¶ The summe of the holye scripture and ordinarye of the Christen teachyng the true Christen faithe by the which we be all iustified And of the vertue of baptesme after the teaching of the Gospell and of the Apostles with an informacyon howe all estates shulde lyve accordynge to the Gospell Anno. M. CCCCC.XXIX Academiae Cantabrigiensis Liber SEing that all persones can not rede or vnderstonde all bokes to th eÌ„tent that every man may knowe whate ys the foundacyon of all the scriptures and whate thinge they do teache vs. I haue shortly compyled in this present boke the foundacyon and the somme of the holy scripture of the which the hede and princypall is the faith â—from whome procede hope and charite To thintent that euery maÌ„ may knowe whate he shall beleve whate he shall hope whye he shall love god and howe god is oure father and we hys children and howe that we be enheriters of the kingdome of god as shewith vnto vs saint Paul in all his epistles in divers chaptersâ— whiche be many tymes alleged and recyted in this present boke Also howe that without oure merites we be iustified to thintent that we shuld not put oure trust in oure good workes as dyd the Iues. Neverthelesse albeit that I wryte in this boke that God iustifieth vs wyth out oure good workes and merites it ys not myne entent to discounsell eny maÌ„ to do good werkes but myne euient is to teche all persones howe they shall do the werkes and that they shall not trust vpoÌ„ theire good werkes nor in theym to seke theire helâ—â—â— â–ª but all only in the feith of Iesu Christ and in the grace of god This faith had Abraham as writeth saint Paule vnto the Romayns Ro. 4. For Abraham beleved agaynst hope in hope That is to saye that whiche by mannes nature and vertue was impossible he beleved alwayes hit shulde come to passe evyn as god had promysed them So must every christen lyve ageinste hope in hope that is to sey hit behoveth that he repute all his good workes for sinne and thinke that if god wolde iudge him accordinge to his workes he might not be saved For if I haue done eny good hit is of God and not of me for I haue done it by the grace of God and therby I deserve no reward And if I haue done eny thinge of my silfe without the grace of god hit is ypochrisye and greate sinne and therby I deserve euerlastinge deth wherfore then shall I trust in my good workes for I haue no good workes all my goodnesse belongeth to god So shulde a christeÌ„ huÌ„ble him silfe and repute all his good workes for sinne as truely they be As sheweth vnto vs Esaye saying all oure rightuousnes be as a clothe polluted with the floures af a woman Esa. 64 â–ª And when the person so distrusteth of him silfe and of his good workes he shall hope agayn ageinst hope and shall trust in the mercy of God and shall beleve forth on certaynly that he shal be saved bycause of the worde of God For god hath promysed to vs his realme to all theym that trust in him and god is faithfull and veritable in his wordes wherfore seyng that god hath promysed it vnto vs â–ª let vs beleve it stebfastly and haue ferme fayth that we shal be saved not by oure deserving but by the promyses of god And so it behoveth that euery christen dispere aÌ„d hope as dyd Abraham dispeyre of him silfe and then a newe to trust in the worde of god And these be the two thinges which the lawe and the gospell doth The lawe maketh vs to dispeyre because that we never fulfill the coÌ„maundementes of god â–ª These gospell that is to say the grace of the newe testament maketh vs agayn certeynly to hope and to trust And for to teache these two thynges be wrytten all the criptâ—res The parson shall alweyes abideâ—â— humylyte and alweyes thynke that if god wolde iudge hym according to hys workes he shulde never come vnto helth As sheweth vnto vs Iesus christe in Lu. 17 S. Kuke sayng when ye haue done all the thinges whiche to you are commauded say ye we be vnprousitable servauntes we haue done but oure dutye And thys is the verey Christen humylite as in this present boke shal be more pleynly declared And if we can thus repute all oure good workes for sinne aÌ„d in theym to have no maner of trust and then ageyn beleve that we shal be saved by the promyses of god we be the children of Abraham of whome all the scriptures bere witnesse that by his faith he was iustified and gat helth And for that cause he is called the father of belevers and of the feithfull And this ys the fayth wherof I wryte here iÌ„ this boke to thintent that all parsones myght come to knowledge and knowe whate ys the Christen sayth Of the whyche all the scriptures do