¶ A compēdious letter which Ihon Pomerane curate of the congregation at Wittenberge sent to the faythfull christen congregation in Englande.
1536.
GRace be wyth you, and peace from god oure father, & from oure Lorde Iesu Chryst. We coulde not but reioyce, when we herde that in England as in other coū tres the ioyfull message of ye glory of God was very well taken of dyuerse. Not wythstondynge, thys also is shewed vs that many weaklynges yet be drawē bake agayne because of vnknowē rumors that there be noysed of vs by them that withstonde the gospell of God, Thys is oure reioycynge: Neuerthelesse I thynke it not nede to withstonde such lyes as be vttered agaynste the preachers of the gospell. For wherto shulde thys blessynge be mete els, namely Blessed be ye Math. 5. whan men curse you, and reuyle [Page] you, &c. But we do not alowe, & supporte yf ony body vnder pretence of Chrysten liberty behaue hymselfe vnchristēly: for al they that haue taken vpon them the name of Chryst, haue also put on Chryst. And this we maruayle of, why some wyth you feare to take vpon them the holy gospel of Christ by reason of the mysreporte that we are mysreported not remembrynge yt it behoueth the sonne of God to be reproued of the worlde & the preachyng of Math. 16. 1. Corin, 1. the crosse to be coūted folishnesse Though it were trewe that men do falsely surmyse vpon vs, for Christes cause, shulde not they therfore accepte the glad tydynges of health so frely offered thē of God? What poynt is more folysshe thā this, nāly yt you be more curious vnto my wykednesse [Page] than to your owne health. Wylt thou therfore be no Christian, because I am a synner? Why do not they rather folowe the rule of Paul sayenge: Proue al 1. Tessa. 5 thynges, & kepe that which is good. If I shal heue respecte to mans ryghteousnesse or vnryghteousnes, whan shall I be delyuered from erroure (wherby the whole worlde dyd neare perysshe) and knowe the ryghtwysnes of god? Now wyll the rude saye who cā perceaue this doubtfull thynges? for men dispute of mans fre wyll, of vowes, and monasticall sectes, of shryft & satisfactiōs, of the abuse of the blessed sacramēt of worshyppinge of sayntes that be dead, and such lyke. Some other saye we feare lest vnder thys variaunce be some poyson hydde, and mychefe. As though [Page] we went aboute wyth entysynge wordes of mans wysdome, 1. Cor. 2. and not wyth euydent scryptures agaynst whom the gates of Math. 16, hel hetherto coulde not preuayl? Or as though oure aduersaries brought ony thinge els for them agaynste vs saue statutes, and tradicions of men, the which God doth damne Esaye. xxix. and Christ Math. xv. But what poyson do ye feare here, whyles we attempte nothynge in secrete: but we propone all oure doynges to ye whole worldes iudgmēt And because thou shalt not excuse thy self with the diuersyte of Ioh. 18, doctrynes, to be shorte, we teache but one artikle, though we preach much daylye, and wryte much, and do many thynges for oure aduersaryes, that they also maye be saued. And this is the artykle, namely:
¶ Christ is oure ryghtuysnese.
[...] he is become vnto vs of [...]od the father, wysdome, iustice satisfaction, and redemption. Ephe 1, 2. He that doth not graūte vs that, is no Christen man, and he that doth graunte vs it, wyll sone ge ue ouer all ryghtwysnesse of mē. Here shall the heresy of Pelagius nothynge auayle, wherwith (though they haue altered the wordes) those persones are infecte, which boast themselues onely to be Christians. The con fydence of sectes, and outwarde workes as are now adayes shal not profyte vs, the which oure Pharises haue brought vnto vs refusynge the shame of Christes crosse, in that they set oure workes in Chrystes steade.
