howe ye maye contynually abyde and growe in Christ the whiche thing is taught you in the vse of the Lordes supper Ye shall therefore dilygentlye learne the wordes by the whiche oure Lorde Iesus Christ did institute and ordeyne his supper that ye maye repet them word for worde and so prynt thē in your memoryes that you may beare them away with you home to youre fathers houses and there oftentymes reherse them And these be the wordes of oure sauioure Christe Our Lorde Iesus Christ the same nyghte that he was betrayed toke bread gyuyng thākes brake it gaue it to hys disciples saide Take eate this is my bodye whiche is gyuen for you Do this in remembraunce of me Lykewyse he toke the cuppe also after he had supped giuyng thankes gaue it to them and sayd Drynke of this al ye This is my bloude of the new testamente whiche is shed for you for many for the forgyuenes of synnes Do this as often as ye drynke in remembraunce of me Nowe ye shall dilygentlye laboure not onely to say without boke these wordes of our sauiour Christe but also to vnderstande what oure Lorde Iesus Christe mente by the same that ye maye make answer when ye be asked any question herein and that also in tyme to come ye may be able to teache your children as ye youre selfes are now instructed For what greater dishonestye can ther be eyther in the sighte of God or man then to professe youre selues to be Christian people and to receaue the sacramētes yet not to know what Christes sacramētes be wherfore they wer ordeyned For saint Paul sayth y t he whiche eateth and drynketh the supper of the Lorde vnworthely doth eate and drynke his awne damnation Nowe therfore good children that ye may truely vnderstāde the wordes of the lordes holy supper and that ye receyue not this sacramente to youre owne damnation learne here dylygentlye that the true vnderstandyng and vse of y e Lordes supper standeth in two thynges The fyrste is to do that whiche our lord himself hath commaunded The seconde is to beleue y t which he hath promysed Of these two I wil speake in order wherto I pray you gyue good eare First our sauiour Christ taketh breade in his hand he giueth thākes he breaketh it and gyueth it to his dysciples and sayeth Take eate Lykewyse he taketh the cup and sayeth Take drynke Wherfore we ought to obey those wordes to do that which our Lord commaundeth vs. For although Christ prescribeth no certen tyme when we ought to come together to his supper althoughe also he appoynte no certen noumber of dayes howe often in the yeare we ought to receaue this supper yet this is his holy godly wyl that at some tyme we shoulde receaue this sacrament And this to do is for oure great commoditie profite for elles our Lorde wolde not haue commaunded vs so to do who knoweth better thē we what helpe and comforte we haue nede of Wherfore if we wil be christes trew disciples then we must do as he himselfe commaundeth his discyples to do Let vs therefore go to this godly supper let vs eate drinke therof let vs not absteine frō the same w tout a great cause Secondarily Christ saieth of the breade this is my bodye and of y e cuppe he sayeth this is my bloud Wherefore we ought to beleue y t in the sacrament we receyue trewly the bodye and bloud of Christ. For God is almyghtye as ye hearde in the Crede He is able therefore to do all thynges what he wil. And as saint Paul writeth he calleth those thinges whiche be not as yf they were Wherefore when Christe taketh breade and saieth Take eate this is my body we ought not to doute but we eat his veray bodye And when he taketh the cuppe and sayeth Take drynke this is my blod we ought to thynke assuredly y t we drynke his veray blode And this we must beleue yf we wil be counted Christē mē And wher as in this perellous tyme certayne deceitful persons be founde in manye places who of very frowardnes wil not graunt that there is the body and bloude of Christe but denye the same for none other cause but that they cannot cōpasse by mans blynde reason howe this thinge shoulde be broughte to passe ye good children shall with all dilygence beware of suche persons that ye suffer not your selues to be deceaued by them For suche men surely are not trew Christyans nether as yet haue thei lerned the first article of y e Crede whych teacheth that God is almightye whiche ye good children haue alredy perfectely lerned Wherfore eschewe such erroneous opinions and beleue the wordes of our lord Iesus that you eate and drynke his veray body blode although mans reason can not comprehend how and after what maner y e same is ther present For the wysedome of reason must be subdued to the obedience of Christ as the apostle Paule teacheth Thirdly he sayeth that his body was gyuē to death for vs that his blod was shed for vs. Wherfore we muste beleue and confesse this thing that all we are conceaued and borne in syn as we haue