William Tyndale (Pentateuch, Jonah &NT)

The Storie of the prophete Ionas. [Untitled Possibly Huge Image]
[Untitled Possibly Huge Image] The prophete<LB>Ionas / with an introducci<img src="obar.gif" alt="obar.gif"> before teachinge<LB>to vnderst<img src="obar.gif" alt="obar.gif">de him and the right vse also<LB>of all the scripture / and why it was written<LB> / and what is therin to be sought / and<LB>shewenge wherewith the scripture is locked<LB>vpp that he which readeth it / can not<LB>vnderst<img src="obar.gif" alt="obar.gif">de it / though he studie therin neuer<LB>so moch: and agayne with what keyes<LB>it is so opened / that the reader can be<LB>stopped out with no sotilte or false<LB>doctrine of man / from the<LB>true sense and vnderstondynge<LB>therof.
W. T. vn to the Christen reader.

As þe vious Philistenes stopped þe welles of Abraham d filled them vpp with erth / to put þe memoriall out of mde / to þe entent þt they might chalenge þe grounde: even so the fleshly mded ypocrites stoppe vpp the vaynes of life which are in þe scripture / [wt] the erth of theyr tradiciobar.gifs / false similitudes & lienge allegories: & þt of like zele / to make þe scripture theyr awne possessiobar.gif & marchaundice: and so shutt vpp the kingdome of heven which is Gods worde nether enterge in th selues nor soferinge them that wolde.

The scripture hath a body with out / d within a soule / sprite & life. It hath [wt] out abarke / a shell d as it were an hard bone for þe 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 & þe faith of his sonne in their hertes.

The scripture cobar.gifteyneth .iij. thges in it first þe law to cobar.gifdemne all flesh: secobar.gifdaryly þe Gospell / þt is to saye / promises of mercie


for all þt repent & knowlege their sinnes at the preachge of þe law & cobar.gifsent in their hertes that the law is good / & submitte them selues to be scolers to lern to kepe the lawe & to lerne to beleue þe mercie that is promised th: & thridly the stories & liues of those scolars / both what chaunces fortuned th / & also by what meanes their scolemaster taught th and made them perfecte / & how he tried the true from the false.

When þe ypocrites come to þe lawe / they put gloses to d make no moare of it then of a worldly law which is satisfied with þe outwarde worke and which a turke maye also fulfill. Wh yet Gods law never ceaseth to cobar.gifdemne a man vntill it be written in his herte and vntill he kepe it naturally without cobar.gifpulsion & all other respecte saue only of pure love to God and his neyboure / as he naturally eateth wh he is an hongred / without cobar.gifpulsiobar.gif & all other respecte / saue to slake his hongre only.

And wh they come to the Gospell / there they mgle their leuen & saye / God now receaueth vs no moare to mercie / but of


mercie receaueth vs to penaunce / that is to wete / holy dedes þt make them fatt belies & vs their captiues / both in soule and body. And yet they fayne theyr Idole þe Pope so mercifull / þt if thou make a litle money glister in his Balams eyes / there is nether penaunce ner purgatory ner any fastge 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 cobar.giftayned in the bible / they reade as thges no moare perteynge vn to th / then a take of Rob hode / & as thges they wott not wherto they serue / saue to fayne false disct & tuglinge allegories / to stablish their kingdome with all. And one þe chefest & fleshliest studie they have / is to magnifie þe sayntes aboue measure & aboue þe trueth & with their poetrie to make them greater then euer God make them. And if they finde any infirmite or synne asscribed vn to þe saintes / that they excuse with all diligce / diminushge the glorie of þe mercie of God & robbinge wretched sinners of all theyr cobar.gifforte / & thinke therby to flater the sayntes


and to obtayne their fauoure & to make speciall aduocates of th: even as a man wold obtayne þe fauoure of wordely tirantes: as they also fayne the saintes moch moare cruell then ever was any heath man & moare wrekefull and vengeable then þe poetes faine their godes or their furies þt torment þe soules in hell / if theyr eus be not fasted & their images visited & saluted wyth a Pater noster (whych prayer only oure lippes be accoynted with oure hertes vnderstobar.gifdinge none at all) and worsheped [wt] a candell & þe offerge of oure deuociobar.gif / in þe place which thei haue chosen to heare þe supplicaciobar.gifs & meke peticiobar.gifs of their clientes therin.

But thou reader thke of þe law of God how þt it is all to gether spirituall / & so spirituall þt it is neuer fulfilled [wt] dedes or werkes / vntill they flow out of thyne herte [wt] as greate loue toward thy neyboure / for no deseruge of his / ye though he be thine enimie / as Christ loued þe d did for the / for no deseruge of thyne / but ev wh thou wast his enimie. And in þe meane time / thoroute all our infancie & childhod in Christ / tyll


we be growen vpp in to perfecte men in the full knowlege of christ & full loue of christ agayne & of oure neyboures for his sake / after þe ensample of his loue to vs / remenbir that þe fulfillynge of þe law is / a fast fayth in christes bloud coupled [wt] our professiobar.gif & submyttge our selues to lerne to doo better

And of þe Gospell or promises which thou metest in þe scripture / beleue fast þt God will fulfill them vn to þe / and that vn to þe vttemost Iott / at the repentaunce of thyne herte / wh thou turnest to hym & forsakest euell / even of his goodnesse & fatherly mercie vn to the / d not for thy flatterge hym with ypocritish workes of thyne awne fayninge. So þt a fast faith only with out respecte of all workes / is the / forgeuenesse both of the synne which we did in tyme of ignoraunce with luste d cobar.gifsent to synne / & also of all the synne which we doo by chaunce & of frailte / after þt we are come to knowlege d haue professed þe law out of oure hertes. And all dedes serue only for to helpe oure neyboures & to tame oure flesh that we fall not to synne agayne / & to exercice oure soules


in vertue / & not to make satisfaction to Godward for þe synne þt is once paste.

