Doctrinal Treatises and Introductions to the Holy Scriptures

He that fast- than married; and then thy vow is good and lawful. And even so must tnou vow abstinence of meats and drinks, so far forth as it is profitable unto thy neighbours, and unto the taming of thy flesh; but thou mayest vow neither of them unto the slaying of thy body: as Paul commandeth Timothy to drink wine, and no more water, because of his diseases. Thou wilt say that Timothy had not haply forsworn wine. I think the same; and that the apostles forsware not wedlock, though many of them lived chaste; neither yet any meat or drink, though they abstained from them; and that it were Aiiourdoings p-Qod for us to follow their example. Howbeit though I vow, must tend to O ^ »

Godh^nT an(* swear> and think on none exception, yet is the breaking i°eT|h°bour.r °f God's commandments except, and all chances that hang of God: as if I swear to be in a certain place at a certain hour, to make a love- day1, without exception, yet if the king in the meantime command me another way, I must go by God's commandment, and yet break not mine oath. And in like case, if my father and mother be sick and require my presence, or if my wife, children, or household be visited, that my assistance be required, or if my neighbour's house be a fire at the same hour, and a thousand such chances; in which all I break mine oath, and am not forsworn, and so forth. Head God's word diligently and with a good heart, and it shall teach thee all things.

THIS is a book worthy to be read in, day and night, and never to be out of hands: for it is the most excellent of all the books of Moses. It is easy also and light, and a very This hook pure gospel, that is to wit, a preaching of faith and love: gj/*ithaud deducing the love to God out of faith, and the love of a man's neighbour out of the love of God. Herein also thou Heretium mayest learn right meditation or contemplation, which is a right medi- notlling else save the calling to mind, and a repeating in the template.

heart, of the glorious and wonderful deeds of God, and of his terrible handling of his enemies and merciful entreating of them that come when he calleth them; which thing this book doth, and almost nothing else.

In the four first chapters he rehearseth the benefits of God done unto them, to provoke them to love, and his mighty deeds done above all natural power, and beyond all natural The works of capacity of faith, that they might believe God, and trust in him and in his strength. And thirdly he rehearseth the fierce plagues of God upon his enemies, and on them which through impatience and unbelief fell from him; partly to tame and abate the appetites of the flesh which alway fight against the Spirit, and partly to bridle the wide raging lusts of them in whom was no Spirit; that though they had no power to do good of love, yet at the least way they should abstain from outward evil for fear of wrath, and cruel vcngcance which should fall upon them and shortly find them out, if they cast up God's nurture, and run at riot beyond his Ofeo-od.seance laws and ordinances.

Moreover he chargeth them to put nought to. nor take unto the law ou^ht away from God's words, but to be diligent only to may not add keep them in remembrance, and in the heart, and to teach their children for fear of forgetting; and to beware either of making imagery, or of bowing themselves unto images, saying> " Ye saw no image when God spake unto you, but fma-es.from heard a voice only, and that voice keep, and thereunto cleave; for it is your life, and it shall save you." And finally, if (as the frailty of all flesh is) they shall have fallen from God, and he have brought them into trouble, adversity, and cumcod is mer- brance and all necessity; yet if they repent and turn, he that repent, promiseth them, that God shall remember his mercy, and receive them to grace again.

In the fifth he repeateth the ten commandments; and, that they might see a cause to do them of love, he biddeth them remember that they were bound in Egypt, and how God delivered them with a mighty hand and a stretched out arm, *° serve k*m> an(^ to k-eeP his commandments: as Paul saith that we are bought with Christ's blood, and therefore are his amleourm' servants, and not our own, and ought to seek his will and honour only, and to love and serve one another for his sake. In the sixth he setteth out the fountain of all command ments: that is, that they believe how that there is but one God that doth all, and therefore ought only to be loved with a^ the heart, all the soul, and all the might. For love only ofG0edlaws *s the fulfilling of the commandments, as Paul also saith unto the Romans, and Galatians likewise. He warneth them also that they forget not the commandments, but teach them their children; and to shew their children also how God delivered them out of the bondage of the Egyptians, to serve him and his commandments, that the children might see a cause to work of love likewise.

^e sevcnth is altogether of faith: he removeth all occasions that might withdraw them from the faith, and pulleth them also from all confidence in themselves, and stirreth them up to trust in God boldly and only.

Of the eighth chapter thou seest how that the cause of all temptation1 is, that a man might sec his own heart. For when I am brought into that extremity, that I must either

HOW a man suffer or forsake God, then I shall feel how much I believe anc^ trust in him, and how much I love him. In like manner, ^ my brother do me evil for my good, then if I love him neighbour, when there is no cause in him, I see that my love was of God; and even so if I then hate him, I feel and perceive that my love was but worldly. And finally, he stirreth them to the [l That is, of trial]

faith and love of God, and drivcth them from all confidence of their own selves.

In the ninth also he moveth them unto faith, and to put c°<' st.n-eth their trust in God; and draweth them from confidence of unto faiththemselves, by rehearsing all the wickedness which they had wrought from the first day he knew them unto that same day. And in the end he repeatcth how he conjured God in £fri£htjay Horeb, and overcame him with prayer; where thou mayest learn the right manner to pray.

