Aboute thys Epystle hath euer bene muche doubtynge, and that amonge greate learned men who shoulde be the author therof, dyuers affyrmynge that it was not Pauls, partelye because the Epystle so disagreeth and is so vnlyke hys other Epistles, and partely because it standeth in the seconde Chapter, thys learnynge was confyrmed to vswarde, that is to saye taughte vs by them that hearde it them selues of the Lorde. Nowe Paule testyfyeth Gala.i. that he receyued not hys Gospell of man nor by man, but immedyatlye of Christ and that by reuelacyon. Wherfore saye they, seynge: thys man confesseth that he receyued his doctrine of the Apostles, it can not be Paules, but some dyscyple of the Apostles. Nowe whether it were Paules or no I saye not, but permit it to other mennes iudgementes, neyther thynk I it to be an artycle of anye mans fayth, but that a man maye doubte of the author.

Moreouer, manye ther hath bene whyche not onelye haue denyed thys Epistle to haue bene wrytten by anye of the Apostles, but haue also refused it altogether as no catholyke or Godlye Epystle, because of certayne textes written therin. For fyrste it sayth in the syxte, it is impossyble that they whyche were ones lyghted, and haue tasted of the heauenlye gyfte and were become partakers of the holy ghoste, and haue tasted of the good worde of God and of the power of the worlde to come, yf they fall, shoulde be renued agayne to repentaunce or conuersyon. And in the tenth it sayeth, yf we synne wyllinglye after we haue receyued the knowledge of the trueth, there remayneth no more sacrifyce for synnes, but a fearful lokynge for iudgemente and violente fyer, which shal destroye the aduersaryes. And in the .xij. it sayeth that Esau founde no waye to repentaunce or conuersyon, no though he sought it wyth teares. Which textes say ther, sounde: that yf a man synne any more after he is ones baptysed, he can be no more forgeu&ebar;, and that is contrarye to all the scripture, and therfore to be refused to be catholyke and Godly.

Vnto whyche I answere, yf we shoulde denye thys Epistle for those tectes sakes, so should we denye fyrste Mathew, whiche in his .xij. Chapter, affyrmeth that he whych blasphemeth the holye ghoste shall neyther be forgeuen here nor in the worlde to come. And then Marke whyche in his .iij. Chapter sayeth: that he that blasphemeth the holye ghoste, shal neuer haue forgeuenes, but shall be in daungere of eternall dampnacyon. And thyrdely Luke, whiche sayeth: there shall be no remissyon to hym that blasphemeth the spirite of God. Moreouer Iohn in his .j. Epistle, sayeth there is a synne vnto death, for whiche a man shoulde not praye. And .ij.Peter.ii sayeth, yf a man be fled from the vncleanes of the worlde thorow the knowledge of the sauioure IESUS Christe, and then be wrapt in agayne, his ende is worse then the beginninge, and that it had bene better for him neuer to haue knowen the trueth. And Paule .ii. Tymothe. iii. curseth Alexander the copersmith desyrynge the Lorde to rewarde hym accordinge to hys dedes. Whyche is a sygne that eyther

the Epystle shoulde not be good, or that Alexander had synned paste forgeuenes, no more to be prayed for. Wherfore seyng no scrypture is of pryuate interpretacyon, but muste be expounded accordynge to the generall artycles of oure fayth and agreable to other open and euydent textes, and confyrmed or compared to lyke sentences, why should we not vnderstande these places wyth lyke reuerence as we do the other, namely when al the remnaunte of the Epistle is so Godly and of so greate learneynge.

The fyrste place in the .vi. Chapter, wyll no more then that they whyche knowe the trueth, and yet wyllynglye refuse the lyghte, and chose rather to dwell in darckenes, and refuse Chryste and make a mocke of hym (as the Pharyses, whyche when they were ouer come wyth scrypture and myracles, that Chryste was the verye Messyas, yet had suche luste in inyquyte that they forsoke hym, persecuted hym, slewe hym, and dyd all the shame that coulde be Imagyned to hym) can not be renued (eis Metanoiam) sayeth the Greke, to be conuerted, that is to saye, suche malycyous vnkyndnes, whyche is none other then the blasphemynge of the holye ghoste, deserueth that the spyryte shall neuer come more at them to conuerte them, whyche I beleue to be as true as anye other texte in al scrypture.