speake and namely the Gospell after S. Iohn and the epistles of S. Paule for heryn do these two apostles coÌ„prehend all other scripture And for bicause that it behoueth that the parson beleve that his faith iustifieth him and not his workes I haue shortly compyled here and declared howe the fayth doth iustifie vs and howe we be the children of God and howe we must serve oure father by charite and howe that we shalt nothyng doubt of oure helth bycause of the wordes of God And when a parson getteth thys hope he learneth to bere pacyenly all tribulacyon and adversite For he knoweth that this lyfe ys not hys lyfe and hath greate desyre aftrr the other lyfe and holdeth not this lyfe for hys And this maketh the fayth the whiche ys alwayes affectuously attendaunte after Christ oure espouse But he that hath not this fayth is all desolate when he hath mysfortune and yf to hym yt happon well he gyveth hym silfe to voluptuosite and sinne And for bicause he hath no hope of the everlasting life he thinkes in him silf I will vse this life as long as it is leÌ„t me And that he doth bicause he knoweth not whate oure feith is whate our hope is howe that we be the children of God To thintent therfore that none gyue him silfe to sinne by desperacion I have shortly compyled in this present boke howe that we be iustified with out oure merites For when eny parson hath done his best with all his power as I haue seyd then let him say yet that he is an vnproufitable servaunt And the humble her te wherby he knowlegith his imperfection maketh that his sinnes his evell thoughtes and the fragilite of his flesshe to him be pardoned of god and that lytell that he hath god gyveth it him of him silfe and god is his iustice that is to saye god maketh him rightuous for Iesu christ hath satisfied for vs vnto his heveÌ„ly father for to come in socoure to oure infirmite And this describeth
do with vs ▪ for we be his we live or dye saith saint Paule Ro. 14. For this cause he that with a stedfast faith suffereth and endureth paciently all thinges tribulacions is a christen And this is the faith and the stedfast stone vppon the whiche the cristente is founded For in this doing we beleve ād trust stedfastly that god is oure father and that he will not forsake vs albeit that nowe he do here chastise vs for as I haue sayd there can be no more certayn signe that god loveth the. thē whē sorowe and tribulacion happeneth vnto the. for all the scriptures of the newe testament promyse vs here nothing but sorow and sufferaunce ¶ Of the most certayn weye to come to salvacyon Chaptre v. THis must euery Christē knowe that none syns the tyme of Adam vnto this day hath deserved the euerlasting life by his good workes And that none by his good workes shall deserve it Hebre. 7 as writeth saint Paule vnto the Hebrewes The lawe hath brought nothing vnto perfection wherfore all they do erre that thinke that then they shal be saved whē they haue done many good workes And like wise all they that thinke that they shal be dampned when they have done no good For good workes make no mā certeyn that he shal be saved And he that hath done no good is not also certeyn that he shal be dampned The workes can gyve no maner certeynte For the Pharisey that had done moche good whiche loked for grete reward of god was reproved and despised Luke ◠As writeth saint Luke where the pharisey thanked god that he was not as other were extorcioners vniust aduoutrers nor as the publican was and bosted him silf of his good workes And the publican that had done no good and confessed mekely his sinnes was of God receyved vnto grace for this cause to thintent that euery man may knowe that god hath no nede of oure good workes for to save vs with all I will declare here first how we be iustified and obteyne helth First we must knowe that by the originall sinne we were made subiectes and servauntes vnto the devell and none yn the world mought helpe vs for all mankinde was dettoure vnto God And that worse was we did not knowlege oure mysery nor are socoure of god Then when there was no comforte nor meane to helpe vs and to deliver vs ageyne from the subiection of the devell Oure god almightye by his greate mercy and goodnesse of him silf hath willingly suffred that his onely begotten son Iesu Christ was made mortall man for vs to thintent that by his deth whiche he had not deserved he might by vs ageyn and delyuer vs from eternal deth wherunto we were all subiectes As writeth saint Paule saying Ro. 5 If it be so that by the sinne of one man that is to sey of Adam deth hath reygned vppon many moche more the grace of