regard of whom she was called Sarah a Princesse and promised to be the Queenemother of the Princes and people of God and the great grandmother of the Messias whō God had giuen her by miracle especially being committed by Abraham himselfe and without her priuitie and consent I leaue it to your wisedomes to iudge For if Zipporah when she was appointed by Moses onely to circumcise her sonne did cast the foreskinne at his feete and said Thou art indeed a bloodie husband vnto me and thereupon as Tremellius and Iunius note vpon Exod. 4.25 and 18.2 in a rage refused to go any further with him in what a case doe you thinke would Sara haue been when she should haue vnderstood that Abraham with his owne hands had killed her onely sonne and in that manner which before I haue described And shall Abraham now shew his obedience in doing that which in it selfe was vniust vnnaturall dishonourable to God and scandalous to men And as touching his faith if Abraham would approoue himselfe to be faithfull and to beleeue the promises of God then will hee not commit that whereby in all apparance the promises are ouerthrowne The promises were principally two the first concerning the multiplication of the Church in Isaacs posteritie which was to inherit the land of Canaan the second concerning the saluation of the faithfull in all nations by the promised seede which is Christ who according to the promise was to come of Isaac And shall Abraham now approue his faith by killing Isaac and consuming him to ashes Nay rather this might seeme a voluntarie extinguishing of y e Church and a wilfull renouncing of saluation by Christ. Didst thou beleeue Abraham in the promised seede and was this thy faith imputed vnto thee for righteousnes and can it now stand with thy faith to kill Isaac in whom alone thou hast these promises In Isaac shall thy seede be called chap. 21.12 With Isaac and his seed saith the Lord chap. 17. will I establish mine euerlasting couenant c. Doest thou beleeue to bee saued by Christ who was to come of Isaacs seed and wilt thou with thine owne hands kill him of whom he is to come And this was the triall whereby God proued Abrahams faith and obedience Now let vs consider how Abraham approued himselfe in this triall For howsoeuer this triall was exceeding great yet was not he tried aboue the strength which God had giuen him And first consider how he approueth his obedience For Abraham behaueth not himselfe as any one of vs would perhaps haue done in the like case alleaging for himselfe and his sonne Alas he is my sonne mine onely sonne whom I deerely loue euen Isaac the ioy of my heart without whom I can neither looke for the multiplication of a blessed seede nor saluation by the Messias who is to come of him if therefore I should but forgoe him it were death to me if I should consent and be present at his slaughter it were worse than death if I my selfe should shed his innocent blood and bereaue him of his pretious life if I should butcherlike slaughter him and cruelly burne his beloued body to ashes it were a hell vnto me in respect of that affection which I doe and as I am a father ought to beare him Besides this standeth not with mine obedience to God to commit such an act which is so vniust vnnaturall dishonourable to God and scandalous to man nor yet with my faith in his promises to kill him in whom they are made and therefore I will rather die then I will thus depriue my selfe of my sonne the world of the Church which is to be his seede or the faithfull of their Sauiour which is to come of him But Abraham although in his fatherly affection he were as tender hearted as the best of vs and in his wisdome did see and consider all these impediments yet notwithstanding he was content to deny his affection yea and his reason and to performe simple and absolute obedience to God For he might thinke God hath reuealed his will vnto me in this commaundement so as I cannot possibly doubt but that it is the oracle of God to this will of God therefore must I submit my selfe What though Isaac be deere to me yet I must not loue him more then God yea for Gods sake I must be willing to forgoe him God hath promised his sonne to me and shall I denie my sonne to him And what though it shall seeme an vniust thing to kill my guiltlesse sonne yet I am sure it is more vniust not to obey God And although I am to be vnwilling to sacrifice my sonne if it pleased God otherwise yet must I be more vnwilling to disobey God And what though it seeme vnlawfull and contrary to the law of God yet I know it is not Indeede to kill a man vpon a priuate motion without sufficient warrant and authoritie is fearefull murder but I haue sufficient authoritie yea an expresse commaundement from God and therfore so farre shal I be from sinning if I sacrifice Isaac as that I shall fearefully sinne if I doe it not But you will say hath not God forbidden the shedding of innocent blood Yea but the Lord who is the supreme lawgiuer hath this prerogatiue royall to dispense with his own lawes and may if it please him commaund things aboue the common course of iustice his will which is the rule of iustice hauing this priuiledge that whatsoeuer hee willeth is therefore iust it being a meere impossibilitie that hee