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St. Paul preached Christ and

not himself.

As God is

devil is

darkness.

seek yours unto us,
that after we had, with wiles, robbed
you of all ye have, we should exalt ourselves over you and
separate ourselves from you, and make ourselves a several
kingdom, free and frank, reigning over you as heathen ty-
rants, and holding you in bondage to serve our lucre and
lusts, tangling your conscience with doctrine of man
which draweth from God and Christ, and fearing you
with the bug of excommunication against God's word.
Or, if that served not, shaking a sword at you.

And this is the tidings which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and yet walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth. But and if we walk in light, as he is in light, then have we fellowship together, and the blood of Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

As the devil is darkness and lies, so is God light and light, so the truth only, and there is no darkness of falsehood and consenting to wickedness in him. And the brightness of his light is his word and doctrine, as the hundred and nineteenth Psalm saith, Thy word is a lantern unto my feet, and a light to my paths. And Christ is the light that lighteneth all men. And the apostles are called the light of the world, because of the doctrine. And all that know truth are light. Ye were once darkness saith Paul; (Eph. v.) but now light in the Lord; walk therefore as the children of light. And good works are called the fruits of light. And all that live in ignorance are called darkness, as he saith afterwards, he that hateth his brother walketh in darkness. For if the light of the glorious gospel of Christ did shine in his heart, he could not hate his brother.

Good

works are the fruits of life.

Walking in darkness or in light.

By walking understand consenting, doing, and working. If then we walk in darkness, that is, consent and work wickedness, and say we have fellowship with God, we lie. For to have fellowship with him, is to know, and

consent, and profess his doctrine in our hearts. Now if the commandments of God be written in our hearts, our members cannot but practice them and shew the fruit. So whether light or darkness be in the heart, it will appear in the walking. For though our members be never so dead unto virtue, yet if our souls knowledge the truth, and consent unto righteousness, we have the spirit of life in us. And Paul saith, (Rom. viii.) If the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from death be in you, then will he that raised up Jesus from death, quicken your mortal bodies, by the reason of the Spirit that dwelleth in you. So that it is not possible for him that knoweth the truth, and consenteth thereto, to continue in sin. And then finally, if we have the light in our hearts, and walk therein, then we have fellowship with God, and are his sons and heirs, and are purged from all sin through Christ's blood.

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and truth

is not in us.

If we think there is no sin in us, we are beguiled and blind, and the light of God's word is not in us, and either follow sin as beasts without conscience at all; or if we see the gross sins, as murder, theft, and adultery, yet we have hanged a vail of false glosses upon Moses's face, and see not the brightness of the law, how that it requireth of us, as pure an heart to God, and as great love unto our neighbours as was in our Saviour Jesus, and ceaseth not before to condemn us as sinners.

If we knowledge our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighte

ousness.

If we confess our sins, not in the priest's ear, (though that tradition restored unto the right use were not damna

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If we have

the Spirit
of God in

us, then
will he
raise
with Jesus

mike us up
Christ.

He that saith he

hath no

sin de

ceiveth

himself.

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If we confess our sins to

God with true faith

and repentance, he will forgive us.

All men are sinners.

Nothing

can be so well done, but it may be amend

ed.

THE EXPOSITION OF THE

[TYNDALE.

ble,) but in our hearts, to God, with true repentance and
fast belief; then is he faithful to forgive and to purge us,
because of his merciful truth and promise. For he pro-
mised Abraham, that in his seed all the world should be
blessed from the curse of sin. And hath abundantly
renewed his everlasting mercy unto us in the New Testa-
ment, promising that our sins shall be forgiven us in
Christ's blood, if we repent and trust thereto.

If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and
his word is not in us.

