[The Courte of Vertu :: :: University of Virginia Library

If I shall enterpryse to make,
A due prayse vnto fayth:
I can in no wyse better that,
Whiche written is of Paule,
In his epistle to the Iues:
marke therfore what he saieth,
though not eche woord, yet wyll I here
resite the summe of all.

[3]

Fayth is a perfect confidence,
Of thynges that hoped are,
And a most constant certeintie,
Of thynges whiche are not sene.
For therby did the fathers olde,
(As scripture doth declare,)
Obteyne a iust and good reporte,
That long tyme since hath bene.

And we through faythe doe vnderstande,
God dyd the worlde ordeyne,
By Christe his sonne the blessed worde.
That no beginnyng had.
By it also howe thynges were wrought,
We doe knowledge obteyne:
Thynges that are sent by thinges not sene,
Were ordeyned and made.

By fayth also (as we doe reade,)
The ryghteous man Abell,
Dyd offer vp a sacrifice,
More plentyfull then Cayne:
And therby had a wytnes true,
(As holy wryte doth tell,)
That he was iust: Though he be dead,
His fame doth styll remayne.

By fayth Enoch, translated was,
That death he should not see,
And was not founde: for god therfore
Had taken hym awaye.
Before whiche tyme he wan the name,
A ryghteous man to be,

Because he dyd the wyll of god,
And pleasde hym nyght and daye.

But sure without a lyvly fayth,
It can be in no wyse,
That any man by any meane,
The lyuyng god should please:
For all that come to god beleue,
(And their fayth exercyse,)
That he rewardeth them that seke
Hym, with eternall ease.

By fayth Noe (beyng warnde of god,)
Unsene thynges dyd eschue,
Preparde an arke, and savde his folke,
As holy scripture sayth.
Wherby he dyd condemne the worlde,
That synne dyd styll insue:
And became heyre of ryghteousnes,
Accordyng vnto fayth.

By fayth our father Abraham,
When he first called was,
To goe into a place most strange,
Dyd by and by obeye.
Whiche place though he, inherite should,
As after came to pas:
When he went forth he knewe it not,
Nor no part of the waye.

By fayth into the promyste lande,
I saye he dyd remoue,
A strange countrey where he dyd long,
In tabernacles dwell:

[4]

And so dyd Isaac and Iacob,
Heyres with him from aboue.
All these dyd for a citie looke,
Which God had buylded well.

Through fayth Sara receiued strength,
When she was nowe past age,
To conceyue and bring forth a sonne,
That perfect was and pure:
Because she iudgde the promyser
Both faythfull, true, and sage.
Lo thus by fayth there sprang great health,
Where thought was no recure.

And therfore sprang there forth of one,
That dead was to esteme,
As many folke in multitude,
As are starres in the skye:
And as the sand on the sea shore,
Hir ofspryng then did seme,
The whiche without number to be,
No creature can deny.

These dyed in fayth, yet the promys
None of them dyd receyue:
But seyng it as afarre of,
They dyd right well beleue,
That as many as so it sawe,
And to the same dyd cleaue,
Salutyng it by livly fayth,
None euell should them greue.

These faythfull men the fathers olde,
As truthe was did confesse,

That they strangers and pilgrymes weare,
Upon this earthly vale.
For they that see suche thynges before,
Of truth declare no lesse,
But that they doe a countrey seke,
Ryght hygh aboue this dale.

Also if they had mynded once,
The countrey whence they came,
They had leysour to turne agayne,
To that whiche they dyd loue:
But now it shewes they dyd desyre,
A thyng of better fame,
That is to saye a heauenly soyle,
With God the lorde aboue.

Wherfore the lyuing God hymselfe,
Estemeth it no shame,
To be called the God of these,
And suche lyke godly men:
For he a citie excellent,
Hath builded for the same,
And thynketh nothing ill bestowde,
That may well pleasure them.

Who so the texte wyll farther reade,
To folowe there shall fynde.
That Isac, Iacob, and Ioseph,
And Moses did the lyke:
By fayth how the redde sea went back,
Contrary to his kynde:
As on drye lande howe Israell
dyd passe through that drye dyke.

[5]

The Egiptians when they the lyke
Would seme to enterpryse,
They lackyng fayth weare drowned all,
As for their iust rewarde.
By fayth the walles of Ierico,
Did falle downe in lyke wyse,
No force or engyn of the warres,
Against it once preparde.

The harlot Rahab in lyke wyse,
Howe she dyd saue hir lyfe,
And perisht not with them that dyd
Resist the wyll of god:
When she the spies receaued well,
In peace without all stryfe:
For she beleude, that god would plage,
That contrey with his rodde.

What should be sayde of Gedeon,
Of Barach, and Samson:
Iephte, Dauid, and Samuell,
And eke the prophetes all.
Who dyd by fayth great realmes subdue
And myghty kyngdomes wonne:
They turnde their enemies to flyght,
And gaue their foes a fall.

By fayth some stopt the lyons mouthes,
Some quencht the rage of fyre:
By fayth some wrought out rightousnes,
Some promyse dyd obteyne.
Some scapte the sworde, some were made strong,
Whom weaknes erste dyd tyre:

And women dyd their dead receyue,
To perfect lyfe agayne.

Some racked weare, and would not voyde
The danger of that wo,
Knowyng that they should ryse agayne,
Possessing better ioye.
With mockes and scornes and prisonment,
Lo some were tryed so:
Some were stoned, some were tempted,
Thus did the worlde them noye.

Some hewed were a sonder quyghte,
Some with the sworde were slayne:
Some in the skynnes of shepe and gotes
Disdeyned not to go,
In trouble and necessitie,
They were content to reigne
In mountaynes, desertes, and in dennes,
By fayth this could they doe.

These, was the worlde not worthy of,
Yet dyd it them despyse.
Though they did all (through lyuly fayth)
Obteyne a good reporte:
Yet dyd they not that tyme receyue,
That God dyd them promyse:
That we with them, and they with vs,
myght ioynctly haue comforte.

For Christe that holy promyse was,
The frute of all our fayth:
Without whom none can saued be,
No neither we nor they,

[6]

For in hym all fulfilled is,
That holy scripture sayth:
Ye Christ is he in whom both we
And they our fayth doe staye.

For which all honor laude & prayse
To God ascribed be,
To the father, and to the sonne,
And to the holy spyrite:
In vnitie, and trinitie.
One God and persons three,
As hath ben, is and shalbe styll,
For euer so be it.