This pistle was writt&ebar; agaynst
th&ebar; which thought that Christ&ebar;
fayth might be ydle ∧ with
oute workes / when yet the
promes of Christ is made vs
vpon that condicion / that we
henceforth worke the wyll of
God ∧ not of the flesshe. Therfore
he exhorteth them to exercise them selues
diligentlye in vertue ∧ all good workes / therby
to be sure that they haue the true fayth / as a
man knoweth the goodnes of a tree by his frute.
Then he c&obar;mendeth and magnifieth the gospell
/ and willeth that men herk&ebar; to that onlye /
and to m&ebar;nes doctryne not at all. For as he sayeth
/ ther came no propheticall scripture by the
wyll of man / but by the wyll of the holye goost
which onlye knoweth the wyll of God / nether
is anye scripture of priuate interpretacion: that
is to saye / maye be otherwyse expounded then
agreinge to the open places and generall articles
and to the couenauntes of God and all the
rest of the scripture.
And therfore in the seconde he warneth them
of false teachers that shuld come / and thorow
preachinge confidence in false workes to satisfye
their courtousnes with all / shuld denye
Christ. Which he threateneth with thre terrible
exsamples / with the fall of the angelles / the
floude of Noe and ouerthrowinge of Sodome
and Gomor / and so describeth them with their
insaciable couetousnes / pryde / stouborne and
dysobedience to all temporall rule and auctoryte
/ with their abominable whordome and ypocresie
that a blinde man maye se that he prophisied
it of the popes holye spiritualtie which
deuoured the whole worlde with their coueteousnes
-- --
/ lyuinge in all lust and pleasure ∧ rayninge
as temporall tyrantes.
In the thyrde he sheweth that in the latter
dayes / the people thorow vnbeleffe ∧ lacke of
feare of the iudgement of the last daye / shalbe
euen as Epicures / wholy geuen to the flesshe.
Which last daye shall yet surelye ∧ shortlye come
sayth he: for a thousande yeres ∧ one daye is
with God all one. And he sheweth also how terrible
that daye shalbe / ∧ how sodenlye it shall come
∧ therfore exhorteth all men to loke ernestlie
for it / and to prepare them selues agaynst
it with holye conuersacion ∧ godly liuinge.
Finallie. The fyrst Chapter sheweth how it
shuld goo in the tyme of the pure ∧ true Gospell.
The seconde how it shuld goo in the tyme
of the pope and mennes doctrine. The thyrde
how at the last men shuld beleue nothinge nor
feare God at all.
¶ The seconde epistle of S. Peter.
Tyndale [1534], ¶ The newe Testament / dylygently corrected and compared with the Greke by Willyam Tindale: and fynesshed in the yere of oure Lorde God A. M. D. ∧. xxxiiij. in the moneth of Nouember (, ANWERP) [word count] [B03000].
