as teacheth saynt Paule saying 1. Ti. 2 whiche hath gyven him silf a price and raunsome for all men Then when I beleve nede I not to do nothing Nede I not to do no good shall I not kepe the commaundementes of God Herken whate saint Paule answereth The faith saith he worketh by loue Ga. 5 Then when thou thus beleuest without doutiÌ„g that is to sey that thou art the sonne of god and that god hath so made the grete and riche thou shalt thinke thus in thy â—ilf Behold nowe god hath made me his childe enheritour of his glory brother of Iesus christ hath giveÌ„ me pardoÌ„ of al my sinnes aÌ„d I shall shortly be with hiÌ„ in the euerlasting life which he hath gyveÌ„ me without deserving it 〈◊〉 thiÌ„g shall I do agein to god by love and kindenesse for all this that he hath gyven to me Psal. 115 As saith the prophete David whate shall I yeld to god ageyn for all that he hath gyven to me when eny parson speaketh thus in him silf considering and beholding the greate goodnesse and mercy of god then comith and entreaseth the loue of god in him by the fayth bicause that he beleveth surely that God hath thus made him grete and riche And after that the loue is thus entred and enchauffed in the hert of the parson it maketh him to suffre and bere all thiÌ„ges maketh him to laboure to thinke and to do all that he thinketh wold please god without regarding â—ny thing but the loue of god Cor. 13. as sayeth saint Paule Loue suffreth all thinges loue doth nothing in vaine and he that hath suche a loue toward god all that he doth is agreable to god Ye when he gyveth but a drop of water for goddis sake as writeth saint Mathewe for loue iÌ„ god can not sinne all that he doth is well done For the holy goost that hath put this charite in vs can not do evill Aâ—d if of aduenture by suche a good entent one did any evell by errour this evell shul be pardoned incontinent and reputed for good by the good entent and loue that he hath towardes god Mat. 6. For Christ saieth in the gospell If thyne yie that is to sey thyne entencion be simple and applying to good all thy body that is to sey all thyne operacion shall be lightened and good And saint Paule saieth Ro. 8 we knowe that vnto theym that loue god al thinges worke for the best All they that are constant in this faith and charite be the children of god aÌ„d please god As witnessith saint Petre where he speaketh in thactes of thappostles Of a truth I perceyve that god is not percyall but in all people he that feareth hym and worketh rightuousnesse is accepted with him for god nedeth not oure works when he thus hath oure hertes albeit that suche a loue can not be ydell This loue comith in vs as I haue seid by faith when the parson beleveth surely that he is the childe of God It nedeth not that suche a parsone be constreyned to doo good workes by any commaundementes For the love of god dwelling yn him can not be ydell For loue as sayeth saint Paule suffreth long and is courteys 1. Cor. 13. loue eÌ„vyeth not love is not craving swelleth not dealeth not dishonestly seketh not her owne is not provoked to angre thinketh not evell reioyseth not in iÌ„iquite but reioyseth in the truth suffreth al thing beleveth all thinges hopeth all thinges Suche a love or charyte bryngeth a parson to good workes and not good works a parsone vnto suche a love or to suche a faith trust in god These workes spring out of feith and not feith out of these workes for as I haue seid feith bringeth loue and loue bringeth good workes Lyke as though there were a riche maÌ„ with out children or heyres which might take a poore beggar out of the strete and make hym his heyre of his goodes This poore man beyng this made greate and ryche if he wold be thankefull as becomith hym to be shuld serve hys lorde or master whiche had thus exalted hym made him ryche truely and with greate loue Ye and if he ones might knowe the wil of his master he wold not deferre the doing therof till he were commaunded But he wold do all thinges by and by of his owne courage for the charyte or loue that he hath toward his master without commaundement Behold this poore man so exalted hath not deserved by hys workes nor by hys service that this riche man shuld so make him his heyre but the riche man hath made him his heyre of hys owne goodnesse without that the poore maÌ„ had in eny maner wyse deserved it And the service that this poore man doth afterward comith of loue and kyndnesse For he knoweth and beleveth surely that he is heyre of the godes of his lord bifore that he do any service And for bicause that he beleveth that the ryche man will kepe promyse wyth hym he beginneth to love him by the meane of this faith And so when he loveth hym he doth to him willingly and wyth good hert all the service he can and fulfil â—â—leth ioyfully his commaundementes and all by love And the more laboure service that he can do for his good master the more grete pleasure he taketh So is it of a good ChristeÌ„ for wheÌ„ he was yet enemye of god by the sinne of Adam he was accepted of God byfore he â—esyred it and byfore that he had yn eny maner wise deserved it Thus hath god made vs his children and heyres without oure deserving Then when we beleve this stedfastly this faith bringeth loue into oure hertes so that we beginne to love God by cause that he hath made vs so greate and excellent And when we so love him we kepe his commaundemeÌ„tes by loue and do all thinges with good wil As saieth Christ in saint Iohn Iohn 14. He that loveth me kepeth my commaundementes And so kepe we all thinges and suffre all thinges which we thinke agreable to god and nothing is to hevy for vs and as sayeth saint Paule Ro. 5 we reioyce in tribulacioÌ„ for we knowe that tribulacion bringeth pacience pacieÌ„ce bringeth feling feling briÌ„geth hope and hope maketh vs not a shamed bicause the love that God hath vnto vs is shed abrode in oure hertes by the holy goost whiche is gyven vnto vs whiche love maketh all thinges light vnto vs plesaunt and easy to bere so that after the word of Christ in the gospell his yoke ys easy and his burthen is light Mat. 11. Act. 5 This faith and love had thappostles as wryteth saint Luke when they departed from before the iudges they reioysed that they were made worthy and able to suffre shame and dishonoure byfore the worlde for the love of Iesu christ Thys charâ—te had saint Paule when he seid vnto the Romayns Ro. 8. Who
willingly haue saved theym for he did promyse to theym emong other the heritage of his kingdome and had made theim his children but they dampne theym silves They are the children of God as concerning goddis behalf but they are alweyes dampned bicause of they re disobedience Ye some tyme god calleth suche people his freÌ„des not that they be so but bicause thei mought haue bin so Mat. 2 As he said vnto Iudas My freÌ„d whie art thou come hither Mat. 2 And vnto hiÌ„ that came vnto the wediÌ„ges my freÌ„de how art thou entred here not hauiÌ„g the weddiÌ„g garmeÌ„t Behold he is called freÌ„de yet neverthelesse he suffreth hiÌ„ to be cast into darknesse he had biÌ„ the freÌ„d of god if he wold haue coÌ„sented to the wil of god 1 Iohn Saint Iohn saieth There is now mani anÌ„christes thei weÌ„t out froÌ„ vs were not of vs for if they had byn of vs they had bydden with vs. So be all people the children of god but there be many that make theym silves vnworthy aÌ„d depart theym silves from god The other sonne that abideth with his father is a sonne and abydeth a sonne and heyre bicause he is obeisaunt vnto his father He hath not deserved by his good lyfe and obedience the possessyon aÌ„d goodes of his father but he hath onely byn well ware that he hath not lost theym by disobedieÌ„ce For the father may sey Dere son it is true that thou hast kept to the best of thy power my commaundementes notwithstâ—nding thy goodnesse had never made the riche yf I had not gotten it Then lyke wise all though that we kepe the coÌ„maundementes of god never so streytly it shuld profit vs nothing if it were not that Iesu christ had obteyned for vs the lyfe eternall byfore of his hevynly father by his deth Oure goodnesse or iustice shulde profit vs nothing if Iesus christ had not laboured for vs. For as saieth saint Paule The lawe hath brought nothing vnto perfection Hebr. 7 The Iues kept the coÌ„maundementes and the lawe of god yet they coâ—de not come vnto heven It was nedeful that Iesu Christ must first dye for theym Lykewyse can we not be saved by oure workes Oure helth is come to vs of god For if by oure workes we may got helth â—hen must we nedes say that Christ is dede in vayne As saieth saint Paule Ye if workes mought haue saved Abraham Isaac Iacob David and many other Iuâ—s had byn saved as we haue seyd byfore the natiuyte of Iesu Christ for they kept better the commaundementes of god then we do But god will do it alone to thintent that none glorifie or bost him silf therof and that to him alone and to none other he gyven all honour and glory for ever Amen For as wryteth saynt Paule The scripture concludeth al thinges vnder sinne that the promys by the feyth of Iesus Christ shuld be gyven vnto theym that beleve Ga. 3 For this cause when the parsone knoweth surely that god hath made hym childe of the everlasting lyfe by hys deth byfore he had deserved it he will do agayne to god all the service that he can thinke and all by love aud kindnesse shewing that he will not be vnkind not to get eny thing of godbut bycause he is his good father and that he hath receyved al thinges of him For we haue nowe alredy al that wherfore we must serve god For he hath made vs his children and his heyres while we were his enimyes and byfore that we knewe him as we haue many tymes byfore saied And hereyn lyeth the deserving of the christen faith that thou beleve certeynly that thou art the child of god and that thou kepest his commaundementes bicause thou knowest and belevest stedfastly that he hath so made the riche greate and that thou servest him by this faith as a good childe his father For the childe douâ—teth not but beleveth stedfastly that he shall haue the substaunce of his father and bycause he beleveth it stedfastly he laboureth for to entreteyne it So shalt thou beleve without doubting eny thing that thou art enheryter of heven And therfore shalt thou do thy diligence to kepe that herytage to the honour of thy father Thou shalt be ware that thou anger him not but thou shalt thanke him oft bycause he hath gyven the thys hevenly herytage Behold nowe seist thou well bifore thine yien howe moche we are bound to thaÌ„ke prayse and serve god and to kepe hys commaundementes and to kepe vs from sinne and to do many good workes of faith by verey love ¶ Of two maner people lyving in this world Chaptre xi THere are iÌ„the world ij sortes of people good evill be coÌ„pared vnto the two theves that suffred on the crosse with Iesu christ â–ª the good are berokened by the theef on the right side which axed pardoÌ„ thei be thei that knowlege theÌ„ silves pore sinners fele mekely of them silves Lu. 18 as did the poore publican that durst not lyft vp hys yies toward heven for they knowe that they haue not kept the commauÌ„demeÌ„tes of god so streytly as thei were bound They perceyue also that though thei thiÌ„ke to kepe theÌ„ never so well they fele theim silves failing alweyes in detraction â—n hastinesse in anger in idell wordes in infidelite aÌ„d in lakke of loue albeit that suche folke do moche goodyet they re conscience is not content and in rest but as coÌ„cerning theym silves euer in sorowe For they knowe that they must appere byfore the rightuous iudge bifore whose face as sayeth the Psalmist shall none lyving be iustified if we shuld be iudged after oure deservinges Psal. 142 And therfore come they and cast theym silves prostrate byfore the mercy of god and sey with the thefe on the right syde Lu. 23 Lorde haue mynd on me when thou comest into thy kiÌ„gdome Thou hast commaÌ„unded me many thinges and I perceyue in my silf that I am frayle and caÌ„not entierly kepe thy commaundementes though I loke never so well therto Neverthelesse I knowe that thou nedest not my good workes Seing it is so that thou hast so moche loved me that thou woldest suffer deth for me when I dyd not yet knowe the and was yet thyne enemye I haue trust vnto the my most mercyfull god that thou wilt not suffre hym to periss he for whome thou hast shed thy bloude For I knowe that thou art a lord almightye that mayest all thinges in heven and in erth And I knowlege and worship the am certeyn that thou wilt not dampne me Albeit that I haue not deserved heven by my good workes I knowe and beleve that thou hast satisfied for me wheÌ„ thou dydest suffre deth on the crosse Thou hast bought me agayn with thy precyous bloude and I am thyne the devell hath no ryght in me Neverthelesse yf thou wylt dampne me o mercyfull god thou mayest well do it
