A14133:202
An exposition upon the v.vi.vii. chapters of Matthew which three chapters are the key…An exposycyon vpon the v.vi.vii. chapters of Mathewe which thre chapters are the keye…
An exposition upon the v.vi.vii. chapters of Matthew which three chapters are the key and the door of the scripture, and the restoring again of Moses law corrupt by the scribes and pharisees. And the exposition is the restoring again of Christs law corrupt by the Papists. Item before the book, thou hast a prologue very necessary, containing the whole sum of the covenant made between God and us, upon which we be baptised to keep it. And after thou haste a table that leadeth the by the notes in the margents, unto all that is entreated of in the book.An exposycyon vpon the v.vi.vii. chapters of Mathewe which thre chapters are the keye and the dore of the scrypture, and the restoring agayne of Moses lawe corrupt by ye scrybes and pharyses. And the exposycyon is the restorynge agayne of Chrystes lawe corrupte by the Papystes. Item before the boke, thou hast a prologe very necessary, conteynynge the whole sum of the couenaunt made betwene God and vs, vpon whiche we be baptysed to kepe it. And after thou haste a table that ledeth the by the notes in the margentes, vnto al that is intreated of in the booke.
London? : R. Redman, 1536?
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Ye have hard / how it is said / thou shalt love thy neighbour and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you love your enemies. Bless them that curse you / do good to them that hate you. Pray for them which do you wrong and persecute you. That ye maybe the children of your heavenly father. For he maketh his sun to arise over the evil and over the good / and sendeth rain upon the righteous and unrighteous. For if ye love them that love you / what reward shall ye have? do not the publicans so? and if ye ⟨p. lvii⟩be friendly to your brethren only / what singular thing do ye? do not the publicans likewise? ye shall therefore be perfect / as your father which is in heaven / is perfect.
Ye haue harde / howe it is sayde / thou shalt loue thy neyghbour and hate thyne enemy. But I say vnto you loue your enemyes. Blesse thē that curse you / do good to thē that hate you. Praye for them which do you wronge and persecute you. That ye maybe the chyldrē of your heuenly father. For he maketh hys sonne to aryse ouer the euell and ouer the good / and sendeth rayne vpon the ryghtuous and vnryghteous. For if ye loue them that loue you / what rewarde shall ye haue? do not the publycans so? and yf ye ⟨p. lvii⟩be frendely to your brethren onely / what synguler thyng do ye? do not the publycans lykewyse? ye shall therfore be perfecte / as your father whiche is in heuen / is perfecte.
This text of hating a mans enemy / standeth not in any one place of the bible / but is gathered of many places in which God commandeth the children of Israel to destroy their enemies / the Canaanites / the Amorites / the Amalekites / and other heathen people / as the Moabites / and Ammonites / which sought to bring them out of the favour of God / and to destroy the name of God. The Amalekites came behind them and slue all that were fainty and weary by the way as they come out of Egypt. The Moabites and Ammonites hired Balaam to curse them / and beguile them with their women and made a great plague among them. These & like nations were perpetual enemies to their land which God had given them, and also of the name of God and of their faith. For which cause they not only might lawfully, but were also bound to hate them / and to study their destruction again / how be it they might not yet hate the said nations such as were converted to their faith.