and indignation For if there were moe beloued sonnes he would not so set forth shew this sonne alone saying This is my beloued sonne neither would turne his eyes vnto him onely and glory of him alone as though he knew no other For the words seeme to shew that he did diligently looke about yet founde none beside him of whome he sayth this is he as if he sayde Here at the last I haue founde such a one as pleaseth me and is my beloued sonne all other generally are not such Moreouer these wordes are not so onely to be vnderstood that it is shewed by them that Christ is very God as the Epistle to the Hebrewes sayth Vnto which of the Angells sayd he at any time Thou art my Sonne this day begat I thee and againe I will be his father and he shall be my sonne c. For it is most certaine that Christ in these wordes is declared to be the true and naturall sonne of God seeing that this word was neuer sayd to any creature Howbeit he had bene as well the sonne of God and had so remayned for euer as he hath bene from euerlasting although this had not bene spoken vnto vs from heauen neither is any thinge added or taken away from him by this name but we must thus thinke perswade our selues that so excellent a praise and so noble honour of Christ was spoken for our cause For he him selfe witnesseth in Iohn Ioh. 12.30 that this came not because of him selfe but for our sakes He hath no neede that it should be sayd vnto him that he is the sonne of God He knew this before hath from euerlasting by his nature that which he heareth Wherefore when that is conceiued by voyce and word it pertaineth to vs and not vnto Christ Christ without the word is such as he is said to be We haue the word without him of whom it is spoken Wherefore we must lay fast hold vppon the word without the essence euen as he hath the essence without the word But what doth this word it teacheth vs to know Christ in which knowledge our saluation consisteth as Esay Paule and Peter doe witnes But how doth it teach vs to know him so that he is the sonne of God and doth especially please God his father by which wordes God cheereth the hartes of all the faithfull and greatly delighteth them with mere comfort and heauenly sweetnes Howe is this done When I knowe and am sure that this man Christ is the sonne of God and doth in all things please the father whereof I must be most fully perswaded forasmuch as the diuine maiestie doth confirme this by his voyce from heauen which can not lye whereby I am certaine that whatsoeuer that man doth speake and worke they are the mere wordes works of the beloued sonne which are aboue measure approued of God This therefore I doe singularly well marke and lay vppe in the bottom of my harte When as therefore I doe hereafter heare Christ speake or see him doe any thing and that for my commoditie which surely he euery where doth for he sayth that he doth and suffereth all thinges for vs that he came to serue and not that he should be serued then I remember these wordes of the father that he is the beloued sonne then I am enforced to thinke that all that Christ speaketh doth and suffereth and that for my sake doth singularly well please God Nowe howe can God poure out him selfe more liberally or shew him selfe more louingly and sweetely then by saying that it doth please him from the hart that Christ his sonne doth speake so gently with me doth with so great affection looke vnto my commoditie and with such vnusuall loue suffer dye and do whatsoeuer for my sake Doest thou dout that if mans hart did with due sense feele such fauour of God in Christ to wit that he doth so much for our sakes it would not for ioy burst into most small peeces for then it woulde looke into the depth of the diuine breast yea and into the exceeding and eternal goodnes and loue of God which he beareth toward vs and hath borne toward vs from euerlasting But we are too hard harted and cold the flesh doth lye more heauy vppon vs then that we are able to comprehend such wordes we doe not wel consider of them with our selues neither doth our hart come neare to feele how maruelous and vnspeakeable loue and ioy they contayne in them otherwise without dout we should perceiue that heauen and earth are full of the fire of the diuine loue of life and righteousnes full of honour and praise whereunto the fire of hel whereunto sinne death being compared are nothing but as it were a thing painted or pictured But we are colde sluggish vnthankfull wretches for we passe ouer such precious words as things of no importance as vttered of man as being contayned in a booke or writtē in paper as things vtterly decayed and now long since growne out of vse