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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A10577	An instruccyon of Christen fayth howe to be bolde vp on the promyse of God and not to doubte of our saluacyon, made by Urbanus Regius. Tra[n]slated into englyshe; Instruccyon of Christen fayth howe to be bolde up on the promyse of God and not to doubte of our salvacyon.	Rhegius, Urbanus, 1489-1541.; Foxe, John, 1516-1587.	1548 (1548)	STC 20847; ESTC S104513	23,216	78

haue a quiet and a glad consciens beyng euermore suer and certaine that god is fauorable to them for Christe which doth delyuer vs from all euyls with out any doubt I pray you what can oure aduersarys bryng aganist this or how cā they maynteyne their errors in the face of the worlde The conclusion Here I haue prouyd and taught out of the fundation of the worde of god that no faythfull beleuer in Christ can doubt or ought to doubt of the fauor of god and of remiscion of his synnes and that his conscience may thorwly be certefyed that god is fauorable vnto hym which wyll pardone all his fautes for Christ in whom we beleue and whiche wyll iustifye vs and gyue vs euerlastng lyfe without any doubt Obiecters Here our aduersares can haue no thyng to lay agaynst this doctryne or to subuert this foundacion but one refuge they haue and when we brynge scryptures agaynst thē what saye they the Lutherians saye they brynge scryptures for them but they must expounde scriptures as our fore fathers dyd An āswer I answere agayne we do not denye so to do for we maye do it well ynoughe And I may saye with S. Cyrillꝰ Cirillus we kepe the fayth of our fathers of the church so farre as we ought and vse theyr interpretacions so moche as they requyre But the chefest of the auncient fathers of the churche do agree in the same matter no other wyse then we expounde it / therfore what do these holy workers brynge for them the churche Augustine de predest 11 Saynt Augustyne one of the most catholyke and godly doctor of them all in his boke whiche he writeth of the predestinacion in the .xi. chapiter sayth in this wyse Truly where as the apostle in his epystle to the Rom. wryteth these wordes Therfore is oure inherytaūce gyuen vs by fayth through grace bycause the promyse myght stande fyrme and stedfast I meruell sayth he that men had rather loke on theyr owne infyrmite thā vnto the firmite and stedfastnes of Gods promyse But here thou wylt say I can not tell nor do not knowe the wyll of God of me wel thē doest thou knowe thyne owne wyll of thy selfe yf thou doest beware he that stādeth let hym take hede that he fall not Therfore insomoche thou knowest neuer nother his wyl nor thyne owne wyl then why shulde not a man rather put his trust hope in that which is more certayne than in that whiche is lesse certayne But say they agayne heare where it is spoken yf thou beleuest thou shalte be saued one of these is required of vs the other is offered that whiche is required of vs is in vs the other in God And why I pray you is not bothe in Gods power both that whiche is required and that whiche is offered for do not we as well desyre God to gyue vs that whiche he requyreth as well as that he offereth do not the beleuers also desyre hym to encrease theyr fayth Do they not desyre also for the vnbeleuers that they may haue fayth so that God only must be the begynner and encreaser of fayth In lyke maner is this to be taken Yf thou beleuest thou shalt be saued this yf you mortifie the workes of the flessh with spirit ye shall lyue for in lyke case here one is requyred thother is offered Yf you mortefie sayth he the workes of flesshe with spirite ye shall lyue / then to mortefye the workes of fleshe by spirite this is requyred the other then is offered vs that we shuld lyue / what then therfore shal we not saye that this is the gyfte of God to mortefie the workes of the flesshe bycause it is requyred of vs to be done God forbede that any perteynynge to the grace of God shuld so thynke This is a damnable errour of the Pelagians whom as the apostle in his wordes folowynge doth cōfute sayenge who soeuer be led with the spirite of God they be the chyldrē of God Lesse we shuld thynke this mortefyeng of the fleshe came by our spirite but by the spirite of God of the whiche spirite of God the same apostle speaketh moreouer All these thynges sayth he worketh one alonly spirite distributynge to euery man his gyftes so as it pleaseth him amongst the whiche gyftes also he rekeneth fayth / so then lyke as this mortefyenge of the flesshe notwithstandynge it be requyred of vs is the gyfte of God euen so is fayth also the very gyft of God though neuerthelesse it be requyred of vs yf we wyll be saued to beleue for these thynges bothe be commaunded vs of God and also be the gyftes of God To the entente we shulde vnderstande that both we do thē and yet it is the gyfte of God that we doo them / so as the scripture