pace vnlesse wee bee led by our God and assured of his goodnesse For our life is like the iourney that the people of Israel made thorough the wildernesse God therfore suffereth vs not to wander in vncerteintie knowing not whether wee were were best to goe or to stand still For wee haue such a declaration of his will as wee can neuer straye except it bee wilfully Whosoeuer seeketh Gods good pleasure shal be taught by him And therefore now adayes wee haue no need of the visible pillar of fire nor of y e cloud that was spred ouer the childreÌ of Israel forsomuch as our Lord sheweth himselfe to bee at hand with vs by another meane and stretcheth out his hand continually ouer vs and the way is wide and open ynough for vs. Now then we haue good cause to be contented And so let vs vnderstand that Moses did not onely speake to the Iewes after all sortes but also that he hath written these thinges for vs that wee also might be confirmed now adayes in the doctrine which we haue of God and not be disobedient vnto him And seeing wee haue neede to be succoured at his hand against Satan and all our aduersaries let vs learne to distrust our owne strength which is none at all and acknowledging our owne wretchednesse let vs resort to him for aide and helpe at our neede And when we haue once gotten hardinesse to marche vnder his banner let vs assure our selues that he will neuer suffer vs to miscarie though we be assailed with neuer so many temptations Wee see what threatening there is now adayes yea euen on all sides wee see how our welfare as to outward seeming is as a pray to our enemies which seeke nothing else but to swallowe vs vp and therewithall wee see also how weake and feeble we be to withstand them and yet for all that let vs not doubt but our Lord fighteth for vs conditionally that wee walke on simply vnder the shadowe of his winges and play not the loose colts ne attempt any thing which he alloweth not And so doing let vs not doubt but he will deliuer vs and stretch out his hand vpon our enemies to vanquishe them and destroy them so as wee shall knowe that he hath a continuall care of vs and that his only desire is to guide and gouerne vs and to continue and increase his graces in vs and to haue vs alwayes in his keeping and protection Nowe let vs kneele downe in the presence of our good God with acknowledgement of our faultes praying him to make vs so to feele them that being ashamed of our selues wee may craue pardon of him and being desirous to be gouerned by his direction seeke nothing but to submit our selues to his yoke more and more till he haue ridde vs quite and cleane of all our fleshly corruptions and imperfections and that we bee come to the full measure of his righteousnesse whereunto it behoueth vs now to tend And so let vs al say Almightie God heauenly father c. On Munday the xxij of April 1555. The eight Sermon vpon the first Chapter 34 Then the Lord heard the voyce of your wordes and was angrie sware saying 35 None of the men of this wicked generation shall see the good land that I haue sworne to giue to their fathers 36 Sauing Caleb the sonne of Iephone who shall see it and I will giue him the ground wherevpon he hath troden and vnto his children bicause he hath followed the Lord throughly 37 Also the Lord was angrie with me for your sakes saying Thou also shalt not goe in thither 38 But Iosua the sonne of Nun which standeth with thee shall goe in thither Strengthen thou him for he shall put Israel in possession thereof 39 Your little children which ye said should be a pray and your sonnes which at this day knowe neither good nor euill shall go in thither and I will giue them the land and they shall possesse it 40 But as for you turne ye backe againe and get ye into the wildernesse by the way of the red sea AFter that Moses hath rehearsed the peoples sinne now he putteth them in remembraunce of the punishment that followed vpon it that they might be better aduised thenceforth not prouoke God to wrath after that fashion For whensoeuer God punisheth men for any offences the same ought to serue them for a warning and other men for an example to beware that they doe no more so True it is that they which had murmured after that sort against God were alreadie dead but yet was it expedient y t their children should haue it printed in their mindes that God had not left such vnbeliefe and disobedience vnpunished And so wee see the intent of Moses Wherefore let vs note that if God haue shewed vs that he cannot away with some offence his intent is that we should thinke vppon it and that the chastisementes which he layeth vpon vs should turne to our profite and that they should serue vs for the time to come so as wee should not looke to haue him to stretch out his hand against vs for it is good for vs to bee taught at other mens cost as the prouerb saieth But wee must marke that Moses rehearseth here briefely the things that are declared more largely in the fourteenth Chapter of the Booke of Nombers where God is so wroth with the people ââm 14.11 that he would haue destroyed them vtterly He saieth there to Moses passe not thou for it I can giue thee a greater and excellenter people than this but as for these wicked folke they must needes bee rooted out I cannot suffer them any more Hereupon Moses maketh intercession for them and saieth Not so Lord for if it should be heard in Egypt that it were so come to passe thy name should be blasphemed the wicked would make a scoffing at it saying bicause God could not performe his promise therfore hath he slaine this people and so hath he beguiled them and betrayed them Lord wilt thou suffer thy name to be slaundred after that sort Thereupon God telleth him that he will not execute his vengeance vpon any other than such as had murmured yet notwithstanding that he would therewithall reserue a seede on whom to perfourme the thing that he had promised to his seruant Abraham By the way y e threate that is conteined here importeth not that God was not determined in his owne purpose what he would doe for if wee should thinke that he altered his mind vpon the aduertisement that Moses gaue him it could by no meanes agree with his nature Should a mortall man haue more discretion and forecast than liuing God No and on the otherside wee knowe that God doeth in no wise chaunge his purpose Neuerthelesse diuers times he vttereth somewhat rough threatnings to driue vs to humble our selues before him and to make vs feele what wee haue deserued God then in telling Moses that
receiue vs into his flocke to be his inheritance that wee may liue vnder his protection and hee setteth the euerlasting lyfe before vs Seeing hee doth all these thinges for vs ought not our heartes to yeeld though they were of stone Seeing that the creatures doe see that the liuing God abaceth himself so farre as to vouchsafe to enter into treatie with theÌ as if he should say Go to let vs see at what poynt wee bee in deede there is an infinite distance betwixt you and mee I might commaunde you what I thinke good without hauing any further to do with you neither are you worthie to come ny me or to haue any acquaintaÌce w t him y t can coÌmaund you what he listeth without making any other protestation than only this This will I haue ye do this is my minde yet for all y t I forbeare mine own right I offer my self to you to be your leader sauiour I am willing to gouern you you shal be as my litle housholde I wil be your king if you will bee contented with my worde and besides this thinke not that my making of my couenant with your fathers was of purpose to gayne any thing at your handes for I haue no neede nor want of any thing and if I had what could yee doe for mee but I seeke your welfare and your saluation and therefore I am here ready to enter into couenaunt w t you and to binde my selfe to you for mine owne part Seing that the liuing God stoopeth so lowe I pray you must wee not needes bee too too vnthankefull if wee