Actes and monuments of matters most speciall and memorable, happenyng in the Church. [vol. 2, part 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.

¶The confession of the fayth of Iohn Warne Citizen of London, which he wrote the day before he was bur∣ned, the 30. day of May. 1555.

I beleeue in God the father almighty, maker of heauen and earth.

A Father, because hee is the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ,* 1.1 who is the euerlasting word, whome before all worldes he hath begotten of himselfe, which worde was made flesh, and therein also manifested to be his sonne: in whom he hath adopted vs to be his children, the inheri∣ters of his kyngdom, and therfore he is our father: An al∣mighty God, because he hath of nothing created all things visible and inuisible, both in heauen and in earth, euen all creatures conteyned therin, and gouerneth them.

And in Iesus Christ his onely sonne our Lord.

The eternall word, perfect God with his father of e∣qual power in all things, of the same substance, of like glo∣ry, by whom all things were made, and haue life, & with∣out whom nothing liueth: he was made also perfect mā, and so being very God, and very man in one person, is the onely Sauiour, Redeemer, and Ransomer of them which were lost in Adam our forefather. He is the onely meane of our deliuerance, the hope of our health, the suretie of our saluation.

Which was conceyued by the holy Ghost, borne of the Virgin Mary.

According to the Fathers most mercifull promise, this eternal sonne of God, forsaking the heauenly glory, hum∣bled himselfe to take flesh of a virgin, according to y^e scrip∣tures, vniting the substance of the Godhed, to the substāce of the manhoode, which he tooke of the substaunce of that blessed virgin Mary, in one person, to become therein the very Massiah, the annointed king and priest, for euer ap∣pointed to pacifie the fathers wrath, which was iustlye gone out agaynst vs all for our sinne.

Suffred vnder Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buri∣ed, and descended into hell.

He was arraigned before Pontius Pilate the ruler of Iewrie, and so vniustly accused of many crimes, that the Ruler iudged him innocent, and sought meanes to deliuer him: but contrary to knowen iustice, he did let go Barra∣bas which had deserued death, and deliuered Christ to bee crucified, who deserued no death: which doth declare vn∣to vs manifestly, that he suffred for our sinnes, & was buf∣feted for our offences, as the prophets do witnes: thereby to haue it manifested to all men, that he is that Lambe of God that taketh away the sinnes of the world. Therefore sufferyng for our sinnes, he receiued and did beare our de∣serued condemnation, the paines of death, the tast of abiec∣tion, the very terror of hell, yelding his spirit to his father, his body to be buried in earth.

The third day he rose againe from death to lyfe.

To make full and perfect the whole worke of our re∣demption and iustification, the same crucified body which was layd in the graue, was raised vp againe the third day from death, by the power of hys Father, and glory of hys Godhead: he became the first fruits of the resurrection, & got the victory of death, that all by him might be raised vp from death. Thorough whome all true penitent sinners may now boldly come vnto the father, and haue remission of their sinnes.

He ascended into heauen, and sitteth on the right hand of God the father almighty.

After that in his death and resurrectiō he had conque∣red sinne, death, and the deuil, and had bene conuersant 40. days in the earth being seene of the Apostles, & more then v. hundred brethren at once, in the same body in which he wrought the worke of our saluation, he ascended into hea∣uen with eternal triumph, for the victory ouer death, sinne and hel, leauing the passage open, by which all true belee∣uers may and shal enter into his kingdom,* 1.2 where he now sitteth at his fathers right hand, that is to say, in power & glory equall, in maiesty coeternall.

From thence he shal come to iudge the quicke & the dead.

He shal appeare againe in great glory to receiue his e∣lect vnto himselfe, & to put his enemies vnder his feete, chaunging all liuyng men in a moment, and raising vp al that be dead, that all may be brought to his iudgement. In this shall he geue ech man according to his deedes. They which haue folowed him in regeneratiō, which haue their sinnes washed away in hys bloud, & are clothed with hys righteousnes, shall receiue the euerlasting kingdome, and raigne with him for euer: and they which after the race of the corrupt generation of Adam haue followed fleshe and

bloud, shall receiue euerlasting damnation with the deuill and hys angels.

I beleeue in the holy ghost.

