The prophete Ionas with an introduccion / before teachinge to vnderstonde him and the right vse also of all the scripture/ and why it was written/ and what is therin to be sought/ and shewenge wherewith the scripture is locked vpp that he which readeth it/ can not vnderstonde it/ though he studie therin neuer so moch: and agayne with what keyes it is so opened/ that the reader can be stopped out with no sotilte or false doctrine of man/ from the true sense and vnderstondynge therof.

by William Tyndale

Transcriber's note

The spelling and word divisions are inconsistent throughout the original. No changes have been made, but some possible typographical errors are marked with a mouse-hover [like this] and listed at the [end of the etext].

There are no page are numbers in the original. The introduction has "The Prologe." as a running header.

Contents:
[The Prologe.]
[The Storie of the prophete Ionas.]

¶ The prophete
Ionas / with an introducciō before teachinge to vnderstōde him and the right vse also of all the scripture / and why it was written / and what is therin to be sought / and shewenge wherewith the scripture is locked vpp that he which readeth it / can not vnderstōde it / though he studie therin neuer so moch: and agayne with what keyes it is so opened / that the reader can be stopped out with no sotilte or false doctrine of man / from the true sense and vnderstondynge therof.

W. T. vn to the Christen reader.

As y^e ēvious Philistenes stopped y^e welles of Abraham ād filled them vpp with erth / to put y^e memoriall out of mīde / to y^e entent y^t they might chalenge y^e grounde: even so the fleshly mīded ypocrites stoppe vpp the vaynes of life which are in y^e scripture / w^t the erth of theyr tradiciōs / false similitudes & lienge allegories: & y^t of like zele / to make y^e scripture theyr awne possessiō & marchaundice: and so shutt vpp the kingdome of heven which is Gods worde nether enterīge in thē selues nor soferinge them that wolde.

¶ The scripture hath a body with out / ād within a soule / sprite & life. It hath w^t out a barke / a shell ād as it were an hard bone for y^e fleshly mynded to gnaw vppon. And within it hath pith / cornell / mary & all swetnesse for Gods electe which he hath chosen to geve them his spirite / & to write his law & y^e faith of his sonne in their hertes.

¶ The scripture cōteyneth .iii. thīges in it first y^e law to cōdemne all flesh: secōdaryly y^e Gospell / y^t is to saye / promises of mercie for all y^t repent & knowlege their sinnes at the preachīge of y^e law & cōsent in their hertes that the law is good / & submitte them selues to be scolers to lern to kepe the lawe & to lerne to beleue y^e mercie that is promised thē: & thridly the stories & liues of those scolars / both what chaunces fortuned thē / & also by what meanes their scolemaster taught thē and made them perfecte / & how he tried the true from the false.

¶ When y^e ypocrites come to y^e lawe / they put gloses to ād make no moare of it then of a worldly law which is satisfied with y^e outwarde worke and which a turke maye also fulfill. Whē yet Gods law never ceaseth to cōdemne a man vntill it be written in his herte and vntill he kepe it naturally without cōpulsion & all other respecte saue only of pure love to God and his neyboure / as he naturally eateth whē he is an hongred / without cōpulsiō & all other respecte / saue to slake his hongre only.