would make this hys sonne being coequal with him in diuinity a mortall man for vs that we might be made immortal by him What a kindnes is thys that the almighty Lord should send to vs his enemies hys deare darlyng to be made poore that we by him might be made ritch What bowels of compassiō was this that the omnipotent Creator of heauen and earth would delyuer his own onely beloued sonne for vs creatures to be not onely flesh of our flesh and bone of our bones that we myght by hym through the holy Ghost be made one with him and so wyth the Father by communicatyng the merites of his flesh that is righteousnes holynes innocency and immortality but also to be a stayne sacrifice for our syns to satisfy his iustice to conuert or turue death in to lyfe our syn into righteousnes hell into heauen misery into felicitye for vs What a mercy is this that God wyll rayse vp this his sonne Christ not onely to iustify and regenerate vs but also in his person to demōstrate vnto vs our state which we shall haue ▪ for in hys comming we shall be lyke vnto hym Oh wonderfull mercy of God whych would assume this his Christ euen in humane body into the heauens to take and keepe ther possession for vs to leade our captiuity captiue to appeare before hym alwayes praying for vs to make the throne of Iustice a throne of mercy the seate of glory a seate of grace so that with boldnes we may come and appeare before God to aske and finde grace in tyme conuenient Againe what a verity and constant truth in God is thys that he would accordyng to hys promise made fyrst to Adam and so to Abraham and others in his time accomplish it by sending his sonne so graciously Who would doubt hereafter of any thing that he hath promised And as for Christes loue oh whose hart can be able to thinke of it any thing as it deserueth He beyng God wold become mā he beyng ritch would become poore he beyng Lord of all the world became a seruaunt to vs all he being immortall would become mortall myserable and fast of all Gods curses yea euen of hell it seife for vs His bloud was nothyng to deare hys lyfe he nothing considered to bryng vs from death to lyfe But thys hys loue needeth more harty waying then many wordes speaking and therefore I omit and leaue it to your considerations So that in the receiuing of this supper as I would you wold tremble at Gods wrath for syn so would I haue you to couple to that terrour and feare true fayth by which ye myght be assured lye perswaded of Gods mercy towardes you Christes loue though al thinges els preached the contrary Do euery of you surely thinke when you heare these wordes Take eate this is my body broken for your synnes Drinke this is my bloud shed for your syns that God the eternal father embracing you Christ calleth and cleppeth you most louingly makyng himselfe one with you and you one wyth hym and one wyth another amongest your selues You ought no lesse to be certayne now that God loueth you pardoneth your syns and that Christ is all yours then if you dyd heare an Angell out of heauen speakyng so vnto you And therefore reioyce and be glad and make thys Supper Eutharichiam a thankes geuing as the Fathers named it Be no lesse certaine that Christ and you now are all one then you are certayne the bread and wyne is one wyth your nature and substaunce after you haue eaten and dronken it Howbeit in thys it differeth that you by fayth are as it were chaunged into Christ and not Christ into you as the bread is for by fayth he dwelleth in vs we in hym God geue vs fayth in the vse of this Sacrament to receyue Christ as he geueth vs handes to receiue the element symbole and visible Sacrament God graunt vs not to prepare our teeth and belly as S Augustine sayth but rather of his mercy he prepare and geue vs true and lyuely fayth to vse thys and all other his ordinances to his glory our comfortes He sweepe the houses of our hartes make them cleane that they may be a woorthy harborough and lodging for the lord Amen Now let vs come and looke on the third and last thing namely wherefore the Lord did institute this Sacrament Our nature is very obliuious of God and of all his benefites And agayne it is very full of dubitation and doubting of Gods loue of his kyndnes Therefore to the end these two thinges might be something reformed and holpen in vs the Lord hath institute this Sacrament I meane that wee myght haue in memory the principal benefites of all benefites that is Christes death that we might be on all partes assured of communion with Christ of all kyndnes the greatest that euer God dyd geue vnto man The former