learned in the ten commaundemētes and chiefely in the two last We are therefore by nature the childrē of gods wrath shoulde be damned for euer yf Christ had not redemed vs by his holy passiō For he was made mā for vs and dyd all thinges for vs whiche we were bound to do and coulde not do that is to saye he fulfylled the lawe for vs and toke vpon hym all that crosse whiche we moste rightuously had deserued for our iniquities and offenses and he shed his bloude for vs that oure synnes might be forgyuen vs. All these thinges we oughte stedfastly to beleue Wherfore they be in a great errore whiche wyll make satisfaction for their synnes with fastyng prayer almes dedes and suche lyke good workes For althoughe we are boūde to do these good workes yet they be not a sufficient price raunsome or satisfaction for oure synnes but onely the death and bloude of our sauyoure Christ was a sufficient and worthy sacrifice to take away our synnes and to obteyne for vs forgyuenes of oure offenses as it is written in the seconde chapter of saincte Iohn his firste epystle Christ is that sacryfice that pacyfyeth Gods dyspleasure obteyneth pardon for oure synnes and not for our synnes onely but also for the synnes of all the worlde Fourthly Christ sayeth do this in the remembraunce of me Here also it is oure dutye to obey the worde of Christ and to do y t thing which he hath cōmaūded vs to do Wherefore good children doubt not but ther is the bodye bloud of our Lorde which we receaue in the lordes supper For he hath sayed so and by the power of his worde hath caused it so to be Wherefore seyng Christ saieth do this as
often as ye do it in remēbraunce of me it is euident herby that Christe causeth euen at thys tyme his bodye and bloude to be in the sacrament after that maner and fashion as it was at that tyme when he made his maundye with his disciples For elles we coulde not do that thyng whiche his disciples dyd But Christ hath commaunded vs to do the selfe same thing that his disciples dyd and to do it in the remembraunce of him that is to saye to receaue his bodye and bloude euen so as he himselfe did gyue it to his dysciples And let not the foulyshe talke of vnbeleuers moue you who are wont to aske this question Howe can the pryest or minister make the bodie and bloude of Christ To the whiche I answer that the minister doth not this of himself But Christ himselfe doth gyue vnto vs his fleshe blode as his wordes dothe euydētly declare Nether let their argumētes or reasons perswade you whiche say y t the sacramēt ought not to be receaued vnder both kyndes but vndre one kynde only For Christ gaue to his disciples both kindes and hath bydde vs that we also shoulde do the same And when he gaue the cuppe to his dysciples he added therto this commaundemēt in these expresse plaine wordes saying Drinke ye al of this Now we ought to obey god more then men We ought therefore to receaue the sacrament vnder both kyndes as Christe commaunded vs. And regarde not the gageling of theim that speake againste the vse of the sacramētes vnder both kyndes sayinge It maketh no great matier whether ye receaue it vndre both kyndes or one alone y t it perteineth not to saluation to receiue it vnder both kindes But what shal I dispute long in this matier Take this for a cōclusion that it is only laudable good to do that thinge whiche Christ hathe commaunded and not to swarue from the same So we ought to receaue this blessed sacrament in the remembraunce of Christ as saint Paule saieth that is to saye we ought to preache his death vntil he come againe For he wil suerely come againe and iudge bothe the quicke and y e deade as ye haue lerned in your Crede In the meane season we ought to remembre and preach his death that he hath redemed vs with his death and sheding of his most precious bloude purchased for vs forgyuenes of oure synnes And this we ought euer to haue in oure remembraunce that in no wyse we forget this his exceding great benefyte and that we seke not for remyssion of synnes by any other wayes or meanes then by fayth in Christe Nowe when we preache the death of the Lord and shewe that he hathe redemed vs thereby we ought also to call this to our remembraunce that he dyed not for vs onely but for all men that beleue in him And forasmuche as Christe loued al men so entierely that he dyed for theym we ought for Christes sake to loue our neyghbours for whom Christe hathe dyed For Christ sayeth All men shall knowe by thys token that ye be my disciples if one of you loue another And this is it that saincte Paule sayeth All we that be pertakers of one breade are one bodye and one breade As often therefore good children as you shal come to the Lordes table whiche ye shall vse to do when ye shall come to further yeares of discretion you shal seke the comforte of your consciences and do as sainct Paule saieth in these