yeeld not to humble our selues vnder him and forbeare all pride and statelynesse So then it is not without cause that Moses speaketh here of the couenant that God made with his people to the ende that his goodnesse and grace might bee chiefly knowen And if this tooke place in the time of the Lawe there is much greater reason that it should take place at this day For our Lordes couenanting was not onely with y e Iewes nor for that one time onely but when hee sent his onely sonne then did hee shewe himselfe much more fully to be our father and Sauiour than hee had done afore and hee did it after as sweete and friendly a manner as could be so as it is all one as if hee had euen opened his bowels vnto vs. Seeing then that God hath giuen vs his owne hearte in the person of our Lorde Iesus Christ and we heare how Christ protesteth that hee will not hencefoorth call vs his seruauntes but his friendes Iohn 15.15 because hee hath imparted himselfe vnto vs so familiarly I pray you must not the diuell needes haue bewitched vs if wee bee not moued to yeelde our selues wholy vnto him and to forsake our selues and all our owne affections Therefore wheÌ wee feele any naughtinesse in vs that keepeth vs backe from seruing God if wee finde any slothfulnesse in vs if wee bee fallen too fast a sleepe in this worlde then to waken vs vp and to cause vs to magnify God let vs cal to minde the couenant which our Lord hath made with vs. Now hereupon Moses addeth It was not with your fathers that God made the couenant but with vs euen with vs that are all aliue at this day This sentence may haue a dubble vnderstanding For it may be taken as though Moses made a comparison to shewe the better that the people which liued at that time might haue bin the more inflamed to serue God because they had receiued more grace than their fathers And for the same purpose also doth hee say in Exodus I haue not imparted this name of mine to your fathers Exod. 6.3 God speaking there to Moses telleth him that hee had not manifested himselfe so playnely to be God vnto Abraham Isaak and Iacob as hee did commaund to be done by Moses Hereby hee meaneth that the people ought to be y e more attentiue as now because God reueiled himselfe to them after an vnaccustomed manner And so the meaning of this text might bee that God made not the lyke couenant with our fathers True it is that God spake to his seruantes Abraham Isaak and Iacob and instructed them sufficiently And it is sayd expresly in the eighteenth of Genesis Ge. 18.17.19 Shall I hide from my seruaunt Abraham what I intend to doe vppon Sodom and Gomor No for I know hee will teach his housholde my decrees ordinances iudgementes and lawes Yee see here that Abraham did sufficiently instruct his housholde and that not after a slender fashion but in Gods iudgementes statutes and ordinances so as it must needes bee sayd that hee had Gods lawe well printed in his heart But yet for all that it was a benefit not to be held skorne of when God sent his Lawe to the people in two tables and vouchsafed that there shoulde bee wherewith to instruct them continually and also that the same thinges shoulde bee recorded for vs lykewise The thing therefore which wee may gather vppon this text is this protestation which Moses maketh to the people as if hee should say my friendes consider the benefit which God bestoweth vpon you this day which verily hee bestowed not vppon our fathers For hee gaue not them the lawe in writing as he hath done to vs neither vttered he thinges vnto theÌ by percelmeale True it is that he taught them sufficiently and as much as was requisite for their saluation but behold wee all this day are come a step higher than they were and therfore ought wee to come the neerer vnto him seeing that hee is so come downe vnto vs. That is Moseses meaning if we take the text after the foresayd maner Lykewise might a man say to vs at this day that God hath not delt with our fathers as hee hath dealt with vs. And so meant our Lord Iesus Christ when hee sayd to his disciples Matt. ãâ¦ã Luke ãâ¦ã many kings prophets haue desired to see the things that you see and to heare the thinges that are preached vnto you and yet haue not had their wishe Seeing then that God of his infinite mercie hath vouchsafed to preferre vs before the Patriarkes and prophets according also as it is sayd 1. Pet. 1 1â that the Prophets serued more for our times than for their owne thereby wee ought to learne to resort vnto him to giue our selues wholy to his doctrine Howbeit if all thinges bee well considered although the matter before rehearsed be very profitable and that the same exhortation be oftentimes made in the holy scripture yet if all the woordes be well weyed Moses meant that God made not his couenant with those that had heard the Lawe at the first giuing of it foorth y t is to say not only with them but also with those that outliued them and succeeded in their place after their decease So to bee shorte Moses intended to shewe here that
their condemnation and finde themselues all accursed Therefore they must haue none other refuge but to Gods mercy they must vnderstand that when they haue inforced themselues neuer so much to liue according to Gods Law yet shall God owe them nothing at all neuerthelesse hee will not faile to performe his promise to them euen of his owne mere and freebestowed goodnesse And so ye see how this text is to bee vnderstoode Nowe forasmuch as here is mention made of the Land that was promised to the Iewes let vs marke that we nowadays ought to bee much more prouoked to serue God Iohn 4ââ seeing hee hath dedicated the whole earth to himself wil haue his name to bee called vpon euery where For the bloudshed of our Lord Iesus Christ hath saÌctified the whole world which was then in vncleannesse For we knowe there were no moe lands but this which God reserued to himselfe and wherein he would reigne til the comming of his sonne But when our Lord Iesus Christ was once come then got hee the possession of the whole worlde Psal. â â Mat. ââ â Colos. ââ so as his kingdome was extended from the one side thereof to the other specially at the publishing of the Gospel Seeing it is so let vs marke that we nowadayes are so much the more straitly bounde to serue God because he hath sanctified the whole earth by the precious bloude of his sonne that wee might dwell in it and liue vnder his reigne and beware that we addict our selues vnto him as well as we would that hee should haue vs in his protection and safekeeping Howbeit forasmuch as men are alwayes so ticklish that as I haue saide alreadie they cannot bee bridled ynough to restraine them Moses confirmeth the whole doctrine that hee had vttered heere saying Harken therefore O Israell the Lorde thy God is one God Hee had saide afore Hearken he had saide take heede hee had saide that it behoued them to keepe the law but heere hee confirmeth the whole matter much better by setting downe expresly that the God of Israel is the one God And hereby his meaning is to exclude all the Gods which the world forged to it selfe and to shew that it is not lawfull for vs to conceiue any thing in our owne imagination whereof wee haue not warrant in Gods woord Therefore whereas the God of Israel is called the one God it is all one as if Moses should compare the God that had set foorth his lawe who had also manifested himselfe before to his seruant Abraham and to the Patriarkes with all those whom the worlde weened to be Gods and should set him against them all For in deede God had beene called vpon in all ages and that name was common to the heatheÌ But what for that The Heathen wandered at rouers so as euerie man said I worship God And yet in the meane while what was it they did nothing but dreames and fantasies for when men take vpon them to worship God without knowing him no doubt but they worship idols The Turkes at this day doe say they worship the God that made heauen and earth but yet is it