A Christmas banquet garnished with many pleasant and dainty dishes, newly preparedA Christmas bankette garnyshed with many pleasaunt and deynty disshes, newely prepared

CHRI. Yea and that before we wrought any goodness, or showed any point of kindness toward him,

CHRI. Yea and that before we wrought ony goodnes, or shewed ony poynte of kyndnes toward hym,

PHIL. Ye say trueth. And that ye ⟨image 29⟩may know that I wrest not the scriptures, I will read unto you the laying of S Austen:¹ He was given saith he, for our sins, & rose again for our justification. Thy justification, thy circumcision is not of thy self. By grace are ye saved through saith, & that not of your selves, but it is the gift of God, not of works unless peradventure thou wouldest say, I have deserved it, & therefore have I received it. Think not that thou diddest receive it by deserving, which couldest not have deserved except thou haddest received it. Grace went before thy merit, grace is not of merit, but me rite of grace For if grace were of merit so haddest thou bought it, & not received it freely. Thou shalt save them sayeth he, for nothing: What is this, thou shalt have them for nothing? Thou findest in them nothing whereby thou mayst save them, & yet dost thou save them. Freely thou givest ⟨image 30⟩freely thou savest. Thou goest before all merits, that thy gifts may o• tayne thy merits. Utterly doest thou give freely, save freely, which findest nothing, whereof thou mayest save, & findest much whereby thou mayest condemn.² Again he sayeth, thou haste done no good, & yet is remission of since given unto thee. Let thy works be looked upon, and they be all found evil, If god should give the ye which is due to thy works, he should surely condemn thee. But God doth not give unto the that pain which is due, but giveth the grace, which is not due. Also upon this text,