The Parable of the Wicked Mammon, Parable · Part 19
MAny sinnes are forgeuen hir for she loueth moche Lu. vii. Not yt louelove was cause of forgeuenes of sinnes. But cō trary wise the forgeuenes of synnes caused louelove, as it foloueth, to whom lesse was forgeuē, the same loueth lesse. And afore he cōmended the iudgement of Symon, whiche answered that he loueth most to whō moste was forgeuen: and also sayde at the last, thy fayth hath saued the or made ye safe,As longe as we see the law we cā not louelove Christe but when we se ye gospel, then re ioyce we. go in peace. We can not louelove except wee se some benefite and kyndnes. As longe as we loke on the law of god only where we se but sinne and damnacion and the wrath of God vponupon vsus, yea where wee were damned afore we were borne, wee can not louelove God: No wee can not but hate him as a ryrante vnrightuous and vniust, and fle from hym as dyd Cayn. But when the Gospel that glad tidinges and io…full promises are preached howe that in Christe God loueth vsus fyrst, forgeueth vsus, and hath mercye on vsus, then louelove we again and the deades of our louelove declare oure fayth. This is the maner of speakyng, As we saye. Somer is nye, for the trees blosome. Nowe is the blosomeAn exāple for declaracion of inward deeds of the trees not the cause that somer draweth nye, but the drawinge nye of somer cause of the blosomes, and the blosomes put vsus in remembrance that somer is at hande. So Christe here teacheth Simon by the feruētnes of louelove in the outwarde deades to se a strōge fayth within whēce so greate louelove springeth. As the manet is to saye do your charyte, showe your charyte, do a deade of charyte, showe youre mercye do a deade of mercye, meaninge ther by, that oure deades declare how we louelove our neyghbours and howe much we hauehave compastion on them at there neade.
More ouer it is not possyble to louelove except wee se a cause. Except we se in oure hertes the louelove and kindnes of God to vsus warde in Christe our Lorde, it is not possible to louelove God a ryght.
We saie also he that loueth not my dog loueth not me. Not that a man shulde louelove my dog fyrst. But if a man loued me theAn example of louelove to warde our neghbour louelove where with he loueth me, would cō pell hym to louelove my dogge, thoughe the dogge deserued it not, ye though the dog had done him a displeasure. Yet if he loued me, ye same louelove would refrayne him from venging him selfe, and cause him to tefet the vēgeaunce vntounto me. Such speakinges finde we in scripture. Ihon in the iiii. of hys fyrst Epistle sayth, he that saieth. I louelove God, and yet hateth his brother is a lyar. For how can he that loueth not his brother whom he seith, louelove God whom he seyth not? Thys is not spoken that a man should fyrst louelove hys brother and then God, but as it folowith.
For thys commaundement hauehave we of hym, that he whyche loueth God shoulde louelove his brother also. To louelove my neyghboure is the commaundement, whiche cō maūdemēt he that loueth not, loueth not God. The kepynge of the commaundemētThe kepynge of ye commaū dement declareth outr louelove toward God. declareth what louelove I hauehave to God. If I loued God purely, no thing that my neyghboure coulde do were able to make me neyther to hate hym eyther to take vē geaunce on hym my selfe, seing that God hath commaūded me to louelove hym, and to remitte al vengeaunce vntounto him. Marke now how muche I louelove the commaundement, so muche I louelove God how much I louelove God, so much beleue I yt he is merciful, kind and good, yea and a father vn to me for Christes sake, how much I beleue that God is mercyfull vntounto me, and that he wyll for Christes sake fulfyll all hys yromyses vntounto me: so much I se my sinnes, so moche do my synnes greue me, so moche do I repent and soro we that I sinne, so moche displeaseth me that poyson that moueth me to sinne, and so great ly desyre I to be healede. So now by theA goodly order of perfecti on. naturall order fyrst I se my sinne. Then I repēt and sorow. Thē beleue. I Gods promises, yt he is mercyfull vntounto me and forgeueth me, and wil heale me at the last: then louelove I and then I prepare my selfe to the commaundement.