Whole Works, Tracts 1 · Tract 2 · Prologue
¶ The Prologue vntounto the booke.
FOr aſmuch as our holy Prelates and our ghoſtly religious, which ought Prelates not profeſſors but p… phaners of Gods word.to defēd gods word, ſpeake euil of it and do all the ſhame they cā to it, & rayle on it & beare their captiues in hād, that it cauſeth inſurrectiō & teacheth the people to diſobey their heades & gouernours, & moueth thē to riſe againſt their Princes, and to make all common and to The obediē ce of mō … not …. … t…ey … no… of…but… … ſayuyng.make hauoke of other mēs goodes: therfore hauehave I made this litle treatiſe that foloweth cōteinyng all obedience, that is of god. In which (who ſoeuer readeth it) ſhal eaſly perceaue, not the cōtrary onelyonly & that they lye: but alſo the very cauſe of ſuch blaſphemy, and what ſtirreth thē ſo furiouſly to rage and to belye the truth?
Howbeit, it is no new thyng vntounto the word of God to be rayled vponupon, neither is this the firſt tyme that hypocrites hauehave aſcribed to Gods worde the vengeaunce The hyppocrites lay that to Gods worde which they themſelues o…e cauſe of. God warneth ere he ſtrike.where of they thē ſelues were euer cauſe. For the hypocrites with their falſe doctrine and Idolatry hauehave euermore ledde the wrath and vengeaunce of God vponupon the people, ſo ſore that God could no lē ger forbeare nor differre his puniſhmēt. Yet God, which is alwayes mercyfull, before he would take vengeaūce, hath euer ſent hys true Prophetes and true Preachers, to warne the people that they might repent. But the people for the moſt part, and namely the heades and rulers through comfort and perſuadyng of the hyopcrites, hauehave euer waxed more hard harted then before, and hauehave perſecuted the word of God and his Prophetes. Thē God whiche is alſo righteous, hath alwayes poured his plagues vppon them without delay. Which plagues the hypocrites aſcribe vntounto Gods word ſaying: ſee Whē God puniſheth …oo…ry of the hipocrites: then ſay they: that new learning is the cauſe thereof.what miſcheue is come vpō vsus ſence this new learnyng came vp and this new ſect and this newe doctrine. This ſeeſt thou Hieremias. xliiij. Where the people cryed to goe to their old Idolatry agayne ſaying: ſence we left it, we hauehave bene in all neceſſitie and hauehave bene conſumed with warre and hunger. But the Prophet aunſwered them, that their Idolatry wēt vntounto the hart of God, ſo that he could no lenger ſuffer the maliciouſnes of theyr owne imaginations or inuētions, & that the cauſe of all ſuch miſchieues was, becauſe they would not heare the voyce of the Lord and walke in his law, ordinaunces and teſtimonies. The Scribes and the Chriſt was … of … tion.Phariſeis layd alſo to Chriſtes charge (Luke. xxiij.) that be moued the people to ſedition. And ſayd to Pylate, we hauehave found this felow peruertyng the people and forbiddyng to pay tribute to Caeſar, and ſayth that he is Chriſt a kyng. And agayne in the ſame Chapter, hee moueth the people (ſayd they) teachyng throughout Iury and began at Galile euen to this place. So likewiſe layd they to the Apoſtles charge, as thou mayſt ſee in the Actes. S. Cyprian alſo and S. Auguſtine and many other mo made workes in defence of the word of God againſt ſuch blaſphemies: So that thou mayſt ſee, how that it is no new thyng, but an old and accuſtomed thyng with the hypocrites to wyte Gods word and the true Preachers of all the miſchieue which their lying doctrine is the very cauſe of.
Neuer the later in very dede, after the preachyng of Gods worde, becauſe it is Why trouble foloweth the preaching of the Goſpell.not truly receaued, God ſendeth great trouble into the world: partly to auenge hym ſelfe of the tyrauntes and perſecutours of his worde: and partly to deſtroye thoſe worldly people whiche make of Gods word nothyng but a cloke of their fleſhly libertie. They are not all good that folow the Goſpell. Chriſt (Math. xiij.) like neth the kyngdome of heauen vntounto a net caſt in the Sea that katcheth fiſhes both good and bad The kyngdome of heauen is the preachyng of the Goſpell, vntounto which come both good and bad. But the good are fewe. Chriſt calleth them Chriſtes flocke, a little flocke.therfore a litle flocke. Luke xij. For they are euer few that come to the Goſpell of a true entent ſeekyng therin nothyng but the glorye and prayſe of God, and offering thē ſelues frely and willingly to take aduerſitie with Chriſte for the Goſpels ſake and for bearyng recorde vntounto the As our Prelates do not take their vocation to ſeke Gods glory and honour, but to liue eaſilie, & promote themſelues to dignitie.truth, that al men may heare it. The greateſt nomber come and euer came and folowed euen Chriſt hym ſelfe for a worldly purpoſe. As thou mayſt well ſee (Iohn vj.) howe that almoſt fiue thouſand folowed Chriſt and would alſo hauehave made hym a kyng, becauſe he had well fedde them. Whom he rebuked ſaying: ye ſeke me not, becauſe ye ſaw the miracles: But becauſe ye eat of the bread and were filled, and droue them away from him with hard preachyng.
