Marginalia
2. Timo. 3.
An other letter of Robert Samuell conteyning hys fayth.COnsideryng with my selfe these perillous tymes, perishyng dayes, and the vnconstant and miserable state of man, the decay of our fayth, the sinister reporte and false sclaunder of Gods most holy worde, these vrgent causes in conscience do constrayne me to confesse and acknowledge my fayth and meanyng in Christes holy Religion, as S. Peter teacheth me, saying: Marginalia1. Peter. 3.Marginalia1555. August.be ready alwayes to geue an aunswere to euery man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you, and that with meekenesse and feare, hauyng a good conscience, that when they backbite you as euill doers, they may bee ashamed, for asmuch as they haue falsely accused your good conuersation in Christ.

As touchyng my doctrine, for that litle talent that GOD hath geuen me, GOD I take to recorde, myne owne conscience and myne auditory knoweth, that I neither in doctrine nor manners, willyngly taught any other thyng then I receiued of the holy Patriarckes, Prophetes, Christ, and his Apostles. For it were not onely sinne, but also the very part of a cursed miscreant, to denye, to belye, or betray the innocency of that heauenly doctrine, MarginaliaMarke. 8.or to be ashamed to confesse and stand to the defence of the same, seyng that Christ planted it with his most precious bloud: and all good men haue more esteemed the true and infallible worde of GOD, then all this transitorie worlde, or their owne mortall lyues. And I beleue this doctrine of the Patriarkes, Prophetes, Christ and his Apostles to be sufficient and absolutely perfect to instruct and teache me and all the holy Church, of our dueties towardes God, the Magistrates, and our neighbours.

MarginaliaOne God.First, and principally I do assuredly beleue without any doubtyng, that there is one deitie or Diuine essence, and infinite substaunce, which is both called and is in deede God euerlastyng, vnbodily, vnpartible, vnmeasurable in power, wisedome, and goodnesse, the maker and preseruer of all thynges, as well visible as inuisible: and yet there be MarginaliaThree persons.three distinct persons, all of one Godhead or diuine beyng, and all of one power, coequall, consubstantiall, coeternall, the Father, the Sonne, and the holy Ghost.  

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This paragraph is especially intended to rebut anti-trinitarian radical protestants.

I beleue in God the father Almightie. &c. As touchyng God the Father of heauen, I beleue as much as holy Scripture teacheth mee to beleue. The Father is the first person in Trinitie, first cause of our saluation, MarginaliaEphesi. 1.which hath confessed vs with all maner of blessinges in heauenly thynges by Christ: which hath chosen vs before the foundations of the world were layd, that we should be holy and with out blame before him:MarginaliaActes 17. Psal. 176. who hath prædestinate vs and ordayned vs to bee his children of adoption through Christ Iesu. In him, as it is sayd, we liue, we moue and haue our beyng: he nourisheth, feedeth, and geueth meate to euery creature.

MarginaliaThe second Article.And in Iesus Christ his onely Sonne our Lorde. I beleue that the woorde, that is, the Sonne of GOD the second person in Trinitie, did take mans nature in the wombe of the blessed Virgine Mary:MarginaliaHeb. 1.So that there be in him two natures, a Diuine nature and an humaine nature in the vnitie of person inseperable, conioyned and knitte in one Christ, truely God and truely man, the expresse and perfect Image of the inuisible GOD, wherein the will of God the Father shineth apparantly, and wherein man, as it were in a glasse, may behold what he ought to doe that he may please God the Father.  

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This paragraph is particularly intended to rebut Anabaptists and those who denied the Incarnation.

MarginaliaNo merites to saluation but onely in Christ. Esay. 48. 43. Gen. 1. 22. Esay. 53. Actes. 10. Math. 8.Borne of the Virgine Mary: truely sufferyng his Passion, crucified, dead and buryed, to the entent to bring vs agayne into fauour with God the Father almightie, and to be a sacrifice, host and oblation, not onely for originall sinne, but also for all actuall sinnes of the whole generation of mankynd. For all the workes, merites, deseruynges, doynges and obedience of mā towardes God, although they be done by the spirite of God in the grace of God, yet beyng thus done, be of no validitie, worthynes, nor merite before God except God for his mercy and grace, accompt them worthy for the worthynes and merites of Christ Iesus.

The same Christ went downe to the hels, & truely rose agayne the third day, and ascended into the heauens, that he might there still reigne and haue dominion ouer all creatures: and from thence shall come. &c.

I beleue in the holy Ghost, coequall with God the Father and the Sonne, and proceedyng from them both: by whose vertue, strength and operatiō, the true Catholicke Church, MarginaliaThe Catholicke church is the communion of Saintes.whiche is the Communion and societie of Saintes, is guided in all truth and veritie, and kept from all errours and false doctrine, the deuill, and all power of sinne. Which Churche is sanctified and halowed with the precious bloud, and spirite of our Lorde Iesus Christ: whiche hath also her signe and marke, MarginaliaIohn. 10. 8. Galat. 1. 2. Timo. 3.that shee heareth and followeth the voyce of her onely and true pastour Christ, & no straungers. This Church also is the house of God, the cōgregatiō of the liuing God, the piller of truth, the liuely body of Christ, a Church both in name and in deede.

