The vvhole workes of W. Tyndall, Iohn Frith, and Doct. Barnes, three worthy martyrs, and principall teachers of this Churche of England collected and compiled in one tome togither, beyng before scattered, [and] now in print here exhibited to the Church. To the prayse of God, and profite of all good Christian readers.

Prayer.

OF Prayer and good deedes, and of the order of loue or charitie I haue aboundantly written in my booke of the iustifying of fayth. Neuer the later that thou maist see, what the prayers and good workes of our monkes and friers and of other ghostly people are worth, I will speake a woord or two, and make an end. Paule sayth Gal. 3. All ye are the sonnes of God through fayth in Iesu Christ: for all ye that are * 1.1 baptized haue put Christ on you. that is, ye are become Christ himself. There is no Iew (sayth he) neither Greeke, neither bond nor free, neither man nor woman, but ye are all one thing in Christ Iesu. In Christ there is neither french nor english, but the frenchman is the englishmans owne selfe, and the english the frenchmans owne self. In Christ there is neither father nor sonne neyther maister nor seruaunt, neyther husband nor wife, neither king nor sub¦iect: but the father is the sonnes selfe, and the sonne the fathers owne selfe: and the king is the subiects owne self, and the subiect is the kinges own self, and so fourth. I am thou ••hy selfe, and thou art I my selfe, and can be no nea∣rer of kyn. We are all the sonnes of God, all Christes seruauntes bought with hys bloud, and euery man to o∣ther Christ his owne selfe. And Col. 3,

Ye haue put on the new man which is tenned in the knowledge of God after the image of him that made him (that is to say, Christ) where is (sayth he) neyther Greke nor Iew, circumcision nor vncircumcision, barbarous or Sci∣thian. bond or free: but Christ is all in all thinges. I loue thée not now be∣cause * 1.2 thou art my father, and hast done so much for me, or my mother, and hast borne me, and geuen me sucke of thy brestes (for so do Iewes and saracens) but because of the greate loue that Christ hath shewed me. I serue thee not because thou art my maister, or my king, for hope of rewarde, or feare of payne, but for the loue of Christ: for the children of fayth are vnder no law (as thou seest in the Epistles to the Ro∣manes, * 1.3 to the Galathians, in the first to Timothe) but are free. The spi∣rit of Christ hath writtē the liuely law of loue in their hartes, whiche driueth thē to worke of theyr owne accord fre∣ly & willingly, for the great loues sake onely which they see in Christ, & ther∣fore neede they no law to cōpell them. Christ is all in all things to them that * 1.4 beleue, and the cause of all loue. Paule sayth Ephes. 6. Seruantes obay vnto your carnall or fleshly maisters wyth feare and trembling, in singlenes of your hartes as vnto Christ: not wyth eye seruice as menpleasers, but as the seruantes of Christ, doing the wyll of God from the hart, euen as though ye serued the Lord and not men. And re∣member that whatsoeuer good thing any man doth, that shall he receiue a∣gaine of the Lord, whether he be bond or free. Christ thus is all in all thinges and cause of all to a christen man. And Christ sayth Math. 25. In as much as ye haue done it to any of the least of these my brethren, ye haue done it to mee. And in as much as ye haue not * 1.5 done it vnto one of the least of these, ye haue not done it to me. Here seest thou that we are Christes brethren, and cuē Christ him selfe, and what so euer we do one to another that do we to Christ If we be in Christ we woorke for no worldly purpose, but of loue. As Paul saith 2. Cor. 5. The loue of Christ com∣pelled vs (as who shoulde say) wee worke not of a fleshly purpose: For (sayeth hee) we knowe hencefoorth no man fleshly: no though we once knew Christ fleshly we do so now no more. We are otherwise minded, then when Peter drewe hys swoorde to fight for Christ. We are now ready to suffer with Christ, and to lose life and all for our very enemies to bring them vnto Christ. If we be in Christ, we are min¦ded like vnto Christ, which knew no∣thing * 1.6 fleshly, or after the will of the flesh, as thou seest Math. 12. when one sayd to him: Lo, thy mother and thy brethren stande without, desiring to speake with thee. Hee aunswered, who is my mother, and who are my brethren? And stretched hys hande ouer hys Disciples saying: see my mother and my brethren: for whosoe∣uer doth the will of my Father which is in heauen, the same is my brother, my sister, and my mother. He knew not his mother in that she bare him, but in that she did the will of his Fa∣ther in heauen. So now as God the Fathers will and commaundement is all to Christ, euen so Christ is all to a Christen man.

