would thus fall asleepe let vs looke to our selues and gather our wittes into some feare and let euery of vs quicken vp himselfe And if wee doe not stirre vp our selues in this manner then must God needes torment and vex vs and make vs a liuely portraiture of that which is mentioned heere For in verie deede after that the despisers of God haue plaide the madde beasts and bleared out their tongues at all manner of doctrine and set light by all threatenings and like chafed bulles haue rushed against God and all his iudgementes they must at the last feele themselues vexed and troubled with vnquietnesse as wee see howe the great Tyrants that make all the worlde to shake vnder them haue their part hereof without measure insomuch that where as they make others to drinke a little glasse of feare and terrour they themselues must drinke vp a whole potte full and suppe vp the dregges Esa. 51. â—â— according to the phrase of the Prophets when they speake of the greatest punishment that God sendeth Namely that when those whom God chastiseth haue drunke more than their fill in swallowing vp great store of sorowes then they which haue liued at their ease and in pleasure must drinke the leeze which is the bitterest and will make them to burst And in deede we haue an example of a heathenish Tyrant who hath verie well prooued and declared that all his whole life was a continuall torment yea euen by his owne witnesse For being flattered of one that saide vnto him O syr howe happie is your state Yea quoth hee and I will make thee to vnderstande it thy selfe And thereuppon hee made him a feast and when hee had set him at y e table he put a sworde ouer his heade hanging by one onely hayre to shewe vnto him what manner of state that was which hee had counted so happie The man seeing himselfe in that perplexitie saide Let this kingly state be taken away from mee for I had leuer die a hundred times than to be in such vnquietnesse and perplexitie This I say was the confession of a heathen Tyrant as if GOD shoulde haue helde him vpon the Torture that it might bee a generall lesson against all such as make warre with God and trouble the worlde with terrour they must spite of their teeth bee made afraide themselues and finde no rest After many tossings and turmoylings hell must euermore waite for them they must see their graues open which they are to fall into and they must beholde the great gulfes readie to swallow them vp and in the meane while can haue no recourse nor refuge to God but doe stil flee from him where as he is the onely person to whom they shoulde haue sought for succour Nowe ouer and besides that which wee haue saide already namely that we ought to preuent this threate by fearing God of our owne accorde let vs vnderstande that forasmuch as we be all wretched sinners and there is not one be hee neuer so well and rightly minded which ought not to vnderstande that hee is greatly indaungered vnto God yet when wee haue our Lorde Iesus Christ 〈◊〉 1.14 who is our peace and when wee can by his meane rest vppon the fatherly goodnesse of God then may wee be sure that he holdeth vs for his children and that hee watcheth ouer vs and procureth our welfare And that is the cause why Sainct Paul saith expresly 〈◊〉 5.1 that when we be once iustified by faith then we be at peace with God He saieth that we must be iustified by faith that is to say that wee must haue imbraced the grace which is offered vnto vs by the Gospel knowing that God forgiueth vs our sinnes and is mercifull vnto vs in that hee beareth with vs for our Lorde Iesus Christs sake Vntill we come to this we must needes be alwayes in doubt and in perplexitie but hauing knowledge once that God hath buried all our sinnes so as wee put our trust in the death and passion of our Lorde Iesus Christ then wee bee at peace yea in peace and not in dulnesse like as the vnfaithfull and the despisers of God may haue some peace for a certaine time as we haue saide afore but forasmuch as they forget themselues and do still followe on their wicked traine they vtterly besot and bewitch themselues But Sainct Paul saieth that wee haue peace with God that is to say that we acknowledging our selues vndone without him may boldly preace vnto him and say Seeing GOD is my father and hee hath shewed himselfe so gracious to mee in this present life as to giue me some rest heere surely there is a more blisfull rest prepared for mee when as our Lorde Iesus Christ shall come to meete vs for to guide vs and to bring vs vp that wee may seeke our God as in deede that is the place which wee must come vnto if wee intende to haue a place to rest vs in And in that respect is it that the Prophets in likewise speaking of the kingdome of our Lorde Iesus Christ doe alwayes say that euerie man shall then sleepe vnder his owne figge tree and vnder his owne vine Mich. 4.4 and nothing shall make him afraide Nowe then concerning the threatenings which Moses hath set downe heere the Prophets as true expounders of Moses and as renuers and bringers of the Lawe to rememberance againe hauing shewed vnto the people the vnbeliefe and rebellion which they sawe in them and hauing shewed the vengeance of God which was readie to light vpon them for it did bring those back againe vnto Iesus Christ which erst were altogether vnreformable And albeit that it behoued them to suffer smart for a time because of their sinnes yet doe they giue them hope that God will make a couenant with them and that then they shall sleepe euery man in his vyneyarde and vnder his figge tree doing them to vnderstande that although they slept not in a locked chamber but lay in y e middest of the fields yet they should be safe ynough because they were vnder the protection of their God by reason whereof they might sleepe at ease and in safetie Forasmuch then as wee haue such assurance wee ought to bee well setled in our mindes and sith wee haue vnderstanding of the reconciliation that is made in our Lorde Iesus Christ wee haue nowe good cause to rest vs in our God and to be still and quiet howbeit so as we forget not so great a benefite And wee see that our Lorde Iesus Christ is minded to raigne among vs. Let vs therefore suffer our selues to bee gouerned by his hande and as Ewes and Lambes let vs followe our shepeherde and then shall wee do that which our Lorde hath appointed for vs so as nothing may hinder vs but that we may attaine vnto him Although wee see thinges turmoyled in this worlde so as all goes to hauocke yet shall wee bee able to take breath
ought to thinke thereof though it bee rigorous 1074. b all 1075. a 10.20 Of Gods endles vengeance vpon such as despise his Iustice. 976. a 10.20.30 What these words of executing Gods Iustice and iudgement doe giue vs to vnderstande 1224. a 40.50.60 c. Gods maiestie his Iustice are things inseparable 1169. a 10 Iustice ciuill What forecasts are the ouerthrowe of all right Iustice. 332. a all The dissolutenes of men in the execution of Iustice noted 330. b 10.20 How they that do Iustice sanctifie their hands in so doing c. 306. a 50.60 There was a soueraigne court of Iustice in Iewrie 621. b 40 The chiefe causes of all the impeachments of Iustice. 623. a b How men should beare an euen hande in executing of Iustice. 627. a 10. c. That it is our partes to loue the state of Iustice. 620. b 30.40 Doctrine for such to marke practise as sit in y e seat of Iustice. 862. b all c. 863. all 216. a all 624. b 60.704 b all 730. b 10.20.328 b 40 The charge and dutie of such as be ministers of Iustice. 737. b 10.20.209 b 50.60 The negligence and coldnes of magistrates and officers of Iustice rebuked by a heathenish prouerbe 407. a 20.30 Of the presence of Gods maiestie in the order of Iustice. 704. a 50.60 b 10 Of Iustice and iudgement and wherein they do both consist 235. a 30. b 10 A rule that concerneth all such as haue the sworde of Iustice in their handes 692. b 50.60.693 a 10.330 b 60.331 a 10 How we abuse the sacred order of Iustice 711. a 40 They that are set in roome of Iustice haue a verie harde account to make why 2. b The seate of Iustice is consecrated vnto God why 16. a 30 He that sitteth in the seate of Iustice sitteth in the roome of God 20. a 60 The office of Iustice is an honorable seruice 18. b 10 How the court of Iustice is made a market to sell other mens right c. 231. a 50 The offices of Iustice sold by princes by what reason 16. a 50.60 Iusticers A lesson for Iusticers to learne laide downe in writing 18. b 10 An exhortation to bee well marked of Iusticers wheÌ„ any matter of offence is brought before them 547. a 50.60 b all 548. a 10. Looke Iudge and Iudges Iustifie Howe abhominable hee is before God that doeth Iustifie a guiltie person 329. a 50 A forme of consideration that we ought to haue of our selues and our estate whereby we are taught in no case to seeke to Iustifie our selues before God 380. b 10.20.30 How men Iustifie themselues in their disobedience 33. b 30.40.50 That men must not Iustifie themselues as blameles though they seeme not to haue offended 1178. all 380. a 10 How the law could Iustifie vs before God 301. a 30.40 Manifest proofes that workes doe not Iustifie 302. a all A question whether faith doeth Iustifie as Paul auoucheth 301. a 10.20 Iustified The life of Papistes laide out whiles they vrge this doctrine that men are Iustified by workes 380. a 40.50.60 That it stoode the Iewes in hand to be Iustified by mercie and grace notwithstanding they had kept the law why 302. a 10 Of being Iustified by faith what the same meaneth 1011. a 40.50.857 b 30.40 The cause why we are Iustified by faith 858. a 10 Whether we be Iustified by almesdeeds as Moses seemeth to teache 857. b 30.40.50 60 How to be Iustified before God is ment 763. b 10. Looke Righteous Iustification Against Iustification by workes a doctrine maintained by the Papistes their reasons refuted 938. b all Iustification by faith onely confirmed 858. a 10. b 10 K. Keepe Of the worde Keepe and why it is said that men should keepe Gods lawes statutes c. 455. b 30.40.50.60 456. a 10.488 a 40.50 What we haue to note when it is saide that God doeth Keepe vs as the apple of his eye 1121. a all We are charged to Keepe Gods worde 1174. b all and vntill when we cannot keepe it 1175. a 10. so forward How harde a matter it is for men to keepe the lawe Read this place aduisedly 260. a 10.20.30.40.50.60 Keepers Of the Keepers of the lawe the gospell and who they be 1079. all 1080. all Keeping Two kindes of Keeping the law of God required of the Leuites 1204. a 60 b 10 Kid. The true meaning of these words Wee must not seeth a Kid in his dams milke 560. a 50.60.562 a 20.30 Kill Howe men dispense with themselues touching the commandement Thou shalt not Kill 223.10 From what things this worde To Kill teacheth vs to absteine 224. a 50.60 The cause why God sayeth expressely Thou shalt not Kill 222. a 30.40.50 60. Looke Hate Murther Kindhearted The meanes and wayes to bee Kind-hearted charitable 581. a 20.30 Looke Mercifull Pitifull Kindnes How we despise God nature and all Kindnes 281. b 20.30 Diuerse proofes of Gods Kindnes and what wee are taught to doe thereby 280. b 20.30.290 a 10.338 a 10.20 The heathen forgâ—t naturall Kindnes in burning their children to their idols 523. a 60. b 10. c. There is nothing wherein men resemble God more than gentlenes louing Kindnes 327 a 30 Of the mutuall duties and intercourse of Kindnes and loue that ought to be among men generally 95. a 30.40.50 Notable doctrine of shewing Kindnes one to another 69. b 10.20.30.40 c. 70. a 10. Looke Gentlenes Goodnes Loue. King It is not meant that Moses was a King in Israel as some gather by the text in whose time there was no King in Israel 1192. a 20 With what affection the Iewes were led when they chose them a King 981. a 50 How God is saied to bee a King among the vpright dealers 1192. all Why God woulde that the King of his people the Iewes should haue a copie of the booke of the law 649. a 20 30. c. 650. a 30.40 What doctrines wee haue to gather by the Iewes requiring of a King 645. 646. all Why God speaketh generally of the whole linage of Abraham seeing by the prophesie of Iacob the King was to be chosen of the tribe of Iuda 647. a 30.40 What the Iewes were willed to obserue if they were disposed to choose them a King 644. a 40. c. where note singular good points of learning Two reasons for vs to marke why God forbiddeth his people to haue any stranger to be their King 647. b 40 Kings How the Kings that succeeded Dauid were cruelly handled 981. a 50.60 982. a 10 That Kings must not exalt themselues aboue their brethren how that is meant 655. a 10. c. Why it was forbidden the Kings of Israel to take many wiues 652. b 30. c. 653. all Howe Kings must exercise themselues in the booke of Gods lawe 651. a 10 A lesson for Kings to learne if
to reade it diligentlie to remember it faithfullie and to expresse it fruitfullie in thy conuersation to the glorie of God the profite of his people and the saluation of thine owne soule through Christ. In whom I rest alwaies Thine vnfayned T. W. the Lord his vnvvoorthie Seruaunt To all the faithfull which hold the holie faith of the true Catholike Church and generallie to all Christian Readers Greeting in Iesus Christ our Lord and GOD. Amen IT is not without cause that the psalme speaking of the great benefits which GOD had bestowed vpon the Iewes among whom was his Church at that time doth cheefly magnifie the grace which he had vttered towards them in deliuering vnto them the sure rule of his seruice the true maner of good life the right way of saluation aswell by the writings of Moses and other his seruants as also by the liuely voyce of them agreeing with their writings For without that all the abundance and prosperitie which they could haue had had beene but as records against them to haue increased stil the measure of their condemnation Therefore hauing spoken of Gods defending of the gates of the holy citie Ierusalem of his blessing vpon the inhabiters thereof of the peace and quietnesse that was in all coasts about it and of his carefulnesse in furnishing it with all things necessarie for the maintenance of the whole people finally he setteth downe the principal point whereon the sweetnesse and assurance of all the rest hung saying He hath giuen forth his word vnto Iacob his statutes and iudgements vnto Israell And this benefite was at that time peculiar to the citie of Ierusalem and to the people that came of Abraham according as it is said expresly in the same text that God had not delt so with any other nation nor giuen them knowledge of his iudgements But we know that Iesus Christ hath by his comming made the same grace to extend to al nations of the earth and that looke whatsoeuer he had promised by his Prophets in the holy scriptures he hath performed it by his holy Apostles who haue preached the Gospell faithfully as their writings do autentikely fully and sufficiently witnesse This aduertisement therefore belongeth as now to all churches of our lord Iesus Christ in what countries soeuer they be so as they ought to acknowledge Gods mercie in that he teacheth them familiarly and in such language as they may vnderstand by the reading and preaching of his worde For so little ought the long interceassing of so great a benefite inforced through the tyrannie of Antichrist to make vs to holde scorne of it now that God renueth the course thereof againe that contrariwise wee should thinke it the more sweete and amiable praysing God for restoring vs the thing through his great mercie which Satans vnderlings had wickedly bereft vs of acknowledging that God had beene too sore prouoked by the sinnes of the worlde when he punished it in such sort and seruing him with such obedience according to his worde as we may not prouoke him hereafter to vse the like vengeance against vs or our children after vs. And no doubt but this lesson is told vs throughout the whole Scripture from the beginning to the end of it and specially in the bookes of the New Testament wherin the perfection of all learning is throughly comprised wel written and faithfully inrolled Neuerthelesse forasmuchas the books of Moses the seruant of god are as the fountain from whence all after cōmers that is to wit both the Prophets and the Apostles haue drawne water you will not beleeue how greatly it is to the benefit and behoofe of the Church to confer them with the other books of holy writ And for the same cause hath God by his prouidence preserued them so woonderfully from so many dangers through so long a race of so many hundred yeares For there besides other things we see the antiquity of our faith and that the substance of true religion hath alwaies been one yea and that the very forme of it hath euer tended to the perfection that is fully and infallibly shewed vs in the holy writings of the New Testament And in very deede whereas S. Peter saith generally of all the Prophets that the faithfull do well to take heede to their wordes that they may go foreward in Christianitie it is full certaine that therin he comprehendeth Moses as the foremost of them al. And in asmuch as he wrote of Iesus Christ as Christ himself auoucheth in expresse words in y e fifth Chapter of S. Iohn it may well be concluded according also as saith the Apostle to the Hebrues that his speaking and writing was to beare record of the things that were to be spoken afterward namely by the son of God his Apostles as we reade them written in the new Testament Now among the books of Moses al such as can skil of thē wil easily grant that as Deuteronomie is the last so it teacheth whereto the other books tend shewing the meane how to fare the better by them yea and conteining as it were the summe of thē Therfore it is very likely that that was the cause which moued our welbeloued brother or rather good father Master Iohn Caluin that most faithfull minister of the Gospell of Iesus Christ to preach and expound the same in the Church bicause that by his setting forth therof he should after a sort cōprehend the other next three also so farre forth as the vnderstanding of them should be needfull for the people His sermons therfore were faithfully gathered in order like as his sermons were which he preached vpon other books of y e scripture wherof many haue beene printed here already And in the meane time til all the rest of his sermons may by Gods helpe be brought to light it hath seemed good that these same should be put forth first in the meane while the impression wherof should not neede any commendation or preface but that the long continuance of custome requireth it For as many as haue heard true report of the person and skil of that good man Master Iohn Caluin wil be sufficiently drawne to the reading of his sermons by finding his name here set vnto them assuring themselues that they shal not finde any thing in them but such as agree with Gods spirite that is to say profitable good and holy things As touching the principall and notablest points that are to be found here there might very well be made a rehearsall of them to giue the readers some tast of the whole booke of the said sermōs at their first entry But forasmuch as it is better that euery man should hie him to the reading of them and to heare the preacher himself speake as it were in his owne person we purpose not to enter into such discourse which might peraduenture be somewhat with the longest Onely we will touch one point wherof some word hath beene cast forth already heretofore
constancie as they may not swarue any whit at all But before we goe any further we must mark that where as Moses reporteth that God was angrie with him for the peoples sakes hee doth it not to excuse himselfe that he had not done amisse for then should he replie against God who had giuen sentence vpon him Num. 〈…〉 In the twentith Chapter of the booke of Numbers it is sayde expresly thou shalt not enter into the lande because that thou and Aaron haue not glorified the Lord before the people of Israel So then we see that God chargeth not Moses with the sinne of the people as who shoulde say that he himselfe had beene giltlesse but his meaning is that hee fell not to euill of his owne accorde and mouing but was driuen to it as by a storme when he saw such vprore and hurlyburly among the people that he was at his wits ende and wist not what to doe by meanes whereof he had not a present faith to giue glorie vnto God The intent of Moses then is not to wash his hands as though hee were not blame woorthy at all but to doe the people to vnderstande that the verie mischiefe sprang of them Neuertheles it may be thought straunge howe Moses shoulde offende seeing it appeareth not in all the rehersall of the storie It is saide that the people grudged against God Numb 20.2 because they wanted drinke in the wildernesse saying Had it not beene better for vs that God had killed vs in Egypt Must hee needes bring vs into this drie and barren place that we might die heere for thirst it appeareth well that hee hateth vs and that his intent is to make vs to linger heere in tormentes and in the meane while wee bee past all hope of doing well After this manner did the people murmure On the contrarie part Moses weepeth and resorteth vnto God saying Alas Lorde oughtest thou to haue so sleÌ„der a reward for thy deliuering of this people through thine owne goodnes as to haue thy holy name blasphemed by them What coulde Moses haue done better than this For he is so farre off from consenting to the wickednesse of the people to bee any companion with them that hee weepeth to see the offence committed against God â—sal 9.12 And Dauid likewise sheweth an excellent and wonderfull weldisposed minde in saying that hee wore sackloth for their sakes that blasphemed God Moses did as much It shoulde not seeme then that there is any fault in all this For God commaunded him to take his staffe and to strike vpon a rocke and to make water to come out of it before the people Hee obeyed Wee see not there any replying at al nay we see not that Moses did so much as once doubt Moreouer when hee speaketh to the people 〈◊〉 20.10 hee saith Come on yee rebelles must God bee faine to make water to come out of this rocke which you see nowe so harde and drie Yee see hee rebuketh the people sharpely and a man woulde thinke hee coulde not glorifie God better And yet for all this it is saide vnto him Thou hast not giuen vnto mee the honour that belonged to mee and therefore thou shalt bee banished out of the lande that belonged by inheritance vnto thee And did hee sinne then As I saide afore if we iudge after our owne fancie it will seeme to vs that Moses discharged himselfe well in all pointes so as hee offended not ne had any spot or blemish in him But what for that Heereby wee see that it belongeth onely vnto God to iudge and that wee may bee deceiued at all turnes in following our owne witte and reason Wherefore let vs keepe this rule which is verie needefull that is to wit that wee bee farre vnable to discerne good and euill alwayes by eye sight for as is said in the sixteenth of Saint Luke 〈◊〉 16.5 the thing that is highly esteemed among men shall be abhominable before God When we haue sifted a thing neuer so well and setled all our wittes to vtter it well yet shall it seeme to vs cleane contrarie to that it is indeede Nowe then let vs cast downe our eyes and acknowledge that none but onely God is the competent iudge True it is that wee haue the lawe whereby wee may assuredly say this is good and that is euill and our yeelding vnto that which is shewed vs there is not to make vs iudges for wee take no authoritie to our selues but onely yelde to y e things that God setteth forth And besides this wee must not onely iudge our neighbours doings by the lawe but also examine our owne liues by it And when wee finde our selues to haue swarued from Gods commaundementes we must willingly condemne our selues and allowe no further of our owne doings than they agree with Gods will Although they seeme good to our selues yet let vs not stande vppon that For our eyes are so troubled and weake that oftentimes one sinne escapeth vs and a hundred followe out after it and that is because we be not sharpesighted ynough to spie out the thinges that God perceiueth and which are hid from vs. 1. Cor. 4.4 And that is the cause why saint Paul saieth that although he had walked purely in his office yet was he not iustified for all that For God requireth another manner of perfection than wee can see So then seeing wee haue so weake and dimme a sight let vs learne to referre our selues vnto God and let euerie of vs put that thing in vre in himselfe Psal. 19.13 which is shewed vs by Dauid when he saith Who is he that knoweth his falts Lord forgiue me the euill which I perceiue not We must not onely ask God forgiuenesse of the sinnes that sting vs and whereof we haue proofe in our selues but we must also acknowledge that we haue manie sinnes which wee knowe not of Marke that for one point Furthermore proceeding still herewith let vs not be hastie in iudging to acquite one and to condemne another but let vs reserue vnto God that which is his for as I haue said afore if God had not pronounced that sentence vppon Moses euery man would canonize him and say hee did the best that coulde be deuised But what for that Seeing hee is condemned by the heauenly iudge we must bridle our selues and not fall to incountering against God For wee shall winne nothing by it Rom. 14.10 And for the same cause also S. Paul intending to exhort vs to modestie in the 14. to the Romanes alledgeth that wee must all come before the iudgement seate of our Lorde Iesus Christ where we shall not allowe what we thinke good nor reiect what we mislike in our own fancie for that authoritie belongeth to the onely son of God Seeing it is so my brethren saith he wee must absteine from foolish ouerweening Thus much concerning that which is reported of the sinne of Moses Nowe let vs come
