Twenty-Seven Sermons, Sermons 1 · Sermon 6
The. vi. Sermon vponupon the Lordes praier made by mayster Hugh Latymer.
ET remitte nobis debita nostra sicut & nos re mittimus debitoribus nostris, And forgeueNeuer mā said this … vvith his hearte, but he had forgeuenes vsus our trespasses as we forgeue them that trespasse againste vsus. This is a very good prayer if it be said in faithe with the whole hert. There was neuer none that did say it with the heart, but̄ he had forgeuenes, and his trespasses, and al his sinnes were pardoned & taken from him. As touching yt former petitions, I told you yt many thin ges wer cōteined in thē, which you may perceue … by yt yt I hauehave said, … partly by … & …. Truly ther is a great doctrin in it, yet we … it to be but a light matter to vnderstand the lordes prayer, but it is a great thyng. TherforeIt is a great thing to … the lordes praier. I would hauehave you to marke it well. But spccially keepe in your remembraunce how our sauiour teacheth vsus to know the liberalitie of god, how god hath determined to helpe vsus, in so much that we shall lacke nothyng, if we come to his treasor house, where is locked vp all … necessarye for oure soules and bodies.
Further consider by the same petition that we be but beggers all together. For the beste of vsus hath neede to say dayly:… he best of … is … a begger. Our father, giuegive vsus this day our dayly breade. I would these proude and lofty fellowes would consider this, namelye that they be but beggers as S. Paule sayth. Quid habes, quod nō accepisti: what hauehave ye yt you hauehave not goten with begging.
Yet moste aboue all thinges, I would hauehave you to consider this woorde Our, for in that woord ar conteyned great misteries, and much learning. All those that pray this prayer (that is to saye, all Christen people) helpe me to get my lyuyng at gods hand: and therfore (as I tolde you before) they oughte to be partakers of my substance, seeyng they helpe to get my lyuyngEueryEvery man helpeth to get others …. at goddes hande: for whan they saye Our, they includs me in their prayers.
Agayne … the remedy against carefulnes, which is, to truste in god, to hange vppon hym, to come to his treasure house, and then to labour, and to do the workes of our vocati on: then vndoutedly God wyll prouide for vsus, we shall not lacke. Therfore learne to trust vponupon the lorde, and leaue this wicked …, wherof our … monisheth vsus.
Specially I wold hauehave you to consider what a wicked …ō this is, to fantasy yt geuing to the poore is a diminishing of our goods. I tolde you of late of the proprieties of thynges how things …, and how … be not ours; al those thinges… men … pro … in things. which we hauehave eyther by laboar or by inheritance, or els by giftes, or els by bying all those thyngs which we hauehave by suche tytles be oure owne: but yet not so, that we may spend them accordyng to our owne pleasure. They be ours vponupon yt condicion that we shall spende them to the honor of god, and … of our neighbors. And here I spake of …, howe we ought to make amendes vntounto that man, … we hauehave deceiued, or taken good wrongfully from him. Ther be some men which thinke there is no other thefte but onelyonly taking purses and killing men by the waye, or stealyng other mens good: Those men are much deceiued: For there be … genera furti, a greate number of theues. What was thys but a … whan Esay saith, principes tui infideles so … furum,Princes cō panions of theues. Thy princes are … and are companions with theues. This was a theft, but it was not a common theft, it was a … thefte: they coulde tell howe to weary men, and so to take … of them. Such … was Zachei, he robbed not mē by the high way, but he was an oppresser, & forced men to pay more than they ought to pay: which his so doyng, was as well a thefte, as if he had robbed men by the highe waye. There be many which folow Zachee in his yllnes, but thereFew folow Zache in this point. be but fewe, or none at all, which will folow him in his good ness. Siquem … reddam quadruplum, Yf I hauehave deceiued any man, I wyll pay it agayne foure folde. I woulde wishe that al bribers … false tollers would folowe his …. But I tell you without restitution, there is no salua tion. This is a certayn sentence, allowed and approued, first by the holy scripture. … by all the writers that euer wrote vponupon scripture, yea the very scholedertors, (as badRestitution is … of …. …. as they were) yet they neuer … in that, but said … famae … sunt opera debita, We oughte to make … of a … good name, and of his goods takē from him wrongfully: that is to say, whan we hauehave … any body, we oughte to … him amende … whan we hauehave taken any mannes good wrongfully, we oughte to make hym …, els we shal neuer be sauch, for god abhorreth me, and al things that I …, … before hym.