And all other stories of þe bible / with out excepciobar.gif / are þe practisinge of þe law & of the Gospell / and are true and faitfull ensamples & sure erneste þt God will euen so deale with vs / as he did with th / in all infirmities / in all temptaciobar.gifs / & in all like cases & chaunces. Wherin ye se on þe one syde / how fatherly & tendirly & with all cobar.gifpassion god entreateth his electe which submitte them selues as scolers / to lerne to walke in the wayes of his lawes / & to kepe th of loue. If they forgatt th selues at a time & wt astraye / he sought th out & fett th agayne with all mercie. If they fell & hurte th selues / he healed th agayne with all compassion & tendernesse of hert. He hath ofte brought greate tribulation & aduersite vppon his electe: but all of fatherly loue only / to teach th & to make them se their awne hertes & þe sinne þt there laye hid / that they might aftirwarde feale his mercie. For his mercie wayted vppon th / to rid them out agayne / assone as they ware lerned & come


to þe knowlege of their awne hertes: so that he neuer cast man awaye how depe so euer he had sinned / saue th obar.gifly which had first cast þe yocke of his lawes frobar.gif their neckes / with vtter diffiaunce & malice of herte. Which ensamples how cobar.giffortable are they for vs / wh we be fallen in to sinne & God is come vppobar.gif vs with a scorge / þt we dispeare not / but rept with full hope of mercie after þe ensamples of mercie þt are gone before? And therfore they were written for our lernge / as testifieth Paul Ro. xv. to cobar.gifforte vs / þt we might þe better put oure hope & trust in God / wh we se / how mercifull he hath bene in tymes past vn to our weake brethern þt are gone before / in all theyr aduersities / neade / temptaciobar.gifs / ye & horrible synnes in to which they now & then fell.

And on þe other side ye se how they þt hardened their hertes & synned of malice & refused mercie þt was offered th & had no power to rept / perished at þe later ende with all confusion & shame mercilessely. Which ensamples are very good & necessary / to kepe vs in awe & dreade in tyme of prosperite


as thou maist se by Paul .j. Cor. x. that we abyde in the feare of God / & wax not wild and fall to vanities d so synne d prouoke God and bringe wrath vppon vs.

And thridly ye se in that practise / how as god is mercifull & longesoferynge / euen so were all his true prophetes & prechers / beringe the infirmities of their weake brethern & their awne wrobar.gifges & iniuries with all pacice & longesoferinge / neuer castinge any of th of their backes / vn tyll they synned agenst þe holygost / maliciously persecutinge þe open & manifest trouth: cobar.giftrary vn to the ensample of þe Pope / which in sinninge agenst God & to quench þe trueth of his holy spirite / is euer chefe captayne and trobar.gifpetblower / to sett other a werke / d seketh only his awne fredome / liberte / priuilege / welth / prosperite / profite / pleasure / pastyme / honoure & glorie / with þe bondage / thraldome / captiuite / miserie / wretchednesse & vile subiectiobar.gif of his brethern: & in his awne cause is so feruent / so steffe & cruell / that he will not sofre one word spoken agenst his false magiste / wily inuenciobar.gifs d iuglynge


ypocrisie to be vnaduged / though all christendome shuld be sett to gether by the eares / and shuld cost he cared not how many hundred thousande their lives.

Now þt thou mayst reade Ionas frutefully & not as a poetis fable / but as an obligacobar.gif betwene God and thy soule / as an ernist peny geuen þe of God / þt he wil helpe þe in time of nede / if thou turne to him d as the word of god þe only fode d life of thy soule / this marke & note. First count Ionas the frend of god d a man chosen of god to testifie his name vn to þe worlde: but yet a younge scolar / weake & rude / after þe faciobar.gif of þe appostles / while Christ was yet with them bodyly. Which though Christ taught th euer to be meke & to vmble th selues / yet oft stroue amonge them selues who shuld be greatest. The sonnes of Zebede wold sitt / the one on the right hobar.gifde of Christ d the other on þe lifte. They wold praye / that fire might descde from heuen / and consume the Samaritanes.

Wh Christ axed who saye men that I am / Peter answered / thou arte the sonne


of the lyuinge God / as though Peter had bene as perfecte as an angell. But immediatly after / when Christ preached vn to th of his deeth & passiobar.gif / Peter was angre & rebuked Christe & thought ernestly þt he had raued & not wist what he sayde: as at a nother time / when Christ was so ferutly busied in healinge þe people / þt he had no leyser to eate / they went out to holde him / supposinge that he had bene besyde him selfe. Ande one þt cast out deuels in Christes name / they forbade / because he wayted not on them / so glorious were they yet.

And though christ taughte all waye to forgeue / yet peter after longe goenge to scole / axed wether men shuld forgeue .vij. tymes / thynkinge þt .viij. tymes had bene to moch. And at þe last soper Peter wold have died with christe / but yet within fewe howres after / he denied hym / both cowardly & shamefully. And after þe same maner / though he had so lobar.gifge herd that nom might auenge him selfe / but rather turne þe other cheke to / then to smyte agayne / yet when Christ was in takge / peter axed whether


it were lawfull to smyte with þe swerde / d taried none answere / but layed on rashly. So that though when we come first vn to þe knowlege of the trueth / and the peace is made betwene God & vs / & we loue his lawes & beleue & trust in hym / as in oure father & haue good hertes vn to him & be born anew in þe sprite: yet we are but childern d younge scolars weake & foble & must have leysar to grow in þe spirite / in knowlege / loue & in þe dedes therof / as younge childern must have tyme to grow in their bodies.

