desyreth and wyssheth to them to whome he wryteth here it is shewed He desyreth that god wold encrease and multiplye hys gyftes in them and specyally gyue them mercy peace and charyte with hym whiche thre gyftes be very necessarye for euerye Chrystyan man and woman as loÌ„ge as they shall lyue in this worlde The Apostell here teacheth vs what â—hynge we shulde desyre one vnto an other that is to saye the gyftes of god to be entreased and multyplyed amongeste vs and in all men From thys holsome councell of the Apostell Iude far be these men and women whiche do not desyre nor wysshe good thynges vnto theyr neyghboures or other men but desyreth vengeaunce euell chaunce death of their neyghboure or euell fortune to chaunce vnto they re neyghboure or neyghboures cattell or goodes which doth curse or banne theyr neighboures desyringe GOD to take a vengeaunce vpon theym or to sende sum sodeyne syknesse or dysease vpon theym as the pestylence the fraunche pockes the fallynge sycknes or soche lyke Those men folowe not the councell of the Apostell in this place Let therfore al such euel persons that folowe not the councel of the apostell leue their euell deuellyshe affeccyon desyre whiche bringeth euetla sting death yf it be not left and for sakyn with repentauÌ„ce before deth and folowe the holsome counsell of sainct Iude whiche desyreth mercye peace and charyte to be multiplyed to euery one Fyrst he desyreth to them the mercye of God that it wolde please God to geue theym his mercye and grace that they myght repent them of theyr olde vyces and synnes and vtterly forsake theym and haue a newe lyfe in Christe Iusus whiche thynge no man can do withoute the mercye and grace of god therfore mercy and grace is first of all to be desyred Secundly he desyreth Peace betwene men and God in mennes conseyences whiche Peace and quyetnesse in conscyence euell men hath not for to euell men is no peace with God in their conseyences as the Prophet sayth but euell men hateth god alway and feare hym fore lest he shulde punysshe them For they counte god as a strayte iudge or a cruell tormentoure that wyll suffer no faulte vnponysshed but wyll extremely punyshe euery faulte or trespace done agaynst him The euel som tymes doth abstayne from wyees and synnes but not for loue of GOD or of iustyce but for feare of payne or for hope of reward of men or fauor of meÌ„ The euell somtymes hath peace outwardely as with men and with the worlde but in wardly in their conscyence they lacke peace and quyetnesse In their herte they haue GOD as on wrath with theÌ„ their conseyence byte them and troubleth them sore day nor nyght they be not quyet in conscience but euer when they remember God they feare payne punishment This consyderynge Iude he desyreth to theÌ„ peace in meÌ„nes consciences with god whiche peace only hath gyuen men the be insâ—yfyed by faythe wytnessynge s Paule Ro. v. we iustifyed by fayth haue peace with God whether they haue peace with the worlde and men of the worlde or no good men that be iustifyed by faith haue peas with god in wardly in their conscience Thirdly he desyreth charyce that they shulde be charytable and louing one to an other knyt to gether in mutuall loue one loayng an other hertely shewynge their loue by mutuall workes and dedes and that theyr loue shulde be onely for goddes cause but not for no carnall lucre or aduauntage honoure or any carnall cause Thus in this salutacion we be taught what christen men shulde desyre and wyshe one to an other that is to saye mercye peace and charyte of God as the apostell teacheth vs. Beloued when I gaue all dilygence to wryte vnto you of the commen helth / it was nedefull for me to wryte vnto you to exhorte you that ye shuld continually labour in the fayth which was ones gyuen vnto sayntes Nowe beginneth the narracyon sheweth the cause of the pystel shewinge also what a greate desyre wyll minde he had to profyte them ye what care and thought he had for their helth specially for these thynges that pertayneth to their euerlastyng helth he had so gret a desyre that he could not refrayn but he must nedes wryte to theym hauyng no les care for them theÌ„ for hymselfe perceiuing them to be in gret ieo perdy parell by the craste and falsed of the false prophetes Therfore Iudas perceyuinge these perils to aproche to christians moued by brotherly charite he colde not teÌ„per hym from writing to shewe chrysten men of