¶ The prophete
Ionas / with an introducciō before teachinge to vnderstōde him and the right vse also of all the scripture / and why it was written / and what is therin to be sought / and shewenge wherewith the scripture is locked vpp that he which readeth it / can not vnderstōde it / though he studie therin neuer so moch: and agayne with what keyes it is so opened / that the reader can be stopped out with no sotilte or false doctrine of man / from the true sense and vnderstondynge therof.

    W. T. vn to the Christen reader.

As y^e ēvious Philistenes stopped y^e welles of Abraham ād filled them vpp with erth / to put y^e memoriall out of mīde / to y^e entent y^t they might chalenge y^e grounde: even so the fleshly mīded ypocrites stoppe vpp the vaynes of life which are in y^e scripture / w^t the erth of theyr tradiciōs / false similitudes & lienge allegories: & y^t of like zele / to make y^e scripture theyr awne possessiō & marchaundice: and so shutt vpp the kingdome of heven which is Gods worde nether enterīge in thē selues nor soferinge them that wolde.

¶ The scripture hath a body with out / ād within a soule / sprite & life. It hath w^t out a barke / a shell ād as it were an hard bone for y^e fleshly mynded to gnaw vppon. And within it hath pith / cornell / mary & all swetnesse for Gods electe which he hath chosen to geve them his spirite / & to write his law & y^e faith of his sonne in their hertes.

¶ The scripture cōteyneth .iii. thīges in it first y^e law to cōdemne all flesh: secōdaryly y^e Gospell / y^t is to saye / promises of mercie   for all y^t repent & knowlege their sinnes at the preachīge of y^e law & cōsent in their hertes that the law is good / & submitte them selues to be scolers to lern to kepe the lawe & to lerne to beleue y^e mercie that is promised thē: & thridly the stories & liues of those scolars / both what chaunces fortuned thē / & also by what meanes their scolemaster taught thē and made them perfecte / & how he tried the true from the false.

¶ When y^e ypocrites come to y^e lawe / they put gloses to ād make no moare of it then of a worldly law which is satisfied with y^e outwarde worke and which a turke maye also fulfill. Whē yet Gods law never ceaseth to cōdemne a man vntill it be written in his herte and vntill he kepe it naturally without cōpulsion & all other respecte saue only of pure love to God and his neyboure / as he naturally eateth whē he is an hongred / without cōpulsiō & all other respecte / saue to slake his hongre only.

¶ And whē they come to the Gospell / there they mīgle their leuen & saye / God now receaueth vs no moare to mercie / but of     mercie receaueth vs to penaunce / that is to wete / holy dedes y^t make them fatt belies & vs their captiues / both in soule and body. And yet they fayne theyr Idole y^e Pope so mercifull / y^t if thou make a litle money glister in his Balams eyes / there is nether penaunce ner purgatory ner any fastīge at all but to fle to heven as swefte as a thought and at the twinkellynge of an eye.

¶ And the liues stories and gestes of men which are cōtayned in the bible / they reade as thīges no moare perteynīge vn to thē / then a take of Robī hode / & as thīges they wott not wherto they serue / saue to fayne false discāt & iuglinge allegories / to stablish their kingdome with all. And one y^e chefest & fleshliest studie they have / is to magnifie y^e sayntes aboue measure & aboue y^e trueth & with their poetrie to make them greater then euer God make them. And if they finde any infirmite or synne asscribed vn to y^e saintes / that they excuse with all diligēce / diminushīge the glorie of y^e mercie of God & robbinge wretched sinners of all theyr cōforte / & thinke therby to flater the sayntes   and to obtayne their fauoure & to make speciall aduocates of thē: even as a man wold obtayne y^e fauoure of wordely tirantes: as they also fayne the saintes moch moare cruell then ever was any heathē man & moare wrekefull and vengeable then y^e poetes faine their godes or their furies y^t torment y^e soules in hell / if theyr euēs be not fasted & their images visited & saluted wyth a Pater noster (whych prayer only oure lippes be accoynted with oure hertes vnderstōdinge none at all) and worsheped w^t a candell & y^e offerīge of oure deuociō/ in y^e place which thei haue chosen to heare y^e supplicaciōs & meke peticiōs of their clientes therin.

¶ But thou reader thīke of y^e law of God how y^t it is all to gether spirituall / & so spirituall y^t it is neuer fulfilled w^t dedes or werkes / vntill they flow out of thyne herte w^t as greate loue toward thy neyboure / for no deseruīge of his ye though he be thine enimie / as Christ loued y^e ād did for the / for no deseruīge of thyne / but evē whē thou wast his enimie. And in y^e meane time / thoroute all our infancie & childhod in Christ / tyll     we be growen vpp in to perfecte men in the full knowlege of christ & full loue of christ agayne & of oure neyboures for his sake / after y^e ensample of his loue to vs / rembenbir that y^e fulfillynge of y^e law is / a fast fayth in christes bloud coupled w^t our professiō & submyttīge our selues to lerne to doo better.

¶ And of