Though this epistle were refused in the olde tyme and denyed of manye to be the epistle of a verye apostle / and though also it laye not the foundacyon of the fayth of Christ / but speaketh of a generall fayth in god / nether preacheth his deathe and resurreccyon / ether the mercye that is layde vp in store for vs in him / or euerlastynge couenat made vs in his bloude / which is the offyce and dutye of a verye apostle / as Christ sayeth. Io .xv. ye shall testifie of me: yet because yt setteth vp no mannes doctryne / but cryeth to kepe the lawe of god / and maketh loue which is withoute percialite the fullfillinge of the lawe / as christ and all the apostles dyd / & hath therto manye good and godlye sent
ces in it: & hath also nothinge þt is not agreable to þe rest of the scripture yf it beloked indifferentlye on: me thynketh it ought of ryght to be taken for holye scripture. For as for that place for which haply it was at the begynninge refused of holye men (as it ought / if it had meant as they toke it / and for which place only / for the false vnderstondinge /
For where he sayth in the .ij. chap. fayth withoute deedes is deed in it selfe / he meaneth none other thinge then all the scripture dothe: how that that fayth which hath no good dedes folowinge / is a false fayth & none of that fayth iustifieth or receaueth forgeuenes of synnes. For God promised the onlie forgeuenes of their synnes which turne to god / to kepe his lawes. Wherfore they that purpose to ctinew still in synne haue no parte in that promyse: but deceaue th
selues / if they beleue that God hath forgeu
th
their olde synnes for Christes sake. And after wh
he sayth that a m
is iustified by dedes & not of fayth onlye / he will no more then that fayth dothe not so iustifie euery where / that nothinge iustifieth saue fayth. For dedes also do iustifie. And as fayth onlye iustifieth before God / so do dedes onlye iustifie before the worlde / wher of is ynough spoken / partlye in the Prologe on Paule to the Romayns / & also in other places. For as Paule affyrmeth Roma .iij. that Abraham was not iustified by workes afore God / but by fayth onlye as Genesis beareth recorde / so will Iames that dedes onlye iustified him before the worlde / and fayth wrought with his dedes: that is to saye / fayth wherwith he was ryghteous before God in the hert did cause him to worke the will of God outwardlye / wherby he was ryghteous before the worlde / & wherby the worlde perceaued that he beleued in god loued & feared God. And as Hebre .xj. the scripture affirmeth that Rahab was iustified before God thorow fayth / so doth Iames affirme that thorow workes by which she shewed hir fayth / she was iustified before the worlde / & it is true.
And as for the epistle of Iudas / though men haue & yet do doute of the auctoure / & though it seme also to be drawen oute of the seconde epistle of S. Peter / and therto alledgeth scripture that is nowhere founde / yet seinge the matter is so godly and agreynge to other places of holye scripture / I se not but that it ought to haue the auctorite of holye scripture.