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.

[ iiii] Blessed are they that honger and thyrste for ryghtwysnesse, for they shalbe fulfylled.

* 1.1Ryghteousnes in thys place is not taken for the pryncypall ryghtuousnes of a chrysten man thorowe which the person is good and accepted before God. For these .viii. poyntes are but doc∣tryne of the frutes and workes of a chrysten man before whiche the faythe muste be there, to make ryghteous without all deseruynge of workes and as a tre out of which al suche frutes and wor∣kes muste sprynge. wherfore vnderstande here the outwarde ryghteousnes before the worlde and true and faythful dealynge eche with other / and iuste executynge of the offyces of all maner degrees / and meke obedyence of all that are vnder power / So that the meanynge is / happy are they whiche not onely do theyr dutyes to all men, but also studye and helpe to the vttermoste of theyr power with worde, deade, councel and exortynge, that all other deale trulye also aceor¦dynge to the degre that euery man beareth in the wolde, & be as desyerous to further good order

order and ryghtuous dealynge, as the hongrye and thyrsty be desyrous to eate and drynke.

And not that it is not for naught that he sayth hongre and thurst. For excepte thy soule hongre and thyrste for thys ryghteuosnes of her newe nature, as the bodye dothe for meate and drynke of hys olde nature, the deuell and the chyldren of thys worlde (whiche can not soffer that a man ether deale truly hym selfe or helpe o¦ther) wyll so resyste the,* 1.2 plage the and so wery the, that thou haddeste leuer of very mystruste and desperacion that ought shulde be better,* 1.3 for¦sake al and make thy selfe a monke or a fryer, ye and to ronne into a straunge contrey and leue all thy frēdes, then to abyde in the world, and to let it chose whether it wyl synke or swyme.

But to comforte vs, that we faynte not or be wery of wel doynge, Chryste promyseth that all that haue thys thruste and hongre, shall haue theyr lust satysfied, and be trāslated into a kyng∣dome, where none vnryghtwysnes is, be sydes y^t thou shalt here and se at lēgth many come to the ryghtway and helpe with the, and many thynges that cannot be al together mēded, yet somewhat better & more tolerable so that all ryghtwysnes shal not be quenched.

And contrary wyse cursed be all they that are full, as Luke in the .vi.* 1.4 saythe •• that is to saye they pocrytes whiche to auoyde all laboure, so rowe, care, comberaunce and,* 1.5 sofferynge with theyr bretheren, get them to dennes to lyue at rest and to fyll theyr belyes, the wealth of other

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men not regarded. No, it were a grefe to them that other were better, that they alone maye be taken for holye, and that who so euer wyl to heuen must bye it of them, ye they be so ful, that they compare them selues to other poore syn∣ners and lo•••• as narowly on them as the phare∣seye dyd on the publycane, thankynge God that he alone was good, and the other euell. Cursed are they yet for al their fulnes, for they shal hon∣ger with euerlastynge honger where none shall geue them to eate, nor they haue any refresshynge of theyr paynes.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Ryghtwys∣nes.
• * 1.2

  Monke.
• * 1.3

  Monkes. why they ronne into relygyon.
• * 1.4

  Luc. vi.
• * 1.5

  Monkes be cursed.