Nowe let vs kneele downe in the presence of our good God with acknowledgement of our sinnes praying him to vouchsafe to bring vs more and more to such repentance that wee mourning for them before him may acknowledge that there is nothing but cursednesse and destruction in vs wherein wee should dwell stil if he pitied vs not and that in the meane while we may not be so frowarde and malicious as to turne heade against him though hee handle vs roughlier than wee would bee but that acknowledging it to bee rightfull that hee should touch vs with his hande wee may bee so reformed as our whole seeking may bee to mortifie all our affections and lustes and to please him and to obey his righteousnesse and that therewithall he strengthen vs in such wise as wee may fight stoutly vnder his antsigne by that meanes be mainteined vnder his protection vntill we haue finished our race in this worlde and bee taken vp into his euerlasting rest after wee haue outstoode the battelles that wee haue to indure here That it may please him to grant this grace not onely c. On Wednesday the j. of May. 1555. The xiij Sermon which is the third vpon the second Chapter 24 Afterward the Lorde said Vp get ye hence and go ouer the riuer of Arnon Behold I haue deliuered Sehon King of Hesebon the Amorrhyte and his land into thy hand Begin to take possession and prouoke him to battell 25 This day will I begin to send the feare and dreade of thee vppon all people that are vnder the whole heauen so that when they heare the fame of thee they shall tremble and bee in anguish for thy presence 26 Then sent I messengers from the wildernesse of the east to Sehon King of Hesebon with wordes of peace saying 27 Let mee passe through thy land keeping on the high way without turning to the right hand or to the left 28 Thou shalt sell me meate for monie to eate and thou shalt also giue mee water for monie to drinke let me but onely passe through on foote 29 As the children of Esau haue done which dwel in Seir and the Moabytes which dwell in Ar vntill I be come ouer Iordan and bee entered into the lande which the Lord our God giueth vs. HEere Moses confirmeth yet better the thing that I treated of before that is to wit that men must not giue themselues to folish enterprises as euerie mans fancie leades him but wee must haue an eye what is lawfull And thereof there is none other triall than to hearken what God coÌ„maundeth and promiseth vs. For his will must be our sure rule Whosoeuer thrusteth himsâ—lfe forth to doe what he liketh best although he be able to iustifie his doings before men and can set neuer so many faire colours vppon them yet shall he alwayes be condemned before God Therefore let vs beare in minde that to liue as it becommeth vs we must haue this sobernesse and modesty with vs that we aduenture not any further than his worde will beare vs out True it is that the talke heere is onely of warres but wee must applie the doctrine thereof to our generall vse For like as God chose his people of Israell to make them as a looking glasse for his Church so must wee applie all the thinges to our selues which are written of them For the perfection of the things that are conteined here Cor. 10.11 Heb. 6.1 belongeth to vs as sheweth saint Paul Nowe were this wel obserued wee shoulde not haue such disorder in our life as wee see For euerie man hath his liking by himselfe and according to his liking so flingeth he forth to attempt thinges and we neuer stande to inquire what God commaundeth but our owne affections carrie vs away and inflame vs in such wise that euerie one runnes after the thing that he lighteth vppon and so wee doe but gadde vp and downe all our life long But heere it is tolde vs that men must not reach out their handes to aduenture vppon any thing at all further foorth than GOD hath giuen them leaue When hee saith goe our going is not at all aduenture but it is matched with a promise Beholde saith hee the Lord hath deliuered Sehon king of Hesebon into thy handes As if hee shoulde say men must not haue an eye to any thing that may drawe their desire to it afore hande as wee see that our nature doeth driue vs thereunto for scarsly can wee tell howe to open our eyes but some lewde liking will tickle vs. And what is the cause thereof It is for that wee bee not fully perswaded of this principle that wee must let all thinges alone which are not graunted vs of God If wee followed this doctrine such as are poore would be contented with their slendernesse and craue no more of God but to bee susteyned and the rich sort would not be so blinded with vnsatiable couetousnesse as to increase themselues still by adding peece to peece And therefore it standeth vs so much the more on hande to beare this doctrine in minde sith we see howe sore our life is disordered and we cannot rule our lustes according to Gods will which onely can and ought to master them Againe on the other side wee see howe wee picke out enemies whereas it belongeth to GOD to appoint vs them In good faith what is the cause that men heaue one at another that they seeke to eate vp one another and that there is so much strife trubble and quareling It is for that as soone as any man is greeued by and by hee will needes bee reuenged and wee cannot abide that any man shoulde touch vs in our goods or our persons but incontinently wee will be at open warre with him As for patience there is none at all in vs. But our Lorde will haue vs to ouercome euill with good that in so doing wee may be as his sheepe But no man will bee brought to so much reason Men then arme themselues where God commaundeth them to bee quiet and peaceable and they will needes haue them enemies whom God would haue them to labour to winne by loue and gentlenesse Contrariwise if there bee a iust quarell that ought to bee mainteyned euery man shrinkes away The name of God is blasphemed and wicked deedes are committed there ought such as haue courage and manhood to shewe that they feare not the hatred or anger of men For GOD will haue vs to vndertake warre in his name and euery man doeth shunne it And therein wee see howe frowarde and vntowarde wee bee Againe it is saide that our warring must bee Ephe. 6.12 not against mortall men but rather against Sathan and all his wyles Loe howe GOD soundeth the trumpet and striketh vp the drumme and telleth vs that wee must enter into battell against our ghostly enemies But that will not sinke in our stomackes wee be wedded to our owne lustes if any man anger vs
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
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
And on the otherside hee tryeth our humilitie For if hee thundered from heauen if he appeared visibly vnto vs if the Angels came downe vnto vs it were no maruell though men beleeued his worde But when both great and small imbrace the order that hee hath set in his Church that is to wit when they obey his worde that is preached vnto them that is a good tryall of our faith Neuerthelesse let vs still come backe to this that God hath shewed himselfe sufficiently to men so as wee haue no cause to doubt of his worde or to stande scanning from whence it came For wee bee sure enough of his will if wee bee not wilfull in refusing the signes that hee hath giuen vs. Thus yee see what wee haue to gather vppon this sentence of Moses where hee saith that the people durst not goe vp into the mount by reason of the feare which they had conceiued And although wee in these dayes woulde not refuse that God should speake vnto vs yet if all thinges bee wel considered it would not bee for our profite And therfore let vs vnderstand that Gods vsing of mens seruice in that wise ought not to diminishe the certeintie of our faith It is sayd consequently that God taught the people saying I am the Euerlasting thy GOD which brought thee out of the lande of Egypt Thou shalt not haue any other God in my sight Here to keep the people of Israel in awe GOD telleth them that the knowledge which they haue of him ought to keepe them aloofe from all superstitions For it was not to bee marueiled at that the heathenfolke had idols and went wandering after their owne errors and fancies Wee must vnderstand that it is mans propertie of himselfe to doe so It is pitie to see howe much wee be inclined to vanitie We neede not to goe to schoole to learne to bee deceiued for euery of vs is clearke greate enough in that case To bee shorte wee goe alwayes forewarde to euill yea euen vnder colour of good insomuch that in stead of seruing GOD there is nothing in vs but corruption and idolatrie Therefore the Heathen had their diuersities of superstitions for euery man might forge what hee would of his own braine and in the meane while the liuing GOD was let alone of all men And why For hee was not so gratious to the whole worlde as to shewe himselâ—e to all men And so men became brutishe but that was for want of teaching Neuerthelesse that excused them not for they bee still guiltie before GOD. Moreouer the fountaine from whence idolatrie springes is the vnthankefulnesse and lewdenesse of men in that they forsooke the liuing GOD of their owne accord And when the worlde was once growen out of kinde as I haue sayd afore the wretched Paynims ran astray lyke blinde folkes for they had no light to shew them the way of saluation Now here GOD chargeth the people of Israell with rebellion if they helde not themselues to the lawe that hee gaue them And why For I am the Euerlasting thy God When as he sayth I am the Euerlasting it is an excluding of al the Gods that haue bin inuented by men As if hee should say there is but onely one Godhead and that is in mee Therefore it is to bee concluded that such as knowe mee and yet doe turne away to idols cannot excuse themselues but y t they haue wilfully forsaken y e liuing God And whereas hee addeth that hee is the God of that people it is to shewe that hee had declared himselfe sufficiently As if hee should say I haue shouled you out from all other men You see how all other men goe wandering astray and that is for want of guiding and direction But I haue chosen you for my people and giuen my selfe vnto you Seeing then that I am your GOD holde your selues henceforth to mee or else ye shal be lesse excusable than the Heathen Your punishment must needes be dubble yea and a hundred fold grieuouser than theirs bicause ye shall haue falsified your faith which ye haue plighted vnto me and broken the Couenant that I haue made with you He alledgeth yet furthermore the fauour that he had shewed to the people saying That he had brought them out of Egypt from the house of bondage Whereby he meaneth that he hath bounde the people in such wise vnto him as they can not start away but they must deserue to bee still punished For inasmuch as they shall haue forgotten their deliueraunce their vnthankefulnesse shall bee dubble Seeing they had bene redeemed by the hand of God it behoued them to giue ouer themselues wholly to the seruice of him that was their Redeemer And he termeth Egypt the house of bondage purposely to make the people consider throughly in what plight they had beene there For we see that they which sighed and cried out when they were oppressed with such violence and tyrannie as wee reade of in Exodus Exod. 2.23 14.12 17.3 Num. 14.3.4 desired to returne thither againe as soone as God had deliuered them And whereof came that but that they remembred not their oppression any more and the diuel stopped their eyes that Gods grace might not bee esteemed among them as it deserued That is the cause why Moses termeth Egypt the house of bondage In the end the commaundement is added that the people should not haue any other gods before his face whom they ought to account for their God Now let vs apply all this doctrine to our own vse First of all whereas he saieth I am the Euerlasting let vs learne to weigh this saying in such sort that seeing Gods Maiestie is appeared vnto vs wee imagine not any other Godhead For God cannot abide any companion If the Sunne doe darken the light of all the Starres is it not reason that when God sheweth himselfe al men should worship him and that all the glorie that was before should be then as it were vtterly defaced Yes and therefore is it said by the Prophetes that when the Lord raigneth Ezec. 13.10 Ezech. 23.7 there shall bee none other light but his insomuch that euen the Sunne shall be dimmed and the Moone bee turned into darknesse This serueth to shew vs that if wee mingle any of the fansies of our owne heads with God it is a diminishing of the right that belongeth vnto him For he can not away with any companion Therefore this word Euerlasting must driue all fantasticalnesse from vs that wee take not leaue to imagine one thing or other Let vs be contended to haue the onely one God let him suffice vs. And for the same cause also is it said Esa. 19.1 that when our Lord Iesus setteth vp his seate in the world then shall the idols of Egypt fall downe Now this text belongeth to vs. For like as Moses saide to the people of olde time The euerlasting hath appeared vnto you and therefore you must driue
outrage and they that doe so are worse than wild beastes Yea and if that that disposition was condemned euen among the heathen by the lawes of men much more shall it be condemned by the Lawe of God And therefore let vs learne to submit our selues to him not after our owne imagination but according to his owne nature But forasmuch as he is a spirit Iohn 4.24 he will haue vs to serue him with such soundnesse that besides the restrayning of our feete and handes our heartes also must be submitted vnto him and that with such subiection and obedience as our whole indeuour be to shew by our deedes that we be his true children in as much as we maintaine brotherlinesse with all those whom he hath called to the same alyance with vs. Nowe let vs kneele down in y e presence of our good God with acknowledgment of our faults praying him to make vs feele them better and that wee considering howe hee hath bounde vs to our neighbours and will haue vs to shewe the reuerence y t that wee beare towardes him by abstaining from all euill wrongfull dealing may liue in such brotherly loue one with another as the chiefe marke that we shoote at may bee to honour him as our father and to suffer our selues to bee gouerned by him and by his holy spirit according to his word so as we may bee strengthened more and more in it knowing that his reaching of his hand to vs is to the end to guide vs and to hold vs vnder his protection 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 Tewsday the ij of Iuly 1555. The xxxviij Sermon which is the ninth vpon the fifth Chapter 18 Thou shalt not bee an Aduouterer SAint Paul speaking of the life of Christians and hauing exhorted them to the feare of God addeth y t they must walk vprightly and soberly Now it is not to be doubted but that the same is to be referred to the second table of the law Wil we then obserue the things that our Lord hath commaunded vs in the second table It is not ynough for vs to hurt no maÌ„ either in his person or in his goods but besides this rightfulnesse it is required that we should liue stayedly and honestly as is declared in another place And in the former text of the Epistle to Titus which I haue touched Tit. 2.12 hee saith that we were redeemed by the grace of our Lord Iesus Christ to the intent we should liue in the feare of God in this world and also in sobernesse and vprightnesse 1. Tim. 2.2 In another place to Timothie he saieth that if there bee good gouernment so as the Magistrates doe their duetie we shall liue vprightly and honestly in godlinesse And as touching the feare of God it is the same spirituall seruice that we haue spoken of before which coÌ„sisteth of our pure worshipping of him by indeuouring to trust in him by calling vppon him and by yeelding him his deserued reuerence and in respect of our neighbors it consisteth of knowing howe wee ought to behaue our selues one towardes another These are the two pointes that he setteth downe heare The first which is vprightnesse is that wee offer no man any violence extortion or deceite as in respect of his goods and the other which hee setteth downe by the name of honestie sobrietie or stayednesse is that there be no loosenesse wantonnesse leawdenesse or vnrulinesse in our lyfe Wee haue seene that in expounding the commaundement where GOD forbadde to kill I told you how he meant that we should abstaine from all outrage and iniurie and not onely that but also that wee shoulde indeuour to liue quietly with our neighbours and not suffer any man to be troubled And is it so When wee come to treating of goods it shall bee declared that wee must not play the theeues nor beare false witnesse against our neighbours which things pertaine to Iustice or vprightnesse Nowe if wee will yeelde euerie man his right we shal doe no hurt nor wrong to any bodie and as touching goods also wee shall not attempt to rob any of their substance But here God interlaceth a lawe that forbiddeth to commit adulterie that is comprehended vnder the terme of sobrietie or stay ednesse For although we steale awaye no mans goods nor be murtherers and barreters yet if wee bee vnchast wanton or of beastly conuersation we must not thinke that God is contented with vs. Vprightnes Sobernes are things inseparable for God hath ioyned them togither in his lawe and we see that he confirmeth it by his Apostle who largely expoundeth the thing y t is here touched in fewe words And therfore if we wil haue the true meaning of this text wee must vnderstand that God commaundeth vs here to leade an honest and chast life so as there be no dishonestie nor loosenesse in vs. That is the effect of this commandement True it is that here we be expresly forbidden to commit Adulterie that is to say to breake the faith of mariage by intising other mens wiues to naughtinesse But let vs also weigh y e thing that I haue touched here namely how that vnder one particular God comprehendeth the whole and setteth vs downe the thing that ought to mislike vs euen of nature to the end we should abhorre all maner of whoredome the more I told you yesterday that when men are tempted to doe euill they beguile them selues weening that the fault is but small and so from the lesser they proceede to the greater Contrariwise to hold vs in awe God setteth before vs the sins that are heynousest to y e end we should be striken with feare aforehand and not bee ledde so easily to commit any fault As if he should say beware ye fall not for it will make ye to breake your necke beare not your selfe in hand that you shall but slide for the fall will bee deadly and therefore take heede of it Thus ye see in effect why God proceeded in such order in his law why he speaketh not now generally of all whoredome but of Adulterie which is the breaking of Mariage Nowe wee knowe that if any thing ought to bee taken for holye in the whole life of man it is the fayth which the husbande plyghteth to his wife and the wife to her huâ—bande In deede all the couenants and promises y t we make ought to be kept faithfully Psa. 〈…〉 But if wee compare them together it is not without cause that mariage is called the couenant of God Prou. 2.17 For in so saying Salomon sheweth that God is the Lorde of mariage and therefore that if the husband breake the promise which hee hath made to his wife hee is forsworne not onely towardes her but also towardes God In lyke case is it on the womans behalfe Shee doth wrong not onely to her