by long custom as though they pertayne onely to Christ and to vs nothing at all And being dull and senseles we doe not see that they belong nothing to Christ but were committed to writing and are extant onely for our sake Seeing therefore that Christ the beloued sonne being in so great fauour with God in all thinges that he doth is thine and doth in the same serue thee as he him selfe witnesseth without dout thou art in the same fauour and loue of God that Christ him selfe is in And againe the fauour and loue of God are insinuated to thee as deepely as to Christ that now God together with his beloued sonne doth wholy possesse thee and thou hast him againe wholy that so God Christ and thou doe become as one certaine thing Hereunto make many sentences of the Gospell but especially in Iohn as this If any man loue me Iohn 14.23 my father will loue him and we will come vnto him and will dwell with him Also Where I am there shall also my seruaunt be Againe Iohn 12.26 Iohn 17. I pray that they may be one in vs as thou and I are one I in thee and thou in me and they in me But where is Christ In the fauour of God in the depth of his hart there also are we if so be that we know and loue Christ there I thinke we are sure enough there our refuge is placed high enough whither no euill can come as it is in the 91. Psalme But thou seest that faith is required hereunto and that vnto these thinges no law no worke no merit doth preuayle Hereupō it commeth to passe that so precious wordes are so abstruse and vnknowen to reason For it hath bin gouerned of Satan from the creation of the world when as in Paradise it would be as God presumed after honour which God here attributeth to Christ alone forasmuch as he is his sonne
wherunto it is yet also prone and inclined and setteth it selfe against these words the words againe are against it For because Christ is here declared the only sonne of God it is mightely ouerthrowne whatsoeuer maketh it selfe god But who be they that make them selues god surely Satan and man which please them selues and loue them selues they seeke not after God but striue to attaine vnto this that they also may become gods But what will God say vnto these Truly a certaine contrary thinge to that which he sayde vnto Christ Christ is my beloued sonne in whom I am well pleased seeing that he glorifieth not him selfe and maketh not him selfe God although he be God But ye are wretches in whome I allowe nothing seeing that ye glorifie your selues and make your selues gods albeit ye be creatures and men and not God So this sentēce giuen of Christ doth humble the whole world doth shew them to be all voyd of diuinitie and ascribeth it to Christ and that all for our commoditie if we will and do admit this sentence or to our condemnation if we will not and do contemne this sentence so that I may say at once without Christ there is no fauour nor any beloued sonne but very wrath and sore displeasure of God Certaine sentences out of the Scripture concerning Christ vvhereby is declared that through him vve are loued of the Father and vvithout him are refused Ioh. 1.16.17 Of his fulnes to wit Christes haue all we receiued and grace for grace For the law was giuen by Moses but grace and truth came by Iesus Christ Ioh. 3.13 No man ascendeth vppe to heauen but he that hath descended from heauen euen the Sonne of man which is in heauen Ioh. 3.16.17.18 God so loued the world that he hath giuen his only begottē sonne that whosoeuer beleueth in him should not perish but haue euerlasting life For God sent not his sonne into the world that he should condemne the world but that the world through him might be saued He that beleueth in him is not condemned but he that beleeueth not is condemned already because he hath not beleued in the name of that onely begotten Sonne of God Ioh. 3.35.36 The Father loueth the Sonne and hath giuen all thinges into his hande He that beleeueth in the Sonne hath euerlasting life he that obeyeth not the Sonne shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him Ioh. 6.40 This is the will of him that sent me that euery man which seeth the Sonne beleueth in him should haue euerlasting life and I will rayse him vp at the last day Ioh. 7.37.38 Now in the last great day of the feast Iesus stoode cried saying If any man thirst let him come vnto me and drinke He that beleueth in me as sayth the Scripture out of his belly shall flow riuers of water of life Tit. 3.4.5.6.7 But when that bountifulnes and that loue of God our Sauiour toward man appeared not by the workes of righteousnes which we had done but according to his mercy he saued vs by the washing of the new birth and the renuing of the holy Ghost which he shed on vs aboundantly through Iesus Christ our Sauiour that we being iustified by his grace should be made heires according to the hope of eternall life Many other such sentences there be especially out of the Epistles of Paule which euery one may gather by him selfe A SERMON OF D. MARTIN LVTHER OF THE GENEALOGIE OR PEDEGREE OF CHRIST Matth. 