Gal. iv.

king to be acquainted with Christ. If Christ and they may not reign together, one hope we have that Christ shall live ever. The old Antichrists brought Christ unto Pilate, saying, By our law he ought to die; and when Pilate bade them judge him after their law, they answered, It is not lawful for us to kill any man; which they did to the intent that they which regarded not the shame of their false excommunications, should yet fear to confess Christ, because that the temporal sword had condemned him. They do all things of a good zeal, they say; they love you so well, that they had rather burn you, than that you should have fellowship with Christ. They are jealous over you amiss, (as saith St. Paul Gal. iv.) They would divide you from Christ and his holy Testament, and join you to the Pope, to believe in his testament and promises. Some man will ask, peradventure, Why I take the labour to make this work, inasmuch as they will burn it, seeing they burnt the gospel? I answer, In burning the New Testament they did none other thing than that I looked for, no more shall they do if they burn me also, if it be God's will it shall so be.

Nevertheless, in translating the New Testament I did my duty, and so do I now, and will do as much more as God hath ordained me to do. And as I offered that to all men to correct it, whosoever could, even so I do this. Whosoever, therefore, readeth this, compare it unto the Scripture. If God's word bear record unto it,

and thou also feelest in thine heart that it is so, be of good comfort, and give God thanks. If God's word condemn it, then hold it accursed, and so do all other doctrines: as Paul counselleth his Galatians :—Believe not every spirit suddenly, but judge them by the word of God, which is the trial of all doctrine, and lasteth for ever. Amen.

THE PARABLE

OF THE

WICKED MAMMON.

"There was a certain rich man which had a steward, that was accused Luke 10. unto him that he had wasted his goods; and called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? Give account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer my steward. Tho steward said within himself, What shall I do, for my master will take away from me my stewardship? I cannot dig, and to beg I am ashamed. I wot what to do, that when I am put out of my stewardship, they may receive me into their houses. Then called he all his master's debtors, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my master? And be said, An hundred tons of oil. And he said to him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty. Then said he to another, What owest thou? And he said, An hundred quarters of wheat. He said to him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore. And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely. For the children of this world are in their kind wiser than the children of light. And I say also unto you, make you friends of the wicked mammon, that when ye shall have need, they may receive you into everlasting habitations." (Luke xvith chapter.)

FORASMUCH as with this, and divers such other

texts, many have enforced to draw the people from the true faith, and from putting their trust in the truth of God's promises, and in the merits and deserving of his Christ our Lord; and have also brought it to pass, (for

2 Tim. iii.

1 Cor. i. and ii.

many false prophets shall arise and deceive many, and Matt. xxiv. much wickedness must also be, saith Christ; (Matt. xxiv.) and Paul saith, (2 Tim. iii.) Evil men and deceivers shall prevail in evil, while they deceive, and are deceived themselves;) and have taught them to put their trust in their own merits; and brought them in belief that they shall be justified in the sight of God by the goodness of their own works, and have corrupted the pure word of God, to confirm their Aristotle withal. For though that the philosophers, and worldly wise men, were enemies above all enemies to the gospel of God; and though the worldly wisdom cannot comprehend the wisdom of God, as thou mayest see 1 Cor. i. and ii. And though worldly righteousness cannot be obedient unto the righteousness of God, (Rom. x.) yet whatsoever they read in Aristotle, that must be first true. And to maintain that, they rend and tear the Scriptures with their distinctions, and expound them violently, contrary to the meaning of the text, and to the circumstances that go before and after, and to a thousand clear and evident texts. Wherefore I have taken in hand to expound this gospel, and certain other places of the New Testament; and, (as far forth as God shall lend me grace,) to bring the Scripture unto the right sense, and to dig again the wells of Abraham, and to purge and cleanse them of the earth of worldy wisdom wherewith these Philistines have stopped them. Which grace, grant me, God, for the love that he hath unto his Son, Jesus our Lord, unto the glory of his name. Amen.

Rom. x.

Faith only justifieth.

Romans x.

