heard, and compared to the traditions made and commaunded by the Romaine Prelates: it shall plainly appeare, whether they be contrary or no.MarginaliaThe doctrine of Christ, whether it be cōtrary to the traditions of the pope or not.
Math. 5. Christ therfore sayth, You haue heard, that it was sayd to them of the olde tyme, Thou shalt not kill. For he that killeth shalbe giltie of iudgement. But I say vnto you, that euery one that is angry with his brother, shalbe in daūger of iudgement. In this he doth teach, that we ought not to be angry with our brethren: not that he would vndoe this old commaundement (thou shalt not kill) but that the same should be the more perfectly obserued. Agayne he saith: You haue heard that it was sayd, thou shalt loue thy frend, and hate thyne enemy: But I say vnto you, Loue your enemyes, do well to them that hate you, pray for them that persecute and slaunder you, that you may be the childrē of your father which is in heauen: Which maketh his sunne to aryse vpon the good and the euill people, & rayneth vpon the iust & vniust. For if you loue them which loue you, what reward shall you haue? Do not the Publicanes thus? And if you shall salute your brethren onely, what great thyng do ye? Do not the heathen thus also? Be you therfore perfect, as also your heauenly father is perfect.

Agayne Christ sayth, you haue heard that it is sayd: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth: but I say vnto you see that you resiste not euill. But if any man shall strike you vpon the right cheke, geue him the other to. And to him that will striue with thee for they coate in iudgement, let him haue thy cloke also. And whosoeuer shall constrayne thee one myle, go with him also two other. He that asketh of thee geue him: and he that will borrow of thee, turne not thy selfe from him.MarginaliaThe doctrine of Christ and of the pope compared.

By these thynges it may playnly appeare, how that Christ the kyng of peace, the Sauiour of mankynd, who came to saue and not to destroy, who gaue a law of charitie to be obserued of his faythfull people: hath taught vs not to be angry, not to hate our enemies, not to render euill for euill, nor to resiste euill. For all these thynges do foster and nourish peace and charitie, and do procede and come forth of charitie, and when they be not kept, charitie is losed, & peace is broken.Marginalia But the Byshop of Rome approueth and alloweth warres, and slaughters of men in warre, aswell agaynst our enemies, that is, the infidels, as also agaynst the Christians for temporall goodes. Now, these thynges are quite contrary to Christes doctrine, and to charitie, and to peace.

In the decrees, 23. q. 1. cap. Paratus, it is taught, that the preceptes of pacience must alwayes be retained in purpose of the hart, so that pacience with beneuolence must be kepte in the mynde secrete.MarginaliaThe glose of Gratianus vpō the cap Paratus. 23. q. 1. disproued. But apparantly and manifestly, that thing shoulde be done, which seemeth to doo good to those, whom we ought to wishe wel vnto. Wherein they geue to vnderstande, that a Christian may freely defende hymselfe.MarginaliaChrist in answering to his striker did not breake his rule of patience outwardly. And for confirmation of this saying, they do say: That Christ whē he was stroken in the face of the high Bishops seruaunt did not fulfill (if we looke vpon the wordes) his owne commaundement: because he gaue not to the smiter the other part, but rather did forbid him, that he should not do it, to double his iniurie. For he sayd, if I haue spoken euill, beare witnes of euill, but if well, why doest thou strike me?MarginaliaThe precept of Christ to turne the other cheeke hath a priuy comparison: as if ye would say, rather be you content to suffer two blowes, th? to reuenge one. I do meruaile of this saying: for first if those commaūdementes of pacience must be kept in secret in the mynde: & seyng, the body doth worke at the motion of the mynde, and is and ought to be moued and ruled by the same: It must then needes be, that if pacience be in the mynde, it must appeare also outwardly in the body.

MarginaliaThis article of Brute must haue a relation euer to the doctrine of the clergie. Secondly I meruaile that it is sayd, that Christ did not fulfill his owne precept of pacience. For it is manifest, that albeit he teachyng alwayes as a good scholemaster, those thinges which were fit for the saluation of soules, speaking the wholesome word of instructiō to the high Byshops seruaunt, smyting him vniustly: did neither by word forbid an other stroke to be geuē on the other cheke, neither did he defend himselfe bodely from strikyng on the same cheke: But speakyng to him, it is likely þ^t he gaue him the other cheke, he meaneth, that he turned not the other cheke away. For a man turneth not away from him whom he speaketh to, or whom he informeth, but layeth open before him all his face: Euen so do I beleue that Christ did, that he might fulfill in very deede that, which before he had taught in word. Neither yet did Christ by his word or by his deede, shew any thyng of defence, or of bodely resistaunce.

Thirdly, I meruaile why wise men leauyng the playne & manifest doctrine of Christ, wherby he teacheth pacience: do seeke corners of their imaginyng, to the intent they may approue fightynges and warres.MarginaliaThe case here agayne of Christ was priuate, and his doctrine is to be vnderstanded in priuate cases. Why marke they not after what maner, Christe spake to Peter strikyng the high Byshops seruaunt, saying: Put vp thy sword into the sheath, for euery one that shall take the sword, shall perish with the sword.MarginaliaWarre in case allowed of W. Brute. But in an other case we must make resistaunce: which case may be so rightuous, as it is for a mans Lord and maister being a most rightuous mā, and yet sufferyng iniurie of mischieuous persons.

