108

108.
And this is his commaundement y^t [F₂] we beleue in
his sonne Iesus Christe / and loue one another / as he gaue
commaundement.
Faith is the first & also the roote of all commaunde-
mentes. And out of faith springeth loue: & out of loue 5
workes. And when I breake any commaundement I synne agaynst
loue. For had I loued I had not done it. And when I synne
against loue I synne against faith. For had I ernestly &
with a full trust remembred the mercie that Christe hath
shewed me / I must haue loued. Wherfore when we haue 10
broken eny commaundement / there is no nother waye to be
restored agayne / then to go throughe repentaunce vnto oure
faithe agayne / & axe mercie for Christes sake. And assone
as we haue receaued faith that oure synne is forgiuen / whe
shall immediatly loue the commaundement agayne / and thorowe 15
loue receaue powre / to worke.
And he that kepeth his commaundementes abydeth in hym /
and he in hym. And hereby we knowe that there dwelleth in
vs of his sprite which he gaue vs.
Thorow the workes we are sure that we contynewe in 20
Christ / and Christe in vs / & that his sprite dwellyth in
vs. For his sprite it is that kepeth vs in faithe / and

109.
thorowe faithe in loue and thorowe loue in workes.
The fourth Chapter.
[F₂v] DErely belouyd beleue not euery sprit / but proue
the sprites whether they be of God. For many false
Prophetes are gone out in the worlde. 5
Sprites are taken here for preachers / because of the
preachinge or doctrine / which if it be good / is of the
sprite of God: and if it be euell / of the sprite of the
devell. Nowe ought we not to beleue euery mans doctrine
vnaduisedlie / or condemne eny mans preachinge yer it be 10
herde and sene what it is. But a Christen mans parte is
to examen / iudge and trie it / whether it be true or no.
Quench not the sprite saith Paule .j. Thessalo. the last.
Nether despice prophesienges / but proue all thinge / and
kepe that which is good. Destroye not the giftes of the 15
sprite of God / but trie whether they be of God / & good
for thedifienge of his congregation: and kepe that which
is good and refuse that which ys euell. And soffre euery
parsone that hath eny gifte of God / to serue God ther in /
in his degre and estate / after a Christen maner and a due 20
ordre. Why shall we trie the doctrines? Verilye for ther
be many false Prophetes abrode all redy. We tolde you

110.
before that Antichriste shuld come / as oure master Christe
told vs that he shuld come. But nowe I certifie you that Antichristes kyngdome is begone all redy. And his Disci-
ples are gone out to preache. Trie therfore all doctrine.
Wher with shall we trie it? With the doctrine of thappos- 5
tles / and with the scripture which is the twitchestone:
ye and because ye loue compendiousnes / ye shall ha[F₃]ue
a shorte rule / to trie them with all.
Herby knowe ye the sprite of God. Euery sprite that
confessyth that Iesus Christ is come in the fleshe is of 10
God. And euery sprite that confesseth not that Iesus
Christe is come in the fleshe / is not of God. And the
same is that spirite of Antichriste / of whome ye haue
herde that he shulde come: And euen nowe he is in the worlde
all redy. 15
What so euer opinion any membre of Antichriste holdeth /
the grounde of all his doctrine is to destroy this article
of oure fayth / that Christe is come in the fleshe. For
thoughe the moste parte of all herytykes confesse that
Christe is come in the fleshe after their maner / yet they 20
denye that he is come / as the scripture testifieth &
thappostles preachid hym to be come. The whole studie of

111.
the deuell and all his membres is to destroy the hope &
trust that we shuld haue in Christes fleshe / and in those
thinges which he suffred for vs in his fleshe / and in the
testament & promises of mercie which are made vs in his
fleshe. For the scripture testifieth that Christ hathe 5
taken away the sinne of the worlde in his fleshe / & that
the same houre that he yelded vp his sprite in to thandes
of his father / he had full purged & made full satisfaction
for all the synnes of the worlde. So that al the synne of
the worlde / bothe before his passion & after / must be 10
put awaye thorowe repentaunce to warde the lawe & faith [F₃v]
and trust in his bloude / without respect of any other
satisfaction / sacrifice or worke. For if I once synne /
the lawe rebuketh my conscience / and setteth variaunce
betwene God & me. And I shall neuer be at peace with God 15
ageyne vntill I haue herd the voice of his mowthe / howe
that my synne is forgiuen me for Christes bloude sake. And
assone as I that beleue / I am at peace with God .Roma. v.
and loue his lawe ageyne / and of loue worke.
And that Christe hath done this seruice in his fleshe / 20
denye all the membres of Antichriste. And hereby thou
shalt knowe them. All doctrine that buyldeth the vpon

