peace nor salte Therfore the philosophers be at contencion and braule one with an other because they haue not this salte For this cause also the phariseis cannot agree with the Saduces the HerodiaÌ„s because they all corrupted with naughtie affeccions lacke the salte of the gospell Your doctrine shall season the folye of the worlde yf the people perceiue nothing in your affeccions that is corrupted and rotten eyther by desyre of glorye loue of money gredinesse of reuengemente feare of death desyre of lyfe or to be short by any other worldely affeccion And if they also perceyue that lyke as your lyfe and doctrine shall agree so in semblable wise you wyll agree one with an other Undoubtedly you shall agree if you vtterly abandonyng all ambicion wherwith suche persones are attached as desyre to rule and play the lordes in this world do syncerely preache and teache other the heauenly doctrine whiche you haue receiued of me The .x. Chapter ¶ And when he rose from thence he went in to the coastes of Iury through the regioÌ„ that is beyond Iordan and the people resorted vnto hym afreshe as he was wont he taught them again And the phariseis came and asked him Is it lawfull for a man to putte away his wife to proue hym And he answered and said vnto them What did Moyses bid you do and they sayd Moyses suffered to write a testimoniall of diuorcemeÌ„t and to putte her away And Iesus answered and said vnto them for the hardenesse of your harte he wrote this precepte vnto you but at the first creacioÌ„ God made them man and woman Therfore shall a man leaue his father and mother and abide by his wyfe and they twayne shall be one fleshe So then are they now not twayne but one fleshe Therfore what God hath coupled together let not man separate And in the howse his disciples asked him agayn of the same matter And he sayeth vnto them whosoeuer putteth away his wife and marieth an other breaketh wedlock to her ward And if a woman forsake her housband and be maried to an other she committeth aduoutrie AFter the Lord Iesus had with such lessons sufficieÌ„tly prepared the mindes of his disciples against the storme that was at hand he departed oute of Galile and went into that parte of Iewry which lyeth beyond Iordan wheras Iohn first taught Now was Iesus so much renoumed in all places that he could no where be hid Therfore anon as he was cummen the people came flocking hither in like manour as they were woÌ„t to doe in other places Neyther was he at any tyme wery of doing all men good of curyng theyr bodyes of enstructing theyr sowles There lacked not here the phariseis euery where one manour of menne and like themselfes The multitude sought for health and were desyrous to heare his doctrine but the other desired more to take hym in a trip then to be healed to proue him rather then to learne And whiles they so did they coloured their maliciousnesse with a visure of holynesse and cloked theyr disceitfulnesse with a pretensed desire to learne Oh wisdom vnapte to receiue doctrine They came to Iesus with bodie whome they were farre from with mynde They put forthe vnto hym a captious question saying What is thyne opinion our Maister Is is lofull for the husbande to forsake his wife This captiouse question deuised they among themselfes trusting th end would be that answering therunto he shoulde be driuen to graunt eyther one inconuenience or an other Before he pronounced those blessed who gelded themselfes for the kingdom of God Therfore if he being a fauourer of chastitie had now giuen sentence that it had bene leful for a man to cast of his wife because to mary a new as the Iewes vsed communely to doe theÌ„ should he haue semed to haue taught coÌ„trary doctrines Againe yf he had answered that it had bene â—â—no wise lefull so to doe then would they haue layed against him howe he had made the law of none authoritie whiche geueth the husband libertie to put away the wife The lord because he would take these crafty felowes in theyr owne craftinesse for they prepared a snare for him out of the law asked theÌ„ agayne what nede you to aske me this question synce yourselfes do professe the knowleage of the lawe What coÌ„maundement hath Moyses giuen you touching these matiers They answered Moyses suffered the husband yf there were any thing in the wife that offended him by by after a libel of diuorcemente geuen vp to put her awaye and mary an other if it pleased him so to doe The Phariseis did so interprete this sufferaunce of the lawe as thoughe those men dyd very well who for euery trifling cause woulde be diuorced from theyr wiues marie agayne not vnderstaÌ„ding the mind of the lawe maker whiche they might haue perceiued by the beginning of the boke of Genesis Iesus therfore sayd vnto them In that Moyses gaue you this libertie to forsake your wyues he fauoured not diuorcement but suffred the husbandes to doe what carnall desyre and sensualitie moued them vnto and would rather permit the lesse yuell then open a wyndowe to more greuouse enormities He would rather suffre vnlawfull separacion then manslaughter poysoning or detestable murthering of wyues For he knewe the hardnesse of your hartes vnto the which vice this thing was geuen as a remeadie lest greater mischiefe shoulde haue ensued But in paradise before the nature of man was fallen to this wickednesse matrimonie was not so instituted that diuorce should be made at the sensuall will and pleasure of the husband but for euer to continue betwen man and wife and neuer to be dissolued For at the first time god ioyned one to one that is to saye man to woman betwene whome he would haue so great loue and charitie to be that no separacion might chaunce For this cause saith he a man shall leaue his father and his mother and sticke vnto his wyfe and they bothe shall becum one fleshe so that being now conioyned in bodie soule they are no lenger two persons but one to th enteÌ„t there maie be a mutual participacion of weale and woe betwene them These wordes plainly declare that God was not pleased with diuorce els would he disanull his fyrst ordinaunce But Moyses permitting diuorce besydes the will of God prouided for a seasoÌ„ for the hardnesse of your hartes supposing aduoutry to be a smaller offence then murthering of wiues If this gentle permission of Moyses do please you know you also the cause compelling hym to geue you this libertie Therfore what god himselfe hath so conioyned at the begynning that it shoulde alwayes continue vndissolued let not man parte asunder Put awaye the hardnesse of your harte then shall there be no nede of diuorce then shall separacion of manne and wyfe haue no place With suche a sobre and a discrete answere Iesus defended goddes commaundement and yet neyther
reprochfull wordes cleane to withdrawe all men from the beliefe of Iesu. So are the Martyrs euen at this daye ofte tymes scorned and with lyke reprocheful wordes rayled on in their martyrdome and corporall tourmentes so is the veritie of the gospel verated laughed to skorne of the miscreantes whiche is many tymes so hardly handled that it semeth to be vtterly oppressed Yet ceased not this outragious raylyng against Iesus The two theues that wer crucified with hym rebuked the innocent as they honge on the crosse But here also dyd Iesus accordyng vnto his name For he saued one of them And when the sixt houre was 〈◊〉 darcknes arose ouer all the earth vntill the ninthe houre And at the ninthe houre Iesus cried with a loude voice saying Eloi Eloi Lamaz a bathany whiâ—h is if one interprete it my God my God why haste thou forsaken me And sum of them that stode by when they hearde that sayd beholde he calleth for Helias And one canne and fylled a sponge full of vineger and put it on a rede and gaue him to drincke saying let hym alone Let vs see whether Helias wyll cumme and take hym downe At the sixte houre there arose a darknes whiche couered all that lande and endured tyll the nynth Then Iesus destitute of all mannes helpe cryed vnto the father with a loude voyce reciting out of the psalme the prophecy whiche was spoken of hym before Heloi Heloi Lamazabathany the whiche wordes interpreted areas muche to saye in Englishe as my God my God why hast thou forsaken me When some of them that stode by heard hym speake these wordes and vnderstode not well the Hebrue tong they sayde he calleth vpon Hely There be many suche false prophetes and interpreters of scripture euen in our tyme and euer shall be tyll the worldes ende which expounde the wordes of Iesu no better then those scorners did After that when he cried agayn I am a thyrst there ranne one vnto him and â—aught him a sponge ful of vineger fastened to a rede saying Let hym alone let vs see whether Hely wyll cuÌ„ and take hym down from the crosse When he had eftsones tasted the vineger he woulde not drinke therof He thyrsted another wyne whiche they woulde not geue hym that refused to beleue the gospell But Iesus cried with a loude voyce and gaue vp the ghost And the vayle of the temple did rent in two pieces from the toppe to the bottome And wheÌ„ the Centurion which stode before hym sawe that he so cryed and gaue vp the ghost he sayde truly this manne was the sonne of God There were also women a good waye of beholdyng hym among whom was Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Iames the litle and of Ioses and Mary Salome whiche also when he was in Galile had folowed hym and ministred vnto hym and many other weomen whiche came vp with hym vnto Ierusalem Iesus all thynges fulfylled gaue a great skryke and therwith yelded vp the ghost And byanby the vayle of the temple which disseuered those thynges that the Iewes counted moste holy from the syght of the multitude or coÌ„mon people was rent from the vppermoste parte to the lowest Shadowes cease and vanishe away assone as veritie cummeth once to light Neyther should it be any more nedefull for any priest to entre into the sanctuary after that sacrifice was once offred vp and made whiche alone was sufficient to pourge the synnes of the whole world Nowe wheÌ„ the capitaine that stode right against Iesus as a minister and witnes of his death who had sene manye a one before put to execucion sawe howe that contrarye to the manoure of other he yelded vp the ghoste and dyed immediatlye as he had geuen this great skrike he sayd Truely this man was the sonne of God See here the fyrst fruites of the gentiles confessing the vertue and power of Christe He that confesseth hym to bee a man and the sonne of God confesseth him to bee both God and manne Albeit the captaine as yet vnderstode by the sonne of God a man notably beloued of God Marke this also how our sauiour is euery where a sauiour When he was a dying on the crosse he saued one of the theues And anon as he was deade he drewe the captaine vnto the profession of Christen fayth There were also women that stode a good waye of and behelde all that was doen among whome was Mary Magdalene Mary the mother of Iames the lesse and of Ioses and Mary Salome the whiche all the while that Iesus continued taught in Galile folowed hym and ministred vnto hym of their substaunce and besides these diuerse other whiche likewyse folowed hym in his voyage to Ierusalem And now when the euen was come because it was the daye of preparyng that goeth before the Sabboth Ioseph of the citie of Aramathia a noble counsailour which also loked for the kyngdom of god came and went in boldly vnto Pilate and begged of him the body of Iesu. And Pilate meruailed if he were already dead and called vnto him the CenturioÌ„ and asked of him whether he had been anye while deade And when he knewe the trueth of the Centurion he gaue the body to Ioseph And he bought a Lynnen clothe and take hym downe and wrapped hym in the lynnen clothe and layed hym in a sepulchre that was hewen out of the rocke and roled a stone before the dore of the sepulchre And Mary Magdalene and Mary Ioses beheld where he was layed When the euentyde drewe nye forasmuche as it was the preparing daye so called because it was the eueÌ„ of the great Sabboth there came one Ioseph of the citie of Aramathia a noble and a right worthy senatoure who likewise hoped after the kyndome of God This man because he had a good opinion of Iesu was bolde throughe affiaâ—nce of his nobilitie to go vnto Pilate and desyre of hym the body of Iesu. Pilate meruayled yf Iesus beyng but a youÌ„g man were already deade because manye had been wonte to lyue two or three dayes after theyr legges were broken Therfore he called vnto hym the Capitayne who stodeby the crosse and demauÌ„ded of him whether he were all ready dead or no And when by his informacion he was well ascerteined that he was dâ—ad in very dede he gaue the body to Ioseph For Iesus as long as he lyued suffred hymselfe to bee beaten and spit vpon of wycked persons But anon as he was deade he claymed his dignitie and would not bee handled but of godly persons no not somuche as bee seen but of his disciples who were apointed to lyfe euerlasting teachyng therby that no man shoulde chalenge his dignitie in this worlde Let a manne by honour and dishonour by glory and reproche onlye endeuour himselfe to finishe the businesse of the gospell For dignitie beginneth neuer to floryshe tyll after death Ioseph beyng right ioyfull that he hadde obteyned so precious a gifte bought a piece
spice of enuie at his name waxyng euery one day more famous then other and in maner derkenyng the glorye of Iohn of whoÌ„ they had an hyghe opinion make relacion vnto Iohn liyng fast bounde in the pryson of all the thynges that Iesus spake and dyd Iohn therfore of purpose to remedie and cure this affeccyonate mynde of his disciples called two of them apart vnto him seÌ„t theÌ„ vnto Iesus to demauÌ„d of him this questioÌ„ Are thou he that was sayd should cum or els dooe we loke for an other Iohn had so often alreadie geuen testimonie of Christe and also pointyng at him with his finger had said of him Behold the lambe of God Beholde hym that taketh awaye the sinnes of the worlde And nothyng is there more contrary to al reason then to thinke that so great a Prophete as Iohn beyng now nere vnto his death should begynne to doubte For though his body were in prison yet was not his testymonye of Christe bound in â—haines neither did the derkenes of the prison any thing dimme his iudgemente concernyng Christe For whom he acknowlaged in his mothers wombe hym dyd he no lese acknowelage in the pryson But the synguler good man iudged it so to be most expedient that he might by this way as it wer make deliuerie of his disciples into the handes of Iesus Whan Iohns disciples therfore had dooen their message to Christe after thesame maner fourme as their maister had geuen them in commission the Lorde Iesus did at the first make them no aunswer But many miracles doen in their presence right many sundrie maladies driuen out from suche as were sicke many vncurable euils put away froÌ„ men vnclene spirites cast out of meÌ„ with a word the sight restored vnto many that were blind at last thus he aunswered theÌ„ To what purpose is it for me to geue sentence of my self who I am There is no testimonie more clere oute of doubte then the testimonye of a 〈◊〉 actes Goe your waies and beare word vnto Iohn what ye haue seene with your iyes and what ye haue heard with your eares The blynd receiue their sight they that werlaine are made hable to walke lepres are made clene the deafe haue their hearyng restored the dead returne to life again the poore lowe dooe enbrace the glad newes of saluacion according to the prophecy of Esaye whiche sayeth He hath sent me to preache the ghospell vnto the poore Iohn preached the kyngdome of heauen to be at hande Weigh ye with your selues whether these thynges whiche ye see be thynges worthie and semyng for the kyngdom of heaueÌ„ And blissed is he that shal not turne these thinges which I doe for the health of men into an occasion of slaundre to hymselfewarde For as the greatnesse of the thinges wrought by me shall stiere many persones to enuie agaynst me so shall the weakenesse of this body bee occasion of slaundre to a great many With this saying Iesus did secretly checke the enuie of Iohns disciples geuing also therwithall a by woorde of knowledge that it would so cum to passe that the worldly open shame of the crosse by whiche in any wyse the mystery of the kingdome of heauen was to bee executed and accomplished would turne many mennes hertes a way from the doctrine of the ghospell and ferther that blessed shoulde they bee who neither woulde beare enuie ne grutche at his glory ne as men dismaied or troubled with the reproche of open deathe would sterte backe from his holsome doctrine ¶ And whan the messengers of Iohn were departed he began to speake vnto the people concerning Iohn What went ye out into the wildernesse for to see A rede shaken with the wind But what went ye out for to see A man clothed in softe raiment Behold they whiche are gorgeously apparelled and liue delicately are in kynges courtes But what went ye foorth to see A prophete yea I say to you and more then a prophete This is he of whom it is written Behold send my aungell before thy face whiche shal prepare thy way before thee For I say vnto you among womens children is there not a greatter prophete then Iohn Baptiste And whan Iohns disciples were gon their way to reporte vnto hym the aunswer of Iesus the Lorde begonne largely to speake in the praise of Iohn to the entent that none of them should by reason of demaundyng the former question by his disciples mystrust or suspecte Iohn hymself to be any thyng waueryng or concernyng his owne testimonie that he had afore geuen of Iesus to haue now chaunged his mynde and to be halfe in a doubte of the same Iesus therefore remoueth a waye from Iohn the suspicion of inconstauncie and also maketh Iohns testimony concernyng hym to be of the more credeÌ„ce and weight in such wise extolling Iohns excelleÌ„t vertues that yet neuerthelesse he gaue hym not the tytle of Messias whiche tytle certain persons for a good long space did labour to geue vnto him And in this maner it was that Iesus spake Yf ye suspecte saieth he that Iohn who a good while sens gaue testimonie of me to be nowe of a waueryng mynde why than did ye a greate while agon leaue the tounes after that sorte and rennefull and whole into deserte places to see the man to see a rede trowe ye that is blowen to and fro with the winde and neuer long abideth stedfaste But goe to yet what went ye foorth at laste to see A man trowe ye gaily apparelled in softe sylkes that he may with deliciousnes of fare or with ambicion of honour bee corrupted But this suspicioÌ„ cannot light on a maÌ„ which went clothed in a camels hide whiche gyrt his loynes with a roughe thong of heary leather whiche lyued with grassehoppers to his meate and with plaine water to his drinke and whiche wheras he susteined his life with no fyner diete then this did besides also fast very often WhoÌ„ gorgeous araie doneth best please whoÌ„ deliciousnesse of meates dooeth delite suche dooe seke and make shift to be in kynges courtes And on suche persones as haue a great desire to the thynges aboue said the suspicion of a corrupt sentence and mynde of inconstancie and waueryng or of plain flattery may perchauÌ„ce light But Iohn hath preferred wildernes before the courtes of princes he hath preferred the hearie hide of camels before veluets and silkes and before garmeÌ„tes of clothe of golde or set with precious stones wilde honey and locustes hath he preferred before the martspaines and other swete delicates of kynges plain water before the swete hypocras of the riche meÌ„ And how that Iohn can in no wise flatter the very prison that he is in dooeth sufficiently trye There is therefore no cause why any man should suspecte that Iohn dyd afore for any mannes pleasure or fauour geue so high and worthie testimony of me and now to haue chaunged his mynde But yet would I fain know what
certaine thinges omitted by the other euangelistes because they semed not vnworthy to be knowen But the especiall cause why that he wrote this gospel men suppose was to set forth confirme the godhead of Christ against the heresye whiche euen in those daies as euill weedes emongest good corne begun to spring and namely against the heresye of the Cerinthians and Ebeonites the whiche besyde other erroniouse doctrine preached that Christ was nothing els but man only nether that he was in any wise before he was borne of the virgin Marie Now it was very necessarie that the worlde shoulde knowe and beleue Christe to be bothe very god very mā of which twoo the former article doeth principally helpe to inflame the loue of man toward him for the better we knowe a thing with the better wil we do loue it secōdarily it doth cause vs to haue more feruēt courage to folowe the steps of him For who will attēpt to folow coūterfait that thing which is doen of an aungell by a vision apperaunce only not in very dede furthermore like as it is hard to obserue the thinges which he cōmaundeth euē so the thinges be excedyng excellēt that he promiseth it was therfore requisite also that his godhed should not be vnknowen to th entent that we might haue cōfydence that he vndoubtedly would helpe his seruaūtes whō he after such sort did loue neither will defraude them of his promise that which is able with a becke to do what him list The Euāgelistes that wrote before S. Iohn made in maner no mencion of the diuinitee of Christe For I thynke this to bee the wysedome which s. Paul vsed to speake emōgst the perfit emōgst the rest professing himself to know nothing els but Iesus Christe him to be crucified Mafortune as then the time did not suffer so inexplycable a misterie to be put in wryting to al mens knowledge lest it should be had in derisiō of the wicked because they could neither beleue it neither vnderstand it For in other matters also the olde aūcient auctours as oft as they make mēcion of heauēly thinges doe vse to speake both very seldome and very reuerently therof beeyng more copious in suche thynges as doe more profite and appertaine to godly lyuing The Apostle S. Iohn was constrayned therfore by the vndiscrete boldenes of the heretikes more plainly euidently to affirme both the natures to be in Christe like as by the bolde presumpcion of the Arians the catholyke fathers were inforced more precisely to discusse certaine thinges as touching thesame matters wher as they would rather not haue medled with the diffinicion of suche matters whiche both doeth greatly passe the capacitie of mannes wittes and cannot be determined without great daunger and perill But as for this matter not without consideracion it was reserued for S. Iohn so wel beloued of Christ and so well worthy whome as he that is the well of all wysedome dyd loue aboue the reste more feruētly so is it to be beleued that thesame did more plentifully reuele and open certain secretes and misteries vnto hym if I maye so cal him his so wel beloued dearlyng Him therfore so derely beloued of Christ let vs all profoundly and groundely vnderstand that we for our part may be the louers of Christ. Well of this one thing and no more I will put the reader to acknowleage that in this present Paraphrase I folowe the mynde of moste allowed olde autours but not in euery place neyther in euery thing for they themselues do often discent emong themselues yet do I alway sincerely and faithfully declare and bring forth that the which me thinketh is the most true sence meaning for as muche as I dyd perceiue that the olde auctours contendyng against the opinion of heretikes haue wrested some places something violently to their purpose yet it is not my mynde that any manne geue more credence to this my Paraphrase then he would geue to a commentarye if I had wrytten one vpon it notwithstandyng a Paraphrase is a kynde of a commentarie As for allegories in the whiche I perceiue the olde auctours to haue been very scrupulously and supersticiously diligente haue I not medled withal but very seldome neyther more copiously then me thought conuenient Farewell redoubted prince with all your endeuour fauour and sette foorth the glory of the gospell so almightie Christ of his part graciously assist you in all your desyres Yeuen at Basile the yere of our Lord. M.D.xxiii the .v. daye of Ianuarye ¶ Saint Iohns lyfe Wrytten by Saynt Ierome IOhn the Apostle whom Iesus loued tight well beyng the sonne of Zebedeus and Iames the Apostles brother whom after the Lordes deathe Herode had beheaded wrote his ghospel last of all the rest being desired thereto by the byshops of Asia both agaynst Cerinthus and diuers other Heretickes but principally agaynste the opinion of the Ebeonites whiche euen than arose which Ebeonites auouche that Christe was not before Marie by reason wherof he was enforced to shew euen his diuine natiuitie They saye that besydes this there was an other cause of his wrytyng because that whan he had red the volumes of Matthewe Marke and Luke he well allowed the texte of the story and affirmed that they had sayd the trueth but had only made their stor◠of one yeres actes in whiche after the imprisonmente of Iohn Christe suffered Wherfore omitting that yeres actes whiche were sufficiently entreated of all three he shewed such thynges as were doen before Iohn was imprisoned Whiche thyng may euidently appeare to suche as shall diligently reade the volumes of the fower gospels the whiche thing also doeth take awaye the disagreyng that semeth to be betwene Iohn and the rest He wrote besides the premisses one Epistle which beginneth thus That which was from the beginnyng which we haue heard which we haue sene with our iyes c. The other two which begin The elder to the welbeloued Lady and her chyldren c. And the elder to the best beloued Caius whom I loue in the trueth c are affirmed to haue been written of Iohn the priest whose seuerall toumbe is at this daye to be sene at Ephesus and many suppose that there are two memorials of this same Iohn the Euangelist of whiche matter we will entreate after we shall by order come to the lyfe of Papias his scholler In the fowertenth yere than at what tyme Domicianus after Nero styred vp the seconde persecucion Ihon being banished into the Isle of Pathmos wrote the reuelacion which is entitled the Apocalipsis which Iustine the martir and Hireneus doe make commentaries vpon But after Domician was stayne and all his actes reuoked by the Senate because of his ouer muche crueltie he returned to Ephesus in the tyme of prince Nerua and continuyng there vntill the tyme of the Emperour Traiane he instituted and gouerned all the churches of Asia and there continued tyll he was impotente for
