A13257:24
A confession of faith made by common consent of divers reformed churches beyond the…A confession of fayth made by common consent of diuers reformed churches beyonde the…
A confession of faith made by common consent of divers reformed churches beyond the seas: with an exhortation to the reformation of the Church. Perused and allowed according to the Queens Majesties injunctions.A confession of fayth made by common consent of diuers reformed churches beyonde the seas: with an exhortation to the reformation of the Churche. Perused and allowed accordinge to the Queenes Maiesties iniunctions.
London: printed by Henry Wykes for Lucas Harrison, 1568
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.
Those men are altogether intolerable and in no case to be suffered, who for the desire of Novelty, do condemn 1Antiquity, like as also those are worthy ⟨image 14⟩great reproach, which can find 2taste in nothing but in that which is old and ancient. For I pray you, were they not all once new which now are old & ancient? And this can not be denied of any, that will confess the truth without contention, that evermore in all worlds there were some, 3that either of ignorance, or of set purpose, did darken and obscure the manifest truth of God. And also this is evident (though God did never so severely punish the infidelity of the world, that he did leave his Church utterly destitute of the true knowledge of his word) yet that there was not always the like measure of knowledge, no not in those things ye are the chief points of our Religion. So that some most false and dangerous errors are very ancient, in so much that Paul him self of old time did write unto the Thessalonians, saying: Now the mystery of iniquity is already in working. And John said, that even then were many Antichrists in the world. 4Howbeit no man can easily find sure ⟨image 15⟩and certain remedies for these evils 5and diseases, save only that knoweth the right and true causes of them, the which causes in deed are many, but they flow all as it were forth of one fountain: that is, because that men turn from the word of God, from the word I say, that is contained in the books of the Prophets & the Apostles, unto their own dreams and inventions. For that light being once taken away (the which who so doth not see to be the only and singular light, seeth nothing at all) what can follow, but that like blind men, they should grope in darkness? Neither are they in any wise to be heard, that are of a contrary opinion. For what say they, do not the Heretics pretend the word of God? therefore stand we need of some one rule whereby the false interpretations of the word which sometime is ambiguous and doubtful, may be discerned from the true: But