The Old Faith an Evident Probation out of the Holy Scripture, Tract · Part 10
☞ That alſo the electe Apoſtles preached thys olde fayth, and declared, that all ſaluacion is▪ onelyonly in Chriſt
THus thorow Chriſt Jeſus is al fulfilled that the prophetes propheciedThe power of Chriſt ſaueth all. of hym a fore, thus is he become y• ſaluacion of all faithfull beleuers, euen the lampe of God, whiche hath bene ſacrificed ſens the beginninge of the world that is, this is he, whoſe power and delyueraunce hath clenſed all them, that euer put their truſt in God thorow the bleſſed ſede. Herein now is the righte true …aluacion, this is the ſumme of the right & perfecte religion. Who ſo peruerteth thys, from him ſhall God turne him ſelfe, who, ſo addeth oughte vntounto this, to hym ſhall God adde his wrothfull hand: who ſo taketh ther frō, his lyfe ſhall God …niſhe, But bleſſed are they, which walke in this ſimplicite & clenneſſe, & contynue ſo vntounto the ende euen they that heare gods worde, & do therafter whoſe onelyonly hope is Jeſus Chriſt. This onelyonly true and euer durynge ſaluacion wolde he to be ſhewed and declared to all nacions, whiche came to ſaue all nacions: but he wold it ſholde be declared by the preachinge of the holy goſpell, and thorow the miniſtracion of the hol… ſacramentes: And therfore by his lyfe tyme he dyd choſe Apoſtles, whome he receaued to be witneſſes of all hys doctryne & miracles, enfourmyng them diligently, & helde nothyng backe from them. For he ſayeth vntounto them: Ye are my frendes, yf ye do all that I commaunde you, I wyll hencechriſt hold nothinge back frō hys apoſtles. forth call you no more ſeruauntes, for a ſeruant woteth not what hys Lorde doth But I hauehave called you my frendes, for all that I hauehave heard of my father hauehave I opened vntounto you. Joh. …v. But for aſmoche as they yet lacked vnderſtondnge & were forgetfull and had euer ſtraunge ymaginacions of the kyngdome of Chriſt, therfore whan he now aſcended vntounto heauen, he charged them not to departe from Hieruſalem, but to wayte for the holy gooſte: whome he alſo gaue vntounto them vponupon the fiftieth daye after his reſurrection, that is vponupon the tenth daye after his aſcenſion euen the fiftenthe daye of Maye: by theThe holy gooſt broughte no new doctryne. which holy gooſt they beynge illuminate ſpake with all maner of langag…, and were myndfull of all that the Lorde had commaunded them a…o…e, For the holy gooſt dyd not endew them with a newe doctryne, but it that the Lord had taught them out of the lawe and the prophetes, the ſame dyd he bringe to their remembraunce and illucidate all thinges, & prynted them more clearly in ther hertes. For ſo ſayeth the. Lorde in the goſpell: The conforter euen the holy goſt, whom theJoh. xiiii. father wyll ſende in my name, he ſhall teache you all thinges and bringe all thynges to youre remembraunce that I haud ſayde vntounto you, Therfore ſo longe as the Lorde was with them, and tolde them all the matter of hys paſſion, they were ſorye and coulde not beare awaye all that he ſayd vntounto them But after that he was taken vp frome the erth in to heauen, he ſent the holy gooſt, euen him, whome the prophetes alſo had before, & that led them into all Chriſten veryte.
So whan they were endowed with the holy gooſte, they beganne (accordige to the Lordes commaundemente to preach in all the world / the foreſayde matter of ſaluacion purged, and obteyned onelyonly by Chriſt and gotten by true faith For he had ſayde: Go your waye in to all the world and preach the goſpell vntounto all creaturesMar. xvi. Who ſo beleueth and is baptiſed (ſhalbe ſaued &c. And therwith comprendeth he both the poyntes whiche the Apoſtles vſed and practiſed (euen the preachyng of the faith in Jeſus Chriſt, and of the miniſtracion of the ſacramentes, And how the Apoſtles doctryne was it is manifeſt out of the Actes of the Apoſtles: But ſhortly and in a ſumme, they preached amendement of lyfe. and remiſſion of ſynnes thorow Jeſus Chriſt: That is to ſaye, howe that the whole generacion of man laye in the dominion of the deuel and in ye bondes of ſynne curſed and damned: but God had mercy on vsus all, & ſente his ſoone in to this worlde, to dye, and with hys death to reſtore vsus vntounto lyfe and to waſh vsus with his bloude, that who ſo euer beleueth in hym, ſhulde not periſh, but hauehave eternall lyfe. All this declared they out of the lawe and the prophetes & proued, that, Jeſus Chriſt whome they preached, is the bleſſed ſede promiſed vntounto the fathers. Who ſo is deſyrous to hauehave a perfecte enſample of this declaracion, he fyndeth two ſermons of the famous Apoſtles Peter and Paul, the one in the Actes of the Apoſtles the ſecōde chapter, the other in the. xiii, chap. There doth the holy Apoſtle open the miſtery of our holy faith, very excellently declaringe it from the tyme of Abraham vntounto Dauid & from him vntounto Jhon the baptiſt. There vponupon ſheweth he, how Chriſt ſuffred, dyed was buried, and roſe agayne from death.Act, xiii. All this confirmeth he with the ſcriptures of the prophetes. At the laſt he concludeth the ſermon after this maner: Be it kowen vntounto you therfore ye men and brethren, that thorowe Jeſus is preached vntounto you forgeueneſſe of ſynnes, and that by hym all they that beleue, are iuſtified from all thynges, from the which ye coulde not be iuſtified by the lawe of Moſes. To this now alſo the ſermon of Peter: Yee all the ſcryptures of the Apoſtles do fynally accorde to the ſame effect Hereout alſo bring they ye doctrine of repentaunce and amendment of lyfe, the rebuking of ſynne conſlacions, exhortacions and drawyng to all maner of good workes that folowe out of faith.
