the lordes ouer suche as be vnder their obeysaunce and subieccion And they whiche are great men among the heathen do exercise their power and authoritie ouer them that they haue rule and gouernauÌ„ce of Beware there be no suche thyng among you Here a desyre to helpe the neyghbour maketh a man greater and not the desyre of worldly prefermeÌ„t Therfore as I haue also taught you before tyme whoso desyreth to bee great in very dede among you let the same be your minister let him I say not exalte himselfe to beare rule but humble himselfe to do all men good And whosoeuer will be chiefe among you let the same be the seruaunt of all the rest let him not chalenge any soueraignitie or preeminence but serue to th ende he may do all men good not sekyng hereby his own honour but referring all the whole prayse and glory vnto God whom he serueth in his meÌ„bres Let it not greue you to counterfaite the ensample whiche you see plainly expressed in me For the sonne of man came into the world not to rule nor to lay the yoke of bondage vpoÌ„ other mens neckes but to be a minister for euery mans saluacion and not onely to serue for all mens wealth coÌ„moditie but also to geue and bestowe himselfe for the enfranchisyng of boÌ„dmen to this ende that by the death and losse of one a great many shoulde be saued Of a truthe this is the very Euangelyke and chrystian soueraigntye whiche whoso will desyre let hym desyre it as I doe and loke for a rewarde not suche a one as he appoynteth vnto himselfe but suche as it shall please the father to geue hym lyke as I without condicion obey my fathers commaundementes euen to the crosse wholy referryng the rewarde of myne obedience vnto his wyll and godly arbitrement It shal be a great shame for you to desyre dignitie as you see worldly prynces doe and to seke for a rewarde of the father of heauen Eyther desyre you the kyngdome of heauen and loke after an heauenly rewarde or els if you desyre this worldly kyngdome then require ye not the rewarde of the kyngdome of heauen With suche lessons and monicions they were before hande instructed and taught who went with Christ to Ierusalem For the cleuer that euery man is from all affeccions the better appointed is he to go to the battayle of the crosse ¶ And they came to Hierico And as he went out of the citie of Hierico with his disciples and a great numbre of people blynd Bartymeus the sonne of Timeus sat by the hye waie syde beggyng And when he hearde that it was Iesus of Nazareth he began â—o crie and saye Iesus thou sonne of Dauid haue mercy on me And many rebuked him that he should hold his peare But he cryed the more a great deale thou sonne of Dauid haue mercy on me And Iesus stode styll and commaunded hym to be called And they called the blynd saying vnto hym Be of good comforte ryse he calleth the. And be threwe awaye his cloke and rose came to Iesus And Iesus answered and saide vnto him what wilte thou that I doe vnto the The blynd sayde vnto hym mayster that I might see Iesus sayde vnto hym goe thy waye thy faythe hath saued the and immediatly he receyued hys syght and folowed Iesus in the waye Nowe were they cum to the Citie of Hierico whiche is not farre from Ierusalem Hierico in the Syrian tong signifieth the Mone By the Mone is figured this present life whiche is nothyng els but the common course of the worlde where some be borne and some dye some be sycke and some be whole some growe towarde mans state and some draw in age sometymes chaunceth glad thynges and sometymes heauy For our cause Iesus came downe from that heauenly tranquilitie yet wyll he not tarry here but hasteth to Ierusalem being very desyrous of mannes saluacion And hitherto his disciples and with them a great multitude of people folowed him Marke well howe Iesus is euery where as he is called Eyther he teacheth or healeth or els restoreth to lyfe agayne What his deathe shoulde cause through the beliefe of the ghospell that was preached he shewed nowe plainly by a corporall fygure Mankynde was blinde through ignorauÌ„ce of the trueth poore and beggerly for lacke of all vertues Unlesse Iesus had passed by vs there had bene no hope of lyght For a certaine blynde begger well knowen of the people called Bartymeus the sonne of one Timeus sate by the hyghe wayes syde who when he perceyued hym to cum began to crye and saye Iesu the sonne of Dauid haue mercy vpon me Fyrst the bruite or preaching of the Ghospell sheweth vs that Iesus passeth by then the great confidence whiche we straightwaies conceiue of hym will not suffre vs to holde our peace when he goeth by For the synner knowledging and confessyng his wretched lyuing cryeth vpon the mercyfull sauiour and desyreth hym to take mercy and compassion vpon hym He is at the nexte dore to lyght whoso knowleageth his owne great blyndnes To saye Lorde haue mercy vpon me is not a saying of the Phariseis who thought themselues to be men of a perfite syght but an euaÌ„gelike and a christian saying Neither vse the Phariseis to saye O thou sonne of Dauid For they say is not this the carpenters sonne That blynd man sawe a great-deale more in the darke then the Iewes do at this present day whiche boast bragge vpon the knowledge of the lawe professe themselues to be guydes of the blynde But the multitude of people is an impediment and hynderaunce to the sely wretche thus crying and calling for mercy For what other thyng can they do but disturbe and trouble His conscience also cryeth out against hym not with one voyce but with as many as are the offences that he knoweth hymselfe giltie of saying what hast thou to doe with Iesus whiche art defyled with so many synnes The lawe cryeth and barketh against hym saying thou cryest in vaine God is iust loke after punishement for thyne offences The rulers of the Synagoge crye out againste hym commaundyng that no man preache no nor be so hardy as once to name this name Iesu saying there is no healthe and saluation in Iesu but in Moyses To be shorte the same thyng doe the Philosophers and heathen princes But that a man may knowe a very euangelike and christen faithe in this blynde man he gaue not ouer when the people thus cried against hym insomuche that being rebuked and commaunded to holde his peace he cryed louder then he did before saying Thou sonne of Dauid haue mercy vpon me The people were offended with his crying Iesus alone was nothing offended herewith but stode styll and commaunded hym to be called vnto hym He hearde hym crye as he passed by but he made as though he had not heard hym This came not of any daungerousnes on Iesus behalfe but was
whiche the ghospell teacheth then whiche the Paradoxes that is to saie the straunge opinions of the philosophiers dooe teache And the sayd philosophiers doctryne not one of the princes did euer make anye a dooe to destroye or suppresse and yet of it owne accorde it vanyshed awaye lyke as did also theyr lawes and the arte magicall and the rites of sacryfices For what creature dooeth at this daye sacrifyce vnto the Gods of the Heathen or slaygheth beastes in sacrifice as the Iewes did What persone dooeth now knowe of Zoroastes What man setteth an heare by the misticall riddels of Pythagoras Who readeth the lyfe of Apollonius Tyaneus any otherwyse then as a certayne dreame Yea or rather who vouchesalueth to reade it at al For where Aristotell is at these dayes of greate name and fame in the scholes leat hym neuer thanke his owne fâ—cte therefore but the Christians For euen he had perished too yf there had not been made a medley of Christe and hym together in our schooles of diuinitie Against the philosophie Euangelical beeyng yet but tendre and euen but newly spryngyng vp the worlde arose at the first chop with all his force and power by meane of the Iewes vnder the pretexte and coulour of religion fightyng agaynst the fountaine of all religion by meane of the philosophiers beeyng hable muche to doe in all kyndes of â—earnyng by meane of the Sophisters beyng felowes vnpossible to bee ouercoÌ„med in stiffenesse of holdyng argumentacions by meane of the rhetoricians beyng meruaylous in the force of eloquence by the tyrannes beeyng armed with all sortes of shewyng crueltie by meane of kynges lieutenauntes magistrates by suche as were cunnynng in magike and sorcerie and perfecte in the sleyght of castyng mystes ouer mennes iyes and other senses and by meane of eiuyll spirites beeyng the lordes of this worlde All suche tumultuous buisynesse as these as a sea of eiuils swellyng vp and ouerflowyng dydde the power of the trueth Euangelicall receiue endure breake throughe and vtterly ouercome For at the lighte of the ghospell whan it came it was reason that all counterfaictes of worldly power should clene vanishe a waye Up shot that same ghospell and shewed it selfe beeyng plaine and lowe whiche all men wâ—â— great a doe endeuoured to ouertrede and kepe downe The bokes of suche persones as with singular high witte with woondrefull learnyng and with exquisite eloquence wrote agaynst the ghospel vanished awaye of theyr owne accorde as it had been certayne dreames insomuche that they are not at this day remaynyng to bee had neyther excepte if any fragmentes or small pieces haue been saued of the Christians by reason of wrytyng agaynst them in confuting them The kynges and princes dooe nowe bough downe to honoure the thyng which to fore they weÌ„t about to destroie the power of magike is vanished awai and gone the euill spirites are cast out that they howle and rore agayn philosophie hath confessed her ignoraunce and geuyng ouer the foolishe wisedome of the world it hath enbraced the wysedome of the crosse the rethoricians write oracions in the prayse of Iesus Christ the poetes do hisse the olde goddes out of place and in the lieu and place of Goddes innumerable all their song and composyng is nowe of Iesus Christe alone Thissame so great a chaunge of the world begoonne within a fewe yeares after Christ was putte to death to be made generall and common through al the whole worlde and withoute any maintenaunce or supportacion of maÌ„ it encreaced from tyme to tyme still more and more vntyll the piece of leauen beeyng miengled in three peâ—kes of meale did â–ª â—auen and turne al the whole batche and vntill the graine of mustard seed beeyng digged into the yearth did ferre and wyde spleygh his boughes abrode ouer Asia ouer Afrike and Europe And ouer and besydes all this those persones who layed theyr battrey agaynst the trueth Euangelical to cast it â—owne and to destroye it not onely had diuerse and sondry kyndes of terroures wherwith euen very manly stomakes also might haue been quayled that is to weâ—e open coÌ„maundementes by proclamacion consistories places of iudgemente forfaityng of al theyr goodes to the princes attaindres and depriuacions banishementes priesons tormentes of burnyng plates scourgyng with â—oddis axes wherwith to choppe of theyr heades ieobettes fiers to burne them wylde beastes to cast them to that thei might be deuoured deathes but also they had diuerse and soondrye allurementes wherewith an herte though it wer right coÌ„tinent might bee corrupted Ceasar would saye to some one of them Rencague thou and forsake Christ and be thou the chiefe emong all my piers and except thou so do all thy gooddes shall be forfayte to my behoufe I wyll shewe all extremitie of rigour towarde thy wyfe and children and thyselfe for thyne own part shalt bee cast to wylde beastes in a denne Who did in suche cases as these perswade so many thousandes and bryng them in mynde with reioycyng to take it whan theyr promocions and dignities were taken from them whan theyr gooddes were spoyled that whan they sawe those parties haled with all violence to huige tormentes and execucion of death who nexte after God were moste derely beloued vnto them they should geue thankes to God and finally that themselues whan they might easly haue escaped and whan they might haue enioyed suche high commodities should of theyr owne voluntary wylles offâ—e themselues to bee cruelly martyred No power of humayne eloquence could this haue dooen but the godlye power of the trueth was hable whiche laye hidden in the graine of mustardsede Neither did the philosophiers doctrine lacke alluremente The Stoykes promised libertie and fredome true rychesse health reigne other thynges magnificent and royall to be spoken The Epicureans made highe woordes and promises of pleasure to the cares of men The Peripatetikes dyd couple the good giftes of the bodye with vertue But the doctrine of the ghospell as it did not drawe any body vnto it with any worldly terrours so on the contrary parte how feâ—re was it from hauyng any thyng commendable in outwarde shewe to see to naye rather howe many thynges did it conteine vttrely vncredible It telleth newes of one Iesus nailled on the crosse who had by his death deliuered mankynde and this Iesus to be bothe god and man borne of a virgin and one that had returned agayne from death to life and was nowe sitting at the right hande of God the father and thesame Iesus to had been a man that had taught suche persones to bee in blissed case as for the profession of his name did mourne and warle did suffre thirst or hungre were put to affliccion wer euill spoken of or were putte to death and that all men shall in time to come arise to life agayn and that the godly sorte at that daye thesame veray Iesus beeyng their iudge shall haue immortalitie to their lotte the wicked shall haue the peines of hell for euer without
thyng called you foorth into wildernes was it trowe ye to see a prophet In dede he opēly cōfessed that he was not the Messias yet this one thing do I affirme vnto you if ye ranne forth into wildernes for that cause to see a prophete ye are not frustrate ne deceiued of the thyng ye loked for Ye haue in very true dede seen a prophet yea and more then a prophet too For this same is very he of whom Esaye long many a day gonne dyd prophecie that he shoulde bee the foregoer of Messias Beholde saieth he I sende my messenger before thy face whiche shall prepare thy way before thee For the prophetes did by derke mysticall sayinges foreshew certain thinges long after to cum but this Iohn did with his fynger point to Messias and shewe him whan he came Therefore they that thinke highly of Iohn dooe thinke rightly and well For thus muche I affirme vnto you all Emong al the men that are now in this tyme or afore tymes hitherto haue been borne of women there hath not any prophet arisen greatter or more excellent then Iohn Neuerthelesse he that is lesse in the kingdome of god is greatter then he And all the people and Publicans that hard him iustified god and were baptised with the baptisme of Ihō But the Phariseis and lawiers despised the counsail of god against thēselfes were not baptised of him and the lord sayd Wherunto shal I lyken the men of this generacion and what thyng are they like They are lyke vnto children sittyng in the mercate place and criyng one to an other and saiyng We haue pyped vnto you and ye haue not daunced we haue mourned vnto you and ye haue not wept For Iohn Baptist came neyther eatyng bread nor drynkyng wine and ye say He hath the deuil The sonne of man is cum and eateth and drinketh and ye say behold a gluttonous man and an vnmeasurable drinker of wine a frende of Publicās and sinners And wisdome is iustified of all her children It is great and great enough that I dooe nowe witnesse of hym But the thyng that sum assygne vnto him he wyll not hymselfe acknowlage ne take as due vnto hym For there is one greatter then he in vertue to dooe thynges and also in dignitie who neuertheles after the opinion and acceptacion of the people is inferiour to him in the kyngdom of heauē The strayght liuyng of him and his goyng into deserte oute of all coumpanye they dooe highly esteme and the familiaritie of this other do they contemne The dignitie of Iohn they haue in reuerēce at the glory of this other they haue enuy The doctrine of hym they did enbrace the doctrine of this other they slaūdre depraue He preached baptisme vnto repentaūce for he affirmed the kingdōe of heauen to approche and to the voice of hym herkened euery body as wel the ignoraūt and inferiour people as also Publicanes souldiers harlotes making haste to the baptisme that Iohn ministred vnto thē confessing theimselfes to be synners and beyng desirous and fain to be washed from their sīnes And so did they glorifie the righteousnesse of god acknowlagyng theyr owne vnrighteousnesse forasmuche as no creature is clene from great sinne sauyng onely God and enbracyng the goodnes of God who hath made promisse that he will freely forgeue al the offences and transgressions of the former lyfe vnto all persones that with syncere trust and affiaūce wil take their refuge vnto him And cōtrariwise the Pharises the Scribes the lawiers while they reken shame to acknowlage their owne iniquitie they haue rather willed to make God a lier thē to enbrace the trueth therfore thought they skorne to bee baptised of Iohn vnto their cōfusion and castyng away despysyng the mercifull counsaill of God who hath appoynted and determined to abolishe the sinnes of all mortall people by this moste easy and ientle waye For what is a more easy thyng then to confesse and so to be diep◠in water not for that innocencie was or might be geuen by Iohn but for that the baptisme and preachyng of Iohn did make a preparatife to the same innocencie to the end that the more noumbre of persones might be brought to saluacion through the preachyng of him to whom Iohn was as a forerenner and messenger in case he should finde their hertes and myndes already prepared to receiue it There was nothyng of all the premisses vnaduisedly doē or wtout a good grounde but the prouidence of god disposed all thynges to the health and saluacion of mankynde And the poore commoners the people of moste lowest sorte and synners who semed to be ferthest out of the way frō true godlynesse and very farre short of the knowlage of the lawe suche men embraced the beneficial and mercifull goodnes of god And contraryewyse they whom it behoued moste of all to vnderstand that these thynges wer promysed by the holy saiynges of the prophetes and who also seemed to be the very pillours of al deuout holines haue vtterly refused the bounteous goodnes of God beyng offred vnto them and haue felt no maner compunccion to repentaunce or amendment neither at Iohns preachyng nor yet at mine And Iesus laiyng this obstinate malice plain in their face brought in a similitude of this sorte in his communicacion What shall I than say of the people of this peruerse generacion or to what thyng shall I say them to be like They may bee lykened vnto boyes whom we see sitting together in the open strete which boies aunswering one another in their plaiyng vse thus to saye we haue plased you mery songes vpon our pypes and yet haue ye been therby nothing moued to daūce we haue played you mourning songes and yet haue ye not wept Thissame prouerbe beeyng taken of the common guise of children in the strete did the Lord Iesus apply and compare vnto the obstinate Iewes who neyther with the streight liuing of Iohn were moued to any feare of gods vēgeaūce nor yet with the courteous familiaritie and beneficial doinges of Christ wer any thing stirred vnto the loue of him For there came Iohn saieth Iesus with singular streightnes of liuyng bothe preachyng repentaunce and also geuing an exaumple of repentaūce neither eating any breade ne drinkyng any wine but liuing in wildernesse clothed in a pilche of a Camels hyde girte with a gyrdle of lether But for all these thynges so ferre wer ye from all repentaunce that the thyng which was doen for to emende you ye turned into surmised slaundres and querels saying He lacketh common reason he hath a deiuil in hym The sonne of man is come seking by the contrary waye to bring you to saluacion that is to wete as a man familiar and readie to mete or speake with all persones that woulde makyng no shew of any new streightnesse of lyuyng nor manacyng or threatenyng any punishement but alluryng all persones with benefites vnto the loue of hym eatyng and
But all those came of Goddes liberalitie and not of his owne nature that was geuen hym at the firste yet he was chosen and sente of God for this purpose that accordyng to the prophecie that was prophecied of hym before he myght beare witnes of that godly lyght whiche being couered with his manhed was conuersaunt in the worlde not as who say that he whiche was God and so declared before by the voice of the father shoulde nede mannes witnes but to thintent he might by all manier of meanes cause hymselfe to bee had in credit with the people he woulde that Iohn shoulde bee the goer before the lyghte as the day sterre appearing before sheweth the rysyng of the sunne to the woorlde And also that by his preachyng he shoulde prepare mennes mindes to receyue that lyght whiche shoulde immediatly come after And because synne is the lâ—t wherby the heauenly lyght is not admitted and receyued Iohn dyd allure and call all people to penaunce proclaming openly that the kyngdome of heauen was at hande for the firste degree or step to the lyghte is that men shoulde hate their owne darkenes And this Iohn was of so great auctoritie emonge the Iewes for the excellente holines of his liuinge that many toke him for Christe himselfe whereby Christ would the rather bee coÌ„mended to the Iewes by his witnes as that time required to thintente that litle by litle as men do commonly vse he might crepe into the mindes of the people for otherwise the meaner person is alwaye wount to bee commended by the witnes of the greater And Esay had promised that at Christes cuâ—ming there shoulde a certaine excellente lighte arise and springe vp to theym whiche did liue in darkenes and in the shadowe of deathe and for that cause before that Christe was notable by his miracles many suspected Iohn to haue been the light whiche was promised of the Prophete But Iohn was onelye the publisher before of the true lighte and not the light it selfe Therefore Christe as the oportunitie of that time serued did as ye woulde saye abuse both the errour of the Iewes and the auctoritie of Iohn to prepare the mindes of all men to the faithe of the gospell Truely Iohn was a certaine light that is to saye a burninge candle and geuinge lighte feruently burninge in godlines and geuing light by holynes of life neuertheles he was nor the lighte whiche should bring life to the whole worlde but the woord of God whereof wee doe speake at this presente was that true light euer proceding from God the father the fountaine of all light from whence what soeuer is lightsome in heauen and earth boroweth his lighte what sparke of witte what knowlage of trueth what light of faith soeuer there be either emong men or Angels all the same cummeth from this fountaine ¶ That lyght was the true light which lighteth euery man that cummeth into the world As this worlde is blind without the sunne so all thinges are darke without this light The worlde also was full of darkenes on euery syde because sinne and abhominable errours did reigne in euery place And in the tyme of this darkenes there did often tymes shine foorth men excellent in holynes of lyfe as a lytell sterre in the moste darkest nightes and gaue some lyght as it were thorow a cloud howbeit they dyd it but to the Iewes only or to the borderers of Iewry but this true light geueth lyght not onely to one nacion but to all men that come into the darkenes of this worlde The Iewes went about to challenge this lyght seuerally to themselues because they thought it to be promised to theim onely for asmuche as touchyng the fleshe it dyd spring of theim and emonge theim but that light came to geue lyght to the hertes of all nacions of the whole world thorow the faith of the gospel Neither Scithian Iewe Spaniard Gothian Englisheman kynges nor bondmen be excluded from this lyght The lyght came to geue light to al men asmuche as lay in it but if any continue in their darkenes the faute is not in the lyght but in hym that frowardely loueth darkenes and abhorreth the lyght For the lyght shineth to al meÌ„ because none might pretend any excuse when willingly wittingly he perisheth thorow his owne faute As if a man shoulde get a knocke at noone daies because he woulde not lyfte vp his iyes ¶ He was in the world and the world was made by hym and the world 〈◊〉 hym not This woord of God was alwaies in the worlde not as who say that he whiche is without measure can bee contayned in any circuite of place but he was so in the world as the deuise of the workeman is in his woorke and as the ruler is in that thing he ruleth Also at that tyme this lyght dyd shine in the worlde sumwhat opening the godly power wisedom and goodnes therof by these thinges which were wunderfully creat by it and by this meanes it did then after a sorte speake to mankinde But many putting their felicitie in the visible thinges of this worlde whome for that cause of good righte our lorde Iesus did accustome to cal by the name of the worlde when he taughte them eternall thinges they beinge blinded with earthly affeccions did not acknowleage their maker The darkenes of mindes was so greate that the worlde knewe not the maker thereof but did wurship serpentes oxen goates lekes oynions yea that whiche is more vile then all these stockes stones dispising him of whome they had receiued both that themselfes were and all that they had ¶ He came emong his owne and his owne receiued him not They being accustomed to darkenes did abhorre the light and being blinded with sinne did enbrace deathe in stede of life yea and whan he did shewe himselfe more familiarly to the worlde being conuersaunt liuing in his manhed emonges men he was not knowen of them whiche had dedicate themselfes wholy to this worlde Neither is it any meruail though the gentiles beeynge woorshippers of ydols measuring all thinges by the commodities of this life being also ignorant of the prophetes and the lawe did not acknowleage him whiles he liued here in the shape of a man This is more to be meruayled at â–ª that when he came specially to his owne people to whome Messias had ben promised by so many prophecies of the prophetes to whom he had bene shadowed with so many figures of whom he had ben loked for so many hundreth yeares before which saw him do miracles heard his teaching yet they wer so far from receiuing of him that with fierce mindes they wente about his destruccion whiche came specially to saue them And procured that innocentes death who frely brought life to his enemies They sawe did not see heard and did not heare hauing intelligence did not vnderstand whiche thorow a froward study of the lawe did rise against him whom the
