¶ The fyrste chapitre contayneth the dyffynycyon of fayth, and of good warkes suffycyent for any man to lene to. The fyrste Chapytie.

FAyth accordynge to the mynde of seynt Pau­le / is the substaunce of a thynge (whiche dothe not appere / and the founda­cyon of thynges that can not be seen) I spe ke not of suche faythe as lawers and mar­chauntes & suche other worldly people vse: one with an other. But of the faith that we haue in cryste Ihesu / and bycause that we may knowe hym the more parfytely by his propertye / as ye may perceyue and vnder­stande / howe man and wyfe be coupled to gyther by loue / in lyke maner dothe fayth couple and knyt spyrytually mānes soule / stedfastly to byleue that god is omnipotent aboue all. For what a greatter pleasure or [...]oue can any creature do vnto go [...]: [...] stedfastlye to byleue that all trewth onely [Page] restyth in hym / & in his moste blessyd wor­de and promyse whiche neuer fayled nor ne uer shall / as wytnessyth the Euangelyste fayeng. Lelum & terram transibunt: verba mea autē manebit. (Heuen and erthe shall fayle but my worde and promyse shall ne­uer fayle. And contrary wyse there can be no more greatter dyshonour or blasphemy to god / then to put dystrust in hym / or thyn [...]ynge in hym any vnstablenesse or [...] rynge from any thynge that he hath promy sed vs / ye wyll say agayne that man and woman dothe seeche other and hath cōmu­nycacyon to gyther / whiche causeth loue & encreasyth the fayth of matrymony togy­ther in them / Forsothe in lyke maner hathe the louynge and faythfull soule or spyryte of mankynde spyrytually in god / the whi­che fayth muste be in vs a stedfast byleue / and asure truste in the gloryous goodnesse of god the blessyd Trynyte / whiche is th [...] Father / the sone / & the holy ghost / thre pe [...] sones and one god / whiche is creature of [...] ­uen and erthe / and of all thynges that [...] therin / for the welth and cōmodyte o [...] [...] / and so shall contynewe by hi [...] [...] [Page] myse vnto the world [...] ende. ¶ Also ye shal vnderstande at the begynnynge god made Aungell in heuen / amonge the which was Lucyfermoste gloryous: whiche conceyued in his mynde to be equall with god & nexte god. And at the very same momēt or tho­ughte / he & many other aungellys whiche offendyd with hym (fell) from that glory­ous eternall place / in to the depest place of hell / where they shall euer cōtynew in pay ne & darkenesse intollerable without ende. ¶ Also ye shall vnderstande that in conty nent after all thynges created necessary for mankynde / god created Adam and Eue / moste lyke vnto his ymage and symylytu de / And dyd set them in a place of celestyal pleasure / and gyuynge them lybertye ouer all thynges that was therin / Except of the fruyte and tre of lyfe which had the vertue of knowlege of good and euyll.

¶ Chargynge them in no wyse to taste nor cate therof. And yf they dyd they shuld dye▪ but they taryed not there but a lytell whyle not passynge thre houre [...] after the mynd [...] of some Doctours / for Lucyfer whiche [...] hauynge yet / great indygnacyon & power [Page] ouer mankynde / conceyued in his mynde / agaynst Adam and his successyon a secrete malyce / [...]tendynge to b [...]nge [...]hem out of the fauoure of god / tho [...]ugh [...]kyng o [...] [...]is cōmaundem [...]nt (And so he dyd in dede) [...]or fyrste he caused (Eue to taste and [...]ate o [...] the tree of lyfe / whiche was forbo [...] [...] / and she caused Adam to eate of the same) fo [...] the whiche cause god sent Cherubyn his aun­gell to theym with the swerde of sorowe / & trybulacyon / and banysshed them & th [...]yr successyon out of y ^• solacyous place o [...] plea sur [...] / in to this myserable [...] [...]to labour and get theyr lyuynge in [...] of his bo dy / & in lyke wyse all his successyon. And Eue also in great p [...]ynes and t [...]auayl and dystresse / to brynge for [...] [...] of man for her o [...]ence. The whiche penau [...]ce shal not fayle mankynde / whyle this wo [...]ld en dureth. And when they were exyled out of Paradyse / they were vy [...]ns knowynge no carnall affeccions. And. xxx. yere after they had ysshewe of a sone named Cayn. And. xxx. yere after they had▪ ysshew of a nother sone named Abell / whom Cayn slewe for his Iust sacrefyse to god / wherfo [Page] te god toke vengeaunce of hym and all his p [...]ogenye. And the hondred and. xxx. yere [...] Adam a [...]ge / he had ysshewe o [...] another sone named Seth / of whose lynage many yeres after succeded Abraham / in whom was wrought the orygynall & pryncypall [...] of fayth afore al o [...]her creatures / of the whiche [...] Cryste as scriptur maketh mencyon. Also this Abraham by fayth stedfastly gaue cred [...]ns to the worde of god when he cōmmaunded hym to go out of his owne coū [...] / whiche was. in. dayes Iorney [...] to the [...] of Canaan / and he g [...]ue sure fayt [...] and truste in the promyses of god / the which were fulfylled to hym in d [...]de. Also by fayth Sara his wyfe beyng paste a [...]ge by course and by nature / she had ysshewe of a sone named Isaac. Also by faythe Abraham at the cōmaundement of god / wolde haue offred to god his oonlye sone ysaac in sacryfyce / wherin his faythe was reputed to hym for ryght wysnesse / & was Iustyfyed by that faythe / as Paule wytnesseth of hym & of many more in the. (xi. chapytre to the Hebreos) where he ma­keth mencyon of fayth more at large / suffy [Page] cye [...]t for any Lrysten man / And also in moste parte of all his epystles for them that do grounde them in the trewe fayth of cryst out of the whiche procedeth / all vertue and grace / as paule ascrybeth in the sayd chapy tre. (That without faith it is in possyble to please god / ) for no pson may come to god / but he muste haue stedfaste truste / and sure fayth in hym onely. And after Abraham. 5099. yeres and more / the moste parte of the people of the worlde lyued in wretchednes and synne / and in the dysplasour of god / and neuer were able of our selues to haue rysen agayne. But it pleased the father of heuen / of his infynyt goodnes & mere mer­cy and pyte to sende out of heuen in to this wretched worlde his onely sone the seconde persone in trynyte / our sauyour Thesu cryst & suffred hym to be borne of the moste pure and clene vy [...]gyn Mary. And toke vpon hym to be a mortall man: for pure loue that he hadde vnto mankynde. And lyued heré vpon erthe. xxxiii. yere & more / both god & man / in mo [...]he trouble and vexacyon and payne / and alway without spot of synne / and fulfylled the lawe in all thyng [...] for vs [Page] and made satysfaccyon for vs and our of­fences. And in cōclucyon suffred his moste precyous and tender body to be taken in the nyght / of the scrybes and pharysees / which in contynent with great tygoure / put his moste precyous body to great paynes & tor­mentes (so pyteously) that from the crowne of his hedde vnto the sole of his feet / there was no place hole / but [...]ent & brused. And wyllyngly he offred his moste precyous bo dy on the crosse / vnto the deth for vs / wht­che at that tyme was the moste shamphul­lest deth that myght be deuysed.

