affections are

with the

cross of

Christ.

Evil lusts and enough, and discreet thereto, to take up thy cross thyself, to be purged and to tame thy flesh with prayer and fasting, watching, deeds of mercy, holy meditations and reading the scripture, and with bodily labour, and in withdrawing all manner of pleasures from the flesh, and with exercises contrary to the vices which thou markest thy body most inclined to, and with abstaining from all that courage the flesh against the spirit; as reading of wanton books, wanton communication, foolish jesting and effeminate thoughts, and talking of covetousness (which Paul forbiddeth), and magnifying of worldly promotions; and takest, I say, up such a cross by thine ownself, or by the counsel of other that are better learned and exercised than thou; then must God put his cross of adversity upon thee. For we must have every man his cross in this world; or be damned with the world.

Eph. v

To sin under grace, and to

law. W. T.

Of this ye see the difference between the sin of them that sin under the believe in the blood of Christ for the remission of sin, and consent and submit themselves unto the law, and the sin of them that yield themselves unto sin, to serve it, &c. The first sin under grace; and their sins are venial, that is to say, forgiveable. The other sin under the law, and under the damnation of the law, and fight (for a great part of them) against grace and against the Spirit of grace, and against the law of God and faith of Christ, and corrupt the text of the covenant with false glosses, and are disobedient to God, and therefore sin deadly.

Lambs.
Swine.

no faith. W. T.

Of this also ye see the difference between the lambs of true believers; and between the unclean swine, that follow Dogs. W. T. carnal lusts and fleshly liberty; and the churlish and hypocritish dogs, which, for the blind zeal of their own righteousness, persecute the righteousness of the faith in Christ's blood. Swine have The effeminate and careless swine, which continue in their fleshliness, and cease not to wallow themselves in their old puddle, think that they believe very well in Christ's blood; but they are deceived; as thou mayest clearly perceive, because they fear not the damnation of evil works, nor love the law of good works, and therefore have no part in the promise. The cruel and doggish hypocrites, which take upon them to work, think they love the law; which yet they never saw, save under a veil. But they be deceived; as thou mayest perceive, by that they believe not in Christ for the forgive

Dogs love not
the law.
W. T.

ness of sin. Whereby also (I mean that they believe not) thou mayest perceive that they understand not the law for if they understood the law, it would either drive them to Christ, or make them despair immediately.

is coupled

to the law.

But the true believers behold the law in her own likeness, True faith and see the impossibility thereof to be fulfilled with natural with love power; and therefore flee to Christ for mercy, grace, and W. T. power; and then, of a very thankfulness for the mercy received, love the law in her own likeness, and submit themselves to learn it and to profit therein, and to do to-morrow that they cannot do to-day.

The The differ

ence of

faiths, and

how it is to

stood faith

justifieth.

Ye see also the difference of all manner of faiths. faith of the true believers is, that God justifieth or forgiveth; and Christ deserveth it; and the faith or trust in Christ's be underblood receiveth it, and certifieth the conscience thereof, and we saveth and delivereth her from fear of death and damnation. And this is that we mean, when we say faith justifieth: that faith (I mean in Christ, and not in our own works) certifieth the conscience that our sins are forgiven us for Christ's blood's sake.

hypocrites.

But the faith of hypocrites is, that God forgiveth, and Faith of works deserve it: and that same false faith, in their own W. T. works, receiveth the mercy promised to the merits of their own works; and so Christ is utterly excluded.

And thus ye see that faith is the thing that is affirmed to justify, of all parties. For faith in Christ's blood (which is God's promise) quieteth the conscience of the true believers: and a false faith, or trust in works (which is their own feigning), beguileth the blind hypocrites for a season; till God for the greatness of their sin, when it is full, openeth their eyes, and then they despair. But the swine say, God is so good Faith of that he will save devils and all; and damn no man perpetually, whatsoever he do.

Another conclusion is this: to believe in Christ for the remission of sins, and, of a thankfulness for that mercy, to love the law truly: that is to say, to love God that is the Father of all and giveth all; and Jesus Christ, that is Lord of us all, and bought us all, with all our hearts, souls, power, and might; and our brethren for our Father's sake (because they be created after his image), and for our Lord and master Christ's sake, because they be the price of his blood; and to

swine. W. T.

The right baptism. W. T.

The church

of Christ.

W. T.

derogate any thing from the faith of Christ are not of the church.

long for the life to come, because this life cannot be led without sin. These three points (I say) are the profession and religion of a christian man, and the inward baptism of the heart, signified by the outward washing of the body. And they be that spiritual character, badge, or sign, wherewith God, through his Spirit, marketh all his immediately and as soon as they be joined to Christ, and made members of his church by true faith.

The church of Christ, then, is the multitude of all them that believe in Christ for the remission of sin; and, of a thankfulness for that mercy, love the law of God purely and without glosses; and, of hate they have to the sin of this world, long for the life to come. This is the church that cannot err damnably; nor any long time; nor all of them: but as soon as any question ariseth, the truth of God's promise stirreth up one or other to teach them the truth of every thing needful to salvation out of God's word; and lighteneth the hearts of the other true members, to see the same, and to consent thereto.

