MarginaliaThe place of the gospel expounded. Goe, and sell all and come folow me.come folow me) declaryng their pouertie to be inioyned vs of Christ, non actualem, sed habitualē: not in such sorte as standeth in outward action, when no nede requireth, but in inward affect of hart, when nede shall require: As though the meanyng and precepte of our Lord were not that we should cast away actually all that we haue, but that when the cōfession of the name of God and the glory of Christ shall so require: that then we be ready to leaue & relinquish what things soeuer, for þ^e sake of hym &c. As when he requireth, euer in vs after lyke phrase þ^e hatred of father and mother, and of our own lyues: he biddeth vs not to dishonour father or mother, much lesse to hate thē: but that then, when case shall require, we set all thynges behynd the loue of Christ. Many other worthy workes he cōpiled, wherin albeit he vtter nothyng but was was truth, MarginaliaGuliel de S. Amore condemned of the pope for an heretique.yet notwithstandyng he was by Antichrist and hys rable, condemned for an heretique, exiled, and hys bookes brente: Whose hereticall argumētes as they calle dthem, that thou mayst better iudge therof, here vnder I thought good to place.

Against false prophets with signes to know them by, in these his wordes do followe. For because these seducers sayth he, name them selues to be Apostles, and that they are sent of God to preach, to absolue and dispence wyth the soules of men, by meanes of their ministerye. Reade the saying of the Apostle in his second Epistle to the Corinthians, the. xj. chapter. For such Apostles are subtyle and crafty workemen, disguising themselues to be like the Apostels of Christ: Therfore, we meane to shew som certayne infallible tokens, and probable, by the whych false apostels may be discerned from the true preachers and apostels of Christ.

MarginaliaThe first sygne and token to know a false Frier and prophet by.The first signe or marke is: that such as be true preachers do not enter into simple wemens houses laden w^t sinne and take them as it were captiue, as many of the false preachers do: as in the. 2. epistle of S. Paul to Timothy the third chapter is manifest, saying: Of these sortes are they, whyche enter into wemens houses. &c. Therfore, those preachers whyche come into wemens houses, to the intent they may take them captiue, be not true preachers, but false apostels.

MarginaliaTrue preachers do not deceue men with painted flattering wordes.The second signe and tokē is, that those that be true preachers do not deceiue simple men with paynted and flattering wordes, whereby they prefer their own trash and traditions, as all false prophetes doo, as in the last chapter to the Romanes apeareth saying: By their pleasant and sugred talke, and by their blessing and crossing they deceiue and begile the hartes of innocent men and wemen. the Glo. With gaye glorious wordes they extol and set forth their traditions, whereby they deceiue simple men. Very greatly do they deceaue the soules of simple men, which cause them to enter into their sect, which they terme religion. And they which before led a naughty life, by reason of theyr ignorance or simplicitie: after their entrance, become subtile false deceiuing hipocrits, entring together with þ^e rest poore into mens houses: yea and oftentimes become worse then the other. Wherupon Math. 22. wo be vnto you Scribes and Pharises, hipocrites which go about. &c: Therefore they which doo this, are no true messengers, but false Apostels.

MarginaliaSigne. 3 is that true Apostels take in good parte which they be reproued.The third signe is, that the true Apostels if they bee reproued, suffer the same paciently. 2. Corin. 12. saying: the tokens of my Apostleship are accomplished among you, in all patience and sufferaunce. He writeth, that pacience which pertaineth to the maners of the preachers. Therefore they which suffer not correction or punishment, be no true Apostels, but rather shewe them selues to be no Christians at all. 1 Cor. 12. No mā can say that Iesus is the Lorde, but by the holye ghost. Glossa. It is meete that Christians shoulde be humbled, to the intent that they mai suffer them selues to be reproued, and not to be holden vp with yea and nay. And also such men doshew them selues to be carnall, and not spirituall at all, although they fayne them selues to be spiritual. Gala. 3. Therefore am I become an enemy vnto you? Notwithstāding þ^e Glo. saith, no carnall mā wyl be reproued although he erre. Wherfore, those preachers which suffer not correction, seeme not to bee true Apostles, but false prophetes.

MarginaliaThe. 4. Signe is that true preachers commēd not them selues.The iiij. signe is, that true apostles commend not thē selues, 2. Cor. 4. For we dare not ioyne our selues, nor yet compare our selues vnto others which commend & bost many of their actes, when God alloweth none of thē at all. Also true prechers although they be in dede praise worthy for their good desertes: In the consciences of mē are they praise worthy, and not to the outward shew alone. 2. Cor. 3. We commend our selues saith the apostle to the consciences of all mē: Then they doo not commende them selues in comparison of other. Wherfore þ^e glose saith vpon the same place: those that deserue no cōmendation but in comparison of other, doo chalenge to themselues other mens desartes and prayse: wherfore in the 2. epistle of Saint Peter the last chapiter it is sayde. Euen as our welbeloued brother Paule accordyng to þ^e wisedome that God hath geuen vnto hym, hath written vnto you: Glossa. The chiefest of the apostles hathe here forgotten his papall autoritie, and also hys keyes that were deliuered vnto hym: For he is astonied as it were at the greate wisdome geuen vnto hys brother Paule. For in dede, it is the maner of the electe children of God, to bee more in loue with the vertues of other men then wyth their owne: wherfore in the second chap. to the Philip, is written. Let those that are superiours esteeme of themselues in all humilitie. They therfore that do þ^e contrary, saying that their state or doyngs be better then other mens, although they be preachers, yet are they no true apostles, but in dede false prophetes.

MarginaliaSigne. 5. is that true preachers nede no letters commendatorie.The fift signe is, that true apostles nede no letters of commendation: nor yet desire to haue themselues praysed of men: as in the 2. Cor. 3. chap. the apostle saith, we nede not the letters of commendation of any man: that is to say of false prophetes.

MarginaliaSigne. 6. is that true Apostels preach not vnles they be sent.The vi. sygne is, that true apostles, do not preach vnlesse they be sent, as in the 10. chap. to the Rom. how shal they preach vnlesse they be sent, Glossa. There be no true apostles but those that be sent. For they haue no nede of Signes which are true witnes bearers, but those that be not sent and do preach, are false prophets.

MarginaliaSygne 7. is when those false prophets preach that were not sent.The seuenth signe is, for as much as false prophets haue not their auctoritie in their own names: wherfore, in þ^e 2. epi. of S. Paule to the Cor. it is written. For we dare not boast our selues or make comparison, Glossa That is to say, with those that be false prophets: not takyng their authoritie from God, but vsurpyng the same desirous to beare rule, clayming in theyr owne name their auctoritie. And therfore although peraduenture by presumption they say that they are sent of God, as all heretikes will say: yet notwithstandyng, vnlesse they shall proue their sēding, either by spirituall prophecy as Iohn Baptist dyd, saying: I am the voyce of a crier in the deserte, As the Prophet Esay sayth in the fyrst chapiter of S. Ihons gospell: or els by myracles, as Moyses dyd which turned hys rodde into a Serpent, and agayne from a Serpent to a rod, as in the. 7. chap. of Exodus: they ought to bee excommunicated, tyll such tyme they cease from preaching: Yet notwithstanding, a myracle ought not to be a sufficient testimonie of their sending, for as much as they be done oftentimes, and that of euill and wicked men. 1. q. 1. we maye perceaue towardes the end But myracles ought to be suspected, for as much as our Sauiour sayth in the. 23. of Mathew. Then shall false prophets arise, &c. Therfore, they which do chalēge authoritie in their own name for as much as they haue not their authoritie from God, they are not true apo-