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
were fed with manna from heauen and whereas they sawe the clowd vpon the tabernacle which was a token of Gods presence maiestie should they not haue concluded that God bare rule ouer them and shewed himselfe to be their guide yes and yet for all that Moses beholding the hardheartednesse of the people thought it not enough to tell them of the thinges which were seene at that time but also alledged the promise that had beene made fowre hundred yeeres afore Behold sayth hee the Lorde thy GOD will bring thee into the land of Chanaan If thou aske what proofe thou hast that it is Gods handâ— thou needest no long disputing of the matter thou knowest what promise was made thereof This heritage theÌ„ was assigned vnto you aforehand by the free goodnesse of your God euen before you were borne If God had giuen this land simply to the people of Israell without promising of it before it had bin somewhat the darke somer But seeing that GOD made an agreement and as it were a solemne league with Abraham saying this is the signe that I enter into couenant with thee and with thine ofspring this day namely that thou shalt inherite this land howbeit that shall not bee presently but thou thy selfe must liue and dye there as a straunger and also they that come of thee and their ofspring lykewise must bee soiourners in a straunge lande and bee there vexed and greeued with continuall tyrannie neuerthelesse they shall returne thence at the end of foure hundred yeeres and then will I performe my promise Doth it not appeare by these sayinges that God wrought in that behalfe Should any further proofe be sought therof may not euen blinde folkes feele it with their hands We see then for what purpose Moses alledgeth here y e promise y t had bin made to Abraham Isaac Iacob yea and Gods rehearsing of his promise againe was a larger proofe thereof so as the thing became the better knowen and of more authoritie In deede the people are also put in minde therewithall that this inheritance befell them not by their owne policie Psal. 44.4 nor for any worthynesse that was in themselues nor was conquered by their own power or strength but was giuen them freely of God so as it behoued them to acknowledge that they had receiued it and that their possessing of it was not as though they had obteined it by their owne power The Lord sayth hee promised you this land At what time when none of them was yet borne or bred Then coulde they not haue earned or deserued aught And therfore it behoued them to acknowlege that Gods onely free gift was the cause of it and that they obteyned not any thing but through his freebestowed mercie because it pleased him so to doe For men will neuer sufficiently perceiue themselues bound vnto God vntill they bee vtterly bereft of all their merites and that it bee shewed them that they haue not any thing of their owne to bring but that it is God which doth all not of duetie but of good will Men must bee fully perswaded of that or else they will neuer duely perceiue themselues to bee bound vnto God And whereas Moses speaketh afterward of the great and goodly Cities of howses full of gooddes of vineyardes oliuegardens and of all other commodities it is to make the people to vnderstand the better that God delt not nigardly with them but had powred forth his tresures to the intent that they should be the more prouoked to serue him And that is another point well worthie to bee marked For so long as God dealeth with vs but after the ordinarie maner wee will not perceiue that he is willing to bee our father because wee consider but the order of nature and stand musing therupon That then was the cause why God voutsafed to adde the full measure of all liberalitie by handling his people as is shewed here so as hee gaue them not a meane land that was neither barrein nor abundant of which sort some are to bee found but hee gaue them faire and strong cities houses throughly furnished and groundes throughly manured Seeing it is so the people ought to haue bin the more prouoked to acknowledge that seeing God had shewed himselfe so bountifull it became not them to fall a sleepe but to knowe him to whom they were so greatly bound And it is sayd expressely heere that the people should possesse the thinges which they had not made or gotten to themselues There is not any thing of thine owne labor sayth hee Diddest thou build the houses wherein thou dwellest or shalt dwel For hee speaketh here of the time to come When yee come into the land yee shall finde fayre houses and that of other mens building ye shall finde all maner of housholde stuffe and necessaries ready made yee shall finde vineyardes and Oliuegardens throughly planted ye shall want nothing yee shall finde welles ready digged for that land had not water at will We know what payne and distresse the holy fathers were driuen vnto onely to haue water for themselues and their caâ—tell Gen. 21.25 26.19.20.21.22.32 namely how they were driuen from place to place yea and that not for any pretious thinges but when they digged some poore pitte their neighbors came and draue them from it Not without cause therefore is here expresse mention made of pittes or welles to shewe that the people should finde all commodities there without the putting too of one finger to take any paynes for them And therefore hee addeth take good heede that thou forget not the Lord thy God when thou art full This is the chiefe matter which we haue to wey For Moses doth vs to vnderstand that meÌ„ are a kin to restie horses if they be ouerpampered they fall to kicking and will not be handled nor ordered any more and this similitude is set downe more expressely in the two and thirtith chapter Deut. 32.15 But in this place hee sheweth playnely that ouermuch ease is the cause of wilfull stubbornnesse so that if God hath once pampered vs wee forget him and play the drunkardes so as we cannot order our selues in such wise in the inioying of the benefites which hee bestoweth vppon vs as to yeelde him thaÌ„ks for them and to serue him the more effectually but contrariwise we deuoure them vp with such greedinesse and excesse as our nature becommeth vtterly brutish and God hath no more authoritie ouer vs but wee beare our selues in hand that wee could well enough forbeare him Yee see then that men become brutish through pleasures and abundance of wealth And that is the thing which Moses hath noted here in saying take good heede that thou forget not the Lorde God when thou art full Finally hee concludeth that wee must feare God and honor him and sake him for our GOD which thing he betokeneth by this word Sweare For wheras y e people are commanded to sweare by
561. b 50. We wil needes haue Ceremonies to coÌ„tent God withall to discharge our dutie towards him 561. a 60. b 10. c. Ceremonies in the time of the law including certeine prohibitions from crueltie 560. a 60. b 20 The Iewes were diligent in obseruing the Ceremonies but negligent in performing the substance of them 579. b 50.60 580. a 10 How farre foorth we ought to vse Ceremonies 562. a 10 Ceremonies without instruction are condemned of God why 598 a 30.40.50 Of popish Ceremonies why the wretched world is rauished at them 598. a 10.30.40 God is now contented with a few ceremonies what those be 505. a 30 Reasons why God gaue his people so manie lawes rules Ceremonies at their going into the lande of Chanaan 503. a 10.20 The signification meaning of diuerse Ceremonies vsed in the temple b all Why God listed not to giue the Iewes the Ceremonies at the first in such maner as they be set downe in Leuiticus but reserued them a long time 503. a 50.60 Why God hath now abolished the ceremonies of the lawe that were of his owne appointing 505. a 20 All the Ceremonies of the Lawe had some certeine vse whereto they serued 299. b 10 God ordeined not y e Ceremonies without further consideration of some reason in them 299. a 40.50.60 Why Gods will was to teach his people humilitie by visible signes outward Ceremonies 425. b 20.30 Why we vse the Ceremonies of putting off our caps lifting vp our handes in praying 497. a 30.40 God giueth vs such Ceremonies as are meete for vs why 497. b 20.30 A rehersal of certaine particular Ceremonies which the Iewes were bound to obserue 501. b 40.50.60 We deceiue our selues if wee thinke to content God with Ceremonies 128. a 40 The Ceremonies of the lawe are no more in vse 163. b 30.40 A repetition of diuerse legall Ceremonies w t their significatioÌ„s 302. a 10.20 Certeine For what cause God termeth his plagues Certeine 1001. a 50 Certeintie God would haue his people in the time of the law to stand vpon a Certeintie and what we haue to learne thereby 485. b 50.60 The malice of men noted in that they had leuer followe vncerteintie than Certeintie see howe 485. a 50.60 b 10 We must be grounded vpon Certeintie so as we knowe the God whome wee worship is no idol 489. a 20 How the papistes reconcile themselues to god but w t no Certeintie 1051. a 10 God hath euer shewed his will to the faithfull so as they haue had such Certeintie in their doings as was requisite 501. a 50. b 30 Chanaan The fathers had not an eye to the visible land of Chanaan but only took it as a representation of the euerlasting dwelling place c. 10. a all How the lande of Chanaan was seene to be at the people of Israels commandement 26. b 10 A similitude or comparison betweene y e land of Chanaan the kingdom of heauen 27. a 20.30.40.50.60 To what end Gods setting forth of the land of Chanaan to the Iewes serued 465. b 30.40.50 By what kind of people y e lande of Chanaan was inhabited before y e Iewes tooke possession thereof 295. b 40 What the Iewes should haue considered by their enioying of the lande of Chanaan 295. a 20 All that is spoken of the land of Chanaan must serue vs for a figure and shadow 8. b 40 The land of Chanaan was as a mirrour of the heauenly life 152. b 20 The cause why so great a sight to viewe all the countries of the land of Chanaan was giuen vnto Moses 106. a 50 The meaning of God in calling the lande of Chanaan the lande of his rest 46. a 10 The land of Chanaan was not watered after the manner of Aegypt 466. b 50 60. 467. a 10.20 The fertilitie fruitfulnes of the land of Chanaan 1124. a 40.50.60 b all The fatherlie care that God had ouer the land of Chanaan in sending rain vpon it 467. b 50 Of the hie situation of the land of Chanaan in respect of Aegypt the couÌ„tries circumiacent 1124 a 30 What moued God to giue the land of Chanaan to Abraham and his seede 377. a 60. and b 10 The Patriarches were not put in possession of the land of Chanaan during their liues 377. a 60. b 10.20 The causes why God commanded the Israelites to root out all the follie out of the land of Chanaan 327. b 50.60 328. a 10.30.40 Howe vilely Seruettus the heretike thought of the land of Chanaâ—n 1124. b 40 The land of Chanaan lent of God for a time to the old inhabitants therof and who they were 1116 a 40 Seuen sundrie nations inhabited y e land of Chanaan before the Iewes had possession thereof 1116. a 60. b 30 God appointed the lande of Chanaan purposely to his own honor 330. a 30 Wherof the resting place of the land of Chanaan was a figure 347. b 50 The land of Chanaan was a mirror as it were of the kingdome of heauen 1047 a 20.30 What things are to be considered in the land of Chanaan c. 279. b 60. c. What things Moses comprehended vnder this terme The lande of Chanaan 290 b 60 A description of the land of Chanaan as it was in the time of the Iewes as it is now 1093. b 10.20 A speciall consideration in the Israelites conquering of the land of Chanaan 95. a 60. b 10 Vnder this word the lande of Chanaan all the benefites that God bestowed on his people were comprehended 551. b 10 How Iacob dying three hundred yeres before the partition of the lande of Chanaan could make a partition thereof notwithstanding 1212. a 30 What wee haue to learne by Moseses not entring into the land of Chanaan 1178. all None of all those which came out of Aegypt entred into the land of Chanaan but only two and those which were newe sprung vp in the wildernesse being then but little children as it were about a foure or fiue yeres old 1183. b 10.20 The land of Chanaan was to Moses a signe and sacrament of the kingdom of heauen 107. a 10 The state of the land of Chanaan what it is at this day 921. a 10 Whereunto y e land of Chanaan should haue guided the Iewes 503. a 50 Why it is said that the land of Chanaan was a land flowing with milke honie 920. b 50.60 That all the people of Israel possessed not all the land of Chanaan that was giuen them and why 711. b 20 Why God commanded that the people of the land of Chanaan shoulde be vtterly rooted out and slaine by the Israelites 728. a all 730. a 10 Why God gaue the land of Chanaan to the Israelites 8. b 20. Looke Land of Promise Change Wee must not seeke to bring in any Change or alteration into Gods church Read the whole 75 sermon and page 461. b 30.40 That it is in
yet shall we not cease to goe on still And why Because the hope which wee shall haue gathered of Gods former making of vs to feele his goodnesse will serue to carie vs ouer all tempestes in the middes of the sea it will be as a boate or as a shippe or as a bridge to conuey vs safely ouer To bee short wee shall haue wherewith to strengthen vs continually so wee shutte not our eyes at the assistance which God sheweth vs dayly Thus you see generally what wee haue to gather vppon this saying of Moses A non the matters shall bee layde out more particularly by similitudes Let vs proceede to the things that he addeth namely that being come to the hill of the Amorrhytes he saide Let vs possesse the Lande which the Lord our God and the God of our fathers promised vs. For it is here before vs that is to saye at our commaundement as hee had said afore for this is but a repetition of that which were haue seene already And heere Moses setteth forth the promise that God had made vnto the people to the end to assure them of the Land in such wise as they shoulde bee out of all doubt that it was their owne And why Because it had bene promised them of God Beholde saith he thy God ment not to lye to thee nor to beguile thee and therefore thou maist assure thy selfe that the thing which hee hath spoken shal be performed Marke that for one point Neuerthelesse to the ende that the people may the better vnderstande that they were not to possesse the lande for their owne deserts sake hee telleth them expresly It is the God of your fathers that doth it For the Lande was promised as well to Abraham as to Isaac and Iacob before the Iewes which then liued were borne Therby then are they put in minde that they had not deserued such a benefite at Gods hande but that it proceeded wholly of his free goodnesse And so much the more were they to blame in that they had felt such experience of Gods goodnesse and their sinne also was so much the heinouser in that they acknowledged not the mercie that he had vsed towards them That then is the effect of Moseses meaning heere But we haue to note herewithal that although the promise was then growen olde yet had it not lost his force neither ceased it to liue still though Abraham Isaac and Iacob were deade True it is that the promise which had beene made was not spoken to them that were presently