Remitte, who is in this world which hath not nede to say, Lord forgeue me? No mā huing, nor neuer was: nor shalbe, (our … only excepted) he was agnꝰ immaculatꝰ, an vnde …. I … a versc which I lerned almost 4c. yeresWe … for … c … ges to … for other some ago, which is this, Saepe praecor …, mortem que deprecor idem. I pray many times for … to coure: and again I pray that he shall not com. This verse put … in Precor and deprecor. Precor, is when I wold same hauehave a thing, deprecor, is whan I would auoide it. Like as Elias the prophetewe pray to bee deliue red frome them. whan Iezabel had killed the prophetes of the lord, Elias beeyng in a hole in the mounte, desyred of god to dye, and this is precor. Now deprecor is his contrarium, when I woulde auoyde the thyng then I vse deprecor. Now in the lorde praier till hither we hauehave bene in precor that is to say, we hauehaveNovve vve come to de sre god to take things from vsus. desyred thynges at gods haude. Now … deprecor, I desyre him now to remoue such thinges whiche may … me …, as … whiche dothe harme, therfore I would hauehave him to take away my trespasses. Now who is in the worlde or euer hath bene, which hath nor nede to say this deprecor, to desire god to take from him sinnes, to forgeue him his tres passes. Truly no saint in heauē, be they as holy as euer they will, yet they hauehave had neede of this deprecor, they hauehave had neede to say, lord forgiue vsus our trespasses. Nowe you aske wherein standeth our rightuousnes? Answer. In that thatOur good nes stādeth in gods goodnes. god forgiueth vntounto vsus our vnrightuousnes. Wherein standeth our goodnes? In that that god taketh away oure ylnes, so that our goodnes standeth in his goodnes.
In the other petition we desyre al things … for our bodily life, as long as we be here in this world. Vnusquis que enimtempus certum haber predefinitum à domino. For eueryevery man hath a certain time apointed him of god, and god hideth yt same tyme from vsus: for some die in yong age, some in olde age, according as it pleaseth him: he hathe not manifested to vsus the tyme, because he would hauehave vsus at all times redy: elsWhy god … from vsus our laste day. if I knew the time, I would presume vponupon it, and so should be worse. But he would hauehave vsus redy at al times and therefore he hideth the tyme of our death from vsus. And it is a com mon …: there do come as many skinnes of calues to the market as do of bulles or kyen. But of that we may be sure there shall not fall one heare from our head without his wil, & we shal not die before yt time that god hath apointed vntountoGod hath … hour of our death. vsus, which is a comfortable thing, specially in time of sicknes or warrs. For there be many men which are afraid to go to war, & to do the king seruice, for they feare euer they shalbee …. Itē … & persons be afraid when there commeth a sicknes in yt toune therfore they wer wont cōmonly … gette … out of yt way, & sēd a fryer thither, which did nothig els but rob and spoile thē: which doings of the vicar was dā nable, for it was a diffidence & a mistrust in god. Therfore yeAn … tion to cu rates. …, persons, or curates, what name so euer you beare, whā there cōmeth any sicknes in your toune, leaue not your flock … a pastor, but comfort thē in their distresse, and beleue certainly yt with your wel doinges you cannot shorten your liues. Like wise thou subiect, whan yt art commaunded by the king, or his officers, to go to war, to fight against theA man can not shortē his life by well doing kings enemies, go wt a good heart and courage: not douting but yt god will preserue thee, and that yu canst not shortē thy life wt weldoing. Peraduēture god hath apointed thee to dye there, or to be slain: Happy art thou when thon diest in gods quarel. For to fight against the kings enemies, being called vntounto it by the magistrates, it is gods seruice: therfore when thou dicst in that seruice with a good faith, happy arte thou.
There be some which say, whan their friendes are slain in battail, O if he had taried at home, he shoulde not hauehave loste his life: these sayings are nought. For god hath apointed eueryevery man his time. To go to war in presumptiousnes wtout an ordinary calling, such going to war I allow not: but whā yu art called, go in yt name of yt lord, and be wel assured in thy heart, that thon … not shorten thy lyfe with wel doing.
