The texte.

Page  [unnumbered]These thinges therfore doe I repete and beate vnto you with so many wordes, lest any man shoulde persuade vnto you the contrarye. But take it for a sure and an vndoubted certayntie, that it is true whiche you haue be∣leued: that euerlastynge lyfe is ordayned for you throughe Iesus Christe, whose ioyned felowe heires you are. You haue already the ryght clayme and gage, and shall haue possession of the thyng selfe in hys tyme. There∣fore you that beleue in the sonne of God, beleue stedfastlye, and put youre sure trust in hym daylye more and more. He wyll not fayle you in the pro∣myses of euerlastyng lyfe, that fayleth you not nowe euen in thys lyfe. For in dede the spirite of Christe geuethe this confidence vnto you, that what∣soeuer you shal aske in y^• name of y^e sonne, you should obtaine it, if ye aske ac∣cording to hys wyll, that is, yf you be suche when you come to praye as he woulde haue you to come: that is to saye, pure from all maner hate of your brother. (For he obteyneth nothyng at goddes hande, of whom his neygh∣bour obteyneth not forgeuenes of his fault:) And if you aske those thinges that are auaileable to the lyfe of heauen, and make to the glorye of Christ. Or elles we for the moste parte knowe not what we shoulde aske of God, and many tymes for holsome thynges we desire hurtfull thynges, yf the spirite of Christe put vs not in mynde, what were expedient for vs to aske: but as ofte as we aske after thys sorte, we are sure that god heareth oure prayers: we are sure that he wyll frely geue vs whatsoeuer we shall aske. So hath he promised vs, and is hable to performe whatsoeuer he promi∣seth, and wyll performe whatsoeuer is holsome for vs. Neither shall he onely encrease his giftes in vs, being prouoked therunto by oure prayers, but also he wyll pardon vs oure daylye offences, without whome the fe∣blenes of mans nature can scarcely be hable to endure longe: and he shall not onely pardon euery one hys offences, yf he desire pardon, but he shall also heare the brother praying for the brothers offences, so that the sinne bee of suche sorte, that it doeth not quenche out brotherly loue, althoughe it doe somewhat obscure it. For there is a synne that cannot bee imputed vn to weakenes, nor be healed with lyght and easye remedies: as whan a manne vpon a sette malyce persecuteth the christen felowshyppe, where he hymselfe hath professed Christe, and in pretence of religion goeth aboute to subuert religiō. The desperate frowardnes of suche a one deserueth not the prayer of godly menne: and yet perfite charitie prayeth also for suche, wyshynge for those thynges that cannot possiblye be done. There is no manne that prayeth for the deuyll, because he doeth wittynglye throughe malyce oppugne them, whome God woulde well vnto. Perhappes no prayer should also be made for them, that are translated into hys affeccion: and are rather to be shunned, that they doe no harme, than to bee releued with prayers, excepte they shewe an hope of their repentaunce. Suche a disease nedeth more strong remedies, and is greater, than can bee taken a∣way by dayly praiers, wherby lighter offences are taken away, which are done of feble weakenes, & not of purposed frowardenes. Whatsoeuer is committed besyde perfite righteousnes, is sin: but there be many differen∣ces of synnes. There is some synne, whiche althoughe it demynyshe and blotte innocencye, yet it vtterlye quencheth not out christian charytye: as whan by occasion we ouershote a worde agaynste oure frende, whiche Page  liiii we are sory for by and by that it ouer shot vs: whan a sodayne angre hath russhed out at a worde, that wee woulde wyshe by and by myghte bee called backe agayne: whan throughe the swetenes of meate or drynke re∣ceyuyng, wee take somewhat more then the necessitie of nature doeth require. And to pardon these offences God is easie, yf he bee called vpon with mutual prayers. Suche maner of faultes of children, those that be gentyll parentes doe for the moste parte wynke at, whiche woulde not suffre greater offences. Albeit there is none so lyght a faulte that ought to be neclected. Whatsoeuer is done amysse, is euyll and to bee eschewed of godlye folkes, and yf it bee neclected, it drawethe by lytell and lytell vnto deathe. But lyke as spedye remidy oughte to be had for these lighter offen∣ces, whiche men are scarce hable to auoyde: euen so god forbydde, that he whiche hath once renounced the worlde, and dedicated hymselfe vnto god, shoulde be tombled backe agayne into anye greate notable cryme. By pro∣fessing of y^e gospel we are made the childrē of God, and membres of Christ. And it is not conuenient, that the children should diffre so greatly from the father, and the membres from the head. Therfore he that throughlye vn∣derstandeth, that he is borne of god, taketh more hede that he doe no euyl, than of deathe it selfe: and kepeth hymselfe that he haue nothynge a doe with that naughtie lorde (deuill) whom he serued before together with the worlde. Lyke as Christe beynge once dead rose agayne to lyfe, and rose a∣gayne to lyfe neuer to dye any more: euen so he that throughe baptisme is once dead vnto the worlde, and risen againe to newnes of lyfe with Christ, it is not mete for hym to doe that thynge agayne, for the whyche Christe must dye agayne. Let them be affrayed of the worlde, whiche are not true∣ly borne againe of god: which haue not with al the pith of their whole hear∣tes receyued the seede of the gospelles doctrine. We knowe, that wee are truely of god, whome neyther the euyll thynges nor the good thynges of thys world can seperate from Christe. The whole world is set all together on naughtines. Whiche waye soeuer a man turneth hym, there is occasion offred of thynges to turne vs awaye quite from the innocent vpryghtnes of lyfe. But from the worldes enchauntmentes the sonne of god hathe once delyuered vs: whiche came into the worlde for thys cause, to exempte vs out of the contagious infeccion of the worlde. He hathe dryuen awaye the darkenes of oure former ignoraunce, and hathe geuen vs an vnderstan∣dyng that is lyghtened with the lyght of the gospell: to thintent we should knowe the true god & the free geuer of al righteousnes: who onely had no∣thyng a doe with the worlde: and we are in hym truely, in that we folowe hys doctrine and promyses with an vpryght conscience, as longe as wee are in hys sonne Iesus Christe, whome he sent into the worlde for that in∣tent. He is the true god, whiche onely ought to be honoured: and the true lyfe, whiche onelye oughte to bee desyred. Lytell chyldren, yf you doo true∣lye knowe the true God, beware of false goddes, and vayne Images, whyche the worlde hathe in honoure. He wurshyppeth an Idole, that maketh moneye hys God. He wurshyppeth an Idole, that maketh hys bely hys God. He wurshyppeth an Idole, that for worldelye honoures sake, despysethe the commaundementes of GOD. There be manye suche Page  [unnumbered] kyndes of Images. Beware you of all, yf you wyll abyde in the wurshippe of the true God. Whyche humble prayer of myne he vouchesafe to make good, by whose goodnes wee are delyuered from oure erroures.