vnto the Romayns where he saieth Ro. â— Every soule shall be subiect vnto the highe powers for there is no power but of god Then he that resisteth the power resisteth the ordinaunce of God Moreâ—ver saint Peter saieth 1. Pe. â— Be ye subiectes to euery humayne creature be it vnto the kinge as vnto the sovereyne be it vnto the hede rulers as by him sent for veÌ„geaunce vnto the offeÌ„ders but for preyse to theym that be good Moreover the right of the seculer power of the ciuile iustice hath bin froÌ„ the begiÌ„niÌ„g of the world for wheÌ„ Cain had slayne his brother Abell he feared moche that he shuld be kild ageyn Likewise after the floude god coÌ„firmed it agein Gene. 9 saying whosoever shede maÌ„nes bloud his bloude shal be shed agein The same ryght was coÌ„fermed agein in the lawe of Moses where he sayde in Exode Exo. 2â— whosoever strike a man willing to kill hiÌ„shall dye of deth And ageyn if any with dede advised iying in a wayte kill his neighboure thou shalt drawe him out of my house and that he dye And in the same lawe it was coÌ„mauÌ„ded to take awaye life for life yie for yie to the for to the hand for hand wauÌ„de for wounde so of other Likewise hath our savioure Christ in the gospell confirmed Mat. 25 it saying to saint Petre in the gardeyn of Olivete He that streketh with the swerd with the swerde shall perisshe Then is it all certeyn manifest that it is the will of god that there shulde be a swerd iustice teÌ„porall for the punycion of the evill coÌ„â—â—vacioÌ„ of the good for theÌ„terteyniÌ„g of the publique peace christen comune brotherly love ¶ SecuÌ„dly it semeth to be moche coÌ„trary heruÌ„to that whiche Christ saieth in the gospell in this maner Ye haue herde whate hath byn sayed Mat. 5 In yie for anyie a toth for a toth but I sey vnto you ye shall not resist evill But whosoever strike the on the right cheke touâ—â—e to him the other And to him that will go to lawe with the by force take awey thy core gyve to him also thy gowne And he that will constreyne the to go a myle with him go with him twayne And a litell after Love your enemyes say well of theÌ„ that â—urse you do good to theym that persecuâ—e you with hatred praye for theym that hurt you persecute you And over besides this there are yet many places in the holy scripture for be doing all maner of veÌ„geaunce As in saint Paule vnto the Romayns Ro. 1â— 1. Pe. â— and. 3. Saint Petre in his first epistle and in many other places Wherfore it seâ—â—eth that the swerd of iustice shuld be for bodeÌ„ in the new testameÌ„t emoÌ„g the christeÌ„ Then thirdly for to vnderstond thys well we must fyrst knowe that there are â—wo sortes of people in the worlde The first belong vnto the kingdome of god The other to the kingdome of the worlde They that belong vnto the kingdome of God be all true faythfull people in Iesus Christ and vnder him For Christ is king and lord in the kingdome of God As techeth vs the secunde Psalme and also all the olde and newe testameÌ„t He came also in to the worlde to begyn and to lest vp the kingdome of god in the worlde Therfore saide he to Pylate My kingdome is not of this worlde And whosoever is of the trouth hereth my voice Iohn 18 And in saint Marke sayeth he that the tyme is fulfilled and the kingdome of God shall approche Mar. 1. And in Saynt Mathewe sayeth he Mat. 16. Seche first the kingdome of God He calleth the Gospell a gospell of the kingdome of god bycause the Gospell teacheth governeth and kepeth the same kingdome Then they that are stedfast in the faithe in the love of god yf they obey vnto his coÌ„mauÌ„demeÌ„tes have nought to do with the swerd of iustice nor of the seculer power to make theym rightuous And yf all the worlde were true and verey Christen that is to sey veri feithfull there nede no governoure king lord sworde nor iustice For wherto shulde they sarve seyng that all true christeÌ„ shulde haue the holy goost whiche governeth and teacheth theym to do no wronge to love all the world to suffre and endure the evell and iniurye of all the worlde willingly and ioyfully ye also the deth And where as all persones are content willingly to suffre wrong and iniurye And where as there is none that doth wronge nor iniurye but where as all persones do ryght there is no dyscord hatred envie nor other discencion And there nedeth no ryght nor punycyon Wherfore it were iÌ„possible that the swerd of iustice shuld haue ought to do emong the verey true christen seyng they do moche more of theym silves then eny man caÌ„commaunde theym or then eny lawe or worldly doctrine can teche theym As sayth saiÌ„t Paule vnto Timoth. vnto the ryghtuous there is no lawe sette but vnto the vnryghtuous 1. Tim. â— And this is thus bicause that the iugement and ryght of a verey true christen fordereth and avaunceth more then all other ryghtes aÌ„d lawes for it procedeth from the holy goost whiche possesseth and inhabiteth the hart of a verey christen But the vnryghtuous do ryght to no man therfore they haue nede of ryght and of lawes wherby they be taught and constreyned to do well A good tree nedeth not that one teche hym to bryng forth good frute for his nature gyveth it without ony reching Likewise are all the verey true christen natured by the holy goost and saith that they do all thinges well and as it aperteyneth more then eny man can commaunde theym by all the coÌ„maundementes in the worlde And for theym silves haue they no nede nether of lawe nether of ryght But some man myght axe whye then hath god gyveÌ„ vnto men so many commaundementes yn the olde and newe testament I answerethe Saint Paule seith as it is sayde byfore vnto the ryghtuous there is set no lawe but to the vnrightuous that is to sey to theym that are not yet true christeÌ„ And forbicause that none is true and verey christeÌ„ or good of nature but be all synnars and evill As witnesseth the prophete sayng God hath loked from heven vppon the children of meÌ„ that he mought se if there be eny vnderstonding Psat. â—3 Rom. 3. or seching god All are fallen and are become abhominable there is none that doeth good no not one Therfore god refreyneth the malice of the people by the lawe that they dare not accomplisshe hit outwardly by worke and dede according to they re evill will Mereover saint Paule gyveth vnto the lawe an other office that is that it letneth vs to knowe oure synnes by the whiche knowelege a man is made meke and yeldeth hym silf to the faith and vnto the mercy and grace of god as is
subiectes for therof they shall yeld a streyte accompt bifore God ¶ Of men of warre and of the warre whether the Christen may warre without synne an informacyon after the Gospell Chaptre .xxix. THe men of warre haue nothing in the gospell for the gospell knoweth no meÌ„ of warre nor the warre but onely peace Albeit that many doctoures sey that the men of warre is a thing resonable good bicause of the wordes of saint Iohn baptist who as writeth saint Luke in the gospell answered vnto the men of warre axâ—ing him whate thing they shulde do to be saved that they shuld hurte nomaÌ„ but shulde be contented with theire wages By these wordes will the doctours and Theologyens saye that the men of warre may warre pill and do evill without synne But they vnderstond not the wordes of saint Iohn ye must vnderstond that the teching of saint Iohn brought noman vnto full perfectioÌ„ It did but onely make redy the hert of man vnto god and vnto the teaching oâ— Iesu christ He rebuked the most grettesâ— euilles by his preaching He did but onely teche the beginning of rightuousnesse aâ— though he wolde haue seyed If I shuld all arâ—once forbid you to warre ye mighâ— not yet for your wekenesse suffer it â— nor yeâ— might not leveâ—t all sodeynly But beginne first to â—eue the most grettest evill as to do hurt and outrage vnto other as to burne to kill to pill and so forth And be alweyes content with your wages So was saint Iohn Baptist none other thing but as a man that abateth and cutteth of from a pece of timber the most gretest knotres He doth it not to thintent that it shulde abide so But wheÌ„ the knottes and warres be cut of then comith a better master carpenter that planeth it maketh it more smothe with a large fine rabot Likewise did saint Iohn by his preaching he did but onely abate and cut of the grete knottes that is to sey the grete sinnes And yet they were not clene taken away â—nd cut of till an other better master workman came after and â—ut them of with his fine rabot And therfore was he nothing els but a voyte crying in the deserte whiche cryed Esa. 40 Make redy the wey of the lorde make â—â—reyght his fete pathes He was not the light as saieth saint Iohn the Evaungelist He coude not pardone oure sinnes for he was not Christ. Iohn 1 He was but onely a voyce a foregoar and a shewer whiche made redy the wey ageinst the coming of Christ. And for this cause did Saint Iohn sende his disciples to Iesu Christ when he shulde die to thintent that they might lerne the full perfection of him For he had but onely made them redy for to come vnto christ for this cause reason it is al manifest that saint Iohn hath not preised the warre by these wordes but hath rather forboden it As teacheth all the gospell for as it is a thing evill agreing that the hoÌ„de fight ageinst the hede So is it a thing as evell agreing and grete sinne that one Christen warre ageinst the other Ro. 12 For we are all bretheren and membres of one body the body is Christe whiche in all his life preached peace and concorde to all theim that he taught Saynt Iohn in his fyrst epistle saieth 1. Ioh. 4 He that hateth his brother is an homicide We may hate noman we must love oure enemyes we must pray for theym and do good vnto theym that persecute vs. How can it then be possible after the gospell that we may warre without sinne wherin so