The Old Faith an Evident Probation out of the Holy Scripture, Tract
An euident declaration oute of the holy ſcrypture, that the Chryſten fayth hath endured ſens the begynnyng of the worlde, and that thorowe it only all wertuous men pleaſed God, and were ſaued.
I Suppoſe playnlyThe chriſten fayth is elder then. 1500 yeares that many ſymple Chryſten men wyll not a lytle wonder at thys myne interpryſe, they are ſo perſuaded, and thynke, the Chryſten fayth dyd fyrſte begynne vnderunder Tyberius the Emperour: for aſmuche as out of the Goſpell of Luke it is certayne, that in the fyftenth yeare of Tiberius, Johan the Baptyſt beganne to preache the goſpell, and all hyſtories ſaye wyth one accorde, that in the .xviii. yeare of Tiberius, Jeſus Chryſt dyd ſuffer,
Now it is true, that all the prophecyes were then fyrſte fulfyl…ed, and the true ſaluacyon perfourmed: yee frome that tyme forthe were all the gloryous treaſures of Chryſt ſo rychely declared and poured out amonge all people, as they neuer were afore. Not wythſtandynge the ſame ſaluacion in Chryſte Jeſu was promyſed longe afore, and ſo opened to the holy olde fathers, that they hauehave had no leſſe ſyght of Chryſt Jeſus in the ſprete thē we: and put theyr truſte in hym, aſwell as we: thoughe amonge vsus it be cleare and opon, or perfourmed and fulfylled, that amonge them was ſome what darker, and therfore loked for wyth hartes deſyre, as a thyng for to come. Moreouer it is not I that fyrſte brynge forth thys meanynge concernynge the antiquite or oldneſſe of oure Chryſten fayth. For the holy byſhop Euſebius Ceſarien̄, whyche lyued aboue .xi. hundreth… yeare agoo, (and lykewyſe manye othe… Chryſten, doctours hath a ſo taughte and wrytten the ſame more clearly before me. For Euſebius in the fyrſt boke de eccleſiaſticaEuſebius hiſtoria, ſayeth planely: All they that in theyr eſtate ar noted accordyng to their genera…yons, to reken backwarde from▪ Abraham vntounto the fyrſt man, though they had not the name of Chryſten men. (For at Antioche certayne yeares ofter the aſcē ſion of Chryſte, was that name geuen toActuū. xi. the faithfull. Act▪ xi. Yet as pertaynyng to relygyon and ſubſtaunce, they were all Chryſten.
For yf thys word Chryſten be aſmuch to ſaye, as one that putteth hys truſte in Chryſt and thorow hys doctryne faſtened vntounto fayth, vntounto the grace and ryghteouſ, neſſe of God, doth cleaue wyth all diligēce to gods doctryne, and exercyſeth hym ſelfe in eueryevery thyng that is vertuous. Then verely thoſe holy men whome we ſpeake of fyrſte, were euen the ſame that Chryſten men boaſte them ſelues now to be. All theſe are the wordes of the for ſayd olde chriſten doctours. But to the intente that no man ſhall thynke, howe that we buylde vponupon men, and vponupon a ſtraunge foundacyon. Therfore wyll we fyrſte declare oure mynde oute of the ſcrypture, and alledge ſome what more for the better vnderſtandynge of the matter.