¶ O / what kyndnes was shewed in hym and is dayly / & so lytell in vs / for the whi­che cause we be all [...]ly bounde to loue hym / and serue hym / with all our hertes / with all our myndes / and powre / & to put all our hole truste and confydence pryncy­passy in hym onely / and not to truste in our owne merytes and werkys onely / suppo­synge therby to obtayne the glory of heuen. The whiche truste or fayth had the Pelagy en [...] / agaynst whom largely seynt Austyn dothe wryte / whiche were Heretykes / and helde that opynyon. God forbyd that any [Page] crysten man shulde haue that mynde / or truste the [...]n. ¶ Nowe albeit that no man ha­uynge here tyme nor space in this worlde / may be saued without good werky [...]: yet be not our good werkys the chefe cause of our saluacyon. Yet neuerthelesse must we nedes do good werkys / yf we loue god / the whi­che loue compelleth a man to do good wer­kye / onely for the [...] all graces & gyft [...] / whiche we receyue of hym & from hym daylye / by the whiche oure sp [...]te or soule [...]eth / and st [...]eth vs (to do good werkys) [...] our cōs [...]yence as in example: what man a [...]rue / that is [...] and receyueth of his lorde or [...] great [...]ee and rewarde that wyll not busy / or indeuer hym selfe / to werke or do though it be to his payne / any thynge lawfull to his owne profyte / & his soueraygnes pleasure / in lyke ma [...]er oure good werk [...] done) for the loue & the honour of god / in fulfyllynge his comau [...] / bryngeth vs vnto eternall lyfe / for cryste sayth yf thou wyl [...] entre in to lyfe / obserue and do my cōmaūdemēt [...]. Mat. 19. Iaco. 2. And seynt Iames in a pystle sayt [...]e / that fayth without good werkys / is but deed & [Page] voyde in the syght of god.) Yet I may not presumptuously thynke therby my self▪ precellynge other / and therby supposyng to o [...] tayne an excellenter place or Ioyeth heuen (so trustyng) we be deceyued (as Theoph [...] ­lact. wryteth vpon the▪ xviii. chapytre of Luc.) sayenge there is noo man can do any good werkys / [...] i [...] pro [...]eth fy [...]ste from the grace of god [...]: so then yf th [...] [...] come onely from hym / why shall we t [...]en glory in our werkys / then saythe [...] the se [...]onde pystle / the. x. chapytre to the [...]o [...]. O [...] [...] in d [...]o glorie­tur. He that wyl glory or magnyfy let h [...] glory in god / and magnyfye hym onely) as we haue aparable in the gospell of Luc. [...] chapytre of the Pharase and the publycan / which ca [...] in to the churche to pray: the holy & cerymonyall pharase / trustynge in his ho ly garmētes & his outwarde apparant per [...]yory / sayd / I thanke the good lorde that I am not lyke yonder wretched publycan / whiche getteth his lyuynge synfully / And so forth magny [...]yenge hym selfe / & the pore publycan [...]elynge / and sore repentaūt for his lyuynge / cryed god mercy humbly and [Page] repentaūtly / whom cryste accepted sayen [...] that he reto [...]ed home to his howse agayne moche more Iustyfyed: then the proude cery monyous pharase / sayenge there. (He that wylbe hyest: precellynge other: shalbe made [...]o west) thus we may pceyue that our good werkys be not so merytoryous of our self [...] to obtayne therby glory / & an hygher place in heuen for that Iudgement is reserued to the secretes of god onely (as seynt Luc. 17. sayth that when we haue done all the good dedys that we can / yet shall we fynde that we be vnprofytable seruauntes) in the Iu gement of god / for no man syns the offen­ces of Adam vnto this day / nor that shall come vnto the ende of the worlde / was ne uer able to meryte heuen / of his owne good werkys / as apereth in scrypture they went all in to lymbo. A place of no solace / but of darknesse / no not the [...]ayth nor perfeccyon of [...] Iohn̄ baptyst / coude not meryt the glory of heuen in crystes tyme / before cryste had fulfylled the Prophesyes & the redem­p [...]yon of mankynde. ¶ O what blyndnes & fo [...]sshnesse then were in vs that wolde truste in our good dedys and werks (onely [Page] for to haue the glory of heuen by them / ) for then cryst nedyd not to haue suffred for our [...]dempcion in his humanyte wherfore tho to we fayth let vs do the beste that we can / and it shall be lytell ynough for seynt Io­han sayth in his pystle canonycall. 1. Io. 1. yf we say or suppose that there [...] no synne in vs / we seduce and daunger our selfs in so doyng / also Dauit the prophete in [...]. 13. there is none that is good: no not one.) wher fore I counceyll all faythfull crysten peo­ple / to haue stronge faythe in god / that his onely sone Thesu cryste / the seconde person in trynyte / hath onely all hole and perfytly redemyd vs / with his moste precyous blo­de in his humanyte / where one droppe had ben suffycyent yf he had pleased / yet not­withstandynge let vs do all the good wer­kys that we can / & suffre trybulacyons / or psecucyōs / & lyue as charytably as we can to fulfyl the lawes / & folowe the worde of god / as nere as we may / in auoydig vayn glory. De o [...] verbo ocioso redditu [...] [...] in die iudi [...]ii. (For euery ydle worde / or thought spoken in vayne / we shal g [...]e a strayt accompt at the dredfull day / or [...] [Page] ment generall / In lyke wyse no good dede or th [...]t wyllyng / and ye myght or good ex ortacyon▪ or comfortable wordes / to theym that [...] h [...]ynes and paynes / or dystresse for goddes sake / but shall be rewarded an­hondred folde. Centuplum accip [...]es et v [...] ­tam eter [...]am possidebts. [...]herfore set vs f [...] synne / and folowe vertue / accordynge to the gospell with all our mynde anddily gence / indeuerynge our selfe to fulfyll the wyll and pleasure of god at all tymes: and specyally the werkys of mercy / as nere as god shal gyue vs grace for of our selue ha ue we no good as Paule sayth. Quid ha­bes (que) nō accepisti. Co. 4▪ (What haue we y ^t we haue not receyued / then yf we haue re­ceyued / why do we glory in our selfe as tho ughe we haue not receyued.) Also we that do any good werkys / for fere of dampnacy on or for the truste of the saluacyon onely is not acceptable to god: For that we do must be done with pure fayth / and stedfast loue in god desyryng in our hertes / alway that we myght neuer dysplease hym agayne / & when we haue done the beste that we can. Luc. 17. to reken that we ha [...]e done but our [Page] duety:) and vnworthy to inheryte the kyng dome of heuen / by our merytes onely / but thorughe the infynyt goodnesse and mercy of god / and by the merytes of Crystes pas­syon & deth on the crosse / and shedynge his moste precious and innocent blode / so pl [...]n tuously / for our offences and vnkyndnes And thus he moste pure innocent without faute hath so kyndly done for vs / wherfor all creatures lyuynge gyue alway honour and glory to god eternall / whiche hath ma de vs inherytour [...] / for euer in his glory eter nall / to the whiche he brynge vs all at his wyll and pleasure.

Amen.

¶ howe all crysten men shulde oftere­membre what a bonde we haue pro fessed at the font of baptysme. The. ii. Chapytre.

[Page] COnsyderyng often in my mynde the great frayste of crysten people / so lytell re­gardynge the great excel­lency / that god of his mer­cy and goodnesse hath cal­led vs vnto / but dayly renue lyke wylde coltes vnbrydled folowyng all our owne sensuall pleasures / and nothynge callyng to remembraunce when we are come to the full yeres of dyscrecyon and knowlege / the moste hyest and excellent Relygyon that we haue professyd / at the font of baptysme nor yet remēbrynge / what our god fathers and god mothers there promysed for vs / when we were full impotent & pore / wher fore me thynketh great infydelyte and my­sery in suche persones whiche calleth not to remēbraunce what he was: & in what case he standeth in / & wherto he is lyke to come. Fyrste we were borne in orygynall synne and naked in to this worlde / moste pore of ourselfes of all creatures that beryth lyfe.) And then agayne newe borne or regenerat by the mercyfull goodnesse of god / and or­dynaunces of the blessyd sacrament of bap [Page] tysme / whiche sygnyfyeth that we are ther­in wasshed clene from all daungers of the deuyll / our moste enemy / by the moste [...]en­der passyon of cryste Thesu / wherfore it is very expedyent / for vs ofte to call to our remembraunce / what promyses that we ha ue made at the font stone. Fyrste we promy se to forsake the deuyll and all his werkys dampnable / then we entre in to fayth / whi che is the root of all vertue & o [...] good wer­kys / promysynge with stedfast fayth to by leue in god our father eternall / the sone our [...]edemet / and the holy ghost our dayly com forte / thre persones and one god as it is mo re playnly made mencyon of in o [...] Cred [...]. Also we there professe to obserue and kepe the lawes of god: whiche is cōtayned in his Testament as the holy gospellys / and pre chynge of cryste whiche ye may rede and he reprechyd of / the trewe faythfull prechers of crystes churche. And not onely to here it / but also to root it in our myndes and hert [...] / and with all oure dylygence to folowe the same as nere as we shal haue grace. As cry ste wytnessyth by (seynt Luc. the. xi. chapy­tre / blessyd be they that here the worde of [Page] god and kepe it faythfully in mynde & fo­lowe the same.) Wherfore I counceyll all crysten people oft to haue in mynde: as wel in posperyte as in trybulacion: what an ex cellent Relygyon we haue professyd / and howe we be elect and chosen people by the hyghe fauoure of god / the whiche professy­on that we haue professyd is very easy for euery crysten man to kepe (yf he wyll) for cryst [...] fayth. Tribue mihi cortu [...]. Lyue me thy wyllynge or louynge herte & myn­de / he desyreth no more of no man. And in so doynge / he gyueth vs agayne power to su [...]de we and ouercom all oure aduesaryes [...]n trybulacion: the whiche dayly doth assay [...]e vs / as well in trybulacions as in prospe [...]yte▪ for seynt Paule sayth that cryste wyl not suffre no man to be charged with temp tacyon further then he may bere) ye in oure moste nede dothe he releue those that truste faythfully in hym. Cryste sayth also in the euangelyst. Mat. 11. (my yok is swet & plea s [...]unt / and my burden is lyght & easy) and so it is in dede) to all trewe louyng & fayth full people / and as greuous and paynfull to them that be the chyldren of dampnacion [Page] (As ye wolds [...]y) [...] and malyc [...] ous / people sclaunders / bacby [...]ers / sweters blasph [...]mers / [...]nyere of god / and fo [...]yca­tours / stryfe makers / lyers / theues▪ murde­rers / symonyers / and reprochers of the wor de of god / cloked herytyk [...] which are sty [...]e neckyd / and obstynat / and vsu [...]ers / with many other dyabolicall sortes / whiche ser­che & can fynde nothyng but the hye [...] eternall dampnacyon / both of body & [...] le. O mercyfull lorde god that euer [...] sten man shuld be infected with an [...] [...] lyke dampnable condycyons / which [...] [...] of his mercy hath called by baptysme & [...] de inherytoures with hym in his celestyall Ierarchyes and glory that wyll thus lyke madde men ragynge lyke brute bestes / [...]on hedlynge in to hell / where euer is wo / soro­we / payne / ītollerable without ende. (And here in [...]ayth seit Barnarde I do meruayl: ye and meruayll agayne that any man da­ [...]e aduenture to lyue in suche estate of lyfe / wherin he dredeth to dye in.) And deth al­way so redy and sodayne at hande / whose sodayne stroke all kyndes of lyfe dredeth. Nowe what remedy agaynst al suche daū [Page] gers / surely none but [...]yrste call for grace / & knowlege our wylfull and synfull werk [...] and call to remembraunce our fyrste fayth­full promyse / and accordyng to the same to forsake the deuyll and his werkys / whiche is fylthy synne. And with stedfast fayth / and with moste trusty and sure hope / cle [...] fast to Ihesu cryste our redemer / (and dys­pay [...] not in no wyse) [...]or in so doyng a [...] do agaynst god no more dyspyte / thyn [...] that he wyll not or may not) forgy [...] whiche passeth all blas [...]my / or dysho­nour that can be agaynst god / for yf it we­re possyble / that one persone myght do all the synnes that is done in the worlde / it is no thynge in comparyson to the mercy of god / knowlegynge hym selfe to god repen tant / with full mynde & purpose to forsake synne / as nere as he may no more to offen­de his goodnesse / but gladly to fulfyll the pure and clene professyon of a crysten ma [...] he wyll neuer fayle to socour vs in our mo st [...] nede / as he saythe in the. ix. chapytre of Mathew. Non ve [...] vocar [...] iustos sed p [...] [...]. (I come not to call the iuste or per­fyte [...]yuers but synners repentant / he sayth [Page] there also / that the hole people nedeth not the Physycyon / but they that ben dyseased or sycke / Also he sayth there is more Ioy in heuen of one sy [...]er repentaūt / then of foure score &. xix. Iust and good people.) Mat. 11 Also cryste sayth come ye al vnto me and I shall refresshe you / what comfort wold any [...] man haue or desyre more then of hym / which is comforter of all that euer was▪ or shal be. And hath ordayned for vs that wyll folowe his wyll / after this trou blous lyfe and myserable worlde / a place wh [...]re we shall haue suche Ioy / and solace (as seynt Paule sayth to the Corynthyans [...] seconde chapytre sayenge / that the iyes hath not s [...]ne / nor the erys hathe not herde / nor in mans h [...]rte or mynde can not be com prehendyd nor estemyd the Ioyes that god hathe ordayned and prepayred for them the whiche be his faythfull & louynge crysten people) to the whiche Ioyes he brynge vs all at his pleasure and wyll.

