remission of synnes and all the lande of Iewrye and they of Ierusalem went out vnto him and were all baptised of him in thy ryuer of Iordan confessing theyr synnes And albeit summe menne had leuer make a further rehersall of thistorye of the gospell and begynne the same with the natiuitie and birth of Iesu Christe Yet me thinketh it sufficient for that I woulde be briefe to take my begynnyng of Iohn Baptistes preaching For lyke as the day starre goeth before the Sunne so came he and appeared vnto the worlde before Christes preaching not by chaunce and fortune but by Goddes determinacion to styrre vp the myndes of the Iewes to looke for Messias that would streightwayes cum yea and to poynte hym vnto theim wyth his finger when he came the whiche Iohn the Prophetes so many hundred yeares sythens prophecied and told before should cum For the same prophetes whiche prophecied and spake of Christes cummyng spake and prophecied also of Iohn the forewalker of Christe For in Micheas the prophete God the father speaketh vnto his Sonne in this wyse Lo sayeth he I sende my especiall and electe messenger before thy face who shall make a waye for the that anon after shalt cum and take on the thoffice of preaching the ghospell Lykewyse the Prophete Esaye sygnifying the preachyng of Iohn sayeth The voyce of a cryar in wildernesse prepare ye the waye of the Lorde make strayght his pathes In semblable wyse the paciente is monished before the cummyng of the Phisician to knowlage hys disease and reuerently to receyue hym whan he cummeth and in all thynges to do after him and folowe his counsayle When therfore the tyme approched that Iesus Christe the sonne of God who was not yet knowen vnto the world should begin to take vpon hym this ministracion for the whiche he was sent downe from heauen into earth Iohn according as the Prophetes had prophecied and tolde before played the forecurrour baptizing in wildernesse not that he dyd therby washe awaye sinnes but onely styrre and exhort men to be repentaunt for their former lyfe that they knowleaging their disease shoulde gredely desire his cumming whiche onely baptizeth with spirite and fyre takyng awaye at once through fayth in him all sinnes endowyng mens soules with heauenly grace whiche he poureth out of hymselfe as out of the well and fountayne therof freely deliueryng from vnrighteousnesse freely geuyng ryghteousnesse freely deliueryng from death and freely geuyng lyfe euerlastyng The greater that this loue and kyndes was which God shewed vnto mankind the greuouser shall their punishment be that haue set nought by thesame when it was offred them And lest any should so do Iohn came before to prepare and dispose all men by his carnall baptisme to the spiritual baptisme of Christ to cause them by exhorting and making them afrayde to forthinke and hate their former lyfe and fynally to geue them forewarnyng that messias and the kyngdom of God were at hand Iohn was not the light that shoulde lighten euery man whiche cummeth into this world but a messanger of the light that anon after should appeare He was not the phisician whiche should take awaye mennes sinnes and geue health but made them inwardly to tremble in their conscience in that he declared vnto them the great daunger they stode in Finally he styrred vp all mennes hartes to the greate desire of euerlasting saluacion by preachyng vnto them how he was not farre of the which only should deliuer froÌ„ sinne He was not the brydgrome but a forewalker of the bridegrome to wake and call vp all men to meete the bride grome cumming He was not the sonne of God but a voice foreshewing the sonne of God who anon after should be disclosed vnto the worlde Moses lawe was a fearefull lawe in somuche that the childern of Israell could not abide the voyce of God when he spake vnto them Iohn being a limitte or bordre set betwene the lawe and grace and as a man mengled of bothe dyd herein vse a poynte of the olde law because in his preachyng he manaced all men with euerlastyng death and damnacion vnlesse they woulde tourne in season from their synfull lyuing And againe this had he of the new that he moued not the people to sacrifices burnt offringes vowes or fastinges but to baptisme and repentaunce of the former lyfe and shewed moreouer how the moste mercifull Messias was already cum present who shoulde freely forgiue all men their offences that would put their whole trust and confideÌ„ce in hym The former lawe was written or published in wildernesse and from thence also cummeth the beginning of the newe He must cleane forsake all the worlde that will be worthy to be partaker of the grace of the gospel whiche compendiously geueth all thynges In great cities are riches delicacies pleasures pride and ambicioÌ„ But specially Ierusalem had in it a famous temple by reason wherof she was not a litle proud and stately The same citie had also carnall sacrifices wherunto the people trusted Furthermore it had holye dayes obseruaÌ„ces of the sabboth a prescribed choise of meates and other ceremonies wherby she supposed that man was iustified and made rightuous before God finally there were highe minded priestes and dissemblyng pharisees But who so desireth the baptisme of the gospel must vâ—terly laye apart all trust and confidence of these thynges He must forsake all Iewry with her Ierusalem her temple her sacrifices her priesthod and pharisaicall fashions and from theÌ„ce depart into wildernesse where he may heare the moste ioyfull tydinges of our sauiour that straight wayes wil cum To returne to Iohn he cried not in vain For he made a great many so afrayed with his crying and preaching that they forsoke their dwelling places and hasted to the water of Iordan and that not alonely out of all the countrey of Iewrie but also out of Ierusalem it selfe Thither flocked a great rablement of souldiers and publicaâ—s and also certaine of the phariseis Iohn receiued and taught as many as came without choise or regard of persoÌ„ and did also baptise suche of them as were displeased with themselfes for theyr offences and confessed the same expressing hereby as it were by a certain corporall figure the very order of the newe lawe and gospell For the first office and ministerie in christian profession is to teache When the christian nouice by this name vnderstande good reader suche a one as forsaking eyther the Iewish or Panims religion and intending to be christened is newely enstructed in the faith in the wiche state he is called of thauncient fathers catechumenus when I saye the christian nouice beginneth once through the doctrine of the teacher both to know his owne filthie liuyng and also the goodnesse of God than is he wholely displeased with hymselfe and perceyuyng no where els to appeare any hope of saluacion hath strayght wayes recourse for ayde and succour to the beneficiall lorde who freely extendeth his mercy and goodnesse towardes
as he was cum out of the water he saw heauen open and the spirite descending vpon him lyke a doue And there came a voyce from heauen Thou art my deare sonne in whom I delite After that Iohn had with wordes of lyke sentence moued and styrred vp the mynde of a great manie of theym to wayt for Messias that was cummyng then furth came Iesus when his tyme was cum forsakyng the litle village of Nazareth in the countrey of Galile where because of his educacioÌ„ and long continuaunce in thesame men thought he had bene borne Certes this is the nature and propertie of all euangelike thinges to begyn very baselye and from suche begynnynges by litle and litle to cum at the length to highest perfeccion whereas contrarily all thinges that euer the world and the deuel goeth about are after merueilous goodly beginninges sodainly cast down and brought to nought So lucifer whiles he set his feate in the northe ymagenyng to be equall with the highest was sodainlye cast downe headlyng into hell In semblable wise Adam when that thorough the diuels instigacioÌ„ he desired to be equall with God was by and by exiled and cast out of paradise Therfore if thou here considre the high excellencie and greatnesse of Iesu it will cause the muche more to wonder at his singuler humblenesse of mynd modestie He came out of a poore and homely village out of Galile the vilâ—st countrey of all Iewrie He that purifieth all thinges came as one of the raskall sort humble lowly to the baptisme of repentauÌ„ce amoÌ„g sinners souldiers brothelles publicaÌ„s without any seruauÌ„tes to wayte and atteÌ„de vpoÌ„ hym It was not ynough for hym to be circumcised accordyng to the ordynaunce of the lawe and purified after the tradicion of Moyses He desyred also to receiue Iohns baptisme teaching enstructing vs hereby that whoso maketh hym selfe ready to be a ministre and preacher of the gospell muste omitte nothing whiche in any wyse perteyneth to the increase of vertue and godlines And again â—schew all thinges wherwith the weakelinges may be offended Iohn taught vs this lessoÌ„ that a preacher of goddes word shoulde not get himselfe estimacion and auctoritie by gorgeous apparell or poÌ„pouse liuing but by honest behauiour and godly conuersacioÌ„ But the eâ—saÌ„ple that Christ shewed was of muche more perfeccion and farther from the Iewishe fashion then this for that he differyng nothyng at all from other neyther in his apparell nor yet in dyet dyd neuerthelesse by his godlye lyning mekenesse and beneficiall goodnes towardes all men vtterly duske and deface the auctoritie of Iohn For that is of hygher perfeccion whiche is geuen by the grace of the gospel then that whiche procedeth from the austeritie and straitnes of the lawe The whole intent of the lorde Iesus was this to make the worlde to know how he was the onely aucthour of saluacion to expresse and set out vnto vs a certaine fourme of euangelike and true godlynes to coÌ„firme the truth and certentie of all that euer Moyses and the Prophetes had vâ—â—itteÌ„ of thinges past and to make vs as it wer with the giuing of an earnest peny to haue a sure hope and expectacion of thinges yet to come For we right gladly beleue him of whom we haue conceyued a meruelous good opinion and vpon whom many witnesses do consent and agree Wherfore it was procured by the prouidence and wisdome of god that the Lorde Iesus shoulde euery where haue an euident recorde and testimonie of his deitie Of the whole lawe of Moses of all the Prophetes of the angels of the shepardes of the wise men called Magicians of the Scribes of Simeon and Anne of Iohn baptist of the father of the holy ghost and finally of Pylate and the deuils The miracles also that he wrought plainely declared hym to be the sonne of God He dyd many thinges not because himselfe had any nede so to do but for that he would set out vnto vs in his owne person a certaine fourme and trade of lyuing as when he fasted when he was tempted when he oftentymes prayed when he came to baptisme when he obeyed his parentes when he paciently suffered all iniuries and wronges and finallye when he came to his crosse and passion He perfourmed many thynges that the prophetes had prophecied of before lest the people should doubt of the promises afterwardes to be accomplished as when that in his baptisme he receyued the holye ghost in the lykenesse of a doue lightyng vpon the croune of his heade as when he arose agayne from death to lyfe Wherfore he came as a penitent to Iohn he desired his baptisme and obteyned it He was baptised in Iordane wherin were baptised both tanners Publicans and souldiers a sorte of people so sinful that none are more blemished or defiled wâ—â—h sinne Are not here the stately princes of this worlde ashamed who will haue nothyng common with the vulgare people No kyng nor priest cummeth to baptisme and if it were theyr pleasure so to do they would scarcely vouchesafe to receyue baptisme in a bason of golde or preciouse stones Nowe our sauiour Iesus that fountayne of all puritie that kyng of all kynges that lord of all lordes disdayned not the common bathe wherin the common sorte were washed But whoso humbleth hymselfe before man the same is highly exalted before god Iesus was baptised as the rest and euerychone of the common people there present But the father of heauen disseuered hym froÌ„ the residue by a certayne notable signe neuer sene ne heard of before For as sone as he was come out of the water of Iordane whiche he halowed with the touche of his holy body vnto lande as he was in his contemplacion and prayers Iohn sawe the heauens open and the holy ghoste flie downe from thence and light vpon the holy croune of his heade and there tarye The pride of Adam closed the gates of paradise agaynste vs The humblenesse of mynde and modestie of Christe hath for paradise opened vs the gates of Heauen There was a visible signe shewed vnto mannes iyes but by the same we were taughte what maner of myndes that heauenlye spirite both loueth and maketh The spirite of the deuill and the worlde maketh and loueth suche mindes as are haute puffed vp with pride fierce but that heauenly spirite loueth those whiche are lowely meke and peacible There is nothing more harmles and more without gyle then the doue nothing whose nature wurse agreeth with fighting and raueny It was plainlye expressed set out in the lord by this corporall figure what is spiritually wrought in all those that with a sincere and pure faith receyue the baptisme of the gospell The body is washed with water but the soule is throughly annoynted with grace inuisible Moreouer that the done abode still vpon the croune of the lordes head signified that the holy ghoste is geuen to all other godlye men and good lyuers â—atably after the
with a long corde and layed hym at the feete of Iesu nothyng doubtyng but that he of his great mercie and goodnesse woulde help the selye wretche assone as he once cast those his pitifull iyes vpon hym and beheld how he laye in his bed lyke a quicke karkas impotent and benummed in all his lymmes Iesus sawe this miserable person euen before he was broughte vnto his presence and knewe right well the great faith of those that brought hym He could if it had liked hym without leauiÌ„g of or breaking his tale haue sygnified his pleasure vnto them by whom he had luste in this wise Let the sycke of the palsye aryse and beyng sodainly healed cary home his bed again But his will was to shewe al men there present that piteous sight and also to declare of what great strength and efficacie true belief vpon hym is wyth almighty God the father The disease was vncurable and of long continuaunce the cummyng to Christe very cumberous And yet the gracious goodnesse of the lorde ioyned with lyke power put them in a sure hope to obtaine theyr request Wherfore after he sawe theyr notable fayth the more he perceyued the man to be diseased in soule then in body the more pitye and compassion he toke on hym Euery man thought hym in a miserable case that thus lacked the vse of all his membres but more miserable was his soule beeyng in subieccion and bondage of sinne They loked after nothing els but that the poore wretche should be restored to perfite health of body which was a thing farre aboue mannes power But Iesus beyng highly pleased with so notable a faithe and therfore willyng to make hym all and in euery part whole turned vnto hym and sayed Sonne thy synnes are forgeuen ¶ But there were certaine of the Scribes sittyng there and thinking in their hertes Why doeth he speake these blasphemies Who can forgeue sinnes but God onelye And immediately when Iesus perceiued in his spiâ—ite that they so thoughte within themselues he sayeth vnto theym why thinke ye suche thynges in your heartes whether is it easier to saye to the sicke of the Palsey thy synnes be forgeuen thee or to saye aryse take vp thy bed and walke But that ye maye knowe that the sonne of man hath power in earth to forgeue sinnes he spake vnto the sicke of the Palsey I saye vnto thee arise and take vp thy bed and get the hence vnto thine owne house And immediately he arose tooke vp the bed and went forth before them all in so muche that they were all amased and glorified God saiyng we neuer sawe it on this fashion There were present in that assembly certaine Scribes who for the knowledge they had in the scriptures were neuer the godlyer and better in theyr liuyng but rather more enclined to surmise matiers agaynst hym They had learned of the bokes of the Prophetes and Moses that it perteyneth to God alone to pardon sinnes For the priest dyd not release sinne but made intercession vnto God for other mens offences and that not withoute sacrifice Because the Scribes knewe this right well they had suche secrete thoughtes imaginacions with themselues What newe saying is this that he speaketh whiche neyther Moses nor Aaron nor any of the auncient Prophetes durst presume to speake For he sayeth thy synnes are released Trulye he is a blasphemous person against God that thus taketh vpon hym gods power The law coÌ„mauÌ„deth sum offeÌ„ces to be punished with death And other sum there are for the whiche satisfaccion is made with burnt offerynges and diuers other kyndes of sacrifices by the mediacion or intercession of the priest But he passyng nothyng vpon suche rites and ceremonies doeth at once forgeue all sinnes with bare worde of mouth This thing that he taketh vpon hym and promyseth pertayneth not to manne It lyeth in Goddes power alone to perfourme it Surely they were offended with the imbecillitie and weakenesse of his manhode that they sawe and therefore coulde suppose nothing of hym aboue the state and condicioÌ„ of man Neyther had the vulgar people any greater opinion of him whiche yet by reason of theyr simplicitie were not so muche enclined to pycke quarels as the other were The spirite of this worlde putte those thoughtes in theyr myndes who whyles they stacke harde to the litterall sence of Moyses lawe were farre froÌ„ the spirite and true meaning thereof and were somuch the more vnapte to be taught thesame because thei thought themselues very well skilled in the scriptures in somuche that thesame thyng hath here also place and is verified whiche we see chaunce among paynters and singing men who are wonte to take lesse for teachyng of one that is altogether rude and ignoraunt in theyr arte or science then for him who hath ben euell enstructed of an other mayster in the same and the reason is because in teachyng of the ignorant there is but one labour to be takeÌ„ whereas yf a man take vpon hym to instruct the other as it is the firste so is it the more paynfull labour to teache hym to forget what he hath learned before then to teache hym And these vngodly thoughtes they of a certain worldely pollicie kepte in theyr stomakes for feare of the people in whose presence they muche aduaunced and magnified themselues for their greate knowledge vnderstandyng The Lord Iesus who rather desyred to declare his diuine power by deedes then to vtter thesame by wordes because he woulde plainly shewe vnto the Scribes howe there is nothyng so closely hydde in mennes brestes be they neuer so suttle and craftie that his holy spirite which searcheth and throughly seeth all thynges knoweth not tourned him vnto them and as though they had spoken out those thynges whiche they inwardlye thought in theyr myndes sayed in this wise Why haue you suche slauÌ„derous imaginacions in your hertes why do you rather iudge me by this weake and feble body of myne then by my deedes Why do you not gather of these my workes which you see with your iyes and cannot deny that those thynges are of trueth whiche can in no wyse be sene with your corporall iyes you are offended with me because I sayde Thy synnes are forgeuen and deme it to be a vayne saying and of none effect because you see not the efficacie therof whiche putteth forth and sheweth it selfe in the soule of man But you that haue your bodely iyes whole and faultlesse haue spirituall iyes faultie and blemished What yf I speake like wordes vnto the other and make the efficacie therof appeare vnto your iyes Is it not then reason that you beleue the thyng whiche you see not beyng thereunto enduced by the thyng you see There is nothing that man can easelyer do then speake and contrarilye there is nothing so harde as to perfourme what is spokeÌ„ God alone caÌ„ as easely do the one as the other And though hytherto he neuer gaue this power to manne yet it
length proued and right wel knowen of you by sure argumentes and profes go your waye into all the world and preache this gospel to all the nacions therof For I dyed for all men and lykewyse for all men haue I risen agayne It is not nowe nedefull to kepe the ceremonies of the olde lawe It is not nedefull to vse any mo sacrifices and burnt offeringes to pourge synnes Whoso beleueth the gospell whiche thorowe my death offreth to all that beleue in me free remission of all synnes and beyng washed with water receyueth a signe or token of this grace thesame shal be saued Who so beleueth not the gospel there is not why he should truste to the obseruacion of Moses lawe or heathen learning and philosophie the same shal be damned This waye is open for euery manne to go to saluacion by but it is but one waye onely And these tokens shall folow them that beleue In my name they shall caste out diuels they shal speake with newe toungues they shall dryue awaye serpentes and if they drinke any deadly thing it shall not hurt them They shall laye theyr handes vpon the sicke and they shall recouer And leste your preaching shoulde not be beleued there shal be ioyned therunto a power to worke myracles so that there lacke not in you an Euangelike faith and so that the thing selfe do require myracles The chiefe power and vertue of the Euangelyke grace lyeth hyd in mennes soules but yet when for the aduauncyng of the gospell there shall nede any miracles thesame shall not lacke for the weakes sake They that will beleue in me shal cast out diuels not in their owne name but in mine they shall further speake with newe tongues and dryue awaye serpentes and yf they drynke any deadly thyng or poyson it shall not anoye them They shall laye theyr handes vpon the sicke and they shall be whole When these thinges are wrought and done in mennes soules then is there a muche greater miracle wrought but thesame is hid and not sene Couetousnesse pleasure of the body ambicion hatred wrath and enuy be very poysons and deadly diseases of the soule These diseases shall they cure and put awaye in my name and that continually But for the weakes sake suche as are harde of belief the other miracles shall also be oft times wrought to th entent the grosse sorte of people maye perceyue that in my disciples is a spirite more puissaunte then all mannes strength and power So then when the lorde had spoken vnto them he was receyued into heauen and is on the right hande of god And they went foorth and preached euery where the lorde workyng with them and confyrmyng the worde with myracles folowyng When the Lorde Iesus had spoken these and other mo wordes to his disciples he ascended vp into heauen where he sitteth on the righte hande of god the father The disciples after they had receyued the holy ghost preached as they were commaunded not only in Iewry but also in all other regions and countreys and the matier went forwarde notwithstanding the world resisted and was bent against them the Lorde Iesus puttyng furthe his mightye power by his holy spirite and theyr ministery and euerywhere confirmyng with ready miracles whatsoeuer they promysed to do with wordes FINIS To the most vertuous Ladie and most gracious Quene Katerine wife vnto the most victorious and moste noble prince Henry the .viii. Kyng of Englande Fraunce and Irelande c. Nicolas Udall wisheth prosperous health and long continuaunce with grace peace and all ghostely coumforte in our Lord Iesus Christ. LYke as our maister Christ in the ghospell moste gracious Quene Katerine whan the woman that had liued wickedly beyng now by his grace called froÌ„ hir sinnefull life to perfite repentauÌ„ce and amendmeÌ„t came vnto him sittyng at his repastein the house of Simon the lepre and washed his feete with the teares of hir iyes wyped thesame with that heare of hir head poured forth vpon his head a precious swete oyntment and also anointed his feete therewith did so well allowe hir deuocion hir earnest zele and hir tendre coÌ„passion whiche she had to â—oumforâ— him that he did not onely among all the cumpany declare hir preseÌ„t â—â—mfort in forgeuyng hir euen there all hir offences wickednes afore paste but also promised that she should not lese the condigne reward of renoume for hir teÌ„dre gentilnes to him shewed in so muche that afore all the preseÌ„ce he openly protested that wheresoeuer throughout al the world the gospel wer afterward preached there should she in suche wise at al occasioÌ„s he had in mind that the remeÌ„braunce of hir good hart thankefulnes towardes him should neuer dye nor be forgotten So Luke the euangelist Paule with the otheâ— apostles of Christ did in their holy writinges not onely make meÌ„cioÌ„ of sucâ— men preachers as were faithfull workers or ministers in Christes vyneyard but also by whatsoeuer good matrones and deuout wemen they sawe and fouÌ„d eyther that god was glorified his honour adâ—auÌ„ced or the ghospell preferred the word of god furthered â–ª the preachers of the same mainteined the yonglinges in the faith cherished the true chriâ—â—iaÌ„s in their pouertie refreshed the nede of the faithfull releued or the vnfâ—â—â—ed beleuers in aduersities coÌ„forted succoured to suche godly wemen they did not forget ne let passe to geue loude praise and coÌ„mendation aswel for the due reward of the parties selues as also for the good ensauÌ„â—le and encouragyng of others to doe the lyke For this cause doeth Luke in his gospel more theÌ„ once make meÌ„cion of Marie Magdalene of IohaÌ„na the wife of Chusa of SusaÌ„na Marie the mother of Iames. And in the actes he neyther forgetteth ne omitteth to coÌ„mend Priscilla Tabitha Lydia Damaris For this consideracion Paul coÌ„meÌ„deth vnto the Romains Phoebe Marie Eryphena Tryphosa Persis others For this respect did Hierome waite a whole treatise entytled of noble famous wemeÌ„ whose nobilitie also renoume he estemeth measureth by none other thyng but by their godlines deuocioÌ„ zele and endeuour to setforth Christes holy ghospell and by theyr godly conuersacion ioyned with moste studious diligence in readyng the scriptures Wherfore most gracious ladie although here nowe to renewe the memory and prayse of the manifold most excellent vertues and ardent zele of your highnesse towardes the promotyng of the knowelage of gods holy word and ghospell bee a thyng more due to your moste worthy deâ—erâ—es than easy for my rude penne to expresse them and more apperteineth to my duetie then it standeth with myne habilitie and power accordingly to sette them forth yet so to do at this present I haue thought partely a thyng nedelesse because your excellencie doeth so ferre sâ—â—â—ounte and passe all praises whiche my slendre vtteraunce is hable to geue you that I shoulde therein seeme to do a much lyke thyng as if I would bring forth a smouldring smokie
voyce of the Prophetes we haue been enstructed to godlinesse by the prescript and appointmente of the lawe we haue been forbidden to dooe eiuill and for that we haue receiued as it were the shadowe of true religion Nowe doeth euen very he offre to all men more plenteous grace who thorowe the faythe of the ghospell pardoneth freely all synnes and geueth euerlasting life to theim that deserued death For Moses whose auctoritie is had emong you as a thing halowed or consecrate is no manier of waye to bee compared to hym Moses was onely the pronouncer and setter furth of the lawe but not the auctor and he brought a lawe vneffectuall sharpe and hard the whiche with figures and shadowes might bee as it were a preparacion to the light of the ghospell that should come after and thesaied Moses lawe should rather make synnes to bee knowen then take them awaye yea and to say trueth shoulde rather make a way to health then geue health or allure vs with promises But nowe in steade of the straytnesse of the lawe grace is geuen by Iesu Christe whiche thorowe faith of the ghospell frely and wholy forgeueth all men their synnes He hath geuen the lawe of trueth in steade of shadowes wherof he hymselfe is not onely the declaâ—â—â— but also the auctor as he vnto whom God the father hath geuen all power No man hath seen God at any time the onely begotten sonne whiche is in the bosome of the father he hath declared him And truely these be the secretes of God the father these bee the hidde counsailes of the diuine mynde by the whiche it hath pleased hym that god shoulde become manne and after a sorte to make menne Godlike to mixe moste highe thinges with the lowest and to exalt the lowest vnto the hiest He dyd neuer fully open these thinges to any of our forefathers although he dyd sometyme shewfurth to them certain lytel sparkes of his lyght by Angels by dreames and by visions For no mortall man were he neuer so great did euer see God as he is in dede but couertly as it were in shadowe And although he dyd vtter in some parte to Moses to the Patriarkes and Prophetes a litell porcion of his secretes yet none but his onely begotten sonne dyd receyue this fulnes of grace and trueth who being made man did so come down to vs that neuertheles by his godly nature he doeth alway remaine in the bosome of God the father and as touchyng all thinges that pertayne to the obtayning of euerlastyng saluacion he hath declared vnto vs more familiarly and plainly without wrappyng or coueryng the thyng whiche he dyd signify to the other but partely or vnder a cloud and as it were in a slepe ¶ And this is the recorde of Iohn When the Iewes sente priestes and leuites from Hierusalem to aske him what art thou And he confessed and denied not and saied plainly I am not Christe When Iohn had often times priuely commended Christe by this maner of witnes then did he openly declare what maner of man he was doing the dutie of a pure honeste seruaunte whiche neither woulde wrongfully take vpon him the honour of his maister wheÌ„ the Iewes woulde haue geuen it to him neither yet woulde depriue his saied maister thereof althoughe he knewe well inough that he shoulde not onely by that meanes leese the estimacion and auctoritie which alredy he had emong the Iewes but also it shoulde cause them to enuy him muche because they had rather haue geuen that auctoritie to Iohn whose birthe also was famous notable emonge the Iewes who for the dignitie that his father was of beinge a head prieste was the more highly estemed of theim who for the straungenes of his diet his wearinge of Camell skinnes his beinge in wildernes his baptisme and the greate numbre of his disciples caused the people to haue him in admiracion whereas Christe for the basenes of his kinred by reason of his trade of liuing and apparell nothinge differing from the coÌ„mon vse of people at that time was litel set by therefore seing that poore Christ himselfe did not contente the proud Pharisees yea and they began sum what to enuy Iohn only because he had commended Christe in his preaching the said Pharisees sent from Ierusalem priestes and leuites being men of great auctoritie to enquire of Iohn before the multitude who he was of whom the iudgemente of the people did somuche vary For some said that he was Christ that shoulde deliuer the whole nacion of the Iewes from seruitude Some supposed him to be Helye whom according to Malachies prophecie they thought was come again to be the goer before of Messias to come As touching Christe very fewe regarded hym because both his parentes himselfe liued barely and poorely yet neuertheles some began to enuy hym And so the crafte of the Pharisees did then goe aboute this thyng to thintent they might frame Christ to their euill desires Whiche thing they thought shoulde be brought to passe if he had not been alowed but by theyr auctoritie profe for if he had taught thinges repugnaunte to theyr affeccions and vices they woulde haue disalowed and taken away his auctoritie emong the people whose doctrine they had perceyued shoulde hinder theyr commodities This is the folishe policie of worldely wisedom But Christe whose doctrine is all heauenly woulde not haue any part of theyr humain auctoritie to be mixe with his euangeliall doctrine Some of the Iewes also did trust it should come to passe that Iohn although he wer not Christ yet would accept so honorable a name that was willingly offred him They being bondmen most addict geuen to glory did know wel inough that moste holye men be soone deceiued with this pestilence of vainglorye they were not ignoraunt how muche all that nacion woulde haue reioyced if Iohn woulde haue taken vpon him the name of Messias â–ª which already a good part of the Iewes did willingly attribute to him If he had taken it vpon him emonge the people they had occassion wherby they might exclude Christe whom they hated for his poore estate if he had taken it vpon him they woulde furthwith haue falsely accused him Therefore they aske Iohn before the people by the auctoritie they had of the Priestes Phariseis saying â–ª Who art thou for alredy they had begunne both to be greued with his auctoritie and sumwhat to enuy his good renoume He beinge well assured that they asked him these questions for the hatred they had to Christ did not byanby open vnto them his owne opinion as concerning Christ but did repell the false suspicion that they had touchinge himselfe whiche mighte haue hindred the glory of Christ among the people boldly contemning the glory of an vnrightful title did confesse that he was not Messias as many thought he had ben neither did he deny himselfe to bee that thinge he was in dede beinge redy to declare who he