who is goodnes and iustice it selfe should either will or doe any thing which is not iust and consequently all his commaundements are to be vnderstood with this exception or restraint Nisi Deus aliter voluerit Vnlesse God appoint otherwise As for example the law forbidding manslaughter is thus to be vnderstood vnlesse God appoint or authorize a mā to kill as the lawfull Magistrate and the warriour in lawfull battaile This particular commaundement therefore giuen vnto me of God is my sufficient warrant to sacrifice my sonne the generall commaundement to the contrarie notwithstanding And therefore to conclude Attendis quis feriat quem feriat attende quis iubeat Doe you marke who striketh and whom he striketh marke also who commaundeth and acknowledge with me that the bare shew and apparance of sinne should not driue me into a manifest and apparant sinne Besides God almightie is a soueraigne Lord ouer all his creatures hauing absolute authoritie of life and death who may kill or preserue or any waies dispose of his owne as pleaseth him Matth. 20.15 and therefore if hee will he may iustly take away the life of any man by what meanes he pleaseth although there were no cause of death in him But there is also cause of death in my sonne and in all men since the fall seeme they neuer so innocent For as in Adam all haue sinned and haue made our selues subiect to death so
conscience of thine owne vnworthines or any thing else wring from thee thy stedfast faith in Christ but beleeue against sense and reason and hope against hope as Abraham did This is the promise of God beleeue in Christ and thou shalt be saued Indeed it pleaseth God many times so to trie his seruants for the exercise of their faith as that their triall seemeth to oppugne his promises But yet notwithstanding the promises are firmely to be beleeued and we are to be perswaded that when any thing doth happen vnto vs contrarie to the promise and the Lord shewes himselfe vnto vs otherwise then the promise soundeth as our Sauiour shewed himselfe to the woman which was a Cananite Matth. 15.23.28 that it is but a trial whereby the Lord howsoeuer hee exerciseth vs for a time will yet doe vs good in the end Deut. 8.16 and therefore we are not to let goe our hold or suffer the promise which is our staffe and stay to be wrested out of our hands Rather let vs imitate Abrahams faith in this place who when hee was commaunded to kil his sonne in whose seede hee had many promises yeelded indeed to the commandement and yet held him to the promise Though Isaac be consumed to ashes yet shall the promise of God concerning his seede bee performed So Iob when he was so grieuously afflicted as that in his own sense and opinion of others he seemed to be cast out of Gods fauour yet saith he though he kill me I will beleeue in him In like sort when as God promiseth life to all that beleeue yet we die we must beleeue that although we die yet wee shall liue Ioh. 11.25 In a word we must learne by Abrahams example to giue credite to the truth and power of God rather then to our owne sence and reason For he is true and therfore will hee is omnipotent and therefore can performe his promise SecoÌ„dly our faith must be fruitful as Abrahams was and we are to manifest it by good works that the Lord may say of vs as he did heere of Abraham Now I know that thou fearest God c. for although good works do not concurre with faith to the act of iustification as anie cause thereof yet they concurre in the subiect that is the partie iustified as necessarie fruits of his faith and testimonies of his iustification And therfore Abraham although he were iustified before God by faith without works as Paul saith that is absolued from his sinnes and accepted as righteous vnto life yet he was iustified not only in that sence by faith but in another sence that is declared to be iust by works as Iames saith But to this purpose most effectuall is S. Iames his argument in the second chap. By such a faith as Abraham was iustified must we be iustified but AbrahaÌ„ was iustified by such a faith as brought forth good works as appeareth by this example and was not an idle or dead faith and therfore that faith wherby we must be iustified must bring forth good fruits or els it is not a liuely a true but a dead counterfeit faith by which no man can be iustified For howsoeuer faith alone doth iustifie because it alone doth apprehend the righteousnesse of Christ whereby we are iustified and not loue or any other grace yet that faith which is alone doth not iustifie because it is not a true faith For euen as the bodie without spirit or breath is iudged to be dead so faith which is without works is dead And to conclude howsoeuer the promise of saluatioÌ„ is made to faith yet the sentence of saluation shall be pronounced according to our works and therefore let vs be carefull as Abraham was to shew our faith by our workes For good works are as it were the euidence according to which the Lord wil iudge of our faith in so much that where hee findeth none hee will say Depart from me you cursed into euerlasting fire And where hee findeth workes giuing euidence to our faith he will say Come you blessed of my father inherite the kingdome which is prepared for you from the foundation of the world To which kingdome let vs beseech him to bring vs who hath so dearely purchased it for vs euen Christ Iesus the righteous to whom with the Father and the holy Ghost be all praise and glorie both now and euermore Amen FINIS Errata Pag. 16. lin 10. reade as he knoweth he can answere pag. 27. lin 21. reade when as pag 41. lin 9. reade not deliuer lin 10. not be present Luk. 16.22 1. Pet. 1.9 Affectum tuum inquisiui non factum exegi Ambros. In voto probaui quod in facto renui August de tempore Serm 73. 