y^e Gospell or promises which thou metest in y^e scripture / beleue fast y^t God will fulfill them vn to y^e / and that vn to y^e vttemost Iott / at the repentaunce of thyne herte / whē thou turnest to hym & forsakest euell / even of his goodnesse & fatherly mercie vn to the / ād not for thy flatterīge hym with ypocritish workes of thyne awne fayninge. So y^t a fast faith only with out respecte of all workes / is the forgeuenesse both of the synne which we did in tyme of ignoraunce with luste ād cōsent to synne / & also of all the synne which we doo by chaunce & of frailte / after y^t we are come to knowlege ād have professed y^e law out of oure hertes. And all dedes serue only for to helpe oure neyboures & to tame oure flesh that we fall not to synne agayne / & to exercice oure soules   in vertue / & not to make satisfaction to Godward for y^e synne y^t is once paste.

¶ And all other stories of y^e bible / with out excepciō / are y^e practisinge of y^e law & of the Gospell / and are true and faitfull ensamples & sure erneste y^t God will euen so deale with vs / as he did with thē / in all infirmities / in all temptaciōs / & in all like cases & chaunces. Wherin ye se on y^e one syde / how fatherly & tendirly & with all cōpassion god entreateth his electe which submitte them selues as scolers / to lerne to walke in the wayes of his lawes / & to kepe thē of loue. If they forgatt thē selues at a time & wēt astraye / he sought thē out & sett thē agayne with all mercie. If they fell & hurte thē selues / he healed thē agayne with all compassion & tendernesse of hert. He hath ofte brought greate tribulation & aduersite vppon his electe: but all of fatherly loue only / to teach thē & to make them se their awne hertes & y^e sinne y^t there laye hid / that they might aftirwarde feale his mercie. For his mercie wayted vppon thē / to rid them out agayne / assone as they ware lerned & come     to y^e knowlege of their awne hertes: so that he neuer cast man awaye how depe so euer he had sinned / saue thē ōly which had first cast y^e yocke of his lawes frō their neckes / with vtter diffiaunce & malice of herte.

Which ensamples how cōfortable are they for vs / whē we be fallen in to sinne & God is come vppō vs with a scorge / y^t we dispeare not / but repēt with full hope of mercie after y^e ensamples of mercie y^t are gone before: And therfore they were written for our lernīge / as testifieth Paul Ro. xv. to cōforte vs / y^t we might y^e better put oure hope & trust in God / whē we se / how mercifull he hath bene in tymes past vn to our weake brethern y^t are gone before / in all theyr aduersities / neade / temptaciōs / ye & horrible synnes in to which they now & then fell.

¶ And on y^e other side ye se how they y^t hardened their hertes & synned of malice & refused mercie y^t was offered thē & had no power to repēt / perished at y^e later ende with all confusion & shame mercilessely. Which ensamples are very good & necessary / to kepe vs in awe & dreade in tyme of prosperite   as thou maist se by Paul. j. Cor. x. that we abyde in the feare of God / & wax not wild and fall to vanities ād so synne ād prouoke God and bringe wrath vppon vs.

¶ And thridly ye se in that practise / how as god is mercifull & longesoferynge / euen so were all his true prophetes & prechers / beringe the infirmities of their weake brethern & their awne wrōges & iniuries with all paciēce & longesoferinge / neuer castinge any of thē of their backes / vn tyll they synned agenst y^e holygost / maliciously persecutinge y^e open & manifest trouth: cōtrary vn to the ensample of y^e Pope / which in sinninge agenst God & to quench y^e trueth of his holy spirite / is euer chefe captayne and trōpetblower / to sett other awerke / ād seketh only his awne fredome / liberte / priuilege / welth / prosperite / profite / pleasure / pastyme / honoure & glorie / with y^e bondage / thraldome / captiuite / miserie / wretchednesse & vile subiectiō of his brethern: & in his awne cause is so feruent / so steffe & cruell / that he will not sofre one word spoken agenst his false magiste / wily inuenciōs ād iuglynge   ypocrisie to be vnaduēged / thongh all christendome shuld be sett to gether by the eares / and shuld cost he cared not how many hundred thousande their lives.

Now y^t thou mayst reade Ionas frutefully & not as a poetis fable / but as an obligacō betwene God and thy soule / as an ernist peny geuen y^e of God / y^t he wil helpe y^e in time of nede / if thou turne to him ād as the word of god y^e only fode ād life of thy soule / this marke & note. First count Ionas the frend of god ād a man chosen of god to testifie his name vn to y^e worlde: but yet a younge scolar / weake & rude / after y^e faciō of y^e appostles / while Christ was yet with them bodyly. Which though Christ taught thē euer to be meke & to vmble thē selues / yet oft stroue amonge them selues who shuld be greatest. The sonnes of Zebede wold sitt / the one on the right hōde of Christ ād the other on y^e lifte. They wold praye / that fire might descēde from heuen / and consume the Samaritanes.

¶ Whē Christ axed who saye men that I am / Peter answered / thou arte the sonne   of the lyuinge God / as though Peter had bene as perfecte as an angell. But immediatly after / when Christ preached vn to thē of his deeth & passiō / Peter was angre & rebuked Christe & thought ernestly y^t he had raued & not wist what he sayde: as at a nother time / when Christ was so feruētly busied in healinge y^e people / y^t he had not leyser to eate / they went out to holde him / supposinge that he had bene besyde him selfe. Ande one y^t cast out deuels in Christes name / they forbade / because he wayted not on them / so glorious were they yet.

¶ And though christ taughte all waye to forgeue / yet peter after longe goenge to scole / axed wether men shuld forgeue .vij. tymes / thynkinge y^t .viij. tymes had bene to moch. And at y^e last soper Peter wold have died with christe / but yet within fewe howres after / he denied hym / both cowardly & shamefully. And after y^e same maner / though he had so lōge herd that nomā might auenge him selfe / but rather turne y^e other cheke to / then to smyte agayne / yet when Christ was in