IN the Chap­ter before the Euaungelyst firste hath re­hersed y ^• great miracle that Iesus shewed vpon the man that hadde the palsye, beynge. xxxviii. yeare olde.

And after that he recited the excel­lente sermon whiche Christ made of hys owne maiestie after he had done the miracle: Euē the very selfe same order doeth the Euangeliste kepe in this syxte Chapter also. For fyrst he telleth that miracle whyche Iesus [Page] shewed by fedyng so many thousād men in the desert: after that he reher­seth an excellente Sermon, whyche Christe made of true fayeth in hym. And verely he sheweth the matter in a mete and decent order. For Iesus Christ would not put forth his doc­tryne to the herers, naked and bare, but wel defensed wyth diuers mira­cles, that by them, as it were by hea­uenly wytnesses, the trueth and hys authoritye myghte boeth be opened and also established. We haue she­wed also before that Christe some­tyme vsed his miracles as belles, to call the herers to sermon, and stirre theym vp to take the better hede. Wherefore fyrste of all let vs also heare the sound of hys bell, that is, the historye of hys miracle done in the deserte, that we may take the bet ter hede aswel to the sermon whyche foloweth after, as to al the doctryne [Page] of Christe, whyche must be lerned by fayeth. After this sayeth the euaungelist: Ie­sus went ouer the sea of Galile whych is cal­led Tiberias, and a great multitude folowed T him, because they dyd se his miracles whyche he dyd vpon them that were sicke.

It is not to be thoughte that Ie­sus strayte after hys Sermon, why­che is all wrytten in the Chapter be­fore, went secretly away ouer the sea of Tiberias, but as the other Euaū gelistes testify, he went awaye wyth hys Apostles into a desert place, af­ter that he had sente theym before to preache the Gospell, and had gyuen theim power to cast oute deuils, and to heale sycknesses, and that nowe they were come agayne, and had she­wed al that they had done & taught: Iesus then takyng them wyth hym departed aside ouer the sea of Tibe­rias, in Galile, vnto a desert place of the citie, whych is called Bethsauda, and sayed vnto theym: rest a litle, for [Page] there were amonge them that wente and came, and had not so muche ley­sure as once to eate theyr meate.

Wherfore he wyth hys Apostles, went asyde from the people, that be­ynge refreshed they myghte come a gayne to their busynes cherefullye For in thys weaknes of man, which Iesus also hadde taken vpon hym, what is durable that lacketh the course of reste? But yet not by thys neyther coulde they haue quietnes, for whan the people had perceyued that Iesus wyth hys Apostles dyd take hys iorney into the desert, they were so desirous to se him, and heare hym, that some in dede went into the deserte before hym, and some folo­wed after. Thus it came to pas that a greate multitude of men came vn­to y ^• deserte, whyther Christe had se­cretly gon to rest hym. What shall we saye then of this people? In dede [Page] by the great miracles they were stir­red vp to folowe Iesus, but I praie you for what purpose dyd they fo­lowe The Dys­ciples of Christ were diuerslye minded. hym? For that they had not all one entent y ^• thyng it self doth shew: for some folowed hym for curiositie to se hys straunge miracles. Some of vnlustines and sluggyshnes to lyue here wyth hym in the worlde y­delly. For they iudged that he was Messias, not such one in dede as the holy gost had taught he shoulde be, but as thei them selues had Imagi­ned in theyr mindes, euen an erthely Monarch and chiefe gouerner, whi­che would gyue vnto hys folowers al earthly ioye and pleasure. Some folowed hym, to take of hys wordes somewhat to shewe the folishe prie­stes and pharises, and by thys ser­uyce to get their good wyll and fa­uoure. Uerye fewe folowed Iesus, to learne of hym iustice and heauen­ly [Page] health. Men comonlye be in thys mynde. The greatest parte seke for nothynge else but worldly wealth, & carnall rest. They thynke y ^t by theyr owne meanes, they can lyghtlye get heauenly iustice & health if they may once get earthly felicitie. Let god, sai they, gyue me life and riches, and as for a good mynde I wyll get it my selfe. But this is a very corrupt and euell opinion. For that iustice that standeth in the syght of God, cannot be gotten by mannes strengthe, nor cannot be founde in riches, in ease, or pleasures of thys world, but it is only founde in Iesus Christe, and is gotten by fayeth, whiche is giuen to Iesus Christe, and hys Gospell, not in dede that thereby thou shoul­dest gette yearthlye filicitye, but for­gyuenes of synnes, and helthe euer­lastyng. For God the father had not set before the worlde hys sonne for [Page] this purpose, to geue to the couetous man bagges ful of gold and syluer, or to the voluptuous, diuers kindes of carnall delyghtes, or to the ambi­cious, offyce and honours, or to the sluggishe, idelnes, and feastes, that is to saye he hath not set hym before vs to be a carnall and yearthelye, but to be a spirituall and heauenlye Messias, whyche shoulde gyue to synners pardon of their synnes and al goodnes, & to them that de gyltye to eternall damnacion, yet bileuyng in him, a kingdom &ioye euerlasting Wherfore we may not abuse Christ to the lustes of the fleshe, but wee muste vse hym to get those thynges that be good in dede and laste for e­uer. And sith it is so, let vs heare of hys miracle.

And Iesus wente into the mountayne, and there sate w ^t hys Dysciples. And the passe o­uer, the Iewes holiday was nie. So when Ie­sus hadlyft vp his eyes, & had sen, that muche [Page] people came vnto hym, he said e vnto Philips whence shal we by breade that these may eat? And he sayde thys to proue hym. For he hym selfe knewe what he wold do. And Philip an­swered. Two hūdred peniworth of bread wil not suffice them that euerye man should haue alitle. One of hys Dysciples sayde vnto hym Andrewe the Brother of Symou Peter: Here is one that hath fyue Barlye loues and two fyshes, but what be these amonge so many? And Iesus sayed. Make these men sit downe. And there was muche grasse in that place: so they sat downe, almoste fyue thousand men in number.

The miracle, that Iesus fedde in the deserte wyth fyue loues and two fyshes more then fiue thousand men and the whyche the Euangelist hath takē in hand to discribe is great and worthy to be remembred and euen of the men them selues so muche set by▪ that moued therewyth they woulde haue made Iesus a kynge, whyche was the doar of the miracle. Wher­fore the descripcion of it is diligent­ly to be marked, and discussed, that [Page] the trueth of it may be vnto vs most certayne. And fyrst as touchyng the wryter hym selfe Iohn the Apostle and Euangeliste, there is no douqte but he is most worthy to be beleued. And to beare witnes with him come thre other Euangelistes, Mathewe, Marcke and Luke, whych eche one haue described thys miracle of the. v loues and. ii. fyshes. In the mouthe of two or thre standeth al wytnes.

And they haue described thys mira­cle, not forgynge it among them sel­ues and layinge theyr heades toge­ther, but in diuers places and tymes and specially then, when as yet ma­ny were alyue, which if they had fai­ned these thynges, coulde haue pro­ued them liers. Further Iohn wyth greate diligence doeth reherse all the circumstaunce of thys miracle. He sheweth the place, that is, the deserte beyond the sea of Tiberias in Ga­lile. [Page] He sheweth also the tyme of the yere, saying: the feast of Easter was nye, the feaste of the Iewes. Some also haue marked y ^• tyme of the day, saying: the day began to go downe. There be shewed also witnesses of thys so great a miracle, for ther wer present the Apostles, among whom Christ chieflye disputed the matter with. ii. of them, that is, with Phi­lip and Andrewe. There were also almost v. thousand men beside wo­men and children: al the which true­ly if nede had ben, could haue open­lie borne witnes of this miracle.

Ihon also dothe rehearse what the ground brought forth in that place. Ther was ther saith he, much gras. All these circūstances the Euāgelist so diligētly reherseth, to tel vs plain lie, that in no wise he forged the tale of this miracle, but that he put in writynge a thynge that was done moste certeinlie. Beside thys he de­scribeth [Page] the fashion also, how Christ toke in hand to do this miracle. For Christe by his inuisible power, hathe saued all them that folowed hym to the deserte without external meate, that they shulde not peryshe wyth hōger, as in time past Moses and Elias were saued, & he also hym selfe in y ^• desert. lx. dayes &. lx. nygh tes. He might also by his inuisible power haue put bread into eueri one of their laps vnloked for, but se what he doth. In dede he knew y ^t ther was a great multitude of men, he knewe what thinges hongry men had nede of, & he thought vpō how to fede thē He said this, saith the euangeliste, to proue him, for hym selfe knew what he wold do: & he set not meate before these hōgrie mē forth w ^t, but dissimu led al thinges, & so behaued him self as though he had takē no kepe at al of this matter. So whē the euening drue nie, and Christ semed to thinke [Page] vpon farre other thinges, se then the disciples busilye preassed and cryed vpon hym, to sende awaye the peo­ple to the villages and stretes that were nexte by, that they myght bye them some meat. Yet not for al this did Christ shewe that he tooke any care to fede these hōgry, but went on as though he cared not, saying: geue them sumwhat to eate. Wherfore y ^• disciples by this answere getting o­portunitie to declare their wisdom & shewe their pouertie: What (quod they) shuld we fede so great a multi­tude? Twēty or. xxx. pieces of golde wer scant inough for vs to bie bread And who shulde paye vs so great a sūme of money, & although we had it in our chest, what? woldest y ^u haue vs laye it out for other men & lacke our selues? Here Christ, as thoughe him selfe had doubted and neded o­ther mens counsell, spake vnto Phi­lip alone, sayinge: whence shall we [Page] bye bread that these men maye eate, what thinkest y ^u is beste to be done? But Philip referred him self to the mynde of his felowes, sayinge: I iudge plainly as my felowes do, for although we bought as much bread as wolde cost. xxx. peces of gold, yet wold it not be inough euery man to haue a litle. How many loaues haue you then quod Christ? And Andrew told him that ther was a yong man amongest thē whiche had. v. barley loaues &. ii. fyshes. But not by thys meanes neyther semed the matter to be holpen, but what be these among so many? Marke I praye you howe constantly Christ dissimuled the en tente of his mynde, & what compas­ses he vseth afore he fede y ^• hongrie: what shal we saye then? Did Christ take so long deliberaciō with his dis ciples, because y ^t either he knewe not what y ^e people lacked, or either wold or could not remedye theyr honger? [Page] Nothing so verily but he wold that the lacke of bread shuld be manifest and knowen, that the greatnes of y ^• miracle whiche he wolde do, mighte wel be knowen. For seinge the apo­stels shuld be teachers of the gospel of Christ, and witnesses of his dedes thorowe all the worlde, it was neces­sary that they shuld thorowly se and perfitly know y ^e miracles of Christ. Here is an other thynge also to be marked. For Chryste the sonne of God teacheth vs by this dissimula­tion & prolongyng to do the mira­cle, for what purpose God is wonte sometyme, althoughe he be long cal led vpon, & weried with many prai­ers to defer y ^e helpe and deliueraūce longe tyme. No mā did euer se God sayth the Euangelist, the only sonne that is in y ^e bosome of his father, he hath shewed hym. And agayne: No man knoweth y ^• father but the sōne. Wherfore in y ^• sonne of God which [Page] is Iesus Christe, the wyll of God muste bee knowen, and his counsell seene. And we see in thys place the sonne of God to tarye longe in fe­dynge the hongrye, and yet in con­ueniente time, he feedeth them after a meruelouse fashion. And euen so playnely be the maners of oure hea uenlie father: for he is wont to seme almoste deafe at the praiers of good men, and to take no care to saue thē. For what purpose dothe he that? God se meth deafe to the pray er of good men. For that, that he heareth the pray­ers of good men and wyll not saue vs? God forbidde. What thin­ges so euer, sayth he, you shall axe in your prayers, and beleue, ye shall haue them. And againe: I wyll heare them beefore they crye, and heare them whyle they be yet spea­kynge. And agayne: Call vpon me in the daye of tribulacion, and I wyll deliuer thee, and thou shalte ho noure me. [Page] God therefore called vpon in fayeth slacketh in gyueynge healpe: not be­cause he wyl not saue you; but he ta­rieth first that by this delay he wold stire vp in the trobled a greter desier to cal vpon hym, that is, to do trewe godly honoure. For the more feruēt­ly ye cal vpō God, the more ye serue God. And we are made for this pur­pose, to worshippe oure Lorde God. Sertainely he tarieth to geue to the afflicted greater benefites, whereby both the afflicted may get greater fe licitie, and the glorye of the name of God maye be more shewed out. For as a graine that is caste in the grounde is not loste, thoughe it be couered wyth yearth and to dye, but rather is encreased, whyche in the haruest tyme apereth manifestlye: so Praiers of fayeth. the praiers put in the bosome of god thorowe fayeth, are not in vayne, al­though they seme not to be hard, but in their conuenient tyme they bryng [Page] fruite plentifully, and God so much the more aboundantlye is wonte to gyue hys benefyte, howe muche the more so [...]dli he was thought to haue bene a slepe. This entente of god in differring his helpe must di­ligētly be learned. For as it helpeth a seru [...]e [...]uche to do his master good [...] if he know his wyl and purpose: So it helpeth vs to serue our lorde god wel, if by prolonging the helpe of god which we call for in our trouble, we knowe what is the wyll of god and his entente, that is, that god doth not defer his helpe be cause he wil not saue vs, but that he wyll saue vs more gloriously & pro­fitably then any man can thinke. Thou wylte saye, what helpeth vs then this knowledge? Firste it ke­peth in vs sufferaūce, which vertue as it is great, so is it a plesaunt ser­uice to god. For he that thorowe the holye goste is perswaded that God [Page] differreth his helpe, not to take it a waye, but to geue it more abundane lye to him that axeth, it can not bee but he muste suffer paciently what­soeuer aduersitie happeneth. More ouer this knowledge kepeth him y ^t doth praye, in doing his duetye, and perseueraunce of prayer. This also is a greate vertue & seruice very ac ceptable to god. For he that wyth a suer hope, trusteth that the benefits of God shall be made more, howe shuld not he continue stil in praier? how shulde not he get forwardes cō stātly? last of al it kepeth him y ^• doth praye in obedience of those offices which by godds vocation he oweth to God and to hys neygheboure: for he that thorowe the holy goste seeth that he shall receaue so much y ^e grea ter benefites of God how much the longer the helpe of God is differ­red, he can not be holden, but moste diligentlye wyl folowe the callynge [Page] of god, lest the benefactor being pro uoked to anger thorow disobedience he receiue an euell turne for a good. And what worke pleaseth god bet­ter then obedience? Better is obedi­ence sayth god, then sacrifice. Wher fore when aduersitie encreaseth and ryseth against vs, let vs not thinke that god hath forgotten vs, or that he careth not for vs, but let vs ac­knowledge and well consider gods entent, that strengthened in fayth, we may go forwardes in the office of our callinge. But that the mira­cle which Christ wyl do, may y ^e more plainly be knowē, the lacke of bread ought to be knowen, not only to the Apostles, but vnto the people also. So Iesus sayde: Make these men sit downe. For there was muche grasse in the place, so ther sat doune a M. & almost v. C. mē in nūb [...]e

Other Euangelistes rehearse al­so the order of their sittinge, that is, that they sat in the grene fieldes in sonder by hundredes and fyfties, [Page] and shewe that besyde almoste fiue thousand men in numbre, there we [...] women and children also. And what then meaneth Christ that he wolde not distribute the bread, except they fyrst sate doune, yea and that euerie man in his order? Could not the mē haue eate, excepte they fyrste had sit­ten? yes they coulde. But as we said before, the lacke of bread ought to be knowen also to the people, that the miracle myght be the more euident. For now whē the men wet set doune and were set in order, they were tho­rowe this sighte stirred vp to feele & searche out betwixt thē selues, what the matter meante, who shulde geue them meate, where they shulde haue bread, for none of thē had broughte bread with thē. So here their lacke was opened, and they were quicke­ned to looke that Christ shulde geue them meate. Yea the order of theyr sitting made the miracle more to be [Page] marked. So when these thinges were thus prepared, Iesus beganne to worke the miracle.

For he tooke breade, and after he had geuen thankes he distributed them to his disciples, and the disciples to thē that were set downe. Lykewyse of the fishe asmuche as he wolde.

We maruayle what Christ ment by bidding them sit doune, and now we more marueile what this ceremo nie of thankes geuing meaneth: for he dealt not the bread before he had fyrst lifte vp his eyes to heauen and gaue open thankes in the sight of al Christe ueth th kes. men. What nede had Christ to these ceremonies? Is not he the worde of god and god him self? He spake and thinges were made, he cōmaunded, and they were created. Whye nowe therfore saye but euen a worde that the loaues myghte be multiplied? Christ myght not only if he had spo kē but one worde, but euen also by a thought only haue multiplied these loaues, but it plesed him to vse these [Page] ceremonies first to shew in the sight of the people that he taughte them none other God, but hym the true God, maker of heauen and earth: & that he did not his miracles by iug­glyng, but by heauenlie, and power of God. Moreouer he wolde teache vs what gyuinge of thanckes was, and how muche it was hable to do. For wher Iohn sayth, he did than­kes, the other saye: He blessed: for by the doinge of thanckes, the. v. loues and two fishes were so blessed increasid and multiplied, that by thē not onlye. v. thousande men euen w ^t women & children were aboundant ly fed, but also there was gathered xii. cophins ful of fragmentes. So in y ^e laste supper Iesus toke bread: & that one Euangelist sayth, he gaue Geuing of thankes, is blessing thanckes, y ^t an other saith he blessed: for bi this giuing thāckes Christ so blessed y ^• bread & the cup of his sup­per, y ^t to them that beleued in Christ [Page] not only thei wer meat & drincke for the bodi to kepe the corporal life, but also meat & drincke to y ^• soule, yea of the whole man, to kepe his lyfe spi­ritualli & eternalli: wherfore to giue God thanckes for his benefites gy­uen & shewed, is to bles his benifits offered vnto vs, to make them fortu nate, to encrease them and multiplie them: and therfore he that doth desi­er to encrease and multipli the good thinges which he hathe receiued by the fauour of god, cā not do it more godly nor more hādsōly, thē if being content w ^tthe benefit y ^t he hath, be it neuer so litle, he geue thākes to god & as he mai do, shew kindnes again. These things must diligētly be mar ked y ^t we may learne a true & godly wai to encrese our riches or other be nefites of god. For mē thorow their corrupt nature be so minded y ^t what soeuer benefite thei haue receiued of god thei thinke it les thē it shuld be. [Page] Wherfore in al their thought & dili gence they bend thē vpō this studie to encrease that, y ^t they haue takē, if not godly & iustly, yet vngodly and vniustli, bi what meanes so euer thei may, so y ^t they may encrease it. But by this meanes the benefite y ^t they haue takē is rather cursed thē bles­sed, & more diminished thē encreased, for the scripture saith. If y ^u hear not the voyce of thy Lorde to kepe & do al his cōmaundemētes, cursed be thi barne, cursed be al that thou leauest behind the. And among the cōmaun dementes, this also is cōteined: thou shalte not steale. Wherby are all de­ceites forbidden, with the which mē are wonte to encrease their ryches. And againe, shal I iustifie the wic­ked balaunce & the deceitful waight of the bagge, by the which ryche▪ mē are fylled w ^t iniquitie? Thou shalt eate & shalt not be filled & thy humi liaciō shalbe in y ^• midste of thi selfe. [Page] Wherefore crafte and deceytes in marchandise is not that waye wher­by ryches are truely blessed and en­creased, but to do that ryghtely, we must learne of the exāple of Christ. Christ toke. v▪ loues & two fishes in­to hys hādes, & although this meate semed nothynge to be sufficiente for so greate a multitude, yet for thys beynge very litle, he gaue thanckes to God hys father. By which than­kes gyuyng it came to passe that so many thousandes were filled of this very litle meate. Let vs also do like wyse. Let vs take those fewe thyn­ges whiche God hath gyuen, in our handes, wyth a faythfull mynde, let vs be cotent with these, yea thoughe they be verye fewe, let vs acknowe­ledge that thorowe our owne good­nes we haue not deserued theym, but that we haue gotten them of the liberall mercy of God, and gyue thā ­kes for them both in wordes and dedes. [Page] For so it shal come to pas y ^t these oure thynges be they neuer so fewe shalbe encreased, & may be sufficiēte both to oure selues & to our familie. But thou wylt say: I am not Christ which by my power can so multiply eyther bread or other thinges, nor I haue not the gyfte to do miracles. Thou sayest well. Thou arte nor Christe: but if thou beleue in Christ thou art a member of Christ. Thin­kest thou y ^t no blessing cōmeth from the head into y ^• member? Is not the head & the mēber so ioyned together that they haue a common vertue? Wylt thou not multiplie thy bread by thankes geuynge wyth some ex­ternall and visible, but by heauenly and spiritual, encrease? Lo sayeth he, thy seruauntes shall eate, and you shall hunger: they shall drincke and you shall thriste, they shall be glad and you shall be confounded. And agayne: God shall not ponishe wyth [Page] hongar the soule of the iust. Wher­fore if by thanckes gyuynge, thy breade shalbe encreased, so that thou dye not for hongar, but obtayne in dede euerlastynge lyfe perpetual­lye, what canne be more plentifull, more profitable than thys encrease? But lette vs go forthe wythe the reste.

And assone as they were fylled, he sayed to hys Dysciples. Gather together the fragmē ­tes that be lefte, that nothyng be loste. So thei gathered together and filled. xii. cophēs of the fragmentes of fyue barley loues, which were left by them that had eaten.

What meaneth this? Some Si­cophante woulde saye: Is not thys couetousnes, that Christe commaun deth to gather together the frag­mentes so carefullye? Is he also care full for to morowe? That that Christe doeth is no couetousnes or wycked carefulnes.

[Page] neuer did syn, neither in hys mouth was founde anye deceite, but it is a greate wysdome and worthy to be marked. For fyrst he commaundeth The frag­mentes be gathered. the fragmentes to be gathered toge ther, that the trueth of the miracle maye be the more sene and better tri­ed: for if he had not multiplied fyue loues wyth very bread, and had not fed so many men in very dede, suer­lye they coulde not haue gathered so manye fragmentes: but the Iug­lynge woulde haue bene perceyued in very dede. But nowe the fragmē ­tes be gathered together, and in ve­ry dede are good to be eaten. Wher­fore it is playne that ther was a mi­racle done in ded [...]. Further Christe teacheth, that we shoulde not abuse the gyftes that GOD gyueth vs here, and that it is lawfull for vs in dede to take the fruite of theym as far as necessitye requireth, and yet not to tread vnder our fete that, that [Page] [...]s left of thē, as for example of corne [...]f wyne and of riches. And the lea­ [...]ynges of corne and wyne and of [...]uch other thinges, are troden vnder [...]ur fete, not onlye when they be tro­ [...]en wyth mennes fete vpon y ^• groūd wythout regarde, but when men de­uoure them glotouously, whan they [...]owle vppe cuppes of dryncke who [...]aye do mooste, and whan they spende in waste the ryches that they haue receiued of their fathers. This [...]erely is a treadinge vnder our fete, which when we do, the anger of God cōmeth vpō vs inobediēt chyldrē, to [...]e punyshed wyth batayles an scar­citye of all thynges. Wo sayeth the prophet to you that ryse erlye in the morning to folow dronckennes, and [...]o swyll tyll it be nyghte, to boile in [...]yne. Harpe, lute, timpane, [...]eute, [...]nd wyne, be in your festes, & ye loke [...]ot vpon the worke of God, nor you do not cōsider the workes of his hā ­des. [Page] Therfore is my people led cap­tiue, because they had no knowledge & their noble men be deade for hon­ger, & the multitude is dryed awaye for thrist. Therefore the fragmentes are not to be troden vnder the fete, but to be gathered together, that v­synge well the benefites of God, we may be saued in the day of necessitie. But nowe it is tyme to speake some­what to what vse thys miracle ser­ueth. For althoughe it may be easilie perceiued, by those thyngs that were spoke before, howe greate fruite this miracle doth brynge to the church of Christ, yet because Christe hym selfe doeth teche two thynges why it ser­ueth chiefely, we must not negligent ly passe ouer the matter: for he reher­seth that one in that sermon, whyche is afterwardes described in thys Chapter. For it is not to be thought that he hath done thys miracle to sig nifie that he was an earthly Messi­as, [Page] and an outwarde kyng, to rule in [...]is world after the manner of other [...]inges, & one that would kepe in ease [...]nd aboūdance of al thynges in this corporal life al such as wold so take [...]im, In dede he would no suffer, that [...]ose y ^t folowed him shuld lacke any necessaries as lōg as he liued here in his world. When I sent you (quoth [...]e) withoute wallet scrip and shooes [...]yd ye lacke any thing? He wold not [...]y this miracle testifye y ^t he was an earthely kyng, & bringe vnto men an external felicitie of thys worlde, but rather he wold confirme the veritye of his gospel, in the which he taught y ^t he was the spiritual & heuēly Mes sias, & that he broughte to men spi­rituall and heauenlye giftes, that is to say, forgyuenes of their sinnes, a­ [...]onemente wyth God, to be chosē, to be vnto the sonnes of God deliue­raunce from death, and euerlastyng ioye in the kyngdome of heauen. [Page] Thys is the bread, this is the meate whyche Christe woulde principallye to be sought for in hym. Whervpon he fled awaye: when he perceiued the commons to take councell to make hym a kyng, and afterwardes when a great multitude of men were come vnto hym, he sayed: I tell you for a suertye you seke me, not because you haue seen the tokēs, but because you haue eaten of the breade and are fyl­led: that is, you seke me not by thys miracle to strengthen youre fayeth whych you oughte to gyue vnto my Gospel, ye seke me not to obtayne in me true iustice & health before God, to the sekyng whereof thys myracle chiefely ought to moue you, but you seke me to haue your meate & drinke and aboundaunce of all thynges wyth me, in rest & idlenes: ye seke not to prouyde for the mynde but for the bellye. But I say vnto you: worcke that meate whych perisheth not, but [Page] that tarieth into euerlastinge lyfe, whyche the sonne of man shall gyue Miracles be done be cause of learninge the gospel. vnto you. By these wordes Christe plainlie teacheth, that by this mira­cle, Christ wold stirre vp mē to lerne his gospel: by the whyche they may knowe, that he is the verie heauenly breade, the which who so euer eateth that is beleueth in Christe, maye be saued with eternall felicitie.

Of the which thyng bycause Christ afterwardes wyll preache at large, we now wyl not tary longer. An o­ther vse of this miracle is in the. xvi of Matheu. For when the disciples toke thought for bread, Christ saith: what thincke ye of within your sel­ues, o mē of litle faith, that you haue not brought breade? Do you not yet vnderstande nor remember those fyue loues, whē there was aboue. v. thousande men, and howe many co­phins ye bare away? Here Christ tea cheth vs that he did the miracle of y ^e [Page] breade for thre causes also: firste to signify to his disciples, that as long as he liued wyth them in corporall presence, they shulde take no corpo­rall harme: also when I was wyth thē, saith he, in y ^e world, I saued thē in thy name. Those that y ^u haste ge­nen vnto me, I haue kept them, and none of thē is perished, but the sōne of perdiciō, that the scripture might be fulfilled. Hitherto also this apper teineth, y ^t in Marke, their vnbele­uing errour is cast in their teth whi che they had when they sawe Christ walking vpō the sea. Merueilously & aboue measure saith the Euange­list, wer they astonied & marueiled. For thei dyd not vnderstande of the bread, for their harte was blinded: that is, although a litle before they had sene the miracle of y ^e breade, yet wer they not so wittie to vnderstāde by that, y ^t Iesus was the very saui­our which coulde & wolde not onlye [Page] saue him self, but also al other y ^e wer w ^t him, as wel in the flouddes of the sea, & tempestes, as in all other ieo­perdies. Also he shewed this mira­cle to cōfirme the veritie of this say­ing: first seke the kingdō of god and his iustice, & al these thinges shal be caste vnto you. For this miracle is an heauēly seale, wherby god dothe testifie that he wyll geue vnto euery man that walketh in the vocacion of God in faythe, sufficiente meate, drinke, and clothynge. For lyke as in a well ordered householde, the good manne of the house requireth this of his familiars bothe children and seruauntes, euerye man shulde do his duetie, and that one in deede shulde se the ground tilled, an other cutte the vine, an other wood, and some sweepe the house, and he hym selfe taketh care to prepare meate, & to geue it to euerye man in due tyme thoughe not wyth hys owne hand, [Page] yet at the least waye, by his own or­dinaunce and commaundemente.

And so what could be worse, then if the seruaunt wolde set lyght by his masters commaundement, neither wolde tyll his ground, and yet take vpon hym too prouide for meate, whereby he wolde wander vp and downe to take bread? So our lorde God, he is a greate housekeper, and God is the houseke­per, and ca reth for his housholde. we men are his household: And eue­rie one of vs hath his vocacion, his office, whiche he is ordeined of god to do. Seynge therefore that we be the householde of God, we oughte not to be thoughtful what we shuld drynke, or what clothes we shulde weare, for this care god, as master of the householde, hath taken vpon hym: but we oughte to bee carefull, howe diligentlye, howe obediently, and howe godly we do oure duetye. Let this be our worke, let thys bee oure laboure, to seke after vertue.

[Page] For God sayeth he wyl not destroie wyth honger the life of a iuste man. And the Lorde knoweth the dayes of the vndefiled, and their inheri­taunce shall laste for euer. In tyme of trouble they shall not bee con­founded, and in the dayes of hon­ger they shall be filled.

These are so muche the more di­ligentlye to bee considered and fo­lowed, howe much the common sort of menne is wonte more to offende in getting them their liuinge. For men commonlye are thus mynded as we se that Philip and Andrewe in the declaracion of thys miracle, were. For as they thinke that ney­ther a litle money, nor a litle meate do suffise to feede so greate a multi­tude of people, and when they se no meate before their eies, they wot not whither to turne them: So menne when they se in getting their liuing that nothinge is lefte in earthe, they [Page] thynke also that nothynge is lefte in heauen: and where mannes helpe wanteth, they suppose there also the helpe of god to lacke, and therefore they lifte not vp their minde to god, but rather turne to the craftes of the Deuell. They robbe, they steale, they trifle, they studye for deceiptes and craftes onlye, yea howe soeuer it be, to get them sustenaunce. And when they be rebuked, they make ex cuses: I must nedes, sayth one, haue to fynde me and my householde.