And God oure father & scolemaster fedeth vs & teached vs accordinge vn to the capacite of oure stomakes / & maketh vs to grow & waxe perfecte / & fineth vs & trieth vs as gold / in þe fire of temptaciobar.gifs & tribulations. As Moses wittneseth Deutero. viij. sayge: Rember all þe waye by which þe lord thy God caried þe this .xl. yeres in þe wildernesse / to vmble the & to tpte or proue the / þt it might be knowen what were in thine hert. He brougt the in to aduersite & made þe an hongred / & then feed þe with m which nether thou ner yet thi fathers euer


knew of / to teach þe that a m liueth not by bred only / but by all that proceadeth out of the mouth of God. For þe promises of god are life vn to all þt cleaue vn to th / moch moare th is bred & bodyly sustinaunce: as þe iourney of þe childern of Israel out of egypte in to þe londe promised them / ministreth the notable ensamples & þt aboundtly / as doeth all þe rest of the bible also. How be it / it is impossible for flesh to beleue & to trust in þe trueth of gods promises / vntyll he haue lerned it in moch tribulacion / after that God hath deliuered h out therof agayne.

God therfore to teach Ionas & to shew him his awne hert & to make him perfecte & to enstructe vs also bi his ensample / sent him out of þe lande of Israel where he was a prophete / to goo amonge þe heath people & to þe greatest & mightiest citie of þe world th / called Niniue: to preache þt within .xl. dayes they shuld all perish for their sinnes & that þe citie shuld be ouerthrow. Which message þe frewil of Ionas had as moch power to doo / as the weakest herted wom in the world hath power / if she were cobar.gifmaunded


/ to leppe in to a tobbe of lyuinge snakes & edders: as happely if God had cobar.gifmaunded Sara to haue sacrificed hir sonne Isaac / as he did Abrah / she wold haue disputed with h yer she had done it / or though she were strobar.gifge ynough / yet many an holy seint coud not haue found in their hertes / but wold haue disobeyed d haue runne awaye frobar.gif þe presens of þe cobar.gifmademt of god [wt] Ionas if thei had bene so strobar.gifgly tpted.

For Ionas thought of this maner: loo / I am here a prophete vn to Gods people the Israelites. Which though they haue gods word testified vn to them dayly / yet dispice it & worshepe God vnder þe likenesse of calues & after all maner facions saue after his awne worde / & therfore are of all naciobar.gifs þe worst & most worthy of punishment. And yet god for loue of few þt are amonge them & for his names sake spareth them & defendeth them. How th shuld god take so cruell vengeaunce on so greate a multitude of them to whome his name was neuer preached to d therfore are not þe tenth parte so euel as these? If I shal therfore goo preach


so shall I lye & shame my selfe & God therto and make them the moare to dispice god and sett the lesse by him d to be the moare cruell vn to his people.

And vppon that imaginaciobar.gif he fled frobar.gif the face or presens of God: that is / out of þe contre where God was worsheped in & frobar.gif prosecutynge of Gods cobar.gifmaundemt / and thought / I wyll gett me a nother waye amonge þe hethen people & be no moare a prophete / but lyue at rest & out of all cobar.gifbraunce. Neuer þe lesse the god of all mercie which careth for his electe childern & turneth all vn to good to them & smiteth th to heale them agayne & killeth th to make th aliue agayne / & playeth with th (as a father doth some tyme with his yoge ignoraunt childern) & tempteth them & proueth them to make them se theyr awne hertes / prouided for Ionas / how all thinge shuld be.

When Ionas was entered in to the sheppe / he layed him downe to slepe d to take his rest: that is / his cobar.gifscience was tossed betwene the cobar.gifmaudemt of God which sent him to Niniue / & his fleshly wisdome that


dissuaded & counseled hym þe cobar.giftrary & at þe last preualed agst þe cobar.gifmaundemt & caried hym a nother waye / as a sheppe caught betwene .ij. streames / & as poetes faine the mother of Meliager to be betwene diuers affecciobar.gifs / while to aduge hir brothers deeth / she sought to sle hir awne sonne. Where vppon for very payne & tediousnesse / he laye downe to slepe / for to put þe cobar.gifmaundement which so gnew & freate his cobar.gifscience / out of minde / as þe nature of all weked is / wh they haue sinned a good / to seke al meanes with riot / reuell & pastyme / to driue þe remenbraunce of synne out of their thoughtes or as Ad did / to couer their nakednesse with aporns of pope holy workes. But God awoke hym out of his dreame / and sett his synnes before his face.

For when þt Lott had caught Ionas / th be sure þt his synnes came to rembraunce agayne & that his conscience raged no lesse th þe waues of the se. And th he thought that he only was a sinner & þe hethen that ware in þe shepp none in respecte of him / d thought also / as veryly as he was fled frobar.gif


god / that as verily god had cast h awaye: for þe sight of þe rod maketh þe natural child not obar.gifly to se & to knowlege his faulte / but also to forgett all his fathers olde mercie & kindnesse. And then he cobar.giffessed his synne openly & had yet leuer perish alone th þt þe other shuld haue perished with him for his sake: and so of very desperacion to haue liued any lenger / bad cast him in to þe see betymes / excepte they wold be lost also.

To speake of lottes / how ferforth they are lawfull / is a light questiobar.gif. First to vse th for the breakinge of strife / as when partenars / their goodes as equally diuided as they c / take euery m his parte by lott / to avoyde all suspiciobar.gif of disceytfulnesse: & as þe appostles in þe first of þe Actes / wh they sought a nother to succede Iudas the traytoure / & .ij. persones were presentes / th to breake strife & to satisfie al parties / did cast lotttes / wheter shuld be admitted / desirynge god to tper th & to take whobar.gif he knew most mete / seynge they wist not wheter to preferre / or haply coude not all agre on ether / is lawfull d in all like cases. But to


abuse them vn to þe temptinge of God & to cobar.gifpell him therwith to vtter thinges wherof we stobar.gifd in doute / when we haue no commaundemt of him so to do / as these heth here dyd / though God turned it vn to his glorie / can not be but euell.

