backe it becōmeth worse with them then it was before thy heard the Gospell as Christ sayth of the vncleane spirit Matth. 12 which taketh vnto himselfe seuen other spirits worse them himselfe with which he commeth and dwelleth in that man out of whom he before had gone and so the end of that man is worse then the beginning After the same maner commeth it to passe with vs and shal hereafter also be vsuall so also hath it fallen out with Rome In the time of the Martyrs she was in her best flower but afterward she fell and abhomination was there erected that Antichrist might reigne there yea she became such a one that worse she can not be The grace of God which is reuealed and preached by the Gospel was hiddē that men might not attaine vnto it wherefore it could not be but a great and grieuous scourge and plague should follow So we also shall trie that great vengeance will come vpō vs for that we do not beleeue nor obey the Gospell which we haue and know For as often as God would send an horrible scourge and plague he hath first set vp a great light As when he would send the Iewes out of their owne countrie into captiuitie in Babylon God vseth lenity before he executeth seueritie first warneth before he harmeth he first raised vp the godly King Hosia who should again restore the law that the people might amend their life but when they did againe reuolt God punished them according to their desert So when he mynded to destroy the Egyptians he made a light to be set vp and preached vnto them by Moses and Aaron Moreouer when he would drowne all the world by the flood he sent the Patriarch Noe but when men did not amende but became worse and worse such a sore and grieuous plague did follow Likewise the fiue cities Sodome and Gomorra togither with the rest were destroyed for that they would not heare Lot who feared God Wherefore as sharpe vengeance shall light vpon them also which heare the Gospell but do not receiue it euen as the seruaunt here in the Gospell is deliuered to the tormentours till he should pay all the dette which is as much in effect as that he is compelled to suffer punishment for his fault and is neuer saued For vnto synne is required death and when he dieth he dieth alwayes neither is there any helpe or deliuerance remaining Wherefore let vs receiue these thinges for our owne admonition as for them that will not heare being hardened and indurate let them beware of the euell that hangeth ouer them This is a verie comfortable text and sweete to troubled consciences inasmuch as it containeth in it meere forgeuenes of sinnes Againe it setteth forth terrible iudgement to the vnmercifull hard hearted especially seeing that this seruaunt is not an Heathen but had heard the Gospell in that he had faith inasmuch as the Lord tooke pittie on him and forgaue him his offences without doute he was a Christian Wherefore this is not the punishment of Gentiles nor of the common sort that heare not the Gospell but of them that with their eares heare the Gospell and with their toung talke of it but will not expresse it in their life We haue therefore the summe of this text Whereas the Scholemen dispute here whether synne commeth againe which was before remitted I let it passe for they are ignorant what remission of synnes is they thinke it is a thing that cleaueth to the hart and lyeth quietly when as notwithstanding it is plainly the kingdome of Christ which endureth for euer without ceassing For as the sunne neuertheles shineth although I shut myne eyes so this mercy seat or forgiuenes of synne standeth alwayes albeit I fall And as I againe behold the sunne when I open myne eyes so I againe haue forgiuenes of synnes if I ryse againe and returne vnto Christ Wherefore let no man bring forgiuenes into such a straite as these made mē dreame of A SERMON OF D. MARTIN LVTHER TEACHING THAT WE MVST CLEAVE WHOLY to Christ and looke to obtaine all good thinges through him Matth. 9. Verse 18. WHile Iesus spake vnto the people behold there came a certaine ruler and worshipped him saying My daughter is now deceased but come and lay thine hand on her and she shall liue 19. And Iesus arose and folowed him with his disciples 20. And behold a womā which was diseased with an issue of blood twelue yeares came behinde him and touched the hemme of his garment 21. For she said in her selfe if I may touch but his garment onely I shal be whole 22. Then Iesus turned him about and seeing her did say Daughter be of good comfort thy fayth hath made thee whole And the woman was made whole in that same moment 23. Now when Iesus came into the rulers house and saw the minstrels and the multitude making noyse 24. He sayd vnto them Get you hence for the mayde is not dead but sleepeth And they laughed hin to scorne 25. And when the multitude were put forth he went in and tooke her by the hand and the mayde arose 26. And this bruit went throughout all that land DEarely beloued ye know that the Gospell is nothing els but a treatise of the onely person whose name is Christ And albeit there be extant many bookes sundrie treatises cōcerning diuers men as well of the Gentiles as Christians yea and of the mother of God S. Peter the Angels and of many other Saincts besyde yet be