Thou sayest well. Thy householde in deede muste be founde. But to Thi house holde must bekept, but sinne thou muste not. steale, and to studie for deceytes and craftes, that is not to kepe an house­holde, but to destroye an household: for the scripture fayth. If thou kepe not the commaundementes of God, and amonge the cōmaundmētes of god is conteined: thou shalte not steale, God shall sende famine & hon ger vpon the, a cursing vpon al thy [Page] workes. And againe: Some geue parte of their owne & waxe rycher: some steale away that is not theire owne, & they are alwayes in pouer­tie. And againe: They coulde not do Deceiptes do not pro spere. ryght, saith the lorde, treasuring vp iniquitie and rapine in their houses. Therefore thus saith the lorde god: The lande shall be troubled and be besieged, and thy strength shall bee drawen oute of the, and thy houses shall be spoyled. Thou seest that to take y ^t is other mens, & get riches by deceytes, is not to norishe thy selfe & thy houshold, but rather to caste the into pouertie & hōger. But to walke thorow faith in the vocacion of god and in thy busines to folow ryghte­ousenes, this in deede is to noryshe thy houshold. For the iuste shall en­herit the earth, & shal dwell vpon it for euer. And the health of iust men is of the lorde, & he is their protector in the daye of tribulacion. [Page] Therfore all disceite must be auoy­ded, iustice and ryghteousenes must be done, that beynge receiued into goddes kepinge, wee may be saued, not only wyth bodely noryshement, but also, whyche is greateste of all, wyth heauenly and spiritual meate, thorowe Iesu Christe oure Lorde: whyche is together wyth the father and the holye goste, the blessed God for euer.

Amen.

WE haue hearde howe liberallie, howe mar­ueilousli Christ hath behaued hym selfe to ward this multitude of menne, whiche folowed him into deserte. For wyth fiue loaues and two fyshes he fed more then a thou­sande and fyue hundred menne.

[Page] Let vs heate howe thys people she­wed theym selues agayne towarde thys marueilous feder.

These men than (sayeth the Euaungeliste) whan they had fene the sygne that Iesus had done, sayed: Thys is in verye dede that pro­phet that should come vnto the world. So Iesus when he had knowen that they would come and force him to be a kynge went asyde hym selfe alone into the mountaine.

There be two thynges that these men take vpon them to shewe theyr kynde mynde towarde Christ. The one is that they prayse hym in wor­des, and speake openly and confesse that he was the prophet which Mo ses wrot shulde come into the world, and the which the Iewes loked for at that tyme. An other that they coū sailed among theym selues to make hym a king: for Messias is as much to saye, as one annoynted, or a kyng. They thinke they shoulde do verye great seruice to God if by theyr con­sentes they shoulde lyfte hym vppe [Page] to the dignity of a king. And in this the peoples doynge some thynges are worthy prayse, and some thynge to be rebuked. It is to be cōmended that stiered vp by this miracle, they graunt to the doctrine of Iesus, and perceyue that he is verye Messias him selfe. But it is greately to be rebuked that they thinke the kinge­dom of Messias should be a corpo­ral kingdom here in this world, and that Messias shoulde rule after the facion of the kynges of thys world: and nowe they thinke thē selues ve­ry happy that they haue got a king, whych not onely is hable by hys mi racles to gather vnto hym a gret at mie, and ouercome al the world, but also by whom they may be fed with­out any labour of theirs, & maye get al earthly felicitie. Thys opinion of Messias kingdom is carnal, & wor­thy to be condemned. For the Mes­sias whom the prophetes promised [Page] is no earthly kynge. And oure bles­sednes resteth not in this that the bo dy should fare wel, & that we should rest vs carnally and sluggeshly and be fed for naught, but that we shold be well in spirite, and be fed wyth meate euerlastynge: of the whyche thynge Christe hym selfe wyl preach after wardes more at large. And not onely the carnall opinion of the peo ple of the Kyngdome of Messias, but also their lyghtnes, their waue­rynge and inconstaunce, yea and the rashenes also of the people, is wor­thy to be rebuked. For they whome nowe when he fedeth them, desiar to make him a Kynge, & set hym as hye as heauen, hym afterwardes whan he was led prisoner to the crosse, ey­ther dysdaynefully they dyspised, or spitefullye mocked, or euen wyth the other they cried to nayle hym on the Crosse.

[Page] Thys is the nature of the common people that they neuer in a meane ei­ther fauour them that do them good or hate them that they thyncke to be euel doars. Thys is a syknes and fu rie not a iudgement or soūdnes. For althoughe we oughte to be mindful and kynde towardes hym that doth vs good, & hate euill, yet hath kind­nes hys boundes, that is that we do not as the Paganes haue done, to make goddes of menne, or as is the maner of the Hypocrites to do, to make of saynctes our redemers & sa uiours frō euil: for we so must hate euyll that for all that we forget not what we oughte to do, and recom­pence not euill wyth euil, but wyth good. Whiche thynges being thus, let vs se nowe howe Christ behaued hym selfe towarde thys fauoure of the people. Whan he had knowen sayeth the Euangelyste, that they woulde take hym and make hym a [Page] kynge, by and by as Mathew sayth he compelled hys Disciples to take shyp, and to go before hym vnto the other syde of the riuer: but he hym selfe fled, and went agayne aparte in to the mountayne alone. Thou wilt say: what meaneth thys? Why doth Christe flye? Why doth he not take vpon hym a princely maiestie, why­che is offered hym of the people? Is the office of a kynge so abhominable afore God, that it maye not be lawe­full to take it vpon hym and beare it? Uerelye nothynge lesse. There is The maie­stie of a king is the ordinaūce of God. no power (sayeth Paule) but of god. And the powers that be they be or­deyned of God. Wherfore he that is lawfully called to offyce of a kyngs maiestye, maye with good conscience be occupied in that kynde of lyfe.

But what saye you? Would Christ by thys runnynge awaye sygnifie that althoughe the office of a kynge of it selfe be exceptable to God, yet [Page] shuld good [...]ē thorow humilitye flie mannes glory and maiestie, and cast theym selues into some vyle kynd of lyfe, as Christe speaketh at an other tyme: learne of me for I am meke & lowlye in herte. Naye the goynge awaye teacheth not thys nother.

For althoughe Christe do bydde vs folowe the example of hys humili­tye, yet is it no humilitye, rashelye to caste awaye hys lawefull voca­cion, and to take vpon hym a more abiecte kynde of liuynge wythoute the commaundemente of God, but it is verye humilitye to serue obedi­entelye to Goddes wyl, and hys or­dinaunce in euery vocacion be it no ble or vyle. Thus, lowlye was Iob, that is obedyent to the wyll of God aswell in ryches as in pouertye, whan he sayed: GOD hath gyuen, God hath taken awaye: the name of God be blessed. Thus was Dauyd lowlye, that is, obediente to the wyl [Page] of god, whether he were in his king­dome or banyshement. For he sayd: If I fynde grace in the eyes of the Lorde, he wyll brynge me agayne. But if he saye, thou pleasiste me not, I am tedye: lette hym do that he thyncketh good wyth hym selfe: so Christe hym selfe the verye Da­uyd was lowely. For whan he was called by GOD to beare hys crosse he bare it obediently. Afterwarde be ynge called to recey [...]e the heauenly maiestie in the kyngdome of his fa­ther, he toke that also obedientlye. This is verye humilitie, whereby you cast not awaye your lawfull vo cacion, but that in euery lawful vo­cacion thou obeist thy Lord thy god Wherfore Christ would not by this goynge away teache good men, that either they ought not to take vpon theim the doynge of a kinges office, if they be lawfully called vnto it, or that thei shuld rashly and w ^tout the [Page] callynge of God cast it away, if they haue taken it vpōthē before, what is the matter than, that he fled awaye, and woulde not be made a Kynge? And verelye, if you consider his doc­trine, he toke vpō him much greater and nobler thynges, than if he had a uaūced him selfe an outwarde kyng of Israell. He preached that he was the lyghte of the worlde, that he was the lyfe and resurreccion. He saied he was the sonne of god, yea and equal to God hym selfe. These thynges in dede be muche greater & more excel­lent, than if he had taken vpon hym the maiestye of a Kynge amongeste men. Why is it thā, that he refuseth thys, and taketh vpon hym that o­ther? The callynge of GOD is the cause, and his office. For Christ was not sente from heauen into yearthe for thys entente to do the office of a kyn̄ge in thys worlde, and to beare rule vpon the yearth, after the ma­ner [Page] of a kinge, but he was sent to be a prophet and a preacher of y ^• Gos­pel Christes callynge. in Israell: and as Paule calleth hym, a minister of circumsicion for the truth of god, to confirme the pro mises of the fathers. For the Lorde sayeth by Moses of Christe: I wyll rayse vp a prophet in the myddes of his brethren, lyke to the, and I wyll put my wordes in hys mouthe, and he shall speake vnto thē al thynges, whych I shall commaunde hym. I wyll (sayeth he) rayse vp a prophete, y ^t is to say a preacher, not a worldly kynge or chiefe gouernoure. And I wyl (sayth he) put my wordes in his mouth, not a corporal sweard in his hande. And he shal speake vnto thē: he sayeth not, he shal correcte theym by outward and corporal violence. And in Esaye. The spirite of the Lorde is vpon me, because that he hath annoynted me, and sente me to preache the gospel to the lowely: he [Page] sayeth not: He hath sente me to rule amonge men after the fashion of a Kynge, but to preache the Gospel to theym that be in sorowe and misery. For althoughe the Prophetes do sometyme so describe the kyngdome of Christe, as thoughe it were a cor­poral kyngdom, yet is y ^t discripcion so defenced wyth circumstaunces ine speciallye whan they saye, that hys kyngdome shal be euerlastyng, that nedes you muste vnderstande that his kyngedome is not corporal but spirituall, neyther yearthlye but heauenly, and that he will gyue, not externall but eternal gooddes, name ly forgyuenes of synnes, eternall iu­stice, euerlastynge lyfe, and filicitye. Wherefore that Christe foloweth not the peoples mynde, and taketh not vpon hym the princely maiestie of thys worlde, and yet for all that teacheth that he hym selfe is y ^• verye sonne of God, yea and god hymselfe [Page] whyche is greater than al the maie­stye of man, boeth thynges he doeth accordynge to hys offyce, and the vo cacion of God. And by hys exam­ple he teacheth vs, that no manne should folowe the common peoples delier, to synne agaynst god, neyther that we should take vpon vs an o­ther vocacion wythout the cōmaun­dement of god. For it cannot be that he that foloweth another mans plea sure wythout goddes callynge in ta kyng vpon hym to exercise common matters, should haue any happye or prosperous successe of hys purpose. For what cold be happy w ^t out god? Thei haue raigned saith he, but not by me, they haue bene princes but I haue not knowen thē. And he sayeth straight way: Now wyl he remēber their iniquites & viset their sinnes. And a litle after: I wil send fier into ther citis & it shal deuor their houses Wherfore, eueri mā ought diligētly [Page] to studie for this, that what so euer he taketh in hand, he may take it by goddes callynge, that he maye call vpon God in faith, and in that that he hath taken vpon him, to be occu­pied with a good cōsciēce. We haue heard what he did vpon the land, let vs hear now what was done vpō y ^• sea. When it was euening sayth y ^• euangelist his disciples wente downe to the sea toke ship passed ouer the sea and came to Capernaum. For after that Christ had perceyued the commē peoples purpose tomake him a kinge, he wolde not suffre his disciples to tarie anie lenger with the cōmen people: but forthwyth cō ­pelled thē, as Mathew & Marke sai to take ship & go before him vnto y ^• other side of the bancke, vntill he hadde sente awaye the multitude.

For peraduenture he sawe, y ^t if his disciples shuld tary amōg y ^• people stil in his absence, thei wold haue be come helpars of this sedition, in cho [Page] sing him a king: because y ^t they also thought y ^t Christes kingdom shuld haue bene worldely. Wherefore al­thoughe they thought it more wys­dome either to tarye among the peo ple or wyth Christe, yet are they con trarye to their mynde, and whether they woulde or no compelled to go a waye, and that for a verye good pur pose of Christe, partly y ^t they should not wax sedicious wyth the people, and partly that by risyng of the tem pestes in the sea, they myght the bet­ter knowe the power and maiestie of Christe: by whyche exampel we are warned, to take pacientely, if to the meanynge and wyll of oure mynde whyche semeth good vnto vs, a stop We muste not wyth­stand god­des wyll. be made by goddes prouision and worckynge. For it is God the why­che as he ruleth al, so also prouideth for all. And berynge a fatherly loue to al those y ^t beleue in Christ, he doth w ^t so great care kepe thē that he ma­keth [Page] prouision lōg before, y ^• nothing come vnto them y ^t may be cōtrary to their helth. Wherfore if in some thin ges he let thē not haue their wyll, he doth it not to do them hurt but to do thē good, & to bring to thē greater cō modities, than they at that tyme are hable to perceyue. Do ye not se how ernestlye the Carnall fathers wry­the oute of their yonge Chyldrens hādes, kniues & litle swerdes which thei by chaūce haue gottē? And they in dede wepe, & striue against thē as­much as they can, yet do the paren­tes stil breke thē of their mynds, not because they hate their litel children but because they loue them, & feare lest w ^t these kniues thei should hurt them selfe vnwares, or parauenture kyl them selues: so also god y ^• father letteth the desiars of his childrē, not to destroye thē but to saue thē. Ther is no more therfore whē that god is agaynst oure purpose be it neuer so [Page] good, but that we shoulde knowe­ledge hys fatherly affeccion and suf­fer hys hande pacientelye. Further Iesus whan he had sente away his Disciples to shyppe, and the people were gone, hym selfe alone went vn­to the mountayne to praye. And his Disciples, nyght beynge at hande, began to passe ouer the sea towarde the towne Capernaū. Let vs heare nowe, what happened to hys Dys­ciples in the sea whan Christe was awaye.

It was nowe darcke (sayeth he) and Iesus was not yet come vnto them. And there blewe a greate wynde, and the sea began to ryse. So when they sailed almost▪ xxv. or. xxx. furlōges they sawe Iesus walking vpon the sea, & draw yng [...]ie to the ship, & were afeard. And he said vnto theym. It is I, feare ye not. So they woulde haue take hym into the shyppe, and forthwith the shyp was at the shore whyther they wente. We haue rehearsed that which Iohn hath towched in a fewe wordes: but we woll ioyne those [Page] thinges also, whyche the other Eu [...] ­gelistes wright more largely of this historye, that we maye [...]e more dili­gently consider the multitude of the miracles that were here, and the ma­iestye of Christe. So the Dysciples cōpelled by theyr master, sayled ouer the sea. But behold, whan they were nowe come into the deapth and that it was verye darcke, a greate winde arose, & the sea waxed so big that the Disciples were in extreme [...]eopardy. What trowe you, the Dysciples thought now, what coūcel toke thei? Truely it is lykely, y ^t they thoughte thus in their minde: Behoulde oure master, by hys straite commaunde­ment hath cast vs into these so great ieopardies. He hath thruste vs from hym to be drowned in these floudes. Wherefore of al men we be the most folish that both before thys we haue folowed his doctrine, and now haue obeyed hys commaundemente. For [Page] whither be we brought but into vt­ter destrucciō? But Christ although he was far of, and that it was verye darcke, yet sawe he in what ieopardy his Dysciples were: and they had de serued in dede to be lefte in this ieo­perdye and to haue be drowned, be­cause that boeth forgettynge Chri­stes teachynge and hys miracles, they dyd dispayre. But Christe hath a greater regarde of hys owne mer­cy and goodnes, than of their desert: Wherefore whan that nowe they were gone wyth greate laboure and studye aboute. xxx. furlonges, Iesus came vnto them walkynge vpon the sea, as if he had gone vpon the hard grounde. By whiche miracle he dyd not signifye that he had not a verye and naturall bodye of a man, but he signified that as he was the Lorde of heauen and yearth, so was he also the Lorde of the sea. Well what do the Disciples than? At the fyrst they [Page] knowe not it is Iesus Christe, but they thinke it is a spirite: they thinke it a diuell wythoute a bodye whyche came to take from theym their lyfe. And therefore theyr feare was dow­bled, and they horriblye cryed out. Here is no fayeth, no callynge for healpe, but as the hert was blynded, so was it in despaire. For they dyd not vnderstande, as Marke sayeth, of the loues: that is they had not cō ­ceyued by the miracle, whyche the same day was shewed wyth fyue lo­ues and two fishes, so greate know­ledge of Christe, that they trusted theym selues to be salfe, by hys fore­care, power, and healpe, aswel in the perils of the sea, as also in the mid­dell route of diuylles. But whome Christ by his commaundement had cast into perlis, those same also dyd he saue. He opened hym selfe there­fore wyth hys voyce, criynge oute agayne: It is I, be not afearde: [Page] to which voyce al his Dysciples be­ynge conforted, and in especially [...] Peter, Lorde (quoth he) if it be thou, commaunde me to come to the vpon the waters. And it was wel and wy­selye done of Peter, that he wōulde not putte hym selfe into the waters of the sea, but beynge commaunded and called of Christe. For we ought to put oure selfe in no peril rashelye, and not called of GOD. So Ie­sus called Peter and he walked vp­on the waters: but as there came vp on hym a greate wynde, he was so a­fraide, that hys fayeth fel from hym, and beganne to syncke. But whan he had called for the helpe of Christ, in dede he was rebuked because he douted, & was of a weake faieth, but Christe toke hym by the hande and saued hym. And so boeth wente in­to the shyppe to the reste, and than the tempeste dyd not onelye ceasse, but the shyp was also in the hauen, [Page] and was come to y ^t part of the shore from the whych it was farre of, whā Christ came. Thou hast here a great heape of miracles: Iesus was far of from hys Dysciples, the darckenes of the nyghte was verye greate, and yet he sawe in what ieoperdye they were on the sea. This agreeth w ^t the miracle, whā Iesus saw Nathanael vnder the fig tre, and sawe Lazarus whan he was deade, beynge yet far of frome Iurye, where Lazarus dyed. And afterwardes he walked vpon the waters as vpon the drye groūde: which verely was a wonder full miracle. And not onelye dyd he that hym selfe wyth hys owne body, but also he bad Peter to do the same and Peter obeyng hys wordes, wal­ked lykewyse vpon the water, and was preserued that he was not drouned: By the whyche miracle the po­wer of Christe is manifestly proued. Moreouer by hys presence he alay­ed [Page] the tempest of the sea, whych selfe thyng also is a profe of the maiestie of Christe, to whome yea the sea and the windes do obei. Finally the ship was sodaynely in that hauen to the whyche they coulde not come before wyth greate labour. These miracles be so great that the Dysciples why­che be in the ship dyd worshyp hym and that worthely, as Mathew doth wryghte, and confessed him to be the verye sonne of God. And nowe we maye not thynke that these thynges were done & put in wrytyng for the Dysciples sake onely, but they par­taine to the whole cōgregacion, and set before vs an Image of thynges which be done in al ages in y ^• church of God. For althoughe there be not here in the shyp verye manye Disci­ples, yet are they the church of god, they are the chosen people of God. the churche in one ship. In thys place is also Christe hym selfe, head of the church. Wherefore [Page] y ^• y ^• here is done is an image of those thynges whych are alwayes wount to be done betwixt the churche, and Christ the heade thereof. The sea is thys worlde. And in thys worlde is the church of God. I praye not (say­eth Christe that thou wouldest take them out of the world, but that thou wouldest saue theym from euyll. In thys worlde you shall haue trou­ble and affliccion. And againe: you shall wepe and Lamente, but the worlde shall be gladde and reioyce. And Paule sayeth we must enter in to the kyngedome of God by manye affliccions. Further Christe was a­waye in the mountayne, and yet he sawe hys Dysciples that were in greate ieopardye. For althoughe Christ be ascended into heauen, & is now inuisible to oure corporal eies, yet the churche that is in ieopardye is wel seen to of him, & he is ready to healpe hys church: he taketh care for [Page] it, and loketh vpon all the paynes and trobles of it to help and saue it.

For he sitteth at the ryght hand of GOD, and is thee almyghtye gouernour of al thinges. Wherfore neyther heyth, nor length, nor depth can lette hym, that he shoulde not healpe hys churche beynge in paine and sorowe. But lyke as he came to hys Dysciples in the myddle of the tempest, and was thoughte to haue bene a spirite of the dyuell, that woulde haue drouned theym in the watters, so he came in dede accom­panied in thysworlde wyth a crosse, and couered wyth diuers afflicci­ons. Wherefore in verye greate aduersitye men that be of a weake fayeth, thyncke not that Christe the sauioure is there, but a legion of dyuylles, that woulde destroye theym euen oute of hande. For they gyue not suere confydence to thys promise of GOD, whych is in the▪ [Page] lxxxx. Psalme: I am wyth hym in tribulacion, I wil take him out and glorify hym. But by cause y ^t thē they se nothing but aduersitie thei thinke much rather that the deuyll is there to oppresse them, than Christe to de­lyuer. But Christe opened him selfe to hys Dysciples by hys voyce and by speakynge vnto theym, sayinge: It is I, be not aferde: so also he she­weth Th [...] Gos­pel is the voyce of Christe. hym selfe to hys church by his Gospel. For the Gospel is the voice of Christe whereby he declared that he hym selfe to was sente into the worlde for thys purpose, that who­soeuer beleueth in hym shuld not pe­rishe, but haue lyfe euerlastynge. He sayeth also in another place: I am the resurreccion and lyfe, he that be­leueth in me althoughe he be deade he shall lyue, and euery one that ly­ueth and beleueth, shal not dye euer lastyngely. Wherefore when greate troubles aryse, we must giue care to [Page] the voice of Christe and to his gos­pell, that thereby we maye take cō ­forte, and be saued. But as Christe walked vpon the sea, and yet dyd he it not alone, but he called also Peter to do y ^• same. And althoughe he, whan the wynde blewe sore vp­on hym, began to doute and syncke doune: yet whan he called vpon the helpe of Christ, he is saued, beynge caught by the hande of Christe: so Christ preached not hys owne gos­pel alone and confirmed it with mi racles, but he chose vnto hym Apo­stles to be hys felowes, and vnto the also he gaue the gift to do mira cles. Then after theym folowe the ministers of the church to shew out the gospell that they haue receyued of the Apostels. What hath happe­ned then? That that was spoken to the Apostels: Beholde I sende you into the myddes of wolues. That sayinge stretcheth out not onelye to [Page] the ministers, but also to the self of­fice of preachynge of the Gospell. For in thys worlde so greuous ca­lamities, are wont to ryse agaynste the ministers of the churche, that it lacketh but a litell, to be vtterly de­stroyed. Therfore they that be a li­tle to weake, are diuerslye mynded, and almoste fall in dispayre. But it is happy, Christe is redy at hande: and beyng called vpon, putteth out his hande, and preserueth the mini­sterye of the churche: whych semeth to other, to be destroyed. The ga­tes of hell (sayeth he) shall not pre­uayle agaynste it. And agayne. Lo I am wyth you, al the dayes, euen to the ende of the worlde. Finallye Christe beynge receyued into the shyppe, ther is made a great calme, and the shyp is in y ^e heauen. For he that by the Gospell wyll knowe­ledge Christe, and receyue hym by fayeth, how can not he be in safty, & [Page] (as the prouerbe is) haue his shyp in the hauen in dede.

For wher Christ is, ther must the streme nedes be a calme, and death lyfe. He that beleueth (sayeth he) in me, although he be deade shal liue. Let vs take Christe therefore into our shyppe wyth obediente fayeth, that we maye safelye come, by the stormes of al afflicciō and death, in to the hauen of euerlastynge lyfe, thorow the grace and helpe of Iesu Christ oure Lord: whiche together with the father and holye gooste, is god blessed for euer.

Amen.

THey be greate and excellent mi­racles whych hi­therto the Euan gelist hath reher sed and we haue [Page] metely expounded, but much grea­ter and more excellente is the sermō whyche Christ made: takinge occa­sion of the corporall breade, for the whyche the multitude of men folo­wed more than for the spirituall breade. Of the Sermon before we nowe speake, we wyll a lytell touch these thynges, whych happened af­ter that Christe and hys Apostels had passed the sea.

The nexte daie (sayeth the Euangelist) the multitude whych stode on the other syde the lea, after they sawe that ther was none other vessell there but that onelye whereunto hys Dyscipels were entred, and that Iesus was not gone into that barge wyth hys Dysci­ples, but that hys dysciples only wher gone: (And ther came other boates from the sea of Tibirias, nye vnto the place where they had eaten bread after the Lord had gyuen thākes) So whan the people had seen that Iesus was not ther, nether hys dysciples, they also went into boats, and came vnto Caparnaū sekyng for Iesus. And when they had founde him on the other syde the sea, they sayde vnto hym: Maister when camest thou hither?

[Page] The miracles that were done in the sea none knowe but hys Dysci­ples. But nowe the whole multi­tude of men knoweth also, that Ie­sus was not come on y ^t other side of the banke without miracles. Wher fore whan they axe of Iesus whan or howe he was come thither, they testifye that they dyd knoweledge the maiestie of hys power, and mar­uayle much at him. But Iesus ans­wered theym farre other wyse than they had thought. For he saide.

Verely, verely I say vnto you: ye seke me not because you haue sene y ^• miracles, but by­cause you haue eate of y ^• bread and are fylled. Thys is a sore and earnest rebuke y ^t they shulde abuse y ^• miracle: I haue shewed a miracle (sayeth he) wyth. v loues and two fyshes, not for thys purpose to shewe that I woulde be a worldly kynge, and brynge vnto those that folow me felicitie of thys corporall lyfe, and fede theym ydle [Page] and sluggish, but that by this signe and miracle they beynge stirred vp, shoulde knowledge the truth of my doctryne, and seke for the meate of true, and euerlastynge life. But you folowe me not because ye se the mi­racles, that is not to vse the mira­cles ryghtely, and seke for in me the meate of euerlastyng life, but to fat your bodies wyth idelnes and sluggishnes: you seke not for iustice but for surfettes, you care not for hea­uen, but youre belye. Get ye hence therefore and youre belies to. I de­sier to haue fa [...] other folowers, than suche as care for nothinge but their belies. What would you than haue vs to do? It foloweth.

Worcke not the meate that perisheth, but that abydeth stil into euerlastynge lyfe why­che the sonne of man wyl gyue you. For god the father hath sealed hym▪

Thys is a necessarye admonici­on. For men be so corrupte wythe [Page] synne, that they take muche greater care to nouryshe the bealye, than to nouryshe the mynde, and more fo­lowe after the corporall breade and that whyche shall peryshe, than the heauenlye and euerlastynge bread. But thys is the preposterous and peruerse care for thynges. For man is made not after the similitude of oxen, swyne or other beastes, why­che studye onelye for the bealy, and do nothynge but this to folowe af­ter corporall meate, but he is made after the Image and similitude of GOD, that is, to knowe God, and studye for diuine thynges, and that shall laste for euer. For whether ye behold mannes bodye, or his mind, we be monished by the nature and syghte of these thynges, that we seke not for corporall meate one­lye after the manner of beastes. O­ther creatures gyuen to the bealye, loke downewardes to the grownd, [Page] but mans body is vpryght to loks vpon heauen. Man therfore ought to care for heauenlye thynges not yearthlye. And of the mynde what shoulde we saye more? It is the chie fest parte ōf man, whyche in verye dede is not preserued by bodilye su stenaunce, but by other that is farre more excellent: that is heauenly & of God. Wherefore whither ye cōsider eyther the body or the minde of mā, it is mete by no reason, that a man should studye chiefelye and special ly of al to saue and trim the bodye. And if mā had not synned, he shuld haue led suche a lyfe, as shuld haue bene troubled wyth no affliccions at all, and shoulde so haue vsed his corporal meate, that for al that with all hys mynd and thought he shuld haue bene in the contemplacion of heauenlye and Godlye thynges.

Thys shoulde haue bene the lyfe in Paradise. But after that man had [Page] synned, for synne he was cast out of Paradise into this woful wretched life: not to tary in it foreuer, but for a tyme, as it were in a prisonne and dongen, because he should conceiue a desiar to be deliuered, and should thyncke to recouer the happines y ^t he had lost. But he that drowneth The [...]uge g [...]shnes of man in se­king heauē ly thynges is reproued hym selfe wholly in the cares of cor poral and earthly thynges, I praie you what other thynge doth he, thā if a man thrust and shutte in to an horyble prison, woulde not laboure for thys to be deliuered out, but ra­ther to tarye longe ther and delight in fylthynes & stinke? What thyng should be more folysh or more mad than thys? And yet the same playne ly do they, whyche neglectinge and despising heauenly thinges, droune theim selues altogether vpon these earthely. But marke thou me what the fyrste and chiefe commaunde­ment of God meaneth: I (sayeth he) [Page] am thy Lorde God. Thou shalt not haue any other goddes in my sight. And agayne: Thou shalte loue thy Lorde God wyth all thy herte, with al thy mynd & with al thy strength. Althoughe no man in thys worlde can perfectelye fulfyll thys com­maundemente, yet doeth it put eue­rye man in remembraunce of hys dutye, that he shoulde knowe what he oughte to do to hys true Lorde God. For it techeth y ^t this is the of­fice of man, not that he shuld make of his bely a GOD, and serue on­ly for hys bealy profit as swine do, but that he shoulde worshyppe the true, omnipotente and heauenlye God our lord, and seke for heauen­lye and Godlye thynges wyth all hys herte. Thys seruyce we owe to God fyrst for hys creacion, because he hath made vs menne after hys owne Image and similitude, and after because he hathe made vs a­gayne [Page] by an other creaciō & hath re­demed vs by hys only sōne our lord Iesus Christe, by whom he hath de liuered vs from the power of dark­nes, & borne vs vp to his kingdō. What is thā more fowle or shame­ful than despisynge God, and neg­lectynge the seruice that we owe vn to God, to folowe onely after man­ny she, bodily and earthly thynges? Well go to, we woll counte some part of the tyme of our lyfe, and we wyll compare wyth that our study, that it maye be playne, howe greate our sluggyshenes and dulnes is in learnynge, and considerynge those thynges which pertayne to our ve­ry hauenly and euerlasting health. One weke is made of seuen dayes, and one naturall daye is of. xxiiii. houres. Nowe number the howres of one weke, and thou hast an hun­dred. lx. and right howres. What is done now?

