starre appeared Herode slewe the children that were two yeare olde and vnder For foolishely they take this for auauntage that the starre appeared not before the byrth of Christe It is muche more lykely that they were admonished in dew tyme that they might take their iourney with the natiuitie of Christ to th ende they might finde and sée the childe newe borne and in the cradell or els in his mothers lap But this specially is a childishe opinion to thinke that these wyse men came out of an vnknowen countrey or as it were out of a new world whereby they should be constrained to spende twoo yeares in comming Furthermore there ariseth no discommoditie by the order of this history which we haue propoūded namely that the wyse men came before the tyme of her childbirth was fully cōplete and ended and sought for the kyng that was borne and not whiche was two yeare olde that Ioseph also they being retourned into their countrey fled by night but in passing away perfourmed that which was godly at Hierusalem according to that whiche is wryten in the lawe of the lord And that he being fled into Aegipte Herode carefully sought to destroy the child and last of all that at the lengthe brake out the hiddē mischiefe of crueltie which more then a yeare and a halfe he had kept secrete For this aduerbe Then doth not alwayes in the scripture signifie the continuall tyme but often tymes it is vsed where as there is a continuall distaunce of thinges 17 Then was fufilled that whiche was spoken by the prophet Ieremy where 18 he sayd In Rhama was there a voyce harde lamentation weping and great morning Rachel weping for her children and woulde not be comforted because they were not Then vvas fulfilled that Bu. He bringeth forth the place of the prophete not so muche to declare and shewe that all these thinges were so disposed and done by the power of God as to heape together the cruell and detestable childeslaughter of Herode For nowe in this testimony also he declareth the mourning and lamētation of mothers and specially to this ende that we might haue a moste absolute example of greuouse affliction And examples are the more liuely of greater force if they be made manifest and plaine by similitudes A voice in Rhama This place is taken out of the prophecie of Ieremie C. It is sure that the prophete described set forth the great destruction of the tribe of Beniamin whiche happened in his tyme Bu. Rhama is not a proper name but an Hebrewe appellatiue whiche signifieth hye or great although in the tribe of Beniamin there is a citie of that name not farre from Gabaon as we may reade in the booke of Iosua and Iudges Rachel mourning for her children Where as here weping and mourning is attributeed to Rachel being dead it is done by a figure called Prosopopaeia which is whē we bring in those that are dead as if they were aliue whiche figure is of greate force to moue affections Neither truly doth the prophete Ieremy bring in the colours of Rhetoricke only to adorne and beutifie his order of speache but because otherwyse the hardnes and dulnes of those whiche are aliue coulde not be corrected and amended then if the dead after a sorte should be called out of their graues to bewayle and lament the vengeaunce of God whiche before time was muche derided and not regarded When as ther the prophecie of the prophet was fulfilled Mathewe vnderstandeth not that it was in that place forshewed what Herode should do but by the comming of Christe that that same mourning and sorrowyng whiche long before the Beniamites suffered was nowe renewed and so he would preuente that stombling blocke and offence which els might trouble the mynde of the godly whiche was this that no sauing healthe was to be hoped for of him for whose sake so soone as he was borne the tender innocentes shold be tormented Yea this was a wrong and vnhappy foresight and knowledge that the Natiuitie of Christe should kindell a greater flame of crueltie then cōmōly is wōt to burne in mortal warres M. Twyse therefore the prophecie of Ieremy is fulfilled once when the children of Israell were caried into captiuitie namely the tribe of Iuda and Beniamin Then was there in dede mourning among them After that againe it was fulfilled when as the Bethlemites and those dwelling there aboutes wepte bitterly for their children which Herode had slayne C. For as the instauration and newe building was promised by the prophete whereas the people were destroied euen to the very infantes euen so Mathew doth admonishe vs that that great slaughter committed should nothing at all hinder the comming of the promised redemer It is not vnknowen vnto vs how ful of cōfortable places that chapter of Ieremy is replenished For after that funerall complainte immediatly it followeth Leaue of from weping crying withholde thine eyes from teares for thy labour shal be rewarded they shal come againe out of the lande of their enemies Because they vvere not Bu. Presupposed or this vnderstoode among the liuing but were takē from Amōg them by Herode or els according to the meaning of the prophete Because they were not that is the Israelites being slaine led into Aegipte and there kept in bondage were as if they had neuer bene but semed to be quite destroyed Finally where as the prophete writeth that the voice of Rachel weping was hearde on hie and afterwarde also sheweth the great consolation of the lorde that followed we are taught that the voyce of suche as mourne is harde euen to the heauens and yet not in vayne but quickly they receiue comforte and great consolation 19 But when Herode was dead beholde the aungell of the lorde appeared in slepe to Ioseph in Aegipt saying But vvhen Herode vvas dead Bu. Herode rained aboue .xxxvij. yeares the kingdom being appointed to him of the Romaines foure and thirty yeares after that Antigonus was slaine as Iosephus wryteth he being a wonderfull cruell and euil tyraunt But what for his crueltie at the last he died and our Christe reigneth eternally and this might haue bene saide of Herode I haue sene the vngodly florishing and in great power like vnto the baie trée I went by and loe he was gone I soughte him but his place coulde no wheare be founde But of what kynde of disease died this tyrante Iosephus wryteth of suche a one that no doubte the wonderfull plague of God was declared vpon him For howe many yeares so euer the wicked are forborne at lengthe notwithstanding God powreth his vengeaunce vpn them the whiche when it fell vpon Herode what proffite what pleasure was his olde tyranny and filthy pleasure vnto him Behold the aungel of the lorde B. That the aungell is present againe with Ioseph and sheweth him that Herode is dead called him backe againe from exile and banishement it commendeth
pollitique or morall lawe did not prohybite they fondly immagined that it was at theyr pleasure Moyses in respecte of the externall order did not forbyd the diuorcementes with the wyues whiche were wonte to be obserued but onely to take away the occasion of luste he commaunded that a byll of dyuorcemente should be geuen to her which was diuorced For it was a certayne testimony of manumission and free lybertie that euer after the woman might be free from the bondage and power of the man and also the man by the same dyd acknoweledge and confesse that he dyd not put away his wife for any ccyme nor faulte but because shee dyd not please hym Herevpon there sprang this errour that none whiche vsed this diuorcement was in fault if so be they satisfied the lawe But amisse they toke a rule out of the ciuill lawe of liuing a godly and holy life For morall lawes are often tymes framed according to the maners of men but God in his spiritual lawe had not respect what men could do but what they ought to do So that in the same is conteyned the parfect and sound righteousenes althoughe we haue not power to fulfyll it Therefore Christ admonysheth vs that all thinges which Moyses lawe dothe allowe are not lawful before god By the cloake and collour of the lawe saythe he he abuseth him selfe with puttinge away his wyfe geueth her a byll of deuorcement but the bonde of wedlocke is more holy then that it may be losed at the will and pleasure of men For althoughe the man and the wyfe with theyr mutual cōsent do ioyne and couple them selues together yet notwithstandinge God doth knitt them together with an inseperable knot that they might neuer after depart excepte it were for fornication Let hym geue her a byll of A. The reason of this byll of diuorcement was that it was lawful for the wyfe diuorced to conioyne her selfe to an other man neuer more to haue to do with her former husbande but shoulde be vnto him as an aliant and stranger The man did declare his owne fylthynes when he gaue this byll of dyuorcement Some wryte that this byl of diuorcement here mentioned was made after this forme folowinge as shoulde appere by a coppy taken out of the lawe of the Hebrewes THis byll made the nine and twenty daye of Iune in the yere frō the creation of the world fiue thousand thirty wytnesseth that I H. R. the sonne of W. R. dwelling in the cittie of London haue wel aduised my selfe no man constraininge me and haue dismist set at lybertie and lefte thee A. R. to thy selfe whiche haste bene heretofore my wyfe And nowe hauinge dismyst thee and sette thee free I geue thee leaue to do what thou wylt and to go and geeue thy selfe to wife to whom so euer it shal please thee In witnesse wherof I geue vnto thee this bil of diuorcement and dimissory epistle being an instrument of lybertie according to the lawe of Moyses and Israell And thus muche as concerning the bil of diuorcement whiche in Greeke is called Apostosion Of this bill Christ speaketh thus Moyses for the hardenes of your hartes suffered you to put awaye your wiues but frō the beginning it was not so 32 But I saye vnto you that who so euer putteth awaye his wife excepte it be for fornicatiō maketh her to breake wedlocke and who so euer maryeth her whiche is diuorsed breaketh wedlocke also But I say vnto you M Many of the ciuil lawes are not good in that they permite euyl thynges as we said euen nowe and that for the mallice of the subiectes that the publique common estate should not be troubled euen as we se brought to passe in the suffering of vsery by the whiche constitution decree there is set a certayne meane of couetousenes and helpe to their necessitie and neede whiche nedes must borrowe other mennes money Againe they forbyd not all euyll thinges neither do they ponishe those thinges which they forbyd not as anger hatred disdaine couetousnes the impietie of the hart such lyke Neyther do they cōmaund all good thinges for they appointe nothinge of faith of hope of loue of the feare of God of pacience of brotherly loue and such like A. Therfore for so much as this lawe of Moyses was altogether politique Christ as a heauenly master teaching true godlines sheweth what must be done in this busines he saith that the wyfe maye not be put away Excepte it be for fornication For worthely and not without iust desert is that wife cast of which hath violated and broken that holy knot defyled her husbandes bed because throughe her faulte the man obteyneth lybertie Maketh her to breake vvedlocke C. Namely if she marry an other Of this you maye rede more at large in the .19 cha folowing 33. Againe ye harde how it was said vnto them of olde time thou shalte not forsweare thy self but shalt performe to the lorde those thynges that thou swearest Agayne ye haue harde Bu. This thirde example is partely in the 20. of Exod. and in the .19 of Leuit. and partly in the .30 of Numeri 23. of Deutro This same commaundeth of the sanctification and glorifiyng of the name of God of the constancy and performāce of wordes of the iuste moderation of the tongue that we vse not the same to lycenciously Thou shalt not forsvveare thy selfe C. This sentence of Christe also here spoken is not the correction of the Lawe but rather a true and proper interpretation For God did not onely condemne periury in the Lawe but also the rashenes of swearing whiche did derogate the reuerence of his name Neither dothe he onely take the name of the lorde God in vayne whiche forsweareth him self but he also which in trifling and vayne thinges or in commō talke rashely and contemptuously taketh the name of god Finally when as the Lawe did condemne euery prophanation of the name of God the Iewes did imagine that the faulte only consisted in periury Christe nowe reprehendeth this errour so grose and commaundeth that we performe our vowes othes to the lorde For he whiche after an othe begyleth his neighbour is not only deceitfull to men but also is iniurious to God But performe B. Some referre this performaunce to vowes when as any thing religiously is promysed to god But this sentence of Christe doth very well comprehende all couenauntes vargaines and promyses whiche are confirmed with takinge the name of god For God is then made a witnes betwene the parties and a suertie to whome they geue their faythe C. Therefore he that forsweareth hym selfe doth not only breake promyse with men but also with God because he toke God to witnesse 34 But I saye vnto you ye shall not sweare at all neyther by heauen because it is the seate of God. Ye shall not svveare C. Many are deceyued in this woorde at all thinking that Christe thereby
kyng for this cittie began to geue more reuerēce to king Herode and to the Romaine power then it did vnto the God thereof 36 Neyther shalt thou sweare by thy head because thou canst not make one heare white or blacke Neither shalt thou svveare by C. When men sweare by their head they offer their lyfe whiche is the singuler gift of God as a pledge of a good faithe Bu. Furthermore they vsurpe the power which is peculier vnto god For we haue not suche power ouer our heads that we can make one heare whiche is leaste either white or blacke God is the ruler of our heade therefore we sweare by God when we sweare by the same A. Here we are admonished that there is nothing so smale of reputation in the creatures of God in the whiche there appeareth not the maiestie of God by whome it was made Christe therefore would haue vs vse the creatures of God with his feare yea and to haue the members of oure body in honour leaste we abuse the same 37 But let your communication be yee yee and nay nay for whatsoeuer is more then this commeth of euell But let your communication Nowe Christe in the seconde place doth prescribe a remedy namely that men ought syncerely in good faythe to bargaine cōmonly one with an other because that then the simplicitie and true meaninge of their talke shal be no lesse then an othe among them whiche regarde not sinceritie And certainely it is an excellent order in correcting faultes to note and marke the springes out of whiche they flowe For whereof commeth suche promptnes in swearyng but because in so greate vanitie in so many deceites in suche inconstancy and wauering nothing is credited Christe therefore requireth vs to be circumspecte in our talke and constante in our words that we nede not to sweare any more For the repetition as well of the affirmation as of the negation here mencioned pertayneth to this ende to teache vs to stande to our promyses Yee yee and nay nay E. Christ here teacheth vs how we should bargaine namely that we be simple and constant in that thinge whiche once we affirme or denye if we affirme any thyng to do it truly and if we denye any thyng to deny the same also truly The lyke manner of speakyng vsed Paule also saying When I was thus wyse mynded did I vse lightnes Or thynke I carnally those thynges whiche I thinke that with me should be yee yee nay nay God is faythfull for our preaching to you was not yee nay Men very seldom do vse to affirme or denie truly that whiche they think but are delighted with lyes and that is the cause that we haue suche Indentinge suche wrapping and tangling suche fouldinge and byndinge in obligations As though there were no credite in men at al which no doubte is very small For vvhatsoeuer is more C. Because this is the true kynde of bargayning whē men speake no more with their tongue then they thynke in their harte Christe pronounceth that whatsoeuer excedeth this is sinne Neither is their iudgement to be allowed whiche thinke him to be in faulte of the othe that will not beleue him whiche speaketh For Christe teacheth that men are in faulte that they wyll be constrayned to sweare because if there were any faythfulnes amonge them if they were not waueringe and double tonged they would haue simplicitie and true dealyng Neyther yet doth it followe but that it is lawful to sweare so often as necessitie dothe require because the vse of many thynges is pure good the originall whereof is vitious Commeth of euell There are some whiche expounde this to be ment of the deuel As when it is sayd Then commeth the euell man and taketh awaye that whiche was sowen in his harte For the which Marke hath Sathan came and Luke The deuel came c. 38 Ye haue harde howe it was sayde an eye for an eye and a toothe for a toothe Bu. The fourth example which the lorde bringeth out of the lawe is taken out of the .xxi. of Exod. and the xxiiij of Leuiticus and the .xix. of Deutro By that lawe God would haue his people beware leaste that any of them did rashely hurte one another To this place agreeth not that whiche is written in Leuiticus Thou shalt not auēge thy self nor be myndefull of wronge But we must consider that this was spoken to priuate persones and the other lawe as to take eye for eye toothe for toothe was permitted onely to the Iudges and Seniores of the people as a punishemēte to be executed vpon the offender and a satisfaction for the same Nowe the Iewes vpon this lawe thought that they beyng hurte might seke to requite one iniury with an other and so to be reuenged for euery wrōg done vnto them But Christ teacheth them the cōtrary that although a commō defence were committed to the iudges to subdue the wyckd and to bridel their force yet that they ought paciently to suffer those iniuries done vnto them 39 But I saye vnto you resiste not euell but whosoeuer geueth you a blowe on the right cheke tourne to hym thy lefte also But I saye vnto you M. By these woordes Christe semeth to be contrary to the doctrine of the Scribes and Phariseis teaching vs to be lowly gentle mynded to be meke in suffering euell that we might be so farre from reuēging of our selues that we should rather suffer the greatest iniury then to requite any whether it were in our power to do it by ryght or by wrong C. There are two sortes of resisting the one is whereby we repell iniurie without hurte the other is whereby we reuenge or requite For although Christe doth not permit those whiche are his to reuenge yet notwithstanding he doth not forbid them to eschewe vniuste violence Also S. Paule may be vnto vs a good interpretour of this place sayinge Derely beloued auenge not your selues but rather geue place vnto wrathe and so forth and by and by he addeth be not ouercome of euell but ouercomme euell with goodnes Here our sauiour Christ intreateth of reuengement and to take away the libertie of the same from his disciples he forbiddeth them to requite euell with euell Then he extendeth the lawe of pacience farther that we do not only beare peaceably iniuries done vnto vs but also that we prepare our selues to suffer a newe C. Therfore the whole admonition of Christ tendeth to this end that the faythfull should learne to forget iniuries and all kynde of euell done vnto them least they being hurte shoulde bursting forth into hatred and ill will couet to hurte but that they shoulde be ready to suffer if that the wickednes and outragious madnes of tyraūtes increase against them VVhosoeuer geueth thee a blovve M. For examples sake he addeth these and that whiche followeth by the whiche he declareth what kynde of euels we should beare and
