Critical Apparatus for this Page
Commentary on the Text
Names and Places on this Page
Unavailable for this Edition
597 [597]

K. Richard. 2. The story of Walter Brute with his declarations. Actes and Mon. of the church.

dren, and walke ye in loue as Christ also hath loued vs, and hath deliuered vp him self for vs, an offering and sacrifice to God of a sweete sauour. To the Philippians thus he speaketh in the first chapter: Onely let your conuersation be worthy of the Gospel of Christ, that either when I shal come and see you, or els in mine absence I may heare of you, that you stand stedfast in one spirit, labouring together with one accorde for the faith of the Gospel. And in nothing be ye afrayde of the aduersaries which is to them a cause of damnation, but to you of saluation, and that of God. For to you it is geuen, not onely that you should beleue in him, but also that you shuld suffer with him, you hauing the like fight and battayle that both you haue seene in me, and also nowe do heare of me. If therefore there be anye consolation in Christ, if any comfort of charity, if any felowship of the spirit, if any bowels of compassion: fulfil you my ioy, that you may be of one iudgement, hauing one and the self same charity, being of one accord, of one maner of iudgemēt, doing nothing of contention, nor of vaine glorye, but in humblenes accompting other amongest you euery one better then youre selues, not euery bodye lookinge vpon the thinges that be his owne, but those that belong vnto others. MarginaliaPhilip. 1.And to the Colossiās. 3. chapter thus he wryteth: You therefore as the elect of God, holy, and beloued, put vpon you the bowels of mercye, gentlenes, humblennes, lowlines, modesty, pacience, bearing one with an other, and geuing place to your selues (if any haue a quarel against any body) euen as the Lord forgaue you, so doo you also. Aboue all thinges haue ye charitie, which is the bond of perfectiō, and let the peace of Christ triumph in your hartes, in which peace you also are called in one body. And be ye kinde and thankefull. MarginaliaColos. 3.And to the Thessalonians thus Paule writeth in the. 4. chapter. As concerning brotherly charity, we haue no nede to write vnto you: for you your selues haue learned of God, that you should loue one an other. And the same thing ye doo towardes all the brethren throughout all Macedonia.

[Back to Top]

MarginaliaThes. 4.Out of all these and many other places of the holye scripture it sufficiētly appeareth, that the law of Christ is charitie, neither is there anye vertues commaunded of Christe, or any of his Apostles to bee obserued of the faithfull people, but that it commmeth out of charitye, or els doth nourish charity.

[Back to Top]

The law is geuen by Moises, and the truth by Christ. Christ came not to vnlose the law and the prophets, but to fulfill them. MarginaliaMany things obserued in the old law which be not obserued now. Many thinges vnlawfull in the old law, which be lawfull now. How Christ did loose and not loose the law.But yet many thinges were lawfull and might haue bene obserued in the time of the law, which in the time of grace must not be obserued. And manye thinges were vnlawfull to them that were vnder the law, which in the time of grace are lawfull inough. After what sort then he did not loose the law, but did fulfill it, it is necessary to declare, for those thinges which here after must be sayde. For amongest Christians, manye thinges are iudged to be lawfull, because in the former Testament in the law, they were lawfull: and yet they be expresly contrary to Christes Gospell. But the aucthors of such thinges do argue and reason thus: Christ came not to loose the law or the Prophetes. Nowe after what sort he did not vnloose them, it is manifest by the holy scripture: that the law geuen by Moyses, was written in tables of stone, to declare the hardnes of the peoples hart towardes the loue of God, or of Christ. But Christ hath written his law in the harts & in the mindes of his, that is to saye, the law of perfect loue of God and of Christ. Which law whosoeuer obserueth, he doth obserue the law of Moyses, and doth much greater workes of perfection, then were the workes of the lawe. Thus therefore were the morals of the old lawe fulfilled in the law of the charitie of Christ, and not vnloosed: because they ar much more perfectly obserued, thē of the Iewes. This I say, if the Christians do obserue the commaun-demēts of Christ in such sort, as he comaūded the same to be obserued. Christe hath fulfilled þe lawes morall of the old testamēt, because that the morals and iudicials were ordayned, that one person should not do iniurye to an other, and that euery man should haue paid him that is his. Now, they that are in charity, wyll not do iniury to others, neither do they take other mens goods away from them. Nay it seeketh not her own thinges. For charity seeketh not the things that be her own. Wherfore, much lesse by a stronger reason it ought not to seeke for other mens goods. And when as the Iudicials and morals were ordayned: Christ did not by the workes of the law iustifye the beleuers in him, but by grace iustified them from their sinnes. And so did Christ fulfill that by grace, that the law could not by iustice. MarginaliaFree iustification, by faith onely.Paul to the Romaines declareth in a godly discourse, and to the Galathians likewyse: that none shal be iustified by the works of the law, but by grace, MarginaliaGrace that is, free fauor, mercy and goodnes of god.in the faith of Iesu Christ.  