Paraphrases to be translated to the vse of the vnlearned multytude whiche can go no ferther then the vnderstandyng or readyng of Englyshe For in this Paraphrase of Erasmus is conteined in maner a whole librarie of deuout catholyke expositours vpon the whole new testamente in which new testament is conteyned the plenteous richesse most precious treasoures of Christes ghospell that is of the glad newes of Goddes fauour and mercy towardes mankynd Which fauour and mercy of God whosoeuer doth feithfully syncerely enbrace cannot but fauour and ferther the setting foorth of scripture in the vulgare language that al folkes maye knowe it and also of any other godly traictises whereby that same generall benefyte of God towardes mankynde maye the more clerelye and certainly be perceiued And to this effecte forasmuche as Desiderius Erasmus of Roterodam doeth especially directe aswell these his Paraphrases vpon the newe testament as also all other his right christian wrytinges and that with as much indifferencie as is possible to be I cannot but iudge that whoso are prompte and hasty condemners of Erasmus or eagre aduersaries vnto his doctrine do vnder the name and colour of Erasmus rather vtter their stomake hatred againste Goddes woord and the grace of the ghospell which Erasmus for his parte moste diligently and moste simply laboureth to bryng to lyght His doctryne wyll some vneguall iudges saye is scarcely sincere If there shall no more insynceritee of doctrine appere in the wrytynges of them that so wyll say then the comon coÌ„sent of the chrystian world doeth fynde and iudge in Erasmus I doubte not but theyr weorkes shal be of all good people approued desyred enbraced and folowed Erasmus wyl some such headie persones say doth somewhere erre It maye so be forasmuch as a man he is and so estemeth hymself and woulde his weorkes none other wyse to be reade or accepted then the wrytynges of other mortall men But in case he should in some place saie now then a worde to much or to litel or putte a wurse word for a more apte terme or if he should in some place stoumble or swarue whiche poincte of humayne frayltee the best doctours that wrote sence the apostles tyme hathe not escaped nor Erasmus so standeth in his owne wylfull opynion but that beeyng found and tryed a faulte he woulde haue been as readye to retracte it as euer any other godly catholike wryter hath ben yet were one lytle tryppe after my poore iudgement emong so many notable good workes for the enterpretacion of scrypture and for the helpe of the symple rather to bee borne withall then so many good thinges to be either reiected or kept away from the hungry christian readers it is a colde charitee that can beare with nothing and an eagre malice it is that for a trifle or a matier of nothing woulde haue the ignoraunt multitude to lacke so much good edifying as may be taken of Erasmus aswel in all hys other ryght deuoute and catholyke woorkes as also moste specyally in these his paraphrases in which he laboureth so to enlarge the processe and tenour of the texte as the sense therof may bothe euedentlye be gathered may well hange together Erasmus therfore lyke as he hathe by a paraphrasticall discourse playnly sette foorth the ghospelles of the fower Euangelistes aforeâ—so dooeth he now here expoune the seconde parte of Lukes ghospel entitled the Actes of the Apostles whiche woorke Athanasius at leste wyâ—e if it were Athanasius in dede that wrote the litle traictise entitled of the bokes of bothe the olde and the newe testament c. testifieth that Luke wrote out of Peturs mouthe â–ª that Petur endicted vnto Luke what and how he should wryte theÌ„ as Paule endicted to the same Luke whan he wrote his ghospell Whereof as Erasmus in the preface to his paraphrase vpoÌ„ Lukes ghospel recordeth it is gathered and thought that the sayde Actes wer wryten in Rome But whersoeuer they were wryten certes the worke was no lesse expediente necessarie to be wrytten ne the paraphrase vpon the same any thyng lesse requisite to bee translated into Englysh then the reste of the newe testament firste for that it is a plain historical narracion a piece of the veray ghospel in that it declareth aswell the ascencion of Christe from yearthe vp into heauen as also hys sendyng â—oune of the holy ghoste from his heauenly father together with the spryngyng vp of the prymatiue churche the fourme and ordre of preachyng that the Apostles than first begonne with secondely because it was as Erasmus hymselfe testifieth the last parte that he did of all the whole paraphrases vpon the testament and by reason thereof as I iudge the moste absolute piece of worke and best dooen of the reste by reason of his long exercise afore in this kynde of writing and thyrdely because this piece of the new testament is no lesse profytable for the publishyng and furtheraunce of the ghospel then Luke dyd deuise and entende it ne to the poore younglynges in Christes dyscipline any thyng lesse auaillable For here may we learne the beginninges of Christes churche by whome and by what manier persones the feythe of Christe fyrste sprong vp howe it proceded and grewe howe it was persecuted and how by persecucyon it wexed stronger stronger For as the Paulme tree the more weight and burdeÌ„ is layed vpon it the more it ariseth and shootheth vpryght so the ghospel the more persecucion that was inflycted vnto it and the more rigour wrong â–ª reproche cheynes and aduersytee that was mynistred vnto it the more it grewe the more it prospered the better it wente forewarde and the more it floryshed In the Actes is to be reade by what meanes and dryftes of humayne polycy the enemyes of Christes bloude and ghospell wrastled to suppresse the glorye of his crosse howe the more that the wysedoÌ„ of the world thought to euacuate the fruicte of Christes deathe and passion the more dyd the humylytee of preachyng the Crosse worke in the hartes of yâ— simple to contemne not onely the pleasures and flattery of the worlde but also the persecucion tyranny therof so that dayly encreased in euery place where the ghospell was preached thousandes vpoÌ„ thousandes to augmente the feithfull congregation The Actes therefore were no lesse necessary to be translated then the rest of the paraphrases which Actes I haue by occasioÌ„ of adding digesting and sorting the texte with the paraphrase throughly perused and conferryng the same with the Latine I haue here and there dooen my good wyll and diligence to make the Englysh aunswerable to the Latyne booke at lestwyse in sense as by the same occasion I did also with Mathewe In Iohn I haue in manier dooen nothing at all sauing only placed the texte and diuided the paraphrase because I knew the translatours thereof with whose erquysite dooynges I myght not without the cryme of great arrogancie and
his disciples to thys storme which was at hand shewing them that he must first goe to Ierusalem and that he shoulde haue many griefes and displeasures of the Scrybes and Phariseis and also of the chiefe priestes and finally that he shoulde be killed but on the thyrde day ryse agayne Whan the disciples being yet carnal vnderstoode not fully this communicacion because they iudged these thynges vnmete and vnworthy for him who thorough so many myracles declared hymselfe to be the sonne of God yet they durst not demaunde of their maister what it ment to dye and ryse agayne Therefore Peter who for the special loue that he had to his mayster was bolder then the other taketh hym asyde from the other of the Apostles as though he woulde tell hym a thyng more familiarly and chyding hym and abhorring the speaking of death and afliccions sayd Lorde be good to your selfe These thinges shall not happen vnto you For it is in you that they come not to passe For although Peter pronounced hym to be the sonne of God alyue rather by the instigacion of the father then by hys owne reason or wit yet he was farre from the vnderstandyng of that mistery that Iesus by hys death shoulde redeme mankynde and by his resurreccyon declare vnto the worlde the might of his diuine power Therfore Iesus to refourme this affeccion in his disciples turned vnto them behelde theÌ„ whome he knewe to haue like mynde and affeccyon albeit onely Peter durste blame the Lord and said vnto Peter Come behind me Sathan Be not against the will of my father it is thy parte to folowe me not to goe beefore Nowe thou dooeste withstande and endeuour to leat that thyng whiche bothe my father willeth to be doen and also it behoueth me to doe for the health and saluacion of mankinde Thou desireste to bee a felowe of the kyngdome and thou arte againste me making spede vnto the crosse of myne owne accorde to thentente I may winne and get thys kyngdome to my father what way ye see me goe the same ye must goe also to the kyngdome of heauen But thou sauereste not yet the thynges whiche be of God but led by mannes affeccyons â–ª repyneste agaynst the will of God Resiste not therefore thou vnprofitable counsaylour but folow after me becum rather a scholler then a maister ¶ Than sayde Iesus vnto hys disciples yf any man will folowe me let hym forsake hymselfe take vp his crosse folowe me For whoso wil saue his life shal loose it Againe whoso loseth his life for my sake shall finde it For what doeth it profit a man if he win al the whole world loose his owne soule For what shal a man geue to redeme his soule agayne withal For the soÌ„ne of man shal come in the glory of his father with his angels and then shal he rewarde euery man according to his dedes Uerely I say vnto you there bee some standyng here whiche shall not taste of deathe tyll they see the sonne of manne come in hys kingdome When that with these sayinges Iesus had cut the combe of Peter for his importune frowardnes turning to all his disciples began to declare at large what it was that he sayde to Peter come behinde me Whosoeuer ê™ he will bee my disciple and partaker of the kyngdome of heauen let hym folowe my steppes And lyke as he seeth me despysyng all the goodes of thys worlde to bestowe my lyfe also willingly for the saluacyon of menne and glory of my father so muste he also refuse and caste of all humayne affeccions ready to all kindes of death for the gospels sake and take his crosse and folow me which am goyng to the crosse So to suffer is a blessed thyng so to bee rebuked is a gloryouse thyng so to be killed is a winnyng of lyfe I know there is nothing more dere then life but so euery man must lose hys lyfe if he will saue it and except he lose it he shall lose it in dede He loseth it for aduauntage that loseth it for the gospels sake He loseth it in dede whiche forsaking the ghospell prouideth for thys temporal lyfe and loseth the life euerlasting There is no man so foolish that woulde winne this whole worlde with the losse of this corporal and shorte lyfe To what purpose serue rychesse yf the owner perishe So it is a mad mannes parte to make so muche of hys affeccions of rychesse or els of his body whiche within shorte time shoulde perishe yea though no man kil it that for mennes pleasure he will lese the lyfe euerlasting whiche whoso hath not hath all the other in vayne Therefore nothing ought to be so deare vnto any man the gain whereof he woulde chaunge with the losse of his soule For the losse of other thinges may some wayes be recompeÌ„ced the losse of the soule cannot be recouered He that loseth his life for my sake dooeth not lose it but commytteth it to me for auauntage and shall receyue it agayne with lucre whan the Maiestie of the kingdome of God shall appeare Nor ye ought not to be dyscouraged in youre mynde because I haue shewed you that ye must suffer muche aduersitie for the ghospel They shall haue an ende shortely and euerlasting glory shall folow the temporal ignomyny and rebuke For the sonne of man whome ye shall see oppressed and troden downe of all men and counted for a wurme shall come once in an other lykenes and shall shewe vnto all men the Maiestie and glory of hys father beeyng garded and accompanied with his aungels Than he that was iudged here and condemned with a shameful deathe shall bee the iudge of all menne bothe quicke and dead and shall yelde a rewarde vnto euery man accordyng to hys dedes Than shall they bee appoynted to euerlastyng deathe whiche here regarded more their lyfe thaÌ„ me and they shal be rewarded with immortal life which for my sake despised the life of the body for a time Now is the tyme of strife and trauayle hereafter shal be the time of rewardes And truly this felicitie shall than be made absolute and perfecte when it shall bee seene good vnto the father For it belongeth not vnto you to knowe the tyme. And yet in the mean seasoÌ„ there shal be geuen to you a certain taste of this glory For be ye assured of this there be sum here staÌ„dyng whiche shall not taste of death before that they see the sonne of man shewyng the maiestie of his kingdome as it may be seene with bodily iyes Surely before death they shal see the kingdome of God shewe furth his power and now by litle and litle vanquyshe and ouercum the whole power of this worlde ¶ The .xvii. Chapter ¶ And after sixe dayes Iesus taketh Peter and Iames and Iohn his brother and bryngeth them vp into a high mountain out of the way and he was transfigured before them â–ª his face did shine as the
sunne and his clothes wer as white as the lighâ— And beholde there appeared vnto them Moses and Helias talkyng with him Than answered Peter and said vnto Iesus Lord here is good being for vs if thou wâ—lt let vs make here thre tabernacles one for the one for Moses and one for Helias As he yet was speaking behold a bright cloude shadowed theÌ„ And behold there came a voice out of the cloud saiyng this is my welbeloued sonne in whom I delight muche heare him And whan the disciples had heard these thynges they fell on their faces and were â—ore afrayed And Iesus came and touched them and sayd Arise and be not afrayed And when they had lyft vp their â—yes they sawe no man saue Iesus onely AFter sixe daies Iesus willyng by sum meanes as it were by a dreame to shew vnto his disciples that sighte and apperaunce in the whiche once he shall cum to be iudge of the worlde he chose out three of the numbre of his disciples Peter Iames and Iohn his brother and whan he had brought them vp into a very hye hyll farre from the sight of men he was transfigured before them And his face shyned lyke the sunne and his garmentes wer bryght with whytenesse as whyte as snow and as no fuller can make vpon the earth and there appered also to them Moses and Helias talkyng with hym of the glory of his death whiche he should suffer at Ierusalem This was thought good to Christ that the Apostles should be confyrmed by those auctours whom all the Iewes magnified moste and that they shoulde not suspect that he would abolish the law sith Moses stoode with hym nor the prophetes sith Helias was present neither yâ— they should abhorre his death as a shameful thing whiche so great men set forth and shewed it to bee glorious These thinges wer seen to the apostles as to men newely waked froÌ„ slepe for their iyes wer heauy grieued For mortall feblenesse was not of capacitie to receiue the greatnesse of the vision The disciples therfore being afearde and amased with suche a woÌ„derful and incredible sighte Peter not yet fully wel aduised but rauished wholly with the pleasure and maiesty of the sight which semed to be farre from mencion of death said Lord let vs buylde here three tentes or pauilyons one for thee another for Moses and the third for Helias This was thought vnto Peter more wisedom than to be slain at Ierusalem Peter had not yet ended his coÌ„municacioÌ„ but beholde a bryght and pleasauÌ„t cloude ouershadowed thapostles lest they should be absorpte and ouercummed with the highnesse of the sighte And behold the voice of the father sounded out of the cloude witnessyng of his sonne with the same wordes with the which he witnessed of hym wheÌ„ he was baptised in Iordane This is my onely beloued sonne in whom my mynde hath delight heare him Whan the disciples heard this voice ful of diuine maiestie and not to be borne of mannes eares they fell doune grouelyng vpon theyr faces and wer more afeard For they wer afeard of theyr lyfe because they had learned that God sayed thus man shall not see me and liue But Iesus receiuyng agayn his former shape touched them with his handes lest they shoulde suppose that he were a goste and with his accustomed and knowen voyce he comforted them saying Aryse and feare nothyng Further when they wer cum to themselues and lifted vp their iyes they sawe no maÌ„ there but Iesus alone euen lyke as he came vnto the hill And whan they came doune from the mountayâ—e Iesus charged them saiyng Shewe the vision to no manne vntill the sonne of man be rysen agayn from the dead And his discyples asked him saiyng why than say the Scribes that Helias must fiâ—st cum And Iesus aunswered and said Truely Helias shall first cum and restore all thynges But I saye vnto you that Helias is cum already they knewe hym not but haue doen vnto hym whatsoeuer they lusted In likewyse shal the sonne of man also sufâ—re of them TheÌ„ the disciples vnderstode that he spake vnto them of Iohn Baptiste And whan they came doune from the hill before they came to the cumpany of the other disciples he coÌ„mauÌ„ded them to tel no man of these thinges that they had sene vntil the sonne of man wer risen froÌ„ death For vntil that time the tale should be vnprofitable and not beleued And the disciples kept it to themselues and conferred betwene themselues what it myght meane that Iesus said after that he be risen again froÌ„ death Their hart was so wrapt entangled that that worde so often hearde â—ould not enter into their hart But a certain doubt rose in their myndes of that that they saw Helias standyng with Iesus this doubt they propose vnto hym in the way What meneth it than ê™ they that the Scribes teachyng and tellyng of the cumming of Messias be wonte to saye out of the authoritie of Malachie that before the cummyng of Messias Helias Thesbites shal cum And he went not before thy cummyng but this daye was seene in the hyll Unto whome Iesus makyng aunswer saied Truly Helias shall câ—m lyke as Malachias sayed and accordyng to his prophecie shall goe before my cummyng and shall restore al thynges the residewe of the people of Iewes being conuerted vnto the gospell leste the whole nacion should be condemned But this cumming shall be in tyme to cum when I shall be here againe with the maiestie of my father renderyng rewarde vnto euery man accordyng vnto his dedes And yet a certayn Helias went before this my cummyng also whom the Iewes despised euen as they dyd me and dyd vnto him not after his desertes but whatsoeuer it pleased them And the sonne of man shall be handeled of them with like mekenes Than the disciples vnderstode that he called Iohn Baptiste Helias for the lykenes of lyfe and freenesse in reprouyng of kynges And whan they wer cum to the people there came to hym a certaine man knelyng downe and sayed Lorde haue mercy on my sonne for he is lunatyke and soore vexed for oftymes he falleth into the fyer and oft into the water And I brought him to thy disciples they could not heale him Iesus answered and said O feithles croked nacion how long shal I be with you how long shall I suffre you bryng hym hither And Iesus rebuked the deuil and he went out of hym And the childe was healed from that tyme. But nowe when Iesus went vnto his disciples he sawe a great multitude of men about theÌ„ and the Scribes disputyng with them The people meruelyng whither Iesus was gone ran vnto him and saluted him He demauÌ„ded of them what the matter was that they disputed amonge themselues Than one of the multitude made aunswer Maister I brought my sonne to thee which is miserably vexed of an vnclean spirit which as often as he taketh him the childe is beaten against
