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ABoute this pistle hath euer beē noche doutynge and that amō¦te great learned mē who shuld be the auctor therof: diuerse af∣firminge that it was not Pau¦les partlye because the stile so disagreeth & is so vnlyk: his other epistles / & parrlye because it stondeth in
the seconde Chapter / this learninge was con∣fyrmed to vs warde: that is to saye taught vs by them that heard it them selues of the Lorde. Now Paule testifieth Gala. j. that he receaued not his gospell of man ner by man but ymme∣diatlye of Christ & that by reuelacion. Wherfo¦re saye they / seinge this mā confesseth that he receaued his doctryne of the Apostles it cānot be Pauls / but some disciple of the Apostles. Now whether it were Pauls or no I saye not / but permytit to other mennes iudgementes / ne ther thinke I it to be an article of anye mannes fayth / but that a man maye doute of the auctor.
Moreouer / manye there hath been which not onlye haue denyed this pistle to haue been wryt¦ten by anye of the Apostles / but haue also refu¦sed yt altogether as no catholick or godlye pist∣le / because of certen textes written therin. For fyrst it sayth in the si••te: it is impossible that they which were once lyghted / & haue tasted of the heuenly gyfte & were become partakers of the holy goost / & haue tasted of the good worde of God & of the power of the worlde to come if they fall / shuld be renewed agayne to repentaū¦ce or conuersion. And in the tēth it sayeth / if we synne wyllynglye after we haue receaued the knowledge of the truthe / there remarneth no more sacrifice for synnes / but a fearfull lokyn∣ge for iudgemēt & vyolent fyer which shall de∣stroye the aduersaries. And in the .xij. it sayeth that Esau founde no waye to repentaūce or cō¦uersyon ••no though he sought it with teares. Which textes saye they / sounde that if a mā syn ne anye more after he is once baptised / he can be nomore forgeuen / and that is contrary to all the scripture / and therfore to be refused to be catholyck and godlye.
Vnto which I answer: yf we shuld denie this pistle for those textes sakes / so shuld we denye fyrst Mathew which in his .xij. chap. affirmeth
that he which blasphemeth the holy goost / shall nether be forgeuē here ner in y• worlde to come. And then Marke which in his .iij. chap. sayeth that he that blasphemeth the holy goost / shall neuer haue forgeuenes / but shal be in daūger of eternall dānaciō. And thyrdly Luke which sayth there shal be no remissiō to hī that blasphemeth the spirite of God. Moreouer Iohn in his .j. pist¦le sayth there is a synne vnto deeth / for which a mā shuld not praye. And .ij. Petr. ij. sayth: yf a mā be fled frō the vnclennes of the worlde tho¦row the knowlege of the sau your Iesus Christ / and then be wropt in agayne / his ende is worse then the begininge & that it had bene better for him neuer to haue knowē the truthe. And Paul ij. timo. iij. cursseth Alexāder the copersinith / desyringe the Lorde to rewarde him accordinge to his dedes. Which is a signe that ether the pist¦le shuld not be good / or that Alexāder had syn∣ned past forgeuenes / no more to be prayed for. Wherfore seinge no scripture is of priuat inter pretaciō: but must be expounded accordinge to the generall articles of oure fayth & agreable to other opē & euidēt textes / & cōfirmed or cōpa¦red to lyke sentēces / why shuld we not vnderstō¦ee these places with lyke reuerēce as we do the other / namely when all the remnāt of the pist∣le is so godlye and of so great learninge.
The fyrst place in the .vj. Chapter will no more then that they which knowe the truthe / & yet willinglye refuse the light / and chose rather to dwell in darcknes / & refuse Christ & make a mocke of him (as the Pharises which when they were ouercome with scripture & myracles that Christ was the verye Messias / yet had soche lust in iniquite that they for soke him / persecu∣ted him slewe him & did all the shame that coul¦de be ymagined to him) cānot be renued (eis Me tano iam) sayth the Greke / to be conuerted:
that is to saye / soche malycious vnkyndnes which is none no•• her then the blaspheminge of the holy ghoost / deserueth that the spirite shall neuer come more at them to conuert th•• / which I beleue to be as true as eny other texte in all the scripture.
