good, as the fire must be first hot, ere it heat another thing. Take an ensample: As those blind and deaf which are cured in the gospel, could not see nor hear till Christ had given them sight and hearing, and those sick could not do the deeds of an whole man till Christ had given them health; so can no man do good in his soul till Christ have loosed him out of the bonds of Satan, and have given him wherewith to do good, yea and first have poured into him that self good thing which he shewed forth afterward on other. Whatsoever is our own is sin. Whatsoever is above that, is Christ's gift, purchase, doing and working. He bought it of his Father dearly with his blood, yea, with his most bitter death, and gave his life for it. Whatsoever good thing is in us, that is given us freely, without our deserving or merits for Christ's blood's sake. That we desire to follow the will of God, it is the gift of Christ's blood. That we now hate the devil's will (whereunto we were so fast locked, and could not but love it) is also the gift of Christ's blood, unto whom belongeth the praise and honour of our good deeds, and not unto us.

Our deeds do us three manner [of] service. First, they certify us that we are heirs of everlasting life. And that the Spirit of God, which is the earnest thereof, is in us, in that our hearts consent unto the law of God, and we have power in our members to do it, though imperfectly. And secondarily, we tame the flesh therewith, and kill the sin that remaineth yet in us, and wax daily perfecter and perfecter in the Spirit therewith, and keep that the lusts choke not the word of God that is sown in us, nor quench the gifts and working of the Spirit, and that we lose not the Spirit again. And thirdly, we do our duty unto our neighbour therewith, and help their necessity unto our own comfort also, and draw all men unto the honouring and praising of God.

And whosoever excelleth in the gifts of grace, let the same think that they be given him, as much to do his brother service as for his own self, and as much for the

necessary

love which God has to the weak as unto him unto whom God giveth such gifts. And he that withdraweth ought that he hath from his neighbour's need, robbeth his neighbour and is a thief. And he that is proud of the gifts of God and thinketh himself, by the reason of them better than his feeble neighbour, and not rather as the truth is, knowledgeth himself a servant unto his poor neighbour, by the reason of them, the same hath Lucifer's spirit in him and not Christ's.

These things to know: first, the law: how that it is natural, right, and equity, that we have but one God to put our hope and trust in, and him to love with all the heart, all the soul, and all our might and power, and neither to move heart nor hand but at his commandment, because he hath first created us of nought, and heaven and earth for our sakes. And afterwards when we had marred ourself through sin, he forgave us and created us again in the blood of his beloved Son.

And that we have the name of our one God in fear and reverence, and that we dishonour it not in swearing thereby about light trifles or vanity, or call it to record for the confirming of wickedness or falsehood, or ought that is to the dishonour of God, which is the breaking of his laws, or unto the hurt of our neighbour.

And inasmuch as he is our Lord and God, and we his double possession, by creation and redemption, and therefore ought, as I said, neither to move heart or hand without his commandment, it is right that we have needful Holy days holy days to come together and learn his will, both the law, which he will have us ruled by, and also the promises of mercy which he will have us trust unto; and to give God thanks together for his mercy, and to commit our infirmities to him through our Saviour Jesus, and to reconcile ourselves unto him, and each to other, if ought be between brother and brother that requireth it. And for this purpose and such like, as to visit the sick and needy, and redress peace and unity, were the holy days

to come together in, and learn Christ's will.

ordained only, and so far forth are they to be kept holy from all manner [of] works that may be conveniently spared for the time till this be done, and no further, but then lawfully to work.

And that it is right that we obey father and mother, master, lord, prince and king, and all the ordinances of the world, bodily and ghostly, by which God ruleth us, and ministereth freely his benefits unto us all. And that we love them for the benefits that we receive by them, and fear them for the power they have over us to punish us, if we trespass the law and good order. So far yet are the worldly powers or rulers to be obeyed only, as their commandments repugn not against the commandment of God, and then ho. Wherefore we must have God's commandment ever in our hearts, and by the higher law intepret the inferior: that we obey nothing against the belief of one God, or against the faith, hope and trust that is in him only, or against the love of God, whereby we do or leave undone all things for his sake, and that we do nothing for any man's conimandment against the reverence of the name of God, to make it despised and the less feared and set by and that we obey nothing to the hinderance of the knowledge of the blessed doctrine of God whose servant the holy day is.