to be the end wherfore Christ did institute this Sacrament he him selfe doth teache vs saying Do ye this in remembraunce of me The latter the Apostle doth uo iesse set forth in saying The bread whih we brake is it not the partaking or communion of the body of Christ Is not the cup of blessyng which we blesse the partaking or cōmunion of the bloud of Christ So that it appeareth the end wherefore this Sacrament was instituted was and is for the reformacion and helpe of our obliuion of that which wee should neuer forget and of our dubitation of that wherof we ought to be most certayne Concerning the former namely of the memory of Christes deare what cōmodity it bringeth with it I wyl purposely for times sake omit Onely a lirle wyll I speake of the commodities cōming vnto vs by the partaking and communion we haue with Christ First it teacheth vs that no man can cōmunicate wyth Chryst but the same must needes communicate with Gods grace fauour wher thorow syns are forgeuen Ther fore this cōmoditye cōmeth here-thorow namely that we should ve certaine of the remission pardon of our synnes The which thing we may also perceue by the cup in that it is called the cup of the new Testament to whych Testament is properly attributed on Gods behalfe obliuion or remission of our syns First I say therefore the supper is instituted to this ende that he which worthely receiueth should be certaine of the remission pardon of hys syns and iniquities how many and great soeuer they be Now great a benefit this is onely they know which haue felt the burthē of syn which of all heauy thinges is the most heauye Agayne no man can cōmunicate with Christes body and bloud but the same must communicate with his spirite for Christes body is no dead carcase Now he that cōmunicateth with Christes spirit cōmunicateth as with holynes righteousnes innocency immortalitie and wyth all the merites of Christes body so doth he with God and all his glory
whereof this history is wrytten as are also the other which I haue recited and many mo which I myght recite As of Manasses y wicked king which slew Esay the Prophet wrought very much wyckednes yet the Lord shewed mercy vpon hym beyng in pryson as his prayer doth teach vs Nabuchodonozer though for a tyme he bare Gods anger yet at the length he found mercy The City of Niniue also found fauour with God as dyd many other which I wyll omyt for times sake will bring forth one or two out of the new Testament that we may see God to be the same God in the newe testament that he was in the old I myght tell you of many if I should speake of the lunatike such as were possessed wyth deuyls lame blynde dumme deafe lepers c. but time wyll not suffice me one or two therefore shall serue Mary Magdalen had .vii. deuils but yet they were cast out of her of al others she was the first that Christ appeared vnto after his resurreâ—â—ton Thomas would not beleue Christes resurrection though many tolde hym which had sene and felt hym by reason wheroâ— a man might haue thought that his synnes would haue cast hym away Except I should see and feele sayth he I wyll not beleue Ah wylfull Thomas I wyll not sayth he But Christ appeared vnto him would not leese him as hee wyll not do thee good brother if that wyth Thomas thou wylt keepe company wyth the Disciples as Thomas dyd Peters fal was ougly he accursed hym selfe if euer he knew Christ and that for feare of a gyrle and thys not once but euen three dyuers tymes and that in the hearyng of Christ hys Mayster but yet the third time Christ looked backe cast on hym his eye of grace so that he went out and wept vitterly and after Christes resurrectioÌ„ not onely did the Angels wyl the woman to tel Peter that Christ was risen but Christ himselfe appeared vnto hym seuerally such a good Lord is he The theefe hanging on the crosse sayd but this Lord when thou coÌ„mest into thy kingdome remember me what answer had he This day sayth Christ shalt thou be with me in Paradise What a comfort is this in that he is now the same Christ to thee me and vs all if we wyll run vnto hym for he is the same Christ to day to morrow vntyl he come to iudgement Then in deede he wyll be inexorable but now is he more ready to geue then thou to aske If thou cry he heareth thee yea before thou cry Cry therefore be bold man he is not parciall Call saith he and I wyll heare thee Aske and thou shalt haue Seeke and thou shalt find though not at the first yet at the length If he tary a white it is but to try thee Nam veniens veniet non tardabit He is comming and wyll not be long Thus haue you foure meanes