Here Chryste begynneth, not to destroy the lawe (as the pharyseys had falsly accused hym) but to restore it agayne to the ryght vnderstan∣dynge and to purge it from the gloses of the pharyseys. He that sleyeth shall be gyltye or in daunger of iudgement / that is to say / yf a man murther, hys dede testefyeth agaynst hym, there is no more to do / then to pronounce sentence of dethe agaynst hym. This texte dyd the pha∣ryseys, extende no further then to kyll with the hande and outwarde members, But hate / en∣uye / malyce / churlyshnesse and to withdrawe helpe at neade, to begyle and cyrcumuent with wyles and sottle bergenynge, was no synne at all, No, to brynge hym home, thou hatedest to dethe with crafte and falshed, so thou dyddeste not put thyne hande therto / was no synne at al. As when they had brought Chryste to dethe wrongefully and compelled Pylate with sot∣teltye to sleye hym / they thoughte them selues pure. In so moche that they wolde not go into the hall for defylynge them selues and beynge partakers with Pylate in his bloud. And Ac. 5 they sayd to the Apostles, ye wolde bryng this mannes bloude vpon vs / as who wolde saye, we slue hym not. And Saul in the fyrste boke of Page  [unnumbered] the Kynges in the .xviii. Cha▪ beinge so wrothe with Dauid, that he wold gladly haue had him slayne determyned yet that he wold not defyle hym selfe, but to thrust hym into the handes of Phylystynes, that they myght sley hym, and he hym selfe abyde pure.

And as our spyrytualtye nowe offer a man mercy / once thoughe ye haue spoken agaynste holy chyrche / onely yf he wyll but periure and bere a fagot. But yf he wyll not, they do but dyote hym a season / to wynne hym and make hym tell more, and then delyuer hym to the lay power sayenge, he hathe deserued the dethe by our lawes and ye ought to kyll hym / howe be it we deserc it not.

¶ But Chryste restoreth the lawe agayne and sayeth / to be angry with thy neyghboure to sle hym and to deserue dethe. For the lawe goeth as wel on the harte as on the hande, He that ha∣teth his brother is a mutherar .i. Io. 3. If then the blynd hande deserue dethe howe moche more those partes which haue the syght of reson. And he that sayeth Racha / * lewde or what so euer sygne of wrath it be, or y^t prouoketh to wrath▪ hath not only deserued that men shuld imme∣dyatly pronounce sentence of deth vpon hym, but also y^t when deth is pronoūced, they shuld gather a councel / to decre what horryble dethe he shuld suffer. And he that calleth hys brother fole / hathe synned downe to hel.

*Shal then a man not be angry at al nor re∣buke or ponyshe? yes yf thou be a father or a Page  xxxvi mother / mayster / maystresse / husbande / lorde / or ruler / yet with loue and mercye / that the an∣ger / rebuke / or ponyshmente excede not the faute or trespas. Maye a man be angrye with loue? ye, mothers can be so with theyr chyldrē It is a louinge anger that hateth onely the vyce and studyeth to mende the persone. But here is forboden not only wrath agaynste father / mo∣ther / and all that haue gouernaunce ouer the / whiche is to be angry and to grudge agaynste God hym selfe / and that the ruler shall not be wrath without a cause agaynst the subiecte. But also al pryuate wrathe agaynst thy neyghbour ouer whome thou haste no rule nor he ouer the, no though he do the wronge. For he that do the wronge lacketh wytte and dyscrecyon and can not amende tyll he be informed and taught lo¦uyngly. Therfore thou must refrayne thy wrath and tell hym hys faute louyngly and with kyn∣denes wyn him to thy father / for he is thy bro∣ther as wel made and as dere bought as thou / and as wel beloued, though he be yet chyldyshe and lacke dyscrecyon.

