redeemer and attaine eternall saluation of bodie and soule together with vs in thy euerlasting kingdom through thee our Lord and Sauiour Amen FINIS Imprinted at London by Christopher Barker Printer to the Queenes Maiestie ANNO. 1578. The confession of faith which Nathanael a lewe borne made before the Congregation in the Parish church of Alhallowes in Lombard streete at London whereupon he was according to his desire receiued into the number of the faithfull and so baptized the first of April 1577. MEn and brethreÌ„ to whom God hath reuealed in these later dayes the secrete of his sonne which was hidden from you many ages it is not vnknowen vnto you how that in the dayes of our forefathers God chose vs to be a precious people vnto himself aboue all the people that are vpon the earth and he loued vs and chose vs not because we were mo in number then anie people for we were the fewest of all people but hee chose vs onely because hee loued vs and because he would keepe the othe which he had sworne vnto our fathers Abraham Isaac Iacob By vertue of which promise the same our Lord and God whose name is Iehouah brought our fathers by a mightie hande and deliuered them out of the house of bondage from the hande of Pharaoh King of Egypt that they might knowe that the Lorde their God is the God in deede the faithfull God which keepeth couenant and mercie vnto theÌ„ that loue him and keepe his coÌ„mandements euen to a thousand generations According to which great vnspeakeable louing kindnesse he kept and preserued our fathers in the land of Israel which he had giuen them vnder the obedience of his Lawe in such seruice of sacrifices and other rites as he had appointed them to be done and practised all the dayes of their liues in the citie of Ierusalem where was his Temple built vpon the mount Sion so long as they kept them selues in obedience to the same Lawe and ordinances But when they forsaked the Lord their God and cleaued vnto false gods he rewarded them to their face because they hated him and brought them to destruction by deliuering them into the handes of manie enemies as into the hands of Nabuchadnezer by whom they were caried into captiuitie to Babylon and there remained the dayes foretolde them by our Prophet Ieremie Fulfilling thereby the wordes of our Prophet Moseh foretelling vs that it should so be if we forsooke the Lord our God and leauing vs their posteritie an example thereby that if we followed like iniquitie like seueritie of punishment should ouertake vs As it came to passe and is fulfilled in the eyes of all the world by this captiuitie which we are now in and haue been in we and our forefathers euer since the death of that righteous man Iesus Christ whome the Scribes and Pharisies and Elders of our people deliuered into the handes of Pontius Pilate to be put to death being before betrayed into their handes by one of his owne disciples that sonne of perdition Iudas Ishcarioth As our forefathers then pronouÌ„ced against them selues Let his bloud be vpon our heads and vpon our children so it is come to passe by the righteous iudgement of that mightie dreadfull god For euen from those dayes vnto this present the whole house of Israel that is wee that come of the stocke of Abraham after the fleshe is are strangers out of the land of Israel our owne countrie without Lawe or Prophets without all exercise of his statutes and ordinances concerning his worshippe prescribed vnto vs by the hande of his seruant Moseh This long and weariesome captiuitie hath consumed a great number of our forefathers â—nd hath caused some of vs froÌ„ time to time through the grace and loue of God wherewith hee loueth vs for the promise sake to thinke vpoÌ„ our promised Messhiach conferring these dayes of sorowe calamitie with our former captiuities of our fathers which were nothing so many in number of yeres nor so grieuous for want of our Prophets These fiftene hundreth yeres haue we bene strangers these fiftene huÌ„dreth yeres haue we lacked our Prophets a thing not seen at any time before wheÌ„ we our fathers were caried into a strange land For in Egypt they had Mosheh Aaron and in Babylon they had Ieremie Daniel besides Ezra Nechemiah and manie other onely in this captiuitie is Israel left desolate and our Prophets cleane gone Whereof when it pleased God I should haue consideration I was lead to thinke that our Messhiach is come and that our long looking for an other was but in vaine And that rather for that I see the wordes of Iacob our father accomplished where hee sayeth The Scepter shall not depart from Iudah nor a lawegiuer from betweene his feete vntill Shiloh come and the people shal be gathered vnto him For the Scepter and gouernement was continued in the house of Iudah as our fathers accord vntill the comming of this man Iesus in whom if it were not continued according to the woordes of our scriptures it hath failed and wanted euer since For since the dayes of that iust man there hath bene no Scepter amongest vs neither haue we or do we runne for iudgements vnto Ierusalem So that if the wordes of our father Iacob be true That the Scepter should not depart from the house of Iudah vntill Shilo came and there is no Scepter nor Lawegiuer nowe in that house then must it needes be that this man Iesus whoÌ„ you confesse and beleeue is that Shilo which