the ground sumtime he is dryuen into the fier sumtime into the water he fometh he gnasheth with his teeth coÌ„sumeth awaye And because I could not haue you I desired your disciples to cast out the deuil they could not But Iesus to heale the vnbelefe of all men crieth out in maner angerly O nacion vnbeleuing and without faythe how long shall I be among you in vayne howe long shall I suffre your vntractable and froward maners I haue doen so many miracles and profitte nothyng and therwith coÌ„maunded the chylde to be brought because the miracle might be the more euident and â—otable to all men Which when he was brought and seen of Iesê° furthwith euen there before theÌ„ al the spirite toke hym and the chylde was hurled vpon the ground and tumbled and fomed a miserable sight to see ThaÌ„ Iesê° the more to declare the greatnes of the disease asked the father how long it was sith the chyld began to be vexed with this disease The father made aunswer and sayed from his infancy and not without daunger of his life For oftentimes he droue him into the fier sumtyme into the water to destroy him I know that it is a soore disease yet yf thou caÌ„st do any thing haue mercy vpoÌ„ vs help vs. Iesê° hearyng yf thou canst sumwhat reprouyng the weakenes of his faith as who saieth any disease wer of greater might than the power of God sayth vnto him Aske not what I am able to do but loke what thou art able to beleue For if thou trust fully nothing is so hard but it may cum to passe to him that doth beleue trust At this word the father conceiuyng a trust and a more sure hope with plentifull teares criyng out made aunswer Lord I beleue and if any thing waÌ„t in my trust and belefe supply thou it of thy goodnes and help my vnbelefe In the meane time when Iesus espied the multitude of people runnyng to gase desyrous to see whether the thyng that came not to passe to the discyples should cum to passe to Iesus he threatened the vncleane spirit saiyng thou deaf and dumme spirit I commaund the go out from him and teturne not a gain vnto him hereafter But the spirite went froÌ„ the chylde with howlyng yet first he tore him and vexed him so vehemently that he lay for dead and many warranted that he was dead So strong and tough was the violence of the disease But Iesus taking the child by the hand lifted hym vp he arose Like as the father did hardly beleue so his soÌ„ne was hardly heled ¶ Than came the disciples a part to Iesus and said why could not we cast hym out Iesus said vnto them because of your vnbelefe For verily I say vnto you yf ye haue fayth as a grain of musterde seede ye shall say vnto this mountayne Remoue from hence to yonder place and it shall remoue and nothing shal be vnpossible vnto you Albeit this kynde goeth not oute but by prayer and fastyng In the meane season the disciples wer heauy in their mindes fearing leste thorough their default they had lost the power of doyng miracles wheras before they had gloryed that deuilles also were obedient vnto their worde before the multitude they kepe sylence for shame But whan Iesus was cuÌ„ into the house they goe vnto their maister and demaund of hym why could not we cast out this deuill sith this power was once deliuered vnto vs froÌ„ thee Iesus to confyrme the faythe and trust of his disciples which oughte to be so great that sumtyme it myghte helpe the distruste of others sayeth The weakenesse of your fayth partely was the cause For the violeÌ„ce of the disease was vehement and the fathers fayth weake and waueryng your faythe was not so mightie that it was equall and hable against both these difficulties For it is sumwhat werish with mannes affeccions and faultye by the reason of the leauen of vaynglorye And ye had faythe lyke the seede of mustarde which beyng vile and litle yet when it is broosed it sheweth a sharpe quicknes of her nature and sowed in the grounde springeth vp into a large tree nothing should be so harde but with a word it should be brought to passe out of hande Yea if ye should say to the hil remoue from hence and goe into an other place it would doe it forthwith as it was commaunded But this kynde of deuylles wherewith the chylde was possessed is not cast out vnlesse fayth be confirmed and strengthned by prayer and fastyng The violence of the disease was strong and tough and by continuaunce of time it was tourned into nature Agaynste suche maner of faultes we must fyght with fastynges which do subdue the body being brought lowe vnto the spirite and also with praier whiche obteyneth the help of god By this coÌ„municacion Iesus taught that greuous vehement and muche accustomed dyseases of the mind must be driuen away with strong vehemente remedies And whan they were in Galile Iesus sayd vnto them It will cum to passe that the soÌ„ne of man shal be deliuered into the handes of men and they shall kyll hym and the third daye he shall rise againe And they were exceadyng sory But now Iesus whan he was in Galile to the entent he might fortify make strong the mindes of his disciples lest they should be ouer much troubled with his death again he doth iterate beate it into theÌ„ that the sonne of man must be delyuered into the handes of men and killed of them that the thyrde day he should rise agayn from death This saiyng did grieue the mindes of the disciples aboue measure which so loued their lord albeit theyr affeccion and loue was yet carnal that their eares could not suffre any mencion of death For they coulde not vnderstande that Moses and Helyas called the death of Iesus a glory renoume and that that death should bryng health and saluacion to the whole worlde And although like as they were heuy and fadde at the mencion of death so they ought to haue bene chereful glad at the mencion of the resurreccion yet their mynd abhorred so muche from the remembraunce of deathe that surelye they vnderstode not what it ment to dye and the thyrde day to rise agayn For they thought it better vtterly not to dye seeyng that he was hable to doe that whiche was hable to reuiue again from death And whan they were cum to the citie of Capernaum â–ª they that vse to receiue tribute money called a didraÌ„me came to Peter and said Doth your maister pay a didraÌ„me He saith yea And whan he was cum into the house Iesus preuented him saying What thinkest thou SimoÌ„ Of whom doeth the kynges of the earth take tribute or toll of their children or of straungers Peter sayeth vnto him of straungers Iesus sayd vnto hym than the chyldren be free Notwithstanding leste we shoulde offende them goe
blynde Myne opinion is that battaile for the moste part springeth of vayne wordes or titles as it were inuented to nourishe maÌ„s pryde vayne glory as who saie there were not ambicion ynoughe in the worlde vnlesse we fed maintened this naughtie vice with newly inuented titles the whiche vice of it owne propre nature groweth to fast in vs. These and suche other lyke rootes and chief causes of battaile beyng once cut awaye then should it be easie to coÌ„clude and establishe a peace among christian princes with such lawes and condicions that woulde neuer suffre suche ruffling businesse and hurly burly to begyn agayne By this meanes should the princes encrease in richesse now beeing common bytwene them by reasâ—n of amitie and frendship and the christian people should lyue in louely peace and tranquilitie vnder their moste wealthye princes So would the lorde Iesus that true king of the whole worlde be fauorable vnto vs and cause all thinges to prosper goe forwarde with vs. So should we be feared of the enemies of Christes religioÌ„ againste whom we haue much a do at this daye to defend our owne much lesse than are we able to discoumfite them and chase them away far from vs Albeit I had rather haue them refourmed of their misbeliefe then by force of armes chased away and put to flyght But howe is it possible for vs to reforme other yf our selues be I had almoste sayed worse and more vicious in our conuersacion then they are For I dooe not here esteme christian menne by the articles of the fayth whiche we professe with mouthe but by theyr maners and lyning Wheresoeuer ambicion couetousnes pryde wrathe reuengemente and a desyre to hurte reigneth there say I lacketh the faythe of the ghospell Nowe albeit this pestilence haue infected euen those vnto whose office it chiefly apperteined to see a remedy for the decay of christen religion yet haue I some good hope of reformacion because I see the bookes of holy scripture but specially of the newe testament so taken in hande and laboured of all men yea euen as much as of the ignoraunt and vnlettered sorte that many tymes suche as professe the perfyte knowledge of Goddes woorde are not able to matche them in reasonyng And that there be very many readers of the bookes of the newe testament this one thyng maketh me to beleue because notwithstanding the printers do yerely publishe and put forth so many thousande volumes yet all the bookesellers shoppes that be are not hable to suffice the gredâ—â—es of the byers For nowe a dayes is it well solde ware whatsoeuer a man attempteth vpon the ghospell This so strong a medicine once receiued and dronken canne not but worke and put forth his strength Wherfore me thynketh the worlde is in case lyke to a maÌ„nes body vexed with greuous diseases after it hath receyued an herbe called Ellebore or some other strong purgacion For then is it all together distempered and out of quyet and fareth as though it woulde yelde vp the ghoste And God sende grace that this euangelike Ellebore after it haue once searched and entred into all the veynes of our soule maye so come vp agayne that the sedes of vices beyng therby cast out and auoyded it maye restore vs made whole and purged of all our synnes vnto Iesu Christe and maye also after this greate rufflyng and almoste vncurable diseases of the worlde bryng agayne vnto all menne that ioyefull and muche desyred tranquilitie And verily I would hope better that the common prayers of all good men to that ende and purpose shoulde not be made in vaine if the chiefe estates of the worlde woulde lyke trustie and faythfull physycians do theyr endeuour to helpe the worlde in this euill case that is to saye yf the princes in whome it chiefly lyeth to rule the worlde as they wyll would call vnto theyr remembraunce that they shall shortlye for what thing is there in this present lyfe of any long continuaunce gyue an accoumpt vnto that moste soueraigne and high prince how they haue gouerned their dominions Agayne yf the bishoppes diuines and all ecclesiasticall persones woulde likewyse remember howe they haue not succeded in the places of Annas Caiphas or of the Scribes and Phariseis who whyles they wickedly defended theyr owne kyngdome wente about to oppresse the kyngdome of the ghospell whyles they vphelde and defended theyr owne glorye dyd theyr endeuour to bury and ouer whelme Christes glorye and finally whiles they laboured to approue theyr owne righteousnesse made God vnrighteous but rather in the place of the Apostles who had a pleasure euen with the leesyng of theyr owne bloude and liues to defende Christes kyngdome Christes glory and Christes righteousnes Christe hath once suffered once arysen agayne from death to lyfe and neuer wyll dye agayne But he suffereth thesame passion afreshe so oft as the truethe of the ghospell is condemned beaten spytte vpon crucified and buried To be short he reckeneth done vnto hymselfe whatsoeuer euell or displeasure is done vnto his membres Peraduenture moste Christian kyng I haue spokeÌ„ here more frankely and more at large then it became me to do howbeit the great loue I beare towarde your grace hath made me both lauishe of my woordes and also more bolde to vtter my minde vnto your highnesse I beyng a Christian man do wishe well vnto all Christian menne generally but yet haue I a certaine speciall loue and affeccion to the moste noble and florishyng realme of Fraunce I beseche Iesu thimmortall kyng of the whole worlde vnto whome the heauenly father hath geuen all power in heauen and in yearth to geue his holy spirite both to the people and also to the princes and rulers to the princes that they may haue grace happely to passe ouer theyr lyues in mutuall amytie and concorde vnder theyr common kyng and prince Iesu vnto the other that they maye lyue in reste and peace vnder their moste godly and wealthy princes and the ende of all to be this that christian vertue and godlinesse beyng well planted among vs maye be enlarged and spred abrode as muche as is possible to be not by inuadyng or wasting of others dominions or countreys for so our enemies become the porer but neuer the better and more godly but by preaching euery where the doctrine of the gospell syncerely and truely by theyr ministery that haue in them the spirite of the ghospell and by ordering our liues after suche sorte that verye many may be allured to professe our religion euen by the swete smell or sauour of our good lyuing So be ganne the christian empire so encreaced it so was it greatly enlarged so was it established and by the contrary we see how it is now almost at a point and come to nothing if we considre the greatnesse of the whole worlde Wherfore loke by what aydes it first beganne by what meanes it was encreaced and established by the same must we repaire it beyng decaied
some by a greate desyre to heare my doctrine But whoso wil be a true folower of me yf he intend to be associate with me in blisse glory let thesame in the meane tyme dispose hymselfe to be my felowe or partener in sufferyng affliccions and death Let hym vtterly renye himselfe reseruing nothing vnto himselfe in thys worlde but cleane renouncyng all thynges euen to contempt of lyfe and finally let euery man take vp his crosse and folowe me Let not the disciple be ashamed to folowe his teacher nor the seruaunt to folowe his maister Neyther let any intende to come to glory by any other way or meane then that by the whiche he shall se me goe thither before hym Whoso thynketh that he hath in himselfe wherby he is able to attayne saluacion shall perish And contraryly whoso distrustyng all his owne aydes wholly putteth himselfe to my mercy shall be saued For it is not inough for my sake lytell to passe vpon landes tenementes parentes wife and children but lyfe it selfe for the preseruacion whereof manne forgoeth all that euer he hathe must likewyse be forsaken Be ye of good comforte that neuer perysheth whiche is geuen to me no rather ye shall preserue that by losyng whiche you shoulde otherwyse lose in dede by euill kepyng Through faythe of the gospell to all men is geuen lyfe euerlastyng Therfore he that setteth more by thys present lyfe then by the grace of the Ghospell althoughe he seme for a tyme to wynne thesame yet doeth he in very dede lose it For no manne can here prolong his lyfe beyonde the tyme appoynted Albeit to saye the truthe neyther in the meane tyme and before his deathe liueth a manne in dede excepte he liue well and vertuously And after this lyfe whiche to all men is very short and transytory he shal be condemned to euerlasting deathe Nowe whoso for my sake and for that he is a stedfast professour of the gospell putteth his life in hasarde of death shall preserue it by me whiche els should verely peryshe Therfore yf there be nothyng so dearely beloued of manne in this worlde but he wyll be content to raunsome temporall life with the losse thereof debatyng the matter with him selfe in this wyse what shall it auayle me to haue house landes goodes precious stones wyfe and chyldrē preserued yf my selfe peryshe and shall not enioye that I am owner of ▪ Though all these thinges be in safety yet do they perishe to me ward yf I fortune to dye For what thing can be so dearely beloued and muche set by of man that is not to be contemned for the preseruaciō of lyfe If one woulde offer another as great riches and treasure as euer had Mydas and Cresus the beautye of Absolone the Monarchy and empyre of the whole world and fynally all sortes and kyndes of pleasures and therewith say take these thynges and dye woulde not thother byanby refuse this offre made hym with suche condicion and answere agayne I loue my lyfe alone better then all these thynges Sythe I saye that euery manne doethe wysely consyder these thynges with him selfe so ofte as there is any imminēt daunger of bodely lyfe why do they not then more earenestly loke vpon examyne and waye the matter whensoeuer it concerneth that lyfe inestemable Nowe euerlasting lyfe is profered vnto thy soule and wilte thou not exchaunge therfore the shorte and wretched life of the body especially sithe that euery manne shall another daye receiue his owne body agayne restored to a more blessed life All men must not of necessitie dye for the profession of the ghospel but yet euery manne ought to be ready in wyll and mynde so to doe to the intent that yf the case requyre they maye passe nothyng vpon corporall life so that the lyfe of the soule may be saued Whensoeuer the storme of persecucion aryseth then must this crosse be taken vp Albeit neither euen when all thynges be quyet and persecucion ceaseth shall any manne be without his crosse vnlesse it be counted an easy thing to renounce all naturall affections with al worldly pleasures and inticemētes to cut of the inordinate lustes of the flesh to brydle excesse to represse sensualytye and pleasure of the bodye to subdue hastines and lette passe reuengemente For these thynges also muste euery manne doe that wyll be my disciple euen at that tyme when the worlde is moste quiet and without busynes But trueth it is that the worlde shall with all maner of engynes ryse agaynste those whiche professe my name and threten them with reproche banyshement imprisonment tormentes attayndour and deathe For this is a naughtye nacyon and shall euer haue in it moe reprouable and naughty disposed persones then good menne among whom it shall be counted the greatest offence that maye be to professe my name And if any manne the worlde being thus set and bent against me ▪ wyll be ashamed to confesse himself to be my disciple in this vngracious and conterfeite nacion where after shorte afflyction foloweth euerlastyng blysfulnes hym the sonne of man wyll requyte and be lykewyse ashamed to take hym for hys disciple when he shall eftsones cum not lowe and contemned as he is now but wonderfull and merueylous in the royaltye and glory of his father not accompanyed with a fewe poore disciples but enuironed with innumerable companyes of holy Aungels The .ix. Chapter ¶ And he sayde vnto them verely I saye vnto you there be some among them that stande here whiche shall not taste of death tyll they haue sene the kyngdome of God 〈◊〉 with power THey shall not be partakers of this glory who wyll not nowe suffre the infamy of my crosse The Iewes loked for a merueilous kyngdome of the children of Israel which they supposed should begyn assone as Messias was come and therfore they coulde not beleue that Iesus was Messias because he came so poorely and lyke an outcaste of the worlde and muche more wer they offended with the mencion of his passion and death ▪ They vnderstode not how there wer two cūminges of Messias the fyrst which after the estimation of the world was lowe and reprochfull and another full of maiestie and glorye which shal be in the ende of the worlde to thenten◠he may ioyne vnto him his whole body deliuered from all euils in the glory of the father and throwe downe Sathan with all his membres into the fyre of hell He woulde that the daye of his latter cumming should be vncertainne to all menne but yet woulde he haue euery man to be in a readynes againste the same Therfore forasmuche as there were some among the people whiche by inward imaginacion sayde thus to them selues when shall this tyme of glory cum which he promiseth And peraduenture many of them beleued not that it should euer cum at all Iesus stablished their wauering myndes with suche wordes as here ensue Be ye ryght well assured of the thyng I told you that the sonne
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
goe in peace and this my benefyte bee with the for euer with this saying he touched and nipped the pharisees and Scribes who put more hope in their owne workes then in the goodnesse of God ¶ While he yet spaâ—e â–ª there came one from the rewlees of the Synogogues house whiche sayed to him thy daughtâ—r is dâ—ade disease not the mayster But whan Iesus hearde that woorde he aunswered the father of the damosell feare not beleue onelye and she shall bee made whole â—nd whâ—n hâ— came to the house â–ª he suffered no manne to go in with hym saue Peter Iames and Iohn and the fathâ—r and the mother of the marden Euery body wepte and folowed for her And he sayed wepe not The damosell is not deade but slepeth And they laughed hym to skorne knowyng that she was dâ—ade And he thruste them all oute and caught her by thâ— hande and cryed saying mayde aryse And hir spirite came agayne and shâ— aroâ—est reyghâ—waye And he commaunded to geue hir meate And the father and the mother other hir were astouned But he warned them that they should tell no man what was doen. The lorde Iesus had not yet ended speakyng these woordes whan one of the mayster of the Synagogues house came rennyng and sayed Sir neuer trouble ne disease ye the Lorde any feâ—ther who is now lyke to come in vayne for thy daughter is already dead The felow that brought this worde thought ne had no greater ne higher opinion or beliefe of Iesus then of some other especiall good phisician who coulde haue holpen her beeyng sicke and alyue but to reyse her agayn beeyng dead that were he by no meanes hable to dooe Whan Iesus sawe Iairus deadly astouned and amased at this newes he conforted hym saying be not afrayed onely haue thou a feithfull beliefe and the gierle shal be safe Whan they were come to the Maister of the Sinagogues house Iesus woulde not suffre any moe of the multitude to goe in at the doores with hym but Peter Iames and Iohn and with them also the father and mother of the gierle Whan he came in he found the house all full of mourning For the dead mayden was wept for and bewayled of all her frendes and kinsfolkes whiche dewtie and office of mournyng is commonlye dooen to the great ryche folkes at theyr deathes for a pryde and honour more then for any sorowe For they do make and appoynte certayne for the nonce to make lamentacion to syng doulfull songes of mourning and to shewe an outwarde countenaunce of sorow by wepyng and wryngyng of theyr handes and beatyng or tearyng themselues All this pompe and vayne shewe did Iesus refreigne and forbid saying make none of you no wepyng for the mayden is not deade but she slepeth And they had hym in derision for his so saying because they knewe certaynely that she was dead in dede Than Iesus entreyng with a veraye fewe persones into the Inner chambre where the dead corpse of the mayden laye he toke her by the hande muche like as though he should but awake her out of her â—lepe saying with a good loude voyce mayden arise And what folowed No creature a liue doeth more lightlier awake from slepe at the voyce of any that calleth him vp then this mayden arose agayne from death to lyfe as soone as Iesus spake vnto her For not onely her soule and lyfe retourned agayne into the tabernacle of hir body from whens it had tofore departed but also she arose vp and walked about the house as mery and lustie as euer she was before And Iesus to th entent that it shoulde bee a more certayne and euident declaracion of life perfectely restored vnto hir wylled meat to be geuen vnto hir whiche thyng whan the father and mother of the gierle saw they wer greatly astouned And Iesus gaue them a great charge that they shoulde make no wordes to no creature of the thyng that had happened as though he had been veray fayne that this miracle shoulde bee knowen but to a fewe partelye to teache vs that we ought not to hunte for the glory and prayse of our well dooynges at the handes of men and partely to signifie by this figure and exaumple that in light faultes a rebuke secretely geuen may be sufficient For the gierle beeing deade dooeth betoken a man throughe weakenesse and frailtie fallen into syn The deathe was yet freashe the corpse had not come abrode into open fight Therfore the multitude beeing shut without doores the matier was al ended and but a fewe persons made priuie vnto it But happie and blissed are they whome Iesus doeth so vouchesalue to take by the hande The .ix. Chapter Iesus called the twelue together and gaue them power and autoritie ouer all deiuils and that they might heale diseases And he sent them to preache the kyngdome of God and to heare the sicke And he sayed vnto them Take nothyng to your iourneye neyther staffe nor scâ—ip neyther breade neither money neither haue two coates And whatsoeuer house ye entre into there abyde and thence departe And whosoeuer wyll not receiue you whan ye goe out of that citie shake of the veray dust from your feete for a testimonie agaynst them And they departed and went through the tounes preachyng the ghospell and healyng euery where ANd hitherto did Iesus execute and administre the office of preachyng the ghospell in his owne persone framyng by all the meane space and traynyng his twelue apostles many soondrye wayes as men that should after the receiuing of the holy ghoste succede him in tyme to come in the office of preachyng And for that veâ—aie cause it was that he would in any wyse haue them continuall witnesses of his actes and preachyng But to the entent that in the meane season they themselues also might shewe some paterne and saumple of themselues towardes the executing of so great an office and euen the lord beyng yet alyue they might assaye and proue how well they coulde dooe he called them euery one together into one place for a lesson and token that there ought to bee no discorde ne disagreyng emong them in theyr preachyng And to thentente that the preachyng of suche poore meane felowes and vnlearned persones shoulde not vttrely altogether lacke autoritie he gaue vnto them moreouer the vertue and power to cast out all kynde of deuils and to heale al kynde of diseases For it was mete that they whiche shoulde preache the kyngdome of God should haue power ouer wicked deuils the enemies of god and also that suche as shoulde be preachers of that doctrine whiche healed al diseases of the mind should not lacke vertue to heale all manier diseases of the bodye yea and ferthermore conuenient it was â–ª that the people should be allured and woonne to the profession of the ghospell by good turnes and benefites rather then by thynges of terrour Accordyng to the exaumple sayeth he that my selfe haue geuen you