to himselfe whom he thinketh good to the end that men shold not trust to the outward signes without faith obedience knowing that although we haue bin chosen to be of the bodie of the Church yet if we make not our profite of that election God can welynough cut vs off againe reserue a smal number to himselfe And although there bee some great multitude of vs which confes al w t one mouth y t God hath choseâ— vs yet can we not therefore say y t he auoweth vs for his childreÌ„ except we liue in purenes of faith haue ratified y e couenaÌ„t which god hath made with vs. And so let vs vnderstand y t Gods liberality sheweth it self after al sorts to vs and y t therfore wee haue the iuster cause to loue him more and more Rom. â—â— to yeeld him all praise For haue we his word It is a free gift aforehand whereby he hath bound vs vnto him Col. â—â— Haue we his sacrameÌ„ts They be the badges of his fatherly election we haue not deserued any of all these thinges But aboue all Eph. â—â— â—â— when it pleaseth him to imprint the certainetie of his promises in our heartes by his holy spirite then is it a speciall adoption then doeth hee shewe vs that wee bee of the little nomber whome hee hath reserued to himselfe And so as I sayde afore wee see that in all respectes wee must keepe our mouthes shut from bragging of any thing and on the other side haue it open to magnifie Gods goodnesse which he vttereth towardes vs. Nowe herevpon Moses addeth That God will keepe couenaunt to a thousande generations of them that loue him yea through his mercie saieth he For as much as he treateth of the generall election therefore he exhorteth the people to bethinke themselues aduisedly Note ye saith he that for as much as God hath promised your father Abraham to be the God of his seede after him he wil not faile you But yet for all that looke y t ye walk warely for the couenant is made with condition that ye must be sound and haue a right meaning heart Therefore thinke not but that your God can driue you out of his house and out of his Church if he finde you vnworthie of the benefit which he hath offred vnto you With y t meaning doeth Moses speake when he putteth here a difference betweene them that loue him and keepe his commaundements and them that hate him Now by these wordes we be taught y t when God offereth vs his word it is alreadie an allying of himself to vs a giuing of vs a record of our saluation but yet doth it not follow y t we may therfore be carelesse Nay rather we must be quickened vp to imbrace y e promises which he sendeth vs so as we may rest wholly vpon them and bee stedfastly setled in them all our life long That is a thing wherevpon it behoueth vs to think True it is that God layeth open his heart vnto vs wheÌ„ his word is preached vnto vs there we be put in minde of his loue and also haue full assurance of our saluation But yet must y t word enter in vnto our heart preuaile with vs which thing is not done but through faith And so let vs understaÌ„d y t Gods electioÌ„ is as it were defeated by vs vnlesse we be coÌ„stant continue stedfastly in it to y e end Rom. 10.7 But yet Moses noteth here againe that this Couenant which God maketh with them y t beleeue him and obey him is of his owne Mercie least we should imagine that God respecteth our deseruings as we see that men are commonly giuen to think in so much y t if they meete but with a syllable which seemeth to tell them y t they may deserue I wote not what they be puffed vp with pride and beleeue wonders of themselues That is the cause why Moses saieth expresly y t God wil performe his couenaÌ„t mercy And he sheweth wherein this couenant consisteth It is not y t wee on our side do bring him any thing why he shold loue vs but y t he is mercifull vnto vs as we see is said in the hundred third Psalme Psal. 103.13 â—4 True it is y t euen there God requireth that wee should feare him indeuour to keepe his commandements But yet howsoeuer the world go he sheweth vs alwayes that the thing which wee must vnderstand of him is that he vseth pitie in handling vs gently through his grace and not according to our deseruing Therefore let vs beare this saying well in minde and weigh it throughly where Moses telleth vs that the couenant which God maketh with vs lieth wholly in his goodnes and no where else and that it is not for vs to puffe vp our selues with foolish presumption as though we were worthie of such a benefite or as though God did but recompence vs but that wee must alwayes looke vp to his goodnesse so as when wee come vnto him wee doe nothing else but say Alas Lord we be sure that thou receiuest vs to mercy as wretched creatures and therefore vouchsafe to haue regard of our miseries by shedding out thy mercy vpon vs. That is the thing whereof we be put in minde in this text Nowe furthermore Moses sheweth howe wee may keepe Gods commandements Deut. 5.10 6.5 y t is to wit by hauing y e things which haue bin treated of heretofore And they be maner of speeches which import so profitable doctrine y t it is good to renue y e remembrance of them wheÌ„ the text offereth occasion therof Moses therefore ment to do vs to vnderstand that to abstaine froÌ„ doing of euill to keepe the things contained in the law to outward show is not all y t we haue to doe As for example if a maÌ„ haue not blasphemed the name of God if he haue not led a disordered lyfe if he haue not bin an adulterer a theefe a quareller or a periured person but haue liued honestly all this will not suffice him For why Such seruice may be by constraint so as the partie shall not obey of his owne free will nor delight in submitting himselfe to Gods righteousnesse to frame his life thereafter That is the cause why Moses beginneth here with loue As if he should say that y e beginning of good obedience to Godward and of liuing according to his Law is to determine w t our selues to delight in nothing more thaÌ„ to yeld our selues to him with al obedientnes to make that our whole pleasure accordingly as wee see how Dauid protesteth that Gods Law was more sweete and pleasant vnto him honnie Psal. 19.11 and not only that he did set more store by it than by gold siluer but also that he imbraced it w t such loue as he gaue not himselfe to the pleasures of the world nor was caried away with wicked affections to
doe euill but gaue himselfe wholly to well doing and to walke according to Gods wil. So then to offer willing sacrifices vnto God let vs remember what is said in this text and what hath bin treated of alreadie heretofore namely that before there is any speech of the keeping of Gods commandements Loue is set downe in the first place bicause wee haue neede to giue our selues first vnto GOD and to haue our hearts as ye woulde say fast tyed and knit vnto him ere we can indeuour to behaue our selues according to his lawe and righteousnesse But nowe let vs returne to the matter that was touched before Moses sayeth That GOD will keepe Couenant yea euen with a thousand generations of them that loue him As if hee shoulde say When God hath once planted his worde hee continueth that grace not onely till the decease of those to whome he speaketh but also to their children and their ofspring Nowe then let vs looke about vs and whereas wee perceiue Gods grace in that he hath vouchsafed to reserue vnto vs his word which was in maner abolished and will haue the same now preached vnto vs if wee I say perceiue his goodnesse in that behalfe let vs also hope that hee will continue the same towardes our children which hee hath begunne towardes vs if wee serue him by dooing the thinges that hee commaundeth vs. Ye see then that the goodnesse which God sheweth vs in his word must not make vs slouthfull and carelesse but rather bee as a spurre to pricke vs foreward vnto him that his holy couenant bee not broken on our part and through our default Furthermore whereas he sayeth Knowe thou that thy God is God yea and a strong God thereby he meant to separate the liuing God from all the idols which the world hath forged in al ages And it is a text well woorth the noting For wee shall neuer serue God with all our heart neither shall wee be able to trust in him and to rest vpon him vnlesse we be sure that he is almightie and that he onely is God No doubt but the vnbeleeuers may well beare themselues in hand for a time that their religion is good and the worlde seeth how wilfull they be in that behalfe but yet all is but stubbornnesse whatsoeuer they make of it And therefore it behoueth vs to be fully resolued and perswaded of this that wee must not haue a flying faith so as our hoping to be saued is but at al aduenture For we must alwayes beare in minde how S. Paule saieth that we must know whom wee beleeue 2. Tim. 1.12 and that God is a faithfull keeper of that which wee haue committed vnto him Then if we know not that our God is one and that he is alone and that he is the verie true God we shal be alwayes wauering and our faith shall haue no stedinesse That is the cause why Moses saieth expresly Know thou that thy God is the God As if he should say Consider in what state the wretched heathen meÌ„ and such as giue ouer themselues to superstition are It is true that they wil talk ynough of God howbeit y t is but rouingly they knowe not who he is But it is not so with you For seeing that your God hath taught you and discouered himself to you he hath certified you of his wil and shewed you that ye need not doubt but your religion is such as you ought to sticke to Now then swarue neither one way nor other neither halt ye but go on right forth seeing you bee sure of your religion Marke that for one point Howbeit for as much as we see men giuen to follow their own fansies which notwithstanding doe but tend to their owne destruction we must remember by this text of Moses that vntill such time as we be sure that the God whoÌ„ we worship is the true God wee shall euer bee intangled in some one thing or other And albeit that we doe our indeuor to serue him at leastwise to our seeming yet is it nothing it is but faining and that hope or trust is but a besotting of our selues Wel may we haue some opinion but as for to haue a setled faith so as we may glorie that our saluation is laide vp in God and that he will keepe it safely bicause he hath taken vs to himself it is vnpossible that we should haue any such certaintie vnlesse wee can say with Saint Paule I knowe whom I haue beleeued and he will be a faithfull keeper of that which I haue committed vnto him So then let vs put such difference betweene the liuing God and all the idols which men haue forged of their owne braine as he may be knoweÌ„ alone aboue all others And that we may so doe let vs learne to deuise nothing of our own head For as soone as wee father any thing vpon God which is not in his owne word it is all one as if wee did set vp an idoll for by that meane we disguise him Therefore wee must so sticke to the liuing God to the ende we may bee his people and hearken quietly to so much of his will as he sheweth vs by his worde as it may suffice vs to haue so much knowledge of him as he hath reuealed by his word without seeking any further For as for those that are so bolde as to take leaue to say I weene this is good and why should not God take this or that in good worth and in the mean while haue no warrant of the holy scripture I say they forsake the liuing GOD and turne away after idoles For what else are the imaginations of men but verie idoles to deface the true Maiestie of the onely God Thus much concerning this place Moreouer Moses termeth God Faithfull to shewe that like as afore he attributed strength vnto him for the Hebrewe worde that he vseth commeth therof so must we also haue his truth before our eyes and in our rememberaunce to the end to leane vnto him to referre our selues wholly vnto him knowing that Gods strength serueth not to abash vs but that whensoeuer it is spoken of it is matched immediatly with mercy to the intent we should be drawen vnto him and come to him with a cheerefuller courage Then is it not without cause that Moses hath set down Gods trueth heere of purpose to hold the people in obedience to him And heereby wee bee taught not to preace into Gods priuities and to dispute of thinges that are too high for vs yea and vtterly vncomprehensible but rather that wee must rest vppon his word and trueth which he hath reuealed vnto vs. True it is that we must bee fully perswaded of this point that GOD chose vs in his euerlasting purpose Eph â—â—â— not bicause wee were woorthie of it but bicause it pleased him so to doe and that there is none other cause thereof but onely his good pleasure as the holy Scripture sheweth vs.
ynough for him to haue sayde Remember thy selfe But forasmuch as men doe what they can to rocke themselues asleepe and seeke meanes to sooth themselues Moses doeth as it were twitch them by the eare heere saying Goe to sirs it is not for you to fall a sleepe in this matter although your nature be inclined thereto yet must you not burie your sinnes but yee must beare them still in minde and sette them before your eyes and then shall yee haue cause ynough to humble yourselues Thus are we warned here to bethinke vs oftentimes of the faultes that wee haue committed and to beware that wee seeke not vaine colours ne thinke not that wee haue spedde well when wee haue founde some trifling shifte to iustifie our selues with all but to learne to cast our selues vtterly downe and to mislike of ourselues and to bee as men condemned so as there remayne none other shift for vs than to flee for refuge to the infinite mercie of our GOD. That is the greatest benefite that wee can deuise to worke to our selues all our life long But howe shall wee be brought to it By the knowing of our faultes Now then in steede of shunning it as a matter of greefe and whereas weebe loth to thinke vpon the offences that haue prouoked Gods wrath let euerie of vs bethinke himselfe of them early and late and let vs enter into the examination of our selues to say Alas howe haue I liued in this worlde Againe lette vs not thinke vppon other folkes faultes to make a buckler of them as wee bee wont to doe but let vs call all our owne life to minde nowe one sinne and nowe an other and let vs cast foorth our sighes and sobbes before GOD as witnesses that wee be not willing to besot our selues nor to burie our selues in our owne dunge by weltring in it but rather that wee woulde faine attaine to his righteousnesse as whose indeuour is to hate and abhorre our sinnes and to magnifie Gods grace towardes vs. Which thing can not bee doone vnlesse our sinnes mislike vs and wee thinke thus with our selues Well then needes must GOD haue vsed greate goodnesse towardes mee seeing he hath called me at such time as I was forlorne Againe since his calling of mee howe oft haue I deserued to bee shaken off and to be quite cutte off from his Church And yet for all that hee beareth with mee vnto this houre and continueth his goodnesse towardes mee still Thus ye see howe wee must bethinke vs of our sinnes to the ende that Gods goodnesse may be knowen and that wee may not onelie taste of it but also be fully satisfied with it And furthermore according to Saint Paules exhortation which is that euery man shoulde quicken and spurre vppe himselfe when he seeeth his fleshe willing to drawe him to forgetfulnesse Let vs not thinke it straunge though it be some greefe to vs at the first to thinke vppon our sinnes For why wee be inclined to the sayde hypocrisie but yet must we fight against it and beware that wee feede it not And so lette vs practise the thing that Moses telleth vs here which is not to forget As howe not that we can alwayes minde it as reason woulde wee shoulde but that the deceiuer foade vs not in our owne vaine flatteries so that although hee stoppe our eyes for a time yet God doe take away the towell and make vs to see our owne dishonestie in open light so as wee be ashamed of it And therefore when wee bethinke vs of our sinnes and offences let vs looke into our selues 1. Cor. 11.31 and quickē our selues vp for we must play the iudges towards our selues if we will obtaine mercie before GOD. Yea and if we will yeelde him the dewe prayse of his grace Iosua 7.19 wee must come to the acknowledgement of our sinnes And that must not be done for once onely but euerie of vs must giue himselfe to examination both euening and morning and vpon the knowledge of one faulte wee must goe to the sifting out of an other Trewe it is that in this case there is no measure neither can we be too circumspect But yet must men mislike of themselues so farre as to learne to glorifie GOD accordingly that is to say to reserue no prayse at all to themselues no not one graines waight but to yeelde all goodnesse vnto him alone and to acknowledge that there is nothing but euill in themselues Thus yee see whereunto the knowledge of our sinnes ought to leade vs. And we must neuer cease vntil we be come thither and when we be come thither we must continue in it still For at euerie turne we shall stumble into this blindenesse againe so as wee shall be prouder than we were afore according as wee see that such as haue liued in humilitie doe in the ende become greatest trusters to their owne witte when they haue once forgotten themselues So then lette vs alwayes beare this lesson in minde vnto our liues ende for humilitie is so perfecte a vertue as wee shall neuer finde it so substantially in vs as we woulde wishe And therefore must we continue in the sayde endeuour vntill wee be quite ridde of all the presumptuousnesse of our fleshe For pryde is the sinne that will bee last corrected and it is the roote of all other offences Thus yee see what wee haue to remember vpon this text where Moses sayth Rremember thy selfe and forgette not the faultes which thou hast committed Nowe he addeth Howe thou diddest anger thy God in the wildernesse I haue tolde yee breefly alreadie that the people were so muche the lesse to be excused for that they hauing knowen the wonders which GOD had wrought at their comming out of Aegypt ceassed not to bee so malitious and frowarde as to spitte out their poyson against GOD. If they hadde done it afore truely yet they hadde beene worthie of blame but yet had their sinne beene more tollerable But nowe hadde God vttered his mightie arme in deliuering those wretches out of the cruell bondage wherein they were and yet notwithstanding euen after Gods working in that wise and after they had seene the apparaunt signes of his maiestie they cease not to striue against him still and must it not needes be that the deuill possesseth them and that they bee as good as bewitched with their owne malice So then it is not without cause that Moses noteth here the place of the wildernesse to the ende that the people might bee the more humbled and feele the greatenesse and hougenesse of the offences which they had committed forasmuch as they were al at one poynt as if GOD had not vttered himselfe vnto them at all For it may fall out that sillie soules which neuer tasted of Gods trueth nor of his workes shall ouershoote themselues and be caried away But seeing that GOD came so neere vnto the Iewes and tolde them I am your Sauiour I take you into my
thine arme stretched out MOses goeth foreward here with the matter that he had begunne afore which was to make the people vnderstand howe great the faulte was which they had committed For wheras he boasteth of Gods hearing of him he doeth not to the intent the people should thinke themselues so much the more beholden to him therefore that is not the thing which he looketh at but that the people should thenceforth liue in awe and humilitie and beare in minde the faulte that they had committed and consider howe they had well deserued to haue beene vtterly rooted out if God had not shewed them mercie And he sayth that after he had lyen vpon the ground fortie dayes and fortie nightes he was heard and this is to the end that by such circumstance the people may the better learne that if GOD had not hearkened to that vehement and earnest prayer of his they had beene vtterly vndone It is an extraordinarie thing that a man should continue sighing and weeping before God fortie dayes and fortie nightes together and no doubt but this power was giuen to Moses by miracle lyke as was his fasting of fortie dayes and fortie nightes before And to what purpose To the end that the Lawe might bee the better authorized thereby For it might well seeme that the couenant which God had made with the people was quite broken and vtterly disanulled and therefore it was expedient that Moses should once againe be separated from the company of men fortie dayes and fortie nightes that by that meanes new authoritie might be purchased But yet for all that we must marke well that whereas Moses forbare meate and drinke fortie dayes and fortie nights together it was not done by humaine power neither was it to speake properly a fast of sobrietie for hee was exempted from hunger and thirst but it was done to the end that the Lawe should be receiued with the greater reuerence forasmuch as it came not of men but Moses came downe from the mountaine as if an Angel had come downe from heauen And his praying was for the sinnes of the people that God would not looke vppon the idolatrie that had bin committed but hold on still in his owne purpose For although Moses had broken the tables and that he had done it through the impulsion of Gods spirit yet notwithstāding as hath bin said already he ceased not to haue compassion vppon the people which was worthie to haue bin rooted out That is the effect of the matter which wee must looke vnto here And thereby we be put in minde that if God forgiue vs any fall or offence wee must not so forget it but we must bethinke our selues to liue in the greater awe and consider all our lyfe long how greatly we be bound vnto God for vttering so great goodnesse vnto vs. There are a number to bee seene which doe but wring their mouthes when they woulde haue their faultes forgiuen them and they neuer passe to thinke any more vppon them to yeelde God his deserued prayse Contrariwise it is shewed vs here by the example of the Iewes that although God bee mercifull to vs and list not to call our faultes to account yet must not wee therefore thrust them vnder foote but rather cal them to minde euery day that it may first of all prouoke vs to repentance assuring our selues that wee may fall eftsoo ne if God preserue vs not and secondly make vs to consider that we stand not but through his free mercie and finally incourage vs to magnify his name for drawing vs out of y e dungeon whereinto we were fallen Seeing then that we be so much bound vnto him let vs bee the willinger to serue and honor him Thus yee see in effect what wee haue to remember vppon this place Besides this let vs marke well by the example of Moses that it is not enough to pray vnto God in two or three wordes and as it were in poste but that wee must continue in praying without being weary And that is a poynt right necessarie to bee marked For whereas there are many faults in vs this is one of the greatest that we cannot settle our selues vnto prayer but wee bee fleeting so as our mouthes are no sooner opened but our wittes are by and by wandering elsewhere And besides that if we haue prayed vnto God once wee thinke it enough and too much Contrariwise wee see that Moses was fortie dayes together in continuall mourning for the offence of the people Therfore in our praying vnto God let vs learne to haue the perseueraunce whereunto our Lorde Iesus exhorteth vs Luk. 〈…〉 saying that we must be importunate and that it is not enough for vs to haue vttered our griefe vnto GOD lightly and once for all but that we must resorte to him stil vntill he haue heard our requestes Now then here is a second lesson which we haue to gather vppon this place which is that in praying vnto God we must haue a setlednesse of holding out to the end Also this praying of Moseses sheweth vs what their duetie is which haue the charge of other folke namely to pray to God to pitie such as shall haue offended For it is not enough for such as haue publique charge to discharge their duetie to the worldewarde but they must also turne vnto God Wee see how the Apostles say that they must not onely preach the Gospell Act. 〈…〉 but also giue themselues to prayer and supplication Now this belongeth to all the faithfull For to pray vnto God is the chiefe duetie of our faith And forasmuch as the Apostles had the chiefe charge of the Church it behoued this calling vpon God to belong chiefly vnto them 2. Cor. 〈…〉 And that is the cause why Saint Paul sayth that hee humbleth himselfe for the Corinthians as who should say hee ought to beare the chastisement of their sins in his owne person For inasmuch as God had set him ouer that Church it behooued him to beare the chiefe burden vppon his shoulders Therefore such as haue the charge of preaching Gods word and of teaching in the Church must not onely imploy themselues that way but also to prayer And chiefly when they see things go amisse and disorders among the people then ought they most specially to resorte vnto GOD that he may prouide a remedie for it This is the thing that is shewed vs by the example of Moses in that it is sayd that hee taryed not till the people resorted to God for mercie but shewed them the way as he whom God had appointed to beare the burthen of the people and to procure their welfare Now let vs come to the forme of the prayer that Moses maketh Lord God saith he destroy not the people of thine heritage whō thou hast redeemed by thy mightie power strong hand out of the land of Egypt Bethinke thy selfe of thy seruauntes Abraham Isaac and Iacob and haue not an eye to the