was to come and is that childe of whom one or our Prophetes sayeth Unto vs a childe is borne and vnto vs a sonne is giuen and the gouernement is vpon his shoulder And hee shall call his name Wonderfull Counseller The mightie God The euerlasting Father the Prince of peace the increase of his gouernement and peace shall haue none end he shall sitte vpon the throne of Dauid and vpon his kingdome to order it to stablish it with iudgement and iustice from henceforth euen for euer The zeale of the Lord of hosts will performe this This man then no doubt is that Messhiach which was looked for according to promise and our fathers and people acknowledge not fulfilling in them selues the wordes of their owne mouth His bloud be vpon our heads In deede it seemed strange to me and doth to the rest of my brethren according to the flesh eueÌ„ vnto this daye in whome this blindnesse and hardnesse of heart is in part continued through occasion giuen by them that professe the name of this man Iesus And not onely in vs which are of the house of Israel but in other as the Turkes and Mahomets which are of the race of Ishmael For had it not bene for the great and manifolde Idolatrie that is committed and vsed amongst the Christians almost in all places where his Name is professed manie of our nation had repeÌ„ted in
Oliue tree whereof they were the naturall branches wallowing continually in a most filthy puddle of pestilent error not much vnlike to the Romish Synagogue in this our age whose senses seeme to be tippled with the same dolldreanche which kinde of people being of all other nations most needie of the mercy of God it is a wonder notwithstanding to see how trimly they play wylye beguilie with themselues in the dispensation of pardons whereof they falsely chalenge to themselues chief stewardship vnder the title of the Church and inheritable succession of Peters chayre which they haue established at Rome for euer and euer persuading to themselues to haue obteyned the sole and singular prerogatiue of all ecclesiasticall superioritie such as can neuer be abolished by any continuance of consuming time but must remaine inuiolable worldâ— without end nor can euer be dissolued by breach of succession nor at any time be destitute voyd of the fauour of god But if you demaund of theÌ„ that cause of this so inestimable a blessing what wil thei answere forsooth hath not god say they promised that he wil neuer forsake his Church what then Haue not the keyes lyneally descended vnto vs from blessed S. Peter euer hitherto being the chiefe head of the Apostles which the Lord hath promised shal neuer be taken away Is there any more yet what is it possible for Gods trueth it selfe to defraude the credite of his couenant whereunto he hath bound him selfe with a most sacred othe Uery well now And whereupon doth the blinde arrogancie of the Iewish Nation magnifie their race do we not deriue our petigree say they lyneally from our most holy father Abraham Are we not borne and named Israelites by the name of our great graundsier Israel the Patriarch did not the Lord credite vs only with the safe custodie of the Arke of his couenant Haue not we a promise from God by the mouth of his Prophets of a Messhias and Sauiour to come Hath not god prepared an euerlasting throne for the kingdom of our Messhias Is not he of power to make his couenant inuiolable that with so many othes hath ratified the same Nor will hee not perfourme the othes which he hath made Surely I wil not much gainsay that it is in deede no final matter wherof eche partie debateth so largely of the promises of almightie god Yet all this notwithstanding all things depend not so alwayes vpon Gods promises made but due consideration ought also be had of the minde and intent of him that maketh the promise in the scriptures and the same well weighed and compared with the due circumstances and other places of the scripture if we will be accompted true and syncere interpretoures of Gods holy scriptures that is to say It behoueth vs duely and orderly to define and dispose all and euery thing apart by it selfe not those thinges onely which are promised but must withall respect the persons the place the cause and consideration and al other circumstances of the promises And therefore albeit we do graunt vnto them that all those promises are true whereupon they bragge so much touching the succession of the Patriarches and Apostles yet shall they neuer be able to winne this at our handes To wit that this ordinarie discent according to the lawe of the flesh is a sufficient fundation to buyld the Church of God vpon In the which if we behold nothing els besides the outward â—ourme of succession only who can be so pore-blinde as not to be able to discerne the manifolâ—e alterations of orders and obseruances which the Lord from time to time hath changed and disposed contrary to the first constitutions As for example when as God in stead of Cain Esau Ismael Saul to whom of right apperteineth the ordinary succession discent of the Priesthode of the birthright inheritance of the kingdome he made especial choyse of Abel Isaac Iacob Dauid who had no interest at all in the right of succession In like maner forsaking the Iewes he accepted the Gentiles contrary to all order Neither is it so much material to know where or by what meanes theâ— Church