A01136:47
A sermon preached at the christening of a certain Jew at LondonA sermon preached at the christening of a certaine Iew at London
A sermon preached at the christening of a certain Jew at London by John Fox. Containing an exposition of the xi. chapter of S. Paul to the Romans. Translated out of Latin into English by James Bell.A sermon preached at the christening of a certaine Iew at London by Iohn Foxe. Conteining an exposition of the xi. chapter of S. Paul to the Romanes. Translated out of Latine into English by Iames Bell.
London: printed by Christopher Barker, 1578
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
And if some of the branches were broken of (sayeth he) and thou being a wild Olive tree wast engrafted in amongst them, ⟨image 21⟩and made partaker of the Root and fatness of the true natural Olive tree, boast not thy self against the branches. &c. First whereas he alludeth and resembleth the cutting away of certain of the Jews to certain branches of the true natural Olive tree, it appeareth hereby sufficiently, that this casting away appertained not to the whole nation of the Jews, but to some portion of them only: for there remained as then many of the same kindred, amongst whom was S. Paul him self, & the other Apostles, besides a very great portion of the remnant of the same people, which did follow Christ, & did acknowledge him with all their faith. Again the very first issues of our Christian faith sprang out of that stock, from whence we Gentiles must needs confess to have received the very entry and foundation thereof. It appeareth therefore that this was not a general rejection, neither that the whole race was drawn all together into the same gulf of perdition, but a portion only, and the same Paul termeth them to have been cut of.1 And wherefore chose he to say that they were cut of, rather then that they did fall away, namely sith it is out of all question that the Jews deca• ⟨image 22⟩proceeded from their own default, an• through unbelief? what moved the Apostle then to use this figurative phrase of speech of cutting of rather,2 saying that they were cut of, and fell not away of their own accord, that they were plucked away, not that they brake of? forsooth, because it is not all one to be cut of, and to fall from. The things that are cut of can not choose but fall away, but the things that fall away, are not always to be said to be cut of properly. What is meant therefore by this word cutting of? Forsooth nothing else, but to make us conceive, that the heavenly and unsearchable hand of almighty God did overthrow this building: even the self same•hande, which with wonderful workmanship doeth plant, prune, bind up, underprop, adorn, order, and beautify this Olive tree of his Church, not after the proportion of mans imagination, but after the direction of his own determination and unpenitrable wisdom.