which you must vse to the attayning of fayth or certaine perswasioÌ„ of Gods mercy towards you which is the secoud part of penaÌ„ce namely prayer the free vniuersal promises of Gods grace the recordation of the benefites of God past present the examples of Gods mercy Which although thei might suffice yet wil I put one moâ— to them which alonely of it selfe is ful sufficient I meane the death of the sonne of God Iesus Christ which if thou set before the eyes of thy minde it wyll confirme thy plackard for it is the great seale of England as they say yea of all the world for the coufirmation of al patents perpetuiâ—ies of the euerlasting lyfe whereunto we are all called If I thought these which I haue before recited were not sufficient to confirme your fayth of Gods loue towardes such as doo repent I would tary longer here in But because both I haue ben long and also I trust you haue some exercise of conscience in this dayly or els you are to blame I wyll but touch and go Consider wyth your selues what we are mysers wretches and enemies to god Cousider what God is euen hee whych hath all power Maiesty might glory ritches c perfectly of himselfe nedeth no thing but hath althinges Consider what Christ is concernyng his god head coequal with his father euen he by whom althinges wer made are ruled gouerned concerning his manhod the only dearlyng of his father in whoÌ„ is all his ioy Now syr what a loue is this that this God which needeth nothing would geue wholy his own selfe to thee his enemy wreaking his wrath vpon hym selfe in this his sonne as a man maye say to speare thee to saue thee to wyn thee to buy thee to haue thee to enioy thee for euer Because thy synne had separated theâ— from hym to the ende thou mightest come eâ—tsones into his company agayne and therein remaine he himselfe became as a man would say a synner or rather syn it selfe euen a maledictioÌ„ or curse that we synners we accurâ—ed by our syn myght by hys oblation or offering for our syns by hys curse be delyuered from synne and from malediction For by syn he destroyed synne kylling death Satan syn by rheir own weapons and that for thee me man it we cast it not away by vnbeliefe Oh wonderfull loue of god Who euer heard of such a loue the Father of heauen for vs hys ennemies to geue hys owne deare sonne Iesus Christ and that not onely to be our brother to dwel among vs but also to the death of the crosse for vs Oh wonderful loue of Christ to vs al that was content and wylling to work this feate for vs Was ther any loue lyke to this loue God in deede hath commended his charitie loue to vs herein that when we wer very enemies vnto him he wold geue his own sonne for vs That we being men might become as you would say Gods God would become man That we being mortal might be come immortal y immortal God would become mortal man That we earthlye wretches myght be Citizens of heauen the Lord of heauen would become as a man would say earthly That we being accursed myght bee blessed God would bee accursed That wee by our father Adam beyng brought out of Paradise into the puddle of all paine myght be redeemed and brought into Paradise â—gaine God would be our father and an Adam thereunto That we hauing nothing might haue all things God hauyng all thynges would haue nothyng That we being vassails slaues to all euen to Sathan the feend might be Lordes of all of Sathan the Lord of all would become a vassal and a â—laue to vs al and in daunger of Sathan Oh loue imcomprehensible Who can otherwise thinke now but if the gracions good Lord disdayned not to geue hys owne sonne hys owne hartes ioy for vs his very ennemies before we thought to beg any such thing at his hands yea
¶ Two notable Sermons Made by that worthy Martyr of Christ Maister Iohn Bradford the one of Repentance and the other of the Lordes supper neuer before imprinted ¶ Perused and allowed according to the Quéenes Maiesties Iniunction 1574 ¶ Imprinted at London by Iohn Awdely and Iohn Wyght ¶ TO THE CHRIstian Reader Tho. Sampson wisheth the felicity of spéedy and full conuersion to the Lord. GOdly learned men doo wryte and publish bookes to profit the age in which they do liue and the posteritie This desire was in the Authour of this treatise Maister Iohn Bradford who was the Preacher and publisher of this Sermon of repentaunce And now to the ende that we which do liue in earth after him and are the posteritie may take as much or more profit by it then they dyd to and for whom in his lyfe tyme he did both preach and publish it the same hys labour is by new emprintyng published againe