that lyueth here in the ayre gyue them selfe to serue the deuyll rather then God / and many mo there is that serue the deuil then god / for there is many mo vnfaythfull then faythfull / mo synners then good lyuers / mo that folowe the honours of the worlde / the pleasures of the flesshe / then that truely serueth god by true fayth and faythfull workes of charyte commaunded in the scrypture / mo that abuse the gooddes of the worlde then that vse them as they shulde do / of all abusers of goodes of the worlde the deuyll is the Prynce and captayne / for they do the wyll of the deuyl so we maye learne of whome the deuyll is prynce / what he maketh his seruauntes to do / workes of darcknes / and deathe / and where he vseth his power / here in the ayre where as euyl men lyueth folowyng the lustes of the flesshe / worldely honours / and pleasures of men / sekinge theyr owne pleasure more then goddes glorye / or the profyte of theyr neyghboure 5. Amonge whome we also had our coÌ„uersation / as he shulde say / nat only you Gentiles were deade by syn / going frome one synne to an other doynge the wyll of the prince of the ayre / but also all we Iewes were dead by sinne / had deserued euerlastyng death for our syn worthye to haue bene for euermore excluded the kingdom of heauen / wherfore insomuch the we with you be delyuered from syn / death / hel / eternal dampnacyon / it is is nat to be imputed to our merytes or deseruinges but only to the goodnes of God / to whome we Iewes gyue thankes glorifye god for it / as you Gentyles / for God by his sonne Iesus Christ hathe delyuered vs all from death 6. Men that be out of the fauor of god walke frome one synne to an other / do the lustes of theyr flesshe / and of theyr owne wyll contrary to the wyll of god / here we maye learne what we can do of our selfe / leste to our owne myghtes and powers yf we lacke the grace of God / surely we can do nothing elles but sinne / and folowe the desyres of our corrupte fleshe / as adultery glotony / drunkennes / Enuy / malyce / tancor hatred / pride / couitousnes / error heresy Idolatry / other suche lyke of the which commeth death eternal dampnacion 7. And were naturally the chyldren of wrath aswell as other Saint Paule extolethe the Iewes nothynge aboue the Gentyls as touchyng health iustifycacyon and lyfe euerlastynge / but maketh the Iewes and the Gentyles equall shewing them doth by their owne nature to be children of wrath and of dampnacyon that al prayse and glorye myght be gyuen onely to God for our iustifycacyon / forgyuenes of synne / and the gyfte of lyfe euerlastyng in ioye and blysse and no parte ascrybed to man to mannes myght or power merites or deseruynges ¶ But god which is ryche in mercy throughe his greate loue wherwith he loued vs / euen whan we were deade in synnes hath quyckened vs with Christ for by grace are ye saued and hathe raysed vs vp with hym / and set vs vp with hym in heauenly thinges through Chryst Iesus that in tymes to coÌ„e he myght shewe the excedynge ryches of his grace in kyndenes to vs warde in Christ Iesu The Apostle nowe sheweth howe that bothe the Iewes and the Gentyles deade by synnes haue opteyned lyfe nat by their owne merites / but onely by the grace of god / and that whan all hope of lyfe was paste after mannes iudgement or by the myghtê of maÌ„nes nature for howe coulde there be any hope of lyfe of them whiche were by nature the chyldren of the wrathe of god / and condeÌ„ned to deathe But then god whiche is by nature good / gentyl and mercyfull / ryche in mercy Of his greate charite and loue towarde vs hathe restored vs deade by synne to lyfe agayne by Iesus Christe / and that nat of our good workes / but frely and for Christes sake only / by whome is our lyfe The goodnes of god in this poynt is more to be noted towarde vs. That he hath loued vs whan we were his enemies euyll wycked synners that then he wolde nat suffre vs to perysshe in our synnes / but hath delyuered vs frome deathe to lyfe to be heyres of his kyngdome 2. And that he wolde make vs sure of perpetuall healthe and lyfe He sayeth that god hath quyckened vs raysed vs agayne with Christe and made vs to syt amonge the heauenly company with Christe / and that by the onely mercy grace of god by the which we are saued Here the Apostle speketh in the tyme past for the tyme to come / for the certayntie of the thynge to come by Christe And leaste anye shulde be wauerynge in hope or doubtefull of the promysses of God to be fulfylled as at mannes promysses God wylleth that men shulde be as sure of his ê“misses as yf they were receyued in dede by fayth and hope of them / whiche hope is neuer disceyued 3. The raysyng vp of Christe from death to lyfe maketh vs sure that we shall aryse fromde deathe to lyfe Ye we whiche are in this laste tymes in the whiche thynge