Fifty Godly and Learned Sermons (The Decades)

For faith is required of every one of us, for every particular man to have, without dissimulation in his heart, and without double meaning to profess it with his mouth. It was not enough for Abraham to have faith for all his seed. Neither will if avail thee any thing, for an other to believe, if thou thy self art without faith. For the Lord requireth faith of every particular man for himself. Wherefore so oft as we confess our faith every one of us by himself doth say I believe. But what it is to believe I have declared already in my fourth Sermon. It followeth in the Confession. I believe in God. God is the object and foundation of our Faith, as he that is the everlasting and chief goodness, never weary, but alway ready at our need. We therefore believe in God, that is to say we put our whole hope, all our safety, and our selves wholly into his hands, as unto him that is able to preserve and bestow on us all things that are requisite for our behoo•e.

For faithe is required of euery one of vs, for euery particular man to haue, wythonte dissimulation in his harte, and without double meaninge to professe it wyth his mouth. It was not enough for Abraham to haue fayth for all his seede. Neyther wil if auayle thee any thing, for an other to beleeue, if thou thy selfe art without fayth. For the Lord requireth fayth of euery particular man for himselfe. Wherefore so oft as wee confesse our fayth euery one of vs by himselfe doth saye I beleeue. But what it is to brleeue I haue declared alreadye in my fourth Sermon. It followeth in the Confession. I beleeue in God. God is the obiecte and foundation of oure Fayth, as hee that is the euerlastinge and chiefe goodnes, neuer wearie, but alway ready at our neede. Wée therfore beléeue in God, that is to say wee put our whole hope, all our safety, and our selues wholy into his handes, as vnto him that is able to preserue and bestowe on vs all thinges that are requisite for our behoo•e.

Now it followeth that that God ¹in whom we rest, and unto whose tuition we do all commit our selves, is The Father Almighty. Our God is therefore called Father, because from before all beginning he begat the Son like to himself. For the Scripture calleth God, the father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He, saith the Apostle, is the brightness of the glory of God, and the lively Image of the substance of the father: to whom he said, Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee. And again. I will be his father and he shall be my Son. Also God is called father in respect of the likeness that he hath with our earthly father, to wit because of our Creation, the favour, love, good will & carefulness, where with he is affected towards us. For God hath created us, God loveth us, God regardeth our affairs and is careful for us, yea and that more exceedingly too, then any earthly father is. For saith David. Even as the father pitieth his children, so doth the Lord pity them that fear him, for he knoweth our estate, remembering that we are but dust. Isaiah also in his 49. Cap. saith, Can a woman forget her own infant, and not pity and be fain over the Son of her own womb? But admit she do forget, yet will not I forget thee. In this is declared Gods good will to us ward: and we confessing that God is our father, do also profess that God to us is both gentle, liberal and merciful, who wisheth us all things that are available to our health, and purposeth nothing to us ward, but that which is good and wholesome: and last of all that at his hand we receive, what good soever we have, either bodily or ghostly.