1. Verse 1. THis is the booke of the generation of Iesus Christ the sonne of Dauid the sonne of Abraham 2. Abraham begat Isaac Isaac begat Iacob Iacob begat Iudas and his brethren 3. Iudas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar Phares begat Esrom Esrom begat Aram. 4. Aram begat Aminadab Aminadab begat Naasson Naasson begat Salmon 5. Salmon begat Booz of Rachab Booz begat Obed of Ruth Obed begat Iesse 6. Iesse begat Dauid the king Dauid the king begat Salomon of her that was the wife of Vrias 7. Salomon begat Roboam Roboam begat Abia Abia begat Asa 8. Asa begat Iosaphat Iosaphat begat Ioram Ioram begat Hozias 9. Hozias begat Ioatham Ioatham begat Achaz Achaz begat Ezekias 10. Ezekias begat Manasses Manasses begat Amon Amon begat Iosias 11. Iosias begat Iechonias and his brethren about the time they were caried away to Babylon 12. And after they were brought to Babylon Iechonias begat Salathiel Salathiel begat Zorobabel 13. Zorobabel begat Abiud Abiud begat Eliacim Eliacim begat Azor. 14. Azor begat Sadoc Sadoc begat Achim Achim begat Eliud 15. Eliud begat Eleazar Eleazar begat Matthan Matthan begat Iacob 16. Iacob begat Ioseph the husband of Marie of whom was borne Iesus that is called Christ The summe of this text 1 MAtthew beginneth his booke with a title or inscription by which the beleuer is prouoked with greater pleasure to heare and reade it For he sayth thus much in effect Whom the Law and Prophets haue hetherto promised preached Iesus that is a Sauiour and Christ that is an eternall king that he according to the promise of God should springe and come of the seede of Abraham and Dauid euen him doe I describe in this booke to wit that he is now borne and made man and already come into the world This I handle through this whole booke 2 Three lines or degrees are here rehearsed In the first is contained the stocke of the fathers in the second of the kings in the third is contained the decaying stocke of Dauid after the decay whereof it behoued that Christ should come For so the goodnes of God is wont to doe when all thinges seeme euen past hope and recouerie then at the last he commeth 3 Matthew omitteth one in his rehearsall but that maketh no matter seeing that he obserueth this one thing that he counteth by the right line from Dauid by Salomon to Ioseph the husband of Marie Luke counteth otherwise and vseth an other order The exposition of the text WHen Adam our first father hauing fallen by a notable offence was gilty of death with all his children as well in body as in soule it was notwithstanding promised vnto him although obscurely that both he and his posteritie should be deliuered in those wordes which God spake to the Serpent Gen. 3.15 I will put enmitie betwene thee and the woman betwene thy seede her seede and it shall treade downe thy head Of these wordes Adam tooke comfort that a woman should come by whose frute such guile and sutteltie of the Serpent shoulde be againe amended and Adam redeemed This comfort did vphold Adam with his posteritie vntill Noe. For then the promise was renued whē God made a couenant with the sonnes of Noe and set the rainebowe for a signe of the couenant whereby men might conceiue a trust and confidence that God is yet fauorable vnto them and doth not purpose their destruction whereby mankinde was againe vpheld and comforted euen vntill
Abraham In the time of Abraham God did somewhat shewe forth his mercy he declared that he would send a Sauiour who should deliuer vs againe from death both of body and soule for albeit the body should dye yet it should not alwayes remayne in death but rise againe with the Lord Christ The wordes which God spake to Abraham Gen. 22. are thus In thy seede shall all the nations of the earth be blessed Here miserable men had a cause to hope and looke for a Sauiour which should deliuer them From that time all the Prophets did diuersly foretell of this aboue measure flowing fountaine of all mercy that is of this seede of the Lord Christ how that he at the last should come that all which beleued in him might obtaine saluation by that promise which can not be reuoked If so be that men would now open their eyes they must needes confesse and say that a straunge and incredible thinge is done with vs that man being