[A Paraphrase vppon the epistle of the holie apostle S. Paule to the Romanes ...]

A fewe wordes touching the Couenaunt, that God hath made vnto his Churche in Christe, translated oute of Huldrich Zuinglie, in his Subsidie, annexed to the woorke aforesaide.

THEY bring the woordes of Paule againste me. ••. Cor. 11. Where he sayth thus: This cup is the newe couenant in my bloud. Of which woordes they thus withstand me: that which is héere giuen, is the newe couenant. But the new couenaunt is not any signe, but the very bloud of Christ. For as muche then, as this cuppe is the newe couenant, it muste néedes be the corpo∣rall bloud of Christ, for the bloud is the couenaunt.

I am glad that this place is laide against me, and specially for this cause, that the variation of the couenaunte (which is found in many places of the scriptures) may be a little excus∣sed. Couenaunt, as in this pointe, is nothing else than a condi∣tion promised of God. As when the Lord stroke a bargaine or couenaunt with Abraham. I am God almightie (saythe he) walke before me and be perfecte, and I wil put my couenant betweene me & thée, and betwéene thy séede after thée in their generations, with an euerlasting couenant, that I be thy god, and the God of thy séede after thee. And I will giue to thée and to thy séede after thee, the land of thy Pilgrimage, and all the land of Canaan in possession for euer, and I will be thy God. Héere is nothing spoken but the couenaunte, which God (by fauoure) vouchedsafe to make with Abraham. But what con∣taineth this couenaunte? With what conditions is it made? These be then the conditions, I will be thy God. Thou shalt walke before me, moste purely. I will make thée a fa∣ther of many Nations, I will géeue the séede of Sara.

And I wil be the God of that posteritie of thine also, which I promise. I will giue to thée and to thy séede, the lande, in the which thou art now a stranger. The which cōditions, be euen the very couenaunte selfe. But to the couenauntes are added signes. Which althoughe they be called by the names of the couenaunts, be not the couenaunts for all that, as it is mani∣fest in the same place. For it foloweth on this wise. This is my couenant that thou shalt kéepe betwéene me and thee, and thy séede after thée. Let euery mā childe of you be circumcised. Sée howe he calleth the circumcision the couenaunte. When for all that it was not the couenant, but the signe of the coue∣nant, euen as the diuine saying it selfe teacheth on this wise: And yée shal circumcise the fleshe of your foreskin, that it may be a token or signe betwéene me and you. We sée it to be now called the signe of the couenaunt, which a little before was called the couenaunt. It is therefore euident inoughe, that the signes of the couenaunts, be not the couenants, although they haue sometimes the names of the couenaunts put vpon them. As when circumcision is héere called the couenant, wheras it is yet but the signe of the couenaunt. And Baptisme. 1. Pet. 3. is taken for Christ, when he saythe that we are saued by bap∣tisme, yet are we saued by only Christ. This is the text of S. Peter: When the long suffering of God, was once loked for, in the dayes of Noe, while the Arke was a preparing, wher∣in fewe, that is to say, eight soules were saued by the water, like as Baptisme nowe saueth vs: Not the putting away the filthe of the fleshe, but in that a good conscience consenteth to God, by the resurrection of Iesus Christe.

Zuinglie expoundeth this place in his subsidie or helpe as fo∣lovveth: vve thought it not necessary to repeat any further those things vvhich vve broughte in our commentarie: for vve truste that vve haue satisfied them that be godly, and somevvhat more grovvne in the faithe, vvhich commit them selfe to Christ in this floud that drovvneth this vvorlde, none othervvise then Noe did in the olde time committe him selfe and his, and the remnaunts of the vvhole vovrld that forthvvith shuld be destroyed, to that greate shippe, as men borne after the deathe of their father.

For they that put their confidence in Christe, require Christe no more according to the fleshe, for they knovve that fleshe profiteth nothing, as is vvritten in the sixth of Ihon, if thou eate it: but then knovv that it profiteth much, if thou beleeue Christ to be slaine for thee in the fleshe, And that thou put thy confi∣dence in that. In this vvinde they svvimme safely to land. In this shippe they are saued.

But Baptisme is as well the signe of the Christian people which haue receiued of God this couenaunt, that his sonne is oures. As the Circumcision was in the olde time the signe of this couenaunt, that the Lorde would be their God, and they should be his people. We wil nowe passe ouer from the coue∣nant or testament of Abraham, to Christes couenant or Te∣stament. The couenant that was made with Abraham, is so strong, and not to be abrogated, that on lesse a mā kéepe it per∣petually, he shall not be a Christian or faithfull man. For ex∣cept the Lord be thy God, and thou the seruaunts of him only (for thou shalt woorship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serue) there is no cause why thou shuldest boast thy selfe to be a christian man. But he whom thou so worshippest and seruest, is so thy God, (that is to say) thy highest good, that he giueth himself fréely to thée, that he casteth away himself vnto deathe for thée, that he might reconcile thée to him selfe. He which hath performed it, promised this grace long since, whē our father transgressed his lawe, and after that, he euer renu∣ed that promisse to the fathers. There was none other cause why he promised it, but bicause that blessednesse coulde not happen vnto vs, although we endeuored and labored for it til we swet againe, till the fall of oure first father were forgiuen and satisfied. But when Christe being now offered for vs, had pacified the diuine iustice in suche sorte, that by him only a man might goe vnto God. Nowe hath God made a newe co∣uenaunt with mankinde. Not so newe a couenant, as though he had hardly or skarcely found this remedie at the laste, but bicause that whereas he had long a goe prepared it, he gaue it when the time was come.

