The vvhole workes of W. Tyndall, Iohn Frith, and Doct. Barnes, three worthy martyrs, and principall teachers of this Churche of England collected and compiled in one tome togither, beyng before scattered, [and] now in print here exhibited to the Church. To the prayse of God, and profite of all good Christian readers.

¶ The Epistle or Preface to the Christian Reader.

AS we haue great cause to geeue thankes to the high prouidence of almighty God, for the excellent arte of Printing, most happely of late found out, and now commonly practised euery where, to the singular benefite of Chri∣stes Church, wherby great increase of learnyng and knowledge, with innumerable commodi∣ties els haue ensued, and dayly doe ensue to the lyfe of man, and especially to the fartheraunce of true Religion: so agayne of our parte, it is both of vs all in generall to be wished, and espe∣cially of them to be procured, who occupie the trade therof, rightly to vse the same to the glory of hym which gaue it, and to the ende wherefore it was ordayned, and not to abuse vnwor∣thely that worthy facultie, eyther in thrusting into the worlde euery vn∣worthy trifle that commeth to hand, or hauing respecte more to their owne priuate gayne, then regarde to the publike edifiyng of Christes Church, or necessary preferment of Religion. For therefore I suppose this science of Printing first to be set vp and sent of God to mans vse, not so much for tem∣porall commoditie to be taken, or mans glory to be sought thereby, but ra∣ther for the spirituall and inwarde supportation of soulehealth, helpe of Re∣ligion, restoring of true doctrine, repayring of Christes Church, and re∣pressing of corrupt abuses, which had heretofore ouerdarckened the doc∣trine of fayth, to reuiue agayne the lost lyght of knowledge to these blynde tymes, by renuing of holsome and auncient writers: whose doinges and teachinges otherwise had lyen in obliuion, had not the benefite of Printing brought them agayne to light, or vs rather to light by them. Wherfore such Printers in my mynde, are not to be defrauded of their due commendati∣on, who in pretermitting other light triflyng pamflets of matter vnneedful, and impertinent, little seruing to purpose, lesse to necessitie, doe employe their endeuour and workemanship chiefly to restore such fruitfull workes and monumentes of auncient writers, and blessed Martyrs: who as by their godly lyfe, and constant death, gaue testimonie to the trueth, in tyme wherein they suffered, so by their doctrine and learning, geeue now no lesse lyght to all ages and posteritie after them.

In the number of whome, may rightly be accompted, and no lesse re∣commended to the studious Christen Reader these three learned fathers of blessed memory, whom the Printer of this booke hath diligently collec∣ted, & in one volume togither, inclosed the workes I meane of William Tyn∣dall, Iohn Frith, and Robart Barnes: chiefe ryngleaders in these latter tymes of thys Church of England. Wherein as we haue much to prayse God for such good bookes left to the Church, and also for such Printers in preser∣uing by their industrie and charges such bookes from perishing: so haue I

to exhorte all studious readers, wyth lyke diligence to embrace the bene∣fite of God offered, and seriously to occupie them selues in markyng and folowing both the valiaunt actes, and excellent wrytinges of the sayd god∣ly persons. Concernyng the prayse whereof, I shall not neede in thys place to bestow much commendation: because, neither is it the prayse of men, but profite of the godly, that they doe seeke: nor yet the contempt of the vngodly that they doe feare. Moreouer, what is to be sayde or thought of them, rather by their owne workes, then by other mens wordes, by readyng their bookes, then by my preface, is to be seene. In perusing whereof, thou shalt fynde (gentle Reader) whether thou bee ignoraunt, what to learne, or whether thou be learned, what to folowe, and what to sticke to. Briefly, whatsoeuer thou art, if thou be yong, of Iohn Frith: if thou be in middle age, of W. Tyndall: if in elder yeares of D. Barnes, matter is here to be founde, not onely of doctrine to enforme thee, of comfort to delyte thee, of godly ensample to directe thee: but also of speciall admira∣tion, to make thee to wonder at the workes of the Lord, so mightely wor∣kyng in these men, so oportunely in stirryng them vp, so graciously in as∣sisting them.

Albeit diuers other also besides these, I say not nay, as well before them as after, through the secrete operation of Gods mighty prouidence haue beene raysed vp, both famous in learnyng, florishyng in witte, and stout in zeale, who labouryng in the same cause, haue no lesse valiantly and dough∣tely stoode in the like defence of Christes true Religion, agaynst blynde er∣rour, pestilent superstition, and perillous hypocrisie, namely, agaynst the Arche enemye of Christ and hys flocke, the Byshop I meane of Rome, with hys tyrannicall seate, as namely here in England, Iohn Wicklyffe, Rigge, Aston, Swynderby, W. Thorpe, Walter Brute, L. Cobham, wyth the residue of that former age: And also after them many other moe freshe wittes, fayth∣full preachers, and learned writers haue sprong vp by the Lord of hoastes to furnishe hys fielde: Briefly no age nor tyme hath euerlacked some or o∣ther, styll bayting at the beast, but especially nowe in these our present dayes such plenty, yea whole armyes the Lord hath powred vppon hys Church of heauenly souldiours, who not onely in number exceedyng, but in knowledge also excellyng, both by preaching and Printing, doe so gar∣nishe the Church in euery respecte, that it may seeme, and so peraduenture wil be thought this time of ours to stand now in little neede of such bookes and momumentes as these of former antiquitie: yet notwithstandyng, I am not of that mynde so to thinke. For albeit, increasing of learning of tonges, and sciences, wyth quicknes of wit in youth and other, doth maruailously shut vp, as is to be seene, to the sufficient furnishyng of Christes Church: yet so it happeneth I can not tell how, the farther I looke backe into those former tymes of Tyndall, Frith, and others lyke, more simplicitie, wyth true zeale, and humble modestie I see wyth lesse corruption of affections in them, and yet wyth these dayes of ours, I finde no fault. As by reading and conferring their workes togither may eftsoones appeare.

