learne to repete one sentence ones or twyse / whiche they wolde haue knowne moste chefely and moste suerly prynted in hart 2. God hathe ordeyned vs that we shulde be his chyldrenne by adopcyon and that not of our deseruynge or merytes but onely by his mercye and grace / and by the merytes of Chrystes passyon / that all the prayse and thanke shulde be gyuen onely to God for it / and nothyng to our selfe he hathe made vs his chyldrenne by adopcyon / that we shulde sue our father in all holynes of lyfe / that we shulde followe hys fotesteppes in our lyfe 3. accordyng to the plesure of his wyl / these he addeth lest any shulde saye that we be made the chyldren of God by adopcyon for our merytes / or for the merites of our Lady / Peter / or Paule or of some other man / and not only for the pleasure of god of whome we haue al thinges that be good / and his wyll only alone is the cause of them and no other cause is to be asked why god hath elected and chosen vs to be his children by adopcyon and heyres of the kyngdome of heauen but only his wyll / marcye / and pleasure / that all prayse and thanke myght alone be giuen to hym and to none other creature / worke dede nor man 4. Vnto the praise of the glory of his grace / here he declareth for what ende he hath elected vs to be his chyldren by adopcyon / that he myght be praysed / glorifyed of all men / whiche hathe made vs synners his welbeloued chyldren / and that by Iesus Christe alone / which hath pacifyed the ire of the father and reconcyled vs to his fauour to whom we be made welbeloued throughe the death of Christ 5. In whome we haue redempcyon thoroughe his bloude forgyuenes of synnes Two thynges is here declared One is that by Cyryste we are redemed from the malediccyon of the lawe from syn deathe hell / eternall dampnacyon and from all captiuite and thraldome of the deuyl and by Christe be restored to the lyberte of the spiryte of god The other that we haue forgyuenes of our synnes onely be Chrystes bloude shed for vs vpon the Crosse Marke the remissyon of synnes is gyuen to vs by the bloude of Christe and nat by the popes pardons / masses and Scala celi by pylgrymages to Paule / Peter Iohan / or Iames / in the yere of Iubilei by the brothered or fraternyte of Chrystoffor of yorke / or of our Lady of Boston nor yet by saynte Fraunces coule Benedictes habyt cope or cote by monkes bootes or by the caruing of fryer obseruates shoyes or knotted gyrdles nor by Syon beades by holy water ringynge of the greate holy belle / or by any suche lyke outwarde ceremony or sacrifyce who so by these thinges thynketh to optayne forgyuenes of their sinnes before god they decieue them selfe they blaspheme Christ they be iniuryous to his bloudeshed vpon the Crosse to take away our synnes to optayne pardon of God for our synnes and to wasshe vs clere from syn as saynt Iohan sayth Apocalyp 1. The bloude of Christe hath wasshed vs from our synnes and Iohan 1. Ioh. 1. The bloude of Christ hath pourged vs from al iniquyte yf forgyuenes of synne be by the bloude of Chryste then it is nat by the Popes bulles / or pardons masses and Scala celi and suche lyke of mannes inuencyons and dreames inuented by mā if by such workes sinnes might haue bene taken awaye then dyed Christ in vayne Gaia 1 If synnes myght haue bene pourged by suche meanes or workes of man than was Chryst a fole that suffered so sharpe a death to saue vs / to take awaye our synnes I suppose Chrystes blessynge to haue bene as good as the byshoppe of Romes blessynge / or any other byshoppes blessyng / but Christ taught vs nat to beleue by suche meanes our synnes to be purged / wherfore they be starke lyes ye blaspheme to Chryst and his holy blod to beleue our sinnes to be taken awaye by any other waye or meane then by Chryst and his holy bloude / wherfor they ar from the true waye that thynke by theyr workes / merites of sayntes or of men alyue or departed / by the vertue of the masse heard or sayde thynkyng the masse to be a sacrifyce to god to take awaye the synne of the people / for there is none other sacrifyce to take awaye synne but Christ whiche hath satisfyed for our synne and is a full satysfaccyon for the synnes of the hole worlde Iohannis 2. and by one oblacyon ones offered vp for vs vpon the Crosse he hath made all them perfyte that shal be sanctifyed for euermore Hebre. 10. 