one as were appointed in the bishops stede and there on the altare that stood in the secrete inner part of the temple to lay holy incense made of certayne swete odoures in the olde lawe appointed that is to wete of balme onycha swete galbanum and frankyncense of the clerest sorte For this kinde of sacrifice was estemed emong the Iewes to be the moste holy aboue all others insomuche that to the seeyng of this sacrifice whan it was in doyng the lay people were not admitted to come in no nor yet any of the leuites neither But al the residue besides the priest that did execute taried without beyng separated and diuided from that place with a vaile makyng theyr deuout prayers all the meane whyle that God would vouchesalue to ratifie that that was than in offeryng for the helth safegarde of the whole people and so remained they without vntill the prieste after the sacrifice in the inner place coÌ„pleted came forth againe to the people to finish the residue of thinges which to the ordenarie obsequies and rites of sacrifice did apperteine And the priest did not only pray for the people but also for himselfe according vnto the prescripcion of the lawe as one beeyng a mortall man himselfe aswell as the others and in daunger of falling into the errours and vices of this worlde And there appeared vnto hym an Aungell of the Lord standyng on the rightsyde of the altare of incense And whan Zacharie sawe hym he was abashed feare came vpon hym Therfore whereas zacharie had many yeres afore often tymes with moste earneste desires cryed vnto God to deliuer as well his wyfe from the reproche of barrainesse as also hymselfe from the griefe pensifnesse of beyng without issue yet notwithstanding a certaine despaire of hauyng any children many a day sence conceiued in his minde he did euen at that present tyme with moste ardent prayers require of God as though he had than been present before his face the publike redeÌ„pcion of the people which had now many hundred yeres been looked for And in dede the fume of the incense mounting vp from the altare was cast abrode in the aier on euery syde but the desire of this deuoute bishoppe perced vp euen to God the Aungels carrying it whose office it is to conueigh vp to almightie God the prayers of the godly and agayne to bryng downe to vs his bounteouse largesse An Aungell therfore that had been sente from heauen stood at the ryght ende of the altare on which the swete sauours of incense was burned as one ready to declare some glad tydinges because thynges that chaunce to be on the ryghtsyde haue commonly a luckie significacion of some good happe to come Zacharie whan he had soodainly espyed this Aungell shynyng with celestiall brightnesse for he came not in openly in a bodily fourme as men vse to do but soodainly and vnware shewed himselfe visible truly he was sore dismayed in his minde and taken with a great feare not that the Aungell made a shewe of any maner thyng to be feared but for that the infirmitie of mannes body is not able to abyde the maiestie of the spirites or Aungels of heauen But the Aungell sayed vnto hym feare not Zacharie for thy prayer is heard And thy wyfe Elizabeth shall beare a sonne and thou shalt cal his name Iohn And thou shalt haue ioy and gladnesse and many shall reioyce at the birth of hym For he shall be great in the syght of the lorde But lyke as it is a poynte of mannes weakenesse to fall in a tremblyng and quakyng at the soodaine sight of an Aungell so is it the propertie of the great goodnesse of them with ientle and familiar speakyng vnto vs to take awaye our feare The Aungell therfore with a gracious looke and with ientle faire woordes speaking vnto zachary saied in this wyse zachary there is no cause why thou shouldest be afeard but there is cause why thou maiest be glad ioyfull For I bryng glad tydinges bothe vnto thee and to all the people for whom thou art nowe makyng intercession God hath graunted thy deuoute and godly peticion Thesame Messias the deliuerer and sauer of hys people whiche long and many dayes gonne hath been promysed and many hundred yeres already looked for is nowe at hande to come in dede And not only that thyng whiche thou haste made peticion for is obteyned but an other thyng also doeth the goodnesse of God adde to the heape of thy desyres which thyng thou durst not bee so bolde to aske because thou were nowe cleane out of all hope that it myght by any possibilitie come to passe Thou madest peticion for the redemer of the worlde thou shalt receyue also one that shall declare and publyshe the redemer vnto the worlde The fruitefulnesse of thy wyfe Elizabeth that hathe been hitherto by the wysedome and prouidence of God delaied and put of shall bryng vnto the no smal increase of ioyes and a generall gladnesse of al the people shal be coupled with the particular reioycing of thyne owne priuate householde â–ª Hir fruitefulnesse that all folke despaired of shall haue a commoditie and do good for this purpose that all persons maye vnderstande thissame chylde bearyng not to be of the common rate but the chylde which shal be borne to be borne God beyng the worker and dooer of it In dede thy wyfe shall bryng forth to thee a child but she shall not bryng forth child to thee alone she shall bryng forth to the whole people in generall she shal bryng forth to God by whoâ—e prouideÌ„ce all this matter euery whyt of it is tempered and wrought So muche the more to the wondre of the worlde shall she bryng forth that it is so ferre past tyme of her age ere she bryng forth so muche the more to the pleasyng and reioycyng of all parties that she had no suche hope so muche the more to her good happe and fortune that she shall bryng forth a sonne and not a sonne at all aduentures but the great publisher and foregoer and as who should say the husher and maker of way and the purseuaunt of the moste great Messias that is to come To the office of suche an high preeminence is he by the free and franke fauour of God pieked out and deputed for that cause shalt thou call his name Iohn that the people may euen therby at leste wise be aduertised that he shal be veray well accepted of God and plenteously heaped with many heauenly gyftes of grace Therfore the sorowe whiche the barainnesse of thy wyfe hath hitherto brought vnto thee shall be redubbed with plentifull ioy and with muche reioycing Neither shal this ioy be kept or inclosed within the walles or precincte of thyne owne house There shall at thy ioy a great many of thy frendes reioyce whiche were sorowefull afore for thy sorowe There shall leape for ioy at
who is thissame that hath the holy scriptures and all the doctrine and lyfe of Iesus so prompte at his fingers endes and the whiche doeth in suche wise hold vs stil moueth the verai bottome of our herte roote◠with talke of suche efficacie and pith This man did we neuer see emōg the disciples and yet doeth nothyng escape him but he knoweth it They dyd nomore but cast a fansie of loue vnto him halfe in a dreame and hadde a great delite to learne Iesus of Iesus self For neuer is he with better lucke or successe learned then whan himselfe vouchesalueth to teache hymselfe vnto vs. Theyr iourney beyng with this other lyke cōmunicacion wel ouerpassed they did now drawe nere to the litle towne called Emaus Than Iesus because he would the more enkiendle their desirefulnesse fēbled made coūtenaunce as though he woulde not make any tariaunce at Emaus but made as though he had yet somewhat ferther waie to goe for the others as men fallen in despatre had forsaken Hierusalem and were in returnyng home into theyr owne countrey where they were borne wheras suche persones as haue truelye belieued in Christe haue here in this world no parmanent citie but doe by continual iourneyng make haste vnto thatsame other citie celestiall But the sayed two disciples because they could not bee plucked awaye from suche a ioly talkyng companion on the waye they praye hym they beseche hym for Goddes sake they make al possible instaunte requeste vnto him yea and in conclusion bothe with desyryng which wolde not haue any nay also with takyng and holdyng him fast by the cloke and vesture that he went in wheras he refused so to dooe they compel him without choyce or remedie to take lodgeyng with them that night now callyng hym by the name maister not that they knewe hym to bee Iesus but because that by his meruaylous talke they coniectured hym to bee no common waifaryng man And this sayed they vnto hym Maister thou haste hytherto shewed thyselfe a swete and frendly coumpanion on the waye now shew thy self also a like geaste vnto vs. Why wouldest thou committe thyself to goyng of a ferther iourney The euentyde now draweth faste on and the sunne draweth well towardes setting in the west Of veray good cause dooe they hate the nighte as many as loue Iesus and yet ought not suche people to feare the nighte of this worlde as haue Iesus to theyr coumpanion And Iesus loueth to be prayed to doe the thyng whiche he dooeth with glad will partely to the entent he maye geue his giftes to persones ientilly deseruyng it and worthie of it and partely to teache vs a lesson that a benefite or good turne is to bee put in the lappe and will he nill he to bee dooen to the neighbour beeyng in necessitee For some persons do in suche sorte offre a good turne to the neighbour as thoughe they were in feare leste the partie to whom it is offreed ▪ would not refuse it and they geue it with suche a countenaunce that they seme to geue it agaynst their stomakes Iesus hereupon entreed the toune and vouchesalued to vse their courteous entreteinmente ¶ And it came to passe as he sate at meate with them he tooke breade and blissed it and brake and gaue to them And their iyes were opened and they knewe hym he vanished out of their sight And they sayed betwene themselues did not our hertes burne within vs ▪ while he talked with vs by the waye and opened to vs the scriptures And they arose vp thesame houre and returned agayn to Hierusalem and found the eleuen gathered together and them that were with them saying the Lorde is risen in dede and hath appered to Symon And thei told what thynges were doen in the waye and how thei knew him in breakyng of breade The sayed twoo disciples beyng glad men of so great and noble a geaste wha◠they had ministred vnto him all manier of thynges whiche are wont to bee ministred to geastes that are welcome to ones house they also layed a table and made readie for supper and as apperteined for men of their slendre hauour thei sette theron for hym suche poore parte as they had The fare was competent meane without any excesse but aboue al thinges their countenaunces that they set theron were good and frendely aunswerable to their moste sincere hertes And now that Iesus was sette at the table with them he tooke bread he blissed it and brake it and than raught it forth to them And because thei knewe this guyse to be as a thyng peculiarly vsed of Christ and no man els that he would before meate geue thankes vnto the father and thā afterward he would breake it with his owne handes and so distribute it emong his disciples These twoo disciples as it had ben sodaynly awakened out of slepe begonne bothe at once to thynke in theyr myndes vpon Iesus And immediatly the impediment that had hitherto been therof beyng now taken away thei knew by that marke that it was veray Iesus in dede And while that a certain sodain kynde of beyng amazed entred into theyr hertes Iesus vanished awaie out of their sight For after the time of his death forthward he did but a litle at once and after a sparing facion shewe hymselfe in presence either for that the infirmitie of mortall men was not hable to abyde the maiestie of his bodye beyng returned to life again or els because they might by litell and litell enure themselues to lacke the sight of his body which was verai shortely after to bee had awaye from them to the ende they should now loue him after the spirite Ferthermore they haue perfect markes to know Iesus but in the house whiche is the churche or holy congregacion they haue no sure markes of him but whan himselfe reacheth forth vnto them the breade of the worde euangelicall For he it is that openeth the iyes wherwith Iesus is by sure markes and tokens knowen On the waye had he broken and geuen them thatsame bread after a misticall sorte whan he opened the scriptures vnto them And the thyng that he had there dooen after the spirite he did afterwarde renewe by a corporall and bodyly token And whan Iesus was in body goen they did now better see him then at suche tyme whan he was in bodye present with them Theyr iyes were holden because they beleued not Now whan he is absent they see him with the iyes of theyr faith After the departure of Iesus awaie from them they ceasse not to talke of Iesus betwene themselues saying how happened that it was so late ere we knew Iesus A certayn kynde of slepe possessed our myndes the blessyng of the bread the breakyng and the geuyng of it vnto vs was the firste thyng that did shake awaye thesame slepe but had we not been as men half a slepe we mighte of his veray talkyng with vs euen aswel
drinkyng of my bloude bringeth this thyng to passe And therefore my flesh is truelye meate whyche geueth immortalitie and my bloude is truely drynke which doeth procure eternal life not only to the body but to the whole man both bodye and soule And as the lyfe of the bodye whiche is nourished with dayly sustenaunce lest it shoulde perishe before the tyme is common to all the membres of the body by reason of the indiuisible felowshippe that all the partes of the bodye hathe togetherwardes in so muche that though the membres of the bodye be diuerse and sundrye yet there is but one bodye because that one soule geueth lyfe to euerye parte of the bodye so he that eateth my fleshe and drynketh my bloude is in suche sorte coupled and ioyned to me that neither can I be seperate from hym nor he from me For I am in hym by my spirite by whoÌ„ I wyll geue lyfe to hym And he is in me as a membre in the bodye and as the braunche is in the vyne by suche a participacion as cannot bee dissolued ¶ As the liuing father hath sente me and I true for the father Euen so be that eateth me shal liue by the meanes of me This is the bread which came downe from heauen not as your fathers did eate Manna and are dead He that eateth of this breade shall liue euer These thinges sayed he in the sinagogue as he taught in Capernaum Many therefore of his disciples when they had heard this sayd this is an hard saiyng Who can abide the hearing of it The father that sent me is the principall fountaine of al life Whosoeuer is ioyned to hym is made partaker of life And therefore as the father is in me geueth me life and also power to geue life vnto other euen likewyse to him that eateth me and is so annexed to me by reason of that misticall eatyng and drinkyng that he is made one with with me doe I geue lyfe not to endure for a shorte tyme but eternall life What thyng soeuer is of earthly nature thesame dooeth continue but for a time and is of small efficacie Manna whiche stylled downe from heauen for you then beyng vnder Moses tuicion and conductyng because it was foode pertainyng to the bodye it coulde not geue eternall lyfe to your elders for whereas all men did eat therof they neuertheles dyed neyther did any one of so great a numbre remain vndead yea more part of theÌ„ died also in soule because they prouoked god manye waies to wrath But certes this bread that vndoubtedly came downe from heauen hath a celestiall vertue in it and geueth eternall lyfe to the eater thereof The Lorde Iesus did instruct the ignorant and grosse multitude with such wordes very desirous to stirre them vp from the loue of vysible and corporal thynges to the loue and desire of heauenly and eternall thynges And he spake these woordes in the Sinagogue amoÌ„gest a great assembly of people exercising the office of a teacher Howebeit the grosse people was so farre of from the capacitye of these heauenlye mystiries that a great sorte of his disciples also beyng offeÌ„ded herewith wer about to fall from theyr maister murmuryng amongest themselfes and whisperyng this saiyng This is an harde cruell saiyng saye they concernyng the eatyng of a lyuyng mannes fleshe and drinkyng his bloude whose eares can abyde to heare such doctryne Iesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it he said vnto them doeth this offend you What if ye shal se the sonne of maÌ„ asceÌ„d vp thither where as he was before It is yâ— spirit that quickeneth the flesh â—rosueth nothing The wordes that I speake vnto you are the spirit life But there are sum of you yâ— beleue not For Iesus knew froÌ„ the beginning which thei wer yâ— beleued not who should betraie him And he said Therefore said I vnto you that no man can cum vnto me excepte it wer geueÌ„ vnto him of my father Iesus vnderstandyng what they murmured at secretly among themselfes labored to remedie the thing that they were offeÌ„ded with geuing knowledge beforehand vnto them that they shoulde see greater thinges with their iyes then that they heard hym at this tyme speake of hymselfe And he shewed them that the wordes whiche he had spoken as touchyng the eatyng of his fleshe and to drinke his blood was no incoÌ„uenieÌ„t thing nor to be abhorred but a right pleasaunt graciouse and fruitfull saying in case it were taken and vnderstande not after their course and grosse intelligence but after a spirituall sence Nowe therfore being turned towardes his disciples whom it had behoued to haue further consydered and to haue been wyser then the base sorte of people by reason of the acquaintance and familiaritie whiche they had with Iesus and also for the myracles which they had seen hym worke Iesus I say loking vpon his disciples rebuked theyr dulnes in this wyse saying Doeth it offend your eares to heare me saye that I am the breade which came out of heauen to geue lyfe to the worlde whether is it a greater difficultie after the grosse vnderstandyng of mannes wit to haue descended from heauen or to ascend vp into heauen What then yf hereafter ye do see the sonne of man whom ye nowe see to haue the natural body of a man ascende into heauen where he was before he came downe thence and before he had this mortal bodye This is doen and graunted by reason of your senses not that ye shoulde bee alwaye carnall and vnderstand all thinges fleshly but that ye shoulde leaue the fleshe and go forwarde to the spirite The spirit descended from heauen and was incarnate the fleshe beeyng now made spirituall shal be carryed awaye vp into heauen leste ye should all waye loue the fleshe and be carnall but yet beeing first instructed by the flesh ye ought to profit and go forward toward heauenly thinges For the flesh alone of himselfe profiteth nothing it is the spirite that geueth life For what is bodily substance of men if the spirit lacke euen so my woord carnally vnderstand shall not geue life vnles ye take it as an heauenly thing and vnderstaÌ„d it spiritually By my fleshe and blood I meane my doctrine and so I tearme it whiche doctrine yf ye do by true faith receiue it desyrously and effectuously and than conueigh it into the bowels of your minde and retaine it there it will quicken and make your mindes liuely and cause you and me to be al one so that ye shal through my spirite liue euerlastingly like as the membres of one bodye lyueth by one common spirite so long as they do adhere and cleaue fast together And I shall leaue vnto you my fleshe and blood as a hid secret mystery and mistical token of this copulacion and felowship which selfe thing although ye do receiue it yet will it not profit you vnles ye receyue it spiritually Therfore do not
plenty of garmentes let him geue vnto the naked he that hath plenty of meates let hym geue vnto the hungry There came vnto hym also the Publicanes the which kynde of meÌ„ the Iewes abhorre because coÌ„meÌ„ly either for to please the princes or to satisfy their auarice thei are woÌ„t to poul the people They demauÌ„de of him fearfully what he thiÌ„keth best for theÌ„ to do And he doth not reiect them from baptisme agayne he appoynteth them not to geue their goodes who now of long time wer wont violently to take away other mennes but to thintent they might come nere by some degre vnto the perfect doctrine of Christ he coÌ„maundeth them that they should exact nothing of the people beside that that was prescribed of the prince Finally there came also souldiours a violent a diffamed kynde of people Neyther put he them awaye from him declaring manifestlye vnto the Iewes by that dede that Christ would despise no kinde of men They confesse nothing for to professe a souldiour is of it selfe to confesse the puddle sinke of all mischiefe They demaunde also what counsayle he would geue theÌ„ And he teacheth them beyng so rude rather what oughte to be auoyded shunned that they might be lesse yll then what was to be doen whereby thei might be perfectly good Abuse not ê™ he your weapoÌ„s which ought not to be styrred but agaynst your enemies at the commaundement of the captayn beate no man nor stryke no man violentlye syth you be hyred for this purpose that through your diligence the countrey should be quiet Nor abuse not you familiaritie with great rulers falsly blamyng and accusyng any man wherby any filthy lucre or gayne might come vnto you Finally be content with your wages and defraude and spoile no man For prynces geue wages to thintente no man by necessitie shoulde be forced to take other mennes goodes So he through easye preceptes accordyng to euery mannes capacitie made al men in a redines for Christ to come foreseyng Christ in spirite whom he had not yet seen with his bodily iyes ¶ Then cummeth Iesus from Galile to Iordane vnto Iohn to be baptised of him But Iohn forbade him saying I haue nede to be baptised of the and cummest thou to me Iesus answered and sayth vnto hym Let it be so nowe For thus it becummeth vs to fulfyll all righteousnesse Then he suffred hym Therfore the rumour fame beyng now spred abrode and dayly more more encreasing that by diuers meanes by the angels by the sheperdes by the Magyans by the cruel carefulnes of Herode by the prophecye of zachary by Simeon by Anne by litle and litle secretely but most of al by Iohns open manifeste setting furth beeyng ioyned with a great auctoritie inso muche that yll meÌ„ also being now amased with feare did frame themselfe to the cumming of Christ thus declared set furth For truly it was time for him to cuÌ„ furth into the sight of the world to declare himself not by the testimonies of others but by his own vertues that it might appere what maner of one how mighty he was that he might obscure darken al men by whose testimonie he was heretofore set forth commeÌ„ded Therfore Iesus left Galile where he had been in secrete hitherto nowe goiÌ„g about his fathers busines he leueth his mothers cuÌ„trey Nazareth maketh spede vnto Iordan where he should haue a great coÌ„pany gathered together out of diuers coastes of Iewry to be a witnes of the thinges that should be there spokeÌ„ doen. He who alone was defiled with no spot of sin yea who alone should take away the sinnes of the world through the middes of the sinful coÌ„panies euen lyke a sinner goeth vnto Iohn requireth to be baptised of hym who alone doth saÌ„ctifie euery baptisme Iohn not yet ascerteyned that Iesus was that high Messias the sonne of god but yet obseruing marking a meruaylouse semelynes and honesty apperyng in his iyes in all his couÌ„tenaunce in his maner of going he doth excuse his disordered office ministracion honoring his dignitie and worthines as yet with no certayne commendacion Onely he saieth it were mete conuenieÌ„t that I which am far beneth vnder thy vertues should require baptisme of the And how cummeth it to passe that thou doest humble adbase thy selfe so lowe to require baptisme of me sith no man is more pure cleane froÌ„ al sinne than thou These thynges wer thus doen by the ordinaunce of god to thinteÌ„t both that we should haue an exaÌ„ple of the merueilous modestie humilitie of Christ and also that it might appere vnto all men by the testimonie of Iohn that Christ being without coÌ„science of any sinne or euil required to be baptised For he was baptised like as he was circuÌ„cised as he was purified in the teÌ„ple with his mother as he was scourged as he was crucified He suffered all these thinges for vs not for himself Wherfore wheÌ„ Iohn declaring constaÌ„tly his own vnworthines setting forth the worthines of Christ did refuse the office of a baptiser Christ by no sinister suspicion did steine his own innocencie which it behoued to be knowen beleued of al men Euery parte ê™ he of this busines hath his time Be thou content in the meane season that I be baptised of the thynke not vnâ—uÌ„ly for the if thou baptise him who as thou saiest is better theÌ„ thou Certainly it shal becuÌ„ me which desireth to bring al vnto me to fulfill all iustice For he that teacheth al teacheth perfeccioÌ„ must see that no likelyhode or apparauÌ„ce of vnrighteousnes be it neuer so litle be founde in his life and maners I must become all thinges to al men that I maye winne and bring al vnto my father When Iohn heard these wordes he descended into Iordane with Christ and baptised him And here appereth an holsome example of humilitie in Christe and of obedience in Iohn but the thyng the effecte is of contrary order For baptisme doth consecrate vs but he through the holy touchyng with his body did consecrate baptisme And Iesus whan he was baptised came straight waye out of the water and lo heauen was open vnto hym And he sawe the spirite of God descendyng lyke a doue and lyghting vpon hym And lo there came a voyce from heauen saying This is my beloued sonne in whome I am well pleased And to thintent he might declare vnto vs what we ought to do after baptisme what felicitie was geuen vs by baptisme Iesus going out of the water cherefully spedely as though he had cast of a great burdeÌ„ of sines teaching vs that we should not tarry nor linger in washinges nor ofteÌ„tymes returne vnto theÌ„ by sinning again but to make haste to the dueties of a spiritual life the sinnes of the former life once cast of and buried in baptisme kneled downe vpon his knees and lifted
his haÌ„des vnto heaueÌ„ beseching his father that he would vouchesafe that this matter of sauing mankinde which he toke in hande might be happy and fortunate to all men that he would commend and set forth his sonne vnto the world with his fatherly auctoritie and lest Iohns auctoritie should be of smal estimacioÌ„ albeit this for the time was profitable for the grosse rude people And behold the father did manyfestly auctorise his soÌ„ne in the presence of suche a multitude of people The heauens opened and shewed furthe a certayne wonderful light Iohn also sawe the heauenly spirite in the visible lykenes of a doue to descende out of heauen and to sytte vpon his holy head from thence came the voyce of the father soundyng to all mennes eares saying this is my derely beloued sonne the delight of my mynde in whoÌ„ I haue a singuler pleasure heare hym the expouÌ„der of my mynde and the distributer of my goodnes towardes you And because at that time Iesus was vnknowen to the multitude which had a great opinion of Iohn lest the voyce whiche cuÌ„ming froÌ„ aboue poynted no man certaynely to theyr vnderstandyng should be thoughte to perteine vnto Iohn therefore there was added a visible signe of the heaueÌ„ly doue whiche sitting vpon Christes head showed nowe playnely vnto al meÌ„ as a man would poynte with his fynger to whome that voyce dyd perteine With the whiche signe also Iohn hymselfe was playnely and certaynly monished that he was the sonne of God And after he did openly testifye that this sygne and token was promysed him before of the father to the intente that in suche a multitude of people he might certeynlye knowe him that afterwarde should baptyse all men in the spirite and fyer And with these ceremonyes the Lorde Iesus was declared and consecrated oure mayster whose diuinitie and heauenly doctrine who so wyll followe he shall be truly blessed The .iiii. Chapter ¶ Then was Iesus led of the spirite into wyldernes to be tempted of the Deuyll And whan he had fasted forty dayes and forty nyghtes he was at the last an hungred And whaÌ„ the â—emptoure came to hym he sayd If thou he the sonne of God commaunde that these stones be made bread But he aunswered and sayde It is written MaÌ„ shal not lyue by bread onely but by euery worde that procedeth out of the mouth of God ANd yet these entries beginninges made he lepeth not furth byanby to preache although auctoritie wer giueÌ„ him from heauen but sodenly he withdraweth himself froÌ„ the sight of the people into wildernes because that departure froÌ„ the coÌ„pany of people both increaseth auctoritie and prouoketh a desyre Now the spirite that is the prouoker of the yll doeth specyally assaulte them which leauyng the desyres of the world do fall into meditacion of the pure and heauenly life Therfore Iesus secretly teachyng vs thesame goeth into wyldernes And this he doeth not by the mocion or instigacion of any maÌ„ but moued of his own spirite For he that is baptised hath now cast of carnall affeccions being made spiritual by regeneracion is led and moued by the couÌ„sell of the holy ghost he remembreth not Bethleem he retourneth not to Nazareth he goeth not again to his mother or to his foster father but by the vehemeÌ„cy and rauishing of the spirite he goeth into deserte folowyng the exauÌ„ple of the olde prophetes Solytarines doeth quicken make lusty the mynde of a Christian souldier some tyme it is more sure for a man to commit himself to the wylde beastes than to men Baptisme taketh awaye all synnes of the former lyfe but for all that no man is sure from the assaultes of Sathan whiche lyueth sluggyshly But yet the naughty desyres endeuour to spryng agayne chiefely in them that be rude and young and lately entered and cummen to Christ. And that frowarde Satan enuying as muche mannes saluacion as Christe is desyrouse of the same styrreth and prouoketh him with merueylouse engins and sleyghtes to fall awaye and departe insomuche that he possesseth and vseth him that is relapsed with more tyranny then he dyd possesse and vse hym whan he had him before Agaynste these perilles and daungers Christe sheweth chiefelye three remedies often and harty prayers forsakyng of company auoyding of excesse and kepyng abstinence not without diligent meditacion of holye scriptures for otherwyse there maye be daunger in ydle solytarines And because the deuill goeth about to deceyue them chiefly whiche do endeuour to attaine vnto this streyght and Angelicall lyfe Christe hymselfe lyke a good captayne encounteryng with him hath taught his champions by what meanes that maliciouse and crafty olde syre maye be ouercome howe lytle he can do against them that be sober and vigilant and with all their harte do leane to the godly scriptures And this also the Lorde Iesus in the meane tyme wente aboute that this misterie mighte by litle and litle appere vnto the worlde after suche sorte that Sathan whiche desyred for none other purpose to knowe certaynly whether he were the sonne of God whome he heard that the father did honour with this tytle and name but to lette the redempcion of mankynde might bee holden in suche doubte that he might not certeynlye knowe this to be Messias before he sawe his owne tyranny vtterly subuerted ouerthrowen Christ also putteth vs in remembraunce of this that no manne is mete to preache the gospell but he that hath tryed hymselfe and is fyrme and strong agaynst worldly desyres agaynst excesse and her companions that is bodily luste ambicion auarice and suche lyke diseases of the minde wherewith oure enemye beateth and shaketh the myndes of the symple and weake as it were with most violent engyns of warre Therefore whan Christ had fasted fortye dayes folowyng Hely and Moyses whiche thing was in suche wyse aboue mannes power that yet the Iewes beleued that it was doen of men at laste to shewe a manifeste token of mannes imbecillitie in himselfe he made no couÌ„sayle but shewed playne signes that he felte the tediousnes of hungre For after the common nature of mannes bodye the lacke of humour greued and payned the stomacke Whiche thyng whan the crafty temptoure perceyued â–ª thynkyng hym to be nothyng but a man althoughe in dede a notable and a wonderfull man he casteth his hooke bayted with the enticement of vayne glory for therwith chiefly they be taken whiche seme to endeuour to the hyest perfeccion If thou bee the sonne of God ê™ he what nedest thou to be greued and piened for hungre Commaund rather these stones to be turned into bread for thy behoufe Thou canste perfourme thy desyre with a becke Ye maie well know of olde that this is thesame lyer in wayte or teptour whiche did entice that firste Adam into the snares of death by the vayte or trayne of gluttony But Christ the latter Adam beyng in spirite heauenly so auoided with his wordes this craftie
he deliteth not greatlye in suche sightes that seketh after thinges of perfeccion and thynges farre a sondre from the affeccions of the common sorte ¶ The .v. Chapter And whan he sawe the multitude he went vp into a mountayne and behan he was sette hys discyples came to hym And after that he had opened his mouthe he taught them saiyng blessed are the poore in spirite for theyrs is the kyngdome of heauen THerefore Iesus seeyng the people flockyng aboute hym more and more and that of all sortes he conueyeth himself from the lowe place whither euery man myghte haue accesse and goeth vp vnto the hyll and beganne nowe to preache and teache the heaueÌ„ly Philosophy declaryng by the highnes of the place that he woulde shewe furthe and teache no common nor meane thyng but all hygh and heauenly thynges folowyng also the exaumple of Moyses who publyshing the lawe vnto the people as we reade wente vp to the hill His disciples whome he had chosen specially vnto hym folowed hym goynge vp in suche wyse yet that the common people were not lette to folowe hym if any had so muche desyre and strength Therfore Iesus whan he came to the top of the hyll sate downe not as beeyng weary but purposyng to teache serious and weyghtye thynges whiche required a diligent hearer Whan his disciples perceyued that they compassed him nere aboute that none of his holye doctryne shoulde escape them Iesus therfore entryng and begynnyng hys godlye and holsome Philosophye not oute of a tower or tabernacle with a golden seate suche an one as Iarcas the greate Philosopher of India had beyng garnysshed with precious stones not out of the proude pulpet of the Philosophers not out of the arrogant chayre of the Phariseis but oute of a seate of grasse he casteth his iyes not vpon the commen people but vpon his disciples and openyng hys holye mouthe he began to shewe furthe the lessons of the gospell whiche hytherto had not been heard and whiche bee farre from the opinion of all men that appeared to the very wyse vnto the worlde All men promyse blessednes whyche take vpon them to be teachers of wysdome All menne of what estate or condicion soeuer they bee desyre blessednes But muche controuersye hath been emong Philosopâ—â—rs and muche errour in the lyfe of men â–ª in what thynges the felicitie of man doth consiste And forasmuche as this is the marke and foundacion of all wisdome Iesus fyrste doth open and set furthe straunge sentences but yet very true And therefore throughe myracles he obtayned credite to bee geuen to hys saiyng thoughe it semed sumwhat incredible soe that they that founde his power to bee effectual in healyng of diseases of the bodye myght truste also his doctryne to bee true whereby he healed the diseases of the mynde Yet fewe disciples there were that did both heare and enbrace this blessednes Let all men heare for he spake to all and all shall bee made blessed and happy Of false opinions spryng all synnes in liuyng Therfore aboue al thinges we muste endeuour to plucke them awaye And for because that fiercenesse and arrogancie is the moste daungerouse disease of the mynde whiche suffereth not manne to receiue the true doctryne yea it is the verye fountayne from whence in manier spryng all deadly offences Iesus fyrste of all healeth this saiyng Blessed bee the poore in spirite for theyrs is the kyngdome of heauen whose eares coulde haue abiden so incredyble a saiyng but after so manye testimonies of Iohn of the father and of the doue and finally vnlesse hys authoritye had been set furth and credite obteyned through euident signes and myracles Manye be made vile abiect and humble and be broughte in discourage of themselues by the reason of pouertye of basenes of byrthe of lowenesse of estate or of aduersitye Truely these bee nere to the blessednes of the ghospell yf they folowe with theyr harte as they be called by their state But thys humilitie of spirite resteth in the inwarde affeccion not in outwarde thynges But howe shal he haue a kyngdome whiche taketh nothyng vpon hym whiche geueth place to all which is offended with hymselfe which thrusteth out no man whiche hurteth no man For he semeth more nye the seruitude of an asse than a kyngdome This kinde of men is trode vnder the feete euerye where is hurte and harmed withoute redresse liueth lyke an abiecte withoute regarde poore and comfortles But it is true that trueth sayeth To these only appertaynethe the kyngdome but it is the kyngdome of heauen Thinkest thou that these fierce and violente men doe reigne They bee verye slaues they bee vnder manye tyrannes they bee vexed with auarice angre hatred desyre of vengeauÌ„ce with â—eare with hope They vnnethes lyue muche lesse they reygne But he that is free from all these vexacions and troubles and betaketh hymselfe to innocencie and cleane lyfe puttyng hys truste in God lookyng for the rewarde of the worlde to cumme and is verye quiete and regardeth not the thynges of thys worlde but seketh after heauenlye thynges hath not he a goodlye kyngdome farre passyng the kyngdomes of worldlye kynges Neyther filthye luste nor auaryce nor hatred nor anger nor other worldlye infeccions of the mynde reigne ouer hym And armed with fayth so often as the case requireth he geueth commaundement to diseases and thei flee away the geueth commaundement vnto the waters and they be styl he geueth commaundemente to deuils and they departe So myghty is the kyngdome of the mynde whiche dystrustyng hymselfe putteth hys truste in God and distrustyng the succoure of man doethe depende wholye of heauen It is not the dyademe it is not the oyntmente it is not the garde that maketh a kyngdome But the other afore mencioned be the thynges that make a kyng in dede and bryng hym finally to the heauenly and euerlastyng kyngdome where there shall be no disobedience nor rebellion A worldly kyngdome is gotten by violence and defended by fiercenesse This kyngdome is gotten by modesty and sobernesse and defended and established by humilitie and mekenes The worlde iudgeth none meete to gouerne a kyngdome but suche as bee of notable spirite and of a stâ—ute courage But God auaunceth vnto hys kyngdome those chiefly whiche do moste humble themselues ¶ Blessed be they that are meke For they shall receyue the inherytaunce of the yearthe Iesus goeth on and ioyneth vnto this an other sentence as harde to be beleued and taken Blessed be the meke for they shall inherite the yearth And who bee the meke they that vse no man violently nor extremely and whan they haue any harme they be redy to forgeue the iniuryes done vnto them they also that had rather lese theyr thyng than to contende or striue for it and that regardâ— more concorde and quietnes of mynde than large possessions and suche as rather desyre quiet pouerty than troublesome ryches But this kynde of men is oftentymes set beside and put from theyr goodes and