In opening the Scriptures, what trueth, what soundnes can a man re∣quire more, or what more is to be sayd, then is to be founde in Tyndall. In

his Prologues vppon the fiue bookes of Moses, vppon Ionas, vppon the Gospelles, and Epistles of S. Paule, namely to the Romaines: how perfect∣ly doth he hit the right sence, and true meaning in euery thing? In his obe∣dience, how fruitfully teacheth he euery person his dutie? In his expositi∣ons, and vppon the parable of the wicked Mammon, how pithely doth he perswade? how grauely doth he exhort? how louingly doth he comforte? simply without ostentation, vehement without contention. Which two faultes, as they cōmonly are wont to folow the most part of writers, so how farre the same were from him, and he from them, his replies and aunsweres to Syr Thomas More, doe well declare: in doctrine sound, in hart humble, in life vnrebukeable, in disputation modest, in rebuking charitable, in trueth feruent, and yet no lesse prudent in dispensing with the same, and bearyng with time, and with weakenes of men, as much as he might, sauing onely where mere necessitie constrayned hym otherwise to doe, for defence of trueth against wilfull blyndnes, and subtile hypocrisie, as in the Practise of Prelates is notorious to be seene. Briefly, such was his modestie, zeale, cha∣ritie, and painefull trauaile, that he neuer sought for any thing lesse, then for hymselfe: for nothyng more, then for Christes glory, and edification of o∣ther: for whose cause not onely he bestowed his labours, but hys life and bloud also. Wherfore not vnrightly he might be then, as he is yet cauled, the Apostle of England, as Paule cauleth Epaphroditus the Apostle of the Philippians, for his singular care and affection toward them. For as the A∣postles in the primatiue age first planted the Church in trueth of the Gos∣pell: so the same trueth beyng agayne defaced and decayed by enemies in thys our latter tyme, there was none that trauayled more earnestly in resto∣ring of the same in this Realme of England, then dyd William Tyndall.

With which William Tyndall, no lesse may be adioyned also Iohn Frith, and D. Barnes, both for that they togither with him in one cause, and about one tyme, sustayned the first brunt, in this our latter age, and gaue the first onset agaynst the enemies: as also for the speciall giftes of fruitfull eruditi∣on, and plentifull knowledge wrought in them by God, and so by them left vnto vs in their writinges. Wherfore accordyng to our promise in the booke of Actes and Monumentes, wee thought good herein to spend a litle diligence in collecting, and setting abroad their bookes togither, so many as could be founde, to remaine as perpetuall Lāpes, shyning in the Church of Christ, to geeue lyght to all posteritie. And although the Printer, herein ta∣king great paynes, coulde not paraduenture come by all (howbeit, I trust there lacke not many) yet the Lord be thanked for those which he hath gotte and here published vnto vs.

And woulde God the like diligence had beene vsed of our auncient forelders, in the tyme of Wickliffe, Puruey, Clerke, Brute, Thorpe, Husse, Hie∣rome, and such other, in searching and collecting their workes and writings. No doubt but many thinges had remayned in lyght, which now be lefte in obliuion. But by reason the Arte of Printing was not yet inuented, their worthy bookes were the sooner abolyshed. Such was then the wickednes of those dayes, and the practise of those Prelates then so craftie, that no good booke coulde appeare, though it were the Scripture it selfe in Eng∣lyshe,

but it was restrayned, and so consumed. Whereby ignoraunce and blyndnes so preuayled amonge the people, tyll at the last, it so pleased the goodnes of our God to prouide a remedy for that mischiefe, by multiply∣ing good bookes by the Printers penne, in such sort, as no earthly power was able after that (though they did their best) to stoppe the course there∣of, were he neuer so myghtie, and all for the fartheraunce of Christes Church.

Wherefore receaue (gracious Reader) the Bookes here collected and offered to thy hand, and thanke God, thou hast them, and reade them whi∣lest thou mayst, while time, life, and memory serueth thee. In reading wher∣of the Lord graunt, thou mayst receaue no lesse fruit by them, then the har∣ty desire of the setter forth is to wishe well vnto thee. And the same Lord al∣so graunt, I beseech him, that this my exhortation & wishe so may worke in all, that not onely the good, but the enemies also, which be not yet wonne to the worde of trueth, setting aside all partialitie and preiudice of opinion, woulde with indifferent iudgementes, bestow some reading and hearyng likewise of these, to taste what they doe teach, to vewe their reasons, and to trye their spirite, to marke the expositions of Tyndall, the argumentes of Frith, the Articles and allegations of Barnes. Which if they shall finde agre∣able to the tyme and antiquitie of the Apostles doctrine, and touchstone of Gods worde, to vse them to their instruction: If not, then to myslike them as they finde cause, after they haue first tryed them, and not be∣fore. And thus not to deteine thee with longer processe, from the reading of better matter, I referre and commende thee and thy studies gentle reader, with my harty wishe and prayer to the grace of Christ Iesu, and direction of hys holy spirite, desiryng thee lykewyse to doe the same for mee.

Iohn Foxe.