[Page] There is commonly among men so greate negligence of heauenly thin­ges, that in so many howers of one weke, they take not an hour or two in the whiche earnestly, they thinke of theyr heauenlye saluacion. But let vs speake also of the yere. One of oure common yeares is made of three hundreth, threscore, and fyue dayes. And where euerye daye is of xxiiii. howers, there are numbered in one yere eyght thousande, seuen hundred, and threescore howres.

And you shall fynde some that in so manye thousande howers, wyll not take theym three or foure, in the whyeh with al their minde and all theyr thoughte, they wyll talke of heauenlye thynges, eyther wyth them selues, or wyll heare them tal­ked of openlye of the ministers of the church: & yet for al that bestowe all theyr howres in slepe, in meate, in handy laboure, in feastes, in ba­thes, [Page] in talke of mooste vayne thyn­ges, in walkyng abrode in, iorneis, in beinge and sellinge of marchaū ­dise: and who is hable to reherce vp all bodilye mens occupacions? Is not thys not onelye a verye foule thynge, but also a mooste perilous thynge? The hystorye Ecclesiasti­call doth declare that one Pambus are Heremite, dyd come at Athana­sius desiar, from the wyldernes to Alexandria. He, whan he had seene there a woman (as men saye) muche lyke a player, decked wyth muche gold and precious stones, he wept. Beynge axed why he dyd so, Two thynges (sayth he moued me. That one, the death of thys woman. The other, because I do not so much stu­dye to please God my sauioure, as she to please vngracious mē. Pam­bus in dede sayed verye godly. But thys is wyth earneste teares to be wepte for, that not onelye one or [Page] two womē, but almost al the whole sorte of men watche with great care and al their thoughes only for this to serue the bealy: y ^• whiche what o­ther thynge is it, than to go to hys owne presente death & destruccion? Meates (sayth Paule) are appoyn­ted for the bealy, & the bealy for the meates: And god wyll destroie both the one & the other. And againe: ma ny walke, of the which I haue often shewed you, and nowe I speake a­gaine wepinge, that be the enemyes of Christes crosse, whose end is des­truccion, and their bealie their God, and the glori shalbe to their shame, that ca [...]e for earthlye thynges. And Christ sayeth: what profitteth it mā if he wynne al the world, & haue the losse of his sole? Likewise what pro fitteth it to haue your body ful of al kind of diliciouse meates, & for all y ^• to let youre mynde pyne awaye for lacke of hauēly meate, which saueth [Page] you for euer. For I praye you cōs [...] ­der me what y ^t ende of these studyes is. For if thou worke as Christ spe­keth, or only folow after that meate that perisheth, that is to saye bodily and earthly, thou semeste in dede to saue thy body for a tyme, & that no­thinge longe, but shortly after thou shalt lese euen together w ^t the life of thy bodye, thy whole & euerlastinge health. And so both the bodye, & the sole be lost together. But if y ^• worke the meate which abideth still into e­uerlasting life, than althoughe thy body be somtyme hungry, yea I say more, die also, yet is thy soule saued. And thy soule beynge saued, the bo­dye also is saued thorowe the Lord Iesus Christ, which wil transforme our yearthly bodye to make it lyke vnto his glorious body, accordyng to that hys myghtye power in wor­kynge, by the whyche he maketh all thynges subiecte vnto hym. [Page] Wherfore let this be our onely stu­dye & care, let thys be our thought, to worcke meate that remayneth [...]n to euerlastynge lyfe. But I saye, muste we do nothynge els in thys world: is it not lawful to seke for bo dilye meate? So thoughte certaine folyshe Hypocrites, whyche after they had shut thē selues vp in their The slug­gishnes of Hypocrits is condem­ned. celles, than toke meat of other men ydellye. Christe doth not teache vs this. For when he biddeth vs praie: giue vs thys daye our dayly bread, he sheweth plainlye, that we ought to seke also for bodilie meate after the facion in dede that-we shoulde seke. And Paule also: when we were w ^tyou (saith he) we gaue you this cō maundement, that if any man wold not worke he shuld not eate nether. And it foloweth: We heare say that some men order them selues among you inordinatelie, doinge no worke but lyue curiousli. To those that be [Page] such we commaund you, and we de­sier you thorowe our Lorde Iesus Christ, that worcking quietlye, they wold eate their owne breade. What meaneth this than y ^t Christ sayeth: worke not the meate that perisheth? He doeth not condemne an honest waye to seke for bodily fode, but he condemneth the lewde and bacward studye of men. Men are wonte to haue a greater regarde of bodilye fode than spirituall, and they more care for the health of the body than of the soule. But these thynges you must nedes do, and not leaue the o­ther vndone. That you shoulde be kepte to heauenly and euerlastyng lyfe, it is necessarye if you wyl be sa ued. But that you should be kept in thys mortal lyfe it is not necessary. Fyrst (sayeth he) seke for the kyng­dome of God, and all these thynges shall be caste vnto you. And man doth lyue not by breade onelye, but [Page] by euery word that commeth out of the mouth of god. Thys worlde is not our very countrie, but a straūge We be pil­grimes in this world land, in the whyche we go in pilgri­mage. And likewise as if a man ior­neied forth in farre countreyes, he knoweth that this he shuld do only that whan he hath done his busines for the whych he went out, he shuld come home agayne assone as might be, and although that in the meane tyme, he tourne in sometyme to his frendes houses, and behold the buil dynges of other Cities, yet thys is hys chiefe purpose to come home a­gayne to hys owne: so whan we go on pylgrimage in thys lyfe that we shoulde come agayne to oure hea­uenly countrye, althoughe we may seke for oure bodilye meate as it were in oure Inne, yet moste of all the heauenly meate is to be sought for, by whyche we maye be s [...]ued to [Page] euerlastynge lyfe: For thys our ior­ney is takē for that cause. But thou wilte say: what is y ^• meate y ^t bydeth for euer vnto euerlastynge lyfe? I (sayth Christ) am y ^• heauēly Bread whyche am come downe from hea­uen. If anye manne eate of thys breade, he shall lyue for euer. Of the whyche thynge, because we wyl speake more at large hereafter, we wyll not nowe tarye longe, but wyl go forth wyth that we haue nowe in hande, and we wyll se who can gyue vnto vs thys meate or bread. For Christe addeth: the whych the sonne of man shall gyue you. For GOD the father hath sealed hym vp.

That these be spoken by an Anti­thesis, those thynges wyll playnelye shewe which anon after shal folow. For the son of man which is Messi [...] as, is set agaynste the Patriarckes, [Page] Moses, the Prophetes, circumcisi­on, and al the lawe: and thys is the meanynge. Neyther the Patriare­kes nor Moses, nor the Prophetes, are that personne, for whose sake men be iustified and made aly [...]e. Neyther circumcision, nor all the lawe be those thynges for the why­che men obtayne iustice before God and euerlastyng lyfe: But onely the sonne of man whyche is Messias, Iesus Christe oure Lorde, is that person and thynge for the whyche men are saued, that is, are counted iuste before God, and receyue euer­lastynge health. In dede the patri­arckes serue for greate purposes, so do the prophetes and the law: But onely Messias is the true health. Abraham was a verye holye patri­arcke, and verie worthy prayse, and yet for Abrahams sake no man ob tayned pardon of hys synnes. Mo­ses was a verye good lawe maker, [Page] and a valiaunt Duke of the Istae­lites, but for Moses sake no man is saued whan he dieth. The Prophe­tes were verie wel learned, and ve­rye holye preachers of the worde of God, but for the prophetes sake no man obtained the heauenlye kyng­dom. Circumcision was a very pro­fitable sacrament, but no man had eternal saluacion because of circum cision. The Sabbath, the sacrifices and other worckes of the lawe had their vse and profit, but for these no man came to euerlasting saluacion. Onely the sonne of man, Messias only, is the bread of life. For whom to al that beleue in hym, there com­meth forgyuenes of synnes, iustice, health, and lyfe euerlastynge: And that ryghte worthilye. For it is he whom God the father hath sealed vp. For fyrste God the father hathe sealed hym from the begynnynge w ^t his owne Image, that he should [Page] be euen together wyth hym the true and eternall God, of the same sub­staunce and maiesty. He (sayeth the Apostel) is the ymage of y ^• inuisible god. And agayne. He is the bright­nes of hys glorye, and expresse I­mage of hys substaunce. Wherfore seynge he is marcked wyth the de­uyne power, it is no maruayle that he is hable to saue them that beleue in hym, and to gyue vnto theym e­ternall lyfe. Further, after he was made the sonne of man, god sealed hym by open wytnesses, that he is the true Messias and sauiour of all them that beleue in hym. For as the seales of common writynges do te­stifye of the thynges that be done, whyche are rehearsed wythin the letters, so God the father testifi­ed by many miracles, as it were by heauenly seales, of Iesus the sonne of Marie, that he hadde sente hym and anoynted hym vnto the true [Page] Messias, and gyuer of euerlastyng lyfe.

The Aungell Gabriell was sent to shewe hys concepcion and hys natiuitye. He was borne of a wo­man that was a Uyrgin. He was preached of by the Angels. He was vysited and worshipped of the, wise kynges: and whan he was Bapti­sed of Iohn in Iordane, the voyce of GOD the father was heard wit nessynge openlye from heauen that thys was hys welbeloued sonne in the whych he was pleased. The ho­lye gooste also came in the lykenes of a Doue. Afterwardes whan he preached hys owne Gospell, he dyd shewe verye greate and excellente miracles. All these are Heauen­lye seales, whereby GOD the fa­ther hathe testified that he hathe sente thys Iesus, and confyrmed that he was the verye sauioure of mankynde. [Page] Whyche seales afterwardes by [...] ­synge from the deade, by hys ascen­dynge into heauen, by sendynge of the holye goost into hys Disciples, and by spreading abrode of y ^e Gos­pell were made so strong, that nowe ther is no dowt at al, but that he is the verye Messias, for whose sake onely men obtayne euerlastyng sal­uacion. Wherfore althoughe there be a dewe laboure and care for bo­dilye sustenaunce, whych when it is occupied, doth perishe: yet aboue al thynges must we labour dili getly, to get the meate that abydeth into euerlas­tyng lyfe, which is Iesus Christe oure Lorde GOD, euen wyth the father, and the holy gost blessed for euer.

Amen.

ALthoughe it is sayd that the bealye hath no eares, yet the Ie­wes giuē to the bea­ly, semed not to haue herd Christes serm [...] deaffly. For whan Christe dyd re­buke thē because thei folowed more the bodily meate, than the heauen­ly, and exhorted theym to worke the meate that lasted into euerlastynge lyfe, they did well perceiue, that the [...] were bydden to do true iustice, and to do this Godly worship, that they myghte obtayne euerlastynge and perpetual good thinges. Therfore they sayd vnto him.

Howe should we do, to worcke the worckes of God?

Whether they axed hym in ear­neste or in game, verilye thys is theyr meanynge: What preachest [Page] thou vnto vs of working the meate that lasteth into euerlastynge lyfe, that is, folowyng iustice, and doing seruyce to god, whereby we shoulde come to perpetuall blesse? Be we not iuste inoughe by the workes of oure lawe, maye we not come vnto euerlastynge ioye by the merites of those worshyppynges of God whi­che oure lawe hath prescribed vnto vs. We be circūcised, We kepe the sabboth daye, we offer sacrifice, we steale not, we robbe not, we giue the tenthes, we gyue almes, we faste at tymes appoynted, and we do many other good worckes. What requi­er you of vs more, or what shoulde we do to be more iuste, and please god better? Lo this is the old blindnes and ignoraunce, borne in the nature of man, to thyncke that god­des lawe maye be fulfylled by oure worckes, and that they are inste y­noughe before GOD if they folow [Page] a ciuil honestye of lyuynge. And al­thoughe we muste alwayes to oure power obey the lawe of GOD, and that euery good worcke which god requireth, hath somewhat where­fore it serueth, yet is there no man in the worlde whyche is able to ful­fyll the lawe by hys owne worckes. It is sayde in the eyght Chapter of Genesis. The felynge and thought Noman [...] perfectely good. of mannes herte is euel euen frome hys youth.

But the lawe of God requireth a meanynge and thoughte of man, that is good: wherefore if it can not be that as longe as thys naturall malidye stycketh in man (and it stic­keth because of originall syn ne, yea euen in man also that is good, and borne agayne by the holye Gooste; and it abyddeth euen vntyll he [...]ye) he cannot perfectelye fulfyll the lawe of GOD.

The Psalme doeth saye: in thy [Page] syght is not iustified al liuing crea­tures. But the law requireth to th [...] fulfillyng of it, iuste and holy men. Sith therefore that no man of hys owne nature is iust and holy before god, it is plaine that no man of him selfe is hable to satisfye the lawe.

The law, sayth Paul, is spiritual, & I am carnal: and I knowe y ^t in my fleshe dwelleth no goodnes. If ther be not in the fleshe, yea though he be a good man, goodnes, howe should he fulfil a good lawe? And agayne: The affeccion of the fleshe, is enmi­tie agaynst god. For it is not vnder the lawe of God, nor in dede it can­not. And althoughe carnall affecci­on beare not the rule in a good man yet doeth it abyde in hym styll as longe as he liueth in thys worlde.

Wherefore he neuer fulfilleth the lawe. And agayne: The fleshe coue­teth agaynst the spirite, and the spi­rite agaynst the fleshe. These thyn­ges [Page] be one agaynst another: so that thou cāst not do those thynges, that thou woldest. Thou herest that the fight betwene y ^• flesh & the spirite, is perpetuall, not in wycked men yet, which altogether folow y ^• affecciōs of the fleshe, and haue not the holye gost, but in good men that be endu­ed with the holy goost. But the law of God wyll not suffer any rebelli­on agaynst the holygoost, but it re­quireth a perfect obedience. Where fore seynge in a man be he neuer so good, there is a continual fightyng betwene the fleshe & the spirite, it is plaine y ^t he neuer fulfilleth perfetly the law of god by his workes. And sith it is so, ye se how farre & mische­uosly thei er whether they be Iewes or Christē hypocrites, which thinke wyth their holy thynges and good workes to satisfie the lawe of God, & to be iust before god. What shuld we do thē to worcke the worckes of [Page] God, that is to do true iustice & ser­uice, that pleaseth god best: & to ful­fil the law of god. Of this thing we must heare Christ.

For he answered & sayde vnto them. This is the worke of God, to beleue in hym whom he sente.

If ye wil do the greatest and most excellent seruice to god, if ye wel get true iustice before God, & be saued, thys worcke, thys holy seruice, thys honour of god must be done, that is to beleue in him, whō he set, I say, to beleue in Iesus: y ^t is the godly ser­uice, Fayeth is the most ex­cellent [...] of god in the which god so delighteth that he will repute y ^• beleuer as iust as if he had fulfilled all the whole lawe with his worckes. Thou wil [...] say than: what is it to beleue in Ie­sus? To declare this very plainely, it is to beleue the gospel, & receiue [...] in fayeth.

And Iesus preached thys gladd [...] What it is to beleue [...] Iesus. [...]dynges, that he was sente of God, [Page] y ^• he is the very true Messias which was promised by y ^• prophets. Wher fore to beleue in Iesus, is to geue him the honour and the maiestye of Messias, y ^t is to knowledge hym a clenser of synnes, an appeaser of the anger of god, a sauiour in deth, a gi uer of lyfe & blessednes, & in dede to put in him al our whole trust of sal uacion. For these thyngs do the pro phetes ascribe vnto Messias. But here we must consider, whi to beleue in Christ, is the greatest worke, and the most excellente worshyppynge of God. And fyrste: Fayeth in Ie­sus Christe is therefore called the excellente seruynge of GOD, by­cause it is an instrumente whereby we take holde on Christe, and by the whyche he that doeth beleue, is [...]raffed into Christe. And there can [...]thynge come vnto vs eyther [...]ore excellente or more happilye, [Page] than that Christe shoulde be oures and we Christes. For if Christe be oures and we Christes, what remai neth but that all the good thynges of Christe be oures, and that al our euyls by the goodnes of Christ, are put awaye. Wherfore perfecte ius­tice is oures, the holines and bles­sednes of Christe, is ours: in respect of whyche thynges, oure synnes be not layed to oure chaurge: and our death, whyche in thys worlde is the laste kynde of all miserye, is not the gate of hell, but of raigne euerlas­tynge thorowe Christe. Wherefore seynge Christe is taken and graf­fed into vs by fayeth, it is manyfest that we cannot do a more excellente and a more holye seruyce, than to be leue in Iesus Christe. And so far­forth also we be sayde to be iustifi­ed by fayth, not that fayth in Christ of it selfe is a worke of so great dig nitye, that for the worthynes there­of [Page] it doth instify vs before god, but because it taketh Christ: for whom onelye we are counted iuste before god, & chosen into y ^e sonnes & heires of god. Furthermore fayth is called the moste excellente worshyppynge of god, because it gyueth vnto God the honour of the trueth of hys pro mises, and knoweledgeth God to be verye true. For God althoughe he hath promised many other thinges as well bodilye as spirituallye, yet is thys the chiefest thynge amonge all hys promises, that he well sende Messias into thys worlde. And he hath openlye proued, and declared by greate, and manye testimonies, that thys Iesus of Nazareth is the same Messias that was promised before. Wherefore he that beleueth in hym, doeth gyue glorye to God for hys trueth. And so to gloryfye god, it is to god a thyng that plea­seth hym farre aboue all other. It [Page] pleaseth god in dede: if thou walke accordinge to the lawe, and do the worckes of the lawe: but so if thou do them in faith, y ^t is to saie if thou knowledge god to be verye true in hys promyse of hys Messyas. For what honour shuld be acceptable to God, if y ^• shuldest iudge him in thy hart to be vaine & a lyer? A [...]ā will not care for y ^e bowing doune of thy head, thy kneling, thy giuing of the wai if he shuld perceiue y ^• tokest him for a vaine mā & a lyar, & woldest y ^• y ^t god shuld regard them? Seinge therfore that faithe geueth to god y ^• honour of trueth, it is worthely pre­farred before al other holines, & ser­uice of god. Finally seyng the fayth in Christe receyueth euen together with Christ the holy goste also, whi­che is the renuer of man, & the ma­ker of obedience in man, it is playne that fayth is the fundacion and be­gynnynge of all good vertues and [Page] good doynges. Other that haue not fayeth in Christe, are sometyme garnyshed wyth other vertues: one is iust in ciuile bargaines, another is pacience in aduersitye, this man is chast, he is gentell to speake vn­to, that man is mercifull to the af­flicted, and some man is true of hys worde and promise. These be di­uers vertues, and he that hath one it maye happen that he lacketh all the other.

For you shal fynde that wher as they wyl kepe theyr promise wel, yet are they very cruell to them that be in misery. Ye shall fynd other, whi­che for all that they kepe a ciuile chastitye, yet are they verye lyars. But he that hath fayeth in Christe he also hath the holye Gooste, why­che leadeth hym into all kyndes of vertues, and good doynges.

For althoughe fayth so far forth iustifieth not a man before God as [Page] is the begynnynge of good workes in a man, and that ther is alwayes left a weaknes in the fleshe as long as we lyue in thys world, although the holy gooste gouerne a man, yet is not that spirite of faieth idle and dull, but worketh stoutely, it morti­fieth the desier of the flesh, & bryng­eth forth diuers kyndes of vertu­es, charitye, ioye, peace, lenitye, be­nygnitie, goodnes, truth, mekenes, temperaunce, chastitye, and who is able to reherse all the fruites of the spirite? Wherefore fayeth in Christ for thys cause also is the most excel­lent worshyppyng of God, because it is the begynnynge, and commen­dacion of all good worckes: and he that wyll do the holiest worcke to God, he muste nedes worcke thys worcke also. For thys is the hyest seruynge of God whych the Patri­arkes and Prophetes and all good men haue done. By this seruice, thei [Page] haue gotten iustice and health, as manye as were receyued to the fa­uoure of god. They were not iusti­fied by the desert of circumcision, of theyr sabbothes, of their sacrifices, nether yet of theyr morall vertues, but the were iustified by thys ser­uice, that is by fayeth in Christe, and yet that not for the desert of the worcke of fayeth, whyche worcke yet itselfe is wonte euen in the be­leuer to be fainte, but for Christ on­lye, whych is grafted into man tho­rowe fayeth and applyed vnto mā. But thou wylt say, what? If to be­leue in Christ it be the hiest and the most excellente worshipping of god, than is nothing more easye, than to do thys seruyce to God, inespecially to vs whyche euen from our youth haue bene instructed in the Apostles Crede, wherein all the doctryne of fayeth is shortly contayned. Thus [Page] in verye dede it appereth vnto men whyche be wythout all temtacion, and in prosperitye of al thinges. But the truth proueth that y ^e fayth in Christe is not so often in the. For whan Satan assauteth man, y [...] maye playnely se that fayeth is no [...] all mens actes, as Paule speaketh, and that there be verye fewe that beleue. And the diuell fyghteth a­gaynste Fayth is not euerye mans. men diuers wayes. Some tyme he styreth them to desiar of re­uenging by making to them an ene mie, lykewise by offeryng ryches to couetousnes, and deceyte, besides thys, by shewynge an other mans woman to lust, and by shewynge an offyce to ambicion, and suche other infinite worckes of the fleshe. And howe manye be there, but that they haue not a fal, and that yeldeth not hym selfe prisonar to the diuyll, and that doeth not obaye the affeccion of the fleshe stired vp by the deuyle [Page] And they the whyche lye downe, ey­ther they beleue not in Christ, or els they lose theyr fayeth. They that be in the fleshe (sayeth Paule) cannot please God. And agayne, if ye lyue after the fleshe ye shall dye. And Christe sayth him selfe. Euery man that doth synne is the seruaunte of synne. And Iohn: all that do not iu­stice, be not of God. Sometyme be sente vs persecutours of the Gos­pell of Christe, thorowe whom the deuyll entiseth menne to forsake Christe, and to fall to synne. And i [...] is manyfeste howe fewe alwayes haue stande in the confession of Christe, speciallye if the persequuci­ons haue bene notable cruell. And to denye Christe in persequucion it is a manyfeste proofe, that eyther youre fayeth was not suer or that Christe was caste awaye.

Sometyme the Iewes ate se [...] [Page] fore vs, the Turkes whych despise oure religion, and the Epicures. By these Satan bryngeth to passe, that the wyckednes of the people is opened. For whan they boaste of howe all thynges come well to passe in theyr naughtie, or rather no religion, and saye: Tushe, It thy Christe were true God and cared for mēnes matters, why doth he not healpe you Christen men, why doth he not defende you? I praye you, howe many bene there comonlye a­monge the common people, whyche at these wordes althoughe they be openlie againste God, and blasphe­mous, wyl not begynne to doubt of Christianitye, and if he were set vp­on by persecution, wolde not fall a­waye to vngodlynes and despising of Chryste? Thys is a playne token that a greate sorte of men amonge Chrystyans dothe not knoweledge God in deade, but onlye dreame of [Page] him. And at last are cast against vs in oure conscience, sinnes, death and the paynes of hell. Howe manye thynkest y ^u in these moste greuous temptacions, and in the strait iuge­ment of God do fall downe and pe­ryshe? For if the multitude can not stande faste at a trifling and plaine wycked obiection of a Turcke, or an Epicure against the doctryne of goddes gospell, howe wold he stand agaynst the fyrie dart of the deuell, whiche he is wont to caste againste men before the fearefull iudgement seate of God? Wherefore fayeth in Christe is not as easye and commō a matter, as easylye and commonly we speake of it: but as it is moste ex cellente honorynge of God, so doth it passe al mans strēgth, and nedes we muste receaue it from heauen, and muste be raised vp in vs by the myghte of the holye gooste. Fleshe and bloude (sayeth Christ) hath not [Page] opened it vnto them: but my father that is in heauen. Let vs call there­fore vpon God y ^• father that he wyl set on fier and instame oure hertes wyth true fayth, whereby we beyng iustified, may get saluacion thorow the sonne of God Iesus Christ our sauiour, which is God wyth the fa­ther and the holy gost blessed for e­uer.

Amen.

IEsus hath preached great thynges, and excellent thinges of him selfe, saying: the sonne of man shall giue vnto you meat whych lasteth into lyfe euerlasting. And, thys is the woreke of God, to beleue in hym, whom he hath sente. By the whyche sayinge he signifi­ed that the beste, and most excellente [Page] worshypping of GOD, is to heare hym, and beleue in hym. Uerily this is to lifte vp hym selfe, not onlye a­boue the common state of men but also aboue all Patriarckes and Prophetes. For there neuer was anye Patriarcke and Prophete that toke so muche vpon hym, nor promised so greate benefites of him selfe to hys hearers. Let vs heare nowe therefore, howe the Iewes toke thys Sermon, or howe they iudged: thys hys pride.

Wherefore they sayed vnto hym: what synge doest thou shewe, that we maye se and beleue the, what workest thou.

Our fathers haue eaten Manna in the de­serte as it is written. He gaue theym breade from heauen to eate.

This is y ^• meaning of y ^• Iewes an­swere. Thou crakest that thou wilt giue vs great benifits & thou tellest [Page] vs that thou arte the Prophete whome [...] Moyses commaunded to heare, and that thou art Messias i [...] whome the Prophetes badde vs be leue: but yet haste thou not proued it by anye signes, nether haste decla red thy self in dede such one as thou art. If thou woldest giue vs Man na from heauen, as oure fathers haue eate in deserte, after the saying of Psal. lxxvii. He raigned Manna for them to eate, and gaue thē bread frome heauen. If thou woldeste de­lyuer vs frome this harde bondage wherewyth we be oppressed of the Romaines, as Moses deliuered vs frome the bondage of Egypte, we woulde beleue that thou were sente of god, and to be the very Messias. But nowe seynge that thy selfe art a poore man, and although one eue nyng thou feddest vs, yet to day b [...] we neuer the lesse hongry, nedye and wretched, we can not knowledge the [Page] for so great a Lord, and for the true Messias. Here agayne man maye se that the Iewes lusted after nothing but, that was good for the bodye, & to seke only an yearthly kingdom & They seke for an worldlye Messias. [...]eshly ioye in Messias, a woful ma­ter and ernestlye to be wepte for, that men are wonte onlie to care for thys that theyr body may fare well, and thyncke all the rest safe, if the bodilye commodities be safe. For if they maye gette the pleasure onelye of thys worlde, they thyncke that heauenly ioye wyl folowe of it selfe, and therefore they take all the care and thought, all the paynes, labour yea I saye more, all iniquytye and vngodlynes to get vnto them these yearthely pleasures. Laye vnto thys that they maruayle at, and worshyppe those men onely, whom they se to be happy wyth these earth ly commodities, and whome they hope shall be the helpers, that they [Page] theim selfes also may get these gay [...] thynges.

Amonge theym were hadde in greate price, Theodas, Iudas Ga­lileus, and afterwardes also Cocha­bas, because they promised theym here earthly ioye, filicitie, and deliue raunce from the bondage of the Ro maynes: wher as not wythstanding vnder payne of death the Apostles were vtterly banyshed whyche prea ched true, and heauenly felicity, and good thynges that shoulde last for euer. What shall I speake of the Ethnikes? They honored not only as men, but as Goddes, all those whyche dyd brynge vnto theym a­nye thynge profitable for the bo­dye. Bodily cō modities are coūted the chefest. They halowed Bacchus for a GOD because he hadde shewed vnto theym, the makynge and vse of wyne.

They worshypped Ceres as a Goddesse, because she did teach how [Page] to order corne, and wherefore it ser­ued: wher before thei eat Okecorns. Hercules was set amonge the God­des, because he saued the citisens that were ouercome of theyr ene­mies, because he restored banished mē agayne to theyr Cityes, because he made the lande saufe from the­ues, and the sea from pirates.

These vertues althoughe they be greate, and mete for a Prince, yet because the heathen dyd consecrate Hercules into a God, for these ver­tues, they dyd playnelye declare, that theyr mynde was onelye in yearthely commodities, and pro­fites. I wyll shewe you that, that scarselye maye be honestlye spoken openlye in the congregacion, and yet it oughte to be spoken of, that you maye se that menne haue no re­garde, saue onelye that they maye Lactāc [...] in his bok [...] of fal [...]e re­ligion. La. xxix. haue ioye in yearthely pleasures. [Page] Flora, when by harlotes craft she had gotten greate riches, she made the people of Rome her heire, and leaft a certayne money, by whose yerely increase thereof, the daye of her byrth myghte be kepte solem­ly, and plaies be made, whych they call Floralia: what came to passe than. Dyd the Romaynes knowe­ledge Floralia. so fowle and fylthy thynges? Not onelye dyd they gladlye re­ceyue them, but made Flora a god­des, that should be goddes of f [...]ow­ers. O stynckyng beastes, O dete­stable men, which gaue also to har­lottes Godlye honoures, because they had receyued of theym a bodi­ly benefite, when for all that, ryght honest men eyther theyr oratoures or Philosophers that taughte ver­tue, they greatelye dyspised theym, yea and somtyme also kylled some of theym. And in thys thynge not onely the heathen, but the Christen [Page] men, theim selues also haue done a­mysse. For in the worshyppynge of saynctes, whyche Hypocrites haue folowed very hertely, and much vn godly, they haue worshypped those saynctes specially, by whose healpe they haue hoped to haue had eyther some corporall benefites, or escaped hurtes. To those they haue appoin ted holy dayes, temples, offeringes, pylgrymages, feloshyppes, and as they call them, brether heades. To be shorte, A great sorte of those that be called christians, haue so burned wyth desier of yearthly, & temporall profites, that they would haue wor­shipped Satā him selfe for a saint, or for a God, so that he would send theym money, and gyue theym cor­porall benefites. Whych thyng ve­rely euen by thys is playne, that al­thoughe nothynge is better know­en thā that deceites, trifles, lyes and periuries be mischeuous thynges, & [Page] worckes of the diuyl, yet men to ge [...] ryches and bodilye profites wyth so greate redines of mynde they fo­lowe theyr mischieffes, that neyther by anye respecte of honestye, neither by any warnynge of goddes word, no nor by other crueltye of punysh­mente, they maye be wythdrawen frō that. What is blindnes, if thys be not blyndnes, and vngodlines? For mē be so blind, that they thinke these corporall and temporall good thynges, to be true felicitye. Let vs heare therefore what Iesus answe­reth to y ^• Iewes disirynge only cor­poral meate, and an yearthly deli­ueraunce.

