ryght For Chryst at the last iudgemeÌ„t wyll not aske the howe moche thou haste fasted prayed gone pylgrymages or done this or that for thy selfe But howe moch good thou hast done to other / yea that were poore And without doubt there be mo poore meÌ„ oppressyd with synne / spirytuall pouertie Spirytuall pouertie pryson and nede than with bodely trouble And therfore take hede to thy selfe / for oure chosen workê and peculyar purposes do bryng vs aboue our selfes / so that we onely seke for our owne profyte and welthe But the coÌ„maundementes of god / compelle vs to oure neyghbours / to serue for theyr welthe onely / by the example of Christ vpon the crosse prayenge not onely for hym selfe / but for vs / sayenge father forgyue theÌ„ / for they wot not what they do So must we one praye for another Of this euery man maye knowe howe froward and wycked this people is / which backebyte iudge rasshelye / do none other but dyspyse theÌ„ for whome they ought to praye / in the whiche vyce no man stycketh so deapelye / as they that wery theym selfes in these peculyer and chosen workes / whiche appere moche shynynge and beautefull before men for theyr goodlye and outwarde lyfe with theyr manyfolde good workes The saboth day AFter the spirytuall sence / this coÌ„mauÌ„dement hath a more excellente worke / coÌ„taynynge the hole nature of man Saboth in Hebrewe signyfyeth / holye rest and quyetnesse Here therfore must be knowen / that the Saboth day after the Hebrewe tonge / sygnifyeth holy or reste / bycause that god rested and ceased the seuenth day from all his workes / whiche he create the syxe dayes before Genesis the secoÌ„de chapytre Therfore god coÌ„mauÌ„ded that we shulde sanctifye the saboth daye / and cease from all our workes / whiche we worke the syxe dayes This saboth daye is nowe chauÌ„ged into the sonday / and thother dayes be called prophane or workedayes But the sonday is called the day of quyetnesse or rest or the holy daye And I wolde to god that there were no holy day iÌ„ chrystendome but the sonday / so that the feastê of our lady and al other sayntes were chaunged into the sonday / for so shulde moche vyce be exchued lefte throughe the workedayes / and the countreys shulde not be so oppressed with penury But nowe we be so laden with the multytude of holydayes / that it is dystruccyon / bothe of soules body and goodes / of the whiche many thyngê myght be spoken Furthermore this rest from workes is two maner of wayes / There ben two maner of sabotes bodely and spirytually / so this commauÌ„dement is here vnderstaÌ„de / two maner of wayes / for the bodely saboth day or rest / The bodely saboth is of the whiche / we haue spoken before / as the ceasynge fro our crafte or labour / in tyme conuenyent to se masse / to here the worde of god / and to praye all togyther for the coÌ„mon welthe of all men / the whiche bodely saboth day is not coÌ„maunded to chrysten men / in so moche that the apostell to the Collossyans the .ii. chapytre sayeth Lette no man therfore trouble your conscyence about meate or drynke / or for an pease of an holy day as the holy daye of the newe moone / or of the sabothe daye / whiche are nothynge but shadowes of thynges to come / but the body is Chryste Nowe verely the truthe is fulfylled / so that euery daye is holy daye / as Esaye sayeth the. 6.6 chapytre And the moneth shall be of the moneth / and the saboth daye / of the saboth daye And agayne all dayes be prophane and workedayes But yet this saboth daye is necessarye and ordayned of chrysten people / for the prophane and lay men / for craftes men / labourers and hyred seruauÌ„tes / that they may come togyther / to here the worde of god / for as we se / the preestes and monkes dayly sacryfyce and saye masse / pray euery houre / and exercyse them selfe in the worde of god / by studyeng readyng or hearyng For the which cause they be without labour in comparyson to other / theyr rentes pensyons increased and prouyded for / hauynge dayly holydayes dayly doynge the workê of the holydayes / without all worke dayes / to whome all dayes be indyfferent So yf we were all perfyte knewe the gospell / we myght dayly ayther worke labour / or yf we wolde rest and kepe holy day yf we myghte / for the saboth daye is not nowe necessary