wordes Let a man examine himselfe and so let him eat of the breade and drynke of the cuppe For he that eateth or drinketh vnworthely eateth and drinketh his awne damnation because he maketh no dyfference of the Lordes bodye And when ye shal haue examined your selues ye shal fynde that ye are synners and that ye haue nede that Christ should giue his bodye for you and shede hys bloude for you And this to do is truly to examine and trye youre selues For sainct Paule saieth Yf we wold iudge our selues we should not be iudged of the Lord. But when we are iudged of the Lorde we are chasticed that we should not be dampned with the worlde For him that doth not acknowlege his faute God doeth iudge and chastice with dyuerse afflictions that at the length he maye cause him therby to confesse his fautes and repent him that his synnes may be forgyuen him Ye shal also examine yourselues whether ye be able to do y t Christ commaundeth and to beleue that Christ saith Furthermore ye shal make an inquirie in your conscyences whether you be gladde in youre harte to forgyue youre neyghboure his offences against you and to loue him hartely and vnfaynedly for Christes sake For when ye do thus then ye worthely receaue the body and bloud of Christ. And he that so receaueth it receaueth euerlastyng lyfe For he doth not only with his bodyly mouthe receaue the bodye and bloude of Christ but he doth also beleue the wordes of Christ wherby he is assured that Christes bodye was gyuen to death for vs that his bloude was shed for vs. And he y t this beleueth eateth and drynketh the bodye and bloude of Christ spiritually Of this Christ speaketh when he sayeth He that eateth my fleshe and drynketh my bloud abydeth in me and I in him And when we be planted in Christ then we maye come to this holy supper as often as we wyll that by this gostlye fode we may dayly more and more waxe stronger in our faith that Christe was gyuen to be the raunsome for our synnes and that he dwelleth in vs and we in him For seyng that we are planted in Christ by baptisme and are bound to grow and increase in him and to be made lyke vnto him it is not conueniēt that we shoulde onely haue a waueryng opinion that we dwell in Christe and growe in faith charitie but we muste haue a sure worde and worke of God to the whiche we maye leane in all temptations therby be assured that we do spiritually growe and increase in Christe And this worde and worke of God is set before our eyes in the Lordes supper For seyng oure sauioure Christ doth gyue vs his bodye to be oure meate and his bloude to be our drynke and thereby doth declare that he wil effectually dwel in vs strengthen and preserue vs to euerlastyng lyfe we may stedfastly beleue that Christ doth worke in vs and that he wil giue vs gostly strength and stedfastnes that we lyke grene braunches maye continew in the vyne and so be full of sappe and bryng forth good fruit And this is the meanynge and playne vnderstandynge of the wordes of the Lordes supper Wherefore learne them dilygently I pray you y t when ye be asked what is y e Cōmuniō or the lordes supper ye maye answer It is the trew body and true bloude of our Lorde Iesus Christe whiche was ordeyned by Christ
and make holy all those that beleue the gospell For he that beleueth in Iesus Christe that he is oure Lorde and oure redemer to him God gyueth the holy gost to make him holye and ryghtuouse As sayncte Paule witnesseth saiyng No man can cal Iesus lord but by the holy goste And for asmuch as now it hath ben plainelie declared vnto you after what sorte and manner the holy gooste doth sanctifie vs it is your part not onely to emprynt this lesson diligently in youre myndes but also to desier God with continuall and earnest prayers that he wyll vouchesafe more and more to sanctifie you And as muche as lyeth in you apply your selfes to heare godly sermons and gyue youre hartes to God lyke waxe apte and mete to receyue what thyng so euer it shal please him to prynt in you For he that is wyllynge and glad to lysten to godly sermons he that is studyous to learne the word of god wherin christ is preached w t a stedfast faith cleueth to y e promise of y e gospel ▪ he is made partaker of this Sāctificatiō and holynesse and of this so great comforte and euerlastyng saluation For God sayeth by his prophet Esaye My worde shall not returne to me in vayne And saynct Paule sayeth that the gospell is the power of God where wyth he wourketh the saluation of all them that beleue Nowe the rest that folowethe in the Crede is a shorte declaration of these thynges before rehersed For it foloweth in the Crede I beleue the holy catholycke churche that is to saye all godly and Christē men must beleue that the gospel or doctryne of goddes grace thorowe the merites of oure sauiour Iesus Christ is neuer in vayne published in the worlde or sowed abrode