many people lose they re livis and wherby so many parsones come to wildenesse ryot and evill life There be textes in the canon lawe that suffre some warres But the reehing of Christ forbiddeth all warres It is a thing horrible and daungerous for body and soule to enterpryse move a warre For all malice reyneth in tyme of warre Neverthelesse when a cuntrey is invaded or a towne beseged wheÌ„ the comon peace is troubled and grete violence is done vnto the subiectes the lord of that cuntrey ys bounde by brotherly love to helpe hys subiectes and to defende theym to punysshe the evyll and to put hys lyfe yn ieoperdy for hys subiectes But he must alweyes beware that he do it not to revenge his owne wronge or for to enlarge his londe and lordship but onely to defende his subiectes And so may he vse the horrible businesse of the warre charitably and christenly But if it were possible to agre for golde or silver he is bounde to do it For the life of a chrilren is more worth then all the richesse of the worlde A lorde shall thinke alweyes that there is a king aboue him in heve bifore who me all parsones shall yeld accompte at the last day of iugement ye of the lest workes and thoughtes that he shall do be he king or Emperour 〈…〉 nobill or ignoble yong or olde We rede that the people of Israell did warre many tymes but theire warres were 1. Co. 10 but all figures As saieth saint Paule wherfore it betokeneth to vs that we shal likewise fight not the one ageynst the other but ageynst oure silves that is to sey ageynst oure synnes ageynst pryde wrath covitize lechery hatred envye and suche other ¶ Howe servauntes shulde lyve a doctrine after the Gospell Chaptre .xxx. SErvauntes that serve theyr lordes mastres ladyes and mastresses shal be true vnto theym as vnto theym silves and shall alweyes do the proufit of they re lordes and mastres as though it touched theym silves They shall nor do they re service onely for temporall rewardes For thou mayst by the service that thou doest vnto thy master please god as wele as though thou were no servaunt and as though thou were in the churche â—prayng on thy knees Therfore thou shalt do thy service by faith and love in god thus thinking in thy silf Behold dere lorde God I thanke the that thou hast not made me riche I am well content with the state that I am yn I will with a good wilâ— for the love of the serve all the worlde And I thanke the that thou hast made me worthy to suffereny thing for thy love and that I may in this worlde be one of the lest and leâ—t estemed when thou serveâ—â— thy lorde in suche a faith with a good will thou receivest not onely the rewarde or wages of men towhome thou servest bnt that more is of God Therfore thou shalt do thy laboure diligently and ioyfully not as though thou didest sarve a man but as though thou didest serve God as truely thou doest For so doeth saint Paul teche the writing to the Ephesians where he saieth Ephe. Servauntes obey vnto youre carnall mastres with feare and trembling in ynnocency of your hartes as vnto Iesu christ not with service in the yie â—ight as men pleasers but as the servauntes
beholde oure sigâ—ne and gage whiche we haue receyved 〈◊〉 god wherby he hath promysed vs 〈◊〉 we be his children and that he wil not 〈◊〉 vs. So say I then that by pure faith atâ— oure sinnes be to vs pardoned aÌ„d that 〈◊〉 be the children of god and that we belonâ— to god and that god shall shewe ouer 〈◊〉 his mercy Here vpon receave we a 〈◊〉 that is the signe of baptesme to thiÌ„teÌ„t thaâ— as oâ—ten as we haue regard vnto this signe we shuld be myndefull of the grace 〈◊〉 mercy that god hath done vnto vs thaâ— we belong to god and that we be the chilâ—ren of god Beholde nowe thou seest well whaâ— thinge the baptesme betokeneth it is 〈◊〉 one byfore god yf thou be .lxxx. yere oldâ— or twenty yere olde when thou receavâ— the baptesme for god regardeth not houâ— thou art but with whate purpose aÌ„d â—tencyon and with whate feith thou reâ—avest this baptesme and grace He regarâ—â—th not whether thou be Iue or paynyâ—e man or woman noble or vnnoble bisâ—â—ope or cytezyn But alonly he that with 〈◊〉 parfait faith and trust comyth vnto god 〈◊〉 maketh violence vnto the euerlastynge 〈◊〉 Mat. 26. getteth it as promyseth Iesu christ 〈◊〉 the gospell ¶ Whate thinge we promyse at the Baptesme and whate professyon we make Chaptre iij. WHen one warneth these worldly people to do any good they say let the monkes and religious do it whiche haue promyâ—ed it as though they were not bounde to 〈◊〉 the doctrine of Iesu christ or as thoâ—gh they had nothing promysed All be it â—hat no monke can promyse more then he â—ath promysed at the baptesme And we be moche more bounde vnto 〈◊〉 promyse made at the baptesme then 〈◊〉 eny religious vnto his professyon For we make no promyse vnto man but vnto god and we promyse not to kept the rule of a man but of the gospell Thinke ye noâ— therfore that it is a small thiÌ„g to be a christen when thou hast promysed to Iesuâ— christ to amend thy life ad that thou 〈◊〉 not live according to the worlde nor acoâ—ding to the flesshe It is a greate thing 〈◊〉 enterpryse the Christen faith whiche 〈◊〉 fewe people do knowe whate thing it coÌ„teyneth namely suche as here after 〈◊〉 world do seme to be verey wise lettered But one might say I have nothing promysed to God I was a child let him kepe it that hath promysed for me For this cause to thintent that no man shulde so say it was sumtyme ordeyned that none shulde be baptysed before that he camâ— to vnderstanding and knowlege to thintent that he might promyse him â—ilfe and forsake the devell and that he might knowe what thing he had promysed If it were not that the children were feble in perill of deth theÌ„ thei must haue bin baptized Nowe alweyes albeit that we oure silfe haue not promysed we be allegally bounde to observe it For if thou haddest dyed wheÌ„ thou were but a yere old thou had dest also be saved thou wilt saye ye by the â—aith of my godfathers godmothers aÌ„d 〈◊〉 holy churche I say ageyn doest thou â—fesse that the faith of thy godfathers aÌ„d â—odmothers is so mighty that thou mayst â—erby be saved The same feith is likewiâ—â— mighty to subiect the binde the to that 〈◊〉 that they haue promysed for the 〈◊〉 paine of thi daÌ„pnacioÌ„ losse of thy 〈◊〉 wherfore thou must as well kepe this â—hat thy pareÌ„tes haue promysed for the as â—hough thou haddest promised it thy silfe The godfathers godmothers be bouÌ„d 〈◊〉 warne the childreÌ„ to helpe them that â—hey be put to stole to thintent that they â—ay vnderstoÌ„d the gospell the ioyfull mesâ—age of god with the epistles of S. Paule For the vnlettered simple people be as â—ell bouÌ„de to knowe theÌ„ as the lettered 〈◊〉 And god hath coÌ„mauÌ„ded for to pubâ—â—she to shewe the gospell not allonly to â—restes but also vnto euery creature Go â—e saith Christ vnto his disciples into the â—niuersal world preche the gospell to euery creature Mar. 16 for we be all egally bouÌ„d to â—now the gospell the doctrine of the newe testameÌ„t saint Paule hath not alloÌ„ly â—â—riteÌ„ his pistles vnto the prestes but also Citezyns and housholders And this witnessith saint Paule him silfe wryting vnto the Corinthians and vnto the Galathians â—Cor 1 where he confesseth that he sendeth his epistles to all the church that is to sey to all thassemble of Christen men and to all theym that call on the name of Iesus And vnto the Romayns he saith To you all that be at Rome the frendes of god Ro. 1. And Iesus Christ hath aswell suffered deth for the comon housholder as for the prestes God shall alwayes requyre the scriptures of the prestes for they be ydell and do not study nor make no diligence to declare theym vnto the simple Therfore it is very nedefull that the common people shulde vnderstond the gospell and the doctrine of the apostles according to the lettre aÌ„d that they knowe theÌ„ by hart with the other storyes of the olde testament for so shulde they more lightly vnderstond the preachers It were also very necessary that every one dyd lerne his children to rede as men were wont to do afore tyme. The Iues had they re lawe in Hebrue the whiche euery one myght vnderstond accordynge to the lettre After this the paynems were converted by saint Paule to whome he wrote-in greke whiche they all dyd vndstond After that was Italy and affryque converted where as well the wymen as the men spake latyn for this cause was the byble translated into latyn to thintent that euery one might vnderstond it and they preached in latyn and the prophetes were redde in the Italien churches in latyn And in that tyme there were many ladyes and wymen whiche vnderstode verey well the scriptures as was Paulâ— aÌ„d Eustochium Demetrias and Marcella â— many other of whome wâ—iteth saint Iherome and the comune housholders redde the bible in they re houses with they re children So is it nowe of greate necessite that the holy scripture be translated into all langages or that all the children lerne the latyn tongue Some man wolde sey euery maÌ„ may not set his children to sâ—ole bicause they be poore wherfore I wolde well that the children of the pore were holde to scole at thexpences of the comynaltye or that folkes shulde take the money whiche they spende so outragioâ—â—ly in making and gilding of ymages aÌ„d in dressing the aultres of the churches and in buylding of Monasteris Chanonryes and chapels and founding of Obites and prebendes Or of the money that men offer in churches and of the whiche men make vessels of golde and silver and other precious ornamentes They might enploy this money a thousand folde better if ther with they dyd holde these yong children to scole till suche tyme that