firmely sticke thesame shoulde bee without feare of death Thomas sayeth he howe happeneth this that thou deniest the to knowe the waye vnlesse thou as yet percase knoweste me not at all For verely I am the way the trueth life I sayed euen nowe that I doe goe agayne to my father and onely do open for all tolke the way vnto hym and because he is come to by dedes fit and semyng for god ye haue the proufe of good life in me and also because no man without me cummeth to the father ye haue learned of me the trueth And yf the feare of death do in the meane tyme trouble youre myndes knowe well that ye bee sure of immortalitye forasmuche as I am lyfe dooe ye onelye folowe thyther as I goe beefore beeleue and kepe in minde that whiche I haue taughte you hope assuredly for the thyng which I promise If ye aske whither I goe I goe to my father yf ye desyre to knowe the waye whereby ye maye come thither I say to you no man cummeth to the father but by me â–ª wherefore you knowe bothe aswell whyther I dooe goe as what waÌ„ye the iourneye lyeth excepte paraduenture ye bee vtterlye ignoraunte who I am verely yf ye hadde knowen me ye hadde also knowen my father yea to say trueth ye haue already some waye knowen my father whome ye thynke to bee vnknowen vnto you nor ye haue not onelye knowen hym by the determinacion of the lawe but ye haue also seen hym doubtlesse Our Lord Iesus dyd with this obscure saiyng sumdeale aduertise his disciples that hys father of trueth was inuisible and not onely inuisible to the bodilye iyes but also that the mynde of it owne propre nature coulde not see and perceiue what he is yet notwithstanding but that he had beene seene after a sorte in his sonne as whyle they see hym in his soonne rewlyng the wyndes and the sea forcyng deuils to obeye putting awaie with a woorde sickenesses and diseases were they neuer so incurable and with a woorde raysing the deade to life But the vnlearned Apostles didde not as yet vnderstande these hye misteries and yet for all that euen as though they had in very dede vnderstand that which the Lorde spake vnto them they euen leap and skip of greate affeccion to see the father Imaginyng that the father mighte bee seene in suche sorte as they sawe his sonne such was there simplicitie as yet albeit neyther sawe they the sonne throughly whiche beholde hym with bodily iyes alone ¶ Philip saieth vnto him lord shewe vs the father and it suffiseth vs. Iesus saieth vnto him haue I been so long time with you and yet hast thou not knowen me Philip he that hath sene me hath seen my father And howe saieste thou than shewe vs the father beleuest thou not that I am in the father and the father in me The wordes that I speake vnto you I speake not of my selfe but the father that dwelleth in me is he that dooeth the workes beleue me that I am in the father and the father in me Or els beleue me for the workes sake Philip therfore beyng more desirous to learne then the reste speaketh thus lorde ê™ he thou tellest vs that the father is seene of vs but woulde God thou wouldest graunte that it myghte bee lawfull for vs to see and looke vpon thy father then were oure desyres satisfyed and we woulde wishe no more nor desire ought els In deede we haue hearde muche speakyng of him we lacke onely the sight of hym Our lorde doth controull and correct Philips request that was so very rude and foolishe saiyng Philip haue I been so long tyme wyth the and yet thou knowest me not It is not the syght of my face that thou knowest me by but the ryght vnderstandyng of my power vertue and trueth maketh the to knowe me This my mighty trueth and true power is not seen with bodilye iyes but the minde and soule seeth it Therefore when as I am the verye Image of my father in all thynges lyke vnto hym and that by my deedes and woordes thou oughtest already to haue knowen me and verelye to haue knowen is to haue seen howe dareste thou bee so bolde with what countenaunce sayeste thou to me shewe vs the father as though he that hath seene me hath not seene my father I meane not that my father is none other than I but that betwene vs two is no vnlikenes or any thyng vncommon as touchyng the higher and our diuyne nature In case thou canste not vnderstande what I saye by naturall reason he seeth also I tel you that beleueth Thou hast heard me speake thou hast seen me do myracles â–ª and therein surely thou haste seen and heard of my father doest thou not yet beleue that by an inseparable copulacion of nature wil and power my father is in me and I in my father What thing soeuer I speake I speake it of his mynde what â— thyng soeuer I dooe I dooe it after his mynde I am therefore alwaye in hym by reason of suche a coniunccion of nature and wyll as cannot be vnioyned and disseuered and he alwaye in me speakyng by me and by me declaryng with miracles his power Neyther doe I speake any thing of my selfe whiche same thing he speaketh not by me neither dooe I any thing of my selfe whiche he by me ioyntelye doeth not worke howe therefore doest thou separate them that be inseparable and with seueral sight desireste to see them seuerally beleueste thou that the one being knowen the other can be vnknowen doth the reste of you also yet not beleue that al thynges cummeth of my father which are spoken and doen by me and that there is no separacion betwixt vs two It had behoued you to haue credited me so oft teachyng this thing and if ye mistrusted my woordes yet truely the diuine woorkes and deedes surmounting mannes power oughte to haue caused you to beleue that what thing soeuer procedeth froÌ„ me is of my father yf my father himselfe should speake vnto you he would speake none other thing than I doe or if he would worke by himself he would worke none other thing than I do worke we haue one minde one will one power and nature ¶ Uerely verely I saie vnto you he that beleueth on me the wâ—orke that I doe thesame shall he do also and greater workes then these shall he do because I goe vnto my father And whatsoeuer ye aske in my name that will I dooe that the father maie bee glorified by the sonne If ye shall aske any thing in my name I wil dooe it If ye loue me kepe my commaundementes And I wil pray the father and he shal geue you an other coumforter that he maye hide with you for euer euen the spirite of trueth whom the world cannot receiue because the world seeth him not neyther knoweth him but you knowe him for he dwelleth with you and shal be in
allege against the publishing of Goddes worde in the mother tongue and against the setting foorth of holesome and godly exposicions vpon the same is that suche bookes cause sedicion against the doctrine and than lay their facte to the doctrines charge This hath euermore hitherto ben the practise and conueighaunce not only of the Romish Pharisaical sorte but also of the auncient enemies of Goddes trueth euen from the beginning Neither haue this malicious generacyon euer as yet vsed any other way or coulour to deface the trueth to let the good proceding of Gods worde or to sliere and prouoke the indygnacyon of Princes and Magistrates agaynste the publishyng or agaynst the true preachers and teachers therof but onely by allegeyng that it wyll mooue sedicion and teache errour where in dede Goddes woorde is as ye would saye a perfeicte touchestone whereby to fynde out and to trye suche cancard stomakes as would fain rebelle moue sedicion and would gladly haue it so to bee For otherwyse a great wonder it were and a veraie straunge thing if the woord of God or this paraphrase or any other lyke godly exposicion of the ghospell whiche is in sense none other but the doctrine of Christ and of his Apostles should corrupt the readers or teache errour or moue sedicion God and his moste holy woorde is altogether peace vnitie concorde and perfecâ—e charitie Goddes woorde teacheth none other doctrine but peace humilitie subiection and so muche obedience to the Princes and Magistrates as the Romishe Babylonians would not by their good willes haue to be put in the heades and hertes of the ignoraunt people But this colour haue the enemies of Goddes woorde euermore vsed to suppresse the ghospell So did they by all the Martirs so haue they doen by the true preachers so did the olde Iewes by the auncient prophetes of God and so did the old Pharisees by Christ himselfe whose moste grieuous crymes were that he drew al the worlde after hym that he taught and sowed erroneous doctrine that he seduced the people and that he made hymselfe a kyng And the malicious Iewes layed to Paules charge that he begoonne to be a sedicious moouer of rebellion against Ceasar not that the thyng was so in dede but because thesame was a cockesure waie to make al obedient people hate the ghospell and to prouoke the rewâ—ers Magistrates to suppresse it But the lorde who of his mercifull goodnesse hath of late sent out the clere radiaunt sunnebeames of his holye woorde and veritie to shyne ouer all christen regions will I trust so continue the light of the same that the simple flocke shall bee hable to discerne the spirites of men liuely to know the vngodly maligners whiche by cauiling and deprauyng all good thinges dooe wrastie and strougle as muche as in them lieth to kepe the ignoraunte multitude in blidnesse In the meane time all the simple Englishe congregacion is bound continually to praye for your highnes that haue for theyr vse and behoufe procured the translacion of this present paraphrase vpon the ghospell of Mathew and vpon the residue of the newe testament wherby they may with a more coumfortable and pleasaunt readyng in theyr owne mother tounge bothe encreace from daye to daye in â—nowelage and also continually bee edified in true religion nouzeled in right opinions trayned in sincere doctrine and confirmed to walke in perferct innocencie and integritie of a true Christen lyfe accordyngly ¶ The preface of Erasmus vnto his paraphrase vpon the Gospell of the Euangelist Matthew To the moste victorious Emperour Charles the fift of that name Erasmus of Roterodame gretyng BEyng not ignoraunt Charles Emperour most victorious howe muche godly feare and reuerence also is of due congruence to be geuen partely vnto all holye scriptures whiche the holy fathers throughe the inspiracion of God haue left vnto vs and especially vnto that part of scripture whiche maketh an vpright and faythful relacion of suche thinges as the heauenly father eyther wrought in facte or spake in woordes for the health and saluacion of the whole world through his soone Iesus and being ferther priuie to myne owne vnwurthynes where not many yeares gone I first attempted to set hand to making a parahrase vpon Paules Epistles for the playner vnderstandyng of them which thing to doe came vpon me at that time of a sodain pangue euen of mine own mind I did no lesse then think myself to enterprise a veral bolde and presumpteous acte and an acte as the prouerbe sayeth of a right daungerous hazarde in so muche that after I had in one or twoo or three chapiters taken a prouf and assaye of the worke how well it woulde doe I was vttirly mynded to pulle downe my sayles againe and to surcease from the course that I had afore apointed to take vnlesse a wunderful consent of my frendes beyng men of lernyng had perforce constrayned me to procede with that I had begon Neyther coulde I for their most earnest desires â–ª be at any rest or quiet vntil I had fully ended and finished all that euer there was of the Epistles Apostolical whereas I had not taken in hand to medle but only with those epistles whiche without all controuersie or doubte were wryten of thapostle Paule It hath not at al tymes framed wel with me ne come to good ende when I haue ben ruled to doe thynges at the mocions instaunt pricking forward of frendes But yet in this thing neuerthelesse I was not a litle proude of my selfe that this my bolde auenturyng had come muche more happily to passe then was loked for as well for myne owne parte that was the maker to whome it purchased least enuie and grutche of men of al the wurkes that euer I wrote as also on the behalfe of all suche as are studentes and suters to atteigne to the philosophye of the gospell who doe euery man more then other geue me thaÌ„kes for that by meanes of myne industrious labour they haue to the better knowlage of thapostolicall wisedome eyther been moued and stirred vp or els furthered But whaÌ„ I had cleane dispatched myself of this great charge and taske I loked not that I shoulde at any tyme afterwarde haue any more to doe with this kynde of writing beholde the right reuerende father Mathew Cardinall of Sedune by whose aduise and instigacion I had afore made vp all thepistles canonical at what time I spake with him at Brurels to welcome hym into the countrey according to my duetie after his returne from the counsell whiche had than been holden at the citie of Wourmes eueÌ„ by and by at the first entring in talke with me euen lyke a man that had deuised vpon it afore begynneth to exhorte me that what I had afore doen vpon thapostolicall Epistles the same I shoulde also doe vpon the gospel of Mathew I on my partie anon made myne excuse by many thynges firste that it was alreadye an acte bolde and ouerbolde that I had
And blessed is he vnto whose mynde suche great successe of the ghospell geueth not occasion of yll Iesus spake this also notyng modestly the enuy of Iohn hys disciples but in suche wyse that they should not be putte to shame before the multitude but should knowe theyr faute secretely with themselues temperyng his answere by all meanes both that he myght auoyde suspicion of arrogancy and that the disciples myght beleue hym the better and also that he myght rather heale theyr affeccion than openly to reproue them And as they departed Iesus began to speake vnto the people concerning Iohn What went ye out into the wildernes to see a reede that is shaken with the winde go to what went ye out to see a man clothed in soft rayment beholde they that weare soft clothyng are in kinges houses But what went ye out to see a Prophete verely I say vnto you and more than a Prophete For this is be of whom it is written Beholde I sende my messenger before thy face who shall prepare thy waye before thee Uerely I say vnto you emong them that be borne of women arose not a greater than Iohn the baptist Yet he that is lesse in the kingdom of heauen is greater than he From the dayes of Iohn Baptist vntill this day the kingdom of heauen suffereth violence and the violent plucke it vnto theÌ„ For all the Prophetes and the lawe it selfe prophecied vnto Iohn And yf ye will receyue it this is Delâ—es whiche was for to come He that hath eares to heare let him heare Then when they were departed Iesus turnyng vnto the multitude leste they shoulde surmyse anythyng of Iohn otherwyse than were conuenyent supposyng that he demaunded these thynges as though he had been in doubt himselfe and not rather to heale the weakenes of his disciples he beganne to setfurth the prayses of Iohn very largely but yet in suche wyse that he woulde not geue hym the prayse of Messias but the nexte prayse onely and yet he woulde that Iohn his testimony concernyng hym shoulde be of weyght For it is expedient that the people shoulde haue a very good opinion of Iohn whiche had testified so notably of Iesus that he was the sonne of God that he was the lambe whiche shoulde take awaye the synnes of the worlde that it was he that shoulde baptise in fier and spirite For neither vanitie nor lying coulde be suspected in suche a manne as though he had falsely so praysed Christe before nor waueryng or inconstancye as though beeyng chaunged afterwarde he shoulde haue begonne to doubte of Christe Letter o man ê™ he suspecte Iohn of inconstancie For yf ye thynke hym suche a one that he wyll chaunge his minde after the maner of mutable men and doubte of that thyng whiche he before affirmed for what cause dyd ye lately flocke together in wildernes to gase and loke on To see a reede shaken with the windes For suche maner of manne should he be yf he would nowe swarue and dissente from hymselfe and should become much vnlike vnto himselfe But the continuall hardnes of his whole lyfe doth lightly deliuer him from this suspicion What I saye ranne ye together in to wildernes for to see A manne gayly appareled with silkes This was a sight nothyng mete for wildernes For they that be clothed with fine lynnen and silkes be in kynges palaces vnto whom doth agree excesse and riot and delicate liuyng And emong them inconstancye and flattery hath place He that liueth with locustes and wylde honye he that is clothed with Camels heare he that is gyrded with a letheren gyrdle is not thus suspected nor misdemed And the familiaritie of the kynges courte coulde not alter his ordre The pryson doeth declare and shewe that he coulde not flatter But it must nedes he some great spectaâ—le and sight whiche drewe you so thicke into the deserte Therfore what came ye to beholde Any Prophete for they be commonly wunte to leade theyr lyues in deserte Here truly ye be not frustrate of your hope For ye haue not seen onely a Prophete but a more excellent thing than a Prophete For it is he of whom Malachias once prophecied that he should come before Messias as beeyng nowe at hande that he should not onely by his oracle and tent saying promise him to come long after buâ— also poynte hym with his finger to be at hande Thus is the prophecie Lo sayeth he I sende my Aungell before thy face to prepare thy waye for thy cummyng at hande This I assure you so great is the excellencie of Iohn that none is greater than he emong them all that hath been borne of a woman Yet he whiche is at this present estemed lesse of many in preaching of the ghospell onely is greater than he for he promised not with doubtfull prophecies that Messias once should come but he shewed him appoynted him nowe cumming and preached that the kyngdome of heauen was nowe at hande Hitherto the heauenly doctryne was looked for whiche the figures of the Patryarkes whiche also the oracles of the Prophetes had darkely promised Nowe Iohn so excited and stirred the hartes of many to the desire of euangelicall doctryne that from the begynnyng of his preachyng vnto this daye they breake in vnto it through the violence of faythe both sinners and heathen people and wyll we nill we they plucke it and rauishe it violently They wyll no longer be excluded they wyll no longer be detayned in shadowes darke riddles of the olde lawe perceiuing that the light of the euangelicall trueth is at hand and that the thyng is nowe present whiche was shewed and signified in the former bokes perceyuyng also that none other prophecie ought to be loked for touchyng Messias that shoulde come For all fygures by the whiche the lawe poynted Messias to come and all prophecies of the Prophetes which promysed that Messias should come as soone as Ihon came left of to promyse the thyng to come For it is folishnes to loke for the thing that is presente as though it were to come There is no more to do but feruently and gredely to teache and take that which agreablyte the true sayinges of the Prophetes is nowe presently offered And to the intente that ye maye playnly see that hereafter there is none other Prophete which shall shewe you of Messias to come this is that Iohn whome Malachias vnder Helias name whome he folowed in austeritie and hardenes of lyuyng and apparell whome he folowed also in franke reprouing â—f kinges prophecied before should come before that Christe did come Wherfore yf ye receyue hym beleue ye that Messias so long loked for is nowe at hande ye haue seen his lyfe ye haue hearde his testimony ye heare also what I will saye vnto you Yf any haue eares to receyue the trueth let hym heare yf any wyll stop his eares let hym thanke hymselfe of his owne vndoyng There is nothyng omitted of vs that may
blynde Myne opinion is that battaile for the moste part springeth of vayne wordes or titles as it were inuented to nourishe maÌ„s pryde vayne glory as who saie there were not ambicion ynoughe in the worlde vnlesse we fed maintened this naughtie vice with newly inuented titles the whiche vice of it owne propre nature groweth to fast in vs. These and suche other lyke rootes and chief causes of battaile beyng once cut awaye then should it be easie to coÌ„clude and establishe a peace among christian princes with such lawes and condicions that woulde neuer suffre suche ruffling businesse and hurly burly to begyn agayne By this meanes should the princes encrease in richesse now beeing common bytwene them by reasâ—n of amitie and frendship and the christian people should lyue in louely peace and tranquilitie vnder their moste wealthye princes So would the lorde Iesus that true king of the whole worlde be fauorable vnto vs and cause all thinges to prosper goe forwarde with vs. So should we be feared of the enemies of Christes religioÌ„ againste whom we haue much a do at this daye to defend our owne much lesse than are we able to discoumfite them and chase them away far from vs Albeit I had rather haue them refourmed of their misbeliefe then by force of armes chased away and put to flyght But howe is it possible for vs to reforme other yf our selues be I had almoste sayed worse and more vicious in our conuersacion then they are For I dooe not here esteme christian menne by the articles of the fayth whiche we professe with mouthe but by theyr maners and lyning Wheresoeuer ambicion couetousnes pryde wrathe reuengemente and a desyre to hurte reigneth there say I lacketh the faythe of the ghospell Nowe albeit this pestilence haue infected euen those vnto whose office it chiefly apperteined to see a remedy for the decay of christen religion yet haue I some good hope of reformacion because I see the bookes of holy scripture but specially of the newe testament so taken in hande and laboured of all men yea euen as much as of the ignoraunt and vnlettered sorte that many tymes suche as professe the perfyte knowledge of Goddes woorde are not able to matche them in reasonyng And that there be very many readers of the bookes of the newe testament this one thyng maketh me to beleue because notwithstanding the printers do yerely publishe and put forth so many thousande volumes yet all the bookesellers shoppes that be are not hable to suffice the gredâ—â—es of the byers For nowe a dayes is it well solde ware whatsoeuer a man attempteth vpon the ghospell This so strong a medicine once receiued and dronken canne not but worke and put forth his strength Wherfore me thynketh the worlde is in case lyke to a maÌ„nes body vexed with greuous diseases after it hath receyued an herbe called Ellebore or some other strong purgacion For then is it all together distempered and out of quyet and fareth as though it woulde yelde vp the ghoste And God sende grace that this euangelike Ellebore after it haue once searched and entred into all the veynes of our soule maye so come vp agayne that the sedes of vices beyng therby cast out and auoyded it maye restore vs made whole and purged of all our synnes vnto Iesu Christe and maye also after this greate rufflyng and almoste vncurable diseases of the worlde bryng agayne vnto all menne that ioyefull and muche desyred tranquilitie And verily I would hope better that the common prayers of all good men to that ende and purpose shoulde not be made in vaine if the chiefe estates of the worlde woulde lyke trustie and faythfull physycians do theyr endeuour to helpe the worlde in this euill case that is to saye yf the princes in whome it chiefly lyeth to rule the worlde as they wyll would call vnto theyr remembraunce that they shall shortlye for what thing is there in this present lyfe of any long continuaunce gyue an accoumpt vnto that moste soueraigne and high prince how they haue gouerned their dominions Agayne yf the bishoppes diuines and all ecclesiasticall persones woulde likewyse remember howe they haue not succeded in the places of Annas Caiphas or of the Scribes and Phariseis who whyles they wickedly defended theyr owne kyngdome wente about to oppresse the kyngdome of the ghospell whyles they vphelde and defended theyr owne glorye dyd theyr endeuour to bury and ouer whelme Christes glorye and finally whiles they laboured to approue theyr owne righteousnesse made God vnrighteous but rather in the place of the Apostles who had a pleasure euen with the leesyng of theyr owne bloude and liues to defende Christes kyngdome Christes glory and Christes righteousnes Christe hath once suffered once arysen agayne from death to lyfe and neuer wyll dye agayne But he suffereth thesame passion afreshe so oft as the truethe of the ghospell is condemned beaten spytte vpon crucified and buried To be short he reckeneth done vnto hymselfe whatsoeuer euell or displeasure is done vnto his membres Peraduenture moste Christian kyng I haue spokeÌ„ here more frankely and more at large then it became me to do howbeit the great loue I beare towarde your grace hath made me both lauishe of my woordes and also more bolde to vtter my minde vnto your highnesse I beyng a Christian man do wishe well vnto all Christian menne generally but yet haue I a certaine speciall loue and affeccion to the moste noble and florishyng realme of Fraunce I beseche Iesu thimmortall kyng of the whole worlde vnto whome the heauenly father hath geuen all power in heauen and in yearth to geue his holy spirite both to the people and also to the princes and rulers to the princes that they may haue grace happely to passe ouer theyr lyues in mutuall amytie and concorde vnder theyr common kyng and prince Iesu vnto the other that they maye lyue in reste and peace vnder their moste godly and wealthy princes and the ende of all to be this that christian vertue and godlinesse beyng well planted among vs maye be enlarged and spred abrode as muche as is possible to be not by inuadyng or wasting of others dominions or countreys for so our enemies become the porer but neuer the better and more godly but by preaching euery where the doctrine of the gospell syncerely and truely by theyr ministery that haue in them the spirite of the ghospell and by ordering our liues after suche sorte that verye many may be allured to professe our religion euen by the swete smell or sauour of our good lyuing So be ganne the christian empire so encreaced it so was it greatly enlarged so was it established and by the contrary we see how it is now almost at a point and come to nothing if we considre the greatnesse of the whole worlde Wherfore loke by what aydes it first beganne by what meanes it was encreaced and established by the same must we repaire it beyng decaied