a figurate representacion of a more secrete doctrine The Apostles had prouision of viaundrie but it is suche as belongeth to Iesus This viaundrie lyke as it is of lyght pryce and course geare for poore folkes eatyng so is it but litle in quantitie For the doctrine of Moses is manyfolde and the philosophiers learnyng is of soondrie manier sortes of matiers and ful of plenteous stuffe but the worde of the ghospell is playne homely geare and short and yet suche as maie suffise for the soules of all nacions to be refreashed in case it be deliuered and receyued as it ought to bee To men of the apostles profession is the worde committed wherewith soules are made fatte but thesame woorde doe they not sette afore the people to fede on except it be firste consecrated and broken of Christe For than and neuer els is it the true fruite of preachyng the ghospell if the teacher dooe not presumpteouslye vsurpe to hymselfe the gift of learnyng whiche he hath as a thyng commytted to his credite ne vndiscretely or misaduisedly shewe foorth the same as thoughe it were of his owne but yelde it vnto Christe to bee made holy of him Otherwyse all in vain shall the teachers labour bee when he preacheth onlesse Iesus shall firste haue blissed the woorde onlesse he shall haue broken it onlesse he shal with his own handes deliuer it to be distributed to the people For piththye and effectuall it is whatsoeuer procedeth out of hys holy handes he only it is that fedeth that refresheth that maketh full bishops are nothing els but ministers and distributoures of an other mannes liberalitie The people all the while sitteth down in coumpanies vpon the ground nothyng stickyng or doubtyng nothyng murmuryng or repinyng whereby is signified that in the faithfull congregacion of Christes churche there oughte to be sobre humilitie and plain faithfull truste of the heart in god without any doublenesse and that all discorde and sedicious vproare ought to be away CoÌ„sider me ferthermore this mysterie too The Lorde Iesus firste of all thynges taught and healed the people and than fedde them afterward The woorde of God also is the heauenly meate of the soule But sum porcion hereof is not denayed to the vngodly and to the newely entered or instructed in the faythe For it is the medicine of mennes soules and the refeccion of the weake For holsome doctrine worketh the like effect in the soules of sinners that Iesus with his worde and his touchyng did in diseases of the body But there is a mistical bread whiche is not geuen but to persones now already wel taught and also throughly healed Thesame forsouth is that heauenly breade of the lordes body which is not geueÌ„ to those that are not yet through baptisme receyued into the body of the churche and congregacion ne vnto suche whose mynde and soule is holden with some grieuous cryme as it wer with a mortall sickenesse And that same meate of the priuie hidden wysedome of God which Paule the Apostle dyd not shewe foorth but emong the perfect is not to be vttered vnto all persones at auenture ¶ And it fortuned as he was alone praying his disciples were with hym and he asked them saying Who saye the people that I am They aunswered and sayed Iohn Baptyste some saye Helias and some saye that one of the olde Prophetes is aâ—iâ—eu He sayed vnto them But who saye ye that I am Simon Peter aunswered and sayed thou art the Christe of god and he warned and commaunded them that they should tell no man that thyng saying the sonne of man must suffre many thynges and be reproued of the elders and of the high priestes and Scribes and bee slayne and ryse agayn the thyrde daye Now because the lorde had so tempered all his sayinges and dooynges that some whiles he would shewe forth tokeÌ„s of his godly power and another tyme he would manifestely shew the veritie of his humayn nature the opinioÌ„s of men concernyng hym dyd muche varie But because it was requisite that emong them by whom he had appoynted to renewe the world there should bee one vniforme profession perfectly agreyng in it selfe concernyng hym at a time whan he was in his prayer solitarie with his disciples he demaunded of them what opinion the people had of hym or whom they sayed that he was The disciples aunswere some suppose thee to bee Iohn the Baptiste reuiued agayn some saye that thou arte Helias of whom the Iewes thynke that he shall come agayne before that Messias shall come and some others beleue the to be some one man of the olde Prophetes called to lyfe agayn Than sayed Iesus As for the people they are inconstaunt and waueryng as they are woont to be But ye that knowe me nerer and familiarly who dooeye saye that I am There Petur beeyng more ardent and fyerie then the residue made aunswere in the name of them al we know thee to be Messias whom God hath enoynted with all heauenly gyftes of grace And this theyr right profession Iesus in dede alloweth well but yet he geueth them a great charge that they shoulde make no woordes to no creature what opinion they were of For he sayed the tyme of openyng that misterie in the open face of all the worlde was not yet come and that the sacrifice of his death muste firste bee executed and accomplished and that he was appoynted to come to the glorie of that name by many kyndes of despite and reproche For the sonne of man sayeth he muste abyde muche woe and must bee reproued of thelders and of the Scribes and of the chiefe of the priestes yea and at length bee slaine too and aryse agayne from death to lyfe the third daie Ye muste therfore beware leste the glorye euen of this name if it should now at this present be preached should not fynd feyth to be credited because of the affliccion and death of the bodye and so might be a let to my death ¶ And he sayed vnto them all If any man wyll come after me leat hym denye hymselfe and take vp his crosse dayly and folow me For whosoeuer wyll saue his lyfe shall loose it But whosoeuer dooeth lose his life for my sake the same shall saue it For what auauntageth it a man if he winne the whole worlde and lose himselfe or runne in damage of himselfe For whoso is ashamed of me and of my woordes of him shall the soonne of manne be ashamed when he cometh in his maiestie and in the maiestie of his father and of the holye Aungels I tell you of a trueth There be some standing here which shall not â—ast of death till they see the kyngdome of God Than where Petur at the mencionyng of deathe trembled and quaked for veraye feare and aduised Christe to some other better waies then so whan Iesus had putte hym to silence he begoonne to exorte his other disciples also to the folowyng of his deathe saiyng Thus
hathe it pleased my father by thys waye muste I come to glorye And whoso wyll bee a disciple of myne yf he gladly desyre to bee partaker of my blisfulnesse he muste of necessitye bee a folower of my deathe afore It is not enoughe to goe folowyng me on fote at my helâ—s where I goe he muste folowe me in deedes or els will I not acknowelage hym for a disciple For whosoeuer shall come to the office of preachyng the ghospell must denye hymselfe altogether and muste renounce all the cares of this worlde for euer rychesse pleasures promocions kynsâ—olkes affeccions yea and lyfe it selfe also and muste euery daye take his crosse on hys backe hauing his mynde euermore readye vnto all suche thynges as ye see that I abyde and endure I wyll goe before you as the maister leat hym come after whosoeuer shall bee mynded to bee a disciple Neyther is there anye cause why ye shoulde feare to bee slayne For so to peryshe is to bee preserued For whosoeuer shall lose his lyfe for my sake thesame hath set his lyfe in perfeicte safetye and on the contrary side whosoeuer stertyng backe or shrynking away from the buisy charge of the ghospel shall haue a mynde to saue the lyfe of hys bodye thesame shal lose the life of his soule which alone and none but that is to bee reckened the true lyfe and for the preseruyng of this lyfe it is the parte of a wise man gladlye to take the losse of all other thynges in the worlde For what shall it auayle a manne yf he wynne all that euer this worlde hath woorthye to bee desired whan he hath loste hys owne selfe whan the mannes selfe dyeth those thynges also that he had gotten are perished and gone with hym And he perisheth altogether in dede whoso hath loste euerlastyng lyfe Leate no disciple of myne thinke shame to suffre such thynges whiche I my selfe shall suffre Leate hym not bee ashamed to professe my doctryne afore all the worlde For whosoeuer shall bee ashamed of me and my woordes before men as one offended and slaundred with the worldly shame of the crosse of suche an one shall the sonne of man agayne bee ashamed whan after the laiyng downe of the infirmitie of the fleashe he shal come at the secouÌ„d time shewyng foorth vnto the whole vniuersall worlde the maiestye of hymselfe of his father and of hys holy aungelles And doubte ye nothing that the thing that I saye shall one day come to passe For this I affirme vnto you for a matter of assured trueth Some there bee here emong you standyng by whiche shall not departe out of this life but that they shal fyrst in some parte se the maiestye of the kyngdome of god The thyng that nowe lyeth hidden shall one daye in tyme to come be made open and manifeste vnto all creatures ¶ And it fortuned that aboute an eyght dayes after these saiynges he tooke Petur and Iohn and Iames and wente vp into a mountayne to praye And as he praied the facion of his countenaunce was chaunged and his garmente was whyte and shone And beholde there talked with hym two men whiche were Moses and Helias that appered in the maâ—â—ye and spake of his departiyng whiche he should ende at Hierusalem But Petur they that wer with him were heauy with slepe And whan they awoke they sawe his maiestie and twoo men standing with him Than Iesus to perfourme the promysse whiche he had nowe made dyd about theight day after these woordes speaking choose out three of his .xii. Apostles that is to weâ—e Petur Iames and Iohn and according to his accustomed woont he gotte hym vp to a mountaine there to praye And as he was in prayyng his face was soodaynly chaunged into an other lykenes replete with maiestie and glorye and his garmentes shone as white as any snowe There were seene also with him at thesame instaunte two other men of lyke maiestie talking with him of whome the one was Moses and the other Helias For the lawe had by figures set out Christ derkely as it were in a shadowe and the prophecies had directely poynted him oute what he was Nowe the talkyng of these twoo wyth Iesus what other thing doeth it signifie but the perfeicte agreyng of the olde and newe Testamente together Their talkyng with hym was concernyng the kynde of deathe whiche the Lorde accordyng to the tenour fourme of the prophecie many a daye afore written and set foorth by theim shoulde afterwarde accomplishe at Hierusalem to th eÌ„de that eftsons the delectable swetenesse of the glorie shoulde bee brought to a tempre with the mencion of deathe But al this did not the Apostles euen veray wel see because they had their iyes euen heauye with slepe But as soone as they were awaked they playnely sawe the maiestie of the Lorde and also the two men standyng harde by him ¶ And it chaunced as they departed from him Petur saied vnto Iesus maister it is good beeyng here for vs let vs make also three tabernacles one for thee and one for Moses and one for Helias and wiâ—â— not what he saied While he thus spake there came a cloude a â— ouer shadowed them and they feared when thei wer come into the cloude And there came a voice oute of the cloude saing This is my dere soâ—ne heare ye him and as soone as the voice was paste Iesus was founde alone and they kept it close and told no man in those daies any of those thinges whiche they had seen Whiche twoo men when they begun to departe from Iesus Petur fearing leste all that same delectable sight shoulde also goe awaie he saied vnto Iesus Maister it is no goyng any whyther oute of suche a place as this Fare well Hierusalem and leate it goe which threateneth to put thee to death Tushe 〈◊〉 vs rather make three tabernacles here in this mountayne one for the one for Moses and one for Helias Thus spake Petur as a man inebriate and made droncken with the swetenesse of this vision not knowyng what he sayed For he required to triumphe before he had woonne the battaile and woulde haue had the best game of rennyng before he had tenne for it Euen in the instaunte tyme while Petur was speakyng these woordes there soodaynly arose a cloude and caste a shadowe ouer all the disciples beeyng nowe not hable in theyr mortall bodie to abide the beholding of so greate glorye And while Moses and Helias wer entreyng into the cloude and wer vanishing awaye from the iyes of the disciples for reason it was that the light of euangelicall trueth apperyng 〈◊〉 shadowes and misticall derkenesse of figures shoulde geue place and be goâ—â— the voyce of his heauenly father sowned downe from the cloude saiyng Moses and Helias who prophecied of my sonne the Iewes haue hitherto had in highe estimacion and reuerence Great men were thei two in dede yet wer they but my seruauntes But thissame is he
that is my sonne so dere beloued vnto my hert as none other is but he alone therefore herken ye to hym This voice thus sounyng in their eares Iesus was founde alone leste they mighte haue demed the testimonie of that voyce to concerne any other person then eueÌ„ veray him onely And the sayed three disciples ryght so as they were commaunded of the Lorde kept the matter close and reported not the priuity of that vision to any creature aliue vntill Christ had arisen againe from deaâ—h to lyfe after his passion For it was not the Lordes pleasure to haue the maiestie of his Godhed published or openly spoken of before the tyme of his deathe aswell because there shoulde bee nothyng that myght be a lette vnto thatsame sacrifice whereby mankynde was to bee restored as also because that thyng myght not bee openly talked of whiche no man woulde than beleue yf it had bene reported And all vnder â—ne did he therin by an exaumple that was a true matter in dede geue a lesson to vs that in case any excellent good thing be in vs we should raâ—hâ—â— kepe it close then make vauntes or braggues therof and in case we haue any special vertue or good qualitye in vs by the free gyfte of God thesame is to bee declared and shewed in deedes rather then by makyng many gaie or high woordes of it ¶ And it chaunced that on the nexte daye as they came down from the hille muche people met hym And beholde a man of the coumpaignie cried out saiyng maister I beseche the beholde my sonne for he is all that I haue and see a spirite taketh hym and soodaynely crieth and he knocketh and beateth hym that he foometh againe and with muche peine departeth from him whan he hath rent hym I besought thy disciples â—o cast hym out they coulde not Iesus aunswered and saied O feithlesse and crooked nacion howe long shal I bee with you and shall suffre you Bryng thy soonne hither As he was yet a cummâ—ng the fâ—ende rent him and tare him And Iesus rebuked the vncleane spirite and healed the childe and deliuered him to his father And they were all amased at the high power of God The nexte daye folowyng Iesus came downe from the hyll with his said thre disciples And he fouÌ„d a mighty great multitude of people gathered about the residue of the disciples whom he hadde lefte there behynd hym whan he addressed hym to goe vp to the mountayne But the people assoone as they espied Iesus returnyng agayn went to mete hym For they had found a great lacke mysse of his presence And there had happened a freshe matter why they should require to haue his presence For one of yâ— couÌ„paignie cryed out to hym saiyng maister I most humbly beseche thee leat the extreme miserie of a sonne of mine moue the. For I haue no mo but him alone and he is holden with an extreme tyrannous deuill whiche dooeth euerye other whyle soodaynlye take hym and vexeth hym sundry waies that pitie it is to see with much greate roaryng flasshyng hym on the grounde and so wrestyng his limmes as though he woulde teare them from the body of hym and he fomyng at the mouthe for peine all the whyle And as often as he taketh hym he scracelye departeth from hym vntyll all hys body be rent and torne I praied thy disciples to caste out this spirit They did their best but they haue not bene hable to dooe it Than Iesus well perceiuyng that the thyng hadde so chaunced by reason of the fathers vnbeliefe that prayed for health to his soonne and in consideracion of his disciples feithe beeyng yet hitherto but weake he cryed with a loude voyce saiyng O nacion full of mistrustyng and of an herte nothyng single howe long tyme shall I bee conuersaunt emong you and shall suffre these thynges Can I not yet all thys whyle bring thus muche to passe to make you haue a perfeicte feyth and truste in me dooeth the weakenesse of thys bodye of myne so muche leate you And turnyng hymselfe to the man and requyring of hym afore hand to haue a more stedfast feith he saied Bring thy sonne hither to me And as soone as the young thyng was brought to Iesus the eiuil spirite that was in him tooke him quasshyng the chylde on the grounde and immediatelye Iesus restored hym to hys health and gaue him to his father agayne made perfectely whole where his father had brought him thither vnpossible to be cured by any mannes helpe The more miserable that the sight of this eiuill had been so muche the more did the people euery one of them meruaill to see howe quickelye the childe was holpen out of hande by the vertue and power of God But whyle they woondred euery one at all thynges which he dyd he saied vnto hys disciples seate these saiynges sâ—ncke downe into youre cares For it wil come to passe that the sonne of men shal bee deliuered into the handes of menne but they wiste noâ— what the woord ment and it was hidden from theim that they vnderstoode it not And they feared to aske of hym that saiyng But whan the fame of Iesus weaxed euery daye more and more famous through suche actes as these A certayne temptacion of worldly glory entred into the hertes of his disciples by reason that they hadde suche a maister in whose name euen they also themselfes dyd manye great actes to be woondred at But Iesus calleth them home from this affeccion to the contemplacion of his lowe state of abieccion in this worlde at whiche the time was not long to come when they woulde be offended and slaundred The glorie of dooeyng miracles sayeth he is now a matter of delectacion vnto you but it is a thing much more materiall for you depely to enprint in your hertes these sayinges of myne from which your myndes dooe gretlye abhorre For that thyng ought ye moste of all to haue in mynde whiche it shall behoue euerye one of you to folowe As for glorie leat me alone to see for that For the thing muste nedes come to passe that I haue already tolde you and yet nowe agayne I saye vnto you which is that the soonne of man whose glorie and fame dooeth nowe delite you shall ere long be attached and shall bee deliuered into the handes of menne and shall sundrye waies suffre much affliccion and shal lastely be put to death This tale though it had bene once or twise heard out of his mouth yet had not it well settled in the myndes of the disciples For they coulde not well beare in mynd the thing which they had no luste to heare They abhorred the mencion of death as men setting al their mindes on the glorie of Iesus not hauing al the while any intelligence or vnderstanding that the glorie of the Lord was most chiefely to be renoumed and made famous through the open worldely shame of hangyng on the
to be the head of all holinesse and religion All your glory shall be transposed from you and shal go from you vnto the Gentiles And your own selfes shal geue sentence and iudgement against your selfes And as for me in dede ye shall put me to death but this I playnly affirme vnto you ye shall not see me before that ye shall saye Blessed is he that cummeth in the name of the Lorde This shall be your open protestacion whiche the trueth shall enforce you to vtter but yet this notwithstandyng ye shortely returnyng at once to the naturall inclinacion of your forefathers shall put him to death whom ye magnified afore with suche high wordes The .xiiii. Chapter And it chaunced that he went into the house of one of the chiefe Phariseis to eate bread on the saboth day and they watched him And behold there was a certain man before him which had the dropsie And Iesus aunswered and spake vnto the lawiers and Phariseis saiyng Is it lawfull to heale on the sabboth day And they held their peace And he toke him and heale◠him ▪ and let him goe and aunswered them saiyng whiche of you shall haue an asse or an ore fallen into a pitte and wil not straight way pull him out on the Sabboth day And they could not aunswere him again to these thinges ANd so it befell afterwarde that beyng desyred to dyner by a certayne manne that was one of the chyefe among the Pharyseis he wente to the mannes house and there toke his repaste with hym And it was a sabboth daye And there sate at thesame table also many Phariseis who according to their accustomed woont watched Iesus yf he shoulde speake or dooe any thyng whiche thei might slaunderously reproue in him And loe euen ready for them an occasiō of a false accusacion againste hym For there was there in presence a certayne manne possessed with the dropsie a disease for the moste parte vncurable by any Physike talowe coloured and swollen all his body ouer But a blessed turne it was for this pieteous creature that he came in Iesus sight For vnfortunate is suche a sinner as withdraweth or hydeth himself frō the sight of him who would faine haue all people to be saued Nowe Iesus knowyng well enough what thought the phariseis and lawiers had in their myndes demaunded of them whether it were a thyng standyng with Gods pleasure to geue health on the sabboth daye vnto a man beyng otherwyse ready to perishe and dye Whan they held their peace and would make none aunswer Iesus calleth vnto him the partie whiche had the dropsye and by touchyng him with his handes he healed the man and bidde him goe his waies Immediatly the mannes coulour was chaunged and the swelling of his fleshe abated to the due course again And although this dede was woonderfull yet the solemnitie of the sabboth day beyng broken as they interpreted it did highly offende the Phariseis But Iesus shewyng their religion to be of a peruerse contrary sorte in that they would be offended in the preseruyng of a mannes life and in sauing of an asse were not offended made aunswer to their secrete thoughtes said If an oxe or an Asse of any of youres had fallen downe in a diepe pitte on the sabboth daye whether would the partie tarie vntil the sabboth day were al past orels makyng no tariaunce at all would he straight waye euen thesame daye geat out his beaste that it might not miscarry If the preseruyng of an oxe or an asse doeth weigh so muche with you that ye thinke not the sabboth daye to bee broken why is your herte offended for that I haue on the sabboth day geuen health to this man who was in ieoperdy to haue died out of hand of the disease of the dropsie In case it bee the bodily worke and laboure that is weighed there is more bodily labour in halyng an oxe or an asse oute of a great depe pit thē in makyng this man whole of his disease I haue no more but seen him touched hym and bidden hym goe his way If it be the persone that ye esteme then ought ye more to tendre the preseruyng of one sole māne then of a right great noumbre of oxen or asses At all these woordes the Phariseis plaied mum For their hertes were so corrupt so peruerse that whan thei had no aunswer to make against the plain and clere trueth yet could thei not mollifie thēselfes to allowe that they sawe doen of Iesus That in case thēselfes had been hable to haue doen any suche lyke thyng they would with al the trompettes in a countreye haue blowen abrode their own glory But because the lord Iesus would that the glory of all his doynges should redoūd to his father which was god of heauen he euerywhere discouered the peinted holynesse of the phariseis who had ouerlōg already mocked and seduced the plain simple people with their cloked hipocrisie For they hūted for their own glory among men and therfore they enuied at the glory of god And this was a true dropsie of the soule growing first of a corrupt iudgemēt of the mind as the dropsie cūmeth of the liuer being corrupted or perished For the said phariseis setting al their glory in such thīges wherin there was no gloriyng to be made were swollē with outforth and puffed vp in haultnes pride where al their entrailes withinforth wer miserably corrupted and putrified He put forth also a similitude vnto the geastes whan he marked how they pressed to the highest roumes and said vnto them whan thou art bidden of any man to a wedding sit not down in the highest roume leste a more honorable man than thou be bidden of him and he that bid him and thee come and say to thee geue this man roume and thou then begin with shame to take the lowest roume But rather whan thou arte bidden goe and sitte in the lowest roume that whan he that bidde thee cummeth he may say vnto thee ▪ frende sitte vp higher Then shalt thou haue wurship in the presence of them that sitte at meate with thee For whosoeuer exalteth himselfe shal bee brought lowe and he that humbleth himselfe shal bee exalted The Lorde therefore who had with onely touchyng healed the man that had the dropsie was very desyrous to cure these mens disease also with the medicine of holsome woordes and doctryne For whatsoeuer the Phariseis did they did it for pride and for vainglorious bosting For they woulde goe walkyng vp and downe in their philacteries they would stand praiyng in the open stretes where soondrie waies mete much people passe by thei would haue a trompet to blowe afore thē whan they gaue almes Whan they fasted thei had a feate to discolour their faces that thei might loke pale thei would goe hunting about to haue glorious salutacions and gretinges in the stretes and where they came to diner or supper they loked and sought to sit vppermoste at mens
