The Parable of the Wicked Mammon, Parable · Part 8 – Part 9
SEcondarely all good workes muste be done freli with a single eye, withGood workes muste be done frely. out respecte of any thyng, and that no profyte be sought therby.
That commaundeth Christe where he sayeth Math. x. frely hauehave ye receyued, frely geue agayne. For loke as Christe with al his workes dyd not serue heauē, for that was hys all redy, but dyd vsus seruyce therwith, & nether loked nor sought his owne profyte, but oure profyte, and the honoure of God the father only: euen so wee wyth all oure workes may not seke oure owne profyte, neyther in thys worlde nor in heauē, but must and ought frely to worke, to honour God withall, and with out all maner respect, seke oure neyghbours profyt, and do hym seruice.
That meaneth Paul Philip. ii. saynge Be minded as Christ was which beynge in the shape of God, equal vntounto God and euen very God, layd that a parte, that is to say, hyd it. And toke on hym the forme and fashion of a seruaunt, That is, as concernynge hym selfe he had ynoughe, that he was full, and had plentuousnes of the Godhead, and in all hys workes sought oure profyte and became our seruaūt. The cause is, for as much as faith iustifieth and putteth awaye sinne in the syght of God, bryngeth, lyfe, health and the fauoure of God, maketh vsus the heyres of God powreth ye spirite of God into our soules and fylleth vsus with al godlynes in Christe, it were to great a shame, rebuke, and wronge vntounto the fayth, yea to Christes bloude yf a mā would worke any thynge to purchase that, wherwith fayth hath endued him already, and God hath geuen hym surely. Euen as Christe had done a rebuke and shame vntounto hym selfe, yf he woulde hauehave done good workes and wrought to hauehave ben made ther by Gods sonne and heyre ouer all, which thynge he was alredy. Now doth faith make vsus the sonnes or children of God, Iohn. i. he gaue them myght or power to be the sōnes of God, in that they beleued in his name If we be sonnes, so are wee also heyres Roma. viii. and Gala. iiii. Howe can, or ought wee then to worke, for to purches that enherytaunce wyth all, where of wee are heyres all redye by fayth? What shall we saye then to those scriptures which sod̄e as though a man shoulde do good workes and lyue well for heauens sake or eternall rewarde? As these are, make you frendes of the vnrihgtuous mammon. And Math. vii. Ga ther you treasure together in heauen. Also Math. xix. If thou wilt enter in to life kepe the commaundementes and suche lyke. This saye I, that they which vnderunder stāde not, nether fele in their herts what fayth meaneth, talke and thynke of the re warde euen as they do of the worke, nether suppose they that a man oughte to worke but in a respecte to the rewarde.
For they ymagen that it is in the kyng dome of Christe, as it is in the worlde amonge men, that they must deserue heauē with theyr good workes. How be it their thoughtes are but dreams and false imaginacions. Of these men speaketh Mala. Chap. i. who is it amonge you that shutteth a dore for my pleasure for nought? that is, wythout respecte of rewarde. These are seruauntes, that seke gaynes and auauntage, hyrelynges and daye labourers which here on earth receyue their rewardes, as the pharyses with ther prayers, and fastinges Matth. v.
But on this wise goeth it with heauē, with euerlastyng lyfe, & eternal rewarde, lykewyse as good workes naturally folowe faythe (as it is aboue rehersed) so that thou nedest not to commaūde a true beleuer to worke or to compel hym wyth any lawe, for it is impossible yt he should not worke he taryeth but for an occasion, he is euer disposed of hym selfe, thou needest but to put hym in remembraunce, and that to knowe the faulse fayth from the true. Euen so naturally doth eternall lyfe folowe fayth and good lyuing, with out sekynge for, and is impossible that it should not cōe, thought no man thought there on. Yet is it rehearsed in the scripture, alleged, and promysed to knowe the difference betwene a false beleuer and a true beleuer, and that eueryevery man maye knowe what foloweth good lyuinge naturally and of it selfe wythout takynge thought for it. Take agrosse ensampel. Hel, that is euerlastinge death is threatened vntounto synners, and yet foloweth it synne naturalli without sekyng for. For no man doth euell to be damned therfore, but had leuer auoid it. Yet the one foloweth the other naturally, and thought no man tolde or warned hym of it, yet should the synner fynde it, and fele it. Ne uerthelesse it is therfore threatened, that men maye knowe what foloweth euyll lyuynge. Now then as after euell lyuing foloweth his rewarde vnsought for euē so after good liuing foloweth his rewad naturally vnsoughte for or vnthoughte vponupon euen as when thou drynkest wyne, be it good or badde, the tayst foloweth of it selfe, thought thou therfore drinke it not. Yet testifieth the scripture, and it is true, that we are by enheritaunce heires of dānacion, and that before we be borne we are vessels of the wrath of God and full of that poyson whence naturally all synnes sprynge, and where with we can not but synne, whyche thynge the dedes that folowe (when we behold our selues in the glasse of the lawe of God) do declare and vtter, kyll our consciences, and shewe vsus what we were and wist not of it, and certifie vsus that wee are heyres of damnacion. For yf we were of God we should cleaue to God and lust after ye wil of God. But now oure dedes compared to the lawe declare the contrarye and by oure dedes, wee se oure selfe both what we be and what oure ende shalbe.