god and the gyft of grace of one man Iesuchrist aboundeth vppon many Ephe. 2 And vnto the Ephesians Blessed be God father of oure lorde Iesu christ whiche hath blessed vs with a spirituall benediction by his son Christ. Thus is this grace comen hoelly to vs from god of his goodnesse and not by oure meryte or good workes For we dyd not knowlege oure bondage and subiectyon nor dyd not ones desyre to be delyvered from oure myserye Then for asmoche as the devell dyd se◠honde vppon Chryst to whome he had no right for bicause he had not sinned christ hath gotten right vppon vs agaynst the devell and hath made vs fre and delyvered vs and we be made his heyres and all his glory is ours as saint Paule doth largely declare in all his epistles This hath God gyven vs without oure deservyng and we nede not to laboure for these thinges For we haue all this alredy As witnessith saynt Iohn saying Iohn ◠Behold whate love the father hath shewed on vs that we shuld be called the children of God And in the same chapter sayeth he Derely beloved nowe are we the children of god This helth hath god gyven to vs willingly by hys sonne Iesu Christ. For Iesu Christ ys bycome man to satisfie vnto hys father for vs and to make oure peace with hys father Ro. 3 And as writeth Saynt Paule vnto the Romayns sayīg we be iustified frely by the grace of God and by the redempcyon whyche ys in Iesu Christ. So ys Christ made a mediator and a peace maker bywene God the father and man As sayeth saynt Paule vnto the Hebrewes he may make theym safe for ever that come vnto god by hym Hebre. 7 he is allweyes lyving for to praye for vs Suche an hyghe prest it becometh vs to haue whiche is holy harmles vndefiled separat from sinners and made hygher thē hevens And by his deth it is graūted vs that we be christen and children of God Gala. 3. As lyke wise teacheth saint Paule saying Ye are all the children of God by the faith whiche is in Iesu christ And for asmocheas Iesu christ is made man he is also made oure brother And seyng we be his bretheren we be also heyres of his glory whiche he hath with his father as sayth saint Paule vnto the Romayns whiche hath not spared his owne sonne Ro. 8. but hath gyvē him for vs all howe shall he not also gyue vnto vs all thinges with him We be then sure that all that is Iesu Christes is ours if we can beleve it Some man mought demaund Hath god the father willingly gyven vs all this hath none deserved it No truely None hath deserved it None by his deserving or good workes hath enduced god to do this But he hath done it of him silf and by his greate mercy Hiere 3◠as saieth the prophete Ieremy In a perpetuell charite I haue loved the And therfore haue I had compassion on the and haue taken the to mercy Iohn 3. And Iesu christ saieth in the gospell of saint Iohn God hath so loved the world that he hath gyven his onely begotten sonne to thintent that whosoever beleve yn him shuld not perisshe but haue everlastīg life as wryteth S. Paule If a lawe had byn gyven which might haue iustified the iustice shuld haue byn truely of the lawe Gala. ◠But the scripture hath concluded all vnder sinne to thintent that the promyse shuld be gyven vnto the belevers by fayth And vnto the Romayns If God be for vs who is he that may be againste vs as though he wold saye Ro. 7. None for we haue receyved all thing of god with his sonne But whate thing haue we receyved this lybertye from the subiection of the devell that is remission of all sinnes that ys the ioy and glory of the everlastinge life And this hath god gyven vnto vs by his sonne as saint Paule sayeth vnto the Hebruwes The bloude of Christ whiche by the holy
may in no wise be done to get money but alonely by loue yn praying one for an other Behold nowe seest thou well howe grete occasyon thou hast to do good For thou hast alweyes occasion to mortyfie thine evill desires to serve thyne neyghboure to comfort hym to helpe hym with worke with worde with counceyl with exhortacyon and by other semblable meanes In suche loue towardes oure neyghboure for the loue of God lyeth all the lawe and the prophetes as sayeth Christ Ye and all the verey Christente and nat in fasting keping of halydayes watching praying and synging long prayers dayly and all day hering of masses setting vp of candels runnyng on pilgremages and other suche thinges whiche aswell the ypochrites proude people envious and subiectes to all wikked affections doo Ye aÌ„d many tymes enforce theym silf more there vnto then the good christen But so to serve and socoure the one the other by verey love can none do but they that haue true faith