Specimens of English literature from the 'Ploughmans crede' to the ...

l68 XVI. WILLIAM TFNDALE,of the;;^ as thou sittest in thine house / and as thou walkestby the waye / & when thou Hest doune / & whe;z thou risestvppe / & bynde the;?/ for a token to thine ha;/de / & let thew .^obe a remez?2brau;2ce betwene thine eyes / & write thew on//le postes & gates of thine house.' This was cowmaur'^dedgenerally vnto all me?/, how cometh it that Gods wordeperteneth lesse vnto vs thaw vnto the;;z ? Yee, how comethit that oure Moyseses forbydde vs and cowmauwde vs the 3;contrar}^ / & threate vs yf we doo / & will not that we oncespeake of Gods worde ? How can we whette gods worde(that is, put it in practyse / vse, and exercise) apon ourechilderne & housholde / whe;z we are violently kepte fromit &. know it not ? How can we (as Peter comma;/deth) geve 40a reason of oure hope, when we wote not what it is thatGod hath promysed or what to hopcf* Moyses also cowmawdethin Me said chapter : yf the sonne aske what thetestimonies lawes and observauwces of the lordeNo ner syr lohnmeane, thatMe father teach him. Yf oure childerne aske 4;his goostiy chu- Avhat oure cerimonies (which are mo then thedeme.leweses ware) meane, No father ca;; tell hisSonne. And in the .xj. chapter, he repeteth all agayne, forfeare of forgettynge.They will saye happly / ' //le scripture requireth a pure comynde & a quiete m}nde. And therfore /ke laye-ma«,because he is altogether co;7zbred with wordly busynes / ca;znot vnd^rstowde thew.' Yf /hat be the cause / then it isa playne case / that oure prelates vnderstowde not the scripturesthem-selves. For no laye-ma/z is so tangled with 55wordly busynes as they are. The greate thiz/ges of Meworlde are ministred by them. Nether do Me laye Peopleany greate thinge / but at their assignemente.*Yf the scripture were in the mother towge,' they willsaye / ' then wolde the laye people vndersto«de it every ma« Go