nor coÌ„maunded / but to lerne the worde of god to praye The spirytuall saboth which ought to be halowed euery day THe spirytuall holy day whiche god hathe specyally coÌ„maunded in this coÌ„mauÌ„dement is / that not onely we labour not and leaue our occupacyon / but moche more that we suffre god onely to worke in vs / workynge nothyng of our owne in all our power / but howe shulde that be Thus it is man corrupte with synne / hathe moche euyll loue desyre to al synnes / as the scrypture sayth Genesis the .viii. cha All the thoughte of maÌ„nes herte is gyuen to euyll at all tymes / that is to pryde dysobedyence The spirytuall saboth is to reste ceasse froÌ„ all the workes of our olde Adam to mortefye thapetytes of our corrupte nature and to put on Iesu Chryst and all his workes yre hate couetyse vnclennes And to be short in all thynges that he dothe or leaueth vndone He seaketh more his owne profyte and pleasure / than the glorye of god or his neyghbour / so that al his workes all his thoughtes all his lyfe / is yll and not godly Therfore to the ende that god may worke in hym / all these vyces malyces muste be dystroyed and plucked vp / that here may sprynge the rest and ceasyng of our workes thoughtes wordes lyfe that hereafter not we / but as saynt Paule sayeth to the Galatianes the fyrst chapytre Chryst may worke lyue and speake in vs. But this is not done with pleasauÌ„t dayes / but we must do vyolence to nature and suffre / the vyolence be done vnto it / for here begynneth the batayle betwene the spiryte the flesshe / here the spiryte wrasteleth agaynste yre / voluptuousnes pryde / the flesshe wyllynge to flowe full of pleasure honoure ydelnes reste / of the whiche speaketh saynt Paule to the Galatianes / the .v. chapy They that be of Chryst hathe crucyfyed theyr flesshe with appetytes and lustes Out of this saboth therfore folowe good workes / to faste to watche to pray to labour / of the which many men speake wryte so moch yet they knowe nother the begynnnge nor ende of them The spirytuall saboth is kepte two maner of wayes And therfore at this tyme we shall speake of theym This holy day whiche god worketh in vs whan oure workes
saynt Paule sayenge / that what soeuer is not of fayth / is synne For of fayth and of none other worke / we be ornate by this name / that we be called chrystyanes / as of the chefe worke For as for all other workes / euery hethen Iewe turke and synÌ„er may do them But to trust byleue stedfastely that oure workes please god / is not possyble / but to a chrystyan illustrate stablisshed by the grace of god But suche teachynge as this is very scante And therfore I am accused to be an heretyke / the cause wherof is that men folowynge blynde reason gentylles doctryne / haue put faythe not aboue but nyghe vnto other vertues / attrybutynge vnto it a peculyer and propre worke separated from all other workes of other vertues NotwithstaÌ„dyng that faythe onely doth make all other workes good acceptable worthy in that / that it trusteth in god Ones agayne remembre that this faythe muste be buylded vpon the word of god forget it no more for so meaneth thauctor doubteth not / but what so euer a man dothe / it is well done in the syght of god ye they haue not suffered faythe to remayne as a worke / but after theyr maner of speakynge haue made it a vayne qualytie / all though all holy scrypture do attrybute / the name of godly goodnes to faythe onely no worke elles Wherfore it is no meruayle that they theym selfes be made blynde and the leaders of the blynde For as this faythe dothe brynge with her charyte peace so doth she ioye and hope / for who so euer byleueth trusteth iÌ„ god / to hym strayght waye god gyueth the holy ghost / wytnesse saynte Paule to the Galatiens sayenge Ye haue receyued the spyryte not by youre good workes / but bycause ye haue byleued the worde of god IN this faythe al workes be made lyke and equall / and one as good as another In this faythe also falleth away all dyfference of workes For without faythe it is impossyble to please god as sayeth Paule the xi chapyter to the Hebrewes whether they be great or lytell longe or shorte many or fewe / for the workes be pleasaunt to god not for them selfes but for faythes sake / whiche onely and specyally and without