diuyne power by manifeste sygnes and wonders to be opened to the worlde that he attribute it not to the spirite of Beelzebub Wherfore thys I assure you whatsoeuer is done by woorde or dede shall be remitted vnto men so that they repente them God doeth easyly forgeue that whiche by anye meanes is veniall and pardonable by the reason of frayltye of mannes nature But yf any man speake blasphemye against the spirite of God whose manifest power he seeth of hys playne weorkes he shall scarcely fynde pardonne and forgeuenes And whoso speaketh blasphemy agaynst the sonne of man whom he despyseth for the weakenesse of hys fleshe he shall bee pardoned because errour and ignoraunce mixte wyth hys dooyng dothe exclude peruerse and set malice But whoso speaketh blasphemy agaynst the holye ghost shal vneth obteyne pardonne and forgeuenes eyther in this worlde or in the worlde to come This thyng spake Iesus to thyntente he woulde feare the Phariseis from theyr obstinate frowardnes because whan they sawe and perceyued that those thynges whiche he dydde coulde not bee doene but by the spirite and the myght of God yet they moued with enuy resisted the glory of god and ascrybed his miracles vnto Beelzebub whose spirite they saide wroughte in Christe Whan after common reason saieth he the free is knowen of the fruite why do ye blame the tree sythe ye cannot but allowe and commende the fruite â–ª The miracles whyche I worke ease and releue the miseries of menne they hurt no man they be not done for vayne ostentacion and glory or for gaine and lucre but to do good and to healpe No man can deny but thys is good freely to doe for them that be in affliccion Why therfore saye ye that that which is good of it selfe cummeth from Beelzebub who by your owne iudgement is al naught If ye wyll hyde the blindenesse of your myndes ye muste speake thynges that may stande together nowe the thynges whiche ye speake agree not together after the common iudgemente of menne Therfore eyther make the tree good and his fruite good or els make the tree ill and his fruite ill Either grauÌ„t that I am moued wyth a good spirite wheras ye graunte that my workes bee good or els saye that my workes be ill that your â–ª saiyng may appere probable where ye saye that I haue the spirite of wicked Beelzebub And yf my doynges be suche that ye muste nedes coÌ„fesse that they be good ascrybe not good thinges to an ill authour Ye kinred of vipers yll men springyng of yll paâ—entes coniecture and iudge ye by your selues Do ye not speake euen as ye be and dooe not your weorkes declare what spirite ye haue Ye enuy the glorye of god and falsely blame his spirite From whence cummeth so pestilente fruyte but of an euill tree For as it can not bee that a wylde tree shoulde bryng furth gentiâ— fruite and that a tree of poysoned iuyce shoulde bryng furth holsom appulles euen so how can ye speake well syth ye be yll For as the fruite taketh hys taste and verdoure of the iuyce of the roote so communycacion ryseth of that whiche is hyd in the harte lyke as a good manne bryngeth furthe good thynges oute of the good tresure of his harte so the yll man bryngeth furthe yll thynges out of the euyll tresure of hys harte Whose harte is replenished with godlines and charitie they speake wordes whiche sauour of that that is in the harte Whose harte is replenished wyth enuy pryde and auarice they vse suche communycacion whyche by the mouthe doeth vtter the affeccion of the harte Menne shall be esteined before god not onely of theyr dedes but also of theyr woordes An ill thought is pestiferouse and noysome onely vnto the thynker but yl talking doeth powre out the poyson of the harte emongest many The tonge therfore muste bee rescayned not onely from outragiouse blasphemies from â—aolding rhiding and backbityng and vncleanly communicacion but vtterly from all thinges wherof cummeth none honeste profite or commoditie Yea I saye vnto you that man shall render a count in the day of iudgement not onely for filthy talkyng but also for euery vayne idle and vnprofitable worde that they shall speake For theyr wordes also shal be taken and accounted for dedes Of thy wordes eyther thou shalte be iudged good yf good woordes issue out of a good harte or thou shalte be condemned as vniuste yf yll woordes issue out of an yll harte And here vnderstande ye the perfecte iustyce of the kyngdome of heauen far passyng the iustice of Moyses lawe For that lawe punysheth onely the manifest blasphemye agaynste god here shall be punyshed also anye reuylyng or taunte agaynste thy neyghhour and not only the noysome and perilouse saying but also the idle and vaine woorde For that whiche is vnprofitable on the tree is the burden of the tree and not the fruyte and therfore it is noisome because it occupieth the time and the eares of the hearer without any fruite or profite whereas the tounge is geuen for this intent that therwith we should profite our selues and our neyghboure and that with this member we should celebrate and magnifye the glory of God Than certayne of the Scribes and Phariseis asked hym saiyng mayster we will see a sygne of the but he aunswered and sayde vnto them The euyll and aduoutrous generacion seketh a sygne and there shall no sygne be geuen to them but the signe of the prophete Ionas For as Ionas was three dayes and three nyghtes in the whales belly so shall the sonne of man be three dayes and three nyghtes in the harte of the yearth The men of Ninyue shall arise in the iudgement with this nacion and condemne it because they amended at the preachyng of Ionas Beholde here is one greatter than Ionas The quene of the south shall ryse in the iudgement with this generacion and shal condemne it For she came from the vtmoste partes of the worlde to heare the wisedome of Salomon And behold in thys place is one greater than Salomon Certayne of the scrybes and phariseys whan they had hearde these thinges dissemblyng the rage of theyr myndes go vnto Iesus with more gentyl woordes as though they woulde nowe beleue him yf for theyr sake he woulde shewe sum miracle worthye and meete for them and also for hym who chalenged to hym the spirite of god and had alwayes in his mouthe the heauenlye father Maister ê™ they we whiche bee not of the common sorte but learned men desyre of you to see sum notable sygne from heauen whiche maye declare that ye be derely beloued of god and that ye doe that thyng whiche ye do by his power and myght But Iesus knowyng theyr subtill thoughte and obstinate malice whiche required a sygne for none other intent but to take a newe occasion thereby falsely to accuse hym chiefly sithe it is more easye to pycke a quarell at those thynges whiche bee shewed from heauen than at
those thynges whiche appeare before the iyes bee hearde wyth cares and touched wyth handes not bearyng so greate frowardnes but in maner turning from them and taking it angrely as it were wyth hymselfe made answere saiyng O naughtye and counterfeit nacion whiche doethe glorye that they haue god to theyr father whiche doeth crake of her progenitoure Abraham where as it foloweth rather them whiche forsakynge God wurshypped the golden calfe whyche styrred sedicion agaynste Moyses whyche murmured in the deserte whyche kylled the Prophetes whereas it declareth that it hathe Beelzebub to her father with whose spirite beyng replenyshed it doeth rebell agaynste the spirite of God But it shall haue no synge geuen from heauen whiche it maye calumniate and reproue and whiche it is vnworthye to haue for as muche as it is wholly sette and geuen to the yearthe but once there shal be a sygne geuen to it out of the yearth whereby it maye be ouercum and vtterly peryshe yf it wyll not conuerte This nacion meruayled at the miracle of the Prophete Ionas whyche swallowed vp of a beaste in the sea was restored againe aliue after thre dayes Thys shal be a sufficient sygne for them yf they maye see hym reuyue agayne by the deuine power whome by theyr malice they haue slayne Thys myracle shortly shal be shewed vnto them whiche they wyll falsly slaunder For lyke as Ionas wyllyngly deliuered hymselfe to deathe and was receyued of the beast of the sea and was in her belly three dayes and three nyghtes and beyng paste hope of all menne by and by through the healpe of God was restored alyue so the sonne of manne shall bee deade in the harte of the yearthe three dayes and three nyghtes By thys fygure and darke exaumple Iesus syginfieth hys deathe and buriall and furthwith hys rysyng from death And he added As Ionas was to the Niniuites so am I to you He tolde them that the vengeaunce of god and the destruccion of theyr citye was at hande vnlesse they would repent I declare the same vnto you all But the Niniuites whome ye despyse as heathen and idolaters in comparison of you shall ryse in the iudgemente of God and shall declare you worthelye to be damned in comparison of them For they although they were synfull yet beyng a fearde at the threatenynges of the Prophete humbled themselues vnto penaunce And beholde here is one greatter than Ionas whyche preacheth to you in vayne The Niniuites were people farre from the wurshyppynge of God Ionas vnknowen and symple and meke came vnto them No man commended hym or tolde before of hys cummyng he shewed no miracles he allured vnto hym no bodye with benefite he promysed no great thyng Onely he threatned vndoyng and destruccion and he preached no lenger than three dayes I being promysed by thoracles of the Prophetes so often commended by the testimonye of Iohn by the testimonie of the father beyng your countreman beyng cumme also of the same parentes of whome ye glorye and crake haue taught you nowe so long tyme testifyng by so manye miracles that my doctryne is not vayne haue holpe so manye wyth my free benefites and doe not thunder sore threatenynges but of myne owne accorde promyse forgeuenes of all synnes I offer euerlastyng felicitie of the heauenly kyngdome yet it is sayed that I haue the spirite of Beelzebub I am layed at with deadlye deceytes so farre ye bee from bendyng and bowyng to true penaunce Furthermore the quene of Saba shall ryse in the iudgement to the reproche and condemnacion of this generacion because that she by the reason of tidynges brought far of leuing her kingdome and her countreye toke a longe iourneye vnto Salomon not moued by any feare but only for the desyre of wisedome And she did not only cum to Salomon but also she brought with her great gyftes And beholde there is one in thys place greater than Salomon For what lyke thyng dyd Salomon to the thynges whiche ye see me do or what lyke thyng taught Salomon And yet ye put me to al kynde of rebukes whyche of myne owne accorde bryng vnto you the doctryne of the gospell wherby ye maye be saued furthermore also ye go about to do me more grieuouse displeasures whych am beneficiall vnto you But the greatter the wonders and benifites be whereby ye bee prouoked vnto penaunce the greuouser shall your punyshemente bee vnlesse ye repent in tyme. ¶ Whan the vncleane spiryte is gone out of a man he walketh through dry places seking tâ—st and findeth none Than he saieth I wyl returne into my house from whence I came And whan he is cum he fyndeth it empty and swept and garnyshed Than â—e goeth and taketh vnto hym seuen other spirites worse than hymselfe and so entereth in and dwelleth there â–ª â—nd the ende of that man is worse than the begynnyng So shall it bee also vnto this frowarde generacion Further what thyng shoulde chaunce vnto them and into what blyndnesse the people of Israell shoulde cum and howe miserably it should be handled of the prynces of Rome and how it should be banished throughout the worlde reiected and despised of all nacions Iesus had rather to signifie by a certayne darcke exaumple than to declare it manifestlye And he taketh a similitude of a man whyche was possessed of a deuyll who whereas he was once deliuered and restored to hys ryght mynde afterwardes by his owne defaulte receyuyng the deuill agayne was more grieuously vexed than he was before Whan an vncleane spirite ê™ he goeth out from a man beyng banyshed from his olde hospitall he walketh in dry and baren places seking rest and fyndeth none Than sayeth he wyth himselfe I will returne into the houâ—e from whence I wente where when he cummeth he fyndethe it decked and clensed but withoute anye geast Than he sâ—yng that there is a place and not occupied of anye other not beyng contente to returne thyther hymselfe alone he taketh vnto hym seuen other spirites worse than hymselfe whych entryng into the house together make theyr dwellyng there And it cummeth to passe that the man is more greuously vexed than he was before So shall it happen to this vngracious nacion By thys similitude Iesus noted the obstinate and wylfull malice of the pople of Israell falling backe oftentimes to theyr olde maners In tymes paste they serued and folowed the deuilish vices and desyres It was sumwhat deliuered by the lawe and the Prophetes but returned often agayne to her own manner and disposicion It retourned to Idolles it did sacrifice in the woodes it kylled the Prophetes It was redressed and amended through affliccions by Pharao in Egypte by Nabuchodonoser in Babilon and by diuerse other calamities and miseries Finally prouoked of the sonne of god so many waies hathe not onely renewed but also farre exceded al the wickednesse of her forefathers not only araiyng the harmelesse and the well doer wyth al kynde of spitefulnes but also driuyng
notwithstanding of one consente and agreemente to lye in wayte for Iesus And craftely they require him to shew some token from heauen as thoughe hereafter yf he woulde haue so done they woulde haue beleued in him where as they wente about nothing els but to seke occasyon to reproue hym But Iesus when he perceyued that after so many miracles they remained yet in their malice mourned in the spirite and sayde Ye hypocrites vtteryng one thyng with your mouth and cloking another in your hart in lesse thinges when ye marke heauen ye can tel before what weather shal folow the day after For whan ye see the sunne go to glade ye say to morowe shall be fayre wether for the ayer is cleare and bright Againe when ye see the sunne rise in the morning by and by ye geue sentence that that shal be a foule and a boystiouse day because the lowring ayre is red Whan ye see the fashion and countenaunce of heauen ye can gesse whether the time will be mete for iourneing rowing sowing or mowing or for any other thinges apperteyning to the vse of the body And are ye so dul and negligeÌ„t in knowlege of the time that maketh for your soules helth â–ª Ye haue the scriptures ye see what thynges be done ye see howe the worlde is renewed and vnderstande ye not yet that the tyme spoken of beâ—ore by the Prophetes and looked for so long tyme is nowe at hande Of one signe ye geue sentence of fayre or foule weather of so many signes whiche ye see dayly doe ye not perceiue the thing that is present If ye would haue bene made better by wonders and myracles ye would haue beleued me long agon Now ye require a signe and a token to be the worse thereby O naughtie and adulterous generacion which goeth farre out of kinde from her forefathers of whose tytles she magnifieth her selfe She seketh craftely for a wondre out of heauen to pycke a quarell and to reproue it But in tyme to come she shall haue a signe that she shall feare and not reproue In the meane time she shall haue no signe nor wondre but out of the earth whiche shal frustrate and disapoynte all theyr endeuoures when they shall see hym alyue agayne whome they thoughte to bee dead and buryed It seemeth a monstruouse thyng vnto them whiche chaunced to the Prophete Ionas they shall haue a lyke monster but more wondrefull By this riddell and darke fygure the Lorde Iesus signified that he should be first slayne buried of them whome they thoughte to be nothyng elles but man and furth with shoulde ryse agayne through the power of God ¶ And he left them and departed And whan his disciples were come to the other syde of the water they had forgotten to take bread with them Than Iesus sayd vnto theÌ„ Take hede and beware of the leauen of the Phariseis the Saduceis But they thought in theÌ„selues saying we haue taken no bread with vs. Whiche when Iesus vnderstode he sayde vnto them O ye of litle fayth why take ye thought within your selues because ye haue broughte no bread Do ye not perceiue nor remeÌ„bre the .v. loaues when there were fiue thousand men and how many baskettes toke ye away Neyther the .vii. loaues when there were .iiii. thousande men and how many baskettes toke ye away How happeneth it that ye doe not vnderstande that I spake it not to you concernyng breade that ye shoulde beware of the leauen of the Phariseis and Saduceis Than vnderstoode they â—owe that he had them not beware of the leauen of bread but of the doctrine of the Phariseis and of the Saduceis Iesus therfore leauing them with their blindnes went ouer the water by ship the disciples had forgotten to prouyde theÌ„selues of bread before they entred into the shippe For they had but one lofe in the shippe Iesus therefore to put them in remembraunce saide take diligent hede and beware of the leauen of the Phariseis and the Saduceis noting and touching darkely their Iewishe supersticioÌ„ because they thought it a great matter to eate these meates or those meates whereas they were taughte beefore that man was not defyled with the thynges that entred into the mouthe The dysciples althoughe they vnderstoode not what it mente were yet monished with thys saying that they had forgotten to put vitayle in their shippe Iesus therefore chideth them beyng carefull for thys thyng blamyng theyr dulnesse whiche taughte so often both with sayinges and dooinges vtterly to cast out of theyr mynde carefulnesse for vitayle yet were incumbred with carke and care for suche manner of thynges O ê™ he ye that so litell truste to me why dooe ye vexe youre mynde with thys carefullnesse that ye haue forgotten breade as who sayeth we shall lacke any thyng althoughe ye prouyde not for it Dydde not I teache you that firste of all the kyngdome of God muste bee soughte for and that these thynges shall be cast vnto you Haue ye not seene now twyse that such a great multytude lacked not meate So many wayes taughte and monyshed vnderstande ye not yet remembre ye not yet Is youre herte yet blynded with suche manier of cares and see ye not after the Phariseys fashyon that whiche ye see with youre iyes and that whiche ye heare with youre cares ys yt as though ye hearde it not haue ye forgot that whiche was lately done your selues being not onely witnesses but also ministers When that fiue thousande men were fully fed with .v. barely loaues two fyshes the numbre of geastes being so greate the preparacion so small howe many baskettes dyd ye fyll of the scrappes whiche remayned of the feaste They aunswere hym twelue And agayne when fower thousande men were fylled with seuen loaues and a fewe fishes ye beeyng the dystrybutoures howe many baskettes filled ye with the scrappes they aunswere seuen Why doe ye not yet vnderstande the maner of my speaking whiche ye tourne to the care of bodely thinges whereas my talking studieth and prouideth for the mindes rather then the bodies Now ye shoulde of your selues haue coniectured what my riddel ment when I sayde beware of the leauen of the Phariseis and Saduceis I had nowe taught you that it little skilled what kynde of meate we eate I had nowe diuersly declared and beaten vpon it that they whiche haue in hande the matter of the ghospel shoulde vtterly cast away suche vile cares The disciples beyng more attent and diligent by this litle chyding vnderstode that Iesus ment that they should take hede diligently and baware of the doctryne of the Phariseis whiche had nothyng that was syncere and clean but was corrupte with ambicyon auaryce enuie and other vyces Whereas the doctrine of the ghospell tasted of no suche thyng For theyr doctrine doeth rather infecte man than fede hym and therefore it must be taken hede of dilygently because they bee woonte for to deceiue vnware and symple men by the
false cloke of godlynes whiche is the very poyson of true godlines ¶ Whan Iesus came into the coastes of the citie which is called Cesaâ—ea Philippi he asked his disciples saying Whome doe men say that I the sonne of manne am they sayde some say that thou arte Iohn the Baptiste some Helias some Hieremias or one of the noumbre of the Prophetes He sayeth vnto them But whome say ye that I am Symon Peter answered Thou arte Christe the sonne of the liuing God And Iesus aunswered and sayde vnto hym happie arte thou Symon the sonne of Ionas for fleshe and bloude hath not opened that vnto thee but my father whiche is in heauen And I saye vnto thee that thou arte Peter and vpon thys rocke â–ª I will buylde my churche and the gates of hell shall not preuayle against it And I will geue vnto the the keyes of the kyngdome of heauen and whatsoeuer thou byndest in earth shall be bounde in heauen and whatsoeuer thou looceste in earthe shal be looced in heauen Here when Iesus came into the coastes of the citie called Cesarea whiche Philippe the Tetrarche so named in the honour of Ceasar folowing his brother Herode whiche chaunged the name and called that Cesarea whiche beefore was named the tower of Straton he thoughte to proue howe muche his schollers had profited by hearing so muche communicacion and by seeing so many miracles and whether they had any higher or better opinion of him than the vulgare sorte Therefore he demaundeth of them saying whome doe men talke that the sonne of man is They say some say that he is Iohn the baptist For so the Herodians suspecte Some say that he is Helias because he was taken vp they suspect that he doeth appere now according to the prophecie of Malachy Some say that he is Hieremie because he was a figure of Christ and that it was sayde of hym Beholde I haue set thee thys day ouer nacions and kinges to plucke vp and to distroy and to plant which in dede should be fulfilled in Christ. Iesus hearing these to th entent he would gette out some more certayne and hygher profession sayeth ye ê™ he whiche shoulde knowe me better who say ye that I am Here Symon Peter as he loued Iesus best as the chiefe of the Apostolicall ordre aunswered for them all Thou arte very Christe the sonne of God aliue not speaking of suspicion but professing certainely and vndoubtedly that he was Messias pronused of the Prophetes and the sonne of god after a certayne singuler manner Iesus delighted with this chereful and substaunciall profession sayde blessed art thou Symon the sonne of Iohn The affeccion of man taught thee not this word but the heauenly father put it in thy minde by a secret inspiracion For no man hath a worthy opinion of the sonne but by the inspiracion of the father â–ª which only knoweth the sonne And I agayn lest thou shouldest adourne me thankelesse with suche a noble testimony assure thee of this that thou arte very Peter that is to say a sound and a sure stone not wauering hither or thither with sundrie opinions of the vulgare sortâ— vpon this stone of thy professyon wil I builde my churche that is to saye my house and my palace whiche beyng sette vpon a sure foundacion I will so fortifie that no power or strengthe of the kingdome of hell shal be hable to beate it downe Sathan will come vpon you with many engines he will rayse a coumpany of wicked spirites against you but through my defence my buyldyng shall stande imprennable onely lette thys sure and sounde profession abyde The kyngdome of heauen is the churche the kingdome of the deuil is the worlde Of thys no man nede to bee afearde so that he bee Peter that is to saye lyke vnto thee And the keyes of this heauenly kyngdome I will deliuer vnto thee For it is meete that there he bee firste in auctoritie whiche is firste in the professyon of the faithe and in charitie And truely this kingdom of heauen is in earth but it hath to do with heauen wherof it doeth depende Wherfore he that is entangled with sinnes doeth belong to the kingdome of hell nor can not enter into the kyngdome of heauen But he shall enter yf he professe that whiche thou doeste professe and be losed from his sinnes by baptisme and so through thy leading and thy opening of the gates he shall enter into the kingdome of heauen This is my peculiar and proper power to forgeue sinnes but thys power I will geue vnto thee after a maner that that whiche thou shalte lose with my keyes receyued of me vpon earth before men shal be losed also in heauen before God On the other side that which thou shalte binde in earth shall be bounde also in heauen for God will allowe thy iudgemente cummyng from hys spiryte ¶ Than charged he dis disciples that they shoulde tell no man that he was Iesus Christe From that tyme forthe began Iesus to shewe vnto his disciples howe that he muste goe vnto Hierusalem and suffer many thinges of the elders and hye priestes and Scribes and muste be killed and raysed vp agayne the thyrde daye And whan Peter had taken hym asyde he began to rebuke him saying Maister fauour thy selfe thys shall not happen vnto thee But he turneth him aboute and sayed vnto Peter goe after me Sathan thou â—yndeâ—eâ—â—eme for thou sauerest not the thinges that be of God but those that be of men Whan Iesus had spoken these thynges he commaunded his disciples that they should as yet kepe this godly opinion of him secret with themselues nor open it to others that he was Messias For first the sacrifice of the croâ—se must be accomplished and the veritie of his manly nature declared and further by his resurreccion and the holy ghoste his diuinitie muste bee declared For although the voyce and sentence of Peter was praysed of Christ as the seÌ„tence of them whiche nowe began to profiâ—e and spring vp by little and little vnto thinges of more perfeccion yet they dreamed of a certayne kyngdome â–ª not vtterly vnlyke a worldely kingdome And therefore Iesus darkely and as in a riddle promised vnto Peter the ryght of the keyes but he delyuered them not by and by For as yet he was not mete to vse them as yet he was not suffycyently taught with the instruccion of the holy spirite And therefore Iesus calleth them backe to the mystery of the crosse and of hys deathe by the whiche misterie that kingdome must be prepared the deuil once ouercome and sinnes abolished that they mighte bee the lesse troubled in their myndes whan they should se thinges chaunce which they knew should come to passe a litle after They desyred rather to glory in the mightie and high sonne of the liuing God but no man can truely glory in hym but he whiche is not offended with hys humilitie and lownes Iesus therefore began to prepare
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
hande and the loue of many shal be colde But he that endureth to the ende thesame shal be safe And this ghospell of the kyngdome shal be preached in all the worlde for a witnesse to all nacions and thâ—n the ende shall come And ye in the meane season shall not be free from suche maner of illes and miseries For in this tumulte hurly burly of thynges men shall plucke you into diuerse affliccions and finally kyll you and in the meane season ye shall be hated not onely of the Iewes but of all the Gentiles not for your ill dedes but because ye professe my name In the meane time many being offended and greued with aduersities and ouercummed with punishmentes shall swarue from the professing of my name and one shall betraye an other one kinesman shall betraye an other one frende an other whom nature hath coupled with the bandes of charitie they shall hate eche other There shall be also another kynde of ill more greuouse and intollerable There shall arise false Prophetes and false teachers who counterfeiting to preach my ghospell shall see to and prouide for their owne glory their owne lucre and theyr owne belly and instede of my spirite they shall inspire theyr owne disciples with the spirite of Sathan and in the stede of the kyngdome of heauen they shall teache the kingdome of this worlde They whom punishmentes and tormentes could not ouercome shall be caught in the snares of these menne For there is not a more deadly enemy than a familiar and a fayned frende In these mischifes and miseries a man shall not loke for muche comfort of his brothers and frendes For the multitude of sinnes beyng so great the charitie of many shall waxe colde But yet as for you there is no perill so that ye perseuer and continue vnto the ende with a constant and a valiant courage No greatnes of aduersitie can destroy any man but him that lacketh the ryght mynde And I wyll not suffer you to peryshe nor the ghospell to be oppressed Nay by these tumultes and troubles the strength of the ghospell shall encrease more and more and the storme of ylles shall be able to doe no nother thyng agaynst you but to make your godlynes to be the better tried and the more to appeare For the ende of the worlde shall not come before that this ghospell of the kyngdome of heauen be preached throughout al the kyngdomes of the worlde and hath come to all nacions leste they that would not obey myght pretende ignoraunce When this shall be doen than shall come the ende of the worlde Whan ye therfore shall see the abhominacion of desolacion that was spoken of by Daniell the Prophete standing in the holy place whoso readeth it let hym vnderstande Wherof if ye seke a token this is it Whan ye shall see the abhominable Idoll whiche shall endeuour vtterly to subuerte the religion of the ghospell of the whiche Daniell in tymes past prophecied vnto you saying and in the middes of the weeke the sacrifice offeryng shall be taken a waie and the abhominacion of desolacions shall be in the temple vnto the ende of the worlde when ye shall see I saye this abhominable Idoll set in the temple that is in the towre of holynes he that readeth the prophecie of the Prophete let him vnderstand This woorde is misticall and requireth a spirituall reader Than let them that be in Iewry flee vnto the mountaynes and let not hym whiche is in to the house toppe come downe to take any thyng out of his house And let not hym that is in the fieldes retourne backe to fetche his clothes Therfore when this storme shal be at hand they that be in the cities of Iewry let them forsake the cities and flee into the mountaynes and they that be in the toppes of the houses let them leape downe not come downe to take any thyng a waie with them out of their houses they that be found in the fielde at that tyme let them not runne backe to theyr house to fetche theyr apparell For than there shall be no leysure to prouyde for theyr goodes For it is a great matter yf they can saue theyr lyfe with spedy flyght For thother thinges may be recouered but the lyfe once loste cannot be restored ¶ Woe shal be in those dayes to them that are with childe and to them that geue sucke But pray ye that your flyght be not ill the wynter or on the Sabboth day For than there shal be great tribulacion suche as hath not been from the begynnyng of the worlde vntyll this time nor shal be And except those dayes should be shortened there should haue been no fleshe saued but for the electes sake those dayes shal be shortened Therfore women with childe and women that geue suche shal be in an yll case in those dayes For they that be great cannot caste of the burden of theyr belly to flee awaye spedely nor they that geue sucke cannot caste of theyr children whom they loue more tenderly than themselues lyke as they doe caste of money or apparell But as for you who shall not be lette neyther with house neyther with possessions nor with children ye must onely pray that it chaunce not so that ye be compelled to flee in the wynter or on the Sabboth day For ye must flee spedely and farre But the wynter by the reason of roughnes and shortnes of dayes is not commodiouse for them that iourney on the Sabboth day the religion of your lawe letteth you that ye cannot flee farre For at that time there shal be so sore and vehement affliction as was neuer synce the worlde was made vnto this daye and hereafter neuer shal be And yf the calamitie should be so continuall as it is vehemente no man should be lefte alyue Theyr malyce did deserue vtter destruccion but for the electe be they neuer so fewe those dayes shal be shortened Than yf any man saye vnto you Lo here is Christe or there beleue it not For there shall aryse false Christes and false prophetes and shall shewe great signes and woonders insomuche that yf it were possible the very electe should be brought into errour Beholde I haue tolde you before Wherfore yf they say vnto you loe he is in the deserte goe not ye furth Beholde he is in the secrete places beleue it not For as the lyghtnyng cummeth out of the East and appeareth vnto the west so shall the cummyng of the sonne of man be For wheresoeuer the dead caâ—ras shall be â–ª thyther wyll also the Egles be gathered together In this confusion and hurly burly of thynges whan my cumming shall be loked for men must take diligent hede that they be not deceyued throughe the crafte of deceyuers For there shall ryse many false Christes whiche shall boaste themselues to be Christe and be not but be rather myne aduersaries whiche also shall saye that they be Prophetes and be not
money but that they paye more for the laboure of the lyers than of the traytoure keepe close ê™ they the thynges that ye haue seene but make a brute abrode that hys disciples came in the night stale him away whan ye were aslepe And if thys inuencyon and fleyght be brought vnto your president we will perswade hym and deliuer you from all daunger of this matter Therefore the souldyers receyuyng money dyd as they were instructed and thys trieflyng and vayne sleight was beleued of the people For thys rumoure is bruted abrode vnto this day emong the vnbeleuing Iewes ¶ Than the eleuen disciples wente away into Galile into the mountayne where Iesus had appoynted them And whan they sawe hym they wurshipped hym But some doubted And Iesus came and spake to them â—â—ying all power is geuen to me in heauen and yearth Nowe the eleuen discyples monished of the women wente forewarde into Galile and went vp vpon the hyll whiche Iesus had appoynted them There he shewed hymselfe They saw and knew hym to be theyr Lord and honoured him as now being on high and in heauen Notwithstandyng some yet doubted vntil they were made to beleue with many and very certeyn argumentes Albeit theyr doubting was profitable for the certaintie of oure belyefe Therfore Iesus drawyng nere vnto them dyd not onely offer hymselfe to bee seene and touched presently but also spake vnto theÌ„ with hys knowen and accustomed voyce declaring that by his death he had obteyned a kingdome authoritie both in heauen and in earth In heaueÌ„ where euer he reigned with the father in earth where hereafter he shoulde reigne not by tirannical powers and aides but thorough fayth of beleuers and that he shoulde dispose the office of this euangelicall kyngdome vnto his disciples who shoulde folowe his steppes committing vnto them the office to preache the Ghospell not onely to the Iewes but also to all nacions and also authoritie to baptise and by the holy ghoste to forgeue synnes to all menne that wyll professe an euangelycal lyfe with a sincere hearte and to enstructe and frame them not after the lawe of Moyses nor after the constitucions of the Phariseis but after his preceptes â–ª vntyll they wexed and grewe vp vnto the perfeccyon of the wysedome of the ghospell And that they should nothing dystrust for that he should not be continually conuersaunt with them he promiseth that theyr felowship shal neuer fayle and that he will neuer forsake hys but be alwayes presente with hys in spirite and power vnto the laste ende of the worlde All power ê™ he is geuen me in heauen and earth Ye haue sene me by the reason of the weakenes of the flesh hungrie thyrstie weary nedy despised taken bounde spetted vpon condemned beaten crucifyed couered with all kyndes of spytefulnes and in maner deiect vnder the loweste sorte of menne Because I haue suffered all these thinges willingly and of myne owne accorde for the health of man my father hath raysed me from deathe and rewarded me with the glory of immortalitie and hath lifted me vp to the felowship of hys kyngdome and hath submytted vnto my power and rule all thinges that be in heauen and earth Ye haue an authour whome ye ought not to distrust ye haue a Lorde of whome ye ought not to repente Goe ye therefore and teache all nacyons baptise them in the name of the father and the sonne and the holye ghoste teaching them to kepe all thinges whatsoeuer I haue commaunded you Lyke as I dyed for the healthe of all men so there is no nacion whiche belongeth not to my righte It shall be youre parte to get vnto me as muche as lyeth in you all kinde of men But ye shall not gette them by weapons or war but by the same meanes that I got vnto me this right by wholsome doctrine by a lyfe woorthy and meete for the ghospell with free well doyng with pacyent suffering of illes Goe ye therfore as trustie Ambassadoures trusting me your authour teache firste the Iewes than the nexte neighboures vnto them afterwardes all the nacions of the whole worlde Teache what they ought to beleue of me and what they ought to trust of me First to knowledge the heaueÌ„ly father the maker the orderer and the restorer of al thinges visible and inuisible Whose power no man can resist because he is almightie whose knowledge no man doeth deceiue because hee seeth all thynges whose iudgemente no man shall escape From whome as from the fountayne cummeth all goodnes in the worlde To whome is due all honour prayse and thankes geuing They must knowledge also his sonne Iesus by whome through hys eternall and vnsearchable counsell he hath purposed to deliuer mankinde from tiranny of sinne and deathe and by the doctryne of the ghospell to open the waye vnto euerlasting felicitie Who for this cause by his will came downe into the earth and was borne very manne of the virgyn Marie and beyng man long conuersaunt emong menne taught the heauenly philosophy which only maketh menne blessed And being an innocent was afflicted and punished for the sinnes of the whole worlde and put to death vpon the crosse And layde in his graue the third day he arose agayne according to the prophecies of the Prophetes After that beyng conseruaunt many dayes with his disciples and the trueth of his resurreccion delared by sure argumentes he wente vp agayne into heauen whereas partaker of the kyngdome and glory of his father he sitteth on the righte hande of his father almightie Once he shall come agayne into the worlde not lowe and abiecte as before but with the diuine maiestie not a sauioure but a iudge bothe of those whome that day he shall finde aliue and of those whome nowe being dead the trumpe of the ghospell shall sodainly call agayne to life that by his ineuitable iudgemente euery man may receiue rewarde woorthy and mete for his doinges They must knowledge also the holy ghoste whome I haue nowe partely geuen vnto you and will geue more plentiously after that I come into heauen whose secrete inspiracion shal coumforte teache and strengthen the mindes of them that trust in me and being powred into the hartes of all men shall glue and confeder them together with mutuall charitie as many as professe hartely the fayth of the ghospell of what nacyon soeuer they come of And if a man doth sinne any thing through the weakenes of maÌ„ he shal obteyne forgeuenes of his sinnes so that he doth not seuer himselfe froÌ„ the league felowship of the holy cumpany And whosoeuer ioyneth himselfe vnto this league all the sinnes of his former life shall be forgeuen him freely Finally lest any man shoulde thynke the rewardes of good dedes to be desyred in this life or shoulde goe aboute vengeaunce agaynst yll doers let them knowe that this hereafter shall come to passe in them whiche ye see dooen in me The dead shall liue agayne and euery soule shall