their perelles and also to exhorte them that they wolde not cease to walke in a pure and syncere fayth and loue whiche they had hearde preached and had lerned of the true Apostels of god And also he desyreth them to take heede of false Prophetes whiche alwaye dyd study to brynge the true Christyanes from the trewe fayth whiche they had receaued Here we maye learne what study and desyre it becommeth euerye one of vs to haue towardes an other that we maye profyte other Secondly with all dylygence and studye takynge late vs exhorte other to walke in the treweth truely receaued lesse they shulde ware sloggesshe by neglygence or slouthfulnesse Thirdely that they maye auoyde the parelles that be lyke for to ensue by slouthfulnes or negligence or by ignoraunce yf they be not monysshed specyally it becommeth for to monysshe to auoyde parelles when that parell of Soule doth appere Thus it becoÌ„meth euery man to care for an other to mony she an other oâ—iepardy that may ensu both in worde also in writing this care it may not be litel but it must be gret with al labour dilygeÌ„ce to profit other as â—raÌ„ple to be takeÌ„ in this place of Iude. Of the coÌ„mon helthe For what thynge Iude laboureth so diligently to wryte to them here he expresseth saying it was for the coÌ„mon helthe He calleth it the coÌ„mon helthe because he couÌ„ted their helth his helth suche was his loue towardes them that he was no other wayes affected towardes them then towardes hymselfe countyng that same euyll to chauÌ„ce to hym selfe the shulde chaunce to them by the crafte and suttiltie of false prophetes gyuyng vs example lykewise one to be affected towardes an other as he was to theÌ„ to whom he wroce and also as meÌ„bres of one body be one to an other This saying of Iude doth checke all them whiche be not careful for theyr neyghbours nor for other be-sydes them selfes which care not what become of other so they be well themselues Also it sharpely reproueth all them which care nothynge at all nor nothynge dothe study howe they may profyte other whiche passe nothynge at all what become of other whether they lyue or dye be sycke or in helthe be gladde or be sory Yea this sermon of Iude moche more condempneth all those that study to do hurte damage
whiche hath no vnderstandyng Fiftly these that haue no spiryte of god no mynde to good thynges but set theyr myndes to all myschefe to all vnhappynes contemnyng all heuenly thynges and immoderately desyrynge all worldely thynges yea lyuynge so in pleasure as there were neyther god ne deuyl neyther heuen nor hell neyther lyfe nor deathe neyther pleasure nor payne after this lyfe Therfore the apostell Iude sayth they be makers of sectes naturall hauynge no spyryte that is of god yea no sparke of godlynes as is before shewed therfore I do passe ouer that sentence But ye derely beloued edyfye your selues in your moost holy fayth praying iÌ„ the holy goost / and kepe your selues in the loue of god lokyngc for the mercy of our lorde Iesus Chryste vnto eternall lyfe Iude contynueth styll in his exhortation desiryng them to go for wardes in fayth byldynge theym selues vpon fayth by the holy goost prayeng in spiryte kepynge them selues in charite loue of god warkynge the warkes of charite kepyng vnite concorde peace pacience as well in aduersite as iÌ„ prosperite lokynge for the mercy of god whiche bryngeth to euerlastyng lyfe whiche life doth not come of our warkes merytes nor deseruynges but by the onely mercy of god as testifyeth saynct Paule ad Titum iii. sayenge Not of the warkes of iustyce whiche we haue done but by his mercy he hath saued vs. And haue compassion on some separatynge them / other saue with feare pullynge them out of the fyre / and hate the fylthy vesture of the flesshe Iude here sheweth certayne offices of charite towardes synners and first he teacheth howe it becoÌ„meth men to vse them selfe towardes synners that be not obstynate nor obdurate in malyce Secondly as touchynge obdurate synners Fyrst as touchynge all synners it becommeth no man to be gladde to reioyse of any synne of any vyce in any man but to be sory for all vyce and for all synne done or iniury done to any or by any man Secondly gentylnesse mercy pytye compassyon and pardon is to be vsed in suche as by neglygence by ignorance and by infyrmytye of nature be fallen to synne to rebuke them softly and gentylly for theyr synne to shewe theym the daunger of it