bee taken downe Then came the souldiers and brake the legges of the first and of the other which was crucified with him but whan they came to Iesus and sawe that he was dead already they brake not his legges but one of the souldiers with a speare thrust him into the syde and furthwith came there out bloud water And he that sawe it bare recorde his recorde is true he knoweth that he sayeth true that ye myght beleue also for these thinges were doen that the scripture should be fulfilled Ye shall not breake a bone of him and agayne another scripture sayeth They shall looke on hym whome they pearced But it is a sporte an a wonder withall to heare now againe in this case the peruerse religion of the Iewes so farre out of course and mysordred The Iewes vpon a myscheuous malice and by wicked meanes brought with violence vnto the crosse an innocent and one that had bene beneficiall vnto them beyng nothing abashed with the relygion of the feastfull daye to do so cruel and so vngraciouse a dede but they were very supersticiouse and made muche a do about taking the bodies of frō the crosse They came vnto Pilate and besought him the by his commaundement the legges of them which were crucified might be broken to th entent they might the sooner be deade and then their corpses be taken downe and had out of the waye lesse beyng sene they shoulde violate and breake the feastfull daye That daye was a solemne greate daye whiche of the great apareylyng and fournature of holy adournmētes and dyuine seruice is called of the Grekes Parasceue that is to saye a preparacion And their holy and solemne Sabbothe daye was nye at hande vpon whyche daye to worke was a detestable thing For at this season the men beeynge ye wote well very precise in their relygion after they had finished and accomplyshed so horryble an acte as thoughe the thinge had been well doen they bente their myndes to celebrate the sacrifice that was to be offered by Moyses lawe solemnely and purely not knowyng that the very true Easter lambe was already offered vp in sacrifice Suche a poyson and so pestiferouse a thing is holynesse that consisteth in outwarde and bodily thinges and hath not holynes and godlynes of herte and mynde ioyned and annexed vnto it Nowe therfore Pilate grauntyng them their request the souldiers brake bothe the theues legges whome they found yet aliue And then when they were come to Iesus because they saw him alreadye deade and therefore thought it a vayne and superfluous thynge to breake his legges they lefte them whole vnbroken For to this ende and purpose were the legges broken that those whiche hung vpon the crosse shoulde the sooner gyue vp the ghoste But among the souldiers stoode a certaine man whiche for the more certeintie of the Lorde Iesus death opened his syde with a speare and immediatly out of the wounde there gushed forth bloude and water in a great misterye declaryng that his death shoulde washe and cleanse vs from synne and the same also geue to vs euerlastinge lyfe and saluacion For baptisme standeth in water and with water are we baptised And the lyfe of a manne is in the bloude But it is againste the course of nature for water to runne out of a bodye that is wounded Howbeit he that sawe the thing with his iyes testified and beareth witnes hereof And we knowe his recorde to bee true And leste any of you shoulde stande in doubte whether ye maye or no beleue the thing whiche els mighte seme incredible I assure you that Iesus himselfe knewe that witnes to tell trueth And althoughe these thinges semed to be doen by chaunce or casualtie that is to saye that in stede of breakyng his legges as the others were his chaunce was to haue his side thruste thorowe yet for all that were they doen by the foresight and prouidence of God and as his diuine councell disposed that in this pointe also theffecte and conclusion of the thing myght aunswere and agre with the prophecies of the Prophetes For among other rites and customes wherwith Moses teacheth in Exodus that the paske or passouer ought to be obserued and celebrate he had prescribed euē that thing specially by name that is to wete that lambe which was sacrifised should be so slaine that no bone of it should be broken euen thereby notyng and declaryng that Iesus was the very true phase or passeouer the figure whereof that Mosaicall lambe did beare resembled thesame For the bloud of this true lambe Iesus saueth them that beleue in hym from death And the spirituall eatyng of this lambe conueyeth vs beeyng made free from the seruitude of Egypte that is to saye from the sinfull lustes of the worlde and from the tyranny of sinne into an heauenly region And againe the holy ghoste speaketh thus by Zacharye They shall see hym whom they pearsed For he shall once come with thesame body wherwith he hong on the crosse though it be alreadye a gloryouse body yet shall he shewe the printe of the wounde to all folke and he shall shewe the vnfaythfull to theyr rebuke the fountayne that was open all in vayne to them that would not beleue with the flowyng and streames wherof they might haue been cured After this Ioseph of Aramathia which was a disciple of Iesus but secretely for feare of the Iewes besought Pilate that he might take downe the body of Iesus And Pilate gaue hym licence he came therfore and tooke downe the body of Iesus And then came also Nicodemus which at the begynning came to Iesus by night and brought of myrthe and aloes mengled together aboute an hundred pounde weyght Then tooke they the body of Iesus and wounde it in lynnen clothes with odours as the maner of the Iewes is to bury And in the place where he was crucified there was a gardeyne and in the gardeyne a newe sepulchre wherin was neuer man layed There layed they Iesus therfore because of the preparyng of the Sabboth of the Iewes for the sepulchre was nye at hande And so nowe his death beyng already certayne and himselfe founde dead by the experience of many it behoued furthermore that his buryall should many wayes confyrme the belefe of the resurreccion And as Christe would perdie his whole life to be base and of a lowe porte so he would that his buriall should be honorable and of a great maiestie not intendyng therby to teache vs to be carefull of a sepulchre but to th entent that those thinges once accomplyshed whiche concerned the abasyng of hymselfe and the whole ministery thereof he might make a waye to the honour and prayse of his resurreccion And in very dede the honour whiche is geuen to a manne alyue is not without either suspicion or daunger but the honour whiche voluntarily we geue to the dead is a sure wytnes of prowes goodnes and vertue Nowe therfore Ioseph beyng a manne of
preacher and what or how his doctrine ought to be out of the Scriptures in blasing the AntichristiaÌ„ decrees of poperie vnder the name of tradicions constitucioÌ„s of our mother church in decising the right difference betwene the spirite and the lettre and finally in al other poinctes or articles of our religion hauing now of late yeres ben in controuersie Erasmus like as he is no where ouer vehement so is he euery where both sincere and ful Neither doeth any wryter more wittily more earnestly more apâ—ly more finely more substauncially more piththily or more playnely describe peyncte out the vsurped estate preeminence and pompe of the bishope of Rome then he doth aswel in all other places where iust occasion offereth it selfe as also directely though vnder a preaty couloure in the eleuenth chapitur of the Euangelist Marke Erasmus ferthermore is wondreful in comparing of fygures of the olde testamente in applying of allegories in declaring of parables in discussing of doubtful questions in serching and explicating of profound misteries wherin he euidently declareth himselfe that he was a man of an excellent witte of much study of exquisite learning of profounde knowelage of an exact iudgemente of notable diligence of woorthy famous industrie of singular peinefulnes of an encomparable memorie of an vnestimable zele towardes that setting furth of Christes most holy gospel And yet doth he with such prudence and semely circuÌ„speccion so teÌ„per his stile that his very enemies as he cannot lacke enemies enough whosoeuer wil be an opener teller of the trueth in matiers of religioÌ„ he caÌ„not lacke enuie of Satans brode whosoeuer wil endeuour himselfe to ferther the knowlage of Gods word he cannot lacke neither priuie backebiting nor yet open reproche to slaundre him to bring him out of credit to deface him to trede him vnder foote whosoeuer wil be diligent to help bring the gospel to light â–ª he shal not auoide to be opeÌ„ly burdened with false crimes whereby he may be vttrely diffamed whosoeuer wil trauaile to manifest the glory of Christes bloud he shal haue enough to write speake against him whosoeuer wil attempt to discouer the iugling castes practise of poperie his very enemies I say that hated him because they hated the veritie could neuer yet finde how to geue him any foile or how to take thaduantage of any such holde against him whereby to confound his doctrine Neuertheles whan I do in my mind make a comparison of you three together Erasmus in writing this Paraphrase Quene Katerine in procuring the same to be turned into English and your highnes in publishing the same by your godly iniunccions to bee had in vse throughout all parties of thys Royalme me semeth I do wel note Erasmus to haue doen the lest act of the three For Erasmus fact did helpe onely such as are sene in latin the Quenes goodnesse extendeth to the help of the vnlearned also which haue more nede of helping foreward and your Maiesties benefit it is â–ª that maketh so precious a treasour coÌ„mon to as many as may take profit or fruict thereby And in dede no Christian Prince there is to whome the tuicion proteccion stablishing of any such bookes or weorkes as concerne the pure setting forth of Christ and his gospel doeth so aptely or so duely apperteine as to your most excellent Maiestie to whome by a most iust and right deuolucion and discente of inheritaunce of the crounes of England Fraunce and Ireland the title also of DefeÌ„dour of the feith doth most nerely most peculiarely most specially and most directly belong Now as touching the translatours of such bookes as this although I haue at this present the lesse to say because I my selfe haue in a small porcion of this weorke filled one roume of some other man that might haue ben hable to do it better then I haue doen yet can I not but wish that emong so many your Maiesties moste â—umple bountâ—ous exhibicions so many other godly actes to be doen as are daily brought offred to the gracious direccioÌ„ of your highnes of your most dere â–ª vncle being Gouernour of your Royal person during thys time of your minoritie vnder your Maiestie our protectour and of the other your most honourable CouÌ„saillours this thing also might be peferred to your consideracions how necessarie a thing it were that some hable worthy and mete persons for doing such publique benefite to the coÌ„mon weale as translating of good weorkes and writing of Cronicles might by some good prouision and meanes haue some condigne sustentacion in the same For what Royalme almost EnglaÌ„d excepted hath not al the good authours that euer wrote traÌ„slated into the mother tong whereby the people are made prudent and expert men in the tract of all affaireâ— either touching any discipline or els any ciuile matiers And in Germany what good weorke of diuinitie is there which they haue not in their own laÌ„guage to the vnestimable edifying of the people in the due knowlage of God For what hath ben or is in any common weale the foundacion of spreading abrode the knowlage of Goddes woorde but onely the setting forth of the Bible with other good and godly tractises for the declaracion of the same What thing hath the whelpes of the Romish Antichrist so fiercely alwaies backed against as at the translating of Scripture and other bookes coÌ„cerning matiers of religion into the vulgare tong for the vse of the people What any one thing is there against the whiche there hath in all Christen Royalmes as long as it might preuayle been eyther sorer decrees lawes or inhibicions ordeined or more terrible execucion of all kindes of tormentes and deathes inuented deuised and put in vre then againste the setters foorthe of bookes concernyng religyon What one thing hath papistry in all countreyes more eagrely conspired more subtelly coumpaced or more earnestly practised to oppresse then the coming foorth of Scripture and other diuine weorkes in the vulgare tong whereof the rude multitude might gather knowlage Against what thing hath there in these laste yeres vntill Christ like fier being hidden vnder wood would nedes mounte vp and appere abrode maugre the head of the Romish Pharao al his tiranny against what thing I say hath there been eyther more sorer thundreboltes shot of deprauing of accursing of slaundreing of defacing of condemning and of burning then against bookes of scripture matiers traÌ„slated or writen in the mother laÌ„guage against the autours of the same Until the Bible other good traitises for the explanacioÌ„ of the same wer in Christian regions turned set forth in the vulgare languages what kind of idolatry supersticioÌ„ poperie errour ignorance or counterfeict religion did not reigne As long as the candel light of the gospel was kepte hidden vnder the bushell what King what Prince what countrey what people did not the blind popish guides lede as one that is blindfolde may be led till both
should be troubled with feare of infamy and not frely preache the gospel of the kyngdome It hath no dishonest thyng nor nothyng to be kept close Yea yf ye heare any thyng of me in darkenes preache ye it in the cleare light And if I haue tolde any thing secretely preache it openly Our doctrine is without any colouring It desireth to come furth before all men and it is afrayde to be knowen of no man ¶ And feare ye not them that kyll the bodye but are not able to kyll the soule But feare rather hym whiche is able to destroye both soule and body in hell Are not two litle sparowes solde for a minute one of them shall not fall to the grounde without youre father Yeâ— and all the heares of your head be nuÌ„bred Feare ye not therfore ye be of more value than many sparowes Euery one therfore that shal confesse me before men â–ª him will I confesse aâ—so before my father which is in heauen But whosoeuer deuiâ—â—â— me before men him wil I also deny before my father whiche is in heauen But there shall be some perchaunce whiche will lytle passe vpon infamye and other ylles but who can despise and set lytle by death It were mete you should feare them yf they could kyll the whole man but ye that knowe that the body is the vilest parte of man and that the soule which is the chiefe parte of man cannot be hurte of them be they neuer so sauage and cruell Ye I say nede not to feare them They should hurte you more yf they dyd not sley you folowyng theyr myndes than yf they kill you not regardyng them I wyll shewe you who is more to be feared Feare him who like as he made the whole man so he is able to condemne him to euerlastyng death and to deliuer hym into hell fyre Yet the body whiche the tiranne doeth kyll for a tyme doth not vtterly peryshe For the selfe fame at the resurreccion shall be restored in far better wise Hitherto therfore onely the body is in daunger yf in case ye be killed constantly obeying my commaundementes But yf ye obey theyr commaundementes and leaue the busâ—â—â—s of the ghospell nowe not onely the body doth peryshe whiche yf no man kill it yet by the common lawe of nature it must nedes dye but also the soule shall be deliuered to euerlastyng fier And what matter is it whether the persecutor or disease or any other chaunce take awaye the lyfe Truely more gloryous it is to die for the ghospell sake whiche death though it be violent and sore yet it shall not come before the daye whansoeuer it cummeth it shall not come without the prouideÌ„ce of God And by this it cummeth to passe that yf ye endeuour to auoyde it ye cannot God will not suffer you to be slayne but when it shall be very expedient for you to die Wherfore put out of your myndes all this feare God also will prouide for this to whome it were not hard to geue you immortalitie but that it is a greater thyng to despise death than to escape it What is of lesse value than sparrowes of the whiche two be bought for a farthing a very litle coyne And the numbre of sparrowes is great in euery place and yet not so much as one of them is loste in the yearth but by the wyll and sufferaunce of your father Doe ye feare than leste he will suffre you whom emong all he hath chosen to this busines to perishe before your tyme whom he doeth not neglecte insomuche that he kepeth the numbre of all the heares of your head Seyng that ye be of more estimacion to the father than innumerable sparrowes there is no cause why ye should feare leste men be able to do any thyng against you otherwise than shall be thought to hym who hath continuall care ouer you Wherfore leaue the care of your lyfe and death vnto hym and be not ye driuen from the open profession of my name be it neuer so hated of the worlde by any feare of displeasures that men can doe vnto men For whosoeuer litle regarding the rebukes of men doe professe me in this lyfe to bee his Lorde and maister hym wyll I acknowlege to bee my seruaunt and disciple before my heauenly father Contrarywyse whosoeuer wyll be ashamed of me before men and deny me hym will I deny before my father whiche is in heauen And this is no daynteouse and delicate profession for he doeth not professe me vnles he doeth declare by his lyfe that he doth beleue my sayinges And he hath denied me whiche so lyueth that he setteth by any sayng more than by me What winning therfore can it bee yf a maune lese that noble and euerlastyng prayse with the father and his angels for feare of a false slaunder hece which neither lasteth long nor is no slaunder in dede but with ignoraunt and folyshe menne and before God very true glory It is a great gayne lytle to passe vpon these thynges and to make haste to the euerlastyng rewarde whiche shal be geuen in due tyme to them that haue deserued it in the meane season a good conscience is a great piece of the rewarde Thynke not that I am come to sende peace into the yearth I came not to sende peace but a swearde for I am come to set a man at variauÌ„ce with his father and the doughter with her mother the doughter in lawe with the mother in lawe And a mans â—â—es shall be they that art of his householdâ— He that loueth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me and he that loueth sonne or doughter more than me is not worthy of me And he that taketh not his crosse and foloweth me is not worthy of me He that findeth his lyfe shall loose it and he that looseth his lyfe for my sake shall fynde it The profession of the ghospell is no weriche nor lyght thyng Truely the rewardes be great but ye must come vnto them with vehement and continuall desyres of the mynde they chaunce not vnto yll menne and lingerers they must be obteyned by strength and violence Thinke ye that I am cumme to so we peace in the yearth emong men It is farre otherwyse Nay I am not come to sowe peace and concorde but swearde and warâ—e and that inwarde and domesticall warre and not ciuile warre onely For where as the doctryne of the ghospell shall be hated of the moste parte and sith it requireth so feruente a desyre towarde it that all the affeccions of men be they neuer so great and vnruly must geue place it cannot be but great stryfe and dissencion must aryse emong theÌ„ that be most nere frendely whyles they that doâ—e vpon the worlde wyll rage rather agaynst theyr derest beloued than forsake theyr vices whereunto they be accustomed and whoso is once touched with the great feruencye of the euangelicall charitie he wyll not suffre hymselfe by no maner
commaunde sayed Lorde yf thou be he commaunde me to come vnto thee vpon the water For he meruelled not that Iesus walked vpon the water but he thought that he hymselfe myghte do so likewise yf Iesus would But Iesus framyng fashioning his weakenes by all meanes vnto the strengthe of perfecte faith bad hym come At the whiche woorde Peter nothyng lyngeryng leaped downe out of the bote and began to haste to Iesus walkyng vpon the water And as long as hys fayth nothing wauered the moystâ— element serued him But whan he caste hys iyes a little from Iesus and began to looke about him and to considre the boysteousnes of the winde the hurling of the waues and his owne feblenes he was afrayed agayn and began to sinke downe be in danger of drowning Feare came of the boysteousnes of the windes peril came of feare feare of distruste And agayne the greatenes of peril raysed vp the sparke of faythe and nowe being almost ouerwhelmed with waues he cryed out Lord saue me I perish But Iesus putting hys disciple in remembraunce that the perill whiche he feared came not of the waues or windes whiche before serued his tourne but of the weakenes of fayth reaching out his hande catched him and lift him vp saying O thou that yet hast little trusted me why diddest thou wauer For it is not inough to haue a strong faith for the time but it must be continual and constaunt nor thou must not loke how great the peril is or what thy strength is hable to beare but what I am hable to do to him that doth trust and beleue in me Therefore furthwith as he entred into the shippe the winde ceased And they that were in the shippe seying suche a merueylouse wunder perceyuyng that there was somewhat in him more than man fel downe at his feete and wurshipped him saying Thou art the very sonne of God And when they came to the banke he went into the countrey of Genezareth where he had shewed many miracles before They after that they had knowlege that he whom they had seene before was come agayne they sent throughout al the countrey to tel that Iesus was preseÌ„t that if they had any sicke folke they should bring them For now theyr fayth began to increase by the myracles that were done before Therefore flockyng together on euery syde they offer vnto Iesus as many as were diseased desyring him that at the leaste they myght touche the hem of hys garmente if it were to paynful for him to touche them one by one or to speake vnto them So strong was theyr fayth and theyr fayth deceiued them not For as many as touched him were healed ¶ The .xv. Chapiter Than came to Iesus Scribes and Phariseis whiche were come from Hierusalem saying Wherefore doe thy disciples transgresse the tradicion of the elders for they washe not their handes whan they eate bread But he aunswered and sayde vnto them Why doe ye transgresse also the commaundemente of god because of your owne tradicion TO the more glory of God these thynges were done the more the Phariseis were fret with enuie seyng theyr glory to bee darkened thereby by the which glory hitherto they had magnifyed theÌ„selues among men They huÌ„ted in euery corner for a quarel but the more they go agaynst Iesus the more they blase abrode their owne blindenes being so manifest and open that the people also spyed it Therefore certayn Phariseis of Hierusalem for there were they most arrogant and proude goe together vnto Iesus that the numbre might make their false accusacyon to bee beleued And where as Moyses forbade that any thyng shoulde bee taken away or put to the wordes of the lawe the Phariseis that they might seme to bee not onely thexpounders of the lawes but also the makers they added certayn tryflyng thinges as be those That no man shoulde take meate with vnpure handes whiche they called vnwashed as who should say the handes did defyle the meate or the man or as who shoulde say the licour of the water shoulde washe away the filthynesse of the minde Agayne that no man retournyng from the market and had been amongeste the common people shoulde eate meate but he had firste washed hys body as who shoulde saye the touchyng of men filed man or as who shoulde say he is pure and cleane whiche is washed Agayne that theyr flagons pottes brasse stoles beddes and other stuffe which was dayly occupyed â–ª shoulde be often washed With these and many lyke superfluouse and tryfling thinges they burdened the simple people which thynges they woulde haue so much made of and honoured that for these preceptes they neglected oftentimes the coÌ„maundementes of God Therfore wheÌ„ they could no waies leye to the disciples charge the transgression of Moses lawe they fynde faulte with their mayster because he suffered his disciples to neglect mannes constitucions not that they despised them although they were worthy to bee despised but that being geuen to seriouse and earnest matters sometimes they passed little vpon them Therefore they spake vnto Iesus and sayde Why doe not thy disciples kepe the constytucions of their forefathers For they washe not theyr handes whan they goe to meate Christ not suffering so maliciouse rebuking for a thing of nothing payeth them home with a more sharpe rebuke Nay with what face dooe ye which picke quarels for these â—â—â—fles make so muche of mannes constitucyons whiche can bring nothing elles but paynfull supersticion and yet for them ye sticke not to breake the greatest commaundement of God For God commaundeth saying Honour father and mother And he that shall curse father or mother let him dye the deathe But ye say euery one shall say to his father and mother What â—ifte soeuer shoulde haue come from me the same is tourned vnto thy profit And so shal he not honour his father or hys mother And thus haue ye made the commaundement of God of none effecte because of your owne tradicion For God confirmyng the law of nature commaunded earnestly that euery man shoulde honoure and succoure his father and mother promising long life and felicitie of this life vnto the doer hereof threatning death to him that doeth the contrary But you folowing your auarice that ye may tourne that to your owne gayne and aduauntage which shoulde haue bene bestowed in helping of youre parentes doe teache that it is holyer and better for men to enryche the temple with gyftes â–ª than to helpe theyr nedye parentes and ye haue shewed a caste how the children may mocke their parentes asking helpe and succour of them that is to say thus to the father or mother the gifte that I offer to the temple thinke it bestowed vpon you For that that is offered 〈◊〉 God the high parent is rightely bestowed and the godlines of the sonne shal profite the parentes and by this crafte vnder the coulour of false godlines against the commaundemente of God the father is forsaken that the priestes
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