they not Gospels but that onely is the syncere Gospell which setteth forth Christ vnto vs and what good we must hope for frō him Sometime in the Gospell there is mention made of Iohn the Baptist Marie and the Apostles howbeit this is not properly the Gospell but therefore is it written of them that it might be more perfectly declared frō whēce Christ should come and what is his office So Luke describeth the historie of Iohn the Baptist euen from the beginning what was done both in his conception and in his natiuitie he writeth also of the virgine Marie All which thinges were committed to writing not because of their person but because of Christes person onely In the Epistles of S. Paule there is nothing committed to memorie of the Saincts but all thinges sound plainly of Christ For God hath so ordained that all men must depend on that one man Christ must hope in him All that will be saued must depend on Christ put their hope and trust in him must repose their trust in him if they desire to be saued for he alone is set forth of God to be a reconciliation for vs as Paule sayth Rom. 3. Hitherto one hath cleaued to this sainct an other to that one chose to himselfe S. Marie an other S. Barbarie and diuers sectes and sortes of religion did flourish But Christ was in no price for his name onely remained We had many intercessours all
reigne ouer the house of Iacob for euer and of his kingdome shall be none ende Wherefore Matthew thought good here to set Dauid first as the better knowne next vnto him Abraham vnto whom the promise was first made as Marie in her song sayth He remembring his mercy hath holpen his seruaunt Israell as he promised to our fathers Abraham his seede for euer And that promise is now performed and in this our text described as we shal see hereafter S. Matthew maketh a triple difference of fathers of whom Christ came foureteene Patriarkes foureteene Kings foureteene Princes For it behoued that the scepter kingdom should be taken from Iuda Gen. 49.10 according to the prophesie of Iacob which is thus The scepter shall not depart from Iuda and a lawegiuer from betwene his feete vntill Silo come and vnto him shall the gathering of the people be Here all thinges must be fulfilled and there are thrise foureteene generations euen as Matthew rehearseth them from Abraham to Dauid foureteene generations from Dauid til they were caried away into Babylon likewise foureteene generatiōs Howbeit there is a person omitted in Matthew that is Iakim it ought thus to be written Iosias begat Iakim Iakim begat Iechonias and his brethren this the Chronicles witnes And after they were caried away into Babylon vntill Christ foureteene generations Which triple distinction hath a great mysterie as we shall see The Iewes among other lawes were commaunded to obserue these three precepts namely to worship that God whom their fathers had worshipped Secondly to choose no Priest of any other stocke then of their owne that is of the tribe of Leui. Thirdly to choose no king but of their owne people These three precepts did very wel agree in our Lord Christ to wit that he is that one God that he is an eternall Priest of our flesh blood a King our brother who hath taken our nature vpon him Who by his diuine power is able to help saue vs being an eternal Priest continually maketh intercession for vs. He is a King also that he may defend preserue vs who is not to be feared of vs seing that he is a man as we are yea was made a most contemptible man that our hart might be wholy quieted appeased in him our Sauiour who can neuer forsake vs. Who were able to stand in the sight of God not be terrified if that Priest did not stand before God Who should defend vs if he were not a King Who should saue vs if he were not God How should he haue care of vs if he were not a man and our brother with whom we may speake as wel as we may one with an other among our selues O most gracious Sauiour how wisely hast thou done all thinges I knowe that thou art my brother as it is in the Psalme Psal 22.21 I will declare thy name vnto my brethren as it is alleaged in the Epistle to the Hebr. Albeit thou art God my Lord Christ and king of heauen and earth yet I can not be afraide of thee for thou art my friend and brother This is no hinderance vnto me that I am a sinner and thou holy For if I had not bene a sinner there had bene no neede that thou shouldest suffer punishment for me Why both good and euill are rehearsed in the genealogie of Christ I see also in thy genealogie that both good and euill are rehearsed of whose posteritie thou wouldest come that thou mightest comfort timorous and weake consciences that they should confidently cheerefully put their trust in thee which hast taken away our sinnes And that we might be certaine hereof thou hast left vnto vs thy word which assuredly declareth it vnto vs. Among the Kings Princes which Matthew rehearseth some were exceeding euil as we may read in the bookes of the Kings Yet God suffereth them to be rehearsed in his genealogie as if they were worthy that he should come of them But he suffered not so much as one honest woman to be rehearsed therin Fower women are named which all had an euill report and were counted lewd Gen. 38. As