WILLIAM TYNDALE

TO THE

CHRISTIAN READER.

WHEN the old scribes and Pharisees had darkened the scripture with their traditions, and false interpretations, and wicked persuasions of fleshly wisdom; and shut up the kingdom of heaven, which is God's word, that the people could not enter in unto the knowledge of the true way, as Christ Matt. xxiii. complaineth in the gospel (Matt. xxiii.); then they sat in the hearts of men with their false doctrine in the stead of God and his word, and slew the souls of the people to devour their bodies, and to rob them of their worldly substance. But when Christ and John the Baptist had restored the scripture again unto the true understanding, and had uttered their falsehood, and improved their traditions, and confounded their false interpretations with the clear and evident texts, and with power of the Holy Ghost, and had brought all their juggling and hypocrisy to light; then they gat them unto the elders of the people, and persuaded them, saying, An old prac This man is surely of the devil; and his miracles be of the devil, no doubt. And these good works which he doth in pope and his healing the people, yea, and his preaching against our coprelates 1. vetousness, are but a cloak to bring him unto his purpose; that, when he hath gotten him disciples enough, he may rise against the emperor and make himself king. And then shall the Romans come, and take our land from us, and carry away our people, and put other nations in our realm: and so shall we lose all that we have, and the most part of us our lives thereto. Take heed, therefore, betimes, while there is remedy, ere he go so far that ye be not able to resist him.' The elders of the people, which were rich and wealthy, though before they in a manner favoured Christ, or at the

tice the

Pharisees, newly prac

tised by the

Worldly pre

ferments are lets to true Christianity.

[1 The marginal notes belonging to the Marburg edition will be marked W. T. The others were probably penned by Foxe for Day's edition.]

least way were indifferent, not greatly caring whether God or the devil reigned, so that they might bide in their authority, feared immediately (as Herod did of the loss of his kingdom, when the wise men asked where the newborn king of the Jews was), and conspired with the scribes and Pharisees against Christ, and took him and brought him unto Pilate, saying, "We have found this fellow perverting the The Jews people, and forbidding to pay tribute unto Cæsar, and saying cused Christ. that he is a2 king, and moving the people from Galilee unto this place." Then Pilate, though he likewise was before indifferent, put3 now in fear of the loss of his office, through such persuasions, slew innocent Christ. And in very deed,

falsely ac

Jews, by per

Christ and

procured the vengeance of lighten upon

to

as the scribes and Pharisees were all their lives before blind guides, unto the destruction of their souls; even so were they at their last end blind prophets, unto the destruction of their bodies. For after that they had slain Christ and divers The cruel of his apostles, and persecuted those poor wretches that be- secuting lieved on him, God, to avenge the poor innocent blood that his apostles, bare witness unto his truth, poured his wrath among them, that they themselves rose against the emperor: and the themselves. Romans came (according as they blindly prophesied), and slew the most part of them, and carried the rest captive into all nations, and put other nations in the realm. But whose fault was that insurrection against the emperor, and mischief that followed? Christ's and his apostles, whom they falsely accused beforehand? Nay5, Christ taught that they should give Cæsar that which pertained unto Cæsar, and God that which belonged to God: even that they should give Cæsar their lawful bodily service, and God the heart; and that they should love God's law, and repent of their evil, and come and receive mercy, and let the wrath of God be taken from off them. And the apostles taught that all souls should The apostles obey the higher powers, or temporal rulers. But their ob- obedience. stinate malice, that so hardened their hearts that they could not repent, and their railing upon the open and manifest truth, which they could not improve, and resisting the Holy Ghost, and slaying of the preachers of righteousness, brought

[2 So Scoloker and Seres, ed. Day omits a.]

[3 So Marburg ed. and Day; S. and S. ed. has but.]

[4 So both the older edd. Day has the.]

[5 So M. ed; S. and S. has No.]

[TYNDALE, II.]

16

taught all

The practice

of our pre

days.

The gene ration of serpents.

the wrath of God upon them, and was cause of their utter destruction.

Even so our scribes and Pharisees, now that their hypolates in these crisy is disclosed, and their falsehood so brought to light that it can no longer be hid, get them unto the elders of the people, the lords, gentlemen, and temporal officers, and to all that love this world as they do, and unto whosoever is great with the king, and unto the king's grace himself; and after the same ensample, and with the same persuasions, cast them into like fear of losing of their worldly dominions, and roar unto them, saying, 'Ye be negligent, and care nothing at all, but have a good sport that the heretics rail on us. But give them space a while, till they be grown unto a multitude, and then ye shall see them preach as fast against you, and move the people against you, and do their best to thrust you down also, and shall cry havoc, and make all common.' O generation of serpents, how well declare ye that ye be the right sons of the father of all lies! For they, which ye call heretics, preach nothing save that which our Saviour Jesus Christ preached, and his apostles; adding nought thereto, nor plucking aught therefrom, as the scripture commandeth; and teach all men repentance to God and his holy law, and faith unto our Saviour Jesus Christ, and the promises of mercy made in him, and obedience unto all that God commandeth to obey. Neither teach we so much as to resist your most cruel tyranny with bodily violence, save with God's word only; intending nothing but to drive you out of the temple of Christ, the hearts, consciences, and souls of men (wherein with your falsehood ye sit), and to restore again Jesus our Saviour unto his possession and inheritance bought with his blood, whence ye have driven him out with your manifold wiles and subtilty.