is shewed the ryche grace of god / and his myghty power to all the worlde and for all tymes ⧠FOR by grace are ye saued throughe fayth that nat of your selues for it is the gyfte of god nat of workes lest any man shulde boste hym sealfe For we are his workmanshype created in Christe Iesu vnto good workes to the whiche god ordeyned vs before that we shulde walke in them ♣ Here we may lerne of Paule oftymes if nede be to repete one thynge whiche we wolde haue surely knoweÌ„ / and prynted in mennes hertes / specially this thyng / that our saluation coÌ„meth nat of our selfe / of our workes or merites of man / but onely of the grace of god throughe faythe In the which wordes saynt Paule reproueth all theÌ„ that thynke our iustification dothe come by other thynges then by the grace of god by Christe as by prayers / beades halowed at Syon / by masses of Scala celi / by rosaryes of our Lady / by saint Francis gyrdle / cote / coule or habit / hose / shoes or botes / gyrdeles / purse or knyfe / matyns masses or euen songe / or any other suche lyke without the grace of god without fayth of the which cometh lyfe euerlastyng 2. To fayth in the scripture is attributed our iustification / nat because fayth is the author of our iustification For the author of our iustification is Christe / but iustification is attributed to fayth because faythe receyueth the mercy of god beleueth the promysses of god made to iuste men and beleuers to be fulfylled So faythe is the organe the meane by the whiche we perceyue our
them agayn that suffreth for theyr sakes for theyr helthe Thus saynt Paule opteyned the fauoure of these Ephesyans and of the gentyles 2 Paule caste in pryson nat for his synnes or any notable fautes or crymes / but because he preached to the Gentyles the Gospell of Christe by the whiche the GeÌ„tyles were delyuered from synne / deathe / hell and eternall damnation and made good / iuste / and opteyned eternal lyfe and partakers of the heuenly inheritaunce / this Saynte Paule sheweth that it is no newe thynge that true preachers of goddes worde to be caste in prisone and suffer paynes for the Gospels sake of euyll men he moueth theÌ„ to take pacieÌ„tly theyr patnes in prysone and afflyccyons that they may be with Paule the prysoner of Christ suffrynge onely for the Gospels sake and nat for theyr owne fautes crimes / or deseruynges 3 Learne here that a good and an holy man saynt Paule ye an apostle of Christ was caste in prisone / nat for no euyll / but for good for preachynge of the Gospel to the saluacion of the people He was caste in prisone of an euyll man and of a cruell tyrante called Nero an Emperour of Rome At whose coÌ„maundement saynt Paul was caste in prison and leyd in fetters / so the good Apostle of God was in pryson / and the euyll tyrante Nero at libertie / so god suffereth in thys worlde the euyll maÌ„ to haue the vpper hande of the good man ye god suffreth that the good is punyshed in this worlde / and the euyll escapes punyshemente / but in the worlde to come the good shal be in ioye / and the euyll in payne This place sheweth playnly that saynte Paule was in pryson when he wrote this Epistle to these Ephesyans / whose helthe he more regarded then his delyueraunce out of prisone 4 These that put saynte Paule in pryson / peraduenture they thought they dyd an acceptable worke or sacrifice to god so doynge / thynkynge Paule a greate malefactour a breker of yeâ—aw they thought it was nat laweful that the Gospel shulde be preached to the Gentyles / ye agayne the lawe of god / that forbad the Iewes to haue company with the Gentyles / or to make mariages with the Gentiles / much more they thought it was nat lawfull to preache the Gospell to the Gentyles / whiche was a thynge hyd from the worlde / neuer herde leson before / therfore they castynge Saynte Paule in pryson thought they dyd an hye sacrifice to god / suche meÌ„ full of theyr good zeales but without goddes worde hath ben amoÌ„ges vs that hath caste men in prison for preachynge that it was lawfull for lay men or lay women to haue the new Testamente in Englyshe / we maye se what blynde zeales without goddes worde dothe / and howe it hathe euer caste the true seruaÌ„tes of God in pryson and brought to trouble / payne / punyshement infamy in the worlde / although they were the newe and faythfull seruantes of god But at the laste god delyuered his seruantes / and punyshed these blynde â—eales and so he wyll do nowe / if they wyl nat repent and amende 5 Accordynge as you haue herde of the office of the grace of God gyuen to me towarde you Here the Apostle sheweth the disposition of the Gospel was commytted to him / nat of him selfe / nor yet of his wyl mynde / merites / or deseruynges but alone of the mere mercy and grace of god / and that when it pleased god to cal him by