DE OLIVA EVANGELICA,

THE TRUE AND GLADSOME OLIVE TREE.

A SERMON PREACHED AT THE CHRISTENING OF A CERTAIN JEW, AT LONDON, BY JOHN FOX.

CONTAINING AN EXPOSITION OF THE ELEVENTH CHAPTER OF ST. PAUL TO THE ROMANS.

Translated out of Latin into English by James Bell.

Imprinted at London, A. D. 1578.

The Contents of this present Book.

Herein are discoursed and discussed the principal grounds and foundations of our Christian faith, of the true and sincere church, of Christ our Messiah, of the infinite glory and majesty of his kingdom, with a refutation of the obstinate Jews, and lastly touching the final conversion of the same.

Also, to the latter end of this sermon is joined the confession of Nathaniel, this baptized Jew, written first by himself in the Spanish tongue, and now translated into English for the more benefit of the godly reader.

To the right honourable Sir Francis Walsingham, knight, principal secretary to her Majesty, and one of her Highness's most honourable privy council, John Fox wisheth all felicity in our Saviour Jesus Christ.

PRESUMING not so much upon mine own head, as advised, or rather enforced by request, counsel, and persuasion, of one lately a most bounden servant to your honour, whose name for divers respects I conceal, I am therefore bold to adventure the offer of this small work to your honourable goodness; humbly beseeching the same, not only to accept it in good part, but also, if any such thing occur in this my simple travail which may pleasure or profit you, to yield all thanks to the Lord; if otherwise, to let the fault rest only upon me. Albeit, notwithstanding, other causes also were not wanting to admonish me of my dutiful office in this behalf. First, your manifold and grateful benefits upon me bestowed, which, as of your part, well may beseem your honourable benignity, so, of my part, very little have been deserved.

Furthermore, remembering with myself at what time this sermon was first preached, and you so earnestly required the said matter again to be repeated in your chamber, being sick: certainly this zealous desire of your so Christian affection requireth no less of duty than the whole tractation hereof, whatsoever it be, being now pub. lished in print, and with some more diligence revised, to be wholly intituled to your name.

Over and besides, another cause here also falleth in, of my part not to be unremembered. For if your bountiful and courteous beneficence, never of me provoked, less deserved, so liberally hath refreshed my poor weak health, with the wholesome fruit of your French grape, little could I do, and unkind were I, if I would not remember you again with some part of recompense in requiting the wholesome fruit of your plentiful vineyard, with some branch of this gladsome and evangelical olive tree; not as in equality of sufficient recompense to satisfy your deserts, but as testifying to you a mind not ungrateful, nor unmindful, what he would do, if greater ability would serve.

To your good honour, both yours, and to the right worshipful lady, your wife, to the young little plants of your domestic olive, sitting about your table, and to your good household, I wish the grace of Christ long to keep you, his mercy to nourish you, his counsel to direct you, his peace to comfort you, his gifts to increase you, to the profit both of the church and commonwealth. London, Anno 1578.

Yours in Christ Jesus,

JOHN FOX.

The Preface to the Christian Reader, containing godly exhortation.

FORASMUCH as the sum and absolute perfection of all our righteousness consisteth in the only faith and knowledge of Jesus Christ, without whom all human power and puissance is ineffectual, without whom no provident policy prevaileth, nor yet any force or activity of natural operation can bring any thing to pass; no honourable ornament of virtue, no excellency of exquisite learning, is available; according to the testimony of the Lord himself, Without me ye can do nothing-what ought we, poor mortal wretches, to regard more entirely, than that by due proceeding, in daily renewed increases of this same faith, we not only cleave fast to this Jesus Christ, the assured and undoubted Chieftain and Prince of life; and conveying him into the very inward of our souls, we, thoroughly possessing him, as fast enclosed in a certain holy oratory, also endeavour, by all means possibly, to be most nearly joined unto him, to be incorporate wholly in him, and made members of his own body? For performance whereof behoveth us, above all other, to be guided by his conduct and counsel chiefly. Search the Scriptures, saith he, for they bear witness of me. Which saying St. Peter the apostle doth verify, advertising us of the same faith. And we have, saith he, a more sure word of the prophets, whereunto while ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, ye do well, until the dawn of the day appear, and the day-star arise in your hearts. Yea, the Lord himself in another place sendeth us back to the schooling of the law and the prophets, as unto infallible precepts and rules of pure and true doctrine. And albeit I may not deny that testimony of St. Paul to be most true, where he saith, that faith is a gift of God issuing from his free mercy and bounty; yet doth he not thereby meanwhile exclude other lawful and ordinary means, taught for the better attainment thereof. As where he saith, Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. So that their error is so much the more blameworthy, who, contented with that intricate and confused faith, as they term it, are of opinion, that to the rude and unlettered people, sufficeth enough to believe those things only that all other men do believe. But this common faith seemed not sufficient to the ancient fathers in that purer age