to exhorte theym to forsake theyr synne and to abhorre it to take and enbrace vertue and to shewe the fruytfull commodytyes of vertue and of goodnesse And this is to be done as longe as there is hope of amendemente But yf so be that they be so obstynate so obdurate in malyce that they wyll by no gentyll exhortation nor gentyll admonition be plucked from theyr noughtynesse but wyll contynue styll in errour in heresye and in noughty doinges then be you sory for theym praye god for theym to conuerte and mollyfye theyr obstynate hartes and turne theym to some grace separate your selues from theym haue no medlyng with theym let theym be clere separated from the company of good men that they may be at the last confounded and ashamed with theym selues seynge that euery good man forsaketh theyr companye and that for theyr noughtynesse Let this thyng be done with all diligence and with all humanitye Let nothyng be omytted in you of your dewtye to wynne them and at the lest that theyr soules may be sauffe in the daye of the lorde yf it be possyble Many there be whiche sore complayneth of some men called spirytuall men for theyr tyrannye crueltye and vnmercyfulnesse as touchynge suche as hathe erred from the faythe from the gospell and from holy customes receyued whom they saye the bysshoppes hath burned not offeryng mercy pardon or gentylnesse to them whiche thynge they thynke to haue ben a great cause that they were so styffe in theyr euyll opynyon for the whiche they haue suffered deathe for or els bycause the punysshement was so opprobryouse that they shulde haue suffered Yf they wolde haue forsaken theyr euyll opynyon that they hadde leuer haue dyed then to haue suffered suche an opprobryous punysshement whiche shulde haue ben an immortall ignomynye to his name for euer and to haue ben a cause that no man shulde haue gyuen credence vnto his wordes afterwardes yf he hadde spoken neuer soo trewe and nothynge but the gospell of god Peter denyed his mayster Chryste and dyd forsake hym and sayd he neuer knewe hym and that with an othe Afterwardes he was penytente and God dyd forgyue hym hys synnes he was not compelled to beare a faggotte for his offence for to be a sygne of an immortall ignomynye of his name Furthermore yf God shulde punysshe vs for euery lyttell faute or offence done agaynst his goodnesse and make vs repentynge to beare a faggot I suppose there wolde be many faggottes borne in a yere or elles fewe repenters I do not here speake of suche as hathe ben imprysonned and vngentylly and vnmercyfully handeled by some spirytuall men not for errours or heresye or for these thynges that haue ben coÌ„trary to the holy scripture contrary to the worde of god contrary to holy customes receyued contrary to suche thynges as agreeth with goddes worde But for wordes spoken agaynst abuses of thynges vsed and because they haue ben vsed the simple vnlerned people and vntaught thynketh men to speake agaynste the thynges vsed when men speaketh agaynst the abuses And of that it commeth that dyuers trewe preachers is and hath ben endited of symple people of heresye as they call it when these symple people dothe not knowe whiche is heresye whiche is the gospell whiche is trewth whiche is falsehede Therfore yf it wolde please the hye powers and rulers to whome it pertayneth to do to mytygate the rygorousnesse of that lawe whiche to penytent personnes deputeth that they shuld beare faggottes or els chaunge that punysshemente in to some other punysshemente and also wolde punysshe all accusers and sclaunderers of other for heresye with lyke punyshment yf they coulde not proue it For nowe many men be accused and be sclaundered of heresye and that for malyce for enuye for desyrynge men to do theyr dewtyes to preache and teache the people of god gods worde to feâ—de with it as the people dothe feade them with tythes of theyr benefyces For this cause men be euyll spoken on haue iniuryes done to theym be sclaundered and be accused of erroure and heresye and suche men be accused whiche be best learned whiche hath taken moost paynes to sette forth Goddes worde trewly purely and syncerely whiche neuer in alle theyr lyues dydde preache erroure ne heresye whiche I dare be bolde to say doth loue error or heresye worse then any of them that doth accuse hym such as be ydle them selues and wyll take no payne no labours to teache theire flocke coÌ„mytted to their cure but wyll syt all the daye and night at the tauerne at ale houses eatynge drinkynge feastynge and makynge good chere and at cardes and dyse passynge the tyme in pleasure and then is a tyme conuenyent to speake euell to rayle to
