iustification to come of the only mercy of god / and it maketh vs to beleue the scriptures that shewes that we are iustified by grace throughe faythe without all workes Good workes go nat before fayth / but they folowe fayth and our iustification by the faythe maketh vs certayne that we be iustified as shal be god willing more playnly here after declared 3. Al be it that we be iustified by faythe knowe we haue our synnes forgyuen of goddes goodnes throughe faythe / yet we haue no cause why we shulde glory in our selfe For faythe is nat of vs / but it is the gyfte of god nat the worke of our power as sayth saynt Paule 2. Corin. 3. we are nat able of our sealfe to thynke any good thought / as of our selfe but all our habilite is of the lorde Also saynt Paule to the RomÌ„ 2. sayeth Yf by grace we be saued nowe it is nat of workes / for grace is then no grace but yf it be of workes nowe it is no grace ⧠⚹ ⧠4. Nat of workes leaste any man shulde boste hym sealfe Our healthe iustice is nat of any workes For yf it were of workes / then myght men boste them sealfe in theyr workes but man hath nat where in he may boste hym sealfe For what haste thou o man that thou haste nat receyued and yf thou hast receyued / why doste thou glory / as thoughe thou haddest nat receyued it Therfore he that wyl glory let hym glory in god / of whome cometh redeÌ„ption iustification / healthe / saluation and lyfe euerlastynge in blysse ⧠⧠5. But some paraueÌ„ture wyll say Yf our workes do nat iustifye vs / we wyll do no good workes / or what shulde it profite vs to do good workes yf by workes we be nat iustified To this saynte Paule here maketh answere sayenge / that we are the creatures of god made to do good workes / whiche god hath prepared that we shulde walke iÌ„ them So we may nat ceasse from doynge of good workes / althoughe good workes do nat iustifye vs. For good workes are to be done to the glorye of god / without blasphemye of god It is blasphemye to god to attribute to workes that is to be attributed and gyuen onely to god It is to be ascribed onely to god our iustification / our saluation / forgyuenes of synnes ad lyfe euerlastynge Wherefore good workes are nat to be done for this intent that they shulde iustifye vs / deserue the grace of god / take aware synnes brynge lyfe euerlastyng by reason of the worke in it selfe But good workes are to be done of christen men to shewe declare our fayth to vs and to al the worlde To declare our loue and kyndenes of our herte towardes god for hê benefites geuen to vs. To make our callynge certayne and sure so that we myght do the wyll of god / and auoyde his displeasure bothe in this worlde also in the worlde to come 1. Corin. 2. That we myght shewe our redynesse to do the wyll of god that we myght prouoke other men to glorifye god with vs. Math. 5. That we myght agree to our creacyon / profite other men in goodes gyftes gyuen vs of god for that ende And that we shulde be alwayes to the glorye of god with out faute before hym by loue Ephe. 1. For these causes diuerse other / good workes are to be done ⧠⧠⧠⧠6. Some parauenture wyl say If good workes do nat iustifye vs / take nat away synne geue euerlastynge lyfe Wherfore in the scriptures is iustificatioÌ„ / forgiuenes of synne and lyfe eternall attributed to good workes so ofte To thys I answere that scripture oftymes speaketh after the maner of men The father oftymes entyseth his soÌ„ne to do his wyl by promyse of a rewarde So the scripture speaketh after the maner of fathers or of men where as it promiseth iustification / forgeuenes of sinne / lyfe euerlastyng to them that kepe the coÌ„mandementes of god that be faythfull as Christe sayeth Math. 18. If thou wyll entre in to lyfe kepe the commauÌ„demeÌ„tes of god Here the scripture speaketh after the maner of men entisynge euery man to kepe goddes coÌ„mauÌ„demeÌ„tes / promisyng them a rewarde / if they kepe goddes coÌ„mauÌ„demeÌ„tes He meaneth nat here that the kepynge of the coÌ„mauÌ„dementes deserueth lyfe euerlastyng but rather that lyfe euerlastyng is frely geuen to theÌ„ that kepe the coÌ„mauÌ„dementes of god / and they may be sure of lyfe in ioye blysse to come that kepe the commauÌ„demeÌ„tes And they that kepe nat goddes coÌ„mauÌ„demeÌ„tes may be sure they shal haue no