enlarge it being brought into narrowe roume and finally establishe it againe beyng vnstable and at no sure staye These thinges wryte I moste christian prince of a pure zele and good mynde neyther reprehending any man sence I beare all men my good wyll neyther flatteryng with any or corying fauoure because I seke naught at no mannes handes Almightie God graunt your highnesse well to fare Yeuen the first of Decembre in the yere of our lorde M. CCCCC.xxiii ¶ The lyfe of S. Marke written by S. Hierome MArke the disciple and interpreter of Peter beyng desired of the brethren at Rome wrote a shorte ghospell accordyng as he hearde Peter preache shew euery thing by mouth The whiche ghospell the same Peter after he had heard it dyd allow and publishe by his authoritie because it should be red of the congregacion as recordeth Clement in the sixt boke of his worke entitled Dispositiones Of this Marke Papias also bishop of Hierusalem maketh mencion And Peter in his first Epistle where vnder the name of Babylon by a figuratiue manour of speakyng he vnderstandeth Rome hath these wordes The congregacion of them which at Babylon are companions of your eleccion saluteth you and so doth Marke my sonne Wherfore he toke the ghospell that hymselfe had written and went into Egipt and first of all men preached Christ at AlexaÌ„dria where he ordeyned a churche or congregacion of suche pure doctrine and perfite lyâ—ing that he made all that professed Christ to folowe his exaÌ„ple To be shorte Philo the eloquentest wryter of the Iewes perceyuyng the first congregacion of Alexandria yet to perseuer in the Iewishe religioÌ„ wrote a boke of their conuersacion as it were in the praise of his nacion And as Luke sheweth how all thinges were common among the beleuers at hierusalem so dyd he put in wryting all that euer he sawe done at Alexandria during the tyme that Marke there taught and preached He dyed in the eyght yere of Neros reigne and was buried at Alexandria in whose place succeded Anianus The Paraphrase of Erasmus vpon the Gospell of Sainct Marke The first Chapter IT is naturallye gyuen to all men to desyre felicitie This felicitie many worldly men right politique and wyse as touchyng a certain kynde of wisdome haue hitherto promised some by suche lawes as they haue made and written other some by rules and preceptes that they haue giuen to teache men how to leade a vertuouse and a godlye life But for as much as they were meÌ„ne they were not able to perfourme their promise For they neyther wiâ—t themselfes what was the true perfyte felicitie of man nor wherein it stoode And for this cause it came to passe that in stede of true felicitie they embraced a certain deceyuable image or shadowe therof and infected other with their errour beyng bothe deceyued them selfes and deceyuers Therfore bothe the lawe makers and philosophiers brought vs a certaine gospell of their owne inuencion but suche a one as was partely false and deceyuable and partly werishe and of no efficacie Moyses and the Prophetes wrote a more certain and piththie gospell than they but to one nacion alone and as that tyme required wrapped with figures and shadowes disposing men onely to the knowleage of veritie but vnsufficient to giue perfite saluacion neuerthelesse sumwhat promoting therunto wherin goddes wisdome resembleth nature whiche bringeth vs and as a maÌ„ would say leadeth vs by the hande from the knowleage of thynges that are vndre our corporall sight vnto the knowleage of thinges inuisible And yet theyr gospell conteineth in it more feare then glad and ioyful promise and hath muche more bewrayed the wickednes of man than taken away the same rather beaten into mennes myndes goddes might and power than set out his mercie and goodnesse caused more rather dreade then emplanted loue For what could man do but feare tremble and despayre after he had learned by the law that he was alwayes in bondage and subieccion of sinne and not able to refrayne therfro and also did knowe how no manne coulde escape the iudgement of God a very rigorous sore auenger of synne and vngodlinesse Who is he that can finde in his harte to loue hym whome he feareth Now the dreade of goddes iustice although it be many tymes the beginning of saluacion euen as a bitter medicine that vexeth the whole bodie of manne is the entrey to health yet is it not the thyng whiche maketh man to haue perfite felicitie The grace and beneficiall goodnes of God causeth man to loue God and loue to godward is the thing that auaâ—â—ceth hym to happie state and felicitie Therfore after the whole worlde was sumwhat prepared as wel by the prophecies and foresayinges of the prophetes as by the commaundementes and figures of Moyses in these laste dayes was opened and preached vnto the same that verye ioyefull gospell that all meÌ„ne ought to embrace and most louingly to receyue whiche of the owne accorde or without any deseruyng on mans behalfe bringeth not onely to the Iewes but also to all nacions of the worlde remission of all sinnes And lest haply any manne put doubtes in the certaintie of this promise it is God that maketh it and no manne neyther is his ambassadour Moyses or anye of the Prophetes but the verye sonne of God hymselfe Iesus Christe who for oure saluacion came downe from heauen toke vpon him our corruptible fleshe to thintent that he beyng giltlesse and without all synne might by hys passion and death freely geue innocencie and lyfe to all that beleue his promyses and put theyr whole affiaunce in hym For God who is of his own proper nature gracious and beneficial would by this meanes shewe that excedyng great and inestimable kindnesse that he bare towardes maÌ„kynde which was so great that greater can neyther be desyred ne ought to be loked for He could not sende a more honorable messenger than his owne onely begotten sonne nor shewe more kyndnesse than through faythe onely freely to release all mennes offenses were they neuer so many neuer so great and heynous yea and ouer this through his holy spirite chose those that were before slaues and bondmen of the diuell to be felowes with his soonne by whome he hath geuen vs al thinges both in heauen and in earth And bycause nothyng could be more ioyfull then this message or tydinges it is by right good skyll called of the Grekes Euangelion that is asmuche to saye in Englishe as glad and ioyfull tydynges to comfort you that you should no more feare the yoke and burthen of Moyses lawe ¶ The beginning of the ghospell of Iesu Christe the sonne of God as it is written in the Prophetes Beholde I sende my messenger before thy face whiche shall prepare thy waye before the. The voyce of a crier in the wildernesse prepare ye the waye of the Lorde and make his pathes streight Iohn did baptise in the wildernesse and preached the baptisme of repentaunce for the
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
measure and proporcion of their faithe as it is presently expedient But in Iesus was the continuall fountaine of al heauenly grace For the doue brought hym not then any new grace whiche he had not before but euidently declared howe he was full of grace and showed moreouer from whence all grace and goodnes issueth and cummeth vnto vs. Iohn beyng stablyshed in mynde with this so euident a signe receiued of the father of heauen doubted not to pronounce Iesus to be the very sonne of God The witnes that he gaue vnto Christ was of great waight and authoritie amoÌ„g the Iewes but much greater was the testimonie of the father himselfe whose voyce sounded doune from the heaueÌ„s saying Thou art that my derely beloued sonne in whome my minde delighteth For a wyse childe is the fathers ioy and comforte That heauenly spirit of God is not ydle weake faynt or feble but of nature all fiery and by and by wurketh and putteth furth his vertue as soone as it is once entred into the soule of man The spirite of man is slacke and slowe and thinketh vpon nothing but that whiche is lowe vile and worldly But they that haue the spirite of the fleash mortified and are led with the spirite of God do furthwith goe in hande with high thinges and of manly enterprise that is to say doe fight against the vncleane spirite their ghostly enemy the deuil whoÌ„ they are not afrayed euen to prouoke to battayle as men puttyng theyr whole confidence in the ayde and succour of the heauenly spirite whiche is of muche more vertue and puissauÌ„ce than all that withstande the gospell ¶ And immediatly the spirite droue him into wildernes and he was there in the wildernes fowerty dayes and was tempted of Sathan and was with wild beastes and the aungels ministred vnto hym After that Iohn was taken Iesus came into Galile preachyng the gospell of the kyngdome of God and saying The tyme is cum and the kyngdome of God is at hande Repent and beleue the gospell Wherfore Iesus plainly expressing in himselfe what he woulde haue vs to doe incontinent after we haue receyued baptisme was brought by force of the holy goste into wildernesse There he made his abode fowertie dayes and as many nyghtes styll continuyng in prayer and fastyng and in the meane season he was tempted of the deuyll whom after he had discoumfited and ouerthrowen hym he delyuered vnto vs to ouercum shewyng vs also the verye waye and meane howe to gette the victorye He is ouerthrowen by the spirite of Christe by continuall prayer and sobernesse of lyfe and by the weapon of holy Scripture The whyle that Christe continued thus in wyldernesse he lyued among saluage beastes vtterly abstayning from all comfort and solace taken of the company of man There had been no daunger for hym yf he had bene conuersaunt with the multitude of people but he shewed hereby howe expedient it is for a Christian souldiour to exchewe the compainye of the conmon sorte vntill he haue sufficiently tamed the fleshe and ouercome the deuyl and by continuall recordyng of Goddes lawe and deuout prayers made him selfe strong ynough in spirite For many be in more safetie when they lyue among beastes as Christ dyd then when they be conuersaunt with suche meÌ„ne as are more noysome then any brute beastes The Lorde and sauiour Iesus Christe kept company with beastes but whiles he lacked the ministery of meÌ„ Angels were alwayes present and serued hym They that vtterly despyse alâ— the pastimes and pleasures of this worlde neuer wante heauenlye pleasures and solaces For vs and our profite Christ was baptised For vs he prayed for vs he was notably described by the testimony of the father and the holye ghost for vs he went into wyldernesse for vs he fasted for vs he was tempted for vs he gatte the victorye ouer the deuil Here consyder thou Christian souldiour the very true and right order of thy perfeccion The first instruccion and teaching by mouth of Christes religion causeth hatred of the former lyfe and hope of clensyng or remission of synnes With these capitaines thou runnest to Iordane and there throughe fayth in Christe washest awaye the fylthynesse of all thy synnes And anon after at thine owne praier and at the petiâ—ion and praier of the churche thou hast a newe spirite geuen the from heauen and by it arte admitted to be of the number of the children of God and emplaÌ„ted into the body of Iesu Christ as a member of hym who is the very heade of the churche In the meane whyle it behoueth not the souldiour of Christe to be carelesse Thou hast promysed thy seruice to Christe thyne Emperour Thou hast renounced the deuill Thou haste receyued the holy ghoste as it were gifte money a bond and an earnest penye of thy salarye Thou must enforce thyselfe with thy vtter endeuour to get victory But that neuer chauÌ„ceth to the negligente and recheleâ—â—e person Thou must take to thee armoure and weapon leste thyne ennemie whiche euerywhere lyeth in wayte for the cum vpon the vnwaâ—es and when thou arte vnarmed Thou shalte incontinent be assaulted with the world the deuil and the fleshe Thou muste alwaies fight to th entent thou mayest alwayes gette victory For this battaile shal not â—nde before thou make an ende of thy lyfe But yet the oftener thou chaunce to vanquishe thine ennemye the weaker shall he departe from battayle and thou the stronger When thou haste here behaued thyselfe valiantly and played the manne a while then at the lengthe addresse thy selfe to the ministracion of the ghospell specially yf thou feele that the spirite of God driue the therunto The Lorde Iesus was meete to preache the ghospell then whiche ministerie there is none of greater perfeccion euen when he was a verye lytle â—hylde But he ordeyned a patarne or an example in hymselfe for vs to counterfayte and folowe wherby we are taught that we ought not by and by after our profession rashely to hasten ourselues to this so high and holy a ministracion The lawe of Moyses had her tyme. There was also a tyme when it behoued that as the lyght of the euangelyke veritie beganne by litle and litle to shine furth vnto the worlde euen so shoulde the shadowes of the olde lawe vanishe awaye and the carnall lawe gyue place vnto the spirituall puttyng furth her vertue Lyke as in transformacions and naturall chaungynges of thynges there is a certaine meane whiche hath some affinitie with both the extremes to the intent that thinges of muche contrarietie maye easely be traÌ„sformed and to â—rned one into another Euâ—n so Iohn came as a meane betwene the carnall law of Moyses and the spirituall law of the ghospell to this ende that men might the soner be transformed and brought from the fleshe or litterall sence of the lawe to the spirite and true meanyng of the same For ayre is not sodainly and immediatly made of yearth but in this transformacion
walked by the Sea of Galile he sawe Symon and Andrewe his brother casting nettes into the Sea for they were fyshers And Iesus sayd vnto them Folowe me and I wyll make you to become fyshers of men And streyght waye they forsoke theyr nettes and folowed hym And when he had gone a litle further thence he sawe Iames the sonne of zebede and Iohn his brother whiche also were in the shyppe mending theyr nettes and he anon called them and they left their father zâ—â—ede therein the 〈◊〉 the hyred seruauÌ„tes and folowed hym After the Lorde Iesus had with suche wordes moued and styrred vp the myndes of the Iewes to receiue the newe Phylosophy and doctrine of the ghospell he lykewyse began after the ensample of Iohn to gather certaine disciples but fewe in number and suche as were vnlettered persones and of lowe degree to the entent that when he had through theyr ministery conuerted all the whole worlde it shoulde plainly appeare how this kyngdom was the very kyngdom of God and not a worldly kyngdom Therefore as he trauayled on a daye by the lake or sea of Galile he ispied Symon and Andrewe his brother labouryng together and aboute to caste their nettes into the water For they were fishermen and by this occupacion gat their lyuyng The basenes of theyr crafte made for the aduauncyng of goddes glory The concorde of the two brethren sygnified the consent and agremente of the churche The crafte of fyshing bare the figure of the ministracioÌ„ of the ghospell which by vertue of Goddes worde plucketh vp into the lyght of veritie and loue of heauenly thynges suche as are drowned in the darkenesse of ignoraunce and the fowle stinkyng puddell of worldly cares And thus fyrste of all fyshed he for these two fyshers Come ye ê™ he and folowe me for I will make you begynne from this day forwarde to fyshe after men Assone as the Lord Iesus had spoken the word the two brethreÌ„ leauing theyr nettes euen as they were folowed him without any tarying For Iesus voice hathe in it a certaine heauenly charme or inchauntment And goyng thence a lytle forwarde he sawe other two that is to were Iames the sonne of zebede and Iohn his brother who were also trymmyng and mendyng theyr nettes in the shyppe and makyng themselues ready to go a fyshyng And these two notwithstanding their myndes were bent another waye he sodeinly spake vnto callyng and commaundyng theÌ„ to folow hym Now that thou mayest know young men of an euangelike faith they made no tarying but leauyng their father zebede with his hired seruauntes in the shyp streyght wayes folowed theyr caller Thus beganne Christe to gather the ciefe prelates and ministers of his Churche cleane refusyng the priestes and Phariseis of IerusaleÌ„ with all their pompe and pryde ¶ And they came into Capernaum and streyghtwaye on the Sabboth dayes he enterd into the Synagoge and taught and they were astonyed at his learnyng For he taught theÌ„ as one that had authoritie and not as the Scribes And being accompanyed with such a felowshyp he came vnto Capernaum This Capernaum was a citie muche florishyng in substaunce but no lesse proud vngodly and vicious than it was welthy Here byanby he beganne to playe the parte of an Euangeliste or preacher of the ghospell For vpon the sabboth daye he entred into the Sinagoge and taught the Iewes openly not the vayne fables of the Phariseis but declared vnto them the very true meanyng of the lawe which was in dede spirituall and not carnall And the people perceiued him to be a newe teacher his doctrine also to be of a new sort Thei sawe he was a maÌ„ of lowe degre that suche as accoÌ„panied him were but fewe in numbre very rascals men of no reputacion yet wondered they greatly at his wordes for that they breathed a certaine godly vertue For he did not after the maner of the Scribes teache triflyng coÌ„stitucions of men or olde wyues tales of genealogies and pedegrewes but his wordes were pithâ—hy and of authoritie and the wonderfull great miracles he wrought caused those verities that he spake to be beleued What thyng soeuer is humayne and worldly the same is of litle price and estimacion when Goddes power begynneth once to put furth his strength and efficacie ¶ And there was in their synagoge a man vexed with an vncleane spirite and he cryed saying Alas what haue we to do with the thou Iesus of Nazareth Arte thou cum to destroye vs I knowe the what thou arte euen the holy one of God And Iesus rebuked him saying holde thy peace and cumme out of the man And whaÌ„ the vncleane spirite had torne him and cried with a loude voyce he came out of him and they were all amased insomuche that they demauÌ„ded one of another among themselues saying What thing is this What newe doctrine is this For with authoritie commaunded be the foule spirites and they obeyed him And immediatlye his fame spred abrode throughoute all the region bordering on Galile And lo byanby there was occasion ministred for him to worke a myracle For in that assembly was there a certaine felowe whiche was vexed with an vncleane spirite This wicked spirite coulde not abyde the heauenly spirite speakyng in Christ. For he beganne to clatter agaynst his heauenly doctrine crying aloude and saying O Iesus of Nazareth what hast thou to do with vs Arte thou cumme to destroye vs before the tyme I right well knowe who thou arte Certes the selfe same holy one whiche the prophete Daniel promysed long sithens whom God hath singularly sanctified aboue al other The lorde Iesus eyther because the tyme was not yet cumme that he should openly confesse who he was or els because he was not pleased with this confession beyng vndoubtedly true but yet made â—hroughe constraint of feare and of a wicked spirite who sythe he is of hymselfe a lyer and delighteth to deceiue man was not to be hearde in the presence of the people when he spake the trueth lest any manne woulde haue taken occasion there by to beleue hym afterwardes when he had lyed the lorde Iesus I saye rebuked hym and sayed Holde thy peace and departe out of the man and so shalt thou better declare who I am And furthwith at the lordes coÌ„maundemeÌ„t the vncleane spirite forsoke the maÌ„ But at his departure he tare him cryed out with a loude voyce so that it euidently appeared thereby how he fled awaye not wyllingly but by force and constraint of Gods power And here was shewed the fygure of a manne possessed with the spirite of the deuyll Is not he vexed wyth the worste cruellest of all the deuils whiche is wholly possessed with ambicion couetousnes rancour malice hatred pleasure of the body suche other lyke deuilishe lustes and appetites Suche as are vexed with these spirites canne in no wyse abyde to heare the gospell preached but yell and crye oute agaynst it as the deuill dyd saying what
to disproue him with wordes The Phariseis and suche as were of Herodes retinue were not louers and frendes together and yet for to destroy the author of helth they agreed all in one O mischieuous concorde O blyndnes muche in deede to be lamented What shall the priuey traynes of worldly deceite preuayle againste him vnto whome nothyng is vnknowen The Lorde teaching vs by his ensample that we ought many tymes to gyue place for a season to the vncurable obstinacie of the euill leste through farther prouocacion they becum more mischieuous conueyed hymselfe thence and wente asyde agayne vnto the sea The goyng asyde of Iesu is no kinderaunce to the ghospell but an encreasyng and furtheraunce of thesame For yf so be that the Pharise is had not driuen hym awaye he woulde not haue cum to the multitude of the gentiles Therfore after that Iesus had forsaken the enuious and narrowe synagoge and was gone vnto the sea there came vnto hym out of euery quarter a great numbre of people not onely out of Galile but also out of Iewry yea and from Ierusalem selfe from Idâ—â—ea and all the countreys lying beyond Iordane and moreouer from suche places as bordered on the cities of Tyre and Sydon For here was made a foreshewe of the churche that shoulde be gathered together of the Gentiles because the synagoge did through her vnbeliefe repell the Gospel Out of all these places there came a great multitude of people whiche moued by the bruite that was spred abrode of the marueylouse doctrine and mighty dedes of Iesu drewe theÌ„ selues together assembled at the sea syde The lorde who is bothe bounteous and riche towardes all men secluded no man neyther from his doctrine nor fro receyuing the benefite of healthe The people were so eagre and hasty by reason of the great desyre they had to be cured of theyr syckenesses that one of them thruste another out of place by force preased in where Iesus was to the intente they might at the leaste wayes but touche hym because that by the onely touchyng of his garmente diseases were also cured and put away There was no difference neyther betwene disease nor person with this mightie and liberall physycian For whosoeuer they were that were troubled with any maner of euils or infirmities thesame were furthwith deliuered therof yf it chaunced theÌ„ to go to Iesu. And the selfsame thing wee se spiritually done euen in these dayes How many be there out of all the nacions of the whole worlde what detestable vices are they subdued vnto whiche flye vnto him for succour by touche of faythe are healed Furthermore the vncleane spirites after they had sene Iesus coulde not abide his puissaunt vertue but fel downe at his knees and cried out saying Thou art euen that selfsame sonne of God whiche was promised to cum Iesus who in no wise woulde suffre the wicked spirites to disclose him strayghtly coÌ„maunded them to kepe silence and in no case to discry hym before the tyme were cum His will was to be knowen vnto the world by humble and poore persons vnto whom he said He that heareth you heareth me He willeth vs to geue no credence at all to wicked spirites no not so muche as then when they speake the trueth For this busynes was not done at all auentures but God by his high wisedom ordered euery thing with certaine degrees and procedinges for our saluacion ¶ And Iesus commaunded his disciples that a ship should wayte on him because of the people lest they should throng him For he had healed manye in so muche that they preased vpon him for to touche hym as manye as had plages and whan the vncleane spirites sawe him they fel downe before him and cryed saying thou arte the sonne of God And he strayghtly charged them that they should not make him knowell Wherfore when Iesus was thrust with the prease of people anon he commaunded his disciples to prepare hym a ship because he woulde not be disquieted with the disordered clamorous multitude which rather desyred bodely health then the health of theyr soules and thronged hym rather then touched hym Suche as confessing theyr disease go to Iesu with a syncere fayth do touche hym and are made whole Againe they whiche troubled as yet with worldly lustes and desyres cum rushing in with noyse hurly burly do greue and greatlye disquiete hym Therfore the disciples who were wonte to be familiarly conuersaunt with the Lorde prepared hym a ship of a more pure congregacion Iesus is better pleased with a fewe cleane and quiet persones then with a great many that are troublesome and vnquiet But yet he so gat him away that he neuertheles taught the multitude out of the ship When thou seest Iesus teaching oute of the shippe vnderstand hereby a bishop preaching to a multitude of all sortes whiche contayneth christian nouices and suche as haue not as yet the spirite cast out by baptisme both of the Iewes and Gentiles Happy and blessed are they that do spiritually touch Christ. None toucheth him so but those whome he first toucheth For whomsoeuer he toucheth the same are healed of all theyr sinnes and nowe being of vnquiet persons made quiet they shall be receyued into the ship of the Churche there to haue the continuall fruicion of his companie and alwayes to sit at his table The shippe wherin Iesus preacheth is very narrowe and roumles to vncleane and sinfull persons and contrarily moste wide and large vnto suche as are in cleane life and purged of theyr sinnes The Lord refused the publicacion of deuils and auoyded the sinfull and vnquiet multitude of people And yet these thinges euidently shewed that the kingdome of God was cum into the whiche both worthy persons and vnworthy weÌ„te about violeÌ„tly to enter Therfore he prepared himselfe certaine capitaines whiche shoulde ayde hym in claymyng this heauenly kingdome so many in numbre as should be sufficient to teache so many nacions as anon after shoulde come full and whole oute of all partes of the world to professe the Philosophie and doctrine of the ghospell So haue the princes of this worlde bene wont to chose them certaine head rulers and capitaines to clayme wynne enlarge gouerne and defend theyr empires kingdomes by It is requisite that the sayde rulers be ryghte trusty wyse polytique and diligent and in especiall that they knowe the king theyr maisters will and pleasure ¶ And he wente vp into a mountayne and called vnto hym whome he woulde and they came vnto him And he ordayned the twelue that they should be with him that he might send them furthe to preache and that they might haue power to heale syckenesses and to cast out deuils And he gaue vnto Symon to name Peter And he called Iames the sonne of zebede and Iohn Iames his brother gaue them to name Bonarges whiche is to saye the sonnes of thunder And Andrewe and Philip and â—arthelmewe and Mathewe and Thomas and
Iewes who by reason they counted the TyriaÌ„s and Sidonians for dogges and abhominable people woulde not haue suffered him to haue translated and had awaye the doctrine of the ghospell vnto them Wherfore beyng there he vsed not to be conuersaunt in open and common places as he was wont to be among the Iewes but went into a house as though he had bene desyrous to kepe hymselfe secrete and vnknowen Albeit he coulde in no wise so do So greatly had the fame of his wordes and dedes spred abrode and stretched forth it selfe euen beyonde the bondes and lymites of Iewrye as though it had then deuised to ouerrunne the whole worlde In this wise is the glorye and prayse gotten by leadyng a godlye lyfe after the ghospell best of all spred abrode when that of it owne accorde it foloweth hym who exchueth and shunneth thesame For a certain woman of Canaan as this rumour was bruted and noysed abrode of Iesu came oute of the coastes of her countrey and anon conceiuing a greate confidence of hym hasted her to the place where he was and being with muche a doe let into the house fell downe at his feete This womanne was not of the Iewishe but of the heathen religion not a Iewesse borne but a Syrophenisse Here thou seest a fygure of the churhe whiche anon after should be assembled and gathered together of the gentiles The Iewes droue Iesu out of theyr countrey but thys Syrophenisse forsoke her countrey and wente to mete him It is but lost labour to cum to Iesu vnlesse thou haue first forsaken thyne olde vices beyng now familiar and of houshold with the. Thou must flitte out of thyne owne house to th entent thou mayest cum vnto the house where Iesus abydeth This woman had a daughter at home vexed with an yuell spirite by the whiche daughter are vnderstand the people geuen to ydolatrie Wherfore she desyred Iesu that he woulde vouchsafe to delyuer her from the spirit How muche perfyter was the fayth of this heathen woman then of the ruler of the synagoge Iesus because he woulde make the faythe of this woman more apparaunt to all men shaped her an aunswere as though he had bene of a Iewish minde saying suffre the children first to be filled It is not besemyng that I take the breade of the children and caste it to dogges For the Iewes do glory and make theyr vaunte that they alone be the children of God and esteme the gentiles who are of a contrarye relygion to theyrs for dogges He calleth the vertue of the ghospell bread whiche by the heauenly doctrine and pure faythe healeth all diseases and expelleth all kynde of diuels out of mennâ—s sowles The woman nothing offended with this rebuke tourned his woordes into an argumente to obtayne her peticion the whiche he spake as it semed because to shake her of that she shoulde make no further suyre and requeste vnto him herein Thou sayeste very well sayeth she Lorde We heathen people haue not disdain at the Iewes that they as children doe honorably sit at the table of theyr exceding rythe father and eate theyr fyll of the holye loaues But yet dogges are permitted to eate the crummes whiche fall downe vnder feete from the childrens table Iesus as though he had bene ouercum with so great faith pacience humblenesse of minde and constancy of the woman answered and sayd By reason of this answere thou obteyneste that perforce whiche it was not yet tyme for me to geue the. Get the home thy daughter is nowe deliuered of the spirite The woman gaue credence vnto his wordes and so departed thence with greate ioye and gladnesse and proued all thinges true that Iesu tolde her For she founde her daughter at reste in her bedde nowe cleane deliuered from any further vexacion of the fiende Assuredly the faythe of the mother enforced Iesu to heale the daughter Assone as the euill spirite is once put to flighte then folowethe there incontinent quiet of minde and conscience For that euer foloweth innocency cleane life So at this daye the congregacion of godly folkes resorteth vnto Iesus and maketh intercession for suche as are no lesse vexed with Idolatrye ambicion wrathe couetousnesse and a furious desire to make warre then yf they were vnder the thraldome of some foule spirite The Iewes thoughte it not beseming that they whiche a litle before were enforced to doe all mischiefe at the will and pleasure of diuels shoulde so daynlye throughe the grace of the gospell be receyued to the dignitie and felowship of the children of God and the cause why was by reason they perceyued not howe this high preeminence oughte not to bee estemed by consanguinitie or kinred but by feruentnesse and constancye of faythe towardes the Lorde Iesu. Christe was promised vnto the children of Israel and to the posteritie or successours of Abraham But they are the posteritie of Abraham which folowethe fayth of Abraham They are the children of Israel which require not heauen gates to be opened vnto them for theyr merites sake but goe aboute violently to entre in by force of an euangelike faith For Israel is as muche to saye in the Hebrue tongue as a man strong or valiaunte againste god For when the Gentiles who before tyme were blemished wyth all kindes of vices and had no good dedes at all whereby they mighte make anye iuste title or clayme vnto the kingdome of heauen were by the iustice of God cleane excluded and shut oute then brake they in by the windowe of mercye and made themselues a waye in by constaunte faythe as it had been with some toole or weapon violentlye breakynge vp the walles of the same kingdome The time was not yet come that they shoulde be openly called to the felowship of the kingdome of heauen but yet the Lorde maketh many foresignes of theyr vocacion as one desirous to preuente the thing whiche he chiefly desireth ¶ And he departed agayne from the coastes of Tyre and Sydon and came vnto the sea of Galile thorow the middes of the coastes of the ten cities And they brought vnto him one that was deafe had an impediment in his speache And they prayed him to put his hande vpon him And when he had taken him aside from the people he put his fingers into hys cares and did spit and touched his tongue and loked vp to heauen and syghed and sayde vnto him Ephatâ— that is to saye be opened And strayghtwaye his eares were opened the string of his tongue was lewsed he spake playne And he commaunded them that they should tel no man But the more he forbad them so muche the more a great deale they published saying He hath done al thinges well he hath made both the deafe to heare and the dumme to speake After this sede was priuely and as a man would saye by stealth so wen amonges the Tyrians Sydonians and Cananites the Lorde reculed and wente agayne vnto the lake of Galile leauinge Sydon
of a peuishe wenche he caused his head to be striken of Howbeit the fauour of Pylate was more constant then so but yet in conclusyon he deliuered hym to be crucified And this was doen leste any that professeth the trueth of the ghospell should trust vpon any worldly ayde and succour Then the souldiers because they woulde the more take theyr pleasure on hym in puttyng hym to shame and villany called together the whole garison of theyr companions and in mâ—â—kage clothed him with a garment of purple as it had been with a kynges robe theÌ„ put they on his head a croune platted of thornes in the stede of a diademe and being thus disguised they began with one voice to salute hym saying Hayle kyng of the Iewes Furthermore they strake his head with a rede whiche they gaue him in his hande in the stede of a scepter dyd also spit vpon hym and bowyng theyr knees wurshypped him Iesus all this while helde his peace paciently yelded to al theyr dispitefull doynges transportyng vnto his owne persone that shame and villanye whiche was due vnto our offences because to aduaunce vs vnto his glorye ¶ And when they had mocked hym they toke the purple of him and put his owne clothes on him and led hym out to crucifie hym And they compelled one that passed by called Simon of Cyrene the father of AlexaÌ„der and Rufus which came out of the felde to beate his crosse And thei brought him to a place named Golgotha which is if a man interprete it the place of dead mens sculles And they gaue him to drinke wine mingled with Mirre but he receyued it not These thynges doen they toke of agayne the purple garment and put on his owne clothes to th eÌ„tent that carying his crosse amoÌ„g misdoers he might be discerned and knowen of euery body And this the malycious priestes caused to be done because they would the more aliâ—nate and withdraw all meÌ„nes mindes from hym As they were goyng to the place of execucion they met a certayne felow called Simon of Cyrene the father of AlexaÌ„der and Rufus cuÌ„myng from his ferme whome makyng refusall to beare Christes crosse the souldiers notwithstandyng he was a ryche man and of theyr acquaintaunce did of a souldiourly malapertnes compell maugre on his head to beare it not because to fauour or ease Iesus but for the spedier finishyng of the execucion Some men necessitie constrayneth to embrace the crosse of Iesu But this is a blessed necessitie that driueth a man to saluacion The apostles enforce no maÌ„ to go to Christ but the souldiers vsed compulsion Howbeit the violence of these naughtie packes hath bene many a mannes saluacion They broughte hym into a place slaunderous and reprocheful by reason that suche as trespaced the lawe there suffred execucion called in the Syrian tong Golgotha in Latine Caluaria the whiche word implieth in Englishe a place of dead meÌ„s sculles There gaue they him wine mingled with myrre to drinke For wyne is customablie geuen to men when they be a passyng Howbeit that wyne for so much as it was corrupted with the bitternes of the Iewes Iesus receyued not whan it was offered hym For a lytle before he dranke with his disciples and would not drynke agayne of the fruite of the vine tyll he should drinke it newe in the kyngdome of God He hated the bitter wyne whiche the vyne of the Iewyshe synagoge brought hym furth that was becum bitter vnto her lorde and tiller and in stede of ripe grapes yelded the fruite of the wilde vine He hated the vine of wycked persons and thirsted for another kynde of wyne That was the newe wyne of the spirite of the Gospell the whiche spirite after his ascending vp into heauen he moste plenteously powred vpon his disciples And when they had crucified hym they parted his garmentes casting lottes vpon them what euery man shoulde take and it was about the thyrde houre And they crucified hym And the title of his cause was writteÌ„ the kyng of the Iewes And they crucified with hym two theues the one on the right haÌ„d and the other on his left And the scripture was fulfilled whiche sayth he was counted among the wicked When Iesu was lifted vp on the crosse those that crucified him parted his clothes among theÌ„ and for his coate whiche was wrought in suche wyse that it could not be deuided they caste lottes whose fortune it shoulde be to haue the whole Nowe considre the pouertie of Iesus who hadde nothyng left him in yearth He hangeth in the middes betwene heaueÌ„ and yearth So must he bee naked so must he be lyghted of all burthens so must he be high that wyll encountre with the enemy of maÌ„nes saluacion When Dauid should fyght with Goliad he caste awaye al the armour and weapoÌ„ of Saule whiâ—he dyd rather burthen hym then do hym any stede It was the thyrde houre of the daye when they nayled hym on the crosse There was set vpon the crosse the tytle of the cause wherfore he suffered which was this The king of the Iewes written in thre languages that is to saye in Hebrue Greke and Latine And with hym they crucified two theues in suche wise that one of them hong on his right syde and the other on his lefte on eyther syde enuironing hym hangyng in the middes And this was doen by the procurement of the wicked priestes because to make his name shamefull The prophete Esai prophecied it should so be saying He was reckened among the vniust and wicked And they that went by â—ayled on hym waggyng theyr heades and saying A wretche thou that destroyest the temple and buyldest it in three dayes saue thy selfe come downe from the crosse Lykewyse also mocked hym the high priestes among themselues with the Scribes and sayed He saued other men himselfe he cannot saue Let Christe the kyng of Israel descende now from the crosse that we may see and belâ—ue And they that were crucified with hym checked hym also Neyther could the malicious bishops and Scribes yet be satisfied with these so great euyls and manyfold displeasures For fyrst the Iewes passing by the crosse rayled on hym as he hong theron and as it were vpbraydyng hym now ouercum sayde vnto hym in derision and mockage waggyng their heades withall A wretche thou that destroyest Gods temple and buildeste it agayne within three dayes Nowe shewe what thou canste doe Put furthe this might and power wherupon thou braggest saue thyselfe if thou be able and cum down from the crosse Neyther dyd the hyghe byshops or priestes vse any gentler language vnto hym who with the Scribes skorned hym among themselues saying He hath saued other but himselfe he is not able to saue He hath made his vaunt how he was Christe he bragged that he was the kyng of Israell If his promises be true let vs see hym â—owe cum downe from the crosse then will we beleue oâ—n hym The priestes entended by these
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
poynte of a certaine veray true maidenly tendre shamefastnesse that she made not answere out of hande but cast with herselfe in her mynde what thyng so straunge and so high a salutacioÌ„ might meane was partely a poynte of wysedome and partely of demure softenesse But forasmuche as the Aungell right well knewe what she was casting in her mynde he would not suffre her any longer to stande in doubt or perplexitie but both toke away her feare with speakyng ientely vnto her and also declared at large the cause of that his vnquod and straunge gretyng Mary sayeth he there is no cause why thou shouldest be afeard The iewell of thy virginitie and maydenhood which thou art sigularly in loue withall is safe vnto the without any daunger of lesyng it Neyther am I come to please the or to set the agog with a vaine salutacion but I am come vnto the as a messagier of a matter both passyng ioyfull and also veray great Ponder not thine owne desertes Of the mere fauour of god it is that is offered vnto the not of thine owne merite And euen in this veray poynte thou doest please God that thou standest in no conceipte of thy selfe And let this suffice the that thou haste atteyned grace fauour at Gods hand And nowe herken a thing neuer heard afore but yet a true thyng Thou shalt conceyue a babe in thy wombe and shalt bryng furth a sonne and shalt call his name Iesus because he shall bryng saluacion vnto his people And although he shal be borne in an homely place and of a mayden estemed to be of lowe degree Yet by reason of his heauenly gyftes of grace he shal euery waye be moste greatest insomuche that after he shall once be knowen to the worlde he shal be called not by the name of a Prophete but the sonne of the hyghest The surname shall be greater then any other manne maye haue forbecause the chylde that must be borne shall ferre surmounte the common rate and degree of mortall mannes state In this chylde certes wyll the Lord God perfourme and accomplishe the thyng which the prophecie being to thee not vnknowen hath promised A man borne of the stocke of Dauid shall sit in the throne of his father He shall not through the ayde and maynteinaunce of the worlde vsurpe or take vpon hym a transitorie dominion and reigne of this worlde but his heauenly father will geue him the heauenly reigne of Dauid and he shal reigne ouer the people of Israel for euer without end Neither shal there euer come any ende of his reigne as the Prophete Esay hath prophecied Than sayed Mary vnto the Aunâ—â—ll â–ª howe shall this come to passe seyng that I knowe not any man and the Aungell answered and sayd vnto her The holy ghoste shall come vpon thee and the power of the highest shall ouershadowe thee And therfore the holy that shal be borne shal be called the sonne of God The hearte of this virgin dyd not through these so high promises of the Aungell weaxe any whit the more haulte to take vpon her neither dyd she of the highnes of the matters conceiue any distrust She conceyued not in her mynde any suche presumpcion that whan her sonne should be a kyng she on her partie also should be made a quene neyther was she vnknowyng that nothyng there was of suche high difficultie to bee done whiche God was not hable with a mere becke to bryng to passe All her care and thought was onely for she iewell of her virginitie on whiche she had so muche set her loue And therfore she doeth not requyre a token of the Aungell as Zacharie had done but doeth with maidenly shamefastnes and also according to wisedom no more but enquire to knowe of the Aungell the maner how the thing should be wrought and doen and maketh answer vnto him in this maner By what meane or waye shall it come to passe sayeth she that I shall bryng furthe a sonne forasmuche as I am in suche sorte espoused to my good man whom I do nowe lyue withall that yet neuerthelesse I haue no conuersacion of his bodye suche as wedlocke requireth For continencie lyketh vs bothe and this poynte of blysfulnesse yf it myght be we would full faine haue perpetually to endure betwene vs. The Aungell therfore teacheth howe it should be doen and taketh awaye from the virgin all doubtfulnesse concernyng her virginitie O virgin sayeth the Aungell nothyng shall in this matter be doen or wrought after the common course of nature An heauenly chylde bearyng shall it be and by an heauenly worker shall it from the firste ende to the last be executed Thou shalt continue in chaste loue towardes thy chaste spouse Fruitefulnesse of issue the happiest that euer maye be shall come to thy lotte without any detrimente or violacion of thy virginitie For thou hast not an housband geuen vnto threfor any suche purpose either that he should make thee a mother or els thou make him a father but the prouidence of God hath thought good by this meanes to make a sure waye for thy safegarde and preseruacion for thy good name and fame for thy virginitie and maidenhood and for thy conuenient quietnesse It was goddes pleasure that an vndoubted witnesse of this straunge chyldebearyng should be both present and assistente to the thyng he would in no wyse but that thou shouldest haue one who with chaste and continente lyuyng in thy coumpany and with all poyntes of feithfull seruiceablenesse should geue diligent attendaunce aswell on thee as on the chylde that is to bee borne and finally it was his pleasure that by this deuise pretence this misterie should bee kept secrete from the vnbeleuing sorte and also kept secrete from the wieked spirites And this holy copulacion of the diuine nature with the nature of man shall not violate thy chastitie but shall make it altogether holy The father of heauen hath determined after a straunge sorte eft sones to be gette his sonne on thee Neither shall there any sede of a manne mortall bee requisite or nedefull to this diuine concepcion but the holy ghost shall from heauen come downe into thee and in thy wombe as it were in an heauenly workehouse shall accomplishe the working of this holy babe and in stede of the bodelye or carnall embracing of an houseband the highest shall ouershadow thee in such wyse tempering and qualifying his infinite power and vertue to the measure and capacitie of mannes nature that it maye be hable to abyde the metyng together and the conioyning therof Where filthy lust is in the carnall copulacion of man and wife there whatsoeuer is borne is borne vncleane and thrall to synne But this that shall be borne of thee because it shall be conceyued of the moste holy embracing of the highest because it shal be coÌ„ceiued by the workyng of the holy ghost who maketh all thynges holy because it shall be
