payed very deere for their shotte because they were not contented with the inestimable good that God had done them For the Manna was a heauenly foode yea and a foode of Angelles as it is sayde in the Psalme Psal. 78.25 But although they felt Gods punishmentes and both sawe and felt the vengeance that ouerwhelmed them yet notwithstaÌ„ding they ceased not to prouoke him to angernewe againe after other fashions somtimes by committing whordome sometimes by banding against Moses and Aaron sometime by murmuring and sometime by rayling To be short there was neither ende nor measure of their doinges And therefore not without cause doeth Moses say vnto them heere Bethinke yee of the great number of faultes which yee haue committed euer since the day that yee came out of the lande of Egypt euen vnto this present time that God hath brought you into this Lande Whereas he sayeth God hath brought you it serueth to quicken them vppe the better As if hee shoulde say Who hath beene your leader Leaude folke as ye be your GOD hath well mainteyned guided and ledde you hee hath vphelde you and helped you in all your necessities and yet will you needes come and sette vp your bristles thus against him Nowe sith wee heare this of the Iewes lette it not make vs to blame them but lette it make vs behoulde our selues in their persons and consider howe neere this example toucheth vs that euerie of vs may looke into himselfe and all of vs acknowledge generally that wee bee no better than they And for proofe thereof we be not in a wildernesse neither is there a time of fortie yeares sette a forehande vnto vs but lette euerie of vs take his whole life euen from the time that GOD did put vs into this woâ—lde vnto our buryingday Howe liue wee God for his part powreth out so many benefites vpon vs as wee haue good cause to serue and honour him yea though there were no more than that which he hath done alreadie But seeing hee continueth in doing vs good still is it not ynough to soften our heartes though they were of yron or steele Yes verily and yet wee cease not to spite him by going on still from euil to worse Nowe then like as Moses vpbrayded the Iewes with their continuaunce in euill dooing so lette euerie of vs consider that our prouoking of our GOD hath not beene for once onelie but that whereas wee should haue beene drawen vnto him wee haue shrunke away from him and rebelled against him And whereas wee shoulde haue offered our selues readily to beare his yooke wee haue beene so stubborne as hee coulde not wealde vs and one naughtinesse hath so drawen on an other that our sinnes are come to a horrible confused heape Thus then must we compare our selues with those to whome Moses speaketh here Here it might be demaunded howe Moses can say that they which liued at that time had rebelled against GOD euer since the time that they came out of Aegypt For at that time the most parte of them were babes or at leastwise not of full yeares of discretion For we haue seene expressely in the first Chapter Deut. 1. â—â— that GOD was minded to haue destroyed all that companie euen young children and all For they that were come to mans estate had made themselues vnworthie to enioye the inheritaunce that was promised them and they were banished and shutte out from it Howe then doeth Moses vpbrayde them that they had not ceased to prouoke Gods wrath continually For they might haue replyed Howe soâ— Though our fathers misse behaued themselues so as they were vnthankefull disobedient rebellious and full of murmuring and wicked lustes shoulde those thinges bee layde vppon vs No for wee coulde not doe withall But let vs marke that heere the whole bodie of the people is so blamed that the children are rightly condemned in the persons of their fathers For it was still one bodie and whereas the fathers behaued themselues naughtily and wickedly the children amended not but continued in the same euill as is to bee seene And therefore forasmuch as the children linked in with their fathers it is meete that they should be knit vp as it were all in one bundle and that GOD should condemne them all in generall And after the same manner are they spoken of in the fourescore ninth and also in the threescore and eighteenth Psalmes Psal. 〈…〉 32.33 〈…〉 9.10 â— For there our Lorde sayth Remember your selues howe yee were disobedient to me in the wildernesse And afterwarde the prophete rehearseth their fauke againe howe oftentimes they had misbehaued themselues and thereupon concludeth y t they had alwaies persisted in euill euen froÌ„ their first entering into the lande of Chanaan Insomuch that if the fathers liued naughtily in the wildernesse their children followed the same trade yea and became much worse For when they were once in possession of the heritage which was Gods resting place they should haue giuen themselues to the seruing and honoring of him to the vttermost of their power But all their indeuour was to defile the lande which God had hallowed to himselfe by filling it full of superstition and ydolatrie God gaue them the inheritaunce freely as if he should haue sayde I aske no more of you but that ye serue me acknoweledging that I haue beene a good louing father to you and that I haue alwayes mainteyned and kept you But in steede of doing homage to God for these things the people fel to setting vp of idols borowing all the corruptions of the heathen and bringing in false and counterfet Religions Ye see then that they deserued well to be estraunged and quite cut of from God Also wee see that the prophetes did continually vpbraide the children of Israell with their vnthankfulnes yea euen generally according also as euery man was giltie thereof And S. Steuen hath declared my sayd reason yet better Act. 7.51 For he sayth ye haue euer resisted the holy Ghost like as your fathers did afore you If the Iewes of that time had quietly submitted themselues to the Gospell and receaued Iesus Christ as their sauiour so as they had honored and imbraced him with fayth and repentance S. Steuen would not haue gone about to rip vp the shame of their forefathers For that was hidden But for as much as they turned all thinges vpside downe and beleeued not the Gospell but forsooke the grace of God and trampled it vnder their feete aduauncing themselues with diuelish pride and furie to abolish the name of our Lorde Iesus Christ and to deface the goodnesse that GOD had shewed them it was requisite that the sinnes of their fathers should be put into their account and that God should set himselfe against them to condemne the malicious wilfulnesse of that people and the faultes that had beene committed by the space of two or three thousand yeeres afore And therefore let vs learne that although God pardon the
of necessitie we must not step to him with such lustinesse as though hee owed vs any thing but after as we haue felt the experience of his goodnesse and grace towardes vs wee may bee so much the more familiar with him And that is the thing whereon wee must cast our eye and it is also the thing wherein GOD is rightly glorified by vs. When I come vnto him and say Ah Lorde true it is that nothing I am nor nothing I can I haue nothing in mee but vtter naughtinesse neuerthelesse forasmuch as I haue found thee bountiful to me heeretofore thou hast shewed thy selfe good to me so many ways therefore doe I resort vnto thee still Beholde by my so doing GOD say I is glorified both for the time present and for the time to come And it is not onely Moses that hath vsed this manner of praying Wee see it was common among all the auncient fathers Howe often see wee it vsed in the Psalmes Psal. 30 Gen. 32. ◠and wee see also that Iacob did the like Lorde saith hee I am stuffed full of thy benefites when I consider the good that thou hast done mee I cannot but acknowledge that thou hast vsed wonderfull mercie towardes mee and yet for all that I am faine nowe to repayre to thee still Wherefore let vs learne that if Moses being a man of GOD yea and such a one as had so excellent recorde of the holy Ghost alledged not any desertes of his ne vaunted of any worthinesse of his owne parte in his praying vnto GOD much more ought wee to confesse that wee bee not worthie to open our lippes vnto him and to stoope and to discharge our selues of all selfestimation when wee come vnto him so as wee presume not vppon any thing that is in our selues Marke that for one point But though wee bee vnworthie to pray wee haue well wherewith to imbolden vs by reason of the greate number of benefites that wee haue receiued at Gods hande For his reaching out of his hande vnto vs is not to doe vs good for one day but to continue and to giue vs accesse to resort to him againe to morrowe In so much that when God hath once beene gracious to vs thereby hee sheweth that hee woulde haue vs to come still to him seeing hee hath shewed vs the way and opened vs the gate So then let vs learne to call to minde the great number of benefites whereby GOD hath vttered his loue towards vs to strengthen our selues withall that wee may take heart to warrant our selues by true faith that hee will heere vs at our neede And surely as for them that minde not Gods benefites they bee at their wittes ende when they come to the pinche And the same is the verie cause why we be so colde in praying and why we goe to it so vnlustily not knowing whether wee shall obtaine aught or no or whether our prayers shall bee in vaine and vnprofitable or no. Why so For wee bethinke vs not of the promises that GOD hath made vs and as yee would say of the hansels which he hath giuen vs. Matt. 7.7 He hath assured vs oftentimes that wee shall neuer come vnto him amisse and we thinke not vppon it at all Our owne vnthankfulnesse therfore is the let that wee haue not a true and right trust in him and that wee cannot repaire vnto him to say Lorde I doubt not but thou art mercifull to mee and admittest mee alwaies vnto thee but not for any worthinesse of mine Neuerthelesse I beseeche thee remember the benefites that I haue receiued at thy hand for it is vpon that trust that I come vnto thee hoping that as thou hast shewed thy selfe gracious and bountifull to mee heretofore so thou wilt continue still vnto the ende Thus ye see what wee haue to remember in that Moses saieth Lord thou hast begun to shewe thy seruaunt the highnesse of thy mightie arme Now Moses speaketh here expressely of Gods highnesse and greatnesse and of the mightie power of his hand As if he should say that God had made him to feele an extraordinarie working and that the grace whereby hee was induced to pray vnto GOD was a speciall one aboue that which euerie man feeleth For God had vttered an vnaccustomed maner of power so as they wee no common thinges which he shewed vnto Moses That then was y e cause why he desired to bee brought into the lande of promise As if he had saide My God thou knowest that thou hast chosen mee not as some other person among vs but as an elect vessel therefore forasmuch as thou hast vsed mee in thy seruice nowe vouchsafe to bring me into the land And herein wee see that Moses desired this not so much for his owne sake as for the whole peoples sakes that all of them might haue fared the better by it For it was a thing that might haue troubled y e weaklings to see the leader of y e people die Ye see they were a people that were ouerbold at leastwise in rashnesse but yet when they should obey God they were seene to be cowardly ynough and when Moses died it was ynough to haue made them vtterly vnweeldie insomuch as it might haue caused great offence among them What meaneth this might they haue saide The Lorde was determined to put vs in possession of the lande and why doeth he nowe bereaue vs of him whom he had ordeined to bee our guide Moses hath bene his lieuetenant vnto this houre and nowe he goeth away to die It should seeme then that God had altered his minde and intended not to goe through with the thing he had begun Moses had an eye to all this And therefore if we looke no further we see so much y e more that his desire was good and holy but his fault was that being condemned of God whereas he ought to haue held him to it and not to haue gone any further to reply against it he did it not Moreouer he addeth therewithall What God is hee in heauen or earth that hath done according to thy workes and according to thy mightie power This manner of speache to say What God is he in heauen or earth seemeth perchaunce to be fond For is there any other GOD than hee that had published his lawe by the hand of Moses If hee alonely bee God then is this comparison superfluous yea and euen fonde and to no purpose But wee haue to note that in speaking so Moses meant not that there is a multitude of Gods so as euerie of them wrought according to his owne abilitie and power and that the GOD of Israel surmounted all the rest and was mightier than they all Moses had no such diuelish superstitiō in his head For he knew well ynough y t there is but onely one God euen he that had reuealed himselfe to their father Abraham the verie same which had shewed by his deedes that he is y t
God seeking to honour and glorifie him and to bee wholly his and vnder his gouernement When wee bee at that point then is our life well ordered But wee may make the fairest shewe in the worlde and yet if wee haue not respect to our God to submit our selues to him that his name may bee exalted and magnified that he may haue his due right at our hands all is but leasing be it neuer so highly esteemed Yee see then in effect that the thing which wee haue to remember is y t when God hath shewed vs his workes then doth he call vs to his worde telling vs that that is the thing whereunto wee must holde our selues without wandering here and there and thirdly that if wee will haue our life well ordered wee must alwayes haue our eye vpon the thing that he commandeth And howe is that Euen to honour him in such sort as wee come to him with a free and cleare hart to serue him to dedicate our selues to him also but among our neighbors without working any deceit or wrong to any man without ouershooting of our selues into any outrage But yet the chief point is y t God haue his due y t is to wit that he gouerne vs and be glorified by al our life because it is good reason that he should haue vs at his deuotion and that we shoulde bee subiect to him forsomuch as we bee beholden to him for all good things And we must not only do so because he is our maker and hath soueraine dominion ouer vs but we must also loue him because he is our father And againe seeing he bestoweth so many benefits vpon vs we ought at leastwise to yeelde him his due reuerence And that is the cause why Moses addeth in the end God will bring thee into the Land which hee hath promised thee a rich and wealthie Lande a Land that is full of all good thinges wherein there is plentie of wheate barly wyne honny and Oyle and of allother thinges And this is saide to prouoke the people the more to the feare that was spoken of before For truely if wee feele nothing but rigour at Gods handle wee may wel yeeld to him but it will bee but perforce it will not bee with a free will there will bee nothing but hypocrisie in all our life Indeede wee will not faile to pretend a faire countenāce of seruing our God but our doing of it will bee by constreint like as they which haue done euill may well go on still howbeit that is but for feare of stripes and in the meane while they haue no list nor good will to it But when wee haue once marked well the good turnes that God doeth vs then are we the more moued and prouoked to honour him knowing that wee ought to yeelde him a willing and freehearted reuerence so as our whole seeking bee to make an offering of our selues vnto him and to sacrifice euen our liues to him To that ende then doeth Moses alledge the good turnes which God was about to doe vnto his people And hee not onely speaketh of the former benefites which they ought to haue borne well in minde but he saieth also when thy God shall haue brought thee into the Lande then put forth thy selfe to serue him with the better courage accordingly as he goeth through with his benefites towardes thee Now let vs kneele down in the presence of our good God with acknowledgement of our faults praying him to touch vs in such wise as we may be drawen to true repentance and y t forasmuch as we be wretched creatures y t haue neede to bee sustained by him euery minute of an houre we may resort to his bountifulnesse assuring our selues that although wee had all the abundance of the world yet could we not bee sustained and nourished by it except his hand were stretched out ouer vs to blesse vs and therefore that wee may depend wholly vpon his blessing vpon his grace and drawe out of that fountaine of his which can neuer drie vp and that when we are once filled therewith we may learne to thanke him for his gracious goodnesse so as his feeding of vs here beneath may not tie vs to this transitorie life like brute beastes but rather make vs to know that we must always trauel towards the heauenly life whereunto it may please him to guide vs to bring vs euer neerer and neerer vnto it vntill he haue brought vs fully thither for the sake by the meanes of his welbeloued sonne our Lord Iesus Christ. That it may please him to graunt this grace not onely to vs but also to all people and Nations c. On Wednesday the xxj of August 1555. The threescore Sermon which is the third vpon the eight Chapter 10 Thou shalt eate and be filled and blesse the Lorde thy God for the good land which he shall haue giuen thee 11 Take heede that thou forget not the Lord thy God in not keeping his commaundements Lawes and Ordinances which I commaund thee this day 12 To the ende that when thou shalt haue eaten and beene satisfied and haue builded faire houses and dwelt in them 13 And that thine Oxen and sheepe are multiplyed and thy siluer and golde are increased and all that thou hast is multiplied 14 Thy heart do not then swel and thou forget the Lord thy God which hath brought thee out of the land of Egypt from the house of bondage If God commaund vs to be patient in aduersitie wee thinke it a hard thing and yet is it good reason that we should passe that way seeing wee haue a paterne and image thereof in our Lorde Iesus Christ vnto whome wee must bee like fashioned if wee will bee Gods children 2. Cor. 4.10 1. Pet. 2.21 nor onely in suffering quietly the afflictions which hee sendeth vs in this present lyfe but also in being readie and obedient to him euen to the death Yee see then that it is a most rightful condition and yet we on our side doe finde it combersome And why Bicause we be too nyce and our selfe loue doeth so carie vs away that wee can not abyde to suffer any thing Nowe if we bewraye great vnthankefulnesse and faulte in this much more doe wee bewraye the same when we cannot so conceiue of Gods benefices as to bee thankefull to him for them Herein say I wee shewe our selues to bee too too lewd For if GOD deale gently with vs and shewe himselfe fatherlike towards vs must it not needs be y t we are worse than brute beasts if we vouchsafe not to lift vp our eyes towards heauē to yeld him some acknowledgmēt of his goodnes Now although this be a detestable vice yet is it cōmō too cōmon amōg men And if euery mālooke into himself in maner al shal find thēselues guiltie of it If there were no further than y ◠outward Ceremonie of thanksgiuing yet is it apparant
that men make none account of it Doe all men beare in minde to call vppon Gods name when they sit downe to the table Or when they haue taken their repast doe they remember to acknowledge that they bee beholden to him for their life and for all things else that are requisite for their sustenance Nay rather they chop downe to the table like Swyne and start vp like dogges so as there is no tydings nor rememberance of Gods name among them but to their seeming it is a spice of moonkish hypocrisie or popeholinesse to thanke God Loe howe farre the worlde is out of square Howbeit when we haue praised God both at the beginning and at the ending of our repast yet is not that ynough to discharge vs. Therefore if we faile in that we bee double vnhappie For what will wee doe in the greater things if wee cannot performe the lesser For this manner of calling vpon God is as good as nothing I meane in comparison of the knowledge that lyeth hidden vnder it and which hath a liuely roote which shall bee treated of more largely anon For if men cannot finde in their hearts to discharge their duetie in the lesser thinges as in the lifting vp of their handes and in yeelding some praise vnto God by some outward signes I pray you howe will they doe that which is commaunded them here that is to wit how will they blesse God in all their whole life which is the harder thing to doe Therefore let vs marke that this vnthankfulnesse of forgetting God and of yeelding no signe of acknowledgement of his benefites is an ordinarie vice But although it be so yet fayle they not to be blameworthie for it neither let vs thinke to iustifie or excuse our selues by wicked custome as a number do which would faine make a bucklar of it against God bearing themselues on hand that forasmuch as the ouerslipping of thankesgiuing vnto God is so common a thing among men therefore it is lawfull for them to doe so also But that will bee no excuse for vs as I saide afore For although there be not a commoner thing than this leaudnes of forgetting God which is daily seene amoÌ„g men doth it followe that therefore their fault should not be imputed vnto them No no but the more y t one of them haue hardened another and al of theÌ„ are become brutish haue coÌ„spired against God so much the more horrible must their vengeance be And therefore let vs marke first of al that the warning which Moses giueth vs here that is to wit that when we be full fed we should then thinke vpon God thâ—t is to say yeeld him his due praise is no more than needeth For if wee did it of our owne accord so as euery man gaue his minde to it we should not neede to be put in minde of it by others But forasmuch as we bee negligent the holy Ghost is faine to pricke vs forward and to quicken vs vp as he doeth in this text And sith wee see that the thing which God requireth of vs is so reasonable and such as wee ought to haue learned aforehaÌ„d by nature let vs be dubble ashamed to continue still vnlustie and at leastwise not to be touched with such warning It ought to shame vs aforehand that God should bee faine to tell vs of the thing which euen litle children ought to knowe For seeing hee is so liberall as to feede vs and to nourish vs let vs at the least call him our father and shewe that wee thinke our selues beholden to him for that benefite Ye see then how it is to our great shame that God must be faine to stirre vs vp to y t thing which euen nature ought to haue taught vs. But if we continue weltring stil in that brutishnesse what excuse will there remaine for vs None at all and therefore let vs practise this lesson that when GOD filleth vs. wee at leastewise yeelde him thankes and shew that wee haue not forgotten the authour of all welfare Here a man might demaund why God saith no more but that men shoulde praise him and blesse him in the time of prosperitie For that as I saide is not all that a Christian man hath to doe Hee must proceede yet further that is to wit when it pleaseth God to send vs trouble anguish pouertie sickenesse inâ—urie reproche and such other things wee must bee obedient to him and bowe downe our neckes in all cases to receiue his yoke to beare it without gaineâ—saying or striuing Therein say I lyeth the perfect true vertue of obedience namely when God shall rule vs after his good pleasure and we like well of all his doings towards vs and are euer ready to bowe and to stoope vnto his hande whether it be to liue or to die And so al the seruice that we can doe vnto God is nothing without patience For one of the chiefe sacrifices that he requireth is that wee should quietly endure all the aduersitie that hee sendeth vs. And why then maketh he no mention of it here The reason is first because his desire is to deale gently with vs. And if we on our side could suffer it surely we should be priuiledged from all the aduersities that trouble vs. For had a man no leaud lustes in him were he not wedded to the world were hee foreward to submitte himselfe to Godâ— will in all thinges had hee no seede of vanitie or pride in him nor were hee not sotted in his owne delightes GOD woulde maintaine him here as in an earthly Paradise For his scourging of vs is of necessitie because he seeeth that wee haue neede of such medicines To bee short if wee were sound in our soules God would deale with vs as with strong folke to whoÌ„ men minister neither medicines nor pilles nor purgations nor any such other things But forasmuch as he seeth that wee be diseased he is faine to cut vs our morsels and to binde vs to such diet as hee knoweth to bee good for vs. Hee is faine to let vs bloud and to giue vs bitter drinkes pilles and such like thinges Yea and moreouer he is faine nowe and then to seare vs when he perceiueth our diseases to be otherwise vncurable Let vs marke therefore that in this place God hath spoken according to his owne nature because hee is inclyned of himselfe to deale gently with men and is desirous to giue vs our fill of his benefites and to holde vs as it were in his lappe as a mother doeth her owne childe After that maner would GOD deale with vs if wee coulde beare it And that is the cause why hee saith When thy God shall haue brought thee into the good lande and there haue filled thee with his benefites Lookâ— in any wise that thou blesse his name Wherefore let vs marke the order which God keepeth in exhorting vs to serue him The first point is that forasmuch as he is desirous to shewe himselfe
they themselues be of And why O will one say our acquaintance must not be iniured That is the common speech But in the meane while we pull the wrath of God vpon the whole towne and countrey and yet we thinke not of it If men be asked in this case what will ye be at defiance with God They will say No. We must doe Iustice we must execute punishmentes Againe if a man speake of the oppression which hath bin vsed towardes a straunger euerie man will bee a Iudge in the case and say there is no reason that one which is in credit and estimation should be borne withal and a stranger troden vnder foote but that hee to whome the right of the matter belongeth should haue it And yet for all this when the thing commeth to the proofe there is nothing but fauour and corruption The poore straungers are left and forsaken and there is no Iustice to be had for them Yee see howe this Lawe of GOD hath beene euill practised in all times But this is no excuse for vs. Let vs therefore bethinke ourselues to pitie such as are despised of the worlde knowing that if wee vexe and grieue them we offer God the iniurie And if we helpe them God wil accept of such seruice Asmuch is to be sayde concerning the widowes and fatherlesse The fatherlesse are sometimes deuoured And why They seeme to be left for a pray The case is like as touching widowes But God opposeth himselfe against this wickednesse of men and sheweth that he hath a care of them Let vs therefore walke in such sort in the presence of God that we respect not the worlde to say O I feare that if I do not wel I shal heare of it But let vs alwayes mind this poynt that nothing can be hidden from the sight of God and although men beare with vs and we stand stil in their fauour yet if the curse of God light vpon our heads all the friendships in the world shall stand vs in no stead Let vs mind this and in minding thereof let vs be moued thereby to abstaine from all wrong dooing although wee be perswaded that in respect of men wee may well and lawefully doe it Nowe God purposely alleadgeth That the people ought to remember howe they were sometimes seruauntes in the Lande of Egypt and that God brought them from thence euen to the intent that they should walke as he appointed them Willingly ought wee to haue compassion on an other mans miserie when we for our part haue beene pinched with the like For he which neuer knewe what miserie meant hath no pitie on them which are distressed But when we ourselues haue tasted of many miseries and afflictions it ought to make vs the more pitifull to relieue those which are in the like estate which are presently afflicted as well as we haue beene And that is the cause why God in this place putteth the Iewes in minde that they had beene seruauntes in the Lande of Egypt For one which is borne in a rich house which hath beene dainetily brought vp which hath beene alwaies crouched vnto which neuer had a crooked word giuen him to grieue him withall such a one when he seeth a poore man thinketh that hee is one of an other kinde than himselfe is of and hee vouchsafeth not to looke vppon him as on his neighbour But if a man haue endured much trouble when he seeth any one to be grieued and troden vnder foote he bethinketh himselfe thus Alas I my selfe was sometimes thus trampled on and nowe albeit GOD hath exempted me from the like miserie yet must I not forgette that which I haue tasted of heretofore And heereupon he calleth to minde all the afflictions which he hath suffered What I was grieued at the verie heart when such wrong was done me therefore I must nowe shewe that I pitie his case who is presently so oppressed This affection is in vs by nature God therefore leadeth vs vnto this consideration And heere we be warned howe greatly euery man is addicted to himselfe For if our affections were so well ruled as they should be there woulde bee greater kindenesse in vs to take pitie of them which endure afflictions For there is not that man in the world which ought not to bee a lookingglasse for vs to behold our owne nature in him because that God hath ioyned vs al together So when one endureth griefe and miserie we shoulde open our bowels as I may say vpon him and suffer part of his griefe with him But what We are far ynough from doing of any such thing For euery of vs is too well contented to be at his owne ease and rest y t if we see others in miserie we leaue thē in the same case nay we shut our eyes and will not looke vppon them Now for this cause it is needful that God should bring vs home to our selues to teache vs to say Looke on thy selfe what if thou wert in the same state It is a signe then that wee are too much wedded to our owne profite when we haue so litle compassion on them which are in miserie and that we are worse than the brute beastes when wee are no otherwise moued in that behalfe Yet neuerthelesse it is not for nought that God leadeth vs in this wise vnto the minding of our owne condition to shewe what wickednesse and corruption is in our nature And seeing wee knowe it let vs learne to vse such prickes as these are to quicken vs vp to the discharge of our dueties that when wee see any man molested we may endeuour to helpe him according vnto our abilitie And why Because he is a creature made vnto the Image of God because he is our brother because the like miserie may betide vs or hath alredie happened vnto vs at which time we also desired to be relieued Let euery man therefore quicken vppe himselfe by this meanes as with a goade which we see God vseth to pricke vs forward and when we foreslowe to do our duetie let euery man accuse himself and say What It seemeth that thou art become a beast in that thou takest no pitie on him which endureth miserie If thou wert in his place thou wouldest haue all the worlde runne to relieue thee and canst thou any longer number thy selfe in the aray of men when thou takest no greater care of a creature which is made vnto the Image and likenes of God Thus a man ought to quicken himselfe vp in his dutie Now if we be exhorted to haue such pitie on thē which are in any kind of miserie how much lesse may it be lawful for vs to come lift vp ourselues against thē like wilde beastes and to tread them vnder foote which are destitute of all ayde and helpe God cōmandeth vs to relieue to succor them and what wickednes were it then for vs to come to molest and trouble thē So then let vs learne first of all to
to employ our selues likewise for our neyghbour by that meanes shewe that wee are his children seeing it hath pleased him to shewe himselfe a father towardes vs. Nowe I graunt that there are many which are wonderfully greeued when a man putteth them in minde what they haue beene in time past If a man bee become riche and is aduaunced to honour hee woulde haue no man to remember him what hee was afore but hee is carryed away with such an headlesse ouerweening that hee surely thinketh that hee is fallen from the clowdes and woulde gladly so blinde the eyes of the whole worlde than men shoulde consider nothing but his present excellencie But our Lorde notwithout cause bringeth vs backe agayne And why For as I tolde you men are subiect to this forgetting of them selues when God hath once exalted them and thereupon they disdayne their neighbours and pride ingendreth crueltie as it is said in the sixteenth Chapter of Ezechiell where Sodome is set downe for an example thereof God sayth that the pride which was founde in Sodome prouoked his wrath and vengeance against that citie For when they had once aboundaunce of all things and were growen fatte when they had meate and drinke at will then began they saith hee to bee puffed vp in pryde and afterwarde withdrewe their handes from the poore and thought that it was ynough so that they themselues were furnished Let vs therefore know that our Lorde perceiuing the vice whereunto wee are ouermuch enclyned and giuen meant to prouide such remedie for it as hee knewe to bee fit and conuenient for our saluation So then if wee bethinke our selues well wee shall alwayes finde iust reason to moue vs vnto kindnesse towardes our neighbours There is yet another thing which ought to induce vs heereunto namely if wee consider thus with ourselues euen that I am a man and that I am endued with some speciall qualitie aboue others it is of God I am beholden to him for it it is he that hath giuen mee that prerogatiue But how soeuer I fare I cannot cut my selfe off from mankinde I am descended from the stocke of Adam which is wholly accursed and as for that knowledge which I haue of Gods trueth it is a speciall gifte which hee hath giuen mee I haue it not by nature and farther I am subiect to all the miseries and wretchednesses in the worlde if I bee to day in honour to morrowe God may put mee to infamie and shame if I be in health God may cast mee into sicknesse Wee see how Kings and Princes themselues haue beene eaten vp sometimes with vermine and with rottennesse Act. 12.23 and haue beene so stinking that they haue loathed euen themselues whereby a man might perceiue the hande of God visibly vppon them Therefore when wee see such examples it ought to humble vs. And shall not this humilitie breede a brotherly kindheartednesse in vs to helpe our neighbours or at least wise to bewayle and to pitie the miserie wherein they are seeking as much as lyeth in vs to relieue and succour them So then let vs alwayes thinke on this Thou wast a seruaunt in the lande of Egypt and therefore I commaunde thee to doe thus Nowe when our Lorde sayeth I commaund thee to doe so he taketh that as granted which I haue alreadie touched to wit that because hee is the Redeemer of this people therefore they are bounde vnto him You owe all thinges vnto mee sayeth hee and seeing it is so I will haue you pay such a tribute in way of reknowledging of those goods and lands which you holde of mee and I require nothing but that which is mine Nowe when wee haue wel considered hereuppon let vs take the exposition hereof as Saint Paul deliuereth it vnto vs in the fourteenth Chapter of his Epistle to the Romanes and wee shall see howe profitable this doctrine is for vs. For for this cause sayeth he Iesus Christ dyed and rose againe to the intent that wee should be his both while wee liue and when wee dye Beholde here a bond which wee cannot escape and woe be vnto him which seeketh to exempt himselfe from it to wit to dedicate both our life and death vnto his seruice who hath so loued vs and helde vs so deare that hee hath not spared his owne life to winne vs vnto himselfe and vnto God his father Seeing then that hee hath so redeemed vs that we are his inheritance and that hee declareth that we are wholie his that wee belong properly vnto him it is good reason that whensoeuer hee commaundeth vs any thing wee should lay our hande on our mouth and receiue without any gainsaying whatsoeuer he putteth vnto vs. For seeing hee is our Redeemer and that wee hold of him whatsoeuer wee haue are wee not ouer blockish if wee submit not our selues vnto him and rest altogither on his will And that is the cause also why GOD vseth this preface in his lawe Exod. 20.2 I am the euerliuing thy God which haue brought thee out of the lande of Egypt Before that God setteth downe any commaundement to rule the life of his people by hee saith Know yee that I haue alreadie purchased you to serue mee I graunt wee haue not beene brought out of the lande of Egypt but yet the redemption which hath beene wrought for vs is much more precious for wee are deliuered from the bottomlesse pit of hell For as much therefore as wee of our owne nature are so slowe to serue God or rather so restie that wee drawe cleane backewarde from his will because wee receiue not the yoke quietly but are as young vntamed and vnhandled heiffers or rather as stiffenecked buls For we see how some are so headstrong and brainsicke that a man can by no meanes rule them and others are spitefull and froward full of rebellion and vnreclaymable Sith we see it is so harde a matter to bring vs in subiection vnder GOD let vs quicken vp our selues in this sort and saye Howe nowe Knowest thou not who it is that speaketh Is it not hee who hath redeemed vs And seeing that wee are his must hee haue so much a doe to winne vs vnto himselfe Shal wee so resist him Must hee bee fayne to fight with vs when hee woulde frame vs to his wil Doe not we shewe our selues monsters in so dooing And are we not to be holden for detestable persons Verily if wee looke well to our selues wee shall finde that this is not the onely cause whereby wee are bound vnto God hee might vpbrayde vs with his creating of vs. And if wee bee his creatures is it not good reason that hee shoulde quietly haue the maystrie of vs And what creatures are wee He shal bee serued of the Oxen and Asses hee shal bee serued of the earth which is without all sense and feeling and of corne and of wine and of all other senselesse thinges for wee see howe God imployeth them as it
portions Now then if it be demaunded why y e people of Israell belonged more to God than all y e rest of the worlde or what affinitie or acquaintance there was more betweene him and them It cannot be sayd that they had purchased or procured more to themselues or that they were nobler than all other men as we haue seene heretofore What canst thou say sayth Moses in the seuenth chapter Deut. 7.7 Hath God chosen thee because thou wast a nobler a worthier or a more renowmed Nation than any other No but for the loue which he bare to thee Therefore lyke as in that place Moses vsed the word Loue to shewe that Gods owne freegoodnesse moued him to take AbrahaÌ„ his ofspring so in this place he saith Know ye that your God hath chosen you that it is his will to take you for his heritage And so ye see in effect y t to take away all pride and presumption from the children of Israell to shew them that they could chalenge nothing to theÌ„selues Moses bringeth them backe to the welspring which the whole scripture sheweth vs to wit that all the benefits and gratious giftes which God bestoweth vpon vs and which wee receiue at his hand proceede of his owne meere goodnesse withoâ—t being bounde thereto or without inclyning thereto in respect of any deserte of ours but onely because hee loueth vs yea euen without any cause why that wee can alledge for we bring nothing at all vnto him That is the thing which we haue to beare in minde And if this doctrine was true as in respect of y e Land of Chanaan what shal it be in respect of our comming to the immortalitie of the heaueÌ„ly glory The people of Israell could not obteine the land of Chanaan by their owne deseruingâ— but GOD was faine to loue them euen of his owne meere mercie wherethrough hee did theÌ„ all the good that they receiued at his hand Yet notwithstanding that land was nothing in comparison of the immortall life Whereas it is sayd that wee bee reformed after the image of God to bee partakers of his glory and that wee bee his heires and companions to the Angels yea and to our Lord Iesus Christ it is a far other thing than y e land of Canaan and the sustenance that is giueÌ„ vs for this transitorie life And therefore let vs vnderstand that men are worse than blinde yea and more than mad wheÌ„ they thinke to attaine to so great a good thing by their owne desertes Yet notwithstanding we see how this diuelish opinion hath reigned and had full scope in the world and how the Papistes are still at the same poynt at this day that when y e inheriting of paradice is talked of they say that men must purchace it by their own merites And in the meane while they consider not how the immortal lyfe is named an inheritance because it dependeth vpon Gods free adoption And whereon is Gods free adoption grounded Eph. 1.14 but vppon his choosing of vs before y e world was made I say vpon his choosing of vs euen of vs which were forlorn as well as y e rest of the whole world For we know we be all cursed in Adam Again what is y e cause y t he chooseth vs who were lyke to those whoÌ„ hee reiecteth What is y e cause y t he proceedeth yet stil in drawing vs vnto him Shall wee finde the cause thereof in our selues Alas no but wee must discharge our selues of all ouerweening and repaire to the foresayd fountaine of his freegoodnesse And therefore let vs beare well in minde that here wee bee warned that we must not seeke the cause of our saluation in our selues nor of any of all the benefits which God bestoweth vppon vs no not euen in respect of this present lyfe and therefore that wee can much lesse seeke the cause or ground of the promised immortalitie in our selues or in our owne deserts but y t we must magnify his meere goodnesse in that behalfe And seeing that God hath chosen vs to be his heritage we must suffer him to possesse vs. But there is a greater reason in respect of vs than of the Israelites because he hath not onely reserued vs in creating the world but also purchased vs by our Lord Iesus Christ. Doth not this price which God hath bestowed for our saluation to y e intent we should bee his heritage deserue to haue vs wholy at his deuotion and y t euery man should so indeuour to dedicate himselfe to his seruice as that he might haue the dominion ouer vs So then let vs not play the traitors in bereauing God of the thing which he reteined to himself when he voutsafed to haue vs to be of his Church Also let this moue vs that he will not possesse vs but vppon condition that as we inioy him so hee may inioy vs and what an exchange is that Consider what we be We be dung filth and vtter cursednesse and yet ye see how God accepteth vs for his heritage and for his part would that we should possesse him Sith it is so what an vnthankfulnesse is it if we continue not in obeying him that he may possesse vs And let vs mark further that there is not any thing which ought to moue vs more to the seruing of God than to come to the knowledge of our free election so as we know that his beginning to doe vs good is not now presently but before we were borne before the creating of the world insomuch that he tooke vs to him and adopted vs aforehand euen before that time So much the more ought we to abhorre these rascals which would haue the doctrine of Election abolished for by that meane they ouerthrowe y e whole groundwork of our saluation as though they should stop the spring from wheÌ„ce the water floweth so as we may no more drink thereof For how shall we know that God hath called vs to saluation but for that he hath loued vs without any desert of ours and taken vs aforehand to himself euen before y e world was created Also how shall we know our selues to be beholden to him for all thinges and that he is not bound vnto vs vnlesse we come to this poynt that we were lyke to those which pearish so as there was no difference at all betweene them and vs sauing y t hee hath marked vs out to be his without finding any cause in vs why that we were dearer to him than other men and that he made more account of our welfare all which thinges are grounded vppon his euerlasting vnchaungeable purpose and will the reason whereof is vncomprehensible to the worlde They therefore which go about to abolish this doctrine are deadly enemies to God his glory and to our saluatioÌ„ and would as much as in them lyeth deface al religion That say I is the thing which we haue to remember vpon this Text. HereupoÌ„ Moses