… forgeue vsus, Here we sue for our parden: and so weVVe suefor a pardon. acknowledge our selues to be offenders. For the vngilty nedeth no pardon. This pardon or remission of sinnes is so ne cessary, yt no man can be saued wtout it. Therfore of remissiō stādeth the christian mans lyfe: for so sayth Dauid: Beati quo rum remissae sunt … & quorū recta … peccata. Who is … of god: Marry he whose iniquities are forgiuen, & whose synnes ar couered. He sayth not: blessed be they whicheThey that … ned … no vvhere. hauehave neuer sinned. For where dwell such fellowes, whi che neuer sinned? Marry no where, they are not to be gotten. Here the Prophet signified that all we be sinners: for he …, quorum peccata sūr remissa, whose sinnes are pardoned: And here we be painted out in our colors, els we would be proud, & so he saith in yt gospel. Cum sitis mali. There he geneth vsus our own title and name, calling vsus wicked and yll. There is neither man nor woman that can say they hauehave noThe blood of Christ is … the sinnes of all the …, sinne, for we be al sinners. But how can we hide our sinnes? Marie the blood of our sauior Jesus Christ hideth our sinnes and washeth thom away. And though … man had done all the worldes synnes, sens Adams time, yet he may be remedied by the blood of Jesus Christ: if he beleue in him, he shal be clensed from all his sinnes: Therfore all our comfort … in hym, in his louelove and kyndnesse. For Sainct Paule saithe: Charitas operit multitudinem …. So dooth in … the louelove of our Sauior Jesu Christ: His louelove towardes vsus, couereth and taketh away all our …: in so much that the almighty God shall not condemne vsus, nor the deuil shal not preuaile against vsus. Our nature is euer to hide sinne, and toOur nature is to cloke sinne. cloke synne: but this is a wicked hidyng, and this hiding wil not serue. Videt & requiret, he seeth our wickednes, and he will punishe them, therfore our hiding can not serue vsus. But if you be disposed to hide your synnes, I will tell you howe you shall hide …. Firste acknowleage theim, and than beleue in our sauior Christ, put him in trust withall: he will … his father, for to that ende he came into the worlde, to saue synners. This is the righte waye to hide sinnes, not to go and excuse them, or to make them no synnes. No no, the … saith: Beatus vir cui dominus non imputat iniquitatem,Psal. 71. VVho it is that is blessed. Blessed is that man to whom the Lorde imputeth not his sinnes: He saith not, Blessed is he that dyd neuer sinne: but blessed is he, to whom sinne is not imputed.
And so here in this petition we praye for remission of oure sinnes: which is so requisite to the beginnyng of the spirituall life that no man can come therto, except he pray for remission of his sinnes, which standeth in Christ our redemer: he hath washen and clensed our sinns, by hym we shalbe clean. But how shall we come to Christ? how shall we hauehave hym? I heare that he is beneficiall, as scripture witnesseth, … The vvaye to come to ….est a pud Deum redemptio. There is full and plentuous redemption by him. But howe shall I get that? How shall I come vntounto it? Mary by faith: Faith is the hande wherwith we … his benefites, therfore we must nedes hauehave faith. But howe shall we obteine faith? Faithe in deede bringeth Christe, and Christe bringeth remission of sinnes, but howe shal we obtain faith? Answere S: Paul teacheth vsus this, saying, … ex …, Faithe commeth by hearyng of goddes worde. Then if we will come to faith, we must heare goddes worde: yf we must heare gods word, than we must hauehave prea chers which be able to tell vsus gods worde. And so it appereth that in this petition we pray for preachers: we pray vntounto god that he wil send men amongest vsus, which maye teache vsus the… neglected. way of euerlasting life. Truly it is a pitifull thing to see scho les so neglected, scholers not mainteined, eueryevery true christian ought to lament the same. But I hauehave good hope, synce God hath done greater thinges in taking away and extirping out all popery, that he will send vsus a remedy for this matter to. I hope he wil put into the magistrates hearte, to consider those… commeth by preaching. thinges: for by this office of preachyng GOD sendeth faith. This office is the office of saluation: for it hath pleased God, per stultitiam predicationis saluos facere credentes, by the foolishnes of preaching to saue the beleuers. So (I saye) we pray for this office whiche bringeth faithe: faithe bringeth to Christ, Christ bringeth remission of sinnes, remission of synnes bringeth euerlasting life.
