The Parable of the Wicked Mammon, Parable · Part 30
WE muste all appere before the iudgement seate of Christ, for to receyue eueryevery man accordinge to the deades of his body. ii. Corin. v. As thy deades testifie of the so shal thi rewarde be. Thi deades be euyl, then is the wrath of God vponupon the and thyne herte is euill and so shall thy rewarde be if thou repente not. Feare therfore and crie to god for grace, that thou maist louelove his lawes And whē thou louest them cease not tyll thou hauehave optayned power of God to fulfyll them: so shalt thou be sure that a good rewarde shal folowe. Whiche rewarde not thye deades, but Christes hath purchaised for the, whose purchasinge also is that lust whiche thou haste to Goddes lawe, and that myght where with yu fulfyllest them Remember also, that a rewarde is rather called that whiche is giuen frely, thē that whiche is deserued. That whiche is deser ued, is called (if thou wilt gyue hym hys tyght name) heyre or wages. A rewardeWhat rewarde is & what hyre. is gyuen frely to prouoke vntounto louelove and to make frendes. Remenbre that whatso euer good thinge any mā doeth, that shall he receyue of ye Lord. Ephes. vi. Remembring that ye shall receiue of the Lord theThe Lord shal rewarde eueryevery man according to his dedes. rewarde of enheritaunce, Collossens. iii.
These tow textes are excedinge playne. Paul. meaneth as Peter doeth. i. Peter. ii. yt seruaūtes should obey theyr masters with all ther hertes and wyth good wyll though they were neuer so euyll. Yea he will that all that are vnderunder power obeye, euen of herte and of conscience to God, be cause God will hauehave it so, be ye rulers neuer so wicked. The childerne must obeye father and mother bee they neuer soWe must obe… our superioures, be thei …euer so yu…ll. cruel or vnkynde, lyke wyse the wife hyr husbonde, the seruaunte hys master, the subiectes and communes their Lorde or kinge. Why? For ye serue the Lorde say th he in the thryde to the Coll. We are Christes and Christe hath bought vsus, as thou readest Ro. xiiii. i. Cori. vi. i. Peter. i. Christe is oure Lorde and we hts possion, and his also is the commaundement. Now ought not the crueluesse and churlishnesse of father & mother, of husboud, master, Lorde or kinge, cause vsus to hate the commaundemente of oure so kynde a Lorde Christe. Whiche spared not hys bloude for oure sakes whyche also hath purchaysed for vsus wyth hys bloude, the rewarde of eternall lyfe whiche lyfe shall folowe the pacience of good leuinge and wher vntounto oure good deades testifie that we are chosen. Forthermor we are so carnal, that if the rulers be good, we can not knowe whether we kepe the commaundement for ye louelove that we hauehave to Christ and to God thorowe him or no. But and if thou canste fynde in thyne herte to do good vntounto hym that rewardeth the evyll agayne, then art thou sure that the same spirite is in the that is in Christe. And it foloweth in the same Chap to the Clolossians. He yt doeth wronge shal receyue for the wronge that he hath done. That is God shall auenge the aboundantly, whiche seeth what wronge is doene vntounto the and yet suf…reth it for a tyme, that thou myghtest feale thy pacyence and the workynge of hys spirite in the▪ and bee made perfet. Therfore see that thou not once desire vengeaunce but remitte all vengaunce vntounto God as Christ dyd.
Whiche (Sayth Peter. i. Pet. ii.) when he was reuiled, reuiled not agayne nether thretned whē he suffered. Unto such obedience, vntounto suche pacience, vntounto suche a pore herte, and vntounto suche fealyuge, is Pauls meanynge to brynge all men, and not vntounto the vayne disputinge of them that ascribe so hye a place in heauen vntountoOur spiritual tiwyl not ob… rulers but curse them for doeynge ryght theire pylde merites. Whiche as they feale not the workinge of Goddes spirite, so obey they no man. Yf the kynge do vntounto them but righte, they wyll interdite the hole realme, curse, excomunycate and sende downe far beneth ye botome of hel, as they hauehave brought the peole oute of theyr wyttes, and made them madde to beleue.