That faith only before all works and without all merits, but Christ's only, justifieth and setteth us at peace with God, is proved by Paul in the first chapter to the Romans, I am not ashamed (saith he) of the gospel, that is to say, of the glad tidings and promises which God hath made, and sworn to us in Christ. For it (that is to say the gospel) is the power of God unto salvation to all that believe.

And it followeth in the foresaid chapter, the just or righteous must live by faith.

bringeth life.

The law bringeth 2 Cor. iii.

death.

For in the faith which we have in Christ, and in God's Faith promises find we mercy, life, favour and peace. In the law we find death, damnation, and wrath: moreover, the curse and vengeance of God upon us. And it (that is to say the law) is called of Paul (2 Cor. iii.) the ministration of death and damnation. In the law we are proved to be the enemies of God, and that we hate him. For how can we be at peace with God and love him, seeing we are conceived and born under the power of the devil, and are his possession and kingdom, his captives and bondmen, and led at his will, and he holdeth our hearts, so that it is impossible for us to consent to the will of God, much more is it impossible for a man to fulfil the law of his own strength and power, seeing that we are by birth and of nature, the heirs of eternal damnation. As saith Paul, Eph. ii. We (saith he) are by nature the children of Eph ii. wrath, which thing the law doth but utter only, and helpeth us not, yea requireth impossible things of us. The law when it commandeth that thou shalt not lust, giveth thee not power so to do, but damneth thee, because thou canst not so do.

If thou wilt therefore be at peace with God, and love him, thou must turn to the promises of God, and to the gospel, which is called of Paul in the place before rehearsed to the Corinthians, the ministration of righteousness, and of the Spirit. For faith bringeth pardon, and forgiveness freely purchased by Christ's blood, and bringeth also the Spirit, the Spirit looseth the bonds of the devil, and setteth us at liberty. For where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty, saith Paul in the same place to the Corinthians, that is to say, there the heart is free, and hath power to love the will of God, and there the heart mourneth that he cannot love enough. Now is that consent of the heart unto the law of God eternal life, yea, though there be no

The gospel is the mi

nistration

of righteousness.

Resist the

devil with the shield of faith.

Faith is the holy candle

wherewith we must

bless ourselves at the last hour.

Romans iii.

Romans iv.

power yet in the members to fulfil it. Let every man therefore (according to Paul's counsel in the vith chapter to the Ephesians,) arm himself with the armour of God; that is to understand, with God's promises. And above all things (saith he) take unto you the shield of faith, wherewith ye may be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked, that ye may be able to resist in the evil day of temptation, and namely at the hour of death.

See therefore thou have God's promises in thine heart, and that thou believe them without wavering; and when temptation ariseth, and the devil layeth the law and thy deeds against thee, answer him with the promises, and turn to God, and confess thyself to him, and say, it is even so or else how could he be merciful? but remember that he is the God of mercy and of truth, and cannot but fulfil his promises. Also remember, that his son's blood is stronger than all the sins and wickedness of the whole world, and therewith quiet thyself, and thereunto commit thyself and bless thyself in all temptation, (namely at the hour of death) with that holy candle. Or else perishest thou, though thou hast a thousand holy candles about thee, a hundred ton of holy water, a ship full of pardons, a cloth-sack full of friar's coats, and all the ceremonies in the world, and all the good works, deservings, and merits of all the men in the world, be they, or were they, never so holy. God's word only lasteth for ever, and that which he hath sworn doth abide, when all other things perish. So long as thou findest any consent in thine heart unto the law of God, that it is righteous and good, and also displeasure that thou canst not fulfil it, despair not, neither doubt but that God's Spirit is in thee, and that thou art chosen for Christ's sake to the inheritance of eternal life.

And again, (Rom. iii.) We suppose that a man is justified through faith, without the deeds of the law. And likewise Faith is ac- (Rom. iv.) we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for counted to righteousness. Also (Rom. v.) seeing that we are justified through faith, we are at peace with God. Also (Rom x.)

us for righ

teousness.