might bee discerned from falsehode and lyes For the crafty vvylines of false Apostels is vvell enough knovven vvho being deceitful and subtile vvorkers taking vpon them the name of the Apostels of Christe do easely begyle the simple and suche as take no hede of them as the Apostell Paule in his epistell to the Corinthians declareth M. Therefore to the ende a certainâ—… doctrine as concerning Christ should persiste and continue in the Churche or congregation the holy Ghoste brought to passe that firste of all the natiuitie of Christe his life doctrine death buriall resurrection and assention into heauen beside these the sending forth of the embassage of the Gospell into the vvhole vvorlde the going forvvarde and good successe of the doctrine of the Gospell and Christian faithe the declaration and confirmation of the same by faithful vvitnesses that is to saye holy Euangelistes should in maner of an history beÌ„ coÌ„mitted to vvriting by them vvhiche Euangelistes heard and savve all thinges them selues before their face vvhiche also hauing authoritie and povver of God vvere the first vvhiche vvere sent and appointed to the preaching of the Gospell throughout the vvhole vvorlde To this vse ende and purpose the foure Euangelistes haue vvrytten the history of Christe among vvhome C onely Luke maketh a preface to his Gospell vvhiche he vvryteth briefely shevvyng the cause vvhiche moued him to vvryte as euidently you may see if you reade the same B. As touching the interpretation of this vvorde Gospell it being taken from the Greeke vvorde signifieth good or glad tidinges The vvhiche vvorde the three score and tenne interpretours vsed so often as they founde the Hebrevve vvorde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Bisser vvhiche signifieth to tell and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Besora tidinges being the deriuatiue of the same and also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Meuasser telling The Apostels and Euangelistes vsed this vvoorde very muche after them The Euangeliste Luke citing the place of the Prophete Esaye vsed this vvoorde To preache the Gospell to the poore hee hath sent me Therefore the Gospell shal be vnto vs a publique or open setting foorth and preaching of the grace and redemptioÌ„ purchased and gotten by Christe as concerning the vvhiche redemption there are infinite testimonies of holy Scripture C Or els the Gospell is a history conteining the glad tidinges of the comming of Christe in the fleshe being sent of the Father accordinge to his promises in the lavve Prophetes and Psalmes In the vvhiche history the lyfe specially of Christe his doctrine death resurrection and assention is declared beside these the fruite of his comming is therein declared namely that by him vve are deliuered from the Deuell sinne and death and that vve are sanctified and assured of euerlasting lyfe B. As therefore the Gospell in the Scripture is properly a declaration of the long loked for saluation and at the lengthe reuealed and offered by Christe euen so our Euangeliste Mathevve as the reste Marke Luke and Iohn hath very cunningly and artificially vvritten in his Gospell the history of the Lorde by the vvhiche he declareth both his vvoordes and dedes in order A. But vvho this Mathevve vvas vvhose vvorke in the nevve TestameÌ„t hath the first rome M and from vvhat state of life he vvas called of Christe and aduaunced by him to the dignitie of an Apostle he of himselfe as vve shall heare hereafter declareth In the meane tyme vve must thinke and assure our selues that the holy Ghoste vvas and is the true authour of this history and that Mathevv vvas only the instrumeÌ„t or secretary to the same vvho leauing his pouling kinde of lyfe is become not onely a companion and disciple but also an Apostell and Euangeliste of Christe from vvhome all thinges in the vvorlde that are good do flovve as from the lyuely and celestiall vvell of grace A GODLY AND CATHOLIKE EXPOSITION OF THE HOLY Gospell of Iesu Christ after Mathevv The fyrst Chapiter The booke of the generation of Iesu Christ the sonne of Dauid the sonne of Abraham The booke of the generation C. IN VAYNE do certaine interpretours trauel about this titel or inscription to make excuse because the Euangelist Mathew doth name the whole history of the halfe of one chapter For this titel is not exteÌ„ded to the whole booke but the name of the booke is put for a Cataloge or rehersall as if it had ben saide here foloweth the order of the generation of Christ B. Euen as we maye reade in Genesis This is the boke of the generatioÌ„ of meÌ„ In the which place the Hebrew worde is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sepher which coÌ„meth of the verbe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saphar that is he hath nombred rehersed or declared For there foloweth the Cataloge or rehersal of men from Adam vntyll Noah with a discription of whoÌ„ and what tyme euery one had his ofspringe and originall Or els the booke of the generation signifieth that in the which somwhat is rehersed or nombred M. whervpon we reade that the booke of the Iust the booke of God in the whiche the Iust are written is so called B. This name therfore perteineth properly to the Cataloge and to the history A. And although the Euangelist goeth about to shew that Iesus the sonne of Mary is the true Messias promised long before in the lawe and Prophetes and loked for of the fathers B. Yet notwithstanding he wolde begyn the Gospell of Christ with the basenes of his generation sekinge to bring in all the sorrowes traueiles and paines of his life euen till the power glory and maiestie of his resurrection and kingdome in the which he sittinge at the right hande of God gouerneth all thinges that as Christ suffered many thynges and so entered into the glory of his kingdome and as he dyd fyrst abase hym selfe and became man a seruant also and humbled him selfe to the death of the crosse euen so he myght preache Christ vnto vs to be a mortal maÌ„ and crucified before that he was mortal and rayned gloriously in his kyngdome and so by the folishenes of preachinge to bringe saluation to the faythfull A The Euangelist Iohn more plainly euen at the fyrst preacheth the maiestie of Christ B. teaching him to be the eternall worde of the father and that deuine power and vertue by the which all thynges were made lyue moue consist feele vnderstand But our Euangelist Mathewe thought it sufficient to shewe briefely as it were in one word the diuinitie of Christe wrytinge thus The booke of the generation of Chryste And where as he calleth Iesus whiche was thought to be a carpenter and the sonne of a carpenter Chryst being that king which was long loked for promysed to the fathers he hath already shewed a sufficient cause and reason of so doinge to those that knowe the force of this name The sonne of Dauid the sonne of Abraham C. He calleth Chryst the son of Dauid and AbrahaÌ„ in respecte of
the promises because God had promised that the seede should come of Abraham in the which al the nations of the earth shuld be blessed But to Dauid there was a more playne promise made namely that his kingdom shulde abide firme euen vnto the worlds ende and that a kynge out of his loynes should syf vpon the throne so long as the sonne the moone endured Wherfore it was a common speache amonge the Iewes to call Christ the sonne of Dauid M. The cause therefore why Mathewe doth place Dauid before Abraham was the same and renowne which Dauid had in that Age among the people when so euer they talked of Christ to com which fame was first brought by the wordes of the prophetes with whom it was counted a solem matter to prophesy of Chryst vnder the name of Dauid Euen so in many places the people cried vnto christ Thou sonne of Dauid and Hosanna to thée sonne of Dauid And the Phariseis being demaūded as concerning Christ whose sonne he was aunswered the son of Dauid S. Paule also sayth whiche was borne of the sede of Dauid after the fleshe A. But because the genealogy or pedegrewe of Christe is described and set forth by the two Euangelistes as by Mathewe and Luke and that not without great difference as it might seeme this chiefly ought to be considered whether both of them do bryng the petegrew of Christ from Ioseph or whether Mathew doth it alone and Luke from Mary They which thinke that Luke bringeth the petegrew of Christ from Mary haue a speciall pretence of difference in diuerse names and trewely at the fyrste syght a man can not perceiue that Mathewe and Luke do declare all one petegrewe there is so muche difference betwene them For in the genealogy frō Dauid to Salathiell from Zorobabell to Ioseph Mathew nameth not one of those names which Luke nameth Furthermore they say that is very absurde to bestowe so muche laboure in a thynge not necessary as to haue the stocke of Ioseph who notwithstandinge was not the father of Ioseph twise recited And because Mathewe hath recited the progeny and ofspringe of Ioseph they excuse the matter and say that it was done for many mens sakes which thought him as yet to be the father of Chryst But truely it had ben great folly by suche sufferance to maynteine a perniciouse errour also the text it selfe is manifestly repugnant and contrary to it For so sone as the Euangelist Mathew commeth to the ende of the genealogy or petegrew hee teacheth that Christ came not of the seede of Ioseph but that he was conceyued in the wombe of the virgyn by the secret working of the holy ghost Wherfore if theyr reason shuld stande and be allowed then we must nedes condemne Mathew of folishenes and rashnes that he in vaine woulde recite from whence Ioseph hadde his originall But theyr obiection is not yet aunswered which affirme that the progeny of Ioseph doth nothing parteine vnto Christ We aunswere therfore that the stocke of Mary is comprehended in the person of Ioseph B. because the lawe commanded euerye man to take a wyfe of his owne tribe As it is wrytten Euery man shal marry his wife of his own tribe and kinred euery woman shall take her husbande of the same trybe that the inheritaunce of the children of Israell remoue not from trybe to trybe C. They gather against this law saying that it was almost neuer vsed but neglected But the argumentes which they bring in are but vayne They alleage an exāple out of the booke of Iudges because the eleuē tribes promised that in no wise thei wold geeue any of their daughters to wyfe to the trybe of Beniamin It may be aunswered that very vnaptly they bryng in that which is extraordinary and nothing to the purpose for a common rule For it must needes be that one trybe beynge cut of the body of the people must be mutilate lame and imperfecte excepte the last extremitie by this remedy were holpen Therfore the common lawe in this place must not be regarded Beside this they do obiecte that Mary being the mother of Christ was cosyn to Elizabeth whom Luke at the firste wytnessed to be of the daughters of Aron This also maye easelye be aunswered namely that it was lawefull for younge damsels of the tribe of Iuda or of any other tribe to be maried frō them to the priestly trybe because the lawe dyd not gainsay it which was that no woman shulde remoue her inheritaunce from one trybe to an other So doth the sacred hystory make mētion that the wyfe of Ioiada the hie priest sprange of a kingely stocke Therfore no strange or vnwonted thing is it if that the mother of Elizabeth were ioyned to a priest Wherfore these two generations written by Mathew and Luke do very well agree together Yet notwithstandynge there are fower differences to be noted First Luke preposterously as a man maye terme it ascendeth vpwarde from the later ende to the begynning where as Mathew beginneth euen at the originall and so desendeth The seconde is because that Mathewes beginning tendeth no farther then to the holy and chosen seede of Abraham but Luke euen from Adam goeth forwarde The thirde is because Mathewe onely taketh in hande the legal stocke or stocke perteyning to Christ and cutteth of and omitteth some men in the order of the rehersal of the petegrew and seking to help the memory of the readers he reckeneth vp onely thre tymes fouertene generations but Luke dothe more exactly prosecute the naturall stocke of Christe The fourth and last is that these twoo speaking of one and the self same men do somtimes notwithstanding vary and disagree in their names As concerning the first difference because it is not hard but very easy it wer to no effect to make more wordes about the same then were requisite The secōd wanteth no good reason For seing that God had chosen to hym selfe the seede of Abraham from the whiche the redemer of the worlde shoulde come and seing the promised sauynge health was there after a sorte included vntill the commyng of Christ Mathew passeth not the boundes or lymittes appoynted of God. Wee must remember what S. Paule saith Christ was made a minister of the circumcision of the trueth of God to confyrme the promyses made vnto the fathers To the whiche agreeth the saying of our sauiour Chryst namely that Saluation sprang of the Iewes So that Mathew placeth him to be sene in that stock to the whiche he was properly and peculiarly appoynted Therfore in the petegrew of Mathew we must consider the couenant of God by the whiche he chose the seede of Abrahā to be a people to him selfe that they mighte be hedged in as it were and seperated from other nations But Luke had a further consideration and regarde for although God had made his leage and couenante with Abraham that of his séede
allowed whiche saye that they were vnworthy to haue place in the genology of Christe For many other also were vnworthy whom notwithstanding Mathew placeth indifferently with the godly Therefore it is more trewe that when he woulde make a Catalogue or rehersal of fourtene kinges he was not greatly curious in hauing of choyse because hée counted it sufficient to sette the order of the genealogie before the readers eyes euen from the beginning to the ende of the kyngdome But wheras in some bookes thirtene are only red it is likely that it came to passe by the false and negligence of the wryter of the booke Epiphanius in his first booke against heresies sheweth the cause namely that whereas the name of Iechonias is put twyse the vnlearned are so bould as to put it out of the second place as a thing superfluous The whiche he saith ought not to haue ben done because Ioachim the sonne of king Ioachim had the same name that his sonne Iechonias had Loke in the .iij. chap. of the .i of the Chronicles the second of the Chronicle .xxxvi. chap. 9 Ozias begat Ioatham Ioatham begat Achaz Achaz begat Ezechias Ozias begat Ioatham M. It is wrytten that this Ioatham was good and permanent in the lawe of god A. He made the sonnes of Ammon after he had ouercome thē in battaile to be tributary vnto him As concerning the whiche reade in the .27 chap. of the second of Chronicles Ioatham begat Achas This man was euil and walked in the wayes of the kynges of Israell be made molten Images for Baalym he offered incense in the valley of the sonne of Himnon and burnte his children in fier after the abhominations of the Heathen whom the lord cast out before the children of Israell He offered also and burnt incēce in hilaultars and on mountaynes and vnder euery grene trée to be brief the true God being forsaken he liued very wickedly Here therfore we haue an example of false religion with the whiche also we haue to note howe euill and perniciouse a thing it is to the people to haue ouer thē a superstitious and wicked kyng Achas begat EZechias A. This was a godly king whose earnest zeale against the worshipping of Images is fully described and set forth in the .xviij. chap. of the second booke of kynges 10 Ezechias begat Manasses Manasses begat Amon Amon begat Iosias EZechias begat Manasses M. This man was so euill and vngodly that he exceaded all his elders and kinges of Israell yea the very Heathē in malice and vngodlines at length notwithstanding being in extremitie he was moued with repentaunce tourned to the Lorde of whome he obteined mercy and grace Reade of him in the .xxxiij. chap. of the second booke of Chronicles We haue therfore in this kyng a worthy example of repentance of the diuine grace Manasses begat Amon. This man exceded his father in wickednes but he folowed not his repentaunce Amon begat Iosias This man was godly after the example of Ezechias In his time the booke of the Diuine lawe which was geuen by the hande of Moyses was founde being hidden in the temple of the Lorde whiche the king receaued in the feare of the lorde and commaunded the lorde to be intreated prayed vnto that he would tourne awaye his anger from Israel which had neglected the wordes of the Diuine lawe By the which example we sée what is in the ende to be loked for where wicked kinges reigne and are nothing touched with the worde of god For so long Israel fel from the feare of the lorde that the booke of the lawe it self was hidden of a lōg time not regarded 11 Iosias begat Iechonias and his brethren about that time that they were brought to Babylon Bu. This Iechonias differeth from him that came next after For this is called Ioachim Eliachim as appeareth 2. King. 23. 