sheweth by Ezechiell the prophet And I sayth almyghty God shal make you that you shall do them what can be more playne Marke ye well this place of scrypture gētyll brethren and ye shall se that God promyseth he wyll make thē to do suche thynges that he wyll haue done And there he bryngeth forthe no merites of theyrs but moche wyckednes shewynge and declarynge therby that he geueth good for euyll in that that he maketh them brynge forth afterward good workes causynge them to do his cōmaundementes Also in the .lxxxviii. psalme he saythe in lyke maner Lyfte vp your hartes for he whiche promysed wyll performe so as he hathe performed many thinges alredy / for the trust that we haue in hym we haue it not in our merites but only of his mercy No man can be stronge in this lyfe but onely in the hope of Gods promyse / for as concerning our owne merites we be meruaylous weke we be weake in our selues / in Gods promise strōg but as concernyng the promyse of God we be stronge And in the lxxxxviii psalme he sayth / where is securite peace he answereth agayne truely none in this lyfe but onely in the hope of the promyse of God S. Ambrose Ambrose in the fyrst boke de vocat gēti c. wryteth yf no man sayth he wyll breake or dispyse a mannes wyll or testament as sayth the apostle nor alter it Then how can it be that Gods wyl and testamēt shulde be broken in any thynge It carieth alwaies and euery day is fulfylled that the lorde promysed to Abraham without any condicion gaue without any lawe By this sayenge of Ambrose it may wel appere that the promyse of the newe testament that is to saye that God wyll be mercyfull vnto vs wyll forgiue our synnes wyll gyue vs the holy goost and wyll make vs safe that thys promyse I say doth not depend of no condition of the lawe for frely yt comith only of grace be cause we shulde neuer doubt of hys grace fauor toward vs. And what other thyng menyth S. Ambrose wrytyng vpon Paul where he sayth so oft that we be sauyd before god by fayth only alonly Loke vpō his comētaris of the Rom. iii. iiii.ix.x Cap. loke also .i. Cor .i. and Gal. i. iii.v Theophilact Theophilactus also Rom. iiii wryteth in lyke sort In somuch sayth he it is euedent that the lawe bryngyth nothynge but angre therfore had Abraham hys Iustice inheritance gyuen hym bycause that all shulde go by grace Wherfore than seyng that all thynges now do stand in the grace and in the mercy of god so that he is bound now not to worke after hys Iustice then what shulde let vs to thynke but that all thynges be certane and stable what so euer he dothe gyue or promyse Now yf blynde hipocrise here obiect again that Paule in his place spekyth only of Abrahā therfore that thyng cōcernyth none els but hym but we must seke oure helth and iustification otherwise I answere agayne Not so For therfore Paule callyth Abraham there the father of all the beleuers and in him proposeth to vs all the true meanes how all men bothe before the cūmyg of Christe and after the cūmyg of Christe muste be Iustified And therfore this text of Paule doth as well pertayne to vs all for it is writen and proposed vnto all vs. Rom. 4. Euen as S. Paule in the very same chapiter writeth This is not writen for hym only sayth he that it was imputed to him for Iustice but for vs all to whom it shall be imputed for Iustice beleuyng on hym which reysed vp frō death oure lorde Iesus Christe which was gyuen for our synnes and reysed vp agayne for oure Iustification Amen

An Instruccyon of Christen fayth howe to be bolde vp on the promyse of God and not to doubte of our saluacyon / made by Vrbanus Regius Trāslated into englyshe Prynted at Lōdō by Hugh Syngelton at the singne of saynt Augustine in Paules churche yerde To his reuerende singuler good father Ric. Melton / the translatour wyssheth grace and comfort in Chryst IN so moche al the effecte and summe of our saluacion consysteth only vpon fayth and knowlage of the sonne of God Iesu Christ all the scriptures and prophetes berynge wytnes I thynke it moch expediēt euery christē man to be well instructed and traded herein for the lacke wherof we may see what great and lamētable incōueniētes is fallen amongest vs christen men howe pytuously we wāder abowt lyke stray shepe as the prophete sayth vncertaine of our saluation howe dyscomfortly we lyue how desperatly we dye not knowīg which way to goo / howe ignorat how fleshly we be with out all ioy all comfort all feelyng of the spiritt with out all the trewe charite to our neighbours For how can we loue oure neighbour trewly for gods sake whan we nether know nor feele howe god louyth vs. Whych thyngs verely declare that we haue but litell faith in vs. For els hauyng so many and so manifest promises of god for our saluation in the fyrst testament and the same also fulfylled so veritably in the latter testament by the commyng of the sonne of god how culde we lyue in suche perplexite doubtfulnes as we do yf there