In the tenth he reckoneth up the pith of all laws, and Tlie pith and the keeping of the law in the heart; which is to fear God, £0edlaws of love him, and serve him with all their heart, soul and might, and keep his commandments of love. And he sheweth a reason why they should that do: even because God is Lord of heaven and earth, and hath also done all for them of his own goodness, without their deserving. And then out of the And if we love unto God he brmgeth the love unto a man's neighbour, then om of that love we saying, God is Lord above all lords, and loveth all his servants |™f0"crcds indifferently, as well the poor and feeble, and the stranger, ne^hbouras the rich and mighty, and therefore will that we love the poor and the stranger. And he addeth a cause, For ye were strangers, and God delivered you, and hath brought you unto a land where ye be at home. "Love the stranger therefore" for his sake.

In the eleventh he exhorteth them to love and fear God; J^J^jf,, and rehearscth the terrible deeds of God upon his enemies, {Jg^fjjJ!* and on them that rebelled against him. And he testifieth dcsi)isc himunto them both what will follow, if they love and fear God, and what also if they despise him and break his command ment.

In the twelfth he commandeth to put out of the way all The word of that might be an occasion to hurt the faith, and forbiddeth to beaiteSi? do ought after their own minds, or to alter the word of God.

In the thirteenth he forbiddeth to hearken unto ouffht Letnoman save unto God's word: no, though he which counselleth con- God's wordtrary should come with miracles; as Paul doth unto the Galatians.

In the fourteenth the beasts are forbidden, partly for uncleanness of them, and partly to cause hate between the heathen and them; that they have no conversation together, in that one abhorreth what the other eateth. Unto this fifteenth chapter all pertain unto faith and love chiefly: and

or matters of in this fifteenth he beginneth to entreat more specially of weai. things pertaining unto the commonwealth, and equity; and exhorteth unto the love of a man's neighbour. And in the sixteenth, among other, he forgetteth not the same. Arid in the seventeenth he entreateth of right and equity chiefly;

insomuch that, when he looketh unto faith and unto the punishment of idolaters, he yet endeth in a law of love and

None may be equity: forbidding to condemn any man under less than two underTwo witnesses at the least, and commandeth to brinp- the trcs- passer unto the open gate oi the city, where all men go m and out, that all men might hear the cause and see that he had but right. But the pope hath found a better way; even to appose1 him without any accuser, and that secretly, that no man know whether he have right or no, either hear his articles or answer; for fear lest the people should search whether it were so or no.

In the eighteenth he forbiddeth all false and devilish Christ our crafts that hurt true faith. Moreover because the people ciared in the could not hear the voice of the law spoken to them in fire.

ment. ^Q promiseth them another prophet to bring them better tidings; which was spoken of Christ our Saviour.

The nineteenth, and so forth unto the end of the twentyseventh, is almost altogether of love unto our neighbours, and of laws, of equity and honesty, with now and then a respect unto faith.

The curse The twenty-eighth is a terrible chapter, and to be trem-

God overall bled at. A christian man's heart might well bleed for sorrow at

!awsk his tne reading of it, for fear of the wrath that is like to come upon us, according unto all the curses which thou there readest. For according unto these curses hath God dealt with all nations, after they were fallen into the abominations of blindness.

The twenty-ninth is like terrible, with a godly lesson in we may not the end, that we should leave searching of God's secrets, and in the search- m\Q diligence to walk according to that ne hath opened un<X) lls* -^or ^ie keeping of the commandments or God teachetli wisdom, as thou mayest see in the same chapter, where Moses saith, Keep the commandments, tfcat ye may Dur' understand what ye ought to do. But to search God's secrets blindcth a man; as it is well proved by the swarms of our sophisters, whose wise books are now, when we look in the scripture, found but full of foolishness. [l To examine; to question.]

AVIMS. A kind of giants; and the word signifieth crooked, unright, or wicked3.

BELIAL. Wicked, or wickedness; he that hath cast the yoke of God off his neck, and will not obey God4.

EMIMS. A kind of giants so called, because they were terrible and cruel; for Emim signifieth terribleness6.

ENACKE. A kind of giants, so called haply because they wore chains about their necks; for enach is such a chain as men wear about their necks1.

HOB IMS. A kind of giants, and signifieth noble; because that of pride they called themselves nobles, or gentles2.

ROCK. God is called a rock, because both he and his word lasteth for ever3.

WHET THEM ON THY CHILDREN. That is, exercise thy children in them, and put them in ure4.

ZAMZUMIMS. A kind of giants; and signifieth mischievous, or that be always imagining5.

As the envious Philistines stopped the wells of Abraham, The papists and filled them up with earth, to put the memorial out of scriptures mmd, to the intent that they might challenge the ground; Selethe? even so the fleshly-minded hypocrites stop up the veins of tTepub-1 be life, which are in the scripture, with the earth of their SJSuS? traditions, false similitudes, and lying allegories; and that of * like zeal, to make the scripture their own possession and merchandise, and so shut up the kingdom of heaven, which is God's word; neither entering in themselves, nor suffering them that would.

The scripture hath a body without, and within a soul, The scripture spirit, and life. It hath without a bark, a shell, and as it and a »oulwere an hard bone, for the fleshly-minded to gnaw upon: and within it hath pith, kernel, marrow, and all sweetness for God's elect, which he hath chosen to give them his Spirit, and to write his law, and the faith of his Son, in their hearts.

The scripture containeth three things in it: first, the The scripture law, to condemn all flesh; secondarily, the gospel, that is to three things, say, promises of mercy for all that repent and acknowledge their sins at the preaching of the law, and consent in their hearts that the law is good, and submit themselves to be scholars to learn to keep the law, and to learn to believe the mercy that is promised them; and thirdly, the stories and lives of those scholars, both what chances fortuned them, and also by what means their schoolmaster taught them and made them perfect, and how he tried the true from the false.

When the hypocrites come to the law, they put glosses The manner

Jr. ui i i- of hypocrites to, and make no more of it than of a worldly law, which in reading the is satisfied with the outward work, and which a Turk may also fulfil: when yet God's law never ccaseth to condemn a man, until it be written in his heart, and until he keep it naturally without compulsion, and all other respect, save only of pure love to God and his neighbour; as he naturally cateth when he is an hungred, without compulsion and all other respect, save to slake his hunger only. And when they come to the gospel, there they mingle their leaven, and say, ' God now receiveth us no more to mercy, but of mercy receiveth us to penance;' that is to wit, holy deeds that make them fat bellies, and us their captives both in soul and body. And yet they feign their idol the pope so merciful, that if thou make a little money glister in his Balaam's eyes, there is neither penance, nor purgatory, nor any fasting at all, but to fly to heaven as swift as a thought, and at the twinkling of an eye. HOW the pa- And the lives, stories, and gests1 of men, which are scripTurcsthe contained in the bible, they read as things no more pertaining unto them than a tale of Robin Hood, and as things they wot not whereto they serve, save to feign false descant and juggling allegories, to stablish their kingdom withal. And one of the chicfest and fleshliest studies they have is to magnify the saints above measure and above the truth; and with their poetry to make them greater then ever God made them. And if they find any infirmity or sin ascribed unto the saints, that they excuse with all diligence, diminishing the glory of the mercy of God, and robbing wretched sinners of all their comfort; and think thereby to flatter the saints, and to obtain their favour, and to make special advocates of them, even as a man would obtain the favour of worldly tyrants: as they also feign the saints more cruel than ever was any heathen man, and more wreakful and vengcable than the poets feign their gods, or their furies that tor ment the souls in hell, if their evens2 be not fasted, and their images visited and saluted with a pater-noster (which prayer only our lips be acquainted with, our hearts understanding none at all) and worshipped with a candle, and the offering of our devotion in the place which they have chosen to hear supplications and meek petitions of their clients therein.

But thou, reader, think of the law of God, how that it is altogether spiritual, and so spiritual that it is never fulfilled with deeds or works, until they flow out of thino heart, with as great love toward thine neighbour, for no deserving of his, yea, though he be thine enemy, as Christ loved thee, and died for thee, for no deserving of thine, but even when thou wast his enemy; and in the mean time, throughout all our infancy and childhood in Christ, till we be grown up into perfect men, in the full knowledge of Christ, and full love of Christ again, and of our neighbours for his sake, after the example of his love to us, remembering that the fulfilling of the law is a fast faith in Christ's blood, coupled with our profession, and submitting ourselves to do better.

And of the gospel, or promises, which thou meetest in the scripture, believe fast3 that God will fulfil them unto thee, and that unto the uttermost jot, at the repentance of thine heart, when thou turnest to him and forsakest evil, even of his goodness and fatherly mercy unto thee, and not for thy flattering him with hypocritish works of thine own feigning: so that a fast faith only, without respect of all works, is the forgiveness both of the sin which we did in time of ignorance with lust and consent to sin, and also of that4 sin which we do by chance, and of frailty, after that we are come to knowledge, and have professed the law out of our hearts. And all deeds serve only for to help our neighbours, and to tame our flesh, that we fall not to sin again, and to exercise our souls in virtue; and not to make satisfaction to God- ward for the sin that is once past.

And all other stories of the bible, without exception, are the practising of the law and of the gospel; and arc true and faithful ensamples, and sure earnest that God will even so deal with us, as he did with them, in all infirmities, in all temptations, and in all like cases and chances. Wherein ye see on the one side how fatherly and tenderly, and with all compassion, God cntreateth his elect, which submit them selves as scholars, to learn to walk in the ways of his laws, and to keep them of love. If they forgat themselves at a time, he would stir them up again with all mercy: if they fell and hurt themselves, he healed them again with all com passion and tenderness of heart. Ho hath oft brought great

God correct- tribulation and adversity upon his elect: but all of fatherly loveth. iove only, to teach them, and to make them see their own hearts, and the sin that there lay hid, that they might after- God casteth ward feel his mercy. For his mercy waited upon them, to but such as ri(j them out again, as soon as they were learned, and come

Snot8' and t° the knowledge of their own hearts; so that he never cast £io£.unto man away, how deep soever he had sinned, save them only which had first cast the yoke of his laws from their necks, with utter defiance and malice of heart.

Which ensamples how comfortable are they for us, when

•we be fallen into sin, and God is come upon us with a scourge, that we despair not, but repent with full hope of mercy, after the ensamples of mercy that are gone before!

And therefore they were written for our learning, as testi-

Rom. xv. fieth Paul, Rom. xv. to comfort us, that we might the better put our hope and trust in God, when we see how merciful he hath been in times past unto our weak brethren that are and horrible sins into which they now and then fell.

such as hard- And on the other side, ye see how they that hardened heartland their hearts, and sinned of malice, and refused mercy that

Godhto'do1itf was °ffere(i them, and had no power to repent, perished at

God casteth' the latter end, with all confusion and shame, mercilessly.

Which ensamples are very good, and necessary to keep us in awe and dread in time of prosperity, as thou mayest see by i cor. x. Paul, 1 Cor. x. that we abide in the fear of God, and wax not wild, and fall to vanities, and so sin and provoke God, and bring his wrath upon us.

Theproptets And thirdly, ye see in the practice, how as God is merci- 5X1? b^-85 ^ anc^ long-suffering, even so were all his true prophets and thefA'njuries preachers; bearing the infirmities of their weak brethren, and patience!1 their own wrongs and injuries, with all patience and longsuffering, never casting any of them off their backs, until they sinned against the Holy Ghost, maliciously persecuting the open and manifest truth: contrary unto the ensample of The^ope^and the pope, which in sinning against God, and to quench the forspovbeerCU" truth °f his Holy Spirit, is ever chief captain and trumpetblower to set other at work, and seeketh only his own free dom, liberty, privilege, wealth, prosperity, profit, pleasure, pastime, honour and glory, with the bondage, thraldom, captivity, misery, wretchedness, and vile subjection of his brethren; and in his own cause is so fervent, so stiff and cruel, that he will not suffer one word spoken against his false majesty, wily inventions, and juggling hypocrisy, to be unavenged, though all Christendom should be set together by the ears, and should cost he cared not how many hundred thousand their lives.

Now, that thou mayest read Jonas fruitfully, and not as a poet's fable, but as an obligation between God and thy soul, as an earnest-penny given thee of God, that he will help thee in time of need, if thou turn to him, and as the word of God, the only food and life of thy soul, this mark and note. First count Jonas the friend of God, and a man chosen of God, to testify his name unto the world; but yet a young scholar, weak and rude, after the fashion of the apos tles while Christ was with them yet bodily, which, though Christ taught them ever to be meek and to humble them selves, yet oft strove among themselves who should be greatest. The sons of Zebedee would sit the one on the right hand of Christ, the other on the left. They would pray that fire might descend from heaven, and consume the Samaritans. When Christ asked, " Who say men that I am?" Peter answered, "Thou art the Son of the living God;" as though Peter had been as perfect as an angel. But immediately after, when Christ preached unto them of his death and passion, Peter was angry and rebuked Christ, and thought earnestly that he had raved, and not wist what hhaeddjfschSt, he said; as at another time, when Christ was so fervently busied in healing the people that he had no leisure to eat, they went out to hold him, supposing that he had been be side himself. And one that cast out devils in Christ's name they forbade, because he waited not on them; so glorious1 were they yet.

And though Christ taught alway to forgive, yet Peter, after long going to school, asked whether men should forgive seven times; thinking that eight times had been too much. And at the last supper Peter would have died with Christ; but yet within few hours after he denied him, both cowardly and shamefully. And after the same manner, though he had so long heard that no man might avenge himself, but rather turn the other cheek to, than to smite again; yet when Christ f1 Glorious, for vain-glorious.]

was in taking, Peter asked whether it were lawful to smite with the sword, and tarried none answer, but laid on rashly. So that though, when we come first unto knowledge of the truth, and that peace is made between God and us, we love his laws, and believe and trust in him as in our father, and have good hearts unto him, and be born anew in the Spirit, yet we are but children and young scholars, weak and feeble; and must have leisure to grow in the Spirit, in knowledge, love, and in the deeds thereof, as young children must have time to grow in their bodies.

And God, our father and schoolmaster, feedeth us and teacheth us according unto the capacity of our stomachs, and maketh us to grow and wax perfect, and fineth and trieth us as gold in the fire of temptations and tribulations; as Moses

God doth which the Lord thy God carried thee this forty years in the try and tempt wilderness, to humble thee, and to tempt, or provoke thee, our hea"Lr that ^ might be known what were in thine heart. He brought thee into adversity, and made thee an hungred, and then fed thee with manna, which neither thou nor yet thy fathers ever knew of, to teach that man liveth not by bread only, but by all that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." For the pro mises of God are life unto all that cleave unto them, much more than is bread and bodily sustenance; as the journey of the children of Israel out of Egypt into the land promised them minister eth thee notable ensamples, and that abundantly, as doth all the rest of the bible also. Howbeit, it is impos sible for flesh to believe and to trust in the truth of God's promises, until he have learned it in much tribulation, after that God hath delivered him out thereof again.

God, therefore, to teach Jonas, and to shew him his own heart, and to make him perfect, and to instruct us also by his ensample, sent him out of the land of Israel, where he was a prophet, to go among the heathen people, and to the greatest and mightiest city of th<? world then, called Niniveh, to preach that within forty days they should all perish for their sins, and un, ft^ ^ ^y g^Q^^ ^e overthrown. Which message the free will of Jonas had as much power to do as the weakest-hearted woman in the world hath power, if she were, commanded, to leap into a tub of living snakes and adders: as haply, if God had commanded Sarah to have sacrificed her son Isaac, as he did Abraham, she would have disputed with him ere1 she had done it; or though she were strong enough, yet many an holy saint could not have found in their hearts, but would have run away from the presence of the commandment of God with Jonas, if they had been so strongly tempted.

For Jonas thought of this manner: Lo, I am here a pro phet unto God's people the Israelites, which, though they have God's word testified unto them daily, yet despise it, and worship God under the likeness of calves, and after all manner fashions, save after his own word; and therefore are of all nations the worst, and most worthy of punishment: and yet God, for love of few that arc among them, and for his name's sake, spareth and dcfcndcth them. How then should God take so cruel vengeance on so great a multitude of them to whom his name was never preached, and therefore are not the tenth part so evil as these? If I shall therefore go preach, so shall I lie2 and shame myself, and God thereto, and make them the more to despise God, and set the less by him, and to be the more cruel unto his people.

And upon that imagination he fled from the face or pre- Jonas, sence of God; that is, out of the country where God was j^j worshipped in, and from the prosecuting of God's command- ^e ment; and thought, I will get me another way, among the l\ heathen people, and be no more a prophet, but live at rest « and out of all cumbrance. Nevertheless, the God of all mercy, which careth for his elect children, and turneth all unto good to them, and smiteth them to heal them again, and killeth them to make them live again, and playeth with them (as a father doth sometime with his young ignorant children), and tempteth them, and proveth them to make them see their own hearts, provided for Jonas how all things should be.

When Jonas entered into the ship, he laid him down to Jonas^flcsh sleep, and to take his rest: that is, his conscience was tossed between the commandment of God, which sent him to Ninivch, and his fleshly wisdom, that dissuaded and counselled him the contrary, and at the last prevailed against the commandment, and carried him another way, as a ship caught between two streams; and as poets feign the mother of Mclcager to be between divers affections, while to avenge her brother's death she sought to slay her own son1. Whereupon for very pain and tediousness he lay down to sleep, for to put the command ment, which so gnew2 and fretted his conscience, out of The wicked mind; as the nature of all wicked is, when they have sinned mwwitj?*1 a g°°d3> to seek all means with riot, revel, and pastime, to wo?ksholy drive the remembrance of sin out of their thoughts; or, as

Adam did, to cover their nakedness with aprons of pope-holy works. But God awoke him out of his dream, and set his sins before his face.

For when the lot had caught Jonas, then be sure that his sms came to remembrance again, and that his conscience raged no less than the waves of the sea. And then he thought that he only was a sinner, and the heathen that were in the ship none in respect of him; and thought also, as verily as he was fled from God, that as verily God had cast him away. For the sight of the rod maketh the natural child not only to see and to knowledge his fault, but also to forget all his jpnas being father's old mercy and kindness. And then he confessed his

S?hhis sm °Penty> and had yet lever perish alone, than that the other should have perished with him for his sake; and so, of very desperation to have lived any longer, he bade cast him into the sea betimes, except they would be lost also. thets'mawbe ^° sPea^- °^ ^ots» ^ow ^ar ^OY^ they are lawful, is a light4 fuieicllaw~ question. First, to use them for the breaking of strife, (as when partners, their goods as equally divided as they can, take every man his part by lot, to avoid all suspicion of deceit- Acts L fulness; and as the apostles, in the first of the Acts, when they sought another to succeed Judas the traitor, and two persons were presented, then, to break strife, and to satisfy all parties, did cast lots whether should be admitted, desiring God to temper them, and to take whom he knew most meet, seeing they wist not whether to prefer, or haply could not all agree on either,) is lawful, and in all like cases. But to abuse them unto the tempting of God, and to compel him therewith to utter things whereof we stand in doubt, when we have no commandment of him so to do, as these heathen here did, though God turned it unto his glory, cannot be but evil.

The heathen shipmen, astonied at the sight of the miracle, Miracle feared God, prayed to him, offered sacrifice, and vowed vows. And I doubt not but that some of them, or haply all, came thereby unto the true knowledge and true worshipping of God, and were won to God in their souls. And thus God, which is infinite merciful in all his ways, wrought their soul's health out of the infirmity of Jonas; even of his good will and purpose, and love, wherewith he loved them before the world was made, and not of chance, as it appeareth unto the eyes of the ignorant.

And that Jonas was three days and three nights in the 4sr^e°Jjf Jay belly of his fish, we cannot thereby prove unto the Jews and ^gVtshfthe infidels, or unto any man, that Christ must therefore die, and s^hrisSy' be buried, and rise again: but we use the ensample and SfthSe likeness to strength the faith of the weak. For he that be- Sftii? m lieveth the one, cannot doubt in the other: inasmuch as the hand of God was no less mighty in preserving Jonas alive against all natural possibility, and in delivering him safe out of his5 fish, than in raising up Christ again out of his sepul chre. And we may describe the power and virtue of the J° resurrection thereby, as Christ himself borroweth the similitude thereto, Matt. xii. saying unto the Jews that came about him, and desired a sign or a wonder from heaven, to certify them that he was Christ: " This evil and wedlockbreaking nation " (which break the wedlock of faith, where with they be married unto God, and believe in their false works,) " seek a sign; but there shall no sign be given them, save the sign of the prophet Jonas. For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, even so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." Which was a watch-word (as we say), and a sharp threatening unto the Jews, and as much to say as thus: * Ye hard-hearted Jews seek a sign; lo, this shall be your sign. As Jonas was raised out of the sepulchre of his fish, and then sent unto the Ninivites to preach that they should perish; even so shall I rise again out of my sepulchre, and come and preach repentance unto you. See, therefore, when ye see the sign, that ye repent, or else ye shall surely perish, and not escape. For though the infirmities which ye now see in my flesh be a let unto your fathers, ye shall then be with- [5 D. has this. Bible of 1551 has his.]

out excuse when ye see so great a miracle, and so great mh>uthbo*hfc Power °f God S^IQ^ ou* uPon y°u-' And so Christ came again a^er the resurrection in his Spirit, and preached repentance unt° them by the mouth of his apostles and disciples, and with miracles of the Holy Ghost. And all that repented not perished shortly after, and the rest [were] carried away cap tive into all quarters of the world for an example, as ye see unto this day.

where there And in like manner, since the world began, wheresoever rePen^ance was offered and not received, there God took cruel vengeance immediately: as ye see in the flood of Noe, in the overthrowing of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all the coun try about; and as ye see of Egypt, of the Amorites, Canaanites, and afterward of the very Israelites; and then, at the last, of the Jews too, and of the Assyrians and Babylonians; and so throughout all the empires of the world.

Gildas preached repentance unto the old Britains that in-

British chro- habited England. They repented not, and therefore God sent in their enemies upon them on every side, and destroyed them up, and gave the land unto other nations1. And great vengeance hath been taken in that land for sin since that time.

wickHffea Wickliffc preached repentance unto our fathers not long repentance, since. They repented not; for their hearts were indurate, and their eyes blinded with their own pope-holy righteous ness, wherewith they had made their souls gay against the receiving again of the wicked spirit, that bringeth seven worse than himself with him, and maketh the latter end worse than the beginning: for in open sins there is hope of repentance, KichUdthe kut *n k°ty hypocrisy none at all. But what followed? They They fet up s^ew their true and right king, and set up three wrong kings Fourth"10 a row, under which all the noble blood was slain up, and half Sf"hyth the commons thereto, what in France, and what with their own sword, in fighting among themselves for the crown; and the cities and towns decayed, and the land brought half into a wilderness, in respect of that it was before.

And now Christ, to preach repentance, is risen yet once again out of his sepulchre, in which the pope had buried him, and kept him down with his pillars and poleaxes, and all disguisings of hypocrisy, with guile, wiles and falsehood, and with C1 See p. 143.]

the sword of all princes, which he had blinded with his false merchandise. And as I doubt not of the cnsamples that are past, so am I sure that great wrath will follow, except repent ance turn it back again, and cease it.

When Jonas had been in the fish's belly a space, and the Jonas caiicd rage of his conscience was somewhat quieted and suaged, and he come to himself again, and had received a little hope, the qualms and pangs of desperation which went over his heart half overcome, he prayed; as he maketh mention in the text, saying, "Jonas prayed unto the Lord his God out of the belly of the fish." But the words of that prayer are not here set. The prayer that here2 standeth, in the text, is the prayer of praise and thanksgiving, which he prayed and wrote when he was escaped, and past all jeopardy: in the end of which prayer he saith, " I will sacrifice with the voice of thanks- ^cdreth unto giving, and pay that I have vowed; that saving cometh of the Lord." For verily, to confess out of the heart that all benefits come of God, even out of the goodness of his mercy, and not deserving of our deeds, is the only sacrifice that pleaseth God; and to believe that all the Jews vowed in their circumcision, as we in our baptism; which vow Jonas, now being taught with experience, promiscth to pay. For those outward sacri fices of beasts, unto which Jonas had haply ascribed too much before, were but feeble and childish things, and not ordained that the works of themselves should be a service unto the people; but to put them in remembrance of this inward sacrifice of thanks and of faith, to trust and believe in God the only Saviour: which signification, when it was away, they £^4° were abominable, and devilish idolatry and image-service; as tTianksJung. our ceremonies and sacraments are become now, to all that trust and believe in the work of them, and are not taught the significations, to edify their souls with knowledge and the doctrine of God.

When Jonas was cast upon land again, then his will was Jonas did that free, and had power to go whither God sent him, and to do mandedhiinwhat God bade, his own imaginations laid apart. For he had been at a new school, yea, and in a furnace, where he was purged of much refuse and dross of fleshly wisdom, which

Niniveh was the greatest city in the world.

Christ is merciful to them that repent and call for mercy.

The doctrine of the Phari sees and the papists make sin of that is no sin.

This is the doctrine of the papists and hypocri tical monks at this day.

resisted the wisdom of God, and led Jonas's will contrary unto the will of God. For as far as we be blind in Adam, we cannot but seek and will our own profit, pleasure, and glory; and as far as we be taught in the Spirit, we cannot but seek and will the pleasure and glory of God only.

And as [to] the three days' journey of Niniveh, whether it were in length, or to go round about it, or through all the streets, I commit unto the discretion of other men. But I think that it was then the greatest city of the world.

And that Jonas went a day's journey in the city: I sup pose he did it not in one day, but went fair and easily; preaching here a sermon, and there another, and rebuked the sin of the people, for which they must perish.

And when thou art come unto the repentance of the Ninivites, there hast thou sure earnest, that howsoever angry God be, yet he remembereth mercy unto all that truly re pent and believe in mercy: which ensample our Saviour Christ also casteth in the teeth of the indurate Jews, saying, " The JSTinivites shall rise in judgment with this nation, and condemn them; for they repented at the preaching of Jonas, and behold a greater than Jonas is here:" meaning of him self, at whose preaching yet, though it were never so mighty to pierce the heart, and for all his miracles thereto, the hard hearted Jews could not repent; when the heathen Ninivites repented at the bare preaching of Jonas, rebuking their sins without any miracle at all. Why? For the Jews had leavened the spiritual law of God, and with their glosses had made it altogether earthly and fleshly, and so had set a veil or covering on Moses's face, to shadow and darken the glori ous brightness of his countenance. It was sin to steal; but to rob widows' houses under a colour of long praying, and to poll in the name of offerings, and to snare the people with intolerable constitutions1 against all love, to catch their money out of their purses, was no sin at all.

To smite father and mother was sin; but to withdraw help from them at their need, for blind zeal of offering, unto the profit of the holy Pharisees, was then as meritorious, as it is now to let all thy kin choose whether they will sink or swim, while thou.buildest and makest goodly foundations for holy people, which thou hast chosen to be thy Christ, for to supple thy soul with the oil of their sweet blessings; and to be xhebiindand thy Jesus, for to save thy soul from the purgatory of the blood works of the that only purgeth sin, with their watching, fasting, woolwardgoing2, and rising at midnight, &c., wherewith yet they purge not themselves from their covetousness, pride, lechery, or any vice that thou seest among the lay-people.

It was great sin for Christ to heal the people on the Papistical sabbath-day, unto the glory of God his Father; but none at all for them to help their cattle, unto their own profit.