lyfe in the worlde to come / but shal be dampned ê‘petually in hel Furthermore where as the scriptures do apere to geue to workes forgeuenes of synnes The scriptures speaketh of suche workes that be done in fayth / which hath alway annexed forgeuenes of synnes / nat for the workê sake / but rather for the fayth that they were done in / bycause they that worke these workes were iustified before god through fayth before they dyd worke Fynally sometyme in the scripture iustificacyon is attributed to workes / because workes declareth men to them selues and to other that they haue a true and lyuely saythe by the whiche they be iustified before god And so iustification of workes is the declaracyon of a true faythe / and so is iustification takeÌ„ some tymes in the scripture as in Iames. 2. Luce. 16. where Christe sayeth to the Phariseis You are they whiche iustify your selues before men / god knoweth your hertes 7. We be the creatures of god ordinated to do good workê Here in these wordes two thyngê we be taught Fyrste is that we be the creatures of god his workemanshyp made of him Of the whiche we may fully persuade to vs the loue of god / for no man hateth his owne worke but loueth it and wyll nat suffer it to peryshe / and if we be the worke of god as we be iÌ„ dede We may nat be proude agaynst our maker or be displeased with hym sayeng why haste thou made me after this fashyon or that fashyoÌ„ it is nat mete that the pot shuld say to the potter / why hast thou made me to this vse or that fylthy vse / and another that deserueth no better then I to be had in honour glory / of this thynge there is none other cause to be geueÌ„ but the wyl of the potter / and it is conuenient that euery pot shulde be content with the wyl of the potter / and nat that he shulde murmure agaynste the potter that hathe prefarred another before hym sythe the pote is in nothers det / and both pottes haue that that they haue only of the wyll of the potter The seconde thyng is that we shulde learne to knowe for what ende we were created of god / that is to say / nat that we shulde be ydle
pray you what necessary thing dyd Christen people wante before Popes ordeyned the Letanye to be songe and sayde in the Churches / but as for prayenge to sayntes departed / I wyll nat muche contende in this matter I wyll nat condemne them that do desyre theyr prayers / nor yet commende them I thynke it an indifferente thynge / that may be done well and omyttyd / and nat as a thyng necessaryly to be done / or that he shulde be counted as an heretyke that shulde nat pray to sayntes / or he a good christenman for that worke that shulde desyre the prayers of sayntes departed I thinke it shuld be more for the honour of god / for the true fayth to be had amonges christen men / to withstande the opynyon of Sayntes nowe had / that no prayers shulde be made to sayntes departed Then if any shulde desyre Sayntes to pray with them / and for them Yf this my mynde do agre with the scriptures take it / Yf nat refuse it I wyll nat be obstinate in this matter / I wolde be glad to lerne the veryte by the holy scriptures Whiche in al doutes is able to try out the trueth yf we wyll be delygent to searche / and leue mannes fantasyes and dreames / whiche hathe blynded vs longe that we coulde nat se the trueth But nowe let vs retourne agayne to saynt Paule ☞ Nowe therfore ye are no more gestes and strauÌ„gers / but citesyns with the sayntes and of the householde of god buylded vpon the fuÌ„dacion of the Apostles and prophetes where Iesus Christe is the heade corner stone in whom euery buyldyng coupled together groweth to an holy temple in the Lorde in whome ye are buylded also together to be an habytacion of god in the spyryte ¶ Before saynte Paule fayde they were gestes and straungers to the householde of God / nowe he sayeth they be no more straungers but of the householde of god cytesyns of sayntes made by Christe / before they were farre frome the householde of Israel / nowe they be receyued to be of the householde of Israel / that is to saye they be made felowes of sayntes that is of the Iewes whiche counte them selfes sayntes in comparyson to the Gentyles and parte takers of the heuenly inherytaunce and of euerlastyng helth by Christ buylded vpon the fundation of the Apostles prophetes / that is to say vpon Christ vpon whome the Apostles and prophetes dyd buylde and made Christe to be theyr fundacion for as Saynte Paule sayeth 1. Corin. 