of promission bicause of thyne owne rightuousnesse and the equyte of thine hert but bycause thaâ— god will fulfill his worde wâ—iche he hath promysed by othe made vnto thy fatherâ— Abraham Isaac and Iacob And therfore is it called the lond of promission for that we be saved that comyth not thorowe 〈◊〉 good workes but that oure god hatâ— so promysed And we must stedfastly and without doubt beleve that god will 〈◊〉 power vnto his wordes as ferre forth aâ— with a parfait courage we beleve in hym For God hathe bound him silfe vnto vs hath promysed vs that he will gyve vs the euerlasting life For he desireth nothing but oure helth And he biddeth vs that we shall pray vnto him For he will heiâ— vs graciously as he promyseth vs in the gospell saying And whate soeuer ye 〈◊〉 in my name that will I do Iohn 14. And he is redy at all houres to forgeue vs oure sinnes when we haue repentaunce As saieth the prophete Ezechiell Eze. 18. If the wikked tourâ—he him silf from his sinfull lyfe to rightuousnesse he shall lyve and not dye and I will no more haue remembraunce of thynyquyte that he hath done And seynt Paule vnto the Romayns All they that beleve and trust in hym shall not be shamed And Iohel the proprete as recyteth saint Paule All they that shall call on the name of god shal be saved That is to sey they that by a stedfast feyth abide vppon god as dyd the good thefe that was crucified with christ whiche when he with a stedfast beleue had called vppon Chryst was answered this day shalt thou be with me in paradize And as did Mary magdaleyne to whome it was likewise sayde thy faith hath saved the goo thou in peace shal be saved Thirdli we must also beleve that god desiteth none other thing but oure helth and therfore whatesomever thiÌ„g happoÌ„ to vs here be we in helth or in dysease riche or pore honoured or dispised noble or vnnoble alyve or deed we shall alweyes be coÌ„tent whate thing soeuer god send knowyng certeynly that nothing comith without the wil sufferauÌ„ce of god for if it so be that one leefe falleth not from the tree that a sparowe or a flie descend not on the erth without the will of your father Howe moche more comith there nothinge to vs without the wil aÌ„d suffraunce of god As writeth saint Mathewe where oure lord sayeth be not .ij. sparowes solde for a peny and none of theym doth light on the ground without youre father Then whate soever thing god send vs let vs receyve it yeldinge to him thankes with good hert â— Mat. 10 as dyd Abraham whiche forsoke his contrey and his lond as it is writen in the boke of Genesiâ— where god seyd to Abraham go out of thy contrey and out of thy lynage and go into the lond that I wyll shewe the which also was redy to kill his welbeloved son Isaac Nowe seyng that we be the children of Abraham and that we haue obteyned helth by meane of the saith of Abraham As saith oure lord in S Iohn If ye be the children of Abraham do the workes of Abraham And therfore must we bere all thinges paciently and with good will whiche god will that we shall suffre and bere For if he knewe that they were not covenable and proufitable for vs he wolde let theym they shuld not come as deâ—th warre pestilence povertie malady aduersite persecucion discomfort for oure children losse of oure temporall goodeâ— Ro. 14. finally the verey deth For as saint Paule saieth whether we lyve or dye we are alweyes the lordes And therfore the Christen shall not be troubled for none suche thinges but shal be rather ioyfull as were thappostles whome god had made worthy to suffre any thing for hys â—ove For it is a sure token that thou arte the childe of god if thou haue pacience for it is writen by saint Act. 5. Luke in thactes of thappostles that thapostles were ioyfull that they were reputed worthy to suffre dishonour before the world for the love of god And god hath promysed nothing els to his disciples in this world but payne tribulacion as Christ saieth in saint Iohn Iohn 16 Ye shall wepe and lament and the world shall reioyce and ageyn in the world ye shall haue tribulacion but be of good chere for I have overcome the worlde And there is not a more certeyne signe that a man shal be dampned then when he ledith here an yvell life hath alweyes prosperite for this prosperite shal be hys paradice On the coÌ„trary part there is not a more certeyn signe of euerlasting helth then when a man lyveth iustly and hath alway adversite for that is it that god sendeth vs for oure sinnes and oure purgatory or so to make open his glory in oure pacyence And therfore shall the Christen alweyes more reioyce when he suffreth aduersite and tribulacyon then when all thinges comyth prosperously vnto him For prosperite in an evell life signifieth comoÌ„ly that god hath reproved the parsone â— it maketh him to forget God But adversite signifieth comonly that god loveth the person And the parson is warned by tribulacion aÌ„d sufferaunce to call vppon god for socoure Hebre. 12 For as seith saint Paule him that God loveth him doth he chastise and he stourgeth euery child that he receyveth For whate is the child that the father doth not chastise And if ye be out of the discipline and chastisement of the whiche all the children of god haue byn part takers ye are then bastardes and not sonnes And in thapocalips speaketh God and sayeth Apo. 3 as many as I loue I rebuke and chastyse Also Salomon in the Proverbes saieth theym that the lord god loveth he rebuketh Pro. 3â— Therfore let none be sory when tribulacioÌ„ maladye pestilence or also the deth it silf comith But let him alweyes accord his will to the will of god and suffre paciently ioyfully knowing for trouth that it is all the good holy will of God oure right good father And let him thanke him that it pleaseth him to make hym worthy to suffre any maner trybulacyon for his sake as dyd Iob and Thobias aÌ„d many other For without doute god knoweth whate thiÌ„g is helthfull for vs. And he that murmureth grudgeth ageynste god in tribulacioÌ„ is not a ChristeÌ„ For he beleveth not that god gouerneth entreatith him for his helth But whate are we ought els theÌ„ erth in the hond of a potter As saith saint Paule in this maner Ro. 9 O maÌ„ whate arte thou that doest this murmure ageinst god may the pot say vnto hiÌ„ that made hiÌ„ whie hast thou made me on this facioÌ„ Nay And as the potter may make suche a pot as he will of the erth so be we yn the hoÌ„des of god â–ª we must be coÌ„teÌ„t with all that god wil
ghost hath offred hym silfe without Hebre. â— spot vnto God hath clensed oure consciences from mortall workes for to serve vnto the lyving God And therfore we haue no nede to laboure by oure good workes to get euerlasting lyfe for we haue that alredy we be all iustified we be all the children of God God hath gyven vs all thys of him silf without oure deserving Some man might say I will also do sumwhate to thintent that I may be so moche the more certeyn to be saved All they that say so and all they that thinke that they re good workes helpe eny thing or proufit for to get the gift of saluacyon they blaspheme ageynste God and robbe god of his honoure and speke ageynst the might and goodnesse of God Gala. 5 as wryteth saint Paule If ye be circumcised Christ shall nothinge proufit you that is to say if ye put eny trust in the lawe or in any workes Christ shall not helpe you And yet sayeth saint Paule in that same Chaptre whosoever will be iustified by the lawe is fallen out of the grace of god Howe may the wordes be more clere wherfore al they blaspheme ageynst the dyvine puissaunce that will eny maner wey deserve by they re good workes for this cause we must do oure good workes alweys by love to the proufit of 〈…〉 not for the necessite of oure hâ—â—th for by Iesu christ be we made sure of the euerlasting life as it is bifore said They that by they re workes will satisfie vnto god be agaynst God as though God were not puissaunt ynough of him silf without the helpe of oure werkes for to pardone vs oure sinnes and as though the passion of Christ were not vertuouse ynough without oure deservinges for to helpe vs to come vnto heven Therfore say I we must allonly hoelly trust in the grace mercy of god not in oure workes or els christ shall nothing proufit vs. ¶ Howe that by the onely grace of God and by nothing elles we be saved Chaptre vi NOwe might some man sey I knowe wel that god is mightie ynough to save me without my workes but I caÌ„ not tel whether he wil do it if it be not that I live therwith al rightuously paraueÌ„ture my good werkes shal enduce hiÌ„ to make me rightuous to save me or els he wolde not do it All they that so saye or thinke as I haue said blaspheme against the goodnesse of god as though god were not of him silf mercyfull aÌ„d good ynough except he were first stered vnto mercy by oure werkes Ro. 4. Not withstoÌ„ding that saint Paule sayeth that the promesse was not made vnto Abraham by the lawe but by the iustice of the faith And seyng also that of his proper nature he is nothing els but goodnesse and mercy as he hath alweyes taught and shewed wheÌ„ he was teaching in the world for he hath never dispysed nor left none discomforted of eny thing that eny hath requyred him but onely suche as wold not beleve Wherfore thou must knowe ones for all that by the onely grace of god we be saved And god will not that thou put thy good workes or thy iustice with his pretending to helpe him by thy workes for he will do it a lone and will haue no maner helpe For he hath no nede of the couÌ„sell nor of the dede nor of the workes nor of the iustice of any other Ephe. 2 For saint Paule saieth By grace are ye saved thorowe faith and that not of your silves for it ys the gift of god and cometh not of workes lest eny man shulde bost himsilf Now were it possible to speake it more pleynly and vnto the Romains Ro. 5. Being iustified by fayth we are at peace with god And saynt Iohn saieth He is the recoÌ„ciliacion for oure sinnes 1. Iohn The deth of Iesu christ and his iustice be vertuous ynough for to take awey all the sinnes of the world Nowe might one demaunde whi will god iustifie vs and so save vs of him silfe God doth it to thintent that he make hys goodnesse and mercy vnto vs more clere and more open Ephe. 2 As writeth saint Paule vnto the Ephesians God that is riche yn mercy thorowe the grete love wherwyth he loved vs even when we were dâ—ed by sinne hath quykned vs with Christe by whose grace ye be saved and with hiÌ„ hath reysed vs vp and with him hath made vs sitte in hevenly thinges thorowe Christ for to shewe in tyme to come the exceding richesse of his grace in kindnesse towarde vs thorowe Iesus Christ. Here seest thou by these wordes the cause whye god will do it alone for if god shuld iustifie vs aÌ„d shuld gyue helth bicause of oure workes he shuld not do it by his goodnesse but oure workes had deserved it and so shulde we not nede to thanke God therfore but moâ—ght ascribe it to oure selves and vnto oure workes But saint Paule and all the prophetes do teache vs that we be iustified and haue gotten helth by the onely grace of God and not by oure deservynges for we haue none And as god wyll that we do not thanke laude or loue other then alonely him Also like wyse will he not that we serche elswhere or of any other helth but of him onely for god wil be oure helth and oure savioure alone and he will not that we serche els where comfort but in him and of him and not in oure silfe nor in oure good werkes And for this cause thus writeth saint Paule vnto Titus But after that the kindnesse and loue of oure savioure appered vnto man not of the dedys of rightuousnesse which we haue wrought but of his mercy he hath saved vs by the fonteyne of the newe birth with the renewing of the holy gost whiche he shed over vs abundauntly thorow Iesus christ oure savioure TituÌ„ 3 And therfore whosoever thiÌ„ke to haue deserved the kingdome of heven by his rightuous life he robbeth god of his goodnesse for god hath frely iustified vs of hiÌ„ silf oure lord him silf hath seid in the gospel of S. Ioh None may come vnto me except my father that sent me drawe hiÌ„ Iohn 6 And in an other place without me ye caÌ„ do nothing Iohn 15 god spake by the prophete Osee O Israel thi perdicioÌ„ comith of thy silf alonely of me cometh thy helpe Osee. 14 And saint Paule vnto the romains Ro. 9. The enerlasting life is not his that will or that râ—neth after it but it is in the hondes will of god to gyve it to whome he will by his mercy Therfore erre all they that thiÌ„ke that god owith to theym the euerlastiÌ„g life or that they haue deserved it when they haue done many good workes for that thing that god onely gyveth to whome he will that wold they take froÌ„ him plucke it out of