Lorde Iesus dooeth afterward call him foxe For this is the wily craftines of euill prynces of this worlde vnto whome if it shall at any tyme fortune right professours of the ghospel to be called to seruice either the gospellers muste eschewe the coumpany and conuersacion of suche maysters in whose houses they shall sooner be marred and broughte to naughtinesse on their own parties then they shal turne the others to better waies orels thei muste prepare their mindes aforehande to the like rewarde for shewyng the trueth without dissimulacion that Iohn fortuned to get for his labour For whan Herode nothyng growyng out of kynde from the maners and facions of his father and others his auncestours plaied many wieked and tiraÌ„nous partes pillyng pollyng the people pulling away all libertie by oppressioÌ„ punishyng in others the same thynges in whiche he was a common offender hymself vsing all offices of magistrates vnder him as sale ware for money vsyng also to sell the ministracions of priestehood kepiÌ„g within his house openly in the face of all the world one Herodias the wife of Phylyp beyng his brother and had by force of strong hand taken her away from his sayed brother yet beyng aliue together with a doughter of the same Philippes this holy man because he coulde not abide suche incest and vnnaturalnesse of mariage in a kynges house from whens especially aboue al other places it was conuenient that example of keping the lawes should procede aduertised him to refrain himself from suche a wicked misdede But with a deiulish king the deiulishe request of a gierle beyng a minion dauncer together with the suggestion of a deiulish woman weighed more then the holsome aduertisement of so vncorrupt a man with the whiche good aduertisemeÌ„t he was nothing the better but remained stil so ferre out of the way from being ameÌ„ded that vnto his hainous enormities afore past he added one dede of myschief more the most vngracious that euer was that is to wete casting Iohn into pryson and procedyng so ferre at laste in outragious woodnes that he caused the heade of the moste innocent man to bee chopt of and so gaue it to the wenche for a reward of her vicious wanton dauncyng ¶ And it fortuned that whan all the people receiued baptysme and whan Iesus was baptysed and dyd praye the heauen was opened and the holye ghoste came downe in a bodely shape lyke a doue vpon hym And a voyce came from heauen whiche â—ayde Thou art my beloued sonne in thee do I delite But now to returne to the discourse of the storie before that the lord Iesus would entre into the buisie office of preachyng which he entended with in the coumpasse of a short tyme to accoÌ„plishe and bryng to a perfite ende to the entent that he would leaue no one poynt of humilitie or of righteousnes vnfulfilled thought no disdain to cum with the residue of folkes vnto baptisme not to be purified himself whiche he neded not but to consecrate and halow the lauacre or fount of eternall saluacion to our behofe through his baptisme He huÌ„bled himself but that notwithstanding he was aswel by the voice of Iohn as also by the most clere testimonie of his eternal father opeÌ„ly coÌ„mended in the face of all the people to the entent that they might knowe him eueÌ„ by the face to by sight of whoÌ„ the prophetes had aforetymes spoken muche by prophecie and of whoÌ„ Iohn had openly witnessed So than at that time a great numbre of the common people wer in baptising and in the same cumpany Iesus Christ cuÌ„ming as one emong the mo had instantly desired of Iohn to haue baptisme as though he had been like other meÌ„ subiect to sin Iohn would haue refused to baptise him acknowlagyng him as the autour geuer of puritie of whom he ought rather to had been baptised hymself And thissame testimony was geueÌ„ first of Iohn to the dignitie of Iesus being there personally in place eueÌ„ before al the multitude of the people but the heaueÌ„ly father did by a more euident marke disseuer his sonne Iesê° from the residue of the cuÌ„pany that wer baptised For vnto al the rest whaÌ„ they were in baptising there appered no signe ne token at al. But immediatly after that the lord Iesê° was baptised as he was now makingÌ„g his deuout praiers to god teaching vs thereby that whan the state of innocencie is perfitely renewed through baptisme we ought immediatly to coÌ„uert and bestow our selues to such studies exercises as are of the spirit emoÌ„g which deuout praier hath the first place heauen opened which his baptisme set wide opeÌ„ to vs where as vntil that day it had been shut vp froÌ„ vs. And froÌ„ thens came doun the holy ghost bâ—ing of hiÌ„self in dede inuisible but for that time enuested clad with a figure or likenesse visible because he should be seene with the iyes of men And as for the likenesse it was of a doue because that this bird beyng as a sygne to represent innocencie or simplicitie had many hundred yeres afore brought a braunche of an oliue tree into the arke of Noe for a tokeÌ„ that the wrathe of God was pacified and also a caucion or pledge of warraÌ„tise that the floudde was at an end And in dede the said floudde of Noe by whiche the worlde was at that time scoured and pourged of all naughty creatures did conteine a misticall figure of our baptisme wherby all our sinnes are drowned vp our bodies and soules bothe beyng preserued in perfyte safetie In this lykenesse than dyd the holy ghoste descende downe reste vpon the holy toppe of the lorde Iesus head openly betokenyng that he it was whom God the father had plenteously anoynted with all heauenly giftes of grace whiche gyftes he woulde afterwarde poure out vpon al persons as many as by puttyng their affiaunce and truste in him wer or should afterward bee graffed in the brotherhoode of his bodye thoroughe baptisme There came also vnto him besides this likenes of a doue an euident testimonie of his fathers voice not now declared by the prophetes not by Moses not by angels but publyshed by the father selfe not that theÌ„ father may in his verye owne lykenesse as he is bee either heard or seen or by any sence of the body coÌ„prehended or perceyued but lyke as the holy ghoste beeyng inuisible did openly shewe hymself to the iyes of men in a visible signe euen so the heaueÌ„ly father sending doune a voice through the elementes aboue did seÌ„sibly pearce the eares of meÌ„ And the voice that souned from on high was in these wordes Thou arte mine owne onely dere beloued sonne in whom I am throughly pleased satisâ—ied To none of al the holy meÌ„ that euer were in olde time was there euer any testimonye of suche lyke sorte as this geuen A doue cumming before pointed out certainly to whome this voyce did apperteine to th entent that
he tooke the booke because he woulde commende vnto vs the earâ—est settyng of our myndes on the readyng of holy scripture The minister of the Synagoge reacheth furth the booke vnto hym but he tooke it hym shutte Iesus who alone hath the key and openeth that is layed vp hidden in the olde lawe whan he had taken the booke openeth it and turneth it For Iesus himselfe laye secretely hidden and diepely hiddeÌ„ in the lawe And truly mete it was that the Iewes selfes should geue the thyng wherwith they should anon after be conuinced And the booke that was deliuered vnto Iesus was not at all auentures as though it forced nothing what booke it were but it was the booke of the Prophete Esay then whom neuer did there any man eyther more clerely or els more euidently prophecie of Christe and of the doctryne of the ghospel Neither did the thyng by a blynde chaunce so happen but it was so conueighed by goddes prouidence that the booke beyng opened abrode and a leafe turned that same veray place came chiefly fyrsâ—e to hande the whiche dyd moste â—erely and plainly talke of Christe and in the whiche Christe by the mouth of the Prophete speaketh of himselfe in this maner The spirite of the Lord is on me because he hath enointed me to bryng glad tydinges to the poore by preaching of the ghospell hath he sent me to heale the contrite that is to saye throughly broken in herte to preache remission and free deliueraunce to suche as are in captiuitie and syght vnto the blinde to set freely at libertie suche as are all bruysed to preache the yere of the Lorde both acceptable and muche to be wished for and to preache the daie of retribucion Whan the Lord Iesus had with his owne voyce pronounced these woordes standing vpon his feete he redelieuered the booke shut together againe as he had receyued it vnto the minister signifying by his so doing the obstinate vnbeliefe of some of the Iewes who sittyng still beatyng on the letter of the lawe dyd neyther vnderstande ne woulde acknowleage Christe beyng the soule and the lyfe of the lawe Nowe immediatly after this taketh he on hym the parte and office of a teacher and sate hym downe quietly about to expoune the sentence that he had read As touchyng that he read the texte of the Prophete standyng on his feete it was a thing doen for the authoritie of the scripture of God wherunto it is mete that all dignitie of manne do reuerently humble it selfe As touchyng that he taught sittyng downe it is for a declaracion that an expouner and preacher of Goddes holy scripture ought to bee voyde and altogether clere from the troubleous vnquietnesse of all carnall and worldely desyres ¶ And the iyes of all them that were in the Synagoge were fastened on him And he began to saye vnto them This day is this scripture fulfilled in your eares And all bare hym witnesse and wondred at the gracious woordes whiche proceded out of his mouthe And they sayed Is not this Iosephes sonne And he sayed vnto them ye will vtterly say vnto me this prouerbe Phisician heale thy selfe Whatsoeuer we haue heard doen in Lapernaum do the same here lykewyse in thyne owne countrey And he sayed Uerayly I saye vnto you no Prophete is accepted in his owne countrey But partely the newe fame whiche had nowe already begon to be spred abrode of Iesus partely the authoritie of a teacher which he now first of all toke vpon him finally a certayne heauenly grace shyning in his veray countenaunce dyd cause that the iyes of all the people whiche were then present in that congregacion were earnestly fixed on him for suche an audience doeth the Lord Iesus loue as kepe their Sabboth resting from all troubleous desires and affeccions of this worlde suche as with mutuall concorde one with an other are gathered together into one place such as haue the iyes of theyr minde loking none other way but streight vpon Iesus but streight towardes euerlastyng saluacion For he dayly speaketh vnto vs in the misticall scripture of God he speaketh by euangelicall Prophetes that is to saye by the enterpretours expouners of the holy bookes of scripture But happy and blissed are they to whom the Lord Iesus speaketh they geuyng suche earnest iye eare vnto hym For to suche doeth he vouchesaue to open the mysterie of the depe hidden sence For as soone as he sawe the iyes of all the presence caste full and whole and fixed on hym alone he begonne to saye vnto them Ye haue nowe heard the Prophete Esay by the inspiracion of the holy ghost promising vnto you a certaine excellent and mightie teacher who should not out of a worldly spirite teache constitucions of meÌ„ or vaine fables seruing to no good purpose but being aboundauÌ„tly enoynted replenished with the spirite of God should bee senâ—e from thesame to bryng the glad and wishable tidinges of saluacion to suche as are meke and poore in spirite and by reason therof are apte to receyue the holsome doctrine of heauen and whiche teacher should be of power and habilitie to perfourme the thyng whiche he should bryng tydynges of as one endewed with heauenly vertue and power whiche teacher also shoulde freely bryng saluacion vnto all creatures as many as acknowlagyng theyr owne naughtinesse and offences dyd wyshe for saluacion whiche teacher moreouer all manier sinnes beeyng frely pardoned should helpe all suche as had theyr hertes corrupted with many sondrye diseases of vices and of naughty lustes whiche teacher ferthermore should preache deliueraunce and setting at libertye vnto all persones that either beyng geuen to Idolatrie were kepte fast of the deuill as captiues and prisoners or els beyng as thrall to the supersticion of the lawe mighte not reache ne atteigne to the libertie of the spirite whiche teacher besides all this should through faith open the iyes vnto suche as were blynde in soule abode in a moste diepe myste of manyfâ—lde errours in suche wise as with theyr sayde iyes they should be hable to behold and looke vpon the light of the eternall vecitie accordyng to the prophecie whiche thesame Prophete wrote in another place where he sayth the people that satte in darkenesse hath seen a great light Which teacher ouer and aboue the premisses shoulde restore vnto theyr first state of fredome all suche persones as semed to bee all crushed and bruised to pieces by Satan with all kyndes of euilles and which teacher finally should declare in open preachyng that the true Iubilee of the Lorde was now come a tyme lyke as to bee hertely wished for of al creatures euen so with moste ardent myndes to bee accepted and enbraced of all people without excepcion Moses gaue a tradicion of a sabboth of dayes in whiche he commaunded that euery seuenth daye they should all rest from sloumbreyng or vnclenly occupacions he gaue also a tradicion of a sabboth of yeares in whiche he
wherin thei hunted for a certayne worldely prayse and glorye to theimselues warde by suche a matier the glory wherof was altogether due vnto god The vngodly murmuryng of these persones did Iesus rebuke and alaie with suche sayinges as here folowe Because ye haue hearde sayeth he that I haue elswhere emong others healed all kyndes of diseases verayly ye wyll saye vnto me that is woont to be saied in a common prouerbe Thou phisicion heale thine owne selfe We haue heard saye that thou haste wrought certayne woondrefull thynges aboue the course of nature in the Citie of Capernaum where thou were but a straungier not hauyng there any that are nere of bloud or kinred vnto thee But conuenient it were that thou shouldest bee beneficiall moste chiefly to thyne owne kynsfolkes what thou dooest to thy countreymen and kynsfolkes thesame thou dooest vnto thine owne selfe Therfore if this vertue and power of thyne bee appropriate vnto thee and contynuall in thee than whatsoeuer thou haste dooen emong the Capernaites and straungiers do euen here lykewyse emong thyne owne kynsfolkes beeyng moste nere vnto thee and doe it here in thyne owne countrey Unto the wieked murmoure of theyr hertes beeyng now disclosed and vttreed the lord aunswered in this manier I am in dede a Phisician readye to heale all the diseases of all creatures if anye partie shewe hymself apte to be healed For no phisician be he neuer so well learned ne neuer so well willyng to do good is hable to helpe or cure the sicke if they cast the medicine away from them when it is offred them and mistruste the feythful phisician And in dede this is the affecciō of the moste common sorte of men that they esteme the phisician so muche the more that he is come a man vnknowen out from some ferre coūtrey or region and in suche a place doeth he fynde more truste and affiaunce to bee put in hym where he is estemed by none other thyng but by his arte and by the name of a phisician And in dede as touchyng his cūnyng whiche he carryeth about with hym where euer he goeth he is at all times and in euery place one manier a manne but where he fyndeth men full of mystrustyng and contemners he cannot by his cunnyng doe good to so many not for that he hath in suche a place any lesse wyll or els power on his owne behalf but because the parties whome his mynde and wyll was to relieue wyll none of the benefite of healthe for despite and grutche that they beare to theyr owne selfes And thesame that chaunceth to the phisicians dooeth muche more chaunce vnto the prophetes For the cunnyng of phisicians dooeth ofte tymes helpe some yea whether they will or no But the Prophete because he dooeth moste chiefly cure soules hath it not lying in his power though he woulde to helpe suche as refuse saluacion whan it is offered And refuse it he doeth whosoeuer mystrusteth And many for none other cause mystruste the Prophetes but because they esteme thesame not of the power of God werkyng by them but of the weakenesse of body whiche they see in them lyke as in other mortall men Turne ye the stories of the olde prophetes ouer and ouer ye shall finde it to bee a thyng of moste vndoubted certayntie that I nowe saye vnto you whiche is that neuer was there yet anye Prophete had in price within his natiue countrey and emong his owne kynsfolkes not for that they be lesse hable or willyng to dooe good to theyr owne frendes then to straungiers or foreine persones but because the vnbeliefe of the kynsfolkes maketh theim vnwoorthie of suche benefite at goddes hande But I tell you of a frueth many wedowes were in Israell in the dayes of Helias whā heauen was shut three yeres and sixe monethes whan great famishement was throughout all the lande and vnto none of theim was Helias sent sauyng into Sarepta besydes Sydō vnto a woman that was awedowe And many lepres wer in Israel in the tyme of Heliseus the prophet and none of them was clensed sauyng Naaman the Syrian For the benefites of God are not geuen for the respecte of kynred but for the good herte of a man not to the cousynage of the fleashe but to the promptnesse of the spirite not to the nacion but to the feyth For this I affirme vnto you for a matter oute of doubte that in the tyme whyle Helias was lyuyng whan by the continuall space of three yeres full and six monethes there hadde fallen downe no rayne from heauen and the baraynnesse of the yearth by reasō therof had oppressed all the quarters there about with great famine there were many wydowes in the nacion of the Israelites and yet the sayed prophete beeyng nere at the poynte to peryshe through hounger he was not sent to any one of them all to bee fedde but vnto the wedowe of Sarephtha in the countreye of Sydon Why was he not rather sent to the wedowes of Hierusalem there to multiplye the steane of meale and the pitcher of oyle or to shewe a notable miracle to some one of them by restoryng a dead chylde vnto lyfe agayne Forsothe because that emong the Israelites there was not one of all the wedowes that coulde egually matche or compare with the sincere feyth and affiaunce in God of the sayd heathen and barbarous woman She beeyng desyred gaue hym water readilye withoute any styckyng and whan he promysed that her steane of meale and her pitcher of oyle should not waste she beleued and made hym pottage as she was bydden to dooe This was forsothe a mynde and herte of an Israelite in a woman beeyng no Israelite so ferre is the good herte more regarded and estemed afore god thē is the bloud or kynred And did there not a muche lyke thyng befall in the tyme of Heliseus the prophet who succeded Helias For no doubt there is but that emong the Israelites there were manye Lepres the whiche found a great misse of their bodely health Why than was neuer an one of thē made cleane by Heliseus but Naaman of Syria beyng before that time and ydolatre an aliene borne to the nacion of the Israelites Could not the prophet haue been hable to doe thesame emong his own coūtrey folke that he was hable to dooe on an aliene and heathen man Was he trowe ye more quicke and readie to dooe good to suche as wer not of goddes religiō and yet borne in a foreyne countrey too thē to men of his owne people and nacion No. But the feith of the man deserued that benefite of goddes hande For he had a sure feith that god was hable by his true seruauntes to dooe as great a thyng as that And whan he was bidden to plounge hymselfe seuen tymes in fluime Iordan he obeyed and did it Yf the lepres of Israell had had thesame feith with them euē they should haue felt the beneficiall goodnesse of God
on the manne commaunded the wicked spirite to departe out of him And the partie that was possessed of the deuil fel downe at the knees of Iesus For a certain priuie power of the vertue of his godhed had drawen the partie vnto him But the vncleane spirite made an houge roring out through the mouth of the miserable selie creature sayd O Iesus the sonne of the most high god in heaueÌ„ what haue I to do with thee I beseche thee do not torment me For the coÌ„maundement of the lord wrought strongly vpon hym to leaue the manne whom he had by a long space vexed Many tymes and ofte would this wicked spirite cease on the man woulde after so manifold pieteous sortes moste cruelly tormente and vexe him that breakyng all his fetters his chaines and al thinges that he was bouÌ„d withall he should bee driuen and feased of the deuill into desert places Wherfore the sayed spirite was yll wyllyng and loth to leaue his olde habitacion Yea and moreouer full sore was he afeard â—este the day had been now cum in whiche they should bee adiudged to euerlastyng payne and torment of helle there to be eternally punished for all the euil woe which here in this world they torment and plague men withal So than it was not repentaunce of his euill doynges that enforced him to these praiers but feare of punishemente But Iesus to the ende that the greatnes of the miracle should bee the better knowen to all folkes demaunded of the wicked spirite what was his name He auÌ„swered a legioÌ„ mening by this souldierly word perteiniÌ„g to warfare that the manne was possessed not of one deuill alone but of an immunerable multitude of deuils for there is no one great sinne without a great ambushmente of vyces together in a clouster But there is no sickenesse of the mynde so greuous there is none so great a multitude of great offeÌ„ces but it geueth place and departeth at the commaundemente of Iesus And all these deuyls beyng now in feare therof praied Iesus that in case it could not bee auoyded but that thei must nedes be cast out of that maÌ„ which thei were in yet at least wyse they myght not be commaunded to go doune into the depe pitte of hell whiche place they know to be ordeined for them at the last day of iudgemeÌ„t And not ferre from thesame place vpon a certain hill whiche lay harde by in maner directly aboue thesame water there was a greate heard of swyne feedyng at their pasture so that euen by that very point we may perceyue that the said countrey was heathen and wholy geuen to al vngodlines For the Iewes by their lawe did not ne might eate no swynes fleshe And the deuils made request that by the sufferaunce of the lorde they myght haue libertie to flitte out of the man into the said hogges so great a desyre iuste had the wicked spirites to doe hurt and mischiefe And Iesus to make the thyng bothe the more euident and also the more terrible suffred them to haue their desire And immediately the deiuils leaft the man weÌ„t into the hogges and streyght waies was al the whole hearde carried hedlong in a furious rage as fast as they might driue into the poole and were there drowned stone dead As soone as the swyneheardes sawe this they were sore afrayed and went theiâ— waies thence as fast as thei might renne into the tounes and villages to beare tydynges al about what was happened The inhabitauntes of the countreye scarcely beleuyng the tale that the swyneheardes tolde went foorth to see the prouffe and tokens of that so vncredible a matier And cumming to the place they see the hearde to be now peryshed and loste whiche a litle before was an hearde of a mighty great multitude And the man also whiche tyll that tyme was possessed of many deiuils and for his notable mischiefe that he did in the countrey was well knowen vnto euery body hym they fynde now all quiet and pacient and of whole mynde wearyng clothes on his bodie and sitting at the fete of Iesus For of an harbourer of deiuils was he sodaynly made a disciple and scholar of Iesus And whereas to fore he was tumbled and dryuen by wicked spirites to all kyndes of mischief now by the ientyll and meke spirite of the most merciful lorde he is in framyng to all earnest and deuout exercise of godlynesse Ferthermore they whiche had been there present and hadde with theyr owne iyes seen the maÌ„ before possessed of deiuils and had heard that there was a legion that is to saye a great noumbre of deiuils in him and nowe sawe hym in suche a litle while made perfectly whole they reported to the residue of the people what had befallen Wherupon a certayne feare came vpon them all where as they should rather haue glorified god and louingly enbraced the power of him who had restored health to a most miserable creature beyng otherwise past all hope of recouerie They would fayne therfore haue had Iesus goen as people dreding his power but not knowyng his goodnesse and they be more moued with the losse of theyr cattel then with the health of the man restored again Yet durste thei not be bolde to banishe or driue him out of their region but the Gerasens ientilly desyre and praye him in the name of all the whole countreye to departe out of theyr coastes so great feare had taken and possessed them all And he gat hym into the shyppe and returned backe agayne Than the man out of whome the deuils were departed besought hym that he might bee with him But Iesus sent hym awaye saying goe home agayne to thyne owne house and shewe what thynges soeuer god hath doen for thee And he went his way and preached throughout all the citeâ— what thynges soeuer Iesus had doen vnto hym And Iesus because he woulde not caste an holy thing emong dogges returned agayne to his shippe But the partie whiche was deliuered from deuils desyred Iesus that he might continue in his coumpaignye and awayte on hym seeyng that he was bound vnto hym alone and to none other for receiuing his health But Iesus woulde not suffre it but sayed vnto hym returne to thine owne house to the ende that by thyne owne relacion and by sight of thee all folkes maye certaynely knowe what thou were afore and what thou arte now through the benefite of God Thy countreymen refuse to haue me come and be emong them yet bee thou at the leastewyse a wytnesse emong them what ill frendes they haue been to themselues in castyng me out of theyr region The man obeyed the lordes biddinges and goyng into Decapolis and throughout euery citie he declared and talked in all coumpaynies that he came emongst what great and high benefites he had receyued at the handes of Iesus And thissame was yet some manier of entreaunce and fyrst settyng foorth of preachyng the gospel emong folkes
crosse And in dede they hearde a speakyng of death but it was as it had been half in a dreme nothyng well vnderstandyng what the thyng ment whiche was spoken and yet durste they not demaunde anye questions of hym what these woordes might mene hauyng freash in theyr remembraunces that Petur whan he was somewhat ouer bolde and buisye with Iesus had hearde Iesus saie vnto hym auaunt out of my sight thou Satan thou haste no saueryng of those thynges that appertein to God but altogether of such thinges as appertein to yâ— world ¶ And there entred a thought emong them whiche of theim should bee greatest whan Iesus perceiued the thought of their hertes he tooke a chylde and set hym harde by him and sayed vnto them whosoeuer receiueth this childe in my name receiueth me And whosoeuer receiueth me receiueth hym that sent me For he that is least emong you al the same shal bee greatest After al this same Iesus wente to Capernaum And so it was that forasmuche as the disciples wer yet carnal because they had seen the glory of weorking of many miracles and because they had hearde the maiestie of the kyngdome of God promysed and because theimselfes too had dooen many woondrefull thynges aboue nature at the name of Iesus a certayn worldly thought entred into theim which at laste braste out thus ferre that as they were going on the way they reasoned together one with an other whiche of them shoulde sute highest in the kyngdome of heauen For they dreamed that such a like order shoulde bee in the kyngdome of heauen as they had seen in the courtes of worldely princes or in ryche folkes houses in whiche he that is more proude and quicker or bolder spirited then an other is he is the more Iolier felowe Than Iesus althoughe he knewe well enoughe what it was that they had emong theimselfes kept disputacions of yet as soone as he was come into the house he demaunded of theim what the matter was that they had so hardelye disputed and reasoned of by the waie And they all plaiyng mum and not hauyng a woorde to saie because they wer halfe ashamed of the matter Iesus to shewe that their thoughtes and their priuie talkes behynd his backe wer not hydden ne vnknowen to hym toke a litle innocente childe in his hand and set hym hard by his syde and callyng the twelue together vnto hym he sayed ye dispute of greatnesse whiche of you shal bee greatteste The greatteste with me are those that are moste inferiours What is more playne without fraude or guyle then this litle chylde or what thyng more lowe Euen veray suche muste ye become if ye will be chiefe in the kyngdome of the ghospel The kyngdome of feith and charity knoweth none ambicion it is not acquainted with plaiyng the Lorde it can no skill of tirannye whatsoeuer persone receiueth vnto him suche a childe as this in my name receiueth me myselfe and whosoeuer receiueth me receiueth hym that hath sent me If I haue plaied the Lorde towardes you than reason you also who shal be the chiefe emoÌ„g you but if I haue rather vsed my self as a willing and a readye seruaunte to the commodities of all persones knowe ye that he shal bee a great man emong you all who in contemnyng of glory in humilitie and submission and in feruent affeccion to bee as a seruaunte to dooe all creatures good shal bee the least and moste inferiour of all men ¶ And Iohn aunswered and saied maister we sawe one castyng out deuils in thy name and we forbad hym because he folowed not with vs. And Iesus saied vnto him forbid ye hym not For he that is not against vs is with vs. And because they had hearde hym saye that litle ones are to bee receiued in the name of Iesus it came into Iohns mynde that they had excluded and debarred a certayne man from the fraternitie of ministring the ghospel He therefore is in a doubte whether that lyke as all men were to bee receiued vnto the felowship of the saluacion of the ghospell so in lyke manier all men wer to be admitted to the ministracion of preachyng the ghospell and to the weorkyng of miracles And in this poyncte was hydden a litell spice of a certaine secret pangue of enuye God had tofore geuen power vnto the twelue onely to caste out deuils and to heale diseases Thys dignitie they thoughte not meâ—e to bee made common to any others And therefore Iohn saied maister at the tyme whan beeyng sent foorth by thee we executed the office of preachyng the ghospell abrode we sawe a certaine man casting out deuils in thy name though he bee none of the noumbre of vs twelue no nor dooeth not soe muche as folowe thee neyther This man as one beyng a straunger to our brotherhood we forbadde that he shoulde no more so dooe Than Iesus although he would in no place suffre hymselfe to be preached of by the wicked spirites yet teacheth that men of what sorte soeuer they bee are not to bee forbidden from hauyng to do in the ghospel although they do thesame of no veray sincere hert so that saith he the thyng that they doe they doe it in the name of Iesus and doe thesame thyng that ye dooe For whosoeuer is not an aduersarie vnto vs doeth euen in that veraie poynte make on our syde that he doeth not against vs. To such a thyng as is straunge and by all possible waies to be euerye where published abrode al fauour doeth auaile The miracle is not his that doeth it but Goddes who sheweth his power by man as by his ministre and instrument Therfore whatsoeuer persone sheweth any miracle by callyng vpon my name dooethe publishe and spred abrode my glory and debarreth himself of al title to speake 〈◊〉 of me from thensforth whose name he hath found so effectual ful of power ¶ And it fortuned whan the tyme was come that he shoulde bee receiued vp he sette his face to go to Hierusalem and sent messagiers before him And they went and entred into a city of the Samaritanes to make ready for him And thei would not receiue him because his face was as though he would gooe to Hierusalem Whan hys disciples Iames and Iohn sawe this they saied Lord wilt thou that we commaund fyer to come down from heauen and consume them euen as Helias dyd Iesus turned about and rebuked them saiyng ye wotte not what manier spirite ye are of For the sonne of manne is not come to destroy mennes lyues but to saue theim And they went to an other â—owne And so it befell that the time beeyng nowe veraye nere at hande when Iesus leauyng the yearth should be receiued vp into heauen the Lorde had already entred his iourney and shewed eueÌ„ plainly by his countenaunce that he was bounde towardes Hierusalem as one that purposely minded to be in the way agaynst the occasioÌ„ of his death should come He
the veraie name and remembraunce of the saied zodomites whome the wrath of God by a terrible exaumple and presidente for menne to beeware by dyd vtterlye destroye but a more horrible and dredefull punishement abideth thesame Iewes if they beeyng stirred and prouoked with so many benefites and so many miracles shall neglecte and despise the goodnesse of God Woe vnto the Corazin woe vnto the Bethsaida For if the miracles had been doen in Tyre and Sidon which haue been doen in you thei had a great while agoe repented of their sinnes sitting in heaâ—en cloth and ashes neuerthelesse it shal bee easier for Tyre and Sydon at the iudgement then for you And thou Capernaum which are exalted to heaueÌ„ shalt be thrust down to hell He that heareth you heareth meâ— and he that despiseth you despiseth me and he that despiseth me despiseth hym that sent me Woe bee to thee Corazain woe bee to the Bethsaida cities of Israell For if the miracles whiche haue been shewed in you had been shewed in the cities of the Gentiles Tyrus and Sidon whiche ye crie fye vpon accoumptyng theim abhominable they would haue called themselfes home to emendement yea and sittyng in heareclothe and ashes they woulde haue dooen penaunce for theyr synnes whereas ye beeyng veraye styffe necked agaynst God dooe stand highly in your own conceiptes and thinke your selfes faultlesse Woe bee to the Capernaum whiche swellyng nowe in pride of richesse and swymmyng in the delices of sensualitie appearest to be exalted aboue the moone as high as heauen on that daye shalte thou bee caste downe euen vnto the diepe pitte of helle For albeit ye be homelye and lowe messagiers yet for that you shall come vnto them in my name and shal shew vnto them the vnestimable gift of God the condemnacion of suche as shall despise you shall not bee small For he that heareth you heareth me whiche speake vnto theim by the instrument of your mouthes and contraryewyse he that despiseth you despiseth me and he that despiseth me despiseth hym that hathe sente me For I dooe not of myne owne head any thyng speake whiche I haue not receiued first of my father nor ye shall speake nothyng whiche ye shall not first haue learned of me Therfore as my doctrine is the doctrine of my father and not myne so youre preachyng shall bee my preachyng and not yours The lorde Iesus whan he had with suche woordes as these duelye enstructed and armed the threscore and tenne disciples he sent them foorth to assaye and proue themselfes how well they coulde dooe in preachyng of the ghospell And the seuentye returned again with idye saiyng Lorde euen the veray deiuils are subdued to vs through thy name And he saied vnto theÌ„ I sawe Satan as it had been lightenyng fallyng downe from heauen Beholde I geue you power to treade on serpentes and scorpions and ouer all manier power of the enemye and nothyng shall hurte you Neuerthelesse in this reioyce not that the spirites are subdued vnto you but reioice that your names are written in heauen And whan the matter had woondrefullye well prospered in their handes they returned home again with great mirth ioye saying Maister not only diseases are driuen awaye by vs but vncleane spirites also are subiect vnto vs in the name of thee Then Iesus to arme and fense theyr myndes agaynst the disease of vainglorie which vleth by stealth to crepe and enter yea into holy meÌ„ also putteth foorth vnto them the exaumple of Lucifer who for his pride was sodainly cast downe from so great felicitie I sawe quod he Satan fall out from heauen euen like the lightening Great was his dignitie in heauen and yet for that he was puffed vp with pride sodainly was he cast from the higheste place in heaueÌ„ into the botome of helle pitte How much more than ought you to beware of pride whiche carrye aboute with you a mortall bodye subiecte to all perilles and daungiers here in yearth Great is the power which I haue geueÌ„ you but I haue geuen it you not to any such entent yâ— ye should therby weare proude and high minded but to the ende yâ— by your miracles men should geue and attribute greater fayth and belefe to the ghospell I dooe not require at your handes again that which I haue ons geuen you so that ye wil not abuse it For I geue you power by the whiche you shall trede serpentes scorpions vnder your foote yea if there bee any other thyng by meane wherof Satan your enemie maie be hable to hurt you Not one of all suche thinges shal haue power to do you hurt And yet is it not expediente for you to glory oâ— to vaunt your selfes concernyng any suche thing because spirites are subiecte to you For these thinges shal be dooen also by wicked and euil men but reioyce ye in this thyng that youre names are alreadye written in heauen for thither shall your mekenesse and lowelinesse thither shall your simplicitie bring you from whens Lucifer through his pride and haultenesse of mynde fel yf ye shal still persiste and continue in this your entente and purpose That same houre reioyced Iesus in the holy gost and saied I thanke the O father lord of heauen and earth that thou hast hid these thinges from the wise and prudent and hast opened theÌ„ vnto babes Euen so father for so pleased if the. Al thinges are geuen me of my father No man knoweth who the soonne is but the father and who the father is but the sonne and he to whom the sonne wil shewe him And he turned to his disciples and saied secretely Happie are the iyes which see the thinges that ye see For I tell you that many Prophetes and kinges haue desired to see those thinges whiche ye see and haue not seen theim and to heare those thinges whiche ye heare and haue not heard them And whan the lorde had saied these woordes byanby he beganne to reâ—oyce in the holye ghoste and to geue thankes to his father for the prosperous successe of the ghospell teachyng vs euen at thesame tyme by exaumple of hymselfe that in case any thyng come luckilye to passe through our handes whan we go about it we should reioyce not with any humaine affeccion but with spiritual and ghostely reioycing not taking to our selfes any parte of the prayse or glory but euermore reioycyng that the glory of god is so set foorthe and magnified and reioycyng at the profite of our neighbour I rendre thankes saieth he vnto thee o lord and father the maker of heauen and yeâ—rth for that these so hygh thynges thou hast kepte secrete hidden from such as after the worlde are reputed wyse and politique hast opened the same to the litell tendre ones to the inferiour meane sorte to the ignorauntes and to suche as after the iudgemente of the worlde haue no great wytte nor experience And thus veraily is it dooen o father for