but an idoll which they worship And howe so They name him the maker of heauen and earth and they haue none images That is true but yet for all that they haue but an idoll in stead of God bicause they admit not our Lorde Iesus Christ Col. 1.15 Hebr. 1.3 1. Ioh. 2.23 who is y e liuely image of God his father And we knowe how S. Iohn saieth that he which denieth the sonne denieth the father too Therfore they haue not God but an idoll As much is to be said of the Iewes The Iewes boast of their hauing of the lawe and of their worshipping of the God of Abraham Isaac and Iacob But what for that Rom. 10.4 Col. 2.17 They bee but backsliders and haue renounced Gods lawe for as much as they haue reiected Iesus Christ who is the soule of the law It is he in whom God the father intendeth to manifest himselfe vnto vs It is he whom he will haue to bee worshipped And in that respect he saieth Kisse the sonne whom I send vnto you And againe Psal. 2.12 Ioh. 5.13 he that honoureth not the sonne honoreth not the father that sent him Let vs marke wel then that here Moses meant to compare the God which vttered himself by his word with al the Gods that are honored through the whole world and to shew that in them all there is nothing but mockerie and leasing And why For wee can neuer worship God aright vnlesse we first knowe him And wee must alwayes haue an eye to this saying of Iesus Christ which hee spake to the woman of Samaria Iohn 4.21 yee knowe not what ye worshippe Iesus Christes vsing of such speach is as much as if he shoulde spit at all the worshippings which y e world had set vp in those dayes There was not that nation which boasted not themselues to serue God but Iesus Christ reiecteth quite and cleane the things which meÌ tooke to bee good and holy Ye knowe not what ye worship saieth he Hereby he sheweth that it is expedient for vs to be told of it We must not goe to it at all aduenture but wee must bee sure which is the God whom wee serue And seeing it standeth vs on hand to knowe God if wee will worship him and serue him aright let vs consider from whence this knowledge coÌmeth Groweth it in our owne garden as they say May wee get it by our owne trauell or policie Is it lawfull for euerie man to imagine what he listeth and to say I knowe God No no but God must bee faine to vtter himselfe and to come vnto vs. And so the onely meane to knowe God aright is to be taught by his woorde And that is the cause why he saieth The Lord thy God For this people had receiued the lawe and beside the couenant had bin made with their fathers God had shooled out that flocke from the rest of the world Iustly therefore doeth Moses here bring back the people to the knowledge of God to the ende they shoulde restraine themselues from all the superstitions of the heathen and haue nothing at all to doe with the vnbeleeuers but know that in as much as God had manifested himselfe so familiarly vnto them they had the certaine and infallible trueth Now although this was spoken in the time of the lawe yet doeth it agree better still to vs. For although God gaue the Iewes sufficient warning that they should not haue to doe with the defilings and idolatries of the heatheÌ yet haue wee a much larger light nowe adayes since the comming of our Lorde Iesus Christ. Col. 1.15 Hebr. 1.3 Hee is the liuely image of God his father as I haue sayde alreadie and we may well agree to this saying in the first of Saint Iohn Iohn
we see that y e fathers prayed after this manner Lord looke vpon the countenance of thy Christ or thine anointed But they spake of Dauids successors It is true Howbeit forasmuch as that temporall kingdome was a figure of the kingdome that is prepared for vs in the person of our Lord Iesus Christ y e auncient fathers looked thereat as it were to behold Iesus Christ in a glasse Now then seeing y t the sonne of God is come hath tolde vs y t it is hee to whom we must repayre what excuse wil there be for vs if we roue heere and there and seeke other mediators to resort vnto Is it not a bereauing of Gods sonne of his office Heb. 9.11.12 14. yes for hee is not as was Abraham or as was Dauid and al his linage but hee is the true high priest which hath appeased Gods wrath towardes vs. And hee hath not onely receiued the couenaunt so as he may say that God hath tolde him that hee will accept all such as submit themselues vnto him but he hath also ratified the same couenant with his owne bloud that is the seale which he hath set vnto it Then if men will not bee contented with such confirmation of Gods promises as is made in the person of his sonne is it not a treading of his bloude vnder foote to the vttermost of their power and a striuing to make it of none effect Yes and so we see that this text is so little able to arme the Papists that it doth rather condemne them of vnthankfulnesse before God in that they haue to the vttermost of their power disabled the grace that was brought them by the sonne of God and not considered that Gods adopting of vs was in his hand and by his means who hath accomplished Gods promises in such wise by his bloude as we may assure our selues of them without any doubting Therefore let vs mark wel that whensoeuer we seeke any patrons and aduocats it is an abolishing of the death passion of our Lorde Iesus Christ and therwithall an vtter disanulling of all Gods promises which ought to bee sprinkled with his bloud according as wee see howe it was commaunded in the Lawe Exod. ââ â 8. that the booke should be besprinkled with the bloude of the solemne sacrifice that was to be offered Hebr. â 1â 20. When a sacrifice was to be offred the bloud of it was to be reserued sprinkled vppon the tabernacle vppon the altar and vpon the booke of the Law to doe vs to wit that there is none other meane to assure vs of Gods promises than by the besprinkling of them with the bloude of our Lorde Iesus Christ. For as for such as runne gadding after their owne imaginations saying wee must haue such a patrone and such an aduocate they as much as in them lyeth so drayne and drie vp the bloude of Gods sonne as it may giue no more force to the promises to assure vs of our saluation Furthermore let vs marke that the Papistes haue in all respects defaced y e office of our Lord Iesus Christ. For by their making of the saintes to be their patrons aduocates they haue also made theÌ as good as mediators so as we should obtaine fauour at Gods hand by their meanes They say not onely Lorde heare the prayer of such a one or such a one but also for his prayers sake or for his deserts sake But both these things belong peculiarly to our Lord Iesus Christ. 1. Ioh. ââ â For to seeke to the merits or desertes of men is to stay vpon a crased or broken reede and that is the next way to make vs tumble downe yea and it is as the sliuers of a reede that will also wound vs besides our falling Wherefore let vs vnderstand that in so doing wee forsake the sonne of God and bereaue him of his office Againe as touching prayer and supplication it is true that we ought to pray one for another as long as wee liue vppon the earth and we haue seene the example thereof in Moses yea and wee haue seene it in such wise as sufficeth to shewe vs that our prayers are not vaine nor vnprofitable but that God maketh them auailable and heareth them when wee pray one for another Howbeit that is but while we bee aliue Moreouer if wee fall to seeking of patrones and aduocates vppon our owne heades without any warrant of holy scripture it is too great a despising of God For wee followe not the manner of praying which God hath ordeyned and therefore it is a diuelish malapertnesse for men to presume to enter into the kingdome of heauen there to appoint officers as though God had made them Lord great masters there Nowe then let vs learne that wee must let our Lord Iesus Christ alone with the office of aduocate that hee may be our spokesman for vs giue vs accesse means to be accepted at Gods hand Moreouer we