The hethen seepm asstonied at þe sight of þe miracle / feared God / prayed to him / offered sacrifice & vowed vowes. And I doute not / but that some of th or haply all came therby vn to the true knowlege & true worshepinge of God & ware wobar.gifne to God in theyr soules. And th[us] God which is infinite mercifull in all his wayes / wrought their soules health out of þe infirmite of Ionas / euen of his good will & purpose & loue wherewith he loued them before the world was made / & not of chaunce / as it appereth vn to the eyes of the ignoraunt.

And that Ionas was .iij. dayes & .iij. nightes in the bely of his fish: we c not therby proue vn to te Iewes & fideles or vn to any man / þt Christ must therfore dye d be buried & rise agayne. But we vse þe ensample d likenesse to strength the faith of the


weake. For he that beleaueth the one can not doute in þe other: in as moch as the hd of God was no lesse mightie in preseruge Ionas aliue agenst all naturall possibilite & in deliuerynge h safe out of his fish / th in reysynge vpp Christ agayne out of his sepulchre. And we maye describe þe power & vertue of þe resurrecciobar.gif therby / as Christ h selfe boroweth þe similitude therto Mat. xij. sayge vn to þe Iewes that came aboute him & desyred a signe or a wobar.gifder frobar.gif heuen to certifye th that he was christ: this euell & wedlockebreakge naciobar.gif (which breake þe wedlocke of faith wherwith they be maried vn to God / d beleue in their false workes) seke a signe / but there shal no signe be geuen th saue þe signe of the Prophete Ionas. For as Ionas was .iij. dayes d iij. nightes in the bely of the whale / eu so shall the sonne of man be .iij. dayes & .iij. nyghtes in the herte of the erth. Which was a watch word / as we saye / & a sharpe threateninge vn to þe Iewes & as moch to saye as thus / ye harde herted Iewes seke a signe: loo / thys shalbe youre sygne / as Ionas
was reysed out of the sepulchre of his fishe & then sent vn to the Niniuites to preach þt they shuld perish / euen so shall I ryse agayne out of my sepulchre & come & preach repentaunce vn to you. Se therfore when ye se þt signe that ye rept or else ye shal suerly perish & not escape. For though the infirmities which ye now se my flesh be a lett vn to youre faythes / ye shall yet then be with out excuse / when ye se so greate a miracle & so greate power of god shed out vppobar.gif you. And so Christe came agayne after þe resurrecciobar.gif / in his spirite & preached reptaunce vn to them / by the mouth of his appostles & disciples / & with miracles of þe holy gost. And all that repented not perished shortly after d were for þe most parte slayne with swerde d þe rest caried awaye captiue in to all quarters of the world for an ensample / as ye se vn to this daye.

And in lyke maner sens the world beganne / where soeuer repentaunce was offered and not receaued / there God toke cruell vengeaunce immediatly: as ye se in þe floud of Noe / in the ouerthrowge of Sodobar.gif


& Gomor & all the contre aboute: & as ye se of Egipte / of the Amorites / Cananites & afterwarde of the very Israelites / & then at the last of the Iewes to / d of the Assyriens and Babyloniens and so thorout all the imperes of the world.

Gyldas preached reptaunce vn to þe olde Britaynes that inhabited englobar.gifd: they repented not / & therfore God sent in theyr enimies vppobar.gif th on euery side & destroyed th vpp & gaue the lobar.gifd vn to other naciobar.gifs And greate vengeaunce hath bene tak in that lande for synne sens that tyme.

Wicleffe preached reptaunce vn to oure fathers not longe sens: they repted not for their hertes were indurat & theyr eyes blinded with their awne Pope holy rightwesnesse wherwith they had made theyr soules gaye agenst the receauinge agayne of þe weked spirite that bringeth .vij. worse then hym selfe with him & maketh þe later ende worse then the beginninge: for in open sinnes there is hope of repentaunce / but in holy ypocrisie none at all. But what folowed? they slew their true & right kinge d


sett vpp .iij. wrobar.gifge kges arow / vnder which all the noble bloud was slayne vpp d halfe the coms therto / what in fraunce & what with their awne swerde / in fightge amonge th selues for þe crowne / & þe cities and townes decayed and the land brought halfe in to a wyldernesse in respecte of that it was before.

And now Christ to preach reptaunce / is resen yet obar.gifce agayne out of his sepulchre in which the pope had buried him and kepte him downe with his pilars and polaxes and all disgysinges of ypocrisie / with gyle / wiles and falshed / d with the swerd of al princes which he had blynded with his false marchaundice. And as I dowte not of þe ensamples that are past / so am I sure that greate wrath will folow / excepte reptaunce turne it backe agayne and cease it.

When Ionas had bene in te fishes bely a space & the rage of his conscience was somewhat quieted d swaged and he come to him selfe agayne and had receaued a lytle hope / the qualmes & panges of desperaciobar.gif which went ouer hys hert / halfe ouercome


/ he prayed / as he maketh menciobar.gif in the texte sayge: Ionas prayed vn to the lord his god out of the bely of the fishe. But the wordes of that prayer are not here sett. The prayer þt here stondeth in the texte / is the prayer of prayse & thkesgeuge which he prayed and wrote when he was escaped and past all ieopardie.