towardes you to denie vnto you that was naughtly sued for but in stede of the thyng ye wyshed he would geue that might bee for your welth If the sonne shall aske breade of any of you that is a father wyll he geue hym a stone Or if he aske fishe wyll he for fyshe geue hym a serpent or yf he aske an egge wyll he offre him a Scorpion yf ye then beyng euill can geue good giftes vnto your children how muche more shall your father of heauen geue the holy spirite to them that desire it of hym The naturall affeccion of carnall parentes towardes their children doeth so worke that they cannot saye naye vnto them whome they haue begotten yf thesame shoulde make peticion for a thyng perteynyng to the health of the bodye Makeye a coniecture by comparison of your owne selues For who is it of you all that in case he should aske a piece of breade of his father can suppose that thesame would geue his sonne a stone in stede of a piece of bread or in case he shoulde aske fishe can thynke that the father would offre his sonne a serpent in stede of a fishe or in case he should desire to haue an egge can rekon that the father in stede of an egge would geue hym a Scorpion hidden in an egshell That if the tendre loue and affeccion of nature be of so great force and strength emong men beyng many other wayes naughtie persones that towardes theyr chyldren askyng thynges profitable they are frendly geuers how much more your heauenly father who is the father of spirites and who of nature is good will geue vnto you from heauen his spirite beyng good whiche shall aboundauntely geue you all goodnesse yf ye shall make peticion to him for it And he was casting out a deuill and thesame was dumme And whan he had cast out the deâ—â—ill the dumme spake and the people woondred But some of them sayed he casteth out deuilles through Beelzebub the chiefest of the deuils And other tempted hym and required of hym a signe from heauen But he knowyng their thoughtes sayed vnto them Euery kyngdome deuided agaynst it selfe is desolate and one house doeth fall vpon another If Satan also bee deuided agaynst hymselfe how shall his kyngdome endure Because ye saye that I cast out deuils through Beelzebub If I by the helpe of Beelzebub caste out deuils by whose helpe doe your children caste them out Therfore shall they bee your iudges But if I with the fyâ—ger of God caste out deiuils no doubte the kyngdome of God is come vpon you Whan a strong man armed watcheth his house the thynges that he possesseth are in peace But whan a stronger then he commeth vpon hym and ouercommeth hym he taketh from hym al his harnesse wherin he trusted and diuideth his goodes He that is not with me is agaynst me And hâ— that gathereth not with me scattereth abrode Satan also hath a spirite of his owne whome he enspireth to all his seruauntes to be a prouoker and a mouer of them to all naughtinesse Yea and the worlde too hath a spirite belongyng to it whiche allureth men to the loue of thynges transitory But with this spirite your heauenly fathers spirite hath no manier entremedlyng at all If therfore the spirite of your heauenly father shall dwell in you the spirite of Satan must bee expoulsed and the one spirite must nedes auoyd out for to make roume that the other maie come and inhabite in your brestes And behold a chaunce that might laye manifestlye before their iyes what thyng the euill spirite wrought in the hertes of the Iewes beyng euermore wrastlers agaynst the holy spirite of God There was broughte vnto Iesus a certayne man possessed with a mischieuous deuill and it was a deuill not of one sorte onely but both a dumme deiuill and also a blynde so that he could neither loke vp vpon Iesus nor yet speake vnto him ThaÌ„ Iesus of his owne accorde takyng pietie on the man beeyng in suche affliccion commaunded the deuill to voyde out of him and he voyded And beholde there wer certain Iewes present standing by whose soules the spirite of Satan did more daungierfully possesse then that same vnclene spirite had possessed the body of this man For some of them slaunderously saied that the miracle had been doen of the deiuill allegyng that Iesus did suche thinges not by the power of God but by the helpe of Beelzebub the prince of deiuils Some others agayne after seeyng so many miracles yet stil remayning in vnbelefe required of hym some notable token from heauen whereby it might euidently appere that he had familiaritie with God who dwelleth in heauen and not with vnclene spirites whose blindyng of mennes iyes doeth commonly spryng from the yearth And this did they speake temptyng the lorde neuer a whitte the more myndyng to beleue on hym although he had doen the thyng that they requyred but whether he had doen it or not doen it they had surmised a matier or slaundre one or other readie to obiecte agaynst hym But Iesus as soone as he sawe theyr vngodly thoughtes made aunswer to their wiâ—ked surmises in suche sorte as foloweth How dooeth your slaundreous reprouyng of me stande together We see that no kyngdome is hable to stande if it bee at strife within it selfe by ciuill discorde of one of the same realme agaynst another Whiche thyng yf it so bee it cannot be chosen but that it muste come to desolacion and one house to fall downe vpon another by an vniuersall ruine That if the thyng bee true whiche ye thynke that throughe the maintenaunce and ayde of Beelzebub prince of deiuils I dooe cast out hurtefull spirites who veraily bee his felowes and souldiers than it foloweth as a true conclusion that eiuill spirites beeyng at variaunce within theymselfes dooe fyght together and one of theim to bee chaced awaye by an other Nowe if Satan fighte against Satan how shall his kyngdome stande Ye see deuils to be cast oute and ye graunt that euill they be whom I dooe cast out on what grounde than dooe ye coniecture these thynges to bee dooen by the supportacion of Beelzebub rather then of god Is Beelzebub woont to doe for the health and safegarde of men and to chace his souldiers out of their possessions by whom he exerciseth his tirannie And yet if this bee dooen it argueth and proueth that the kyngdome of Satan shall shortely bee destroyed and the kyngdome of God to bee nowe at hande I caste out deuils with a mere worde I cast them oute freely I vse thereunto no charmyng woordes of witchecraft ne of iugleyng or blyndyng mennes iyes The acte ye cannot disproue why than haue ye more mynde to referre the glorye of a good worke to Beelzebub theÌ„ to god Than yf the hatered whiche ye beare vnto me dooeth perswade you that I cast out deuils by the ayde of Beelzebub these young men beeyng your own sonnes whome ye haue seen doyng the
skille to lye as the selfe spirite of God by whole instincte they haue been wrytten By death and by open shame of the crosse the waie did lye vnto glory it was necessarie that I shoulde arise again to lyfe on the thyrd daye to the ende ye might know your selfes to haue a Lorde and an aduocate beyng a liuesman and one that from hensfoorth shall dye nomore And thesame your aduocate beeyng admitted into heauen shall from thence send vnto you the spirite of god Than muste ye in the name of Iesus Christe preache repentaunce of the lyfe past and the remission of all synnes without the kepyng of Moses lawe Thesame remission of synnes shall bee geuen to all people through euangelicall feith onely I haue suffred the peines in the behalfe of all creatures leat them no more but beleue and they shall atteigne the state of innocencie And these thynges muste be preached not onely to the Iewes but also to all nacyons of the worlde but yet prouyded alwayes that ye begynne firste with Hierusalem In Iewrye was I borne there haue I wroughte miracles at Hierusalem haue I taught and suffered death Emōg this people shall ye fynde hertes by meanes and wayes nowe already prepaired vnto feith Unto these people shal ye renewe the memorie of the thynges whiche ye haue seen an heard My doctrine whiche I firste receiued of my father and than taught vnto you ye shall poure out again into them The world will gainsaye and withstand your testimonie lyke as it did vnceassauntly crye out against me But I as I haue heretofore saied will from my father sende vnto you the spirite whiche he long agone promysed by the prophetes that he woulde sende whan he spake by the mouth of Iohell And it shall bee I shall hereafter poure out my spirite vpon all fleashe and your soonnes and your daughters shall prophecie whiche spirite holy Dauid also did wishe for whā he saied Sende thou furth thy spirite and they shal be created and thou shalt renewe the face of the yearth Thatsame spirite shall make you strong inuincible against all terrours to bee shewed of this world Thesame spirite shall morouer geue you eloquence whiche no creature shall bee hable to gaynesaye he shall also geue you power to worke miracles in sorte that your testimonie concernyng me shall bee a thyng of condigne pith and efficacie Ye in the meane tyme vntil than bee ye in perfecte quiete and rest with yourselues and beeyng congregated together in one coumpainie remayne ye in this citie of Hierusalem begynnyng there the concorde and vnitie of the churche that shall spryng vp and exhorte ye one another with holy communicacions deuoutly praying and geuyng thankes vnto God vntill thatsame spirite come from aboue who shall enstructe and arme you with power and strength celestial ¶ And he led them out into Bethanie and lift vp his handes and blissed them And it came to passe as he blissed them he departed from them and was caryed vp into heauen And they wurshypped him and returned to Hierusalem with great ioye and were continuallye in the temple praysyng and laudyng God Herupon after that Iesus had by soondry euidente prouffes confirmed the veritie of his resurreccion he led his disciples into Bethanie and beeyng euen now readie to departe from hence into heauen he lift vp his hādes and blissed them representyng euen in this veraye poynte also thexāple of the patriarkes and of Moses And in thesame instaunte while he wisheth well vnto his disciples he was lifted vp from the yearth and in sighte of them al was carryed vp into heauen Than the disciples fallyng prostrate on the grounde wurshipped the Lord lookyng after him with theyr iyes as long as they might But muche more did thei looke after hym with their hertes after that his bodye was taken awaye from their iyes The premisses thus executed and dooen they returned to Hierusalem accordyng as the Lorde had enioyned them and returne thei did with great ioye For nowe had feith shaken of from theim all sorow and heauinesse and assured hope of the promises did geue thē cherefulnesse In the meane season thei wer muche and oftē in the temple as men euen thā alreadie offreing euangelicall sacrifices praysing and magnifying the bounteous goodnesse of god towardes mankynde and rendryng thankes vnto hym for that he had decreed freely to geue suche high benefites vnto mortall men through his sonne FINIS To the moste vertuous Ladie and moste gracious Quene Katherine late wife to the moste noble kyng Henry the eight of moste famous memorie deceassed Nicolas Udall your highnesse moste humble seruaūt wisheth health and all prosperitee in Christ. WHen I cōsider most gracious Quene Katerine the greate noumbre of noble weomen in this our time and countreye of Englande not onelye geuen to the studie of humaine sciences and of straunge tongues but also so throughlye experte in holy scriptures that they are hable to compare wyth the beste wryters aswell in endictynge and pennynge of godlye and fruitfull treatises to the enstruccion and edifiynge of whole realmes in the knowleage of god as also in translating good bokes out of Latine or Greke into Englishe for the vse and commoditie of suche as are rude and ignoraunte of the sayd tounges I cannot but thynke and esteme the famous learned Antiquitee so ferre behynde these tymes that there cannot iustelye bee made any comparison betwene them Cornelia a noble matrone of Rome throughe longe conuersacion and continuance with her learned housebande was in the processe of tyme so wel learned so eloquent that hirself was the chiefe principall instructrice and brynger vp of hir two sonnes Caius Gracchus and Tyberius Gracchus in all their learning and made thesame at lengthe so fyne that they yet to this daye remayne registred in the noumbre of the absolute and perfecte Oratours of olde tyme. We reade of one Amesia in Rome a woman so well spoken so fine of toungue that beynge on a time indicted and arrained of a grieuous offēce she so wittily so piththily and wich suche grace made answer for hirself that all the whole benche Courte than presente iudged her for the mere respecte of her eloquence and witte in that present perill and ieoperdie there shewed worthy by theyr whole cōsentes sentences to be quit and discharged of the law for that crime Hortensia the daughter of Quintus Hortensius brought vp continually frō hir cradle and tendre infancye in the house and companye of suche a noble Oratour came at lengthe so nere to the perfect eloquēce of her father that she was hable in publique hearing to make oracions and thesame of so piththye a sorte that where the noble weomen of Rome were on a time sore taxed to departe with their golde iewels toward certayne necessarie charges of that cōmon weale Hortensia came before the cōmissioners to speake in the behalfe of the matrones with her exquisite
thoughe it wer sumwhat derkely that one should come after me who going before me in dignitie and power did ouerreche me for because although he semed to come after me both in byrth of hys manhed in the tyme of hys preaching and also in auctoritie yet in godly gyftes he was far before me In so much that I myselfe did not certainly knowe at the fyrst howe great he was or what he was For he is so great that I whome ye haue in suche reuerence am no maner of way to be compared vnto him He is the lorde and auctour of all health I am none other but his seruaunte and goer before neyther is my baptisme or preaching any other thing but an introduccioÌ„ to the heauenly doctrine and vertue whiche he shall bryng vnto you Neyther yet am I sent for any other purpose by the commaundemente of God but to preache repentaunce of your former sinnes to shewe you that the kyngdome of heauen is at hande and to washe you with water to thintent that after he should be shewed to me of his father by sure tokens he might at his coming be the better conceiued in your mindes being already prepared with these principles His conuersacyon and life was simple and pure and beyng in no poyncte notable emong men he ioyned hymselfe to the multitude as one of the common sorte of the people and came to be baptised as though he had bene subiect to sinne ¶ And Iohn bare recorde saying I sawe the spirite descende from heauen lyke vnto a dooue and abode vpon him And I knew him not Therfore I coulde not knowe surely by the disposicion of hys body nor by mans coniecture that he was the onely sonne of God and that moste pure lambe whiche through faythe shoulde put awaye all the sinnes of the worlde but that I was taught by a notable sygne from heauen that thys was he to whome I was appoynted to bee the goer before And what this sygne was Iohn did openly declare to the multitude When Christe sayeth he willynge to shewe to the worlde an exaumple of humilitie and ioynyng hymselfe to the company of sinners came to be baptised the father of heauen did honour hym with an heauenly token For I my selfe sawe the holy ghost cummyng downe vpon his head in the likenesse of a dooue and there remayning Until that time I did not certaynly knowe hym whose goer before I was by reason that his corporall estate did hyde hys celestial excellencie But he that sent me to baptise in water the same sayed vnto me Upon whom thou shalt see the spirite descende and â—â—â—y stil on him the same is he which baptiseth with the holy goste and I sawe and bare recorde that he is the sonne of God For as yet the tyme was not come in the whiche the father of heauen woulde haue him to be openly knoweÌ„ to the people Therfore when I knew by the inspiracion of the sayde father that Messias was alreadye come then to take awaye the errour and mistakyng of hys persone or leste mannes coniecture should haue any doubt therin he by whose commaundement I toke vpon me the office baptise you with water taught me by a sure token by the shewing wherof I might assuredly knowe who he was that shoulde baptise you with an effectuall baptisme and should by the holy gost wherwith he was replenished freely geue to all them that trusted in hym remyssyon of all theyr synnes For before Iesus came to me to be baptised the father of heauen did aduertise me before hande saying By thys token thou shalt surely know my sonne Emonges many whom thou shalt wash with water vpoÌ„ whomsoeuer thou shalt see the holy ghost in the lykenesse of a dooue descending and remaynyng be wel assured that thesame is he which hath power to baptise with the holy gost For man washeth with water but he onely by his heauenly power taketh away sinnes and geueth righteousnesse I saw this token according to the fathers promyse in hym whan he was baptised And for thys cause he gaue me grace to see him that you also through my preaching should know the autour of your saluacioÌ„ Wherfore like as heretofore I haue witnessed so doe I now also openly testifie that this is the sonne of god from whence as froÌ„ the heauenly fountayn ye must require all thynges whiche perteyne to righteousnes and eternall felicitie For I will suffer you no longer to suspecte greater thinges of me then I deserue nor yet to be ignoraunte of hym whome to knowe is saluacion By these manier of witnesses Iohn did often commend Iesus beyng as yet vnknowen to the multitude and gaue ouer his owne auctoritie to him as to his better to the entent that from that time furth the people should leaue hym and cleaue to the gouernaunce of Iesu Goddes prouydence in the meane tyme procuring this to th entent that they both might be to vs an holsome exaumple of a true preacher of the Ghospell For truely Iohn neyther with the encisemente of so great renoume beeing willingly offered vnto hym was so much corrupt that he would take vpon hym an other mannes praise nor yet so afrayed of the enuie of the Priestes and Phariseis whose ambicyous enuie and enuious ambicyon woulde suffer no bodye to bee exalted but themselfe that therefore he dyd ceasse to speake of the glory of Chryst neyther did he regarde his owne commoditie but what was expedient for the people hereby teachyng how a preacher of the ghospel ought to haue a constaunt and sure stayed mynde yea euen to the auenturyng of hys lyfe not onely agaynste excesse couetousnes but also against al ambicion And as for Iesus Christ when he came as one of the common sorte of the people to be baptised and also when he behaued himselfe amongest Iohns disciples as if he had bene one of them wheras he was lorde of all he taught vs how we must come to true glorye by great humilitie and modestie of mynde and that none is mete to be a mayster vnlesse he haue played the parte of a good scoller neyther that anye ought to take rashely in hande the office of preachyng excepte he hath bene all manier of wayes well tryed and approued and in manier appointed therunto of God The next day after Iohn stode agayn and two of his disciples and he beheld Iesus as he walked by and sayeth Beholde the lambe of God And the two disciples heard him speake and they folowed Iesus Now to th entent that Iohns most excellent purenes and honestie might more clerely appere he thought it not inough to turne thaffeccions of the people from him to Christ but he laboureth also to despatch from himselfe his owne peculier disciples whome he had and to put them to Christ. For the day after these thinges which I haue already rehearsed vnto you were doen in the presence of the people Iohn stoode there agayne and twoo of hys
for he that hath the charge committed to hym to see all thinges wel furnished is euer wont to abstayn from wyne whiles other folkes doe drinke And partely because he being well skilled in tast and hauing a fyne iudgement therein myght more trewely geue verdite of the wyne theÌ„ the rest of the geastes whose tastes myght seme to bee dulled with drynking of muche wyne before ¶ When the ruler of the feaste had tasted the water that was turned into wyne knew not whence it was but the ministers which drew the water knew he calleth the brydegrome and sayeth vnto hym Euery man at the beginning doeth set furthe good wine when men be drunke then that whiche is wurse but thou hast kept the good wyne vntill now This beginning of miracles did Iesus in Cana of Galile and shewed his glorie and his disciples beleued on hym But as soone as the ruler of the feast had tasted of the wine that was turned out of water knew not where they drewe it suspecting the fame to be in the seruauntes that coÌ„trary to the custome of other they deferred to bring in such wine vntil the latter end of the feast he calleth the bridgrome to hym desyring to know of him by what occasion the fault chaunsed Others sayeth he which make a solemne feast at the beginning thereof bryng to the table of the beste sortes of wine afterward wheÌ„ their geastes being already drunke haue their mouthes out of tast powre in drinke vntemperatly theÌ„ they bring serue of the wurst sort But thou coÌ„trariwise hast reserued vnto the end of the feast this wine which is better more pleasaunt than any that was serued yet And by this oâ—casioÌ„ the miracle of the thing that was doeÌ„ spred abrod litle by litle emonges maâ—â— And afterward by examining the seruauntes of this thing it was knowen that the water was not onely turned into wyne but also into very good wine And as forthe waterpottes they had no mistrust but that they were onely dedicate and ordeyned for water The seruauntes put water to water and filled them vp to the brimme after they had drawen of the same which they powred into the vessels they offered it to the gouernour of the feast who was sobre The bridgrome knoweth well inough that there was no such wine prouyded nor prepared They wente to the waterpots and found them ful of the selfesame good wyne With this dede our Lorde Iesus began the working and setting foorth of his miracles in Cana a towne of Galile intending by litle and litle to shew furth tokens of his godly power to the worlde For first of all this thing was doen in a matier not very weightie also priuatly yea almost to please his mother and kinsfolkes withal whiche had him in lesse admiracion because they were his familiars of his kinne And this miracle was not much noted of very manye but afterwarde it grewe to bee hadde in greatter credite with moe yet in the meane while the fayth of his disciples that were present was stablished concerning Iesu who hauing promised greater thinges perfourmed that whiche he had promised And besides that this miracle wherby he framed as it were a beginning to the rest that he should do afterward was not in vain For firste of all he woulde honour the mariage with his presence knowing before-hand that in tyme to come there should be some which would condemne it as an vnpure filthye thing whereas an honourable mariage and vndefiled bed is a thyng most acceptable to God Moreouer Iesus dyd as it were shadowe vnto vs by a certayn figure that thing whiche he then chiefely went aboute For now was the tyme come that in steade of the vnsauery waterishe lettre of Moses lawe we should drinke the pleasaunt wyne of the spirite of the gospel by reasoÌ„ that Christ turned into our more welth that thing which was without strength vnprofitable For the law was not only vnsauery to the Iewes without Christ but also hurtfull deadly They which haue not beleued in the ghospel doe stil drinke of the water of Moses law but they which haue beleued Christe doe happely waxe warme growe liuely toward the loue of heauenly lyfe through the moyst swete licour of his heauenly doctrine And this was not doen before that Christ had ioyned vnto him the churche hys spouse Also the mother of Iesu was present there representing the forme of the sinagogue whose autoritie is diminished yet she telleth the lacke of the wyne but she her selfe doeth not remedy it Neuertheles she was for our behoufe mother vnto him which doth reioyce and coumforte our mindes with the swete wine of his spirite The names of the places also do agree to the mistery of the thing For Cana of Galile betokeneth possessioÌ„ of a ready passage froÌ„ one place to an other For now was the original beginning of a new people gathered together which should remoue from the letter of the lawe to the spirite of the ghospell from the world to heauen ¶ After this he went downe to Capernaum he and his mother and his brethren and his disciples and there continued not many dayes â–ª After Iesus by thys miracle had begonne to declare his mightie power emonges his kinsfolkes in a towne of smal renoume he went downe to Capernaum That citie is in the selfesame Galile of the Gentiles all ryottouse and swelling in pryde by reason of the plentie of richesse therin beyng also nye vnto the lake of Genazareth and in the coastes of zabulon and Neptalim But according to the wisedome of the ghospel that thing which is highely estemed in the world is abiect and litle set by afore God Iesus mother with his brethren and disciples went down thither with him but they taryed there very fewe dayes Neyther was there any miracle doen in that place But this benefit semed to be doen in the meane time for his mothers kinsfolkes pleasure whoÌ„ now he would no longer cary about with him for asmuch as he would take in hand greater thynges because that worldly affeccion and loue should chalenge vnto it no parte of those thinges whiche were doen for the glorye of the heauenly father And the Iewes Easter was euen at hande and Iesus went vp to Hierusalem and found sitting in the teÌ„ple those that solde oxen shepe doues changers of money And when he had made as it were a scourge of small coardes he droue them al out of the teÌ„ple with the shepe and oxen and powred out the chaungâ—ers moâ—ey and ouerthrewe the tables And sayd vnto theÌ„ that solde dooues haue these thinges hence and make not my fathers house a house of marchaundies And his disciples remembred it that is written the zele of thine house hath euen eaten me Therfore Iesus leauyng his kynsfolkes behynde at Capernaum seeketh time and place mete to declare openly hys power and auctoritie which he
quenche the smokyng flaxe did not repel or refuse the saied Nicodemus that came to salute hym though he were both fearfull and came out of due tyme but doeth curteously receiue hym who was doubtlesse a weake spirited manne but yet without malyce and for that cause worthy to be promoted lytle by lytle to higher thinges Now byanby Nicodemus declaring how much he had profited by seyng Iesus doe his miracles maketh suite to gette his good will with this preface Maister saieth he we doe already euidently perceiue this thy doctrine not to be suche as the Phariâ—eis is for the thyng it selfe dooeth shewe that thine autoritie of preaching is geuen the not of man but of God For no manne coulde doe these miracles which thou doest except God were present with hym and did helpe hym Nicodemus dyd set forth this opinion concernyng Iesus as an hye and great estimacion howbeit it was farre vnder his dignitie for Nicodemus supposed him to be none other but summe Prophete whom God dyd fauour and was present with in the doing of his miracles as though he had not wrought them by his owne power Iesus answered and sayed vnto him verily verily I saye vnto the except a manne bee borne froÌ„ aboue he cannot see the kyngdome of God Nicodemus sayeth vnto hym howe can a man be borne when he is olde can he entre into his mothers wombe and be borne againe But Iesus doeth neither reproue Nicodemus vnperfite opinion coÌ„cerning him neither doeth he forthwith boast of his owne greatnes but with gentle and freÌ„dly behauiour litle by litle bringeth him that is so apte easy to bee taught vnto further knowledge of more secrete misteries of the euaÌ„gelicall doctrine The Iewes which had as yet druÌ„ke but only of the water of Moses lawe whiche had knowen nothyng els but the baptisme of Iohn neither had they yet tasted the wyne of the euangelicall doctrine nor had been baptysed by the spirite and fyer The Iewes I say vnderstode all thynges carnally and for that cause were very rude vnfit for the Philosophie of the gospel whiche â—s all spiritual Therfore our lorde did not cast him in the teeth with his ignoraunce nor with his halting minde on both sides in that he did partely apply himselfe to the worlde partely to God nor yet spake that thing to him which afterwarde he required of his disciples when they were come to more knowledge saying to them whosoeuer shal be ashamed of me afore men I will be also ashamed of hym before my father Our lorde I say did lay none of these forsaied thynges to his charge but by his darke sayinges he causeth Nicodemus to vtter his ignorauÌ„ce to the entent that litle by litle he may instruct him and bring him from carnal affeccion to spirituall vnderstanding Nicodemus sayth he take this for a very suertie except a man be borne again new as it were chauÌ„ged into a new man he caÌ„not see the kingdome of God So very new is this doctrine which thou desirest to learne of me Forasmuche as Nicodemus thought that saying to be to no purpose he aunswereth in dede ignorauntly and grossely but neuerthelesse simply and plainly saying how is it possible that a man beyng already of so many yeres as I am can be borne again Canne it any waye be brought to passe that he should entre into his mothers wombe and come thence again and so be borne a newe Iesus answereth verily verily I saye vnto the except a man be borne of water and of the spirite he cannot entre into the kyngdome of God That whiche is borne of the flesh is flesh and that whiche is borne of the spirite is spirite Iesus beyng not offended euen with this so grosse an aunswere vouchesaueth geÌ„telly to enterprete and declare what it is to be borne a new or from aboue Nicodemus sayth he the thing that I haue saied to the is most true He that hath a will and desire to be hable to receiue the euangelical doctrine must be borne again but the maner of byrthe that I speake of is after an other sorte for it is not carnall but spirituall and it doeth not consist in multiplying of bodyes by generacion but in turnyng of sowles into a new forme neither by this byrth be we made again the children of meÌ„ but the children of God Therfore be wel assured as I toulde you eueÌ„ now that excepte a man be borne again by water the holy gost of a carnall maÌ„ become spirituall he cannot entre into the kingdom of God which is altogether spiritual Lyke is borne of the lyke That which is borne of the flesh is none other thyng theÌ„ flesh but that which is borne of the spirite is spirite And verily as much difference as is betwene the flesh the spirite betwene the body God so much is this generacioÌ„ wherof I speake more excellent then that which bringeth forth one body out of an other They which be borne after the flesh doe sauer none other thing but the flesh nor beleue any thing to be but that which they fele and perceiue with their senses But those thinges which be not seen be moste excellent and of greatest strength where as the flesh is weake and impotente Meruayle not thou that I sayed to the ye must be borne from aboue The wynde bloweth where it liâ—teth and thou hearest the sounde therof but canst not tell whence it cummeth or whyther it goeth So is euery one that is borne of the spirite Wherfore seying that there be two sundry wayes how to be borne there is no cause why thou shouldest meruaile that the same veray man which is once borne naturally after the flesh wherby he might be the child of a man should be borne again of the spirite inuisible that thereby he maye be the childe of God who is a spirite also might be made apte for the kyngdom of heauen whiche is spirituall and not carnal But if thou doest not yet vnderstand me take vnto the a similitude of suche thynges as be sumwhat agreable to spirituall thynges and yet may be perceiued with our bodily senses God in very dâ—de is a moste sincere and pure spirite and very far of from all bodily senses but this ayre wherby we be coÌ„serued in life wherof we fele so great strength and profit is called a spirite or wynde bycause in coÌ„parison of our bodies it is right subtile and fyne but this kinde of spirite the wynde is not stayed at mannes wil and pleasure but of his owne violence is caryed whyther soeuer he list spreading it selfe ouer all thynges and putting into corporall thynges a meruailous force and strength Sumtyme it bryngeth lyfe sumtime death it is otherwhyle calme and still and otherwhile more boysteous violent sumtyme it bloweth out of the East sumtime out of the West sumtime out of one part of the world sumtime out of another shewing himselfe by
theffect therof so thou hearest the soūd of it whē thou seest no body at all nor any thyng whiche thou canst catche or lay hand vpon thou perceyuest that it is present yet doest thou not see it when it cummeth nor to what place it conueyeth it selfe when it goeth from thee This spiritual birth is of lyke sorte The spirite of God doth rauishe transforme the myndes of men by secrete inspiraciōs Therfore there is felt an vneffable strength efficacie and yet the thyng whiche is doen is not perceyued with our iyes And they whiche be thus borne again be not now led with a worldly carnal spirite but with the spirite of God whiche geueth life to all thinges and gouerneth thesame Nicodemus answered and sayed vnto him How can these thinges be Iesus answered and sayed vnto hym Art thou a maister in Israel and knowest not these thinges Nicodemus being as yet rude and grosse did not repugne against Iesus but not perceyuing the meanyng of his woordes and desirouse also to haue those thynges which he had heard more plainly declared sayeth to Iesus By what meanes can these thinges be brought to passe that a man of bodily substaunce should be turned into a spirite by a newe byrthe and of God bee borne godlyke Nowe Iesus to declare that those thinges which pertaine to the heauenly doctrine are not perceiued with mans reason but rather are cōprehended with fayth and shewyng lykewyse that the philosophiers of the world being proude of their naturall wytte were vnapte to be taught these thinges yea the Phariseis also whiche stoutly professed the litterall sence of the lawe when in dede they knewe not the spiritual meanyng therof but to declare therfore that this his doctrine is thesame wisedom which the father of heauen would hyde from worldly persones open to them which as touchyng the world are simple witted taken for fooles Iesus I say maketh this answer to Nicodemus saying thou art taken for a maister in Israel and professest thy selfe to be a teacher of the people art thou ignoraunt in these thinges which thou oughtest most chiefly to knowe how farre of then are the common sorte of people from spirituall doctrine if thou being so great a teacher of the people doest not vnderstād these thinges but in the meane while it shal profit thee to beleue that thing which thou canst not vnderstād Faith shall cause the to feele and perceiue these thinges although thou seest thē not for if thy witte cannot serue thee to come to the full knowledge of the nature and violence of this worldly ayre when thou felest it with thy sences howe shalt thou attaine to the knowledge of these thinges which are farre hier and further of from al bodily senses For truly in as much as they be godly they doe farre passe and surmounte the capacitie of mennes myndes except theyr myndes be inspired with the holy ghoste Uerily verily we speake as we doe knowe and testifie that we haue seen and ye receyue not our witnes If I haue toulde you yearthly thinges and ye beleue not how shall ye beleue yf I tell you of heauenly thynges But thou mayest surely and safely beleue me whiche doe not onely by inspiracion feele these thynges that be heauenly or haue only heard them after such sorte as the Prophetes did of whose numbre thou takest me to be one but we speake thinges wherof we haue full proufe sure knowledge yea we beare witnes to you in earthe of the thing which we haue seen in heauen But ye which be not yet borne again by the spirite doe not beleue these spirituall thinges Ye beleue a man when he heareth witnes of those thinges which he hath seen with his bodely iyes yet ye doe not credit him who being heauenly himselfe hath seen heauenly thinges with his spirituall iyes As heauenly thinges be of more certaintie then earthly thinges so they be more assuredly perceyued of hym which hath heauenly iyes Uerily our Lord Iesus spake these thynges couertly and darkely signifying that he was naturally God although he caryed about a mortall body and to shewe also that this witnes which Nicodemus did attribute to hym as an hye thing that is to say that he was sent from God was farre vnder Iesus dignitie after his sorte of meanyng whiche he spake it for Nicodemus as yet iudged no higher thing of Iesu but that he was sent from God as we reade other Prophetes haue been and in suche wyse as Iohn also was sent from God But the sonne of God was after an higher sorte sent from God who alwaie had been with God the father before he was sent yea and euē then was with the father as touching his godhead by reason wherof he neuer departed from the father And for because those thinges which hertofore Iesus had spoken cōcerning how to be borne a new by water spirite might appere to grosse or rude for the highnes of this misterie that is to say how Gods nature mans should be vnited together in one person that thesame person should lyue in earth a very mortall man and be so immortall God still remaynyng with his father in heauen Therfore I say Iesus spake further saying If you by reasō of your carnal and fleshly minde doe not beleue me speakyng to you as yet but of earthly thinges how will ye beleue me if I shal tel you those thinges that be altogether heauenly which neuertheles both I my selfe haue seen knowen more assuredly then ye knowe these thynges which ye see with your bodily iyes And no man ascendeth vp to heauen but he that came downe from heauen euen the sonne of manne whiche is in heauen And as Moses lifted vp the serpente in the wildernes euen so must the sunne of manne be lifte vp that whosoeuer beleueth in hym peryshe not but haue eternall lyfe For who emong eyther menne or angels was euer able to ascende vp to heauen there to beholde celestiall thynges and presently to looke vpon the diuine nature as it is in dede No mā at al ascendeth vp into this heauen but the sonne of man who came downe from heauen into the earth and the very same doeth yet still remaine in heauen beyng neuer seperate from the perfite beholding of the godhead albeit in the meane while he semeth here in earth to be base litle regarded But thus it was thought mete to the determinaciō of God to declare his glory to the world by worldly reproche lowe estate to thintent that by the very same way men after they haue forsakē false glory should make haste to the true and eternall glory And if any manne aske what necessitie compelled the sonne of God to come downe from heauen to lyue here in earth as a poore abiecte persō truly none other thing was cause therof but the moste hye and excellent loue of God the father toward mankynd for whose