1. Pet. 2.11 Iam. 1.14 Ephes. 6.16 Rom. 1.24.26.28 Exod. 15.32 Ephe. 4.19 Heb. 4.13 Vaâ—in apud â—ezâ—m De Sancta Trin. lib. 1. De temporâ— Serm. 72. De tempore Serm. 72. Ibid. Matt. 26.41 De tempore serm 73. God in trying his seruants obserueth a Geometricall proportion This was saith Philo lib. de Abrah 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the most forcible motiue of loue because as he saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 parents dote as it were vpon those which are late borne De tepore Serm. 73. Gal. 4.22.23 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Philo. Iphigen Plin. 35.10 See Tully in Oratore Leuit. 1.5.11 Eph. 6.17 Sacrificing of men Psal. 106.37 Mich. 6.7 August de temp ser. 72. 1. Cor. 15.22 Heb. 9.27 Foelix orbis soret si omnes fic fierem parricidae Zeno. Veronens Neither must that trouble vs that he is called Nagnar vers 5. which is translated a child for so are the two seruants called vers 3.5 whom Philo supposeth to haue been 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the ancientest in the familie and Iosua when he was as the Hebrewes thinke 56. yeeres old Exod. 33.11 and Dauids souldiers 2. Sam. 1.15 Chrysost. tom 2. ser. 33 A caption in respect of their vnderstaÌ„ding taking that properly which was spoken by a Synecdoche vve wil returne and a prophecie in respect of the holie Ghost directing his speech according to the euent Serm. 73. De tempere 1. Ioh. 5.4 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Serm. de temp 72. Eccles. 2.1 My sonne if thou wilt come into the seruice of God prepare thy soule to teÌ„ptation Iam. 1.12 2. Thess. 2.10.11.12 Vers. 10. Matth. 7.24 Rom. 12.1 De temp serm 72. Num. 22.8.9 Ioh. 3.14.15 16. Mat. 16.16 Luther in Gen. 22. Job 13.15 Iam. 2.18 Iam. 2.26 â—att 25.34
vs Act. 2.23 and 4.28 So by the wicked and malitions temptations of Satan who therein seeketh the ruine and perdition of the faithfull the Lord furthereth their saluation sometimes chastising them for their amendement sometimes trying their faith and obedience sometimes exercising them to humilitie and mortification of sinne alwaies so onerruling the malice of the diuell that euen in his temptations wherein he intendeth nothing but their harme and destruction he becommeth maugre his spite the instrument of God to further their saluation Thus then it appeareth that God tempteth no man vnto euill and that howsoeuer the Lord hath a hand in all temptations which be vnto euill yet he worketh no euill but vseth ordereth and disposeth them vnto good and so ouerruleth all his creatures that when they intend and doe euill to their owne damnation they are the instruments of God to aduance his glorie and further the saluation of the elect The which doctrine as it ministreth singular comfort to the faithfull vnto whose good al things euen the temptations of Satan doe worke together Rom. 8.28 So it serueth to discouer the diuellish malice of the Papists namely of the shamelesse author of the twelue Articles who is not ashamed to publish in print that wee not onely make God the author of sinne which is blasphemous but the only cause of sinne and that which the diuell would haue bin ashamed to vtter in his owne person that wee make God worse thē the diuell Articl 10. But I conclude this point with Fulgentius ad Monimum lib. 1. pag. 57. Deus itaque licet author non sit malarum cogitationum ordinator est tamen malarum voluntatum de malo opere cuiuslibet mali non desinit ipse bonum operari That is God therefore although hee be not the author of euill thoughts yet he is an orderer or disposer of bad willes and by the bad worke of euery wicked one he ceaseth not to effect that which is good Hitherto wee haue spoken of the former kinde of temptations which are prouocations to euill in which sense God tempteth no man The other kind are probations or trials in which sense God in diuers places of the Scripture is said to tempt that is to trie or to proue men and that diuersly as we shall heare anon But it wil be said that tentare to tempt or trie a man is to take an experiment of him that is tried presupposing in him that tēpteth either ignorance or doubting at the least the former whereof is a priuation or absence the latter a defect and want of knowledge but neither is incident to the alknowing God who with one eternall view or act of vnderstanding doth at once perfectly and distinctly know al things that haue been are or shall be It may therefore be demanded in the next place in what sense God is said who knoweth all men better then themselues to tempt or proue them I answere that tempting or prouing doth not alwaies presuppose ignorance or doubting in him that tempteth For there are