intollerable to the fleshe of man than deth of the crosse And there is nowe nothyng more glorious sette forth in the forheade of a christen man than the sygne of the crosse Here we maye note what hye rewarde in heauen is reserued to a chrysten man whan Christe hath gyuen suche an honour to the forme of the crosse representynge to vs his passion for nowe the forme of the crosse is so honoured amongest christen men that if a man worthye to dye shoulde be crucified it shoulde be thought amongest christen men that he shulde thereby rather be honoured than punished The crosse is now euery where amongest Christen men erected and sette vp as an arche triumphal ageinst the deuyll declaryng vnto vs the vyctorie and triumphe that Christ vpon the crosse obteyned agaynst the deuyll in cancellyng the bonde of our synne wherin we were bounde to the dyuell and fastenynge it cancellyd to his crosse as sayncte Paule saythe in the seconde chapiter to the Colossians ¶ It foloweth in the text Therfore god hath exalted him and hath gyuen to him a name that is aboue all names Here it is to be noted that God gaue to Christe his exaltation as to man and not as to god For there was neuer no tyme before he was made man that he in the fourme of god was not exalted nor no tyme that all thinges dyd not bowe downe to hym that be in heuen erthe and hell And for that cause he saythe Therfore that is to say for his manhode forme of a seruant taken vpon hym and vnited to his godheed and for his obedience vnto deathe of the crosse For in the same fourme of man in whiche he was crucified in the same he was exalted And a name was gyuen to hym aboue all names That he beinge in the forme of a seruant rysynge from deathe of the flesshe to lyfe and ascendynge vp into heuen shulde be called the onely begotten sonne of god whiche name he as the worde and sonne of god eternally begotten of god and equall to god hadde before Wherof the aungell sent to the blessed vyrgine Marye before his byrthe prophecied sayeng in the first chapiter of Luke That holy byrthe that shall be borne of the shall be called the sonne of god This hyghe exaltation of Christe gyuen to hym for his manhoode and sufferaunce of deathe for mankynde is lyke to that that Chryste hym selfe spake in the laste chapiter of Mathewe sayinge All power is gyuen to me in heuen and in erthe whiche he spake of his manhode and not of his godheed for by his godheed he had it before he was maÌ„ ¶ It foloweth in the texte That in the name of Iesu euery knee shal bow down of all thynges that be in heauen or that be in erthe or that be in helle That is to say of aungels of men and of dyuelles For the aungelles of heuen at his ascention gloryfied in hym the nature of man and bowed downe to hym exalted aboue all angels And men in erth do glorifie in hym and do knéle down to hym and adore hym as their redemer and god and man The deuylles do stowpe downe to hym for feare and one of them whom he expelled from a bodye possessed by hym sayde to hym I do knowe that thou arte the holy man of god And all the deuyls shall knowe his power whan he shall sit in iugement rewardyng good men and punyshynge the euyll And the bowynge down of euery knee is ment the submyssyon of all creatures to theyr maker not that eyther aungels or deuylles haue bodily knees but bicause we men that haue bodies in our submyssion doo bowe oure knees And therefore submyssyon of all creatures to theyr maker is ment therby The deuyls alsoo feared his power and bowed downe to hym whanne his sowle with his godheade descended into helle there to delyuer the sowles of all ryghtuous men which were deed before Christ and descended thyther bycause heauen gates were not yet by hym opened His godheed ones knytte by his incarnation to his body and his sowle neuer departed after from either of theym bothe but styl abode with them that is to saye with his bodye in the sepulchre and with his soule descendyng into hell neuer departyng from neither of theym after his incarnation ¶ It foloweth in the texte And euerye tonge shall confesse and knowledge that Iesu Christe is our lorde to the glorie of god his father That is to say to the hye preferrement therof for the glorye of the father is to haue such a sonne lord of all maker of all and god of all To whome all be subiectes and do obey To whome all creatures do bowe downe and whom all tonges do