B   Faith is a sure confidence of thinges which are hoped for, and a certaynte of thinges which are not sene. By it þe; Elders were well reported of. Thorow faith we vnderstonde, that the worlde and all the thinges which are sene, were made of naughte by the worde of God.

^noteBy faith offered Abell vnto God a more plenteous sacrifice: by the which he optayned wytnesse, that he was righteous: God testifyenge of his giftes, by the which also he beynge deed, yet speaketh.

^noteBy faith was Enoch tak&ebar; awaye, that he shulde not se death: and was not founde, because God had taken him awaye. For afore he was taken awaye, he had recorde that he pleased God. But without faith it is vnpossible to please God. B   For he that commeth vnto God, must beleue that God is, ∧ þt; he is a rewarder of them that seke him.

^noteBy faith Noe honoured God, after þt; he was warned of thinges which were not sene, ∧ prepared the Arke, to þe; sauinge of his housholde: thorow the which Arke he condemned the worlde, and became heyre of the righteousnes, which commeth by faith.

^noteBy faith Abraham (wh&abar; he was called) obeyed, to go out in to the place, which he shulde afterwarde receaue to inheritaunce: and he wente out, not knowynge whither he shulde go.

By faith was he a straunger in the l&obar;de of promes as in a straunge countre, ∧ dwelt in tabernacles: and so dyd Isaac ∧ Iacob, heyres with him of the same promes: for he loked for a cite which hath a foundacion, whose buylder and maker is God.

C    ^noteBy faith Sara also receaued strength to be with childe, and was delyuered of a childe whan she was past age, because she iudged him to be faithfull which had promysed. And therfore spronge there of one (yee euen off one which was as good as deed concernynge the body) so many in multitude ^note as the starres off the skye, and as the sonde off the See shore, which is innumerable.

All these dyed acordinge to faith, and receaued not the promyses, but sawe th&ebar; afarre off, and beleued them, and saluted them: ^note and c&obar;fessed, that they were straungers ∧ pilgrems vp&obar; earth. For they that saye soch thinges, declare, that they seke a naturall countre. And doutles yf they had bene myndefull off that countre from whence they came out, they had leysure to haue returned agayne. But now they desyre a better, that is to saye, a heau&ebar;ly. ^noteWherfore God is not ashamed of th&ebar;, eu&ebar; to be called their God: for he hath prepared a cite for them.

D    ^noteBy faith Abrah&abar; offered vp Isaac, wh&abar; he was tempted, and gaue ouer his onely begotten sonne, in whom he had receaued the promyses, of whom it was sayde: In Isaac shal thy sede be called: For he considered, þt; God was able to rayse vp agayne from the deed. Therfore receaued he him for an ensample.

^noteBy faith Isaac blessed Iacob and Esau, concernynge thinges to come.

^noteBy faith Iacob, whan he was a dyenge, blessed both the sonnes off Ioseph, ∧ bowed himselfe towarde the toppe of his cepter.

^noteBy faith Ioseph whan he dyed, remembred þe; departynge of the childr&ebar; of Israel, ∧

gaue c&obar;maundem&ebar;t concernynge his bones.

^noteBy faith Moses wh&abar; he was borne, was hyd thre monethes of his Elders, because they sawe that he was a proper childe, nether feared they the kynges c&obar;maundem&ebar;t.

^noteBy faith Moses whan he was greate, refused to be called the sonne of Pharaos doughter: and chose rather to suffre aduersite with the people of God, then to enioye þe; pleasures of synne for a season: and estemed the rebuke of Christ greater riches, then the treasure of Egipte: for he had respecte vnto the rewarde.

E    ^noteBy faith he forsoke Egipte, and feared not the fearcenes of the kynge: for he endured, eu&ebar; as though he had sene him which is inuisible.

^noteBy faith he helde Easter, and the effusion of bloude, lest he which slewe the firstborne, shulde touche them.

^noteBy faith they passed thorow the reed See as by drye londe: which wh&abar; the Egipcians assayed to do, they were drowned.

By faith the walles of Iericho fell, wh&abar; they were compased aboute seuen dayes.

By faith the harlot Raab perished not with the vnbeleuers, wh&abar; she had receaued the spyes to lodginge peaceably.

And what shal I more saye? þe; tyme wolde be to shorte for me to tell of ^note Gedeon, of Barac, and of Samson, ∧ of Iepthae, and of Dauid, and Samuel, and of the prophetes, which thorow faith subdued kyngdomes, F   wroughte righteousnes, optayned þe; promyses, stopped þe; mouthes of ly&obar;s ^note quenched the viol&ebar;ce of fyre, escaped þe; edge of the swerde, of weake were made stronge, became valeaunt in batayll, turned to flighte the armyes of the aleauntes, ^note the wemen receaued their deed agayne from resurreccion. But other were racked, and accepted no delyueraunce, that they mighte optayne the resurreccion that better is.

Other taisted of mockinges and scourginges, of bondes also and presonment: ^note were stoned, were hewen a sunder, were tempted, were slayne with the swerde, ^note wente aboute in shepe skynnes and goates skynnes, in nede, in tribulacion, in vexacion, which (men) the worlde was not worthy of: they wandred aboute in wyldernesses, vpon mountaynes, in dennes and caues of the earth. And these all thorow faith optayned good reporte, and receaued not þe; promes: because God had prouyded a better thinge for vs, that they without vs shulde not be made perfecte.

Previous section

Next section