shed out every whit, and bestow it on our neighbours unto their profit, yea and that though they be our enemies. By faith we receive of God, and by love we shed out again. And that must we do freely after the example of Christ without any other respect, save our neighbour's weal only, and neither look for reward in earth, nor yet in heaven for the deserving and merits of our deeds, as friers preach, though we know that good deeds are rewarded, both in this life and in the life to come: but of pure love we must bestow ourselves all that we have, and all that we are able to do, even on our enemies to bring them to God, considering nothing but their weal, as Christ did ours. Christ did not his deeds to obtain heaven thereby (that had been a madness), heaven was his already, he was heir thereof, it was his by inheritance; but did them freely for our sakes, considering nothing but our weal, and to bring the favour of God to us again and us to God. As no natural son that is his father's heir, doth his father's will, because he would be heir, that he is already by birth: his father gave him that ere he was born, and is lother that he should go without it, than he himself hath wit to be; but of pure love doth he that he doth. And ask him why he doth any thing that he doth, he answereth: My father bade, it is my father's will, it pleaseth my father. Bond servants work for hire, children for love. For their father, with all he hath, is theirs already. So doth a Christian man freely all that he doth, considereth nothing but the will of God, and his neighbour's weal only. If I live chaste, I do it not to obtain heaven thereby; for then should I do wrong to the blood of Christ: Christ's blood hath obtained me that, Christ's merits have made me heir thereof. He is both door and way thitherwards. Neither that I look for an higher room in heaven, than they shall have which live in wedlock, or than a whore of the stews (if she repent), for that were

the pride of Lucifer. But freely to wait on the Euangelion, and to avoid the trouble of the world and occasions that might pluck me therefrom, and to serve my brother withal, even as one hand helpeth another, or one member another; because one feeleth another's grief, and the pain of the one is the pain of the other. Whatsoever is done to the least of us (whether it be good or bad), it is done to Christ, and whatsoever is done to my brother (if I be a Christian man), that same is done to me. Neither doth my brother's pain grieve me less than mine own. Neither rejoice I less at his weal that at my own, if I love him as well and as much as myself, as the law commandeth me. If it were not so, how saith Paul; "Let him that rejoiceth, rejoice in the Lord," that is to say Christ, which is Lord over all creatures. If my merits obtained me heaven, or a higher place there, then had I wherein I might rejoice besides the Lord.

Here see ye the nature of the law, and the nature of the Euangelion; how the law is the key that bindeth and damneth all men, and the Euangelion is the key that looseth them again. The law goeth before, and the Euangelion followeth: when a preacher, preacheth the law, he bindeth all consciences; and when he preacheth the Gospel, he looseth them again. These two salves (I mean the law and the Gospel) useth God and his preacher, to heal and cure sinners withal. The law driveth out the disease and maketh it appear, and is a sharp salve, and fretting corsey, and killeth the dead flesh, and looseth and draweth the sores out by the roots, and all corruption. It pulleth from a man the trust and confidence that he hath in himself, and in his own works, merits, deservings and ceremonies, and robbeth him of all his righteousness, and maketh him poor. It killeth him, sendeth him down to hell, and bringeth him to utter desperation, and prepareth the way of the

Lord, as it is written of John the Baptist. For it is not possible that Christ should come to a man, as long as he trusteth in himself, or in any worldly thing, or hath any righteousness of his own, or riches of holy works. Then cometh the Euangelion, a more gentle pastor, which suppleth and assuageth the wounds of the conscience, and bringeth health. It bringeth the Spirit of God, which looseth the bonds of Satan, and coupleth us to God and his will through strong faith and fervent love, with bonds too strong for the devil, the world, or any creature to loose them. And the poor and wretched sinner feeleth so great mercy, love and kindness in God, that he is sure in himself how that it is not possible that God should forsake him, or withdraw his mercy and love from him and boldly crieth out with Paul, saying, "Who shall separate us from the love that God loveth us withal?" that is to say, what shall make me believe that God loveth me not? Shall tribulation? anguish? persecution? shall hunger? nakedness? shall sword? "Nay I am sure that neither death nor life, neither angel, neither rule nor power, neither present things nor things to come, neither high nor low, neither any creature is able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesu our Lord." In all such tribulations a Christian man perceiveth that God is his father, and loveth him, even as he loved Christ, when he shed his blood on the cross. Finally, as before, when I was bound to the devil and his will, I wrought all manner of evil and wickedness, not for hell's sake, which is the reward of sin, but because I was heir of hell by birth and bondage to the devil, did I evil. For I could none otherwise do: to do sin was my nature. so now since I am coupled to God by Christ's blood, do I well, not for heaven's sake, which is yet the reward of well doing; but because I am heir of heaven

Even

by grace and Christ's purchasing, and have the Spirit of God, I do good freely, for so is my nature. As a good tree bringeth forth good fruit, and an evil tree evil fruit. By the fruits shall ye know what the tree is. A man's deeds declare what he is within, but make him neither good nor bad; though after we be created anew by the spirit and doctrine of Christ, we wax perfecter alway with working, according to the doctrine, and not with blind works of our own imagining: we must be first evil ere we do evil, as a serpent is first poisoned ere he poison: we must also be good ere we do good; as the fire must be first hot ere it heat another thing. Take an example. 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 sheddeth forth afterward on another: 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 in us, in that our hearts consent unto the law of God, and we have power in our members to do it, though imperfectly. 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 love which God hath 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 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 afterward, when we had marred our selves 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 swear