aliue at this time they to whome it was spoken that is to wit Abraham and the Patriarks were all deceased But Gods promise his truth die not with men they haue not the course of a transitoritie and flightfull life as wee haue Therefore let vs marke well that whereas God had promised the lande to Abraham for him his heires and successors that shoulde descende of his race although Abraham was rotten in the earth and they that followed him together with all the Patriarks were consumed to powder and dust yet the worde that GOD spake continued still and forewent no whit at al of his force This I tell you is a point which wee ought to marke well For it is nowe long ago since the Lawe was giuen so that if we haue an eye to the oldenesse thereof it will seeme to vs to bee an outworne and deade thing About a two thousand yeares after that the Gospel was published to the worlde and wee see that manie yeares yea many hundred yeares are passed since Then if wee shoulde measure Gods trueth by time wee might thinke it to bee a thing as good as buried and quite and cleane forgotten Moreouer they that first caryed the Gospell abrode are deade long agoe but yet must we beare in minde that Gods trueth is euerlasting and that although men be corruptible and passe and vanish away yet the doctrine of saluation abydeth alwayes vnappayred so as the force thereof abateth not at all That is it say I which we haue to beare in minde For although it was in olde time that GOD spake to Moses and the Prophetes and although it bee nowe long agoe since the Gospel was delyuered to the Apostles yet must we receiue the doctrine therof nowadayes as being in full force still And that so much the rather in respect of this saying of the Apostle Heb. 10.20 that our Lorde Iesus Christe hath made the way fresh by his bloude They that liued vnder the Lawe and the Prophetes ought not to haue despised the trueth that had beene manifested to their fathers though it was done long time before and yet did not God discouer it so openly to them as hee doth to vs. It is not for nought then that the Apostle saieth that the way which Iesus Christ made is freshe And why sayes hee so His meaning is that the bloude of our Lorde Iesus Christ cannot drye nor putrifie but is alwayes freshe in rememberance before God to the ende that wee shoulde bee assured of his trueth which hee hath sealed with his death and passion Seeing then that we haue such a pledge we ought to be so much the forwarder to receiue Gods truth forasmuch as wee perceiue that the force and vertue thereof dureth for euer Nowe must wee marke further howe Moses saieth heere Thy God hath promised thee the lande It is before thee possesse it By these wordes he betokeneth that wee must rest wholely vppon that which God saith and not stande scanning after our owne fancies For if men content not themselues with the thinges that God speaketh to them where shall they seeke for greater certeintie Or when they haue sought it where shall they finde it But it is an offering of too greate wrong to our GOD when wee bee not satisfied with his vttering of his will and with his warranting of the same vnto vs. For if therevppon wee bee still wauering and doubtfull what else is such vnbeliefe but a replying against Gods trueth as though hee were not faithful or as though he went about to abuse vs by alluring vs with vaine hope So then let vs marke well that all our life long wee must content our selues with Gods worde and when we haue it wee must followe it without seeking any further For looke howe many doubtes and mistrustes wee conceiue so many ouerthwart nippes and priuie vpbraydings doe wee giue vnto GOD as who shoulde say there were no certaintie in his saying But wee knowe that nothing is more peculiar to him than his trueth And so as much as in vs lyeth wee make it a thing of nothing Therefore it is a verie profitable warning when hee saieth The Lorde thy God hath promised thee the Lande For hee speaketh still in generall meaning that we must all our life long hold this rule of sticking simply to the word of God A non the things shal be laide foorth particularly as I saide afore But let vs marke
he would vtterly roote out that people so as there should not one of them bee left aliue meant not that he was determined so to doe but sheweth that the people was worthy to haue bene quite and cleane destroyed And in deede there was iust cause why to the intent that euery of them should be smitten downe and subdued on his owne behalfe and that Moses should pray after that maner And yet for all that God found the meanes to make good his promise notwithstanding the wilfull frowardnes that was in the people And this is a point well worthie to be marked among others that when God hath chosen any people although his grace bee despised so as all they whom he had called become vnworthie of such a benefite and banish themselues out of his house by reiecting y e promise that was offered them yet will God finde the meanes to chastise them in such wise as his Church shall not vtterly perish yea and he will euen ouercome mens frowardnesse with his goodnesse I say it is well worthie to bee marked For wee see that on the one side the hypocrites vnder colour that God hath manifested himselfe vnto them and promised to bee their Sauiour doe surmise that they haue him bound and thereupon take leaue to doe euill and if a man shewe them their sinnes they hardē themselues against it there is nothing but pride in them they arme themselues with Gods name to fight against his Prophets And this haue they done in all ages When the Iewes were rebuked for their wicked life for their turning away from God they were inflamed with such rage against the Prophets as to say How nowe Ierem. 7.4 To whom speake ye Are not wee the Church Are not wee Gods inheritance Hath he not set his couenant among vs Haue not wee the signe of Circumcision Haue not wee the temple where he is worshipped Wee see then that the Iewes did falsely abuse Gods name to aduaunce themselues against him and his word And this is reported of the Iewes but yet wee may see the like in our selues For all they to whom God hath done so much honour as to giue them his word and to manifest himselfe vnto them doe imagin that they haue him as it were in their sleeue yet for all that in stead of profiting themselues by Gods so gentle alluring of them vnto him they set themselues against all good doctrine they cannot finde in their heartes to beare any yoke they will needes bee as wilde beastes and yet in the meane while they will needes haue God to auow them to be of his flocke But here wee see that although God had as then set vp his seat among the Iewes and made a couenant with them to bee their Sauiour vnto the ende yet when he sawe they were not meete to haue him but that they drew cleane backe and ceassed not to spite him he found the meanes to punishe them yea and that in such sort as all those things went to nought and yet he himself abode soothfast notwithstanding their destruction And therfore let vs not deceiue our selues When God hath once taken vs to him to be of his houshold and adopted vs to be his children let vs not sooth our selues in our vices but consider how it stādeth vs on hand to walke so much the more awefully when God hath shewed himselfe so bountifull towardes vs and that forasmuch as he hath vttred his goodnes in such wise it is good reason that wee on our part being so much beholden vnto him should looke well about vs and indeuour to giue our selues wholly to his seruice and be so loth to offend him as we may also be afraide to be bereft of the grace that he hath once bestowed vpon vs. Marke that for one point And therewithall let vs marke also that God in punishing the hypocrites and all such as abuse the goodnesse that he hath done towards them ceasseth not for all that to continue faithfull stil. For if he should destroy the whole world and leaue no afterspring to call vpon him it might bee said in deede God hath iust cause to punish men after that maner but in the meane time where is his promise Psal. 72.17 He hath saide that his Church shall continue for euer that his name shall bee called vpon here beneath as long as there is eyther Sunne or Moone in the skie but nowe is all dispatched quite and cleane the remembrance of saluation is vtterly buried among men Although then that God should doe iustly in punishing such as had done amisse yet should his promise bee vaine and voide if he perfourmed not the thing that he promised and so would men blame him of vnfaithfulnesse But as I saide he findeth meanes to punish them that deserue it and yet notwithstanding reserueth and keepeth still a people to himselfe and suffereth not his trueth to fall to the ground or to die without effect And hereof we haue a notable example in this place For wee see that God had made a couenant with Abraham and had promised him to giue the land of Chanaan for an heritage to his ofspring As soone as the time came the promise was performed Yea verily but all the posteritie of Abraham refused and reiected the promise whereby they disanulled it as much as lay in them Thus you see they bee depriued of it through their owne vnthankfulnesse But yet to the intent that God be not accused of leauing his promise vnperformed it behoued him in punishing the fathers to preserue their race They that come vp afterward are also the ofspring of Abraham and they possesse the land that was promised by meanes whereof the couenaunt that God had made abode sure and fast settled to the end And for the same cause it is said that God reserued the yong children to himselfe Now then as many as had murmured and were aboue the age of twentie yeeres are cast off and banished from the good turne that was readie for them but they that were vnder that age are preserued still and God is glorified in them And albeit that the accomplishment of his promise was delayed by the space of fortie yeeres yet notwithstanding he shewed himselfe faithfull in the end This is the matter which we haue to beare away So now likewise when wee see the world so farre out of order that al is mard and it seemeth that all men will needes spite GOD and shut themselues out of all hope of saluation by driuing away the light of the Gospell that is giuen them let vs looke for some vengeaunce at hand For though God bee patient yet must he bee faine in the ende to stretch out his arme to bee reuenged of such malice and contempt On the one side they to whom the Gospell is preached doe growe altogether heathenish and it is seene that a nomber waxe worse and worse and wickednesse becomes more excessiue than it was in
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
said expressely That the Lord was angrie with him for the peoples sake Deut. 1.37 as we haue seene alreadie heretofore Wherein he meaneth not altogether to iustifie himselfe but he doeth it to the end that the people should finde their owne fault and humble themselues vnto God If Moses had meant to vphold that he was not in any fault nor blame worthie he had couertly accused God Ezec. 18.20 For is it written that he that sinneth shall beare his owne punishment Then must it needes bee that Moses was not cleare or else that God did him wrong in punishing him for the peoples sake But I haue declared heretofore that he glorified not God as hee ought to haue done In deede this appeareth not by the storie for it should seeme there that he did his duetie as well as could be wished but only God is the competent iudge thereof Although Moses could not be condemned by his wordes nor by any outward signe it is ynough that God findeth fault with him and auoweth that he yeelded him not his due honour Ye see then that Moses was faultie and that Gods banishing of him out of the lande of promise was for his offences sake so as he coulde not say that he had not deserued such punishment Why then doeth he lay the blame vppon the people As I saide afore it is not to cleare himselfe but to make the people to knowe their own euill dealing yea and also to consider that seeing Moses being so excellent a man and a man chosen of God did suffer such reproch and dishonour they themselues ought to be the more cast downe Thereby then the people is warned to thinke the better vppon their owne faulte And in verie deede this offence of theirs was verie grieuous and exceeding great For we knowe that Moses had an earnest zeale to serue God and that it was his whole seeking Neuerthelesse the murmuring that rose among the people for want of water was as a tempest to carie Moses away Beholde Moses is as a rocke he is wholly setled in Gods seruice and therefore it must needes be that the peoples rising in vprore was with horrible violence euen as if a rocke were shaken with some tempest And so wee see that the people were vtterly destitute of all patience and as good as starke mad and that it could not be but that the diuell possessed them seeing that the fire of it did euen sindge Moses Also this punishment of his sheweth how great the peoples offence was What had Moses done For his owne part he desireth nothing but to liue die in glorifying God And yet notwithstanding God setteth a marke of infamie vpon him for all ages to see in restraining him out of the promised land Sith it is so what punishment doe the people deserue which were the cause of the mischief and the chiefe authors thereof Nowe to apply this doctrine to our vse let vs take good heede that we driue not others to doe amisse least the whole blame light vppon our owne neckes Not that our thrusting of any man out of the way can quit him for God will neuerthelesse correct him for it but howsoeuer the world goe we shall be guiltie of al the sinnes that wee haue occasioned This ought well to bridle vs to the ende that no cause of stumbling proceede from vs. And besides this let vs consider that if God haue giuen vs gouernours that labour to discharge their dueties if we vexe them in such sorte as they swarue or start aside from the right way wee shall yeeld account of it before God and at the last his curse will light vpon our heades Hereby all folkes are warned to liue simply peaceably in obedience to their superiors specially when they see them disposed to serue God to the ende that they may take courage and continue increase in goodnesse And if we fall to raising of trouble and disorder surely if they that haue committed but halfe a fault be corrected wee shall bee dubble punished and answere for all the inconuenience as of a trueth wee deserue well to bee charged with it before God Thus ye see what wee haue to marke vpon that speach where Moses telleth the people againe how it was for their sakes that y e Lord was angrie with him Nowe let vs returne to the matter which wee beganne withall that is to wit that although GOD chastised Moses by bereauing him of a temporall benefite yet was that no impeachment to his saluation And so meaneth he by these woordes Bee contented and speake no more to mee of this matter In saying bee contented he doeth him to vnderstande that he hath wherewith to content him forasmuch as God is still mercifull to him acknowledgeth him for one of his and taketh him still as of his housholde casteth him not out of his kingdome Seeing that all these thinges abide vnto him still hee sheweth him that he ought to rest without greeuing of himselfe ouermuch And it is a very notable and profitable point namely that we ought not to be too sorrowful and grieued out of measure so long as GOD bereaue vs not of the substaunce of our saluation Wee heare what answere Saint Paule had 2. 〈…〉 when he was afflicted yea and euen buffeted by Satan and God had cast him downe in such sorte that he was as one at the point to bee troden vnder foote Now he besought God to be deliuered from such temptations but answere is made him at Gods hand Let my grace suffice thee GOD telleth him hee will assist him but as for the comberance he must beare it still Therefore let vs learne to put a difference betweene the thinges that are of the substaunce of our saluation and the appurtenances which are in deede the tokens of Gods loue and goodnesse but yet may bee forborne of vs whēsoeuer God thinketh good whether it be to chastise vs or to trie our patience or to any other purpose that he deale so with vs. As for example the things y t are of the substance of our saluation are these that God forgiue vs our sinnes that he keepe vs vnder his protection y t he dwell in vs by his holy spirit y t the light which he hath giuen vs by his Gospel be not quēched that we may take him for our father to cal vppon him and to flee to him for refuge So then the substaunce of our saluation is y t the seede of faith abide continually in vs that God guide gouerne vs by his holy spirit and that he make vs feele his goodnesse so as wee rest therevpon But yet for all this many temptations may befal vs yea euen such as my pluck vs back from calling vpon God Not that they can shut vs quite out from him but yet they may so comber vs as wee shal not be able to resorte to God so freely as wee woulde Againe wee shall be tossed with many