it behoveth that thou beleve him stedfastly without ony maner waveringe to thinten that thou knowe that it is all grace and not deserving and that the wordes and promyses of god be verey certein and true for god hath called vs his children as saint Paule saieth Because that ye are sonnes god hath sent the sprite of hys sonne into oure hertes crying Abba father Then arte thou nowe no servaunt but a sonne Gala. 4 and if thou be a sonne then art thou also heyre of god by christ aÌ„d so be we delyvered from oure sinnes and from the bondage of the devell and made heyres of the kingdome of heven by the benefit of Iesu christ He beleveth in god that putteth all his trust and hope in god and in the iustice of god living after his power accordinge to the rule of charite having no maner hope nor trust in the world in his good works or good life but alonly in the goodnesse of god and in the merites of Iesu christ beleving certeynly that god will hold to hym that he hath promysed remission of sinnes and certeynte of everlasting life He that doth so is a true christen and beleveth stedfastly that the wordes of god must nedes be true Notwithstanding that according to his workes he thinketh it a thing ympossible Neverthelesse he beleveth that he shal be saved without deservinge of any good workes rather then the wordes of god and all thinges that they do promyse shuld not come to passe As writeth saynt Paule of Abraham which beleved rather that his wife whiche was bareyne out of thage of generacyon shuld conceyve a childe rather theÌ„ the promyse of god shuld not be fulfilled And by this fayth was Abraham reputed iuste byfore God not by his good workes So behoveth it that euery christen do albeit that it seme to him ympossible to be saved bycause he hath done no good he shall neverthelesse stykke stedfastly vnto the goodnesse and mercy of God and vnto hys worde yn suche maner that he doubt not yn nothyng Lu. 2â— For Christ sayeth in Saynt Luke Heven and erth shall passe but my worde shall never passe Of this sayth wryteth Saynt Paule vnto the Romayns Ro. 10. whosoever shall call on the name of the lord God shal be saved He therfore that calleth vppon hym on whome he beleveth not that he may helpe hym loseth but his laboure Therfore thou must first beleve in hym And then if thou call vppon hym with suche a fayth as we haue spoken of thou shalt be saved Of this fayth speaketh also the prophete Esaie as recyâ—eth Saynt Paule the apostle yn the forseyd Chaptre All they that beleue yn hymshall not be ashamed And ageyn saint Paule Ro. 10 If thou confesse with thy mouth that Iesus is the lord and that thou beleue with a perfaict herte that God hath reised christ froÌ„ deth thou shalt be saved And the word that Christ preched first as recyteth Saint Marke was The tyme is full come and the kingdome of god is evyn at honde repent and beleve the gospell Mar. 1 Of this faith writeth lyke wise saint Iohn and they be the wordes of Christ vnto Nicodemus as Moyses lift vp the serpent in wildernesse even so must the sonne of man be lift vp that no man that beleveth in him perisshe but haue eternall life Iohn 3 God so loued the worlde that he gaue his onely sonne for the entent that none that beleve in him shuld perisshe but shuld haue everlasting life And a lytell after he that beleveth in him shall not be coÌ„dempned and ageyn in the same chaptre He that beleveth on the sonne hath everlasting life and he that beleveth not the sonne shall not see life but the wrathe of god abideth vppon him By all these escriptures here maist thou see that we be all the children of God alonly thorowe faith and this had God lever promyse vnto vs bicause of oure faith then bicause of oure good workes to thintent that we shuld be so moche the more certeyn of oure helth And therfore saith saint Paule by faith is the enheritaunce gyven that it might come of grace that the Ro. 4. promyse be sure and stedfast to all the seade for if god had said whosoever will do suche or suche workes shal be saved we shuld ever haue byn iÌ„certeyn whether we shuld haue byn saved or not for we shuld never haue knowen whether we had dogood ynough to haue deserved the lyfe eternall But nowe god hath promysed it vnto vs bicause of oure faith by hys favoure not by oure workes to thintent that we be the more sure therof For let vs beleve stedfastly and we may knowe for certeyn that we be the childreÌ„ of god Not that we haue deserved it but bycause he hath promysed it And it must nedes be that the word of god be true for this cause if we haue perfeit trust in god and beleve perfeitly in him we shal be sure that we shal be saved It was suche a feith that saint Paule had when he seid 2. Ti. â— I knowe and am sure that he to whome I haue coÌ„mitted and gyven my gage to kepe ys mighty ynough to kepe it for me tyll that day And ageyn I haue fought a good batayl 2. Ti. 4. I haue fulfilled my course and haue kept the faith from hensforth is leyd vp for me a crowne of rightuousnesse whiche the lord that is a rightuous iudge shall give me at that day Not vnto me onely but vnto all theym whiche love hys coming 1. Ioh. 3 And saint Iohn saieth Derely beloved nowe are we the sonnes of God And yet it hath not appered whate we shal be we knew that wheÌ„ he shal appere we shal be like hiÌ„ for we shal see hiÌ„ as he is This faith had also saynt Martine at the houre of his deth when he saide vnto the devell whye art thou here thou bloudy beest thou hast nought in me the seed of Abraham shall receyve me This suertye had likewise saint Imbrose when one axed hym if he feared not the deth he answered whye shuld I feare seyng that we haue one so good a lordâ— For this cause must we love the deth and more desyre to dye aÌ„d to be with god as dyd saint Paule then to feare the deth Phi. 1 for Iesu christ is deede for vs to thintent that we shuld not feare to dye And he hath flayne the deth and hath destroyed the streynght of deth as writeth saint Paule saying 1. Cor. 15 O deth where is thy victory It is swalowed and brought to nought by victory Phi. 1 And vnto the Philippyans Christ is my life and deth is to me advauntage ¶ Howe that feith bryngeth Charyte and Charyte good workes Chaptre .viij. NOwe might one axe when I beleve certeynly that I am the childe of god that Iesu christ hath satisfied for me vnto hys hevenly father
and ryghtuously for I am thyne and thou mayst do wyth me all that thou wilt I am thy creature Thy wyll be fulfilled yn erth as yn heven Mat. 6 Yet alweyes to thintent that thy dolorouse passyon be not lost in me I praye the o my most mercyfull lord Iesu chryst that thou wilt receyve me into grace as thou hast done the good these I knowe that I am not worthye and that I haue not deserved yt But to thintent that thy greate mercy may be alweyes the more manyfest vnto the augmentacyon of thy glory I requyre the o God most pnissaunt that thou wilt not put me a bak out of thy syghte For thy onely passyon ys myghty ynough for to save me wythwithout my good workes For if I â—ought deserve the life euerlastiÌ„g by my good workes it shuld seme that thou haddest suffered thy passion in vayne and that thou haddest dyed on the crosse in vayne Seing therfore that thou art surely deed for me and for all the worlde not for thy silf whye shuld I then be lost o gracyous Iesus christ Save thou me for thou art all good and mayst save me for thou mayst all thinges Wherfore I knowe no remedye but to come to thy grete mercy and I prostrate at thy fete requyre of the pardon of all my sinnes All they that of an entier hert do thus trust in God and trust stedfastly that god will save theym it shall come vnto theym accordinge to they re feyth And this is the most certeynte and the most sure wey for to come to heven vnto the lyfe eternall that euery one forsake him silf and put all in the hond of god alweyes doing his best to kepe the commaundementes of God and to lyve accordiÌ„g to the teaching of the gospell and altogyther distrusting of him silf The other that be signified by the thefe on the lyfte honde are they that put all they re trust in they re good workes Thei goo daily to the churche they kepe halowe all the festfull dayes they fast oft they here masse daily And when they must dye they trust in they re good workes thinke that god oweth to theym the kingdom of heven that they theym silves haue deserved it These maner of people be sonest dampned for they knowlege not that god hath satisfied for theym but make to theym goddes of the workes of they re hondes counting therby that they haue deserved heven for that thing is euery mannes god wherin he putteth his trust This ys one of the grettest errours that is in christeÌ„dome for if a man might save him silf by his good workes Christ were deed in vayne As saieth saint Paul Saint Iohn baptist AbrahaÌ„ Isaac aÌ„d Iacob with many other patriarkes have lyved moche more holily then ever we shall lyve Ga. 2 Yet coude they never by they re good workes come to heveÌ„ It was nedefull that christ shuld first come to suffer deth for them that his passion shuld saâ—e theym not they re workes but the feith and trust that they had yn â— Goddis promyses wherby they beleved that Iesu Christ shuld come and shuld deliver theym But I do not sey these wordes that the good workes done in feyth shuld be evill No I do counsell all the world to do many good workes principally the workes of loue and mercy toward they re neyghboures yn socouring theym in all they re necessites onely for the loue and honoure of god without seching any other thing and that he shuld so laboure frely with a ioyous hart to obey vnto the commaundementes of God and counsell of the gospell doing the workes comprysed in the holy scripture and not theym whiche the covitousnesse of the Pharysees have devysed But to do these workes and to thinke to deserve everlasting lyfe and so to put his trust in theym is to lyve as do nowe at this-day the Iues aÌ„d verey Idolatres For God will have the hole hart aÌ„d will not that it be fixed on ony other thingbut in hym alone Ye he willeth that all that we do in this lyfe shal be none other thing but a token of kindnesse and giving of thaÌ„kes of that we haue receyved of hym for if we haue stedfast faith and trust in hym alone we haue nowe receyved aÌ„d be sure of that that suche tedious and wery workers wold get as we haue seid bifore aÌ„d will sey more pleynly And all suche scripulous doers of good workes and therin seking they re helth and-trusting in theym that thinke they shal be saved when they haue slayne noman and when they have drawen noman to sinne and theruppon putting they re trust be like vnto the pharisey of whome Christ speaketh in the gospell whiche rehersed his workes for to haue prayse and reproved the poore humble publican knowleging his faute and axing pardon Lu. 18 It were better for the a thousand fold that thou haddest byn a sinner and never done good dede and that thou knowlege thyne offences and evill life vnto god axing mercy with good hert lamenting thy sinnes then to haue done suche good workes and in theym to put thy trust thinkinge that therfore God were bounde vnto the. There is nothing whiche after the maner of speaking byndeth God but ferme and stedfast feith and trust in him his promyses for god requyreth not principally oure good workes for he nedeth theym not but he desyreth oure hartes aÌ„d all oure intencion to seke in all thinges no thing but his honour And that we trust not in oure workes but forsaking oure silves all hoelly in him and not in oure deservinges For we can shewe vnto god no gretter honour then feith and trust yn him for whosoever doth that he confesseth that god is true good mighty and mercyfull And when we sinne it is not the worse vnto god we mynisshe not his glory by oure sinnes for his glory caÌ„ nether be augmented nor mynisshed forasmoche as it is infinite And for bycause that we can do no maner hurt or annoysaunce vnto God by oure sinnes therfore is he lightly appaised this stonding that with an entier hert without ony fayning we knowlege oure defaute and demaunde humbly pardon And likewise when we do any good we do not encrease his glory by oure workes for god abideth alweyes one All the dauÌ„ger that there is in oure synne is the evyll example that we gyve to oure neyghbour in that we hurt him therby dispising the good councell of oure good god whiche he hath giveÌ„ vs in his holy coÌ„mauÌ„demeÌ„tes for bicause we be vnkind ageinst the grete grace that he hath done vnto vs which is a thing horrible worthy of eternall punisshemeÌ„t bicause that it is infinite eternall the holy coÌ„maundemeÌ„t ageinst whiche we haue offended But bicause his proper nature is good mercyfull he pardoneth all these that confesse him to be suche Therfore loveth god better a sinnar repenting axing pardone of his
