Abrahams Faith, Part 1 · Chapter 3
CAP. III. Heere is more largely ſhewed, the vnitie of faith in all ages, & that the religion openly profeſſed at this preſent in England, is the ſame ancient & onelyonly Catholike faith of Abraham, Moſes & the prophets, & which Chriſt and his Apoſtles preached and taught. Where 1. is declared that Abraham receiued it of God, both for the Iewes & alſo for all other nations. 2. The particulers are compared in 15. ſeuerall articles of the moſt waightie points of doctrine.
HAuing entred thus far, that the Chriſtian reader may as in a glaſſe: in ſome reaſonable ſort behold in his conſcience, that from the beginning of the world, there hath beene but one religion in which a man could euer be ſaued, one law of faith, one law of louelove, taught and allowed by God in his Church catholike and vniuerſall, for all places & times, to remaine vnchangeable vntounto the worlds end. Now will I (through the mercifull aſſiſtance of the ſame my gracious God) more largely and particularly ſhew the verie ſame thinges: and that the ſame is the religion, which in this our time, is now by publike authoritie profeſſed, preached, taught, & defended in this realme of England, by and vnderunder the moſt happie raigne, golden dayes, and peaceable gouernment of the Lordes annointed and bleſſed handmaid and ſeruant, our dread ſoueraigne, deare nurſe-mother, faithfull and elect Ladie and Queene Elizabeth: for whoſe heauenly ioy, Chriſtian honour, long and proſperous life in wealth and godlineſſe, all true hearted Chriſtians and faithfull ſubiectes, continually and inſtantly do pray. Here thou ſhalt ſee (God willing) what God taught Abraham what Moyſes ſent of God taught Iſrael, what the prophetes inſpired of God taught in Iudah, what Chriſt & his Apoſtles taught the primitiue Church, and that all theſe differ not in the doctrine of faith and louelove, but being all one and the ſame way of ſaluation, the ſame true and vndeceiuable religion, the ſame euerlaſting God and Sauiour: And thou ſhalt plainely and clearely ſee, that the verie ſame and none other, hath our moſt louing God, of his free and kind merciemercy, now aboue fortie yeares together taught vsus Engliſh men; and his heauenly wiſedome in our ſtreetes, and high places and aſſemblies, by his faithfull miniſters hath called vsus thereunto. So that we, to the ſtirring vp of our thankfull hearts, to praiſe our good God, may ſay with the PſalmiſtaPſal. 147.20. He hath not dealt ſo with euerie nation, neither hauehave they knowne his iudgements. And in this treatiſe concerning the firſt of the three times of the world, which was of the fathers before the lawe or any part of Gods worde was written, I make ſpeciall choiſe of Abraham for two cauſes. Firſt becauſe that in the hiſtorie of the fathers before his time, which containeth ſome 2083. yeares, the holy Ghoſt is verie briefe, and therefore not ſo full and plaine in diuers pointes, as after in the ſtory of Abraham. Howbeit thou ſhalt find in the ſame, the doctrine of one God, the trinitie, promiſe of Chriſt, and ſaluation to come by faith in him, Baptiſme, of the arke & ſacrifices for the latter ſacrament, ſeales of the couenant, and of dueties, diuers examples in Abell, Sheth, Enoch, Noe, and great puniſhments for the contrarie, ſo that the ſubſtance is one and the ſame, though that it be after more largely and particularly taught in the ſtorie of Abraham. But becauſe my purpoſe is to ſhew, that the particular partes of the doctrine of our religion bee moſt auncient and catholike, I finde it more fitte to take the patterne from Abraham, in whoſe ſtorie I may gather theſe thinges more plainely, and alſo many moe ſeuerall braunches thereof. But my ſecond cauſe is more ſpeciall and of greater wayght, namely that God made choiſe of Abraham in calling of him, to bee the father of all belieuers, and that the ſame faith which hee receyued of God, ſhould bee the religion of all nations wherein and whereby they ſhould bee ſaued to the end of the world. Which thing Saint Paule teacheth when hee ſaith,bGal. 3.8. The ſcripture foreſeeing that God woulde iuſtifie the gentilles through faith, preached before the Goſpell vntounto Abraham ſaying, In thee ſhall all the gentils bee bleſſed. Where we learne that the goſpell which teacheth this religion, that men ſhould bee iuſtified by faith was preached to Abraham, and namely for the vſe of the gentilles, that they ſhould bee made of the ſame religion with Abraham, and with him by faith onelyonly bee iuſtified: as hee ſaith in the next verſe:Verſ. 9. So then they which be of faith are bleſsed with faithfull Abraham. This did GOD ſignifie vntounto Abraham, when hee chaunged his name ſaying,aGen. 17.45. Behold I make my couenant with thee and thou ſhalt bee a father of many nations, neither ſhall thy name any more be called Abraham, but thy name ſhall bee Abraham, for a father of many nations hauehave I made thee. Hereof the Apoſtle teacheth that Abrahams ſeede is twofoldbRom. 4.16. not onelyonly of the law (which is meant of the Iewes) but alſo that which is of the faith of Abraham (that is the gentilles, who not hauing the lawe, are yet his ſeed through faith) and therfore he addeth, He is father of vsus all (that is both of Iew & gentil which belieue) alleadging this place for proofe ſaying as it is written, I hauehave made thee a father of manie nations &c. Whereby it is pregnantly proued, that Abraham is made, in regard of faith and religion, a father both to Iewes and Gentils. The Iewes are firſt admitted to be his children, to walke in his religion and ſteppes of faith: & after we ſucceed in their roome to walk in the ſame ſteps of faith & religion of Abraham: they as the Apoſtle els whereccap. 11.17.18. ſaith being naturall braunches, for vnbeliefe were cut off: But we though braunches of the wild Oliue are grafted in by faith. Now becauſe it is here manifeſt, that Abraham receiued the couenant for vsus, and the whole religion of God, as well for vsus as for the Iewes, and that God wold not hauehave the Iews to hauehave one religiō & the gentils an other, the one to be ſaued by one faith, & the other by another; but both to be of that faith and religion which was taught and found in Abraham: and that Chriſt comming of his ſeed, ſhould bee ſauiour both of Iewes and gentils,dLuc. 2.32. A light to be reuealed to the gentils & the glorie of Iſrael: religion then being one, & the ſame one being the ſame only which was taught Abraham, I thought it beſt to chooſe him and his ſtorie, becauſe that neither the law nor the goſpel could or ought to differ in religion and faith, from that of Abraham: that if our religion in Englande agree with that of Abraham, then it might bee knowen to be the true auncient and catholike religion and faith, & no new broached religion or doctrine, ſuch as that is of the Church of Rome, as in the proceſſe of this booke ſhall be ſeene. But for thy better help good Chriſtian reader, I will follow this order: I will ſhew the ſeuerall points of religion, which are moſt materiall, one after an other, as they are in nature firſt & ſecond, and then in euerie part or article, Abrahams faith firſt: And ſecondly, (except ſome ſpecial reaſon draw me to alter this order) I wil ſhew how our religion agreeth with his faith, and laſtly how Moyſes, the prophets and the new teſtament confirme the ſame. And thus they follow.