any dyffereÌ„ce worketh quyckeneth and maketh acceptable all and synguler workes howe many and sondrye so euer they be / none otherwayes than as all the membres of a mannes body lyue worke haue theyr name by the goodnes and vertue of the heade And without the heade no membre can lyue worke or haue the name of a lyuyng membre / of the whiche thynge it foloweth more largelye / that a chrystyan lyuyng in this faythe hath no nede of a techer of good workes / but to do all thyng that commeth to his hande And all thynges be well done / as holye Samuel said vnto Saule / thou shalte be chaunged into another man whan the spyryte of the lorde shal come into the / than do what soeuer coÌ„meth to thy hande / god is with the. So rede we of holy Anne Samuels mother / whan she byleued Hely the preest promysynge her the fauour of god / she wente home mery and pacyfyed neyther after that chauÌ„ged her countenaunce that is to say all thyngê were afterwardes vnto her one equall what soeuer fortuned vnto her Also saynte Paule sayde all thynges be free there as the spiryte of god is / for fayth suffereth not her selfe to be bounde to any workes / nor agayne any workes to be taken from her / but euen as it is wryten in the fyrste Psalme / she gyueth her frute in due season / that is howe so euer it commeth or chaunseth WHiche thynge we may se by a grosse and carnall example after that a man or woman hath coÌ„ceyued a moche specyall loue a synguler mynde and fauoure one of thother and stedfastly by leueth the same / who shall than teache them howe to behaue theÌ„ selfe one to thother / or what they ought to do to leaue vndone to saye / to kepe close or to thynke for this onely specyall truste / that one hathe in thother / teacheth them al thynges and more than is necessarye And than there is no dyfference in workes / but eyther of theym dothe great workes longe workes many workes as gladly as small workes shorte workes or fewe workes And that with a mery pacyfyed and quyete herte and vtterlye of a fre mynde / but after that there is any doubte than ryse growe in the mynde dyuers ymagynacyons what shall be best to do And yf it be the man than he begynneth to appoynt hym selfe with the dyfference of workes wherby he may obtayne fauour yet euen thaÌ„ he coÌ„meth almost lyke a prysoner with a heuy herte great trouble more than halfe loste and desperate / and ofte tymes amoÌ„ges these thyngê playeth the foole So a christen man lyuynge in this hope and truste towardes god / knoweth all thinges may do all thynges / goeth about to do all thynges and he dothe all thynges merely frelye / not to heape and gather togyther many merytes and good workes / but that it is delyte and pleasure to hym so to please god well and purely and frely to serue god / beynge contente with this onely thynge that he pleaseth god And of the contrarye partye he agreeth not / nor is at one with god by faythe / whiche doubteth of hym / whiche seaketh and busely careth howe he wolde satisfye and moue god by many workes / and than he ronneth to saynt Iames to Rome to Iherusalem / hyther and thyther this waye and that waye / sayeth saynt Brigettes prayers / sayeth this and sayeth that / he fasteth this day and that day / he confesseth hym here he coÌ„fesseth hym there / he asketh this man that man / yet in all this tyme he fyndeth no reste nor quyetenes / doynge all these thynges with great payne doutfulnes indygnacyon and sorowe of his herte / in so moch that scrypture calleth these good workê in the Hebrew tonge / Aueu Amall Whiche we call in oure tonge werynesse and labour Howe be it truely they be not good workes / but all loste voyde vayne whiche ben done in suche doubte dotage Wherfore many men otherwhyles haue so doted in these / that for sorowe they haue fallen in to many troubles / of whom it is sayd / we be werye in the waye of iniquytie and perdycyon Sap. 5. we haue walked harde wayes / but the waye of the lorde we haue not knowen and the sonne of ryghtwysenes hath not shyned to vs. BYcause that faythe yet nowe and then appeareth in oure workes ryght smale feble weake / let vs aske moreouer them / that be oppressyd with any trouble aduersytie / eyther of body or of goodes or of honour or of frendes or of any other thyngê that they haue
