sies, Math. 23. chapter: Woe be you Scribes and Pharisies, whych pay your tithe of Mint, of Anets seede, and of commin: and leaue iudgement, mercy, and trueth vndone, being the weightier things of the lawe, both shuld ye haue done these things, and also not haue left the other vndone. O ye blinde guides; that straine out a gnat, and swallowe vp a camell. Thys worde soundeth not as a commaundement or manner of bidding, wherby Christ did command tithes to be geuen:MarginaliaThe one is disalowed, the other is not commaunded. but it is a worde of disalowing the hypocrisie of the Pharisies, who of couetousnesse dyd rather weigh and esteeme tithes, because of their owne singulare commoditie, rather then other great and weighty commaundements of the lawe. And me seemeth that our men are in the same predicament of the Pharisies, which doe leaue of al þ^e ceremonies of þ^e old law, keping onely the cōmandement of tything.MarginaliaPriestes wrest religion to theyr owne profit. It is manifest and plaine inough by the premisses, and by other places of the scripture, that Christ was a priest after the order of Melchisedech, of the tribe of Iuda, not of the tribe of Leuie: who gaue no newe commaundement of tything of any thing to him and to hys priests whome he would place after him: but whē hys Apostles sayd to him: Behold, we leaue all things & haue followed thee, what then shall we haue, hee did not aunswere them thus:MarginaliaTithes not expreslye commanded a newe by Christ in the Gospell. Tithes shall be paide you, neither dyd he promise them a temporall, but an euerlasting rewarde in heauen. For hee, both for foode, and also apparell taught his disciples not to be carefull. MarginaliaMath. 6.Be ye not carefull for your life, what ye shall eate, or for your body what ye shall put on. Is not the life of man more worth then the meate? and the body more worth then apparell? Beholde ye the birds of heauen, whych do not sow nor reape, neither yet lay vp in barnes, and yet your heauēly father feedeth them. And as for apparell, why should you be carefull? Consider the lillies of the field, how they grow, they labour not, neither do they spinne. &c. In conclusion he sayth, be not yee carefull, saying, what shall we eate, or what shall we drinke, or wherwithall shall we be couered? For all these things doe the Gentiles seeke after. For your father knoweth, þ^t you haue neede of all these things. First therefore seeke yee for the kingdome of God and the righteousnes therof, and all these things shall be cast vnto you. And Paule ryght well remembring this doctrine, instructeth Marginalia1. Tim. 6.Timothe and sayth thus. But we hauing foode and wherewithall to be couered, let vs therewyth be contented. And as the Acts of the Apostles doe declare: In the first conuersion of the Iewes at Ierusalem, they had all thinges common, and to euery one was diuision made, as nede required. MarginaliaTythes not required in the primitiue church.Neither did the priestes make the tithes theyr owne proper goodes. For like as it was not meete that the lay people being conuerted, should haue proprietie of goods: euen so neither that priests should haue proprietie of tithes. So that if þ^e priests started backe from seruent charitie in chalenging to themselues the proprietie of tithes: it is no meruaile of departing backward (as do the priests, frō the perfection of charitie) also of the laitie to be willing to appropriate to them selues the ix. partes remayning after tithes. Wherfore,  

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Foxe's marginal note is quite ingenious. Brut states that tithes are not valid by either Old Testament or New Testament law, but only by human law. Foxe agrees, but adds - which Brut did not intend - that human law alone was sufficient to make them valid.

By the premisses nowe it is plaine, that Christ did not vndo the law, but by grace did fulfil it. Notwithstanding, in the lawes many thynges were lawfull, which in the time of grace are forbydden, and many thynges were then vnlawfull, which now are lawfull inough. For nothing that is contrary to charitie, is lawfull to a Christian.

Let vs now heare what maner of commaundements Christ hath geuen vs in the Gospel, without the obseruation of which commaundements, charitie shal not perfectly be kept. By which cōmandements, Christ did not vndo the olde lawe, but did fulfill it. By the obseruation also of which commaundements, he teacheth vs to passe and goe beyond the righteousnes of the Scribes & Pharises, who most perfectly thought themselues to keepe the law. This absolute and perfect righteousnes, which we are bound to haue beyonde the rightuousnesse of the Pharisies and the Scribes, he teacheth in Match. 5. 6. and 7. chap. Whych being heard, and compared to the traditiōs made and commaunded by the Romane prelates:MarginaliaTythes due to be payde by the positiue lawe of men. it shall plainly appere, whether they be contrary or no. Christ therefore sayeth, You haue heard, that it was sayd to them of the olde time, Thou shalt not kill. For hee that killeth shall be guiltie of iudgemēt. But I say vnto you, that euery one that is angry with hys brother, shall be in danger of iudgement. In thys he doeth teach, that we ought not to be angrie wyth our brethren: not that he would vndoe this old comman-dement (thou shalt not kil) but that they same should be the more perfectly obserued. Againe he sayth. You haue heard that it was sayd, thou shalt loue thy frend, and hate thyne enemy: But I say vnto you, Loue your enemies, doe well to them that hate you, pray for them that persecute & slander you, that you may be the children of your father which is in heauen: Which maketh his sunne to arise vppon the good and euill people, and raineth vppon the iust and vniust. For if you loue them which loue you, what reward shall you haue? Doe not the Publicanes thus? And if you shall salute your brethren onely, what great thing doe ye? Do not the heathen thus also? Be you therefore perfect, as also your heauenly father is perfect.

