A08483:37
An exposition of the Symbol of the ApostlesAn exposition of the Symbole of the Apostles
An exposition of the Symbol of the Apostles, or rather of the articles of faith In which the chief points of the everlasting and free covenant between God and the faithful is briefly and plainly handled. Gathered out of the catechising sermons of Gasper Oleuvian Trevir, and now translated out of the Latin tongue into the English for the benefit of Christ his Church. By John Field.An exposition of the Symbole of the Apostles, or rather of the articles of faith In which the chiefe points of the euerlasting and free couenant betweene God and the faithfull is briefly and plainly handled. Gathered out of the catechising sermons of Gasper Oleuvian Treuir, and now translated out of the Latine tongue into the English for the benefite of Christ his Church. By Iohn Fielde.
London: printed by H. Middleton for Thomas Man, 1581
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.
What the kingdom of Christ is, and that the new covenant is administered therein.
What the kingdome of Christ is, and that the newe couenaunt is administred therein.
Let us then see what the kingdom of Christ is, which beginneth in the faithful in this world; which also in the same sense is named the kingdom of God, and the kingdom of heaven. Mat▪ 3. vers. 2. Luk. 4. vers. 43. and Chapter 7. vers. 28. The kingdom of Christ in this world▪ is the administration of salvation, whereby Jesus Christ the king himself, outwardly gathereth to himself through the Gospel and sacrament of baptism, a people or visible Church, (in which many hypocrites are mingled,) and calleth them to salvation, and administereth and giveth himself the same salvation to which he calleth them, in those, whom he accounteth for his elect in this congregation, whilst that he maketh this outward vocation effectual, that is to say, calleth them to repentance and faith, by which they answer to him that calleth: and whom he thus calleth, those also he justifieth, not imputing their sins unto them: whom he justifieth, those also he glorifieth, purging them daily more and more ⟨p. 46⟩from their sins, and so instructing, framing, and perfecting them to all godliness, righteousness, and that to life everlasting, that the glory of Christ their king may shine in them: using to that purpose, the dispensation of his word and sacraments by meet ministers, and that both public, domesticall, and private, and therewithal also the diligent administration of his discipline, aswell of repentance and ceremonies, as of mans whole life. The universal administration of this kingdom of Christ, is that same new covenant, that God hath promised in the last times to make with us by Jeremiah the Prophet, not according to that same covenant he made with our fathers, when he brought them out of the land of Egypt, because they had made that covenant void: but that this should be the covenant, that he would give his law in the middest of us; and that he would write it in our hearts, and that he would be our God, and we should be his people, and that we should know him, because he would be merciful unto our iniquity, and would not remember our sins any more.