24. and .2 Chron. 36. But he that foloweth being the sonne of the former Iechonias and the father of Salathiel is called Ioachim and Iechonias as in .1 Paralip 3. It is not red in any place that Iosias begat any whose name was Iechonias that had brethren but it is red that Iechonias was borne to Ioachim whiche was the originall of the captiuitie of Babylon But in a certaine auncient Greke booke we reade thus Iosias begat Ioachim Ioachim begat Iechonias and rightly it may so be saide as we haue shewed before About the time that they vvere brought to Babylon C. That is when the Iewes were brought into captiuitie For the Euangelist doth shewe that then the posteritie of Dauid were of kinges made seruauntes banished men into bondage But where as this captiuitie was a certaine kynde of destructiō it was brought to passe by the wonderfull working and prouidēce of God that the Iewes should not only increase and gather together in one body but also that some remnaunt of rule principalitie kyngdome should abyde in the house of Dauid For they whiche retourned home againe did willingly submitte them selues to the rule of Zorobabel without cohertion and constrainte The remnant therfore or fragmentes as it were of the kyngly scepter indured after this sorte euen till the comming of Christ according to the prophecie of Iacob when he saide The scepter shall not departe from Iuda nor a captaine from his thigh vntill he come whiche must be sente And euen in that miserable and sorowfull discipation of the people the sparkes of the grace of God ceased not to shine A. But where as it is saide about the tyme that they were brought to Babylon It is not to be vnderstoode so that Iosias begat his sonnes in the exile of Babylon when as he sawe not the same being by death preuented but that his posteritie was brought into the same C. For the Iewes were constrained to wander out of their countrey that they might leade their lyues in an other place as pylgrymes and straungers 12 And after they were brought to Babylon Iechonias begat Salathiel Salathiel begat Zorobabel C. That is after the Iewes were brought into captiuitie or els after their demigration or wandring into Babylon for euen in the very exile Iechonias begat Salathiel and his brethren M. It is sayde that he begat them after the exyle because the Euangelist semeth to reken or reherse his generation and posteritie whiche immediatly foloweth the exile Finally it is saide that Asir Salathiel Melchiram Phedaia Senneser Iechmias Hosamai and Nadabia wer the sonnes of Iechonias 13 Zorobabel begat Abiud Abiud begat Eliachim Eliachim begat Azor. Bu. In this thirde and laste degrée the kinges are not rehersed or nombred but the captaines and chief and as Iacob the Patriarche doth name them the lawegeuers and headmen in the common wealth of Israel But they whiche folow Salathiel in Luke are thought to be of two names according to the opinion of Philo euen vnto Simeon so that Neri whiche Luke maketh mention of
vnto vs the singuler loue of our heauēly father who maketh our tribulation momentany and light and hath prepared against the same an exceading and eternall wayghte of glory vnto vs Before he promised Ioseph to bring him woorde in time of his retourne here therefore is shewed the true performance of the promise of god Let vs here note that God will sende his aungels rather then he will leade his seruauntes in troublesome Aegipte Moreouer that the aungels haue frée accesse and passage to and from Aegipte Neither is there any place so wicked whereby the deuine prouidence of God will let to visite and comforte those that are his therein C. To conclude the lorde doth at no time nor in no place forsake those that are his but duely dothe aide and assiste them In Aegipte Here is shewed the perseueraunce of the faith of Ioseph who once stirred not his foote out of Aegipte vntill he was called agayne by the commaundement of God into his countrey 20. Saying arise and take the childe and his mother and go into the lande of Israel for thei are dead which sought the childes life Saying arise and take M. The Euangelist here doth very well order the woordes of the aungell whiche saide not Arise and take thy childe but simplely Take the childe and his mother that those thinges following may agree with that whiche goeth before in the first chapter And go into the lande of Israell Ioseph was thus commaūded because it behoued the childe to be brought vp in the lande of Israell and not in Aegipte least he might seme to be an Aegiptian and not an Israelite Furthermore there was a consideration to be had of Ioseph and Mary to whom no doubt it was greuous the feare of Herode being taken awaye to abyde any longer without cause in Eegipte and to be depryued of their owne lande and countrey VVhiche sought the childes life M. This is an Hebrewe phrase in stede of They wēt about to kyl the chyld This same was tolde of the aungel before but in other woordes when he sayde For it will come to passe that Herode will seke the chyldes lyfe to destroye it 21 And he arose and toke the chyld and his mother and went into the lande of Israell A. As Ioseph obeyed the first cōmaundement without delaye when he was commaunded to flée into Aegipt euen so nowe at the seconde tyme he obeyeth cōmitting him selfe to the regiment of the heauenly kyng 22 But when he hearde that Archelaus did reigne in Iury in the rowme of his father Herode he was afrayde to go thither notwithstanding after he was warned of God in a slepe he turned aside into the partes of Galilë But vvhen he hearde that Archelaus C. It is likely that Ioseph retourned from Aegipte immediatly after the death of Herode before that Augustus Caesar had appointed and decreed Archelaus to be his deputie and ruler in Iury because in his fathers testamēt or will he was appointed the successor of his kingdome although he toke not vnto him the glorious name and titell of a kyng for that stoode alwayes at the appointment and wyll of Caesar neuertheles he bare rule of al things after this he went to Rome and was fully confirmed and established all was graunted vnto him sauing the name of king and that was only denied till suche tyme as he deserued the same by his valiant dedes But Philip bare rule of Galile being a man of a gentle nature and almoste none lyke vnto him Therefore Ioseph by the forewarning of the aungell gate him into his dominion because vnder a gentill and mercifull prince there is no daunger As concerning this Archelaus the sonne of Herode we may reade more in Iosephus He vvas afrayde to go thether C. We must alwayes haue in minde the determinate counsell and purpose of God which kept his sonne euen from the beginning vnder the rudimentes and instructions of the crosse because afterward that same should be the onely waye and meane to deliuer his Churche For therefore he toke vpon him our infirmities therefore he was in perill and daunger and therefore he was subiecte to feare that his Churche being deliuered by his power from perill from daunger from feare might feare no more but haue cōtinually euerlasting peace and quietnes Wherefore his daunger was our safegarde and his feare was our sure trust confidence not that he then feared that any daunger should happen to hym selfe by reason of his age but because for the feare of Ioseph and Mary they were caried to and fro he may truly be sayde to haue taken our feare vpon hym that he myght brynge vnto vs a peaceable and quiet truste 23 And went and dwelt in a cittie called Nazareth that it might be fulfylled which was spoken by the prophetes he shal be called a Nazarite And vvent and dvvelt M. Luke the Euangelist saith that Iesus was noursed and brought vp in this cittie of Nazareth This place must be ioyned with that in the second of Luke where it is wrytten thus And when they had performed all thinges according to the lawe of the lord for he speaketh of the lawe of purifiyng they retourned into Galile to their owne cittie of Nazareth Least any man should thinke that they gat them to their owne cittie immediatly after their purifiyng the history of the wyse men doth staye let beside also the exile into Aegipt the which being ended they retourned into their own cittie Nazareth as our Euangeliste Mathew declareth That it might be fulfilled Theuangelist might haue shewed another reason why they wēt into this citty namely the which Luke semeth to alleage when he sayth They retourned to their owne cittie Nazareth But according to his manner and order he would not pretermit the occasion of the prophesy fulfilled to the ende we mighte learne that all thinges that were done as concerning Christe were signified before by the foretellinges of the prophetes By the prophetes Why doth Mathewe vse here the plurall number when as he alleageth but the testimony of one prophete why he so doth we shall see by and by He shal be called a Nazarite C. Mathew doth not bring this woorde Nazarite of Nazareth as though it were the true and proper etimologie and force thereof but it is only an allusion whiche hath some other meaning For the Hebrewe woorde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth signifie holy and consecrated vnto God of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nazar whiche signifieth to separate The Hebrewes truly call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nezer a flower but there is no doubt but that Mathewe had respecte vnto the former sence and meaning For we do not reade that the Nazarites are called florishing or garnished but they were those whiche were consecrated to the lorde accordyng to the prescripte lawe as we may reade in the booke of Numbers Wherfore the sence and meaning is this namely although Ioseph by feare was constrained to
in this Sathan perswaded to do that whiche was wicked farther he exalted him self aboue god For this cause Christ only seking his fathers glory doth more sharpely geue him the repulse called him Sathā that is an aduersary which euen now openly went about to withdrawe him from God and to worship him C. Luke hath Come behinde me Sathan Wherefore some very fōdly trouble thē selues about the aduerbe when as it was said to Peter vade retrò that is come backe as though Sathan also heard not the same for Christe simplely bed him departe For it is vvritten C. Christe defendeth hym selfe with scripture not as with a target or sheelde made of strawe or rushes but with a bucler as it were of brasse and stele citing the testimony out of the lawe that one God only is to be worshipped And now by the application and circumstaunce of this present place we maye gather of what force and wherefore the worshipping of God is appoynted The Papistes when that they denye only God to be worshypped they with a false comment and interpretation do shyfte and falsefie this place and the like They graunte that the deuine worship oughte to be lefte vnto God alone but they attribute and geue a certayne seruice to the deade to their bones and Images But that friuolous and vayne destinction being reiected let vs consider that Christe dothe chalenge only to God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or adoration by the whiche we are admonished to haue respecte rather to the thynge it selfe then to the woorde so often as there is any mention made of the worshipping of God. The Scripture commaundeth to worship God alone We must loke to what ende it so commaundeth If man do take any thyng awaye from his glorie and ascribeth the same to the creatures it is a robbyng and violation of his deuine worshyp And this is manifestly sene to be done when as we attribute those benefites that we receyue to creatures of the whiche God in dede wyll be acknowledged to be the authour But nowe as Religion properly is spiritual and the confession thereof pertayneth to the body euen so not only the internall worship is due solely to God but also the externall shewe and testimony of the same M. Furthermore against temptation this woorde feare is chaunged into the woorde worship where as the sence is all one For to worship God and to feare God are bothe of suche lyke pietie and godlynes that very well the one may be taken for the other Agayne this woorde only is not in the Hebrewe texte but the thrée score and tenne interpretours vsed the same and that worthely For Moyses speaketh there not simplely that as concerning he is God he is to be feared and worshipped which peraduenture no man wil deny but that he is therefore to be feared and worshipped because besyde him there is no other god Wherupō immediatly it followeth ye shall not go after straunge Gods of the Gentyles 11 Then the deuell forsoke him and beholde the aungels came and ministred vnto him Then the deuell forsoke C. Luke expresseth more saying All the temptatiō being ended as if he shold haue saide Christ had not rest and quietnes before that he was exactly proued assayed with all kinde of temptations Moreouer he addeth that Christ was left for a tyme that we may knowe that the reste of his life was not voyde of temptations but the power of Sathan was stayed from aboue least importunately he shoulde be troublesome vnto Christe euen as God doth commonly deale with those that are his For if at any tyme he suffer them to be vexed after a littell temptation he dothe somewhat aswage and slake that they may breathe a whyle and call their myndes and spirites vnto them notwithstanding he doth not spare them least they shoulde be careles and sluggyshe but doth as it were prepare them to a newe battayle Neuerthelesse we must always resiste hym boldly and that with faythe as Peter teacheth vs that beyng alwayes ouercome he may departe from vs The affections truly and motions of Sathan are neuer wanting but the lorde hath hym bounde that he can exercyse his deceites no farther then he wyll suffer hym Moreouer we haue a promyse God is faythfull and wyll not suffer you to be tempted aboue your power yea euen in the middest of temptation he wyll make awaye for vs by the whiche we maye escape In fine let vs resiste the deuell and he wyll flye from vs. And beholde the aungels C. This is to be referred to Solace and comforte that Christe might knowe that his father had a care ouer him and also that he wanted no safe munition and defence against Sathan For the wyldernes might be an increasynge of sorrow when as he was depriued from the company of men and led his lyfe among the wilde beastes Neyther must we thinke that Christ at any tyme was forsaken of the angels but that there might be tyme and place geuen to the temptation the grace of God for a while though it were present with him was hyd from hym in respect of the fleshe according to the sence and felinge thereof M. By this place let vs learne that those which constantly resist the temptations of Sathan shal neuer wāt the aide helpe of god but in the very moment when daunger approcheth they shal be sure to be deliuered 12 VVhen Iesus hearde that Iohn was taken he departed into Galile VVhen Iesus hearde M. After the description of the victory of Christe whiche he gate of Sathan the temptour the Euāgelist consequently goeth forward to declare the beginninge of the manifesting of him and of his preaching And fyrste of al he sheweth whither he went when he came out of the desert namely into Galile but after this sorte that he sheweth a reason why he abode in Iewery That Iohn vvas taken C. Luke only sheweth the cause why Herode did caste Iohn into prison Ioseph saythe that he was cast into the prison of Macherō because that Herode feared the tumulte of the people and newe matters because his authoritie was suspected But we shall gather the certainety of this history out of the Euangelistes to whose testimony we must stande He departed into Galile M. The Greke worde somtime signifyeth to retourne somtime to departe and to slyppe priuily away when daunger is at hande Luke in his text hath And Iesus retourned in the power of the spirite into Galile the whiche kinde of speache is firste of all to be noted For it maketh great matter that we imagin no earthly or humaine thing in Christ but the heauenly power in him the deuine vertue alwaies come to our remembrance and occupie our sences Moreouer the narration of Iohn doth not seme to agre with these who saith that Christ and Iohn at one time toke in hand their office of teachinge We muste note that Mathewe Marcke and Luke did
