The prophete Ionas with an introduccion before teachinge to vnderstonde him and the right vse also of all the scripture/ and why it was written/ and what is therin to be sought/ and shewenge wherewith the scripture is locked vpp that he which...

Excerpt

W. T. vn to the Christen reader.

As y Ä“vious Philistenes stopped y welles of Abraham ād filled them vpp with erth / to put y memoriall out of mÄ«de / to y entent y they might chalenge y grounde: even so the fleshly mÄ«ded ypocrites stoppe vpp the vaynes of life which are in y scripture / w the erth of theyr tradiciōs / false similitudes & lienge allegories: & y of like zele / to make y scripture theyr awne possessiō & marchaundice: and so shutt vpp the kingdome of heven which is Gods worde nether enterÄ«ge in thÄ“ selues nor soferinge them that wolde.

¶ The scripture hath a body with out / ād within a soule / sprite & life. It hath w out a barke / a shell ād as it were an hard bone for y fleshly mynded to gnaw vppon. And within it hath pith / cornell / mary & all swetnesse for Gods electe which he hath chosen to geve them his spirite / & to write his law & y faith of his sonne in their hertes.

¶ The scripture cōteyneth .iii. thÄ«ges in it first y law to cōdemne all flesh: secōdaryly y Gospell / y is to saye / promises of mercie   for all y repent & knowlege their sinnes at the preachÄ«ge of y law & cōsent in their hertes that the law is good / & submitte them selues to be scolers to lern to kepe the lawe & to lerne to beleue y mercie that is promised thÄ“: & thridly the stories & liues of those scolars / both what chaunces fortuned thÄ“ / & also by what meanes their scolemaster taught thÄ“ and made them perfecte / & how he tried the true from the false.

¶ When y ypocrites come to y lawe / they put gloses to ād make no moare of it then of a worldly law which is satisfied with y outwarde worke and which a turke maye also fulfill. WhÄ“ yet Gods law never ceaseth to cōdemne a man vntill it be written in his herte and vntill he kepe it naturally without cōpulsion & all other respecte saue only of pure love to God and his neyboure / as he naturally eateth whÄ“ he is an hongred / without cōpulsiō & all other respecte / saue to slake his hongre only.

¶ And whÄ“ they come to the Gospell / there they mÄ«gle their leuen & saye / God now receaueth vs no moare to mercie / but of     mercie receaueth vs to penaunce / that is to wete / holy dedes y make them fatt belies & vs their captiues / both in soule and body. And yet they fayne theyr Idole y Pope so mercifull / y if thou make a litle money glister in his Balams eyes / there is nether penaunce ner purgatory ner any fastÄ«ge at all but to fle to heven as swefte as a thought and at the twinkellynge of an eye.

¶ And the liues stories and gestes of men which are cōtayned in the bible / they reade as thÄ«ges no moare perteynÄ«ge vn to thÄ“ / then a of RobÄ« hode / & as thÄ«ges they wott not wherto they serue / saue to fayne false discāt & iuglinge allegories / to stablish their kingdome with all. And one y chefest & fleshliest studie they have / is to magnifie y sayntes aboue measure & aboue y trueth & with their poetrie to make them greater then euer God make them. And if they finde any infirmite or synne asscribed vn to y saintes / that they excuse with all diligÄ“ce / diminushÄ«ge the glorie of y mercie of God & robbinge wretched sinners of all theyr cōforte / & thinke therby to flater the sayntes   and to obtayne their fauoure & to make speciall aduocates of thÄ“: even as a man wold obtayne y fauoure of wordely tirantes: as they also fayne the saintes moch moare cruell then ever was any heathÄ“ man & moare wrekefull and vengeable then y poetes faine their godes or their furies y torment y soules in hell / if theyr euÄ“s be not fasted & their images visited & saluted wyth a Pater noster (whych prayer only oure lippes be accoynted with oure hertes vnderstōdinge none at all) and worsheped w a candell & y offerÄ«ge of oure deuociō/ in y place which thei haue chosen to heare y supplicaciōs & meke peticiōs of their clientes therin.

¶ But thou reader thÄ«ke of y law of God how y it is all to gether spirituall / & so spirituall y it is neuer fulfilled w dedes or werkes / vntill they flow out of thyne herte w as greate loue toward thy neyboure / for no deseruÄ«ge of his ye though he be thine enimie / as Christ loued y ād did for the / for no deseruÄ«ge of thyne / but evÄ“ whÄ“ thou wast his enimie....