The Church, the Falling Away, and the RestorationShepherd, J. W. (James Walton)
Religion
The Church, the Falling Away, and the Restoration
Shepherd, J. W. (James Walton)
Churches of Christ -- Doctrines; Disciples of Christ -- Controversial literature; Disciples of Christ -- Doctrines
In 1529 Bishop Tunstal went to Antwerp to seize Tyndale’s Testaments,
and by a singular coincident Tyndale also was there and so it happened
that one Parkington, who favored Tyndale, was at Antwerp at the same
time. On being informed by the bishop that he would be glad to buy the
Testaments, Parkington told him that, as he knew those who had them for
sale, he could buy “every book of them that is imprinted and is here
unsold.” The bargain was made, and as has been said by the quaint
chronicler:
The bishop, thinking he had God by the toe, when indeed he had, as
after he thought, the devil by the fist, said: “Gentle Mr. Parkington,
do your diligence and get them; and with all my heart I will pay for
them whatsoever they cost you, for the books are erroneous and nought,
and I intend surely to destroy them all, and to burn them at Paul’s
Cross.” Augustus Parkington came to William Tyndale, and said:
“William, I know that thou art a poor man, and hast a heap of New
Testaments and books by thee, for which thou hast both endangered thy
friends and beggared thyself; and I have now gotten thee a merchant,
which, with ready money, shall dispatch thee of all thou hast, if thou
think it so profitable for yourself.” “Who is this merchant?” said
Tyndale. “The Bishop of London,” said Parkington. “Oh, that is because
he will burn them,” said Tyndale. “Yea, marry,” quoth Parkington. “I
am the gladder,” said Tyndale, “for these two benefits shall come
thereof: I shall get money to bring myself out of debt, and the whole
world will cry out against the burning of God’s Word; and the overplus
of the money that shall remain to me shall make me more studious to
correct the New Testament, and so newly to imprint the same once
again, and I trust the second will much better like you than ever did
the first.” And so went forward the bargain; the bishop had the books;
Parkington had the thanks, and Tyndale had the money.
After this, Tyndale corrected the same New Testament, and caused them
to be newly imprinted, so that they came thick and threefold over into
England. When the bishop perceived that, he sent for Parkington, and
said to him: “How cometh this, that there are so many New Testaments
abroad? You promised me that you would buy them all.” Then said
Parkington: “Surely, I bought all that were to be had, but I perceive
they have printed more since. I see it will never be better so long as
they have letters and stamps; wherefore you were best to buy the
stamps, too, and so you shall be sure.” At which the bishop smiled and
so the matter ended.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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