MarginaliaRemission of sinnes onlye by the merites of Christ apprehended by fayth.I beleue the remission of sinnes, by the onely meanes and merites of Christes death and passion: who was made vnto vs of God that onely sacrifice and oblation offered once for all and for euer, for al them that be sanctified.

I beleue the resurrection of the body, whereby in the last day all men shall ryse agayne from death, the soules ioyned agayne to the bodies, the good to euerlastyng life, the wicked to euerlastyng payne and punishment. And nothing may more certaynly stablishe and confirme our fayth that we shall ryse agayne immortall both in body and soule, then the resurrection of Christ our Sauiour and first fruites of the dead.MarginaliaConfirmation of our resurrection.Nowe that Christ our head is risen, wee beyng his body and members must follow our head. Death, hell, and sinne cannot sunder nor plucke vs from hym. For as the Sonne can not be diuided nor sundred from the Father, nor the holy Ghost from them both, no more may we being the faythfull members of Christ, be separated from Christ, And for a confirmation of our resurrection, Christ woulde be seene after his resurrection in his most glorious body, his woundes beyng handled and felt, speakyng and teaching, eatyng and drinking. &c.MarginaliaIohn. 10. Iohn. 1.We looke (sayih S. PauleMarginaliaPhil. 3.) for Iesus Christ our Sauiour, which shall transfigure our vyle bodies, and conforme them to his glorious body by the same Power and vertue, wherwith he is able to subdue al thynges: euen lyke as MarginaliaIohn. 12.the grayne of wheat sowen in the grounde is first putrified and brought as into a thinge of nought, yet after that it springeth vp freshly with a more goodly couler, form and beuty then it had before. Marginalia1. Cor. 15.The body is sowen in corruption and ryseth in incorruption: it is sowen in dishonour & ryseth in honour.

Thus I verely know and assuredly beleue the resurrection of our bodies, and to haue life eternall by Christ and for Christes sake. Verely, Verely, I say vnto you (sayth ChristMarginaliaIohn. 5.) he that heareth my worde and beleueth on hym that sent me, hath euerlastyng life, and shall not come into damnatiō, but is escaped from death to lyfe. MarginaliaRom. 10. Ose. 12.It is Christ that dyed once for our sinnes, and is risen agayne, neuer more to die: it is he that swallowed vp death and hath cast it vnder hys feete for euer. What now can death do vnto vs?MarginaliaThe sting of death pluckt out.Verely nothing els but for a little time seperate our precious soules from our wretched bodyes, that diuine substaunce from a Masse of synne, that eternall lyfe from a body of death, and so send our soules out of this miserable, wretched and sorowfull lyfe cumbred with al calamities, vnto that most blessed felicity and ioyes eternall.

As concernyng the holy and reuerend Sacramentes of Christes Church,MarginaliaHis confession touching the Sacramentes. which be in number two, the Sacrament of Baptism and the supper of the Lord, I beleue them to bee as S. Paul calleth them, confirmatiōs or seales of Gods promises, which haue added to them a promise of grace,MarginaliaSacraments are confirmations of gods grace and acceptation.and therefore they are called inuisible signes of inuisible grace.

MarginaliaThe Sacrament of Baptisme.The Sacrament of baptisme is a marke of Christes church, a seale and confirmation of our acception into the Grace and fauour of God for Christes sake. For his innocency, hys righteousnes, hys holynes, his iustice, is ours, geuen vs of God, and our sinnes and vnrighteousnes, by hys obedience and abasing of him selfe to the death of the crosse are his, wherof Baptisme is the signe, seale, and confirmation.

Baptisme is also a signe of repentaunce, to testifie that we be borne to the waues of perils, and chaunges of life, to the intent that we should dye continually as long as we liue from sinne, & ryse agayne like new men vnto righteousnes. Rom. 6.

The other Sacrament, which is the Supper and holy Maūdy of our Sauiour Christ,MarginaliaThe Sacrament of the Lordes Supper.wherby the church of Christ is knowen, I beleue to be a remembraunce of Christes death and passion, a seale and confirmation of his most precious body geuen vnto death, euen to the vyle death of the crosse wherwith we are redeemed and deliuered from sinne, death hel, and damnation, It is a visible word, because it worketh the same thing in the eyes, which the word worketh in the eares. For like as the word is a meane to the eares wherby the holy Ghost moueth the harte to beleue, Romanes. 10: so this sacrament is a meane to the eyesMarginaliaGods word to the eare Gods word to the eyewhereby the holy Ghost moueth the harte to beleue: it preacheth peace betwene God and man: it exhorteth to mutuall loue and all Godly life, and teacheth to contemne the worlde for the lyfe to come, when as Christ shall appeare,MarginaliaAct. 1. 3.which now is in heauen and no where els as concernyng hys humane body.

Yet do I beleue assuredly that his very body is present in his most holy Supper at the contemplation of our spiritually eyes,MarginaliaChristes body present in the Sacrament to our spirituall eyes.and so verely eaten with the mouth of our fayth. For as soone as I heare these most comfortable and heauenly wordes spoken and pronounced by the mouth of the Minister This is my body which is geuē for you, whē I heare