3. No man can set an other fundacion besyde that fundacyon set whiche is Christe Iesus / and nat the Byshoppe of Rome For Christe is the heade of the Churche and of all them that beleueth / nat the byshoppe of Rome / and Christe is the corner stone that kepethe and ioyneth the buyldynges together that couples the Iewes and the Gentyles together / by his spyryte kepeth them bothe in vnite and concorde / fayth / hope / and charite / in al goodnes Saynte Paule sayenge the Gentyles beleuynge to be buylded vpon Christe the fundation of the Apostles and prophetes / reproueth al them that sayeth or thinketh the byshoppe of Rome to be the fundacion vpon whome Christe hathe buylded his Churche / for that fundacion is Christe none other Neyther the byshop of Rome nor yet no other man / creature / nor Angell But Christe is the fundacyon of all faythfull byleuers the corner stone that wyl nat be remouid with no blast of wind 3 Euery buyldynge vpon Christe dothe growe and encrease in an holy temple to the Lorde Here he sheweth the difference bytwene the buyldyng buylded vpoÌ„ christ and vpon other thynges or creatures / yf it be buylded vpon Christe / it wyll stande and encrease yf it be buylded vpon man / or vpon maÌ„nes inuentions / dreames and phantices it wyll fall and decaye at euery blaste of wynde or tempest whiche thyng dothe agre with Christes saynge Ma. 15. Euery grafte that my father of heueÌ„ hath nat grafted shal be plucked vp by the rotes Here we may lerne / pylgrimage / pardon / payntyng of Images to be honoured / nat to haue bene of god MoÌ„kes / Freers Chanons and suche lyke religion of men inueÌ„ted / nat to haue ben of god / for they decay and fall awaye / and theyr fayned religion lytle set by Also all these that go nat forwarde frome vertu to vertue and encrease dayly in vertue / nat to be buylded of god For the buyldyng of Christ encreaseth dayly and be made more and more the habitacle 1. dwellynge place of God by the holy Ghoste by whome they encrease / whiche wyll nat suffer them to be idle / vnprofitable to other / or euyl occupyed / but moueth and styrryth alwayes to do the wyll and pleasure of god / and suffreth nat his to be idle or euyll occupyed ¶ The thyrd chapiter to the Ephesyans FOR this cause I Paule am a prysoner of Iesus Christe for you hethen accordyng as you haue harde of the office of the grace of god which is gyuen me to you warde For by reuelacion was thê mistery shewed vnto me as I wrote aboue in few wordes wherby whan ye rede yt / ye may perceyue myne vnderstandynge in the mystery of Christ whiche mysterye in tymes paste was nat opened vnto the chyldren of men as it is nowe declared to hys holy Apostles and Prophetes by the spyrite namely that the hethen shulde be inheritours also And of the same body and ê‘takers of his promes in Christe by the Gospell wherof I am made a mynister accordynge to the gyfte of the grace of god whiche is gyuen me accordyng to the workyng of his power SAynt Paule here merueylously doth bryng and get to hym the fauour and the beneuolence of these Ephesyans / in that he sayeth and truely sayeth that he suffered prisonment / and was in stockes in fetters for theyr sakes for theyr helth and saluacion / that is to saye because he preached to the Ephesians and to other Gentyles the Gospell of Iesus Christe / of the whiche Gospell preached the Ephesyans and the other Gentyles receyued fayth in Christ Iesu / and so through faith came to lyfe and eternall saluation For this cause and for none other Paule was caste in prison in cheynes and in fetters at Rome by Nero the Emperour wher he was when he wrote this Epystle / and in pryson / and therfore he sayeth I Paule the prisoner of Iesus Christe bounde fast inprisone nat for myne owne sake or for my cause / but for Christe sake and for his Gospell / whiche was the helthe of the GeÌ„tyles When these Ephesyans shulde here these thynges / howe coulde it be but they muste nedes fauoure and loue Paule and embrase his doctryne whiche for Christes sake and for theyr healthe and saluacyon was in prison and suffred paynes for their cause Kynde men can nat but they muste loue