So Iesus sayed vnto theym. Amen, amen I saye vnto you. Not Moses hath gyuen vn­to you breade from heauen (that is to say the true bread) but my father gyueth vnto you the true bread frō heauen. For the bread of god is [Page] that, which is descended from heauen, & doeth gyue life to the worlde.

Thys is the comparynge toge­ther of Moyses and hys benifites, wyth Messias, and hys benifites: whyche Messyas gyueth to theym that beleue in hym. You (sayth he) glorye verye muche of Moyses, and for the benefites whyche be gy­uen to you for hym: and fyrste, althoughe Moyses hath bene a greate Prophete, and fayethfull minister of GOD, yet was he not that person, for the which menne do get trewe health.

But Mellias, whome the Pro­phetes haue promised, and ofwhom Moyses hym selfe hath preached, and whome GOD nowe hath sente into the yearthe, is that per­son, for the whyche true health com­myth to menne.

Furthermore the good thynges [Page] which God hath done by Moses, in dede htey are greate, and verye ex­cellent, and yet not euerlastyng, nei­ther sufficiente. Moses ministred to you by goddes liberalitye, Manna from heauen, yet that Manna was not the verye meate, whyche of it selfe hath saued the eatars into e­uerlastynge lyfe. Al the Israelites haue eaten Manna in the deserte, yet neuerthelesse, all they also be deade, and many of them God hath not alowed, whyche also haue dyed for euer. But Messias whyche is the naturall sonne of God, & whom hys father hath sente from heauen into the yearth, whych now at thys tyme liueth amongeste men, is the true meate, which so conserueth al y ^• eate him, that is beleue in him, y ^t thei shall neuer dye: but althoughe they seme to die, yet may be saued into e­uerlastynge lyfe. Moyses deliue­red the Israleites from the Egipci­ans [Page] bondage, and led them by y ^• de­serte euen vnto the lande of Cana­an. Thys was in dede an excellente benefite, and very acceptable to the Iewes that were afflicted, but yet was it not a verie deliueraunce: for although they were deliuered from the tirauntes of Egypte, yet were they not deliuered from there spiri­tual tyrauntes, that is from synne, the diuyll, death and hel. But Mes­sias bryngeth true deliueraunce.

For to theym that beleue in him, he forgeueth synnes, and causeth, that they whyche receyue hym thorowe fayth, are counted iust before God. He ouercommeth the deuyll, and so deliuereth the seruauntes of the di­uyl, that they be chosen into the son­nes if god.

He ouer commeth death, and bryn­geth to passe, that they whych were in the daunger of death, neuer dye but lyue for euer. He ouercommeth [Page] hell, that they whych were in daun­ger of hell, shoulde go into heauen, and enioye euerlastynge felicitye.

These in dede are the true benefits whych as they are in no wyse to be compared to those corporall profi­tes, so do they brynge euerlastynge health. It commeth doune (saith he) from heauen. It bryngeth therefore heauenlye and euerlastynge good thynges, not earthly and those that shall vade awaye. And it geueth lyfe, it gyueth not money, whych co­uetous menne seke for: not corne, whyche vsuras heape together: not wyne, whyche bybbers seke after: not earthely Empyres, wyth whose desiar men of thys worlde be on fier: But it geueth lyfe, that is bles­sed for euer. And it gyueth it vnto the worlde, it offereth it by hys gos­pell, not to the Iewes onelye, nor to the gentiles onelye, but to all crea­tures: that is aswel to the Iewes as [Page] to the gentiles, aswell to honeste as vnhoneste, to the poore aswell as to the ryche, to the princes and to the subiectes, & to be shorte, to al the worlde. Wherfore althoughe these corporall, and yearthely good thyn­ges haue theyr vse, and God (if they happen) is to be thancked for them, yet must you not set your herte vp­on theym, as the Psalme sayeth, but set all youre herte vpon thys stu­dye, to get true, and heauenly good nes in Messias. Thys thynge doth Christe playnely declare, where he sayeth: my father gyueth you the true brèade from heauen. For it is the breade of GOD that commeth downe from heauen, and gyueth lyfe vnto the worlde. But the Ie­wes yet dreame of bodilye good thynges. Therefore they sayed vn­to hym.

Gyue to vs thys breade alwayes. [Page] That whyche before the woman of Samaria answered vnto Christe speakynge of the fountayne of wa­ter, that sprange vp into euerlast ynge lyfe, sayinge: Lorde gyue vs thys water that I maye not be drie nor come hyther to drawe: the same do nowe the Iewes answere vnto Christe speakyng of the bread whi­che gyueth lyfe to the worlde, and folyshelye axe of hym, that he bring to passe, that the same lyfegyuynge bread may raygne downe from hea uen plentuously: for they wold take it wyth both their handes, and hold vp theyr lappes. Furthermore, they playnely signifye that they so vn­derstode the wordes of Christ, that he taughte hym to be onelye but a minister of thys lyfegyuyng bread, as Moses was of Manna, and not the bread it selfe. Giue vs (say they) thys breade alwayes. We se thou art a man, whych dyffereth nothing [Page] [...]rō vs in weakenes, we se that thou haste all thynges as a man hath.

And if thou be some greate manne, certes thou canst be nothynge more than the minister of God, as were the Patriarkes [...]rophetes: wher­fore if thou haue receyued thys mi­nisterie of god to giue vnto vs new Manna, whereby we may be saued alwaies in this life, go to on felow­ship, giue vs that y ^u hast receyued, y ^t thorow the we may enioy this hea uēly benifite. Here consider me, how diuers the iudgemētes of Christes larnyng be. One vnderstādeth hys promisses fleshely, an other iudgeth them triflinges, or vayne, and lyes, thynckynge that they cannot be ful fylled: an other that semeth to haue a good opinion of Christe, thinketh that they differ nothynge from the sermons of the prophets, because he thyncketh hym to be a docter, or a promiser, & not to be a sauiour, but [Page] onelye a minister of saluacion, a [...] were the prophetes. But Christ ac­cordinge to his goodnes, correcteth these errours of the Iewes verye gentely. And sayd vnto theym: I am the bread of lyfe. He that commeth to me shal not honger, and he that beleueth in me, shal neuer thyrst.

You do so axe of me thys breade of lyfe, that you plainely declare that you iudge me to be but a minister of thys breade: But I asmuche as lyeth in me, wyll not suffer you to erre. I am not as you trowe, suche a minister of thys breade of lyfe, as were youre Prophetes, whyche dyd preache also euen thē selues, of get­tinge true saluacion. But I am the bread of life it selfe, & I offer to him y ^t earth of this bread, not such good thinges as happened to y ^e Israelits by Moses Māna in the desert, but I bring vnto you heauenly, & euer­lastynge good thynges, yea I my [Page] selfe am that heauenly, and eternall good thynge the whiche whosoeuer can get, he shall lacke no ioye. Loke vpon al other good thinges y ^t cā be spoken of in this worlde, yet shal ye find none of thē y ^t is the bread, whi­che wil take away al honger, & that is drincke y ^t wyll quench al thyrste. The deliueraunce oute of the bon­dage of Egipt, was a great benifit, but it was not y ^t breade whych fyl­led the Israelites hongar. For they lacked yet many thinges both bodi lye, and spiritual. Manna that rai­ned downe in the desert, and the wa­ter that flowed oute of y ^e stone, were maruelous giftes of god: but of thē selfe they put not awaye the honger and thurst of the Israelites. For be syde other corporall thynges, why­che they had nede of, howe many I praie you of them died in the desert, not onelye wyth outwarde death but with eternal death.

[Page] Howe manye I praye you for they [...] wyckednes were cast into the perpe tuall prisons of hell? And what shal I saye of the common profites here in the world, that is of bodily helth of landes, of monye, of ciuile honor and office? I wyll rather speake of the kyngdome it selfe, and empyre of thys worlde, whyche seyng it can not put awaye the hongar, & thyrst of man, I praye you what is it that amonge these earthely good thyn­ges is able to do it? Alexaunder sur named the great, whan he had herd say that the Philosopher Anaxa­goras had disputed that there were innumerable worldes (for this was the wycked opinion of-some Philo­sophers) it is sayed that he wepte.

And when men axed hym, what he mente by hys wepyng. May I not worthely wepe (sayeth he) that syth the worldes be innumerable, we be not yet made Lordes of one? A won [Page] derfull mater. The empyre almoste of the whole worlde, whych Alexan der had nowe in possession, was not able to fyll hys mynde. And yet to saye the trueth, it is nothynge to be maruaylled at at all. For the Em­pyre of thys world is not that bread that wyll healpe a mannes houn­gar. But Iesus Chrsti onely is the breade of lyfe, whyche who so eate­teth, shall neuer hongar. Thou wilt saye than: howe eate we thys bread? It foloweth: he that commeth to me shall not hongar. To come therfore vnto Christ, is to eat of this bread. And we muste not thyncke that we speake now of that cōmyng whiche is w ^t our bodily feet. For although that at that tyme whyche Christe preched his Gospel in this worlde, men muste nedes come to Christe wyth their bodilye fete, to heare hys Sermons, yet now he speaketh not of bodily commynge, but of spiritu­all, [Page] whyche is by fayeth. For so Christe hym selfe expoundeth whan he sayeth: He that beleueth in me shal neuer thrist. Therfore to come to Christe, is to beleue in hym that he is by God oure wysdom, iustice, sanctificacion, and redempcion. For he that so commeth vnto Christe, I praye you, howe shall he hongar, howe shal he thyrst, or what shal he lacke? If pouerty be greuous vnto him, Christ is rich, which hath geuē him selfe wholy w ^t al hys ryches to hym that wyll beleue. If synnes threaten vnto vs the anger of God and damnacion, Christ hath clensed our sinnes, hath pleased god and re­demed vs from damnacion.

If death threaten eternall de­struccion, Christe hath ouercome death: and to theym that wyll come to hym by fayeth, hath he prepared heauenly, and euerlastynge lyfe. I saye, can bodilye health, can money [Page] bearing of offyce, ciuyle honor, king domes, and empyres, can they gyue vs so greate benifites? What do these auayle wythoute Christe?

What do these contrarye thynges, pouertye, and death, hurte wyth Christe? Let vs come therefore vn to Christe, let vs come to hym by fayeth, that by thys breade, and dryncke, we maye so con­tente oure hon­gar and thrist that we may lyue e­uer­lastyngly thorow Ie­sus Christe our sa­uiour: whyche e­uen w ^t the fa­ther & holi­gost is god blessed for e­uer.

Amen.

VVE be yet styll in the declarynge of that cōmunicacion & dys­putacion, whych Ie­sus Christe by the oc cacion of breade had wyth the Iewes: and the talking is not as the prouerbe is, of the mone shine in y ^• water, but of veri weigh­ty maters, and necessary to be kno­wen for oure saluacion. For it tea­cheth difference betwixt Moses and Christe: & it teacheth that the bene­fites of Christ are far other thā the benefites of Moses, it teacheth of the true offyce of Christ, that is that Christe came from heauen for thys purpose, not to brynge transitorye, and worldelye pleasures, but euer­lastyng, & heauenly. Wherfore thys dysputacion is so muche the more diligētly to be marcked, how much heauenlye health is more necessary. [Page] And before in dede Christe playne­ly declared, that he was that lyfe ge [...]ing bread, the whyche who so eate of (and we eate of it if we beleue in Christe) shoulde neuer honger nor thyrst, but shouldbe filled, and haue health euerlastynge. But nowe he maketh againste the Iewes, that al thoughe he didde playnelye preache of hys owne person and offyce, and openlye confyrmed hys preachings by great and meruelous myracles, yet they woulde not beleue hym, nor knoweledge hym to be the verye Messias.

But I tolde you (sayeth he) that you haue also seen me and yet wyll not beleue.

If ye wyll searche somewhat o­penlye for the meanynge of thys saying it must be thus vnderstand. I haue in dede to complayne of youre naughtines and vnbelyefe, but it is not new vnto me, nor to be maruayled at. For I sayde, and [Page] sayd vnto you a good while a go by y ^• prophetes, that although I come vnto you Israelites, and shewe my selfe to be seen, handled, and hearde of you, yea and do greate miracles, yet you wyll not receyue me or be­leue my Gospell. In the Psalme I sayde that I woulde be the stone, whych the buylders shuld reproue. In Esai I called my selfe the stone of stomblinge, and the stone of slaū ­der to the two houses of Israel: and the snare, and ruine to Hierusalem. And it is sayde further. Manye of them shal stumble, fal downe, be bro ken, entangled and caughte. And a­gaine: Blinde the herte of this peo­ple, & stoppe his eares, and shut hys eyes, least perhaps he se w ^t his eies, and heare wyth hys eares, & vnder­stand w ^this hert, and be turned, and I helpe him. Many yeres before I came into thys worlde, I preached these thinges of youre vnbeliefe. [Page] Wherefore althoughe I be sorye for your naughtines, yet neither is it vnprouided for of me, nor yet vn­thought vpon. But and if you wyll vnderstande thys sayinge playne­lye, thys is the meanynge. Uerely [...] I do myne office, I preach my gos­pell, and I confirme it wyth mira­cles.

And what do you agayne? I told [...] an other tyme, that althoughe the worckes, whych my father gaue me to do, do beare wytnes of me, that my father hathe sente me: yet do not you beleue hym, whome he hath sente. I toulde you also, I came in my fathers name, yet wyll ye not receyue me. I saye the same nowe, that althoughe you haue seen so manye, miracles, where­wyth GOD hym selfe confirmeth the veritye of my doctryne from heauen, and openeth my maiestye, yet haue you no truste to me. No [Page] new thynge to Christ hym selfe, b [...] in dede muche to be maruayled at. Christ was promised euen from the begynnynge of the world, and was loked for so many thousande yeres. And when he was come, and dyd preache hys Gospell, and shewed miracles, euen in the same people, in the whych wyth so manye promi ses he had bene tolde to, & was fi­gured wyth so many holye rites, yet haue they not beleued. I praye you what is the cause of so greate blynd nes? The fyrst manne in dede after The cause of vnbelief what it is. synne, kept styl some knowledge of goddes lawe, but by hys owne na­ture he hathe no knoweledge of Christe the sauioure, but nedes he muste knowe Christe by hys worde and promise of God thorowe the holy goste. Secondly although the Iewes haue had the worde, and the promise, and goddes promise of Christe, yet dyd they not well vnder [Page] [...]ande hys kyngdom, but they drea med that Christ shoulde rule in the worlde after the maner of a kyng, and promised vnto theim selues an earthely felicitie. Wherefore when they sawe Iesus, not lyke as they carnallye loked for, they so dyspised hym, that at y ^• last they put hym vp vpon a crosse. Thou wylt say then: why therefore dyd not Iesus com­pell theym to beleue hys Gospell? If he had in him the power of god, why did he not drawe thē, yea whi­ther they wold or no vnto the faith, so that they shoulde not chose but receyue hym? Christe preacheth of thys thynge whan he sayeth fur­ther.

All that my father gyueth me shall come vnto me and hym whych commeth vnto me, I cast not oute of the dares. For I am come from heauen not to do my wyll, but the wyll of my father, whyche hath sent me. And thys is the wyll of my father, whyche hath sente me, that I shoulde not lese anye thynge of all [Page] that he hath geuen me, but rayse theym vp in the last daye.

Thys is a Sermon worthye remembraunce, and hathe thys meanynge: I coulde in dede com­pell all the Iewes, yea all men, to come vnto me, and receyue me. For I am the verye Sonne of GOD, equall in nature, Maie­stye, and power, to my father, and I am not come into thys worlde I haue not taken manhodde vpon me, that in thys my fyrst comming I would auaunce, and openly take vpō me, & vse thys my diuyne maie­stye, but so farre as miracles are to be done, to testifye the trueth of my doctrine.

But I am came, that takynge vpon me the fourme of a seruaunt, [...]hrist hath taken vpon him the fa­shion of a seruaunt. and Messaunger, I maye obeye [Page] the wyll of my Lorde, whyche hathe sente me into thys yearthe. It is the offyce of a seruaunte not to do what hym listeth, but what lyketh hys mayster.

It is the offyce of a Messenger, not to do that the can do, but that is lawefull for hym to do, and com­maunded of hym that sente hym.

Wherefore seynge that I haue taken vpon me the fourme of a ser­uaunte, and a Messenger, I wyll compell no manne to receyue me: but I hang of my fathers wyl, whi­che hathe sente me into thys worlde boeth a seruaunte and Messenger, and I tarye for theym that he wyll brynge vnto me. For, whome so­euer he wyl gyue vnto me, al those, euen as they come to me, & acknow ledge me, so also I knoweledge thē, and receiue them. [Page] And as I compel no man vyolent­ly, so do I cast a waye none, whome my father hath broughte vnto me. I receyue theim al whether they be Iewes or gentiles, noble or base, honest or synners. And I receiue them not to make theym kynges of the yearth but to kepe theym that they peryshe not. I receyue theym, not that in thys worlde they shoulde haue none affliccion, or that they shoulde not be ouerthrowen wyth death, but that althoughe they be troubled, and seeme to dye, yet they shoulde not peryshe, but be saued wyth euerlastynge lyfe. For I wyll rayse theym vp agayne in the laste daye, that they may liue eternallye, wyth me in ioye in my heauenlye kyngdome.

This is the meaning of the sermon of Christe. Nowe wyll we touche a lytel the partes therof. And fyrste, Chryste teacheth that he hathe not [Page] come into this world to take and en crease hys kyngedome, wyth oute­warde corporall and violente pow­er. For the Iewes looked for suche a Messyas or Chryste whyche ioy­nynge vnto hym an armye of the Iewes, shuld beare about harnesse thorowe all contreyes, and sub­due vnto hym all nacyons why­ther they woulde or not, as eyther Cyrus, or Alexander Magnus, or some other greate kyng was.

Men that haue no knowledge mar uayle also howe it happeneth, that when Christ is endued with diuine maiesty, he bryngeth not to passe by hys omnipotent power, y ^t al his ad uersaryes, & blasphemers agaynst hys name either be not slayne wyth lyghtenynge, or be maruelouslye drawen to beleue, and obey Christ. But Christe in thys place doeth re­fute the vayne expectacion of the Iewes, and a reason why he wyll [Page] compel no man violently, to submit hymself vnto hym telleth he saying: Al y ^t my father giueth me, shal come vnto me, and hym y ^• shal come vnto me, I wil not cast out: that is, I am not come into this worlde to make men vnder me by violente power, but I loke vpon the hande of God my father, and I hange vpon hys wyll.

Whom soeuer he shall gyue vn­to me, and whom that he shall raise vp by his spirite thorowe my Gos­pell to confesse, & acknoweledge me, he receyueth me, and I wyll receiue and kepe hym agayne. And what is the cause that thou doest not cōpell men by thy kyngly power to know­ledge the, and submit thē selues vn­to the? Because I am come downe (sayeth he) not to do my wyll, but the wyl of hym that hath sente me. I am come downe from heauen not [Page] as a master but as a seruaunt. And it is the dutye of a seruaunte to ap­plye hym selfe not after hys owne wyll, but after the wyl and becke of his master. I am come downe from heauen, not as a cheyfe Lorde and Emperoure, but as a messanger or one that is sente. And it is his office that is sente, to do and perfourme not hys owne opynyons, but the commaundements of him that hath sente hym.

Wherefore in thys myne Em­bassye, it is not lawefull for me to do anye thynge besyde the wyll of my father, whose Messengare I am. Tell vs than I praye the, what is the wil of thy father? Thys saythe he, is the wyll of my father that hath sente me, that I lose not annye of those menne whyche he hath gyuen me, but rayse them vp [Page] in the later daye. It is not my fa­thers wyll, that I shoulde take vp­on me the rule of a kynge, in thys world, and by stronge hande to sub­due men vnto me, but that I should saue theym whyche he by hys holye spirite hath broughte vnto me, and that I shoulde kepe them that they perish not, but although they shuld seme to dye, yet that they be raysed vp agayne and lyue a ioyfull lyfe for euer. To thys pertayneth also that Christe sayeth in another place of hys owne offyce. The sonne of man is come, not that he shoulde be serued, but to serue hym selfe, and to gyue hys lyfe a redempcion for manie, that is, Christ came not, that horsemen, and soldiars should fight for him, & shuld get for him by their lyfe, and their bloude, victorie, that he after the maner of a kyng should beare rule in y ^• world, as an Empe­rours armie shedeth theyr bloud, y ^• [Page] Emperour may be defended, & may haue the victorye of hys enemyes hym selfe beynge safe, but he came that he hym selfe shoulde gyue hys soule, and his lyfe, and shed out his owne bloud, that they that acknow ledge hym, myghte be redemed, and saued from theyr enemies. And in an other place when the Dysciples exhorted Christe to be reuenged vp on theim that set lyght by him with fire from heauen, he answered: You can not tel of whose spirite you are. The sonne of manne is not come to destroye the soules of men, but to saue theim. Wherefore it is an obe­dience of goddes vocacion, that he wyl not subdue men by kyngly and stronge power. But thou wylt say: Christ is ascended nowe into heauē, & hath layed awaye the fourme of a seruaunte, and sytteth in the glory of God hys father, why than doeth he nowe suffer blasphemers, why [Page] now that he is in such maiesty, doth he not compel violentlye or by hys almyghty power the inobediente to the obedience of his gospel. Of this thing Peter preacheth thus. Iesus Christe muste nedes take heauen e­uen vntyll the tyme of restitucion of al thynges, whiche God spake by the mouth of al sayntes, euen frō the tyme of the Prophetes. For al­though that Chryst sit at the right hande of God, and hathe hys omni­potent maiestie, yet wyl he not shew that maiesti openli before the world before y ^• last day, but he will gather together hys churche by hys Gos­pell thorowe oute all the worlde, vntyll the laste daye do come, in the whyche he wyll come openlye, & wyl so in dede caste vnder hys ennemies y ^• they shall be thruste downe into perpetuall prysones, and neuer be let oute: but hys fryndes and those that beleue in hym, he wyll axate [Page] vnto perpetual kingdom and ioye.

He muste (sayeth Paulle) raigne, vntyll he hath put al his ennemies vnder hys fete. And then shall all be put vnder his fete, whan death, which is the last enemie, shal be put awaye. Wherfore as longe as thys worlde shal stande, and that Christ shall not apere manifestlye, (for he shal not appere so til the last day) he doeth not compell menne vnto the obedience of [...]ayeth, by worldelye power, but he calleth theym by preachynge hys Gospell, that as manye as beynge moued vppe by the holye Gooste, do receyue hym, maye be saued. What shall wee The offyce of a magi­strate and hous [...] ▪ saye than of the offycer, and master of an howseholde? Bycause Christe doeth not by violente hand subdue men vnto hym, is it not therfore the offyce of a good magistrat to cōpel hys subiectes to lyue an honest ly [...]e and to heare the Gospell of God? [Page] Is it not also the duetye of a good housekeper to enstruct wyth threat­nynges, and roddes his seruauntes whither they wyll or no, in the in­strucciō of Christen learning: God forbyd: for as touchinge this pur­pose y ^e vocaciō of christ is noe thing and an offycer or housekeper is an other. For Christe came not into thys worlde, to vse an outewarde offyce. So he sent not hys Apostels also into the worlde, to take vpon them externall gouernaunce. Wher fore it was not their offyce to com­pell men by vyolente hande to obey the Gospell. And the officer and the housekeper fyrste in dede oughte to knowe the trueth of Christes Gos­pell, that they also thorowe sayeth in Christe myghte gette iustice, and health, and after he oughte to teach hys householde to learne the true doctryne of christianitie, yea and if they wyll not, to compel them, after [Page] hys maner of vocaciō to folow ver­tue, & the other to hys power ought to prouide that in the churches of hys coūtrie, the ryghte, and sounde doctrine of Christ maye be taught, that blasphemers may be punished, and that aswell the teachers as he­ [...]ers of godly doctrine may be defen ded frō y ^• oppressiō of sedicious per sons▪ & theues. It is playne in dede, that the fayeth in Christe cannot be fastened in mans herte by mannes force, nor thys is not the purpose, y ^• men shoulde be compelled to take the fayeth of Christes Gospell by the power of the magistrate: but outwarde, and open Idolatrye as it maye be taken awaye, so it ought to be, by y ^e magistrate: A godly doc­tryne also to be preached openlye maye be, and oughte to be appoyn­ted: Publique tranquyllitye also maye, and oughte to be kepte, and open blasphemye maye, and ought [Page] to be punished, leaste the weake be offended, and leste that GOD for open blasphemye that is not puni­shed, be stirred to anger, & destroye all the people. For Esate dyd saye that kynges shoulde be Nurses, & quenes shoulde be nurces, of the churche. The Psalme commaun­ded kynges to vnderstande, & those that iudge the yearth to be learned: and that the sonne of man shoulde be kyssed, leaste he were angrye, and they peryshe out of the ryght waye. He commaunded also the prynces of y ^• earth to open the gates of their cities, y ^t the kyng of glory might go in▪ Wherfore althoughe no man cā de compelled by mans power to be lene in Christe, truelye yet offycers and housekepers oughte to do thei [...] duetye, that puttynge awaye open Idolatrye, the Gospell of Christe may haue place, and the enemyes of sounde doctryne, and blasphemers [Page] maye be kepte shorte and repressed. Moreouer christ techeth vs in thys littell [...]ermon, that he indifferently [...] acknoweledgeth all, as manye as be geuen hym of hys father, and re­ceiueth them. The Iewes do thinke that Messias doeth take the Iewes onelye for hys people: and if any of the Gentiles woulde enioye the be­nefites of Messias, that he must ne­des receyue circumcision, & be made a Iewe. The Hipocrites do thincke that Messias receyueth those men onely, whyche be much gyuen to ho lye seruice, and vse manye ceremo­nies. Other men thyncke those men onely to be loued of Messias which in thys worlde be ryche, noble, and myghty. For they are wonte to say: he that beggeth in thys worlde he muste nedes begge also in an other worlde, that is, he that is vnfortu­nate in thys worlde, he shall be also vnfortunate in [...] other.

[Page] But Christe refuteth these verye vaine opiniōs, when he sayeth. All y ^t my father doeth gyue me, cōmeth to me: & him y ^t cōmeth to me, I wil not cast out. He sayeth, all. I make here no difference, whether ther come to me of the Iewes or of the Gentiles of honest, or synners, I wyl knowe­ledge them, and receyue theym. And afterwardes. That I lose not a­nye thynge of all the whych he hath geuen me. And agayne. That all I saye all that seeth the sonne, and beleueth in hym maye haue euer­lastynge lyfe. Hitherto also pertay­neth, that Paule wryteth to the Romaynes. The Gospel (sayeth he) is the power of God to all that be­leue. What? Is it but onely to one kynde of men? No not so, but to all that beleue: to the Iewe fyrste, and also to the Grecian. And afterwar­des. All that truste in hym, shall [Page] not be shamed. For there is no dy­stinccion eyther of the Iewe or of the Grecian. For he is al one Lorde of all, plentifull to all theym that call vpon hym. And agayne. God hath shut al mē vnder vnbeliefe, to haue pitie vpon thē. Of whom? Of the Iewes onely or of honeste men? No no. But of all, whither they be Iewes or gentiles, whither they be honeste or vnhonest, whither they be mighty or in misery, if so be they be geuen to Christe, of God the fa­ther, and be come to Christ. I praie y ^• than: whom doth the father gyue to hys sonne Christe? And what be they that come to Christe? we nede not take muche thoughte to looke aboute what answere to make.

Christe hym selfe in thys sermon de clareth thys playnely. For whan he had sayde. Thys is the wyll of my [Page] father which sent me, that I should not lose anye of all those thynges whyche my father hath geuen vnto me, he sheweth anon after to expoūd hym selfe, whyche they be that hys father gyueth hym, and that com­meth vnto hym, sayinge: this is hys wyll that hath sente me, that al that seeth the sonne, and laboureth in hym, should haue euerlastyng life. Wherefore the father gyueth those vnto hys sonne, and they come vn­to the sonne, whyche heare the Gos­pel of hys sonne, and knowe him by the Gospell, and beleue in hym, that he is the true sauioure. For in thys weakenes of oure fleshe, we maye not come to y ^• throne of Gods maie­stye, and serche oute hys vnsearcha­ble iudgementes, because he dwel­leth in lyght that cānot be come vn­to: but we muste come to that maū ­ger, of the whyche the aungell prea­ched vnto the shepardes: You shall [Page] fynde an infante wrapped in swa­ [...]hell bondes lyinge in a mannger. We muste come to Iesus, whyche shewed hym selfe openly by takyng vpon hym mannes f [...]esh, by preach­yng of the Gospel, and by miracles, and the whyche shewed hym selfe to hys churche to be seen of oure sen­ces, by baptysme, in the Gospel, and the lordes supper. These thynges are Christes face, whereby God is seen, & hys wyl is openlye knowen. No Man (sayth he) euer sawe God. The [...] whereby god is se▪ The onely sonne whych is in the bo some of the father, he hathe shewed hym. And agayne: Philip, he that seeth me, seeth also my father. Wher fore we muste do thys one thynge, that we he [...]re the Gospell of Christ and receyue Christ thorowe, fayth. For if we fynde oure selfe in Christ thorowe fayeth, nothynge shall be more certayne nor true vnto vs, th [...] that the father hathe geuen vs to [Page] hys sonne, and that we be come vn­to hys sonne.

Therefore it ought not to be dou­ted, but the sonne careth for, and prouydeth that we do not peryshe. For thys (sayeth he) is the wyll of my Good father whyche of hys goodnes hathe sente me into thys worlde, that I shoulde not lose anye of all those, whyche he hathe gyuen me. Laste of all Christe doeth teache that he geueth not worldelye and transitorye thyn­ges, but heauenlye, and eternall benefites.

