[[Examples of true confession, Mat. 16.]]
We read that Peter did confes Christ the lorde sincerely and with a true cõfession when he answered vnto the lorde / which asked and sayed. But whõ saye ye that I am / he answered. Thow art Christe the sonne of the lyuinge Godd.
Agayn whẽ many did fall from the lorde for that sermon in which he declared in the Synagoge of the Capernaites / that he only was the foade of lyfe / and for that cause the lorde saide to his disciples: Wyll ye also go awaye? Peter answered / and cõfessing the lorde with a notable cõfession he said / lorde to whom shall we go? Thow hast the wordes of eternal lyfe / And we beleue and are sure / that thow art Christe the sonne of the lyuinge Godd. Such like cõfession absolute and true doth the blessed apostle and Euangelist Iohn commẽd vnto vs sayinge.
Dearly beloued / beleue not euery sprit / but proue the sprites / whether they are of Godd or not. For many false prophetes are gone out into the worlde. Hereby shall ye know the spirite of Godd: Euery sprite that confessith that Iesu Christe is cõme in the flesh / is of Godd. And euery sprite which confessith not that Iesu Christe is come in the fleshe is not of Godd. And this is that spirite of Antichriste / of whome ye haue herde / howe that he shuld comme and euen now alreadi is he in the worlde. Furthermor this true and catholike confession / doth so attribute all out whole lyfe and saluaciõ vnto the lorde Christe / that it doeth take the same from al other meanes and thinges with which mãs doctrine hathe ony part: wherfor it is not sufficiẽt only to haue cõfirmed the part affirmatiue (as they call it) except thow do also expres the negatiue / and dost so ascribe vnto Christe our lorde all the thinges of our lyfe and saluaciõ / that all men may vnderstõd that thow dost clyme to him al the partes of our saluacion / and that thow dost not gyue ony part therof to ony other. For we do fynd that the lord Iesus did teache such a confession / and that his apostles made the lyke. For whẽ the lorde in the gospell of Iohn speakĩg plainly inough hadd sayed.
I am the dore / by me if any mã entre in / he shall be safe and shall go in and oute / and finde pasture. A thefe cõmith not but for to steale / kyll / and to destroye: I am come that they might haue lyfe / and that they might haue it more abũdantly: I am the goode shepeherd / a goode shepeherd gyueth his lyfe for the shepe. Yet was he not contẽt with theis though thy be most playne wordes / but he ioyned also a Negatiue / with a most pitthie asseueraciõ / sayĩg: Verely verely I saye vnto yowe he that enterith not in by the dore into the shepefolde / but clymbeth vp some other waye / the same is a theife and a murtherer. He likewise saith playnly in the same chapter / A goode shepeherd goeth before his shepe / and the shepe folowe hym bicause they knowe his voice. Yea forthewith he addith this also / A straunger will they not folowe / but wil flie frõ him / for they know not the voice of straũgers. Agayn in an other place /