stubbornnesse of this people nor to their wickednesse nor to their offence Here we see what it is that Moses alledgeth vnto God namely his gracious fauour wherethrough he had chosen the ofspring of Abraham And so we see here a good rule for vs to keepe in praying vnto God which is that if we intende to obtain our requests at his hand we must not presume vppon any thing that is in our selues but rather alledge his own goodnesse which hee hath made vs to feele As if wee should say Lord go forward with thy work thou hast begunne to call vs to thee wee bee as much beholden to thy goodnesse as is possible therefore holde thou on stil finish the thing that thou hast begun and let not thy worke stay vnperfected as it is saide in the hundreth and eight and thirtith Psalme Psal. 138.8 And it is such a doctrine as wee may gather vppon all the prayers that are conteined in the holy scripture Nowe wheras Moses saith thy people and thine inheritance he meaneth not that the people had purchased that dignitie themselues It was a great honour that any one people of all mankinde shoulde be called Gods inheritance Deserued they to bee in that estimation Moses addeth immediatly that there was nothing but stubbornnesse wickednesse and sinne in them It followeth then that all is to be referred to the free adoption wherethrough God had chosen that people as if hee shoulde say I will haue the house of Abraham to reigne ouer it there will I dwell that shal be my Church Psal. 132.14 there wil I rest God in so saying had not respect whether the people were worthy of it or no and it appeared by the effect that they were a spitefull people but whatsoeuer they were God had made the said promise which was not grounded vppon any deserts of man The thing then that Moses setteth vs downe here is this Lorde haue mercy vpon thy people and vpon thine heritage And so when wee resort to God to craue forgiuenesse of our sinnes let vs learne to make none other enterance to finde fauour and to be hearde than by alledging the benefites that we haue erst receiued at his hande That say I is the gate that we must enter at in praying vnto God Albeit we haue offended him and be neuer so wretched sinners yet notwithstanding inasmuch as hee hath chosen vs for his flocke and vouchsafed to vtter himselfe to vs and to giue vs assurance that hee is our father and sauiour wee may presse familiarly vnto him hauing so sure a pledge of his goodnesse But yet let vs beware of presumption that wee seeke not any thing in our selues wherewith to binde God vnto vs for we bee vtterly voide of any such thing but let vs be conteÌ„ted to offer vnto him y e things which we hold of him and in doing him homage for his benefites let vs take corage to call vpon him assuring our selues that he will continue theÌ„ still that as he hath shewed himself liberall towards vs heretofore so he wil giue vs assurance y t he wil not faile vs hereafter This in effect is the thing which we haue to remember in this saying of Moses where he calleth the Iewes Gods people and heritage Now he addeth that God had brought them out of the land of Egypt by his mightie power and with a strong hand eueÌ„ to make it knowen that they were his inheritance by a vysible token and by the apparant effect of it True it is that the people shold haue grounded and themselues vpon the promise and Moses hath followed the same order here For he saith not first Lorde y u hast brought vs out of Egypt and afterward vpheld vs by thy power when thou madest vs to passe through y e wildernesse but he saith expresly we be thy people and thine inheritance And wherupon rested he Vpon the promise because God had spoken the word saying I will bee the Sauiour of thy lynage But yet therewithall hee letteth not to alledge the saide deliuerance also Gen. 17.7 to proue that God counted that people for his heritage For when God deliuered the Iewes out of Egypt reached them his hand to bring them out wher of came it It was as a sealing of the couenant that had beene made by worde of mouth God say I did shewe as then that the former promising vnto Abraham that he would be the God of his linage was not in vaine And for the same cause doth Moses set down both twaine of them here He beginneth with the promise and afterward addeth what insued thereof that is to wit the deliuerance which was a sure warrant that he ment not to beguile his seruaunt Abraham when he tolde him as I hâ—ue tolde you before Wherfore let vs briefly beare in mind that if we intend to haue accesse vnto god to rest vpon his goodnes we must beginne at his worde and afterward we must also acknowledge the benefites that wee haue felt at his hande And if we haue founde that hee hath not beguiled vs by his promises it is as a former warrant whereby hee intendeth to confirme and assure vs the better Loe heere a goodly matching namely that wee yeelde such honour vnto Gods worde as to trust assuredly thereunto and therewithall that we be not thankelesse for the goodnesse which he hath shewed vs indeede but make the same to serue vs as a president to ratifie our faith to the ende that his worde haue the greater shewe and power in vs and wee bee the more prouoked to call vppon him not doubting at all but that wee shall finde him the same that hee hath shewed himselfe to be euen to the ende Thus yee see howe it behoueth vs to put the order in vre which Moses keepeth here first in setting down Gods promise whereby he had adopted y e people of Israel afterward in adding y t he had deliuered them out of the lande of Egypt thereby ratifying the thing that he had spoken to his seruaunt Abraham Now he addeth that God should not haue an eye to the peoples stubbornnesse wickednesse or offence This is not added without cause For when we come to pray God to performe his promise and to bring the grace of his adoption to his ende in the meane whyle our owne consciences vpbraid vs so as wee see well that we be guilty before him it is ynough to foreclose y e way to our prayers For when wee offende God wee breake his couenant as much as in vs lyes and we stop him from performing of his promise To be short we deserue to be giuen ouer of the Lord when wee keepe not faith and troth towardes him For this cause doth Moses say here Lorde haue not an eye to the stubbornnesse of this people So then it is not ynough for vs to pray God to goe through with the thing that he shall haue begun in vs and to bring his grace
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
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
estimation by setting a faire face and countenaunce vppon the matter And therefore let vs marke in feawe wordes that Gods word ought to serue vs to dubble purpose First to teach vs his will that wee may submit our selues simply vnto it so that when wee haue the grace giuen vs to haue the doctrine purely taught vs then euery of vs should agree thereunto and hearken to the voyce of our sheepheard and followe whatsoeuer is tolde vs without gainesaying The thing which wee must doe when wee haue order in the Church so as there be no sectes nor troubles in it but Gods trueth is purely preached is that there must bee true concorde and brotherly loue among vs to answere our God all with one hart and one mouth that his trueth may be aduaunced among vs. The second vse thereof is that when it falleth out that Satan indeuoreth to turne vs away and there spring vp heresies false doctrines and errors among vs wee must withstand all such things and shew that Gods trueth is strong enough to hold vs still vnto him according to my former saying that our faith must get the vpper hand of all the world so as wee bee starke deafe in hearkening to any of all the wiles that are put to vs to intice vs from GOD and his pure trueth Thus yee see in effect what is told vs in this text And let vs marke well Moseses maner of speache If a prophet steppe vp among you sayth he Hereby hee sheweth that wee must not onely withstand the open enemies that fight against Gods word and pretend not at all to bee of his flocke or to haue any partnership or neighborhoode with vs but also resist our homebred battels insomuch that if there rise vp any deceiuer among our selues that is to say if any such as maketh pretence to be of the fellowship of the faithfull and to be as it were of the very household of faith step vp we must not bee troubled at it out of measure And that is well worthie to be noted for if the christian faith be impugned by the wicked which pretend not to come vnto God as by the Turkes Paynims and Iewes so as they blaspheme with open mouth forasmuch as they be vtterly cut off from the Church lyke rotten members their resisting of the Gospell and their striuing to abolishe the Christian religion is no great woonder to vs. For why Wee be as it were hardened with such examples Therfore when the opē enemies set themselues against God his word it is a tēptation that will easily bee ouercome But when those that are knitte vnto vs and are as it were of our owne bodie doe fall to tearing of the vnitie of our faith in peeces to peruert Gods trueth and to marre it in such wise as it shoulde bee disfigured that is such a perplexitie and griefe to vs as wee wote not where to become And that is the thing that troubleth so many simple folkes nowadayes What shall wee doe say they For wee see so much disputing in the Church and so greate diuersitie of opinions that it were better to aske no question of any thing insomuch that a great number become carelesse for feare to bee intangled in wicked matters and to bee beguyled and therefore they let all alone and will not in any wise come neere vnto God Wee see a greate sorte of men of that stampe Othersome let loose the raynes of the brydle and take libertie to maintaine one while one mans saying and another while another mans and are neuer fully persuaded of any thing but are in one mynde to day and in another minde to morrowe and chaunge at euery minute of an houre Wee see a number of wild heades nowadayes which haue no stay at all but thinke that all thinges are lawfull And why For I see there are diuerse opinions say they But such men do shewe that they neuer tasted what Gods trueth is The first sort doe well bewray a cursed vnbeleefe For our Lorde promiseth that such as seeke him with a lowly heart shall not be disappointed but hee will shewe him selfe to them Esa. 45.19 Matt. 7.7 Luke 11.19 Let vs knocke and the doore shal be opened If wee desire reuerently to be guided by God surely he will not faile vs. Let vs distrust our owne infirmitie and rudenesse and our Lorde will give vs the spirite of discretion so as wee shall not bee beguyled To be short this saying of Saint Paul which I haue alleaged alreadie heretofore shall euer be perfourmed ◠Cor. 11.19 namely that heresies shall turne to the true tryall of our faith and not bee able to ouerthrowe it For as touching those that are so fleeting without cause they shewe that there was nothing in them but a false pretence and that they did but play the hypocrites in making a countenance to sticke to Gods trueth for had they beene well rooted in it as I sayde they woulde haue continued stedfast in it still To conclude let such examples prouoke vs to put this lesson the better in vre And when wee see the troubles that are nowadays in the world let vs not be ouercome by them neither let our faith be defaced But the more the diuel laboureth and inforceth himselfe to vndo it the more let it aduaunce it selfe and get the vpper hande of such assaultes And when wee see false prophets step vp among vs let vs not ceasse to yeeld this honour still to God that wee hold our selues to his word and start not from it by any means And very necessitie constraines vs to it in these dayes because wee see that such as call themselues Christians and take that title most vppon them are the worst enemies of God that a man can finde For the Turkes Iewes are not more fierie and venemous at this day against God to deface the whole doctrine of saluation than are the Papistes And therefore let vs arme our selues with the warning that is giuen vs heere which is that when wee see false prophets step vp in the sheepefold and in the middes of Gods house yet notwithstanding wee must not faile to hold on stil nor make a stumbling blocke of it to step aside or start away but ouergo it through the power of faith Yea and to come yet neerer the matter when wee see these varlets that had pretended to be at oddes with the Papistes and had mingled themselues among vs do thereupō fall to inuenting of false opinions let vs not bee ouermuch amazed for all that True it is that wee be not senselesse that we haue neede to be waked but yet must wee alwayes conclude thus with our selues How nowe Our Lord hath beene so gratious to vs as to open his owne holy mouth to giue vs the certeintie of faith by his Gospel and shall wee nowe turne away at euery push After that manner say I must wee withstande all the temptations that may befall vs when deceiuers
take occasion of stumbling at it Yea but in as much as Moses addeth that God doeth it for iust cause the stumbling blocke is taken away Hee sayth that God tempteth vs that is to saye that hee tryeth vs. After what maner Whether we loue the Lorde our God or no. And hereby hee sheweth as I haue declared heretofore that if wee haue a right meaning and pure heart and haue receiued his trueth without hypocrisie he will helpe vs at our neede and we shal be vpheld by his power so as Satan may well straine himselfe to the vttermost but the victorie shall alwayes go on our side And this is the thing that I haue touched out of Saint Paul where he sayth that all the false miracles which befall vnder the reigne of Antichrist 2. Thes. 2.12 as many haue been seene are all reuengements of God to punish such as woulde not obey his trueth And it is good reason that Satan shoulde driue them to destruction sith they woulde not open their eyes at such time as God woulde haue enlightened them And seeing they haue thrust all good doctrine vnder foote it is meete that they shoulde bee deceiued by lyes But let vs come backe againe to the wordes of Moses He sayth that wee be tryed to weete if wee loue the Lorde our God Heereby hee sheweth that God putteth a difference betweene the hypocrites and such as serue him in soundnesse of heart at such time as heresies spring vp and that there is trouble and disagreement And why For it is certaine that such as loue God are preserued by the power of his holy Ghoste that the troubles which they susteyne are a good proofe and sealing vp of their faith whereby the same is made autenticall God sheweth by effect howe hee hath wrought in them and that they bee in verie deede of the number of those whome hee hath chosen So then let vs vnderstand that all the errours and heresies which the diuell shall haue sowed among vs shal bee turned to good ende to all Gods children So farre off is it that they bring vs any hurte or harme that they serue euer to make our faith shyne the brighter and to warrant vs that God hath succoured vs and that hee will haue the same knowen to the whole worlde so as he may bee glorified for it And we also haue the more cause to rest vppon him with the greater certaintie of faith and to trust that hee will neuer faile vs. For as much then as wee see that our Lorde worketh in such wise as hee turneth darkenesse into light and deadly poyson to our health haue wee not whereof to reioyce and ought wee not to bee patient albeit that troubles doe vexe vs for a time and that wee haue much adoo to resist Yet ought not our heartes to quaile seeing that God giueth it so happie an issue Thus much concerning the first poynt that is to witte that if wee loue God with all our heart that is to say roundly and soundly and without counterfayting hee will not suffer vs to bee beguyled but whensoeuer Satan comes to sowe troubles and heresies wee shal bee confirmed still better and better and profite in such wise as wee shall neuer bee ouercome And therewithall wee shall haue the better proofe that wee bee of the number of his seruauntes and of those whome hee hath committed to the custodie of our Lorde Iesus Christ and that wee shall see this saying fulfilled that hee will neuer suffer any of the things to perish Iob. 18.9 which his father hath put into his hande Wee see then howe our Lorde Iesus Christ is the keeper of our saluation that wee finde the thing by experience which Saint Peter sayeth 1. Pet. 1.4.5 namely that our saluation is kept in heauen by faith and that wee our selues also shall get the vpper hande of all the temptations which the diuell stirreth vp against vs by sowing such cockle and darnel to the preiudice of Gods trueth But let vs marke also that such as are winde-shaken doe shewe that they neuer wist what it is to loue God with all their heartes and that there was nothing in them but vanitie and hypocrisie And therefore when wee see men seduced let vs not wonder as though God were cruell to them For it was meete that their hypocrisie shoulde bee discouered They meant to mocke God and vsed a kinde of vernishing and painting to make a showe of that which they were not and God bewrayeth what they were in deede Nowe therefore whereas wee see the wretched worlde so carried nowadayes into darkenesse superstition and ydolatrie wee must not thinke that they doe it of meere simplicitie as though they were innocent and faultlesse and that God had giuen Satan the brydle without cause but wee must rather consider that God with iust vengeance punisheth the vnkindnesse of such as had neither purpose nor desire vnto him Trueth it is that a man shall see some outwarde shewe of holinesse in a number of those that are seduced in the popedome and elsewhere But yet for all that they bee double hearted and God perceiueth what they bee in secret So then let vs vnderstand that God is a iust Iudge and let vs glorifie him for his punishing of such as loued him not soundly in their heartes as they shoulde haue done That is the thing which wee haue to note And in deede experience shewes it in such as turne backe and fall to naughtinesse after they haue once knowen the Gospell Wee haue seene here that when Satans vnderlinges haue come hither to set troubles in the Church those that haue beene seduced by them haue knowen them welynough of olde and not nowe of late for I speake of the space of eyghteene yeares Since the troubling of this Church diuers sectes haue been seene and stil God hath beene faine to shewe and to poynt these out with his finger which had nothing in them but dissimulation hypocrisie howe faire countenance soeuer they did make And I say that this hath beene knowen nowe these eyghteene yeres insomuch that euen they that haue pretended to bee great vpholders of the Gospell are well knowen to mee howe they haue behaued themselues I could rehearse their doings if neede were but it is ynough to giue men an incling of them that others might take example by them When the Anabaptistes came hither to infect all there was great cheere made them in the townhouse and this was about an eyghteene yeares ago True it is that men were constrained to reproue their doctrine openly but yet in the meane-while they were still chockt vnder the chinne in steed of resisting them lustily feastes were made to entertaine them with And since that time wee haue seene in our owne dayes and that not long ago howe other heretikes haue beene fauoured at their comming hither and specially howe that horrible blasphemer was supported And by whom By such as had