Christ is the cause why I loue thee, why I am ready to do the vttermost of my power for thee, and why I pray for thee. And as long as the cause abi∣deth, so long lasteth the effect: euen as * 1.7 it is alwayes day, so long as the Sun shineth. Do therefore the worst thou caust vnto me, take away my goodes, take away my good name: yet as long as Christ remayneth in my harte, so long I loue thee not a whit the lesse, and so long art thou as deare vnto me as mine owne soule, and so long am I ready to doo thee good for thine euill, and so long I pray for thee with al my hart: for Christ desireth it of me, and hath deserued it of me. Thine vnkind∣nes compared vnto his kindnes is no thing at all, yea it is swallowed vp as a little smoke of a mightie winde, and is no more scene or thought vppon. Moreouer that euill which thou didst to me, I receaue not of thy hande, but of the hande of God, and as Gods scourge to teach me pacience & to nor∣ture me. And therfore haue no cause to be angry with thee, more thē the child hath to be angry with his fathers rod. or a sicke man with a soure or bitter medecine that healeth him, or a priso∣ner with hys fetters, or he that is pu∣nished lawfully with the officer that punisheth him. Thus is Christ all and the whole cause why I loue thee. And * 1.8 to all can nought be added. Therefore cannot a litle mony make me loue thee better, or more bound to pray for thee, nor make Gods cōmaundement grea∣ter. Last of all, if I be in Christ, then the loue of Christ compelleth me. And

therfore I am ready to geue thee mine & not to take thyne from thee. If I be able I will do thee seruice frely: if not, then if thou minister to me againe, that receiue I of the hande of God, which ministreth it to me by thee: For God * 1.9 careth for his and ministreth all thin∣ges vnto them, and moueth Turkes and Saracenes, and all maner infidels to do them good as thou seest in Abra∣ham, Isaac and Iacob, and how God went with Ioseph into Egipt, and gat him fauour in the prison, and in e∣uery place, which fauour Ioseph recei∣ued of the hand of God, and to God gaue the thankes. This is God and Christ all in all, good and bad receiue I of God. Them that are good I loue because they are in Christ, and the euill to bring them to Christ. When any mā doth well I reioyce, that God is ho∣noured, and when any man doth euill I sorow because that God is dishono∣red. Finally in as much as God hath created all, and Christ bought all with his bloud, therefore ought all to seeke God & Christ in all, & els nothing.

But contrariwise vnto monkes, * 1.10 friers, and to y^• other of our holy spiri∣tualtie the belly is all in all, & cause of all loue. Offer thereto, so art thou fa∣ther, mother, sister, and brother vnto them. Offerest thou not, so know they thee not, thou art nether father mother sister brother, nor any kynne at all to them. She is a sister of ours, hee is a brother of ours say they, hee is verily a good man, for he doth much for our religion. She is a mother to our co∣uent: we be greatly bound to pray for them. And as for such and such (say they) we know not whether they be good or bad, or whether they be fish or flesh, for they do nought for vs: we be more bounde to pray for our benefac∣tours (say they) and for them that geue vs, thē for them that geue vs not. For them that geue little are they little bound, and them they loue little: and for them that geue much they are much bound, and them they loue much. And for them that geue nought are they naught bound, and them they loue not at al. And as they loue thee when thou geuest: so hate they thee when thou ta∣kest away from them, and run all vn∣der a stoole, and curse thee as black as pitch. So is cloyster loue belly loue, * 1.11 cloyster prayer belly prayer, and cloy∣ster brotherhode belly brotherhode. Morouer loue that springeth of Christ seeketh not hir owne selfe (1. Cor. 13.) but forgetteth her selfe, and bestoweth hir vpon hir neighboures profite, as * 1.12 Christ sought our profite and not hys owne. He sought not the fauour of god for himselfe, but for vs, yea he toke the wrath and vengeance of God from vs vnto himself, and bare it on his owne backe to bring vs vnto fauour. Like∣wise doth a Christen man geue to hys brethren, & robbeth them not as friers and monkes do: but as Paule com∣maundeth Ephes. 4. laboureth wyth his handes some good worke to haue wherewith to helpe the needy. They geue not but receiue onely. They la∣bour not, but liue idely of the sweat of the poore. There is none so poore a widow, though she haue not to finde hir self and her children, nor any mony to geue: yet shall the frier snatch a chese or somewhat. They preach, sayst thou, and labour in the woorde. First I say, * 1.13 they are not called and therefore ought not: for it is the Curates office. The Curate can not (saist thou.) What doth the theefe there then? Secondarily a true preacher preacheth Christes testa∣ment only and maketh Christ the cause and reward of all our deedes, and tea∣cheth euery man to beare hys crosse willingly for Christes sake. But these are enemies vnto the crosse of Christ, and preach theyr belly which is theyr God: Ephes. 3. and they thinke that lucre is the seruing of God. 1. Tim. 6. that is, they thinke them christen one∣ly which offer vnto their belies, which when thou hast filled, then spue they out prayers for thee, to be thy reward, and yet w••t not what praier meaneth. Prayer is the longing for Gods pro∣mises, which promises as they preach them not, so lōg they not for them, nor wish them vnto any man. Theyr lon∣ging is to fill theyr paunch whom they serue, & not Christ: and through sweet preaching and flattring woordes de∣ceaue the hartes of the simple and vn∣learned. Rom. 16.

