An exposycyon vpon the v.vi.vii. chapters of Mathewe which thre chapters are the keye and the dore of the scrypture, and the restoring agayne of Moses lawe corrupt by ye scrybes and pharyses. And the exposycyon is the restorynge agayne of Chrystes lawe corrupte by the Papystes. Item before the boke, thou hast a prologe very necessary, conteynynge the whole sum of the couenaunt made betwene God and vs, vpon whiche we be baptysed to kepe it. And after thou haste a table that ledeth the by the notes in the margentes, vnto al that is intreated of in the booke.

[ ii.] Blessed are they that mourne, for they shalbe comforted,

Thys mournynge is also in the spyryte, and no kynne to the soure lokynge of Ypocrytes nor to the impaciēt weywardnes of those fleshly which euer whine and complaine that the world is naught, because they can not obtayne and en∣ioye theyr lustes therin, Nether forbydyth in al∣wayes to be mery and to laugh, and make good chere nowe and then, to forget sorowe, that ouermoche heuynes swalowe not a man clene vp For the wyse man saythe, sorowe hath cost many theyr lyues.

And prouer .xvii. and heuy spirite dryeth vp the bones. And Paule commaundeth. Phili. iiii. to reioyse euer. And Roma. xii. he sayth reioyse with them that reioyse, and sorowe with them that sorowe, and wepe with thē that wepe, which seme two contraryes.

* 1.1This mournynge is that crosse without which was neuer any dysciple of Chryst or euer shalbe, For of what so euer state or degree thou be in thys worlde, yf thou professe the Gospell, there foloweth the a crosse (as warmenesse accompa∣nyeth the sonne shynynge) vnder whiche thy spy ryte shall grone and mourne secretlye, not onely

because the worlde and thyne owne flleshe cary the away ••lene contrary to the purpose of thyne harte. But also to se and beholde the wret∣chednesse and mys fortunes of thy bretherne, for whiche (because thou loueste them aswell as thy selfe) thou shalte mourne and sorowe no lesse then for thy selfe. Thoughe thou be kynge or Emperour, yet yf thou knoweste Christ and god thorowe Chryste, and entendeste to walke in the syght of God, and to mynyster thyne offyce tru∣ly, thou shalte (to kepe iustyce with all) be com∣pelled to do daylye that, whiche thou art no lesse lothe to doo, then yf thou shuldeste cut of arme hande or any other member of thyne owne bo∣dye, ye and yf thou wylt•• folowe the ryght waye and nether torne on the ryght hande nor on the lefte, thou shalte haue ymmedyatly thyne owne subiectes, thyne owne seruauntes, thyne owne lordes, thyne owne councellours and thyn owne prophetes therto agaynste the. Vnto whose fro∣warde malyce and stouburnesse, thou shalte be compelled to permytte a thousande thynges a∣gaynste thy conscyence, not able to resyste them, at whiche thyne herte shall blede inwardly, and shalt sawse thy swete soppes whiche the worlde weneth thou haste, with sorowes ynowe and styl murnyng, studieng ether alone or els with a fewe frendes secretly nyght and day, and syghynge to God for helpe / mytygate the fury ouse froward¦nes of thē whō thou art not able to w^tstand that al go not after y^e wyl of the vngodly, what was

Dauyd compelled to soffer all the dayes of hys lyfe of his owne seruaūtes the sonnes of Seruya, Besyde the mychaunses of hys owne chyldren? And howe was our kynge Iohan forsaken of his owne lordes / * 1.2 when he wolde haue put a good and godlye reformacy on in hys owne lande? Howe was Henry the seconde compased in like maner of hys owne prelates whome he hade promoted of nought / * 1.3 with the secrete conspy∣racye of some of his owne temporal lordes with them? I spare to speke of the murning of the true preachers and the poore comen people whiche haue no nother helpe / but the secrete hande of God, and the worde of hys promyse.

But they shalbe comforted of al theyr trybu¦lacyon and their sorowe shalbe turned into ioye and that infynyte and euerlastynge in the lyfe to come. Nether are they without comforte here in this worlde, for Chryst hathe promysed to sende them a comfortour to be with them for euer euen the spirite of truthe whiche the worlde knoweth not. Iohn. xiiii, And they reioyse in hope (of the comforte to come) Roma. xii.

And they ouercome thorowe we faythe / as it is wrytten Hebre. xi. the saynctes thorowe faythe ouercame kyngedomes and obtayned the pro∣myses.* 1.4 And .1. Io. v. thys is the vyctory that ouer cometh the world, euen our fayth. But the blynd world nether seyth our comfort nor our truste in God, nor how god thorowe faythe in his worde, helpeth vs and maketh vs ouercome.

Howe ouercome they (wylt thou saye) that

be all wayes persecuted and euer slayne? ve∣rely in euery batayle somme of them that wynne the felde / be slayne, yet they leue the vyctorye vnto theyr deare frendes for whose sakes they toke the fyghte vpon them / and therfore are conqueroures, seynge they obtayne theyr pur∣pose and maynteyne that they foughte for. The cursed ryche of thys worlde whiche haue theyr ioy and comforte in theyr ryches / haue sence the begynnynge foughte agaynste them / to wede them out of the worlde. But yet in vayne. For thoughe they haue all wayes slayne somme yet those that were slayne / wanne the vyctorye for theyr brethern with theyr deathe / and euer en∣creased the number of them. And thoughe they semed to dye in the syght of the folysshe / yet they are in peace and haue obtayned that euer∣lastynge kyngdome for whiche they fought. And beside all this whē God plageth the world for theyr synne / * 1.5 these that mourne and sorowe are marked with the sygne of Thau in theyr fore heddes and saued from the plage / that they pe∣ryshe not with the wycked / as thou seeste Eze∣chiel. 9. and as lot was delyuered from amonge the Sodomytes.

And contrary wyse / cursed are they that laugh nowe, that is to say / which haue theyr ioy, solase and comforte in theyr ryches / for they shall sorowe and wepe / Luke. 6. And as it was answered the ryche man, Luke. 16. sonne remem¦ber howe that thou receauedest thy good dayes in thy lyfe tyme, and Lazarus lykewyse euell▪

And therfore is he comforted and thou tor∣mented.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Godlye mourninge
• * 1.2

  Kynge. Iohan.
• * 1.3

  Henry the seconde.
• * 1.4

  Fayth is our victory
• * 1.5

  The mour∣ners for ryghtwys∣nes are sa∣ued w•• God ta∣keth ven∣geaunce on the vnright wyse.