That fayth the mother of all good workes iustifieth us before we ca[n] bringe forth anye good worke...

ITem in the same chapter it folowyth. When thou prayst be not as the ypocr∣ytes / which love to stond and praye in the synagoges and in the corners of the stre∣tes / for to be sene of men. But when thou prayest enter in to thy chamber and shutte thy dore to / and praye to thy father whych is in secret / and thy father which seith in secret sh∣all rewarde the openlye. And lyke wyse when we fast (teacheth Christ in the same place) th∣at we shuld behave our selfes that it appere not vnto mē how that we fast / but vnto our father which is in secret / and our father wh∣ich seith in secret shall reward vs openly. Th∣ese .ij. textes doe but declare what foloweth good workes / for eternall lyse cōmeth not by the deservinge of workes but is (sayth Pau∣le

in the .vj. to the Romayns) the gyft of God thorowe Jesus Christ. Nether do oure wor∣kes iustyfye vs. For except we were iustyfyed by fayth which is our righteousnes and had the spryte of God in vs to teach vs / we cou∣ld do no good worke frely wyth out respecte of some profit / other in this world or in the wor∣lde to come / nether could we have spyrituall Joy in oure hertes in tyme of afflictiō and m∣ortyfyinge of the fleshe

Good workes are called the frutes of the sprite / Gal••. v. Cap. for the sprite worketh th∣em in vs / and some tyme frutes of righteous∣nes / as in the seconde pystle to the Corrynthy∣ans .ix. Chapter. before all workes therfore we must have a righteousnes wythin in the h∣erte / the mother of all workes / and frō whēce they springe. The righteousnes of the scribes and Pphareses / & of thē that have the spirite of this world / ys y^e glorious showe & outwar∣de shininge of workes. But Christ sayth to vs Mat. v. except your righteousnes excede the righteousnes of the scrybes & pharises / ye can not enter in to the kingdome of hevē. It is ri∣ghteousnes in the world / if a mā kyll not. B∣ut a Christen perceaveth rihhteousnes if he love hys enemye / evyn whē he suffreth perse∣cuc••ō and tormēte of hym / and the paynes of death / and morneth more for his adversaries

blindnes than for hys awne payne / and pra∣yeth God to opē his eyes and to forgeve hym his synnes / as dyd Steven in the Actes of the Apostles the .vij. Chap. and Christ Luc. xxiij.

A christen cōsidereth him self in the lawe of God / ād there putteth of him all maner ryg∣hteousnes. For the lawe suffereth no merites no deservinges / no ryghteousnes / nether any mā to be iustifyed in the sight of God. The la∣we is spirituall and requireth the herte and commaundementes to be fullfillyd with soch love and obedience as was in Christe. If any fulfyll all that is the will of God with soch love ād obediēce / the same may be bold to sell pardons of his merites / and els not.

A Chrysten therfore (when he beholdeth hym sylfe in the lawe) putteth of all maner ri∣ghteousnes / deservinges and merites / ād me∣kely and vnfaynedly knowleageth his sinne ād mysery / hys captyvite and bondage in the fle∣sh / his trespasse and gylte / and is there bible∣ssede wyth the poure in spyrite Math. v. Cha. Then he morneth in his hert / be cause he is in soch bondage that he can not do the wyll of God / and ys an hongred and a thrust after ri∣ghteousnes. For righteousnes (I meane) wh∣ich springeth oute of Chrystes bloud / for strē∣gth to do the wyll of God. And turneth him self to the promyses of God / ād desyreth hym

for hys great mercie ād trueth / and for the bl∣oud of hys sonne Chryst to fulfyll hys pro∣myses / and to geve hym strength. And thus his spryte ever prayeth wythin hym. Be fast∣eth also not one day for a weke / or a lente for an whole yeare / but professeth in hys hert a perpetuall sobyrnes / to tame the flesh and to subdue the body to the spyryte / vntyll he wax stronge in the spyrite and growe rype in to a f∣ull ryghteousnes after the fulnes of Christe. And be cause thys fulnes happeneth not tyll the body be slayne by deeth / a Christē ys ever a synner in the lawe / and therfore fasteth and prayeth to God in the spyryte / the world sein∣ge it not. Yet in the promyses he ys ever right∣eous / thorow fayth in Christe ād ys sure that he ys heyre of all goddes promyses / the spry∣te which he hath receaved in ernest / bering h∣ym wittenes / his herte also ād his deades te∣stifyenge the same.

Marke this then. To se inwardlye that the lawe of God ys so spirituall / that no slesh can fulfyll it. And then for to morne ād sorrowe & to desyre / yee to hōger and thurst aftyr strēgth to do the will of God from the grounde of the herte / ād (not withstandīge all the soutelty of the devlis / wekenes and feblenes of the flesh / & wondringe of the worlde) to cleve yet to the promises of God / & to beleve that for Christes

bloude sake thou art receaved to the enthery∣taunce of eternall lyfe / ys a wonderfull thin∣ge / ād a thinge that the world knoweth not of: but who so ever fealeth that (though he fall a thousande times in a day) doth yet ryse agay∣ne a thousande times / ād ys sure that the me∣rcye of God is apon hym.