I have here translated (brethren and sisters most dear and tenderly beloved in Christ) the new Testament for your spiritual edifying, consolation and solace: Exhorting instantly and beseeching those that are better seen in the tongues than I, and that have higher gifts of grace to interpret the sense of the Scripture, and meaning of the Spirit, than I, to consider and ponder my labor, and that with the spirit of meekness. And if they perceive in any places that I have not attained the very sense of the tongue, or meaning of the Scripture, or have not given the right English word, that they put to their hands to amend it, remembering that so is their duty to do. For we have not received the gifts of God for ourselves only, or for to hide them; but for to bestow them unto the honoring of God and Christ, and edifying of the congregation, which is the body of Christ. The causes that moved me to translate, I thought better that others should imagine, then that I should rehearse them. Moreover I supposed it superfluous, for who is so blind tare why light should be shewed to them that walk in darkness, where they cannot but stumble, and where to stumble is the danger of eternal damnation, other so despiteful that he would envy any man (I speak not his brother) so necessary a thing, or so bedlam made to affirm that good is the natural cause of blindness, and deafness to proceed out of sight, and that lying should be grounded in troth and verity, and not rather seen contrary, that light destroyeth darkness, and verity reproveth all manner saying. After it had pleased God to put in my mind, and also to give me grace to translate this fore rehearsed new testament into our English tongue, howsoever we have done it. I supposed it very necessary to put you in remembrance of certain points, which are: that ye well understand what these words mean: The old testament. The new testament. The law. The gospell. Moses. Christ. Nature. Grace. Worshipping and believing. Deeds and faith; Lest we ascribe, to the one that which belongeth to the other, and make of Christ Moses, of the gospell the Law, despise grace and rob faith: and fall from meek learning unto idle despicions, brawling and scolding about words. ((The old testament.)) The old testament is a base, where in is written the law and commandments of God, and the deeds of them which fulfill them, and of them also which fulfilleth them not. ((The new testament)) The new testament is a base where in are contained the promises of God, and the deeds of them which believe them or believe them not. ((The gospell or evangelion))