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

¶ And finally when the rage of thy cōscience is ceased and quieted with fast faith in the promises of mercie / then offer with Ionas the offeringe of prayse and thankesgeuinge / & paye the vowe of thy baptim / that God only saueth / of his ōly mercie & goodnesse: that is / beleue stedfastly & preach cōstantly / that it is God only that smyteth / and God only that healeth: ascribynge y^e cause of thy tribulation vn to thyne awne synne / and y^e cause of thy deliueraunce vn to the mercie of God.

¶ And be ware of the leuē y^t saith we haue power in oure fre will before y^e preachinge of y^e Gospell / to deserue grace / to kepe y^e law / of cōgruite / or god to be vnrightwesse. And saie with Ihon in the first / y^t as y^e law was geuē by Moses / euē so grace to fulfill it / is geuē by christe. And whē they saye oure dedes with grace deserue heuen / saye thou w^t Paule Ro. vj. y^t euerlastīge life is the gifte of god thorow Iesus Christ oure lorde / & y^t we be made sonnes by faith Ihon. j. & therfore heyres of god with christ Ro. viij. And saye that we receaue al of god thorow faith that foloweth repentaunce / & y^t we doo not oure werkes vn to god / but ether vn to oure selues / to sley y^e sinne that remayneth in y^e flesh & to waxe perfecte / ether vn to oure neyboures which doo as moch for vs agayne in some other thīges. And whē a mā exceadeth in giftes of grace / let hī vnderstōde that they be geuē him / as wel for his weake brethern / as for him selfe: as though all the bred be cōmitted vn to the panter / yet for his felowes with hym / which geue the thankes vn to theyr lorde / and recompence the panter agayne with other kynde seruice in theyr offices. And when they saye that Christ hath made no satisfaccion for the synne we doo after oure baptym: saye thou wyth the doctrine of Paule / that in oure baptym we receaue the merytes of Christes deeth thorow repentaunce and fayth of which two / baptim is the sygne. And though when we synne of frailtie after oure baptym we receaue the sygne no moare / yet we be renewed agayne thorow repentaunce and faith in Christes bloude / whych twayne / the sygne of baptym ever [contynved] amonge vs in baptisynge oure younge childern doeth euer kepe in mynde and call vs backe agayne vn to oure profession if we be gonne astraye / & promiseth vs forgeuenesse. Nether can actuall synne be washed awaye with oure werkes / but with Christes bloude: nether can there be any other sacrifice or satisfaccion to Godward for them / saue Christes bloude. For as moch as we can doo no werkes vnto God / but receaue only of his mercie with oure repentynge fayth / thorow Iesus Christe oure lorde and only sauer: vnto whom & vn to God oure father thorow him / and vn to hys holy spirite / that only purgeth / sanctifieth & washeth vs in the innocēt bloude of oure redemption / be prayse for ever AMEN.

¶ The Storie of the prophete Ionas.

The first Chapter.

The worde of the lorde came vn to the prophete Ionas y^e sonne of Amithai sayenge: ryse & gett the to Niniue that greate citie & preach vn to thē / how that theyr wekednesse is come vpp before me.

¶ And Ionas made hī ready to fle to Tharsis frō the presens of y^e lorde / & gatt hym downe to Ioppe / and founde there a sheppe ready to goo to Tharsis / & payed his fare / & wēt aborde / to goo with them to Tharsis frō the presens of the lorde.

¶ But y^e lorde hurled a greate winde in to y^e se / so that there was a myghtie tēpest in the se: in so moch y^t the shepp was lyke to goo in peces. And the mariners were afrayed & cried euery man vn to his god / & cast out y^e goodes y^t were in y^e sheppe in to y^e se / to lighten it of thē. But Ionas gatt him vnder the hatches & layed him downe and slombrede. And y^e master of the sheppe came to him & sayd vn to hī / why slomberest thou? vpp! & call vn to thy god / that God maye thinke on vs / that we perish not.

¶ And they sayde one to a nother / come & lett vs cast lottes / to know for whose cause we are thus troublede. And they cast lottes. And y^e lott fell vppon Ionas.

¶ Thē they said vnto hī / tel vs for whose cause we are thus trowbled: what is thine occupaciō / whence comest thou / how is thy cōtre called / & of what nacion art thou?

¶ And he answered thē / I am an Ebrue: & the lord God of heuen which made both se and drie land / I feare. Then were the men exceadingly afrayd & sayd vn to him / why diddest thou so? For they knew that he was fled from the presens of the lorde / because he had told them.