The Parable of the Wicked Mammon

For without the spirit it is impossible¹ to understand them. Read also the. viii. to the Romans They that are led with the spirit of God, are the sons of God. Now the son knoweth his fathers wil• and the servant not He that hath not the spirit of Christ (sayeth Paul) is none of his. Likewise he that hath not the spirit of God is none of Gods, for it is both one spirit, as thou mayest see the same place. Now he that is of God hereth the word of God Jo. viii. & who is of God but he that hath the spirit of God. For there more, sayeth he ye here it not, because ye are not of God, that is, ye have no lust in the word of God, for ye understand it not, and that because his spirit is not in you. For as much then as the scripture is no thing else but that which the spirit of God hath spoken by the Prophets ⟨image 40⟩and Apostles, and can not be understand² but of the same spirit: Let every man pray to God to send him his spirit to loose us from our natural blindness and ignorance, and to give us understā ding and feeling of the things of God and of the speaking of the spirit of God And mark this process. First we are damned of nature, so conceived and borne, as a serpent is a serpent, and a toad a toad³ & a snake a snake by nature. And as thou seest a young child (which hath pleasure in many things wherein is present death, as in fire, water and so forth) would sle• him self with a thousand deaths, if he were not waited upon and kept therefrom. Even so we, if we should live this thousand years could in all that time delight in no other thing nor yet seek any other thing, but that where in is death of the soul.

For without the spirite it is inpossible¹ to vnderstande them. Rede also the. viii. to the Romains They that are led with the spirite of God, are the sōnes of God. Now the sōne knoweth his fathers wil• and the seruant not He that hath not the spirite of Christ (saieth Paul) is none of his. Likewise he that hath not the spirite of God is none of Gods, for it is bothe one spirite, as thou mayste se the same place. Now he that is of God hereth the worde of God Io. viii. & who is of God but he that hath the spirite of God. For ther more, saieth he ye here it not, because ye are not of God, that is, ye haue no lust in the worde of God, for ye vnderstāde it not, and that because his spirite is not in you. For as muche then as the scripture is no thinge els but that whiche the spirite of God hath spoken by the Prophetes