The Parable of the Wicked Mammon, Parable · Part 14 – Part 18
GAther not treasure to gether in earth & cet. Math. vi But gather you treasure in heauen. & cet. Let not your herts be glued to world ly thynges studie not to heape treasure vponupon treasure and riches vpō riches, but studie to bestowe well that whiche is goten all ready, and let your abundaūce suc core the lacke and neade of ye pore whichwith yt which aboundeth of …ure necessary fode ought … to sustaine the nedy. hauehave not▪ HaueHave an eye to good workes, whiche if ye hauehave luste and also powre to do them, then are ye sure that the spirite of God is in you▪ and ye in Christ electe to the rewarde of eternal lyfe whiche foloweth good workes.
But loke that thine, eye be syngle and robbe not Christe of his honoure ascribe not that to the deseruinge of thy workes whiche is geuen the frely by the merites of his bloude. In Christe we are sonnes In Christ we are heires. In Christ God chose vsus and elected vsus before the beginynge of the worlde, created anew by the worde of the Gospell, and put his spirit in vsus, for because wee shoulde dooe good workes. A Christen man worketh becaus it is the will of his father only. If we do no good worke nor be mercyfull, howe is our lust therin? If we hauehave no luste to do good workes, how is gods spirite in vsus? If the spirite of God be not in vsus, howe are wee hys sonnes? Howe are wee hys heyres, and heyres annexed with Christe of the eternall lyfe which is promysed to all them that beleue in him? Now do our workes testifie and witnes what we are, & what treasure is leade vp for vsus in heauen, so that our eye be single and loke vppon the commaūdemēt with out respecte of any thynge, saue because it is Gods wyll, and that God desireth it of vsus, and Christe hath deserued that w… do it.
Math. vii Not all they that saye vntountoNot onelyonly to speake of the Gospel is accepted before God but to lyue after the Gospel. me Lorde, Lorde, shall enter in to ye kingedome of heauen, but he that doth the will of my father which is in heauē. Though thou canste laude God wyth thy lippes, and call Christ Lord, and canst bable and talke of the scripture, and knowest al the storyes of the byble. Yet shalt thou there by neuer knowe thine election or whether thy fayth be right. But and if thou feale lust in thine herte to the will of God, and bringest forth the fruits therof, then hast thou confidence and hope, and thy dedes and also the spirite whence thy deades spring certyfye thine hert that thou shalt enter, yea art all ready entred in to the kingdome of heauen. For it foloweth, he that heareth the word and doth it, bildeth his howse vponupon a rocke, and no tempest of temptacions can ouer thorowe it. For the spirit of God is in his herte and com forteth him, and holdeth hym faste to the rocke of the merites of Christes bloude▪ in whom he is electe. Nothing is able to pluck hym out of the hādes of God, God is stronger then all thinges. And contrary wise he that heareth the worde and doth it not, byldeth on sande of his owne imaginacion and eueryevery tēpest ouer throweth his byldinge. The cause is, he hath not Gods spirite in hym, and therfore vnderunder standeth it not a right nother worketh a ryght. For no man knoweth the thinges of God (sayeth Paul in the .i. pistle to the Corinthyans in the seconde Chap (saue the spirite of God: as no man knoweth what is a man, but a mans spirite whichWher the spirit of God is not, there can not a mā work accordynge to Gods will. is in hym. So then if the spirite be not in a man, he worketh not the wil of God nether vnderstandeth it though he bable neuer so moche of the scriptures. Neuerthelesse soch a man maye worke after his owne ymaginacion, but Gods will can he not wor…ke, he may offer sacrifyce, but to do mercye knoweth he not. It is easye to saye vntounto Christe Lorde, Lorde: but therby shalt thou neuer feale or be sure of the kingdome of heauen. But and if thou do the wil of God then art thou sure that Christ is thy lord in deade, and that thou in him art also a lord, in that thou fealest thy selfe loosed and fere from the bōdage of synne, and lusty and of power to do the wyll of God. Wher the spirit is ther is fealynge. For the spirite makethe vsus feale all thinges. Wher the spryte is not ther is no fealynge, but a vayne opinion or ymaginacion. A phisician serueth but for sycke men, and that for such sycke men as feale ther sekeneses & morne ther fore, and lōge for health. Christ lyke wise serueth but for such sinners only as feale ther synne and that for suche synners, as sorowe and morne in theyr hertes for health Health is power or strēgth to fulfyllWhat health is to saye. the lawe or to kepe the commaundementes. Nowe he that longeth for that health that is to saye, for to do the lawe of God is blessed in Christe, and hath a promyse that his lust shalbe fulfylled and that he shalbe made hole. Math. v blessed are they which honger & thurst for rightwesnes sake (that is to fulfyll the lawe) for ther lust shalbe fulfylled.