112.
Christe / to put thy trust and confidence in his bloude /
is of God and true doctrine. And all doctrine that with draweth thine hope & trust from Christe / is of the deuell
& the doctrine of Antichriste. Examyne the pope by this
rule / and thou shalt fynde that all he doeth / is to the 5
destruction of this article. He wresteth all the scriptures
& setteth them cleane agaynste the woll / to destroye this
article. He ministreth the very sacramentes of Christe
vnto the destruction of this article: and so dooth he all
other cerimonies / & his absolution / penance / purgatorie / 10
dispensations pardones / vowes / with all disgisinges. The
pope preachith that Christe is come to doo away sinnes /
yet not in the fleshe but in water / salt / oyle / candles /
bowes / asshes fryers cotes / and monkes cowles / & in the
vowes of them that forswere matrimonie to kepe whores / 15
and swere beggerie / to possesse all the treasure / riches /
wealth & pleasures of the world: & haue vowed obedience /
to disobey with auctorite / all the lawes bothe of God &
man. For in these hypocritishe and false sacrifices /
tea[F₄]chyth he vs to trust for the forgyuenesse of synnes / 20
and not in Christes flesh.
Ye are of God litle children / and haue ouercome them.

113.
For greater is he that is in you / then he that is in the
worlde.
He that dwellith in youe / and worketh in you thorowe
faith / is greater then he whiche dwellith & worketh in
them thorowe vnbelefe. And in his strengthe / ye abide by 5
youre profession / and confesse youre lorde Iesus / howe
that he is come in the fleshe & hath purged the synne of
all that beleue in his fleshe. And thorowe that faith ye
ouercome them in the very turmentes of deeth. So that
nother their Iuglinges / nether their pleasures / nether 10
their thretninges / or their tourmentes / or the verye
deeth wherwith they sley your bodies / can preuaile against
you.
They be of the worlde / and therfore they speake of
the worlde / and the worlde attendith vnto them. We be of 15
God: and he that knoweth God hearith vs. And he that is
not of God hearith vs not. And hereby we knowe the sprite
of trouthe and the sprite of erroure.
Ther be and euer shalbe .ij. generations in the worlde:
one of the deuell / whiche naturally herken vnto the false 20
apostels of the deuell / because they speake so agreable
vnto their natural complextion. And a nother of God / which

114.
herken vnto the [F₄v] true Apostles of God / & consent
vnto their doctrine. And this is a sure rule to iudge
sprites with all / that we iudge them to haue the sprite
of trouthe / which harken vnto the true doctrine of
Christes Apostles: & them to haue the sprite of erroure 5
which harken vnto wordly & deuelishe doctrine / abhorringe
the preachinge of thapostles. And loke whether the popes
doctrine be not worldly or no / if pride & couetousnes be
worldly / ye & lechurie to. For what other is all his
doctrine then of benefices / promotiones / dignities 10
busshoprikes cardenalshepes / vicarages / parsonages /
prebendes / change of bisshoprikes / & resynynge of bene-
fices / of vnions pluralities / totquots / & that whiche
comythe once in to their handes / may not out agayne: ye &
of hores & concubynes / & of captyuinge of consciences for 15
couetousnes / & all that herken to that doctrine abhor the
doctrine of thappostles & persecute it / and them that
preache it.
Dearly beloued let vs loue one a nother / for loue is
of God. And all that loue are borne of God / and knowe 20
God. And he that loueth not / knoweth not God: for God is
loue.

115.
Iohn singeth his old songe ageyne / & techeth an
infallible & sure token which we may se & feale at oure
fyngers endes / & therby be out of all doubte / that oure
faith is vnfayned & that we knowe God & be borne of God /
& that we herken vnto the doctrine of thapostles purely & 5
godly & not of eny curiosite / to seke glorie & honoure
therin vnto oure selfes / & to make a cloke ther of to couer
oure couetousnes / and fylthy lustes. Which token is / if
we loue one a nother. [F₅] For the loue of a mans ney-
boure vnfaynedly springeth out of the vnfayned knowlege of 10
god in Christes bloude. By which knowlege we be borne of
god & loue god & our neyboures for his sake. And so he
that loueth his neybour vnfaynedly / is suer of himself /
that he knoweth god / & is of god vnfainedly. And con-
trary wise / he that loueth not / knoweth not god. For god 15
in Christes bloude is such a loue that if a man sawe it /
it wer impossible that he shulde not breake out in to the
loue of god agene & of his neyboure for his sake.
Herein apered the loue of God vnto vs warde because /
God sent his only sonne in to the world / y^t we shuld lyve 20
thorow hym. Herin is loue: not y^t we loued god / but y^the loued vs / & sent his sonne / a satisfaction for our