In the end of which prayer he sayth / I will sacrifice with the voyce of thankesgeuenge and paye that I haue vowed / that sauinge cometh of the lorde. For verely to cobar.giffesse out of the herte / that all benefites come of God / euen out of the goodnesse of his mercie and not deseruinge of oure dedes / is the only sacrifice that pleaseth God. And to beleue that god only is the sauer / is the thynge that all the Iewes vowed in theyr circumcision / as we in oure baptim. Which vowe Ionas now tawght with experice / promiseth to paye. For those outwarde sacrifices of bestes / vn to which Ionas had haply asscribed to moch before / were but feble & childish thinges & not ordeyned / that the workes of th selues shuld be a seruice


vn to god / but vn to the people / to put th in remembraunce of this inwarde sacrifice of thankes & of faith to trust and beleue in God the only sauer. Which significacion when was awaye / they were abhominable and deuellysh ydolatrye and imageseruice: as oure ceremonies and sacramentes are become now to all that trust & beleue in the werke of them and ar not taught the significacions / to edifye theyr soules with knowlege and the doctrine of God.

When Ionas was cast vppobar.gif lond agayne / then his will was fre d had power to goo whother God sent him & to doo what God bade / his awne imaginacions layed a parte. For he had bene at a new scole / ye d in a fornace where he was purged of moch refuse & droshe of fleshly wisdome / which resisted þe wisdome of god & led Ionases wil cobar.giftrary vn to þe will of god. For as ferre as we be blynd in Adam / we can not but seke & will oure awne profitt / pleasure & glorie. And as ferre as we be taughte in the sprite / we can not but seke & wyll the pleasure and glorie of God only.


And as for the .iij. dayes iourney of Niniue / whether it were in length or to goo rounde aboute it or thorow all the stretes / I cobar.gifmitte vn to the discreciobar.gif of other men. But I thinke that it was then the greatest citie of the world.

And that Ionas wt a dayes iourney in the citie / I suppose he did it not in one daye: but wt fayre & easyly preachge here a sermon & there a nother & rebuked the synne of the people for which they must perishe.

And when thou art come vn to the reptaunce of the Niniuites / there hast thou sure ernest / that how soeuer angre god be / yet he remembreth mercie vn to all that truly repent and beleue in mercie. Which ensample oure sauioure Christ also casteth in the teeth of the indurat Iewes sayenge: the Niniuites shall rise in iudgemt with this nacion and condemne them / for they repented at the preachynge of Ionas / and beholde a greater th Ionas here / meanynge of hym selfe. At whose preachinge yet / though it were neuer so mightie to perce the herte / & for all his miracles therto / the hard herted


Iewes coude not repent: when the heathen Niniuites repented at the bare preachynge of Ionas rebukinge theyr synnes with out any miracle at all.

Why? For þe Iewes had leuded the spirituall law of God and with theyr gloses had made it all to gether erthie d fleshly / and so had sett a vayle or coueringe on Moses face / to shodowe and darken þe glorious brightnesse of his contenaunce. It was synne to stele: but to robbe wedowes howses vnder a coloure of longe prayge / & to polle in the name of offeringes / and to snare þe people with intollerable cobar.gifstitucions agst all loue / to ketch theyr money out of theyr purses / was no synne at all.

To smyte father d mother was synn: But to withdraw helpe frobar.gif them at theyr nede / for blynde zele of offeringe / vn to the profytt of the holy phareses / was then as meritorious as it is now to let all thy kynne chose wheter they will synke or sweme / while thou byldest and makest goodly fundaciobar.gifs for holy people which thou hast chosen to be thy christe / for to sowple thy soule


with the oyle of theyr swete blessynges / & to be thy Iesus for to saue thy soule from þe purgatory of the bloud that only purgeth synne / with theyr watchge / fastge / wolwardgoinge & rysynge at mydnyght etc. where wyth yet they purge not them selues from theyr couetousnesse / pryde / lechury or any vyce that thou seyst amonge the laye people.

It was greate synne for Christ to heale the people on the sabboth daye vn to the glorie of God hys father / but none at all for them to helpe theyr catell vnto theyr awne profett.

It was synne to eate wyth vnwashen handes or on an vnwashen table / or out of an vnwashen dish: but to eate out of that purifyed dysh that which came of brybery / theft & extorsion / was no synne at all.

It was exceadynge meritorious to make many dyscyples: But to teach them to feare God in hys ordynaunces / had they no care at all.

The hye prelates so defended the ryght of holy church d so feared the people with


the curse of God & terreble paynes of hell / that no man durst leaue the vilest herke in hys gardeyne vntythed. And the offerynge and thynges dedycat vn to God for the profitt of hys holy vycars where in soch estymacion and reuerce / that it was moch greater synne to sweare truly by them / th to forswere thy selfe by God: what vengeaunce then of God / and how terreble and cruell damnacion thynke ye preached they to fall on th that had stolen soch holy thges? And yet sayth Christ / that ryghtwesnesse d faith in kepynge promise / mercie and indyfferent iudgement were vtturly troden vnder fote and cleane dispysed of those blessed fathers / whych so mightely mayntened Arons patrimony d had mad it so prosperous d enuironed it and walled it aboute on euery syde with þe feare of god / that noman durst twech it.

It was greate holynesse to garnysh þe sepulchres of þe prophetes & to cobar.gifdemne their awne fathers for sleynge of them: and yet were they th selues for blinde zele of their awne cobar.gifstituciobar.gifs / as ready as their fathers


to sle whosoeuer testified vn to them / the same trueth which the prophetes testified vn to theyr fathers. So that Christ cobar.gifpareth all the rightwesnesse of those holy patriarkes vn to the outwarde bewtye of a paynted sepulchre full of stench and all vnclennesse wythyn.

