Jones on Article VII: Of the Old Testament

” Christ Jesus his Son was promised of God the Father to be a Saviour to this Adam, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, and the other fathers ; which should deliver them from their sins, and tyranny of the devil, who with a quick and living faith would believe this promise, and trust to this Jesus Christ, hoping to have this deliverance of and by him. And truly this promise is very oft rehearsed in the books of the Old Testa- ment ; as that is called the New which teacheth that this promise is fulfilled. — Pref. to Bible of Henri/ VIII. and Ed. VI.

” Christ hath taken away the law as touching the ceremonial and judicial laws. Yea, and the moral law also, that it shall be

done no more for fear as in time past. Christ hath taken

away the law as touching the ceremonials and judicials, that

it is not now necessary to keep them For life everlasting may

be without circumcision and other such like ceremonial laws

As touching moral precepts Christ hath not taken them away, but that they shall not be done for fear of the law, for fear of hell, but for the love of God, with all gladness of heart.” — Comment, on Eph.

” Our Saviour Christ was revealed long before he came to suffer. First in Paradise, when God spake of the woman’s seed. ’ The seed of the woman shall break the serpent’s head.’

And this was a gospel, a glad tiding Now there cometh

God with his gospel, and promiseth that there shall be one born of a woman which shall quash the serpent’s head ; and this was a gospel. And no doubt, as many as did believe these words, and did put their hope in the seed of the woman, and believed to be delivered from their sins through that seed — as many I say as believed so, were saved ; as Seth, Enoch, and other good and godly men, which were at that time. Further this gospel was revealed unto Abraham, when God did promise him, saying, ’ In thy seed all nations shall be blessed ;’ so that it appeared that without Christ we are under the curse of God ; and again, by Christ we have the benediction of God. Likewise this gospel was opened unto David and all the holy prophets./ — Sermon in Advent.

” For although these ceremonies in the old law were given by Moses for the hardness of the people, to keep them ex- ercised, that they fall not to idolatry of the gentiles ; yet is there no mention of any of these in the New Testament, nor yet commandment now, neither to us nor them, but forbidden to be used of all, both of us and them. We be no longer under shadows, but under the truth. Christ hath fulfilled all, and

taken away all such dark kind of ceremonies, and hath placed the clear light of his gospel in his Church to continue to the end.” — On Prophet Aggeus.

” The means ” (of salvation) ” was showed unto Adam at his first and original transgression, the seed of the woman which should hreak the head of the serpent ; destroy the kingdom of the devil, and restore Adam, and as many as knew and believed in this seed unto life everlasting. And as the sin of Adam, the only occasion of all man’s misery, was derived unto all his posterity, and made subject unto death and the ire of God for ever ; so was this seed from the beginning a very true and sufficient remedy to as many as believed.” — Decl. of Christ.

ARCHBISHOP CRAX5IER.

” This is the Christian faith which these holy men (Heb. xi.) had, and we also ought to have. And although they were not named Christian men, yet was it a Christian faith that they had ; for they looked for all benefits of God the Father, through the merits of his Son Jesus Christ, as we now do. This difference is between them and us, for they looked when Christ should come, and we be in the time when he is come. Therefore saith St. Augustine, ’ the time is altered but not the faith.’ ” — Homily of Faith.

” Such faith in Christ Jesu as we now have spoken of, did the holy father Adam no doubt teach his children, that they also might plant into their children the promise of God, his mercy and device concerning the Messias or Saviour that was

for to come Inasmuch then as it cannot be denied bat that

all they which are just and righteous, be made righteous through the blessed seed, and Abel was justified ; (Heb. xi.) it followeth that he was made righteous through faith in Jesus Christ.”—’ The Old Faith:

” No doubt the sacrifices of the Old Testament were cele- brated with divers ornaments and ceremonies it was not for

nought that the Lord preserved such a form for a time, to the intent that at the length it should have an end, and be abrogate. No doubt because he had not as then declared his doctrines so plainly, he would so much the rather that his people should be exercised in figures, that the thing which wanted in that Testament, might be repaired in the other. But since that Christ appeared in the flesh, look by how much more the doctrine is lightened, so much are the figures diminished. Seeing, therefore, we have the body, we must leave the shadows. For if we will replenish the abolished ceremonies, we shall patch again that veil that Christ brake in sunder by his death ; and so shall we obscure and darken the light of the gospel.” — On the Sac. of the Body and Blood of Christ.

” As for all the laws and ordinances which afterward were added unto these two tables,” (the ten Commandments) ” they

were not joined thereunto as principal laws, but as by-laws

For the perfect sum of all laws, the very right rule of godliness, of God’s service, of righteousness, of good and evil conversa- tion, is comprehended already in the two tables.” — The Old Faith.

” That same most joyful and altogether heavenly doctrine of restoring salvation by Christ which in old time was dis- closed by the holy prophets, the servants of God, he himself at length, the Lord of prophets, Jesus Christ the Son of God, and also the Virgin, even the same promised seed, hath most clearly taught all […] Catechism.

“If they say that this commandment” (the second) “con- cerneth the Jews only to whom the law was given ; I answer with all the fathers of the Church, that it was moral and not ceremonial : therefore it bindeth as well us as them.” — Pref. to Treatise on the Cross.

” Neither our Saviour nor his Apostles, citing any place out of the Old Testament, do bring anything disagreeing in sense

and substance of matter from the truth of the Hebrew

text.” — Defence.