The Parable of the Wicked Mammon, Parable · Part 31 – Part 32
THy prayers and almes are come vp in to remeraunce in the presence of God. (in the tenth Chap▪ of ye Actes) That is God forgeteth the not, thought he come not at the fyrste callynge, he loketh on and beholdeth thy praier and almes. Prayer cometh from the hert. God loketh fyrst onGod loketh fyrste on the herte. the herte. As thou readist Genesis. iiii. God behelde or loked fyrst on Abell, and then on his offerynge. Yf the herte be vn pure, the deade verily playseth not, as thou seest in Cain, Marke the order. In the beginnynge of the Chap. thou redest ther was a certayn mā named Corn…lius which feared god, gaue much almes, and prayed God alwaye. He feared God, that is he tremblede and quakede to breakePrayer. the commaundementes of God. Then praied he all waye. Prayer is the frute affecte, deade or acte of fayth and is no thinge but the longynge of the herte for tho thinges which a mā lacketh & whiche god hath promised to geue him. He doeth also almes. Almes is the frute, effecte orAlmes. deade of compassiou and pitie which we hauehave to our neibour. Oh what a glorious fayth and a ryght is yt whych so trusteth God & beleueth his promises, that she fea reth to breake his commaūdementes and is also merciful vntounto hyr neiboure. This is that faith where of thou readest name ly in Peter, Paul and Iohn, that we are there by bouth iustifyed and saued. And who so euer ymageneth any other fayth, deceyueth him selfe and is a vaine disputer & a brauler a boute wordes, and, hath no fealinge in his herte.
Thought thou cōsēte to the lawe, that it is good rightuous and holy, soroweste and repentest because thou haste broken it, mornest because thou hast no strength to fulfyll it: yet art not thou there by at one with God. Yea thou shouldest shortli despayre and blaspheme God if the promises of forgeuenes and helpe were not there bi, and faith in thine herte to beleue them. Faith therfore seteth y• at one with God. Fayth praieth alwaye. For she hath alwaye hyr infirmites and weaknesses before hir eyes, and also Gods promises, for whiche she alwaye longeth and in allThe maner of prayeyuge of misbeleuers. places. But blinde vnbelefe prayeth not alwaye nor in al places, but in the church only, and that in such a church, where it is not lawfull to preach godes promises, nether to teach men to trust therin. Faith whē she prayeth setteth not hyr good dea des before hyr sainge: Lorde for my good deades do thys or that. Nor bergeneth with God sayinge Lord graunte me this or do thys or that, and I wyll do thys or that for the, as mumble so much dayli, goThe prayer of fayeth. so ferre or fast thys or that fast, enter in thys religion or yt, with such other poyntes of infidelite, yea rather ydolatry. But shee setteth hyr infirmyties and hyr lacke before hyr face and Gods promises sayinge: Lorde for thi mercye & trueth which thou haste sworne be mercyfull vntounto me, out of thys pryson & out of thys hel. And lose the bondes of Satan and gyue me power to gloryfye thy name. Fayth therforeFayeth iustifi eth. iustifieth in ye herte and before God, and the deades iustifie outwardly before the world, that is, testifie onli before men what we are inwardly before God.
Whosoeuer loketh in the perfect lawe of libertye and continueth ther in (Yf he be not a forget full hearer but a doer of the worke) he shalbe happye in his deade.The lawe of libertie. Iames. i. The lawe of liberte yt is, which requireth a fre herte, or (if thou fulfyl it) declareth a free herte lowesed from, the bondes of satan. The preachinge of theThe preachynge of the lawe bindeth but ye preachynge of ye gospell openeth. lawe maketh no man free, but byndeth.
For it is the keye that byndeth all consciences vntounto eternall damnacion, when it is preached: as the promyses or Gospel is the keye that lowseth all consciences that repente when they are boūd thorow preachinge of the lawe. He shalbe happye in his deade, that is, by his deade shall he knowe that he is happye and blessed of God which hath geuen him a good herteNot the hearynge but ye do yng of ye lawe declareth blessednes. and power to fulfyl the law. By hearing the lawe thou shalt not knowe that thou art blessed but if thou do it, it declareth that thou art happie and blessed.
WAs not Abraham iustified of his deades, whē he offered his …onne▪ Isaac vponupon the altar? Iames. iii. his deade iustifyed hym before the worlde, that is it declared and vttered the fayth whiche boeth iustifyeth hym before God, and wrought that wonderfull worke as Iames also affermeth.
Was not Raab the harlot iustified whē she receyued the messengers and sent thē out an other waye? Iam. iii. that is lyke wise outwardli, but before God she was iustified by fayth whyche wrought that outward deade, as thou mayst se Iosue. ii. She had herde what God had done in Egipte, in the redd see, in the deserte, and vntounto the two kinges of the Amorreans, Sion, and Og. And she confessed seynge: youre Lord God, he is God in heauen, a boue and in erth beneth. She also beleued that God as he had promised the chil derne of Israel would g…ue thē the lande where in she dwelt, and cōsented ther vn to, submytted hyr selfe vntounto the will of God, and holpe God (as mouch as in hir was) and saued his spies & messingers.
The other feared that which she beleued but resysted▪ God wyth all there myght and had no power to submitte them selfe vntounto the will of God. And therfore perished they, and she was saued and that tho rowe fayth, as we reade Hebre. xi. where thou maist se how the holy fathers were saued thorou faith, & how faith wrought in them. Fayth is the goodnes of all the deades that are done with in the lawe of God and maketh thē good and glorious,Fayth is the goodnes of ye dedes done in lawe. seme they neuer so vile, and vn beleuefe maketh them damnable seme they neuer so gloryous.