Page:The Holy Scripture (Myles Coverdale).djvu/2

¶

Becauſe that whan thou goeſt to ſtudy in holy ſcripture, thou ſhuldeſt do it with reuerence, therfore for thy inſtruction & louynge admonicion therto, the Reuerende father in god, Nicolas, Biſihoppe of Saliſbury hath preſcrybed the this prayer folowynge, taken out of the ſame.

O Lorde God almyghtye whiche longe agoo ſaydeſt by the mouthe of James thyn Apoſtle: If any of you lacke wyſdom, let hym aſke it of God whiche geueth it plenteouſly to all men, and caſteth no man in the tethe, and it ſhal be geuen hym.^[1] Heare my peticion for this thy promes ſake. Heare my peticion for this thy promece feile. Let my prayer aſcende luckely in to thy ſyght lyke incenſe.^[2] Let thyn eare be attent vnto my depe deſyre. Geue me wyſdome which is euir aſſiſtent about thy ſeate.^[3] And put me not out from amonge thy children,^[4] for I am thy ſeruaunt and y^e ſonne of thy handmayde & ſende her (I meane thy godly wyſedome) out of thyne holy heauens, and from the trone of thy maieſtye, that ſhe maye be with me, and laboure with me, y^t I may knowe what is acceptable in thy ſyght. Oh lerne me goodnes, nurtoure, and knowlege, for I beleue thy commaundementes.^[5] Thou art good and gracyous, inſtructe me in thyne ordynaunces. Let myne hertie beſechynge aſcende in to thy preſence. Geue me vnderſtondynge accordynge to thy worde. Oh geue me vnderſtōdynge, and I ſhall kepe thy lawe. Yee I ſhall kepe it with all myne herte. Shewe me thy wayes o Lorde, & teache me thy patthes.^[6] Leade me in tu thy trueth and lerne me, for thou art the God of my helth. And on the do I depende alway.^[7] Heare now my voyce O Lorde with which I haue cryed vnto the. Haue mercy vpon me, and gracyouſlye heare me for Jeſus Chriſtes ſake oure Lorde, which lyueth and reygneth with the his father & the holy gooſt worlde without ende. Amen.

¶After the ende of any Chapter (yf thou wylt) thou mayeſt ſaye theſe verſes folowynge.

LEade me (O Lorde) in thy waye, and let me walke in thy trueth.

Oh let myne herte delyte in fearynge thy name.

Ordre my goynges after thy worde, that no wyckednes reygne in me.

Kepe my ſteppes within thy patthes, leſt my fete turne into any contrary waye.

An Epiſtle vnto the Kynges hyghnesse.

Unto the moſt victorious Prynce and oure moſt gracyous ſoueraigne Lorde, kynge Henry the kynge of Englonde and of Fraunce, lorde of Irlonde, &c, Defendour of the Fayth, and vnder God the chefe and ſuppreme heade of the Church of Englonde.

¶ The ryght & iuſt adminiſtracyon of the lawes that God gaue vnto Moſes and vnto Joſua: the teſtimonye of faythfulnes that God gaue of Dauid: the plenteous abundaunce of wyſdome that God gaue vnto Salomon: the lucky and proſperous age with the multiplicacyon of ſede whiche God gaue vnto Abraham and Sara his wyfe, be geuē vnto you moſt gracyous Prynce, with your deareſt iuſt wyfe, and moſt vertuous Prynceſſe, Quene Anne, Amen.

CAiphas beynge byſſhope of that yeare, lyke a blynde prophete (not vnderſtandyng what he ſayd) prophecied, that it was better to put Chriſt vnto death, then that all the people ſhulde peryſſhe:^[8] he meanyng, that Chriſt was an heretike, a deceauer of the people, & a deſtroyer of the lawe, and that it was better therfore to put Chriſt vn to death, thā to ſuffre hym for to lyue, and to deceaue the people, &c. where in very dede Chriſt was the true prophete, the true Meſſias, and the onely true Sauiour of the worlde, ſent of his heauenly father to ſuffre the moſte cruell, moſt ſhamefull, and moſt neceſſary death for our redempcyon: according to y^e meanynge of the prophecie truely vnderſtonde.

Euen after the ſame maner y^e blynde byſſhoppe of Rome, (that blynde Baalam I ſaye) not vnderſtondynge what he dyd, gaue vnto your grace this tytle: Defendour of the fayth, onely bycauſe your hyghnes ſuffred your byſſhoppes to burne Gods worde the rote of fayth, and to perſecute the louers and myniſters of y^e ſame. where in very dede the blynde byſſhoppe (though he knewe not what he dyd) prophecied, that by the ryghteous admyniſtracyon and contynuall diligence of youre grace, the fayth ſhulde ſo be defended, that Gods worde the mother of Fayth with the frutes therof, ſhulde haue his fre courſe thorowe out all Chriſtendome, but ſpecyally in your realme.

Yf your hyghneſſe now of your pryncely benignite wyll pardon me to compare theſe two byſſhoppes (I meane byſſhoppe Caiphas and the byſſhoppe of Rome) & theyr prophecies together, I doute not but we ſhal fynde them agree lyke brethren, though the one be a Jewe and the other a counterfayre Chriſtian. Fyrſt, Caiphas prophecied that it was better to put Chriſt vnto death, then that the people ſhulde peryſſhe. The byſſhoppe of Rome alſo, not knowynge what he prophecied, gaue youre grace this tytle: Defendour of the fayth. The trueth of both theſe prophecies is of the holy gooſt (as was Baalams prophecie) though they that ſpake thē, knewe not what they ſayd. The trueth of Caiphas prophecie is, that it was neceſſary for mans ſaluacyon, that Chriſt by his death ſhulde ouercome death, and redeme vs.^[9] And the trueth of oure Baalams prophecie is, y^t your grace in very dede ſhulde defende the Fayth. Yee euen the true fayth of Chriſt, no dreames, no fables, no hereſie, no papiſticall inuencions, but the vncorrupte fayth of Gods moſt holy worde, which to ſet forth prayſed be the goodnes of God, and increace youre gracyous purpoſe) your hyghnes with youre moſt honorable councell, applyeth all his ſtudye and endeuoure.

Theſe two blynde byſſhopes now agree in y^e vnderſtādyng of theyr prophecies: for Caiphas toketh Chriſt for an heretike, Oure Balaā taketh the worde of Chriſt for hereſie. Caiphas iudgeth it to be a good dede to put Chriſt vnto death, that he

1. Jacob. 1.
2. Pſal. 140.
3. Pſal. 129.
4. Gen. 9.
5. Pſal. 113.
6. Pſal. 24.
7. Pſal. 26.
8. Jo. 11. c.
9. Nume. 24. c.