exalte and glorifie ¶ The glorye of god the father is that the sonne euery where be gloryfyed lyke as where god the sonne is despised there god the father is despised and blasphemy spoken ageinst god the sonne is spoken also ageynste god the father Lyke as amongest men dishonour done to the sonne soundeth to the dyshonour of the father For betwyxte god the father and god the sonne there is no difference but that that ryseth and commeth by dyuersitie of theyr persones And therfore the honour or dyshonoure of god the sonne stretcheth to the honour or dyshonour of god the father Where the sonne is perfit in all thynges it is the honour of the father that so begat hym of whome he had it And where he needeth nothynge it is the honor of his father of whom he hath all plentie And where he by his godheed is not inferiour to his father it is the honoure of his father of whome he hathe the same substance and the same essence and where he is wyse it is the honour of the father whose wysedome he is and where he is good it is the honour of the father of whom he hath it And where he is almyghty It is the honour of the father whose arme he is In all these thynges it is the hyghe honour of god the father that he eternally begatte a sonne of so moche glorye ¶ And it is a great demonstration â–ª that Chrisâ— the sonne of god is god by nature bycause he humbled hym selfe takynge mans naâ—â—â—e vppon hym For he knewe that by his humilytie he coulde suffer no damage in the highnes of his godly nature For his godly nature coulde not be hydde nor â—â—pte vnder nor oppressed by any humilitie His humilitie therfore is an euident argument of his natural god heed And therfore if any man do desyre to be greate in vertue lette hym humble hym self for humilitie sheweth the greatnes of vertue Let hym folowe Christe in humilitie and he shall gayne great thynges therby He that is pore in vertue feareth to humble hym selfe leste he shoulde fall from hs feyned dissembled height And he that is ryche in vertue doth humble hym selfe knowynge that he hathe in hym vertue whereby he shall be exalted whyche vertue can
parable saith The good sede be the chyldern and inheritours of the kyngedome so the kyngedome that Christe seeketh here in erthe is a spirituall and heauenly kyngedome And Christe sayde to Pylate in the .xviii. chapiter of Iohn̄ My kyngdome is not of this worlde And therfore those that go about to make of Christis spyrytuall kyngdome a worldly kyngdome do falle into errour of some heretykes that loke that Christe after the daye of iudgement shall reygne with all his sayntes here in erthe carnally in Hierusalem as the Iewes doo beleue that Messias is yet to come and whan he shall come he shall reigne worldly in Ierusalem ¶ So we doo see that Chryste lefte the worldely kyngedomes to prynces of the world as is before expressed But he commytted the preachynge of this heauenlye kyngedome to his apostels gyuynge to them lyke commission and equall auctoritie to preache teche the same through all the worlde sayeng in the last chapyter of Mathewe after the wordes before declared that all power was gyuen to hym in heuen and in erthe Go ye forthe and teache all nations baptysynge theym in the name of the father and of the sonne and of the holy goste teachynge them to kepe all those thynges whyche I haue commaunded you Christe also in the .xx. chapter of Iohn sayde the euenynge after his resurrection whan he appered to his disciples the dores beinge shutte As my father hath sente me I do sende you and after he had so sayde he brethed vppon them sayinge Whose synnes so euer ye shall forgyue be forgyuen and whose synnes ye shall reteyne be reteyned And lykewyse had saide to them all before his death in the .xviii. chapter of Mathewe what thynges so euer ye shall bynde vppon erthe shal be bounde in heauen and what thynges so euer ye shall lose vppon erthe shal be leused in heauen whiche power he gaue to them all equally and like as well to all the resydewe as to Peter whiche auctoritie Christe declareth in the x. chapter of Luke to be hyghe and to be regarded of all men and not to be contemned in any wyse sayinge He that herith you herith me and he that herith me hereth my father of heuen that hath sent me And he that despiseth you despyseth me and he that despyseth me despyseth my father of heuen that hath sent me At the day of iugemente Sodoma