and kepyng of mans ceremonies Iohn as a meane betwene the old law the new weÌ„t about to myngle together two sundry doctrines For he durst not commit this liuely philosophy pure and vnmengled as it was vnto them that were weake of mynde Nowe all is weake that is humayne carnall And contrarily that is full of lyfe vertue and strength whatsoeuer is godly spirituall and heauenly Wherfore vnto my disciples whome I chose rude and ignoraunt to the entent I myght the soner enstruct them in this strong and pithful Philosophy I prescribe none of these thinges folowyng Eate these meates forbear these now rest now labor vse suche apparel touch not this thing handle not that And the cause is for feare leste they woulde alwayes continewe weake if they once learned of me theyr maister to put any trust in suche corporall thynges It is a thyng very vnprofitable to ioyne thynges together whiche disagree one with an other ¶ No man also seweth a piece of newe clothe vnto an olde garment els taketh he away the new piece therof from the olde and so is the rent wurse And no man poureth newe wyne into olde bottels els the newe wyne doth burst the bottels and the wyue runneth out and the bottels are marâ—ed But newe wyne must be put into newe bottels For there is no man so farre from reason that if he be disposed to amende an olde garment wil sewe therunto a patche of newe clothe And why so certes for that he perceyueth yf he should so do he shoulde bothe lose his new cloth also make the hole of the olde garment bigger then it was before For beyng offended with the notable diuersytie betwene the piece of cloth sewed on and the yll mended garmente he strayght wayes plucketh of the piece that he sewed to and so the hole of the same garment gapeth fowler then it dyd before Neyther is there any man so folysh as to put newe wine in olde bottels And why because he seeth that he should sustain double losse therby For the new wyne wurketh so feruently through the vehemencie of the fumes therein enclosed that it breaketh the bottels beyng weake by reason of age all to pieâ—es and so are bothe bottels and wyne cleane lost and spilt Howe doeth he then prouide bothe for the safetie of the one and the other Trulye he putteth the newe wyne into newe bottels Euen so they whose mindes haue of long time been accustomed to the naughtie wine of Pharisaâ—call supersticion can in no wyse away with the newe wine of heauenly spiritual doctrine but lothe and abhorre thesame stylle callyng after a taste of the wurse wine that hath been theyr accustomable drynke And that Iesu spake the truthe herein the Phariseis them selues many tymes declared by theyr deedes ¶ And if chaunced again that he went thorow the corn fieldes on the Sabboth dayes and his disciples began by the waye to plucke the eares of the corne And the Phariseis sayd vnto hym Beholde why do they on the Sabboth dayes that whiche is not lawfull And he sayed vnto them haue ye neuer read what Dauid dyd when he had nede and was an hungred both de and they that were with hym howe he went into the house of God in the dayes of Abiathar the hye priest and dyd eate the shewe bread whiche is not lawfull to eate but for the priestes onely and gaue also to them whiche were with hym And he sayed vnto them the Sabboth was made for man and not man for the Sabboth therefore is the sonne of man Lorde also of the Sabboth For as it chaâ—nced on a certaine season that his disciples trauayled thorough a corne fyeld and that vpon the Sabboth daye on the whiche day it was a matter of conscience among the Iewes to doe any maner of weorke they wente before and Iesus theyr mayster followed And anon prouoked by hunger they beganne to plucke the eares of the corne and with the chasyng of theyr handes to rubbe once the corne and eate it Nowe heare howe the olde bottels were offended with the newe wyne of the libertie of the ghospell calling after the olde wyne of kepyng the Sabboth that hadde cleane lost his verdure For the Phariseis who as menne very righteouse in theyr owne conceyptes folowed Iesus beholdyng what the disciples dyd wrongfully blamed the Lorde in them For lyke as the vertuousnesse of the schollers is a great commendacion to the mayster euen so theyr mysbehaueoure and lewde taches are reproched and layed vnto those that instructed them They tolde the lorde and poynted vnto his disciples as thoughe they had doen a greuouse offence for that they brake the Sabboth daye to the ende that he shoulde cause them to leaue worke and by that meanes approue the pharisaicall supersticion orels yf he woulde not so do then myght they take some occasion to piâ—ke a quarell or surmise some matter agaynst hym The Lorde so defended his disciples that he disproued the learned in the lawe of Moses by the auctoritie of the lawe and of his gentlenesse vouchesafed to teache them the true meaning therof whiche in dede deserued shaperly to be rebuked With what face ê™ he do ye accuse my disciples for that thorough constraint of hunger they plucke a fewe eares of corne beeyng by chaunce in their waye for theyr reliefe and sustenaunce sithe there is expresse mencion in the very lawe it selfe wherof you professe your selues to be teachers howe Dauid when he was in lyke necessitie dydde a thyng whiche soundeth muche more to the breache of the lawe then this For he beyng almost famished and in great daunger to perysh for lacke of foode fled for succour vnto the house of God and although he were a laye man was not afrayed to desyre Abiathar then chyef of the priestes to geue him those moste holy loaues called the shewe bread the whiche it was not lefull for any man to eate of but the priestes onely â— and that but duryng the litle whyle they were within the precinct of the Temple occupied about makyng of sacrifice Abiathar was not here ignoraunt what the lawe had commaunded and yet feared not he to deliuer vnto Dauid and his trayne the sayed holy loaues to be eaten in the holy place If you knowe not that this is scripture orels yf you haue it not in memory howethaÌ„ for shame dare you professe the knowledge that of law If you know and remembre it why doe you in a lyke ease quite Abiathar and Dauid yea and allowe theyr facte and yet accuse my disciples as giltie of an heynous trespasse If the rigorousnes of the lawe did then geue place vnto the necessitye of the neyghboure when the lawe was of mooste force strengthe howe muche more then standeth it nowe with reason that the ceremonies of the same lawe geue place therunto whensoeuer charitie moueth a man to help his euen Christen Moreouer it is lykewyse commaunded in the lawe
leste at any tyme they should tourne theyr synnes should be forgeuen them And he sayd vnto thē knowe ye not this parable And how then will ye know all other parables When the Lorde had spoken these wordes then to the intent they should not be forgotten but that euery man should searche out with himselfe the meaning of the parable he sayed moreouer He that hath eares to heare let hym heare declaring vndoubtedly hereby that they all heard not that thing whiche they heard Nowe when not those twelue specially chosen disciples themselfes vnderstode well by reason they were as yet raw and ignoraunt what this similitude meant yet durst they not openlye aske hym any question But after they had once gotten him alone then were they holde to desyre hym that he would vouchesafe the expounde them the misterie and secrete meaning therof Then Iesus putting vs in remembraunce how all thinges are not to be disclosed to all persons but that the doctrine of the ghospell ought to be dispensed according as time serueth the capacitie of the hearers can away withall sayed vnto his disciples The princes of this world make few priuie vnto theyr secretes none but suche as are pycked felowes tryed persones whome they maye safely make of theyr counsayle If they haue any secrete thyng that kepe they from the knowleage of the comminaltie It is geuen vnto you whom I sorted and piked out from among the commune people to knowe the misterie or priuitie of the kyngdome of heauen because you are familiarlye conuersaunt with me But vnto the commune sorte and suche as are not familiar companions of my courte whether I doe or speake anye thyng all is in parables For they neyther haue meete eares nor meete iyes What they heare they beleue not what they see they depraue and fynde faute with And so is verified in them that the prophete sayed before shoulde cum to passe that when they see best yet see they not and when they heare best yet they heare not because they vnderstand not Truly he vnderstandeth not whoso beleueth not Nowe sinnes are not released but to suche as beleue that sinnes are freely released by vertue of the gospell Therfore through their vnbelefe it cummeth to passe that they are not turned to God because they tourne themselfes away from God nor are deliuered from theyr synnes because they refuse the medicine wherewith all synnes are healed By these wordes Iesus signified those persons whome a litle before he vnderstoode by the grounde that for sundrye causes is barrayne vnfruitfull And to make his disciples more apt to receyue his doctrine he chideth them a litle for theyr dulnesse Doe you not yet sayeth he gesse what is mente by this parable sith the sence therof is easie to be coniectured And howe then will you boulte out the true meaning of all the rest since that I neyther speake nor do any thyng that hath not in it a significacion of sum secrete matier I wyll expounde vnto you this parable to the intente that you maye lykewyse accustome your selfes to searche out the secrete meanyng that lyeth hyd in other ¶ The sowier soweth the worde and they wherof sum be rehersed to be by the way syde are those where the worde is sowen and when they heare Sathan cummeth immediatly and taketh awaye the worde that was sowen in theyr hartes and likewise the other that receiue sede into the stony ground are they whiche when they heare the worde at once receyue it with gladnesse yet haue no roote in themselues and so endure but a ryme Anon when trouble and persecucion ariseth for the wordes sake they falle immediatly There be other also that receyue sede into thornes and those are suche as heare the worde the cares of this world and the deceiptfulnesse of riches and the lustes of other thinges entee in and choke the worde and it is made vnfruitefull And other there be that haue receyued sede into a good ground they are suche that heare the worde and receyue it so that one corne doth bryng forth thirtie sum sixtie sum a hundreth The fielde is the worlde wherein are very many vnmete hearers of the doctrine of the gospell The sowier is the sonne of man who came downe frō heauen into earth The sede is the woorde or doctrine of the ghospell by the whiche the will of God is declared vnto the worlde His will is this that all men distrusting their owne strength do trust with all their harte minde the promises of the ghospell that is to saye that through fayth all mens sinnes are forgeuen if after the trueth once knowen they giue themselfes to the studie of true vertue and godlinesse Therfore by the seede whiche as I saied fell by the hie way side they are vnderstand signified who slightly and as mē otherwise occupied heare the ghospell like as they woulde heare anye fable or phantasie of mans inuenciō And amōg all none heareth goddes worde with lesse profit then they do For anon as they haue heard it cummeth Satan and putteth other thoughtes imaginacions in their mindes and by that meanes plucketh out the sede before it haue gotten roote be fastened therin so that they do not so muche as remembre what they haue hearde Nowe the sede that is receiued into a stony ground betokeneth those persones who gredely ynough heare the ghospel gladly deuoure thesame perceyuing it to be both true and holsum but because they ley it not vp in theyr hartes by depe cogitacion for they are letted so to do by other affeccions which wholy possessing theyr mindes will in no wise geue place vnto the worde of God they continue not in that they feruently couragiously began neyther do they bring forth any fruite of euangelike or christian godlinesse but suche fruite alonely as lasteth but for a season and all is because they haue no rootes And so cummeth it to passe that in prosperitie they beleue the gospell as grasse newly sprōg vp cause men to haue a good opinion of theym that they wil proue well But assone as anye aduersitie or persecucion for the profession of goddes worde doeth arise and assaulte them byanby they offended therwith do vtterly forsake their former purpose The seede that fell vpon the thornie grounde signifieth those that diligently heare and beare in mynde the wordes of the ghospell But the loue of deceitfull riches and the inordinate desyres of other thinges whiche allure and toile men vnto them with a false apparaunce of vertue do enter into their myndes and there dayly as theyr propertie is encreasyng at the length ouergrowe the seede so that it can neuer spring vp and cum to be corne Finally the sede that light vpon a good ground betokeneth those that geue good eare vnto the doctrine of the ghospell and beleue all that they heare and conuey it into the moste inwarde corners of theyr hartes vntill that it
some by a greate desyre to heare my doctrine But whoso wil be a true folower of me yf he intend to be associate with me in blisse glory let thesame in the meane tyme dispose hymselfe to be my felowe or partener in sufferyng affliccions and death Let hym vtterly renye himselfe reseruing nothing vnto himselfe in thys worlde but cleane renouncyng all thynges euen to contempt of lyfe and finally let euery man take vp his crosse and folowe me Let not the disciple be ashamed to folowe his teacher nor the seruaunt to folowe his maister Neyther let any intende to come to glory by any other way or meane then that by the whiche he shall se me goe thither before hym Whoso thynketh that he hath in himselfe wherby he is able to attayne saluacion shall perish And contraryly whoso distrustyng all his owne aydes wholly putteth himselfe to my mercy shall be saued For it is not inough for my sake lytell to passe vpon landes tenementes parentes wife and children but lyfe it selfe for the preseruacion whereof manne forgoeth all that euer he hathe must likewyse be forsaken Be ye of good comforte that neuer perysheth whiche is geuen to me no rather ye shall preserue that by losyng whiche you shoulde otherwyse lose in dede by euill kepyng Through faythe of the gospell to all men is geuen lyfe euerlastyng Therfore he that setteth more by thys present lyfe then by the grace of the Ghospell althoughe he seme for a tyme to wynne thesame yet doeth he in very dede lose it For no manne can here prolong his lyfe beyonde the tyme appoynted Albeit to saye the truthe neyther in the meane tyme and before his deathe liueth a manne in dede excepte he liue well and vertuously And after this lyfe whiche to all men is very short and transytory he shal be condemned to euerlasting deathe Nowe whoso for my sake and for that he is a stedfast professour of the gospell putteth his life in hasarde of death shall preserue it by me whiche els should verely peryshe Therfore yf there be nothyng so dearely beloued of manne in this worlde but he wyll be content to raunsome temporall life with the losse thereof debatyng the matter with him selfe in this wyse what shall it auayle me to haue house landes goodes precious stones wyfe and chyldrē preserued yf my selfe peryshe and shall not enioye that I am owner of ▪ Though all these thinges be in safety yet do they perishe to me ward yf I fortune to dye For what thing can be so dearely beloued and muche set by of man that is not to be contemned for the preseruaciō of lyfe If one woulde offer another as great riches and treasure as euer had Mydas and Cresus the beautye of Absolone the Monarchy and empyre of the whole world and fynally all sortes and kyndes of pleasures and therewith say take these thynges and dye woulde not thother byanby refuse this offre made hym with suche condicion and answere agayne I loue my lyfe alone better then all these thynges Sythe I saye that euery manne doethe wysely consyder these thynges with him selfe so ofte as there is any imminēt daunger of bodely lyfe why do they not then more earenestly loke vpon examyne and waye the matter whensoeuer it concerneth that lyfe inestemable Nowe euerlasting lyfe is profered vnto thy soule and wilte thou not exchaunge therfore the shorte and wretched life of the body especially sithe that euery manne shall another daye receiue his owne body agayne restored to a more blessed life All men must not of necessitie dye for the profession of the ghospel but yet euery manne ought to be ready in wyll and mynde so to doe to the intent that yf the case requyre they maye passe nothyng vpon corporall life so that the lyfe of the soule may be saued Whensoeuer the storme of persecucion aryseth then must this crosse be taken vp Albeit neither euen when all thynges be quyet and persecucion ceaseth shall any manne be without his crosse vnlesse it be counted an easy thing to renounce all naturall affections with al worldly pleasures and inticemētes to cut of the inordinate lustes of the flesh to brydle excesse to represse sensualytye and pleasure of the bodye to subdue hastines and lette passe reuengemente For these thynges also muste euery manne doe that wyll be my disciple euen at that tyme when the worlde is moste quiet and without busynes But trueth it is that the worlde shall with all maner of engynes ryse agaynste those whiche professe my name and threten them with reproche banyshement imprisonment tormentes attayndour and deathe For this is a naughtye nacyon and shall euer haue in it moe reprouable and naughty disposed persones then good menne among whom it shall be counted the greatest offence that maye be to professe my name And if any manne the worlde being thus set and bent against me ▪ wyll be ashamed to confesse himself to be my disciple in this vngracious and conterfeite nacion where after shorte afflyction foloweth euerlastyng blysfulnes hym the sonne of man wyll requyte and be lykewyse ashamed to take hym for hys disciple when he shall eftsones cum not lowe and contemned as he is now but wonderfull and merueylous in the royaltye and glory of his father not accompanyed with a fewe poore disciples but enuironed with innumerable companyes of holy Aungels The .ix. Chapter ¶ And he sayde vnto them verely I saye vnto you there be some among them that stande here whiche shall not taste of death tyll they haue sene the kyngdome of God 〈◊〉 with power THey shall not be partakers of this glory who wyll not nowe suffre the infamy of my crosse The Iewes loked for a merueilous kyngdome of the children of Israel which they supposed should begyn assone as Messias was come and therfore they coulde not beleue that Iesus was Messias because he came so poorely and lyke an outcaste of the worlde and muche more wer they offended with the mencion of his passion and death ▪ They vnderstode not how there wer two cūminges of Messias the fyrst which after the estimation of the world was lowe and reprochfull and another full of maiestie and glorye which shal be in the ende of the worlde to thenten◠he may ioyne vnto him his whole body deliuered from all euils in the glory of the father and throwe downe Sathan with all his membres into the fyre of hell He woulde that the daye of his latter cumming should be vncertainne to all menne but yet woulde he haue euery man to be in a readynes againste the same Therfore forasmuche as there were some among the people whiche by inward imaginacion sayde thus to them selues when shall this tyme of glory cum which he promiseth And peraduenture many of them beleued not that it should euer cum at all Iesus stablished their wauering myndes with suche wordes as here ensue Be ye ryght well assured of the thyng I told you that the sonne
ende to endure What philosopher durst haue entreprised to propoune suche thynges as these so ferre contrarye to all mennes opinion or thinkyng and thynges so vntouthsome for menne to bee fond on or to make anye great countenaunce vnto Yet all these thynges neuerthelesse dyd the law talke of the ghospell dyd in suche wyse perswade that suche an one is taken for mad and cleane out of his wittes as dooeth not beleue it and that so manye thousandes of people will sooner forsake their life then the profession of the trueth EuaÌ„gelical And by what maner felowes at last dyd so great a chaunge of the worlde firste come vp by meane of a fewe disciples beeyng menne vnknowen men of lowe degree men of pouertie vnlearned To what purpose is it to speake of the rest whan Peter the chiefe of them was a fisher and of no ferther knowlage but his bare mother toungue Paule a leather sewer and not one of them all a man of rychesse or a man of power or a ientle man And either nothyng at all had they of this worldes or in case thei had aforetymes had they clene forsooke it And by what wayes was it possible for suche men to bryng so great a matier to passe â—erres they brought a medicine in a viâ—e boxe but it was through godly vertue a medicine of great power and efficacie The talke euangelicall is of a playne homely sorte and of no eloquent composyng whiche in case a manne examine and trye by the storie of Thucidides in greke or of Titus Liuius in latine he shall fynde a lacke of many thynges with many poyntes shall he be offended What a noumbre of thynges dooe the Euangelistes leat passe howe manye thynges dooe they touche with three woordes and no more â–ª in how many places dooeth the ordre disagree and in how many places dooe they appere to be one contrarie vnto another It was possible that suche thinges should haue turned awaye the mynde of the reader from the readyng of it and should haue caused it neuer to be beleued Contrariwyse they that haue written stories of worldly affaires how carefull are they wherof to make the first begynnyng of the matter what labour diligence do they bestowe that thei maye not tell anye thyng otherwyse then is semyng that they maye not tell any thyng vnlykely that they maye not tell any thyng not standyng together or any thynges contrary vnto reason Than ferther with what euidence dooe they laye the thyng playne before mennes iyes with what swete pleasaunt knackes and conceiptes do they contente and reteine the readers mynde that no pointe of tediousnesse maye come stealyng vpon hym But the monumentes of all this sorte of wryters hauyng been composed with great labour and studie are a great porcion of them lost and those that remayne are reade neither of all persones and yet withoute geuyng any credite vnto them For what persone is there so light of belefe that he wyll auouche and waraunt that in all Titus Liuius there is no poynte coÌ„teyned of telling an vntrueth But so many thousandes of people there haue been found whiche would with better will tenne times suffre death then to admitte or graunte any one false clause to bee conteined in the writinges of the gospell Haue we not than of these premisses an euideÌ„t marke whereby to know the matter not to be of worldly auctoritee or wisedome but of the vertue and power of God There is a secrete vertue and efficacie lying hidden in the medicine whiche whan it was once poured into the body spred it selfe abrode ouer all the vniuersall nacions of the worlde as if it were by resemblaunce throughout all the membres We haue nowe the cause why the veritie euangelicall did within so fewe yeares by men of lowe degree sprede it selfe abrode all the world ouer whan thesame worlde rebelled against it with all kyndes of extreme crueltie And now maie it come in some mannes mynde greatly to meruaile by what reason it hath come to passe that in those later seasons whan the worlde had Christian princes Bishops men of learnyng welthie and riche persones and endued with great authoritie the dicion of Christe is so shrounken together into a narowe roume For the cause of this matier beeyng well knowen a remedie might perhappes the sooner be founde But I hauyng a good while sence forgotteÌ„ my self do passe the limites bouÌ„des of a preface I therefore returne now to our phisicion Luke whome lyke as I doubte not to be right acceptable vnto your grace so woulde I by my good wyll haue hym by meane of thesame your grace to be made the more acceptable vnto all people The wyse Ecclesiasticus speaketh in this manier Honour thou the phisicion for necessities sake How muche more than ought condigne honour to be shewed to this phisicion who hath ientilly geuen vs so effectuall a receipt of phisicke whiche is to euery creature necessary except if any suche persone there bee whiche is withoute all faulte and hath no nede to waxe a better man than he was And certes it will also bee effectuall if we beeyng vttrely wery of our diseases and infirmities shall oftentymes byte of this medicine if we shall continuallye chawe it if we shall conueye it to passe into our stomake and into the botome of oure herte if we shall not vomite vp agayne that hath been taken therof but shall kepe thesame still in the stomake of oure soule vntill it cast a brode the vertue that it hath the chaunge vs altogether into it selfe This poynte by experience haue I founde in myne owneselfe that litle fruite there commeth of the gospell if a man reade it but sluggishely and superficially renne it ouer But in case a maÌ„ do with diligent and exquisite meditacion kepe hymself occupied therin he shal fele a certaine vertue and pith suche as he shall not fele the lyke in any other bookes Nowe to preuente makyng of myne aunswer vnto the suspicious demynges of menne for that I haue dedicated euery particular paraphrase of the ghospels seuerally to particular princes it is veray chaunce and not anye ambicion or sekyng on my behalfe For the same thyng hath fortuned vnto me in this matier that fortuned in the epistles Apostolicall Whan I wrote the paraphrase vpon Matthewe I loked for nothyng lesse then that Iohn should bee earnestly required and immediatly after hym this Lukas But nowe to thentente there shall not any glasewyndoore or gappe bee seen emong the EuaÌ„gelistes I wyll adde Marke also vnto the other three albeit he that dedicateth sondrie ghospels to sondrie men maie seme to do neuer a whit more contrarie to reason then did Sayncte Hierome who dedicated yea euen the lesser Prophetes vnto seuerall persones I haue elswhere geuen aduertisemente and do now eftsons geue warning vnto the reader that he esteme no more auctoritie to be in any paraphrase of myne then he woulde geue to the commentaries of other wryters For I
of the vnwonte and soodain miracle wer all at ons throughly taken with a veray great feare But the Aungel anon taketh away this feare with speakyng amiablie vnto them Dooe awaye all feare sayeth he there is no cause why ye should drede For I am come to be vnto you a messagier of a moste gladdesome matter and suche ioye as neuer yet hath bene hearde of do I bryng not to you onely but also to al the people of Israel The godly mouthes of the Prophetes long and many yeres gon had promysed you a salueour Many a long yere hath Messias bene loked for And this night is thatsame Messias borne and borne he is vnto you all And this is the veraye true Messias the Prynce and Lorde of all a king a priest anoynted of God froÌ„ aboue And in dede borne he is in the citie of Dauid called Bethleem accordyng to the holy saiynges of the Prophetes euâ—â— thissame veray nyghte Go ye and enquire of hym I wyll geue you a toâ—â—â— whereby he maye be knowen Go ye to the common inne and there shal ye find the litle suckyng babe lapped in swathyng cloutes and layed doun to rest in a maungier Assone as Gabriell had thus much sayed immediatly was heard a great multitude of heauenly souldiers that is to say of Aungels who are the minysters and seruauntes of the Lorde beeyng myghtye and puissaunt in battaill and the which also do warre and fyght for vs agaynst the Princes of this worlde These Aungels with suche an heauenly armonie and with such a melodious swete noyse as no tongue can expresse dyd syng songes of prayse vnto God magnifiyng and settyng furthe hys vnspeakable loue towardes mankynde and declaring the great ioye and gladnes that they had conceiued on the behalfe of the same mankinde to whom so great blisfulnes had through Goddes mere fauour and mercie so happened And the hymne forsouth which that same heauenly quier of Aungelles with such swete tunes syng all together in one charme was thys Glórye on high to god on yearth peace and in men good vville Whiche song of the Aungels dothe muche in effecte signifye vnto vs verailye that in thys matter no poynte at al of glory is due neyther to the Aungelles ne yet to man but al the whole glory and laude therof is due vnto the onely goodnes of God who of hys mercye and loue towardes vs whom he hath created doeth by wondrefull wayes and conueighaunce prouide for vs from heauen to the entent that we should wel perceiue that whatsoeuer thing either for our honoure and anauncement or els for our helth and saluacion dooeth happylye chaunce vnto vs it cummeth vpon vs from heauen and that we ought here on yearthe to wishe or desire none other thyng but peace whiche maye abolyshe synne and bryng vs into the fauour of God and the whiche maye knit vs together with mutual loue and charitie of one towardes another For thissame is truely the peace not of the worlde but of God whyche dooeth excede and passe al the compace and râ—ache of maÌ„s vnderstanding and ferre out weigheth all poyntes and degrees of any blisfull state that may be in this present world And this peace is freely offred vnto vs through this reconciler and maker of atonemente betwene God and man not by anye meane or helpe of oure owne merites and desertes but of the ready and willing goodnes of God towardes vs whome it hathe pleased after thys woondrefull maner to prouide for the recouerye and sauyng of mankynd ¶ And it fortuned assone as the Aungels wer gone awaye from them into heauen the shepeherdes sayde one to another Let vs goe nowe euen vnto Bethleem and see this thing that we heare say is happened which the Lord hath shewed vnto vs. And they came wyth hast and founde Marye and Ioseph and the babe layed in a maunger And whan they had seen it they published abrode the saiyng whyche was told them of that chylde And as they that hearde it woondred at those thynges whiche were tolde them of the shepeherdes But Marye kept all those saiynges and pondered them in her heart And the shepeherdes returned praisyng and laudyng God for al the thynges that they had heard and seen euen as it was tolde vnto them The Aungels assone as thei had with their moste ioyfull and gladsome noyse begonne vnto the shepeherdes with synging this song in honour of the childes birth returned agayne into heauen This done the shepeherdes being a sort of good homely plain folkes came and laied their heades together in counsail not doubtyng of the wordes that the Angels had spoken but coueting more fully to knowe the thing that they had heard Thus therfore spake they emong theÌ„selues and sayde one to another Leat vs dooe as the Aungel hath aduertised vs leat vs goe hence euen streight to Bethleem that the thing which we haue with oure eares heard to be happened we maye euen there presentely see beholde with our iyes to the entent that we may with the more readie and perfect truth and credite speake and declare vnto others the thyng that the Lord hath vouchesalued to geue vs knowelage of by his Aungels This godly deuise lyked them all And so furth on theyr way go the shepherdes with all haste deuocion and godly zeale was a spurre to theyr heartes to pricke them foreward anon were they come to Bethleem come they were into the ynne appoynted And there euen as the Angel had promised they finde Marie newly deliuered of childe and Ioseph a witnes of the virgins deliueraunce and the babe also bound vp in swathyng clothes and layed therby in a maungier These deuout and godly shepeherdes are nothyng at all offended neyther with the bare pouerty of the tender young virgin nor with her housband beyng to the syght and estimacioÌ„ of the world a man of the meanest and bassest sorte ne yet with the poore litle babe whom for defaulte of a more commodious place the parentes wer faine to laye doune in a maungier which thynges would haue made the proud Phariseis and Scribes to take vtter scorne disdayne at the matter but the shepeherdes are by all these thynges the better confirmed to beleue the matter more stedfastly whan they by witnesse of theyr owne iyes perfeictly knew founde that it wer no fables ne lyes that the Aungel had tolde them tydynges of And here maye we note that tender loue and zele towardes God hath in all persones be they neuer so slender or lowe of degree a certain wisdome and worldly cast of it owne in thynges For these shepeherdes dyd not euen byanby publish abrode the thyng that they had heard but assoone as they perfectely knewe the thyng to be certayn and out of doubt than did thei not feare to talke the thing that they had heard abrod also emoÌ„g other coumpanies Christ loued to haue the talke of his birthe and cummyng fyrste