Finally as Christ is the whole cause * 1.14 why we do all thing for our neighbor, euen so is he the cause why God doth all thyng for vs, why he receaueth vs into his holy Testament, and maketh vs heyres of al his promises, and pou∣reth his spirit into vs, and maketh vs his sonnes, and fashioneth vs like vn∣to Christ, and maketh vs such as he would haue vs to be. The assuraunce * 1.15 that we are the sonnes, beloued, and heires with Christ, & haue Gods spi∣rite in vs, is the consent of our hartes,

vnto the law of God. Which law is all * 1.16 perfection, and the marke whereat all we ought to shoot. And he that hitteth that marke, so that he fulfilleth the law with all his hart, soule, and might, and with full loue and lust, without all let or resistance is pure gold and needeth not to be put any more in the fire, he is straight and right, & needeth to be no more shauen: he is full fashioned like Christ, and can haue no more ad∣ded vnto him. Neuerthelesse there is none so perfect in this life that findeth not let & resistance by the reason of o∣riginall sinne, or birth poyson that re∣mayneth * 1.17 in him, as thou maist see in the liues of all the saintes throughout all the scripture, and in Paul Rom. 7. The will is present (sayth he) but I fynde no meanes to performe that whiche is good. I doo not that good thing which I would: but that euill do I which I would not. I finde by the law that when I would do good, euill is present with me. I delite in the law as concerning the inner man, but I finde an other law in my members re∣belling against the law of my minde, & subduing me vnto the law of sinne. Which law of sinne is nothing but a * 1.18 corrupt and a poysoned nature which breaketh into euill lustes, and from e∣uill * 1.19 lustes into wicked deedes, & must be purged with the true purgatory of the crosse of Christ: that is, thou must hate it with all thine hart, and desyre God to take it from thee. And then whatsoeuer crosse God putteth on thy backe, beare it paciently, whether it be pouertie sickenes or persecution or what soeuer it be, and take it for the right Purgatory and thinke that God hath nailed thee fast to it, to purge thee therby. For he that loueth not the law * 1.20 and hateth hys sinne, & hath not pro∣fessed in his hart to fight against it, and mourneth not to god to take it away & to purge him of it, y^• same hath no part with Christ. If thou loue the law and fyndest that thou hast yet synne han∣gyng on thee, where of thou sorowest * 1.21 to be deliuered and purged: as for an example, thou hast a couetous mynde and mistrustest God and therfore arte moued to begyle thy neighbour & arte vnto him mercylesse, not caring whe∣ther he sinke or swymme so thou maist winne by him or get from him that he hath: then get thee to the obseruaunte which is so purged frō that sinne that he will not once handle a peny & with that wyle doth the suttle foxe make the goose come flying into his hole ready prepared for his mouth without hys labour or swet, & buy of his incrites, which he hath in store, & geue thy mo∣ney not into his holy hāds but to offer him that he hath hired either with part of his prayers or part of his praye to take the sinne vpon him and to handle his money for him. In like maner if any parson that is vnder obediēce vn∣to Gods ordinaunce (whether it be sonne or daughter, seruaunt, wife or subiect) consent vnto the ordinaunce, & yet finde contrary motions: let him go also to thē that haue professed an obe∣dience of their owne making, and bye part of their merites. If thy wife geue the ix. wordes for three, go to the char∣terhouse and bye of their silence: And so if the absteinyng of the obseruaunt * 1.22 from handling money heale thine hart from desiryng money, & the obedience of them that will obey nothyng but their owne ordinaunce, heale thy diso∣bedience to Gods ordinaunce, and the silēce of the charterhouse Monke tan••e thy wiues toung, thē beleue that their prayers shall deliuer thy soule from the paines of that terrible and feareful Purgatory which they haue fayned to purge thy purse withall.