of grace an other our lady of pytye an other our lady of comforte or succour the holy rode of suche a place and suche a place These meanes maketh the people to esteme these images of great holynes and vertue and that they may do moche for them and that some images of our lady prayth to our lady of heuen for her petitioners suche is the simplenes of many simple people ¶ As touchynge images to be in the churche I was neuer of other opinion but I thought it were commendable expedient to haue them to bryng vs in remembrance of the vertuousnes and holynes of the holy sayntes that we may take example of them to folowe theyr godlynes and holy vertues as to folowe theym in fayth in hope in charitie in makenes in lowlynes in pacience in sufferynge iniuryes and wronges in cōtemnyng the worlde the vayne pleasures therof in lokyng for the lyfe ioye blysse to come After this facion scripture teacheth vsto remembre holy sayntes in many places as s Paul sheweth Heb. xiii Remēber you thē whiche hath had rule ouer you whiche hath spoken the worde of god vnto you whose fayth you do folowe remembrynge what was the ende of theyr good cōuersation So saynt Peter i. Pet. iii. bringes in Saray for an example that women shulde be obediēt to theyr husbandes please theyr husbandes and haue theyr husbandes in reuerence as Saray had Abraham in honour and reuerence Saynt Peter brynges the exāple of Saray to teache other women to folow the example of Saray so be images set vp in the churches to put vs in remembrance of the vertuousnes of the saynctes that we shulde take example to folowe them in goodnes and vertuousnes to stere vp our dull hartes and slowfull myndes to god to goodnes was images set vp in the churche and not for honour nor worshyp that shulde be done to the image whiche is but a thynge made of wode or of stoue or other suche like matter and no more holyer then is the matter it was made on Of these you may gather the good vse of images To those that was called and in god the father sanctified and by Iesus Chryst preserued Here it is shewed to whom this pistell was dedicate and sent that is to saye to all men and women renewed by the bloode of Christe whom Iesus Christ hath called of his only mercy grace and not of the merytes werkes and deseruynges of men Fyrst he called them then he dyd sanctifye them Here be two thynges to be noted first that Iesus Christe calleth whome be wylleth seconde those that he calleth he sanctifyeth them he calleth men to hym of his onely mercy not of theyr merites nor yet of their worthynes of theyr workes God calleth somtyme in wardly by inwarde inspiration as he dyd call saynt Paule Actorum ix and many other prophetes Somtymes he calleth in wardly in that hart outwardly by preaching of that gospel to the which they gyue credence that be called Chryst calleth not after the pleasure of man but after the wyll pleasure of god when god wyll not when man willeth whom god pleaseth to call not whom man iudgeth worthy to be called nor yet when mā thynkes mete to be called but when god thynkes and knoweth men apte and redy to come when they be called By the whiche sayinge many reasons be taken away of the callynge after the wyll of man by the merites of men and when men iudgeth men to be apte and redy to the herynge of the gospel and wyll gyue credence to it And although god onely doth call when he wil without any indeuering or worke of man yet oftimes for the most parte he vseth certayne meanes as by prechynge of the gospell and by herynge of it preached as he gyueth other gyftes by meanes as lernynge by study ryches by labour wysedome by experiēce fayth by the gospell preached so he calleth men to hym by preachynge of goddes worde whiche they beleue that be called and after it doth lyue a lyfe pure and clene in all innocency of lyuynge God knoweth who be his and those he calleth to hym in tyme prefixed and whan he knoweth theym moost apte to folowe theyr callynge Here you may se the cause why god wolde not haue his gospell at the fyrst preached to the iewes to the gentyles that in all tymes it was because he dyd se thē then not apt to receyue it nor yet apte to beleue it therfore that they shuld auoyde more payn god