O this is a godly praier, whiche we ought at all tymes to say, for we sinne dayly, therfore we had nede to say daily, forgeue…. 142. vsus our trespasses, and as Dauid saith, Ne intres in iudi cium cum seruo …, lord enter not into iudgement with thy seruant, for we be not able to abyde hys iudgement, if it wer not for this pardon, which we hauehave in our sauiour Jesu Christ we shold al perish eternally. For when this worde Remitte,… might hauehave bene saued if … had saide this … a good …. the. was spoken with a good faithe, and with a penitent hearte, there was neuer man but he was heard. If Iudas (that traytour) had sayd it with a good faith, it should hauehave saued hym: but he forgot that pointe, he was taught it in dede, our sauiour himselfe taught hym to praye so, but he forgot it agayne. … he remembred that pointe, he … Remitte, Lord forgiue me and so he obteyued his pardon, and so shall we do: for we be euer in that case, that we hauehave nede to say Remitte lord forgiue vsus, for we euer do amysse.
But here is one addition, one hanger on. As we forgeue … … trespasse againste vsus. What … this: In dede it … after the words, as though we might or should me rite remission of our sinnes with our …: as for an ensample. That man hath dene vntounto me a foule turne, he hath wronged me: at the length he … his …, and commeth to me, and … me to … him, I forgeue …. Do I now in … neighbour his sinnes whiche he hath done …, … I (I say) … or … atOur forgeuing other deserueth not forge … at Gods hand gods hande … of my …? No, no, god …; …: for yf this shold … so, thē … wel Christe, it … him cleane away, it diminisheth his honor, and it is … wroughte againste Christ. This … in … paste taught openly in the …, & in the scholes but it was … … a gainste Christ.treason against Christ, for in him onelyonly, and in nothyng els, neither in … nor in earthe, is …: vntounto hym onelyonly pertayneth thys honor. For remission of sinnes, wherin consisteth …, is such a treasure, that passeth all …, it must not be our merites that shal … but his: he is our comfort, it is the … of Christe and his bloud shedding that cleanseth vsus from our sinnes. Therfore whosoeuer is mynded contrarie vntounto this he robbeth … of his maiestye: Factus est reus lesae …, and so … himself into euerlastyng …. For though the workes whi che we do be good outwardly, and god be pleased …, yet they be not perfect, for we beleue vnperfectly we louelove vnperOure do inges are all vnperfect. fectly, we suffer vnperfectly notas we ought to …, & so al thi ges that we do ar done imperfectly. But our sauior, he hath so … the matter, and taken away oure vnperfectnes so, that they be counted nowe before God moste perfecte and holy, not for our owne sake, but for his sake: and though they be not perfect, yet they be taken for perfect: And so we comeVVe come to … by Christ. to perfectnes by hym. So you see as touching our saluacion we must not go to working, to thinke to get euerlasting … with oure owne doinges. No, this were to denye Christe. Saluacion, and remission of sinnes, is his gifte, his owne and free …. As touchyng oure good woorkes whyche we …, GOD wyll rewarde theym in heauen, but they canne not gette heauen. Therfore … eueryevery man do well, for it he shalbee well rewarded: but lette theym not thinke that they with their doinges may get heauen, for so doyng, is a robbing of Christe.
