The Byble in Englyshe that is to saye, the content of all the holye scrypture, bothe of the olde and newe Testament, truly translated after the veryte of the Hebrue and Greke textes, by the diligent studye of dyuers excellent lerned [men e]xperte in the fore[saide] tongues.

¶ The leuen of the ••haris••o, Chryst conforteth his disciples agaynst persecucyo•• warneth them to beware of courtous∣nesse: by the similitude of a certayne ryche man, he wyll not haue them to hang vpon carthly thynges, but to watche, and to be redy agaynst his comynge.

CAPI. XII.

AS there gathered togyther an innume∣rable [unspec A] multitude of people (in so moche that they trode one an other) he began to say vnto his disciples: fyrst of all beware of the leuen of the Pharises whiche is ypo∣crisye: For there is nothynge couered, that shal not be vncouered: neyther hyd, that shal not be knowen. For what thynges ye haue spoken in darknes, shalbe herde in the lyght.

And that whiche ye haue spoken in to the eare, euen in secrete places, shall be preached on the top of the houses. I saye vnto you my frendes: be not afrayde of them that kyll the body, and after that haue no more, that they can do. But I wyll shewe you, whome ye shal feare. Feare hym which after he hath kylled, hath power to cast into hel. Yea, I say vnto you: feare hym. Are not fyue sparowes bought for two farthynges? And not one of them is forgotten of god.

Also, euen the very heeres of your heade [unspec B] are all nombred. Feare not therfore: ye are more of value then many sparowes. I saye vnto you euery one: who soeuer confesseth me before men, hym shall the sonne of man knowledge also before the angels of God. And he that denyeth me before men, shall be denyed before the angels of god. And who soeuer speaketh a worde ☞ agaynst the son of man, it shall be forgyuen hym. But vn∣to hym that plasphemeth the holy goost, it shall not be forgyuen. When they bryng you vnto the Synagoges, and vnto the rulers and offycers, take ye no thoughte, howe or what thynge ye shal answere, or what ye shal speake. For the holy goost shall teache you in the same houre, what ye ought to saye.

✚ One of the company sayde vnto hym: Mayster, speake to my brother, that he de∣uyde the enheritaunce with me. And he sayd vnto hym.

Man, who made me a iudge or a deuyder, ouer you? And he sayde vnto them: take hede [unspec C] and beware of couetousnes. For no mannes lyfe standeth in the aboundaunce of the thyn¦ges whiche he possesseth. And he put forth a similitude vnto them, sayenge. The grounde of a certayne ryche man brought forth plen∣tyfull fruytes, and he thought within hym selfe, sayenge: What shall I do? bycause I haue no rowme where to bestowe my fruyt{is}? And he sayde: This wyll I do. I wyll de∣stroye my barnes, and buylde greater, and therin wyll I gather all my goodes that are growen vnto me: and I wyll saye vnto my soule. Soule, thou hast moche good{is} layde vp in stoore for many yeres, take thyne ease: eate, drynke, be mery. But God sayde vnto hym. Thou fole, this nyght wyl they fetche awaye thy soule agayne from the. Then whose shall those thynges be, whiche thou hast prouyded? So is it with hym that gathe¦reth ryches to hym selfe, and is not ryche to∣warde god. And he spake vnto his disciples: Therfore I say vnto you. Take no thought for your lyfe, what ye shall eate: neyther for the body, what ye shall put on. The lyfe is more then meate, & the body is more then ray¦ment. Consyder the rauens, for they neyther sowe nor repe, which neyther haue storehouse nor barne, and God fedeth them. ⊢ Howe moche are ye better then fethered foules?

Which of you (with his takyng thought) can adde to his stature one cubit? If ye then [unspec D] be not able to do that thynge whiche is leasi: why take ye thought for the remenaunt?

Consyder the lylyes howe they growe: They laboure not: they spyn not: and yet I say vn∣to you, that Salomon in al his royalte, was not clothed lyke one of these. If god so clothe the grasse (which is to day in the felde, and to morow is cast in to the fournace) how moche more wyll he clothe you. O ye of lytell fayth? And aske not ye what ye shal eate, or what ye shal drynke, neyther clyme ye vp on hygh: for all suche thynges do the heathen peple of the worlde seke for. Youre father knoweth, that ye haue nede of suche thynges. Wherfore seke ye after the kyngdome of god, and all these thynges shall be ministred vnto you. ✚ Feare not lytell flocke, for it is youre fa∣thers pleasure, to gyue you the kyngdome. ☞ Sell that ye haue, and gyue almesse. And prepare you bagges, whiche waxe not olde, euen a treasure that fayleth not in beuē where no thefe cometh, neyther moth corrup∣teth. For where youre treasure is, there wyll your herte be also. [unspec E]