And what is meant by that place in the tenth Chapter where he sayeth, yf we synne wyllynglye after we haue receyued the knowledge of the trueth there remayneth no more sacryfyce for synne, is declared immedyaly after. For he maketh a comparyson betwene Moyses and Chryste, sayinge: yf he whyche despysed Moyses lawe dyed wythout mercye, howe muche worse punyshmente is he worthy of that treadeth the sonne of God vnder fote, and counteth the bloude of the couenaunte, by whyche bloude he was sanctyfyed, as an vnholye thynge ∧ blasphemeth the spyryte of grace. By whyche wordes it is manyfeste that he meaneth none other by the fore wordes, then the syn of blasphemy of the spyryte.

For them that synne of ignoraunce or infyrmytye, there is remedye, but for hym that knoweth the trueth, and yet wyllynglye yeldeth hym selfe to synne, and consenteth vnto the lyfe of synne, wyth soule and bodye, and hadde leuer lye in synne, then haue hys poysoned nature healed by the healpe of the spyryte of grace, and malycyouslye persecuteth the trueth, for hym I saye there is no remedye the waye to mercye is locked vp, and the spyryte is taken from hym for hys vnthankefulnes sake no more to be geuen hym. Trueth it is yf a man can tourne to God, and beleue in Chryste, he muste be forgeuen howe depe soeuer he hath synned but that wyl not be without the spyryte, and suche blasphemers shall no more haue the spyryte offered them. Let euerye man therfore feare God, and be ware that he yelde not hym selfe to serue synne, but howe ofte soeuer he synne, let hym begynne agayn and fyght a freshe, and no doubt he shall at the laste ouercome, and in the meane tyme yet be vnder mercye for Chrystes sake, because hys herte worketh and woulde fayne be lowsed from vnder the bondage of synne.

And that it sayeth in the .xij. Esau founde no waye (els Metonoiam) to be conuerted and reconcyled vnto God and restored vnto his byrthryght again though he sought it wyth teares, that texte must haue a spyrytuall eye. For Esau in sellynge his byrthryght despysed not onelye that temporal promocyon that he shoulde haue bene Lorde ouer all hys brethren and kynge of that co&ubar;trey, but he also refused the grace ∧ mercy of God, and the spyrytuall blessynges of Abraham and Isaac, and all the mercye that is promysed vs in Chryste, whych should haue bene hys sede. Of thys ye se that thys Epystle ought no more to be refused for holy, Godlye, and catholyke, then the other autentycke scryptures. Nowe therfore to come to our purpose agayn, though thys epystle (as it sayth in the syxt) laye not the grounde of the fayth of Chryste, yet it buyldeth c&obar;nyngly theron pure golde, syluer, and precyouse stones, and proueth the pryesthode of Christ wyth scryptures ineuytable. Moreouer there is no worke in all the scrypture, that so planelye declareth the meanynge and sygnyfycacyons of the sacryfyces, ceremonyes, ∧ figures of the olde testamente as thys Epystle in so much, that yf wylful blyndnes and malycyous malyce were not the cause, thys Epystle onely were ynough to weede out of the hertes of the papistes, that cankred heresy of iustyfiyege of workes, concerninge our sacramentes, ceremonies, and all maner tradycyons of theyr owne inuentyon.

And fynally in that ye see in the tenth that he had bene in bondes and pryson for Christes sake, and in that he so myghtly dryueth al to Chryste to be saued thorowe hym, and so cared for the flocke of Chryste, that he both wrote and sente, where he hearde, that they began to faynt, to comfort, courage, and str&ebar;gth them wyth the word of God, and in that also that he sent Tymothe Paules dyscyple, both vertuous, well learned and had in greate reuerence, it was easye to se that he was a faythful seruaunte of Chrystes and of the same doctryne that Tymothe was of, yea and Paule hym selfe was, and that he was an Apostle, or in the Apostles tyme or nexe thervnto. And seynge the Epystle agreeth to all the reste of the scrypture, yf it be indifferently loked on, howe shoulde it not be of authorytye and taken for holye scrypture. The Epistle of S. Paule vnto the Hebrues.

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