The Iewes haue looked for, and yet do in theyr Messias, for cor­porall commodities, and profi­tes, and to beare rule in thys worlde. Carnall men, whyche seme to knoweledge Christe, thyncke them selues lost, of Christe wyncke, and they be greuyd wyth pouer­tye, or dye.

[Page] And then in dede they woulde loue Chryste well, if he woulde gyue theym yearth [...]lye ryches, and longe lyfe in thys worlde. But Chryste teacheth playnelye, that he gyueth heauenlye, and gyftes e­uerlastynge. I wyll not lose (say­eth he.) And agayne: he hathe lyfe euerlastynge. And I wyll rayse hym vppe in the laste daye.

For althoughe he wyncke, that they that beleue in hym shoulde be oppressed wyth pouertye, sycke▪ nes; and death, yet suffereth he not that they shoulde peryshe, but throughe hys power, and aboun­dante mercye, he bryngeth to passe that they maye haue lyfe euerla­stynge: and he rayseth theym vppe agayne in the laste daye, that they maye raygne wyth hym in euer­lastinge blesse.

[Page] Thys is a greate comforte, & great is all their saluacion, that beleue in Christe: for what nede they nowe to feare? They are troubled wyth po­uertye▪ but they haue Christe obe­diente to hys father, whose wyll is, that he lose none of all, whyche hys father hath gyuen vnto hym. They arefore diseased, but Christe proui­deth that they dye not in their sick­nes: they are condemned for synne, but christ hath cleansed theyr sinne: They dye; and returne to duste, but Christe saueth theym vnto euerla­stynge lyfe, and wyll rayse theym a­gayne in the later daye. Wherefore althoughe all the myschefes of the worlde ranne, and were ioyned in one, yet muste you truste well, and knowe that they shall be an healpe to our profite, thorow Iesus Christ our sauiour, whyche is wyth the fa­ther, and the holy gost, God blessed for euer.

Amen.

NOwe wyll we talke of the Iewes mur­murynge agaynste christ: For although the Iewes, whyche by thys murmuring declared their rudenes, ignoraunce and naughtines, be vnworthye to take anye care for their vayne wor­des, yet because that thorowe thys occasion Christ is stirred vp to de­clare hys Gospell the more playne­lye, howe so euer it be, it is not neg­ligently to be passed ouer. Lette vs heare therfore, what the Euangelist wryteth.

The Iewes murmured (sayde he) for that that he had saied, I am that bread whych am come downe from heauen. And they sayed: Is not thys Iesus the sonne of Iosephe, whose father and mother we knowe? Howe than (sayeth he) I am come downe from hea­uen?

[Page] I dowbte not but yf Christe had preached eyther of theft or of mur­der, or of adultrie, or any other such parte of the lawe, that not only they woulde haue vnderstande hys ser­mon, but also if ther had bene ani a­mongeste theym that had loued ho­nestye, they woulde haue prayesed hym. For mans reason althoughe it be viciate, and corrupted wyth o­riginall synne, yet hath it kepte styl some intelligence of naturall lawe. But nowe because Christe teacheth true religiō, of Messias, and of his eternall benefites, not onelye they not vnderstande theym, but they al­so grudge, and speake against hym. For althoughe the Iewes hadde hearde manye thynges oute of the sermons of the prophets, of Messi­as yet because they were not lyghtened wyth the lyghte of the holye goost, they dyd not vnderstande the true meanynge of Messias, and of [Page] hys kyngedome. The fleshely man sayeth Paule, perceyueth not those thynges whyche be of the spirite of God. For they are folyshnes vnto hym, and he cannot know. For they must be iudged spiritually.

Furthermore the Iewes dreamed that the kyngedome of Messias shoulde be a perpetuall worldelye kingdome. And hauynge thys opi­nion, they coulde not vnderstande those thynges that were spoken of the spiritual benefites of the king­dome of Messias. Beside thys the commō sorte of the Iewes thought that theyr Messias shoulde haue bene a greate Lorde in dede, and borne of the house of Dauyd: but yet that he shoulde be a man, and not also the verye, and naturall sonne of God, as when thei were ax ed in Mathewe, whose sonne Christ should be, they answered, Dauides: that is man, onelye of man.

[Page] Wherfore whan Iesus taught far other thynges of Messias, they be so offended, that they thoughte hys teachynge to be very vayne. What saye they? Althoughe thys were Messias, of whome we perceyue he boasteth, yet can we not maruayle inoughe what he meaneth, y ^t ▪ he af­fyrmeth he came downe from hea­uen. Wyll he take vpon hym to be God? Uerely Messias shal be a mā. We knowe also the kyndered of thys Iesus. We knowe hys father and mother, poore folkes, and ab­iecte persons. Howe dare he be so bolde therefore as to say he is god? Here is a double erroure. One that of Messias promised by the Pro­phetes, they thincke no hier, than of a man, in dede verye excellente, but yet but a man, when for al that god calleth hym openlye after a syngu­lar Messias y ^• very sonne of God. maner, hys sonne, saying: Thou arte my sonne, thys daye I haue be [Page] gotten the. And Dauyd by the in­spiracion of the holye gooste doeth knoweledge him hys Lorde, and set teth hym at the ryghte hande of his father. An other erroure is that thei iudge hym after the outwarde sight of hys stocke or kindred, yea y wys as thoughe Dauyd also beynge so greate a Lorde, dyd not confesse the basenes of his kindred, and had not bene wrytten of Messias whyche shoulde be borne of Dauydes sede, that he shoulde ascende as a young graffe, and as a rote out of a drys grownde, neyther that he shoulde haue anye fayrenes or beutye, but shoulde be the worste, and moste dis pysed. Lette vs consider therefore what canse Christ doth rehearse of y ^• Iewes errour. Iesus answered and sayed.

Murmure not emonge your selues. No man maye come vnto me, excepte the father that sente me, hathe drawen hym: and I wyll [Page] raise hym vp in the laste daye. It is writen [...] the Prophetes. And they all shall be taugh [...] of God: All men therefore that hath heard of my father, and hath learned, commeth to me: not that any man hath seen the father, saue he whych is of God, he hath seen the father.

Thys is a memorable Sermon, whyche althoughe it seme harde; yet is it necessary to be knowen: and if ye wyl vnderstād it, it is very pro fitable. It nedeth not (sa [...]th he) that any man shoulde shewe me why ye murmur, I know both that ye mur mour, and why ye murmour. Thys doeth offende you, because I sayed: I came downe from heauen. And thys is neyther newe, nor maruay­louse, that you wyll not knowledge me, that is verye Messias. For no man can come to me, no manne can knowledge true Messias, and per­take hys benefites, excepte the hea­uēly father drawe hym. The know­ledge of Messias lieth not in mans wytte, nor in carnall reason, nor in [Page] mans merites, but it is the worcke of goddes mercye, and of the holye gooste. But you Iewes, you lacke the holy goost, and the heauenly fa­ther draweth you not. Wherfore it is no maruayle that you knowe­ledge not me, that is, the true Mes­sias. But howe is thys proued that Christe sayeth: No man maye come to me excepte he drawe hym that hath sente me? Althoughe Christe haue suche greate autoritye that all hys sayinges, althoughe they haue no profe ioyned to theim, must be taken, and kepte for heauenly re­uelacions, yet in thys place he brin­geth out for wytnes, the sayinges of the Prophetes, sayinge, in the Prophetes it is wryten: all shall be taughte of God. All therefore that haue hearde of my father, and hath learned commeth to me. Let vs seke nowe in what Prophetes, thys is written. And it is playne in verye [Page] dede, that thys saying is contained in the. xlv. Chapter of Esaie. For whan the Prophet dyd discribe the kyngdom of Messias, and rekened vp hys benefites, whyche be geuen to those y ^t be subiectes of hys kyng­dom, amonge other he reherseth vp thys also: that al they that pertayne to thys kyngedome are taughte of god, and are lightened by the holye goost.

I wyll (sayeth he) make all thy children the Dysciples of the Lord: For god hym selfe shal be their tea­cher. And the holye goost shal teach theym: that both they shall knowe­ledge the true Messias, and obtaine the true benefits of Messias. With thys sayinge agreeth thys also that the same prophete wryteth of in an other place: All nacions shall slowe (sayeth he) vnto the mountayne of the lorde, that is to wyt, whan the kyngedome of Christe is opened, [Page] and much people shall go and saye: Come lette vs go vp to the moun­tayne of the Lorde, and the howse of the god of Iacob, and he shall teache vs hys wayes. The Lorde hym selfe (sayeth he) shall teach vs, that all maye be taughte of the Lorde. To thys agreeth also Hieri­mye in hys. xxxi. Chapter: after those dayes (sayeth the Lorde) I wyl gyue my lawe in theyr bowels, and I wyll wryghte theym in theyr herte, and I wyll be theyr GOD, and they shall be my people. And a manne shall no more teache hys neyghboure, nor a manne hys bro­ther, sayinge: knowe the Lorde. For all shall know me from the lest to the hiest.

Uerely thys is it y ^t Esaias had say­ed also before: Al shal be taughte of god. There be also some thynges or places in the wrytynges of the E­ [...]angelistes and Apostles y ^t agre w ^t [Page] these sayinges of the Prophetes▪ and by whyche it is playnelye she­wed, y ^t as al that pertayne to y ^• king dome of Messias should be taught by God, so no mā can acknowledge or cōfesse Messias, except he be ligh tened wyth heau [...]nlye doctryne. In Mathewe Christe sayeth: no man knoweth the son, but the father: nor no mā the father but the son, and he to whome the sonne wyll open it.

And a litell after, whan Peter dyd confesse of Iesus boeth in hys own name, and in the name of the other Apostles, sayinge: thou arte that Christ the sonne of the l [...]uyng god, Iesus answered hym. Fleshe and bloude hath not opened thys vnto the, but my father that is in heauen. Here it is openlye sayde, that the knoweledge of Messias, whyche is oure true health, and as Christ him selfe sayeth, euerlastynge lyfe, depe [...] deth not by mannes reason or indu­strye, [Page] nor of mans merites, but one­ly of the heauenlye doctryne, and free mercy of God. It is not (saieth Paule) in the wyllar, nor in y ^e tun­net, but in God that hathe mercye. And it is sayde to Moyses: I wyll haue mercye of whom so euer I wil haue mercye, and I wyll shewe mer cye to whom so euer I list. There be manye also suche lyke sayinges of Scripture, whych testifye that men can get the knoweledge of Messias and theyr saluacion onely by the fre mercye of God, whyche wyll drawe by hys holye spirite, whome so euer he wyll, and lyst. Here nowe ryseth a great sorte of questions, and as wel the ignoraunte as the connynge, the good as the badde, may dyspute in thys mater. For some say: If ne­des al men muste be taught of god, what nede we to heare sermōs made by men, to what profiteth the out­warde preachynge of the Gospel? I [Page] wil thā heare no more what any mā sayeth vnto me, but I wyll loke for reuelacion from heauen, to be lyght ned by the holy goost. Other make obieccion. If no man may come vn­to Christe excepte he be drawen by God the father, the faulte of vnbe­liefe shall not be in the man: whych if he were drawen, must nedes obey whā, God draweth because his ver­tue is omnipotent. For why doeth not god drawe all menne, seynge he is hable to do it. Why drewe he Ia cob and not Esau? Why drewe he Paule, and not Caiphas? Other thynke: If mans saluacion depend onlye of the fre mercye of God whi­che choseth whom he wyl, what and if thou werte not in the number of them, that are chosen by God, what if God had caste the awaye whan he chose hys at the begynnynge: he those hys before the foundacions of the world were layed. These and [Page] many other thynges are wonte to be reasoned of by mē, whē ther heate that no man cōmeth to Christe, nor getteth saluacion excepte he be cho­sen of god, & be drawen, & taught by god. Fyrst therefore, you must hold vndoutedlye, that all the hole scrip­ture, in the whyche thys thinge also of gods predestinaciō is contained, The end of Scripture. is inspired of God: & put in writing for this vse & purpose, to shew vnto vs Christ, to teach Christ, to set out Christ, & to stir vp, kyndle, strēgth and kepe our faith that is in Christ. It is playne that Moyses whyche is the fyrste, and chiefest minister of holy scripture, sendeth the people a­waye from hym selfe to Christe, say inge: The Lorde GOD shal rayse vppe vnto the a Prophete of thy people, and of thy brethren.

[...]ym thou shalte heare. And Peter sayeth: all the Prophetes from Sa [Page] muell, and after as many as spake, hath also shewed of these daies. For there is none other name vnder hea uen gyuen amonge men in the whi­we must be saued. Wherefore what soeuer place of Scripture semeth vnto vs eyther to take Christ away or to weaken and breake y ^• fayth in Christe we muste thyncke, that ey­ther we do not vnderstand it ryght­lye, or that it is the tentacion of the spirite of the diuyll: For it cannot be, that it shoulde be the holye Gost that doeth leade awaye men from Christe, and the fayeth whiche is in hym. Furthermore, where Christe sayeth: That no man commeth to hym excepte he be drawen of God the father. And Esaye: that all be taughte of GOD, It putteth not awaye the outwarde ministery of the preachynge of the Gospell, but rather confyrmeth it. For whome the father draweth, those he draweth [Page] by preachynge of the Gospell. And those whome God teacheth, those he teacheth by the outwarde or as we be wonte, by the vocal worde. The mini­stery of the Gospel is necessarye.

Go you sayeth Christ into y ^• vni­uersall worlde, and preache the gos­pell to all creatures. Why woulde Christe so sadly, and wyth so greate ieopardye also of hys Apostles or­dayne thorowe the whole world the open preachynge of hys Gospell, if it serued not to learne true godlines and to get heauenlye blesse? The maiestye and authoritye in dede to teache, and shewe Christe, that is of saluacion to be giuē thorow Christ is onely in the power of God the fa­ther, and hys holye gooste. But the ministery, and the instrument where by the spirite teacheth, and openeth Christe, is the outwarde and vocall predicacion of the gospel. For that, God vseth thys organe, and is ef­fectuall in man, by it the matter it [Page] selfe proueth, and manye places of the scripture witnesseth. I haue ap­poynted you sayeth Christ to his A postles, to go and bryng fruite, and that your fruit should abide. And it is manifest y ^• Christ hath sent his A postles to preach his gospel. Ther­fore he speaketh of this ministery y ^• it bringeth fruit, which also tarieth. And Paul: The gospel (sayth he) is y ^• power of god to all y ^t beleue. And againe: faieth is by hearing, & hea­ryng is by the word of god. And a­gayne: We thancke god & ceas not that when you receyued the word of vs, whereby you learned God, you receyued not the wordes of men, but as it was in dede the words of god which also worketh in you that be­leue. Paul speaketh of two things touching y ^• preaching of the gospel The one, y ^t it is not y ^• wordes of mē but y ^• wordes of god. That other, y ^t it is effectual in those y ^t receyue it in [Page] saieth. What could be spoken more excellente of thys ministerye? Let vs heare also Peter: beynge borne agayne (sayeth he) not by mortall sede, but by immortal, by the words of the liuyng god, and that remay­neth for euer. And sayeth further: And these be the wordes, whyche was broughte vnto you by the gos­pell. You se that Peter gyuethe to the instrumente of outwarde prea­chyng of the Gospell, a newe byrth, wythout the whych no man can get saluacion. Nor all be not borne a­gayne that heare the Gospel: and in The salua cion of in­fantes. fauntes whyche for theyr age can­not heare the Gospell, are borne a­gayne thorowe goddes mercye by Baptisme. For they although they be not liable to receyue the out­warde worde, yet be they hable to re ceyue the holye goost, whyche thing the example of Iohn Baptiste doth proue.

[Page] But we nowe speake of the ordina­rye waye to receyue saluacion. For in that some, althoughe they heare the Gospel, are not borne agayne, o­ther, althoughe they here not y ^• out­warde voyce of the Gospell, by the singular power of God, are borne a gayne, it taketh nothynge awaye from the dignitye, and profit of the ministerye, whyche is ordeyned by Christ wyth great authoritye. Ma­nye sowe sede whyche bryngeth no fruit, and yet the corne is good, and the sede also. I (sayeth Paule) haue planted, Apollo hathe watred, but God gyueth the encrease. And al­thoughe it folowe: Neyther he that planteth is anye thynge, neyther he that watereth, yet anone after it is sayed. We be healpers together wyth god, that is: the planter, and the waterar is nothynge in dede if you consider y ^• autoritie of encrease: but it is muche if you consider the [Page] instrumente, the ministery the plan­tynge, and waterynge by whyche god is wonte to gyue encrease. And on that other part, the rod of Aaron floryshed wythout plantynge, and wateryng. What shall we say then? Shall we therefore take awaye all plantynge, and waterynge, because God somtyme bryngeth thynges to effecte wythoute theym? Nothynge so at all. But rather is the power of God to be maruayled at in hys mi­racles, but we muste vse the instru­mentes that he sheweth vs to serue oure vocacion, and offer oure selfes to god the father, and the holy gost, to be facioned thorowe Christ. And touchynge the vse of outward prea­chynge the Gospell, thus far be it spoken. But nowe let vs searche to whom the faut of ignoraunce, & vn­beliefe is to be layed. For (saye they) If no man come vnto Chryste, ex­cepte the father hathe drawen hym [Page] who shall be the maker of incredu­litye but god hym selfe, because he draweth not al men, and yet may do it? Lord, what a blasphemie is this. For god is not y ^• author of euyl but of good, not of vices but of vertus. For as touchynge God, he in dede draweth & teacheth al mē, but most God dra­weth [...] how part of men drawe backe theim sel­ues, and wythstande the doctrine of Christe. Howe often (sayeth he) woulde I haue gathered together thy sonnes, as the byrde her young vnder her wynges, and you would not. And Stephan sayth: you hard necked, & vncircumcised, in hert and eares, you alwaies haue resisted the holy goost, & as your fathers haue done, so do you also. Thou wylt say then: what is the cause that God chaungeth not theyr wyll, and ma­keth theym of not wyllynge, wyl­lynge, of styffe necked, redye to be tourned?

[Page] For who is hable to resiste his om­nipotent power? This in dede is to bring god vnder, & make hym sub­iecte to mans wisdome. There is no doubte but god coulde aswell haue chaunged the wil of Caiphas as he chaūged the wil of Paule: but these secretes shall than be opened whan we shall se him in the world to come as he is in dede, and when we shall knowe him, as he knoweth vs. But nowe as touchinge these misteries, we muste crye out wyth Paule: O deapthe of the riches and wisdome & knowledge of god, how vnsercha ble be his iudgementes, & his waies hard to found out. For it is plaine, y ^t thorowe one mans faute as Paule sayeth euil was engendred vpon al men to their condēnaciō. Wherfore god by no right may be rebuked, & accused of iniustice, althoughe he chaunge no mans wyll, but leaue all menne in perpetual damnacion, [Page] whyche thorowe theyr euyll they haue deserued. But in that he deli­uereth, and saueth some, it is hys gentilnes, and mercye whych we be bownde to knowledge and prayse, Christ was opened a­mong men euen from the begyn­ning of the worlde. and not to rebuke. For so greate is the beneuolence of God toward mē that althoughe he owe theym no­thynge, yet wyll he shewe that very and true health oughte to be taken of all men, and woulde as much as he hath shewed vs in Scriptur by the holy gooste, make al men saued. Dyd he not euen from the begyn­nynge of the worlde, after man had synned, and deserued perpetual dis­struccion, shewe out vnto vs hys sonne Christ, to be receyued in faith that men thorowe hym myghte get the saluacion whiche they had lost? Whyche Sermon of Christe was fyrste shewed a brode amonge the Patriarckes, whyche were not one­ly y ^• fathers of the Iewes but of the [Page] Gentiles also. Afterwardes were the Iewes amonge whome were put the promises of Christ, spreade abrode by diuers occasions among the Gentiles, that by theym the gen tiles myghte learne what was pro­mised of Christe from heauen. And the last of al when Christ was come and had fynished his iorney in this worlde, the sounde of the Apostles wente thorowe all the yearth, and theyr wordes wente into the endes of the worlde. Wherefore as touch­ynge oure Lorde god, man neuer lacked any thyng wherby he might knowe Christe, and by hym to get saluaciō. But in that, y ^• al men haue not gotten or do not get the knowe­ledge of Christe, and theyr saluaci­on, it is not goddes faute, but men­nes. For they as they do not receiue Christe offered vnto thē, & their sal­uaciō offered vnto thē: so they wyll not receiue him, yea, thei do not once [Page] desire to haue a wil to receyue hym. What should god do then? Would ye haue him thrust out his benefits vnto theim that be not wyllynge, a­gainste theyr willes, and resistynge hym asmuch as they can? Caiphas heard the Gospell of Christ, he sawe hym him selfe, & speake wyth Christ face to face. I dout not but y ^•. Nero which killed Paule, heard speaking also of Christ. But what was done? They not onelye woulde not learne y ^• trueth of Christe, but were so wic­ked, that they had not once a wyl to desire, and if a man had wyshed a better mynd vnto them, they would yea haue abhorred that. Wherfore the faute of the vtter destruccion of wicked men is not to be ascribed vn to the maiestye of God, but to theyr naughtines, whyche whan they be drawen, and taughte of God, put awaye saluacion from theym, not onelye wyth fote, and hande, but [Page] w ^t al their hert. Furthermore what shal we saye of theym, whych beyng weake in fayeth, by consideringe of this matter, make them selues more weake? For they thynke wyth them selues.

If no mā come vnto christ but whō the father hath drawen, what and if thou werte not in the nūber of those men, whome the father is wonte to drawe? For the father draweth whō he wyll, and whome he hath chosen accordyng to hys mercy? How than if thou wert not chosen? For so al­thoughe thou seme to thy selfe to beleue in Christe, yet at the laste thou shalte fall from C [...]iste. And further, they compare theym selues wyth so manye myghtye men, wyse men, learned and honeste in thys worlde, and thyncke: what?

Shouldest thou alone wyth a fewe yea, and those verye vyle, and ab­iecte menne, be the chosen churche [Page] of god, and those be myghtye prin­ces, so verye wyse gouernoures of the common weales, so excelent men in all kynde of vertue, whych know ledge not the Gospell of Christe, shoulde they be shut oute from hea­uenlye saluacion? Shoulde God dispise theym, and care for the and a fewe other? Therfore in these & like tentacions, we muste diligentelye consider that we spake of before, that is goddes eleccion to be shew­ed in the scripture, not to weaken but to strengthen the fayth of good men in Christe. Is it not a poynt of rashe madnes, to abuse a sweard to The ende of scripture is to cōfirm fayeth. destroye t [...]y selfe, whyche is deli­uered the to defende thy lyfe? This worde y ^• is sayde. I wyl haue mercy vpon whome so euer I wyll haue mercy. And it is not of y ^• wyllar nor of the runner, is the swearde of the spirite, whyche is geuen vs for this purpose, fyrste that when we mani­festly [Page] shoulde perceyue that our iu­stice is more impure, the y ^t by the de­serte thereof, we maye be receiued to God, and that oure strengthe is so weake, that by it we can not ascēde into heauen, we shoulde flye to thee fre mercy, and eleccion of God. But thou wylte saye, it is vnknowen vn to vs, whom god hath chosen. God forbyded. God hath opened verye playnelye in oure sauioure Iesus The prede­stinacion of god is [...] led in christ▪ Christe hys wyll, and eleccion. And if thou wylte assaye to come vnto god wythout Christ, thou canst not searche▪ hys secreat counsayles. But if thou come accompayned wyth Christe, that eleccion shall be no more darcke, & vnknowen vnto the. For there is nothynge more certein then that, god thorowe his mercye hath chosen hym whyche trusteth to hys onelye sonne Iesus Christe.

Thys (sayeth he) is the wyll of hym that hath sente me, that all that se [Page] the sonne, and beleue in hym, maye haue euerlastynge lyfe, and I wyll rayse hym vp in the last daye. And agayne, all the Prophetes beare wytnes to thys, that he shall haue pardone of hys synnes thorow hys name, whosoeuer shal beleue in him. And agayne: As manye as hath re­ceyued hym, to them he hath geuen power that they shall be the sonnes of God, namelye to those that haue beleued in hys name. To be shorte. Thys is the chiefe poynte of all the gospell of Christe, that he so loued the worlde, y ^t he gaue hys only son, that all that beleue in hym shoulde not perish, but haue life euerlastig. Wherefore whosoeuer hath founde hym selfe in Christ thorowe fayeth, he suarlye hathe also founde hym selfe in the fre, and mercyfull elecci­on of god.

For Iesus Christe, is the boke Christ is y ^• boke of life of heauenlye lyfe, into the why­che [Page] whosoeuer shall be wryten by fayeth, there is no doute, but that he is wryten in the herte of GOD, and that he pertayneth to the con­gregacion of the celestial Citizens. But thou wylte saye: I feare leaste my fayth, either be not pure, or faile at the laste. What? Thynkest thou that God wyll breake a brused rede or quench lint y ^t is smokynge? The mother wyl not yet cast away her li­tel babe, eyther being yet but tender of age, or weake by reasō of sicknes, but wil so much the more take head of hym, howe greuouser hys sycke­nesses be: and shoulde GOD the father be more harde thanne a mannes mother agaynste hym be he neuer so weake in faith, to whom he hath promised all mercye in hys sonne Iesu Christe?

Knowest thou not whither this say­ing calleth the? Lord I beleue, helpe myne incredulitye. It is not to be [Page] feared therfore, leste god wyll caste the awaye for thy weake faieth, but rather thou muste laboure, by con­tinuall occupiynge of the worde of god, by prayer, and obedience, that fayeth, thorowe the holy goost may be often encreased more, and more. And what meaneth that, that thou shouldes be thoughtful of thy con­tinuaunce in fayth? Do thou whyle thou arte heare thy duetye. Let god alone wyth the reste. Knowest thou not that god is fayethfull whyche wyll not suffer vs to be tempted a­boue that we are hable, but maketh encrease euen wyth the tentacion, whereby we may be hable to suffer. My shepe (sayeth Christe) heare my voyce, and I knoweledge theym, and they folowe me, and I gyue vn to theym lyfe euerlastynge, nother shall they peryshe for euer, nor no man shall take theym oute of my hande. But nowe thou arte made a [Page] shepe of Christ, bycause thou know ledgeste Christe thorowe fayeth. What fearest thou than leste anye man should take the out of the hād of Christe? Uerelye as touchynge the wyll of Christ whych is shewed thorow the whole gospel, thou canst not dout, peraduēture thou doutest of hys power. But he addeth, my father whyche hath geuen theym to me, is greater then they all, and no man can take theym out of my fa­thers hand. What? Thynkest thou that Christes prayer was vayne, and of no strength? I praye not (say eth he) onelye for them, but for those whyche wyll beleue in me thorowe theyr preachynge, that all maye be one as thou O father art in me, and I in the. Paule also sayeth: I tho­rowelye beleue, that neyther death nor life, neyther Aungeles, nor ru­lers, neyther powers neyther thyn­ges that be nowe, nor thynges that [Page] be to come, neither heith nor deapth neither any other creatur shal be hable to seperate vs frō y ^• loue w ^t whyche god loueth vs thorow christ our Lord. Heare also thys saying of the Prophet. Mountaines shalbe mo­ued, and hylles shal tremble, but my mercy shal not depart from the, and my leage of peace shall not be mo­ued sayth the merciful Lord. Wherfore thou muste be verye suer, that god whych hath gyuen the his sōne and whome thou haste receyued nowe by fayeth, wyll prouyde also that thou kepe styll hys sonne, yea in the myddes of death also: or ra­ther to speake more ryghtelye, thou shouldeste be kepte of hym and sa­ued. Furthermore the holye gooste hathe opened in the Scripture the doctryne of free eleccion of GOD for thys purpose, that good menne shoulde not be offended eyther with the smalle number or vylenes, but [Page] shoulde truste: and that the euyll menne shoulde not be prowde of theyr multitude, power, wysdome and maiestye whyche they haue in thys worlde, but feare. For if ye compare together the congregaci­on of the good and the badde, in thys worlde, ye shal alwayes fynde the badde hygher in degree, more in number, in more dignitye, honour, and greatenes, and in all other thynges.

In the begynnynge of the worlde the congregacion of Cayne, semed to be beste, and that onelye shoulde possesse the worlde. And the churche of good Patriarckes, as it was smalle in number, so was it coun­ted verye litell worthe. Abraham when he was called out of hys coū ­trye, had no great authoritye amōg the Gentiles, and yet he wyth Mel­chisedech, and fewe other was the verye true churche of GOD.

[Page] Other nacions were bygger in nū ­ber, power and wysdome, and yet were rected of God. In Egypte the Israelites were the churche of god, whyche althoughe they were encrea sed in nūber, yet were thei oppressed w ^t bondage, & the Egipcians in the meane seasō which were the church of the wycked bare greate rule, and were in very▪ great maiestye of thys worlde. What shall I say of the ex­amples of those times that folowed after? In the same people whyche were called by the name of god, one was the verye churche of god, an o­ther fained. Whan Ahab was king of Israell, the churche of god semed to be the kyng, the quene, the courti­ers the priestes, and all Israell, but a fewe other, that is to wit: Elias, Abdias, and some that were hyd in the caues by Abdias, were thought to be abiected from god. But they were the true church, and that other [Page] the fayned. What tyme Christe was borne, the byshoppes, the scri­bes, the Pharises were iudged the churche of god, and as many as fa­uoured the authoritie, and doctrine, but zacharias, Elizabeth, Marye, Iosephe, Simeon, and a fewe other as in comparison of the mulitude and maiestye of the other, they were counted nothynge, so were they not taken nother for the true churche. But the iudgemente of god is one, and the iudgement of men another. And afterwardes, Iohn Baptiste. Christe, the Apostles, and certayne other were the verye church of god when for all that, Annas, Caphas, the byshopes, the priestes, the scri­bes, y ^• Pharises, al the other compa­nye, of the Iewes helde the hieste place, and dygnitye in the churche, in comparison of whome, they were counted vyle, and abiecte. These thynges verilye are wonte much to [Page] offende good men. They se they are but a fewe, & dyspised, & to haue no shewe of the churche of god: & that their aduersaries are manye, great, mightye, wise, and not onelye beare the title, and name of the church, but also haue the▪ chiefe place in it. God therefore shewed the doctrine of his The cause of goddes predestinaci on. fre elecciō, & cōforted the good mē, and byddeth thē haue a good hope, saying y ^t euerlastyng saluacion stā ­deth not by mans authoritie, multi tude, power or wysdom, but only by y ^• fre elecciō of god. And seyng god hath chosen thē out (which thyng is manifest by thys y ^t the know Iesus Christ, the sonne of God, & beleue in hym) they ought not to be fered by y ^• hie dignitie of their enemies, & fal away frō true godlines, but stād so much y ^• more strongly, y ^• vilar they be taken in y ^e eies of mē. I thāke the (sayth Christ) O father lord of hea­uen, & earth, that y ^u hast hidden these [Page] thinges frō witty, & wise men, & she­wed thē to y ^e litle ons. Uerely father this was thy good wil. And againe: feare not litle flocke, for it hath ple sed your father to giue you a king­dom. And Paule sayeth: you se your vocacion, that not many wise mē af­ter the fleshe not manye men of po­wer, not many of noble bloude, but those that were folishe after y ^e world god hath chosē to make y ^e wise asha­med. Wherfore, y ^e more suar that it is, that God doeth chose his church not after the merits of man or flesh ly maiestie, but after the purpose of hys owne mynd, so muche the grea­ter owghte they truste of good men to be: y ^t whan they knowe Christ in whō god hath opened y ^t they be the elect members of the churche, it is no doute, but they shall be sa­ued for euer, yea althoughe the whole worlde woulde saye contra­rye, and threaten the contrarie. [Page] But we haue nowe spoken inoughe of thys matter, we wyll tourne a­gayne to oure purpose.