dyd hyde frō them his gospell when he dyd se them apt to receyue beleue the gospell he made the gospell to be preached to the gētyles they beleued it was saued as many as was ordeyned to life The order that god vseth moost comonly to theym that shall be saued it may here be gathered of the apostell Iude. Fyrst he sayth they be called secondly they be sanctified in god the father thyrdly they be saued by Iesus Christ through his worde obedience to do these thynges gladly frely that the worde of god teacheth them This thyng saynt Iohn̄ testifieth Ioh. xvii saying Father I haue shewed thy name to men whom thou hast gyuen to me of the worlde they were thyne to me thou hast gyuen them they haue kept thy worde Now truly they haue knowen that al thinges whiche thou hast gyuen to me was of the for the wordes whiche thou dyd gyue me I dyd gyue to them and they haue receyued them they haue knowen truely that from the I haue gone and tha◠thou sent me Here we may lerne the meane whiche God vseth towardes them that shal be saued although god only saue vs by hym selfe by Iesus Christe and of his mere mercye and grace yet he vseth a meane wherby he bryngeth men to saluacyon that is to saye by the worde of God preached and giuyng credence toyc workyng after it wherfore yf the worde of God be not preached nor had amonge vs it is a greate token that we be not in the fauoure of God nor of his elected people to saluacyon Also yf we in oure selues do perceyue no desyre no loue to the worde of God but not regard it esteme it at lytell valu thinke other thynges more precyouse then it or thynke it folyshnes or as a vayne thynge Then it is a token that these that thynke so they be none of the people of God nor yet in the fauoure of god as longe as they shall thynke so of these tokennes and sygnes euerye one in hym selfe maye sone perceyue whether he is in the fauoure of god or no. In that he hath a desyre or a loue to goddes worde to heare it to rede it beleue it to worke after it to esteme it aboue all worldely thynges c. Mercy be to you and peas / and charyte maye be multiplyed In this salutacyon what thynge Saincte Iude
many clerkes gyuyng to themselues vnder lead annuyte and exempcyon in so muche that it is not lawfull for Lyuyll offycers to meddell with a relygyouse mā or to correcte any fault of a religyouse man suche be their proude wordes of vanyte whiche they speake They haue men in greate reuerence because of auauntage These pseudapostels prayseth and laudeth men aboue the mone of whome they loke to haue lucre and vauntage be they neuerso euel neuer so wycked them they wyll prayse and laude them they wyll flatter sayenge good to be euell and euell good swet to be bytter and bytter swet darknes to be lyght and lyght to be darknes iustyfyenge the euell for money to whome the prophet Esay doth thret wo euerlastynge Esaie v. sayenge wo be to theym that sayth good is euell euell good swet to be sower and sowerswet darknes to be lyght and lyght darknes iustifyenge the euell for money these be flatterers whiche speake not those thynges whiche the Gospell teacheth but they speake flattery and those thynges that pleseth them of whome they hope to haue lucre vauntage or hye promotion or dignite Erasmus in his translacyon hath a meruaylouse worde he sayth they maruayle at or they haue persons in admiracion for a vauntage as who shulde saye they laude they praise they extol persons ye they make them halfe a god and all for lucre sake ye or equall with God and far aboue all men hath not the Popes decrees made the Pope aboue men and as he were a god loke in the decrees and ye shall fynde it Do not they make the pope as a god whiche geue authoryte to the bisshop of Rome to interpret holy scrypture after his pleasure and as he interpreteth scrypture that it muste nedes be taken and so vnderstande and that it is not laufull to discent frō his interpretacyon do not they make the pope as a god which sayth that he hath authorytie to bynde loose what he wyll in Heauen and in earth and at hys pleasure when the Bysshoppe of Rome or any other Bysshoppe can not bynde or lowse but after the wyll and pleasure of god do not they make the pope as a GOD which gyue lyke authoryte to the decrees of the pope as to goddes worde goddes commaundment these men I suppose deserueth a bysshoppryche or a cardynallshyp for their flattering for their lyes suche be they of whome Iude here speaketh