Amen.

¶ The .x. cōmaundements deliuerd vnto Moyses / by our father in heuen & brefly howe all people shuld vnderstande & kepe them. The. iii. Chapytre.

THou shalte worshyp no god / afore me) that is to we [...]e thou shalte worshyp god in fayth / god in loue / and god in fere. Solideo honor & glia. ¶ Be ware that thou vsu [...]pe not the name of god in vayne) that is to were / [...]o wyse to ta­ke from god any prayse or honour / specyal ly in worshyppynge of any Ymage / but let thy honour & reuerence be done in thy herte to god / and in god onely bothe in welthe & in aduersyte. Also yf thou be in aduersyte peryll / or daunger / call stedfastly in his na me Ihesu. Confūdā [...]ur oēs q ⁱ adorā sculp [...] & q ⁱ gloriant̄ in simulacris suis. p̄ ^o. 96. ¶ The sabot or holy d [...]ye thou shalt kepe) that is to wet / in god & good werkys / & to suffre god to worke in the (Sabatū sancti­fices) ¶ [...]yue honour & reuerence vnto fa ther and mother / that is to wete / to your so ueraygne and mayster / or to any sūperyor / [Page] and therin to obtempre your selfe / in gyuyn ge honoure to them / with dewe reuerence / as in tyme and to the person shall requyre / And when they do lacke / as mete / drynke / or any other necessaryes: cherefully to helpe them with suche as ye haue. [...]atus q ⁱ it. l­ligit suꝑ egenū & paꝑē. p̄. 40 ¶ Thou shalt not [...] nor kyl wylfully that is to vnder stāde thou m [...]st not be double tongued to frende nor to foo / nor yet to [...]orysshe or [...] mayntayne any suche lyke thyńgs in thyne herte. Also to haue [...]o dysdayn agaynst thy neyghbour encrease or [...]fyte / or of his pro sp [...]yte / nor to s [...]lander theyr good name or fame by worde nor by dede / [...]or wyllynge no dyspleasur or harme agaynst them. Fac alu (que) [...] vis. ¶ [...]se thou none ad vus­try, that is to wyt to withdrawe thy wan­ton lokes or countenaunces vpon any crea­ture / nor moue thy lyppes to speke any fyl­thy or synful wordes. Also do not prouoke any woman or mayde to filthynesse or a­ny occasyon of synne / by no maner of beha uoure or countenaūce of worde or dede / nor be not full of synfull thoughts. Abst [...] [...] a carnalib [...] deside. us. P. 2. ¶ Do thou [Page] no thefte as who faythe) take no thynge o [...] no mānes that is not thyne / wrōgfully / or vnlawfully / but with thy substaunce to helpe them wyllingly. And with good coū ceyll / them instruct / and in shorte cōclusion to helpe theym with all thynges that thou hast power of / and also to sende them in ne de all though thou suppose neuer to it haue agayne. Facite vobis amicos de māmone [...]. Luc. 16. ¶ Thou shall not speke or bere any false wytnesse. That is to say be not ful of lyes / in thy spekyng nor iswe [...]ig but let thy othe be ye / ye nay / nay at all ty­mes / as the euangelyst wryteth. Mat. 5. Al so to vse youre selfe at all tymes to be sted­fast in worde and dede / and wauer not for no cause in no wyse. Non mentiemini et non decrpiet vnusquis (que) proximum suum. ¶ Thou shalt coueyt no mānes howse / ne good / catall / wyfe / nor seruaunt / lest thou fall in some ruyne / or dyspleasure of god▪ Also that thou haue none inordynat affec­cyon in worldly thynges / whiche be decey­uable. Wherfore haue mynde of that here / that shall profyte you after this lyfe. Non [...]cupisces Rem alienū. ¶ In obseruīg these [Page] cōmaundementes we may obtayne the glo ry eternall. In gyuynge alwaye de we ho­nour to god / in so moche that cryste hath cō fermyd all these cōmaundementes / [...] [...]o whiche is to loue god aboue all thynge / w ^t all thy herte and mynde / and with all that thou hast power of. And secondar [...]ly to lo­ue thy neyghbour / as thy selfe.

¶ The Pater noster by Iohn̄ colet Dean of Paules in englysshe. The. iiii. Chapytre.

O Father that art in heuen / ha­lowed be thy name / amonge men in erth / as it is with the in heuen amonge thyne aun­gels. O father thy kyngdom come and rayne amonge men in erthe / as thou raynest amonge thy aungels in heuen O father gyue to vs thy chyldren our day ly sustynaunce. And helpe vs as we gyue & helpe them that haue nede of vs.) O fa­ther forgyue vs our synnes done [...]o the / as [Page] [...] [Page] [...] [Page] that be here in erthe. We beseche thy bounte­full goodnesse, to conferme & strengthe vs in perfayte loue towarde th [...]: the whiche lo ue thou haste towarde vs / that byleue [...] the: So that we may santefye thy glorious name (In so moche) what soeuer we save / thynke / or do / may be admytted to thy glo­ry. ¶ Also delyuer vs good lorde from the daūger and power of the deuyll: who is the prouocar and maynteyner of al synne, and fylthynesse. And enspyre & moue vs good lorde / by the holy ghost / to all vertue and grace. And let thy gloryous wyl be al way fulfylled in our hertes / and suffre not our carnall wyll [...] su [...] [...] in vs: to o [...] [...] / whiche is [...]t vaynglo­ry / and of no thynge in compa [...] [...] wyll) In so moche that yf it be thy [...] take from vs prosperyte / and to gyue [...] nede and pouertye / so then therin with [...] wyll to be content. Also good lorde [...] vs to fulfyll thy gloryous wyl here i [...] [...] euen as thy gloryous sayntes do in [...] Also good lorde gyue to vs our dayly [...] de and ref [...] / whiche is the brede of thy moste holy doctryne / And the comfortable [Page] brede also of thy blessyd sacramētall body and passyon of cryste Thesu. For we poore synners lyuynge here in erth / in the vale of myserye / can not lyue without thy most cō fortable brede / whiche dayly refresseth vs / in all our temptacyons and trybulacyons / Also good lord we desyre it dayly / to auoy de vs of the styrynges and instygacions of the flesshe / the worlde / and the deuyll. Re­fresshe vs good Lorde therfore / with thy moste purest brede of ghostly comforte / that we may enforce our fayth / and trust in the. O gloryous father seynge thou doste kno­we / howe heuye we be ouercharged with synne. For gyue vs our trespaces & synnes as we for gyue them that trespas agaynst vs. And do not suffre vs to be brought in to [...]cyon. Further then we ma [...]er [...] / and dyscharge or auoyde the daunger [...] But good lorde delyuer vs from al [...] [...]nd from all thynges whiche myght [...] [...]acion to do any thyng / y ^t shuld [...] [...]ll or hurtfull to our soules.

[...] exposycyon or phrases [...] vnder­ [...]ādyng of the Credo. The. v. Chapyt.

[Page] I byleue in god the Father omnypotent / creatour of heuen & erth / and of all thyn­ges therin cōtayned I by­leue in Thesu cryste his onely sone. Ro. 5. for wh [...]re we were borne the chyldren of wrath throughe the synne of our fyrste father Adam: & now are chosen the chyldren of adopcyon by god our heuenly father / by fayth / whiche onely for our sakes without mānes helpe (was) conceyued by the holy ghost / his onely sone in the wombe of the moste pure and imma­culate vyrgyn mary / and the sone of the sa me vyrgyn / became god & man / by whom all we be regenerat by baptysme / And are clensed and wasshed by his precyous blode whiche he mekely suffred to be shed [...] ponce Pylat for our synnes / and offe [...] [...] and was crucyfyed in fulfyllynge [...] phesyes and scryptures. v. [...]. yeres [...] re prophesyed by the holy Pytr [...] [...] phet [...]. Ad. col. 2. Also he was [...] crosse and dyed theron / by wh [...] [...] were brought from dethe perpe [...] [...] [...]ternall / through his newe [...]estament [...] [Page] Ioyfull tyd [...]nges / to all them that byleue in hym. Ad thimo. 1. Ro. 5. Also he was bu­ [...]yed sygnyfyenge to all crysten men / to be buryed with hym by baptysme / when we be plonged vnder the water s [...]gnyfyeth in ve / to forsake the synne of our olde Adam and to walke in a newe lyfe. Also to byle­ue y ^t he dyscended to hell / to the ententto de sttoy th [...] tyrannye & power of Sathan out enemy / the whiche many yeres had all this worlde in d [...]unger and bondage throughe the offence of our firste progenytor Adam. And there he losed the bondes of many ho­ly Patryarkes and Prophetes: whiche ma ny yeres lay there abydynge the cōmyng of cryste or glad tydynges / whiche was theyr Redempcion: & ours also. Roma. 4. ¶ And the thyrde day / he rose lyke a myghty cōque [...] of deth. [...]o. 5. By his own power both [...] & the deuyll for our Iustyfycacyon / [...] of them whiche trewely byleue in hym [...] not perysshe / but that we shuld haue [...]all [...]oy and lyfe in hym / wherby we [...] the stronger ouercome our mortall [...] the deuyll. 1. [...]. 2. ¶ Also he ascen d [...]d vp in to heuen / where as he is by his [Page] vyrgynall manhode oure medyator and intercessor / for our synnes and offences / by twene good & vs. Ephe. 4. ¶ And he asce [...] ded vp to his father iglory / to obtayne for mankynde / eternall glory / and fruysion of the moste gloryous deyty of god / where as he now sytteth on the ryght hande of his fa ther omnipotent. And omnipotent sone al one in equall power to the father: to whom all creatures gyue honour & glory. Also the whiche shall come when his tyme and plea sure shalbe / as a [...]udgt vpon them that ly [...]e / whose sodayne cōmynge shall reprehen he / as well them that lyue as them that be deed / the whiche at that present tyme shall retorne vnto lyfe. Also I do byleue in the holye ghost / as very god procedynge from the father / and the sone / whiche santefyeth all thynges / and without whom no thy [...] ge is santefyed. And I byleue the ho [...] [...] che whiche is the cōmunyon and congre [...] cyon / of all faythfull people in cryste. [...] is the heed & orygynall of all sayntes. [...] I byleue the holy churche / whiche is [...] ned by the holy ghost / whiche churche [...] receyued the [...]ayes and auctoryte of cryste / [Page] of byndynge and lowsyng of synnes / and I byleue that in this churche is remyssyon of synnes / by the redempcyon of crystes blo de. Io. 6. Whiche redempcyon by crys [...] gy uen to vs as a redemout / a Iustyfyer / and santefyer. Also I byleue that all bodyes / with the soules shall ryse agayne. Ro. 3. Whose bodyes are cōsumed by any manet awayes whose soules and bodyes / shel be confermed togyther at the generall Iudge mente. 1. [...]or. 15. And after this lyfe by the chartour of our redēpcyon whiche cryst ga ue to vs frely that we shall [...] the glo ry eternall / where he rayneth in glory thre persones and one god / to whom be gyuen prayse / honour / and glory worlde without ende.