The spiritualtie encreaseth dayly. * 1.23 Mo prelates, mo Priestes, mo mōkes, friers, chanons, nunnes and mo here∣tikes, I would say heremites with lyke draffe, Set before the y^• encrease of S. Fraūces disciples in so few yeares. Rekē how many thousands, yea how many twenty thousādes, not disciples onely: but whole cloisters are sprong out of hell of them in so litle space. Pa∣teryng of prayers encreaseth dayly. Their seruice as they call it, waxeth longer and longer and the labour of their lippes greater, new Saintes, new seruice, new festes, and new holy dayes. What take all these away? Sinne? Nay. For we ••ee the contrary by experience & that sinne groweth as they grow. But they take away first * 1.24 Gods word with fayth, hope, peace, vnitie, loue & concorde then house and lād, rent & see, tower & towne, goodes and cattell, and the very meate out of mens mouthes. All these lyue by Pur∣gatory. When other weepe for their frendes they sing merely when other * 1.25 loose their frendes, they get frendes. The Pope with all his Pardons is grounded on Purgatory. Priestes Monkes, Chanons, Friers with all other swermes of hypocrites do but

empty Purgatory and fill hell. Euery Masse, say they, deliuereth one soule out of Purgatory. If that were true, * 1.26 yea if ten Masses were inough for one soule, yet were the Parish Priests and Curates of euery Parish sufficient to scoure Purgatory. All the other costly workemen might be well spared.

Notes

• * 1.1

  In Christ•• we are one as good as an other equally be∣loued & in∣differently heard.
• * 1.2

  Christ is all to a Christen man.
• * 1.3

  The chil∣drē of faith worke of loue and nede no law to cō∣p••ll them.
• * 1.4

  We are all Christes seruauntes and serue Christ.
• * 1.5

  The con∣tempt or loue, we shewe one to another, the same shewe we to Christ.
• * 1.6

  Christ knoweth nothyng worldly 〈◊〉〈◊〉 not his •…•…¦ry mother.
• * 1.7

  As long as Christ aby∣deth so lōg a Christen mā loueth.
• * 1.8

  Money byndeth not Christ•• people to pray.
• * 1.9

  God careth for his.
• * 1.10

  The bely to a God & cause of all vnto our spiritualty.
• * 1.11

  ••••ll is of the bely & nothyng of Christ.
• * 1.12

  Christes loue forget teth her selfe: but Monkes loue thin∣keth on the bely.
• * 1.13

  Friers and Monkes ought not to preach.
• * 1.14

  Christ is the whole cause why God lo∣ueth vs.
• * 1.15

  Howe to know that we are Goddes sonnes.
• * 1.16

  The lawe is y^• mark: yea and the touch stone where w^t we ought to trye our selues & see how farre ••orth we are pur∣ged.
• * 1.17

  Our byrth poyson that remayneth in vs. resi∣steth the spirite.
• * 1.18

  ☞
• * 1.19

  The right crosse of Christ.
• * 1.20

  Hee that loueth not the law & hateth sin hath no part with Christ.
• * 1.21

  Howe to try the do▪ ctrine of our spiri∣tualtie.
• * 1.22

  If the pra∣yers & me∣rites of our reli∣gious men purge our lustes then are they of value and els not.
• * 1.23

  ☞
• * 1.24

  What the spiritualtis taketh a∣way with their pray∣ers.
• * 1.25

  Whē other wept, they sing, and whē other loose, they wynne.
• * 1.26

  All is of Purgato∣ry. •…•…ese Phisitions geue none other medi¦cines saue purgations onely.