last day of that feast was cum whiche was moste solemnely kept with moste great resorte of people with great religion for when this day was past euery mā was glad to repayre home againe Iesus stode vp in the temple as though he also would leaue the coūtrey of Iurye doth halow that moste solemne day of that great feast with a notable sermō and therwith purueyed vitailes of euangelicall faith of the ghospell for theim that should iourney Nor he did not onely speake openly but also cryed with a firme and a stayed voyce therby declaryng that the matier was mete to be heard of all folke The Phariseis had babished the simple people with fained and colde religion and had tangled theyr consciences with mannes ordinaunces And surely the multitude had nothing els almost in admiracion that Iesus sayd or did but his miracles But for somuche as they had not drounke of the spirite of the gospell they toke the lesse spirituall profite at his handes Therfore Iesus called and allured all menne openly from the barren and colde doctrine of the Phariseis vnto himselfe promisyng them the spirite whiche once being receiued not only they by his grace themselues shall attaine to the true euangelicall doctrine but shall also by theyr preachyng issue foorth vpō other great aboundaunce and efficacie of wysedome I am sayth he the fountaine of helthfull wysedome whoso thirsteth let him aske nothing of Moses the Phariseis the Scribes or of the priestes Let him cum to me and drinke of this well And whosoeuer beleueth my wordes thesame drinketh Therfore whosoeuer beleueth on me desyrously drinketh vp my wordes as the scripture biddeth bearing witnesse of me he shal not weaxe dry throwe infidelitie but the draught that he dronke of the spirite of God shall bring foorth in his heart a well that shall runne euermore and plentifully in suche wyse that out of his heart shall flowe not onely small litle streames but also great plēteous fluddes wherwith the drynesse of the Gentiles shal be watered therof shall spring muche fruite of the ghospell By this parable far of speakyng Iesus did meane that fertile and plēteous spirite whiche afterwarde they should receiue that woulde beleue on him whiche spirite after that the Apostles had receiued foorthwith they begon with great confidence to preache in diuers toungues to the whole worlde the philosophie of the gospel to distil into the soules of all that beleued on Christ thesame spirite that they receyued from heauen For albeit that many at that time had sum smattering and were sumwhat entered into knowlage of the faith for all that the verye effectuall and plentifull spirite was not yet cum to any of them for because Iesus was not by his death and resurreccion glorified nor had not ascended vp to heauen to sitte on the fathers right hande from whence he should sende that spirite to his Apostles But the misterie of the crosse was to be perfourmed before whiche thing could not be doen and accomplished except his glorious maiestie had been kept secret and as it were dissembled for a season and they also could not be made able to receyue that diuine spirite vnlesse they had first been framed and fashioned therunto by many miracles sayinges and doinges Therfore the Lorde Iesus doeth call and byd all folke to this well of the water of lyfe yet he compelleth no man againste his wyll nor he excludeth no man so that he cum athirst Many of the people therfore when they heard this saying sayed of a trueth this is a prophte but other sayd this is Christ but sum sayd shall Christe cum out of Galile Sayeth not the scripture that Christe shall cum of the sede of Dauid and out of the toune of Bethleem where Dauid was So there was discencion amōg the people because of him And sum of them woulde haue taken hym but no man layed handes on hym When the Lorde Iesus had spoken this and many mo lyke thynges though they were not fullye vnderstande yet they dyd woorke sundrie myndes and affeccions in the multitude of the people for sum vpon sight of so many miracles and the great auctoritie of his wordes sayed truly this is a very prophete Again other that thought more hyghly of him sayed yea this is that very Messias whom the prophetes haue promised in their prophecies On the contrary syde other being corrupted with pharisaicall leuen went about to reproue and confute these mens opinion by the very woordes of the prophetes whiche tolde before that he shoulde ryse out of the tribe of Iuda and out of the towne of Bethleem Christe was thought with moste part of men to be borne in Nazareth because he was nursed there and broughte vp with his parentes whiche dwelte there and also because he beganne his preaching in Galile and for the moste part had his abode there But the people of Ierusalē and the Iewes that were of the tribes of Iurie toke the people of Galile as men nigh neighbours vnto the heathen and were myxte together but for halfe their countreymen because they neyther excelled in knowledge of the lawe nor euer had any prophete in whome they might worthily reioyce They knewe verily that Messias was promysed to the tribe of Iuda not to men of Galile and that he shoulde cum of the seede of Dauid who had his princely palace at Ierusalem And thus therfore they dyd chalenge vnto them honour of Christ to cum whom they themselfes being with malice corrupted nowe at his very cumming did persecute They say therfore it is not lyke to be true that this man should be Messias if you do ponder and straitly examine the prophecies When Christe shall cum shall he cum to vs oute of Galile doth not the prophecies manifestly saye that Messias shall come of the sede of Dauid who was certainly of the trybe of Iuda And further more it also expresseth the tounes name where he shoulde bee borne that is to say Bethleem whiche is the citie of Dauid that was geuen to Iudas for his parte or tribe Therefore forasmuche as the prophecie dooeth plainlye shewe that he shoulde cum of a kynges stocke of the moste holye tribe of all Iuda out of a princely toune howe can it stande and accorde that this man shoulde be Messias whose parentes be poore and of no estimacion and cummeth to vs out of a vile toune of no name whiche standeth in Galile a countrey of no renowme After this sorte the people disputed of Iesus with diuers iudgementes and there was dissencion among theim for his sake Yet did not Iesus accumpany himselfe with theim in this disputacion because they did not dispute with suche simple purenesse of mynde that they dyd deserue to bee taught and it was not yet tyme to declare hymselfe howe great and excellent a man he was For yf they had vprightly and truely desyred to knowe who he was they themselues might haue learned of Iesus kinsfolkes
you Therefore beleue this retaine this haue this surely fixte in youre hertes whiche thyng yf you doe in dede the withdrawyng of the syghte of this bodye shal bee no harme vnto you ye shall better see me beeyng absente with the iyes of faythe and thesame thing whiche ye nowe see my father dooe by me whiche doe faste cleaue vnto him all manner of wayes shall I dooe by you if you will cleaue to me by fayth and charitie Yea and I shall also more euidently extende foorth the mightie power of my godheade after that I shall remoue awaye from you this my manhead yea and moreouer whoso euer dooeth ioyne himselfe to me by true christen fayth like as I am naturally alwaie ioyned and neuer disseuered from the company of my father thesame persone shall also dooe greater thynges than I doe so often as the glorye of God requireth a miracle For as my father worketh nowe by me so shall I worke by you And because it is so expediente for the saluation of manne that I doe goe againe to my father ye shall succede me and by course enter into my roume concernyng the ministracion of the ghospell Nor this thyng shal onelye bee doen but what thing soeuer elles ye shall aske of my father in my name whiche shal appertayne vnto the prayse and glorye of my fathers name and myne that same shall I doe to the ende that by you also I maie bee glorified emong men as my father hath beene hitherto glorified by his soonne Let not my departure therefore trouble you whiche shall tourne to your greate commoditie and prefermente Than moste of all shall I bee youre ayde in al affayres and purposes whiche make for true health when as I shall take awaye from you this sielye body Onely aske the thing that you couete my father shall heare your desires and I beeing a continuall presente aduocate vnto him will bring to passe that what soeuer ye shall aske shall bee obteined for as he denieth me nothing whiche dooe no manner of thing that redoundeth not to his glorye so will I denye you nothyng so long as ye doe that whiche shall set forth the honoure of my name Forsooth my spirite shall put into your myndes what you ought to aske Thus to be greued with my going hence is no proufe of christen charitie for so men are dismaied when a frende remoueth whome they shall soone after forget If ye loue me truely as I dooe loue my father declare your charitie towardes me in very dede ye shall soothly and certainelye declare it if ye dooe kepe my commaundementes So shall it come to passe that as my father loueth me and denieth me nothyng In like wise shall he also loue you obeying my preceptes whiche be the veray commaundementes of my father Thus it is nedefull for the saluacion of the worlde that I doe absente my selfe from you And yet going awaie I wyll not leaue you desolate and altogether without coumforte But rather if ye abide firmelie in my loue and kepe my commaundementes I shall obteine of my father by praier after my returne againe vnto him that he which denieth me nothing shall sende you an other coumforter whiche after he be once sente shall not goe awaie from you as I nowe do concerning this manner of corporall presence I am pulled awaie from you but he shall continue with you for euer He shall be the spirite of me and my father whiche shall make you of carnall folke spirituall and he shall tourne this worldelye affeccion whiche ye nowe beare towardes me into an heauenlye loue he shall also with secrete inspiracions putte in you the treweth of all thinges whiche ye nowe vnderstande as it were but by a dreame and throughe a cloude This speciall pledge of me shall bee peculiar and propre vnto you For I haue all this while exhibite my selfe generallye and in common to eiuill and good leste anye mighte make excuse that he was not inuited to saluacion But this worlde whiche coueteth muche and gapeth for goodes that bee of the worlde and deceitfull cannot receiue that spirite beecause he is heauenlye and true And why can it not because it hath grosse iyes whiche deliteth and loueth not but grosse and earthlye thynges it seethe not hym nor knoweth hym for he withoute noyse beyng all whisshed and still tasteth in hymselfe to the secrete senses of the mynde if he fynde anye where a conueniente place to reste in But truelye you in case that the delusions and deceytfull thynges of this worlde beeyng despysed ye wyll folowe thynges that be good in deede and liue well you I saie shall then knowe hym because he will not onely come vnto you as I am come one that may bee seen but he shal also abyde continually with you nor he shall not in suche sorte be conuersaunte emong you as the aduocate is with his client but he shall inhabyte hymselfe in the secrete inner partes of your soules and shall toyne hymselfe as it were giued to your spirite that he maye become one spirite in all folkes and because he shal be as it were bred and planted in your hertes he shall accumpany and assist you in all thynges and the meane tyme shall not bee long ere this coumforter that shal be in the steade of me and my vicegerante shall come vnto you Wherfore there is no cause why your hertes should be discoumforted or afeard good children whom I haue perfeitly begotten and sumwhat framed with the heauenly doctryne of gods woorde and do nourishe you beeyng as yet but vnperfite and not fully taught vntill ye growe vnto the strength of the ghospell ¶ I will not leaue you coumfortlesse but will come to you yet a litle while and the world seeth me no more but ye see me For I liue and ye shall liue That daye shall ye knowe that I am in my father and you in me and I in you He that hathe my commaundementes kepeth thē thesame is he that loueth me And he that loueth me shal be loued of my father and I will loue him and will shewe mine own selfe to him Although I goe hence for a tyme and shal no longer liue a manne with men yet wyl I not leaue you in the meanetyme fatherlesse and without confortable succoure at my hande For I will cumine to you agayne before I returne to my father and I wyll shewe my selfe before your iyes and bee seene of you with a very bodye in dede but than not mortal to the entente that I maye aduaunce and bryng you from loue of the fleshe to the spirite for it were no great matter yf I should geue this my bodye to you alwaye to looke thereupon because euen the wicked dooe also beholde it to theyr damnacion within a whyle therfore I shal be out of the worldes syghte for death and the graue shall take me awaye frō the syght of worldly folkes Neuerthelesse I wyll see you again and
presente my selfe vnto you aliue for this kynde of deathe shall not alienate vs in sundre nor kepe me out of youre syghte for I shall liue agayne yea after that I bee deade and I shall not onelye liue but there withall bryng to you lyfe euerlastyng and notwithstandyng the tyme of myne absence I beeyng alyue shall fynde you aliue and I will so spende my life for you that you shall be in health and safegarde Then shall you vnderstande more fully that as nothyng can pull my father from me nor me from my father so am I bothe to you and you agayne to me ioyned by mutuall charitie together that death can not disioyne vs let your onely care be that by youre owne faulte ye bee not vncoupled and let lewse The obseruyng of my commaundementes shal try true charytie nor he loueth not in herte that neglecteth the preceptes of his Lorde It is not sufficiente to haue accepted my commaundementes vnlesse a manne retayne them in mynde Nor it is not inoughe to remembre theym excepte they bee kept he that doth accomplishe and kepe these is he that truelye loueth me For to bee tormented in mynde for my departure is no proufe of veraye trewe loue I that truely do loue my father do kepe all his commaundementes and will kepe theym vnto death of the crosse And there is no cause why my commaundementes of sufferyng iniurye pacientelye of beatyng the crosse quietely shoulde muche putte you in feare as seuere and grieuous commaundementes and why for charitie shall sweten and make them all easie and there shall not lacke coumforte at my hande for surely whoso loueth me he shal be bothe loued of my father and I also wyll loue hym and neuer leaue him succourlesse but will see hym againe and will openlye shewe my selfe vnto hym to bee looked vpon to make it more certain that I doe not vtterly perishe by suffryng deathe of the crosse Nowe I geue my selfe to bee seen of all folke but than no manne shall see me excepte he abyde constantly in frendeshyppe Of trueth our Lorde Iesus spake these thynges sumwhat darkelye not onely signifiyng that he beeyng reuiued agayne would often after his death come among his frendes to bee seen but that he would also by the holy ghoste his spirite secretely place and wynde himselfe into theyr myndes and that finally he woulde come in the glorye of his father in the open sight of all folke ¶ Iudas saieth vnto him not Iudas Iscarioth lorde what is done that thou will shewe thy selfe vnto vs and not vnto the worlde Iesus aunswered and said if a manne loue me he will kepe my saiynges and my father will loue him and we will come vnto hym and dwell with him He that loueth me not kepeth not my sayinges And the worde which ye heare is not mine but the fathers whiche sent me These thinges haue I spoken vnto you beyng yet present with you but the comforter whithe is the holy ghost whome my father will send in my name he shall teache you al thinges and bring all thinges to your remembraunce whatsoeuer I haue sayed vnto you Peace I leaue with you my peace I giue vnto you Not as the worlde geueth geue I vnto you Let not your hettes be greued neyther feare ye haue hearde how I sayd vnto you I goe and I come againe vnto you If ye â—haâ—â— me ye woulde verely reioyce because I sayd I goe vnto the father For the father is greater than I. Now than where as Iudas not he verely that is called Iscarioth which was absente at this sermon but the other Iudas whose surname was Lebbeus did not fully vnderstande our lordes saiyng but beyng throughe sorowe and feare very sore troubled dyd suppose that our Lorde shoulde in suche wyse appeare to his frendes as terrible spirites phantastical sightes shewe themselfes many tymes in the darkenesse of the nyght or as certain visions appeare in dreames rather to the feare of men then to mennes coumforte This Iudas therfore saith Lorde what hath chaunced that when now thou maieste be seen of all folke thou shalte not than appeare to the worlde but onely to vs And howe canste thou be one that may be seen of vs yf thou be such one as other cannot see But Iesus because he knewe that his disciples were not yet able to vnderstande the misterie howe that the same bodye whiche hadde been deade and buiried but nowe made spirituall and hable to dooe as it lyste shoulde ryse agayne Iesus I saye knowyng this dyd not playnely answere to the thyng that was asked but turned his saiyng to that thyng whiche was more necessarye to bee imprinted in theyr heartes whereby they shoulde nowe bee prepared spirituallye to haue his presence for as muche as that presence whiche shoulde bee exibited vnto theim after his resurreccion coulde not long endure with theim Therefore Iesus sayed I will not presente my selfe to the worlde because it loueth me not neyther dothe it kepe my commaundementes If one loue me truely he wyll not testifie his loue with sorowe but by kepyng my commaundementes and hym wyll I loue semblablye and whome I shall loue hym wyll my father loue and we shall neuer bee pulled awaye from hym nor I wyll not onelye see hym agayne that hath my commaundementes in remembraunce but there withall my father and I wyll by the spirite whiche is common to vs both come vnto hym and we will not only come forthwith to departe againe but we will dwell with him and neuer go away from him That which is doen after the spirite is both perpetuall and effectuall bodilye ioynyng together muste nedes haue an ende euen for because ye shoulde sette at naught transitorye thynges and inure your selfes to loue eternall thinges and where ye as yet cannot come to vs we will come to you inuisible but effectually to dwell in the temple of your hertes We be three in deede but so ioyned and conuerte together that he whiche loueth one muste loue all and he that hath one of vs lacketh none of vs. Only on your behalfe let charitie be presente and that couenaunte kepte whiche I made with you of late That shal so couple you and vs together that neyther life nor deathe can vncouple vs. If membres maie bee disseuered from the heade we maie be disseuered There bee many whiche boaste themselfes to loue God the father and seme to obserue the commaundementes of the lawe but none dooeth truelye loue God yf he hatâ— and contemne his soonne and he verelye contemneth the soonne whosoeuer kepeth not my commaundemente whosoeuer neglecteth my preceptes he neglecteth withall the preceptes of God for in good sooth the thyng that I haue taught you is not so my peculiar doctrine that the same is not my fathers but is rather my fathers than myne from whome cummeth whatsoeuer I can or doe teache doyng nothyng but by his autoritie from whome I was sente into the worlde to teache these matters whiche
I dooe teache But nowe these thynges haue I spoken according to youre capacitie as yet a mortall manne beeyng conuersaunte among mortall menne soone hereafter I wyll repayre to see you againe for certayne dayes space and beeyng immortall wyll kepe cumpany with menne mortall to the entente I maye coumforte teache and geue you my counsell Neyther is it vnawares to me that ye shal not fully vnderstande these thinges whiche I nowe speake and shall speake anone after my deathe because ye be yet styll carnall and rude notwithstandyng they are not spoken all in vayne for after that I shall take away this body from you an other comforter shall come to you yf ye aske hym of God in my name a comforter I saye not bodily as ye seme to to be but that holy spirite which doeth sanctify spirites and mindes whome my father shall sende you in my roume yf you require hym in my name Ye shall not after this neede my corporall presence whiche for a season was geuen in consideracion of mens grossenes to the entente that theâ— myght by degrees and orderlye go forwarde to more perfeite thynges for that spirite in asmuche as he is myne and my fathers shall putte you in remembraunce of all the thynges whiche I nowe speake vnto you that bee as yet ignoraunte and of small capacitie and besides that obliuious And he also shall make you vnderstande these thynges whiche ye hadde not vnderstande before neyther will he suffre you to forget anye thyng or to lacke knoweledge of anye thing that perteineth to saluacion Of menne obliuious he shall make you of good remembraunce of slowe witted easie to bee taughte of sleapishe sluâ—gardes vigilante and watchefull of sorowfull men cherefull of yearthly folâ—â— heauenly Onelye perseuer you in charitie hauing in remembraunce my commaundementes There is no cause why that ye should in the meane while feare the troublesumnesse of this worlde whiche ye shall see ryse agaynste me and in tyme to come againste you also let it suffise you that at my departure I shall leaue peace vnto you and geue you my peace No worldelye storme can destroye and vndoe hym that hath my peace The worlde also hath his kynde of peace whiche it bestoweth vpon them whome it loueth but this is a peace not to be trusted on My peace whiche I doe geue you doeth make frendeshyppe betwene God and you and who can hurte hym whiche hath God his protectour and gouernour The peace whiche â–ª I do leaue vnto you ioynyng you together among your selfes by mutuall concord shall make your felowship strong and inuincible agaynst all that the worlde or Satan prince of the world can dooe What meaneth it than that my goyng hence whiche shall bee veray commodious vnto you doth so muche feare you Let not your hertes therefore bee troubled nor strieken in feare ye haue heard me saye alreadye and that ye shoulde the more credite me I eftsones tell you that of trueth I goe hence for a tyme but I wyll anone returne againe vnto you And in the meane tyme I will bryng to effecte that I shall fynde you at my returne safe and in health This blusterous storme of cruell persecucion shall for this one tyme be executed vpon me onelye And soone after I am come againe to my father I wyll bee presente with you agayne throughe the spirite that is the comforter And by hym my father shall also bee with you and we shall neuer bee separate from you vntyll you be fully placed with vs in the kyngdome of heauen Ye are sorowfull because I goe my waye but if ye did rightly loue me forsooth ye woulde reioyce both for your owne sake and mine for I wyll not playe the runagate and gooe euerye where but I will returne agayne to my father to obteyne for you more excellent giftes at his hand for because my father is greatter then I am and from him it cumâ—eth what thyng soeuer I doe departe with you If ye stande in dread of any harme towardes me and are sorowefull for my cause it were more semyng ye should be ioyfull on my behalfe that am remoued and taken a waye from these euils of the world and goe to my fathers coumpany and yf ye be sory for your selfes my departure shall bring to you muche profite And nowe haue I shewed you before it come that when it is come to passe ye might beleue Hereafter will I not talke many woordes with you for the prince of this worlde â—ummeth and hath nothing in me But that the world may know that I loue the father â—nd as the father gaue me commaundemente euen â—o doe I â—â—se leate vs goe hence I knowe that I speake this to them that neyther greatlye take hede nor vnderstande thesame but I do therefore repete and often inculcate and bryng in thesame that after the dede shal effectuously verifie the thing that I haue spoken ye may than therewith beleue all the rest to be true which I haue tolde aforehande shoulde folowe after this I beyng a mortall man shall not speake many thynges with theÌ„ that he mortall for the time is at hande when I shal be taken away from you in body Uerye Satan the prynce of this worlde is presente by his minysters ready to set vpon me with his full myght force vtterlye to caste awaye and to extinguishe me But at his hande is no ieopardie for he hath no right nor autoritie ouer me and when he moste â—euâ—teth to haue the ouerhande and victorye than shall he bee vanquished and ouerthrowen he hath no ryghte but vpon theim whiche bee in synne and because the worlde is in bondage to synne he maye playe the tyraunte ouer them that make the worlde theyr God for in dede I am neyther forced to dye nor for any faulte do I dye but I suffre throughe my deathe to redeme those that bee ioyned to me by faythe as membres to the bodye from the tyrannye of sinne and deathe and my father hath commaunded me thus to doe whiche his commaundemente I dooe accordyng to his minde wherefore we haue nowe already sitte here long inough Because I doe my fathers commaundemente willingly it is tyme to goe mete death whiche is at hande Arise therefore and goe we hence Our Lorde Iesus seeyng his disciples many wayes dismayed partely with sorowe because that they sawe that theyr Lordes death was nye whom they loued somewhat worldly but yet moste vehementelye partelye for feare of harmes whiche they thoughte did hang ouer hym beeyng once abrode and he also seeyng them heauye of slepe whiche both the nyght prouoked and also sorowe of mynde augmented and theyr sittyng made theym of more sluggishe mynde he commaundeth theym to ryse that so at the least dulnesse beeyng auoided they myghte bee made more pregnaunte and quicke witted to those thynges whiche he shoulde saye vnto them and therewithall he monished theÌ„ a farre of and darkely that nowe is the
becummeth not you to be ignoraunt of my fathers wyll verely I shall than speake vnto you whishtlie and without wordes but I shall speake assured and manifeste thinges if so bee ye aske them yea and than also the holy ghoste shall incense you what to aske and howe to aske in my name whiche in case ye so do surely though it were a great matter and a thing of difficultie yet shall the father for my sake not deny it you askyng it And I doe not nowe speake this as if ye shall obtaine your requeste by my mediacion in suche sorte as men doe sumtime at a kinges hande that is but a maÌ„ obtaine their requeste at the desyre and suite of sum one that is in fauour with the kyng whiche peticion the kyng woulde not els haue graunted but that he was content to geue it for his sake whiche did commende set forward the suters supplicacion but as for my father althoughe he loueth to bee asked of by his sonne by whome his will hath beene to graunte all thynges to menne yet that notwithstandynge he wyll otherwise consente to your desyres not onlye for the loue that he beareth towardes his sonne but whiche he hath also towardes you for he loueth not his sonne so that he loueth not you but whomsoeuer the sonne loueth those the father loueth also Therefore he loueth you not for your workes sake but for that ye loue me semblablie and beleue that I am cum out from hym for this is to loue the father euen to loue his sone and to beleue the father is euen to beleue the sonne He of trueth dooeth not beleue whiche denyeth the sonne to haue cum from the father and not to haue sayed and doen all thyng euen by the fathers auctoritie I was already with the father before I came into the worlde euen for to cary you vp takyng vnto me this mortall body that ye se but for your cause came I into the worlde euen for to cary you vp into heauen Now than the thynges beyng once doâ—n whiche the father gaue me in commaundemente I doe euen for your sake leaue the world as touchyng bodily presence and returne again vnto the father and truely whatsoeuer is or shal be doen here it is and shall bee doen to bryng you to saluacion ¶ His disciples sayed vnto hym lo nowe â—alkeste thou plainly and speakeste no prouerbe Nowe are we sure that thou knowest all thynges and nedest not shal any man should aske the any question Therfore beleue we that thou camest from god Iesus aunswered them Nowe ye do beleue beholde the houre draweth nye and is already cum â–ª that ye shal be scattered euery maÌ„ to his owne and shall leaue me alone And yet am I not alone for the father is with me These wordes haue I spoken vnto you that in me ye mighte haue peace For in the worlde shall ye haue tribulacion but be of good there I haue ouercum the world The disciples beynge boldened with these sayinges begunne sumwhat to stande in their owne conceite and as though they had of theyr owne strength beene able to abide and heare their lordes death that was at hande they answere on this wyse loke saye they euen now at this present doest thou fullfill the selfe thynge whiche thou promisedâ—t afterwarde to doe for nowe withoute any darkenes of parables thou speakeste plainly out what thou wilte do neyther nedeth it to aske the any further question For thou knoweste all thynges and with thy good wordes hast deliuered our hertes from sorowe so that we nede no further communicacion why we nothinge doubte but that through hope of thy ioye to come wee shall boldly and paciently suffre the thynge that is imminent and cumming towardes vs and we do therfore finallye and verily beleue that thou art cum out from god because thou seest throughly the very botome and secrecie of our hertes And than the Lord Iesus whose maner was euery where sharply to controll and restraine whatsoeuer humayne and worldely arrogancie ambicion or selfe affiance he perceiued to arise in his discyples heartes that they mighte plainely learne to distruste their owne strength and vertue whereby they myghte dooe nothyng and wholly to depende vpon the hande of God the father The Lorde Iesus I saye dyd thus abate and acoole that arrogancie whiche was suche that thoughe they yet vnderstoode not what he sayed thoughe they had no true belefe and as yet were not meete for the stormes that wer cummyng vpon theÌ„ for all that they tooke on hande the thing that was to be asked of God by prayer And he aunswereth them after this sorte What dooe I heare the thynge whyche I promyse to geue you hereafter whan ye shal be made stronge and be staied by my doctrine and by the inspiracion of the holy ghost ye now proudely take on hande before due time as if ye might do at least sumwhat by the helpe and assistence of maÌ„s owne power and vertue when as rather the tyme is full nyghe that ye shall declare howe strengthelesse yeare of your selfes For ye shall not onely bee vnable to go through the instante tempeste but leauing me alone in the handes of the sergeauntes catchpolles whiche shall violently draw me to the deathe of the crosse ye shall run awaye eche one a â—ere waye through feare so amased that ye shall not one beare cuÌ„pany with another to your succoure and comforte whyles euery one shall feare other leste by any others telling he mighte be bewrayed and come in daunger albeit in dede I nede not your aide and helpe I shall of trueth be forsaken of all my frendes but yet shall I not be desolate because the father shall neuer leaue me Therefore I do speake these thynges vnto you that distrusting your owne strength ye maye reste and staye your selfe in me The worlde shall make greate commocioÌ„ and fiercely rise againste you as it doeth agaynst me but bee bolde and shrynke not remeÌ„bryng that I haue conquered the worlde ye shall take exaumple at me and shall trust to be holpen by me ye shall also haue victorie but through me beyng of youre owne nature very weake and yet when tyme and occasion shall require ye shal be throughe my spirite stronge and vnuanquished The .xvii. Chapter ¶ There wordes spake Iesus and lift vp his iyes to heauen and sayen father the houre iâ— cum â–ª glorifie thy sonne that thy sonne also may glorifie the. As thou haâ—â— geueÌ„ him power ouer all 〈◊〉 that he should geue eternall lyfe to as many as thou hast geuen him This is life eternall that they might know thee the only true god and Iesus Christ whom thou hast sente AFter that Iesus had with this kynde of talke partelye comforted his disciples and partely taughte them and geuen them also instruccion againste the daungerouse storme that was imminence and cumming vpon theim than for so muche as he had by woorde of mouthe aduertised
the roote and I the stocke the spirite beyng distribute thorowe out al the membres and both these braunches and the other that shall be brought to the fayth by these beyng dispersed thorowe out the whole worlde farre neare I can do nothing withâ—â—t thee these coulde do nothing without me The same thing that I receyued of thee haue I poured into them by the spirite whiche is common to all that as thou extendest foorth thy power and strength in me and I inseparably do cleane vnto the euen so bothe we maye extende foorth our power in these cleaning vnto vs and will not be disseuered to thintent that the worlde being prouoked with these meÌ„s vniforme doctrine miracles and honest chaste maners maye beleue that I am come from thee that whatsoeuer I haue doen may redound to the glory of thy name and that the worlde also may vnderstande and perceyue our spirite to bee in these persones shewyng foorth and bryngyng to light his force and power by miracles and other diuers proufes For as I haue not chalenged to my selfe the prayse and glorie whiche the miracles that I haue wroughte haue gotten me amongest men but I haue translate surrendred and put it ouer to thee o father whome I haue confessed to be the auctor thereof so the glorie whiche these shall prepare by theyr great acres for the tyme to come shall be altogether ours because they shall do nothyng in theyr owne name but shall referre all thynges to the commendacion and glory of our name And so therfore the world shall perceyue suche a concorde betwene them and me as is betwene thee and me I wil worke in them by my spirite as thou hast set abroche thy trueth in me And so it wyll come to passe that they also as membres of one bodye cleaning to one heade and quickened with one spirite maye by mutuall concorde sticke together among themselues that on all parties there maye be a consummate and a very perfite concorde in heauen and in yearth The â—iscencion in opinions doeth take awaye the beliefe of doctrine If they agreyng one with another shall teache thesame that I haue taughte yf lyfe agre with doctrine doubtles the world shall perceyue it is no worldlye or humayne doctrine but to be come from whome thou sendeste into the worlde It shall also vnderstande that they be beloued of thee obeying thy will as I am beloued of thee one that no where declineth or swarueth from thy mynde and purpose Father my desyre is that as these whom beyng disseuered from the world thou haste geuen to me shall be folowers of myne affliccions and crosse so they maye be partakers with me of glorie that like as they haue bene beholders of my base and meane state and witnesses of my payne and tormentes so they maye likewyse see and beholde the glorye whiche thou shalte giue me after I haue passed thorowe these euils and haue finished my whole passion that also they maye learne by affliccions to go to the eternall ioye and by reproche and ignominte to go to immortall glorye For it is no newe glory whiche thou shalâ— geue me nor newe charitie wherwith thou louest me but therfore thou shewest tokens and argumentes among menne of thy loue towardes me to the intente that those whiche wyll be myne shoulde by lyke waye and meane cumpasse and seke for thy loue and by lyke dedes laboure to be promoted vnto the glorye of heauen They whome thou hast vouchesafed to loue and shalt alowe them as wurthy thy glorye haue been loued of the before the creacion of the worlde O righteouse father the worlde also hath not knowen the but I haue knowen the and these haue knowen that thou haste sent me and I haue declared vnto them thy name and wil declare it that the loue wherwith thou haste loued me maye be in them and I in them O righteouse father nothyng hath been ouerslipt or omitted of me whereby thou shouldest haue been brought to be knowen of all folke but the worlde beyng for the more parte blynded in the sinne faultes therof would not know thee because it would not beleue me whiles I taught thee vnto the worlde But I beyng pure from the worlde haue knowen thee and haue taughte thee beyng knowen vnto me Neyther hath my preachyng been altogether in vaine They whome thou specially diddest chose for that purpose haue knowen thee by me they knewe that I came from thee although the Phariseis with open clamoure sayeth that I came from Beelzebub the prince of deiuils But as thy goodnes had sent me to haue saued all folke if it could by any waye haue been brought to passe so thy righteousnesse will not suffre the desires of the faythful to be frustrate and voyde for the infidelitie of some that be vnfaythfull The learned the potentates the chiefe heades of religion haue contemned thy doctrine but these rude ignoraunt meke and vnlearned persones haue by me receyued the knowleage of thy name and I shall cause it to be more and more knowen vnto them that thou mayest with the same great charitable loue wherwith thou enbracest me lykewise enbrace them and so they beeyng more fully taught by my spirite maye on theyr behalfe agayne bothe loue vs and one of them by mutuall gentlenes nourishe cherishe and defende eche one the other For so shall they be strong agaynst all the troublesome hurly burlies of this worlde and shall persist vnuanquished The. xviii Chapter When Iesus had spoken these wordes he went foorth with his disciples ouer the brooke Cedron where was a gardeyne into the which he entred and his disciples Iudas also which betrayed hym knewe the place for Iesus oft tymes resorted thither with his disciples Iudas then after he had receyued a bande of men and ministers of the hye priestes and Phariseis came thither with lanternes and fyre brandes and weapons And Iesus knowyng all thynges that shoulde come vpon hym went foorth and sayed vnto them whom seke ye They aunswered hym Iesus of Nazareth Iesus sayeth vnto them I am he Iudas also whiche betrayed hym stoode with them Assone then as he had sayed vnto them I am he they wente backewarde and fell to the grounde WIth this kynde of talke our Lorde Iesus did confirme stablishe and bolden the hertes of his and after he had so doen and commeÌ„ded his flocke to his father he departed thence of his owne voluntary wyll to go mete them that shoulde apprehende hym therein declaryng playnly to his disciples that he woulde willynglye and gladly suffer whatsoeuer payne shoulde be put vnto hym for it was midnight and except it had been a well knowen place he could not haue been taken Therfore he departed out of that place whereas he had thus spoken to his disciples And when he was goen ouer the brooke whiche the Hebrewes call Cedron because many Cedre trees growe there he and his disciples wayting on hym wente into a gardeyne not