And finally to begyld a mans neyboure in sotle bargeninge and to wrappe and cobar.gifpase him in with cauteles of the law / was then as it is now in the kingdome of þe Pope. By the reason where of they excluded the law of loue out of theyr hertes / d cobar.gifsequtly all true repentaunce: for how coude they rept of þt they coude not se to be sinne?

And on the other syde they had sett vpp a rightwesnesse of holy workes / to clense theyr soules with all: as the Pope sanctifieth vs with holy oyle / holy bred / holy salt / holy candels / holy dome ceremonies d holy dome blessynges / and with what soever holynesse thou wilt saue with the holynes of Gods worde which only speaketh vn to the herte and sheweth the soule hir filthynesse and vnclennesse of synne / and leadeth


hir by þe waye of repentaunce vn to þe fountayne of Christes bloude to washe it awaye thorow faith. By the reason of which false rightwesnesse they were dysobedient vn to the rightwesnesse of God / which is the forgeuenesse of synne in Christes bloude and coude not beleue it. And so thorow fleshly interpretynge the law d false imagined rightwesnesse / their hertes were hardened d made as stony as clay in an hote furnace of fire / that they coude receaue nether repentaunce ner faith or any moyster of grace at all.

But the hethen Niniuites / though they were blynded with lustes a good / yet were in thofe .ij. poyntes vncorrupte and vnhardened / & therfore with the only preachinge of Ionas came vn to the knowlege of their synnes and confessed them & repented truly & turned euery man from his euell dedes & declared theyr sorow of hert & true repentaunce / with theyr dedes which they dyd out of faith & hope of forgeuenesse / chastysinge their bodies with prayer & fastinge & with takinge all pleasures from the flesh:


trustynge / as god was angre for their wekednesse / even so shuld he forgeue them of hys mercye / yf they repted & forsoke their mysse lyuinge.

And in the last ende of all / thou hast yet a goodly ensample of lernynge / to se how erthye Ionas is styll for all hys tryenge in the whales bely. He was so sore displeased because the Niniuites perished not / that he was wery of hys lyfe and wished after the deeth for very sorow & payne / that he had loost the glorie of his prophesienge / in that his prophesie come not to passe. But god rebuked him with a likenesse sayenge: it greueth thyne hert for the losse of a vile shrobbe or spraye / wheron thou bestoweddest no loboure or cost / nether was it thyne handwerke. How moch moare then shuld greue myne herte / the losse of so greate a multitude of innoctes as are in Niniue / which are all myne handes werke. Nay Ionas / I am God ouer all / and father as well vn to the hethen as vn to the Iewes d mercifull to all and warne yer I smyte: nether threte I so cruelly by any prophete / but that I wyll


forgeue yf they repent d ax mercie: nether on the other syde / what soeuer I promyse / wyll I fulfyll it / saue for theyr sakes only whych trust in me and submitte them selues to kepe my lawes of very loue / as naturall chyldern.

On thys maner to read þe scripture is þe right vse therof & why þe holy gost caused it to be writt. That is þt thou first seke out þe law / what god will haue the to doo / interpretinge it spiritually with out glose or coueringe the brightnesse of Moses face / so þt thou fele in thyne hert / how that it is damnable synne before god / not to loue they neyboure that is thyne enimie / as puerly as Christ loued the / and þt not to loue thy neyboure in thyne herte / is to haue cobar.gifmitted all ready all synne agenst him. And therfore vn tyll that loue become / thou must knowlege vnfaynedly that there is synne in the best dede thou doest. And it must ernestly greue thyne hert and thou must washe all thy good dedes in christes bloude / yet they can be pure and an acceptable sacrifice vn to God / and must desire


god þe father for his sake / to take thi dedes aworth & to pardobar.gif þe imperfectenesse of them / & to geue the power to doo th better and with moare feruent loue.

And on the other syde thou must serch diligently for the promises of mercie which God hath promised the agayne. Which .ij. poyntes / that is to wete / þe lawe spiritually interpreted / how that all is dnable synne that is not vnfayned loue out of the grownde and botom of the herte after the ensample of Christes loue to vs / because we be all equally created d formed of one god oure father / and indifferently bought & redemed with one bloud of oure sauioure Iesus Christe: d that the promises be geuen vn to a repentynge soule that thursteth and longeth after them / of the pure and fatherly mercie of god thorow oure faith onely with oute al deseruinge of oure dedes or merites of oure werkes / but for Christes sake alone and for the merites d deseruinges of his werkes / deth and passions that he sofered all to gether for vs & not for him selfe: whych .ij. poyntes I saye / if they be


written in thine herte / are the keyes which so open all the scripture vn to the / that no creature can locke the out / and with which thou shalt goo in and out / and finde pasture and fode euery where. And yf these lesons be not writtten in thyne herte / then is all the scripture shutt vpp / as a cornell in the shale / so that thou mayst read it and comen of it and reherse all the stories of it and dispute sotilly and be a profounde sophister / and yet vnderstond not one Iot therof.

And thridly that thou take the stories & liues which are cobar.gifteyned in the bible / for sure d vndowted ensamples / þt God so will deale with vs vn to the worldes ende.

Here with Reader farewell and be commended vn to God / and vn to the grace of hys spryte. And first se that thou stoppe not thyne eares vn to the callynge of god / and that thou harden not thine herte begyled with fleshly interpretinge of the law & false imagined and ypocritish rightwesnesse / and so the Niniuites ryse with the at þe day of iudgement & condemne the.


And secobar.gifdarily if thou finde ought amisse / when thou seyst thy selfe in the glasse of Gods worde / thynke it cobar.gifpendious wisdome / to amende þe same betymes / moneshed & warned by the ensample of other men / rather th to tary vntill thou be beten also.

