Faith Justifies Us Before We Can Bring Forth any Good Work, Introduction – To the reader
That fayth the mother of all good workes iuſtifieth vsus / before we cā bringeforth anye good worke: as the huſbonde maryeth his wife before he cā have any lawefull chylderne by her. Forthermore as the huſbonde marieth not his wife / yt ſhe ſhulde contynue vnfrutefull as before / & as ſhe was in y• ſtate of virginire (where in it was īpoſſible for hyr to bere frute) but cōtrary wife to make hir frutefull: even ſo fayth iuſtifieth vsus not / that is to ſaye / maryeth vsus not to God / yt we ſhuld continue vnfrutefull as before / but that he ſhulde put the ſeade of his holy ſprite in vsus (as ſainte John in his firſt piſtle calleth it) and to make vsus frutefull. For ſayth Paule Epheſ. ij. By grace are ye made ſafe thorowe fayth / and yt not of your ſelves: for it is the gift of God ād cometh nor of the workes / leſt any man ſhulde boſt hym ſelfe. For we are his workemanſhipp created in Chriſte Jeſu vntounto good workes / which God hath ordeyned yt we ſhulde walke in them.
William Tyndale otherwiſe called hychins to the reader.
GRace and peace with all maner ſpirituall fealinge and livinge worthy of the kyndnes of Chriſt / be with the reader and with all that thurſt the will of God Amē. The cauſe why I ſett my name before this litle treatyſe ād have not rather done it in the new teſtament is that then I folowed the cownſelf of Chriſt which exhorteth men Matth. vj. to doo theyr good deades ſecretly ād to be contēt with the cōſcience of well doynge / and that God ſeeth vsus / and paciently to abyde the rewarde of the laſt daye which Chriſt hath purchaſed for vsus ād now wold fayne have done lyke wyſe / but am compelled other wiſe to doo.
While I abode a faythfull cōpanyon which now hath takē a nother vyage apō him / to preach Chriſt where (I ſuppoſe) he was never yet preached (God which putt in his herte thither to goo ſende his ſprite with him / cō forte him and bringe his purpoſe to good effecte) one Williā Roye a man ſomewhat craftye when he cometh vntounto new accoyntaunce and before he be thorow knowen and namely whē all is ſpēt / came vntounto me ād offered his helpe. As longe as he had no money / ſomwhat I could ruele hī. but as ſone as he had goten him money / he became lyke him ſelfe agayne. Nevertheleſſe I ſuffered all thinges fill y• was ēded which I coulde nor doo alone without one both to write & to helpeme to cō pare y• textes together. Whē that was ended I toke my leve ād bode him farewell for oure two lyves / ād as mē ſaye a daye lōger. After we were departed he went / and gate hym new frēdes which thinge to doo he paſſeth all that ever I yet knewe. And there when he had ſtored him of money he gote him to Argentine where he profeſſeth wonderfull faculties and maketh boſt of no ſmall thinges. A yere after that and now .xij. monethes before the printinge of this worke / came one Ierō a brother of Grenewich alſo / thorow wormes to Argētine / ſaienge that he entended to be Chriſtes diſciple a nother while ād to kepe (as nye as God wolde geve him grace) the profeſſion of his baptim / and to gett his lyvinge with his handes / and to live no lenger ydely and of the ſwete ād laboure of thoſe captives which they had taught / not to beleve in Chriſt: but in cutt ſhowes and ruſſet coetes. Which Ierom wyth all diligence I warned of Royes boldneſſe ād exhorted him to bewarre of him and to walke quyetly and with all pacience and longe ſofferinge acordinge as we have Chriſte & his Apoſtles for an ēſample / which thinge he alſo promiſed me. Nevertheleſſe when he was comen to Argentine william Roye (whos tōge is able not only to make foles ſterke madde / but alſo to diſceave the wiſeſt that is at the fyrſt ſight ād accoyntaunce) gate him to him and ſert him a werke to make times / while he him ſelfe tranſlated a dialoge out of laten in to engliſch / in whoſe prologe he promyſeth moare a greate deall than I fere me he will ever paye. Paul ſaith the ſecō de pyſtell to Thimothe the ſeconde Chapitter▪ the ſervant of the lord muſt not ſtryve / but be peaceable vntounto all men and ready to teach / & one that can ſuffer the evel with mekeneſſe / and that can enforme them that reſiſte. Iff god at any time will geve them repentaunce for to know the throuth. It becometh not then the lordes ſervante to vſe raylinge rymes / but Gods wordes which is the right wepon to ſlaye ſinne / vice and all iniquite. The ſcripture of God is good to teach and to improve. ij. Thim. iij. and .ij. Theſ. ij. Paul ſpeakinge of Antichriſte ſaieth / whom the lorde ſhall deſtroye with the ſprite or breth of his mouth that is / with the worde of God. And .ij. Corinthians .x. The wepons of oure warre are not Carnall thinges (ſayth he) but mightye in God to caſt downe ſtronge holdes and ſo forth / that is / to deſtroye hye byldinges of falſe doctrine. The worde of God is yt daie wher of Paul ſpeaketh .j. Corint. iij.) which ſhall declare all thinge / ād that