Amen.

¶ Howe that scrypture is very vtyle and profytable to rede / with ryghtouse vsynge the same. The. vi. Chapytre.

I [...]olde euery yonge man in voyde ty mes wolde exercyse theyr pastyme in redynge of holy scryptures / for I fy [...] de no thynge more better to stablysshe oute [Page] conscyence. Also therin shall You fynde pre cyous preseruacyōs agaynst all vyces / fo: them that dylygently wyll apply it in ver tue: As when ye be tangled or snared wi [...]h voluptuous pleasures / rede the fyrst pystle to the Coryntheās. vi. chapytre / to auyode delectacyons of thy flesshely bodye for noo synne deedly / that a man doth defyleth his owne bodye / but onely fornycacyon (and Paule sayth to the Thessolanyons this is the wyll of god whiche is your sanctifica­cyon / that you refrayne from all concupys­sence or lecherous affeccyons) these places / and dyuerse other in scrypture / doth prouo­ke a man to refrayne all carnall affecciōs: and doth coole and swage the cruell hete of man / wh [...]ch naturally can not be auoyded but onely by arace. Also scrypture doth not onely monysshe vs: but also noryssheth v [...] through the vertue of the holy ghost / to ob [...] serue all thyng [...] that we rede or here therin. Also yf thy nature be so stronge that tho [...] can not auoyde the daūger therof: then ma [...] ste thou mary a wyfe. 1. Co. 7. Paule say [...] better it is to mary then to bren or to deffyl [...] thy body whiche is the temple of god / Pau [Page] le exorteth the Ephesians. 1. Ephe. 4. to vse no [...]ylthy or vnhonest wordes to come out of your mouthes / but suche as be fruyt [...] in edefyenge eche other.) Also be ware of a lecherous [...]ye / whiche is the preuyest enemy that the body hath agaynst the soule / for the [...]uāgelyst sayth. Mat. 5. (who so cu [...] [...] deth a woman or mayde in w [...]ll or des [...]re of concupyssence carnally / strayght with that wyll or desyre synneth de [...]dly in the [...] ­ghte of god.) Also that no hore monger or cōmon haunter of bordellys / or fornycator can not inheryte the kyngdom of god / for that is a clene place full of vertue and clen nesse / Paule saythe to the Corynthyans▪ 1▪ Co. xi. yf ye be de [...]lyned to dronkennesse de lytynge as a gloton in bely Ioy remembre Luc. th▪ xxi. chapytre savenge (suffre not your bodyes to be ouer laden with drynke / or metes for there is no gloton or dronkarde can not enheryte the kyngdom of heuen.) Wherfore let all youthe exercyse theyr tyme in scryptures of vertuous lernynge / & there shall you fynde all remedye / and comforte agaynst all instvgacions and oppressyons of your soule and body.

¶ Of the blynde Iudgementes of people / concernynge the secrets celestyall in the merytes of sayntes. And howe a cry sten man shall vowe & vse hym in vowes and pylgrymages and oblacyons. The. vii. Chapytre.

WHere as I do dayly here and se great dynysyons: and opy nyons / the one contrary to a nother / amonge crysten peo­ple / whiche haue or shuld ha ue one fayth / one god / and one especyal me dyatour vnto god. 1. Thi. 2.) For vs whi­che is cryste Thesu our redemptor (as paule ascrybeth to the Corynthyans. 2. epystle / et Ephe. 4. Notwithstandynge we haue ma­ny folysshe fantasyes now adayes in Iud gementes o [...] [...]e secrete mysteryes of god / in reasonynge & dyssputynge / whiche engen­dreth sysines / and folysshe blynde opynyōs amōge crysten people / some wyll say why or howe is this man fallen in decay / syc [...] nesse / or myschaunce beynge a good man. And why is suche one auaunced in welth [...] [Page] dygnyte / & prosperyte beynge an oppressor of pore people / & a vysyous ꝑson in lyuyn­ge / hereupon shalbe sayd dyuers oppynyōs passyng mānes reason / whiche pertayneth onely to the Iudgementes of god / and not of man / for cryste sayth here to. Nost [...]e iudicare et non iudicabimini. Also some wyll reason on the merytes & ly [...]ynge of sayn [...]: whiche of them was holye [...] then the other / or hyer in fauour with god: oft tymes suche quest [...]ons engendreth stryfes and sysmes / with dyuers [...]ties of opynyons / and so pro­cedeth therof enuye / pryde / and vayne glo­ry / when one preferryth this saynt / & ano­ther that saynt / and one this pylgrymage / or ymage / and another [...]at pylgrymage & ymage suerly these sensuall opynyons ra­ther d [...]spleaseth saynts / then pleaseth them For the lorde omnypotent sayth I am not the lorde god of d [...]bate or stryfe: but of vnyte and p [...]as / whiche standeth in trewe me­kenesse / and not in exaltynge or magnyfy­eng this or that / some be more styred to thr [...] saynt or pylgrymage / then to that oth [...]r / [...] and that with great mynde and aff [...]yon. Trewely suche mynde or aff [...]yon is mo­re [Page] worldly & carnall / then celestyall or spy­rytuall or godly / sayth not god am not I he that hath made all sayntes (yes trewly.) And more ouer he sayth I haue gyuen thē grace / and I haue gyuen them glory: I am onely s [...]ete to all theyr meryt [...] / I preuen­ted them with the swetnesse of my blessyn­ges / I know myne elect and chosen people afore the worlde was created / I haue cho­sen them from the worlde / & they haue not chosen me: I called thē by my grace. And I drewe them by my mercy / I led them thro­ughe all temptacyons I sent them inwar­de comfortes / I gaue them perseueraunce / I crowned theyr pacyence / I know the fyr ste man and the last / I loue them all with suche loue as can not be estemy [...] on erthe. And thus sayth oure lorde am I to all my saynt [...] in all thyng [...] to be praysed & honou­red / and in all and euery of them / whom I haue gloryously magnyfyed and predesty­nated without any meryte in them goynge byfore me. Therfore he that disprayseth the left of my sayntes / dothe no honour to the greatest: for I haue made both the lesse and the more. And he that dyspyseth any of my [Page] sayntes he disprayseth me / and also other of my sayntes in the kyngdom of heuen / for they be all one / and faste vnyed and knyt togyther in one sure bond of perfyte charite & they loue me moche more then them sel [...] / or theyr owne merytes / for they b [...] rapt a­boue theyr owne loue / & holye abyde in my loue / in the which they rest by eternall fr [...]y syon. Wherfore let euery man cease of theyr carnall myndes & aff [...]ccyonat opynyons bestly / whiche can not loue but prynat ioye to serche the state of my [...] in heuen for ye Iudge after your folysshe & blynde sen­tence / and not after the pleasure of the eter­nall trewth of god. Thus in moche people is great Ignorancy: and specyally in them that haue so lytell lyght of ghostly vnder­standynge: that they can not loue no person with a clene herte / we may not ymagyn ce lestyall thyng [...] as we do terestyall for they be so fa [...]e in dyfference & vnlyke that no herte nor iye / nor tonge can esteme or iudge as Paule testyfye to the Loryntheans / the. ii. chapytre. They be very well contented with the Ioye that they are in so men co [...] de refrayne them selues from suche vayne [Page] argumentes. Also many there be that wyll reason who is hyest in heuen: & suche know not whether they be worthy them selues to be nombred with the lest that shal come thy ther / for it is a great thynge to be one of the lest in heuen: where al be noble or excellent For all that shall come thyther shall be cal­led the sones of god / and so shall they be in dede / as saynt Paule wytnesseth to the Ro mayns the. 8. chapyt [...]e. Quicū (que) enim sp [...] de [...] aguntur h [...] sunt fil [...] dei. All those that werke in the spyryte of god they are suerly the chyldren of god do ye nat cōsyder what the mother of the sones of zebedei desyred of cryste that the one myght syt on the right hā de / and the other on the left hande when he shulde come to his kyngdom what answer gaue he / Mat. xx. chapytre. Non est meum dare vobis sed quibus paratum est a patre meo. It is not to me to graūt you / but for those which my fath [...]r hath prepayred it for wherfore let all crysten people leue all su­che mystycall reasons cōcernynge to the one ly hye dyuyne power of god / whiche neuer erthly creature hath had nor shall haue kno weleg of / wherfore this suffyseth to a good [Page] crysten man. ¶ And so to procede also to se and here the great dyuersy [...]es of myndes & opynyons / one cōtrary to the other greuyth my conscyence very fore / Remēbr [...]ge the very trewe sayenges of cryste. And here in d [...]dynge his omnipotent power: where as the Euangelyst sayth. Mat. [...]. chapt. Om ne regnum in se [...] desolabitur. Whi­che of c [...]aryte moueth and compelleth me / some thynge to my pore vnderstandynge / for the ins [...]ruccyon of the symple ygnorant whiche gladly wolde do that whiche were pleasure to the wyll of go [...] / and prof [...]te to theyr soules: in auoydynge the abusyons of all suche thyng [...] / wherfore as con [...]rnynge Pylgrymag [...] I thynke it very expedyent and helpfull / as concer [...]ynge the mocyon & intent therof / music nedes be good and ac­ceptable to god yf it be done accordynge to his wyll and pleasure. And agayne yf we mynde / or do it for any affeccyon for oure owne solace and pleasure. In so doynge it auayleth lytell / and in it apperynge mo­re ypocrysy / then perfeccion. Then when ye are moued to any Pylgrymage by powe [...] dyuyne / or by aduersyte cōstrayned by hop [...] [Page] as by se [...] / or on lande / or fyre / or any other peryll. And then when ye vowe or make any ꝓmyse or pylgrymage: gyue your hole honour vnto god fyrste / with herte & myn de. And then vowe or promyse no more in that extremyte / then thou wylt ꝑfytly per­forme / when the tyme cōmeth. And then do it with dys [...]cyon / & sobernesse / auoydyng all vayne glory / and in your pylgrymage call vnto your remembraunce / what god of his mercy dyd for you: at the vow or pro myse makynge / and with faythful mynde do it in the way of penaunce / & repentaun ce / of your mysdedes & synnes / and in wyl­lynge no more to offende god to your pow er and wyll / and when ye come where you haue vowed. Then in no wyse / suppose or thynke y ^t the same Karued ymage or payn trd pycture / wrought with mānes hande / hath any lyfelynesse or grace / or comfort no more than hath any ymage of the same sort in your parysshe churche / or els where / and yf you haue any other truste or confyden [...] in them / you do playne ydolatry afore god. Also be the place neuer so holy / and the pyc ture or ymage / appere neuer so gloryous or [Page] curyous in syght / be you well ware of any truste or confydence in them: for in so doyn­ge you dyshonoure god / as apperyth exodi. (32. chapitre. And to the Corynthyans. x. chapytee ascrybeth partly) how we shal do in this cause (and in the. [...]. cōmaundement / we fynde wryten. Thou shalte not make the no grauen or karued ymage / nor to any symylytude that is in heuen aboue / nor on the erth / nor vnder the erthe / nor in the wa­ter / that is byneth. And s [...] thou bowe not thy self to them ne serue them for I thy god am a Ialous god. &c. exodi. xx.) chapytre. (And dauit the ꝓphete sheweth them what they) are in the (80. psalme / and the. 96. psal me and the. 113. psalme: and in the. 134. psal me) rede and ye shall fynde what they be / wherfore god forbyd that any cr [...]sten man shulde haue any suche lyke confydence in them▪ Reserue that poynt onely to god / w ^t out any scrypulosyte of conscyence / with wyll & dede. And in so doynge you do ful­fyll your pylgrymage purely and trewely: bothe to god and to the presentacyon of the ymage / whiche gloryfyeth in the wyll of god in heuen / as we do or shulde do here in [Page] erthe / sant [...]fy his name and glorye in hym. But we ofte tymes do our owne folysshe cerymonyall wylles or pleasures / whiche are but fantas [...]es and vayne glory / wher­of we shal neuer haue thankes. For though they appere neuer so gloryous to the people And also as concernynge your oblacyons be it golde / syluer / wax / or lyghtes / I sup­pose it cōmeth of your owne fre wyll & de­uocyon to o [...]fer what ye lyst / without any [...] on / and I do consyder it to be well done / so you hurte not your self nor your cō scyence therin / pond [...] here in your conscy­ence howe the wyll of god is santefyed in vs: when he chargeth vs to do the werk [...] of mercy to the pore & ned [...]: whiche is the bles­syd ymage of god / (and that ye gyue or of­fre to the lest of them / ye do it to cryste hym self sayth the euangelyst Mat. 25.) what a more blessydder ymage is there in this worl de / then the lyuely ymage of cryste / which was bought w ^t so precyous a pryse / & such a multytude as we haue rounde aboute vs and so lytell refresshynge and offerynge to them / whiche peryssheth dayly vnder oure [...]oses / great pyte to se / the whiche causeth [Page] me to tremble / to remēbre the horryble rebu­ke that they shall haue of god / the whiche waste theyr substaunce and goodes in Ior neys / in rydynge / and goynge ferre & nere / and in superfluous rayment / and meates / and drynkes / with many other cerymony­all and wylfull charges / I wolde to god suche people had the grace to remembre the trewe we example that cryste spoke. (Luc / the. xvi. chapitre of diues [...]pulo howe lytell he regarded the pore Lazer and so great nede as he had of his cōforte shortly after) (mar­ke that poynt) thus I coude wryte a longe processe here in tochyng the abusyons of the ignoraunt people / in this mater / wherin I pray Thesu gyue to all suche as be yet igno raunt / his grace that they may werke theyr good werkes to the wyll & pleasure of god. Neuerthelesse I do thynke / and alowe pyl grymages and oblacyons very expedyent in the syght of god / & profytable to the sou­le / so that it be done accordynge to the law [...] and wyll or pleasur of god. And other wy se it is frustrat & voyde be you sure / wher­of you shal neuer haue thankes nor fauour of god / for your wylfull wastynge / and [...] [Page] wyll not do that whiche ye be cōmaunded to do. Wherfore I holde it most profytable and expedyent for euery faythfull crysten man to serche his conscyence here in / and ra ther to do the wyl and pleasure of god here / then his owne mynde and pleasu [...] / wherof ye shall receyue so great & inestymable gyf­tes / and rewardes agayne in the glory eter nall where as god reyneth with his glory­ous aungellys / and sayntes whiche neuer sease in gyuynge honour / glory without en de / to the whiche he bryng vs al at his plea sure and wyll.

