Seeing that the chief cause for the which God created man, is to be served and honoured by him, our duty is then to seek to understand how to honour and serve him: and we cannot know how to serve, honour, nor obey him, but by his word: and albeit his word be such as it is able to give instruction both to learned and unlearned, having in it milk for children and strong meat for men, yet is it necessary to use for our better instruction, the help of the worthy fathers in the study of the same, whereby we may the better and more certainly judge of that which we shall read, by the which mean we may the more easily know our good God his benefits unspeakable presented to ⟨image 4⟩us in his dear Christ, and what we are by our Lord Jesus Christ, & what we are of our selves, without which knowledge none can be a true Christian. For if we know not that our only salvation is founded by God in Jesus Christ, & that our eternal life proceedeth only from the free mercies of god without any jot of our deservings, surely we cannot be saved. For if we will be accepted at the hands of God for his faithful and obedient children, we may not present unto him any works of ours for satisfaction for our sins, either in part, or in all, albeit we ought and are bound to do good works. For if we have in us a lively faith, we cannot but do good works. For as faith is a fruit of our election, so are good works a fruit of our charity towards our neighbour, which charity is a fruit of our ⟨image 4⟩lively faith, which worketh thorough charity, as S. Paul saith: but if we will be acceptable unto God, we must utterly cast down our selves before him, acknowledging our selves worthy of eternal damnation a thousand times, and embrace Jesus christ wholly with all his merits, who hath satisfied the justice of God for us, fulfilled the law, paid our debt, carried away with him captives in unspeakable triumph, Satan, sin, death, and Hell, and hath taken possession for us of the heavenly inheritance, and there sitteth at the right hand of God the father, making intercession for us continually. And to the end we may well know how we do obtain these inestimable benefits by Jesus Christ, I have turned into our natural language this work, in the which are sufficiently and excellently ⟨image 5⟩handled all the principal points of our Christian religion.
SEeing that the chiefe cause for the whyche God created mā, is to be serued and honored by him, our duty is thē to seke to vnderstand how to honor and serue him: and we cānot know howe to serue, honoure, nor obey him, but by his worde: and albeit his worde be suche as it is able to giue instruction both to learned and vnlearned, hauing in it milke for children and strong meate for men, yet is it necessarie to vse for our better instruction, the helpe of the worthy fathers in the study of the same, wherby we may the better and more certainely iudge of that whiche we shall reade, by the which meane we may the more easily know our good God his benefites vnspekeable presented to ⟨image 4⟩vs in his deare Christe, and what we are by our Lord Iesus Christ, & what we are of our selues, without which knowledge none can be a true Christian. For if we knowe not that our only saluatiō is founded by God in Iesus Christ, & that oure eternall life proceedeth onely from the free mercies of god withoute any iote of oure deseruings, surely we cannot be saued. For if we will be accepted at the handes of God for his faithfull and obedient children, we may not presente vnto him any workes of ours for satisfaction for our sins, either in parte, or in al, albeit we ought and are bound to do good works. For if we haue in vs a liuely faith, we cannot but do good works. For as faith is a frute of oure election, so are good works a frute of our charitie towardes oure neighboure, whiche charitie is a frute of oure ⟨image 4⟩liuely faith, whiche worketh thorough charity, as S. Paule saith: but if we will be acceptable vnto God, we must vtterly cast downe our selues before him, acknowledging our selues worthy of eternall damnation a thousand times, and embrace Iesus christ wholly with all his merites, who hath satisfied the iustice of God for vs, fulfilled the lawe, paid our debte, caried away with him captiues in vnspekeable triumph, Sathan, sinne, deathe, and Hell, and hath taken possession for vs of the heauenly inheritaunce, and there sitteth at the right hand of God the father, making intercession for vs cōtinually. And to the end we may wel knowe howe we do obtayne these inestimable benefites by Iesus Christe, I haue tourned into oure naturall language this worke, in the which are sufficiently and excellently ⟨image 5⟩handled all the principall pointes of our Christian religion.