for that it hath pleased him to adopt vs to bee his children through freebestowed adoption in our Lord Iesus Christ. Now let vs kneele down in the presence of our good God with acknowledgement of our faults praying him so to open our eyes as wee may no more adueÌ„ture to deuise any thing after our own fleshly vnderstaÌ„ding but resort altogither to his holy word whereby he hath reuealed himselfe to vs also receiue his Sacraments wherby we be yet better confirmed in his knowledge so as our whole seeking may be to follow the purenes that is set forth in his doctrine y t no error may lead vs away froÌ„ him nor from the pure religion y t hath bin taught vs And in y e meane season y t as we do him homage in spirit so likewise wee may serue him w t all our heart assuring our selues y t wee can not serue nor worship him by any Ceremonies or outward things w tout yeelding him the honor praise y t he requireth And finally that it may please him to correct all y e idolatrie superstitioÌ„ in the world to rid it in such wise froÌ„ the earth which he hath appointed to y e vse of men as his name may be purely called vpon there For the performaÌ„ce wherof it may please him to raise vp true and faithful ministers of his word c. On Fryday the xxiiij of May. 1555. The xxiiij Sermon which is the sixth vpon the fourth Chapter 19.20 Also that when thou liftest vp c. 21 And the Lorde was angrie with mee for your woordes and sware that I should not passe ouer Iordan nor goe into the good land which the Lord thy God giueth thee to inherit 22 For I shall die in this land without passing ouer Iordan but you shall passe it and possesse that good Land 23 Beware that ye forget not the Couenant of the Lorde your God which he hath made with you and that ye make ye not any grauen image nor the likenesse of any thing which the Lord your God hath forbidden you 24 For the Lord thy God is a consuming fire and a ielous God YEsterday I began to shewe mens vnthankefulnesse in that they cannot finde in their heartes to profit themselues by the benefits that God putteth into their handes as this present example sheweth sufficiently Beholde God hath ordained the starres of the skie to doe vs seruice There ought wee to espie his infinite goodnesse towardes vs howe greatly he loueth and esteemeth vs in that he hath made so noble creatures our seruaunts But in stead of magnifying our God and of worshipping him as wee ought to doe we cleane contrariwise fall to deuising of some errour and idolatrie in our heades After which manner the Gentiles tooke occasion to worship the Sunne and the Moone bicause they sawe the great benefites that were receiued by them Yea but therewithall they shoulde haue mounted vp higher and haue considered y t God is the author of them and that the Sunne and Moone and the Starres are but instrumentes of Gods fatherly loue towardes vs and haue not any power which proceedeth not from him Furthermore let vs marke that men sinne not in this behalfe through simple ignorance but through wilfulnesse bicause they can not finde in their heartes to yeeld themselues to God with a single minde For if we intend to serue the liuing God we must not goe to it by windlasses but we must go right foreward But when men see them selues so pinched they seeke startingholes and deuise new fashions of seruing God on their own head so as they neuer come neere him And that is the cause why the worlde hath euer gone astray and loued better to followe lawes of their owne inuenting than to cleaue to Gods pure doctrine and to rest vpon the same as wee see is done still at this day in Poperie What is y e cause that the supertitions which reigne there doe seduce men so much and make them to bee so farre ouerseene Euen for that it is easier for meÌ„ to ouerrunne a fewe gay Ceremonies than to serue GOD rightly and with a single meaning heart Behold God will not bee outfaced with a sort of pelting trifles but commaundeth vs to walke foundly before him so as wee forsake our owne imaginations and desires and seeke to bee gouerned by him to haue his holy spirit reigne in vs. Surely it is a verie hard thing to forsake our owne reason so as we should not bee wise in our owne conceites to behaue our selues after our owne liking but yeeld that there is nothing but vanitie and vntrueth in vs and learne to humble our selues That say I is a thing contrarie to our nature for we haue a fond beliefe that we bee wise of our selues But God on the contrarie part will haue vs to be bereft of our selfe-wit and selfreason and to giue ouer our selues to be gouerned by his spirit Also our affections do carrie vs away in so much that meÌ„ would faine haue the bridle laid loose in their necke to do all maner of euill and that God should giue them leaue to doe what they list Nowe our affections are sinnefull and God will haue vs both to condemne them and to restraine them Rom. 8.6 6.18 and 1. 〈◊〉 2 1â— â—â— so as wee may bee as prisoners in that behalfe and with maine force withstand whatsoeuer carieth vs away to euill But ye see that men list not to serue God with that condition Againe wee bee commaunded to loue our neighbour as our selfe Matt. 19. â—â— Whereas we bee giuen to seeke euerie man his owne profite God pulleth vs from it and contrariwise will haue vs to procure the welfare of our neighbours And whereas wee bee giuen to suttletie 1. Pet. â—â— 3.9 Matt. 5. â— to shifting and to all maner of naughtinesse he will haue vs to deale plainely and to lay aside all desire of reuenge If any man doe vs harme or wrong the world sees how hotte wee bee to acquite like for like But Gods will is that in such cases we should yeeld him such seruice as to forgiue the wrongs quietly that are done vnto vs. Againe whereas we bee desirous to runne at rouers in taking our delightes and pleasures Gods will is that we should but waifare through this world still hauing our eye vpon the euerlasting life that we should mortifie whatsoeuer is earthly in vs and that although he giue vs some commodities and ease yet our vsing of them shoulde bee but as it were running by them Moreouer he will haue vs patient in all our aduersities If it please him to keepe vs occupied with neuer so many crosses he will haue vs to beare them meekely These thinges are good holy but maÌ„s nature striueth altogither against them And what doe men in stead hereof It is a much easier matter to haue a sort of gawdies gewgawes Churches are fraught full of idols
be of his Church in which respect we be say I more bound vnto him than were the Iewes Now it is true y t gods writing of his law in two tables of stone as I haue declared already heretofore specially in the first place was to y e intent y t his doctrine should abide sure For he had an eye to y e cōmon trade among men who vpon the making of leags alliances are wont to haue thē ingrauen in stone or brasse After y e same maner it was Gods wil y t his law should for y e better continuance therof be grauen in two stones Ye see then how God doth as it were passe a solemn couenant Neuerthelesse wee must therwithall also come to the figure namely y t the writing of the law after y t fashion in a cupple of stones serued to shew y t it was not ynough for folke to haue y e law giuen thē to vnderstand it vnlesse it were ingrauen in their hearts For we must come to y e similitude y t is made by y e prophets For although God shewed his law to be sufficiently authorised by vouchsafing to ingraue it so in these stones yet did he giue an incling y t that would nothing boote verily because y e true tables wherein it behoueth vs to write the doctrine of God are our harts howbeit not as they be by nature For what maner of ones are they Euē of stone as it is said of them in Ezechiel So then let vs marke that y e letter of y e law is nothing worth Ezec. 11.19 36.26 vntil god worke in vs by his holy spirit And that is the cause why he hath promised to make a newe couenant Ier. 31.32.33 not after the maner y t hee made it with the fathers for that continued not saith he And why Hee sheweth y t the blame fault therof is in men be cause they turne away runne at rouers as soon as God hath called them neuer follow him at all Although they pretend to make great account of his grace yet is there no stedinesse in them but rather vtter lightnesse for by and by they fling away after their own wicked affectiōs The couenant of God then yea though it were written in stones could not hold them in And why so Not for that God abode not faithful on his part or that hee persisted not to shewe that his choosing of Abrahās linage was not in vaine but for that they were bereft disappointed of that great benefite dispossessed of Gods freebestowed new againe But there were fourtie yeares betweene the one and the other For Aaron dyed at such time as the people had outworne their terme of fourtie yeares during which time god had forfended them the lande of promise Now in the ende of that terme Aaron was depriued of the dignitie of the priesthood and Eleazer his son was made highpriest in his stead But here Moses comprehendeth all that had bin done by the space of fourtie yeares from the publishing of the lawe vnto the verie same day that he exhorted the people to put themselues in better readinesse to enter into their inheritance than they had beene in at the beginning He telleth them that although there had happened many changes in the meane time yet had God in effect prouided that his lawe was to bee had alwayes in estimation to be honored and that the world might perceiue that his maiestie was therein that all men ought to submit thēselues thereunto And for that cause doth Moses say that hee had chosen the children of Leuye notwithstanding that Aaron had sinned For to what ende doeth Moses speake here of his brothers death Euen to make it knowen that God had shewed fauour towardes the trybe of Leuye as well as towards all the rest of the people The trybe of Leuye was chosen to offer sacrifice it was a prerogatiue which God had giuen them And were they worthie of it Could they boast themselues to haue beene more worthie than their brethren It is true that they executed vēgeance vpon the ydolaters but yet was Moses faine to call them to him and to command them to sanctifie their handes Exod. 32.29 Yee must hallowe your hands to the Lord sayth he howe in slaying those that haue so grieuously offended and been an occasion of turning all thinges vpside downe This day therfore it behoueth you to vtter what zeale ye haue towards the maintenance of gods honour and to sanctifie his name without sparing of your own brethrē or your neerest neighbours forasmuch as they haue so defaced Gods glorie to the vttermost of their power therefore they must be vtterly rooted out The Leuites did well execute the thing that Moses cōmaunded them Exo. 32.2.4 but yet did the high priest Aaron make the golden calfe True it is that hee withstoode it or at leastwise consented not to it but yet did he swarue at length by graunting the peoples importunate request and therefore was he faine to beare the punishment which GOD tolde him of saying thou shalt not come within the land which I will giue vnto my people Albeit that he represented the person of our Lorde Iesus Christ Hebr. 5.1 ◠and was a figure of him although he was a mediatour betweene God and men so as he made intercession for the sinnes of the people offered sacrifices for the reconciling of them to the maiesty of God yet was he banished out of that lande to his shame hee dyed hee was stripped out of his robes before his death hee was as a man disgraded and God left him as a dishonoured person and as a man defaced with perpetuall reproche Now if God extended such punishment vppon the person of Aaron what had they deserued which were inferiors to him So then Moses telleth them that Gods choosing of the trybe of Leuye to carrie the Arke and to be occupyed about his seruice was not for that they were worthie of it Deut. 〈…〉 but because hee was minded to shewe the same thing to the successours of Leuye which he had spoken of the rest of the whole bodie of Abrahams ofspring namely that they had all things of his only free goodnesse That is the cause why the death of Aaron is rehearsed here But by the way we see that Moses spared not his own brother For here he repeteth the sentence y t God had giuen also executed against him y t was not for y e honor of his own house But what His meaning was y t God should be glorified men condemned Yea we see that his intent was not to conceale his owne fault but to shew that God had punished him for it though there were great cause of excuse in him al the blame was to haue bin layd vpon the people because his ouershooting of himselfe was but in y t one case that not through malice but