and the verey love of god And whosoever so loveth his christen brother he is alweyes ioyfull in his conscience For he knoweth surely that he is the child of god and that God is his good father and is well content in his courage of all that god sendeth vnto him But he that hath not this love is alweyes sory full of anguisshe and woteth not whate to do to deserve more he fasteth he kepeth halydayes nowe of one saint nowe of an other He seyth his prayers nowe bifore one altre nowe bifore an other He renneth on pilgremage nowe here nowe there and can never come vnto the rest and quyet of his coÌ„science For suche workes make no man sure but make rather ypochrites trustyng in they re workes But the verey faithfull cleveth to god for he knoweth that he may never satisfie nor do ynough to deserve the everlasting life And therfore he putteth hys trust yn god beleveth stedfastly that he hath satisfied for vs that he hath iustifyed vs. And therfore it is all one to hiÌ„ whate thiÌ„g he do so that he please him exercyse charyte to his neyghbour for the love of god for he knoweth that God demaundeth nothing but the hert aÌ„d that he regardeth not howe we doo the worke so that yt be according to the teachiÌ„g of the gospell whiche commaundeth but charyte And so comith he by feyth and trust in God vnto rest and quyet of hert and conscience and is well coÌ„tent to dye wheÌ„ it pleaseth god ¶ Of .iiij. maner of feythes after the holy scripture and whiche is the Christen feyth Chaptre .xiij. THis present Chapitre bycause I haue moche spoken of faith that scarcely of a thousand one knoweth not this feith teacheth of how many maner feithes there is made meÌ„cioÌ„ in the holy scripture not as do now the doctours whiche have founde many maner of feythes I will onely speke of iiij maner of feithes whiche are most comunely fouÌ„de in the holy scripture The first faith is this whiche the marchauntes hold one to an other and feithfull frendes wherby they kepe promyse and fidelite the one to the other Eccle. 2â—â—nd 27 wherof speketh the wise saying possesse or kepe feith with thy frende in his povertye to thintent that in his welth thou mayst be ioyfull And ageyn he that discloseth the secret of his frende loseth his faith And in the Proverbes He that gyveth his faith for a straunger shall be vexed with evell And this is the faith wherof the worldly people complaine seying there is no feith in the worlde The seconde feith is when we beleve that a thing is to come and suche thinges as we here or rede as we beleve that Rome is a Cytie in Italye or that Cartage was destroyed of the Romayns and this we beleve although we haue not sene yt Also we beleve that Iesu Christ hath he relyved on erth and that he hath preached and that he is dâ—ed for vs and that he hath done many other thinges when we beleve these thinges after the story we beleve that this is oure christen faith The simple people aloneli doth not beleve this but also many doctours in Theologye which are taken for wise Ye the devell hath also this faith as sayeth saint Iames The devels beleve and tremble Ia. 2. for as we haue seyd byfore the devell beleveth that god is god and that Iesus Christ hath here preached that he was deed buryed rysen This must we also beleve but yet this is not the faith wherof speaketh the gospell and saint Paule The third faith is that we beleve that god may all thinges and that he is rightuous good and holye This faith haue also the devels and Iudas had it also aÌ„d other disciples that did miracles in the name of Iesus but they were therfore never the better for when they bosted theym silves and were ioyfull that by they re faith they expulsed the devils in the name of Iesus Lu. 10 Iesus Christ hath reproved them saying Ioy not you that the spretes be vnder your power but reioyce bicause youre names be writen in heven 1. Cor. 1â— Of this fayth writeth saint Paule vnto the Corinthians saying If that I had all feith so that I coude move mountaignes oute of they re places and yet had no love I were nothing The .iiij. faith is oure Christen fayth wherof so moche speake Iesu christ saynt Paule and saint Iohn and sey that it ys the foundacion of christendome And this is the feith wherof I speake in this boke None hath this faith but they that put all they re trust hope comfort refuge and fynally all theire helth in god alone serching all these thinges in him and loking for theÌ„ of him and not of they re deservinges or good workes Of this feith speaketh saint Paul saying whosoever call on the name of god shal be saved Ro. 10 And the prophete Ieremye Blessed is that