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A preface into the newe Testament.
〈…〉〈…〉 Christ Apostle••▪ and with other such 〈…〉〈…〉 vnto vs the sum•• at 〈…〉〈…〉 the s•• 〈…〉〈…〉 that whiche was 〈…〉〈…〉* 1.1 〈…〉〈…〉 and ••phetes in their propheticall volumes, written by the inspiration 〈…〉〈…〉 in this booke more playnely and 〈…〉〈…〉 out▪* 1.2 vtterd 〈…〉〈…〉 selfe same sp••nt, by the children of the prophetes the holy Apostle••. In deede the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 was geuen by Moyses, but grace and veritie came by Iesus Christe, whiche grace this booke of the newe Testament doth most euidently commende and set out. In th•• discoursed the wholy misterie of our saluation and redemption, purchased by our 〈◊〉〈◊〉 our Christe, here is his holy conception described, his natiuitie his circumcision▪ 〈◊〉〈◊〉 whole life and conuersation, his godly doctrine▪ his diuine miracles. In this booke of the newe Testament is set out his death, his resurrection, his ascention, his sending of the holy spirite, his session in our fleshe on the right hande of his father,* 1.3 making ••¦nuall intercession to him for vs. In this booke contayned the fourme and ord••r of his last iudgement after the generall resurrection of our bodyes.* 1.4 These be the 〈…〉〈…〉 of our fayth, these be the groundes of our saluation, these be thu•• written that we shoulde beleue them▪ and by our beliefe shoulde enioy life euerlasting. Once and in tymes past God diuersly and many vvayes spake vnto the father▪* 1.5 by the prophete•• but in these last dayes he hath spoken vnto vs (vpon vvhom the endes of the vvorlde be come) by his ovvne sonne, vvhom he hath made heire of all thinge vvhose dignitie is suche, that he is the brightnesse of his fathers glory, the very image of his substaunce,* 1.6 ruling all thinges by the vvorde of his povver. This heauenly doctour so indued vvith glory and maiestie▪ vve ought most reue¦rently to beleue, as commended vnto vs from the aucthoritie of the heauenly father, to be hearde as his most vvelbeloued sonne, in vvhom is his vvhole delight, by vvhom he vvyll be pleased and pacified: It vvyll els come to passe saith that prophete Moyses, that vvhosoeuer shall not here and obay that prophete in the vvordes that he shall speake in his fathers name, I vvill be saith the father,* 1.7 re¦uenger of him. This is the last prophete to be looked for to speake vnto vs: In hym be vniuersally inclosed the riches and treasures o•• the vvisdome and knovvledge of God his father, by him he hath decreed finally to iudge the vvhole vvorlde,* 1.8 the liuing and the dead▪ by him hath he decreed to geue to his elect the life euerlasting, and to the reprobate (vvho hath contempned his life and doctrine death euerlasting. Let vs therfore seriously heare and obay this our heauenly teacher, submit our selues to this our iudge and revvarder: Let v•• esteeme his doctrine and conuersation, as a ful, perfect, and sufficient patterne of al holyne•• and vertue: Let vs esteeme the doctrine of this booke as a most inflexible rule to leade vs to all trueth and nevvnesse of life. Here may vve beholde the eternall legacies of the nevve Testament, bequeathed from God the father in Christe his sonne to all his elect••••▪ I say the legacies liuely renevved vnto vs, not of de¦liueraunce from Pharao his seruitude, but from the bondage and thraldome of that perpetuall aduersarie of ours the deuill: here may vve beholde our inheritaunce, not of the temporall lande of Chanaan, or of the translation of vs to the place of vvorldly paradise: but here vve may see the full restitution of vs, both in body and soule, to the celestiall paradise, the heauenly citie of Hierusalem aboue,* 1.9 there to raigne vvith God the father, God the sonne, and God the holy ghost for euer▪ vvhiche legacies of his Testament promised and be∣queathed, vvere notvvithstanding recorded in the bookes of the olde Testament to our auncient fathers, vvhiche in hope beleued in Christe to come, vvho vvas painted before them in figures and shadovves,* 1.10 and signified in their olde sacramentes ordayned for that tyme: but novve more euidently renevved and exhibited vnto vs▪ not in figure▪ but in deede, not in promise, but in open sight▪ in feeling, in handling and touching of this eternall life,* 1.11 most manifestly confirmed vnto vs in Christe his blood in this his nevve Testament conti∣nued and reuiued, yet in nevve sacramentes, the better to beare in our remembraunce this his eternall Testament of all ioyfull felicities. Let vs novve therefore good christian people, reioyce in these glad