in the state of damnation cursed desperate should be restored by the natiuitie of one man Hereupon the Prophets cryed out with ardent prayers and vnspeakeable groning that God would vouchsafe to sende the Sauiour whom he had promised By faith in this Sauiour the Israelites afterward obtained the lawe and this honour before all people that they were called the elect people of God By which ordinances written of Moses the anointed was plainely figured and signified whom this text which we haue now in hand setteth forth what he is from whence he is and by the afore sayd faith all obtayned saluation from Abraham vnto Dauid euen as many as were saued In the time of Dauid God made the comming of the Messias to be more manifestly declared that it might be certainly knowne of what stocke he should come namely of the stocke of Dauid as when God sayd vnto Dauid 2. Sam. 7.12 VVhen thy dayes be fulfilled thou shalt sleepe with thy fathers and I will set vp thy seede after thee which shall proceede out of thy body and wil stablish his kingdom He shall build an house for my name and I vvill stablish the throne of his kingdom for euer I will be his father and he shall be my sonne And yet more plainely in the Psalme The Lord hath made a faithfull othe vnto Dauid Psal 132.11 and he shall not shrinke from it Of the frute of thy bodye shall I set vppon thy seat Here Christ is described that he shall be a king and an eternall king Psal 45.6 as it is mentioned of him in an other Psalme Thy throne O Lord endureth for euer the scepter of righteousnes is the scepter of thy kingdome Who pertaineth to the kingdom of Christ and who to the kingdom of Satan Howebeit he is a spirituall king which ruleth the worlde by his worde and whosoeuer receiueth his word pertaineth to his kingdom But he that is not vnder this scepter neither heareth his worde is not of God neither pertaineth to his kingdom but is subiect to the kingdom of Satan vnder whose tyrannie we all are vntill the Lord doth deliuer vs from it defend vs with his scepter which is then done when we beleeue in him Forasmuch therefore as our saluation doth come meerly by the promise of God let euery one assuredly perswade him selfe that he shal neuer obtaine saluation wtout this promise although he should do the workes of all Sainctes yet they should profit him nothing hereunto Contrariwise if we lay hold on the scepter of this king that is of the promise of God we shal not perish although the sinnes of the whole world should lye vpon vs they shal be all swallowed vp in him albeit no good worke be done of vs. As we see in the theefe which hong by the Lord on the crosse who layd hold on the word of God beleued in Christ and therefore he obtayned the promised Paradise Here is no dout left let vs onely beleue that it is so and it is so in deede all thinges which men teach or which we haue done or can doe being set aside Here all thinges must giue place at the comming of this new king that he alone may rule reigne in vs. Let a man intermedle with those thinges that are written of this king as being his owne matters and as pertaining all vnto him Whatsoeuer is written of Christ it is written for our comfort For whatsoeuer is written any where of Christ it is written for our comfort that we may thereby feede and cherish our faith To the establishing of such faith God hath mercifully left vnto vs his promise written and hath suffered to be published that he will performe that which he hath promised Whosoeuer apprehendeth this in his hart it must needes be that with sighing he thirst for such Scripture and promise of God who of his grace being not prouoked of vs offereth vnto vs and bestoweth vpon vs such goodnes and mercy But let vs now come to our present text which not with words only but also with a certeine force pearseth the hart and poureth into it loue pleasure ioy gladnes c. As if an Angell should now come from heauen and say vnto vs miserable and condemned wretches after this sort Behold O man thou hast sinned wherfore thou hast deserued to be condemned for euer This being heard the hart must needes tremble Now although all this be true yet neuertheles God of his grace hath mercy vppon thee sendeth to thee a Sauiour as he promised to Abraham and his seede Be of a good cheere and giue thankes to God Loe here is the booke of the generation of Iesus Christ who is the sonne of Dauid the sonne of Abraham so that this is not onely done but also written that thou mayst be certaine thereof Neither will he neither can he deceiue beleue onely and thou shalt haue all things Now it is to be noted that Matthew setteth Dauid before Abraham although the promise