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¶ Warne them that they submitte thē selues to rule & power, that they obey the officers: that they be readye to euery good worke, that they speake euyl of no man, that they be no fighters but gentle, shewynge all mekenes vnto all men.
AS I would y• al seruauntes should be to their Maysters yea though they be vnfaithful: euen suche I would haue christē men to be by thy moniciō to
their princes, & vnto them, ye are magistrates vnder them, though suche rulars vnder whō they be, are thē selfes vnchristened. For this must in any wyse be ta∣kē hede vnto, ye no mā may by our maners take occasiō to alyenate him selfe fro the gospel. But it would so come to passe, yf they which be head rulars shoulde perceyue y• we by reason of y• professiō y• we haue takē, wer ye more sediciouse and fierse, & les obedyēt to their cōmaūdemētes. For they would by & by lay y• thing to ye faulte of ye gospel, & so more withdrawe their myndes frō y• professiō therof▪ Warne them therfore y• beleue in Christ, y• they be neuer y• more for al y• fre from the lawes of princes & other magistrates, but they must y• rather▪ bicause thei be christiās, be obediēt, & gladly do as thei be cōmaūded. And to be ready & prompt to euery good worke, y• mē may se them do y• which is honest wyllingly, & not cō∣strayned for feare of punyshement. If y• gouernours do cōmaunde y• whiche is rightful, it is great iniquitie, •••• very euyl ensample to disobey him y• is the •••••• ouer al ye other. But yf they cōmaūde & rule otherwyse then right is yf they op∣presse their subiectes ouer hardly, yf they cal to sore vpō them, yet softenes and sufferaūce is more comely for no man, thē it is for them that be the folowers of Christ. Whatsoeuer they cōmaūde y• is not against y• very true religiō of god, we must therin gladly obey. They wil peraduenture take awaye our goodes▪ what then? for them groweth ••s a greater treasour of vertuous lyuing. The wil banyshe vs out of y• controy. It maketh no mater, for Christ is euery where ready to cōforte him seruantes. Here {per}aduenture some mā wil say, what yf our princes be heathen mē & worshippers of ydolles, cōtaminate wt open vices▪ ene¦myes to Christes faith? They y• be suche, be such to their owne harme, & ieopar¦dye. It is not our parte to cōdemne them. But, yf we can, to amende them. And better they maye be induced to amēdemēt, by obediēce, sufferaūce & exaumples of good lyuyng, thā by rebelliō & opprobrious wordes. Let vs leaue thē to the•••• iudge, & let vs remembre what is semely for vs. Christ did praye for them y• re∣uyled him, so far wyde was it y• he would geue checke for checke. How is it th••n conueniēt y• his dysciples (for al christiās be y• dysciples of Christ) should be con∣tumeliouse against any mā, as louers of stryfe & debate? Nay, they ought ra∣ther after y• example of him (whose name they professe) to be gentle, shewyng all myldenes, not onely vnto honeste men & such as do wel deserue it, but also vnto euery mā. To good mē bicause they deserue it, to euyl mē that they may amende againe y• they haue not thorough our impacience a worse opinion of our belefe▪ and whan we geue them iust occasion to be moued with vs. Christian charitie suffereth all thinges, and in all thinges it hath good hope.
¶ For we our selfes also wer somtyme folishe dysebediēt, deceiued, seruyng diuerse lustes and voluptuosnes, lyuing in maliciousnes & enuye, full of hate, hating one another.
And whā we se any suche yt be out of y• waye, we must more pitie them, thā ab∣horte them. Which we shal y• soner do yf we call to remēbraūce y• we were some∣tyme such as they be now. Let vs not refuse thē bicause they be euyl lyuers and wycked mē, but let vs helpe y• best y• we can, y• they cease to be as they be, & begin to be lyke vs. Who called vs frō our blyndenes? was it not y• fre clemēcie and great mercifulnes of god? The same may also chaūge them, whan it shalbe his pleasure. And howbeit y• we which of Iewes enbrased y• gospel & became chri∣stiās, wer no worshippers of idolles, yet wer we afore our cōuersiō subiecte to o∣ther greuouse vices, beyng fooles, inobediēt, erring frō y• trueth, geuē to diuerse appetites & lustes, ful of enuye, ful of malyce, grudging one at an other, hating on another. To those so great euyls we were subiecte euen vnder Moses lawe.
But after that the kyndnes and loue of our sauiour god to manwarde appeared, not by the deades of righteousnes which we wrought, but accordyng to his mercye he saued vs by the fountayne of the newe brythe, & renewing of the holy ghost which he shedde on vs aboundantly, thorow Iesus Christ our sauiour, that we iustified by hys grace, should be made heyres according to the hope of eternall lyfe.