sinneth frely and at large drunken with his own affeccioÌ„s but first try him with a very geÌ„tle remedy whiche shall not so muche as put him to any shame Go vnto him alone debate the matter betwixt you none other beyng by If he do not acknowlage his fault reproue hym laye it before his iyes how muche he hath erred froÌ„ the dutie of brotherly charitie And let thy monicioÌ„ be such that it may declare the to seke nothing els but his health the restoryng of olde amitie And if he be so curable that he cum to himself at this secret monicioÌ„ there is no cause why thou shouldest reueÌ„ge or put him to open blame it is inough for the that thou hast wun thy brother And in the meane season thou hast gained â—y it For thou shouldest haue lost a frende and God should haue lost a soule But yf the disease be so grieuouse that it cannot be healed with this light medicine yet thou muste not vtterly dispayre nor forthwith run to the extreme remedies But yf that he wil not heare the alone go to hym again takyng with the .i. or .ii. eyther that he may be ameÌ„ded with sum litle shame which shal be no infamy vnto him or els that he may be confuted ouercum by the testimonie of two or thre But yf he be so vntractable that he wyll be moued neyther with shame nor with feare of iudgement bring the matter to the congregacioÌ„ that he may be reformed either by the coÌ„sent of the multitude or by thauctoritie of them which be rulers ouer the multitude But if he be so far past cure that he wil not be corrected neyther by secret brotherly monicion neither by the knowlage coÌ„sent of two or thre neither by the shame of his fault vttered and disclosed nether by the auctoritie of the chief rulers leaue him to his disease Let hym be cut of froÌ„ the congregacion takeÌ„ in none other wise but as an HeatheÌ„ or Publicane Let this be the greuousest punishment emong you whiche notwithstaÌ„dyng is vsed for none other purpose but that the brother eyther should cum vnto hymself by shame consideryng that he is shunned and fled of all men or els leâ—t he beyng mingled in the flocke should hurt other with his infeccion No man ought to say vnto me the iudgementes of thy kyngdome be but werish and weake nay they be very seuere and sore yf a man wyll contemne theÌ„ obstinately For mans lawes when they punish a greuous offence with death they do nothyng but kill the body sumtime they kill hym whom god doth not condeÌ„ne and they kil onely and amend him not for he is not alyue to be amended But this condeÌ„nacion although it procedeth leysurely to punyshmeÌ„t yet for this cause it is very seuere and sore that he that is coÌ„deÌ„ned vnlesse he do repente is punyshed with euerlastyng payn which by no meanes he can escape Whom Cesar doth condemne god sumtime doeth assoyle and whom the prince doth assoyle god suÌ„tyme doeth condemne The prince whoÌ„ he doth assoyle he leaueth in the cumpany of meÌ„ to make other like himself whom he killeth he taketh from the cumpany of men not onely not healyng him but making him in case that he cannot be healed These â—e mans iudgementes rather necessary than praise worthie But your senteÌ„ce so remoueth a man that is vncurable that he cannot infecte them that be good and yet he is in case that he may repent because that ye haue power to saue and not to destroy And yet they shal not sinne vnpunished whoÌ„ ye suffre to haue theyr lyfe He shal be punyshed eternally god beyng his iudge whose senteÌ„ce shal approue and confirme your sentence vnlesse the condemned person repente For he that seketh not reueÌ„ging but the amendment of his brother he that is ready to forgeue the iniurie doeÌ„ against him he that willingly cuÌ„meth vnto the sicke to heale him being offended himself he that once or twise repelled yet ceaseth not to help heale he that trusteth not to his own iudgemeÌ„t but taketh one or two vnto hym not to reuenge but to heale this mans sentence because it cummeth from an euangelicall minde god wyll allowe and neuer wil breake it vnles the condemned person will condemne that that he hath doen. Although therfore your iudgement hath not in apperaÌ„ce such seueritie and sharpnes as the iudgemeÌ„tes of princes haue yet it is more to be feared than their sentence wherewith oftentimes the best be condeÌ„ned the most sinful assoiled It is a terrible thing to be condemned of god and he is condemned of hym whosoeuer is condemned of you agreing together with a sincere mind For that that ye iudge by the spirit of god is not your iudgement but his by you but if ye coÌ„demne a man by the spirit of man than it is mans iudgemeÌ„t not gods he that by your iudgemeÌ„t is caste out of your câ—Ì„pany is not forthwith banished froÌ„ the cumpany of heauen Therefore the strength of your auctoritie resteth in affeccions which only god doth behold see Truly these be the keyes whiche I wil geue vnto Peter professing me wherwith that that shal be bound in earth shall be bound alâ—â— in heauen and that that shal be losed in earth shal be losed also in heauen This power though it be specially mete for the heades and chief yet I wil geue it to al men if so that they haue a consente and agremente among them not of man but in my name Yea and moreouer I wil say vnto you your consent shal not haue auctoritie only in pardoning and condemnyng offences if ye with me and among your selues do agree but also yf any two bee found in earth which do truly agree in my spirite that is to saye not moued with the affeccion of man but ioyntly louyng the thynges that be of god whatsoeuer they aske they shall obteyne it of my father whiche is in heauen Suche loue hath the father towarde the euangelicall and holye concorde Therfore forasmuch as ye may doe so muche with the prince that is almightye ye nede not to repent you of your power and authoritie although before men ye appeare feble weake That whiche is asked of Ceasar is not forthwith obteyned nor he is not able to perfourme whatsoeuer is asked of hym For he cannot put away the agewe or make the dumme to speake again But there is nothyng so hard or incredible whiche my father will not geue you yf ye aske of hym with one consent and agrement ¶ Then came Peter vnto hym and sayde Lorde howe ofte shall I forgeue my brother yf he sinne against me tyll seuen tymes Iesus sayeth vnto hym I saye vnto thee vntyl seuen tymes but seuenty times seuen tymes Therfore the kingdom of heauen is lykened vnto a certain man that was a king whiche would take accoumpte of his seruauntes And whan he had begun to
there came into the place where they feasted a young damsell daughter vnto Herodias and Philippe to make the geastes myrth and pastime with her vncumly and waÌ„ten dauncing And the more vngoodly she daunced the more she delited the geastes and the kyng specially who was now twise mad because besydes that he was in amours with the vnchaste womanne Herodias he was also distempred and set in a furye with wyne Wherfore he sayed vnto the damsell ryghte magnifycentlye as became a kyng Aske of me whatsoeuer thou wylt thou shalte haue no denyall therof And to make her the bolder to desyre what she woulde he bounde his dronken promyse with an othe Whatsoeuer sayeth he thou shalte desyre of me though it be th one halfe of my realme I wyll geue it the. Oh fonde and folyshe saing worthy to cum oute of so folishe and droÌ„ken a kynges mouthe But the young damsell as she began to playe this parte at the prouocacion and setting on of her mother whiche diligently awayted the daye place and howre and trymmed her daughter of purpose to daunce so durste she not by and by tell the kyng what she woulde demaunde but departed out of the feasting chaumber and asked her mother counsayle saying The kyng my father in lawe hath bound it with an othe that he wyll geue me whatsoeuer I wyll desyre of hym What shall I therfore aske Here was vndoubtedlye a iuste occasion to doubte and take good deliberacion leste so great an oportunitie should haue been loste But the vnchaste woman her mother vnto whome nothyng was so deare as the death of the moste holye and innocent man without further deliberacioÌ„ takyng answered Desyre of him Iohn Baptistes heade Oh wicked daughter soone taught ready to obey for a mischiefe She returned strayghtwayes into the kynges priuie chamber for her mother priuily aduertised her to make haste and speake with Herode before that great heate of his Princely courage were cooled againe And then went she vnto the kynges presence and desyred a rewarde for her wanton and lasciuious dauncyng saying I desyre but one messe alonely I wyll thou geue me withoute farther delaye Iohn Baptistes heade in a charger Here marke me well the aukewarde conscience of the wicked kyng Where as there is nothyng that suche kynges are oftener wont to do then to breake all bondes of leages couenauntes and religion yet here he thinketh hymselfe bound in conscience which was a thyng agaynst all conscience to performe his moste foolyshe othe especiallye syth it was made in the audyence of so many witnesses Wherfore leste menne would haue thought hym to haue been a manne of no credence yf he had refused to perfourme what he promised by an othe to do swearyng perchaunce eyther by his diademe the spirite which had the gouernaunce of his body or the heade of the damsel that daunced before hym or els leste he shoulde haue seemee vncurteous and voyde of all good maners yf he had eyther let the mayde departe from hym all heauy and sad or with some cloude of heauinesse abated the myrthe and solace of the gestes whom she had pleased with her pastyme O worshypfull fayth and conscience O good maner curtesie worthye to be put in Chronicles leste I saye these thynges should haue chaunced the hangman was forthwith sente out and the holy head of the moste innocente person broughte vnto the kyng as it had been a messe of meate in a charger The kyng toke it vnto the damsell and she to her mother vnto whom it was a derer present then th one halfe of Herodes kyngdome With this deadly syght this folyshe dotyng and mad kyng dyd gratify the vnchaste woman and celebrate or worshyp his naâ—iue daye The kyng caused hym to be slayne the hangman brought the head to the kyng the damsell obtained it and in conclusion the same deadly rewarde was geuen to her mother the worker and well of all this mischiefe Oh worthy geastes all this while and mete for suche a feaste maker There was none of them al so frendely to the king that would go about to let hym to do this mischieuous dede And shall we hereafter maruaile yf kynges other whiles be not a fearde to commit outragious enormities yf they be of disposicion lyke vnto Herode that is to saye enflamed with vnchaste loue and geuen to riot and sensualitie and ouer this haue suche dayly companions as be eyther fearfull persons or els fauourers of theyr crueltie When the bruite of this haynouse dede was cum to the eares of Iohns disciples they toke awaye the carkas and buried it honorablye Howbeit in these thynges lyeth hyd some mystery and secret meanyng Iohn although he bare the figure of the lawe and sygnified the same yet in as muche as he was a forecurrour of the Gospell he was rewarded with the rewarde therof that is with a glorious death but yet farre diuerse from the death of Christe For Iohns head was priuily striken of after he hadde layne a whyle fast gyued in pryson Christ was openly lyfted vp vpon the crosse The darkenes of the prison agreeth well with the shadowes and fygures of the lawe It was mete they shoulde geue place vnto the lyght of the gospell whiche beganne to appeare and shyne abrode It was conueniente that carnall ceremonies shoulde be diminished to the entent that spirituall freedome should be encreased And it was lykewyse nedeful that all whiche proceded of feare should be bounde because the fayth and charitie of the gospell should the farther be spred abrode and extended Finally it was mete that mannes heade shoulde be striken of least the churche shoulde acknowledge any other head saue alonely Iesus And so the lawe beyng in a maner slayne and honourably buried gaue place vnto the Lorde Iesu when he began to preache his spirituall philosophie and doctrine For in that we do beleue the ghospell we are muche bounden vnto the olde Testament whiche so many yeares agoe drewe out Iesus Christ vnto vs with shadowes and figures and promysed and described him with the prophecies and darke sayinges of the Prophetes ¶ And the Apostles gathered themselues together vnto Iesus and told hym all thynges bothe what they had done and what they had taught And he sayde vnto them cuÌ„ ye alone out of the waye into the wyldernesse and rest a while For there were manye cummers and goetâ— and they had no leysure so muche as to eate And he went by ship out of the waye into a desert place and the people spied them when they departed and many knewe him and ranne a foote thither out of all cities and came thitheâ— before them and came together vnto hym And Iesus went out and sawe muche people and had compassion on them because they were like shepe not hauyng a shepeherde and he began to teache them many things Whiles these thinges were done the Apostles after they had finished their message drewe themselfes together and
them well prophecied Esay of you hypocrites as it is written This people honoreth me with theyr lyppes but theyr harte is fat from me Howbeit in vayne do they serue me teaching the doctrines and commaundementes of men for ye laye the commaundement of God apart and obserue the constitucione of men as the washing of cruses and of cuppes and many other suche lyke thinges ye do Nowe coulde they no lenger kepe in this foule scabbe of false reprouyng yet quarelled not they with the disciples but assayled the maister himself as though he had committed sum haynous enormitie Why say they do not thy disciples who folowe the and hang vpon thyne instruccion and teachyng kepe the custome begon of our elders but eate their meate with vnwashen and vncleane handes Iesus intending to teache vs that there is no more noysom or mischeuous kinde of quarrelling then when a man vnder pretence of godlynes fyndeth faute with the well doynges of his neyghboure sharpely reproueth theyr malice and coloured righteousnes By your deedes sayeth he you playnely declare that the Prophete Esay prophecied of you hypocrites full well and worthely whyche make an outwarde shewe of holynes wheras inwardly ye are replenished withall sinne wickednes In this Prophete God complaynethe in this wyse This people honorethe me with theyr lyppes but theyr heart is far from me And as theÌ„selues do liue so do they enstructe other I passe nothing vpon this cleanes of theyr bodies and houshold stuffe but require of them inward puritie cleanes of soule They serue me in vayne wyth this coloured kynde of godlynes auauntyng and magnifying it as thoughe it were a thyng of great worthynes and wherein perfite godlynes did stande teaching mans tradicions whiche make no man commemdable and prayse worthy before God and of a supersticious mynde they haue to obserue thesame tradicions nothynge passynge vpon Gods commaundementes Looke howe muche differâ—nce there is betwene God and manne so muche differencâ— oughte there to be betwene mens constitucions and Gods commaundementes God is a spirite and that whiche is spirituall and ghostly continueth for euer and oughte neuer to bee neglected Agayne what thynge soeuer is corporall thesame lastethe but for a season If it be lawfull to passe litle vpon the ceremonies whiche god himselfe hathe commaunded to be kepte whensoeuer charitie towardes the neyghboure exhorteth so to doe Howe muche lesse then is it meete to breake the commaundementes of God for kepyng of mans tradicions It is a wrong shapen godlines and an vnholy holines to bee supersticious in kepyng of suche ceremonies as your forefathers â–ª instituted and taught you of theyr owne mynde and in the meane while litle to regard those thinges which God himselfe hath commaunded you to obserue You thinke it to be one of the chiefeste pointes of godlines to washe your handes your cuppes your cruces and to obserue manye other lyke thinges the whiche your doinges by reason they haue a certayne counterâ—ayte apparaunce or visure of holines doe highly set you furth and make you seeme prayse worthy vnto the worlde and this prayse so gotten by coloured holynes you set more by then by Goddes auctoritie For you loue your selues and neyther seke Goddes glorye nor the soule health of the people whose guydes and teachers you professe your selfes to be ¶ And he sayed vnto them wel ye cast aside the commaundement of god to mayntayne your owne constitucions For Moyses sayd Honour thy father and thy mother and whoso cursethe father or mother let him dye the death But ye saye a man shall say to father or mother Corban which is what gifte soeuer cummeth from me shal be for thy profite And so ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother and make the worde of God of none effect through your owne constitucion whiche ye haue ordayned and manye such thinges do ye Therfore it is no maruayle yf ye disanull and cleane take awaye that God hath commaunded to be obserued of all men for euer to th entent that mannes tradicions whiche procure you great gaynes and authoritie maye still continue Doth not all the worlde see that you thus do Dyd not god geue this law by Moyses Honour thy father and mother And he that curseth his father or mother shall dye the death This God commaundeth not in one place but doth oft times repete it and put euerye man in remembraunce thereof because that children shoulde to theyr power helpe theyr parentes when they be olde impotent or fallen into pouertie or otherwise so ofte as they are oppressed with any maner of necessitie and by this meanes paye them home agayne the benefyte of theyr nourishing The same thing the lawe of nature commaundethe whiche is likewise emplanted in manye brute beastes as in Storkes But you hauinge an iye to your owne peculiar vauntage doe with your fayned doctrine make Gods commaundemente of none effect and require that this lawe whiche God woulde so fayne haue euery body to kepe shoulde geue place vnto your sayed coloured doctrine God himselfe cryethe honour thy father and thy mother ye are bolde to saye the contrary Honour not thy father and thy mother You crye not so with wordes but you do it in very dede So muche the more detestable is your wickednes because you cloke the same with an ymage or colour of godlynes For to the intente your treasury wherewith all your excesse and pride is mayntayned maye be filled you craftely alure whomsoeuer you can to bringe very many giftes vnto the temple by defeatinge euen of theyr owne parentes whom they shoulde according to Gods commaundemeÌ„t succour at theyr nede perswading them that by this meanes the commaundement is fulfilled as thoughe the thynge whiche is dedicated vnto the temple were geuen to God and that God were the very naturall father of all menne Wherfore vnto him who hath caste anye moneye into the treasurye you saye that he nowe nedethe not to geue anye thynge to the reliefe of his poore parentes because the commaundemente is otherwyse fulfilled and in the meane while you so feare the parentes with vayne supersticion that they dare not require of theyr children anye thinge whiche semethe once dedicated vnto God leste in so doynge they shoulde brynge themselues in daunger to be accused of sacrilege Doubtles God hath no nede of your moneye neyther is the same employed to his glorie but turned to your owne priuate commoditie and thoughe it were bestowed vpon the buildynge of the temple yet with God there is no temple so holy that for the maynteynaunce therof he would haue the children forsake theyr parentes at theyr nâ—de Do not you when that by suche fayned doctrines ye both so deceyue the chyldren that they refuse to helpe theyr parentes and also so feare the parentes that they dare not touche anye thynge once consecrated vnto the temple dooe not you I saye whiles you thus stablishe and vpholde your owne commaundementes
of manne whome ye nowe see humble and lowe and very shortly shall see more abiect then all other shall appeare in the fathers maiestie with all his holy Angels and chosen disciples Neyther is that tyme so farre of For there be some here in this companie whoe or euer they dye shall perceiue that the kyngdome of God is already come with power Therfore let euery man make himselfe redy to th entent he maye be founde worthy to be of the same kyngdome These wordes that the Lorde spake the Apostles themselues as then vnderstode not because there was in them double vnderstanding For after his death resurreccion and ascencion and after the sending doune of the holy ghoste from heauen then that vertue of the corne of musterdsede that is to saye of the Euangelike doctrine began to shewe and putte furthe it selfe ¶ And after sixe dayes Iesus taketh Peter and Iames and Iohn and leadeth them vp into an hye mountayne cut of the waye alone and he was transfygured before them and his rayment dyd shyne and became very whyte euen as snowe so whyte as no fuller can make vpon the yearthe And there appered vnto them Hely as with Moyses they talked with Iesus And Peter answered and sayd to Iesu Mayster here is good beinge for vs. Let vs make also three tabernacles one for thee and one for Moyses and one for Helyas as â—or he wyste not what he sayd For they were afrayde And there was a cloude that shadowed them and a voyce came out of the cloude saying This is my beloued sonne heare hym And sodaynly when they had loked rounde aboute they sawe no man more then Iesus onely with them Nowe because the disciples should put no doubtes but he woulde once perfourme what he promysed concerning the maiestie of his second comming his pleasure was to geue them some taste thereof and that before their death so farfurthe as mannes nature was able to receiue or awaie withall Wherfore after syxe dayes Iesus toke vnto him three of his twelue specially chosen disciples as the chiefe and worthyest persons vnto whom his pleasure was to shewe this fight because thei woulde make no wordes thereof tyll the time were come that thei might lawfully disclose it These were Peter Iames and Iohn Them onely he toke awaye with him into a very highe mountaine For thei muste be farre from all carefulnes of lowe and yearthly thinges whome Iesu vouchesafeth to shewe suche a syght vnto He dayneth euen in these daies to geue by secrete inspiracion vnto certaine elect persones enhauÌ„ced to the mountaine of pure contemplacion some taste and syght of the euerlasting blissefulnes The people whiche abyde benethe in the plaine knowe nothing therof and if a manne tell them they beleue not When the Lorde and his disciples were come to the toppe of the mountaine fyrst of all they fell to theyr prayâ—rs For prayer is the thynge whiche chiefly prepareth the iyes of the heart and maketh them meete to beholde suche a sight And loe as Iesus was in his prayers the shape of his body was sodaynly chaunged For his face whiche before semed not to diffre from the common physnamy of other shone as bright as the sunne Then did his clothes glister with whytenes surmountyng the whytenes of the snowe suche as no fuller can by any crafte make the like vpon clothe Neyther was Iesus sene thus alone but with hym Hely and Moyses talkyng together It was Moyses office to talke with God And we rede howe Hely was taken vp and caryed into heauen with a fyery charyot Doubtles theyr communicacion with Iesu signifieth the agrement of the lawe and the Prophetes For the lawe shadowed and drewe out Christe with misticall fygures and the prophetes shewed before by theyr prophecies howe Christe shoulde come suche a one and lyke in all poyntes as Iesus came and yet the Iewes woulde not beleue The matter wherupon they talked was his gloryous death departing whyche he shoulde in shorte space after fulfill at Ierusalem vpon the crosse so that here the mencion of deathe dyd lykewise assuage that excedynge greate pleasure wherof mans mynde was in no wyse receyuable Peter being rauiâ—hed with this vnspeakable syght and therfore not well able to rule his affectes brake theyr communicacion begonne of deathe saying Maister speake nomore of Ierusalem Here is good beinge for vs. Therefore lette vs make .iii. tabernacles in this place one for thee another for Moyses and the thyrde for Hely These wordes of Peter partly proceded of the feare of death whiche was depely soncken into his minde partly of the great pleasure he had in beholdyng of his sight wherewith he was as it were dronken For lyke a man besyde hymselfe and rauyshed of his wyttes he wyst not what he sayde So great was the feare wherewith these mortall menne not yet receyuable of the diuine maiestie were astonied Therfore because they should not be ouercome with this passyng great bryghtnes there arose a cloude whiche ouershadowed them and tempred that vnsufferable light so as they might awaie with it This taste of the diuine maiestie was geuen to theyr corporall iyes There was also somewhat geuen vnto theyr eares For there sounded out of the cloudes the fathers voyce being likewise full of maiestie whiche sayde This is my moste dearly beloued sonne geue care vnto hym Nowe howe for very shame dooe the Iewes to this present daye speake agaynst Christ sith bothe Moyses and Hely whiche are of greatest authoritie among them beare hym wytnesse sith the father whom they woulde bee sene deuoutly to serue and worshyp gaue by hys voyce the whole authoritie to his onely begotteÌ„ sonne The Apostles were delighted with this glory but let hym that wyll come therunto heare Iesu whan he exhorteth to the imitacion of his crosse O Peter doe not thou from henceforthe rebuke thy Lord doe not thou go before Gods determinacioÌ„ Thou heardest the fathers voyce which said heare him who is my dearely beloued sonne as who say hitherto you haue heard Moyses the Prophetes prophecying of Christ they haue nowe played theyr partes He is alredie cum whom they promysed Hereafter geue no eare vnto suche as promise thinges to cum but heare you him that is present and speaketh my wyll and pleasure No man shall speake truer thinges Whatsoeuer disagreeth with his wordes that vtterly refuse you Anone as this voice of the father was hearde all thynges were sodenly chaunged agayne into another shape and lykenes for when they loked reuÌ„de aboute them like menne awakened out of theyr slepe they sawe not one iote of al that euer they sawe before saue alonelye Iesus whoe was present with theÌ„ againe hauing the selfe same shape that he was wonte to haue He shewed them his greatnes onelye through a cloude and they were not able to behold it What would they haue done if he had shewed them his very hyghnes and maiestie euen as it is
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
shoulde lykewyse cumme when he would returne into the worlde agayne a iudge bothe of the quicke and deade but when that time shoulde come because it was not expedient he woulde in no wyse haue it knowen Therfore he began to speake of these matters in suche wyse as here ensueth Beware sayeth he lest any manne deceiue you For there shall manye come who wyll chalenge and take vpon them my name and euerye of theim wyll fayne hymselfe to be Christe and by his craftie delusion deceiue manye vncircumspect persons When ye shall heare of warres tidynges of warres be ye not troubled For suche thynges must nedes be but the ende is not yet For there shall nacion ryse agaynste nacion and kyngdome agaynst kyngdome And there shal be pearthquakes in al quarters and famishement shall there be and troubles These are the beginning of sorowes But take ye hede to your selues for they shall bryng you vp to the counsayles into the Synagoges ye shal be beaten yea and shal be brought before rulers and kynges for my sake for a testimoniall vnto them And the gospell must first be published amonge all nacions The great busynes rufflyng of the world will shew that my cuÌ„ming approcheth the worlde is nighe at an ende But you muste not strayghtwayes when warres are moued or when there is any terrible bruite or rumoure of warres to be moued be so dismayed therwith as though thesame time wer already present For these thinges shall cum and yet shall not th ende of the world furthwith ensue They shall only be preludes of the ende that is to come euen as in an olde mans bodye diseases oftetymes thauncing are foretokens that his body shal shortely decay and perishe The temperature of the qualities is the thyng whiche preserueth bodely health But when by reason thesame qualities do stryue one agaynste another the whole body is distempered then is it an argumente that the destruction thereof approchethe There shall nacion ryse agaynste nacion realme agaynst realme and one of them go about with great powers and hostes of men to destroye an other Moreouer the yearthe it selfe as thoughe it were not content to norishe so wicked and vngodlye people shal be shaken with yearthequakes and so shall there be in sondrie places of the worlde greate dearthe and famyne because it shall deny men theyr naturall foode and sustenaunce Furthermore the ayre as though it were angrye with thesame vngodly folkes vnworthy of life and breathe shal be noysomme and deadelye When ye see manye of these signes and tokens yet loke ye not byanby for domes daye For these euiles shall be onelye the begynninge of the calamitie to come Neyther shall youre selues be free from suche euils troubles And therfore loke well aboute ye leste ye bee clapte in the neckes or creye be ware For men shall accuse you and brynge you before councels and synagoges and yee shal be presented before kynges and rulers to aunswere in causes of lyfe and deathe not for any offence or euyl dede doen on your behalfe but onelye for the profession of my name and this shall they do because all the worlde maye knowe howe they were worthely caste out of the kyngdome of God sithens they so persecuted the preachers of thesame But lette not these thynges muche trouble your myndes The cruelnes of wycked persons shall brynge nothing to passe agaynst the proceding of the gospell Neither can anye man slea you before your tyme. For domes daye shall not come before the gospell be preached throughout all the worlde ¶ But when they leade you and present you take ye no thought neyther ymagine afore hande what ye shall saye but whatsoeuer is geuen you in the same houre that speake For it is not ye that speake but the holy gost The brother shall delyuer vp the brother to deathe and the father the sonne and the children shall ryse agaynst their fathers and mothers and shal put theÌ„ to death And ye shal be hated of al meÌ„ for my names sake But whoso enduceth vnto the ende thesame shal be safe You nede not therefore to prepare you any worldly succours agaynste the violence tiranny of persecutours or take thought how to escape their iudgementes When there is any accion commensed agaynst you loke ye goe appeare leste ye seme to despise the publike authoritie For this thinge also shall make much for the enlarging and spreading abrode of the gospell But when ye are goyng to appeare be you not carefull studying with your selfes what answere to make and how to tell your tale for that ye are not sene in the lawe but men ignoraunt in ciuill plees as the common sort of the people are wonte to be carefull in suche case who make Oratours and Rhetorcians theyr atturneys and proetours in pleadinge of matters But whatsoeuer cumme the vnto your myndes that speake you For your selues shall not be authours of suche wordes as you shall speake but instrumentes onely The holy ghoste shall speake by you suche thynges as shal be expedient for the busynes of the gospell But suche persecucions must ye not onely looke for of alyauntes and enemyes but also of your frendes and kynnesfolkes For one brother shall take the lawe of an other and accuse hym of deathe worthye crymes all naturall loue and affeccion cast aside And the father shall likewise accuse the sonne contrary to naturall loue and kyndnes Furthermore the children shall also rise agaynste their parentes and cause them to suffer death And where as ye hurte no body but brynge the tydinges of saluacion to all men yet shall ye be hated of all them that loue this world onelye for the dyspleasure and malyce they beare to my name whiche you shall preache But in all these euils it shal be nedefull for you to be armed with perseueraunce and constancie of minde For whoso continueth in his good beginninges to the ende shall be safe because no calamitie is able to destroye him that with constant harte and mynde beleueth the gospell Moreouer when ye see the abhominacion of desolacion wherof is spoken by Daniel the prophet stand where it ought not let him that readeth vnderstand Then let them that be in Iewry sie to the mountaines and let him that is â—n the house top not go down into the house nether enter therein to fetche any thyng out of his house And let him that is in the fielde not turne backe agayne vnto the thynges whiche he lefte behynde hym for to take his clothes with him Woe shal be then to them that are with childe and to them that geue sucke in those dayes But praye ye that your flyght be not in the winter For there shal be in those dayes suche tribulacion as was not from the beginninge of creatures whiche God created vnto this time nether shal be And except that the Lorde should shorten those dayes no fleshe shoulde be saued But for the electes