or se all his glory / ye no man can perceyue the glorye that god hath ordayned for them that loue him 1. Corin. 2. 4 Here also the Apostle teacheth al prechers to humylyate them selues and to exalte the worde of god / to gloryfie and magfye it aboue al thingê in this worlde / aboue al ryches / honoures / pleasures / profytes / or other goodes mortall in this worlde For there is no riches worldly / worthy to be compared with the worde of God / and be they reprouyd that preferreth wordely goodes ryches / honoures / before goddes worde / and in this manye be offenders / as appereth by outwarde tokens and sygnes that gyue more delygence / laboure payne / and more applyeth theÌ„ selfes to the studye of suche sciences that maye brynge worldly ryches and honoures / then to the konwledge of goddes worde whiche is tokens that men more regardeth worldly ryches then goddes worde This place checketh gentylmen ryche men in the worlde / that put theyr chyldren to the temporall lawe that they may get worldly riches rather then to the study of goddes worde to get heuenly ryches / theyr factes do shewe howe vnkynde they be to God of whome they haue theyr worldly ryches / and also it pertayneth to gentilmen to knowe goddes lawe / that they might rule accordyng to goddes wyll Iosue 1. I wyll nat speke of them whiche openly condemne and be mockers of goddes worde / thynkynge no thing profitable but that / that bryngeth worldly honoures and riches 5 The mystery of god that was hyd froÌ„ the worlde / ye and from the powers in heuen / nowe God hathe made it open to all men / and Angels in heauen / whiche other dyd nat knowe this mistery / or yf they did knowe it / they knew it nat so perfectely before as they dyd after it was preched by the Apostles called and send of god to do that message as by Paule / Peter / and other whiche here be called the Church because they were as the chiefe mynysters in the Churche 6 In that he sayeth this mysterye was opened to the heuenly powers / as to the angels archangels and other in heuen / by the Apostles of Chrste / I thynke the Apostle meaneth nat that the Apostles taught the Angels this mystery of the callyng of the Gentyles to the fayth by the Gospell preached / but rather the contrary / that the Angels taught the Apostles / and brought it from god to the Apostles / for the angels be as seruynge spirites Hebre. 1. And so when the Apostles dyd preache the gospel and by theyr preaching the GeÌ„tyles were coÌ„uerted from theyr infidelyte to the faith of Christ they dyd se the conuersion of the Gentyles that they dyd nat se before so clerely by what meanes / so by the Apostles this mysterye was made open to the heauenly powers / or elles this speakynge that the Apostle here vseth / is a maner of speakyng by the whiche he meaneth that this mystery was shewed and declared openly and playnly to all the worlde by the Apostles / to whom god shewed this iuystery wheÌ„ hê pleasure was it shuld be shewed and this mystery he also calleth the many folde wysdome of god / whiche god hathe determyned to be shewed by Christe Iesus by whome he made al thinges / and restored to their perfytnes when it was the wyll of the father they shulde be made perfyte and restored to theyr perfitnesse 7 He sheweth also that by Christe we haue boldenes and sure truste wyth al confidence to come to the father and to be partakers of his kyngedome and glorye / and that nat by Peter / Paul / Iohan / Iames or by our workes / dedes or merytes / but onely by Christe Iesus / and for his sake alone Wherfore I desyre that ye faynte nat because of my tribulacioÌ„s that I suffer for you / whyche is youre prayse ¶ The Apostle semeth in these wordes to make answere to his aduersaries whiche spake euyll of him / and slaundered hym / by theyr slaunders and euyl speakyng did plucke many from his doctrine / that they dyd nat gyue credence to him sayenge / yf Paule were the minyster of god and preached purely his Gospel / he shuld nat haue ben caste in pryson and in bondes / his bondes and prysonmente dothe proue hym to be euyll / and a deceyuer of the people / and that god is angry with him / or elles who wolde haue cast hiÌ„ in prison for who wold caste a good man in prison as who shulde saye / no man To these or suche lyke euyll speakynges the Apostle maketh answere exortyng these Ephesyans nat to shrynke from hym or forsake his doctrine for his emprisonment / in fetters bondes or other affliccions whiche he suffered / not for his fautes / but for these Ephesians for their sakes / and for their helthe and saluacyon that he preached the gospell of god to theÌ„ of the which they receiued faith and helth wherfore he sayeth that they shulde nat be asshamed of him for his affliccions / but rather they shuld reioyse for his afflicioÌ„s whiche he suffred for theyr sakes / and for theyr profyte Of these we maye se that these that purely preache the worde of god that they suffer oftimes imprisonment / bondes fetters the other affliccions / nat for none other cause / but that they preache the word of god purely and sincerely 2 Men shuld nat shrynke from the word of god or esteme it the worse or to be false doctrine because they that haue preached it haue ben persecuted / punyshed / caste in prison and put to deathe of the worlde as malefactours deceyuours of the people false preachers For other felycite / let nat true preachers loke for in this worlde of carnall men / then persecution and afflyccion this is the rewarde that they shall haue here where as carnall men do rule / but in the worlde to come / let them loke for an other rewarde in ioy and blysse / and in hope of it may be theyr comforte which hope doth take awaye the greuousnes of theyr myseries and paynfulnes of affliccions here 3 Affliccion or ê‘secutioÌ„ prouyth whether meÌ„ trust surely in god stycke to his word or no / for many there be that for feare of punyshemente and affliccyons do shrynke from god and his worde and biddeth them farwell / whiche beleued as longe as there was no persecutioÌ„ lyke to folow as Christ sayeth Math. 13. Many doth beleue for a tyme / but in tyme of tribulacyon they shrynke fearyng more man then god / and the losse of goodes of this worlde then the losse of heuenly ryches / fearinge more the losse of this presente lyfe then the losse of the lyfe to come / but let all suche repente and amende / for he that leseth hys lyfe in this worlde for me and my Gospel fayth Christe Math. 16. in the worlde to come
he shall fynde euerlastynge lyfe in ioy and blysse ♣ For this cause I bow my knees vnto the father of our Lorde Iesê° Christe Whiche is the true father ouer all that is called Father in heuen and in earthe that he grauÌ„t you accordynge to the ryches of his glorye to be strengthed with power by his spirite in the inwarde men that Christe maye dwell in youre hertes by faythe that ye beynge rooted and grounded in loue / maye be able to comprehende with all Sayntes / what is the bredth and length and the depth and the heyght to knowe the loue of Christe whiche loue yet passeth al knowledge that ye may befylled with all maner of fulnes of God ¶ Saynte Paule moueth and gyueth example to al Bishoppes / Pastoures / Curates / and to all whome cure of other is coÌ„mytted / that they shulde praye for their flocke committed to theyr spirituall charge / and desyre of god that they shrynk nat from fayth and from goddes word for feare of persecution and affliction / or for loue of worldly goodes / pleasurê or riches / whiche oftymes plucketh men froÌ„ god from his worde / and that they maye haue true fayth and contynue in it / louynge God aboue al thinges in this worlde / preferring his worde aboue all worldely ryches / honoures / or pleasures In this prayer he sheweth that Byshoppes and Pastoures / haue nede to praye thus for there flocke / yee euery one of vs to pray for an other that we shrynke nat from God and his worde by infidelite / vnkyndnes or by other synnes Also in this prayer he sheweth that one of vs shulde desyre an other to praye for vs / and to whom our prayer shulde be made / nat to Peter or Paule IohnÌ„ or Iames / but to god whiche is the gyuer of all goodnes / and for what thynge prayers at to be made for some certayne thynge that we haue nede of / and that is profitable to the helth of the soule / as here it was necessary / that Paule shulde praye that they myght contynue in fayth / and in the loue of god nat shrynke from fayth for feare of affliccions / or for loue of worldly riches or pleasures And