[Here begynneth a lytell treatyse called, the (myrrour or lokynge glasse of lyfe) for co[m]fortyng of the soule]

〈1+ pages missing〉〈1+ pages missing〉

as it apperyth in this lytell treatyse / howe that god hathe ordayned hym selfe / for our welth a new lawe and cōmaundement to be wryten in our softe hertes / & therin sted∣fastly it to be grauen with fayth / where the old lawe and testamēt was grauen in ta∣bles of stone / sygnyfy•…•…ge the hardnesse & obstynacy of the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of the people of Isra ell / whiche lawes were very tedyous to them / in obseruynge / and yet they consyde∣rynge lytell the great benefaytes and ordy∣naunc•…•… that god dyd for them in desarte / as (the foure bok•…•… of Moyses) maketh mēcyon of at large. Where now god of his goodnes came from the d•…•…yety of his gloryous fa∣ther / and is become bothe god & man. And he hath gyuen vnto vs / a new law / whi∣che is very easy / swete / and lyght (as ma∣thew the euangelyst wytnessyth. xi.) And also cōmaūdyng vs in his laste soup•…•… 〈◊〉〈◊〉 seynt Iohn̄ wryteth in the. xiii. chapytre.) I gyue vnto you a new lawe or cōmaun∣dement / whiche is that ye loue charytably eche other / as I haue loued you / the whiche lawe I haue a lytell expressyd in this lyter Myrrour / vnto the edefyenge and comfort

of my selfe and all my brethren and neygh bours / which is euery crysten man of what degre so euer that god hath called hym vn∣to. Consyderyng in my mynde therfore / the great fraylte and abusyon / and enormyte of lyuynge of crysten people / whiche god▪ hath chosen only of his mere mercy to be his crysten chyldren in adopcyon / and hath or∣dayned vs to be merytours w^t hym in his gloryous eternall patrymony. And I my selfe one that hathe lyued many yeres in the enormyte and ambusyon of vaynglorye / Iugynge my self a good crysten man / and yet I was sore deceyued / vnto the tyme for tuned me to beholde and loke stedfastlye in the goodly / and most pure Myrrour of lyfe: where I myght euydently se / perceyue and haue perfyte knowlege / of my foule enor∣myte / & shamefull lyuynges / whiche myr∣rour is the holy wordes of god / by the wry∣tynge of the euāgelyst and of seynt Paule in his pystles / called the newe testament. And the more I loked in this moste pure glasse: the more knowleg I had of my sow le spotted soule in the syght of god / and per ceyued my selfe what I was / & what daū∣ger / &

case I lyued in many yeres / moste ly ke to lodge my poore soule in helle / yf the great excedynge mercy of god had not ben. Who is alwaye redye to call synners vnto hym. And so when I perceyued my selfe so farre out of the trewe ryght waye / I sawe also in this foresayd goodly (Myrrour of ly fe) that I was not onely boūde to enlumy ne my self: but also to enduce my brethren & neyghbours / and charytably to socour and counceyll them perceyuyng that they were so farre from the trewth by ygnoraūsy: and herein not Iugynge no man / for I do fyn∣de in the foresayd (Myrrour of lyfe) that I may know & pceyue my neyghbour by his fruytes: and also from the herte / the tongue (wyll expresse & shewe out of the mouthe) at one tyme or other what the persone is / or els by his deedes. Euen as ye may perceyue and knowe all sortes of trees by theyr fruy tes. By the whiche perceyuaunce & knowle ged I cōceyued i my mynde / the great enor myte of synne reygnynge in the cōmon peo ple / where as I frequented / and had cōuer∣sacyon with often tymes. And were more lyke in lyuynge to Pagans and Turkes /

