FOr so moche as there is one onely way vn­to saluacyon, & life e­ternall / whiche is to know god, & to obeye his comaūdemētes. The prophete in the psalme goyng nexte before, dyd bewayle & lamente more, than blynde madnes of men / amonges whome were founde so fewe / whi­che ioyfully and gladly wolde re­ceyue or embrace the gentle, and redely offered mercye of our crea­tour and redemer. But contrarye wyse, all they for y ^e more parte be­ynge corrupte with theyr owne lustes and concupiscences, were so broughte into a peruerse mynde, that in theyr harte they wolde say: there is no god. And out of this fountayne of wycked persuasyon [Page] which they had of god / dyd spryng all maner of myscheuous dedes [...] done towarde our neighbour. No­ther can any man loue his neygh [...]bour with herte and mynde, whic [...] dothe nat loue god. Unb [...]l [...] ­f [...] is the ro [...] o [...] al [...]sche­ [...]ou [...] de­d [...]s l [...]ke as [...]aithe is the ro­ [...] o [...] cha­ [...]. And no ma [...] dothe loue his neyghbour verely / except he doth loue him for goddes sake. From fayth, as from the rote do sprynge the workes of charyte. Who soeuer therfore spekynge or talkynge with hym selfe / doth saye in hart that there is no god (for as­moch as he hath an hart, full wyc [...]kedly & noughtely corrupte / from whēs doth procede his speche wit [...] all other his fautes or doynges) [...] the same dothe breathe nothyng vpon his neyghboure but moos [...] Psal. xiiifoule stynche / suche as dothe issue out of sepulchres or graues / no­thynge but fraude and disceyte, & the venyme of adders / whiche an other psalme doth calle incurable [...] Deutero xxxii. [Page] From this corrupte harte dothe procede all leudenesse of mysche­uous wordes / all bytternes of de­tractyon or backebytynge / from whiche princyples & begynnynges do men go forth, vntyll they come vnto the lust or desyre of blode she­dynge / whiche is the vttermoste poynt, or buttell of rancoure & ha­tered / accordyng to that saynge of Iohū: i. Io. iii. He that hateth his brother, is a murtherer or manqueller. For all thoughe he dothe nat alwayes actuall murther / whiche doth hate or beare rancoure / yet natwithstā ­dynge in that, To hate oure ne­yghbour is mur­th [...]r. he folowyng his yre or wrathe dothe studye to harme his neyghboure / he dothe in that approche to murther / and in that so farforthe as in hym is, he is an homicyde or murtherer. For lyke as accordynge to the testymony of Iohn̄ Iohn̄. iii. / no greater ioy is vnto god­lye people / than whan they do se [Page] many men come to y ^• knowlege of the [...]uthe / & to walke in the waye of [...]he veryte euangelycall: Euen so is no dolour or grefe to thē more bytter & payneful, The mos [...] bytte [...] d [...]lour of a [...]rue chrysten / is to se his neighbour [...]a [...] ke in ig­ [...]oraūce. than whan they do cōsyder in the great multytude of mē so grosse ignoraūce / so great contempte of god moste benygne & g [...]acyous / so great lacke of charyte to our neyghbours / and contrary­wyse to se in so fewe men, any signe or semblaunce to appere of verye fayth and true charyte. Nother do the Epicures only say in theyr hart there is no god / but that I can nat speke without greuous syghes & doloure / we may fynde men innu­merable amonge the christyane, whiche in theyr hart do saye, there is no god. And wolde god there were no [...]hrysten people, whiche wolde vomyte or thruste forth such deuelysshe and wycked sayenges amonges the christyanes. But for [Page] because we shulde lette passe suche monstrous and wōderfull wycked wordes / we wyll touche thynges more vsuall, and cōmen, or fami­lyare. T [...]ey whiche haue no loue or regarde of spirituall thynges / but do all coueyte & gape after ry­ches / worldly honoures, excesse, or lechery, and suche lyke volu [...]tes / in sekynge to gette these thynges / outher by ryght or wronge / by per­iurye, brybery, and thefte / or suche other lyke feates or craftes: which whan they haue obtayned suche thynges, do thynke them selues blessyd or happye / and whan they do lose them, be redy to blaspheme bothe god and his sayntes. Do nat suche also shewe them selues to say in theyr harte: Titus. i. there is no god? In mouth they do professe god / but in deades they do renye hym. Of such is so great a multytude & plentye / and contrarye wyse of those which [Page] shulde truely drede god, is so great Psalme. xiii.scarcyte y ^t the prophete doth bryng forth god lokynge out of heauen whether any creature at all shulde be in the earth hauynge vnderstā ­dynge and requirynge or sekynge after god / and in beholdynge with his eyes from aboue all mākynde / he founde none, except one whiche is Chryste Iesus / with whome be they, natwithstandynge all ioyntly recounted & nombred / who soeuer [...]y faythe and charyte be made one with hym. Ergo they whic [...] [...]o tru [...]t in [...] good work [...]s as th [...]y calle th [...] do nat plea [...]se god. For no creature syth the worlde was fyrste made, dyd euer please god / excepte the same hathe put his confydence in the free and mere mercy of god offered vnto all men through Christ. For although dyuers haue be saued vnder the lawe of nature / and many vnder the lawe of Moyses / and yet more vnder the lawe of the gospell / yet saluacyon or sauetie, is nat proper­ly [Page] due, ne to be ascrybed vnto any lawe / but al onely vnto the mercye of god throughe Chryst. the chur­che of Chr [...] was [...]u [...]r s [...]the the b [...]gyn­ [...]nge of the worl­de. From the very begynnynge of y ^e worlde was the church or cōgregacion of right­wyse men, whiche is the bodye of Chryste / and euen from that tyme, was the euangely or gospell / that is to say remissyon of synnes reue­led of god from heuen throughe y ^e mere and free mercye of god for Chrystes sake / & euen from y ^e tyme also was grace, whiche throughe faythe dyd purefye the hartes of men / althoughe by Chryste incar­nate, Actes. xv and by the prechynge of the apostelles / it was than the more largely spredde abrode / and dyd also shyne y ^e more clerely. So that than it appered full true, that the apostell Paule doth so often incul­cate or repete: very ryghtwysenes doth come vnto no man by y ^e lawe, Rom̄. iii. or by workes of the lawe / but by [Page] faythe and confydence in Chryste But all men had nat fayth, by wh [...]che they shulde beclyppe and em [...]brase the grace offered. Lyke as also nowe a dayes all though ther [...] be f [...]l many which do professe faith w ^t theyr mouthe / yet be there rygh [...] fewe whiche do beare true fayth in harte / the [...] be I saye ryght fewe, yf so they be compared with those, which outher be alyantes from the gospell / or els with a pharisa [...]call mynde do the gospel admytte and receyue. This paucyte and smalle nombre of true faythfull people, dyd Esay see and bewayle, Esay. lii. Paule alledgynge the place of his sayde prophecye, which is thus: Roma. x. O lorde who haue beleued oure wordes? And that whiche Chryste yet aby­dynge in the earth, dyd saye to his discyples in this wyse. Luke. xii. Feare you nat o lytle flocke, for the kyngdo­me of god is your or dothe ꝑtayne [Page] to you / the same may euen nowe be sayd of those whiche haue verely fastened all theyr confydence in Chryste. yet natwithstandynge in the same full fewe ryght christya­nes / all thynges be weake, inchoa­te or begonne and vnperfytte (I mought also saye) vnpure. After that, therfore this oure prophete Dauid had bewayled so great a paucyte and smalle nombre of in­nocente people / and that contrarywyse, there is so great a turbe or multytude of vnryghtwyse & wyc­ked people / And where as he also dyd se, y ^t there is no hope of sauetie but in the tabernacle of god, and in the holy mountayne, whiche is the church or cōgregacyon / In whiche no man is graūted to abyde or rest, excepte he be throughe faythe im­planted in y ^e body of Chryst / which same, Chryst dothe crye vnto vs in the gospell saynge: Mat. xi. Come vnto me [Page] all ye which do labour and be gre [...]ued or burdened / and I shall eas [...] & refresshe you. He consyderyng [...] the impuryte & fylthynes of men where as is requyred synguler & ꝑfyte puryte, yf we shulde be made one with Christ, and so abyde with hym in the house of god / the sayde prophete I tell you with full great feare & care, dothe thus crye to the father: ‘O lorde who shall abyd [...] in thy tabernacle, or who shal rest [...] in thy holy mountayne?’ Therfore after the playne & moste vulgare sence / the tabernacle which Moy [...]ses by the cōmaundement of god had made, Erodi. xl was at Hierusalem in [...] mounte Syon / vntyll Salomon by the worde of god dyd buylde a iii. of kinges. vi.newe in the same place / the passyng ryche noble & famous temple that was had in a reuerence euen of the hethen people & panymes. There also was the regall palace of Da­uid. [Page] And as y ^e iewes dyd boste thē selues to be the chyldre or posteryte of Abraham and of Dauid / euen so had they a peculyer reioyse and glorye for the cytie of Hierusalem / by whiche as by an holy thynge they dyd swere as we may ꝑceyue by the gospell. Matth. v. They were proude and holy mynded for the temple & the aulter whiche were in the cytie / wherof dyd come that checke gy­uen to thē by y ^e prophete Ieremye: The temple of the lord / the temple of y ^e lorde / y ^e temple of the lorde. &c. Ieremie. vii. There dyd they beleue god to dwel there dyd they recken he shulde be worshypped & odoured / that there he wold be prayed vnto / that there he wolde be offered vnto, and pace­fyed with sacrifyces / that there the lawe ought to be inquyred and the questyons of the lawe / there was the propicyatorye, Erody. xxvi. H [...]brues ix. out of whiche god dyd gyue and shewe forth dy­uyne [Page] oracles or answeres / ther [...] were the tables written vpon wit [...] the fynger of god. There was Aa [...]rons rodde, & the arke of the testa­ment / the holy table / the potte o [...] Manna / the cherubym There was sanctum sanctorum / that is to say, the holyest of all holy / in to whiche no man mought entre, excepte the hye preest onely / and yet mought he nat that do, but ones in y ^e yere. Of these thynges before shewed, dyd aryse pryde and presumpcyon in the people of the iewes / wherby they also contempned and dispysed all other nacyons. Fynally they had the temple in suche great re­uerence / that they dyd obiecte it a­gaynste Chryste, for a cryme moost horryble and outragyous that he sayd: Iohn̄. ii. vndo or distroy you this tem­ple / and I in .iii. dayes shall rayse it vp agayne / wherby he dyd co­uertly signyfye, that he shulde be [Page] s [...]ayne of the iewes / and within .iii. [...]a [...], he s [...]ulde reuyue or lyue a­gayne. Therfore after my mynde this psalme after y ^e lytterall sence / doth pe [...]ulyerly belonge to the le­uytes and preestes / Whose duetye was to abyde and reaste in the temple, to whiche they were deputed minys [...]ers. Of these was requyred hye and perfyte puryte and syngu­ler sanctemonye or holynes / but whiche the cōmen sorte of y ^e iewes dyd yet thynke to consyste in exte­ryor ceremonyes. Theiues do recken holynesse to cōsiste ī ceremo­nyes. Concernynge which holynes, they had holy con­secracyon, & often locyons or was­shynges of the heed / of the handes [...] & also of theyr garmentes. It was was nat lefull for the preestes to be present at a buryall / nor to touche a deed caryone / nor to eate propha­ne or vnhalowed breed / nor to vy­syte Mat. xii. theyr wyues and chyldren / nor to moue theyr fote out of the tem­ple, [Page] in especyall vpon those dayes in whiche they dyd minyster in th [...] temple / leste they shulde gette o [...] take some impurite or vnclennes [...] But all these thynges were no­thynge els / but shadowes and fy­gures of thynges farre more excel­lent and precyous. For our true Dauid) to whome promyse was made, that his kyngdome shulde be enlarged euen vnto y ^e vttermost costes and marches of the worlde / which kyngdome shulde cōtynewe so longe as the sonne or mone / and to whome is gyuen al power, Psalme. lxxi. both in heuen and in earth), Matthe. xxviii. is Chryste anointed nat w ^t the oyle of prestes / but with grace celestyall, Psalme. [...]liiii. ouer and aboue all the chyldren of men. His regall palace is the churche or con­gregacyon, whiche the lorde hym selfe dothe otherwhyles call the kyngdome of heuen. His imperye or dominyon, is the lyberte of the [Page] spiryte. The tabernacles is the congregacyon of all true beleuynge people in all or euery nacyon. Hie­rusalem is y ^t mystycall cytie, which saynt Iohn̄ dyd se in the reuela­cyon .xxi. beynge buylde of lyuely stones / Chryst beyng the heed cor­ner stone. ii. Peter [...] ii. The holy mountayne is y ^e sublymyte or hyghnes of y ^e doc­tryne euangelycall / and the inuio­lable veryte, vpon which the buyl­dynge of the temple dothe leane & is grounded vpon. Of whiche is also thus mencyoned in an other psalme: Psalme C.xxiiii he that trusteth in the lord / shall as the mounte Syon, neuer be moued / whiche abydeth in Ie­rusalem. The prophete therfore cō ­templatynge with spirituall eyes / the wonderfull maiestye and sanc­tymonye or holynes of the church / whiche holynes the fygures of the olde lawe before shewed with other lyke dyd signefye / by the glorye of [Page] whiche churche also those thynge [...] whiche dyd appere very gloryou [...] to the iewes, were obscured & dar [...]kened / & after the interpretacyo [...] of Paule, ii. Corin. iii. were made without glo [...]rye. The same prophete also, seyn [...] y ^t there is no mortall mā which ca [...] abyde pure in the house of god, and offre to god lacrefyce acceptable [...] he tournynge to the father or he­uen doth crye thus: ‘O lorde who shall abyde in thy tabernacle, or reste in thy holy mountayne?’ The t [...]ue knowlege of god is drawen and coarted in to a very strayte or narowe angle of the worlde. The other nacyons do worshyppe for god, stockes and stones / they do sa­crefyce vnto deuelles / after whose luste and pleasure, they be drawen as oxen by the nose vnto all kynde of myschefe. And amonge the selfe same nacyons or people, whome thou haste chosen aparte to the / [Page] whome thou haste excited or called by so many wōders and myracles to the knowelege of thy maiestye / whome thou haste by so mauy be­nefites prouoked to loue the / who­me thou haste fensyd with so many preceptes and cōmaundementes / whome thou haste instructe by so many prophetes / amonges y ^e same people is none that accordynglye dothe worshyppe the. They haue one god in theyr mouthe / but in theyr harte haue they many god­des. Whyles one dothe serue yre, enuye, and desyre of vengeaunce / another serueth auaryce / and some ambicyon & pryde. And they which do appere to thē selues excellently iuste or ryghtwyse for obseruynge the lawe / do nat yet obserue that whiche is the heed of the lawe. For who doth loue y ^e with all his hart, with all his mynde, & with all his power / & his neyghboure as hym [Page] selfe? Thus thy lawe (where as of it selfe, it is good) doth come euyll to passe with them, turnynge them to euyll / nother doth it pacefye the, but prouoke the to angre / nother doth it see quyte, or dismysse them foūde gyltye or fautye / but it doth accuse & condempne them. A great sorte of men dothe worshyppe the after the cōmaūdementes of men / & with ceremonyes, they do walke in thy temple, they do kylle sacre­fyces / they do offer oblacions. worshyppynge of god [...]fter [...]n [...]s commaunde­mentes & [...]remo­n [...]es is neare re­b [...]ked & in the gospell such is called [...]als worshyppe. Actes. vii and .xvii. God [...]th nat abide in tēples or chur­ches ma­de with h [...] ̄de no­ther re­quyreth he to be there worshypped more thā in other places. But thou whome all the whole worlde doth nat comprehende arte nat in­closed in temples, or edifyces made with mannes hande / nother doste thou regarde suche worshyppers, whiche do worshyppe the with in walles buylded by the scyence of worke men. But for so moche as thou arte the hye and full parfyte truth or veryte / thou doste requyre true worshyppers, whiche shulde [Page] adoure or worshippe the in spiryte and veryte. Thy soule or mynde dothe abhorre our sabbote dayes & holy dayes of the newe mone / and thou doste requyre no sacrefyce for Iohn̄. iiii Isaye. i. synne / nother haste thou any nede of our good dedes / we do sacrefyce to y ^e of thyne owne. Psalme. xxxix. But thou doste deteste & defye the sacrefyce of them whose handes be full of blode. Psalme. xv. The blode of gotes or of calues, Isay [...]. i. can purge no man from synnes. Thou arte parfyte & doste requyre thyn­ges parfyte. H [...]brues x. But the lawe dothe brynge no man to perfectyon. All the whole nature of man is vtterly infecte and poysoned, euen frome the very rote throughe the vyce or synne of our fyrst parentes. ii. Corin. v. I per­ceyue that thou doste lothe and dis­dāyne Apocal. xxi. olde thynges / thou doste re­quyre all newe thinges / thou doste renewe the temple / thou doste re­newe the lawe / thou doste renewe [Page] the rytes and the preesthode. But what preest is he so clene and im­maculate / so in thy fauoure or ac­ceptable, that he can reconsyle the to all men beynge angrye or dis­pleased? Who shall abyde in this tabernacle, which dothe come from heuen? Who shal dwell in thy holy mountayne, vnto whiche no man coin [...]uynate or defyled may ap­proche? Who shall offre a sacrefyce so effectuall, that it can verely pu­refye the hartes of men? To this feare & sollicytude of the prophete, doth the lorde make this answere: I do renye none of these thynges which thou haste tolde / thou sayste truthe, I in very dede do ordayne a newe tēple / I do requyre a newe sacrefyce / for I w [...]s full a good whyle before of the olde. I wyll make a newe preest nat that is of y ^e earth earthly / but y ^t shall be from heuen heuenly / whiche shall make [Page] newe euery creature / nat doynge sacrefyce by course or often tymes / Hebrues vii. but which after one sacrefyce made shall remayne a preest for euer, Psalme. C.x. af­ter y ^e ordre of Melchisedech / whom I wyll descrybe vnto the: Chryste described shortely accordīg to scrip­ture. he shall walke in the earth amonges men / but he alone shall be without all spotte. He shall be conuersant with synners / but that he may iustefye them. He shall worke ryghtwyse­nes, and do iustyce full parfytely / In suche wyse, that he onely may saye: who amonges you can accuse or rebuke me for synne? Ioh. viii. The de­uyll which is an euyll speaker, and the prynce of this worlde shal come vnto hym / but he shal fynde no de­faute in hym. Io. [...]iiii. He shall speake truth in his harte / for he shall be the very truth it selfe. Nother shall he com­mytte or do any gyle w ^t his tonge / for he shall speake nothynge, but y ^t he shall be commaunded of me to [Page] speake. Nother shall he flatter the wycked / nor yet fode or fede y ^e god­ly with vaynes promyses: but he shall promyse remyssyon of synnes by fayth gyuen vnto hym / and he shall truely gyue it: he shall pro­myse resurreccyon & lyfe eternall / and he shall performe it. And so moche shall he eschewe to do euyll vnto his neyghbour / that he wyll bestowe his owne lyfe euen for his enemyes / & for them shall he make intercessyon to me / of whome he shall be slayne. Iohn̄. iii. For he shall come nat to destroye or cause any to pe­rysshe / but to preserue and saue: He shall come nat to iudge or con­dempne / but to recōcyle & to make peace betwyxte god and man. No­ther wyll he begynne to rebuke or sclaunder his neyghbours / whiche dyenge wyl crye for his most cruell torm [...]ntours or murtherers: Luk [...]. xxiii. Fa­ther forgyue them for they wote [Page] nat what they do / whiche also shall caste to the groūde the deuyll that is the accuser of mankynde in ma­kyng hym domme and spechelesse / the obligacyon beyng anulled and made of none effecte / by whiche he intended accyon and accusacyon a­gaynste all men. Coloss. i. And all thoughe he accordyng to his malyce by rea­son wherof he dothe enuye the sa­uetye and saluacyon of men / in so moche that he wyll fence and sette forth in armes or harnes all his power or armyes agaynste my preest / and wyll so declare all his gyles and trechery in bendyng his artyllarye agaynste me: yet shal he no whytte profyte or auayle / but he shall be broken to peaces and be brought to nought: Nother shall the rage or crueltye of the wycked worke any other thynge than that the victorye and glory of hym shall be y ^• more clerely knowen and ho­noured [Page] / whome they dyd coueyte with great force but in al vayne to be extinte and vtterly abolysshed out of the mynde of men. Ieremye xi. And they by y ^e same shal purchase none other thynge to them selues than confu­syon or shame euerlastynge & most greuous dethe or destruccyon. For this my preest whome I wyll or­dayne Hebrues ii.chefe ruler in my newe tem­ple and in my kyngdome shall by deth ouercome the author of deth / and by shamefull deth of the crosse he shall haue moste honorable try­umphe of the spirytes or deuylles his aduersaryes. And partakers of this glorye shall he make all thē whiche fearynge to offende the fa­ther wyll heare and obey my wel­beloued sonne. Matth. xvii. In whome onely I shal haue so great pleasure and ly­kynge that nothynge at all can of­fende or displease me. He moreouer shall be in so great bothe fauour & [Page] auctoryte with me y ^t I wyll denye hym nothing. In the meane whyle it is ryght and true glorye to ouer­come the worlde to ouercome the flesshe and to ouercome the deuyll. But lyke as the glory of my sonne shall in maner be hydde or vn­knowen amonges men / whan he shall be in the shappe or semblaūce of a poore and humble or vyle ser­uaunte / yea and of a synner / whan he shal be rebuked and reuyled ac­cused condempned and put vpon a crosse: Euen so shall the glorye also of thē which do drede god be hydde and vtterly vnknowen amonges men by reason of infirmyte of the flesshe / or at the leaste it shal be ob­scured and darkened. But whan he beynge nowe condempned and crucifyed betwyxte two theues shal come agayne in his maiestye with thousandes of aungelles vnnume­rable / all godly people also rysyng [Page] together with hym vnto lyfe / and they whiche were partakers with hym of tribulacyons shall be also partakers with hym of glory: Thā shall y ^e wicked se whome they haue smytten and wounded: They shall than se them (whome before they haue cōculcate and troden downe) with theyr excellent bryghtnes to obscure or darken the clerenes of y ^• sonne / where as they them felues shall lamente and bewayle theyr ow [...]e madnes. These thynges ha­ue I thought good to touche / for because I do se that of y ^e olde doc­tours some haue applyed all this whole psalme vnto the persone of Chryst / to whome do full parfytly quadre and agree these wordes hy­therto spoken. But the wordes fo­lowynge do nat seme to accorde so well to his ꝑson: ‘Which sweareth to his neighbour and doth not dis­ceyue hym / whiche hath nat gyuen [Page] forth his money to vsurye / & hathe nat taken brybes or rewardes vp­on innocentes. Nother is it any great prayse nat to haue done those thynges / whiche without a great cryme cā nat be cōmytted or done / Suche as these be: to worke false­hede by ꝑiurye / to increase worldly substaunce by vsuryes / to be cor­rupte with brybes / to condem [...]ne or to beare false wytnes against an innocente body.’ They whiche vsed to do suche thynges were recoūted euyll doers euen amonges the he­then and myscreantes / & they were punysshed by the lawes: ii. questy­ons mo­ued. Agayne­w [...]rde they whiche dyd no suche thynges dyd nat receyue any pu­blicke rewarde vsed to be gyuen to suche men as had done for the cō ­mune weale. But nothynge dothe appertayne to Christ but th [...]t is of hye perfeccyon / and that surmoun­teth all the pr [...]ceptes of the lawe. [Page] Here aryseth vp also an other qu [...]tyon: wherfore in the discrybyng [...] Chryst doth he recyte these forsay [...] vyces more than other whiche al [...] the lawe dothe condempne as [...] ensample: whiche dothe not steal E [...]odi. xix.which doth nat kylle or slee / whi [...] doth no aduoutrye or fornicacyo [...] But these doubtes do prycke a [...] somwhat trouble vs thoughe [...] shuld applye this present place [...] vnto the persone of Christ / but o [...]ther vnto y ^e minysters of y ^e churc [...] or els vnto euery membre of t [...] churche. The explicacyon of the diffyculties dothe parhappes r [...]quyre an hye or excellente wytte / that is well exercysed in holy scrip [...]tures / I natwithstandynge accor [...]dynge to my feblenes wyll shew forth my mynde or thought in suc [...] wyse that no man shall be stoppe [...] from sayeng his deuyse / yf he hat [...] any better matter to brynge forth [...] [Page] scripture doth in dyuers fassions [...]structe vs to lerne vertue & god­ [...]ynesse. Other whyle it doth kepe y ^e [...]rdre of nature ī callyng vs backe [...]yrste from vyces / & there after ex­ [...]ortyng vs to vertues. what or­dre or fassiōs scripture doth vse ī tea­chinge or exhortīg. For to for­ [...]ette euyll and vyces is naturally [...]he fyrste and former thynge. And [...]he seconde or nexte to that is to go [...]nto goodnes and vertues / lyke as naturally fyrste is the thynge whiche is vnparfyte and (as the Apostle doth calle it) naturall / and there after that is parfyte and spi­ [...]ytuall. i. Corin. xv. This ordre dothe here the [...]piryte of god kepe whan he sayth: Psalme. xxxiiii. Auoyde or declyne from euyll and [...]o good / seke peace & pursue ther­after. In a lyke wyse dothe Esaye sayenge: Take ye awaye the euyll of your cogitacyons or thoughtes from my eyes / leaste you do per­uersly / and learne you to do well. Esaye. i. Forthwith doth he ioyne thereun­der [Page] the preceptes of charyte saye [...] socour the nedy / do iudgement [...] the fatherlesse chylde / defende t [...] wydowe. &c. In lykewyse also i [...]parable of the gospell: Matthe. xii. The hou [...] is fyrste made cleane & afterwar [...] cōmaunded to be anourned. Cle [...]n [...]s that is to say innocencye doth come by faythe and baptysme / the ornamētes be good workes. Such a lyke thyng is that also spoken by Paule: Romans [...]iii. let vs caste away y ^e workes of darkenes / and let vs put on the armoure of lyght. Also Colossians iii: Nowe put you of all thynges wrathe. &c. This ordre is somtyme also tourned / that is to witte whe [...]e as those thynges be fyrst cōmaun­ded whiche be parfyte / and those thynges after be forbydde that be contrarye. Of whiche sorte is this sayeng of Paule: Romans [...]iii. So that we may walke honestly as in the day nat in fraunchynge or surfettynges & in [Page] dronkenes / nat in chambryng and vnclennes / nat in contencyon & en­uyenge. And these fassyons be of­ten tymes myxte or myngled toge­ther as in the word [...]s of Chryste sayenge: Blesse [...]hem which do per­secute you / blesse & curse nat. Roma [...]s xii. Other whyles good thynges onely be cō ­maunded as for [...]xample: Thou shalte loue thy lorde god with all thyne hart. &c. Matth [...] xxii. And thy [...]yghbour as thy selfe. The prohibytynge of euyll thynges doth rather agree to harde and obstynate people: the cō maundynge of good thynges is a­greable to suche as be ob [...]dyent / & of theyr owne accorde inflamed to vertue and godlynes. Howe scripture d [...]th tem­pre d [...]c­t [...]yne ac­cordynge to the [...] posicyōs of all mē In suche fassyons doth the scripture procure the helth of all persones / so that the parfyte maye therin fynde howe they shulde procede & go forwarde: And the weake or forgetfull may there also haue howe they shulde [Page] be refrayned & also admonysshed [...] The rudenes or dulnes of oure nature in receuyng godly doctry [...]eThe rudenes & slouthe or dulne [...] of mannes mynde is meruaylous [...] And therfore the lawe of the .x. cō ­maundementes which were gyue [...] vnto the grosse and rebellyous o [...] obstynate people dothe