116.
synnes.
If a man had once felt within in his conscience the
fiarce wrath of god towarde synners and the terrible and
most cruel damnacion that the lawe threteneth: & then
beheld with the eyes of a strong faith / the mercie / 5
fauoure and grace the takyng away of the domnation of the
lawe and restoringe ageyne of life / frely offred vs in
Christes bloud / he shulde perceaue loue / and so moche
the moare / that it was shewed vs / when we were synners
and enimies to God .Roma. 5. and that without al deseru- 10
inges / without oure endeuourynge / enforcynge and pre-
paryng our selfes / and without al good motions / qualities
and properties of oure frewil. But when oure hertes were
as dead vnto al good workyng / as the membres of hym whose
soule ys departed [F₅v] which thinge to proue / and to 15
stoppe the blasphemous mowthes of al our aduersaries / I
wil of innumerable textes reherse one in the begynninge of
the seconde chaptre to the Ephe. where Paule saith thus.
Ye were deed in trespasse and sinne in which ye walked ac-
cordinge to the course of the worlde and after the gouer- 20
noure that ruleth in the ayre / the sprite that worketh in
the children of vnbelefe / amonge which we also had oure

117.
conuersation in tyme past / in the lustes of oure fleshe:
and fulfilled the lustes of the fleshe & of the mynde (so
that the fleshe & the mynde were agreed both to sinne /
and the mynde consentyd as wel as the fleshe) and were by
nature the children of wrath / as wel as other. But god 5
beinge rich in mercie / thorow the greate loue wherwith he
loued vs / euen when we were deed in sinne / hath quickened
vs with Christ: for by grace ar ye saued: and with hym
hath reysed vs vp and with him hath made vs sitte in heau-
enly thinges thorow Iesus Christe / for to shewe in tyme 10
to come thexceadinge riches of his grace / in kyndnes to
vs warde in Iesus Christe. For by grace are ye saued
thorow faith / and that not of youre selues: for it is the
gift of god / & cometh not of workes / lest eny man shulde
bost hym self. But we are his workemanship created in 15
christe Iesu vnto good workes / vnto which God ordened vs
before that we shulde walke in them. The texte is playne /
we were stone deed and without life or powre to do or con-
sent to good. The hole nature of vs was captiue vnder
the deuel and led at his wil. And we wer as wycked as the 20
deuel nowe is (Except that he nowe sinneth againe the holy
gost) & we consentid vnto sinne / with soule & body & hated

118.
the lawe of god. But [F₆] god of his grace only quyck-
ened vs in Christe / & raysed vs out of that death and
made vs sitte with Christe in heauenly thinges. That is /
he set our hertes at rest and made vs sitte fast in the
life of Christes doctrine / and vnmoueable from the loue 5
of Christ. And finally we ar in this our seconde birthe
gods workemanshipe & creation in Christ: so that as he
which is yet vnmade / hath no life nor powre to worke /
no moare had we til we were made ageyne in Christe.
The preachinge of mercie in Christe quickened oure hertes 10
thorow faithe / wrought by the spirite of christe whiche
God powred in to oure hertes / yer we wist.
Derely beloved / if God so loved vs / then ought we
loue one a nother.
If we felt the loue of god in Christes bloude / we 15
could not but loue ageyne / not only god and Christe / but
also al that are bought with christes bloude. If we loue
god for the pleasures that we receaue / then loue we oure
selues. But if we loue hym to do hym pleasure ageyne: that
can we no nother wise do / then in louynge oure neyboures 20
for his sake / them that are good / to contynue them in
their goodnes / and them that are euel / to drawe them to

