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.

A Prologue vpon the E∣pistle of Saint Paule to the He∣brues, by William Tyndall.

About this epistle hathe∣uer ben much doubting * 1.1 & that amōg great lear∣ned men, who should be the authour thereof diuers affirmyng that it was not Paules, partly because the style so disagreeth, and is so vnlike hys other Epistles, and partly bicause it standeth in the second Chapter, this learnyng was confirmed to vs ward: that is to say, taught vs by them that heard it them selues of the Lord. Now Paule testifieth Gala. 1. that he recey∣ued not his Gospell of man, nor by mā, but immediatly of Christ, and that by reuelation. Wherfore say they, seing this man confesseth that hee receiued his doctrine of the Apostles, it can not be Paules, but some Disciple of the A∣postles. Now whether it were Pauls or no I say not, but permit it to other mens iudgementes, neither thinke I it to be an Article of any mans fayth, but that a man may doubt of the au∣thour.

Moreouer, many there hath bene which not onely haue denyed this E∣pistle * 1.2 to haue bene written by any of the Apostles, but haue also refused it all together as no Catholicke or godly epistle, bicause of certaine textes writ∣ten therin. For first he sayth in the sixt it is impossible that they whiche were once lighted, and haue tasted of the hea¦uēly gift, and were become partakers of the holye ghoste, and haue tasted of the good worde of GOD, and of the power of the worlde to come, if they fall, shoulde bee renewed agayne to repentaunce or conuersion. And in the tenth it sayth: if we sinne willingly after we haue receiued the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sinnes, but a fearefull loo∣kyng for iudgement, and violent fyre whiche shall destroy the aduersaries. And in the xij. it saith, that Esau found no way to repentaunce or conuersion, no, thoughe he sought it with teares. Whiche textes say they, sound: that if a man sinne any more after he is once Baptised, he can be no more forgeuen, and that is contrary to all the Scrip∣ture, and therefore to be refused to be Catholicke and godly.

Vnto whiche I aunswere: if we should denye this Epistle for those textes sakes, so should we deny first * 1.3 Mathew, which in his xij. Chapter af∣firmeth that he which blasphemeth the holy Ghost, shall neither be forgiuen here, nor in the world to come. And then Marke, which in his thyrd Cha∣piter sayth, that he that blasphemeth the holy Ghost, shal neuer haue forgi∣uenesse, but shalbe in daunger of eter∣nall damnation. And thirdly Luke, which saith there shall be no remission to him that blasphemeth the spirite of God. Moreouer Iohn in his first E∣pistle saith, there is a sinne vnto death, for which a man should not pray. And ij. Pet. ij. saith if a man be fled from the vncleanesse of the world through the knowledge of our Sauiour Iesus Christ, and then be wrapt in agayne, his ende is worse then the beginnyng, and that it had better for him neuer to haue knowen the truth. And Paule ij, Ti. iij. curseth Alexander the Copper∣smith, desiring the lord to reward him accordyng to his deedes. Whiche is a signe that either y^t Epistle should not be good, or that Alexander had sinned past forgiuenesse, no more to be prayed for. Wherfore, seyng no Scripture is of priuate interpretation, but must be expounded accordyng to the generall Articles of our fayth, and agreable to other open and euident textes, & con∣firmed * 1.4 or compared to lyke sentences, why should we not vnderstand these places with like reuerēce as we do the other, namely when all the remnaunt of the Epistle is so godly, & of so great learnyng?

The first place in the vj. Chapiter, will no more then that they whiche know the truth, and yet willingly re∣fuse the light, and chuse rather to dwell in darkenes, and refuse Christ, & make

a mocke of him (as y^• Pharisies, which whē they were ouercome with Scrip∣ture & miracles, y^• Christ was the very Messias, yet had they such lust in ini∣quitie that they forsoke him, persecuted him, slewe him, and did all the shame that could be imagined to him) can not bee renued (〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉) sayth the Greeke, to be conuerted: that is to say, such malicious vnkyndnesse, which is none other, then the blasphemyng of the holy Ghost, deserueth that the spi∣rite shall neuer come more at them to conuerte them, whiche I beleue to be as true, as any other text in all the Scripture.