woulde desyre And there was one that was named Barrabas which laye bounde with them that made insurreccion he had committed murther And the people called vnto hym and began to desyre him that he would do according as he had euer doen vnto them Pylate answered them saying wyll ye that I let leuse vnto you the kyng of the Iewes For he knewe that the hye priestes had deliuered hym of â—â—uye But the hye priestes moued the people that he should rather delyuer Barrabas vnto them There was a custome among the Iewes that at the feaste of Easter one of them shoulde be lewsed whiche laye in prison for anye death worthy offence whomsoeuer the Iewes desyred to be geuen vnto them At that season there was induraunce a certaine notable feloÌ„ muche spoken of for his vngracious dedes named Barrabas who had been a stirrer vp of sedicion in the citie and in the busynes and hurly burly that he made had committed manslaughter Pylate determined with hymselfe to vse this occasion to saue Iesu. Therfore when the people were cummen together accordyng to theyr auncient custome to desyre to haue some felon pardoned in token of theyr safe deliueraunce and scapyng out of Egypte Pylate answered in this wyse I haue two prisoners Barrabas whome ye know and Iesus whoÌ„ men cal the kyng of the Iewes Will ye therfore that I lewse vnto you Iesus Pylate perceyuing that he coulde haue no ayde and helpe of the priestes went vnto the people bicause to haue had some ayde assistence of them trusting that by theyr fauour Iesus shoulde haue been delyuered And so had he been without fayle if the malicious byshops neuer weary to worke mischiefe had not moued them rather to desyre to haue Barrabas pardoned then Iesus Pylate aunswered agayne and sayed vnto them what wyll ye then that I do vnto him whome ye call the kyng of the Iewes And they cryed agayne crucifie hym Pilate sayde vnto them what euyl hath he daâ—â— and they cryed the more feruently Crucifie hym And so Pylate wyllyng to content the people let lose Barabas vnto them and deliuered by Iesus when he had scourged him for to be crucified When this thyng had so chaunced contrarye to the deputies expectation for he heard say that Christ was highly in grace and fauour with the people yet ceased not he to helpe hym as muche as in him laye What then sayed he will ye that I do with the kyng of the Iewes loking to haue heard of them a more fauourable and gentler sentâ—nce But here the wylye Bishops were very circumspect who had before hande infected the myndes of the comminaltie with theyr wickednesse Neyther is the auctoritie of suche bishoppes good for any thyng els but to moue Princes and the people agaynste the trueth of the gospel The people therfore cryed agayn crucifie hym The bishops had also beaten into their heades that the shamefullest kynde of death of al should be chosen out for hym bycause his name shoulde hereby be counted detestable and cursed among all the Iewes For the lawe pronounced hym cursed whoso hanged in wood So studied they not onely to bereaue hym of his life but also vtterly to extincte abolyshe hys good name which was a facte muche crueller then death They coulde not abide that any mans name shoulde be counted holy saue theyrs Neyther did Pilate here yelde vnto theyr furie but spake harâ—e againste them saying I am the Emperours deputie It is not lawful for me to put any man to death vnlesse he be duely conuicted What offence hath he dooen wherfore he oughte to be crucified Here the deputie nothyng preuayled For they cryed outemore â—uriously Crucifie hym Yet for al that Pylate shranke not in Christes cause tyl they layed vnto his charge treason against the Emperour It was not conuenient that Iesu shoulde be doen to death excepte the Emperours authoritie had serued the fury of the byshops Pylate perceyuyng what daunger hanged ouer his head on the one syde of the Emperour on the other of the clamarous people albeit he knewe righte well that Iesus was an innocente and harmeles person yet willinge to yelde and conforme hymselfe to the mortall hatred of the byshops Scrybes elders and people gaue sentence of deathe agaynste hym but with thesame â—entence he bothe cleared the innocent of all crimes and also condemned the priestes and the people For he pronounced hym to be innocent and giltles whome he let them haue to crucifie Suche maner of Pylates shal the truth of the gospell euermore haue would to God there dyd not aryse among vs some byshops which are farre beyonde those bishops in all mischeefe vngraciousnes When therfore Iesus was condemned to death he was fyrst beaten with scourges But wheÌ„ the Iewes were not here with satisfied Pylate deliuered hym to the garison of the souldiers to be crucified So it pleased the high wisedom of God that Iesu the fouÌ„taine of al glory should be put to all kyndes of vilany by al sortes of people to the entent we should not be dismaide with any maneâ— of worldly euils or aduersities Iudas betrayed him the bishops Scribes headmen of the people counsailed together the seruauÌ„tes toke hym Cayphas the highest priest chiefe worker of all this mischief condeÌ„ned hym the Councell and theyr seruauntes scorned him as a condemned person the people cryed out agaynst hym like mad folkes the Emperours name maketh the iudge afraid Herode despiseth the Emperours deputie geueth sentence and in al these is Cayphas and in hym the deuyl And the souldiers led him awaye into the coÌ„mon hall and called together the whoâ—e â—ultitude and they clothed him with purple and they platted a croune of thornes and crounâ—â— him withall and began to salute hym hayle kyng of the Iewes And they smote him on the head with a rede and dyd spit vpon hym and bowed theyr knees and worâ—â—ypped hym Nowe remayneth there behynde that the wicked garison of souldiers do lykewyse playe theyr partes and amoÌ„g theÌ„ also was Cayphas Al the shame and villany that Iesus was put vnto all his destruccion if it maye be sayed that he was destroyed came of Caiphas who vnwares wrought a thing moste blessed and holy For he made this sacrifice without whiche no manne coulde haue attayned saluacion When therfore Iesus was caste and iudged to dye Pylates seruauntes led hym into the hall of the palace For the Iewes who were desyrous to seme holy durst not entre into the palace of Panim because they would come pure and cleane to celebrate theyr passeouer And yet was theyr mindes in the myddes of the palace and in the verye handes of the souldiers whom being of their owne enclinacion readye to do all mischiefe they prouoked and incensed therunto After Pylate had once deliuered his handes of Iesus he thought it made no great force how he were doen to death So did Herode fauour the vertue and goodnes of Iohn that at the requeste
of his father was contente to be made as a foole for our sakes to the ende that we might be made wise in him Through pryde came our fall and through humilitie came our settyng vp agayne Adam being through the serpent made bare of all the good qualities of the mynde couered hymselfe with leaues plucked from the tree Christe being riche in giftes celestiall desired no maner thing at all of this worldes The figures also of the olde Testament do veray well accorde with the storie of the ghospell Moses guided and led the Israelites out of Egypte and Christe hath deliuered them from the derkenesse of ignorauÌ„ce and from the boÌ„dage of vice They had their passage there through the water and we here through baptisme haue a ready waye to saluacion and freedome There was a pilour of a cloude and of fyer and here the father sendeth a voyce downe through a cloude and our spirite is baptised with fyer Through the first lawe is occasion of death through the lawe of the ghospell we are called agayne to lyfe But the olde lawe dyd with throundreynges and lyghtenynges make them sore afeard and the lawe of the ghospell doeth with ientilnesse and benefites call vs forth to saluacion Moses was terrible to be seen but in such wyse that constreyned he was to couer his face Christe is mylde and full of courteous humanitie and puttyng hymselfe in companie emong the thickeste of the people Moses went vp to the hill to talke with God and Christe came downe to vs to the intent that God should speake to vs by hym The fyrste Adam while he coueteth to be equal with God is compared to brute beastes voyde of vnderstandyng The seconde Adam whan he humbled himselfe from his godly maiestie downe to the bassenesse of our humaine nature wheras we were more abiecte and vile then euen the brute beastes are helyfâ—ed vs vp to the participacion and brotherhood of his godhed Nowe to conclude through Iesus the sonne of Naue was their returnyng into the lande flowyng wyth mylke and honey and through Iesus the sonne of a virgin is our returnyng agayne into paradyse Let vs therfore goe awaye from the disposicion of our first parentes and duely folowyng the lyfe of our Lorde Iesus let vs wyth pure myndes enbrace his benefite and let vs with al godly zele and endeuour folowe his exaumple to the best of our powers hymselfe will ayde vs therto with his helpe the whiche of his goodnesse hath geuen the example let vs enbrace the merciable and vnwrathfull maker of the lawe euangelicall Lette vs folowe our guide who only and none but he is hable to bryng all nacions of the whole worlde home vnto that same lande whiche continually without ende doeth moste plenteously flowe with all kynde of ioyes ¶ The .iiii. Chapiter ¶ Iesus beeyng full of the holy ghoste returned from Iordan and was ledde by the spirite into wildernesse and was fowerty daies tempted of the deuill And in those daies did he eate nothyng And whan they were ended he afterwarde houngred And the deuill sayed vnto hym If thou be the sonne of God commaunde this stone that it bee breade And Iesus aunswered him saying It is wrytten Man shall not lyue by bread only but by euery woorde of God ANd Iesus vpon whose head the doue had lighted before at his baptisme beeyng not a voyde signe but the holy ghoste hymselfe in that lykenesse although he were nowe full of the holy ghoste yet before he would enterpryse the office of preachyng the ghospell because he would be in all thinges approued and tryed euen to the vttermoste ere he woulde take suche an office in hande he departed from Iordan geuyng therby a lesson that after baptisme menne shoulde endeuoure themselfes to the more higher exercises of godly lyuyng he withdrewe himselfe from the coumpanie of people with whom to be familiar and muche conuersaunte doeth many tymes corrupte a manne and also doeth cause the autoritie of a teacher to be the lesse estemed and regarded And by the spirite of God wherwith he was wholy rauished and possessed he was moued and led furthe into wildernesse from whence Iohn had to fore come furthe emong the people And this did Iesus euen as one that mynded to bidde the enemie of mankynde quickely to come of and make readie all hys craftes and ingiens verayly of purpose both to shewe and declare vnto vs that the deuyll who had hitherto been as a conquerour ouer mankind had holden them captiue maye bee vanquyshed and subdued and also as it were with his fynger to poynte vnto vs the waye howe to wynne the victory ouer hym A place was sought and found apte mete for the temptours purpose and that was wildernesse and occasion was ministred by the meanes of hounger For Iesus to doe the parte that Moses did in this behalfe nowe that he went about to geue vnto the worlde a newe lawe that is to were a doctrine of grace which is the ghospell he fasted as Moses had doen fowertie dayes and in all this tyme of the sayed fowertie daies he touched no maner of meate but passed ouer all this tyme with holy prayers vnto God geuyng laude and glorye to thesame and with geuyng continuall thankes vnto his heauenly father And this was a paterne and a saumple or president of a certayne rare and vnwoonte vertue in manne Neyther was he ignoraunt of the craftes and subtilties of Satan who by all meanes possible neuer more earnestely pitcheth and setteth his snares and grinnes then whan he perceyueth the mynde and soule of man with notable endeuour to encline and drawe towardes heauenly lyuyng And Satan had heard that one there shoulde come whiche shoulde discoumfeight and destruie his puissaunce and whether that mightie conquerour were now alreadie come or no he stoode in doubte and what manne Iesus should be he could not tell For Satan who had beguiled mankynde to fore by his subtile craftes and wyles was nowe contrarywyse to bee beguiled by the politique wysedome of God He had heard Iohn openly confesse and saye I am not Christe Wherfore seeyng and perceyuyng many thynges in Christe whiche ferre surmounted the compace of mans power and on the other syde agayne seeyng hym to bee an houngred and to be in great affliccion through defaulte of takyng bodily susteinaunce wheras it is not read that Moses and Helias after the fastyng and absteinyng from meate by the space of lyke noumbre of dayes were an hungred he supposed Iesus to be nothyng els but a manne yea and suche a manne as by his craftie conueighaunce myght be corrupted Nowe the wilie and subtill deuyse of the temptour was this that is to wete eyther to ouercome and wynne hym in dede or at the leaste wyse to hunte out whether he were that Sonne of God or no whiche had been promysed by the Prophetes Whiche thyng yf he myght haue perceyued so to bee than would he bende all his
the maliciouse imaginacions of the same vnto the people but by demaunding a question touched and hit theyr conscience throughly home saying I woulde with all my hearte learne of you that professe the knowlage of the lawe whether it bee leefull to helpe the neighboure with dooyng him a good turne on the sabboth daye or elles to leaue the neyghbour destitute of succour in his woe and distresse whoÌ„e a man is able to helpe And whether is it lawfull to saue a mans lyfe on the sabboth daye or els to caste awaye the same For he playnely casteth away an other mans lyfe that whan it lyeth in his power to saue it doeth not saue it And whan the lorde had caste his iyes round about and no man there was that would make any aunswere he sayd vnto the man holde furth thy hand And immediatly he stretched furth his hande at libertie whiche afore was lame and shrounken together and in such case that it could not stiere a whit So great was the vertue and power of Iesus bidding him to stretche it furth What shoulde the Scribes and Phariseis in this case doe The miracle was more euidente then that it coulde bee denyed and veray common reason did allow that a godly thing it was at any manyer tyme to helpe to the preseruacion of men but hauing been long accustomed to the olde soureswig of Moses lawe they coulde not awaye with the muste of euangelicall charitie Wheras of these actes theyr duetie had bene to acknowlage the power of the Godhead and to acknowlage the autour and firste maker of the lawe they are turned into starke staring madnesse And now euen out of hande they enter a consayll emong themselues of commyttyng murder what way they might destruie Iesus bring him to his death This was with those ioyly captaynes of religion a thing lawfull to dooe on the sabboth day wheras to the same it was a mattier of conscience to geue helth to a man being in extreme miserie on the Sabboth daie And it fortuned in those daies that he went out into a mountaine for to praye and continued all night in prayer to god And assoone as it was daye he called his disciples and of them he chose twelue whome also he called Apostles Simon whom he also named Peter and Andrewe his brother Iames and Iohn Philip and Bartholomewe Mathewe and Thomas Iames the sonne of Alpheus and Simon whiche is called Zelotes and Iudas Iames sonne and Iudas Iscarioth the same that was the traytâ—ur The lorde Iesus eftesons departing from the cities and from the greate resorte of people sequestred himselfe and went vnto a mountayne to pray and all the same night did he passe ouer in deuoutly praying vnto god teaching vs a lesson thereby in case we shall bee willyng to beginne any thyng whiche we woulde fayne haue to be luckie and prosperouse in the proceding of it that we than beginne of making our earneste prayer that it maye please God handesomelye and fauourably to sende the good ayde of his spirite vnto the thinges that we goe about to enter And whan it was brode day lighte he called vnto him his disciples whome he had now as perpetual companyons witnesses of those thinges whiche he wrought Out of them he pieked out a certayne nouÌ„ber of special persons whome for this only coÌ„sideracioÌ„ he named apostles because he entended to send them abrode shortelye after as ambassadoures of the gospel throughout all the worlde and theyr office to be nothing els to do but what they had in commission froÌ„ him The names of the said Apostles are these first Symon who afterwarde had his name geuen him in the Sirians tongue and was called Cephas in Greke petros in Latine saxum in Englysh a stone for none other cause verayly but for his sound constant professioÌ„ by the which whaÌ„ the people were in a wauering maÌ„mering what he was Peter being as the voyce of all thapostles together pronouÌ„ced the sentence that Iesus was the soÌ„ne of the liuing god Unto Peter was Andrew his own brother associate as a felowe Then Iames and Iohn Philip and Bartholemewe Mathewe and Thomas Iames the sonne of Alphei and Simon surnamed zelotes Iudas the sonne of Iames and Iudas Iscariothe who afterward betrayed Iesus whome Iesus chose not vnaduisedly as one that wist not what he did but by prouydence to the entente that he woulde by exaumple of this Iudas teache all creatures what an horrible mattier it is to abuse the fauourable goodnesse of oure salueour towarde vs. Yea and in all the whole noumber of the Apostles was there not so muche as any one that was a man eyther of power or of rychesse or of learnyng not one that was eyther a Pharisee or a Scribe or a bishop He pieked them out vnlearned and rawe or grene in cunning euerye one of them to the ende and purpose that he might poure newe wyne into newe bottels And he came downe with them and stode in the plaine fielde and the compaignye of his disciples and a great multitude of people out of all Iewrie and Hierusalem and from the sea coaste of Tyre and Sydon whiche came to heare hym and to bee healed of theyr diseases and they that were vexed with foule spirites and they were healed And all the people pressed to touche hym for there went vertue out of him and healed them all These Apostles thus chosen vnto hym he came downe from the mountayne vntil he were come into a certayn plaine that was able to receiue a great multitude of people For suche thynges as require purytie of moste perfeccion are to be dooen in the mountayne Emong thynges of moste hyghe perfeccion deuoute prayer hath the firste place the next place hath the special chosing out of them to whome the despensacion and stewarding of goddes word is to be committed There were presente also the residue of his disciples and a veraye great noumber of all sortes of the people besides which had come thither out of all Iewry yea and from Hierusalem selfe too and also from the cities of Tyrus and Sydon lying on the sea coast For the hounger of hearing the gospell preached had drawen thither many folkes euen out of ferre parties and many the hope to receiue bodely health had semblably allured For euery one that came Iesus deliuered from all kindes of diseases or impedymentes that they were holden with Yea and they also whiche were vexed of vncleane spirites were made whole And all this geare was doen of hym so lightly and so easily that some with a mere woorde of bidding were restored to theyr helth and others he healed in a moment sodainly with the onely touching of his garmente that he ware For there was in him the fountayn and fulnesse of the effectual vertue and power of God which proceded from hym none otherwise then light doth from the sonne or heate from the fyer and so brought he health vnto all persones
selfsame thyng by whose helpe do thei chase awaye deuils Plain homely men they be they are men of no knowlage ne autoritie they caÌ„ no skill of the malicious sleightes of witches or Nygromanciers and yet do these caste out deuils in the name of me What thiÌ„g thei doe they doe it on a faithfull truste in God therefore shall your vnbelefe be condeÌ„ned by these iudges and none other The plain simplenesse of these hath beleued wheras your wisedom and expert knowelage of the world striueth against the glory of god Wherupon seeyng there is neyther ryme ne reasoÌ„ in saying that one euil spirite driueth out an other euil spirite and forasmuche as your children do cast out deuils by the helpe of none other then by whose helpe I do cast theÌ„ out it is clere that I doe cast out euil spirites by the vertue and power of god who is good For the spirite of him is of more power and might theÌ„ al the whole packe of the wicked spirites that are Neither is there any agremeÌ„t betwene the spirite of god and theÌ„ For god loueth the preseruacioÌ„ of mankynde and they seke the destruccion of thesame Nowe than if it bee a thyng manifest that the thynges whiche ye see me doe I doe by the power of god than is there no doubte but that the kingdome of god is cum vnto you whiche Iohn did preache to bee at hande Reason it is therfore that ye ioyne your selfes with hym and withdrawe you from the reigne of Satan which shall shortely haue an ende Ye cannot be partakers of bothe kyngdomes at once there is betwene god and Satan a bataill that by no possibylitye maye be brought to attonemeÌ„t The cause wil neuer by any condicions be brought to agrement Satan shall either geat the victorye orels by stronge hande bee dryuen out he shall not by yeldyng or submyttyng hymselfe continue in hys reigne ne yet bee receiued vpon any condicions of agreement appoynted vnto him He hath hitherto reigned without redresse but nowe is there cum a power more puissaunt mighty theÌ„ his tirannie For one finger of God is more mightie to preserue saue mankind thaÌ„ all the hostes of Beelzebub to destroy thesame Thesame thyng therfore shall in this behalfe cum to passe whiche is coÌ„monly woont to chauÌ„ce betwene two head captayns both being valyaunt and strong and both beyng fierce couragious and such as al their affiaunce and trust resteth in their armour and weapon For whan a man of great forte and puissaunce beeyng in armour dooeth kepe his fortresse the thynges that bee in his possession are in peaceable reste and quite That if any other being of more power theÌ„ he do set vpon him and do with plain force of armes coÌ„quere him that was in harnes wel armed he wil entre no leage of felowship to bee as halfe partener with him in his castell but dryuyng the other quite awaye he wyll entre vpon full possession of the wholle house hymselfe The weapon wherin the other trusted he will by plain force take away froÌ„ hym all his richesse and substaunce he will rifle and spoile and distribute it among his souldiers Now doeth it behoue you to loke aboute you and see of whether syde ye will bee and with whether ye wyll take parte with God beyng the mightier or with Satananon to bee dryuen oute If ye haue peace with Satan ye are out with God If ye haue peace with god than cannot ye and Satan agree And in the one or the others campe must ye fight The tyme as it now shapeth will not suffer any persons to sitte idle And whoso is not on my syde is an aduersarie vnto me and euen in this verye poynte dooeth me hurte and sâ—athe because that where he ought of dutie to fauour my syde he doth not fauour me and whoso doeth not gather with me scattereth abrode Whan the vnclene spirite is gone out of a man he walketh through drye places seekyng test And whan he findeth none he sayeth I wil returne again vnto my house whence I came out And whan he cummeth he findeth it swept and garnished Then goeth he and taketh to hym seuen other spirites wurse then himself and they entre in and dwell there And the ende of that man is wurse then the beginnyng And because the Iewes toke vpon them an opinion of righteousenesse and vpon boldenesse thereof did either negligently leat slippe the doctrine of the gospell orels did vtterly refuse it and would none of it he put forth a derke parable wherby to signifie that a more greuous damnation should lighte on such persones as whan they haue gone a litel way foreward towardes righteousnes did fall backe agayne to their olde enormities then on suche as neuer knowing the light of euangelical trueth had coÌ„tinued still in the derkenesse of their sinneful liuing For the people of the Iewes was disseuered by meane of the lawe from the Gentiles beyng Idolaters but fallyng euery other day of freashe to their former transgressions they were cum at length to suche degree of vngodlynesse that whatsoeuer offence their forefathers had doen in putting the prophetes to death or in conspiryng against Moses thesame did they seuenfolde double more vngraciously renewe against the sonne of God and against his disciples Albeit this parable doeth ferther also touch euery man who beyng once washed froÌ„ his former synnes through baptisme once deliuered from the euill spirite of this worlde by the worde of the ghospell dooeth negligently vse the gyfte of god nor taketh any care to procede from tyme to time to ferther degrees of perfeccion Unto suche an one beeyng walowed downe again to his former liuyng baptisme and the knowlage of holy doctrine shall auaile to none other effecte or purpose but that he shal of his own sekyng haue the sorer damnacion at the daie of iudgement as one the whiche to his former sweruyng out of the right waye hath ioyned vnthankefulnes maliciousnesse also Now of the parable this is the tenour here folowyng Whan an vnclene spyrite is once departed out of a man beeyng putte awaye by the power of God for as muche as he hath an obstinate will to doe hurte he goeth walkyng vp and downe by places barain waterlesse seeking rest And whan he could no where fynde thesame he sayeth within hymself I will returne backe into my house that I came out of And returning vnto the same he founde it in dede sweped cleane with bromes but altogether emptie WhaÌ„ he espieth that he goeth his waye and taketh vnto him seuen other spirites more vngracious tben himself euer was and with suche a knotte of company goeth he again to his house in dede made cleane but leaft vnkept nor armed with any defence of vertues semyng for the gospel For the ornamentes and garnishyng of ceremonies in dede make outwardlye a shewe or semblaunce of godlines but because they are onely certain vain counterfaites of thynges they kepe
of both partyes a bodye shall make a direct aunswere he shall renne on the sharpe poyncte of the horne that is to saye shall incurre inconuenyence and bee taken in hys aunswere If they had mynded to aunswere the veraye trueth of the mattier the woordes of the trueth was a playne and a ready tale to bee spoken but they smelle themselues to be layed for by the same policie and trayne wherewith they layed a bayte for hym Herupon goe they to a wyly counsayll together emong themselues For none there is a more busye piece of woorke then the framyng of a countrefaycte matyer and commonly one fraude halethan other at hys â—ayle and one guyle draweth an other after hym Therefore they laye theyr heades together thus conferryng emong themselues what aunswere shall we make to thys doubtfull questyon If we shall say that Iohns autoritye came immediately from heauen he will strayght way hitte vs in the forehead with it and will say Why than dyd ye not geue credyte to hym whan he testyfyed of me He playnely confessed hymselfe to be inferyour to me and vnwoorthye to beare my shoes after me He openly confessed hymselfe to be an earthly manne and to speake earthelye thynges and beeyng a basse slender persone to speake basse matiers and that I beeyng issued from heauen was aboue all creatures Howe doe ye receiue his autoritie as a thyng procedyng from God and doe openly in the face of the worlde fynde slaundreous cauillacyons at myne autoritie of whiche he gaue playne testimonie That if on the other syde we shall auouche that Iohn dyd nothyng by the autorytie of God but of an humayne spirite onely all the vnyuersall people will vpon vs with stones because it is a thyng rooted in the heartes of them all full and whole that Iohn was a Prophete and that he wroughte by the inspiracyon of God whateuer he wrought They had no care to aunswere trueth but to aunswere that might best serue to their purpose So doe false doctoures auÌ„swer not the thyng that scripture teacheth but takyng suche sence therout by their interpretacion as maketh to their affeccions In case they shoulde haue aunswered trueth theyr autoritie emong the people stode in great hasard if they had aunswered false they feared theyr lyues They stode in great feare of men wheras they cast of from theÌ„ the feare of God Wherupon they aunswered that they could not tel There was none other hole but thys alone left open for them to escape oute at but whan they had gotten suche an euasion they doe all vnder one seâ—blably deliuer the lorde from aunswering to their question For he saied vnto theÌ„ Because ye fynde such euasions and sterting holes and wil not aunswer that ye knowe well enoughe nor I neyther will not tell you by what autoritye I doe these thynges whiche ye see albeit ye are not ignoraunte of this thing neyther whiche ye nowe demaunde ¶ Than began he to put foorthe to the people this parable A certain man planted a vineyard and let it foorth to husbandmen and went himselfe into a straunge countrey for a greate season And whan the tyme was come he sente a seruaunte to the houseband men that they shoulde geue hym of the fruicte of the vineyard And they beate him sent him away emptie And agane he sent yet an other seruaunte and him they did beate entreacted him shamfully and sent him away emptie And a gayne he sent the third also hym they wounded and caste hym out Then sayed the Lorde of the vineyard What shal I dooe I will sende my dere sonne peraduenture they will stande in awe of hym whan they see hym But whan the housebandmen sawe him they thought within themselues saying this is the heyre come leat vs kill him that the enheritaunce maye bee ours And they cast him out of the vineyarde and killed him What shall the Lorde of the vineyard therefore doe vnto them he shall come and destroye these housebandemen and shall leat out his vineyarde to other The priestes the Phariseis the Scribes and the headmen of the laitie beyng thus confuted the Lorde by an by brought in a parable whiche might laye playnely before theyr iyes theyr vncurable malice woorthie of damnacioÌ„ who hauing bene so many wayes prouoked of god to amendement had â—tyll growen euermore to wurse and wurse rennyng in contempte of the lawe striekyng the Prophetes and puttyng them to deathe and entendyng no lesse then afterwardes to put to deathe the sonne of god also beeyng the extreme remedie of al eiuils yea and to put him afterward agayne to more affliccioÌ„ in the Apostles and martirs The tenour of the paraple is thys A certayne man ê™ Iesus planted a vineyard which he was singularly in loue withall doing all that mighte possibly bee doen that he might at length haue some fruict of the same For he hedged it diligently rounde about builded a towre within it for watching and kepyng of it he dygged out a gutter to receyue the wyne when it were pressed and he sette ferthermore a wyne presse in it And whan it was thus well furnished with all thynges apperteynyng he putte it foorthe to the handes of housebandemen that they shoulde dooe all requisite housebandry vnto it and gather the fruicte therof at tyme conueniente Thys doen he taketh a voyage into a ferre countrey continued a greate long season absent from home This same verayly is the vineyarde of the Lorde Sabaoth whiche the same lorde transposed remoued out of Egipt and set in the lande of beheaste he hedged it aboute with the precincte of the lawe he protected it with watching and keping of it his owne selfe in proper persone he beautified it with a goodly temple he added moreouer in it priestes iudges capitaynes and teachers he omitted nothing that to the ordreing or dressing therof might appertayne And thys vineyarde beeyng thus furnyshed to the poynte deuyse whaÌ„ it had bene a long season loked for that it should bring furth good grapes did yet neuerthelesse through the defaulte of the housebandemen bryng furth wylde grapes The lorde all this while who in dede is no where not present yet semed vnto them to bee absente ferre of because hys conuersacyon was in heauen Therfore whan it was a time due and seasonable for the people of Israel at last to bring furth fruicte according for such the bountiful goodnesse of God towardes them the maister of the vineyarde sent a seruaunt of hys that is to say one prophet or an other vnto the housebandmen that is to the princes to the priestes to the Scribes who wer the bearers of all the swaigh and stroke that they shoulde rendre and yelde vnto hym parte of suche fruicte as had growen vp in the vineyarde The housebandemenne who had tilled and vsed the vineyard to the behoufe of themselfes and not of the Lord firste pumbled the seruaunte aboute the eares and