this is to be desyred of god alway / and euery one shulde desyre thê of God for an other as a thynge very necessary for euery one So was the comon prayers made to god / for necessities to be opteyned by prayer of god / to put awaye euyls that appeared to approche to men at the wyll of god / and when suche necessitie was the people gathered togyther desyred the helpe of god fastyng that ther prayers shulde be with more deuocion and more feruent / that they myght escape the euyll that was lyke to come and fal amonges them They fasted without mete or drynke that theyr prayer myght be more deuoute / but nowe is true prayers true fastynges almoste all put awaye / and our prayer and fastynge at full of superstition and fayned holines / for what an holy fast is it to absteyne frome flesshe / and fyll theyr bely with fysshe for flesshe / is fysshe more holyer then flesshe who made that holynesse yf fysshe be more holsome for mannes body then flesshe / euery man can iudge / I thiÌ„ke that ther be few phesycyoÌ„s that wyll so saye Therfore lette vs faste a true fast from al sinne and pray in fayth askyng thynges mete to be asked for Christes sake / and without doute we shall optayne our desyre of god / for so he hath promysed the performaunce of our desyre and he wyll perfourme his promyse 2 In that Saynte Paule dyd bowe his knees to God / he sheweth the feruentnes of his mynde and of his prayer to God / whiche was shewed euer by this exterior gestour / of the whiche we maye lerne that it is lawefull to shewe our inwarde hertes and mynde by exterior gesture and sygnes whiche of tymes sheweth the good deuotion of the herte / but in these exterior signes in prayenge hipocrites do passe muche theÌ„ that truely pray in fayth / in spirite / in truth Therfore of these exterior signes is nat al wayes the herte to be Iudged 3 Here we may lerne / that we haue nede of feruente prayer to God in fayth that we may coÌ„tinue in fayth in charite in the fauoure of god / in the truth of his worde and encrease iÌ„ it euery day more and more whiche thyng we can nat of our selfe with out the grace of God of whome we haue that we contynewe in fayth / in charite / in the fauour of god / whiche thinges god gyueth for the moste parte by faythful prayer Therfore let vs faythfully pray and oftymes / that we maye contynewe and encrease in al goodnes / but we be slacke and dull to praye faythfully to god / therfore it is no meruayle yf God take his grace froÌ„ leue vs to oure selfes and suffer vs to folowe our owne carnall and sensuall lustes and desyres and so to fall to all noughtynes and synne / it is a token that our fayth is faynt and scarse luke warme / ye I feare me it is colde and almoste frosen vp hole / that it brynketh fourth no mo good workes / specially nowe when it is shewed so playnely what maner of workes pleaseth god beste / and howe they shulde be done / for god onely 4 In that he mouyth vs to pray to him of whome all thynges was made and are ruled and gouerned / whiche is our father he gyueth vs boldenes maketh vs bolde to praye to hym trustyng our father wyll nat denye to vs that is profytable for vs / but wyll be muche more gladder to graunt our lawefull petition / then we be to praye and desyre of him that is for our helth and saluacyon 5 What charite sainte Paul had / is here playnely shewed in that he desyred that these Ephesians myght be encreased in the ryches of god that is to saye in fayth / hope / charite / patience / mekenes in the truth in the spirite of God / by whome they shulde be made stronge in fayth / that they refuse no persecution no affliccyon so that they myght promote goddes glory the truth of his gospel / to the saluacioÌ„ of meÌ„ he desyreth also that they myght be made so strong by the spirite iÌ„ the inward maÌ„ / that Christ myght dwell in they re inwarde harte by fayth roted in charite that bryngeth forth good workes of the spirite of god at all occasion gyuen / he desireth that they myght know the length the bredth / the heygth / the deapnes of god / that is to saye that they myght knowe god perfytely / as men knoweth a thynge perfetly when they knowe the length / the bredth / the heyth / and the deapnes / and that they myght haue the loue of god / whiche passeth al knowledge and that they