He driueth into them the feare of excommunication: to the end that they doing penance
before-hand, he may not be compelled to vse his authoritie when he commeth, and as he hath
threatned. 11. And so with a general exhortation he endeth.
1. LOE this the third time I come vnto you:
*
Deut. 19,15.
In the mouth of two or three witnesses shal
euery word stand.
2. I fore-told and doe fore-tel as present, and now absent, to them that sinned
before, and al the rest, that if I come againe, I wil not spare.
3. Seeke you an experiment of him that speaketh in me, Christ; who in you is not
weake, but is mightie in you?
4. For although he was crucified of infirmitie; yet he liueth by the power of God.
For we also are weake in him: but we shal liue with him by the power of God on you.
5.
Trie your selues.
We may know that we haue faith, but not that we are in grace.
The Heretikes argue hereupon, that euery man may know himself certainly to be in
grace: where the Apostle speaketh expresly and only of faith: the act whereof a man
may know and feele to be in himself, because it is an act of vnderstanding, though
he can not be assured that he hath his sinnes remitted, and that he is in al points
in state of grace and saluation: because euery man that is of the Catholike faith, is
not alwaies of good life agreable thereunto, nor the acts of our wil so subiect to
vnderstanding, that we can know certainely whether we be good or euil. See S. Augustin
to. 7. de perfect. iustitiæ c. 15. Li. de Cor. et grat. c. 13. & S. Thomas 1.
2. q. 112. art. 5.
Trie your owne selues if you be in the faith, proue ye your selues. Know you not
your selues that Christ Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ is in you, vnlesse perhaps you be reprobates.
6. But I hope you
✟
'shal know'.
know that we are not reprobates.
7. And we pray God, that you doe no euil, not that we may appeare approued, but
that you may doe that which is good, and we be as reprobates.
8. For we can not any thing against the truth; but for the truth.
9. For we reioyce, for that we are weake, and you are mightie. This also we pray
for, your consummation.
10. Therfore these things I write absent: That being present I may not deale hardly
according to the
✟
Ecclesiastical power to punish offenders by the censures of the Church.
power which our Lord hath giuen me vnto edification and not vnto destruction.
11.
⋮
The Epistle in a votiue Masse of the B. Trinitie.
For the rest, Brethren, reioyce, be perfect,
✟
παρακαλεῖσθε.
take exhortation, be of one mind,
haue peace; and the God of peace & of loue shal be with you.
12. Salute one another in a
*
Rom. 16,16.
1. Corin. 16,20.
holy kisse. Al the Saints salute you.
13. The grace of our Lord Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ Christ, and the charitie of God, and the
communication of the Holy Ghost be with you al. Amen.