may in no wise be done to get money but alonely by loue yn praying one for an other Behold nowe seest thou well howe grete occasyon thou hast to do good For thou hast alweyes occasion to mortyfie thine evill desires to serve thyne neyghboure to comfort hym to helpe hym with worke with worde with counceyl with exhortacyon and by other semblable meanes In suche loue towardes oure neyghboure for the loue of God lyeth all the lawe and the prophetes as sayeth Christ Ye and all the verey Christente and nat in fasting keping of halydayes watching praying and synging long prayers dayly and all day hering of masses setting vp of candels runnyng on pilgremages and other suche thinges whiche aswell the ypochrites proude people envious and subiectes to all wikked affections doo Ye aÌ„d many tymes enforce theym silf more there vnto then the good christen But so to serve and socoure the one the other by verey love can none do but they that haue true faith and the verey love of god And whosoever so loveth his christen brother he is alweyes ioyfull in his conscience For he knoweth surely that he is the child of god and that God is his good father and is well content in his courage of all that god sendeth vnto him But he that hath not this love is alweyes sory full of anguisshe and woteth not whate to do to deserve more he fasteth he kepeth halydayes nowe of one saint nowe of an other He seyth his prayers nowe bifore one altre nowe bifore an other He renneth on pilgremage nowe here nowe there and can never come vnto the rest and quyet of his coÌ„science For suche workes make no man sure but make rather ypochrites trustyng in they re workes But the verey faithfull cleveth to god for he knoweth that he may never satisfie nor do ynough to deserve the everlasting life And therfore he putteth hys trust yn god beleveth stedfastly that he hath satisfied for vs that he hath iustifyed vs. And therfore it is all one to hiÌ„ whate thiÌ„g he do so that he please him exercyse charyte to his neyghbour for the love of god for he knoweth that God demaundeth nothing but the hert aÌ„d that he regardeth not howe we doo the worke so that yt be according to the teachiÌ„g of the gospell whiche commaundeth but charyte And so comith he by feyth and trust in God vnto rest and quyet of hert and conscience and is well coÌ„tent to dye wheÌ„ it pleaseth god ¶ Of .iiij. maner of feythes after the holy scripture and whiche is the Christen feyth Chaptre .xiij. THis present Chapitre bycause I haue moche spoken of faith that scarcely of a thousand one knoweth not this feith teacheth of how many maner feithes there is made meÌ„cioÌ„ in the holy scripture not as do now the doctours whiche have founde many maner of feythes I will onely speke of iiij maner of feithes whiche are most comunely fouÌ„de in the holy scripture The first faith is this whiche the marchauntes hold one to an other and feithfull frendes wherby they kepe promyse and fidelite the one to the other Eccle. 2â—â—nd 27 wherof speketh the wise saying possesse or kepe feith with thy frende in his povertye to thintent that in his welth thou mayst be ioyfull And ageyn he that discloseth the secret of his frende loseth his faith And in the Proverbes He that gyveth his faith for a straunger shall be vexed with evell And this is the faith wherof the worldly people complaine seying there is no feith in the worlde The seconde feith is when we beleve that a thing is to come and suche thinges as we here or rede as we beleve that Rome is a Cytie in Italye or that Cartage was destroyed of the Romayns and this we beleve although we haue not sene yt Also we beleve that Iesu Christ hath he relyved on erth and that he hath preached and that he is dâ—ed for vs and that he hath done many other thinges when we beleve these thinges after the story we beleve that this is oure christen faith The simple people aloneli doth not beleve this but also many doctours in Theologye which are taken for wise Ye the devell hath also this faith as sayeth saint Iames The devels beleve and tremble Ia. 2. for as we haue seyd byfore the devell beleveth that god is god and that Iesus Christ hath here preached that he was deed buryed rysen This must we also beleve but yet this is not the faith wherof speaketh the gospell and saint Paule The third faith is that we beleve that god may all thinges and that he is rightuous good and holye This faith haue also the devels and Iudas had it also aÌ„d other disciples that did miracles in the name of Iesus but they were therfore never the better for when they bosted theym silves and were ioyfull that by they re faith they expulsed the devils in the name of Iesus Lu. 10 Iesus Christ hath reproved them saying Ioy not you that the spretes be vnder your power but reioyce bicause youre names be writen in heven 1. Cor. 1â— Of this fayth writeth saint Paule vnto the Corinthians saying If that I had all feith so that I coude move mountaignes oute of they re places and yet had no love I were nothing The .iiij. faith is oure Christen fayth wherof so moche speake Iesu christ saynt Paule and saint Iohn and sey that it ys the foundacion of christendome And this is the feith wherof I speake in this boke None hath this faith but they that put all they re trust hope comfort refuge and fynally all theire helth in god alone serching all these thinges in him and loking for theÌ„ of him and not of they re deservinges or good workes Of this feith speaketh saint Paul saying whosoever call on the name of god shal be saved Ro. 10 And the prophete Ieremye Blessed is that man that trusteth in the lord god Iere. 17 And Christ in the Gospell To thinient that none that beleve in him shuld periss he but shuld haue everlasting life Iohn 3 And in the boke called ParalipomenoÌ„ Beleve in your lord God and you shal be assured and without thought Pa. 20 Beleve his Prophetes and all happy thinges shal come vnto you And almost all the Psalmes all the prophetes and all the leves of the holy Byble teache vs that we must beleve and hope in God by a sted fast fayth wherof speaketh so moche Saynt Paule the apostle and whiche he prayseth so moche in all hys epistles And as we haue abundauntly sayd in the Chaptres byfore none may comprehend thys fayth but he that considereth whate was the fayth of Abraham As wryteth saynt Paule vnto the Galathyans saying Abraham beleved God and yt ys rekened to hym for ryghtuousnesse Ga. â— For by hys fayth hath he obteyned that he ys called oure father and we be called hys children
these thinges in they re wayes and theire soules haue takeÌ„ pleasure in theire abhommacions wherfore I will also reherce they re illusions and deceites And I will bring vnto theym the thinges that they feared bicâ—use I haue called and there was none that answered I haue spoken and they haue not herd Thinke well on these wordes you all that make suche estimacion of your Ceremonies festes oblacions sensinges and all other outward workes for albeit that ye will sey that all these wordes be spoken of Iâ—es that abode obstinate in the lawe of Moyses shall they not ye ought they not Likewise to be vnderstond of all theym that folowe the Iâ—es in suche rites As do all they that thinke to do grete pleasure to god by they re ceremonies sumptuous bildinges singinges pleying at the organs sensinges diversitees of abites and a thousand other dreames whiche thinges may be done by any envious parson proude parsonye verely also by a murtherer or a theâ—e as well as by a verey christen But to love god with good hert to recognise his imperfection to pray for his enemies to socoure by verey loue his christen brother to â—ere paciently and with a ioyfull hart all that god sendeth these thinges can none do but he that is all holly given vnto god They that be suche be onely verey religious byfore god For onely suche do fulfill there rule For they do observe it and kepe it ioyfully and with a will fre good But otherwyse when one doth all by constreynt and tediousnesse it is but a small comfort But that there be nowe so fewe religious having the verey feling of the sprite this is for none other cause but as I haue seid bifore forbicause that they eÌ„tre not with suche a courage entent as they shuld do and that they be not enstructed as it aperteyneth Therfore whosoever will entre yntâ— religion let him be ware aboue all thinges that he entre not vppon thintencion to deserve the kingdome of heven by his watchinges fastinges abstinences prayers singinges redinges and other thinges lyke For if thintent be suche he trusteth yn hys workes and becometh an ypochrite And the more he doth of suche workes the more great ypochriste he becomyth And so abideth he alweyes a merchaunte with god for he serveth for wages But if thou wilt entre into religion thou must do it for the love of God bicause god hath made vs his children for to thanke him ageyn and to fle the synne whiche reyneth emong the worldly For he that doeth thus he thinketh that he can never do service ynough vnto god for that he hath receyved alredy for loue knoweth no measure He laboureth not for to get the eternall lyfe as the merchaunt for his wages but onely to give thankes of the goodnesse that god hath done vnto him alredy bycause that he beleveth and knoweth of trouth that he is the childe of God and his heyre And therfore when eny hath the feith wherof we haue bifore spoken he is to be praysed that by thankfulnesse doth separate him silf from the worlde for to fle the daungyers therof For the worlde hath a thousand occasyons to synne principally for yong people Wherfore this is not a thing to be dispraysed that a parson yelde him in a good religion to amend his lyfe But if one fynde nowe in the Monasteryes more debates drinkinges banquettes pompes hatred envye and ypochrysye then in the worlde it were moche better to abyde out ye or if one be entred to voyde out rather then to lerne there to haunt suche life For one must go thider to amend his life not to waxe worse But thou mayst saye I haue made profession and promesse I must abide I haue seid bifore that none is bounde to holde ye that none ought to hold eny promyse that is contrary vnto