JESUS CHRIST

I N to this desert, the holy Ghost hath brought me, After my baptism, of Satan to be tempted Thereby to instruct, of Man the imbecyllyte, That after he hath, Gods holy sprete received, Dyuer ely he must, of Satan be impugncd, Least he for Gods gift, should fallen into a pride. And that in parell, he take me for his guide. Think not me to fast, because I would you to fast, For than you think wrong, and have vain judgement But of my fasting, think rather this my cast, Satan to provoke, to work his cursed intent, And to teach you ways, his mischiefs to prevent, By the word of God, which must be your defence, Rather than fastings, to withstand his violence. I have fasted here, the space of forty days, Performing that fast, which Moses had in figure, To stop their mouths with, which babble & prate always Thus dead our father's, My name and fame to dysuygure. Therefore now I taste, of fasting here the rygure, And am right hungry, after long abstinence. This mortal body, complaineth of indygence. I disdain nothing, which is of God truly. Do so if you list, and your mind freely talk. Here are for pastime, the wild beasts of the desert, With whom Much better, it is to be conversant, Than with sech people, as are to God repugnant. Forty days and nights, without any sustenance. My stomach declareth, the weakness of my body. No offence is it, to eat when men be hungry, But to make stones bread, it is unnecessary. He which in this fast, hath be my special guide, Food for my body, is able to provide. I thank my lord God, I am at no such need, As to make stones bread, my body so to fede. Wha ̄ I come in place, where God hath appointed meat, Giving him high thanks, I shall not spare to eat, You speak in that point, very unadvisedly, For it is written, in the eyt of Deuteronomy, Man liveth not by bread, or corporal feeding only, But by Gods promise, and by his scriptures heavenly. Here you persuade me, to recreate my body, And neglected Gods word, which is great blasphemy. This caused Adam, from innocency to fallen, And all his ofsprynge, made miserable and mortal. Where as is Gods word, there is both sprete and life, And where that is not, death and damnation is rife. The strength of Gods word, mightily sustained Moses, For forty days space, thereof soch is the goodness. It fortified Helias, it preserved Daniel, And help in the desert, the children of Israel. Soar plagues do follow, where Gods word is reject, For no persuasion, will I therefore neglect, That office to do, which God hath me commanded, But in all meekness, it shall be accomplished. Well, it is not the bread, that does a man uphold, But the lord of heaven, with his graees manifold. He that Man create, is able him to nourish, And after weakness, cause him again to flourish. Gods word is a rule, for all that man should do, And out of that rule, no creature ought to go. He that it followeth, can not out of the way, In meat no in drink, in sadness nor in play. To tarry or go, it is all one to me. I shall not say nay, but am agreeable thereto. What mean you by that? show fourth your fantasy, Truly that need not, here is other remedy, To the ground to go, than to fallen down foolishly. Here are gresynges made, to go up and down thereby, What need I than leap, to the earth presumptuously. In no wise you ought, the scriptures to de brave, But as they lie whole, so ought you them to have. Nomore take you here, than serve for your vain purpose Leaving out the best, as you should trifle or gloze You mind not by this, towards God to edyfye, But of sincere faith, to corrupt the innocency. Yes, there is soch a text, but you wrest it all amys. As the Psalm does say, God hath commanded Angels, To preserve the joust, from dangerous plagues and parels. Yea, but you omitted, four words which followeth next, As (in all thy ways) which if you put out of sight, You shall never take, that place of scripture a right. Their ways are soch rules, as God hath them commanded, By his living woe de, justly to be observed. If they pass those rules, the Angels are not bound, To be their safeguard, but rather them to confound. To fallen down backward, of a wanton penyshnes, Is non of those ways, that God ever taught doughtles. Then if I dead it, I should tempt God very soar, And deserve to have, his anger evermore. I will not so do, for their father's in the desert, Dead so tempt him ones, and had the hate of his heart The clause that you had, makes for no ̄ outward working, If you mark the Psalm, thoroughly from his beginning. But what is the cause, you we ̄ to not fourth with the next verse Thu shalt (say the Psalm) subdue the cruel serpent, And tread under foot, the lion and dragon pestilent. Some love in no wise, to have their rudeness told. To walk in Gods ways, it becometh a mortal man, And therefore I will, obey them if I can. For it is written, in the sixth of Deuteronomy, Thu shalt in no wise, tempt God presumptuously. To take of his woe de, and outward experiment, Of and idle brain, which God neither thought not meant. All soch as forsake, any grace or remedy, Appointed of God, for their own policy. As they that do think, that God should fill their belly, Without their labours, when his laws are contrary. And they that will say, the scripture of God does slee, They never searching, thereof the verity. Those also tempt God, that vow presumptuously, Not having his gift, to keep their contynencye. With so many else, as follow their good intentes. Not grou ̄ dead on God, nor yet on his commandments. These throw themselves down, into most deep Dam ̄ pnacyon. If it be so good, lete us by thydre going. Well, he be praised, which is of them the giver. And what suppose you, will that need remedy? Avoid thu Satan, Thu devil, thu adversary, For now thu persuadest, most damnable blasphemy. As thu art wicked, so is thy promise wicked, Not thine is the world, but his that it created. Thu cannyst not give it, for it is not thine to give, Thus dedyst thu corrupt, the faith of Adam and Eve. Thus dedyst thu deceive, both Moses and Aaron, Causing them to doubt, at the lake of contradyccyon. Get the hens thu fyende, and cruel adversary, For it is written, in the tenth of Deuteronomy. God thu shalt worship, and magnyfye alone, Hold him for thy lord, and make to him thy moan. He is the true God, he is the lord of all, Not only of this, but the world celestial. Thy perswasyon is, I should not his word regard, Oh venemouse serpent, damnation is thy reward. Provide will I so, that thy kingdom shall decay, Gods word shall be heard, of the world though thu say nay. Come nyghar to me. Sweet father thanks to the, For these gracious gifts, of thy liberality. Your pleasure is it, to utter your fantasy. Yes, when it is soch, as the holy scripture tell. Thy cruel assaults, shall hurt neither me nor mine, Though we suffer both, by the providence divine. Soch strength is ours, that we will have victory, Of sin death and hell, and of the in thy most fury. For God hath promised, that his shall tread the dragon, Underneath their feet, with the fierce roaring lion. My coming hither, is for to seek no glory, But the high pleasure, and will of my father heavenly. He will require it, at a certain day, no dought, And shall revenge it, look they not wele abought. Keep it not secret, but lete it than be hod. That were neither good, nor yet convenient. Dangers are doubtful, where soch presumption is. If they follow me, they shall not walk in darkness, But in the clear light, and have felicity endless, For I am the way, the life and the verity, No man may attain, to the father but by me.