[Page] Agaynste whome, and againste the whole kyngdom of Satan, we brynge forth thys moost sure argument with Paule sayenge: Yf ryghtwesnesse come by ye law Gala, 2, & oure owne fre wyll, than dyed Christ in vayne Gala. ii. Thys ryghtwysnesse which is Chryst, hath wytnesse of the lawe, and prophetes. But they that folow Rom. iii theyr owne ryghtwysnesse, do neuer attayne to the trewe rygh Rom. 9. twysnesse as the Iewes dyd. For they can not be brought subiecte vnder the ryghtwysnesse of God Rom, 10 This ryghtwysnesse of Christ is thyne yf thou receaue Christ by fayth. For Chryst dyed not forhymself 1. Petri. 2. or for his owne synnes, but for the and thy synnes. Ther fore, what other thynge soeuer thou attemptest to be made righ teous by (that is) to be made fre [Page] from the dyspleasure of God, from synne, from death, and from hell, it is all but hypocrysy falsede, and wickednesse, hath it neuer so fayre a pretence of holynesse. For yt shall stryue agaynst the grace of God, and denye Christ. Peraduenture thou wilt aske what our opiniō & teachig is of costumes, of wor shyppynge of God, of the sacramentes, and such lyke. To thys I answere, that Christ which is become oure ryghtwysnes, is al so oure teacher: What soeuer he hath taught vs by his worde yt councell we to be obserued, lyke as he hymself hath cōmaunded in the last chapter of Mathew. Fyrst of all he hath taught this to be the worke of God, that we Ioh. 6. beleue in him whome the father hath sent vs. And who so beleueth [Page] in hym he is a good tre, & Math. 7 can not but brynge good frute at his season: not yt frute whiche hypocrisy faineth, but that frute which the spirite of God bryngeth forth there, of his owne accorde. For they whiche be ledde Cal. 4 1. Petri. 4 with Christes sprete, they be the chyldren of God. Wherfore he shall lyue soberly, godly, and ryghteously: he shall worshyppe God in sprite and treuth, and Ioll. 2. not in elementes of this worlde, not in chaunge of meates, and dyuersite of vesture, or other hypocrisy. He shall beleue or fele of the sacramentes that, whiche God hath taught and ordeyned. He shal serue his neghburei tea chige, coūsell, prayer, in his substaūce, yee with the parell of hys lyfe also, not to his frende only, but also to his enmy. These thiges [Page] hath Christ taught. To the se draweth the nature of ye sprite the hartes of thē that beleue: & all these teache we to be done. And for as much as we be yet in the fleshe, whatsoeuer is not done by ye motion of these, doth not satysfye and recompence God. And because we synne day ly, therfore we teache with christ yt forgeuenesse of synne be cōtynually desired. Christes cōmaun dement to praye was: Forgeue vs oure dettes. &c. And for this faythful trust i god we assure thē that the synne which resteth yet in the fleshe shal not once be imputed vnto them. Paul sayeth: I fynde in me (that is in my Rom. 7 fleshe) no good. But thankes to God that Christ is not Mat. 9. Luc. 5. come hyther for ye rightwyse, but for the vnrightwyse & synners. [Page] For publicanes & whores shall entre into the kyngdome of heauen before the Pharises supposynge them ryghteous by their workes. What wyll the wicked mouth babbell and saye skornfully, seing we preach, nor teach other thynges? God sayeth by Moses: Whoso doth not heare Deut. 1 [...] yt prophete (meanynge Christ) I wyll be auenged vpon hym: Let these enmyes of the gospell thike this sentēce spokē agaynst them. The father also sayeth of Christ: Heare hym. And Christ Math. 17. Ioh. 10 hymselfe sayeth: My shepe shall heare my voyce and not ye voyce of straungers. This haue I written to you brethren in fewe wordes, to testifye vnto you the reioycynge that I haue of you Phi. 4 1. Petri. [...] and also to geue accomptes vnto you of the good hope that we [Page] haue to God agaynst them, that with on shame fast lyes peruerte and ouerthrowe al that we buyl de. Praye ye to God for vs, and for all the sayntes, and for all oure aduersaryes, that the worde of God be knowne and growe Coll. 4 in ye worlde, to his glory and the health of men, thorow Iesu Chryst oure Lorde & saueour To whom be glory and power for euer and euer.
Amen.