The ryghtwysnes of the scrybes and phary∣seys can not enter into the kyngdome of heuen the kyngdome of heuen is the true knowledge of God and Chryste / ergo the ryghtwysnes of the Scrybes and Pharyseys neyther knowethe God nor Chryste. He that is wyllynge to obay the wyll of God / vnderstandeth the doctryne of Chryste / as it is proued aboue / the scrybes and the phariseys vnderstand not the doctryne of Chryste / ergo they haue no wyll nor luste to obaye the wyll of God. To obaye the wyll of God, is to seke the glory of God (for the glo∣rye of a mayster is the meke obedyence of hys seruauntes, the glorye of a Prynce is the vmble obedyence of hys subiectes, the glory of a hus∣bande is the chaste obedyence of hys wyfe / the glorye of a father is the louynge obedyence of hys chyldren) the scrybes and the pharyseys haue no lust to obay the wyl of God,* ergo, they seke not the glorye of God. Furthermore the scrybes and pharyseys seke theyr owne glory / they that seke theyr owne glory, preache theyr owne doctryne, ergo, the scrybes and pharyses Page  xxxii preache theyr owne doctryne. The maior thou hast. Math. xxiii. the scrybes and pharyseys do all theyr workes to be sene of men / they loue to sytte vppermoste at feastes and to haue the chefe seates in the Synagoges, and salutacions in the open markettes, and to be called Raby. And the mynor foloweth the texte aboue reher¦sed Iho. vii. he that speketh of hym selfe or of hys owne heed, seketh hys owne glorye / that is to saye, he that preacheth hys owne doctryne is euer knowen by sekynge hys owne glory, so that it is a generall rule to knowe that a man preacheth hys owne doctryne / yf he seke hys owne glorye. Some man wyll happely say, the scrybes and pharyseys had no other lawe then Moses and the prophetes nor any other scryp∣ture, and groūded theyr sayenges theron. That is truthe, howe then preached they theyr owne doctryne? verely it foloweth in the sayd, vii. of Iho.* He that seketh tbe glorye of hym that sent him y^e same is true and there is no vnryghtwys∣nes ī him, that is to say, he wyl do his maysters message truly and not alter it, where contrarye¦wyse he y^t seketh his owne glory wyl be false (when he is sēt) and wyl after his masters mes∣sage, to turne his maysters glory vnto his owne selfe. Euen so dyd the scrybes and pharyseys alter the word of God for theyr owne profyte and glorye.* And when Godes word is altered with false gloses, it is no more Gods word. As when God sayth, loue thy neyghbour and thou puttest to thy leūe and sayest, yf my neyghbour Page  [unnumbered] do me no hurte nor saye me anye. I am bound• to loue hym, but not to gyue hym at hys nead• my gooddes whiche I haue gotten with my sore labour. Nowe is thys thy lawe and not Goddes. Goddes lawe is pure and single, loue thy neygh∣boure whether he be good or bad.* And by loue God meanethe, to helpe at neade. Nowe when God byddeth the to gette thy lyuynge and some what ouer to helpe hym that can not, or at atyme hathe not wherwith to helpe hym selfe, yf thou and .xxx. or .xl. with the gette you to wylder∣nesse / and not onelye helpe not youre neygh∣boures but also robbe a greate number of two or thre thousande pounde verelye, howe loue ye your neyghboures? Suche men helpe the worlde with prayer, thou wylte saye to me. Thou were better to saye, they robbe the worlde with theyr ypocresye, saye I to the▪ and it is truthe in dede, that they so do. For yf I stycke vppe to the myd¦dle in the myer lyke to peryshe with out present helpe, and thou stonde by and wylt not socoure me, but knel•ste downe and prayeste, wyll God here the prayers of suche an ypocryte? God byd¦deth the so to loue me that thou put thy selfe in ioperdye to helpe me. and that thyne hart• whyle the bodye labourethe do praye and trust• in God, that he wyll assyste the. and throughe th• to saue me. An ypocryte that wyll put neyther bodye nor goddes in parell for to helpe me 〈◊〉 my neade, louethe me not nether hathe compas∣syon on me, and therfore his harte can not praye thoughe he wagge hys lyppes neuer so muche. Page  xxxiii It is wryten, Iohan. ix. If a man be a worshyp∣per of God and do hys wyll (whiche is the true worshype) hym God herethe, Nowe the wyl of God is / that we loue one another to helpe at nede. And suche louers he hereth and not sottle ypocrytes.* As loue maketh the helpe me at my nede, so when it is paste thy power to helpe, it maketh the praye to God, Euen so where is no loue to make the take bodely payne with me. there is no loue that maketh the praye for me. But thy prayer is in dede for thy belye whiche thou loueste.