fyre which ſhall trye every mans werke and conſume falſe doctrine: with that ſwerde ought mē ſharply to fyght / and not to rayle with foliſhe rymes. Let it not offende the that ſome walke inordinatly let not the wickednes of Iudas cauſe the to deſpice the doctrine of his fellows. No man ought to thinke that Steven was a fals preacher be cauſe that Nicolas which was choſen felowe with him (Act. vj.) to miniſtre vntounto the widowes fell after ī to great hereſies as hiſtoryes make mencion. Good and evell goo alwayes to geder / one can not be knowē with out the other. Marke this alſo above althinges that Antichriſt is not an outwarde thīge that is to ſaye aman that ſhuld ſodenli appere with wonders as our fathers talked of him. No verily for Antichriſte is a ſpirituall thīge And is as moch to ſay as agaynft Chriſt / that is one that preaches falſe doctrine cōtrarye to Chriſt. Antichriſt was in the old Teſtamē te and fought with the Prophets / he was alſo in the ryme of Chriſt and of the Apoſtles as thou readiſt in the Piſtles of John ād of Paule to the Corinthiās and Galathians / and other Piſtles. Antichriſt is now ād ſhall (I dout not) endure till the worldes ende. But his nature is (when he is vttered ād overcome with the worde of god) to go out of the Playe for a ſeaſon and to diſgyſe him ſelfe and then to come in agayne with a new name and new raymente. As thou ſeiſt how Chriſt rebuketh the ſcribes and the Phariſes in the Goſpell (which were very Antichriſtes) ſayīge wo be to you phariſes for ye robbe widowes houſes ye praye lōge prayers ūder a coloure / ye ſheet vp the kīgdome of hevē and ſofre not thē that woold to enter in / ye have take awaye the fay of knowleage / ye make mē breake gods commaundementes with your tradicions / ye begyle the people with ypocreſy and ſuch lyke. Which thīges all oure prelates doo: but have yet gotē them newe names and other garmentes / and are other wiſe diſgiſed / Ther is differēce in the names betwene a pope / a Cardinall / a Biſſhope / and ſo forth / and to ſay a ſcribe / a phariſey / a ſeniour and ſo forth: but the thinge is all one. Even ſo now when we have vttered hym / he will chāge hym ſelfe ones moare ād turne hym ſelfe in to an angell of light .ij. Corinth. xi. Reade the place I exhorte the / what ſo ever thou art that readeſt this ād note it well. The Jewes loke for Chriſte ād he ys come fyftyne hundred yeres a goo and they not ware: we alſo have loked for Antychriſte ond he hath regned as longe and we not ware: and that becauſe eyther of vsus loked carnally for him and not in the places where we ought to have ſought. The Jewes had founde Chriſt verely if they had ſought hī in the lawe and the prophetes / whither Chriſte ſendeth thē to ſeke. Jhohn .v. We alſo had ſpied oure Antichriſte lōge a goo if we had loked in the doctriue of Chriſte ād his Apoſtles / where be cauſe the beeſt ſeeth hī ſelfe now to be ſought for / he roereth & ſeketh new holys to hide him ſelfe in & chaungeth hī ſelfe in to a thowſande fafcionis with a…inaner wilenes falſhede ſuttelte ād crafte. Becauſe that his excōmunycations are come to light he maketh it trayſon vntounto the kinge / to be acointed with Chriſt. If Chriſt & they may not raygne together / one hope we have that Chriſte ſhal live ever. The olde Antichriſtes brought Chriſte vntounto Pilate ſeinge / by onr lawe he ought to die / and when Pilate bade thē Judge him after there lawe they anſwarad it is not lawfull for vsus to kyll any man which they did to the entente that they which regarded not the ſhame of there falſe excōmunications / ſhuld yet fere to confeſſe Chriſte becauſe that the tēpo…all ſworde had cōdemned him. They doo all thīge of a good zeele they ſay / they love you ſo wel that they had lever brunne you then that you ſchuld have feloweſhippe with Chriſte. They are geloweſe over you a miſſe (as ſeyth ſaint Paul Gal. iiij.) They wolde devide you from Chriſte ād his holy teſtamēte / and ioine you to the pope to beleve in his teſtamēte and promiſſes. Some man wil aſke parauenture why Itake the laboure to make this worke in as moch as they will brūne it ſeinge they brūt the Goſpel I anſware in brunninge the new teſtamente they did none other thinge thē that I loked for / no more ſhal they doo if the brunne me alſo if it be gods will it ſhall ſo be. Nevertheleſſe in tranſlatinge the new teſtamente I did my durye / and ſo doo I now / and will doo as moch more as god hath ordened me to doo. And as I offered that to all mē to correcte it / who ſo ever coulde even ſo doo I this Who ſo ever therfore readeſt thys / cōpare it vntounto the ſcripture. If gods worde beare recorde vntounto it and thou alſo feleſt in thine herte that it is ſo be of good comfort and geve god thankes. Iff gods worde condemne it / then hold it a curſrd / and ſo do all other doctrines As Paul counſeleth his galathiens. Beleve not every ſprite ſodenly / but iudge them by the worde of god which is the triall of all doctrine and laſteth for ever Amen.