The Conclusion of "the Prologue of the Prophet Jonah, made by WILLIAM TINDAL," (at Page 23 of his Works,) beginning at Page 30.

Ox this manner to read the Scripture is the right use thereof, and why the Holy Ghost caused it to be written. That is, that thou first seek out the law, that God will have thee to do, interpreting it spiritually, without gloss or covering the brightness of Moses's face, so that thou feel in thine heart, how that it is damnable sin before God, not to love thy neighbour that is thine enemy, as purely as Christ loved thee, and that not to love thy neighbour in thine heart, is to have committed already all sin against him. And, therefore, until that love be come, thou must knowledge unfeignedly that there is sin in the best deed thou doest. And it must earnestly grieve thine heart, and thou must wash all thy good deeds in Christ's blood, ere they can be pure, and an acceptable sacrifice unto God, and must desire God the Father, for his sake, to take thy deeds a worth, and to pardon the imperfectness of them, and to give thee power to do them better and with more fervent love.

And on the other side, thou must search diligently for the promises of mercy, which God hath promised thee again; which two points, that is to wit, the law spiritually interpreted, how that all is damnable sin, that is not unfeigned love out of the ground and bottom of the heart, after the ensample of Christ's love to us, because we be all equally created and formed of one God our Father, and indifferently bought, and redeemed with one blood of our Saviour Jesus Christ and that the promises be given unto a repenting soul, that thirsteth and longeth after them, of the pure and fatherly mercy of God, through our faith only, without all deserving of our deeds or merits of our works, but for Christ's sake alone, and

for the merits and deservings of his works, death and passions, that he suffered altogether for us, and not for himself: which two points, I say, if they be written in thine heart, are the keys which so open all the Scripture unto thee, that no creature can lock thee out, and with which thou shalt go in and out, and find pasture and food every where. And if these lessons be not written in thine heart, then is all the Scripture shut up, as a kernel in the shell, so that thou mayest read it and comment of it, and rehearse all the stories of it, and dispute wittily, and be a profound sophister, and yet understand not one jot thereof. And thirdly, that thou take the stories and lives which are contained in the Bible, for sure and undoubted ensamples, that God will so deal with us unto the world's end.

Herewith, reader, farewell, and be commended unto God, and unto the grace of his Spirit. And first see that thou stop not thine ears unto the calling of God, and harden not thine heart beguiled with fleshly interpreting of the law, and false imaginéd and hypocritish righteousness, lest then the Ninevites rise with thee at the day of judgment, and condemn thee.

And secondarily, if thou find ought amiss, when thou seest thyself in the glass of God's word, think it necessary wisdom, to amend the same betimes, monished and warned by the ensample of other men, rather than to tarry until thou be beaten also.

And thirdly, if it shall so chance, that the wild lusts of thy flesh shall blind thee, and carry thee clean away with them for a time: yet at the latter end, when the God of all mercy shall have compassed thee in on every side with temptations, tribulation, adversities and cumbrance to bring thee home again unto thine own heart, and to set thy sins, which thou wouldest so fain cover, and put out of mind with

delectation of voluptuous pastimes, before the eyes of thy conscience; then call the faithful ensample of Jonah, and all like stories unto thy remembrance, and with Jonah turn unto thy Father that smote thee, not to cast thee away, but to lay a corrosive, and a fretting plaster unto the pock, that lay hid and fret inward, to draw the disease out, and to make it appear, that thou mightest feel thy sickness, and the danger thereof, and come and receive the healing plaster of mercy. And forget not that whatsoever ensample of mercy, God hath shewed since the beginning of the world, the same is promised thee, if thou wilt in like manner turn again and receive it as they did, and with Jonah be aknowen of thy sin and confess it, and knowledge it unto thy Father.

And as the law which fretteth thy conscience is in thine heart, and is none outward thing, even so seek within thy heart the plaster of mercy, the promises of forgiveness in our Saviour Jesus Christ, according unto all the ensamples of mercy that are gone before.

And with Jonah let them that wait on vanities, and seek God here and there, and in every temple save in their hearts, go; and seek thou the testament of God in thine heart. For in thine heart is the word of the law, and in thine heart is the word of faith, in the promises of mercy in Jesus Christ. that if thou confess with a repenting heart and knowledge, and surely believe that Jesus is Lord over all sin, thou art safe.

So

And finally, when the rage of thy conscience is ceased, and quieted with fast faith in the promises of mercy, then offer with Jonah the offering of praise and thanksgiving, and pay the vow of thy baptism, that God only saveth, of his only mercy and goodness: that is, believe stedfastly and preach constantly, that it is God only that smiteth, and God only that healeth: ascribing the cause of thy tribulation unto thine own sin, and the cause of thy deliverance.

unto the mercy of God. And beware of the leaven that saith we have power in our free will before the preaching of the Gospel, to deserve grace, and to keep the law of congruity, or God to be unrighteous. And say with John in the first, that as the law given by Moses, even so grace to fulfil it, is given by Christ. And when they say, 'our deeds with grace deserve heaven, say thou with Paul (Rom. vi.) that Everlasting life is the gift of God through Jesus Christ our Lord," "And that we be made sons by faith." (John, i.) "And therefore heirs of God with Christ." (Rom. viii.) And say that we receive all of God through faith, that followeth repentance, andthat we do not our works unto God, but either unto ourselves, to slay the sin that remaineth in the flesh, and to wax perfect, either unto our neighbours, which do as much for us again in other things. And when a man exceedeth in gifts of grace, let him understand that they be given him, as well for his weak brethren, as for himself: as though all the bread be committed unto the panter, yet for his fellows with him, which give the thanks unto their Lord, and recompense the panter again, with other kind service in their offices. And when they say that Christ hath made no satisfaction for the sin we do after our baptism: say thou with the doctrine of Paul, that in our baptism we receive the merits of Christ's death through repentance, and faith, of which two, baptism is the sign. And though when we sin of frailty after our baptism, we receive the sign no more, yet we be renewed again through repentance, and faith in Christ's blood, of which twain, the sign of baptism even continued among us in baptising our young children, doth ever keep us in mind, and call us back again unto our profession, if we be gone astray, and promiseth us forgiveness. Neither can actual sin be washed away with our works, but with Christ's blood;

neither can there be any other sacrifice or satisfaction to Godward for them, save Christ's blood. Forasmuch as we can do no works unto God, but receive only of his mercy, with our repenting faith, through Jesus Christ our Lord and only Saviour: unto whom and unto God our Father, through him, and unto his Holy Spirit, that only purgeth, sanctifieth and washeth us in the innocent blood of our redemption, be praise for ever. Amen.

The foregoing Extract, and the following Prologues to books of the New Testament have been compared with, and some sentences inserted from an edition of the Bible, containing all Tindal's prefaces and prologues, with a dedication to king Edward the Sixth, by Edmund Beck, printed by John Day, cum gratia et privilegio ad imprimendum solum, and hearing the date of 1549.