Absent in Body, Present in Spirit
(Revelation 3:14–22)

1I wolde ye knewe what fightinge I haue for youre sakes, and for them of Laodicea, and for as many as haue not sene my personne in the flesh, 2that their hertes mighte be comforted and knytt together in loue, to all riches of full vnderstodinge, which is in the knowlege of the mystery of God the father and of Christ, 3in whom are hyd all the treasures of wyssdome and knowlege. 4This I saye, lest eny man shulde begyle you with entysinge wordes. 5For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I present with you in the sprete: ioyenge, and beholdinge youre order and the stedfastnes of youre faith in Christ.

Alive with Christ
(Ephesians 2:1–10)

6As ye haue therfore receaued Christ Iesu the LORDE, euen so walke in him, 7and be roted & buylded in him, and be stedfast in faith, as ye haue learned: & be plenteous in the same in geuynge thankes.

8Bewarre lest eny ma spoyle you thorow philosophy and disceatfull vanite after the tradicions of men, and after the ordinauces of the worlde, and not after Christ. 9For in him dwelleth all the fulnes of the Godheade bodely, 10and ye are complete in him, which is the heade of all rule and power: 11in whom also ye are circumcysed with circumcision without handes, by puttynge of the synfull body of the flesh: (namely) with the circumcysion of Christ, 12in that ye are buried with him thorow baptyme: in whom ye are also rysen agayne thorow faith, that is wrought by the operacion of God, which raysed him vp from the deed. 13And with him he quyckened you, whan ye were deed in synnes, and in the vncircumcision of youre flesh, and hath forgeuen vs all synnes, 14and put out the handwrytinge that was agaynst vs (cotayned in the lawe wrytten) and that hath he taken out of the waye, and fastened it to the crosse: 15And hath spoyled rule and power, and hath made a shewe of them openly, and triumphed ouer them in his awne persone.

16Let no man therfore trouble youre consciences aboute meate or drynke, or for a pece of an holy daye, as the holy daye of ye newe Mone, or of the Sabbath dayes, 17which are the shadowe of the thinges that were for to come: but the body selfe is in Christ. 18Let no man make you shote at a wronge mark, which after his owne chosynge walketh in humblenes and spiritualtye of angels, thinges which he neuer sawe, and is vayne, and puft vp in his owne fleshly mynde: 19and holdeth not himselfe to the heade, wherof the whole body by ioyntes and couples receaueth norishment, and is knyt together, and so groweth to the greatnes that commeth of God.

20Wherfore yf ye be deed with Christ from the ordinaunces of the worlde, why are ye holden the with soch tradicions, as though ye lyued after the worlde? As whan they saye: 21Touch not this, taist not that, handle not that. 22All these thinges do hurte vnto men, because of the abuse of them, which abuse commeth onely of the commaundementes and doctrynes of men: 23which thinges haue a shyne of wyssdome thorow chosen spiritualtie and humblenes, and in that they spare not the body, and do the flesh no worshipe vnto his nede.