shulde be intreated For folysshe women stycke so to fastynges that they wyll rather put bothe theyr byrthe theym selfes in ieoperdye / than they shulde not fast equally togyther with other meÌ„ / hauyng conscyence there where is none / and agayne there as is conscyence hauynge none The cause of the which thyng be prechers / prechynge fastynges so rasshelye folysshelye / that they shewe neuer the truthe / vse maner profyte cause or ende of it So we shulde suffre the sycke to eate and drynke daylye what soeuer they wyll And to be shorte whan the fearsnesse of the flesshe ceaseth by and by / ceaseth all the cause of fastynge watchynge labourynge eatyng this meate or that nother is there / any other coÌ„mauÌ„dement that coÌ„pellyth or byndeth vs to faste And of the other syde we must take hede leaste by this lybertie / there grow a vnlusty slouthfulnesse of the flesshe Truth it is that our olde Adam is passyng subtyll in sekynge his owne ease and pleasure pretendynge euer this dysease or that dysease to auoyde fastynge as the ache of the heade weakenesse of body with such lyke As there be some / bablynge that it is not necessarye / that we shuld faste and absteyne wyllynge that we shulde eate this or that without any feare at all tymes / as thoughe they had ben longe / and moche exercysed in fastynge / and yet truely they neuer tasted it And no lesse we ought to auoyde sclaunders before them / whiche be not instructe and wyse ynoughe / but take it for a great synne yf we do not bothe fast and eate togyther with theym after theyr maner and custome And in dede suche men shulde be instructe and taught swetely and not dispysed cruellye / nor we shulde eate this or that for the dysdayne or hate of them / but we muste shewe a reason / why this may be well laufull ye done / so they also by a lytell lytell may be broughte vnto the same vnderstandyng But yf they be so stubbornely frowarde that they wyll here no man Than let them alone let vs do that that we knowe to be good and ryght THe latter exercyse whiche happeneth vnto vs is whaÌ„ we be hurte other by meÌ„ or by the deuyll whaÌ„ we be spoyled other of goodes or ryches whan the body is sycke / whan honour is taken from vs / and what seeuer moueth vs to impacyency wrathe and vnquyetnesse For as the worke of god ruleth in vs after his wysdome and not after our owne reason after his clennes / and not after the fyersnes of our flesshe For charyte wysdome be the workes of god / but folysshenesse and vnclennesse be oure workes from the whiche we muste absteyne / so he oughte to rule in vs after his peace and not after our yre impacyence and warre For peace also is the worke of god / but impacyency is that worke of our flesshe which must be left mortyfyed Wherfore to mortyfye suche our workes and the olde Adam / god layeth vpon our neckes many aduersyties / mouynge vs to wrathe / many passyons prouokynge vs to impacyence / and at last dethe sclauÌ„der of the worlde / sekynge no other thynge by this meanes but that yre impacyence and warre dryuen out of vs he might come to his worke that is to saye / to peace in vs. So sayeth Esaye the xxviii chapytre His worke is strauÌ„ge that he may worke his worke that is to say / he sendeth vs passyons warre and debate that he may lerne vs to haue pacyence peace He coÌ„maundeth to dye that he may quycken / vntyll a man be so exercysed so pacyfyed and so quyete / that he be nothynge moued in prosperytie nor in aduersytie whether he lyue or dye / whether he be honoured or sclaunderyd / than there worketh god onely / thanne is there no mans worke / than this shall be called the trewe sabothe day / thaÌ„ a maÌ„ is not led of hym selfe / than he foloweth not his owne wyll than is he troubled in no thynge / but god his selfe guydeth hym Than there is playnly the wyll of god peace myrthe with all other good workes and vertues GOd settyth so moche by these workes / that he commaunded not onely the saboth to be obserued and called saboth day / but that it shulde be sanctifyed or iudged holy / so shewyng that there is nothing better nothyng more precyous / than to suffre al troublous For they be the relyques the holy thynges that consecrate or holowe a man froÌ„ his owne workes / to the workes of god / as the temple is consecrate from