Whole Works, Tracts 1 · Tract 2 · Body of tract · Part 13
Prayer.
OF Prayer and good deedes, and of the order of louelove or charitie I hauehave aboundantly written in my booke of the iuſtifying of fayth. Neuer the later that thou maiſt ſee, what the prayers and good workes of our monkes and friers and of other ghoſtly people are worth, I will ſpeake a woord or two, and make an end. Paule ſayth Gal. 3. All ye are the ſonnes of God through fayth in Ieſu Chriſt: for all ye that are In Chriſt… we are one as good as an other equally beloued & indifferently heard.baptized hauehave put Chriſt on you. that is, ye are become Chriſt himſelf. There is no Iew (ſayth he) neither Greeke, neither bond nor free, neither man nor woman, but ye are all one thing in Chriſt Ieſu. In Chriſt there is neither french nor engliſh, but the frenchman is the engliſhmans owne ſelfe, and the engliſh the frenchmans owne ſelf. In Chriſt there is neither father nor ſonne neyther maiſter nor ſeruaunt, neyther huſband nor wife, neither king nor ſubiect: but the father is the ſonnes ſelfe, and the ſonne the fathers owne ſelfe: and the king is the ſubiects owne ſelf, and the ſubiect is the kinges own ſelf, and ſo fourth. I am thou …hy ſelfe, and thou art I my ſelfe, and can be no nearer of kyn. We are all the ſonnes of God, all Chriſtes ſeruauntes bought with hys bloud, and eueryevery man to other Chriſt his owne ſelfe. And Col. 3, Ye hauehave put on the new man which is tenned in the knowledge of God after the image of him that made him (that is to ſay, Chriſt) where is (ſayth he) neyther Greke nor Iew, circumciſion nor vncircumciſion, barbarous or Scithian. bond or free: but Chriſt is all in all thinges. I louelove thée not now becauſe Chriſt is all to a Chriſten man.thou art my father, and haſt done ſo much for me, or my mother, and haſt borne me, and geuen me ſucke of thy breſtes (for ſo do Iewes and ſaracens) but becauſe of the greate louelove that Chriſt hath ſhewed me. I ſerue thee not becauſe thou art my maiſter, or my king, for hope of rewarde, or feare of payne, but for the louelove of Chriſt: for the children of fayth are vnderunder no law (as thou ſeeſt in the Epiſtles to the Romanes, The childrē of faith worke of louelove and nede no law to cō p…ll them.to the Galathians, in the firſt to Timothe) but are free. The ſpirit of Chriſt hath writtē the liuely law of louelove in their hartes, whiche driueth thē to worke of theyr owne accord frely & willingly, for the great loues ſake onelyonly which they ſee in Chriſt, & therfore neede they no law to cōpell them. Chriſt is all in all things to them that We are all Chriſtes ſeruauntes and ſerue Chriſt.beleue, and the cauſe of all louelove. Paule ſayth Epheſ. 6. Seruantes obay vntounto your carnall or fleſhly maiſters wyth feare and trembling, in ſinglenes of your hartes as vntounto Chriſt: not wyth eye ſeruice as menpleaſers, but as the ſeruantes of Chriſt, doing the wyll of God from the hart, euen as though ye ſerued the Lord and not men. And remember that whatſoeuer good thing any man doth, that ſhall he receiue againe of the Lord, whether he be bond or free. Chriſt thus is all in all thinges and cauſe of all to a chriſten man. And Chriſt ſayth Math. 25. In as much as ye hauehave done it to any of the leaſt of theſe my brethren, ye hauehave done it to mee. And in as much as ye hauehave not The contempt or louelove, we ſhewe one to another, the ſame ſhewe we to Chriſt.done it vntounto one of the leaſt of theſe, ye hauehave not done it to me. Here ſeeſt thou that we are Chriſtes brethren, and cuē Chriſt him ſelfe, and what ſo euer we do one to another that do we to Chriſt If we be in Chriſt we woorke for no worldly purpoſe, but of louelove. As Paul ſaith 2. Cor. 5. The louelove of Chriſt compelled vsus (as who ſhoulde ſay) wee worke not of a fleſhly purpoſe: For (ſayeth hee) we knowe hencefoorth no man fleſhly: no though we once knew Chriſt fleſhly we do ſo now no more. We are otherwiſe minded, then when Peter drewe hys ſwoorde to fight for Chriſt. We are now ready to ſuffer with Chriſt, and to loſe life and all for our very enemies to bring them vntounto Chriſt. If we be in Chriſt, we are minded like vntounto Chriſt, which knew nothing Chriſt knoweth nothyng worldly … not his … ry mother.fleſhly, or after the will of the fleſh, as thou ſeeſt Math. 12. when one ſayd to him: Lo, thy mother and thy brethren ſtande without, deſiring to ſpeake with thee. Hee aunſwered, who is my mother, and who are my brethren? And ſtretched hys hande ouer hys Diſciples ſaying: ſee my mother and my brethren: for whoſoeuer doth the will of my Father which is in heauen, the ſame is my brother, my ſiſter, and my mother. He knew not his mother in that ſhe bare him, but in that ſhe did the will of his Father in heauen. So now as God the Fathers will and commaundement is all to Chriſt, euen ſo Chriſt is all to a Chriſten man.