without fruit but euer there is founde some companye of men or some congregacion of good people whiche beleue the gospel and be saued And this cōpanie of men whiche beleueth the gospell although here vpō earth thei be seuered in sōdry places yet are they called one holy catholike or vniuersal churche of Christe that is to saie a multitude cōgregation or companye of Christen people For this worde churche doth not here betoken a temple or churche buylded of tymber and stone but it signifieth a companye of men lyghtened with the spirite of Christe whiche do receaue the gospel and come together to heare gods wourde and to praye And this Christē churche is a cōmunyon of sainctes that is to saye all that be of this cōmunion or cōpany be holy be one holy body vnder Christe their heed they be one holy congregation or assemble And this congregation receaueth of their hedde and Lorde Iesus Christe all spirituall riches and gyftes that perteyneth to the sanctification and making holy of the same bodye And these gostly treasuers be commen to y e hole body and to euery membre of the same For he that is vnfainedly a faythfull and Godly man is made partaker of these benefites And these are the sayde gyftes which be commē to y e hole church of Christ and to euery membre of the same The first is that God the father that euerlastīg and endles maiestye is our most gentle mercyful father That God y e sonne is our redemer and mediatour betwene the father and vs. And that God the holy gost is y e commen sanctifier or halower of all theim y t haue a true faithe in God The second is the preaching of y e gospel thadministration of baptisme and the sacrament of the bodye and bloude of our Lorde Iesus Christ by the whiche we are made partakers of all the inheritaunce of heauē of all the benefites of Christe The third is prayer The fourth is the crosse of affliction and aduersitie whiche God sendeth to all godly men to make theim to knowe him to proue therby trye their faith to mortifye their fleshe to make clene the corruption of the same And here I speake onely of the crosse which good men suffre For thafflictions of the vnfaithful and vngodly do rather hurt them then make them holy For inasmuch as their vnpatientnes is encreaced by such aduersitie thei be brought to more disperatiō and damnatiō Nowe it is very good for you to knowe these thinges that you may also knowe that there is nothyng in heauē or erthe better for vs thā is the true knowlege of God and that these excellent gyftes and benefites cannot be had but onely in the foresayde churche or cōgregatiō and no where els But whan the true churche which is ruled by the holy gost the worde of God dothe promyse vs these so great riches and benefites we ought not to doute but that we haue alredye receaued them And when y e churche doth happoint and ordeine vs to be preachers and ministers of these most pretiouse treasures we must stedfastly beleue that God effectuously worketh with vs that he is present with vs and that he at all tymes doth strengthen vs agaynst the worlde and the deuyll and that he doth helpe vs to do all thynges accordyng to our callyng prosperously and with good successe Secondly we must beleue the remission of synnes Therfore next vnto this article I beleue the holy catholique churche the communion of saintes is added y e forgeuenes of synnes For where so euer the churche of Christ is there is frely offred that eternall comfort aboue all measure that is to say the fauore of God and remission of synnes And without that churche is no remission of synne Wherefore we must seke remission of synnes in the churche of Christ and desier absolution That when y e true churche by their ministers doth promyse vs remissyon of our synnes and here in erthe dothe absolue vs we may surely trust that in heauē also before God we be absolued pardoned Thirdly We must beleue the resurrection of the fleshe wherefore after tharticle of the remission of synne foloweth next this article I beleue the rysing agayne of y e fleshe for among other ponyshmentes for originall syn layd vpon Adam his posterity we daily see this horrible paine that the goodly beawtiful bodye of man created to immortalitie must nedes ones be dissolued by deathe and brought to a filthye and stinckyng corse and graue that the tyranny of synne whiche so long as we liue rageth in our fleshe by our deathe may ceasse haue an ende as saint Paule saith vnto the Romanes For by deathe of the body cease all the desires concupiscences and rages of y e mynde whiche be against the wil and commaundementes of God There ceassith also all synnes against our neighbours as Ire enuie lechery couetuousnes pride and all ill affectyons and at the last day god shall rayse vs agayne frō death so that such infirmities and synnes shall no more be founde in vs but we shal be pure spiritual and immortal and lyke to the bright clere bodye of Christ. And that we