Let youre loynes be gyrde aboute, and youre lyghtes burnynge ❀ (in your handes) and ye your selues lyke vnto men that wayte for theyr lorde when he wyll returne from the weddynge: that when he cometh & knocketh, they may open vnto him immediatly. Happy are those seruauntes, whom the Lorde (when he cometh) shall fynde wakynge. Clerely I saye vnto you, that he shall gyrde hym selfe about and make them to syt downe to meate, and walke by, and minister vnto them. And yf he come in the seconde watche, yea yf he come in the thyrde watche, and fynde them so, happy are those seruauntes. This vnder∣stand, that yf the good mā of the house knew what houre the thefe wolde come, he wolde surely watche, and not suffre his house to be broken vp. Be ye therfore redy also: for the sonne of man wyll come at an houre when ye thynke not. ⊢

Peter sayde vnto hym: Mayster, tellest thou this similitude to vs, or to all men? And [unspec F] the Lorde sayde: Who is a saythfull & wyse stewarde, whom his Lorde shall make ruler ouer his housholde: to gyue them theyr dutye of meate in due season: Happy is that ser∣uaunt, whom his lorde when he cometh, shall fynde so doynge. Of a trueth I say vnto you, that he wyll make hym ruler ouer all that he hath. But & yf the seruaunt saye in his herte: My Lorde wyll deferre his comynge (and shall begyn to smyte the seruauntes & may∣dens, and to eate and drynke, and to be dron∣ken) the Lorde of that seruaunt wyl come in a day when he thynketh not, and at an houre when he is not ware, and wyll hewe hym in peces, and gyue hym his rewarde / with the vnbyleuers. The seruaunt that knew his maysters wyll, & prepared not hym selfe, ney∣ther dyd accordyng to his wyll, shalbe beaten with many strypes. But he that knewe not, & dyd cōmyt thynges worthy of strypes, shall be beaten with fewe strypes. For vnto whom soeuer moche is gyuen, of hym shalbe moche requyred. And to whom men haue cōmytted moche: of hym wyll they aske the more▪ I am come to sende fyre on earth: and what is my desyre: but that it were alredy kyndled? Not∣withstandyng I must be baptised w^t a bap∣tyme, & how am I payned, tyll it be ended?

Suppose ye, that I am come to sende peace on earth? I tell you nay, but rather de∣uysyon. [unspec G] For from henceforth there shall be fyue in one house deuyded, thre agaynst two, and two agaynst thre. The father shall be de∣deuyded agaynst the sonne, and the sonne a∣gaynst the father. The mother agaynst the doughter, and the doughter agaynst the mo¦ther. The mother in lawe agaynst the dough¦ter in lawe, and the doughter in law agaynst her mother in lawe. He sayde also to the people: When ye se a cloude ryse out of the West, streyght waye ye saye: there cometh a showre, and so it is. And whēye se the south wynd blow, ye say it wyll be hote, & it cometh to passe. Ye ypocrytes, ye can discerne the outwarde apperaunce of the skye and of the earth: but howe happeneth it that ye can not skyl of this tyme? Yea, & why iudge ye not of your selues ••hat is ryght.

When thou goest with ••••yne aduersary to the ruler, as thou arte in the way, gyue di∣ligence that thou mayst be delyuered frome hym, leest he brynge the to the iudge, and the iudge delyuer the to the taylour, and the tay∣lour cast the in to pryson. I tel the, thou shalt not departe thence, tyl thou haue made good the vttermost myte.

Notes

• Mat. ••xvi. b Mat. viii. b
• Math. x. c Mat. ••ii••. c. ••uke. viii. c
• Math. x. c. Luke. viii. b
• Math. x. ••. Mat. xiii. b
• Math. x. ••
• Math. xii. •• Math. iii. d
• Math. xii. •• Luke. xii. ••
• Ecclesi. xi. ••
• Iere. xvii. ••
• Psal. 29 b.
• Math. vi. d 1. Peter. v. ••
• Math. vi. d
• Math. vi. c ••. ••••m. vi. b Eccle. 2••. b. Proue. 23 ••
• Math. xix. c Marke. x. x
• Ephe. vi. c ••. Peter. i. c.
• Math. 24 d ••nd▪ xxv. a. Mar. xiii. ••
• Mat. 24. d. Mar. xiii. ••.
• ••eue. xvi. c
• Mat. 24. d.
• 〈◊〉〈◊〉▪ ••
• Math. ••▪
• Math. ••
• Mat. xxii
• Math. ••▪ ••▪ Proue. ••▪ ••▪