doing him homage for the goods that wee haue receiued at his hande bee by such force and constreint Nowe wee see in effect what is imported in these two speeches namely that wee must not haue our hearts locked vp to hinder vs from well doing but that not onely our handes but also our heartes must bee open towards such as are distressed to haue pitie vppon them and to vse kindnesse to them Where this is not there must needes bee all manner of crueltie as wee commonly see that such as haue most to spare doe fall to repyning if a bodie go about to wring an almes from them and they make a grudging at it like a dog when one woulde take away a bone out of his mouth And if they happe to giue any thing bee it for shame or for any other cause it is a death to thē to part from it And surely it were better that such rakehelles were rooted out of the worlde than that they should liue among men For they bee monsters against kinde they bee foule churles that coulde finde in their hearts to deuour and swallowe downe all the worlde into their mawes Or rather they bee men full of vnbeliefe which haue no more trust in God than diuels bearing themselues in hande that the earth is not able to finde them By reason whereof if it come to the point that they must giue any thing it striketh them to the heart it killeth them insomuch that the asking of an Almes at their hande is as the drawing of a sworde to cut their throtes Therefore let vs looke to our selues and when we heare our Lord speake of the not hardening of our hearts let vs beginne at this point of kindnesse in hauing pitie and compassion vpon such as are in distresse And therewithall let our hande bee at libertie afterwarde in such sort as wee may protest that wee offer GOD a sacrifice with a free heart And nowe Moses addeth Beware that this wicked thought come not in thy heart to say Beholde the Seuenth yeare is at hande and if I lende my money must lie dead for the time He calleth it a wicked thought when we be helde backe by it too much to our owne profite and in the meane while forsake the partie that is in neede For were our thoughts well ruled surely wee should not bee so greatly wedded to our owne profite but that we would also thinke vpon those whom God commendeth vnto vs. 1. Cor. 13.15 It is saide that loue seeketh not his owne True it is that it cannot bee but that euerie man will bee mindfull of himselfe But Saint Paules meaning in saying so is that men must not bee caried away with the loue of their owne profite as who shoulde say they woulde haue no fellowshippe with their neighbours nor streine themselues to doe any thing for them Therefore as for those which say I must haue regarde of my selfe and therewithall doe despise others and passe not what they endure those seeke their owne gaine and in so doing shewe themselues to be vtterly voide of charitie Contrariwise if wee bee kindhearted although wee be mindfull of our selues yet are we not so caried away with it but that wee beare an euen hand and proceede to the louing of our neighbours as our selues Whereas our nature wholly draweth vs to our owne priuate profite let vs bethinke our selues thus What I cannot separate my selfe from those to whom God hath knit me for that were a wicked diuorce If I should holde my selfe alone and haue no regard but of mine owne aduantage It were a cutting of my selfe off from mankinde I were worthie to be cut from the rest of the world for it is against kinde So then it is not without cause that Moses saith that when a man is so mindful of his owne profite and seeketh it in such sort that he taketh it as an occasion to refuse to help his neighbors at all it is a wicked thought for thereby wee bee done to vnderstand that we must not iustifie our selues because that although men be not able to accuse vs so as we may condemned by mans Lawe yet doth it not followe therefore that wee be quit before God If a man come to borrowe mony of mee and I thinke thus with my selfe I cannot tell whether this man be able to pay me againe or no he is a poore man and when I haue taried a long time hee may chaunce to growe poorer and poorer and then is my money loste Nowe then if this poore man that was to be succoured abide still in distresse and in the end perish the other that woulde not lend him shall not be accused for it nor brought to answere for it before men And if men cast him in the teeth with it O will hee say It was for mee to seeke mine owne profite I listed not to hazarde my selfe after that fashion Well this excuse may serue afore men but in the meane while what saith the heauenly Iudge to it It is a wicked thought saieth hee and let men flatter themselues neuer so much they shall winne nothing by it Therefore let vs marke that wee must not wey our woorkes in our owne scales as who shoulde say wee shall goe scotfree because wee haue some startinghole For our Lorde telleth vs that the thing which beares a shewe to be excusable of it selfe is cursed in his sight that is to wit if wee succour not the partie that hath neede at leastwise according to our abilitie And it is the selfesame thing that our Lorde Iesus Christ putteth vs in minde of where hee saieth that wee must doe good to such as are not able to requite vs with the like Luke 6.35 and that wee must lende without looking for any gaine For neither in lending nor in giuing commonly is there any liberalitie among men but euerie man hath an eye to his owne gaine If a man giue it is to the ende to receiue giftes againe and if a man lende alwayes his respect is that such a one may doe him pleasure and recompence him with the like good turne againe It is no Liberalitie when wee doe good in hope to bee recompensed for it againe But if wee do good to a poore man at whose hande wee cannot by any meanes reape any profite that is a point of free goodnesse and God alloweth of it for it is an acceptable sacrifice vnto him And that is the cause why hee saieth that we should not giue to such as are able to requite vs but to such as are vtterly vnable and of whom wee haue no hope to recouer the principall for it is no Almesdeede that is to say no deede of mercie vnlesse there bee neede and where is neede but among such as are not able to recompence Yea and euen where our money may seeme to bee cast into the water insomuch that wee haue succoured such a man as it may bee saide Verily this is quite lost
reigne of Dauid Saying That a starre should come out of Iacob the brightnesse where of shoulde reche vnto Israel and Moab shoulde bee subiect vnto them and humble himselfe vnder their feete And vndoutedly in the reigne of Dauid there was a figure of the kingdome of our Lorde Iesus Christ. Yee see then how Balaam was constrayned to speake in this sort mauger his beard and againe when Balac reproued him saying What meanest thou Thou art come hither at my charges and commest thou to deceiue mee for thou doest cleane contrary to that which thou didst promise mee And what can I do saith Balaam Is God like vnto men that hee shoulde change his purpose If he haue once decreed a thing it must needs be done it abideth for euer For hee altereth not ne changeth according to the lust of men Beholde how the false prophet speaketh in as excellent a style and manner of speech as can be of Gods vnchangeable truth Now because the Israelites should not think that Gods doing hereof was either because thy had deserued something or because they were better than the Moabites Moses sayeth afterwards That this was because God loued the Iewes To the intent therefore that he might be magnified for his freebestowed goodnes and that y e Iewes might humble them selues knowing that they had obtayned fauour at his hand by reason hee had chosen elected them of his owne good will he saith Thy God hath now declared how he loued thee Here we haue to note first of all that Balaam was such a false prophet as notwithstanding had some particular gift of prophecying from God and these be no contrary things that a man should haue the gift of prophecying and yet for all that abuse the gift of the holy ghost and turne it to a wicked purpose Wee see that also which S. Paul sayth in his Epistle to the Corinthians 1. Cor. 14. namely that they which had the gift of tongues of interpreting and such like things which were excellent in the Church had notwithstanding no regarde of edifyng of the Church and that many of them were not renewed in such sort by the spirit of God y t they sought to serue him Phil. 1.18 It may wel be therfore that men shal haue receiued excellent gifts to bee esteemed that they shall beare the markes of the spirit of God yet not haue the chiefe and principal thing of all y t is to wit the spirit of regeneration nor be so confirmed that they shall giue themselues ouer wholy vnto the seruice of God endeuour to make that auailable vnto them which they haue receiued by applying it vnto a good lawful vse wayting for the saluation which God setteth before them This may wel be And if this fall out in the Church that is to say to them which are of the housholde of faith what shal we think of Balaam the like so we see there is no inconuenience y t Balaam had the gift of prophecie yet for all that had many corruptions therewithal insomuch that he was an idolater vsed sorceries But what is the cause that God gaue him the knowledge of foretelling things to come for it might seeme y t by this meanes he setteth forth his name vnto open reproche It is true in deede that Balaam such like when they thus abuse the gifts of God do vnhallow y t which is holy that which they haue receiued of God Yet notw tstanding there was this respect y t God ment to leaue some witnesse of himself euen among the Infidels to the intent they might haue so much y e lesse excuse be so much the more conuicted if they would make ignorance their buckler As for example the Moabites forasmuch as they had not y e law therefore they had neuer knowen any thing of God except their fathers had left thē some smal remnant therof For Lot was not ignorant of it but beeing brought vp in his vncle Abrahams house he knew what religion meant As for the Moabites they were altogether estranged from it Howbeit there remained some small print therof y t they might be conuicted at the latter day y t if they had sought after God they might haue attained vnto him but because they were snarled in the multitude of superstitions which they themselues had deuised were growen cleane out of kinde they can seeke after no starting holes for they shal always be condemned for hauing a malicious wickednes in them and for turning aside from God so as they deserued to be blinded in y t fashion by y e deceits of Satan And thus yee se what is to be noted in the first place touching Balaam Now in y t Balac beleeued y t if Balaam once cursed y e people al should passe on his side wee see therby how men can neuer hold the mean but euen do swarue aside to some extremitie or other Gen. 2.7 It is true in deede y t when wee are blessed of y e prophets of God the same is a warrant vnto vs of his blessing But yet we must always haue an eye vnto God For if we teare him in pieces what shal we win therby But when men think to coniure God it is al one as if they would dismember him For they intend to seuer his iustice vprightnes from his truth his gratious goodnes from his mightie power God saieth y t when we be blessed of his prophets we ought to assure our selues that he ratifieth y e same in heauen When Abraham blessed Isaac when Isaac blessed Iacob when Iacob blessed his children it was no vaine blessing because it had his certaine force effect And why Because God had giuen vnto them this office And what is y e reason y t we are blessed at his hand when mē blesse vs with their mouth His wil is that men should beare this reuerence vnto his word by y e which he declareth him self here below vnto vs he cōmeth not downe alwayes from heauen in visible maner he sendeth not his angels at our plesure but those whome he hath ordeined his messengers are to declare his wil vnto vs. He wil be serued by them as by instruments to the intent he may make his blessings which he sendeth vnto men to profit them And therefore if we say that being blessed by the Prophets or by the priests we are assured y t God ratifieth the same in heauen we shal speake truly Yea verily if so be wee haue an eye vnto God be conformable vnto his wil. But if we dally with God wil haue him transforme himselfe at our beck let vs note y t he wil curse vs yea y t he will curse vs double when we vse him in that order For when God ordeined that the priestes should blesse the people it was to good effect purpose For it is expressely said in the sixth Chapter of Numbers Ye shall blesse my people in
him with rigour he might haue condemned him with all the rest For what is there in Abraham to make God to bee beholding vnto him So then wee are all confounded in our selues And therefore there is no other remedie left vs but to beleeue in the free promises which hee hath made vnto vs embracing his mercie and fatherly loue hanging thereon the assurance of our saluation The cause say I why we are iustified by faith is that in our woorkes there is no righteousnesse which may answere for vs before God but wee are all to bee condemned But nowe God hath so receiued vs with this condition that hee forgiueth vs all our sinnes and that not onely for a day but for all the time of our life not that wee shoulde sinne vnder colour that God wil bee mercifull vnto vs let vs take heede of that but because we are frayle and weake God will alwayes continue his goodnesse towardes vs. And farther when wee doe any good there is yet some euill euen in that good which wee doe For wee neuer giue any almes with such perfectnes as were requisite but God may alwayes finde some fault or other in it It is with our workes as men vse to say of wine that there is still some faulte or other in it It is good wine will one say but it hath taken winde it is too sharpe it is mustie or there is I know not what in it it is turned and so the wine is nothing woorth Euen so is it with our workes there is alwayes some spotte or other in them so that God shall haue iust cause to reiect them Seeing it is so wee had neede to be borne withall at his hande as a chylde is borne withall by his father And in verie deede hee hath made vs such an expresse promise by his Prophet Malachie Mal. 3.17 Psal. 103.13 That hee will spare vs euen as a father spareth his chylde who perceiuing his chylde to bee willing to doe that which hee commaundeth him although hee doe not his worke so perfectly as were requisite hee shoulde wil not deale rigorously with him if so bee hee goe about it with a willing and cheerefull mynde So then yee see why it is sayde that wee are iustified by faith But whereas it is sayde on the contrary side that our workes shal bee reckoned vnto vs for righteousnesse it is because God accepteth them And why Is it because they are worthie to bee accepted or for that they haue any merite in them No. But because of the couenaunt and agreement which hee hath made with vs that seeing wee are members of our Lorde Iesus Christ hee beareth with vs hee pardoneth vs our sinnes and accepteth that which wee offer vnto him although it bee woorth nothing yet is it ynough that hee accepteth of it According vnto this reason it is saide in this place that the almesdeedes which wee doe for Gods sake shal bee accepted at his hande for righteousnesse And this letteth not but that wee bee iustified alonelie by faith for when righteousnesse is referred vnto his fountaine from whence proceedeth it From the free mercie of God in that hee forgiueth vs our sinnes Nowe sith it is grounded vppon that wee must not imagine that there is any contradiction in these places And therefore let vs briefely note that when our Lorde sayth that the almes which wee bestowe shal bee reckoned to vs for righteousnesse it is to encourage vs the more to the intent wee shoulde not feare that eyther our payne or our money is lost when wee haue relieued the necessitie of the poore And when wee haue this lesson we will not come and laye the foundation of our saluation vppon our woorkes but wee will alwayes buylde the assurance of our saluation on the onely mercie of God and vppon the death and passion of our Lorde Iesus Christ by whose sacrifice wee are reconciled and through whose obedience all our sinnes and iniquities are done awaye This saye I is the meanes to assure vs of our saluation And thus when wee haue settled our trust and confidence in the onely mercie and goodnesse of God wee will haue no mynde to stande vppon our woorkes but it will suffice vs that beeing accepted by the free mercy of God without any merite or deseruable worthinesse of our workes hee will giue vs will strength and power to serue him to serue him I say not after our owne fantasie but accordingly as hee commaundeth vs. Nowe let vs kneele downe in the presence of our good God with acknowledgement of our faultes praying him to take them away and therewithall so to refourme vs by his holy spirite as our whole indeuour may bee to please him and to obey his holy will as hee hath declared it vnto vs in his lawe And because we cannot come vnto such perfection as were requisite wee shoulde pray wee him to reache vs out his hande alwayes to supplye our wantes and to strengthen our infirmities vntil hee hath cleane ridde vs of them And so let vs saye Almightie God heauenly father c. On Munday the x. of February 1556. The CXL Sermon which is the fifth vpon the foure and twentith Chapter 14 Thou shalt not defraude the hired seruaunt which is needie and poore neither of thy brethren nor of the straunger which is in thy lande within thy gates 15 Thou shalt giue him his hyre for his day before the sunne goeth dowen for he is poore and therewith sustaineth he his life Least he crie against thee vnto the Lorde and it be sinne vnto thee 16 The fathers shall not be put to death for the children neither shall the children die for the fathers but euery man shal be put to death for his own sinne 17 Thou shalt not wrest the right of the straunger nor of the fatherlesse neither shalt thou take the widowes rayment to pledge 18 But thou shalt remember that thou wast a seruaunt in Egypt and that the Lorde thy God deliuered thee thence Therefore I commaunde thee to doe this thing IF there were not great wickednes and crueltie in men it were needeles to set downe anie such law as is heere contained to wit That we withholde not from a poore mā the wages which he hath earned For we knowe that it is as it were his bloud according as it is written In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eate thy breade Therefore when a man bestoweth himselfe in our seruice we ought at least wise to giue him that wherewithall he is sustained and nourished And therefore I tolde you that if we had but one droppe of kindnes in vs we needed not to be taught this doctrine For nature teacheth vs what is right and indifferent Let vs therfore conclude when we reade y t which i◠written here that we are accused before God of beeing as brute beastes towardes our neighbours For God would suffer vs to followe on our owne course if he sawe
bee so presumptuous but wee must assure our selues vppon the warrant which hee giueth vs as wee see in this place Thy GOD wyll giue thee rest from all thine enemyes And therefore Moses sayde not simply When thou hast conquered the Countrey when thou hast the victorie ouer all thine enemyes but hee referreth all vnto GOD. Whereby hee declareth as I haue already touched that men may not grounde themselues vppon their owne power and abilitie but wee must haue our recourse alwayes vnto GOD and acknowledge that it is in him onely to make vs inuincible against all our enemyes And if it was needefull that GOD shoulde woorke in such wyse to make the children of Israel to ouerthrowe the Chananites Pheresites Iebusites and the lyke it is much more needefull that hee shoulde woorke nowadayes with a greater power in vs bycause wee are to encounter with more mightie enemyes Ephes. 6.12 For as Saint Paule sayeth our combat is not against fleshe and blooud that is to say mortall creatures onely but also against the Princes of the ayre In so much that if wee compare the power which wee our selues haue to resiste with the aduauntage which Sathan hath our vs alas hee is the prince of the worlde and besides that hee is aboue our heades so as hee myght ouerwhelme vs out of hande And therefore GOD must put to his helping hande and fight for vs or else wee shoulde bee a hundred thousande times vanquished So then whensoeuer wee are to aduenture vppon any thing let vs learne to haue an eye alwayes vnto the power of GOD assuring our selues that the same is mightie ynough to strengthen vs. And thereuppon taking courage let vs boldly defye all the forces of our enemyes bee they neuer so dreadfull and let vs knowe that they are nothing in comparison of the helpe and succour which God hath promised vnto vs and which he is readie to shewe in verie deede Thus yee see in effect what wee haue to beare in minde vpon this place Nowe it is expressely sayde That the Iewes shall bee reuenged vppon Amalec when they haue the lande in possession which was promised vnto them And it serueth to shewe that wee ought to bee as quiet as may bee in executing GODS vengeaunce For when men reuenge themselues of their enemyes wee see they are altogether troubled with those bickeringes which they haue with them and they are set all on fire by their passions And that is the cause why reuenginges are forbidden vs when they proceede not from GOD but that men thrust themselues so into them without any measure or discretion Will wee then iustifie any reuenge of ours Wee must bee at peace within our selues that is to saye wee must not haue an eye to our owne losse or gayne wee must not bee mooued with any excessiue passion to bee shorte wee must haue a stayed and setled minde and aboue all the zeale of God must abide in vs and gouerne vs. Neuerthelater we may not vnder this colour that GOD sayde vnto his people Remember the Amalekites for I will haue them rooted out of the worlde wee may not I say take occasion thereupon to reuenge our selues after our owne lust and liking And why For God layde not the bridle on his peoples necke to say Doe what you thinke good you shall haue leaue to doe what you liste but hee woulde haue the reuenge to proceede from himselfe whereuppon wee haue to note two thinges The one is that wee must bee appoynted of God or otherwyse it shall not be lawfull for vs to lift vp so much as a finger to punish any offences The other is that although wee haue this calling and that God putteth the sworde in our handes yet neuerthelesse wee must not bring with vs our owne affections which alwayes driue vs on forewarde and ouermaster vs but wee must behaue our selues so simply and plainely in this vocation of ours that the spirit of GOD may gouerne both our heartes and our handes As touching the first poynt I tolde you that hee which hath no expresse commaundement of God to that purpose may not punish offences If I see a man offend although I ought to set my selfe against him to the vtmost of my power and to withstand his wickednesse yet bycause I am a priuate person I may not attempt to punish the offender any way For GOD hath charged mee with no such thing and men may not on their owne heades take vppon them any such charge For although at y e first sight a man would take it for a great vertue if I shoulde fall vpon a wicked man and apprehend him insomuch that if he beate or abuse a poore man I come and maintaine the good cause it would be taken for a good deede yet in verye deede I passe my boundes and take more vppon mee than God hath commaunded mee and this deede of mine may not be accounted for a vertue Yee see then what stayednesse the faithfull ought to keepe in their liuing to wit that they attempt not any thing but what God hath giuen them in charge to doe That is to be noted for one poynt Nowe for the second wee must note that vnder colour that God hath armed them with authoritie to punish vices men must not fall into heates through their carnall affections and passions to reuenge their owne quarels but must doe that which they knowe GOD liketh of and yet to no other ende or meaning than hee hath appoynted And herewithall let vs note that they which are ordained and appointed of God to execute Iustice ought to keepe themselues in the high beaten way wherein God willeth them to goe without taking vnto themselues any new lesson For it is not for earthly Iudges to make lawes at their pleasure and to say euery day I will doe thus and I will doe otherwise but they must haue a carefull eye to their office and duetie Beholde it is GOD which speaketh wee must execute that which hee commaundeth and therefore let men holde themselues thereunto and not presume to alter his commaundement in any wise for otherwise a man may pretende goodly excuses but God liketh better of the obedience which men yeelde vnto him than of al that euer they can alleage in reason although it haue neuer so great likelyhood Moreouer as I haue alreadie touched when wee heare concerning Amalec that GOD woulde haue him cleane rooted out a man might reply and say What if a man should handle this people gently and spare them Were it not a reasonable thing Should a man deale so extremelie with them Surely when the people of Israel left it vndone their shewing of mercie was a kynde of despysing GOD 1. Sam. 15. and it is certayne that their so dooyng turned to their owne confusion according whereunto wee see howe it was sayde You haue not executed the vengeaunce of your GOD Numb 33.5 and therefore those whome you haue suffered to lyue must
