to be contrary, that is, the one to be geuen al to peace, the other all to warre, and so to proue in conclusion the Pope to be Antichrist. Where in the meane time thou must vnderstand (gentle reader) his meaning rightly:  

not that hee so thinketh, no kind of warres among þ^e Christiās in any case to be lawful, for he himself before hath opēly protested the contrary. But that his purpose is to proue, þ^e Pope in all his doings & teachings, more to be addicted to warre, thē to peace, yea in such cases, wher is no necessity of war. And therin proueth he þ^e Pope to be contrary to Christ, þ^t is to be Antichrist. Now he proceedeth further to þ^e second part which is of mercy.

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In the which part he sheweth how Christ teacheth vs to be merciful, because mercye (as he sayth) proceedeth frō charity, and nourisheth it. MarginaliaDoctrine of Christian mercy declared.In which doctrine of mercye, he breaketh not þ^e law of righteousnes, for he himself by mercy hath clensed vs from our sinnes, from which we coulde not by the righteousnes of the law, be clensed. But whom he hath made cleane by mercye, vndoubtedly it behoueth those same to be also merciful. For in þ^e v. chapter of MarginaliaMath. 5.Mathew, he sayth: Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtaine mercy. And againe in þ^e 6. of MarginaliaMath. 6.Mathew: If ye forgeue vnto men their sinnes, your father will forgeue vnto you your sinnes. And againe in the vij. chapter of MarginaliaMath. 7.Mathewe: Iudge not, & ye shal not be iudged, condemne not, and ye shal not be condemned, & with what measure ye measure, with the same shal it be measured vnto you againe. In the xviij. chap. of MarginaliaMath. 18.Mathew, Peter asked the lord, saying: Lord how often shal my brother sinne agaynst me, and I shall forgeue him, seuen times? Iesus sayd vnto him: I say not vnto thee seuen times, but seuentie times seuen tymes.MarginaliaMercy and pitie commended among Christians. Therefore is the kingdome of heauen likened vnto a certaine king, which would take accōpt of his seruants. And when he had begun to reckē, one was brought vnto hym which ought him tenne thousand talents: And because he had nothing wherewithal to pay, his maister commaūded him to be solde, and his wife and his children, and all that he had, and the debt to be payd. The seruaunt therefore fell downe and besought him, saying: haue pacience with me, and I will pay thee all. And the Lord had pity on that seruant, and loosed him, and forgaue him the debt. But when the seruant was departed, he found one of his fellow seruaunts, which ought him an hundred pence, and he layed handes on him, and tooke him by the throte, saying: pay me that thou owest, and his fellowe fell downe, and besought him, saying: Haue pacience with me, and I will pay thee all. But he would not, but went and cast hym into prison, till he should pay the debt. And when his other fellowes saw the things that were done, they were very sorye, and came & declared vnto their maister all þ^t was done: Then his maister called him, and said vnto him: O thou vngratious seruant, I forgaue thee all þ^t debt when thou desiredst mee: Oughtest thou not then also to haue such pity on thy felow, euē as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth, and deliuered him vnto the Iaylers, til he should pay all that was due vnto him. So likewise shall my heauēly father do vnto you, except ye forgeue from your hartes eche one to his brother their trespasses.

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MarginaliaMercy and compassion necessary to all Christians.By this doctrine it is most plaine and manifest that euery Christiā ought to be mercifull vnto his brother, how often soeuer he offendeth against him. Because we so often as we offend, do aske mercy of God. Wherfore, for asmuch as our offence agaynst God is farre more greiuous then any offence of our brother agaynst vs: it is playne, that it behoouveth vs to be merciful vnto our brethren, if we wil haue mercy at Gods hand. But contrary to this doctrine of mercy, The MarginaliaThe pope contrary to Christ, in shewing mercy.Romish bishop maketh & confirmeth many lawes, which punishe offenders, euen vnto the death. As it is plaine by þ^e processe of þ^e decrees. Marginalia23. q. 5.Distin. 23. quest. 5. It is declared and determined, that to kill men ex officio, that is, hauing authority and power so to do, is not sinne. And againe: the souldiour which is obediēt vnto þ^e higher power, and so killeth a man, is not guilty of murther. And againe, he is the minister of the Lord, which smiteth þ^e euil in that they are euill and killeth thē. And many other such like thinges are throughout the whole processe of þ^t question determined. That for certayne kinds of sinnes men ought by the rigour of the law, to be punished euen vnto death: MarginaliaThe foundation of the foresayde 5. quest. caus. 23. in the popes decrees, taken onely out of the old Testament, and nothing out of the newe.But the foundation of their saying, they tooke out of the olde law, in which for diuers transgressions were appointed diuers punishments. It is very much wōderful vnto me, why that wyse men being the authors & makers of lawes, do alwayes for the foundation of their sayings, looke vpon the shadow of the lawe, and not the light of the gospel of Iesus Christ, for they geue not heede vnto þ^e fygure of perfection, nor yet vnto the perfection figured.MarginaliaThe makers of the popes law follow not the perfect rule. Is it not written in þ^e 3. of Iohn? God sent not his sōne intothe world to iudge the world, but to saue þ^e world by him.MarginaliaIohn. 3. In IohnMarginaliaIohn. 8. the 8. chap. The scribes and phariseis bring in a woman taken in adultery, and set her in the middest, and sayd vnto Christ: Maister euen nowe this woman was taken in adultery. But in the lawe, Moises hath cōmaunded vs to stone such. What sayest thou therfore. This they sayd to tempt him, that they might accuse him. But Iesus stouped downe, and with his finger wrote on the ground. And while they continued asking him: he lift himselfe vp, and sayd vnto them, let him that is among you without sinne, cast the first stone at her. And agayne he stouped and wrote on the ground. And when they heard it, the went out one by one, beginning at the eldest: so Iesus was lefte alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Iesus had lift vp himselfe agayne he said vnto her: where be they which accused thee, hath no man condemned thee? She sayd, no man Lord. And Iesus sayd vnto her: Neyther do I condemne thee. Goe thy way and sinne now no more.