Amen.

¶ A good rule for a man to brynge vp youth. The. viii. Chapytre.

SAynt austynexortynge all people hauynge ser­uauntes / chyldren / or su che other lyke i theyr go­uernaunce / or domyny­on from the hyest to the so west / for to exercyse theym in knowlege of the loue of god / and [Page] of the Ioyes celestyall / which god hath pre payred of his mere mercy: for his chosen and saythfull chyldren. And to vse theym in redynge of holy scryptures / and contem­platyue maters. And no [...] in vayne fables and bawdy tales / and other folysshe [...] of vysyousnesse. And also to induce them to haue knowlege of the moste ferefull and strayt Iustyce of god / and of the moste hor ryble paynes of hell: prepayred for all them whiche dyspyse the trewth / & folowe theyr owne lustes and pleasures.

¶ Charyte causeth or moueth vs to the lo­ue of god through fayth. The. ix. Chap [...].

IN this perfyte loue I shal loue fyrste god / the father almyghtye that made me of no wght. And our lord Ihesu criste that redemyd me / & the holy ghost that alway inspyreth me / thus this holy tryny­te I shal alway honour and serue with al [Page] my herte / mynde and strength / with dyly­gent / drede and truste in hym onely.

¶ Of prayer and of effycacy / and ver­tue therof▪ The. x. Chapytre.

[Page] ACcordyng to the mynde of saynt Austyn / prayer is the helpe and rem [...]dy for the soule / and cōforte and cōsolacyon and sub dewynge of the deuyll / and voydynge of all synnes. There is no­thynge of more vertue or excellency in the syght of god here / then is pure denocyon or prayer / as cryst sayth i th [...] euā [...]yst / what so euer ye do axe or desyre (my father in my name: shalbe gra [...]ted to you.) Furthermore they y ^t wyll pray / must be hole affeccionat in the promyse of cryst. And truste suerly in the wyl of god / as he wytnesseth in the euā gelyst. Mat. 7. (axe & ye shall fynde / knoc­ke and it hall be openyd as who sayth / axe for mercy) it shall be gyuen you / seke the meanes & helpe your selfe / & god wyl helpe you / & ye shall fynde / knocke at the dore of yo ^r harde herte or cōscyence w ^t repētaūce: & the vertue of god shall open the dore of yo ^r herte / for to receyue grace / for he wold haue wytnesse of hym selfe here amonge vs / in strengthynge of our faythe / thus we maye euydently proue and perceyue the wyll of [Page] the father in heuen to warde vs here in erth Some maner of people vseth d [...]uers ma­ners of cloked ypocrysy / which in the [...]get and syghte of the cōmon people / they seme very holy / and ful of great me [...]enesse and be not so in dede, these sortes of ypocrytes [...]e keth theyr owne glory: and not the glory of god / wher as cryste ascrybeth the nature of suche ypocrytes in the. (vi. the. vii. and the. xxiii. chapytres of Mathew the euāgelyst) Rede there & ye shall percevue / the one from the other. (As oure louynge mayster cryst [...] techeth vs.)

¶ Leo papa ī sermde) ascrybeth y ^t of prayer cōmeth forgyuenesse of synnes / by fastyng or abstynence abateth the luste and affeccy ons of the flesshe / by almesse dedes / synnes are hydden from the syght of god: thus may the ymage of god be dayly renewed in v [...] to our comforte.

¶ Saynt Austyn saythe there is no greffe [Page] so paynfull / as is the [...]effe of ones conscy ence / wherfore except thy cōscyence be pure [...]ene / of god nor of no saynt can thy pray er be harde nor acceptable / and specyally yf thou be in deedly synne.

Dauit cormūdū cre [...] in [...]e deus psal. 50. ¶ Saynt Bernarde sayth / when thou en­ [...]est in to prayer ī thy chambre / closet / chur­c [...] / or els where / [...]rste seperat and expell out of thy mynde all [...]ondanytes & world ly thoughtes or busynesse / and elyuat thy herte and mynde all hose vnto god onely our father in heuen / and pray vnto hym in thy herte purely and syncerly / and in so do­ynge thou pleasest god more / then yf thou shuldest say ouer all the bedys that be in the worlde otherwyse / in vaynglory hauynge thy mynde ru [...]led in worldly busynesse / for the euangelyst sayth. (Tribue mihi cor tuum et mihi sufficit. ¶ Also saynt Rychat de de sancto victore) recordeth sayenge. O how many are there whiche dayly say and pray the Pater noster. and how fewe be the re that be harde / for fault of pure and clene herte. And howe many are there that dayly calleth on the Father in heuen / in our Pa­ter [Page] noster: & in dede be none of his chyldren / for faute of grace / and in fulfyllynge of the trowth / which is the worde of god / the whi che can not entre in theyr hertes / for carnall affeccyons as cryste sayth in the euāgelyst. Mat. 15. Ye do worshyp me with your lyp­pes / and your hertes be ferre from me / then how can we be the children of god in heuen which is our father / & we be replet with the wer [...] & operacyons of the deuyll (as saynt Paule saythe. Ro. 8. they the whiche werke by the spyryte of the holy ghost / they be suer ly the chyldren of god. Also the euangelyst sayth.

¶ The vertue of confessyon: & to know­lege thy selfe. The. xi. Chapytre.

