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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...
by: William Tyndale
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W. T. vn to the Christen reader.
As y Ãâvious Philistenes stopped y welles of Abraham ÃÂd filled them vpp with erth / to put y memoriall out of mëde / to y entent y they might chalenge y grounde: even so the fleshly mëded ypocrites stoppe vpp the vaynes of life which are in y scripture / w the erth of theyr tradicià Âs / false similitudes & lienge allegories: & y of like zele / to make y scripture theyr awne possessià  & marchaundice: and so shutt vpp the kingdome of heven which is Gods worde nether enterëge in thÃâ selues nor soferinge them that wolde.
¶ The scripture hath a body with out / ÃÂd within a soule / sprite & life. It hath w out a barke / a shell ÃÂd 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 cà Âteyneth .iii. thëges in it first y law to cà Âdemne all flesh: secà Âdaryly y Gospell / y is to saye / promises of mercie for all y repent & knowlege their sinnes at the preachëge of y law & cà Âsent 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 thÃâ: & thridly the stories & liues of those scolars / both what chaunces fortuned thÃâ / & also by what meanes their scolemaster taught thÃâ and made them perfecte / & how he tried the true from the false.
¶ When y ypocrites come to y lawe / they put gloses to ÃÂd make no moare of it then of a worldly law which is satisfied with y outwarde worke and which a turke maye also fulfill. WhÃâ yet Gods law never ceaseth to cà Âdemne a man vntill it be written in his herte and vntill he kepe it naturally without cà Âpulsion & all other respecte saue only of pure love to God and his neyboure / as he naturally eateth whÃâ he is an hongred / without cà Âpulsià  & all other respecte / saue to slake his hongre only.
¶ And whÃâ they come to the Gospell / there they mëgle 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 fastëge 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 cà Âtayned in the bible / they reade as thëges no moare perteynëge vn to thÃâ / then a of Robë hode / & as thëges they wott not wherto they serue / saue to fayne false discÃÂt & 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 diligÃâce / diminushëge the glorie of y mercie of God & robbinge wretched sinners of all theyr cà Âforte / & thinke therby to flater the sayntes and to obtayne their fauoure & to make speciall aduocates of thÃâ: even as a man wold obtayne y fauoure of wordely tirantes: as they also fayne the saintes moch moare cruell then ever was any heathÃâ man & moare wrekefull and vengeable then y poetes faine their godes or their furies y torment y soules in hell / if theyr euÃâs be not fasted & their images visited & saluted wyth a Pater noster (whych prayer only oure lippes be accoynted with oure hertes vnderstà Âdinge none at all) and worsheped w a candell & y offerëge of oure deuocià Â/ in y place which thei haue chosen to heare y supplicacià Âs & meke peticià Âs of their clientes therin.
¶ But thou reader thëke 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 deseruëge of his ye though he be thine enimie / as Christ loued y ÃÂd did for the / for no deseruëge of thyne / but evÃâ whÃâ thou wast his enimie....