of Christians sprang vp at the first so that it holde fast the synceritie of the pâ—re word of vndeâ—iled faith and the due administration of the Sacraments by which three thingâ—s the Church is preserued and sanctified As concerning the promises of God therfore this is vndoubtedly to be holden that the promises be in their owne nature simply true yet in such wise true notwithstanding as God hath not alwayes chained them to time place or persons of men which albeit were tyed fast to place and persons yet are the proude and high mynded shaken of the promises remayning still in their force Euen so the Iewes although they prescribe vpon a promised place in Sion Psalme 132 Here will I buylde my Tabernacle because I haue chosen it Againe in the Prophet Esay This is my fornace this is my fire c. And although they haue also a promise of the persons when as the blessing is promised to Abraham and to his seede for euer yet this withstandeth nothing at all but that rebelles are punished by God the Temple consumed by fire the altar throwen downe and the citie put to the sacke and destroyed And yet the meane whiles almightie God coÌ„tinueth stâ—dfast in his promise neuerthelesse but by a far other meane then mans capacitie is able to conceiue Whereupon that holy and melodious Psalmist not without great reason doeth crye out in a certaine place of his mysticall Sonets in this wise And it is marueilous in our eyes Euen so do I iudge conuenient to esteeme of the counterfaite succession of the Apostolique and Romish See which if our prelates enforce so narrowly to be straighted to the limits of place persons they must needes bewray their double errour therein being not only absurdely iniurious to holy scriptures but foÌ„dly careles in breaking the rules of Logick For in their arguing they do coÌ„monly thrust more into the conclusion then in their former propositions As if a man would frame an argument after this maner The perpetuitie of the promised succession is graunted to Peter and his successours The Romish Prelats do succede in Peters chaire or place Ergo The Romish Prelates are the onely successours of Peter the only vniuersall Bishops the only Princes of the Church whose faith can neuer faint But we haue sufficiently enough discouered the maskings iuglings of this Romish counterfaite els where And therefore lest we roaue too much abroad from the marke and wander from the Oliues as the prouerbe saith we wil returne againe to Pauls Oliue tree the braunches of the same whereupon wee promised before to discourse Of the which braunches how some were broken of and some others engrafted againe into the true Oliue tree we haue alreadie opened somewhat vnto you out of the Apostle And not onely out
consider the estate of Christes outward basenes what wanted he at any time to the necessary furniture of his liuelihode notwithstanding this shew of extreme penurie Nay what want at all could molest him who with a very fewe crustes could feede so great a crewe of thousandes in so deserte a wildernes Or how could he be termed poore at whose becke and word of mouth heauen and earth did obey the seas and windes life and death finally all the degrees of creation were subiect vnto But that writing and title called by the name of a Nazarite doth encumber you perhaps because it behoued that Messhias should be borne in Bethleem the citie of Dauid If he were not borne in Bethleem I report me to the Chronicles Records of the time of his birth and the circumstances thereof Let the testimonies of the angels shepheards wise men his owne mother Ioseph and all the Euangelistes bee examined Moreouer what emported that horrible slaughter of all the suckling Babes of Bethleem only by the cruel proclamation of Herode without any molestation of the infants of Nazareth vnlesse Herode the king had bene throughly perswaded that aboue that instant of tyme wherein Christ was borne the same verie king of the Iewes was then borne in the citie of Bethleem What els is it then that troubleth you because he dyed the death What do I heare what Haue you alwayes awaited for a Messhias that coulde not bee bereft of life How then should this Messhias deliuer Iacob his people from their iniquities when as no remission of sinnes coulde bee without slaughter blood according to the infallible testimonies and continual sacrifices of your owne lawe Briefely if it were not requisite that Messhias shoulde dye the death then did all the Prophets lye Zachary Daniel Dauid Esay did lye which haue not only made mencion of his death but haue most learnedly also set downe the cause of his death For this we reade in Daniel That wickednes saith he may finish and sinnes be sealed vp iniquitie reconciled and euerlasting righteousnes may be brought in And proceeding a litle further in the same Chapter doth expressely declare that Christ ought to be slaine In like maner the Prophet Esay If he shall make his soule an offring for sinne sayth he The very same thing doeth Moyses also prefigure vnto vs vnder certaine ceremonies of sacrifices types and figures not altogether obscure What say you to Esaye the Prophet who doeth not only discouer the cause but the maner also of his death his spittings scourging wounds plagues buffetings and reproches What say you to Zacharie who mencioneth the pearcing of his side with a speare