And what is meant by that place in the tēth chapter where he sayth / yf we synne willinglie after we haue receaued the knowledge of the tru¦the / there remayneth no more sacrifice for syn∣ne / is declared ymediatlye after. For he maketh a comparyson betwene Moses & Christ / sayen∣ge: if he which despised Moses lawe dyed wit∣hout mercie how moche worse punishement is he worthye of / that treadeth the sonne of God vnder fote & counteth the bloude of the coue∣naūt / by which bloude he was sanctified / as an vnholy thinge & blasphemeth the spirite of gra¦ce. By which wordes it is manyfest that he mea¦neth none other by the fore wordes / then the synne of blasphemye of the spirite.
For them that synne of ignoraunce or infir∣mitie / there is reamedie / but for him that kno∣weth the trouthe / & yet willinglye yeldeth him¦selfe to synne / and consenteth vnto the lyfe of synne with soule and bodye / and had leuer lye in synne then haue his poysoned nature healed by the helpe of the spirite of grace / & malycious¦lye persecuteth the truthe: for him I saye there is no remeadye the waye to mercie is locked vp & the spirite is taken frō him for his vnthank∣fulnes sake no more to be geuen him. Trouthe it is yf a man can tourne to God and beleue in Christ / he must be forgeuē how depe soeuer he hath synned: but that wyll not be with oute the spirite / & soche blasphemers shall no more haue the spirite offered them. Let euery mā therfore feare God & beware that he yelde not him selfe to serue synne / but how ofte soeuer he synne let
him begynne agayne & fyght afreshe / & no dou∣te he shall at the last ouercome / & in the mean¦tyme yet be vnder mercie for Christes sake be¦cause his harte worketh and wolde fayne be∣lowsed from vnder the bondage of fynne.
And that it sayeth in the. xi••. Esau foūde no waye (eis Metanono iam) to beconuerted & recō¦ciled vnto God & restored vnto his byrthright agayne / though he sought it with teares / that text must haue a spiritualleye. For Esau in sel¦lynge his byrthryght despised not only that tē¦porall promocion / that he shuld haue been lor∣de ouer all his brethren & kynge of that coūtre: but he also refused the grace & mercie of God & the spirituall blessinges of Abraham & Isaac & all the mercie that is promised vs in Christ which shuld have been his seed. Of this ye se that this epistle ought no more to be refused for holye / godlye & catholicke then the other au¦tenticke scriptures.
Now therfore to come to oure purpose agay¦ne / though this epistle (as it sayth in the six∣te) saye not the grounde of the fayth of Christ / yet it buyldeth conynglye theron pure golde / syluer & preciouse stones / & proueth the prest∣hode of Christ with scriptures ineuitable. Mo¦reouer ther is no worke in all the scripture that so playnlye declareth the meaninge & significa∣cions of the sacrifices / ceremonies & fygures of the olde testamēt / as this pistle: in so moche that if wilfull blindnes and malicious malyce were not the cause this epistle onlye were ynough to wede oute of the heartes of the Papistes that cankred heresye of iustifyenge of workes / con∣cerninge oure sacramentes / ceremonies and all maner tradicions of their awne inuencion.
And finallye in that ye se in the tenth that he had bene in bondes and pryson for Christes sa∣ke and in that he so myghtelye dryueth all to
Christ to be saued thorow him / and so cared for the flocke of Christ that he bothe wrote & sent / where he harde that they begonne to faynte / to comforte / courage and strength them with the worde of God / and in that also that he sent Ti∣mothe Pauls disciple both verteous / well lear∣ned and had in great reuerence / it is easie to se that he was a faythfull seruaunt of Christes & of the same doctryne that Timothe was of / ye and Paule him selfe was / and that he was an Apostle or in the Apostles tyme or nere therun¦to. And seinge the pistle agreeth to all the r••st of the scripture / yf it be indifferētlye loked on / how shuld it not be of auctoryte and taken for holye scrypture?