of the primitive and apostolic church; who, though they mistrusted not the lessons and instructions of the apostles, yet were they also in this respect adjudged praiseworthy, because they compared the doctrine which they received of the apostles, with the books of the law and the prophets; which observation of the elders was of no small importance to procure credit to the establishment of faith. But the state of Christianity is now come, I know not to what pass, that this Christian faith which behoved to be most deeply engraven in the hearts of every of us, is either not so well garnished in many of us as it ought to be; in others very faint and feeble, and in some others scarce any resemblance at all appearing; which slender portion and sparkle of faith, be it ever so small, as it is not altogether to be rejected; so neither is this wonderful sluggishness, and reckless security of the men in our age, in any respect tolerable: of whom, some over greedily busied in worldly affairs, some feeding their fancies upon fond delights, do either make no estimate at all of that inestimable jewel of faith, which only enricheth to the inheritance of eternal life, or at the least are not such diligent searchers of the same as they ought to be. To climb unto honour, what attempts and toil do some undertake! How filthily do others turmoil themselves in raking riches together! How daintily some men besmear themselves in perfumes and pleasures! who, because they know they cannot live here for ever, and do determine never to live godly, yield themselves wholly to live delicately and wantonly. To be advanced in court, to aspire to prelacy and ecclesiastical dignity, and to be a magistrate over the multitude, who doth not account it matter most honourable? Who adjudgeth not that man to be most fortunate, that by hook or crook hath scratched wonderful possessions together? Who thinks not that man to be most happy that liveth most pleasurably? And what shall I say of those arts and sciences which procure gainful lucre, and estimation of the world; wherein while we sweat and toil all our lives long, scarce one minute can be spared, no thought employed to the things which lead unto Christ? I speak not of those who seem to savour of no sap of religion, nor are endued with one drop of faith; who, resembling rather Diagoristes and Protagoristes than Christians, are so utterly fallen from christianism to atheism, that, measuring this life with the present pleasures thereof, they do believe nothing holy, good, or worthy to be embraced, but those

plausible works and objects of nature wherewith our eyes and senses are most delighted. There is also another crew and company, not much unlike to these, who, perceiving Christian religion to be assaulted, racked, and rent in sunder, as they say, with sects, schisms, and contrarieties of opinions, do persuade themselves that the religion is the best, which will acquaint itself with no religion at all!

What shall I say of them, whereof the number is exceeding great, who with full mouth do profess true religion itself, and will not deny but that they do believe in Jesus Christ, but being demanded, wherefore they do believe in him? what the will of God the Father in Christ is? what grace is? what and how great promises are laid up in store for us in Christ? how glorious the majesty and royalty of Christ's kingdom is? how inestimable the glory of his riches? what is the breadth, the length, the depth, the height thereof? how wonderful the love of his knowledge? how great the force and power of faith is? and upon what principal pillars and foundations it is builded? they can render scarce any reason at all!' Forasmuch therefore, as the infallible certainty and true understanding of these things can be attained unto rightly from no where else than from the holy closets of the sacred Scriptures; it shall be very requisite and needful, that every one of us employ all our senses and powers of the mind, continually exercised in the same. For howsoever Christian divinity is tossed and turmoiled to and fro, with innumerable, intricate, entangled, and wandering questions, yet faith remaineth one, self-same, nevertheless both pure and simple; and as it is but one, so ought all men necessarily to be endued therewith wholly. That is to say, that we all know Christ, that we repose all our anchor hold of affiance in Christ, and that we imprint Christ in the bowels of our soul, as we are commanded by the mouth of God the Father, seeing there is no name besides this name given under heaven, in whom the treasure and hope of man's felicity may safely shroud itself. Let princes therefore learn to know this Christ; let subjects attend upon him; let ancient fathers take hold of him; let young men embrace him; let the rich enlarge their treasury with this precious jewel; and let the poor seek as their relief to be refreshed by him. Who indeed can elsewhere by no means be found more easily than in the very sacred well-springs of the prophetical Scriptures; notwithstanding, whoso is desirous to procure this joyful jewel, must first of