And thridly if it shall so chaunce / that þe wild lustes of thy flesh shall blynd the and carie the cleane awaye with them for a tyme: yet at the later ende / when þe god of all mercie shall haue compased the in on euery syde with tptaciobar.gifs / tribulacions / aduersities & cobar.gifbraunce / to bringe þe home agayne vn to thyne awne herte / & to set thy sinnes wich thou woldest so fayne couer & put out of mynd with delectaciobar.gif of voluptuous pastymes / before þe eyes of thy cobar.gifscience: then call þe faithfull ensample of Ionas & all lyke stories vn to thy rembraunce / d with Ionas turne vn to thi father that smote þe: not to cast þe awaye / but to laye a corosie d a freatge playster vn to þe pocke that laye hid & fret inwarde / to draw þe disease out & to make it appere / þt thou mightest feale thy seckenes & þe daunger therof & come & receaue


the healynge playster of mercie.

And forget not þt what soeuer ensample of mercie god hath shewed sens þe beginninge of þe world / the same is promised the / yf thou wilt in like maner turne agayne and receaued it as they dyd. And with Ionas be aknowen of thy synne & cobar.giffesse it & knowlege it vn to thy father.

And as þe law which freteth thy cobar.gifscience / is in thyne herte & is none outwarde thge / ev so seke within in thine herte / þe playster of mercie / the promyses of forgeuenesse in oure sauioure Iesus Christe / accordinge vn to all the ensamples of mercie that are gonne before.

And with Ionas let th that wayte on vanities & seke god here & there & in euery tple saue in their hertes goo / & seke thou þe testamt of god in thyne hert. For in thyne hert is the worde of þe law / & in thyne hert is þe worde of fayth in the promises of mercie in Iesus Christe. So that yf thou cobar.giffesse with a repentynge herte & knowlege d surely beleue þt Iesus is lorde ouer all synne / thou art saffe.


And finally when the rage of thy cobar.gifscience is ceased and quieted with fast faith in the promises of mercie / then offer with Ionas the offeringe of prayse and thankesgeuinge / & paye the vow of thy baptim / that God only saueth / of his obar.gifly mercie & goodnesse: that is / beleue stedfastly & preach cobar.gifstantly / that it is God only that smyteth / and God only that healeth: ascribynge þe cause of thy tribulation vn to thyne awne synne / and þe cause of thy deliueraunce vn to the mercie of God.

And be ware of the leu þt saith we haue power in oure frewill before þe preachinge of þe Gospell / to deserue grace / to kepe þe law / of cobar.gifgruite / or god to be vnrightwesse. And saie with Ihon in the first / þt as þe law was geu by Moses / eu so grace to fulfill it / is geu by christe. And wh they saye oure dedes with grace deserue heuen / saye thou [wt] Paule Ro. vj. þt euerlastge life is the gifte of god thorow Iesus Christ oure lorde / & þt we be made sonnes by faith Ihon. j. & therfore heyres of god with christ Ro. viij. And saye that we receaue al of god thorow faith


that foloweth repentaunce / & þt we doo not oure werkes vn to god / but ether vn to oure selues / to sley þe sinne that remayneth in þe flesh & to waxe perfecte / ether vn to oure neyboures which doo as moch for vs agayne in some other thges. And wh a m exceadeth in giftes of grace / let h vnderstobar.gifde that they be geu him / as wel for his weake brethern / as for him selfe: as though all the bred be cobar.gifmitted vn to the panter / yet for his felowes with hym / which geue the thankes vn to theyr lorde / and recompence the panter agayne with other kynde seruice in theyr offices. And when they saye that Christ hath made no satisfaccion for the synne we doo after oure baptym: saye thou wyth the doctrine of Paule / that in oure baptym we receaue the merytes of Christes deeth thorow repentaunce and fayth of which two / baptim is the sygne. And though when we synne of frailtie after oure baptym we receaue the sygne no moare / yet we be renewed agayne thorow repentaunce and faith in Christes bloude / whych twayne / the sygne of baptym ever
contynued amonge vs in baptisynge oure younge childern doeth euer kepe in mynde and call vs backe agayne vn to oure profession if we be gonne astraye / & promiseth vs forgeuenesse. Nether can actuall synne be washed awaye with oure werkes / but with Christes bloude: nether can there be any other sacrifice or satisfaccion to Godward for them / saue Christes bloude. For as moch as we can doo no werkes vnto God / but receaue only of his mercie with oure repentynge fayth / thorow Iesus Christe oure lorde and only sauer: vn to whom & vn to God oure father thorow him / and vn to hys holy spirite / that only purgeth / sanctifieth & washeth vs in the innoct bloude of oure redemption / be prayse for ever

AMEN.

The Storie of the prophete Ionas.
The first Chapter.

The worde of the lorde came vn to the prophete Ionas þe sonne of Amithai sayenge: ryse & gett the to Niniue that greate citie & preach vn to th / how that theyr wekednesse is come vpp before me.

And Ionas made h ready to fle to Tharsis frobar.gif the presens of þe lorde / & gatt hym downe to Ioppe / and founde there a sheppe ready to goo to Tharsis / & payed his fare / & wt aborde / to goo with them to Tharsis frobar.gif the presens of the lorde.

But þe lorde hurled a greate winde in to þe se / so that there was a myghtie tpest in the se: in so moch þt the shepp was lyke to goo in peces. And the mariners were afrayed & cried euery man vn to his god / & cast out þe goodes þt were in þe sheppe in to þe se / to lighten it of th. But Ionas gatt him vnder the hatches & layed him downe and slombrede. And þe master of the sheppe came to him & sayd vn to h / why slomberest thou? vpp / & call vn to thy god / that God maye thinke on vs / that we perish not.