I do beleue that the holy ghost is God, the third per∣son in Trinitie, in vnitie of the Godhed equal with the fa∣ther & the sonne, geuen through Christ to inhabite our spi∣rites, by which we are made to feele and vnderstand the great power, vertue, & louing kindnes of Christ our lord. For he illumineth, quickneth, and certifieth our spirit, that by him we are sealed vp vnto the day of redemption, by whom we are regenerate and made new cretures, so that by hym and through hym, we do receyue all the aboundāt goodnes promised vs in Iesus Christ.

The holy Catholike Church.

This is an holy number of Adams posteritie, elected, gathered,* 1.3 washed, and purified by the bloud of the Lambe from the beginning of the world, and is dispersed through the same, by the tiranny of Gog & Magog, that is to say, the Turke and his tiranny, and Antichrist, otherwyse na∣med the Bish. of Rome and hys aungels, as this day also doth teach.

The Communion of Saints.

Which most holy congregation (beyng as Paule tea∣cheth, builded vppon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophetes, Christ beyng the head corner stone) though it be by the tyranny of Satan and his ministers persecuted, some by imprisonment, some by death, and some by other afflictions & painful torments: yet doth it remayne in one perfect vnitie both in faith and fellowship: which vnity is knit in an vnspeakable knot, as well of them which are departed from this mortal life, as of them which now be liuyng, and hereafter shall be in the same, and so shall con∣tinue vntill they all do meete in the kyngdome, where the head Iesus Christ, with all hys holy members (of which number thorough Christ I assuredly beleeue that I am one) shall be fully complete, knit, and vnited together for euermore.

The forgeuenesse of sinnes.

I do beleeue that my sinnes and all their sinnes which do rightly beleeue the holy Scripture,* 1.4 are forgeuen onely thorough that Iesus Christ, of whom onely I do professe that I haue my whole and full saluation and redemption, which S. Paule saith, commeth not through our workes and deseruyngs, but freely by grace, lest any should boast hymselfe. Thorough the bloud of his Crosse all thyngs in heauen and earth are reconciled, and set at peace wyth the Father, without him no heauenly lyfe is geuen, nor sinne forgeuen.

The resurrection of the body.

I do beleue, that by the same my sauiour Christ, I, and all men shall rise againe from death: for he, as Paul sayth, is risen agayne frō the dead, and is become the first fruits of them which sleepe.* 1.5 For by a man came death, and by a man commeth the resurrection from death. This man is Christ, through the power of whose resurrection, I beleue that we all shall rise agayne in these our bodyes: the elect clothed with immortalitie to liue with Christ for euer: the reprobate also shall rise immortall to liue with the deuill and his angels in death euerlasting.

And the life euerlasting.

Through the same Iesus & by none other, I am sure to haue life euerlasting. He onely is the way and entrance into the kingdome of heauen.* 1.6 For so God loued the world, that he did geue his onely sonne Iesus Christ, to the ende that so many as do beleue in him, might haue euerlasting lyfe. The which I am sure to possesse so soone as I am dissolued,* 1.7 & departed out of this tabernacle, & in the last day shall both body and soule possesse the same for euer: to the which God graunt all men to come,

I beleue that the sacramentes, that is to say, of Bap∣tisme and of the Lordes supper are seales of Gods moste mercyfull promises towardes mankind.* 1.8 In Baptisme, as by the outward creature of water I am washed from the filthines which hangeth on my flesh: so do I assuredly be∣leue, y^t I am by Christes bloud washed cleane frō my sins, through which I haue sure confidence of my certaine sal∣uation. In the partaking of the Lordes supper, as I re∣ceyue the substance of bread & wyne (the nature of which is to strengthen the body,) so do I by faith receyue the re∣demption wrought in Christes body broken on the crosse, life by his death, resurrection by his resurrection, and in summe, all that euer Christ in his body suffered for my sal∣uation, to the strengthening of my faith in the same. And I beleeue that God hath appointed the eatyng & drinking of the creatures of bread and wine in his holy supper ac∣cording to his word, to mooue and to stirre vp my mynd to beleue these articles aboue written.

This is my faith: this I do beleue, and I am content by Gods grace to confirme and seale the truth of the same with my bloud.

By me Iohn Warne.

Notes

• * 1.1

  〈◊〉〈◊〉 Iohn 〈◊〉〈◊〉.
• * 1.2

  The triumph victory ouer death.
• * 1.3

  The Church.
• * 1.4

  Remission only through Christ.
• * 1.5

  Resurrection.
• * 1.6

  Iohn. 3.
• * 1.7

  Life and Salua∣tion onely by fayth in Christ.
• * 1.8

  Two sacraments of the new Testament.