What say you to Dauid who describeth the nayling of his hands and feete the sponge full of vineger the rending his flesh from the bones the casting lots for his garment What say you to Moyses also who vnder the title of the Brasen serpent doth prognosticate his lifting vp on the Crosse But here againe some froward person amongst you will murmure againe in this wise In what sort can Christ be said in the scriptures to be euerlasting if he must of necessitie be slaine This scrupule no man can more effectually vnloose then the Prophet Dauid in his mysticall Psalme Thou shalt not leaue my soule saith he in the graue nor suffer thy holy one to see corruption Where you heare his soule layed in the graue you must vnderstand that to be spokeÌ„ of his death and buriall Againe when you heare that he is risen againe from his sepulchre you must interprete the same of his infinite eternitie vnperishable freedome exempt from all maner of corruption Whereby appeareth notably discerneable vnto you eche condicion in one selfe person That is to say That he is both a mortall man and an eternall god In the one wherof the infirmitie of his manhode is palpable in the other the glory of his resurrection is most euideÌ„tly prouable What And do ye expect yet an other euerlasting Messhias besides this What a phantasie is this As though when the true Messhias is come he may obtaine any courteous entertainement amongst you Truely none at allâ— For euen so say the Prophets of your owne nation Or els what meaneth that saying of Dauid that ye reade in the Psalme The stone which the builders refused the same is made the head of the corner And who bee they that are called the buylders but euen your selues the Iewes What is this stone but Messhias whom if ye will so long gape after vntil you finde your selues plyable to embrace and honour him it wil come to passe that your long lingring wil be proloÌ„ged beyond all compasse of time because according to the saying of your owne Prophets you wil neuer dutifully allowe of the coÌ„ming of the true Messhias but that ye wil continually remaine in an vncertaine expectation of some other For if he be accepted by the general consent of you al without exceptioÌ„ surely he can not possibly be the true Messhias Againe if he be refused from amongst you how long wil you hang in suspense of his comming Euen in like maner your forefathers did looke for a Messhias to come long before the birth of Christ almost two thousand yeres but after that he was come in deed that the Lord of Lords whoÌ„ they sought was entred into his temple the angel of the promised testament whom they wished for was amidâ— amongst them yet did not his owne receiue him And why so because they iudged that he would come after an other sort theiâ— the Prophets had foretold them For the Prophets did describe his comming to be poore simple beggerly but these lustie gallants do gaze for a certaine trimme earthly Emperour awayted vpoÌ„ with some famous troupe of princely gard The Prophets did promise a seely meeke lambe whose voice should not be heard to bleat in the streetes These couragious champions attend for some Lyon victorious Monarch They did foreshew that he should be slaine tormented and hanged on tree who should not auenge him of the iniuries of his people with displaied baÌ„ner of bloody battel but with sheading of his own precious blood should redeeme the sinnes wicked transgressions of his people should not with violeÌ„â—â— rush vpon the crowne of the Empire nor with force of armes deliuer his people from the thraldom of Cesar but should restore freedome to his nation from the bondage of sinne and the tyrannie of death and the deuil with all the pâ—testates and principalities thereof and so establish to him selfe a kingdome not transitorie and earthly in this world but heauenly endlesse for euer and euer On the contrarie part these felowes stroking themselues with a fantasticall opinion of worldly pompe and measuring all things according to the glorious glitering shew of some terrestrial dominion do yet fondly beleeue that some other puissant victorious conquerour shall come
sackcloth and ashes and had come to this man Iesus their brother after the flesh from whom they are nowe estranged and go astraye But wel is it written in your Law Woe be vnto him by whom offence commeth according as it is written in our Lawe Cursed be the man that layeth a stumbling block in the waye of his neighbour and all the people shall saye Amen But when it pleased God to bring me into this land which I must for the same cause call a blessed land and I sawe therein no such impedimeÌ„t as holdeth our eyes blinded in other places It was a meanes I must needes confesse that made mee more deepely to enter into the former consideration of our long captiuitie better to thinke of the wordes of our Prophets and the promises set downe by them touching our Messhiach For the wall that maketh a separation betweene our nation the stocke of Abraham and you the Gentiles is in your respect and in your behalfe broken downe so that I can not iustly say of you as we our fathers and Elders saye of all other vsing in all our bookes and writings to call and accompt of them by no other name but Baale abodazara Idolatrous masters and lords of straÌ„ge worshippe A thing so detestable vnto vs as nothing more