And they sayde one to a nother / come & lett vs cast lottes / to know for whose cause we are thus troublede. And they cast lottes. And þe lott fell vppon Ionas.

Th they said vnto h / tel vs for whose cause we are thus trowbled: what is thine occupaciobar.gif / whence comest thou / how is thy cobar.giftre called / & of what nacion art thou?

And he answered th / I am an Ebrue: & the lord God of heuen which made both se and drie land / I feare. Then were the men exceadingly afrayd & sayd vn to him / why diddest thou so? For they knew that he was fled from the presens of the lorde / because he had told them.

Then they sayd vn to hym / what shall we doo vnto the / that the se maye cease frobar.gif trowblinge vs? For the se wrought & was trowblous. And he answered them / take me and cast me in to the se / & so shall it lett you be in reste: for I wotte / it is for my sake / that this greate tempest is come vppon you. Neuerthelesse the men assayed wyth rowenge to bringe the sheppe to lande: but it wold not be / because the se so wrought &


was so trowblous agenst them. Wherefore they cried vn to the lorde & sayd: O lorde latt vs not perih for this mans deeth / nether laye innoct bloud vn to oure charge: for thou lorde even as thy pleasure was / so thou hast done.

And th they toke Ionas / & cast h in to þe se / & the se lefte ragynge. And þe men feared the lorde excedingly: & sacrificed sacrififice vn to the lorde: and vowed vowes.

The seconde Chapter.

Bvt þe lorde prepared a greate fyshe / to swalow vp Ionas. And so was Ionas in þe bowels of þe fish .iij. dayes & .iij. nightes. And Ionas prayed vnto þe lord his god out of þe bowels of the fish.

And he sayde: in my tribulacion I called vn to the lorde / and he answered me: out of the bely of hell I cried / d thou herdest my voyce. For thou hadest cast me downe depe in the middes of the se: & the floud cobar.gifpased me aboute: and all thy waues & rowles of water wt ouer me: & I thought þt I had bene cast awaye out of thy sight. But I will yet agayne loke towarde thy holy temple.


The water cobar.gifpased me eu vn to the very soule of me: the depe laye aboute me: d the wedes were wrappte aboude myne heed. And I wt downe vn to the botome of the hylles / & was barred in with erth on euery syde for euer. And yet thou lorde my God broughtest vp my life agayne out of corrupcion. When my soule faynted in me / I thought on the lorde: & my prayer came in vn to the / euen in to thy holy temple. They þt obserue vayne vanities / haue forsak him that was mercifull vn to them. But I wil sacrifice vn to the with the voce of thankesgeuinge / & will paye that I have vowed / that sauinge cometh of the lorde.

And the lorde spake vn to the fish: and it cast out Ionas agayne vppon þe drie lande.

The .iij. Chapter.

Then came the worde of the lorde vn to Ionas agayne sayenge: vpp / d gett þe to Niniue that greate citie / & preache vn to th the preachynge which I bade þe. And he arose & wt to Niniue at þe lordes cobar.gifmaundmt. Niniue was a greate citie vn to god / cobar.gifteynge .iij. dayes iourney


And Ionas went to & entred in to þe citie euen a dayes iourney / and cried sayenge: There shall not passe .xl. dayes but Niniue shalbe ouerthrowen.

And the people of Niniue beleued God / and proclaymed fastynge / d arayed them selues in sackcloth / as well the greate as the small of them.

And þe tydinges came vn to the kinge of Niniue / which arose out of his sete / and did his apparell of & put on sackcloth / & sate h downe in asshes. And it was cried d commaunded in Niniue by þe auctorite of þe kinge d of his lordes sayenge: se that nether m or beest / oxe or shepe tast ought at al / & that they nether fede or drinke water.

And they put on sackcloth both man d beest / & cried vn to God mightily / d turned euery man from his weked waye / and frobar.gif doenge wrobar.gifge in which they were acustomed / sayenge: who can tell whether god will turne & repent / & cease from his fearce wrathe / that we perish not? And when god saw theyr workes / how they turned from theyr weked wayes / he repented on þe euell


which he sayd he wold doo vn to them / d dyd it not.

The .iiij. Chapter.

Wherfore Ionas was sore discontent d angre. And he prayed vn to the lorde d sayd: O lord / was not this my sayenge when I was yet in my contre? And therfore I hasted rather to fle to Tharsis: for I knew well ynough that thou wast a mercifull god / ful of cobar.gifpassion / long yer thou be angre and of greate mercie and repentest when thou art come to take punishment. Now therfore take my life from me / for I had leuer dye then liue. And the lorde said vn to Ionas / art thou so angrie?

And Ionas gatt him out of the citie and sate him downe on the est syde theroffe / d made him there a bothe d sate thervnder in the shadowe / till he might se what shuld chaunce vn to the citie.

And þe lorde prepared as it were a wild vine which sprge vp ouer Ionas / that he might haue shadowe ouer his heed / to deliuer him out of his payne. And Ionas was exceadynge glad of the wild vine.


And the lorde ordeyned a worme agenst the springe of þe morow mornge which smote the wild vine / that it wethered awaye. And assone as the sonne was vpp / God prepared a feruent eest winde: so that þe sonne bete ouer the heed of Ionas / that he fainted agayne d wished vn to hys soule that he might dye / and sayd / it is better for me to dye then to liue.

And god sayd vn to Ionas / art thou so angre for thy wildvine? And he sayde / I am angrie a goode / even on to the deeth. And the lorde sayde / thou hast compassion on a wild vine / wheron thou bestoweddest no laboure ner madest it growe / which sprange vp in one night and perished in a nother: and shuld not I haue compassion on Niniue that greate citie / wherin there is a multitude of people / euen aboue an hundred thousande that know not theyr right hand from the lyfte / besydes moch catell?