The Old Faith an Evident Probation out of the Holy Scripture, Tract · Part 6
☞ The originall of the holy ſcripture and fayth thereof.
THys mater which I hauehave hytherto treated vponupon, hauehave I not feyned of my ſelfe, but taken it out of the mouthe and worde of God. For god ſtyred vp Moſes to wryte and leaue behynde hym all the matter, for our lernyng and knowlege. Thys dyd now Moſes wyth great faythfulneſſe, & cōprehendedThe fyrſt boke Moſes. all in foure bokes. The fyrſte is called the boke of the creation, from the be gynnynge of the worlde vntounto hys tyme, of the creacion of the worlde, begynnynge of all nacions, and of the Patriarkes and olde ryghteous ſeruaūtes of god of theyr faith and conuerſacion, of the promiſes & workes …e god. The ſame wrote he as he was inſpired of the holy gooſt, and as he had receaued of olde fathers, and ſomwhat as he founde in the bokes of the Egipcians. For Moſes was excellently well lerned in all wyſdome of the Egipcians, as Steuen doth wytneſſe of hym, Act. vii. The other thre bokes wrote he of hys owne tyme, accordynge as he hym ſelfe was preſent, ſawe and knewe. And ſpecially the ſeconde koke concernynge the departyngeThe ſecō de boke of Moſes. out of Egipt, how the people of god were oppreſſed in Egipte, howe the Egypcians were punyſhed, how Iſraell was delyuered, receaued the lawe, and ſet vp a tabernacle wyth a gorgious ſeruynge of God. In the thyrde boke whych is called LeuiticusThe third boke. are wrytten the ſpirituall lawes, namely ſuche as concerneth the preeſtes and the preſthode, theyr office, lyuynge, knowlege, ſacrifices, ſolempne feaſte dayes, rytes, ceremonies, and ſuche lyke. In the fourth whyche is called. Numeri, he wryteth at length, how they went thorow theThe fourthe oke. wylderneſſe, and came to Jordane, wyth a rehearſal of theyr ordre and nombre, of theyr murmurynge alſo and punyſhment, and of certayne victories, wyth a remembraunce of certayne lawes and ſtatutes. Beſyde all thys he made yet an Enchiridion,The fifth boke. and ſumme of all the Actes of hys tyme and of the lawe of God, whyche is called Deuteronomium: the ſame cōmaunded he to be layd in the Arke at the moc ō of God, and that it ſhulde be red vntounto all the people, as it is mencioned. Deut. xxxi. And in theſe fyue bokes geuen vsus of GodThe origenall ſcripture of our fayth by Moſes, is the whole grounde of oure holy faythe. For all the Prophetes afterwarde grounded them ſelues vponupon the ſame, and wrote therout, lyke as afterwarde our Lorde Jeſus and the Apoſtles poynte vntounto Moſes. Nether dyd euer any ryghte wyſe man of vnderſtandyng and that feared God, doute any thynge or blaſpheme ſuche ſcriptures. And from ſuche true ſeruauntes of God, hauehave we hytherto receaued our matters in wrytinge.
Thus much hauehave I ſayd concernyngeThe lawe written is no newe thynge. the lawe, howe it is no newe thynge, but euen the onelyonly wyll of god, but now compre hended in wryrtynge. Moreouer that all the law poynteth vntounto Chriſt, and that all men of ryght vnderſtandynge whyche lyued vnderunder the law, were Chriſten. For manifeſt is it that Paull ſayde. Roma. x. Chriſt is the ende of the lawe, to iuſtifie eueryevery one that beleueth. And Galathia. iii. Or euer faith (that is to ſaye, Chriſt) came we were kepte and ſhut vp vnderunder the law vntounto the fayth whyche ſhulde afterwarde be declared. Thus was the law our ſcolemaſter vntounto Chriſt that we might be made ryghteous by faith. All thys I ſuppoſe wyll be new and ſtarunge in many hertes neuertheles I truſte that all they whyche hauehave vnderſtandyng, do ſe and knowlege that thys is the true, olde, ryght and godly Dyuinite and Theologye, whyche aſcrybeth all honoure vntounto god the father thorow oure Lorde Jeſu Chriſte in the holye gooſt. To whome be glory and prayſe for euer.
Amen.