must not imagine any meriting or deseruing in any mortall creature no not euen in the Angels of heaueÌ but we receiue y e meriting of Iesus Christ which thing was not in y e holy Patriarks nor in Dauid nor in any of his successors for God adopted them frely But it was his will that in Iesus Christ our sinnes should bee wyped out and our debts discharged and y t by his obedience righteousnesse shoulde bee purchased vnto vs. Rom. ãâ¦ã That therefore is the thing that wee must resorte vnto Wherefore let vs learne that if the fathers of olde time when they minded to obtaine fauour at Gods hand alledged Abraham Isaac and Iacob and consequently Dauid in his order because he was ordeined to be a figure of our Lord Iesus Christ if this were vsed in the time that things were yet darke wee ought to take good heede that wee swarue not to the right hand nor to the left now that God hath reuealed himselfe fully vnto vs but that we direct our faith to Iesus Christ assuring our selues that for his sake God his father hath adopted vs and liketh well of vs by his meanes and graunteth vs our requestes Besides this forasmuch as y e scripture saith that he is giueÌ vs to be our aduocate 1. Iohn 2.1 that he maketh intercession for vs and that for his sake we may rest vpon Gods mercie Let vs not doubt but he will shewe himselfe fauourable vnto vs. Seeing that the scripture fathereth these thinges vppon Iesus Christ let vs beware that wee rob him not of them and that we play not the Papistes who by their praying to their Hesaincts Shesaints doe well shewe that Iesus Christ sufficeth them not and that because they pretende the name of God they prouoke his vengeance more and more against them We see also howe God hath blinded them giuen them vp to a hellish rage so as they thinke it not ynough to say These are our patrons and aduocates but also
y t our Lord Iesus Christ is the redeemer that hath appeared vnto vs that we be sanctified by the holy Ghost and also y t we can beare record of the maiesty of our God at leastwise according to his vttering of himselfe vnto vs by his holy scriptures Which done then let vs adde y t we beleeue the holy catholike Church and that there is a coÌmunion of Saincts so as there is but one body But yet must God be faine to shewe himselfe to vs to be the almighty that he is y e same which made both heauen earth that he is the same at whose hande we must hope for saluation y t he is able to maintaine his owne glory so as all the thinges y t men haue deuised of their owne braine are but lies That is the first end whereat we must begin And afterward we must agree with the holy patriarks Apostles all the faithfull that haue liued since the worlde began We must haue y t indissoluble band of faith al must come to this point namely that they be grounded vpon the certaine and vnfallible truth As for example The Iewes that came after had the fathers as well as they of whom also they made theÌselues a sheelde but God did vtterly mislike their so doing according to this saying of the prophet Ezechiel ââech â0 18 Walk not after the righteousnes of your forefathers At the first blush here seemeth to be some coÌtrarity For in this same place it is sayd Worship ye the God of your fathers stick to him beware ye change not your religion And there y e prophet Ezechiel sayth contrariwise beware that ye follow not y e deuotion of your fathers Yea verily for there were two sortes of fathers among the Iewes the one was Abraham the holy Patriarkes Prophetes and such as knewe the liuing God serued him in all purenesse those it behoued the Iewes to rule theÌselues by And in y t respect doth Moses say now vnto them beware y t ye turne not away from the God of your fathers but coÌtinue still in their faith Besides this they had other fathers also which were backesliders frowarde and had corrupted the Lawe made a mingle-mangle of it with all the superstitions of the heathen In respect of this it is said beware ye folow not your fathers for they were frowarde false-harted towardes God In the same taking is the world at this day The Papistes alledge their fathers But what Are not the Apostles the true fathers of the christian Church Yes but the papistes will not heare them speake nor any other that haue stablished such order in the Church as God coÌmanded But they haue their bastarde fathers like themselues which being a misbegotteÌ generation they take Monkes old dotterelles for their fathers Againe when they alledge any of the auncient doctors if there be any folly or superstitioÌ in their writings they can skill to cull it out euery whit but as for the good they cast y t a great way off Now then let vs beware of such maner of fathership let vs vse discretioÌ in chosing out y e true fathers let vs put y t in vre which Paul speakes of where he sayth y t all fatherhood dependeth vpon God and vpon our Lord Iesus Christ. Eph. 3.15 Thither say I must we refer our fatherhood if we wil haue good fathers so as God may be the chiefe father of them all they giue record y t they be his sonnes y t they may beget vs by the vncorruptible seede of his word or els there wil be nothing but vtter confusion Thus ye see what we haue to remember vpon that saying Now heretofore Moses addeth further y t the Iewes must not serue God at the first and afterward become cold but y t they must perseuere in it all the time of their life And after y t maner will God be honoured of vs. For he taketh vs not to hyre for certain dayes then to let vs go or to giue vs leaue to depart at the ende of our terme he taketh vs for life death And it is good reason as S. Paul sheweth vs where he sayth y t our Lord Iesus died rose again to reigne both ouer the quicke the dead Rom. 14.9 Though there were none other respect than this were it not ynough Behold y e son of God which bought vs by his death and passion is risen againe immediatly is it not meete then y t we shold giue our selues to him to God his father and y t we should be wholly dedicated vnto him that we should both indeuor to serue him as long as we liue vpon y e earth and also y t our death should be as a sacrifice offering vnto him to shewe ourselues obedient to him in all points Yes therefore let vs marke well y t we must not doe it as it were in a pang as a number of folke do who are very whot in gods seruice for a two or three dayes and afterward their mind is altered their deuotion is quite gone they shew full well y t there was no zeale in theÌ But let vs alwayes beare in mind to serue God as long as we liue And therewithall let vs also bethinke vs of y t which is set downe he ere where Moses speaketh yet againe of the heritage that had bin promised to y e Iewes For seeing that our Lord doth daily put vs in mind of his grace it is good reason y t wee should plucke vp a good corage to honour him gather new strength to say forasmuch as I haue liued out this day in the world haue serued God this morning seeing y t I perceiue he coÌtinueth his goodnes stil towards me yea incre aseth it is it not reason that my zeale mine affection to serue him should be y e more kindled and y t my hope shold not be abated That is the thing which Moses ment in saying Ye shall possesse y e land as long as ye possesse it ye shal haue a faire mirrour before your eyes to shewe you how your God calleth you to him mainteineth you in the possession of the benefit which he hath once bestowed vpon you And therefore let vs marke y t we deserue well to be bereft of the grace y t God shal haue granted vs if we acknowledge it not toward him but for get it apply it to another end than he ment it It hath bin sayde heretofore y t the Iewes should possesse the land Deut. 11.21 as long as y e heauen hung ouer the earth And yet we see how they be put out of it insomuch y t at this day they possesse not any part of it but wander abroad in the world are hunted to fro And what is y e cause therof Surely God had mainteined them in the inheritance which he