contayne thre onely preceptes whiche do cō ­maunde thynges honeste and ver­tuous / the other do prohibyte syn­nes and enormyties: Thou shalte nat stele / thou shalt nat slee or kyll / thou shalte do no fornicacyon. &c. But so often as bothe these fassyōs be myngled to gether it moughte appere a thynge superfluous / ex­cepte that our nature dyd requyre suche inculcacyons or repeticyons. For els whan the lorde had sayde: blesse you them which do persecute you / what nede he to adde blesse ye, but curse nat / except that he wolde the more deapely fasten the sayde lessone in the myndes of hys dysci­ples? [Page] Therfore bothe these fassyōs of speche be eche one vnderstande in other. In chris­tes pre­ceptes is an affir­matyue alway cō tayned in a negatyue and a negatyue in an af­ [...]irmaty­ue. As whan y ^e scrypture do [...]h bydde god to be loued aboue all thynges & our neyghboure as our selues / y ^e same doth vndoutedly forbyd al thīges which do discorde w ^t y ^• loue of god & of our neyghbour / & those be thynges innumerable. Agayne whan the lawe dothe faye: Thou shalte nat kylle / it hath well and iustly cōmaunded all y ^e dedes of charite by which we cā helpe our neyghbour. Also whā it sayth: thou shalte nat do fornicacyon / it dothe bydde all thynges whiche do pre­serue clennes / sobernes / laboures / fastyng / prayeng. &c. But thynges whiche be hydde & vnknowen doth nat y ^e rude or vnlerned people vn­derstande. And therfore haue the prophetes Christ and the Apostles opened bnto vs those thinges whi­che haue be spoken cōpendiously & [Page] couertly. Therfore ī this psalme is ꝓpowned & set forth in a preposte­rous ordre / fyrst y ^e cōtent & summe of ꝑfyte religyon & godlynes / & thā for y ^e ruder sorte be the thynges ex­pressed by name whiche be cōtrary to y ^e sayd descripcyon & image. For whā he sayth: he which doth entr [...] w ^tout spotte & dothe worke ryght [...] wysenes / he hath in y ^e same compr [...]hēded al ryghtfulnes. For he whi­che doth entre w ^tout spot doth cō ­mytte no vyce or synne / & agayne­warde he doth omytte no vertue a [...]cordyng to ryght & his duetye. Ac­cordyng to this intellygēce or vn [...]derstādynge it is no faynte or febl [...] prayse whā christ is denied to hau [...] done any gyle w ^t his tonge. For s [...] do we knowe hym alone to be suc [...] one in whose wordes y ^t is to wytte Agaynste veretyes vnwryt­ten.all y ^e whole canonicall scripture / eternall & vndoubted truth doth valyaūtly remayne w ^tout any spo [...] [Page] or blemysshe of erroure. Whā he is denyed to haue done euyl vnto his neyghbour / we do vnderstāde that all his lyfe & his dethe was orday­ned and ordered to the helthe of all men. Whan he is denyed to haue begōne any rebuke or ygnomynye agaynste his neyghbours / we per­ceyue that he dyd make intercessy­on vnto his father euen for y ^e wyc­ked and open euyll doers. Whan he is denyed to haue deceyued his neyghbour by periurye / we be ad­monysshed that what soeuer thing Chryste dyd euer promyse by his prophetes (for by thē dyd he speke) the same hathe he ryght faythfully ꝑformed. Hebrues i. He hath promysed great thynges / and that be vnnethes [...]redyble to any mannes capacyte / [...]hat is howe god shulde come in [...]esshe / that he by his dethe shulde [...]edeme mankynde / that he shulde within thre dayes reuy [...]e agayne [Page] from deth / that he shuld ascende in to heauen / that he shulde come a­gayne in glorye to iudge y ^e quyck [...] and the deed / & to receyue his peo­ple raysyd vnto lyfe to blessyd im [...]mortalyte. All these thinges for th [...] most parte hath he all ready acco [...]plysshed / and that is remaynyng [...] wyll he perfourme in lyke fidelyte [...] Whan he is reported that he dy [...] nat lende or gyue forth his mone [...] vnto vsurye / we vnderstande tha [...] he was full pure from all earthl [...] concupiscences / whiche was frel [...] beneficyall to all men sekyng non [...] outher profyte imperye or glory [...] for so doynge: He dyd frely gyue [...] he dyd heale frely the sycke / he dy [...] frely redeme vs / and he be stowe [...] frely hym selfe all whole / & all tha [...] he had for our sakes: Matthe viii. he had nat [...] this worlde wherupon to reste h [...] Iohan. xviii.heed / he dyd professe hym and h [...] kyngdome nat to be of this world / [Page] he sought nat his owne glorye / but the glorye of his father. Iohan. viii. So farre wyde was he from takyng rewar­des agaynste innocentes y ^t he gaue hym selfe to be a ransome to rede­me innocentes sufferynge deth for them that he shulde brynge them beynge reconsyled vnto lyfe euer­lastyng. These thynges as they be surmountynge and passyng great / euen so dyd he onely perfourme & accomplysshe them / & therfore shal he neuer be moued. H [...]brues xiii. For Iesus Chryst as sayth the Apostle yesterday & to day he is all one for euer. And thus farforth haue I sayd cō ­cernynge the fyrst questyon which mought brynge y ^e reader in doubt / as if these cōmendacyons or pray­ses were semynge vnmete and vn­worthy for Chryst. The so [...]lucyon of the s [...]conde questyon. Nowe is the o­ther questyon to be soluted whiche is why the prophete dothe free and [...]elyuer Chryste from these onely [Page] vyces / seynge [...]hat he was all to [...]gether free and quyte from all ma­ner crymes or vyces? The prophet appereth by these forsayd poyntes to haue properly deuyded y ^e person of Christ from all other. But in th [...] onely persone of chryst were many personages / as the personage of a kynge / of a preest / of a prophete / o [...] a iudge / & of a doctour. In the on [...]ly personage of Christ be many pe [...] sonages cōprehē ­ded. Luke. xi. Christ is a p [...]rfyte k [...]ng [...]. In a kyn [...] whiche coulde bynde the strong [...] one mencyoned of in the gospell [...] entrynge in to his house violentl [...] take away his goodes was requy [...]red a power more than humayne [...] angelicall. And therfore it is sayd [...] ‘T [...]e malygner in his presence i [...] broughte to noughte.’ Christ is [...] passing hy [...] preest In a pree [...] whiche onely shulde purge & clen [...] the spottes of all men was requy [...]red a wonderfull clennes / which I can nat se founde in any man. [...]h [...]s. ii Psal. l. Fo [...] we be all borne the chyldren of yre and wrathe / and accordynge to the [Page] testymonye of Dauid we be conceyued in synnes. The onely sonne of god dyd come without carnall co­pulacyon in to the wombe of a vir­gyne / and dyd nat by his entrance in to her defyle but consecrate her purenes or clennes. And suche as was his concepcyon and natiuyte / suche was also all his lyuyng. And this noteth the prophete say [...]nge: And he worketh ryghtewysenes." But there was neuer any preest whose concepcyon & natiuyte hath be with out all spotte / or whose lyfe hath be by all maner wyse inconta­minate. Aaron the hye and the fyrst preest of all dyd so procede frō his mother / y ^t he neaded circumsicyon / E [...]odi [...]xxii. 1. of [...]yn­ges. ii. nother dyd he a lytle offēde god fo­lowynge the furye of the people in makynge a goldynge calfe. H [...]ly dyd synne by ouermoche cocke­rynge or tenderynge his sonnes. [Page] Incredulyte was imputed & layde agaynste zachary y ^e father of Iohn̄ Luke. i.Baptyste / for which he was punis­shed / the vsage of his tonge for a whyle taken away. But why do I recyte these? The very lawe dothe declare no mā to be without synne / Hebrues v.which therfore doth prescrybe a sa­crefyce that y ^e preest ought to offre for his owne synne. I wyll here let passe to mencyon of the false pro­phetes / For amonges the holy and cōmendable prophetes was neuer any pure frome all spotte or ble­mysshe. Isay. vi. For Isaye dyd nede of a quycke cole / which shulde purefy [...] his lyppes. There was none of th [...] but that was ignoraunte in som [...]ethynge / nother was the spiryte of prophecye alwaye present w ^t them / & thoughe he were present, yet dyd he nat put them in remembraunce of all thynges. For a certayne pro­phete doth complayne sayeng: iiii. of kī ­ges. iiii. God [Page] hath hydde from me this worde or thynge. To all was gyuen the gyft of prophecye accordyng to the pro­porcyon or measure of theyr fayth: Coloss. [...] but in onely Chryste dyd inhabyte the fulnes of the godhede corpo­ [...]ally / nother was he admonysshed or taught in a dreame or visyon / but he brought with hym from the father the full parfyte knowlege of all thynges that be paste present & [...]o come. To this pertayneth that is here sayd: ‘He spake the truth in his harte / and wrought no gyle in his tonge. In a iudge is requyred parfyte knowlege of causes / inte­gryte or parfyte ryghtfulnes / and a mynde vncorrupte.’ Chryst is a syngu­ler trewe iustyce or iudge. Iohn̄. v. The lorde doth reporte of him selfe in y ^e euan­gely sayeng: The father doth iudge no man / but hath gyuen all iudge­mente to the sonne / and in y ^e Crede is testefyed that he shall come to iudge the quycke and the deed. He [Page] onely dothe iudge truely & verely Luke. xviwhich doth nat iudge after the ou [...]warde shewe or apparēce but doth innerly se & beholde the hartes / & regardeth nat y ^e estates of any mē / knowynge no parcyalyte / but ren­dreth vnto euery man accordyng [...] to y ^e workes done in his body. Romans ii. ii. Corin. v. And accordyn to the sayenge of the gos­pell they which in y ^e last iudgemen [...] shal go about to wynne the fauou [...] of the iudge by allegacyon of old [...] familyaryte or acquoyntaunce o [...] of workes exteryor / to suche shal [...] be sayde: Luke. xiii I saye vnto you truely I knowe you nat. The same thynge [...] all be welnye requyred ī a doctou [...] or teacher / whiche be requisyte in a prophete. A prophete is a doctoure or teacher. Chryst is an [...]xcel­lent doc­tour. For a prophete is also a doctour or teacher / lyke as he whi­che is a kyng is also a iudge. In a doctour whiche is a teacher be re­quisyte wysdome fidelyte autho­ryte / and lyuynge according to his [Page] doctryne or learnynge. Coloss. ii In onely Chryste was all fulnes of dyuyne sapyence or wysdome / he was both a faythfull and ryght prudent dis­trybuter of mysteryes celestyall / which dyd bryng forth of his trea­surye thynges bothe newe & olde. And as touchyng authorite it was neuer sayd absolutely of any other than of Chryste / whose wordes all were spryte & lyfe: The au­thorite of chryst. heare you hym. Therfore y ^e ꝓphet doth recyte those Iohn̄. vi. crymes or defautes chefely / which all y ^e ꝑsonages before shewed & cō ­teyned Matthe [...] xvii. in christ are wont to be sub­get vnto & fautye of. So that all y ^e whole worlde shulde vnderstande that in conclusyon one man shulde come which shulde parfitly declare him selfe to be an innocēt kyng / a preest throughly & in all poyntes pure / a ꝓphete in al thinges iuste & true / a doctour or teacher teaching other men nothīg / which he hȳ selfe [Page] dyd nat in dedes ꝑfourme a iudg [...] vncorrupte. [...]gay [...]ste vnwryt­ [...]en ve [...]y­ [...]ies and tradicy­ons of men. So that there is no [...]thynge y ^t we oughte to seke in thi [...] lyfe without or besydes chryste. I [...] is no nede to tell that to all men is knowen / y ^t is to wytte howe grea [...] harme dyuers kinges do vnto me [...] by reason of theyr power & cruelte / Whan they polle the people wit [...] vnryghtfull exaccyons / whan the [...] do breake good lawes and mak [...] euyll / whā they moue vniust war [...]res / whan they harken to tale bea [...]rers and promoters or false accu [...]sers / whā they rage and shewe ry­goure to innocente and harmeless [...] people / whā for money they do cō ­mytte or gyue offyces to men vn­mete and vnworthye. But let vs leaue to speake of discommendable prynces and preestes of whiche is a passynge great nombre. With howe great and noble testimonyes of scrypture was Moyses anour­ned [Page] / agaynst whome natwithstan­dyng was obiecte the cryme of im­piete and wyckednes / for because N [...]. xx. whan the people dyd thurste after waters he dyd nat glorifye god / & therfore it was nat graunted hym to entre in to the lande of promyse / howe soeuer he be excused for kyl­lynge the Egypcyan. Exodi. ii. Nother was it any small blotte in Aaron that he folowed the mynde of the peo­ple requyryng ydolles or false god­des to be made them. Exodi. xxxii. Dyd nat Dauid of whome remayneth this no­ble testimonye of goddes worde (I ii. of [...]ynges. [...]iii. haue founde a man occordynge to myne owne appetite & harte) ioyne a detestable cryme with his cruel­nes that is to saye, adulterye with murther? i. of Pa­ [...]lippo. xxvii. He was called a man of blode or blody man / and recounted vnworthy to buylde a tēple to the lorde. iii. of ki [...] ges. ii [...]. Salomon receyued an excel­lent testimonye of scripture / but w ^t [Page] howe many crymes and outragy­ous dedes dyd he ob [...]uscate and dymine that glory. Two ryght fa­mous and soueraigne men haue I noted & shewed vnto you / the other do I nat mencyon of lesse I shulde be ouer prolixe and tedyous. But he whiche is our Dauid and very ryght kynge of Syon where as he had a kyngdome sempiternall and vncorruptible / yet natwithstāding accordynge to the prophecye of za­charye zacharye ix. he came nat agaynst vs but for vs / nat with violence and ty­ranny but with ryghtwysenes / no­ther beynge an oppressor of y ^e peo­ple but a sauyour / nother came he dredefully by reason of fearcenes or statelynes / but myldely & quiet­ly syttynge vpon an asse. Nowe all though other shulde be broughte forth beyng neuer so moche lauda­ble & cōmendable / & anourned w ^t the testymonyes of ryghtwysnes / [Page] yet they all beynge compared to Chryst be synners. Psal. l. Euery man is conceyued in iniquyte (of y ^e virgyn Mary do I gyue no sentēce) euery yet was she saued by chryst & his deth Luke. [...]