euery side dryue cleane awaye the darkenesse of all the Gentyles and that thy people Israell mighte haue whereof not without good cause to glorye thy people Israell I saye beyng in true dede thy veraye owne not after the fleshe onelye wherehence in dede the begynnyng of thys saluacyon hathe proceded but after a spirituall kynred whiche is acquired and purchased throughe the faythe of the ghospell For suche an one veraylye is to bee called by the name of Israel whosoeuer earnestly fixeth deuout and godly iyes vpon this same lyght and with the violence of faythe forceablye breaketh into the kingdome of heauen In tymes paste hitherto the people of the Iewes hath gloryed and made all their vaunte vpon Abraham Isaac and Iacob they haue gloryed and made great vauntes of Moses of theyr temple and of the prophetes but now from hensforth the gostly Israel which is here and there in suÌ„dry places dispersed throughout all the worlde shall glory on thy sonne whome thou hast vouchsalued to sende after all the others here mencyoned as one that in greatnesse in vertue and in power is ferre aboue them all Nowe at thys presente in dede he lyeth hidden in a corner not knowen as he ought to bee but of veraye fewe persons but in tyme to come the lighte of hym shall blase abrode and he shall with hys bryghte shynyng beames lyghten all quarters and coastes of the worlde And his father mother meruelled at those thinges whiche wâ—re spoken of him And Simeon blâ—ssed them and saied vnto Marie his mother beholde this childe is set to bee the falle and vprising again of many in Israell for a signe which is spoken against And moreouer the swâ—orde shal perce thy sâ—ule that the thoughtes of many hertes may be opened Nowe the mother of the infaunte and Ioseph seeyng all thys to bee spoken of the olde manne Simeon by the inspiracion of the spirite of god conferring it also with the other thinges that had gone afore said neuer a worde but merueyled in theyr myndes what the olde mannes wordes might meane But Symeon whan he had blissed the chylde and also had prayed god to sende the parentes muche ioye of hym turnyng hymselfe vnto Marie sayde vnto her This sonne of thyne although he hath bene geuen vs of god to the ende that he may geue vnto all persons euerlasting saluacyon yet through the defaulte of manne it shal so chaunce that lyke as he shall lift vp to the hope of euerlasting health a great maignye whiche shall willingly enbrace the gifte of God euen so a greate number of the people of Israell vtterlye despysing the bounteouse goodnesse of god cummyng towardes them and offreyng itselfe vnto them shall bee cast downe to eternall damnacion For whan the trueth shal by thys thy sonne be opened and published manye shall fall whiche afore seemed to stande and many shall aryse vp that seemed to lye in the duste He hath bene looked for of all the Israelites but he shall not bee receyued of them all For he shall be set vp vnto all for a signe suche an one as neuer hath yet beene set vp sence the beginning of the world but yet shal he be one that shal haue many a man to speake agaynst him deny him The Phariseis the Scribes the bishops shal make much murmuring and prating against him the vnbeleuers and heritiques shall make muche clamouring and roryng agaynst hym And so muche sediciouse brablyng shall from euery place bee reysed agaynste hym that euen thou thy selfe shalte not bee withoute some parte of the euilles that shall come For the crueltie of them shall not lyght vpon suche persones onely as shall beleue on thy sonne but also thy verye owne hearte and soule shall the sweorde of doloure and gryefe perce Suche a sygne hath it pleased God to shewe furth before the iyes of al menne that the cleare light of the trueth being once shewed furth to shine abrode the thoughtes of men might and should be discouered which afore laye hidden in theyr heartes and that the course of thinges shoulde in suche wyse be turned the contrarie waye as the thyng selfe might playnelye declare that they were ferre of from the true ryghteousnesse which in the sight and iudgemente of men semed to sit euen in the high chaire of righteousnesse and suche to bee manifestelye founde wieked as had gotten and taken into theyr owne handes the doctryne and teachyng of true relygyon towarde god and contrarye wise suche as afore were reputed for men ferre out of the waye of true religion and godlinesse might be playnely declared to haue bene muche more nere vnto true relygyon then the others and suche as semed vnto the worlde to bee reiected and paste all grace or hope of recouery suche shoulde the vnfeigned readynesse of beleuing in god admitte and leatte in firste of all to the kyngdome of heauen The Scribes and the Phariseis haue contynually Messias in theyr mouthe they haue the lawe euermore in theyr mouthe they haue ryghteousnesse alwayes in theyr mouthe they keepe often and muche in the temple they tarrie long in theyr prayers they faste often they walke vp and downe notably besene with theyr brode phylacteryes but they hide in theyr heartes a thyng ferre contrarye to that that they shewe in outwarde semblaunce But the wily and wicked thoughtes of suche the light of the trueth of the ghospell whan it aryseth shall playnely fynde out and detecte Publicanes harlottes and sinners are by these counterfaictes of holyenesse debarred from all sacres or holy rites of the temple But suche shall god receiue firste of all into the kyngdome of heauen The Gentiles whiche haue bene geuen to idolatry sodaynly chaunging theyr life shal with gredy zeale affeccion enbrace the doctrine of true godlynesse the Phariseis and Bisshops in whose handes and power the keye of the â—awe and of relygyon dyd reste shal with most obstinate endeuoure resist it and be agaynst it The night hath no perfect iudgemente of thinges but ofte times in stede of the thynges selfes it sheweth to the iye the onely shadowes and vayne counterfaites of thinges but the sunne whan it is vp and geueth cleare lyghte it dryueth awaye all blinde casting of mistes before mennes iyes shewing euery thyng in his owne likenesse and geuing to euery thing hys owne coulour All this dyd that same godly olde manne speake reioysing and making glad chere from the botome of his hearte whiche the holy ghoste had throughly enspired ¶ And there was a prophetiâ—â—e one Anna the daughter of Phanuell of the tribe of Aâ—er whiche was of a greate age and had lyued with an housbande seuen yeres from her virgynitie And she had bene a wedowe about fower score and fower yeres whiche departed not from the temple but serued god with fastinges and prayers nyghte and daye And she came furthe that same houre and praysed the Lorde and spake of hym to all them that looked for
the soure pestilent fruites of euyll workes that is to wete pride wrathfulnesse auarice enuie hypocrisie contenciō Now if ye be in very dede tourned from euil trees into good trees bryng ye forth good fruites suche as maye testyfy your hertes to be truly altered into a better frame It is not here now requisite nor any thing material that ye chaūge your garmētes or to leaue take this or that kind of meat but ye must chaūge the euill lustes of your hertes This is in very dede the roote of the tree which roote if it haue a bitter and a venemous sape thā spring there none but euill fruites out of the braūches but contrariwyse if the roote minister sende vp a pleasaūt holsome sape to the boughes than do there grow forth vpon the braunches those fruites of the spirite that are semely for god worthy acceptacion that is to wete entier loue instede of hatred for bitter frouning godly ioye and lightnes of hert for discord peace for fiercenes sufferaunce for snatchyng and polling liberalitie for lecherousnes chastitie for deceitful craftines simplicitie and plain dealyng for presūpteous taking vpon him humble sobrenes for supersticion true godlynesse These are the thynges whiche declare who be the true and vncounterfayted Iewes these be the thynges that declare who be circumcysed as they ought to be and who are the verye true chyldren of Abraham in dede these sacrifices they are that god is delyted withal Now is the lyght at hande let shadowes passe awaye the truthe is in place away with al counterfait hipocrisie doe away your vayne confydence whiche the fygures of ghostely thynges haue nouryshed in you and not the thinges selfes as for exaumple whan ye say in the way of gloriyng Hierusalem that holy citie of ours the lordes tēple the lordes temple the lordes tēple also such figures of thinges as here foloweth that is to wete slaughter of bruite beastes in sacrifice ordeining and solemne halowing of sabboth dayes obseruyng of newe moones choice and difference betwene one meate an other brode borders vpō vestures which ye call your philacteries fastyng and abstinence with heuinesse louring of countenaunce the resydue of obseruaunces a great manye whiche eyther the lawe did for a tyme prescribe and apoint as figures of thinges to be referred to the mynde or els the Phariseis haue inuēted for a vain pretense of holines al these thynges euery one with circumcision it self and altogether shal ceasse and be abolyshed And suche an one shall from hensfoorth bee esteemed for a Iewe of the right sorte whatsoeuer he be that shall confesse and acknowelage him whose comyng shall now ere long be seen to the world And suche an one shall bee taken for a man rightly circumcised as he shoulde bee whosoeuer shall haue an herte pourged through fayth from all inordinate lustes and desires Let it therfore no more enter into your hertes to thynke with your selues vaingloriously It is we that are the heritage the succession and children of Abrahā it is we and none els to whom the inheritaunce of saluacion hathe been promised the Lorde wyll not forsake vs that are his people Naye I say vnto you that like as the wickednesse of your forefathers shal be nothing preiudiciall nor hurtful to you in case ye amend and take better waies euen so shall the holinesse of your progenitour Abraham nothyng auayle you yf ye wyll still continue in your olde vngodlinesse Ye will be caste away ye will surely bee disherited ye will vtterly perishe to eternall damnacion onlesse beeyng conuerted and turned to better life ye bryng foorthe suche fruites as maye semely and worthily stand with the ghospell Neither shall Abraham be destitute of posteritie or succession nor god want a people of his own of whō to bee condignely wurshipped and serued and to whom to performe the inheritaunce by him promised though ye should shrinke and fall awaye from him For this dare I be bolde to auouche and assure vnto you God is not vnhable but hath power enough euen of these stones here to reise vp chyldrē vnto his frēde Abraham to whom he promised issue and successiō like in noumbre to the sandes of the sea to the sterres in the skye In time herafter to cum the children of Abraham shal be estemed accepted not after the kinred of bloud but as euery one shall folowe and resemble Abraham in faith Abraham shal acknowelage and accepte for his children euen the Sogdiās the Gotthyans and the wylde Scythians if they embrace Messias shall coumpte and repute you for aliens and straunge borne bastardes onlesse ye turne to the faith beleue God hath hitherto shewed paciēce sufferaūce towardes you though ye haue but euē so so brought forth the outward fruites of the lawe such as they wer that is to say sacrifices vowes fastīges washinges difference of meates and paryng away of the foreskin in circūcision But these thinges had no more but superficially an outward apparaunce of religion And these are but leaues of the tree detestable afore God except the fruites of the spirite bee ioyned therewith But nowe from hensfoorth shal euery body be estemed according to the true treasures of the hert the soule euen as they shal be founde good or euill Now is there cum a more streight and precise iudgemente of God and cum he is that seeth the botome of the depest secretes of the herte For now is the axe euen ready set hard by the roote of the tree that hath so long time been suffered Abrahās people shal be hewed away frō the stem therof the heathen so many as in prompte readynes of beleuing shall resemble Abraham shall be graffed in their places Moses had no eare geuen vnto him the prophetes were not harkened vnto of whome a great many ye slew and put to death at the voyce of the lawe ye haue hitherto been of dull and deaf eares nowe is he cum whose greater there can none be sēt and after whom there is none to bee loked for Utter peryshing for euer hangeth ouer the whole nacion of the Israelites ▪ except ye repente betime and grow to more goodnesse For euery tree whiche shall not now bryng foorth the good frute of faith shal be felled downe and cast into the fyer Meane is there none nor respect is there none but either through true godlynes to make haste vnto euerlastyng saluacion or not so doyng remediles and vtterly to be damned for euer And the people asked him saiyng what shal we do thē He aūswereth saith vnto thē he that hath two coates let him part with him that hath none and he that hath meat let him do likewise The common multitude of the Iewes beeyng sore adrade with these terrible and manacing woordes of Iohn saied vnto him If it be so as ye saie what thynke ye than good for vs to dooe wherby to auoyde and escape the
in suche wyse restored that she arisyng out froÌ„ the bedde where she had lyen sicke dressed the supper for Iesus and his disciples and serued them whyle they sate at the table ¶ Whan the sunne was downe all they that had sycke taken with diuerse diseases broughte them vnto hym and he layed his handes on euerye one of them and healed them And deuils also came out of many crying and saying thou arte Christe the sonne of god And he rebuked them and suffred them not to speake for they knewe that he was Christe And so readye was the Lorde to dooe good and to helpe all men that he neuer did so muche as laye for his excuse the importunitie or vnseasonablenes of tyme â–ª to any that of simple and mere fayth and truste in hym requyred his helpe and succour For the matier beyng now openly blowen abrode throughout all the whole citie as many as had any sicke folkes in theyr house whiche were troubled with diseases of diuerse sortes broughte their sicke folkes to the doore of the house where Iesus lodged And he beeyng a mooste â—entell salueour neyther layed for his excuse that he was nowe from the people within doores where he oughte of reason to haue quiete reposyng of hymselfe from labour ne that it was night and therfore an vnseasonable tyme for suche doynges but vpon all that euer were brought vnto him he layed his haÌ„des that were euermore geuers of health and helpe And all kyndes of diseases did he bothe easily and freely put awaye from all personnes as one that mynded by this exaumple to teache all men that suche as wyll be free from the diseases of the mindes they must flee to none other but to Iesus onely which is euermore readie freely to pardone and forgeue how grieuous soeuer the offense committed hath been so that with sincere fayth they turne wholly vnto hym beeyng the onely auctour of true saluacion For there is no kynde of syckensse so incurable â–ª so rooted to sticke by a man so deadly but at his touche and commaundemente it maye bee healed And here is by the waye set foorth a paterne or exaumple to bishops â–ª and pastoures or curates that succede in Christes place with what myldenesse they oughte to receyue synners that are desyrous to emende from theyr vyce and synfulnesse For yf the Lorde Iesus in whom there was not so muche as any one litle prient or marke either of sickenesse or of vice woulde neuer turne awaye his face from any disease were it neuer so ougly or lothely to see but that he would receiue them to him but that he would touche and handle them and also would heale them how muche more than dooeth it beseme those persones thesame to do whom the benignitie of Iesus hath tofore pourged from the sickenesse of the mynde and who yet neuerthelâ—sse in the meane tyme are not all free from all faultes especially forasmuche as it is not they that take awaye the sickenesse but they are only ministers of the gifte that commeth from heauen and haue nothyng but the office of exortyng and stieryng others to aske and desyre health and of bringyng them vnto that mightye Phisician and mouyng thesame to mercie by theyr intercession that he will vouchesalue to touche theyr hertes and myndes with his handes and so to heale them And not onely syckenesse fledde at the commaundement of his voyce and at the touchyng of his handes but also the deuils not beeyng hable to abyde the godly power of Iesus by and by ere he commaunded them wyâ—lyngly fled out of the bodyes of those myserable creatures whom they had long tyme tofore possessed So great a piece of felicitie and blisse it is to come nere vnto Iesus And nere towardes hym dooeth that persone drawe and come who myslikyng hymself is desyrous and fayn to be made better and the whiche conceyueth an assured confidence and feyth that all his synnes be they neuer so haynous and grieuous yet by the vnspeakeable mercie of Iesus are freely and clerely forgeuen There bee in the bodyes diuerse kiendes of sickenesse and neuer a whir fewer diseases of the soule yea and these of the bothe the more perillous except perchaunce ye will thynke that there are fewer kyndes of intemperancie and mysgouernaunce then there are kyndes of feuers or to bee a thyng of more ieopardie and daungier that the bodye boyle in a feuer then it is perillous for the soule to rage or renne mad in lecherous lustes And emong the diseases of the bodye some are so foule and lothely to see that a mans next frendes cannot abyde to come nere hym â–ª as for exaumple to bee eaten with lyce some agayn are so contagious infectiue that a man shal hee in ieoperdye to come nere vnto suche as haue them â–ª as the leprie in especial and the pestilence albeit the trueth to speake fewe sickenesses or diseases there bee but that one waye or other they are infectiue Agayne some diseases there are either so strong and sore vpon a bodye or els of suche long continuaunce that they ouercome and passe all cunnyng and cure of the phisicians But the power of oure phisician is so great that there is no sickenesse whose greatnesse is aboue it or to bee compared vnto it more is his purenesse then that it maye bee stayned with any sinnes or eiuils of anye mortall creatures greater is his mercie then that it can lothe or abhorre any mannes ouglye fylthynesse He receiueth all men to hym as one of moste singulare goodnesse he toucheth all men hymselfe beeyng moste pureste he healeth all menne as one moste mightyest But on no diseases of the bodye are the phisicians lesse hable to dooe any cure then vpon those sicknesses whiche corrupte the tabernacle of the mynde and reason as for exaumple the fransie the forgetful slepie disease called of the phisicians letharge albeeit in dede men possessed with deiuils are more incurable then either of bothe these because the wicked spirites beeyng more stronger then mannes nature dooe tosse and turmoyle bothe theyr soules and bodyes and vexe them at theyr pleasures Neyther is it the custome to bryng suche vnto phisicians that are but men but they are lefte to the heauenly helpe of God For so greate is the strength and power of this eiuill that euen to beholde theÌ„ is a pieteous matier But peraduenture they seme not miserable although in dede they are more wretched caitifes that through the desyre of reignyng or bearyng a rewle ouer others are drawen to poisonyng or to witchecraftes and nigromancie to sleaghing yea the nerest of theyr kynne to sacrilege and other mo dedes of mischief more hainous then these and suche persones also whom wrathe carryeth violently out of the right waye to the spoylyng of inculpable poore men to the murdre of innocentes whiche haue nothyng deserued to makyng of warre to burnyng to settyng the whole worlde in a rose howe lytle a porcion is that
eiuell that the partie aboue sayed whose bodye the deuill had possessed dooeth or suffreth if it be compared with how great furies suche an one is vexed or how great confusion a prince bryngeth to the whole worlde if he be sette in a rage through the spirite of tyrannie The violent force of this sicknesse and mischiefe ouercommeth mannes power to cure it But the spirite of Christe is stronger then it which if the mynde of man haue once conceyued it cannot bee chosen but that all the vncleane spirites that would possesse him bee they neuer so manye muste auoide and bee goen When this shall so bee brought to passe then shall he sodaynly be made of a tyraunt a father of a cruell man a moste mercifull gouernour of a poller of the people a relieuer and succourer of the oppressed of a furious warriour an ensewer of peace of a briber and extorcioner a liberall dooer and a geuer of benefites of a glorious crakyng Thraso a sobre and prudente prynce of great experience Onely leat him bee brought to Iesus and bee ledde awaye from the worlde For euen than aboute the goyng downe of the sunne no small noumbre came vnto Symons house that is to saye vnto the Churche or congregacion of Christe where the gospell is preached and by the power of Christes ▪ spirite the vnclene spirites came out of them all openly protestyng that there was one come whose goodnesse was mightier than their malice For whan they departed out of menne they cryed and sayed Thou arte that same veraye sonne of God But as yet the tyme was not come whan the Lorde woulde be knowen vnto all menne that he was that same Messias the veraye sonne of God and thoughe he had been so mynded yet woulde he not that the vnclene spirites should bee the troumpettes of his glorye eyther for that theyr confession was not simple and of good purpose but subtile and craftie or because there was ieopardie in it lest yf theyr witnesse shoulde haue been of anye weyght or estimacion in this so great a matier they shoulde haue been credited or beleued in other thynges wherin they woulde as theyr delyte and felicitie was beguile men with theyr false lyes For Satan in veray dede forasmuche as he is of nature a lying marchaunte althoughe sometyme he speaketh the truthe yet dooeth he it onely to this ende to deceyue men thereby another time and waye And doubtelesse this crafte haue some men learned of hym who intermiengle godly thynges emong vngodly true thynges with false puttyng as it were deadlye poyson into holsome meates that they maye allure the mo men to damnacion Wherfore Iesus teachyng vs that it becommeth not suche menne as haue once consecrated themselues vnto the holy ghoste to haue any thyng at all to dooe with wieked spirites he rebuked theyr clamouryng and crying and sore threatnynges added he with all to put them to silence For they felte a woondrefull strength and vertue to procede from him and therof suspected that he was Messias the sonne of God euen thesame that was promised ¶ As soone as it was daye he departed and went into a deserte place and the people sought him and came to hym and kept hym that he should not departe from theim And he sayed vnto theim I must preache the kyngdome of God to other cities also For therfore am I sent And he preached in the Synagogues of Galilee But Iesus truely who was not come of moste speciall pourpose to heale the bodyes but to cure the soules nor to one citie onelye but to all countreyes of the worlde whan he had by shewyng many soondrye myracles and with the holsome doctrine of life well begon the castyng abrode of the sede of the euangelicall philosophie veray erely euen at the breake of daye before that the multitude shoulde eftsons flocke thither to hym as people whiche came more to gase and woondre at his myracles and to seke bodely healthe then to seke the saluacion of theyr soules he leaft Capernaum and withdrewe hymselfe departyng into wyldernesse or places solitarie as one that woulde fayne bee awaye from the great preasse and throng of people vaynly resortyng vnto hym teachyng vs a lesson by the waye that miracles are not to bee wrought to a vayne oftentacion or braggue of our selues nor yet at the wyll and pleasure of the people for theyr fansies and appetites but so ferre onelye as they maye auayle and growe to mennes saluacion and to Goddes glorye but the suspicion of vayn-glorye euermore at all tymes to bee vttrely avoyded That he healed al men it was an exaumple of goodnesse beeyng prompt and readye to be shewed vnto al men that he priuely withdrewe himselfe it was an exaumple of humilitee mekenesse fleeyng vayn prayses vauntyng of hymself And whā it was now brode daye light there resorted thither agayne as they had dooen great noumbre of all sortes of people allured by the greatnesse of thynges dooen on the daye before But whan they knewe that Iesus was goen many byanby folowed after hym And whan they had found hym they entreacted hym to tarye with them and not to leaue their citie but there with them to take an house to thentente he might bee a continuall dweller emongest them This mynde and affeccion of theirs towardes Iesus was in dede not vngodly but yet muche more blessed are they whiche suffre not the Lorde Iesus to departe from the litle house of their hertes but whan he addresseth to be goen doe with muche prayers cal him backe agayne Notwithstanding at that presente season the dispensacion and state of the fleshe whiche Iesus had taken did require that he often and manye tymes chaungeyng places might by that occasion from daye to daie sprede ferther and ferther abrode the preachyng of the ghosell beeyng as yet but a newe doctrine and but of late cummen vp For he was the sedesower seute into the worlde to sowe and caste abrode in all places the doctrine of the ghospell although it should not in al places like prosperously come vp and proue in growyng Wherefore to theim that willyngly desyred hym to returne againe to Capernaum and there to enhabite himselfe he ientilly and coldely made this aunswere The benefite that hath been freely bestowed vpon you take it well in woorth I dooe not mislike your entreteynement or harbrough ne despise to be a so iourner emong you But I must of necessitie preache the kyngdome of god to other cities to as I haue dooen to yours For truely my father hath sent me for this ende and purpose not to preache to one citie onely but that I shoulde call and bid all men to the felowshyp and brotherhood of the heauenlye kyngdome And thesame that Iesus nowe did himselfe he taught afterward his disciples also to dooe whiche was that they shoulde trauaile ouer and ouer the whole yearth and teache all nacions And this iourneyng from place to place was not the disease of