concerning our Lawe being in deede the first and chiefest of our commandements giuen vs by the hand of Mosheh and so often repeated vnto vs as no one thing more in all our scriptures Besides the manifest anger of God shewed against it in punishing the trespasse therein committed by our forefathers in the absence of Mosheh when he was gone vp into the mount to fetche the Lawe When our fathers were to enter into the lande of promise the first and principall point required of them was this When the Lord thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possesse it shall roote out many nations beâ—ore thee the Hittites and the Girgashites the Ammonites and the Canaanites and the Perizzites and the Hiuites and the Iebusites seuen nations mightier and greater than thou the Lorde thy God shall giue them before thee then shalt thou smite them thou shalt vtterly destroy them thou shalt make no couenaÌ„t with them nor haue compassion on them neither shalt thou make marâ—ages with them neither giue thy daughter vnto his soÌ„ne nor take his daughter vnto thy sonne for they will cause thy sonne to turne away from me to serue other gods then will the wrath of the Lord waxe whotte against you and destroy thee sodainly But thus you shall deale with them you shall ouerthrowe their altars and breake downe their pillers and you shall cut downe their groues and burne their graueÌ„ images with fyre The seueritie of this Lawe and the false worshippe that we and our fathers behold in them that professe the name of this man Iesus withholdeth vs from comming to make any couenaÌ„t of peace with you from ioyning hands with you and entring into that familiaritie with you which should be betweene them that worship one God. We are commanded in our Lawe not to plowe with an oxe and an asse neither to weare any garmeÌ„t of linsie wolsie we vnderstande it so that we may not ioyne God and Idols together we may not serue our Lorde otherwise than he hath commanded vs saying Turne not aside to the right hand nor to the lefte For he is a iealouse God and we are chosen to be an holie people vnto him which we are taught we can not be vnlesse we keepe this commandement Thou shalt haue none other Gods but one and this Thou shalt not make to thy selfe any grauen image nor the likenesse of any thing And because they do so we haue bene withholden by the commandement of our God from making any couenant with them or hearkening vnto any of their Prophets teachers for that were but to make Israel to sinne and to prouoke the holy one to anger When they talke with vs they saye they are not such as our Prophets speake of who worshipped beasts and other creatures as the sunne the moone but they worship onely the creature of man who was made to the image of God and by whome God hath wrought great and marueilous workes vpoÌ„ the earth To whom we answere by the words of our Lawe that all idolatrie is forbiddeÌ„ vs the commaundement forbiddeth not one thing more than an other neither giueth greater libertie for one thing than for an other but saith in these wordes Thou shalt not make the likenesse of anie thing that is in heauen aboue or in the earth beneath or in the water vnder the earth thou shalt not bowe downe to them nor serue theÌ„ Whatsoeuer it be it is forbidden by our commandement And if anie creature might be worshipped reason would the sunne moone should haue that honour done them for they serue vs to greatest purposes by them we reape daily profit Abraham Isaac and Iacob Mosheh Samuel and Elizahu with the rest of the Prophets were good men and by them God wrought wonderfull things and yet we neuer worshipped any of them And we can not thinke that this wisedome was or should haue bene hidden from all them and all our fathers if it had bene so great wisdome in the sight of our god They say vnto vs oftentimes that they do not worshippe them as Gods but they worship God in them Neither are the Heathen we say that are rounde about vs so blinded with the imagination of their heartes as that they thinke that the stockes stones carued or the tables which they paint them selues to be God but they are persuaded that the liuing God may bee worshipped and serued in them And as for the creature that is worshipped or in whome the liuing God is worshipped whether it be better than an other and more to be accompted of than an other that is not it that maketh false worship but the commandement which sayeth Thou shalt not make the likenesse of any thing And yet those common Christians go verie farre for the Christians of Spayne Portugal haue it written in their bookes as in one which they call Contemplationes del Idiota ala virgen Maria That that virgin is the Lordes treasure and that she bestoweth giftes and graces vpon hir seruantes to make them worthy dwelling houses for hir blessed sonne and the holy Ghost that hir mercie often time pardoneth them whome the iustice of hir sonne might condemne that she doth plentifully enriche theÌ„ that serue hir with the holy Ghost and defendeth them most mightily from the enemie to witte from the world the fâ—esh and the deuill and that our saluation lieth in hir hands But our Lawe teacheth vs that our God Iehouah is all sufficient and that all treasures are in his handes he giueth to whom he listeth and from whom he listeth he holdeth backe He saieth he will