The vanitee of this world

¶The loue of God towardes vs.

NOw than hath our lorde for fulfil∣lyng of his law commanded vs to loue amongest our selfes, & how? euen as he hath loued vs. But how hath our lorde loued vs? So muche, that it can not be expressed. For (besides that he hath created vs of naught, and fourmed vs vnto his owne image and likenesse, and hath ordeyned vs ouer all the woorkes of his handes, hauyng put all thinges vnder our feete) wheras we by disobedience tourned our backes vn∣to hym: and throughe our owne faulte and wilfulnesse are becomen rebelles a∣gainst him: he to reconcile vs vnto him, hath willed hym selfe to dooe penaunce for our sinne, and to make vs apte to a∣scende vnto him (as the prophete saieth in his psalmes) he made the heauens to encline and descended vnto vs,

Of god he became man to make vs parttakers of his diuinitee, Of immortal he made hym selfe mortal, to geue vs his eternitee.

Of impassible he made hym selfe passi∣ble to delyuer vs from passion, beyng pure and vncreate, he toke on hym an earthelie bodie, to make our soules and bodies glorified: He dwelled in the erth to make vs citisins of heauen: He suf∣fred hunger and thyrst to feede vs with Ambrosia, and with angelles foode: He suffred him selfe to be tempted of the di∣uel, to deliuer vs from his temptacions: He wolde be taken and bounde, to loose and deliuer vs out of the chaines of our enemie: He suffred him selfe to be scour∣ged and tourmented, to drawe vs out of peine and tourmentes: He refused not to be reised vp on the crosse, to reise vs vnto eternall triumph: Nor yet refused to be wounded with speare and nayles, to heale our incurable woundes: he suf∣fered a crowne of prickyng thornes, to crowne vs with the crowne of glory: he willed to die, to purchace our lifes: and descended vnto hell, to make vs ascende vnto heauen. These thynges hath our sauiour dooen for our loue, besydes in∣finite others, whiche I shulde not be ha∣ble to reherse, though well I had all the tounges bothe of men and of angelles. And yet for all the feruent loue that he

hath borne vs, and for all the wonders that he hath doen and suffred for vs, he requyreth no more of vs but loue, and how? Not for him selfe alone, but in to∣ken that we are his, he hath entred into our company, and rekenyng him selfe as one of vs, hath willed vs in louyng one an other, to loue hym amongest our sel∣fes. But peraduenture some may thinke this an harde commandement, that we should loue no lesse amongest our selfes, than as he hath loued vs: because his loue beyng infinite, it is impossible our loue shoulde be equall therunto. Wher∣fore it is to be noted, that Iesu Christe, who descended from the boasome of the eternall father into this vale of miserie, to make vs an easie waie vnto paradise, neither commaundeth vs impossibilitee, nor yet any thyng that shoulde be ouer harde for vs to fulfill. For he saieth not, that we shuld loue so muche amon∣gest our selfes, as he hath loued vs: but that we shuld loue togethers in like ma∣ner as he hath loued vs, as it were to saie.