of my name whiche name of myne they shal laboure by all meanes and waies to abolishe where they myghte by thesame freely atteigne euerlastyng saluacion And this shal chaunce vnto you that your conscience maie be approued and also that their malice maie well be perceiued to bee iustly condemned But as for you boldly trustyng on my sure defence and your own innocencie there is no cause why ye shoulde feare the iudgemente seates ne yet why ye should carefully deuise or recorde with your selfes how ye beeyng as ye are men of no knowlage shall pleade your own cause in the consistorie or court of estates and princes Neither is there any cause why for you to bryng in anye rhetorycian patron or man of lawe to bee your attourney I myne owne selfe will as an inuincible patrone and aduocate stande by you through my spirite who shal ministre vnto you bothe toungue wisedome suche as all your aduersaries shal not be of power to resiste ne to gaynsaye be they neuer so cruell or eloquent and well spoken in worldely wisedome Moreouer ye shal be betraied of your fathers and mothers and brethren and kinsfolke frendes and some of you shall thei put to death And hated shal ye be of all men for my names â—ake there shal not one heaâ—e of your head perishe Possesse your soules by 〈◊〉 And all thissame shal ye suffre not only at the handes of men vnknowen and of straungers but also at the handes of theim whiche are knitte and ioyned vnto you in nerenesse of bloude and with the streight bandes of frendeshippe The father shal persecute the sonne the brother shall wrappe the brother in affliccion the cousyn shall appeache and accuse the cousyn one frende shal bring an other into the lawe Yea and some there shall bee of you whome they shall for hatred of me pursue vnto death and shal slea you So eagre and greuous hatred shall all the whole world conceiue agaynst you for the profession of my name And therfore whatsoeuer thyng they shal entreprise to doe agaynst you thesame will I take as dooen in despite of me wherefore there is nothing for you to thynke or deuise of auengeyng your wronges It is I that shall haue displeasure dooen me it is I that shal be slaine in you It shal bee my dede bothe to prouide wel enough for you also to take vengeaunce on theyr malice And thoughe that stormes of persecucion at the handes of men shall neuer somuche fede and satisfie their cruelnesse against you there is no cause why for you to feare the case so standyng that I am youre protectour and defendour For I will not so dooe that any one heare of your heade shall perishe much lesse will I leue you in the briers destitute of my succoure Neyther haue ye any iye to worldelye assuraunce or defence armyes weapon engiens by your onely sufferaunce shall ye defende your liues Myscarrye be can not that is slayn for the profession of my name Ye shall not peryshe before your daye For I will not geue vnto the violence of men so much of their own wyl Yea and suche an one shal in veraye true dede haue saued his soule whoso shal constauntely take deathe for my cause And whan ye see Ierusalem besieged with an hoste than be ye sure that the desolacion of thesame is nigh Than leat them which are in Iewrie fligh to the mountaines And leat them whiche are in the middes of it departe out And leat not them that are in other countreies entre therin For these are the daies of vengeaunce that all thinges whiche are writen maie bee fulfilled As for this same riche and welthye citie of whiche the Iewes at thys present take an high pride and in whiche they thynke theymselfes to bee kynges felowes shall bee euen from the foundacion destruied by the Gentiles Therfore whan ye shal see Hierusalem to bee round about besette with siege than vnderstande ye the playne destruccion thereof to bee at hande and that there is no more to be doen but for euerye bodye to saue theymselues by spedie fleyng awaâ—e For euerie bodye moste coÌ„monly vseth in warres to flatre himselfe with the hope of victorie But beware ye that this hope beguyle none of you but whoso shall at that tyme bee in the marches of Iewrye leate hym priuely steale awaye conueigh hym self into the mountaines and desert places where no waie ne path lyeth And suche folkes as shall then bee enhabited in the veray herte of Iewrye leate theim remoue their dwellyng to some other place And whomesoeuer of theim this extreme distresse shall soodaynlye take in anye forein countreyes or regyons leate not suche recule into Iewrye leate them esteme all thynges as clene forsaken and no more a doe but euerye man saue his owne life For these thynges shall not come to passe through casual commocions of mortal men but the vengeaunce of god hauing been now a long time prouoked through the obstinate malice of man shal by the instrumente of other forein nacions scourge and plague this nacion being now many a long day a continual rebeller agaynste God And that all this shall come to passe the prophetes haue manye hundred yeres sens prophecied and especiallye Daniell And auoyded or chosen can it not bee but that it muste come to passe whatsoeuer thyng the scripture hath foreshewed shal fortune For Scripture neuer failleth as beeyng a thing wrytten by the enstincte of the spirite of God And yet shall not woefull extremitie therefore chaunce because the prophetes haue prophecied that so it shall bee but it hath therefore beene prophecied because god foresawe the obstinate wickednesse of man whiche would afterwarde prouoke the vengeaunce of god to light vpon it And surely it shal bee no lesse than an huge storme of euils because a long and an obstinate maâ—â—â—iousnesse of this nacion hath gon afore whiche nacion hauyng been so many waies prouoked to emendemente hath neuerthelesse continuallye proceded forewarde to wurse and wurse ¶ But woe vnto them that bee with child and to them that geue suche in those daies for there shal be great trouble in the lande wrathe ouer al this people And thei shal fall through the edge of the sweorde and shal be led awaie captiue into al nacions And Ierusalem shal be troden downe of the Gentiles vntill the time of the Gentiles bee fulfilled Nowe this tempeste shall enwrap al sortes of people together aswel the offendours as the innocentes But somewhat the lesse vnhappie shall they bee whome the said storme of all these mysauentures when it groweth faste vpon the worlde shall fynde prest and readye appoyncted to flee But woe vnto women with chylde and geuers of sucke because thesame beeyng charged with a burdeÌ„ which neither by their good willes they would nor though thei would they shal bee hable to lay downe from them shall not be lyght enough to renne awaye Neyther shall
disciples The partie shal byanby know the title of maister euen as an other did one day acknowlage thee calling of me Lorde at what time ye vntyed the Asses colte This partie shall without any delaye shewe you a great wyde parlour with a bourde already couered and all thynges prepared for a repast there to be taken in it and there make ye the pascall lambe ready for me Nowe consider me this point o frēde Theophilus an hoste of none acquaintaunce it is that findeth Christe the parloure to suppe in and a bearer of water is that leder vnto the house where Christ kepeth the solemnitie of his pasche For by meane of baptisme and by the doctrine of gods woord is the entering into the churche the liuely water of gods word doeth clense and the water also of the sacrament doeth clense The good mā of the house hath no name expressed because the churche of Christe is euerywhere springyng first vp of derke and lowe beginnynges but spreadyng it self ferther ferther abrode frō day to day into the whole vniuersal world And because the beginnyng of all health and saluacion is faith the discyples beleue the lord and are obediently rewled by him They departe into the citie they fynde him that was carriyng the pitcher of water they folowe thesame as he goeth before and leadeth the way They declared to the good mā of the house suche message as they had been cōmaunded He sheweth theim a great large dinyng parlour For wyde large it must nedes be which is able to receiue all the naciōs of the worlde For the Iewes Synagogue is but a place of narow roume And ferre frō earthly thinges must such people be sequestred as are disposed to eate the meate celestiall Here in this place than do the disciples prepare the supper verily executyng the office of pastours And whan the houre was cum he sate doune and the twelue Apostles with him And he said vnto thē I haue inwardly desired to eate this passeouer with you before that I suffre for I say vnto you henceforth I wil not eate of it any more vntill it bee fulfilled in the kingdome of god And he toke the cuppe gaue thankes and said Take this and deuide it among you for I say vnto you I will not drinke of the fruite of the vyne vntill the kingdom of god be come And he toke bread whan he had geuen thankes he brake it and gaue vnto thē saiyng This is my body which is geuen for you This do in the remēbraunce of me Likewise also whan he had supped he toke the cuppe saiyng This cuppe is the newe testament in my bloud which is shed for you Yet behold the hand of him that betraieth me is with me on the table and truely the soonne of man goeth as it is appoynted But woe vnto that man by whom he is betrayed And they began to enquire among themselfes whiche of them it was that shoulde dooe it And whan it was nowe supper tyme Iesus came thyther and sate downe to eate with his twelue specially chosen disciples because the residue were not yet able to receiue the depe hiddē mistery whiche his pleasure was that it should by meane of his Apostles be made common vnto such as were once already entred in the misticall rules and profession of the ghospell Than as sone as meate and drynke was sette before theim on the table the lord to the entent he might depely enprient in the mindes of his Apostles that he would suffre the death of the crosse not for any necessitie at all to himself warde but onely for the loue of redemyng mankynde sayed vnto theym With great and earnest desire haue I desired to eat this pascal lābe with you before my death the time wherof I reioyce to be now come because I thirst the redēpcion of man For this woorde I assure you of from this tyme forthward I wyll not eate this pasche with you according to the litterall ordeinaunce and prescripcion of the lawe but an other pasche of more perfeccion shal after the spirite bee accomplished in the kyngdome of god This lambe here whiche is euery yere once solēnely killed of the Iewes cōprised a figure of my death Now is the true thyng self come in place and the shadow shall ceasse ye shal from hensforth solemnise vnto me a ghostly and an effectuall passeouer the eatyng whereof shall make you immortall So after that they had euery one tasted of the lambes fleashe Iesus tooke the cuppe in his hande and gaue thankes vnto his father than geuing the firste assaye of the cuppe and holdyng it foorth vnto them he sayed vnto his disciples Take ye and deuide ye this emongst you And take ye this for a true woorde of my mouth I wyll not from hensforth drynke of the fruite of the vynetree for the necessitie of the fleashe but the kyngdome of God shall immediately bee present Euery one of these thynges whiche the lawe hath had outward and carnall shall be spiritually shewed and ministred And thus ferre is an ende of the figures of the lawe Immediatly hereupon the lorde Iesus entendyng by a misticall figure or token to consecrate to his seruauntes a newe testament tooke breade and after thankes geuing to his father he brake it with his owne handes and deliuered it vnto the disciples saying This is my body whiche is betrayed vnto death for you My death shall not be doen any more then this once For this onely one sacrifice of my death is sufficient for the synnes of all ages and tymes aswell paste as to come But ye shall oftentymes renewe vnto yourselues the memory of my tendre loue towardes you dooyng the lyke emong your selues that ye nowe see doen of me For this shal be an high and holy signe of a bande and league made betwene me and you Than as soone as supper was doen he tooke the cuppe also and reachyng it foorth to them he sayed This is the newe testament consecrated not with the bloud of a calfe or a goat but with mine owne bloude whiche is poured foorth for the redemyng and sauing of you ye haue nowe the highest token and pledge that can be of myne entier loue towardes you And in dede there ought to bee a like loue in you towardes me agayne but yet there is one here at the table emongest you who will betraye me into the handes of them whiche seke me vnto death Neither is all this doen by casualtie but it is so prefixed by the determinacion of God it is so foreshewed by the prophetes that the sonne of man should by suche a processe redeme mankynde Indede a good necessarie poynt of seruice it is that he doeth herein towardes the vniuersal redempciō of man but yet because he doeth it of a wicked minde thesame thyng shall in conclusion turne to his damnacion the whiche shal bee the instrumente of saluacion to others The determinacion of
and chiefe headmen might bee the better manifested vnto the worlde Herode whan he sawe that Iesus was brought vnto hym was glad of that syght For the man had of long tyme been wyth chylde to haue a syghte of Iesus of whome he had hearde so many thynges And he verayly trusted that it woulde nowe come to passe that Iesus woulde before hys face shewe some myracle suche as he had heard veray many to had been wroughte in other places by hym Wherfore he questioned with Iesus of many thynges as one desierous to geat out many thynges out of Iesus not to the ende hymselfe myghte bee made the better man therby but to satisfie hys owne curious fansye that he had to knowe thynges For none other thynges it were that he enquyred of Iesus but suche as he woulde haue asked of some Magian that is to saye some cunnyng man that had a syght in the priuities of Phylosophy and in the mysticall conclusions of nature but Iesus who was not come to serue the faÌ„sie lust of a wicked prince but to procure health vnto al creatures made him none aunswer at all teachyng vs in the meane season that sometyme the woorde of god is not to bee vttered whan it is euident that the persones are vnworthy vnmete to heare it But the bishops all this whyle and the scrybes folow their matter earnestly and call vpon it and dooe eagrely lay to his charge afore Herode as meÌ„ very fore fearing that Iesê° who was thaÌ„ arrained mighte by some meanes escape But yet Herode although he wer a wicked king yet was he nothing at al moued with these accusacions as one that well apperceiued all that euer was dooen or entended to had arisen and proceded of enuie But thinking it sufficient to despise hym of whom he was despised he clothed Iesus in the way of mockage in a white garmente for that was than the guise and maner of goyng of kynges and Emperoures and so sent him backe again to Pilate This reproche had the lord taken at Herodes handes beyng a prince of a grosse witte and brayne and of his armed garde beeyng lyke men like maister accordyng to the prouerbe For among men of suche a sort a felowe that can goe or daunce on a rope orels one that hath the feate to playe a iuggelyng cast shall sooner haue praise and thanke theÌ„ a syncere preacher of the ghospell For suche persones haue no mynde ne wyll but eyther to haue pleasure and delectacion shewed theym orels to learne suche thinges as maie serue to the maintenaunce of their tyranny Yet not withstaÌ„ding in the meane time Herodes ciuilitie dyd condemne the wickednes of the Byshops and the Scribes and did quitte Iesus also seeyng he condemned hym not to death beyng accused afore him and making no aunswer to the offeÌ„ces which wer layed to his charge It was in the meane time a thing highly to the contentacioÌ„ of Herode that Pilate shewed hym so muche honour as to sende Iesus vnto him to haue a sight of Whereupon from that time forewardes amitie and freÌ„dship grewe betwene Herode and Pilate wheras before there had been variaunce betwene theÌ„ But a wicked and vngodly frendship it is that is made by the iniurie of the trueth euangelicall ¶ And Pilate called together the high priestes and the rewlers and the people and said vnto them ye haue brought this man vnto me as one that peruerteth the people And behold I examine hym before you and find no fault in this man of those thinges wherof ye accuse him no nor yet Herode For I sent you vnto him and loe nothyng worthy of death is doen vnto him I will therfore chasten him and let him looce For of necessitie he must haue let one looce vnto them at the feast And al the people cried at once saiyng away with him and deliuer vs Barrabas which for a certain insurreccion made in the citie and for a murdre was cast in prisoÌ„ Pilate spake again to them willyng to leat Iesus looce But they cried saiyng Crucifie him Crucifie him he said vnto them the third time what eiuill hath he dooen I fynde no cause of death in him I will therfore chasten him and let him goe And they cried with loude voyces requiryng that he might be crucified And the voices of them and of the high priestes preuailed And Pilate gaue sentence that it should be as they required And he let looce vnto them hym that for an insurreccion and murdre was casts into prison whom they had desired and he deliuered to them Iesus to dooe with him what they would Whan Pilate sawe that â—he prisoner was sent backe again from Herode and that his purpose had not come to suche effecte as he had assayed to bring it he begoon of a iudge to become a spokesman for Iesus and callyng together the bishops the Scribes the chiefe men and the commons that came at theyr tayles he spake after this sorte to them Ye haue here of youre owne myndes brought this man before me as one that withdraweth your people from the obedience of the Emperour and of your lawes and I here in youre presence haue dooen what I can to boulte out the truethe of him with examinyng and askyng dyuerse questions of hym neyther dooe I fynde hym culpable in any of these crimes which ye accuse him of The selfsame thing hath come to passe with Herode the whiche can iudge better in these mattiers then I forasmuche as he is a man skilled in your lawes In consideracion wherof also I did put ouer this mater to be iudged and tried in his courte who if he had founde him guiltie would not haue let him escape Now because he hath not founde in hym anye offence woorthie of deathe he beeyng contented with a light punishment hath no more but geuen the man a mocke as one veraylye â—uiâ—ing him from all daungier of death Wherefore it is best that we also folowe the equitie of Herode I wil chastice the manne with some lesser punishment then death and so lette him goe This did the lorde presidente trusting that the furious rage of the Iewes would asswage whan they had seene Iesus put to so many reproches and so scourged Whan Pylate coulde doe no good thys way neyther but sawe the madnesse of the Iewes to be the more sette on fyer therby he deuised also an other caste howe to deliuer Iesus It was a custome euery yere once emongest the Iewes that the lorde President because of theyr highe solemnitie of that feastfull daye whiche was than at hande should leat goe by his pardon and releasse vnto the Iewes one of their offendours whom they would aske Therfore the president preuenting their askyng putte it to their choise whether of the twoo they would haue pardoned and realeassed vnto theim Iesus or els Barabas This Barabas was a greate robber and a notable felowe by reason of his mischeuous dedes
alone that maketh all thynges holy forsoth ye vnderstand that corporall enoyntyng must ceasse the priesthood of the lawe together with the oblacions and sacrifices of thesame to be abrogated For Iesus was neuer enoynted with thatsame holy oyntement which the lawe did veray scrupulously teache for to make threatenyng death vnto those persones whosoeuer had couÌ„trefeited or practised the lyke confeccioÌ„ or had applied thesame â—nto any secular vses For the enoynting of the body maketh nothyng at all â—o the effecte or purpose of the priestes but that it was a signe of the spirituall enoynting wherwith Christe was enoynted accordyng as I recited erewhyle out of the prophecie The spirite of God is vpon me for the Lorde hath enoynted me Wherunto the psalmiste Dauid accordeth speaking of Messias Therfore the God thy God hath enoyncted thee with the oyle of gladnesse aboue all thy compiers What the Prophete promised ye sawe perfourmed whaÌ„ Iesus was baptised in fluime Iordane For the holy ghoste came in a visible lykenesse and lighted on the toppe of his head and the voice of the father was heard who had enoynted his soÌ„ne with the oyle of gladnesse aboue the Prophetes and Patriarkes yea and aboue all mortall creatures whiche eyther in tyme past haue been or nowe at this present be or herafter shal be This heauenly and spirituall enoyntyng hath sette an ende to the priestehood of Moses institutyng whiche thyng Daniel doeth forthwith clerely bryng in sayinge And in the middes of the weke hostes sacrifice shall faill Neyther any other thyng it was that God ment speakyng by Esai as one whose stomake arose and stode against their corporall sacrifices of beastes What care I for the multitude of your killyng of sacrifices sayeth the Lorde I am full The burnt sacrifices of wethers and the greace of the fatte beastes and the bloud of calfes and lambes and goates I will none of Nowe ferthermore Daniel did he not manifestly foreshewe the destruccion throwyng downe of the citie of Hierusalem to gether with the Temple therof And dyd not Christe prophecie thesame vnto his disciples with wepyng iyes lamenting and bewailyng the wofull case and extremitie of thesame citie people For it grieued God already beeyng as he is spirituall and made him wery to enhabite a temple made and built vp with the handes of man He was nothyng delited with the offreynges of beastes slain in sacrifice He founde a misse and a lacke of an other citie on whiche thatsame name Hierusalem myght truely light he missed and wanted an other temple mete for hym to dwell in builded of himselfe consecrated and hallowed with his owne spirite other sacrifices oblacions an other nacion circumcised in herte on whom the name of Israel might truly agree Nowe is there nothing of perpetual coÌ„tinuaunce that may be seen with bodily iyes thynges that are not seen are euerlasting and therfore mete semely for God who is eternitie selfe neuer to haue end But yet these shadowes of thinges visible were geueÌ„ for a time to the grosse and vntrained people to the ende they might one daye in processe of tyme by these fyrste introduccions growe and procede forwarde to thynges of the minde But Iesus whose stomake stode muche against aswel the citie as also the temple and the nacion and the sacrifices of the olde lawe doeth by the Prophetes declare euidently enough what maner thynges he wished from thensforth to haue in stede of these others nowe rehersed Haue ye not read what Esai wrote of the heauenly Hierusalem Thou shalt sayth he from hensforth be called the citie of the righteous man the feithfull citie Sion shall be redemed in iudgemente and they shall bryng hir home again in righteousnesse Ye heare a new buildyng of the citie whiche is the churche or congregacion built vp of liuyng stones the corner stone wherof and the foundacion wherof is veray Christe himselfe And this is the stone whom the prophecie of the mistical Psalme did signifie where it sayeth The stone whiche the builders refused and cast asyde thesame is made to be the head stone of the corner And ye haue heard Christ himselfe obiecting the testimonie of this scripture vnto the Phariseis who attempted and did the best they could to cast aside the stone which God had choseÌ„ Yea and of thissame stone an other Prophete also maketh mencion I shall lay in the foundacion of Sion a stone approued and tryed a corner stone a stone of price founded in the foundacion And did not the tune of Christes woordes wheÌ„ he liued agree with the woordes of thys prophecie at what tyme he propouned a parable of an house builded vpoÌ„ a sounde rocke of stone which house no violent blaste or rage of wyndes or waters could be hable to plucke out of his place wherin veraily he signified himselfe to be the fouÌ„dacion of the churche against whom no not yâ— gates of hell are hable to preuaill as he did one day freely promise vnto his disciple Peter SalomoÌ„ builded a teÌ„ple at HierusaleÌ„ according to the appoyntement and ordeinaunce of Moses But lyke as he beeyng a peacefull kyng did beare the image and figure of Messias who restored a perpetuall peace and atonemente for euer betwene God and man so the sayed Temple being built vp with mannes labour conteined the figure of the Temple wherof Christe himselfe was the builder a chiefe workeman as the Lord many yeres agon spake by his Prophete Nathan vnto Dauid as ye reade in the secound boke of the kinges Thou shalt not be he that shalt builde me an house to dwell in but I shall reise thy sede after the whiche shall come forth of thy wombe he shall builde vp an house to my name and I shall establish his throne euen for euer and euer And verayly that the woordes whiche spoken by the sayed Prophete doe not agree to be spoken of Salomon euen this poynte though there were nothyng els doeth plainly proue and conuince because in Salomons throne euen nowe at this present daie there sit straunge borne aliens and all the whole people of the Iewes shall shortely be dispersed and scattred abrode into all nacions of the worlde The saied house which Salomon built in Hierusalem was a buisie thyng with slaughter of beastes with fumigacions with washynges and veray troubleous with perfumes But this house whiche Christe hath builded is made acceptable through faith inuisible this house knoweth no ende For the Prophete in thesame place afore alleged speaketh in this maner And faithfull shall thy house be and thy kyngdome euen for euer before my face and thy throne or seate shal be firmely established for euer These promisses are the vainest of the worlde and the moste full of lyes yf they be taken according as the lettre renneth to concerne Salomon or Dauid eyther For Dauid he deadly foiled his kyngdome with aduoutrie coupled with murdre and Salomon was through the
for and he aunswered and sayed Goe youre wayes beare woorde agayne to Iohn of the thynges whiche ye haue hearde and seen The blynd see the haulte goe the lepres are clensed the deaf heare the dead arise agayne and to the poore is the glad tydinges preached And that the chiefe rewlers of the synagogue woulde bee with these benefites yet stil wurse and wurse incensed did not Esai after a goodly sorte peinte out vnder the parable of a vyneyarde which beyng with excedyng many poyntes of diligente cure and good housebandyng occasioned to bryng forth good fruite dyd not aunswere the expectacion of his tiller I looked saieth he that it should haue brought forth grapes and it hath brought forth wylde grapes I looked that it should haue doen iudgemente and beholde wickednesse that it should haue doen righteousnesse beholde crying and misery And doeth not the parable iustely agree with thesame sentence of prophecie whiche ye haue heard of Iesus hymselfe concerning a vineyard enclosed and fensed with a toure and furnished with a wyne presse and a gutter whiche vineyard neuerthelesse through defaulte of the housebandmen yelded not condigne fruite to the Lord and owner Thesame thyng also was noted by thatsame figtree whiche would not begynne to be fruitfull no not than neyther whan much doungyng and cherishyng had been doen to it Neyther was there any thyng els mente by the parable of the sede that was cast vpon ill grounde He founde thesame selfe fault els where also in the Prophetes I haue all the daye long euermore holden out my handes to an vnfaithful people that goe not the rightway but after their owne imaginacions to a people that is euer defying me to my face The menne of power had enuy at his vertue and slauÌ„dreously surmuised those miracles to be wrought by the supportacion of Beelzebub But the weakenesse of his body the meannesse of his degree and the affliccions whiche he suffred was a matter of offence and slaundre of conscience to the weake though they were no euyll men For whan he was taken of the Iewes euen those same twelue specially chosen Apostles fled and ranne euery man his waye See ye whether the Prophete Zachary leaft euen this poynte vnspoken of too I shal strieke the shepeheard saieth he the shepe of the flock shal be scattred abrode Wherunto accordeth the song of the eightie seuenth psalme Thou hast put awaye myne acquaintaunce ferre from me and made me to bee abhorred of them For dyd not Petur with a detestacion forsweare his mayster and the other Apostles ready to doe thesame if lyke perill had bloustreously come vpon them And that this would so come to passe Christ had foresaied to Petur before it came to passe in dede He was betrayed by Iudas who was one of the noumbre of the twelue CoÌ„sider ye whether the propheticall psalme did not foretell of the also For if mine enemy sayth he had spokeÌ„ ill of me I would verayly haue paciently borne it and yf he that hated me had spoken great thinges vpon me I would peraduenture haue hidden my selfe froÌ„ him But thou a maÌ„ of myne owne minde my guyde my familiar Now if ye haue learned the Christe whan Iudas comyng of purpose to betray the lord vnto the souldiers by meane of a deceiptfull kisse did thus speake vnto him Frende for what purpose art thou come Betraiest thou the sonne of man with a kisse Did he not manifestly lay vnto him in his veray teeth the saying of the prophete he calleth him a guyde because this Iudas semed in maner as one made a rewler ouer the Apostles because he had the charge of doyng all affaires abrode coÌ„mitted vnto him Again an other psalme speaketh yet more clerly For the maÌ„ of my peace in whoÌ„ I haue trusted who eate my loanes hath magnified supplanting ouer me And see I pray you howe the wordes of Christe whiche he spake to his disciples of the betraier at his last supper with them doe iustely agree with this prophecie He that eateth breade with me saith Christ shal lift vs his foote sole against me An other psalme again sayth My frendes and my next neighbours haue approched nere and haue stande against me Yea and an other psalme yet again his woordes are suppled aboue honey and they be very dartes And is it not a woorde softer theÌ„ honey to say haill maister being spoken with a kisse geuing And was it not a darte infected with deadly poison to say Thatsame is he hold ye him fast Thus might ye haue heard of his Apostles or in case ye haue not yet heard it ye may yet learne it in time to come Iudas demauÌ„ded of couenaunt of the bishops the chiefe rewlers the suÌ„me of thirtie pens or denaries of siluer with which deadly suÌ„me of money there was forthwithall a piece of ground bought for the buriall of poore folkes And both these poyntes did the Prophete forespeake of in his prophecie As concerning the pryce that he was sold for thus did one of the Prophetes say And they toke thirtie plates the pryce of him that was valued whom they bought of the children of Israel gaue them for the potters field These thinges thus executed Iudas ouerlate repenting him of his facte honge himselfe diminishing therby the nouÌ„bre of the twelue chosen making a roume for an other to bee supplied into the ordre of the Apostles Neither was this vnspokeÌ„ of by the Prophetes For thus sayth the processe of the misticall psame Let their abyding be made to lye waste let there not be he that dwelleth in it and his shepeherdship let an other body take And as for the deuilishe conuocacioÌ„ for the putting of Iesus to death which was solemnely kept in the house of Caiphas beeyng the highest bishop by the Scribes the Phariseis the rewlers of the people the coÌ„mons being sworne to thesame marke ye whether thesame poynte also hath not been wrytten declared by the prophecie of the psalme which sayth Why doe the heatheÌ„ so furiously rage together why doe the people imagine vaine thinges The kynges of the earth stand vp the rewlers take couÌ„cell together against the Lorde against his enoincted Ye heare the namyng of the heathen ye knowe that Iesus was crucified by Pilates seruauntes of his crue ye heare the woorde peoples ye knowe that the multitude of all â—ortes of the Iewes cryed crucifie him crucifie him ye heare the name of kinges ye know the Pilate was the rewler gouernour of Iewry in Ceasars behalfe by whose senteÌ„ce Iesus was coÌ„deÌ„ned ye heare this woorde the rewlers of the earth ye vnderstaÌ„de the headmen of the people of Iewry who not vnderstaÌ„ding the lawe spirituall sought earthly thinges while they will in no wise be pulled froÌ„ thesame they put the king of heaueÌ„ to death Yea Esai also doth fore