their common prouerbe After that manner haue we erred and we haue alienated our selues to our power so farre from our God that we haue wel deserued to be shaken off at his hand But forasmuch as he hath shewed vs that it is onely hee to whom wee must sticke and forasmuch as he offereth himselfe so familiarly vnto vs to the intent we shoulde submit our selues to him we ought now to be so much the more stedfast and seeing wee haue such assurance let vs not be drawen too and fro by our vnconstancie and lightnes but let vs conclude that God cannot away to haue any straunge gods with him and that it behoueth vs to doe him the honour of resting in such wise vpon his power and goodnesse as it may suffice vs to call vpon him and to flee to him for all our refuge And Moses addeth immediatly that God caried vp his people or made them to ride vp vppon the high places of the earth and gaue them the fruites thereof to feede them namely the butter of Kyne the milke of sheepe the fat of Muttons of Lambes and of Goates the fat of Corne and the bloud of Grapes for so he termeth them and that he made them to eate Oyle out of the harde stones and honny out of the Rocks Hereby Moses ment to vtter howe liberall yea euen beyonde all opinion of man God shewed himselfe towards his people His speaking of the high places of the earth is in respect of the situation of the lande of Chanaan for it is high in comparison of Egypt and of the countries thereabouts To say as some haue imagined that it is the middest and as ye would say the Nauill of the earth is to no purpose Because mention is made of the mids of the earth among the Prophetes Psal. 74.12 some haue surmised that God meant to bound it out as if he had beene some Geometrician that should haue butteled and bounded the whole world But whereas it is saide in the mids of the earth it is meant in the mids of the lande that is to say of Iewry Yet notwithstanding as I saide afore the Lande of Chanaan is high if a man haue an eye to any of all the Countries round about it Againe it hath many mountains and high Rockes in it insomuch that at the first fight a man woulde take it to be barren And therefore Moses declareth that the people shold eate honnie out of the Rockes and Oyle out of the harde stones that is to say that where men would think there were nothing but wildernes there would God make Olifetrees to growe and where men would thinke to be nothing but barrennesse there they shoulde gather honnie and to be short that eueriwhere there shoulde bee nothing but sweetenesse and abundance Afterwarde hee speaketh of fat Sheepe Goates and Lambes Trueth it is that in this place is vsed the worde Basan which had that name of fatnesse for the hill of Basan was a goodly countrie of pasture And this is the cause why hee expresly speaketh thereof And let vs marke that Moses neuer came within the land of Chanaan hee had neuer so vewed it that hee coulde describe it as he doth heere Needs therefore must hee speake not as a man but as one whose tongue is gouerned by the spirite of God And heere he treateth of the thinges which the people were to finde after the decease and yet hee speaketh of them as if he had seene them and as though the thinges had beene done alreadie So then we haue a plain proofe that Moses wrate not any thing on his owne heade but was an instrument of the holy Ghost For he left this song to the children of Israel and made it common among them before his death as wee haue seene afore Whereby it was apparant that hee was taught at Gods hand all the thinges which were vnknowen vnto him as in respect of the flesh surely not euen the children of Israel themselues coulde vnderstande the contentes of that song vntill they had had the experience of it But the effect shewed that his so speaking was not in vaine The thing then which Moses or rather the holy Ghost by his mouth intended is to put the Iewes in minde howe liberall God had shewed himselfe to them namely by bringing them into the Lande of promise and by giuing them fruitfulnesse that it might suffice to maintaine them And no doubt but he meant here to magnifie Gods goodnes by declaring that he passed the common order of nature when he had such a care to sustaine his people so welthily in that lande which a man woulde neuer haue thought able to do it So much the more therefore ought we to abhorre these diuelish heades which haue gone about to deface Gods grace in this behalfe seeing that the holy scripture standeth thereuppon namely that men must not deeme according to the common order of nature concerning Gods mainteining of his people after that manner He meaneth Seruettus As for example that cursed heretike which was executed heere among vs was not ashamed to write in one of his books that the land of Chanaan is indeede spoken of howebeit ouer fauourablie and that they which haue so spoken thereof haue made vs to beleeue many things vnaduisedly And what caused him so to do but that he was a worldly man and a despiser of God seeking by all meanes to skorne God and to abolish his grace and that men might no more knowe how to worship him So then yee see howe Gods grace was had in contempt But contrariwise we must always be resolued that God hauing once made his promise to his seruant Abraham did therupon intend to vtter his wonderfull power as one that had a care of his people Yea and we must call to mind what was saide yesterday namely that GOD had made his partition to the former inhabiters of that countrie to wit of the lande of promise according to the number of the children of Israel for he knewe wellynough what a multitude of people he was to maintaine there That is a cause why Moses declareth here again that the Rocks yeelded hony and y e stones brought forth Olifes that there was pasture ground to yeelde fat mattons lambs goats to yeeld butter all manner of white meate so as nothing might be wanting also y t the land yeelded y e fat of corne for he vseth that terme as who shold say there were lumps in the meale and nothing but pure and fine flower of wheate so as our Lorde gaue his people abundance of all things y t he knewe to be meete for them and that hee gaue them the bloud of y e grape that is to say the grapes were so full that a man might haue pressed as it were bloude out of them To be short he declareth that God failed not his people in any thing but prouided them store of all things necessarie yea and shewed
maketh his woord knowen in these dayes euen to such as are bewitched by Sathan seeing that vnto vs he giueth his word not onely as a lamp but also as a bright shining sunne to giue vs light and wee bee put in minde euery minute of an houre to thinke vpon him to benefite our selues by his works and to take such warning by them as may confirme our trust in his goodnesse and bring vs to his obedience let vs on our side apply our mindes wholly that way and euery of vs put his indeuour thereto and giue another maner of iudgement vppon such as haue despised God and scorned his goodnes Let vs I say become their Iudges according to that which is said 1. Cor. 6.2 that being the members of Iesus Christ wee shall iudge the whole world The way then for vs to put this text in vre is not to tarie till our Lord haue condemned vs by the testimonie of the vnbeleeuers but to be so well disposed to walke vnder his obedience as our whole indeuour may be to frame our selues to that which he sheweth vs and euery of vs to make his profite in such wise thereof as our Lord Iesus may acknowledge auow vs to be members of his body and we may boast our selues to bee his when it commeth to the last day Now let vs fall downe before the Maiestie of our good God with acknowledgement of our faultes praying him to vouchsafe to haue pitie vppon vs his sillie creatures and that although we haue deserued to bee cast off by him yet notwithstanding he wil not deale with vs according to our desertes but rather shew foorth the treasures of his goodnesse and for our Lorde Iesus Christes sake receiue vs into fauour not only to pardon our faults past but also to bring vs home againe to himselfe and to reforme vs in such wise vnto his will as all our whole lyfe may bee conformed to his righteousnesse That it may please him to graunt this grace not onely to vs but also to all people and Nations of the earth c. On Munday the xv of Iune 1556. The CLXXXVI Sermon which is the ninth vpon the two and thirtith Chapter 32 For their vine is of the vineyard of Sodom and of the fieldes of Gomorrha and their grapes are grapes of gall and their clusters are bitter 33 Their wine is the poyson of dragons and the cruell gall of the Aspe 34 Is not this layd vp in store with me and sealed vp among my treasures 35 Vengeance and requitall belong to mee When time is their foote shall slip For the day of their destruction is at hand and the things that should come vppon them doe make hast HEere our Lorde sheweth what manner of fruites the Iewes deserued to gather As if hee should say that the vengeance which hee intended to execute vppon them coulde not bee founde to bee cruell because there was nothing else in them but gall bitternesse and all manner of poyson And bycause these figuratiue speeches might seeme somewhat obscure hee addeth That they brought foorth none other than the fruites of Sodom and Gomor Whereby hee doeth them to vnderstande that their wicked deedes were as shamefull as the dooinges of those two Cities the which it was Gods will to destroy with lightening from heauen to giue an euerlasting example to the whole worlde Nowe wee see in effect what the meaning of Moses was In deede some take this for punishment saying that GOD woulde pay them with the like As how Namely that hee woulde giue them bitternesse sowernesse anguish and all manner of punishmentes to drinke of And true it is that the Scripture speaketh oftentimes so for it likeneth all the chastisementes which GOD sendeth vppon men 〈◊〉 7.22 vnto drinkes Thou shalt drink of my cuppe As howe I will sende you of my spirit of giddinesse and of the spirit of rage and madnesse Likewise in another text he sayeth I will feede you with heauinesse and sorowe and I will make you to drinke of my wrath till yee burst This kinde of teaching then is ryfe ynough in the holy scriptures But in this text God hath a higher respect Indeede it is true that hee threateneth the Iewes but yet therewithall hee sheweth that hee will punish them iustly according to their offences They that referre this to the heathen and Infidels deceiue themselues For they tooke it that God after he had punished his owne people would turne his wrath against those by whom hee had serued his turne accordingly as wee knowe that when God listed to execute his vengeance vppon the Iewes hee vsed the seruice of the heathen stirring vp sometime the King of Egypt sometyme the King of Assyria and another while the King of Chaldie Ye see then that the Infidels were the instruments of Gods wrath Not that they minded to serue God in making those warres but we know that God by his secret prouidence ouerruleth all thinges heere below and applyeth them all to good vse making men how wicked soeuer they bee euen in despite of their teeth to execute and performe all y e things that he hath ordained Now when God hath so serued his turne by y e heathen then comes their turne also For it is said that whē God hath done and dispatched all his woorke vpon mount Sion 〈◊〉 12. then will he also ouermaister al those which play their pranks and weene to scape Gods hand and to abide vnpunished for he wil wel ynough find them out to pay them double Howbeit Moses in this place treateth not of the heathen but rather proceedeth in his matter wherewith he had begunne which is that God would punishe the Iewes which ought to haue bin as his children and yet notw tstanding had not ceassed to make warre against him so as he held them and tooke them for his enemies After which maner we see how he speaketh by his prophet Esay in the first Chapter Esa. 1.24 saying Alas must I needes bee auenged of mine enemies But now that wee know of whom Moses speaketh let vs looke more neerely wherefore it is sayde that the vine of the Iewes is of the vineyard of Sodome and of the fieldes of Gomor Wee knowe howe our Lorde lykeneth his Church to a vineyard And not onely in this place but also in the fifth chapter of Esay it is most notably set downe where he sayeth I will sing a song vnto my beloued of his vyneyard Esa. 5.1 There the Prophet taketh vppon him GODS cause lyke as a friend vndertaketh a quarell of him for whom he is minded to doe it I will goe sing a song sayeth he After I had brought thee out of the Lande of Egypt I planted thee in a fat soyle I husbanded thee I made a pressing fatte for thee and I omitted not any thing that belonged to thee and nowe whereas I looked to receiue good fruite of thee thou hast brought mee foorth nothing but
they were not so greatly dismayed but that they had still an affection to serue God And soothly we shal diuers times see Gods seruauntes sore shaken and y t forasmuch as they be men they be moueâ— when there commeth any great tempest but yet for all that they do not vtterly quaile Euen so stoode the case with Moses and Aaron And for that cause is it saide in this place Thou trieddest him in Massa thou madest him to striue or contend at the waters of Meriba And in that respect did I say that this might be taken as though Aaron were taunted for not being obedient ynough vnto God at Meriba and for that hee sanctified him not by indeuouring himselfe as he ought to haue done Neuerthelesse it may also be noted as truth is that Aaron was tryed as in respect of men and that being so tried or tempted by men he was found faith full in that hee stoode so in contention with them For wee see not that he for his part murmured against God neither scaped there any worde of grudging from him Was hee caried with so diuelish rage as to say Shall we die heere for thirst No he would rather haue died a hundred thousand times than once haue opened his mouth to cast forth one word of murmuring against God What befel him then By reasoÌ„ of the spitefulnes of the people there was a fault committed For Aaron himselfe held alwayes on Gods side and therefore although he did amisse yet the same proceeded not of himselfe And it is the very same thing wherewith we haue seene Moses vpbraid the people saying that he himselfe was punished for their rebellions sake Deut. 1.17 You be the cause saith he that God hath disappointed me of going into the land of Chanaan Hee saieth not I am shut out of it for mine offence but hee casteth the people in the teeth with it saying you were the cause of it And so it is declared yet once againe in this place that Moses and Aaron ought not to be the lesse esteemed of the people nor the priesthood the lesse honoured for that there was some infirmitie in them which was faultie before God For therewithall they had also a wonderfull stoutnesse of minde which is ynough to stoppe the mouthes of all the worlde whereby Moses and Aaron shewed themselues faithfull at the same time so as a man might well see that what feeblenesse so euer was in them it could not cause them to be corrupted and caried away by the leawdnesse of the people or make them to forsake their charge but they continued in weldoing and stoutly withstoode all temptations and incounters shewing that their desire was nothing else but that God should haue his due deserued authoritie among the people and bee obeyed of all men Nowe let vs fall downe before the maiestie of our good God with acknowledgement of our faultes praying him to vouchsafe to make vs perceiue them more and more and that hauing rid vs of all our wicked lusts he drawe vs fully to himselfe and that we may dayly profite and increase in his grace vntil y t being departed out of this world we be come to his heauenly glorie y t forasmuch as we be now a priestly kingdome 1. Pet. 2.9 it may please him to cloth vs with y e righteousnesse vncorruptnes of our Lorde Iesus Christ not in figure as the priestes of the Lawe were but by renewing vs in such wise by his holy spirite that although wee bee not perfect at the first day yet we may at leastwise attaine to that perfection which he calleth vs vnto That it may please him to graunt this grace not onely to vs but also to all people and Nations of the earth c. On Wednesday the first of Iuly 1556. The CXCIIII sermon which is the fourth vpon the xxxiij Chapter 9 Which hath saide of his father and of his mother I haue not seene them nor hath knowen his owne brethren nor also hath knowen his owne children For they shall keepe thy sayings and obserue thy couenants 10 They shal teach thy iudgements vnto Iacob and thy Law vnto Israel They shal send vp perfumes to thy nosethrils and lay whole burnt offerings vpon thine Altar 11 O Lorde blesse his substance and make the worke of his hands pleasant vnto thee Breake the backebones of such as hate him that they may not rise vp against him WE be to proceed with the blessing of the tribe of Leuy which I began to declare yesterday I tolde you in fewe wordes that there Moses intended to stablish those whom God had chosen to bee his priestes because it was verie needefull to keepe them from contempt of the people least men might haue made none account of the doctrine which they were to deliuer vnto them and therefore it behoued them to be in good estimation as Gods seruaunts and representers of his person And that is the cause why Moses declareth that although Aaron was tried in Massa and suffered some trouble yet notwithstanding God ceased not to retaine him still in his seruice yea euen him and all his ofspring And nowe Moses sheweth whereunto God had called the house of Leuie and what was the office of the highpriest He saith first of al That they knew neither father nor mother that they had forsaken their owne Children and that they tolde their brothers they wiâ—t not who they were And that is to shewe that forasmuch as God had chosen them it behooued them to forget all thinges that they might giue themselues wholly vnto him Nowe wee knowe that when the Priestes were presented as all other oblations were Nomb. â— 10.11 men laide either their one hande or both their hands vppon them to betoken that they were no more at their owne libertie but that they were saÌ„ctified to such a vse as it behooued euery one of them to imploy themselues wholly to their office and to be altogether at the appointment of God True it is that the same condition is required of all the faithfull for we ought to bee dedicated vnto God in sacrifice Rom. 12. â— But yet must the preachers of the worde leade the daunce and consider themselues to bee double bounde yea and more straitly The thing then which Moses meant to betoken in this text is that seeing God had so highly honoured the tribe of Leuie as to haue them all to be his Priests it behoued them to forget both father and mother to be vnaddicted to their fleshly affections yea and to giue ouer eueÌ„ their owne children Not that God intended to alter the order of nature but to shewe that when the case standeth vppon the performance of their charge they must not bee turned from it by any worldly respect neither must any thing withholde them from executing throughly faithfully whatsoeuer God commaundeth them Now then he that will serue God must not forget his father mother by forbearing to do
maie demande without condition 99. a 20.30.40 A supposed speech applied vnto God by the way of Promise to helpe vs in all our perplexities 87. b 30.40 It is Gods office whensoeuer hee maketh Promise vnto vs of anie thing to accomplish the whole 26. b 30 God is not vnmindfull of his Promise notwithstanding mens vnworthines of anie one droppe of his goodnesse 45. a 10.44 20.26 b â—â— The summe of the solemne Promise of God that he will be our Sauiour ours that we wil bee his people with the doctrines thereupon depending 1028. all 1029. all For what cause Moses alleadgeth to the Iewes the Promise that had bin made to Abraham Isaach and Iocob beside the rehearsing of Gods benefites 278. b 30.40.50.60 279. a 10 Why Moses layeth the blame of his not entring into the lande of Promise vpon the people of Israell 104. a 20 To what Promise wee must resort or else all the conditionall Promises of the lawe are not auailable vnto vs. 941. b 10 The cause why God hath sworne vnto the couenant and Promise 157. a 60 Gods Promise allureth vs to pray vnto him c. 98. b 50 Of Gods Promise touching the continuing of his Church 1047. b all 1048. a al. Vnto whome God makes Promise of succour and aide in neede 55. a 10 What we must doe and not doe if God Promise vs anie thing 1066. a 30. Looke Couenant Lande of Promise Why the Land of Promise was called Gods resting place 490. a 30 Why a part of the Lande of Promise had belonged to Esau. 62. a 10 Why God led the Israelites vp and downe by the space of fortie yeares before they came into the Lande of Promise 72. a 30. b 10 Whether Moses offended in making request to enter into the Lande of Promise Gods wil withstanding 97. a 40. c. b 30. 98. a 30. 101. a 20 30 The auncient Fathers enioyed not the Lande of Promise of all their life 27. a 20.30.40 A similitude or comparison betweene the Land of Promise and the kingdome of heauen 27. a 20.30.40.50.60 Onelie two heartned the Israelites to enter into the Lande of Promise 31. a 40 To what ende the bringing of the people of Israell into the Lande of Promise did tend 152. b 20 By what meanes the going of the Israelites into the Lande of Promise was wrought 278. b 10.20 Moses his sight of the Land of Promise reached beyond the ordinarie sight of nature 106. a 20.30 The cause why Moses desired to bee brought into the Lande of Promise c. 98. a 10. 101. a 20.30 Looke Chanaan Promises of God Why God addeth Promises to his coÌ„maundementes 346. b 40.50.60 We must not measure Gods Promises by the conceite of our owne naturall vnderstanding 476. a 10.20.30 Christ maketh the Promises of the law auailable vnto vs. 480. b 40.50 Of two sortes of Promises in the holie scripture betweene which it behoueth vs to put a difference 480. b 50.60 That wee must sticke to Gods Promises seeing they are warranted with an oath 378. b 10.20 412. b 10.20 All the Promises which God hath giuen in his lawe import a condition 268. a 10 What we must doe if God delaie y e performance of his Promises 338. b 10 A generall rule for the faithfull if they purpose to leane to Gods Promises 373. b 10.20.30.40.50 Touching Promises of condition mentioned in the scripture Read Page 482. b 50.60 483. a all 923. b 40.50.60 The Promises of the lawe and the Gospell 484. a 50.60 947. a 10. 27. b 50 The meanes to bring men vnto God to make them honour and serue him is to beginne at his free Promises 10 b 10.20 In seeking to serue God we must haue an eye alwaies to his Promises 924. a 60. b 10 The Promises of God to vs are testimonies of his Fatherlie loue towardes vs. 942. b 50 Gods Promises are not to be taken rawlie and according to the naked letter and what shoulde insue if they were 322. a 20.30.40.50.60 and b 10.20 In what respect the conditional Promises of God stande vs in no steede 943. a 20.30 c. b 10. 944. a 40.50 Diuerse amiable Promises whereby God allureth vs to the obseruing of his commaundementes Reade the whole 153. Sermon and the 154. The Papistes ill illation that all the Promises which God maketh are conditionall reprooued 322. a 10.20 b 30 The seale of Gods Promises to vs is the bloude of Christ and they are warranted by the holie Ghost 915. a 50.60 418. b 10 How the Iewes constrewed all the Promises of holie scripture to their own aduantage 580. a 20.30 Gods Promises shoulde nothing boote vs if hee supplied not our defaultes 321. a 30.40 The diuerse vses whereto the Promises of the lawe doe serue 324. a 10.20 c. 466. a 30.40 Why Gods Promises which were some times particular are now common to all men 576. b 20 An inseparable bonde betweene Gods Promises and the trust that we haue in him 87. a 50 The Papistes accuse vs of presumption when we rest vpon Gods Promises 88. a 30 What we haue to note in our selues if we be destitute of Gods Promises 87. a 40 In what case we stande albeit we be armed and fensed with Gods Promises 26. b 40.50 Howe lightlie wee esteeme of Gods Promises that they are infinite of the profite of the same 1176. a 60 b all Why wee must not thinke if strange that God performeth not his Promises which he hath made vnto vs with his owne mouth 1211. a 40 That God will holde vs more conuicted before him when he beginneth to allure vs to him by Promises 963. a 20 God doeth not accomplishe his Promises alwaies after one fashioÌ„ 1003. b 50 How wauering and mistrustfull men be of Gods Promises 1075. b 50.60 1076. a 10 It is no light matter to giue credite to the Promises of God 1075. b 10.20 30.40 Of Gods Promises and that they must be the staie of our strength and our trust 1097. a 60. b all 157. a 50. 924. b all Christ hath accomplished the Promises made on the behalfe of God his Father 28. a 60 The Promises of God ought simplie to be receiued 46. b 10 What wee haue to learne when God matcheth Promises with commandementes 111. b 50 What will followe if we take not Gods Promises as particular to our selues 158. a 30 To what intent God giueth vs his Promises of Mercie 157. b all Wherfore the Promises of the forgiuenesse of sinnes are giuen vs. 298. b 30.40 Gods Promises stande not vpon mens doings c. 157. b 10 How we ought with our good consent to ratifie all the Promises which are conteined in the holie scriptures 924. all All the Promises which are possible to be wished were giuen of God vnto Abraham before he had shewed anie signe of Faith or of the feare of God 295. a 60. b
euer so we hearken to his voyce and doubt not but he thinketh vpon vs and will continually leade vs still Moreouer he sayeth Let the people turne and draw towards the hill of the Amorrhytes from thēce inuade and possesse the land of Chanaan whether it be the playne Countries or the downes or the desertes or the seacoastes for the land saieth he is before you that is to say at your commaundement I haue deliuered it into your handes nothing shall keepe yee from the possession of it if it bee not long of your selues Why so For I have sworne sayeth he to your fathers Abraham Isaac and Iacob I haue promised to giue it for an inheritaunce to them and to their seede after their deceasse Here first of all wee must marke the order that is set downe for God sheweth the cause why he gaue that people the land of Chanaan namely for his promise sake And thereby he betokeneth that the lande belonged not to them as by way of conquest through their owne power nor yet for any desert of theirs but onely of free gift God then assigneth this title to the children of Israel and telleth them that they shall bee as much bound to his meere goodnesse when they bee brought into the land of Chanaan as they were before And in deede the othe that Moses speakes of here was made foure hundred and thirtie yeeres afore euen in the person of Abraham before any of them was borne Seeing then that GOD had promised them the land euen before they had done eyther good or euill and before they were borne it may bee concluded therevpon that their possessing of it was not for any worthinesse of theirs as though God had beene beholden to them for some seruice but bicause he had made them heires of it through his owne free goodnesse Nowe if this bee verified of the earthly heritage which the children of Israel had what is to bee saide of the kingdome of heauen Are wee able to compasse it Can wee deserue at Gods hand to bee partakers thereof No but contrariwise it is of his meere goodnesse that we be brought in thither and shall haue fruition of it at the last day for surely all that is spoken of the land of Chanaan must serue vs for a figure and shadowe Therefore when as God telleth the people that they gat it not by their owne power and sendeth them backe to the promise that he had made long ago it is to shewe vs that whereas he is our father whereas we bee mainteined by him in this world and whereas wee looke for a better and more excellent life than this we must not dreame vpon any desert or power of our owne but attribute all wholly to his meere free goodnesse in that he vttereth the infinite treasures of his grace and loue towards vs. Thus much haue we to remember in the first place Furthermore whereas here is mention made of an othe let vs note that God vouchsafed to stoope so lowe to the infirmitie of the people as to put them out of all doubt by swearing by his owne name and so doeth he nowe likewise towardes vs. For he is not contented to speake onely and to tel vs what he will haue vs to do but he also confirmeth his promises with a solemne othe And why Forasmuch as wee be inclined to vnbeliefe and would euer be wauering if we were not well vnderpropped therefore doeth he sweare to the ende to stablishe vs the better Seing then that God sweareth to vpholde our weakenesse let vs consider first that we be too vntoward if wee cannot beleeue his single worde and secondly that his goodnesse is inestimable in that it pleaseth him to beare with vs and to sweare for the confirming of our beliefe And herewithall we haue to note also that we must not seeke Gods will in the aire but content our selues with his word and that seeing it hath pleased him to shewe himselfe vnto vs and to giue vs warrant of his will we must holde vs to it and reste wholy vppon it Now then will wee bee sure that God will neuer faile vs neither in this lyfe nor after we bee gone hence Will wee haue an infallible hope of the heauenly lyfe Let vs haue our eye vppon the promises let vs not wander here and there as a nomber doe which are caryed away with fonde curiositie but let it suffice vs that God hath certified and taught vs that he wil not onely be a father to vs to guyde vs in this worlde but also that hee will neuer leaue vs so as wee shall alwayes be gouerned by him and that when hee hath tryed our faith wee shall haue full fruition of the thinges that are promised vs and when wee bee once ridde of this mortall body wee shall bee raysed vp againe and inioye an immortalitie which is hidde from vs as now Let vs content our selues say I with this word of Gods mouth for all other things let vs not scan after our owne foolish fancies how the matter shall goe but haue God once spoken the worde let vs holde vs to it And that is it which Moses meant here in saying God sware to your fathers Moreouer wee must note that the doctrine which is set forth in the name of God serueth not for one age onely but for all euer and keepeth his force and strength continually Abraham Isaak and Iacob were dead and rotten in the earth when these thinges were spoken but yet the promise that God had made to them was aliue still Although then that men bee mortall and transitorie yet is Gods worde euerlasting And if it bee the seede of the vncorruptible lyfe needes must it be endlesse and exempted from all corruption Therefore let vs marke that Gods speaking in olde time was not to the ende that his doctrine should be buryed after an age or twaine but that it shoulde be set before vs to the ende of the worlde and we receiue it with all reuerence Lykewise at this day although the Prophets and Apostles be dead yet doth GOD worke still by them the word that is brought among vs in these dayes not onely hath his liuely force but also quickeneth vs and maketh vs to receiue the food of our soules by it Our saluation must needes goe forewarde and wee must needes be stablished in it in such wise as wee may ouercomme the worlde and attaine to the kingdome of heauen Thus yee see what we haue to beare in minde when as mention is made here of the promise that God sware to the auncient fathers that were dead long time afore And it is sayd expressely that Abraham Isaak and Iacob were their fathers to the ende that they might knowe themselues to bee the successors of the blessing that had bin promised And therefore he addeth that God had sworne to giue that land to Abraham Isaak and Iacob and to their ofspring As though Moses should say that Gods
the assurance that he hath giuen me and with the experience of his goodnesse which hee hath made me to feele And so must we passe on foreward still notwithstanding all the temptations of distrust that may come in our heads And for a further confirmation of our selues let vs also take to vs this saying of his I haue set the land before you for it expresseth yet better how they should possesse it If men haue an eye but to their owne power and consider but their owne abilities they may well distrust and vtterly despaire But when wee knowe how it is Gods office to giue vs the strength which we want of our selues and to performe our saluation whereof he himselfe is the founder that is the thing wherein lyeth our trust And therefore without presuming any thing of our selues let vs runne on with a cherefull courage but yet let vs consider neuerthelesse therewithall how it is God that vttereth his power for the working of our saluation and that he is the author thereof and reserueth the leading of vs to himselfe in such sorte as the possession thereof is already in his hand Now if we intend to fare the better by his doctrine first let vs put out of our mindes all vaine imaginations of our owne strength of our owne freewill and of all that euer men haue surmised For those are the thinges wherewith the diuell hath made men drunken and beguileth them still by bearing them in hand that they can doe much of themselues And we see how the Papistes are puffed vp with that diuelish pryde yet stil at this day There is descanting among them of their owne Freewill there is descanting of their owne forewardnesse and yet as able folke as they be they doe no sooner set foorth one step but they be ready to break their necks And well worthie for God must needes laugh their ouerweening to skorne yea or rather punish it because it is a robbing of God But whereas it is sayd that it is God which hath set the land at their commaundement let vs vnderstand that there is no strength in vs and that we must rid our selues of all selfetrust And when we be so beaten downe then let vs take heart againe assuring our selues that God will goe through with his worke and that he hath not forgot his cunning and that he will neuer giue ouer till he haue brought the things to passe which he hath promised vs. Againe if it were so that the land of Chanaan was to be set before the people of Israel that the same was to be done by y e hand of God I pray you must not wee be fayne to haue the kingdome of heauen set before vs yes surely For that people had but mortall men to ouercome that they might enter into the possession of a strange countrie But we must ouercome Satan the prince of the world wee must ouercome an hundred thousand enemies that fight against vs yea and all that euer wee haue of our owne must be done away Wee must flye vp on high and what a distance is there from hence to heauen Then seeing it is so let vs resort to our God let vs put our selues wholy into his hand let vs rest vppon his onely grace and let vs cal vppon him with lowlynesse and reuerence And therewithall let vs walke on in such sort as we suffer him to guide and gouerne vs assuring our selues that hee will neuer fayle vs. For if we proceede after that fashion wee shal finde that the trust which we haue to attaine to saluation will not puffe vs vp with all selfe-weening but make vs to yeeld God his due honor in the name of our Lord Iesus Christ. Nowe let vs kneele downe in the presence of our good God with acknowledgement of our faultes praying him to make vs feele them more more and that therewithal we acknowledging our infirmities and perccyuing our selues to be poore and naked of all goodnesse may runne wholy vnto him so as we seeing that there is no cause why we should glorie in our selues may seeke our whole glorie in his onely goodnesse and mercye And that forasmuch as wee haue not nowe an onely Moses to leade vs into the land of Chanaan but Iesus Christ which is come downe vnto vs to drawe vs vp into heauen after him we may follow such a guyde yeelding our selues wholy vnto him and in no wise dragging backe from him saying he will haue vs to come vnto God his father That it may please him to graunt this grace not onely to vs but also to all people and nations of the earth c. On Wednesday the xxvii of March 1555. The third Sermon vppon the first Chapter 9 And at the same time I spake to you saying I cannot beare you my selfe alone 10 The Lord your God hath multiplyed you and behold you are this day in nomber as the starres of the skye 11 The Lord the God of your fathers make you to increase a thowsand times as many as you be and blesse you as he hath sayd vnto you 12 How shall I alone beare your comberance charge and strife 13 Bring me from among you men of wisedome and vnderstanding and tryed men according to your trybes and I will make them your heades 14 Then answered you me and sayd It is good to doe as thou hast sayd 15 Then tooke I the heades of your tribes men of wisedome and skil and made them gouerners ouer you rulers ouer thowsandes ouer hundreds ouer fifties ouer tennes and officers among your tribes AMong the benefites that God bestowed vppon the people of Israel after his deliuering of them from the thraldome of Egypt one is that he did alwayes lay hold on them to gouerne them For without that what would become of men If all thinges be well considered there is lesse gouernment in them than in brute beastes So thē it was needeful that God should take order for the gouerning of them And now Moses putteth the people in remembrance how God had bin their guide at all times and had not onely bin contented to rid them out of the horrible thraldome wherein they had bin held but also had established such a gouernment and state among them as there was no let but in themselues that they might not liue in quiet and also walke in all kind of vprightnes It is all one therefore as if Moses should say See how greatly ye be beholden to your God For he hath euery way prouided well for you he hath continually pitied you and by all meanes procured your welfare And in very deede the remembrance of Gods benefites ought to prouoke vs continually to serue him the better and when we see that he hath not fayled vs in any thing is it not reason that we shoulde be the more disposed to yeelde ourselues wholy to his obeisance For he sheweth how deere we be vnto him what loue he beareth towardes vs and what a care
