To the extent possible under law, the Text Creation Partnership has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above, according to the terms of the CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/). This waiver does not extend to any page images or other supplementary files associated with this work, which may be protected by copyright or other license restrictions. Please go to http://www.textcreationpartnership.org/ for more information.
This man putteth difference betwene day & day, an other mā coumpteth all dayes alike. Let euery manues mynde satisfie him selfe. He that obserueth the day, doeth it vnto the lorde. And he that doeth not obserue the day doeth it for the lorde also. He
that eateth, doeth it to please the lorde, for he geueth God thankes. And he that eateth not, eateth not to please the lorde withal, and geueth God thankes. For noue of vs ly∣ueth for him selfe, and no man dyeth for him selfe. For if we liue, we liue vnto the lorde. And if we dye, we dye vnto the lorde. Whether we liue thefore, or dye, we are the lordes. For Christ therfore dyed, and rose againe, & reuiued, that he might be lorde of dead and quicke.
And that I haue now tolde you of the choyse of meates, the same in kepyng the sabboth day, and feastes of the newe moone, is like wyse to be vnderstande. For he that is weake, and of vnperfite fayth, maketh a difference betwixte day and day, as though one were holye and the other were not, and thinketh it vnlawful in this day to eate certaine meates or to labor, whiche man other day might well and lawfully be done. On the other lyde, he that is perfite and strong in his fayth, conceiueth in dayes no suche difference, but rather thinketh al the space of his life con∣sectate and halowed to godly conuersacion.
Breake not for suche pointes christian concorde among you, but with∣out condemnyng of other mennes cōsciences, let euery one herein do, as he iudgeth best, specially synce bothe wayes are without synne, and with both standeth the chiefe point of our religion. Whoso estemeth and iud∣geth in his conscience, that euery day is like pure and holy, doth so to his lorde, and to the, little belongeth it, how well he doeth. Lykewyse he that iudgeth, that there is betwixte day and day some difference, if he be decei∣ued, he doeth it vnto his lorde, thou hast therwith nothyng to do. Lyke∣wyse he that without difference eateth all kyndes of meate, he eateth to his lorde, forasmuche as he geueth thankes to God, through whose be∣nefite he eateth, whose free goodnes made all thynges for mannes vse. Againe whoso through the weakenes of his conscience abstaineth from certaine meates, he abstaineth to his lorde, and nothyng haste thou to do therwith, synce he eatyug hearbes and rootes geueth thankes to God, as wel as thou doest. If God allowe and accepte his thankes geuyng, why art thou so bolde vpō him to geue sentence? The cause of both is diuers, the matter one, both one mynde, and one lorde is there of both. The one geueth thankes for the libertie he hath to eat what he lust, knowing that the gospel putteth a difference betwixte mindes, and not betwixt meates▪ the other, whiles he shonneth the occasion of surfettyng, by the reason of his abstinence, he is kept within the bondes of temperaunce.
In all suche thinges we are equal, so that it besemeth no mā in defēce of his doyng to striue with his brother, sufficient it is, if God approue it, to whō the iudgement of such thinges belōgeth, as are either vncertain, or els suche as must for the tyme be borne with. No christian man hath power further vpon other, but y• eche one do good to another. Nor liueth any man for him selfe, because we are all his, whiche from synne brought vs to goodnes, and from death restored vs to life. No mā therfore either liueth to him selfe, or dyeth to him selfe, nomore than any mans seruaunt doeth, vpō whose life and death his maister hath ful power & authoritie. Now if the seruaunt liue, he liueth not for his owne nor none other mans auauntage, but for the auauntage or disauauntage of his maister. If he dye, it is to the gayne or losse of his maister, whereby it appeareth
what a point of malapertnes it is, when one seruaunt entermedleth in his felowes matter, namely if in the meane season the maister be pleased. Now among men no seruaunt is so muche his maisters, as we are Chri∣stes seruauntes, who bought vs neither with golde nor siluer, but euen with his owne bloud. Whether we fall then, to him we fal: or if we stād, to him we stand, or if we liue, to him we liue, or if we dye, to him we dye. Other slaues peraduenture are theyr maisters no lōger, after yt they are once dead, but we, whether we liue or dye, are the lordes, to whō all thyn∣ges liue.
Christ hath not onely power vpon them, whiche are aliue, but euen v∣pon them also that are dead, as whiche for our saluacion gaue bothe his life and death. For he for my cause became man and dyed, and after for my sake rose againe from death, to then••••nt that he might be lorde bothe of the quicke and dead. If we liue to godlynes, we are bounde to him, if we dye to synne, we are bounde to him. He is our lorde, he is our iudge.
This manne putteth diffe∣rēce betwene day and day.
He y• eateth doeth it to please y• lord, ••o•• he geueth god thankes.
None of vs liueth for him seltr. &c.
Whether we liue therfore o•• dye, we are the lorde••.