and Gomorra whiche harde not of Christ shal be in better case than such despysers shalbe ¶ But here the byshoppe of Rome steppeth in and saith Peter hadde auctorite gyuen to him aboue all the resydue of the apostels for Christe sayde to hym in the xvi chapiter of Matthewe Thou arte Peter and vpon this rocke I shall bylde my churche and I shall giue the the keis of the kyngedome of heuen and what so euer thou shalt bynde vpon erthe shalbe bound in the heuens This sayde Christ. And sayncte Peter is buryed at Rome whose successor I am ▪ and oughte to rule the churche as Peter dyd and to be porter at heauen gates as Peter was And Christe sayde also to Peter after his resurrection Fede my shepe whiche wordes he spake to hym onely so that therby he had auctoritie ouer all that be of Christis flocke and I as his successour haue the same and therfore who soo wyl not obey me kynge or prince I wyl curse him and depriue hym his kyngedome or seignorie for all power is gyuen to me that Christe had and I am his vicar general as Peter was here in erthe ouer all and none but I as Christe is in heuen This ambitious and pompouse obiection is made by him and his adherentes and hath of late yeres moch troubled the worlde and made discention debate and open warre in all partes of Chrystendome and nourysshed the same But yf the bysshoppe of Rome wolde take those places after the right sense of thē ▪ as both the apostels them selfes taughte vs and all the auncient beste lerned and mooste holy interpretours do expound them the worlde shulde be more at quietnesse than it is where nowe by wronge interpretation the scripture is peruerted and an other gospell in that poynt preached vnto vs than euer the apostels preached soo that thoughe an aungell came fro heuen and wolde tell vs suche newe expositions of those places as is now made to turne the wordes which were spoken for spirituall auctoritie of preachynge the worde of god and ministringe of the sacramentes to a worldly auctoritie we oughte to reiecte hym as saynt Paule saythe in the fyrst chapiter to the Galathiens ¶ But to open the true sense of the scripture in the places aforesayd it is to be obserued that Christe in the sayd .xvi. chapiter of Mathewe asked his dyscyples whom men dyd say y t he was whervnto after answere giuen by thē diuersly some sayinge that he was Iohn̄ Baptist some saying y t he was Ely some saying that he was Ieremie or oone of the prophetes Christe asked them whom do ye say that I am whervnto Peter answered for thē al for of al them the question was asked as he was always redy to make answer Thou arte Chryste the sonne of god that lyueth Iesus answered Blessed be thou Symon the sonne of Iona. for flesh and bloud hath not reueled this vnto the but my father whiche is in heuen And I say to the Thou arte Peter and vpon this rocke I shall bylde my churche and the gates of hell shall not preuayle agaynste it that is to saye vpon this rocke of thy confessyon of me to be the sonne of god I shall bylde my churche For this confession conteyneth the hole summarye of our faythe and saluation Which confessyon fyrste was spoken by the mouthe of Peter Who of all the .xii. apostelles that Christe chose to sende into the worlde to preache his word was the fyrst that with his mouthe vttered that confessyon and knowlegynge by which all Christen men must be saued and without whyche noo man can be saued as it is written in the x. chapter to the Romains by Paul The worde of faythe that we do preache is at hande in thy mouthe and in thyne harte for if thou confesse with thy mouthe oure lorde Iesus and with thy hart do beleue that god raysed hym frome death to lyfe thou shalt be saued Upon this fyrst confession of Peter and not vpon the person of Peter the church is bylded As Chrysostom expoūdeth that place in the .xxvi. sermon of the feast of Pentecost saying Not vpon the person of Peter but vpon the fayth Chryst hath bylded his churche And what is the faithe This. Thou art Christ the sonne of god that liueth what is to say Upon this rocke that is vpon this confession of Peter And with this sayenge of Chrisostome all auncient exposytours treatynge that place do agree For if we shulde expound that place that the Churche is bylded vppon the persone of Peter we shuld put an other foundation