vs goe and serue other gods which thou hast not knowen nor yet thy fathers 7 That is to wit any of the gods of the nations that are about thee whether they bee neere thee or farre off from thee from the one side of the earth to the other 8 Consent not to him neither giue eare vnto him neither let thine eye fauour him shewe him not any pitie neither conceale him 9 But thou shalt put him to death thy hande shal be the first vpon him to put him to death and afterward the hand of all the people 10 And thou shalt stone him with stones and so he shall die for he hath sought to thrust thee from the Lorde thy God which brought thee out of the land of Egypt from the house of bondage 11 That all Israell may heare and be afraide and not doe such a wicked thing among you any more Psal. 69.10 HAd we the zeale in vs that is spoken of in the Psalme that wee tooke the reproch which is done vnto GOD as if it were offered to our selues this lawe here were in a manner needelesse For euerie of vs woulde willingly of his owne accorde indeuour to maintaine Gods honour But nowe inasmuch as manie men thinke it to be too excessiue rigour to put the troublers and peruerters of religion to death thereby it appeareth that we despise Gods honour and make no greate account of it For euerie of vs would faine haue his owne honour maynteined and if anie man haue stormed against vs wee thinke the time will neuer come soone ynough for vs to bee reuenged If a man doe vs any wrong or iniurie wee woulde that euerie man shoulde sette himselfe against it in our defence but if Gods honour bee trampled vnder foote wee lette it slippe Wee see then howe colde and vnlustie wee bee but this vnlustinesse of ours deserueth a more shamefull name For if a man suffer his father to bee scorned folke will say hee is not worthie to liue in the worlde because he doeth against his kinde And beholde GOD is as it were torne in peeces by wicked mennes aduauncing of themselues to rend asunder the vnion of the fayth wherethrough it is his will to bee knowen and whereby it is his will to reigne among vs and that is borne withall And is not that a token that if it lay in vs wee woulde neuer haue any remembraunce of GOD at all But forasmuch as there is so litle zeale in vs therefore is this Lawe giuen vs. And GOD declareth that hee is not vnmindefull of his owne maiestie but that hee will haue the defacing thereof to bee punished Naye rather hee sheweth that hee disclaymeth vs for his people if we haue not a speciall regarde of this case of his Wee haue hearde heeretofore what hath beene sayde concerning false prophetes namely that if anie man troubled the Churche of GOD hee shoulde bee stoned to death without sparing Nowe God expresseth yet better the thing that he hadde spoken which is that we must put all affections of nature vnder foote when his honour commeth in question so as the father must not spare his sonne nor the brother his brother nor the husbande his wife nor the friend his friende y t is as deere to him as his own life y t he be not put to death And good reason For doe not all the friendeshippes in the worlde proceede of that order of nature whiche the creator hath established Then if wee will not sette the carte before the horses wee muste alwayes beginne at GOD. And Saint Paule doeth not without cause say Eph. 3.15 that al kinred commeth from thence and issueth out of that fountayne Also when there is any friendshippe betweene man and man it must alwayes bee referred to this marke that GOD haue still the cheife preheminence and that wee be ioyned together in him And cursed be al alyaunce that separateth vs from our maker in whome consisteth all our life welfare and ioye Then if a husbande loue his wife without regarde of GOD hee is woorthie to bee thrust out amonge the brute beastes In like case is the father which aimeth not at the same marke in louing of his children If wee be so linked together and haue so plighted our faith and trothe one to an other as wee may seeme after a forte to haue as ye would say but one soule in two bodies and in the mean while GOD be lette alone vnthought on doe yee not see that it is too shamefull a beastlinesse Then is it not without cause that GOD hath tolde vs expresly that his honour is to bee preferred before al worldely or naturall considerations And lette vs marke well the wordes that are sette downe heere for they bee of great weight Moses coulde haue sayde singly If thy brother thy wife thy sonne or some friende of thine indeâ— thee and goe aboute to allure thee to naughtinesse but hee addeth which is of much more vehemencie If thy brother the sonne of thy mother which laye in the same bellie that thou thy selfe diddest And to what ende is this doone of GOD but to searche the bottome of our affections by entering euen vnto our bowels as if hee shoulde say I will see whether yee loue mee better than yee doe these carkesses For what is thy brother Hee is but a mortall creature and I will see whether thou sette more store by him than by mee Naye say wee but he and I laye both in one bellie That is trewe sayth GOD but is it not meete that I shoulde alwayes haue the vpper hande and highest preheminence The same case is it when hee sayeth thine owne sonne thine owne daughter thy wife that sleepeth in thy bosome Hee coulde haue sayde singly thy wife but hee sayeth No thou muste forgette and quite and cleane shake off all the loue which thou bearest to thy wife if shee goe about to plucke thee away from me Agayne If thou haue a friende sayeth hee which is as deere to thee as thine owne life thou must lay thy hande vppon him also to stone him thou must not onely bee his accuser and giue euidence against him but thou must also sette hande vppon him without sparing all mercie and pitie must bee put away in that case Hereby wee see in effect as I sayde afore that Gods will is to trie vs whether wee truely loue him And for that cause doeth he sette downe vnto vs whatsoeuer might holde vs backe or hinder our desire from shewing such zeale as wee ought to haue to the mainteinaunce of his honour declaring vnto vs that if any thing bee an impediment to our continuall keeping of the vnion of fayth aboue all thinges in such wise as it is contayned in his woorde wee bee traytoures and false hearted towardes him and hee will shake vs off and in steede of taking vs for his children hee will giue vs ouer and banishe vs from his kingdome and his Churche for hee will haue
goods which are dedicated to God and y e poore shold neuerthelesse be applied to other vses That is not simple robbery but a robbing of God Therefore let thē be imployed according to his cōmaundement let not mē play y e good husbāds in hording vp y e things that ought to be bestowed vpon God vpon those whome he offreth vnto vs. Also according as euery man knoweth y e particular needes of his neighbors so let him indeuour to succour thē and consider where wante or neede is and helpe to remedie it If this be done then shal beggerie be taken away as it ought to be and they shall not neede to make a simple forbidding of it saying let not men beg any more in the meane season y e poore be left destitute to die for hūger thirst And truly it is not for nought y t our Lord saith here thy poore thy needie which are in thy Lād He could wel inough haue said the poore needie but he vseth another maner of phrase saying thy pore and thy needie As if he should say if a man bee poore euery body disdaynes him and turnes his backe to him and why is that Because the rich doe beare themselues in hand that the poore are not worthie to come ny them they could finde in their heartes to haue a world alone by themselues Were it not that they be contented to haue the poore folkes seruice they could find in their harts neuer to see thē But on y e contrary part to pull downe such pride presumption our Lord sayth who art thou that despisest so thy brother He is thy poore he is thy needy He speaketh as to our owne flesh Therefore let vs wey well the wordes which the holy Ghost hath vsed that no pride may hinder vs to haue compassion vppon those that are so vnited vnto vs. And let vs marke that they bee our owne poore folkes y t is to say y t the persons which are so in neede are offered vnto vs of the Lord as if hee should say it is my will to make such an intercourse as the rich may be mingled w t the poore either of them may meete w t other to the intent they should cōmunicate together y e poore to receiue the rich to giue so as I may be honored at the handes of them both as well for y t y e rich man hath wherw t to do good as for that y e poore man acknowledgeth himselfe to be susteined mainteined for my names sake so both of thē blesse me That is y e cause why Moses speaketh of y e poore needy after such a sorte y t he sheweth y e rich how it is they themselues whom he speaketh to that there ought to be a kinde of intercōmoning between thē the poore not to make thē fellowlyke but to relieue y e neede of those whom God offreth vnto thē after y t maner After this Moses addeth a law y t serued but for y e common weale of y e Iewes y e substance whereof continueth neuerthelesse vnto vs at this day If thy brother an Hebrewe sayth he or thy sister an Hebrewesse be solde vnto thee let him serue thee the space of sixe yeeres At the end of that terme thou shalt release him And at thy releasing of him thou shalt not sende him away emptie but thou shalt giue him some Corne or some Cattell according to thy abilitie that hee may feele of the blessing which the Lord thy God hath giuen thee and that the same may be as a hyre vnto him Now we must marke y t in those dayes there were no such seruauntes as are nowadayes which take certein wages by y e yeere but they were in bōdage after y e maner of those whom wee call bondslaues in Barbarie in other countries in these dayes So then they were al slaues at y t time among the heathen y t bondage was endlesse insomuch y t if a man had liued a hundred liues yet should hee neuer haue bin released vnlesse his maister had pitied him Moreouer the man y t had such slaues might mary them forasmuch as the wretched soules were not free thēselues their children also were in bondage lyke y e beastes y t we haue If a man haue Horses Kine Cattel or Sheepe hee reapeth y e fruite of thē so did they w t their bōd seruants at y t time And surely y e state of bondage as it was then through y e whole world was very hard For it was Lawfull euen among Christians It is not cōmaunded to be abolished Wee see y t whereas S. Paul speaketh of maisters y t had such bondseruants were faithfull he biddeth them not to set thē quite at libertie Eph. 6.9 but to deale gētly by all kinde of meanes Know ye saith he y t you haue one cōmon Maister in heauē that your seruantes be Gods children as well as you and therefore deale gently w t them hold them not in such thraldome as y e vnbeleeuers doe S. Paul y t is to say y e holy Ghost speaking by his mouth thinketh y t to be enough Howbeit forasmuch as the Iewes were priuiledged God had chosen them for his owne inheritance it behoued some moderation or mitigation to be among them so as they should not vse so extreme rigor as was among the Heathen Neuerthelesse it is a good thing y t this slauish bondage is abolished in time among y e faithful howbeit y t there continue still some remnantes of it in some places but yet is y e same much more tollerable thā so rough a law could haue bin For wheras there are some persons which are still taxable as they terme it at this day whether it be in their goods or in their persons it is of y e olde slauery they be of y e race of such as were very slaues in old time of such as might haue bin handled as bondslaues by rigor of Law But as I sayd this may wel be borne w t and it was a vertue worthie of cōmendation that the parties which had such bondslaues released them vppon a certaine qualification But now let vs come againe to y e Law y t is giuē here to y e Iewes It is sayd that such as were solde should serue by the space of sixe yeeres and the seuenth yeere is priuiledged here in honor of y e Saboth day y t is to say of y e rest wherby our Lord ment alwayes to reduce the Iewes to gentlenes by bringing them backe to himselfe As if hee should say assure your selues y t your vsing of such mercie towardes your neighbors is an acceptable seruice vnto me For y e day of rest was y e very marke of Gods spiritual seruice as is declared vnto vs in many places of y e scripture Exod. 20 8. Ezec. 20.12 Ier. 17.24 both in Exodus
loueth such as offer vnto him willingly and not as of necessitie Yee shall see manie that will be liberall to Godwarde howebeit it is but a thing of constraint which kinde of dealing God vtterlie misliketh A man may spoyle himselfe of all his goods and yet doe God no such seruice as hee shall like well of if it bee not matched with his freewill as I saide afore Besides this GOD left it to euerie mans owne choyce to offer what hee thought best but yet he addeth according as the Lord thy God shall haue blessed thee To the intent that men should not withhold through nigardshippe as they be commonly wont to doe God putteth them here in minde of his blessing as if hee had saide be well aduised true it is that in this case I lay the bridle on your neckes offer what you your selues thinke good I meane not to inforce you to any thing I would haue the offeringes which you bring vnto mee to be of a free will But yet for all that ye must come to account for it Who is hee that blesseth you If yee haue had a good and plentiful haruest to whome are you beholden for it Ought yee not to consider howe it is I y t haue opened my hand wide to the end that your hearts also shoulde open themselues wide on their parte Know ye therefore that I haue allured you by multiplying you wherefore when yee haue a good croppe looke that yee employe your selues so much the freelier in doing my seruice And hereby wee bee warned to looke neerely to our selues that euerie of vs may put forth the good thinges which God hath committed vnto him Here is mention made but onely of Corne Wine and such other thinges Then if God haue inriched a man hee must see that hee suppresse not Gods blessing by keeping it close For wee see there are Cormorantes which haue no care of otherfolkes pouertie they thinke they may scrape all that they can come by and that no man ought to haue any parte of their goods On the contrarie part it is declared here that accordingly as euerie man hath receiued aboundance at Gods hande so must hee impart vnto his neighbours for that is the ende which God ameth at And if wee thinke not of it we must come to account for it and wee shall finde at length that God will impute it to vs for theft when wee shall haue deuoured his goods after y t fashion without hauing anie pitie vppon the needie to succour them In like case is it with spirituall giftes For according as euerie man is of abilitie and skill to succour his neighbours so is hee bounde to discharge himselfe and to put himselfe forwarde Otherwise GOD will shewe vs to what purpose hee had bestowed his benefites vppon vs and that wee haue fayled in our duetie That is the thing which wee haue to beare away in that Moses alleadgeth Gods blessing to stirre vp the Iewes to offer sacrifice y e more largely after as God shall haue increased them knowing that hee bindeth them thereby vnto him And whereas he saith That they shall reioyc◠with their children their menseruauntes their womenseruaunts the fatherlesse the widowes and the strangers thereby hee sheweth that his lawe was not ceremoniall onely but that it tended also to the doing of almesdeedes as indeede our Lord hath at all times shewed Hebr. 13.16 that those are the very sacrifices which he requireth True it is that part of the thinges which were to be offered were to be brought to the Altar there to be burned in sacrifice but yet for all that it was alwayes prouided that of the rest the poore should be fedde and maintayned as well as the priestes Leuites and nowe doeth Moses speake thereof againe Wherefore let vs marke that euen