but durynge thys lyfe we fyght agaynst synne vntyl we die and so be tryed and proued whether we loue him and his commaūdementes better then oure owne wylles and pleasures Also oure mercyefull father layeth on oure backes diuerse afflictions and aduersities to pul downe our proud and hyghe stomakes and to mortifie our fleshe that we may be like oure brother Christe who by the crosse ouercame synne deathe and the deuyll and so entred into euerlastynge glorye So that in this petitiō we must lerne both wisedome and pacience wisdome to beware of synne whā it prouoketh vs and in no wise to folow the same Pacience to suffer willyngly the crosse and suche afflictions as God shall sende vnto vs to pray god with feruent desier that he suffer vs not to perishe in the same but mercifullye to defende vs vntyll suche tyme as it shall please hym clearly to delyuer vs whiche shalbe when we shal dye and by Goddes power be raised agayne from death to lyfe and be delyuered from all maner of euels Therefore when we say in the Lordes prayer delyuer vs from euyll we chiefly desyre God to send vs a good deathe that then aboue all other tymes we may be delyuered from all euels For as muche as at that houre we be in the most daunger of all euels and temtations Wherfore it is moste necessarie for vs euen from our tender age to praye to oure Lorde that at that laste houre chiefly he wyll be good and gracious vnto vs delyueryng vs from all maner of euell So that death maye be to vs none euyll but a clere acquayntaūce frome al euels And this the lordes prayer we must euer ende with this word Amen Wiche is asmuche to saye as suerly I trust it shalbe so And it is not ynough to say Amen with our tongue only but also Amen muste be in oute harte and continew and tary there that is to saye we ought to beleue suerly and constantlye that our prayer is hearde and that oure heauenly father wil graunt vs oure petitions For so Christ hath promysed that what soeuer we aske the father in hys name it shalbe gyuen to vs. And for that intente Christe confirmeth this his promise w t an othe saying Amen Nowe you haue hearde good children the true and playne exposition of the seuenth and last petition whiche I praye you to place in your memories that when you be demaunded howe vnderstande you the seuenth petition you may redely answere Herein we generally desyre our heauenly father to delyuer vs frō all euell and perell bothe of body soule lande catell and riches And that when we shall ley on oure death bed he wyll than graunt vs a good houre that we may departe oute of thys vale of miserie in hys fauoure and from thys transitorie lyfe enter into life euerlastynge The whiche God graunte vs all Amen ¶ A sermon of Baptisme OUre Lorde Iesus Christ good children ▪ in y e gospell of Iohn saith thus Except a man be borne agayne of y e water and the spret he can not enter in to the kyngdome of God Nowe we ought to direct our hole lyfe to come to the kyngedome of heauen For the Lorde sayth First seke the kyngdō of god And you haue heard heretofore that we dayly make thys petition to god thy kingdō come Wherfore it is very necessarie for vs to know how we must be borne againe what thys secōd birth is w tout the which we can not entre into the kingdōe of God But when we speake of a seconde birth you shal not so grosse lye vnderstande this sayinge as though a mā which is once borne should entre agayne into hys mothers wombe so be borne againe as he was before For it were great folyshenes so to thinke But here we meane of a seconde birthe which is spiritual wherby our inwarde man and minde is renewed by the holye ghost so that our hertes and myndes receaue newe desiers which they had not of theyr first birth or natiuitie And the seconde birth is by the water of Baptisme whiche Paule calleth the bathe of regeneration because oure synnes be forgyuen vs in Baptisme and the holy gost is powred into vs as into goddes beloued childrē so that by the power and wourkynge of the holye Ghost we be borne agayne spiritually and made newe creatures And so by baptisme we enter into the kingdome of God shalbe saued for euer yf we continewe to oure lyues ende in the faithe of Christe Wherfore good childrē cōsidre diligently y e strength of baptisme and marke wel howe greate treasures and howe excellent benefites you receaued in youre baptisme that you maye thanke God for the same and comfort youre selfes by theim in all your temptations and endeuoure youreselfes faithfully to performe al thinges which you promised in your baptisme And that you mai do this y e better hear and learne the wordes of our master Christe by the whiche he dyd ordeyne and institute baptisme And oftentymes repete the same that you maye lerne them worde for worde wythout y e boke These be the wordes of our Lord Iesus