Fifty Godly and Learned Sermons (The Decades)

It remaineth now for me to prove ¹out of the holy Scriptures, that God the father hath ordained that he whosoever doth believe in the only begotten Son of God, shall be made partaker of Christ his righteousness, that is, shall be justified by him, be absolved from his sins, and be made heir of life everlasting. Isaiah therefore saith, In the acknowledging of him, or in his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify the multitude, whose sins he him self shall bear. But what else is the acknowledging or knowledge of Christ, but true faith? Moreover, the Lord Jesus him self in the gospel after Saint John, saith: And as Moses lift up the Serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lift up, that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish but have life everlasting. There was none other remedy in the desert, against the envenomed bitings of the Serpents, but the contemplation or beholding of the Serpent lift up and hanged aloft. No plaster did cure them that were poisoned, no oblation made to God, not prayer it self offered to God, not any work, nor any way else: the only beholding of the Serpent made the poison harmless, that then had crept into all their limbs. In like manner, nothing at all doth save us from death but only faith in Christ. For by faith we behold and see Christ lifted up upon the stake of the Cross, as it is to be seen in the sixth Chapter of John. It followeth in the words of our saviour, God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son: that whosoever believeth should not perish, but have life everlasting. For god sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not, is condemned already, because he believeth not in the name of the only begotten Son of God. By these words now the third time is faith beaten into our heads, by which we are made partakers of the Son of God, of his life, salvation, redemption, and all good things beside. In the sixth Chapter of the Gospel after John, our Lord again saith: This is the will of the father which sent me, that every one that seeth the Son, and believeth in him should have life everlasting, and I will raise him up at the last day.

It remayneth now for me to proue ¹out of the holy Scriptures, that God the father hath ordained that he whosoeuer doth beléeue in the onely begotten sonne of God, shall be made partaker of Christe his righteousnesse, that is, shal be instified by him, be absolued from his sinnes, and be made heire of life euerlasting. Esaias therfore saith, In the acknowleging of him, or in his knowledge shall my righteous seruaunt iustifie the multitude, whose sinnes he him selfe shall beare. But what else is the acknowledging or knowledge of Christ, but true fayth? Moreouer, the Lorde Iesus him selfe in the gospel after Saint Iohn, sayth: And as Moses lifte vp the Serpente in the wildernesse, euen so muste the sonne of man be lift vp, that whosoeuer beleeueth in him, should not perishe but haue life euerlasting. There was none other remedy in the desart, against the enuenomed bytings of the Serpentes, but the contemplation or beholding of the Serpent lift vp and hanged aloft. No plaster did cure them that were poisoned, no oblation made to God, not prayer it selfe offered to God, not any worke, nor any way else: the onely beholding of the Serpent made the poyson harmelesse, that then had crept into all their limmes. In like manner, nothing at all dothe saue vs from death but only faith in Christ. For by fayth we behold and sée Christ lifted vp vpon the stake of the Crosse, as it is to be seene in the sixte Chapter of Iohn. It followeth in the words of our sauiour, God so loued the world, that he gaue his only begotten sonne: that whosoeuer beleeueth should not perish, but haue life euerlasting. For god sent not his sonne into the world to condemne the worlde, but that the worlde through him might be saued. He that beleeueth on him is not condemned: but he that beleeueth not, is condemned already, bycause he beleeueth not in the name of the onely begotten sonne of God. By these words nowe the thirde time is fayth beaten into our heads, by which we are made partakers of the Sonne of God, of his life, saluation, redemption, and all good things beside. In the sixte Chapter of the Gospell after Iohn, our Lorde againe sayth: This is the will of the father whiche sent me, that euery one that seeth the sonne, and beleeueth in him should haue life euerlasting, and I will raise him vp at the laste daye.