a figurate representacion of a more secrete doctrine The Apostles had prouision of viaundrie but it is suche as belongeth to Iesus This viaundrie lyke as it is of lyght pryce and course geare for poore folkes eatyng so is it but litle in quantitie For the doctrine of Moses is manyfolde and the philosophiers learnyng is of soondrie manier sortes of matiers and ful of plenteous stuffe but the worde of the ghospell is playne homely geare and short and yet suche as maie suffise for the soules of all nacions to be refreashed in case it be deliuered and receyued as it ought to bee To men of the apostles profession is the worde committed wherewith soules are made fatte but thesame woorde doe they not sette afore the people to fede on except it be firste consecrated and broken of Christe For than and neuer els is it the true fruite of preachyng the ghospell if the teacher dooe not presumpteouslye vsurpe to hymselfe the gift of learnyng whiche he hath as a thyng commytted to his credite ne vndiscretely or misaduisedly shewe foorth the same as thoughe it were of his owne but yelde it vnto Christe to bee made holy of him Otherwyse all in vain shall the teachers labour bee when he preacheth onlesse Iesus shall firste haue blissed the woorde onlesse he shall haue broken it onlesse he shal with his own handes deliuer it to be distributed to the people For piththye and effectuall it is whatsoeuer procedeth out of hys holy handes he only it is that fedeth that refresheth that maketh full bishops are nothing els but ministers and distributoures of an other mannes liberalitie The people all the while sitteth down in coumpanies vpon the ground nothyng stickyng or doubtyng nothyng murmuryng or repinyng whereby is signified that in the faithfull congregacion of Christes churche there oughte to be sobre humilitie and plain faithfull truste of the heart in god without any doublenesse and that all discorde and sedicious vproare ought to be away CoÌ„sider me ferthermore this mysterie too The Lorde Iesus firste of all thynges taught and healed the people and than fedde them afterward The woorde of God also is the heauenly meate of the soule But sum porcion hereof is not denayed to the vngodly and to the newely entered or instructed in the faythe For it is the medicine of mennes soules and the refeccion of the weake For holsome doctrine worketh the like effect in the soules of sinners that Iesus with his worde and his touchyng did in diseases of the body But there is a mistical bread whiche is not geuen but to persones now already wel taught and also throughly healed Thesame forsouth is that heauenly breade of the lordes body which is not geueÌ„ to those that are not yet through baptisme receyued into the body of the churche and congregacion ne vnto suche whose mynde and soule is holden with some grieuous cryme as it wer with a mortall sickenesse And that same meate of the priuie hidden wysedome of God which Paule the Apostle dyd not shewe foorth but emong the perfect is not to be vttered vnto all persones at auenture ¶ And it fortuned as he was alone praying his disciples were with hym and he asked them saying Who saye the people that I am They aunswered and sayed Iohn Baptyste some saye Helias and some saye that one of the olde Prophetes is aâ—iâ—eu He sayed vnto them But who saye ye that I am Simon Peter aunswered and sayed thou art the Christe of god and he warned and commaunded them that they should tell no man that thyng saying the sonne of man must suffre many thynges and be reproued of the elders and of the high priestes and Scribes and bee slayne and ryse agayn the thyrde daye Now because the lorde had so tempered all his sayinges and dooynges that some whiles he would shewe forth tokeÌ„s of his godly power and another tyme he would manifestely shew the veritie of his humayn nature the opinioÌ„s of men concernyng hym dyd muche varie But because it was requisite that emong them by whom he had appoynted to renewe the world there should bee one vniforme profession perfectly agreyng in it selfe concernyng hym at a time whan he was in his prayer solitarie with his disciples he demaunded of them what opinion the people had of hym or whom they sayed that he was The disciples aunswere some suppose thee to bee Iohn the Baptiste reuiued agayn some saye that thou arte Helias of whom the Iewes thynke that he shall come agayne before that Messias shall come and some others beleue the to be some one man of the olde Prophetes called to lyfe agayn Than sayed Iesus As for the people they are inconstaunt and waueryng as they are woont to be But ye that knowe me nerer and familiarly who dooeye saye that I am There Petur beeyng more ardent and fyerie then the residue made aunswere in the name of them al we know thee to be Messias whom God hath enoynted with all heauenly gyftes of grace And this theyr right profession Iesus in dede alloweth well but yet he geueth them a great charge that they shoulde make no woordes to no creature what opinion they were of For he sayed the tyme of openyng that misterie in the open face of all the worlde was not yet come and that the sacrifice of his death muste firste bee executed and accomplished and that he was appoynted to come to the glorie of that name by many kyndes of despite and reproche For the sonne of man sayeth he muste abyde muche woe and must bee reproued of thelders and of the Scribes and of the chiefe of the priestes yea and at length bee slaine too and aryse agayne from death to lyfe the third daie Ye muste therfore beware leste the glorye euen of this name if it should now at this present be preached should not fynd feyth to be credited because of the affliccion and death of the bodye and so might be a let to my death ¶ And he sayed vnto them all If any man wyll come after me leat hym denye hymselfe and take vp his crosse dayly and folow me For whosoeuer wyll saue his lyfe shall loose it But whosoeuer dooeth lose his life for my sake the same shall saue it For what auauntageth it a man if he winne the whole worlde and lose himselfe or runne in damage of himselfe For whoso is ashamed of me and of my woordes of him shall the soonne of manne be ashamed when he cometh in his maiestie and in the maiestie of his father and of the holye Aungels I tell you of a trueth There be some standing here which shall not â—ast of death till they see the kyngdome of God Than where Petur at the mencionyng of deathe trembled and quaked for veraye feare and aduised Christe to some other better waies then so whan Iesus had putte hym to silence he begoonne to exorte his other disciples also to the folowyng of his deathe saiyng Thus
pardone neyther in this preseÌ„t world nor in the worlde to come Lyke as to the wicked Aungels there is no waye leaft to come agayne vnto repentaunce because they resisted God not of any infirmitie or weakenesse but of an obstinate malice nor thesame wicked AuÌ„gels shall euer emende ne haue anye hope of forgeuenesse euen in thesame state shall men bee sure to bee if they folowe the peruerse facion of the others They see me a manne taking reste and slepe sufferyng houngre yea and they shall see me dying therefore it maye bee pardoned if they speake any thyng of me that may truely bee sayde of a mortall man But that beyng corrupted with enuie they impute those actes to the spirite of Beelzebub whiche they knowe to bee of the power of God forasmuche as on the one syde they defraude god of his glory and on the other syde they put ouer vnto wieked spirites that cometh of god and is due to him theyr so doyng verayly is of deiulishe malice whiche for thesame cause shall not obteine pardone of god though beeyng most singularely enclyned to shewe mercye because he can no skille to repente himselfe of his goodnesse Many wayes than shall there be murmouring agaynste youre preaching For some persones shall persecute you eyther strayghing out of the right way of mere simplicitie or els of a maliciousenesse miengled with theyr errour Othersome agaynst the conscience of theyr owne harte shall labour to destruie the veritie whiche they euidentlye see trie and knowe and that shal they doe for none other respect but because it contrarieth theyr naughtie affeccions By meanes of suche persones shall the eiuill spirite of Satan rebell against the good spirite of god by helpe of his garde the wicked men he shall inuade you with all kyndes of ingiens And although ye bee ignorauntes of the worlde poore men and of lowe degree there is no cause why for you to bee afearde of the vproare and sedicion of the world agaynste you The spirite of god being graciouse playne without any guile or deceite is sufficient againste all aswell fraude as violence of this worlde Therefore when ye shall bee haled into theyr synagogues appâ—ached of greate crymes when ye shall bee drawen to come beefore magistrates or rewlers and prynces doe not ye as the common sorte of people doe whan they are broughte afore a iudge to theyr aunswere who are muche carefull what aunswere they maye make or what they maye speake to ridde theyr handes of the mattyer Thus muche shall bee geuen to the puplique autoritie of a magistrate that beyng called ye shall appere But cause is there none why ye shoulde bee afearde of the sighte of them or why ye shoulde bee carefull howe to defende youre selues with an oracion prepared for afore The playne tale of the trueth shall continually from tyme to tyme bee ready and freshe in memory vnto you And suche kiende of wordes to speake the holye ghoste shall sufficientelye minister vnto you as often as nede shall require of suche sorte as your life is such shal your wordes also bee And nothing there is more pithie or effectuall then the playne trueth without any coloures ¶ One of the coumpany sayde vnto hym Maister speake to my brother that he deuyde the enheritaunce with me And he said vnto him Man who made me a iudge or a deuider ouer you And he sayde vnto them take hede and beware of couetousenesse For no mans life standeth in the aboundaunce of the thinges which he possesseth And he put furth a similitude vnto them saying The grounde of a certain riche man brought furth plentifull fruictes be thought within himselfe saying what shal I doe because I haue no roume where to bestow my fruictes And he â—aydeâ—â—â— his will I doe I will destroy my barnes builde greater therein wil I gather al my goddes that are growen vnto me and I wil say to my soule Soule thou hast much 〈◊〉 â—aied vp in store for manye yeres take thyne ease eate drinke and be mery But god saied vnto him Thou foole this nighte will they fetche away thy soule again from thee Than whose shal those thinges be which thou hast prouided So is it with him that gathereth richesse to himself is not riche toward god And as the feare of iudgemente maketh many goe a crosse way from the sinceritie of professing the gospel so doth the greedy desires of money corrupt a great mayny To the ende therfore that the Lorde might vtterly plucke that affeccion also out of his disciples hertes as a thyng basse or vyle and vnmeete for suche as haue entred the charge of heauenly affayres there was a matier euen there offered vnto him whereby the thing mighte bee doen. For where there was a very great multytude of people about Iesus and yet no manne that had before that daye beene so bolde to aske so lowe and so basse a mattyer of him one sayed vnto him Maister so it is that a brother of myne vsurpeth my parte of the enherytaunce whiche shoulde serue vs bothe and fyndyng manye euasyons and stertyng holes he delayeth from daye to daye to make particion therof here leat the autoritie of thy woorde bee a succoure and ayde vnto me Say vnto him and bidde him to deuide the enheritaunce with me Than Iesus as ye woulde saye taking skorne and indignacion so to bee interrupted from his heauenly busynesse of preaching vnto carnall and fylthye caâ—es in the meane while all vnder one geuing a lesson to his seruauÌ„tes that suche an one as beareth the office of an Apostle ought not to bee enwrapped in secular and filthie affayres of the world answered Thou felow with what face doest thou in the myddes of my preaching interrupt me agaynste thy brother in diuiding youre enheritaunce who hath made me a iudge betwene you two being at variaunce about a light tryflyng mattier and shortely to decaye Or who hath geuen me vnto you to bee a diuider of enheritaunces Hath not this worlde iudges enough to ende such lowe matiers of trauerse I haue no suche commission that this or that partie shall growe in richesse by cuÌ„ming to temporall goodes or landes by succession but that all creatures may come to the enheritaunce of the lyfe immortall in heauen And than turning to his disciples and to the rest that were there present he begoon euen by the exaumple of the partye that had interrupted hym afore in hys sermon to exhorte them from the earneste desyre of geatting worldely rychesse not that richesse are of themselues eiuil but because that to put the chiefe sâ—aygh of a mans life in theÌ„ and for the desyre of them to be called away from tho thinges whiche doe earnestly concerne euerlasting blisse is a veary folye Beware ye sayeth Iesus in any wise from all thinges belonging vnto auaryce For oftentimes vnder the colour of necessitie of making prouisyon aforehande for ones liuyng there cometh stealing
than can be saued for one shall fynd but a fewe persons but either they haue ryches or couet to haue But he recomforted the dismaiyng of his disciples again saiyng The thing whiche with men is vnpossible is possible enough with god It is not of mannes power to despyse rychesse and suche other commodities as folowe at the taile of richesse But this strength and stoutenesse of hert dooeth god geue vnto suche as through simple and vnfeyned beleuyng dooe shewe themselfes apte for to receyue his gyftes And he is with god no longer taken for worldely ryche whosoeuer hath laied away from hym the loue of money and in suche wyse possesseth his money that he wil with all his herte leaue thesame as often as respecte of health and saluacion euerlastyng shall require it Than Peter said Loe we haue forsaken all and folowed thee He said vnto them Uerilye I say vnto you there is no man that hath forsaken house either father or mother either brethren or wife or children for the kingdome of gods sake whiche shall not receiue much more in this worlde and in the world to cum life euerlastyng Of these woordes the Apostles conceyue a good hope the more parte of whom had left altogether whatsoeuer it was that thei were owners of tofore Therfore in the behalf of theÌ„ al speaketh Peter saiyng loe we haue left al and haue folowed thee we haue perfourmed eueÌ„ yesame point also which thou diddest earnestly require of the ryche man Than although it was but a very small porcion that Peter and Andrewe had left albeeit if they had had more more would they haue forsaken The Lorde conneth them thanke for their readinesse in that they had doen and because they should not nede to repente them of that they had dooen sheweth that great gain it is to haue lost worldely rychesse for the kyngdome of God For in lieu and place of transitory and vyle thynges by theÌ„ conteÌ„ned bothe here in this worlde the mynd and soule is enryched with goodes heauenly and also in the worlde to come endlesse felicitie is repaied for them Than furthermore hereupon thus sayd the Lorde This I auouche vnto you for a matter not to be doubted of not to you onely shall it turne to great gaines in the ende to haue left for my sake the litle slender possessions that ye had but also whatsoeuer person shall for the respect of the kingdom of god forsake either house or father or mother or brethren or wife or children he shall bothe in this preseÌ„t life receiue much mo thynges and also better then he lefte and moreouer in the world to cum he shall receiue life euerlastyng Iesus toke vnto him the twelue and said vnto them Behold we goe vp to Ierusalem and al shal be fulfilled that are written by the prophetes of the sonne of man For he shal be deliuered vnto the Gentiles and shal be mocked and despitefully entreated spetted on whan they haue scourged him they will put him to death And the third day he shal arise again And they vnderstode none of these thinges And this saiyng was hid from them soo that they perceyued not the thynges whiche are spoken After that he had with these sayinges somewhat lifted vp and chered the hertes of his disciples agayn he tooke with him the twelue apostles whoÌ„ it was not behoueable to be ignoraunt of any thyng which were wrought and doen for the redeÌ„pcion of maÌ„kind And now beginneth he euen suÌ„what openly and plainly to beate the matter into their heades concerning the death which he should at Ierusalem wittingly willingly dye accordiÌ„g to the foresayinges of the prophetes For he knew very wel that thei should be very sore dismaied and discuÌ„forted with the death of their maister and for that consideracioÌ„ he doâ—th often beate this tale into their heades to the ende that at the laste it may be engrauen in their hertes and that by a litle and a litle they myght bee enured to abide the matter which as yet their eares abhorred to heare meÌ„cioned or spoken of And verily this was none vnbelefe in theym but a certain earnest loue stroÌ„gly working in theÌ„ towardes their maister Seuerally therfore from the cumpany he begoonne to open vnto them that the tyme of hys death did now approch Behold saieth he we are now goyng vp towardes Ierusalem and there shal all thinges be accomplished that haue been writteÌ„ by the prophetes concernyng the sonne of man For he must be deliuered into the handes of the Gentiles and of them shall he be scorned and scourged and spetted on And after that they shall haue scourged him and shall haue mynistred vnto hym all kyndes of reproche and vilanie in wordes thei shal in fine put hym to death but he shal aryse agayne the third day from death to lyfe But this talke because it was nothyng swete ne pleasaunt could in no wise sink in to the Apostles stomakes as commoÌ„ly we are harde of belefe in such matters as we would not with our good willes haue to bee true And they coulde in no wyse perceiue the mysterie of the crosse wherhence redeÌ„pcioÌ„ and saluacion should by a newe found conueighaunce of god cum forth and issue vnto the worlde They had no luste ne fansy to beleue that a man whom they loued so entierly should dye of suche a violent kynde of death neyther coulde they possibly beleue it likely that suche an one should be put to deathe by the handes of the wicked as was hable to do such wonderfull actes and which had so many tymes escaped oute of the handes of suche as had attempted to assail him fasten vpon him and finally they doubted not but that it myghte be afterwarde an easier thyng for hym to bryng to passe not to dye at al thaÌ„ to reuiue again from death as he said he would yea and they thought it better not to dye at all then after death to bee restored to life again And althoughe they coulde not doubte of their maisters trueth in hys wordes yet did they in this maner flatter their owne affeccions they enterpreted that in these wordes of Iesus there lay priuily hidden some figurate mistical maner of speakyng suche as the lord did of a special property that was in him very muche and often vse to bryng in begilyng by meanes of that same colourable speakiÌ„g not only the people but also the very apostles selues as for exauÌ„ple whaÌ„ he willed theÌ„ to beware froÌ„ the leaueÌ„ of the phariseis whaÌ„ he auÌ„swered that he had an other kind of meate whiche he houÌ„gred for whaÌ„ he taught theÌ„ for a lessoÌ„ that a camel might soner passe through a nedles iye then a riche man entre into the kingdome of heauen whan signifiyng that his doctrine must be receiued and conueyed throughly into the very bowels of the soule he saied that no man shoulde haue lyfe in tyme to come onlesse thesame shoulde first eate his
frendely countenaunce and theyr garmentes glitteryng in maner of clere brightnesse or lightning Thissame veray lightnesse and sight of the Aungels had been an open semblaunt of the triumph of an arysing agayne to lyfe And whan the weomen beeyng throughly afrayed with this straunge syght cast their countenaunce and iyes downe vpon the grounde and durst not loke streight vpon the maiestie of the visioÌ„ being a thing aboue the reache of mans nature the sayed Aungels with mylde and amiable speakyng vnto them doe ease and recoumforte the hertes of them beeyng astouned with that soodayne feare O ye weomen saye the Aungels why doe ye seke hym in the graues of the dead which is a liuesman In dede here was he layed whan he was dead but nowe forasmuche as he is reuiued agayne he is not in graue where the dead doe reste but he is arysen agayne from death to life and walketh a liuesman emong the lyuing He had by his owne woordes foreshewed that dye he should he had foreshewed the tyme also the kynde of his death but thesame had also foreshewed that he would on the third day returne to lyfe againe Ye belieue hym to bee dead because ye sawe it belieue ye also that he is arysen againe to life For he will not in this pointe deceyue you whiche on the other parte tolde you trueth Hath sorowe and trouble of mynde made you to forget all thynges that he tolde you of aforehande Lette it come to your remembraunce againe howe that of all these thynges whiche haue nowe been dooen he leafte not any one poynte vnspoken of or vntolde aforehande whan he was yet in Galile For he tolde you afore that it was so decreed by the wysedome and ordeynaunce of his father that for the redempcion of mankynde the sonne of man should be deliuered into the handes of synners and that he should bee accused should be beaten and should be setfurth to receyue al kyndes of mocking skorning and finally that beyng hoighced vp vpon the crosse he should be put to death but yet that he thesame man should on the thirde daye returne to lyfe agayne Call ye the tyme well vnto your knowlage He was taken downe from the crosse well towardes the euentyde of the preparacion daye and layed here in thissame graue that daye is rekoned for the firste daye from his death All the whole Sabboth day he rested in his sepulchre Nowe is this the dayspring of the third day which third day himselfe arising together with thesame hath willed to be gladsome and prosperous to all the whole worlde After these woordes spoken the Aungels vanished awaye from theyr sight ¶ And they remembred his woordes and returned from the sepulchre and tolde all these thynges vnto those eleuen and to all the remnaunt It was Mary Magdalene Ioanna and Mary Iacobi and other that were with them which tolde these thynges vnto the Apostles And theyr woordes semed vnto them feigned thinges neyther beleued they them Than arose Petur and ran vnto the sepulchre and loked in sawe the linen clothes layed by themselfes and departed woondreyng in himselfe at that whiche had happened Than the wemen through the Aungels bringyng them in remembraunce doe call to memorie the Lorde Iesus woordes by the whiche he had tolde aforehand vnto his disciples aswell his death as also his resurreccion Whervpon leauyng the monumente they make hast to the eleuen Apostles and the other disciples who for feare of the Iewes lay in secrete places here some and there some gathered together and had euen themselues too forgotteÌ„ in maner all thinges that Iesus had tolde them and wer now in manier in despayre and to them doe the weomen bryng newes what they had seen and what they had heard of the Aungels The first weoman Eue beeyng deceyued by the serpent allured her housebande Adam to doe amysse these deuoute weomen beeyng taught by the Aungels doe moue and exhort men to promptenesse of beleuing Therfore because the weomen kynde shoulde not euermore without any ende continue in slaunder and oblique for death that had issued out of them into men the moste gladsome tidinges of lyfe restored agayne doethe therehence procede from whence the occasion of death hath first issued Now the weomen whiche brought the fyrst newes of the premisses vnto the Apostles were Marie Magdalene the systur of Lazarus Ioanna the wyfe of Chusa Herodes agent and factour Mary the mother of Iames the younger whiche was also called the systur of Mary the Lordes mother and many other weomen whiche in coumpany of these were woont to goe with Iesus where euer he wente But for the vncredible matâ—er that they brought newes of the weomen beyng estemed to bee vessels sumwhat fraile founde no suche regarde as to bee credyted emong the Apostles whom the Lorde for suche consideracion suffred to bee the slacker to beleue that the assured trueth of hys resurreccion myghte by the moe euidente proufes and tokens bee confyâ—med Therfore what the sayed weomen reported of soodayne seeyng of the aungels of the stone in a momente remoued from the mouth of the sepulchre semed to the Apostles and disciples to bee some poynte of dotage suche as reigneth in weomen because that thys sexe of woman kynde hauyng the conceipte of their imaginacion somewhat infected and corrupte through the weakenesse of reason and of good iudgemente in them doe many times belieue themselfes to see that thei see not and heare that they heare not And although they did not belieue it to be a mattier of trueth that the weomen reported yet dyd theyr earnest affirmyng of it and standynge therin thus muche auayle that Peter arysyng from the place where he sate ran furth to the monument and puttyng hys head in and lokyng afore hym he fyndeth not the body but the pieces of linnen in whiche the body of Iesus had been wound vp he seeth liyng there aside in a place by themselfes And yet not so neyther dyd he belieue that the Lorde was arisen agayne from death to lyfe so diepe forgetfulnesse had there taken hym of the thynges which Iesus had sayed but awaye he went from the sepulchre meruaylyng with himselfe what had befallen and doubtyng whether any body had taken awaye the bodye out of the monument and castyng many soondry thynges in his minde by whom or of what entent and purpose thatsame poynte had been dooen that the body taken awaye he sawe the linen pieces leafte behynde as thynges laysurely taken of from the body whiche could not without some buisinesse haue been plucked of and for that he sawe thesame linen pieces not cast aboute at auenture here one and there one but handesomely layed vp in theyr place and ordre the kerchefe wherwith the head and face of Iesus had been couered beyng layed by it selfe aparte from the rest ¶ And beholde twoo of them went thatsame daye to a toune called Emaus whiche was from Hierusalem aboute three