heauen and in earth We will not haue thys manne say they to reygne ouer vs and while they will in no wise serue Christe they are as bonde slaues vnto all the tirannes of thys worlde they are bonde seruauntes to Satan a moste mercilesse tiranne and where they se here there in euery place throughout the whole worlde the Christians to reioyce in the freedome of the spiryte they dooe yet styll holde faste with theyr teeth the vnsauerye lettre to whome they are bounde lyke vnto men assigned and appoynted to the glebe or turfe But the sayde Iewes in vayne crying agaynste hym the kyngdome of the churche is recouered and established in geatting and establishyng wherof as many as shall haue doen theyr feythfull trauayle shall bee crouned with glory and honour in the kyngdome of heauen accordyng to the quantitee or rate of the fruicte whiche they haue broughte in the lordes vineyarde But nowe the Iewes beeyng obstinatelye vnbeleuyng what rewarde shall they haue Euen that thyng also dyd the Lorde declare in the residue of thesame parable at the latter ende For after that he had punished the vntrustie seruaunâ—e he sayde moreouer yea and those subiectes of myne in nacion my countreymen but in hearte enemies whiche by a sedicious ambassade sente vnto me praied me that I shoulde no more come to bee theyr kynge ne to reygne ouer them bryng ye them hyther that they may bee put to deathe euen here in my syghte and bee punyshed of me for theyr rebellyon Thys punyshmente is deathe euerlastyng whiche a bydethe all suche as obey not the ghospell and glad tydynges of the sonne of God For at that tyme shall they worthylye fynde hym vnpossible to bee appeaced forasmuche as they nowe obstinately contemned hym beeyng mylde and full of mercie ¶ And whan he had thus spoken he proceded furth taking his iourney to goe vp to Hierusalem And it fortuned whan he was come nigh to Bethphage and Bethanie besyde the mounte whiche is called Oliuete he sent two of his diciples saying goe ye into the towne whiche is ouer agaynste you into the whiche as soone as ye are come ye shall finde an Asses colte tyed wheron yet neuer man sate looce him and bring him hither And yf any man aske you why doe ye looce hym Thus shall ye saye vnto him the Lorde hath nede thereof They that were sent went their waye and founde euen as he had sayed vnto them And as they were a loocing the colâ—e the owners therof sayde vnto them Why looce ye the colte And they sayde for the lorde hath nede of him and they brought hym to Iesus and cast theyr rayment on the colte and set Iesus theron And as he went they spred theyr clothes on the way And whan he was nowe come nigh to the going downe of the mounte Oliuete the whole multitude of the disciples began to reioyce and to prayse God with a loude voice for al the miracles that they had sene saying blissed be the king that cometh in the name of the Lorde peace in heauen and glory in the highest The lorde whan he had spoken the premisses went foorth on towardes Hierusalem where he shoulde afterwarde accomplyshe thatsame excellent sacrifice for the redempcyon of mankynde and oute of the beakon place of the crosse he should like a couetous an ambicious kyng plucke al thinges vnto hymselfe For although there haue euery where bene many in tymes paste and manye hereafter shall bee whiche will crye by theyr veray dedes we will not haue thys man to bee kyng ouer vs yet is there no nacion so ferre distauÌ„t or out of the waye from the Iewes from whence he shall not plucke a veray great noumber vnto hym Wherfore he doth eftsones beate into their heades in facte that he had afore represented in zacheus whiche thyng he dydde anon after in a longer parable expresse more at large For the lorde dooeth in the meane while procure the same thyng whiche he procured many tymes afore also whiche was that it might bee clere and euidente vnto all creatures that whatsoeuer he shoulde afterwarde suffer he did of hys owne accorde willingly wetingly suffer it otherwise that he was of power to dooe whatsoeuer his will was to doe And now forasmuch as he had determined by the meane of the moste extreme worldely shame fall that might bee to recouer into his possession the highest glorye possible emong men and the disciples beeing not yet fullye apte ne hable to receiue the vnderstandyng of thys mystery didde looke for some matier whatsoeuer it was of greate royaltie and a thyng of some high enterprise to the estymacion of the worlde at the lordes handes It pleased hym afore hys death for a litle season to flatter or rather to mocke theyr affeccions and also to mocke the glorye of thys worlde â–ª shewyng howe vayne it is and howe slippie to truste to seeyng that after so greate tokens of ioyfull receyuyng of hym after so manye cryinges and shoutes made in hys honour after so muche earneste fauour of the people deathe on the crosse dyd immediatelye folowe in the necke therof Whan Iesus therfore was come to the mounte whiche is called Oliuete nere vnto twoo lytle townes situate in the syde of the same mounte from whence Hierusalem was nowe afore them within sighte he sente out two of hys disciples on an erand Goe your wayes sayeth he to the litle towne that ye see yonder foreryght agaynste you at the entreyng whereof ye shall see a young colte of an Asse standyng tyed without the doores vnbroken as yet for any manne to ryde on on whome hathe neuer any man sitten vntie hym and bryng hym to me That if anye bodye shall bee agaynst it and demaunde wherefore doe ye vntie the colte Ye shall thus aunswere hym the lorde hath nede of hym The dyscyples departed they founde the colte tyed they addresse to looce hym And in the whyle were there certayn persones presente who asked as ye woulde saye beyng against their dooyng why doe ye looce the colte They as they had tofore bene commaunded made aunswere The Lord hath nede of him The name of the lord being oâ—s heard they suffered the colte to beled awaye Than broughte they hym vnto Iesus And whan they sawe that the lorde was mynded to mounte vpon hym the lyke whereof for all that he had neuer tofore that tyme vsed to dooe the dyscyples beecause he shoulde not vpon the bare rydge of the colte sitte to muche vneasily cast their robes abrode vpon the beastes backe And now Iesus sitting on the coltes backe goyng onward some spred abrode their garmentes euen on the veray way partly for to doe him honour and partly lest the colte being vnbroken and also vnshod should hurt his hoofes with stuÌ„blyng at the stones And whan they were nowe come to the foote of the hyll were goyng directly towardes the citie of Hierusalem a certayn woonderfull affeccion
sodaynly toke the hertes of all the people of whome some had come in the traine of Iesus and some had come foorthe of Hierusalem to mete hym For euerye body who coulde dooe best strawed the way that the lorde went on with the braunches of trees euery where broken of both with great ioye also with loude voyces they begoon to laude god for al his benfites miracles which they had sene heard wrought by Iesus There souned on euery side the voices of people reioycing at his cummyng as it had bene to God cummyng in triumph and of men crying in honour of hym Osanna in the hygheste Blessed bee he that cummeth in the name of the Lorde peace in heauen and glorye in the highest This was the voyce of the multytude of al sortes and especially of young folkes who as it had bene by a certayne inspiracion of God the enuie and grutchyng of the Phariseis contemned dyd in the open face of the worlde geue testimonie vnto the lorde Iesus ¶ And some of the Phariseis of the coumpanye sayed vnto him Maister rebuke thy disciples He sayed vnto them I tell you that if these holde theyr peace than shall the stones crye But there were in the same multytude certayne Phariseis whome thyssame crying out to Christe in welcummynge hym dyd muche agrieue because the same did outwardelye shewe as thoughe they woulde haue all the worlde to knowe that some thyng there was in Iesus whatsoeuer it was aboue the rate of a man And emonge these Phariseis some there were that warned Iesus that himselfe with his owne mouth by his autoritie should restreigne these same vngodlye shoutes of the multytude procedynge of a certayne vnmeasurable fauour of the people towardes theyr maister and therefore vnpleasaunte euen to the lorde selfe who did not vse to acknowlage suche hyghe prayses Maister saye the Phariseis rebuke thy dyscyple 〈◊〉 Iesus neuer went about to styll the deuout profession of the playne meanyng people but by a byword cheeked the blindenes of the Phariseis who were not ashamed to attribute vnto Beelzebub the prince of deuylles suche thynges as Iesus hyghlye well dyd and wroughte But he made aunswere agayne With what face shoulde I suppresse them that woorthily syng glorye vnto god and with deuout voyces nowe synging thesame which was many a long day sens spoken by the prophetes Thus muche I saye vnto you for a certayntie God so muche willeth thys hys laude not to be vndeclared that in case men woulde altogether holde theyr peace the veraye stones here woulde crye it oute And truely harder then the stones be those whiche being with so many benefytes with so manye miracles prouoked can not yet bee moued in theyr heartes to speake in the aduauncemente of Goddes glorye Than with suche pompe as this triumphaunt lyke and with suche a trayne about hym dyd the lorde Iesus goe vnto Hierusalem For suche a litle tast of thys worldes glory it lyked hym to take before he woulde take the crosse vpon hym and this professing of his godhed did he parforce wring out of the same nacion by which he should anon after bee moste cruelly dooen to death to th ende the Iewes mighte bee condemned by their owne sentence for that they had crucifyed theyr Messias and salueour But nowe in thys story of these gestes there is hidden and comprised no small poynte of mistery The she Asse that was the dame was standing the colte also was standyng whiche was the Asses fole The dame had already bene woonte to bee ryden on as beyng of long continuaunce enured to weare the yoke of the lawe sygnifying doubtlesse the nacion of the Iewes The colte beeyng the fole of thys she Asse for redempcion toke the fyrste beginning of the Iewes the colte I saye betokenyng the people of the Gentiles was yet vnbroken neyther at anye tyme charged with the yoke of the lawe nor yet throughe euangelicall obedyence carrying Iesus as a sitter on his backe Both beastes were tyed for on the one syde the Sinagogue lyued in bondage vnder the carnalitie of the lawe not atteygnynge to the freedome of the spiryte and the Gentiles on the other syde were entangled with the decrees of the philosophiers subiecte to the wurshippyng of Idolles and deiuilles They had at that season owners indifferente aswell of the one as of the other yea suche maisters not a fewe For in the peoples aswell of the Iewes as also of the Gentiles a great mayny were bounde to couetise to Leachery to ambicion to enuie and to manye other both filthie and also mercilesse maysters Than twoo Apostles dooe at the lordes commaundement vntye them that is to wete Peter the teacher of circumcision that is to say of the Iewes and Paule the teacher of the Gentiles whan through euangelicall fayth and baptisme they forgeue both the one and the other all the transgressions of their former life so that being nowe looced they may from hensfurth be worthy to haue Iesus a sitter on them For thys power gaue he vnto hys dysciples not onely emong the Iewes but also emong the Gentiles that whatsoeuer they looced in yearthe the same shoulde bee looâ—ed in heauen too And what meruayl if the other former owners can not lette the vntying of them seeyng that they whiche doe vntie them doe vntye them by the commaundemente of that same newer maister whose will no creature can resiste Thys newe maister hath nede of suche manier beastes and on the backe of suche ones dooeth he reioyce to sitte as dooe simplye obey without anye fraude or drawing backe suche as with good hearte and mynde dooe take vpon them the swete yoke of euangelicall doctryne suche as will not bee skittishe ne prauncynge agaynste the sytter on them suche as with a quiete and ientle softe pace dooe beare and glorifye the Lorde Iesus in theyr bodyes vntyll they come euen full into the holy citie temple of the lorde I meane not that same citie the common murderer of prophetes but that other heauenlye citie whiche knoweth not what rebellion doeth meane Worldely prynces loue fyerce stieryng coursers foled euen purposely for warres and well broken and taughte thereafter the lorde Iesus loueth suche manier Asses as will mekelye and stilly carry theyr meke maister and will not caste hym whan he sitteth on them Thys facyon of carying doe the haulte princes of this world laughe at the Philosophiers with theyr disdaynfull lookes dooe laugh at the Phariseis swellyng in pryde dooe laughe at and thynke themselues fortunate that they carry the deiuill on theyr backes the rougheste sytter possyble and the moste vnfauourable that they lyue in bondage of so many moste mercilesse maisters whereas to serue thys one maister Christe is an heauen There is nothynge in more happie and blissed case then these litle and simple ones after they be once looced from bondage and after they haue once receiued Iesus vpon theyr backe After worldely estimacion the
as touchyng your rewarde leat your myndes be onely vpon your office and dutie it shal be mine office to prouide for you as touchyng your dignitie If ye shal be true folowers of my humilitie ye shall also be partakers of my glorie if ye shal be felowes with me in takyng suche part of affliccions as I do thē shall ye also haue suche part of immortalitie in heauen as I haue And hitherto haue ye persisted continued with me in mine affliccyons by which affliccions it hath pleased my heauēly father to haue mine obediēce throughly tried and approued Neither lownesse of degree nor pouertie not the trauailles of this life not the obloquie of men not the Phariseis laiyng await for you not the threatenyng of men of power hath disseuered you frō coumpaniyng and liuyng with me wheras others haue fallen away frō me wheras others haue not had the bold spirit to professe thēselfes disciples of mine That yf ye shall still persist in thesame mynde that ye haue hitherto had and shall not irke in the meane tyme to folowe my humilitie to the end ye may the better profit all persones I againe on my parte shall bryng to passe that ye shall an other day bee partakers of the glorye of my kyngdome For it hath so pleased my father that this shal bee the waie to the kyngdome of heauen And thesame haue I heretofore opened vnto you will doe again thorough my death By meane of lowenesse my father shall exalte me to the glorye of a kyngdome by temporall affliccions to ioyes euerlasting And like as there is a kyngdome prepared for me of my father because I in the meane whyle accordyng to his will doe behaue and vse my selfe as a minister and not as a Lorde euen so will I after that I am exalted to the dignitie of my kyngdome prepare the feloweshyppe of the same kingdome for you that folowe my steppes in suche wyse that ye whiche haue not sought for honour here in this worlde but haue behaued your selfes as ministers and seruauntes vnto all others diligently dispensing the doctrine of the ghospell shall sitte with me at my table in my kyngdome not now as ministers but as the honourable chyldren of god And where ye are nowe for my sake reputed amōg the Iewes for persones moste abiect ye shal at that houre sitte as head men of dignitie vpon twelue thrones iudgyng the twelue tribes of Israell For at that day shall the vasenesse of suche people appere as at this present seme to sitte on high benche in this world so shall your highnes who seme at this daye to be the outcastes of the world Thus muche did the lord Iesus speake vnder a figure qualifiyng and tēperyng his wordes to the rawnesse of his disciples whiche rawnesse be suffered for these causes to remaine a long season in them partly because he would in vs the more effectually plucke out suche worldly affecciōs as the disciples wer at that time subiect vnto partly because we should learne with great pacience fauour to suffre the weakenes frailtie of other folkes vntil they may growe to thinges of more perfeccion And the Lord said Simon ▪ Simon beholde Satan hath desired to lift you as it were wheat But I haue praied for thee that thy faith fail not And whan thou art conuerted strength thy brethren And he said vnto him Lord I am ready to goe with thee into prison to death And he saied I tell thee Peter the cocke shall not crowe this daye till thou hast thrise denied that thou knowest me There was no more remaining but for hym to arme the mindes of his disciples against the tempeste euen than approchyng and to roote out of theyr hertes the puttyng of their trust and confidence in themselfes For the sodain stormes of affliccions dooeth to no persones so ouer geue an ouerthrow then to suche as haue a confidence and boldenesse in their own strength But suche persones as vtterlye mistrustyng theyr owne assurednesse that is to say all worldly aide and mainteinaunce of man do wholly depend of goddes defēce and helpe suche none others are hable to stand sure against all the vproares tumultuous businesses of this presēt worlde So than tourned he his tale vnto Peter to the entent he might by exaumple of Peter trayne and correcte them all For he knewe Peter to be of a more quicke and prest spirite thē the others and to bee one that put very muche confidence in hymself of a tendre good affeccion certes but yet humain and worldly For he had not yet receyued thatsame holy spirite of god being the bounteous geuer of al vertue He therefore saied Simon Simon beholde Satan hath earnestlye desyred to haue you all that he might winow and sifte you as they do wheate of a purpose to blow you in soondre if he might And he would so haue doen in dede in case ye had been or should be leaft to your own frailtie but I haue hartyly prayed my father for thee Peter that although thy faith wil be somwhat waueryng yet it maye not fail clene away The first exaumple hereof it hath pleased hym to shewe vpon thee whiche trustest verye muche on thy selfe to the end that beeyng come to thyselfe again after thy falle thou maiest by exaumple of thy self confirme thy brethrē whā thei shal through the same frailtie bee fallen to the end they may euery one of them vnderstande that no man may possibly of his own strength bee an hable matche againste the malyce of Satan onlesse he bee stayed with my aide and mainteinaunce Peter whan he heard these wordes trustyng yet still in his owne strengthe aunswereth Lorde what fallyng a way from thee or what conuersion doest thou tell me of Naie thou shalt perceiue and fynde me a constant man in faith and vnpossible to be ouercomed And like as I haue not hitherto at any tyme forsaken thee so will I not forsake thee at any tyme hereafter neither insomuche that I am ready to put my self in extreme daūger of my life with thee whether it be to go into prisō yea or to death either This saiyng of Peter procedyng truely out of a good a plain menyng hert but yet not euē throughly knowē vnto hīself the lord immediatly repressed with this aūswer ▪ what saiest thou Peter Art thou he that wilt go into prison to death with me Naye I tell thee another contrary tale aforehād For it will so cum to passe that thou wylt thrise reneague me wilt sweare thou knowest me not euē this presēt night before the cocke crowe twise so great shal the storme of afflicciō be vpō thee And he said vnto th◠whan I sēt you without wallet or scrippe shoes lacked ye any thing And thei said no. Thou said he vnto thē but now he that hath a wallet let him take it vp and likewise his scrippe and he
man we haue touched him with our handes and by all profes and tokenes we haue founde him to be very man yea and also we haue seen his godly glory in very dede mete for the onely sonne of God the like whereof was neuer shewed to any of the angels Prophetes or Patriarches but it was suche as God the father woulde haue his onely sonne to be honoured with And this glory we haue seen in the workinge of his miracles in the vttringe of his heauenly doctrine and in the vision vpon the mounte Thabor when he was transfigured before our iyes when also the very voice of his father cumming downe from heauen professed him to be his dearly beloued sonne as the saied father did notably set him furth in his baptisme both with his voice and with the holy goste vnder the figure and similitude of a dooâ—e And againe when the sonne before his death desired hym to glorify hym with that glorye whiche he had before the worlde was made a voyce came downe from heauen and knowledged him to bee his sonne saying Bothe I haue and will glorifye the. In conclusion we haue seen hym in his resurreccion both when he already beeyng risen from death to lyfe did shewe furthe to vs his body whiche we mighte touche and handle but yet was it subiecte to no euill and also when before oure iyes he was carried vp into heauen And his glory did appeare and shine vnto vs not onely by these thinges but also his very death did aproue his godly power and strengthe when as the vaile of the temple was deuided the earth quaked the stones braste in soundre the graues and monumentes did open the dead bodies did rise againe the sunne losinge his lighte broughte sodaine darkenes into the worlde And whiles immediatly after a vehementcrie he yelded vp his goste as who sayeth he forsoke his life wyllyngly and not for lacke of strengthe By thys so wonderfull a death he did so glorify the father that both the thefe whiche did hange by him and also the Centurion did acknowledge him to bee the sonne of God And albeit when he was conuersaunt here in earth and went about the busines of our saluacion he had leauer shewe vs exaumple of sobrenes mekenes and obedience then to boast his owne greatnes yet all his communicacion all his dedes yea his very behauiour and countenaunce did declare hym to bee full of all godly giftes full of eternall and suche trueth as cannot bee confounded For although God doeth geue to other holy men also large giftes of his grace trueth yet he did powre into him as into his onely sonne the whole fountaine of heauenly giftes to thintent that in hym alone might be so muche as shoulde suffice all men And we did thorowly see him to be suche one euen vntill his ascencion ¶ Iohn beareth witnes of hym and crieth saying This was he of whom I spake whiche though he came after me went before me for he was before me Let vs now procede and declare how he was first knowen vnto the world wheras vntil this time not so muche as his owne brethren beleued hym to be any other but man for he woulde be knowen lytle by lytle lest so straunge a thing shoulde not haue been beleued emonges men if it had risen sodainly And truly many thinges went before whiche might some maner of way haue prepared mens mindes to faithfull beliefe as the auctoritie of the prophetes the shadowes of the lawe the agreable song of the Angels at his natiuitie the godly deuocion of the shephardes the guiding starre the deuout behauiour of the three wise men the vnquietnes of kyng Herode with all Ierusalem for the birth of this new kyng the prophecies of Simeon and Anna and also certain thinges that he did beyond the reche course of mans nature wherat his mother and Ioseph meruailed with theim selfe what those thinges should meane yet neuertheles when the tyme was come wherin it was deereed eternally that he should openly take in hande the busynes of preaching the kingdome of heauen it pleased hym as I sayd before to be commended and set furth by the witnes of Iohn also for a tyme not that he neded mans witnes but because so it was expedient eyther to allure the Iewes to beleue of whom euery one had Iohn in hye estimacion or els to rebuke the vnbeliefe of the wicked when they woulde not beleue no not hym bearing witnes of Christ to whom in other thinges they did attribute so much that they toke him to be Messias which was promysed by the prophecies of the prophetes to deliuer the people of Israell Therfore when Iohn preaching the kyngdom of God to bee at hand had alredy gathered together many disciples dyd dayly baptise many was had in great auctoritie emong al men but in very dede men had an ill opinion of Iesu the said Iohn doth openly beate into the heades of the multitude and eftsons reherseth that thing whiche diuers times before he had witnessed of him And accordyng to Esaies prophecy whiche dyd tell before hand that he shoulde in wildernes say with a loud voice make redy the way of the lorde he nowe not priuely vnto his owne disciples but to all people indifferenly which euery day resorted to him accustomably because of his baptisme and doctrine yea and came purposely to heare the very certaintie what opinion so notable a man had of Iesu he I say spake out with a plain and a cleare voice saying This is he of whom heretofore I haue often spoken vnto you before whome thorow errour you do prefer me when that I tolde you there shoulde be one which should folowe me in age and time of preaching and shoulde also be rekened inferiour to me in the opinion of the multitude he hath nowe ouertaken me and whereas he semed to bee after me he hath begun to be before me And no meruaile seing that euen then also he did excell me in all giftes although in the iudgemente of men he semed inferiour vnto me ¶ And of his fulnes haue all we â—eceiued euen grace for grace for the law was giuen by Moses but grace and trueth came by Iesus Christe He is the fountain of all truth and grace All we whom ye haue in so great admyracion bee nothing els but as it were litle brookes or furth cumming streames for the litle that we haue euery man according to his porcion is drawen furth out of the fulnes of this fountain froÌ„ whence whatsoeuer apperteineth to euerlasting saluacion springeth vnto all men All the vertue that was in the patriarkes in the prophetes and in Moses dyd come from this fountain I am nothing els but the goer before of hym that is cumming he is both the very publisher and also the auctour of the grace of the ghospell whiche geueth true and euerlastyng saluacion to all men thorow faithe We are bounde to thanke hym for that by the