Commentary   *   Close

Brut's criticism of ceremonies and good works is interesting, but Foxe is stretching a point to hail it as justification by faith.

As for the morals and ceremonies of the law, as circumcisiō, sacrifices for offēce & for sinnes, first fruits, tēthes, vowes, diuers sorts of washings, þe sprinkling of bloud, þe sprīkling of ashes, abstaining from vncleane meates which are ordeyned for the sanctifieng & clensing of the people frō sinne, no nor yet the prayers of the priests, neither the preachinges of the prophets, could clense a man from his sinne. For death raygned euen from Adam to Moyses, and synne from Moses to Christ, MarginaliaRom. 5.as Paule declareth to the Romaines in the. v. chapter. But Christ, wyllyng to haue mercy, and not sacrifice, being a priest for euer after the order of Melchisedech, and an hyghe priest of good thinges to come: MarginaliaHebr. 9.did neither by the bloode of Goates or calues, but by his own bloud enter in once vnto the holy places, when as euerlastyng redemption was found: MarginaliaChrist entreth not into the temple made by mā, but to very heauen.neyther dyd Iesus enter in to the holye places that were made with handes, which are thexamples of true thinges, but in to the very heauen, that nowe he may appeare before the countenaunce of God, for vs. MarginaliaThe sacrifice of Christ not manye tymes offered but once for allNor yet did he so, that he should offer vp him selfe often times, as the high bishop entred in to the holy place euery yere with straūge blood (for otherwyse he must nedes haue suffered oftentimes sithens the begynnyng of the world) but now in the latter ende of the worlde hath he once appeared by his owne sacrifice, for the destruction of sin. And like as it is decreed, for men once to dye, & after that cōmeth iudgement: euē so was Christ once offered vp to consume away the sinnes of many. The second time shall he appeare without sinne, to the saluation of such as looke for him. For the law hauyng a shadowe of good thynges to come, and not the very image or substaunce it selfe of the thinges: can neuer, by those sacrifices whiche they offer (of one selfe same sorte continually yeare by yeare) make them perfect that come vnto her. Otherwise men would leaue of offeryng, because that those worships beyng ones clensed, should haue no more pricke of conscience for sinne afterwardes. But in them is there remembraūce made of sinnes euery yeare. For it is impossible, that by the bloud of goates and bulles, sinnes should be taken away. MarginaliaHebr. 10.Wherfore, he entring into the world, doth say, as for sacrifice and offeryng thou wouldest not haue: but a bodye hast thou framed vnto me. And sacrifices for sinne haue not pleased thee, then sayd I, behold I come. In thee head or principall part of the booke it is writen of me, that I should do thy will, O God. Wheras he sayd before, that sacrifices, oblations, and burnt offrings, and that for sinne thou wouldest not haue: neither were those thynges pleasaūt to thee which are offered accordyng to the law: then sayd I, beholde I come, that I may do thy will O God: He taketh awaye the firste, that he may stablishe that that followed. In whiche will, we are sanctified and made holy by the offering vppe of the body of Iesus Christ, ones. And verely euerye prieste, is readye euerye daye ministryng, and

[Back to Top]
often