voyce of the Prophetes we haue been enstructed to godlinesse by the prescript and appointmente of the lawe we haue been forbidden to dooe eiuill and for that we haue receiued as it were the shadowe of true religion Nowe doeth euen very he offre to all men more plenteous grace who thorowe the faythe of the ghospell pardoneth freely all synnes and geueth euerlasting life to theim that deserued death For Moses whose auctoritie is had emong you as a thing halowed or consecrate is no manier of waye to bee compared to hym Moses was onely the pronouncer and setter furth of the lawe but not the auctor and he brought a lawe vneffectuall sharpe and hard the whiche with figures and shadowes might bee as it were a preparacion to the light of the ghospell that should come after and thesaied Moses lawe should rather make synnes to bee knowen then take them awaye yea and to say trueth shoulde rather make a way to health then geue health or allure vs with promises But nowe in steade of the straytnesse of the lawe grace is geuen by Iesu Christe whiche thorowe faith of the ghospell frely and wholy forgeueth all men their synnes He hath geuen the lawe of trueth in steade of shadowes wherof he hymselfe is not onely the declaâ—â—â— but also the auctor as he vnto whom God the father hath geuen all power No man hath seen God at any time the onely begotten sonne whiche is in the bosome of the father he hath declared him And truely these be the secretes of God the father these bee the hidde counsailes of the diuine mynde by the whiche it hath pleased hym that god shoulde become manne and after a sorte to make menne Godlike to mixe moste highe thinges with the lowest and to exalt the lowest vnto the hiest He dyd neuer fully open these thinges to any of our forefathers although he dyd sometyme shewfurth to them certain lytel sparkes of his lyght by Angels by dreames and by visions For no mortall man were he neuer so great did euer see God as he is in dede but couertly as it were in shadowe And although he dyd vtter in some parte to Moses to the Patriarkes and Prophetes a litell porcion of his secretes yet none but his onely begotten sonne dyd receyue this fulnes of grace and trueth who being made man did so come down to vs that neuertheles by his godly nature he doeth alway remaine in the bosome of God the father and as touchyng all thinges that pertayne to the obtayning of euerlastyng saluacion he hath declared vnto vs more familiarly and plainly without wrappyng or coueryng the thyng whiche he dyd signify to the other but partely or vnder a cloud and as it were in a slepe ¶ And this is the recorde of Iohn When the Iewes sente priestes and leuites from Hierusalem to aske him what art thou And he confessed and denied not and saied plainly I am not Christe When Iohn had often times priuely commended Christe by this maner of witnes then did he openly declare what maner of man he was doing the dutie of a pure honeste seruaunte whiche neither woulde wrongfully take vpon him the honour of his maister wheÌ„ the Iewes woulde haue geuen it to him neither yet woulde depriue his saied maister thereof althoughe he knewe well inough that he shoulde not onely by that meanes leese the estimacion and auctoritie which alredy he had emong the Iewes but also it shoulde cause them to enuy him muche because they had rather haue geuen that auctoritie to Iohn whose birthe also was famous notable emonge the Iewes who for the dignitie that his father was of beinge a head prieste was the more highly estemed of theim who for the straungenes of his diet his wearinge of Camell skinnes his beinge in wildernes his baptisme and the greate numbre of his disciples caused the people to haue him in admiracion whereas Christe for the basenes of his kinred by reason of his trade of liuing and apparell nothinge differing from the coÌ„mon vse of people at that time was litel set by therefore seing that poore Christ himselfe did not contente the proud Pharisees yea and they began sum what to enuy Iohn only because he had commended Christe in his preaching the said Pharisees sent from Ierusalem priestes and leuites being men of great auctoritie to enquire of Iohn before the multitude who he was of whom the iudgemente of the people did somuche vary For some said that he was Christ that shoulde deliuer the whole nacion of the Iewes from seruitude Some supposed him to be Helye whom according to Malachies prophecie they thought was come again to be the goer before of Messias to come As touching Christe very fewe regarded hym because both his parentes himselfe liued barely and poorely yet neuertheles some began to enuy hym And so the crafte of the Pharisees did then goe aboute this thyng to thintent they might frame Christ to their euill desires Whiche thing they thought shoulde be brought to passe if he had not been alowed but by theyr auctoritie profe for if he had taught thinges repugnaunte to theyr affeccions and vices they woulde haue disalowed and taken away his auctoritie emong the people whose doctrine they had perceyued shoulde hinder theyr commodities This is the folishe policie of worldely wisedom But Christe whose doctrine is all heauenly woulde not haue any part of theyr humain auctoritie to be mixe with his euangeliall doctrine Some of the Iewes also did trust it should come to passe that Iohn although he wer not Christ yet would accept so honorable a name that was willingly offred him They being bondmen most addict geuen to glory did know wel inough that moste holye men be soone deceiued with this pestilence of vainglorye they were not ignoraunt how muche all that nacion woulde haue reioyced if Iohn woulde haue taken vpon him the name of Messias â–ª which already a good part of the Iewes did willingly attribute to him If he had taken it vpon him emonge the people they had occassion wherby they might exclude Christe whom they hated for his poore estate if he had taken it vpon him they woulde furthwith haue falsely accused him Therefore they aske Iohn before the people by the auctoritie they had of the Priestes Phariseis saying â–ª Who art thou for alredy they had begunne both to be greued with his auctoritie and sumwhat to enuy his good renoume He beinge well assured that they asked him these questions for the hatred they had to Christ did not byanby open vnto them his owne opinion as concerning Christ but did repell the false suspicion that they had touchinge himselfe whiche mighte haue hindred the glory of Christ among the people boldly contemning the glory of an vnrightful title did confesse that he was not Messias as many thought he had ben neither did he deny himselfe to bee that thinge he was in dede beinge redy to declare who he
him Sir thou hast nothyng to drawe with and the wel is diepe from whence then hast thou that water of lyfe Arte thou greater theÌ„ our father Iacob which gaue vs the well and he himselfe dranke therof and his children and his cattell Iesus aunswered and saied vnto her Whosoeuer drynketh of this water shall thirste againe but whosoeuer drinketh of the water that I shall geue hym shall neuer be more athirste But the water that I shall geue hym shall be in hym a well of water springing vp into euerlastyng lyfe The woman sayeth vnto hym Sir geue me of that water that I thirste not neither come hither to drawe Forasmuche as this was spoken of the spirite whiche the beleuers in the ghospell should receiue it is no meruaill thoughe a poore selie woman of Samaria did not vnderstand it seing that Nicodemus beyng both a Iewe and a maister could not perceiue that thing whiche Iesus had spoken sumwhat more plainly concernyng being borne agayne from aboue yea and yet did he aunswere more grossely then this woman For he sayed can a man when he is olde enter again into his mothers wombe and so be borne a newe But this woman after she had conceiued a certayn great high thyng of this saying of Iesus If thou knewest the gifte of God and if thou knewest who he were and he coulde geue thee water of life she was not misconteÌ„t that he semed litle to regarde Iacobs well whiche she had in great reuerence neither yet did she mocke the bolde sayinges of him which was to her both a straunger vnknowen and also a Iewe but she desyryng to learne what this was whiche he did so set furth as a thyng straunge and notable in token of honour calleth him Lord as who saieth she had alreadie conceiued no small opinion of him But in the meane while this exaumple of the woman of Samaria was thus deuised and brought to passe by the ordynaunce of gods counsel to rebuke and declare thereby the peruerse frowardnes of the Iewes whiche were so ferre from shewyng themselues easie to be taught of our lord Iesus that thei did wiekedly despise his benefites and finde fault with his holsome doctrine wheras this poore woman hauing a desyre to be taught did curteously and gently aunswere to al thynges insomuche that she tarying styll in the heate and hauyng forgotten the thyng for whiche she came gaue hede to his wordes who was to her both vnknowen a straunger and of whome as yet she had heard no notable reporte Sir saieth she thou doest promise vnto me water farre more excelleÌ„t then this but thou hast no vessell wherewith to drawe thesame and the well is diepe Therfore how shouldest thou come by this liuely water which thou doest promise Art thou greater theÌ„ our father Iacob whome ye Iewes also haue in reuerence He gaue this well vnto vs as a notable gift did so muche set by this water that he himself was wont to drinke therof with al his familie and also his cattel Iesus perceyuing that the woman was apt to be taught which did not suspect hym to be a southsayer or an enchaunter but some notable great man whom she thought worthy to be compared with Iacob a man highly estemed of her Iesus I say doeth not disdeyne to allure her by litle and litle to haue him in higher and greatter estimacion shewyng how the water wherof he did speake is spirituall whiche should not refreshe beastes but soules Whoso drynketh sayeth he of this water whiche the Patriarche Iacob gaue vnto you dooeth but onely for a shorte time slake the bodily thirst whiche within a while after will returne agayne But to thintente that thou maiest vnderstande howe muche this gyfte of God wherof I haue spoken is more excellent then the gift of Iacob how muche the water which I promise is better then this water which floweth furth oute of the veines of the yearth if any man drinke of this water which I shall geue him if he desyre it he shall not thirste eternally neyther shall any thirste euer after put hym in any ieoperdye nor yet shall he nede from tyme to tyme anye where els to aske water but after he hath once drunken this water it shall remayne in hym which hath druncke it and shall bryng furth in thesame a fountaine perpetually springing vp euen vnto life euerlastyng Iesus spake these thynges by a darke similitude knowyng that the woman was not yet hable to receyue the ministrie of faith by the whiche the holy ghost is geuen who beyng once receyued neuer failleth but doeth styll goe forwarde whilest it bryngeth man vp to eternall life But the simplicitie of this woman was so great that whereas the Iewes are wont ouerthwartly and wrongfully to interprete suche maner of parables she not vnderstanding what he saied but yet both beleuing and louyng hym sayed Lord I praye the geue me parte of this water that I be not compelled by beyng often and sundrie times a thirst to go vnto this wel and drawe therof Albeit this aunswere was grosse yet neuertheles it did declare that her mynde was enclined and readie to beleue ¶ Iesus saieth vnto her goe call thy husbande and come hither The woman aunswered and sayed vnto hym I haue no husbande Iesus sayed vnto her thou hast well saied I haue no husbande for thou hast had fiue husbandes and he whom thou now hast is not thy husbaÌ„d In that sayedst thou truely Therfore because she had alreadie conceyued no small opinion of Iesus he doeth inuite and moue her further with greater tokens and proues of his godhead to thynke yet more highly of hym Iesus then as though he woulde not open so secrete a matier to her vnles her husbande wer present commaundeth her to call her husbande and bryngyng hym with her to returne agayn to hym by and by When the woman had heard this thinkyng that she spake but to a man and by the reason of womanly shamefastnes desiryng to dissemble hide her vicious liuyng and with deniall of matrimonie to kepe secret her aduoutrie she saieth Sir I haue no husbande Here Iesus both declaryng his godhed and gentely reprouyng the womans lyfe saieth vnto her In that thou sayest thou hast no husbande thou hast tolde the trueth for although thou hast had fyue husbandes to satisfy thy filthy luste yet neuer a one of them was lawfull yea and euen very he whom thou now hast is not thy lawfull husbande Therefore in this poynte thou hast spoken nothyng but trueth The woman sayeth vnto hym sir I perceyue that thou arte a Prophete Our father 's wurshipped in this mountaine and ye saye that in Hierusalem is the pâ—ace where menne oughte to wurshippe Iesus sayeth vnto her â–ª woman beleue me the houre commeth when ye shall neither in this mountayne nor yet at Hierusalem wurshippe the father Ye wurshippe ye wotte not what we knowe what we wurshippe for saluacion cummeth of the Iewes
againe if they will heare the voice of the sonne of God but he doeth not heare it whiche heareth it without fayth In tyme to come all dead bodyes shall ryse agayne at the voyce of the sonne of God now hauyng shewed a likelyhoode of the resurreccion to come by raysing of a fewe from death to lyfe a greater matter is in haÌ„de to rayse vp soules from death to lyfe at his worde and call As nothyng is more preciouse than lyfe so nothyng is more godlike than to geue lyfe or to restore thesame There is no cause why any man should mistrust the power of the sonne yf he beleue in the power of the father No man doubteth but God is the fountaine of all life from whence all lâ—uing thinges eyther in heauen or earth haue theyr lyfe but as the father hath life in himselfe to geue it or restore it to whom he list so hath he also geuen to his sonne to haue in himselfe the fouÌ„taine of all lyfe And besides that hath geuen him power to iudge both quicke and dead For by the sentence of the sayed sonne whiche cannot be exchewed they that haue oâ—eyed his doctryne shall go from hence to eternall lyfe and contrarye they that woulde not obey it shall be appoynted and iudged to eternall punishment Meruayle not that so great power is geuen to a man consideryng that thesame is the sonne of God The selfe thyng is nowe committed to hym whiche he alwaye had common betwene hym and the father Endeuour your selues in the meane tyme that thorowe fayth ye maye be wurthy to haue lyfe For the tyme shal come that all whiche be dead and buryed shall heare the almightie voyce of the sonne of God and furthwith the bodyes shall liue agayne Then shall they which haue been dead and buried come out of theyr graues to be rewarded in sundry sorte eyther accordyng to theyr beliefe or vnbeliefe for they whiche haue doen good workes in this lyfe shall than lyue agayne to enherite immortall lyfe on the other syde those whiche haue doen euill here shall lyue agayne to suffre paines of eternall death And lyke as fayth is the well and fountayne of all goodnes so is infidelitie the spryng of all euill I can of myne owne selfe do nothyng As I heare I iudge and my iudgemente is iuste because I seâ—â— not mâ—ne owne will but the wyll of the father whiche hath sente me If I should beare witnes of my self my witnes were not true There is another that beareth witnes of me and I am sure that the witnes whiche he beareth of me is true Neither is there cause why any man should slaundre the iudgement of the sonne as though it were not indifferent If the fathers iudgement cannot bee but indifferent no more can the sonnes iudgement whiche is all one with the fathers be but in like maner indifferent For the sonne iudgeth none otherwise but as the father hath appoynted and prescribed vnto him Whoso feareth the fathers iudgement ought also to feare the sonnes iudgemeÌ„t I can do nothing of my selfe As I heare of my father so I iudge and therfore my iudgement is iust because I haue no other will â–ª but that whiche is my fathers so that in no wyse there can be a corrupt will wherof maye procede a corrupte iudgemente Among men small credite is geuen to him whiche beareth witnes of himselfe and he is counted arrogant and proude whiche by his owne reporte attributeth great thynges to hymselfe If I alone be myne owne witnes then let my witnes be taken emong you to be but vayne and vntrue but there is one which hath borne witnes of me that is to saye Iohn to whom ye dooe attribute very muche in other thynges but here nowe as vnstedfast men ye dooe noâ— credite him wheras I knowe his witnes to be true forasmuche as he hath not vttered it of hymselfe but by the inspiracion of my father Ye cannot deny but that Iohns recorde and witnes is muche set by amonges you your selues haue sent graue men vnto him that by trustie men you might knowe of him as of a moste true auctor whether he were Messias or no. He did not take vpon hym that false prayse whiche ye would haue attributed vnto hym but confessed the trueth openly testifying himself not to be the manne that he was taken for â–ª but sayed that I was the Messias whiche shoulde take awaye the sinnes of the worlde and geue lyfe to thesame Ye sent vnto Iohn and he bare witnes vnto the trueth but I receiue not the recorde of man Neuerthelesse this thing I saye that ye maye be safe He was a burning and a shining light and ye would for a season haue reioyced in his light but I haue greater witnes then the witnes of Iohn for the workes whiche the father hath geuen me to finishe thesame workes that I do beare witnes of me that the father hath sent me And the father himself which hath sent me â–ª hath borne witnes of me Ye haue not heard his voyce at any tyme nor seen his shape his woorde haue ye not abydyng in you for whom he hath sent hym ye beleue not At the least his witnes whom ye did so muche exteeme that ye dyd beleue hym to be Messias ought to haue been regarded among you specially seyng it was not procured on my behalfe but brought to light by your owne selues I as concernyng my selfe haue no nede to bee commended by mannes witnes but I do reporte vnto you Ihons witnes of me not because I who care nothyng for worldly glory would be the more made of among you but to thintent that you whiche so muche regarde Iohns auctoritie shoulde credite me of whom he hath borne witnes whereby ye maye exchewe the condemnacion of infidelitie and thorowe faith obteyne saluacion Iohn doubtles was a greate man yet was not he that light whiche was promised to the world but onlye a burnyng candell tynded at our fyre and geuyng light by our light And yet whereas ye ought at his tellyng and declaracion to haue made hast to the true light which doeth alwaie illuminate euery man that cummeth into this world ye had leauer for a shorte tyme to boast and glory in his lighte than to embrace the true light which geueth euerlastyng glory is neuer darkened nor dyeth Iohn gaue light before the sonne as one that should immediatelye geue place to thesame and be derkened thorowe the shining of the true light You woulde haue taken hym for Messias which denyed hymselfe to be woorthy to vnleuse the latchet of Messias shooes Why doe you then so litle regarde his witnes that he bare of me seing in other thynges ye haue had so good an opinion of hym I do not depende vpon Iohns witnes but yet I woulde wishe that ye woulde geue credite vnto it that ye do not perishe thorowe infidelitie And though ye do not
had rowen about a xxv or xxx furlonges they sawe Iesus walkyng in the sea and drawyng nighe vnto the shippe and they wer afraied But he saieth vnto them it is I be not afrayed Then would they haue receiued him into the shippe and immediately the shippe was at the lande whither they went The lake was so great that they called it the sea which the nyght made more terrible And to make it moe waies daungerous then one they hadde the windes so outragious agaynste theim that the lake was exceadyng rough withall yet neuerthelesse the disciples were so desirous of theyr mayster that they dydde aduenture to rowe vpon the water Nowe therefore when they were farre from the lande and hadde rowed vpon a fyue and twenty or thyrtie furlonges being almoste in despaire of theyr liues oure Lorde Iesus was cumme nighe vnto theym vnlooked for notwithstandyng the darkenesse they se hym goyng on foote vpon the sea as thoughe he had troden vpon the harde grounde to declare hymselfe thereby lorde not onely of the yearth but of all elementes also And of trueth the charitie of the ghospell hath iyes and can see â—uen in the darke neyther is there anye nyght where Iesus is presente nor anye deadly tempeste whereas he is nygh that maketh all thinges clere and caulme But nowe when our Lord was cum nighe vnto the shyppe the disciples were sodaynly aferde and because they could not well see and perfectly diâ—cerne in the darke they nowe suspect the thyng to be but as it were a vision in the nyght a ghoste or suche lyke as the vulgar people beleue many to bee seen of theym that sayle by nyght Neuerthelesse to put theym out of all feare with speakyng vnto theym in his owne propre voyce whiche they knewe and were well accustomed therewith Iesus sayd vnto them it is I bee not afraied signyfiyng thereby that such as haue the assistence of our Lorde Iesus oughte not to bee afrayed of worldly trouble bee it neuer so great and necse All they truelye whiche in simplicitie and plainnes of heart do constaÌ„tly and faythfullye depende vpon hym hath hym presente euen to the worldes ende Now the disciples being boldened at the voyce of theyr maister were desirous to take hym into the shyppe for euen they verily were sumwhat afrayed whose truste and hope yet was bothe weake and vnconstant But to thintent that our Lord Iesus myght declare to his disciples the whole thing that was doen to be wrought by his diuine power and that the storme was not swaged and ceassed by casualtye the shippe which incontinentelye before was tossed hyther and thyther â— ferre of from the shore did sodainly ariue to the lande whereunto they entended to goe The disciples whose faythe was to be framed and confirmed by all the wayes that could be possible by these proues and tokens dydde more diligentelye imprinte in theyr myndes this myracle The base folowing when the people whiche stoode on the other side of the sea sawe that there was no ship there saue that one wherin his disciples wer entred that Iesus went not in with his disciples into the ship but that his disciples wer gon awaie alone howebeit there came other ships from Tiberias vnto that place where they did eat bread after the Lord had geuen thankes When the people sawe that Iesus was not there neyther his disciples they also tooke shipping and came to Capernaum seeking for Iesus And in dede the people were not altogether ignoraunt of this straunge thing and myracle for the nexte daie after these thynges were dooen when the multitude whiche remayned styll on the other syde of the water sawe that none other shyppe was there saue that one wherein the disciples went ouer whom when they sawe shootyng on the shore they were well assured that Iesus wente not with his disciples into the shippe but that they went awaye alone The people I saye meruailed to what place he hadde secretelye withdrawen hymself for so muche as not withstandyng the multitude whom he had fed the day before dyd muche desire and long for hym yet in the mornyng dydde he no where appeare But yet supposyng that he woulde not be very long absente from his disciples whiche were alreadye gon ouer euen these folkes also were determynyng to rowe ouer the water to proue yf they could fynd hym on the other side And there was presente at the same tyme certayne shyppes which had cum not from Capernaum but from Tyberias a câ—tie also standyng by the sea syde â—igh vnto the place where they had been fedde and eaten their fil with .v. barly loaues wherewith beyng satisfied they gaue thankes to god whiche had sente to his people suche a prophete Therefore when these shyps were in a readinesse to carrye ouer the people and Iesus that was muche soughte for coulde no where bee founde the people tooke shippyng there to â—eke Iesus because he had there a restyng place and because they also knewe that the Apostles were sailed ouer thyther And when they had found him on the other side of the sea â–ª thei said vnto him Rabbi when camest thou hither Iesus answered them and saide Uerelye verely I saie vnto you ye seke me not because ye sawe the myracles but because ye did eat of the loaues wer filled Labour not for meate that perysheth but for that whiche endureth vnto euerlasting life whiche meate the sonne of man shall geue vnto you For him hath god the father sealed When they had founde Iesus here and sawe that he had passed ouer the lake and knowyng righte well that there was no shippe to conueigh him ouer muche meruailyng by what meanes he coulde passe ouer the water asked of him saiyng Maister when cameste thou hyther desiring to gather by the very time howe he hadde passed ouer For they supposed euen this thing also to bee doen by myracle lyke as he had the day past fedde a vey great multitude But the feruencie whiche they had the daye before whereby the other daye they went about to force him to a kingdome euen agaynste his will was now well cooled And leste Iesus should seme to auaunte his owne power he maketh no aunswere to these thynges to the intente they shoulde be moâ—e crediblye enfourmed of the myracle by his disciples and also by euidente 〈◊〉 thereof But Iesus dyd sore rebuke and earnestely reproue the affeccion of the multitude as not onely vnconstaunte but also rude and grosse and farre vnmete for the doctryne of the ghospell because that albeit they hadde seene greatter myracles whiche dyd more proue his diuyne power yet neuerthelesse one plenteous diner dyd more stirre them then the desire of eternal saluacion And they sette more by bodily susteinaunce wherewith that thyng is now and then and but for a time releued whiche within a whyle after shall perishe then they dydde hungre after that meate without whiche the soule do the euerlastingly perishe Finally he didde correcte
