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A18672
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The foundation of Christian religion: comprehended in three godlie and learned treatises. 1. Faith. 2. Hope. 3. Charitie
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L'Espine, Jean de, ca. 1506-1597. Traité de la foy. English.; Veghelman, S.
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1612
(1612)
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STC 5188; ESTC S118874
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139,379
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370
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is healthfull to all men hath appeared teaching vs that denying vngodlinesse worldly lusts wee should liue soberly and righteously and godly in this present world looking for that blessed hope and appearing of the glory of the great God and our Sauiour Iesus Christ which gaue himselfe for vs that hee might redeeme vs from all vnrighteousnesse purge vs a peculiar people vnto himselfe zealous of good workes These parcels and jnfinite others sowed in the Scripture in diuers places sufficiently shew that the Faith of our vocation and justification and of the Light vnto the which it hath pleased him to call vs Ephe. 5. is to separate vs from the world and from all the polutions and filthinesse there abounding and not to communicate with the workes of darknesse but to walke in righteousnesse truth all the dayes of our life For why are wee called good trees An exhortation taken out of the names of the faithfull if it be not to bring forth good friute in season Why likewise are wee called good ground if it bee not to bring forth all sorts of good friutes euen when we are well tilled and sowed by the word of God which is euery day faithfully and purely administred vnto vs by his seruants Ephe. 5. Wherefore also are wee called the spowse of Christ if it bee not to verifie him by the sanctification which ought to shine and appeare in vs for it is the end that Iesus Christ set before him when hee deliuered himselfe for it to the end to sanctifie it clensing it by washing of water by the word to the end hee might make it a glorious Church hauing neither spot nor wrinkle nor any such thing but that it might bee holy and irreprehensible Moreouer God by his Prophet Esay Esay 56. foretelling what should be the state of the Church at the comming of Iesus Christ saith That there shal be no more Eunuke that shall be able to say by complaint that hee is a drye tree because that euery one of them should keepe his sabbaths and should chuse the things which hee would haue and should keepe his alliance Hee would teach thereby that in his Church there should be no barren or fruitelesse person that all should bee as sayth Dauid Psal 92. Such as be planted in the house of the Lord shall florish in the courts of the house of our God Gal. 5. 6 Also S. Paule sayth he not that Faith worketh by Charitie and that in Iesus Christ nether circumcision auaileth any thing nor vncircumcision but a new creature opeÌ„ly declaring that by Faith men are so renewed that they chaung their thoughts their affections their words their workes their manners and their whole life and conuersation the which they study to make comformable wholy to the will of God so as it is propouÌ„ded vnto vs in his Lawes and holy ordinances 1. Cor. 3. Why also are wee called temples of God if not by reason of the holy exersices which ought continually to be vsed in our hearts and vnderstandings why likewise are we called high Priests if it be not to giue vs to vnderstand 1. Peter 2 that our dutie is to offer vp our bodies a liuely sacrifice holy pleasing to God Rom. 12. which may bee 〈◊〉 â—easonable seruice And that wee do not conforme our selues to this world but bee transformed by the renuing of our sence to trye what is the good will of our God pleasant and perfect Wherfore also are we called his children js it not to render him the honour the feare and the obedience which true children owe to their Fathers and by that meanes to glorifie him for a wise childe is the glorie of his Father Our confession sheweth that which ought to be inseparablie ioyned to our Faith 1. Iohn 5. In our confession wee say that wee beeleeue in the holy Ghost not onely to assure that he is holy in himsefe hauing a holines essentially residing in him but also for the office which it doth to sanctifie all the elect and render them capable to doe all the good workes which they do and to shew in effect that they are separated from the world the which is steeped in malice and altogether giuen to wickednesse Wee also beleeue the holy catholicke Church that is to say that there is a companie of folkes who by the grace of God are separated from the wicked and consecrated to the seruice of God and that wee are of this nomber By meanes whereof our Faith obligeth vs to liue holyly in the obedience and feare of God so that if wee bee vicious and that our life bee disordinate in any kinde of manner we shew thereby that wee are hypocrites and that our confession is belyed by our works The Prophet Esay sayth that at the comming of Iesus Christ which is the cheife the foundation A sumptuous description of the Church and architect of the Church hee was to build a Temple to God his Father framed of all precious things as of Pearles Saphirs Emeralds Rubies Carbuncles 1. Tim. 3. Which is to instruct vs that the members of the Church of God ought to be rare precious and exquisite in all sorts of vertues To the end that the house of God which is the collom and vpholder of truth should not bee like an edifice builded of mud and slime but a stately pallace sumptuous and worthy of the greatnesse of the maiestie of our God who is the creator of heauen and Earth God sayth S. Iohn is light 1. Iohn 1. and in him is no darknesse at all If we say wee haue fellowship with him and walke in darkenesse we lye and do not the truth But if wee walke in the light as he is the light then haue wee fellowship one with an other and the bloud of Iesus Christ his sonne cleanseth vs from all sinne By that we see plainlie that we haue no society and acquaintance with the Father and the Sonne if we do not our dutie and jndeauour our selues to liue holily and conforme our selus with all our thoghts affections words and actions to his holy will which is layd before vs in his law which the same Apostle confirmes moreouer in his first Epistle chapt 3. vers 6. As many as abide in him sinne not whosoeuer sinneth hath not seene him neither knowne him Babes let no man deceaue you hee that doth righteousnes is righteous euen as he is righteous hee that committeth sinne is of the Deuill for the Diuell sinneth from the beginning for this purpose appeared the Sonne of God to loose the workes of the Diuell whosoeuer is borne of God sinneth not for his seed remayneth in him and hee cannot sinne because he is borne of God In this are the children of God knowne and the children of the Diuell whosoeuer doth not righteousnes is not of God nor he that loueth not his brother for if we would sinne willingly and liue