tidinges expressed vnto vs by the name of the gospell of our sauiour Christe, and let it neuer fall out of our remembraunce that vve vvere sometime ouervvhelmed in darkenesse,* 1.12 and set in the shadovve of death: let vs consider that vve vvere sometime by our naturall byrth, the chyldren of God his vvrath, and vvholly estraunged from the housholde of God. Let vs beare in minde that vve vvere somtime no people of God, nor his beloued, that vve vvere by nature braun∣ches of the vvilde oliue, and novve by mere mercy grafted into the right and naturall oliue tree:* 1.13 vvhervpon let vs the rather repose our life in feare and reuerence. If vve be novve the chyldren of light, let vs vvalke in this our light in all holynesse and godlynesse of 〈◊〉〈◊〉, ap∣prouing that vvhiche is pleasing to the Lorde. Let vs haue no felovvship vvith the vnfruitfull vvorkes of darknesse, and let vs hence∣foorth be no more chyldren, vvauering and caried about vvith euery vvinde of doctrine, and by the deceipt and craftinesse of men vvherby they lay in vvayte to deceaue vs: but let vs folovve the trueth in loue and charitie, and in al thinges grovve vp into him vvhich is the head, that is Christe our sauiour. If vve be novve the chyldren of grace and made liuely members of his body, though sometyme straungers and forreyners farre of▪ and made neare by the blood of Christe, and made citizens vvith the saintes, and of the housholde of God: let vs direct our heartes thither vvhere our head is, deliting our selfe in all heauenly cogitations, vvalking in all spirituall vvorkes and fruites of the spirite, as Gods deare elect. God graunt that Christe may so dvvell in our heartes by fayth,* 1.14 that vve may be hable to comprehende vvith all sainctes the vnspeakable loue of Christe, vvhich passeth all mans knovvledge. Vnto him therefore vvhiche 〈◊〉〈◊〉 hable to do exceeding aboundauntly aboue all that vve can aske or thinke, be prayse in the Churche by Christe Iesus, throughout all ge¦nerations for euer. Amen.
* 1.15And here yet once againe, let the reader be admonished charitably to examine this translation of the nevve Testament folovving, and be not offended vvith diuersitie of interpretation, though he finde it not to agree to his vvont text, or yet to disagree from the com∣mon translation: Remembring vvhat Santes Pagninus testifieth of that auncient interpreter saint Hierome, that in many places of his commentaries, he doth reade and expounde othervvise then is founde in the common translation: Yea saith Santes, Hierome doth retract very many places, and doth playnely confesse, that him selfe vvas deceaued by the haste of his translating in the doubtfull signification of the vvordes. And therfore saith the saide Hierome thus: I thinke it better to rebuke mine ovvne errour, then (vvhyle I am ashamed to confesse my lacke of skill) to persist in an errour. For vvho vvas euer, saith he, so vvell learned, that hath not somevvhere ben decea¦ued. Thus farre saint Hierome, vvhervpon good reader I exhort thee, reade aduisedly, expende learnedly, an•• ••orrect charitably, and be not offended (good englishe reader) to see the holy scriptures in thyne ovvne language, as a matter nevvly seene: seeing that our ovvne countreyman that venerable priest Bede, many yeres agone did translate saint Iohns gospell into the vulgare tongue, Ad vtilita∣tem ecclesiae, to the profite of the Church, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Cu••••be•••• & Du••ham ••••y, who reporteth Bedes ovvne saying: N••lo vt discipuli mei mendatium legant, I vvoulde not that my disciples should reade any lye, or spende their labour after my departure vvithout fruite.* 1.16 VVhiche thing 〈…〉〈…〉 doth testifie of him. In h••••s diebus etiam euangelium Iohannis in Anglica•••• transtulit linguam iuxta Aposto∣lum: Sapientibus, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 ipsipientibus debitor sum, & omnibus omnia factus. In these dayes (of his sicknesse) he did tran¦slate the gospell of saint Iohn into the englishe tongue saying vvith the apostle: I am detter to the learned and vnlearned▪ I am made all to all. The rather he so did saith VVilliam Malmesberi••: Quia ••••c euangelium difficultate sui, mentes legentium excre••i. Because this gospell by the difficultie that is in it, doth so much exercise the vvitte•• ••f the readers, therfore he did interprete it into the englishe tongue: and so did condiscende (saith he) to them vvhiche vvere not skilfull in the latin tongue. God graunt that all readers may take so much profite therby, as the good translatour-ment vnto them Amen