from the common order And therefore whosoeuer hath any zeale and affection to serue God must doe that which is commaunded here in seeking the place that God hath appointed that is to say he must not holde skorne of any thing which he hath ordeined for the confirming of our faith That is one point Againe we must alwayes beare in minde that when God vouchsafeth to plant his name amoÌg vs we must not serue him after our owne fashion and after our owne rude manner for his seruice is alwayes spirituall and the thinges that he sheweth vs here beneath must draw vp aloft to heauen And hereby a man may see howe the wretched world hath bin beguiled For y e greatest naunce must bee after such a sort as therewith we must find some further taste of the goodnesse of our God and ioy in him for that hee is our fosterfather of whom we haue our dayly bread as wee professe by asking it at his hande And when we haue taken our repast wee must proceede to take sustenance of y e good things that are prepared for vs in heauen against wee departe out of this worlde that wee may haue some beginning of them afore hande and trauell towardes the attaynement of them dayly more and more That is the thing which Moses ment plainely in this place saying When yee haue offered sacryfice to your GOD yee shall make merry there in his presence For the people were woont to make feastes at their sacrifices And what maner a ones Holy feastes not that God was honoured by their eating and drinking but for that it was a testifying that it behoued them to beare in mind that they were all their life long in Gods sight So as it behoued them not onely to think vppon him at the beginning of the yeere or a three or foure times a yeere when they came to Ierusalem to do sacrifice but also to thinke thus with themselues continually Although wee bee farre off from the Temple so as wee cannot bee there to doe our sacrifices yet doth not our GOD fayle to regarde vs for hee watcheth ouer vs and wee bee in his protection Therefore whensoeuer wee eate or drinke let vs assure our selues that hee seeth vs and we cannot hide our selues out of his sight neither ought wee on the other side to forget him as men commonly doe when they be minded to make merry They friske it out in such sort as if they thought they could get away from him But on the contrary parte Gods will was to doe the people of old time to vnderstand that whensoeuer they did eate and drinke they should thinke that God sawe them Wee in these dayes haue no such Ceremonie of feasting in Ierusalem and in the places neere about the Temple but yet doth the truth thereof continue still to vs which is that we be done to vnderstand y t after we haue beene at the Church and haue mette there together in the name of our God when euery of vs returneth home to his house to dinner we must not let god alone in the Church and take our leaue of him but we must beare in mind that God guideth vs and when we be come home to take our repast euery man by himselfe we must behaue our selues as in the presence of our God our mirth must be after such a sorte as he may bee the witnesse of our gladnesse For we know that if our mirth be vnholy it is cursed of God Therefore let vs learne to beare alwaies in mind that our God is our guide euery where and that he neuer forsaketh vs to the intent that we on our part shold not be as beastes that runne astray That is the thing which wee haue to marke vpon this text The Ceremonie thereof was in force during the time of the Lawe But as for vs nowadayes let vs bee contented with the truth therof learne to vnderstand y t sith our Lord Iesus Christ is come we neede no more any materiall Temples to tell vs that God is with vs. For our Lord Iesus hath not for naught taken to him y e name of Emââuel as the Prophet Esay calleth him that is to say Esa. ãâ¦ã God with vs. And forasmuch as our Lorde Iesus Christ telleth vs y t he wil be with vs continually to y e worldes end let vs not feare but y t God will accept vs for his childreÌ so y t in passing through this transitorie life we haue our eye alwaies vpoÌ him and goe foreward still towards his heauenly kingdom For then wil he make all the rest to be dedicated to his honor so as euen our eating drinking shal be a peece of his seruice he will take it in good worth like well of it so that we do wholly worship him looking to be fed at his hand not onely with this corruptible foode but also with such nourishing foode to himselfward as wee may liue with him the same life that he himselfe liueth Nowe let vs kneele downe in the presence of our good God with acknowledgement of our innumerable faults which we coÌmit dayly against his Maiestie without ceassing praying him to make vs perceiue theÌ better than we haue done and in the meane while to beare with vs vntill he haue rid vs quite cleane from all vices and vnited vs throughly to his righteousnesse And so let vs all say Almightie God heauenly father c. On Munday the vij of October 1555. The Lxxxij Sermon which is the third vpon the twelfth Chapter 8 Yee shall not doe according to all the things that you doe heere this day that is to wit euery man as he thinketh good 9 For as yet you be not come into the resting place and the inheritaunce which the Lord your God giueth you 10 You shall go ouer Iordan and dwell in the land which the Lord your God will make you to inherite And he wil giue you rest from all your enemies round about you and you shall dwell in safetie 11 And when the Lorde your God shall haue chosen a place there to put his name in Ye shall bring thither all that I commaund you that is to wit your burnt offeringes your sacrifices your tenthes your Heaue offringes and all the choise of your vowes which ye shall haue vowed to the Lord. 12 And ye shall make merrie in the sight of the Lord your God both you your selues and your sonnes and daughters your Menseruauntes and your Maide seruauntes and the Leuite also that is within your gates for he hath no part nor inheritance with you 13 Beware that thou offer not thy burnt offeringes in all places which thou seest 14 But in the place which the Lorde will choose in one of thy Tribes There shalt thou offer thy burnt offerings and thither shalt thou bring all the things that I commaund thee ALthough Moses haue treated of this matter heretofore yet is it not without cause that he goeth
speaketh here God had promised to choose a place for his Sanctuary to rest in for euer Now y t thing was to haue bin done as soone as y e Israelites were entred into the land of Canaan yet it was delayed a long time insomuch as there passed a huÌdred yeeres or twaine yea three or four huÌdred before the promise tooke effect And that was bicause the people were not worthy to be so satisfied as God had declared therefore were faine to abide the punishment of their sin For they draue not out their enemies as he had commaunded them but became negligent and besides y t they themselues turned away fell into all maner of vices corruptions That therfore was the cause why God withdrew his hand 2. Sam. 7.10 and performed not his promise till the time of Dauid Neuertheles although y e people were malicious although they were vnthankfull towards God although they prouoked his wrath so many waies to y e vttermost yet could they not vtterly disappoint y t promise altogether The reason was for y t it depended not vpon y t deserts of men Therfore although men be vnworthy of it yet doth God in y e end performe whatsoeuer he saith Yet notwithstanding there is a delay made for a time to the intent that folke should learne to know their own naughtines and mislike of it and be sory for it Wherfore let vs learne hereby that if God at any time do shew himselfe vnwilling to put vs in possession of his benefites out of hand it is bicause that we haue procured the delay of them by our own naughtines But yet shal we not be vtterly bereft of them so we acknowledge our sinnes and be sory for them but in the end he