A myrrour or glasse for them that be syke [and] in payne. Translated out of Dutche in English

The translatour vnto the Chri∣stian reader.

CHrist oure sauioure in the .xxv. chapter of Ma∣thew whan he had warned vs to watche, conty∣nētly after setteth forth a parable of a ryche mā∣which (beyenge purposed to go from home for a season) delyuered his goodes vnto his seruauntes, sa∣yenge: Occupe tyll I come agayne▪ Now as I dyd con∣ferre this parable with the .iiii. chap. of the epistle to the Ephesians, I perceaued that Christ ment this by him∣self: For after that he hadde fulfylled his course or tyme that he shulde be here in earth, he is mounted or ascēded vp in to heauen, (as it is written in the .lxv, Psalme) & ledde captyue captiuite, and hath geuen gyftes vnto mē, These giftes doth Paui in {pro}cesse declare what they be. And agayne in the .xiiii chapter, of the fyrst epistle to the Corinthians speakynge of the gyfte of tunges sayeth: Whan ye come together eueryone hath a psalme, hath doctrine, hath a tunge, hath an interpretation. Let al be done to the edyfyenge, Now whan I consydered these aforesayde places of scripture, knowenge hys ryghtu∣ous requyringe agayne of his proper gyftes, beynge but lent vnto me for a space: I haue endeuoured me self to delyuere yt to the exchaungers, to the intent that whan my Lorde shall come he may receaue yt with vauntage. And that he may so do, yt shalbe in thy good Christian reader. And let yt not moue thy that they be laye men that be the speakers in thys treatyse, for so doynge ye myght be cōpared vnto Christes contremen Marc. vi. whiche hearynge his heauenly wysedome, and seynge his excellent myrakles, sayde skornfullye: Where hath he this wysdome? and what wysdome is thys that is geuen hym? is not thys the carpenter? the sonne of Io∣seph. &c. Do not thou I saye lykwyse, in estemynge the matter of lesse value, but wysshe rather that such a worl¦de myght be, wherin the prophecy of Ieremy in the .xxxi chap, be fulfylled where as he sayeth: I wyll be theyr God, and they shalbe my people. And from thence forth

shall noman teache his neghbure, or his brother, & saye: Knowe the Lorde But they shall al knowe me from the lowest vnte the hyghest, sayeth the Lorde. Wolde God thys worlde were come, for than shall the lambe go fe∣dynge wyth the wolfe, that is the cruell with the inno∣cent than shall all the goodnesse of the holy cyte of Hye∣rusalem come vpon vs, than shall it be a golden worlde, than shal it be a tyme of peace in what tyme Christ wol¦de be borne, Seynge then that so much goodnesse doth folowe the word of God, let vs with one accorde praye the father of heauen sayenge. Bowe downe thy heade Lorde, and beholde the case that we are in, marke how great nede we haue of thy mercy, se how farre we are gone astraye leauynge the y^e wel of lyfe, and drynkynge the modde of our pouddels. Geue such mynde vnto our princes (whose hartes be in thy hande) that the supersti∣tiousnes of Baal be roted out by them, and thy fotestep¦pes made easyer to be folowed Paul sayeth: What cō∣pany haue Christ and Belial? Morouer where Christ wyll raygne there wyl he be alone. He sayeth he wyl not geue his glory vnto another, he wyl haue no partyfe∣lous. Wherfore good Christen reader, that thou mayest fulfyll Gods wyll the better in geuynge hym the glory prayse & worshippe, I haue takē in hāde to trāslate out of dutch in englishe thys lytell boke: whose worthynes∣se can not be estymed, For in yt shalt thou learne to fixe thy mynde vnto God only, geuynge hym his dewe honour, worshippe, and prayse all other super∣stitions auoyded: and vnto thy neghbure loue and charite declared with out∣ward dedes of the same, Doyn∣ge this ye shal haue here quiet¦nes of cōsciēce in God, & here after fruiti∣on of glory with hym: the which graunte vs he that is kynge euerlastynge. Amē.