man that trusteth in the lord god Iere. 17 And Christ in the Gospell To thinient that none that beleve in him shuld periss he but shuld haue everlasting life Iohn 3 And in the boke called ParalipomenoÌ„ Beleve in your lord God and you shal be assured and without thought Pa. 20 Beleve his Prophetes and all happy thinges shal come vnto you And almost all the Psalmes all the prophetes and all the leves of the holy Byble teache vs that we must beleve and hope in God by a sted fast fayth wherof speaketh so moche Saynt Paule the apostle and whiche he prayseth so moche in all hys epistles And as we haue abundauntly sayd in the Chaptres byfore none may comprehend thys fayth but he that considereth whate was the fayth of Abraham As wryteth saynt Paule vnto the Galathyans saying Abraham beleved God and yt ys rekened to hym for ryghtuousnesse Ga. â— For by hys fayth hath he obteyned that he ys called oure father and we be called hys children
yn the holye scripture that ys to sey we be the childern of the fayth For by the meane of oure fayth we be saved as Abraham was iustified by his fayth and hath gotten by hys fayth that all they that shall haue suche fayth may lyke wyse be iustyfyed For this cause whosoever hath not the fayth of Abraham nothing can come vnto hym of that whiche Abraham beleved That ys to say when God ys not thy hope and thy comforte when thou abydest not wyth a stedfast trust vppon God when thou art not redy to suffer and endure all thinges namely also the deth for the loue and honour of god And also to lose all that thou hast in the world thou art not the childe of Abraham For Abraham was redy to all thinges wherunto god wold send hym Suche was Iob when he sayed Iob. 13 Albeit that he kill me I will put my trust in him And the wise saieth Pro. 12 Whatsoever thing come to the rightuous let him not sorowe And saint Paâ—le saieth who shall separat vs from the love of Iesu Christ Ro .8 shall tribulacion persecucion â—werd or deth And as saint Petre saieth 1. Pet. 3. who is he that may hurte you if ye be haunters and folowers of goodnesse For all that ever comyth vnto the when thou hast this feith be it of maÌ„ or of the devell all comyth to thy proufit As saieth saint Paule vnto the Romains To theym that love God all thinges be helping and avauncement to good Ro. 8. And therfore pray we alweyes that the will of god be done For as he is not here come as he seyd him silf to do his will Mat. 6. but the will of his hevenly father So shall Iohn 5 not the good Christen desyre that hys owne will be done but the will of God And therfore shalt thou bere al thinges paciently as did Abraham with a stedfast feyth knowing surely that god will not forsake the for god is thy father and thou art his childe And it behoveth that he do with the what him pleaseth For seyng that he is all good he will nothing but thine helth None can have suche a feyth if he haue not therwith the love of god And he that hath the loue of god hath fulfilled the lawe for all the scriptures teache vs none other thing but that we loue god with all oure hartes and oure neyghbour as oure silf as it is writen in saint Mathewe Mat. 22. None is a true christen but he that hath this loue All other be rather ypochrites then Christen For all good workes which be not done by charyte and of good will are all synne byfore God as saieth saint Austyn He that doth good ageynst his will he doth evill albeit that that that he doth be good For all that I do ageynst my will I hate it And when I hate the commaundement I hate also him that hath coÌ„maunded it And as long as the parsone ys suche he may not be rightuous â–ª for none may be rightuous but he that kepeth fulfilleth the commaundementes of God by charyte and with a ioyfull hart And this is a singular grace of god And therfore may none be proude of it for he caÌ„ not haue it of him silf So hath a man nothing of him silf wherwith he may exalt him silf For without God can we do nothing Iohn 15 As Christ him silf sayeth wit out me caÌ„ ye do nothing No not ones haue of your silf one good thought as sayeth saint Paule 1. Cor. 4 whate hast thou that thou hast nor receyved wherfore there is no wey more sure to come to everlasting life then to humble him silf byfore God and to pray hym humbly of mercy nothing trusting in hys good workes but with a ferme trust forsaking him silf to knowlege alweyes to god his imperfection For we can come to nothing by oure good workes if we put eny trust in theym For they are nothing eis but sinne and stinking byfore God when God helpeth vs not by hys grace Esai 64 As saieth the prophete Esaie