Christ spoken to his dyscyples Go into the whole world and teache al nations baptise thē in the name of the father the sonne and the holi gost He that wyl beleue and be baptised shalbe saued But he that wyll not beleue shall be damned By these wordes oure Lorde Iesus Christe dyd institute baptisme wherby we be borne agayne to the kyngdom of God And you good childrē shall gyue diligence not onely to reherse these wordes but also to vnderstād what christe ment by the same That when you be demaunded any questyon herein you maye bothe make a dyrecte answere and also in tyme to come be able to teache youre children as you your selues are nowe instructed For what greater shame can ther be then a man to professe him selfe to be a Christen man because he is baptised and yet he knoweth not what baptysme is nor what strength the same hathe nor what the dyppyng in the water doth betoken wher as all oure lyfe tyme we ought to kepe those promises which there we solemply made before God and man and all oure profession and lyfe oughte to agre to our baptisme Wherefore good children to thentent you may the better know the strength power of baptisme you shall first vnderstande that our lorde Iesus Christ hath instituted and annexed to the gospel thre sacramēts or holy seales of his couenāt and lege made with vs. And by these thre gods ministers do worke with vs in the name and place of God yea God him selfe worketh with vs to confirme vs in our faith to asserten vs that we are y e lyuely membres of Gods trew churche and y e chosen people of God to whome the gospell is sent and that all those thinges belong to vs wherof the promises of the gospel make mentiō The first of
God in oure harte whereby we maye kepe Goddes commaundementes accordyng to this saying of saynt Peter Let euerie one of you he baptised in the name of christ and then you shall receyue the gyft of the holy ghost The thirde is that by baptisme the whole rightuousnes of Christ is gyuen vnto vs that we maye clayme the same as our owne For so saincte Paule teachethe saying As many of ye as are baptised in Christe haue putte vpon you Christ. Fourthly by baptisme we die with Christ and are buried as it were in his bloude death that we shoulde suffer afflictions and death as Christ himself hath suffered And as that man whiche is baptised doth promise to God that he wyll dye with Christ that he maye be deade to synne and to the old Adam so on the other part God doth promise againe to him that he shalbe partaker of christes death and passion And also God maketh al afflictions whiche he sufferethe to be good and profitable vnto him as was the passion of Christ and not damnable as it was to Iudas and dyuerse other vngodlye parsons By thys which I haue hetherto spoken I trust you vnderstaÌ„de good children wherfore baptisme is called the bath of regeneratioÌ„ and howe in baptisme we be borne agayne and be made new creatures in Christe The whiche doctryne you shall the better vnderstande yf you consider in what coÌ„dition you were before you were baptised and in what state you stande in after your baptisme Firste before we were baptised it is euideÌ„t that we were synners and he that is a synner can haue no peace nor quietnes of coÌ„science before he come to Christ so muche he feareth Goddes wroth and euerlastyng damnation But after that oure synnes in baptisme be forgyuen vs and we beleue the promyse of God and so by oure faith be iustified than our conscyences be quieted and we be glad and mery trustyng assuredly that God is no more angrye with vs for our former offences and that we shal not be damned for y e same And thys is a meruelous alteration and renewyng of the inward manne the whyche coulde be wrought by the power of no creature but by God alone Also before we were baptised we were slaues and boundemen to synne so that we neyther coulde do that good which we would haue done nor could kepe vs from that euil whiche we would not haue done as saint Paule complaynethe of himselfe But whan by baptysme the holy gost was gyuen vs the whiche did spread abrode the loue of god in our hartes and did also delyuer vs from y e boundage and tyrannye of synne and gaue vs new strength power to wrastle against synne and manfullye to withstande our gostly enemye the deuel thaÌ„ after a certen maner we were able to fulfyl gods commauÌ„dementes And this is a greate chaunge and renewyng of the inwarde man And this I wold you shoulde know for a suertye good childreÌ„ stedfastly beleue y e same that no child of y e Iewes or Turkes whiche is not baptysed hathe the holy ghoste neyther that anye suche can vnderstande the worde of God neyther that anye suche is holy or righteous before God Wherefore you shall thanke God with all youre harte whiche hath brought you to baptysme And when you beleue in the name of Christ and loue the ghospell and are glad