in the time of the Ceremonies and shadowes of the lawe God neuer required sacrifice but that he willed men therewithall to haue pitie vppon the needie to succour them according to this saying of his by his Prophet Osee I require mercy not sacrifice Osee. 6.7 True it is y t he had commanded both of them but he sheweth y t such as think to discharge themselues by cōming to y e church and by offering their giftes there doe beguile themselues and that all their doinges are but hypocrisie if they bee not kindehearted in succouring the needie in doing of Almesdeeds For I pray you can wee aduance GOD anie whyt by offering of our goods vnto him Can we inrich him Iob. 35.6 Psal. 16.2 Wanteth he any thing True it is that hee requireth oblations howebeit that was to the end that men shoulde acknowledge euen by eysight that they were bounde vnto him It was a kinde of puting of them in minde of it Yet notwithstanding it stood them alwayes in hand to consider that they could not otherwise discharge themselues than by giuing part of their goods to such of their neighbours as had want Thus ye see howe the meaning of Moses was that when the Iewes offered their sacrifices after haruest it was not enough for them to acknowledge with mouth and outward gestures that they were bound vnto God for his sending of them wherewith to liue but that it behooued them also to shewe towardes men that they intended to be faithfull stewardes of the thinges which he had put into their hands and desired nothing but to be well discharged of them And to moue thē more thereunto he telleth them That they themselues had beene bondeslaues in the Land of Egypt which warning peale hath bin set downe in other places heretofore For wee know that when men liue at their owne ease and in pleasure they bee not greatly touched with compassion though other men die for hunger euen so was it with the Iewes when they were come into the land of Chanaan after they began once to waxe ful For the land it selfe was fat and specially because God had blessed it Therefore doth he bring thē backe to the minding of their former state and of the cruel bondage wherein they had beene Consider saith he how ye haue beene bondslaues in the land of Egypt and that as then ye would faine haue been gently intreated When ye were too greeuously vexed ye cried out vnto mee Now therefore know ye that y e poore needy which are among you do craue likewise to be regarded at your handes and that I for my part do make account of them This is the effect of the matter conteined in that place Now to the end we may make our profit by it let vs cal to mind the saying of the prophet O see accordingly also as it is alledged by our Lord Iesus Christ that is to wit that God requireth the sacrifice of Almesdeeds Matt. 9.23 12.7 As if he should say that he is not contented that men shoulde vse some Ceremonies towards him but will haue vs to be kindharted in releeuing
prepared to offer vp himselfe vnto him Nowe I graunt indeede that wee cannot doe it except wee be sanctified by his holy spirite and the faithfull when they present themselues vnto God doe it not in any confidence of their owne power they doe it not to attempt any thing of themselues or vppon imagination to atteyne thereby vnto anie perfectnesse but they doe it grounding them selues first of all vppon this that God accepteth of their good will although it bee weake and vnperfect And why Because they haue the forgiuenesse of their sinnes promised vnto 〈◊〉 and this is therein comprised that God will not impute vnto them those thinges which are faultie in their workes Moreouer they 〈◊〉 a promise that good will gouerne them by his holy spirite So then hereuppon euery faithful than must vowe himselfe vnto God And nowe hauing so vowed our selues Lâ—t vs take heede we performe that which wee vowe For there is a threat added which we must obserue and feare It shall bee impured vnto thee for sinne saith God Truely if wee were all Paynims that wee had neuer hearde so much as one worde of the lawe or of the Gospell yet shoulde wee not bee iustified therefore if wee serued not our God For hee hath placed vs in this worlde to the intent hee might bee glorified in vs. But as for them which are called of him and which knowe that they ought to dedicate themselues wholy vnto his obedience and which haue promised to do so they ought to vnderstande that they are doublie bound and if they breake that bonde they are in so much greater fault and a great way lesse to bee excused Therefore if wee will applie this to our instruction wee must knowe that the generall vowe which wee haue all made vnto GOD is grounded vppon our baptisme Seeing that he hath adopted vs for children let vs honour him as our father and seeing hee hath choose vs vnto him selfe let vs bee giuen indeede vnto his seruice let all our life bee subiect vnto his obedience let vs I say thinke vppon this But nowe touching particular vowes if a man demaunde whether it bee lawfull to make them among Christians the answere is that we cannot be too well aduised in that behalfe And therefore and lesse wee vowe the better it is alwayes for vs. Truely wee may not condemne al vowes For seeing GOD hath left them at libertie wee must alwayes remember this that therefore it is lawfull But howsoeuer the world goe let vs bee contented to walke euerie one in his calling and let vs not vse vowes I meane so as to binde our selues ouer much for wee see our owne weakenesse that when wee shoulde walke as God hath commaunded vs albeit the way be shewed vs yet we swarue aside so often that it is pitifull to beholde and wee are constrayned to crie out with Dauid Psal. 19.13 Who knoweth his faults For why Wee neuer haue such wisedome as were requisite but it befalleth vs to wander and to turne aside one way or other so as we sinne many a time without thinking on it Therefore if it bee an harde thing for vs to keepe our selues in our accustomed way by reason of the weakenesse that is in vs what should we meane to charge ourselues yet further with an harder thing as if wee were well able to surmount them al Ye see therefore how we ought to abstaine from al vowes and to content vs with this plaine simplicitie to say I see what my God hath commaunded mee I must holde my selfe thereto without stepping any further But yet notwithstanding if wee haue purposed to acknowledge my benefite towardes God lâ—t vs take heede that we performe at For if the promises which wee make vnto men must be kept what shall bee saide of that when we call vpon the name of God direct our selues vnto him and that he bee made a partie In few words therefore let vs 〈◊〉 in minde vppon this place that wee must bee faithfull and trustie towardes our God for hee is such a one on his part and will neuer breake his promise let vs not mistrust that wee shall bee deceyued in waiting for any thing from him And therefore sith hee hath called vs vnto him and woulde that we shoulde bee bounde vnto him let euerie one of vs take heed that wee keepe our selues stedfast vnto his seruice and let vs not behaue our selues as wilde horses which are broken loose And whereas it is declared vnto vs that we are redeemed by the bloud of our Lord Iesus Christ Let vs knowe that wee are no longer our owne but his who hath redeemed vs with so deere a price Therefore let vs liue and die vnto him indeuouring nothing else but to yeelde vnto our GOD the obedience which wee owe vnto him euen by nature it selfe and that also which we haue promised vnto him so that wee may purely call vppon his holy name and declare by this meanes that we are his people indeed Nowe let vs kneele downe in the presence of our good GOD with acknowledgement of our faultes praying him to make vs to feele them more and more and that feeling them we may be touched with such repentaunce as to come and seeke the remedie of them in him alone that is that hee will pardon our faults which are past vntill hee hath wholy reformed vs clothe vs with his owne righteousnesse And so let vs say Almightie GOD and heauenly father c. On Thursday the xxx of Ianuarie 1556. The Cxxxvj. Sermon which is the seuenth vpon the three and twentith Chapter and the first vpon the xxiiii 24 When thou commest into thy neighbours vineyarde thou maist eate grapes at thy pleasure vntill thou bee satisfied but thou shalt put none into thy vessell 25 VVhen thou commest into thy neighbours corne thou maist plucke the eares with thy hande but thou shalt not put a sickle into thy Neighbours corne The foure and twentith Chapter WHen a man taketh a wife and marrieth her if it come to passe that afterwarde shee finde no fauour in his eyes because he hath found some ill fauoured blemishe in her hee shall write a bill of diuorcement and put it in her hand and send her out of his house 2 And when she is departed out of his house and being gone her wayes doeth marie with an other man 3 If this other also hate her and write her a letter of diuorcement and put it into her hand or if his latter man which toke her to wife die 4 Then her first husbande which sent her away may not take her againe to be his wife after that she is defiled for that is an abhomination in the sight of the Lorde and thou shalt not cause the lande to sinne which the Lorde thy God giueth thee to inherite ALthoughe Gods will was that euerie man should possesse hys owne ordeined that none shold doe wrong vnto anie yet hee alwaies so moderated this
abstaine from all iniury and harme doing and yet let vs not beare ourselues in hande y t we are so discharged when we haue done no harme but let vs furthermore endeuor to relieue y e oppressed by helping them and by bringing to passe y t they may find a way to be deliuered out of their miserie let euery man employ himselfe hereunto And if we thinke y t in respect of men our labour is but lost let vs know y t such seruice of ours is acceptable vnto God and that we shall not faile of his blessing and let this stirre vs vp accordingly as we are warned in this place Nowe let vs kneele downe in the presence of our good GOD with acknowledging of our faultes praying him to make vs feele them better than hitherunto wee haue doone and that aboue all seeing hee hath ioyned vs together as brethren adopting vs all into the number of his children we may so serue and honour him as we may therew tall liue in brotherly loue one with an other succouring one another in all our necessities and abstayning from all malice outrages and deceites in such sorte as our conuersation in this worlde bee a true testimonie vnto vs that our God gouerneth vs by his spirite and hath giuen vnto vs the marke of that inheritaunce whereunto wee labour to come That it may please him to graunt this grace not onely vnto vs but also to all people and nations of the earth c. On Tewsday the xj of February 1556. The CXLI Sermon which is the sixth vpon the foure and twentith Chapter 19 When thou cuttest downe thine haruest in thy feelde and hast forgotten a sheafe in the feeld thou shalt not returne backe againe to fetch it but it shal bee for the stranger for the fatherlesse and for the widowe that the Lorde thy God may blesse thee in all the workes of thy hands 20 When thou gatherest thine Oliues thou shalt not returne againe to seeke ouer the braunches but it shal bee for the stranger for the fatherlesse and for the widowe 21 VVhen thou gatherest thy vineyard thou shalt not gather the grapes which thou happenest to leaue behinde thee but they shal be for the stranger for the fatherlesse and for the widowe 22 Remember that thou wast a seruant in the lande of Egypt therefore I commaund thee to do this thing WE haue seene heretofore howe God ordayned that in gathering in of the haruest 〈◊〉 13.24 and of the grapes of the vineyarde they which were hyred might whyle they were reaping and gathering of the grapes eate their fill And this permission hee gaue vnto them to shewe that the rich must not so swallowe vp all thinges but that they must alwayes bestowe some portion on the poore euery man according vnto the plentie and aboundance which hee hath For see heere with what condition God leaueth his goods in rich mens handes namely to the intent that hauing the abilitie they shoulde also take occasion to relieue their neighbours which are in necessitie And so this kindnesse and gentlenesse ought to bee amongest vs that hee which hath wherewithall to bee liberal shoulde bestowe some parte of his aboundance vppon his neighbours And although none bee rated touching his liberalitie by way of taxe or sessement yet neuerthelesse euery man ought to thinke that God hath giuen him plentie of corne and wine vppon condition that he should bestowe some parte thereof on them which are in neede and necessitie That which we haue nowe recited tendeth to the same effect For God ordayneth that when a man cutteth down his haruest gathereth his grapes or beateth his Oliue trees as wee with vs doe our walnuttes hee shoulde not bee so couetous as to â—ake in the vtmost eare of corne to looke for the last grape or to seeke after euery Oliue but that hee which gathereth in the corne of his feelde shoulde leaue somewhat after him for the poore to gleane as for the fatherlesse for the widowes and for the straungers which haue no landes nor possessions of their owne Yee see what a reasonable lawe God setteth vs downe in this place to the intent wee should knowe that if God hath giuen vs aboundance of goods beyonde our owne vse wee ought not to bee ouer niggish of them but that they which stande in neede must bee some way releeued and succoured by vs. There is also a promise added to correct that distrust which is in men For God sayeth that when men shall so doe hee will encrease their wealth which haue beene liberall to helpe the poore and needie And besides this hee putteth the Iewes in minde that it is hee by whome they were brought into that lande which they possessed that they helde it at his hande As if the chiefe Lorde of the fee shoulde say vnto them which holde of his tenure What The lande you haue is mine and I haue graunted it vnto you with condition that I shall receiue at leastwise the rentes and seruices God therefore in token of a kinde of homage reserueth vnto himselfe the gleaning and other thinges for the poore that come after to gather the grapes and the oliues which are left behinde God sayeth that these are royalties which belong vnto him and that hee giueth and bestoweth them on such as haue neede and therefore that the riche men ought not to bee grieued therewith as if they had lost any thing or as if their owne goods were taken from them for God saith al is mine Ye see then in effect what is here conteined Now let vs note well that God meaneth not y t the poore should be in such wise relieued as that the rich should be spoyled of that which they possesse For what a confusion and disorder would that breede We must therfore note that God leaueth vnto euery man whatsoeuer he possesseth either by way of inheritance or by buying or by any other iust and lawfull title And hereby the poore ar warned not to ransack or make hauock of whatsoeuer commeth in their way as many doe which think they may snatch away any thing by good right so they be not punished by law nor haue any to witnesse against them What I haue great neede sayeth one Yea but what neede soeuer a man standeth in yet God will not haue the ciuil order broken and all right peruerted If the rich discharge not their dueties but be so cruell as to suffer the poore to dye in their neede they shall render an account thereof but that shal be before the heauenly Iudge But in the meane while the poore ought to take thinges patiently they must abstaine from all malice from al rauine from all pilling and spoyling This then ought to be diligeÌ„tly obserued in the first place For our Lord sayth not in this place he which hath need of corne in haruest time let him take a reaphook and go and cut his neighbors corne to carrie it to the mill but he speaketh