was first made to Abraham and came afterward to Dauid which promise made to Dauid the Prophets did afterward publish more abroad and did by it comfort the people As in the 11. chapter of Esai where the Prophet sayth thus There shall come a rod forth of the stocke of Iesse and a graffe shall growe out of his roote Ieremie likewise sayth thus chap. 23. Behold the time commeth sayth the Lord that I wil raise vp the righteous braunch of Dauid which king shall beare rule and he shall prosper with wisedom and shall set vp equitie righteousnes againe in the earth And many other such prophecies there are to be found in the writings of the Prophetes which they foretold of Dauid that his kingdom should be raysed vp as that Angell also declared vnto Marie when he sayd Luke 1.32 The Lord God shall giue vnto him the throne of his father Dauid Why Matthew setteth Dauid before Abraham Luke 1.54 he shall
reigne ouer the house of Iacob for euer and of his kingdome shall be none ende Wherefore Matthew thought good here to set Dauid first as the better knowne next vnto him Abraham vnto whom the promise was first made as Marie in her song sayth He remembring his mercy hath holpen his seruaunt Israell as he promised to our fathers Abraham his seede for euer And that promise is now performed and in this our text described as we shal see hereafter S. Matthew maketh a triple difference of fathers of whom Christ came foureteene Patriarkes foureteene Kings foureteene Princes For it behoued that the scepter kingdom should be taken from Iuda Gen. 49.10 according to the prophesie of Iacob which is thus The scepter shall not depart from Iuda and a lawegiuer from betwene his feete vntill Silo come and vnto him shall the gathering of the people be Here all thinges must be fulfilled and there are thrise foureteene generations euen as Matthew rehearseth them from Abraham to Dauid foureteene generations from Dauid til they were caried away into Babylon likewise foureteene generatiōs Howbeit there is a person omitted in Matthew that is Iakim it ought thus to be written Iosias begat Iakim Iakim begat Iechonias and his brethren this the Chronicles witnes And after they were caried away into Babylon vntill Christ foureteene generations Which triple distinction hath a great mysterie as we shall see The Iewes among other lawes were commaunded to obserue these three precepts namely to worship that God whom their fathers had worshipped Secondly to choose no Priest of any other stocke then of their owne that is of the tribe of Leui. Thirdly to choose no king but of their owne people These three precepts did very wel agree in our Lord Christ to wit that he is that one God that he is an eternall Priest of our flesh blood a King our brother who hath taken our nature vpon him Who by his diuine power is able to help saue vs being an eternal Priest continually maketh intercession for vs. He is a King also that he may defend preserue vs who is not to be feared of vs seing that he is a man as we are yea was made a most contemptible man that our hart might be wholy quieted appeased in him our Sauiour who can neuer forsake vs. Who were able to stand in the sight of God not be terrified if that Priest did not stand before God Who should defend vs if he were not a King Who should saue vs if he were not God How should he haue care of vs if he were not a man and our brother with whom we may speake as wel as we may one with an other among our selues O most gracious Sauiour how wisely hast thou done all thinges I knowe that thou art my brother as it is in the Psalme Psal 22.21 I will declare thy name vnto my brethren as it is alleaged in the Epistle to the Hebr. Albeit thou art God my Lord Christ and king of heauen and earth yet I can not be afraide of thee for thou art my friend and brother This is no hinderance vnto me that I am a sinner and thou holy For if I had not bene a sinner there had bene no neede that thou shouldest suffer punishment for me Why both good and euill are rehearsed in the genealogie of Christ I see also in thy genealogie that both good and euill are rehearsed of whose posteritie thou wouldest come that thou mightest comfort timorous and weake consciences that they should confidently cheerefully put their trust in thee which hast taken away our sinnes And that we might be certaine hereof thou hast left vnto vs thy word which assuredly declareth it vnto vs. Among the Kings Princes which Matthew rehearseth some were exceeding euil as we may read in the bookes of the Kings Yet God suffereth them to be rehearsed in his genealogie as if they were worthy that he should come of them But he suffered not so much as