whiche haue men in admyracyon for aduauntage But ye dearly beloued / remember the wordes which were spoken before of the Apostelles of our Lorde Iesus Christe / ho we that they tolde yo we / that there shulde be begylers in the laste tyme whiche shulde walke after their vngodly lustes Iude intendynge to make an ende of his pistell exhorteth them to whome he wrote to remember the wordes of the apostelles of oure Lorde Iesus Christe whiche sayde that there shulde come begylers and deceauers ye mockers skorners and despysers of Goddes worde whiche do despyse and set at nought the worde of god preferring mannes doctryne aboue the preceptes of God or at the leest makynge mannes worde equall with goddes worde to auoyde and fle these men and their false doctryne Iude here exhorteth thē and also when there shulde come suche men that wolde despyse and scorne goddes worde that they shuld knowe that to be the laste tyme and that these thinges were fulfylled whiche the Apostelles of oure Lorde dyd speake before these false prophetes dyd come that men monysshed of them before shulde better knowe them and auoyd them and be ware of theym and they re doctryne Here the apostell byddeth vs remēbre the wordes of the apostels of our lorde he byddeth vs not remembre this decre or that decre of the byshop of Rome to remembre this religyon or that religyon this custome or that custome this sayinge or that sayinge of the fathers but he byddeth vs to remembre the wordes of the apostels of our lorde and after these wordes to warke and lyue all our lyfe tyme. He byddeth not vs here loke what this coūcell or that coūcel haue decreed what the churche of Rome haue ordeyned what the religion of man hath inuented but what the apostels of our lorde Iesus Chryst hath cōmaūded vs in their writinges to be kepte and to be fled eschewed these thynges as necessary to be done other thynges as charitie of thy chrysten brother requireth Some there be that thynke this pystel was not written of the apostell of Iesus Chryst for these wordes that he exhorteth theym here to call to remembraunce the wordes of the apostels of Iesus Chryste To this may this answere be made that it may well stande togyther the author of this pystell to be an apostell of Iesus Christ and also that he exhorteth them to call to remembraunce the wordes of the apostelles of our lorde Iesus Christ and that for dyuers causes Fyrst that he dyd the same thynge here that the apostels of Iesus Chryst dyd as shulde appere by theyr wrytynges wordes Secondly to teache all other to confyrme theyr doctryne by the doctryne of Christ and his apostelles Thyrdely to confute the false doctryne of the pseudapostels whiche coulde not be proued by the wordes of Chryste and his apostelles his owne name or hym selfe he dyd not expresse because of humylitie In the laste tyme there shulde come begilers which shuld walke after theyr vngodly lustes He sayth begylers shulde come in the last dayes spoken of before of the apostelles of Iesus Chryst that men monysshed of theym shulde the better be ware of theym and of theyr doctryne But who be they whome the apostell monyssheth here them to take hede of and to be ware of Fyrst they be these that contempneth despyseth and maketh a scoffe of the teachynges of holy scripture and coūteth them as folyshnes and vanite mocketh and scorneth the sayinges of holy scripture and maketh holy scripture the professors of it theyr mockyng stocke at tauerne or alehouse at their ryot feastyng byddeth men sticke to their olde traditions of fathers saying all the olde shall come agayne I suppose they wold say the bysshop of Rome with all his traditions shall come agayn yf they durst say so but this thynge is to be coniectured they meane so saying Secondly these whiche lyue not after the wyll of god shewed in scripture but after their carnall desyre and lust doth lyue in ydelnes welth and pleasure nothynge regardyng the lyfe of the soule Thyrdly these whiche separate them selues from god and brynge in a newe secte denyeng the lord whiche hath bought theym of whome it is spoken ii Petri ii Fourthely these that be beastly men not vnderstādyng those thynges whiche are of god but whiche are of flesshe not beleuynge the great resurrection of all that be deed not beleuyng the iudgemēt of that great day not beleuyng any lyfe to be after this lyfe hauynge no faythe to holy scripture but beynge as horses and mules