A14133:326
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.
Secondarily, this heaping of so many words together, axe, seek & knock, signify that the prayer must be continual, & so doth the parable of the widow that sued to the wicked judge,1 and the cause is, that we are ever in continual necessity (as I said) and all our life but even a war fare and a perpetual battle In which we prevail as long as we pray, & be overcome as soon as we cease praying / 2as Israel overcame the Amalekites. Exod 1.xvi•. as long as Moses held up his hands in prayer, and as soon as he had let down his hands for weariness, the Amalekites prevailed and had the better. Christ warned his disciples at his last supper to have peace in him, affirming that they should have none in the world. The false prophets shall ever impugn the faith in Christs blood, & enforce to quench the true understanding of the law, and the ryg•• meaning and intent of all the works commanded by god, which fight as a fight above all fights. First they shall be in such nonhre that Christs true disciples shall be but a small flock in respect of them.3 They shall have works like Christs, so that fasting, prayer, poverty, obedience and chastity shall be the names of their profession. For as Paul saith to the Corinthians, the angels or messengers of Satan shall change them selves in to angels or messengers of light and truth.4 They shall come in Christs name, & that with signs and miracles, and have the upper hand also / even ⟨p. xcvi⟩to deceive the very elect if it were possible,5 Yea and beyond all this, if thou get the victory of the false prophets, & pluck a multitude out of their hands, there shall immediately rise of the same & set up a new false sect against thee. And against all these Amalekites, the only remedy is to lift up the hands of thy heart to God in continual prayer. which hands, if thou for weariness once let fall / thou goest to the worse immediately. Then beside the fight & conflyct of the subtle sophistry, false miracles disguised & ypocretishe works of these false prophets, cometh the dogs and wolves of their disciples with the servants of Mammon and the swine of thine own scholars, against which all thou hast no nother shield or defence but prayer.