But that now for foles and dulleheddes, we be made sobre and wise, that for rebelles we are meke and tractable, that for men erryng outt of the way, we are made knowars of the trueth, that for the seruaūtes of iustes and voluptuous∣nes we be made glad kepers of ryghtuousnes, that for maliciouse we be made symple and courteouse, that for enuiouse men, we be made glad to do good to all men, that for haters we be made well wyllers euen to thē that hate vs, thys haue we neither by Moses lawe, nor yet by our owne merites, but by the free goodnes of God, by the which we coueite that all men, yf it be possyble, reioyse with vs in one commune saluation, and that the verite of the gospel may shine and geue lyght to all men as it hath geuen lyght to vs. For afore, we wande∣red lyke blynde men in darkenes, as the vnbeleuers do styll. But nowe after that it is made open thorow the ghospell, howe greate the goodnes and charite of God the father (which is autor of our saluation) is to al men, now after that the darkenes of our former lyfe is put away, we haue obteyned true lyfe & sal∣uation: not by the obseruation of the lawe, which had a certayne righteousnes in it, but yet of small efficacie to geue euerlastyng lyfe, but we haue obteined it thorowe the mere mercie of the Godhed. For by the holy fonte of baptisme, we benewe borne agayne and graffed into Christ the sonne of the euerlastyng fa∣ther, and beyng renewed by his spirite, we haue ceased to be carnall and haue begon to be spirituall. Therfore what so euer we be, we are altogether bounde to God for it, whiche into vs nothyng deseruing it hathe shed aboundantlye his spirite, whiche the lawe coulde not geue. And he hath shed this his holye spirite into vs by Iesus Christ, by whom it hath pleased him most liberally to geue vs all thynges, that we beyng purged by hys benefite from oure olde synnes, should endeuour our selfes by good workes to be made apte to receiue the inheritaunce of the lyfe that endureth for euer, of the whiche the doctrine of the gospell doeth put vs in a sure hope. Sence that we therefore were once mi∣serable, and beyng nowe thorow the onely mercy of the Lorde delyuered from synne we hope for the crowne of euerlastyng lyfe with Christe, we muste haue pitie vpō other, & go aboute by al meanes, yt God may also haue mercy on thē.
This is a true saying. Of these thinges I wyll that thou certifie, that they whiche beleue in God, myght be diligent to go forwarde in good workes. For these thynges are good and profitable vnto men.
Let a christian Byshop in the steade of Iewishe fables tel these thynges to the people, for they are certaine and not to be doubted of. There remayneth no∣thing more for vs to do, but that in all our cōuersation frō hence forth we shew our selfes not vnmyndful of the great benefite yt we haue receyued of God but that we lyue in all thinges accordyng to his godly pleasure, or els the professiō of christiandome & of the gospel wil nothyng aduaile vs. Wherfore I wil that thou assure al mē of these thinges, which greatly perteyne vnto our purpose, & confirme thē therin also, y• they whiche haue once beleued in God, y• by his free mercifulnes they haue bene redemed from their synnes, and that he will geue the crowne of immortalitie to all them whiche by vertuouse and godly liuinge do studye to folowe Iesu Christe as nere as they are able, maye leade suche a lyfe, as maye seme not vnworthy of so greate profession and so hir promisses.
Nowe they shall declare them selues to be true christians, yf they curse not the Ethnikes and the Iewes, nor saye euyl by them, but yf they be beneficial to al men, and by the affection that they haue to piety they reioyse to helpe all men. For these thynges shall not onelye ornate and commende the professyon of the gospell, as thynges of them selfes honeste, but besyde that very profytable to drawe other to Christe, and to helpe other whiche be oppressed with any cala∣mitie. The chiefe poynte of christiantie is to do good to all men, and by bene∣fites euen the very wylde beastes are ouercome and made tame. Thou shalte therfore on suche wise speake and preache of these thynges, and not as one that is in any dowte of them, as some be whiche mouyng many questions seme to haue but a faynte beleue. But teache thou with greate confydence of counte∣naunce and with greate stedfastnes of wordes, that euery man maye right well perceyue, that thou arte throwlye persuaded in that whiche thou doest laboure to perswade to other. Out of these thinges commethe no small frute of true re∣ligion.
Folyshe questyons, and genealogies, and braulyng, thorowe s••tyuinges about the lawe, auoyde: for they are vnprofitable and superfluous.