bee as thornes in your sides to pricke and to punch you or rather to put out your eyes you shall surelye finde it so bycause yee haue not doone as GOD commanded you This serueth then to shewe vs that euerye man must followe that which is appointed him and when hee once knoweth what his office and calling requireth hee must simply obey God And moreouer let vs alwaies haue recourse to this point that seeing God sheweth himselfe a friend to our friends and an enemie to our enemies we must put our whole trust confidence in him Exod. 23 2â— hiding our selues vnder his wings wee must not doubt but that he will shew in the ende what care hee hath had of our welfare For hee sayth Exod. 13.7 I am moued with iealousie I am inflamed with choler bicause of y e iniuries which my people hath suffered In deede God is not subiect to any passions he is not moued after the maner of men neuerthelesse to shewe howe dearelye hee accounteth of our welfare and bycause wee conceiue it not excepte hee doe as yee woulde say transfigure himselfe and vtter himselfe vnto vs in such wyse as wee maye conceyue some passions in him that is the verie cause why hee sayeth that hee is mooued with choler and inflamed with a iealousie to defende his people Let vs therefore settle our trust thereuppon and although he doe not by and by lift vp his hand and thunder vppon our enemyes let vs not thinke therefore that hee hath forgotten vs but let vs bee patient and sorowfull and let vs desire him to accomplish his promises And if wee so doe hee will rayse vp such men as we thought to haue beene against vs and they shall spend themselues in our defence and wee shall bee armed in such wise agaynst all our enemyes that wee shall beare away the victorie and as it is heere declared that hee was the defender of his people in olde time so he will nowadayes doe much more for vs bicause he is come nearer vnto vs in the person of his onely sonne Nowe let vs kneele downe before the Maiestie of our good GOD with acknowledgement of our faultes praying him to make vs feele them more and more and to receyue vs vnto mercie although wee bee altogether vnworthie of it and that in the meane tyme hee will so gouerne vs by his holy spirite that wee may apply both our handes and our eyes and our feete to his seruice and not attempt any thing without his worde but that whatsoeuer wee doe wee may doe it with such a zeale as hee may bee glorifyed and our lyfe may bee in all poyntes referred vnto his will without turning of our selues aside eyther to the right hand or to the left and that wee may learne to rest our selues wholly vpon him and not bee tempted to iniurie any man but that whatsoeuer wickednesse wee see in the worlde wee may alwayes walke vprightly and soundly to the intent that when wee bee vniustly and wrongfully tormented he may shewe himselfe our defender That it may please him to grant this grace not onely to vs but also to al people Nations of the earth bringing backe all poore ignoraunt people from the superstitions and idolatries wherein they are helde that so hee may leade them to the knowledge of his trueth And that for this purpose it woulde please him to raise vp true Ministers of his word c. On Wednesday the xix of Februarie 1556. The CXLV Sermon which is the first vpon the sixe and twentith Chapter WHen thou commest into the lande which the Lorde thy GOD giueth thee for an inheritaunce and possessest it and dwellest therein 2 Then shalt thou take of the first of all the fruite of the earth which the Lorde thy GOD giueth thee and put these fruites which thou bringest out of thy land in a basket and goe vnto the place which the Lorde thy God shall choose to place his name there 3 And thou shalt come vnto the Priest which shall bee in those dayes and shalt say vnto him I acknowledge this day vnto the Lorde thy God that I am come into the land which the Lord sware vnto our fathers for to giue vs. 4 Then the Priest shall take the Basket out of thy hand and shall set it downe before the Aultar of the Lord thy God 5 And thou shalt speake and say before the Lorde thy GOD My father was a Syrian a poore man and hee went downe into Egypt and soiourned there with a small companie and grewe there vnto a Nation great mighty and full of people 6 And the Egyptians vexed vs and troubled vs and loaded vs with harde bondage WEe haue in this place the Lawe of y e first fruits which was made for this ende y t the Iewes shold thereby acknowledge vnto GOD that they helde the lande of Chanaan of his mere and onely gifte as when a Lorde graunteth any Lande in Fee hee reserueth some Rent and some kind of seruice to himselfe to testifye that the Lande is helde of him So likewise GOD meant to haue a certayne memoriall among the Iewes whereby they shoulde bee put in minde to serue him for so much as hee nourished them and that whatsoeuer they had in possession they helde it of his freebestowed goodnesse In deede GOD did it not after the manner of mortall men for those which are Lordes of any land bee they neuer so riche haue neede of Rentes and reuenewes for the mayntenaunce of their estate But GOD who standeth in neede of nothing ordayned this Lawe onely for the profite and welfare of his people For the first fruites were not brought vnto the Temple as though GOD were to receiue some commoditie of them to himselfe but the bringing of them was to this intent that the people shoulde bee the better stirred vp by that meanes to discharge themselues of their duetie towardes GOD. For the first fruites went not for full payment but they serued onelye for a solemne protestation thereby to shewe that the people was much more bound vnto GOD. And let vs note that GOD by appoynting this Lawe meant to giue vs to vnderstande what great vnthankefulnesse there is in men when there must bee such meanes deuised to quicken them vp to acknowledge and confesse his goodnesse For if there were but one droppe of reason and vnderstanding in vs needed we any exhortation to magnifie and extoll onr GOD for enioying so great benefites as hee hath bestowed vpon vs Hee sheweth himselfe so liberall towardes vs that his blessinges doe euen as yee woulde saye stoppe our eyes And is there not great reason then that this bountifulnesse of his shoulde waken vs to declare that wee haue not beene forgetfull of those benefites which hee hath bestowed vppon vs Yes verily But what Wee must bee spurred forewarde in this behalfe like Asses whereby wee see what vnthankefulnesse and vnfaythfulnesse is in vs for that is the cause
Lorde thou art hee which made both heauen and earth thou hast all thinges in thy power and vnder thy dominion it is to thee that all honour is due vnto thee belongeth all power Thus much for that poynt Nowe must wee proceede to the second which is that wee so acknowledge him to bee our father that wee assure our selues of his loue and that hee hath care of our saluation For if wee bee at no further poynt than to acknowledge him to bee God it doeth but leaue vs alwayes in feare and in verie deede the maiestie of God doeth of it selfe terrifie vs insomuch that when as wee shoulde drawe neere vnto him wee deuise to flee away vntill the time that hee doeth assure vs of his fatherly goodnesse The chiefe poynt therefore is that hauing attributed all power and strength vnto him wee vnderstande also that hee hath chosen and admitted vs for his people and that hee will so holde vs in his custodie as wee may bee able to say that our life is altogether blessed for so much as hee hath seperated vs from the rest of the worlde and giuen vs priuiledge to call vppon him and to haue our recourse vnto him and to trust assuredly that hee will neuer forget vs but that hee will furnishe vs with all thinges that bee requisite not onely for this earthly life but also for our euerlasting saluation That then is the true knowledge of God and if wee proceede not to that poynt then are wee deafe blynde and senselesse Let vs euermore conclude that vntill wee haue learned to honour our God to submitte our selues wholly vnto him to doe homage to his maiestie and to repose all our contentment and rest in his gracious goodnesse and fatherly loue so as wee stay our selues altogether thereuppon assuring our selues that our saluation is sure in him if wee bee not at that poynt it is a token that wee knowe nothing and that wee bee still miserable beastes Wee may well say this and that but to what ende All is but confusion That is the thing which wee haue to remember concerning this Text. Nowe that this doctrine might bee of the more authoritie Moses speaketh in the name of GOD howbeit that it is hee himselfe that speaketh wherein there seemeth some contrarietie and loosenesse of matter For hee sayeth I haue lead you through the Wildernesse wee haue discomfited Sehon king of Hesebon and Og king of Bazan Thus doeth Moses followe this sentence as it were by a threed and sayeth I haue nourished you in the wildernesse and yet it was GOD that did it Meant he to vsurpe the honour that partayned to GOD alone when hee sayeth We did discomfite those kings Surely the matter is all one in that Moses speaketh in his owne person and in the meane while bringeth in GOD speaking also this doeth rather giue vs a profitable admonition to wit that although GOD speake to vs by the mouthes of mortall men whome hee ordayneth for that purpose yet must not wee therefore diminish the authoritie of his worde Let vs therefore honour God and yeeld obedience to his worde when it is declared vnto vs by men as if wee sawe him present among vs. That is the thing which Moses meant In very deede hee did acknowledge himselfe to bee a frayle man and hee exempted not himselfe from the rest of Adams children hee was a member of the Church But yet for all that forasmuch as hee was ordeyned to bee a minister of GOD and was to carry the worde in his name hee meant to authorise the woorde to the ende that it shoulde not bee lightly regarded not despised vnder pretence that hee which speaketh it is a creature The thing then in effect which wee haue to beare in mynde touching this place is that when wee reade the thinges that were written by Moses and by the Prophets and Apostles thereby wee vnderstande that GOD did rayse vp men to bee as instrumentes and woorking tooles of his holy Spirite and yet notwithstanding that hee will not haue our faith turned away from him vnder that pretence but rather that wee shoulde take holde of his power and maiestie by his worde and to yeelde due obedience thereunto Thus shoulde wee practise this place Nowe after this Moses addeth That their garmentes and apparell were not worne with oldnesse nor their shoes appaired for the space of fourtie yeres This serueth to aggrauate the peoples vnthankfulnesse to the ende they shoulde acknowledge themselues the more guiltie for not hauing acknowledged the goodnesse of GOD which had appeared so many wayes Let vs then consider well that the more GOD doeth multiply his benefites towardes vs and the greater diuersitie that there is of them hee vsing it as a meane to instructe vs after many fashions so much the greater and more heynous is the offence if wee profite not thereby True it is that notwithstanding although God giue vs a taste of his goodnesse and power but in some one only thing yet is that ynough to condemne vs if wee bee not edified thereby But when GOD multiplyeth his goodnesse by vttering his power to our eyes to our eares to our handes and to our feete so as the faulte is onely in the hardnesse of our heartes that wee bee not exercised in his benefites it maketh our sinne so much the greater Wherefore let vs beare well in mynde the meaning of Moses that wee may the better doe our endeuour to consider howe many wayes God hath made vs beholding vnto him and howe greate the diuersitie of his gracious doings is towards vs as in deede the number of them is infinite Let this I say the more inforce vs to sharpen our wittes that wee bee not dulheaded Whilest God sheweth himselfe to bee neere vs let vs not goe farre from him vnder colour that wee bee turned away alreadie but let vs gather our wittes to vs and consider wel howe he worketh towardes vs. And notwithstanding that our garmentes at this day bee not preserued after that miraculous manner yet let vs not omit to confesse alwayes that wee be cloathed through the free fauour of GOD and that if hee did not furnish vs with woll and all other thinges that serue to couer vs withall there woulde bee such a want as wee shoulde dye of penurie and wretchednesse and there woulde bee no meane to helpe it Let vs acknowledge this I say and let vs profit our selues better thereby than wee are wont to do Nowe Moses addeth more ouer that when the people came into the lande which was promised them then Og king of Bazan and Sehon king of Hesebon came foorth and gaue them battell and were discomfited by the people Moses doeth heere againe lay foorth the goodnesse of God such as hee had shewed it to that people Yet therewithall hee reprooueth them still for their leawdnesse and vnthankfulnesse This meeting of them came to passe contrary to the expectation of the people for they did not
