middest of a croked and peruerse nation saythe Paule, let your light shine as in a darke place. Oh deare hartes, now is the Gospell of God ouerwhelmed with many blacke and troublesome clowdes of persecution, for the whiche cause verye fewe goe about to haue their eyes made cleare, by the true light of the Gospel, for fear of losing of þe treasurs of this world, which are but vayne, and shall perish. MarginaliaMath. 5.Let not vs ther fore be like vnto thē which light their candle & put it vnder a bushell: but let vs set our candle vpon a candlesticke, that it may geue light vnto al thē that are in the house: that is to say, let al the people of the houshold of God see oure good workes, in suffering al thinges patiently, that shalbe layde vpon vs for the Gospels sake, if it be death it selfe: for Christ died for vs, leauing vs an example that we should followe his steppes, that as he hathe geuen his life for vs, so ought we to geue our liues for the defēse of the Gospel, to the comfort of our brethren. How is it then that some will saye that their faith is good, & yet they do al the dedes of Antichrist the Deuill, and yet be not ashamed to alledge certen scriptures to maintein their wickednes. MarginaliaRom. 10S. Paul saith, to beleue with the hart iustifieth, and to confesse with the mouthe maketh a man safe. Oh good God, here may al mē see, that no man nor woman can haue a true faith, vnles they haue dedes also: MarginaliaIames. 1. and he þt doubteth, is like the waues of the sea, tossed about of the wynde, & can loke for no good thing at þe Lordes handes. May not a man iudge al suche to be such as MarginaliaReuela. 1S. Iohn speaketh of, that be neither hote nor colde, and therefore God wil (he sayeth) spewe them out of his mouthe? If we iudge euill of such, haue not they geuen vs occasion? MarginaliaMath. 18Had it not been better for them to haue had a milstone tied about their neckes, and to haue been cast into þe sea, then they shold geue such offenses to Gods elect people in condemning them as they do, MarginaliaReuel. 13in going to the sinagoge of Sathan, & there to receiue the marke of the beast, in that they see & heare God blasphemed there, and hold their peace. Doth not þt declare to the whole world, that they allowe their doings to be good? and these do not only defile thē selues, but also be an occasion to confirme the Papists in their papistrie, & so be an occasion of our weake brothers falling, the whiche wilbe all required at their hādes, which wilbe to heuie a burden for them to beare, if they repent it not wt speade. For they þt know their maisters wyll and do it not, MarginaliaLuke, 12shalbe beaten with manye stripes. Oh, do not we perceiue that nowe is þe acceptable time þt Christe speaketh of? yea euē now is the axe put to the rotes of the trees, MarginaliaMath. 3so that euery tree that bringeth not foorth good fruites, now must be hewed downe and cast in to the fire. Nowe is the Lorde come with his fanne in his hande, to trie the wheate from the
[Back to Top]chaffe. the wheat he wil gather into his barn, and the chaffe he will burne as is aforesaide. Now is the time come that we must goe mete the bridegrome with oyle in our lampes: MarginaliaMarke, 3 we ar also biddē to the feast: let vs make no excuses, yea, our maister hath deliuered his talēts vnto vs: God geue vs grace to occupie them well, that at his comming he may receiue his owne with vauntage: yea now is the Lord come to se if there be any fruit vpon his trees, MarginaliaLuke, 13so that if þe Lord come and find none, he will serue vs as he did the wild figge tree, that is, neuer fruite shal grow on him more. Also, if we go to mete the bridegrom without oyle in our lampes, & shold go to bie, the doubt is, we shold be serued as was the folysh virgins: that was, God sayd to thē: depart, I know you not. MarginaliaLuke. 14Or if we should make excuses to come to the feast, other shalbe bidden in our rowmes. If we occupie not oure talentes wel, they shalbe taken away from vs and geuen to other, and all suche vnprofitable seruauntes shalbe cast into pryson in hel, MarginaliaMath. 25wher shalbe weping & gnashing of tethe. Oh good God, what a sort of fearful sayinges are here conteined? what christian hart will not herken diligently here to? Oh, may not all people wel perceiue now that this is þe time, þt our maister Christ speaketh of, MarginaliaMath. 10that the father should be against the sonne, & the sonne against þe father, and one brother against an other, that the brother shall deliuer the to deathe, MarginaliaMath. 5yea & that the wycked shal say al maner of euil sayågs agaåst vs, for his names sake? the which I haue well found by experience, I prayse God therfore, þt hath geuē me strēgth to beare it. For I thinke there can no euill be deuised but it hath beene imagined against me, & þt of my familiar frēds as Dauid said: but I praise my Lord God, they ar not able to proue any of their sayings true, but þt they go about to find fault in them that God hath chosen, because they them selues list not to take vp their crosse and followe Christe, and therfore they speake euill of the thing that they know not, the which shall geue accounte for it, before him that is redy to iudge both the quicke and the dead. But my trust is, that all þe people of God wilbe ruled by the counsel of MarginaliaIohn. 10S. Iohn, saying: my sheepe will heare my voyce, straungers they will not heare, meaning therby that ye should not beleue straungers, counting them straungers that go about to subuert the gospel. wherfore marke wel what they be, and trie them well, or euer you geue credit to them, according to S. Iohns coūsel in his epistle, saying: Marginalia1. Iohn. 4 beleue not euery spirite, but trie þe spirites, whether they be of God or not: meaning therby that they that be not of God, wyll speak good of none, but of them that be as they be. Wherfore (dere sister) be of good chere, and geue no credit to suche people, whatsoeuer ye heare them say. for I haue no mistrust, by gods
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