A prologe to the reader
vnthankfulnes: but ſeynge yt lighte is come into the worlde, loue nomore the workes of darknes, receaue not the grace of god in vayne. Call to thy remembraunce how louynge & mercifull God is vnto the, how kyndly and fatherly he helpeth the in al trouble, teacheth thyne ignoraunce, healeth the in all thy ſyckneſſe, forgeueth the in all thy ſynnes, fedeth ye, geueth the drynke, helpeth ye out of preſon, noryſheth the mynde(I saye) + that earneſtly, and conſydre how thou haſt receaued of god all the ſe benefites(yee and many mo then thou canſt deſyre) how thou art bounde lykewiſe to ſhewe thy ſelfe vnto thy neghboure as farre as thou canſt, to teach him yf he be ignoraunt, to helpe him in all his trouble, to heale his ſycknes, to forgeue him his offences, and that hartely, to fede him, to cheriſh him, to care for him, and to ſe yt he wante nothyng. And on this behalfe I beſeke the(thou yt haſt ye ryches of this worlde, and loueſt God with thy harte) to lyfte vp thyne eyes, and ſe how greate a multitude of poore people renne thorow euery towne: haue pitie on thyne awne fleſh, helpe them with a good harte, and do with thy councell all that euer thou canſt, that this vnſhamefaſt beggynge maye be pat downe, that theſe ydle folkes maye be ſet to laboure, & that ſoch as are not able to get theyr lyuynge, maye de prouyded for. At the leeſt thou yt art of councill with ſoch as are in acctoryte, geue them ſome occaſyon to caſt theyr heades together, and to make prouyſyon for the poore. Put the in remembraunce of thoſe noble cityes in other countrees, that by the auctoryte of theyr prynces haue ſo rychely ād well prouided for theyr poore people, to the greate ſhame & diſhoneſtye of vs, yf we lyke wyſe receauynge ye worde of God, ſhewe not ſoch lyke frutes therof. Wolde God yt thoſe men(whoſe office is to maynteyne ye common welth) were as diligent in this cauſe as they are in other. Let vs bewarre by tymes, for after vnthankfulnes there foloweth euer a pilege: the marcyful hande of God be with vs, & defende vs that we be not partakers therof.
Go to now(moſt deare reader) & ſyt the downe at the Lordes fete and reade his wordes, &(as Moſes teacheth the Jewes) take them in to theyr herte, & let thy talkynge & communicacion be of them whan thou ſytteſt in thyne houſe, or goeſt by ye waye, whan thou lyeſt downe, & whan thou ryſeth vp.[1] And aboue all thynges faſſhyon thy lyfe, & cōuerſacion acordyng to the doctryne of the holy gooſt therin, that thou mayeſt be partaker of ye good promyſes of god in the Byble, & be heyre of his bleſſynge in Chriſt. In whom yf thou put thy trust & be an vnfayned reader or hearer of hys worde with thy hert, thou ſhalt fynde ſweteneſſe theryn, aſpye wōderous thynges, to thy vnderſtondynge, to the auoydynge of all ſedicyous ſectes, to the abhorrynge of thy olde ſynfull lyfe, & to the ſtablyſhynge of thy godly conuerſacyon.
In the firſt boke of Moſes(called Geneſis) thou mayeſt lerne to knowe the almightye power of god in creatynge all of naught, his infinite wyſdome in ordryng the ſame, his ryghteouſnes in punyſhynge ye vngodly, his loue & fatherly mercy in comfortynge the righteous with his promes, &c.
In the ſeconde boke(called Exodus) we ſe the myghtye arme of god, in delyuerynge his people from ſo greate bondage out of Egypte, and what proyſyon he maketh for them in the weldernes, how he reacheth them with his wholſome worde and how the Tabernacle was made and ſet vp.
In the thyrde boke(called Leuiticus) is declared what ſacrifices the preſtes & Leuites vſed, and what theyr office & miniſtracyon was.
In the fourth boke(called Numerus) is declared how the people are nombred and muſtred, how the captaynes are choſen after ye trybes &kynreds, how they were forth to ye battayll, how they pitched theyr tentes, & how they brake vp.
The fyfth boke(called Deuteronemium) ſheweth how that Moſes now beynge olde, rehearſeth the lawe of god vnto ye people, putteth them in remembraunce agayne of all the wonders & benefices that god had ſhewed for them, and exhorteth them earneſtly to loue ye Lorde theyr god, to cleue vnto him, to put there truſt in him and to herken vnto his voyce.
