MarginaliaAn. 1555. Iuly.Secondly, the saide fayth and nothyng els, is the onely condition and meanes wherupon Gods mercy, grace, election, vocation, and al Gods promises to saluation do stay,MarginaliaFayth is the only condition whereby Gods Grace doth saue vs. accordyng to the wordes of saint Paul: Si permanseritis in fide. &c. i.  

If ye abide in the faith. Coloss. 1. Thirdly, this fayth also is the immediate and next cause of our iustification simply without any other condition annexed. For as the mercye of God, his grace, election, vocation, and other precedent causes doo saue and iustifie vs vpon condition, if we beleue in Christ: so this fayth onely in Christ without condition, is the next and immediate cause whiche by Gods promise worketh our iustification: accordyng as it is written: MarginaliaAct. 16.Crede in Dominum Iesum & saluus eris tu & domus tua. i.  

Latin/Greek Translations     Close

Acts, 16. 31

Foxe text Latin

Crede in Dominum Iesum & saluus eris tu & domus tua.

Foxe text translation

Beleue in the Lord Iesus, and thou shalt be saued, thou and thy whole house.

Actual text of Acts, 16. 31 (Vulgate)

crede in Domino Iesu et salvus eris tu et domus tua.

[Accurate citation, but note the dative after crede rather than in + accusative.]

Beleue in the Lord Iesus, and thou shalt be saued, thou and thy whole house. Act. 16.MarginaliaFaith only is the immediate cause of our iustifying. And thus much touchyng the definition of Election, with the causes therof declared. Which you see nowe to be no merites nor workes of man, whether they goe before, or come after fayth, but onely the mere mercy of God through fayth. For like as al they that be borne of Adam, doo taste of his malediction, though they tasted not his apple: so al they that be borne of Christ (which is by fayth) take part of the obedience of Christ, although they neuer dyd that obedience them selues, whiche was in hym. Rom. 5.

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MarginaliaThe second consideration.Nowe to the second consideration: let vs see likewise how, & in what order this election of God procedeth in chusing & electing them which he ordeineth to saluation: which order is this. In them that be chosen to lyfe, firste MarginaliaGrace, Election, Vocation, Fayth, Iustification, Glorification.Gods mercy & free grace bringeth forth election: Election worketh vocation or Gods holy callyng, whiche vocation thorow hearyng bryngeth knowledge and fayth of Christ, fayth through promise obteyneth iustification, iustificatiō thorow hope wayteth for glorification.

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Election is before tyme. Vocation and fayth commeth in tyme. Iustification and glorification is without end.

Election dependyng vpon Gods free grace and will, excludeth MarginaliaMans free will, Blynde fortune, Mans wisedome Mans learning, Mans merites, workes of the law, excluded from the causes of our saluation in Christ.

all mans wyll, blynd fortune, chaunce, and al peraduentures.Vocation standyng vppon Gods election excludeth all mans wisedome, cunnyng, learnyng, intention, power, and presumption.

Faith in Christ procedyng by the gift of the holy ghost, and freely iustifying man by Gods promise, excludeth all other merites of men, al condition of deseruing, and al works of the lawe, both Gods lawe and mans lawe, with al other outward meanes, what soeuer.

Iustification commyng freely by fayth, standeth sure by promise, without doubt, feare, or waueryng in this lyfe.

Glorification perteyning only to the life to come, by hope is looked for.

Grace and mercy preuenteth.

Election ordeyneth.

Vocation prepareth and receyueth the worde, whereby commeth fayth.

Fayth iustifieth.

Iustification bringeth glory.

Election is the immediate and next cause of vocation.

Vocation (which is the working of Gods spirit by the word) is the immediate and next cause of fayth.

Faith is the immediat and next cause of iustification.

MarginaliaPapistes confound the doctrine of election.And this order and connexion of causes is diligently to be obserued, because of the Papistes, which haue miserably confounded and inuerted thus doctrine, thus teaching, that almighty God so farre foorth as he foreseeth mans merites before to come, so dooth he dispense hys election. Dominus pro vt cuiusq; merita fore præuidet, ita dispensat electionis gratiam.  

And agayne: Nullis præcedentibus meritis Dominum rependere electionis gratiam, futuris tamen concedere:   that is, That the Lord recompenseth the grace of election, not to any merites proceedyng: but yet graunteth the same to the merites which folow after: As though we had our election by our holynes that foloweth after, and not rather haue our holynes by Gods election goyng before.

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MarginaliaElection.But we folowing the scripture, say otherwise, that the cause onely of Gods election is hys owne free mercy: and the cause only of our iustification is our fayth in Christ, and nothyng els. As for example: first, concernyng Election, if the question be asked why was Abraham chosen, and not Nachor? Why was Iacob chosen, and not Esau? Why was Moses elected, and Pharao hardened? why Dauid accepted, and Saul refused? why fewe be chosen, and the most forsakē? It can not be answered otherwise, but thus: because it was so the good wyl of God.