And as all they that have their hearts washed with this inward baptism of the Spirit are of the church, and have the keys of the scripture, yea, and of binding and loosing, and Whosoever do not err; even so they that sin of purpose, and will not hear when their faults be told them, but seek liberties and privileges to sin unpunished, and gloss out the law of God, and maintain ceremonies, traditions and customs, to destroy the faith of Christ, the same be members of Satan, and all their doctrine is poison, error and darkness; yea, though they be popes, bishops, abbots, curates, and doctors of divinity, and though they can rehearse all the scripture without book, and though they be seen in Greek, Hebrew, and Latin: yea, and though they so preach Christ and the passion of Christ, that they make the poor women weep and howl again. For when they come to the point, that they should minister law written Christ's passion unto the salvation of our souls, there they hearts cannot poison altogether and gloss out the law, that should make us the passion of feel our salvation in Christ, and drive us in that point from salvation. Christ, and teach us to put our trust in our own works for the remission and satisfaction of our sins, and in the apish play of hypocrites, which sell their merits instead of Christ's blood and passion.

They that have not the

in their

understand

Christ to

W. T.

repeating.

inward bap

soul is.

Lo, now, dear reader, to believe in Christ's blood for the A short remission of sin, and purchasing of all the good promises that W. T. help to the life to come; and to love the law; and to long what the for the life to come, is the inward baptism of the soul, the tism of the baptism that only availeth in the sight of God; the new generation and image of Christ; the only key also to bind and loose sinners; the touchstone to try all doctrines; the lantern and light that scattereth and expelleth the mist and darkness of all hypocrisy, and a preservative against all error and heresy; the mother of all good works; the earnest of everlasting life, and title whereby we challenge our inheritance.

And though faith in Christ's blood make the marriage between our soul and Christ, and is properly the marriage garment; yea, and the sign Thau, that defendeth us from the Thau. W. T. smiting and power of the evil angels'; and is also the rock whereon Christ's church is built, and whereon all that is built standeth against all weather of wind and tempests; yet might the profession of the faith in Christ's blood, and of the love to the law, and longing for the life to come, be called all these things, were malice and froward understanding away; because that where one of them is, there will be all three; Faith, hope, and charity, and where all are not, there is none of them. And because are insepara that the one is known by the other, it is impossible to know any of them truly, and not be deceived, but in respect and comparison of the other.

ble. W. T.

and charity

For if thou wilt be sure that thy faith be perfect, then Faith, hope, examine thyself whether thou love the law. And in like are known manner, if thou wilt know whether thou love the law aright, other. W. T.

[1 Tyndale alludes to Ezekiel ix. 4-6, where the Latin, of the Vulgate translation, makes the Lord say, "Put the sign of Thau on the foreheads of the men." The Hebrew verb means setting a sign, or marking; and the substantive formed from it, , signifies a sign, or mark, and is also used as the name of the letter, Thau, the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Hence Jerome, copying the Hebrew substantive in Roman letters, translates, Signa Thau, where the Septuagint renders, Aòs oŋμeîov, and our authorised version, 'Set a mark.' Unhappily, too, though neither the Hebrew nor the Samaritan characters for Thau bear any resemblance to a cross, the Greek and Roman character for the corresponding letter, T, obviously has a resemblance to it; so that the text, as read by the Romanists in their Vulgate, conveys the idea of the outward sign of the cross having a defensive power in it.]

one by the

faith. W. T.

then examine thyself whether thou believe in Christ only for the remission of sin, and obtaining the promises made in the scripture. And even so, compare thy hope of the life to come unto faith and love, and to hating the sin of this life; which hate the love to the law engendereth in thee. And if they accompany not one another, all three together, then be sure that all is but hypocrisy.

If you say, Seeing faith, love, and hope, be three virtues inseparable; ergo, faith only justifieth not: I answer, though they be inseparable, yet they have separable and sundry The office of offices; as it is above said of the law and faith. Faith only, which is a sure and an undoubted trust in Christ, and in the Father through him, certifieth the conscience that the sin is forgiven, and the damnation and impossibility of the law taken away, as it is above rehearsed in the conditions of the covenant; and with such persuasions mollifieth the heart, and maketh her love God again and his law. And as oft as we sin, faith only keepeth that we forsake not our profession, and that love utterly quench not, and hope fail; and only maketh the peace again. For a true believer trusteth in Christ only, and not in his own works, or aught else, for the remission of sin. And the office of love is to pour out again the same goodness that she hath received of God upon her neighbour, and to be to him as she feeleth Christ to herself. The office of love only is to have compassion, and to bear with her neighbour the burden of his infirmities; and, as it is written, operit multitudinem peccatorum, "covereth the multitude of sins;" that is to say, considereth the infirmities, and interpreteth all to the best, and taketh for no sin at all a thousand things, of which the least were enough (if a man loved not) to go to law for, and to trouble and unquiet an whole town, and sometime an whole realm or two.

The office of

love.

James v.

W. T.

The office of hope. W. T.

And the office of hope is to comfort in adversity and make patient; that we faint not and fall down under the cross, or cast it off our backs.

And thus ye see that these three, inseparable in this life, have yet separable and sundry offices and effects; as heat and dryth1, being inseparable in the fire, have yet their separable operations. For the dryth only expelleth the moistness" of all that is consumed by fire; and heat only destroyeth the

[1 Drought, or dryness.]