his helth Herken to this that saint Paule sayeth 2. Tessa 3 We commaunde you bretheren by the name of Iesu Christ that ye withdrawe your silves from every brother that walketh inordinatly and not after the institucion whiche ye receyved of vs. And ageyn If he that is called a brother emong you be a fornicatour or covitous or a worshippper of images 1. Cor. 5 or a rayler or a dronkard or an extorcyonar wyth hym that ys suche see that ye eate not And in an other place God hath not called vs to lyve in strife and discencion but in peace and love ¶ Osparentes that will put they re children into religion Chaptre .xix. HEre must we warne the parentes that they be ware to put theire children into religion without advice whiche they do often bicause they seche more they re owne proufit then the helth of they re children For some do it bicause they haue many children and to thintent that they may mary the other the more richely they put one or .ij. hauing some bodily imperfection into religioÌ„ Some also do it to haue honour by they re children bicause they be made monkes prestes or prelates Other do it by hope to be holpe and socoured of they re children Behold howe that by suche meanes there be so fewe that entre into relygyon with suche intâ—ncion as I haue seid aboue Hit is not to be preysed but gretely to be dispreysed when by suche occasion eny entreth into religion Therfore shulde the parentes se first whether they re children were enclyned therunto or not and whether they dyd desire it or notâ— and for whate cause they desired it for if they be not enclined therunto whye wilt thou lese theÌ„ as though none mought be saved yn the worlde Howe dyd men bifore that monkes came into the world And why were not thappostles moÌ„kes Ye why were ye not monkes your silves that wolde so haue your children God as sayeth Saint Paule the apostle loketh on no mannes parson whether he be monke or seculer man or woman nobill or ignobill But he onely is agreabill vnto God that loveth him with all his hert be he housholder or preste religious or lay yt ys all one to him And as Saynt Peter saieth in thactes of thappostles Acto 10 There is no respect of parsones bifore God And in these thinges are manye tymes moche giltye the religious that with fayre wordes drawe yought vnto they re cloysters Some tymes the children theym silves because when they se the religyous syng rede pray watche knele avale they re hedes and do suche lyke thynges they esteme that to do suche thinges ys an holy life And get a will to do likewise And when they haue byn there a yere they repent that ever they there entred for they haue not the sprite that may comfort theym and to avoyde they are asshamed and so make they re profession ageynst theire will And even as they began with a cold courage so abode they comunely cold and chaunged fâ—om god Wherfore it were well done to absteyne him silfe from making of suche
their old sinnes But the children that feare they re parentes by dilection abide alweyes obedient by that same dilection The parentes must be well ware that they strive not the one ageinst the other that they swere not and that they speke none inordinate or dishonest wordes principally bifore they re children for when they lerne eny vnhappinesse in youthe they shall with grete difficultie leve it in theire age Ye may never shewe your silf sorowfull waile nor make compleynt bifore your children for losse of erthly goodes or bicause ye haue not good gaines For when they here you plaine for suche thinges thei get a desire and a love of temporall thinges so that they take pleasure in nothing els but in temporall richesse and have sorowe of nothing but for the losse of suche thinges for they lerne it of they re pareÌ„tes The childe foloweth nothing so moche as that whiche he seeth his father mother aÌ„d other frendes do Finally thou must marke verey diligently whether they haue desire or will to be maryed at the state of mariage or not And as ye perceive it so must you incontynent helpe theym and care for theym that they may make a good manage As AbrahaÌ„ was carefull for his sonne Isaac And forbicause that the parentes be many tymes not carefull in suche case it comyth to passe that so fewe come chast to the state of maryage that they re children be often deceyved and that they haue shame dishonour and sorowe of they re children And this is most the faute of the parentes whiche be more carefull for the bodyes of theire children then for they re soules And therfore they will in no wise that they re children be poore but seke rather to mary theym richely then helthfully aÌ„d axe more for temporall goodes then after vertue good maners and goodes spirituall And for to make theym haue good tymes they make theym many tymes prestes or relygious And so for to provide theym of the case of they re bodyes they are oftymes cause of the everlasting payne of they re soules For none ought to be brought in vnto the state of prysthod except he be first chosen to some office in the congregacyon and that bycause that we mought se whate lyfe that he ledith This thyng compleyneth saint Austyne in the boke of his confessions in the secunde Chaptre that hys parentes were not carefull for him in this mater ¶ Of the lyfe of the comune Cyteuns or housholders Chaptre .xxiiij. IN all the worlde there is not a more Christen life nether more accordaunt vnto the Gospell then is the life of comune Citesins or housholders whiche by the labour of they re hondes in the swette of they re visage get they re brede expences 1. Tessa and. 4 for saint Paule reioyseth that he gayned his brede in the labour of his hondes And he rebuketh the idell wâ—dowes that ronne about pleying from house to house Wherfore it were moche better emong the christen that euery one were set to some occupacion and that we shulde not suffer so many yong and strong parsones to begge theire brede but rather cause theim to lerne some occupacion And if that all yong prestes monkes and religious did likewise it were nether sinne nor shame wil thei be better then saint Paule was the other appostles we se nowe a dayes that thei be forboden to worke whiche is Ga .1 manifestly appostasie and ageinst the christen faith It becometh none to forbid theÌ„ to laboure although he were an angell of heven moche lesse man The monkes also were wont to laboure in olde tyme. It is plaine that there be to many prestes and religious in the world by half And seing prestes will not laboure then if all the world were prestes who shulde laboure the erth I can not tell whate holinesse there is now a dayes in the life of prestes or moÌ„kes aboue the life of the housbondman The husbondes life is betrer nowe after the Gospell then the life of a grete parte of prestes monkes or freres For all prestes monkes and freres whiche haue none office that is necessary vnto the christenâ—e do â—ate vnrightuously the goodes of the poore and are called of Christ in the Gospell Iohn 10 murtherars and theves But let vs shewe vnto the housholders howe they shall live holsomely For it behoveth that they also knowe howe they shulde live The housholder shall first whether he be husbond craftes man or marchauÌ„t kepe the rule that God hath given in the gospell that Mat. 7 is to sey that in all his marchaundise and in all his businesse he do to another as he wolde be done vnto not seking his owne proufit to the hurt or dammage of an other He shall never dispreyse his neighbours goodnesse but wisshe him as moche good as he wolde haue him silfe Thus commaundeth vs saint Paule that 1. Tessa 4 none oppresse or disceyve his brother in any maner bicause the lord god is vengear of all suche for we be all bretheren and meÌ„bres of one body Therfore thou shalt be ware to striveo and to move eny maner of dissention with thy neighbour be he riche or poore noble or ignoble for we be all like nobill bifore God bicause we have all togyther one father Ga .3 For saint Paule saieth ye are all one in Christ. And therfore shall none dispise the poore nor cast hys povertye in his teth but shall socoure him with his goodes and comfort him alweyes in his povertye If thy neyghboure or christen brother be sike and poore thou shalt oft go to him and comfort him distributing to him of thy goodes according to thy power Thou shalt be redy to serve him and to gyve thy life for him as saieth saint Iohn Hereâ—y knowe we the love bicause he hath given his life for vs. â— Iohn 3 And we ought also to gyve oure lyves for oâ—re bretheren And if thou haue nothing to gyve vnto him thou shalt gyve knowlege therof vnto theim that haue and shall exhort theym to socoure this pore parson Biforetymes it was accustumed to gyve knowlege to the pastor or curate of the churche whiche did socoure the poore wyth the treasure of the churche wherof was made mencyon in the life of saint Laurence of saint Gregory wheÌ„ there was nomore the bisshop toke the chalices the other vessels of gold silver brake theÌ„ distributed the price therof vnto the pore The bisshoppes also were wont to warne the â—ytesins that they shuld gyve him knowlege when eny were diseased or syke But nowe God amend it it is all otherwise the Bisshoppes take care of no suche thinges the treasure of the churcheis speÌ„t â—gilding of ymages in founding of greâ— prevendes in bilding of tabernacles in â—ostly auter tables and suche superfluous â—rodigalite And thus are the poore memâ—res of Christ deprived of that that to theÌ„â—pperteyneth O world blynd
man myght nowe saye 3 king 18 The olde testament is nowe ended and hath no more place wherfore we can no more gyve suche ensamâ—les nor set theym forth vnto the Chriâ—ten I answer the that is not trewe For faint Paule wryteth yu hys first epistle vnto the Chrinthiens Oure fathers haue all eten one spirituall mete and haue all dronke one spirituall drynke 1. Cor. 01. They droÌ„ke of the spirituall stone that folowed theym truely the stone was christe That is to sey they had the same spryte aÌ„d feith yn christ that we haue for they beleved then that christ was for to come to redeme theyme as we beleve nowe that he is come and hath redemed vs. Aud so were they christen as well as we Wherfore seyng that they thus vsed alweys the teÌ„porall swerde from the begynnyng of the worlde vnto the comyng of christ for to depresse the outwarde malice of th offenders likewise may also the christen do vnto the ende of the worlde For the tyme and outward chaunge make no difference emong the christen The olde testament is not so cessed that we nede yn no maner wise to kepe it or that he doth evill that observeth every part therof But it is so ceased that yn some thinges and some tymes it is indiffereÌ„t and yn some thinges and some tyme it is of necessite to do it or to leve it Hit is not nowe nedefull to kepe it yn all poyntes eny more vnder payne of dampnacion as it was then But we must kepe it onely there where brotherly love requyreth it As when saint Paule circumsised his disâ—iple Timothe whiche was not nedefull vnto hym for hys helth but he dyd it to satisfie the mynde of the feble aÌ„d weke Iues whiche thought that he myght not be saved without that he were circuÌ„sised after the lawe of Moyses to thinteÌ„t that by that meane he myght drawe the more of theym to the christen faith The olde testament as concernyng the commaundementes gyven