The Parable of the Wicked Mammon, Parable · Part 20
THis do and thou shalt lyue Luc. x. that is to saye, louelove thy Lorde God wyth all thy hert, wyth all thy soule, & wyth all thy strēgh and wyth all thy mynde, and thy neyghboureIf we do but lust it is a sign that the spirit is in vsus. as thy selfe. As who shoulde saye, if thou do this, or though thou canst not do it, yet if thou fealest luste ther vntounto, and thy spirit sigheth morneth, and longeth after strēgth to do it, take a signe and euidēt token therby that the spirit of life is in the, and that thou art electe to life euerlasting by Christes bloude, whos gift and purchase is thy faith and that spirit that worketh the will of God in ye, whos gift also are thy deades or rather the deades of the spirite of Christ and not thine, and whos gift is the rewarde of eternall life which foloweth good workes.
It foloweth also in the same place of Luc. When he shoulde depart, he pluked out. ii. pence, and gaue them to the host, and sayd vntounto hym Take the charge or cure of hym, and what so euer thou spen dest more I will recompense it the at my coming agayne. Remembre this is a parable, and a parable maye not be expoundedA parable can not be ex pouned in al po… tes but ye sē … onelyonly. word by word. But the entent of the similitude must be sought out only in the whole parable. The entent of the similitude is to shewe to whō a man is a neigh bour or who is a mans neighbour (which is both one) and what it is to louelove a mās neyghboure as hym selfe. The Samaritane holpe hym and shewed mercy as lōg as he was present, and he left his mony… behinde him. And if that were not sufficient, he left hys credēs to make good the rest, and forsoke hym not, as longe as the other had neade Thē said Christ go thou and do lyke wise, that is, wythout difference or respection of persons whoe so euer neadeth thy healpe, hym count thy neighbour, and his neyboure be thou and shewe mercy on hym as longe as he neadeth thy soccour, & that is to louelove a mans neyboure as him selfe. Neyghboure is aWhat neighbour signifieth. worde of louelove and signifieth that a man shoulde be euer nye and at hand and readye to healpe in time of neade-
They yt wil enterprete parables worde for worde fall in to straytes oft tymes, whence they can not rid them selfes. And preach lyes in steade of the trueth. As do they whiche enterpret by the two pence the olde testament and the newe, and by that whiche is bestowed, Opera supererogationis. Howe be it superarogancia were a meter terme. That is to saye, deades which are more then the lawe requy…eth, deades of perfectiō and of liberalite which a man is not bownde to do, but of hys freewil. And for them he shall hauehave an hygher place in heauen, and may giuegive to other of his merites: or of whiche the pope after his death maye giuegive pardons f…ome the paines of purgatorye.
Agaynst whiche exposicion then I answer.There is no greater perfec tion than the lawe. Fyrst a greatter perfection then to louelove God and his will, whiche is the cō maundementes, with all thine herte, with all thy minde, is ther none. And to louelove a mans neiboure as hym selfe, is like the same. It is a wōderfull louelove where with a man loueth hym selfe. As glad as I woulde be to receyue pardone of myne owne life (if I hade deserued death) so glad ought I to be to defēd my neibours life with out respect of my life, or of my good. A man ought nether to spare hys goodes nor yet him selfe for his brothers sake, after the ensāpel of Christ, i. Iohn. iii. Here in sayeth be, perceyue wee louelove, in that he (that is to saye Christe) gaue his life for vsus. We ought therfore to bestow our liues for ye brethrē Now saith Christ Ioha…. xv. ther is no greater louelove than that a man bestowe his lyfe for his frende. More ouer no man can fulfil the lawe. For (Ihon sayth. i. Chapter of theNo man fullfylleth the lawe. sayd epistle) if we saie, we hauehave no sinne, we deceyue our selues and true this not in vsus. If wee knowledge our synnes he is faithfull and rightuous to forgeue vsus our synnes. Now if we be all synners, none fulfyleth the lawe. For he that fulfileth the lawe is no sinner. In the lawe maye nother Peter nor Paul ner any other creature saue Christ only reioise. In the bloude of Christ which fulfilled the lawe for vsus maye eueryevery parsone that repenteth beleueth, loueth the lawe and morneth for strengh to fulfyll it, reioyse, be he neuer so weake a sinner. The two pence therfore and the credens that heWhat ye two pence be …oken. left behind him, to bestowe more if neade were, signifith that he was eueryevery where mercyfull, both present and absent, with out fayninge, cloking, complayninge, or excusinge and forsoke not his neyboure as lōge as he had neade. Which exemple I praye God men maye folowe and let, opera superrogationis a lone.