the time of the abominations of the Popedome so that to speake properly it should seeme that men become diuilles after their hearing of the Gospell What is it I pray you that a man shall see yea and that commonly That there is now no more loue of God no nor countenance of louing him that Religion is let alone colde and dead and that there is no more zeale in vs than in a timberlogge It is apparant then that Gods word is now adayes stained and defyled with our iniquities in so much that whereas wee should bee as burning Lampes to giue light to the sillie ignorant soules wee giue them occasion of stumbling Againe on the other side we see how the faithlesse doe fight against God seeking nothing else dayly but to ouerthrow his trueth and to cause it to be quenched out that it might neuer be spoken off more Seeing then that the whole world is so malicious and that as well the one sort as the other doe make open warre against God continuing still in their stubbornnesse which increaseth from day to day must not God after he hath waited for some conuersion and amendment execute his vengeance vppon vs as wee deserue Ye see then after what manner it behoueth vs to prepare our selues considering that wickednesse is so great nowe adayes and so farre past hope of recouerie But yet therewithall let vs comfort our selues and looke also that in punishing the offenders God will not fayle to keepe still some seed to himselfe so as he wil alwaies haue some little flock to cal vpon him and to worship him Let vs not doubt then but that our Lorde will alwayes maintaine his Churche to the intent to shewe himselfe sooth fast Although all thinges seeme forlorne and brought to confusion yet will God worke after such a fashion as wee shall see in the ende that he hath had a regard of his promise and that he will shew himselfe faithfull and prooue himselfe so in deede But let vs marke well that the Churche shall not alwayes be visible so as wee shall perceiue it It shall seeme nowe and then that all is come to nought Like as when God made the people to turne backe againe he said vnto them Get ye into the wildernesse towardes the red Sea as though they should haue returned againe into Egypt Here is such a great confusion as it might well seeme that he minded not any more that the land of Chanaan shoulde bee giuen for an heritage vnto those to whom it was promised Ye see then that for a time it seemed that God had falsified his promise and that there was not any more hope that the children of Abraham should haue entered into the place that was promised them Euen so shall it fall out with vs as in deede it is come to passe For when God withdraweth his light out of the worlde it will seeme that there is no more any Church at all If a man looke round about him he shall see that all is gone to hauocke And in good faith what desolation was there in the time of Poperie Yea and euen still at this day a man myght thinke that all shoulde goe to ruine and decaye But let vs marke that it is all one as if God shoulde cause those to goe backe againe which are not woorthie to goe forewarde and that yet notwithstanding he ceasseth not to holde on in such wise as his Churche shall still bee maintained and preserued Howbeit not that the same can bee discerned with the eye or perceiued by man but wee must shut our eyes vntill our Lord doe worke after his owne maner that is to say wonderfully beyond all our expectation and beyond all that we bee able to conceiue Thus you see howe wee may comfort our selues in this that although wee see it is not possible but y t God must not cast some horrible punishment in these dayes vppon mens wickednesse yet neuerthelesse hee will alwayes reserue some people to himselfe so as the thing that he speaketh by his Prophet Ioel shal be seene continually 〈◊〉 2.30 Though heauen and earth saith he do goe together though the sunne be darkened though the moone drop bloude though the starres lose their light and though the earth remoue yet for all that whosoeuer calleth vppon the name of the Lorde shal bee saued GOD will preserue them whom he hath chosen to call vppon him and albeit that their life bee hidde yet will not God faile to heare them in the end and to shewe them that hee neuer was vnmindefull of his promise but that he had a regarde of himselfe notwithstanding that men were not worthy to haue any one drop of goodnes and mercy offered vnto them This is the matter in effect which we haue to remember in this first place But herewithall we must marke the othe that God made against the Iewes Psal. 95.7 Heb. 3.7 4.7 as it is set downe in the Psalme and afterwarde applyed vnto vs by the Apostle saying To day if ye wil heare his voyce harden not your hearts as your fathers did in the wildernesse vnto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into y e land y t was my rest We see how it was y e wil of the holy Ghost that the Iewes should in al ages be mindful of this disobedience that had bin committed and that therevpon they should remember that for the same their fathers were bereft of the benefit that had beene promised them and shutte out from Gods rest For as I saide afore this serued not for the Iewes only but the Apostle applieth it also to our time God then directeth his speech to vs at this day Therefore wee must haue our eares open to hearken vnto him wee must not driue of from morrowe to morrowe wee must seeke no delay as soone as God speaketh wee must be readie to learne and not harden our heartes against him Whereby wee bee put in minde that there is nothing which hindereth our obedience vnto God but our own resisting of him through a certaine wilful frowardnes For he for his part applieth himselfe in such wise vnto vs as hee beareth with our rudenesse and infirmitie So then all they that are taught by the Gospell shall obey God without gainesaying if they poyson not themselues through a certaine wilful frowardnesse to withstande God and to driue backe his grace That is the cause why we be expresly warned not to harden our heartes Yea verily for wee must not think that God will suffer his grace to bee so scorned and dalyed with and set light by If he were inflamed with anger against the Iewes for refusing to enter into the Land of Chanaan if we nowadayes doe playe the restie iades and fall to kicking let vs not thinke that such vnthankefulnesse shall scape vnpunished And in good sooth if the Iewes were so punished at that time that all the sorte of them came to nought
yet Furthermore let vs marke well that Gods refusing to heare the cry of the childrē of Israel was not to shake them off vtterly And there is not a text better worthie to be noted than this For it importeth great instruction for all our whole lyfe I say then that God harkened not to the peoples weeping and yet notwithstanding that he did not vtterly shake them off nor was altogether deafe to their request And how may that be For sometimes God heareth vs not to outward appearance and yet howsoeuer the case stande our prayers are not vnauaileable but doe vs good As for example When a man hath played the vnthrift GOD plucketh him backe there are examples enowe to be seene thereof commonly and when another hath bin giuen to gluttonie and excesse another hath bin a whormonger or a drunkard and another hath bin a blasphemer very wel God seeing men become such beastes subdueth them by force hee sendeth them afflictions which laste not for a day or a moneth only but linger vpon them a long time whereupon the one sorte take the bridle in their teeth and chawe vppon it with fretting and chasing against God continue still sturdy and stubborne in their sinnes the other sorte graunt that they haue offended and are sorie for it before God beseching him to vouchsafe to moderate his rigor to asswage y e paines which they indure And yet in the meane while their miserie abateth not but they continew at the same stay that they were at before It should seeme then y t their prayers are lost that God gaue deafe eare vnto them Now although such folke pray hartily yet let vs marke that Gods hearing of them is not to outward appearance And why Because he knoweth that it is good for them to be so vnder his rod still Euen so was it with this people it was to their benefite for them to be put in minde of their lewde dealings euery minute of an houre But yet for all that he fayleth not to haue compassion of them for he giueth them patience and afterwarde maketh their afflictions to doe them good insomuch that although they were irksome to them yet did they stand them in stead of medicines Ye see then that God doth sometimes heare vs and yet notwithstanding it appeareth not so to any mans thinking yea and euen wee our selues may suppose that wee haue lost our time True it is that God will surely reiect the yellings of the wicked when they cry out vnto him and that he will laugh at their weepings and it is not to bee marueiled at And yet in so doing he fayleth not to accomplishe his promise which is that he will heare all them that cry vnto him 〈◊〉 22.27 Chr. 7.14 And why For this promise belongeth to none but such as cry vnto God rightly and come not to him with windlasses and feining according to this expresse saying of the psalme 〈◊〉 145.18 that God is neere to all such as call vpon him yea as call vpon him in trueth Then if wee will be heard at Gods hand wee must first and formost haue our affections clensed And therefore his reiecting of the hipocrites when they cry vnto him is no counterworking against his promise For they bee vncleane In deede they houle and they will not stick to say alas my God they will make lamentation enough but forasmuch as they seeke not God of a desire to come vnto him but in stead of comming to him would recoyle backe from him if it were possible their crying out my God is as though they were vppon the racke Now then this howling of theirs is brutish and hath no affinitie with faith to doe them good withall But the thing that I tolde you of euen now hath another maner of thing in it that is to wit that diuers times God will not heare vs to deliuer vs from the bodily punishmentes that he sendeth vs and yet in the meane while he ceaseth not to be mercifull and well minded towardes vs. And therefore let vs beare in minde that when our Lord sendeth vs anie diseases so as one is striken with pouertie another is smitten after another fashion and euery man hath his griefe if we pray vnto him and the miserie is as though it were tyed to our shoulders and he maketh no countenaunce to heare vs it is not to be sayd therefore that God letteth vs alone therin to driue vs to despaire But if wee beare the aduersitie patiently which hee sendeth let vs looke to be deliuered of it in the ende and in the meane while let it suffice vs to be comforted by his holy spirit and let vs hope that he will not suffer vs to be tempted aboue that which we be able to beare 〈◊〉 10.13 Thus ye see how God heard not the peoples cry and yet that they which haue sought him with a true and rightmeaning heart haue not lost their labor God shewed not by outward deed that he heard them and yet in the meane while he made their bodily punishment to serue to the welfare of their soules insomuch that albeit they lingered there by the space of fortie yeeres yet were they not disinherited of y e kingdom of heauen Wheras they were disappointed of the land that was promised them therein they felt Gods wrath but yet did they ouercome that temptation through fayth I meane them that came againe into the right way and grew not hard hearted as the most part did which did nothing else but chafe vpon the bit as we haue seene afore And herein wee see that if we haue true repentance of our sinnes we shall finde that God is not vnmindefull of our requestes though he heare vs not so soone as wee would and that yet notwithstanding our repentance must keepe vs still vnder so as although that to our seeming the gate vnto Gods goodnesse is shut against vs and he will not admit vs in yet neuerthelesse our prayers shall not be in vaine For God will shewe in the end that he was not deaf to our requests but that he heard them to giue vs such asswagement of our afflictions as he knew to be meete and expedient for our welfare And finally let vs marke wel that if God haue punished vs yea that the affliction hath indured a long time y e remēbraunce thereof must bee well printed in our mindes that we become not lyke those which forget Gods chastisementes w tin a day or twaine And y t is y e cause why Moses sayth to y e people According to the dayes which you haue taryed there As if he should say yee ought to beare it well in remembraunce For it seemed to you that ye should neuer haue come soone enough into the lande of blessing but God made you to retyre from it it ought to haue bin yet longer time ere ye had come there Thinke vppon it consider how it was Gods hand y t
chastisement is When God hath once pulled downe our pride and taught vs to beare his yoke wee can stoope to obey him and wee will make no great a doe of it But vntill that time our necke is so stiffe as wee can no skill to yeelde to any right or reason Ye see then that one point which we haue to marke is that God tried here the obedience of his people by forbidding them to make warre vppon the Ammonites or Moabites And here Moses alledgeth the selfe same reasō again which I expounded yesterday intreating of Mount Seir and of the Countrey of Edom. You shall not prouoke the Moabites saith he And why For God will not giue you their land to possesse As if he should say it is not lawfull for you to attempt any thing which God doeth not auow and giue you leaue to doe Nowe it is certaine that he will not suffer you to prosper if you assaile the Moabites and therefore forbeare them And so let vs marke well that such as make warres wrongfully and frowardly consider not that their ambition and couetousnesse shall bee cursed of God in the ende and that all their preparation must come to ruine confusion True it is that such as take warres in hand vpon a brauerie shall diuers times haue great victories and winne many Countries howbeit that is not bicause God beareth them any fauour but bicause he meaneth to punish men sometime the one and sometime the other so as euery one of them shall haue his turne And in good sooth wee see that the warres which are made now adayes are like the game of the Barriers wherein he that winneth to day looseth to morrow And this is not done by haphazard but our Lord giueth Satan the bridle who prouoketh and inforceth the wicked to kill one another and to knocke one another vpon the heades For God vseth them as Smithes Zach. 1.20 as he saith by his Prophet Zacharie But yet herein wee haue a good lesson which is that when a Prince moueth warre he must consider wel against whom he doeth it and whether God do giue him entrance or no or else the end of it must needes be cursed of God And hereunto Moses addeth the cause why the people of Israel might not take any thing frō the Moabites Deu◠For it is the Lorde saieth he that hath giuen them the land to possesse Yesterday it was declared that God did cast out his lynes ouer all the world and that the partitions were made by him insomuch that Principalities Kingdomes Common weales haue not any thing of them selues but for that he will haue the world to bee so gouerned Therefore when any man goes about to chaunge the borders that God hath set he doeth as much as he can to violate the order of nature and the end thereof must needes bee cursed Were this marked throughly wee should not see so many garboyles as are in the worlde For men thinke not that they ought to yeelde any account vnto God And in very deede they thinke not that God medleth with the gouerning of men When they haue gotten any victorie they make bonfires for ioy they thanke God with solemne procession but it is not for that they thinke so or for that they be fully perswaded of it it is but for vaineglorie that they do it For if they meant to shewe that God was on their side they should lay downe their pride in fathering all things vpon their owne power or vpon their good fortune Yet notwithstanding it would bee thought a very straunge thing nowe adayes if a man shoulde say to them that take warres in hand Be well aduised for if your cause be not iust lawfull and allowed of God so as you haue sure and infallible witnesse that you were inforced to make warre and that God hath reached out his hand vnto you and shewed you the way all you furniture must needes turne to your owne ouerthrowing If a man should say so to them they would thinke he did them great wrong but yet were it for their behoofe to mark that lesson well Further let vs marke that this must serue vs for a comfort For if wee bee sure that God hath called vs into the place where wee bee and that wee liue there in his seruice we haue here a promise that if any man come to assaile vs howe great force so euer our enemies bee of although they come as a tempest that were like to destroy and marre all yet notwithstanding wee shall be maintained by the hand of God Nowe then if our Lord take vs so into his protection and telleth vs that wee dwell in any countrey at his appointment ye see we may wel assure our selues and defie all our enemies Contrariwise if God list to forsake vs wee bee vndone there shall neede no great force to ouerthrowe vs. Therefore let vs learne to submit our selues cōtinually to the tuition of our God and to pray him to bee our defence And when wee see great forces prepared against vs let vs flee to his promise and waite to bee succoured of him at our neede Thus ye see that the applying of his doctrine to our vse consisteth not in thinking that only princes are taught thereby what they should doe for the meane people also are to be comforted therby forasmuch as they may see thereby that God defendeth them as his flocke Also let vs call to minde what was rehearsed here concerning kinred In deede it was treated of at length yesterday howbeit forasmuch as Moses speaketh of it againe in making mention of the children of Moab and of their brethren the Ammonites and seeing that God setteth before his peoples eyes the kinred which they had with these nations Let vs marke y t wee must liue peaceably and brotherly one with another bicause God hath knit vs together In deede wee shal not all be kinsfolke in respect of the flesh but yet is there such a generall vnion among mankinde as wee ought not at any time to bee such straungers one to another y t there should not be some communicating together specially forasmuch as we be all created after one likenes we see as it were our own flesh bones in other folkes persons in respect whereof it behoueth vs to practise this saying of the Prophet Esay Esa. 58.7 that we must not hate our own flesh But besides this there is an image of God which shineth in all men and is it not reason that wee should doe it so much honour as to reuerence it wheresoeuer it sheweth it selfe Againe seeing God hath called vs to the knowing of him and will haue vs to call vpon him as our father and hath vouchsafed that wee shoulde bee marked with Baptisme and be graffed into the bodie of our Lord Iesus Christ and that he openeth vs his kingdome to take vs in thither as into our common inheritaunce must it not needes be that wee be
giue vs such power to resist him as wee may haue victorie euen vnto the ende Thus yee see what wee haue to remember vppon this text of Moseses Furthermore where as hee saith that God led his people about by the space of eight and thirtie yeeres vntill such time as all those that were able to beare armour at the time that the people murmured were consumed it serueth still to bring to rememberance the thing that hath beene spoken namely that God executed the vengeance which he had threatened to his people And as wee see it is a verie profitable lesson to teach vs to tremble at Gods threatenings as well as to bee mooued at his promises Such is our nature that when GOD promiseth vs any thing wee fall to scanning and disputing of it so as wee cannot rest vppon it to say it shall bee so wee cannot conclude that it is Gods will True it is that we will confesse it with our mouth but as for to bee fully resolued of it wee will none of that vnlesse his trueth bee well sealed and warranted in our heartes by his holie spirite And yet euen then too we be so inclyned to distrust that we draw still backe from the thing that God promiseth vs so brutish and dulheaded are we And this appeareth yet more when he threatneth vs So much the more then ought wee to thinke vppon his iudgementes and to consider that if hee bee prouoked the threatenings that hee hath vttered with his mouth shall not fall to the grounde but haue their effect and performance Thus ye see to what purpose Moses rehearseth again that all they which were aboue twentie yeere olde at the time that the people murmured were consumed and that not by casualtie but according to the Lordes owne saying And this was to assure the people yet more to the ende they might perceiue that Gods threatening of them was in good earnest And herewith all let vs also call to rememberance that God cannot abide that men shoulde despise and refuse the benefite that hee offereth and let occasion slippe for if hee open the gate and men will not enter hee cannot beare with that negligence of theirs matched with disobedience For what was the cause that God was so prouoked to anger that hee sware that all the carkeises of the people shoulde rotte in the wildernesse Num. 14.31 and that hee vsed so sharpe wordes vnto them It was for that they had refused to enter into the lande that hee had promised them Wee see then that vnthankefulnesse prouoketh Gods vengeance against vs to the vttermost specially when wee refuse the benefite that hee offereth vs and that such refusall proceedeth of wilfulnesse and malice which happeneth in manner continually For what maketh vs so loath to receiue the good turnes that GOD woulde doe vs but our owne vnbeleefe forasmuch as wee thinke not that he will keepe touch with vs but rather fall to reasoning what will become of it And therefore let vs marke well that men shall neuer bereaue themselues of Gods benefits but through their owne distrust Wherefore it standeth vs so much the more on hande to indeuour to beleeue al the promises of our God and to receiue his sayings purely and simply and to yeeld vnto them without any gainesaying Lo wherupon it behoueth vs to rest Nowe as concerning the time true it is that God coulde haue destroyed them all at the first day which prouoked him so to anger he coulde haue sent an Angell to haue made cleane riddaunce of them and yet haue preserued the young folke by myracle so as they shoulde haue come into the lande the first day but hee ledde them vp and downe by the space of fortie yeares And why did hee so To the ende that others shoulde take example by them For God seeth that wee profite better by his corrections and iudgements in processe of time than if hee shoulde punish vs out of hande and away Indeede in our owne imagination wee had leuer that God shoulde thunder downe at the first dash and wee thinke wee shoulde perceiue his power much better if hee wiped them quite out of the world which haue offended him and that wee might see the wicked consumed at once And what woulde become of it if hee shoulde out of hande destroy and take away all those out of the worlde which are not worthie to liue in it If it were so wee woulde within a day or twaine forget the thinges that he had shewed vs before our eyes Wee may well weene the contrarie but God knoweth that it is so For hee leaueth the wicked heere in this worlde where they haue their delightes sportes and triumphes at their pleasure and that is to trie our patience Neuerthelesse sometimes God setteth them languish as well as other folkes so as a man may see them dragge their legges after them and they bee as it were vppon the racke and God setteth them before vs as looking glasses so as we may well perceiue that it is more for our profite to see his iustice so prolonged by making the wicked to languish after that manner than if hee shoulde sende them their punishmentes out of hande This saye I stickes faster in our rememberance Yee see then howe wee be better taught by the delay of Gods iustice than if it were executed at once and out of hande And that was the cause why it behoued God to bee fortie yeeres space in consuming the people to shewe them that they were not worthie to enter into the promised lande For thereby the younger sort were occasioned to thinke why did not God giue vs the fruition of the lande at the first day It is because our fathers murmured against him And so are wee depriued of the inheriting thereof from our childhoode and that not for a day or two but it was Gods will that we shoulde wander in this wildernesse a long time to the end that the sinne of our fathers might be the better printed in our minds to beware that wee followed them not in that behalfe Yee see then that by this meanes the yonger folke were taught to liue in the feare of God and to be better aduised than their fathers were And therefore whensoeuer God executeth not his iustice vppon the wicked to make cleane riddance out of hande but consumeth them by little and little let vs learne to hold our wittes alwayes tied vp and as it were in suspense And in the meane time let vs take the instruction that God giueth vs thereby learne to beare them wel in mind and neuer to forget them for his intent is to put vs in minde of them vntil we haue throughly digested them After this manner must wee practise this doctrine concerning the time that is set downe heere by Moses wherein God led his people vp and downe by the space of eight and thirtie yeares wherevnto two yeares moe were added afterwarde to make vp the full number of fortie
might guide and gouerne vs according to his holy will it may please him to ridde vs of all our wicked affections and of all the lustes of our flesh that wee may frame our selues vnto his righteousnesse and in the meane while be borne withall in our infirmities vntill he haue taken vs hence to himselfe And so let vs all say Almightie God heauenly father c. On Thursday the ix of May. 1555. The xvij Sermon which is the third vpon the third Chapter 23 And at the same time I prayed vnto the Lord saying 24 O Lord God thou hast begun to shew thy seruant thy greatnesse and thy mightie hand For what God is there in heauen or earth that can doe according to thy workes and according to thy mightinesse 25 I beseech thee let me goe and see the good lande that is beyond Iordan and this goodly mountaine and Libanus â—â—ut 1.37 I Tolde you heretofore that Moses made mention how God had bereft him of the benefite and honour of entering into the land of promise for the sinne of the people Nowe he rehearseth the same matter againe howbeit to another ende For it was conuenient that the people should be done to vnderstande that they shoulde not alwayes haue such a leader To the intent therefore that the exhortations which Moses maketh might be the better receiued and the people take the better heede to them hee telleth them that he must leaue them and that he shall not haue leaue to passe ouer Iordan That is his meaning wherof I shal speake more fully hereafter In the meane season let vs see what he saith here First of all he reherseth that he besought god that he might enter into the promised lande But hee had alredie had the sentence of condemnation that hee might not goe It shoulde seeme then that he resisteth God as much as in him lyeth and that hee cannot finde in his heart to admit his saying And in deede wee cannot vtterly excuse him that hee did not amisse For we cannot bee tickled with so small a desire contrarie to Gods will but wee bee by and by blameworthie But when wee be so bolde as to come vnto God to make a request cleane contrarie to his will then is the offence double 〈◊〉 21.22 11.24 〈◊〉 1.6 And why For the foundation of all our prayers is faith But there can bee no faith without Gods promise Who so then commeth to cast out his pangs desireth of God the thing that hee knoweth shall mislike him doth he not passe his bounds Doth he not goe cleane contrarie to that which the rule of praying will beare Yes Now this was seene in Moses and therefore it followeth that hee did amisse And indeede the aunswere sheweth it For like as God was angrie with him before Num. 20.12 because he had not glorified him in the strife that the people moued for want of drinke so is hee angrie with him nowe againe Though we had none other witnesse euen this ought to suffice vs that God doeth expresly shutte the gate against him for the time to come that he shoulde no more returne vnto him Heereby wee bee done to vnderstande that wee must bee earnest in repressing our desires and in bridling them For hardly is there any man to bee founde that euer yeelded himselfe so pliable to obey God as Moses was Let vs seeke on all sides and yet shall we not finde one It is certaine that Mo was an excellent mirrour of meekenesse and such a one as had his minde vtterly brought downe so as he sought not to followe any thing which was not commaunded him from aboue And yet for all that it appeareth that he coulde not so restraine and ouermaster himself but that there was some excesse in his affections If this befell to Moses who had beene accustomed to obey God in all pointes howe shall we do which haue proâ—ited so euill in that behalfe So then we see heere a deede which sheweth vs what the cheefe exercise and studie of Gods children is namely to subdue their affections that it may not befall them to desire any thing but such as they knowe doeth please GOD. For that is the onely rule whereby to discerne good from bad Marke that for one point Moreouer wee muste not staie vppon the outwarde apparance If wee haue a desire to a thing although the same seeme good and iust yet must wee not thinke that it is therefore lawfull For if wee looke vppon Moses desire euerie of vs will say it was holy Yea and wee maruell howe it was so refused considering that hee spake not so much for himselfe as for the common profite of all the people For his desire tended to none other ende but that the people might haue beene the better stablished and confirmed in Gods grace Hee sawe the vocation wherevnto hee had beene ordeined to bee most excellent hee had executed it alreadie by the space of fortie yeeres hee sawe the hardest was yet behinde hee was acquainted with the peoples vices hee knewe the power of mind that was giuen vnto himselfe hee was sure hee had purchased greate credite nowe long agoe Loe heere the causes why hee wished to haue entred into the land For being a man of sixescore yeeres olde hee was not wedded to this present life And besides all this wee knowe that inasmuch as hee had beene taken vp heeretofore into the mountaine and had tasted there of Gods glorie he was not intangled with transitorie delightes nor with any worldly thing Yee see then that Moses had no respect to himselfe but woulde faine haue accomplished his office in setting the people in possession of the heritage that had beene promised them and by that meane haue stablished the seruice of God in the holy lande Who woulde not say that this was a good desire considering howe it tended to the glorifying of GOD and to the procuring of the welfare of the whole people Loe heere the two principall endes where vnto the whole life of man shoulde tende And yetnotwithstanding Moses did amisse Why so for hee resisted God It ought to haue suffised him when hee had once hearde that GOD woulde not bee serued by him in that case Albeit then that the desire that hee purposeth bee excellent in it selfe and ame at a good and rightfull ende yet doeth it not faile to bee worthie of blame The reason is because hee submitted not himselfe to God Nowe then wee see the thing that I saide afore that is to wit that wee may nowe and then haue faire colours to desire this or that but in so doing wee may goe too farre yea and indeede wee shall not obtaine our requestes Why so For obedience must goe before and without that wee cannot builde but to our ruine and confusion And it is a thing verie requisite For men cannot bridle themselues from being wise in their owne conceites insomuch that if wee take a thing to bee good wee
vs not play the Paynims and wretched Infidels who are harping vpon y e word God with their mouth and in the meane runne trotting vp and downe knowing not what God is in deede Let vs then followe the infallible trueth And seeing that God hath reuealed himselfe vnto vs yea euen in such sort as wee can not be deceiued nor beguiled let vs learne to stay thereupon and to holde vs to it throughout Let vs not bee so fond headed as not to profite our selues by the benefites that God bestoweth dayly vpon vs and by the which he will be glorified let all superstition and Idolatrie bee beaten downe and let Gods trueth haue full scope let all inuentions of men ceasse and let the world know which is the liuing God Thus ye see after what manner wee must proceede that is to wit when wee once know God wee must worship him wee must goe to the perfection which is onely he and whatsoeuer is set vp on the contrarie side against him it must bee brought to naught For it is not possible for vs to worship God as wee should doe except wee put all things vnder foote which men haue forged and imagined in their owne braine Wherefore let vs learne to exalt him in such wise as nothing may impeach or darken his preheminence And forasmuch as wee knowe not of our selues howe wee should glorifie God to yeeld him his deserued honour let vs take his worde for our guide and fetch light at his trueth which is in the holy scripture to the ende wee may knowe that there is none but onely God to whom we ought to resort and that it is onely he to whom wee must yeeld all praise and thanksgiuing Nowe let vs kneele downe in the presence of our good God with acknowledgement of our faultes praying him to make vs feele them better than wee haue done heretofore that we may returne vnto him with true repentance and that forasmuch as our nature is so corrupted we may fight without ceassing against our owne desires and holde them in such awe as wee may seeke nothing at his hand but that which wee knowe that he alloweth and liketh off not doubting but that in the meane while he will shewe himselfe bountifull towardes vs in prouiding of all things for vs which are meete for vs and necessarie to our saluation so as we may learne to submit our selues to him glorifying him and giuing him thankes for all his benefites in such wise as his bounteousnesse be not buried but euery of vs acknowledge more and more howe much he is bound vnto him and yeelde him praise for the same That it may please him to graunt this grace not onely to vs but also c. On Fryday the x. day of May. 1555. The xviij Sermon which is the fourth vpon the third Chapter 26 And the Lord God was angrie with mee for your sakes and heard mee not but said vnto mee be contented speake no more to mee of this matter 27 Get thee vp to the top of Phasga and lift vp thine eyes towardes the West the North the South and the East and beholde with thine eyes for thou shalt not go ouer this Iordan 28 But charge Iosua and strengthen him and imbolden him for hee shall goe ouer before the people put them in possession of the land which thou shalt see 29 And so we abode in the valley against Beth-phogor I Told you yesterday how it was not any fleshly lust that moued Moses to desire to goe into the promised land but a holy zeale to the ende that y e people might haue bene the better confirmed in the grace of God And that it is so a man may gather by this speache where he desireth expressely to see the good Mountaine and the Libanus For it is verie certaine that Ierusalem the Countrie about it were neither the best nor the fairest nor the fruitfullest of all Iurie There were other soyles which were both richer and pleasanter also And yet doeth Moses preferre Libanus and the good Mountaine before all the rest And no doubt but he meaneth the Mountaine Morea Wee see then that he rested wholly vpon the thinges that were spirituall bicause God had reuealed vnto him that the Temple should bee builded there that it was the place which God had chosen to bee worshipped and called vpon there That was the cause why he set all his minde vpon it And therefore let vs marke that Moses desired not to enter into that land to fill his belly there or to liue in delight and pleasure there but onely to stirre vp himselfe the more to knowe Gods grace which he had tasted alreadie in spirit and likewise to help the people by his example Yet for all this he is refused howbeit not in such wise as if God had vtterly reiected him but as in respect that hee intended to chastise him by depriuing him of a temporall benefite And thereby we be yet more confirmed in the thing that was treated of yesterday that is to wit that albeit our affections be not alwaies wicked yet they shall not alwaies be graunted vs when God intendeth to humble vs For sometimes we may haue offended him and he must be faine to cut vs off from his benefites True it is that our saluation abydeth alwaies certaine but as for our present state it appaireth so farre as wee can see insomuch that whereas God made vs to feele his fauour most abundantly and in verie large measure we haue but a small peece of it If this befell to Moses let not vs thinke it straunge if God deale after the same maner with vs. Nowe whereas Moses saieth That he was not heard it is to be referred to this speciall sute of his For God doeth neuer quite shake off his faithfull ones when they call vpon him at leastwise generally for he is alwayes mercifull to them Matt. 7.7.9 and their praying to him is not in vaine But yet for all that he graunteth them not euery particular thing that they aske of him It may so happe that a faithfull man shall make some request in his prayer vnto God yea for as was said yesterday there is not a harder thing than to bridle our selues in such sort as wee passe not our boundes there may some such request I say slip from a faithfull man as shall bee good in it selfe and yet notwithstanding God shall not vouchsafe to graunt it Then is he not heard in that behalfe but yet shall not his prayer bee vaine and vnprofitable For though he obteine not in that point yet ceasseth he not to bee in Gods fauour neither doeth God faile to regarde his necessities So then let vs note that all the prayer of Moses was not reiected at Gods hand as though he had obtained nothing at al of him but onely as touching that point wherein it behoued him to haue deniall at Gods hand That is the thing which he meant here But it is
sheweth mee this it behoueth me to frame my selfe thereunto and to take that to bee best for mee which hee shall vouchsafe to send mee Thus ye see what wee haue to remember in the text where God telleth Moses that hee wil not haue him to speake any more of his going into the lande of Chanaan But yet for all that he shewed him the land a farre off And no doubt but that the sight of Moses reached beyond the ordinarie sight of nature and beyond all that hee coulde conceiue within kenning Deut. 34.7 True it is that in the end of this booke it is said that euen in his old age although hee was then sixescore yeeres olde yet his senses were not appaired but continued stil in their full strength Neuerthelesse when as it is sayd that he extended his sight so far as that he could view al the countryes of the lande of Chanaan it is euident that God gaue him sight aboue the power of nature And all this tended to this ende that Moses might bee assured that Gods deliuering of the people was not to the ende to leaue them in the midway or to leaue his promise vnperformed which hee had made to his seruaunt Abraham And his assuring of Moses thereof was not onely for Moses owne sake but also for all the peoples sake to incourage the weaker sorte that they might take hart to enter the more boldely into the possession of their inheritance after his decease not doubting but that God would still reache them his mighty hand That was the cause why this great sight was giuen to Moses And wee must not maruell that God shewed him the land of Chanaan after that sort seeing he had alreadie reueiled mount Sion Morea vnto him in spirite Moses then was confirmed by all meanes not for himselfe onely but chiefely for the edifying of the people Here by the way wee bee taught to receiue such taste of his grace as hee giueth vs though wee haue but some little feeling of it and inioy it not yet to the full Moses standing vppon the toppe of the mountaine saw the land a far off it behoueth him to stay there and to thāke God for that sight Lykewise sometime God will make vs to feele his grace very slenderly at leastwise in respecte of our desire for we would fayne haue our fill of it wee would haue him to giue it vs more plainely but that would not bee good for vs. Why Sometimes wee might not call vppon him but all thinges ought to be submitted to his will Yet notwithstanding wee may chaunce to see some little sparke of Gods grace a farre of or else perhaps hee will make vs to feele it but that shall bee so slenderly as it shal seeme that his intent was but to prouoke our appetite and to whette our wit and not to content vs. But yet must wee bee contented to receiue whatsoeuer hee giueth vs. Although our fleshe woulde cary vs further yet must wee restraine our selues as prisoners and in so doing followe the example of Moses For if Moses had bin lyke to such as are impatient and fall to stryuing against God hee would haue held skorne to go vp into the mountaine It is to much purpose would hee haue sayde for mee to goe breake my shinnes in climbing vp this hil to goe see the mooneshine in the water I can forbeare such a sight After that fashion would they deale which are not yet come to such meekenesse as to bee as lambes and sheepe But Moses shewed well that notwithstanding that he was the shepheard of the people yet was hee also a very sheepe in deede so as GOD might guide and gouerne him as hee listed When hee sayd to him get thee vp into the hill hee knewe hee should haue no more but a sight of the land and that the same sight should be a renewing of his griefe so as hee should sigh at it and might say Alas I am banished from the possession of this good land which I see before my face my desire is but to make a steppe ouer this Iordan and I am forbidden it He knewe this Yet notwithstanding forasmuch as God had commaunded him hee receiued his grace yea and hee receiued it with such affection as hee replyed not to the contrary Not that hee coulde not haue founde in his hart to haue had it otherwise but for that hee did thrust his owne will vnder foote to the ende that GOD might haue the whole maisterie of him Therefore let vs learne to bee meeke When our Lord is so minded to bring vs vnder awe and graunteth not the thinges that wee coulde lyke of let not vs on our side refuse or disdeine the small taste of his grace which hee giueth vs waiting till hee giue vs a larger discouerie and fruition thereof For in this worlde wee must bee exercised after that maner and we must apply al our indeuer therevnto Insomuch that if GOD giue vs not such knowledge of his grace as wee may holde it as yee would say in our handes or as wee may haue our fill of it or as wee may triumph in it yet must wee call vppon him still And if he giue it vs droppe by droppe and therewithall wee haue store of griefe and sorrowes so as we might say what will become of this why doth not GOD admitte me more familarly vnto him Why doth hee not inriche mee with his goods why doth hee not bestowe his benefites vppon mee in greater measure when wee bee in such case wee must come to this poynt that wee may say hee dealeth no worse with mee than he delt with Moses So then let vs patiently accept this maner of Gods dealing which he vseth to humble vs and in the meane season let vs not forbeare to hope further For if wee perceiue not out of hand whither wee tend let it suffice vs that God sheweth vs a farre off the good which hee hath prepared for vs. And if wee haue not the fruition of it in this world let vs be contented that he hath layd it vp for vs in heauen and that it can not faile vs there as in very deede the land of Chanaan was vnto Moses as a signe and sacrament of the kingdome of heauen and yet hee did but see it a farre off Neuerthelesse howsoeuer the case stoode with him hee had still a warrant that God woulde not bereaue him of his inheritaunce in heauen That was the poynt that hee rested on and so must wee doe too Hee addeth that he must instruct strengthen and incourage Iosua for it is hee that must leade the people of Israell Hereby the obedientnesse of Moses is yet better warranted vnto vs. For how many are there to bee seene which woulde bee loth to imploy themselues in dooing the thinges that God commaundeth them vnlesse GOD gaue them the honor as well as the charge But Moses resigneth the honor and dignitie that hee had receiued God putteth
