Hoc sentite in uobis, quod et in Christo Iesu. &c. Ad Philippen. 2.

SE THE SAME
mind be in you, that was
in Iesu Christe, who beinge
alredy in the forme
of god, thought it no rauyne
to be equalle with
god, but he dyd abase hym selfe, takynge
vpon hym the fourme of a seruant, borne
in similitude of men, and in shape found
as a man. He dyd humble hym selfe, and
became obedient vnto deth, ye vnto deth
of the crosse. Therfore god hath exalted
him, and hath gyuen him a name aboue
all names. so that in the name of Iesu,
euery knee shall bowe downe, of thinges
that be in heauen, of thynges that be in
earthe, of thynges that be in helle, and
that euery tonge maye confesse, that Iesu
Christ is our lorde, to the glory of god
the father.
THIS IS IN Englyshe the sentence
of the epistle of this daye. And fyrst I do
entende by your pacience to declare particularly

Aii

the lytteral sence therof, conteinyng
the infinite and inestimable humilitie
and obedience of our sauioure Iesu
Christ. Secondly I do entende to speke
of disobedience of men by pryde done to
man ageinst goddis lawe. And how that
may be eschewed. Thirdly I entende to
speake of disobedience of al men by pride
done to almyghty god, ageynste goddis
lawe. And howe that maye be amended.
And so to make an ende. And to returne
to the fyrste.
Saynte Paule in the seconde chapiter
to the Phylippiens nexte before the
wordes of the pistle of this daye, commaundynge
humilitie with charitie to be
vsed, sayth. Ye must thynke by humilitie
euery man to be your superyour, not
consyderyng euery one of you his owne
furtherance, but the furderance of other.
And therfore he exhorteth all men by the
example of Christe, not to regarde nor to
take heede to their owne aduauncement,
but the aduauncement of other, sayeng.
See the same mynde be in you, that is in
Iesu Christ, that is to say. Shewe humilitie
& pacience for the welth of other, as
Christe dyd. whose hye degre the apostell
Paule here first speaketh of. From whiche
he was content to comme downe for
our sake. For he beinge in the fourme of
god thoughte it no rauyn to be equalle
with god. what is this to say, in the form
of god? The sense therof is this. He was
in ful substance, in ful essence, in full glorie,
in eternitie, equal with his father. As
for to put for our better erudition of thinges
incomprehensyble farre aboue oure
capacitie, an example of thinges that we
may vnderstande, to directe vs in some
parte to the attaynynge of higher thynges.
As the bryghtnes is in the fyre, and
as the image or print is in a seale, and as
a worde is in the mynde, so the sonne of
god is in the father. For the bryghtnes is
as soone as the fyre is, and the printe is
within the seale, as soone as the seale is,
And the worde that man wyll expresse is
in the mynde, as sone as the mynde hath
conceyued it. Saynt Paule in the beginnyng
of his epistle to the Hebrues saith,
that the sonne of god is the shynynge of

Aiii

the glory of the father. As in the forsaid
example, the bryghtnes is of the fyre, and
figure of his substance, as the prynte is
of the seale, supportynge all thynges by
the worde of his strength and vertue, as
the mynde bryngeth forthe the worde.
And where saint Paule saith, that Christ
thoughte it no rauyn to be equalle with
god, He meaneth, that he made not hym
selfe equal to god by vsurpation, but god
the father begatte hym in the beginnyng
equall to hym selfe. For if he shuld haue
made hym selfe equall to god, nat being
so by nature, he shulde haue fallen by rauyn,
as Lucyfer dyd. For he bycause he
wolde make hym selfe equall to god beinge
but a creature, dyd falle, and of an
aungell was made the deuyll. And this
his pride he perswaded to man, by whiche
he was ouerthrowe~ hym selfe, saying
to Eue before the fall of Adam. Taste of
the fruite that is forbydden you, and ye
shall be as goddis. That is to say in effect.
Take vpon you by vsurpation that
thing, that ye haue not by creation, for so
was I ouerthrowen. But Christe was
borne in the begynnyng equall to his father,
not made after equall, and borne of
the substance of the father. wherfore he
dyd not vsurpe equalitie vnto god, but
was in that equalitie, in whiche he was
borne in the begynnynge.
It foloweth in the text. But he dydde
abase hym selfe, takyng vppon hym the
forme of a seruaunt, whiche he dyd, not
lesyng the forme of god, in which he was
before, but takynge the fourme of man,
whiche he was not before. And therby he
was made inferior to his father. And yet
he abode styll equall with hym bothe in
one persone, that is to say, by reason that
he was the worde of god, equalle to his
father, and by reason, he was man inferiour
to hym. one sonne of god, and the
same sonne of man. One the sonne of
ma~, & the same the sonne of god. Not two
sonnes of god, god & man, but one sonne
of god and manne. god without begynninge,
man from a certayn begynninge,
our lorde Iesu Christe. For as god dothe
graunte to his creatures, beinge temporall
and subiecte to sufferynge, that they