he maye destroye therby his natyue countrey of England being in that behalf incomparably worse than any pagan And besydes his pestylent treason his vnkyndnesse against the kynges maiestie who broughte hym vp of a chylde and promoted both hym and restored his bloude beinge attaynted to be of the peres of this realme and gaue hym money yerely oute of his coffers to fynde hym honourably at study maketh his treason myche more detestable to all the worlde and hym to be reputed more wylde and cruell than any tygre ¶ But for all this thou englyshe manne take courage vnto the and be nothynge affrayd Thou hast god on thy syde who hath gyuen this realme to the generation of englyshemen to euery man in his degre after the lawes of the same thou hast a noble victorious and vertuous kynge hardy as a lyon who wyll not suffre the to be soo deuoured by suche wylde beastes only take an englyshe hart vnto the and mystruste not god but trust firmely in hym And surely the ruine intended ageynst the shall fall in their owne neckes that intende it And feare not though the dyuell and his disciples be agaynste the. for god thy protectoure is stronger than he and they and shall by his grace gyue hym and them a fall ¶ And to shewe vnto the that god is on thy syde consyder that it is written in the vi chapter of the prouerbes that amongest many crimes there rehersed that god hateth chiefly he dothe deteste those persones that sowe dyscorde amonge theyr bretherne As all we christen men be brethern vnder our heauenly father Also it is written in the .viii. chapter of Iohn y t those that do stire men to murder be childern of the dyuell whiche was frome the begynnynge of mankynde a murderer and brought Adam to synne and therby to deathe As the Iewes his childer stirred the people to put Christ to deth saynt Paule also in the last chapiter to the Romaynes warneth theÌ„ to be ware of those that do make dissention debate among them ageynste the doctrine that he hadde taught them and byddeth them eschewe their company Wherin the holy gooste wrought in Paule for these many yeres paste lyttell warre hath ben in these partes of Christendome but the bysshop of Rome eyther hath ben a styrrer of it or a nouryssher of it and seldome any compounder of it onlesse it were for his ambition or profite ¶ Wherfore sens as saynte Paule saithe in the .xiiii. chapter of the fyrste epystel to the Corinthians that god is not god of dissension but of peace who commaundeth by his worde peace alwayes to be kepte we are sure that all those that goo about to breake peace betwene realmes and to brynge them to warre ar the chylder of the deuyll What holy names soo euer they pretende to cloke their pestilent malyce withall whiche clokynge vnder hypocrisy is double dyuellisshenes and of Christe moste detested bycause vnder his blessed name they do plaie the deuyls parte And therfore sens Christ is on our syde agaynst them let vs not feare them at all But putting our confidence in almyghtye god and cleauinge faste to the kinges maiestie our supreme hed in erth next vnder Christ of this church of Englande as faithfull subiectes by goddis lawe ought to do Though they go about to stire Gog and Magog all the rauenors of the worlde ageynst vs. we trust in god verily and doubte not but they shal haue such a ruine ouerthrow as is prophecied by Ezechiel in the .xxxix. chapiter â–ª agaynst Gog and Magog going about to distroye the people of god whome the people of god shall so vanquish and ouer throw on the mountaynes of Israel that none of them shal escape but their carkases there to lye to be deuoured by kytes crowes byrdes of the ayre And if they shal ê‘syst in their pestileÌ„t malice to make inuasyon into this realme than lette vs wyshe that their great capteyne Gog I meane the bysshop of Rome maye come with theym to drynke with theym of the same cuppe that he maliciously gothe about to prepare for vs. that the people of god myght after surely lyue in peace ¶ And nowe that we haue spoken of disobedience done to man agaynste goddis lawe let vs somewhat speake of disobedience dayly done to god by vs al against goddis law which our disobedience is so greate that the tonge of man can not expresse it for Christe saith in the .xix. chapiter of Matthewe to hym that asked what he shulde do to come to euerlastyng lyfe If thou wylt enter into euerlasting lyfe kepe the commandementes whiche he there rehersed vnto hym whan he asked whyche they were they