But some wyl say, I wyl not hate my neygh¦boure / nor yet loue hym / or do hym good.* yes thou must loue hym for the fyrst cōmaundemēt out of which all other flowe, is, thou shalt loue the lorde thy God with all thyne harte / with all thy soule / and with all thy myght. That is / thou must kepe all his commaundementes with loue. Loue must kepe y^e fro killyng or hurting thy neyboure and frō couetynge in thyne harte Page  [unnumbered] what so euer is his. And .1. Ioh. 4. Thys com∣maundement haue we of hym / that he whiche loueth God, loue his brother also. And agayne 1. Iohan. iii. he that hathe substaunce of thys worlde and see hys brother haue necessyte, and shutteth vp hys compassyon from him, howe is the loue of God in hym? he then that helpe the not at neade louethe not God, but breketh the fyrste commaundement. Let vs loue therfore sayth saynte Io, not with worde and tonge, but in the dede and of a truthe. And agayne saynte Iohā sayd in the sayd place / he that loueth not hys brother by deth yet styll in dethe. And of loue hath Moyses textes ynoughe. But the pha¦ryseys glosed them out, sayenge they were but good councelles yf a man desyred to be per∣fecte / but not preceptes. Exodi. xxiii. yf thou mete thyne enemyes oxe or asse goynge a straye thou shalte in any wyse brynge them to hym a∣gayne. And yf thou se thyne enemyes asse falle downe vnder his burthen / thou shalt helpe him vp agayne. And Leuyti, xix. thou shalt not hate thy brother in thyne hart / but shalt in any wyse rebuke thy neyghboure,* that thou beare no syn for hys sake. For yf thou studye not to a∣mende thy neyghboure when he synneth, so art thou partaker of hys synnes. And therfore whē God taketh vengeaunce and sendeth what soo euer plage it be, to ponyshe open sinners, thou must peryshe with them. For thou dydest synne in the syght of God as depe as they / because thou dydest not loue the lawe of God to mayn∣teyne Page  xxxvii it with all thyne harte, soule / power and myght. Is not he that seeth hys nyghboures hous in ieoperdye to be sette on fyer and war∣neth not, nor helpeth in tyme, to auoyde the pa¦rell, worthy yf his neyghboures hous be brent vp, that hys be brent also / seynge it was in hys power to haue kepte all out of ieoperdy, yf he had wolde / as he wolde no doute yf he had lo¦ued hys neyghboure? Euen so when God sen∣deth a generall pestylence or warre to thy cy∣tye / to ponyshe the synne therof / arte not thou worthy that thyne house shulde be infected or peryshe, yf thou myghtest haue kepte it frō syn¦nynge, and thou haddest ben wyllynge therto? But yf thou do thy beste to further the lawe of God and to kepe thy land or neyghboures frō synnyng against God, thē (though it pelpe not) thou shalte bere no synne for theyr sakes when they be ponyshed. He therfore that loueth the lawe of God, may be bolde in tyme of pesty∣lence and all ieoperdy to beleue in God. And agayne in the same place thou shalt not auenge thy selfe nor beare hate in mynde agaynste the chyldren of thy people. But shall loue thy fe∣lowe as thy selfe, I am the lorde. As who shuld say, for my sake shalt thou do it. And Deutero∣nomy .10. The lorde your God. is the God of Goddes and lorde of lordes, a greate God / myghty and terryble, which regardeth no man¦nes persone or degree or taketh gyftes. But doth ryghte to the fatherlesse and the wydowe, and loueth the staunger, to gyue hym rayment Page  [unnumbered] and fode / loue therfore the straunger / for ye were straungers in the lande of Egypt. And Le¦uytycum, .xix. yf a straunger soiourne by the, in your lande, se that ye vexe hym not. But let the straunger that dwelleth amonge you, be as one of your selfes, and loue hym as thy selfe. For ye were straungers in the lande of Egypt / I am the lorde. As who shulde saye, loue him for my sake.* Notwithstandynge when thy neyghboure hathe shewed the more vnkyndenes then God hath loue / then mayste thou hate hym / and not before. But muste loue hym for Goddes sake / tyll he fyght agaynste God to destroy the name and glorye of God.