contempte of the woorde of God and that Religion myght not altogether be despysed and of no reputation amonge the vnlearned But the defence of Christ with the which he dothe purge his doctrine oughte to animate and incourage vs If we at this daye haue the lyke reproche and false accusations layde against vs. This cryme also was layde againste Paule sayinge that he was an Apostata contrary to the lawe of god Wherefore it is no marueyle if the Papistes in like sorte falsely accuse vs and rayle against vs. But by the example of Christe we must reiecte all false accusations and not regarde them notwithstanding we muste frely professe the truthe although it be subiect to false sclaunders B. But here this woorde Lavve is taken for the doctrine ordeined for the institution of lyfe by the wyll of god Wherfore immediatly the lorde dothe adde to the Lawe the Prophets also saying I am not come to destroye the Lawe and the Prophetes that so he might more plainely declare what he ment by the Lawe namely the doctrine and institution of life which the Prophetes shewed and declared also It is certaine therefore whatsoeuer thinges are written in the Lawe do appertayne to this ende namely to call the minde of man to the perfecte and true righeousnes that the man of God may be perfect and prepared to all good woorkes The whiche also the lorde signifieth when after the exhortation to the lighte of good workes and the necessitie of fulfillinge the lawe he addeth that therfore he came to fulfill the same And so we vnderstand by the Lawe and the Prophetes the doctrine of God comprehended in the holy scriptures by the whiche men are instructed to liue righteously and godly in this present world whiche is comprehēded in this that we trust in God that we feare and loue him with all our mynde to the whiche our elders added and appointes the Lawes of sacrifices and of other ceremonies of the tabernacle Furthermore that we loue our neighbour as our selfe to the whiche was added ciuile Lawes Laste of all that we vse those thinges cōtinently and comly with modestie which the necessitie of the body requireth to the whiche also appertaineth whatsoeuer is cōmaunded for the cleannes and comlines of bodies to the which are added certaine externall purifiynges To destroie M. The Lawe is destroyed or broken when that it is made voyde of none effecte by false expositions traditions of men or els when as men do violate and breake the preceptes thereof either by the imbecillitie weakenes of the fleshe or els by a wicked contemptuous minde But here he vnderstandeth the destroying of the Lawe after the first māner namely by false expositiōs A. To breake the Lawe and to destroy the lawe are all one as appeareth by the saying of Christe in Iohn If a man on the Saboth daye receiue circumcision without breaking of the lawe of Moyses disdayne ye at me because I haue made a man whole on the Saboth day No I came not to destroye C. God truly had promised a new league by the cōming of Christ but he had shewed also that it shoulde littell differ from the first but rather this to be the end that he would obserue kepe the league whiche he made with his euen from the beginning I wil wryte saith he my Lawes in their hartes I will forget their sinnes By these woordes he doth not so departe from his former league that he woulde deny his laste to be firme and sure when the newe succeded And this is the meaning of the woordes of Christe when he saide I came not to destroy but to fulfil the Lawe For truly he fulfilled it in quickning the dead letter with his spirite thē shewing the same in dede whiche was declared vnder figures signes Therfore in respect of doctrine we must imagine no abrogation of the Lawe in the comming of Christe For seing that it is an euerlasting rule to lyue well and godly by it must be immutable euen as there is one only permanente righteousnes of God which is cōprehended therin As touchinge ceremonies although they may be thoughte improper and not pertayning to the Lawe notwithstanding they wer only abrogated in vse but the signification abideth still Wherefore the comming of Christe did detracte nothing no not from ceremonies but rather the truthe of shadowes being declared it doth bring great cōfirmation vnto them when we beholding the true effecte do perceiue that they are not vayne and vnprofitable Let vs learne therefore to kepe this holy bonde and knot of the Lawe and the Gospell inuiolable the whiche many do breake amis and very fondly M. Christe fulfilled the Lawe and the Prophetes first by his comming in the fleshe when as he fulfilled those thinges whiche are written in the Lawe and the Prophetes as concerning his kyngdome and the redemption of mankynde promysed longe before Of the whiche Luke speaketh in his .xxiiij. chap. Therefore as saint Paule saythe Christ is the fulfilling of the Lawe to all them that beleue Do we then destroye the Lawe through faythe God forbidde but we rather mayntaine the Lawe 18 For truly I saye vnto you tyl heauen and earth passe one iot or one title of the Lawe shall not escape till all be fulfilled For truly I saye vnto you Bu. Although that whiche was spoken of before was made manifest enough yet for all that it is more strongely confirmed agayne by the mouth of the lorde For he vseth a moste vehement othe and confirmation saying For truly I saye vnto you Truly is a worde peculier to the Hebrewes confirming and wytnessing the truthe for this cause it is so often repeted of the lorde And the Apostell Paule saythe All the promyses of God by Christe are yea and are in hym amē vnto the lande of god Whiche is as if he shoulde haue sayde all the promyses of God are sure and certaine by Christe Tyll heauen and earth passe Luke in woordes somwhat differeth but in sence he very well agreeth saying It is easier for heauen and earth to perishe then for one iot or titell of the Lawe to fayle For the holy ghoste would teache by both places that there was nothing so fyrme and stable in the whole worlde as the truthe of the lawe that truly in euery pointe Some very subtilly dally with this woorde Vntill As though the vanishing of heauen and earth whiche shal be at the last daye of iudgement shoulde bringe an ende to the Lawe and the Prophetes And truly euen as then tounges shall cease and prophecies shal be taken awaye euen so we thinke that the Lawe written with the exposition of the same shall cease But because Christe spake more symply suche intisementes being set to allure this shal be sufficient for vs to note that heauen shal perishe and the whole worlde shall decaye before the stabilitie and strength of
the Lawe be once shaken For so sayth the Prophete Thus saithe the lorde If the couenaunte which I haue made with the daye and the night may be brokē Then may my couenaunt also be broken whiche I made with Dauid my seruaunt And a littell after he saythe agayne If I haue made no couenaunt with daye and nighte and geuen no statute vnto heauen and earthe then wyll I also caste awaye the seede of Iacob and Dauid my seruaunt One iot or titell of the Lavve shall not passe tyll all C. What meaneth this Question that euery iot and titell of the Lawe shall be fulfilled For we sée howe farre men are yea ando suche as are borne a newe by the spirite of God from the perfecte obseruation of the Lawe I aunswere that this fulfilling of the lawe is not referred to the life of man but to the sounde perfect truth of doctrine as if he shoulde haue sayde there is nothing vnstable in the Lawe there is nothing rashely put in the same and therfore it can not come to passe that one letter shall vanishe or passe awaye Wherefore this place here is of the certaintie and truthe of the woorde of God that we might not doubte no one tittell in the Lawe no one iot to be in the Prophetes in the whiche the vndoubted and infallible woorde of God is not declared For the woordes of the lorde are pure woordes euen as the syluer which from the earth is tried purified seuen times in the fier Bu. Tittels are the smalest thinges in wryting by the whiche also Christe dothe signifie that the smalest thynges sene and red in the Lawe shall be fulfilled V. Neyther is the lawe of God a humane and mutable constitutiō as are the preceptes of money or apparell whiche are dayly altered but as the wysdome of God his euerlasting righteousnes are immutable euen so his lawe of perpetuall and euerlasting obedience abideth for euer 19. VVhosoeuer therfore breaketh one of these least cōmaundementes and teacheth men so he shall be called the least in the kingdome of heauen But who so euer dothe and teacheth the same shal be called great in the kingdome of heauen VVhosoeuer therfore breaketh C. Here Christ speaketh particularly of the commaundementes of life or of tenne sentēces by the whiche all men that are the children of God ought to frame theyr lyues And therfore he pronounceth them to be false and peruerse teachers whiche kepe not theyr scholers vnder the obedience of the lawe and he counteth them vnworthy whatsoeuer they be that be of the church whiche diminishe the aucthoritie of the lawe in any poynct those to be honest and méete ministers of God which do allowe and commende the obseruation of the lawe as well by the example of their life as with woordes S. To breake the lawe and to fulfyll the lawe are contrary He breaketh the lawe whiche desyreth another mannes wyfe although he commit not adultery and he is in this opinion that he beleueth that the fulfyllynge of the lawe maye be forgeuen for oure imbecillitie and weakenes sake or elles that God wil not so straightly deale with vs for the fulfyllinge of the lawe One of these least commaundementes C. He calleth them the least commaundementes according to the sence meaning of men For although all are not of lyke force weyght but when we compare them together one is greater and lesse then an other Notwithstandinge we may not thincke any thynge smale of the whiche it pleaseth the heauenly lorde and lawe maker to commaunde For howe great derogation is it to the glorye of God to take any thynge disdainefully which cōmeth out of his mouthe For by this meanes his maiestie shoulde be controlled Wherefore where as Christ calleth them lyttell commaundementes it is a kinde of graunting And teacheth men so B. He doth not reiecte him onely which transgresseth some cōmaundement and despiseth the parfection of the same but also him which teacheth others so namely that so greate perfection is not requyred as the Phariseyes and Saduceyes whiche requiringe onely the externall workes and contemninge the spirite of the lawe counted it nothinge to lust after a woman and so they taught also Shall be called the leaste C He alludeth this to that whiche was spoken of a lyttell before as concernyng the comaundementes notwithstandinge the sence is manifest and playne that they shall be reiected as the outcastes of all men which make the lawe to be contemned in any one poyncte The kingdome of heauen is taken here for the renouation or renuyng of the churche or for the second state and condition of the church which arose then of the preachinge of the Gospall So Christ maketh him which is least in the kingedome of heauen greatter then Iohn This maner of speakinge is because God renuinge the worlde by hys sonne Christe made his kingdome firme and sure Therefore Christ admitteth no teachers into his churche after it is renued but such as are faythful interpretours of the lawe and apply them selues to mainteine and set forthe the wholsom doctrine therof Bu. Let such reade these thinges more diligently whiche at thys day handle the law of the lorde very negligently and slyghtly when as by these woordes of the lorde a man may plainly perceiue that there is nothinge set forth by the heauenly wysedome of God in his diuine lawe whiche requireth not onely greate and earnest study but also much estimation and credite But some men wyll here demaunde Question Are not the ceremonies amonge the preceptes and commaundementes of God and what néede haue we of them to what ende shall wee obserue them They are answered that if they weye and consider the ende purpose of the lawe maker they shall be satisfyed For althoughe God do cōmaund ceremonies that the externall vse of thē shoulde be temporall but their signification eternall yet he doth not lose take away the ceremonies whiche kepynge still theyr effecte omitt that whiche is figuratiue and shadowed Nowe when as Christe dothe banishe all those from hys kingdome whiche accustome and teache men to despise the lawe theyr senceles sence is wonderful who ar not ashamed with theyr robbinge indulgences to remit that which God moste seuerely doth require and vnder the coullour of venial synne to treade vnderfote not regarde the righteousenes of the lawe But vvho so euer dothe and teacheth the same c. M. This that is spoken here perteyneth to the ministers of the word C. He teacheth them therfore what perfectiō is required of thē namely that they expresse and declare those thynges in theyr lyfe whiche by their doctrine they declare and teache So Paule dyd chastice his bodye and brought it into subiection least whē he preached to others he hym selfe shuld be a cast awaye And writinge to Timothe Be sayth he vnto them that beleue an exsample in woord in conuersation in loue in spirite in
with externall offices and dueties So it came to passe that euery one thought him selfe free from murther whiche killed not his brother with violente hande Againe he thought hym selfe free without spotte or pollusion yea to be verye chaste before God which defyled not his body with adultery But this prophanation of the law was in no wyse to be suffered when as it is vndoubted for certayne that the spiritual worship of god was euery wher required of Moses And God whiche gaue the lawe bythe mouth of Moyses dyd speake the same as well to the hartes as to the handes and eies Thou shalt not kill M. Christ here dothe not alleage the commandementes of the lawe as they are placed in the lawe but as they were depraued and corrupted of the wicked Scribes and Phariseyes and interpreted taught amisse to the rude and ignorant people to the end he might make the doctrine and ryghteousenes of the Scribes and Phariseys playne and apparant to the people and so admonishe them to beware of it wherefore he saith not it is written in the law but it was saide to them of olde time least any man should thincke that it was newly inuented in Christes time Moreouer wher as he sayth Ye haue harde that it was said of olde time that is as if he should haue said it is not vnknown what the scribes and phariseyes haue spoken of the commaundement against murther C. Hitherto the litterall exposition of the law hath ben published by the Scribes amōg you that it is sufficient if a man refrain his hande from murther and violence howe so euer their mindes are inflamed with yre hatred and enuy But I teach and warn you to haue a farther respect and because loue is the fulfyllinge of the lawe I say that ye hurt your neighbour so oftē as any thing is vnfrēdly wrought against hym For trewely the lawe required the Harte in the time of Moyses as we shewed before the whiche Christ also here requireth in expoundynge the same We haue a sufficiente example of the phariseical interpretation in the Gospel after S. Iohn Where they sayd it is not lauful for vs to put any mā to death Where as notwithstanding they beinge with ire hatred enuy replenyshed deliuered Christ to Pilate to be crucified For vvhosoeuer killeth shal be in danger of Iudgemēt This sentence doth confirme that which was spoken of before To be in daunger of iudgement is to be subiect to the payne and punishemente which by iudgement is appoynted to the offender Or as some men think iudgement signifieth that by the which it is required whether a man wittingly or vnwittingly with his good wil or by chāce killed his neighboure For the law doth playnely distynguishe betwene wylfull and not wilfull murther 22. But I saye vnto you that whosoeuer is angry with his brother vnaduisedly shal be in daunger of iudgement And who so euer saithe vnto his brother Racha shall be in daunger of a counsell But whosoeuer saithe thou foole shall be in daunger of hell fyer But I say vnto you B. Here againe oure sauiour Christ with an earnest affirmation doth shewe his minde M. Yea he dothe strongely fortifie his auctoritie against the opinion of the Phariseis For this worde I hath an emphasis great force with it As if he should haue saide I your maister sente from heauen saye vnto you whiche are my dysciples that the lawe requireth more then that you hold your hands for it requireth a mind voyde of al anger and hatred C. Christ therefore bryngeth not this aunswere against the commaundement of Moyses but againste the immagynation of the Scribes and Phariseis And because they did boast of antiquitie Christ calleth the people to his auctoritie to the whiche all antiquitie ought to geue place Whereby we maye gather of howe much more value the treweth is then custome and antiquitie That euery one vvhiche is angrye Bu. Here he setteth before them certain particulars by doinge of the which they synne no lesse then by committing murther althoughe by certaine degrees one sinne is greater then an other and euery synne also in it selfe doth growe and increase And trewely the first degre or steppe to murther is anger and burning ire the impacient and impotent commotion of the mind and as the philosophers saye the desire of ponishinge Therfore the angry man wisheth euill to his neybour and seketh to hurte hym if he may Wherefore S. Iames saith The wrath of man worketh not that whiche is righteouse before god And S. Iohn Euery one that hateth his brother is a man floar M. Ire and hatred differ so muche from murther as doth the roote from the fruite so that murther beinge the fruite of Ire is let by no other reason thē this that the angry parson is not able or elles feareth ponishement For our minde being taken with Ire is so bent that with whom so euer it is angry it sekethe his destruction Cayne being angry sought occasion to sleye his brother and because there was none to let hym he broughte his purpose to effecte Esawe being kindled with Ire against his brother threatned to kyl hym Euen so Saule beyng angry with Dauid sought to kil him which afterwarde he assayed Yea this affection dothe often preuayle in the very elect As we may read of Dauid who was angery with Naball the foole in so muche that he was inflamed to reuenge toke counsaile to sley him Wherefore not in vayne the Apostell excludeth the angry person out of the kingdom of heauen in the whiche what doth he elles meane but that the wickednesse of our nature is dānable Wherevpon Christ him selfe also saith Excepte a man be borne from aboue he can not se the kingdome of God. Vnaduisedly E. Or in vaine or without a iust cause for so signifieth the Greeke woorde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whiche the olde Greke bokes haue So doth Chrisostome seme to reade it in his 16. homely vpon Mathew where he distinguiseth deserued anger frō that whiche is vndeserued affirmynge that the affection can not be taken from vs but neuerthelesse that it maye be ruled subdued Christe is here angry with the Phariseies in his fathers cause Paule was likewise angrye with the false prophetes Moyses likwise that the children of Israell commytted Idolatry Shall be in daunger of iudgement M. That is to saye before God to whom the wyll of mans harte is euen as the worke it selfe That is to say he shall be in daunger of the diuine iudgement he shall I say be condemned to ponishment and death no lesse then he which is conuict before the iudge and condempned to die But we must here note that he saythe not he shall be damned in iudgemente but he shal be in daunger of iudgemente that is to saye he is worthy to be iudged of God except he were saued by his mercy So that