vnto Moyses is not yet ceased nor shal not cease vnto the ende of the worlde Hit is of necessite that arte thou bounde to observe and kepe vnder payne of dampnacyon as they were yn that tyme. As concernyng vnto they re ceremonyes they are clerely ceased yn Christ so that if thou woldest circumâ—â—se they silf at this day forbeare suche meates as were defended vnto the Iues to eâ—te and to do other ceremonyes not having trust to deserve eny thing therby it is to the indifferent yn so doyng thou hast not â—ffended But yf thou shalt come yn the company of Iewes or of other parsones whiche reken that they can not be saved oneles they shulde kepe suche ceremonyes whome thou woldest fayne wynne to the christen faith and hast hope and lykelyod yn the same there art thou bounde by brotherly love whiche hurteth nomaÌ„ but servith euery man to kepe they re ceremonye with theym and to do as they do till suche tyme as they may be better taught to knowe that all they re helthe dependith vppon the faith and trust of Iesus christ and vppon hys merytes and deservinges and not yn these blynde ceremonies For charite regardeth not whether the thing be newe or olde that thou doest but onely the vtilite and profit of thy neighbour ¶ Of governours Iuges baylifes and other lyke an informacion ofter the gospell Chapitre xxvij THe gospell is wryten for all parsones aud for all estates of the worlde And there is none estate yn the worlde but that he may fynde yn the gospel howe that he shulde lyve yf that he will folowe it Let none thinke that he is not bound to â—yve after the gospell though he be never so greate a person be he duke prynce Emperour or pope For god hath commaunded that the gospell be preached to euery creature that is to sey to all mankind Bâ—fore god there is no difference nether distinction whether thou be a comon husbond man or a governoure of a towne or of a cuntrey noble or ignoble we haue all promissed at oure baptesme the one as moche as the other we haue all taken one rule that is the teching of the gospell after the whiche we must lede and governe onre life we may not sey let the monkes and prestes kepe it for we haue all promised at oure baptesme the one as moche as the other Wherfore when the lordes will lyve as they shuâ—d do after the gospell they must first observe and kepe .ij. thinges that is to sey mercy and iustice And also that they knowe when they must be mercyfull and when they must vse iustice Then â—irst 〈◊〉 â—ehoueth that thyne intent be to defende the ryghtuous and innocent and so with the secuâ—er ryght to come yn ayde vnto the ryght of the gospell reproving and rebuking openly and without ony favour all vnryghtuousnesse to thâ—â—teÌ„t that the people may lyve frely vnder thi protection preserved from theves 〈◊〉 therars and from all maner oppressioÌ„ and iniurye as ferre forth as it is possible vnto the when thou doest so thou art goddes servaunt But it behoveth that thou be well ware yn suche thinges to aduenge thi silf yn thy iugement and that thou gyve no iugement nor sentence but onely where thou knowest that thy iugemeÌ„t is ryghtfull and that nether for hatred endye nor favour And yet thou must do it with as grete mercy compassion as tenderly as thou woldest cut of a corrupte meÌ„bre from thyne owne body whiche by the malice of hys corruption if thou dydest let hym alone wolde corrupt thy hole body It were also no hurte yn this mater to kepe the ordynauÌ„ce somtyme made by Theodosius Emperour whiche ordined that none shulde be put to deth bifore that he had byn .xxx. dayes yn pryson to thintent that yn the meane tyme he myght be well aduysed to make answer And to thintent that the iuge shulde cause no man to dye hastyly and with out aduysement but that he mought haue tyme to â—ole hys enchauffed courage And wheÌ„ eny of the comynaltie shulde happeÌ„ to do eny evill by mysfortune ageinst ryght and iustice the whiche hath alweys bifore byn of good life name suche a one may a iuge helpe ageinst the lawes procure hys delyuerauÌ„ce without synne For if it be so that the lawe of Moses had so grete distrecioÌ„ that therby they dyd not put theym to deth whiche vnwarely by case of mysaduenture had coÌ„mitted murther ageynst they re will 〈◊〉 As it ys wryten yn Deuterono So that Mofes had assigned thre citees vnto the whiche they that had coÌ„mytted homycyde by misfortune ageynst they re will mought fle for they re safegard Howe moche more shulde we whiche are christeÌ„ that lyve after the gospel and love oure enemyes haue kepe discretioÌ„ regard yn this mater This I saye to thintent that the iuges shall not thinke that they offende if they helpe suche For wheÌ„ they haue hope
bifore seyde Fourthly all they that be not yet christen belong vnto the kingdome of the worlde and be vnder the lawe In this nombre are all the evill christen whiche seke nought elles but all worldly pleasure and are called christen but they are not so Seyng then that there be so fewe good Christen and so many evill people god hath gyven vnto the same evill out of the Christen astate and out of his kingdome an other regyment and governaunce and hath put theym vnder the swerde that is to sey vnder the seculer power and cyvill ryght to thintent that they may not accoÌ„plisshe they re malice when they wolde As a myschevous wylde best is tyed with chaynes and bondes that he may nether bite nor stryke after his nature albeit that he wolde saine accoÌ„plisshe hys evel nature whiche is not nedefull vnto a gentill tame best for without the cheynes and without bondes he doth noue evill to no man If it were not thus bicause that there be many mâ— evill persones yn the worlde theÌ„ good aÌ„d that the good do not resist evill the one wolde devoure and put the other to destruction yn suche facyon that none shulde be abill to kepe nether wife nor children nether yet be abill to maynteyn hym silf And by suche meane shulde the worlde yn contynuaunce become wast aÌ„d with out inhabitauntes For this cause hath god ordyned these .ij. governemeÌ„tes The spirituall the whiche maketh christen and good persones by the holy gost vnder the king of that kingdome Iesus christ And the seculer gouernaunce the whiche â—â—ostreyneth the evell parsones to kepe outward peace and to be tame ageynst they re will Rom. Thus teacheth vs saint Paule to vnderstond the swerd and seculer instice saying the prynces are not to be feared to theym that be good but vnto theym that be evill Nowe if eny man wold governe the world that is to sey the evill only after the gospell and cause to cease all worldly lawe and iustice saying that they are baptised and christen to whome the swerde of iustice nedeth not Unto theym may be answered Hit is of a truth that the true christen haue no nede of ryght nor of the swerde for they re iustifying But do your dyligence to fulfill the worlde with true christen bifore that you governe theym christenly aÌ„d after the gospell whiche shal be verey hard for you to do For the worlde is all gyven to synne and starcely can they abide good christen They are not all christen that are baptised and called christen Therfore it is not possible vnto the worlde to observe and kepe a comon christen governaunce namely also yn the iuddes of a grete comonte for the evill are alweys more yn nombre then the good feithfull For this cause to governe a cuntrey after the gospell without the swerde of iustice is as though a man wolde put togyther yn a stable heries wolves lyons shepe and other lyke and to suffre all these bestes to be conversaunt togyther the one with the other howe long I pray you shuld they haue peace to gyther the one with the other Ye howe long shuld the poore shepe lyve we therfore must nedes haue here bothe these governementes The spirituall or evaâ—gelye all bicause it iustifieth aÌ„d bryngeth helth The other bicause it entreteyneth and holdeth peace The one is not sufficient in the worlde without the other For without the spirituall governement of Iesus christ can none be saved nor iustified bifore god by the worldly regyment So may ye perceyve that the rule or governemeÌ„t of christ hath not lordship over all persones For the true christeÌ„ be alweys lesse yn nombre aÌ„d be yn the middes among the not christen as a rose emong the thornes Then where as the worldly governaunce reyneth every where alone there can be none other thiÌ„g but ypocrysye For without having the holy goost yn the hert can none be made ryghtuous nor saved Lykewyse where the spirituall governaunce reyneth every where alone there is perversite vnbrydeled aÌ„d vnbound redy for to accoÌ„plisshe all malice for the worlde caÌ„ not vnderstoÌ„d the spirituall governaunce bicause that it fyghteth onely by the swerde of the spryte whiche is the worde of god And vseth none other swerde Nowe seest thou well whate the wordes of onre savioure christ meane whiche we haue recyted bifore where he sayeth that the christeÌ„ shall drawe nomaÌ„ yn to iustice and that they shall not resist evill He speketh that onely of hys dere christeÌ„ the whiche alone take it ynto they re hartes aÌ„d also do it alone for so are thy enolyned aÌ„d disposed by vertue of the holy gost workiÌ„g yn they re hartes that they do harme to nomaÌ„ but suffer williÌ„gliÌ„ evell wrong of every maÌ„ Then if all the worlde were suche christeÌ„ all persones wolde kepe egally this peassible coÌ„maâ—n demeÌ„tes all thing wold they do accordiÌ„g theruÌ„to But nowe because thy be not christen the word of god entreth not ynto they re hertes nor they do not according ther vnto and therfore they apperteyne vnto the other seculer governaunce wher by the not christen be constreyned to kepe peace outwardly and to do none evill For this cause hath not Iesus christ â—orne the swerde nor ordined it yn hys spirituall kingdome for he is king over all the true christen ad governeth without swerde and without ony outward lawe onely by the holy goost working inwardly yn the hert of man And albeit that god hath ordeâ—ned the seculer swerde for the correction of the evill yet he hath not vsed it for iâ— belongeth not vnto hys kingdome yn the whiche kingdome there are none but suche as be good aÌ„d iust And for this cause mought not david bilde the tempel of god bicause he had shed moche blode aÌ„d vsed the swerde not that he had done evill or vnryghtuousnesse but bicause he myght not yn this thing be a figure of Ephe. 5. Christ whiche shuld haue a kingdome peasible and without swerde But god commaunded to solomon whiche had a peasible kingdome to bilde the temple for Salomon is as moche to saye as peasible by the whiche kingdome of the verey Salomon Iesu christ mought be figured and signified Moreover yn all the edificatioÌ„ of the temple of god was never herd stroke of Iron nor of hamer nor of Axe nor king 6. of none other lyke thing as it is writen yn the therd boke of kinges yn the .vi. chaptre All these thinges here sigrufied that Iesus Christ shulde haue yn his kingdome a people willing to serve hym without constreynt without commaundementes without swerde Esa. 1â— This was also bifore prophesied by Esaie saying They shall not hurt and shall not sle yn all my holy mountaigne Asâ—o yn his secunde chapitre They shall tourne they re swordes ynto cultres and they re speres ynto sythes The one shall not lyst vp a swerde ageiÌ„st the other and they shal be