A good admonition to all blind guides.

Take heed, therefore, wicked prelates, blind leaders of the blind; indurate and obstinate hypocrites, take heed. For if the Pharisees for their resisting the Holy Ghost, that is to say, persecuting the open and manifest truth, and slaying the preachers thereof, escaped not the wrath and vengeance of God; how shall ye escape, which are far worse than the Pharisees? For though the Pharisees had shut up the scripture, and set up their own professions; yet they kept their own professions, for the most part. But ye will

seek to be

highest.

swarms of

sects set up

by the pope and his pre

profess the their lord, but yet keep no part of his

be the chiefest in Christ's flock, and yet will not keep one Our prelates jot of the right way of his doctrine. Ye have thereto set up chief and wonderful professions, to be more holy thereby than ye think that Christ's doctrine is able to make you, and yet keep as little thereof, except it be with dispensations; insomuch that if a man ask you, what your marvellous fashioned playing coats and your other puppetry mean, and what your dis- lates. figured heads and all your apish1 play mean, ye know not: and yet are they but signs of things which ye have professed. Thirdly, ye will be papists and hold of the pope; and yet, Our prelates look in the pope's law, and ye keep thereof almost nought pope to be at all. But whatsoever soundeth to make for your bellies, and to maintain your honour, whether in the scripture, or in your own traditions, or in the pope's law, that ye compel the lay-people to observe; violently threatening them with your excommunications and curses, that they shall be damned, both body and soul, if they keep them not. And if that The pope's help you not, then ye murder them mercilessly with the murderers. sword of the temporal powers; whom ye have made so blind that they be ready to slay whom ye command, and will not yet hear his cause examined, nor give him room to answer for himself.

law.

clergy are

monition to

And ye elders of the people, fear ye God also. For as A good adthe elders of the Jews, which were partakers with the scribes all rulers. and Pharisees in resisting the Holy Ghost, and in persecuting the open truth, and slaying the witnesses thereof, and in provoking the wrath of God, had their part with them also in the day of wrath and sharp vengeance, which shortly after fell upon them, (as the nature of the sin against the Holy Ghost is, to have her damnation, not only in the world to come, but also in this life, according unto all the ensamples of the bible and authentic stories since the world began ;) even likewise ye, if ye will wink in so open and clear light, and let yourselves be led blindfold, and have your part with the hypocrites in like sin and mischief, be sure ye shall have your part with them in like wrath and vengeance, that is like shortly to fall upon them.

And concerning that the hypocrites put you in fear of the rising of your commons against you, I answer: If ye

[1 M. ed. has apes.]

persuasion

used by hy

pocrites.

The common fear your commons, so testify ye against yourselves, that ye are tyrants. For if your consciences accused you not of evil doing, what need ye to fear your commons? What commons were ever so evil, that they rose against their heads for welldoing? Moreover, ye witness against yourselves also that ye have no trust in God: for he hath promised the temporal officers assistance, if they minister their offices truly; and to care for the keeping of them, as much as they care for to keep his laws.

The pope's clergy are

liars.

The hypocrites haply bid you take an ensample of the uplandish people of Almany, which they lie that Martin Luther stirred up. For first, what one sentence in all the writing of Martin Luther find they, that teacheth a man to resist his superior? Moreover, if Martin Luther and the preachers had stirred up the common people of Germany, how happened it that Martin Luther and other like preachers had not perished likewise with them; which are yet all alive at this hour1? Ye will ask me, Who stirred them up then? I ask you, Who stirred up the commons of the Jews to resist the emperor, after that the scribes and Pharisees, with the elders of the people, had slain Christ and his apostles? The wrath of Verily, the wrath of God. And even so here, the wrath of up the people God stirred them up; partly to destroy the enemies and enemies and persecutors of the truth, and partly to take vengeance on of the truth. those carnal beasts which abused the gospel of Christ, to make a cloak of it to defend their fleshly liberty, and not to obey it and to save their souls thereby.

God stirreth

to destroy the

persecutors

God is the defender of kings and princes.

Wicked kings and

If kings, lords, and great men, therefore, fear the loss of this world; let them fear God also. For in fearing God shall they prolong their days upon the earth; and not with fighting against God. The earth is God's only; and his favour and mercy doth prolong the days of kings in their estate, and not their own power and might.

And let all men (be they never so great) hearken unto this, and let this be an answer unto them. Wicked king Ahab said unto the prophet Elias, "Art thou he that troublest Israel ?” And Elias answered, "It is not I that trouble Israel, but thou of themselves and thy father's household, in that ye have forsaken the com

rulers, that persecute God's mi

nisters, are the troublers

and their

realm, and not the preachers.

[1 So the M. ed. being published in 1530; but in the edition of 1548, it is which lived long after. The insurrection alluded to, being that headed by Munzer, occurred in 1525.]