Nothing is added to toys Sermon or altered in it onely to the sermon of repentaunce before printed is added an other Sermon of the Lords supper which he also made and was neuer printed before And aptly shalt thou sée good Reader these two Sermons ioyned together For in diligent perusing of the last thou shalt sée how necessarely he draweth the doctrine of repentaunce to them al which do with due preparation receiue the holy Sacrament of Christ I doo not knowe which of the Sermons I shoulde most prayse I wish that by reading both thou mayest make thy great profite In both these Sermons thou shalt reade Bradford preaching repentance with his own pen. They are counted the most profitable Teachers which haue themselues good experiance by practise in themselues of that which they doe teach to others such as may safely say Brethren be ye folowers of me and looke on them which walke so as ye haue vs for an example And surely such a paterne was Maister Bradford in his lyfe tyme of thys doctrine of repentaunce which in both these Sermons he teacheth that I which did know him familiartye must needes geue to God thys praise for hym that among men I haue scarcely knowen â—oue lyke vnto hym I dyd knowe when and partlye howe it pleased God by effectuall callyng to turne his hart vnto the true knowledge and obedience of the most holy Gospell of Christ our Sauiour Of which God dyd geue him such an heauenly hold and liuely séeling that as he did then know that many synnes were forgeuen him so surely he declared by déedes that he loued much For where he had both giftes and calling to haue employed himselfe in ciuill and wordly affaires profitably such was his loue of Christ and zeale to the promoting of his glorious Gospell that he chaunged not onely the course of his former lyfe as the woman dyd Luke 7. but euen his former study as Paule dyd chaunge his forprofession and study Touching the first after that God touched his hart with that holy and effectual calling he sold his chaines rynges brooches and iuels of gold which before he vsed to weare and did bestow the price of this his former vanitie in the necessarye releife of Christes poore members which he could heare of or fynde lying sicke or pining in pouertie Touching the second he so declared his great zeale and loue to promote the glory of the lord Iesus whose goodnes and sauing health he had tasted that to do the same more pithely he chauÌ„ged his studye and being in the inner Temple in London at the studye of the common lawes he went to Cambridge to study Diuinitie where he heard D. Martin Bucer diligently and was right familyar and deare vnto hym In thys godly course he dyd by Gods blessyng so profit that that blessed Martyr D. Ridley then Bishop of London dyd as it were inuite hym and hys godlye Companion Maister Thomas Horton to become fellowes of Penbrake hall in Cambrydge And afterwardes the sayd D. Ridley called our Bradford to London gaue him a Prebend in Paules church lodged hym in his own house there and set hym on worke in preaching And besides often preachyng in London and at Paules crosse and sundry places in the countrey and speacially in Lankeshire he preached before King Edward the sixt in the Lent the last yeare of his raygne vpon the second Psalme and there in one Sermon shewing the tokens of Gods iudgement at hand for the contempt of the Gospell as that certayne Gentlemen vpon the Sabboth day going in a whirry to Paris garden to the Barebayting were drowned and that a Dog was met at Ludgâ—te carping a péece of a dead chylde in his mouth he with a mighty and propheticall spirite sayd I summon you all euen euery mothers chylde of you to the indegement of God for it is at hand as it followed shortly after in the death of King Edward In which state and labour of preaching he continued tyll the cruelty of the Papistes â—ut him of so an thou mayest reade in the historye of hys lyfe and death compiled by that faythfull seruaunt of the Lord Iesus M. Iohn Fox In déede he had many pulbackes but God styll helped forward his chosen seruaÌ„t in that trade of lyfe to y which he had called hym in which he ran forward so happely that he did outrunne me other hys companions For it pleased God with great spéede â—s make hym ready and ripe to martyrdome in which through Christ he hath now gayned the crowne of lyfe But in all stops and stayes hee was much helped forward by a continual meditation and practise of repentaunce and â—ayth in Christ in which hee was kept by Gods grace notable exercised all the dayes of his lyfe Euen in this meane time he heard