saluacion of the worlde For the Lorde beynge moste desirous of mans saluacion coueted that yf it mighte be possible his doctrine should worke saluacion in al men but yet so muche was not to be geuen to the frowardnes of certaine that the doctrine of the gospel was to be withdrawen and kept from the good simple people Now whan half the feast was done ▪ Iesus went vp into the temple and taught And the Iewes meruailed saying how knoweth he the scriptures seing that he neuer learned Iesus aunswered and saied My doctrine is not mine but his that sente me If any man wil be obedient to his will he shall knowe of my doctrine whether it be of god or whether I speake of my self He that speaketh of himselfe seketh his owne prayse but he that seketh his prayse that sent him the same is true and no vnrighteousnes is in hym Therfore when as the highe an solemne feast was halfe doen Iesus went openly in the syght of all men into the temple and there taught the people not pharisaicall ordinaunces or ceremonies of the lawe whiche should anon after cease but the philosophy and wisdom of the ghospell But when the Iewes could picke no quarell against his doctrine yet they deuise and studie to brynge him out of credence to diminishe his autoritie amōge the people meruailinge how that he being not learned and vnlettred for in dede he was neuer brought vp in pharisaicall doctrine in the reading and profession whereof they swelled for pride should cū by those sayinges whiche he alledged and brought out of holy scripture with great wisdom to muche purpose in maner appeaching him as one that had a deuill to teache hym or that he had cū by the knowledge of that learning whiche he learned of no man by sum other magical arte and deiuilishe witchecraft The Iewes therfore in consyderaciō hereof sayed how doeth this felowe a Carpēter himself a Carpenters sonne read vnderstād sciences when as he neuer learned thē Uerely Iesus to shewe vs an exaūple of sobrietie and gentle behauiour very courteously and with muche lenitie put awaye and confuted their so sinfull and wicked suspicion declaring plainlye that his doctrine came neyther of man nor deuill but euen of God whom they also did wurship whose glorye and honor they ought of duetie to fauour yf thei woulde be taken for true godly men and as for himself he told them plainly that he did neyther chalenge to himselfe the doctrine which they woondred at nor the honour and prayse which they did enuie but that altogether came of the father of heauen whose businesse he did He told them furthermore that forasmuche as they had taken vpon them the perfite knowledge of the lawe which God gaue vnto thē and did disdainfullie lothe other as vnlearned and very ideotes it were indifferentlye doen that in case they had the very true knowledge of scripture they shoulde embrace and acknowledge the doctrine whiche proceded from thesame from whom the law came vnlesse they would make men knowe that enuie hatred desyre of their owne glory loue of gain and lucre and suche lyke inordinate and carnall desyres whiche procedeth of a leude minde had blinded their iudgement For God is not sayeth he contrary to himselfe that now he would teache by his sonne a contrary thing to that he gaue in his lawe Therfore Iesus knowyng all their secretes made this answer to their secrete murmuring saying My doctrine which ye wōder of whome I shoulde haue it for so muche as I haue learned no letter of any man is not mine for in dede I do bring you no newe learning of mā that differeth from the will of God and the minde of the lawe whiche was geuen you of God but it is my fathers doctrine which hath sent me into the worlde that the worlde being seduced with the sundry and manifolde doctrines of men and blinded with wicked affeccions and naughty desyres might by me knowe my fathers will when it is knowen folowe it and so by folowyng of it obtein eternall lyfe For of trueth his will is this that they that beleue his sonnes sayinges by whom he teacheth you and speaketh vnto you shoulde get thereby euerlasting health And the cause why many do lesse minde and desyre that thing is enuie hatred ambition aduauntage and other euill desyres and carnall lustes But if any man would setting asyde all malice with a true meaning and a plain simple herte obey my fathers wil rather then his own lewde and vngraciouse affeccions he will soone recognyse my doctrine not to be of man or any newe and straunge inuencion of the deuill but to becum frō God nor that I do speake those thinges which I saye of mannes reason and witte but after my fathers minde whose ambassadour I am Men that be more studiouse of their owne glorye than of Goddes do preferre newe doctrine of their owne inuenciō before the doctrine of God to be made more of in the worlde themselues For they had rather be taken for authors of mans doctrine the whole glorye wherof shoulde altogether continually redound to themselfes then to bee publike preachers of Gods doctrine and had leauer teache those thinges which might get to themselfes prayse aduauntage then that which should bring glory and honour to God or saluacion to their neyghbour But he that seketh not his owne prayse but his from whom he is sent speaketh all thinges purely and vncorruptely neyther is his doctrine in daunger of any errour or fauty through the lustes of ambicion of auarice enuie or hatred Did not Moses geue you a lawe and yet none of you kepeth the lawe Why go ye about to kill me The people aunswered and saied Thou haste a deuil who goeth aboute to kill the ▪ Iesus aunswered and sayed vnto them I haue 〈◊〉 one woorke and ye all meruail Moses therfore gaue vnto you the circumcision not because it is of Moses but of the father And yet ye on the Sabboth day circumcise a men If a man on the Sabboth day receyue circumcision without breakyng of the lawe of Moses disdain ye at me because I haue made a man euery whit wholle on the Sabboth day Iudge not after the vttre apperaunce but iudge with a righteous iudgement I teache no other thing then that which God had taught you by his lawe if a man vnderstand the meaning of the lawe nor I do nothyng els but that the lawe prescribeth vnto me The auctoritie of Moses is an halowed thing and had in reuerence with you that despise me And did not he take you a lawe whiche he receiued at Gods hande Ye take vpon you the right vnderstanding and keping of the lawe whereas none of you doeth truely obserue the law after the wil of God who gaue you the lawe yea rather vnder a coulour and pretence of the lawe ye go about those thinges whiche he doeth moste deteste and punishe Ye laye
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
asked almes neyther did they suffer him to speake any longer And beyng ashamed to be so put to silence and haue their mouthes stopped by a poore ignoraunt person they thrust him out of the Sinagogue as a leude masters leude disciple Iesus hearde that they had excommunicated him and when he had founde hym he saied vnto him doest thou beleue on the sonne of god He aunswered and sayed who is it lord that I might beleue on hym And Iesus sayed vnto hym thou hast seen hym and he it is that talketh with the. And he sayed Lorde I beleue and he wurshypped hym But whome Pharisaicall fiercenes thrusteth out of the Sinagogue them doeth Christe receiue into his churche For to bee disseuered from the communion of the wicked is to be coupled to Christe And to bee disallowed of them that stablishyng their owne righteousnesse speake agaynste the righteousnesse of God is to bee approued and alowed and of them to be rebuked that seking their owne prayse goe about to darken the prayse of Iesus is moste hye prayse and to be detestable to theÌ„ that are to be detested is to be derely beloued of god Therefore relacion was made vnto Iesus how boldely the man that so muche set foorth his prayse behaued himselfe towardes the Phariseis For it was already bruted abrode by the people that he was caste of and reiect Therefore as soone as Iesus had met with him to make this mans fayth more knowen to al men he sayeth vnto him howe sayest thou felowe beleuest thou on the sonne of God For he had already confessed before the Pharisees that he whiche did so greate a thyng came playnely from God Nor Iesus was ignoraunte thereof but he gatte out the mannes open confession thereof for other mennes sakes procuryng thereby a good exaumple for other But though he that had been blynde as yet knewe not Iesus by sighte yet hauyng great affeccion to knowe that mannes face whome Iesus named the sonne of god sayeth lorde who is he that when I knowe hym I maye beleue on him The manne had beleued on Iesus yea ere he sawe hym nor this was not the voyce of a faythlesse man but of one that vehemently desyred to see the auctour of so great a benefite Iesus therefore with humble woordes signifying hymselfe to be the personne he spake of sayeth vnto hym thou haste already seen hym whome thou desyreste to see and he it is that talketh with thee on whome it behoueth thee to beleue The man vpon these woordes without any staying at all confesseth with great promptnes of mynde that he doeth beleue and euen with that saying he fell downe at Iesus knee and wurshipped hym and so his dede declared what he thought of Iesus ¶ And Iesus sayed vnto hym I am come vnto iudgemente into this worlde that they whiche see not might see that they whiche see might be made blynde And some of the Phariseis which were with hym heard these wordes sayed vnto hym are we blynd also Iesus sayed vnto them If ye were blind ye shoulde haue no synne But nowe ye saye we see therfore your sinne remayneth Now than Iesus to th entent that by example of this manne he might the more prouoke other mens mindes that wer present sayeth I that am the light of the worlde therfore came into the worlde that the course of thynges mighte be turned vpsyde doune as muche to say that the symilitude and sleight of vntrue holinesse and forged knoweledge beyng disclosed these whiche heretofore sawe not might se and that they whiche see might be made blynde With this saying Iesus noted the naughty peruerse iudgement of the Pharisees which though they thought that onely they knew what was religion what was law and what was righteousnes yet wer they more foule ouerseen than any of the mean sorte of people by reason that worldelye couetousnes had darkened the iudgemente of their mynde when as that sely poore blinde felowe simple and vnlearned likewyse as he had bodily sight frely geuen him so did he inwardly see so muche in soule that in knowlage of trueth he excelled euen the very pharisees Neither did these bytyng wordes so scape all the Phariseis whiche folowed Iesus of no good minde but rather to seke on euery syde occasion to reproue hym but that the styng of this saying caused some of them to marke it so that those were not beguiled therwith These beyng nothyng altered from their malepert presumpcion to thintent that they might either force the Lorde to testifie honorably of them or to haue some matter to accuse him of vnto them that were of the pharisees ordre saye vnto hym are we than blynde also But Iesus doeth so aunswere vnto this question whiche was very wily capcious and also presumptuouse that he declareth them whiche thoughte themselues men of great fight to be more than blinde not in body but in soule and to bee the more vncurably blynde because they thought themselues quicke sighted Uerely sayeth Iesus yf ye were blynde and woulde knowledge howe ignorauÌ„t in soule ye be your simplicitie should be pardoned But nowe forasmuche as ye be blinde in dede and yet ye would be praysed among the people for learned men ye are so very starke blinde that ye cannot be healed As this blinde manne hath obteyned sight because he knowledged the deformitie of his body euen so you because ye be voluntary blynde as menne blynded through lustes of your fleshe cannot be cured but continue in the sinne of infidelitie whereas the vnlearned whiche firste were ignoraunt of the trueth vpon the syght of miracles and by hearyng me preache all darkenes taken awaye enbraceth the light of the trueth He that presumptuously taketh vpon hym to knowe the lawe and speaketh againste him that is the principall poynte and conclusion of the lawe is more than blynde and altogether out of the waye All men haue liued heretofore vnder shadowes nor any waye lieth open to the lightwarde but by fayth of the ghospell Therefore the common and vulgare people souer receiue sight because they do not very muche thynke themselues well sighted and if they be any whit ouerseen it is rather through rude ignorauÌ„ce than malice But they that whan themselues be twise blinde yet they professe themselues teachers of the people that is guiders of the blynd suche I say be staâ—ke blynde and moste daungerously without recouery For neyther they theÌ„selues come to the light and yet through false opinion and pretence of learnyng and holinesse they seduce and bryng other into errour ¶ The .x. Chapter Uerely verely I say vnto you he that entreth not in by the doore into the shepefolde but climeth vp some other waye thesame is a thiefe and murderer But he that entreth in by the doore is the shepeherde of the shepe to hym the porter openeth and the shepe heare his voyce and he calleth his owne shepe by name and leadeth them out And whan he hath fâ—t
they whiche in tyme of prosperitie doeth right faythfully take hede to theyr flocke but yet when there is a great daunger they leaue traiterously the flocke to the woulf to be disperpled abrode and torne in pieces for he fantasieth thus In case thei go to wracke what than I haue no losse therby My wage is safe and though I lose some deale therof I had rather lose it than to cope and fight with the woulfe for another mannes cattell There shal another flocke be foūd out whiche I shall bee hyred to haue the ouersight of thoughe the maister of this flocke loose it Neyther doeth the death of the flocke greue the hyred mans mynd So it happeneth that both the owner hath losse of that thing which he entierely loueth and the flocke cummeth to destruccion whiche mighte haue bene saued It is therfore no meruayl though euangelike shepe knew not the voyce of such like shepeherdes The shepe be not in faute but the lewde shepherdes are to blame Nor it is not to be disdained at if they whome my father so draweth do folow me forsakyng the hyred shepherdes that are but very theues and murderers For they feele and perceiue that I am all maner of wayes a good shepeherde euen to spend my lyfe therfore I know my shepe cōmitted to me of my father al whose goodes are mine and on the other syde the shepe that are drawen by the inspiracion of the father acknowlageth their shepeherd loueth him and foloweth hym knowing right well that there is no hope of saluacion but by me As my father knoweth me ▪ euen so know I also my father and I geue my lyfe for the shepe and other shepe I haue which are not of this folde Them also must I bring they shal heare my voice and there shal be one folde and one shepeherd Therfore doeth my father loue me because I put my life from me that I might take it againe No man taketh it from me but I put it away of my self I haue power to put it from me and I haue power to take it againe this commaundement haue I receiued of my father The father knoweth me as his owne naturall sonne obeying his wil in all thynges and agayne I know the father who desyreth that all menne shoulde be saued At his commaundemēt I bestowe my life for the safetie of my shepe whiche he hathe geuen me to haue them saued nor any thyng wyll I so dooe that this worlde while I am the shepherd shall haue power to harme them nor yet the prince of this world the deuil but to kepe my shepe whol and soūd I will geue my selfe to death by that meannes to abate the woulfes violence and to deliuer my obedient shepe out of his chawes Nor it doeth not fully content the fathers wil and my charitie if I should saue these shepe alone whiche beyng of the people of Israell he hath geuen to me to be saued first but my cure reacheth further than so There bee also in other nacions shepe scattered and in daungier of snares of woulfes theues and murderers neyther will I rest vntil I bring these also into the common shepefold And although they heare not the voice of Moses or of the prophetes yet shal they knowe and geue eare to my voyce I meane suche as be ordayned to saluacion For the countrey dooeth not exclude from saluacion Whosoeuer heareth the voyce of the sonne of God who is the very true shepeherd shal be saued Hitherto the flocke of God hath bene scattered through the multitude of false shepeherdes All doeth promise saluacion and euery one hath his voyce and one calleth this waye and an other the other waye In the meane whyle the flocke being destitute is scattered here and there and dyuers wayes perisheth But so soone as they shall heare me all they wyll knowe the voyce of the true shepeherde and they shall come together out of all partes of the worlde And so shall be made one folde of all and no moe shepeherdes but one He that is without this folde cannot be saued He that dooethe not acknowlage thys shepeherd shal goe to perdicion But lest that should happen through my fault I so throughly play the good shepeherde that I lose my lyfe clerely There is no decay in my father thoughe all thyng that be create doe peryshe for he hath nede of nothing but of mere charitie towardes mankynde he sente hys sonne to saue all menne if it coulde be And because I am of thesame mynde that my father is of therfore he doeth derely loue me as hys owne sonne and no hired manne because of myne owne good will I bestowe my lyfe for the health of my fathers flocke it is so muche more vnlyke that I would to hurt the flocke withal seke out myne owne cōmoditie Amongest men it is a great loue if one when there is ieopardie towardes and daungier imminente doeth not priuely steale awaye I doe more who with a free good will geue my selfe to deathe There be that lyeth in wayte to haue my lyfe well theyr malice could not preuaile agaynste me excepte I were determyned of myne owne free will to dye for the saluaciō of mine These folke of truth are in mind to murther yet could they not kyl me vnlesse I would my selfe Therfore they shal not take from me my life but I will willyngly yelde it vp to redeme my shepe with my death to euerlasting lyfe Doe not beleue that I shall willingly geue my selfe vnto death except I take agayn that willingly left lyfe euen of myn own power when I will Herein consisteth the prayse of a true shepeherde that of hys free will he offereth himself to death for the flockes helth when it lieth in his owne power to eschew death if he list No mans power could take my lyfe from me against my wil but I geue it willingly for the flockes saluacyon Other dye when as they would not being dead they reuiue not And though a mā may wickedly kill himselfe yet cannot he reuiue hys bodye agayne with the lyfe that is once gone I haue power to doe both to sende foorth this lyfe out of the bodye and to call agayn the same into the very selfe sayd body In case it seme a thyng incredible vnto you that any manne shoulde willingly redeme an other mannes lyfe with his owne death no more to say but it is so thought to my father that sente me into this worlde by this waye to weorke the feate of mannes saluacion I willingly and gladly doe obey his commaundement whose wil and mine are all one and who hath geuen me power to perfourme my will There was a discencion therfore agayne among the Iewes for these sayinges and many of them sayd He hath a deuil and is madde why heare ye him Other sayd these are not the wordes of him that hath the deuil Can the deuil opē the iyes of the blind And it was at
Ierusalē the feast of the dedicacion and it was winter And Iesus walked in the temple euen in Salomons porche Than came the Iewes rounde about him and sayde vnto him How long doest thou make vs doubt If thou be Christ tell vs playnly When Iesus had tolde a long tale of these thinges that were straunge vnhearde of and far aboue the common capacitie of most men there fel a newe iar in opinions among the people for some sayde that whiche they had already many tymes sayed whensoeuer he disclosed theyr secrete conspiracies or if he spake or did any thyng aboue the power of manne he hath the deuyll saye they and is madde For the wordes whiche he speaketh lacke common sence What pleasure is it to heare this felowe Againe some folke els sayde these be no suche mans wordes as is in the deuils daunger For his woordes smelleth of the power of God specially for as muche as his deedes be agreable to his wordes As his wordes be suche be his dedes He speaketh thinges farre passing mans wit but the same doth thinges which far excede mans power Can a mad man and he that is possessed with a deuil open blinde mens iyes It is the propertie of deuils to put out ones iyes that seeth but to geue fyght to him that is borne blind cummeth of the power of God Forasmuche than as it is euident that that thyng is doen by hym hys talke cannot procede of a noysome deuil whose dedes appereth playne to come from a beneficiall God The Lorde Iesus maketh no aunswere to thys altercacyon teachyng vs by the way that the wieked are not alway to be striuen with in wordes and that by dedes it is rather to bee declared what we can dooe than by woordes and sumtimes place is to bee geuen to the furie of the eiuil sorte nor the moderate temperaunce of the ghospell is at any tyme to bee forgotten After all thys the feastful daye ministred newe matter to sette in hande and dispute with hym agayne That solemne feaste was than whiche they call the dedicacyon of the temple for because the temple was reedefyed and repayred after the exile that was made at Hierusalem by the Persians Neyther was Iesus absent at this feasteful daye a newe maker of the law and of a new temple that is to say the churche chefe deuyser and maister of the woorkes And it was winter A full very mere tyme for theyr myndes whiche throughe loue of the colde lawe dyd not burne in the loue of the ghospell Therfore Iesus was not nowe in the inner parte of the temple but walked in the porche which ioyneth to the temple that is called Salomons temple to the intent that the very place shoulde declare that peacemaker to be presente whiche shoulde reconcyle all thynges in heauen and earth There walked truely the aucthor of the lawe of the ghospel Moses lawe being nowe at a poynte to cease The Iewes therefore leste he should escape theyr handes came rounde about him whyle he was walkyng there sore moued with many of his sayinges and dooynges neyther dyd they well agree among themselues some maliciously fynding faulte with al thing some gathering of hys dedes and wordes a certain thing to be honored in him aboue mannes power And they set vpon hym with these woordes Howe long wilt thou kepe vs in a doubtful mynde and therewith sette the people on a rore If thou bee that verye Messias whome we looke for tell it vs openly without all colour Iesus aunswered them I tolde you and ye beleue not The workes that I doe in my fathers name they beare witnes of me But ye beleue not because ye are not of my shepe as I sayd vnto you My shepe heare my voyce and I know them and they folow me and I geue vnto them eternal life and they shal neuer perishe neyther shal any man plucke them out of my hande My father whiche gaue them me is greatter than all and no man is able to take them out of my fathers hande I and my father are one But although Iesus was not ignoraunt that they dyd demaunde of a peruerse mynde this thing whiche they had both oftentymes hearde and myght also haue perceiued the same by his doinges yet he maketh them a gentle aunswere more desyrous to enstruct them then to angre them What nedeth it me sayth he so often to speake of my selfe and tell who I am namely forasmuch as if I doe openly testifie the trueth ye call the recorde therof arrogancie I haue already tolde you if ye woulde beleue me who I am Yea though ye dooe not credite my woordes yet ye cannot be ignoraunt of the thyng whiche ye desyre knowe of me There is no surer profe than dedes Ye see my doynges which your selues doe witnesse I doe at my fathers will and not the deuilles as some doe misreporte If my actes be worthie to bee imputed to God beleue that I am sente of God But ye dooe neyther beleue my dedes nor my woordes whereof I am not the cause but your owne corrupte and suspiciouse mynde They that meane well and playnelye and bee not polluted with the naughtynesse of thys worlde beeleue my woordes and lyke good shepe knowe the voyce of a good shepeherd and semblably I knowlage them for my shepe though after the worlde they be poore sely thinges But ye therfore doe not knowledge my voyce because ye are not of the number of my shepe whose simplicitie is lightely taughte when as youre myndes be swollen with ambicion leuened with malice with enuie corrupted infected with couetousnes and with sundrie affeccions of this worlde defyled from whiche vices if ye would purge your minde verely euen you also should heare my voice neither should you so doe without benefit For first of al ye should therby auoide death which hangeth ouer all rebels agaynst the sonne of God moreouer ye shall obteyne therby euerlasting life For of trueth those my shepe how simple and vnlerned soeuer they be after the iudgement of the worlde as long as they doe knowleage me the shepeherde and all the while they folow me as gyde dooe through my liberalitie get euerlasting life when as other that are taken in the worlde for men of great felicitie goe to euerlastyng death They be symple shepe harmelesse weake lacking all worldely succour The world riseth against these with all engiens and force But the aduersarye shall not haue so greate power that he shall be hable to take them out of my handes The world hath auctoritie of phariseis dignitie of priestes it hath armed kynges hye magistrates iudges places of iudgement prisones cheines roddes axes broddes to pricke with exile deathes whatsoeuer is wont to bring feare yea euen to stedfast myndes On the other syde it hath riches pleasures dignities honours and what soeuer is wont to corrupt most vncorrupt myndes The world vseth all these engines to plucke my shepe out of my handes but I beeyng theyr
effect for I shall not long be conuersaunt among you in this visible bodie but shall dye and goe to my father And yet ye shall perceyue me to be one that liueth and hath power and that shall accomplishe all that I haue promised Moreouer the worlde also shal be rebuked and reproueâ— of iudgement because that by seing men euery where through penaunce coâ—â—erte from synne to innocencie of lyfe leaue the grosse ceremonies of Moses lawe and ruine to godlynesse of the ghospell the nacions of the whole worlde forsake theyr wurshipping of diuels and images and falle to the true wurshipping of God the father the sonne and the holy ghost it shall manifestly appere the prince of the worlde who hath heretofore by synne practised 〈◊〉 to be already with his owne weapons vanquished put out of the waye and iudged as one that hath procured my death by whom innocencie libertie of the gospell and immortalitie is recouered employed and geuen Than shall it well appere to haue been a triumphe whiche semed to be a thing of shame and reproche and that to haue been a victory whiche was imputed and counted for an ouerthrowe and an vtter destruccion for whan deuils shall eche where be cast out of the temples â–ª and shall crye out at the signe of the crosse when they shall leaue the bodyes whiche they had of long tyme possessed at naming of me shall not that openly proue theyr prince to be iudged and condemned Shall it not bee apparante and a clere matter that they also be woorthely iudged and condemned whiche had leuer folow hym being alreadye vanquished and iudged to eternall deathe than me whom as a conquerour and to all folke the verye auctour of innocencie and of life God shall carrye vp and auaunce to the felowship of his kyngdome ¶ I haue yet many thinges to saye vnto you but ye cannot beare them awaye nowe Howbeit when he is cum whiche is the spirite of trueth he will leade you into al trueth he wil not speake of hym selfe but whatsoeuer he shall heare that shall be speake and he wil shewe you thinges to cum He shall glorifie me for he shall receyue of myne and shall shewe vnto you All thinges that the father hathe are myne Therefore sayed I vnto you that he shall take of myne and shewe vnto you I coulde tell you many mo thinges but the tyme serueth not nor your weakenesse wyll not as yet beare them and since I haue not yet altogether goen thorow with this mine ambassade I do therfore reserue them to the cummyng of the holy ghoste he beyng once come shall fynde you more apte to receyue a more full knowledge euen when the busynesse of my deathe resurreccion and ascencion shall be dispatched and fynished This spirite that I speake of shall be no lying or worldely spirite but my very spirite that is to saye the spirite of trueth he shall teache you all trueth whiche ye are not nowe able to receiue at ful He also shall speake vnto you but that shall be by secrete inspiracions He shall not with mouing the ayer touche your bodely eares but by a priuey secrete vertue shall moue the inwarde myndes neyther shall he speake thynges of vncertaintye but in lyke maner as I haue spoken nothyng whiche I haue not heard of my father so shall he inspire nothyng into your hertes but that he hearde of my father and me and he shall out onely open vnto you all trueth of thynges paste but also he shall foreshewe you thynges to cumme ere they happen so often as nede shall require for he is not alone only almighty but hathe withall knowleage of all thinges He shall by you make the glory of my name be knowen to all men lyke as I by my deathe and resurreccion shall make my fathers glory notable and famouse for as what thing soeuer I doe redoundeth to my fathers praise and glory of whome I haue my being and of him haue receiued all that I haue cum so shall it growe to my honour and praise whatsoeuer he shall woorke by you He shall mocion you to nothing contrary to those thinges whiche I receiuing them of my father haue taught you All thinges is common betwene vs all thinges procede from my father but whosoeuer is his is mine nor any thing is my fathers or mine whiche is not common to the spirite Therefore by the sayde spirite shall I speake to you as my father hathe spoken to you by me he that beleueth me beleueth my father and he that beleueth the spirite beleueth vs both ¶ After a while ye shall not see me and againe after a while ye shall see me for I go to the father Then sayed sum of his disciples betwene themselues what is this that he sayeth vnto vs after a while ye shal not see me and againe after a while ye shall see me and that I go to the father They sayed therefore what is this that he sayeth after a whyle we cannot tell what he sayeth Iesus perceiuing that they woulde aske hym sayed vnto them Ye enquire of this betwene your selues because I sayed after a while ye shall not see me and againe after a while ye shall see me Uerily verily I saye vnto you ye shall wepe and lament but contrariwyse the worlde shall reioyce ye shall sorowe but your sorowe shall be turned into ioy Now than being corroborate and stablished with many thinges be ye bold and take good hearte vnto you againste the storme that hangeth ouer you in aduersitie saue your selues to the prosperitie whiche shall folowe within a whyle ye shall lacke the syght of me but ye shall be without it no longe time for within a shorte space after I shall be presented to your syght agayne that so ye may litle by litle be brought in vre to wante the sight of this body which is not moste commodiouse for you For I returne to my father to thentente that after I cease to be seen of you I maye endue you with greater giftes But not withstanding all this so great sorowe did possesse the disciples mindes at that time that they neyther vnderstood nor coulde kepe in memorie thinges that were often repeted and reiterate for whereas our lord Iesus did declare in these wordes not very obscurely that by death and buryall he should be absent out of his disciples sight yet none otherwyse but that within thre dayes after he would appeare vnto them againe euen in the self same bodye but now immortall so after he had for a fewe dayes space confirmed and stayed the mindes of his disciples to conuaye hymselfe again into heaueÌ„ And to th entent that hauing his bodely sight withdrawen from them which letted them to be spirituall they mighte deserue that heauenly spirite and after that to looke no more for their lordes bodely presence saue onely when at the laste daye he shall once for all shewe hymselfe to the whole worlde for
