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God sente Ionas to preache to Niniue: he sente not a booke writtē to euery one of the Nini∣uites to reade them selues. God sayde by Hieremy (speakynge of the time of the Gospell) that the time should come he wold write his law in thartes of his people: So that the writtinge of tholde law in tables of stone (signifieng the stony hartes of the Iewes) is not to be reioysed at, but ra∣ther to be lamēted & to be asha∣med of, knowinge that Scryp∣ture
was only wryttē for sinne, els neuer had ben written, but only in the heart of mā. It was three thousande yeres after the creation of the world before the olde lawe was written: and yet then only writtē for wickednes and synne. It was also a longe space after the ascension before the new Testament was writ∣ten, some parte at one tyme and some at an other, and yet euery parte only writen for synne and scisme: so that the simple igno∣raunt people, this wel conside∣red, ought not to be so desyrous of the scripture written, as they ought to be desyrous to heare the trew meanyng of scripture: for that onlye is the scripture and the gospell of Christe. For sayth. S. Hierom. Euangelium
non est in scriptura, sed in sensu: non in superficie, sed in medulla: non in sermonum folijs, sed in ra∣dice rationis. The gospell is not in the wryting, but in the sense: it is not in the outwarde appe∣raunce, but in the inward mea∣nyng: it is not in the leaues of the bokes, but in the ghostly vn∣derstandynge. Christ neuer bad goe write his gospell or holye worde, but badde preache it. Then yf thou hast an humble heart, and canst but reade the englysh Bible, thinke thou must haue it taught thee, and not to take it thy selfe.
Saye as the Eunuche dyd to Philip: howe can I vnderstand it except I be taught? Christe did preache ofte to the people, but he wrote not to them at all:
and he sent his disciples and bad them preache to the people his ghospel, and then they went and preached, but he bad them not write at all. That whiche ye haue hearde (sayeth he) in se∣crete places shalbe preached on the toppes of the houses: he said not it shalbe written in youre churches (as it hathe been Ie∣wishly vsed on late here in Eng∣lande) nor written in Bybles to be read of euerye one in hys mother tongue, and set vp for that purpose in euerye churche, Peter sayeth the holye fathers did speake Gods worde by the holye ghost: he telleth nothinge of writyng it. Christe where he spake of the memorial of Ma∣ry Magdalene, saide: whersoe∣uer this ghospell shalbe prea∣ched.
&c. He sayde not wherso∣euer this Ghospell shalbe writ∣ten. Iohn Baptist preached muche, but where did he either write or commaund to be writ∣ten? Christe ofte promised that hys Ghospell shoulde bee preached in all the worlde:
And therfore sent fourth bothe the apostles, and the lxxij. dis∣ciples, and all godly preachers euer since (so that none canne preache except he be sent.) But in no place we rede that he bad go write his ghospel. I can not then but meruayl that men to their owne confusion are so de∣sierous to haue the scripture in their mother tongue. O howe oft speaketh Paule, and S. Pe¦ter also of preachinge the ghos∣pell? In the Epistle to the Ro∣maynes,
in either Epistle to the Corinthians, to the Galathi∣ans, to the Ephesians, to the Philippians, to the Colossiās, to the Thessalonians, to Ty∣mothe, and in Thartes. And S. Peter also bothe in his first Epistle & also thrise in thactes Besides this, Martha is pray∣sed in the Ghospell for hearyng Christes worde taughte: and Christ in his sermō in the moūt saieth, he that heareth my word and doeth it (not he that rea∣deth it or writeth it) shalbe like ned to the wise man buildynge vpon the rocke. &c. And agayne blessed be they that heare gods worde and kepe it: and as it is in the Actes when Peter prea∣ched, the holy ghost fell vpon al that heard him: yea and they of
Asia were praised for hearynge Gods word. But wher (I pray you) haue you of writynge it for all men to read? Howe be it the onelye drifte (as I thynke) of all suche as obstinatly sticke to haue the scripture in writing in the vulgar tongue, is therby to be Iudges of the sense of scripture them selues, contra∣rye to the vniuersall churche of Christ. But therfore it may not be suffered.
Ion. i. & iii.
Hier. xxxi.
Actes. viii.
Math. iiii.v
Mark .i. Luc. viii. Math. x. and .xxviii. Mar. vi.iii.xvi. Luc. ix.xxiiii Luc. xii.
ii. Pet. i.
Math. xxvi
Mark .i. Luc. iii.
Mat. xxiiii.
Mar. vi. Luc. x.
Rom. x.
Rom. x.xv.
i. cor. ix.xv: ii. Cor. i.xi. Gal. i.iiii.v. Ephes. ii. Phillip. i. Col. i. i. Thes. ii. i. Tim. ii.iii. ii. Tim. iiii. Act. ix.xv.xx i. Pet. iii, iiii Act. vix.xv. Luc. x. Math. vii. Luc. xi. Actes. x. Actes. xix.