4. Accordynge to the ryches of his grace Redempcion and remissyon of sinne hath come vnto vs al by the ryche grace of god and nat by our merytes / dedes / or workes or for any saynt sake liuynge or departed but alone for Christes sake frely / without our merytes or any deseruynges of our parte that all laude and prayse with thankes myght onely be gyuen to God as the auctor of al goodnes 7. whiche hath shed vpon vs aboundantly in all wysdome / also we haue receyued of godes goodnes all spirytuall wysdome / as touchynge the knowledge of godly thinges and all other knowledge necessary for the health of our foule This place somthynge reproueth them that say there is many thynges necessarye for the saluacyon of man that be nat wrytten in holy scrypture / nor yet can be gathered out of the holy scrypture S. Paule Ro. 1. sayth that the gospell is the power of god that workes all health to al them that beleueth This place shewith all learnynge knowledge and godly wysdome to come of god nat of our study diligence and labour / althoughe our study labour is required as lawfull meanes necessarye by the whiche god gyueth knowledge / learnynge / and wysdome / to them that with a pure harte requyreth of hym This reproueth all theym that thynketh they get the learnynge they haue by their owne labour study and paynes / thynke nat that it commeth of god / which giueth these gyftes to them that seke and labour in faythe desyrynge to haue learnynge to glorifye god to profyte them and other accordynge to their talentes .8 whiche hath opened vnto vs the mystery of his well accordynge to his wyll pleasure The time he sheweth whē god gaue to vs this knowledge / and wysdome / by his grace / he dyd gyue it when it pleased hym to shewe the misterye of his wyll hyd longe from the worlde / but at the last shewed by his word declared playnely to the worlde when he pleased / and nat at the pleasure of man / of the whiche we maye learne that the word of god commeth to vs and is clerly shewed at the wyll of God / nat at the wyll of man / or at mannes pleasure
to syt on his ryghte hande aboue all heauenly powers In Christ was shewed the excellent power of god / aboue all thynges / whiche power god wyl shewe to them that beleueth 2. He sheweth here the glory of Christ to be aboue all the powers / domynyons / or potestates in heauen that we shulde put our truste in Christ / whiche wyll exalte to that place where he is al them that beleue in him and thynketh to come there where Christ is on the right hande of the father onely by Chryste / and nat by theyr owne merytes or deseruinges and to put men in a suretye of that thynge Christe hym selfe was exalted from deathe to lyfe eternal 3. The power and the glory of Christ is shewed in that he sytteth on the ryght hande of the father in heauen aboue all powers rule / dominyon / potestates / and vertues / and aboue all names that is in this world or in the worlde to come / and all thynges are subiected to him and vnder his domynion and power / and he is the heade of the congregatyon whiche is his body Christ is the heade / in whome consisteth the perfeccyon of the hole bodye and he that maketh in the bodye all thynges parfyte 4. This place reproueth the Bysshoppe of Rome and all his decrees that maketh hym heade of the Churche of Chryste / for the hed of the churche of Christ is nat the bysshop of Rome / but Christe whiche maketh all thynges vnparfyte parfite / princes Kinges in their kingdomes worldely / be as heades of theyr subiectes vnder Christ to se euery one be in right order / to goddes wyll and pleasure / and that euery man in euery state and degree do his duty after his calling / for to the Kinges / Princes / and other superior power / it becoÌ„meth euery man to be obedyent / and from their power can no man exempte any of these subiectes by any profession of man / wherfore byshops of Rome exemptyng religyouse men from due obedience to their kinges and Prynces haue done against goddes lawe and saynt Paules doctrine Ro. 13. 1. Pe. 2. Hebre. 13. whiche places commaundeth all subiectes to be obedient vnto the hye powers / for they that resyste powers / they resyst the ordinance of God and these that resyste the ordynaunce of God they take to them selfe Iudgemente and dampnacyon Ro. 13. ¶ The seconde Chapyter to the Ephesyans ANd quickened you also when ye were deade throughe trespacê and synnes / in the whiche in time past ye walked accordynge to the course of this worlde / and after the Prynce that ruleth in the ayre / namely / after the spiryte whiche nowe worketh in the chyldren of vnbeleue amonge whome we also had our conuersacyon in tyme paste in the lustes of our fleshe and of the mynde and more naturally the childrenne of wrath euen aswell as other The Apostell compareth the state of these Ephesyans that they were in nowe when he wrote this Epistle to them / with the state condicion of lyfe that they were in before Chryst had called them to fayth by his word preached amonge them / that by the remembraunce of it / they might be prouoked with more gladnesse and harty loue to prayse and laude God / and gyue hym harty thankes that it hathe pleased hym to call them from darknes to