will reach out his hand again to put vs in possession of the benefites wherof we had deserued to be vtterly dispossessed Truly this wil not boot the hypocrites at al but as for gods church although it liue in suspence for a time Yet will our Lord shew in the end that his goodnesse surmounteth all the sinnes of men and that he will not faile to be faithfull though all of vs be lyers Sothly as I said afore we must not vnder this colour flatter our selues For if we be stubborne in euil our Lord wil welynough find the meanes to discharge himselfe of the promise wherof we shal haue beene disappointed But let vs learne to acknowledge our sinnes when we haue acknowledged them let vs learne also to rest vppon the goodnes of our god not doubting but that it is so great and infinite that notw tstanding all the lets which we on our side shal cast in the way of it yet it will so get the vpper hande that in the ende we shall find the welfare from the which we had shut our selues out of doores That is the thing which we haue to remeÌber vpon this text of Moses where he saith that god wold appoint a place euen such a one as he had chosen out from amoÌg all the tribes of Israel where he would haue his name to be called vpon The residue which caÌnot bee declared as now shal be pursued heereafter Now let vs fall downe in the presence of our good god with acknowledgement of our faultes praying him to make vs perceaue them better than we haue done heretofore so as wee may mislike them more more therby be brought back vnto him and that sith wee for our partes bring nothing to him but vtter corruption it may please him to graunt vs the grace so to reforme vs by his word as y e sacrifices which we shall offer vnto him may be made holy by faith and he accept them for our Lord Iesus Christs sake And for as much as we knowe that he requireth spirituall sacrifices let vs call vpon him w t such bouldnes as we may be hard at his hand yeeld him praise for all his benefites bestowed vpon vs and moreouer indeuer to discharge our selues of our dueties euery man towards his neighbor bicause those be the sacrifices which he receiueth aloweth That it may please him to graunt this grace not onely to vs but also to all people and nations of the earth c. On Tewsday the viij of October 1555. The lxxxiij Sermon which is the fourth vpon the twelfth Chapter 12.13.14 And ye shall be merry c. 15 Neuerthelesse looke whatsoeuer thou hast a mind vnto that maist thou kill and eate within any of thy gates according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which hee hath giuen thee as of the fallowe deere or of the Red deere both hee that is cleane and he that is vncleane may eate therof 16 Onely of the bloud shal you not eate but you shal powre it vpon the ground as water 17 Thou maist not eate the tithes of thy Corne of thy wine or of thine oyle within any of thy gates nor yet the first ingendred of thy kine or of thy sheepe nor any of the vowes which thou shalt haue vowed nor the free will offringes or the liftinges vp of thy handes 18 But thou shalt eate those thinges in the presence of the Lorde thy God in the place which the Lorde thy God wil choose to himselfe There shalt thou eate them both thy selfe thy sonne thy daughter thy manseruant thy woman seruant and the Leuite that is within thy gates And thou shalt bee merrie before the Lord thy God in all things wherunto thou puttest thy hande MOses going forewarde still with his matter commaundeth the Iewes here to bee merrie in the presence of the Lorde Now although this lesson haue bin laide foorth alreadie yet is it requisite for vs to bee put in minde of it againe For the treating of it heere newe againe is not for nought neither hath the holy Ghost set down any thing more than needeth as I haue sayde heretofore Men cannot keepe measure in their mirth without some disorder alwayes And the cause therof it y t they haue not an eye vnto God in their making merrie Nay rather which worse is they thinke it is no mirth at all vnlesse they turne their backs vpon him Whereas we should seeke all our welfare in GOD to haue our rest there wee beare our selues in hand that wee be best at ease when we bee furthest from him For this cause God ordeined the sayde Ceremonie of solemne feasting when the folke offered sacrifice vnto him as it were of purpose to put them in remembrance that God was there present and shewed himselfe vnto them Not that the doing thereof once a yeere was a sufficient discharge to them but that euery man ought to make a lesson a generall rule of it that whensoeuer they did eate or drinke they shoulde referre it wholly vnto God 1. Cor. 10.31 accordingly as Saint Paule warneth vs to doe And thereby wee see that y e truth thereof abideth vnto vs though the Ceremonie thereof bee
forbearing for so hath God ordeyned And if any man say it is crueltie let him finde fault with God for it and wee shall see if he can preuaile On the other side if wee may well spit in such mennes faces notwithstanding that they saye that their so doing is to maintaine Gods honor what is to bee doone to such as will needes after a sort deface it quyte and cleane But let vs come backe againe to the matter There is a man that goes about to peruert the trueth thorough fonde deuotion and to turne it into vntrueth the same man ought to dye There is a Royster that casteth forth lewd scoffes against the holy Scripture as doeth that diuelish fellowe which is called Pantagruell and all his filthie and ribauldly writings and this sort of men pretende not to set vp any newe Religion as though they were deluded by their owne foolish imaginations but like madde dogges they belke out their filthinesse against the maiestie of God and their meaning is to ouerthrowe all religion and shoulde such bee spared Why not for they haue the Cardinalles for their vpholders they bee fauoured and maintained by them in so much that the names of these Lord Cardinalles are blazed in those goodly bookes which serue to mocke God as well as Mahomet All is one all may bee abidden so the Cardinalles bee curryed it is welynough and it doth them good to bee so registred whereby a man may see that they not onely mocke at all Religion but also coulde finde in their heartes to abolish all religion quite and cleane But herewithall let vs also see howe wee may apply this to our owne vse for wee must not onely condemne those that haue shewed themselues such as I haue spoken of but wee must also fare the better by their example to the end wee may knowe howe it is too wicked yea and too diuelish a thing that when men go about to make some backeslyding or to set some trouble among vs and much rather to driue away all feare of GOD and bee fauoured or shrowded or harkened vnto or haue any gappe left open to them or be let alone vnpunished it is the next way to vndoe and marre all And yet wee haue seene examples of such as haue maintained so cursed thinges yea and of such importance as the verie Papistes themselues coulde not endure them For it is certaine that the two heretikes that were here did wrest the holy Scriptures much more than the Papistes As touching this Triacle maker who was the first of them hee maintayned free will destroyed Gods election and are those thinges maintained among the Papistes Neuerthelesse wee see how he was fauoured hee was held vp by the chinne as it were in despite of God Againe as touching the seconde we knowe how he was so horrible a blasphemer that al meÌ abhorred his leawde opinions and yet for all that had he not his maintainers and defenders Yes for men shewed them more fauour than if they had beene the neerest of their kin And yet was it not euident that they conspired continually against God and his trueth to wage battel against him Therefore let vs looke neerlyer to our selues to conclude let vs vnderstaÌd that when God hath giuen vs the grace to haue the certeintie of faith so as we be grounded vpoÌ his worde wee must holde