Thamar of whom Iudas the father of her husband begat Phares and Zara Ios 2.1 as in the first booke of Moses it is mentioned Rahab is called an harlot in the booke of Iosua Ruth was a heathen woman of whom although we read no euill written yet forasmuch as she was a heathen she was despised of the Iewes as a dogge and was detested of them Bethsabe the wife of Vrias was an adulteresse before she was maried to Dauid of her he begat Salomon Which women are vndoutedly therefore rehearsed that we may see how God hath set forth as it were a certaine glasse vnto all sinners wherein they may see that he would be borne of the posteritie of sinners that the greater sinners we be so much more certaine and greater refuge we might haue to so gracious a God Priest King who is our brother in whom onely and in none other we are able to fulfill the law obtaine the grace of God he came downe from heauen therefore neither doth he require any thing of vs but that we assuredly beleue that he is our God By faith in Christ we become the sonnes of God and heires of the heauenly kingdom Gal. 3.26 Priest King and then all thinges shal be wel with vs. By him alone we become the sonnes of God heires of the heauenly kingdom as S. Paule sayth to the Galathians Ye are all the sonnes of God by faith in Christ Iesus Here the hartes of all sinners may leape for ioy that they are counted worthy of such a Sauiour Must not he needes be regenerate whose hart vnderstandeth and feeleth this yea he is caried with a most ardent loue to leade a newe life for he is inspired with the grace of God inasmuch as he layeth hold of the promise of remission of all his sinnes If we will count vppon our fingers the persons rehearsed in this text we shall finde them to be forty and two which were in time past figured by the two and forty mansion places which the children of Israell had before they came into the promised land as it is written in the fourth booke of Moses If we also will come into the promised land which our Lorde Iesus Christ hath prepared for vs by his natiuitie we must also occupie two and forty mansion places that is we must ceasse from our owne purpose be regenerate man by man vntill we come to Marie and Iesus there at the last we shall finde rest vnto our soules But this natiuitie is hard for our euill corrupt nature is very loth to leaue her owne wil and purpose And againe the case of nature is such that no natiuitie can be without griefe yet one hath more griefe tentation and affliction then an other The theefe
be borne or had but that onely shepeheard Christ who neither vrgeth it with the lawe nor is eger vpon it but most sweetely and gently handleth it and layeth the miserable and sinfull sheepe vpon his shoulders doing that of his owne accord which was to be done of the sheepe as we shall heare by and by more at large But surely in this place the doctrine of both as is before also sayde at large or the voice of Moses and of Christ must be well discerned The differēce betwene the doctrine of Moses and of Christ must be throughly knowne of Christians For Moses ought to haue no entraunce to the lost sheepe no nor by any meanes is to be admitted to it although he preach best of all other For if confounding these we will comfort and erect the troubled conscience by the lawe after this sort be of a good cheere for thou hast not committed homicide neither hast thou defiled thy selfe with adulterie neither hast thou perpetrated any other haynous offence or done it with a good will c. This also is a comfort but which can endure a verie small time neither can it sustaine the assaults and violence of the enemie neither bringeth it or containeth any thing els but confidence of it selfe wherewith the miserable sheepe is holpen nothing For it remayneth as much wandring and lost as before neither can it helpe it selfe or come to his owne shepeheard But if we will helpe succour it we must shew vnto it the true shepeheard who commeth to seeke it that hauing found it he may bring it home againe and exhibit his voice vnto it to be heard Hereby it may obtaine true and effectuall consolation and be bold to aunswere Moses and say Now truely I haue not any care either of thy comfort or terrour and if it please thee amplifie my synnes as much as possibly thou canst make me a man-slayer and parricide or the worst man of all men For now I will neither heare thee with an astonied minde nor follow thee But this is the summe of my comfort and saluation whereunto also I do confidently trust that I haue such a shepeheard as seeketh me of his owne accord and hauing layd me on his shoulders carieth me Let vs enter disputation hereof if thou art so disposed not how righteous or vnrighteous I am but how I haue come vnto Christ Wherefore we must alwayes preach according to the capacitie and qualitie of the hearers For I haue sayd that this doctrine is not fit for a blockish and vntractable man As it is not meete that a laborious thresher should be fed with delicates wherewith the sicke are to be strengthened and refreshed but the hyreling is to be fed with broune bread and chese with water The other dainty meates and easy of digestion thou must reserue for the sicke or children which are able