After the death of Moſes doth Joſue brynge the people in to the lōde of promes where God doth wonderous thynges for his people by Joſue, which diſtributeth ye londe vnto them, vnto euery trybe theyr poſſeſſion. But in theyr wealth they fotgat the goodnes of God, ſo that oft tymes he gaue thē ouer in to the hande of theyr enemies. Neuertheles whan ſo euer they called faithfully vpon him, and conuerted, he delyuered them agayne, as the boke of Judges declareth.
In the bokes of the kynges, is deſcrybed the regiment of good and euell prynces, and how the decaye of all nacions commeth by euel kynges. For in Jeroboam thou ſeyſt what myſchefe, what ydolatrye & ſoch like abhominacyon foloweth, whā the kynge is a maynteyner of falſe doctryne, a̅d cauſeth the people to ſynne agaynſt God, which fallinge awaye from gods worde, increaſed ſo ſore amonge them, that it was the cauſe of all theyr ſorowe and miſery, & the very occaſion why Iſrael firſt and then Juda, were caryed awaye into captyuite. Agayne, in Joſaphat, in Ezechias and in Joſias thou ſeyſt the nature of a vertuous kynge. He putteth downe the houſes of ydolatrye, ſeyth that his preſtes teach nothynge but ye lawe of God, cōmaundeth his lordes to go with them, and to ſe that they teach the people.[2] In theſe kynges(I ſaye)thou ſeyſt the cōdicyon of a true defender of ye fayth for he ſpareth nether coſt ner laboure, to manteyne the lawes of God, to ſeke the welth & proſperite of his people, and to rote out the wicked. And where ſoch a prince is, thou ſeyſt agayne, how God defendeth him and his people, though he haue neuer ſo many enemyes. This wente it with thē in the olde tyme, and euen after ye ſame maner goeth it now with vs: God be prayſed therfore, ād graunte vs of his fatherly mercy, that we be not vnthankful: leſt where he now geueth vs a Joſaphat, an Ezechias, yee a very Joſias, he ſende vs a Pharao, a Jeroboam, or an Achab.
In the two firſt bokes of Eſdras & in Heſter thou ſeyſt the delyueraunce of tha people, which though they were but fewe, yet is it vnto vs all a ſpeciall cōforte, for ſo moch as God is not forgetfull of his promes, but bryngeth them out of captiuite, acordynge as he had tolde them before.
In the boke of Job we lerne comforte and pacience, in that God not onely punyſheth the wicked, but proueth & tryeth the iuſt and righteous(howbeit there is neman innocent in his ſighte) by dyuerſe troubles in this lyfe, declaryng therby, yt they are not his baſtardes, but his deare ſonnes, and that he loueth them.
In the Pſalmes we lerne how to reſorte onely vnto God in all oure troubles, to ſeke helpe at him, to call onely vpon him, to ſatle oure myndes by paciēce, & how we ought in proſperite to be thankfull vnto him,
The Prouerbes and the Preacher of Salomon teach vs wyſdome, to knowe God, oure owne ſelues, and the worlde, and how vayne all thynges are, ſaue onely to cleue vnto God.
As for the doctryne of the Prophetes, what is it els, but an earneſt exhortacion to eſcheue ſynne, + to turne vnto God + a faythfull promes of the mercy ād pardon of God, vnto all them yt turne vnto him, and a threatenyng of his wrath to the vngodly + ſauynge that here and there they prophecye alſo manifeſtly of Chriſt, of ye expulſion of the Jewes, and callynge of the Heythen.
Thus moch thought I to ſpeake of ye olde Teſtament, wherin almyghtie God openeth vnto vs his myghtye power, his wyſdome, his louynge mercy & righteouſneſſe the which cauſe it oughte of no man to be abhored, deſpyſed, or lyghtly regarded, as though it were an olde ſcripture yt nothyng belōged vnto vs, or yt now were to be refuſed. For it is Gods true ſcripture yt & teſimony, which the Lorde Jeſus commaundeth the Jewes to ſearch. who ſo euer beleued not the ſcripturc, beleueth not Chriſt and who ſo refuſeth it, refuſeth God alſo.[3]
The New Teſtament or Goſpell, is a manyfeſt and cleare teſtymony of Chriſt how God perfourmeth his ooth and promes made in the olde Teſtament, how the New is declared and included in the Olde, and the Olde fulfylled and verifyed in the New.
