a persecutor, a murderer, and a shedder of Christian blood? But as soon as he came to Christ he was no more a sinner, but a minister of righteousness: he went not to Rome to take penance upon him, but went and preached unto his brethren the same mercy, which he had received free, without doing penance or hiring of saints, or of monks, or friars. Moreover, if it be God's word that thou should put thy trust in the saints' merits or prayers, then be bold. For God's word shall defend thee and save thee. If it be but thine own reason, then fear. For God commandeth by Moses, (Deut. xii.) saying: What I command you, that observe and do, and put nothing to, nor take ought therefrom: yea, and Moses warneth straightly in an hundred places, that we do that only which God commandeth, which seemeth good and righteous in his sight, and not in our own sight. For nothing bringeth the wrath of God so soon and so sore on a man, as the idolatry of his own imagination.

and

Last of all, these arguments are contrary to the arguments of Christ and of his apostles. Christ disputeth (Luke xi.) saying, If the son ask the father bread, will he give him a stone? or if he ask him fish, will he give him a serpent? and so forth. If ye then (saith he,) which are evil can give good gifts to your children, how much rather shall your heavenly Father give a good spirit unto them that ask him? And a little before in the same chapter he saith, If a man came never so out of season to his neighbour to borrow bread, even when he is in his chamber, and the door shut, and all his servants with him; nevertheless, yet if he continue knocking and praying, he will rise and give him as much as he needeth, though not for love, yet to be rid of him, that he may have rest. As who should say, What will God do if a man pray him, seeing that prayer overcometh an evil man? Ask, therefore, (saith he,) and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. And (Luke xviii.) he putteth forth the parable, or similitude,

Nothing bringeth a

man sooner

to confu

sion than

the idolatry of his

own imagination.

God loveth

mercy. Hypocrites

love offerings.

of the wicked judge, which was overcome with the importunate prayer of the widow. And concludeth, saying, Hear what the wicked judge did. And shall not God avenge his elect, which cry unto him night and day? Whether, therefore, we complain of the intolerable oppression and persecution that we suffer, or of the flesh that cumbreth and resisteth the Spirit, God is merciful to hear us, and to help us. Seest thou not also how Christ cureth many, and casteth out devils out of many, unspoken to, how shall he not help, if he be desired and spoken to?

When the old Pharisees (whose nature is to drive sinners from Christ,) asked Christ why he did eat with publicans and sinners? Christ answered, That the whole needed not the physician, but the sick; that is, he came to Christ is a have conversation with sinners to heal them. He was a gift given to sinners. gift given unto sinners, and a treasure to pay their debts. And Christ sent the complaining and disdaining Pharisees to the prophet Hosea, saying, Go and learn what this meaneth; I desire, or require mercy, and not sacrifice. As who should say, Ye Pharisees love sacrifice and offering for to feed that god your bellies withal, but God commandeth to be merciful. Sinners are ever captives, and a prey to the Pharisees and hypocrites for to offer unto their bellies, and to buy merits, pardons, and forgiveness of sins of them. And therefore fear they them away from Christ, with arguments of their belly-wisdom. For he that receiveth forgiveness free of Christ, will buy no forgiveness of them. I came (saith Christ,) to call, not the righteous, but the sinners unto repentance. The Pharisees are righteous, and therefore have no part with Christ, neither need they; for they are gods themselves and saviours. But sinners that repent pertain to Christ. If we repent, Christ hath made satisfaction for us already.

God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that none that believe on him should perish, but should have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world

to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him shall not be damned; but he that believeth not is damned already. (John iii.)

Paul (Rom. v.) saith, Because we are justified through faith, we are at peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ; that is, because that God, which cannot lie, hath promised and sworn to be merciful unto us, and to forgive us for Christ's sake, we believe, and are at peace in our consciences; we run not hither and thither for pardon; we trust not in this friar nor that monk, neither in anything, save in the word of God only. As a child, when his father threateneth him for his fault, hath never rest till he hear the word of mercy and forgiveness of his father's mouth again; but as soon as he heareth his father say, Go thy way, do me no more so, I forgive thee this fault: then is his heart at rest-then is he at peace,-then runneth he to no man to make intercession for him. Neither, though there come any false merchant, saying, What wilt thou give me, and I will obtain pardon of thy father for thee? will he suffer himself to be beguiled. No, he will not buy of a wily fox for that which his father hath given him freely.