All that haue harde (sayeth he) and learned of my father, commeth vnto me. And it is sayde more, not that any man hath seen the fa­ther, but he that is of God he hath seen the father.

What shall we say then? If none other hathe seen god the father but he, whych is of God, that is, but Ie­sus Christe the onelye sonne of god whyche is in the bosome of hys fa­ther, what remaynethe, but that none other also hath harde god, and learned any thynge of hym, and can not obtayne saluacion. What shall we thyncke than of Moses, and o­ther Prophetes, of the whyche the scripture wytnesseth that they haue seen God, and learned manye thyn­ges The diffe­rence of the prophetes visions, & Christes. of hym? But greate dyfference is betwixte the seynges of the Pro­phetes, and Christes seynges. For y ^• Prophetes are sayed to haue seen [Page] God in dede, but they haue not seen hys substaunce, and beynge, but on­lye certayne sygnes of hys presence. But Christe seeth the beynge of God, yea, and is one God in dede wyth hys father. Moreouer, the Prophetes haue heard the voyce of God, not the naturall, but that that was taken for a tyme, by whych the wyll of God shoulde be declared.

But Christe is the verye naturall voyce of GOD, and hys eternall worde. Finallye, the prophetes and other good men haue gotten salua­cion in dede, but not by theyr owne merite, but by an others benefite, but Christe is saluaciō it selfe from the begynnynge, bycause he is ve­rye God. It remayneth therefore that he that desireth to se, and beare god, and to learne of God, must ne­des se, and heare Christe, and learne hys Gospell, and kepe it thorowe sayeth, that he maye haue true sal­uacion. [Page] No man (sayeth he) in an o­ther place, hath euer seen God. The onely sonne that is in the bosome of the father, he hath declared of hym. And agayne, no man knoweth the father but the son, and he to whome the sonne wyll shewe hym. And a­gayne: Phylip he that seeth me, se­eth my father also. Wherefore in y ^• desier to se God, & to heare hys hea­uenlye doctryne, and to get saluaci­on, we haue no nede to saye (as Mo ses sayed) who of vs shall ascende into heauen to se, and heare God? But Christ must be sene, and heard, we muste beleue in Christe thorowe hys Gospell. For thys is the face of God, that is the expresse Image of the substaunce of God, thys is the voyce, and worde of God. Thys al­so is the lyfe, and health it selfe, that whoso euer shall beleue in hym, maye haue lyfe, and healthe euer­lastynge, because he is euen wyth [Page] the father, and the holy gooste god blessed for euer.

Amen.

CHriste after the confuta­cion of the Iewes mu [...] muringe cō ­meth againe to his Ser­mon that he hadde begonne. Let vs also come a­gayne to the declaracion of it, that by the meditacion of gods word, we maye do oure duetye, and shewe our selfe to the holye goost readye to be taughte true godlines.

Verelye verelye (sayeth he) I saye vnto you, he that beleueth in me hath euerlastynge lyfe.

That whych Christ rehearsed some [Page] tyme before, the same nowe doth he repete wyth playne, and open wor­des. And thys is the sum not onely of thys sermon, whyche Christ hath in thys place, but also of the whole Gospel of Christ. Moses called vs to heare the Sermons of Christe, a thousande, and fyue hundred yere before Christe was borne, sayinge: heare him. And Christe was sent of God the father for thys offyce, to shewe his Gospel: and we men were called for thys poynte, and be here in thys world to thys vse, to knowe Christe oure sauioure by the Gos­pell. Wherefore, seynge thys say­inge of Christ that we haue shewed is the summe of all hys whole Gos­pell, it muste be so muche made of, that euerye worde owght to be con­sidered. And fyrste se wyth howe greate asseueracion Christe affir­meth hys worde.

Uerelye verely (sayeth he) I say [Page] vnto you. Thys is the othe of Christe, whereby he sygnifieth, that nothynge is more fyrme, nothynge more true, nor nothynge more suer. Howe much mischeife doth he than whyche wyll not beleue the sonne of god no not whan he sweareth? And secondlye he maketh no dyfference of persons, sayinge: he that beleueth in me, whether he be Iewe or greke whyther he be circumcised or vncir­cumcised, whither he be man or wo­man, ryche or poore, master or ser­uaunte, honest or vnhonest, I saye if he beleue in me, he hath lyfe euer­lastynge. I fynde it true in dede say eth Peter, that ther is no respecte of persons wyth God. But in euerye nacion he that feareth GOD, and worcketh iustice (but that no man can do well, excepte he beleue in Christ) the same man is accepted of hym. And Paule sayeth: who soeuer of you is Baptised, hathe putte on [Page] Christe. There is neither Iewe nor Greke, there is neither seruaunt nor freman, there is neyther man or wo­man. For all you are one in Iesus Christ.

Moreouer, whē Christ teacheth in thys place howe to get, and, haue lyfe euerlastynge, he requireth not circumcision, not the sabboth daye, not sacrifices, and such other leuiti­call holy thynges, whyche were in dede in theyr time, the worshypping and seruyce of God, and had a good vse, but they were not the deseruyn­ges of eternall lyfe. Nor Christ say­eth not, he that hathe honoured fa­ther, and mother, he that hathe not kylled, he that hathe not stolen, he that hath hadde pitye of the poore hathe lyfe euerlastynge.

For althoughe these be good wor­kes commaunded of GOD, to the whych preceptes we must nedes al­so obey, and these worckes shoulde [Page] deserue lyfe euerlastynge, if a man were iust, and spiritual in dede, and coulde do these worckes perfectlye as the lawe of god doeth perfectlye require them: If thou wylte go in­to lyfe, kepe my commaundemen­tes, yet bycause man is carnall, sold vnder synne, and doeth not these good worckes perfectlye, it cannot be, that they shoulde deserue eter­nal lyfe. What sayeth Iesus than? He that beleueth, beleueth (sayth he) in me. He requireth fayth which we muste shewe to hym. And what is that fayeth? What is to beleue in Iesus? We wyll shewe you in very fewe wordes, because in other pla­ces we haue spoke of it at large: for to beleue in Iesus, is to beleue y ^t the same Iesus the sonne of Marye is the true Messias or Christe, the Sonne of GOD, whyche was made an oblacion for oure synnes, [Page] and an expiacion, and whyche was made for vs as Paule sayeth, the wysdome of God, the iustice, sancti­ficacion, and redempcion. Therfore to beleue in Iesus, is to put al thy truste in Iesus: as true Christe, so also a true redemer, and sauioure.

Thou wylte saye: thys we wyll do easilye: for what is more easye, spe­cially among Christen men, than to beleue thys Iesus to be true Christ and redemer of our synnes. Happye are we therefore, that eternall lyfe is so easily gotten. Thus the fleshe somtyme either doth swetely laugh at the doetryne of the Gospell, tou­chynge the fayeth in Iesu Christ, or vng odlye abuseth it to hys licence, and lewde libertye. But the thynge it selfe doeth teache, that fayeth in Christ is a farre other worcke, than the fleshe imagineth: and many thin ges do testifie howe harde, yea how impossible it is to the fleshe to be­leue [Page] in Iesu christ. For consider me wyth howe great authoritye Christ hym selfe the onelye sonne of God hath taughte hys owne Gospel, and wyth what miracles he hath confir­med the trueth thereof, and howe fewe were there that beleued him.

In the people of the Iewes, were so many wyse men, so many wittie mē, whych verelye, if fayeth in Christe myght haue bene conceyued by car­nall reason, and strengthe of mans wysdome, they woulde wyth greate obedience haue taken Christe. For fayth groweth not in the f [...]eshe, but the holy goost gyueth it by the gos­pell from heauen. No man (sayeth Christe) can come to me, excepte my father that hath sent me drawe him. And it is sayed to Peter: Flesh and bloude hath not shewed vnto the but my father whyche is in heauen. Hytherto commeth, that wyse men in this world, not only not haue bele [Page] ued in Christe, but also haue perse­cuted wyth all the crueltye they could, thys fayeth, and profession, as wel among the Iewes as amōg the gentils. And if it were so easye a thynge to beleue in Iesus Christ as the fleshe maketh it, who would soner haue conceiued fayeth than these wise mē? Set also before thine eyes, how great a multitude of men is wont in persecucion to denye the fayth in Christ. For as sometyme the Iews and Ethnikes, so now the Byshoppes, & Turkes persecute y ^• doctrine of Christ, and the fayth in Christ. But as in tyme past y ^e grea­test multitude of people among the Iewes & Ethnikes dyd in persecu­cion fal from Christ, so also in these tymes vnder bishops, and Turks, sometyme whan no man doth vyo­lently compel them, they fal awaye, which certaynly is a manifest profe that sayeth in Christe is not of all [Page] men as Paule sayeth: also reken me y ^e hypocrites amōg christen mē that put their hope in the merits of their worckes: nūber also wicked mē, and that do not repent, whych holde on still to leade a naughty, and synfull life. Thinkest thou y ^t both they and these would liue so wickedly if true fayth in Christ were as comon, as y ^• name of fayth is common amonge Christen men? What shall we do then? We muste not thyncke that fayth in Christ is borne in mannes fleshe, and that it can be conceyued by mannes strength, but to be geu [...] by the gyfte of the holy goost from heauen thorowe the Gospell.

Wherefore lette oure cares, and thoughtes awake to thys, that we may learne the Gospell, & cal vpon the lord, y ^t the holy gost may worke in vs, and not onelye gyue vs true fayeth in Chryste, but also kepe, [Page] and encrease it, that we maye walke obediently in the callynges of god. But let vs heare nowe what they get, what they haue, that beleue in Iesus. What sayeth he than? Sai­eth he they shall get worldely Em­pyre, ryches of thys worlde, Or o­ther earthelye gooddes? In dede these be the giftes of god, and serue for somewhat in the earth, but they are not true felicitye. Neyther dyd Christe come into thys worlde to gyue to theym that beleued in hym yearthelye, and traunsitorye good thynges, but rather heauenlye, and euerlasting, saying: he that beleueth in me hath life. What maner of life that fadeth awaye, or y ^t shortly shall perish? not so, but euerlastyng. Also in y ^• name of eternall lyfe he vnder­stand & comprehended althynges y ^t pertaine to euerlasting life: y ^t is, for giuenes, of synnes, chosyng into the sonnes & heires of God, rightuous­nes [Page] before God, the holy goost lea­dynge to obedience of Goddes vo­cacion, deliueraunce, and preser­uacion in death, and finally heauen lye, and euerlastynge kyngedome.

Wherefore he that beleueth in Ie­su Christe, hath forgyuenes of syn­nes, is chosen vnto the sen of God, is coūted iust before god, is endew­ed wyth the holy gost, that he may obey the callyng of God, is saued in death, and receiueth the inheritaūce of heauenly kyngdome, the whyche he shall enioye for euer: Than the whych good thynges, nothyng can be spoken more greater nor more excellente. But I praye the what thynge is that, thorowe whose me­rite he that beleueth in Christe, get­teth lyfe euerlastynge, and so great good thinges of it? Is that thorow the merite, and dygnitye of fayeth, that is, of the woreke that the man doeth? Nothynge lesse verelye. He [Page] that beleueth in Iesu Christe, ob­tayneth in dede euerlastynge lyfe, and the profites of it thorow fayth, but not for the merite or dignitie of fayeth, bycause that fayeth is al­wayes weake, whyle we lyue in the fleshe, nor neuer so greate as the worde of God requyreth. But it getteth those thynges for Iesus Christes sake, which is receiued by fayth. For so it is added.

I am the breade of life.

That is: He y ^t beleueth in me there­fore hath euerlastynge lyfe because that I, whome he receyueth, and possesseth by fayeth. am the breade that gyueth lyfe. I am lyfe it selfe, and perpetuall saluacion. Where­fore he that hath me thorowe fayth, he also hath lyfe, and health euer­lastynge. What lacketh he than that beleueth in Christe? He hathe not a rych house in thys world, but he hath Christ, the Lord of heauen [Page] and yearth, thorowe whome he is made the heyre of all the heauenlye good thynges. He is not garnished wyth some noble kynde of lyfe, in thys worlde, but he is garny [...]hed wyth Christ, and for thorow whom he is noble not onely before the an­gelles, but also before the maiestye of GOD in heauen. He hathe not stronge health of bodye, and longe lyfe in thys worlde, but he hathe Christe, whyche is perpetuall lyfe, and felicity. There is no true goo­des than y ^t he wanteth, whiche bele­ueth in christ. And cōtrary, he y ^t bele­ueth not in christ, hath none of these good things. He hath earthli riches, but because he lacketh christ, ryches, are rather hurtfull vnto hym, than profite. He hath in thys worlde no­ble kynred, but because he lacketh Christ, he is not onely obscure be­fore GOD, but also shall be coue­ted wyth perpetuall darcknes. [Page] He hath prosperous helth, & leadeth a merye life in this worlde, but be­cause he laketh Christ, it shal at last be sayed vnto hym, that Abraham sayed to riche gloton, sayinge: sonne remember that thou haste receyued thy pleasures in thy lyfe, therefore nowe art thou condemned.

Wherefore wyth all the thoughte of oure mynde we muste bende our selues to thys studye, to knowledge Christe thorowe fayeth: and when we knowe hym, kepe hym. But af­ter that Christe maketh mencion, againe of bred, whā he sayth: I am y ^• bred of life, by & by y ^• Iewes thou ght vpō Māna, as they dyd before, so that they thought w ^t them selues: What doest thou boaste that thou arte the breade of lyfe, whyche hath come downe from heauen? What shall we saye than of Manna, why­che oure fathers dyd eate in wylder nes? Wylte thou gyue more excel­lente [Page] breade than Moyses ga [...] [...] our [...] fathers? Of thys thynge also Christe preached before, and yet [...]owe also he reherseth agayne the comparacion of Manna wyth hym selfe, that hys maiestye shoulde be the more opened, saying.

Your fathers haue eaten Manna in desert and are deade. This is the breade descendyng downe frō heauē, that a man maye eate of it, & dye not. I am the liuyng bread that am come downe from heauen. If any man eate of this [...]de, he shall lyue for euer.

Thys is the meaninge of that, that Christe sayeth. There is greate dif­ference betwixte Manna, and [...] breade, that is my selfe. For Māna hathe not browghte lyfe to theym that did eate it: for they that did eat Manna, they are all deade. But my breade, or I my selfe, brynge lyfe to theim that eateth me. For they that eate my breade, that is my selfe, ne­uer dye, but lyue for euer. And Chryst in dede semeth, whan he sai­eth: [Page] Thys is the breade descendyng from heauen, that a man should [...]t of it, and not dye, and addeth. I am the liuynge breade, whiche am come from heauen: If anye eate of thys breade, he shall lyue for euer▪ to re­hearse agayne playnelye all one thynge, but thys rehearsynge a­gayne, neyther is in vayne, nor for naught, superfluous, but y ^• one say­ing is the interpretacion of y ^• other.

For to eate Christe or the breade [...] Christe, in thys place is to beleue [...]o [...] Christ is to beleue. in Christe, as it foloweth afterwar­des. Therfore when he sayth: This [...] the breade descendynge from hea [...]n, because that no man shoulde [...]rstande thys sayinge, neyther of that breade, wherewyth Iesus a lytell before had fedde fyue thou­ [...] [...]en, or of anye other earthe­ly, and corporall breade, anone he sayeth further. I am the liuynge bread, whych am come downe [...] [Page] heauen, that we maye playnely vn­derstande hym, that he speaketh of hym selfe. And when he sayeth after wardes y ^• a man may eate of it, and dye not, straight waies he doeth ex­pounde, what to dye meaneth, and sayeth: if any mā eate of thys bread he shall lyue euerlastyngly. For not to dye, is to liue euerlastigly. What shall we saye then to these thinges? If in thys comparynge together of Manna wyth Christe, the commu­nicaciō is of a spiritual, and heauen lye lyfe, how shal thys that is sayd: your fathers haue eaten Manna in deserte, and be deade, be true of Mo ses, Aaron, Phinees, Iosue, Calib, and manye other good Israelites, which theym selues also haue eaten Māna w ^t the rest, & yet be not dead spiritually? but as Abrahā, Isaac, & Iacob, lyue before god, so do those liue also. And if this speaking be of corporall and earthely death: Howe [Page] can thys sayinge, if a man eate of thys breade he shall not dye, but lyue for euer, be true of Iohn Bap­tist, and afterwardes of Peter, and of the other Apostles, and Dysci­ples of Christe? Dyd not all these eate▪ of Christe, that is beleue in Christe, and yet be deade: not onely▪ corporallye but also were cruellye kylled of theyr aduersaryes? What [...]eth it than that is sayed: the fathers that haue eaten Manna be deade, but he that eateth this bread dyeth not, but shall lyue for euer. Fyrste here in the begynnynge we wyll speake of Moyses, and other good men, that eate Manna in de­serte. For these in dede were preser­ued in death, and lyue before God, but they were not saued; nor lyue not for Manna, whyche they eate, but for Iesus Christ in whom they did beleue whan they eate Manna, by the promises that were spoken [Page] of Christe. For excepte they had ea­ten hym together wyth Manna, vnder Manna, truly they also them selues had died by death euen wyth the vngodly, of whome Paule spea keth. All dyd eate that spirituall meate, and al did drincke that spiri­tual drynke: for they dranke of that spiritual rocke that folowed them, and the rocke was Christe. But God dyd not allowe many of them: For they were ouerthrowen in the wyldernes. And nowe because Mo ses, and other good men, in eatynge of Manna beleued also in Christe that was promised, therefore tho­rowe Christe they were saued in death, and got euerlastynge lyfe. That that we haue spokē of Man­na, the same muste we thyncke o [...] the Supper of the Lorde. For the bread and wyne of the Lordes sup­per, are heauenly meat and dryncke because they be halowed, and sanc­tified [Page] by the lordes institucion, th [...] they maye be hys bodye, and bloud. And althoughe al eate of the Sup­per of the Lord, yet are not al saued in death, nor haue euerlasting ioye. For some in dede eate the supper of the Lorde, and yet beleue not vere­lye in Christe, they truste not in the bodye, and bloude of Christe, which they receyue in the sacramente. Wherefore as to the wycked, the ea tynge of Manna nothynge profi­ted, so to the vnbeleuynge, and vn­ [...]epentaunt, the eatyng of y ^• supper of the Lorde nothyng profiteth. O­ther, not onelye eate of the Lordes supper, but beleue verely y ^• Christe hath gyuen his bodye for their sin­nes, Christ only [...] our helth and hath shed hys bloude, that they myghte be made cleane from theyr sinnes before god. These ther fore be saued in the houre of death, and lyue for euer, not in dede for y ^• selfe eatynge of the supper, but tho­row [Page] Christ in whom they verely be­leue, & in whose [...]ayeth, they be strēg thened by y ^• sacramēt of the supper. For Christ only by [...]ayeth thorowe the gospel, taken eyther with the sa­cramentes or w ^tout the sacraments is he, thorowe whom, men get true & euerlasting helth. The sacramen­tes haue in dede theyr vse in confir­mynge the faieth of him y ^• receiueth thē, and must diligently be taken & obediently, but our health is not set in y ^• self taking of the sacramentes, but in Iesus Christe only receiued thorowe [...]ayeth. For thys is the ly­uing bred, cōming downe frō heauē, y ^• who so euer shal eate of him, or be­leue in him, should not dye, but liue euerlastinglye. Furthermore, wher it is saied of the death of Iohn bap tist, and y ^• Apostles & of other good m [...] that beleued in Christe, we must thinke y ^• althoughe they be killed, & [...] to men to be dead yet are they [Page] dead before god: for before hym thei lyue yet styll. For theyr soule is not loste because Christe Keapeth it, nei­ther perisheth theyr bodye. For al­thoughe it turne agayne to duste, yet shall it be raysed agayne in the laste daye into lyfe euerlastynge. Therefore when Christ sayeth, that the fathers be dead, althoughe they haue eaten Manna, but those that beleue in hym, not to dye: he sygni­fieth, and teacheth, that the carynge of Manna did not bryng of it selfe, lyfe, and healthe, no not to Moses, and other good men (for if they had eaten Manna only, they also theym selues euen wyth the other vngod­lye, shoulde haue bene deade for e­uer) but that onely he hym selfe that is true M [...]ssias receyued in fayeth to be the author, and gyuer of lyfe, and health. But because Christ cal­leth hym selfe the breade of lyfe, he sheweth the manoure also howe he [Page] is made breade, that is our lyfe and health, and sayeth.

The breade whyche I wyll gyue you is my flesh, whych I wyl gyue for the lyfe of the worlde.

Hytherto I haue made mencion of my breade, and haue promised lyfe vnto him, that eateth of this bread: Wherefore because you should not care and looke for of me, for suche breade, as Moyses hath geuen vn­to you in deserte, or suche as you hadde a litell before, when wyth that and two fyshes, I fedde more than fyue thousande men: Go to, I wyll declare vnto you playnelye, what I vnderstande by bread. For the breade whych I speake of now, is my fleshe, whyche I wyl gyue to get lyfe vnto the worlde. I came in to thys worlde, I toke man vpon me, and I toke also all the infyrmi ties of man, not to synne as manne dyd, but y ^• thorowe my passion and death, I woulde put awaye the syn­nes [Page] of men, and reconcile men wyth God the father, that they might get not onelye pardon of theyr synnes, but also lyfe euerlastyng. Therfore my passion whyche I shall take in fleshe, or after my humanitye, is the deliueraunce of the worlde: and my death whyche I shall suffer is the lyfe of the worlde, that as manye as beleue in me maye be saued, and lyue for euer. Thys verelye is that that Christ sayth: The breade whi­che I wyll gyue is my fleshe, whych I wyll gyue for y ^• lyfe of the world. They be very fewe wordes in dede, but in theym is comprehended the sūme of al the gospell, and the grea­test benefites of Christe are set be­fore oure eyes. For fyrste whan he sayth, I wyl gyue my fleshe for life he signifieth that hys death shal be our lyfe. And playnly, diuydeth his The [...]ating of Christes flesh [...] is ne­cessarys to saluacion. deathe, from the deathe of all other men, whither they were patriarckes [Page] or Prophetes, Apostles or Mar­ [...]rs. For althoughe they were cru­ellye slayne of the wycked, and dyd not deserue before menne, eyther for their naughtines or for their mys­cheuous dedes, to be so cruelly kyl led, yet is not their death oure lyfe. Iuste, and holye Abell was kylled of hys brother. Esaias is sayed to haue bene cut in two peces by king Manasses. Hieremye was stoned to death of his people. These mens death was precious in dede in the syghte of God, and bryngeth much fruite to the churche of GOD. What pro fit y ^• death of sayncte [...] hath▪ For it teacheth that good men be sore troubled in this world, & it tea­cheth y ^t the kingdom of christ is not of thys world: it teacheth that there is another life after this life, for els good men had bene happye in thys lyfe, it exhorteth also by examples, that we take pacientelye the afflic­cyons of thys worlde, but it is [Page] not [...] puttynge awaye of oure syn­nes, it is not oure lyfe, and redemci­on, yea the death of saynctes hathe not put awaye, no not their owne synnes, nor hath not broughte lyfe vnto theym, so far forth in dede as apertayneth to the nature of that death, but onely the death of Christ putteth awaye the synnes of men, & bryngeth lyfe vnto thē. Wherfore, when we be cast into peril of death, as we oughte not to thyncke that we by oure death should satisfie for oure synnes, so that death must not be loked vpon, and considered, after hys owne nature, whych he hath by synne, but accordynge to the deathe of Christe, into the whyche we be Baptised, and buried. For so it shal▪ come to passe that lykewyse as we be made & graffed into the death of Christe, so also we be made perta­kers of hys resurreccion. Further­more Christe sayeth not simplye: I [Page] wyll gyue my fleshe for the lyfe, but he sayeth more, of the worlde. By the whyche word he signifieth, that he shoulde suffer death, not onelye for the Iewes, but also for the Gen tils, and for al men in thys worlde, what tyme so euer, in what place so euer, and of what nacions so euer in all the worlde they haue bene. He saieth in an other place, y ^t he should die for the nacion y ^t is of the Iewes and not onelye for that nacion, but that the chyldren of God whyche were dispersed, shoulde be gathered together in one. And agayne: He is the propiciacion for oure synnes, and not onelye for oures, but of all the worlde. What is the cause then that all the worlde is not saued, but a verye greate forte of men, whyche are sygnified by the name of the worlde, is loste? Thys death is not to be ascribed to the passion & death of Criste, but vnto the wyckednes [Page] of men. For as touchyng y ^• death of Christ, it is a sufficient expiaciō, for al y ^• sinnes of al men, & set out by the gospel to be receiued of al mē: but al inē wil not acknowledge & receiue it thorow fayth, but had rather dye in their wickednes, than be saued by y ^• death of Christe. And what is more folish, what is more mad, than whā you haue helth before you, to folow distruccion, when lyfe is offered, to chose death, & when heauen is ope­ned, to go into hell? What is more furious also, thā if thou thorow th [...] doutynge or vnbeliefe, seperate thy selfe frō Christ, y ^t is thy hiest felicitie seynge that he doth not seperat him selfe from the, nor cast the awaye? I wil giue (sayeth he) my fleshe for the life of y ^• worlde. Art not thou a part of the world? Nay thou art y ^• world it selfe. For the olde men dyd verye wel cala man a litel worlde. And if thou be parte of the worlde or the [Page] world it selfe, verely Christ gaue his fleshe also for the, and that thou shouldest haue life. For not onelye Kynges, not Prynces, not wyse menne onelye be the worlde, but the moste abiectes of all, whyche in thys worlde also are so muche the more seen of God, the hyar that he dwelleth. The Lorde is hye (sayeth the Psalme) and loketh vpon lowe thynges. And he raiseth from the ground the nedie, and lifteth vp the poore from lowe estate. Seynge therefore that Christe neuer fayteth vs wyth his benefites, we must not [...]ure selues set naught by our helth but receyue thys presente lyfe obe­diently [...] thorowe fayeth in Iesu Christe oure saueou [...]e: whicht wyth the father▪ and the holye Gost is bles­sed for euer▪

Amen.

MAny are the eares of men, many are theyr dedes, and occupa­cions, but there are none more noble and more profitable, I saye also more necessarye, than those that he taken to teache the worde of God. Blessed is the manne, sayeth the Psalme, whose wyll is in the lawe of the Lorde, and that do­eth [...]dye in hys lawe daye, and nyghte. Seynge therefore, we are nowe come together, to learne those thynges whyche the holy g [...]st hath taughte vs by Iohn the Euange­list, goto good fryndes, let vs now hearke those thynges whych folow after the ser [...]ō ▪ of Christ, y ^• we haue here before declared as oure lytell power serueth. For Christe sayed: [Page] The breade whyche I wyll gyue is my fleshe, whych I wyl gyue for the lyfe of the world. Howe dyd the Ie­wes than take thys sayinge?

The Iewes (sayeth he) stroue among theim selues, sayinge. Howe can thys man gyue vs hys fleshe to eate?

Ryght wyl sayde Salomon: if thou beate a foole wyth a pestel, as weate in a morter, yet wyll not hys folish­nes depart from him. Iesus in this sermon whyche he made in the citye of Capernaum, so often warned the Iewes of the fayth in him, & playn­ly declared vnto theym that vnder the name of eatynge of breade he spake of fayth, whych oughte to be had in hym as a true gyuer of lyfe, yet for al that be they neuer the wi­ser, but continue stil, and hold on in their folishnes, in the whyche they dreame a carnal tearing of Christes fleshe. What say they? Seyng we thought that this was Messias, we promised our selues, that we should [Page] get libertye by him, that we shoulde haue aboundaunce of al thinges in this world, worldly kingdoms, and all the pleasure of this world. Now in all this gapynge for, he offereth vs hys fleshe to be eaten. What an absurditye is thys? If we shuld ne­des eate fleshe, we had rather haue calues fleshe, than mans fleshe. I pray you what is ignoraunce, what is folyshenes if thys be not folysh­nes? The Iewes sawe a miracle a litle before, whych Christe had she­wed in the deserte of fyue loues, and two fyshes, and they confessed, that he was the very prophet, whych the stripture promised should come, but nowe for a worde or two, as they thoughte in dede not worthy to be hearde, farre oute of tune they iud­ged hym a very foole, and a madde man. What can be more folyshe, or more impudente? Wherefore whan Iesus sawe theire so greate [Page] rudenes, he went not strayght waye aboute thys, to declare hys wordes whyche semed obscure vnto theym and far out of the waye, but he con­tinued to speake styll that semed far more out of tune, y ^• theyr folish­nes myght iustlye be punyshed: and that after the Prophet, the herte of the people shoulde be made more blynde, and theire eares more harde to heate, and their eyes stopped, be­cause that those thynges, whyche if they had take good hede, thei might playnelye haue vnderstande, they hadde rather lewdely interpretate, and set naught by then to learne thē wel. For whan Iesus before had re­soned of the eatynge of his fleshe, as thoughe it had bene a thinge indif­ferent and at theire libertye to eate hys fleshe or not eate it, nowe he re­quyreth the eatynge as a thynge necessarye to get true lyfe and sal­uacion. For Iesus sayd vnto them: [Page] Verely [...]erely I saye vnto you, except you eate the fleshe of the sonne of man, and drinke hys bloude, you haue no lyfe in you. He that eateth my fleshe, and dryncketh my bloude, hath lyfe euerlastynge, and I wyll raise hym vp in the daye.