inexersysynge the trewe and charytable ly fe of crysten men / the whiche we boldly do afferme ourselfes to be. (And are not so in dede) for our fruyt•…•… and dedes be no thynge lyke the pure & clene lyfe / whiche cryste doth shewe vnto vs by his elect and chosen pre∣chers / of his moste blessyd worde: whiche is the newe Testament / in the whiche pure Myrrour all crysten men may euydently se theyr deformytes and abhomynable fowle spottes of stynkynge fylthynesse / towarde the syght of god. Also in the sayd Myrrour all crysten people may casely perceyue and fynde the meanes and wayes to puryfye & clense all suche fowle spottes that appere in the fyght of god in that moste precyous sou le of man (whiche was bought with so pre cyous a pryse as the blode of cryst.) Meruay lynge agayne of the mondayne people of this myserable worlde / the whiche regarde so lyghte the worde of god / procedynge out of his owne mouth / whiche is dayly express syd vnto vs by his chosen and elect / whi∣che god hath gyuen grace to erudyt / and ex∣presse by the holy ghost / the pure sentence of clene lyuynge / whiche wese and perceyue

in this foresayd goodly Myrrour. They re∣preue and swell / murmure / and dysdayne / both agaynst god & his worde / and the pro¦noūcer or speker therof / supposyng in them selfes / and Iugynge them and it / to be the moste poyson and daungerest counsell and exortacyon that may be. And specyally tho¦se that hath sene and loked in this foresayd Myrrour (Beat{us} qui {per}seuerauerit vs{que} ad finem hic sal•…•…s erit. mat. xxiiii.) and they be so blynde that they wyll not se / nor be knowen of theyr moste fowle stynkynge deformytyes. No more then dothe the fowle sowe (whiche hathe pleasure to walowe in stynkynge myre / or els as the dogge which returneth and receyueth his fowle vo•…•…et agayne) as wytnesseth. ii. Peter. ii. And su¦rely all suche wylful & ygnoraunt people appere more abhominablyer in the syght of god: whiche repyne agaynst god & his wor∣de / whose dores of theyr hertes and conscy∣ence be so fast barred & shutte / that the grace of the holye ghost can not entre therin. No more then dyde / or coude / the cōmaundemēt of god by Moyses in to the harde hertted Phaaro / which was oppressyd with so ma

ny terryble vengeaunces one after another For the withstandynge of the chyldren of Israell (Exodi. xiiii.) Consyderynge ther∣fore the great ambusyons and enormytes of our dayly fylthy lyuynge / and so lytell amendement dayly of them / I ferynge the dredfull wrath and Ire of god / whiche so∣daynly myght fall vpon vs / for our syn∣full lyuynge and obstynacy. And in so dre dynge his omnipotent power / motyonede me thorugh his benynge grace (whiche sty∣red me / of pure charyte) to penne this lytell Myrrour out of dyuerse bokes / of good au∣ctoryte when I had lytell to do / in aduoy∣dynge Idelnesse. Trustynge in god that it myght reduce some to the trewe lyfe & vn∣derstandynge / and call agayne some fayth full people / which was as farre passed out of the ryght waye as euer I was. Also in trustynge to god with the often redynge he reof some shall open the dores of theyr hert•…•… and conscyence thorugh the grace of the ho∣ly ghost / with theyr dylygent wyll & myn∣de / moche sooner then in redynge of Fables tales / balades of fylthynesse: wherof proce deth no vertue nor goodnesse. Desyrynge

now therfore all crysten people of theyr cha ryte to haue pacyence of my rude and grose sentence & englysshe / this beynge the fyrste wherin I myghte possyble erre / trustynge that they wyll accepte my sencere wyl and mynde / and in no wyse do I presume as an Auctour or a translatour / but onely for the pure loue & compassyon that I had on my crysten brothren lyuynge in so great daunger. And so trustynge that they maye haue grace of a mendemete (By the whiche the honour of god may be increased / with whom remayneth all Ioye glory and felycyte / To the whiche he brynge vs all at his pleasure and wyll.

Amen.

¶ Thus endeth the auctours Prologue▪ vnto the crysten Reder. And here∣after foloweth the Chapytres of this present boke.