with what pacience also we should suffer them C. But here Iulianus and such lyke haue sclaundered the doctrine of Christe saying that he did ouerthrowe al lawes and iudgementes For as Saint Augustine in his fifth epistell declareth the purpose of Christe was nothing els but to frame the myndes of the godly to moderatiō and equitie leaste they being once or twyse offended and hurte shoulde be faynte and geue ouer any longer to beare And it is moste true whiche Saint Augustine saythe that the lawe is not put to externall workes if so be that thou vnderstande it rightely For Christe doth seke to withdrawe our hāds from reuengement and not onely oure handes but our myndes also But when any man may defende hym selfe and his from iniuries the woordes of Christe do not let but that he may quietly without harme auoyde eschewe the force of his enemy And he would not harden his disciples to prouoke them to malice whiche already were to muche set on fyer and enclined to hurte It is not therefore the parte of a righte and true interpretour to cauill vpon syllables and wordes but to way and marke his meaning and purpose whiche speaketh And it becommeth not the disciples of Christe to be to curious in woordes when they knowe their maisters intente and mynde It is not truely harde and obscure whiche Christ here speaketh namely that the end of one contentatiō is the beginning of another and that the faythfull muste by degrees suffer iniuries in the whole race of their lyfe Therefore when they be once hurte he would haue that same to be a documēt to teache them to suffer that in bearing they may learne to be pacient M. A blowe or ruffe on the eare as we terme it is cōmenly geuen by contempt to wemen children or to suche as be effeminate and weake This intollerable contempte is thought to be in thē which would be counted men For because the flesh once puffed vp as it were can abide nothing lesse then iniurie ioyned with ignomy and reproche But a Christian man euen as a lambe wyll suffer with all submission and mekenes of mynde this ignominy and reproche This blowe did Micheas the Prophete paciently suffer This blowe did Christe our sauiour mekely take in good parte This blowe also did Paule put vp without grudging thinking him selfe happy to beare it for Christes sake If therefore we suffer ignominy and reproche for the woorde of God with Micheas if we suffer our innocencie to be striken with Christe And if we be beatē with Paule for the truthes sake we must behaue our selues modestly in the softenes of the spirite that by our pacience and mekenes the tyrauntes may knowe that they do offende Of the sufferaunce of Christe Peter wryteth thus When he was reuiled reuiled not agayne when he suffered he threatned not but committed the vengeaunce to hym that iudgeth righteously 40 And if any man sewe thee at the lawe to take away thy coate geue him thy cloake also And if any man. C. Christe here toucheth the other kynde of harme namely when the wicked seke to vexe trouble vs with strife contention In this case he commaundeth vs so to prepare our myndes to pacience that we be not only ready to lease our coate being taken awaye but our cloake also He is an vnwyse man whiche standeth brabling with woordes for we muste geue oure aduersary that whiche they require before that we go to lawe for suche facillitie doth kyndell the myndes of the wycked to thefte and rapine euen lyke vnto a fanne What is it therefore to geue awaye thy cloake to hym whiche goeth about by the pretence of the Lawe to take awaye thy coate Wilt thou knowe It is this If any mā being opressed with wicked and vniuste iudgement dothe lose that whiche is his owne and yet is contente if nede shoulde be to departe from the rest the same deserueth no lesse prayse of pacience then he whiche suffereth hym selfe to be twise spoyled before that he commeth to the Iudge The somme therfore of Christes woordes is this that Christians whensoeuer any goeth about to take away parte of their goodes should be ready not only to lose a part but all that euer they haue if it be for Christes sake And here we may gather that men are not altogether forbidden the Lawe or triall in iudgementes if so be that right thereby maye be maintained For although men do not proffer their goodes as a praye to a thiefe or a robber yet they digresse or swarue not at all from the doctrine of Christe whiche exhorteth vs paciently to suffer euen nakednes He is truely a synguler man and rare to be founde whiche goeth to the lawe with his brother peaceably with a quiet and charitable mynde But because it may be that some man defendeth a true cause for a publique and common wealth it is not mete that we condemne without exceptiō vntyl we know vpon what affection it be done Geue him thy cloake also E. The Greeke woorde signifieth the garmente whiche we weare outmoste Whiche the Romaines call a gowne and the Greekes a cloake Although the Greeke woorde it selfe is sometyme vsed for any kynde of garmente But the diuersitie in speache in Mathewe and Luke altereth not the true sence and meaning A cloake commonly is of more price then a coate Therefore when Matthewe saythe that we must geue our cloake to him that taketh awaye our coate he meaneth that when we haue receiued a littell dāmage we should be wylling and ready to suffer greater losse The saying of Luke agréeth with the olde prouerbe The coate is nerer then the cloake For they which robbe firste take awaye the cloake and then the coate 41 And whosoeuer wyll compell thee to go a myle go with him twayne M. Agayne for examples sake Christe sheweth another kynde of iniury vnder the whiche all those thinges are comprehended whiche by tyranny are layde vpō subiectes By this place also Christe doth teache vs that we must so shewe and declare our pacience that for peace quietnes sake we are ready to suffer more thē is required of vs. 42 Geue him that asketh and from him that would borrowe tourne not thou awaye C. Although the wordes of Christ do seme so to sounde as though he did commaunde vs to geue without respecte to euery one yet notwithstanding by the woordes of Luke we maye gather an other sence meaning which more playnely then Matthewe expoundeth the sentence For he placeth the woordes of Christe thus If ye lende to them of whome ye hope to receiue what thanke haue ye For synners also lende to synners to receiue suche lyke agayne But do good and lende lokynge for nothinge againe For it is certayne that Christe went about rather to make his disciples liberall then prodigale And truly it is foolishe prodigalitie to spend that rashely whiche the lord geueth And furthermore we may
not haue the memory of the myracle always hyd When as therefore the Leper by the commaundement of Christe came into the sight of the prieste it was a testimony vnto them that they shoulde be inexcusable if they would not receiue Christ for the minister of God and also all occasion of sclaūder was taken away since that Christe did not breake one iot or tytle of the Lawe E. There are some notwithstanding whiche take this woorde testimony for a lawe or statute as it is sayde in the Psalme God gaue this for a lawe vnto Israell or for a testimony But the former expositiō doth better agree to the present circumstaūce For if the priestes had bene curable if they had not bene obstinate they might haue bene brought by this testimony or myracle vnto Christe but to condemne the vnbeleuinge this witnes of Christe is sufficient Bu. But here it is to be marueiled at with what bouldnes the Papistes and Popyshe apostels the Monkes and sacrificing priests could vpon this place teache their auriculer or eare confession to be grounded vpon the lawe of god In this truly their sences are very grosse and dull They wyll haue the Leprosy allegorically to be sinne And the Pope annoynteth his shauelinges and sacrifyinge priestes to be discerners of the spirituall Leprosy by the which consequently they would seme to proue their eare confession We graūt to the priestes in the olde lawe that this power was geuen vnto them to the ende the people mighte knowe that all their cleanenes and the iudgement thereof did depende vpon the priesthoode Notwithstāding wickedly the sacrificing Papistes take this vnto them C. For who euer redde in the Leuitical lawe that the priestes there were appointed to here confessiōs but they flye to this allegory aboue named Such is their argument The lawe geueth to the Leuitical Priestes the knowledge of Leprosy therefore let vs take it vpon vs Synne is a spirituall Leprosy therefore let vs be examiners of synne But this is a more infallible argument Sythe the priesthoode is remoued it is necessary that the lawe be remoued also all priesthoodes are remoued to Christe and fulfilled and ended in hym Therfore to hym onely all the righte and honour of priesthoode is also remoued Moreouer their allegory is very vnfit that setteth among the ceremonies that lawe which is merely pollitique Chrisostome also teacheth that Christe did this for the Iewes sake that he shoulde not be counted a breaker of the lawe And where as they affirme that this eare confession hathe bene of great antiquitie their own Chronicles declare the contrary For the testifie that there was no certayne lawe or constitution of it before the tyme of Innocent the thirde who decreed that euery one shoulde come to confession twyse a yeare without the whiche he sayde that men shoulde haue no entery into Paradise It is not muche aboue thrée hundred yeares paste since this was decreed by Innocent Sozomenus reporteth that this constitution of byshoppes was dilligently kepte in all the Weste churches but specially in Rome whereby he proueth that it was no vnyuersall ordinaunce of all Churches He saithe farther that this was the manner of Constantinople tyll a certayne woman fayninge that she came to confession was founde vnder this filthy couerlet playing the whore with a Deacon For the whiche acte Nectarius a man notable in holines learning bishop of that church toke away that bawdy couerlet and repelled the custome Nowe if auriculer confession were the lawe of God howe durste Nectarius repell and destroye it Wherefore they muste condemne hym and the churche of Constantinople which for a tyme put it away and all the churches of the Easte partes if they wil haue it to be the Lawe of god But that we may confute it by authoritie sufficient Let vs consider what Chrisostome sayth I do not leade thée sayth he into a stage of thy fellowe seruauntes I do not compell thee to disclose thy synnes vnto mē reherse vtter thy conscience vnto God shewe thy woundes to the lorde the beste Surgeon and aske salue of hym yea shewe to hym that wyll reproche thee with nothing but wyll moste gentelye heale thee And saynt Iohn saythe If ye confesse your synnes he is faythfull and iuste to forgeue you your sinnes meaning not a Popyshe priest but that priest whiche is a priste for euer after the order of Melchisedech 5 And when Iesus was entered into Capernaum there came vnto him a Centurion whiche besought him saying M. This history also Luke hathe in his seuenth chapter although it seme otherwyse vnto some C. In woordes this is only the difference that Matthewe saith the Centurion came vnto Christe But Luke saithe that he sent certaine of the Iewes whiche should do the message for hym But Matthewe not vnaduisedly attributeth that vnto hym whiche was done in his parsone and name But in all the circumstaunces the twoo Euangelistes do so agree that it should be a ridiculous thing to fayne two myracles for one Finally there is no doubte but that the bande of soldiers whiche were vnder the Centurion had their station in the citie of Caparnaum as the legions were wont to be deuided for the safegarde of citties There when he behelde the manners of the people to be very vitious and wicked as we knowe that Caparnaum whiche was a cittie bordering on the sea coastes was more vitious then all other citties that notwithstāding it letted not him one whit to condemne the superstitions of his countrey that he might haue a taste of true and syncere Godlines Wherefore he commeth vnto Christe sayinge 6 Maister my seruaunt lyeth at home sicke of the palsey and is greuouslye payned Maister my seruaunt B. The Gréeke worde signifieth a childe a sonne and a seruaūt Although Luke case it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by a word not ambiguouse whiche signifieth a seruaunt C. But where as Luke addeth that this seruaunt was dere to the Centurion he dothe by that meanes preuent the doubte which otherwyse might trouble the myndes of the readers for we do knowe that seruauntes are not of suche pryce vnto their maisters that thei wold be so carefull of their lyfe excepte they haue got their fauour by singuler indeuoure or diligence or faithfulnes or by some other vertue Luke therefore dothe signifie that he was not of the common sorte of bondmen but a faythfull and vertuous seruaunt and suche a one as was in great fauour with his maister Hereupon it came that his maister was so carefull for his lyfe and geueth him so great a commendation We haue therefore here a worthy example in this Ethnicke and Heathen man of godlines and of a mynde rightely directed by the spirite of god For alwayes they which are of God acknowledge that their lord is in heauen so gently vprightly they deale with their seruauntes Of the whiche matter saint Paule in the sixte to the Ephesians wryteth
is profitable for vs to note howe they were affectioned leaste that any man should be troubled and offēded because the doctours of the law were suche enemies againste Christe and his disciples E. This history therfore wyll teache vs what we ought to thinke of all the ceremonies of the lawe and howe we ought to vse externall outward things that is to say according to the arbitremēt of true loue Also it wyll shewe vs the obstinacy of the reprobate and for what thinges specially hypocrites do cōtende On the Sabboth dayes A. Luke saith it came to passe on an after principall Sabaoth C. But there is no doubte but that this Sabaoth pertayned to one of those speciall feaste dayes whiche the lawe commaundeth to be celebrated euery yeare Therfore some thought that euery other twoo dayes the Iewes obserued they re feastes or holy dayes but because after the exyle into Babylon the Iewes dyd so distribute their festiuall dayes that alwayes one daye shoulde come betwene therefore their opinion is refuted They speake more probabely which saye that it was the laste daye of solemnitie whiche was as holy as the firste in all poyntes But their opinion semeth more true whiche vnderstande it to be the seconde festiuall daye of the yeare and the name agreeth very well to haue it called an after principall Sabaoth whiche was the seconde of the chiefe and yearely festiuals But the feaste of Easter was the firste and chiefest therefore then was the tyme of the firste fruites as it myght seme B. namely as cōcerning haruest when the eares of corne were rype M. But it came not to passe without the speciall counsel and dispensation of God that the disciples of Christe on this holy daye aboue all others should be so hungry and that they should go through the fieldes of corne specially the Phariseis being present For it was necessary that the lorde should haue occasion offered vnto him that he might teache what they should thynke of the holy and sacred religion of the Sabaoth And his disciples vvere an hungred M. Christe might sufficiently haue fed his Apostels whiche fed fyue thousande men with a littell bread But he did rather seke that his disciples in suffering this shoulde be contented with meane and symple fare For it should come to passe as it came in dede that after his departing they should fele hunger therfore he thought good to let them haue some felinge of that he beinge present whiche they afterwarde shoulde taste in his absence And they plucked the eares of corne Bu. The hūger of the disciples reprehēdeth greatly the glottony and excesse in eating and drynking whiche we vse at this daye 2 But when the Phariseys sawe it they sayde Beholde thy disciples do that whiche is not lawefull to be done on the Sabaoth daye But vvhen the Phariseis M. The Phariseys as righteous and men godly disposed followed Christe among the reste of the multitude not to learne of hym but to the ende they might marke his woordes and dedes that thei might haue somwhat to carye and cauill at as though they had bene studious kepers of the lawe and to haue speciall charge committed vnto thē for the obseruing of the lyfe and religion of men They are lyke vnto these Phariseis which come only to the hearing of sermons to the ende they may carpe and cauill at the same Beholde thy disciples do that C. The Phariseis do not reprehende the disciples of Christe because they plucke the eares of corne out of an other mans fielde but because they violate the Sabaoth daye As though in dede it had bene so ordeyned that men beynge hungry should rather starue perishe then they should remedy or preuente the same But truely the Sabaoth was ordeined to this ende that the people sanctifying thē selues vnto God shoulde exercise them selues in the true and spirituall worship of hym And that they forsakynge all worldly busynes should geue thē selues the more quietly to godly deuotiō Wherfore the lawefull obseruation of the Sabaoth ought to be referred to the ende because the interpretatiō of the lawe ought to be according to the mynde of the lawemaker But these Phariseis as false interpretours rather of malice then of ignoraunce construe the doinges of Christ to an euell end and take the same being neuer so well mente in euell parte Where as Matthewe Marke saye that the Phariseis made this obiection vnto Christe and Luke sayth that they made it to the disciples there is no great difference For it is probable that the disciples were so vexed that the accusation was layde to the maister him selfe For it may be that after they had begon with the disciples they came vnto Christe imputinge that as a faulte in hym which his disciples had done As if they should haue sayd beholde what disciples thou hast se howe well thou instructest them Why doste thou not rebuke them for breakyng the Sabaoth day 3 But he sayde vnto them haue ye not redde what Dauid did whē he was an hūgred and thei that were with him Bu. The lorde striketh his aduersaries with the testimonie of scripture defending the dede of his disciples and expoūding the lawe of God as concerning the Sabaoth VVhat Dauid did C. Christe refuteth the cauillation that was obiected by fiue argumentes First he excuseth his disciples by the example of Dauid For Dauid flyinge from the wrathe of Saule when that hee required foode of Achimelech the prieste he hauing no cōmon meate to geue hym obteyned that the holy bread might be geuen vnto him If necessitie excused Dauid the lyke may excuse others Whereupon it followeth that the ceremonies of the lawe are not violated when godlynes is not hurte Christe also taketh this for a graunt that Dauid was voyde of all blame because the prieste is cōmended by the holy ghost whiche suffered hym to take the shewe breades M. But we must note that he alleageth not the example of Dauid simplely but saythe haue ye not redde As who should saye haue ye no knowledge of that which is so manifest and commen in the scriptures If you haue redde it howe commeth it to passe that ye accuse not and condemne Dauid hauing committed the like fact that my disciples haue done 4 Howe he entred into the house of God and did eate the shewe breades whiche were not lawefull for hym to eate neyther for them that were with him but only for the pristes Hovve he entred into the house M. That is into the Tabernacle But for the priestes onely Reade the nyne and twenty of Exodus the fower and twenty of Leuiticus Whē as Christe saythe that it is lawefull for none to eate of those breades but the priestes onely we must vnderstande it by the common Lawe For if Dauid had done any thyng contrary to right Christ should in vayne haue alleaged his example But necessitie made that lawefull whiche was forbodden to a certaine ende and
