perfection of the old law whiche gaue new thynges, as it plainly appeareth by the Gospell. So that, Christians ought to receiue informatiō of Christ, not of Iohn. For of Iohn also doth Christ speake: Verely I say vnto you, there hath not risen amongest the children of women, a greater then Iohn Baptist: MarginaliaThey that be lesse in the kingdom of heauen, greater then Iohn Baptist expounded.but he that is lesse in the kyngdome of heauen, is greater thē he. In which saying Christ sheweth, that those that be lesse in the kyngdome of heauē in the time of grace, are placed in greater perfection, thē was Iohn, whiche was one of thē that were the elders, & he liued also in the time of þ^e law in greater perfection. And when as of Iohns disciples sayd vnto hym, maister, he þ^t was beyond Iordan, to whom thou gauest witnes, behold he baptiseth, & all people come vnto hym. Iohn answered and said: A man cannot take any thing vpon him, vnles it shall be geuen him from aboue. You your selues do beare me recorde, that I sayde I am not Christ, but that I was sent before him. He that hath the bride, is the bridegrome, as for the bridegromes friend, who standeth and heareth him: reioyceth with great ioy to heare the voyce of the bridegrome. This therfore my ioy is fulfilled: he must increase, and I must bee diminished. He that commeth from an hie is aboue all. He that is of the earth, is earthy, and speaketh of the earth. He that commeth from heauen, is aboue all folkes: that which he hath sene and heard, the same doth he wytnes, & yet hys witnessing doth no bodye receiue. But he that receiueth his witnessing, hath put to his Seale, that God is true. For he whom God hath sēt, speaketh the words of God. By which thinges it plainly appeareth, that credence is to be geuen neither to Iohn, nor yet to Angel, if he teach any thing that is not agreable to Christes doctrine. For Christ is aboue the Angels, because that God infinitely passeth them in wysdome. Now if Moses the seruaunt of God a minister of the old testament was so much to be beleued, that nothing coulde bee added, nor yet anything diminished from the commaundementes that were geuen by him (for so Moses had said) the thing that I commaund thee, that do thou onely to the Lord, neither adde thou any thing, nor diminish: How muche more ought we not to adde nor to take awaye from the commaundementes geuen by God himself, and also the sonne of God? In the primatiue church, because þ^e Christians had feruent loue and charitie, they obserued these preceptes as they were geuen: but their feruent charitie afterward waxing luke warme, they inuented gloses, by drawing the cōmaundements of God backe to their owne dedes, which they purposed to iustifye and maintayne, that is to saye, warres agaynst the infidels.  

MarginaliaHe meaneth of those wars againste infidels stirred vp and procuted by the pope vpon blynde superstition, to fight for the holy land, and not taken by princes in the necessary defence of themselues and of their countrey.But that they by warres shoulde be conuerted to the fayth, is a facte faithles inough: because, that by violence or vnwillinglye, no body can beleue in Christ nor be made a Christian, neyther dyd he come to destroye them by battail, that beleued not in him: for he said to his disciples, you know not what spirite you are of. The sonne of man came not to destroy mens liues, but to saue thē. Then to graunt pardones, and forgeuenes of sinnes, to those the kill the infidels, is to much an infidels fact, seducing manye people. For what greater seducing can there be, then to promise to a man forgeuenes of sinnes, and afterward the ioy of heauen, for setting him selfe against Christes commaundementes, in the kyllyng of the Infidels, that woulde not be conuerted to the fayth: whereas Christ doth saye, not euerye one that sayth to me, Lorde, Lorde, shall enter into the kyngdome of heauen: but he that doth the wyll of my father whych is in heauen, this person shall enter into the kingdome of heauen. Now the will of the father is, that we should beleue in his onely sonne Iesu Christ, and that we should obey him by obseruing of those things which he himself hath commaunded. Wherefore Christes preceptes of paci-ence must be fulfilled. Wars, fightinges, and contencions must be left, because they are contrary to charitie.