except that than was absent whiche name Thomas signifieth in the Greke tongue Didimus and in the Latin Geminus in Englyshe doubtefull For he was one of the twelue whoÌ„ the lorde did specially and peculiarly choose to the office of preachyng the gospell Therfore after that he was come in to them the disciples that could scant stande for ioye shewed openly vnto him that they had seen the lorde Thomas supposyng them to be deceyued and illuded by some vision or spirite denyed to beleue vnles he might see hym with his owne iyes and not to beleue his owne iyes as sufficient witnesse except he might see withall the printe of the nailes euen freshe in his handes yea and with putting his owne handes into Iesus side perceyue by felyng the wounde that the speare made And trulye this incredulitie of the Apostle by the dispensacion of God as he shall dispose didde muche good to the confirmacion and stablishement of our fayth ¶ And after eyght dayes agayne his disciples were within and Thomas with them Then came Iesus when the doores were shut and stoode in the middes and sayed Peace be vnto you After that sayed he to Thomas Bryng thy fynger hither and see my handes and reache hither thy hande and thrust it into my syde and be not faythlesse but beleuyng Thomas aunswered and sayed My Lorde and my God Iesus sayeth vnto hym Thomas because thou haste sene me thou haste beleued blessed are they that haue not sene and yet haue beleued And many other thinges truly did Iesus in the preâ—â—ce of his disciples which are noâ— written in this boke These are written that ye might beleue that Iesus is Christe the sonne of God and that in beleuyng ye might haue life thorowe his name Therfore eyght dayes after when the Apostles met together agayne by stealthe and at this tyme with the reste Thomas was in coumpanye whiche hitherto woulde not beleue that Christe was rysen the Lorde came in to them where they were the gates beyng hard faste shut and standyng in the middes of them he saluted them after his vsuall and well knowen maner and facion saying Peace with you And turnyng hym by and by to Thomas whose vnbelefe he knewe that was ignoraunt in nothyng whiche lacke of beliefe because Iesus knewe it came not as the phariseis infidelitie did that is of malice but of mans infirmitie he vouched safe to heale it He sayeth thus to hym Thomas sayeth he forasmuche as it dooeth not suffise the to haue hearde of many that I was rysen to lyfe agayne whiche hath seen me and hearde me except thy senses mighte feale and perceyue thesame bring hither thy finger and feele the woundes of the nayles and see that I truelye carye the very true markes therof Put thy hande into my syde and handle the wounde whiche the speare made and hereafter be not vnfaythful and harde of belefe in other mattiers but after thou haste nowe seen this thing proued certainly true whiche persemed to thee incredible see thou geue fayth to my promises howe incredible soeuer they seme to the common sence and iudgement of men After that Thomas had seen and felte knowyng bothe the face and accustomed voyce of the Lorde he than conceyued a full fayth and spake aloude My Lorde and my God For as he was more harde of belefe so no body did more clearlye confesse Iesus to be God and man for because the handlyng of the body which late before hong dead vpon the crosse witnessed that he whiche was rysen to lyfe agayne was a very man in dede and the knowleage of hidde secrete thynges proued well his godhead So than of trueth Iesus did well accepte and embrace Thomas his confession but yet withall he did reproue his hardnesse of belefe saying Thomas because thou hast seen me hearde me and handled me thou beleuest but blessed shall they be whiche though they see not will yet beleue Verely the Lorde Iesus declared vnto his disciples his diuine power and godheade by many other tokens whiche are not written in this booke but some thynges are reported and declared by other Euangelistes and some thynges also were reported and tolde by worde of mouthe and euen they were the tellers therof which bothe sawe and hearde the thynges themselues For to set out and write all thynges whiche woulde haue bene a worke that for the greatnes it coulde not haue been measured was not cared for but yet it was thoughte necessarye to write of some thinges that thereby ye mought come to the beliefe that Iesus was the sonne of God Whiche thyng yf ye do in dede ye shall haue that full blisse and beatitude whiche our Lorde Iesus promised to them that when they see not beleue For lyke as he suffered death and liueth immortal so shall ye also by profession of his name in true faythe obtayne eternall lyfe The .xxi. Chapter ¶ Afterwarde did Iesus shewe himselfe againe at the sea of Tiberias And on this wyse shewed he hymselfe There were together Symon Peter and Thomas whiche is called Didimus and Nathanael of Cana in Galile and the sonnes of Zebedei and two other of his disciples ANd verely to confirme more and more the faythe of his disciples Iesus oft times appeared vnto them and talked with them sometyme also eate meate in theyr company leâ—te any suspicion shoulde setle in theyr myndes that it was but a delusion or some ghoste whiche they had sene neyther was he therwhiles continuallye for all that present in their company as he was wont before his death nor so familiarly handled himself among them nor yet was seen of all menne because he hadde sayed before that he would appere to his and not to the world nor to his neyther but euen when he list For nowe immortalitie shewed a certaine semblaunce full of maiestie that was to be had in reuerence to th entent that their faith beyng full stayed and establyshed he might withdrawe from them altogether the sight of the body and spirituallye to be now amongst his And so now therefore he appered and shewed himselfe againe to his disciples at the depe lake called Tyberias And he presented himselfe vnto them on this wyse The disciples which before that tyme kept theÌ„selues secrete in Hierusalem to be in sauetie out of the Phariseis daunger repayred againe into Galile there was a good sorte of theÌ„ together euen no fewer thaÌ„ Simon Peter and Thomas called Didimus also Nathanael of Cana a citie of Galile where Iesus turned water into wine And besides these the two sonnes of zebedei Iohn Iames the greater with these was two other disciples ¶ Symon Peter saieth vnto them I wyll go a fishyng They saye vnto him We also wyl go with the. They went theyr waye and entred into a shippe immediatlye and that night caught they nothing But when the mornyng was nowe come Iesus stoode on the shore neuerthelesse the disciples knewe not that it was Iesus Iesus sayeth vnto
And it is not to bee doubted but God wyll perfourme all the rest also which he hath promised as faythfully Iesus Christ shal come agayne but by and by shall not he come agayne For the gospell and chereful tidinges from god must be preached ouer all the worlde before his cumming In the meane while liueth he in all glory sitteth and reigneth in high heauens aboue vntil that prescript time wherof the Prophetes Iohel hath spoken and Malachie whan all thinges shall come by restitucion agayne and be made vp and all at a poynte perfectly finished whiche god hath spoken of by the mouth of all his holy Prophetes as many as hath been since the beginning of the world For of this one persone haue al they prophecied Moses truely sayed vnto the fathers Prophet shal the lorde your God rayse vp to you euen of your brethren lyke vnto me him shal ye heare in all thinges whatsoeuer he shall say vnto you For the time shall come that euery soule which wil not heare the same Prophete shal be destroies from emong the people All the Prophetes also from Samuel and thence foorth as many as haue spoken haue in likewise tolde of these dayes Moses is with you of autoritie most auncient for vnder his proteccyon as vnder your chiefe guide and capitain ye left Egipt ye traueled through wildernesse ye receiued the lawe but yet a promyse made he to you of this Iesus of Nazareth whome ye haue flayne speakyng after this manier to the fathers in hys booke of Deuteronomii a prophete shall the lorde your god reyse vp vnto you euen from emong your brethren lyke vnto me hym shall ye heare in all that he shall saye vnto you And it shall come to passe that what soule soeuer shall not heare that prophete shall be destroyed from emong the people Now dooe ye acknowelage this prophecye of Moses recognise ye the true Moses knowledge ye that Iesus Christe was borne of Dauids linage of the trybe of Iuda in the Citie of Bethelem according to the prophetes sayinges By this your guide capitaine god calleth you out of bondage to that libertie whiche alway shall endure by this capitayn hath he disclosed a new law supernal and euangelicall and by this persone he offereth remission of all synnes and lyfe euerlastyng Moses woulde that all men shoulde heare hym eche man heareth that in him beleueth What person soeuer shal beleue in him shal be saued who that refuseth to beleue shal be banished out of the feloweship out of the name of the Israelites shall peryshe with out all recouery For without faith in Iesus Chryste no hope there is of saluacion If you geue faythe to Moses than muste ye hartely loue Iesus whome he hath so highly commended to you in his prophecy Neyther hath Moses alone thus prophecied of Iesus but all the Prophetes also from Samuels time vntill Iohn the baptist hath prophecied describing his natiuitie doctrine miracles punyshmentes infamie death on the crosse hys buryinge and resurreccion his goyng vp to heauen and the sending forth of the holy goste vpon all that beleueth whiche thinges euery one are euidentlye come to passe the spreading of the ghospell ouer all the worlde abrode and the gloryous cumming of the lorde agayne at the ende of the worlde Ye are the children of the Prophetes and of the couenaunt whiche God made vnto oure fathers saying to Abraham Euen in thy sede shall all the kinreds of the yerth be blessed First whan God had reised vp his sonne Iesus vnto you he sent him to blesse you that euery one of you should turne from his wickednesse But if that ye in very dede be the prophetes children wherof ye auaunte your selfes not without a cause haue ye than no distruste in their promyses yf ye be the children of the patriarches whiche wer the chiefe fathers of all your auncestry vnderstande ye and perceiue that to you pertayneth the couenaunt and promyse that god made to Abraham saying thorow thy sede shall all the nacions of the worlde be blessed This blessing perfourmed not he in Isaac for he is dead and to life is not he come againe but in Iesus of Nazareth whom Isaac in figure represented offrynge hymselfe vp in sacrifice willyngly like as Christe obeying his father was offred as a sacrifyce on the crosse This is that seede of Abraham wherby shall not onely all Israelites but all nacions also of the worlde if they beleue the gospell be delyuered of the curse whiche is due for sinne and obteyne therwithal this blessing that after they haue once receyued the holy ghoste they may bee called the children of the liuing God Wherfore the promise that god made vnto Abraham perteyneth vndoubtedly to all nacions of the worlde yet that not withstanding his pleasure was to haue you thus honourably preferred that his promise shoulde firste of all bee profered to you and that he woulde according to Moses prophecie rayse one vp of your nacion and sende to you no meane prophet but his owne onely sonne Iesus that shoulde disclose this blessyng whiche god promised to Abraham This is than that blessing that euery person obeying the woorde of the ghospell maye vtterly forsake all vice and naughty liuyng and frankely confesse Iesus to bee the author of mannes saluacion The .iiii. Chapter ¶ As they spake vnto the people the priestes and the rulers of the temple and the Saâ—duceis came vpon them takyng it greuously that they taught the people and preached in Iesus the resurreccion froÌ„ death And they laied handes on them put them in holde vntyll the next daye for it was nowe euentide howbeit many of them which hearde the woordes beleued and the noumbre of the men was about fyue thousande WHyle Peter that heauenly Oratour and Iohn his felow in office wyth hym were occupyed in these and suche other Oracions exhortyng the people to embrace the gospell without coloure of flattery towarde any manne enducyng them to the knowledge of the trueth by wytnesse of Prophetes sometymes makyng theym afrayed wyth dreadfulnes of the great Iudgement that was to come eftesones appeasyng them and pleasauntly intreatyng by meanes of an easy waye to come by pardon euen than ready at hande and for the certayntye that was in the promyse of their saluation sodaynly there came vpon theim the pryestes and rewlers of the temple accompanyed also with Sadduces who caused them to breake of in the myddes theyr holsome communication The pryestes and rulers felt themselues in this poynte agreued that men of the laitie vnlearned should beare rule in the temple and teach the people where none els ought to speake but doctours of the lawe Phariseis and Scribes and in that also they were offended that so honourably they spake of Iesus whom they for a gyltie person had put to deathe whose name to abolyshe was theyr earnest desyre and study But of all other thynges that set the Sadduces on fyre agaynst the
in came one the troubled more their myndes with heauy tydynges saying beholde the men that ye emprysoned yesterday nowe stand in the temple teachyng no smalle noumber of people Than the templerewlers bycause it perteyned peculiarlye to theyr office to see that nothynge shoulde be other wise doen in the temple then ought to be toke theyr waye according to the priestes commaundement vnto the temple with a company of seruing men for theyr garde agaynste all assaultes or violence of the people They founde them lyke as it was reported standyng in the temple and preachyng Iesus to a great sorte of people Albeit they laide no handes on them lyke as they had doen before For they sawe there present a great numbre of people were afrayed themselues lest they yf any commocion should haue rysen among the people should be stoned But neyther was that companye of suche a sorte that would make busines neither thapostles those persons that desyred ayde of any temporall powre They were in themselues very stedfaste and sobre in theyr doinges without any fearsenes at all They behelde thofficers which led them the day before to pryson And yet for al that they neyther feared themselues neyther fled away nor brake once of their preaching of the ghospel vntyll the offycer of the temple entreated them gently to goe vnto the counsell The Apostles obeyed lest they shoulde in any wise seme to despise the publike authoritie For theyr maister had not taught them that they shoulde whan they were called refuse to goe but that they should boldly speake nothyng at all afrayed In came these two fyshers to the counsell house presented they were before a company of hygh and great officers with no small trayne folowing them Than began Annas the high prieste with highe authoritie and no lesse statelines of mynde hys oracion in this maner did not we streightly commaund you at our last assembly by authority of the hygh powers that ye should nomore teache the people nor make mencion priuely nor appartly to any maÌ„ straungier or Iewe of this name Iesus whiche we wyll shal be abolyshed And nowe wyll ye see howe contemptuously agaynst the authoritie of the whole counsell â–ª ye haue not alonely kepte no sylence herein at all but the more vehemently haue ye also preached insomuche that ye haue fylled all Heirusalem wyth your doctryne and the rumoures of youre doynges are the meane whyle publyshed abrode yea to the cities that border about vs. Well ye goe about maliciously to bryng vs in hatred for the death of this man For openly ye do preache that we slewe him which thing cannot we deny Ye publyshe also that the selfesame persone was good and holy well with God approued and in his name ye worke miracles whiche is as it were to dishonour condemne vs before the multitude of crueltie that haue procured suche a mans death This was the hgyhe Byshoppes oracion whyche contayned no honest matters to defende it selfe only it made some afrayed with woordes of hyghe authoritie that the trueth in dede whiche ought to be for mans health publisshed to all men should be kepte in silence for the wicked mennes glory ¶ Peter and the other apostles aunswered and sayed we ought more to obey God then men The God of our fathers raysed vp Iesus whome ye slewe and hanged on tree him hath God lyfte vp with his ryght hand to be a ruler and salueour for to geue repentauÌ„ce to Israell and forgeuenes of synnes And we are recordes of these thynges whiche we saye and so is also the holy ghost whom God hath geuen to them that obey hym Whan they hearde this they claue a sundre and sought meanes to slay them Nowe let vs on the other parte heare a fisher the very Archebysshop of Christes ghospell howe boldly and soberly also maketh he an aunswere for all the apostles High and bountifull Bushop he sayeth and ye that are rewlers of great authoritie with other also the elders very wurshipfull men that sit here in counsell together we despyse not youre authoritie but we preferre the authoritie of God to mannes authoritie and so promysed we to do in that aunswere we made you whan ye forbode vs to speake any woorde at all of Iesus name And as I suppose there is not one in this assembly that thinketh it mete that we shoulde for mannes prohibicion take lyghte regarde to goddes commaundementes and whyles we feare youre wrathe renne into Goddes dyspleasure If your commaundementes stoode with the wyll of god we woulde with all our hertes satisfyâ— both you and hym Nowe sence youre prohibicions doe vtterly square wyth hys commaundementes and that we cannot satisfye both the one and â—ke the other we had lieffer obey God than manne And it is not our desyre to bryng any in hatred by preachyng of Iesus name but to procure saluation to euery manne And more it were for you expedient rather to submitte your authoritie to the will of God then to bryng vs hither refusyng vtterly to saye ought or els to doe contrary to goddes wil. The waye is open for eche manne to come by remyssion of his synnes yf he a mende his lyfe and louyngly doe embrace the trueth of the ghospel Euen thus shall ye fynde it as we haue shewed you heretofore the God of oure fathers whome ye and we and we with you doe wurshyppe hath reysed vp from death his sonne Iesus whome ye faste naylyng hym on a crosse haue sâ—ayne And veryly so was it decreed by the diuine counsell so it was heretofore spoken by the Prophetes that one shoulde dye to saue the worlde This selfe same persone euen lyke as he was but feble in bodye manne hath put to death but almyghtie God hath called him to lyfe agayne and of hys infinite power hath him exalted to suche renowne and glorye as to bee a guide for all menne and the chiefest worker of mannes saluacion but pryncipally for the children of Israell and that all maye redily come thorowe hym to remission of synne whiche bee contente to forsake theyr euell lyuyng and to professe his holy name And to these thynges that we rehearse to you beare we recorde that kepte in house wyth hym familiar companie before he died and after he was from death reuiued oftentymes heard hym sawe hym and handled hym vntill he ascended vp all vs beholdyng hym to heauen But if ye esteme our wytnes to be of small importaunce the holy ghoste beareth wytnes of the same whome he powreth vpon all that receyue his ghospell as ye see it in vs a ready You heare straunge languages you see woondrefull thynges wrought excedyng common reason There is nought here of our owne doynges it is Iesus holy spirite that putteth forth his power and vertue abrode by his ministers This oracion of Peters well besemyng for an apostle to make which ought eyther for dreade of punishment to feare them or els for the hope of saluacion
the moste paâ—te inasmuche as god lyke as he promysed hath now fulfylled I doe fully beleue that those thynges also wyll cum to passe â–ª whiche he hath promysed for to cum that is to say that the dead shall ryse againe in tyme to cum as well the badde as the good the good to receyue gloriously lyfe euerlasting the badde to euerlastyng punishement These thynges am not I in a waueryng belefe of but so earnestly I am perswaded in theÌ„ that for asmuche as I knowe that in time to cumme I shall appeare before god in the place of iudgement shal be rewarded according to my dedes I endeuoure my selfe earnestly so to lyue that I in nothing offende the lawe of God but that I may haue a pure a clere conscience not only in the sight of god which examyneth mans herte but also in the syght of man And this haue I dyligently obserued folowed euen vntyll thys day And therfore haue they nothyng wherof to accuse me as touchyng my lyfe that is past whereby that suche matiers as they laye vnto my charge maye appere the more probably to be true But after many yeares I came brought almes to my people offerynges in the which they founde me purified in the temple neyther with multitude nor yet with unquietnesse Howbeit there were certayne Iewes out of Asia which oughte to be here present before thee accuse me yf they had oughte againste me or els let these same here saye yf they haue founde any euyll doing in me whyle I stand here in the councell excepte it be for this one voyce that I cried standyng among them of the resurreccion from deathe am I iudged of you this daye For whan I had lyued vprighte wythoute faulte many yeares at the laste came I to Hierusalem there to make deliuery of certayne money which I had gathered in Asia to helpe the poore nedye folkes in my countrey If this be the parte of a malefactour for to helpe my poore countreymen bestowyng on them my benefite I wyll acknowledge that that they laye to my charge And in the meane time lest that they which sought occasion might make any trouble or businesse I shaued my heade and so went into the teÌ„ple and was purified with accustomed ceremonies doyng nothing wherby anye trouble or businesse mought aryse For I began no newe thing but the same ceremonies vsed I that all the whole countrey vseth Buth the commocion that was made was reysed vp by certayn Iewes of Asia whom it had bene expedient to haue bene present at the debating and triall hereof forasmuche as they are the workers of this matter and that they shoulde accuse me yf they had anye thyng to laye to my charge But it is a greate suspeccion that they haue smal confidence in their cause forasmuch as they absent themselues from this iudgemente perceiuyng that the matter is pleaded before you whiche are the presidente here Yf I had offended I myght haue bene conuicted by theÌ„ or els quitte by them Albeit I feare no manne what euer he be that accuseth me Yea let them themselues whiche are here present speake seing that I stand here before the counsel if they haue sene me do any thing otherwise then is lawful before god and standyng wyth the lawe For it is lawful where iudgement is kept accordyng to the law both for the plaintie to laie to the charge of the transgressour and for the defendauÌ„t to be his owne man of lawe or proctoure But I knowe thei haue nothing against me excepte thei wil laie these wordes in my teathe whiche I with a loude voyce spake that I was a Pharisee and that I was for this poinct accused because I preached resurreccion of the dead agayne vnto lyfe whiche wordes I sayed forasmuche as standyng as I dyd emong them and permitted of the marcial to vtter my mynde I saw nothyng doen vpryghtly by lawe but all to passe vpon playne hatred and malice And whan I had so sayed they contended betwene themselues vntill that the marciall tooke me out of theyr handes I spake nothing but the trueth and mete it was that the multitude should knowe wherfore I was endaungered before the counsell forasmuche as I sawe there was no helpe to be loked for at the handes of the chiefe rewlers Whan Felix heard these thinges he deferred them for he knewe very wel of that way sayed whan Lisias the captaine is cum downe I wyl know the vtmost of pour maâ—ier And coÌ„mauÌ„ded an vnder capitaine to kepe Paul to lette him haue rest that he should forbid none of his acquayntaunce to ministre vnto him or to cum vnto him Whan Felix had hearde this because he was well acquainted with the secte of the Pharisees which Paule professed he minded to deferre the examynacion of the matier vntill an other tyme and sayed Forasmuche as Lisias knoweth al this whole matier how it standeth whan he cummeth hyther I will heare you And than gaue he commaundement vnto his vnder captaine that he shoulde in the meane season kepe him in warde but yet so that he myght be gentely ordred and that he myght dyuerse tymes be at lyâ—ertye and that hys familiars myght freely repayre vnto hym and bryng him suche thynges as he lacked And after certayne dayes when Felix came with his wite Drusilla which was a Iewesse he called furth Paul heard him of the faith which is toward Christ. And as he preached of right wisenes teÌ„perasice iudgement to cum Felix trembled answered Go thy way for this time whan I haue a conuenient season wil sende for the. He hoped also the money should haue bene geueÌ„ him of Paul that he might leuse him wherfore he called him the ofreuer coÌ„moned with him But after two yeares Festus Porcius came into Felix roume And Felix willynge to shewe the Iewes a pleasure lefte Paule in pryson bounde And whan a good sorte of dayes were past Felix came to Cesarea with his wife Drusilla whiche was a Iewe borne and than sent he for Paule beeyng desyrous to haue farther knowledge of him as concerning the sect that he professed Than Paule opened vnto him the way to saluacion by the gospel which thing he before had not spoken of and how that saluacion was not obteyned by obseruing of Moyses lawe as the Iewes supposed but by beleuynge in Iesus Christe whome beyng so many hundreth yeres loked for the Iewes had cruâ—yfied and that by baptisme all synnes committed by the whole time course of mannes lyfe before were at once washed away so that suche as were regenerate in Christ should lyue sincerely and holyly accordyng to the rewle of the ghospel from thence foorth vntyll suche tyme that the same Iesus which hath geuen himself for the redempcion of manne dyd gloriously returne in syght of all menne with the power of his father to iudge the quicke the dead Whan as Paule had talked on