in a base contemned person C. Luke saith that this was done when he praied But by the circumstance of the place and tyme we gather that which we saide euē nowe namely that he praied that there mighte be a visible sighte or shewe of his deitie in the brightnes of a newe forme the which thing he obtayned not because it was necessary that he shoulde pray for that which he wāted him selfe or because the wyll of his father was doubtful but because in humillitie he referred all that he did to his father and would by his exaumple incourage vs to praye And his face did shine C. Luke hath And it came to passe as he praied the fashion of his face was altered Yet notwithstāding this transformatiō did not set forth Christ to be seene of the disciples according to the glory which he hath nowe in heauen but he gaue them a tast of exceding glory accordinge as they were able to cōprehend the same His face dyd then shine as the sonne but now it dothe far excede the son in brightnesse A strange and vnwonted brightnesse shone then in his apparell but nowe his deuine maiestie shineth without apparel in his whole body So God appered in tyme paste to the holy fathers not as hee was in hym selfe but as they were able to abyde the beames of his excedinge brightnesse M. But whereas Christ was transeformed frō the forme of humillitie into that heauenly deuine shape it was a manifest token that the state in the which he was then was not eternal but mutable and subiecte to chaunge not that the substance of his body was subiecte to trasmutation and chaunge in so muche that the veritie of his humaine fleshe shoulde be turned into the veritie of the spirite God forbid but that there should be a trāsmutation of the humaine condition fragillitie his manhode abidinge styll M. But where as he was transformed while hee was at praier it sheweth howe wee are trāsformed into God when we are praying for the which cause we ought to be the more earnest to pray Herupō it came to passe that the fathers holy men were so often times in minde rapte caryed into heauen As Peter the Apostel of Chryst Daniell to whome an Angell appered when he was in prayer declarynge vnto hym thinges to come Cornellius who in praier sawe an Angell And Paule who as he praied saw Ananias in a vision laiing his hād on him Also the same Paule testifieth of him selfe thus When I was come againe to Hierusalē and praied in the temple I was in a traunce and sawe hym saying vnto me make hast and get the quickely out of Hierusalem for they wyll not receiue thy witnes Hereby we gather that they are most farre from the company and fellowship of God of the heauenly spirites whiche are neuer ledde by the feruencye of the mynde to prayer And his clothes vvere as vvhite as C. It is not mete that any man should dispute or reason subtilly about the whitenes of his apparell or of the brightnes of his countenance seing that this was not a perfecte declaration of his heauenly glory but a signe which did onely pertaine to the measure capacitie of flesh M. For as darknes is assigned by Christ to the kingdom of Sathā and externall darckenes to the condemnation also of the wicked for the horror which they shall suffer euen so an excedinge light inspeakeable brightnes is ascribed to the kingedome of God for the glory and pleasure whiche the electe shall haue The iuste saithe our sauiour Christ shal shine as the sonne in the glory of their father As the light E. It is red in a certayne auncient Greeke boke As the snowe and the Euangeliste Marke saith also thus And his raymente dyd shine became very white euē as snow so white as no fuller cā make vpō the earth 3 And beholde there appered vnto thē Moyses and Helias talking with thē And beholde there appered B. No doubt this apperinge and talke of Moyses and Helias dyd make very muche to the declaration of the kingdome of Christ Notwithstandynge it is demaunded whether they were truely present or whether that a figure or shewe onely of them was set before the face of the disciples euen as vysions of thinges absent were sette before the Prophetes Althoughe the matter be so probable that bothe partes may haue good occasion to dispute yet notwithstādinge it is more lykely that they were truely brought into that place Neyther is it any absurditie at all to say seinge that God hath both body soule in his hād power that the dead for a time may be restored to life according to his will. Moyses and Helias dyd not rise vnto thē selues at that tyme but they rose at the will cōmandement of God to be presēt for the time with Christ Againe Question if any demaund how the Apostels knew Moyses Helias whō they neuer sawe it may easely be answered that whē God had set them in the midst before them he gaue thē signes tokens by the which they might be knowne vnto them This truely was done by an extraordinary maner of reuelation that they might certainely knowe Moyses Helias Question But why did these two rather thē any other of the saintes apere Surely that reasō ought to satisfie vs to say that the lawe the Prophetes had no other scope or ende then Christe For it was a great aide helpe to our faythe the Christe came not forth without testimony but was cōmēded of God long before B. Therfore in Moyses the lawe and in Helias the Prophetes are represented M. For althoughe Helias left nothinge writtē behinde him yet notwithstanding after Moyses he was the chiefe excelled all men He restored the polluted law of God to perfectiō yea he was an excellent meintainer setter forth of true godlynes pietie whiche was then almost extinguished C. The talk therfore of Moyses Helias with Christ is the agrement of the lawe and Prophetes with Christe For it behoued the Apostels to be confirmed perswaded that it was no newe doctrine or religion which Christe preached vnto thē but the same wherof the lawe and prophetes beare witnes for excepte they had ben perswaded in this that Christ did not teache any thing contrary to the law and prophets they had euer doubted neither had they ben able with a constante minde to preache the Gospell We haue therfore here a notable seale of our faith when we know that the doctrine of christ is not newely sprong vp as some imagine but of long cōtinuance Talking vvith them A. Onely Luke sheweth for what cause they talked with Christ in these wordes That appered in the maiestie and spake of his departinge whiche he should ende at Hierusalem M. He calleth the death of Christe a departinge or a going out namely of this worlde So in
he speaketh to his Apostles in secrete that they afterwardes as we shewed before might be witnesses 18. Beholde vve go vp to Hierosalē and the sonne of man shal be betrayd vnto the chiefe Priestes and vnto the Scribes and they shal condemne him to death Behold vve go vp to Hierusalem M. Here we see howe patiently he beareth the imperfection of his disciples he had twise before shewed them of these thinges and had exhorted them in all poyntes to deny them selues to the sufferance of the crosse and to the folowing of him and although he findeth them as yet carnall and weake yet notwithstanding he doeth not reiecte them or more sharpely reproue them but foretelleth them of that which should shortly come to passe saying And the sonne of man shal be C. Hereby we perceyue that Christ was armed with diuine fortitude to ouercom and vanquish the terrors of death who wittingly and willingly maketh haste to subdue the same For whye doth he take his way no man compelling him to suffer the most shameful death of the crosse but onely because the inuincible power of the spirite did subdue feare and al humain affections A. So he saith in another place The prince of this world cōmeth and hath naught in me But that the world may knowe that I loue the father And as the father gaue me a commaundement euen so do I. B. Therefore hée goeth nowe to take this punishment willingly vpon him which before he oftentimes fled because now his hower was come After this maner all the children of God behaue themselues In all thinges they followe and obey the commaundementes of God they abyde constant and their mindes do not fainte in the workes of God but they rather go forward cherefullye and boldly A. Of the which matter wée haue Paule for an example who when the brethren did beseche that he woulde not go vp to Hierusalem aunswered after this maner What do ye wéepinge and vexinge mine harte I am ready not to be bounde onelye but also to dye at Hierusalem for the name of the Lord Iesu C. The Euangelist Luke addeth sayinge And all thinges shall be fulfilled which were written by the prophetes as concerninge the sonne of man Therefore Christ did not onelye foreshew those things that were at hand but hée addeth also a lesson namelye that those thinges which the Prophets had written must be fulfilled in the sonne of man For this was an excellent remedy to ouercome temptacion to know the very markes and token in the ignominy of the Crosse by the which the Prophetes did signe the promised author of saluation Herevppon also they might knowe that nothinge came by chaunce but that all thinges were certainlye determined and appointed before of god And there is no doubt but that the Lord did also declare out of the Prophets what maner of fruite of his death they should loke for For the Prophets do not onely teach that Christ shall suffer but they adde also the cause namelye that hée might reconcile the world vnto god The Angell brought this fore warninge into the womens mindes after the resurrection when he saide Hée is risen hée is not here Remember how he spake vnto you when hée was yet in Galile sayinge that the sonne of man must be deliuered into the handes of sinfull men and be crucifyed and the thirde daye rise againe And Christ himselfe sayde vnto his Disciples These are the woordes which I spake vnto you while I was with you that all muste néedes be fulfilled which were written of mée in the Lawe of Moyses and in the Prophetes and in the Psalmes 19. And shall deliuer him to the Gentiles to be mocked and to be scourged and to be crucifyed and the thirde day hee shall ryse againe And shall delliuer him to the Gentiles C. In the our sauioure doth more nerelye declare the circumstāces hée setteth forth a more plaine documente and instruction of his deity For as hée was man hee could not coniecture that after hee shoulde be condemned of the hye Priestes and Scribes hée should be deliuered to the Gentiles and be spitted vppon and reprochfullye handeled whipped and at the laste hanged on the Crosse M. And it is well knowen that the Romane power did adiudge him that punishmente and that it did appoint him that death which at that time was moste cruell and ignominious C. Wée must also note that although the Lord knewe the infirmitie of his Disciples yet notwithstandinge hee woulde not hide this greuous stomblinge blocke of offence For there could be nothinge worse at that time to strike and ouerthrow the mindes of the godly than to sée the whole order of the Churche againste Christ yet notwithstandinge hee dooth not spare by deceyuinge their infirmitye but trulye declaringe the matter it selfe hee sheeweth a meane to ouercome temptacion namely that they should certainlye looke for a resurrection for hee addeth And the third daye hee shall ryse againe But because it was necessary for death to go before hee placeth in the meane time their triumphe reioysinge in hope A. Reade the sixtene Chapter goinge before The Euangelist Luke addeth And they vnderstoode none of these thinges and this sayinge was hidden from them and they vnderstoode not what was spoken What this dulnes was not to vnderstand those thinges which were spoken plainly and familliarlye not of no misticall or secrete matter our Sauiour Christ tolde them But it shal be necessarye also also here to repete that which wee spake before namelye that they were kepte in so grosse ignorance because when they had fayned to themselues a ioyful and happy successe they did count it for a greate absurdity that Christ shold dye so opprobrious a death Wherby we gather how greatly a false imaginatiō doth be witch deceiue men Wherefore let vs beware least wee being intangled by any deceites and fayned perswasions doe waxe blinde in the cleare light Wée must also note that although those admonitions did nothinge profite the Apostles at the very instante yet notwithstanding it did profite afterward For all things being finished they began to call to minde these thinges and many other which they had heard before of their maister insomuche that at the lengthe they were not vnprofitable althoughe at the firste they did profite nothinge at all Euen so when wée profite not at the first sight in the woord of God wée must not geue ouer for the woorde maye haue his force in due time Also there are left many infirmities in saints that they may know how that saluation commeth onely from God. 20. Then came to him the mother of Zebedes children with her sonnes worshippinge him and desiringe a certaine thinge of him Then came to him the mother Bu. This historye declareth how corrupt the nature of man is and what flesh seketh in the Gospell or the kingdome of god C. It containeth certainly an euident spectacle of the vanity of mā For it
ceremonys thereof the Lorde woulde haue his people made humble and constrained as it were to craue and seke for his mercy by the which onely saluation happeneth to men 5. All these workes do they for the intente that they maye be sene of men They set abroade their philateries and make large the borders of their garmentes All these vvorkes do they to be sene of men C He saide alitell before that the Scribes taught farre otherwise than they lyued and now he addeth that if they haue any shewe of goodnes it is fayned hipocritical and vaine because they did séeke for nothing els but to please men and to shewe forthe themselues Bu. C The Phariseis therfore did either transgresse the lawe of God openlye or els they so fained dissembled that they might seme honest when as in dede they were otherwise He detected also their ambitiō before as appeareth in the sixte chapter C. But here the painted shewe of their workes which onely serued to ostentation is opposed and set againste the true study of piety and godlines of lyfe For the true and sound worshiper of god shall neuer be geuen to these vaine gloriouse shewes with the which hypocrits are puffed vp So that ambition in the Scribes and Phariseis is not onely reprehended but also when the Lorde had condemned the transgression and contempte of the deuine law in their whole life leaste they shoulde defende themselues with their fained sanctimony as with a buckeler he answereth by occupation that is by a subtil preuenting that they are but friuolouse vaine trifels and not to be accounted of in the whiche they boaste them selues because there raigned among them nothing but mere ostentation They set abroade their Philateries He nameth here one particuler order of their pride by the which such ambition might be easely knowne E. This worde Phylatery is a Gréeke woorde taken of Phylacterion which signifieth a preseruatiue because in them the remembrance of the lawe was kepte Phylacteries also were if S Hierome be to bee credited parchement skinnes in that which the ten commaundementes of the lawe was writtē the which they foulded and ware vppon their heades in maner of a crowne to the ende they might alwayes be sene of men And the same S Hierom witnesseth that this maner and custome continued euen vntill his tyme throughe out all Iudaea Persia Babilon and that he whiche had this thing vppon his heade was counted religiouse But some thinke that this maner was taken out of Moses for he writteth thus Let these wordes whiche I commaunde the be in thy hart c. And thou shalt bynde them for a signe to thy hande and they shal be a remembrance betwene thyne eyes thou shalte writte them also vpon the postes of thy houses and vppon thy dores C. For because fleshe and bloude will easely forget the lawe the Lorde hereby wente aboute to bringe his people in remembrance of him For therefore also such sentences were commanded to be written out of the lawe vppon the postes of their houses that on which syde soeuer they should looke they might by and by beholde some godlye admonition But what did the Scribes Surely they to the ende they mighte differ from the reste of the people caried the commandements of God more beautifullye written on their garments But in this vaine shewe their filthye ambition bewrayed it selfe For they also whiche woulde seme amonge the Scribes and Phariseis to excell the reste in the diligent obseruinge of the law were wonte to make their Philacteries most broade to the ende they mighte haue more sentences of the lawe than others written therein And make large the borders of their gar M. The