Chriſt is the cauſe why I louelove thee, why I am ready to do the vttermoſt of my power for thee, and why I pray for thee. And as long as the cauſe abideth, ſo long laſteth the effect: euen as As long as Chriſt abydeth ſo lōg a Chriſten mā loueth.it is alwayes day, ſo long as the Sun ſhineth. Do therefore the worſt thou cauſt vntounto me, take away my goodes, take away my good name: yet as long as Chriſt remayneth in my harte, ſo long I louelove thee not a whit the leſſe, and ſo long art thou as deare vntounto me as mine owne ſoule, and ſo long am I ready to doo thee good for thine euill, and ſo long I pray for thee with al my hart: for Chriſt deſireth it of me, and hath deſerued it of me. Thine vnkindnes compared vntounto his kindnes is no thing at all, yea it is ſwallowed vp as a little ſmoke of a mightie winde, and is no more ſcene or thought vppon. Moreouer that euill which thou didſt to me, I receaue not of thy hande, but of the hande of God, and as Gods ſcourge to teach me pacience & to norture me. And therfore hauehave no cauſe to be angry with thee, more thē the child hath to be angry with his fathers rod. or a ſicke man with a ſoure or bitter medecine that healeth him, or a priſoner with hys fetters, or he that is puniſhed lawfully with the officer that puniſheth him. Thus is Chriſt all and the whole cauſe why I louelove thee. And Money byndeth not Chriſt… people to pray.to all can nought be added. Therefore cannot a litle mony make me louelove thee better, or more bound to pray for thee, nor make Gods cōmaundement greater. Laſt of all, if I be in Chriſt, then the louelove of Chriſt compelleth me. And therfore I am ready to geue thee mine & not to take thyne from thee. If I be able I will do thee ſeruice frely: if not, then if thou miniſter to me againe, that receiue I of the hande of God, which miniſtreth it to me by thee: For God God careth for his.careth for his and miniſtreth all thinges vntounto them, and moueth Turkes and Saracenes, and all maner infidels to do them good as thou ſeeſt in Abraham, Iſaac and Iacob, and how God went with Ioſeph into Egipt, and gat him fauour in the priſon, and in eueryevery place, which fauour Ioſeph receiued of the hand of God, and to God gaue the thankes. This is God and Chriſt all in all, good and bad receiue I of God. Them that are good I louelove becauſe they are in Chriſt, and the euill to bring them to Chriſt. When any mā doth well I reioyce, that God is honoured, and when any man doth euill I ſorow becauſe that God is diſhonored. Finally in as much as God hath created all, and Chriſt bought all with his bloud, therefore ought all to ſeeke God & Chriſt in all, & els nothing.