hatred contencion there is no mansion place for the holy ghost Whan they were come altogether into one place and that on high they continued in one fayth prayer and expectacion And beholde sodaynely came the gift of god on high from aboue For sodaynly from heauen came a sounde as it were of a great puffe of winde that carryed it replenished the whole parlour where they satte quiet and without trouble It was not the northerne winde whiche blustereth coolde out of the cloudes nor the Sowtherne winde that bringeth warmthe with hym oute of the marryshe and fenny places pestylent to all lyuyng bodyes But it was a blast of heauen procedyng thence whither Christ hymselfe wente breathyng lyfe euerlastyng into the soule of man geuing strēgthe withall to the weake and cherefull courage vnto the litleones This sounde afrayde no manne but stiered vp all their mindes to looke for that holy spirite which was promysed thē One token of his cummyng to them serued the eare another was for the eye For these are the twoo principall senses in man Tongues they sawe lyke as they had been all of fyer dealyng themselues to euerychone of the disciples parte to one and parte to another and restyng a whyle vpon euerye mannes heade to the intent that we shoulde playnly vnderstande howe that gift shall endure for euer One spirite enspired all their myndes one fyre kyndled eche mannes herte and toung And incontinent vpon this visible token there folowed in them the efficacie of that heauenly gifte For as many as there were presēt like as if they had bene transfourmed sodaynly into heauenly persons and being replenished with the holy ghoste began to speake diuerse lāguages which thei had neuer learned of mannes communication but such as the spirite from heauen had enprinted in their hertes There is no membre in manne more pestilent than is an euel toūge none more profitable thā is the good But it was nedefull for suche that shoulde sowe in sundry wise the doctrine of heauen among people of all languages to haue their toungues endowed with heauenly knowelage and more ouer flamyng with that burning charitie which is mete for the gospel This was thā the chiefest tokē of Christes faith euangelicall whiche token the lorde promised them saying they shall speake with new tounges Thei that accuse men vniustly that slaunder their neyghboure such as forsweare themselues those that speake rybauldrye a toung thei haue inflamed not with fyer celestial but with the fyre of helle infernall Al such as contende in disputacion for vile thinges of this world haue not yet receiued this toung celestial The apostles before this time reasoned of loaues of bread which thei had left behynd they reasoned how the temporal kingdom of Israel should be aduaunced who should sit on the vpper hand who should haue of al other the soueraygntie Such was the toung as man had vnmete than to publyshe the gospel But all that now they thynke on and whatsoeuer they speake of al is spiritual all is celestiall and burning al like fier Put away the toung laye asyde the spirite and no woord is spoken But a spirit celestial vttereth a voyce celestial a burning toungue in loue like fier rauisheth the hertes of the hearers and inflameth their mindes The proude pharisees toungue is styffe the Philosopher be he neuer so well learned the Rethorician in his toungue neuer so well spoken no manne he moueth therby vnto trewe gladnesse For this gifte cummeth onely from heauen As for the disciples wer nought els but instrumentes whereby the holy ghoste vttered hys mynde This gifte cannot one gyue an other neyther any delae it to hymselfe but god dealeth to eche man as he shal thinke good He that hath more geuen him hath no cause why he should dispise an other that is not so rewarded but hath cause why he should endeuoure himselfe the more readily to profit many therwith The spirite is a thing of great vehemencie the fyer a veray liuely thing in operacion and neuer at rest The Apostles nowe do slepe no more so soundely as they did before the death of their lorde they hide themselues no more as they did soone after his resurrection but nowe cum they abrode they preache here and there and openly to all men healthe euerlasting frely geuen them through faith in Iesus who was a litle before crucyfyed There wer dwelling at Ierusalem Iewes deuout men out of euery nacion of thē that are vnder heauen Whan this was noysed about the multitude came together were astonned because the euery man hearde them speake with his owne language They wondred all and maruailed saying among thē selues beholde are not al these which speake of Galile And how heare we eueri mā his own toung wherin we wer borne Parthiās and Medes and Elamites and the inhabitours of Mesopotamia of Iewry or Capadocia of Poutus and Asia Phrigia Pamphilia of Egipte of the parties of Libia whiche is besides Syren and straūgers of Rome Iewes and proselytes Grekes Arabians we haue heard thē speake in our owne tounges the great workes of god Thei wer al amased wondred saying one to an other what meneth this Others mocked saying these men are full of newe wyne And the trueth to say that same Citie Ierusalem was at that tyme as it were a stage where people do assemble to behold playes fitte for the firste begynnyng of this enterlude partely for the famous renoume of the citye and partely for honour of the Paschall feast whiche was paste and finally for the deuocion that the people had to the solemne feast of Penthecoste manye one wer than abiding at Ierusalem not all onelye such as came out of all the parties of Siria but out of all other cuntreyes also whither soeuer the violent rage of warres had dryeuē them or any chaunce els had brought them Amōg whome many wer deuoute and well disposed people Whan this so strange a matter was than comenly knowen ouer all the citie a confuse multitude of people came together and beyng in a great perplexitie demaūded what these newes should meane that where as thei wer gathered out of many cuntreys and wer of soundry languages yet for all that euery man so vnderstood them speaking euen as though thei had spoken to them al not in one tounge alone but to euerichon seuerally in his own cuntrey language Yea the Hebrew tonge is not without his diuersite accordingly as cuntreyes are diuided whether it came of diuerse nacions whiche bordre one vpon an other or els of sum other chaunce For the woman of Samaria knewe that Iesus was a Iewe by the propertie of his toung and Peters pronounciacion declared hym to be one of Galilee And the Greke toung likewise is parted into fyue sondry kindes And other nacions also differeth no lesse in their languages More than that many Iewes vnderstoode none other than that cuntrey language wher they themselues
were borne All sortes therfore of people did greatly wondre therat reasoned how suche a thing might cum to passe that neuer the lyke had been hearde nor reade of Thus thei said beholde a straunge thing Are not al these that speake men of Galile howe than cummeth this aboute that we beeyng so many men of diuerse languages as ofte as we heare any of them speake do vnderstand hym as perfectly as if eche of vs hearde his owne cuntrey language where he was borne sens that this multitude of vs is gathered of so diuerse and sondrye regions there be of vs here Parthians Medes Elamites and suche also as doeth inhabite all abrode the coastes of Iewry and besydes that Capadocia Pontus and that cuntrey whiche peculiarly is called Asia Phrigia Pamphilia Egipte and those parties of Libia whiche reache to Ciren Yea and sum be here whose dwellyng is at Rome some of them Iewes borne and some Proselites that is to say suche as hath of their owne desyre professed the Iewishe religion Moreouer Cretes and Arabians All we that here be gathered of so many nacions of so sondry languages dooe heare and playnely vnderstaÌ„de them speakyng nothing of comen vsage or els thinges to the worldly man perteynyng but of high matters of weyghâ—y importaunce yea thinges conuenient mete for god After this maner reasoned as many as feared god wer abated in their courage at the strangenesse of the thing said what meaneth this wondre They found no fault with that thing whiche their reason could not attayne vnto as yâ— Phariseis were wont to do but they searched for diligently desired to learne yâ— whiche they perceyued not On the other parte suche as wer hedling nothing vpright in iudgement did say in scorne the meÌ„ be drunke with new wine these persons a man may call those phariseis disciples which reported of Iesus the deuil is within him And to saye alwayes the very trueth great dronkenes is not muche vnlike to fury for it chaunceth peraduenture that some in a fury shall speake diuerse wordes of sondyry languages which they neuer learned But no fury wil this vndertake that al meÌ„ shal vnderstaÌ„d that that thou doest speake But truly these wordes spake they for a mocke Albeit a man maye sometime tell the truth although he spake in a skoffyng wise For a suerty full wer they of the new wine which the lorde would not haue in any wyse put into olde bottels For the olde wine of Moyses lawe had lost his strength vertue when Christe was firste insured by mariage to his churche and the colde vnsauery sence of the lawe was turned by Christe into newe wyne Whatsoeuer is carnall â–ª is vnsauerye faynte in vertue all that spiritual is whatsoeuer it be is lyuely strengthfull and sauery Uery largely dyd they drynke of that celesticall cup whereof Dauid the wryter of psalmes speaketh howe excellent is my cup whiche maketh the drounke And yf it were lawfull to compare thynges together whiche are throughout all their kynde moste vnlyke thys vulgare and common drounkennesse doth engendre in maÌ„â—ower thynges chiefely it vttereth the secretes of the herte it causeth man to forget all his aduersitie that is past and maketh the minde to reioyce in continuall hope of prosperitie to come it enboldeth man to set nought yea by his owne life Last of all it maketh men whiche are of a rude barbarous tongue to bee well spoken men Nowe marke my sayinges whither that newe swete wyne whiche proceded of Goddes owne spirite â–ª engendre not suche a lyke thyng in thapostles for what they had hyd for feare durst not speake what they before had learned secretely and woulde not be acknowen that doe they nowe publishe accordyng to the lordes prophecie the same they preache vpon house toppes Their olde Iewish fashions they haue clene forgotten and lyke as infantes newly borne no more do they nowe remembre their life before past neither haue thei in mynde the troublous affliccions for feare whereof they had forsaken theyr maister And althoughe they were bare without all worldlye helpe and succoure yet they feared neyther gouernoures ne prynces presidentes ne kynges neyther counselles nor imprisonmentes no soondry tormentes no manier kynde of deathe enduryng lustie alwaye beyng of courage and cherefull throughe the promyses of Christes ghospell Fynally they whiche were before but poore fyshers and men vnlerned forthwith practised theyr celestiall eloquence in rebukyng the proude Phariseis confutyng the subtill and craftie Philosophers and in puttyng theloquent oratours to vttre scilence Nothyng there is of more perill or difficultie than to speake before a greate coumpanye whyche as it is lyke a monstreous beaste of soundrye headdes so it is moste of all tymes monstreous whan the multitude is collected of soondry languages and soondry nacions But Peter stepped forth with the eleuen and lyft vp his voice and sayd vnto theim Ye men of Iewry and all that dwel at Ierusalem be this knowen vnto you and with your eares heare ye my wordes For these men are not as ye suppose drouncken seeyng it is but the thirde houre of the day But this is that whiche was spoken by the prophet Iohelâ— And it shal be in the laste dayes sayeth god of my spirite I wyll power out vpon all â—leshe And your sonnes and your doughters shall prophecie and your young menne shall see visions and your olde menne shal dreame dreames And on my seruauntes and on my hande maydens I wyll power out of my spirite in those dayes and they shall prophecie And I wyl shew wonders in heauen aboue and tokens on the yearth beneath bloud and fyeâ— and the vapour of smoke The sonne shal be turned into darkenes and the mooue into bloud before that great and notable day of the Lorde come And it shal come to passe that whosoeuer shall call on the name of the lord shal be saued Now marke me here Symon Peter who sodaynly of a fysher was made an Orator The multitude stirred vp a clamorous rumour And as they dyd than the same lyke shall other dooe hereafter vnto the worldes ende Than was it the parte of a good shepeherd to step abrode valiauntlye amongest them not for that intent he shoulde by force appeare or make theym styll which murmured agaynst gods glory or els to rendre one check for an other but that he myght constauntly rather than fyercely put away by testimonies of holy scripture all false and craftye accusacion and stoutely defende the glorye of Christe Than Peter who had before rysenne vp in the parlour to see the noumbre of thapostles fulfylled nowe eftesoones stoode vp to the multitude of people of soondry nacions mengled together partely to enstruct theim that had sayde What meaneth this and partely to stoppe theyr monthes that had sayed these men be drounke wyth newe wyne Albeit it is not of necessitie requisite that a bishop should preache to the people alwayes
standyng forasmuche as Christe hymselfe sittyng taughte the people Yet he that taketh in hand an apostles offyce ought to stande vpright in mynde And here consydre in the meane while Peters dignitie He was the fyrste man readye where occasion required to set foorth the ghospell Than had he put vp hys materiall sweorde wherewithall Christe hymselfe was not pleased and pulled out a spirituall sweord Suche one ought he to bee that is the chiefe byshop among the people Peter stode vp but not all alone he had eleuen apostles standyng besydes with hym leste he shoulde seme to vsurpe to hymselfe some violente gouernaunce One vttered the tale but one for all thother lyke as he alone before openly confessed in the name of all the reste Iesus Christ to be the sonne of the liuyng God But wherupon dyd this shepeherd a pore creature vnlearned so boldely vaunt hymselfe as once to loke vpon so great an assembly of people Excellent oratoures when they shall come afore an assembly of people or in presence of prynces to pronounce an exact oracion whiche they haue canned on their fyngers endes doe chaunge oftentymes their colour cannot vtter their wordes in mynde they are not a lytle abashed But this vndoubtedly was that heauenly drounkennesse thys was that sobrefulnesse of swete wyne He stode in presence before a greate multitude he tooke vnto hym eleuen apostles not as a garison of men for hys defence but as felowes wyth hym of one company he set hys iyes stedfastly vpon the people as one vnknowen to them whome he knewe not he lyft vp hys voice on hyghe and takyng none aduysemente with hymselfe what he woulde saye he spake to them practisyng euen than the selfe same thyng whiche the lorde before had taught him He spake not for his owne lucre and aduauÌ„tage but as a good shepeherde defended hys flocke neyther handled he hys matters with sharpe wordes of mans inuencion but vsed for his defence onelye holy scripture Nowe was this multitude desyrous to knowe what Peter woulde say And let vs lykewyse for oure partes geue hede forasmuche as these hys wordes wer spoken to all men At the beginning whan he had once wyth the mouyng of hys hande asswaged the murmur the noyse of the company he began with such a preface as shoulde without any retorical colour of flattery make them attent Ye that are my brethren sayeth he of Iewry who ought to knowe both the lawe and eke the prophetes and of all other mooste specially whiche dwell in this noble citie of Ierusalem where the fountayne is of religion and knowleage of the lawe somewhat peraduenture here is for you to wondre at but nothyng that any man can iustely fynd faute withall Wherefore all ye that here bee presente geue good eare a whyle to my wordes and learne of me how the thyng standeth For it is touchyng all your profittes so to dooe These men of Galile whom here ye see stand by me are not as some of you suppose drounken wyth newe wyne seeyng it is yet but three of the clocke and no man is woonte to be drounke in the mornyng before the sonne rysyng But nowe ye see that in these men is fulfylled whyche thyng to come god did long afore thys tyme promyse by hys prophet Iohel Herken vnto the prophecy and trusâ—e ye to that that is promised you therein Doe not ye fynde faute with the thing because ye haue seldome sene the lyke but rather enbrace that mercifulnes whiche god dooeth profte vnto you For Iohel being inspired with the holy gost foreseing that god who had giuen to Moyses and some others his prophetes at soondry times his owne blessed spirite for your saluacion would at the last after he had sent his owne onely begotten sonne powre out most plenteously the same spirite not vpon one or .ii. lyke as ye haue seene for these many ages past but a fewe prophetes but vpon all nacions through the worlde whosoeuer woulde with sincere fayth receyue this chereful and gladsome message whiche we at his commaundement doe nowe bring vnto all you hath left that heauenly prophecy in wryting after this manier It shall come to passe saieth the lorde in the latter dayes of the world I will powre out of my spirite bouÌ„tifully vpon all men and sodaynely shall your sonnes prophecy and your daughters and your yong men shall see visions and your olde men shall dreame dreames and vpon my seruauntes and vpon my hande maydes will I powre out of my spirite in those dayes and they shall prophecye And I will shewe woonders in heauen aboue and tokens on the yearth beneth bloud and fyer and the vapour of smoke The Sunne shal be turned into darkenes and the mone into bloud before that the great and notable day of the lorde come And whosoeuer shall cal vpon the name of the lorde shall bee saued These thinges hath the prophet Iohell tolde you in his prophecye many liues a goe And nowe ye see that that he prophecied of as touchyng the plentifull shedyng of the spirite in effect declared before your iyes And it is not to be doubted but that god will as faithfully perfourme the same that thaforesayde Iohell hath prophecied of the plages that shall chaunce But there is no cause why ye shoulde dispayre the prophet teacheth you a sure way to your saluacion seeyng that he sheweth to you the perill and daungier thereof Call ye vpon the name of the lorde and ye shall be saued ¶ Ye men of Israel heare these woordes Iesus of Nazareth a manne approued of God emong you with miracles wounders and signes which God did by him in the middes of you as ye your selues knowe hym haue ye taken by the handes of the vnrighteous persones after he was deliuered by the determinate counsell and foreknoweledge of God and haue crucyfyed and slaine him Whom God hath raised vp and lâ—ced the sorowes of death because it was vnpossible that he should be holden of it For Dauid speaketh of him Afore hande I saw God alwayes before me For he is on my righte hande that I should not bee moued Therfore did my herte reioyce and my tongue was glad Moreouer also my fleshe shall reste in hope because thou wilt not leaue my soule in hell neyther wilte the suffre thine holy to see corrupcion Thou haste shewed me the wayes of lyfe thou shalte make me ful of ioy with thy countenaunce But as touching the maner howe ye muste call vpon the name of the lord lysten ye that are the chyldren of Israell nowe vnto me and to the reste of my tale geue good hede Many of you knewe Iesus of Nazareth whyche persone beeyng long a goe promised by the sayinges of all the prophetes god hath nowe sette abrode before all you to beholde and hath commended hym to you in sondry and great myracles and wonders whiche he hath doen and wroughte by hym beefore all your iyes For verayly god was
knew perfectly what should happen of these thinges which ye se now perfourmed in Iesus of Nazareth who doubtlesse was borne as touching his humanitie of Dauids kinred family Ferthermore sins that it is euidently knowen that Iesus in his lyfe tyme dyd affect no worldly kingdome and neuer sate vpon Dauids regal seate but was most spitefully dealed with al it appereth plainly that there was some other kingdome promised which as the prophetes say hath none end He could not sit vpon Dauids seate if that he being once slayne had neuer arisen to lyfe againe He therfore is arisen from deathe to lyfe agayne and sytteth nowe vpon Dauids seate that is to saye vpon the seate of hys eternall father the Lorde of all thinges that are in heauen and eke in yearth This was it vndoubtedly that Dauid beyng inspyred with the spiryte of prophecie spoke of before and what he before hath spoken that is come to passe And although Iesus soule went downe to hell yet there it was not withholden but rather deliuered the soules whiche were from libertye restreigned Yea although his body was layde in graue voyde of all lyfe yet there it did not rotte or putrifye but god who in all hys promises can not lye hath called his soule from hell againe and hath restored the same to his owne former body Of this thing we all beare witnes whom here ye see standing whiche haue traded our liues familiarly with him whiche haue heard him oftimes say that he shoulde bee both crucifyed accordyng to the prophetes sayinges and afterwarde aryse the thirde day to lyfe agayne We were those persons that both sawe him a dooyng and hearde him and nowe bee witnesses of his resurreccion to whome he hath oftetymes appered not alonely as one seen of vs and heard but felt also with our handes we knewe his voyce we knew his face we knew felt the printed dentes of his woundes finally he eate togither in coÌ„pany with vs to thintent that we might be wel assured to se the very same body there with vs that lay in his sepulchre ¶ Seâ—s nowe that he by the right hande of God is exalted and hath receyued of the father the promise of the holy goste he hath shed forth this gifte which ye now see heare For Dauid is not ascended into heauen but he sayeth The Lord saied vnto my Lord syt thou on my ryght hande vntill I make thy fooes thy foote stole So therfore let all the house of Israel know for a suerty that God hath made that same Iesus whom ye haue crucified lorde and Christe Wherfore than the selfe same person whome man ouerthrew and brought to extreme vilany and reproche god hath now aduaunced to the heigth of eternall glory whiche glory he shall once set open manifestly to all men at the ende of the world and now doeth he in the meane season put forth with you the power of his godhead by secrete operacion of the holy gost whiche he whiles he liued vpon earth promised to send vs from his father Now hath he beyng returned agayne to heauen powred from thence the same spirite vpon vs bounteously accordyng to Iohels prophecie aboue mencioned And of him cummeth this straunge miracle that ye see and heare vs speake in languages whiche you beyng gathered here together out of sondrye nacions do semblably vnderstand And like as the prophecy of the resurreccion can not be vnderstand of Dauid as we haue to you declared euen so that thing which was prophecied of his ascending vp to heauen and of the sitting on the right hande of god his father and of his euerlasting kingdome can not perteyne to Dauid like as the Pharisees theymselues reasoning with out maister confessed For Dauid neuer ascended vp to heauen as he that had before retourned to his lyfe agayne and yet for all that in the misticall psalme thus sayeth he beyng enspired with the spirite of prophecye the lorde sayd to my lorde sit on my right hande vntill I make thyne enemies thy footestole Wherefore than the matier is playne that this prophecye was spoken of god the father who hath exalted to heauen Iesus the sonne of Dauid as touching his humanitie but as concerninge the spirite the lorde of Dauid and would that he should sit by him as copartener of his kingdome Therfore let al the whole people of Israell be wel assured that the selfe same Iesus of Nazareth whome ye once crucifyed god hath now aduaunced to the kingdome of heauen and hath made him lorde ouer all and Messyas that is to say the annoyncted whome ye loke for as your Messias whiche was promised of all the prophetes nowe many hundred yeres agoe ¶ When they heard this they were pricked in their hertes and saied vnto Peter and vnto the other apostles Ye men and brethren what shall we doe Peter sayed vnto them repent of your synnes and be baptised euery one of you in the name of Iesus Christe for the remission of synnes and ye shall receyue the gifte of the holy ghoâ—t For the promyse was made to you and to your children and to all that are a farre of euen as many as the Lorde our God shall call And with many other woordes bare he witnesse and exhorted them saying Saue your selues from this vntoward generacion Then they that gladly receyued his preaching were baptized and the same daye there were added vnto theÌ„ about three thousande soules This tale of Peters made the hearers thereof sore afrayed For they wer prime to their owne doynges howe they had cryed out vpon Pilate crucifye hym crucifye hym crucifye hym and perceyued by reason of the prophecie howe he was made on the righte hande of hys father copartener of hys kingdom vntyll all his enemies were broughte vnder his fotestoole Whom they had put to deathe beyng as he was vnto them beneficiall of the same nowe sence he is cum vnto his reigne were they afrayed leste he woulde take vengeaunce vpon them This is a beginning to a mannes saluacion to knowleage his faulte and to feare the payne deserued for the same Therfore they beyng than pricked in conscience sayde to Peter and to the reste of the apostles what must we do welbeloued brethren It is wel whan a man feling hymselfe of a giltie conscience dispaireth not but ensearcheth for remedye Nowe what doeth Peter in this case who represented a sobre and a meke shepeherde he exerciseth no tyranny amongest them with reprocheful checkes he heapeth not together theyr faultes he putteth not them abacke with a delay he willeth them not to kyll beastes for sacrifice but declareth to the sorowfull hertes a remedy euen at hande putting no difference bitwixt them that had crucifyed Iesus and those whiche had not consented to that wicked acte For none of them all was cleane without sinne And therfore sayeth he doe ye repent your lyfe that is past and let euerychone of you be baptysed in water in the
world is not of any great estimacioÌ„ but in the sight of god highe in fauour by reason of his godlynes and is otherwise called Peter He hosteth at a certaine mannes house in Ioppa whose name is Simon a tanner by his occupacioÌ„ and dewelleth by the sea syde Of this Peter shalt thou learne what thou must do to obtaine saluacion Whan the aungell had this sayde he vanished awaye Than by and by Cornelius sent a couple of his housholde seruauntes and with them one that was a souldier retaynyng to hym whose honeste conuersacion and trustynes he hadde great profe of for not onely all Cornelius owne housholde resembled him in godly liuinge but there were sum souldiers also that folowed the vertuous trade of their capitaine And whan he had shewed them all the matter and effecte as touching his vision he sent them to Ioppa These thinges were done in the euening ¶ On the morowe as they weÌ„t on their iourney and drewe nye vnto yâ— cytie Peter went vp vpoÌ„ the top of the house to praie about the sixt hour And wheÌ„ he wexed huÌ„gry he would haue eaten But while they made readye he fell into a â—â—aunce sawe heauen opened a certaine vesselle came downe vnto him as it had bene a great shete knyt at the fower comets was let downe to the earth wherein were al maker of fower footed beastes of the earthe and vermin and wormes and fowles of the ayer The nexte daye Cornelius messengers went on their iournaye In those dayes so meane an embacie as that was had Peter the chiefe pastoure of Christes Churche no disdayne at And whan as they were almoste at Ioppa Peter thesame time as he was accustomed had gon vp into an hyghe chamber to praye almoste at the syxte houre that is to say about noone And as he was an hungred in his prayer he mynded to eate summe meate after his long abstinence And whyles that meate was a dressyng accordyng to Peters commaundement he was rauyshed with the spirite of god So chaunceth it specially with them that vse prayer and fasting For god discloseth not his mysteryes to the fulle belyes and slouthfull persons His vision was this He sawe heauen open and from thence a great vesseâ—l let downe to the yearth as it had ben a great sheete knotted and fastened with coardes at euery of the fower corners For in olde tyme meate was serued to the table in great brode lynen clothes In this vessell were all kyndes of fower foted beastes and virmin which crepe on the ground and lyue on the earthe and byrdes that lyue in the ayre as well vncleane as cleane together indifferently This was meate that the Iewes dyd abhorte but yet was it thesame that Iesus longed after whan he sayd to his disciples profering him meat I haue meat to eate that ye knowe not ¶ And there came a voyce to him Aryse Peter kill eate But Peter sayed not so lorde for I haue neuer eaten any thing that is commen or vncleane And the voyce spake vnto hym againe the seconde tyme what God hath clensed that call not thou commen This was done thryse and the vessell was receyued vp againe into heauen Whyle Peter also mused in himselfe what this vision which he had seene meaned beholde the meÌ„ which were sent from Cornelius had made inquitaunce for Symons house and stoode before the doore and called out one and asked whether Symon which was syrnamed Peter were lodged there Peter muche maruayling what this vision ment a voyce spake and sayed vnto him aryse Peter kyll and eate And althoughe that the lorde had warned his dysciples that they shoulde make the Gentiles also partakers of his ghospell yet to thintent they should the more boldely dooe thesame he againe was admonished by a vision But Peter as a Iewe yet abhorting the meate that by the lawe was forbyd sayed Oh lorde god forbid that I shoulde eate any suche meates For vnto this day haue I dewly kepte the trade of my forefathers For hytherto neuer eate I any meate that was suspeÌ„ded or vncleane To this thesame voyce that had spoken before made aunswere that whiche God hath made cleane thou whiche art but man call not it vncleane After this vision had thryse appered to this ende that he should more certainly beleue it strayght wayes the vessell was taken vp into heauen Than Peter beyng cumme againe to his remembraunce whyles he was musing with himselfe in a greate perplexitie what this vision shoulde meane and whether it were a dreame eyther els some significacion of goddes wyll beholde those menne that Cornelius had sente stoode at Symons dore the tanner and callyng forth one of the seruauntes enquired whether that one named Peter were hosted there Whyle Peter thought on the vision the spirite sayde vnto him beholde men seke the aryse therfore and get the downe and go with them doubte not for I haue sent them Peter went downe to the men whiche were sent vnto hym from Cornelius sayde beholde I am he whom ye seke what is the cause wherfore ye are come Thei said Cornelius the Capitaine a iust man and one that feareth God and of good report among all the people of the Iewes was warned by an holye Aungell to sende for thee into his house and to heare wordes of the. Then called he them in and lodged them But before that woorde was broughte to Peter that some there were that woulde speake with hym and whyles he satte imaginyng in hys mynd what the vision should meane the spirite of god sayed to hym for god speaketh after sondry wyse to his electe beholde three menne stande at the doore and enquyre for the. Therefore aryse and get the downe and goe with theym nothyng doubtyng For I sent them And then shalte thou vnderstande what the meanyng of thys vision is that thou somuche musest of With that Peter wente downe and came to the menne and sayde loo I am the verye same Symon Peter whome you seke for What is thoccasyon of your cummyng hyther Peter boasted not of his visyon but required the heathens confessyon For the benefyte of grace that cummeth by the ghospell ought not to be thruste before them whiche set nought by it as in lyke maner it ought not to be denyed to theÌ„ that are desyrouse of it Than they aunswered Cornelius whiche by office is a capitayne of a bande of menne but yet a manne of good conuersacion and that feareth God well credited and lykewyse estemed and reported as wel of his owne housholde as also throughout all Iewry was warned by the apperaunce of an holy auÌ„gell that spake to hym to sende for thee home to his house that he myght receyue at thy handes knowleage what he ought to doe to obtayne saluation Peter perceyuing the visions to agree and nowe vnderstandyng what that voyce sygnified whiche thryse had sayed what God hath clensed that accompte thou not vncleane bad them comme nere the
and sawe fower foted beastes of the yearth and vermine and wormes and foules of the ayre In this matter it becommed not Peter to holde his peace but he tolde all the matter euen frome the begynnyng howe as it had chauÌ„ced in this wise Certes I duâ—st not breake the lawe whiche we haue deliuered vs of our forefathers but in this poincte folowed I him whiche is aboue the lawe I was in the citie Ioppa fastyng and in my prayers that no manne can suspecte it to be a vayne dreame And whan I had commaunded as very hungre enforced me some meate to be dressed I was in the meane time rauyshed and in a traunce sawe this vision A great vessell muche after the fourme of a greate linen sheete knitte fast at fower corners was let downe from heaueÌ„ and came to me Werupon whan I had sette myne iye being very hungry I loked what maner of meate there was And there I sawe dyuerse kyndes of fowerfoted beastes besydes those that were noxious beastes with other sondrye kyndes also of beastes â–ª that crepe on the yearthe and fowles of the ayre whome the lawe by expressed commaundement woulde vs to abstayne fro And I hearde a voyce saying vnto me Aryse Peter sley and eate But I sayed not so Lord for nothing commen or vncleane hath at any tyme entred into my mouthe But the voyce answered me againe saying from heauen count not thou those thinges coÌ„me which God hath clensed And this was done thre times And all wer taken vp againe into heauen And beholde immediatly there were thre men all ready cum vnto the house where I was sent froÌ„ Cesarca vnto me And the spirite sayed vnto me that I should go with them wtout doubtyng Moreouer these .vi. brethren accoumpanyed me and we entred into the mans house And he shewed vs how he had seen an angell in his house which stoode and sayed to hym sende menne to Ioppa and call for Symon whose sirname is Peter he shall tell thee woordes wherby both thou and all thyne house shal be saued Whiles I was lookyng on this I hearde also a voyce whiche exhorted me that I shoulde not sticke to eate thereof and sayed vnto me aryse Peter kyll and eate To whome I made than answere God forbyd For to this daye hath no vnclene meate entred into my mouthe Than aunswered the voyce eftsones in this maner call not thou whiche art but man those meates vncleane whiche god hath purified This vysion dyd three tymes appere And afterwardes all those meates whiche I thought worthy to be abhorred were taken vp into heauen And after I was cum to my selfe whyles I reuolued in my mynde what this vision whiche so often apered shoulde meane the spirite of god forthwith gaue me knowlege that there were three men at the doore where I hosted sent from Cesarea that would speake with me And the same spirite commaunded me that I shoulde not sticke to goe with them I obeyed the visyon and by the holy ghostes sendyng I tooke my iorney to Cesarea not alone but I tooke syxe brethren with me to beare wytnesse of all those thynges whiche I dyd by the commaundement of God And brefely er entred into the mannes house that had sente for vs. There he in presence of vs all shewed howe that fewe dayes before whyles he was fastyng and hys prayers at home in hys house he had seene an Aungell standyng before hym in a glistenyng garment when it was brode daye and saying vnto hym Cornelius sende some of thy seruauntes to Ioppa and let theym desyre Symon otherwyse named Peter in thy behalfe to take the paynes to come speake with the. He shall tell the those thynges whereby thou and all thy housholde maye be saued I perceyuyng these visions to had agreed on both partes and perceyuyng farder howe earnest theyr desyre was with out all dissimulacion beganne to teache them those thynges that our Lorde Iesus had willed vs to preache And as I began to preache the holy gost fell on them as he did on vs at the begynnyng Than came it to my remembraunce howe that the lorde sayed Iohn baptised with water but ye shall be baptised with the holy ghost For as muche than as god gaue theÌ„ like gyftes as he dyd vnto vs when we beleued on the Lord Iesus Christ what was I that I should haue withstand god Whan they heard this they helde theyr peace glorified God saying than hath God also to the Gentyles graunted repentaunce vnto lyfe I had not fully fynished my communication but beholde the holy ghost cummyng from heauen entred into theym in lyke maner as he at the fyrste tyme had into vs and they began to speake dyuerse languages euen as we than spake Thys was an euident token that their faythe was approued before God And euen than the very thyng it selfe shewed what this hard vision to vnderstande that I had seene dyd meane For these were those same fowerfooted creping beastes and fowles whiche we that are circumcised do abhorre but goddes wyll is to haue theym purifyed thorowe faythe yea he wyll not that we take anye thyng as vncleane whiche thorowe faythe of the ghospell is made holy And farther I remembred the wordes that the Lorde spake vnto vs whan he was ready to ascende to heauen Iohn baptised in water but you shal be baptised in the holy ghoste And we diepe the body in water but it is not water that gyueth saluacion vnlesse by faythe we obtaine the fierye baptisme And whan as the matter of it selfe in effect was euident enoughe that they had receyued the baptisme whiche Iesus the lorde had promysed and that the same fauoure thorowe faythe was employed on those whiche wer not circumcised whiche we before had receyued not because we had so deserued by kepyng of the lawe but thorowe our fayth wherby we beleued our lorde Iesus Christ how coulde I be agaynste the wil of god Was it for me to staye that they shoulde not be baptised in water whiche were than already baptised in the spirite of God seyng that water is nothyng elles but a token of the grace that shal be geuen vs from heauen But than was grace gyuen them before without oure ministerie So that to deny them to be baptysed in water had bene nothynge elles but to improue that whyche God had done Whan they had hearde these hys wordes they helde theyr peace and praysed God saying than the verye thyng in effect is euidently declared that God hath gyuen repentaunce not to the Israelytes onely but to the Gentyles also that they therby maye obteyne lyfe euerlastynge And these were the firste frutes of the Gospell that the churche had of heathen by Peters procurement For before hym none other durste so doo but Philip onely and that also not without monicion of an aungell They also which were scattered abrode through the affliccion that arose about SteueÌ„ walked throughout vnto Phenice and Cypres and Antioche preachyng