all naturall workes to the worshyppe of god And therfore let a man knowlege theÌ„ as worshypfull relyques / ioynynge and gyuyng thankes to god yf they come For whaÌ„ they come / they so sanctifye a man that he doth the coÌ„maundent of god / and is made safe deâ—yuerde froÌ„ all his synnes so sayth Dauyd / the dethe of his sayntes is precious in the syght of the lorde And to the ende that god myghte bolden quickenvs to these thynges / he hath not onely coÌ„maunded vs the kepynge of the saboth day for it is greatly agaynst nature to dye to suffre to rest be deade from her owne workes But also he coÌ„forteth vs by manyfolde wordes in scrypture / sayenge to vs the .89 psalme I shall be present with hym in trybulacion I shal defende hym indue hym with dygnytie Also the .xxxiii. psalme full nyghe is the lorde to men broken iÌ„ the hert / he saueth the contryte in spiryte / nor he was content with this / but he hathe gyuen vs a myghty and stronge example / his onely sone Iesus our lorde / whiche all the hole sabothe daye lay voyde without al his workes / as ê‘taynyng to the manhode / fyrste of all men fulfylled his coÌ„mauÌ„dment / for no nede of hym selfe but onely for our comforte / that we in all our sufferynges / yea euyn in dethe / myght be quyete and at reste / hauynge peace lokynge vpon Chryste / reased vp agayne after his reste and sabothe daye / daye thensforth lyuyng in onely god and god in hym And so we after the mortyfyenge of oure Adam / whiche shall not be fully vntyll the honour of dethe shall be raysed vp in god / that god may worke and lyue in vs for euermore Lo these be the thre partes of man / reason pleasure and heuynesse / in the whiche all his workes go forth / which must be mortyfyed by these thre exercysyngê / the rule or gouernyng of god / our chasty synges and outwarde hurtes / that so we kepynge a sabothe day spirytuall may gyue pla / ce to the workes of god BVt suche workes sufferyngê must be done in faythe and good truste of goddes loue / A recapulacyon of all that is gone before whiche coÌ„cerneth the fyrste table of coÌ„maundementes that all workes
may abyde in the fyrst coÌ„mauÌ„dement and fayth as is sayd before / and the faythe maye exercyse strength her selfe in them / for the which thyng be all the other workes coÌ„maundementes ordeyned Marke therfore howe goodlye a golde rynge is made / of these thre coÌ„maundementes / and theyr workes / and how out of the fyrst coÌ„maundement and faythe ronneth the seconde in to the thyrde / and agayne the thyrde by the seconde / entreth in to the fyrst / for the fyrst worke is to beleue and haue a good herte and truste in god / out of this spryngeth the seconde good worke / whiche is to prayse the name of god to confesse his grace and to ascrybe gyue all glorye to hym onely Than after foloweth the thyrde worke / that is the worshype or seruyce of god / to exercyse thy selfe in prayer / in hearyng of sermondes in remembryng the benefytes of god Also to chastyse hym selfe to tame his flesshe The deuyll therfore seynge such faythe glorye and worshype of goo / waxeth madde begynnyng ê‘secucyon comynge vpoÌ„ our body goodê honour lyfe / putteth vnto vs syckenes sclauÌ„der deth / god so sufferyng ordeynyng hym Lo than beginneth the ii worke or .ii. saboth day of the iii. coÌ„mauÌ„dement / wherby fayth is meruaylouslye proued euyn as golde in a fornayse For it is a great thyng to kepe good trust to god / yea whaÌ„ he sendeth deth sclauÌ„der syckenes pouertie yet neuerthelesse in such a fearefull Image of deth to couÌ„t hym for a most meke gentyl father / the which thynge must be in the worke of this thyrde coÌ„maundement / where sufferyng coÌ„pelieth faythe to call vpon the name of god to prayse hym in such sufferynges / so agayne turneth the thyrde coÌ„mauÌ„dement in to the secoÌ„de And by the praysyng and callyng vpon the name of god ryseth fayth / coÌ„myng agayne in to her selfe / stablysshyng her felfe by two workes of the seconde thyrde coÌ„mauÌ„dement / so faythe goeth out in to workes and by workes commeth agayne to her selfe Lyke as the sonne rysynge iÌ„ the East goeth to the Weest / after that retouryng agayne to the Easte Daye For the whiche cause the day in holy scrypture is properly lykened vnto the workê of a quyte peasable