Whole Works, Table of contents – Preface
DIEV ET MON DRIOT
¶ THE WHOLE workes of W. Tyndall, Iohn Frith, and Doct. Barnes, three worthy Martyrs, and principall teachers of this Churche of England, collected and compiled in one Tome togither, beyng before ſcattered, & now in Print here exhibited to the Church. To the prayſe of God, and profite of all good Chriſtian Readers.
Mortui reſurgent.
AT LONDON Printed by Iohn Daye, and are to be ſold at his ſhop vnderunder Alderſgate. An. 1573.
¶ Cum gratia & Priuilegio Regiae Maieſtatis.
ARISE, FOR IT IS DAY.
A Table of the ſeuerall Treatiſes conteyned in M. William Tyndals workes.
A Preface to the Chriſtian Reader.
The lyfe of Wylliam Tyndall.
A proteſtation of the ſtate of the ſoules departed.
A preface that he made before the v. bookes of Moſes.
A prologue ſhewyng the vſe of the Scripture.
Seuerall prologues that he made to the v. bookes of Moſes. fol. 2. 7. 11. 15. 21.
Certaine harde wordes expounded by him in the fyrſt, ſecond, and fourth booke of Moſes. fol. 5. 10. 16.
A prologue vponupon the Prophet Ionas. 23.
Prologues vponupon the iiij. Euangeliſtes. 32.
Prologues vponupon the Epiſtles of S. Paule. 39.
Prologues vponupon the Epiſtles of S. Peter. 54.
Prologues vponupon the iij. Epiſtles of S. Iohn. 55.
The parable of the wicked Mammon. 59.
The obedience of a Chriſtian man, and how Chriſtian rulers ought to gouerne. 97.
An expoſition vponupon the v. vj. vij. chapters of S. Ma. thewes Goſpell. 184.
An anſwere to Syr Thomas Mores dialogues. 244
The practiſe of popiſhe Prelates. 340.
A pathway into the holy Scripture. 377.
The expoſition vponupon the firſt Epiſtle of S. Iohn. 387.
The expoſition vponupon M. William Tracies will. 429.
A fruitfull treatiſe vponupon ſignes & Sacraments. 436.
Two notable letters that he ſent vntounto Iohn Frith. 453.
The Supper of the Lord, wherein is confuted the letter of M. More ſent vntounto Iohn Frith, ſuppoſed to be written by Tyndall. 457.
¶ The Epiſtle or Preface to the Chriſtian Reader.
AS we hauehave great cauſe to geeue thankes to the high prouidence of almighty God, for the excellent arte of Printing, moſt happely of late found out, and now commonly practiſed eueryevery where, to the ſingular benefite of Chriſtes Church, wherby great increaſe of learnyng and knowledge, with innumerable commodities els hauehave enſued, and dayly doe enſue to the lyfe of man, and eſpecially to the fartheraunce of true Religion: ſo agayne of our parte, it is both of vsus all in generall to be wiſhed, and eſpecially of them to be procured, who occupie the trade therof, rightly to vſe the ſame to the glory of hym which gaue it, and to the ende wherefore it was ordayned, and not to abuſe vnworthely that worthy facultie, eyther in thruſting into the worlde eueryevery vnworthy trifle that commeth to hand, or hauing reſpecte more to their owne priuate gayne, then regarde to the publike edifiyng of Chriſtes Church, or neceſſary preferment of Religion. For therefore I ſuppoſe this ſcience of Printing firſt to be ſet vp and ſent of God to mans vſe, not ſo much for temporall commoditie to be taken, or mans glory to be ſought thereby, but rather for the ſpirituall and inwarde ſupportation of ſoulehealth, helpe of Religion, reſtoring of true doctrine, repayring of Chriſtes Church, and repreſſing of corrupt abuſes, which had heretofore ouerdarckened the doctrine of fayth, to reuiue agayne the loſt lyght of knowledge to theſe blynde tymes, by renuing of holſome and auncient writers: whoſe doinges and teachinges otherwiſe had lyen in obliuion, had not the benefite of Printing brought them agayne to light, or vsus rather to light by them. Wherfore ſuch Printers in my mynde, are not to be defrauded of their due commendation, who in pretermitting other light triflyng pamflets of matter vnneedful, and impertinent, little ſeruing to purpoſe, leſſe to neceſſitie, doe employe their endeuour and workemanſhip chiefly to reſtore ſuch fruitfull workes and monumentes of auncient writers, and bleſſed Martyrs: who as by their godly lyfe, and conſtant death, gaue teſtimonie to the trueth, in tyme wherein they ſuffered, ſo by their doctrine and learning, geeue now no leſſe lyght to all ages and poſteritie after them.
