Thys is a short Epistle wherin
yet is contayned al that is nedefull
for a christian to knowe.
In the fyrst Chapter he sheweth
what maner of man a Byshoppe
or curate oughte to be: that is to
wytte, vertuous, and learned, to
preache and defend the Gospell,
and to confounde the doctryne of trustynge in workes
and mennes tradycyons whiche euer fyghte agaynste
the faythe, and carye awaye the conscyence
captyue from the fredome that is in Christe into the
bondage of theyr owne ymagynacyons and inuencyons,
as though those thynges shoulde make a man
good in the syght of God, whiche are to no profyte.
In the seconde he teacheth all degrees, old, yonge
men, women, maysters, and serua&ubar;tes howe to behaue
them selues as they which Christ hath boughte wyth
hys bloude to be hys proper or peculyar people, to
gloryfye God wyth good workes.
In the thyrde he teacheth to honoure temporall rulers,
and to obeye them, and yet bryngeth to Christe
agayne, and of the grace that he hath purchased for
vs, that no man shoulde thynke that the obedience
to prynces lawes or any other worke shoulde iustifye
vs before God. And laste of all he
chargeth to auoyd the companye
of the stubborne and of
the heretykes.
¶ The Epistle of Saynct Paule the Apostle vnto Titus.
The fyrst Chapter.
¶ Paule exhorteth Titus to ordeyne priestes ∧ Byshoppes
in euerye citie, declareth what maner of m&ebar;
they ought to be that are chosen to that offyce, ∧ chargeth
Titus to rebuke suche as withstand the gospell.
A notePaule the seruaunt
of God and
an Apostle of Iesu
Christ, to preache þe;
faythe, of Goddes
elect, ∧ the knowledge
of that truethe,
whiche is after
Godlynes, vpon
-- --
the hope, of eternall lyfe, whiche lyfe God þt;
can not lye, hath promysed before the worlde
beganne: but hath opened hys worde, at the
tyme appoynted thorowe preachynge which
preachynge is commytted vnto me by the c&obar;maundement
of God oure sauyoure. noteTo Titus
hys naturall sonne in the common fayth.
Grace, mercy, and peace fr&obar; God the father
and from the Lorde Iesu Christe oure sauyoure.
B note note&rhand; For thys cause left I the in Crete, that
thou shouldest performe that whiche was lackynge,
and shouldest ordeyne elders in euery
cytye as I appoynted the. Yf any be fautelesse,
the husbande of one wyfe hauyng faythfull
chyldren, whiche are not sclaundred of ryote,
neyther are dysobedyent. For a byshoppe
must be fautelesse, as it becommeth the mynister
of God: not stubborne, not angrye, no
dronkarde, no fyghter, not geuen to fylthy lucre:
but herberous one that loueth goodnes, sober
mynded, ryghtuous, holy temperate, and
suche as cleaueth vnto the true worde of doctryne,
that he maye be able to exhorte wyth
wholesome learnynge, and to improue them,
that saye agaynste it.
C &rhand; For there are many dysobedyent: ∧ talkers
of vanitye and disceyuers of myndes, namely
they of the circumcision, whose mouthes
must be stopped: whiche peruerte whole houses
teachynge thynges whiche they oughte
not because of fylthy lucre. One beyng of th&ebar;
selues, which was a poete of theyr owne, said:
The Cretians are alwayes lyars, euil beastes
and slowe belyes. Thys wytnesse is true,
wherfore rebuke them sharply that they may
be sounde in the fayth, and not takyng hede to
Iewes fables and commaundementes of m&ebar;
that turne from the truethe. noteVnto the pure
are all thynges pure, but vnto them that are
defyled and vnbeleuynge, is nothynge pure:
but euen the very myndes and consciences of
them are defyled. They confesse that they
knowe God: but wyth the dedes they denye
hym, and are abhomynable and dysobedient,
and vnto all good workes discommendable.
The .ij. Chapter.