What shall we learne nowe by this addition, where we saye. As we forgeue theym that trespasse againste vsus, I … you this addition is putte vntounto it, not without greate cause, for our sauior beyng a wise and perfect … would speake no woordes in vayne. This addicion is putte vntountoChriste vvold … no vvordes in vaine. it, as to bee a certayne and sure token vntounto vsus, whether we hauehave the … saith in our heartes or no. For saith, the righte … I saye, cōsisteth not in the knowledge of the stories, to beleue the stories … in the new and olde …, that is not the lyuely faith, whiche bringeth saluation with her. For the deuill himselfe beleueth the stories, and yet is andThe … beleueth the hystories. shalbe damned world without end. Therfore we must hauehave the right faith, the liuely faith, the faith that bringeth saluation, whiche consisteth in beleuing that Christe died for my synnes sake. With suche a faith I draw him vntounto me, with all his …. I must not stande in generalities, as to beleue yt Christ suffred vnderunder Poncius Pilate, but I must … The true belefe.that that … done for my sake, to redeme with his pas sion … sinnes, and … theyrs which beleue and trust in him, … I … so, then I shall not be deceiued. But this … is a harde thing to be had, and many a man thinketh himselfe to hauehave that faith, when he hath nothing …. Therfore I wyll tell you how you shall … whether you hauehave yt right … or no, lest you be … a … of faith, as many be, therfore proue thy selfe on this wise, here is a … which hath … me … takē away my … or my … name, he hath … me, or otherwise hurt me. … at the lengthe he … vntounto me, and acknowlegeth his fautes and …; & desireth me to forgeue him: if I now … my … & wylling to forgeue hym frō & bottome of …, … that he hath done …, then I may … that I hauehave & … faith: yea, ILearne … a linely faith may be … yt god will … me my sinnes for Christs his sonnes …: but whā my neighbor … vntounto me confessing his …, & desiring …: if I thā be sturdy and proude, my hearte is flyntye, and my stomacke … him, in so muche that I refuse his request, and hauehave an appetite to bee auenged vppon … I hauehave suche a … stomacke, then I maye pronounce … my selfe, that I hauehave not that liuely faith in …. It is a sure token that I am not … the … of the … of god as long as I abyde in this ….
There is no good body but he is … or … by … mean or other, & commenly it is …, yt those which line most godly, hauehave in this world the …, they … The more godly the sooner …… & backbitten, & diuers waies vexed of the wicked. Therfore thou (whosoeuer thou art) that sufferest such wronges, either in thy good and substance or in thy good name & fame ex amine thy self, go into thy heart, and if thou caust fynd in thy heart to forgeue all thy enemies what soeuer they hauehave done against thee, than thou maiest be sure that thou art one of the flock of god: yet thou must beware (as I said before) that thou thinke not to got heauen by such remitting of thy neighbors yl doynges. But by such forgeuyng, or not …, thou shalt knowe whether thou hauehave faith or no. Therefore yf we hauehave a rebellious stomacke, and a flyntye hearte against oure neighbour, so that we are mynded to auenge our selues vponuponHeb. 10 him, and so take vponupon vsus gods office, which sayeth: Mihi vindictamDeut. … ego retribuam, yelde vntounto me the vengeaunce, and I1. Ioh. 4. shall recompence them (as I tolde you) we be not of the flockeLoueLove bothe or neither of Christ. For it is written. Si quis dixerit quoniam diligo de … & odio habet … suum, mendax est, whosoeuer saith I louelove god, and hateth his brother, that man or woman is a lyer. For it is impossible for me to louelove god & hate my neigh bour. And our sauiour saith, Si orauetitis remittite, whā you will pray, forgeue first, els it is to no purpose, you gette nothyng by your prayer. Like wise we see in the parable of that king which called his seruauntes to make an accompte, and pay their dettes: where he remitteth one of them a great sum of money. Now that same fellow, whom the lord pardoned, wente out and toke one of his felow seruauntes by the necke, and handled him moste cruelly, sayeng: giuegive me my money. He had forgotten belike that his lord had forgiuen him.
Now the other seruants, seyng his cruelnes, came vntounto the kyng, and told him how that man vsed himselfe so cruelly to his felow: The lord called him again, & after great … caste him in prison, there to lye tyll he had paied the least farthing.Mat. 18. Upon that our sauiour saith Sic & pater meus coelestis faciet vobis si non remiseritis vnusquis que fiatri suo de cordibus …, Thus will my heauenly father also do vntounto you, yf ye forgeue not eueryevery one his brother euen from your heartes. Therfore let vsus take hede by that wicked seruant which woulde not forgeue his felowe seruaunt when he desyred of him forgeuenes, saying: patientiam habe in me, & omnia red …, hauehave pacience with me, saith he, and I will pay thee all my dettes. But we can not say so vntounto god, we must onelye call for pardon.