fully certified vs that the lawe proceeded from him and y t it is not a doctrine of mans deuising but Gods owne vnchaungeable wil and the rule that hee meant to haue kept without breaking not onely of them that lyued at that time but also from age to age so long as the world should laste seeing I say that God did so shew forth his power to his creatures ought not the rememberance of such a deede preuaile to rule vs without any opening of our lippes against the doctrine conteined in the Lawe Yes surely Needes them must it be that the people were verie leawd yea and very rebellious seeing they coulde so soone forget that which God had ordained to cause his lawe to bee receiued with all reuerence And that is the cause why it is saide besides the couenant that was made in Horeb. Here Moses reprooueth those that shoulde teach their children and posteritie vpbraiding them that they had forgotten God and not profited themselues by the woonders which they sawe at the publishing of the lawe but compelled God to renue it againe at the ende of fourtie yeeres as though they had not knowen whence the lawe came but had cast doubtes of it still and woulde make none account thereof vnlesse they were subdued againe by maine force and fetched home againe by God like a sort of stray cattell That was a token of great malice But let vs marke howe God hath turned the euill vnto good by making it to serue to our saluation For by this meane wee bee the better confirmed in the doctrine of the Lawe If it had beene published but onely once in Horeb it ought to haue beene more than ynough to vs. And seeing that God gaue forth his voice in the aire insomuch that if a beast had come neere the mountaine Exod. 19.13 it should haue dyed and men heard dreadfull things and all their wits were troubled the reciting of these thinges vnto vs ought to make vs to cast downe our eyes and to yeelde our selues pliable to receiue that which is contained in the Lawe of God But nowe seeing it is saide that God began againe and that there was a double confirmation whereby the lawe was ratified anewe and God auowed himselfe to bee the author thereof and no mortal man ought not the hearing of such thinges to assure vs so much the more to stay vpon the doctrine thereof without any replying If we doe it not double condemnation will lye vpon vs. And thus we do see that the rebellion of the Iewes profiteth vs by that which fell out vpon it inasmuch as it was an occasion that God did yet better confirme the authoritie of his lawe Nowe let vs consider whereat Moses doeth beginne He saith The Lorde hath wrought dreadfull woonders before your eyes in the Lande of Egypt there were tentations to trie you you knowe what hee did vnto Pharao and to all his subiectes ye◠notwithstanding you haue not considered any of all those things you haue had neither wit nor eares nor eyes you haue bin deafe and blind senseles beastly and so ye see how al gods myracles haue nothing auailed you because of your dulnes Iustly hath Moses begun here with vpbraiding and iustly doth hee blame y e people for that they had not bin more attentiue to vnderstande and to marke the testimonies that God gaue them yea verely Whereunto tendeth that but vnto this which hee addeth for a conclusion My will was that you shoulde haue knowen that I am the euerlasting your God Lo howe God declared that his intent was to reforme his people as if he should haue said hold ye to me know ye that seing I haue taken y e charge of you your life shal be happy I will haue care of you therfore honor me put all your trust in me settle your affection vpon me glorifie me in al your life That was gods purpose when he shewed his wonderful power in deliuering y e people of Israel out of the bondage of Egypt Seeing then that all this profited them not must it not needs be that they were too too froward in burying so many testimonies of Gods presence specially seeing it was for their welfare and felicitie to haue yeelded themselues in subiection vnto God Seeing then that they were so wildheaded and would not by any meane bee reclaymed it is a signe of too diuelish malice It is al one as if Moses shold say thus Look to your selues For there is no excuse why you should be thus deafe blind and senselesse Whereas God hath wrought so mightily in the land of Egypt for your deliuerance it was to the ende that you should be stablished in the trust of his goodnesse and power and bee stayed vppon the mightie strength which hee shewed vnto you in so excellent maner But you haue doone no such thing and therefore yee be more than guiltie because nothing hath hindered you to knowe your God which hath thus shewed himselfe vnto you but your owne vnthankfulnesse in refusing al maner of vnderstanding In deede it seemeth at the first shew y t Moses doth in this place diminish the fault of the people by saying God hath not giuen you eares to heare euen to this day neither eyes to see nor minde to vnderstand For hee sheweth that it was not in the peoples power to haue either reason or vnderstanding vntill the same were giuen them from aboue Nowe if men bee so brutish that they cannot bee taught vntill God call them vnto him what can they say but y t they are to be pitied and that he ought not to condemne them for the same It seemeth therefore that Moses went about here to cloake the iniquitie of the people in saying that it was long of GOD. For it was in Gods power to haue inlightened that people if hee had would but he did it not And he sayth precisely God hath giuen thee neither eyes nor eares Whereby hee sheweth that it is a singular gift of God to bee able to beholde his workes and to discerne aright of them that wee may be instructed by them If we be destitute of the spirite of God then are we altogether brutishe insomuch that although God speake yet we heare him not and although he stretch forth his mightie hand yet we perceiue it not a whit Shold not this serue mē for some excuse of their ignorance And in very deede they that woulde washe their handes wil alwayes say Why If I haue libertie to doe well I am to be blamed if I discharge not my selfe but of whom is it long that I haue it not but of God who depriueth me of his grace Thus doe men pleade their cause and it seemeth to them that they be iustified and acquited so they can declare that it lyeth not in them to doe wel vntil God do assist thē And so saith Moses But yet is all maner of excuse taken away insomuch that although men be not able to
had set himselfe against him And yet for all that it is verie certaine that God had determined aforehande to pardon his people but yet it was his will that Moses shoulde make intercession for them yea euen Moses in asmuch as he was there made supplicatiō in the name of our Lord Iesus Christ and the people knew that they coulde not haue scaped except God had hearde the prayers of Moses But howesoeuer the case stoode this text sheweth vs that God altered not his purpose for hee is not variable neither repealed hee his sentence though hee saide I will yet againe pardon this people for thy sake For the thing which hee had determined in his owne minde was performed and yet notwithstanding it was his will that Moses shoulde steppe in as a mediator And when God heareth vs it is not for that we make him to chaunge his minde but it pleaseth him to declare the thing to vs which hee had determined to doe to the end that our faith shoulde bee exercised and wee knowe that no pray is no labour lost or vnprofitable for the fruite sheweth the contrarie That is the cause then why hee graunteth those thinges at our request which hee had determined in his euerlasting purpose afore Yet notwithstanding we see in effect that if God had not beene minded to stoppe the mouthes of all the wicked and vnbeleeuing sort he had destroyed that people And that was done to correct y e ouerweening of such as were euer ready to grudge against God For such is the maner of men that they neuer want replies but as soone as God scourgeth them by and by they stand in contention with him And if he presse them double then they not onelie grunt at it but also spewe out their blasphemies against him But here our Lorde sheweth that whē men haue cast forth al their rage after that fashion yet it shall bee prooued to their faces that hee notwithstanding hath dealt ouergentlie with them accordingly as it is certayne that euen at this day if God had not a further consideration than onely of vs we deserue well to be wiped out of the worlde For notwithstanding that wee haue receiued his worde what doe we fare the better for it We professe the hauing of the Gospell and wee can well say that the Papistes are Idolaters straungers from God and men giuen ouer to all euill And why For they be blinde and walke in the darke But yet for all that wee that haue the cleare light of life howe doe we order our doinges If we be compared with the Papistes shall a man finde vs better than them Nay wee are so much more blame worthie than they because that for all our teaching yet wee despise God of a certayne malicious and determinate purpose Sith it is so if God had not a further respect than to vs surelie wee shoulde bee consumed out of hand But for asmuch as the Papistes woulde by and by set open their throates to scoffe at God and the pure Religion therefore hee maintaineth vs still Wherefore let vs not boast that wee haue helde out vnto this time by our owne power but let vs consider that God woulde not haue his name blasphemed nor make the trueth of his Gospell to bee a iestingstocke for men to scoffe at and let that bee a meane to humble vs yet better Wee see then that this doctrine belongeth vnto vs and that Moses spake it not onely to the people of Israell but also to all such as shoulde professe the seruice of God and haue the pure doctrine of his worde insomuch that if they play the naughtipackes and prouoke Gods vengeaunce against them and God neuerthelesse doe beare with them it is not for their faire eyes as they say nor for that they haue deserued it but because our Lord will not giue such loose and vnbridled libertie to them that seeke occasion thereof And it is saide expressely That God feared the prouocation of the enemie least hee shoulde estraunge himselfe and say My hande is high and it is not the Lorde that hath doone this thing By this worde Prouocation hee meaneth the pride that is in men accordinglie also as hee doeth in the eight Psalme where it is saide that God is glorifyed by the mouthes of sucklinges 〈◊〉 3◠in which place expresse mention is made of the enemie and of y e auenger because the vnbeleeuers are alwayes so proude and presumptuous that there is nothing with them but crueltie thundering So likewise in this text it is saide that God feared to prouoke the enemie that is to wit least the Infidels shoulde proceede to such wickednesse as to scoffe at the Law and at the true Religion God then preuented them And wee must not imagine that God was afraide of men for hee coulde well haue prouided for it by some other meane Is it not hee that hath made mens tongues And how can they then stirre to speak one worde if he listed to restrayne them Could they moue to vtter one syllable It should seeme then that the thing which Moses speaketh here is needlesse namely that God shoulde bee afrayde to prouoke his enemies for hee coulde wel haue remedied the matter if hee had would I haue tolde you oftentimes alreadie that God is spoken of after the manner of men Therefore when God prouideth for a thing by anie worldlie meane and such as is common among vs it is not for that hee is tyed vnto it cannot of his infinite power doe otherwise but because it pleaseth him so to doe Thus are wee doone to vnderstande in fewe wordes that when it pleaseth God to serue his owne turne by the inferiour meanes which hee hath ordeyned in this worlde it is not for that hee cannot doe what he listeth of himselfe and without any other helpe but for that it is his will to keepe that order As for example Hee coulde well susteine vs without breade wine or water and yet notwithstanding hee vseth those meanes And why so Euen because it pleaseth him If we be sicke he can well heale vs without any medicine and yet will hee haue vs to vse medicines In the time of warre he coulde wel represse all our enemies without our stirring of anie finger towards it but yet hath hee ordeyned other meanes Ye see then after what manner this text is to bee vnderstoode where it is saide that God was afraide to prouoke the enemie not that hee was vnable to let them or to withstande them if hee had would or that hee was vnable to haue stopped the mouthes of the Infidels but because hee sawe men so malicious that their whole desire is to haue full libertie to speake euill of his maiestie Which thing he perceyning intendeth to remedie it And by what meanes Euen by such as hee himselfe likes best of Not that hee doeth it of necessitie as I saide afore or by anie constraynt but that his good pleasure is
them wee may exercise our selues continually in calling them to our remembrance and in mourning for them so as hee may haue pitie vpon vs and not onely forgiue vs all our sinnes whereby wee haue offended him but also rid vs cleane of them and redresse vs in such wise by his holy spirite as our whole seeking may be to dedicate ourselues vnto him and that his name may be so sanctified among vs as that in the end wee may come to his glorie as he hath prepared it for all such as doe here yeeld and submit themselues to his yoke 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 xx of Iune 1556. The CXCI. Sermon which is the first vpon the three thirtith Chapter HEere followeth the blessing wherewith Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death and sayde 2 The Lorde came from Sinai and rose vp from Seir vnto them He appeared brightly on mount Pharan and came with ten thousands of Saincts hauing at his right hand the Lawe giuen in fire for them 3 Yet loueth he the people and all the Sainctes are in thy hands and they bow downe to thy feete to receiue of thy wordes WEe knowe that Gods word is ordaind chiefly to this vse that we shoulde be assured of y e good wil loue which he beareth vs. For w tout that also there is no hope of saluation wee be vndone and to be shorte there is no religion For how shall we feare God vnlesse wee knowe that all our welfare lies in him and that we dare seeke him with a right faith But that is vnpossible vnlesse he call vs vnto him and that wee haue assurance that if wee come vnto him we shall be receiued That is the cause why God in all ages ordeined that those which are the teachers of the people should blesse them in his name that is to say assure them that God receiued them and was mercifull to them For so dooth y e worde Blessing import True it is that wee blesse one another by prayer And when it is sayd of a priuate person that he blesseth his neighbor it betokeneth that he wisheth him all good But there is a speciall kinde of prerogatiue in those whom God hath appointed as in his owne person to beare abroad his worde and to preach it For they in blessing are as witnesses of God and agentes in his behalfe And in very deede as we haue seene heretofore as oft as Gods word is preached it is a solemne act whereby he couenanteth with vs and lyke as he will haue vs to professe our selues to be his children and to giue our selues to his seruice so dooth hee bind himselfe to be our father and sauiour That is the cause why we haue now here y e blessinges of Moses which he made before his death And it is lykely that this was thē done when he was ready to yeelde vp his spirit vnto God For he had bin commaunded afore to go vp into the mountaine where he had nothing else to doe but to go seeke his graue which notwithstanding remained vnknowen Deut. 34.6 as we shall see hereafter At such time as he was to take his leaue of the people he pronounced these blessinges here present By what authoritie As one appointed to yeelde record of Gods good wil. Also he ratified that which had bin done before by Iacob to whome God had giuen the lyke charge commission For wee reade of the blessinges which Iacob made ouer his children Gene. 49. how they were not as a houshold prayer when a father making his last will beseecheth God to bee mercifull to his fatherles children Iacob went not that way to worke but being a Patriarke and knowing whereto God had called him hee vttered what was to come accordingly also as we see how hee speaketh by the spirit of Prophesie And in good sooth yee see he was a poore man such a one as was constreyned by famine to goe into Egypt he possessed not a foot of land in y e whole world and yet hee assigned inheritaunces to his children Thou shalt haue such a portion by the sea-coast Gen. 49.10.13.20 Thou shalt haue the pasture grounds Thou shalt be a delicate soyle for kinges so as y e bread which shall be made there and y e sweete fruits of thee shal bee their strength thou shalt haue y e royall scepter thou shalt be aduanced thou shalt reigne among thine enemies As for thee thou shalt be scattered but yet shalt thou haue ease of body although thou be faine to remoue here and there Seeing then that he tooke order after that maner for the land of Canaan that although he was driuen thence by famine yet he alotted it out by portions to his children spake he as a mortall man Let vs knowe then that God gouerned him by his holy spirit and there came not that worde out of his mouth which was not as a heauenly oracle Now hereby the people were edifyed so as they knew that God had chosen them with condition that they should enter into the inheritance which he had promised them When the children of Israell were in Egypt after the decease of their father they were by this meanes certifyed y t God had not forgotten his promise but that hee woulde performe it when the time came They were fed with y t hope and to hold them thereunto God had giuen thē occasion enough if their own vnthākfulnes had not letted thē This being done after that they had bin deliuered out of the land of Egypt and were to inioy the Land which had bin assigned them long afore God made Moses to speake and draue him to vtter that which he had determined to doe as touching the childrē of Israell And in verie deede wee see that the things which had bin spoken afore by Iacob are partly rehearsed here againe for the larger confirmation of them And againe the things which were not reuealed at that time are set downe here so as the people of Israell might here beholde their owne state to come whereby they were taught that God had a speciall care of thē For seeing hee declared first by the mouth of Iacob and secondly by the mouth of Moses all that hee meant to doe to the people of Israell did hee not shewe that hee was neere them and that hee tooke them to bee as of his flocke and that hee preferred them before the rest of the whole worlde For it was not with them as with those which are straungers to God Although hee held and accounted those for his creatures yet did hee not take them for his Children to gouerne them and to direct all their steppes so as nothing shoulde befal them but they might know howe it was God that wrought it who did also tell them of it aforehande Therefore let
the minding of the same things Nowe it is sayde expressely That Gods comming foorth is for the People This serueth to expresse the mutuall communion whereof I haue spoken For it is not enough for God to shewe himselfe or to come foorth but his comming foorth must bee for vs that is to say to make vs to knowe that hee calleth vs vnto him and that it is his will to bee knit vnto vs in mutual bonde And that ought well to touch vs yet further For the worde which is giuen vnto vs serueth not onely to make vs vnderstande that there is a GOD in heauen and that hee hath the souereintie ouer all his creatures but also is a pledge that hee will dwell with vs. And forasmuch as God is inuisible so as wee comprehende not any thing of him because it is too high and hidden a thing when wee haue his worde wee may beholde him there as in his liuelie image and see him as hee sheweth himselfe And therefore let vs learne that when our Lorde sendeth vs his word he not onely intendeth to aduaunce his maiestie but also doeth verily renewe his couenaunt to the intent that wee also on our side might approche vnto him And thereby wee bee doone to vnderstande that if wee endeuour to profite in Gods woorde wee will come vnto it with a right meaning and pure minde so that when God sheweth himselfe we must not be afraide as the Papistes are which thinke it to bee too darke a thing Such doubtes must not keepe vs from profiting in the schoole of our God assuring our selues y t he for his part will not fayle vs but that he wil make vs to perceiue y t he speaketh not in vaine but in such wise as we may know y t hee is neere vs and that his countenance shall shine vpon vs. It is saide That he appeared with ten thousand of sainctes Some haue taken this for the children of Israell as that God came thither with them And they call them Saintes because God had shouled them out to himselfe Numb 1.46 notwithstanding that the greater number of them was wicked and vnholie But there is no reason in that that so great a multitude as seuen hundred thousande men or there aboutes should be termed ten thousande No doubt therefore but Moses speaketh here of Angels And truely when the holy scripture intendeth to set Gods maiestie before our eyes it doth always ad y t he is garded with his heauenly hostes and y t he hath his angels with him which are thousandes of thousandes For wee must not stand altogether vpon the certaine number because y e scripture speaketh sparely of the thinges that are inuisible And so a number certaine shal be put for an infinite number as if it had bin said y t God appeared euen with his heauenly Angels which serued to testifie his glory y e better True it is y t if the maiestie of God bee set single before vs it ought wel to suffice vs and in good sooth can the creatures ad any thing vnto it No surely but y t is spoken for our infirmities sake For when God saith Here am I it toucheth vs not yet sufficiently and therefore it behoueth him to set himselfe foorth as in his souereintie to shewe by his angels y t he hath a dreadful dominion that he hath his vertues powers shed foorth eueriwhere For we know y t his Angels are created to execute whatsoeuer he hath ordeined Psal. 103.20 so y t they be as his hands whereby he worketh and performeth whatsoeuer he listeth To y t end then doth Moses expressely say y t God appeared here euen with a ten thousand of Saincts And wee see also how the law was giuen by y e hands of Angels as S. Stephen declareth in y e seuenth of the Acts. Act. 7. â—8 Gal. 3.19 Likewise when S. Paul in y e Epistle to the Galathians intendeth to shew y t God appeared to authorise his law the better he setteth downe that the Angels were witnesses therunto Were there then ten thousand witnesses present at the publishing of the law What a thing is it then if meÌ„ belieue it not ne receiue it not without gainsaying If a bargaine bee passed before three witnesses and signed by a Notarie it is of authoritie and there is no pleading against it And how was the lawe giuen God appeared thereat in his maiestie yea and Iesus Christ who was the heade of the Angels Gal. 3.19 was he that gaue y e law as Saint Paul sheweth in the place which I alledged euen nowe Looke me vppon Moses on the other side Hee was glorified after such a sort as hee seemed not to be anie more of the number of men God made his face to shine as if there had beene Sunnebeames thereon Exo. 34.30 so that hee was well seene to be a man sent of God Againe it skilled not for two or three witnesses for there were tenne thousande Angels thâ—re was an infinite number there were Gods armies to mayntaine the authoritie of the Lawe And what account is to bee made of men which are but dung when they will needes deface it and come to quarell against it Howe shall they be conuicted So then let vs make all thinges auaylable to the confirmation of our faith and let vs assure our selues that in receyuing the doctrine which is conteyned in the law of God we shall agree with all the Angels of heauen and they will aunswere Amen to our faith and bee faithfull witnesses before God that we haue not beleeued at aladuenture but that wee haue bin wel grounded Thus ye see to what purpose this text ought to serue vs. And so we see y t Moses had here good cause to make mention of the infinite multitude of Angels which were witnesses vnto God at such time as hee shewed himselfe to be the author of the Law Now it is added afterwarde That the Lawe of fire or the fire of the lawe was in his right hand Wee see here againe the thing which I haue declared already namely that al y t euer Moses hath spoken concerning the maiestie of God is done to the ende that the Lawe shoulde not bee receyued as a doctrine deuised by Moses but that wee shoulde consider that God auoweth it and that hee hath shewed that it proceeded from him And Moses doeth purposely terme it a law of fire because the aire was then all on a flame The burning of the fire then was as a marke wherewith God sealed his lawe as though hee had rauished the people and shewed them that they were not anie more as vppon the earth beneath but that they were lifted vp aboue the corruptible thinges of the worlde Therefore let vs beare well in minde that the Lawe is termed Fire because that by that meanes GOD made the presence of his maiestie the better knowen And herewithall let vs also marke wel what is saide