lyfe Nyght But the nyght is lykened to the sufferynge lyfe oppressed with trouble and aduersytie And so faythe lyueth worketh in bothe these lyues / goeth out coÌ„meth in as Chryst sayeth in the .vi. chapi of IohnÌ„ Se here how the ordre of the .x. coÌ„mauÌ„demeÌ„tes ben obserued in our Pater noster WE praye for this ordre of good workes in our Pater noster in the whiche the fyrst thyng that we say is our father whiche arte in heuen whiche be the wordes of the fyrst worke of faythe / whiche by the tenoure of the fyrste coÌ„maundement doubteth not / but that she hathe a good mercyfull father in heuen Secondely halowed be thy name / by the which faythe desyreth the name prayse and glorye of god to be shewed / callynge vpon the name of god in all aduersytie Thyrdly let thy kyngdome come wherby we do praye / for the trewe and laufull saboth day / rest from our workes that the worke of god be onelye in vs / and that Chryste may so reygne in vs / as in his kyngdome as he hym selfe sayd Verely I saye vnto you / the kyngdome of god is no where but withiÌ„ you The fourthe peticyon is Thy wyll be fulfylled in the which we praye that we may kepe and do the seuen coÌ„maundementes of the seconde table / in the which and by the whiche faythe is exercysed to our neyghbours / as in these thre fyrst / she is exercysed in workes towarde god And these thre prayers in the whiche ben these pronounce / thou thyne / seke nothynge els but that that belongeth to god but al other prayers say ours to vs for vs. c. For we pray there for our gooddes for our helth Hytherto haue we spoken of the fyrste table of Moyses / truely the more grosely to shewe the chyef good workes vnto the symple Nowe therfore folowe the seconde table ¶ The fyrste coÌ„maundement of the seconde table / honour thy Fyther and thy mother WE lerne of this commaundement the next the hyghe workes of the .iij. fyrst coÌ„maundemeÌ„â—es / there is no better worke than obedyence seruyce vnto them which be ordeyned to be oure superyours And therfore disobedyence is a greatter synne thaÌ„ manslaughter vnclennesse thefte disceyte / what soeuer may comprehende in it For we can knowe no better the difference of synnes Howe to knowe the greatnes of one synne aboue another which is greatter one thaÌ„ the other / than by the ordre of goddê coÌ„mauÌ„dementê Howbete one euery coÌ„muÌ„demeÌ„t by hym selfe hath distereÌ„ce iÌ„ his worke / for who is he that knoweth not / that to curse baÌ„ne is more greuous than to be angrye / to stryke is worse thaÌ„ to curse / to stryke father or mother / is worse than to stryke any other of the coÌ„mon people Therfore these .x. coÌ„mauÌ„demeÌ„tes teach vs howe we ought to exercyse good workes to uore neyghbour / fyrst to our supery oures The honour of father mother The fyrst worke is to honour our bodely father moder The whiche honoure standeth not in this onely that we shew our selfes godly in our gesture / but that we applye obey them haue theyr wordes reuerently in our iyes settynge moche by them and regardynge them folowynge theÌ„ holdyng our peace sufferynge them howe soeuer they intreate vs whan it is not agaynst the thre fyrste coÌ„maundemeÌ„tes And moreouer yf they haue nede we must prouyde theÌ„ meate clothyng and house For it is not for nought that god sayd honoure them / he sayd not loue theÌ„ / howe be it that loue is also requyred / but honour is hygher thaÌ„ syngle loue Honour is aboue loue for it hath a certayne feare growynge togyther with loue causyng a maÌ„ to feare more the displeasure thaÌ„ the punysshement Euen as we worshyppe relyques with feare / and yet we fle not fro them as from punysshement / but rather approche more nyghe them / suche feare myngled with loue is true honoure What honoure is For there is another feare without loue to those thyngê whiche we dispyce or fle from As from manquellers or punysshemeÌ„t and there is no honour For it is feare without all loue / yea it is a feare ioyned with hatred and enuye / of the whiche is a prouerbe of saynt Hierome sayenge / that that we feare we hate with such feare wyll god nother be feared nor honoured / nor yet our father nor mother / but with the fyrst feare to whome is loue and trust ioyned THis worke semeth lyght and easy but fewe esteme it worthely For