the same And in the 121. Psalme The Lord shall preserue thee from all euill he shall keepe thy soule The Lord shall preserue thy going out and thy comming in from henceforth and for euer It followeth in the definition that this Faith is followed with a resolute will to walke before his face which is the end of reconciliation with God the which is brought to passe by the Faith which we haue in Iesus Christ as it appeares by that which is written in the Epistle of S. Paul to Titus Tit. 2.11 chapt 2. verse 11. There hath appeared the grace of God which is healthfull to all men teaching vs that denying vngodlynesse and worldly lusts we should liue soberly and righteously and godly in this present world looking for that blessed hope and appearing of the glory of the great God and our Saviour Iesus Christ And in Zacharies Canticle Luke 1. That hee would performe the oath which he sware to our Father Abraham for giue to vs. That wee being deliuered out of the hands of our enemies might serue him without feare in holinesse and righteousnesse before him all the dayes of our Life And in the 12. to the Romaines I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercifulnes of God that ye giue vp your bodies a quicke sacrifice holy and acceptable vnto God which is your reasonable seruice And be not ye fashioned like vnto this world but be yee changed in your shapes by the renuing of your minds that ye may proue what is the good and the acceptable and perfect will of God And Dauid in the 130. Psalme But mercy is in thee that thou mayest be feared All which passages and jnfinite more that are in the holy Scripture shew vnto vs that the end of our redemption is not to giue vs leaue and licence to doe evill abusing of the grace of God But that it is to make our light shine before men by good workes that they may bee jnduced by our example and by the doctrine of our life to glorifie God CHAP. V. HAving defined Faith and declared by particulars all the parts therof it now remaines to know the causes that doe produce it All effects haue ordinarily foure causes the efficient the materiall the formall and the finall As for the efficient of Faith it is produced and jngendered of the grace of God as it is written in the Epistle to the Ephesians chap. 2. verse 8. By grace yee are made safe through faith and that not of your selues it is the gift of God The which grace by the Spirit of God disposeth the hearts and the vnderstandings of men jnteriourly and secretly taking away the naturall obscurity and darknesse of the vnderstanding to make it capable of the knowledge of the word of promise and the hardnesse and obstinacy of heart that it may bee prepared with more alacrity and good will to follow that which the jlluminated vnderstanding doth set before it And even as for the ptoducement of all the fruites of the earth it is first requisite that the earth be good and well tilled secondly that the husbandman bee skilfull in his art to wit to stirre the earth and giue it all necessaries thirdly that the seed which is cast vpon it be good and well covered and watered with the dew of Heaven so must man be prepared to receaue the jncorruptible seed of the word of God by the spirit of God who doth regenerate change his heart of stone into a heart of flesh Afterwards that the Minister which is the husbandman be fit for to sowe it with a graine that is pure and entire and which is mingled neither with Darnell nor any other evill seed So by the concurrence of these three things that is to say the Spirit of God which regenerates man and prepares it selfe for his salvation the good and faithfull Minister who doth faithfully dispence the misteries of God and the jncorruptible seed of the word which is purely and sincerely administred Faith is produced in the heart of a faithfull man the which is not done but at Gods appoynted time for men are called to the knowledge of their salvation diversly and at divers times some sooner some later And before Gods prefixed time be past we see that the elect as well as the reprobate are rebellious and contrary to the word of God whereof we haue a notable example in the Scripture of S. Paul who before the time of his vocation was not onely an enemy but also a blasphâ—mer and furious persecutor of the Church of God But when the time which God had appointed to call him and to bring him jnto the Church was come then in a moment he was transformed from a Wolfe which hee was before to a Lambe It is even like vnto a peece of woode which is layd vpon a harth being greene one cannot kindle it but if it be drye so soone as it is put jnto the fire and that it is blowed it conceaues a flame and so kindleth TheÌ„ to the producing of Faith two things are required the preparation of the heart which is made by the spirit of God and the word the which doth jnflame the heart of man as soone as it is disposed to receaue it And even as to see bodily it is requisite first that the aire be jnlightened for by night men cannot see though they haue eyes and secondly that both men and beasts haue a liuely faculty for otherwise they could not see were it even at noone day so for to see and contemplate spirituall things the ayre must first be jnlightened by the preaching of the word of God and secondly that men haue eyes that are capable to receaue this light As for the materiall cause they are those thinges which Iesus Christ hath done and suffered for vs as the obedience which hee hath rendered to God his father and the accomplishment of the law the satisfaction payment which hee hath made to Gods justice for our debts the death the curse the wrath and judgement of God which he hath sustayned and the hell that is to say the abisme or bottomlesse pit of all the misery wheÌ„rein he hath been plunged for vs and for this only end to free vs from them It is the onely matter substance subject and argument of our Faith The fruits also that do arise of it as the establishmeÌ„t of the chuâ—ch the coÌ„munioÌ„ of Saints the remission of sins the resurrectioÌ„ of the body the life everlasting are the principall parties and as it were mater wherwith our faith is builded But because the word of God written in the Bible touching these matters in the bookes of the Prophets and Apostles is of a large extent and of difficult apprehension the Apostles and the successors being assembled haue promised for it and comprehended in a short sommary all that wee ought to beleeue for our salvation And haue contayned in twelue little articles all the things which Iesus Christ