We are all made vnclene and all oure iustice is as yt were a clothe of a womaÌ„ that suffreth the fluxe of bloude And therfore I can never merveyle ynough that many of the religyous parsones wolde make other parttakers of thyre good workes by bretheryeldes and fraternytees seyng that Christ saieth yn the Gospell After that ye haue done all that to you ys commaunded say ye we be vnproufitable servauntes we haue done but oure duetye For none can do to moche None doth more then he ys bound to do but onely Iesu Christ whyche 1. Pet. 2. onely as sayeth Saynt Petre the apostle yn his .ij. epistle Never dyd synne nether was there deceyte found yn hys mouth hath done that he was not bound to do And as sayeth the Prophete Esaye hath taken vppon hum all oure languores Csa 53 And all oure sorowes dyd he beare he was wounded for oure inyquytees he was beten for oure offences and by hys strype spottes were we made hole His iustice was onely parfait iustice for he hath done that he was not bouÌ„d to do But we of our silves wheÌ„ we do our best yet can not oure iustice be parfeyt when after oure advice we do more then we are bounde to do yet be we vnrightuous and if we will be rightuous so must goddes rightuousnes make vs rightuous for as sayeth saint Paâ—le Christ of god to vs is made wisdome iustice sanctificacyon and redempcion to thintent that as it is wryten He that reiâ—yseth shuld reioyce in the lord 1. Cor. 1 Saint Paule also teacheth vs yn all his epistles that Iesus Christ is oure iustice and that by him we shal be saved aÌ„d by none other Nowe seest thou well that none can do to moche For of him silf none can do ynough and that we must take oure comfort of the satisfaction of Iesus Christ. Then whye will some sell vnto vs they re merytes aud good workes and make vs parttakers of theym And if it be not that suche ypochristes forsake they re trusting vppon there good workes and that they lerne for to trust vppon the iustice aÌ„d satisfaction of Christ they theym sylves shall never be saved For the Pharesey had done many good workes but bycause that he stode well yn hys owne conceyte gloryfyed and bosted hym sylf therof therfore he was forsaken of God ¶ In whate thing lyeth the Christendome Chaptre .xiiij. TKen lyeth the verey Christianyte in this thing that thou do all thing that Charyte proceding from thy faith iudgeth to be agreable vnto god And wheÌ„ thou hast all done with the lest evill that thou canst that thou iudge thy silfe yet an vnproufitable servaunt and that by all thy good workes thou hast yet deserved nothing or yf there be eny thing well done that it apartayneth to god albeit that by his goodnesse he will
wylt not kepe hym thence O world without witte Thou must take hede to whate vices thy childe ys most enclyned whether it be to covetous pryde or other vnclennesse and accordyng therunto he must be warned and kept Thus shalt thou do thy diligence to applye hâ—m to vertue yn tyme whiles he is yong for then maist thou bend applye and coudnyte him as thou wilt And if thy childe be naturally enclyned to any vertue thou shalt do thy diligence to entreteyn him and to avaunce him therin Thou shalt also knowe that in the men children there reyneth comonly other synnes then do in the doughters In the doughters reyueth most pryde of beautye and of rayment In the â—oyes slouth dronkennesse and harlottrye So behoveth it that a good father and mother consyder dilygently to whate thing they re children are most enclyned to conduyte and warne theym theryn The parentes ought also to be ware that they be not to hard and rigorous vnto they re children to thintent they make theÌ„ not rebelles disobedient and fugityues aÌ„d then rynne they awey vacabundes by the cuntrey as many do They shulde cause theym to lerne an occupacion wherunto they shuld haue most courage and apte intent whiche shuld be laufull without fraude and wherby they might honestly get they re expences in tyme coming This shulde be done in tyme bifore they be gyven to the scoles for we se comonly that clerkes will put theym silves to no craft but become men of warre And although that thou be riche thou shalt alweyes make thiâ— children to lerne an honest and laufull occupacion for in so doyng they occupye the tyme of youth well and kepe theim silves from dronkeÌ„nesse hasarding and fighting and from other mischevous busynesse And if by ony chaunce they come to povertye it is good that they can some craft wherby they may get they re breed And if it happon not vnto theym yet shall they alweyes do sum whate that they thereby may the better helpe the pore for after