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It is manifest by þ^e scriptures, þ^t Christ was promised he should be king of the Iewes, & vnto þ^e kings pertained the iudgements of þ^e law: but because he came not to iudge sinners according to the rigor of the law, but came according to grace, to saue that which was lost, in calling þ^e sinner to repentaunce: it is most playne, that in the comming of the law of grace, he would haue the iudgement of the lawe of righteousnes to cease: for otherwise he had dealt vniustly with þ^e foresayd woman, forasmuch as the witnesses of her adultery, bare witnes against her. Wherfore seeing þ^e same king Christ was a iudge, if it had bene his will that the righteousnes of the law shoulde be obserued, he ought to haue adiudged the woman to death, according as the law commaunded, whiche thing forasmuch as he did not, it is most euident that the iudgementes of the righteousnes of the law are finished in the cōming of the king, being kyng of the lawe of grace: MarginaliaHeere is mēt, & to be vnderstand, not what publike magistrates may doe, in cases of righteousnes, but what ecclesiastical persons according to the office of their profession should doe, in not reuenging by death, as they doe by offices. Whether the iudiciall law of Moises, fullye (now after the cōming of Christ) standeth in force, or not.euen as the sacrifices of the priesthoode of Aaron, are finished in the comming of the priest, according to the order of Melchisedech, who hath offred himselfe vp for our sinnes. Because as it is before sayd, neyther the righteousnes of the law, nor sacrifices for sinne, brought any man to perfection. Wherfore it was necessary that the same (by reason of their imperfection. MarginaliaThe law of Moses of all lawes most iustest.And seeing amongst all the lawes of the world, the law of Moses was most iustest, forasmuch as the author thereof was God, who is the most iust iudge: and by that law alwaies looke, what maner of iniury one had done vnto an other, contrary to the cōmandement of the law, the like iniury he should receaue for his transgression, according to þ^e upright iudgemēt of the law. As death for death, a blow for a blow, burning for burning, wound for wound, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, and most iust punishmentes were ordayned according co the quantitie of the sinnes. But if this lawe of righteousnes be cleane taken away in the comming of the lawe of grace, how then shall the lawe of the Gentiles remayne among Christians, which was neuer so iust? Is not this true, that in them, whiche are conuerted vnto the fayth, there is no distinction betweene the Iewe and the Grecian? For both are vnder sinne, & are iustified by grace in the fayth of Christ, being called vnto fayth and vnto the perfection of the Gospell.

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If therefore þ^e gētiles cōuerted, are not boūd to play the Iewes, to follow the lawe of the Iewes: why should the Iewes conuerted, follow the lawes of the Gētiles which are not so good? *Marginalia* His meruell is not so much, why theeues are put to deth: but why the Iudiciall lawe of Moses in this point is broken, & in other points is straightly kept: Mark his meaning. Wherfore it is to bee wondred, at, why theues are among christians, for theft put to death where after þ^e lawe of Moyses they were not put to death. Chrystiās suffer adulterors to liue, Sodomits, and they which curse father and mother, & many other horrible sinners: And they which accordinge to the most iust lawe of God were condemned to death, are not put to death: So wee neyther keepe the law of righteousnes geuen of God, nor the law of mercy taught by Christ.

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Wherefore the lawe makers and Iudges, do not geue heede vnto the aforesayd sentēce of Christ vnto þ^e Scribes and Phariseis, who sayd: *Marginalia* Take his meaning wisely (gentle reader) his mind is not so, that no magistrate, being not without sin, may punish a transgressour, but he speaketh against such churchmē, who professing the rule of mercy, shew no mercy at all, but all rigor, by their law, ex officio. He which amōgst you is with out sinne, let him cast the first stone at her. What is he that dareth be so bolde as to say he is without sinne? Yea and without a grieuous sinne, when as the transgression of þ^e commaundement of God is a greeuous sinne? And who can say that hee neuer transgressed this commaundement of God. Thou shalt loue they neighbor as thy selfe: Or the other cōmaūdement which is of greater force: Thou shalt loue the Lord thy God with al thy hart. &c. Wherfore thou whatsoeuer thou art that iudgest thy brother vnto death, thinkest thou that thou shalt escape the iudgemēt of God, which peraduēture hast offended more greuously thē hath he whom thou iudgest? Now seest thou a mote in thy brothers eye, & seest not a beame in thine owne eye? Knowest

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