You se wyth what asseueracion he doeth affyrme the eatynge of hys fleshe to be necessarye, and the dryn­kynge of hys bloude. He sayeth not simply, except you eate, and drynke, but he addeth an othe, Uerelye ve­rely I saye vnto you, y ^• not so much the trueth of thys sayinge maye be confirmed, as the necessitye of ea­tyng, and drinckyng signified. And because no man shuld dout of what lyfe he speaketh, straightwaie he ex­poundeth it more playnely saying: he that eateth my fleshe, and drync­keth my bloude, hath lyfe euerla­stynge. For he speaketh of true and eternall life, not of thys transitorye and mortal lyfe: where vpon he say­eth more. And I wyll rayse hym in [Page] the last day: for althoughe they that eate Christes fleshe, and drynke his bloud seme in the eyes of men to die yet before god they are kept in dede in thys life whych also shall be ope­ned by resurreccion. Youre life say­eth Paule, is hyd w ^t Christ in god. Whansoeuer Christ shal be made o pen, which is our life, than shal you also be shewed openly wyth hym in glory. But ther be some whych haue wrythē thys saying of Christ, of the eatynge of his eshe, and drynkyng of hys bloude to the takinge of the Lordes Supper: and because they sawe that by thys sayinge of Christ that the eatynge of hys fleshe, and drynckynge of hys bloude was ne­cessarye to haue lyfe, therefore they decreed that the supper ought to be gyuen vnto infauntes also. But Christe in thys place speaketh no­thynge at all of the eatynge of that supper, whyche afterwardes he or­dained [Page] for a remembraunce of hys death. For thys eatyng of Christes The eating of Christes flesh is nece ssary to sal­uacion. fleshe, & drinking of his bloud y ^t we speake of nowe is plainly necessary to saluaciō. Uerely verely (sayeth he vnto you) except ye shal eate y ^• fleshe of the sonne of man and drynke hys blud, ye haue not life in you. What can be spoken more playnely of the necessytye of thys eating and drinc­kyng? But the eatyng of the lordes supper is not simplye necessarye to saluacion. In dede great is the pro fit of that supper, and in dede whan you maye, muste be taken, and that after the institucion of Christe, and in very dede great thankes must be gyuen vnto the Lorde for this gift, but the vse of it is not simply neces­sary. For Christ sayth in Paule, do The vse of the Lordes Supper. thys as often as you shal drinke in the remembraunce of me: he sayeth not, except you shal eat this bread & drynke this wine, you cannot haue [Page] saluacion, but he sayeth: as often as you shal do, in dede signifiyng y ^t the church ought in dede to vse this sa cramēt euen vntil his last cōming, but not y ^• the vse of it is so greate, y ^• except a man take it he may not tho rowe fayth in Christ, get saluacion. Infantes at thys tyme vse not this sacrament. Shal thei thē if thei die in thier infācie, [...]e al dāned althogh thei be graffed into Christ thorowe baptisme? What can more vniustly or more cruelly be thoughte of these infāts. And what if one of a good age Baptised into Christ should be led of hys enemies into Turkye, or euer he receyued the Supper of the Lorde, and beynge yet euen in the myddes of Turkye, kepte styll hys fayeth towarde Christe, and yet coulde neuer vse thys sacramente, shoulde we iudge hym to hel?

Certaynely if the vse of thys sacra­ment were necessarye symply to sal­tion, [Page] it could not be y ^t he that neuer vsed it, should haue lyfe. And true health is set in Christ hym selfe, and in fayeth that is had in hym, not in the outwarde receauyng of the lor­des supper. There is (sayeth Peter) health in none other: Neyther is there any other name gyuen vnder heauen amonge men, in the whych we muste be saued. For althoughe in the supper of the Lorde, the body of Christe and his blud is distribu­ted, yet hath not Christe so bounde hym selfe wyth hys body and bloud to his supper, that he cannot be ta­ken, but in supper: for he is receyued also in the preachynge of hys Gos­pell, yea excepte the preachynge of the gospell be ioyned to the supper, there shuld be no distribucion of the body, and bloude of Christe. He is receyued also in ba [...]tisme. For who soeuer as Paule sayth, be baptised in Christe, ye haue put on Christe. [Page] These thynges be spoken not for thys entent that we shoulde not of­ten and obedientelye vse the supper of the Lorde. For vnto a good man and that is troubled wyth diuers calamities, as it is much pleasaunt so is it also very profitable to com­fort and hold vp hys conscience by the vse of thys Supper: but there­fore they be rehearsed, that we may knowe the sayinge of Christe that he rehearseth in the sermon of thys syxte Chapter of the eatyng of hys fleshe and drynckyng of his bloud, not to be vnderstande of the taking of the Supper of the Lorde, and that we maye knowe that there is a greate dyfference, betwixt Christe hym selfe, whyche onelye i [...] oure health, and hys Supper, whyche is in dede a profitable, but not an onely meane whereby we maye re­ceyue Christe. And as touchynge Infauntes althoughe it be mani­fest, [Page] that in the tyme of Ciprian and Augustine the supper of the Lorde The Sup­per of the [...]ord [...] [...]o [...] was gyuen vnto Infantes & that this dede of holy fathers ought not rashly to be condēned, yet we ought not to thincke y ^t it is necessarye that the supper of the lord should be gi­uen to infantes. For it was chief­lye instituted to acknoweledge the loue of Christe towarde vs and to strengthen our fayth in tentacions, But infantes whyche be graffed into Christe thorowe Baptisme, al­thoughe they haue fayth after their certayne maner, & so also after theyr fashion eate the fleshe of Christ, and [...]ryncke his bloude, that is euen af­ter that manner, whych Christe re­quireth in thys sermon, yet neyther do they vnderstande fayeth, nor the tentacions of fayeth. Wherefore the in [...]an▪ although [...]ey haue [...]yeth, do the vse of the supper of the Lord is not necessarye to theym. But nowe [Page] to retourne agayne to our purpose: the wordes of Christ whych in this not yet [...] ­derstande th [...] fayeth place be spoken of eatynge of hys fleshe and drinckynge of his bloud, must not be vnderstande of any out warde eatynge, and drynckyng, but of the verye fayeth in Christe, whi­che in thys sermon Metaphorical­ly, or by a translacion, is called ea­tynge, and drynckynge. For whan Christe had take in hande thys ser­mon, by occasion of that breade wherewyth he fedde more then fiue thousande menne in deserte, and suche as they soughte for whyche came to hym into Capernaum, he vseth also the name of breade for hys fleshe, and the name of dryncke for hys bloude.

So by occasion of thys Meta­phore or translacion, he vseth the worde of eatynge, and drynckynge for the worde of beleuynge, as wh [...] [Page] he sayeth: excepte ye eate the fleshe of the sonne of manne, and dryncke hys blud, you haue not lyfe in you. Thys is hys true meanyng: except you beleue in me whyche wyll gyue my Ceshe for the lyfe of the worlde, and wyl shede my bloude to put a­waye the synnes thereof, you shall not gette true health: and in verye dede Christe by thys Metaphore, doeth vnderstande playnelye the same thynge, that before he sayed simplye: All men that se the sonne, and beleueth in him, haue lyfe euer­lastynge. And after wardes.

Uerylye verylye, I saye vnto you, he that trusteth to me, hathe lyfe e­uerlastynge. For it is manyfeste that Chryste thinketh this eatynge and this drinkinge, whiche he re­quireth in thys place, to be necessa­rye to lyfe and saluation, sayinge: Except ye eate the flesh of the sonne of man, and drynke hys bloude, ye [Page] haue not lyfe in you. But if we shulde saye as trueth is, none other thynge is symplye necessarye to vs for oure health then fayeth in Christe. Good worckes also after their manner be necessarye. But we nowe speake of that thynge by the whyche we are iustified, and be saued before God. But we be iu­stified by Christ only, and by faith onelye: by the whyche we receyue Chryst, yea rather we be receaued of hym, and as I might say be our selfes in corporate vnto hym. The iuste man saith the Prophet, liueth by hys faith. And Paule sayth: we thynke that mā is iustified by faith withoute the worckes of the lawe. And agayne. We knowe that man is not iustyfyed by the worckes of y ^• lawe but by faith of Iesus christ. Wherfore it is also manyfest that Chryste by the eatynge of hys flesh and drynckynge of hys bloude, in [Page] this place vnderstandeth none other thyng, than faith which is to be had of his fleshe, & his, bloude, y ^t is, y ^t we beleue his fleshe to be giuē to death for vs, that we may haue life, & hys bloud to be shed to y ^• remissiō of our synnes. For so to eate the fleshe of Christ, & to drinke his bloud, y ^t is to beleue in Christ, is playnely necessa ry to our helth, & saluaciō. And ther was neuer mā w ^tout this eatinge, & drinking which eyther hath gotten before or euer shal get saluaciō. Adā him selfe the first man althoughe in y ^• time of his lyfe christ was not yet come, yet eate he his fleshe, & dranke his bloude, because he beleued that Christ shoulde come, whiche by hys fleshe & bloud, y ^t is by his death put ged our synnes. Noe, also Abraham & the other patriarckes & prophets did eate the flesh of Christ & drinke his bloud, because they beleued that the [...] should get saluacion by Christ [Page] which shuld suffer in fleshe for their sines & put away their iniquities by his bloud. So also al good mē whi­che after Christes cōming liue here in this world, althoughe thei do not alwaies take y ^e supper of y ^e lord, yet alwaies they eate the fleshe of christ & drinke his bloud, because they be­leue y ^t Christe hath put away theire synnes by hys bloude, & death. But let vs here now for what cause this eating, & drinckyng, whych is fayth in Chryst doth bryng vnto vs, or if you list so to saye, receiueth lyfe and saluacion. It foloweth.

For my fleshe is verely meate, & my bloud is verely drincke. He that eateth my flesh and dryncketh my bloude, he tarieth in me, and I in hym.

Thys is the comparacion of meate, and dryncke wyth the fleshe, and bloude of Christe. And the comparacion is made partelye by a [Page] dyssimilitude, and partly by a lyke­lyhode. The dyssimilitude is, that althoughe corporal meate, & drinke noryshe the man, and substayne hys lyfe, yet are they not the meate and dryncke whych kepe man for euer, but for a whyle in thys corporall, and fadyng lyfe. But the fleshe and bloude of Christe, if they be recey­ued in fayth, that is, if ye beleue the fleshe of Christ to haue bene gyuen to death for oure synnes, and hys bloude to haue bene shed for the re­mission of synnes, are meate and dryncke in dede: bycause they kepe man in lyfe perpetuall. For he that beleueth in Christ, he semeth in dede to dye as other men, but hys death is no death, but a slepe, because that hys lyfe is hyd wyth Christe, and kept of Christe, vntyll he be raysed agayne in the last daye. And the si­militude is, that as the iuyce of cor­poral meate and drinke is sent into [Page] all the partes of man, and turneth the hauioure of hys bodye into hys nature: as if a manne vse to moyste mea [...] ▪ the body also is made moyst, if he vse could meate the body is al­so made coulde, so also the fleshe & bloude of Christe turne hym that taketh them, that is the beleuer, in­to their nature. He that eateth (say­eth he) my fleshe, and dryncketh my What ma­ner of mea [...] the fleshe of Christ [...]. bloude, abydeth in me, and I in hym: that is, we be made one fleshe one bloude. And the same nature that my fleshe, and my bloud hathe, the same also getteth he, that eateth me. And the fleshe of Christe is lyfe. I wyl gyue my fleshe (sayeth he) for the life of the worlde. The fleshe al­so of Christe coulde not peryshe in death, but rose agayne from death. And the bloude of Christe putteth awaye synnes, because it is iust, and innocent bloud. Wherefore he that eateth thys meate, and dryncke, as [Page] he is counted iuste before God▪ so al so is he made alyue, that he dye not in death, but ryse agayne, and haue lyfe euerlastynge. And what canne come to man, eyther more profita­ble or more holsome, thā this meate and dryncke, which is Christe hym selfe receiued by fayth? But I praie the whence hath the fleshe & bloude of Christ so much strength that thei make the eater alyue, & kepe hym in perpetual life? Of this thing christ hymselfe preacheth thus.

As the linynge father hath sent me, and I fyue for my father: so he that shall eate me, he also shal lyue thorowe me.

A sayinge worthy to be marked, by the whyche Christe not onelye she­weth the cause, for the whyche hys fleshe and bloude doeth brynge to hym that doth eate, that is doth be­leue in him, true lyfe and saluacion, but also doeth shewe, howe greate the maiestye is of them that beleue in hym. My father (sayeth he) hath [Page] sente me into thys world, & therefore am I made the sonne of man, and very man, hauyng flesh, and bloud. And my father hath not onely sente me, but I lyue also for my father, y ^• is, not onely am I the sonne of man and man, but I am also the sonne of God, and verye God, hauynge the nature of the diuinitye. I am [...]ome Christe is very man [...] ve [...] God. in dede into thys world as man, as a seruaunte, as a Messenger, yet ne­uerthelesse I lyue for my father. I haue God my father of whome I am begoten, verye GOD from e­uerlastyng. After the same maner he that eateth me▪ or beleueth in me, he also lyueth for me. For as I, be­cause I am borne from euerlastyng of GOD my father, lyue for my father, and am the verye Sonne of GOD, and GOD hym selfe so: they▪ also that beleue in me, by­cause they be boorne agayne in me [Page] thorow sayth, they ly [...]e also for me: and [...] not men [...], but they be made also the sonnes of god and goddes in dede theym [...]es. What shall we saye then to these Men be made gods thynges. Doth he that beleueth in Christe so lyue for Christe, that he hym selfe also thorowe Christe is made a god? Than shal there be as many goddes as there be beleuers. We accuse the Ethnikes for y ^• wyc­kednes because they haue fayned manye gods, & now we make many more. But it is well: we folow not y ^• wickednes of y ^• heathen, but christiā godlines. For they that beleue in Christe be made suche goddes, as is theyr state and condicion. They are not made naturall goddes, whyche haue bene from euerlastynge (for so there be three persons and but one God) but they be goddes by choyse and adopcion. For as in the order of princes, some be princes by nati­uitye [Page] and byrth, and some by tho­synge, whych a man maye call made goddes, so amonge the sonnes of God there is but one natural sonne of God from euerlastynge, and the other be made the sonnes of God by [...]synge, and by adopcion: whome also thou mayst call the made son­nes of God. As many (sayeth he) as Men b [...] made gods by adopciō haue receyued hym, he hath gyuen vnto theim that they maye be made the sonnes of God, to theim whiche hadde beleued in hys name. And he that is the sonne of God certes is God. For as he that is the son of a man must nedes be man, so must he nedes be God that is the sonne of God. That y ^• is borne of the flesh is flesh. Thē that y ^• is borne of god is God. Was not man made-euen so from the begynnynge, that he shuld be God, not in dede▪ vncreate, but [...]reate. For God sayed, let vs make man to oure ymage, and similitude. [Page] This verely is to deliberate of ma­kyng or creating of god. And if mā Man is a God [...]. had continued in obedience stil, & in goodnes in the which he was made you shulde haue seen him gone in y ^• earth as a god. But now this maie stie is lost thorowe sinne & disobedi­ence: But it is recouered to mē tho­row Christ, y ^• as many as beleue in him shuld receiue a diuine maiestie, and be made the sonnes of god, y ^• is gods them selues. I sayd (sayth the Psalme), ye be gods & al y ^• children of y ^• hie one. What shuld we do thē. Are the beleuynge garnyshed wyth so greate maiestye and nobilitye, that carnallye puffed wyth pryde they shoulde dysdayne al other men despightfully in comparison of thē, selues▪ Uerelye nothynge lesse. But that they shoulde learne to vse that excellencye agaynste the dy­uell, and synne, and kepe the health that is gyuen theym in Christe. For [Page] fyrste we must vse the consideracion of thys maiestye, to put awaye the assautes of the dyuel in al our most greuous tentacions. For we ac­knoweledge in oure conscience that we haue done manye, and greate synnes, and we fele in verye dede that synne stycketh faste styll to our fleshe: and therefore the iudgemente of GOD opened in vs, we se oure damnacion, we se the fyer of hell re­dye kyndelynge to deuoure vs, and the dyuyl moueth vs to dyspaire of oure saluacion.

Whyther shall we tourne vs then in such straightnes? Our maie stye muste be considered thorowe [...]ayeth, that thorowe Christe we be chosen in to Goddes. And goddes haue no synne: And the fyer of hell hathe no power vpon Goddes.

The contrarye in dede appereth in▪ vs. And therefore muste we [Page] iudge rather after the trueth of our adopcion, than after our outward & sensible syghte of thynges. And the trueth is, that the true and eternall God▪ knoweledgeth vs for hys son­nes thorowe Christ, that is goddes our selfe. Wherefore althoughe the iudgemente of synnes be greuous vnto vs▪ yet can it brynge no hurt [...] vnto vs, because of Christ. Ther be some whome pouertye greueth or sycknes, or some other calamitye in thys worlde. They are wonte to thynke that these calamities shalbe▪ euer hurteful vnto theym, and ther­fore are maruaylouslye troubled.

What shoulde they do than? Let theym consider theyr maiestye, that they be made gods thorow Christ: And goddes cannot in anye wyse be hurte, by these bodily calamities▪ Wherfore let them be of good chere whatsoeuer shal happen, it shall ra­ther b [...] an helpe thā an hurt. Some [Page] so quake at death, that they thynck [...] hy death they shoulde go into eter­nall darcknes and tormentes. Whe ther shoulde they than runne for succoure? The surest sāctuary is, if they runne to the consideracion of theyr owne maiestye. For thorowe Christ they are chosen into goddes. And death hath no power vpō god ds. For they be immortal, and leade a lyfe that is blessed for euer. We must truste therefore, that death in those men, whych beleue in Christe, is not the way to dystrucciō, but ra­ther the way to lyfe, which w ^t Christ we must leade blessedlye for euer.

And further we muste vse the consi­deracion of thys maiestye to styrre vp, and kepe in vs, the obedience to warde God, and to leade an honest [...] lyfe. For if we be made the sonnes of God thorowe Christe, we oughte not to leade our lyfe as the sōnes of Satan, or as Satan hym selfe: but [Page] [...]s it becommeth the sonnes of god, or goddes. For as it is a shame, if the Prynce do those thynges that be vnmete for a Prynce, so it is muche more shame, if beynge the sonne of God he do these thynges, that be vnmete for the sonne of god to do. But what nede manye wor­des? Se, what God hath forbyd by hys worde. To vse dyspighte towarde God, to iudge God a lyer, to hate thy▪ neyghboure, to enuye thy neyghbour, to studye to begyle, to be aglotten, and many other such thynges. Those thynges in dede be vnmete for the Sonnes of god, and he that folowethe these thynges, lea­deth not hys lyfe as the Sonne of GOD, or GOD, but as the sonne of the dyuyll, or the dyuyll hym selfe.

For these be the workes of the diuel whiche he that doeth, he must nedes [Page] [...]e of the dyuel his father. Wh [...] [...]ore the worckes of the dyuell must be eschewed, and the workes of god muste be folowed, that the maiestye wyche we haue gotten in Chryste thorowe fayeth, the same also we maye kepe stil, finallye y ^t Christe ad deth. (This is the bread which descended frō heauen, not as pour fathers haue eaten Man na and be dead. He that shall eate this breade shall spue for euer). is the conclusyon of thys sermon. In the which [...] conclu­syon Christe repeteth the principal state of his sermon almost euē with the same wordes, wyth, the whyche he set it out before. For seing Christ is the verye meate and drynke, and is not onelye the sonne of manne, but also of God, whyche lyueth for hys father, and is lyfe it selfe, it is manyfest that thys breade is farre more excellente, then Manna in [Page] deserte, the whyche althoughe th [...] fathers dyd eate, yet died they: but thys Iesus Christe is suche bread, that he that eateth of it, or in hym beleueth, neuer shoulde dye, but lyue for euer. These thynges, seynge they be largelye ynoughe declared before, it is but in vayne to speake lenger of them: wherefore let vs regarde nothynge more, then in thys moost myserable honger of goodnes of oure lyfe, we receyue thorowe fayth this bread, why­che is Iesus oure lyfe gy­uer, GOD, euen wyth the father, and the ho­ly goost blessed for euer

[Page] THe Sermon that christ hath made of the eatynge of his flesh, & drinc­king of his blod, as muche as per tayneth to oure purpose, I thyncke we haue made playne by oure interpretacion. For the principal state or poynte of this sermon is, that not Moses, but Ie­sus Christe is oure true sauioure, and that he that beleueth in Iesus Christe (for that is to eate his fleshe and dryncke hys bloude) doeth get true and euerlastyng lyfe. Thys is the summe of all Christes Gospell, which seing it is oftē times, & vereli much repeted in other places of this Euangelist, whō we haue takē vpō vs to expound, we wyl not tary any lenger in thys part, but we wyl run ouer those thynges, whyche Iohn discribed after the Sermon, saying.

[Page] These thynges Iesus s [...]yde in the [...] ▪ teachyng in [...]apernaum.

The Euangelist not only described the sermon of Christe, but he ad­deth also the place in the which this sermon was made, that is in Capernaum, the chiefeste citye of Galilea, and in the sinagoge, that is in the most frequēted place, of the city. By whych dyscripcion the Euangeliste not onely signifieth thys sermon to be spokē in dede, but setteth forth al so the veritie of Christes doctryne. For those thynges y ^• Christ taught, he did not wyth a fewe onelye in se­crete places, whyche heretikes and sedicious persons are wonte to do, which when they perceyue them sel­ues that their teachyng is false they hate the lyghte: but he taught those thynges openlie in the scholes, and in the temple. Let vs se then howe the hearers of Christe toke this ser­mon. And in thys place is set forthe [Page] a great dyfference of hearers, & they are deuided into two partes: For some, and they very fewe, that is to [...]ete, twelue onely, take the sermon wyth a contented mynde, and ta­rye stil in hearynge his doctryne as it foloweth a litle after. But other, and those the greatest parte of hys chiefe hearers, abhorre his sermon, and fall from Christe.

Manye (sayeth the Euangelist) of his dys­ciples when they hadde hearde these thynges sayde: Thys is an harde sayinge, who is able to heare hym?

The thinges that they were offen­ded wythall that were rehearsed be­fore by them selfe, nowe are rehersed together. For there be two thynges wherewyth the hearers were offen­ded in this sermon. The one is, that Iesus had sayed that he was come downe from heauen, wherby he syg­nified, that he was the sonne of god and verye god hym selfe. [Page] In other is, that he had sayde: hys [...]eshe shoulde be eaten, and hys bloud dronken. Those thinges ther fore at whyche seuerallye the hea­rers hadde murmured before wyth theym selfes, nowe they repete togi­ther, and saye. These be hard words he bosteth him self to become doune frō heauē, that is, that he is god but we se & knowe him to be a mā of mē, what shulde then become of vs if we shulde folowe him teachynge so blasphemous thynges? Uerelye we shulde brynge our selues into parel and ieopardye not only of oure cor­porall lyfe, but also of euerlastinge healthe. For there is a lawe: If ther ryse amonge you a prophet, and do shewe before of a signe or wōderous token, and it come to passe that he hath spoken: and he say vnto the, let vs go and folow straunge goddes, whyche thou knowest not, and let vs serue them, thou shalt not heare [Page] the wordes of that Prophet, but let the Prophet be kylled. Seyng ther fore that thys Iesus hath shewed in dede manye, and great miracles, and thrusteth forth hym selfe to vs for a God, whyche knowledge not but one god the maker of heauen & earth, go to nowe frindes, let vs [...]tie farre from thys teacher, that not on lye we heare not so blasphemous thynges, but also that we be not kil led of our naciō euen together with hym. Thys also is harde, that he re quyreth of vs the eatynge of hys fleshe, and drynckyng of his bloud. What? Goeth he aboute, our lawes beynge abrogated, to ordayne the maners of the Scithians or of the Indians in oure common wealth? They say there be people not farre from Schithia, whyche of eatynge mans flesh, be called Anthropopha­gi, that is deuourers of men. And in Inde they saye there is a nacion, in [Page] the whych it is a cōmon vsed thing that the children shoulde kyll theyr The Indi­n [...] eate [...]eyr paren [...]. fathers, and sl [...]a them as it were for sacrifice, and after wardes eate their fleshe, which is counted among the not crueltye, but godlines. Seynge therefore that Iesus doeth byd vs eate his fleshe, wyll he make vs of the Iewes Indians, and Scit [...]iās of the Israelites? And that he reher seth of the drynckyng of his bloude is nolesse to be abhorred, than very perillous. For say they as far as we can iudge he signifieth by this drin kyng, y ^• he requireth of vs a coue­naūt of cōiuracion: for in diuers na cions, ther be diuers facions of ma­kynge a couenaunte. Among the A­rabians one is set in the myddes a­mongest theym, that wyll make the leage, whych fyrst doeth cut wyth a sharpe stone the palme of the hande that is nexte the thombe, than ta­kyng a shred of either of theyr gar­mentes, [Page] he anoyntethe wythe the bloude stones that be set in the mid­des before theym. By the which cu­stome you maye se that couenaun­tes, and bondes wer not made suar wythout the bloude of those y ^• were confederate or ioyned together. In some other countreis, it was a com­mon maner in makynge couenaun­tes, not onely to shede bloud, but al­so to dryncke it. For they that came into y ^t felowship together, be wonte to bynde theyr ryghte handes and their thombs together wyth a knot, and thā to let out wyth a litle stroke and to licke the bloud, that was ga thered at the later ende of the ryb­bes. That bonde was counted a se­create, and very sure bonde, because it was consecrated, and halowed wyth eche others bloude. The Ro­mayne hystorye doeth testifye in the sedicion of Cateline, howe y ^t it was [Page] vsed: that Cateline the begynner of the sedicion, bare aboute in greate boles the bloud of mās body, ming led with wine, & dyd to dryncke of it al that knewe of y ^• conspiracye: that by thys dryncke, the othe made a­mongeste theym shoulde be confyr­med, and to be more fayethfull a­monge them selues. You haue now that the drynckynge of mans bloud was vsed in makyng bondes or co­uenauntes, and in doynge treason. Wherefore when the Capernaites hearde Iesus preache of the drync­kynge of hys bloude, I doute not but they thoughte vpon suche a cu­stome, and thoughte that Iesus re­quired of theim such a bond, where­by they shoulde so bynde theim sel­ues wyth hym, that onely thei shuld healpe him to get a worldely domi­nion thorowe out al the worlde, not onely by venturyng all their goods but theyr liues also. And althoughe [Page] the Iewes were verye desirous, and soughte principallye for thys thynge in theyr Messias, that they shoulde beare rule in thys worlde, yet because they thoughte that Ie­sus dyd thys thynge, not that they liuynge in rest and wythout the ar­rowe shot, he woulde get worldlye felicitye, they abhorred hys sermon, and toke councell to go awaye. What? Say they, we thought that seyng he prophesied hym selfe to be Messias, he woulde haue made vs happye in thys worlde, wyth out all oure losse or hurte. But nowe by­cause we perceyue that he goeth a­boute a conspiracye, to make vs sworne to hym by drynckynge hys bloude, and that he wyll cause vnto vs most extreme ieoperdi, who cā be hys scholar or folowe hym? For he sayeth: He that eateth my flesh and dryncketh my bloud, dwelleth in me and I in hym. What other thynge [Page] is thys than if he sayde, that we oughte so to bynde oure selfe wyth hym, that we shoulde sticke vnto hym, and neuer go awaye but fo­lowe hym, whyther soeuer be it thorowe sworde or fyarre he shall leade vs, whither it be to the besige­ynge of the citye of Hierusalem, or the citye of Rome. Let vs fly there­fore, and let vs leaue hym and hys bloud to, least euen wyth hym as it hath chaūsed to other sedicious per­sons, we lese also oure owne bloude and oure lyfe. You se here a greate prudēce in dede of the Capernaites but a naughtie and carnal wit. For prudence is not to be partaker of an other mans wyckednes, and not to make anye bonde wyth sedici­ous personnes, but it is wyckednes that whom they did knowe to haue the wytnes of Iohn Baptiste, a ve­rye [Page] holy man, and whome they sawe to haue the authoritye of hys doc­tryne confyrmed wyth so manye miracles, they dyd not giue so great credence vnto hym, to beleue that hys Sermon was true, althoughe they vnderstode it not: and woulde not vouchesafe to gyue hym so muche honoure to axe reuerentelye of the meanynge of thys Sermon. Wherefore they are worthye not onelye of a verye greate rebuke, but also of a sore punyshemente. And yet Christe accordynge to hys Gentilnes, handleth theym Genti­lye.

For Iesus knowynge wyth hym selfe that hys Dysciples murmured for thys thynge: [...]e sayde vnto theym. Doeth thys offend you. If then you se the sonne of manne ascendyng vp thither, where he was before, [Page] we must vnderstand, you shal per­ceyue in dede y ^• I haue sayd trueth. In this pla [...]e fyrst is signified that the secretes of menne be knowen to Christe oure Lorde. For althoughe hys hea [...]ers dyd not obiecte vnto hym manifestlye the absurditye of hys sermon, but priuilye murmu­red wythin theym selues, yet he se­eth, and hereth their thoughtes and theyr murmurynges. We are war­ned therefore, that before the maie­stye of Chryst, wherwith nowe hea­uen and earth is filled not onely we do nothynge, but not once thyncke anye thynge fylthilye and synful­lye. Also Christe sygnifieth that he wyl proue in dede hys sermon to be true. He sayde, that he was come downe from heauen. Why (sayeth he) doeth that offend you so greate­lye that you wyll fal from me? But be contente: That that I haue spo­ken in wordes I wyl proue in dede [Page] For there is no man that ascendeth into heauen, but he that dyscended from heauen, as it is sayed before: But I wyll ascende into heauen.