beleue his witnes yet haue I a more certaine testimonye of my selfe that is to saye my fathers testimonie and witnes who is greater than Iohn and whose witnes cannot be reproued There is no recorde more sure than the very dedes that a man doeth yf ye do perceyue those workes to be worthy for God whiche ye haue seen me dooâ— they beare sufficient witnesse of me that I doe nothyng of my selfe but by hym whiche for your saluacion hath sente me into the worlde wherfore ye haue no cause whereby to excuse your infidelitie and diminishe my credence as who sayeth I alonely were myne owne witnesse and did declare great thynges of my selfe Ye haue Iohns witnes whiche among you is muche regarded and taken to be very weightie howbeit in dede he rather nedeth my witnesse lesâ—e he seme to haue borne false witnes Ye haue the testimonie of my workes so that nowe ye nede not to beleue any mannes sayinges when ye looke vpon the dedes themselfe And if all this dooe not satisfie your vnbeliefe yet haue ye hearde at Iordane the voice of my father from aboue bearing witnes of me But yet my father forasmuche as he is a spirite neither hathe voice whiche maye be perceyued with mannes eares nor fourme or shape that maye bee seen with bodely iyes For Moses did neyther heare him nor see hym in the veraye fourme of his owne mere nature as you suppose he did Onely his sonne hath seen hym and heard him after that sorte â–ª yet neuertheles he hath made himselfe knowen to your senses by some kynde of voyce and thorowe some manner of fourme He spake to the Prophetes and by the Prophetes hath spoken to you He hath spoken to Iohn and by Iohn to you but vnto me he hath spoken as he is of his owne very nature and by me he speaketh vnto you If ye can make no excuse but that Iohn did beare playne manifest witnesse why do ye not beleue hym If ye thinke that God in very dede did speake and was seen of Moses and the Prophetes wherfore do ye not credite those thynges which he hath spoken by them ¶ Searche the scriptures for in them ye thinke ye haue eternall lyfe And they are they whiche testifie of me and yet will ye not come to me that ye mighte haue lyfe I receyue not prayse of men but I knowe you that ye haue nor the loue of God in you I am come in my fathers name and ye receyue me not if an other come in his owne name him will ye receiue Howe can ye beleue whiche receiue honour one of another and seke not the honour that cummeth of God Do not thinke that I will accuse you to my father There is one that accuseth you euen Moses in whome ye truste For had ye beleued Moses ye would haue beleued me for he wrote of me but yf ye beleue not his wrytynges howe shall ye beleue my woordes Uerely ye beleue that the scriptures are come from God and albeit you do diligentely occupie your selues in searchyng of them and put the â—ope and felicitie of your lyfe in them yet euen as ye would not beleue Iohn to whom in other thynges ye gaue very great credite when he bare witnes of me so you beleue not the very scriptures in that whiche is the chiefe poynte of all for they promyse life but through me The father doeth there beare witnesses of me and promiseth that he wil send his sonne by whom men shall be saued But as ye haue heard Iohn and not beleued hym and also the voice of the father and not geuen credite vnto it so neither the witnesse of the lawe nor of the Prophetes sticketh in your myndes And although ye haue theyr bookes euer in your handes and their woordes alwaye in your mouthes yet doe ye reiecte hym whome those scâ—iptures dooe promyse and doe not beleue hym whome the father hath sent accordyng to the promyses of the Prophetes and wheras there is none other entrie into life but by me who hathe been approued to you by so manye testimonies yet ye wyll not forsake all thing and come to me wherby ye maie obtain life withoute difficultie For the gate and entrie of saluacion is to haue beleued the sonne whoÌ„ the father sent There is no cause why I should seke for worldlye glory amonges you by the testimonie of Iohn or the Prophetes but I am sory for youre destruccion whiche through your incredulitie dooe in maner enuye your owne saluacion And besides that I leaue you no maner of excuse to make for your selfe if you will not beleue for I haue brought foorth thus manye witnesses whiche in other thynges be of veray great auctoritie among you and onelye in matters concernyng me for whose cause all thynges wer written and spokeÌ„ ye doe not alowe them ye pretende to wurship and loue God ye haue the prophetes in reuerence by whom he spake and yet you do despise him which was promised of God and doeth declare himselfe by his workes what he is This is a playne argument that ye wurship God with counterfaicte holynes and that ye loue not God in dede whom the lawe commaundeth you to loue with all the power of your soule and your streÌ„gth inasmuche as ye contemne and regarde not his sonne Therfore your infidelitie is not for wante of witnesses but for lacke of true loue towardes God You loue worldly glory you loue money â–ª you loue pleasures and to get these thynges you misuse your selues with false pretence of religion But ye persecute the sonne of God because he teacheth those thynges whiche be contrary to these your wicked desyres albeit his reachyng agreeth with the will of the father These thynges declare that ye loue not god with your herte For he whiche loueth doeth also beleue and obeye and whoso loueth the father cannot hate his moste entierly beloued sonne In lyke maner he that loueth the sender cannot mislyke and contemne the messanger specially consideryng I couet neither glory kyngdome nor richesse among meÌ„ but onely the glory of my father And also I couet that to th entent you maye be saued You see workes wurthy for God and yet I doe not ascribe the worldlye prayse to my selfe but to my father who worketh by me Therfore although ye would â—eme religiously to wurship my father yet ye do not receyue me who am come in his name and doe none other thyng but that whiche he hath prescribed vnto me And looke howe peruersely you do discredite me who cummyng in my fathers name do freely offer lyfe and saluacion euen so fondely shall ye beleue whosoeuer cummeth in his owne name presumpteously takyng vpon hym the glory of God and therewith attendeth his owne busines and not Gods bringyng suche thyngâ—s vnto you as maye leade you into eternal death If ye loue God why do ye murmure and crie out agaynst him that seketh his glory If ye loue euerlastyng lyfe why
to theÌ„ that be godly and enemy to the wicked when as ye see nothing in my sayinges or doinges vnlyke vnto these thinges why do you not acknowledge the manners and verye nature of youre father But if ye couet to heare your fathers name whome in witte and dedes ye do reseÌ„ble ye be neyther beegotten of Abraham nor of God but euen of the deuill ye be his very naturall children whose witte and disposicion ye breathe out and shewe likelyhoode of and whose will ye obey For ye haue bothe hated the trueth and go aboute to kyll an innocent This is an exaumple of the deuill your father For because he hath been the chiefe auctor of bothe lyes and murder who by his lying entised vnto deathe the firste parentes of mankinde being with none other thing prouoked then throughe enuie of other folkes felicitie And thesame sinfull disease doth pricke you forwarde to slea one that is innocent and a beneficiall person The deuill enuyed man that was of a blessed creacion ye enuie man to be restored vnto the felicitie from whence he fell He fell from the truethe by hys pryde And his fall was suche that there is no hope of his amendemente but persistyng in euill he heapeth sinne vpon sinne striuing againste Gods veritie by you at this presente and doyng thesame thyng that in the beginnyng of the worlde he firste practised when he drewe the first auctors of mankynde vnto death Whoso therfore hateth trueth and loueth lyes he declareth sufficiently who is his father Whosoeuer pronounceth a lye he speaketh of hym that is the fouÌ„taine of all lyes Whatsoeuer that auctor speaketh is a lye and he speaketh of hymself for he is not onely a lyar but the father and prince of lyes As of the contrary syde God is the fountayne of all truethe and whosoeuer speaketh the trueth to Gods glory he speaketh not of hymselfe but of God But if you be begotten rather of God the auctour of trueth then of the deuill the father of lyes wherfore then consideryng that I dooe speake vnto you heauenly trueth doe not you beeyng the chyldren of Abraham beleue God why do not ye the children of God acknowledge and loue Goddes trueth ¶ Whiche of you rebuketh me of sinne If I saye the trueth why do not ye beleue me he that is of God heareth goddes woordes Ye therfore heare them not because ye are not of God Then aunswered the Iewes and sayed vnto hym Saye we not well that thou art a Samaritane and hast the deuill Iesus aunswered I haue not the deuyll but I honoure my father and ye haue dishonored me I seke not mine owne prayse there is one that seketh and iudgeth If ye fynde any lye in my wordes or any faulte in my procedyng geue not credite to my wordes But which of ye all can burden me with any one faulte What maner of men ye be ye your selfes are priuie but if whatsoeuer be right and true thesame is of God and neither can ye proue in me any thyng that varieth from right and trueth why then in not beleuyng me do ye distruste god specially consideryng that ye boaste your selues to be the children of God But and if ye did extolle and aduaunce your selues truely ye would acknowledge the woorde of God but in case ye do it vntruelye ye declare your selues to haue a lying father Whosoeuer is begotten of god thesame doeth lyke a true naturall chylde geue eare to his fathers woordes And that thing well proueth you not to be begotten of God the father because ye cannot abyde to heare the truethe that cummethe from him The Iewes beeyng made through these woordes more wood fall to geuyng cursed woordes in theyr aunswere wherunto the malice of men beyng with reason concluded is woont to haue refuge and saieth Do not we saye right of thee that where thou wilte be taken for a Iewe and boastest god to be thy father thou art a Samaritane and haste the deuill whiche selfe thyng thou doest now declare in dede and approuest our iudgemente of thee But what aunswer made moste gentle Iesus vnto this peuishe mad reproche As touching the reproche in namyng hym a Samaritane althoughe it were commonly taken for a greate rebuke and slaunder yet because it was naught els but a fumishe checke spoken in a furye he made no aunswere at all therunto as though they had but called hym a mushrome or an oynion but yet to the bearing hym on hande that he had the deuill he aunswereth but in suche sorte that he gaue them no euill language againe whiche he mighte worthely haue doen and countermauÌ„ded backe againe theyr lewde saying to themselfes but auoydethe it courteouslye from hymselfe teachynge vs by the waye that as ofte as we haue to do concernyng goddes glory as ofte as the truethe of the ghospell is to be defended agaynst the wicked we should be earnest quicke and sharpe And as often as we oure selfes be rebuked that we should shew our selfes â—entle and meke In suche wise that we do not make auÌ„swere to all thynges but repell and auoyde those thinges onely from vs which we cannot concele without hinderaunce of the gospell To haue the people vnderstande that Christ did euery thyng in all his procedynges not by the deiuils auctoritie but God the father beyng aucthour made muche to the furtheraunce of the ghospell I haue sayeth Christ no familiaritie with any deiuill nor I doe not therfore boaste my selfe of God beeyng my father to thintent that I woulde with a lye obtayne myne owne prayse but that through me my father myght be glorifyed emongst men And albeit ye doe glorie that ye haue thesame god to your father yet doe ye me despite who seke nothyng els but his glory of whom ye woulde be thought true wurshippers I do not curiously seke myne owne prayse at mennes handes neyther doth your contumeliouse wordes hurt me but rather worketh your destruccion For there is one who as he is couetous to be glorified amonges men by me so he wisheth that I agayne should haue glorye by hym not that eyther he or I haue nede of this glorye but that so to haue it is expediente for you for the exchaunge of death and that ye maye attayn saluacion Of trueth lyke as I doe not muche couet myne owne glory howbeit in dede my glory is the glory of my father so am I no reuenger of myne owne rebuke or iniury But yet for all that thinke not that ye shall be without punishmente for that ye haue slaundered me For there is he that both seketh my prayse and glory and will reuenge my iniury and contempte except ye amende Uerely verely I say vnto you if a man â—epe my saying he shall neuer see death Then saied the Iewes vnto him Nowe knowe we that thou hast the deiuil Abraham is dead and the Prophetes and thou sayst If a man kepe my saying he shall neuer â—aste of death Arte thou greater than our
religion sake Uerily from that tyme a certayne likelyhood of a thyng to be was shewed that is to wit that the Gentiles being before Idolaters should haue recourse come to be of Christes churche wherof that temple at Ierusalem bare the figure and should louingly embrace Iesus with due religion whome the Phariseis reiected These folke therfore beyng very desirous to see Iesus of whom they had heard so wonderful thinges yet they were bashefull and with shamefastnesse letted to approche vnto hym for in dede they coueted not only as he passed by lightly to se him in the throng but also to salute him and to heare hym speake nere hande these persones I saye do come to Philip to whom by reason of nighnesse of countrey for he was borne in Bethsaida a citie in Galilee of the Gentiles they were knowen and their cummyng to hym was that he would make them waye into Iesus For they gaue knowledge that they were very desirous to se Iesus Philip brake the matter to Andrewe they being coÌ„panions of one citie For Andrewe was of a greater auctoritie with the lorde because he was fyrst of all called They both therfore wente to Iesus and declared vnto him that certayne folke there was not Iewes but Gentiles whiche out of measure desyred to se him if he woulde vouchesafe to admitte them And Iesus aunswered them saying The houre is come that the sonne of manne must be glorified Uerely verely I saye vnto you excepte the wheate corne fall into the grounde and dye it bideth alone If it dye it bryngeth furth muche fruite He that loueth his lyfe shall destroye it and he that hateth his lyfe in this world shall kepe it vnto lyfe eternall But when Iesus was certified by his disciples that the heathen also longed to see him when as so leudly he was contemned of the Phariseis and priestes vpon this occasion he began to open his death to his disciples and what great fruite it should bring not onely to the Iewes but to al the world for because in like maner as the miracle of raysing vp Lazarus alone did drawe and prouoke not onely many Iewes but also Gentiles to his loue so shoulde his death and resurreccion moue and drawe all the countreyes of the whole worlde Than Iesus gaue aunswer to his disciples that shewed him the godly minde and affeccion of the heathen and sayed ye dyd heare the Iewes saie with a loude voice blessed is he that cummeth in the name of the Lorde Ye see the Gentiles drawe to me with lyke desyre and why Because now the tyme is nygh that whan the Phariseis beleueth that the sonne of man shall bee vtterlye extincte than shall he bee most glorified with all nacions of the worlde It is a newe kinde of glory and by a newe waye must it be gotten I beyng aliue haue drawen â—ewe to me but when I am dead my fame shal be spred abrode and drawe mo than my bodily presence hath doen. Ye be loth to heare of death yet take that for moste sure vnlesse the wheat corne be caste into the grounde and beyng buryed there dooe rotte and dye it shall bring furth no fruite but it only alone abideth safe But if it be dead and lye buried in the grounde it sprouteth vp againe with muche gayne of fruite yealdyng for one corne an hundreth and nowe the corne standing ioyfully vpon the grounde garnisheth the fieldes abrode in many places and with a plenteous encrease enricheth the countreye The thing that is commodious to many is the more to be coueted and the saluacion of many is to be redemed with the death of a fewe So to bestowe life is no perishemente but auauÌ„tage and this is not to loose the lyfe but to kepe it For the soule doeth not perishe whiche departeth from the bodye nor the bodye dooeth not altogether go to destruccion that in tyme to come shal liue more blessedlye and be immortall Therfore whosoeuer loueth his life in this worlde whyle he euill kepeth it he loseth it Contrary whosoeuer hateth his life in this worlde and for the furtheraunce of the ghospel casteth it into perils and betaketh it to death he doeth not loose lyfe whiche he so bestoweth but kepeth it and for a mortall a shorte and a wretched lyfe shal receyue at the time of resurreccion an eternal and blessed lyfe In lyke maner he that kepeth the wheat corne looseth it that euen els of it selfe would perishe but he that soweth and burieth it in the ground in conclusion well saueth it within a whyle after to receiue thesame agayne with auantage whiche he thought he had loste If any man minister vnto me let him folowe me and where I am there shall also my minister be if any minister vnto me him will my father honour Nowe is my soule troubled and what shall I saye Father deliuer me from this houre but therfore came I vnto this houre Father glorifie thy name There is therfore no cause why my death should trouble you whiche death once shal be folowed to thintent that you whiche shal be folowers of death may be partakers both of glory immortalitie I as the autour of the ghospels businesse doe bestowe my life willingly for the saluacion of the world and my fathers glory You shall be ministers of the same businesse reporting and publishing abrode through the whole world with your preaching those thinges that I haue both wrought and taught Thesame thing that the Byshoppes and Phariseis doe now with great craft deuise against me shal the wicked execute vpon you whiche vngraciouse persones loueth the worlde more than God and whiles ful folishly they kepe this life they loose euerlasting life and cast themselfes headling into euerlasting death If one professe himselfe my disciple or minister it behoueth thesame to folowe me theyr maister and Lord. For it is mete that the seruaunte be not pulled away from his Lord neither in prosperouse thinges nor aduersant Whom I haue partakers and companioÌ„s in afflâ—cious and aduersitie them will not I diâ—â—euer from the felowshyp of felicitie but wheresoeuer I become there shall also my seruaunt be And though the worlde reiecte me neuer so muche yet shall my father enhaunce me to glory And in case any manne behaue hymselfe as a faithfull seruaunt to me hym in recompence of transitorie harmes and for ignominie wherwith he liueth in rebuke among men my father shal bewtifie and honour with eternall felicitie true glory For my father shall acknowledge not me only but the ministers also of his only sonne and shall vouchesafe like reward vpon theÌ„ whom he hath knowen to suffre suche like thinges as his sayed sonne did suffre Affliccion had here hath of trueth his anguishe and paine by reason of the infirmitie of mans body But the saluacion of many well considered the felicitie of euerlasting life well poudered whiche are redemed and recouered with a short torment ought to conuince this quiuering feare of