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In like maner, touchyng MarginaliaThat vocation he meaneth here which is after purpose.vocation and also fayth, if the question be asked, why this vocation and gyft of faith was geuen to Cornelius the Gentile, and not to Tertullius the Iewe? why to the poore, to the babes, and litle ones of this worlde, (of whom Christ speaketh: I thanke thee fa-

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ther, which hast hyd this from the wise. &c. Mathew. 11. Why to the vnwise, the simple, abiects, and outcastes in this world? MarginaliaVocation bringeth fayth.Of whom speaketh saint Paul. 1. Cor. 1. Ye see your calling my brethren, how not many of you. &c. why to the sinners, and not to the iust? why the beggers by the hye wayes were called, and the bydden gests excluded? We can goe to no other cause, but to Gods purpose and election, and say wyth Christ our saueour: Quia pater sic complacitum est ante te. i.  

Yea father, for so it seemed good in thy sight. Luk. 18.

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MarginaliaIustification by fayth onely.And so for iustification likewise, if the question be asked why the Publicane was iustified, and not the Pharisey? Luk. 18. why Mary the sinner, and not Symon the inuiter? Luk. 11. why harlots and Publicanes goe before the Scribes and Pharisees in the kingdome? Math. 21. why the sonne of the free womā was receyued, and the bondwomans sonne beyng his elder, reiected? Genes. 21. why Israel which so long sought for righteousnes, foūd it not: and the Gentiles which sought not for it, found it? Rom. 9. we haue no other cause hereof to render, but to say with Saint Paul, because they sought for it by workes of þ^e Law, & not by fayth: which fayth as it commeth not by mans wyl (as the Papist falsly pretēdeth) but onely by the election & free gyft of God: so it is onely the immediate cause whereunto the promise of our saluation is annexed, accordyng as we reade: And therfore of faith is the inheritance geuen, as after grace, that the promise might stand sure to euery seede, Rom. 4. Itē in the same chap. Faith beleuing in him which iustifieth the wicked, is imputed to righteousnes.

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MarginaliaHow fayth and election are lincked together in the act of Iustifiyng.And thus concernyng the cause of our saluation, ye see how fayth in Christ, onely and immediatly wythout any cōdition doth iustifie vs, being so linked with Gods mercye and election, that where so euer election goeth before, there fayth in Christ must needes folow after. And againe, who so euer beleeueth in Christ Iesu, through the vocation of God, he must needes be partaker of Gods election.

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Wherupon resulteth now the third note or consideration: MarginaliaThe third consideration.which is to cōsider, whether a man in this lyfe may be certaine of his election. To answeare to which question, this first is to be vnderstand: that MarginaliaElection knowne to God simply.although our election & vocation simply in deede be knowen to God only in hym selfe, à priore: yet notwithstandyng MarginaliaElection knowen to man by meanes.it may be knowen to euery particular faythful man, à posteriore: that is, by meanes, which meanes is fayth in Christe Iesus crucified. For so much as by his fayth in Christ, a man is iustified, & therby made the chyld of saluatiō, reason must needes leade þ^e same to be then the chylde of election, chosen of God vnto euerlasting lyfe. For how can a mā be iustified, but he must needs be saued? and how can a man be saued, but by consequence it foloweth, that he must also be elected?

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MarginaliaFayth is the meanes wherby we be certified of our election.And therfore of Election it is truely sayd: De electione iudicandum est a posteriore:  

MarginaliaDe electione iudicandum est a posteriore. that is to say, we must iudge of election by that which commeth after, that is, by our faith and beliefe in Christ: whiche fayth although in tyme it foloweth after election, yet is it the proper & immediate cause assigned by the scripture, which not onely iustifieth vs, but also certifieth vs of this Election of God.

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Wherūto likewise wel agreeth this presēt letter of M. Bradford, wherin he saith: Election albeit in God it be the first: yet to vs it is the last opened.MarginaliaElection first knowen to God and last opened to man. And therfore beginning first (saith he) with creatiō, I come frō thēce to the redēptiō, and iustification by fayth, and so to election. Not that fayth is the cause efficient of election, beyng rather the effect therof, but is to vs the cause certificatorie, or the cause of our certification, wherby we are brought to the felyng & knowledge of our Election in Christ. For albeit that election first be certayne in the knowledge of God: yet in our knowledge, fayth only that we haue in Christ, is þ^e thing that geueth to vs our certificat and comfort of this election.

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Wherefore, who soeuer desireth to be assured that he is one of the elect number of God, let hym not clime vp to heauen to knowe, but let hym descend into hym selfe, and there search his faith in Christ the sonne of God: which if he find in hym not fayned by the working of Gods holy spirit accordingly: MarginaliaEuery man to stay himselfe vpon Gods generall promise.therupon let him stay, and so wrap hym selfe wholy both body & soule vnder Gods general promise, & cūber his head with no further speculatiōs: knowing this, that who soeuer beleueth in hym, shal not perish. Iohn. 3. shall not be cōfoūded. Ro. 9. shal not see death. Io. 8. shal not enter into iudgemēt. Io. 5. shal haue euerlastyng life. Ioh. 3. 7. shalbe saued. Math. 28. Act. 16. shal haue remissiō of al his sinnes. Act. 10. shalbe iustified. Rom. 3. Gal. 2. shal haue floudes flowyng out of hym of water of lyfe. Ioh. 7. shall neuer dye. Ioh. 11. shal be raised in the last day. Ioh. 6. shal find rest to his soule, and shal be refreshed. Math. 11.

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Now then for so much as we see fayth to be the ground wherupon dependeth the whole condition of our iustifying, let vs discusse in like maner MarginaliaWhat fayth is.what is this fayth whereof the