Phil. After that ye have conceived in your hearts this faith,1 fear & love toward God through the operation of the holy Ghost, so that ye have entered the path way of our LORD god, now doth convenient time require, that ye walk not only secretly but also openly before God, tha• is, that ye do not only inwardly in ⟨image 45⟩your hearts believe in God, fear& love god, but also that ye outwardly show forth this your faith, fear & love buried within you by external works,2 that men seeing your godly conversation, may then glorify your father, which is in heaven For this is to walk before god,3 even to believe in god, to fear god, to love God, and to lead an innocent life according to his holy word. Without this innocency & purity of life,4 I see not what all faith, fear or love profit. Follow your LORD God, saith Moses, fear him & keep his commandments, & hear his voice,5 ye shall serve him and cleave unto him. The Prophet Micah also saith, I will show thee, O man, what is good, & what the LORD requireth, of thee, even to do judgement and to love mercy, & studiously to walk with thy God. Here see you, that if ye will walk before God, ye must do good ⟨image 46⟩deeds, lead a pure & innocent life, study to accomplish Gods will, & in all points labour to fashion your manners after the rule of God's word. Farewell they that boast so much of faith,6 & yet are wicked in all their works. They profess to know god, as the Apostle saith but with their deeds they deny him, seeing they are abominable, disobedient and unapt to all good works.7 Such boasters of faith do not only slander the true & christen faith, which worketh by Charity, but also they deceive them selves,8 seeing they hope freely & only to be justified by that faith, which is barren, unfruitful & void of all good works.9 Let them crake so much as they list of their faith & love toward God, yet are they wicked gospellers. For the love of god, saith saint Gregory, is never idle. For it worketh great things,10 if it be the ⟨image 46⟩love of god in deed, but if it ceaseth to work, than it is no love.11 Chrysostom also saith. The sons of GOD are not content to sit idle, but the spirit provoketh them to take some great and commendable work in hand.
Phil. After that ye haue conceaued in your hertes this faythe,1 feare & loue toward God thorow the operacion of the holy Ghoste, so that ye haue entred the pathe waye of oure LORDE god, nowe doth conueniēt tyme require, that ye walke not only secretly but also openly before God, tha• is, that ye do not only inwardly in ⟨image 45⟩your hertes beleue in God, feare& loue god, but also that ye outwardly shew forth this your fayth, feare & loue buryed wythin you by externall workes,2 that men seynge your godly conuersacion, maye then glorify your father, which is in heauē For this is to walke before god,3 euē to beleue ī god, to feare god, to loue God, and to lede an innocēt lyfe accordynge to his holy worde. Without thys innocēcy & purite of lyfe,4 I se not what al fayth, fear or loue profyt. Followe your LORDE God, sayth Moses, feare hym & kepe hys cōmaūdementes, & heare his voyce,5 ye shall serue hym and cleaue vnto hī. The Prophet Miche also sayth, I wyll shewe the, O man, what is good, & what the LORDE requireth, of the, euen to do iudgement and to loue mercy, & studiously to walk wt thy God. Here se you, yt yf ye wyll walke before God, ye muste do good ⟨image 46⟩dedes, leade a pure & innocent lyfe, study to accomplyshe Gods wyll, & in all poyntes laboure to fasshyon your manners after the rule of goddes worde. Farewel they that bost so much of faythe,6 & yet are wicked in all theyr workes. They professe to knowe god, as the Apostle sayth but wythe theyr dedes they denye hym, seynge they are abhominable, disobedient and vnapte to all good workes.7 Such bosters of fayth do not only slaunder the true & christē fayth, whiche worketh by Charite, but also they deceaue them selues,8 seynge they hope frely & only to be iustified by thatfayth, which is barren, vnfruytfull & voyd of all good workes.
- 1We must-e•presse our faith, fear & love toward God by external good works.We muste-e•presse our fayth, feare & loue towarde God by external good workes.
- 2Math. v.
- 3Mark well
- 4Deut. xiii.
- 5Miche. vi.
- 6Against the vain boasters of faith.Agenste the vayne bosters of fayth.
- 7Tit. i.
- 8Gal. v.
- 9Note here.
- 10Gregory.
- 11ChrysostomChrisostom
