A PATHWAY INTO THE HOLY SCRIPTURE. I DO marvel greatly, dearly beloved in Christ, that ever any man should repugn or speak against the Scripture to be had in every language, and that of every man. For I thought that no man had been so blind to ask why lightshould be shewed to them that walk in darkness, where they cannot but stumble, and where to stumble, is the danger of eternal damnation; other so despiteful that he would envy any man (I speak not his brother) so necessary a thing; or so Bedlam mad to affirm that good is the natural cause of evil, and darkness to proceed out of light, that lying should be grounded in truth and verity, and not rather clean contrary, that light destroyeth darkness, and verity reproveth all manner [of] lying. Nevertheless, seeing that it hath pleased God to send unto our Englishmen, even to as many as unfeignedly desire it, the Scripture in their mother tongue, considering that there be in every place false teachers and blind leaders, that ye should be deceived of no man, I supposed it very necessary to prepare this Pathway into the Scripture for you, that ye might walk surely and ever know the true from the false. And above all to put you in remembrance of certain points, which are, that ye well understand what these words mean: The Old Testament. Scriptures translated into every language. should be The cause of the edi tion of this Pathway. What are contained in the Old Testament. The contents of the New The New Testament. The law. The gospel. Moses, Christ, Nature, Grace. Working and believing. Deeds and faith. Lest we ascribe to the one that which belongeth to the other, and make of Christ Moses, of the gospel the law, despise grace and rob faith: and fall from meek learning into idle disputations, brawling and scolding about words. The Old Testament is a book, wherein is written the law of God, and the deeds of them which fulfil them, and of them also which fulfil them not. The New Testament is a book, wherein are contained the promises of God, and the deeds of them which beTestament. lieve them or believe them not. The etymology of this word Evangelion. Evangelion is called the New Testament. Evangelion (that we call the gospel) is a Greek word, and signifieth good, merry, glad and joyful tidings, that maketh a man's heart glad, and maketh him sing, dance and leap for joy. As when David had killed Goliah the giant, came glad tidings unto the Jews, that their fearful and cruel enemy was slain, and they delivered out of all danger for gladness whereof, they sung, danced, and were joyful. In like manner is the Evangelion of God (which we call gospel, and the New Testament) joyful tidings; and, as some say, a good hearing published by the apostles throughout all the world, of Christ the right David, how that he hath fought with sin, with death, and the devil, and overcome them. Whereby all men that were in bondage to sin, wounded with death, overcome of the devil, are, without their own merits or deservings, loosed, justified, restored to life and saved, brought to liberty and reconciled unto the favour of God, and set at one with him again which tidings, as many as believe laud, praise, and thank God; are glad, sing and dance for joy. This Evangelion or gospel (that is to say, such joyful tidings) is called the New Testament. Because that as a man, when he shall die, appointeth his goods to be dealt and distributed after his death among them which he nameth to be his heirs; even so Christ before his death commanded and appointed that such Evangelion, gospel, No greater comfort can happen to a sinner being penithe promises of the gospel. tent, than The gospel mised of God in the was pro Old Testa ment by the prophets. To strength such faith withal, God promised this his Evangelion in the Old Testament by the prophets, as Paul saith, (Rom. i.) How that he was chosen out to preach God's Evangelion, which he before had promised by the prophets in the Scriptures, that treat of his Son which was born of the seed of David. In Gen. iii. 15, God saith to the serpent, I will put hatred between thee and the woman, between thy seed and her seed, that self seed shall tread thy head under foot. Christ is this woman's Christ hath seed, he it is that hath trodden under foot the devil's head, that is to say, sin, death, hell, and all his power. For without this seed can no man avoid sin, death, hell, and everlasting damnation. Again, (Gen. xxii.) God promised Abraham saying, In thy seed shall all the generations of the earth be blessed. Christ is that seed of Abraham, saith St. Paul, (Gal. iii.) He hath blessed all the world through the gospel. For where Christ is not, there remaineth the curse that fell on Adam as soon as he had sinned, so that they are in bondage under damnation of sin, death, and hell. Against this curse blesseth now the gospel all the world, inasmuch as it crieth openly, unto all that knowledge their sins and repent, saying, Whosoever believeth on the seed of Abraham shall be blessed, that is, he shall be delivered from sin, death, and hell, and shall henceforth continue righ overthrown the devil and all his power. The law was given by Moses, grace and truth by Jesus Christ. The law requireth of us that which is impossible for our nature to do. When the law hath condemned us, Christ granteth us free pardon.. teous, and saved for ever, as Christ himself saith (in the eleventh of John,) He that believeth on me shall never more die. given by Moses: but The law, (saith John i.) was grace and verity by Jesus Christ. The law (whose minister is Moses) was given to bring us unto the knowledge of ourselves, that we might thereby feel and perceive what we are of nature. The law condemneth us and all our deeds, and is called of Paul, (in 2 Cor. iii.) the ministration of death. For it killeth our consciences and driveth us to desperation, inasmuch as it requireth of us that which is unpossible for our nature to do. It requireth of us the deeds of an whole man. It requireth perfect love from the low bottom and ground of the heart, as well in all things which we suffer, as in the things which we do. But, saith John in the same place, grace and verity is given us in Christ. So that when the law hath passed upon us, and condemned us to death (which is his nature to do) then we have, in Christ's grace, that is to say, favour, promises of life, of mercy, of pardon, freely by the merits of Christ; and in Christ have we verity and truth, in that God for his sake fulfilleth all his promises to them that believe. Therefore is the gospel the ministration of life. Paul calleth it in the fore rehearsed place of the Cor. ii. the ministration of the Spirit and of righteousness. In the gospel when we believe the promises, we receive the spirit of life, and are justified in the blood of Christ from all things whereof the law condemned us. And we receive love unto the law, and power to fulfil it, and grow therein daily. Of Christ it is written. in the fore rehearsed John i. This is he of whose abundance or fulness, all we have received, grace for grace, or favour for favour. That is to say, for the favour that God hath to his Son Christ, he giveth unto us his favour and good will, and all gifts of his grace as a father to his sons. As affirmeth Paul, saying, Which loved us in his Beloved before the creation of the world. So that Christ bringeth |