one honest woman to be rehearsed therin Fower women are named which all had an euill report and were counted lewd Gen. 38. As Thamar of whom Iudas the father of her husband begat Phares and Zara Ios 2.1 as in the first booke of Moses it is mentioned Rahab is called an harlot in the booke of Iosua Ruth was a heathen woman of whom although we read no euill written yet forasmuch as she was a heathen she was despised of the Iewes as a dogge and was detested of them Bethsabe the wife of Vrias was an adulteresse before she was maried to Dauid of her he begat Salomon Which women are vndoutedly therefore rehearsed that we may see how God hath set forth as it were a certaine glasse vnto all sinners wherein they may see that he would be borne of the posteritie of sinners that the greater sinners we be so much more certaine and greater refuge we might haue to so gracious a God Priest King who is our brother in whom onely and in none other we are able to fulfill the law obtaine the grace of God he came downe from heauen therefore neither doth he require any thing of vs but that we assuredly beleue that he is our God By faith in Christ we become the sonnes of God and heires of the heauenly kingdom Gal. 3.26 Priest King and then all thinges shal be wel with vs. By him alone we become the sonnes of God heires of the heauenly kingdom as S. Paule sayth to the Galathians Ye are all the sonnes of God by faith in Christ Iesus Here the hartes of all sinners may leape for ioy that they are counted worthy of such a Sauiour Must not he needes be regenerate whose hart vnderstandeth and feeleth this yea he is caried with a most ardent loue to leade a newe life for he is inspired with the grace of God inasmuch as he layeth hold of the promise of remission of all his sinnes If we will count vppon our fingers the persons rehearsed in this text we shall finde them to be forty and two which were in time past figured by the two and forty mansion places which the children of Israell had before they came into the promised land as it is written in the fourth booke of Moses If we also will come into the promised land which our Lorde Iesus Christ hath prepared for vs by his natiuitie we must also occupie two and forty mansion places that is we must ceasse from our owne purpose be regenerate man by man vntill we come to Marie and Iesus there at the last we shall finde rest vnto our soules But this natiuitie is hard for our euill corrupt nature is very loth to leaue her owne wil and purpose And againe the case of nature is such that no natiuitie can be without griefe yet one hath more griefe tentation and affliction then an other The theefe
hast grace restored Howbeit he requireth this of thee that thou also forgiue thy neighbour all things which he hath cōmitted against thee otherwise thou shalt not be in this kingdō of grace neither shalt becōe partaker of that which the Gospell preacheth that thy sinnes may be forgiuen thee This briefly is the summe meaning of this text Moreouer we must not here omit to declare who they be that receiue the Gospell and vnto whom it is acceptable For surely that kingdom and gouernment wherin God reigneth and ruleth by the Gospell is most excellent and gentle forasmuch as in it meere forgiuenes of sinnes is preached howebeit it pearseth not into the hart of euery one neither is it considered or esteemed of all For thou mayst finde many light and vnconstant men Abuse of the Gospell who abuse the Gospel and leade their life dissolutely and loosely doing what they list who thinke that they should be rebuked of none seeing that the Gospel teacheth nothing but forgiuenes of sinnes The Gospell is not preached to these who do so vilely esteeme of a precious treasure and deale lightly with it Wherefore neither doe they pertaine to this kingdom but to worldly gouernment that they may be stopped let from doing whatsoeuer they like and list To whom the Gospel is preached To whom then is it preached to them which throughly feele such miserie as this seruaunt did here Wherefore consider what happeneth vnto him The Lord taketh pitie of his miserie forgiueth him more then he durst desire But before this is done the text sayth the Lord first tooke account of his seruaunts and when he began to recken one was brought vnto him which owed him ten thousand talents and because he had nothing to pay his Lord commaunded him to be sold and his wife and children and all that he had and the dette to be payed Which truely were no pleasant wordes but euen exceeding seueritie and most terrible iudgement then is he brought into so great perplexitie and distresse that he falleth downe on the ground and asketh