But contrariwiſe vntounto monkes, The bely to a God & cauſe of all vntounto our ſpiritualty.friers, and to y• other of our holy ſpiritualtie the belly is all in all, & cauſe of all louelove. Offer thereto, ſo art thou father, mother, ſiſter, and brother vntounto them. Offereſt thou not, ſo know they thee not, thou art nether father mother ſiſter brother, nor any kynne at all to them. She is a ſiſter of ours, hee is a brother of ours ſay they, hee is verily a good man, for he doth much for our religion. She is a mother to our couent: we be greatly bound to pray for them. And as for ſuch and ſuch (ſay they) we know not whether they be good or bad, or whether they be fiſh or fleſh, for they do nought for vsus: we be more bounde to pray for our benefactours (ſay they) and for them that geue vsus, thē for them that geue vsus not. For them that geue little are they little bound, and them they louelove little: and for them that geue much they are much bound, and them they louelove much. And for them that geue nought are they naught bound, and them they louelove not at al. And as they louelove thee when thou geueſt: ſo hate they thee when thou takeſt away from them, and run all vnderunder a ſtoole, and curſe thee as black as pitch. So is cloyſter louelove belly louelove, …ll is of the bely & nothyng of Chriſt.cloyſter prayer belly prayer, and cloyſter brotherhode belly brotherhode. Morouer louelove that ſpringeth of Chriſt ſeeketh not hir owne ſelfe (1. Cor. 13.) but forgetteth her ſelfe, and beſtoweth hir vponupon hir neighboures profite, as Chriſtes louelove forget teth her ſelfe: but Monkes louelove thinketh on the bely.Chriſt ſought our profite and not hys owne. He ſought not the fauour of god for himſelfe, but for vsus, yea he toke the wrath and vengeance of God from vsus vntounto himſelf, and bare it on his owne backe to bring vsus vntounto fauour. Likewiſe doth a Chriſten man geue to hys brethren, & robbeth them not as friers and monkes do: but as Paule commaundeth Epheſ. 4. laboureth wyth his handes ſome good worke to hauehave wherewith to helpe the needy. They geue not but receiue onelyonly. They labour not, but liue idely of the ſweat of the poore. There is none ſo poore a widow, though ſhe hauehave not to finde hir ſelf and her children, nor any mony to geue: yet ſhall the frier ſnatch a cheſe or ſomewhat. They preach, ſayſt thou, and labour in the woorde. Firſt I ſay, Friers and Monkes ought not to preach.they are not called and therefore ought not: for it is the Curates office. The Curate can not (ſaiſt thou.) What doth the theefe there then? Secondarily a true preacher preacheth Chriſtes teſtament only and maketh Chriſt the cauſe and reward of all our deedes, and teacheth eueryevery man to beare hys croſſe willingly for Chriſtes ſake. But theſe are enemies vntounto the croſſe of Chriſt, and preach theyr belly which is theyr God: Epheſ. 3. and they thinke that lucre is the ſeruing of God. 1. Tim. 6. that is, they thinke them chriſten onelyonly which offer vntounto their belies, which when thou haſt filled, then ſpue they out prayers for thee, to be thy reward, and yet w…t not what praier meaneth. Prayer is the longing for Gods promiſes, which promiſes as they preach them not, ſo lōg they not for them, nor wiſh them vntounto any man. Theyr longing is to fill theyr paunch whom they ſerue, & not Chriſt: and through ſweet preaching and flattring woordes deceaue the hartes of the ſimple and vnlearned. Rom. 16.
Finally as Chriſt is the whole cauſe Chriſt is the whole cauſe why God loueth vsus.why we do all thing for our neighbor, euen ſo is he the cauſe why God doth all thyng for vsus, why he receaueth vsus into his holy Teſtament, and maketh vsus heyres of al his promiſes, and poureth his ſpirit into vsus, and maketh vsus his ſonnes, and faſhioneth vsus like vntounto Chriſt, and maketh vsus ſuch as he would hauehave vsus to be. The aſſuraunce Howe to know that we are Goddes ſonnes.that we are the ſonnes, beloued, and heires with Chriſt, & hauehave Gods ſpirite in vsus, is the conſent of our hartes, vntounto the law of God. Which law is all The lawe is y• mark: yea and the touch ſtone where wt we ought to trye our ſelues & ſee how farre …orth we are purged.perfection, and the marke whereat all we ought to ſhoot. And he that hitteth that marke, ſo that he fulfilleth the law with all his hart, ſoule, and might, and with full louelove and luſt, without all let or reſiſtance is pure gold and needeth not to be put any more in the fire, he is ſtraight and right, & needeth to be no more ſhauen: he is full faſhioned like Chriſt, and can hauehave no more added vntounto him. Neuertheleſſe there is none ſo perfect in this life that findeth not let & reſiſtance by the reaſon of originall ſinne, or birth poyſon that remayneth Our byrth poyſon that remayneth in vsus. reſiſteth the