It was sin to eat with unwashed hands, or on an unwashed table, or out of an unwashed dish; but to eat out of that purified dish that which came of bribery, theft, and extortion, was no sin at all.

It was exceeding meritorious to make many disciples; but to teach them to fear God in his ordinances, had they no care at all.

The high prelates so defended the right of holy church, ^^^en and so feared the people with the curse of God and terrible ^eirs works pains of hell, that no man durst leave the vilest herb in his garden untithed. And the offerings and things dedicate unto God, for the profit of his holy vicars, were in such estimation and reverence, that it was a much greater sin to swear truly by them, than to forswear thyself by God. What vengeance t]jnfst°f the then of God, and how terrible and cruel damnation, think ye, preached they to fall on them that had stolen so the holy things? And yet saith Christ, that righteousness and faith, in keeping promise, mercy, and indifferent judgment, were utterly trodden under foot, and clean despised of those blessed fathers, which so mightily maintained Aaron's patrimony, and had made it so prosperous, and environed it, and walled it about on every side with the fear of God, that no man durst touch it.

It was great holiness to garnish the sepulchres of the Blind and prophets, and to condemn their own fathers for slaying of doctrine. them; and yet were they themselves, for blind zeal of their own constitutions, as ready as their fathers to slay whosoever testified unto them the same truth which the prophets tes tified unto their fathers. So that Christ compareth all the righteousness of those holy patriarchs unto the outward beauty of a painted sepulchre, full of stench and all uncleanness within.

And finally, to beguile a man's neighbour in subtle bar gaining, and to wrap and compass him in with cautels of the law, was then as it is now in the kingdom of the pope: by the reason whereof they excluded the law of love out of their hearts, and consequently all true repentance; for how could they repent of that they could not see to be sin?

And on the other side they had set up a righteousness of wor°kusstoss °f koly works to cleanse their souls withal; as the pope sanctificth. us with holy oil, holy bread, holy salt, holy can dles, holy dumb ceremonies, and holy dumb blessings, and with whatsoever holiness thou wilt, save with the holiness of God's word; which only speaketh unto the heart, and sheweth the soul his nlthiness and uncleanness of sin, and leadcth her by the way of repentance unto the fountain of Christ's blood,

By the wovid- to wash it away through faith. By the reason of which false interpreta- righteousness they were disobedient unto the righteousness of which is the forgiveness of sin in Christ's blood, and could not believe it. And so, through fleshly interpreting the law, and false imagined righteousness, their hearts were hardened, and made as stony as clay in a hot furnace of fire, that they could receive neither repentance, nor faith, or any manner l of grace at all. The heathen But the heathen Ninivites, though they were blinded ohfejornasching W1"1 *us*s a g°°d2> Je* were in those two3 points uncorrupt and unhardened; and therefore, with the only preaching of Jonas, came unto the knowledge of their sins, and confessed them, and repented truly, and turned every man from his evil deeds, and declared their sorrow of heart and true re pentance with their deeds, which they did out of faith and hope of forgiveness; chastising their bodies with prayer and fasting, and with taking all pleasures from the flesh; trusting, as God was angry for their wickedness, even so should he forgive them of his mercy, if they repented, and forsook their misliving.

And in the last end of all thou hast yet a goodly ensamplc of learning, to see how earthy Jonas is still, for all his trying in the whale's belly. He was so sore displeased because the Ninivites perished not, that he was weary of his life, and wished after death, for very sorrow that he had lost the glory of his prophesying, in that his prophecy came not to pass. But God rebuked him with a likeness, saying, ' It grieveth thine heart for the loss of a vile shrub, or spray, whereon thou bestowedst no labour or cost, neither was it thine handy work. How much more then should it grieve mine heart the loss of so great a multitude of innocents as are in Niniveh, which are all mine hands' work? JSTay, Jonas, I am God over all, and father as well unto the heathen as ™ci;c'y of unto the Jews, and merciful to all, and warn ere I smite; neither threat I so cruelly by any prophet, but that I will forgive, if they repent and ask mercy; neither, on the other side, whatsoever I promise will I fulfil it, save for their sakcs only which trust in me, and submit themselves to keep my laws of very love, as natural children.'

On this manner to read the scripture is the right u thereof, and why the Holy Ghost caused it to be written: that is, that thou first seek out the law that God will have thee to do, interpreting it spiritually, without gloss or covering the brightness of Moses's face; so that thou feel in thine heart how that it is damnable sin before God not to love thy neighbour that is thine enemy as purely as Christ loved thee; and that not to love thy neighbour in thine heart is to have committed already all sin against him.

And therefore, until that love be come, thou must know ledge unfeignedly that there is sin in the best deed thou doest; and it must earnestly grieve thine heart, and thou must wash all thy good deeds in Christ's blood, ere they can bo pure, and an acceptable sacrifice unto God, and must desire God the Father for his sake to take thy deeds a worth4, and bloodto pardon the imperfectness of them, and to give thee power to do them better, and with more fervent love.

And on the other side, thou must search diligently for the promises of mercy which God hath promised thee again.