he had caryed tofore sayed vnto them Why dooe ye yet feare me as the sight of a ghoste seeyng that ye playnly beholde me with your iyes and knowe my fauour of olde and seeyng that ye heare my voyce beyng acquainted and familiar vnto you yet neuerthelesse dooe thoughtes of vnbelief mystrustyng aryse yet still in your hertes euen suche like as are woont to come commonly in mēnes myndes Satisfie ye euery one of your senses vieu and beholde you my hādes my feete they haue manifest prientes of the nailes touche handle ye my syde it hathe the gashe of the speare fele ye my bodye come nerer me with your iyes leaue ye suspectyng of any spirite For a ghoste hath neither fleashe nor bones as ye see that I haue That I entred in hither the doores beeyng shutte that whan my wyll is I am seen and whan my will is I am inuisible it is not any blyndyng of mennes iyes by any sleyght but the gifte of the body beyng now made immortall And euen suche lyke shal your body also be after the resurreccion Whan the lorde had by suche woordes as these taken awaye the feare from thē and had put them in a comforte he shewed foorth vnto them his handes and his feete to be viewed he opened his side that they might handle the manifest dientes of the woundes For it was the lordes pleasure to reserue thesame to the entente that by those euidēt tokens he might than emong his disciples perfectly auouche the trueth of his humain bodye and also that he maye in tyme to come at the laste daie of iudgement enbraide to the Iewes their vnbelief accordyng to the prophecie which sayeth They shall see in whom they haue perced and made holes Nowe wheras some there wer yet still which did not plainly belieue it to bee thesame bodye that they had seen dead but were in case that a certain inebriacion as ye would saye of drounkenship or gladnesse did so holde theyr myndes that they did neither perfectly beleue theyr owne iyes nor theyr eares nor theyr handes for oft tymes we be afeard to belieue the thyng whiche we doe rather then our liues wishe to be true as men fearing leste we should caste our selues into some fooles paradise or false ioye wherof to bee anon after depriued again Iesus vouchesaluyng with all tokens of euidence to bee a Phisician to their vnbelief because there should no spiece of the lyke mistrustfulnesse remaine in vs saied Haue ye any thyng here that maie be eaten For none there is a more vndoubted token or prouf of a man to be aliue then yf thesame take meate And therfore Iesus willed meate to be geuen to the damisell whā she was called again to life sembleably also vnto Lazarus not that we shall fele any hūger after that we be reised agayn to immortalitie but because he woulde as that presēt tyme requyred confirme and make euidente vnto his disciples the veritie of his humain body There wer present at that tyme in the same place a good nūber of his disciples and yet was there but veraye small prouision of viandrye Therfore that that they had they bryng foorth whiche was a morsell of fishe that had been bruiled and a honey combe Than Iesus in the sight of them al eate parte of the thinges whiche were set before hym And he sayed vnto them These are the woordes whiche I spake vnto you whyle I was yet with you that all must nedes be fulfilled whiche were written of me in the lawe of Moses and in the Prophetes and in the Psalmes Than opened he theyr wittes that they might vnderstande the scryptures and sayed vnto them Thus it is written and thus it behoued Christe to suffer and to aryse agayn from death the thyrde day and that repentaunce and remissyon of sinnes shoulde bee preached in hys name emong all nacions and muste beginne at Hierusalem And ye are witnesses of these thynges And beholde I will sende the promisse of my father vpon you But tarye ye in the citie of Hierusalem vntyll ye bee endowed with power from on high And whan he had nowe made all theyr senses perfectely to belieue that he was no sighte of any ghoste but a verai and a liuyng man euen thesame whō they had tofore seen bothe liuing and also dying he taketh recourse vnto the holy scriptures wherunto there ought credite to bee geuen although the sēses of man should neuer so muche crye against it Ye ought not sayeth he to meruaill at the thynges whiche ye see to haue been doen. The scripture cannot lye forasmuche as it hath been wrytten by the inspiracion of the holy ghoste Whatsoeuer thyng hath hitherto been doen thesame had been foreshewed and prefigurate afore in the bokes of Moses in the prophetes and in the psalmes For euen I am veray he whom the figures of Moses lawe did signifie I am the man of whom the holy prophetes promised so many thynges and it is I whose first springyng vp whose progression or goyng foreward and whose cōsummacion the misticall psalmes doe describe And with no lesse trueth shall all the rest of thynges also bee perfourmed which haue in thesame scriptures been foreshewed concernyng my returnyng into heauen concernyng the spirite of God to be sent who after that this bodye of myne shal be taken awaye from you shall make you the more stedfast concernyng the ghospell to bee spredde throughout the whole vniuersall worlde and concernyng the laste ende of this worlde These are the thynges whiche I did so many tymes labour to beate into your heades whan hauyng yet a mortall bodye subiect vnto death I lyued conuersaunt emong you beeyng also mortall At that tyme had not the premisses setled in your hertes now can ye not any longer doubte whan ye see my sayinges to agree with the misticall scriptures and the cummyng to passe or sequele of thynges to agree with them bothe Hitherto as the tyme hath required I haue tendrelye borne with the weakenesse of your fleashe and I haue with grosse proufes laied the trueth of matiers before you From hensforthe growe ye forewarde to a spiritual vnderstandyng of the scriptures There shal ye frō henceforth see me there shall ye heare me And because the misticall bokes are not vnderstanded excepte God open our mynde and reason Iesus opened vnto them the iyes of theyr herte that thei might reade belieue and vnderstād that was written in the scripture For no man doeth vnderstande scripture but he that dooeth beleue it In this ordre sayed Iesus it hath semed good vnto my father to restore mankynde And the thyng whiche he had decreed hath ben set forthe by his inspiracion in bookes of holy scripture The selfe same thyng hath been foreshewed by me before it was doen neither was it possible that it should any otherwyse come to passe because the determinacions of God are immutable and the holy scriptures can as litle
blasphemie vnto my charge because I doe more seke the glory of God then mans prayse Ye obiect against me the breakyng of the Sabboth daye who haue saued a man on the Sabboth day when as the holy religion of the Sabboth doeth not stay you from deuisyng and labouring to destroye an innocent and not only an innocent but suche one as hath deserued good at your handes Is this to magnifie Moses whom ye preferre before me Is this to honour and reuerence God whom ye with feyned religion wurshippe Doeth not the law curse him that sheadeth innocentes bloud â–ª Neither doeth it permitte any power or autoritie of putting to death but vpon malefactours nor vpon them neyther except they be lawfully conuicted and condeÌ„ned Why than do ye contrary to the lawe trauaill about my death that being sent of God do preache his wil and pleasure to you according to the intent of the law that do seke his glorye and not mine owne that do not effectuously seke a kingdome or riches to myself but that do frely offre saluacion to all men that hurte no maÌ„ but do good to all men This saying of Iesus did vexe and trouble the Phariseis mindes for two causes first because they perceiued well that their craftie inuencions though they were secretly doen were not hid from his knowledge whom they supposed mighte soone without difficultie haue been made awaye yf the thing that they went about could haue been kepte secrete from him Secondarily his woordes pinched their mindes because he did appeale them of sinnefull transgression of the lawe in the presence of the people who would haue been thought moste true obseruers of the law They laying snares for the innoceÌ„t bloud feared not the knowledge of God but they feared to haue their dedes knowen to the people Therfore to face out the thyng by dissimulacioÌ„ they let fare as if they thought the multitude did not knowe their wickednes so fell to open rebukes and checkes as is the maner of all wicked persons that are taken with the maner in a mischeuouse dede that caÌ„not be excused Thou hast say they the deuill seyng thou makest the father of heauen very God himselfe to be auctour of thy doctrine to auaunt thy selfe thereby God is true and thou by the deuils instigacion art vntrue Who goeth about to deuise thy death â–ª The Lorde Iesus did not brawle with them again with any checking answere to their so furiouse blasphemie lest he should haue made them more woode by putting to of furie to them that were already cruel and furâ—ouse but geuing vs an ensaumple of mildenesse full gentelly he telleth them the cause why he did the dede for the whiche they quarelled with hym And where as themselfes in very dede were breakers of the lawe in all thinges yet did they accuse Iesus as a transgressour of the lawe because he had healed a man sycke of the Palsey on the Sabboth day I saieth Iesus did one certain dede on the Sabboth daye which was neyther euil sinfull nor yet vnhonest but wherwith I gaue health to a man that was miserably diseased which you your selues could not but allowe commend in case it had not been doen on the Sabboth day But they do rather breake the Sabboth whiche goeth about that thing on the Sabboth which is sinful and wicked on what daye soeuer it bee doen. The religion of the Sabboth is not so great but it ought to giue place to those thinges whiche are of more weight â—nd greatter importaunce and good and godly euery daye whensoeuer they be doen. If Moses himselfe whom ye highly esteme and attribute so much vnto haue geuen you the same exaumple and hath doen before me like wise as I haue doeÌ„ If also the very lawe do teache that worke maye be doen on the Sabboth day without breakyng the lawe of the Sabboth eyther ye muste nedes absolue and cleare me or els â—n case ye condemne me ye must also coÌ„demne Moses with me and the lawe it selfe to because whatsoeuer he gaue vnto you was a lawe Moses gaue circumcision vnto you not that circumcision began euen very than whan Moses lawe began for it was geuen of God to the Patriarches before the lawe was writen for that cause circumcision is a greatter matter in religion then the Sabboth daye because it went before the lawe and is as it wer the head of the lawe But the very same Moses whiche commaunded circumcision commaunded the Sabboth daye You do circumcise a man on the Sabboth daye and ye thinke not that ye violate the Sabboth day therin because of the dignitie of circuÌ„cision wherunto ye thinke that the religion of the Sabboth ought of right to geue place like as the Deacons and Priestes doe also in the temple these thinges whiche be pertaining to Goddes seruice and yet in so doyng they take not theymselfes to be breakers of the Sabboth daye for somuche as they esteme the thyng that they doe to be of more holynesse then that it should be omitted because of the Sabboth daye Consideryng therefore that ye doe circuÌ„cise a man on the Sabbothe daye leste throughe not beynge circumcised he should not be one of you neyther doe you wene that the Sabboth day is by that worke the wurse kept I meruaill why than do you like disdainfull men make suche clamour that by my worke the Sabboth daye is vnkept and broken who haue healed not one parte alone of maÌ„ but haue preserued and saued the whole manne altogether on the Sabboth daye Although circumcision were before the lawe and is after a sorte the very beginning chiefe parte of the lawe â–ª yet it is not perpetuall For men were acceptable and dearly beloued of God before there was any circumcisioÌ„ and the time shal be when God shall mislyke and refuse the ouerthwarte circuÌ„cision of the fleshe beyng without the inward circumcision of the herte But to geue health both of body and soule to a mans â—â—ly wretched neighbour as it is a greater acte and a more holy dede than to circumcise a man so is it alwaye good before the law in the tyme of the law and after the law because it is of it owne selfe good Why than doe ye in a cause not vnlyke yea in a much better matter as touchyng my behalfe wurship and haue Moses in reuerence and accuse me as giltye of a greater crime For I doe not now dispute whiche of vs twayne is greatter then the other Take Moses still as he is for an excellent man let it be so that I am euen as you suppose me to be a mean and an abiect person yet if ye loke well about you and do consider the matter rightly either ye ought to coÌ„demne vs bothe or to assoyle vs bothe And the very lawe of trueth teacheth vs this that in geuyng iudgement ye should loke vpon the matter and not the persone and he standeth accursed that through fauouring the
their malice by his godly wysedome that he deliuered the aduoutresse oute of the stonecasters handes and yet did not clerely absoyle her as fautlesse leste he should seme to abrogate Moses lawe whiche was necessarily geuen to cause men refraine from euil dedes This I say did Iesus who came not to breake and abrogate the lawe but to fulfil it and againe on the other syde he did not condemne her because he came not into the worlde to haue sinners loste but to saue them For of trueth Iesus doeth euery where so moderate his woordes as touchyng those ordinaunces whiche the worlde obserueth necessarily euen to preserue a publike peace and for a common quietnes that he neither muche alloweth them nor improueth them but vpō occasion therof geueth monicion that generally all vngraciousnes is to be eschewed and not onely these dedes whiche worldly prynces lawes do punishe For truely there be in goddes iudgement crymes more horrible than these which yet the lawe doeth not punish notwithstanding they cannot escape punishment at goddes hande where he taketh on hand to reuenge the doer Therfore Iesus doeth neither refuse the iudgement which was cōmitted vnto him forasmuche as he is iudge ouer all nor he doth not appoint and cōmit the woman which was giltie vnto the men that wer in readinesse to cast stones neither doeth he cleare the woman of the matter who in dede had deserued to be punished but with silēce he succoureth her that was pulled hurried to pain to preserue her vnto penaunce and that she mighte with due repentaunce bee better aduised and conuerte to healthe and saluacion He gaue no aunswere by worde of mouthe but he spake the more by his dede He knewe the selye giltie woman to bee a sinner but he also knewe her accusers whiche woulde haue been thought righteous to be more sinfull then she was He did not take away Moses lawe but he shewed the mercifulnes of Christes newe law whereof he was thauctor he informed them that drewe the faultie womā to cruel pain to loke well vpon thēselues and according to gods lawe to examine their owne conscience duely euery one to shewe himself suche a one towardes his neighbour that had offended as he would haue god to iudge hym This thyng our Lorde Iesus did for our instruccion and he bowed downe hymselfe to signify that a man al statelinesse and pride layd doune wherwith any man flattered himself and of an hault minde despised his neighbour should descende doune into himself and loke wel vpon himself and being bowed doune Iesus wrote vpon the grounde euen to geue vs warnyng that God shall iudge euerye man after the lawe of the gospel The lawe written in tables made them by an vntrue righteousnes proude and arrogant The law written vpon the grounde maketh euery man through a conscience and knowlage of his owne infirmitie meke and mercifull vnto his neighbour Now whiles the Iewes preaced still vpon him to knowe his iudgemente although he had already by his dede pronounced it he stoode vp and so tolde them playnly his minde that wyst not what he meant by his doing and sayd He that is among you without synne let him cast the first stone at her With this saying he did not clearely assoyle the offender but he pearced their consciences And euery one of them knowynge himselfe giltie feared leste Iesus to whom they sawe wer knowen euen moste hid and seret thynges should haue published their vngracious actes When he had thus pricked their conscience he stouped doune againe and wrote vpon the grounde as it wer by that dede paintyng before theyr iyes what he would haue them to do He noted their arrogancie whiche toke vpon them to be holy when as in dede they were more synfull then those whom the lawe extremely punished For she whom they had brought foorth to be stoned with the commō handes of manye had not kylled her husband but through the frailtie of the fleshe had geuen the vse of her body to an other man and so committed aduoutrie They beyng full of enuy hatered complainyng couetousnes ambicion and deceite laye in wayte to kyl the lorde of the whole lawe who alone was free in al thynges and clerely pure from all synne Therefore vpon this the lordes answere euery one knowing himself giltie being afrayed lest he shoulde be bewraied and his faultes disclosed went out of the temple one after another the seniors the Phariseis the Scribes the Priestes and other head men goyng before and the rest folowing them For they whiche among that sorte wer taken for the very pillers and mainteiners of religion and iustice were euen sowsed in mormities and inwardly moste great synners When these folkes were goen out of whom neuer one was cleare and without fault Iesus remained alone who onely was without fault And nowe the synful womā found him which neuer hadde doen synne a mercifull iudge wheras she should haue had theim cruel murderers who were themselues giltie of grieuous sinnes Therfore the woman seing their crueltie stoode alone as a wofull synner before Iesus that was alone a woman ready to perishe before a Sauiour a sinfull creature before the fountaine of all perfeccion and holynes She quaked for feare euen of a very conscience but the clemencie of Iesus whiche shewed it selfe euen in his countenaunce put her in good coumfort and in the meane whyle our lord as it were a man occupied about an other thyng wrote vpon the grounde so that the Iewes as it well appeared wente a waye not as men afraied with the lordes threathynges but condemned in their owne consciences At lengthe Iesus stoode vppe and when he sawe that all were goen and the woman all alone and fearefull he speake curteously vnto her sayinge woman wher are thine accusers hath any man condemned the She answered no mā si◠Then Iesus sayed neither will I that came to saue all men bee more vnmercifull then they nor condemne her whom they haue not condemned The rigour of the lawe doeth punishe to feare men the fauourablenesse of the gospell seketh not the deathe of a synner but rather his amendemente and lyfe Therfore go thy waye and sinne no more hereafter By this example our lorde Iesus taught those that taketh vpon them to be shepeherdes ouer the people and to be teachers of the gospell howe greate sufferaunce and gentelnesse they ought to vse towardes them whiche fall into synne by frailtie for considering that he in whom was no synne at al shewed hymself so merciful towardes an open sinner how great ought the bishops gentilnes to be towardes offēders when as they themselues haue many times more nede of Goddes mercy then they against whose faultes they be very angry or in case they be not so synful certes their life is not without some spotte at leaste waye truely they maye by the frailtie of man fall into all kynde of synne ¶ Then spake Iesus agayne vnto them
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
at libertie the Romaines will make cruell warre agaynst vs And so with al the prophane Gentiles shall kepe with force thys holy place and with mannes slaughter make hauocke and destroy the whole flocke of the Iewes And one of them named Caiphas being the hie priest the same yere said vnto them ye perceiue nothing at all nor consider that it is expedient for vs that one man die for the people and not that all the people perishe This spake he not of himselfe but being highe priest the same yere he prophecied that Iesus should dye for the people not for the people only but that he should gather together in one the childreÌ„ of god that weâ— scattered abrod Whereas this their aduice vnder the pretence of a publike health tended to the destruccion of Iesus Christ thautour of all health yet was it thoughte vnto Cayphas to slender a deuice and to weake a counsell He was the bishop of that yeare For that dignitie as thoughe within a whyle it shoulde fayle for altogether had ceassed to be a continuall roume but beyng a benefice sette to sale it was fined for euery yere to the prynces Therfore he that professed him selfe chiefe prelate of religion being more wieked then all other blameth the cowardship of them that with deliberate counsell did further debate the matter whether Iesus were to be put to death or nay whereas it thought he all other thynges set aparte was to be dooen incontinently and with spede You sayeth he that sitte deliberatyng whether thys felow that doeth suche thynges is to be put to execucyon or no seme not to wey the matter as it is nor ye consider not howe it is profitable and expedyent for euery man that thys one should dye for the people rather than that he being saued al the people should perishe This saying came not of the byshops owne mynde that was vngracious and full of murder but by reason of the office of priestehode whiche he than bare the spirite of prophecie dyd bryng foorthe a godly prophecie by the mouth of a wiâ—ked man which sayd prophecie did geue foreknowledge how it should come to passe that Iesus should by his death redeme saue the Iewes not onelye to bryng thys to effecte that suche of the Iewes as dydde beleue shoulde be saued alone but that those also among the Gentiles whiche lyued in diuers countreys dispersed through the wholle worlde but to thys ende apoynted that they shoulde once be made the children of God through fayth of the ghospell might be counite together and that the man of Iâ—de the manne of Ethiope the Greke the Scithian and the Britan should ioyne together in felowship of a common vniuersall churche Then from that day furth they toke counsel together for to put him to death Iesus therfore walked no more openly among the Iewes but went his way thence into a countrey nighe to a wildernesse into a citie whiche is called Ephraim and there continued with his disciples Now therfore the Phariseis being stablished with this voyce of the wieked bishop doe in theyr hertes certaynly determine which thyng they often before atteÌ„pted as occasion serued to rid Iesus out of the way by all meanes possible as though therby they well prouided for the preseruacion of the common weale and agayne leste theyr vngracious act shoulde be the lesse sinfull they coulour their impietie supposing they had now found out matter to stiere and prouoke al the people likewise openly and by the lawe to put Iesus to death as a hurtefull man to the whole nacyon of the Iewes neyther neded they as they thought any fault or any new cause to lay to hys charge Iesus therfore from whom nothyng was hid although the rumoure of the people did not aduertise him of the Phariseis and priestes pretenced malyce shewyng himselfe a very man al the while he was in Iury came not abrode leste he should increase their fury But he conueied himselfe a farre of from the bondes of the citie of Ierusalem the killer of Prophetes went to the citie of Ephraim wherunto the deserte was nye signifying by that dede that the wicked Iewes should forgoe their Synagogue and a newe people that should not sticke to the vnfrutefull workes of Moses lawe but to the fayth of the gospell should be gathered together and a churche made of them whiche people should also as the significacion of the Hebrue woorde betokeneth grow of a small beginnyng into an exceadyng great thing for Ephraim to the Hebrues signifieth encreasing Iesus therfore tarryed here with his fewe disciples whiche though they were wofully afearde of themselfes also yet durst they not forsake their Lorde And the Iewes Eâ—ster was nye at hande and many went out of the countrey vp to Ierusalem before the easter to purifie themselfes Then sought they for Iesus and spake among themselfes as they stode in the temple what thinke ye seyng he cummeth not to the feast day The hye priestes and Phariseis had geuen a commaundement that if any man knewe where he were he should shewe it that they myght take hym Now the very time was come sothly apoynted of the father when Christ should be offered vp in sacrifice for the saluacion of mankinde For that most religiouse day of the Iewes was at hande which they call phase that is to weâ—e a passing ouer in English Easter by that name calling to their remeÌ„braunce that dede which was that long before the tyme the bloud of a lambe striken on the postes did saue the Hebrues from the sworde of the Aungell that kylled the Egypcians and those only houses passed ouer that had their postes marked with the lambes bloud Now therfore before the feast which was verie nie many went out of diuerse coastes of Palestine to Ierusalem there being purified with ceremonies of their law to solemnise the most holy feast And to let vs know that nothing is more vnreligiouse than Iewish religion which consisteth in visible thinges sith also the while they take great hede with much vaine deuocioÌ„ leste they ouerslip any thing that was prescribed them of Moses or that was added to by the Phariseis they be not loth to doe that thing on the moste sacred daye whiche is of al thinges most wieked that is to wete to shead the bloud of an innocent maÌ„ Therfore wheÌ„ there was a great throng of people together many of theÌ„ knewe Iesus whose maner was to be present at suche feastes they wondered that he was not there present and standing in the temple they talked one to an other what should be the cause that contrary to his customable maner Iesus was absent froÌ„ so solemne high a feast From which solemnitie would not he yet altogether absent himselfe but to thentente he myght come more loked for he deferred his cumming vntill such time as he thought best Furthermore the bishops and Phariseis suspecting him sumwhere to hide himselfe for feare they traueyled gaue