mercie and promiseth more then he hath or is able to pay saying Lord refraine thyne anger toward me and I will pay thee all Here is set forth vnto vs who they be vnto whom the Gospell is acceptable For so commeth it to passe betwene God and vs. When God will take an account of vs he sendeth forth the preaching of his law The preaching of the law whereby we learne to know what we ought to doe as when God sayth to the conscience Thou shalt worship no other God but shalt acknowledge me alone for God shalt loue me with all thine hart and repose thy trust and hope in me onely This is the booke of accounts wherein is written what we owe which he taking into his hands readeth before vs and sayth Lo this thou oughtest to haue done thou oughtest to feare loue and worship me alone thou oughtest to trust in me alone and from me to promise to thy selfe all good thinges Howbeit thou doost otherwise thou art mine aduersarie thou beleeuest not in me but reposest thy trust in other things and in a summe thou feest here that thou doost not obserue so much as the least point of the lawe When the conscience hath heard these thinges and the law hath touched one well he seeth then what he ought to doe and what he hath not done and findeth that he hath not kept so much as a letter of the law and is compelled to confesse that he hath not performed that obedience and dutie which God iustly requireth of him What doth the Lord now When the conscience is thus touched and feeleth it selfe condemned and is distressed with exceeding great miserie he sayth Sell him and whatsoeuer he hath and let him pay the det This is the iudgement which forthwith followeth when the law hath reuealed sinne and sayd This thou must doe that thou oughtest to haue done and thou hast done nothing thereof for to sinne is required punishment that man may be compelled to pay For God hath not so made his lawe that he doth not punish them that transgresse it It is not sweete pleasant but bringeth bitter and horrible paine with it it deliuereth vs to Satan it casteth vs downe to hell and leaueth vs wrapped in tentation vntill we haue payed the vtmost farthing This S. Paule hath notably well declared Rom. 4 where he sayth The law worketh nothing but wrath That is when it reuealeth vnto vs that we haue done vniustly it setteth nothing before vs but wrath indignation For when the conscienee seeth that it hath committed euill it feeleth that it hath deserued eternall death after which followeth punishment whereupon it is compelled to despeire This is that that the Lorde commaundeth this seruaunt togither with all his substance to be solde forasmuch as he is not able to pay But what doth the seruaunt say the foolish fellow thinketh yet that he shall pay the dette he falleth downe and prayeth that he wil haue patience with him This is the wound and crosse of all consciences that when sinne biteth them so that they feele in how euill case they are before God there is no rest in them but they runne hither and thither seeking about that they may be deliuered from sinnes rashly take vpon them as yet to do so great thinges as wherewith they shall pay God Superstitious meanes inuented by men to be deliuered from sinne and to purchase Gods fauour as we hitherto haue bene instructed whereupon came so many pilgrimages collegiate houses Monasteries Masses other trifles We pyned our selues with fasting we scourged our selues with whippes we were made Monkes and Nunnes therefore onely for that we went about to leade such a life and to do such and so many works as whereunto God might haue respect and thereby be pacified thinking so to appease and make quiet our consciences so we committed the same thinges that this foolish fellow did Such a hart as is touched with the lawe throughly feeleth it owne miserie and calamitie is humbled truely and in deede Whereupon it falleth downe before the Lord and craueth mercy Howbeit it is yet defiled with this vice that it striueth to helpe it selfe which thinge can not be taken away from nature When as the conscience feeleth such miserie it dareth presume to promise more then all the Angells in heauen are able to performe Then is it an easie matter to persuade it to apply it selfe to doe whatsoeuer can be required of it For it findeth it selfe alwayes in such a case that it hopeth that it is able by workes to satisfie for sinnes Consider those thinges which haue bene hitherto of longe time done in the world then shalt thou find these thinges to be so For thus was it preached Giue somewhat to the building of a Church Get to be admitted into an holy Monasterie institute Masses and thy sinnes shall be forgiuen thee