In the number of whome, may rightly be accompted, and no leſſe recommended to the ſtudious Chriſten Reader theſe three learned fathers of bleſſed memory, whom the Printer of this booke hath diligently collected, & in one volume togither, incloſed the workes I meane of William Tyndall, Iohn Frith, and Robart Barnes: chiefe ryngleaders in theſe latter tymes of thys Church of England. Wherein as we hauehave much to prayſe God for ſuch good bookes left to the Church, and alſo for ſuch Printers in preſeruing by their induſtrie and charges ſuch bookes from periſhing: ſo hauehave I to exhorte all ſtudious readers, wyth lyke diligence to embrace the benefite of God offered, and ſeriouſly to occupie them ſelues in markyng and folowing both the valiaunt actes, and excellent wrytinges of the ſayd godly perſons. Concernyng the prayſe whereof, I ſhall not neede in thys place to beſtow much commendation: becauſe, neither is it the prayſe of men, but profite of the godly, that they doe ſeeke: nor yet the contempt of the vngodly that they doe feare. Moreouer, what is to be ſayde or thought of them, rather by their owne workes, then by other mens wordes, by readyng their bookes, then by my preface, is to be ſeene. In peruſing whereof, thou ſhalt fynde (gentle Reader) whether thou bee ignoraunt, what to learne, or whether thou be learned, what to folowe, and what to ſticke to. Briefly, whatſoeuer thou art, if thou be yong, of Iohn Frith: if thou be in middle age, of W. Tyndall: if in elder yeares of D. Barnes, matter is here to be founde, not onelyonly of doctrine to enforme thee, of comfort to delyte thee, of godly enſample to directe thee: but alſo of ſpeciall admiration, to make thee to wonder at the workes of the Lord, ſo mightely workyng in theſe men, ſo oportunely in ſtirryng them vp, ſo graciouſly in aſſiſting them.
Albeit diuers other alſo beſides theſe, I ſay not nay, as well before them as after, through the ſecrete operation of Gods mighty prouidence hauehave beene rayſed vp, both famous in learnyng, floriſhyng in witte, and ſtout in zeale, who labouryng in the ſame cauſe, hauehave no leſſe valiantly and doughtely ſtoode in the like defence of Chriſtes true Religion, agaynſt blynde errour, peſtilent ſuperſtition, and perillous hypocriſie, namely, agaynſt the Arche enemye of Chriſt and hys flocke, the Byſhop I meane of Rome, with hys tyrannicall ſeate, as namely here in England, Iohn Wicklyffe, Rigge, Aſton, Swynderby, W. Thorpe, Walter Brute, L. Cobham, wyth the reſidue of that former age: And alſo after them many other moe freſhe wittes, faythfull preachers, and learned writers hauehave ſprong vp by the Lord of hoaſtes to furniſhe hys fielde: Briefly no age nor tyme hath euerlacked ſome or other, ſtyll bayting at the beaſt, but eſpecially nowe in theſe our preſent dayes ſuch plenty, yea whole armyes the Lord hath powred vppon hys Church of heauenly ſouldiours, who not onelyonly in number exceedyng, but in knowledge alſo excellyng, both by preaching and Printing, doe ſo garniſhe the Church in eueryevery reſpecte, that it may ſeeme, and ſo peraduenture wil be thought this time of ours to ſtand now in little neede of ſuch bookes and momumentes as theſe of former antiquitie: yet notwithſtandyng, I am not of that mynde ſo to thinke. For albeit, increaſing of learning of tonges, and ſciences, wyth quicknes of wit in youth and other, doth maruailouſly ſhut vp, as is to be ſeene, to the ſufficient furniſhyng of Chriſtes Church: yet ſo it happeneth I can not tell how, the farther I looke backe into thoſe former tymes of Tyndall, Frith, and others lyke, more ſimplicitie, wyth true zeale, and humble modeſtie I ſee wyth leſſe corruption of affections in them, and yet wyth theſe dayes of ours, I finde no fault. As by reading and conferring their workes togither may eftſoones appeare.
