The Old Faith an Evident Probation out of the Holy Scripture, Tract · Part 3
Of Adam ¶ Of the fyrſt faith full Chriſten, Adam and Eue.
ANd hytherto I truſt we hauehave had in the firſt promes of God, the foū dationThe ſumme of the Chriſten faith. and the whole ſumme of oure holy chriſten faith: Namely, that the whole generation of mā was but loſt thorow hys owne fault and wickedneſſe, and fallen into death & damnacion, ſo that there remayneth nothyng in man but it is diſpleaſaunt to God: Herof commeth it that ther is nothynge to be aſcrybed vntounto the power and deſeruyng of mā, ſaue ſynne and malediction. But God of hys abundaunt mercy had compaſſion on vsus, and of very grace promyſed he lyfe vntounto vsus agayne in hys ſonne our lord Jeſu, whome he wolde to become man, and to ſuffre death in hys fleſhe, that therby he might treade downe the deuell, death ſynne and hell. Item he wolde put enemyte betwene the womans ſede and the ſerpēt, That is, he wolde endewe vsus (which are the ſede, that is to ſaye, the chyldren of Adam yf we beleue) with another hert and power, that we mighte become enemyes vntounto the deuels workes, reſiſte his ſuggeſtion, and holde our ſelues faſt by the bleſſed ſede, labouryng and ſuffrynge what ſo euer God enioyneth vsus to worke & ſuffre. Who is it now, which ſeyth not here in, all that is written in the hole ſcripture, of beleue, of louelove and innocencye: that is to ſaye, of a Chriſten lyfe and fayth?
Who ſo is diſpoſed / let hym loke vponupon the thirde / fourth / and ſeconde chapter of Paul to the Romaynes / the firſt & ſecond to the Epheſians: let hym compare thoſe chapters towarde this ſumme / & he ſhall fynde it none otherwyſe.
For aſmoche then as Adam & Eue had fayth in God / and ſtode ſo towarde God that they knowledged thē ſelues to be ſynners / & truſted to be ſaued onelyonly thorowe the bleſſed ſede / geuyng them ſelues ouer willingly in to the diſciplyne & nurtoure / trauayll & trouble of thys tyme / No man can ſaye contrary / but it foloweth / that oure firſt elders were Chriſten. Neuertheles we will declare the ſame yet more clerly / by Moyſes wordes folowynge AndGene. iii. Adam called hys wyfe Heua / becauſe ſhe ſhulde be the mother of all lyuyng. ForAdams fayth. aſſoone as he was now ſtrēgthed thorow the promes of God / and beleued that he and hys poſterite (whiche …is were chyldrē of wrath / of the deuel / and of death (ſhuld lyue thorow the bleſſed ſede, he turned his wyfes name, and called her Heua, for the remembraunce of the matter, and practiſyng of hys fayth: for he beleued, that ſhe now lyuyge in the power of the bleſſed ſede ſhuld bringe forth, not onelyonly quycke men temporally as pertaynynge to thys naturall lyfe (lyke as we call other creatures lyuynge (but lyuyng, that, is to ſaye chyldren of ſaluation For Adam had loſte eternall lyfe from hym ſelfe, and from vsus hys poſterite: but the ſame is genen vntounto vsus agayn thorow Jeſus Chriſt our Lord. Adam for aſmuche as he beleued, chaunged hys wyues name, lyke as we fynde that for great weyghty cauſes the names of certayne places, cytyes and men, were chaūged: Thus was Jacob called Iſraell Symon, Peter: Luthz, Be…ell. Eue had nowe a name of lyfe, for Ha…ah in Hebrue is as muche to ſaye, as lyfe. Afore was ſhe called Iſcha, that is to ſaye, Woman, becauſe ſhe was taken fromout of the mā, whych in the Hebrue is talled Iſcha. Gen. ii. And thus is it manifeſt, what faith Adā had, wherby we maye well ſuppoſe, that Eue had none other faythe