to digest no grosse meat Vnto whom Moses lawe must be preached So in this thing also thou must obserue the same differēce that thou do rightly distribute these things and giue vnto euerie one his portiō as a prudēt householder For thou must keepe the doctrine of Moses and of the Lawe vntill thou light vpon vnruly hardened and vntractable men which lead their life securely and without feare set before these onely strong and common meates of threshers to be eaten that is offer angrie Moses vnto them to be heard who lighteneth and thundreth from the mount Sina who terrifieth the people of Israel bringeth them into the desert and drowneth king Pharao in the red sea How weake and afflicted consciences must be preached vnto But when thou shalt light vpon troubled hearts and weake and afflicted consciences which are now become lost sheepe then speake not a word concerning Moses and all the workes of God done in the lawe but let thy talke be only of the workes done by Christ in the time of grace well and diligently repeate to the miserable conscience how he sheweth himselfe toward the lost shepe to wit that he is the gētle good shepeheard which is exceeding careful for the lost shepe so that leauing all the rest he traueleth to fynde that one and to bring it againe into the way neither doth he leaue of till he hath brought it home For it is a verie great griefe vnto him that any man should be in synne and therefore be troubled and feare neither would he that any should remaine therein and so perish Wherefore he doth most louingly allure prouoke thee by his sweete Gospell to come vnto him suffer thy selfe to be layd vpō his shoulders and caried and to be called his welbeloued sheepe As for them that liue securely and pleasauntly haue no regard whether God be angrie or pleased they are not to be called lost sheepe The lost sheepe but rather wilde goats which suffer not themselues either to be fed or ruled But he to whom his synnes are a burden who fighteth in the fight of faith where he is not in daūger to lose Moses but Christ himselfe and the principall article that is where the conscience is in anguish and feare whether it hath God gentle and fauourable this is that verie man who with groning and sighes seeketh out and crieth for his shepeheard desireth to be holpē as Dauid doth Psal 119. I haue gone astray like a sheepe that is lost oh seeke thy seruaunt c. In the mouth of these this suger these pleasaunt delicates haue a good tast with which the heart is refreshed that it fall not into desperation but being againe recreated with such a consolation is lifted vp not by Moses but by Christ Not that it hath Moses a freind or is able to pacifie him but because it hath God fauourable through Christ wheresoeuer Moses remayneth with his comfort Although it be very well as also it is meete that we do not cōtrary to the lawe practize theuerie that we steale not that we commit not homicide or otherwise do iniurie and hurt to our neighbour Howbeit that is not the right comfort of the heart No true comfort of conscience to be had by the lawe but onely a momentane tickling of the vtmost skinne not during pearsing For the deuell comming setting vpon the heart all comfort is vtterly taken away And although in some point thou hast done well and rightly he neuertheles againe bringeth ten fold more wherein thou hast done amisse yea euen in the most pure workes he can finde much impuritie and turne all into sinne Wherefore we must in no wise trust vnto such comfort We must not trust to the comfort of the law but must resort and cleaue fast vnto Christ but must rather refuse it and say whether I be good or euell at this present I do not dispute but wil reserue it rather vnto that place where it shal be taught and entreated concerning workes But in this circle wherein I
said he vnto them Giue therefore to Cesar the thinges which are Cesars and giue vnto God those thinges which are Gods 22. And when they heard it they merueiled and left him and went their waye Mans wisedom reason is not able to preuaile against the wisedome of God IN this text is set forth vnto vs how subtil reason and mans wisedome agree with the wisedome of God and how fouly reason stumbleth when it striueth to be euen most subtil and wise as it here falleth out with the Pharisees who notwithstanding were the best and most wise of the Iewes which euen by this their subtiltie they declare neuertheles their wisedome is here proued to be foolishnes They could blame Christ neither for his preaching nor for his workes and yet would they willingly haue had occasion to put him to death wherefore they thought to set vpon him most craftely and wilely propounding a subtil question vnto him the subtiltie whereof was such that mans reason was not able to comprehend it then which also a subtiller could not be inuented and thus they speake vnto him The subtill question of the Pharisees propounded vnto Christ Maister we know that thou art true and teachest the waye of God truly neither carest for any man for thou considerest not the persone of men Tell vs therefore how thinkest thou Is it lawfull to giue tribute vnto Cesar or not Here thinke they we shal entrappe him For he shal be compelled to aunswere