Obrazy na stronie
PDF
ePub

and corruption of the nature of every manne, that naturallie is engendred of the ofspring of Adam, wherby manne is very farre gone from his former righteousnesse, whiche he had at his creation, and is of his own nature geven to evill, so that the fleshe desireth alwaies con-5 trarie to the spirit, and therefore in every persone borne into this world, it deserveth Goddes wrath and damnation: And this infection of nature doeth remaine, yea in them that are baptized, wherby the lust of the fleshe called in Greke pрóvnμa σapкòs (which some do expoune, 10 the Wisedome, some sensualitie, some the affection, some the desire of the flesh) is not subject to the lawe of God. And although there is no condemnation for them that beleve, and are baptized, yet the Apostle doeth confesse, that concupiscence and lust hath of itself the nature of 15 sinne.

9. Of free wille.

We have no power to dooe good woorkes pleasaunte and acceptable to God, without the grace of God by Christ, preventing us that wee maie have a good wille, 20 and working in us, when we have that wille.

10. Of grace.

The grace of Christ or the holie Ghost by him geven dothe take awaie the stonie harte, and geveth an harte of fleshe. And although those that have no will to good 25 thinges, he maketh them to will, and those that would evill thinges, he maketh them not to wille the same: Yet nevertheless he enforceth not the wil. And therfore no man when he sinneth can excuse himself, as not worthie to be blamed or condemned, by alleging that he 30 sinned unwillinglie, or by compulsion.

11. Of the Justification of manne.

Justification by onely faith in Jesus Christ in that

sense as it is declared in the homelie of Justification, is a moste certeine and holesome doctrine for Christien

menne.

12. Workes before Justification.

Workes done before the grace of Christe and the in-5 spiratione of his spirite are not pleasaunt to God, forasmoche as thei spring not of faithe in Jesu Christe, neither do thei make menne mete to receive grace or (as the Scholeaucthoures saie) deserve grace of congruitie: but because thei are not done as God hath willed and com- 10 maunded theim to bee done, we doubt not, but thei have the nature of sinne.

13. Woorkes of Supererogation.

Voluntarie woorkes besides over and above Goddes commaundementes whiche thei cal woorkes of Supere- 15 rogation, cannot be taught without arrogancie and iniquitie. For by theim menne dooe declare that thei dooe not onely rendre to God, asmoche as thei are bounde to dooe, but that thei dooe more for his sake, then of bounden duetie is required: Whereas Christe saieth 20 plainelie : When you have dooen al that are commaunded you, saie, we be unprofitable servauntes.

14. No man is without sinne, but Christe alone.

Christe in the trueth of our nature was made like unto us in all thinges, sinne only except, from whiche he was 25 clearelie voide bothe in his fleshe and in his spirite. He came to be the lambe without spotte, who by sacrifice of himself made ones for ever, should take away the sinnes of the worlde: and sinne (as Saint Jhon saieth) was not in him. But the rest, yea, althoughe we be baptized, 30 and borne againe in Christe, yeat we all offende in many thinges and if we saie, we have no sinne, wee deceive ourselves and the trueth is not in us.

15. Of sinne against the holie Ghoste.

Every deadlie sinne willinglie committed after Baptisme is not sinne against the holie Ghost, and unpardonable: wherfore the place for penitentes is not to bee denied to soche as fall into sinne after baptisme. After 5 we have received the holie Ghoste, wee maie depart from grace geven and fall into sinne, and by the grace of God we may rise again, and amende our lives. And therfore thei are to be condemned, whiche saie, thei can nomore sinne as long as thei live here, or denie the place for 10 penitentes to soche as truelie repent, and amende their lives.

16. Blasphemie against the holie Ghoste.

Blasphemie against the holie Ghost is, when a man of malice and stubburnesse of minde, doeth raile upon the 15 trueth of Goddes word manifestlie perceived, and being enemie therunto persecuteth the same. And because soche be guilty of Goddes curse, thei entangle themselves with a moste grievous and hainous crime, wherupon this kinde of sinne is called and affirmed of the Lorde, un-20 pardonable.

17. Of predestination and election.

Predestination to life is the everlasting purpose of God, wherby (before the foundacions of the worlde were laied) he hath constantlie decreed by his owne judgmente 25 secrete to us, to deliver from curse and damnation those whom he hath chosen out of mankinde, and to bring them to everlasting salvation by Christ, as vesselles made to honour: wherupon, soche as have so excellent a benefite of God geven unto theim be called, according to 30 Goddes purpose, by his spirite woorking in due seasone, thei through grace obeie the calling, thei be justified frely, thei be made sonnes by adoptione, thei be made

like the image of Goddes onely begotten sonne Jesu Christe, thei walke religiouslie in good woorkes, and at length by Goddes mercie, thei atteine to everlasting felicitie.

As the godlie consideration of predestination and our 5 election in Christe is ful of swete, pleasaunte and unspeakable coumfort to godlie persones, and soche as feele in themselves the woorking of the spirite of Christ, mortifying the workes of the flesh, and their earthlie membres, and drawing up their minde to high and heavenly 10 thinges, as wel because it doeth greatly stablish and confirme their faith of eternal salvation to bee enjoied through Christe, as because it dooeth ferventlie kindle their love towardes Godde: So for curious and carnall persones lacking the spirite of Christ to have continuallie before 15 their yies the sentence of Goddes predestination, is a moste daungerous dounefall, whereby the Devil maie thrust them either into desperation, or into a rechielisnesse of most uncleane living, no lesse perilous then desperation.

20

Furthermore, although the Decrees of predestination are unknowen unto us, yeat we must receive Goddes promises, in soche wise, as thei bee generallie set foorth to us in holie Scripture, and in our doinges that wille of Godde is to be folowed, whiche we have expresselie de- 25 clared unto us in the woorde of God.

18. Wee must truste to obteine eternal Salvation onely by the name of Christe.

Thei also are to be had accursed and abhorred that presume to saie that every man shal be saved by the 30 Lawe, or secte whiche he professeth, so that he bee diligente to frame his life according to that Lawe, and the lighte of Nature: For holie Scripture doeth sette out unto us onely the name of Jesu Christ, wherby menne must be saved.

335

19. All men are bounde to kepe the moral commaundementes of the Lawe.

The Lawe which was geven of God by Moses, although it binde not Christian menne, as concerning the ceremonies and rites of the same: Neither is it required that 5 the civile preceptes and ordres of it shoulde of necessitie bee received in any commune weale: Yet no manne (bee he never so perfeicte a Christian) is exempte and lose from the obedience of those commaundementes, whiche are called moral: wherfore thei are not to be harkened 10 unto, who affirme that holie Scripture is geven onlie to the weake, and do boaste theimselves continually of the spirit, of whom (thei saie) thei have learned soche thinges as thei teache, although the same be most evidently repugnaunt to the holie Scripture.

20. Of the Churche.

15

The visible Churche of Christ is a congregation of faiethfull menne, in the whiche the pure worde of God is preached, and the sacramentes be duelie ministred according to Christes ordinaunce, in all those thinges that 20 of necessitie are requisite to the same.

As the Churche of Jerusalem of Alexandria and of Antioche hath erred: So also the Churche of Rome hath erred, not onelie in their living, but also in matters of their faith.

21. Of the aucthoritie of the Churche.

25

It is not lawefulle for the Churche to ordein any thing that is contrarie to Goddes worde writen, neither maie it so expoune one place of Scripture, that it be repugnaunt to another. wherfore although the churche be a 30 witnesse and a keper of holie writte, yet as it ought not to decree any thing againste the same: so besides the

« PoprzedniaDalej »