Againe Christ sayeth, you haue heard that it is said: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth: but I say vnto you, see that you resist not euill. But if any man shall strike you vppon the right cheeke; geue hym the other to. And to hym that will striue with the for thy coate in iudgement, let hym haue thy cloke also. And whosoeuer shall constraine thee one mile; goe with him also two other. He þ^t asketh of thee geue him: and hee that will borrowe of thee, turne not thy selfe from him.

By these thinges it may plainely appeare, howe that Christ the king of peace, the Sauiour of mankynde, who came to saue and not to destroy, who gaue a law of charity to be obserued of his faithfull people: hath taught vs not to be angry, not to hate our enemies, not to render euil for euill, nor to resist euill. For all these thinges doe foster and nourish peace & charitie, and do procede and come forth of charity, & when they be not kept, charity is loosed, & peace is broken. But the bishop of Rome approueth and alloweth warres, and slaughters of mē in warre, aswell against our enemies, that is, the infidels, as also against the Christians for temporall goodes. Nowe, these things are quite contrary to Christes doctrine, and to charity, and to peace.MarginaliaThe doctrine of Christ and of the P. compared.

MarginaliaThe glose of Gratianus vpon the cap. Paratus 23. q. 1. disproued.In the decrees 23. q. 1. cap. Paratus, it is taught, that the precepts of pacience must alwayes be retained in purpose of the heart, so that pacience w^t beneuolence must be kept in the minde secrete. But apparantly and manifestly, that thing should be done, which seemeth to doe good to those, whom we ought to wish well vnto. Wherein they geue to vnderstande, that a Christian may freely defend hymselfe. And for confirmation of thys saying, they doe say: That Christ whē he was stroken in the face of the hygh bishops seruant, did not fulfill (if we looke vpon the wordes) hys owne commaundement: because he gaue not to the smiter the other part, but rathr did forbid him, that he should not do it, to double his iniurie. For he sayd,MarginaliaChrist in aunswering to his striker, did not breake his rule of patience outwardly. if I haue spoken euill, beare witnes of euill, but if wel, why doest thou strike me? I do meruail of this saying: for first if those commandements of pacience must be kept in secrete in the minde: and seing the body doth worke at the motion of the mind, and is and ought to be mooued and ruled by the same: It must then nedes be, that if pacience be in the mind, it must appeare also outwardly in the body.MarginaliaThe precept of Christ to turne the other cheek, hath a priuy comparison: as if ye would say, rather be you content to suffer two blows, then to reuenge one.

MarginaliaThis article of Brute must haue a relation euer to the doctrine of the clergie.Secondly I meruail that it is said, that Christ did not fulfill his owne precept of pacience. For it is manifest, that albeit he teaching alwayes as a good scholemaster, those things which were fit for the saluation of soules, speaking the wholesom word of instruction to the high bishops seruant, smiting him vniustly: did neither by word forbid an other stroke to be geuen on the other cheke, neither did he defend himself bodely from striking on the same cheeke: But speaking to him, it is likely þ^t hee gaue him the other cheek, he meaneth, þ^t he turned not the other cheeke away. For a man tourneth not away from him whome he speaketh to, or whom he informeth, but layeth open before him al his face: Euen so do I beleue þ^t Christ did, that he might fulfill in very deede that, which before hee had taught in word. Neither yet did Christ by his word or by his deede, shew any thing of defence, or of bodely resistance.

MarginaliaThe case here againe of Christ was priuate and his doctrine is to be vnderstanded in priuate cases.Thirdly, I meruail why wise men leauing the plaine & manifest doctrine of Christ, wherby he teacheth pacience: do seeke corners of their imagining, to the intent they may approoue fightings and warres.MarginaliaWarre in case allowed of W. Brute. Why marke they not after what manner, Christ spake to Peter striking the hygh Byshoppes seruaunt, saying: Put vp thy sworde into the sheath, for euery one that shall take the sword, shall perish with the sworde. But in an other case we must make resistance: which case may be so righteous, as it is for a mans Lorde & maister being a most rightuous man, and yet suffering iniurie of mischieuous persons.MarginaliaHe meaneth resistance for priuate cause, or for worldly goods.

Fourthly, I maruel seing that we are bound of charity & by the law of Christ to geue our liues for our brethren, how they can allow such maner of dissentions & resisting. For when thy brother shall maliciously strike thee, thou maist be sure, that he is manifestly fallen from charity, into