Which two points, that is to wit, the law spiritually inter preted, how that all is damnable sin that is not unfeigned love out of the ground and bottom of the heart, after the ensample of Christ's love to us, because we be all equally created and formed of one God our Father, and indifferently bought and redeemed with one blood of our Saviour Jesus Christ; and

*hat *he- promises be given unto a repenting soul, that thirsteth an(^ longeth after them, of the pure and fatherly mercy of God, through our faith only, without all deserving of our deeds or merits of our works, but for Christ's sake alone, and for the merits and deservings of his works, death, and passions that he suffered altogether for us, and not for himself: which two points, I say, if they be written in thine heart, are the keys which so open all the scripture unto thee, that no creature can lock thee out, and with which thou shalt go in and out, and find pasture and food everywhere. And if these lessons be not written in thine heart, then is all the scripture shut up as a kernel in the shell, so that thou mayest read it, and commune1 of it, and rehearse all the stories of it, and dispute wittily, and be a profound sophister, and yet understand not one jot thereof.

And thirdly, that thou take the stories and lives which are contained in the bible for sure and undoubted ensamples that God so will deal with us unto the world's end.

Herewith, reader, farewell; and be commended unto God, and unto the grace of his Spirit. And first see that thou stop not thine ears unto the calling of God, and harden not thine heart, beguiled with fleshly interpreting of the law, and false imagined and hypocritish righteousness, and so2 the Ninivites rise with thee at the day of judgment, and condemn thee.

And secondarily, if thou find ought amiss, when thou seest thyself in the glass of God's word, think it necessary wisdom to amend the same betimes, monished and warned by the ensamples of other men, rather than to tarry until thou be beaten also.

And thirdly, if it shall so chance that the mid lusts of thy flesh shall blind thee, and carry thee clean away with them for a time; yet at the latter end, when the God of lessonall mercy shall have compassed thee in on every side with temptations, tribulation, adversities and cumbrance, to bring thee home again unto thine own heart, and to set thy sins which thou wouldest so fain cover, and put out of mind with delectation of voluptuous pastimes, before the eyes of thy conscience; then call the faithful ensample of Jonas and all HOW thou like stories unto thy remembrance, and with Jonas turn unto thy Father that smote thee, not to cast thee away, but to lay a corrosive and a fretting plaster unto the boil that lay hid and fret inward, to draw the disease out, and to make it appear, that thou mightest feel thy sickness and the danger thereof, and come and receive the healing plaster of mercy. And forget not that whatsoever ensample of mercy God hath shewed since the beginning of the world, the same iswithth« promised thee, if thou wilt in like manner turn again, and is in christ< receive it as they did; and with Jonas be aknowen of3 thy sin, and confess it, and knowledge it unto thy Father.

And as the law which fretteth thy conscience is in thine heart, and is none outward thing, even so seek within thy heart the plaster of mercy, the promises of forgiveness in our Saviour Jesus Christ, according unto all the ensamples of mercy that are gone before.

And with Jonas let them that wait on vanities, and seek In thv hear*

God here and there, and in every temple save in their hearts, JJ^tK^ go, and seek thou the testament of God in thine heart. For *%*££ and in thine heart is the word of the law; and in thine heart is ciS0* the word of faith in the promises of mercy in Jesus Christ: so that if thou confess with a repenting heart and knowledge, and surely believe that Jesus is Lord over all sin, thou art safe.

And finally, when the ra^e of thy conscience is ceased, oursmisof and quieted with fast faith in the promises of mercy, then but remission offer with Jonas the offering of praise and thanksgiving, and pay the vow of thy baptism, that God only saveth, of his only S mercy and goodness; that is, believe stedfastly, and preach SK£ 8 constantly, that it is God only that smiteth, and God only that

God hath no need of our works, but we must do them for our selves, and for the profit of our neigh bours.

Christ hath satisfied for our sins, as well after baptism, as be f( ire bap tism.

Our actual sins are washed away in Christ's blood.

healeth: ascribing the cause of thy tribulation unto thine own sin, and the cause of thy deliverance unto the mercy of God. And beware of the leaven that saith, we have power in our free-will, before the preaching of the gospel, to deserve grace, to keep the law of congruity, or God to be unrighteous. And say with John in the first [chapter], that as the law was given by Moses, even so grace to fulfil it is given by Christ. And when they say our deeds with grace deserve heaven, say thou with Paul, (Rom. vi.) that " everlasting life is the gift of God through Jesus Christ our Lord;" and that (John i.) we be made sons by faith; and therefore (Rom. viii.) " heirs of God with Christ." And say, that we receive all of God through faith, that followeth repentance; and that wre do not our works unto God, but either unto ourselves, to slay the sin that remaineth in the flesh, and to wax perfect; either unto our neighbours, which do as much for us again in other things. And when a man exceedeth in gifts of grace, let him understand that they be given him, as well for his weak brethren, as for himself: as though all the bread be committed unto the panter1, yet for his fellows with him, which give the thanks unto their lord, and recompense the panter again with other kind of service in their offices. And when they say that Christ hath made no satisfaction for the sin we do after our baptism; say thou with the doctrine of Paul, that in our baptism we receive the merits of Christ's death through repentance and faith, of which two baptism is the sign: and though when we sin of frailty after our baptism, we receive the sign no more, yet we be renewed again through repent ance, and faith in Christ's blood; of which twain that sign of baptism, ever continued among us in baptizing our young children, doth ever keep us in mind, and call us back again unto our profession, if we be gone astray, and promiseth us forgiveness. Neither can actual sin be washed away with our works, but with Christ's blood; neither can there be any other sacrifice, or satisfaction to Godward for them, save Christ's blood: forasmuch as we can do no works unto God, but receive only of his mercy with our repenting faith, through Jesus Christ our Lord and only Saviour: unto whom, and unto God our Father through him, and unto his holy Spirit, that only purgeth, sanctifieth, and washeth us in the innocent blood of our redemption, be praise for ever. Amen. [l Panter, or pantner: the keeper of the pantry.]