vs to it after such a sort that whensoeuer we see any bodie go about to trouble the order which God hath set wee may all set our selues against it and not tary till al agree in one but that whosoeuer of vs doth first perceiue the mischiefe the same doe discouer it out of hande and euery of vs do his duetie in such wise as such plagie persons bee not nourished among vs. For as I haue declared alreadie wee see there is such frailtie in vs that a verie little leauen will sower our whole batche of dowe 1. Cor 5.6 Gal. 5.9 and as soone as wee giue eare to Satans iuggling trickes by and by wee bee ouer-throwen and so intangled that in the ende wee bee carryed quite away from our God and from the true religion God therefore beeing acquainted with our frailtie meant to prouide for it by shewing vs that it behoueth vs to cut vp the wicked weedes out of hand Accordingly also as the Apostle in the Epistle to the Hebrewes sayeth that wee must not suffer any euill weedes to growe Hebr. 12.15 for they will marre the good corne and if the time bee foreslowed it wil bee too late afterwarde Then must wee not driue off till to morowe but euery of vs must quicken and stirre vp himselfe following the exhortation that is made vnto vs heere Moreouer seeing wee bee commaunded to plucke vp whatsoeuer is contrarie to the maiestie of God and whatsoeuer may peruert or put away the true religion let euery of vs see that hee so offer and dedicate himselfe to our God as wee may not thrust one another out of the right way If any man goe about to thrust mee out of the way beholde God commaundeth mee to rise vp against him and though it were mine owne brother my sonne or my wife yet is it sayde that I ought not to spare them Now then if I my selfe thrust others out of the way is it not a farre more heynous crime I shal be taken for an accessarie if I doe but conceale another bodies misbehauiour and I shewe my selfe a traytour to Godwarde Nowe then if I my selfe bee an author of euill howe deepe am I in So then if wee will correct other folkes misdealings so roughly let vs beare in minde that wee must in any wise holde our selues in the feare of God so as in cases concerning his honour wee bee not a stumbling blocke to driue wretched soules to destruction but rather indeuour to gather home the stray sheepe into the flocke to bring back the wanderers into the right way and to maintaine and further such as are in the good way alreadie and all of vs lende our helping handes one to another that wee may goe serue our God with one common accord Nowe let vs kneele downe in the presence of our good God with acknowledgement of our faultes praying him to receiue vs into his fauor and that although wee be wretched sinners and vnworthie to come in his sight yet notwithstanding it may please him to accept of vs and to refourme vs in such wise by his holy spirite as all our life may bee imployed to his glorie and our whole seeking hencefoorth may bee to aduaunce the kingdome of our Lorde Iesus Christ his sonne And so let vs all say Almightie God heauenly father c. On Munday the xxj of October 1555. The Lxxxix Sermon which is the fourth vpon the thirteenth Chapter 12 If thou heare say that in any of the cities which the Lorde thy God giueth thee to dwell in 13 Some wicked men are gone from among
quite backe by these worldly things But let vs marke y t our Lord Iesus Christ hath not only draweÌ vs out of y e gulfe of death but also will haue vs dayly to passe further And forasmuch as we be not quite cleane rid of this bondage of sinne this passing on must continue still What is al our life then It is a continuall holding on to attaine to y e full and perfect freedome which God hath promised to his children And y t is y e cause why I sayd y t it behooued vs to eate the Pascall Lamb euery day For Iesus Christ is not our euerlasting Passouer for y t he is sacrificed euery day but for y t we doe daily take benefit by him for that he maketh y e vertue of his sacrifice continually auailable by his holy spirit Notwithstanding howsoeuer y e case go yet must we still keepe on foreward vntill we bee taken out of this world This doctrine ought to be very common yea and when it is preached euery man will thinke he knowes it wellynough but in the meane while where is y e practise thereof Where is the sayd freeheartednes to shewe by our deedes that our Lord hath broken the bondes of Satan so as we serue not sinne any more Where is y t earnestnes of minde to proceede more more vntil we be gone quite cleane out of the world And yet must we exersice this doctrine put it in vre if we wil be acknowledged for meÌbers of our Lord Iesus Christ. But we cannot haue him to bee our Redeemer except he haue alwayes y e saide title of Passeouer And that is in respect of vs for he hath made his passage by comming downe into the world by reconciling men to God his father 1. Tim. 3.16 by being receiued vp againe into his glorie and Maiestie Therfore there must not be any more chaunge in Iesus Christ. But we on our side must be made perfect in him and as soone as he calleth vs to be of his body we must begin to depart out of y e dungeons of sin from whence we must withdraw our selues euer more more and still trauell to attaine to the heauenly righteousnes To be short let vs note that a Christian may well perceiue whether hee haue profited in the Gospell or no by examining whether hee be withdrawen from the worlde or no and whether he be ready and weldisposed to depart from it as oft as it shall please God to pull him away from it so as his heart be not tyed to it as long as he is heere beneath For looke where our treasure is Matt. 6.21 there is also our heart with it but that seeing Iesus Christ is our full life and felicitie we alwaies tend to himward euer haue our mindes lifted vp on high And let vs marke further that to keepe the passeouer aright at this day it behoueth vs to be vnited together accordingly as we see how God hath giuen a strait commaundement thereof in this place where he saith it is not Lawfull to eate the pascall Lambe in any other of the Cities or towns of the contrey but y t they ought to assemble together to the Temple Which thing I haue told you heeretofore was doone to preserue the religion in his purenes Will we then nowadaies be partakers of our Lord Iesus Christ Let vs agree together that there may be a true brotherhood among vs. For if we bee at ods among our selues like dogs cats Iesus Christ must needes disclaime disauow vs. And therefore let vs not imagine our selues to be vnited to Iesus Christ except there be good agreement and brotherly loue among vs. And wherein must that be We may not conspire together as the wicked doe for they make confederacies and ioyne hands together to make warre against God Cursed be such vnion it behooueth vs to bee farre off from such dealing Nay we must resorte to the temple of God And although we haue not now a material temple as the Iewes had then in Ierusalem for our meeting togither is for common orders sake and not after the manner of the Iewes who had a place certaine appointed out to theÌ although say I we haue not the like figure yet must we walke as in the presence of our God Eph. 4.13 â Iohn 17.11 we must be ruled by his word we must haue one melody of faith to praise God as it were with one mouth we must shew our selues truly to be al one in him Thus ye see how wee must be gathered together to Gods Church if we will bee partakers of our Lord Iesus Christ. And herein we see y t these scorners which turn away from y e order of y e church exclude theÌselues from al hope of the heauenly life They can say wel ynough y t their intent is to be Christians but yet for al y t inasmuch as they forsake y â vnitie of faith yea euen fight against it by despising all order is it not to be concluded y t they cannot be partakers of the Pascall Lambe at leastwise after y e true maner thereof which we haue nowadaies Let vs marke well then y t