The Parable of the Wicked Mammon, Title page – To the reader
The parable of the Wycked Mammon.
☞ Compiled in the yere of our Lorde. M. d. xxxvi. W. T.
¶ Romans. iii. Chap. ☞ We holde that a man is iustified by fayth, withoute the workes of the lawe.
¶ Imprynted at Lodon by Ihon daye, dwellyng in Sepulchres Paryshe at the signe of the Resurrectiō, a litle aboue Holbourne Cōduit. M. d. xlvii.
¶ Wyllyam Tindale otherwyse caled Hychins to the reader.
GRace and peace wyth all maner spiritual felyng and lyuinge wor thy of the knidnes of Christe, be with the reader and with all that thrist the will of God Amen.
The cause why I set my name before this litle treatise & hauehave not rather done it in the new testament is, that then I fo lowed the councell of Christe whiche exhorteth men Matth. vi. to do their good deades secretly and to be content with the conscience of welldoynge, and that God seeth vsus, and pacyent…ye to a byde the rewarde of the last day which Christ hath purchased for vsus: and nowe would fayne hauehave done lykewyse, but am compelled otherwyse to do.
¶ Whyle I a bode a faythfull companion whiche nowe hathe taken another viage vponupon him, to preache Christ where (I suppose) he was neuer yet preached (God which put in his hert thither to go sende his spirite wyth hym, cōforte him, and bringe his purpose to good effecte) one Willyam Roy a man sō …what craftye when he cōmeth vntounto new acquayntaunce and before he be thorow knowen and namely when all is spent, came vntounto me and offered his helpe. As longe as he hade no money, somwhat I coulde rule hym, but as soone as he had gotten hym money, he became lyke hymselfe agayne.
Neuerthelesse, I suffred all thynges tyll that was ended whiche I could not do alone without one both to wryte and to helpe me to compare the textes together. Whan that was ended, I toke my leaue and bad hym farewel for oure two lyues, and as men say a daye longer, After we were departed he wente, and gat him new frendes whiche thynge to dooe he passeth all that euer I yet knewe. And there when he had stored hym of money he gote hym to Argentyne where he professeth wonderful faculties and maketh bost of no smal thinges. A yere after that and now. xii. Monethes before the pryntynge of this worke, came one Ierome a brother of Grene whiche also, throughe Wormes to Argentyne, saiynge: that he entended to be Christes disciple another whyle & to kepe (as nye as God woulde geue him grace) the profession of his bap tysme, and to get hys lyuynge with his handes, and to lyue no lenger ydely and of the sweate and laboure of those captyues whiche they had taught, not to beleue in Christ: but in cut showes and russet coetes. Whiche Ierom with all diligence I warned of Royes boldnesse and exhorted hym to be ware of hym and to walke quiyetly and with all pacience and longe sufferynge accordinge as wee hauehave Christ and his Apostles for an ensample, whiche thynge he also promysed me. Ne uerthelesse when he was comen to Argentyne willyam Roye (whose tunge is able not only to make fooles sterke mad, but also to deaceyue the wyseste that is at the fyrst syght and acquaintaunce) gat hym to him and set him a worke to make rymes, whyle he hym selfe translated adyaloge out of laten in to englyshe. In whose prologe he promiseth more a great deale than I fere me he will euer paye.
Paul sayeth the seconde Epistel to Timothe the seconde Chapter, the seruauntWyth Gods word ought a man to rebuke wikednes and false doctrine and not wyth raylyng times of the Lord must not stryue, but be peaceable vntounto all men and ready to teach, and one that can suffer the euell with mekenesse, & that can enforme thē that resist, if God at any tyme will geue them repentau…ce for to knowe the trueth. It be commeth not then the lordes seruaunt to vse raylynge rymes, but Gods wordes whyche is the right weapon to slay sine, vice and all iniquitie. The scripture of God is good to teache and to improue. ii. Ti. iii. ii. Tes. ii. Paul speaking, of Antichrist sayeth, whom the Lorde shall destroye with ye sprete or breth of his mouth, that is, with the worde of God. And. ii. Corinthians, tenth The weapens of our warre are not carnall thinges (saieth he) but mighty in God to cast downe strong holdes and so forth: that is, to destroye hye buyldinges of false doctryne. The word of God is that day whereof Paul speaketh. i. Cor. iii. whiche shall declare al thynges, and the fyre whiche shall trye eueryevery mans worke and consume false doc tryne: with that swearde ought mē sharp ly to fight, and not to rayle with foolysh rymes. Let it not offende the yt sōe walke inordinatly, let not the wickednes of Iudas cause the to despise the doctryne of his felowes. No man ought to thynke that Steuē was a false preacher because that Nicolas whiche was chosen felowe with hym. Actu, vi. to ministre vntounto the wydowes, fell after in to greate heresies as histories make mencion. Good and euell go alwayes together, one can not beAntichryst. knowen with out the other. Marke this also a boue al thynges that Antichriste is not an outward thynge, that is to saye, a man that shoulde sodenly appeare wyth wonders as oure fathers talked of hym.