Wherefore if you shall se me as­cendynge into heauen, than you shall proue in dede that I dyscen­ded from heauen. But that we may ryghtelye vnderstande that that is sayed of commynge downe from heauen, and goynge vp to heauen, we muste marcke, that in thys ser­mon to come downe from heauen, is t [...] [...]aue of hys owne nature, an hea­ [...]enlye, and diuyne begynnynge, that is, to be verye God. For except thys were the meanynge of the com mynge downe from heauen, howe shoulde the Iewes haue bene offen­ded? They woulde not haue bene offended if they hadde vnderstande that Iesus hadde so come downe from heauen, that he hadde an hea­uenly vocacion as was the vocaci­on [Page] of Moyses or Elias, or of the o­ther Prophetes. And whan by thys speach they were so greatelye offen­ded, yea they fel awaye from Iesu, there is no doubte, but that they vn derstode Iesus by these wordes, to attribute vnto him selfe a diuinitie, whyche thynge whan they iudged to be vngodly & blasphemous, they thoughte nothynge to be more for theyr saftye, than to forsake Christe euen wyth his doctrine. And to as­cend into heauen in thys place, is not to be vnderstande of suche a go To ascend into heauē [...]hat it is. yng vp as Elias went into heauen, nor of that ascencion only of Christ whyche was made in the mount O liuete the. xl. daye after his resurrec­cion, but thys assencion of the why­che we speake now, comprehendeth al thinges, wherewyth Christe dyd proue hys diuynitye: that is, that he rose the thirde daye from the deade, that he ascended the xl. daye [Page] after hys resureccion into heauen, that he sente the holye spirite, that he shewed in hys name manye and greate miracles by hys Apostles, y ^• he hath spread by the ministrye of hys Apostles hys Gospell into the whole worlde, and hath defended it in the myddes of the pe [...]sequutors aswell Iewes as gentiles, and in dede that he sytteth on the ryghte hande of GOD, and heareth rul [...] in the myddes of hys enemies, and iustifieth, and maketh alyue al that beleue in hym.

For these be certayne and suar ar­gumentes, by whyche the diuyne maiestye of Christe hath bene she­wed and proued. Therefore whan he sayeth: When you shall se the sonne of man ascendynge thyther, where he was before, thys is the meanynge: I sayde vnto you, that I was descended from heauen.

[Page] Be not therfore so offended w ^t thys worde to fall awaye from me. For that that I sayed in worde, I wyll proue in dede. I wyl ascend againe thether, where I was before, and I wyll reuele myne heauenlye, and dyuyne maiestye, that you maye playnelye knowe, that my learnyng is true, and that I verelye am des­cended frō heauen, that is, haue ta­ken man vpon me in dede, and to be God in dede. To thys also apper­tayneth, y ^• Iesus in an other place whan he was axed by Caiphas be­fore the Councell whether he was Christe the sonne of GOD, he an­swered: hereafter (sayeth, he) you shall se the sonne of man sittyng on the ryght of the myghtye and com­mynge in the cloudes of heauen: y ^• is, I seme in dede nowe in youre syghte to be an abiecte and captiue, but after thys tyme I wyl so shewe my maiestye, that I wyll playne­ly [Page] proue, that I am not onelye true Messias or Christe, but also verye God, euen of the same beynge, and power wyth God. And of thys in dede that Iesus sayde that he was come downe frō heauen, thus much haue we sayde. Let vs heare now al so of y ^• he sayed, hys fl [...]she should be eaten, and hys bloude shoulde be droncken. This (sayth he) offendeth you, because I haue bydde you eate my fleshe, and dryncke my bloude. You thyncke peraduenture that I by thys doctryne do ordayne an ea­tyng of man, or a tearynge of mans fleshe, or a mutuall conspiracye to inuade the empires of thys worlde. And therefore ye are afearde leaste by raysynge of sedicion, I cast you by my doctryne into extreme ieo­perdies of youre lyfe. But be of good chere. If you se me ascending thyther where I was before▪ you shal proue in dede that my doctrine [Page] wyll do you no hu [...]te. For I wyll declare by my goynge vp into hea­uen, that my kyngdome is not worldelye but an heauenlye kinge­dome. Wherefore ye nede not to feare sedicion, whereby I wyll in­uade worldelye kingdomes. Nor it is not to be feared, least my doctrine shoulde brynge anye distruccion to you. Do no more but stande and a­byde still, you shall fele in dede, that you by my doctryne shall receyue lyfe, and saluacion. Let vs se than howe Iesus proueth hys doctrine to be more healthful than hu [...]tfull, and that he is rather the authour of life than of death.

It is the spirite (sayeth he) that gyueth life: The fleshe profiteth nothynge. The wordes that I speake, are spirite and lyfe▪

Thys place some vnderstande one wayes some an other, but we wyll folowe the verye playne sentence, and that the thynge it selfe decla­reth. [Page] For if we wyl consider in what estate this controuersie doeth stand, which is risen bewixt Christ and the Iewes, it is manifest that this con­tencion is of the doctryne of Christ, wherewyth the Iewes in dede be of [...]ended, and the which they reproue: but Christe defended it. But Christ also hym selfe whan he sayeth: The wordes whyche I speake vnto you are spirite, playnely sygnifieth, that here he speaketh of hys doctryne [...], and expoundeth what hys doctryne is. For the Iewes dyd fear, least if they continued to be hearers, and folowers of Christe, they shoulde by hys doctryne be caste into all kynde of troubles, yea into death it selfe. But thys f [...]ar Christe re­futeth, and he teacheth hys doc­tryne not to brynge deathe, but to brynge lyfe: not to brynge destrucci on, but saluacion.

For the spirite in thys manner [Page] of speakynge is taken for spiritual, heauenlye and diuyne doctryne.

Therefore the maner of reasonyng is shorte in dede, but worthy to be marked, sayinge: the spirite, that is, the spiritual and heauenly doctrine, gyueth lyfe. But the fleshe that is carnall and humayne doctryne, as is the doctryne of the Phariseis, or of sedicious persons, profiteth no thynge, bycause it bringeth distruc­cion and death. But my wordes be spirite, that is, be spiritual doctrine, and not carnal: wherfore thei be life and bryng not death or destruccion as you iudge. You haue the reaso­nynge of Christe. Let vs nowe run ouer his partes: spiritual & heauēly learnyng (sayth he) gyueth lyfe, and bringeth saluacion. But carnal and humayne doctryne, bryngeth dys­struccion, and death. What shal we saye than of the lawe of the Lorde? whyche althoughe it be spirituall, [Page] and heauenlye doctryne, yet bryn­geth it death, or, as Paule sayeth, kylleth. What shall we saye also of doctrines of men, of conscience Ma thematicall, of Physicke, and other artes, whiche partelye be profita­ble for mannes lyfe, yea and partly after theyr facion, necessarye also.

Shall we saye that they also pro­fite nothynge, but rather brynge men to destruccion? Of the lawe of god therfore, thus must we thinke, that it mortifieth in dede, and kyl­leth man, but that is not thorowe the faut of the lawe but of the man. For if we should speake of the selfe nature of goddes lawe, verelye be­cause it is a spirituall, and heauen­lye doctrine, it hath also the nature of giuing life, and bringing salua­cion. Kepe (saieth he) my lawes, and iudgementes, whyche the man that doth, shal lyue in them. They bring therefore of theyr owne nature, life. [Page] And when Moyses had made an ende of the ministerye of makynge a lawe, he sayde: Consider that nowe I haue set in thy syghte, lyfe, and good. Christe also sayeth: If thou wylte enter into lyfe, kepe the commaundementes of God. And Paulle: the lawe is holye, and the precepte is holye, iuste, and good. Stephen also sayeth: Moyses (say­eth he) toke the lyuelye wordes, to gyue theym to vs. Wherefore as muche as pertayneth to hys na­ture, as it is spirituall and heauen­lye doctrine, so it bryngeth also spi­rituall, and heauenlye life. But be­cause men be carnal, soulde vnder synne, therefore it commeth to passe that the doctryne of the lawe brin­geth rather deathe than lyfe, and rather damnacyon, than saluaci­on: whyche thynge, sith it is not im­puted to the lawe, but vnto manne and vnto hys synne, it doeth yet [Page] remayne suer, and stedfaste, that spirituall learnynge dooeth gyue lyfe.

And as touchynge mans sciences, whyche be profitable in thys world to kepe the lyfe of man, here we speake not. For thys earthelye, and corporall healthe, is one, and the spirituall, and heauenlye healthe is an other. If we shoulde speake of thys bodelye, and worldelye healthe, there be manye and dyuers doctrynes, whyche profyte verye muche. Physicke profitteth to con­serue and recouer the good healthe of y ^• body. Mathematical profiteth to knowe the marueylous mocions of the bodyes celestiall, and to mea­sure the yearthe. Housbandrye profitteth to the tyllynge of the ground: and who can in fewe wor­des rehearse vp the profite of al the sciences of men?

But if we shoulde speake of true [Page] spiritual, heauenly, and euerlasting health, verelye none other doctrine doth profit, saue spirituall, and hea uenlye. Al carnal doctrynes be they neuer so profitable, are pernicious and deadely, if they be iudged to be a perfit waie, to get heauēly health. Amonge carnall teachinge most of all be deadelye the▪ teachynges of y ^• Pharasies, and of sedicious men.

The Pharisies do teache that men maye satisfye the lawe of God by outwarde worckes, and that they do deserue by their obediēce, iustice and lyfe euerlastynge before God. Thys is in dede a carnal doctryne, whyche leadeth men into perpetual distruccion. The sedicious men do teach that tributes must not be gy­uen to the Emperour of Rome, and that we muste make batell agaynst the Romaynes: that the Iewes, the Romaynes beynge cast out of their countrye, maye bryuge them selues [Page] into libertye, and also subdue vnto thē other kingdomes of the world. Thys is verye carnal doctrin whi­che leadeth men into the ieoperdye of al their ryches & goodes. Since ther is therfore two maner of teach ynges, one spirituall, that gyueth lyfe, & saueth, an other carnall, that bryngeth death, and dystroyeth: I praye you, in what kynd is the doc­trine of Christ comprehended? My wordes (sayeth he) that I speake vnto you are spirit. My doctrine is not flesh, nor is not carnal, but it is spirit, it is spiritual. It is manifest therfore y ^• it is also life. I sayd s [...]ply he y ^• beleueth in me, hath lyfe euerla stinge. Thys is spiritual doctryne, heauenly, and diuine. Wherfore he that receiueth it, receiueth also life. I spake Metaphorically but in the same sence: I am the liuynge bread whyche am come downe from hea­uen. If any man eate of thys bread [Page] he shall lyue for euer. And agayne: Excepte ye eate the fleshe of the son of man, and drynke his bloude, ye haue not life in you. Thys doctrine also is spiritual & diuine. It remai­neth therfore, that it is life, and that it giueth life, that it saueth mē that receyue it, that they may get euerla­styng saluaciō. But why do we not rehearse, thoughe in fewe wordes, the kindes of the doctrine of Christ, that we maie knowe the true vse of it. For fyrst Christe did sometimes expounde the lawe of GOD as in Mathe, the. v. and the. vi. and as it is writen in other places of the E­uāgelists. To this braunch or kind do pertayne, the threteninges the re bukinges, and the prophesies of the euyls that are to come. Thys doc­tryne is not in dede the proper doc­tryne of Christe, but of Moses: yet is it sayde that it doeth gyue lyfe, be cause that shewynge the greatenes [Page] and greuousnes of synne, it styreth men vp, to seke for iustice, and life in Chryste, oure onelye sauioure. Also it hathe taughte that salua­cyon doeth not depend vpon man­nes merites, but by goddes elec [...]i­on. No man (sayeth he) can come vnto me except my father that hath sente me, shall drawe hym. And a­gayne: you haue not chosen me, but I haue chosen you.

Thys learnynge also gyueth lyfe if a manne can vnderstande it well: for it doeth strengthen theyr fayeth whyche beleue in Christe, that they may haue their saluacion certayne and thorowlye knowen. For if oure saluacion should stand vpon man­nes merites, we coulde neuer be in a suer mynde: because that the me­rites of man, as they are vnperfite, so are they vnsure.

And in the Psalme it is spoken playnelye. In thy syghte shall [Page] not be iustified all liuynge creatu­res. But nowe because it dependeth of the onely and free mercye of God whych in his lonne Christ not only is opened, but also confyrmed, hys saluacion cānot be vncertayne that beleueth in Christ. The mountains sayeth he, shalbe moued, & the hilles shal tremble, but my mercy shal not go from you, & the couenant of my peace shal not be moued, sayde thy mercifull lorde. Wherefore seynge this doctrine taketh out y ^• dou [...]yng of hys saluaciō, from the hert of the beleuer, it is manifest, that it quyke neth him with a spiritual recreaciō, & saueth hym, that he dispaire not, & dye euerlastyngly. Finally Christ taughte hys Gospell, that he was come into thys worlde to reconcile men wyth God the father, that all that beleue in hym shoulde not pe­rishe, but haue life euerlastinge.

This is the doctrine that properly The gos­pel is pro­perly y ^• do [...] triu [...] of Christe. [Page] belongeth vnto Christ. And this is the doctrin that giueth life in dede. There be diuers kyndes of afflicci­ons and death among men. One is vexed, & almost dieth, for hys great nede, pouertie, but if he haue taken thys doctrine of the gospel, & know ledgeth that God is merciful vnto him thorow Christ, it cannot be but he must be so made aliue, y ^t he maye manifestlye perceyue that he is in y ^• number of thē that Paule speaketh of: as pore men, yet enrichinge ma­ny: as hauing nothing, and yet pos­sessyng althing. An other is trobled with the knoweledge of synne, and in maner dieth for the greatnes of the iudgement of it. But if he gyue credit to the gospel of Christ & kno­weth hys synne to be forgyuen tho­rowe Christ, he go [...]th so from death to life, y ^t he whyche before as one y ^t was deade durst not because of hys sinne lift vp his eies to heauē, now [Page] dare boldly, and cherefully come to the throne of goddes maiestye. An other is striken wyth the feare of death, and hel, and thinketh he shal be damned for euer. But if he wyll harcke to the Gospel of Christ, and beleue in Christe, that he is the vic­tor of death, and hel, and the rede­mer of al that trust in hym, not only is he saued in death, but he shall be [...]aysed in the last daye, that he maye receyue euen wyth Christ the here­ditaunce of alheauenly ioye and fe­licitye. Wherefore lette vs bestowe all oure cares, and thoughtes vpon thys thyng, to receyue wyth obedi­ente fayeth the doctrine of the gos­pell of Christ▪ Wherby in all kynd of tribulacion and death, we maye be made quicke, and alyue. And al­thoughe Christe do playnely shewe that hys doctryne is not hurtefull ne deadely, as thei iudged: but to be spirituall, and wholesome, yet seeth [Page] he that it taketh no place among [...] y ^• greatest of hys hear [...]ts, & therfore sayth further. There be some of you that do not beleue. For Iesus knewe frō y ^t begyn­uing who were y ^t vnbeleuers, and who shold betr [...]ye hym. And sayed: Therefore haue I [...]ould you that no man can come vnto me, ex­certe it be gyuen hym of my father.

Christ doth prophecy of the falling away of his hearers, & of the treasō also of Iudas Ischariot: Of y ^• whi che thyng because Iesus wil warne his dysciples agayne in the ende of this Chap. we wil let alone till that place, what soeuer shal be thought mete to be spokē of this thing. And here he repeteth agayne y ^• cause of vnbelife, whiche he rrehersed before. No mā (sayth he) can come vnto me y ^t is, beleue in me, except it be gyuen him of my father. Thou wylte saye then: If the matter be so, the faut of vnbelife in mē is rather of god y ^t fa ther y ^t wil not giue it, nor y ^t wil not drawe vnto Christ, than of men.

[Page] God forbid. The father which wyll haue all men, saued offreth fayeth vnto all men, and draweth al men as touchynge hym selfe to Christe, but all menne receyue not fayeth, neyther do they obaye vnto the wyl and drawing of the father. I know that no man can resist the omnipo­tent power of God, but the mooste parte of men wythstand the wyll of God which he him selfe openeth by his worde. Howe often (sayeth he) woulde I gather together thy chil­dren, and thou wouldest not? And a gayne: you haue alwayes wyth­stand the holy gost, as your fathers haue done so do you also. Were not in the parable of the kynge whyche made a mariage for hys sonne, and of y ^• man that had prepared a great supper, many bydden to come? And the rest that were not byddē, yet are called, yea and some of theym were compelled. But beholde the slug­gyshnes, [Page] and leudnes of mā. Som dispised, and go aboute theyr busi­nes, some did vilainie and killed his seruauntes, that bad thē to the ma­riage. Other althoughe they come, yet brynge thei not with them theyr mariyng garmente. Wherefore the faute of vnbeliefe must not be ascri­bed to god, but to the wicked wyl of man: which furiously reiecteth that good thynge, that god mercifullye offereth. For where Christe sayeth, no man can come vnto me excepte it be geuen hym of my father, he sig nifieth not that god is the authour of vngodlines in men, but he sygni fieth that in dede he wyll obaye the wil of his father, neither that he wil take vpon him any outwarde regi­mente, whereby he maye compel mē violently to receyue hym: and that god the father is no regarder of per sonnes, but that he bryngeth to hys sonne, and gyueth vnto hys sonne [Page] those, whyche receyue the gospell of hys son thorowe fayeth, yea what so euer they [...]eme to be in their per [...]ōs. For God loketh not vpon the mul­titude, not the power, not the wys­dome, not the outward holines and honestye of lyfe, but he loketh onely vpon hys owne mercye: wherewyth he choseth theym, whyche wyll re­ceyue theyr eleccion, and obeye their vocacion, whether they be fewe or abiectes, or dyspised of all other men. I thanke the father (sayth he) O lorde of heauen, and earth, that thou hast hyd these things frō wise men, and prudent men (for they wyl not receyue these thynges) and hast shewed them to litle ones. Uerely fa ther so hath it pleased the. No man therfore oughte to be moued either w ^t the multitude or w ^t the power, ei ther with the wisdom or holines, of vnbeleuers and naughtye men, to cast away the gospel of Christ, & fo­low [Page] euē together w ^t the vnbeleuers an other doctryne: but must know­ledge y ^• gospell of Christe thorowe fayth, & stil continue in that with cō stant faith. If he do this, there is no dout, but god the father wil so giue him to his sonne Christ, y ^t he shal ne uer lese hys saluacion for euer. But for asmuche as we haue expounded this saying of Christ before also, let vs now go forth & run ouer the rest. From that tyme forth many of his Disciples forsoke hym, and wente awaye, nor walked any longer wyth hym.

That y ^t Christ sawe should come, & did prophecie of, y ^t thing came now to passe in dede. The greatest parte of the hearers & Disciples fell from Christ: The twelue only abode stil. Here therfore consider me partely y ^• wickednes of man, partly theyr in­gratitude. It was wickednes, that they beleued him not, whych had so many witnesses of hys authoritye. But thys was a cōmon fortune to [Page] Christ & his gospell, y ^• men fel from him, when they sawe y ^• by him there came no cōforte of worldly felicitie. And it is ingratitude that for one word, a litle as they iudged to hard they dyd dispise and forsake theyr benefactor. For a litle be [...]ore they had receyued of Christ a great bene fite in the deserte. And I doubt not but there were manye in this com­panye whiche obtayned health by hym. For or euer Christ shewed the miracle of the fyue loues, and two fyshes in deserte, and made this ser mon he had healed all those that were sycke, whyche were come vn­to him, and that were dyseased with diuers syckenesses and [...]ore paynes and suche as were possessed of dy­uyls lunaticke, & y ^• had the paulsy. Yet lo all these were so vnkynde, & frowarde that they could not beare in theyr benefactoure, not so muche as one harde, a [...]d sharpe worde. [Page] And put case (I saie let vs put case) for in dede no suche thynge can be spoken, no nor thoughte nether of Chryste, that Chryst in hys wordes had a litel swarued from the truth, or that he hadde bene somewhat to vehemente or harde, other then i [...] had bene mete, oughte they not to haue pardoned so litel a faulte, for so greate and so many benefites?

But the vnkindnes of man is very greate. Excepte you alwayes conti­ [...]ue to heape benefites vpon bene­fites, and stil to encrease them, they wyll not knoweledge and confesse thē, no, nor they wyl not knowledge thē although you do so in dede. And the prouerbe that is vsed in oure cōtrei is veritrue, y ^t the ingratitude of men is so greate, that if you wold carrie a man to Rome vpon your [...]hulders, and laie hym downe sum­what vngoodlye or hardelye, you shulde lese al youre benefite. W ha [Page] shu [...]d we do then? Shuld the ingra titude of man be so much regarded of vs, y ^• we shuld therfore do good to no man? God forbyd. Let vs doe our duty, y ^• God hath commaunded vs. For althoughe man be vnkind yet God is very kinde with whom a great reward is laid vp for al mē that do good dedes. And now let vs se, what Christ taketh vpon hym to do against these that fal from him. Peraduenture he wyll strike them with lightening, or wyll kyll them with his sword. Uerely nothing so. For where the Lorde saith in Mo­ses: He that wil not heare y ^• wordes whiche he shall speake in my name, I wyl be the reu [...]nger, Christe ge­ueth the reuengement to his father. And tourneth him self to his twelue Apostels, which only of al the num ber of his disciples [...]aried s [...]yll, and saide vnto them.

Wyll you also go yo [...] waye.

[Page] And he axed thē not that he was ignoraunte of the purpose of their minde, but that by this occasiō they shulde shewe vnto hym their fayth, and they shuld be strengthned in it.

[...]imon Peter therfore aunswered hym: Lorde, to whom shall we go? Thou haste the wordes of eternall▪ lyfe. And we do beleue, and haue knowen, that tho [...] arte Christe the sonne of the liuinge God.

Thys is an excellente confession of Iesus Christe, of the whych the lyke is in Math. in the. xvi. Chapt. And fyrste that Peter only answe­reth vnto Christe, he signifieth not that he shuld be a chiefe ruler in th [...] churche of Christ, but he signifieth that he shall be the mouth of his o­ther felowes, and as they call it the proctor. For that, that he speaketh, he speaketh not in his owne name onli, but in the name of his felows. Also he commendeth, and setteth for warde by hys confession, as well Christes person as hys doctrine.

[Page] Of his doctryne he saythe: Thou haste y ^• wordes of eternal life. This is a great commendaciō of Christes gospel, and worthy to be marked.

Whither shal we go saythe he? Unto the Phari [...]es? But they beate in to oure heades nothynge els b [...]t trifles of garmētes s [...]irtes, of wash inge of handes, of the tithing anise seede and cumyne, and suche other thynges. And theire doct [...]ine, al­thoughe they take in hande anye thynge to be taughte by the lawe, doth nether make vs hote nor cold, yea they so teache the workes of the lawe, that if a man wolde folowe theire opinions, he shulde be de­stroyed for euer. Shall we go to Moses, he in dede teacheth godlye and heauenlye thinges, but we are so weke, that we can not perfitlye o­baye the doctryne of his lawe, and therfore he appoynteth vs to death and euerlastynge dampnacion.

[Page] Wherfore we wyl not seke anye o­ther teacher, but we wyll remayne wyth the, for thy doctrine bryngeth true and euerlastyng lyfe. For the doctrine of other men, either is pro­fitable only for thys corporall lyfe, or it leadeth the hearers to deathe. But thy learning only leadeth to e­uerlasting lyfe. With this cōfessiō of the gospel of Christ, agreeth this also that Christe in an other place saythe: Preache the gospell to all creatures. He y ^• beleueth & shall be baptised, shal be saued. And Paul. The gospell, sayth he, is the power of God to health, vnto al y ^• beleue. Let vs therfore tary in the doctrine of Chryste, that being deliuered frō deathe we may get life and healthe. Of the person of Iesus Peter spea [...]eth: Thou arte Christe the sonne of the lyuinge God. In these verie fewe wordes, Peter gaue vnto the person of Iesu double maiesti: that [Page] is to saye, the hiest of all. The one that Iesus is the verie Messias or. Chryste of the which the prophetes prophecie. This is a maiesty which The maie­stie of Mes sias. passeth the glorye of al the Princes of thys world. An other that Iesus is the sonne of the lyuing God: that is, that he is true and eternall God. For there be two sonnes: One na­tural, an other by adoption or cho­sen. But Chryste is not the chosen sonne of God, but begotten of god. I haue begotten the, saythe he, this tyme. Wherefore he is the naturall sonne of God. If he be the naturall Christe is the natu­ral sonne of God. sonne, it resteth, that seinge of God nothynge is gotten but God, as of man nothinge is gotten but man, Christ is the true and eternal God. This is the maiesty which passeth not only the glory of this worldlye kyngdome, but the glory also of all creatures as well in heauen as in earthe. What shoulde we do then? [Page] Thys is the confession, and the doc trine, vpon the whych the church of Christe is founded, and the whiche properlye is called the Apostolike churche. Let vs therfore holde this confession with suche a su [...]etie, that we suffer it not to be striken oute of our hart and beliefe, by no tirannie of persecutors, by no deceites of he­retikes, by no vaniti [...] of Iewes, by no crudelitye of Mahumete and Turkes, nor finallly by no lyes of the Deuyll.

But here marke we the maruey lous state of christianitie. Amonge so manye thousande menne, onlye twelue keepe the trewe doctrine of Christe. And yet not these twelue are all sincere and pure. But one of them as Christe hym selfe sayth, is a Deuyll, for so it foloweth.

Iesus aunswered them. [...]aue I not cho­sen you twelue, and one of yo [...] is a Deu [...] ▪ [Page] And he spake of Iudas Iscarioth, for th [...] was about to betray him, being one of y ^t. xii.

Christ afore, monyshed his disci ples of y ^• falling away of the multi tude, now he warneth them that a­mōgest a few al wold not be sincere, and he prophecieth of the treason of Iudas. And thinke not that Christ wythout greate aduisemente, bothe dyd speake of thys before, and now speaketh of it againe. For fyrste. Christe preacheth of these thinges, partlye to declare, that thynges to come be knowen vnto hym, by the which miracle he wolde confirme al so the autoritie of his doctrine, part ly, that when he prophecieth of Iu­das, he wolde signifie, that he was not compelled by mannes treason, but that of his owne will, and god­lye purpose, he wolde take hys pas­sion and deathe.

Also he maketh mencion of hys [...]allinge away, that they also which [Page] beleue, shuld learn the feare of god, and beware that they slepe not care les, and be preuented by the Deuyl: for not only amōgest manie, many do fal frō their saluaciō, but also a­mong a fewe, yea and those also cho sen. They arewonte to fall awaye, which kepe not diligētly the health they haue receiued.

Wherfore good men wyth all di ligence ought to applie them selues to thys studye, that they walke in the fea [...]e of the Lorde, and sadlie o­bey the vocacion of God: lest if they leade a careles life, they lose thorow their sluggyshenes, the health that they haue receyued. Further­more Christe monysheth good men that whether many, amonge many, or the chiefe amonge fewe, do fall from the gospell, they shulde not be offended: but co [...]inewe styll, and stande in knowledging, and confes­synge the truthe of the gospell.

[Page] For although the greatest parte of the disciples was gone awaye, yet for those dothe he not reiecte the twelue which taryed styl, but he lo­ued them so much the more, bicause manye were gone awaye. And al­thoughe amonge the twelue also, one was a dyuell, not by nature in dede, but by wyckednes, wherby he shuld become a traitor, yet the other eleuen be so muche the more loued of Chryste, howe muche the worsse the twelfth was. Let vs not there­fore be moued with the multytude of euill men, but let vs thyncke if we folowe the gospell of Chryste, that we be very wel taken and wel­beloued of God, whyther they be many that beleue or fewe. Further­more thys example also doeth teach▪ a modestye. For it is a solemyne thyng amonge vnskylful men, that for one or two euyll personnes they wyll condem [...]ne all menne whyche [Page] be eyther of the same howsholde [...] crafte. As in example: if there were a merchaunt or two, a tayler, a ba­ker, or a Myller, that were a craf­tye deceiuer, they are wonte to saye that all other of the same crafte are deceyuers. But I saie than, if we shulde iudge generally after thys rule, I praye the who myghte bee counted honeste▪ Yea I muste nee­des counte the also in the number of deceitful persons. For what kind of life is there, or what order & state of men, in the whych naughtie men maye not be found? Finally Christ prophecieth of the fallyng away of the vnbeleuers, & of the treason of Iudas, to warne in tyme the vnbe­leuers, and Iudas hym self hys A­postle to repent, & auoyd the punish ment for his wickednes. For Christ made this sermon, as I thinke al­most two yere before he was betra­yed of Iudas, and crucified.

[Page] He signifieth therfore in thys com­municacion that one of his twelue Apostles shuld be a traytoure, that Iudas which was noted bi y ^• name of the diuel, shuld haue space of re­pentaunce, and beware that he did not fulfil by hys myscheife in dede, that which he was called by worde. This example is very worthy to be marked. For the scripture which is the reuelaciō of the holy gooste, pro phecieth of y ^• laste times, in y ^• which we now liue, that many shal fal frō Christ, and folow wickednes. The sonne of man saythe he, when he shall come, shall he fynde faithe in the worlde? And agayne. The gate is brode and verye wyde, whyche leadeth into myscheife, and there be manye that go in by that.

And againe: Many false prophets shal ryse, and deceiue many. And in an other place: Many whiche were firste shalbe laste. These and lyke [Page] to these, were she [...] before to oure adm [...]nicion, that by all diligence, and obedience that we maye, wee learne that we [...]e not deceiued with these many, and led into destrucci­on: but that we tarye in the trewe fayth of the gospell, and with good men, whether they be many or fewe, we may get the heauenly heredi­ [...]aunce, thorowe Iesu Christe oure Lorde, whyche toge­ther with the father, & the holy gooste, is God blessed for euer.