the matter to wit whether the preachers doe set foorth any straunge doctrine whether they haue put forth any forged dotages or whether they haue set vp any lawes at their owne pleasure If it be found that the ministers preach Gods worde purely that they are glad and faine to aduaunce the kingdome of our Lorde Iesus Christ that they procure the same to the vttermost of their power and that they seeke to haue such order in the Church as God may alwayes be worshiped and good policie bee mainteined among men with whom haue they to do which striue here against And we must bee faine to come to the protestation that Moses made Exod. 16.7 saying What are wee Moses and Aaron What haue wee set foorth which wee haue not receiued of God What cause haue you to mooue this sedition and vprore in saying that yee cannot abide that wee shoulde reigne ouer you What is the souereintie what is the dominion which we woulde haue ouer you Wee desire nothing but that God bee obeyed and that hee haue the authoritie and preheminence that belong vnto him Loe howe Moses spake of his time And after the same maner speake wee nowadayes to these roysters which seeke to bring all to confusion vnder shadowe and pretence that they intende to mainteine the Gospell whereas it appeareth that they make a flatte mockerie of it and raile against it Yet for all this they that haue any taste of Religion wil defie such plages and separate themselues from them least God wrappe them vp with them in the same condemnation and they will looke to make the knowledge profitable which they have receiued yea and with all humblenesse receiue the thinges that are taught them by men so they bee sure that they come from God Thus yee see what wee haue to remember vppon this sentence Nowe afterwarde hee commaundeth them to keepe these thinges and to doe them And why for saith hee Beholde your vnderstanding and your wisedome in the sight of all Nations is that you bee taught of your God Whereas he saith ye shall keepe them therefore and doe them it is a conclusion well worthie to bee noted For must it not needes be that men are starke madde when they haue no minde to heare God at such time as hee teacheth them What are wee that GOD shoulde take the paine to doe the office of a teacher towardes vs Is it not a great stooping downe from his highnesse But seeing that God doth so lessen himselfe as to stoope to our rudenesse to teach vs shoulde wee let his worde fall to the grounde and despise it So then let vs vnderstande that whensoeuer wee bee spoken to in Gods name we ought to tremble vnder his maiestie yea and to imbrace his worde with all reuerence truely hartily and zealously For it is but a counterfait worshipping of God if we be not as Lambes suffring our selues to be led by his onely voice and it is certaine that if we followe not after him as soone as hee doeth but make a signe wee be wilde beastes and hee will not knowe vs for any of his And so wee see what authoritie the name of God carieth with it insomuch that when Gods worde is set afore vs wee must all cast downe our heades and bowe downe our neckes to receiue the yoke that is laide vpon vs and seeke by al meanes to please him and to be obedient to him Nowe Moses returneth to that which I touched at the beginning namely that God indeuoureth to drawe vs to him by gentlenesse and hee sheweth it heere to the people of Israel in telling them of the excellent prerogatiue that had beene giuen them For beholde heere saieth God this is thy wisedome and thine vnderstanding in the sight of all nations Wee knowe that naturally it is a griefe to men to be counted beasts And why For they knowe that the thing wherein they differ from beastes is that they haue discretion and reason in them God to the intent to make vs excell Oxon Asses Dogges and Swyne hath printed his image in vs. And wherein consisteth this image but in the hauing of discretion to descerne betweene good and euillâ— And therefore it is not to bee maruailed at though men couet to bee skilfull and to haue wisedome and abilitie to iudge But yet for all that there are verie fewe that seeke rightly to haue a true iudgement insomuch that al doe rather turne away and wander after their owne fancies and become brutish in themselues Yet neuerthelesse as I saide afore wee make great account of the hauing of discretion and wisedome to iudge betweene good and euill But heere Moses sheweth that men are vnable to rule themselues In deede wee weene yes but it is but a weening yea and an ouerweening For our life is vtterly out of order and there is nothing well ruled in it vntill GOD haue shewed vs the way and that wee haue profited in his schoole That is the thing where vnto Moses leadeth the people as nowe All men sayeth hee are desirous of knowledge and loath to bee as brute beastes Because they bee shaped after the image of God they woulde faine haue discretion that they might know how to liue Nowe it is so that GOD giueth you discretion and wisedome by vouchsafing to set his worde before you So then bee not so vnthankefull towardes him as to misuse so inestimable a benefite Suffer GOD to make you profite in such wise by his worde as yee may bee skilfull and wise and not wander any more Wee see now in effect the meaning of Moses Nowe haue wee to gather vppon this text what the weakenesse of mans minde is True it is that our father Adam receiued vnderstanding and power to discerne betweene good and euill in his creation but after hee had sinned hee was after a sort blinded And wee likewise are corrupted so as wee discerne in a manner nothing at all Wee take white for blacke as it appeareth by our corrupting of the whole seruice of GOD by our superstitions â—â—o 2.14.15 True it is that God hath left vs some discretion so as we knowe it is euill to commit theft whoredome murther c. but yet notwithstanding wee be daseled in such wise that our insight is not so cleare and sure as to make vs walke aright Yee see then after what sort men are marde and it is the thing that the scripture sheweth vs Ep. 4.17 â— insomuch that the wretched Paynims and such as knew not God could not but be plunged in darknesse and so destitute of reason as they coulde not discerne any more That is the first point which we haue to marke And when as Moses intytleth Gods worde and his lawe to bee our wisedome thereby hee sheweth that wee haue no wisedome in our selues ne knowe howe to behaue our selues but are as brute beastes vntill such time as our Lorde haue taught vs. That is another point And were the same well
to him that he should not passe ouer Iordan to goe into the lande of promise But as for you saith he you shall passe ouer and inioy the possession thereof Moses doth stil vpbraide the people with Gods bereauing of him of the inheritance that was promised to all their tribes not so much for his own fault as for the common fault of them all in murmuring against God but yet hath Moses a further meaning He speaketh this as it were by the way yea as hauing respect to this that he should shortly die and forasmuch as he himselfe might not inioy the lande hee had a care to instruct the people to the end that they might abide in Gods couenant and continue stedfast in it without swaruing aside or without any changing of religion to peruert the doctrine that had beene giuen them The effect then is that Moses being at the point of death doth as it were make his last will hath so much the more care of the peoples welfare for feare least they should start away after his death as he had seene them doe oftentimes in his life And he interlaceth this particular matter that I spake of namely that their words were the cause that he should die before he passed ouer Iordan and before he entered into the lande of promise For as I haue touched heretofore Moses ment not to iustifie himselfe for indeede he was greatly blameworthy before God surely God neuer vseth any crueltie towards such as are his Now the case is so that Moses is shut out of the land with an oth therfore must it needs bee that he had offended But his doing of this is to the intent that the people on their side should think the better vpon the fault that they had committed And in good sooth so ought all faithful teachers to do that is they ought to touch sinners to the quicke that they may haue remorse of their sinnes that they may crie to God for mercie aske pardon therof that they may be sorie for thē that they may mislike of themselues for them that they may hate them and vtterly forsake them For when men are flattered in their vices first they bee hardened in them and take alwayes greater libertie to do euill secondly they thinke not that euer they shal come to account before God and finally they neuer forsake the world that so they may glorifie God consider or feele how much they be bound beholdē to him By this means thē is Gods mercie defaced his grace slippeth away and is vtterly abolished Besides this there is yet a greater enormitie namely that men goe on still from euil to worse vntil they be falne into vtter confusion Now then for this cause it is the duetie of such as haue the bearing abrode of Gods word to exhort their hearers continually to consider their sins and to search thē throughly And to what end Not only to make them barely ashamed of them but also to make them hūble themselues before God to goe forward continually in repentāce y t so they may learne to mislike of their faults to glorifie God when they wholly repaire to him for refuge by asking him forgiuenes of the offences that they haue committed But what There are very few that can a way with this order of teaching for there is not so wicked a man but he would be flattered And the world seeth that as soone as a man speaketh some gnash their teeth seeke nothing else but to bite him and othersome though a man do but by the way glaunce at their faults which are too too farre out of al square feare not to check him or to stand with him face to face in the maintenance therof But yet for all that the rule which God hath appointed vs vs I say which haue the charge to beare abrode his word is that we must dayly labor in warning our hearers to cal themselues to account and to examine well their owne faults that they may be sorie for them When as he speaketh of hearers we our selues are comprehended in y e number for we must not condemne others exempt our selues but he y t speaketh to others must first stick look to himself cite himself before God But yet neuerthelesse we must proceede in this order y t we must al of vs be summoned before God haue our inditement redy framed made ◠Cor. 11.31 32. and not tarie til God pronounce the sentence of condemnation vppon vs but euery of vs play the iudge against himself that not by saying in a word or two I haue done amisse but by being throughly wounded within so as we be ashamed of our misdeeds After this fashion must wee deale In the meane season if we perceiue y t the wicked cannot away with any correction but conceiue rancor against Gods word as we see these despisers of al religiō do who cannot abide that any mā should rebuke them let vs not maruell at it for if they bee pinched by by they spit out their poison like toads as they be But if we purpose to shewe our selues to be Gods children let vs learne to suffer correction willingly to haue our sins laide afore vs y t we may cōdemn them For our acknowledging of thē wil be a mean to haue them buried before god Thus ye se what we haue to note vpō y t text But now let vs come to Moseses chiefe intent which I haue touched afore I shall not go into this good land saith he And therfore I warne ye continue stedfastly in the couenant of God so as yee neuer forget it to worship ydols in his steede but serue him seeing he hath once chosen you vouchsafed to shewe himselfe your god father Here we see y t Moses was not out of hart though God chastised him roughly And here we see how the faithful ought to behaue themselues That is to say if God punish them yet must they not therefore cease to loue him and to go forward in their course still yea to giue ouer themselues wholly vnto him As soone as the wicked feele but one yirke of the rod with Gods hand and by and by they kicke against him and if they may scape from him they play the horse that hauing shaken of the bridle casteth his rider downe afterwards becōming as if he were mad he stormeth as though no mā were able to lay hold on him or to restrain him Euen so play the wicked which can neuer abide y t God shold chastise thē and tame them to hold thē in obedience to him If he make thē to feele their sins they burst out into impatiēcie thervpon fal by and by to rebellion furie But contrariwise when our Lord visiteth vs with afflictions we know it is not for vs to stray far from him nor to take occasion to scape his hands but rather to submit our selues quietly to
follow the doctrine that our God hath giuen vs and whereby it is his will to draw vs to him Thus yee see that the meane for vs to put this saying of Moseses in vre is not to looke onely to the myracles that haue bene wrought for the ratifying of the Lawe but to goe to the Gospell and there to perceiue that God hath shewed himselfe to vs againe in farre greater perfection than he did to y e fathers of olde time Besides this let vs beare in minde the warning that I spake of afore namely that when we once knowe the myracles whereby God vouchsafed to confirme his Maiestie we must repaire to his worde assuring our selues that that is the verie meane whereby God draweth vs to him Therefore whensoeuer we haue Gods word preached vnto vs let vs vnderstand that it is a confirmation to assure vs that he raigneth ouer vs. And therefore let vs take heede that wee make our profit thereby seeing he graunteth vs this grace and priuiledge Eph. â—â—â— which as we see is not common to all men And let vs pray him to seale the doctrine in our heartes by his holy spirit which we heare with our fleshie eares that seeing he hath once called vs to the knowing of him he will increase the same more and more and so guide vs as we may rather looke vp to heauen than pore vpon the creatures and things that are mortall Therefore let vs haue a constant and inuincible fayth in God which hath once manifested him selfe to vs so as wee may defie Satan and all the abuses and errours that haue bene brought in by men According to this holy doctrine wee will cast our selues downe in the presence of our good God with acknowledgement of our faults praying him to make vs so to feele them as it may bring vs to true repentance and wee therewithall acknowledge the grace and benefites which he hath powred out vpon vs so as we may know better to make our profit by them than we haue done and not bee negligent in considering his workes but diligent therein as becommeth vs and moreouer so receive the doctrine y t is dayly preached vnto vs as wee may apply our eyes to the discerning of the things that are dayly shewed vs and our good God make vs to finde his power and goodnesse by experience as he hath done to others in all ages that we may bee the better confirmed in the loue and obedience which wee owe him so as wee may neuer be turned from it whatsoeuer the Diuell practise to turne vs away from it That it may please him to graunt this grace not onely to vs but also to all people and nations of the earth c. On Wednesday the v. of Iune 1555. The xxviij Sermon which is the tenth vpon the fourth Chapter 36 He made thee to heare his voice from heauen to instruct thee withall and on earth he shewed thee his great fire thou heardest his words out of the middest of the fire 37 Because he loued thy fathers and chose their seede after them hee made thee to come out of Egypt in his presence by his great power 38 To driue out Nations before thee greater and mightier than thou to bring thee in and to giue thee their lands to inherit as is seene this day I Told you heretofore that if God had but only wrought myracles when he brought his people out of Egypt it would haue beene to small purpose for they had had no instruction to leade them to right knowledge But in asmuch as his word was matched with them now there wanted nothing at all And that is the cause why Moses exhorteth the people yet againe to consider howe it is long of none but themselues that they know not God yea euen to attaine to the heritage not onely of the land of promise but also of the kingdome of heauen Furthermore he telleth them that Gods word had such maiestie as the people had no cause to doubt but it was God that spake it Assure thy selfe saith he that the voice which thou herdest was not a humain or earthly voice but thy God spake as it were from heauen It is true that the voyce sounded from the middes of the fire that was seene vpon the mountaine but here Moses meaneth that the doctrine was not darke for asmuch as God gaue certaine signes of his maiestie to the ende that the peoples faith might bee assured throughly And for the same cause doeth he vse the worde instruction which signifieth not onely to teach with words but also to traine on with often chastisement As if he should say thy God in this case hath as it were helde thee in awe so as it is not nowe lawfull for thee to despise his lawe as though it came from an vncertaine place For why It hath soueraine authoritie thou canst not but thereby perceiue that God hath declared himselfe to thee to the inteÌ„t thou shouldest worship his maiestie and do him homage Now then we see that the effect of the thinges which Moses declareth heere to the Iewes is that God had giuen them visible signes at hande and as it were familiarly to the ende that his worde shoulde haue due reuerence and bee receiued obediently and all things bee done to the instruction of the people And although Moses rehearse but the things y t were done in mount Horeb where the lawe was put forth yet may we gather a general doctrine thereof For wee see howe God stoopeth to our infirmitie Because we cannot mount so high as to come vnto him he coÌ„meth down to our slender capacitie Seing that he doeth so ought not we to be the more prouoked to submitte our selues to him and if wee doe it not shall it not bee cast in our teeth that there was no lette in him that wee had not meanes and helpes to instruct vs with all But what for that In steede of comming to God we haue turned our backe vppon him and rebelled against him Wherfore let vs consider after what manner God applieth himselfe to our rudenesse that wee may bee the more moued to resort vnto him And besides that let vs referre all thinges to the same ende that Moses noteth heere which is y t forasmuch as God is so gracious to vs as to shewe vs his truth wee must imbrace it assuring our selues that it groweth not in the worlde but commeth from heauen Therefore let the doctrine of saluation be receiued among vs with al obedience For else it is to no purpose for vs to protest that we call vppon God and are willing to honor and serue him For the proofe that he requireth therof is that we should hearken quietly to his worde and that our faith should bee setled so as wee resemble not the vnbeleeuers who are alwayes doubting but stande vpon this sure foundation that it is God which speaketh it therefore it is not lawful for vs to reply against it
downe here Now it is set down consequently that before they passed Iordan Moses did seuer out three Cities in the land that had ben conquered from the Amorrhits as we haue seene heretofore from their neighbours as the land of Basan and those three Cities were appointed for such to flie vnto as had slaine any bodie through vnaduisednes This Law is declared more fully in other places Num. 35.15 22. and thence must wee fetch the exposition of this present text God had said and ordeyned Deut. 19.4 that if a man bearing no hatred to another man did slea him vnaduisedly that is to say by chaunce medly as they term it without pretensed purpose hee shoulde not be punished For why the manslaughters that are punishable must either be wilful or else proceed of reuenge or of spyte or of lying in wait which is worst greatest fault of al. But if a man seing no bodie did shoot an arrow hit a man the man dyed this manslaughter was not punishable as a felonie Neuerthelesse God woulde not haue it simplie pardoned and that was for two causes The one was to the ende that men shoulde in any wise mislike of any murder and the shedding of mans bloude and the other was that the kinsfolke of the partie that was slaine shoulde not be prouoked to reuenge And therefore God had ordeyned that hee which had giuen the stroke shoulde get himselfe out of the way and keepe himselfe as a prisoner till the death of the high Priest And then had hee as it were a Iubilee so that when there was once a newe high Priest then the partie that had so fled to the place appointed whether it were at the ende of tenne twentie or thirtie yeeres might returne to his owne house if he listed but vntil that time it behoued him to be as a banished man That is the thing which is spoken of here as nowe Moses rehearseth not the Law as it was giuen of God as it is set down in the booke of numbers but yet in reporting the storie Num. 35.15 therewithall hee giueth an incling of the foresaide lawe and ordinance as we haue saide Nowe for the better vnderstanding hereof we must first marke the thing that I touched afore that is to wit that God abhorreth murther insomuch that although he punish not vnaduised manslaughters rigorously yet he chastiseth them wherby hee sheweth that he mislyketh of bludshed This is a thing well worthy to bee noted For first wee see thereby how greatly God loueth vs he sheweth the cause thereof in the ninth of Genesis Gen. 9.6 to be for that we be created after his image Hee saieth that the sleaing of a man is the doing of wrong to himselfe Yee see then that God beareth vs such loue that he taketh himselfe to bee wounded and misused in our persons because he hath made vs after his owne image And that ought to bee a warrant of his great goodnes and louing kindnesse towards vs to make vs to trust wholy vnto him to honor him And so ye see whereat we ought to beginne when it is tolde vs that God hateth murther and cannot abide it and therefore that when a man hath slaine his neighbour wilfully that is to say either through malice or in quareling or for reuenge or by laying waite for him hee is so detested of God that he is not worthy to liue in the worlde And in good sooth wee see the same by another Lawe where god curseth whole countries for suffering of murders Numb â—â—â— 35.33 For it is saide there that if a deade bodie bee founde search must bee made with all diligence to finde out the murtherer Why so To the intent saieth hee that the lande bee not defiled therewith Wee see hereby that if Magistrates and Iudges shut their eyes and make no reckoning to punish a murder it is as a coÌ„mon defiling which prouoketh Gods vengeance vpon the whole land And therefore it standeth them on hande to consider that God setteth great store by mens liues Againe if the dooer of the wicked deede bee not founde let the Iudges saieth hee make solemne protestation in this wise We haue inquired diligently whence this murther shoulde proceede but wee cannot finde the dooer thereof and therefore are wee cleare and guiltlesse of it before God And moreouer Gods will was that they shoulde offer sacrifice for the same Nowe then wee see howe lothsome wilfull murthers are before GOD. I call them all wilfull murthers which are committed through trecherie or in rage or howsoeuer else it bee where there was any enmitie or variance afore Yea although it be lawfull for men to kill their enemies in the warres that are good and holie 2. Chron. â— 8. and â—â— yet doeth the Scripture vse a manner of speech to shewe vs that GOD hath alwayes misliked of murthering For there it is saide of a valiaunt man howbeit without blaming of him that hee defiled his handes Is it so Nay rather it is worthie of praise that a stoute fellowe being inured to the warres shoulde goe through with his duetie For if hee offer no man any wrong but behaue himselfe valiantly when hee commeth to the incounter doeth that deserue blame No but as I saide afore Gods meaning is to shewe vs that wee ought to tender our neighbours liues in such sort as not to wishe their death nor to further the same vnlesse wee intende to violate his image That is the thing in effect which is heere set out vnto vs. Nowe then if God doe so abhorre the manslaughters that are committed when men assaile vs so as we seeme to haue iust cause to defend our selues I pray you what is to be said to it wheÌ„ men fall to quareling with their neighbours will needes shed bloud of set purpose What meaneth this Suppose we y t Gods curse is not doubled vpoÌ„ the land when such crimes are borne withall and maintained It is said that if a murther bee let passe and the doer of it scapes vnknowen Gods wrath is thereby prouoked and if the murtherer be knowen then is it a more heynous crime to let him scape vnpunished But if a theefe lye in waite for a maÌ„ that mistrusteth no such thing and setteth vppon him is it not a plaine spiting of God if that bee suffered And if it be not any one man that is assaulted but there are such ouer lustie mates as will say let vs kill and slea when they haue their swordes out they care not against how many they drawe but make a common hauocke and such slaughter as all is on a gore bloud are not the folkes that stirre vp such broyles worse than the theeues and robbers in the woods Men wil at leastwise mistrust theeues in a forest but who woulde thinke that where there should be ciuill order where Lawes ought to raigne where there is a seate of Iustice there men
were fed with manna from heauen and whereas they sawe the clowd vpon the tabernacle which was a token of Gods presence maiestie should they not haue concluded that God bare rule ouer them and shewed himselfe to be their guide yes and yet for all that Moses beholding the hardheartednesse of the people thought it not enough to tell them of the thinges which were seene at that time but also alledged the promise that had beene made fowre hundred yeeres afore Behold sayth hee the Lorde thy GOD will bring thee into the land of Chanaan If thou aske what proofe thou hast that it is Gods handâ— thou needest no long disputing of the matter thou knowest what promise was made thereof This heritage theÌ„ was assigned vnto you aforehand by the free goodnesse of your God euen before you were borne If God had giuen this land simply to the people of Israell without promising of it before it had bin somewhat the darke somer But seeing that GOD made an agreement and as it were a solemne league with Abraham saying this is the signe that I enter into couenant with thee and with thine ofspring this day namely that thou shalt inherite this land howbeit that shall not bee presently but thou thy selfe must liue and dye there as a straunger and also they that come of thee and their ofspring lykewise must bee soiourners in a straunge lande and bee there vexed and greeued with continuall tyrannie neuerthelesse they shall returne thence at the end of foure hundred yeeres and then will I performe my promise Doth it not appeare by these sayinges that God wrought in that behalfe Should any further proofe be sought therof may not euen blinde folkes feele it with their hands We see then for what purpose Moses alledgeth here y e promise y t had bin made to Abraham Isaac Iacob yea and Gods rehearsing of his promise againe was a larger proofe thereof so as the thing became the better knowen and of more authoritie In deede the people are also put in minde therewithall that this inheritance befell them not by their owne policie Psal. 44.4 nor for any worthynesse that was in themselues nor was conquered by their own power or strength but was giuen them freely of God so as it behoued them to acknowledge that they had receiued it and that their possessing of it was not as though they had obteined it by their owne power The Lord sayth hee promised you this land At what time when none of them was yet borne or bred Then coulde they not haue earned or deserued aught And therfore it behoued them to acknowlege that Gods onely free gift was the cause of it and that they obteyned not any thing but through his freebestowed mercie because it pleased him so to doe For men will neuer sufficiently perceiue themselues bound vnto God vntill they bee vtterly bereft of all their merites and that it bee shewed them that they haue not any thing of their owne to bring but that it is God which doth all not of duetie but of good will Men must bee fully perswaded of that or else they will neuer duely perceiue themselues to bee bound vnto God And whereas Moses speaketh afterward of the great and goodly Cities of howses full of gooddes of vineyardes oliuegardens and of all other commodities it is to make the people to vnderstand the better that God delt not nigardly with them but had powred forth his tresures to the intent that they should be the more prouoked to serue him And that is another point well worthie to bee marked For so long as God dealeth with vs but after the ordinarie maner wee will not perceiue that he is willing to bee our father because wee consider but the order of nature and stand musing therupon That then was the cause why God voutsafed to adde the full measure of all liberalitie by handling his people as is shewed here so as hee gaue them not a meane land that was neither barrein nor abundant of which sort some are to bee found but hee gaue them faire and strong cities houses throughly furnished and groundes throughly manured Seeing it is so the people ought to haue bin the more prouoked to acknowledge that seeing God had shewed himselfe so bountifull it became not them to fall a sleepe but to knowe him to whom they were so greatly bound And it is sayd expressely heere that the people should possesse the thinges which they had not made or gotten to themselues There is not any thing of thine owne labor sayth hee Diddest thou build the houses wherein thou dwellest or shalt dwel For hee speaketh here of the time to come When yee come into the land yee shall finde fayre houses and that of other mens building ye shall finde all maner of housholde stuffe and necessaries ready made yee shall finde vineyardes and Oliuegardens throughly planted ye shall want nothing yee shall finde welles ready digged for that land had not water at will We know what payne and distresse the holy fathers were driuen vnto onely to haue water for themselues and their caâ—tell Gen. 21.25 26.19.20.21.22.32 namely how they were driuen from place to place yea and that not for any pretious thinges but when they digged some poore pitte their neighbors came and draue them from it Not without cause therefore is here expresse mention made of pittes or welles to shewe that the people should finde all commodities there without the putting too of one finger to take any paynes for them And therefore hee addeth take good heede that thou forget not the Lord thy God when thou art full This is the chiefe matter which we haue to wey For Moses doth vs to vnderstand that meÌ„ are a kin to restie horses if they be ouerpampered they fall to kicking and will not be handled nor ordered any more and this similitude is set downe more expressely in the two and thirtith chapter Deut. 32.15 But in this place hee sheweth playnely that ouermuch ease is the cause of wilfull stubbornnesse so that if God hath once pampered vs wee forget him and play the drunkardes so as we cannot order our selues in such wise in the inioying of the benefites which hee bestoweth vppon vs as to yeelde him thaÌ„ks for them and to serue him the more effectually but contrariwise we deuoure them vp with such greedinesse and excesse as our nature becommeth vtterly brutish and God hath no more authoritie ouer vs but wee beare our selues in hand that wee could well enough forbeare him Yee see then that men become brutish through pleasures and abundance of wealth And that is the thing which Moses hath noted here in saying take good heede that thou forget not the Lorde God when thou art full Finally hee concludeth that wee must feare God and honor him and sake him for our GOD which thing he betokeneth by this word Sweare For wheras y e people are commanded to sweare by
ouercome them by doing good for euill But this will be the better vnderstoode if wee take the matter by partes First we must cal to minde here what hath bin declared vpon the sixth chapter Deut. 6.1.2 that is to wit that it is not for vs to measure Gods iudgemēts after our fancie for we must needes graunt that sometimes they bee as a bottomlesse pit but yet for all that they cease not to bee rightfull still Then shal we not always see the reason of Gods doinges but yet must we lyke well of them without gainsaying For it is good reason that all creatures should stoope to him and that he should not be bound to yeeld any account And therefore when the thing that God commaundeth vs seemeth straunge let vs hold our mindes in awe and subiection and yeelde God so much honor as to confesse that he is righteous iust though we perceiue it not Let that serue for one point Againe when we see him vtter such rigor towardes others as to vs may seeme excessiue therein let vs acknowledge his goodnesse and mercie towardes vs for hee might doe the lyke to vs. Of what or of whom is it long that wee perish not as well as they vpon whome God powreth out the extremitie of his rigor It is certeine that our sinnes haue well deserued that as much should befall vs but God beareth with vs of his infinite goodnesse Therefore let vs stand in awe For though God vse goodnesse and patience towardes vs as now yet hath not he forgotten our faultes except wee our selues doe beare them in minde And therefore let vs vnderstnd y t God might iustly destroy vs and thereupon let vs cal our selues home to him and preuent the thing y t is to be feared y t is to wit leaft he should stetch forth his arme to cōfounde vs. So then the executions of Gods iudgements ought to be as warninges vnto vs to enter into the knowledge of our sinnes y t when we haue giuen God thankes for bearing with vs wee may learne to returne home to him againe But yet notwithstanding when we haue well considered all thinges wee shall finde that it was not without cause that God cōmanded his people to roote out all the folk that dwelt in the land of Chanaan For he had already born with them a long time as hath bin declared Shall we thinke it strange y t after God had taryed foure hundred yeeres for men y t were despisers of his maiestie giuen to all naughtinesse he should in the end haue no more pitie vpō them but wil them to be vtterly wiped out of the world But such were all those nations For although they were malicious and froward already in the time of Abraham and it was apparant that the land was infected with their filthinesse yet did God auow that their wickednesse was not yet come to the full grouth And therefore hee delayed his wrath not for the space of halfe a score yeeres only but full foure hundred yeeres together He let them alone in ease and rest and they waxed stil woorse and worse and hardened more and more It seemeth that Gods goodnesse gaue the more libertie to doe euill Therefore it was high time for God to put forth his mighty hand then or neuer to destroy them seeing hee found them so farre past grace And in deed we can well skil to desire God to punish the wicked and it greeueth vs that he should beare with thē if he make delay we thinke hee is too patient Againe if hee vse rigor after his long tariance thē we cry out that he is too seuere and we ask if he could not deale otherwise thā so To be plain there is no measure in vs. For if God satisfy not our desires we fal to cōplayning one while of his ouergreat gentlenesse anotherwhile of his ouergreat seueritie And if he execute not such vengeance at y e first dash as we would wishe we thinke he is a sleepe that hee dissembleth too much And dayly we here such murmuringes as these What meanes he by this Why doth hee forbeare so long Againe on the otherside if God come with his power to punish men according to their deseruing then alas howe comes it to passe y t God who reporteth himselfe to be so patient pitifull doth now shewe himselfe so rigorous against vs Yea but we consider not that while our sinnes prouoke his wrath while we stack vp wood to kindle the fire of it Rom. 2.5 he allureth vs to repentance by gentlenesse For he giueth vs leasure to return vnto him to the end we should aske him forgiuenes And if we doe not so must he not then shew himself to be our iudge In like taking were the people of whom Moses maketh mentiō here For Gods intent was not to punish thē w tout iust cause sentence was giuē vppon thē aforehand in y e time of Abrahā And now there are foure hundred yeeres runne out since and is not y t a terme long enough did these nations amend of all that time Nay contrariwise they cesed not to giue thēselues ouer to al naughtines because they were not corrected they became the worse y e more stubborne their malapernesse increased more more Now thē God executeth y e sentence which he had giuen vpon thē foure hundered yeere before for hee knoweth y t they be past remedie And therefore let vs learn to glorify him in his iudgements whereas we see y e reason of thē here let vs not cease to conclude w tout disputing yea euē when we perceiue not y e reason of thē y t he is iust righteous Psal. 111.7 and y t he weieth his workes in such balance as there is no fault to bee found in them and that if wee chaunce to checke against them we shal be confounded in our blasphemie And so ye see what we haue to remember Againe whē God listeth to execute his rigor let not vs allege his mercie to him True it is y t in resorting vnto him we must alwayes beseech him to voutsafe to receiue vs to mercie al our prayers must begin end w t this confession y t if God vsed not his goodnesse wee shoulde be vndone there would be no more hope of saluation for vs therefore it standeth vs in hand to flee for refuge to Gods meere mercie But the thing y t I speake of as now is y t we must not reply against God when he listeth to deale rigorously w t vs for there is none of vs al but he could finde in his heart to make God to stoope to his lure Let vs beware of such presumptuousnesse rather doe him the honor to say y t his iustice is vnblameable in all points all respectes And forasmuch as it is so we haue to note y t whensoeuer God punisheth y e wicked it is
But in stead of honoring the Lord after that maner wee bee full of douting and vnbeleefe and fal to skanning whether God wil be as good as his worde or no. And if any let come in our way wee thinke wee be disappointed of our hope Also there is another extremitie on the contrarie part which is y t when God hath brought thinges to passe and matters are dispatched we father the doing of them vppon our selues as though God were no body and forgetting the perplexitie wherein wee were before we besotte our selues with fond ouerweening to set out our owne prayse Thus is God robbed of his honor two wayes and it is our maner of dealing in all cases For as I sayd if wee thinke the thing to bee hard wee perswade our selues that it shall neuer come to passe And when it is done wee deface his working and indeuour to take the prayse of it to our selues and we be so vnthankfull to him that wee would haue him plucked out of his seate For this cause Moses maketh such an exhortation here as wherein hee reproueth both partes For on the one side hee sayth Hearken yee bee now at the point to enter into the lande that was promised you Nowe I am sure you will bee afraid for ye must fight against great and strong Nations which doe farre surmount you euery way It may bee therefore that yee will be dismayed and out of hart and thereupon turne head so as ye shall be disappointed of the heritage that God hath promised you But plucke you vp a good courage in him and assure your selues that it is through his power that you must conquere y e land of Chanaan your God will be your guide and ye must vnderstande that he is a deuouring fire to consume all your enimies Therefore be not afraide for any thing that ye shal see but assure your selues that the power of God passeth all capacitie of man Now then if you finde your selues abashed stay and let God goe through with his worke and he will shewe that he can without help of man consume all those against whome he hath armed himselfe in his wrath Be mindfull therefore of the power of your God trust thereunto and be bolde to rest vpon it That is the first point which Moses toucheth here and it serueth to correct the said distrust withall namely that men looke no further but whether a thing be easie or no therupon conclude so fondly that they make not such account of God as they ought to do Beware saith Moses that yee imbace not the power of your God through any imagination of vnbeeliefe And afterwarde he commeth to the seconde part and telleth them that when God shall haue giuen them the vpper hande of their enimies they must not boast themselues of it as though it proceeded of their owne worthinesse desert abilitie power or skill And why For God saith he will driue out those nations because of their wickednesse And to confirme this withall I haue tolde you alreadie heretofore that determinate sentence was concluded giuen against those nations Gen. 15.16 foure hundred yeares afore and that God had taryed patiently for them to see if there were any amendment and conuersion But when they continued hardharted still and that the mischief increased more and more was it not reason y t God should execute his iudgement Yes verily So then the Iewes are warned that they shoulde not be puffed vp with any vaine selfeweening as though they had beene worthie to bee placed in the land of Chanaan but rather consider that God executed his vengeance vpon those nations for their euil life therefore that they which shoulde succeede them ought to humble themselues the more And moreouer that if they compared themselues with their enimies there was no cause why they should thinke themselues to haue the better case or that they ought to be preferred before them I say there was no cause why they should haue any such conceit For Moses telleth them that the couenant which God had made with their fathers was concluded long afore any of them were borne whereupon it followeth that God had no respect to their desertes I haue tolde you moreouer that the same couenant was freebestowed for it was not grounded vppon any seruice of men but Gods intent therein was to set foorth his owne goodnesse and mercie Ye see then that the Israelites are bereft of al power and glorie and that all worldly loftinesse is here beaten downe so as onely God must bee knowen to be good and righteous and men are bounde to him in all cases insomuch that they must keepe their mouthes shut and not boast of their owne power or vertue as though they were folke of good abilitie That in effect is the thing that is treated of in the text which I haue rehearsed And these two vices which Moses rebuketh reigned not onely at some one time but they reigne still at this day and we haue them rooted in our nature Therefore let vs marke well that this doctrine is directed to vs at this day and that it behoueth vs to benefite our selues by it So then as touching the first point let vs call to minde the lesson that is shewed vs by the example of our father Abraham Rom. 4.18.20.21 when it is saide that he beleeued beyond hope giuing glorie to him that had made the promise in beleeuing him to be able to bring the same to passe Lo here a generall rule for all the faithfull which is that if they purpose to leane vnto Gods promises they must not deeme of them after their owne witte and imagination for what a thing were that but they must assure them selues that God hath meanes in his hande which are vnknowen to them and which they conceiue not and that it is enough for them to haue his word which is the infallible trueth This reacheth verie farre but it shall suffice for this present to gather a short summe of it For when God calleth vs to him if wee consider but what wee our selues are surely wee shal bee vtterly dismayed As for example when God promised issue vnto Abraham he was a man alreadie decayed and sore broken as well with age as with trauell that he had endured His wife also was past the age of childbearing and moreouer she had beene barren all the time of her life it might seeme then that God had mocked him in promising him issue But what hee had not an eye to his owne bodie which was forworne and broken with age as sayeth Sainct Paul neither had hee an eye whether his wife were able to conceiue or no but seeing that God had spoken the worde hee rested thereupon assuring himselfe that forasmuch as God is faithfull he shoulde not be disappointed in trusting vnto him And after the same maner must wee deale seeing wee haue so faire a looking glasse For as I saide if wee haue an eye to