. one is borne the chylde of yre and wrath / euery one doth beare about concupiscence beynge faste roted in y ^• nature of man / all though none other spotte shuld cōtamynate our lyfe. But of these wyll I make no longe rehersall / seyng it sufficyent y ^t I haue now shewed you y ^e vyces before named / vnto y ^e which many of those ꝑsonages amonge y ^• iewes were subget & fautye of / which ꝑso­nages al we do fynde in christ hyly reuerēt & worshipful. This is here to be noted y ^t the argument of this psalme doth nat differre from y ^• ar­gumēt or mater of y ^• psalme goyng before. For whā he there had recy­ted howe mankynde was on euery Romans iii. syde corrupte / and howe that god Gala. iii. hadde concluded and compassed [Page] all thynges vnder synne to then [...]tent that he shulde take mercy vp [...]on all: He there also consyderyng [...] that nother the lawe was sufficyē [...] to pacefye so great wrathe of go [...] conceyued agaynst vs (which law [...] dyd rather prouoke the wrathe o [...] Romans iii. & .iiii.god agaynste vs than pacefye o [...] aswage it) nor that any sacrefyce [...] prescrybed of Moyses were to thi [...] sufficyent: But that we had nead [...] of a newe kynge godly myghtye [...] stronge which shulde do awaye th [...] tyrannye of Satan / and that w [...] had neade of a newe preest which [...] shulde be voyde of all spottes tha [...] so he shulde offer a sacrefyce farr [...] more effectuall than was the blod [...] of beastes / and yet he coulde fynd [...] no suche preest amonges all man [...]kynde / he beynge conuerted to go [...] doth thus make exclamacyon: wh [...] shal gyue saluacyon or helth to Is [...]rael of or from Syon? And he hea [...]reth [Page] answere agayne: whan y ^e lorde shall turne awaye the captiuyte of [...]is people / Iacob shal reioyse and [...]sraell shall be glad. In y ^e mounte of Syon as we haue shewed before was bothe the tabernacle and the [...]ynges palace. In whiche bothe is signyfyed the church which is also called the kyngdome of heauen / & in to whiche who so [...]uer be admyt­ [...]ed or chosen they be called by the i. Peter. ii. [...]estymonye of saynt Peter an holy [...]acyon & a royall prees [...]hode. But what a captiuyte was that whiche dyd nat suffre the Israelytes to be [...]lad and reioyse? For at that tyme [...]he people of Israell whiche were Hebrues were captyue or ī seruitu­ [...] to no maner of men. Gala. iii. & .iiii. But it was a sore captiuyte to be vnder y ^e ma­ [...]ediccyon of the lawe whiche was [...]n harde scole mayster to the peo­ [...]le wantyng the spryte. ii. Corin. iii. For where [...]oeuer the spryte is nat / there also [Page] is no lybertie or franchyse. And where as the terrore of the law [...] dothe manace vengeaunce ther [...] is no pure gladnes of harte. Fo [...] because therfore there was no ho­pe of saluacyon in men the fathe [...] dyd sende his only begotten sonn [...] beynge more myghty than the de [...]uyll beyng a tyrante / which shuld [...] auerte & put awaye the captiuyt [...] of his people delyuerynge or ma­kynge vs fre by grace from y ^e ma­lediccyon of the lawe. He sent hy [...] beynge a preest full of efficacy [...] H [...]brues v.whiche makynge intercessyon fo [...] his electe shuld be graciously her [...] for loue of his reuerence and godlynes. And thus in conclusyon dy [...] Iacob reioyse and Israell wa [...] glad and ioyfull. Iacob & Israe [...] be the names of one man / all be [...] that here accordyng to the custom [...] of scripture they be vsed for y ^e pe [...]ple of Israell. Furthermore bot [...]e [Page] the wordes do signyfye a wrestler / for Iacob to the Hebrues is a sup­planter / & Israell a stronge man towarde god. Iacob truely (as is contayned in the holy historye) dyd wrastle with Esau in his mothers belly. Genes. xxv. The same dyd also wrastle with the angell / for the whiche wrastlynge he obtayned the name Genes. xxxii. of Israell. For I sayth he wyll nat let the departe excepte thou shalte blesse me. His brother beynge sup­planted / he dyd obtayne his fa­thers blessynge: He inforsynge the angell dyd purchase the blessynge of god. Nother oughte it to be thought any inconuenyence if a man be sayd to wrastle with god / seynge we do heare our sauyoure hym selfe sayenge in y ^e gospell that Matthe. xi. the kyngdome of heuen doth suffre violence / and that men violently cōmynge to it do pulle it to them. The Samaritans and gentles or [Page] infydeles dyd russhe in to it before theyr tyme / & as a man wolde say [...] the dor [...]s broken vp. Matth. x. For fyrst was the lorde sent vnto the loste shepe of the house of Israell. But wha [...] vyolence is that by which y ^e kyng­dome of heuen is with violence ouercome? The kīgdome of god how it is go­t [...]n with violence. It is fayth [...] a thynge myghtye and importune / whiche in a maner doth wreste out frō god that no merytes do purchase or ob­tayne. [...]atthe. xv.Doth nat the womā of Ca­nanye ī a maner appere to wrastle with the lorde Iesu / prouokynge hym with importune crye to heare to heare her / whan he pretended that he wolde nat. Of the [...]omā of Canante wras [...]e­ling with chryst. Agayne whan she was dryuen from hym beynge called by the rebukefull name of a dogge / yet dyd she stylle craue for cromes naming her selfe a whelpe. Doth nat she than appere to saye with Iacob: I wyll nat let y ^e deꝑte except thou shalt blesse me? Forth­with [Page] there after whā y ^e lorde sayth: O woman great is thy fayth be it vnto y ^e as thou wylte haue it / both it nat appere to be the worde or voyce of a mā ouercome in wrast­lyng? Wyl ye thā heare howe puys­sant pugnant and victoryous a thynge faith is? The pu­y [...]sance & vertue of fayth. Onely sayth he be­leue for all thynges are possyble to hym y ^t beleueth. Marke. ix. But for to returne frō this digressyon to a shorte con­clusion. Lyke as in y ^e psalme before y ^e prophete doth demaūde after the saluacion of mākynde sayeng who shal arise to helpe & remedy y ^e world beyng so desperate: In like fassyon doth he heare crye sayeng: ‘O lorde who shal abyde ī thy tabernacle / or who shal reaste in thy holy moun­tayne?’ In y ^t he nameth a taberna­cle he requireth an hye preest / and whan he nameth a holy moūtayne he desyreth a kynge of more puis­saūce thā is y ^e puissaūce of Satan / [Page] and he heareth answere made to hym of the sprite: he whiche entreth without spotte and dothe worke ryghtwysenes. By the which testi­monye or prayse is signyfyed the persone of Christ which onely with out all excepcyon was pure & clene frō all blemys [...]he or spotte. Whose doctryne doth sauer of no vylenes or basenes / but as it dyd come frō heuen euen so doth it vtter & speke heuenly thynges. Mounte Syon wherof it is so denomina­te. Mounte Syon hath his denominacyon or name of speculacyon or beholdynge / In whiche who souer dothe reaste he beynge hyer than all thynges ter­restryall or earthly doth beholde & desyre no thynges but celestyall. And he dyd nat only worke ryght­wysenes which in all poyntes dyd accomplisshe the workes of his fa­ther / but he also wrought ryght­wysenes for vs and to vs. For vn­to i. Corin. ivs saith y ^e Apostle was he made [Page] ryghtwysenes whiche nother had any of our owne / nother coulde haue any / in lykewyse as we can nowe also haue none of our owne or propre. Thus hytherto haue I applyed this psalme vnto the per­sone of Chryste. Nother do they a­mysse whiche do interprete this psalme of the lyfe heuenly. For in heauen also is bothe a temple and a tabernacle / in which without in­intercessyon or cessynge is offered the sacrefyce of prayse and of than­kes gyuyng / lyke as is sayd in an other psalme: Blessyd be they whi­che do dwell in thy house O lorde / Psalme. lxxxiii. in worlde without ende shall they prayse the. The gospell also dothe make mencyon of tabernacles ad­uertysyng vs that we shulde heare purchase vs fryndes with y ^e Mā ­mon Luke. xvi of iniquyte whiche shulde re­ceyue vs beyng destytute and suc­courles in to euerlastynge taber­nacles. [Page] There therfore is y ^e templ [...] of god thorowly pure and wholy / there is y ^• mounte Syon in which the veyle taken awaye we shall se the glorye of god presently / there is the holy cytie of Hierusalem for there is fynally parfyte and true reaste. But in to this temple and in to this palace is none entrance or ingate by ceremonyes or the Po [...]pes Agaynste ceremo­nyes and the po­pes bul­les. Matthe. xxv.bulles / but by a mynde pure­fyed by faythe / hauynge no euyll cōscience / & by the dedes of charyte which done vnto our neyghbour / Chryste wylleth them to be impu­ted done to hym. Natwithstādyng we at this tyme had leauer to in­treate vpō and to declare the mo­ralle The mo­ral sence.sense / whiche all though it doth appeare y ^e more base or lowe / yet in my iudgement is it for vs most profitable. And thus the pro­phete consyderynge the great ma­iestye of the house of god / and the [Page] great purite of his church or cōgre­gacyō / which y ^e lorde hym selfe dyd wasshe w ^t his blode to exhibyte & make it to hym selfe a spouse ha­uynge nother spotte ne wryncle: Ephesi­ans. v. And agayne warde he consideryng howe great the impuryte of man is / doth saye: ‘O lorde who shall abyde in thy tabernacle / or who shall reaste in thy holy moūtayne?’ All though this place dothe pecu­lyerly and properly belonge vnto them whiche be prelates in the churche of god whiche be appoyn­ted to minystre the worde of god to the people / & to shyne or shewe lyght vnto them in puryte of ly­uynge / all they natwithstandynge whiche by fayth & baptisme be ad­mytted īto y ^e mistical body of christ do dwell in this tabernacle / & do in a maner offre vp thē selfes a sacre­fyce liuyng acceptable & pleasynge god / & they reygnyng w ^t Christ do Romans xii. [Page] ouerc [...]me y ^e deuyll / as by cōtempte of thynges vyle and corruptyble they fynde reaste in hope of thyn­ges heuenly and celestyall. This thynge in the meane waye is to b [...] obserued and noted (all though i [...] doth appere of smalle importance [...] that this worde Entre in / i [...] nat heare vsed as the contrarye t [...] goynge out. Whiche worde hau [...] yet deceyued some interpretyng that we be made immaculate by [...] very entrynge / and that by bap [...]tysme we do entre into the church Nother is it wrytten Eselthei bu [...] Porefetai which is to saye goyng passyng or walkīg lyke as it is d [...]clared ī an other passage: Psalme. C.xviii. Blessy [...] are they whiche be immaculate i [...] the waye / whiche do walke in th [...] lawe of the lorde. Erodi. xiiii. For after that w [...] dyd forsake Egypte / and dyd leau [...] or put of all our spottes in y ^e redd [...] see / this is remaynyng that we d [...] [Page] from henseforth walke pure & im­maculate vntyll we do come vnto that blessyd lande / which god hath promysed to men perseuerynge in the loue of hym. To stande in the waye of the lorde is to go backe­warde. To stāde in the waye of the lorde is to go backe­warde / & yet is there acō mēdable stādyng. Philip. ii Paule dyd walke whi [...]he forgettynge those thynges y ^t were left behynde hym dyd stretche hym selfe to those thynges whiche were before hym. Natwithstandynge some standyng is yet cōmendable. For so wryteth Paule sayenge: Stande ye in the faythe in whiche ye be called that is perseuer you / nat so that you shulde nat go for­warde to thynges more parfyte / but that ye do nat fall backewarde to worse thynges. There is also a ronnynge in the waye of vertue & godlynes as is shewed in y ^e psal­mes: Psalme. C.xviii. I haue ronne the waye of thy cōmaundemētes whan thou dyd­dest dilate or comfort myne harte. [Page] And in the cantycles or balades o [...] Salomon: canticles fyrst. we shall rōne in y ^e odr [...] or swete sauoure of thy oyntemen [...]tes. And y ^u Apostle sayth: i. Corin­theos. i [...]. So rōn [...] that ye may obtayne. He walketh [...] goeth forwarde. He stādeth whic [...] perseuereth in goodnes beynge i [...] readynes agaynste the assautes o [...] sculkewatch of the deuyll. He dot [...] ronne whiche w ^t great luste & cou [...]rage / and w ^t stronge feruentness [...] of the spryte is rauisshed to do th [...] workes of fayth & godlynes. An [...] lyke degrees be in the waye of th [...] wycked. He is iudged blessed whi [...]che doth nat walke in the waye o [...] the wycked and vngodly. Psal. i. This i [...] the fyrst degree to wyckednes an [...] impiete: And doth nat stande or cō [...]syste in the way of synners / this i [...] the seconde degree of men perseue [...]ryng in euyll: Nother doth sytte i [...] in the chayre or seate of pestylence [...] And this is y ^e thyrde degree of men [Page] whiche do glorye in all euyll thyn­ges & vngracyousnes. The way of the wycked hath also a propre ron­nynge: Isay. lix. The feate sayth he of them doth ronne vnto myschefe. Nowe is there a certayne vayne & turne­sycke walkyng / of which the scrip­ture doth mencyon sayenge: Psal. xi. The wycked do walke in a circuyte or ambage. For whan they be caryed about with desyres & cōcupiscence of vayne and transitory thynges / so that the more they gette or pur­chase y ^e more they desyre & luste for / & whā they be caryed from one lust or desyre to an other / as from the y ^• loue of ryches to ambicyon & to y ^e desyre of honoures / or to worldly pleasures neuer fyndyng y ^• can sa­tisfye or cōtent theyr mȳde / do they nat seme or appeare to be rolled or tourned vp set downe in a circuyte or cyrcle? Therfore who soeuer wyll walke pure and immaculate [Page] he muste walke within the taber­nacle. For without the churche b [...] euen those thynges maculate and foule whiche do appere bryght [...] & clere. Bothe Heretykes & Scys­matykes do faste / saye psalmes / gyue almes / lyue chaste / prea­che the worde of god / and exerc [...]se suche other dedes whiche hau [...] the shewe or semblaunce of ver [...]tue and godlynes. But all thes [...] thynges for so moche as they b [...] done without the tabernacle / the [...] be nothynge els than spottes an [...] blottes. And they whiche do sek [...] very true reaste ought nat to de [...]parte from the holy mountayne o [...] god in which is buylded the chur [...]che. The prophete hath in this on [...] lyttelll verse as is sayde before cō [...]prehēded vnyuersally all vertues [...] ‘He whiche entreth without spott [...] & dothe worke ryghtwysenes.’ Th [...] fyrst poynt is to wante al crymes [...] [Page] and the secōde to anourne thy lyfe with good workes. The fyrste is wrought by fayth in y ^e lorde Iesn / the other is caused by charite whi­che is the cōpanyon of pure fayth. Matth. xii. Nother is it surely accordynge to the parable of the gospell to leaue the house swepte and made clene / voyde or emptye / but it muste be anourned & garnysshed with dy­uers stuffe and apparayle of good workes / leaste y ^e ende be worse thā the begynnynge. There be some whiche haue meruaylously extol­led the vertue of faythe / nother be they ī this deceyued / they do iudge faythe to be of full hye value and power / but holy scripture do nat without a cause cōmende vnto vs full greatlye in dyuers and many places good workes. Scripture doth calle all synne spottes. Nowe do all spottyng remayne in y ^e hart / and out of suche spottynge in the [Page] harte as out of the rote do workes sprynge & aryse: There is the foun­tayne of al our workes and dedes / the veyne wherof if it be syncere / i [...] spryngeth forth fyrst in to y ^e tonge [...] & so therafter in to workes. Such [...] a veyne had he whiche sayde: Psalme. xliiii. My tonge hathe bolked out a good worke. But yf this veyne be īfect [...] it bubbleth or boyleth out fyrst i [...] to speche and wordes / and so fort [...] in to workes pestiferous. And th [...] murren or spottes of the harte d [...] russhe out in none other wyse / thā [...] the very pockes do floure & bu [...]gene out in to the skynne of them [...] whiche haue the inner partes o [...] theyr body infecte with euyll and noysome humoures. As for exam­ple heresye is a foule spotte / and s [...] is diffidencye a foule blotte / to hat [...] our neyghbour is a foule thynge [...] & the loue of money or of volup [...]e [...] is fylthy. Suche spottes whyle [...] [Page] they lay hydde in the harte they do defyle him onely which hath them without infectynge of other / but they can nat abyde longe hydde. For whan the preuye euyll shal be faste roted it wyl breath out pesty­lente speache / and breake forthe in to abhomynable dedes. There is also a spotte whiche we all haue taken of y ^• poysone of olde Adam. Fynally concupiscence whiche we feale innerly fastened and implā ­ted in our flesshe maye ryght [...]ully be called a spotte. Euyden [...] signes of cōcupys­cence shewed euen ī in­fantes. Of whiche con­cupiscence we do se euen in some babes and infantes an euydent prynte or simylytude as the prynte of Enuye / of Wrath / & of vengea­blenes. Whiche affeccyons whan they can nat expresse in wordes yet do they shewe them in why­nynge / weapynge / & channyyng / or chatterynge / and in theyr fro­warde coūtynaūce. So that saynt [Page] Augustyne was nat w ^tout a caus [...] brought ī to doubtfulnes whethe [...] that age of infancye was coinquy­nate nat onely with y ^• synne called oryginall / but also with the synn [...] whiche is called ꝑsonall or actuall [...] Seynge than it is thus some may thus make obieccyon howe may it "agre to vs, To entre without spot [...] seynge that Iohn̄ the Euangelys [...] spekynge of suche as be regenerat [...] in Chryst doth playnly testefye: Howe chrysten men be [...]potted & also with out spottes. 1 Iohn̄. i. I [...] we shal saye that we haue no synn [...] we do deceyue our selues and th [...] truth of god is nat in vs. Saynt [...] Paule also doth crye out sayenge [...] Romans vii. O wretched man that I am wh [...] shall delyuer me from this body o [...] deth? If synne be in vs howe sha [...] we be called immaculate or with [...] out spotte? Euen they whiche [...] ryghtewyse haue spottes / for e [...] shulde they nat crye vnto the f [...]ther: Matthe. vi. Forgyue vs our trespasse [...] [Page] lyke as we forgyue them whiche haue trespassyd agaynste vs. Who is he whiche dothe nat often tymes and cōmenly offende god? Or who is he whiche at some tyme doth nat vexe & greue his neygh­bour? But suche spottes whiche be in suche men dothe the flesshe that is so whyte as snowe of the immaculate lambe Iesus Chryste couer. Romans viii. For there is no dampna­cyon to those persones whiche be in Iesu Chryste. Romans xiii. Nat in cham­berynges (sayth the Aoostle) and in Lecherye or vnclennes / nat in surfettynges and dronkenes / And thus do you heare of spottes / but put ye on the lorde Iesu Chryste [...] in which you may parceyue a coue [...] for the spottes of mankynde. O [...] our selues we be all spottye / but in Chryste we be immaculate and without spotte / yf so we abyde in hym.

[Page]And the psalmyst doth reporte thē Psalme. xxxi.to be blessyd whose syn̄es be coue­red / and to whome the lorde hath nat imputed or layde syn̄e to theyr charge. And nowe do I speke of y ^e synnes which by the infyrmyte of men can nat be auoyded. For Le­cherye or vnclennes dronkenes & surfettynge or glotony with suche lyke crimynal synnes or outrages be ones couered in Baptysme / bu [...] therafter do nat they agree with y ^• flesshe of the lambe immaculate. Who soeuer hath cōmytted a deed [...]ly synne / he hathe caste awaye th [...] whyte garment or crysome which he dyd take in Baptysme / & hath put on the blacke vesture or gar­ment of the deuyll / Natwithstan­dynge y ^t they in whiche doth dwel [...] the vertue and power of fayth d [...] lyghtly retourne to theyr olde in [...]nocencye nat by Baptysme but b [...] repentaunce. And excepte they d [...] [Page] repent all though they do appeare to abyde in the tabernacle by pro­fessyng of the catholyke fayth and cōmunyon of the sacramentes / yet in very dede they do nat abyde or dwell in y ^e tabernacle of the lorde. The ryghtewyse man therfore whiche doth abyde or dwell in the tabernacle of god and doth reaste in his holy mountayne / after that he hathe forsaken Egypte he doth nat cease / but the fyre or lyght of god shynynge before hym he doth alwaye walke beyng immaculate vnto perfeccyon vntyll y ^t he shall attayne & come vnto that stable & vnmouable blysse & felicyte / whi­che is signyfyed by the fygure of the lande of beheste. It partay­neth to innocēcye to hurte no mā. And charyte wyll be ready to pro­fyte or helpe all men. And therfore it foloweth: And doth worke ry­ghtwysenes." what ry­ghtwysenes doth signefye in scryp­ture. Ryghtwysenes in the [Page] scripture is comenly thus vsed & taken / nat y ^t it shulde be one parte of the morall or cardynall vertues distyncte from prudence fortytude and temperance / but that it shulde be taken for all maner of good do­ynge: Ezechiel. xviii. I shal saith he nat remembre al his ryghtwysenes. And in Esay: Isay. lviii. And ryghtwysenes shall go before thy face / where as a lytle before he had reckened vp the dedes of cha­ryte towarde our neyghboure say­ynge: Breake vnto the hongry thy bredde. &c. All the lyfe of Chryste what other thynge was it than bountefulnes and good doynge alwayes open and ready to helpe all men. So that it becommeth hym whiche hathe put on Chryste to folowe so farforth as he may so well the parfyte bountefulnes or good doynge of Chryste as hys perfyte innocencye / lyke as tea­cheth [Page] saynt Iohn̄ sayenge: i. Iohn̄. ii he whi­che sayth that he abydeth in Christ oughte to walke / lyke as Chryste walked. Thus hathe the prophe­te in one verse comprehended the summe of all godlynes and ver­tue / nowe dothe he dyscende vn­to the kyndes of vertues and to the specyall names of vyces sayenge: ‘whyche dothe speake truthe in his harte / whiche hathe wroughte no gyle or deceyte with hys tonge. The moost parte both of good and also of euyll wor­kes is wroughte with the tonge.’ In the very mynde is also a tonge with whyche the mynde dothe speake to it selfe and to god. From the harte dothe procede lyfe and dethe. It skylleth therfore very moche what thynges euery man dothe speake with hym selfe in his harte. Nouther can he speake [Page] true thynges to his neyghboure / which doth lye or speke falsely vn­to hym selfe in his owne harte / True thynges I saye nat onely whiche be contrarye to falseheed / but whiche be spoken symplye / sin­cerely / and with harte and mynde. The Pharises whā they sayd vn­to Chryst: Matthe. x [...].i. M [...]yster we wote that thou teache [...]t y ^• w [...]ye of god true­ly and thou regardest no mannes estate. In this they sayde no false thynges yet dyd they nat speake true thynges / for somoche as they spake with a gyleful and disceyte­full mynde. And Dauus in a pro­phane or secular comedye doth [...] worke disceyte in speakynge true thynges / whiche is a kynde of ly­ynge most vngracyous or mysche­uous. Truthe disceyte­fullye or vntruely spokē is a kynde of lyynge most per­nicyous. How mā begyleth him self [...] with lies which he speaketh to hym selfe. In this wyse do many speke vnto them selues in theyr harte law ghynge or smylynge at theyr owne vyces / theyr conscyence yet [Page] repynynge. But deth approchyng doth vrter and bewray theyr false­hede or lyenge. For than are they vexed and tormented and be fayne to cōfesse that they before haue nat spoken truely in theyr harte / but y ^t they haue w ^t flatery or fayre wor­des disceyued them selues. Thus doth it vsually come to passe to su­che as by pardones haue purcha­syd Agaynste pardons remyssyon of all theyr synnes / or to suche as by defraudynge o [...] good men by thefte and by brybery wyll seke y ^• iustefyenge as they call it of thynges gotten. But he whi­che without fraude or dissymula­cyon dothe speke the truthe in his hart / suche one euyn whan y ^• parell of deth dothe pynche hym obtay­neth styll his former & olde hope or confydence. The folysshe man which hath vsed to say in his harte there is no god hath pernicyously spoken lyes vnto hym selfe. Psalme xiii. Also [Page] heretykes whiche do persuade vn­to them selues false doctrynes / & vpon the same do promyse to them selues trāquillyte of mynde / suche do speake to them selues falseheed & lyes. To be shorte all they which do beheste to them selues any fely­cyte in this lyfe / the same do nat speke the truth in theyr harte. The ryche mā mencyoned of in the gos­pell dyd deceyue & lye to hym selfe sayeng: Luke. xii. Soule thou haste moche goodes enioye thou them many yeares longe / where as yet he was inforsyd in the same nyght to gyue vp the ghoste & to departe or dye: Who soeuer doth thynke or right­fully iudge of y ^e artycles of y ^e fayth doth speke the truthe in his harte: Agaynste [...]re wyll. Who soeuer doth knowledge that by his owne power he can do no­thynge / but that all his helpe and supportacyon is of the free mercye of god: Who soeuer doth confesse [Page] or acknowledge his synne and with a syncere mynde dothe de­syre the mer [...]y [...] of the lorde / the s [...]me doth speake the truth [...] in his harte: Who soeuer dothe speake false thynges in his harte dothe deceyue hym selfe / but who so [...]uer dothe beare or worke disceyte or gyle in his tonge / he dothe dys­ceyue his neyghboure. Agayne­warde he which speaketh the truth in his harte dothe profyte hym selfe: And he which hath his tonge voyde of all gyle dothe ede [...]ye his neyghboure / So that the one fo­loweth vpon the other. For howe shall he whiche lyeth to hym selfe in his harte speke true thynges to his neyghboure? And lyke as by this halfe verse: ‘He whiche dothe speake the truthe in hys harte is excluded all errore all peruerse oppynyons’ / all euyll [Page] yea and also ydle thoughtes or co­gitacyons All ydle­nes is falsehede & vanyte.(for all thyng [...] is false & vayne what soeuer is ydle) and a­gaynewarde as by the same half [...] verse be vnderstāde all godly opi­nyons / all affeccyōs pure and vn­corrupte / Euen so by y ^e other halfe verse, ‘Whiche hath nat wrought [...] gyle or deceyte in his tonge, is ex­cluded euery worde which hurteth our neyghbour.’ All thynge is dis­ceyte or gyle which doth hurte the soule. By the same particle is also excluded as I haue shewed euery vayne or ydle worde. For euery thynge whiche profyteth nat doth hurte. Matth [...]. v. The lorde cōmaundeth that our cōmunycacyon shulde be yea yea and naye naye / that is to saye we shulde afferme nothynge but that is true / nor denye any thynge but that is false. [...]olo. iiii And Paule dothe bydde that our speache shulde al­wayes be wel fauoured & poudred [Page] [...]ith salte. [...]ol [...]. iii. The same also byddeth that we shulde deceyue no mā with lyenge / but that we shulde speke y ^• [...]ruthe amonges our selues and to all men. If it ꝑtayneth to Christen purenes nat to disceyue y ^• infydels or myscreantes with disceytefull wordes / Is it nat than a shame to vs Chrysten people to se so fewe a­monge vs whiche with harte do speke truely to our neyghbour? Is nat all the occupyenge of the peo­ple abrode cōmonly full of fraude / disceyte / and lyenge? Howe many be there whiche for loue of a lytle lucre wyll nat blynde and begyle his neyghbour? ‘Nother hath done euyll to his neyghbour.’ Passynge moche myschefe is wrought with the tonge / and from the speche of the tonge we do come to euyll de­des / of whiche the tonge is the en­tyser and procurer. Natwithstan­dyng it is somwhat to abyde with [Page] in d [...]ceyuablenes w [...]ought by t [...] tonge & nat to passe it. Thou has [...] sclaundered thy neyghboure an [...] woūded hym with thy tonge / add thou n [...]t there vnto euyll doyng whiche is wrought with thy hād [...] or w ^t other thy membres. It shul [...] seme but a werisshe or f [...]ynte pray­se / y ^t he hathe nat done euyll vnt [...] his neyghboure / but as I hau [...] shewed tofore one contrarye is t [...] be vnderstande by an other. One contrary vnderstande by an o­ther. So [...] the ryghtwyse man which is repo [...]ted to haue done euyll to his ne­yghbour is vnderstāde he whiche hath holpen his neyghboure with all maner of gentylues and honest dedes. In omyttynge to helpe our neygh­bour we do hurte hym. For he hath hurte his neigh [...]bour & done to hym euyll [...] / who so euer hathe nat holpen hym & done hym good whan nede was / & that he so mought. Lyke as gyle or dis­ceyte is also wrought w ^t the tonge / so often as charyte dothe requyre [Page] good doynge / and the same dothe nat her offyce in well doynge. As for example thou hearest thy ne­yghbour to be sclaundered & thou [...]oste holde thy peace or doste nat speke / thou hast in y ^t cōmitted gyle with thy tonge. By sy­lence ke­pyng we do often speke de­ceyte a­gaynste our ne­yghbo [...]. Thou seest thy frynde in errore & doste nat warne hym therof / disceyte is so cōmytted with thy tonge / & by sylence or nat speakynge thou speakest fraude and disceyte. In lyke wyse thou doste se thy neyghbour to be hurte and iniured / & thou (where as thou mayste) doste nat helpe hym / thou so doste to thy neyghbour wronge and iniurye. Also thou doste se thy neyghboure to be payned with nede and penurye / & thou doste nat socour hym whā y ^u haste wherwith to do it / in so leauyng hȳ vnsocou­red y ^u hast spoyled & robbed him. It is thefte & robbery y ^t thou doste in leauing thy duety vndone. Behold [Page] nowe whether y ^• parcell folowyng doth agree to this sence or no?