were any knowlege or fayth in vs What cōteineth the old testament but only promises Where vpon be these promises grounded vpon the law How so were not these promises made to Adam and to Abraham frely long before the lawe came as scripture wytnesseth .iiii. c. yeres and .xxx. Gal. 3. And why then do we not beleue God Why do we yet stand in feare and doubt of oure saluation as though we had no promises but only our owne deseruynges to stay vpō Is god a dissembler Why than do we not stablysh our hartes at the promise of the lorde and reioyse with faythful Paule triūphyng boldly agaynst all the gates of hell With hym sayng who shall separat vs from the loue of god any afflictiō Rom. 8. any vexation any persecution other hūger or nakednes other any Ieoperdy or sworde No sayth he thys I knowe am full suer that nether deah nor lyfe nether Angel prynce or pouer nether thyng presēt nor thyng to come heyght nor depthe nor no other creature shall be able to separat me from the loue of god which is in Christ Iesu our lorde Here we may lerne the example of a faythful hart Abraham likwise heryng the promise of god Gen. 15. that in his old age he shuld haue a childe howe firmely beleued he the lord and the lorde dyd impute yt to hym for ryghtuesnes Oculi domini respiciunt fidem for he deliteth in nothyng so much as in our faith vpō hym Nowe wether was it more harde for Abrahā to haue a child so old or for vs to be saued after our death trobele And yet Abraham beleued the lord And why do not we beleue hym as bouldly in our promises Luc. 1. Mary heryng the promis of god beleued the angel puttynge no doubt as zacharei dyd that she shuld haue a child a virgine and yet myght that seme as harde to her as thys to vs but what sayd the angell No worde or promis is harde to god And why do not we as wel take a bold confidence hauyng so many promises mayde to vs in all the prophetes What dyd Christe more commend in hys confesores than faith Luc. 7. or wherin was he more angrye with hys apostles Luc. 26. than for their weyke faith after so muche hearyng seyng Howbeit to say the truythe it is not so greatly to be merueled in vs for how can we beleue the promises of god whan we know them not or how shuld we knowe them whan we haue neither bibles to rede them nor here them neither be they opened vnto vs And how can such misteries be opened of the prestes whā so many runne so few instructed and sent of god Wherfore in this part to helpe the ignorance and weyknes of my brithrē for a more styrynge vppe of theyr faith I thought it not vnprofitable to translate this golden boke of Vrbanus regius a most christiā writer very fruytful for euery christē man the which booke I cōmend and committe vniuersally to the whole englysh congregation and namly send it to you moste reuerend father both to declare some token of my obedient dwety toward you and also to minister to you some occasiō of further knowlege and consolation whiche I most hartely desire in the Lord. Grace be with you and with all the congregacion Amen By your sone most bound I. Fox TRuly it is a deuyllishe errour to teache that we shulde euer doubt and neuer be suer of Gods fauoure and our saluacyon / as we haue ben ledde in the popes church by vnlerned prestes which for their purpose haue wickedly wrasted the wordes of Salamon in a wrong vnderstōdyng Eccle. 9. The Hebrew text meneth āother thinge and is wrong trālated Nescit homo amore an odio dignus sit That is to say No man can tell whether he be worthy of loue or hatred This error hath Sathan brought in to the church to obscure Christe and cleane to abolysh oure faith in him and in the place of oure faith to bryng in waueryng and doubtful opiniōs weake imaginations in to oure myndes whereby in great extremite and ernest temptationes we could take no asurance but were dryuen to desperation for he that doubteth of the wyl and fauore of god A trewe christen man doutethe not of Gods fauour and is not assuered that he wyll be mercyful to hym for Christes sake / and that all his synnes be pardoned in hym he is no trew christiane and in hys incredulite can not be but cōdemned Suerly the faith Fayth in Christe is only that maketh a trew christen mā / doubttyng incredulite Incredulitie makyth a man no christiane To belue to doubt be not both on To beleue is an other thyng than to doubt Therfore he that continueth in this for sayde error beleuyth not the .xii. articles of oure crede catholyke faith / in the which godes grace is clerly and vndoubtedly gyuen to vs in Christ Then howe can they be christen men whyche lacke the faith of Christ Or how can suche one saye the lordes oration well He may with hys mouthe sounde the wordes O oure heauenly father but hys hart hath no truste in god neyther hathe any firmite that he is a mercifull father but doubtyth of the grace of god whether he be mercyfull or no or whether he pardone hym or no. His tonge sayth I beleue in