There be many folke which whan they be sicke they say: O yt A naughty saying.I mighte liue but one yere longer, to make amendes for my sinnes, which saying is very noughte, and vngodly. For weChrist must satisfye Only are not able to make amendes for our synnes: only Christ, he is the lambe of god which taketh away our synnes. Therfore whan we be sicke we should say: Lord god, Thy wilbe done, if I can do any thing to thy honour and glorye, Lord, suffer me to liue longer, but thy wilbe done. As for satisfaction, we can not do the leaste piece of it.
You hauehave heard nowe howe we ought to be willing to forgeue our neighbours their sinnes, which is a very token that we be children of god: to this oure sauiour also exhorteth vsus, saying: Si frater … habet aliquid … te, relinque &c. IfMat …. thou offerest therfore thy gift before the aultare, and there remembrest that thy brother hath somewhat against thee, leaue thou thy gifte there before the aultare, and go first, and be reconciled… tion must first be … vntounto thy brother. Leaue it there (saith our sauiour) yf thy brother hauehave any thing against thee: go not about to sacrifice to me, but firste aboue all thinges goe and reconcile thy self vntounto thy brother. On suche wise saint Paule also exhorteth vsus, saying: Volo viros orare …; ira & disceptatione, I wold hauehave men to pray without angre & disceptation. There be many wranglers and braulers now a days, whiche do not well: they shall well knowe that they be not in the fauour of god, god is displeased with them: let vsus therfore giuegive vsus our … to …, so that we may louelove god and our neighbour. It is a very godly prayer, to say: Lord forgiue vsus our trespas ses, as we forgiue them that trespasse against vsus. But there be peraduenture some of you, which wil say. The priest can absolue me, and forgeue me my sinnes. Syr I tell thee, the… uen to the …. priest or minister (cal him what you wil) he hath power giuē vntounto him from our sauiour, to absolue in suche wise as he is commaunded by him: but I thinke ministers be not greatly troubled therewith: for the people seke their carnal liberties, which in dede is not wel, & a thing which misliketh god. For I would hauehave them that are greeued in conscience, to goe to some godly man which is able to minister gods word, & there to fetch his absolucion, if he canne not be … inthe publike sermon, it wer truly a thing which wold do much good. But to say the truth, there is a great faulte in the priestes, for they (for the most part) be vnlearned: & wicked: & seeke rather meanes & waies to wickednes than to godlines. but a godly minister, which is instruct in the word of god, can & may absolue in opē preaching, not of his owne authority, but in the name of god: for god saith: Ego su qui deleo …, I am he (saith god) that clense thy sinnes. But I may absolue you as an officer of Christ, in the … pulpet in this …. As in anyThe absolu tion … Latymer … giuegive as … their sinnes vntounto god, acknowleging … to be sinners, & beleue yt our … hath take away their sins, & hauehave an … to … sin, as many (I say) as be so …, …. as an officer of Christ, as his tresurer, … you in his …. This is the … yt I cā make by … word. Again, as many as wil … in defence of their … will not acknowledge them, nor purpose to leaue them, and so … no … in our sauiour to be saued by him … his …: to them I say, Ego ligo …, I … you: and I … not … The maner of bindingthey shalbe bounde in heauen. Forthey be the … of … deuyl as long as they be in such … and purpose to sin. … you see how, and in what wise, a preacher may absolue …: but he can not do it of … or …. … in … wyse: he mast do it according as Christe … him. Yf god nowe commaund to forgiue him, qui … contra me, that sinneth against me, how muche more must I be reconciled to him, whome I hauehave offended: I must go vntounto him, and desire him to forgeue me, I must acknowledge my fault, & so humble my self before him. Here a man mighte aske a question, saying: What yf a man hauehave offended me greuously, and hathe hurte me in my good, or slaundred me, and is … in it, standeth in defence of himself and his owne wickednesse, he wyll not acknowledge hymselfe: shall I forgeue hym? Aunswere. Forsothe GOD hymselfeMan is not bounde to forgiue ehe impenitent dothe not so, he forgeueth not synnes, excepte the sinner acknowledge himself, confesse his wickednes, and cry him mer cye. Nowe I am sure, god requireth no more at our handes, than he doth himselfe. Therfore I wil say this: yf thy neighbour, or any man hath done against thee, and will not … his faultes, but wickedly defendeth the same, I for my owne discharge muste putte awaye all rancour and malyce oute of my hearte, and bee redye as farre foorthe as I am able, to helpe hym: yf I doo so, I am discharged afore god, but so is not he. For truely that sturdye fellow shall make a heauy counte afore the rightuous iudge.