SAynt Austyn de penit [...]tia) sayth that confession is a sa cramēt / whiche is the helthe of man / and the saluacyon of the soule / and the restoryn ge of vertue / and the sperklynge abrode or ca [...]tynge away of vyces and synnes / and the deuyll and his werk [...]. And shytteth vs [Page] out of the gates of helle / and openeth [...] the gates of paradyse.

¶ Saynt Austyn) sayth that person that is a syn̄er / & offendeth god dayly / & wyll not be knowen of his synnes: but w ^t a [...]oborne her [...]e syueth in his carnall pleasure / & obsty nat to warde god in knowlege of his syn­nes and offences / dothe to the denyll great pleasure / and gyueth his soule to eternall dampnacyon. And in cōtrary wyse he that cōfesseth hym & knowlegeth hym self ther­of. And no more wyllynge to offende god doth please god / and so through god he pos­sesseth his soule w ^t grace eternall / for he y ^t wyl hyde his synnes from god, hydeth hym self from god / wherfore knowlege thy offē ces / & thou shalt fynde alway mercy [...] ▪

¶ The lyfe of a couetous man speketh Ieremy the prophet. The. xii. Chap [...].

FRom the porest vnto the rychest cō ­monly and dayly is seen the expery ence / they be dysposed to couetous / and a [...] [Page] ryce / whose ꝓpertyes is to withholde and catche / landes / goodee / catall lawfull / or vnlawfull / and what wronges or iniury that he doth to any mā he passeth not vpon so that he may obtayne his owne synguler profyte. All suche couetous persons hauyn ge lybertye / wyll cut large thong [...] of other mē [...]es lether as who sayth) he wyll be pro dygall / or lyberall of other mēnes goodes / and sparynge / and haynous of his owne / in so moche that he wyll oppresse his body and spare out of his bely / and wyll suffre great penury for his affeccyon & loue that he hathe to obtayne this worldly good and substaunce / whiche deceyueth hym daylye afore his iyes / and all this suffreth he to be noted or named a ryche man amonge the people. And to lay out any thyng that shul de be ꝓfytable to his soule / or y ^t he is boūde to do by the lawe of god / is very tedyous and paynful to hym / what then foloweth hym in this blynde affeccyons and mynde: deth sodenly cōmeth and gyueth no respyte and his enemye the deuyll / for whose plea­sure he toke so great paynes for / ther is redy to busy his braynes about worldly maters: [Page] & ouer chargeth both body and soule / when he hath lytell respyte to make amendes for his blynde lyuynge (this is a pytefull case) thus is he deceyued on euery syde / as when he is passed cōmōly the experyence is seen that they shal haue his substaūce and muc­ke which he loued so wel that he neuer [...] nor loued perchaunce.) Also wese day ly theyr chyldren or successours shall wast / lande substaunce / money / & goodes / more in one yete / then he gatheryd in. xx. with great payne and daūger bothe of bod [...] and soule. O mercyfull god what br [...]yt beestes be they that with suche [...]gynge madnesse wyll cast in daūger of d [...]h perpetual / both body and soule / in this shorte and mysera­ble lyfe / for this worldly golde or syluer / or any other vayne glorye therof / wherwith we may obtayne the glory eternall / as the euangelyst sayth. (Facite bob [...]s amicos de māmo [...]e iniqtatis. Luc. 16. & dauit / s [...]diui­tias a [...]luāt nol [...]e cor apponere. And also sayth i his psalmes in dyners pla [...] / he doth lyken or compare suche lyke persons vnto brute beestes▪ as asses / and moyles and in paule and the euangelyst in sondry plac [...] [Page] reputeth them worse then bestꝭ without rea son & vnderstandynge. Also I fynde wry ten in Ecclesiastes. 34. this sentence wryten he whiche entendeth to defraude any poore man of that he laboreth for / in the swet of his body for his lyuynge / may be compared moste lyke a thefe or a murtherer▪ whiche de syreth or hath pleasure to shede the blode of man / whiche is a great synne in the syght of god.

¶ What auayleth any creature reaso­nable / to set by hym selfe. The. xiii. Chapytre.

IOb calleth a man to remembraunce sayenge. (O mortall man borne of a woman in to this worlde / & so shorte a tyme to lyue / whiche lyfe may be compa­red to a fresshe floure in a medowe wythe­tynge or va [...]ysshynge / and neuer abydyn ge in one estate or degre / as who sayth) this day mery and Ioyfull / to morowe sorowe and carefull / also one day lusty sturdy and [Page] stronge / to morowe sycke / weke and gone. O mortall man howe vnstable and decey uable is al thyngs that we truste to or haue any Ioy or pleasur of / in this deceyuable worlde / wh [...]rfore call to mynde whyle we haue tyme the benyfycyall graces and mer cy of god. By the whiche we may obtayne & w [...] here / wherby we shall neuer dye.

¶ Saynt Bernarde farthe) O precyous soule of man redemed and bought with the moste hyghest and precyous blode of cryste and [...]ted moste lyke to the ymage of god deputed aboue [...] / & made inhery­tour with cryste▪ the which wyll dayly da [...] ger his body and soule for the lytel pleasure and dyfectacyone of the moste vyfe & styn­kynge body.

Uanitas vanitatil & [...] vanita [...]. ꝓū. 1 ^o ▪

¶ Saynt Austyn sayth the [...]o. O howe in for [...]at is that soule or lyfe / whiche wyll for so shorte a pleasure / disheryte it from the inestymable Ioyes celestyal / and here hath suche pleasure to busy it self in dampnable and deuyllysshe werkes. And so wylfully [Page] wyll auoyde it selfe from all trewth / lyght and vertue / and foloweth the dampnable pleasure of his carnall body / and ouerdryn keth hym selfe of the bytter deth perpetuall. And leaseth the Ioyes and lyfe eternall.

¶ Hugo de claustro aīe) saythe vnto these worldly people / Remēbre where is be com your frendes / louers / & companyons / with whom ye haue had sporte / felyshyp / & frend shyp / and haue had dyuers pastymes / hath not deth wrought his nature / and theyr bo­dyes consumed by the erth / and vnto wor­mes meate / what auayleth our pastymes & bankettes / laughynges / [...]estes / sportꝭ / and playes / dysynge / or suche lyke rufflynges / And thus all the tyme of our lyfe dayes to spende the tyme moste lyke vnto our dam­pnacyon. All through our moste secretene­mye vaynglory: whiche deceyueth the most parte of all suche lyke worldly people / and lytell they consyder the sayenge of (Sala­mon: what auayleth any man to labour in vaynglory of this world) who is the most subtyllest and secrete crafte that the deuyll [Page] hath to deceyue mankynde with all. And a great parte of this worlde before deceyued by it / where (ysa [...] the prophet the. xl. chapt sayth. O man temēbre thou art but grasse and as floures in a medowe / tyl the moyer cōmeth with his sythe / whiche is as deth.

¶ Of almysse dede / and what marchaū ­dyse it is accordyn [...] [...] [...]de of saynt Austyn [...] Chapyt.

S [...] Austyn wryteth [...] pystle) sayenge yf thou wylte be a tyche marchaūt / and bestowe thy money / where thou mayst haue great profy te. Thou shalte lende & socoure thy brother in his nede & extremyte whiche is lyke to perysshe / for f [...]te of so­coure of suche substaunce or marchaundyse as god hath lent you / who is no straunge creature but thy brother in (cryst Ihesu) per auenture ye wyll thynke your marchau [...] [Page] dyse / not so well spent on these lusty & [...]ut dy vacabondes / whiche do he blaspheme god / and spendeth theyr lyfe in great myse­ry and wretchednesse / in synfull lyuynge and ydelnes more then doth any other sorte yet neuerthelesse they maye not be exyled / for ye shall haue great thankes (for cryste sayth in the euangelyst. Mat. 25. that ye gy­ue the lest or porest in my name / ye gyue it to me) yf ye be not dysposed to lend them / yet we be bounde to gyue them good wor­des and not rebu [...]ng them / for crystꝭ sake onely we may helpe & gyue them counceyll as the person doth requyre / wherin ye may profyt both hym and yourself: though he be stoborne or dysdaynous (for in Prouerbio­rum. 28. he that gyueth the pore shal not lac­ke nor haue nede / but he that dyspyseth the pore or vylypendeth shall suffre penury / & dystresse all though they be vysyous / ydle reprobat / obstynat / hauynge no vertue nor grace / yet when ye are mouyd or styred to deuocyon / withdra we not that good myn­de / for there shal you fynde meryt. Also cry ste speketh ī the gospell (blessyd be they that be poore in spyryte as who sayth) the lame [Page] [...] the labourer charged with his wyfe sycke and many chyldren / and your [...]gh bour which hath kept / and doth kepe a char geable howse and the world or substaunce therof is fayled hym / by the hande of god / and doth laboure and wylleth hym selfe to gette his lyuynge and theyres / which he [...] charged with / ye and is full nedy and hath [...]o frende to open his herte vnto / ye and to hym it is deedly & mortall greffe to be kno­wen therof / vnto these and suche other for­tes l [...]ke ye may lende and gyue dayly / that ye may obtayne and gette so great gay [...]e & profyte and thankes / that no [...]onge nor her te or mynde can expresse / as paule wytnes­seth. Cor. 20.) ye wyll say there is no suche or very fewe of them / yes suerly a great nō bre of them then of the other ydle & cōmon beggers that go from dore to dore: as in eue ry parysshe in London specyally in alyes & lanes innumerable: the whiche hunger and thurste / and suffre nede and penury impor tunat / ye and doth perysshe dayly for lacke of cōforte the experyence therof causeth my herte to blede for pyte / to se the pore ymage of god perysshe / and so many ryche & wel­thy [Page] persones so nere. O lorde what deedly and intollerable deth is hangynge ouer the heedes of the ryche / whiche shal not auoyde that charge: wherof god taketh so great vnkyndnes. Cor. 4. Seyng that ye haue receyued it of god / & not of your selfe / As your tables garnysshed with dylycates chargea­ble / where the charge of one dysshe wolde fynde one of these poore a hole weke / And the great chaunge of raymēt / so ryche wher the charge of one garment / wold fynde one of these pore the dayes of his lyfe rayment / where ye suffre the mothes to perysshe them Also ye gather on hepes money and plate / and suche pore people perysshe for faulte of a lytell therof / and so had ye rather / then to departe therwith. O lorde what vnkynde nature is this in man / that wyll not remē ­bre that god myght / and may make the ry­chest / as pore as the moste nedy. Nowe [...]uge your selfe howe gladly ye wolde be socou­red / and yf ye were in lyke dystresse: (thus shall you suerly be iuged.) remembre to do to another as ye wold be done to. Wherfore seynge that we haue this rychesse throughe the power of god / then set not vs be so vn­kynde [Page] agaynst god: churlysly to kepe al for our selfes / as a swyne vnresonable / therfo re departe to the pore & nedy / & specyally to the pore in spyryte and folowe the counceyl of cryste in the euangelyst. Luc. 16. sayenge (Make you frēdes of your wycked mamot the whiche is your money & place that they may receyue you in heuen in eternall taber­nacle (wherfore euery crysten mā make w ^t your substaunce / whyles ye are here / suche marchaundyse that ye may receyue an hon­dred folde as moche in the glorye eternall / where we do hope to come.