It followeth, God setteth out his love that he hath to us; that is, he maketh it appear, that men may perceive love if they be not more than stock blind. Inasmuch (saith Paul,) as while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more now, (saith he,) seeing we are justified by his blood, shall we be preserved from wrath through him: for if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God, by the death of his Son; much more, seeing we are reconciled, we shall be preserved by his life. As who should say, If God loved us when we knew him not, much more loveth he us now we know him. If he were merciful to us while we hated his law, how much more merciful will he be now, seeing we love it, and desire strength to fulfil it. And in the viiith he argueth, If God spared not his

Why we

come not to Christ.

eth on our good deeds.

own Son, but gave him for us all, how shall he not with him give us all things also?

Christ prayeth (John xvii.) not for the apostles only, but also for as many as should believe through their preaching, and was heard; whatsoever we ask in his name the Father giveth us. (John xvi.) Christ is also as merciful as the saints. Why go we not straightway unto him? Verily, because we feel not the mercy of God, neither believe his truth. God will at the leastway (say they,) hear us the sooner for the saints' sake. Then loveth he the saints better than Christ, and his own truth. Heareth he us for the saints' sake? so heareth he us not for his mercy: for merits and mercy cannot stand together.

Finally If thou put any trust in thine own deeds, or in the deeds of any other man, of any saint, then minishest thou the truth, mercy, and goodness of God. For if God look unto thy works, or unto the works of any other man, or goodness of the saint, then doth he not all things of pure mercy and of his goodness, and for the truth's sake, which he hath sworn in Christ. Now saith Paul, (Tit. iii.) not of the righteous deeds which we did, but of his saved he us.

mercy

Our blind disputers will say, If our good deeds justify us not; if God look not on our good deeds, neither regard them, nor love us the better for them, what need we to do God look good deeds? I answer, God looketh on our good deeds, and loveth them; yet loveth us not for their sakes. God loveth us first in Christ of his goodness and mercy, and poureth his Spirit into us, and giveth us power to do good deeds. And because he loveth us, he loveth our good deeds; yea, because he loveth us, he forgiveth us our evil deeds, which we do of frailty, and not of purpose or for the nonce. Our good deeds do but testify only that we are justified and beloved. For except we were beloved, and had God's Spirit, we could neither do, nor yet conroots of the sent unto any good deed. Antichrist turneth the roots of the trees upward. He maketh the goodness of God the

Antichrist

turneth the

trees up

ward.

branches, and our goodness the roots. We must be first good after antichrist's doctrine, and move God, and compel him to be good again for our goodness' sake: so must God's goodness spring out of our goodness. Nay, verily, God's goodness is the root of all goodness; and our goodness, if we have any, springeth out of his goodness.

OF PRAYER.

OF prayer and good deeds, and of the order of love, or charity, I have abundantly written in my book of the Justifying of Faith. Neverthelater, that thou mayest see what the prayers and good works of our monks and friars, and of other ghostly people, are worth, I will speak a word or two, and make an end. Paul saith, (Gal. iii.) All ye are the sons of God through faith in Jesus Christ; for all ye that are baptized have put Christ on you; that is, ye are become Christ himself. There is no Jew, (saith he,) neither Greek, neither bond nor free, neither man nor woman, but ye are all one thing in Christ Jesus. In Christ there is neither French nor English; but the Frenchman is the Englishman's ownself, and the English the Frenchman's ownself. In Christ there is neither father nor son, neither master nor servant, neither husband nor wife, neither king nor subject; but the father is the son's self, and the son the father's ownself; and the king is the subject's ownself, and the subject is the king's ownself; and so forth. I am thou thyself, and thou art I myself, and can be no nearer of kin. We are all the sons of God, all Christ's servants bought with his blood; and every man to other, Christ his ownself. And (Col. iii.) Ye have put on the new man, which is renewed in the knowledge of God, after the image of him that made him (that is to say, Christ;) where is (saith he,) neither Greek nor Jew, cir

In Christ

we are one

as good as

another, equally beloved, and

indifferently

heard.