charitie afterward waxing luke warme, they inuented gloses by drawing the comaundementes of God backe to their own deedes, whiche they purposed to iustifie and mayntayn, that is to say, warres against the infidels.  

MarginaliaHe meaneth of those wars against infidels stirred vp and procured by the pope vpon blind superstition, to fight for the holy lande, and not taken by princes in the necessary defence of themselues and of their countrey. But that they by warres should be conuerted to the fayth, is a fact faithlesse inough: because, that by violence or vnwillingly, no body can beleue in Christ nor be made a christian, neither did he come to destroy them by battaile, that beleued not in him: for he said to his disciples, you knowe not what spirite you are of. The sonne of man came not to destroy mens liues, but to saue them. Then to graunt pardons and forgeuenes of sinnes, to those that kill the infidels, is to much an infidels fact, seducing many people For what greater seducing can there be, then to promise to a man forgeuenes of sinnes, and afterwarde the ioye of heauen, for setting himselfe against Christes commaundementes in the killing ot the Infidels, that would not be conuerted to the fayth: where as Christ doth say, not euery one that sayth to me Lord, Lord, shal enter into þ^e kingdome of heauen: but he þ^t doth the will of my father which 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 Iesus Christ, and that we would obey him by obseruing of those thinges which he himselfe hath commaunded. Wherfore Christes preceptes of pacience must be fulfilled. Warres, fightinges, and contentions must be left, because they are contrary to charitie.

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MarginaliaObiection.But peraduenture some man wil thus reason against Christ: the saintes by whome God hath wrought myracles, do allow warres as well against the faithfull people, as also against the infidels. And the holy kings were warriours, for whose sakes also miracles haue bene shewed, as well in theyr death as also in their life, yea in the very time wherin they were a warfare. Wherfore it semeth that their factes were good and lawfull. For otherwise, God would not haue done miracles for them.

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MarginaliaAnswere. Legibus agendum non exemplis. True miracles here of holy men be not disproued, but speaking vniuersally, the stable doctrine and worde of God, is the sure rule for men to folowe.To this agayne I say, that we for no miracles must do contrary to the doctrine of Christ. For in it can there be no errour, but in myracles there oftentimes chaunceth error as it is plaine as well by the old as by the new testament: God forbid then, that a Christian should for deceiuable miracles, depart from the infallible doctrine of Christ. In Exodus the 7. chapter it is manifest, howe that the wicked wise men of the Egiptians, through the inchauntments of Egipt, and certayne secret workinges, threw theyr wands vpon the earth, which were turned into Dragons, euē as Aaron before time in þ^e presēce of Pharao threw his wand vpon the earth: which by the power of God was turned into a serpent. In the third of the Marginalia3. Reg. 22. Achas deceiued by false prophets.kinges the 22. chap. Micheas did see the Lord sitting vpon his throne, and all the hoste of heauen standing about him on the right hand, and on the left. And the Lord sayd, who shall deceaue Achab þ^e king of Israel, that he may go vp and be slayn in Ramoth Gilaad. And one sayd this way, and an other otherwise: now, there went forth a spirit, and stood before the Lord & said, I will deceiue him. To whō the Lord spake: by what meanes? And he sayd, I will go forth, and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophetes. And the Lord sayd thou shall deceiue him and preuaile, go thy wayes forth, and do euen so. Thus also is it written in Deuteronomium. If there shall arise a Prophet amongest you, or one that shall say hee hath seene a dreame, and shall foretell a signe and a wonder: & if that shall come to passe that he hath spoken, aud he shall say vnto thee: Let vs go and follow straunge Goddes (whom thou knowest not) and let vs serue them: thou shalt not harken vnto the wordes of that Prophet or dreamer, for the Lord your God tempteth you, to make it known whether ye loue him or no, with all your hart, and with all your soule.

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MarginaliaIere. 23. Prophets must be tryed by doctrine.In Ieremy the 13. chap. Are not my wordes euen lyke fire sayth the Lord? and like an hammer, that breaketh the stone? Therfore behold, I wil come against the Prophets whiche haue dreamed a lye (sayth the Lorde) whiche haue shewed those things, and haue seduced the people through theyr lies and their miracles, when as I sent thē not, neyther commanded them, which haue brought no profit vnto this people (sayth the Lord.) In MarginaliaMarke 13.Marke the 13. chapter sayth Christ: For there shall arise false Christes and false Prophetes, and shall shewe great signes and wonders to deceiue if it were possible euen the very elect. Paule in hys second Epistle to the Marginalia2. Cor. 11. False prophets.Corinthians the xi. chap. Suche false Apostles are deceitfull workers, transforming themselues into the Apostles of Christ, and no maruayle: For euen Sathan transformeth himselfe into an angell of light therefore it is no great thing, though his ministers transforme themselues, as though they were the ministers of righteousnes, whose end shal be according to their works.