Euen ſo now (as euer) the moſt parte ſeke libertie. They be glad when they Libertie.heare the vnſatiable couetouſnes of the ſpiritualitie rebuked: When they heare their falſehood and wiles vttered: When tyrāny and oppreſſiō is preached againſt: When they heare how kynges and all officers ſhould rule chriſtenly and brotherly, & ſeke no other thyng ſaue the wealth of their ſubiectes: and when they heare that they hauehave no ſuch authoritie of God ſo to pylle and polle, as they doe and to raiſe vp taxes and gatherynges to maynteine their phantaſies and to make warre they wote not for what cauſe. And therefore becauſe the heades will not ſo rule, will they alſo no longer obey, but reſiſte God deſtroyeth one wicked with an other. Gods word is not the cauſe of euill.and riſe agaynſt their euill heades. And one wicked deſtroyeth an other. Yet is Gods word not the cauſe of this, neither yet the preachers. For though that Chriſt hym ſelfe taught all obedience, how that it is not lawfull to reſiſte wrong (but for the officer that is appointed thereunto) and howe a man muſt louelove his very enemy, & pray for them that perſecute him and bleſſe them that curſe hym, and how that all vengeaunce muſt bee remitted to God, and that a man muſt forgeue, if hee wil be forgeuen of God. Yet the people for the moſt part receaued it not. They were euer ready to riſe, and to fight. For euer when the Scribes and Phariſeis wēt about to take Chriſt, they were afraide of the people. Not on the holy day (ſayde they Math. xxvj.) leſt any rumour aryſe among the people. And Math. xxi. They would hauehave takē him, but they feared the people. And Luke. xx. Chriſte aſked the Phariſeis a queſtion vntounto whiche they durſt not aūſwere, leſt the people ſhould hauehave ſtoned them.
Laſt of all for as much as the very Diſciples Chriſtes Diſciples were long weake, and worldly mynded.and Apoſtles of Chriſt, after ſo lōg hearyng of Chriſtes doctrine, were yet ready to fight for Chriſte cleane agaynſt Chriſtes teachyng. As Peter (Math. xxvi.) drew his ſword but he was rebuked. And Luke. ix. Iames and Iohn would hauehave had fire to come from heauen, to cōſume the Samaritanes, and to auenge the iniury of Chriſte: but were likewiſe rebuked, if Chriſtes Diſciples were ſo long carnall what wonder is it, if we be not all perfect the firſt daye? Yea in as much as we bee What the Popes doctrine cauſeth: he cō maundeth murther.taught euen of very babes, to kil a Turke, to ſlea a Iewe, to burne an hereticke, to fight for the liberties and right of the Church as they cal it: yea, and in aſmuch as wee are brought in belefe, if wee ſhed the bloud of our euen Chriſten, or if the ſonne ſhed the bloud of hys father that begat hym, for the defence, not of the Popes Godhead onelyonly, but alſo for what ſo euer cauſe it bee, yea though it be for no cauſe, but that his holynes commaundeth it onelyonly, that we deſerue as much as Chriſt deſerued for vsus, when he dyed on the croſſe: or if we be ſlaine in the quarel, that our ſoules goe, nay flye to heauen, and be there ere our bloud be cold. In as much (I ſaye) as we hauehave ſucked in ſuche bloudy imaginatiōs into the bottome of our harts, euen with our mothers milke, and hauehave ben ſo long hardened therein, what wonder were it, if while we be yet young in Chriſt, we thought that it were lawful to fight, for the true word of god? Yea and though a man were throughly perſuaded that it were not lawful to reſiſt his kyng, thoughe he would wrongfully take away lyfe and goodes: Yet might he thinke that it were lawful to reſiſt the hipocrites and to riſe, not agaynſt his kyng: but with his kyng to deliuer his kyng out of bondage and captiuitie, wherin the hipocrites hold hym with wyles and falſehode, ſo that no man may bee ſuffered to come at him, to tell him the trouth.
This ſeeſt thou, that it is the bloudy doctrine of the Pope, which cauſeth diſobedience, The popes doctrine is bloudy.rebellion and inſurrectiō. For hee teacheth to ſight, and to defende hys traditions, and what ſoeuer he dreameth with fire, water and ſworde, and to diſobey Father, Mother, Maſter, Lorde, Kyng and Emperour: Yea, and to inuade what Chriſtes doctrine to peaceable.ſo euer lād or natiō that will not receaue and admit his Godhead. Where the peaceable doctrine of Chriſte teacheth to obey, and to ſuffer for the word of God, & to remit the vengeaunce and the defenſe of the word to god, which is mighty and able to defende it, which alſo as ſoone as God auengeth hys doctrine him ſelfe.the worde is once openly preached, and teſtified or witneſſed vntounto the world, and when he hath geuen them a ſeaſon to repent, is ready at once to take vengeaunce of his enemies, and ſhoteth arrowes with heades dipte in deadly poyſon at them, and poureth hys plagues from heauen downe vponupon them, and ſendeth the moren and peſtilence among them, and ſinketh the Cities of them, and maketh the earth ſwalow them, and cōpaſſeth them in their wyles, and taketh them in theyr owne trappes and ſnares, and caſteth thē into the pittes whiche they digged for other men, and ſendeth them a daſyng in in the head, and vtterly deſtroyeth them with their owne ſuttle councell. Prepare How a mā ought to behaue him ſelfe in readyng of doctours, and alſo in the Scripture.thy mynde therefore vntounto this litle treatiſe and read it diſcretly, and iudge it indifferently, and when I alledge any Scripture, loke thou on the text, whether I interprete it right: whiche thou ſhalt eaſely perceaue, by the circumſtance and proceſſe of thē, if thou make Chriſt the foundation and ground, and build all on him, and referreſt all to hym, and findeſt alſo that the expoſitiō agreeth vntounto the common Articles of the faith, and opē ſcriptures. And GOD the father of mercy, whiche for hys truthes ſake rayſed our Sauiour Chriſt vp agayne to iuſtifie vsus, geue thee hys ſpirite to iudge what is righteous, in his eyes, and geue the ſtrength to abyde by it, and to mayntayne it withall patience, and long ſufferyng, vntounto the example and edifying of his congregation, and glory of his name.
Amen.