and rooteth them out Nowe if this were saide of temporall enemies what is to be sayde of Satan and of the enemies of our soules Are wee able to ouercome them Will the bringing of our owne free will our merites and our good workes bee able to ouercome the diuel the worlde death it selfe and hell No but the blinde wretches are well apayd that they may bee deceiued in bearing themselues in hande that they can do much that they be verie able folke Yet notwithstanding they bee disgraced heere by the holye Ghost and it is tolde vs that nothing wee be ne nothing can do of our selues but that all y e good which wee do commeth of God Phil. 2.13 and it is he that doeth it in vs. For if a man cannot stirre one finger towardes the sauing of this transitorie life can he saue his soule vnto the kingdome of heauen If a man cannot doe any thing against his aduersarie which is a mortall and fraile creature as well as himselfe howe shal he ouercome the worlde and all the diuels in hell So then let vs learne to deceiue our selues no more with these fonde imaginations in thinking our selues to haue free will to doe this and that but let vs knowe that if God reache vs his hand then shall wee be able to stand through him not through our selues Saint Paul glorieth sufficiently but howe is that I can doe all thinges sayeth hee through Iesus Christ which strengtheneth mee Phil. 4.13 He sayeth he can doe all thinges and by that meane he defyeth the diuell which maner of boldnesse wee see he vseth chiefely in the Epistle to the Philippians but yet he reserueth nothing to himselfe He sayeth that he is strengthened by Iesus Christ. Then if wee be strengthened from aboue wee shall get the vpper hande But yet as I sayd wee must alwayes acknowledge how it is God that strengtheneth vs and that it is in him and by him that wee stande out and get the victorie The thirde reason that Moses alleageth is this that God in setting his people in possession of the promised Lande had an eye to the promise which he had made and sworne to Abraham Isaac Iacob Hereby the Iewes are put in minde that God chose them not as more worthie more noble more excellent than other men as hath beene shewed alreadie but because hee had made promise to their forefathers But nowe let vs see what cause moued and led God to giue this lande to Abraham and to his seede If he had had an eye to mans worthinesse Abraham deserued much more than any other to haue beene set in possession of that lande And yet contrariwise his dwelling there was but as a stranger he was driuen out of it and hee was so farre off from hauing of it at his commaundement Heb. 11.9 that he was kept euen from water not onely when he would haue borowed it at other mennes pittes but also when he had digged pittes by his owne labour both hee and his successours were driuen from them Gen. 21.25 Lo how the holy Patriarches were tossed too and fro and how men mocked them did them many outrages wrongs and of all that while they had not one foote of grounde more than a burying place In so much that at length Iacob was driuen to pay for the grounde where he lodged and pitched his tents Gen. 32.18 33.19 46.1 and finally constrayned to goe into the lande of Egypt by reason of dearth which draue him out of the lande of Chanaan Now seeing that the holie fathers were not putte in possession of it during their liues shall wee say that their posteritie were worthier than they No it followeth then that Gods couenāt was merely of free gift and that he had no respect to any desertes of mē And why Because he loued that people Wee must not aske whether he founde any vertue in them or no but it must suffice vs that hee listed to magnifie his mercie As if he should say I seek no cause in men to doe them good But I find it in my selfe For of men that are worthie to bee vtterly reiected I choose out some and take them to bee my children to the intent they shoulde giue mee all the prayse thereof That is the thing which Moses had an eye vnto in alleaging the couenant which God had made with their fathers Nowe wee knowe as I said afore that this couenant was made before these people were borne They could not say that God regarded what they were as some phantasticall persons do which say that God foresawe what men woulde be If he doe but foresee surely he shall finde vs all diuels that is to say vnhappie and cursed creatures full of all wickednesse and such as haue nothing but vtter abhomination in vs. Those are the thinges that God shall finde in vs if he doe but foresee Nay if he wil haue vs good he him selfe must frame vs thereto for wee bee his workemanship as sayeth Saint Paul in the seconde to the Ephesians Eph. 2.10 And the same is also expressed plainly in the fourescore and fifteenth Psalme Psal. 95.6 where it is sayde that it is he that made vs. And Dauid in that place speaketh not of Gods first creating of vs when wee were set into the worlde as his creatures but hee meaneth it of his reforming of vs by his grace Nowe then if God did but foresee things then sawe he nothing in vs but vtter rebellion and wickednesse To bee short wee bee damnable in all respects and heires of endlesse death And therefore if hee chose vs before wee had done either good or euill it was to magnifie his owne grace as Saint Paul declareth in the nyenth to the Romanes Rom. 9.11 And so yee may see what Moses telleth vs here But nowe must wee come backe againe to the sayde comparison that I touched afore which is that if God woulde haue the saide couenant which hee made concerning the lande of Chanaan and the temporal succession to bee knowen to be of his free goodnesse it is much more reason that when he calleth vs to be heires of his kingdome and sheweth him selfe to bee our God and Sauiour his goodnesse shoulde haue the highest degree and all respectes of deseruing be layde awaye so as men shoulde not imagine themselues to haue I wote not what power of their owne to preuent Gods goodnesse Then let vs marke well that Gods calling of vs and his vouchsafing to inlighten vs in the beliefe of his Gospell is because he had chosen vs not onely from our mothers wombes but also before the worlde was created yea and because it pleased him to haue vs and to take vs for his owne Ephes. 1.4 euen before all eternitie And so wee haue no cause to alleage any thing at all in our owne behalfe but rather to bee ashamed of our selues that God may onely bee exalted
we be made partakers of thē by his meanes we be of y e order number of y e Leuites that is to say of them that are dedicated vnto god Not as y e people of Israel were which held themselues aloofe in y e body of the temple worshipped God afarre of Heb◠〈…〉 1 〈…〉 but we haue a mean to prease neere him wee haue familiar accesse we haue his own sonne entred afore vs into the Sanctuarie which is not made with mans hand to bring vs in thither in whose name al the faithfull haue libertie to come thither Thus ye see that the thing which wee haue to marke in the first place is that God shooled out one tribe of the children of Israell to serue him in the Sanctuarie but nowe adayes he hath shedde out the same grace vpon all beleeuers and there is no exception but wee be all made holie to offer sacrifice to God and not onely to beare the vesselles of the temple but also to be the verie vesselles themselues ◠Cor. 6.19 For although our bodies bee but wretched carcasses yet fayle they not to be the temples of the holy Ghost and Gods will is to be worshipped in them Hadde there beene sayde no more but that our soules are the temples of God it had beene a verie excellent honour But seeing it is sayde of our earthly and corruptible bodies we see what goodnes God vttereth towardes vs. And therefore let vs learne that this doctrine belonges to vs and that this figure which was vnder the lawe concerneth vs at this day to the end that we should aduauntage our selues thereby And after what manner The first is that we should magnifie the goodnesse of our God in that hee hath shewed himselfe so gratious vnto vs as to chose vs to be his seruauntes not onely to beare the vesselles of his temple but also to be the verie temples thēselues and the altars whereat hee will be worshipped both in our bodies and our soules to the intent we should yeelde him not onely the bodily seruice which consisteth in shadowes and figures but also the true spirituall seruice by dedicating our selues all wholly vnto him Yee see then howe the ende whereat we must beginne is to knowe how greatly we by bounde vnto God for vsing such gratious goodnes towardes vs. 2. Cor. 6.17 Moreouer according as Saint Paul sheweth vs in the second to the Corinthians we must take warning to separate our selues from all vncleanesse as the prophet cryeth out vnto vs saying Separate your selues from all vncleannesse Isa. 52.11 you that carrie the Lordes vessels And Saint Paul alleadging the same text of Esay sayth that according to the same promise it is good reason that wee shoulde giue our selues to cleannesse both of bodie and soule For in very deede the prophet Esaie in saying Be ye cleane you that beare the Lordes vesselles hath not an eye to the time of the figures but extendeth his doctrine to the kingdome of our Lord Iesus Christ. Nowe then this text must needes be performed in vs. But there are not nowe a dayes any moe materiall vesselles as there were in the time of the Lawe and therefore it followeth that the doctrine thereof must bee performed in higher matters that is to say that in asmuch as God hath called vs to be members of his sonne and by that meane to come so neere him as he may dwell in vs we be his temples the same should prouoke vs to giue our selues to all cleannesse which thing wee can not doe but by separating of our selues from the corruptions of the world For wee dwell here among such filthinesse as it is not possible for vs to scape vninfected vnlesse we labour to withdrawe our selues from it Yea and there needes no euill to come vpon vs from elsewhere for euerie of vs shall finde ynough in himselfe Wherefore lette vs beware that wee turne away from all wicked lustes and that we cut off whatsoeuer is defiled in vs and generally all that euer is of the world so as we may prease vnto our God and hauing giuen ouer the world we may be so vnited vnto him as he may auowe vs to be his priestes For if we doe otherwise we shal be dubble accursed and we shall not be able to excuse our selues but that God hath aduaunced vs high ynough But what excuse will there be for vs nowe when our Lorde hath brought vs so neere vnto him and vouchsafed to make vs priestes to offer vppe our owne selues vnto him and to make vs his temples so as we should haue a spirituall altar erected vnto him in our selues Seeing that God hath brought vs to that point is it not a horrible treacherie say I if wee fall to vnhallowe his temple Nowe then lette vs vnderstande that whensoeuer this worlde turneth vs away vnto euill wee offer God greate wrong in making his temple a swynes stie and in vnhallowing the thing that he had hallowed by causing all the corruptions of Sathan and of this worlde to come into his temple Surely it ought to holde vs in awe and to make vs walke in all soundenesse so as we giue not ouer our bodies and soules to anie dishonestie seeing that God hath sanctified them to himselfe This is the thing which we haue to beare away vpon the first part of this text Neuerthelesse lette vs marke that although God haue extended the sayde grace of making vs all Leuites or Priestes to all the members of his Church yet hath hee not vtterly abolished the order of his Church but his will is to haue some certaine men appointed to the preaching of his worde And that is the thing which is ment here in the seconde place where he saith that they shall stande before the Lorde to serue him and finally that they shall blesse in the Lordes name The same must bee put in vre at this day by the ministers of the worde For although God haue called vs all in common to bee serued and honoured at our handes yet doeth he require a speciall seruice at their handes whom he setteth ouer his Church to be the shepheardes thereof that is to witte that they should shewe the way and alwayes be in a readinesse to serue God And this seruice importeth that the Leuites shoulde maintaine the religion pure and vncorrupted among the people and shewe the Iewes that they ought not to deale with the superstitions of the heathē and what God it was which had deliuered them and to be short that they shoulde alwayes holde the people in obedience to the true faith And for the same cause GOD allotted them not any one certaine countrie or shire to dwell in but dispersed thē throughout the whole lande We knowe there was not anie one tribe which had not Leuites among them And why was that For God could well ynough haue gathered thē together so as they might haue bin all together in Ierusalem
had promised theÌ„ if they had not turned away froÌ„ him after y e fashion Psal. 132.14 For it was not without cause that y e land was called Gods resting place As if he had said y t when al the residue of the worlde were tossed turmoyled y e Iewes shold dwel at ease rest in y t land so as if any maÌ„ made war vpon them troubled them yet God wold stablish theÌ„ there Yea but they haue brokeÌ„ couenant w t him And therfore at this day as we see they be banished froÌ„ resting in any place of the whole world They be as vagabonds euerie where And what is the cause of it but their own vnthankfulnes in y t they haue forsaken gods promise through their vnbeleefe and stubbornesse and haue vtterly disanulled it to the vttermost of their power Therefore let vs bethinke ourselues Hebr. 11.13 16. True it is y t we must be as wayfarers in this world if we wil be heires of heauen as y e Apostle telleth vs. But howsoeuer the case stand if we intend to be blessed of our God to feele y t he is a good defence for vs let vs hold vs in obedience subiectioÌ„ to him Otherwise let vs assure ourselues y t although al y e whole world hold with vs yet we shall finde ourselues so persecuted and pursued as we shall finde no rest any where If a faithful man walke in the feare of God although he be persecuted tormented yet may hee rest vpon this point to say yet is God my protector and he will call vpon him by his calling vpon him he shall finde cause of coÌ„fort But on y e contrarie part if an vnbeleeuer play y e rebell against God although he haue peace to the worldward and be in fauor of men yea also dreaded yet shall he euer be vnquiet agast And the reason is because he seketh not to be at peace with God So then let vs marke that whereas Moses exhorteth the people heere to serue God all their life long it is to the end wee knowing y t God renues his mercie and goodnes daily toward vs should be inflamed to serue him with y e greater corage that froÌ„ day to day we shold always continue therin as though we were at rest We see y t euen sleepe setteth a man in good plight againe so y t when he hath wearyed himselfe with walking or working he becommeth ready and disposed to returne to his labour againe the next morning Euen so must we take corage at our Lords incoraging of vs and at his calling of vs vnto him so as it may appeare that we be willing and readie to follow him But now let vs come to that which Moses hath set down concerning the Lords ordinances and statutes The first coÌ„mandement y t he giueth the Iewes is that when they be come into the Land which they were to possesse for their inheritaÌ„ce they shoulde beate downe all the altars of the heathen breake and deface their ydolles burne all the grones where they had vsed their superstitions and vtterly root out the remembrance of them Here we see again how hatefull a thing ydolatrie is vnto God and that he can not abide y t his seruice should in any wise be corrupted Let vs marke I say that God accepteth not any seruice at our hands when it is mingled with any abuse or folly of our owne heades but as we must serue him onely so must we serue him not after our owne fashion but according to his owne wil coÌ„mandement allowance Wherein we see how a great number of ignorant wretches beguile themselues nowadayes For hauing protested that their intent is to serue y e only one God they put to many patches of their owne bearing themselues in hand that y t is not amisse And why So long as mine in deuour be to serue God say they that I do it of a good intent why shold it be condemned Yea but we heare how our God can not away with any companion Esa. 42. â— as he declareth euerywhere and euen in this text we be taught the same expressly ynough for God will haue all remembrance of ydols vtterly rooted out For why As long as ydols haue their vse God is defaced ouercouered that he can not be discerned and likewise all things in the world are confounded by it Therfore it is all one as if meÌ„ shold go about to spoile him of his maiestie glory And euen y e papists themselues auow the same thing in their coÌ„mon byword when they say that God is not knowen for the Apostles And it was Gods will that they should make a common prouerbe of it to shewe that they cut their owne throtes with their own knife in that they can alleadge no excuse at the latter day For they say they ment it not no but will not their prouerbe proue them liers Yes for their owne wordes shall iudge them Howsoeuer they fare let vs note that if Gods seruice be not kept in the owne purenesse all is marde so that although men worship him neuer so much yet hee misliketh it as wee see by his speaking thereof in his prophete Ezechiell Ezec. â—â— â—â— Goe serue your owne Gods sayth he for I haue done with you As if hee should say belong altogether to the deuill if you will Seeing that ye hold ye not all wholly to me but that I must haue companions ioyned with me and ye make me but as one of the common sort so as I must bee as good as no body I renounce you and giue you ouer y t ye may goe to the deuill for I will haue no more to doe with you So then let vs marke well that to serue our God aright wee must yeelde such preheminence to his maiestie as to depende all wholly vppon his worde and doctrine without adding any thing to that which hee commaundeth as shall be declared more at length in the next Lecture Nowe furthermore whereas it is sayde that the very remembraunce of ydolles must be rooted out it is to the end that folke should be the better aduised Truely God sheweth vs on the one side as I haue sayde howe greatly he hateth all ydolatry seeing hee willeth men to burne the woods all that euer hath serued to the mainteinance thereof insomuch that hee will haue the very stones beaten to pouder and the golde and siluer broken so as all may be quite cleane done away Seeing that God doth so condemne the creatures which are good as in respect of theÌ„ selues because they haue beene instrumentes of superstition thereby we see well that hee can in no wise away with ydolatrie Besides this hee hath alwayes respect to the frailetie of men for as soone as we meete with any thing by and by we be miscarried wee be euer starting one way or other And what is the cause Naturally we be inclined to ydolatrie
all pointes to what vse they serued had a spirituall truth which may bee referred to the thinges which we haue nowadaies by the comming of our Lord Iesus Christ Heb. 9.8.10 for hee is the very body and substaunce of all the shadowes that were vnder the Lawe Col. 2.17 When wee reade that the highpriest might not enter into the Sanctuarie but with such attyre as is there described Leuit. 16.4 wee would thinke it straunge to see a man so disguised with so many thinges about him And why was that We must marke that it was to doe the people to vnderstand that the partie which was to bee the mediator betweene God and men was not of the common state and sorte of men but that it behooued him to haue a speciall kind of holinesse to preace vnto GOD with all And that was the cause why hee caryed this tytle in his frontlet vppon his head Exod. 2â— 36 Hallowed vnto God or the holinesse of God Againe hee had other attyres about him so as hee coulde not goe or stirre but there went a noyse or sound from him Exod. 2â— 3â— 35. For hee ware belles vppon the skirtes of his garments and that was to shewe that all men ought to giue eare when it is told them that the sonne of God was offered for vs in sacrifice so as the same may ring into our heartes to the intent wee may seeke the meanes to be reconciled to GOD. There were other things whereof a man may perceiue the reason Exod. 2â— â—â— As the twelue precious stones which the highpreest ware on his brest aloft vppon the Ephod and the names of the twelue tribes grauen in other stones vpon his shoulders Exo. 28.9 â— Whereby was ment that Iesus Christ did nothing for himselfe but all for vs and in our behalfe and that his going vnto God after that fashion was to bring vs into his presence according to this saying of his Ioh. 17.19 I sanctifie my selfe to make you all partakers of the same holynesse Nowe then wee see the reason of many thinges that were commaunded in the law and we know it was not without cause that the Apostle sayde that all things were made according to the patterne that Moses had seene vpon the Mount Hebr. â— 5 after the which maner Saint Steeuen alleageth the same text in the seuenth of the Actes Act. 7.44 Neuerthelesse wee must note that Gods meaning was to hold his people in awe that they might be the surer what to doe and not bee occasioned to transgresse the true seruice of God by mingling of any inuentions with it I say it was Gods intent to inure his people to obedience For if we shew our selues to serue God otherwise all that euer we doe will bee nothing woorth nay it will be sinne If I weene I doe well and in the meane while stand in doubt and perplexitie al must needes goe to wrecke For if wee bee not inlightned by certeintie of faith God alloweth not any of our doinges And therefore I say his intent was to keepe the people of old time in obedience And that was the cause why hee willed that there should bee light continually in the Temple It was not to giue light vnto God or to doe him any seruice but to do the rude people to vnderstand that we must not doe thinges disorderly and be as blind folkes when wee approch vnto God but that we must haue light to guide vs by which light is not to be found in our owne braines but must come from aboue And for that cause the holy candlesticke had Lampes vpon it wherein was oyle continually Whereby was ment y t if men be not guided gouerned by y e holy Ghost they do nothing but wander vp downe in y e end they shall fall into destruction Again God willed that no strange fire should be brought vnto his Altar Wherby is ment y t men must not bring aught of their own to the seruing of God but we must haue the holy fire y t is to say we must pray to God in y e Church not go beyond his word or beyond y e doctrine y t he giueth vs. Moreouer it is said y t no sacrifice shold be offered w tout salt And why so For when wee offer things to God w tout warrant y t he alloweth them requireth theÌ„ they haue no sauor at al before him Thus you see in effect how it was Gods intent to coÌ„fort his seruants to incourage theÌ„ y â— they might serue him as became them And again it was his wil to cut off al occasioÌ„ of adding any thing which they had learned to y e heathen We know y t although meÌ„ haue no incouÌ„ters before their eies yet they ceasse not to forge many fond things weening to please god by y t meanes But when we see examples on either side of vs it is a further prouocation to vs. Besides y e ticklishnes which we haue already of nature it pricketh vs foreward to say why should not such a thing be good For y e Iewes had seen y e fashioÌ„s of Egypt of other heatheÌ„ folke therfore they might haue bin prouoked to fashion theÌ„selues like vnto them that had bin a corruption to ouerthrow y e whole seruice of god To preuent this mischief God gaue them a remedy which held them occupied in such sort as they had ynough to do in y e things y t were inioyned them had no leasure to withdraw themselues or to adde any deuise of their own And so wee see it was not for naught y t God gaue his people so many lawes rules ceremonies at their going into y e land of Canaan For first of al it was meete y t the figures and shadowes shold supply y e roome of y e truth y t was yet vnreuealed vntil Iesus Christ was shewed opeÌ„ly to y â— world Secondly it was Gods will to try y e obedientnes of his people by y t means And thirdly it tooke away al occasion of intermedling theÌ„selues w t y e superstitioÌ„s of y e heatheÌ„ vnbeleuers And for y t cause doth Moses say You shal go ouer Iordan God wil giue you rest in the land that he hath promised you there shall you dwell in safetie though you haue enemies round about you And then wil he choose him a place in one of your tribes and thither shal you bring your sacrifices burnt offerings oblations And the very true sacrifice saith he is to do nothing vpon your own heads but to obey your God throughly in all poyntes WheÌ„ he saith y t they shall come into y e land it is to shew y t Gods deferring to giue his law til that time was to declare more particularly what things he liked of For it was his will to performe his promise made vnto AbrahaÌ„ before he would
to the seruice of GOD so nowadayes they that haue the charge of teaching in the Church ought to be maintained with liuing likewise God hath made an euerlasting law thereof But yet moreouer we haue to note that the tithes were allotted to the Leuites as in recompence of their inheritance whereof they were depriued For God had promised the Land of Canaan to all the linage of Abraham by reason whereof the children of Leuie ought not to haue beene bereft of their portion Yet notwithstanding God bereft them of it And why did he so To the intent they should not toyle themselues in tilling the ground as other men do but giue themselues wholly to his seruice as became theÌ„ In respect whereof it was good reason that they should bee recompensed after another manner Truly this matter cannot be discoursed at large as now and therefore wee will delay the going through with it till to morrowe taking this breefe summe of it for a conclusion that our Lordes meaning in this place was to set downe a Lawe for the maintenance of his seruice And for that cause it was his minde that the Leuites should haue whereon to liue for they were the parties that had the charge to maintaine the pure religion and for that purpose were they dispersed throughout the whole land of Canaan to the end they should keepe the people in the purenesse of Gods seruice as we see the prophet Malachy speaketh of them saying y t they ought to be expounders of gods law as at whose mouth men ought to seeke what is good and lawefull The cause then why GOD hath not onely set downe this lawe but also repeated it is for that he will haue his seruice mainteined And because men are negligent in yeelding him his dewe he hath vouchsafed to repete the law againe which he had set downe before and besides that his intent was also to put vs in minde to honour him with al the goods which he bestoweth vpon vs in this life For surely if men eate and drinke without yeelding any honor vnto God they defile y e things which they receiue For y e true meane to sanctify meates is by faith praier saith S. Paul Without faith and prayer all things become vnclean to vs. 1. 〈…〉 And now ye see here how god coÌ„maÌ„deth men to offer vnto him their first fruites and tenthes And why is y t Bicause that by y e meanes folke were prouoked to say True it is y t the earth bringeth forth her fruites wee haue a good haruest and vintage we haue store of Oyle and viâ—telles who is he that giueth vs all these things Hath the earth a soule to determine with it selfe to nourish vs No it is God our father that doth it and therfore it is good reason that wee should haue regard of him consider how much we be bound vnto him Thus ye see how y t in the tithes and first fruits there was a solemne protestation y t whatsoeuer we haue we receiue it at gods haÌ„d therfore we ought to do him homage sacrifice therewith Which thing is then done when we pray vnto him to blesse them all and when wee shew effectually by our almesdeedes and such other like thinges that we be willing to offer all things vnto him which hee hath put into our handes and to vse them in such sorte as wee may haue a care to follow measure and to frame our selues to the sobrietie which hee hath commaunded vs. Now let vs kneele downe in the presence of our good GOD with acknowledgement of our faultes praying him to vouchsafe to behold vs with pitie and not to impute vnto vs the great number of offences whereof wee bee guiltie before him but that it may please him to rid vs cleane from them euen by forgiuing them and moreouer to drawe vs so vnto him by his holy spirite as our whole seeking may bee to dedicate our selues throughly vnto him continuing throughout in his holy calling to the end And so let vs all say Almightie God heauenly father c. On Thursday the xxiiij of October 1555. The XCij. Sermon which is the third vpon the foureteenth Chapter 24 And if the way be too long so as thou canst not bring them because the place which the Lord thy God shall haue chosen to set his name in is too far from thee and that the Lord thy God haue blessed thee 25 Then shalt thou make it into monie and take the monie in thy hande and repayre to the place which the Lorde thy GOD shall haue chosen for himselfe 26 And thou shalt giue the monie for whatsoeuer thy heart desireth whether it be oxen or sheepe wine or straunge drinke or any other thing which thy heart liketh of And there feede thou on it in the presence of the Lord thy God and bee merrie both thou and thy householde 27 And thou shalt not forsake the Leuite that is within thy gates for he hath no portion nor inheritance with thee 28 At the three yeres end thou shalt gather together all the tythes of thine encrease of that yeare and lay it vp within thy gates 29 And then the Leuite which hath no part nor inheritance with thee and likewise the straunger the fatherlesse and the widowe which are within thy gates shal come and eate and be refreshed that the Lord thy God may blesse thee in all the workes of thy handes which thou doest FOrasmuch as Moses in speaking heretofore of first fruites and offeringes 〈◊〉 12.3.6 and freewill oblations had commaunded that they should be offered in Ierusalem or else in the place which God was then to choose now hee addeth that if a man dwelt too farre off from that place hee might make mony of the thinges that were to bee giuen for an offering vnto God and after the sale thereof buy the lyke thinges againe which should be wholy dedicated to God whatsoeuer they were Now I haue tolde you already how it was not for naught that God would haue one certeine place wherin to offer solemne sacrifices vnto him and to worship him for it serued to mainteine the vnitie of faith Insomuch that if euery trybe or at leastwise euery citie had had an Altar by themselues it had bin enough to haue made hauock of all and men could not haue continued in concord and brotherly loue Therefore it behoued the Temple to bee a meeting place for Gods people to the intent they should altogether acknowledge themselues to be but one bodie and vnderstand that they were bound all to one rule which is the lawe and all of them obey the same without any diuersitie of opinions or straunge maner of dealinges or ceremonies among them And in the same respect also were they commanded to offer in the Temple to the end that euery man shoulde not behaue himselfe after his owne deuotion as they terme it For when men will needes serue God after
other wanton prankes but if hee bee at his fathers table either hee must behaue himselfe soberly or else be rebuked for his labor Let euery man bethinke him of this and let it be a meane to holde vs in such awe as the meates which God giueth vs may haue their pure and lawfull vse That is the thing which we haue in effect to remember vppon this text And now he speaketh lykewise of mens householdefolke shewing that if we intend to be merry before God we must also haue a care to instruct those that are committed to our charge Marke that for one point It is not enough for a man to liue in the feare of God himselfe but the father that hath children and the maister that hath menseruantes and maideseruantes must leade them with him and there must be one consent in euery houshold so as both great and smal doe serue God For it is an vntollerable leawdnesse when a man letteth his houshold play the beasts so as God is not knowen among them And what a thing is it that men should looke to be serued of their folke in the meane while forget God There is none of vs all but hee will looke to bee knowen for maister in his owne house in the meane while what a pride is it y t God should bee thrust out of doores What a thing is it that we which are but wretched earthwormes shoulde looke to haue our dueties yeelded to vs and that God should be defrauded of his That is y e cause why it is sayd expresly that men shoulde make merry with their housholdes before God Neuerthelesse hereby God meant also to inure his people to humanitie For we see a number of men that can finde in their hartes to cram themselues til they burst in the meane while passe not though others starue it shold seeme y t a whole world were little enough to finde one of them But our Lordes will is that there should be courtisie among men that whē the maisters haue suffised themselues with meate and drinke they shold not be nigardly in giuing foode sustenāce to such as take peins in their seruice but haue a care of thē That is a second thing which our lord ment in this text But now let vs pas on After y t Moses hath spoken of firstfruites and offeringes he returneth againe to Tythes and treateth more fully of them Thou shalt not forget the Leuite saith he which is within thy gates Euery third yeere shalt thou lay aside the tenth of al thy fruits and the Leuites shall come and gather them and lykewise the widowes the fatherlesse and the straungers that thy God may blesse thee in all the workes of thy handes Yesterday I began to tell you that in old time y e Tythes were appointed to the Leuites because they serued at y e altar that God would not haue thē occupied about any such labor as might hinder them either from teaching y e law or frō doing of sacrifice such other like things For inasmuch as God had reserued thē to y t purpose his wil was y t they should giue themselues wholy thereunto That was y e cause why he exempted them from tilling of y e ground and from such other labors Besides this there was also an other reason which was y t they should haue had a portion in y e land which was promised to the linage of Abraham for there was a whole tribe of them but God had excluded them frō it put in two tribes in stead of y t one so as Ephraim and Manasses the sonnes of Ioseph made two heads And so were there twelue portions of y t Land But yet in stead of the Leuites ye see y t Ephraim succeeded for Manasses was y e firstborne of Ioseph yet was he put after his brother set in the second place made inferior to him And so were y e Leuites excluded But yet behoued it them to haue their right And therefore God recompenced them lyke as if a man should giue his childe a recompence some other way when he would not haue him to come to y e parting of y e inheritance w t his brethren euen so stoode the case w t the Leuits Those were y e two chiefe reasons for y e tythes Neuerthelesse it was Gods wil y t the ouerplus should be deuided among y e poore needie For y e Leuites had not so large a portion giuen thē to make them gluttons to inrich thē aboue other men but to y e ende they should be as deacons to haue a care of Gods poore folk and to distribute his almes to his people Now we see what was the cause of the tithes But it is cleane cōtrariwise in the Popedome where it is sayd that by Gods Lawe the tythes are due to the Priestes Although say I that their Priestes were such as they ought to be so as they were not the priests of Moloch and of other idols but that they serued God purely yet were it a grosse ignorance to imagin that tithing were an euerlasting order set downe for all nations to obserue Againe it was a flat fraud in that the Priestes being ouerruled by couetousnesse did beare men in hand that the tythes belonged to them by Gods lawe For the contrarie is well knowen And their chalendging of that was at such time as the whole world was corrupted and men were vtterly ignorant of the meaning of the holy scripture For since the time that Christianitie hath begunne to florish and that there hath bin greater soundnesse of iudgement than was before it hath neuer bin said that Tythes are due to the Shepheardes nor to those which haue the spiritual gouernmēt of y e Church but it hath bin alwayes orderly obserued that Princes Lords haue taken the Tenthes yea in some places and coūtries which are lesse fruitful they haue taken but the Thirtithes or at leastwise but y e Twentithes whereas in other places where the landes are more fruitfull where there is greater abundance thā is ordinarily in other countries they haue taken the tenthes Hereupon the priestes and Cleargymen of y e Popedome haue taken occasion to finger all things to vsurp vppon all mē most wickedly For they haue thūdered out their excōmunicatiōs against such as would not graūt thē their robberie so as mē were driuē to them haue their owne willes And then fell they together by the eares among themselues lyke a sort of curre dogges about a bone The Monkes sayd they bee ours the Priestes sayd they were theirs and to bee shorte there was nothing but vtter disorder among them Yet notwithstanding wee must returne againe to that which was touched yesterday and which I am about to rehearse againe now presently which is that inasmuch as the sacrificing Priestes were found at the common charges of the people in the time of the olde Lawe it is good
will blesse thee in al thy fruites and in all the workes of thy handes and therefore shalt thou reioyce 16 Three times a yeare shall all thy males appeare before the Lord thy God in the place which the Lord wil choose that is to wit in the feast of vnleauened bread in the feast of Weekes and in the feast of Tabernacles and none shall appeare emptie before the face of the Lord. 17 But euerie man shal giue according to his abilitie euen according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he shall haue giuen thee WE haue here to treate of the feast of Tabernacles which was a memoriall of Gods preseruing of the Iewes in the wildernesse where was no house For he had kept them by the space of fortie yeares vnder Tentes and small boothes the cause wherof was that he had so remoued them from place to place that they had no leasure to builde nor stuffe wherewith to builde Therefore it was meete that they should be put in remembrance of it that being come into the lande of Chanaan they should not giue themselues to iollitie and forget it when God had set them at rest For we see howe men are giuen to fall asleepe and to nestle themselues when our Lorde remooueth them not To auoide this danger it was Gods wil that y e Iewes shoulde yeare by yeare depart out of their houses and dwell in Tentes that is to say vnder the open skie in arbers made of boughes and for seauen dayes together minde that benefite For it was an incredible thing that God shoulde haue preserued so great a multitude of people with their yong children in boothes tentes w tout houses We knowe y t houses serue to keepe off both cold heat and al other discōmodities Needs therfore must it be y t god wrought after a wonderfull fashion and it was meete that his goodnes should be acknowledge in that behalf We see then nowe wherefore this feast was ordeyned vnder the lawe For the seruing of God cōsisted not in y e peoples shifting of their places for it had beene but a stage play to haue come to Ierusalem and there to pinch themselues to dwel a while in Cabanes vnlesse it had beene to some ende and that they had beene taught some thing whereby to magnifie Gods name to put their trust in him accordingly as I haue declared heretofore that all ceremonies must implie some learning and instruction or else they be but pelting baggage ye a it is but a mocking of God if the faithfull be not edified that they may alwayes liue in the feare of God to rest vppon him and to call vppon him with the better courage If it bee not so it is but superstition and the thinges are not onely vnprofitable but also abhominable before God Nowe then the feast of Tabernacles was a traynment to the people of Israell to shew them that if they were at rest and at their ease in the land of Chanaan they had not alwayes beene so but that God had led them after a straunge fashion through the wildernesse and that if they were contented with Cabanes and arbers it behoued them also to applie themselues to the praysing of God for his deliuering of them out of the Land of Egypt by so manie miracles The Iewes as foolkes that woulde faine discharge themselues to Godwarde by hypocrisie did indeede keepe the feast it selfe but they lefte the meaning of him that had commaunded it For euen at this day still they keepe the feast according to the letter and they haue a number of pretie apes toyes which they obserue diligently As that their Cabanes be not too close but made full of holes nor that the boughes bee not too thicke platted but so as a man may see the stars through them and that there bee Loopeholes to looke vpon the skie so as the skie may glimse vppon their eyes All of them I say doe vse such trifling toyes but in the meane while they consider not whereunto God meant to direct them By which example of theirs wee bee the better warned not to regarde the letter of the lawe but to seeke the ende which God pointeth vs too And seeing that the Iewes had such instruction let vs consider what fruit we ought to reape nowadayes of the feast of Tabernacles It is not nowe any more in vse that wee shoulde be bounde to the keeping thereof but yet the doctrine thereof continueth still and concerneth vs as much or more than the Iewes And our keeping of the feast of Tabernacles must not be for a weeke or twayne but for all our life long And why 〈…〉 16 For if wee be not straungers in this worlde we shall haue no part in the kingdome of heauen Will we haue God to auowe vs for his children Let vs keepe on our way here beneath assuring our selues that this life of ours is but as a iourney or rather but as a race And it is not enough for vs to goe but wee must also runne a pace holding on our way still to that ende and alwayes straining our selues to atteyne vnto it For except we streine and inforce our selues we shal neuer get one steppe forward but wee shall retyre fower backe for it Agayne we see howe slow we be and how manie meanes Satan hath to hinder vs and therefore we must euen fight against such impedimentes And so let vs marke that the thinges which wee reade here in Moses declare vnto vs that for asmuch as it was Gods will that the Iewes in the time of the lawe shoulde haue a weeke to put them in minde howe they had beene as pilgrims in the wildernesse and that he had maintayned them there after a straunge fashion we in these daies because the figure is abolished must repaire to the trueth that is to say wee must remember that God harboreth vs in such sort in this world as that he wil not haue vs to nestle here nor to be so intangled in it as to make it our euerlasting resting place but to stie vpward still and to bee here as birdes sitting vppon a bough True it is that God is so fauourable to a great number that they neuer remooue from home of all the time of their life and yet they be neuer the lesse Christians for all that but yet must not any man make him a nest vppon earth vppon imagination that he will rest here Where as Saint Paul saith that he had no rest 2. Cor. 7.5 he meant it specially of himselfe and of certaine others of the faithfull whome God tossed from post to piller But as for the meaning of the mind that must needes bee common to all the faithfull namely that they haue no restingplace in this worlde Although then that GOD do beare with some mens weakenesse so as they neuer remoue out of the place where they were borne but continue at home still in their owne houses yet must they