a Sermon which that noble Preather Maister Latimer made before King Edward the sixt in which he did earnestly speake of restitution to be made of thinges falsely gotten whych dyd so strike Bradford to the hart for one dash with a pen which he had made without the knowledge of his Maister as full often I haue heard him confesse with plentie of teares beyng Clarke of the Treasurer of the Kynges campe beyonde the teas was to the deceiuing of the King hat he could neuer be quyet tyll by the aduise of the same Maister Latimer a restitution was made Which thyng to bring to passe he did willingly forbeare and forgoe all the priuate and certaine patrimonie which he had in earth Let all bribers polyng offiâ—ers which get to them selues great reuenues in earth by such slibbery shiftes folow this example lest in taking a contraryecourse they take a contrary waye and neuer come where Bradford now is But besides this our Bradford had his dayly exercises and practises of repentance His maner was to make to hym selfe a Cataloge of all the grossest most enorme synnes which in his lyfe of ignorance he had committed and to lay the same before hys eyes when hes went
made Is there vnablenes with him Doth he loue for a day and so farewel No forsoth he loueth to the end his mercy endureth for euer Say therfore with Iob Operi manum tuarum porrige dexteram that is To the woorke of thy handes put thy helping hand Againe hath he not made thee a Christian man or womaÌ„ wher if he would he might haue made thee a Turke or Paynâ—â— Thys thou knowest he did of loue And doest thou thinke his loue is lessoned if thou lament thy synne Is his hand shortened for helping thee Can a woman forget the chylde of her wombe and though she should do it yet wyll not I forget thee saith the Lord He hath geuen thee lyms to see heare go c He hath geuen thee 〈◊〉 râ—ason discretion c. Hee hath long spared thee and borne with thee when thou neuer purposedst to repent and now then repenting wyll he not geue thee mercy Wherefore doth he geue thee to lyue at thys present to heare me to speake this and me to speake this but of loue to vs all Oh therfore let vs pray him that he would adde to this that we might beleue these loue tokens that hee loueth vs and in deede he wyll do it Lord open our eyes in thy giftes to see thy gratious goodnes Amen But to cary in this I wyll not Let euery man consider Gods benefites past and present publyke and priuate spiritual and corporall to the confirming of hys fayth concerning the promises of the Gospell for the pardon of hys synnes I wyll now go about to shew you a fourth meane to confirme your fayth in thys geare euen by examples Of these ther are in the scriptures very many as also dayly experiencâ— both diuersly teach the same if we were diligent to obserue things accordingly wherfore I wyl be more briefe herein hauyng respect to time which stealeth fast away Adam in Paradise transgressed greuously as the painfull punishment which we al as yet do feele proueth if nothing els Though by reason of hys syn he displeased God sore and ran away from God for he would haue hid him selfe yea hee would haue made God the causâ—â— of his syn in that he gaue him such a â—ate â—o farre was he from asking mercy yet all â—hys notwithstanding God turned his fâ—arâ—â— wrath neyther vpon him nor Eue which also required not mercy but vpon the the serpent Sathan promising vnto them a seene Iesus Christ by whom they at the length shuld â—e deliuered In token whereof though they were cast out of Paradise for their nurture so serue in sorow which would not serue in ioy yet he made them apparel to couer their bodies a visible Sacrament and token of his inuisible loue and grace concerning their soules If God was so merciful to Adam which so fore brake his coÌ„maundement rather blamed God then asked mercy trow est thou oh man that he wyll not be merciful to thee which blamest thy selfe and desirest pardon To Cain he offered mercy if he would haue asked it VVhat haâ—t thou done sayth God The voice of thy brothers bloud cryeth vnto me out of the earth Oh mercifuâ— Lord should Cain haue sayd I confesse it â–ª But alas he dyd not so and therfore said God Now that is in that thou desyrest not mercy now I say be thou accursed c. Loto the reprobate he offered mercy and will he denye it thee which art his child Noah did not he syn and was dronke Good Lot also both in Sodome dissembled a little with the Angels prolonging the time and out of Sodom he fell verye foule as did Iudas and the Patriarches against Ioseph but yet I weene they fouÌ„d mercy