He telleth hym howe he shall teache all degrees
how to behaue them selues
A Bvt speake thou þt; whiche becommeth
wholsome learnyng. noteThat
the elder m&ebar; be sober, honest, discret,
sounde in the fayth, in loue,
and in pacience. noteAnd the elder
women lykewyse, that they be in such raym&ebar;t
as becommeth holynes, not false accusars, not
geuen to muche drynkynge, note but teachers of
honest thinges to make the yong wom&ebar; sobre
mynded, to loue theyr husbandes, to loue their
chyldren, to be dyscret, chast, huswyfly, good
∧ obedy&ebar;t vnto theyr owne husbandes, þt; the
word of God be not euyl spoken of. noteYo&ubar;g m&ebar;
lykewyse exhort that they be sobre mynded.
B &rhand; Aboue all thynges shewe thy selfe an ensample
of good workes wyth vncorrupt doctryne
wyth honesty, and wyth the wholesom
worde, which c&abar;not be rebuked, that he which
wythstandeth, maye be ashamed, hauyng nothynge
in you that he maye disprayse. noteThe seruauntes
exhort to be obedi&ebar;t vnto theyr owne
maysters, note and to please in al thynges, not a&ubar;swerynge
agayne, neyther be pyckers, but þt;
they shewe all good faythfulnes, that they
maye do worshyp to þe; doctryne of oure sauyoure
God in all thynges.
C &cross2; For the grace of God, þt; bringeth saluacion
vnto al men, hath apered ∧ teacheth vs þt; we
shoulde denye vngodlynes ∧ worldly lustes,
and that we shoulde lyue sobre mynded ryghtuouslye
and Godly in this present worlde, lokynge
for that blessed hope and gloryous apperyng
of the myghtye God, and of oure sauyoure
Iesu Christe, whiche gaue hym selfe
for vs, to redeme vs from al vnryghtuousnes
and to pourge vs a peculyar people vnto him
selfe, feru&ebar;tly geu&ebar; vnto good workes. These
thynges speake, and exhorte, &cross3; and rebuke,
wyth all commaundyng. Se that no man despyse
the.
The .iij. Chapter.
¶ Of the obedience to such as are in authoritie. He
warneth Titus to beware of folyshe and vnprofytable
questyons.
A noteWarne them that they submytte
them selues to rule and power
to obeye the offycers that they
be ready vnto al good workes
that they speake euyll of nom&abar;
that they be no fyghters, but softe, shewynge
all meakenes vnto all men. For we our selues
also in tymes paste, vnwyse, dysobedient, deceyued,
in daunger to lustes, and to dyuers
maners of voluptuousnes, lyuyng in malycyousnes
and enuye, ful of hate, hatyng one another.
B note note&cross2; But after that the kyndnes and loue of our
sauyoure God to man warde appered, not of
the dedes of rightuousnes, which we wrought
but of hys mercy he saued vs, by the fountayne
of the newe byrth, ∧ with the renuyng of þe;
holye ghost, which he shed on vs abounda&ubar;tly,
thorowe Iesus Christe oure sauyoure, that
we ones iustifyed by hys grace, shoulde be
heyres of eternall lyfe, thorow hope. &cross3; Thys
is a true saiynge.
C Of these thynges I would thou shouldest
certyfye, that they whiche beleue God, might
be dylygent to go forwarde in good workes.
noteThese thynges are good and profytable vnto
men. Folysh questions and genealogyes, and
braulynge and stryfe aboute the law auoyde:
for they are vnprofytable and superfluous. A
man that is geuen to heresye, after the fyrst ∧
the seconde admonicyon auoyde, remembring
that he that is suche, is peruerted, and synneth
euen damned by hys owne iudgement.
-- --
D &rhand; When I shall sende Artemas vnto the or
Tichicus, be diligente to come to me vnto Nichopolis.
For I haue determyned there to
wynter. Brynge zenas the lawyar and Apollos
on theyr iorneye dilygentlye, that nothing
be lackyng vnto th&ebar;. And let oures also learne
to excell in good workes as farforthe,
as nede requyreth, that they be not
vnfruteful. All that are with
me salute the. Grete
them that loue vs
in the faythe
Grace be
&wt; you
all.
AMEN.
Wryten from Nichopolis
a cytye of Macedonia.
T. Matthew [1549], The Byble, that is to say all the holy Scripture: In whych are c&obar;tayned the Olde and New Testamente, truely ∧ purely tr&abar;slated into English, ∧ nowe lately with greate industry ∧ dilig&ebar;ce recognised. [Edited by Edmund Becke.] (Imprinted by... Ihon Daye [etc.] and William Seres [etc.], London) [word count] [B05000].