No verely for Antichrist is a spiritualAntichryst is as much to sai as agaynst Chryst and is nothyng but a …recher of false doctryne. thing. And is as much to saye as agaynst Christe, that is one that preacheth …ls… doctrine contraty to Christe. Antichriste was in the olde Testament and foughte with the prophtes, he was also in ye tyme of Christ and of the Apostles as thou rea dest in the epistels of Ihon and of Paul to the Corinthians and Galathians, andAntichrist was euer. other Epistles. Antichriste is nowe and shall (I dout not) endure tyl the worldes ende. But his nature is (whan he is vttered and ouercome with the word of God)Antichrist wh… he is spied, goeth oute of the playe and disguyseth hym selfe and then commeth in agayne. to go out of the playe for a season and to disgyse hym selfe and then to come in agayn with a new name and new raymēt.
As thou seyst how Christ rebuketh the scrybes and the pharises in the Gospell (which were very Antichristes) saing wo be to you pharises for ye robbe widowes houses yee praye longe prayers vnderunder a coloure, ye shut vp the kingdom of heauē and suffer not them that woulde to enter …e hauehave take awaye the key of knowledge, ye make men breake gods commaū dementes with your tradicions, ye begile the people with hypocrisie and such lyke. Whiche thinges all oure prelates do: but hauehave yet gotten them newe names and other garmētes and weedes, and are other wise dysgysed. Ther is difference, in the names betwene a pope, a Cardinal, a Bishoppe, and so forth, and to saye a scribe, a pharisey, a sen…oure and so forth: but the thynge is all one. Euen so nowe whē we hauehave vttered him, he will chaūge him …lfe ones more and turne himselfe in to … angell of lyght. ii. Corin. xi. Rede the place I exhorte the, what so euer thou art that readest this and note it well The Iewes loke for Christe and he is come. xv. hundred yeares a go and they not ware: we also hauehave loked for Antichrist and he hath raygned as longe and we not ware, and because eyther of vsus loke carnally for him and not in the places where wee ought to hauehave soughte. The Jewes had founde Christe verely yf thei had sought hym in the lawe and the prophetes, whither Christe sendeth them to seke Jhon. v. We also had spied out Antichrist lōgeAntychrist is a spiritual thing and cannot be sene but in the syght of gods word. a go yf we hade loked in the doctryne of Christe and his Apostles, where because the beast seeth himself now to be sought for, he roareth and seketh new holes to hyde him selfe in and chaungeth himself in to athousande fashions with al ma…r wilines, falshed, subteltie and crafte. Because that his excommunications ar com to lyght he maketh it treason vntounto the kinge, to be acquainted with Christe. If Christ and thei may not rainge together, one hope we hauehave, that Christe shall lyue euer. ¶ The olde Antichristes broughte Christ vntounto Pylate saiynge by oure law he ought to dye, & when Pylate bad thē, iudge him after youre law they answred it is not law full for vsus to kyll any man: which thei dyd to the entēt yt thei which regarded not the shame of theyr fause exThe prelates …auea burning …eale to theyr …hyldren comunicacions, shoulde yet feare to confesse Christe because that the temporall swearde had condemned hym. They do all thynge of a good zele they saye they louelove you so wel that they had leuer burne you then that you shoulde hauehave feloweshyppe with Christe. They are gelous ouer you a mysse (as sayeth saynt …aule Gala. iiii.) They would deuyde you …rō Christ and his holy testament and ioyne you to the pope to beleue hys testament and promyses. Some man wyl aske peraduenture why I take ye laboure to mak this worke in as much as thei wyl burne it seyenge they burnt the Gospell? I answere in burnyng▪ the newe testament they dyd none other thynge then that I loked for, no more shall they do yt they burne me also yf it be Gods wyll it shall so be. Neuertheles in transslatyng ye new testament I dyd my d…utye, and so do I now, and wyll do as much more as God hath ordeined me to do. And as I offered that to all men to correcte it, whosoeuer coulde, euen so do I this. Who so euer therfore readeth this, compare it vntounto theTrye all doetryne hy Goddes worde. scripture. If Gods worde beare recorde vntounto it & thou also feleste in thyne h…e that it is so, be of good comfort and gene God thankes. If gods worde condēne it the… hold it accurssed, and so do al other doctrins As Paul counceleth his Galathians. Beleue not euerye spryte sodenly, but iudge them by the worde of God, which is the trial of al doctryne, and last teth for euer.
Amen
¶ The parable of the wycked Mammon. Luke. xvi. Cha.
THere was a certain rich mā, whyche had a steward that was acused vn to hym that he had wasted his goodes. And he called hym and sayd vntounto hym. Howe is it that I heare this of the? Geue accomptes of thy stewardshyp. For thou mayst bee no longer my steward. The steward said wt in himselfe: what shal I doo? for my master wil take away from me my stewardshyp. I cannot dygge, and to begge I am ashamed. I wot what to do, that whan I am put out of my stewardshyp, thei may receyue me into their houses.
¶ Thē called he al his masters detters and said vntounto the fyrst, how much owest thou vntounto my master? And he said, an. C. tonnes of oyle, And he sayde vntounto hym, take thy byl, and syt downe quickly, and wryte. l. Then sayd he to another, what owest yu? And he saied, an. C. quarters of wheat. He sayd vntounto hym. Take thy byl and write. lxxx. And the Lord commended the vniust steward, because he had doone wysely. For the chyldren of thys worlde, are in theyr kynd wiser then the chyldren of lyght. And I say also vntounto you, make you fryndes of the wycked Mammon, that whan ye shall hauehave neede, they maye receyue you into euerlastyng habitatiōs.