sticke to his word and sith it is our life let vs assure ourselues that it wil not deceiue vs nor beguile vs if we trust vnto it For why It shall not returne void from vs that is to say when we haue once admitted it in it wil take such roote as Gods power shall euer be at hande to vs and God shall sooner renounce himselfe than not performe his promises True it is that we shal not see it out of hand but yet must we be fully resolued thereof and patiently tarry til y e fit time be come for our lord to shew that he ment not to iest or to dally in telling vs that he would be liberall vnto vs. Now sith it is so let vs learne to be the more desirous to receiue Gods worde in respect of the profite that it bringeth vs. For God thinketh it not ynough to shew vs the maiestie that is in his word to the intent we should be humbled to obey it but his mind is also to allure vs that we might be in loue with it And to that ende doeth Moses speake it heare He had magnified the word sufficiently heretofore shewing that it proceedeth from God and that heauen and earth shall beare witnes against vs if we refuse it but now he addeth another reason to induce men the better to heare God yea and to heare him desirously namely that God will prolong their dayes in the land which they go to possesse at leastwise if they suffer themselues to be taught by him And why For we be all poore silly soules without hope of saluation if we continue in the state of al mākind All the life which men weene thēselues to haue in this world is but as a way to hell vntill God haue turned vs to the better and haue taught vs what is saide in his woorde As touching that which he addeth saying That they shall lengthen their daies when they bee passed ouer Iordan I will treate thereof to morow if it please God Now let vs fall downe before the Maiestie of our good God with acknowledgement of our faultes praying him to make vs so to feele them more and more as wee may learne to turne againe vnto him and make the great number of exhortations auailable which moue vs dayly so to doe and that when he layeth before vs our sinnes and threatneth vs with his wrath we may be so conuicted as we may not continue hardened in euill but returne vnto him and pray him to bee so gratious vnto vs as not to suffer Satan to haue dominion ouer vs but rather to make vs indeuour to reform ourselues in such sort as that our hearing of his word may cause vs to amend and bring vs backe to him and frame out whole life according to his will 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 Fryday the xix of Iune 1556. The CXC Sermon which is the thirteenth vpon the two and thirtith Chapter 48 And the same day the Lord spake vnto Moses saying 49 Get thee vp into this mountaine Abarim the mountaine Nebo which is in the land of Moab oueragainst Iericho and there take a view of the land of Chanaan which I giue in possession to the children of Israell 50 And thou shalt dye vpon the mountaine which thou goest vp into and be gathered vnto thy people like as Aaron thy brother dyed vppon Mount Hor and was gathered with his people 51 Bicause ye sinned against me among the Children of Israell by the waters of strife in Cades in the wildernesse of Sin For yee sanctified me not in the presence of the Children of Israell 52 Therfore thou shalt see the land before thee but thou shalt not enter into it namely the land which I giue vnto the Children of Israell THis historie hath bin touched alreadie heretofore in the first Chapter Deut. 1.37 where Moses declated that he was depriued of the benefite which he had looked for that is to say of inioying the inheritance which God had promised to all the linage of Abraham Now the ful time was come and Moses had bin appointed of God to deliuer the people by reason whereof there was great likelihood that he aboue all others should haue gone into that land But when he was to haue set his foote into it then behoued it him to die and that was a verie hard case for him Hee made mention thereof afore to shewe to the children of Israel howe great and excessiue their lewdnesse was seeing that he was punished for their sakes For the mischiefe came not of himselfe hee had not consented neither to their murmuringes not to their blasphemies but rather had strayned himselfe to withstand them Yet notwithstanding his constancie was not so great as was requisite Onely bicause hee was as a man amazed and glorifyed not God with such stedfastnesse as hee ought to haue doone hee was banished from the land This doeth he charge them with to their reproch And here he repeateth againe how that after he had published the lawe God told him againe that he should beare that punishment of not entering into the lande of Canaan and therewithall he telleth him immediately of his death Nowe first of all if wee reade what is written by Moses himselfe it will seeme that he ouershot not himself in the place y t is called Meriba which aforetime was named Raphirim Exod. 17.7 For there perceiuing the people to cry that they died for thirst hee called vppon God Moses doeth not take part with them that stormed after that manner hee was no fellow with them hee repyned not a God but rather went to him with all humilitie saying Alas Lorde I am a mortall man and how may I satisfie this people vnlesse thou prouide for them Moses resorted vnto GOD his meaning was not to prouoke him to wrath therewithall it should seeme that he looked that God should woorke after his accustomed manner that is to say that hee should shewe foorth his power Now then if a man looke vppon the outward apparance of the matter it will seeme that Moses behaued himself faithfully and that he was not to be blamed Yet notwithstanding hee is condemned both he his brother Aaron And why Hereby wee see that wee must not alwayes weigh our sinnes in our owne ballance for that will euer deceiue vs according to this saying of Salomon Man thinketh his owne wayes to bee right Prou. 21.2 but God weyeth mens hearts Therefore when men haue acquit themselues they haue gained nothing thereby For sometimes the lewdnes lyeth hid within God seeth it and it is he y t chalengeth to himselfe the office of searching of all thoughts Then by the example of Moses we be warned not to flatter our selues For although our sinnes be hidden from men yea and that we our selues cannot comprehend them wee must not vnder colour thereof
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 that he will make vs to perceiue that he hath goods sufficient wherewith to mayntaine those that are of his housholde yea and to susteine them in such wise that by the abundaunce which he will giue them he will shew them also that he is able to susteine them euen as it were with nothing For when God giueth vs abundaunce and fruitefulnesse there we see that he layeth foorth his treasures and that as hath bin declared heretofore he will lay abroad the treasures which were as it were hidden vnder the earth Deut. 28.12 But when wee haue a very deere and scarse yeere which seemeth vnable to finde almost the one halfe of the poore people If our Lord make the same to suffice and wee passe it cleane ouer in the ende we know that our Lord prouided for vs and shewed a farre more wonderfull prouidence than if hee hadde giuen vs wherewith to fill our bellies that we had wanted nothing So then howsoeuer the world goe let vs learne to call vpon our God If wee haue sustenaunce let vs vnderstande that it is not for vs to trust thereto but to do vs to wit that when God is liberall vnto vs wee must consider that he laieth forth his riches because he hath a care of our life And when we haue not sufficient prouision let vs resort vnto him assuring ourselues that he is not diminished and that although he shewe not his bountifulnesse to the vewe of our eye yet he hath wherewith to susteyne his seruauntes And therefore let vs call vpon him put the thing in practise which is shewed vs by our Lord Iesus Christ Math. 6. which is to craue of him our ordinary bread from day to day Nowe let vs fall downe before the maiestie of our good God with acknowledgement of our faultes praying him to make vs perceiue them better and that we may be so touched with repentance as it may make vs to submit ourselues wholly to his trueth and to fight in such wise against our owne affections as our battaile may be spirituall against Sathan and against all his attemptes vntill we haue obtained the victory that is promised vs at such time as wee shall be perfectly knit vnto our Lorde Iesus Christ to bee partakers of the glory of his resurrection That it may please him to graunt this grace not only to vs but also to all people and Nations of the earth c. On Tewsday the xiiij of Iuly 1556. The CXCIX Sermon which is the ninth vpon the xxxiij Chapter and the first vpon the xxxiiij Chapter 29 Blessed art thou O Israell Who is like thee O people which art saued by the Lorde the sheelde of thine ayde and who is the sworde of thy mightinesse Thine enemies shal be weakened towardes thee and thou shalt march ouer their toppes The foure and thirtith Chapter THen Moses went from the plaine of Moab vnto the mountaine Nebo vp to the top of Phasga which is ouer against Iericho And the Lorde made him to see the whole Lande the Countrey of Galaad vnto Dan. 2 And all the Lande of Nephthaly and all the Lande of Ephraim and of Manasses and all the Lande of Iuda vnto the vttermost Sea 3 And the South and the leuell of the medowes of Iericho the citie of Palm-trees vnto Zoar. 4 And the Lorde sayde vnto him This is the Lande whereof I sware to Abraham Isaac and Iacob saying I will giue it to thy seede I haue made thee to see it with thine eyes but thou shalt not go into it 5 And Moses the seruaunt of the Lorde dyed there in the Lande of Moab according to the word of the Lorde 6 And he was buried in the valley in the Lande of Moab oueragainst Bethphogor and no man hath knowen his graue vnto this day AMong the other matters which were layde foorth yesterday there remayned how Moses told the people of Israel That there was not then any Nation vpon earth like vnto them because they were saued by God and that is to bee marked well For although God do by his power and grace preserue all creatures yet will he bee knowen to be the Sauiour of his people Therefore when wee be saued in him it is a priuiledge which can not be sufficiently expressed magnified For we differ not from other men in respect of any worthinesse that is in vs neither haue we it by inheritaunce but it commeth of Gods freegoodnesse And therefore whensoeuer we be spoken to concerning our saluation let vs vnderstande from whence it proceedeth and that God giueth vs that beautie For we be like all the rest of Adams ofspring If we should bee esteemed according to our nature we be no better woorth than those whom God forsaketh and vtterly casteth away Wherefore then hath he chosen vs but for his owne meere goodnesse sake The thing which we haue to remember vpon this text is that God will haue his grace so much the better knowen because saluation is not common in generall to all men but is a peculiar gift And Moses sheweth by the way what this sauing is namely when God is our shielde and our defence As if hee should say that without him we can not be maintayned for wee be layde open to many deathes and haue not wherewith to resist It is like as when a man is assayled on all sides and hath neither weapon nor armour but is starke naked Euen so is it with vs if God fence vs not Therefore he is called our shield and our help Wherby we be done to vnderstand that we can not succour ourselues of our owne power neither haue we the meane to doe but it must come of God Hee is termed the sworde of our glorie In deede men glorie ynough in themselues they flatter themselues and they perswade themselues the thing that is not But heere we be plucked backe from all the vaine hopes which deceiue vs and beguile vs to the ende we should learne to set all our glorie in God and to conclude that we haue none other power than his whereby to be maynteyned Now heereupon Moses addeth that the Iewes should march ouer their enemies heades or ouer all their gallantnesse for there is no more but the word Top or hyghest part and that their enemies shall flatter them with leazing or lying for this worde Lye in holy scripture is taken for to set a good face or countenaunce vpon a matter and to play the hypocrite by force as when it is said in the eighteenth Psalme where the great victories are spoken of which God would giue vnto Dauid Thine enemies shall lye vnto thee Psal. 18.5 Nowe then the summe is this that God will be the sauiour of his people Insomuch that although they haue many enemies yet shall they not bee able to match them but shall be driuen in the ende to confesse themselues to bee the weaker And that although their so dooing be but counterfaite yet
10 Iosua Iosua established and set in authoritie in the name of God and what wee are to learne thereby 1076. b 10.20 He is put in Moseses place by succession 1073. a 40.50.60.197 a 40. In what respect it is said that he was filled with the spirite of wisedome c. 1243. b all He is a noble man singularlie commended 107. b 40 Isachar Isachar fearefull and cowardly compared to an asse or mule 1217. b 30.40.50.60 A commendation of him Zabulon 1219. a 10.20 They both were neere to Galile 1219. b 40.50 Moseses blessing of Isachar 1217. a 10. and so forwarde Looke Tribe Tribes Ismaell Why God commanded Ismael to bee circumcised 809. a 40.50 and howe he prouided for him being halfe a bastard 63 a 30 Israell How the people of Israel were separated from all other nations and of their safe dwelling alone by himself 1232. a 50.60 Looke Iewes Issue What was permitted to the Iewes in case they died without Issue 879. b all Of raising vp spirituall Issue in y e church and to whome the same appertaineth 883. a 10.20.30.880 b 10.20.30 Wee are not bound to the order of raising vp Issue to succeede in the inheritance of houses landes c. 882. b 60 The shame of him that refused to raise vp Issue to his deceased brother among the Iewes 882. b 10.20.30.40 Iubile Of diuerse renewings that were appropriate to the yeere of Iubile 591. a 40.50 Looke Seuenth Yeare Iuda Of the tribe of Iuda being chosen and what the other tribes might haue alledged thereagainst 496. b all The kingdome promised to be established in him 1195. all 10.20.644 b 50.60.645 a 10. The blessings of the same 1195 all He attained not to the kingdome without impediments 1195. b all 1197. a all b 10. Why Moses speaketh so sparely of the tribe of Iuda of whome Iacob speaketh so amply in Genesis 1195. a all Iudge God though he be Iudge of the whole world in general yet wil he be knowen to be so chiefely in his church Read that place 1159.1160 a all How a Iudge when he vseth rigor must mourne in heart and why 330. a 10 What shoulde beecome of vs if God should shewe himselfe as a Iudge to the whole worlde 190. a 20 The duetie of a Iudge declared by way of comparison with a father 329. b 40.50.60.18 a 40.50 What maner of Iudge God will shewe himselfe to vs if wee continue vnamendable 151. b 10 How euerie one of vs ought to play the Iudge against himselfe 143. a 50 The protestation that a Iudge must make if a murtherer bee not founde 172. b 20 What this worde to Iudge importeth 602. b 20 Iudges Of worldlie Iudges and howe they bee corrupted 447. b 10.20 What wee must do if wee will bee good Iudges to condemne other mens faults 340. a 20 Of the Iudges that were ordeined in euerie citie to gouerne the Israelites and of the chiefe Iudge to whome all things were referred Read sermon 105. all through How long Iudges continued in Israel gouerning the land 639. b 20.30 Doctrine for Iudges to consider marke and practise 622. b 60. 