makinge large of the borders of theire garments and the settinge abroade their Philacteries were done to one ende For the more that they did extende the borders of their garmentes the more religiouse were they counted amonge the superstitiouse and simple As concerninge the borders and gardes of garmentes there is a commaundemente in Moyses where it is saide And the Lorde spake vnto Moyses sayinge Speake vnto the children of Israell and bid thē that they make thē gardes in the quarters of theire garmentes throughoute their generations and put vppon the garde of the quarters a rybande of yellowe silke And the garde shal be vnto to you to looke vppon that ye maye remember all the commaundementes of the Lorde and doe them and be holy vnto to youre god C. Let vs also hereby learne how ready wise men be to mingle vaine toyes with the commaūdementes of GOD that they may couer their vices and wickednes vnder some cooller cloake of vertue when as in dede they wreste the exercises of Godlynes whiche God hath commaunded to their owne hypocrisy There was nothinge more profitable than to exercise all the sences in the meditacion of the lawe neyther was the same also commaunded of the Lorde in vaine But they were so farre frome profitynge in these rudymentes and rules that they placinge perfecte righteousnes in apparel despise the law all their life tyme For the lawe of the Lorde coulde not be more contumeliously decided and contemned than by this that they fayned the same to be kepte by wearinge a maskyng and playing kinde of apparell M. Here also we may take occasion to condemne the superstition of certaine women whiche weare aboute their neckes certaine shorte sentences of the Gospell and the signe of the crosse whē as indede they are altogether ignorante of the force of the Gospell Yea truely the Priestes and monkes thē selues haue followed many triffells lyke vnto these all the whiche thinges are nothinge els but a hawkinge after the estimation of men and therefore they are here seuerely condemned of Christe who specially requireth the integrity of the harte and a minde voyde of all dissimulation 6. And loue the vppermoste seates at feastes and to syt in the chefe place of counsels and gretings in the market and to be called of men Rabbi And loue the vppermost seates M. These thinges do declare what the hypocrites do seke for by their ostentation and bragging The ende of their bragginge is to obtaine glory and praise of men For it is a gloriouse thing in all places to haue the superiority C. But to seke for the vppermoste seates and hyest places pertaineth onely to those who rather desyer to be exalted amonge men than to be allowed of God. At feastes A. For so signifieth the Gréeke word so hath our cōmon English translation but the Lattin texte hath At suppers And to sit in the chefe place of councels M. Or synagoges for so hath the Lattine translation that is to saye Ecclesiastical metings But what of this Is it not lawful for some to sytt in the hyest seates at feastes and counselles Is it not mete that they which excell others in vertue shoulde also haue honour amonge men Yes truely for Christ goeth not aboute to take
Christ therefore in this place went not subtilly about to intreat of all the partes of righteousnes or of their order but hee taughte simplelye so farre as the common capassity of men would beare that the lawe is then kepte when mē deale iustly gently and truly one with another because in so doinge they declare that they loue God that they reuerence him yea they shewe foorth a lawfull and meete testimonye of syncere godlynes not that it is sufficient to do our duty towardes men except first of all God haue his righte geuen vnto him but because it is necessary that he be a true worshipper of Godwhich frameth his life according to his prescript lawe Yet notwithstandinge the obiection is not fully answered for the tenthes which Christ setteth after equity and mercy were a part of the worship of God and some part thereof was wont to be distributed to the poore And so they cōtayned in themselues a double sacrifice Wee aunswere that tenthes are not simplelye compared here with almes deedes fayth and Iudgement but the fayned holines of the Scribes is conferred with sincere perfect loue For why were they so willing and ready to paye their tenthes but only that they mighte please God with the least expence and grefe For they were not so readye to the whole and therefore it ought not to be nombered amonge the duties of loue because they soughte to deceiue both God and men with small trifles of little price These things ought ye to haue done This is a figure in Rhetorique called occupatio by the which Christ preuenteth the cauill of his aduersaries For they might haue cauilled and construed his woordes amisse as though he had made no accompte of that which was written in the law of god Hee graunteth therefore that whatsoeuer God hath commaunded oughte to be kepte and nothing thereof to be omitted but yet that the loue of the whole lawe doth not let men to stand vppon the speciall pointes thereof Wherevpon he gathereth that they do amisse preposterously which busye themselues in the smalest things when as they should rather begin at the greatest matters Christ therefore denyeth it to be his purpose to derogate euen the least thinge from any of the comaundements although hee commende and require an order in the obseruation of the lawe Let therefore the vniuersall lawe abide sound and whole which can be broken in no part without the contempt of the author For he which forbad to commit adultery to kill and to steale the same condemned also all concupiscence Wherby wee gather that all the commaundementes are so linked and knit together that it is not meete to disseauer them one from another Wherefore it is also written Cursed be euery one which doth not those thinges that are written By the which wordes the vniuersall righteousnes of the law is ratifyed withoute exception but this reuerence as wee said before taketh not awaye the difference betwene the commaundements neither yet the scope of the law to the which the true embracers therof directe their minde least they should onelye beare an outwarde shewe B. Therefore the Scribes Phariseis are not blamed of our sauiour Christ because they gaue exactly tyeth of all their fruite for this was meete also to be done but because they dide neglect those greater thinges without the which there coulde no piety at all consist Herevppon certaine do boast that the righte of tithe is confirmed of the Lorde when as wee must put a greater difference betwene those of our time which receiue tithes and those to whom tythes were due by the lawe The whole tribe of Leuy receiued no possessions in the lande of Chanaan because the Lord had appointed the same to the ministery of the tabernacle wherfore he appointed also that tythes should be payed vnto them by the rest of the Isralites as appeareth in Numerye and Deutronomye Therefore so longe as the mynisterye of these men and externall worship of the tabarnacle continued the Isralites ought to haue payed their tithes according to the lawe but the priesthode being remoued the law is remoued also Christ is our hye priest and that in heauenlye thinges to whō it is not nedefull that we geue parte of our oblations and tithes but it is meete that wee offer our selues wholy vnto him for the continuall meditacion of a heauenly life Notwithstāding wee must geue those thinges that are necessary to such as stande in nede of them yea those ministers also are worthye of double honoure which rule well and labour truly in word and doctrine But whether wee do these thinges in geuinge of tythe or by anye other portion of substance with the which the Lorde hath blessed vs it shal be all one before God if so be wee seeke not thereby vaine glorye but geue the same with a pure affection to those that be in neede 24. Ye blinde guides which straine out a gnat and swallow a Camell Yee blinde guides A. Againe he calleth these ypocrites blinde guides to the ende hee might the more moue the people to forsake them For if the blinde lead the blinde both shall fall into the ditche VVhich strayne out a gnat svvallovv C. This is a prouerbiall sentence by the whiche the precise care of ypocrites in small trifles is noted for they are so horribly affrayed at the least offēces as though one only transgressiō should be more sharpe vnto them than a hundred deathes but in the most greuous sinnes they swetelye lull themselues and others a sleepe They do therefore euen as if a man shoulde straine at a small crumme of bread and swallow a whole loafe Wee knowe that a gnat is a small creature and a Camell a huge beast there is nothinge therefore more rydiculous than to strayne in wyne and water least in swallowinge a gnat thou hurte thy Iawes but careleslye to suppe vp a Camell But truly it is euident that ypocrites do this dallye because they lettinge passe Iudgement mercy and faithe are to seuere and strayte in matters of no great importaunce A. Moreouer in this place the participle of the present-tence is put for the indicatiue moode As if hee should say ye are like vnto them who if it chaunce vnto them to haue a gnat fall into their wyne they sucke and strayne in their wyne hardely through theyr lippes teethe least in swallowinge the little gnat they should be strangled in the meane time they do not onelye eate a Camell beinge a monsterous beast but also swallowe hym downe without feare all you Scribes and Phariseis ye ypocrites are like to these I say who will not omit the smallest point of the lawe but those thinges whiche are the waightiest pointes of the Lawe ye altogether neglecte withoute anye pricke of conscience Suche manner of men are they which are diligent abstayners from fleshe obseruers of confession and suche like trifels but in charity in a good conscience they
far it was from true fortitude or godlines Let vs therefore vnderstaÌ„de that Christ condemneth in the person of Peter whatsoeuer men presume to atteÌ„pte of their own braine The which doctrine is specially worthy to be noted For ther is nothing more commen nowe a dayes than to defende that which we do vnder the pretence of zeale As though truely it were no matter whether that thinge which men thinke to be right and good be allowed of God or no whose wysedome is nothing els but mere vanity If wee did perceiue nothing to be amis in the zeale of Peter yet notwithstanding it shoulde become vs to be contente with this one thinge that Christe pronounceth that it pleaseth not him But truelye we do see that he did all that he coulde that Christe mighte be reuoked from his death and that his name mighte be subiecte to perpetuall infamy For in that he resisteth violentlye the Romane capteyne and the soldiers he playeth the parte of a rebell because he resisteth the power ordeyned of god And Christe beinge to muche alreadye hated of the worlde might by this dede haue geuen occasion to haue all the reproches layed on him with the whiche his enemys did falselye oppresse him Againe this was to far out of order to proue his saith with the swerde whiche he coulde not do by worde When he is hereafter called as you shal heare to confesse his fayth hee denyeth and nowe without the commaundement of his master he goeth aboute to make a tumulte Wherefore wee beinge warned by so notable an example let vs learne to moderate oure zeale And because the lasciuiousnes of our fleshe doth presume to enterprise farther than God doth commaunde let vs knowe that our zeale shall haue euell successe so often as wee dare doe anye thynge withoute the warrant of Gods woorde Let therefore obedience be the foundacion of all those thinges that wee take in hande C. Therefore by this reprehension of Peter he confirmeth the commaundement of the lawe by the which priuat persones are forbidden the vse of the swerde And speciallye wee muste note the confirmation of the punishement whiche is here added For euery one vvhich taketh the svverde shal perishe For the punishemente was not appointed at the wyll or minde of men by the whiche they might reuenge their owne bloude but God himselfe seuerally forbiddinge vs murther declared howe dere mankinde is vnto him And this is a perpetuall doctrine and the verye same whiche Moyses writeth in effecte sayinge Whosoeuer sheadeth mannes bloude his bloude shal be shedde First of al therfore Christ will not haue hymselfe to be defended with force of armes because God hathe forbydden to strike in the lawe And this is a general reason but by and by he sheweth a speciall reason But here a question maye be moued whether it be lawfull at no tyme with violence to resiste wronge Question For althoughe Peter rose againste wycked and abhominable theues yet notwithstandynge he his condemned because he tooke the swerde if in this dede the exception of honeste defence and moderate woulde not serue Christe semeth to binde the handes of all menne and to take from them the swerde in the lyke caces Wee answere that firste of all we must distinguishe betwene the ciuile lawe and the lawe of conscience for if a man resiste a thefe because the lawes do arme him and geue him power againste a commen eneny of mankinde he shal not be subiecte to punishmeÌ„t and so as often as defence is opposed or sette againste vniust violence the punishmeÌ„t doth cease which the Lorde hath coÌ„manded the Iudges of the earth to execute But the simple goodnes of the cause doth not absolue the coÌ„science from giltines excepte there be ioyned with it a pure affection Therefore whosoeuer wil rightly lawfully defeÌ„de him self he must first of all put of the ferneÌ„cy of anger hatred desyer of reuenge and all the euell motions of the minde that the defence may haue nothing in it that is troblesome or proceding from a wycked desyer Because this is a rare thinge and neuer almoste hearde of Christe doth not without iuste consideration call his Disciples to a generall rule For whosoeuer passeth the boundes of his callinge although he be commended of the worlde shall neuertheles haue blame at Godes handes for his dede Moreouer by this place certeyne mad men very foolishely go about to take away the swerde froÌ„ iudges affirminge it not to be lawfull to strike with the swerde We graunt that certainly to be true because it is lawfull for no man to take the swerde at his pleasure and so to be the author of murther but wee deny that magistrates whiche are the ministers of God by whome hee exerciseth is iudgement should be counted as the commen and vulgar sorte are and so to haue no difference Moreouer by these woordes of Christe this power is plainelye committed vnto them For seinge he pronounceth that all murtherers muste be executed with the swerde it followeth that the swerde is committed into the handes of iudges that they may take vengeance vppon al vniust murthers It commeth to passe truely some times that meâ—…ne whiche are shedders of bloude are punished by other meanes yet notwithstanding this is the ordinarye meane by the whiche the Lorde woulde haue the crueltye of the wycked brideled leaste they shoulde rage at their pleasure vnpunished But and if the Magistrate be negligent in this parte God him selfe will execute this iudgemente whiche he had committed to the Magistrate And nowe wheras certaine Canonistes were so impudente that they durste affirme the Swerde not to be taken from Peter but that he receiued a CommauÌ„dement to kéepe it secrete vntil the time conueniente to drawe it foorthe came Hereby wée perceiue howe grossely these dogges haue dallied with the Woorde of God. 53. Thinkeste thou that I cannot nowe praie to my Father and he shall geue me more theÌ„ twelue Legions of Angels Thinkest thou that I cannot novve praie G. Nowe followeth that speciall reason of the whiche wée made mention a litle before For Christe admonishethe that he coulde haue a farre better kinde of defence and more lawefull at hande if it were not that he muste obeye his Fathers will For this is the summe seinge he was appointed by the eternall pourpose of God to be a Sacrifice and because the same was declared also be testimonie of Scripture it was not méete to impugne or resist the same And thus the rashenesse of Peter is condemned by an other circumstance because he wente not onely about to frustrate the heauenly Decrée but also to stoppe the waye of mannes Redemption Peter did not only vnlawfully lifte vp the Swerde but also foolishe and madde were the Disciples in that they being a fewe weake durste withstande a bande of Souldiers and greate multitude Therefore the Lorde to the ende he mighte more euidently reproue theire folie putteth this comparison that if