as he wente aboute to washe his feete euen so nowe he is taught not to truste in his owne strength nor credite hys owne affeccions but distrustyng hymself to depende vpon the helpe of Christe what saieste thou Peter sayeth Iesus howe stoute thynges of thy selfe doest thou promise vs to doe wilte thou bestowe thy 〈◊〉 for me nay but veray experience shall teache thee howe true the saiyng is whiche I speake euen nowe and coulde not bee beleued of thee that is to saye whither I goe thou canste not folowe me the profe therof is at hande For this be thou well assured of that this nyght before the cocke shall crowe that is to saye at the firste cocke crowyng thou shalte haue denied me thrise muche lesse shalte thou bee hable to saue my lyfe with thyne With these woordes our Lorde did restrayne Peters stoute saying although it came of great loue and therewithall warned other that in perylles they shoulde not truste in theyr owne strengthe but whensoeuer they broughte to passe any suche thyng they should knoweledge it to come of the power gyfte of God At these thynges Peter helde his peace as one that was not yet all free from carefulnesse concernyng the betraying whiche Iesus had made menâ—â—on of ¶ The .xiiii. Chapter ¶ And he saied vnto his disciples let not your herte be troubled ye beleue in God beleue also in me In my fathers house are many mansions If it wer not so I would haue tolde you I goe to prepare a place for you And yf I go to prepare a place for you I wyll come againe and receiue you euen vnto my selfe that where I am there may ye bee also and whither I goe ye knowe and the way ye knowe WHen as at this saying whiche sygnifyed that a certayne straunge and ouâ—ragious tempeste was imminente and hanged ouer theim whiche storme shoulde also driue Peter that was moste mannely to so greate erroure that he shoulde thrise thesame nyghte denye the Lorde when as I saye the disciples wer therewith stricken euen to the hertes and after Peters exaumple euerye one stood in dreade of himselfe Iesus beeyng a maister of moste gentlenes dyd with moste fayre and pleasaunt wordes comforte his troubled and sorowfull disciples saiyng All these thynges shall be doubtles whiche I haue tolde you of beforehande But yet there is no cause why ye should therewith be hertelesse or dismayed cruell thynges shall bee dooen againste me and the lyke shall after be dooen againste you nor I am not ignoraunte howe greate the infinnitie of mans nature is But notwithstanding if you will put youre whole affyaunce in God and me ye shall not neede to feare anye violence of wicked men God is almighty and he alone maye doe more than all they that fearcelye stryuen againste vs. And verilye euen by Moyses lawe you truste to hym and in case ye do truely truste to hym it also behoueth you to trust to me I through him and you through me shal haue victory yf distrustyng your owne proper ayde defenses ye wyll fyxe all youre affiaunce and hope vpon me Nor deathe it selfe shall be able to dysceyuer vs lyke as ye shall at a tyme bee partakers of affliccions so shall you bee of croune and glorye I wyll fyrste shewe the waye and exaumple howe to fyghte and to gette victorye by me shall boldnes bee geuen vnto you and felowshyppe of glorye Onely trust vnto me Nowe than In my fathers house be many dwellynges readye 〈◊〉 them that haue victorye for neyther are rewardes prepared for me alone neyther shall Peter alone folowe me but all those that cleaueth vnto me by charitie and fayth of the ghospell shall bee recompensed seuerallye and haue euerye one his rewarde prepared for hym For vnlesse I knewe certaynly that dwellyng places were alreadye prepared for you which are to receiue you that shall in a whyle bee taken oute of the hurly burly of this worlde into the felicitie of euerlastyng lyfe I woulde nowe beforehande haue admonished you That I dooe therefore goe before to my father is to thentente I maye there prepare a place for you also whome I wyll not suffre to be dissociate from me And nowe because I knowe it to be certayne that in my fathers kyngdome euery manne hath his mancion in a readinesse for hym you haue no neede to bee carefull of beyng recompensed it onelye lyeth you vpon hande to fyght manfully And though I dyd go farre awaye to prepare a place for you yet is there no cause for all that why ye shoulde in the meane while thynke your selfe succourlesse for I shall come agayne vnto you for to receyue you wholye vnto me neuer after to departe from me For than wheresoeuer I am there shall you also bee there is no matter why to distruste your cummyng thyther where as I nowe goe to before you and in very dede ye do knowe whither I do go and the waye thyther By this darke parable our Lorde dyd geue them some littell knowledge that he shoulde go to his father but none otherwyse than by death of the crosse The thyng that was gone to was worthye to be desired and well liked but the way to it was thought worthy to be misliked and not to be beloued The disciples coulde not but knowe this hearyng the Lorde so often speakyng thereof but penâ—fenes and obliuiousnesse made theym ignoraunte in the thyng that they knewe ¶ Thomas saieth vnto him Lord we knowe not whether thou goest And howe is it possible for vs to know the waie Iesus saieth vnto him I am the waie and the trueth and the life No man cummeth vnto the father but by me If ye had knowen me ye hadde knowen my father also and nowe ye know him and haue seen him And so therfore Thomas being very desirouse to knowe certainely whyther our Lorde woulde goe sayeth Lorde when we knowe not whether thou goest how can we knowe the waye thither but rather where thou sayeste we knowe both we be in dede ignoraunte in both with this blunte althoughe vehemente saiyng Thomas dyd in a maner force oure Lorde to tell more playnly whyther he woulde goe thence whiche thyng all they dydde for a space euen long to knowe Of trueth Iesus enstructyng framyng and fashyoning his litle by litle doeth in dede teache the thyng that they wishe to knowe but he doeth it as yet couertly to thentente that the thing might more depely be fixed in their mindes whiche they shoulde haue muche a doe and long tyme to learne That is to saye that after he hadde lefte his mortalitie he shoulde retourne agayne to his father from whence he came before he was incarnate but withall he teacheth that the waye vnto the father is open vnto no manne but by the sonne whiche onelye shoulde open the waye to heauen whiche onely shoulde instructe mennes fayth with heauenly knowledge and shoulde bee the onelye fountayne of immortalitie to whome whosoeuer dydde
depende of his lordes onely ayde and succour Now therefore after that Iesus had been all the nighte long till the mornyng early in examinacion before Caiphas nor no faulte coulde be founde in hym wherefore he oughte to be called for and to bee arrained vpon lyfe and death they haue him out of bishop Caiphas house and leade hym to Pilate the lorde presidente to thentente they might charge hym and discharge themselues of the hatred that they should be in for sheading of innocent bloude And euen being bounde as he stoode Iesus was led by the hyred souldiers into the presidentes iudgemente hall Howbeit the Iewes themselues went not into the house of iudgement leste they shoulde be polluted in asmuche as the paschall lambe muste be eaten of them to the eatyng wherof they woulde go pure and cleane but of a naughtie peruerse religion be ye sure consideryng that they thoughte themselues to be contaminate and suspended with the harmelesse house of the president because he was a GeÌ„tile and no Iewe when as themselues by many craftes went about and deuised a mans death that had doen nothing amisse yea that had many waies doen well and deserued muche good at theyr handes Pylate then went out vnto them and sayed what accusacion bryng ye against this maÌ„ They aunswered and sayed vnto hym If he were not an euill doer we woulde not haue deliuered hym vnto thee Then sayed Pilate vnto them Take ye hym and iudge hym after your owne lawe The Iewes therfore sayed vnto hym It is not lawfull for vs to purie any man to death that the wordes of Iesus might be fulfilled whiche he spake signifying what death be should dye Therfore Pilate after he sawe the vncouth and that newe maner of iudgement as a man to be in captiuitie and boundeÌ„ ere he were examined and hearde of the iudge and to see a band of harnessed men he commeth forth abrode hymself to be polluted with suche mens communicacion as thought theÌ„selues pure and vnpolluted And verily he came out to appease assuage yf it were possible the furye of the Iewes and so to quite the innocente Ye sende sayeth he this manne vnto me to be putte to death But it is not the maner of Rome to put any man to execucion except hym that is proued giltie of a faulte worthy death What crime therfore do ye laye to this mannes charge The Iewes aunswered the autoritie of Byshops and Phariseis is inough for your discharge If this man were not a malefactour we coulde not of our profession haue committed hym to your handes Pilate suspectyng as the trueth was them to haue some priuate grudge towardes hym about the supersticion and the superfâ—uous religion and vayne deuocion of the lawe sayeth vnto them If it be any matter that apperteyneth not to my counte and office as for exaumple if case the Sabboth day be broken if any swynes fleshe be eaten or percase some rashe liberall woordes hath been spoken against Moses the Prohetes the Temple or your God loe nowe if any suche scape haue been whiche your owne lawe commaunded to be punished though yet there be no suche thing prohibite by the lawe of Rome your selfes take the maÌ„ vnto you and iudge hym after your lawe I am sette here in the Emperours name to rule play the Iudge If he hath committed any faulte against the Emperours lawes worthy death bryng him to me and after he be conuicte by the lawe lawfully cast I shall cause him to be put to execucion But I will not intermedle perplexe my selfe in doubtfull matters of your lawe Uerily though the Iewes would they forced not howe haue had him made away yet for all that they pretende reliousnesse of very feare leste the iudge should forthwith haue punished theÌ„ because they would haue kylled an harmelesse and an vncondemned person But at thesame tyme they sought effectually a newe kynde of punishement for him such one as was then among the Iewes moste spytefull and opprobrious It is not say they lawefull for vs to put any man to death The shamelesse people spake these woordes whiche had slayne so many Prophetes flatteryng themselfes as cleane froÌ„ murder notwithstandyng they did so many wayes persecute an innocente to death or els they thus did as if the hangman which with his handes fasteneth the man to the crosse were a sole murderer They were in herte murderers they were murderers in theyr tongues with theyr money they hyred one trayterously to betray hym they hyred a sorte of warryers they hyred false witnesses they forged false haynouse crymes against him They prouoke prycke forwarde the iudge and with threatning make hym a fearde yet impute themselues pure fre from murder and also worthy to eate the Pascall Lambe for no cause els but that they dyd stay and refrayne themselues from goyng into the iudgement hall Well these thinges truely were doen to make it appeare euidente that there is nothyng wurse or more haynouse then false and peruerse religion and that the same thyng also should be brought to effecte which Iesus sayed should come to passe signifying by a parable what death he shoulde dye whan he spake these woordes At suche tyme as I shall be lyfte vp on hye from the grounde I shall drawe all thynges vnto me by the force of which woordes he would that we should take it for a certaintie that not only the selfe death was determinately limited vnto him but also a choice and seuerall kynde of death Then Pilate entred into the iudgement hall againe and called Iesus and sayed vnto him Art thou the king of Iewes Iesus answered sayest thou that of thy selfe or did other tell it thee of me Pilate answered Am I a Iew Thine owne nacion hye priestes hath deliuered thee vnto me What hast thou doen Iesus answered My kingdome is not of this worlde If my kyngdome were of this worlde then would my ministers surely fight that I should not be deliuered vnto the Iewes but nowe is my kyngdome not from hence Wherfore then after that Pilate vnderstanding by the woordes which the Iewes had spoken of a matter I knowe not what amonges other thinges to be obiecte against Iesus concerning a kingdome that he should goe about desirously and yet there appeared no likelyhood at all in Iesus that shoulde cause any manne to thynke hym fauty therein Pilate I saye after this went once againe into the iudgement halle and lefte the people standyng without And so called for Iesus secretly asyde that quietly and without all ruffle he might boult out and gather of hym which in countenaunce appeared no lesse then both vertuouse and wise what the matter was and saied vnto him Art thou that king of the Iewes whom they are reported to looke for This one thyng did Pilate diligently searche out because the other matters touched not the weale publique but this faulâ—e to call himselfe a kyng semed to concerue both the Emperours
And it is not to bee doubted but God wyll perfourme all the rest also which he hath promised as faythfully Iesus Christ shal come agayne but by and by shall not he come agayne For the gospell and chereful tidinges from god must be preached ouer all the worlde before his cumming In the meane while liueth he in all glory sitteth and reigneth in high heauens aboue vntil that prescript time wherof the Prophetes Iohel hath spoken and Malachie whan all thinges shall come by restitucion agayne and be made vp and all at a poynte perfectly finished whiche god hath spoken of by the mouth of all his holy Prophetes as many as hath been since the beginning of the world For of this one persone haue al they prophecied Moses truely sayed vnto the fathers Prophet shal the lorde your God rayse vp to you euen of your brethren lyke vnto me him shal ye heare in all thinges whatsoeuer he shall say vnto you For the time shall come that euery soule which wil not heare the same Prophete shal be destroies from emong the people All the Prophetes also from Samuel and thence foorth as many as haue spoken haue in likewise tolde of these dayes Moses is with you of autoritie most auncient for vnder his proteccyon as vnder your chiefe guide and capitain ye left Egipt ye traueled through wildernesse ye receiued the lawe but yet a promyse made he to you of this Iesus of Nazareth whome ye haue flayne speakyng after this manier to the fathers in hys booke of Deuteronomii a prophete shall the lorde your god reyse vp vnto you euen from emong your brethren lyke vnto me hym shall ye heare in all that he shall saye vnto you And it shall come to passe that what soule soeuer shall not heare that prophete shall be destroyed from emong the people Now dooe ye acknowelage this prophecye of Moses recognise ye the true Moses knowledge ye that Iesus Christe was borne of Dauids linage of the trybe of Iuda in the Citie of Bethelem according to the prophetes sayinges By this your guide capitaine god calleth you out of bondage to that libertie whiche alway shall endure by this capitayn hath he disclosed a new law supernal and euangelicall and by this persone he offereth remission of all synnes and lyfe euerlastyng Moses woulde that all men shoulde heare hym eche man heareth that in him beleueth What person soeuer shal beleue in him shal be saued who that refuseth to beleue shal be banished out of the feloweship out of the name of the Israelites shall peryshe with out all recouery For without faith in Iesus Chryste no hope there is of saluacion If you geue faythe to Moses than muste ye hartely loue Iesus whome he hath so highly commended to you in his prophecy Neyther hath Moses alone thus prophecied of Iesus but all the Prophetes also from Samuels time vntill Iohn the baptist hath prophecied describing his natiuitie doctrine miracles punyshmentes infamie death on the crosse hys buryinge and resurreccion his goyng vp to heauen and the sending forth of the holy goste vpon all that beleueth whiche thinges euery one are euidentlye come to passe the spreading of the ghospell ouer all the worlde abrode and the gloryous cumming of the lorde agayne at the ende of the worlde Ye are the children of the Prophetes and of the couenaunt whiche God made vnto oure fathers saying to Abraham Euen in thy sede shall all the kinreds of the yerth be blessed First whan God had reised vp his sonne Iesus vnto you he sent him to blesse you that euery one of you should turne from his wickednesse But if that ye in very dede be the prophetes children wherof ye auaunte your selfes not without a cause haue ye than no distruste in their promyses yf ye be the children of the patriarches whiche wer the chiefe fathers of all your auncestry vnderstande ye and perceiue that to you pertayneth the couenaunt and promyse that god made to Abraham saying thorow thy sede shall all the nacions of the worlde be blessed This blessing perfourmed not he in Isaac for he is dead and to life is not he come againe but in Iesus of Nazareth whom Isaac in figure represented offrynge hymselfe vp in sacrifice willyngly like as Christe obeying his father was offred as a sacrifyce on the crosse This is that seede of Abraham wherby shall not onely all Israelites but all nacions also of the worlde if they beleue the gospell be delyuered of the curse whiche is due for sinne and obteyne therwithal this blessing that after they haue once receyued the holy ghoste they may bee called the children of the liuing God Wherfore the promise that god made vnto Abraham perteyneth vndoubtedly to all nacions of the worlde yet that not withstanding his pleasure was to haue you thus honourably preferred that his promise shoulde firste of all bee profered to you and that he woulde according to Moses prophecie rayse one vp of your nacion and sende to you no meane prophet but his owne onely sonne Iesus that shoulde disclose this blessyng whiche god promised to Abraham This is than that blessing that euery person obeying the woorde of the ghospell maye vtterly forsake all vice and naughty liuyng and frankely confesse Iesus to bee the author of mannes saluacion The .iiii. Chapter ¶ As they spake vnto the people the priestes and the rulers of the temple and the Saâ—duceis came vpon them takyng it greuously that they taught the people and preached in Iesus the resurreccion froÌ„ death And they laied handes on them put them in holde vntyll the next daye for it was nowe euentide howbeit many of them which hearde the woordes beleued and the noumbre of the men was about fyue thousande WHyle Peter that heauenly Oratour and Iohn his felow in office wyth hym were occupyed in these and suche other Oracions exhortyng the people to embrace the gospell without coloure of flattery towarde any manne enducyng them to the knowledge of the trueth by wytnesse of Prophetes sometymes makyng theym afrayed wyth dreadfulnes of the great Iudgement that was to come eftesones appeasyng them and pleasauntly intreatyng by meanes of an easy waye to come by pardon euen than ready at hande and for the certayntye that was in the promyse of their saluation sodaynly there came vpon theim the pryestes and rewlers of the temple accompanyed also with Sadduces who caused them to breake of in the myddes theyr holsome communication The pryestes and rulers felt themselues in this poynte agreued that men of the laitie vnlearned should beare rule in the temple and teach the people where none els ought to speake but doctours of the lawe Phariseis and Scribes and in that also they were offended that so honourably they spake of Iesus whom they for a gyltie person had put to deathe whose name to abolyshe was theyr earnest desyre and study But of all other thynges that set the Sadduces on fyre agaynst the
lorde the temple of the lorde the temple of the lorde But this your temple is nought els than a figure of the trewe spirituall temple that is the congregacion of the faythfull whiche is a buildynge by your kyng Iesus of Nazareth whom Salomon figured Howbeit he that is hyghest of all dwelleth not in temples made with handes as saieth the Prophete heauen is my seate and earth is my foote stoole What house wil ye build for me sayeth the Lord which is the place of my rest hath not my hand made al thinges For sence that god is a thing all togyther spirituall he dwelleth not in houses made by mannes hande neyther can he be enclosed within walles who is of suche greatnes that cannot be mesured and contayneth all thynges This is euen it that he hymselfe beareth witnes of speaking by Esay his prophete heauen is my seate and earth is my foote stole What house wyl ye buylde for me sayeth the lorde or what place is for my repose Hath not my hande made them all ThaÌ„ had god who made all thinges rest in himselfe before he made al. And if he take rest any where he resteth not in houses made by man seynge that heauen is a seate for him the earthe his foote stoole but his delite is to reste in quiet hertes and such as be alwayes readye at commaundement of the holy gost Wherefore then whose conscience is polluted with vicioule lyuyng he defileth goddes temple And who that putteth them to busynes whiche be alreadye at commaundement of his holy spirite he polluteth the temple of the Lorde And lyke as he offendeth not Moyses that preferreth Iesus neyther breaketh he Moyses lawe that placeth it behinde the gospell euen so doethe not he violate this temple that preferreth therto a spirituall temple wherein god is more delyted For it is but reason that shadowes geue the veritie place which putteth now herselfe forth to lyght It is meete that that thyng whiche of it selfe is carnal geue place to that that is spirituall This vndowbtedlye â— the very immutable will of God and for this cause sent he downe his owne â—â—nne alone vpon earth he sente also the holy ghoste to thintent the lyght of trueth in his ghospell myght cum abrode to all manner people Ye stiffenecked and of vncircumcised hertes and eares Ye haue alwies resisted the holy ghost as your fathers did so do ye Whiche of the Prophetes haue not your fathers persecuted And they haue slayn theÌ„ whiche shewed before of the cumming of that iust whome ye haue nowe betrayed and murthered And ye also haue receyued the lawe by the ministracion of aungelles and haue not kept it But ye persisting obstinately in defence of that whiche of it selfe is carnall now rebelle as ye were wonte againste goddes holy spirite who called you now long ago stubburne people And yet thynke ye your selues to be Israelites and the childreÌ„ of Abraham because ye haue a piece of that skynne which couereth your pryute membre circumcised wheras youre heartes as well as eares are left vncircumcised But they shal be from hencefurth the trewe children of Abraham that be in hearte clensed of all wicked desyres that kepe theyr eares obedient to goddes commaundementes and so pourged of grosnes as touchinge carnall vnderstandyng that they maye perceyue the spirituall meanyng of the lawe For lyke as youre fathers by reason of theyr grosse vnderstanding and dull hearynge resisted alwayes the holy ghoste euen so did ye also not vnlike in condicions to those youre auncestours neuer leaue of your euyll speakyng and doyng againste the holy ghoste as it of late appeared in Iesus of Nazareth whome ye crucifyed and nowe in hys Apostles Howe often hath youre fathers rebelled againste Moyses Why may not I call them your fathers whome ye folowe in condicions whiche of all the Prophetes hath not youre fathers persecuted And those that prophecied to you of the iust to cum by whome alone all shoulde be iustified haue ye not onely punished but murthered also Ye hated them that tolde you of his cumming and whan he was cum perfourmed all that they before had tolde you ye not onely refused to embrace hym but vpon a false impechement ye put him into Pilates handes and brought him by meane of hys sentence vnto a more shamefull and mischeuouse death then yf ye youre selues had had the perfourmaunce of the acte all in your owne handes And all this do ye vpon a pretexte to defende the lawe whereas neyther your elders obserued the lawe whiche was delyuered them by aungels neither you that of late dayes put him to death whome the lawe hath promysed and appoynted and now besydes do persecute hym whome ye haue slain enuying youre selues the gyfte of eternal saluacion whiche is prefored you and procuring your owne vtter destruccion whiche ye without cause laye to our charge and to Iesus of Nazareth ¶ Whan they hearde these thinges theyr heartes claue a sundeâ— and they gnasshed on him with their teeth but he beyng â—ul of the holy ghoste looked vp stedfastlye with his iyes into heauen and saw the glorye of god and Iesus standynge on the right hande of God and sayed Beholde I sâ—e the heauens open and the sonne of man standyng on the right hand of God Then they gaue a shoute with a loude voice and stopped their eares and ran vpon hym and stoned him And the witnesses layed downe theyr clothes at a young mans feete whose name was Saule And thei stoned Steuen calling on saying Lord Iesu receiue my spirite And he kneled downe and cried Lorde laye not this sinne to their charge And whan he had thus spoken he fell a slepâ— This oracion or tale so truly tolde them and so frankely spoken sore chafed al their mindes that wer in councell togyther insomuch that theyr heartes were euen readye to breake in soundre and gnasshed theyr teeth agaynste hym But Steuen as one vndoubtedly replenished with the holy ghost was nothing at all in minde troubled by them but in a redines to suffre death cast vp his iyes accordynge to Iesus Christes example to heauenward from whence all helpe succoure for a christen man is to be loked for and desyred Than was forthwith this valiant champion strengthed againste the conflict whiche was a cummyng Heauen opened and the glorie he sawe of god and Iesus whome he professed standyng on the ryght hande of his father And this vision kepte he not close and secrete from the multitude althoughe they wer wickedly bente For it wer not expedient for mannes malice to suppresse goddes glory Beholde he saieth I see heauens open and the sonne of man staÌ„ding on the right hand of goddes maiestie It wer a profitable thinge here to coÌ„sider the maner and forme of this his iudgement Faultes wer laied in against him He made answer to theÌ„ al. And beyng but a young man he alleaged for himselfe both testimonies of the law and of the Prophetes They
to thintent thou shouldeste receiue thi sight againe and be replenished with the holy gost Ananias had vneth spoken these wordes but there fell from the iyes of Paule in the same place as it were certaine scales of a fishe so recouered he his sight And immediatly he stode vp and was baptised After that whan he had receiued sum foode he was well strengthned In this maner that excellent capitayne of Christes gospell he that shoulde soone after obscure the glory renowne of other his apostles receyued at the hand of Ananias a poore and huÌ„ble disciple the holy ghost before that he receiued baptisme But nothing is done out of ordre that is done at Iesus Christes coÌ„maundement whoÌ„ Paule hadde for hys teacher For so had he gyuen his apostles authoritie that he woulde neuerthelesse reserue vnto hymselfe the higheste authoritie of all the whole matter Than was Saule certayne dayes with the disciples which wer at Damasâ—o And streight waye preached Christ in the Synagoges howe he was the sonne of God But al that hearde him wâ—re amased and sayed is not this he that spoyled them which called on this name in Hierusalem and came hyther for that entent that he might bring them bounde vnto the highe priestes But Saul encreased the more in strength coÌ„touÌ„ded the Iewes whiche were dwelling at Damasco affirmyng that this was very Christe Than Saule beyng sodainly chaunged abode for certaine dayes in companye with the disciples whiche were at Damasco And without any further delaye he begonne furthwith eâ—en there contrary to the byshoppes commaundement to sette vpon the office that he was appoynted vnto by Christe And he went into the Iewes Synagoges and published openly and frankly affirming that Iesus of Nazareth was the sonne of god for whose sake alone all men shoulde haue profered them accordyng to the Prophetes foresayinges health euerlasting The Iewes which knew of Saules cruel fiercenesse agaynst the Christians by the rumoure that was bruted abrode reioysyng that they had gotten suche a valiaunt defendour of Moses lawe whan they had hearde that he did so earnestlye preache Iesus name of Nazareth they maruayled what had chaunced vnto the manne that he was so sodainlye quyte altered and sayde amongest themselues is not this the same Saule who of late did all that euer he could assaulte theim that called vpoÌ„ this name at HierusaleÌ„ whiche name he blaseth nowe abrode and famously publisheth and nowe but of late came hyther purposely to take all suche persons yf he myght fynde any here and to bryng them faste bounde to the highe Bysshoppes there to be punished at theyr wyll and commaundement Howe cummeth this to passe that he hathe so sodaynly caste of his Iewyshe condicions and forsaken Moyses and hathe become a professoure of the crucified But Paule whome that name in veray dede than better agreed with after that he once became of a troublesome person a teacher of sobernesse and quiet libertee so litle was afrayed at suche manier sayinges of the Iewyshe that he beyng euery daye the better strengthened with spirituall coumforte confounded and muche troubled the Iewes that were dwellynge at Damasco affirmyng constauntly and prouing by the testimonies of holy scripture that Iesus of Nazareth whome he had before of ignoraunce persecuted and dyd nowe preache was the trewe Messias that was promysed to the worlde and that none other should be borne hereafter at whose handes the Iewes ought to looke for euerlastyng health ¶ And after a good whyle the Iewes tooke councel together to kyll him But their laying wayte was knowen of Saule And they watched the gaâ—es daye and nyght to kil hym Than the disciples toke him by night and put him thorowe the walle and let him downe in a basket And wheÌ„ Saule was cumme to Ierusalem he assayed to couple himselfe with the disciples but they were all afrayed of him and beleued not that he was a disciple But Barnabas tooke him and brought hym to the Apostles and declared to them how he had seene the Lorde in the waye and that he had spoken vnto him and how he had done boldely at Damasco in the name of Iesu. And he had his conuersacion with them at Ierusalem speakyng boldely in the name of the lorde Iesu. Whan Paule had taken suche an enterpryse vpon him many dayes at Damasco no litle to the disciples ioy and comforte and not without a greate rumble and murmour of those that did not than beleue the Iewes at lengthe layed their heades in councell togither to thintent that they might by lying in wayte for him slaye hym O what a nacion is this that murthereth men Paule reasoned taught and vanquished the Iewes with testimonyes of their owne lawe as it were with their owne weapons But there was nothyng els with them but conspiracies stockes prisons stripes and sondry kyndes of deathe But this had the lorde by promisse assured his welbeloued seruauntes of that they shoulde not lose no not a heare of one of their heades excepte his father suffered it The tyme was not than come for that excellente warryoure to dye in the gospelles cause he had than many battels behynde to fyght for Christes people many daungerouse perylles were to come for him to sustayne in fyght of battell many cities and countreys wer lefte for him to subdue by goddes holy worde and to call vnto Christes yoke Wherfore Paule as it was goddes wil had warnyng that the Iewes laye in wayte for him insomuche that they kept the gates day and night in watche for him that he should not away escape but that they would kil him To bring this acte to passe they had procured them ayde of the Lieftenaunt of the citie who was the debytie of king Aretas to thintent that yf theyr priuey watche had not wel proceded to theyr purpose they would neuertheles openly by force slay him The disciples than conceyuing in their myndes how that the lesse the person cared for himselfe the more was he worthy to be saued woulde not suffer so valiant a warryer in Christes worde peryshe Wherfore they hydde him and by night let hym downe by a corde of the towne walles in a basket Euen so oftentymes yea bolde and valiaunt capitaines do runne awaye to thintent that they maye accordyng to the prouerbe be able to fyght againe O what a woondre is it to see the course of thinges turned vpside down Nowe lurketh he in corners starteth away who a litle before with many sore thretnynges persecuted and now prouide they to saue Paules lyfe whome he before inuented crafty meanes to slay After this whaÌ„ he was once come to Hierusalem and would haue accoÌ„panyed with the disciples with whome the olde Saule was to well knowen Paule as thaÌ„ vnknowen al were afraied of him as the shepe of the woulfe not trustyng his woordes that he was a disciple callynge well to their remembraunce what crueltie he was wonte to expresse in persecutyng Christes flocke