lawfull for vs to looke vppon a woman with fleshely lust of desiring to committe vncleannesse with her nor to hate our Neighbour any more than to murder him Yee see then howe the Lawe of GOD mounteth higher than the earthlie policie God will haue vs to walke before him in all purenesse In so much that besides that it is not lawfull for vs to assaulte our Neighbour or to hate him without cause Nay not then when wee haue iust cause and couerture for the same to the worldewarde For wee must euen then not onely forgiue the wronges that are doone vs and not requiâ—e like for like but also pray for our enemies Matt. 5.44 and although they speake euil of vs and coulde find in their heartes that wee perished a hundred times Yet must wee worke their welfare to the vttermost of our powers Marke that for one point Indeede it is a verie harde thing to bridle our affections after such a sorte as to desire the welfare of our enemie when hee hath goone about to doe vs harme but yet must wee strayne our selues to doe it For though wee feele a gainstriuing in vs yet will not that serue vs for an excuse neyther must wee doe as the Papistes doe who perceyuing this to be cleane contrarie to mans nature haue gone aboute to salue it with this glose that it was a counsell and not a plaine and expresse commaundement and that is a manifest blaspheming of God For hee saith that if wee will bee taken for his children wee must fashion our selues after his goodnes in pardoning those that haue offended him Therefore let vs not haue an eye to our owne strengthes nor to the inclynation of our owne nature but if wee feele anie heartburning in our selues or bee desirous of reuenge through heate of impatiencie when a man hath vexed vs Let vs resort to our GOD praying him to ouermaster the excessiue passions that are in vs and to giue vs the spirite of meekenesse when wee bee in such heates that wee may become patient so as the harme or iniurie bee not too harde and cumbersome for vs to beare but that wee may passe it ouer mieldelie After that manner ought we to deale And therfore let vs learne to beware that wee beguile not our selues with vaine colours Seeing that our Lorde hath giuen vs a good Lawe Let vs not turne it vpside downe by pretending our owne wicked and corrupt affections for an excuse Yea and let vs marke that mannes nature is so frowardlie disposed that if they looke not verie narrowlie to themselues they shal alwayes abuse the name of GOD. The Lawe which I expounded Yesterday namely that the partie which shall haue practised the death of anie innocent person is not to bee borne withall is verie rightfull But yet for all that is it meete that wee shoulde haue leaue to auenge our selues Shoulde the bridle be layde loose in our neckes to requite euill for euill No surely And yet doe men make it their excuse Wee see then that naturally we should be euer inclined to abuse Gods name and therefore wee haue so much the more neede to be watchfull and to consider at what ende God aymed in saying this or that that is that wee shoulde not be blinde therein For it will not auaile vs at all if wee make as though wee sawe it not And therefore let vs first and formost correct our vices and lay aside all our wicked affections and then may we vse the lawes that are good and holy As for example If a man deale by order of lawe and in the meane while haue his heart full of rancour so as he seeke to ouerthrowe his enemie by crooked meanes It is a wicked manner of proceeding and condemned of God Yet notwithstanding it is almost an ordinarie custome For there are few that goe to lawe which are not enemies one to an other according to this coÌ„mon said sawe that suite in lawe and friendshippe doe seldome match together And yet for all that if a man haue anie such hartburning he offendeth God Yea but hee vseth the meane of Iustice and is not that lawfull Is not that manner of dealing permitted Yes but it woulde behooue vs first of all to haue our wicked affections subdued according to this saying that all Gods creatures are good to such as are of a pure and cleane hearte 〈◊〉 â— 15 Saint Paul speaketh there of meates but wee may applie the same saying to all other thinges namely that whensoeuer God appointeth any thing to our vse the same is good and behoouefull yea verily so wee on our side defile it not by our wicked affections If wee haue any filth in vs by and by all that euer wee touch becommeth filthie out of hande Ye see that the order of Iustice is a holy thing appointed of GOD to our vse and benefite and yet if I haue a spitefull hearte and beare anie malice to mine aduersarie then do I defile y e thing which God had dedicated to a holy vse and which was pure and cleane of it selfe And therefore let vs learne to reforme our wicked affections When wee haue done so then may wee say that the thing which GOD hath ordeyned is good and profitable to vs For wee turne it not contrarie to his meaning and will That is the thing which wee haue to remember in effect concerning the Text that was treated of yesterday Nowe let vs come to that which GOD addeth concerning matters of warre When thou guest out agaynst thine enemies saith hee bee not afraide nor dismayed as them though thou see them more strong than thy selfe though the number of their people bee farre greater than thine and though they haue both chariotes and horses that is to say Although they bee better furnished and stored of all things than thou art yet let not thine hearte shrinke for all that And hee addeth the reason For thy God sayth hee goeth with thee and it is hee which brought thee out of the Lande of Egypte Therefore put thou thy trust in his goodnesse and might Nowe wee must presuppose that in so saying GOD giueth not leaue libertie to his people to make warre when they list at their owne pleasure but onely vppon iust cause As for example when the Iewes entered into the Lande of Chanaan they made no warre but by the expresse commaundement of God in so much that they were forbidden to saue anie of the people of that countrie aliue and it behooued them to put all to the swoorde sauing the young infantes and women which were reserued to make slaues of but as for the men they were all appointed to the sworde for God had giuen that iudgement vppon them and not without cause For it was a great matter that he had borne with them so long a time and yet that they continued stubborne and vnreformable still Besides this when the people of Israell had once made a full conquest of the
2. Cor. 5. â—0 For there was enmitie betweene him and vs before by nature as I haue said alreadie we be all stranngers to our God and we cannot but set our selues against him Yet for all this hee seeketh attonement with vs. Vppon what condition Not that we shoulde pay him tribute as though hee were minded to inrich himselfe with our goods True it is that hee liketh wel to haue vs to serue him but y t is for our benefite and welfare and not for anie aduauntage to himselfe For hee hath no want of anie thing neither needeth he to be inriched but by possessing vs he would that wee likewise should inherite him And that is as amiable a condition as can be Nowe what is to bee doone but to receiue his peace Yea verily and therefore let vs not tarie til God inforce vs but let vs preuent him by imbracing the inestimable prerogatiue which he offereth vs in vouchsafing to forgiue vs all our sinnes But if wee be so wretched as to refuse so great a benefite let vs mark that wee bee not onely cast vp as it were to the spoile and that GOD shaketh vs quite cleane off but also that his wrath must needes bee vttered vppon vs because of such vnthankfulnes and churlishnesse in despising our GOD so wilfully and stubbornely that wee had leuer to haue him our deadly enemy than our protector Seeing then that his intent is not to haue vs as subiects that are conquered by tight of warre nor to raise tributes vpon vs to increase himselfe withall but to reigne ouer vs for our welfare and yet wee will not abide it but shake him off vtterly and pursue him still with a venemous heart to prouoke him to anger is not our deseruing such as hee may iustlie bee so rigorous vnto vs as to commaunde his seruauntes to withdrawe themselues from vs and to shake off the dust of their feete As who shoulde say wee bee not worthie to treade vppon the earth because wee defile it The verie thing therefore which wee haue to marke is that wee cannot prouoke Gods wrath any way more than by refusing the peace that is offered vs by the Gospell so as wee vouchsafe not to hearken to it For then because God findeth vs past grace God also is faine to arme himselfe with terrible and dreadfull vengeaunce against vs and not onely to punish vs in our bodies but also to extende his vengeaunce vnto our soules and so to roote vs out quite and cleane in which behalfe women are no more to bee spared than men For when as God calleth vs all in Christ Iesus there is no difference of male and female as saith Saint Paul Gal. 3.28 but faith reconcileth vs all vnto God Likewise vnbeleefe and stubbornnesse make vs enemies to God both men and women the punishment whereof extendeth both to great and small For seeing wee are become traitours and rebels to our God it is good reason that all our whole ofspring should perish with vs because Gods curse lies vppon the wicked euen vnto the third and fourth generation Deut. 5.9 as the law auoweth we haue seene heretofore Thus ye see in effect what wee haue to remember vpon this text And let vs marke herewithall that seeing God doeth so preuent vs aforehand to seeke attonement and to sende vs tydings of peace we also ought to seeke meanes to bee friends with such as haue offended vs and to followe the example of our heauenly father as if wee shoulde say What shal become of mee who am but a worme and rottennesse if I continue wilfull and holde skorne to come to attonement with mine enemie when he hath once offended mee so as I chawe vppon my bridle still and will not by anie meanes bee pacified when in the meane time my God seeketh mee Beholde my GOD is wel contented to stoope vnto mee which am but rottenesse and shall I not withstanding refuse to be reconciled to him that is my fellowe and brother Although he haue offended mee yet can I not renounce mine one nature yet can I not bring to passe but that he is still a humane creature shaped after the image of God as well as my selfe So then let vs learne to meeken our stomackes though they bee neuer so stout and let this example of God induce vs to greater geÌ„tlenesse and compassion than wee bee woont to haue Hereuppon Moses addeth That this lawe serueth but onely for the Nations that were farre off For as for those nations saith he whom God giueth you now presently as the Chananites the Hethites the Amorrhites the Pheresues the Heuites and the Iebusites all those you must vtterlie roote out and inherite their lande howbeit hauing first purged it cleane from all abuses Here wee see howe the lawe which I haue expounded alreadie serued for the time then to come when the Israelites should haue any newe warre against such as had not beene their enemies before But as for the people of the Lande of Chanaan which God had promised for an inheritaunce to the Iewes it was his wil that they shoulde bee vtterly rooted out which thing at the first sight might seeme ouerharde as I haue saide thereof heere before but it was not so indeede For to the intent that men shoulde not accuse God of crueltie it was shewed why hee vsed so great rigour But forasmuch as all of you perchaunce vnderstood it not it is requisite to declare againe wherefore our Lorde commaunded all those Nations to bee rooted out and to bee put to sworde and hauocke without any mercie at all For they were no such enemies as had doone any speciall wrong to the children of Israell but they were enemies to God Gen. 15.16 yea and enemies alreadie condemned euen by the space of fourehundred yeares afore True it it that the children of Israell had iust cause of warre against them because Abraham came into that couÌ„trie by Gods appointment to dwell there And although GOD did not yet put him in possession of the souereigntie thereof which he had giuen vnto him yet was it his will that hee shoulde bee an inhabiter of that lande But they draue him from place to place so did they also to his sonne Isaac Gen. 12.19 26.16.19.20 and likewise to Iacob insomuch as they euen denied them water Not that they went about to borrow water at their neighbours pits but that their neighbours stopped vp the pittes which they had digged and draue them from them without al humanitie Howbeit there was yet a much higher respect which was that God knowing the excessiue wickednesse of all those nations to be vtterly vnreclaimable determined to take them quite and cleane out of the world and yet woulde not that their lande shoulde lie wast without inhabitauntes and therefore hee appointed it for an inheritaunce to his owne people Here therefore wee must behold Gods speciall iudgement to the ende wee accuse him not as I
y t if the seruants could escape vnto any teÌ„ple they were in safetie from their maisters not y t they were altogether freed but that they were solde vnto some other who peraduenture woulde handle them more gently Also if they coulde get holde of the image of an Emperour they hadde as it were a suretie for their safegarde Our Lorde likewise had the same regarde in the lawe which is set downe heere that is to say because the Paynims hauing no feare of God did torment their seruauntes with more than tyrannicall crueltie he would that those poore wretches should haue some place of refuge that beeing pressed with anguish and affliction they might haue a meane to be brought vnto true religion For we knowe that when men are daunted after that manner then they seeke vnto God It is a good preparatiue to bring vs vnto the obedience of God when we are afflicted and can no longer tell what to doe For we see that when we are at heartes ease and haue our delightes we are also dronken with them that God is no bodie with vs. That is the very thing whereat this lawe aimeth Now let vs note that when God giueth forth speciall lawes he gainesayeth not him selfe but we must alwayes referre them vnto the generall doctrine As howe If a seruant should runne away vpon deceite or vpon malice or vppon any other such cause it were a sinne in him and that theeuerie were not good nor allowed of GOD. Therefore when this speciall law and priuiledge was giuen foorth that a seruant should be suffered in the Lande of Iuda it repealeth not that which our Lorde had deliuered concerning seruants afore And againe whereas he sayth Thou shalt not couet thy neighbours seruaunt nor his maide y t commaundement standeth still in full force so that it was not lawefull for the Iewes to holde backe an other man 's seruaÌ„t for their own profits sake neither was it lawfull for seruants to deceiue their maisters But when a seruant escaped vnto them desired to dwell among y e people of God this leaue was graunted vnto him howbeit vpon this condition y t he was oppressed and y t he had iust reasonable cause of running from his maister for being too leauâ—lly cruelly handled That was to be presupposeâ—d afore For as I haue tolde you the law which is conteined in the tenne coÌ„mandements is an infallible rule When we haue that abridgement we haue therin the will of God fully warranted vnto vs. And we ought to measure euery particular lawe by those ten coÌ„mandements That is y e true touchstone whereby we must examine how euery speciall lawe is to be taken and expounded For we shall neuer vnderstande thinges to any purpose except we referre them all hither And why for perfect righteousnesse is contained in those ten commandements which God hath deliuered in the two tables Seeing it is so we can neuer be deceiued if we examin things after this manner Go to here is the law Pertaineth the thing vnto the seruice of God or to the second table that is to that table wherin God hath prescribed how we ought to liue with men It is of the second table Well then let vs see nowe whether it pertaine vnto the first commaundement of honouring father and mother or to the second Thou shalt doe no murder or to the third Thou shalt not commit adulterie or to the fourth Thou shalt not steale or to y e fift Thou shalt not beare false witnesse or lastly to y e sixt Thou shalt not couet When we shall haue thus considered of the thing so as we may say this belongeth vnto such a commaundement then shall wee haue a keye which will open vs the dore vnto the right vnderstanding of the thing If a lawe concerne the seruice of God be it of the first coÌ„maundement or of the second or of the third or of the fourth we may haue the better assurance how this Law ought to be vnderstoode And why For we shall consider of the end whereunto it tendeth If the law be between both as we say let it be referred vnto the first and tâ—â— second table let it be mingled of both and then we may also iudge easily of it But to return to y e present matter when y e Lord graunted a place of refuge in the lande of Iury vnto poore slaues there is no doubt but he ment neuertheles to leaue his law still in his full force Let vs therefore conclude that he meant in this place to remedie the excessiue and outragious cruelty which maisters vsed would that poore afflicted wretches who as touching the worlde could finde no ease of their greefes being destitute of all succour might haue libertie to come into the Countrey of Iurie and there to dwel for euer Now we are warned hereby to help y e vttermost of our power such as are vniustly wrongfully afflicted In deede wee must not mayntaine wicked quarelles wee must not cloake that which is ill For they which shall vse such mercie shall not bee able to iustifie their case thereby before God There are many which could be content that all leawd faultes might be buried and they will oftentimes willingly foster wickednesse through a fond pitie or deuotion as they call it But let vs note y t Gods will is not to lead vs vnto that kind of dealing but y t when wee see any poore soules tormented he would haue vs moued with pitie to releeue them as much as in vs lyeth We heare what is sayd vnto Moab Moab thou wast the harbour of my people 〈◊〉 3. and thou madest hew cry after those which came to shelter themselues vnder thy shadow Although the people of Israell were iustly punished for their euill deedes yet as in respect of the world they had not prouoked the infidels to be so cruell vnto them For the Infidels came and made warre against them like tyrantes as they were they came like wolues to spoile and deuour all And well the poore Iewes flie into the lande of Moab and our Lord sayeth that he had appointed that Countrie as a place of harbour for them And why Was there any Prophet which tolde them so No. For humanitie perswadeth this of it selfe that if wee see any poore people which are driuen out of their owne Countries by warres or by any other violent oppressions it is all one as if God sent vs a message both to receiue them and to entertayne them as curteouslie as wee are able to doe And so let vs beare in minde that where there are any poore wretches with vs whome men haue persecuted and tormented we are too too vnkind if we deliuer them into their enemies pawes which seeke nothing else but to vse all violence and all maner of cruelty against them That is it which wee haue to beare in mind vpon this place Now seeing it is so that we ought to shew such gentlenes and
That the Iudges may perswade the man and if they see him to stande stiffe in his opinion then the woman shall plucke off his shoe from his foote and spitte in his face as by waye of reproche and shee shall say GOD doe so vnto all them which will not raise vp a stocke in Israel Nowe heere wee haue farther to note that God would haue the Iudges speake vnto the man to perswade him as farre as they were able And if the man woulde not consent vnto them they should content themselues with this kinde of punishment Whereby wee see that the Magistrates and other Iusticers ought to abstaine from vsing any force and violence in that thing which they cannot simply commaund As for example if there bee a thing which is good and yet there is no lawe for it and I being of power and authoritie would constraine a man to doe what I thinke good were there any reason in it For the law constrayneth him not to doe it and I ought not to passe those boundes Let vs therefore note wel that such as are armed with the sword must contayne themselues within their bounds and not challenge to themselues any Lawelesse libertie to say What I commaunde nothing but that which is good and therefore yee must doe it No For there is no constrainyng where there is no Lawe When there is a Lawe a man must holde himselfe to the rule thereof but yet in the ende the poynt that must bee come vnto is to presume to bring men into no further subiection than the Lawe byndeth them vnto Ye see then what wee are farther to beare in minde vpon this place Now as touching the shame that was done in plucking off of their shoes in spitting in their faces it serued to prouoke men to discharge their dueties the better Yet neuerthelesse if a man had rather sustaine this reproche than to take wife against his wyll hee was discharged thereof And heerein wee see as I haue alreadie tolde you that GOD sheweth the authoritie of a Father in beyng grieued when the families was not maintayned in Israel and yet was hee contented to beare with such as could not finde in their heartes to stoope to that yoke bicause it was so hard Therefore if any had rather to suffer such shame than to take a wife after that maner he came to declare it publikely But wee must nowe returne vnto that which I sayd in the beginning namely that there is not now any carnall kinred priuiledged as the race and linage of Abraham was For God adopteth vs nowadayes vnder condition that we bee ingraffed by faith into his Church and so made the children of Abraham For so much therfore as the kinred which we haue at this day is spirituall the order of raising vp issue to succeede in the inheritaunce of houses landes or medowes is no longer in force And why For it behoued that the stocke of Abraham should bee maintained vntil y e comming of our Lorde Iesus Christ. And y t was the cause why y e land of CanaaÌ„ was giuen in possession vnto the people Nowadayes y e whole earth is y e dwelling place of the children of God although they be dispersed throughout the whole worlde yet are they knit in one body by agreeing in one consent of faith to call vppon GOD and although they do it in diuerse tongues yet it skilleth not seeing that one selfe same spirit gouerneth them and that they haue all one hope of the euerlasting saluation which is promised vnto them Those are the things wherein they are all knit and conioyned together Seeing it is so let vs note that GOD will haue euerie of vs nowadayes for his owne part to do his indeuor to multiplie the church And the seed of Abraham is no longer begotten according to the fleshe through carnall marriage but it is begotten of the incorruptible seede of Gods worde 1. Pet. 2.23 as Saint Peter saith And when God vouchsafeth vs his grace to winne anie man and to bring him into his flocke then are we as spirituall Fathers And that also is the verie cause why the Ministers of the worde bee called Fathers and likewise the Church hath generally y e name and title of Mother because she coÌ„ceiueth the children of God Nowe albeit that all haue not that office of Preaching the worde of God yet a priuate person being a member of the Church may begette spirituall children vnto God if hee haue occasion and abilitie to winne a poore soule to inlighten him with the faith of the Gospell Let vs then bestowe our paynes to this ende knowing that if the carnall mariage was so pretious vnder the lawe in the sight of God Surely the meane whereby we be made members of our Lorde Iesus Christ is a thing now farre deerer and of greater estimation with him And therefore let euerie man employe himselfe that way to the vttermost of his poore For here is no forcing of vs to marie against our willes but of the winning of wiues vnto our lord Iesus Christ that by the multiplying of the Church wee may alwayes bee the more firmely linked vnto him Seeing then that our condition is more gentle and sweet than that which was vnder the lawe we ought to be stirred vp so much the more to the discharging of that duetie and we shall haue so much the lesse excuse if we be carelesse and negligent therein Thus yee see what wee haue to beare in minde in effect as touching this Lawe And nowe wee see that although it bee no longer in vse yet may we gather some profite from it to bee edified thereby For of all the thinges which the holy Ghost hath vouchsafed to leaue vnto vs there is none vnprofitable if wee haue the wisedome as I told you the discretion to applie it wel vnto our vse It followeth That if two men be at strife and one of their wiues come to deliuer her husbande and take his aduersarie by the priuities her hand shall bee cut off This lawe betokeneth in effect that honestie is to bee kept continually And that if a woman forgoe shamefastnesse it is a wicked and intollerable thing and therefore ought to bee punished to the intent honest sobrieâ—ie and stayednes in conuersation may be maintayned among the people of God and no lawlesse libertie of shamefull beastlinesse suffered That is the thing in effect whereat God amed in this law And so let vs note that vnder one example he meant to giue vs a generall instruction as touching all thinges which wee ought to take heede of Now as concerning the speciall case which is set downe here we see howe the woman might haue somewhat for her excuse when she commeth to helpe her husbande she might alleadge that she tooke not great heede and that she was astonished or amased but God holdeth her not excused for all that Nowe then if euen in trouble in daunger and amasednesse God will
swaruing aside one way or other Yea hee will haue them to waite for the worde from his mouth and hee telleth vs that hee vtterly mislyketh all that euer men doe bring of their owne Esa. 1.13 and that it is not only vaine but stinking and abhominable in his sight Neuerthelesse it is an ordinarie matter in Poperie to forge such pelting trifles and gewgawes without number Yea and it is a common prouerbe among them That whatsoeuer is doone of a good intent is well done yea but God saieth the cleane contrarie So then let vs note that as the people is in this place warned that they haue no libertie graunted vnto them to choose what place euerie man listed as who shoulde saye wee will serue God in this place and hee will accept well of it but that they must come vnto the place which hee himselfe had appointed and not attempt any thing vppon their owne heades but onely followe the saide rule of resorting to the place which God had marked foorth Whereby we see that when the case concerneth the seruing of him we may not attempt any thing of our selues but holde vs vnto that which hee hath ordained Nowe in deede it is true that at this day there is no such peculiar place appointed wherin God wil be worshipped or wherein he will haue sacrifices made as was the temple of Ierusalem yet notwithstāding vnder one particular we haue here a generall instruction that it is not lawfull for vs to doe what we thinke good to worship God withall but that we must haue an eye vnto that which he requireth and lyketh of and neuer passe beyond those boundes Let vs come now vnto this saying That the man shall offer himselfe vnto the Priest and say Beholde I protest here that my father was a Syrian a very beggar and came into this land lyke a poore hunger staruen soule and was afterward driuen into Egypt from whence at length God brought him backe againe and gaue vnto vs this Land wherein wee dwell now through his fauour Now by this manner of protestation the Iewes were done to vnderstand that they ought to come vnto GOD without compulsion as if it were sayd I looke not to be thrust foreward I looke not to bee called vp by processe as one that minded not to doe his duetie but by force but I protest that is to say I offer my selfe here of mine owne good will I come aforehand In deede God had appointed this law as I haue already tolde you it was to reproue the people of their vnthankfulnesse but yet for all that his intent was that the people shoulde come their owne good will and that is the thing which I haue already touched I might seeme at the first blush that GOD constraineth vs but yet hee meaneth not to stand vpon this poynt it is but to inure vs to an vnfayned and freehearted obedience At the first wee be lyke the young Heiffers which cannot skill to beare the yoke For when a man setteth a young Heiffer first to the plowe he turneth away his head he strugleth striueth and chafeth and in stead of going forewards he draweth backward vntil he be tamed In lyke case is it with a horse there is much a doe with him at the first before hee can be broken God vseth vs in the same manner howbeit but to make vs tractible that whē we be once brought to subiection then we may come with a free franke wil to yeeld ourselues obediēt vnto him Let vs not therfore abide stil in this slauish feare but let vs know y t God is our father and that we ought to take pleasure in framing our selues according to his will Let euery man therefore enforce and set foreward himself herein that we may truely say Behold I protest that I am bound vnto my God Now it is sayd afterwardes My father was a Syrian No doubt but this is meant of Iacob not that he was borne in Syria for he was borne in the land of Chanaan and his father was a straunger there and had not one foot of ground to dwell on he had onely a burying place which he bought for his monie and they were faine to remoue often out of one place into an other as men draue them out They were lyke byrdes vpon a bough 〈◊〉 37.41 Besides this Iacob was banished out of his fathers house and forced to get him away because his brother Esau threatned to kill him By reason whereof he abode a long time in the land of Syria he dwelled there fourteene yeere to get him those wiues which hee had namely Lea and Rachel and after that he serued his father in Law Laban for sheepe because he would not depart home altogether naked Ye see then how Iacob was first a poore wanderer and had soone forgotten the land of Chanaan when he was gone out of it In deede God alwayes kept him in sure trust of y e promise which was made vnto him concerning that land and that was the cause why hee made that vowe of his Gen. 28.20 when he went out of the land which was giuen vnto him yet neuerthelesse he was olde before he went out of Syria Behold being a man broken with age and striken farre in yeares he entreth againe into the land of Chanaan that as a Syrian for he is altogether new he commeth thither as one that had neuer bin there before and although he had then some wealth yet were all his miseries there brought new again to his minde My father a Syrian was in the very way of destructiō For how was he afflicted when hee was constrained to leaue his fathers house He hath the knife held as it were to his throate Gen. 30.31 for behold Esau his brother seeketh to put him to death Esau is possessed as it were w t a diuelish spirite to persecute his brother Iacob And when Iacob meant to returne into the land of Chanaan behold that cruel beast namely Laban deuoureth him not onely fleecing the wool from his back but also oppressing him after a tyrannous manner In the end he must yet appease his brother Esau in which miserie of his he is as it were halfe dead and maketh no other account but to be vtterly cast away he thinketh neuer to saue his familie Gen. 32. Neuerthelesse he diuideth it into foure bandes that if the one might not be saued the other might escape Beholde to what shift hee is put and how hee deuiseth with himselfe well if there bee no remedie but that thou must dye well yet some one of thy children maye escape and although I cannot saue all yet God will keepe some one aliue to performe his promise in him Such was the comming home of Iacob So then it is not sayd without cause in this place that hee was at the poynt to be destroyed yet did God succor him as it is sayd here Neuerthelater Iacob is yet farther
truth substance of things must depart the signe must remaine y t were a goodly matter Again they haue retained other like things as is lent This is the fast y t is to be kept say the Papistes The reason forsooth is because Iesus Christ fasted Yea but did he which is y e fountaine of all perfection and the mirror of all holines fast euery yere No he fasted but once in his life The Papists say y t wee must fast euery yeere and y t there is great deuotion holines therin Yea but therin they would exceed Iesus Christ. But in deed it is a diuilish superstition to fast 40. dais after y t maner vpoÌ„ opinioÌ„ y t by this means we may make ourselues like to Christ. Matt. 4. â— 1. King 19.8 For we know y t our Lord Iesus ment to shew thereby y t he was then exeÌ„pted froÌ„ al condition of man as the same was done in Elias by miracle likewise in Moses when hee published the law And did y e Iewes follow Moses and Elias therein Or did any of so many holy prophets euer fast y t fast No for they knewe wel it was not coÌ„manded theÌ„ of God and y t he made no coÌ„mon rule of it nor would haue y t thing drawen into example which he had once ordained for y e authorising of his law So then we see y t it is very profitable to consider what God hath for one onely time coÌ„manded to the intent we peruert not al nor desire without any difference to do whatsoeuer is contained in y e holy scripture w tout knowing first whether it concerne vs be spoken vnto vs or no. This is one point to be noted A second point to be obserued is y t we ought as much as we may possibly to maintaine vnitie agreemeÌ„t among vs as shal by by be declared It was Gods will there should be no mo temples but one And why To y e intent it shold be as a bond to hold the people together in y e purenes and soundnesse of faith We haue one only God which is called vpon among vs wee must come into one certaine place to sacrifice vnto him all of vs must there gather ourselues together It is true in deede y t we are not nowadaies tyed vnto any such bondage but howsoeuer it be yet y e substance is remaining still vnto vs. Let vs therfore take heede vnto all those ayds which we haue to holde vs in this communion of faith and in this vnitie which God requireth let vs keepe them well and let no man turne aside from them And as touching the outwarde order we knowe that our Lorde Iesus christ would haue men to assemble them selues together I graunt wee are not bound to be al in one place meÌ„ also preach in diuers churches of one toune And why Bicause al the worlde can not heare one sermon but yet for all that because of our slownesse wee are so bounde that we must gather our selues together in the name of God He that wil keepe him selfe in his howse despising the coÌ„mon order and will say I can reade at home edifie my selfe sufficieÌ„tly there y t man asmuch as in him lieth breaketh in sunder y e vnitie of faith teareth in pieces the body of our Lord Iesus Christ. We know y t baptisme was ordained to y e intent it should be as a coÌ„mon seale y t we are the church of God are gouerned with his spirit Now if euery man wil haue his baptisme a part what a wicked disorder were it The holy supper of y e Lord also is distributed as a coÌ„mon food to y e intent we should all coÌ„municat of it We are waâ—ned by it that we are one body And as one loafe is made of many graines of corne which are so mingled together y t they make but one substaÌ„ce euen so ought we to be knit together if we will be accouÌ„ted for the children of God Therefore if euery man should haue his priuate supper were it not a w tdrawing of ourselues froÌ„ the agreement brotherhoode which Iesus Christ would haue vs to keepe In Popery euery maÌ„ must haue his altar his chappell Yea they were of opinion that God was much bound vnto theÌ„ for so doing There should haue bin one coÌ„moÌ„ table for I wil not say y t they haue turned y e coÌ„munion table into an altar to sacrifice vpoÌ„ which thing in it self is a diuelish abhominatioÌ„ but in y e meane time although they retain the word yet wil they not haue a coÌ„mon table for all the church For euery man thrusteth in himself to say O I wil haue a chappel there I will haue my deuotion by my selfe When men be come to y t point it is an horrible wasting of the Church of God the building of so manie seueral altars hath bin y e cause of the bringing in of so many sectes diuisions Although y e papists had placed no idols in their churches althogh they had not such a nuÌ„ber of superstitioÌ„s Idolatries as wee see they haue yet in doing of this one thing they haue broken y e vnity which christ hath solemnly set betweene his meÌ„bers in the whole Church What must we do then Let vs indeuor to keepe ourselues in brotherly agreement and vnder the signes tokens which God hath giuen vs and let vs continue therein and make al those meanes which he hath giuen vs to serue vnto that ende That is the doctrine which we haue to gather vpon this place But let vs returne now vnto y t which we sayde in the beginning that is y t God hath here required of his people a solemne acknowledgement how much they were bound vnto him We are therfore exhorted to acknowledge y e benefits of God yea to occupy ourselues therein so as we neuer forget theÌ„ The people in deed had already giuen thanks vnto God after they were come out of Egypt in the wildernes where they sacrificed continually vnto him but yet after they are passed ouer IordaÌ„ they must begin to giue thaÌ„ks again And why Because meÌ„ would alwaies discharge their dutie towards God by halues and they haue soone forgotten it thinke no longer what they owe vnto God And y t is the cause why they must be occupied continually in y e self same thing So then let vs note well y t euen all y e time of our life we must apply our whole indeuour to magnifie set foorth the name of God For although we be not lodged in this land of CanaaÌ„ yet y e fauor of God ought to be asmuch or more esteemed of vs than y t earthly inheritaÌ„ce which was giuen to yÌ„e children of Israel For god hauing plucked vs out of the dungeons of death out of y e bondage of Satan declareth y t we are blessed of him and y t we are a