two sorts of tempting or prouing the one when a man tempteth to take an experiment of that which hee knew not or doubted of as when a master trieth the fidelitie of his seruant or one friend the good will of another whereof he is not sufficiently perswaded The other when one tempteth to cause the partie tempted to giue an experiment of that which hee alreadie knoweth as when a Schoolemaster calleth forth one of his best schollers and apposeth him in such questions as hee can answere The end of both indeed is experimentall knowledge but of the former the knowledge of him that tempteth that hee may by experience know somewhat whereof before he was ignorant or doubtfull of the latter the knowledge not of him that tempteth but of him that is tempted and also of others In the former sense tempting cannot properly be attributed to God yet vnproperly and after the manner of men it may For euen as God is said to be angrie or sorie or to repent Non quantum ad affectum sed quantum ad effectum Not in regard of the affection which is not incident vnto God but of the effect whē he doth that which a man would doe when he is angrie or sorie or repenteth So God may be said to tempt metaphorically when as after the similitude of a man he saith or doth any thing whereby the minde and disposition of him that is tempted may appeare either to himselfe or to others And as this is spoken here 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is by a metaphore takē from men so afterwards vers 12. when hee saith now I know that is now I haue experience or experimentall knowledge for thereunto tempting directly tendeth But in the latter sense tempting may properly be ascribed to God who is then said to tempt when he bringeth men into triall and causeth them to giue an experiment of that which is in them that their minde and disposition may be manifested not to God before whose eyes all things be they neuer so secret are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is naked and as it were cut through the backe bone but to themselues and to others In this sense God is said to haue tempted Abraham when he caused him to giue an experiment to the world of his excellent faith and obedience and answerably hee is said vers 12. now to know that Abraham feared God when Abraham had giuen a good experiment of it as Procopius fitly expoundeth those words Nunc noui i. nunc specimen eius rei dedisti eximium And thus tempting which in the former sense is attributed to God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 after the manner of men is according to the latter sense vnderstood 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as it beseemeth God as Athanasius speaketh Now if it be further obiected that if God would take triall of Abrahams faith and obedience hee should haue tried him rather whiles he was yonger and before he had giuen so many testimonies of his faith and obedience for it may seeme strange that he would trie a tried seruant I answere according to that which hath been said that God taketh triall of his seruants to another end then men doe Men take triall of their seruants because they would haue experience olf their fidelitie which is not sufficiently knowne vnto them But God to whom the secrets of all hearts are knowne needeth not make triall of men to this end that hee might learne something which before hee knew not But hee is said to trie men when hee causeth them to giue experiments of that which he perfectly knoweth and that either to themselues or to others To themselues for as Augustine well saith Nescit se homo nisi in tentatione discat se A man knowes not himselfe throughly vnlesse by tentation he hath experience of himselfe For men many times ouerweene their owne gifts and therefore God bringeth them into trial that they
the Lord may iustly when it pleaseth him take vs out of this life and by what meanes it pleaseth him It is appointed vnto all men once to dye and this debt we owe to God in respect of our sinne which debt also he may claime when it pleaseth him Neither may hee bee thought to deale hardly with my sonne or any of his children whose daies hee shortneth seeing hee recompenceth their mortall life with immortalitie And what though he be my sonne yet seeing I haue the commaundement of God to offer him this ought to be an inducement to me rather then otherwise For if he were a straunger or my seruant I might well suspect my selfe lest by any sinister affection I were moued to enterprise this work But seeing it is my sonne whom I loue aboue all things but God nothing but the pure loue of God could perswade me to offer him And lastly what though many inconueniences are like to follow what though I shall seeme to cut off the promises as it were at the roote yet my dutie is not to be a quariste to dispute of Gods commaundement but simplie to obey his will and to commit the euent to God And as his obedience was absolute and simple so also resolute and serious as appeareth by these particulars first in that he acquainted not Sara or any other with his purpose by whose perswasions and intreaties hee might perhaps haue beene hindred Secondly that when he saw the place a farre off he would not suffer his two seruants to goe with him vers 