reuelacion from his inquite and synne as is wryten Actes .9 .22 that the hole prayse and lawde maye be gyuen nat to man / but to god alone / of the whiche we may lerne that true preachers of goddes worde be sente of God / for the saluacyon of men to whome the Gospell is purely preached it is a sure token that god wyll saue those to whome he sendes true preachers of his worde / of the herers part is requyred that they shulde dylygently heare the worde of God / gyue credence to it / and lyue accordynge to goddes doctryne / or elles it profiteth them nothynge / the Gospell truely preached of faythful men sende of god 6 When ye rede it ye may perceyue myn vnderstande in the mystery of Christe / as he shulde saye I haue shewed you before â— I was called to be the minister of god / receyued the knowledge of the Gospel by reuelacion / and that office committed to me of God to preache the Gospell of Christe Iesus to the Gentiles / whiche thyng you may konwe yf you wyll rede that I haue wryten before in these wordes he gyueth them libertie to reade this Epistle / wyllyth that they shuld perfectly knowe what thinges he had writen to them / this place maketh agaynst them that wolde nat the laye people shulde reade the scriptures in there vulgare tonge Saynt Paule wolde haue had his wrytinges knowen of euery one / bothe prest lay man and lay woman / that euery one myght haue profyte by his wrytynge / what profyte I pray you shuld the lay man haue of it if it were nat lawefull for hym to rede it in the language he vnderstandeth 7 In tymes paste this mistery was nat opened to the chyldren of men What was this mystery that was hyd from the chyldren of men in tymes paste It was the open preachynge of Christes gospel as wel to the GeÌ„tyles as to the Iewes and that the Gentyles shulde be saued by / Christe as the Iewes / and that the gentyles perteyned to the heuenly inheritaunce as the Iewes / this mystery was nat knowen to the worlde to Christes incarnacion / and to after his death chefely / it was knowen to a fewe that beleued both of the Iewes and also of the Gentyles whiche was saued by fayth in Christ to come before christes incarnacion / but they were sene in coÌ„parison to them that dyd nat know it / and therfore it was couÌ„ted to be hyd from the worlde / and also these that beleuyd dyd knowe that the gospell shulde come to the Gentyles and by it there saluacyon / yet they knewe it nat so clerely howe it shulde come / and by what meanes / as these that were after Christes incarnacion and beleued in Christe / nor yet there was nat so many before Christes incarnacion that beleued in Christ as was after / for this mistery was shewed muche more playnlye / more clerely to mo after Christes passion then before his passion / for as Saynte Hierome sayeth / that it is another thyng in the spirite to knowe thynges to come / rose them fulfylled in dede This mystery of the gospel to be preached to the geÌ„tiles was so hyd frome men / that the Apostles of Christe dyd nat knowe it at the begynnynge / and dyd doute whether it were lawfull for them to preache the gospell to the Gentyles or no /
the profyte of other For what purpose and ende good workes are to be done it is shewed Ephe. 2 Where the Apostle sayeth We are nat iustifyed of workes / leaste any shulde reioyse but by grace through fayth There yf you please you may se my mynde ⧠Let no fylthy communication procede out of youre mouthe but that whiche is good to edifye with all / when nede is / that it be gracious to heare / and greue nat the holy spirite of God / wherwith ye are sealed vnto the daye of redemptyon let al bitternes and fearfulnes and wrath / and roryng and cursed speakynge be farre from you with all malyciousnes / but be ye curteous one to another mercyfull and forgyue one another euen as god hathe forgyuynge you in Christe ⧠The Apostle exhorteth men to flee al vncleane spekynge and all fylthy communication / and wylleth thē to speake clenly honest wordes to the edyfyenge of other in Christe / and nat to make sadde the holy gooste whiche is greued at fylthy communication and vncleane wordes / whiche be sygnes of a fylthy and vnlceane harte / for of abundaunce of harte the tonge speaketh The Apostle forbyddeth all fylthy communication or vncleane wordes in all companyes of men / as t dyner or souper or any other bankettes / and in these wordes he reproueth mynstrels / gesters or raylers / that vse fylthy or vncleane wordes / songes / raylynge or gestynge to delyte the eares of the heaters / with baudye songes or rebaldry wordes / ye the Apostle reproueth all them that haue pleasure in suche vncleane wordes or songes / in the whiche many haue pleasure and can nat be mery without they haue a gester that can make hym and al gestes merye with fylthy wordes / and vncleane communycation / with the whiche great mennes rables be furnyshed / and theyr gestes made merye glad at the whiche greate men do laughe So the breakynge of goddes cōmaundemente is counted a pastyme and a pleasure But let all suche take hede / for it wyl be no pastyme at the last day / when we shall make answere for euery idle worde Math. 12. Muche more we shall make aunswere for euery noosome worde / and vnprofytable / therfore let euery man refrayne his longe from speakyng of fylthy wordes / and his eares from hearynge of vncleane commucacion / and from pleasure in the same / in this poynt we shal nat prouoke God to powre his vengeaunce vpon vs / nor yet feare the reckeynynge at the laste daye for nosome and vncleane wordes / but let our cōmunication be to the glorye of god / to the edyfyeng of another 2 Fylthy communycatyon greueth the holy ghost gyuen to vs to be as surenes of the heauenly inheritaunce promysed to vs of god Yf we faythfully beleue walke in goddes commaundementes / accordyng to his pleasure 3 He exhorteth men also to put awaye al bytternes / yre / wrathe / malyce / enuye / hatred / raylyng / and cursed speakyng one of another and al blasphemy agaynst god and al other vices with the affections and concupyscence of the flesshe / and wylleth that we shulde put vertue in theyr places as gētylnes / mekenes / mercifulnes redynes one to forgyue another / that they might opteyne of god mutuall mercy forgyuenes of theyr sinnes ¶ The fyfthe Chapiter to the Ephesyans ⧠BE YE the folowers therfore of God as deare chyldren and / walke in loue euen as Christe loued vs / and gaue hym selfe for vs an offeryng and sacryfyce of a swete sauoure vnto God IN the ende of the Chapiter that goeth before he exhorteth vs to mutuall forgyuenes by the example of god the father Nowe goeth he forwardes with the same exhortacion mouyng vs to be folowers / nat of this world / the fleshe or the deuyl nat of sayntes departed but in these thynges that they were folowers of God / but that we shulde be folowers of God and to folowe his fote steppes This place reproueth al them that wyll nat be folowers of god / but of them selfe / of theyr owne mind wyl and pleasure / folowers of the worlde of worldly honoures and pleasures / and gyue them selfe holy to the worlde and to worldely facions and maners / or wyll folowe theyr sensual pleasures of theyr flesshe and the lustes or desyres of it This place reproueth all them that wyl nat folow God / nor his holy worde / but wyl folowe them selfes / there wyl workes / there owne good zeales / or intentes / or workes inuēted of them selfe or of men / and leue the workes commaunded of God vndone / as many hathe done prefertynge pardons / pylgrimage / payntynge of stockes or stones / aboue workes commaunded of God to be done This place also reproueth all them that wyll nat be folowers of God / but they wyll go before god or els wyll be felowes or rhecinat with god Some their is that go before god / that preferreth men before God / or mennes lawe mennes decrees traditiōs / statutes / religiousnes / ceremonies or other lyke ordinaunces inuented by man preferrynge these thynges aboue goddes lawe / or goddes commaundemente / and wyll punysshe muche more greuously the breakyng of mannes lawe / mannes tradition / a dum ceremonye brokyng or omitted / thē the breakyng of goddes cammaundement / all suche do nat folow god / but go before god There be some also that wyll go equall with god and be checkmate with hym / whiche he they that make mānes traditions / lawes or ceremonies inuented of man equall with goddes lawe / and thynke them selfe as well boūde to kepe mannes traditions or ceremonies as goddes lawe / suche there hath ben many in religion / and I feare there is as yet that so thynke / that thynk it is deadly sine to omytte any part of mannes traditions ceremonies / or customes vsed / this thynge maketh me so to beleue / because theyr is more punyshement for a tradition of man omytted then for breakynge of goddes cōmaundementes / and more cryeng out of a mannes law broken then for the breking of Goddes lawe / and many that thynke mannes lawe byndeth as well the consciēce / as Goddes lawe / and all one thynge to omytte the one as the other All suche folowe nat god / but go cheke by cheke with god and make man equal with god Al suche the Apostle here reproueth / and al thē that wyl twyne to much on the ryght hād or left hāde nat folowe Christe streight forthe declynynge to nother hande 2 He wylleth that we shulde walke in loue as dere beloued children / yt behoueth chyldren to folowe their father to shewe their father in maners / conditions in al goodnes / and it is a shame for the sonne to shrynke frome the vertue of his father / in loue therfore it behoueth vs to folowe our father of heauen / whiche of his great loue to vs / dyd