‘And he hath nat enterprised an [...] sclaūder agaynst his neyghbours [...]’ Thon doste appere to thy selfe in [...]nocente & harmelesse in that (wha [...] other do brynge vp a rebuke o [...] sclaunder vpon your neyghboure thou arte styll and doste kepe sy [...]lence. In howe many wayes a man doth sclaunder his neighboure. But a ryghtwyse man is na [...] onely ware leaste he shulde sclaun [...]der or rebuke an other man / but h [...] also wyll nat suffre or wynke at it [...] yf an other man shall sclaunder a [...] innocente. He that holdynge hi [...] peace wyll wynke to se or heare hi [...] brother infamed / the same doth [...] cause and worke the infamye. H [...] is nat onely infamed or sclaundre [...] whiche is reuyled and ignomyny [...]ouslye spoken vpon / but also wh [...]soeuer is moued or prouoked to d [...] synne. They sclaunder men whiche do en [...]se them to synne. They which do moue a ma [...] to dronkennes / do go about to d [...] [Page] great reproche & villanye to theyr frynde / and he whiche dothe nat mysproue or blame the entyser or mouer (whan it is oportunyte) in reuokynge or withdrawynge the man entysed or moued hath enter­prysed to sclaūder his neyghbour. He whiche doth tempte a mayde to Lechery or vnclennes / doth cause great ignomynye and sclaunder. And he whiche in suche a case doth nat tell the man temptynge of his defaute / & doth nat helpe y ^• mayde beyng in parell or redy to fall with good counsayle / the same doth be­gynne to sclaunder his neyghbour makynge hym selfe pertaker of an other mans cryme or trespasse. Some man wyl yet peraduenture thynke that forsomoche as y ^e world is full of men temptynge and pro­uokynge to vyces / yf a ryghtwyse or iuste man shuld assaye to repre­hende or admonysshe them all / he [Page] els coulde do nothing / & yet shulde he gette to hym selfe mortall hate & displeasure. But I answere that the qualyte of some persone dothe excuse our sylence. whan we shall be excused thoughe we do nat repr [...]hēde synne in wordes [...] The sonne of a man beynge yonge doth nat synne if he doth nat rebuke his father or mother / or if a chylde shulde kepe hym sylente before his elder / or if a subgette and man of lowe degree doth nat mysproue or reprehende a prince. The place also doth other whyle excuse our sylence. As no mā dothe reprehende the preacher in churches: and to reprehende one before many shuld rather chafe the mysdoer than correcte or amende hym / In especyall if in the same nombre be suche persones present / before whome it is nat expedyente that the authoryte of the man tres­passynge be hyndered or dimynys­shed / as if the chyldren of an hous­holder or the subgettes of a prynce [Page] shulde be presente. The doctryne of the gospell doth also teache this moderacyon of reformynge or ad­monicyon gyuyng / so that the fyrst admonicyon shulde wante testes / the secōde shulde admytte .ii. or .iii. Matthe [...] xviii. and the thyrde shulde be presented before the church or congregacion. Generally where as appeareth no hope of amendement it is lef [...]ll to kepe sylēce. Intercessyon or prayer doth often tymes worke the same thynge that a rebuke shulde do or chydynge. Nowe is this kynde of reprehensyon or rebukynge graū ­ted Repre­hēsion of synne by shewyng of do [...]o [...] in coūty­naunce. to al men / to signyfye by heuy­nes of countenaunce that he dothe nat cōmende those thynges which be done or sayd. Contrary wyse do they whiche with a mery cheare do heare a backebyter or sclaūderous body / whiche do reioyse in fowle or rybaldy [...]ales / which do smyle vp­on seruyle flatterers / or [...]estynge [Page] byters. From suche maners dothe the ryghtwyse man full greatlye abhorre. Ecclesi­asticus. xxviii. He dothe close his eares with thornes y ^t he shulde nat heare the wordes of men sclaunderynge or backebytyng theyr neyghbour. Many haue delyte in obtrectacyon or to heare backebyters countynge the vitupery or blame of other to be theyr laude and prayse. With suche be tale bearers set by whome the iuste and ryghtwyse man doth abhorre and defye. For in the pre­sence of hym (as heare sayth y ^• pro­phete) is the malygner brought to nought. It is extreme contempte to counte one for noughte or no­thynge. what a maligner is. He is a malygner and en­uyous persone whiche dothe nat suffre the honeste fame or name of his neyghbour / but in what soeuer wyse he can doth spotte or blotte it. A malygner is in dyuerse wayes broughte to nou­ghte. Suche one is dyuers wayes brou­ght to nought / as whan he outher [Page] is openly contemned / or whan he is chastysed for euyll spekynge / or els whan he is with holden frome that vyce by wholesome admoni­cyon. whan a mal [...]gner is blessydly and for his welth brought [...] to nou­ghte. He is blessydly broughte to nought whiche of an euyll speaker is made a good speaker / of a repre­hender or rebuker a prayser or cō ­mender / of an enuyous or malicy­ous man gentle & innocent. A backe­byter or euyll spe­ker is a great pestylence. But the iuste man for because he dothe knowe howe great a pestylence a backebyter or euyll speaker is in this life wyll whytesaue to gyue to such one none honour / but he doth flye from hym abhorrynge hym. The venyme (sayth he) of adders Psalme. xiii. is in theyr lyppes / theyr tethe be weapons and arowes / and theyr Psalme. lvi. tonge is a sharpe swearde / theyr mouthe is full of cursyd speache & bytternes / theyr wyne is the galle of dragons. De [...]ter. x [...]i. What thynge can be more horryble than suche a beaste? [Page] If at any tyme he loketh or spea­keth fayre / he reacheth forthe the gall of dragons for wyne. A malygner is a beaste most hor­ryble. If he onely dothe breathe vpon the / he breatheth poyson or venyme. If he byteth / his tethe be arowes dyp­ped in venyme. If he smyteth with his tōge / he sleeth with a swearde. If he openeth his lyppes / he pow­reth out y ^e venyme of aspes / or ra­ther a poyson that is worse or mor [...] hurtefull than y ^e venyme of aspes. The ve­nym of a maligner is many wayes [...] more hurte­full than the ve­nym of add [...]rs. Psalme. C.x.x. The styngynge of an aspe or adde [...] doth slee the body onely / but this venyme doth kylle the soule / wher­fore the prophete beynge a frayde therof doth crye: Delyuer O lorde my soule from vngracious lyppes and from a gylefull tonge. He is a ferde of hys soule and nat of hys body. An aspe or adder all though he dothe slee with styngynge / yet doth he cause an easy deth and no­thynge paynefull. For he that is [Page] [...]tynged is broughte therby in to a [...]leape / and that so without all ma­ner of payne / that he doth dye with some fealynge of pleasure. But it is a deth most cruell that a sclaun­derer doth cause. Whose venyme is thā the more sore and venymous / whan it is cloked with the coloure or apparence of amyte and bene­uolence. The ve­nym of a maligner is than moste venymous whan it is cloked with ap­parēce of amyte. There be some whiche be­fore one be louesome & flatteryng / but they powre out priuely beynge with other men deedly poysone. There wyll they make couenante for sylence to be kepte / whiche sy­lence The ma­lygner doth re­quyre sy­lence peruerse. they do vnwysely requyre of other / seynge they them selues can nat kepe it. They tell to one / and after to an other / and so often to one and to other that euery man doth knowe it / and there secrete huszynge & buszynge doth breake out in to a cōmen rumoure of the people. This vyce dyd scarcely ne­uer [Page] so sore rage as in this our ag [...] or tyme. All the worlde is full o [...] obloquye / nouther be any bokes more desyrouslye redde than those which be full of raylynge or maly­cyous wordes. And nowe do they [...]eare away the prayse of eloquēce / which be nat afrayde to shote forth all maner rebukes or opprobrye a­gaynste euery man. But the iuste man dothe recounte all suche for moste refuse parsones and abiectes supposynge them onely precyous whiche do feare the lorde. A ryght­wyse mā wyll nat sclaunder hys ne­yghbour but excu­se hys. For who soeuer doth feare and drede y ^e lorde he wyll nat sclaunder or distayne his neyghbour for whome y ^e lorde dyd dye / but suche thynges as be doubtfull doth he interprete to the beste wyse / those thynges which be well doth he gently prayse / & those thinges which be more manyfestly euyll than that they can be excused doth he yet dimynysshe if by none [Page] other coloure / yet at y ^e leaste by the greatnes of the tēptacyon / sayeng thus if a like temptacyon had hap­pened to vs we shuld haue synned more greuously. Now doth folowe ‘¶ Whiche sweareth to his neyghbour and doth nat disceyue hym.’

IT is a detestable cryme to dis­ceyue men by periurye / whiche vyce to wante is no very greate prayse. Fidelyte of prom [...] ses na [...] hold [...]n doth dis­solue all good so­ciete or [...]elyshippe [...] But by this forsayd sayeng of the psalme is cōmended fydelyte in all promyses / without which all socyete or company in this worlde is broken and dissolued. And nowe a dayes be they takē for infamous persones whiche haue be conuycte of periurye. But if a man wolde narowly loke vpon the matter the veyle or couer of custome beynge put away he shall fynde the lyfe of [Page] chrysten p [...]ople / on euery syde ful [...] of periuryes. The lyfe of christē mē is more full of periurye thā many do thinke it. The abbotte doth [...] sweare to y ^e monkes. The monkes do sweare to the abbote. The bys­shoppes do sweare to y ^e other cler­gye. And the clergye is sworne a­gaynewarde to the bysshoppe. The prynce dothe sweare to his subiec­tes / and the subiectes be agayne­warde sworne to y ^e prynce. He doth sweare whiche doth take an offyce or is made a ruler. And before tyme who soeuer was made a con­sull or sheryffe dyd adde ouer and besydes his othe an horryble exe­cracyon or curse sayeng: I do curse or gyue me and myne from god to the deuyll / if I shall wyttynglye disceyue you / or worke a [...]y false­hede. The iudge dothe sweare and so doth the testis cōmynge before hym. The deuyne doth sweare ta­kynge the authoryte of a doctour / and so fynally doth a Notary / yea [Page] and the poore carpynter leaste I shulde further procede to make re­hersall of all. Go thou nowe and consydre me what euery one dothe professe by his othe made / and also examyne whether they do ꝑforme the thynges whiche they haue pro­fessed or no / and I feare leaste thou shalte fynde many multytudes of false othes & periuryes. Euyl c [...] ­stomes do make mē blynde in iugemēt. But vsage and custome doth cause that suche thinges be nat counted periuryes / only is he noted fautye of periurye which doth forsweare a thinge put to his custodye or credyte as be pledges and suche other / or whiche doth forsweare money lent to hym. Nowe all though there is made none othe betwyxte partyes / yet who so euer doth [...] receyue any charge or offyce / the same doth se­cretely sweare to his neyghboure / which charge excepte he shal faith­fully performe he is nat all clere of [Page] periurye. As who soeuer shall tak [...] vpō him to be a legate or embassa­toure / or to defende and pleade a mater in the lawe / or to instructe youth in learnynge and good ma­ners / y ^• same doth oblige hym selfe by a secrete othe in the takynge of any suche charge that he wyll do [...] faythfully. A carpenter that coue­naunteth vpon a pryce to buylde an house / all though there be none othe expressyd / yet is he bounde to perfourme it by the secrete lawe of his conscyence. A tayler whiche ta­keth in hande to make a garment / or a goldesmyth which taketh vp­on hym to make a cuppe / A carye [...] or shypman whiche taketh in hād [...] to cary or conuey marchandyse / i [...] he doth cōmytte fraude or disceyte / he doth couple thefte with ꝑiurye / all though suche maner or fourme of speche is nat had betwyxte you: wylte thou sweare to keape fidely­te [Page] / and he answeareth ye wyll I sweare. Nother doth it skyll whe­ther he doth adde this for more as­suraunce: I do gyue me from god to the deuyll if I be nat faythfull. For he hath all ready gyuen hym selfe to the deuyll which wyttingly hath disceyued his neyghbour. I do knowe y ^e pykynge or pety thefte of myllers / & of caryers drynkyng out the wynes of other men. But in chrysten people oughte to be so great synceryte or p [...]renes that a symple or syngle promyse shulde be so substanciall or weyghtye as a solempne othe. Nother ought we [...]ccomplysshe to our neyghboure onely what soeuer thynge we do sweare / but to our enemyes also / & & to the myscreantes or infydeles / if so it be nat a thynge mischeuous [...]r malycyous that thou haste pro­mysed. Whiche hathe nat gyuen out his money to vsurye. Deuter [...] xxiii. It was [Page] a detestable cryme in y ^e olde lawe [...] if one iewe shuld lende a thynge t [...] an other iewe intending to receyu [...] more than the summe lent out. For it was graunted them to occupy [...] vsurye with straūgers or