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MarginaliaObiection.But peraduenture some man wyll thus reason against Christ: The saints, by whom God hath wrought myracles, do allow warres aswell against the faythfull people, as also against the infidels. And the holye kinges were warriours, for whose sakes also miracles haue bene shewed, aswell in their death, as also in their lyfe, yea in the very time wherin they were awarfare. Wherfore it seemeth, that their factes were good and lawfull. For otherwise, God would not haue done miracles for thē. MarginaliaAnswer.To this agayn I say, þ^t we for no myracles must do contrary to the doctrine of Christ. MarginaliaLegibus agendum non exēplisFor in it can there be no errour, but in myracles there oftentimes chaunceth errour, as it is plaine aswell by the olde as by the new testament. MarginaliaTrue miracles here, of holy men be not disproued but speaking vniuersally, the stable doctrine & word of God, is the sure rule for men to follow.God forbid thē, that a Christian should, for deceiuable miracles, depart from the infallible doctrine of Christ. In Exodus. vij. chapter it is manifest, how that the wycked wise men of the Egiptians, through the inchauntmentes of Egipt, and certaine secrete workinges, threw their wandes vpon the earth, which were turned into Dragons, euen as Aaron before time in the presence of Pharao threw his wande vpon the earth, which by the power of God was turned into a serpent. In the third of the kinges the. 22. chapter, Mycheas did see the Lord sitting vpō his throne and all the host of heauen standing about hym on the right hand, and on the left. Marginalia3. Reg. 22.
Achas deceiued by false prophetes.And the Lord sayd, who shall deceiue Achab the king of Israel, that he mai go vp and be slaine in Ramoth Galaad. And one sayd this way, and an other otherwyse: now, there went forth a spirite, and stode before the Lord, and sayd, I will decaue hym. To whom the Lorde spake: by what meanes? And he sayd, I will go forth, and be a lying spirite in the mouth of all his prophets. And the Lord said, thou shalt deceaue hym and preuaile, goe thy wayes forth, and do euen so. Thus also is it written in Deuteronomium, If there shall aryse a Prophet amongst you, or one that shall say he hath seene a dreame, and shall foretell a signe and a wonder: and if that thyng shall come to passe that he hath spoken, and he shall say vnto thee: Let vs goe and followe straunge Gods (whom thou knowest not) and let vs serue them: thou shalt not harken vnto the words of that prophet or dreamer, for the Lorde your God tempteth you, to make it knowen, whether ye loue hym or no, with all your harte, and with all your soule. In Ieremy the 23. chap. Are not my wordes euē like fire, sayth the Lord? and lyke an hammer, that breaketh the stone? Therefore beholde I will come agaynst the Prophetes, which haue dreamed a lye (sayth the Lord) which haue shewed those thynges, and haue seduced the people thorough their lyes and their miracles, when as I sent them not, neither cōmaunded thē, whiche haue brought no profite vnto this people (saith the Lord) MarginaliaIere. 23.
Prophetes must be tryed by doctrine.In Marke the 13. chap. sayth Christ. For there shall arise false Christes, and false Prophetes, and shall shewe great signes and wonders, to deceaue if it were possible euē the very elect. MarginaliaMarke. 13.Paul in his second Epistle to þ^e Corinthians the xi. chap. Marginalia2. Cor. 11.
False prophetes.Such false Apostles or deceatful workers, transforming them selues into the Apostles of Christ, and no meruaile: For euen Sathan transformeth hym selfe into an Aungell of light: therfore it is no great thyng, though his ministers transforme them selues, as though they were the ministers of righteousnes, whose end shalbe accordyng to their workes. In the Apocalips the 13. chapiter, MarginaliaApoc. 13.Iohn sawe a beast ascendyng vp out of the earth, and it had ij. hornes lyke the Lambe, but he spake lyke the Dragon, & he did all that the first beast could do before him: and he caused the earth and the inhabitauntes therof, to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed, and did great wonders, so that he made fire come downe frō heauen on the earth, in the sight of men, and deceaued

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