But folyshe and vnconnyng questions, and entangled genealogies, and contenciouse disputacions or rather warre vpon Moses lawe, whiche some fo∣lowyng the trade of the Iewes do styrre vp to gette them a name thereby and vantage, caste them away as superfluous and vuprofytable to the lyfe that is after the gospell. For what death it hurte good lyuynge, yf I knowe not why Moses graue can no where be founde? And whether it be as the Iewes do say lest he should be raysed vp agayne by enchaunters? Or yf I knowe not howe many yeares Matusalem lyued? Or of what age Salomon was, whan he be∣gate Roboam? Why Moses did forbyd to eate the fleshe of swine? Why the Iewes do suppose, that the blode of a Wesell must with so great diligence be purged? And many other more folyshe than these. In the exposicion whereof, what profiteth him to tary that hasteth to the rewarde of a true christian lyfe? These thynges must rather ••e cutte awaye than declared, and they which pro∣fesse them as excellente thynges, oughte more to be reproued and sharplye re∣buked than to be ouercome with disputacion.
A man that is an auctor of sectes, after the firste and the seconde admonicion auoid▪ knowyng, that he (that is suche) is peruetted and synneth euen damned by him selfe.
If they whiche mayntaine suche supersticions as haue tofore bene mencio∣ned, erre by symplenes, whan they be warned therof they wyll amende. But yf they do it of a purposed malice, eyther to get them a name, or for lucre, or for some other fylthy cause, than wyll they be ready to defende euen those thynges whiche they knowe to be false. These men whan thou hast once or twies rebu∣ked them, yf they amende not, then auoyde them as sedicious and incurable persones, leste they do more harme whan they be prouoked, than they woulde doe yf they were let alone as men not regarded. Yea and lest it may turne to a worse inconuenience that they whiche cannot be brought into a better mynde, drawe him that goeth about to instructe them into the same errour that they be in. For what auayleth it to geue any oftenar to them the medicine of cortectiō yf there be no hope of remedy. An errour commynge onelye of the fraylenes of man, is remedied by one or two warnynges, but peruersitie is incurable and made worse by puttyng to of remedies. Therefore he that beyng once or twyes rebuked, abydeth neuertheles styffe in his opiniō, let him alone in his froward mynde, as a man quite ouerturned and paste all remedy.
Neyther hast thou any neade to laboure in the condemnynge of him, sythen he is condemned by his owne iudgement. If he peryshe, he is lost and cast awaye by his owne faulte. For he cannot laye this excuse for him: I was deceyued and went oute of the waye thorowe ignoraunce, no man warned me of myne ••••••oure. This excuse it but vayne. For what shal one do to a sicke man that wil take no medicine? peraduenture yf he were contemned and not passed on, he woulde wexe wyser. If he wyll not, yet the fewer resorte vnto him, the fewer shall the contagion of his madnes infecte.
When I shall sende Artemas vnto the, or Tithycus, be diligente to come to me vnto Nic••••opolis: For I haue determined there to wynter. Bryng zenas the lawear, & Apol∣los en theyr iorney diligently, that nothynge be lackyng vnto them. And let oures also learne to ••••cell in good woorkes, as farforth as nede requireth, that they be not vnfrute∣ful. All that are with me, salu••e the. Grete them that loue vs in the fayth. Grace be with you all. Amen.
I woulde fayne haue the with me a fewe dayes, but I woulde not it should be to the damage of the christian congregacions in Crete which haue bene but late conuerted to the faith: and therefore they haue the more nede of a diligente ouerseat; whiche maye buylde vpon the foundacion nowe all ready layed. Se therefore that thou mete with me at Nicopole. But come not afore I send Ar∣temas or Tichicus to thee, to be there for thee in my steade, leste thy departing shoulde leue Crete destitute, and as it were an Orpheline. Thou shalte not neade to feare that I wyll in the meane tyme go any where els, and so thou to lese thy laboure. For I am purposed all this nexte wynter to be at Nicopole whiche is a citie of Trace. Whan Zenas sometyme a doctor of Moses law, but nowe a noble preacher of the ghospell, and Apollos whiche is a man greatlye approued in the doctrine of Christe, wyll departe from the, bryng them forth∣ward with all the humanite that maye be, and see that they lacke nothyng that shalbe necessary for their iornaye. If these offices of humanitie be exhibited of the Ethnikes, that they doo for good maners sake brynge their frende on∣warde on his iorney, and gyue him at his departyng sufficiently bothe of vy∣tayles and otherthynges necessarye for him in his way: I thynke it very right that our men also whiche profelse Christe, do learne to vse suche gentyle fashi∣ons, and to gyue due thankes to them that do deserue it. Not that they shuld make them riche with greate gyftes, but to geue them suche thinges as be ne∣cessarye for their lyuing, whan nede shall requyre. For seyng that they whiche do not knowe Christe, be yet taught of nature, to geue them thankes whiche haue done for them, truly it is very vnsemely, that christian men should be ba∣rayne and vnfruteful to them, of whom they haue receiued any good turne. As many as be here with me commende them vnto the. Do thou agayne cōmende me to as many there as loue me, not with worldely affeccion, but with Euan∣gelicall and christian loue, whiche the commune profession of faythe doeth en∣gendre in vs. The free beneficence of Goddes mercy be with you all for e∣uer.