no power to the intente that here also it myght bee euidently perceiued how that no man coulde preuaile any thyng agaynste him excepte he woulde geue licence to his vngracious wyll to accomplishe in dede that thyng whiche he had determined in his mynde ¶ Therefore when he was gone out Iesus saied Nowe is the sonne of man glorified â–ª â—nd God is glorified by him If God bee glorified by him God shall also glorifie him by himselfe and shall streightwaye glorifie him Litle chyldren yet a litle while am I with you ye shall seke me as I saied vnto the Iewes whither I go thither can ye not cumme Also to you I saie nowe a newe commaundemente geue I vnto you that ye loue together as I haue loued you that euen so ye loue one an other By this shall all men knowe that ye are my disciples yf ye haue loue one to an other When he therfore was departed whiche had made hymselfe vnwoorthye to bee in coumpanye Iesus beganne to speake manye thynges to his disciples whiche should partely coumforte and stablishe them and partly arme them against the storme that was at hande vtterlye prientyng in theyr myndes those thynges whiche at the fyrste beyng ignoraunt and afterwarde dulled with so rowe and steape they coulde not fully perceiue but yet they shoulde afterward vnderstande the same And fyrste of all he shewed his death to be at hand which although in the iudgemente of the worlde it shoulde seme full of reproche yet should it set furth both his fathers glorye and his owne Nowe sayeth he this thyng is specially in hande for the whiche ye haue hearde me praye For nowe the tyme is come that the soonne of manne whiche hath semed hytherto poore and as an abiecte shoulde after a newe sorte become notable among men and that his fathers glorye shoulde likewise be set foorth by him For as he sought not his owne glory but thorowe his infirmitie sette forth his fathers glorye so in lyke manier the father which is the true fountayne of all true glory shall glorifye his soonne before men not by Aungels nor Archaungels nor yet anye other creature but by hymselfe declaryng to the worlde howe the fathers and the sonnes glorye is all one to the entente menne so maye knowe on euerye syde theyr mutuall woorkes not that they canne wynne any thyng by it but that men by knowyng the glory of them bothe myght obteine true glorye In tyme to come verily he shall throughly glorifie his sonne in his laste cumming before all the company of heauen and in the meane whyle also he shall furthwith gloryfie hym by his owne death whiche shall bee of more force them al mans power and anone after by his resurreccion and ascencion Wherfore my children let not my death discoumforte you whiche although it seme to come for wantâ— of strength yet shall it bee of more power then my lyfe Though it shall seme to be shamefull and vyle yet shall it sette foorth bothe my glory and my fathers yea and though it shall seme an vtter a bolishyng of me yet shall it bryng saluacion bothe to you and to the whole worlde lette these thynges comforte the heauinesse of your myndes For it is expedient for you that this mortall bodye of myne bee withdrawen from your syght and nowe the â—yme is euen at hand for it to bee dooen In the meane whyle vse my coumpanye as one that shall gooe shortelye from you and printe well in your hertes those thynges that I commaunde you or els as I haue tolde the Iewes ye shall seke me in vayne when I am gone hence For within a while I goe away and that to suche a place whither at this tyme ye cannot folowe me Therefore nowe there is no more to do but take my departure paciently and fasten well in your myndes both my doctrine and the remembraunce of me This is the thyng that shall make you happye rather then the syghte of this mortall bodye There bee many preceptes of Moses lawe I nowe at my departure commaunde you one and that a newe precepte that lyke as I haue loued you so one of you loue an other I haue vsed no tyranny againste you I haue not coueted praise or lucâ—e nor haue gotâ—en any worldelye commoditie by you I haue loued youre welthe yea and that freelye and I haue loued you euen vnto the death for I will willingly bestowe this life for you In like manner loue you one an other Other mens disciples are knowen by their naâ—es appaul and by the obseruing of certaine ordinaunces of menne ye haue learned none of these thinges By this onely signe menne shall knowe that ye bee my verie disciples in dede if ye haue suche mutuall loue among youre selues as I haue effectuously shewed to you all this is a rare thing among menne but yet is it the fruite whereby the good tree is knowen ¶ Simon Peter saied vnto him Lorde whither goest thou Iesus aunswered him Whither I goâ— thou canste not folowe me nowe but thou shalte folowe me afterwardes Peter saied vnto him Lorde why cannot I folowe the nowe I will iâ—operde my life for thy sake Iesus aunswered him Wilte thou ieoperde thy life for my sake Uerely verely I saye vnto thee the cocke shall not crowe till thou haue denied me thrise Peter whiche was all set on fier with the loue of his maister althoughe he tooke his death grieuously yet because he hadde said vnto him go after me Satan he durste no more moue and moleste him concerning that matter but this thing troubled Peters minde who loued him so well that he coulde haue no leaue to folowe him when he shoulde departe from his frendes For it is a great comfort if a manne loue one vnfainedlye to folowe him in all chaunces wheresoeuer he shall become Therefore Peter asketh Lorde whether goest thou that I maie not folowe the To this Iesus aunswereth Thou maiest not presencely folow me thither as I gooe but hereafter thou shalte Peter not vnderstanding as yet to what purpose Iesus spake these woordes wheras he mente it of his owne deathe whiche they were not yet apte to beare well Lorde saieth he why maie not I folowe thee what perilles woulde I refuse for thee whiche am readie to die for thee His loue beeing vâ—â—aâ— earnest in dede neuerthelesse as yet but worldly not throughlye knowen to himselfe caused hym thus to speake beyonde his power Iesus therefore to th entent he would frame his successoure litle by litle and vtterly pull out of his disciples mindes confidence in mannes power like as before he hadde somewhat remoued and put backe thesame at suche time as Peter didde boldelye aduise him not to die and againe he rebuked the saied Peter when he had rashelye caste himselfe into the water and furthwith beganne to doubte yea and but a while agooe also he was controlled for so muche as when he woulde not haue obeyed hym at suche time
menne to the atteinyng of eternall saluacion Therfore remembre this well that without me ye can doe nothyng that good is But if anye braunche dooe through his owne faulte pull hymselfe backe againe from me he not onely bringeth foorth no fruite at all but like as an vnprofitable braunche when it is cut of with a shreadyng hooke withereth and afterwarde beeyng gathered vp with other twigges that bee shred of is caste into the fyer to burne so thesame braunche destitute of my moysture spirite dyeth spirituallye althoughe he liue bodilye And beeyng after this life seperate withoute recouerie from the vyne is caste into euerlastyng fyer there to burne for euer to his great tormente for somuche as he woulde not abyde styll in the vyne so bryng forth fruite of eternall felicitie And ye shall abyde in me yf my woorde abyde in you if ye kepe in mynde the thinges whiche ye beleue and execute in dede that whiche ye remembre If ye wyll do this ye neede not feare any worldelye stormes for thoughe I bee not still presente with you in bodye yet both my father and I will heare you And yf ye do rightly aske all such thinges as ye would haue ye shal obtayne your asking But like as of your selfes ye are not able to bryng foorth fruite euen so ye ought not presumptuously to attribute to your selfes the prayse of your good dedes for as I haue not sought mine owne glorye but my fathers of whome I haue all my being and power so shall ye referre all the thanke and commendacion of your good deedes to my father and me When menne shall perceiue you to bryng foorth muche euangelical fruite then is my father glorified among theim for what prayse soeuer I shall gette by you thesame shall redounde to my fathers glorye whome ye shall cause to be praysed among menne by shewyng your selfes the ryght disciples of his sonne not that we neede worldely praise but because so it is expedient for the saluacion of mankynde which thyng we do thriste for and couete It cummeth of charitie and not of ambicion that my father thus desireth to bee glorified amonges men ¶ As the father hath loued me euen so haue I also loued you Continue ye in my loue If ye kepe my commaundementes ye shall byde in my loue euen as I haue kept my fathers commaundementes and haue byden in his loue These thinges haue I spoken vnto you that my ioye might remaine vnto you and that your ioye might bee full I haue loued you whiche are my braunches euen as my father hath loued me that am the stocke Be carefull to kepe this so great a benefite freelye geuen you leste ye lease it through your negligence and ye shall not lease it Lyke as I alwaies procuring my fathers glorye haue continewed euen to the death in my loue towardes hym so will ye perseuer in your loue towardes me Wherin ye shall perseuer not by the obseruing of the Phariseis or phylosophers preceptes but by keping of my commaundementes so that neither any flattery or feare of the world may separate you from thē no more then it doeth me which do constantly to the death kepe my fathers commaūdementes being neuer disseuered frō the loue of hym but by very deedes declaring my selfe to requite his loue with lyke loue Wherfore as it shall be my fathers glory to haue so naturall a sonne and so worthy for hym no lesse shall it be for both our honours that I may haue you my disciples obseruers of my woordes and folowers of my doinges Albeit these thinges be sumwhat painful tedious yet do I therfore vse so long cōmunicacion therin to thintent that as I haue not labored for the ioye of this worlde but herein do reioyce that for obeying my fathers cōmaundemēt I am beloued of him no more should you seke comfort of the worlde but reioyce in this my kynde of ioye whensoeuer ye folowing my steppes shall be afflicted and let that ioy remayne in you euer increasyng into greater and better vntill it cum perfitly to the perpetuall felicitie of immortall life One of you charitably to loue an other shal be a great cumforte to you euen in the myddest of all your troubles when ye be at the wurste ¶ This is my commaundemēt that ye loue together as I haue loued you Greater loue hath no man than this that a man bestowe his life for his frendes Ye are my frendes yf ye do whatsoeuer I commaund you Hence furth call I you not seruauntes for the seruaunt knoweth not what hys Lorde doth but you haue I called frendes for all thynges that I haue heard of my father haue I opened to you There be diuerse preceptes of the Phariseis and Moses hath also manye but this one precept is my very owne whiche includeth all thinges that I do teache and shall make pleasaunt all aduersities whiche shall happen that is to say that ye beare such loue one to an other as I haue borne towardes you I doe testifie my loue not with woordes onely but also with deedes and that loue not to be after the commune sorte but excellent and the greatest that any man lyuing can haue for there can bee no greater token of loue amonge men than a man to bestowe his lyfe for his frendes sake for euery man setteth by his lyfe aboue all thinges Many perchaunce myght bee found that coulde bee content to bestowe money or labour for an other mans sake but the person is rare to bee found out whiche will bestowe his lyfe for his frendes sake I doe more then all this whiche bestowe my lyfe for mine enemies so they will becum my frendes And in the meane while I call them my frendes in the waye of honour whom I haue good right to call my seruauntes Neuertheles I will not take you for my seruauntes but for my frendes yf ye wyll as cherefully and gladly perfourme these thinges that I commaunde you as I dooe willingly obey my fathers commaundement They that are vnder Moses lawe be rightfully called seruauntes because they depend vpon diuerse rules prescribed vnto them and rather for feare then for loue doe the thing that is apointed them But as for you whom I haue called from the bondage of the law vnto the libertie of the gospell from hence foorth I will no more call seruauntes but frendes as them whome mutuall loue and not necessitie doeth ioyne vnto me For the seruaunte perceiueth not his Lordes intent but onely dooeth that he is bydden lokyng for no greate rewarde yf he dooe it and well assured to bee punished yf he dooe it not besydes that for euerye sundrie doyng must be had a sundry commaundement as goe cum agayne doe this ▪ eschewe that For the maister telleth not his owne counsell to his seruauntes whiche are therfore euil to be trusted because they rather feare then loue hym The cause wherfore I haue called you my frendes is for that I
effect for I shall not long be conuersaunt among you in this visible bodie but shall dye and goe to my father And yet ye shall perceyue me to be one that liueth and hath power and that shall accomplishe all that I haue promised Moreouer the worlde also shal be rebuked and reproueâ— of iudgement because that by seing men euery where through penaunce coâ—â—erte from synne to innocencie of lyfe leaue the grosse ceremonies of Moses lawe and ruine to godlynesse of the ghospell the nacions of the whole worlde forsake theyr wurshipping of diuels and images and falle to the true wurshipping of God the father the sonne and the holy ghost it shall manifestly appere the prince of the worlde who hath heretofore by synne practised 〈◊〉 to be already with his owne weapons vanquished put out of the waye and iudged as one that hath procured my death by whom innocencie libertie of the gospell and immortalitie is recouered employed and geuen Than shall it well appere to haue been a triumphe whiche semed to be a thing of shame and reproche and that to haue been a victory whiche was imputed and counted for an ouerthrowe and an vtter destruccion for whan deuils shall eche where be cast out of the temples â–ª and shall crye out at the signe of the crosse when they shall leaue the bodyes whiche they had of long tyme possessed at naming of me shall not that openly proue theyr prince to be iudged and condemned Shall it not bee apparante and a clere matter that they also be woorthely iudged and condemned whiche had leuer folow hym being alreadye vanquished and iudged to eternall deathe than me whom as a conquerour and to all folke the verye auctour of innocencie and of life God shall carrye vp and auaunce to the felowship of his kyngdome ¶ I haue yet many thinges to saye vnto you but ye cannot beare them awaye nowe Howbeit when he is cum whiche is the spirite of trueth he will leade you into al trueth he wil not speake of hym selfe but whatsoeuer he shall heare that shall be speake and he wil shewe you thinges to cum He shall glorifie me for he shall receyue of myne and shall shewe vnto you All thinges that the father hathe are myne Therefore sayed I vnto you that he shall take of myne and shewe vnto you I coulde tell you many mo thinges but the tyme serueth not nor your weakenesse wyll not as yet beare them and since I haue not yet altogether goen thorow with this mine ambassade I do therfore reserue them to the cummyng of the holy ghoste he beyng once come shall fynde you more apte to receyue a more full knowledge euen when the busynesse of my deathe resurreccion and ascencion shall be dispatched and fynished This spirite that I speake of shall be no lying or worldely spirite but my very spirite that is to saye the spirite of trueth he shall teache you all trueth whiche ye are not nowe able to receiue at ful He also shall speake vnto you but that shall be by secrete inspiracions He shall not with mouing the ayer touche your bodely eares but by a priuey secrete vertue shall moue the inwarde myndes neyther shall he speake thynges of vncertaintye but in lyke maner as I haue spoken nothyng whiche I haue not heard of my father so shall he inspire nothyng into your hertes but that he hearde of my father and me and he shall out onely open vnto you all trueth of thynges paste but also he shall foreshewe you thynges to cumme ere they happen so often as nede shall require for he is not alone only almighty but hathe withall knowleage of all thinges He shall by you make the glory of my name be knowen to all men lyke as I by my deathe and resurreccion shall make my fathers glory notable and famouse for as what thing soeuer I doe redoundeth to my fathers praise and glory of whome I haue my being and of him haue receiued all that I haue cum so shall it growe to my honour and praise whatsoeuer he shall woorke by you He shall mocion you to nothing contrary to those thinges whiche I receiuing them of my father haue taught you All thinges is common betwene vs all thinges procede from my father but whosoeuer is his is mine nor any thing is my fathers or mine whiche is not common to the spirite Therefore by the sayde spirite shall I speake to you as my father hathe spoken to you by me he that beleueth me beleueth my father and he that beleueth the spirite beleueth vs both ¶ After a while ye shall not see me and againe after a while ye shall see me for I go to the father Then sayed sum of his disciples betwene themselues what is this that he sayeth vnto vs after a while ye shal not see me and againe after a while ye shall see me and that I go to the father They sayed therefore what is this that he sayeth after a whyle we cannot tell what he sayeth Iesus perceiuing that they woulde aske hym sayed vnto them Ye enquire of this betwene your selues because I sayed after a while ye shall not see me and againe after a while ye shall see me Uerily verily I saye vnto you ye shall wepe and lament but contrariwyse the worlde shall reioyce ye shall sorowe but your sorowe shall be turned into ioy Now than being corroborate and stablished with many thinges be ye bold and take good hearte vnto you againste the storme that hangeth ouer you in aduersitie saue your selues to the prosperitie whiche shall folowe within a whyle ye shall lacke the syght of me but ye shall be without it no longe time for within a shorte space after I shall be presented to your syght agayne that so ye may litle by litle be brought in vre to wante the sight of this body which is not moste commodiouse for you For I returne to my father to thentente that after I cease to be seen of you I maye endue you with greater giftes But not withstanding all this so great sorowe did possesse the disciples mindes at that time that they neyther vnderstood nor coulde kepe in memorie thinges that were often repeted and reiterate for whereas our lord Iesus did declare in these wordes not very obscurely that by death and buryall he should be absent out of his disciples sight yet none otherwyse but that within thre dayes after he would appeare vnto them againe euen in the self same bodye but now immortall so after he had for a fewe dayes space confirmed and stayed the mindes of his disciples to conuaye hymselfe again into heaueÌ„ And to th entent that hauing his bodely sight withdrawen from them which letted them to be spirituall they mighte deserue that heauenly spirite and after that to looke no more for their lordes bodely presence saue onely when at the laste daye he shall once for all shewe hymselfe to the whole worlde for
but such a thing that god long a goe promysed by your prophetes Reuerently ye doe worship the god of Abraham the god of Isaac and the god of Iacob and ye auaunt your selfes in that ye haue theym as your chiefe fathers and firste beginners of your auncestry but the very sonne of this same god whom the chiefe fathers of your auncestry hath wurshipped beyng sente to you for your saluacion poore and simple to loke vpon to thintente that you shoulde make the more of him as a familâ—â—â—e person lyke to one of you ye haue brought to extreme vilanny and reproche Notwithstanding the selfe same god hath by his infinite might and power aduaunced his sonne to high renoume and glory one whome man of malice hath ouerthrowen and god hath in this fact lyke as he hath also many other wayes wroughte by him miracles out of numbre before your iyes and taught you doctrine from heauen But ye neuer a deale the better for al such benefites deliuered him at the last after many reprochfull iniuries into the handes of the wicked to thintent he shoulde be slaine yea and where as Pilate a Panim a man both without knowleage of your lawe and of no kinred with your forefathers woulde haue gyuen sentence of him as of your king as of a blessed person innoceÌ„t for his deliueraunce yee which ought by reason of that knowlage ye had of prophecies to recognise hym haue styfely denyed hym and openly in the presidentes hyghe hall of iudgemente saying we haue no kinge but Ceasar And in suche a cruell rage ye were of rancour againste hym and hatred that lieffer had ye to haue Barrabas that notable thefe and sedicious person pardoned at your request whiche had despatched other of their liues than to haue Iesus saued who broughte with hym lyfe for all menne For a murtherers lyfe ye obtained pardon but for the authoure of euerlasting lyfe ye procured deathe Neuerthelesse God hys father the authoure and maker of all lyfe hathe raysed hym whome ye haue slayne from the dead to lyfe againe and liberally hath rewarded hym with lyfe that neuer shall haue ende To the which thing beare we witnes vnto whom he himselfe after he was reuiued eftsones playnely appeared for vs to beholde for vs to heare and handle whom we behelde also goyng vp to heauen He came firste to you in a pore and simple aray which he was contented to take vpon hym for all your sakes but now is he by his father aduaunced to glory and putteth foorth his power and strength by vs which be nought els but witnesses to the thinges whiche we haue seen and hearde And for that trust and affyaunce whiche we haue in his name this man whom you see walke borne as ye well knowe bothe halte and lame almightye god hath restored to hys perfit limmes agayne No prayse herein are we worthy to haue neyther are we through oure merytes the cause thereof neyther he that is restored but god the father as I sayd would haue his sonnes name magnifyed with all men in the whiche name his pleasure is that all people shoulde put their full trust and hope of health vniuersall by this assured trust and confidence is this man which hath been euer weake from the first houre of his birth perfectly now as ye all do see in all his limmes restored These be euident argumentes not alonely to proue that he is on liue whom ye suppose to be dead but to declare also that all mennes hope of saluacion is to be put in him alone And now brethren I wot that through ignoraunce ye did it as did also your rewlers But God which before had shewed by the mouthes of all his prophetes howe the Christe should suffre hath in this wise fulfilled Repent you therfore conuerte that your sinnes may be doen away whan the time of refreshyng cummeth whiche we shall haue of the presence of the lorde and when God shal sende him which before was preached vnto you euen Iesus Christe whiche muste receyue heauen vntyll the tyme that all thinges whiche God hath spoken by the mouthe of all hys Prophetes sence the world began bee restored agayne And cause there is none at al my brethren why ye shoulde despaire for it hath thus come to passe according to the will of God and his sufferaunce Your offence herein and trespase is partely excused by mans ignoraunce For his feble and weake body was a lette to you and impedimente to knowe his diuine power whiche diuine and godly power no not your rewlers them selfes knewe perfeictly Whiche thing in him if they had knowen readily neuer would they haue been in minde to crucify the Prince of glory But so was it expedient for mans saluacion so had god determined before the beginning so had he before shewed by the mouth of all his Prophetes that Messias whome he woulde sende fynallye to redeme you shoulde suffer death Now is god no lyer whome he promised to send the same person hath he sent whom he would haue slayn euen so as he woulde haue it is he slayne This sacrifice woulde he haue offered vp to satisfy for the sinnes of all the worlde by you was this sacrifice offered not without blame to you but suche as ye shall haue forgyuenesse of if ye repente that ye haue dooen amisse And so shall it come to passe that your offence whiche you committed to the weale of all men shall turne to your singular wealthe also For your pardon is easy to come by and redy at hand Only be you ashamed of your euill doinges and sorowful not alonely for this fact but for al other and see that you turne to a new life openly confesse that Iesus whome ye before haue denied is king and rewler ouer all whome ye haue to death condemned as a person giltie now doe ye acknowledge to be the very fountain and giuer of all innocency and whom ye haue violently put to death beleue ye to be the author of immortall lyfe Now is the time of pardon for synne haste you this meane while to penaunce and you shall fynde mercifulnes that whan he shall come eftesones to iudge the quicke and the dead on high aboue in the cloudes whome his father once sent simple poore for your sakes ye may be able constauntly to abide his presence whiche shall be terrible to them and intollerable whiche hath not be penitent But suche as for this meane space doe beleue in Iesus name whome the prophetes hath many yeres a go publyshed to you and whom we also accordyng to theyr prophecies beare witnes of and submit themselfes to hym by fayth puttyng theyr sinne away by penaunce shall finde there with the righteous iudge who hath promised to all menne for fayth in him and repentaunce of sinne euerlasting health refreshing All those thinges are come hitherto well to passe whiche as the prophetes hath heretofore tolde were for to bee dooen and perfourmed