haue libertie to honour and serue him For it is a dreadfull desolation which Moses speaketh of heere namely to be no more of the body of the church nor to haue any more the shewe or shape of Religion and yet is this seene throughout the worlde at this day Therefore let vs marke that one of the greatest benefites which GOD can bestowe vppon vs in this transitorie life is to let vs haue some little corner wherein to assemble our selues in his name to call vpon him and to professe our selues to be his people This ought to be more esteemed amongst vs than either meate or drinke or any thing else Howbeit verie few do think thereon Yet notwithstanding we must needs confesse that albeit we haue sufficient foode and in the meane while forget God our state is miserable And if we think not thereon we bewray our owne beastlynesse for God telleth vs that this benefite which is spoken of here is farre greater than all the rest that is to wit that we may worship him in purenesse be gathered together vnder that head which he hath appointed vnto vs namely our Lord Iesus Christ. And therefore while wee haue such priuiledge to heare the worde of God to call vpon his name and to walke according to his Gospell let vs harken vnto it for feare least God disperse scatter vs abroad in like sort as he hath dispersed the Iewes And specially let vs stande in feare of this threatning namely to bee made such beasts as to honour ydols againe as we see it is become of others who are a good president to vs of the vengeance of God whereof wee our selues also haue felt our part For wee haue beene as bondslaues vnder ydolatrie and vnderlings vnto the abhominations of the Popedome and that was for our sins and for the sins of our fathers Seeing we haue earst felt the blowes yea and beene as looking glasses vnto others shoulde wee nowe be so brutish to prouoke our God in such wise as he shoulde bee forced as it were to depriue vs of the grace that he hath giuen vs Let vs then vse this benefite and treasure of the Gospel whilest our Lord giueth vs place where to hide vs as it were vnder his hand while he doeth gouerne and guide vs and while we be knit together in one bodie that hee may bee magnified amongst vs with one accorde not onely with the mouth but also specially with our life to the ende that vppon our indeuouring of our selues to honour him hee on his side may continue his good doing towardes vs and that this threatening bee not executed vppon our heads that is to bee dispersed heere and there and to bee constrained againe to worshippe ydoles and other deade and senselesse things Nowe let vs fall downe before the maiestie of our good God with acknowledgement of our sinnes beseeching him to touch vs with such repentance as being ashamed of our sinnes wee may seeke altogether to put our selues wholly into his handes and that by obtaining forgiuenesse of him we may also feele that hee hath reformed vs and that wee bee in his fauour to giue ouer our selues altogether to his holy will And that albeit there is alwayes much to bee amended in vs and that our lustes and affectionâ— doe drawe vs quite away from that which hee commaundeth vs yet neuerthelesse wee may not ceasse to striue against them and to yeelde our selues wholly vnto him and to inforce our selues thereunto more and more knowing that the same is our soueraine welfare and that although hee shewe vs nowe and then some tokens of rigour in correcting vs yet wee may learne to profite thereby to the amending of our sinnes so as wee may bee brought to the perfection wherunto hee dayly calleth vs. That it may please him to graunt this grace not onely to vs but also to all people and Nations of the earth c. On Saturday the xxviij of March 1556. The CLXIII Sermon which is the eleuenth vpon the eight and twentith Chapter 65 Amongest these people also shalt thou haue no rest neither shall there bee any rest to the sole of thy foote Moreouer the Lorde wil giue thee a trembling heart and dymnesse of eyes and a heauinesse of minde 66 And thy life shal be hanging before thee thou shalt be afeard day night and be vncertaine of thy life 67 Thou shalt say in the morning O that it were night and at night thou shalt say O that it were morning because of the fearefulnesse of thy heart wherewith thou shalt bee afraide and because of the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see 68 And the Lorde will make thee to returne into Egypt by shippes by the way whereof I haue said vnto thee that thou shouldest not go about to see it any more and there shalt thou bee solde to thine enemies for bondmen and bondwomen and none shall bye thee AMongst the benefites that we desire in this present life one is to haue some restingplace and some harbor to lodge in Though a man be poore yea and troubled on all sides yet if he haue some little hole to hide his heade in that he may resort thither he careth not for all the rest But if we knowe not where to become nor haue any friend to receiue vs nor any nooke nor corner wherein to rest vs our state is then extremely miserable That is the cause why Moses now after hee hath declared that God woulde driue away and banish the Iewes out of the lande which hee had giuen them to inherite and to rest in for euer addeth that they shall be as vagabondes and haue no certaine dwelling place but be tossed from post to piller Nowe it is certaine as we haue alreadie saide y t this shal oftentimes happen to the faithful but it is for another purpose God doth in y e mean space comfort them it is behoueful that their patience should be tried after that maner For the thing wherein wee shewe our obedience towarde God is when as hee mingleth vs among the wicked so as wee seeme not to differ a whit from them but all goes to hauocke as they say and yet notwithstanding we continue sounde in heart and commit our selues into the handes of our God knowing that hee hath not forgotten vs though he suffer vs to be so tossed Contrariwise all despisers of the Lawe doe beare their mark as if they were burned with a searingvron in their hearts and do know that God is against them and that their sinnes doe reproue them Albeit that men doe not accuse them yet doe they feele a sufficient testimonie in themselues to confound them withall And that is it that Moses doth farther adde saying That vnto such as are hard hearted against Gods worde God will giue a trembling heart a sorowfull minde and daseling eyes so as in the morning they shall say May I see night And when night is come Alas how shall
foorth his hande as if he shoulde haue put the meate into their mouthes That was the meaning of Moses And this serued to make them to haue the better vnderstanding of the grosse brutishnes which was in them in that they gaue not God his due glorie In deede when the earth bringeth foorth corne for our foode the same ought to suffice to make vs to perceiue that God sheweth himselfe a father to vs. But because wee bee accustomed to it our heartes are hardened by it and wee see that men bee not prouoked to yeelde thankes vnto God when thinges followe all after one common rate For this cause ought this circumstance to bee well weyed according to this saying of Moses which wee haue seene heeretofore When thou art come into the lande 〈…〉 17. albeit that thou shalt there eate bread yet when thou hast tilled the earth and that it hath yeelded thee her encrease remember that thou wast nourished with Manna and say not It is mine owne skill or mine owne hande that hath gotten mee this foode Looke thou beare still in mynde that thy God nourished thee after a strange manner for the space of fourtie yeares to the ende it shoulde remayne with thee for a perpetuall remembrance and that thou shouldest acknowledge it thus The same God that fedde mee in the wildernes is hee that hath giuen mee this lande and which maketh it to yeelde fruite that I may bee nourished thereby Let vs marke well therefore howe it is not without cause that Moses sayeth Thou hast eaâ—en no bread nor drunke wine nor other drinke and yet wast thou fedde Nowe a man woulde thinke at the first sight that it were impossible for a man to liue without ordinarie foode because wee woulde alwayes tye the grace and power of GOD to these naturall meanes wherewith hee is serued It seemeth to vs that God cannot worke but according to our vnderstanding and experience But on the contrary side it is sayde here that the people hauing not a morsell of bread to eate did not sayle for all that to liue in wildernesse And why For God hath meanes incomprehensible whereby to susteyne his creatures as hee shewed manifestly at that tyme. In so much that if neede required God would rather turne the stones into bread than forsake his people Also he could as well feede them with milke as with bread To bee short let vs marke that the power which proceedeth from the Spirite of GOD is the onely thing that mayntaineth and preserueth vs in our state 〈◊〉 104.30 as it is sayde in the hundred and fourth Psalme Is not bread a dead or insensible thing Howe then coulde wee receiue life thereby but that it is Gods pleasure Thus doeth Moses here put the people in mynde of the miracle of the Manna in such sort as hee had reported it afore For if the people had incontinently founde Manna in the wildernesse they woulde haue thought that the place had brought it foorth but they pyned a whyle and murmured against God Then came the Manna a verie vncouth and strange thing Whereby the people were conuinced that God had regard of their necessitie And when the Manna was fallen euery man gathered his quantitie and they distributed it all among them so as nothing remayned neither wanted there a grayne of the wonted measure Whereby it appeareth that the feeding of seuen hundred thousande persons with the Manna yea and that in such certeine foreappoynted measure as if a man shoulde say euery man shall haue as much as hee needeth came not of haphazarde On the other side there fell none vppon the Sabboth day but on the day before fell double quantitie Wee see therefore that God distributed his Manna like as when a mans children come about their father for their foode and hee giueth euery of them his pittance in due measure and proportion Againe if they keepe the Manna beyonde the Saboth day it rotted so as they coulde not keepe it longer than was appoynted by God to receiue thereof any sustenance and nourishment Wee see then that God vttered his power so many wayes as the people ought not to haue douted but that they were fedde by myracle and beyonde the common course of nature That is the thing which Moses declareth heere in saying Thou diddest not eate any bread But let vs consider well the reason which hee addeth here That thou mightest knowe that I am the Lorde thy God Here the people bee reprooued not onely of ouershameful leawdnesse and stubbornnesse but also of vtter vnthankfulnes If God vtter his heauenly power so as it shewe it selfe apparant vnto vs wee bee touched and mooued with feare to yeelde him reuerence but yet by the way wee may alledge that hee maketh vs afrayde and that wee bee astonished at his glory which is the cause why wee are not able to yeeld him the honor that he deserueth but when God ioyneth both in one that is to say when on the one side hee maketh vs to vnderstand his infinite and inestimable power and on the other side draweth vs vnto him gently with fatherly goodnesse thereby shewing and witnessing the loue that he beareth vnto vs then is there no more excuse we bee dubble condemned For as I sayde afore the glorie of God ought to make vs to stoope and to yeelde our selues pliable vnto him and his goodnes ought to allure vs vnto him So that vnlesse we be too much blockish we must needs be throughly moued to loue our God Now then if there be neither loue nor feare in vs after that God hath ministred al meanes occasions of them both vnto vs is it not an vtter condemning of vs That is the thing which Moses meant saying It is a wonder that you do not otherwise knowe your God y t is to say That I am the Lord who haue shewed my selfe to bee your father redeemer in that I haue taken you into my keeping and protection and haue not fayled you in any thing Nowe this that is heere spoken of Manna wee must apply to all the benefites of Gods hande What then is the thing which he intendeth in shewing himself thus bountiful towards vs On the one side hee woulde that wee should acknowledge him to bee our onely God and that hee hath in himselfe the fulnesse of all good things and that hee is our father and that wee shoulde not gadde here and there as men commonly doe who swaruing aside and fleeting too and fro doe dayly forge to themselues newe gods They will easily confesse that there is one soueraigne GOD but yet for all that they cannot fynde in their heartes to rest wholly vppon him they hang alwayes in dout and wauering with what is this God What maner of one is hee Yee see here howe the intent of our God is to withdrawe vs from all outleaping imaginations and to plant in vs a welgrounded and settled determination that wee might say O
blessings and that when we be once graffed into the stocke of Abraham to be his children by faith wee may alwaies hold on stil in the course of our adoption that in the ende God may acknowledge vs for his children and we bee made partakers of the glorie which is prepared for vs seeing that in this worlde and in this short life wee haue inioyed blessings by the which hee maketh vs alreadie to taste of his loue Nowe let vs fall downe before the face of our good God acknowledging our faultes and beâ—eeching him that we may bee more and more cast downe in ourselues to haue such a horror and feeling of our sinnes as wee may not fayle to runne vnto him and to flee for refuge to his mercie that by forgiuing vs our sinnes from day to day he may amend vs euermore vntill hee hath quite ridde vs of them That it may please him to graunt this grace not onely vnto vs but also to all people and nations of the earth c. On Friday the x. of Aprill 1556. The CLXVIII Sermon which is the fifth vpon the nine and twentith Chapter 22 Thus will the generation to come â—ay namelie your children which shall succede after you and the straunger which shall come from a farre lande when they see the plagues of this lande and the diseases of it wherewith the Lord shall haue smitten it 23 The brimstone and sault wherewith hee shall haue burned all his lande so as it shall not bee sowed nor yeelde fruite nor haue anie grasse growing thereon as in the ouerthrowe of Sodome and Gomorrah Adam and Seboim which the Lord destroyed in his wrath and displeasure 24 Then shall all Nations say wherefore hath the Lorde doone this to this Lande O how fierce is his great wrath 25 And it shall bee aunswered because they forsooke the couenaunt of the Lorde GOD of their fathers which hee made with them when hee brought them out of the land of Egypt 26 For they went and serued other gods and bowed themselues before the the same gods whome they knewe not neither hadde they doone them anie good 27 Therefore is the wrath of the Lorde kindled against this land to bring vpon it all the curses written in this booke 28 And the Lorde hath rooted them out of their lande in wrath anger and great indignation and he hath throwne them out into an other land as it appeareth at this day 29 The secretes of the Lord our God be reuealed vnto vs and to our children for euer to the intent we should do all the wordes of this law MOses proceedeth here still with the matter which wee beganne yesterday namely to declare howe detestable our rebellion is vnto God when he hath once taught vs by his worde and can not winne vs but wee turne heade to the contrarie For it had beene enough to haue declared in one worde that none shoulde remayne vnpunished howbeit forasmuch as men doe not so quickely consider the vengeaunce of God to be mooued therewith to the quicke therefore Moses addeth threateninges vpon threatnings declaring that the punishmentes shall bee so greeuous that euerie man shall bee abashed at it according also as the Prophet Ieremie vseth this phrase of speach 〈…〉 3. saying y t al mens eares shal â—ingle at the hearing of the straunge thinges which God shall haue wrought in Ierusalem the lande of Iudah For if God chastise vs after the common order wee regarde it not we take it to be but haphazard or else we doe linger til y e plague be past but as for submitting ourselues to God it is no part of our care That is y e cause why Moses doeth in this place inhaunce the plagues which God woulde sende vppon that lande to the intent that the people might bee the better instructed and euerie man looke to himselfe and vnderstand that if they tempted Gods patience they must needes fall into this so horrible extremitie In which respect hee saith That the generations to come and those also which shoulde resort thither from farre countries shall inquire thereof as people abashed By which woordes hee doeth vs to vnderstande that the punishmentes which God woulde sende vppon the rebelles shoulde be straunge such as should make all folke astonished and amased at the sight of them and to say this is a matter that hath not beene woont to be it must needes be that the hande of God hath gone this way Nowe wee see the meaning of Moses And herein wee haue to condemne our slowenesse seeing that God must be faine to describe thinges vnto vs as it were in a painted table the cause whereof is for that wee bee not plyable to receyue the admonishmentes which hee giueth vs. We thinke our selues able folke but in so doing wee doe all of vs beguile our selues with selfesoothing vntill our Lorde doe as it were beate it into our braynes by force that if wee proceede on to offende him wee shall not escape his hande yea and that wee shall be handled with such rigour as shall make all them to tremble which see but the tracts thereof so that not onely wee that receyue the strokes shall be confounded but they also which come from farre shall confesse that it was the vengeance of God which was not without cause and that it must needes bee that wee did committe ouer greeuous and hainous offences seeing that God is thus inflamed against vs. Moreouer Moses sheweth that God will no more spare a whole country than one man least they should shroude themselues vnder the multitudes of people that giue themselues to wickednesse and thinke thereby to scape the better cheape before God It is expressely saide that if anie man sinne hee shall be punished Ezech. 18.4 and if a whole lande be faultie God will wrappe them all likewise into one fardell Therefore let vs not bleare our eyes wilfully as wee see the Papistes doe who vaunt themselues this day because y e number of such as are inclined to their superstitions is not small They boast them of their great multitude making it their buckler against both God and men And thereupon they doe despise vs and it seemeth to them that they may of good right condemne the pure and true religion But contrariwise God telleth vs that when a whole land hath forsaken the right way that rebellion of theirs shal not go vnpunished albeit that the multitude of them which be faultie be neuer so great Finallie wee must beware that we followe not one an other to do euill for if a blinde body doe leade the way hee shal fal into the ditch and likewise they that followe him hee shall not exempt them by his fal We must therefore vnderstand that when God calleth vs wee must sticke vnto his voyce and obey it and if all the worlde fall away and euerie man goe astray yet must not we ground our selues vpon the examples that wee see as if wee woulde say It
to the end we should not be so senselesse as we were before to flatter to hardē ourselues but that we should come directly vnto him and yeelde ourselues guilty yea euen with such misliking of our sins as we shold hate the euil y t is in vs and seek nothing but to be receiued vnto his gouernment to be changed renewed by him so as wee may take no pleasure but onely in framing ourselues to his good pleasure That is the thing which Moses meant in saying y t although the people should be constrained to say y t they suffered those so many plagues miseries because God was no more among them yet should they also haue a testimony to follow thē and to holde them as at a bay as who would say Thou shalt not escape but shalt know y t thy sins be the cause of al these euils although thou seeke starting holes yet must thou bee as it were pent vp and feele y t God is against thee that thou shalt be more more tormented vntill thou turne againe vnto him True it is that this is spoken of a witnesse y t was against y e people and y t it serueth to expresse y e stubbornes which was in y e children of Israell as hereafter we shall see more at large And surely although God vouchsafe to shewe vs mercie and would haue vs to heare his woord to the intent to bring vs to repentaunce yet must that woorde first bee a witnesse against vs. As for example wee shall neuer obtaine fauour of God vntill hee haue condemned vs. And wherefore Bicause we be wrapped in our sinnes and doe sooth and flatter our selues in them Nowe so long as men doe thus glory in themselues or become carelesse there is no place for mercie for they make but a scoffe of the goodnesse of GOD. Yee see then that wee bee shutte out from all hope of saluation vntill wee bee condemned of God To bring this to passe his word must discouer our iniquities and all our filthinesse and make vs abashed and ashamed and also driue vs to feele the sorrowes of death and to see hell which is prepared for vs. The point then whereat God beginneth when hee meaneth to bring men to saluation is that he stirreth vp his worde for a witnesse to them to make them to know that they be vtterly forlorne and damned Is that done Then doth God admonish vs and giue vs Testimonie of his good will and not onely lay vs foorth his doctrine but also recite the processe of all our faultes Nowe then let vs receiue the woord when it testifieth vnto vs our condemnation that beeing drawen thereby to repentance and altogether ashamed of our selues wee may obtaine fauour before GOD. Yet let vs vnderstande moreouer that when GOD doeth so frame our inditement it is for our benefite for hee maketh vs our owne Iudges to the intent that hee himselfe would not iudge vs but surceasse from it Nowe if wee will needes play the wilde beastes when as GOD testifieth our sinnes vnto vs or else if wee goe to seeke for leaues to couer vs 〈◊〉 3.7 that is to say if wee will needes scape his iudgement by our lying and hypocrisie and play the skoffers which make a mocke of all warninges that are giuen vnto them or if we play the mad bedlems in despising GOD as we see many doe who cannot abyde any rebukes but doe grinde their teeth as often as they bee made to vnderstande their sinnes if I say wee doe proceede so farre then must the woorde of God stand still in his first force to wit it must bee a Testimonie to vs of our damnation And therefore seeing it is sayde heere that the Song is a witnesse to auow that GOD hath iust cause to punishe his people and that the people stande conuicted thereby let vs feare let vs feare I say least our Lorde doe with lyke extremitie pursue the processe which hee hath made against vs and that there bee no place of refuge to his grace after wee haue once reiected it nay rather as soone as hee summoneth vs let vs learne to stoope and to shut our mouth and not to make any excuse but to say Lorde wee see verie well that if thou wouldest vse rigour towardes vs we were vndoone there is no shift for vs but that thou must receiue vs lyke damned and forlorne cast-awayes as wee bee and bestowe thy mercie vppon vs for all our welfare lyeth in this that thou looke no more vpon our sinnes to punish them but that through thy free goodnesse thou doe take them away and blot them out Thus ye see how we ought to put this place in vre where Moses sayeth that this Song shall be for a witnesse to the people of Israel Hee sheweth yet better what testimonie hee giueth by this Song It is sayeth he that I will bring you into the lande which I haue promised to your fathers a land flowing with milke and honnie Heereby he giueth vs to vnderstande that it is a fatte lande and fruitfull of all good things in such abundance as if milke did runne therein in stead of Riuers and as if they had withall the like abundance of hony This maner of speech is very commonly vsed whensoeuer God speaketh of the land of Chanaan and not without cause For God had blessed it aboue all the rest of the world yea and no doubt but the people found that with their comming thither the fruitefulnesse of that land was augmented And surely it is a maruailous matter how such a huge multitude was nourished in so small a countrie But at this day we see it is a land halfe barren True it is that euen as yet there are some places thereof as little speckes which are very fat abundant but yet farre vnable to verifie that which wee reade of it here namely that the land did flowe with milke and honie But herein we do so much the better see that which is spoken in the 107. Psalme Psal. 107.34 namely that when God hath giuen neuer so great fruitfulnesse to a land he can make it barrain againe as if it were sowed with salt so as there shall be nothing but leannesse nor any sustenance to bee found therein Wee perceiue then by the land of Chanaan how it is the hand of God that giueth aboundance to a land and likewise that his withdrawing of his blessing causeth a land to become fruitlesse and altogether barraine And therefore doeth Moses nowe protest that when the people come into y e land and there be nourished filled and fatted then serue straunge gods they shal bee condemned so much the more and then they must not looke for any startingholes but bee discouered to the whole world to their condemnation and this present song shal be as a processe wherin the forme of law is obserued so as y e summons shal be made first then the examinations and
him vppon the promyse of GOD. And that is the thing which must bee the stay of all our strength For if wee will bee stout vppon our owne heade GOD will ouerthrowe such a rashnesse lyke a fond thing as it is What must then bee done Wee must embrace the promises of GOD and when hee hath once tolde vs that he is our defender wee must not feare that wee shall bee forsaken of him but bee resolute in all thinges And although the worlde doe offer vs many ouerthwartes to make vs to distrust yet let vs stande stedfast in the thing which our GOD hath told vs. For it is good reason to doe him the honour that his woorde may bee preferred before all thinges that may turne vs away from the affiaunce that hee hath giuen vs. Thus see you heere a very profitable lesson which is y t bycause we feele so many infirmities in our selues y t there needeth nothing to beate vs downe but as soone as y e wind bloweth we be shaken or else doe fall altogether we perceiuing such feeblenesse in vs must receiue the remedie that is offered vs here which is to hearken to the promises of our God And for as much as hee assureth vs that he will neuer faile vs let vs trust to that stay For when the winds the Stormes and the Tempestes of this present world come wee shall neuer bee shaken Ye see then that the strength and stay of the faithfull is to rest altogether vpon that which God hath promised them And for that cause doeth Moses say to Iosuah Thou shale put the children of Israell in possession of the land And Moses speaketh it not at aladuenture Deut. 30. but to ratifie that which we haue seene more at large here before namely that God had chosen Iosuah to that office and that hauing committed the charge vnto him he promised him in likewise to vphold him with his mightie hande Whereupon it is saide vnto him be strong and behaue thy selfe manfully So then let vs learn to fight against al temptations when wee haue once tasted the force of Gods promises For it is a token that wee giue no credite to that which God speaketh when wee continue lyke Reedes shaking with euery winde and tremble at euery trouble that commeth standing in a mamering or starting from the right way and waxing rechlesse in discharging our duetie As often as such thinges happen wee shewe our weakenesse and wee giue good proofe that wee beleeue not that which GOD hath spoken Wee may well alleage and say As for my selfe I hold the promises of God for certaine I doubt not but that whatsoeuer proceedeth from his mouth is an infallible trueth Wee may well so say but the deede it selfe proueth that there is nothing in vs but hypocrisie and that wee bee not firme to go through with that which is commaunded vs and to discharge our duetie in following our vocation ne walke steadily when all thinges seeme forlorne To be short let vs learne that faith is ioyned with such power as ought alwayes to make vs to go foreward still whithersoeuer God calleth vs And so shall it doe conditionally that we bee grounded vppon his woorde And on the contrary side we must needes be tossed with vnquietnesse and be wandering hither and thither and trotte vp and downe without any stay if we haue not the word of God to guide vs and to be our lanterne And it is the right payment of all them that leane to their owne fansies and make foolishe enterprises and passe their boundes and lymites It is requisite say I that our Lord should beate them downe at the last though they were aduaunced for a tyme. And what is the cause Bycause as I saide afore there is no power but that which is grounded vppon the woorde of God But there is yet one point more which is that euerie one of vs must haue respect whereunto hee is called and what it is that God hath committed to his hands for as we see heere if Iosua had thrust in himselfe without God had appointed him what power could hee then haue had Peraduēture for a braide or twain he might haue done wonders as we see y e Children of this worlde doe who in their brauerie doe as it were spitte fire for a whyle as they say but in the end are quite confounded And euen so shoulde it haue happened to Iosua But forasmuch as hee taryed till God had shewed him his wil therfore he was not disappointed of his hope So then let none of vs take more vppon him than is lawfull for him but let vs consider what our office and calling require and so let euery of vs keepe him within his degree with all sobernesse and modestie and then will GOD bee our guide according to this saying of his that his Angels shall alwayes beare vs company Psal. 9◠11 euen in our iourneyes so wee goe not astray Nowe heerewithall it is declared heere that Moses did write this Song and all the booke of the Lawe and that hauing written it hee red it openly before all the people and gaue the booke of the Lawe to the Leuites willing them to lay it in the side of the Arke or Coffer of the Couenant and telling them that it should be a Testymonie against the people Yea and once againe he accuseth thē of rebelliō Thou shalt know saith he what a one thou art God must alwayes haue an action framed against thee and bee thy Iudge for thou art full of Rebellion thou wilt not bee gouerned but by strong hand If thou wouldest willingly serue thy God hee would vse thee after a more myeld and gentle fashion But what Bycause thou art so hardened in euill that thou wilt not by any meanes bee bowed GOD is fayne to vse rigour And nowe yet once againe sayeth hee I will call heauen and earth to witnesse against you That is the effect of that which is declared in this place Now as concerning the first poynt we must marke that this woorde Writing doeth import that Moses was not the author of the Lawe nor of the song but was onely the writer or recorder thereof at the mouth of God Nowe then like as a clearke of an office writeth what is appoynted him Euen so it is sayd expressely here that Moses wrate the things which he receiued of God and not any thing that was forged in his owne brayne And this serueth to giue such authoritie to the Lawe and to the song which wee shall see heereafter as may make vs to giue eare with all reuerence not to a mortall creature but to the liuing GOD whose will it is to haue his Maiestie knowen there Thus much for one poynt And herewithall it is shewed vs that our faith oweth no obedience but to him onely neyther ought to depend vppon men howe wise soeuer they be but that God ought to haue the gouerning and whole Lordship thereof According whereunto Saint
And where as Moses saith that God diuided landes to Nations according to the number of the children of Israel he maketh here a comparison betweene the ofspring of Abraham and the seuen nations that dwelled in the Countrie which they entred into and possessed afterwarde Surely they were a great multitude of people and seuen sundry nations were of them and yet our Lord preferred one lynage before them al. True it is that hee encreased the same lynage beyond the opinion of men according to this promise which hee had made to his seruaunt Abraham Number the starres of the Skie and sand of the Sea if thou canst Gen. 15. for so shall thy seede be in multitude But who wold haue thought that for one housholds sake there needed so great a lande as that seuen nations should haue bin driuen out of their Country to giue place to them that were descended of one barren man as the prophet Esay telleth them Esa. 51. saying Go seeke your originall get ye to the stone that ye were heawen out of for Abraham was alone and Sara was a barren woman to her vttermost olde age and yet hath God made you to issue out of these two stones as it were by myracle and not by the common order of nature knowe yee therefore that he hath wrought so mightily toward you that of duetie you ought to be the more prouoked to serue and honour him that his glorie may shine foorth in you Yee see then that the meaning of Moses in saying according to the number of the children of Israel is that forasmuch as God had foreseene that hee would adopt the ofspring of Abraham hee gaue the Lande of Chanaan not to one people alone but to seuen Nations in number And here we haue to note in the first place that inasmuch as the office of distributing the worlde into portions is attributed vnto God wee soiourne as it were by his appointment so long as wee dwell here belowe True it is that the children of Israel had a peculiar state but here Moses speaketh of the whole worlde accordingly also as the same is treated of in the hundreth psalme and in other places Psal. 107◠And that ought make vs to liue in the feare of God wheresoeuer wee bee For why We be found at his cost our dwelling vpon earth is not by haphazard but where it pleaseth him to maintaine vs. Yee see then how it is a profitable lesson to teach men to liue as in the presence of God because it is hee that hath appointed them to dwell there But by the way we be warned also not to trouble the boundes of places or the common order but to holde our selues euery man to his owne without incroching vppon other men For why God hath ordayned bounds in the world from the beginning This being so let euery man now abide in his owne possession and let not men trouble nor molest one another Yet notwithstanding we see how malicious men are For ambition and couetousnesse haue caused all the boundes to bee broken which GOD had set in the worlde Nembrod began first with setting vp the kingdome of Babylon 〈…〉 10. and afterward other men became desirous to win one frō another Yee see then how men haue peruerted the order that God had set in the world lyke vnsatiable gulfes But howsoeuer men haue delt yet hath God alwayes so bridled them that for all their greedinesse they could neuer set such confusion but that some certaine order hath remained still Howsoeuer the case stand let vs marke wel that Gods creating of men was not to cast them here at aladuenture but that his ordeyning and setling of the earth was to the ende we shoulde dwell therein And truely wee knowe that the earth was couered with water naturally the sea ought to be aboue the earth so as al of it should be ouerflowen It is of speciall vertue that wee haue any dry place whereon to set our foote And who is the dooer of that As soone as God commaunded the waters to withdrawe by and by there was place for men to dwell on Seeing then that we liue here and that the earth dooth feed susteine vs let vs assure our selues that therein God sheweth his pitie towardes vs. And therefore let vs serue him with the earnester minde euery of vs be contented with that which he hath without intermedling within other mens boundes Let vs not through couetousnesse rake to vs the things y t belong not to vs but let euery man hold himselfe as it were locked vp because we offend God and not men when we seeke to incroch vppon that which hee hath not giuen vs. Now then seeing that Moses telleth the people of Israel that they be bound vnto God for his allotting of their inheritance vnto them in the land of Chanaan yea euen before Abraham was borne there is much more reason that we should magnify the inestimable goodnesse of our God in consideration of the heauenly heritage which he hath promised and prepared for vs. For his preparing of a place for vs in heauen was not at that time when he parted the worlde into portions but euen before the world was created as sayth S. Paul 〈…〉 4. For before there was either heauē or earth God hauing adopted vs to be his children prepared a dwelling place for vs aboue Sith it is so we conclude that he had no respect of any worthines in our persons ne looked that wee should merit or deserue aught at his hand but onely vsed his owne free goodnesse Yee see then how we must be caryed vp aboue the world as oft as we thinke vppon our saluation And the reason hereof is added forthwith by Moses namely Because they were the people of God and his portion and Iacob is the meteline of his inheritaunce Thē if it be demaunded why God in making partition of the world preferred the children of Israel before all the residue why that one house was so deere vnto him that he vouchsafed to appoint them a countrie certaine If it be demaunded what moued God thereto Moses answereth it was because Iacob was his portion and the meteline of his heritage As if he should say Ye poore soules your God hath vsed such gratious goodnesse towardes you as yee cannot say there was any thing on your owne behalf or that ye had any vertue in you or at a word that ye can dim Gods glory any whit by your owne deserts There was no such thing for all proceeded of his owne free adoption What was the cause that the linage of Abraham became Gods inheritance as it were his portion For by the worde Meteline here is betokened a part or portion For in those dayes men measured Landes by Metelines that is the cause why the word Cord or Meteline is so often spoken of in the holy scripture when mention is made of distributing or diuiding into
vnto him that y e land was not the cheefe heritage whereunto the children of Abraham were to attaine Here therefore wee haue a sure record that although the fathers which liued vnder the Lawe had not the heauenly lyfe so lightsomly largely reuealed vnto them yet did they grounde themselues thereupon laboring to attaine therunto and were not wedded to this world as if that had bin the marke they amed at and that they had bin tyed to it to say Well God hath chosen and adopted vs to possesse a good and fatte land to the intent wee should bee fostered therein For if the people had but thought vppon that what had become of Moses who was the excellentest prophet that euer God raysed vp vntill the comming of our Lord Iesus Christ as wee shall see in the last Chapter That is the cause why Moses beheld y t land and vewed it afar off Deut. 34.10 And although hee neuer ate one graine of the corne thereof nor tasted one drop of the wine yet did it suffice him to see that God had not disappointed his people It is to bee concluded then that Moses had a further forelook and stood not musing vppon the transitorie inheritance but considered full well that when wee be made the children of God it is to the ende wee shoulde liue euerlastingly with him Seeing then that Moses had that let vs vnderstand that the fathers were not without cause called the children of God which thing they were not vnlesse they were heires with vs. And forsomuch as they tended to the heauenly lyfe which notwithstanding was shewed to them but afar off let vs take the more courage to vs seeing that God is come neerer vnto vs after a more familiar maner euen in the person of our Lord Iesus Christ. Therefore let all these things moue vs that our faith may waken vs and withdrawe vs frō all the impedimentes of this world so as we may keepe on our way to the euerlasting rest which cannot faile vs. Now whereas it is sayd vnto Moses that hee shall bee gathered vp with his people hereby our Lord meant that hee was of necessitie to passe the common way as they say of all mankinde and that his case should be no better than of all the rest of Adams children Truely this woulde trouble vs if there were no more than so But I haue spoken already of y e special promise whereuppon Moses was grounded Neuerthelesse our Lord shewed him that forasmuch as he was descended of Adams race it behooued him needes to dye And this accordeth still with the matter which I speake of euen now namely that we shal neuer take sufficient taste of Gods goodnes and promises vntil we be brought low in ourselues y t we may know our own needines and what y e lyfe is which is promised vs and which we obtein by Iesus Christ. We think not vpon any of all these thinges except we first know the death y t is purchased vnto vs by Adam that the same dwelleth in vs and holdeth vs prisoners in his bands If we knowe not that wee bee cursed of God by nature and that we haue no other hope but rottennesse as touching our bodies and that as touching our soules we be reiected of God feele that he is against vs and that he is our Iudge y t he will vtter forth all his maiestie to our confusion Vntil such time as we feele all these things it is certeine that we will neuer seeke the remedie that is offered vs in our Lorde Iesus Christ nor receiue him with such reuerence as to become lyke poore hungry soules So then we see how we haue neede of this warning that we must be gathered vp With whom With those which haue gone before vs. And without that what comfort shall wee haue Lesse than the brute beastes haue For if we thinke vpon nothing but death we goe all into rottonnes our bodies be in no better plight than the bodies of Asses and Dogges And againe as touching our soules we must needes bee separated and cut off from God and feele him to be against vs. That then is our state And therfore whensoeuer we heare any speaking of death let vs by and by bethinke vs of Adams sin of the corruption of our nature and of all the vices that dwell in vs which serue all to cut vs off as rotten members from Gods house and kingdome When wee haue bethought vs thereof and that we be so dismayed as we know not where to become for the terror that shall haue caught holde of vs let vs repaire to Iesus Christ Iohn 11.25 and sith we knowe that hee is the resurrection and the lyfe let vs take courage to offer our selues vnto death and let it not greeue vs to be done away seeing wee haue promise that we shall be restored againe And so when wee haue bethought vs of all the nations of y e world and of all Adams ofspring let vs come to the people whom God hath sanctifyed and chosen to be his heritage Seeing then that we shall be gathered vppe with the righteous surely it is a good gathering and therein lyeth all our rest cōtentation so as death shal be sweete vnto vs. And although wee must of necessitie passe that way with all other creatures yet dooth God take vs and keepe vs as his chosen children and to be ioyned to our Lord Iesus Christ who is named the first borne from among the dead And to the intent we should bee the first fruites of the resurrection and of the quicke hee hath gathered vs to himselfe and matched vs with y e holy Patriarkes Prophets and Apostles That say I is the thing which sweeteneth all the sorrowes that we can conceiue Now in the end it is sayd yet again vnto Moses That he sanctifyed not Gods name among the children of Israel and therefore hee should see the Land euen the Land which God had giuen to his people Here we haue to marke that it is not enough for vs to absteine from doing euill but that we must also sanctifie Gods name when we see men misuse it through their leawdnesse And in very deede the chiefe thing that God requireth Matt. 6. ◠is that his name should be sanctifyed for it is the first petition which we make And by that order our Lord Iesus Christ sheweth vs full well that wee must begin at that point as for example when he saith First seeke yee the kingdome of God what dooth that signify Matt. 6.33 That we should seeke to exalt God that all the world shoulde obey him and that his maiestie should be knowen to the end that all prayse of wisedome righteousnesse goodnes and power might bee attributed vnto him That is the thing whereunto euery of vs ought to put his indeuour True it is y t we ought in deede to sanctifie the name of God that is to say to dedicate our selues euery man