The ſpeciall ſacramentes, whiche the lord dyd chefely inſtitute and commaunde the Apoſtles to praiſe in the churche, are holye Baptyme and the bleſſed ſupper of… …. xxviii oure Lorde Jeſus Chriſt. Concernynge y• firſt he ſaieth. To me is geuen all power in heauen and in erth: therfore go youre waye and teach all people & baptiſe them in the name of the father, of the ſonne, and of the holy gooſt, and teach them to kepe all that. I hauehave commaunded you. The other dyd he inſtitute at the laſt ſupper. For thus is it written in the holy goſpellThe ſupper of the Lorde, Whā they were eatynge, he toke bred and whan he had geuen thankes he brake it and gaue them ſayeng Take eate this is my bodye whiche ſhall be geuē for you this do, in the remembraunce of me. So toke he alſo y• cuppe whan they had ſupte, and ſayde: Drynke ye all out of this, This is my bloud of y• new teſtament, which ſhall be ſhed for the, remiſſion of ſinnes. With ſuche ſacramētes thorow outward viſible ſtourmes / for our infirmities ſake (pleaſed it the lord to ſhewe ſet before oure eyes his heuēly & in viſible grace not that we ſhuld continue ſtill hanginge in the viſible thing but that we ſhuld lyft vp our myndes and with a true beleue to holde faſt, to prynte ſure in oure myndes to worſhippe, and to enioye the thinges that faith ſheweth vsus by the outward ſacramentes With theſe outward ſacramentes alſo hath it pleaſed him to opē. declare and ſhewe vntounto vsus his grace and louynge kydneſſe Namely how that he geueth vntounto vsus him ſelf and all his riches, clenſeth vsus fedeth and moyſtureth oure ſoules wyth hys fleſh and bloud, that he is at one with vsus, and we with him ſo that we vſe and practiſe the ſacramentes with a true faith. For the outward enioyeng of the ſacramentes of it ſelfe alone. doth not reconcyle vsus wyth God: but yf they be vſed with fayth, than as Saynte Peter ſaieth Act. xv. (thorow faith doth God, purifye the hertes. With the ſacramentesThe frute of the ſacramentes. pleaſed it hym, to leue behynd him a remembraunce of his giftes & benefites, to the intent, that we ſhuld neuer forget them but prayſe and thanke him therfore. Morouer with vyſible ſacramentes was it his will to gather vsus together, and to marke vsus in remembraunce of oure dewty how we are one body to gether and ought to applye our ſelues to all righteouſneſſe. All which thinges are foude at lenthe in the ſcriptures of the Apoſtles.
As for the Apoſtles, they myniſtred the. ſacramentes diligently pu…r…ly and, ſymply, and ſo (without anye addicion (diſtributed them vntounto the people of God. Touching baptyme, ther are many enſamples in the actes of the Apoſtles. The ſupper of Jeſus Chriſt had the Corinthians ſomwhat altered. And whan Paull poynted them agayne to the true ordinaunce and right vſe, he taketh the ſymple wordes & inſtitucion of Jeſu Chriſt without anye more addicion, and layeth thoſe before them, commaundeth them to folowe the ſame, and holdeth him therwith well content .i. Corinth. xi. And thus dyd the holy Apoſtles gather together all Heythē and people, thorow the preachinge of the goſpell and myniſtracion of the ſacramentes in the church, whoſe heade is Chriſt, in whom they are buylded and preſerued. Morouer they dyd not layed them ſoreThe Apoſtles dyd not ouer charge the people with ceremonies. with any ceremonies. For in the Actes of the Apoſtles the .ii. chap where as a perfecte ſhappe of a right Chriſten congregacion is deſcrybed, we hauehave fyrſt the …eudinge of the Apoſtles, amonge whom Peter dyd fyrſt preach the goſpell: that is to ſaye, repentaunce and forgeueneſſe of ſynnes in Chriſt Jeſu. Then baptiſed he thē that were become the people of God. Afterward foloweth it, that they whych were become Chriſten, contynued in the doctryne of the Apoſtles, in prayer, in breakinge of the bred, & in the foloſhippe: Here are the ryght ſubſtanciall poyntes of the Criſten church ſufficiently expreſſed: the doctryne of amendment of lyfe & remiſſion of ſynnes, baptyme, the contynuynge and increaſyng in Chriſtes doctrine, prayer, the holy ſupper of the Lorde and the feloſhyppe, that is louelove, kyndneſſe and workes of mercy.
Now where as Act. xv. it is ordeynedThe Apoſtles wolde not offende the weake. that the Heythen ſhoulde eate no bloude nor ſtrangled, it endured but for a tyme, and theyr meanyng was therby to a voyde offendynge of the weake. Otherwyſe hauehave the Apoſtles eueryevery where (ſpecially Paul) very exneſtly exhorted men, to contynue by the doctrine that was ſhewed & delyuered thē, and to be at a poynte in thē ſelues to auoyde ſuche lernynge as was new and brought vp by men, becauſe they leade mē farre frō the trueth, as we fynde Colloſ. ii. Philip. iii. i. Timoth. iiii. vi. and Titum. i. And thus is it manifeſt, that the apoſtles taught al natiōs no newer ſtrauge thyng, but euen the ſame that they had receyued of the Lorde.