ſpirite.in him, as thou maiſt ſee in the liues of all the ſaintes throughout all the ſcripture, and in Paul Rom. 7. The will is preſent (ſayth he) but I fynde no meanes to performe that whiche is good. I doo not that good thing which I would: but that euill do I which I would not. I finde by the law that when I would do good, euill is preſent with me. I delite in the law as concerning the inner man, but I finde an other law in my members rebelling againſt the law of my minde, & ſubduing me vntounto the law of ſinne. Which law of ſinne is nothing but a ☞corrupt and a poyſoned nature which breaketh into euill luſtes, and from euill The right croſſe of Chriſt.luſtes into wicked deedes, & muſt be purged with the true purgatory of the croſſe of Chriſt: that is, thou muſt hate it with all thine hart, and deſyre God to take it from thee. And then whatſoeuer croſſe God putteth on thy backe, beare it paciently, whether it be pouertie ſickenes or perſecution or what ſoeuer it be, and take it for the right Purgatory and thinke that God hath nailed thee faſt to it, to purge thee therby. For he that loueth not the law Hee that loueth not the law & hateth ſin hath no part with Chriſt.and hateth hys ſinne, & hath not profeſſed in his hart to fight againſt it, and mourneth not to god to take it away & to purge him of it, y• ſame hath no part with Chriſt. If thou louelove the law and fyndeſt that thou haſt yet ſynne hangyng on thee, where of thou ſoroweſt Howe to try the do▪ ctrine of our ſpiritualtie.to be deliuered and purged: as for an example, thou haſt a couetous mynde and miſtruſteſt God and therfore arte moued to begyle thy neighbour & arte vntounto him mercyleſſe, not caring whether he ſinke or ſwymme ſo thou maiſt winne by him or get from him that he hath: then get thee to the obſeruaunte which is ſo purged frō that ſinne that he will not once handle a peny & with that wyle doth the ſuttle foxe make the gooſe come flying into his hole ready prepared for his mouth without hys labour or ſwet, & buy of his incrites, which he hath in ſtore, & geue thy money not into his holy hāds but to offer him that he hath hired either with part of his prayers or part of his praye to take the ſinne vponupon him and to handle his money for him. In like maner if any parſon that is vnderunder obediēce vntounto Gods ordinaunce (whether it be ſonne or daughter, ſeruaunt, wife or ſubiect) conſent vntounto the ordinaunce, & yet finde contrary motions: let him go alſo to thē that hauehave profeſſed an obedience of their owne making, and bye part of their merites. If thy wife geue the ix. wordes for three, go to the charterhouſe and bye of their ſilence: And ſo if the abſteinyng of the obſeruaunt If the prayers & merites of our religious men purge our luſtes then are they of value and els not.from handling money heale thine hart from deſiryng money, & the obedience of them that will obey nothyng but their owne ordinaunce, heale thy diſobedience to Gods ordinaunce, and the ſilēce of the charterhouſe Monke tan…e thy wiues toung, thē beleue that their prayers ſhall deliuer thy ſoule from the paines of that terrible and feareful Purgatory which they hauehave fayned to purge thy purſe withall.
The ſpiritualtie encreaſeth dayly. ☞Mo prelates, mo Prieſtes, mo mōkes, friers, chanons, nunnes and mo heretikes, I would ſay heremites with lyke draffe, Set before the y• encreaſe of S. Fraūces diſciples in ſo few yeares. Rekē how many thouſands, yea how many twenty thouſādes, not diſciples onelyonly: but whole cloiſters are ſprong out of hell of them in ſo litle ſpace. Pateryng of prayers encreaſeth dayly. Their ſeruice as they call it, waxeth longer and longer and the labour of their lippes greater, new Saintes, new ſeruice, new feſtes, and new holy dayes. What take all theſe away? Sinne? Nay. For we …ee the contrary by experience & that ſinne groweth as they grow. But they take away firſt What the ſpiritualtis taketh away with their prayers.Gods word with fayth, hope, peace, vnitie, louelove & concorde then houſe and lād, rent & ſee, tower & towne, goodes and cattell, and the very meate out of mens mouthes. All theſe lyue by Purgatory. When other weepe for their frendes they ſing merely when other Whē other wept, they ſing, and whē other looſe, they wynne.looſe their frendes, they get frendes. The Pope with all his Pardons is grounded on Purgatory. Prieſtes Monkes, Chanons, Friers with all other ſwermes of hypocrites do but empty Purgatory and fill hell. EueryEvery Maſſe, ſay they, deliuereth one ſoule out of Purgatory. If that were true, All is of Purgatory. …eſe Phiſitions geue none other medicines ſaue purgations onelyonly.yea if ten Maſſes were inough for one ſoule, yet were the Pariſh Prieſts and Curates of eueryevery Pariſh ſufficient to ſcoure Purgatory. All the other coſtly workemen might be well ſpared.