And what is ment by that place in the tenth Chapter, where he sayth, if we sinne willingly after we haue re∣ceiued y^t knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice, for sinne is declared immediatly after. For he maketh a comparison betwene Moses and Christ, saying: if he which despised Moses law dyed without mercy, how much worse punishment is he worthy of, that treadeth the sonne of God vn∣derfoote, and counteth the bloud of the couenaunt, by whiche bloud he was sanctified, as an vnholy thyng, & blas∣phemeth the spirite of grace? By which wordes it is manifest that he meaneth none other by the fore wordes, then the sinne of blasphemy of the spirite.

For them that sinne of ignoraunce or infirmitie, there is remedy, but for him that knoweth the truthe, and yet willingly yeldeth him selfe to sinne, & consenteth vnto the lyfe of sinne with soule and body, & had rather lye in sin, then haue his poysoned nature healed, * 1.5 by the helpe of the spirite of grace, and maliciously persecuteth the truth, for him I say there is no remedy, the way to mercy is locked vp, and the spirite is taken from him, for his vnthanke∣fulnesse sake no more to be geuen him. Truthe it is, if a mā can turne to God and beleue in Christ, he must be forgi∣uen how deepe soeuer he hath sinned: but that wil not be without the spirite, and such blasphemers shall no more haue the spirite offred them. Let euery man therefore feare God, and beware that he yeld not him self to serue sinne, but how oft soeuer he sinne, let him be gyn agayne and fight a freshe, and no doubt he shal at the last ouercome, and in the meane tyme, yet be vnder mercy for Christes sake, because his hart wor∣keth, and would fayne be loused from vnder the bondage of sinne.

And there it sayth in the. xij. Esau founde no way (〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉) to bee conuerted and reconciled vnto God, and restored vnto his byrth right a∣gayn, though he sought it with teares, that text must haue a spirituall eye. For Esau in sellyng his byrthright, despi∣sed not onely that temporall promo∣tion, that he should haue bene Lord o∣uer all his brethren, and kyng of that countrey: but he also refused the grace and mercy of GOD, and the spirituall blessyng of Abrahā and Isaac, and all y^t mercy that is promised vs in Christ: which should haue bene his seede. Of this ye see that this Epistle ought no more to be refused for holy, godly, and Catholicke, then the other autentike Scriptures.

Now therfore to come to our pur∣pose agayne, though this Epistle (as it sayth in the sixt) lay not the grounde of the fayth of Christ, yet it buildeth cun∣nyngly thereon pure gold, siluer, and precious stones, & proueth the Priest∣hode of Christ with Scriptures ineui∣table. Moreouer, there is no worke in * 1.6 all the Scripture, that so playnly de∣clareth the meanyng and significatiōs of the sacrifices, ceremonies, and figu∣res of the old Testament, as this Epi∣stle: in so much that if wilful blindnes, & malicious malice were not the cause, this Epistle onely were enoughe to wede out of the hartes of the papistes, that cankred heresie of iustifiyng of workes, cōcernyng our Sacraments, ceremonies, and all maner traditions of their owne inuention.

And finally in that ye see in the tenth that he had bene in bondes, and prison for Christes sake, & in y^t he so mighte∣ly driueth all to Christ to be saued tho∣rough him, and so cared for the flocke of Christ that he both wrote and sent, where hee heard that they begon to faynte, to comforte, courage, & strength them with the word of GOD, and in that also that he sent Timothe, Paules Disciple, both vertuous, well learned, and had in great reuerence, it is easy to see that he was a faythfull seruaunt of Christes, and of the same doctrine that Timothe was of, yea, and Paule hym * 1.7 selfe was of, and y^• he was an Apostle or in the Apostles tyme, or nere there∣unto. And seyng the Epistle agreeth to all the rest of the Scripture (if it be in∣differently looked on) why should it not bee authoritie and taken for holy Scripture?

Notes

• * 1.1

  Whether this were Paules e∣pistle or no great lear∣ned men haue doub∣ted.
• * 1.2

  Some de∣ny it to haue bene written by anye Apo∣stle, and re∣fuse it as not Catho∣like.
• * 1.3

  A solution of the for∣mer doubts
• * 1.4

  This not to be deni∣ed to be Paules Epistle.
• * 1.5

  Mercy is locked vp from hym which wil¦fully yel∣deth his bo¦dy 〈◊〉〈◊〉 soule to sinne.
• * 1.6

  No place in the scri∣pture, so plainly de∣scribeth the signifi∣cations & figures of the olde te∣stament, as this epistle doth.
• * 1.7

  This epi∣stle for that it agreeth with the rest of the scripture ought to be of equal au¦thoritie with the other.