that tribute is either to be giuen or not to be giuen If he affirme that it is to be giuen we haue ouercome him but if he denie that it is to be giuen then is he giltie of death Whereas they say Maister they will thereby moue him and as it were constraine him to aunswere the truth But whereas they say We know that thou art true they do thereby put him in minde of his duty Whither therefore should Christ turne himselfe for there seemeth to be no way for him to escape yet he would not for all that fall into their net Was not this a subtil questioÌ„ Do they not shew themselues to haue bin sufficient craftie and wily ones for which way soeuer the Lord had aunswered he had bin taken Was not this done also full warely and circumspectly for they associate to themselues the ministers of Herode thinking no other but to entrappe him with deceit that he should not by any means escape thus casting in their mindes Now we will meete with him well enough if he denie that tribute is to be giuen the Herodians are present which shall forth with put him to death as a seditious felow and one that resisteth the Romane Empire But if he affirme that tribute is to be giuen he speaketh against the libertie of the Iewes then will we stirre vp the people against him For the Iewish people would be free and haue their king of their owne stocke euen as it was promised them both of Moses and God that their kingdome should continue vntill the time of the true king that is of Christ Euen as the Patriarch did prophecie thereof Gen. 49 10. The scepter shal not depart from Iuda and a law giuer from betweene his feete vntil Silo come And therefore God did choose this people specially to himselfe and made a kingdom of them onely for Christes cause Moreouer there were many sentences in the Scripture which declared that they should serue none For they should be the chiefest and not the lowest c. Deut. 28.13 This and such like sayings the Scribes had beaten into the peoples heads wherewith they were greatly disturbed euen as at this day it is put into the peoples minde that the Church cannot erre Hereupon the Pharisees thought thus If he affirme that tribute must be giuen he blasphemeth Gâ—d he shal be giltie of death as one iniurious to God and then shal be stoned of the people For God hath graunted and promised libertie vnto this people and they were all euen in the middest of captiuitie the people of God Howbeit at that time they wanted a king as they do at this day Wherefore diuers tumults seditions vprores were stirred vp among them For they were taught by the lawe that they should haue a king of their own flesh and stocke as it is said before wherefore they did vncessantly striue against straunge kings and gouernments vntill not a few of them at times were beaten slaine Neither did this happen seldom times for they were a stiffenecked obstinate and vnruly nation therefore the Romaines which at that time did beare rule ouer them did verie circumspectly gouerne them and diuided the land into foure charges of gouernment that being on euerie side kept in awe by the gouerners and presidents they might not so soone flocke together and moue sedition and that they might also be more easily resisted if at any time they should rise against the Romane Empire Wherefore Pilate was appointed of the Romains lieftenant of Iudea Herode Tetrarch of Galile his brother Philip Tetrarch of Iturea and of the countrie of Trachonitis and Lysanias the Tetrarch of Abilene as Luke rehearseth them And all this was done that they might keepe the Iewes vnder whereupon the Iewes were inflamed with anger and in a rage and furie but specially in the time of Christ they would willingly haue had a king The subtill imaginations of the Pharisees against Christ Wherefore the Pharisees hauing fouÌ„d out this deuise thought thus with themselues Well we haue the matter now at a good stay The Romanes chalenge to themselues the gouernmeÌ„t now if he aunswere vnto the question that tribute is not to be giuen the lieftenant is at hand and ready to put him to death if he aunswere that it must be giuen he shall stirre vp the people against himselfe and so we shall assuredly by this meanes entrappe him thus they supposed that either they should fynde cause of death in the Lord or at the least make his doctrine to be nothing set by of the people As the Iewes here do so also do we the chiefe and necessarie thinges being left we are occupied about other matters not necessarie The Pharisees here moue a question whether they be free or otherwise forasmuch as they had the Lawe and the word of God they supposed that they ought to be subiect to none but to their owne Kinge yet they were now compelled to obey Cesar Emperour of Rome They had Scripture concerning the loue of God and their neighbour but that being left they are occupied about other matters It was promised vnto them if they obeyed the precepts and commaundements of God that they should then be a free people they disobey and neglect Gods commaundements and yet notwithstanding they wil be free and haue their owne king In like maner falleth it out with vs we earnestly chalenge to our selues Christian liberty and yet we thinke that if we doe those thinges that