But god vſed hys mercy and louyngeCōforte helpe & louing kindnes in the myddes of correction. kyndneſſe yet furthermore, euē in the myddes of all correction: for whan he woulde nowe expell man oute of Paradyſe in to miſery, he doth vntounto hym in eueryevery condycion, euen as a faythfull father, whych for ſome myſdede putteth hys ſonne awaye from hym. Notwythſtādyng leaueth hym not vtterly comfortles, but prouideth him a garment, & comforteth hym wyth frēdly wordes, and then fyrſte ſendeth hym awaye from hym Euen thus doth God the father of heauē alſo. For fyrſt he clotheth Adam and Eue agaynſt the froſt and tempeſt of wether, in aſmuche as (by the meanes of ſynne) the wether, the erth, the ayre, and all creatures, were nomore ſo ſubiecte, tame and obedient vntounto man, as they were afore the fall. Therfore euen now at thys preſente tyme what ſoeuer inconuenience & harme is in the good creatures of God, it commeth by the meanes of oure ſynnes. Afterwarde doth the Lorde comforte the myſerable wretched man wyth verye louynge wordes after thys maner: Beholde. Adam is become lyke one of vsus,Gene. iii. or: lo, Adam ſhalbe as one of vsus, and it ſhall happē vntounto hym as to one of vsus, and he ſhall know good and euyll. Thys doth God ſpeake, whyche is one in ſubſtaunce, and thre in perſonnes: he Prophecyt…he here vntounto Adam, that he ſhall knowe or hauehave experience of good and euyll. That is to ſay, that vponupon erth he muſt fele proſperite and aduerſite, miſery and trouble, ſower and ſwete, and muſte ſuffer neceſſite, payne and afflyction. Yet in all thys, muſt he be conſtant & pacient, for aſmuch as nothynge ſhall happen vntounto hym, ſaueCōforte & paciēce in Chriſt. euen the ſame that ſhall happen to one of thē. And he meaneth the ſonne our Lorde Jeſu Chriſt the ſecond perſonne in the holy Trinite. With thys hys paſſyon & thorow the ſame doth he comforte Adam. As though he wolde ſaye: let the payne ſorow and trouble whych thou muſt ſuffer vponupon erth, not vexe the, and conſidre that one of vsus alſo ſhall take vponupon him the kynde and nature of man, and that the ſerpent (as it is ſayde afore) ſhall treade hym on the hele that is to ſaye, he ſhall dye, he ſhalbe oppreſt, and hauehave muche aſſlyction & trouble, all the dayes of hys lyfe. In the ſame meanyng alſo dyd the holy Apoſtle Peter ſay: Chryſt ſuffred for our ſakes, and gaue vsus an enſample, that we ſhulde folowe hym, and go in hys foteſteppesi. Pet. ii.
Out of all this is it eaſy to vnderſtande, what fayth and knowlege Adam hadAdams fayth of our lord Chriſt. Namely, that he knew in hym very godheade and manhede, and that he ſaw in fayth hys paſſiō and croſſe afarre of, Moreouer, that the paſſion of Chriſt ones do…e for al, breaketh the kingdome of the Deuell, and bryngeth lyfe agayne to ſuche as faythfully beleue. Secondly, that it is to our lyuynge, an enſample, at the which we ought to lerne pacience in aduerſite, and dayly to dye from all euyll. And here to now ſerue all doctrines of pacience, of bearyng of the croſſe, of deſpiſyng the worlde, & mortifienge or putting of the olde Adam, which thyng is conteyned and wyth many & godly wordes handled thorow out the prophetes and apoſtles. As for Adam, and Eue, they lacked none of theſe thynges, thoughe they had not the matter in wryttyng. For God ſpake it all to them hym ſelfe, and wrote it in theyr hartes. Morouer our fyrſte elders had no church, rytes nor ceremonies, ſaue onelyonly the bodely offryng, a repreſentacion of the ſacrificyng of Chriſte, and exerciſes or tokens of thankfulneſſe. For how ſhulde Cain & Abel els hauehave knowne any thyng of ſacrifice, yf they had not receaued the ſame at the cuſtome of their father? Who wyth hys wyfe Eua the mother of vsus all, was ſaued by none other worke or merite of mā, but onelyonly thorow and in the bleſſed ſede of oure Lorde Jeſu Chriſte.