter rehearsed the matter from the begynnyng saying I was in the citie of Ioppa praying and in a traunce I sawe a vision a certen vessel descende as it had been a great shere let downe from heauen by the fower corners it came to me Into that which whan I had fastened myne tyes I considered
agayne and the horsemen wente with Paule vnto Cesarea Whyther after they were come and had delyuered the letter vnto the presydent they brought Paul also before him And whan the presydente had perused the letters he asked Paul of what prouynce he was Whan Paul answered that he was a Cilician borne I wyll heare the sayed he whan thy accusers are presente And so commaunded that he should be kepte in Herodes iudgement hall The .xxiiii. Chapter ¶ After fyue dayes Ananias the high priest descended with the elders and with a certayne oratouâ— named Tertullus whiche enfourmed the deputie against iust Paule And whan Paul was called forth Tertullus began to accuse him saying Seyng that we lyue in great quietnesse by the meanes of the and that many good thinges are doen vnto this nacion through thy prouidence that allowe we euer and in al places most noble Felix with all â—haÌ„kes NotwithstaÌ„ding that I be not tedious vnto thee I pray the that thou wouldest heare vs of thy curtesy a fewe wordes For we haue found this man a pestileÌ„t felowe and a mouer of debate vnto all the Iewes in the whole world and a maynteiner of sedicion of the sectâ— of the Nazarites whiche hath also enforced to pollute the teÌ„ple Whom we toke and would haue iudged him according to the law but the high captaine Lisias came vpon vs and with great violence toke him awaye out of our handes commaunding his accusers to come vnto the. Of whom thou mayest yf thou wilte enquire knowe the certayntie of all these thinges whereof we accuse him The Iewes lykewyse affirmed saying that these thinges were euen so THan within fyue dayes after Ananias whiche was than the high prieste and certaine other elders came downe to Cesarea hauing in their traine a certaine oratour named Tertullus whiche shoulde pleade this matter So earnestly were they set to slay Paul Whiche men after they had spoken with the presidente and had required that the prysoner myght be brought foorth Felix commaunded Paule to be called forth to appere Than Tertullus beeing but a sâ—endre and a base defendour or protectour of an euyll cause beganne in this wyse to accuse Paule Where as we maye thanke you that all matiers haue been quiet and peaceable emonge vs this long space and many dyuerse and soondry thinges are ryghte well gouerned in our common weale by your wysedome we at all tymes and in all places knowelege and sette forth this your goodnesse towardes vs moste noble captayne Felix and nowe therfore doe tendre vnto you moste herty thankes And this your redynes of right gentle herte towardes our nacion putteth vs in great hope and confidence that ye wyll consydre the tranquilitie of our couÌ„trey as concernyng this cause also whiche we nowe bryng before you But lest that I should retaine and kepe you awaye from your soondry and weighty effayres with ouer long a processe or cyrcumstaunce of woordes I shall desyre you as your accustomed gentilnesse is to here vs speake oure myndes in fewe woordes We haue perceyued this manne to bee a deadly enemye to our countrey for as muche as he hath sette debate betwene the Iewes not onely those that inhabite Siria but the others also in all countreys through the worlde wheresoeuer is any resorte of Iewes makynge hymselfe the brynger in of a new secte whiche is called the Nazarenes And not contented with this he was not afrayed to come to Hierusalem and bryngyng into the temple men that were not circumcised sticked not to prophane suspende our temple whoÌ„ we tooke with the dede doyng and would haue iudged accordyng to our law but Lisias the hygh marciall came with a greate bande of men and toke hym out of our handes leauyng the examynacion of the matter vnto you and willed hys accusers to come before you so that the marciall hymselfe canne testifye vnto you that these matiers are true whiche we laye to his charge In this wyse this slender and liyng oratour sayed and the Iewes that were presente at this accusacion affyrmed that it was euen so as Tertullus had sayed Then Paul after that the debitie himself had beckened vnto him that he should speake answered With a more quiet mynde do I answer for my selfe for as much as I vnderstand that the hast bene of many yeares a iudge vnto this people because that thou mayst know that there are yet but twelue daies sence I wente vp to IerusaleÌ„ for to worship they neyther found me in the teÌ„ple disputing with any man neyther raysyng vp the people neyther in the Sinagoges nor in the citie Neither can they proue the thinges wherof they accuse me Than after this Paule whan the presidente by his beâ—kenyng had willed hym to make answere for hymselfe began to defende his owne part in this wise I shall with a great dele the more quiet mynde answere for my selfe for asmuche as I knowe that ye haue bene of manye yeres enbuisied emong thys people and that by reason of decisyng matiers belongyng to the Iewes ye are not ygnoraunt of our lawes And the later that this matter hath been doâ—n whereof these men accuse me so muche the more certaynlye maye ye by enquirie knowe it for it is yet but twelue dayes synce that I accordynge to the custome of the Iewyshe relygion came vp to Ierusalem there to make my prayers and to purifie my selfe after I had taken on me a vowe accordyng to the solemne manier and fashion of the Iewes If ye call this violatyng or pollutyng of the temple I knowledge my faulte and offence Neyther founde they me in the teÌ„ple disputyng wyth any man neither making the people to flocke together no nor in the Sinagoges nor yet in any place of the citie Neyther can they dewlye proue by any reason such faultes as they laye vnto my charge But this I confesse vnto the that after the waye which they call heresy so worship I the God of my fathers beleuyng all thingeâ— which are writteÌ„ in the law the prophetes haue hope towardes God that the same resurreccioÌ„ of the dead which they theÌ„selues loâ—e for also shal be both of iust vniust And therfore study I to haue alway a cleare conscience towarde God and towarde man As for that poyncte whiche they laye vnto me concernyng the secte of the Nazarenes I wyll not denye that that is true And yet myne accusers haue nothing to doe therwith forsomuch as the Iewes haue not condemned that secte and agayne I am not the autour therof But if ye bee desyrous to heare what secte I professe I wyll shewe you I doe according to the tradicion of the Pharisees and their secte wourship the God that is commonly wurshipped in my countrey and am not autour of any new religion but kepe those thynges that I haue receyued of my forefathers dylygentlye beleuynge all thynges to bee true that are wrytten in the lawe and in the prophetes whiche thynges al for