lyghte from ignoraunce to knowledge / from syn to iustyce from deathe to lyfe / he saythe whan you knewe nat Chryste / you were deade by trespaces and synnes / beholde in what case they be in the knowe nat Chryste and his holy worde / by trespaces and synnes he vnderstandeth all manner of vyces and synnes / whether they be in thought wyll / acte / or in outwarde dede / when they knewe nat Chryste they were deade by synnes / nowe they knowynge Chryste do lyue / and be called from deathe to the lyfe of grace and of glorye eternal / before they walked in vyce and in synne / nowe they walke in grace and in vertue / before they walked after the maners / lustes and pleasures of this worlde / that is to saye / after the lustes of the fleshe / the lustes of the eyes / and proudnes of lyfe 1. Ioh. 2. Nowe they walke after the good wyll of god and after godes pleasure / before they folowed the prince of the ayre and was obedyente to his wyll this Prynce of the ayre is that euyll spiryte that worketh in sturdy / frowarde / and disobedyent personnes to goddes wyll and that doth nat beleue God but nowe they walke after the wyll of god the father of our Lorde Iesus Chryste lorde of heauen and earthe whose spiryte bryngeth and leadeth to all good workes of God who is he that knoweth he is called from synne / death / hel / eternall dampnacion / to iustice / lyfe / heauen / eternal ioy and blisse / wyll nat giue thankes laude and praise to him that brought hym to this ioye and felicyte Truely I thynke no man / but he wolde gyue greate thankes whan he remembreth the benefytes of his callynge / and for that cause saint Paule here compareth these two states to gether that euery one of vs may remember in what case we were in before Christe called vs to his knowledge by his worde / for as these Ephesyans were / so were we / and the same thynge he wryteth to them he writeth to vs / it agreith aswel to vs as to them / and all one thynge / as touchynge our state 2. This place sheweth that al men that came of Adam to be subiecte to synne / and for synne worthy eternall deathe / none able to delyuer them selfe from deathe and dampnacion / of the which we may learne that no man by his owne nature / myght / power / or fre wyll / can saue hym selfe from death and hell / but who someuer be saued that they be saued by the only grace of god and nat by theyr owne merytes / or by the merytes of sayntes departed 3. You see what foloweth syn / deathe / punyshment foloweth syn / as the rewarde for synne / and that these that wante the grace of god can nat but fall to synne / and go from one synne to an other / and walke after the lustes of the fleshe / and applye them selues to the wyll of the deuyll which worketh in euyl men and prouoketh to al vnhappynes vyce / syn / as these Ephesyans dyd before they were called by the worde of god to fayth to knowe Christ 4. In euyll men worketh the prynce of the ayre whiche is the deuyl that entyseth alwaye to euyll / and to do she workes of the deuyll The deuyll is called the prince of the ayre / nat bycause he hathe dominyon and power to rule the ayre at his pleasure or wyl / for that to god doth pertayne / but that he hathe power only of euyl men
that lyueth here in the ayre gyue them selfe to serue the deuyll rather then God / and many mo there is that serue the deuil then god / for there is many mo vnfaythfull then faythfull / mo synners then good lyuers / mo that folowe the honours of the worlde / the pleasures of the flesshe / then that truely serueth god by true fayth and faythfull workes of charyte commaunded in the scrypture / mo that abuse the gooddes of the worlde then that vse them as they shulde do / of all abusers of goodes of the worlde the deuyll is the Prynce and captayne / for they do the wyll of the deuyl so we maye learne of whome the deuyll is prynce / what he maketh his seruauntes to do / workes of darcknes / and deathe / and where he vseth his power / here in the ayre where as euyl men lyueth folowyng the lustes of the flesshe / worldely honours / and pleasures of men / sekinge theyr owne pleasure more then goddes glorye / or the profyte of theyr neyghboure 5. Amonge whome we also had our coÌ„uersation / as he shulde say / nat only you Gentiles were deade by syn / going frome one synne to an other doynge the wyll of the prince of the ayre / but also all we Iewes were dead by sinne / had deserued euerlastyng death for our syn worthye to haue bene for euermore excluded the kingdom of heauen / wherfore insomuch the we with you be delyuered from syn / death / hel / eternal dampnacyon / it is is nat to be imputed to our merytes or deseruinges but only to the goodnes of God / to whome we Iewes gyue thankes glorifye god for it / as you Gentyles / for God by his sonne