So nowe thou seyst that lyfe eternall and all good thynges are promised vntounto fayth and belefe: so that he that beleueth on Christe, shalbe safe. Christes bloude hath purchased life for vsus and hath made vsus the heyres of God: so that heauen cō meth by Christes bloude. Yf thou wouldest obtayne heauē with the merytes and deseruynges of thyne owne workes, thā dyddest thou wronge, ye and shamedest the bloude of Christe, and vntounto the were Christ deade in vayne. Nowe is the true beleuer heyre of God by Christes deseruinge, ye and in Christe was predestinate and ordened vntounto eternal lyfe, before the worlde beganne. And when the Gospell is preached vntounto vsus we beleue the mercye of God, and in beleuynge we receyue the spirite of God whiche is the arneste of eternal lyfe, and we ar in eternal lyfe already and fele al ready in oure hertes the swetnes therof, and are ouercome wyth the kindnes of God and Christ and therfore louelove the wyl of God, and of louelove are ready to worke ferly, and not to optayne that whiche is geuen vsus frely, and wherof we are heyres alredy
Now when Christe sayeth. Make you frendes of vnryghtuous Mammon Ga ther you treasure together in heauen and such lyke. Thou seyst that the meanynge and entent is none other, but that thou shouldes do good, and so wyll it folowe of it selfe naturally, without sekyng and takinge of thought that thou shalt fynde frendes & treasure in heauen and receyue a rewarde. So let thyne eye be syngle, and loke vntounto good lyuynge onelyonly, & take no thought for the rewarde. But be content. For as muche as thou knoweste and arte sure that the rewarde and all thynge contayned in Goddes promyses folowe good lyuinge naturally, & thy good workes do but testifye onelyonly and certifye the that the spirite of God is in the, whō thou hast receiued for an ernest of gods trueth, and that thou art heyre of all the goodnesse of God, and that all good thynges are thyne all ready purchased by Christe bloude and layed vp in stoare agaynste that day when eueryevery man shal receyue accordyng to hys dedes, that is, accordynge as his dedes declare and testifye, what he is or was. For they that loke vntounto the rewarde, are slow, false subtel and crafty workers, and louelove the rewarde more then the worke, yea hate the laboure▪ yea hate God whyche commaundeth the laboure and are w…ry both of the commaundement and also of the cōmaunder & worke wyth tedyousnes, But he that worketh of pure louelove without sekinge of rewarde worketh truly. Thyrdly that not yt sayntes, but God only receyueth vsus in to eter nall tarbernacles, is so playne and euidēt yt I nede not to declare or proue it Howe shall the sayntes receyue vsus in to heauē, whan eueryevery man hath nede for him selfe, that God onelyonly▪ recyue hym to heauen, and eueryevery man hath sk…ce for hym selfe? As it appeareth by the fiue wise virgins. Mat. xxvi. which woulde not geue of the oyle vntounto the vnwyse virgyns. And S. Peter sayth in the iiii. of his fyrst epistle that the ryghtuous is wyth difficultye saued. So▪ seest thou that the sayenge of Christe (make you frendes of the. &c. That theye maye receyue youe into the euerlastynge tabernacles) pertayneth not vntounto the sayn…tes whiche are in heauen, but is spoken of ye poore and nedy which are here presēt wt vsus on earth, as thought he woulde saye. What byldest thou chur ches, foundest abbayes, chauntryes, and colleges in the honour of sayntes, to my mother, saynt Peter, Paul and sayntes that be deade to make of thē thy frēdes? Thei nede it not, yea thei are not thy frē des but theyrs whyche lyued then, when thei lyued, of whō … they were holyē ▪ T… frendes are the poore whiche are now … thy tyme and a lyue with the, thy poor… neighbours which nede of thy healp and succoure. Them make thy frendes with thy vnryghtuous mammon, yt they maye testifye of thy, fayth and thou mayste knowe & fele that thy fayth is ryght and not fayned.
UNto ye seconde, suche receyuinge into ye euerlastinge habitacions is not to be vnderstāde, that men shal do it. For mani to whom we shew mercy and do good shall not comme ther, nether skylleth it, yf we mekely and louyngly do oure, dutye yea it is a sygne of stronge fayth, and feruent louelove, and stronge fayth and feruent louelove, if we do… well to the euyll, and studye to drawe thē to Chryste in all that lyeth in vsus. But the pore geue vsus an occasion to exercyce oure fayth, and the deades make vsus feale oure fayth and certyfye vsus and make vsus sure that we are safe, and are escaped and translated frō death vntounto lyfe, and that we are delyuered and redemed from the captyuyte and boundage of Satan, and brought in to the lybertye of the sonnes of God in that we fele lust and strength in our herte, to worke the wyl of God. And at that daye shall oure deades appere and comfort oure hertes, witnese oure fayth and trust whiche we now hauehave in Christ, which fayth shall then kepe vsus from shāe as it is writtē. None that beleueth in him shallbe a shamed Rom. ix. So that good workes healpe oure fayth, and make vsus sure in our cōsciences and make vsus feale the merci of God. Not withstandinge heauē, euerlasting lyfe, Io…e eternal, faith the fauoure of God the spyryte of God lust and strength vntounto ye wil of God, are geuē vsus frely, of the boūtuous and pleteous ryches of God purchased by Christ, with out oure deseruinges, that no man shoulde reioyse, but in the Lorde onelyonly.