William Tyndale (Pentateuch, Jonah &NT)

The pistle of S. Paul vnto Titus.
The Prologe vnto the pistle of S. Paule to Titus.

This is a shorte pistle: wherin yet is contayned all that is nedefull for a Christ to knowe.

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In the fyrst Chapter he sheweth what maner a man a bysshope or curat ought to be: that is to wyt / verteous and learned / to preache & defende the Gospell / and to confounde the doctryne of trustynge
in workes & mennes tradicions which euer fyght agaynst the fayth and carye awaye the conscience captiue from the fredome that is in Christ into the bondage of their awne ymaginacions and inuencions / as though tho thinges shuld make a m good in the syght of God which are to no proffyt at all.

In the seconde he teacheth all degrees / olde / younge / men / wemen / masters / and seruauntes how to behaue th selues as they which Christ hath bought with his bloude / to be his proper or peculyer people / to glorifie God with good workes.

In the thyrde he teacheth to honoure tporall rulars and to obeye them / and yet bringeth to Christ agayne and to the grace that he hath purchased for vs / that no m shuld thinke that the obedience of princes lawes or anye other worke shuld iustifie vs before God. And last of all he chargeth to auoyde the companye of the stobourne and of the heretikes.

The pistle of S. Paul vnto Titus.
The fyrst Chapter.

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Paul the seruaunt of God / & an Apostle of Iesu Christ / to preache the fayth of goddis electe / & þe knowledge of that trueth / which is after godlynes vpon the hope of eternall lyfe / which lyfe God that cannot lye / hath promised before the worlde begne: but hath
opened his worde at þe tyme apoynted thorow preachynge / which preachynge is committed vnto me / by the commaundement of god oure saveoure.

To Titus his naturall sonne in the commen fayth.

Grace mercie and peace from God the father / and from the lord Iesu Christ oure saveoure.

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For this cause left I þe in Creta / that thou shuldest performe that which was lackynge / 1.B and shuldest ordeyne elders in every citie as I apoynted the. Yf eny be fautelesse / the husbande of one wyfe / havynge faythfull childr / which are not selandred of royote / nether are disobedit. 2.BFor a 3.B bisshoppe must be fautelesse / as it be commeth the minister of God: not stubborne / not angrye / no dronkarde / no fyghter / not geven to filthy lucre: but herberous / one that loveth goodnes / sobre mynded righteous / holy / temperat / and suche as cleveth vnto the true worde of doctryne / that he maye be able to exhorte with wholsom learnynge / and to improve them that saye agaynst it.

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For ther are many disobedient and talkers of vanite and disceavers of myndes / namely they of the circumcisiobar.gif / whose mouthes must be stopped / which pervert whole houses teachinge thinges which they ought not / because of filthy lucre. One beynge of th selves / which was a poyet of their awne / sayde: The Cretayns are all wayes lyars / evyll beastes /
and slowe belies. This witnes is true / wherfore rebuke them sharply / that they maye be sounde in the fayth / and not takynge hede to Iewes fables and commadmentes of men that
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turne from the trueth. Vnto the pure / are all thynges pure: 4.D but vnto them that are defiled and vnbelevynge / is nothynge pure: but even the very myndes and consciences of them are defiled. They confesse that they knowe god: but with the dedes they denye hym / and are abhominable and disobedient / and vnto all good workes discommendable.

The .ii. Chapter.

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But speake thou that which becobar.gifmeth wholsome learninge. 5.AThat þe elder m be sober / honest / discrete / sounde in the fayth in love & in pacice. 6.AAnd þe elder wem lykewyse / that they be in soche rayment as becommeth holynes / not falce accusars / not geven to moche drinkynge / but teachers of honest thynges / 7.A to make the younge wemen sobremynded / to love their husbandes / to love their children / to be discrete / chast / huswyfly / good and obedit vnto their awne husbandes that the worde of god be not evyll spoken of. 8.A Yonge men lykwyse exhorte that they be sobre mynded.

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Above all thynges shewe thy silfe an insample of good workes with uncorrupt doctryne / with honestie / and with the wholsome worde which cannot be rebuked / that he which withstondeth / maye be a shamed / havynge no thinge in you þt he maye disprayse. 9.DThe servates
exhorte to be obedit vnto their awne masters / and to please in all thynges / not answerynge agayne / nether be pickers / but that they shewe all good faythfulnes / that they maye do worshippe to þe doctryne of oure saveoure God in all thynges. cross.gif For the grace of god / that bryngeth saluacion vnto all men / hath appered and teacheth vs that we shuld denye
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vngodlynes and wordly lustes / and that we shuld live sobre mynded / righteously & godly in this present worlde / lokinge for that blessed hope and glorious apperenge of þe myghty god / & of oure savioure Iesu Christ which gave him silfe for vs / to redeme vs from all vnrightewesnes / and to pourge vs a peculiar people vnto him silfe / fervently geven vnto good workes. These thinges speake / and exhorte / cross.gif and rebuke / with all commaundynge Se that no man despise the.

The .iii. Chapter.

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10.AUVarne th that they submitte them selves to rule and power / to obey the officers / that they be readie vnto all good workes / that they speake evyll of no m that they be no fyghters / but softe / shewynge all meknes vnto all men. For we oure selves also were in tymes past / vnwyse / disobedient / deceaved / in daunger to lustes / & to diuers maners of volupteousnes / livynge in maliciousnes & envie / full of hate / hatinge one another.

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cross.gif But after that the kyndnes and love of oure saveoure God to mwarde appered / 11.B not of þe ded[es] of rightewesnes which we wrought
but of his mercie he saved vs / 12.B by þe fotayne of the newe birth / and with the renuynge of the holy goost / which he shed on vs aboundantly / thorow Iesus Christ oure saveoure / that we once iustified by his grace / shuld be heyres of eternall lyfe / thorowe hope cross.gif This is a true sayinge.

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Of these thinges I wolde thou shuldest certifie / that they which beleve God / myght be diligent to go forwarde in good workes. 13.CThese thinges are good & proffitable vnto m. Folisshe questions / and genealogies / and braulinges and stryfe aboute the lawe / avoyde / for they are vnproffitable and superfluous. A m that is geu to heresie / after the fyrst and the seconde admonicion / avoyde / remembrynge that he that is soche / is perverted / and synneth even damned by his awne iudgement.

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When I shall sende Artemas vnto the or Tichicus / be diligt to come to me vnto Nichopolis. For I have determined ther to wynter. Brynge zenas þe lawear & Apollos on their iorney diligently / that nothynge be lackynge vnto them. And let oures olso learne to excell in good workes as farforth / as nede requyreth / that they be not vnfrutefull. All that are with me / salute the. Grete them that love vs in the fayth. Grace be with you all / Amen.

Written from Nichopolis a citie of Macedonia.

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