Iesus Christ hathe delyuered vs all from death 6. Men that be out of the fauor of god walke frome one synne to an other / do the lustes of theyr flesshe / and of theyr owne wyll contrary to the wyll of god / here we maye learne what we can do of our selfe / leste to our owne myghtes and powers yf we lacke the grace of God / surely we can do nothing elles but sinne / and folowe the desyres of our corrupte fleshe / as adultery glotony / drunkennes / Enuy / malyce / tancor hatred / pride / couitousnes / error heresy Idolatry / other suche lyke of the which commeth death eternal dampnacion 7. And were naturally the chyldren of wrath aswell as other Saint Paule extolethe the Iewes nothynge aboue the Gentyls as touchyng health iustifycacyon and lyfe euerlastynge / but maketh the Iewes and the Gentyles equall shewing them doth by their owne nature to be children of wrath and of dampnacyon that al prayse and glorye myght be gyuen onely to God for our iustifycacyon / forgyuenes of synne / and the gyfte of lyfe euerlastyng in ioye and blysse and no parte ascrybed to man to mannes myght or power merites or deseruynges ¶ But god which is ryche in mercy throughe his greate loue wherwith he loued vs / euen whan we were deade in synnes hath quyckened vs with Christ for by grace are ye saued and hathe raysed vs vp with hym / and set vs vp with hym in heauenly thinges through Chryst Iesus that in tymes to coÌ„e he myght shewe the excedynge ryches of his grace in kyndenes to vs warde in Christ Iesu The Apostle nowe sheweth howe that bothe the Iewes and the Gentyles deade by synnes haue opteyned lyfe nat by their owne merites / but onely by the grace of god / and that whan all hope of lyfe was paste after mannes iudgement or by the myghtê of maÌ„nes nature for howe coulde there be any hope of lyfe of them whiche were by nature the chyldren of the wrathe of god / and condeÌ„ned to deathe But then god whiche is by nature good / gentyl and mercyfull / ryche in mercy Of his greate charite and loue towarde vs hathe restored vs deade by synne to lyfe agayne by Iesus Christe / and that nat of our good workes / but frely and for Christes sake only / by whome is our lyfe The goodnes of god in this poynt is more to be noted towarde vs. That he hath loued vs whan we were his enemies euyll wycked synners that then he wolde nat suffre vs to perysshe in our synnes / but hath delyuered vs frome deathe to lyfe to be heyres of his kyngdome 2. And that he wolde make vs sure of perpetuall healthe and lyfe He sayeth that god hath quyckened vs raysed vs agayne with Christe and made vs to syt amonge the heauenly company with Christe / and that by the onely mercy grace of god by the which we are saued Here the Apostle speketh in the tyme past for the tyme to come / for the certayntie of the thynge to come by Christe And leaste anye shulde be wauerynge in hope or doubtefull of the promysses of God to be fulfylled as at mannes promysses God wylleth that men shulde be as sure of his ê“misses as yf they were receyued in dede by fayth and hope of them / whiche hope is neuer disceyued 3. The raysyng vp of Christe from death to lyfe maketh vs sure that we shall aryse fromde deathe to lyfe Ye we whiche are in this laste tymes in the whiche thynge is shewed the ryche grace of god / and his myghty power to all the worlde and for all tymes ⧠FOR by grace are ye saued throughe fayth that nat of your selues for it is the gyfte of god nat of workes lest any man shulde boste hym sealfe For we are his workmanshype created in Christe Iesu vnto good workes to the whiche god ordeyned vs before that we shulde walke in them ♣ Here we may lerne of Paule oftymes if nede be to repete one thynge whiche we wolde haue surely knoweÌ„ / and prynted in mennes hertes / specially this thyng / that our saluation coÌ„meth nat of our selfe / of our workes or merites of man / but onely of the grace of god throughe faythe In the which wordes saynt Paule reproueth all theÌ„ that thynke our iustification dothe come by other thynges then by the grace of god by Christe as by prayers / beades halowed at Syon / by masses of Scala celi / by rosaryes of our Lady / by saint Francis gyrdle / cote / coule or habit / hose / shoes or botes / gyrdeles / purse or knyfe / matyns masses or euen songe / or any other suche lyke without the grace of god without fayth of the which cometh lyfe euerlastyng 2. To fayth in the scripture is attributed our iustification / nat because fayth is the author of our iustification For the author of our iustification is Christe / but iustification is attributed to fayth because faythe receyueth the mercy of god beleueth the promysses of god made to iuste men and beleuers to be fulfylled So faythe is the organe the meane by the whiche we perceyue our