This longyng and consent of the herte vntounto the lawe of God, is the workynge of the spirite which God hath poured in to thine hert in ernest that thou myghtyst be sure that God wyll fulfyll all his promyses that he hath made the. It is also the seale and marke whiche God putteth on al men that he choseth vntounto euerlastinge lyfe. So lōge as thou seest thy sinne and mornest, and consentest to the lawe and lōgest (though yu be neuer so weake) yet the spirite shall kepe the in all tempta cions from desperacion and certifie thine herte, that God for his trouth, shall delyuer ye and saue the, yea and by thy good deades shallt thou be saued not whyche thou hast done, but whiche Christe hath done for the. For Christe is thine, and all his deades are thy deads. Christ is in theChristes merites are ours and thou in hym knyt to gether insepara bly. Neither canst thou be damned except Christe be damned with the. Neither can Christe be saued excepte yu be saued with hym. More ouer thy hert is good, ryght, holy and Iust. For thy herte is no enimie to the lawe but a frend and a louer. The lawe and thy hert are agreed and at one, and therfore is God at one with the. The consent of the hert vntounto the law, is vnite and peace betwene God and man. For he is not myne enemy whiche woulde fayne do me pleasure and morneth be cause he hath not where with. Nowe he that opened thy dysease vntounto the and made the longe for health, shal as he hath promised heale the, and he that hath loesed thy hert shall at his Godly pleasur, loese thy mem bres▪ He that hath not the spirite hath no fealyng, nether lusteth or longeth after power to fulfyl the lawe, neither abhorteth the pleasures of synne, nether hath any man more certentie of the promyses of God, than I hauehave of a tale of Robyn hode, or of some iest that a mā telleth me was done at Rome Another man maye lightely make me doute or beleue the contrary, seing I hauehave no experience ther of mi selfe. So is it of them that feale not the working of the spirite, and therfor in tyme of temptaciō the byldinges of ther ymaginacions fall.
MAthei. x. He that receyueth a pro phete in the name of a prophete, that is because he is a prophete ? ? ? ? shall receyue the rewarde of a prophete and he that geueth one of thes li…leons a cuppe of colde water to drinke, in the name of a dysciple, shal not lose his rewarde. Note this, that a prophete singnifieth as well him that enterpreteth the harde places of scripture, as him that pro phisies thinges to come. Nowe he that re ceyueth a prophete, a iust man, or a disciple, shall hauehave the same or lyke rewarde, that's to saye, shal hauehave the same eternal lyfe, whiche is appoynted for thē in Chri stes bloude and merytes. For except thou were electe to the same eternall lyfe, and haddest the same faith and trust in God, and the same spirite, thou cowldest neuer consent to their deades and healpe them.No man can consent to the deades of the lawe except he be chosen.
But thy deades testifye what thow art and certyfye thy conscience that thou art receyued to mercy, & sātyfied in Christes passions and sufferynges, and shallt here after wythe all them that folowe God, receyue the reward of eternall lyfe▪ Of thy wordes thou shalt be iustified and of thy wordes thou shalt be condemned.
Math. xii. That is thy wordes as wel as other deades shall testifye with the or agaynst ye at the daye of iudgemente. Many ther are which abstaine from the vtte warde deades of fornicaciō and adulteri, neuer the lasse reioice to talke ther of and laugh, their wordes and laughter testifie agaynste them, that theyr herte is vnpur, and they Adulterers and Fornicatours in the syght of God. The tonge & other signes oft times vtter ye malice of ye hert though a man for many causes abstayne his hāde, frō the outwarde deade or acte.