the scripture none may be ydell For laboure is a penaunce enioyned vnto all the worlde not of man but of god after that AbaÌ„ had sinned And he that laboureth not shuld not eate after the scripture Moreover at the festfull dayes thou shalt bring the children to the churche to here the sermon Gene. 3 2. Tessa 3 And when they shal be comen home thou shalt are theym whate they haue kept yn memory of the sermon Then shalt thou admonest theym to lyve well and to put all they re hope and trust in God rather to die then to do eny thing that is ageinst the will of god Thou shalt also teche theym the christen faith after the naner aboue declared exhorting theim to pacience charite and hope in god And principally thou shalt lerne theym the contentes of the prayer of oure saviour Christ called â–ª the Pater noster and that in they re moder tongue that ys to sey howe they haue an other father in heven of whome they must loke for all goodnesse and without whome one can haue no goodnesse And howe that we may seke nothing in al this life in all oure workes and in all oure ententes but the honour of this hevenly father And howe they must desire that this father wolde governe all that we do or desire And howe that we must submyt all to his holy will And howe that his will can be but good and helthfull Finally howe that aboue all worldly thinges they be myndfull of the contentes of this prayer and set most by it of all other prayers And for to do this the better thou shalt kepe theym from reding of all wilde storyes of batailles of love and other fables Thou shalt bye theym holsome bokes as is the holy Gospell the epistles of the holy appostles Ye and in conclusion both the newe and olde testament that is to sey the hole bible yn langagâ— that they may vnderstond and also this present boke And thus thou shalt do to thintent that thy children may accustume and lerne theym silves in the holy divine scripture and drinke of the sweâ—e foâ—â—taigne whiche is descended from heveÌ„ And by suche meanes mayst thou poore out good water when they shal be old For if thou be carefull and doest grete laboure to get thy children they re bodely expences as thou art bouÌ„de howe moche more art thou bounde to get theym there spiâ—â—uail expences of they re soule whiche is made after the similitude and image of god And the more that the soule is worthyer then the body the more gretter care must thou take to lerne him his helth But whate mete is better to nourisshe the soule then that of the gospell and of the holy scripture the whiche onely is the nutriment of the soule Thou hast kept the body of thy childe from fyre water wheÌ„ he was yong whye wilt thou not nowe also kepe his soule from perill Iaco â–ª It were moche better to be carefull in this mater then to runne to Rome or to saint Iames or elles where on pilgremage For as I haue seyd all this is infidelite for thou hast the helpe of God as redy at home as els where and if tâ—ou pray him with a stedfast fayth nothyng doutyng As saieth saint Iames. And if thou fynd not God yn thy hert thou shalt fynd him no where The parentes can do not gretter service to God then to teache and lerne well they re children For herin lyeth grete vertue Hereby may one please god singulerly Ye parentes also be ware that ye give not to moche money to your children And that that ye give theym take hede howe they spende it and wheruppon And when they bringe eny thing home that is not yours or yf that they report any newes of detraction ye must sharply reprove theim And wheÌ„ thou wilt do any almesse bifore thy house thou shalt do it by thy childreÌ„ to thinteÌ„t that they may lerne to serve the poore And when they have strived the one ageinst the other thou shalt cause theym to come forth in the evening to axe the one the other mercy and forgivenesse And likewise shall they do wheÌ„ they haue offended or angred they re parentes Thou-must be well ware that thy childe growe not vp into partinacite rebellion or incredulyte And that he be no fighter nor striver and when thou herest thy child swere curse strive fight lye or speke eny foule wordes or sing eny rybaud songes thou shalt reprove him sharply The parentes shall alweyes laboure that they re children shall rather feare theym for love and reverence then for pnisshement and feare For children that obey vnto they re parentes for feare of beting they feare theym no lenger theÌ„ the stripes and beting endureth As all they that serve god for feare of peynes they serve him no longer then the peynes or tribulacion endureth And after that they be delivered they retourne ageyn to