to do men good For it is the propertie of God to be liberal to al men Matt. 5.45 yea eun to those which are not worthie therof insomuch that he maketh his day Sunne to shine both vpon good bad After his example we ought to do our indeuer to strayne our selues to the vttermost of our power to benefite al men to do al men good And so it is the common style of the holy scripture to name the faithfull meekes ones Psal. 16.10 specially we see it is as rife a thing as can be in the Psalmes But forasmuch as he sayth to his meeke one it may be taken for the man of thy mercie that is to say for the man whom thou Lord hast elected and chosen through thy goodnes For Aaron attayned not to the dignitie of y e priesthood by his owne desertes but because God vouchsafed to choose him Now then the name that is attributed to him here may be taken as if a man should say in the passiue signification that God vouchsafed to make him a mirrour of his free election yea and that hauing so chosen him exalted him to so high and excellent honour he would haue him to shewe that wee depende wholly vppon his goodnes so that of al y e things which we haue none proceedeth of our owne power or vertue but of his pitying of vs for that he is mynded to shewe his gracious goodnes towards vs. But howsoeuer the case stand Moses ment to declare here that the trybe of Leuye should alwayes serue God with the dignitie of priesthood and that the high priest should bee clothed with the ornamentes that were giuen him to goe into the sanctuarie And in that case hee was not as a mortall man nor as one of the degree of creatures but as the mediatour betweene God and men whereby he surmounteth the very Angels of Heauen For the priest of the lawe was in his office more excellent than all the Angels of heauen And why Because he was to represent the person of our Lorde Iesus Christ who is the head of the Angels as well as of men and hath soueraigne dominion ouer all principalitie not only on earth but also in heauen Yee see then how the meaning of Moses is that the priesthood should be in the trybe of Leuy And let vs marke nowe that Moses magnifieth heere the trybe of Leuye of purpose to wype away the dishonour that was there afore For wee knowe howe Iacob had sayde Gen. 49.5 Yee Simeon and Leuye yee bee instruments of wickednesse yee haue destroyed a towne and yee haue slayne the men like murderers as yee bee I will not haue to doe with you neyther in speech nor in heart I refuse you And thou Leuye shalt bee dispersed among my people for thou art not woorthie to haue any heritage Loe after howe terrible a fashion GOD speaketh against Leuye and all his ofspring Hee seemeth to bee quyte rased out as one that was not worthie to haue any place or degree in the Church But what reuerence nowe had there been in the priesthood if the trybe of Leuye had continued in that reproch For seeing that their father was disgraded by Iacob who was Gods deputie as I haue declared afore what should haue becom of al those which were descended of his race Nowe then it was requisite that this tribe of Leuie should bee re-established to the intēt that the order of priesthood might not be despised least it might keepe men backe from hearkening to the doctrine of their mouth What will become of it if they which haue the charge of teaching the people be pointed at with mens fingers set light by skorned or blemished with any marke of reproch in themselues so as men disdaine them Surely they shall neuer profite men they shall not be able to edifie them men will vtterly mislike of them Nowe we knowe and it shal be declared more fully heereafter that the Leuites were ordeined of God to teach all the people Then if they had beene reputed as men of no valour it woulde haue caried great preiudice with it so as the lawe it selfe should haue had no great reuerence men would haue made no account of it and the very common people would haue shrunke away from the expounders therof Therefore it is not causelesse that Moses telleth them that The Thumim and Vrim of god that is to say his perfections and teachings are in that tribe and God will haue it knowen that there remaineth not nowe any such reproch there as there did before but rather that hee setteth his antsignes there For in Aarons Mytre was Gods name 〈…〉 8.36 euen the name of the Euerlasting and that was a thing exempted from all the world Also there was the iudgement as I saide afore And for what cause was Aaron apparelled after that manner but to shewe that in him there was a myrrour of Gods glory Sith it was so it behooued the people to forget Leuies fault and the punishment thereof which had beene laide vppon him and his ofspring and to receiue Gods Lawe at the mouth of the Leuites and to haue them in estimation and to honour them as Gods messengers or rather as Angels as they be termed in the Prophet Malachie 〈…〉 7. True it is that Moses was of the same tribe but yet did God so prouide that the skorners could not alledge that he had fauored his owne linage or house And why Who is hee that pronounced that sentence against Leuie Euen Moses himselfe for it was he that compyled the booke of Genesis wherein hee spared not the fault of his own auncetor For it behoued him to be as Gods notarie to set down y e sentence both vpon Leuie and vppon all that came of his race Heere then wee see that Moses behaued not himselfe after the manner of men but executed faithfully the charge that was committed vnto him Again the highpriesthood was not in his owne house though it were in his owne tribe He was a greater man than his brother Aaron and hee had children which might haue succeeded in his place And yet for all that hee made none of them prince of the people he made none of them a gouernour neither had they any preheminence aboue the others nay they had not so much as any portion of inheritance but were faine to be contented with the first fruits Tythes and Offerings after the custome of the rest of the tribe of Leuie Moses then gaue not the Highpriesthood to his owne children neither tooke he it to himselfe What were Moses his children then and al his successours They were but vnderseruants of the meanest in the Temple and they were faine to serue there euen without being in any degree of honour God say I ment to prouide that Moses should not bee subiect to any slaunder And therefore the thinges which hee speaketh now of the tribe of Leuie are not spoken in
561. b 50. We wil needes haue Ceremonies to coÌ„tent God withall to discharge our dutie towards him 561. a 60. b 10. c. Ceremonies in the time of the law including certeine prohibitions from crueltie 560. a 60. b 20 The Iewes were diligent in obseruing the Ceremonies but negligent in performing the substance of them 579. b 50.60 580. a 10 How farre foorth we ought to vse Ceremonies 562. a 10 Ceremonies without instruction are condemned of God why 598 a 30.40.50 Of popish Ceremonies why the wretched world is rauished at them 598. a 10.30.40 God is now contented with a few ceremonies what those be 505. a 30 Reasons why God gaue his people so manie lawes rules Ceremonies at their going into the lande of Chanaan 503. a 10.20 The signification meaning of diuerse Ceremonies vsed in the temple b all Why God listed not to giue the Iewes the Ceremonies at the first in such maner as they be set downe in Leuiticus but reserued them a long time 503. a 50.60 Why God hath now abolished the ceremonies of the lawe that were of his owne appointing 505. a 20 All the Ceremonies of the Lawe had some certeine vse whereto they serued 299. b 10 God ordeined not y e Ceremonies without further consideration of some reason in them 299. a 40.50.60 Why Gods will was to teach his people humilitie by visible signes outward Ceremonies 425. b 20.30 Why we vse the Ceremonies of putting off our caps lifting vp our handes in praying 497. a 30.40 God giueth vs such Ceremonies as are meete for vs why 497. b 20.30 A rehersal of certaine particular Ceremonies which the Iewes were bound to obserue 501. b 40.50.60 We deceiue our selues if wee thinke to content God with Ceremonies 128. a 40 The Ceremonies of the lawe are no more in vse 163. b 30.40 A repetition of diuerse legall Ceremonies w t their significatioÌ„s 302. a 10.20 Certeine For what cause God termeth his plagues Certeine 1001. a 50 Certeintie God would haue his people in the time of the law to stand vpon a Certeintie and what we haue to learne thereby 485. b 50.60 The malice of men noted in that they had leuer followe vncerteintie than Certeintie see howe 485. a 50.60 b 10 We must be grounded vpon Certeintie so as we knowe the God whome wee worship is no idol 489. a 20 How the papistes reconcile themselues to god but w t no Certeintie 1051. a 10 God hath euer shewed his will to the faithfull so as they haue had such Certeintie in their doings as was requisite 501. a 50. b 30 Chanaan The fathers had not an eye to the visible land of Chanaan but only took it as a representation of the euerlasting dwelling place c. 10. a all How the lande of Chanaan was seene to be at the people of Israels commandement 26. b 10 A similitude or comparison betweene y e land of Chanaan the kingdom of heauen 27. a 20.30.40.50.60 To what end Gods setting forth of the land of Chanaan to the Iewes serued 465. b 30.40.50 By what kind of people y e lande of Chanaan was inhabited before y e Iewes tooke possession thereof 295. b 40 What the Iewes should haue considered by their enioying of the lande of Chanaan 295. a 20 All that is spoken of the land of Chanaan must serue vs for a figure and shadow 8. b 40 The land of Chanaan was as a mirrour of the heauenly life 152. b 20 The cause why so great a sight to viewe all the countries of the land of Chanaan was giuen vnto Moses 106. a 50 The meaning of God in calling the lande of Chanaan the lande of his rest 46. a 10 The land of Chanaan was not watered after the manner of Aegypt 466. b 50 60. 467. a 10.20 The fertilitie fruitfulnes of the land of Chanaan 1124. a 40.50.60 b all The fatherlie care that God had ouer the land of Chanaan in sending rain vpon it 467. b 50 Of the hie situation of the land of Chanaan in respect of Aegypt the couÌ„tries circumiacent 1124 a 30 What moued God to giue the land of Chanaan to Abraham and his seede 377. a 60. and b 10 The Patriarches were not put in possession of the land of Chanaan during their liues 377. a 60. b 10.20 The causes why God commanded the Israelites to root out all the follie out of the land of Chanaan 327. b 50.60 328. a 10.30.40 Howe vilely Seruettus the heretike thought of the land of Chanaâ—n 1124. b 40 The land of Chanaan lent of God for a time to the old inhabitants therof and who they were 1116 a 40 Seuen sundrie nations inhabited y e land of Chanaan before the Iewes had possession thereof 1116. a 60. b 30 God appointed the lande of Chanaan purposely to his own honor 330. a 30 Wherof the resting place of the land of Chanaan was a figure 347. b 50 The land of Chanaan was a mirror as it were of the kingdome of heauen 1047 a 20.30 What things are to be considered in the land of Chanaan c. 279. b 60. c. What things Moses comprehended vnder this terme The lande of Chanaan 290 b 60 A description of the land of Chanaan as it was in the time of the Iewes as it is now 1093. b 10.20 A speciall consideration in the Israelites conquering of the land of Chanaan 95. a 60. b 10 Vnder this word the lande of Chanaan all the benefites that God bestowed on his people were comprehended 551. b 10 How Iacob dying three hundred yeres before the partition of the lande of Chanaan could make a partition thereof notwithstanding 1212. a 30 What wee haue to learne by Moseses not entring into the land of Chanaan 1178. all None of all those which came out of Aegypt entred into the land of Chanaan but only two and those which were newe sprung vp in the wildernesse being then but little children as it were about a foure or fiue yeres old 1183. b 10.20 The land of Chanaan was to Moses a signe and sacrament of the kingdom of heauen 107. a 10 The state of the land of Chanaan what it is at this day 921. a 10 Whereunto y e land of Chanaan should haue guided the Iewes 503. a 50 Why it is said that the land of Chanaan was a land flowing with milke honie 920. b 50.60 That all the people of Israel possessed not all the land of Chanaan that was giuen them and why 711. b 20 Why God commanded that the people of the land of Chanaan shoulde be vtterly rooted out and slaine by the Israelites 728. a all 730. a 10 Why God gaue the land of Chanaan to the Israelites 8. b 20. Looke Land of Promise Change Wee must not seeke to bring in any Change or alteration into Gods church Read the whole 75 sermon and page 461. b 30.40 That it is in
Epicures in the worlde nowe a dayes 494. a 10 Equalitie What Equalitie y t is which Paul woulde haue betwene masters and seruants 594. b 10 In what respect there is an Equalitie among men 218. a 20.40 Equitie Wherunto Equitie is compared how the same becommeth iniquitie 602. b 50 Error It is God that giueth effectual or workfull Error 82. b 40 What Saint Paul meaneth by y e tearme of effectuall Error 82. b 50 What we must doe when all the world is full of Error and corruption 178. a 30. 146. b 20 What efficacie of Error God giueth vnto Satan and to what end 535. a 30.40.50 Looke Heresie Errors The cause why most men from the creation of the world haue not ceased to ouershoote themselues into a number of Errors and follies 146. a 10 It is vnpossible for men to bee withdrawen from Errors vnlesse they haue Gods word 664. a 40.50 There is none of vs which hath not a storehouse of Errors in his owne head what remedie there against 524. b 10.20 That wee must not beare with the Errors of false Prophets and teachers 536. a 60. b all Why God suffereth Sathan to sowe Errors among vs. 533. a 50.60 Looke Heresies Esau. Of Esau howe he was driuen out of his fathers house and what wee haue to learne by him 809. a 50.60 and b all he was cut off from the inheritance of the lande of promise 62. a 10 Esau his linage were called Edomites and I dumeans 63. a 40.50 Why God disherited Esau of the lande that he had promised to his graundfather Abraham 63. a 10 For what cause God gaue him mount Seir. 63. a 30.40 Why a part of the lande of promise had belonged to Esau. 62. a 10 Euerlasting What we haue to learne by the worde Euerlasting attributed vnto God Read page 185. all The Euerlasting written in the mitre of Aaron 1199. a 30. b 40 Euill That all the Euill which we see in the worlde proceedeth from the hande of God and what this worde Euill meaneth 964. a 50.60 b all 1135. a 40.50 Why our Lord will haue vs ouercome Euill with good 73. b 60 Howe we ought to withstand Euill and that not to consent thereunto is not our sufficient discharge 407. a 10 What is meant by these words Resist not Euill with Euill 710. a 10.20 Howe men ought to determine of thinges which God condemneth that are Euill of themselues 563. a 10 A rule to discerne good and Euill by 53. b 60. 54. a 10 A warning to eschewe the occasions of all Euill 174. b 10 Of preuenting the occasions of Euill 343. b 10. c. That it standeth vs on hande not to be partakers in Euill 407. a 60 Howe ranke the seede of Euill is in vs. 340. a 50.60 What we must doe whensoeuer anie Euill is threatened vs from God 535. a 60 He that letteth Euill slippe or preuenteth it not if he can giueth libertie to Euill 407. a 20.30 The welspring of all Euill is the not knowing what God we should serue 471. b 40 What God will doe if men render vs Euill for good 70. a 50 We goe alwayes forwarde to Euill vnder colour of good 184. b 20 Exalt Howe we must be affected whensoeuer God listeth to Exalt others in our place 197. b 10 Christ will Exalt vs notwithstanding we still sinke downewarde as hee himselfe was exalted 29. a 10 Examination A forme of Examination to bee taken of our selues when we feele afflictions that bee straunge vnto vs. 993. a 30 A forme of Examination of our sinnes in the time of Gods visitation 965. a 60. b all How men ought to behaue themselues in the Examination of offences 688. b 50.60 689. a 10. b all 690. a 10 The Preachers of Gods worde are not exempted from all Examination wherein 677. b 60.678 a 10 Example The Iewes neuer a whit the better by the Example of other afflicted nations 1142. b 50.60.1143 a 10 What wee are to learne by the Example of the Iewes whose sinnes being counteruailable to theirs deserue the like shame 1101. al. In what thinges the Example of the patriarches is not to be followed of vs. 652. b 30.40 We must not be carried away to doe amisse by others Example Read how 563. b 60. 564. a 10.20 555. a 10 Examples What the Examples of Zabulon and Isachar doe teach vs concerning the seruing of God 1219. all 1220. a 10 c. Dreadfull Examples of Gods wrath vpon mightie people and that wee ought to be warned thereby 1040. al 1041. a al. The Examples of men people countries in what cases not to bee followed 288. a 40.50.60 b 40.50 Exception With what Exception God gaue the Iewes leaue to make choice of their meates 567. a 40 An Exception to the lawe whereby it was commanded to set seruantes at libertie after sixe yeares seruice 591 a 50.60 God admitteth no Exception in that which he commaundeth and what exceptions men vse in that case 524. b 40.50 Excesse Against the Excesse of the good creatures of God as meate apparell such like 781. b all 782. all Looke Abuse and Creatures Excommunicated What manner of persons ought to bee Excommunicated out of y e Church 788. a 50.60 Excommunication Excommunication of an other forme in the primitiue Church than it is nowe adaies 830. a 30 Of Excommunication alowed by Paul and vpon whome the same was executed 730. b 50 The cause why Excommunication was ordeyned in the Church 812. b 40.50 and from whence it was deriued ibidem b 10.20 c. 850. a 30.40 Against whome as heretikes the Papistes thunder out their Excommunication 143. b al 544. a al. Excuse What the heathen might alleadge for their Excuse of not knowing God and that the Iewes were vtterlie vnexcusable 1132. al There is no place at all of Excuse through ignorance left vnto vs touching Gods will 1059. all and 247. a 20.30 436. a 20.30 c. 544. b 10.20.30 That the excuse of an offender is not to be admitted in iudgement 688. a 40.50 b 10.20 Although the whole worlde flowe out into all naughtinesse yet is that no Excuse for vs. 289. a 10 There is no Excuse for vs if we take instruction by al the order which God keepeth to teach vs withall in this worlde 357. a 10.20.30.40.50 The Papistes Excuse of their not comming to the Gospel 257. a 20.30 The vaine Excuse of such as say they cannot giue themselues to God because of the sinfulnesse of their nature reproued 434. a 40.50 An honest Excuse to mens seeming is not allowable to God Reade that place 305. a 10.20.30.40 What Excuse we might vse to God if we knew not directly what to do 502 a 10 An Excuse that the despisers of Gods word vse to couer their villanie withall 119. a 40.50.60 Excuses The vaine Excuses of Papistes and others whereby they beare thēselues in hande that they
they will behaue themselues as they ought 655. b 20 Why the Kings of Israel were forbidden to gather great numbers of horses to returne againe into Aegypt 651. a 60 The Kings of Israel forbidden to hoord vp much golde and siluer 652. a 10 20. c. Howe the hearts of Kings are in the hand of God Read notable doctrine 477. b 10 Kings and princes haue a verie harde account to make 2. b 10. Look Gouernors Iudges Princes Kingdome Of the Kingdome of our Lorde Iesus Christ that it shall seeme to be abolished out of the worlde 1196. a b all and that it shal be stablished by miracle 1197. a 10.20 b all 1198. a 10 646. a 60. b 10.537 a all b 10. The Kingdome of Iuda had that title after a speciall and holie maner and how 644. b 50.60.645 a 10.20 What is meant by these wordes that wee must first seeke the Kingdome of God so foorth 122â— a 30 With what difficultie impedimentes the Kingdome was established in the tribe of Iuda and what wee haue to learne hereof 1197. all Why the Kingdome was not established in the tribe of Ruben 1194. all but in the tribe of Iuda 1195. all 1196. a 30.40.50 Kingdomes What is the cause that wee see not Kingdomes altered daily 63. b 50.60 Kingdome of heauen What encounters we haue to make before wee can come to the Kingdome of heauen 12. a 10.20.30 The lande of Chanaan was but a figure thereof 27. a 20. We cannot perceiue that it is ours if wee beleeue our senses 28. b 20. It belonged not to vs c. 170. b 10. Wee haue greater cause to lift vp our harts to it than Abraham had 10. a 40. Moses an heire of it though hee were bereft of the outwarde signe thereof 50. b 60 The inconuenience that followeth vs if we haue not an eye vnto the Kingdome of heauen 36. b 10 Kinred How the Iewes were vexed of the Ammonites and Moabites their owne Kinred and what is thereof to be gathered for our learning 798. b all 799. all page 69. b 10.68 a 10.20.67 a 10 Howe euen in Gods matters wee preferre Kinred â— before God and his church 801.2 all What degrees of Kinred may not couple in marriage 794. b 40.50.60.795 a 10. c. Out of what fountaine all Kinred doeth issue 540. a 50.60 In what respectes the wicked can finde themselues to bee in Kinred 62. b 40.50 What wee haue to learne in that God alledgeth Kinred 62. b 10 The common Kinred of all men in generall what it is 62. a 30. c. The stocke and Kinred of our Lord Iesus Christ. 68. b 30 The chiefe stocke or Kinred of the Israelites was the tribe of Iuda 68. b 20. Looke Aliance Kinsfolkes Against excessiue moorning for our friends and Kinsfolkes 553. a and b all Kisse The meaning of these wordes Kisse the sonne c. 1137. b 10.20 Knowe The more we Knowe a wicked thing the more wee must eschewe it 1031 a all Why the Iewes are vnexcusable if they Knowe not God 165. b 50.60 and 166. a 10 Our negligence is partly the cause that wee Knowe not God 160. b 30.40.50 Wee must learne to Know nothing but that which wee receiue from aboue 112. a 40 To Knowe which is our true God is a continuall exercise for vs all our life long 171. b 30 Why the fathers did not Knowe God so familiarly as wee do 182. b 50 Howe wee may Knowe that the things which wee doe are acceptable vnto God 514. b 50 The meaning of these wordes Knowe thou that thy God is God 318. b 20 30.40 It is Gods pleasure wee should Knowe him and how 272. a 20 The meaning of these wordes Knowe thou in thy heart c. 356 a 40.50.60 b 10.20.30 Wee must Knowe God before wee can worship him Looke well vpon that doctrine 269. a 40.50 Wee may Knowe God generally euen by the order of nature Read lowe 357. a 10.20 Whether God doe not Knowe what wee be without triall 34â— b 30.40.50.60 Knowing In Knowing God we must consider his maiestie and how 137. a 10 The welspring of all euill is the not Knowing what god we should serue read that place 471. b 40 Of our Knowing of God and what the same must bring with it 446. a 50.60 Knowledge From whence the Knowledge to serue God aright dooth spring 269. a 60 b 10 Of the true Knowledge of God Read the place it is noteworthie 160. b 30.40.50.60 161. a 10. b 30 The ende why God hath called vs to his Knowledge 150. a 30.40 b 10 The Knowledge of our God is the final end of all our perfection 147. b 60 The Knowledge of God is not a dead vneffectuall thing 171. b 40.50 To what ende our Knowledge of God must serue 298. b 30 The profite and commoditie redounding vnto vs by the Knowledge of God 136. b 10 What Knowledge of God wee ought to conceiue 284. b 50.60 That men must punish euill â—eedes so soone as they come to Knowledge and howe the same is meant 633. a 20.30 How the worlde shifteth it selfe from taking any such Knowledge in the scripture as they ought to haue 1079. b 40.50.60 The fathers Knowledge of God ours compared 269. b 30.40.50.60 376. a 30.40 Of a necessarie kinde of Knowledge required in vs and of the vaine knowledge of man 1115. a 60. b all 486 a 20.30 What the true Knowledge of a mans owne selfe is 376. a 30.40 Of a slight Knowledge of God and a setled knowledge of him and the right vse of the same 184. b 10. 1020. a 10.20 Looke Vnderstanding L. Labour Of what thing men must be resolued though by Labour they get their liuing 280. a 40 Man was ordained to Labour euen before he had sinned 409. a 10.20 206. b 30. a 60 That men must Labour for their liuing and to whom the good successe of their labour is to be referred 570 b 30.40.50.60 What euerie man ought to think with himselfe since hee is created to Labour 878. a 30 b all Of the Labour of the poore and that it is to them as lands and liuing to the rich 860. a 10.20.30 A forme of calling vpon God when we applie our selues to any kind of Labour 959. a 20.30.40 958. b 60 A great difference betweene handie Labour and that which the faithfull do in endeuouring to doe well 959 b. 30 How Gods blessing and mens Labour go together 959. a 40.50 What care wee ought to haue ouer them that Labour and take paines for vs be they beastes or men 770 a. all The Labour that men take nowe is a chasticement for sinne 206. a 60 The six dayes Labour is not set downe as a commandement but as a grant c. 207. a 10. Looke Worke. Labours Of Gods blessing of the workes Labours of mens hands Read notable doctrine page 570. b
a all A commendable and well ordered Moorning for the death of good and honest men 1242. a 60. b 10 Moorning for the dead must be moderated and done with measure 1242. b 10.20 In Moorning for the dead that were our friendes we must not fal into despaire as howe 1242. b all Mother Why the Church is generally called by the name of Mother 883. a 20 Of children that refuse to obey their Mother and that rule ouer them belongeth vnto her likewise 755. a 50.60 Mothers Against Mothers that haue no care for their children 775. b 30.40 Looke Parentes Mortification Of Mortification which is the perfection of our life 443. a all Of the sacrifice of Mortification and howe wee should present ourselues therewith before God 820. b 40.50 Touching the Mortification of our affections lustes and vices Reade page 731. a 30.40 c. b 60. 732. a 10. 747. a 10 Moses Whether Moses saw God in his glorie or no. 255. a 60. b 10. he was buried in Nebo and that God buried him 1237. a 40. 1180. a 10. he prepareth himselfe to die according to Gods will 1236. a 10. he was not buried after the common fashion and why 1237. b 10. Why his face was couered with a veile 1200. a 50. 403. b 20.30.40 after what sort hee was glorified and of the shining of his face 1188. a 10. 1237. b 50.60 his blessinges vpon the twelue tribes seuerally expounded in the sermons 192.193.194.195.196.197 in what respect hee was called the man of God 1185. b 10. it is not meant that he was a king in Israell as some gather by the text in whose time no king was in Israell 1192. a 20. hee was of the tribe of Leui and howe he dealt with that tribe 1199. a 40. Of him and Aaron and of Gods punishing of them 1178. all 1179. all what was the cause that he set all his minde vpon the good mountaine c. 103. a 10.20 of his meekenesse and the excesse of his affections c. 97. b 40.50 howe he should offende seeing it appeareth not in the whole storie 49. a 10.20.30.40.50.60 Iethro an heathen man was his father 13. a 20. the singlenesse of his heart in discharging his office 5. a 60. b 10. his authoritie in publishing the lawe and what those hornes which men attribute vnto him were 1. b 30. 2. a 10. he behaued himselfe louinglie and rigorously to the Israelites reade the place howe 144. a 30.40.50 he testifieth his fault why he was excluded out of the lande of Chanaan and what he teacheth vs in that behalfe 1073. b 30.40.50.60 1074. a 10. 1183. a 10. no prophet in Israel like him and why God did so magnifie him 5. a 20.30 1246. b 30.40.50.60 1247. al 258. b 10.20 1198. b all 1246. b 30.40 1247. a all 266. a 20.30 389. a 40.50 he is moorned for of all the people of Israell and what wee haue to note in that 1241. b 50.60 the cause why his life was so prolonged 1241. a 40.50 his age and diuerse thinges notable in him 1241. a 30.40 c. 98. a 10.20 1073. b 20. a forme of speech wherby he might seme not the mildest but the roughest man aliue 1101. a 10.20 God telleth him that hee must die and what wee haue to learne thereby 1088. b 10. c. why his graue is vnknowen to this day and what wee haue to note thereupon 1240. a 20.30.40 1237. b 10.20.30 1184. a 60. hee beareth Gods banishing of him out of the lande of promise patiently and of his fault 1236. a 10. b all 1182. b 30.40.50.60 1183. a 10. he sawe the lande of promise but was shut out of it and why 1073. a 40.50 1235. b 50.60 1179. all 1181. b 30.40 the great care that he had for the peoples welfare 142. b 30.40.50 he is disgraded from his office and Iosua set in his roome 197. a 40. Notwithstanding his age of sixe score yeeres yet did his senses continue in their full strength 106. a 30. he obteined speciall fauor in Gods sight aboue all other and why 105. b 30. though hee were bereft of the lande of promise yet was that no impeachment to his saluation 104. b 20 Mouth The meaning of these wordes Man is nourished by euerie worde that coÌ„meth out of the Mouth of God 351. b 30.40.50.60 352. a all In the gospel we haue the Mouth of god open most of all 32. b 40 In what sort we must pray to God with our Mouth 362. b 10.20.30 What is meant by yeelding to Gods Mouth 32. b 20.30 33. a 10 20. 52 b 40. 1237. a 50 Of hauing the worde of God alwaies in our Mouth Reade all the 176 sermon where Moseses song is treated of and in the sermon going before being the 175. How the Iewes were disobedient to the Mouth of God 55. b 60. Looke Worde of God Mount Why Mount Horeb ought to haue beene sanctified and acknowledged holie 387. b 10 Why Moses and Helias did appeare at the transfiguring of Christ vpon the Mount 390. a 10 Why God choose Mount Sion for his dwelling place 1210. b 50 Moses is tolde of God that he shall die vpon Mount Nebo 1180. a 10 The situation of Mount Pharan mount Seir and mount Sinay 1186. b 10. Looke Hill Multitude Doctrine to be gathered vppon these wordes God spake to the whole Multitude 248. a 10.40.50.60 b 10 20.30 40 Two preferred before a whole Multitude of seuen hundred thousande 47. a â—0 When and in what cases we must let the greater Multitude of men alone 31. b 10.20 To be carried away with the Multitude is no good excuse for vs before God 31. b 40 Not the Multitude but the better sort to be regarded 31. a 20.50 The common trade and custome of the Multitude 31. b 30 The Papistes vaunt their religion to be true because it is receiued of the greater Multitude 1040. a 20 Murmur Dauid diuersly affected in his life time yet did he not Murmur against God 951. b 30.40.50.60 952. a 10. c. In what daunger hee is that doeth but Murmur against his neighbour 220. b 50. 221. a 10 Wee must not Murmur at our estate how miserable and distressed soeuer it be looke the place 409. b 30.40 Murmuring Two hundred and fiftie swallowed vp of the earth for Murmuring against Moses and Aaron 461. b 50.60 The Murmuring of the Iewes against God at Giberoth Thauah 407. b 40.50.60 Why the Murmuring of Aaron against Moses was not punished considering that others offending in the like were not vnpunished 851. a 30. 40.50.60 What will become of our Murmuring against God if we be afflicted out of measure to our owne seeming 89. a 40 The maner of the Israelites Murmuring in the wildernesse 49. a 10.20 408. b 40.50 409. a 30.40 The Murmuring of the Iewes made
y t our Lord Iesus Christ is the redeemer that hath appeared vnto vs that we be sanctified by the holy Ghost and also y t we can beare record of the maiesty of our God at leastwise according to his vttering of himselfe vnto vs by his holy scriptures Which done then let vs adde y t we beleeue the holy catholike Church and that there is a coÌ„munion of Saincts so as there is but one body But yet must God be faine to shewe himselfe to vs to be the almighty that he is y e same which made both heauen earth that he is the same at whose hande we must hope for saluation y t he is able to maintaine his owne glory so as all the thinges y t men haue deuised of their owne braine are but lies That is the first end whereat we must begin And afterward we must agree with the holy patriarks Apostles all the faithfull that haue liued since the worlde began We must haue y t indissoluble band of faith al must come to this point namely that they be grounded vpon the certaine and vnfallible truth As for example The Iewes that came after had the fathers as well as they of whom also they made theÌ„selues a sheelde but God did vtterly mislike their so doing according to this saying of the prophet Ezechiel â—â—ech â—0 18 Walk not after the righteousnes of your forefathers At the first blush here seemeth to be some coÌ„trarity For in this same place it is sayd Worship ye the God of your fathers stick to him beware ye change not your religion And there y e prophet Ezechiel sayth contrariwise beware that ye follow not y e deuotion of your fathers Yea verily for there were two sortes of fathers among the Iewes the one was Abraham the holy Patriarkes Prophetes and such as knewe the liuing God serued him in all purenesse those it behoued the Iewes to rule theÌ„selues by And in y t respect doth Moses say now vnto them beware y t ye turne not away from the God of your fathers but coÌ„tinue still in their faith Besides this they had other fathers also which were backesliders frowarde and had corrupted the Lawe made a mingle-mangle of it with all the superstitions of the heathen In respect of this it is said beware ye folow not your fathers for they were frowarde false-harted towardes God In the same taking is the world at this day The Papistes alledge their fathers But what Are not the Apostles the true fathers of the christian Church Yes but the papistes will not heare them speake nor any other that haue stablished such order in the Church as God coÌ„manded But they haue their bastarde fathers like themselues which being a misbegotteÌ„ generation they take Monkes old dotterelles for their fathers Againe when they alledge any of the auncient doctors if there be any folly or superstitioÌ„ in their writings they can skill to cull it out euery whit but as for the good they cast y t a great way off Now then let vs beware of such maner of fathership let vs vse discretioÌ„ in chosing out y e true fathers let vs put y t in vre which Paul speakes of where he sayth y t all fatherhood dependeth vpon God and vpon our Lord Iesus Christ. Eph. 3.15 Thither say I must we refer our fatherhood if we wil haue good fathers so as God may be the chiefe father of them all they giue record y t they be his sonnes y t they may beget vs by the vncorruptible seede of his word or els there wil be nothing but vtter confusion Thus ye see what we haue to remember vpon that saying Now heretofore Moses addeth further y t the Iewes must not serue God at the first and afterward become cold but y t they must perseuere in it all the time of their life And after y t maner will God be honoured of vs. For he taketh vs not to hyre for certain dayes then to let vs go or to giue vs leaue to depart at the ende of our terme he taketh vs for life death And it is good reason as S. Paul sheweth vs where he sayth y t our Lord Iesus died rose again to reigne both ouer the quicke the dead Rom. 14.9 Though there were none other respect than this were it not ynough Behold y e son of God which bought vs by his death and passion is risen againe immediatly is it not meete then y t we shold giue our selues to him to God his father and y t we should be wholly dedicated vnto him that we should both indeuor to serue him as long as we liue vpon y e earth and also y t our death should be as a sacrifice offering vnto him to shewe ourselues obedient to him in all points Yes therefore let vs marke well y t we must not doe it as it were in a pang as a number of folke do who are very whot in gods seruice for a two or three dayes and afterward their mind is altered their deuotion is quite gone they shew full well y t there was no zeale in theÌ„ But let vs alwayes beare in mind to serue God as long as we liue And therewithall let vs also bethinke vs of y t which is set downe he ere where Moses speaketh yet againe of the heritage that had bin promised to y e Iewes For seeing that our Lord doth daily put vs in mind of his grace it is good reason y t wee should plucke vp a good corage to honour him gather new strength to say forasmuch as I haue liued out this day in the world haue serued God this morning seeing y t I perceiue he coÌ„tinueth his goodnes stil towards me yea incre aseth it is it not reason that my zeale mine affection to serue him should be y e more kindled and y t my hope shold not be abated That is the thing which Moses ment in saying Ye shall possesse y e land as long as ye possesse it ye shal haue a faire mirrour before your eyes to shewe you how your God calleth you to him mainteineth you in the possession of the benefit which he hath once bestowed vpon you And therefore let vs marke y t we deserue well to be bereft of the grace y t God shal haue granted vs if we acknowledge it not toward him but for get it apply it to another end than he ment it It hath bin sayde heretofore y t the Iewes should possesse the land Deut. 11.21 as long as y e heauen hung ouer the earth And yet we see how they be put out of it insomuch y t at this day they possesse not any part of it but wander abroad in the world are hunted to fro And what is y e cause therof Surely God had mainteined them in the inheritance which he
lande of Chanaan which was giuen them to inherite then might they sitte at rest and they might not make any inuasion vppon their neighbours vnlesse they were troubled by them as in deede it fell out afterwarde yet is it true that the people of Israell neuer possessed the whole Lande that was giuen them And that was through their owne faulte and vnthankfulnesse so as they were euer in trouble and vexation vnto the time of Dauid Did Dauid subdue all his enemies 2. Sam. 7.10 Did he set the people in full possession of the heritage that had beene promised them If hee had done so then was he to make warre by and by vpon his neighbours howebeit not by picking any quarels to them nor to seeke to inlarge his kingdome by conquest But he was prouoked vnto it and therefore hee was to maintaine the state of his owne people And so let vs marke that this text treateth of such warres as GOD alloweth as when a Prince is vniustly assayled then may hee withstande his enemie by force For why The man that enterpriseth to trouble an other bodies possession or the territorie of a Citie or the prouinces of a countrie is no better than a robber True it is that men indeede call them Kinges and Princes but yet are they but honourable theeues in deede which doe so abuse the power that GOD hath giuen them and are not contented with their owne bounds but will needes inlarge them without iust cause or title Such then are but Robbers And as a Iudge ought to punishe a theese or a robber so likewise they that haue the power ordeyned of God may enter into armes against all such as fall to troubling and vexing of their subiectes and such manner of warres are not onely lawfull but also of necessitie to bee vndertaken by them It is not without cause then that God doeth incourage his people saying that they must not bee faint hearted and cowardly when they goe to warre against their enemies That is the thing which wee haue to marke first of all least wee might surmise that Gods will is to helpe such as maintaine an euil cause for then shoulde he renounce himselfe And therefore whensoeuer he promiseth to bee with his people his meaning is that their quarel must be iust and reasonable And hereupon wee may gather by the way that it is lawefull to make warre vppon necessitie conditionally that the war be to none other end than to procure peace to obtain it There are some fantastical persons which imagine that this serues but for the olde testament and that the case standeth not alike in these dayes But we must make this a general rule that whereas God graunteth to succour his people against their enemies his promising to do so is not for once only but for euer Indeed it is promised that vnder the reigne of our lord Iesus Christ Mich. 4.3 swordes and speares shall be turned into Plowshares and Coulters and that there shall be no more anoyance nor violence That is verie true as in respect of such as shall be truely conuerted and reformed by the spirit of God For if we will be Christians we must become as Lambs Esa. 11.6 Insomuch as it is said expresly that the Beare and the Lion shall dwell together that a litle babe shall rule them both This must bee vnderstoode of such as God shall haue chaunged and renewed by his holy spirit But we see that so farre off is it that the worlde is conuerted to God when the gospell is preached or that all of them chaunge their maners that many of thē become worse and worse and othersome more and more inuenimed hauing heard Gods word and therefore worthie are they to bee deliuered vp to Satan through a reprobate sense because they haue hardened their hartes against God haue manifestly despised him by refusing the grace that is offred them Is it not reason y e premisses considered that God also shoulde turne away from them and y t Satan should drawe them and carie them away into all euill Marke I pray you how a number of people become worse and worse after they haue heard the preaching of y e Gospel All then are not so conuerted as to become Lambes but rather their rage is inflamed more more And therefore forasmuchas there are wicked men continually in this world yea the Princes themselues are so caried away by their own ambition couetousnes and other wicked lustes that they keepe no measure in their doings but wil needs turn al things vpside down and make hauocke of all for y e satisfying of their owne wicked wils God hath left the vse of the sword to men of authoritie ordeyned y t they should bee stronghanded as S. Paul declareth Whereupon it is to be concluded Rom. 13.4 that if a war be lawfull this promise of Gods standeth in force stil. For otherwise what a thing were it True it is that we ought to possesse our soules in patience as our Lord Iesus Christ saith but yet doth it not follow y t therefore the office of the magistrates should cease that his arming of them is to no purpose that they should be but as idols Nay rather they ought to hazard their liues so far as God inableth them whensoeuer their subiectes are assaulted tormented And for this cause I haue stood the longer vpon this text to the end we might know that faithful Princes haue Gods promise stil at this day that he wil be their guide in the time of war and take their part when they be to fight with their enemies giue thē victory to the intent they should assure thēselues of his helpe and alwaies flee to him for refuge And so ye see how that is one point which wee haue to marke vpon this text Neuerthelater we must vnderstand also that there is no war iust vnlesse God be the author of it For if we intend to be armed with y t strength of his hand we must also aske counsel at his mouth his spirit must be the ouerruler of the aduise which we haue taken for we see that al interprises are accursed which men do take in hand vpō their owne head without inquiring of his wil. As for example when the Iewes made leagues with the Realme of Egypt or entered anie other familiaritie with them Esa. 30.1 Cursed be those saith he which weaue a webbe but not by mine aduise And by and by hee addeth the exposition yea saith hee for yee determine vppon matters without taking counsell at my mouth that is to say without considering by my worde whether the thing be lawfull or no. Ye will not hold your selues to my will nor suffer my spirit to be your gouernour or to haue the ouerruling of you Wo to you therefore saith he And the Realme of Egypt shall be as a Reed y t wil breake vnder you if yee leane vnto it