This new couenant then or testament, is the fré•• and vn∣deserued

forgiuenesse of sinnes, which God hath liberally gi∣uen by his son. They therfore y^e trust to God by Chryst, & doo bring their children to that trust and fayth (for wée muste adde that withall) as Abraham and his posteritie in old time was circumcised, so are they circumcised: but with the cir∣cumcision of Chryst, which is baptisme. Baptisme therefore tendeth euen to the same effect that Circumcision dyd in the olde tyme: for it is the signe of the couenaunt that God hath made with vs by his sonne. Baptisme then is the chéefe and principall signe of the new Testament or couenaunt. Fur∣ther, how that Couenaunt is made perfect, the celebration of the Lordes Supper, bringeth vs in remembraunce thereof. Not surely that the Supper is the Couenaunt, but bicause the Couenaunt is brought to memorie in it, and that thanks be giuen to the Lorde for so liberall a benefite. What is then the new Couenaunt? Frée remission of sinnes by the sonne of God. Thereof it commeth, that forasmuche as this frée remission of sinnes is obtayned by the death and shed∣ding foorth of the bloud of Chryst, the same death and bloud may peraduenture be called the Couenaunt. Although if a man speake truely and properly, Chryst is not the new Te∣stament, but the mediator of the newe Testamente. As Paule speaketh, for the very couenaunt is, the remission of sinnes. Notwithstanding, wée will not these things to be spoken so farre foorth, as though wée thought it a faulte, if the death of Chryst, or his bloud should be called the Coue∣naunt: but for the intente louingly to stirre vp these rashe felowes (that loue to striue with wordes) to the cleare vn∣derstanding of these things.

Now let vs goe further. Chryst would that the memorie of his benefite (which he perfourmed with so bitter death) should euer ••ée in full strength among vs. Wherevppon he not without cause, instituted the frequentation also of the remission of sinnes, none otherwise then he did once insti∣tute the celebritie of the deliueraunce out of the Egyptia∣call bondage. Now séeing that the bloud of the Couenaunte may be called the Couenaunt, and that we in this celebritie

or assembly, doo giue thanks for the bloud that is shed, by the which the Couenaunt is finished vp and made perfect, there∣of it also commeth, that we call it the bloud of Chryst. By the which, wée onely make commemoration, that the bloud was and is shed for vs. And then euen as wée haue called the bloud, the Couenaunt, so wée name the signe or token also of the bloud shed, the Couenaunt. Say all this to be but an olde wiues tale, except the words of the Apostle proue it. That the remission of sinnes is the very couenaunt, Paule teacheth, That this testament, couenaunt, or bargayne is ob∣tayned by the bloud and death of Chryst. Peter giueth war∣ning, And Paule to the Collos. 1. Furthermore, none of the Apostles calleth y^e death or bloud, the couenant, but the bloud of the couenaunt. Notwithstanding, wée leaue it to a mans libertie, for instructions sake: that they may be called the co∣uenaunt. Reherse the Apostles words, and marke them wel. If then, the bloud it selfe which was shed, is not called the co∣uenaunt, but the bloud of the couenaunt (as by which the co∣uenaunt of frée remission is obteined and confirmed) how much more is this Cuppe of the bloud, not the couenaunt, but a signe and token of the bloud of the couenaunt? The signe therfore hath receiued the name of the thing signified, as it is aboue euidently shewed. The Sacrament therfore of the co∣uenaunt and testament (if a man take Sacramente for the principall and externe signe of the couenaunt or promise) is baptisme. But of the passion of Chryst (by which this co∣uenaunt or testament is perfourmed) this assembly is the signe, in the which the bread and wine are deuided in com∣memoration of Chrystes death, with thankes giuing of the faythfull, béeing all of one accorde. Héere we ought not to be so impotent, to braule so stiffely about the name, whylest one will haue this assembly of thankes giuing to be a Sa∣crament, and another denieth it. For when we vnderstande the thing it selfe clerely, why striue we yet about what name we shall call it.

FINIS.

Notes

• Zwingly.
• Gene. 17.
• Take this for both sacramēts that is to say, Baptime and the Lords sup∣per, for both are but flesh touching the extern vse.
• Collos 2.
• Hebr. 9.
• Hebr. 8.
• 1. Pet. 2.3: