Page:The Holy Scripture (Myles Coverdale).djvu/2

 ¶ Becau&#x017f;e that whan thou goe&#383;t to &#383;tudy in holy &#x017f;cripture, thou &#x017f;hulde&#383;t do it with reuerence, therfore for thy in&#383;truction &amp; louynge admonicion therto, the Reuerende father in god, Nicolas, Bi&#x017f;ihoppe of Sali&#x017f;bury hath pre&#x017f;crybed the this prayer folowynge, taken out of the &#x017f;ame.

Lorde God almyghtye whiche longe agoo &#x017f;ayde&#383;t by the mouthe of James thyn Apo&#383;tle: If any of you lacke wy&#x017f;dom, let hym a&#x017f;ke it of God whiche geueth it plenteou&#x017f;ly to all men, and ca&#383;teth no man in the tethe, and it &#383;hal be geuen hym. Heare my peticion for this thy promes &#x017f;ake. Heare my peticion for this thy promece feile. Let my prayer a&#x017f;cende luckely in to thy &#x017f;yght lyke incen&#x017f;e. Let thyn eare be attent vnto my depe de&#x017f;yre. Geue me wy&#x017f;dome which is euir a&#x017f;&#x017f;i&#383;tent about thy &#x017f;eate. And put me not out from amonge thy children, for I am thy &#x017f;eruaunt and ye &#x017f;onne of thy handmayde &amp; &#x017f;ende her (I meane thy godly wy&#x017f;edome) out of thyne holy heauens, and from the trone of thy maie&#383;tye, that &#x017f;he maye be with me, and laboure with me, yt I may knowe what is acceptable in thy &#x017f;yght. Oh lerne me goodnes, nurtoure, and knowlege, for I beleue thy commaundementes. Thou art good and gracyous, in&#383;tructe me in thyne ordynaunces. Let myne hertie be&#x017f;echynge a&#x017f;cende in to thy pre&#x017f;ence. Geue me vnder&#383;tondynge accordynge to thy worde. Oh geue me vnder&#383;t&#333;dynge, and I &#x017f;hall kepe thy lawe. Yee I &#x017f;hall kepe it with all myne herte. Shewe me thy wayes o Lorde, &amp; teache me thy patthes. Leade me in tu thy trueth and lerne me, for thou art the God of my helth. And on the do I depende alway. Heare now my voyce O Lorde with which I haue cryed vnto the. Haue mercy vpon me, and gracyou&#x017f;lye heare me for Je&#x017f;us Chri&#383;tes &#x017f;ake oure Lorde, which lyueth and reygneth with the his father &amp; the holy goo&#383;t worlde without ende. Amen.

&para;After the ende of any Chapter (yf thou wylt) thou maye&#383;t &#x017f;aye the&#x017f;e ver&#x017f;es folowynge.

Eade me (O Lorde) in thy waye, and let me walke in thy trueth.

Oh let myne herte delyte in fearynge thy name.

Ordre my goynges after thy worde, that no wyckednes reygne in me.

Kepe my &#383;teppes within thy patthes, le&#383;t my fete turne into any contrary waye.

An Epi&#383;tle vnto the Kynges hyghnesse.
Unto the mo&#383;t victorious Prynce and oure mo&#383;t gracyous &#x017f;oueraigne Lorde, kynge Henry the kynge of Englonde and of Fraunce, lorde of Irlonde, &amp;c, Defendour of the Fayth, and vnder God the chefe and &#x017f;uppreme heade of the Church of Englonde.

&para; The ryght &amp; iu&#383;t admini&#383;tracyon of the lawes that God gaue vnto Mo&#x017f;es and vnto Jo&#x017f;ua: the te&#383;timonye of faythfulnes that God gaue of Dauid: the plenteous abundaunce of wy&#x017f;dome that God gaue vnto Salomon:  the lucky and pro&#x017f;perous age with the multiplicacyon of &#x017f;ede whiche God gaue vnto Abraham and Sara his wyfe, be geu&#275; vnto you mo&#383;t gracyous Prynce, with your deare&#383;t iu&#383;t wyfe, and mo&#383;t vertuous Prynce&#x017f;&#x017f;e, Quene Anne, Amen.

Aiphas beynge by&#x017f;&#x017f;hope of that yeare, lyke a blynde prophete (not vnder&#383;tandyng what he &#x017f;ayd) prophecied, that it was better to put Chri&#383;t vnto death, then that all the people &#x017f;hulde pery&#x017f;&#x017f;he: he meanyng, that Chri&#383;t was an heretike, a deceauer of the people, &amp; a de&#383;troyer of the lawe, and that it was better therfore to put Chri&#383;t vn to death, th&#257; to &#x017f;uffre hym for to lyue, and to deceaue the people, &amp;c. where in very dede Chri&#383;t was the true prophete, the true Me&#x017f;&#x017f;ias, and the onely true Sauiour of the worlde, &#x017f;ent of his heauenly father to &#x017f;uffre the mo&#383;te cruell, mo&#383;t &#x017f;hamefull, and mo&#383;t nece&#x017f;&#x017f;ary death for our redempcyon: according to ye meanynge of the prophecie truely vnder&#383;tonde.

Euen after the &#x017f;ame maner ye blynde by&#x017f;&#x017f;hoppe of Rome, (that blynde Baalam I &#x017f;aye) not vnder&#383;tondynge what he dyd, gaue vnto your grace this tytle: Defendour of the fayth, onely bycau&#x017f;e your hyghnes &#x017f;uffred your by&#x017f;&#x017f;hoppes to burne Gods worde the rote of fayth, and to per&#x017f;ecute the louers and myni&#383;ters of ye &#x017f;ame. where in very dede the blynde by&#x017f;&#x017f;hoppe (though he knewe not what he dyd) prophecied, that by the ryghteous admyni&#383;tracyon and contynuall diligence of youre grace, the fayth &#x017f;hulde &#x017f;o be defended, that Gods worde the mother of Fayth with the frutes therof, &#x017f;hulde haue his fre cour&#x017f;e thorowe out all Chri&#383;tendome, but &#x017f;pecyally in your realme.

Yf your hyghne&#x017f;&#x017f;e now of your pryncely benignite wyll pardon me to compare the&#x017f;e two by&#x017f;&#x017f;hoppes (I meane by&#x017f;&#x017f;hoppe Caiphas and the by&#x017f;&#x017f;hoppe of Rome) &amp; theyr prophecies together, I doute not but we &#x017f;hal fynde them agree lyke brethren, though the one be a Jewe and the other a counterfayre Chri&#383;tian. Fyr&#383;t, Caiphas prophecied that it was better to put Chri&#383;t vnto death, then that the people &#x017f;hulde pery&#x017f;&#x017f;he. The by&#x017f;&#x017f;hoppe of Rome al&#x017f;o, not knowynge what he prophecied, gaue youre grace this tytle: Defendour of the fayth.  The trueth of both the&#x017f;e prophecies is of the holy goo&#383;t (as was Baalams prophecie) though they that &#x017f;pake th&#275;, knewe not what they &#x017f;ayd. The trueth of Caiphas prophecie is, that it was nece&#x017f;&#x017f;ary for mans &#x017f;aluacyon, that Chri&#383;t by his death &#x017f;hulde ouercome death, and redeme vs. And the trueth of oure Baalams prophecie is, yt your grace in very dede &#x017f;hulde defende the Fayth. Yee euen the true fayth of Chri&#383;t, no dreames, no fables, no here&#x017f;ie, no papi&#383;ticall inuencions, but the vncorrupte fayth of Gods mo&#383;t holy worde, which to &#x017f;et forth pray&#x017f;ed be the goodnes of God, and increace youre gracyous purpo&#x017f;e) your hyghnes with youre mo&#383;t honorable councell, applyeth all his &#383;tudye and endeuoure.

The&#x017f;e two blynde by&#x017f;&#x017f;hopes now agree in ye vnder&#383;t&#257;dyng of theyr prophecies: for Caiphas toketh Chri&#383;t for an heretike, Oure Bala&#257; taketh the worde of Chri&#383;t for here&#x017f;ie. Caiphas iudgeth it to be a good dede to put Chri&#383;t vnto death, that he