ioyed that he with all hys householde beleued on God Whan the keper heard these wordes he came to himselfe againe commaūded lyght to be broughte and seyng it to be so that the thynge was not done by any crafte of man ▪ but by sum diuine power consyderyng also wyth hymselfe howe that Paule had sene in the darke what he was about to do and the cause therof went downe into the lower pryson and fel at Paules and Sylas feete And regarding not the charge that was geuen him by the officers brought them forth of pryson into a more commodiouse place sayed Maysters what must I do to be saued Hys mynde was to exchaunge helth for helth Hys entent was to saue theyr lyues and lykewyse he mynded to heare of theym howe he shoulde obteyne lyfe of his soule Than they aunswered Beleue in our lord Iesus and thou shalt be saued with all thy householde And there streyghtewayes he called theym all together and the apostles preached vnto theym the doctrine of the ghospell Thou mayest here see that no tyme ne place is vnmete to preache or to heare the ghospel For that same darke stynkyng prison was as a churche to the apostles They ceased not from syngyng hymnes thoughe it were mydnyght By preachyng the gospel in pryson a vauntage was gotten to Christe The pryson is here as a chayre to preache the gospell in And furthwith the keper beyng newly enstructed in the fayth hastened to recompense or sumwhat to rewarde his enstructour For he anone had them asyde and wasshed cleane theyr woundes The iaylour thought this to be hys duetie And he hymselfe afterwarde with all his whole householde had the woundes of theyr soules wasshed cleane awaye After this so doen he led thē into his own house where he dwelled the daye tyme and gaue them meate to refreshe theyr bodies For after baptisme nexte was the communion of the table And the keper of the pryson reioysed muche that it had bene his chaunce to haue ▪ in custodye suche prisoners wherby both he and all the house had receiued the faith These thynges were done in the night ¶ And whan it was daye the officers sente the ministers saying let those men go The keper of the prison tolde this saying to Paule The officers haue sent worde to looce you Now therfore gete you hence go in peace Than saied Paule vnto them they haue beaten vs openly vncondemned for all that we are Romaines haue caste vs into pryson now would they sende vs away pryuely Nay verily but let them cum themselfes and set vs out When the ministers tolde these wordes vnto the officers they feared whē they heard that they were Romaynes they came besought them and brought them out and desyred them to departe out of the citie Whan it was daye the officers more diligently hauinge the matter in communicacion after they had weyed it well sente the ministers to the keper commaundyng hym to let Paule and Sylas departe at their owne lybertye The keper hearyng thys tidinges beyng glad as well for his owne parte as for the apostles sakes brought this woorde to Paule that the officers had lycenced them to go at lybertie Wherfore sayth the keper seyng it hath so well chaunced go ye in goddes blessyng But Paule of an earneste mynde to make both his innocencie the better knowen and to fynde occasion also to saue many made answer vnto the messengers in this wise Forasmuche as they boaste themselues to be Cytezens of Rome by theyr lawes it is forbidden to punishe any man before he be hearde to pleade his cause and lawfully conuicted of the same this notwithstandynge they haue openly beaten vs beeyng Romaynes before we pleaded our matter or were lawfully conuicted and as though thys had been to lytle they caste vs also after that we had been sore beaten into pryson Nowe for their owne sauegarde that they maye seme to haue done nothyng but that theyr office woulde beare them in and that it maie be thoughte that we were gilty they woulde haue vs priuily to cōuey our selues hence to that intent that men myght suppose that we brake pryson and fled awaye No we wyll not so do but let them cum themselues and delyuer vs hence by the same ryght that they cast vs in The ministers told to the officers what Paule had sayed Who hearyng that they were citizens of Rome came themselues to Paul and Silas and desired them to pardone them in that they had doen agaynst the custome of the Romayne lawes beeyng compelled by the commocion of the people and bryngyng them honourablye out of the kepers house they desyred them leste the people shoulde make any busynesse to departe from theyr citie named Philippos And they went out of the pryson and entred into the house of Lydia and whan they had sene the brethren they comforted them and so departed The Apostles were contente to accomplyshe their request and whan they were out of pryson they went into the house of Lydia where they had been first hosted which Lydia with all her whole householde had before receyued the doctryne of the ghospell And whan they had seen her and the rest of the brethrē they comforted them rehearsyng vnto them what had chaunced in the nyghte whiles they were in prison exhorting them to continue in that they had begon This doen they lefte Philippos the citie and went another waye ¶ The .xvii. Chapter ¶ As they made theyr iourney through Amphipolis and Appollonia they came to Thessalonica where was a synagoge of the Iewes And Paule as his manier was wente in vnto them and three Sabboth daies declared out of the scriptures vnto them opening and alleagyng that Christ must nedes haue suffered and aryse vp agayne from death that thys Iesus was Chryst whom fayed he I preache vnto you And some of theym beleued and came and cōpanyed with Paule and Sylas and of the deuoute Grekes a great multitude and of the chiefe women not a fewe ANd passyng by Amphipolis and Apollonia both Cities of Macedonie they came to Thessalonica whiche is the chiefe and head Citie in Macedonie Where because it was a noble cytye was a Synagoge of Iewes and therfore hoped they to haue there great encrease Wherefore Paule as he customably vsed to do entred with the multytude in to the Sinagoge thre sabboth dayes reasoned he with them allegyng for his parte Prophecies out of the scriptures expoundyng the harde meanynges of figures cityng testimonies out of the lawe and conferryng these sayinges together with the actes that were past he shewed howe that it was the wyll of God that Christ should in that wyse suffre for the worlde and aryse agayne frō death to lyfe And forasmuche as all Prophecies that were spoken afore of Messias commyng all those thynges that were shadowed vnder figures did agree in Iesus of Nazareth he affyrmeth in his teachinges that the Iewes should looke for none
all countreyes and hath taught in all places a newe doctrine againste this people whiche God chose seuerally to hymselfe against our lawe also whiche we receyued of God and againste this temple whiche is had in great honour through all the whole worlde And yet is not this wycked person so contented but hathe moreouer brought with him into this our temple bothe Grekes and others that are not circumcised and hath prophaned or polluted and suspeÌ„ded this holy place For duryng the tyme that Paule had been in the citie they had dayly seen in his cumpanye one Trophimus whiche was an Ephesian borne and thereby they coniectured that Paule had brought him into the temple With this troublesome noyse all the citie was reysed and the multitude flocked together And they toke Paule and drewe hym out of the temple as a man worthy to bee delyuered into the handes of the furious rageyng people to do with hym what they woulde and forthwith the doores of the temple were shut faste vp that he myght haue no place whither he myght safely escape For they sought oportunitie that is to saye a tyme and waye conueniente to kyll him whiche thing was not lawefull for theyr religion to doe in the temple as thoughe it were not an vngodly and a wicked thing in any place els to sley an innocente As they went about to kyll hym tydinges came to the high captayne of the souldiers that al Ierusalem was moued Whiche immediatly toke souldiers and vnder captaines and ran downe vnto them whan they saw the vpper captayne the souldiers they lefte smytyng of Paul Than the captayne came nere and toke hym and commaunded him to be bound with two chaynes and demaunded what he was what he had doen. And sum cryed one thing sum another among the people And when he coulde not knowe the certayntie for the rage he commaunded him to be caried into the castell And when he came vnto a stayre it fortuned that he was borne of the souldiers for the violeÌ„ce of the people For the multitude of the people folowed after crying away with him In the meane space tidynges came to the capitaine marcial of the Romayne armye that all the citie of Ierusalem was reysed vp The captayne forthwith taking ioyning vnto hym souldiers with theyr vnder captaynes hastened to them But whan the Iewes sawe the captayne marciall hastening toward them with harnessed men they surceassed and lefte smytyng of Paule And whan the captayne was come some what nere he commaunded them to lay handes on Paule and to bynde hym with two chaynes supposyng him to bee some haynous malefactoure forasmuche as the multytude ordred hym so roughly and so sore That doen the capitayne enquyred of the Iewes what he was and what he had committed But whan he coulde haue no certayne knowlege by reason of the troublous noyse that they made on eche syde roryng and crying with a loude voyce one one thing and another another thing he commaunded that Paule shoulde bee brought into the castell bounde as he was that he myght knowe the trueth within the place of defence and of safe custody the people beyng set aparte And whan as Paul came to the stayghers of the castell he was caryed of the souldiers for feare leste the multitude shoulde violently take hym awaye For they feared leste they woulde hurte him before he coulde be conueyghed into the castell For the multitude of the people folowed euen to the very staighers of the castell crying out as high as they could awaye with him dyspatche him awaye with him And whan Paule began to be caried into the castell he sayed vnto the high captaine maye I speake vnto the Whiche sayed Canste thou speake Greke Art not thou that Egypcian whiche before these dayes madest an vprore and leddest out into the wyldernes fower thousand men that were murderers But Paule sayed I am a manne which am a Iewe of Tarsus a citie in Cilicia citizen of no vyle citie I beseche the suffer me to speake vnto the people And whan he had geuen him lycence Paule stoode on the steppes and beckened with the hande vnto the people and whan there was made a greate sylence he spake vnto them in the Hebrewe toung saying But after they came to the entry of the holde Paule beeyng desyrous to satisfye the mynde of the Iewes that made this businesse sayed to the captaine marciall maye it please you to geue me leaue to speake vnto you The marciall aunswered canst thou skill of the greke toung For Paul had spoken those woordes in Greke Art not thou saied the marciall the same Egipcian that hast made commocion before lykewyse that leaddest fower thousande murderers hence into the deserte Paule aunswered I am not he whome you take me for but I am a Iewe borne and my natyue countrey is Tarâ—us a noble citie in Cilicia But I praye you geue me lycence to speake my mynde to the people Which whaÌ„ he had permitted him Paule standyng on the steppes beckened wyth his hande and certified the people by tokens that he woulde speake vnto them And streyghtwayes sylence was made and he began to speake on this wyse in the Hebrewe tounge The .xxii. Chapter ¶ Men brethren and fathers heare ye myne aunswer which I make nowe vnto you When they heard that he spake in the Hebrewe tongue to them they kepte the more sylence And he saieth I am verayly a manne whiche am a Iewe borne in Tarsus a citie in Cilicia neuertheles yet brought vp in this citie at the feete of Bamaliel and infourmed diligently in the lawe of the fathers and was feruently mynded to godwarde as ye all are this same daye and persecuted this waye vnto death byndyng and deliueryng into pryson both men and women as the chiefe prieste doeth beare me wytnes and all the esstate of the elders of whom also I receyued letters vnto the brethren and wente to Damasco to bryng them whiche were there bound vnto Ierusalem for to be punished YE menne whiche be here present partely by lynage brethreÌ„ and partely for your auncient yeares dignitie fathers gyue eare to me whiles that I purge my selfe of those thinges wherof I am falsely accused vnto you WhaÌ„ Paul had spokeÌ„ these wordes in manier of a preamble the multitude heatinge him speake Hebrewe made the more silence whither it were because that euery man vnderstoode this language or els because the al men beare more fauour to their owne countrey speache theÌ„ to any other Than did Paul procede and goe furth in his tale in this wyse To the entent that ye maye perceyue me to haue committed nothing blasphemously eyther againste this Iudaicall people or againste Moyses lawe or els against the temple I am a Iewe borne my father and my mother both Iewes and borne I was at Tarsus a citie in Cilicia But brought vp was I in this citie at the feete of a man that ye all knewe well inough
whose name was Gamaliel and euen from my chyldehoode was I diligently instructed in the lawe of my countrey earnestly bent to the honouring of the true God in suche sorte as ye do to this presente tyme insomuche that I for the affeccion that I bare to the lawe dyd persecute this doctrine of the ghospell whiche I nowe professe pursuyng suche as professed thesame not to pryson and bandes onely but also to death entendyng nothyng els then persecucion with sore threatnynges and sondry kyndes of death againste the professours of the ghospell byndyng and castyng into pryson bothe man and woman that stycked to the sayed doctrine And that I tell nothinge otherwyse then trueth he can beare me wytnesse whiche was than the high priest and all the other auncientes with him from whom I receyued letters and tooke my iourney towardes Damasco that I myght bryng theÌ„ prysoners from thence to Hierusalem whiche proâ—essed Christes name to the entente that they myght be punyshed accordyng to the dyscrecion of the priestes and elders ¶ And it fortuned as I made my iourney and was come nygh vnto Damasco about none sodaynly there shone from heauen a great lyght rounde about me and I tell vnto the yerth and I heard a voyce saying vnto me Saule Saule why persecutest thou me And I aunswered what art thou Lord And he saied vnto me I am Iesus of Nazareth whome thou persecutest And they that were with me sawe veryly a lyght and were afrayed but they heard not the voyce of hym that spake with me And I sayed what shall I do Lord And the Lord sayed vnto me aryse and go into Damasco and there it shall be tolde the of all thinges whiche are appoynted for the to doe And when I sawe nothyng for the bryghtnesse of the lyght I was led by the hande of them that were with me â–ª and came into Damasco And one Ananias a perfecte manne and as pertaynyng to the lawe hauing good reporte of all the Iewes whiche dwelt there came vnto me and stoode and sayed vnto me Brother Saule receyue thy sighte And the same houre I receyued my syght and sawe him And he sayed the God of our fathers hath ordeyned the before that thou shouldest know his wil and shouldest here the voyce of his mouth for thou shalt be his witnesse vnto all men of those thinges whiche thou hast seen and heard And nowe why tariest thou Aryse and be baptised and washe awaye thy synnes in callyng on the name of the Lorde This mynde dyd I than beare them for none other cause then for the affeccion that I had to the lawe and to our relygion whiche I had receyued of my forefathers whiche thing is the occasion that ye nowe at this presente are so muche against me Nowe wyll I tell you by what occasion I chaunged my mynde whiche whan ye shall perceyue perchaunce ye also wyll turne your myndes For it chaunced whan as I went thyther and was almoste at Damasco aboute high noone sodaynlye a great lyght compassed me about from heauen wherewyth stricken I was and I fell downe to the grounde and hearde a voyce speake vnto me from heauen saying Saule Saule why doest thou persecute me Unto whome whan I had made aunswer What art thou lorde the voice saied againe I am Iesus of Nazareth whom thou pursuest But my companions that were with me sawe the light and were sore afrayed as for the voyce that spake vnto me they hearde it not Than sayed I Lorde what is thy wyll that I shoulde doe The lorde made aunswer againe in this wyse Aryse and go to Damasco There shall eche thynge that thou must doe be tolde thee And where myne iyes were so daseled with the brightnes of that lyght that I coulde see nothyng at all my felowes led me by the hande vntyll I came to Damasco There mette I with a good man and one that for his vpryght walkyng in the lawe was also Godly named Ananias of whome all the Iewes that dwelt than at Damasco reported well This Ananias standyng by me sayed thus Brother Saule receyue thy syght againe And I forthwith receyued my syght and sawe him Than sayed he The God of our fathers hath chosen and ordeyned the for this ende that thou shouldest knowe his wyll and that thou shouldest see him that is onely iuste whiche iustifyeth all thynge and that thou shouldest heare the voyce of his mouthe For Iesus was in the same lyghte that daseled thyne iyes and it was his voyce that thou dyddest here forbecause thou shalte bee a wytnes vnto him before all menne of those thinges whiche thou hast seene and hearde and now seeing this is the wyll of god wherefore doest thou stay Aryse and be christened and washe awaye thy synnes callyng vnto his name whom thou before hast persecuted ¶ And it fortuned that when I was come agayne to Hierusalem and prayed in the temple I was in a traunce saw him saying vnto me Make haste and get the quickely out of Hierusalem for they wil not receyue thy witnes that thou be arest of me And I sayed Lord they knowe that I prysoned and bet in euery Synagoge them that beleued on thee And when the bloud of thy witnes Steuen washed I also stode by and coÌ„sented vnto his death and kept the tayment of them that slewe hym And he sayed vnto me departe for I wyll sende thee a farre hence vnto the Gentyles These thynges doen at Damasco when as I within shorte space after had returned vnto Ierusalem beeyng than a newe man and was praying in the temple rauished I was besydes my selfe and Iesus I sawe whiche sayed vnto me Make haste and get the spedely out of Hierusalem for here wyl they not receyue thy testimony of me Than aunswered I in this wyse Lorde I haue a good hope that I shall doe good amonge this people forasmuche as themselues knowe that I for fauoure that I dyd beare vnto the law cruelly handled thy disciples halyng into pryson as many as I coulde take whyppyng them in all congregacions that gaue credence vnto thy gospell And yet was I not satisfyed with this doyng But whan the bloude of Steuen was shed whiche by his death bare faithfull witnes of the and with great boldnes and constancie I also was by whan they stoned hym consented to the death of the innocent man insomuche thaÌ„ I kepte their garmentes whiche brought hym to the place of execucion and that fyrst began to cast stones at him And seyng that euery man may well vnderstande by this howe muche affeccionate I was once towardes the lawe they may now ryghte well perceyue that I chaunged not myne intent without great causes many shall be founde that wyll so muche the more gladly folowe myne ensample the more they shall see that my zeale was towardes this olde religion for loue whereof I the more cruelly persecuted thyne Whan I had this sayed the Lorde aunswered Goe I say and
young man vnto the high captayne for he hath a certaine thing to shew him And he toke hym and brought him to the high captaine and sayed Paul the prisoner called me vnto him and prayed me to bring this young man vnto the which hath a certaine matter to shewe the. The hygh captayne toke him by the hande and wente with him out of the waye and asked him what is it that thou hast to tell me And he sayed the Iewes are determined to desire the that thou wouldest bring forth Paule to morowe into the counsel as though they would enquire sumwhat of him more perfectely But folow not thou their myndes for there lye in wayte for him of them moe then fowerty men which haue bound them selues with a vowe that they wil neither eate nor drynke tyll they haue killed hym And nowe are they ready and loke that thou shouldest promyse The vpper captayne then let the young man departe and charged hym saying see thou tell it out to no man that thou hast shewed these thinges to me Whiche craftye trayne of so deadly daungier after that a certaine young manne neuewe vnto Paule by his sisters syde had perceyued he thought the matter woulde not be slepte but forthwith entred into the castell and vttred vnto Paule the daungier that was at hande Whan Paul knew of this he called one of the vnder captaynes vnto hym and sayed Bryng this younge man vnto the marciall for a certaine matter he hath to dysclose to hym Than the Captayne toke the young manne as he was desired to doe and led hym to the marciall and sayd That same felowe Paule which is in holde desired me to bryng this young man vnto you and saied that he had a certaine matter whiche he desyred to talke with you of Than the marciall toke the young man by the hande and wente asyde with him and asked What is the matter that thou wouldest speake with me He aunswered The Iewes haue conspired the death of Paule and haue thus agrred among themelues that they wyll entreate you to bryng Paule againe before the councell to morowe vnder the pretence that they wyll more dilygently make enquirie of hym forasmuche as yesterday they coulde not well saye al that they woulde haue sayed vnto hym But they entende an other matter Wherefore ye had nede to take hede that ye do not vnawares graunt them their desyres For they haue layed theyr heades together and do vtterly purpose to destroy Paule yea there be aboue fowerty that haue cursed themselues depely yf they eyther eate or drinke before they haue slaine him And euen nowe are they ready to commit this mischiefe and loke but for an aunswer of you Whan the marciall had heard this he let the young man departe chargeyng him that he shoulde tell no man that he had vttered this matter vnto the marciall For he was desyrous to saue Paules lyfe but yet so that he myght auoyde the yll wyll of the Iewes ¶ And he called vnto him two petâ—e Captaynes saying make redye two hundred souldiers to goe to Cesarea and horsemen three score and ten and speare men two hundred at the thirde houre of the nighte And delyuer them beasles that they may set Paule on and bring him safe vnto Felix the high deputie and he wrote a letter after this maner Claudius Lisias vnto the moste mighty ruler Felix sendeth gretinges This manne was taken of the Iewes and shoulde haue been kylled of them Then came I with souldiers and rescued him and perceyued that he was a Romayne And when I would haue knowen the cause wherefore they accused hym I brought him foorth before the counsel There perceiued I that he was accused of questions of the lawe But was not giltye of any thing woorthy of deathe or of bandes And whan it was shewed me howe that the Iewes layed waâ—â—e there for him I sent him streyghte waies to the and gaue commaundemeÌ„t to his accusers that the thinges which they haue against him they should tel before the fare well Wherefore he called two of his petie Captaynes vnto hym and sayed Make ye readye of souldiers two hundreth foote men and three skore and ten horsemen and two hundreth speare men that may go to Cesarea soone vpon the thirde houre of the nyght prouyde also horses that ye maye carry Paule safe to the presydent Felyx the cause of the marcyalles so preste dilygence was not for this onely cause and purpose to saue a mannes lyfe for he was not a man of any suche conscience but his desyre was to be dyspatched of Paul whome he neyther coulde defende or maynteyne against the sette malice of the whole counsell nor yet durst commit him beyng a citizen of Rome vnto their furiouse handes And therfore commaunded he that he shoulde be had forth away by nyght with a great bende of men fearynge leste that yf he had gone in the daye or with a small company the Iewes woulde haue taken him away in his iourney and kylled him and than the faulte should haue lyen on his necke because it woulde haue been thought that he had betrayed a citizen of Rome And he sente also a lettre vnto Felix the tenour wherof foloweth Claudius Lysias vnto the moste woorthye president Felix gretyng The Iewes had layed handes on this man and would haue â—laine him vnlesse I vpon knowledge that he was a citizen of Rome had cummen with a bende of men and taken him from them â–ª And forasmuche as I was desyrous to knowe the cause wherfore they accused him I brought him before their owne councell Whome I founde to be cleâ—e without faulte eyther worthy death or els wherfore he had deserued to be emprysoned sauyng that certayne questions of the Iewes lawe were layed to his charge but nothinge els As soone as I was certifyed that the Iewes had appoynted to lye in wayte for him I sente him forthwith vnto you admonyshynge the Iewes withall whiche bee his accusers that yf they haue any thing to laye to his charge they shoulde take theyr iourney to plead their matter before you And thus fare ye well ¶ Then the souldiers as it was commaunded them tooke Paule and brought him by night to Antipatras On the morowe they left their horsemen to go with him returned vnto the castell Whiche whan they came vnto Cesarea and deliuered the epistle to the deputie presented Paul before him WhaÌ„ the deputie had red the letters he asked of what countrey he was And when he vnderstoode that he was of Cilicia I wil heare the saied he whan thyne accusars are come also and he commaunded hym to be kept in Herodes iudgement hall Than the souldiers accordyng as they were commaunded of the marcial beyng charged with Paule brought him by night to Antipatras the citie The nexte daye for asmuche as Cesaâ—ea was not ferre of and they supposed then that there was no great daungier to be feared the footemen returned to Hierusalem into the castell
But as soone as Paul perceyued the vyper styng him he cast her of into the fier and had no hurte at all But the people that looked on him supposed it would cum to passe that the poison would get through yâ— vaines and that his body would strayght waye burne and swell or that he woulde sodaynly fall downe dead the strength of the poyson percyng furthwyth to the hearte And whan they had marked a greate whyle to see what woulde becum of Paule and sawe that he had no hurte by the stynging of the vyper with like lyghtnesse they eftfones chaunged their mynde and saied that he was a God For the inhabitours of Melite had not yet hearde the fame of Iesus whiche gaue this to al them that professed his name that no strength of poyson wer it neuer so extreme or deadly myght hurt them In the same quarters wer landes of the chief man of yâ— Yle whose name was Publius which receyued vs lodged vs thre dayes courteously And it fortuned that yâ— father of this Publius lay sycke of a feuer a blouddye â—â—ix To whoÌ„ Paul entred in prayed laye his handes on him healed him So whan this was doen others also whiche had diseases in the Yle came wer healed which also did vs great honour And whaÌ„ we departed they laded vs with suche thynges as were necessary And nere besydes the shore where we arryued laye a lordshippe belonging to the chief man of the Yle named Publius who receyued vs into his house and for the space of thre dayes entertayned vs very gentilly The same tyme Publius father was sicke of an agewe and of a blouddye flixe so sore that he kepte his bedde This Paule hauyng in mynde the commaundement of his mayster â–ª came in to the dyseased person and whan he had made hys prayers to God he layed his handes on hym and healed hym Whiche thyng after it was bruted abrode ouer all the land others lykewyse that wer sycke came vnto Paule and were healed Wherefore they as long as we continued there shewed vs muche gentilnes and whan we made readye our selues to departe they brought into our shyppe all maner necessaries After three monethes we departed in a shyp of AlexaÌ„dria which had wintred in the yle whose badge was Castor Pollur And whaÌ„ we came to Syracusa we taried there thre daies And froÌ„ thence we fette a coumpace came to Rhegium And one daye after the south wind blew we came the nexte day to Puteoli where we founde brethren were desired to cary with theÌ„ seuen dayes so came we to Rome And froÌ„ thence whaÌ„ the brethreÌ„ heard of vs thei came to mete vs at Appii forum at the three rauernes WhaÌ„ Paul saw theÌ„ he thanked God wexed bolde And whaÌ„ we came to Rome yâ— vnder capitayne delyuered the priesoners to the chiefe capitayne of the host but Paul was suffered to dwell by hym selfe with a souldier that kept hym And so whaÌ„ we had continued three monethes in the Ylande we gotte an other shyp of Alexandria that al the winter had harboured in Melite The baner of it had paynted on it Castor and Pollux for theyr badge whome the Grecians doe call Dioscuros and suppose that they prosper those the sayle on the sea whan they appeare sitting ioyntlye together the one by the other on the crosse pyece whereunto the sayle is fastened Whan we had entred into the shippe we leused from Melite And after that we arriued at Syracusa a citie of Sicilie harde vpon the sea we taryed there three dayes Than leused we from Syracusa shoring about by the coastes of Sicilie we came to Rhegium a citie in the borders of Italy situate and liyng wythin the territory that belongeth to the Brutians From thence is but a smale iourney to Sicilie For on that syde bothe Sicilie and Italy sumtime ioyned together vntyll suche tyme that the vyolence of the sea dyuyded the one countrey from the other breakyng in betwyxte them no more but a myle an halfe for which cause the GreciaÌ„s called it Rhegium From thence a day after it chaunced vs to haue a good wynde that is to saye a sowthwinde so we sailed to a toune called Puteoli Where we mette with christen men which desired vs to tary there with them for a certain space Wherfore we satisfyed their request and remayned there seuen dayes thence we wente streyght to Rome And forasmuch as the brethren that wer at Rome had heard that we wer cummyng thyther for the name of Paul was very wel knowen among al the christen men that were than at Rome by reason that he had wrytten afore the time an epistle vnto them certayne of them came forth of the citie to a place that is there called Appii forum and to a certain place called the three rauernes to mete vs. And whan Paul sawe theÌ„ he was muche coumforted perceiuyng that there also were sum that hertily fauoured the gospel and geuyng god thankes he toke a bolde hert with him and hoped wel And whan we were cum to Rome the vnder captaine deliuered the others that wer in boÌ„des vnto the chiefe captayne of the army there But Paul had libertie to abid and remayne at his libertie sauyng onely that he had one souldier to kepe him And after three dayes Paul called yâ— chiefe of the Iewes together And whan they were come he sayd vnto theÌ„ Men brethren though I haue coÌ„mitted nothing agaynst yâ— people or lawes of the Elders yet was I delyuered prisoner froÌ„ IerusaleÌ„ into the handes of the Romaynes Which wheÌ„ they had examined me would haue let me goe because there was no cause of death in me But whaÌ„ the Iewes spake contrarye I was constrained to appeale vnto Cesar not because I haue ought to accuse my people of For this cause haue I called for you eueÌ„ to see you to speke with you because that for the hope of Israell I am bounde with this theyne And forasmuche as he was brought to Rome in bandes wyth others lest anyâ— of the Iewes shoulde suppose that he was thus serued for sum trespace after the thyrde day he called together all the heades of the Iewes the were abydyng at Rome and spake vnto them in this wyse Brethren sayeth he whereas I haue commytted nothyng agaynste my countreymen or els against the tradicions of our forefathers beyng cast in bandes at Hierusalem I was deliuered into the handes of the Romaines who brought me into Cesarea before the president Felix afterwardes before Festus Which after they had examyned my matter would haue quitte me for asmuche as eueÌ„ as they themselues graunted they founde nothyng in me worthy death But whan the Iewes maliciously renouÌ„ced and cried agaynste me I was compelled to appeale to Cesar not because that I am offended wyth my countreymen for this matter or that I intende in lyke maner to accuse them of anye thynge before