IF thou wylt enter in to lyfe kepe the commaundementes Ma…hei. xix. Fyrste remēbre that whē God ? ? ? cōmaundeth vsus to do anie thinge, he dothe it not therfore, because that wee of oure selues are able to do that he com maūdeth, but that by the lawe we myght se and knowe oure horryble damnacion and captiuite vnderunder sinne and shoulde repent and come to Christe, & receyue mercye and the scripture of God to loose vsus, strengh vsus & to make vsus able to do gods wil which is the law. Now when he say eth if thou wylt enter in to lyfe kepe theExcepte a mā hauehave ye spirite of life it is impossible for him to kepe ye cōmaundemē tes▪ conmaundementes, is as much to say, as he that kepeth the commaundementes is intred in to life, for except a mā hauehave first the spirit of life in him by Christes pourcheasinge, it is impossible for him to kepe the commaundementes, or that his herte shoulde be loose or at libertie to lust after thē ▪ for of nature wee are enemyes to the lawe of God. As toutchinge that Christe saieth after ward if thou wilt be perfect, goe and sell thy substance and geue it toThe greatest perfection. the pore he saieth it not as who shoulde saye that ther were any greater perfectiō then to kepe the lawe of God (for that is all perfection) but to showe the other his blindnes which saw …not that the law is spiritual and requireth the herte. But because he was not knowinge that he hade hurt any man with the outwarde deade, he supposed that he loued his neyghbour as hym selfe. But when he was bade to shewe the deades of louelove, and geue of his abundance to them that neaded, he depar ted morninge. Whiche is an euident tokē that he loued not his neyboure as well as hym selfe. For if he had nede him selfe, it woulde not hauehave greaued him to hauehave receyued succour of an other man. Moreduer he sawe not▪ that it was morder and thefte that a man shoulde hauehave obōdaūce of ryches lyinge by him and not succoure hys neiboures neade. God hath geuē one mā riches to healpe an other at neade. Yf thi neighbour neade and thou healpe him not beinge able yu with holdist hys dutye from him and art a thefe before God.
That also that Christ saieth, how thatHe that wyth draweth from hys negboure the whyche is his can not come to heauen. it is harder for a rich man (whiche loueth his riches so yt he can not find in his hert liberally and frely to healpe the pore and nedy) to enter in to the kingdō of heauē, then a camell to go thorowe the eye of an nedle, declareth that he was not intred in to the kingdō of heauē, that is to saye, eternall life. But he that kepeth the commaū demētes is intred in to life, yea hath life and the spirite of life in him.
THis kinde of deuils goth not out but by prayere & fastinge. Math. xxvii. Not that the deuill is caste out by merites of fasting or pray inge. For he sayeth before that for there vnbelefes sake they coulde not cast hym out. It is fayeth no doute that casteth out the deuils and fayth it is that fasteth and praieth. Fayth hath the promyses ofFaith casteth out deuels and doth such lyke miracles. God where vntounto she cleaueth, and in all thinges thristeth the honour of god She fasteth subdueth ye body vntounto ye spirite yt the prayer be not let, and that the spirite maye quietly talke wyth God: she also when so euer oportunitie is geuē prayeth god to fulfil his promises vntounto his praise and glorye. And God whiche is mercyful in promysinge and true to fulfyll 'them, casteth out the deuils & doth all that faith desyreth and satisfieth hyr thurst.
COme ye blessed of my father, enherete the kyngdome prepared for you from the begynnynge of the world. For I was a thurst and ye gaue me drinke. &c. Mat. xxv. Not that a man with workes deserueth eternall lyfe as a worke man or labourer his hyre orThe kyngdōe of heauen is prepared for ye faythful▪ ergo theyr workes do not deserue it. wages. Thou readest in the text that the kingdome was prepared for vsus from the beginnge of the worlde. And we are blessed and sanctified. In Christes bloude are we blessed from that bitter cruse and damnable captiuite vnderunder synne, where in we were borne and conceyued. And Christes spirit is poured into vsus, to bring forth good workes, and oure workes are the fruites of the spirit, and the kingdom is thr deseruinge of Christes bloude, and so is fayth and the spiryte and good wor kes also. Not withstandinge the kingdōe foloweth good workes, & good workes testifie that we are heyres therof, and at the daye of Iudgement shall they testifie for ye electe vntounto theyr comforth and glorye, And to the confucion of the vngod…ie vnbeleuynge & faythlesse synners, whiche had not truste in the worde of Goddes promyses nor lust to the wil of God: but were caryed of the spirite of theyr father the deuill vntounto al ab hominaciō, to worke wyckednes with all luste delectacion and gred…nes.