succeeded him gold and siluer were of no more estimation than grauell as the holy historie reporteth thereof But what As soone as Roboam succeeded there was a backeslyding so as almost all the people turned backe There was no more but the trybe of Iuda with a piece of Beniamin that abode in obedience to the house of Dauid What was to be sayd hereupon but that for aught that men did see there was verie fickle hope to be had when all passed so slightly away Besides this that small kingdome being so diminished as wherof remained but a piece was so assayled on all sides that it seemed to be as a sheep alone among a dozen wolues A man then would haue thought that God had forgotten his promise And therefore it was requisite that Moses should ad this for the comfort of the faithful to the intent they should not be shaken from their faith when they saw that kingdome so diminished That is the cause why he sayd The handes of Iuda shall suffice him and God will giue him succour against his enimies And so let vs marke well that this kingdome was stablished with great difficultie in the person of Dauid and that in the end it was diminished and came to such decay that to all seeming it should haue beene vtterly abolished whereby it was Gods will to shewe in a figure what was to befall to the spirituall kingdome of our Lorde Iesus Christ. And in deede wee see that when the time drewe nigh wherein Iesus was to be shewed to the worlde there was nothing but horrible disorder among that people Who then would haue looked for the redemption at the comming of Iesus Christ For the people were scattered abroade and vtterly cast downe Yet notwithstanding God wrought therein after a manner vnknowen to men Insomuch that although the Gospel was preached yet was it not seene out of hand that the Church triumphed in this world but cleane contrarywise that there was nothing but tormenting persecuting and oppressing of it so as the name of Christianitie seemed to be the irksommest thing that could be spoken of that all Gods children were but as the doung filth of the world 1. Cor. 4.13 as Saint Paul speaketh therof To be short that kingdome was to be set vp with sighing and sorrowing it behooued the faithfull to pray vnto God and yet notwithstanding great was the griefe of minde wherewith they wayted for the setting abroad of the doctrine of the Gospell to the intent that Iesus Christ might be worshipped of the world and all men submit themselues to him to do him homage And yet did not that continue any long time For the vnthankfulnes of the world deserued that God should haue withdrawen his hand and power and we see howe the worlde stroue to haue driuen Christ away For on the one side there were hypocrites which scorned al religion and abused it falsly Also there were despisers and worldly folk which tooke to them an vnbridled libertie as we see still at this day vnder pretence of the freedome that was preached vnto them Againe there were Sects and Heresies and rebellions so as a great sort stepped vp and could not abide to beare the yoke which it was Gods will to lay vpon their necke Ye see then that the reigning of our Lorde Iesus Christ was as it were brought to nothing And therefore let vs mark well that this text not only serued for the Iewes but also is profitable for vs at this day as whereby we be done to vnderstand that it behoueth vs to make earnest sute vnto GOD to set vp the kingdome of his only sonne and to stablish it with his power euen in the middes of the trubbles which wee see notwithstanding that it seeme that al things should goe to wracke to succour vs against our enemies because we see so many men inraged against vs to hyde vs vnder the shadowe of his hand to shewe vs his helpe when wee be in extremitie and euen at the last cast and can no longer hold out Againe although the kingdome of our Lorde Iesus Christ seeme nothing to the world that the proud the vnbeleeuers do scorne it despise it yet wil God shewe that his own hand suffiseth him that is to say that his power which is hidden of no reputation to the worldward shal be of such force that in the end the wicked shal be driuen to confesse that they were too blockish dulwitted in that they tooke not hold of the grace wherof mention is made here As for vs let vs be stil more more confirmed to trust in this great Sauiour to put our selues into his protection and to seeke all our succour at his hand That is the thing which we be taught in this text Now let vs come to the trybe of Leuye Thy Vrim thy Thumim sayeth he belong vnto thy meeke one or vnto the man of thy mercie The Thumim and Vrim were a parcel of Aarons brestlap and of the brestlap of the high priests Besides their robe there was another piece ioyned vnto it which was of great pryce beset with pearles imbroydered Moreouer in this piece there was a tablet of precious stones hanging at little cheynes Exo. 28.14.15 which was placed full vpon his brest and this piece of the brestlap was called Iudgement that is to say rightfulnes Also there was another part which a man cannot well distinguish and that was named Thumim and Vrim The former of these words signifieth perfection as if a man should terme them perfections in the plurall number And the other commeth of light or flame if yee referre it to doctrine Then if a man list to take these words in common speech he may say perfections and teachings or instructions But I in reading of the text haue kept still the verie wordes of Moses because it is not to be douted but that he speaketh of that portion of the brestlap which was so termed as appeareth in the eyght twentith of Exodus And he directeth his speech vnto God But some haue misexpounded this text in saying thy Thumim Vrim belong to thee to the Man which is cleane contrary For Moses saith O Lord God thou hast thy Thumim Vrim in thy hand That is to say the things which thou hast giuen to thy high priest are things holy dedicated to thy name they be thy perfections and teachings To whom belong they To thy meek one or to the man of thy mercie for so is it word for word But the word Meeke may be taken after the same maner that the holy scripture calleth Gods children meeke ones that is to say such as ought to resemble him who is the fountaine of all mercie goodnes For if wee wil be knowen auowed to be Gods childrē it is good reason that we should resemble him by hauing a meeke myld spirit in vs so as we indeuour
the cause why hee was called a Nazarite And here we haue to marke first of all that al that euer hath beene rehearsed by Moses or said before by Iacob was a very prophesie that came from God so as it could not haue bin vttered by the mouth of maÌ„ except God had gouerned him by his holy spirite And why For Moses neuer came in the land of Chanaan as we knowe And as for Iacob he dyed more than three hundred yeares before the partitioÌ„ of the Land was made How then coulde he make it And euen hereby wee see that there was no casualtie or chaunce in the matter For Iacob as wee shall see againe in due place assigneth vnto Nepthalâ—m the countrie on the seacoast and pointeth out euery man his portion there And howe is it possible that he should hit so right vpon it Surely he did it not of his owne imagination but God who holdeth the lottes in his hand as saieth Salomon Prou. 16.13 and who by his wonderfull prouidence which is hidden from vs disposeth of the things which seeme to come by chaunce vttered by Iacobs mouth what he intended to do And nowe he sheweth that when the people are come into the lande nothing shall happen but by his direction Nowe wee know that the tribe of Ephraim and Manasses were planted in so fat and fertile a soile that it was the very storehouse of the Lande True it is that other of the tribes as the tribe of Aser had great Cornecountries but these countries were stored with all kinde of commodities besides they were the pleasantest and plentifullest Countries of all the lande of Iurie Nowe then we may easily gather that in this case Moses hath not set forth any thing of his owne braine but that the holy Ghost did in very deede gouerne his tongue And therfore we haue a great warrant of all his doctrine in that wee see that vnder the name and authoritie of God hee setteth such order in things to come which a man wold neuer haue thought of Sith we heare this it is all one as if God reached out his hand from heauen and came to authorise y e doctrine which Moses deliuered and to shew that he is y e author therof and that it proceedeth from him neither ought men to doubt thereof as though it came from some creature And let vs marke that wel For we knowe that by nature we be inclined to distrust and were it not that we be helde vp we should continually be shakeÌ„ downe we should not neede any thing to turne vs aside from the right way from the certaintie of our faith For this cause therefore let vs marke well howe it is told vs heere that God in these Prophesies hath shewed vndoubtedly howe it was hee that was the guider of Moses and that he vsed his seruice in such wise as we may well say that we receiue his doctrine from God and that it is grounded vpon his vnchaungeable power y t it is the vnfallible truth And why For it was not inuented by man But nowe let vs come to the contents of this blessing It is said that Iosephs Land shal be blessed of God as well with the deaw from aboue as with fountaines and welsprings from beneath that is to say that God woulde so water the land both from aboue and beneath that it should be fat fruitefull Nowe here we see howe it is not for nought y t we be commaunded to seeke our dayly breade at Gods hande For howe commeth it to passe that y e earth bringeth forth fruites for our sustenance It is because God moysteneth it It is not said y t the earth hath substance in it self neither is it said that y e heauen or the fountaines do giue it simply of themselues but it is God that sendeth the deaw it is God that maketh the water springs to shead out so y t he is to haue the praise of all the substance which we haue whensoeuer we be fed and nourished therewith Ye see then how God hath such a care of our bodies and of this corruptible life that we cannot eate one bit of bread which commeth not from him of his meere liberality And indeede it standeth vs in hande to acquaint our selues well herewith For sith it is told vs y t we caÌ„not haue so much as one silie mite of these goods no not euen of these transitory goods but we must receiue it at gods hand What shal befal in the things y t are much more excellent If I want but a bit of breade I ought of duety to aske it of God to acknowledge y t it is his peculiar office to feede me And when y e case concerneth the attainmeÌ„t of y e heauenly life the euerlasting saluation shal I theÌ„ go seek it elsewhere thaÌ„ at Gods hand Or shall I thinke to haue it in my selfe What an ouerweening were that We see then how the bread and the bodily foode which is giuen vs ought to be as a meane to lift vs vp higher to make vs to thinke our selues beholden to God and to his bountifulnes for all y t we haue both of body and soule and all Marke that for one point Againe wheras in this place Ioseph is called A Nazarite among his brethren we see howe God bestoweth his gracious goodnes where hee listeth euen contrary to the opinion of men yea cleane contrary to al expectation Ioseph was indeede separated from his brothers yea and y t was as by being appointed vnto death they had conspired against him to kill him Gen. 37.18.24.28 And whereas he was yet saued it was but to bee cast into a pit and there to pyne away which was a crueller death than if they had cut his throte out of haÌ„d In the end the greatest fauour that hee founde was that he was sold into a barbarous nation to strange vnknowen persons Againe when hee came into Egypt he was thrust into the bottom of a dungeon Psa. 105.18 he was put into the stockes according to this saying of the Psalme y t the iron wounded him nipped him to the heart Yee see then how Ioseph is separated not only from his fathers house but also from y e whole worlde he is cut off from mankind as a dead person he is like to rot in a dungeon But God separated him after another maner in his wunderful couÌ„sel And therefore it is sayd that hee was as a starre which was to be worshipped of y e Sunne of the Moone and of all the rest of the stars Which was as much to say Gen. 37.5.9 as that all his house should stoope to him be subiect to him so as his sheafe should haue preheminence and all the other sheaues fall downe euen because god had decreed it in his own counsaile And so we see that when all the worlde thought to haue thrust Ioseph downe into the
and to serue him with the earnester good will and that by these transitorie benefites we may be put in minde to seeke all things in him which belong to y e heauenly life knowing that we shal be vtterly destitute barreine of them vntil he vouchesafe to impart them vnto vs at leastwise according to the measure portion of his meere goodnes because that wee on our side deserue not any thing at all That it may please him to graunt this grace not onely to vs but also to all people nations of the earth c. On Fryday the iij. of Iuly 1556. The CXCVI. Sermon which is the sixth vpon the xxxiij Chapter 18 Also he saide of Zabulon Reioyce thou Zabulon in thy going out and thou Isachar in thy Tents 19 They shall call the people into the mountaine where they shall sacrifice the sacrifice of righteousnes For they shall sucke the abundance of the sea and the hidden treasures of the sand YEsterday in the blessing of Ioseph we saw how Moses referred all things to Gods grace which men are cōmonly wont to attribute vnto fortune And it is a doctrine well worthie to be marked because of our vnthankfulnes For vnlesse wee bee enforced to acknowledge Gods goodnes it shall alwayes lye buryed for vs and wee seeke things here belowe to busie our wits vpon in so much that when God shall haue giuen vs neuer so sufficient occasion to magnifie his grace yet do wee make none account of it Therefore it behooueth vs to be warned to lift vp our wits and mindes aloft that wee may doe homage vnto God for all the benefites which we receiue at his hand Also we haue to marke herein the thing that is set downe by Moses He sayeth that all the good which Ioseph and all his whole Image shall haue shall come of the free fauour of him which dwelt in the bush And no dout but that therby he meaneth God Why then doeth hee mention the bush here For at the first sight it seemeth a fond thing seruing to no purpose but to leade the ignorant and the weaklings into superstition We knowe that the holy scripture speaking of God sayth that hee dwelleth in heauen Psa. 115.3 oft elswhere Not that his maiestie is inclosed there for his beeing is infinite it contayneth all creatures as is sayde in other textes 2. Chro. 6.18 But this worde Heauen serueth to plucke vs from the worlde when wee thinke vppon God to the intent that when wee goe about to worship him wee imagine not any earthlinesse in him but consider that hee surmounteth all things and that wee ought to thinke of him farre otherwise than wee can conceiue Nowe seeing that the holy Scripture pitcheth Gods tent in heauen to the ende wee should be lifted vp aboue all the worlde aboue all creatures when wee thinke vppon him why doeth Moses in this place set him in the Bush It is because God had there shewed himselfe vnto him And it behooueth vs to note that ther are two dyuerse fashions of speaking in the holy scripture when God calleth vs vnto him Neuertheles this diuersitie is not to draw vs into contrary opinions they meete both in one As how Sometimes God sheweth vs what his glorie is to the intent wee shoulde bee fully resolued of this poynt that hee is incomprehensible and that wee ought to worship him with all humilitie that we must not looke to forge him after our fancie or to make him like to ourselues by transforming after our own imagination Therfore when the holy scripture setteth foorth Gods maiestie so high as we be abashed at it Esai 6.2 yea euen y e very Angels of heauen accordingly as it is said that the Cherubins hyde their faces because they cannot abyde to looke vppon the maiestie so great and infinite as it is in God therein it is shewed vs that wee must needes stoope vnder such greatnesse and highnesse But yet therewithall God considereth how it is for our benefite to haue some familiaritie with him thereupon he yeeldeth to our rudenesse and taketh vppon him as it were a newe shape howbeit not which is contrarie as I said afore but to the intent that wee shoulde not bee scared nor take occasion to shrink from him Now then he allureth vs gently and therwithal hee stopeth to vs maketh himself as it were meane vnto vs. And to that end haue the sacramentes bin referred at all times Like as at this day still in Baptisme we see the water and in the Lordes supper we see the bread the wine And what is the cause that our Lorde Iesus Christ Col. 1.15 2.9 who is the liuely image of God his father in whome dwelleth the whole fulnesse of the godhead bodily what is the cause say I that hee sheweth himselfe to vs in corruptible things and in the elements of the world It is for our infirmities sake because we cannot approch to his spiritual power That is the very cause why he figureth his graces vnder the visible elements in them ought we to behold the heauenly power of his holy spirite That is the seconde fashion which God vseth in reuealing himselfe vnto vs the which is answerable to our rudenesse But wee see howe hee shewed himselfe to the fathers of old time vnder certeine shapes As for example when he talked with Iacob in Bethel it was because Iacob needed such confirmation Gen. 28.13 True it is that he ceassed not to looke vp to heauen stil when he worshipped God But yet for all that he had the more familiar accesse vnto God by his comming downe so lowe at that time And for the same cause also when Iacob was to remoue from one place to another Gen. 35.3 he offered sacrifice to the God of Bethel Why to the God of Bethel Was there a God shut vp there No for we see that euen they which would needes make a God in Bethel Amos. 4.4 that is to say which would haue builded vp a temple there offered sacrifices there were abhominable vnto God Insomuch that God sayth that it is Bethauen the place of wickednes Osee. 4.15 and no more his house he forsaketh disclaimeth it vtterly euē because they abused the reuelation that was giuen to their father Iacob in that place As for Iacob he knewe howe to benefite himselfe by it For he knewe that God had not changed his nature ne was inclosed in any certaine place but that by that meane he meant to draw him vnto him familiarly Iacob then receiued the gage that was giuen vnto him to the intent it might be knowen that he worshipped not some God at aduenture as the Heathen did but that his faith was sure and vnfallible That is the cause why he expresly mentioneth Iacobs worshipping of the God of Bethel that is to say not a God which was vnknowen to him nor a God that was forged