Here I hauehave occasion to speake agaynst the Nouatians,The … opinion. whiche denye remission of synnes: theyr opinion is, that he whyche commeth once to Christ, and hath receiued the holy …, and after that, synneth agayne, he shall neuer come to Chryste agayne, his synne s shall neuer bee forgeuen hym: whiche opinion is moste erronious and wycked: yea and cleane agaynste Scripture. For yf it should be so, there should no body be saued: for there is no man but he synneth daylye. I told you howe you shoulde vnderstande those two places of Scripture, which seeme to bee verye harde. Non est …. &c. As concerning the sin against the holy ghost we cānot iudge aforehād, but after I know now yt Iudashad sinned against ye holy ghost, also Nero, Pharao, & one Frāciscus Spera, which mā had … popery, & done very boldly in gods quarel: at the length he was complained of, the holy ghost moued him in his hart to stick vntounto it, & … to forsake gods word: he contrary to that admonition of the holy ghost denied the word of god, & so finally died in desperation: him IA remedy for the sin against the holy ghost. may pronoūce to hauehave sinned yt sin against yt holy ghost. But I wil shew you a remedy for yt sin agaist yt holy ghost. Ask re … of sin in yt name of Christ, & thē I ascertain you, yt you sin not against the holy gost. For, gratia … supra pecca tū yt mercy of god sar excedeth our sins. I hauehave heard tel of som which whā they said this petitiō, they perceiued yt they asked of god forgeuenes, like as they thēselues forgeue their neigh bors, & again perceiuing themselues so vnapt to forgiue their neighbors fautes, came to yt point, yt they would not say this praier at al: but toke our ladies psalter in hand and such foolries,Someleaue out this petition. thinking they mighte than doe vntounto their neighboar a soule turne with a better conscience, than if they shoulde saye this patition: for here they wishe themselues the vengeaunce of god vponupon their heades, if they beare grudge in their hearts and say this petition. But if we wil be right christians, let vsus set asyde all hatered and malice, let vsus liue godly and forgeue our enemy: so that we may from the bottom of our heart say. Our father which art in heauen, forgiue vsus our trespasses. &c There be som when thei say, Forgeue vsus our trespasses, they think yt god wil forgeue culpā only, sed nō poenā, giltines, & not yt pain: & therfore they beleue they shal go into purgatory & ther to be clensed frō their sinnes, which thing is not so: they be lyers which teach such doctrine. For god forgiueth vsus both yt pain & the giltines of sinnes. Like as it appered in Da uid, whē he repēted, Nathā said vntounto him: abstulit dn̄s iniqui tatē tuā, yt lord (saith he) hath takē away thy wickednes. But they wil say: god toke away the giltines of his sins, but not yt pain for he punished him afterward. Sir, yt must vnderstand, yt god punished him, but not to yt end that he shold make satisThe cause why god punisheth sepentant sinners. factiō & amēds for his sins: but for a warning god wold geue him a Caue, therefore he punished him. So likewise whosoeuer is a repentāt sinner, as Dauid was, & beleueth in Christ, he is cleane à poena & a culpa, both from the payne and giltines of his sinnes: yet god punisheth synnes, to make vsus to remember and to beware of synnes.
Now to make an ende: you hauehave hearde … needeful it is for vsus to crye vntounto god, for forgiuenes of our sinnes: where you hauehave heard wherein forgeuenes of our synnes standeth, namely in Christ the sonne of the lyuing god: Agayne I told you how you should come to Christ, namely by faith, & faithe commeth thorough hearyng the worde of god.
Remember then this additiō, As we forgiue them that trespas against vsus: which is a sure token wherby we may know whether we hauehave the true faith in Christ or no. And here you learne that it is a good thyng to hauehave an enemy, for we maye vse him to our great commodity, thorough him or by him we may proue our selues whether we hauehave the true faith or no.
Now I shall desire you yet agayne, to praye vntounto almightye god that he will sende suche water, wherby the fruites of the fielde may increase, for we thynke we hauehave neede of rain. Let vsus therfore call vponupon him, which knoweth what is beste for vsus. Therfore say with me the lordes praier as he himselfe hath taught vsus. Our father which. &c.