Testamẽt here/ is an appoyntemẽt made betwene god and mã/ and goddes promyses. And sacramẽt is a signe representinge soch an appoyntement and promeses: As the raynebowe representeth the promyse made to Noe/ that god will no more drowne the worlde. And circumcision representeth the promyses of god to Abraham on the one syde/ and that Abrahã and his seed shuld circumcyse and cut off the lustes of their fleshe/ on the other syde/ to walke in the wayes of the lorde: As baptysme which is come in the roume therof/ now signifieth on the one syde/ how that all that repent and beleve are washed in Christes bloud: And on the other syde/ how that the same must quench ãd droune the lustes of the flesh/ to folow the steppes of Christ. There were tyrantes in the erth in those dayes/ for the sonnes of god sawe the daughters of men. &c. The sonnes of god were the prophetes childerne/ which (though they succeded there fathers) fell yet from the right waye/ and thorow falsehod of hypocrysye subdued the world vnder them and became tyrantes/ As the successours of the apostles haue played with vs. Vapor/ a dewymiste/ as the smoke of a sethynge pott. To walke with god is to lyve godly and to walke in his commaundementes. Enos walked with god and was no moare sene: that is/ he lyved godly and dyed/ God toke him awaye: that is/ god hyd his bodye/ as he did Moses ãd Aarons: lest haplye they shuld haue made an Idoll of him/ for he was a great preacher and an holye man. Zaphnath paenea/ wordes of Egipte are they (as I suppose) and as moch to saye: as a man to whome secrete thinges be opened/ or an expounder of secrete thinges as some enterprete it. That Ioseph brought the egiptians in to soch subiection wold seme vnto some a very cruell deade: how be it it was a very equall waye. For they payde by the fifte parte of that that grewe on the grounde. And therwith were they qwytt of all duetyes/ both of rent/ custome/ tribute & toll. And the kinge therwith founde them lordes and all ministres and defended them. We now paye half so moch vnto the prestes only/ besyde their other craftye exactions. Then paye we rent yerely/ though there grow never so litle on the grounde/ And yet when the kinge calleth paye we neuer the lesse. So that if we loke indifferently/ their condition was easyar thẽ oures/ and but even a very indifferẽt waye/ both for the comen people and the kynge also. Se therfore that thou loke not on the ensamples of the scripture with worldly eyes: lest thou preferre Cain before Abel/ Ismael before Isaac/ Esau before Iacob/ Ruben before Iuda/ Sarah before Pharez/ Manasses before Ephraim. And euen the worst before the best/ as the maner of the worlde is. ¶ Emprented at Malborow in the lande of Hesse/ by me Hans Luft/ the yere of oure Lorde .M.CCCCC.xxx. the .xvij. dayes of Ianuarij. Transcriber's Notes (continued):