alyātes [...] But amonge chrysten people (whi­che ought to be coupled one to an other with more strayte bandes of amyte than before tyme were th [...] iewes) the worde or name of vsur [...] is verely odyous and spyteful / b [...] wolde god the thynge selfe were so spytefull detestable and abhorred [...] The hethen Philosophers dyd al [...]so thynke vsurye to be a thinge de [...]testable / for so moche as money t [...] engēdre or gette money is a thing [...] agaynste nature. Usurye hated of th [...] hethē Ph [...]losophers as a thynge contrary to nature But besydes tha [...] kynde of vsurye whiche is cōmyt [...]ted in the open face or syght of th [...] worlde. Moche preuy v­sury that is not so coūted of the doers Howe many bargaynes [...] couetous craftes to gette luker [...] subteltyes be there so nye appro [...]chynge [Page] and accordynge to vsurye y ^t they be many tymes more wyc­ked and euyll than it? These do we than most chefely vse / whan neces­syte doth pynche or greue our ne­yghbour / and in suche a case as he oughte to be holpen or releaued frely and without any mede or mo­ney. Agaynste īgrossers of corne. The husbande or ploughman is in nede / than wyl the ryche man or vsurer for a small summe of mo­ney bargayne with hym / that he shal euery yeare delyuer to y ^e ryche vsurer so moche wheate as shall come of the husbandes landes / or so moche money as the wheate is worthe. Whan men do feare small increase or renuynge to come of fruyte and corne / or whan neade of thynges necessary doth come vpō / than they which haue corne in store wyll auaunce and set vp the pryce. He whiche dothe lende out a thou­sande crownes in syluer / that he by [Page] the bargayne shulde receyue s [...] moche in golde (whiche cōmonly is more in value) doth he nat many [...]festly cōmytte vsurye? Agaynste auaūsers of the val [...]acyō in coynes for coue­tousnes. From the whiche vsurye they be nat farre wyde which do procure the valua­cyon of money to be outher dymi­nysshed or els to be set vp or auaū [...]syd to thentente they may thero [...] haue profyte and vauntage. Nou­ther be they which do enforce they [...] credytours to gyue them a quyt [...]tance testefyenge them fully payd [...] and contented (whan they haue re [...]ceyued but a p [...]ace of the whol [...] summe) clere & free from the crym [...] of vsurye. But suche false craftes of vsurye can I nowe nat recke [...] vp. For they be infynyte / from th [...] whiche all natwithstandynge h [...] ought to be quyte and fre whiche wyll dwell in y ^e tabernacle of god [...] Nowe if so it lyke you we may in­terprete or declare further this [Page] place after the morall sence. Euery gyfte of god by whiche a man may helpe his neyghbour is money. By mo­ney maye be vnder­stande al [...] giftes gyuen to vs of god. As in example to this man is gyuen y ^e gyfte of eloquence or langages / to that man is gyuen learnynge and faculte to iudge thynges ryghte­fully / to some man is gyuen a feate or cōueyance to gouerne / some can well gyue counsayle / an other is in authoryte w ^t the people or lordes. He that with his gyfte gyuen of god doth frely and kyndely helpe his neyghbour is to be praysed by this testymonye of scripture: ‘Whi­che hath nat gyuen or lent out his money to vsurye.’ Matthe. xxv. But here ryseth a doubte sayeng that the seruaunt in the gospell is condempned / whi­che dyd nat gyue the money lente hym to the vsurers / Howe doth it agree that he shulde heare be pray­sed whiche hath nat gyuen out his money to vsurye and for vaūtage [...] [Page] These thynges be no whytt [...] r [...]pugnante. Lauda­ble vsury The lorde doth loue vsurye whiche doth brynge to hy [...] lucre or vaūtage / but he doth h [...]e vsurye whiche the seruaunte doth gette or clayme to hym selfe. He whiche by the gyfte of eloquence or langages doth gather glorye and profyte to him selfe is ryghtwysely condempned / for the vauntage [...]r lucre belongeth to hym which dy [...] gyue or lende out the first stocke [...]r lent money. But he whiche doth so distrybute y ^e worde of god that ma­ny may be inflamed to the loue [...]f god / and that in them god may [...]e glorifyed / the same man doth exe [...]cyse a laudable vsurye. And so is [...] be sayde of other thynges. But the [...]uste or rightwyse man which do [...]h cōuert all y ^• gyftes of god vnto [...] profyte of his neyghboure / for so moch as he doth knowe & acknow­ledge y ^e very same po [...]er or ha [...]lyte [Page] by which he doth profyte othe [...] to come of goddes bountefulnes & lyberalyte and to be his gyfte / he thervpon doth [...]ndeuer himselfe to the beste of his power to bestowe well the lordes money / but in such wyse that he yet wyll seke therfore no prayse or worldly ꝓfyte to hym selfe / but he wyll gette & brynge all y ^• lucre or vaūtage to god / whiche dyd lende vnto him the fyrst stocke or sūme. Thou than wylt obiecte if we muste labour frely / than is nat y ^e workeman worthy of his reward or hyre? yea rather shal no mā haue a more plentuous rewarde than he whiche doth frely bestowe & deale abrode the gyftes of god. Howe this is to be vnderstande. He hath a gracyous and bountefull detter who soeuer doth gyue out or lende for vauntage to god. The workmā is wor­thi of his hyre. 1. Timo. v. Further­more this sentence of the Apostle the worke man is worthye of hys mede and hyre is nat spoken [Page] to those whiche do distrybute o [...] deale abrode y ^e gyftes of god / bu [...] Romans xv.to them which thorowe the distry­bucyon or bestowyng of suche gyf­tes be holpen. [...]. Corint. ix. Such ought to gyue theyr carnall goodes to those of whome they do receyue spirituall goodes. But a faythfull steward [...] and distrybuter shall take of the [...] whome he hath profyted and don [...] good to / and yet nat all thynges [...] nor euery where / or in all places [...] nor of all men. Howe a fayth [...]ull stewarde shall re­ceyue [...] of whome worldlye liuynge / but with out requiryng thē as duety. This is agaynste our bene­ficed men whiche wyll sue in the lawe for tythes whē they yet prea­che not. He shall suche thin­ges nat requyre as duety / but he shall loke to receyue his mede or [...] warde of god / whose worke & bu [...]synes he doth. In lyke wyse as [...] is to be supposed that saynt Paul [...] dyd receyue or take at some tyme [...] of some men some thynges / which [...] were wyllyngly offered and gyuen i. Corin­theos. ix.to hym / but of y ^e Corinthyans dy [...] he receyue or take nothyng / and i [...] ii. Corin. theos. xiis nat redde y ^t he requyred of an [...] [Page] man any thynge at all. No man doth lesse in vayne bestowe good we do nat rede that Paule e­uer required any temporal lyuynge for prea­chyng [...] doynge vpon his neyghbour / than he whiche is to them beneficyall frely without respecte of any mede or vauntage. Nowe do this thyng whiche foloweth appeare to be a smale prayse: ‘Whiche hath taken no rewardes or brybes agaynste innocentes.’He was abhomynable euen amonge the infydels whiche beyng corrupte with mede or with a brybe shulde condemne innocen­tes / or whiche for money receyued shulde oppresse an innocente with false wytnes / or if an attourney in the lawe for loue of luker & vaun­tage shulde defende a mysdoer a­gaynste one whome he dyd knowe to be an innocente. Agaynste false wytnes & at­tourneys ī the lawe The playntyue in a matter of lawe sweareth his forged cause or cautell to be trewe / & his attourney sweareth to sup­port or defende it faythfully. Whi­che [Page] thynge wolde to god it shuld [...] nat so often (as it is) be ꝑceyued a­monge christen people. But this sentence of the texte dothe procede more largely. Ta [...]yng of brybes agaynste an īnocēt hath a large intēdement or sence. He doth take a brybe against an innocent who soeuer for loue of any cōmodyte or vauntag [...] doth nat socour an innocēt whan [...] or where as he may. As for ensam­ple: If thou da [...]te se thy neighbour wronged / & thou for because of on [...] man or other doste wynke at it / [...] wylte nat cōsydre to ease or remedy it / than doste thou take a brybe a [...]gaynste an innocente. He that thu [...] thynketh if I do supporte or ayd [...] [...]his man / he whiche oppressed him where as before he hath be to me [...]eneficyall) wyll withdrawe hys hāde / and so wyll stoppe his main [...]tenaūce of the ryght / than the pro­fyte or vauntage whiche he was wonte to take / is a brybe taken agaynste an innocente. ‘He that [Page] [...]oth these thynges shall neuer be [...]oued.’ It is sayd he that doth / [...]at he whiche speaketh. [...]atth. [...]v. God doth [...]bhorre them of whome he is ho­ [...]oured with lyppes. The Pharyse [...] dyd well knowe and per­ [...]e [...]ue which was the hye and chefe [...]omaundement in the lawe dothe heare of the lorde: Luke. x. Do this & thou shalte lyue. He therfore y ^• doth these thynges. Whiche thynges? ‘Entre with out [...]pot / worke that is ryght / speake the truthe in his harte & all the other thynges whiche he hath before recyted.’ Iames [...] ii For they al do ioyne together / so y ^t if any is faylyng / all be marred. But what frute or ꝓfite shall fynally come to the worker or accōplysshe [...] of th [...]? ‘He shall neuer be moued / of y ^• whiche wordes may be double intēdemēt or meanyng.’ That is he shal neuer be moued / or els if he be moued for a tyme he shal nat be moued etern [...]lly or for euer [Page] but he shall aryse after fallyng and shall come agayne in fauoure with god. Lyke as he whiche trusteth in the lorde shall nat be asshamed for euer / al though that for a whyle he be shamed or put to shame before men: Euen so he whiche abydeth honestly in the tabernacle of y ^• lord and doth reste in his holy moun­tayne / the same shall nat be remo­ued for euer. Lyke as is testefyed in an other Psalme: He whiche trusteth in the lorde is as mount [...] Syon / he shall nat be remoued which abydeth in Hierusalem. Psalme. C.xxiiii. Th [...] cyte sayth Israell of our strength / the lorde shall be set in it the walle and the fortresse. This is the onely cyte of whiche the lorde spake say­ynge? Matthe. xvi. And the gates of helle shall nat preuayle agaynste it. Thinges condēned by thys psalme. In this psalme is condempned all exteryor worshyppyng of god which is nat coupled with very deuocyon of the [Page] mynde / and al knowledge or lear­nynge whiche is ioyned with cor­rupte maners. Ieremye doth in­treate this matter in the .vii. cha­piter: Stande thou (sayth he) in the gate of the lordes house and prea­che thou there this worde or mes­sage: Heare the worde of the lorde al [...] ye of Iuda / whiche do entre by these gates to honoure the lorde / Thus sayth the lorde of hostes the god of Israell / take you good wayes and folowe good coūsayles and I shall dwell with you in this place / trust you nat in false lyenge wordes sayeng heare is the temple of the lorde / the temple of y ^e lorde / the temple of the lorde / but rather amende your wayes & counsayles / if you wyll iudge ryght betwyxte man and his neyghbour / if ye wyll nat wronge the straunger the fa­therlesse and the wydowe / if ye wyl nat shede innocente blode in this [Page] place if ye wyll nat go awaye after straūge goddes to your owne dis­truccyon than wyll. I dwell with you in this place and in the lande that I gaue afore tyme to your fa­thers for euer. And a litle therafter: what thynke ye y ^• this house whi­che beareth my name / is a denn [...] of theues? Thus se you as th [...] lorde in these wordes lyke as in o [...]ther folowynge doth conceyue in [...]dignacyō w ^t great stomake agains [...] those which dyd put cōfydence in y [...] tēple & in y ^e ceremonyes of the tem­ple hauyng theyr mȳde & lyfe coin [...]uynate w ^t sinfulnes. Agay [...]ste ceremonial ꝑsones Such do na [...] purefye y ^• tēple / but rather they d [...] pollute the temple. More playnly & sharpely doth Esaye handell this matter in the fyrst chapyter. There doth god in this wyse stomake th [...] thynge agaynst those whiche wor­shypped him with ceremonyes of y ^• tēple / where as els they lyued pol­lutely: [Page] why offre you sayth he to me so many sacrefyces? I am ouer ful and wery of them I wold nat haue the burnte offerynges of wethers / and the fatnes of fedde beastes / and the blode of calues / and of lambes / and of gotes. Whan ye shulde come before me / who dyd requyre these thynges of youre handes / to thenten [...] you shulde walke in my porches? Off [...]e ye no more oblacyons thus to me in vayne / Incense is abomyna­cyon to me / I may nat awaye with your newe mones / youre sabbotte dayes and suche solempne feastes my soule doth hate / your calendes and solempnytes they are to me paynefull and greuous. &c. Moughte nat the grosse people and rebellyous to god make an­sweare agayne to this: What hath chaunsed the O lorde? Doste thou nowe saye: Who dydde are [Page] or requyre these thynges of youre handes? Where as the lawe which thou haste gyuen vs by Moyses doth so dilygentlye prescrybe and appoynte to vs all these thynges promysynge great benefytes to the obseruers / and thretenynge deth to the trāsgressers. Nowe doste tho [...] saye that incense is to the abomyn [...] cyon / whiche thou dyddest befor [...] saye was a swete odoure. Now [...] doth thy soule hate the feastefu [...] dayes / in whiche before thou dyd­dest reioyse to be presente. From [...] whense cōmeth this so great mu­tacyon and varyete in hym / whic [...] onely abydeth immutable? Wha [...] answeare shall god make to th [...] mutterynge and rebellyous peo­ple? I am (shal he saye) immutable / but ye do nat obserue those thyn­ges whiche I haue commaunded / nouther haue I so prescrybed thes [...] ryghtes or ceremonyes / that yo [...] [Page] shulde put parfyte truste and con­fydence of ryghtwysenes in them / but y ^t partely they shulde be signes by whiche you shulde be admonys­shed / and partely thynges furthe­rynge or promotynge vs to very vertue and holynes. Which if it be absent all other thinges be vayne / & to me be they so lytell pleasaūte / that they do prouoke me the more to wrathe. Romans vli. The lawe is spirytuall & doth requyre the workes of cha­ryte to be done w ^t puryte of mȳde / which workes except they be ioyn­tely added / let outwarde worshyp­pynge and ceremonyes be kepte howe moche so euer you please / yet is the lawe vyolate and broken & all your doynge hypocrysye. What thynge than is it (wyll they saye) that thou chefely doste requyre of vs? Be you wasshed sayth he and made cleane. The say­ynge of Isay ac­cordyng [...] to thys psalme of Dauid. This verely is the [...]hynge whiche the psalme dothe [Page] heare say: Which doth e [...]ire with out spotte [...] Take awaye your euyl thought as from my syght. Which [...] thinge is thus spoken in y ^e psalme: ‘Whiche doth speake the truthe in his hart.’ Seke to do ryght iudge­mente / delyuer the oppressed / hel [...]e the orphlyne or fatherl [...]sse to the [...] ryght / defēde the [...]ydowe. That [...] psalme doth thus recorde: ‘Whiche worketh ryghtwysenes or doth [...] is ryghte.’ The same people in th [...] lviii. chapy. of y ^e same ꝓphete dot [...] mutter agaynst god sayeng. Wh [...] fore haue we fasted & thou hast na [...] beholdē it? Fastyng dyscōmē ­ded. Why haue we chastise [...] our soules & thou hast nat knowe [...] or regarded it? But what answear [...] do they heare agayne of y ^e lorde? Is the fastynge saith he which I haue chosen of such a sorte y ^t a man for a day shuld chastyse hym selfe? Or to wrythe his heed about as a cy [...] or rynge & to caste vpon hym [...] [Page] [...]lothe and asshes? Or call you thi [...] fasting / & an acceptable day vnto y ^e lorde? What thynge therfore in ex­ [...]ryor matters or doynges can b [...] pleasaūt vnto god / if fastīg solē [...]ly done in sacke clothe & asshes dothe displease him? iii. of Kī ­ges. xxi. Or dyd nat y ^e Nyny­ [...]ites Achab & other ful many turne the yre of god vnto mercye w ^t such fastyng? Fastyng whē and whereby it is [...]mend [...]ble Fastyng therfore doth nat displease god / but thā finally doth it please him / if puryte of mȳde an­nexed w ^t the dedes of charite be ad­ [...]d therto. And therfore it folow­eth: Dissolue thou y ^e bandes of ini­quyte / lowse y ^e burdens whiche do oppresse or presse downe / let thē go [...]re which are impotent & broken w ^t labours / & breke all charges / deale thy breed vnto y ^e hongry / y ^e nedy & way farynge men brynge into thy house / whan thou shalte se a na­ [...]ed man couer hym / and dispyse [...]hou nat thyne owne flesshe / tha [...] [Page] shall thy lyght breake forth as the mornyng and thy health shall sone aryse / and ryghtwysenes shall go before thy face / & the glorye of the lorde shall couer the / than shalte thou praye and the lorde shall gra­cyously heare the / thou shalte crye and he shall saye / lo I am present / for I thy god am a mercyful lorde. Of this sentence doth the prophete intreate largelye and with many wordes: The lorde is mercyfull / & therfore is he chefely delyted or pleased with the sacrefy [...]e of mer­cyfull doynge. To this doth Christ exhorte in the gospel sayeng: Matt. v. Be ye parfyte lyke as your father is pa [...] ­fyte. How or in what wyse parfyte? How we shall be ꝑ [...]yte as our heuē ly father. In doynge good to all men with out excepcyon. And therfore is ad­ded: whiche causeth his sonne to [...]ryse vpon the good and vpon th [...] euyll / and doth sende rayne vpo [...] the iuste & vniuste men. The sa [...] [Page] ryghtwysenes in thynges exteryor and haue sought to be recounted holy & vertuous before men rather than before god. Whose supersticyon the lorde dothe often & cōmonly reprehende in y ^e [...]uangely. But we had nede dilygētly to forsee & take hede whether suche thynges do ꝑ­tayne vnto vs or no / whiche al­thoughe we offre or sacrifyce no beastes / yet haue we ceremonyes & rytes pretēdyng a wōderful shewe of holynes / to which men ꝑhappes do truste neglectyng & leauynge a parte puryte of mynde. Some do w ^t great coste anourne churches or [...]ēples / founde aulters / edifye mo­nasteryes or cloisters Churche buylders and founders of aulters & cloysters. / & yet do they nat gyue to theyr nedy neyghbour y ^t they owe to gyue / nother do they restore theyr euyl gotē goodes / nor chaūge theyr corrupt lyuyng / & yet [...]hey reioyse ī thē se [...]ues / as though god were greatly beholden to thē [Page] for theyr good doynge / yea suche wyll cause them selues to be payn­ted and theyr ymages to be grauen in the temples ascrybynge therto theyr names and tytles. But I feare leaste god wyll also saye vn­to them: Who dyd requyre these thynges of y [...]ur handes that you shulde wa [...]ke in my porches / I Isay. i.meane that ye s [...]u [...]de occupye the temple and myne aulters with your tytles nam [...]s and ymages? Some do beleue that he hath got­ten god by the fote / and that he is full godlye or holy if he do gyue money for masses to be songe or celebrate for hym in certayne pla­ces / and vpon certayne prescrybed day [...]s. An other dothe beleue in lyke wyse that he is all so well sped if he do bestowe money that the morowe masse may be solemplye songe in the honour of oure Lady with the quer [...]s [...] and the or­gans [Page] goynge / and that an an­temne be songe agayne at euen in the worshyppe of her with moost melodyous harmony of syng [...]n [...]e men / of the organs and with ieolyiynglynge or chymynge of the bel­les. If these thynges be done with myndes vnpurefyed / or with out mercye associate / is it nat to be doubted leaste they shal heare sayd agayne to them: Isay. i. And whan you shall crye vnto me I wyll nat gra­cyouslye heare you? What than shall we neglecte and dyspyse exte­ryor [...] worshyppynge or ceremo­monyes? Of e [...]t [...] ­r [...]or worsh [...]pp [...]ng god. Nay verely but we shall brynge it backe from supersticyon to ryghte holynes and deuocyon / from vnmeasurable excessyue and suꝑ [...]luous coste to a chrysten mea­surablenes. Tha [...] ought we pri [...] ­cypally and aboue all thynges / cause that kynde of sacrefyces to be occupyed / which be to god prin­cypally [Page] delycyous and pleasaunt. And whiche be those? A mynde through fayth and innocencye im­maculate / and through charyte all redy to do good to all men. Matthe. [...]xiii. These thynges sayeth the lorde shulde y [...] do / and the other oughte nat to haue be omytted. What thynges than be those whiche we oughte to do accordynge to thys sayenge of this psalme: ‘He that doth these thynges shall neuer be moued?’ These thynges be they whiche of them selues do commende vs to god / all thoughe the other with­out our blame be nat with them ioyntely added. As for example. The churche hathe assygned or commaunded fastynge / and thou doste obserue it. But yet doste thou nat refrayne from voluptu­ousnes / frome wrathe / but thou arte more ready than thou war [...]e [Page] wonte to take vengeau [...]ce. Thus is thy fastynge displeasynge god which cryeth agaynst the: Thynke ye this fastynge pleaseth me? or that this is the fastynge whiche I haue chosen? Thou haste lefte vn­done that thou oughtest do / and thou haste done the thynge whi­che thou oughtest nat omytte. Thou doste celebrate masse but / thou arte at discencyon with thy neyghboure / knowe thou tha [...] that thy sacrifyce or masse is dys­pleasaunt to god. Thou cryeste to god mercye / mercye / mercye / but thou doste shewe no mercye to thy brother. Thou prayest that god wolde delyuer y ^e frome peryll / whan thou denyeste healpe vnto thy brother beyng in peryll. Ther­fore so many of vs as do professe the name of Chryste and w [...]ll be recounted his membres that we [Page] may worthely abyde in his taber­nacle / and that we may fynde reast in his holy mountayne / Lette vs caste awaye all malyce that we may walke in his syghte without spotte beynge of one accorde in the truthe and of one mynde. For there wanteth no spotte where as is dyscorde / nouther is there ve­ryte in the harte where dyuersyte is of opynyons / nouther is in the tonge synceryte where as of doc­tryne is dyuersyte. More ouer let vs dayly off [...]e sacrefyces p [...]ea­synge to hym / whiche hathe offe­red hym selfe for vs / that we shulde verelye be a verye preest­hode. And lette vs also fyghte strongely with the deuyll that we may verely be a royall generacion. Lette vs keape oure selues pure frome all corrupcyon or pollu­cyons of the flesshe that we maye [Page] Be ye holy for I am holy the lorde your god. [...]euitici. xi. i. Peter. [...] Aaron him selfe was nat all only consecrate but all his gar­mētes & al y ^e instrumētes or vessels of the temple. Nouther was any so presumptuous to applye any suche thynges to any occupyenge in his house / Howe moche more religy­ously than and reuerently oughte we to be ware leaste we do violent­ly or vnreuerently take aw [...]ye any of those thynges (whiche be conse­ [...]rate vnto the seruyce & worshyppe o [...] [...]od) vnto a prophane / vnholye and fylthy vsage. The ves­se [...]s & garmētes of our tem­ple. The vessels or implementes of our temple be all our membres / all the powers of our mynde. The garmētes be our dedes or workes by whiche we be anourned to y ^e glory of god. we be the precyous temple of god. Thou wondreste vpon and doste esteme holy a temple edifyed with whyte marble / glysterynge with golde & precyous stones. But thou arte a [Page] tēple more precious. Thou abydest religyously & deuoutly in a temple which y ^e bysshop hath consecrate or halowed w ^t vnccyon or oyle. But y ^• arte more holy & more consecrate. Thou art nat anoy [...]ted w ^t y ^• preys­tes oyle. But what than? Nouther was christ euer anoynted w ^t Moy­ses oyle / where as yet he is kyng of kynges / & a preest for euer. The oin­tement with whiche we be halowed Thy crowne & hādes be nat anoynted w ^t oyle which is made of y ^e poticaries / but thou arte all whole & through­ly anoynted wit [...] the blode of [...]he immaculate lambe Iesu Chryste. He is gracyously and blessedly a­noynted whiche hathe hys harte anoynted with the vnccyon of the holy ghoste. And yet natwithstan­dynge thou doste nat lacke extery­or vnccyon. Thou arte anoynted in baptisme / thou arte anoynted in cōfirmacion. In the fyrst thou arte anoynted to be a preest & īto preest­hode. [Page] And in y ^e secōde thou arte a­noynted to warre & to be a warry­our. In olde tyme men were baptysed w ^t onely water. In olde tyme mē were baptysed with water onely. Psalme. C.iiii. The authoryte of y ^e fathers dyd adde therto oyle which they call chrisme. Our lorde doth crye by y ^e ꝓphete: Touche nat ye my christes y ^t is to saye myne a­noynted. And Iohn̄ doth say: i. Iohn̄. ii The vnccyon of hȳ shal teache you of al thinges / where he speketh nat only of preestes / but of people which be [...]secrate to christ. Let therfore eue­ry one of vs se & take hede y ^t we be­ynge pure may off [...]e pure sacrefy­ces / & beyng chaste may offre chaste sacrifices euery mā in his ow [...]e tē ­ple. What facrifyces (wyl you say) doste y ^u meane? Our sa­crifyces [...] a [...]te [...] sacrify­s [...]d. He y ^• in hȳ selfe hath quēched y ^e feruent heate or carnall luste of lechery / hath both sacrifised to god a precious gote / & also stry­stryken Satan oure enemy with a deedly wounde. He that hathe [Page] dryuen out of his mynde the mocyons of enuye hath offered to god a pleasaunte oblacyon. He that hath oppressed feruent and boylyng yre or wrath hath immolate a lyon. He that hath caste awaye foly & igno­rance hath sacrifysed a shepe. He whiche in trouble and adfliccyons doth submytte hym selfe all whole to the wyll of god hathe offered a sacrefyce passynge acceptable. He that dothe refrayne petulancye or wantones doth offre a calfe. [...] reiecteth fraude or deceyte taky [...]g to hym simplicyte & playnes dothe sacrefyce a foxe. He whiche dothe correcte or reforme excesse in mea­tes or drynke with sobernes and tēperance hath offered vp a swyne. He that forgetteth fosysshe pratte­lynge or clatterynge hath sacrify­sed a pye. So that in this maner of sacrifyces be all maner of beastes sacrifysed & offered / whether they [Page] haue the fygure or fassyon of any vyce / or els do resemble or repre­sent any vertue. As he which doth lyue chaste with his laufull wyfe doth offre vp a couple of tyrtle do­ues to the lord. The ma­ryed ma [...] is tha [...]e which occupyeth his onely lau [...]ull wyfe. He that doth syghe for desyre of lyfe heuenly and doth in all thynges loue simplicyte or playnes / y ^e same hath of [...]er [...]d vp a payre of pegyons. we ought to offre vp bo [...]he vices subdued and vertues obtained [...]o god / & why. mattheu. v. For we ought to offre vp bothe vyces subdued and also ve [...]tues gotten to the lorde / [...]thout whose ayde we can do no­ [...] the one ne the other. He which so doth leade his lyfe that men se­ynge his good workes may glory­fye the father whiche is in heauen / the same doth offre vp moste swete incense. Accordyng to the worde of Paule which is thus: ii. Cor. ii. we be a good [...]auer to god in all places. Pure prayers also and geuynge of than­kes do make to god a ꝑfume more pleasante / than any incense myr [...]he [Page] and galbanus. [...]salme. ix. There is a sacrifyce of prayse geuynge with which god doth loue to be honoured. There is a sacrifyce of mercye by which we do prouoke the mercy of the lorde. He that for chrystes sake dothe so­cour [...] [...] helpe the nedy / or dothe forgyue the trespasser hath offered no vyle but a pr [...]cyous oblacyon to the lorde. [...]phe. [...]. [...]ol [...]os [...]. [...]. And if accordynge to the admonicyon of the Apostle we do contynually syng with hymnes and songes spirytuall in our ha [...]es vnto y ^e lorde / this melody [...] [...]xcelle all other instrumentes of musycke. Let vs therfore cōtynu­ally and alwayes sacrifice vnto the [...]orde with suche sacrifyces / with [...]uche perfumes / with suche obla­ [...]yons / with suche songes / fyght­ [...]nge also by his ayde and suppor­ [...]yon agaynst Satan / that we may [...]e transposed and remoued frome this tabernacle into the tabernacle