the voyce of god and of no man as though they had perceyued in him some thing to surmount mans excellency Such flattery of the people doeth often cause the kynges become tyrauÌ„tes whan they are praised as goddes that are scarsely worthy the name of man And princes on the other parte flatter the people exhibiting vnto theym shewes to gase vpon vncleanly plaies and oftentymes by puttynge good menne to death as he before had obteyned the peoples fauour by the death of Iames. And yet Herode for hys parte refused not nor abhorred this so vngodly flattery but as a wretched person and one that should within short space after dye reioysed to be called god But the vengeaunce of god immediatly lighted on hym For streight waies in presence of the multitude before he came downe the aungell of god smote hym whom he lokyng backe sawe because that he beynge man had taken on hym the honoure that cannot be communicate or parted with any creature but is due vnto god alone And beyng taken with a sodayne disease whiche was as fylthy and dolorouse as anye myght be died for the veraie payne and anguishe therof within fewe dayes after his body beyng eaten vp with vermyne In this wyse whan he that had persecuted the flocke of god was rydde oute of the waye the doctrine of the gospell encreased and spred more and more abrode And Barnabas and Saule whan their busynesse was done that they had in hande by the consent of the brethren and had delyuered the money to the apostles and sene the same distributed to the helpyng and relyuing of the pore as it was ordeyned that it shoulde returned from Hierusalem to Antioche bryngyng wyth them a companion whose name was Iohn otherwyse called by his syrname Marke ¶ The .xiii. Chapter There wer in the congregacion that is at Antioche certain prophetes and teachers as Barnabas and Symeon that was called Niger Lucius of Cyrene and Manahen Herode the Tetrarches noursefelowe Saule As they mynystred to the lorde and fasted the holy ghost sayed seperate me Barnabas and Saule for the worke wherunto I haue called them And when they had fasted and prayed and layed theyr haÌ„des on them they leat them goe And they after they were sent forth of the holy gost departed vnto Seleuria from thence they sayled to Ciprus And when they were at Salamine they shewed the worde of God in the Sinagoges of the Iewes And they had Iohn to their minister THe Churche at Antioche dyd than so floryshe that in it were dyuers that had the gifte of Prophecye and other that had the gyfte of teachyng the same Emong whome were Barnabas and Simeon whiche was sirnamed Niger besydes these were also Lucius a Cyrenian borne and Manahen whiche had ben brought vp eueÌ„ of a child with Herode the Tetrache and was his noursefelowe playfiere whose coumpaignie he had lefte and dyd than folow Christ. But Saule emong all these was moste excellente and one that passed all the other in qualyties required in an apostle And wheras they studyed for the profyt of the Churche bestowyng those gyftes that they had to eche mannes welth and to set forth the glorye of Chrysâ—e faythfully whyche is a sacrifyce so acceptable to god that there is none more fastyng in the meane space that they by prayer in puritie of lyfe myghte further the profytes of the Churche besydes the executing and doinge of al other duetyes the holy ghoste beeyng moued with their prayers certifyed theym by Prophetes what he woulde haue doen sayinge disseuer me Barnabas and Saule two the chief of all the reste for my purpose that they maye take in hande that effyce for the whiche I haue specially chosen theym that is to saye that they maye be instructours of the gentiles and that I maye sowe farre abrode the gospell by theyr meanes At this commaundemente of the holye ghost Barnabas and Saule were separated and set apart from the reste that it myght appere to euery man who wer chosen And after that they â—yth one consente by fastyng and prayer had made peticion to God that he would turne the offyce that they toke on them to the profite of the congregation those that were highest of authoritie emoÌ„g them layed their haÌ„des on theim so dimissed them ready to take theyr iourney whythersoeuer the holy goste would leade or appoynte theym And so firste by mocion of the holy ghost Barnabas and Saule went to Seleucia whyche is a great promontory or peake on the weste parte of Antioche thence they sayled vnto Cypres And as soone as they had arryued at Salamin whyche is a noble citie in that Yle and the first that ye cum vnto on the easte syde they preached not fables inuented by mans witte but the worde of god and that not in corners but in the Iewes Synagoges of whome there was a greate noumber by reason that it was nere vnto Syria They had with them as a partaker of thys mynysterie Iohn otherwyse called Marke whome they had brought wyth them from Hierusalem Suche honor was euery where geuen to the Iewes accordynge to the commaundement of Christe that wylled the ghospell first to be offered them leste that sorte of people whiche otherwyse was euer full of complayntes and waywarde shoulde saye that they wer despised and nought set by WhaÌ„ they had gone through the yle vnto Paphos they found a certayne forcerer a false prophet a Iew whose name was Bariâ—su which was with the ruler of the couÌ„trey one Sergius Paulus a prudent maÌ„ The same ruler called vnto him Barnabas Saul desired to heare the word of god But Elymas the sorcerer for so is his name by interpretacioÌ„ withstode them and sought to turne away the ruler from the fayth Than Saul which is also called Paul being ful of the holy gost set his iyes on him and sayed O thou ful of al sutteltie deceitfulnes thou chylde of the deuyll thou enemy of all righteousnes wilt that not cease to peruerte the strayght wayes of the lord And now beholde the hande of the lord is vpon the and thou shalt be blynd and nor see the sunne for a season And immediatly there fel on hym a myste a darkenes and he wente aboute sekyng them that should leade him by the hands Than the ruler whan he saÌ„we what had happened beleued and wondred at the doctirne of the Lorde They beyng thus occupied walked aboute all the whole Ylande vntyll that they came to Paphos whiche was a citye dedicate in the honoure of Uenus For this cytie standeth fardest of on the West parte of Cipres There they founde a certayne enchaunter whose name was Bariesus as a manne woulde say the sonne of Iesu a Iewe borne and one that professed the Iewes religion and vnder pretense therof falsely bearyng men in hande that he had the spirite of prophecie He was reteynyng to Sergius Paulus whiche was proconsull that is to
the acte of him who went about to wryng out of the man a notable faythe for the ensample of other and his pleasure was to teache all men by this blinde man howe by what meanes light maie be extorted or gotten perforce of Iesu. The fyrst hope to obtaine light is to haue Iesus to stand still at our crying The secoÌ„de to be called vnto him eyther by the teachers of the ghospell or els by the secrete inspiracions of the holy ghost For the blynde man could not go vnto hym vnlesse he had bene led and guided by holy scripture which we ought in no wise to despise although it be ministred by maÌ„ The Apostles and preachers of the ghospell do happily call a blynde maÌ„ when they call him at the coÌ„maundemeÌ„t of Iesu. But nowe adayes they call without his coÌ„maundement not vnto him but to the aydes of humaine Philosophie or Heathen learning to thobseruacion of Moises law to the coÌ„modities pleasures of this preseÌ„t lyfe Assuredly these â—allers make the blinde more blinde then he was before But the Apostles obeyng their maisters coÌ„maundement called this man vnto Iesus and so true is it that they dyd not crie brable against him as the people did that they put him hauing good hope already in more hope and comforte saying Be of good chere aryse Iesus calleth thee The blinde man conceyued so great hope herewith that he cast awaye his cloke whiche defended hym againste the cold weather and skypped out of the place where he sate and ranne to Iesus Here will I staye the a lytle while good reader because thou mayest marke the greate readinesse of mynde and feruent courage of this blynde begger Howe ofte arte thou called vnto Iesus doest neither caste awaye thy cloke or maÌ„tell nor skyp out of thy deÌ„ne of misery nor run vnto hym the calleth thee but tournest thy backe but lingrest from day to day but castest doubtes but â—â—dest cauillacions and fayned excuses but waxest luskyshe in thy fylthe and darkenesse haddest rather aske an almes of the worlde in a foule beggerly cloke then receiue light of Iesus wherein is conteyned the summe of all felicitie What a goodly and faire vesture is the garment of innocencie and cleane lyfe What a foule mantell hath he that is clothed with lechery with couetousnesse with excesse and ambicioÌ„ Howe vile and wretched a begger is he whoe for a small and corporall commoditie croucheth and kneleth vnto this world Howe miserablye blynde is he that neyther knoweth himselfe nor almightye God his maker As ofte as thou arte called from this miserable wretchednesse vnto Iesus either when thou readest the ghospell or hearest thesame preached or els whan thou art drawen by a certaine secrete inspiracion of the holy ghoste why doeste thou not then all thynges layde aparte that are wonte to let and hinder a man to attaine so great felicitie leape vp vnto the hope of a better life Why runnest thou not with moste sure faythe vnto Iesus whiche onely is able to geue the light and will geue it to all men Iesus cometh vnto the he calleth the and doest thou again for thy part grutche to mete hym Thou pynest and wyddrest away euen tyll thy dying day in thy darkenesse but thou shalt not euer haue Iesus passing by the. Certes after death he calleth no manne to saluacion but to iudgement When he passeth by here in this worlde he heareth him that cryeth haue mercy vpon me here he standeth still here he calleth here he giueth light This begger hath made the ashamed of thy slouthfulnesse vnto whom the Lord when he was cuÌ„men vnto him sayd What ayleth the to crye what wilt thou haue me to do vnto the what â–ª knewe not Iesus why he cryed knew not he what he shoulde doe That is not so but all this was done for our custruccion Many beleued that this blynde man loked for an almes of the lorde because he was a begger For so nowe a daies many crye vnto Iesus Lorde haue mercy vpon me And beyng demaunded what they sue for what they desyre to haue one sayth graunt that I maye be riche an other that I maye gette an office this man that I maie haue a wyfe with a good dowrie an other geue me bodilye strength geue me long lyfe or graunt that I may be auenged on my enemy But these thinges Iesus many times taketh awaye from his frendes because it so behoueth for their saluacion The euangelike begger desyred none of all these thinges For he knew right well what ought to be desyred of Iesu. Therfore let vs both heare and folowe hym Rabbone sayeth he that is as muche to saye as my maister make me to see For being careles for all other thynges he desyred nothing els but light whereby he might see God and his sonne Iesus whom to knowe is euerlasting lyfe For in scripture to knowe God is nothing els but to see God O very Euangelike and christiaÌ„ praier How fewe wordes hath it but how great faith Doubtles this is that short prayer whiche pearceth the heauens Therfore Iesus answered Go thy way thy faith hath purchased the helth He is not byanby a man vndoen and cast awaye whiche seeth not awhit with bodelyiyes but whoso seeth nothing at all with the iyes of his soule thesame cannot be saued To haue recouered these iyes is life euerlasting Heare this saying thou pharisaicall felow whosoeuer thou be that sayest I ascribe my safety to myne oft fastinges to my long prayers to mine almesdedes and my sacrifices and for that cause thou criest not with the begger haue mercy on me but sayest geue me the reward due vnto my deseruinges Now Iesus doth contrarily ascribe saluacion vnto faith and not vnto woorkes The blinde man streyght wayes recouered his sighte not because he deserued it but for that he beleued And being commaunded to go his waye he folowed Iesus Lighte is geuen the freely thy blindnes is taken awaye for naught Afterward thou art left to thyne owne arbitrement whether thou wilt vse the gift of god aright or no. Thou art not compelled to folow thou hast onely power geuen the to see Iesus go now whither thou wilt but at thyne owne auenture What did that blessed blinde man Heretourned not backe agayne to his beggerly cloke or mantel he retourned not to his olde beggerye but forgote all these thinges and folowed Iesus in the waye It auaileth but litle to haue knowen Iesus vnlesse thou do thy deuoire to folowe him whom thou seest Iesus goeth straight to the crosse hither muste thou folow hym after thou hast once recouered thy syght a gain As long as thou art blynd thou maiest crye Iesu haue mercye vpon me but thou canst not folow him this way before thine iye syght be restored For who would folow him that willingly geueth his soule to death onlesse he saw by fayth that worldly reproche were the waye to euerlasting glory that bodily
tourmentes and affliccions were the waye to euerlasting ioyes that death were the way to lyfe eternall These thinges the quicke syghted of this world see not perfitely who do not onely with all theyr iyen loke after rule riches honoures pleasures and long life but also endeuoyre themselues to get thesame by vnlefull meanes as by counsayling before with Astronomiers Soothsayers Inchaunters or Necromanciers These thinges I saye they onely see whiche beleue the doctrine of the gospell and haue sure truste that they shall receyue and enioye the reward promised in thesame The .xi. Chapter ¶ And when they came nie to Ierusalem vnto â—ethphage and Bethany besides mounte Oliuete he sendeth forthe two of his disciples and sayth vnto them Go your waye into the towne that is ouer against you and assone as ye he entred into yt ye shall find a Colte bound whereon neuer man sate lewse him and bring him hither And yf any man saye vnto you why doe ye so say ye that the lord hath nede of him and streyght way he will send him hither And they went their way and found the Colte tyed by the doore without in a place where two wayes mette And they lewsed him And diuers of them that stode there sayde vnto them what do ye lewsing the Colte And they sayde vnto them euen as Iesus had commaunded And they let them go And they broughte the Colte to Iesus and cast theyr garmeÌ„tes on him And he sat vpon him And many spred theyr garmeÌ„tes in the waye other cut downe braunches of the trees and strawed them in the waie And they that wente before and they that folowed cryed saying Hosanna Blessed is he that cummeth in the name of the lorde Blessed be the kingdome that cummeth in the name of him that is Lorde of our father Dauid Hosanna in the highest THat thing was not yet wrought in the mindes of the disciples whiche Iesus expressed and set out by a figure in the blind man They yet sawe not perfitly with their inward iyes how happy is the death of those that folow Christes deathe They yet dreamed vpon this worldly kyngdom The lord therfore because he woulde the better fasteÌ„ this in their mindes how such as will folow him ought in no wise to desyre the kingdom of this world shewed them a spectacle wherby he derided and laughed to shorne all worldly pompe glorye as a thing that lasteth but for a season and soone shall perish yet by the same he plainely declared that he could haue commaunded whomsoeuer he woulde to do what it had pleased hym saue that his will and pleasure was rather to obey the wil of the heauenly father Finally he woulde haue all menne to know howe he was the selfesame persone whome the Iewes awayted for to cumme so many hundred yeares before according to the prophecies and foresayinges of the Prophetes for the saluacion of the whole worlde When therefore he approched and was nye vnto Hierusalem for he was by Bethphage and Bethany whiche are two litle townes in the mountaine called mounte Oliuete from whence a manne might haue sene Ierusalem he sente oute from thence two of his disciples geuing them in commaundement to do as foloweth Go ye saith he into that towne whiche you see yondre directly against you and by and by as ye be entred in you shall finde an Asses foale tied at the gate the whiche is not yet broken and whereupon no man hath ridden vnto this day leuse it and bring it hither vnto me And if any man aske you the question why you vntie it say again the lord hath nede of this and straight waies he shall send it hither to me The disciples went their way as they were bidden and so came and found an Asses foale tyed before the gate in a place wheras two wayes met and leused it In the meane while some of those that stode by when thei sawe straunge ment vntie the foale saide vnto them Syrs what meane you Why vntie you the foale The disciples made no other aunswere then the lorde commaunded them to make saying the Lorde hath nede herof The other notwithstanding it was vnknowen vnto them whom they called theyr Lorde did yet let the foale goe without anye further questioning or reasoning the matter with them The disciples after they had vntied it broughte it vnto Iesus Here I woulde haue the earnestly monished good reader that not onely the wordes whiche Iesus Christ spake but also whatsoeuer he did all his lyfe long was not doen at all auentures but by the counsayle and wisedome of god for mannes erudicion For there is nothing that hath not in it either an ensample set out to th entent to moue and styrre vs to vertue and godly lyuyng or a representacion of the olde prophecies or a fulfilling of the fygures wherwith the lawe dyd as it had bene with certaine darke misteries or riddles sygnifie Christe or els a sygnificacion of thinges that afterwardes shoulde happen and cum to passe And wheras the misticall sence of euerye thing is diligently to be searched out yet the more he approched vnto the tyme of his death when the busynesse of oure saluacion shoulde chiefly be wrought the more holyer mysteries were all thynges full of For nowe was that tyme at hand the whiche he greatly thirstyng and desyring all mennes saluacion spake of before saying when I shal be lifted vp from the earth I will draw all thynges vnto me For there was not roume ynoughe in Iewry for his charitie And there the fruite of the ghospell dyd not counteruayle the labour and diligence of the tiller For this cause Christe sent for the wilde and vnbroken asses foale wherupon no man had sytten before This foale signifieth the Gentiles who neyther obeyed the lawe of nature nor were vnder Moses lawes For vpon the Asses that is to saye the Synagoges backe both Moses and the prophetes had ridden Certaine of the newe disciples are nowe sent out to call the Gentiles who call them not to Moses but to Iesus Here woulde there not lacke some whiche woulde brable and speake against them and saye What do you why vntie you the foale For this foale had both many and also vncertaine Maysters and was tyed and stode where two wayes met Whoso is not obedient vnto goddes commaundementes hath as manye maisters as he hath vices that he serueth and is subdued vnto and is so tyed that he hath no house but standeth in sight where two wayes mete readie for euerye manne that wyll take hym But when Iesu calleth no man hathe power to resiste The Iewes cryed and sayde This saluacion is oures by promyse Why then are the Heathen Idolatours ioyned with vs Unto them aunswere was made he that is the Lorde of all hath nede of suche foales He is nowe wery with labouring in vayne among the Iewes and desyreth to reste hym vpon the vnbroken foale That this foale is vnbroken doeth not displease hym
crosse And in dede they hearde a speakyng of death but it was as it had been half in a dreme nothyng well vnderstandyng what the thyng ment whiche was spoken and yet durste they not demaunde anye questions of hym what these woordes might mene hauyng freash in theyr remembraunces that Petur whan he was somewhat ouer bolde and buisye with Iesus had hearde Iesus saie vnto hym auaunt out of my sight thou Satan thou haste no saueryng of those thynges that appertein to God but altogether of such thinges as appertein to yâ— world ¶ And there entred a thought emong them whiche of theim should bee greatest whan Iesus perceiued the thought of their hertes he tooke a chylde and set hym harde by him and sayed vnto them whosoeuer receiueth this childe in my name receiueth me And whosoeuer receiueth me receiueth hym that sent me For he that is least emong you al the same shal bee greatest After al this same Iesus wente to Capernaum And so it was that forasmuche as the disciples wer yet carnal because they had seen the glory of weorking of many miracles and because they had hearde the maiestie of the kyngdome of God promysed and because theimselfes too had dooen many woondrefull thynges aboue nature at the name of Iesus a certayn worldly thought entred into theim which at laste braste out thus ferre that as they were going on the way they reasoned together one with an other whiche of them shoulde sute highest in the kyngdome of heauen For they dreamed that such a like order shoulde bee in the kyngdome of heauen as they had seen in the courtes of worldely princes or in ryche folkes houses in whiche he that is more proude and quicker or bolder spirited then an other is he is the more Iolier felowe Than Iesus althoughe he knewe well enoughe what it was that they had emong theimselfes kept disputacions of yet as soone as he was come into the house he demaunded of theim what the matter was that they had so hardelye disputed and reasoned of by the waie And they all plaiyng mum and not hauyng a woorde to saie because they wer halfe ashamed of the matter Iesus to shewe that their thoughtes and their priuie talkes behynd his backe wer not hydden ne vnknowen to hym toke a litle innocente childe in his hand and set hym hard by his syde and callyng the twelue together vnto hym he sayed ye dispute of greatnesse whiche of you shal bee greatteste The greatteste with me are those that are moste inferiours What is more playne without fraude or guyle then this litle chylde or what thyng more lowe Euen veray suche muste ye become if ye will be chiefe in the kyngdome of the ghospel The kyngdome of feith and charity knoweth none ambicion it is not acquainted with plaiyng the Lorde it can no skill of tirannye whatsoeuer persone receiueth vnto him suche a childe as this in my name receiueth me myselfe and whosoeuer receiueth me receiueth hym that hath sent me If I haue plaied the Lorde towardes you than reason you also who shal be the chiefe emoÌ„g you but if I haue rather vsed my self as a willing and a readye seruaunte to the commodities of all persones knowe ye that he shal bee a great man emong you all who in contemnyng of glory in humilitie and submission and in feruent affeccion to bee as a seruaunte to dooe all creatures good shal bee the least and moste inferiour of all men ¶ And Iohn aunswered and saied maister we sawe one castyng out deuils in thy name and we forbad hym because he folowed not with vs. And Iesus saied vnto him forbid ye hym not For he that is not against vs is with vs. And because they had hearde hym saye that litle ones are to bee receiued in the name of Iesus it came into Iohns mynde that they had excluded and debarred a certayne man from the fraternitie of ministring the ghospel He therefore is in a doubte whether that lyke as all men were to bee receiued vnto the felowship of the saluacion of the ghospell so in lyke manier all men wer to be admitted to the ministracion of preachyng the ghospell and to the weorkyng of miracles And in this poyncte was hydden a litell spice of a certaine secret pangue of enuye God had tofore geuen power vnto the twelue onely to caste out deuils and to heale diseases Thys dignitie they thoughte not meâ—e to bee made common to any others And therefore Iohn saied maister at the tyme whan beeyng sent foorth by thee we executed the office of preachyng the ghospell abrode we sawe a certaine man casting out deuils in thy name though he bee none of the noumbre of vs twelue no nor dooeth not soe muche as folowe thee neyther This man as one beyng a straunger to our brotherhood we forbadde that he shoulde no more so dooe Than Iesus although he would in no place suffre hymselfe to be preached of by the wicked spirites yet teacheth that men of what sorte soeuer they bee are not to bee forbidden from hauyng to do in the ghospel although they do thesame of no veray sincere hert so that saith he the thyng that they doe they doe it in the name of Iesus and doe thesame thyng that ye dooe For whosoeuer is not an aduersarie vnto vs doeth euen in that veraie poynte make on our syde that he doeth not against vs. To such a thyng as is straunge and by all possible waies to be euerye where published abrode al fauour doeth auaile The miracle is not his that doeth it but Goddes who sheweth his power by man as by his ministre and instrument Therfore whatsoeuer persone sheweth any miracle by callyng vpon my name dooethe publishe and spred abrode my glory and debarreth himself of al title to speake 〈◊〉 of me from thensforth whose name he hath found so effectual ful of power ¶ And it fortuned whan the tyme was come that he shoulde bee receiued vp he sette his face to go to Hierusalem and sent messagiers before him And they went and entred into a city of the Samaritanes to make ready for him And thei would not receiue him because his face was as though he would gooe to Hierusalem Whan hys disciples Iames and Iohn sawe this they saied Lord wilt thou that we commaund fyer to come down from heauen and consume them euen as Helias dyd Iesus turned about and rebuked them saiyng ye wotte not what manier spirite ye are of For the sonne of manne is not come to destroy mennes lyues but to saue theim And they went to an other â—owne And so it befell that the time beeyng nowe veraye nere at hande when Iesus leauyng the yearth should be receiued vp into heauen the Lorde had already entred his iourney and shewed eueÌ„ plainly by his countenaunce that he was bounde towardes Hierusalem as one that purposely minded to be in the way agaynst the occasioÌ„ of his death should come He