Moses had laide his handes vppon him Heere againe the people are put in minde that God had not forsaken them though they were worthy of it And it is a very profitable lesson for vs to know that God gouerneth his Church and neuer forgetteth it For without that what faith coulde be in vs Wee shoulde bee as folke forlorne For as long as God gouerneth vs if wee rest vppon him wee boldly proceede and keepe on our course But if God withdrawe his hand and we perceiue not that hee guideth our steppes or that hee hath a care of vs and that we be vnder protection wo will be vnto vs and men are too dulheaded if they be not then vtterly dismayed Behold then our happinesse is to haue God to be our watchman and to be gouerned vnder his hand and protection Indeede hee appeareth not alwayes visiblie to shewe his presence but he giueth vs men to be the ministers of his grace True it is that at that time there were visible signes to shewe that he dwelt among his people Neuerthelesse as he had bin serued by Moses so was it his will that Iosua should succeede in his place And in that respect is it saide that hee was filled with the spirit of wisdome to doe vs to vnderstand that God hath alwayes shewed himselfe mercifull to his Church and that as a father hath a care of his children prouideth thē all things meete for them so God hath alwayes prouided aforehande for the necessities of his people This doctrine as I said doeth concerne vs also For wee haue a promise that God will neuer faile vs if wee be of his flocke and come to him to shrowd our selues vnder his wings that wee may be guided by him and we knowe hee hath giuen that office to our Lord Iesus Christ. And for the same cause also hee saieth to his disciples Matt. 28.20 that hee will bee with them to the worldes ende and that saying extendeth to the whole bodie of the Church Seeing then that our Lord Iesus Christ hath said that he will neuer bee separated from vs let vs knowe that in him wee haue God who will vtter forth all his power to maintaine vs But yet it is verie much that besides the promises we haue moreouer testimonies thereof so as hee pointeth vs with his finger to the thing performed as it is spoken of heere where wee reade that Iosua was filled with the spirite of wisedome For to what end was that done It happened not by chaunce neither had God regarde of Iosua alone but it was because he would shewe himselfe to bee the safetie of the Iewes We nowadayes are in the same taking For if they had abidden in Gods house we should haue bin ioyned w t thē And because they bee banished thence and cut off as rotten members we take their place as saith S. Paul Rom. 11.24 Now then let vs assure our selues that God will neuer suffer vs to want any thing requisite for our saluation but continually shew his loue and fauour towardes vs and prouide vs of the thinges that are for our behoofe if wee flee to him for refuge yea euen though wee bee not worthie thereof For as for this people we knowe what manner of folke they were and howe many faultes and offences they committed so as it had beene no wonder though God had vtterly destroyed them But nowe seeing hee prouided them of men that were fit and meete to defend them therby we perceiue that God stroue with his mercie against the malice of that people So then whensoeuer wee bee tempted to distrust because wee bee rebuked for our sinnes let vs resort to Gods mercie and pray him not to looke vppon our sinnes but to proceed continually in his goodnesse and fauour towardes vs whatsoeuer vnworthinesse there be in our persons Thus much concerning that point Heere is nowe a question that might be demaunded howe it is saide that when Moses had laide his hands vppon Iosua hee was filled with wisedome whether a mans handes haue that power or no No. but when the signe of a thing is spoken of wee must go to the thing it selfe Wee knowe that in all solemne blessings there was this signe of the Laying on of handes Nowe this was not an inuention fondly contriued after the manner of men which haue many Apes toyes but it was a recorde allowed of God as if an oblation had beene made of the partie that was so blessed When the holy Patriarks blessed their childrē it was as though they had giuen them assurance that the inheritance of saluation belonged vnto them that the promise should stand abide in full force to their posteritie Likewise at this day when a man selleth lande or house one putteth a fether into his hand and he deliuereth it ouer to the purchaser and in some countries the custome is that he which selleth any inheritance and maketh the surrender deliuereth a sticke or wand to the purchaser in token that he may thence forth possesse and inioy the same And euen after the same manner was it with this signe of laying on of handes For as I saide it was not a fonde and foolish deuice but it was Gods will that it should be a kinde of warranting to the intent that the faith of the fathers might be the better helped That is the cause then why it is saide in this place that God gaue the spirit of wisedome vnto Iosua because Moses had laid his hands vpon his head Nowe in so doing he inuested him in the charge that was committed vnto him Let vs nowe see first of all whether Moses chose Iosua vppon his owne heade or no. No but he knew him to be first chosen of God And afterward when he laide his handes vpon him did he attempt any thing vpon his own fancie No but contrariwise God only was the orderer or disposer thereof He knew that Iosua was to be set in his place And this is spoken not of that man onely Act. 19.6 but also when the Apostles did lay their hands vpon the faithfull by and by the gifts of the holy Ghost were made visible to the eye After that manner did the faithful receiue the gift of tongues y e interpretation of tongues the healing of diseases and the raising of the dead And how receiued they it They did but lay their hands vpon them Yea but had that Ceremonie such vertue No but because it was Gods will to haue his grace so declared that y e laying on of hands was as a gage of it it was not a vayne and vnprofitable thing And in that respect is it that saint Paul saith vnto Timothy That he should make the grace auailable which was giuen him by laying on of his hands 1. Tim. 3.14 Seeing it is so saieth hee looke that thou indeuour thy selfe to serue God and labour to builde vp the Church and that the grace of God which is giuen thee
and how 57. b 10 To what end Moses vsed the similitude of Bees 57. b 10 Beeing Of Gods Beeing what the same is and how we make him an idol 1156. a 60. b 10 What wee haue to marke concerning our Beeing at this day 1139. a 10.20 c. Of our Beeing as we are by nature and of our first beeing when God calleth vs to the knowledge of his truth 1138. b 20.30.40.50.60 Begotten That we are Begotten of God and sustained by the doctrine of the gospel 1133. a 40 Begger How the place in the olde Testament that there should be no Begger in Israell is to be vnderstoode 586 Beggers What may ensue if wee suffer Beggers to bee among vs. 586. a 10.20 Why it is a shame that among people that professe God there shoulde bee Beggers 586. a 10 That stout Beggers are to be reformed and why 586. b 50 Remedies to preuent the hauing of Beggers among vs. 586. a 40.50 b 50.60 Begging Begging nothing else but a nourishment of wicked rascalles 586. b 30 To forbidde Begging and to doe no Almes is to cut the throtes of them that be in neede 586. b 40 What inconuenience followeth where Begging is suffered 586. a all How Begging euen by the order of nature is alwaies to be condemned 586 a 10.20.30.40 Beleefe Wherein the Beleefe of men doth most shewe it selfe 350. b 60 c. 351 a 10 Looke Faith Beleeue Of this woorde Beleeue and what the same importeth 1064. b 10.20 The cause why so fewe Beleeue nowe a daies 423. b 10 Beleeuer How no man can call himselfe a Beleeuer 336. b 40 Looke faithfull Belles The reason why Aaron ware Belles vpon the skirtes of his garmentes 502 b 10 What deuotion the blinde Papistes thinke to be in ringing their Belles and how they imitate the Iewes 613 b 20 Belliegods The cruell and ouerfierce appetite of diuers Belliegods noted 560. b 50 60.561 a 10 Looke Drunkards and Gluttons Benefite God cannot abide that men should despise and refuse the Benefite that he offereth 71. b 60 Gods denying of vs our demandes is to our Benefite and howe 105. b 10.20 Who they be that will fullie refuse the Benefite that hee promiseth 55. a 10 What is the principall and chiefe Benefite that wee can receyue in this life 982. a 50.60 b 40.50.60 Benefites The cause why God bereaueth vs of his Benefites 621. a 40.50 The more benefites wee receiue at Gods hande the more hee bindeth vs vnto him 289. a 50 In what respect wee are saide to defile Gods Benefites 283. a 30 Spirituall Benefites belonging to the sauing of our soules whereof wee haue a portion alreadie 283. a 10 Of what thinges men must bee fullie perswaded or else they will neuer duelie perceyue themselues to bee bound to God for his Benefites 279. a 30 A supposed speech of Christ vpbrayding vs with the precious Benefites that he hath bestowed vpon vs and howe well wee rewarde him for the same 196. b 10.20.30.40.50 Howe we must bethinke our selues of all the Benefits whereby God hath bounde himselfe vnto vs. 186. a 40 50.60 b 10 In what sort and manner we deuour vp Gods Benefites 279. b 30.40 A recapitulation of the Benefites wherewith God hath blessed vs. 178. b 50.60 Howe long God will haue all his Benefites bestowed vpon vs to be linked together 170. a 30 Why wee ought to vse Gods Benefites well 152. b 50 Wee must possesse Gods Benefites in feare and carefulnesse 152. b 60 In what respect all Gods Benefites shall serue to our condemnation 149. a 10 If the vnbeleeuers bee to be condemned for abusing Gods Benefites woe to vs. 142. a 10 What we must doe to enioy Gods Benefits 46. a 40 What our behauiour must be when we passe through this worlde amiddes Gods Benefites 69. a 30 An examining of our selues what we become the better by Gods Benefits 456. b 10 A rehearsall of the singular Benefites that God bestowed on the Iewes in the wildernesse 458. a 50.60 Why God giueth vs his Benefites in full portion 326. a 10 Learne to knowe the lawefull vse of Gods Benefites Page 305. b 50 60 We must be mindfull of the Benefites which God hath done to our fathers although wee haue not seene them in our time 1115. a 60 That all the Benefites of God belonging to this transitorie life must serue vs for ladders to mount vpwarde and of their vse and end 950. b 30.40.50 A forme of acknowledging Gods Benefites deliuered to the Iewes and what we haue to learne therby 895. all 896. all 897. all That wee are vnable to receiue the fulnesse of gods Benefits and that hee distributeth them to vs by peece-meale and why 951. b 10 Why it behooued God to bestowe his Benefites more largelie on the Fathers that liued vnder the law than on vs. 951. a 30 Vnder this worde the land of Chanaan all the Benefits that God bestowed on his people were comprehended 551. b 10 In what respectes God will establish vs in the possession of his Benefites dispossesse vs of them 551. a 20.30.40 Touching the manifolde Benefites of almightie God the vse and abuse of them Read the Sermon 181. all through In what cases God casteth the Benefites which we haue receiued in our teeth 1111. b 50.60 1112. a 10 Why God lingereth the time to put vs in possession of his Benefites 506. b 10 A repetition of diuerse notable Benefits of GOD bestowed vppon the Iewes and of their ingratitude 1095 a all Wherein we do wickedly corrupt Gods Benefits 69. a 30 The great contrarietie betweene the wicked Iewes and Gods Benefites 46. a 30 What estimation wee must make of Gods Benefits 46. a 50 God is not like men in bestowing of his Benefits 39. a 40.50 In all the Benefits that we haue receiued of God wee must consider in what taking we had beene if we had gone without them 89. b 10.20.30.40 God must bee faine sometimes to cut vs off from his Benefites 103. b 10 We haue neede to be put in minde of Gods grace and Benefites and why 83. a 50.60 c. b 10 A rehearsall of Gods particular Benefites bestowed on the Iewes 65. b 40 What we must doe or else wee shall neuer make account of Gods Benefits 36. a 20 A consideration to be marked of Gods manifold Benefits 36. a 30.40 The Benefites of God quicklie forgotten 27. b 30 A notable record of Gods spirituall Benefits and what duetie we owe vnto him therefore 27. a 60. and b 10.20.30.40 Sundrie spirituall Benefits of God particularlie mentioned 36. a 30.40 Wee ought to make a rehearsall of Gods Benefites bestowed vppon vs and how 25. a 10.20 The often putting of vs in minde of Gods Benefits is no needles doctrine 17. a 30 The remembrance of Gods Benefites ought to prouoke vs to serue him continuallie the better 13. a 10.20 30 To what end the opening of Gods Benefits vnto vs doe tende 17. a 10.20 The Benefites of God
reserueth to his owne vengeance 633. a al. Faultes cannot bee punished among men vnles they come to knowledge 633. a 10 Against such as woulde not haue the Faultes committed against the first table punished 634. b 50.60 That all Faultes are willing and what is meant by the word willing 685. b 40 Of Faultes vnknowen and manifest howe the offenders are to be handled in both 700. a 20.30.40 In cases of lawe Faultes must be regarded as they be indeed Read y t place 708. a 10. Looke Offences and Sins Fauour What we must doe and not doe to find the Fauour of God 803. a 30. b 30. 448. a 10 The Moabites went about to winne Gods Fauour with monic 803. a 40.50 That we must take heede of turning Gods Fauour into a curse and how the same is doone 811. a 50.60 The Fauour that God hath shewed vs aboue others 146. b 10.20.30 Howe wee ought to bee affected vnto God the more Fauour that he sheweth vs. 178. a 60. b 10 Two pointes to be noted why God receiueth vs into Fauour 483. b 50 God ceased not to go through with his Fauour towardes the Iewes till hee had performed the promise that he made to their Fathers 169. b 10.20 If euer anie man obteined Fauour in Gods sight it was Moses and why 105. b 30 What we haue to learne when God taketh vs into Fâ—uour againe after we haue offended him 431. b 10 What we haue to doe when God sheweth vs Fauour aboue others 498. b 50.60 A viewe of Gods Fauour extended to our bodies our soules our Cattell whatsoeuer we possesse 326. a all Of the Fauour of God shewed in the scriptures and who they bee that profite but litle by the doctrine of the same 1024. a all What these wordes Nepthalin shall haue his fill of Gods Fauour doe meane 1226. al. To what end God giueth vs the tast of his Fauour 347. b 20.30 294. a 10.20 Gods Fauour likened to the fountaine his blessing to the conduite Pipe 1226. b 50.60 1227. a 10 What wee must doe if wee will prosper through Gods Fauour 627. a 50. Looke Grace Goodnesse and Loue. Fauourable To what ende Gods shewing of himselfe Fauourable vnto vs doth serue 465. a 40. Looke Mercifull Feare It is not possible for vs to Feare God vnlesse we loue him 435. a 10.20 358. a 40 Men cannot discharge their duetie towards their neighbours if they bee not leade by the Feare of God 212. b 10 Howe farre the Feare of Princes and Magistrates ought to extende 214. a 50.60 Of Feare of enemies Reade at large Page 712. b 40.50.60 and 713 all and the meane to ouercome it 714. b 60 The Feare that Achaz had of the kings of Syria and Israel his enemies 713. b 60. 714. a 10.20 To Feare God and not to forget him are two inseparable groundes 284. a 40.50 c. What consequentes the Feare of God bringeth with it 285. a 10.20 Howe from Feare submission to God doth proceede 284. a 60 Of the Feare of God which keepeth vs in due obedience 651. a 30.40 Ieremies wordes that we shoulde not bee in Feare of the signes of heauen explaned 669. a 10.20.30.40 and 668. b 10 Howe and in what sort God will haue vs to fight against al Feare 87. b 50.60 Why it is good reason and of our deseruing that God shoulde chastice vs by making vs to stande in Feare of men and other vnreasonable creatures 478. a 10.20.30.40.50.60 b all Howe and in what sorte manie men thinke they Feare God wel 128. b 10 20 Of profiting in the Feare of God and what this worde Feare importeth 128. b 10. 1131. b 10 With what kinde of Feare wee must feare God 434. b 40.50 and 186. a 20 The cause why God vpbraided the Iewes that they did neither loue him nor Feare him 185. b 40.50 Wee be vtterlie vnexcusable if wee doe not Feare God 186. a 10.20 Wee bee well fensed when God giueth vs men to guide vs in his Feare 145. a 10 That the reuerence which wee must doe to God must proceede from Feare 266. b 20 God warneth vs generallie to walke in Feare and why 174. b 20.30 A most pithie speech to strike Feare terrour into vs towardes God 191. a 30.40.50.60 b 10 By what Feare and terrour we must be first subdued before we can coÌ„ceiue Gods goodnesse 446. b 30. and howe the same feare must bee tempered ibidem 40 Of tvvo thinges which ought to teach vs to Feare God 458. a 30.40 How God will cast our dread and our Feare vpon our enimies 476. b all 477. a b all Why brute beastes stand in Feare of them vpon whome God hath printed his marke 478. b 40.50 A proofe of Gods promise that hee would cast a Feare vpon his peoples enemies 478. b 20.30.479 a 10.20 The Feare of God is no secret or idle thing and how it sheweth it self 266. b 50.60 Wherein men shew that they are void of Gods Feare 267. a 20 What blessings will follow vs if wee Feare God 325. b 50.60 To be in Feare of nothing is no vertue Read that place 335. b 20 Three reasons why the Israelites are exhorted not to stande in Feare of their enimies 334. b 30.40 The meaning of the wordes that God did Feare the prouocation of the enimies 1144. a 30.40.50.60 b all 1145. all Of a trembling Feare threatened to the despisers of God and what a sore and restles plague it is 1005. a all b 50.60.1010 all Of preuenting Gods iudgements by a willing Feare 1010. b 20.30 1011 a 30 That Feare is a good preparatiue which leadeth vs to the seruing of God as for example 962. b 30.40 None can discharge his duetie in gouerning a people vnlesse hee Feare God 15. b 50.60 All vertues in man without Gods Feare do turne to euill 15. b 50 The woorst temptations that can be to hinder the performance of our duetie springeth from Feare 20. a 10.50 What woulde make vs forget all Feare that hindereth vs in Gods affaires 74. b 40 In what respect we do wrong vnto God through Feare 74. b 20 S. Pauls meaning in warning vs to work our saluation with Feare trembling 75. a 40.50 A kind of Feare that is an exercise of our faith 335. b 50 Of slauish Feare which is inforced 358 a 40 Looke Terror Fearefull The cause why men be so Fearefull to do the things which belong to their office 1076. b 50.60 Wee be Fearefull of nature Looke to the doctrine there recorded 26. b 40.50.60 71. a 30.40 Wee must not be Fearefull where God will haue vs to be stout This concerneth doctrine false prophets 684. b all Two causes why the Fearefull were thought vnworthie to be in the host of God 720. a 10.40.50 Fearefulnesse Fearefulnes is a signe that wee haue no trust in God 720. a 10.20 Fearefulnes doeth commonly hinder men in doing their
What will make our Workes accepted at Gods hande 176. a 10 How we must profite our selues by all Gods Workes either heard or seene 161. a 50.60.159 a 60. b 50 What vices or defaultes are mingled with our best good Workes 301. b 10 The consequents of considering Gods Workes on the sunday 204. b 20.30 God hath set his marke vppon all his Workes and what wee are taught thereby 199. a 10.20.30 We must speake of God with all reuerence specially when his Workes come in talke Reade howe 198. b 40.50 To what ende Moses willed the Iewes to deeme well of Gods VVorkes 357. b 10 An examination eueÌ„ of our best Works proouing our guiltines before God 273. b 60 We must be content to see the outleets of Gods Works looke on that place 356. b 50 Gods Workes are incomprehensible what Iob saith of them 1143. a 50.60 b 10.20 A cauill of some which aske how Gods Workes can be perfect and why 1107 b 10.20 Working The manner of Gods Working in vs. 26. b 20.30.61 a 50. Looke Workes World What wee ought to doe in such and so manie disorders of the Worlde 64. b 50.30 a 40. b 10.31 b 20.30 Christ going out of Ierusalem bare the reproch and cursse of the whole World vpon him 30. a 40 We must forsake the World in general yea our selues too to follow Christ 30. all Poor Christians nowadayes counted as the ofscowring of the Worlde 30. a 30 The ende why wee be set and placed in this World 3. b 30.118 a all What would follow if we should fashion our selues after the World 517. b 40.50.518 a 10 The creation of the Worlde was not knowne euery where to all 161. a 20.30 Of such as settle themselues in this World as though they should neuer go out of it 409. b 10.20 The whole World is consecrated to the seruice of God at this day 280. a 20 All the World is full of error and diuellish imaginations 146. b 20 How God wil haue vs wayfare through this Worlde 53. a 40.140 b 20.409 b 10 The Worlde vseth the words Faith and Trust vnrightlie and how 87. a 60 Causes why the World goes astray is ill instructed 391. b 30.55 all In what wretchednesse wee are borne euen in respect of the Worlde 365. a 30.40 b 10 Why Moses saith wee must not be dismaied for any greatnes of the World 341. b 10 We must keepe on still our way in walking through this World read how 340. b 50.60 God hath iust reason to blinde all the World and why 81. a 40 Of playing the wise man according to the manner of the Worlde 76. a 20 What would become of it if God take all these away out of the World that are not worthie to liue in it 72. a 40 God will iudge the World according as he hath pronounced thereof how 64. b 40 Not the way of the World but the way shewed vs by Gods worde is to bee followed 47. a 10.30.46 b 60.48 a 10 We must condemne the whole Worlde as Noe did in his time 32. a 20.30 So long as we bee in this Worlde God gouerneth vs reade how 181. b 10 None of vs commeth into this Worlde by his owne power 280. a 10 Worship both true and false Of falsifying the worship of God and that such as do it are curssed 927. and 285. a 40.50.543 b 20.134 a 20.30.130 a 30.40.287 b 50.60 VVhat it is to Worship before the Lord God 900. b 10.20.30 VVe can neuer be at a stay vnlesse wee know well what God it is whom wee Worship 533. b 50 How it behooued the Iewes to haue resolued themselues in Gods Worship 508. b 50.60 Whereby we shewe that we neuer wiâ—â— what it is to Worship God 198. b 10 In what thing touching the Worship of God we differ from the Papistes and the Iewes 164. a 10.20.30 The common custome of the East countries to Worship the Sunne Moone and the Starres and why 139 a 10.20 A most forceable reason and persuasion to confirme vs in the true VVorship of God 148. b 40.50.60 149. a 10.285 a 10.20 VVhat they doe whom God hath chosen to be his people when they cast themselues downe and VVorship creatures 139. b 10 The proofe to know if we worship God with our hearts 212. a 20.30 960. a 50 60. b 10 VVhat we must doe if we will not Worship strange Gods 472. a 10.20 Of the true Worship of God and in what points the same consisteth 435. a 40.50.60 b 10.134 a 50.60.130 a 30.40.287 b 50.60.285 a all 269. a 30. 40.50.102 b. 40.187 b 10 Worshipping Of the true seruice or VVorshipping of God and howe charie God is ouer the same 627. b 20.30.40 The Israelites had neuer such lawlesse libertie but that they knewe which was the true way of VVorshipping God 501. a 60. b 20 Of VVorshipping God after our owne deuise and how he detesteth it 472. a 10.20 Of Iacobs Worshipping of the God of Bethell 1216. a 40.50.60 b 10. Looke Seruing of God Worshipped The meanes which Sathan hath deuised to make the rellikes of holy men and women to be Worshipped 1239. b al. 1240. a 10 Whâ—â— our endeuour ought to bee that God may be vniuersally perpetually Worshipped 267. a 40.50.60 b 10 Worthinesse A view taken of our owne estate by way of comparison to shewe what Worthines there is in vs that God should fauour and loue vs. 437. b 20.30.40 Diuerse reasons demonstratiue that in vs there is no Worthinesse of saluation or any spirituall benefite 421. a 20.30.40 c. 378. a all No Worthines at all in the Iewes why God shoulde choose them to bee his people c. 40â— a 30.40.50.60 b 10 Wrath. Dreadful examples of Gods wrath vpoÌ„ mightie people 1040. al. 1041. a 1037 b 30. Against what kinde of sinnerâ— it will neuer be pacified 1037. b 10.990 b 30.975 b 50.60.150 b 10. How slender we thinke of it and that the feeling thereof shoulde so vex vs as if hell were open before vs. 989 b 50. The remedie which God giueth vs to preueÌ„t it 969. a 50.57 a 50.60 God sheweth tokens of it when warâ—es are towards in the world 968. b 30.40 God will make it felt euen in the bodies of theÌ„ that be dead 969. b 30.40 Why the holy scripture attributeth Wrath anger c. to God seeing hee is subiect to no such affection 189. a 30.40 Why Moses hath restrained it to three or foure generations 193. a 10.20 What wee haue to learne in y t God compareth it with his mercie 192. b 50.60 Howe we be afflicted when we are told of it 156. a 10. What it was that preserued the Iewes from feeling thereof with the heathen 118. a 10. Our prayers be as it were restraints thereof 394. b 50.395 a 10. A description thereof and whereunto it is compared 1139. b 10.20.40.50 The manifolde meanes that the Iewes vsed to prouoke Gods Wrath.