away our sinnes For thus muste it be We must adde somewhat to make this more plaine thus Howe then shal the Scriptures be fulfilled whiche testifie that this shall come to passe and that it muste néedes be fulfilled A. For the Scripture cannot be loused Whereupon the Lorde after his Resurrection said Was it not méete that Christe shoulde suffer these thinges and then enter into his glorye And a little before he saide Theise are the woordes whiche I spake vnto you while I was yet with you that al muste néedes be fulfilled whiche were written of me in the Lawe of Moses and in the Prophetes in the Psalmes C. But althoughe Christe teacheth only here that he must patiently suffer his Deathe because it is declared in the Scriptures that it muste néedes be so yet notwithstandinge the vse of thys Doctrine is more generall namely that the Scripture is fete to bridle and tame the lasciuiousnesse of the Fleashe because to this ende God doothe shewe vnto vs what doth please him that he mighte kéepe vs in the obedience of his will. Therefore S. Paule attributethe these partes as proper to the Scripture namely to bringe vs patience and consolation in aduersity that we might haue hope By the woordes of Luke it shoulde séeme that Christe more shortely reproued his Disciples sayinge Suffer yee thus farre forthe but notwithstanding here he dothe sharpely inueighe agaynst theire bouldnesse because they wente aboute a damnable déede howebeit he doth therewith put theim in hope of pardon if thei forsaking their wicked rashnesse burst out no further The Euangeliste Luke also addeth And when he had touched his eare he healed him Peter as we saide before by his foolishe rashe zeale mighte haue broughte dishonour and perpetuall infamie to Christe and his Doctrine And there is no doubt but that Sathan by his subtiltye wente aboute to bringe euerlastinge reproche to the Gospell as thoughe Christe had vsed the feloweshippe of quarrellers and raysers of tumulte to alter the state of thinges This therfore séemeth to be the cause why Christe healed the Wounde whiche Peter hadde geeuen to Malchus But the enimies were blind and insensible myraculously which were nothing moued by the sighte of so woonderfull a Myracle Notwithstandinge it is lesse marueile that they did not behoulde the power of Christe in an other man when they beinge caste to the grounde with his voice ceased not to forsake theire madnesse Thys is that Spirite of madnesse with the whiche Sathan dothe bereue and bewitche the sences of those which are his when they are blinded of the Lorde But specially in the Seruaunte whiche was healed we haue a notable example of ingratitude for he was not helped by the diuine power of Christe to tourne from his wickednes and repent neither was he conuerted by the benifite of an enimy to becomme a Disciple Foolishelye doo certaine Monkes interprete this place sayinge that he was healed also in mind leste the woorke of Christ shoulde be imperfite as thoughe in déede the goodnesse of God dothe not daily extende it selfe euen to those that are vnwoorthy thereof A. Doo we not reade that Christe healed tenne Leapers with his woorde of the whiche tenne there was but onely one that retourned to geue thankes and the same was a Samaritane 55. In the same houre saide Iesus vnto the multitude yee be comme out as it were vnto a theefe with Swordes and Staues for to take me I sate daily with you teachinge in the Temple and yee tooke me not In the same houre C. Christ here compareth theire handlinge of him to the catchinge of a théefe whiche beinge boulde desperate cannot be taken of one man Bu. By the which he declareth that these wicked ones doo vnto him great and manifest iniury which vpon spite and mere enuie came to take him with such greate preparatiō for this is the meaning of his woordes What néede had you to come againste me with suche greate force of weapons as thoughe some théefe should be taken For ye inuade me as if I were a théefe and a disturber of the peace C. But trewely I alwayes walked amongeste you as a naked man without weapon in peace and quietnesse when I taughte in the Temple ye might easily haue taken me without any souldiers M. Hereby we learne that it is the part of a Christian man howe so euer hee be prepared to the Crosse to declare his innocencie when he seeth that the same is craftily accused I sat daily vvith you teaching Hereby it appeareth that they did vse to sitte teachinge in those dayes I was saithe he daily conuersante in the Temple not with an hoste or bande of men but teachinge I haue geuen you no occasion of this matter Note this worde Daily and consider how he was alwaies occupied in teachinge his Fathers will. In the daie tyme he taught in the Temple and in the night he went to Mounte Oliuet And yee tooke me not M. The Euangelist Luke hathe And yee stretched foorthe no handes againste me Christe saithe not here And ye wente not about to take mee but And yee tooke mee not For they had oftentimes gonne about to take him but his houre was not then comme And behoulde howe priuily he puttethe them in minde of that déede whereof S. Iohn makethe mention in the 44. verse of the foresaide chapter The Seruauntes of the Hye Priestes were sent to take the Lorde in the Temple They founde hym teachinge they hearde him and beinge amazed wente their waie Being asked of the priestes whye they had not broughte him they made answeare Neuer man spake as this man dothe The very same therefore when they came to take Christe are very well admonished of this déede As if he shoulde saye Why did ye not take me in the Temple Yee hearde me were amazed in so muche that ye thoughte it not meete to laye handes on me can I not nowe also escape if I woulde C. And althoughe he dothe complaine of their malice because they did violentlye comme vppon hym as vpon a seditious man yet notwithstāding he doth againe pricke theire conscience because a Traytour beinge their guide they comme not but with feare and many signes of distruste 56. But al this is done that the Scriptures of the Prophetes mighte be fulfilled Then al the Disciples forsooke him fled But al this is done that the Scriptures C. Marke Luke séeme to write somewhat otherwise For that whiche Mathewe reciteth in hys owne personne Marke semeth to attribute vnto Christ A. For there Christe séemeth to speake thus I was daily with you teaching in the Temple and ye tooke me not But al these thinges are donne that the Scriptures mighte be fulfilled C. The Euangeliste Luke also vseth other wordes then doo either of the other twoo for hee hathe But this is euen your very houre and the power of darkenesse Notwithstanding the pourpose of the Holy Ghost is sure and certaine
haste sayde Then Iudas vvhich M. Wee sée here the wonderfull impudency of Iudas which doth not only dissemble the wycked dede but also with a brasen face offereth himselfe and denyeth the dede Because all the reste had demaunded of Christe and sayde Is it I leastâ—… he shoulde seme to be gyltye he bursteth forth also in lyke maner saying â–ª Master is it I He doth not aske this question to knowe the truethe neither because he was soâ—…y as the reste were but leaste he should be had in suspicion of the reste if he shoulde holde his peaâ—…e C. Althoughe wee see often tymes those that are gilty in conscience to tremble for feare yet notwithstanding they are so wrapped in feare in brutishe sencelesnes and in blindenes that that they boldelye stande to the denyall but at the length they secretlye bewraye their mischiefe Euen so Iudas hauinge his owne conscience accusing him could not kepe silence so cruellye did that tormenter within his breste disquiete hym with feare and care Thou haste saide Christ by his answere crossely reprhending the boldenes of Iudas stirreth him vp to consider his wicked facte whiche he sought to hide M. As if he shoulde saye I say not that thou goest about to betray me I do not reueale thy wickednes but thou thy selfe sayst it Take hede therefore what thou doeste Beholde here the wonderful mekenes of Christe he dothe not chyde him he casteth not his benefits in his teeth he driueth him not froÌ„ the communion of the table he holdeth him contented that he hathe striken his conscience and that he hath well prouided for the faith of the reste in shewinge that these thinges happened vnto hym accordinge to the Scriptures C. But nowe the minde of Iudas beinge possessed with deuelishe madnes he coulde not conceyue any suche meaninge Moreouer let vs learne by this example that the wycked in excusing their sinne do nothing els but bring the iudgement of God more spedely vppon them selues M After these thinges Saint Luke addeth that he sayd thus I haue inwardly desiered to eate this Paseouer with you before that I suffer For I saye vnto you henceforth I wil not eate of it any more vntill it be fulfilled in the kyngedome of god And he tooke the cup and gaue thankes and sayde Take this and deuide it amonge you For I saye vnto you I will not drinke of the frute of the vyne vntill the kyngdome of God come A. The which sentence we will expouÌ„de in the .29 verse followinge M. But Mathew hitherto declareth that Christ was not ignorant of the counsell and purpose of his betrayer of the which he maketh mencion not with a disdainefull minde neither to the ende he mighte bewray the wyckednes of Iudas or contende with him but hee rather did it to fortify the reste of his Disciples Of the whiche thinge truely this is an euident argument that he leauinge the trayter commendeth and instituteth to his Disciples the proffite memory of his death by the sacrament of his body and bloud Before the whichh institution it is euident that he did and spake these things by the wordes of Luke before rehersed by the whiche he declared that the Paseouer of the Iewes was not onely a remeÌ„brance of the deliueraÌ„ce out of Egipt but also a type of the deliueraÌ„ce to come which euen nowe was ready to be fulfilled weereof he himselfe shoulde the author C. But because Luke maketh meÌ„cion that Christe tooke the cup twyse in his hande wee muste firste of all se whether it be a repetition for sometimes the Euangelist do repeate one thing twise or whether Christe after he had tasted of the cup did the lyke againe the seconde time Surelye it is like that he tasted of the cup twyse For we knowe that the solemne rite of supping in the sacrifyces was obserued of the holy fathers where uppon it is writen I will receiue the cup of saluation and will call vppon the name of the lord So that we doubt not but that Christe did syp according to the olde custome in the holy feast the which coulde not otherwise be rightlye accomplished The which thing S. Luke plainly declareth before that he cometh to the narratioÌ„ of the new mistery the order wherof was distinguished from the Paschall lambe This also was done according to the accustomed and solemne vse in that he is expresely sayde to geue thaÌ„kes wheÌ„ he tooke the cuppe For in the beginninge of Supper no doubte he prayed euen as at no time he came to the table without inuocation of God But nowe also again he vsed the same seruice least he should omitte the ceremony whiche we sayde eueen now was annexed to the holy Sypping B. For the good man of the house if he had a domestical sacrifice began firste if it were the sacrifice of the whole people or multitude the kyng began firste Christe truelye woulde not despise that commen maner or custome For there was nothing mixed in the Paseouer of superstition Thankes therefore being geuen for the solemne assemblye he set before them the cup that euerye one might taste or syppe therof in doing wherof they declared that they woulde geue thaÌ„kes with the same minde eueÌ„ as if they should haue sayde Amen This Ceremony was nothing els than a testimony of agréement Nowe let vs come vnto the Supper for that fyrste sypping was only a geuing of thankes 26. VVhen they were eating Iesus tooke bread and when he had geuen thankes he breake it and gaue it to the Disciples and sayde take eate this is my body VVhen they vvere eating C. These woordes are not so to be vnderstoode as though this newe far more excellent supper were ioyned to the Paseouer but rather that the firste supper was then ended The whiche thing also is more plainelye expressed of S. Luke when he saith that Christe after supper tooke the cupe and gaue it For it had ben an absurde thing that one the selfe same mistery shoulde be cut of by the distance of time Wherefore there is no doubte but that orderly so soone as he had geueÌ„ bread he gaue the cupe also And that whick S Luke speaketh particulerly of the cup wee extende to the bread also Therfore as they were eatinge Christ tooke bread that he might cal them to the participation of the new supper The geuing of thankes was a certaine preparation and pasing to consider the misterye Thus supper beinge ended they tasted of the holy breade and wyne because firste their security was stirred vp that they might wholely geue them selues to so hye a mistery And reason doth thus require that this euident testimony of life spiritual should haue a difference from the olde shadowe But in that Christe instituted the Sacrament of his body and bloud when supper was ended he mente not thereby to make a law that the faithfull should take their Supper before they celebrated the mistical supper how beit that was the
custome among them of olde time that they shoulde celebrate the Lordes supper froÌ„ yere to yere after meate beinge begon by superstition and inuented by the subtilty of Sathan Iesus tooke breade B. It was the maner in time past amoÌ„g the religiouse and Godlye Iewes that when they sat down at the table the good man of the house or some other whiche sate vpermost at the table shoulde take take bread in his hande and geue the Lord thankes and after that breaking the same in péeces shoulde distribute it vnto the ghestes as out of the hande of the Lord before they had tasted of any other meate At the ende of the feaste they caried about the cup after the same maner This institution was coÌ„mitted vnto the Iewes by the holy fathers before the incarnatioÌ„ of Christe that they might alwayes take meate and drinke before the Lorde euen as it were out of his hande and mighte thereuppon be prouoked to liue wholly vnto God of whome they acknowledged themselues to be so louingly fed nourished As concernynge this institution certeyne men called Thalmudici do dispute vppon this place of Moses When thou haste eaten and filled thy selfe thou shalte blesse the Lorde C. But because this is a humane traditioÌ„ grounded vppon no commaundement of God it nedeth not that we shoulde curiously labor in searchinge out the originall of it But if this ceremony were in vse at that tyme amonge the Iewes Christe did so followe the vsuall maner that he mighte beinge notwithstandinge the mindes of his Disciples to an other thinge in chaunging the vse of the breade to an other ende This truely oughte to stande fyrme withoute controuersy that the figures of the lawe beinge abolished this newe Sacramente was set foorthe of Christe Breade B. It is a solemne and vsual maner amonge al men in matters of greate waight which they finishe and dispatche amonge them selues to deale not by woordes onely but also to ioyne to their woordes externall signes of those matters with which they haue to doe that by those signes they may deliuer that with the hande whiche they offer with their minde speciallye when eyther spiritual thinges muste be deliuered or els those carnall thinges which either are not presente or if they were could not be geuen with the haÌ„de They which geue their faith â—…o deliuer the same not only by wordes but also with the hande euen as we are wonte to doe wheÌ„ we promise effectually to performe the thinge whiche is required of vs Of them which are appointed to sweare not only wordes but also the lifting vp of the handes towarde heauen and the kissing of a booke is required They whiche receiue a kingdome are coÌ„secrated not only by wordes but also by reaching forthe of the Scepter other ceremonis They which sell houses or laÌ„des do deliuer the possessioÌ„ therof either by writing or som other external matter to the byar This custome also is obserued kepte in spirituall exhibitions and deliueris Far as God speaketh and talketh with vs accordinge to oure capascity euen so also hee worketh by external matters deliuering vnto vs inuisible spiritual things by visible and corporal signes visiblely and corporally so much as pertaineth to signes So he confirmeth the couenant and promise made vnto Noe with the signe of the Raynebowe in the cloudes To Abraham hee confirmed his promise by carnall circoncision Afterwarde to the Israelites in the deserte by sprinkeling the bloud of a bullocke Also he offered his presence by the mercy seate of the Arke He appointed the coÌ„secration of priestes and kings by pouring oyle on the heade And our sauior Christ himself gaue inuisible grace by the visible laying one of handes both to childreÌ„ sicke folkes Also he gaue the gyfte of the holy ghost by breathing on his Disciples After this maner therefore the Lord thought good to coÌ„mende vnto vs this his oblatioÌ„ exhibitioÌ„ the suÌ„me of our whole saluatioÌ„ not only by worde neither by baptisme only being the signe of the washing away of our sinnes by him but also added signes of meate drinke that is to say him self whiche is the true heauenly and liuing bread the sustentation foode of eternall life whiche he geueth vnto vs so long as he is liueth in vs But in the institution he chose these twoo signes namely bread wyne whiche were moste coÌ„mon vsuall in the ceremonies of all nations and appointed them to be distributed according to the coÌ„mon solemne order alredy receiued vsed amoÌ„g the people of God because he would both haue religion published and declared to all men also the fulnes amplenes of the spirite to be geuen that it might be mete to take suche signes as should bee bothe fewe and also common and symple For so Baptisme is a signe by the whiche an inuitation and calling to religion and to all religious action was made both amoÌ„g the Iewes also amoÌ„g the GeÌ„tiles Therfore because the tasting of bread and wyne was vsed in sacrifices among all nations also because they were thinges simple and easy to be gotten the Lord did sanctifie theÌ„ and make them a sacrament of his church that thereby he might geue the trewe communion of his body and bloud to those that are his And vvhen hee had geuen thankes C. The Euangelistes Marke Mathewe according to the Lattin translation haue And when he had blessed But seinge in stede thereof we reade in Luke the Greeke woorde Eucharistesai there is no ambiguitie at all in sence And seing they saye that he gaue thankes when he toke the cup they do sufficieÌ„tly interprete the former saying Ridiculous and grosse therfore is the ignoraunce of the Papistes whiche expresse this blessing with the signe of the crosse as though Christe had vsed exorcisme or coniuration But we must kepe that in memory whiche we touched eueÌ„ now namely that this geuing of thankes was ioyned to a spirituall mistery For Christe had not respecte to the common kynde of foode only that the faithfull might be thankefull to God because he susteineth them in this traÌ„sitory life but he had also respecte to the holy action that he might geue thankes vnto God for the eternall redemption of mankinde For if the norishementes whiche go into the bellye ought to moue vs and geue vs occasion to prayse the fatherly goodnes of God howe muche more ought we to be stirred vp and inflamed to this deuty and godly seruice seing that he fedeth our soules spiritually He brake it B. The loaues are thought to be of that forme that they might be conueniently broken as cakes or suche lyke And gaue to his disciples Here by the name of Disciples all godly Christians are vnderstode to whome Christe geueth his body as to his disciples so ofteÌ„ as thei celebrate this holy supper among them selues in the congregation of the faithfull For the priestes only are not vnderstoode by them as