what were the scrybes and pharyseys?* The scrybes besydes that they were pharyseys (as I suppose) were also offycers, as are our bys∣shopes / Chauncelers / Comyssaryes / Archedea∣cones, and offycyalles. And the phariseys were relygyouse men whiche hade professed, not as nowe, one Dominycke the other fraunces, ano∣ther Barnardes rules. But euen to hold the very lawe of God / with prayer / fastynge / and al∣mes dede / and were the flowre and perfectyon of all the Iewes, as S. Paule reioyseth of hym selfe philippen. 3. saynge I was an Ebrue and concernynge the lawe a pharyse, and concer∣nynge the ryghtwysnes of the lawe I was faut∣les. They were more honorable then any secte of Mōkes with vs. whether obseruaūt or Ancre or what so euer other be had in pryce.

They myght moche better haue reioysed to* haue ben the true churche and to haue had the spyryte of God, and that they coulde not haue Page  [unnumbered] erred they men whome all the worlde seeth / neyther to kepe Godes lawes nor mannes, nor yet y^t deuelyshe lawe of theyr owne makyng. For God hathe made thē of the olde testament as great promyses / that he wold be theyr God and that his spiryte and al grace shuld be with thē, yf they kepte his lawe, as he hathe made to vs, Nowe seing they kepe the vttermost rote of the lawe in the syghte of the worlde and were fautles,* and seynge therto that God hathe pro∣mysed neyther vs nor them oughte at al / but vpon y^e professyon of kepyng his lawes, whe¦ther were more like to be the ryght church and to be taughte of the spyryte of God and they coulde not erre / those pharyseys and oures? Myght not the general councelles of those, and the thynges there decreed with out scrypture seme to be of as great actoryte as the generall councelles of oures and the thynges there or∣dayned and decreed bothe clene with out and also agaynste Godes worde? Myght not the ce∣remonyes whiche those hade adyde to the cere∣monyes of Moses, seme to be as holy & as wel to plese God, as the ceremonyes of oures. The thynges whiche they added to the ceremonyes of Moyses, were of the same kynde as those ce∣remonyes were / and no more to be rebuked then the ceremonyes of Moyses. As for as en∣sāple yf Moyses bade washe a table or a dyshe when an vnclene worme had crepte theron, the pharyseys dyde washe the table with a wete cloute before euery refection, leste any vnclene Page  xxxiiii thynge hade touched them vnwares to all men, as we put vnto our tythes a mortuarye for all forgotten tythes.* what was then the wycked∣nes of the pharyseys? verely the leuen of theyr gloses to the morall lawes, by whiche they cor¦rupte the commaundemētes and made them no more Godes, and theyr false fayth in the cere∣mones that y^e bare worke was a sacrefyce and a seruyce to God, the sygnyfycacyons lost and the opinyon of false ryghtwysnes in theyr pra¦yers fastynge and almos dedes, that such wor∣kes dyd iustefy a man before god, and not that God forgeueth syn of his mere mercy, yf a man beleue, repent and promise to do his vttermost to synne no more.

when these thus sate in the hertes of the peo∣ple, with the opynyon of vertue, holynes,* and ryghtwysnes, and theyr lawe the lawe of God theyr workes, workes comaūded by God and confyrmed by all hys prophetes, as prayer, fa∣stynge and almose dede, and they loked vpon as the chyrche of God that could not erre, and fynally they thē selues ether euery where were the chefe rulers or so sate in the hartes of the rulers, that theyr worde was beleued to be the worde of God.

what other thynge coulde it be, to prea∣che agaynste all suche and to condemne theyr ryghtwysnesse for the mooste damnable synne that can be, than to seme to goo aboute to de∣stroye the lawe and the prophetes? what other thynge can such a precher seme to be before y^e Page  [unnumbered] 〈1 page duplicate〉 Page  xxxiiii 〈1 page duplicate〉 Page  [unnumbered] blynde worlde / then heretycke / scysmatycke / sedicyous / * possessed with the deuel and worthy of shame moste vyle and deth moste cruel? And yet these must be fyrsterebuked and theyr false ryghtwysnes detecte, yer thou mayste preache agaynste open synners.

Or els yf thou shuldest conuerte an open senner from hys euell lyuynge, thou shuldeste make hym nyne hundred tymes worse then be∣fore. For he wolde attonce be one of these sorte / euen an obseruaunt or of some lyke secte of whiche amonge an hundred thousande, thou shalte neuer brynge one to beleue in Chryste, where among open synners many beleue at the houre of dethe, fal flat vpon Chryst and beleue in hym onely without all other ryghtwysnes. It were an hundred thousand tymes better ne∣uer to pray, then to praye soche lyppe prayers and neuer to fast or do almes then to faste and to do almes with a mynde therby to be made ryghtuous / and to make satysfaccyon for the fore synnes.