dyligeÌ„t to hear y e same theÌ„ this is a suer tokeÌ„ y t by the gospel you haue receaued y e holy gost Furthermore he that is a synner not baptised althoughe he had the holy ghoste to this effecte to helpe him to fight againste synne yet oftentymes he is ouer come and falleth to synne And althoughe he doth oftentimes ouercome sinne yet this is a great vnperfectenes y t he dothe it not willingly but that this fight against sinne is tedious and greuous vnto him Wherefore he is euer in perrel lest he be ouercome of syn And in case he doth manfully w tstande synne yet he seeth that his iustyce and obedience be to weake and vnperfecte to stande before the iudgement of God as in dede no man not the holyest is able to stande before y e iudgemeÌ„t of God by his awne rightuousnes But when in baptisme the rightuousenes of Christ is gyuen and imputed to hym then he is delyuered from al those perrels For he knoweth for a suerty that he hath put vpoÌ„ him Christ and that his weakenes imperfectioÌ„ is couered hydde with the perfecte ryghtuousnes and holynes of Christ. Wherfore after baptisme he doth not trust in his awne rightuousnes but in Christ only And he is no more pensyue or doubteful coÌ„syderynge his awne weaknes but he is ioyful because he coÌ„sidereth that he is made partaker of Christes rightuousnes And this agayne is a great alteratioÌ„ and renewyng of the inwarde man These newe affections and spiritual mocions are in the soulles of suche as are borne again by baptisme but they be vnknowne to worldly men and suche as be not led by the spirite of God And wheÌ„ they that beleue and be baptysed do continewe in this their faith to â—he ende of their lyues then God shall rayse them vp from death to lyfe that they maye be immortall and lyue euerlastingly with christ And then when syn and the kingdome of death is vtterli abolished and destroied we shalbe perfectly holy and rightuous both in body and soule And for this cause our sauioure Christ doth cal in y e gospel the rysyng againe from death a regeneration or a seconde begettyng Al these thynges doth baptisme worke in vs wheÌ„ we beleue in Christe And therefore Christe sayeth He that wyll beleue and be baptysed shall be saued But he that wyl not beleue shalbe damned Wherefore good children learne dylygentlye I praye you the fruyt operation of baptisme For it worketh forgyuenes of sin it delyuereth from death power of the deuel it gyueth saluation euerlastynge lyfe to all them that beleue As the wordes of Christes promyse doth euydently witnesse But peraduenture some wil saye Howe can water worke so greate thinges To whome I answere that it is not the water that dothe these thinges but the almyghtye worde of God whiche is knyt and ioyned to the water faith which receyueth gods worde promyse For with out the worde of God water is water and not baptisme But when the worde of the liuing God is added and ioyned to the water then it is the bathe of regeneration and baptisme water and the lyuely springe of eternall saluation and a bathe that wassheth our soules by the holy ghoste as saynct Paule calleth it saying God hath saued vs thorowe hys mercy and made vs partakers of the rightuosnes of hys welbeloued sonne Iesus Christ. Now consyder depely I praie you how great benefytes these be that you maye not be vnkynde to him that hath done so much for you but stedfastlye beleue these thinges mortifye synne
may y e more assuredly beleue this both Christ himself rose from death and many saintes also w t hym Fourthely we must beleue euerlastyng lyfe Wherefore it foloweth in the Crede I beleue euerlastynge lyfe that is to saye I beleue that whā we shall ryse from death then we shall lyue euer with Christe in parfite holynes and iustice and in suche a gloriouse ioy as no toung can tell nor hart thincke And this treatise of the Crede we must end with this wourde Amen which is asmuche to saye as I beleue that al the articles of our beliefe before rehersed be very true and thereof I haue a sure faithe trust and confidence Therefore good children from the bottome of your hartes you must beleue in the holy gost whiche doth promyse vnto vs remission of our synnes by al y e true preachers ministers of goddes worde And he dothe also geue light to our hartes and myndes and moueth vs to beleue goddes worde and to put our faith and trust in hym And the same holy goost dothe dayly purifye sanctifye vs purge and clense vs from sinne and after this bodily death shall rayse vs agayne to euerlasting life And take this for a sure conclusion and doubt nothynge thereof that the holy goost as he hath begonne these thīges in vs so he will fynyshe thesame in vs yf we obey him and continue in faith vnto thēde of our liues For he y t cōtinueth vnto y e ende shal be saued And this is the summe and also the most plaine vnderstāding of this thirde parte of the Crede