be written in the .xx. chapiter of Exodi tenne in nomber And bycause I doubte not but ye knowe them for brefenes of tyme I shal omytte to reherse them ¶ In the olde lawe whiche expresseth rewardes temporall for the capacitie of the grosse carnall people of Israell manye worldly pleasures and rewardes be promysed to the kepers of those commandementes and meruaylous great troubles and peynes be threttened to the breakers and transgressours of them All whiche be conteyned in the .xxviii. chapiter of the Deuteronomye in soo myche that in the viii chapyter of that boke the people of Israell is thretned by almyghtye god to be expellyd out of the lande promysed vnto them if they shuld not kepe those commandementes and lawes by hym gyuen vnto them The prophete Dauid saythe also in the .lxxxviii. psalme If the chylder of Dauid leaue my lawes and kepe not my commandementes I shall with a rodde vysite their iniquities and theyr synnes with beatynges But our sauior Christe regardynge the forgetfulnes of mannes memorye leste he shulde not remember the hole nomber of tenne hathe brought them all into two coÌ„mandementes comprysynge in effect the hole tenne of the which two expressed in the .xxii. chapiter of Matthewe the fyrste is Thou shalt loue thy lorde god with al thy hart with all thy sowle with all thy mynde This is the fyrst and greattest commandement conteynyng in it .iiii. commaundementes of the fyrste table whyche be these Thou shalte haue no other goddes in my syght Thou shalte graue noo ymage of thinges that be in heuen aboue or in erthe benethe or in the water vnder the erthe nor with adoration worshyppe them Thou shalte not take the name of god in vayne Thou shalte sanctifie thy sabbotte daye No man wylle breake any of these .iiii. commaundementes that loueth god aboue all thynge ¶ The seconde commaundement gyuen there by Christe is lyke vnto the fyrste that thou shalte loue thy neyghboure as thy selfe Whyche comprehendeth all the vi commandementes of the seconde table whiche be these Thou shalt honoure thy father and thy mother Thou shalte not commytte auoutrie Thou shalte not steale Thou shalt not beare fals witnes Thou shalte not luste to haue thy neyghbours hous nor his wyfe nor his seruaÌ„t nor his mayde
nor any of his goodes No man that loueth his neyghboure as him selfe wyl offend hym in any of these for sens he loueth hym selfe so welle that he canne not be content that his neyghbour shall offende hym in any of these he in louyng his neyghbour as hym selfe wyll not offende his neyghboure in any of these ¶ In these two commandementes sayth Chryste all the lawe and the prophetes be conteyned ¶ But for al this we thus plainly beinge taught by Christe do fall heedlynge into all kyndes of vices ▪ for where we oughte to loue god aboue all thynge we loue the worlde and worldly thynges aboue god ayenste the counsell of sayncte Iohn in the .ii. chapiter of his fyrst epistle For we be so giuen to concupiscence of the fleshe that what soo euer it lusteth to haue we minyster it vnto it to the concupiscence of our eyes that what so euer we doo see that liketh vs we wyl haue it by one meanes or other We be so highe also of mynd and prowde in hart that we wyll mounte aboue our degree sufferynge none to be aboue vs. whiche thre fautes do comprehende all vyces of the worlde so that we maye saye with the prophete Osee in his iiii chapter There is no truthe there is no mercy or pitie there is no knoweledge of god lefte vpon the erth Backbytynge lyinge murder thefte aduoutrie hathe ouerflowen the worlde Periury reigneth euery where and great pytie it is to see howe the preciouse name of almyghtye god is taken in vaine in all places Noo othe shulde be gyuen but three thynges concurrent as Hieremy the prophete in his .iiii. chapiter teacheth vs. that is to say In iudgement Whan a man is called thither to shewe the trouthe And for iustice there to be mynistred to put away wronge doynge And for trouthe that falsehode may take no place there Elles no othe shulde be gyuen by goddis lawe but we shuld affirme our saying by ye ye and deny by nay nay as Christe taughte vs in the .v. of Mathewe But now euery thynge that we affirme or deny muste haue an othe coupled with it whan men do bye or selle any thynge moo othes be oftetymes enterchanged betwyxte them than pens that the thyng is solde for In communication and all