For his word testifieth agianst us, that we are all sin-
ners, yea, and else Christ died in vain. Solomon saith,
(3 Kings viii.) That there is no man that sinneth not
against God.
And Paul proveth by the authority of the
Scripture, unto the Romans, that we are all sinners with-
out exception. And the Scripture witnesseth that we are
damnable sinners, and that our nature is to sin. Which
corrupt and poisoned nature, though it be begun to be
healed, yet it is never thorough whole until the hour of
death. For the which cause, with all our best fruits, there
grow weeds among. Neither can there be any deed so
perfect that could not be amended. When a blind bungler
wondereth at his glorious works, a cunning workman that
hath a clear judgment, perceiveth that it is unpossible to
make a work that could not be made better. Now the law
requireth works of us in the highest degree of perfection,
and ceaseth not to accuse us until our works flow naturally,
as glorious in perfection as the works of Christ. And Christ
teacheth us to pray in our pater noster, Forgive us our
trespasses as we forgive our trespassers. Whereby ye may
easily understand, that we sin daily one against another,
and all against God. Christ taught also to pray that our
Father should not let us slip into temptation; signifying
that our nature cannot but sin if occasions be given, ex-
cept that God of his special grace keep us back. Which

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readiness to sin is damnable sin in the law of God. David prayed (Psm. Ixviii.) Let not the tempest drown me, let me not fall into the bottom, and let not the pit shut her mouth upon me: as who should say, First, keep me, O God, from sinning, then if I shall chance to fall, as no flesh can escape, one time or other, then call me shortly back again, and let me not sink too deep therein and though I yet fall never so deep, yet Lord let not the way of mercy be stopped: signifying that it is unpossible to stand of ourselves, and much less to rise again. Which impotency and feebleness is damnable in the law of God, except that we saw it and repented, and were fled to Christ for mercy.

:

All the na

ture of man

is sinful.

CHAP. II.

MY little children, I write these things unto you, that ye sin not. And though any man sin, yet we have an advocate with the Father, even Jesus Christ, which is righteous.

resist sin with all our

power and might.

I write unto you on the one side, that God is light, and therefore that no man which willingly walketh in the unfruitful works of darkness, hath any fellowship with that And this I write We must light, or part in the blood of his Son. and testify unto you my dear children, that ye sin not: that is, that ye consent not unto sin, nor should sin of lust and purpose maliciously; but contrariwise that ye fear God, and resist sin with all your might and power according as ye have promised. For whosoever sinneth of purpose after the knowledge of truth, the same sinneth against the Holy Ghost remediless. (Heb. vi. 10.) And on the other side, I testify unto you that we be

We sin

daily by the frailty and weakness of our flesh.

Our advocate Jesus.

Jesus that

always sinners, though not of purpose and malice after
the nature of damned devils, but of infirmity and frailty
of our flesh, which flesh not only letteth us that our works
cannot be perfect, but also now and then, through mani-
fold occasions and temptations carrieth us clean out of
the right way, spite of our hearts. Howbeit (I say) if
when the rage is past, we turn unto the right way again,
and confess our sins unto our Father with a repenting
heart, he hath promised us mercy, and is true to fulfil it.
So that if we sin not devilishly against the Holy Ghost,
refusing the doctrine which we cannot improve that it
should not be true, but after the frailty of man, there is
no cause to despair; for we have an advocate and an
intercessor with the Father, even Jesus Christ that is
righteous.

The name of our advocate is Jesus, that is to say, a Saviour. Call his name Jesus, said the angel to Joseph; for he shall save his people from their sins. (Matt. i.) And this advocate and our Jesus, to save us from our sins, continueth ever, as it written, (Heb vii.) and hath, Sempiternum Sacerdotium, an everlasting office, to make an atonement for sin; by the reason whereof (saith the text) he is able ever to save them that come to God through him, with repentance and faith, and liveth ever to speak for us. And besides that, our Jesus is God and is God and almighty. He took our nature upon him, and felt all our infirmities and sicknessess, and in feeling learned to have compassion on us, and for compassion cried mightily in prayers to God the Father for us, and was heard. And the voice of the same blood that once cried, not for vengeance as Abel's, but for mercy only, and was heard, crieth now and ever, and is ever heard, as oft as we call unto remembrance with repenting faith how that it was shed for our sins. He is also called Christus, that is to say, king anointed with all might and power over sin, death and hell, and over all sins; so that none that flieth unto him shall ever come into judgment of damnation. He is

man, calleth unto thee O Father,

for us.

Christus.

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