5. lest perhaps they would haue hindred him condemning him of dotage of which excuse an vnresolute man would haue beene glad Thirdly in that he bindeth Isaac for although Isaac when he vnderstood the will of God willingly submitted himselfe when as for his strength he might easily haue resisted for he was of yeeres 25 at the least when his father was 125 of strength sufficient to carrie and that vp the hill wood enough to consume himselfe to ashes yet lest any thing might haue happened at the very instant through the naturall feare of present death which is common to all and naturall commotion of the parts and members of the bodie strugling against the sense of paine he thought good to preuent the worst And so resolute was Abrahams purpose to sacrifice his son as that the Lord esteemed it as done For so he saith vers 16. Because thou hast done this thing and hast not spared thine onely sonne And the Apostle Heb. 11.17 plainly affirmeth that Abraham when he was tempted offered his sonne To which purpose some expound those words vers 19. that hee receiued him from the dead by a similitude for so resolute was Abrahams purpose to offer him as that in his opinion who not once suspected a triall Isaac was but a dead man When as therefore he was spared by the commandement of God he esteemed it as if he had receiued him from the dead 3. It was readie and speedie For although there were many difficulties as you haue heard and many impediments to hinder him yet was not hee long in resoluing and in ouercomming them Who would not haue bin daunted and amazed at such a charge who would not haue been at his wits end who would not at the least haue sought delaies or desired respite But Abraham early in the same morning ariseth vers 3. and presently addresseth himselfe to this worke 4. And although it were speedie yet was it not headie and for a brunt but discreete couragious and constant His discreete cariage of this action appeareth in all the particular actions and speeches mentioned in this narration which Moses hath to this purpose particularized as y t he prouided wood and other necessaries that he loaded an asse with wood and food that he tooke two of his seruants to attend him and so of the rest all which he did to so good end and purpose as that it might appeare that this his behauiour was not a fantasticall fitte or melancholy mood but a discreete and temperate action vndertaken with due aduice and mature deliberation managed by rare wisedome and singular discretion And therefore the Lord delaied the execution of this work vnto the third day that he might not onely proue but also approue the obedience of Abraham in this behalfe as being not performed on a sudden motion or vnaduisedly but with aduised deliberation His courage and constancie appeareth in this that hauing once resolued and being entred into this action nothing could hinder him from effecting the same but the voyce of God from heauen not the affection to his sonne not his sweet cōpanie not his amiable speech vers 7. which might haue moued a heart of flint when as Isaac hostia de hostia patrem interrogat Isaac being the sacrifice questioneth with his father concerning the sacrifice and receiueth this answere God will prouide my sonne not the consideration of the contrarie commandements of God or repugnancie of the promises but stedfastly persisteth in his course And hauing alreadie trauailed two daies enduring al occurrents in the meane time which beating vpon him as waues vpon a firme rocke were dashed and repelled and now seeing the place the sight whereof might haue daunted him and hauing commanded his seruāts to stay with the asse vsing a cunning speech vnto them that they for want of a beast to be sacrificed shuld suspect nothing without shew of passion and perturbation with cheerefull countenance constant mind he perfourmeth all those actions which were the forerunners of the sacrifice euery one representing vnto him the death and slaughter of his sonne which was to be committed by himselfe He laieth the wood vpon his sonne as the crosse was laid on Christ with purpose tender heart to burne him vpon it himselfe takes the fire and the knife in his hand a knife fire the sight whereof if you respect his intent might haue cut his heart and burnt his entrailes and so they two went together which y e holy Ghost hath twice noted ver 6.8 partly to moue compassion in the hearer when he should cōsider this couple who they were with what minde and to what end they went together the innocent and obedient sonne suspecting nothing carying wood to burne himselfe and a kinde and louing father carying a knife to kill his sonne and fire to burne him that was deerer vnto him then his owne life Such a passage saith Luther is not to be found againe in all the Scriptures and partly to note the inuincible constancie of Abraham who hauing left his two seruants behind and being not onely occasioned by his sons speech which could not but goe neere him but also importuned as it were by the opportunitie of the solitarie place to vtter his griefe which otherwise a man would thinke should haue burst his heart notwithstanding he neither sends Isaac before nor bids him come after either that hee might haue lesse cause