119.
good. Loue is thinstrument wherwith faith maketh vs gods
sonnes and fasshoneth vs lyke thimage of god / and certi-
fieth vs that we so are. And therfore commaundeth Christ
.Matth. the fift. Loue your enimyes / Blesse them that
curse youe / pray for them that persecute youe / that ye 5
may be the sonnes of your heuenly father / which makith
his sonne rise ouer good & badde / & sendeth his raine [F₆v]
vpon iust and vniust: ye whiche made the sonne of his mercie
shyne vpone vs and sent the rayne of the bloude of his dere
and only childe vpone oure soules / to quicken vs and to 10
make vs se loue to loue agene.
No man hath at eny tyme sene God. If we loue one a
nother God dwelleth in vs / and his loue is perfect in vs.
Thoughe we cannot se god / yet if we loue one a nother /
we be sure that he abideth in vs / and that his loue is 15
perfecte in vs: that is / that we loue hym vnfaynedly. For /
to loue god truly and to giue hym thankes / is only to loue
our neyboure for his sake. For vpon his persone thou
canest bestowe no benefite. And for as moche as we neuer
sawe god / let vs make no image of hym ner do him ani 20
imageseruice after our awne imagination / but lat vs go to
the scripture that hathe sene hym / and there wete what

120.
fation he is of and what seruice he wilbe seruyd withe.
Blynd reason saith god is a kerued post & wilbe serued
with a Candle. But scripture saith god is loue and wilbe
serued with loue. If thou loue thy neyboure then art thou
the image of god thy selfe / and he dwellith in the liuinge 5
temple of thine herte. And thy louynge of thy neyboure
for his sake / is his seruice and worshipe in the spirite /
and a candle that burneth before hym in thyne harte &
casteth out the light of good workes before the worlde /
and draweth al to God / and maketh his enmyes leaue their 10
euel / and come and worship hym also.
Herby we knowe that we abyde [F₇] in hym / and he in
vs. For he hath given vs of his sprite.
He that hathe not Christes spirite / the same is none
of his. Roma. 8. If we haue the sprite of God / then are 15
we sure. But howe shall we knowe whether we haue the spirite?
Axe Iohn & he wil say / if we loue one a nother.
And we haue sene and doo testifie that the father
hath sent his sonne / the saviour of the worlde. Who so
euer confessith that Iesus is the sonne of God / in hym 20
dwelleth God / and he in God. And we haue knowne and
beleued the loue y^t God hath to vs.

121.
First thappostles taught no fables / but that they
sawe and receaued of God by the witnesse of his sprite.
Secondaryly Iohn ascendith vppe one stepe hier / from loue
to faith / and saith he that beleueth that Iesus is Gods
sonne / hathe god in hym. And I doubte not but the pope & 5
his defenders wil answere Iohn and say / then the deuel
hath god in hym / and is also in god. For other faith
then suche as the deuell hathe / felt they neuer any. But
Iohn preuenteth them / we haue knowen and beleued the loue
that god hath to vs. That is / we beleue not only with 10
story faith / as men beleue olde cronicles / but we beleue
the loue and mercie that god shewed vs / and put oure
trust and confidence therin (And so taketh scripture
belefe) we beleue that Iesus is the sonne of god / made
man and slayne for our sinnes / which is a token of greate 15
loue. And that [F₇v] loue beleue we and trust therto.
Wher Paule saith .i. Corinth. xij. No man can cal Iesus
lorde except the holy gost had taught hym. But thorow the
holy gost he meanyth not with the mowthe only / but in the
herte with vnfayned faithe / puttinge his hope and trust 20
in the lordeshipe which he hath ouer sinne / damnation /
hel and deeth. For so coulde no man cal Iesus lorde /

122.
except the holy gost had taught hym / as Christ saith Math.
xvi. flesh and bloude showed the not that.
But yet how shal I se my faith? I must come downe
to loue agayne / and thence to the workes of loue / yer I
can se my faith. Not alway but somtyme thou shalt feale 5
thy faith with out the outwarde dede / as in greate aduer-
site and persecution when the deuell assauteth the withe
desperation / and leyeth thy sinnes before the / & wold
beare the in hande that god had cast the awaye and left
the socourles / for thy sinnes sake. Then cometh faith 10
forth with her shilde / & turnyth backe agayne the dartes
of the deuel / and answereth: Nay for Iesus is the sonne of
God: ye and my verie god and my very lorde / & hath taken
away my sinnes and al damnation. And this trouble and
aduersitie which is come vpon me / by settinge on of the 15
and of thy lymmes / is only to make me feale the mercie of
my father & his powre & healpe within in my soule / & to
sley the rest of the poisen which remaineth in the flesh.
God is loue and he that abideth in loue / abideth in
god / & god in hym. 20
This haue we herde aboue and it is easy to be vnder-
stonde.