pastimes as manye othes as wordes be vsed In playenge at any games there the tearynge of goddis name and particular mention of all the woundes and peynes that Christe suffered for vs be contumeliouselye in vayne brought forthe If a muster shuld be taken of swearers I thynke that some croked peces shoulde be founde not able to take the kynges wages that wolde sweare as greatte othes and as manye of them as the beste and moste able man on the fielde They thynke that greatte othes do make theym to be of more estymation and therfore they sweare at euerye worde but surely they be fowelye deceyued for othes be ordeyned where nede is that trewthe shall not perysshe and that they may fynysshe debates amonge menne as Paule saythe in the syxth chapiter to the Hebrewes But he that at euerye worde sweareth declareth playnely that noo credence is to be gyuen to any his wordes and therfore he ioynethe to euery worde an othe as a suertie of the trewthe therof knowledgyng the lacke of trewthe to be in his wordes As yf a manne wolde offre a greatte substantiall suretie whan he wolde borowe a penye of his neyghbour he playnly shulde make his neyghbour thereby to thynke that he were of noo credence that wolde for so small a matter offer so great a suertie where no nede is so to do ¶ I feare me the great role of .xx. cubites in lengthe and .x. cubytes in bredthe whiche the prophete Zacharie sawe fleinge in the aire in the .v. chaptre whiche as the aungell shewed to hym dyd contein the great malediction of god ageinst theues and ageynst swearers that shulde be iuged by it do flye nowe ouer our heedes I pray god we maye auoyd the danger of it and absteyn hereafter so to take the name of god in vayne as is nowe commonly vsed ¶ We doo professe the fayth of Chryste and doo speake of the gospell with oure mouthe and haue the booke ofte in oure handes but we lerne it not as we shulde do for the gospel is giuen to vs to know god thereby and to be a rule to lyue by but we moche do talke of it whiche is very well done and yet we nothyng regard to amende our lyues therby and to lyue as it byddeth vs. but we doo vse the gospel as if it were a boke of problemes to dyspute vppon ▪ and care not to amende oure lyuynge as it teacheth vs whyche shall be to our great punyshement For a seruant that knoweth his lordes plesure and not fulfyllynge it is more greuousely to be punished than he that knoweth it not as Christe saythe in the .xii. chapiter of Luce. We myche extolle fayth as it is myche worthy But workes and deedes many men care not for sayenge god regardeth them nothynge for faithe alone iustifieth vs and not our workes ¶ Here fyrste of all it is to be obserued that no dede nor worke that is doone by man without faithe can euer helpe hym to heuen for lyke as a man that renneth out of the race where the course is sette though he runne neuer so faste wynneth no game so a man that doth good dedes morall without faythe deserueth of god no rewarde for withoute faythe it is impossible to please god as sayncte Paule sayth the .xi. chapiter to the Hebrues But if he do good dedes with faith than they be acceptable to god and he wyll reward hym for them And saynt Paule teacheth vs always to be occupyed in doynge of good workes for albe it no man may be iustified by his workes alone Yet after he hath faith he must ioyne good workes with it yf he haue any tyme therto orels his faith is vnprofytable vnto hym for the faythe that by grace dothe iustyfie is the faithe that worketh by Charytie as saynt Paule sayth to the Galathians in the fyfte chapiter and not an ydell faith whych saynt Iames in his epistle calleth a deed faythe ¶ Saynt Paule sayth also in the second chapiter to the Romains that the herers of the lawe be not iustified before God but the doers of the lawe And saynt Iames in his epystle in the fyrste Chapyter doth lyken hym that heareth the worde of god and dothe not thereafter vnto a manne that loketh in a glasse and after he hath soo doone layeth it downe and forgetteth that he looked in it and thynketh of other matters ¶ And where they say that fayth alone iustifieth that is vntrewe and agaynste sayncte Iames in the .ii. chapiter of his epistell sayenge that a man is not iustified by his faithe alone Also to iustification of a synner repentance of his euylle lyfe paste is necessarilye fyrste requyred and muste nedes be ioyned with