Aiiii

maye begette the same thynge that they
are, howe moche more god the father beinge
eternall and impassible dyd bygette
his sonne, not of an other substance than
he hym selfe is, but of the same. whiche
is yet to our greate admiration, bycause
he begatte hym without any alteration,
and in suche equalite with hym selfe that
neither in power nor in aege, the father
gothe before the sonne.
But the sonne dothe attribute vnto
the father, and not to hym selfe all that
he hath, and maye, bycause he is not of
hym selfe, but of the father. He is equall
to the father, but he had that same of his
father. Nor he toke not of hym selfe to be
equall, but he is equall by nature. As he
was euer borne, he was euer equalle.
Wherfore the father bygatte hym not inequalle
to hym selfe. And after he was
borne, gaue to hym equalitie, but in begettynge
hym, gaue it vnto him, bycause
he begat hym equal, not inferiour to him
selfe. But yet he saythe. his father is superiour
to hym, bicause he toke the forme
of a seruant, not lesyng the forme of god.
by whiche fourme of a seruaunt, he was
made inferiour, not onely to his father,
but alsoo to hym selfe, as to the sonne of
god, and to the holy gooste. Nor onely he
was inferyoure to the Trynitie, in his
forme of manhode, but also he was made
inferiour vnder angels. And he was also
inferiour vnto somme men, that is to
say, to his mother, and to Ioseph, whom
men tooke to be his father, to whome he
was subiecte, as it is written in the second
chapiter of Luke. And for the form
of a seruant, he sayd. My father is superiour
vnto me. And for the forme of god,
whyche he neuer left, he said in the tenth
chapiter of Iohn. I and my father are
one thynge, that is to say, one substance.
In forme of god, he was superiour to
hym selfe, and in forme of man, he was
inferiour to hym selfe. And therfore not
without a cause, the scripture saith both,
the sonne equall to the father, and the father
superiour to the sonne, the oone for
the forme of god, the other for the forme
of man, without confoundynge the one
nature into the other, bothe natures of

Av

god and man, being in one persone. In
the forme of man, whiche he toke for vs,
he was borne, and he suffered, and he arose
frome dethe to lyfe, and ascended into
heauen. By the fyrste two, that is to
say, by his byrthe and his passion he shewed
to vs our estate. By the two laste,
that is to say, his resurrection and his ascention,
he shewed to vs an exaumple of
oure rewarde. The two fyrste, all that be
borne do fele, and the two laste we shall
attayne, if we do beleue in hym.
And as the apostelle saythe, Christe
thought it no rauin to be equal with god,
so saynt Iohn~ in the begynnynge of his
gospell sayth, That the worde, whiche is
the sonne, was god. And as Paule saith
here. That he dyd abase him selfe to take
vpon hym the forme of a seruant, so saint
Iohn~ sayth. The worde of god is made
Flesshe, that is to saye, Man: and hath
dwelt amongest vs, god and man in one
person. For as the nomber of persons is
not increased, whan the sowle is knyt to
the body, to make therby one man, soo is
not in Christe the nomber of persons increased,
whan man is knytte to the word
of god, to make one Christe.