A67922:715
Acts and monuments of matters most special and memorable, happening in the Church. [vol.…Actes and monuments of matters most speciall and memorable, happenyng in the Church. [vol.…
Acts and monuments of matters most special and memorable, happening in the Church. [vol. 1] with an universal history of the same, wherein is set forth at large the whole race and course of the Church, from the primitive age to these latter times of ours, with the bloody times, horrible troubles, and great persecutions against the true martyrs of Christ, sought and wrought as well by heathen emperors, as now lately practised by Romish prelates, especially in this realm of England and Scotland. Newly revised and recognised, partly also augmented, and now the fourth time again published and recommended to the studious reader, by the author (through the help of Christ our Lord) John Fox, which desireth thee good reader to help him with thy prayer.Actes and monuments of matters most speciall and memorable, happenyng in the Church. [vol. 1] with an vniuersall history of the same, wherein is set forth at large the whole race and course of the Church, from the primitiue age to these latter tymes of ours, with the bloudy times, horrible troubles, and great persecutions agaynst the true martyrs of Christ, sought and wrought as well by heathen emperours, as nowe lately practised by Romish prelates, especially in this realme of England and Scotland. Newly reuised and recognised, partly also augmented, and now the fourth time agayne published and recommended to the studious reader, by the author (through the helpe of Christ our Lord) Iohn Foxe, which desireth thee good reader to helpe him with thy prayer.
London: printed by John Daye, 1583London: printed by Iohn Daye, 1583
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.
Thus then thou seest as the passion of Christ is only the efficient or personal cause immediate of our salvation: so is faith only the instrumental or mean cause that maketh the merits of Christ to us available. For as the Passion of Christ serveth to none but such as do believe: so neither doth faith (as it is only a bare quality or action in mans mind) it self justify,1 unless it be directed to the body of Christ crucified, as to his object, of whom it receiveth all his virtue.2 And therefore these ij. must always jointly concur together, faith, and Christ Jesus crucified. As for example, when the children of Israel were bid of Moses to look up to the brazen Serpent,3 neither could the Serpent have helped them, except they had looked up, nor yet their looking upward have profited them, unless they had directed their eyes upon the said Serpent, as the only object set up to the same purpose for them to behold. So our faith in like case directed to the body of Jesus our Saviour is only the means whereby Christs merits are applied unto us, and we now justified before God, according to the doctrine of S. Paul, who in express words, defining to us what this faith is, and how it justifieth, saith: If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, 4and believe with thy hart, that God raised him from death, thou shalt be saved. &c. Rom, 10. Besides this, what action or quality soever is in man,5 either, hope, charity, or any other kind of faith and believing, be it never so true except it apprehend this object (which is) the body of Christ, the Son of God it serveth not to justification. And that is the cause why we add this particle Only, 6to faith, and say that faith, Only, in Christ justifieth us, to exclude all other actions, qualities, gifts, or works of man, from that cause of justifying for so much as there is no other knowledge nor gift given of God to man, be it never so excellent, that can stand before the judgement of God to justification, or whereunto any promise of salvation is annexed: but only this faith looking up to the brazen Serpent, that is to the body of Christ Jesus for us crucified.