Notwithstanding though the rulers which God hath set over us command us against God, or do us open wrong, and oppress us with cruel tyranny, yet because they are in God's room, we may not avenge ourselves, but by the process and order of God's law, and laws of man made by the authority of God's law, which is also God's law, ever by an higher power, and remitting the vengeance unto God, and in the mean season suffer until the hour be come.

We must

And on the other side, to know that a man ought to love his neighbour equally and fully as well as himself, love our because his neighbour (be he never so simple) is equally as ourself, created of God, and as full redeemed by the blood of

our Saviour Jesus Christ. Out of which commandment of love spring these: Kill not thy neighbour: defile not his wife bear no false witness against him; and finally, not only do not these things in deed, but covet not in thine heart, his house, his wife, his man servant, maid servant, ox, ass, or whatsoever is his. So that these laws pertaining unto our neighbour are not fulfilled in the sight of God save with love. He that loveth not his neighbour keepeth not this commandment, Defile not thy neighbour's wife, though he never touch her, or never see her, or think upon her. For the commandment is, though thy neighbour's wife be never so fair, and thou have never so great opportunity given thee, and she content, or haply provoke thee as Potiphar's wife did Joseph, yet see thou love thy neighbour so well, that for very love thou cannot find in thine heart to do that wickedness. And even so he that trusteth in any thing save in God only and in his Son Jesus Christ, keepeth no commandment at all in the sight of God.

For he that hath trust in any creature whether in heaven or in earth, save in God and his Son Jesus, can see no cause to love God with all his heart, &c. neither to abstain from dishonouring his name, nor to keep the holy day for the love of his doctrine, nor to obey lovingly the rulers of this world; nor any cause to love his neighbour as himself, and to abstain from hurting him, where he may get profit by him, and save himself harmless. And in likewise against this law, love thy neighbour as thyself. I may obey no worldly power, to do ought at any man's commandment unto the hurt of my neighbour that hath not deserved it, though he be a Turk.

And to know how contrary this law is unto our nature, and how it is damnation not to have this law written in our hearts, though we never commit the deeds; and how there is no other means to be saved from this damnation, than through repentance toward the law, and faith in Christ's blood, which are the very inward baptism of our souls,

Our baptism signifeth that we repent and profess a new life.

and the washing and the dipping of our bodies in the water is the outward sign. The plunging of the body under the water, signifieth that we repent and profess to fight against sin and lusts, and to kill them every day more and more, with the help of God, and our diligence in following the doctrine of Christ, and the leading of his Spirit, and that we believe to be washed from our natural dammation in which we are born, and from all the wrath of the law, and from all the infirmities and weaknesses that remain in us, after we have given our consent unto the law, and yielded ourself to be scholars thereof, and from all the imperfectness of all our deeds done with cold love, and from all actual sin which shall chance on us while we enforce the contrary and ever fight there against, and hope to sin no more. And thus, repentance and faith begin at our baptism, and first professing the laws of God, and continue unto our lives end, and grow as we grow in the Spirit. For the perfecter we be, the greater is our repentance, and the stronger our faith. And thus, as the Spirit and doctrine on God's The perpart, and repentance and faith in our part beget us anew in Christ: even so they make us grow, and wax perfect and save us unto the end, and never leave us until all sin be put off, and we clean purified and full formed and fashioned after the similitude and likeness of the perfectness of our Saviour Jesus, whose gift all is.

And finally, to know that whatsoever good thing is in us, that same is the gift of grace, and therefore not of deserving, though many things be given of God, through our diligence in working his laws, and chastising our bodies, and in praying for them, and believing his promises, which else should not be given us; yet our working deserveth not the gifts, no more than the diligence of a merchant in secking a good ship, bringeth the goods safe to land, though such diligence doth now and then help thereto. But when we believe in God, and then do all that is in our might and not tempt him, then is God true to abide by his promise, and to help us and perform alone when our strength is past.

fecter we are, the

greater is our repentance and the strong

er is our

faith.

Our works deserve not the gifts of grace.