Moyses Myriam Aaron though they stumbled a litle yet receaued they mercy yea the people in the wyldernes often synned displeased God so that he was purposed to haue destroyed them Let me alone sayth he to Moyses that I may destroy them but Moyses dyd not let him alone for he praied styll for them and therefore God spared them If the people were spared through Moyses prayer they not praying with hym but rather woorshipping their golden calse eatyng drinking making â—olly good there why shouldest thou doubt whether God wil be merciful to thee hauing as in dede thou hast one much better then Moses to pray for thee and with thee euen Iesus Christ who sytteth on the â—ight hand of his father prayeth for vs being no lesse faythful in his fathers house the Church then Moyses was in the Synagoge Dauid y good Kyng had a foule foyle when he coÌ„mitted whordome with his faythful seruants wife Bethsabe wherunto he added also a mischeuous murther causing her husbaÌ„d his most faithful soldiour Ury to be slaine with an honest company oâ— his most valiant men of war that with the sweard of the vâ—circumcised In this his syn though a great while he lay a sleepe as many do nowe a dayes God geue them good waking thinking y by the sacrifices he offered all was wel God was content yea at length when the Prophet by aparable had opened the poke brought him in remembrance of his own synne in such sort that he gaue iudgement against himself then quaked he his sacriâ—ices had no more taken away his syns then our syr Iohns â—rentals and wag ging of his fiâ—gers ouer the heads of such as lye asleepe in their sins out of the which when they are awaked they wyl wel see that it is neyther Masse nor Mattinsâ— blessâ—ng nor crossyng wyll serue â—â—en I say he cryed out saying Peccaui Domino I haue synned layth he against my Lord good God which hath don so much for me I caused in deede Ury to bee killed I haue synned I haue sinned What shal I do I haue sinned and am worthy of eternall damnation But what saith God by his Prophet Dominus sayth he transtulit peccatum tuuÌ„ non morieris The Lord hath taken away thy syns thou shalt not dye Oh good God he ayd but Peccaui I haue synned out yet from his hart and not from the lyps onely as Pharao and Saule did incontineÌ„tly he heâ—reth Thou shalt not dye the Lord hath taken away thy fyns or rather hath layd theÌ„ vpon an other yea translated theÌ„ vpon the back of his sonne Iesus Christ who bare them not only them but thine myne also if that we wyl now cry but from our harts Peccauimus we haue sinned good Lord we haue done wyckedly enter not into iudgement wyth vs but be mercyful vnto vs after thy great mercy and according to the multitude of thy compassions do away our iniquities c. â—or in deede God is not the God of Dauid onely Idem deus omnium he is the God of all So that Quicuuque inuocauerit nomen domini saluus erit He or she whosoeuer they be that call vpon the name of the Lord shal be saued In confirmation
before we were who I say can thinke otherwyse but that with him he wyl geue vs al good thinges If when we hated him â—led away from him he sent his sonne to seeke vs who can thinke otherwise then that now we louing him and lamenting because we loue him no more but that he wyl for euer loue vs He that geueth the more to his enemies wil not he geue the lesse trow you to his friends God hath geuen his own sonne then which thing nothing is greater to vs hys enemies we now being becom his friendes wyll he deny vs fayth pardon of our sins which though they be great yet in comparison they are nothing at al Christ Iesus would geue his own selfe for vs when we willed it not wyll he now deny vs faith if we wyll it This wyl is hys earnest that he hath giuen vs truly to looke in deede for the thing wylled And looke thou for it in deede for as he hath geuen thee to wyl so wil he geue thee to do Iesus Christ gaue his lyfe for our euyls by his death delyuered vs Oh then in that he liueth now and cannot dye wyll he forsake vs â–ª His hart bloud was not to deare for vs when we asked it not what can then bee now to deare for vs asking it Is he a chaungeling Is he inutable as maÌ„ is Can he repent him of his gifâ—es Dyd he not foresee our falles Payd not he therefore the price Because he saw we should fal sore therefore would he suffer sore Yea if his suffering had not bene inough he would yet once more come again God the father I am sure if the death of his sonne incarnate would not serue wold himselfe the holy ghost also becom incarnate dye for vs This death of Christ therfore looke on as