¶ Sayenges of Salamon / and of other dyuers doctours of good [...] [...]oryte in reformacyon of synf [...] [...]aynge / with remedy for t [...] [...]me. The. xv. Chapytre.

SAlamon sayth Eccle. 32.) vnto all suche as hathe delectacyon or plea­sure in othes swerynge / or blasphe­mynge of god / and hath delectacyon the [...]in [Page] or in suche lyke malycyous lyuyng / that he may be sure that the plage of god▪ and ven geaūce shal not go from hym nor his house.

¶ Also the wyse man saith beware that ye vse no lyeng and specially suffre not your chyldren or seruauntes in youth to lye: in by enge nor in sell [...]nge for in so sufferynge ye▪ be part taker of them synnes (for saynt Io han sayth in a pystle Canonical / that man Whiche hath his mouth full of lyes doth ful fyll the wyll of his father the deu [...]ll / who is father & mayntenour of all lyers whom he wyll rewarde) Salamon sayth the lyen ge mouth sleth the soule / & dauit.

¶ Saynt Austyn sayth / he that prouoketh any man to swere an othe / And knoweth surely that yf he swere / he shall for swere hym selfe falsly / then the prouocar or causer therof sleth the soule of hym that so swereth and his owne also.

¶ Saynt Gregory sayth there is no thyng [Page] so precyous in the syghte of god / as a man that wylleth and doth declyne from synne vnto vertue. And to the contrary to do the deuyll pleasure / is to leue al vertue / and to cause bate and stryfe amonge people.

¶ Saynt Ierome) sayth that no man can lyue here at his pleasure in welth voluptu ously▪ trustynge with suche lyuynge to ob­tayne the glory of heuen at his departyng [...] for Iob sayth in the [...]de chapytre. Si b [...] na suscepimus quate mala non sustinem▪ (yf we haue receyued by the handes and or­dynaunces of god: welth pleasure and fely cyte / why shall we not then be cōtent with sorowe / heuynesse / dyspleasure / and trybu­lacyons / whiche criste our mayster suffred in example for all vs. Om̄is xp̄ [...] act [...]o est [...]a instructio. ¶ Augustinꝰ sup math [...]l.) Counceylleth sayenge when ye perceyue or haue perfyte knowlege of any crysten man brother or neyghbour that hath offended or transgressed god / or the lawe openly kno­wen / you may charytably rebuke his offen ces openly / the whiche rebuke myght happ [...] [Page] ly be example and helpe to some other that be present / as paule sayth to the Thimotheens. vi. chapytre. Coram omnibus peccatores argue. &c. And yf so be that he hath offē ded secretly / then louyngly rebuke or recon­cyle hym / of that offence or synne bytwene hym and you / And thus yf ye haue twyse reuoked hym of his faults / & regardeth not god / nor his own myschef / but rather dispy seth you for your good wyll. Then let hym alone / tyll it fortune the thyrde tyme / then take two or threin recorde / whiche standeth with the lawe / and then gyue warnyng to the holy churche or congregacyon of suche a wylfull persone / and then vse & take hym as a straunger amonge you (all this testy­fyeth mathew euangelyst. 18. chapytre. Al so. 2. Io. 1. in his epystle sayth beware of the company of suche lyke lest ye be part taker of his euyll werkes.

¶ In what mysery and wretchydnesse a dronken creature daungeryth his soule and body. The. xvi. Chapytre.

[Page] E [...]rius cum absorbet vinū ob sorbetura vino / abhomīatur a deo dispicitur ab angelis / de riditur hominibue. &c.

¶ Saynt Ambrose de penitē tia) ascrybeth partlye the mysery of suche / whiche hath felylyte & Ioye of theyr belys whose belyes [...]r theyr goddes as saynt Am brose sayth to all them which hath pleasure of insacyat drynkynge / let hym fyrste con­sydre yf any creature / b [...]estes wylde or ta­me / wyl ouerlade or d [...]ynke more then doth his stomacke suffyse▪ Moche more then shul dea a resonable man or woman / ordre theyr wyttes in drynkynge & [...]ynge then a beest.

No [...]ite fieri sicut equs et mulus in quibꝰ non est intellectus. Psalmo. 31.

¶ Dauit sayth vse not your selfs lyke mu­les or horses or other vnresonable beests) I do se the experyence: that we be well worse then beests / and destroye our selues in ety [...] ­ge and drynkynge / specyally as ye se what pleasure the people take i ouer ladyng them selues / in drynkes in so moche that they ma ke theym selfes therin more worse then any wylde beest y ^t euer was (what foloweth) [Page] therof / fyrst he is abhomynable in the syght of god / therin leseth he the glory of heuen / & possesseth the paynes infernall. Also he is dyspysed of aungellys / scorned & deryded of good peolpe / also he is barayn and voy de of all vertue / and of good wetkes / and redy to be confounded by the deuyll in tem­ptacyon / or in other casueltes / and he dyspy seth reason / and all honest companye / also he consumeth nature. O lorde what daun­ger is that moste precyous soule of man in / for so lytell pleasure or dylectacyon of the body wherin / (Saynt [...]rysostom in Ma­theum sayth. Nichit est demoni amicum si­cut ebrietas q̄ est mater oīm viciatū / et pec­catorū radix ac mitrix est.) wryteth vpon mathew sayenge that there can be no more frendshyp done to the deuyll / then when a man dothe ouer charge his wyttes and re [...] ­son with metes / & specyally in drynke / the whiche is the chefe cause and rote / or molde out of whiche doth procedeth all vyce / syn̄e and abhomynacyon / and noryssher of all ruyne / where such lyke affeccyons rayneth be he pore or ryche. (And saynt Ietom wry [...]th▪ in a pystle Ad titū sayeng that the ex­cesse [Page] or supf [...]uyte of what drynke it be that bryngeth a man to dronkēnesse / is the chefe cause of all sechery / and noryssher of all fyl thy desyres or apetytes. Ierom ad titū.

¶ Salamon saythe also in his proue [...] ▪ [...]e ye well ware & temperat i [...] drynkyng [...] of wyne / for at the begynnynge he is delyci ous or delectable in taste and sauor / & quyes keneth the spyrytes of man / then beware of hym / for he tepeth lyke a worme or a ser­pent: & styngeth poysonsy as ye haue therof experyence afore wryten.

¶ Also Salamon sayth there is no secret­nesse in a dronken person / ye may therof be [...]ure / but all thynge at large at pleasure.

¶ And saynt Ierom) sayth & gyueth coun­ceyll or remedy in all these daūgers / & how we may auoyde them / yf we wyl be gouer ned with reason / p [...]yuyng that we know by experyence that the daūgers folowyng [Page] vpon superfluytes of meates and drynkes specyall / the whiche root or foundacyon / is onely free wyll / and vse therof / wherfore let vs refrayne then our free wyll / and lu­stes / when nature & reason satysfyed (and stop there) and repute your selfe aboue the nature of bruyt beests / and alway beware of the venymous serpent.

¶ Saynt Austyn sayth yet what ꝓcedeth of this vyle glotony and of insacyat dryn­kynge / he sayth that lechery or fornycacyon is so redy as is possyble / & therof foloweth afterwarde destruccyon of the body & soule and shortnesse of lyfe.

¶ Of the synne of adultery of forny­cacyon accordynge to doctor Lyra. The. xvii. Charpytre.

LIra sayth vpon the. vi. chapyt to the Coryntheans (All other offencs and syn̄es that man doth / defyleth the sou le / but this vyle stynkynge synne of forny­cacyon [Page] or lechery defyleth the body & soule / whiche is or shulde be the temple of god / as sayth saynt paule maketh the mēbre of cry­ste the membres of an harlot or fylthynesse.

¶ How is it possible for a man to hyde ho­te brennynge colys in his bosome / except he brēne his clothes or to wall [...] barefote vpō quycke colys / as inpossible is it for a man that haunteth womens company dalyen [...] playeng / wanton lokes & wordes / and ta­ches. Not possyble / but he shl daunger his soule in deedly synne. Quicunq [...] videret mul [...]erem ad concupiscendam [...]am iam me catus est. Mat. 5. ¶ Lechery is enemy mor­tall to all vertues / it is a dylectable swete desease to suche as lyue in the flesshe (why) it bryngeth a man to corrupcyon and dethe vnwarys / and the soule in daūger of deth perpetual / ye may fynde in the byble many fayre examples and daungers that cōmeth of the fylthy dysease of lechery / what was the cause of the dystruccyon of the chyldren of Sychem / cause was for the rauysshyng of Dyna doughter of Iacob / which wen [...] [Page] to se the daunces. Genis. 34. Also we fynde in the seconde boke of kynges how Amon was slayne of his brother Absolon for de­fylynge of his s [...]ster / Thamer also in the. 3. chapytre. ii. boke of kynges she weth of Ad­ner whiche [...]ne [...]he concubynes of his fa ther ysobeth we [...]e both shortly after slayne Also ye know how Ioseph was prysoned thruo [...] [...] fylthy appetyte & desyre of his mystrysse / wherfore expedyent it is for su­che as are so weke of nature that can not a­byde the bewty or lormosyte of a woman / except he brenne / set hym tefrayne then / the conuersacyon of theyr company. And also to close that affeccyonat desyrous iye of cō ­cupysence & of inwarde desyre / & put hym clene out from you / as cryste sayth in Ma­thew. better it is for the entre the kyng­dome of heuen destytute of that lye / then to vse hym to thy dampnacyō was not the de syrous & wylfull concupyscent iye the fall and tuyne of the wyse Salamon the stron ge Sampson / the great holyfernes / and the mophet Dauit / the phylosopher Arysto tole / and the famous clerke Dyrgyll: yes su [...]ly some wyll blame the bewty & formosy [Page] [...] of women. It agreeth not / that suche fa­mous men shuld blame women of theyr de cay: but rather theyr sensuall cōcupysēt iye lust & desyre. And thus he that wyl auoyde the▪ daūger hereof / let hym be well ware of the p̄sence of a woman of syght behauour & countenaunce / and specyally of a wanton tongue and pleasaūt iye: whiche sleeth any carnall man lyuynge. I fynde wryten of Sypyon a famous man of honour whiche was a Pagan / that in all his domynyon wolde not suffre no cōmon bordell nor dys honest howse in his realme. O what pytye is it nowe in all this realme / & ouer all cry­stendom / to se the abhomynacyon of fylthy nesse fro the hyest in dygnyte: to the lowest in pouertye / how lytel this fylthy synne is counpted both of spyrytuall & teporal euen to the lowest poore begger / but do reioyse & lawghe it out / and passeth not theron and some wyll reioyse therin / when it is many dayes passed / whiche is more haynous i the syght of god / then the dede it selfe. O lorde that arte so mercyfull / holde thy hande of wrath & yre from vs / and to amende our synfull lyuynge in fylthynesse / & to know [Page] sege / and that we may confesse our mysery with repentaunt hertes & myndes with the prophet Dauit sayeng in his penyteneyall psalmes.