Fourthly, I meruell seyng that we are bound of charitie & by the law of Christ to geue our liues for our brethren, how they can allow such maner of dissensions and resisting.MarginaliaHe meaneth resistance for priuate causes, or for worldly goods. For when thy brother shall maliciously strike thee, thou mayst be sure, that he is manifestly fallen from charitie, into the snare of the deuill.MarginaliaPatience c?mended in priuate causes among Christen brethren. If thou shalt keepe pacience, he shalbe ashamed of his doyng, and thou mayst bow and bend him to repentaunce, and take him out from the snare of the deuill, and call him backe agayne to charitie.MarginaliaThe inconuenience of priuate resistance among christen brethren. YI thou resist, and perchaunce by resistyng doest strike agayne, his fury shalbe the more kindled, and he being sturred vp to greater wrath, peraduenture shall either slay thee, or thou him. Touchyng thy selfe, thou art vncertaine, if thou go about to make resistaunce, whether thou shalt fall from charitie, and then shalt thou go backward from the perfectiō of Christes commaūdement: Neither doest thou know but that it may happen thee so greatly to be moued, as that by the heate and violēce of wrath, thou shalt slay him. Wheras if thou wouldest dispose thy selfe to pacience (as Christ teacheth) thou shouldest easly auoyde all these mischieues, aswel on the behalfe of thy brother, as also of thine own part. Wherfore, the obseruyng of charitie is the precept of pacience to be obserued.

Fifthly, I do maruell why that for the allowing of this corporall resistaunce, he doth say in the same chapter:MarginaliaPaule being striken, did not breake the rule of Christen patience, neither made any bodely resistance. that Paule did not fulfill the precept of the pacience of Christ, when as he beyng stroken in the place of iudgement by the commaūdement of the high Priest, did say, God strike thee, O thou painted wall: Doest thou sit to iudge me according to the law, and doest thou c?maunde me to be striken against the law? It is manifest that Paul made resistaunce in nothyng, though he spake a word of instruction to the Priest, who agaynst the law commaunded him to be striken. And if Paule had ouerpassed the boundes of pacience, through the grief of the stroke: what of that? Must the dede of Paules impaciencie for this cause be iustified, and the commaundement of paciēce taught by Christ, be left vndone for Paules deede, and corporall resistaunce be allowed?MarginaliaThe facte either of Paul or of any other doth not derogate to the doctrine of our Sauiour. God forbid. For both Paule and Peter might erre. But in the doctrine of Christ there may be found no errour. Wherfore, we must geue more credence and belief to Christes sayinges, then to any liuyng mans doynges. Wherfore, although Paule had resisted, which I do not perceiue in that Scripture: it followeth not therof, that corporall resistaunce must be approued, which is of Christ expresly forbidden. I much maruell that alwayes they seeke corners and shadowes to iustifie their deedes. Why do they not marke what great thynges Paule reciteth himselfe to haue suffered for Christ? And where I pray you haue they found, that he after his cōuersion, stroke any man that did hurt him? Or where do they finde that he in expresse word doth teach such a kynd of corporall resistaunce? But as touchyng pacience, he sayth in playne wordes to the Romaines:MarginaliaRom. 12.
Rules of Christen patience. Be not wise in your own cōceites: Render ill for ill to no body: prouidyng good things not onely before God, but also before all men, if it be possible: Be at peace with all folkes as much as in you lieth: not defendyng your selues, my most dearely beloued, but geue you place vnto anger. For it is written, vengeaunce is myne and I will recompence them, sayth the Lord. But if thyne enemy shall be an hūgred, geue him meate. If he be a thirst, geue him drinke. For thus doyng, thou shalt heape coales of fire vpon his head. Be not ouercomen of euill, but ouercome thou euill with good.

To the Corinthians the v. as touching iudgement and contentiō, which are matters of lesse weight then are fightynges, thus he writeth: Now verely is there great fault in you, that you be at law amongst your selues. Why rather take ye not wrong? why rather suffer ye not deceit?Marginalia1. Cor. 5. And generally in all his Epistles he teacheth, that pacience should be kept, and not corporall resista?ce by fighting, because charitie is pacient, it is curteous, it suffereth all thinges. I maruell how they iustifie and make good the warres by Christians,MarginaliaHe meaneth such wars of Christiās, as the pope aloweth: rising rather of priuate reuēge of princes, for worldly glory or affection, then for any publike necessitie. sauyng onely the warres agaynst the deuil and sinne. For seing that it is playne, that those thyngs that were in the old Testament, were figures of thynges to be done in the new Testament: Therfore we must needes say, that the corporall warres beyng then done, were figures of the Christiā warres agaynst sinne and the deuill, for the heauenly countrey, which is our inheritaunce. It is playne that it was writen thus of Christ. The mighty Lord, & of great power in battaile, hath gyrded vp himselfe in force and manlynes to the warre: and he came not to send peace into the earth,