623. a 10 18. a 30.20 b 10.623 b 60.624 a 10 God requireth stowtnes in them that are Iudges and how 623. b 40.50 Iudges must match their stoutnes with gentlenes 624 a 10 Iudges ordeined by God from the beginning and what he sheweth thereby 645. a 20.30 Why God ioyneth the priestes and the Iudges together in a case of witnes-bearing 705 a 60. b 10 The charge of Iudges other officers that are in place of authoritie 737 b 10.20 The iniustice of Iudges of assise noted in not dealing directly in sutes which come before them 873. a all Most excellent doctrine for Iudges to marke if they let offences to passe vnpunished 706. a all Iudges represent the maiestie of God 19. a 40 That Iudges or magistrates must take no giftes why 624. b 10.20 Iudgement Gods Iudgement seat the place where we must appeare to make our accouÌ„t 33. b 60 Paules meaning that Iudgement standeth vpoÌ„ the mouth of two or three witnesses 637. b 20.30 Why the chiefe authoritie of IudgemeÌ„t was coÌ„mitted to the order of priests with the Iudge whome God had set vp 640. a all b 10 Of hauing respect of persons in Iudgement read notable doctrine 623. b all 624. a all Of iustice and Iudgement wherein they do both consist 235. a 30. b 10 Note the doctrine vpon these wordes that the Iudgement right of the stranger shall not be peruerted 862. a 50.60 b all 863. all Of Gods taking of Iudgement in hand and what wee haue to note therein 1169. a 10. so forward 875. b 30 The Iudgement written in the mitre of Aaron 1199. a 30 What these wordes of executing Gods iustice and Iudgement do giue vs to vnderstand 1224. a 40.50.60 c. The meaning of these wordes Iudgement shal begin at Gods house 1159 b. 50.60.1160 a all Iudgements What we ought to doe when there is any speaking of Gods Iudgements 84. a 10 God vttereth his Iudgements vnto vs that wee should preuent them 399. a 10 Wee must not bee ouer inquisitiue of Gods Iudgements when they passe our capacitie 397. a 30.40.50.60 Whether Moses was of authoritie to restraine Gods Iudgements of destroiing the Iewes when God saide Let me alone c. 394. b 30.40.50 What thing Moses meant to expresse by these wordes Iudgements statutes and ordinances 294. a 50.60 and b 10 We must not measure gods Iudgements after our fansie read why â—27 a 50.60.328 a 40.50 Of what things Gods Iudgements vpoÌ„ others ought to be warnings vnto vs. 327. b 40.342 a 10 We must mark that God hath a reason of his Iudgements 1143. a 50 Of preuenting Gods Iudgements by the example of Noah and how 1034 b 10.20 Gods IudgemeÌ„ts compared to a deepe gulfe vnpossible to be gaged 1143. a 60 What we haue to learne if God delaie and execute not his Iudgements out of hande 84. a 30.304 a 30. b 10.20 Iustice of God A defence of Gods Iustice in taking veÌ„geance on sinners against the iniurious complaint of some grudgers there against 303. b all 304. a all Wee cannot loue God without his Iustice and how that is meant 320. b 10.20 We ought not to incroch vpon the secrets of Gods will and Iustice. 82. a 30.40.50 God hath wherewith to maintaine his Iustice though he shewe it not to vs. 84. b 10 Wee be better taught by the delay of Gods Iustice than if it were executed at once and out of hand 72. a 60 b 10 How we shall not faile to yeelde God the praise of Iustice and vprightnes 84. b 10 The seate of God and of Iustice defiled by putting one in office but vppon hope 16. a 30 The force of Gods Iustice is it that abasheth vs. 45. b 60. 46. a 10 Of the Iustice of God vpon sinners and what wee
occasion vnto them to blaspheme his holy name 1145. b 10.20.30.40.50 Papists and protestants compared and which of the twaine founde worst 1145. a 10. Their wretched state noted 299. b 40. 124. a 50. Their excuse of not comming to the Gospel 257. a 20.30 Their weake reason for the maintenance of images 136. a 50. 138. a 50. b 10. Their assertion that the Iewes onely were forbidden to worship images refuted 135. a 20. c. Their behauiour in their church 131. b 60. Of certaine despisers of religion worse than they and how they condemne the Papists 1165. a 20.30 77. a 50.60 b 10 At what point the Papistes bee when mention is made of the fathers 1130 b 20.30.40 The foundation whereon they haue grounded their implied faith 130. b 10. They haue some reuerence of their religion 124. a 50. Their damnable doctrine that men ought not to assure themselues of their saluation but to suppose it 914. b 20.30 They are cōfuted with their reasons inferred as touching iustification by workes 938. b all 380. a 40.50.60 How they haue broken the vnity which Christ hath set betweene his members 920. a all That they vsurpe the priesthood of the Leuites and would be iudges of the leprosie 849. With what defaults they charge vs with open outcries 905. a 10.20.30 Paradise That the whole world was an earthly Paradise to Adam and howe 992. b 20.30.40 The earthlie Paradise is no where because all the earth is accurssed 949. b 40 Pardoning Gods Pardoning of our faultes is with condition reade the place 294. a 10 Looke Forgiue Parents How farre the dutie of children should extende to their Parentes 218. a 50.60 Parents are forbidden to vse any crueltie to their children 216. b 50 What Parents shoulde doe if they see their children despisers of God c. 297. b 60. 298. a 10 Euidence giuen iudiciallie by the Parents against their owne children 757. a 40.50.60 b 10.30 The negligence of Parents in looking to their children noted and their charge and plague declared 755. all 756. a all The charge of Parentes ouer their children described by the example of birds ouer their young 776. a all That such as smite their Parents shall die the death without fauour 760. a 10.20 A notable mirror for Parents that haue gracelesse and vnthankefull children 755. b 50.60 756. a 10. c. Howe Parents that haue children in their house should bethinke them 756. a 50.60 and howe they should nurture them ibidem b all We cannot be Christs disciples except we hate our Parents and how these words are meant 1203. a all b 10. Looke Father Partakers What is the way for vs to be Partakers of the sacrifice which Christ hath offered 605. a 10.20 606. a 60. b 30. 604. a 10. Who they bee that cannot bee Partakers of the Paschall Lambe 606. b. 20.30 What wee must doe to become Partakers of the fruite of Christes death and passion 604. a 40. In what cases we cannot be Partakers of the Sonne of God 604. a 60 Partition How Iacob dying three hundred yeres before the Partition of the Lande of Chanaan could make a partition thereof to the twelue Tribes 1212. a 30 Partitions Partitions of the lande of Chanaan among the tribes and by whom they were made 697. a 40.50 Paschall lambe What wee haue to learne by the Iewes absteining from leauened breade in eating then Paschal lambe 604. a 10.20 Why God would haue the Iewes to resort to Ierusalem to sacrifice the Paschall lambe 601. a 30 What the ceremonie of the Paschall lambe imported to the Iewes 601. a 30.40 603. b 60. 602. b 60 Why the Iewes were commaūded that they should not breake a bone of the Paschall lambe 601. a 60. b 10 Why God would not haue the Paschall lambe eaten by vnbeleeuing folke 602. a 20 In what moneths the Iewes were appointed to eate their Paschall lambe 601. b 40 What we haue to learne by the sprinkling of the doores of the houses of the Iewes with a braunch of Isop dipped in the bloude of the Paschall lambe 603. a 30.40.50.60 b 10.20.30 Diuerse ceremonies commaunded of the Iewes to bee obserued in eating of their Paschall lambe Sermon 97. beginning at page 596. Diuersitie of respects betweene circumcision and the Paschall lambe 600. b 50.60 To what ende the Paschall lambe was offered vp 603. a 20. and what wee haue to learne thereby ibid. 30 The manner how Christ and his disciples sate downe at the eating of the Paschall lambe 600. a 40.50.60 Who they be that cannot be partakers of the Paschall lambe 606. b 20.30 Looke Passouer Passouer What day of the moneth was the day of Passouer 610. b 50 In what sense Christ is said to be our euerlasting Passouer 606. a 10.30 and 605. b 10.20.30 What we must doe to keepe the Passouer aright at this day 606. a 50 The meaning of the seuerall ceremonies vsed in the Iewish Passouer opened by applications in the 98. Sermon beginning at page 602.599 b 20. c. Gods meaning by ordeining the Passouer day what it was 602. a 10.60 What agreement there was betweene Christ and the Iewish Passouer 603. a 10 Whereof Paul doth vs to vnderstande in saying that our Passouer Iesus Christ is offered vp c. 603. b 40 Why it was commanded that the Passouer shoulde be eaten with bitter or sower herbes 600. a 30.40 b 10.20 The Iewes admit no heathen man to their Passouer vnlesse hee were circumcised 600. b 20.30 Of the feast of Passouer and of Gods double respect in ordeining the same 597. a 60. b 10. reade sermon 97. all The bringing in of the feast of Passouer by such as beare the name of Christians counted superstitious how 598. b 30.40 Why the Iewes were commaunded to eate vnleuened breade in their feast of Passouer and sixe dayes together 599. a all b 10 The feast of the Passouer was not a ceremonie without instruction 597. b 50. and 598. a 10.20 Looke Paschall lambe Passion By what meanes Christ maketh the vertue of his death and Passion auailable vnto vs. 430. b 40.50.60 The benefits that wee haue by Christs death and Passion 1062. b 50.60 and 1063. all What we must do to become partakers of the fruite of Christs death Passion 604. a 40 A description of the passion of Christ Iesus 29. all It were a disanulling of the death and Passion of Christ not to be resolued of the inheritance of heauen 29. b 40 The death and Passion of Christ are thinges of great price and of the power thereof 29. b 60. page 30. a 10. Looke Crosse. Passions God is not mooued with Passions of anie sort either one way or other 1056. b 30.40.50 and 890. b 60. and 891. a 10 Why God doth so transfigure himselfe as if he were subiect to the Passions of a mortal man 1004. b 50.60 890 b 60. 891. a 10 Gods loue
60. b 10 Of Gods accustomed Punishments in what cases hee checketh vs with strange punishments 1001. a 50.60 God doth augment his Punishments in such sort sometimes that they become miracles 989. b 10.20 a 40.50 Why we haue to comfort our selues in all the temporal Punishments which God sendeth vs. 1237. a 10 That the Punishments of God laid vpoÌ„ vs for some other consideratioÌ„ than our sinnes tendeth to our great honour 949. b all A law made for the moderating of Punishments among the Iewes 875. b al 876. a 30 The name of curssings giuen in scripture to all Punishments due to sinne where also mention is made of Punishments 766. b 60. 767. a 10 Punishments are to be executed for examples sake Read the instance 706. a 10.20 Read the whole page The intent and purpose of God in laying Punishments vppon his people 154. a 10.50 b 10 Gods reforming of men by PunishmeÌ„ts for sinnes compared to a fornace c. 61. b 10 Wee must not measure Gods Punishments by our owne fansies 48. a 10 That the PunishmeÌ„ts of others should be our instruction 521. a 10.20.30.40 787. b all 788. a all 42. a 60. 643. b 30.40 117. a all God doth moderate himselfe in laying Punishments vpon offenders 393. â— b all Looke Afflictions Chastisements Corrections Purenes Of a spirituall Purenes which God requireth of vs and wherein the same doth consist 815. b 40 Purpose What Gods Purpose was when he deliuered the Iewes out of the Aegyptian bondage 1014. b 40.50.60 and 1015. a 10 Gods Purpose against a busie vnquiet Prince 64. a 40 Q Quarell Of three things that are to be obserued or marked in a Quarell 696. a 10 Quarels That our Quarels must not proceede vnto shedding of bloud 726. b 10.20 How Quarels are to be pacified touching this point much good matter is deliuered sermon 104. page 639 a 20 How men should bethinke themselues when they are compelled to slaie their enimies in the maintenance of iust Quarels 516. a 50.60 That we must eschewe Quarels debates and why 726. a 50.60 b 10 Quarellers All Quarellers are murtherers Read that place 220. b 10 Question A Question with what eye we can behold Gods substance 182. b 40 A Question whether God could not haue restrained the Iewes better if he had would and if he coulde why he did not 1085. a 40.50 A Question why God when hee seeth men go out of course doeth not remedie it 1086. a 10 A Question howe Iacob dying more than three hundred yeres before the partition of the lande of Chanaan could make a partition thereof 1212 a 30 A Question why Moses sayeth that the tribes of Zabulon and Isachar shall call folke and offer sacrifice with them rather than the other tribes 1219. b 30. c. A Question why God saying that hee will driue away our enimies affirmeth also that we shal destroy them 1231. a 30.40.50.60 1232. a all A Question whether faith iustifieth inferred vpon the wordes of Moses looke the place 30. a 10.20 A Question whether God chargeth a man with any thing that is aboue his power and abilitie 911. b 60 A Question whether God doe not knowe what we be without trial 349 b 30.40.50.60 A Question how it commeth to passe that God doeth cursse those whose offence is in things whereof no meÌ„tion is made in the lawe 934. b 10 A Question how God would haue men to protest before him that they haue walked according vnto all his statuts c. 905. b 30.40.50.60 A Question how it may be possible for men to giue themselues to the seruing of God with all their heart 911. b 30.40 A Question whether that when Moses had laid his handes vpon Iosua and he was filled with wisedome whether I say the hands of Moses had that power in them or no. 1244. a 30.40 A Question howe Moses could say that the Israelites ceased not to prouoke Gods wrath continually euer since the time they came out of Aegypt seeing the most part of them were babes or at leastwise not of full yeres of discretion 385. b all Questions Of needelesse Questions as whether satan can foresee and prophesie of things to come or no. 533. b 50.60 534. a 10.20 Against giddibraine fellowes that cast foorth fonde and trifling Questions in Gods matters 33. b 10 Quicken How God doth Quicken vs by the preaching of his word 257. a 10 Howe to Quicken vp our selues with feare and trembling 965. b 50.60 R Rachell The meaning of these wordes Rachell moorned for her children 1210. b 60 1211. a 10 Raine From whence Raine commeth as the Philosophers say 957. b 30 There was no such Raine in the beginning as we haue in these dayes 957. b 20 It is a wonderfull power whereby the Raine is shut vp in the cloudes 958. b 40 What wee must thinke so often as the Raine doeth fall from heauen 958 a 10 Of Raine giuen in due season and that sometimes it is hurtfull and what we haue to learne thereby 958. b 20.30 The diuers effects of Raine and what wee ought to marke when wee see it Raine out of season 958. b 30.40.50 A comparison made of the Raine that falleth and of Gods worde 1176. b 10.20 Wee must receiue Gods doctrine as a Raine and how 1105. b 50.60 Of Gods sending of ashes or sande in steed of Raine 966. a 60. b 10. Looke Wether Ransome How hainously they offend that thinke to Ransome themselues from y e guilt of their sinnes 821. a 10.20 Of the Ransome whereby wee are reconciled vnto God 803. b 10. Looke Redemption Ransoms The Ransoms of the Papists wherewithall they goe about to win Gods fauour 803. a 50.60 Rashnes What is the cause why men are so much giuen to Rashnes 37. a 10 In what respects mens Rashnes ought to be condemned 57. a 10.20 The thing that putteth difference betweene the true wisedome of the faithfull and the Rashnes of such as play the loose coltes c. 74. a 50 Of a number that offend God through Rashnes 174. b 10.20 Rauish A law made for him that doeth Rauish a maide that hee is likened to a theefe 791. a 50.60 b 50.60.792 all Rauishing The Rauishing of Dauids wiues before his face and why it was 977. b 30.40.50 c. Reason It is a verie harde thing to forsake our owne Reason and how 140. a 50 The Iewes condemned to bee vtterly witâ—esse voide of Reason why 1147. all The vse of Reason in men whereby they differ from brute beastes 1115. a 30.40.147 â— 50 The Reason which the first man had was not simply in himselfe 1015. b 10 A warning that we attempt nothing against right Reason 86. b 30.40 The doctrine that mans naturall Reason cannot brooke 82. a 60. b 10 Wee must not cease to glorifie God though we see not the Reason of his doings 81. b 10 What wee