[A tragedye or enterlude manyfestyng the chefe promyses of God unto man by all ages in the olde lawe from the fall of Adam to the incarnacyon of the lorde Iesus Christ. Compyled by Johan Bale ...]

Baleus prolocutor

IF profyght maye growe, most Christē audyēce. By knowlege of thynges, whych are 〈…〉〈…〉, And here for a tyme. Of moch more 〈…〉〈…〉 Aduaūtage myght sprynge, by the ser〈…〉〈…〉¦ses heauenlye. As those matters are, that the Gospell specyfye. Without whose knowledge, no man to the truthe 〈…〉〈…〉 Nor euer atteyne, to the lyfe perpetuall. For he that knoweth not, the lyuynge God eter〈…〉〈…〉 The father, the sonne, and also the holye Ghost, And what Christ suffered, for redempcyon of vs all▪ What he commaunded, and taught in euery coost. And what he forbode. That man must nedes be lost. And cleane secluded, from the faythfull chosen sorte. In the heauens aboue, to hys most hygh dysconfo〈…〉〈…〉 Yow therfor (good fryndes) I louyngel〈…〉〈…〉 〈…〉〈…〉 To waye soche matters, as wyll be vttered h〈…〉〈…〉 Of whome ye maye lo••e, to haue no tryfelin〈…〉〈…〉 In fantasyes fayned, nor soche lyfe gaudying, But the thynges that shall, your inwarde stoma〈…〉〈…〉 To reioyce in God, for your iustyfycacyon, And alone in Christ, to hope for your saluacyon. Yea, first ye shall haue, the eternall generacyon. Of Christ lyke as Iohan, in hys first chapt•••• wryght▪ And consequentlye, of man the first creacyon, The abuse and fall, through hys first ouersyght, And the rayse agayne, through Gods hygh grace & myg〈…〉〈…〉 By promyses first, whych shall be declared all, Then by hys owne sonne, the worker pryncypall. After that Adam, bywayleth here hys fall, God wyll shewe mercye, to euery generacyon.

And to hys kyngedome, of hys great goodnesse call, Hys elected spouse, or faythfull congregacyon, 〈…〉〈…〉 shall apere, by open protestacyon, 〈…〉〈…〉 from Christes birthe, shall to hys deathe conclude. 〈…〉〈…〉ne that therof, wyll shewe the certytude,