whan we had gotten a shyp that would sayle vnto Phenyces we wente aborde into it and set furthe But whan Cyprus began to appere vnto vs we lefte it on the left hande and sayled vnto Siria and came to Tyre For there the shyp vnladed her burden AND after we had sette vp sayle wer goen out of syght of them that stoode on the banke lokinge after vs we sayled streight furth arryued at the Ylande called Chous and nexte day after at Rhodes thence furth tyll we touched at Patara whiche is a citie of Licia nere to the sea syde There founde we a shyppe that was redye to sayle towarde Phenice we toke shyppyng there sayled therein But whan the Ylande of Cypres appeared vnto vs we leauyng it on the lefte hande sayled towarde Syria arriued at Tyre whiche is a citie situate on the sea banke of Phenice as Sydon is lykewyse We desired rather to sayle streyght foorth to Palestyne but because Tyre was a marte toune the master of the shyppe woulde nedes set his marchaundyse on lande there ¶ And when we had founde brethren we taryed theâ—e seuen dayes And they told Paule through the spirite that he should not go vp to Hierusalem And when the dayes wer ended we departed and they all brought vs on our waye with wyues and children til we were come out of the citie And we kneled downe in the shore and prayed And whan we had taken our leaue one of an other we tooke shyp and they returned home againe But whan as we founde some dysciples there also we taried with them seuen dayes Emong them were some whiche beynge enspired with the spirite of prophecye counselled Paule that he should in no wyse go to Hierusalem But yet for all that when the seuen dayes were expired we departed from Tyre all the disciples with their children and wyues accompanying and bringyng vs out of the citie to the sea banke Where after we had kneled downe and made our prayers with one consent and had taken our leaue one of an other we tooke shyppyng and they returned home againe ¶ When we had full ended the course froÌ„ Tyre we went downe vnto Ptolomaida saluted the brethren and abode with them one day The next day we that were of Paules cumpany departed came vnto Cesarea And we entred into the house of Philip the Euangeliste whiche was one of yâ— seuen and abode with him The same had fower doughters virgins whiche dyd Prophecie From Tyre we sayled to Ptolomaida whiche is a citie on the sea nere to the hyll named Carmelus Here we saluted our brethren and remayned one daye with them Nexte daye after Paule and we wente furth on our iourney and came to Cesarea a citye of Palestine and entred into the house of Philip whiche firste of all had preached the ghospell to the chaumberlayne and to the Samaritanes and was one of the seuen deacons that the apostles had instituted and ordeyned at Hierusalem With him we abode This man had fower daughters all vnmaried whiche had aboundantly the spirite of prophecye accordyng to the prophecye of Iohel And as we tarried there a good many of dayes there came a certaine Prophete from Iewry named Agabus Whan he was come vnto vs he tooke Paules girdle and bounde his feete and handes and sayed Thus sayeth the holy ghoste so shall the Iewes at Hierusalem bynde the man that oweth this girdle and shall delyuer him into the handes of the gentiles And whan we had continued soiourning in his house certaine daies there came a Prophete from Iewry whose name was Agabus He takinge his lodgeing emong vs and bayting there tooke Paules gyrdle whiche after he had knotted about his owne legges accordynge to the custome of the olde prophetes whiche had wount to expresse before by some visible token that thing that they prophecied of thorough the inspiracion of the holy ghoste sayed Thus sayeth the holy ghoste He that oweth this gyrdle shall so be bounde of the Iewes at Hierusalem they shall delyuer him into the handes of the Gentiles When we heard this both we and other which were of the same place besought him that he would not go vp to Hierusalem Then Paul answered and sayed What do ye weping and vering myne herte â–ª I am ready not to be bound onely but also to dye at Ierusalem for the name of the Lorde Iesu. When we could not turne his mynde we cealed saying the wyll of the Lorde bee fulfilled We beeyng muche feared with â–ª these woordes and the dysciples also that dwelled there with many wepyng teres desyred him that he shoulde not committe ne put himselfe into the handes of the Iewes at Hierusalem This was the godly affeccion and zele of them that were lothe to haue so excellente a pastour to peryshe But Paule whiche had a more certaine aunswere of the holy ghost in his mynde and knewe that he should fyrste goe to Hierusalem and shoulde after that see Rome sayed vnto them wherefore do ye make my herte sory with your vayne teares For the daungier that the Prophetes warne me of doeth nothyng moue me but youre douloure and sorowe maketh me to be sory and pensyfe I am fully mynded to further that thyng whiche the holy ghost wylleth me namely the ghospell I nothinge feare bondes whiche I haue been well enured with For god forbyd that I for feare of enprisoÌ„ment should leaue of from furthering of the ghospell seeing that I am ready yea yf it were to dye at Hierusalem for my Lord Iesus sake Let Paule lye in chaynes so that the gospell maye haue free lybertie to passe Let Paul lese his lyfe so that the glory of Iesus name maye lyuely spryng and flouryshe emong all men I am desirous of lyfe for none other ende but that I maye profite the ghospell But otherwyse I woulde recken it great aduauntage gotten to be shortly ryd out of this lyfe for Christes sake Wherefore do not ye mourne for that thing that I my selfe am desyrous of yf it shall so please God and cease ye therefore to make my mynde pensyfe with your wepyng and waylyng for I cannot chose but be sad seynge my frendes sad To these his woordes whaÌ„ we had nothinge to aunswere and sawe him fully bent to go to Hierusalem we suffred hym to departe saying the wyll of the Lorde be fulfylled For these ought to be the woordes of true Christians and though they haue not the same woordes styll in their mouthes yet must they continually thinke them in their hertes so that in aduersitie as well as prosperitie styll muste they saye The wyll of the lorde be fulfylled After those dayes we toke vp our burthens and went vp to Hierusalem There went with vs also certayne of the disciples of Cesarea and brought with them one Muason of Cyprus an olde disciple with whome we should lodge And whan we were come to Hierusalem the brethren receyued vs gladly And on the morowe Paul
downe flat worshypped hym And beyng warned of god c Aryse and take with thee the child That it myghte bee fulfilled c In those dayes came Iohn the Baptiste Preachyng in the wyldrenes of Iewry For this is he of whoÌ„ the prophet Esay spake And were baptised of hym in Iordane â–ª c He sayd vnto them O generacion of vipers I baptyse you with water c Whose faÌ„ne is in his hand Then cummeth Iesê° But Iohn forbad him Iesus answereth â–ª c And lo heauen was opeÌ„ vnto him And whaÌ„ he had fasted forty dayes The temptour came But he answered ThaÌ„ sayeth Iesus vnto hym Then the deuil leaueth hym And behold the angelles came Whan Iesus hadde hearde â–ª c. He went aparte into Galile That it myght bee fulfilled c. And those that had the palsey â–ª c. And there folowed hym â–ª c. Blessed 〈◊〉 the poore 〈◊〉 spirite Ye be the salte of the yearth But if the salte be vnsauâ—ry c Ye be the lyght of the worlde A citye that is set on a hyll can not be hyd Let your lyghte so shine before men Who so is angry with hys brother c. But whosoeuer sayeth thou foole c. Therfore if thou offer thy gyfte at the aulter c. And than come offer thy gifte Agre with thyne aduersarie Thou shalt not cum out thence c Thou shalt not commit aduoutry Who soeuer loketh on an other mans wyfe c. Then that thy whole body should be cast into hell And if thy right hand hinder the. But I saye vnto you yâ— whosoeuer putteth away hys wyfe c. But youre communicacion shall be yea yea nai nay Geue to hiÌ„ that asketh thee But I saye vnto you c. Do good to them that hate you For he maketh his sunne c Yf ye loue them which loue you Take hede that ye geue not almes in yâ— sight c. Let not test pets blowe before thee And thy father which seeth in secrete They haue theyr rewarde Our father which arte in heaueÌ„ c Geue vs this day c Ye can not serue God and maÌ„moÌ„ What ye shall eate or drinke c. No not Salomon in all his royaltie c. Sâ—he ye firste the kyngdom of god c Be ye not carefull for to morowe Iudge not that ye be not iudged Thou hipocrite firste cast oute â— And cast not your pearles before swine Aske and it shal be geueÌ„ you c â–ª If ye then being yll caÌ„ geue your childreÌ„ good gyftes c. And fewe there be that fynde it Beware of false prophetes Ye shall know them by their frutes A good tre caÌ„ not beare yll fruites Therfore by their fruiâ—tes ye shall knowe theÌ„ Many wyll say vnto me c. Depart froÌ„ me ye that woorke iniâ—quitie Because 〈◊〉 was grounded vpoÌ„ the rocke For he taught theÌ„ as hauyng power And not as the scribes Lord if thou will the mayest make me cleane And Iesus put forthe has haÌ„de c â–ª But go 〈◊〉 thy selfe to the prieste c. Lorde my seruaunte lieth at home sicke of the palsey c. And is sore vexed c. There shal be weping gnasshynge of teeth And he touched her hande the feuer lefte her â–ª And healed all that wer sicke The foreâ— haue holes But the sonne of maÌ„ hath not wher to rest his head Let the dead buryâ— theyâ— dead Lorde saue vs O Iesu the sone of god what haue we to dooe with the They brought vnto him a maÌ„ sicke of the palsey This man blasphemeth Arise take vp thy bed go home â–ª And it came to passe c. Beholde manye Publicanes c. And whâ—n the Phariseis saw it c. Bo ye rather learn what that meaneth And Iesus sayed vnto them Can the brydegromes c Neither do meÌ„ put new wyne into olde bottelles And Iesê° arose folowed him c For she said within hee selfe yf I may c. And whaÌ„ he saw her c. Thy faithe hath saued the. For the mayde is not deade but slepeth Beleue ye that I am hable to do this â–ª He casteth oute deuels through the prince of deuils He was moued with coÌ„passion on them The haruest is plenteoê° but the laborers ar few He gaue them power against vncleane spyrites But go rather to the loste sheepe of the house of Israel Goe and preach saying the kingdoÌ„e of heaueÌ„ is at hande Freely ye haue receyued geue freely For the worke man c. And there abide tyl ye go thence â–ª Beholde I sende you furth but beware of those meÌ„ For it shall be geueÌ„ you c. But he that endureth to the ende shall be saued The teâ—te The disciple is not aboue his maister c Feare them not therfore For there is nothyng c For I am come c. He that loueth father or mother c. He that findeth his life c. And he that loseth his lyfe c. He that receiueth you receyueth me Go shewe Iohn againe what ye haue hearde and seen What weÌ„t ye out into wyldernes to see c. Beholde they that we are softe clothing c I sâ—ye vnto you c. From the daies of c For all the Prophetes c. The sonne of man c. Wo be to the Chorazin Wo be to thee Bethsaida But I sayâ— vnto you c. Uerely father so it was c. And I will ease you For I am meke lowly of herte Haue ye not redde what Dauid did c. Or haue ye not â—ed in the lawe c. But I saye vnto you c. Wherfore yf ye wâ—ste what this meaneth c. And behold there was a maÌ„ne hauyng a withered haÌ„d And they asked him c. Who emong you shall haue a shepe Than saieth he to the manue And the people folowed hym he healed them all And charged theÌ„ c. That it myght bee fulfilled which was spoken by â—say c. This felowe driueth out deuils c. But whan Iesus knew their thoughtes c. And yf I cast out deuils c. Therfore they shal be your iudges Eyther make the â—re good hys fruite good c. The euyll and aduoustetous c. For as Ionas was thre dayes â–ª c. The men of Niniue shal aryse c. The quene of the south shal rise â–ª c And he spake to theÌ„ many thynges in similitudes But he that receiued the seede â–ª c. He also that receyued c. Whiche also beareâ—â— c. Therfore euery scribe c â–ª A Prophete is not without fauoure sauâ— in hys owne countrey For Herode had taken Iohn c. And wheÌ„ he would haue put hym to deathe â–ª c Geue ye theÌ„ to eate c. And he coÌ„mauÌ„ded the people to sit downe c. Peter aunswered and sayed c. O thou of little fayth c. Euery plaâ— whiche my heaueÌ„ly father hath not
slowe of herte to beleue all that the Prophetes haue spoken Ought not Christe to haue suffred these thinges c And he begaÌ„ at Moses And enteâ—preted in al the scriptures whiche were writteÌ„ of hym Deut. xviii c Deut. xviii d. mat v. and Luke vi Esai ii a Esai xlii Esai lxi Math. xi â— Hiere iiii a Hier. xxxi f Hier. xxxi f Math. xi b Luke ivi d Ihon. iiii c Math. xii a Math. ii d Luke vi a Math. ix c. marke ii e Luke v. f mat viii a marke i. d Luke v. c mat ix a marke ii a Luke i. d. e mat xxvi a mar iiiii Luke â—ii f Iohn xii a math xix a mar x. a Luke xvi d Math. v. f Math. v. g math xv v Daniel ix f Esai lxi a Psal. xliiii b math iii. d marke i b Luke iii d Iohn i. v Daniel ix f Luke xix f Esai i. g psal cxvii c mat xxi a mar xii a Luke xx c Esai xxviii d. and i. Petr. ii b Math. vii d. and Luke vi g Math. xvi ii kynges vii b. ii king vii.c. Esai i. g mat xxiiii b Mar. xiii b Luke xvii c Esai ii a psal cxxiiii Luke xix xxi iii. kyng ix b. Esai ii a Ihon. viii d Esai xxix a Psal. xvii Iohn x.c. Psal. cix a i. kyng ii g mat xxvii a Iohn xxiiii d. Psal. xlix 6 Psal. xlix Psal. iii. a Iohn xiiii b. Osee. vi â— Malach. i. c mat xxvi c and marke xiiii â–ª c and Luke xxii b and i Corinth xi c zacha ix b Esai ix b Esai xi â— Psaml ii a psal xliiii a Math. x. a michea v. a Math. ii a Luke ii a mat xxvii d. Luke xxiii d. Ihou xix d Ge. xlix d Psal. cxxxi b. Esai xi â— mat xxii d mat xii d Luke xx g Esai vii Daniel ii a Batuch iii Dani. ix Gene. xlix Math. ii a Esai xii Esai lx Psa. lxxi a Math. ii c Hiere xxxi Mat. ii b Oiee xi a Mat. iii. b Marke i. b Luke iii. d Iohn i. c Esai xl a Esai ix Psal. lxxvii a. Esai vi Esai liii Esai liii Esai xxxv Luke vii a Esai v. b Mat. xxi d Mar. xii a Luke xx b Mat. xxi b Luke xiii b Mat. xiii b Mar. iiii a Luke viii a Esai lxv Mat. xxvi Mar. xiiii Luke xxii Iohn xviii zachar ix psal lxxxvi â–ª Mat. xxvi Mar. xiiii c Luke xxii f Ioh. xviii c Psal. cxiiii Math. xxvi Luke xxii e Psal. xl â— Psalme xxxvii Psal. liiii Psal xxxvii Zachar. xi Psal. cviii Psalme ii Esai iiii c Luke xxii Mat. xxâ—ii â—reâ— iii. f Hierem. xi maâ— xiiii g mat xxvi c. Luk. xxii g Gen. xxxvii Psal. lviii Luke xxiii Tren iiii Psal cxxvii Esai l. Esai liii Psalm xxi Gene. iii. Balletes ii Luke xxii Hierem. xii Luke xxii Math. x. d. Mar. viii d Esai ix v Gen. xxii v Math. xx d Mar. xii a Luke xx v Leuit. vii Nume xxi Deut xxviii Esai liii v Math. xx v Luke xxii d Amos. viii Zach xiiii v Psal. lxviii Luke xxiii Psal. xxii Luke xxiii Psal. cviii Psal. xxi Psal xxx v Psalm cv Abacuc iii Iohn vii c Deu. xxxiii Luke xxiii Mat. xxii d Mark. xv d Iohn xix g Gene. xlix Ionas i. v. Mat. xii c. Mark viii Luke xi d Iohn vi d. O see vi a As he sate at meate hâ— tooke breade and blissed it c And theyr iyes were opened c. And they sayed betwene theÌ„selues dyd not our hertes burn within vs And found the eleuen gathered together And thei tolde what thinges had ben doen on the waie And he said vnto them peace be vnto you c. A spirite hath no fleashe and bones as ye see me haue He saied vnto thâ— haue ye here any meate Math. ix Marke v.c. Luke viii Iohn xi Than opened he their wittes that thei mighte vnderstaÌ„de the scriptures c And that repeÌ„taunce remissioâ— of synnes shoulde bee preached â—â— his name And behold I wil send the promise of my father â–ª vpon you Iohel ii g Psal. iiii d But tarrye ye in the citie of Hierusalem vntill c. And lift vp his handes and blissed them And wer coÌ„tinuallye in the temple praysing laudyng god The woord was with god c. An accideÌ„t is a thing that may be or not be without corrupcion of the wherin it is as for exaumple one may take awaye the whightnes of a wal yet the substaunce doeth stil remayne All thinges were by it c. The lyghte shineth in darkenes c. The same came as a witnes He was not the light Whiche lighteth euery man By his brethreÌ„ vnderstande his disciples The lawe was geuen by Moses But grace and trueth came by Iesus Christ. When the Iewes sent priestes Who arte thou I am not heÌ„ Art thou Elias He answered no. What arte thou I am the voice of aâ—rier 〈◊〉 wildernes c. I baptise with water .c. Iohn seeth Iesus cuÌ„ming Behold the lambe of God which taketh awaye the sines of the worlde I knew him not I sawe the spirite descende from heauen c. Upon whoÌ„ thou shalte see the spirit descend c. I saw and bare record that this is the sonne of God He behelde Iesus as he walked c. Behold the lambe of god c. And the two disciples heard him What seke ye Rabbi where dwellest thou Cum and se Thei came And abode with him that daye We haue fouÌ„d Messias c. And brought hiÌ„ to Iesus And Iesus behelde him c. Thou art Simon the sonne of Ioanna c. Thou shalt be called Cephas c. He founde Philip. Folowe me c. Philip found Nathanell We haue found him c. Iesus the sonne of Ioseph c. Can there any good thinge come out of Nazareth Philip saieth come see Beholde a right Israelite c. Nathanael sayeth vnto him c. Rabbi thou art euen the very sonne of God c. Thou shalt se greater thinges theÌ„ these c. Uerely verely c. ye shall se the heauens open The mother of Iesus was there c. They haue no wine Iesus saith c. Woman what haue I to doe with thee Whatsoeuer he saieâ—h vnto yo◠〈◊〉 it Fil the waterpottes with water And thei filled them vp to the briÌ„me The beginning of miracles did Iesus c. Iesê° went vp to Ierusalem â–ª c. And found those that sold oxen Destroy this temple and in three dayes c But he spake of the temple of his bodye And they beleued the scripture c. The same came to Iesê° by nighte c. Iesus answered c. Except a maÌ„ be borne of water and of the spirite That whiche is borne of fleshe c. Meruaile not thou that I sayd to thee ye must be borne from aboue The winde bloweth c So is euery one that is borne of the spirite Howe can these thynges be Art thou a maister in Israel
and true felicite Naye rather the more earnestly they laboured to cum vnto innocencie and felicitie as long as they trusted to mannes help strength the more they wer intangled with vice and filthy desyres Therfore yf the Iewes whom it behoued chiefly to accept and imbrace the thing that is offered vnto them beyng so often promysed and so longe loked for yf they alone neglect so greate godnes whiche is frely offered to all men and yf they had rather alone to lacke it than to haue it common with others they can impute their destruccion to nothyng but to theyr owne incredulitie and vnbelefe The sayinges and prophecies of the holy Prophetes prophecied these thynges chiefely for them They sawe Christe with their iyes workyng miracles they heard with theyr eares the doctrine of the gospell The kyngdome of heauen was preached first to them But trulye whosoeuer are wearye of theyr former lyfe as many as loue true innocencie and godly lyuyng whosoeuer desyreth true perfect and euerlastyng felicitie let them receyue this gospel this pleasaunte and mery tydinges with mery and cherefull hertes whether they be Grekes or Iewes or Romains or Scithians or Gallians or Britans Lyke as God is not only God of the Iewes but indifferently God ouer all and common to all lyke as there is one sunne whiche is common to the whole worlde so Iesus Christe the sonne of God came to saue all menne dyed for all arose agayne for all ascended into heauen for all and sente his holy spirite to all refusyng none neyther for diuersitie of stocke or of age or of kinde or of state or of lyfe Al the sinnes of the former life be drowned once by his death in holy baptisme And those sinnes be not imputed be they neuer so greuous for the cleansyng of whiche that blessed innocent once dyed so that the reste of the life be passed ouer after the rule of Christ that is to saye after the doctrine of the ghospell from the tyme of baptisme a man is iudged or taken to be a christian to the perfourmaunce of the whiche so high a profession he will graunt his fre succour and ayde and will graunte also plentifull rewarde to them that do perseuer vnto th ende He requireth of no man the burden of Moses lawe onelye he requyreth lyuely fayth the whiche maye redily beleue whatsoeuer is shewed and with a sure truste looke for that whiche is promysed The eternall veritie doethe not deceyue God the promiser disapointeth not Further mans lawe shall not nowe prescribe what is to be doen but Christian charitie shall playnly tell The booke of the generacion of Iesus Christe the sonne of Dauid the sonne of Abraham Abraham begat Isaac Isaac begat Iacob Iacob begat Iudas and hys brethren And hytherto we haue trulye delyuered vnto you the ghospell by mouthe and haue made all men partetakers of those thynges whiche we haue seene with our iyes and hearde with our eares Nowe because there is daunger this thyng beyng spred abrode daylye more and more leste the tellyng of it passyng by many mennes mouthes maye varye or elles leste the tale tolde by mouthe be not so well beleued as whan it is written in a booke and furthermore to thintent that the thyng that is written maye the more easily cum vnto all men than the voyce of the mouthe we shall comprise in this booke the summe of the whole matter so muche as shall be sufficient to the obteynynge of saluacion as the natiuite the doctrine the miracles the deathe and the resurreccion And fyrste of all we shall recite the geneologie and peâ—igree of Iesus Christe takyng oure begynnyng not from the highe heade but from Dauid and Abraham eyther for because the memorye of these twoo is verye ryfe and common and verye acceptable among the Iewes for theyr glorye is chiefly of Ahraham as of the autour and beginner of theyr nacion and Dauid the kynge beeynge so muche praysed by the commendacion of God styeketh the more in theyr myndes because the memorie of hym is yet but freshe and newe or elles because Christe whiche was looked for so many yeares was promysed chyefly vnto these twoo and that in the bookes and oracles of the Hebrues to whome euen those that be directly agaynste Christe gaue great credyt For in the boke of Genesis God speakethe vnto Abraham promysyng that in tyme to come there shoulde sprynge one out of hys stocke through whose free benefit not onely the nacion of the Iewes but also all the people of the whole worlde beyng receyued into the ryght and title and loue of chyldren shoulde obteine wyth Christe the felowshyppe of the kyngdome of heauen not by circumcision whych was not as than setforth but by the faythe of the gospel For thus saythe God vnto Abraham In thy seed that is to saye in Iesus Christe all nacions shall be blessed Further Dauid in the misticall psalmes speaketh thus Of the fruite of thy wombe shall I set vpon thy seat And this shall we doe chiefly because of the Iewes leste they beyng a rebellious nacion and harde of beliefe knowyng by the authoritie of prophecies whiche they sufficiently beleue that Messias whiche shoulde come was promysed maye make cauillacions and saye that there is an other sauioure to be loked for and that this is not he whome the scriptures promysed For many of them because their mindes be blinded wyth desires of worldly thynges not takyng aryght the sayinges of the Prophetes suche was theyr carnall and grosse affeccion loked for some myghtye and glorious kynge who being valiaunt with armes or hostes weapon riches and suche other defences of this worlde shoulde promote hys people to ryches honour and emperie and shoulde subdue the whole worlde to the dominion of the Hebrues But Christ althoughe he be lorde ouer all came not into the worlde to the entent to enryche wyth worldlye gooddes one nacion of the whyche he was borne as touchyng hys body that he toke but to the intente to auaunce all the nacions of the whole worlde vnto true ryches that neuer shoulde decay and to make them blessed euerlastingly wyth heauenly ryches to ouercum the tyranny of deathe by sufferyng and diyng to subdue enemies by gentill deseruinges to kill the monsters of vice and the rebellious prouocacions of concupiscence by the sweard of the spirite and they beyng once ouercum that fighte agaynst the spirite of God to geue vs of his own righteousnesse innocencie Finally by spiritual weapons to winne vnto vs a spirituall kingdome But these Iewes cannot haue hereafter anything to saye whan they shall see all thynges to consent and agre vnto hym whome we knowe to be come and constauntly preache thesame whyche thynges the holy prophetes inspired with the heauenly spirite had prophecied with a full consent and agremente so long before in holye bookes that is to saye the stocke the familie the manner of byrthe the lyfe the doctrine the myracles the affliccions the rebukes the
kynde of death the buriall the resurreccion thascendyng into heauen the holy ghoste sente downe from heauen the wounderfull toungues of the Apostles the conuersion of the Gentiles and other thynges whiche we sawe and dayly see doen by them that professe the name of Christe Finally the tyme also doeth agree in the which he was prophecied for to come And all these thynges were prophecied not only by the sayinges of the Prophetes but also wer signified by the actes and dedes of the Patriarches Nowe seing thei know these thinges if thei coÌ„pare theÌ„ with these whiche we shewe to haue been doen they shall vnderstande that they loke in vayne for any other Messias thâ—n this whom we speake of he came once humble and abiccte concernyng the fourme of mannes bodye for so Esai prophecied he should come to delyuer all men by his deathe from the tyranny of deathe And he shall cum againe in th ende of the worlde not as now a sauiour but a iudge of all bothe lyuing and deade Now no man is excluded froÌ„ his benefite Than no man shal escape his iudgement But than shal they ioyfully see the iudge dealyng euerlasting rewardes whiche now doe not despise hym a meke sauiour easy to be entrâ—ted This therfore is that only and very Messias whose geneologie and petigre shal forthwith be shewed touching the body whiche he toke for our cause for by hym shoulde spring and cum furth a new nacion not carnall but spiritual which should rather replenish heauen than yearth the which also shoulde be encreaced or multiplied not by the seed of man but by the euangelical fayth whiche is the heauenly seed of Goddes worde Of this faith the autour and father in a misticall fygure was represented by Abraham who the law of circumsicion not yet publyshed deserued the prayse of rightuousnes not before men but before God not by the kepyng of the law but by the sinceritie of faith wherby he doubted nothing of Goddes promises although they wer farre passing the power of nature And for this trust and confidence he was called the father of many nacions which after the example of hym should beleue the gospel of Iesus Christe He nowe his body beyng decaied for age his wife also beyng weake and barain begate Isaac whiche was promised vnto hym who also was a figure of Christe vearyng wood to the sacrifice whereunto he was apoynted Isaac begat Iacob which though he wer the younger brother yet he set his elder brother besyde purchased the inheritaunce to hymself wherin he was a figure of the churche that should be congregated and gathered together of the Gentiles the which the Iewes being excluded encreaseth daily more and more receiuing the grace of the gospell by faythe of the which the Iewes through vnbelefe haue made themselfes vnworthy For thus sayeth God I haue loued Iacob and hated Esau. And in the Prophetes ofte mencion is made of this name Iacob begate Iudas of whome the tribe had his name of the whiche Christ was prophecied to cum of and by whose name as by inheritaunce was promised the newe lawe of the gospel for thus speaketh Hieremie Beholde the dayes do come sayeth the Lorde and I wyll dispose a newe testament to the house of Iudas the house of Iacob And he did not beget him onely albeit he deserued chiefly to be recited in the geneologie but also he begate the other eleuen brothers of Iudas which seuerally gaue names to the seuerall trybes of the nacion of Israell Iudas begat Phares and zaram of Thamar Phares begat Esrom And Esrom begat Atam And Atam begat Aminadab Aminadab begat Naasson Naasson begate Salmon Salmon begat Boos of Rahab Boos begat Obed of Ruth Obed begat Iesse Iesse begat Dauid the kyng Dauid the kyng begat Salomon of her that was the wyfe of Uri Further Iudas had two chyldren at a burden named Phares and zaram not of his lawfull wyfe but of Thamat hys daughter in lawe whyche was maryed to Her the eldest soonne of Iudas vnto whome when Iudas did not perfourme hys promyse that is to saye that she myghte be maryed to Sela brother vnto her housbande that was dead accordyng to the order of the law the woman passyng all measure desirous to haue a chylde tooke the habite of a common woman and coueryng her face by crafte and deceyte laye with Iudas her father in lawe and afterwarde by shewyng of the token whyche she had receyued of hym before that she woulde suffer hym to lye wyth her auouched and proued hym to be father of bothe the chyldren when he otherwyse earnestlye woulde haue brente her accordyng to the lawe The thyng thus doen is not without offence and blame but yet the mysterie hyd vnder thys vnhonest couerture maketh muche for the matter of the Ghospell Lyke as also Phares was a figure and significacion of the churche and Synagogue whiche Phares preuented his brother when he endeuored to goe furthe of his mothers wombe puttyng foorth his hande fyrste Of this Phares Esrom was borne of Esrom Aram of Aram Aminadab of Aminadab Naasson and of hym Salmon Salmon begat Boos of Rahab whiche though she were not of the nacion of Iewes but of the Cananites yet because she preserued the spyalles sent from Iesu the captain guyde of the Iewes and because she betrayed the citie of Hierico she deserued her place in the geneologie of theym whiche throughe faythe were made prayse worthie of God and she exempted out of the sorte and order of common women was chosen and admitted emong the people of God and maryed to an housbande of the nacion of Iewes signifying euen at that tyme that synners heathen people beyng alienate from the religion of God shoulde be coupled vnto Christe throughe the merite of faythe Boos also hade a soonne named Obeth by Ruth a Moabite the whiche also renouncyng her countreye and her bodily affeccions had rather to be planted emong the people of the Iewes that is to say suche as professe the doctrine of Christe Thus at that tyme fygures and shadowes signified before that no kynde of men shoulde be dryuen and kept of from the felowshyp of the gospell so that he bryng with hym faith and a desirous minde of true godlynes Of Obed came Iesse whiche was called also Isai of whose name Esay propheciyng of Christe maketh mencion saying A rod shall cum out of the roote of Iesse Of hym was borne Dauid derely beloued of God bothe kynge and Prophete buylder of the citie of Hierusalem noble through the slaughter of Goliad and after that the wicked kyng Saul was deposed by the coÌ„maundemente of God from a pore shepeherd he was consecrate kyng ouer the Israelites Oute of whose stocke the whole nacion of the Hebrues did loke that Christe shoulde cum as it was prophecied before of men that wer inspired with God And he also did represente by many wayes the fygure of Christe his ofspring Dauid begat Salomon that king of
haste thou to do with vs Iesus Arte thou cumme to destroye vs For so many as the spirite of this world possesseth thinke themselues vtterly forlorne whensoeuer they are constrayned to forsake those thinges wherein they haue sette theyr false felicitie Wherfore theyr myndes are sore troubled and as you would saye tugged and haled into sondrie pieces whylest on the one syde feare of eternall damnacion moueth them to vertue and goodnes on the other syde the venimous◠swetnes of such vices as thei haue of long time accustomed vnto holdeth them fast and withdraweth them from theyr godly purpose But yet no manner of deuill taketh so faste holde but he wyll at the commaundement of Iesu flye awaye It is a muche greater myracle to make of an ambicious man a temperate of a fyerce felowe a pacient of the lecherous persone a chast liuer of the extorcioner or one that liueth by pollyng and pyllyng a lyberall man than to delyuer a mannes body from a wycked spirite But yet men wonder more at this then at the other not because it is more wonderfull and meruailous in dede but for that it is seene with bodely iyes Therfore when he had thus chased awaye the vncleane spirite by commaundement onely then the Iewes greatly wondered at it insomuche that they demaūded one of another saying What new thing is this we haue not read that euer the Prophetes dyd the lyke castyng out deuyls by bare worde of mouth onely Or what new kynde of doctrine is this that hath so great vertue and power folowing it He preacheth the kyngdome of god and putteth furthe Gods power in that he treadeth vnder foote and subdueth the power of the deuill Neyther is it by sorcery or inchauntment or by makyng of long prayers vnto god nor yet by any other laborious meane that he thus putteth to flyght the wycked fendes But he commaundeth them with worde onely as theyr lorde and conquerour and they incontinēt whether they wyll or no obey hym Of this wonderful facte a great fame of Iesu was spred abrode throughout all the countrey of Galile And because it shoulde appeare that in him is the well spring of godly power whiche can neuer be consumed one miracle dyd streyght wayes succede and folowe another ¶ And furthwith when they were cumme out of the synagoge they entred into the house of Symon and Andrew with Iames and Iohn But Symōs mother in lawe laye sicke of a feuer and anon they tell hym of her and he came and toke her by the hande and lyfte her vp and immediatlye the feuer forsake her and she ministred vnto them And at euen when the Sunne was downe they brought vnto hym all that were diseased and them that were vexed with diuels and all the citie was gathered together at the doore and he healed many that were sicke of diuerse diseases and cast out many deuils and suffered not the deuils to speake because they knewe hym For anon as they were departed out of the synagoge they came into the house of Symō and Andrew whither also Iames and Iohn folowed Now Symons mother in lawe as it thē fortuned laye sycke was sore vexed with an ague Assone as Iesus was by them aduertised therof he went to the bedside toke the woman by the hande lyfted her vp forthwith the feuer forsoke her euē as she was sodainly so was she perfectly made whole For she was sodaynly made as lusty and strong as she was before insomuche that she did her accustomed office in the house ministring vnto Iesu and his disciples He lyeth sycke of a perilous disease whose mynde burneth with the loue of carnall pleasures who by reason of superfluitie and excesse leadeth an ydle and a sluggishe lyfe It is a woman that lyeth sycke And at the beginning the fyrst woman deceiued with the pleasaunt alurement of an apple began to be sycke of this ague Our fleshe that alwayes lusteth agaynste the spirit is our Eue. But happy are they whome Iesus with the touche of his moste holye spirite lifteth vp to the loue of heauenly thynges that he whiche before tyme serued ydlenesse riotous liuing and vncleannes maye sodeynly recouer his olde strength and lustynes and being made a newe manne hereafter becum the seruaunt of clennes chastitie sobernes For these are the meates whiche Christe is refreshed and delyghted withall Now ymagine that the house of Symon sygnifieth the churche of Christ in the whiche it is not conuenient that there be anye feble and weake in spirite but suche as are full of euangelyke strength and lustines And yet many tymes Peters mother in lawe that is to saye the synagoge lyeth sicke in the same For he is a membre of the synagoge vnto whose corrupte tasting the vnsauery and weryshe letter yet sauoreth who tasteth well the water of the Pharisaicall vnderstanding and can in no wyse tast the wyne of the spirite and true meaning of the ghospell They that were in the house with the Lorde Iesu desyred him to lyfte vp the woman that laye sycke in her bedde In semblable wise let vs all who are mēbres of the churche desyre his mercyfull goodnes with most humble praiers that he wyll vouchesafe to put out his holy ryght hand and therwith to lifte vp also those timerous persons whiche clening only to the letter of scripture and wholy geuen to the supersticious obseruacion of ceremonyes dooe of a certaine vnright iudgement greatly desyre those thynges that are hurtfull noysome and contrarily hate and abhorre suche thinges as are onely to be desyred to lyfte them vp I saye to the fredome of the ghospell whiche serueth not for this purpose that we should with more libertie committe sinne at pleasure but to the intent we should gladly and with right good will dooe the workes of Euangelike or christian charitie and cherishe Iesus in his membres The Lorde is alwayes ready to heale the soule yf he be desyred and called vpon He loueth those that call vpō hym call they neuer so importunatly and out of season It was nowe late in the euening and the sunne was set so that it might be thought a great point of importunitee to cal vpon the physycian at that time But the great desyre of healthe had the vpper hande of shame They brought vnto him a very great numbre of suche as wer diseased with all kyndes of infirmities and among them also some whiche were vexed with vncleane spirites The whole citie of Capernaum came thicke and threfolde to the gate of the house to see this syght Iesus without excuse healed very many of them of sundry diseases and cast out many deuils He was a quicke and a readye physycian who with worde cured diseases Moreouer he put to silence the deuils who cryed with a loude voyce that he was Christ vtterly despysyng the testimonie of his enemyes and of them with whome he woulde that his shoulde in no wyse haue to do He suffered the
c. We speake as we doe knowe c. No manne asceÌ„deth vp to heauen As Moses lyfted vp the serpent He gaue his one â–ª ye begotten sonne He that beleueth on him is not condemned Because he hath not beleued Men loued darkenes more then lyght Because theyr woorkes were euill For euerye man yâ— euill doth hateth the light He taried with them and baptised and Iohn also baptised c. There was muche water c. And there arose a question c. And they came vnto Iohn All men come to him A man can receyue nothiÌ„g excepte it be c. Ye your selues are witnesses c. I am not Christ but am sent before hym He that hathe the bryde is the brydegrome What he hath seen heard that he testifieth The father loueth the sonne c. He that beleueth not the sonne shall not see lyfe For it was so that he must nedes go thorowe Samaria Than he came to a citie c. And it was about the sixt houre His disciples were goen awaie vnto the toun to bye meate â–ª The womaÌ„ saieth vnto hym c. Sir I perceyue that thou art a prophete our father 's wurshipped in this mouÌ„tayne And ye saye that in Ierusalem is the place where men oughte to wurship Ye wurship ye wâ—â— noâ— what we know what we wurshippe c. I knowe yâ— Messias shall come â–ª whiche is called Christe Iesus sayeth vnto her I that speake vnto the am he I haue meate to eate that ye know not c. Iesus saith vnto them my meate is to do the will of hym that hathe sent me Say not ye there are yet .iiii. monethes end than cummeth haruest And herein is the saying true that one soweth and an other reapeth And he abode there ii dayes The ruler sayeth vnto hym Iesus sayeth vnto hym goe thy waye thy sonne lyueth Then he enquired of them the houre whaÌ„ he began to amende So the father knewe c. And he beleued and al his houâ—holde This is the seconde miracle And there is at IerusaleÌ„ by the slaughter house apoole c. Whan Iesus sawe him lye c. He sayed vnto hym wylte thou bee made whole Sir I haue no man c. And thesame daye was the Sabboth c. Tha asked they hym what man is that c. The man departed tolde the Iewes that it was Iesus Because he doeth these thynges on the sabboth daye Therefore the Iewes soughte the more to kill hym The sonne can doe nothyng of himselfe c For the father loueth the soÌ„ne c Neyther iudgeth the father any man He that honoureth not the sonne c. The time shall come and nowe it is c. For as the father hath life in hymselfe c. Maruailâ— not at this c. I can of mine owne selfe do nothyng yf I should beaâ—e wytnesse of my selfe But I receyue not the recorde of man c. He was a burnyng a shynyng light But I haue greater witnes theÌ„ the witnesse of Iohn for the workes whiche my father hath geuen me to finishe c. Ye haue not hearde his voyce at anye tyme nor seen his shape Ye haue not the loue of god WheÌ„ce shal we by bread that these maye eate Iesê° saieth make the people sitte downe And Iesus toke the bread Labour not for the meate which perisheth This is the worke of God that ye beleue what signe shewest yâ— then I am the bread of life For I am cum downe from heaueÌ„ This is the wil of him that seÌ„t me And they shall bee al taughte of God I am the liuing bread Excepte ye eat the flesh of the sonne of manne This is the bread whiche came down from heauen c. What and yf ye shall see the soÌ„ne of man c. Will ye also go away c. Thou hast the woordes of eternal life c. We are sure that thou arte Christ. c. His brethren therfore sayed vnto hym There is no man that doeth any thyng in secrete c. For his brethreÌ„ beleued not in hym My time is not yet cum c. The worlde cannot hate you I will not go vp to this feast c Howbeit no maÌ„ spake â—penly of hym c. For feare of the Iewes How knoweth be the scripture If any man will be obedient vnto his will He that speaketh of himselfe seketh his owne praise The people aunswered and said thou hast a deuill Who goeth about to kil thee And ye on the Sabboth day circumcise a man Iudge noâ— after the vtter apperance c. Then cried Iesus in the temple c. And I am not cum of myselfe but he that sent me is true And him ye knowe not Ye shall seke me and shall not finde me c. Than sayd the Iewes among themselues whither wil he goe c. If any man thirst let him cumme vnto me and drinke Doeth any of the rulers or of the Phariseis beleue on hym Searche loke for out of Galile a riseth no prophete And the Scribes and Phariseis brought vnto hym a woman taken in aduoutrie Let hiÌ„ that is among you without sinne cast the firste stone at her He said vnto her woman where are thyne accusers Go synne no more I am the light of the world c Thou bearest recorde of thy selfe But ye can not tell whence I am I iudge no man and yf I iudge my iudgemente is true If ye beleue not that I am he ye shall dye in your sinnes Thei vnderstoode not that he spake of his father If ye coÌ„tinue in my woorde c. And the truâ—th shall make you free Whosoeuer committeth sinne c. But if theâ—â— sonne make you free c I speake that whiche I haue seeÌ„ c. Yf ye were Abrahams children c. If god wee your father He that is of god heereth Gods wordes I seke not myne owne prayse c. What makest thou thy selfe It is my father which honoureth me c. Than toke they vp stones to caste 〈◊〉 hym He sawe a man which was blind I am the lyght of the worlde Is this your sonne c. Geue God prayse We are Moses disciples I am come iniudgemeÌ„t c. If ye were blynde ye should haue no sinne I am the good shepehearde I geue my life for the shepe c. I put my life froÌ„ me that I might take it againe Yf thou bee Christ tel vs playnly My father c. is greater than al. c. Lazarus is dead and I am glad for your sakes c. Iesus wept Excepte the wheat corne faâ—l into the ground and dye Lord doest thou washe my feete If I washe yâ— not thou hast no part with me For I haue geueÌ„ you an example Now I tel you before it come One of you shall betray me That he shoulde geue some what to the poore A new commauÌ„dement geue I vnto you that ye loue together Before the cocke crow c. In my