A14133:365
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.
Who so ever hereth these words of me & doth them, I will liken him unto a wise man that built his house upon a rock, and there fell a rain, and the floods came, and the winds blew, & beat upon that house, but it fell not, for it was grounded upon a rock. And all that hear of me these words, and do them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man that built his house upon the sand, & there fell a rain and the floods came, and the winds blew, and dashed upon that house, and it fell, and the fall thereof was great.
Who so euer hereth these wordes of me & dothe them, I wyll lyken hym vnto a wyse man that buylte his house vpon a rocke, and there fell a rayne, and the floudes came, and the wyndes blew, & bete vpon that house, but it fel nat, for it was grounded vpon a rocke. And all that heare of me these wordes, and do them nat, shalbe lykened vnto a folyshe man that buylt his house vpon the sande, & there fell a rayne and the floudes came, and the wyndes blewe, and dasshed vpon that house, and it fell, and the fall therof was great.
❀ Christ hath two fortes of hearers,1 of which nether nother do there after. The one will be saved by faith of their own making without works. The other with works of their own ⟨image 121⟩making without faith. The first are those voluptuous which have yield them selves unto sin saying, tush God is merciful / and Christ dyed for us, that must save us only, for we can not but sin without resistance. The second are the hypocrites which will deserve all with their own imagined works only. And of faith they have no nother experience, save that it is a little meritorious where it is painful to be believed, As that Christ was borne of a virgin, and that he came not out the way that other children do / fie no / that ware a great inconvenience but above under her arm and yet made no hole / though he had a very natural body as other men have / and that there is no bread in the sacrament nor wine, though the five wits say all yea, And the meritorious pain of this belief is so heavy to them, that except they had feigned them a thousand wise similitudes and lousy likenesses / and as many mad reasons to stay them with all / and to help to captivate their understanding, they were like to cast all of their backs. And the only refuge of a great many to keep in that faith, is to cast out of their minds and not to think upon it. As though they forgive not, yet if they put the displeasure out of their minds & think not of it till a good occasion be given to avenge it, they think they love their neighbour well enough all the while, and be in good charity.