¶ Pause resyteth the condycyons and natures of people in the later dayes of this worlde. The. x. viii. Chap. 2. Tuno. 4.

THere shal come sortes of people in the later dayes / that shall be louynge them selfes / and not god nor his lawes / no nor suf­fre noo holsom doctryne to be vsed in prechynge / redynge / nor spekynge / but suche carnall and delectable fables / te­stes / tales / and lyes / that shall be pleasaūt to the carnall lusts & pleasur of theyr body) but when they here of any good exortacy­otis / concernynge the welth of theyr neygh boures / with theyr owne also / to the plea­sure of god / that can not in no wyse entr [...] [Page] in to theyr hertes. but oft tymes therat wyll clawe th [...]re where it ytcheth not (as who saythe) yf it be trewe that is shewed them / yet wyll they none of it i no wyse / they can not abyde it. To them sayth (Ieremy in the vt. chapytre to suche harde herted and obsty nat people the word of god is obbropryoue and hatefull i so moche) that they wyll not here nor suffre it spoken / bycause it condem p [...]th all carnall lusts and desyres / the whi che they wyll not se [...]e.

¶ Accordynge to Lyra: (Saynt pause ad Romanos. 12.) to all theym that hath gyftes of grace from god. The. xix. Chapytre.

AS yf a man hath the gyfte of pr [...] sye set hym vse his lernynge so that it be agreynge to the fayth.

¶ Also yf a man hath an offyce or dygny­te / therin to do that he is bounde or sworn­to / do it with Iustyce.

¶ Lette hym that techeth prudently / take good hede to his doctryne.

[Page] ¶ Let hym that exorteth any persone with charyte and modestyousnesse) vse hym in his exortacyon dyscretly.

¶ Yf ye do gyue any thynge / gyue it with symplycyte (as who saythe) not openly / in syghte of people / but secretly / and do it for the loue of god.

¶ He that is in auctoryte / do it with dyly­gence / that is to saye gouerne them vnder his lurysdyccyon in vertue and trewth.

¶ He that sheweth mercy / do it with chere­fulnesse (as who sayth) be not therin tygo­rous nordysdaynous / but comfortable.

¶ And also let your loue be without dyssy mulacyon (as who sayth) not cloked lou [...] / sayenge one and do another.

¶ And so shall you hate that which is euyl or synfull / & gladly to do that shal be good and profitable both to your body and soule & vse kynd & brotherly loue one to another.

¶ Whiche is a lyfe angelycall to god / and thus we may procede or Ioy one with ano ther / & for another in vertue & goodnes / or [...]cellyng eche other in charitable gladnesse & not in murmur or dispysynge eche other.

¶ Also [...]et no [...] your busynes / and werkys [Page] in doynge be tedyous to you / that is to wyl in dedes of mercy / or i that which cōmeth of the holy ghost / for the welth of your soule.

¶ Wherin be seruent in spyryte / and apply your selfe with all your dylygence / whyle ye haue tyme and leyser.

¶ And reioyce & truste suerly in the rewar­de of god / whiche that he hath & mysed vs.

¶ Also ye muste be pa [...]t in trybulacion and thynke it not tedyous or paynefull to you / but gently suffre theyin with thankes hertely gyuen to god / and pray for them.

¶ Ye muste alway be stedfast i prayer / and not hauyng your mynde tuffled w ^t world ly busynesse / but all onely in god.

¶ Also to dystrybute to the nedy and poore for the loue and fayth thou hast to god / and for goddes sake.

¶ Also you shall blesse them that persecute you and vexe you / in body or spyryte / and pray for them / and do ye good for euyll.

¶ Also that ye wayle & morne with them that morne and wepe / and therof make ye no ieste [...] / pleasure or sporte.

¶ Also agre as one when ye be togyther in god / and let not one repute hym selfe [...] [Page] lenter in wytte or corage agaynst another) but gently to be companyons / as chyldren: and apply you therin egall to the inferyor sorte / rather then to presumpcyon.

¶ Also be ye wyse and kepe none opynyon in your owne conceyte.

¶ Also haue ye afore wyt and prouyde for thyngs honest for your self afore the people.

¶ And yet specyally for your owne parte vse quyetnesse and rest.

¶ Here foloweth the seuen deedly synnes that all people be bounde to fle and withstande. The. xx. Chapytre.

PRyde / wrath / enuy / couetyse / glotony / slowth / and lechery. Pryde / wrath / and enuye / be the synnes of the deuyll. Couetyse / and aueryse / be syn̄es of this worldly pleasur. Glotony / slowth / & lechery / be synnes of the flesshe / & these ben the hye wayes to dampnacion perpetuall. ‘Qui se exaltat humiliabitur.’

¶ And we muste vnderstande / that man offendeth god in pryde / when he is rebell [Page] or obstynat agaynst goddes cōmaundemēt in folo wyng his owne wyll and pleasure and not the wyll and pleasure of god.

¶ Also a man offendeth god in the synne of wrathe / when he malycyously bus [...]h hym selfe or other to be auenged / and is sur ly mynded and dysposed to complysshe his desyre therin. ‘Qur gladio pcutit / gladio pibit.’ mat. 26.

¶ Also a man offendeth agaynst god in en uye / when he repyneth / or is g [...]d agaist his neyghbours prospetyte / or good name.

¶ Also a man offendeth god in cou [...]tyse / when he coueyteth any goodds to hi [...] welth or pleasure / or els wrongfully / from his neyghbour / and hath no wyll to depart therwith to the nedy / in theyr necessyte.

¶ A man offendeth in glotony: when he ta keth excesse of meate or drynke / more then nedeth / where through he may be the worse to serue god quyetly.

¶ A man offendeth in slowth / when he l [...] ­uyth vndone the good werkes / or deedes / wherof god by his grace moueth or styreth a man vnto / and doth leue them vndone.

¶ Also a man offendeth in lechery / when he withstādeth not the foule fylthy styryn­ges of his flesshe & lust / and suffreth hym selfe to be ouer come / whether it be in wyll or dede / both are mortall synne.

¶ Here foloweth the. vii. pryncypall Vertues / the whiche ben remedye agaynst the. vii. deedly synnes. The. xxi. Chapytre. Glasse.

[Page] MEkenesse / pacyence / charyie / lar­gesse in asmesse dedys / dyscrete ab stynence / holy busynesse / and wyl full chastyte.

¶ Mekenesse is perfyte rote of all vertue / and is a good remedye agaynst the synne of pryde.

¶ Pacye [...]tce is remedye agaynst the synne of wrath and malyce.

¶ Charyte is the remedye agaynst the syn̄e of en [...]ye and dysdayne.

¶ Largesse in asmesse dedys / is remedye a­gaynst coue [...]yse and a [...]eryce.

¶ Also dyscr [...] abstynence / is remedye a­gaynst glotony and dronkennesse.

¶ Vertuous busynesse / is remedy agaynst the synne of slouth.

¶ And wylful chastyte is remedy agaynst the synne of Lech [...]y / and conconcupysence of the flesshe.

¶ Here foloweth the. v. bodely wyttes. The. xxii. Chapytre.

HErynge / seynge / smellynge / tastynge / & tochynge.

¶ In herynge / whiche is to here gladly the lawe & worde of god / & all thyn­ges that soundeth to the trewth. And not when he doth delyte to he­re ydle speche / fables / tales or lyes or fylthy comunynge / or any euyll of his neyghbour.

¶ Seynge / that is loke gladly in the lawe of god / whiche is his new testamēt / and se to thy neyghbour i his nede. And not when [Page] his lye is vnstable and fyxed in vay [...] & synfull thynges / throughe whiche he is the worse dysposed to serue god / for the iye is the most enemy the soule hath: for who that hath a lyght iye and vnstable / muste haue a darke soule and a waueryng mynde / ful of synne and vaynglory.

¶ In sinellynge / smell thou that which is nedefull and lefull to the with thankes for the mer [...]ayles of god / And not in costly o­dours / and in delycatsauers and relysynge in meates and drynkes / where throughe he ouer chargeth his wombe the more for lust / them then for nede of norysshyng of lyfe or sustenaunce.

¶ In tastynge / that is taste thou of suche thyngs as is thyne owne lawful. And not when he tasteth meates or drynkes and ta­keth therof vnmesurably / where throughe he is the worse to serue god / and the more nedy to enclyne to vyce or synne.

¶ In towchynge / whiche is touche thou what lefull craft or werke wherwith thou mayste get [...]e in tre wth an honest lyuynge: And not when he toucheth any thyng that styreth hym to synne / whiche is forfendyd [Page] of god / & by his law euāgelycall. psal. 104▪ No [...]ite tangere xp̄os meo [...] & in prophe [...]s [...]is nolite maligna [...].