entreatyng of our sanctificatiō or halowing Wherefore good children marke well this lesson that when ye be demaunded howe vnderstande you the thirde parte of the Crede yee may answer thus I beleue y t neither by mās strength power or wysedome neyther by myne awne endeuour nor cōpasse of myn awne reason I am able to beleue in Iesus Christ or to come vnto hym But the holy goost did call me by the worde of y e gospell and with y e giftes of his grace he hath hitherto endowed me halowed me and in the true faith he hathe hitherto preserued and confirmed me this he hath not done only to me but also he calleth and gathereth togyther in the vnitye of one faith and one baptisme all the vniuersal churche that is here in earth and he halloweth kepeth and preserueth thesame in the true knowledge of Christ and faith in his promyses And in this churche he geueth free and general pardō to me and to al that beleue in him of al our synnes offences and trespasses and at the last day he shall rayse me and all other y t be deade and al that dyed in the true faithe of Iesus Christ he shall glorifye in the lyfe euerlastyng Therefore to the sayde holy gost that sanctefyeth vs with y e father that made and created vs and the sonne that redemed vs be geuen all honour and glorye world without ende Amen ¶ A generall preface to be rehersed in the begynnynge of euery sermon made vpon the Lordes prayer YE haue learned heretofore good childrē in y e Crede what we ought to beleue and in the ten cōmaūdemētes what we ought to do but we can neyther beleue nor do as we ought to do excepte the holy gost worke with in vs bothe a true faith also a dewe obedyence towardes God and his lawe For faith is the gyfte of God and all good thinges commeth from the father of lightes Therefore we must nedes aske and craue these benefites at his hande whiche only is the gyuer of theim For so Christ saieth that God the father wyll gyue to vs his children all thinges so that we sue to hym for theim And the prophet Dauyd saieth Cal vpon me in the daye of thy trouble and I shal deliuer the and thou shalt glorifye me Also our Sauioure Christ commaūdeth vs to do y e same sayng Aske and you shal haue seke and you shall fynde knocke and the dore shall be opened vnto you Now therfore seyng that we haue learned what we shoulde beleue and do it is most necessary for vs to cal for gods grace with most feruēt and ernest prayers that we may be able to performe y e thinge whiche we are bounde to do For our sauiour Christ hath promised vs that what soeuer we aske the father in his name he wyll gyue it vs. Also he saieth that what soeuer we aske yf we beleue we shal receaue y e same Wher is to be noted that yf we wyll obteyne oure requestes we must aske in y e name of Christ and also trust assuredly that for Christes sake our praiers shal be heard To aske in Christes name is to aske accordynge to his wil that is to say to aske y t which he hath commaunded Therefore when we praye we may saye thus O God our father and the father of our Lorde Iesu Christ which art in heuē I durst not of myne awn head be so bold to come vnto thy most highe and excellent maiestye to desyer any thyng of the but thy welbeloued sonne our Lord Iesus Christ hath commaūded me so to do and only in his name and at his commaūdemente am so bolde Therfore yf thou hear me y u hearest thy dearly beloued sonne oure Lorde Iesus Christ. And yf thou heare me not thē thou hearest not Iesus Christ him selfe who hath sent me to the and hath commaunded me to aske in his name Of this prayer made in fayth speaketh saincte Iohn in his epistle saying This trust we haue in God y t when we aske any thynge accordinge to his will he doth heare vs. Therefore we shoulde stedfastly beleue that God doth heare our prayer For he that beleueth not he shall obtayne nothynge And therefore Christe saith If you beleue you shall obtayne And to thentent that we should beleue surely thynke that we be herde he hath promysed to graunt what soeuer we aske in his name And agayne to thentent that we shuld knowe and be suer that we praye accordyng to his wil he hymselfe hath taught vs howe what we should praye and aske Therfore it is not in our lybertye whether we wil praie or not but by goddes commaundement we be boūde to praye as you haue hearde in the seconde commaundement Now therefore with all dilygence lerne good children y e holy prayer of y e Lord which y e greate doctour and our Lorde Iesus Christ taught vs hymselfe saying to his disciples Ye shall praye after this maner OUre father which art in heauē halowed be thy name Thy kyngdome come Thy wil be don in earth as it is in heauē Geue vs this day our daily bread And forgeue vs our trespaces as we forgeue them that trespace against vs. And suffre vs not to be led into temptacion But delyuer vs from euyl Amen This good children is the prayer of the Lorde