In opening the Scriptures, what trueth, what ſoundnes can a man require more, or what more is to be ſayd, then is to be founde in Tyndall. In his Prologues vppon the fiue bookes of Moſes, vppon Ionas, vppon the Goſpelles, and Epiſtles of S. Paule, namely to the Romaines: how perfectly doth he hit the right ſence, and true meaning in eueryevery thing? In his obedience, how fruitfully teacheth he eueryevery perſon his dutie? In his expoſitions, and vppon the parable of the wicked Mammon, how pithely doth he perſwade? how grauely doth he exhort? how louingly doth he comforte? ſimply without oſtentation, vehement without contention. Which two faultes, as they cōmonly are wont to folow the moſt part of writers, ſo how farre the ſame were from him, and he from them, his replies and aunſweres to Syr Thomas More, doe well declare: in doctrine ſound, in hart humble, in life vnrebukeable, in diſputation modeſt, in rebuking charitable, in trueth feruent, and yet no leſſe prudent in diſpenſing with the ſame, and bearyng with time, and with weakenes of men, as much as he might, ſauing onelyonly where mere neceſſitie conſtrayned hym otherwiſe to doe, for defence of trueth againſt wilfull blyndnes, and ſubtile hypocriſie, as in the Practiſe of Prelates is notorious to be ſeene. Briefly, ſuch was his modeſtie, zeale, charitie, and painefull trauaile, that he neuer ſought for any thing leſſe, then for hymſelfe: for nothyng more, then for Chriſtes glory, and edification of other: for whoſe cauſe not onelyonly he beſtowed his labours, but hys life and bloud alſo. Wherfore not vnrightly he might be then, as he is yet cauled, the Apoſtle of England, as Paule cauleth Epaphroditus the Apoſtle of the Philippians, for his ſingular care and affection toward them. For as the Apoſtles in the primatiue age firſt planted the Church in trueth of the Goſpell: ſo the ſame trueth beyng agayne defaced and decayed by enemies in thys our latter tyme, there was none that trauayled more earneſtly in reſtoring of the ſame in this Realme of England, then dyd William Tyndall.
With which William Tyndall, no leſſe may be adioyned alſo Iohn Frith, and D. Barnes, both for that they togither with him in one cauſe, and about one tyme, ſuſtayned the firſt brunt, in this our latter age, and gaue the firſt onſet agaynſt the enemies: as alſo for the ſpeciall giftes of fruitfull erudition, and plentifull knowledge wrought in them by God, and ſo by them left vntounto vsus in their writinges. Wherfore accordyng to our promiſe in the booke of Actes and Monumentes, wee thought good herein to ſpend a litle diligence in collecting, and ſetting abroad their bookes togither, ſo many as could be founde, to remaine as perpetuall Lāpes, ſhyning in the Church of Chriſt, to geeue lyght to all poſteritie. And although the Printer, herein taking great paynes, coulde not paraduenture come by all (howbeit, I truſt there lacke not many) yet the Lord be thanked for thoſe which he hath gotte and here publiſhed vntounto vsus.
And woulde God the like diligence had beene vſed of our auncient forelders, in the tyme of Wickliffe, Puruey, Clerke, Brute, Thorpe, Huſse, Hierome, and ſuch other, in ſearching and collecting their workes and writings. No doubt but many thinges had remayned in lyght, which now be lefte in obliuion. But by reaſon the Arte of Printing was not yet inuented, their worthy bookes were the ſooner abolyſhed. Such was then the wickednes of thoſe dayes, and the practiſe of thoſe Prelates then ſo craftie, that no good booke coulde appeare, though it were the Scripture it ſelfe in Englyſhe, but it was reſtrayned, and ſo conſumed. Whereby ignoraunce and blyndnes ſo preuayled amonge the people, tyll at the laſt, it ſo pleaſed the goodnes of our God to prouide a remedy for that miſchiefe, by multiplying good bookes by the Printers penne, in ſuch ſort, as no earthly power was able after that (though they did their beſt) to ſtoppe the courſe thereof, were he neuer ſo myghtie, and all for the fartheraunce of Chriſtes Church.
Wherefore receaue (gracious Reader) the Bookes here collected and offered to thy hand, and thanke God, thou haſt them, and reade them whileſt thou mayſt, while time, life, and memory ſerueth thee. In reading wherof the Lord graunt, thou mayſt receaue no leſſe fruit by them, then the harty deſire of the ſetter forth is to wiſhe well vntounto thee. And the ſame Lord alſo graunt, I beſeech him, that this my exhortation & wiſhe ſo may worke in all, that not onelyonly the good, but the enemies alſo, which be not yet wonne to the worde of trueth, ſetting aſide all partialitie and preiudice of opinion, woulde with indifferent iudgementes, beſtow ſome reading and hearyng likewiſe of theſe, to taſte what they doe teach, to vewe their reaſons, and to trye their ſpirite, to marke the expoſitions of Tyndall, the argumentes of Frith, the Articles and allegations of Barnes. Which if they ſhall finde agreable to the tyme and antiquitie of the Apoſtles doctrine, and touchſtone of Gods worde, to vſe them to their inſtruction: If not, then to myſlike them as they finde cauſe, after they hauehave firſt tryed them, and not before. And thus not to deteine thee with longer proceſſe, from the reading of better matter, I referre and commende thee and thy ſtudies gentle reader, with my harty wiſhe and prayer to the grace of Chriſt Ieſu, and direction of hys holy ſpirite, deſiryng thee lykewyſe to doe the ſame for mee.
Iohn Foxe.