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In the MarginaliaApoc. 13.Apocalips the 13. chap. Iohn saw a beast ascending vp out of the earth and it had two hornes like a lamb but he spake like the Dragon, and he did all that the first beast could do before him: and he caused the earth and the inhabitantes therof to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed, and did great wonders so that he made fire come downe from heauen on the earth, in þ^e sight of men, and deceiued thē that dwell on þ^e earth, by meanes of the signes which were permitted to him to do in þ^e sight of the beast.

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MarginaliaMyracles are to be tryed.By these thinges it is most manifest and playne, that in miracles this manifold errour oftentimes happeneth thorough the working of the deuill, to deceiue the people w^tal. Wherfore, we ought not for the working of miracles, to depart from the commaundements of God: I woulde to God þ^t they which put confidence in miracles would geue heed vnto the word of Christ, in the 7. chap. of MarginaliaMath. 7.Math. thus speaking: Many shall say vnto me in that day, Lord, Lord haue we not in thy name prophecied? and in thy name cast out deuils? and in thy name done many gret workes? &c. I wil professe vnto them, I neuer knew you, depart from me all ye which worke iniquitie.

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By this saying it is most manifest, that the seruauntes of Christ are not discerned by the working of miracles, but by the working of vertues,MarginaliaThe seruauntes of Christ discerned by working not of miracles, but of vertues. departing from iniquitie, and obeying the cōmaundements of God. Wherfore it is wōderful, that any in this life dare presume to preuent the day of the iudgement of God, to iudge by meanes of miracles, that some are Saints whom men ought to worship, whō peraduenture God will in the last iudgement condemne, saying: depart from me all ye which worke iuiquitie. If any man could here on earth iudge sinners to be condemned, then if this iudgement were certayne, Christ shoulde not iudge the 2. tyme, and what soeuer such iudges bynde in earth: the same ought to be bound in heauen. But if such a iudgement be vncertayne, then it is perillous and full of deceit, when as by it men on earth may in steede of saintesMarginaliaMen or women, are not rashly to be iudged Saintes. worship suche as are damned with the fellowship of the deuils, and in prayer require their ayde, who euen like as the deuils their companions are more ready and more of might to euill then to good, more to hurt then to profite. I wonder they marke not what Christ sayd, when his kinswoman came vnto him, desiring and requiring something of him, and saying: Commaund that these my two sonnes may sit, one vpon thy right hand and the other vpon thy left hand, in thy kingdome. But Iesus aunswering, sayd: Ye know not what ye aske, can ye drinke of the cup whiche I shall drink of? they sayd vnto him, we can. He sayd vnto them. Of my cupp in deede ye shall drinke, but to sit at my right hand or at my left, it is not mine to geue, but vnto whom it is prepared for, of my father. Christ, being equall vnto the father according to his Godhead, exceeding all maner of men, according to his manhode, namely in goodnes and wisedome, sayde, to sit my right hande, or at my left, is not mine to geue but vnto whom it is prepared of my father. If it were none of his to geue to sit at the right hand, or at the left &c. How then is it in the power of anye sinneful man to geue vnto any man, a seate eyther on the right hand, or on the left in the kingdome of God? whiche sinnefull man knoweth not whether suche haue anye seate prepared for thē of the father in his kingdome. They much extoll themselues which excercise this iudicial power in geuing iudgement: that there are some sayntes, which ought to be honoured of men, by reason of þ^e euidency of dreames or of deceitfull miracles, of which men they are ignoraunt whether God in hys iudgement will condemne them or not together with the deuils for euer to be tormented. Let them beware, for the vnfallible truth sayth, that euery one that exalteth himselfe shall be brought low.

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MarginaliaThis propositiō of Walter Bruit, concening the war of Christians not to be lawfull, is not to bee taken vniuersally, but in particular case as he meaneth, which is this: that such wars alowed of the pope, not for the necessary defence of publike peace, libertie and sauegard of our countries, or against publike iniuries offered: but onely to go & kill the infidels, because they beleeue not hauing no other cause: those warres of the pope hee lyketh not.By these thinges is gathered, that the warres of Christians are not lawfull, for that by the doctrine and life of Christ they are prohibited, by reason of the euidency of the deceitfull miracles of those, whiche haue made warres amongest the Christians, as well agaynst the Christians, as also agaynst the infidels. Because Christ could not erre in his doctrin for as much as he was God: And forasmuch as heauen and earth shall passe awaye, but the wordes of Christ shall not passe away. He therefore: whiche establisheth his lawes, allowing warres and the slaughter of mē in the warre, as well of Christians, as of Infidels: doth he not iustifie those thinges which are contrary vnto the gospell & law of Christ? Therefore in this he is against christ: and therfore Antichrist: seducing the people, making men beleeue that to be lawfull & meritorious vnto them, which is expressedly prohibited by Christ.

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¶ And thus much concerning the first parte, touching peace and warre, wherin he declareth Christ and the pope