the very pledge of Gods loue towards thee whosoeuer thou art how deepe soeuer thou hast sinned See Gods hands are nailed they cannot strike thee hys feete also he cannot run troÌ„ thee his armes are wyde open to embrace thee his head hangs down so kysse thee his very hart is opeÌ„ so that therin see toâ—te looke spy peâ—pe and thou shalt see nothing therin but loue loue loue loue to thee hyde thee therfore lay thy head there with the Euangelist This is the clyft of the rocke wherein Helias stoode This is the pillow of down for all akyng heades Anoynt thy head wyth this oyle let this oyntment enbaulme thy head wash thy face Tary thou here cock sure thou art I warrant thee Say with Paul what can separate me from the loue of God Can death can pouerty sycknes hunger or any misery perswade thee now that God loueth thee not Nay nothing can separate thee from the loue wher wyth God hath loued thee in Christ Iesus whom he ioueth he loueth to the end So that â—ow where aboundaunce of syn hath â—en in thee the more is the aboudance of grace But to what end â–ª Forsoth that as syn hath raigued to death as theâ— seesâ— to the kylling of Gods sonne so now grace must raigne to lyfe to the honouring of Gods sonne who is now a lyue and cannot dye any more So that they which by â—ayth feele this caÌ„not any more dye to God â—â—t o syn whereto they are dead and buried with Christ As Christ therefore liueth so do they and that to God to righteousâ—â—s and holynes The life which they lyue is In fide filii bei in the faith of the sonne of God Wherby you see that now I am slipt into that which I made the third part of penance namely newnes of lyfe which I could not so haue done if that it were a part of it selfe in deede as it is au effect or fruit of the second part that is of fayth or trust in Gods mercy For hee that beleueth that is is certainly perswaded synne to be such a thing that it is the cause of al misery and of it self so greatly angereth God that in heauen nor in earth nothing could appease his wrath saue alonely the death and precious bloud sheddyng of the sonne of God in whom is all the delight and pleasure of the father he I say that is perswaded thus of syn the same caÌ„not but in hart abhor quake to do or say yea to thinke any thing willingly which Gods law teacheth him to be syn Agayne he that beleueth that is is certainly perswaded Gods loue to be so much to wards him that where through syn he was lost made a firebraÌ„d of hell the eternal father of mercy which is the omnisufficient God nedeth nothing to vs or of anithing that we can do to deliuer vs out of hel and to bring vs into heauen dyd send euen hys owne most deare sonne out of hys bosome out of heauen into hel as a man would say to bring vs as I sayd from theÌ„ce into his own bosom mercy we being hys very enemies he I say that is thus perswaded of Gods loue towards hym of the price of his redemptioÌ„ by the deare bloud of the Lambe imaculate Iesus Christ the same man cannot but loue God againe of loue do that hartely desire to do better the which myght please god Trow you that such a one knowing this geare by faith wil willingly walter wallow in his wilful lusts pleasures faÌ„tasies Wyll such a one as knoweth by faith Christ Iesus iâ— haue geuen his bloud to wash hym from hys syns play the Sow to walter in his puddle of filthy syn vyce againe Nay rather then he wil be defiled againâ— â–ª by wilful synning he wil wash often the feete of his affections watching ouer y vice styll sticking in hym which as a spring continuallye sendeth out poison inough to drown defile him if the sweete water of Christes passioÌ„ in Gods syght did not wash it his bloud satisfy the rigour of Gods iustice due for the same Thys bloud of Christ shed for our sins is so deare in the sight of him that beleueth that he wyâ—l abhorre in his hart to stampe it tread it vnder his feete He knoweth now by his beliefe that it is to much that he therto hee hath set to little by it and is ashamed therof Therefore for the residue of hys lyfe he purposeth to take better beede to himselfe then before he did Because he seeth by hys faith the greuousnes of Gods anger the foulnes of syn the greatnes of Gods mercy of Christes loue towardes him he wyll now be heedye to pray to God to geue hym his grace accordingly that as with his eyes toung handes feete c. he hath displeased God doing his own wyl euen so now with the same eyes toung eares handes feete c. he may displease his own selfe and do Gods wyll Willingly wyll hee not doo that which myght renue the death of the sonne of God He