to be partakers of our Lord Iesus Christ we must not be only vnited in y e doctrine of y e gospel but we must also make confession of our faith in assembling all togither as though God were present with vs. Matt. ââ 2â And truely we know how it is promised vs y t where two or three are gathered togither in y e name of Iesus Christ he will beare rule there be present among theÌ And therfore let vs haue a diligent regard of resorting vnto Sermons And therwithal let vs vse y e Sacrament of the Lords supper y t we may aske one another what is ment by it For in the xii of Exodus our Lord sheweth vs full well Exod. 1â ââ y t wee must profit in his schoole to be partakers of y e Pascall Lambe If thy sonne aske thee what this act of ours betokeneth Thou shalt answere wee were bondslaues in y e land of Egypt God pitied vs. Thus ye see what we haue to doe at this day not for y e eating of a rosted Lambe but to be made partakers of our Lorde Iesus Christ in spirit and truth Wee must inquire diligently to know y e benefits which our Lord Iesus Christ hath brought vs. And herein is our negligence bewrayed For it is ynough for vs to heare Iesus Christ spoken of yea there are a great sort which haue not the skil to discerne the father from the sonne They know not whether Iesus Christ were sent by God his father or no insomuch y t now then a man shall finde more beastlines in those y t haue their eares dayly beaten w t the Gospel than among y e Papists Nay it is to bee openly seene Why then come we to
so let vs all say Almightie God heauenly father c. On Thursday the vij of Nouember 1555. The XCix. Sermon which is the third vpon the sixteenth Chapter 9 Thou shalt recken seuen weekes from the time that thou biginnest to put the sickle into thy haruest thou shalt begin to recken seuen weekes 10 Afterward thou shalt keepe the feast of weekes to the Lord thy God with a freewill offering of thy handes which thou shalt giue as the Lord thy God shall haue blessed thee 11 And thou shalt reioyce before the face of the Lorde thy God both thou and thy sonne and thy daughter thy Manseruaunt and thy Maid seruaunt and the Leuite which is within thy gates and the straunger the fatherlesse and the widowe which are among you in the place which the Lord thy God will choose to set his name in 12 And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondseruant in Egypt and thou shalt keepe and do these ordinances MOses teacheth heere of the seconde great solemnitie which was kepte yearely among the Iewes and that was to giue God thankes after the gathering of their haruest And this day was named Pentecost that is to say fiftie dayes because there were seuen weekes betweene Easter and that so as there were nine and fortie dayes betweene those feastes whereunto one being added for the feastday it selfe made fiftie And the Greeke worde signifieth the same thing but the Hebrewes called it the feast of weekes and all commeth to one thing Thus then we see now what this feast wherof Moses speaketh here that is to wit a meane to put them in minde to honor God for sending his benefites to the sustenance of man And this concerned all manner of fruites of the earth Howebeit vnder one kinde all the rest were coÌprehended as if God had exhorted his people to confesse that all good thinges come of him The summe then is that we must acknowledge not onely that God hath set vs in this worlde but also that he sheweth himselfe continually to be a fosterfather and that he mainteyneth vs and that he maketh the earth to yeelde fruite to finde vs withall and at a worde that we liue by his meere liberalitie True it is that this ought to be done at all times of our life howbeit by reason of mens grossenesse it was requisite that there shoulde bee yearely a feast kepte vppon some one certaine day of the yeare Moreouer as I haue tolde you alreadie the feastes of the Iewes serued not only for the benefites that God had bestowed vppon them alreadie but also for a seruice And so to be short Gods wil was that the Iewes should giue him thankes one day in the yeare y t therby they might be prouoked to acknowledge all their life after that they were susteyned at his hande so as they should neuer take anie repast but that they shoulde thinke thus with themselues wee haue offered sacrifice to God after haruest whereby wee were put in minde that it is hee which hath sent vs our sustenance Therefore are we hypocrites if we thinke not vppon his goodnesse dayly or if wee turne not to him as often as we eate or drinke to acknowledge him to bee the author of al welfare So then this solemne protestation made once a yere was not a discharge for men to forget God all the rest of the time but rather a meane to make them thinke Goe too we haue kept here a solemne feast for one day that it might be a schooling to vs all the yeare after that if wee haue any thing wherewith to susteyne our selues it is Gods doeing who hath had pitie on vs. But nowe the ceremonie of this feast is no longer in vse and yet the trueth thereof abideth with vs still And so wee receiue good and profitable instructioÌ by y e doctrine therof by reason wherof it cannot be thought to be needlesse and y t it was written alonly for the Iewes For it was Gods will that men shoulde bee taught by it euen to the worldes end and that they should be put in minde not to swallowe vp Gods benefites into our paunches without thinking vppon him but rather that wee shoulde bee ledde to giue him thankes as oft as we either eate or drinke so that whensoeuer we take any repast we may consider howe it is hee that giueth it vs first opening the heauen to giue moysture and foyzon to the earth and afterward giuing power to the earth to beare fruite and finallie blesseth the Corne when it is sprung vp that it may prosper to yeeld foode vnto vs. Seeing then that we perceiue al these things let vs haue regard to benefite our selues by them True it is as I haue touched afore that we must not haue anie one day certaine in the yeare as the Iewes had neither ought wee also to bee as young children If a man alleadge for his excuse that if hee doe not his duetie let him not vse his reward giuen him as a little childe hath it will not serue to excuse him Folke doe not vse to giue a young childe his breakefast till hee haue prayed vnto God because hee hath not the wit and discretion to doe it vnlesse he bee compelled to it by some certaine order Nowe then if an olde fellowe of the age of thirtie or fortie yeares eate his meate without praying to God he deserueth not to bee beaten with a rodde but to bee driuen away and to bee abhorred as a swine And if hee alleadge I haue no rule as is giuen to young children what is that to the matter Hast thou not discretion enough to do so much of thy selfe Hast thou liued so long in the world and doest thou not yet know that thou oughtest to yeelde God thankes for the good which hee doeth vnto thee Col. 4.5 Therefore it is saide that the Iewes were young children in comparison of the Christians for God had giuen them rules according to their infirmities As now although those thinges bee past away in respect of vs yet are wee the more bounde to acknowledge Gods grace in his feeding maintaining of vs. And why The perfecter y t the doctrine is which is imparted to vs in the Gospel the more plainly ought wee to acknowledge the benefites of our God towardes vs. That is the thing which wee haue first to remember out of this text Nowe it is saide That the people shall resorte to Ierusalem to offer freewill offerings God pointeth out these thinges more particularly in the three and twentith of Leuiticus Leui. 23.17 where he sheweth what offeringes were to bee made on the behalfe of the people Howbeit hee speaketh there but of euerie particular person and hee saith Yee shall bring offeringes according to your devotion For although there was a lawe certaine yet behooued it their offeringes to bee made with a free will and not as by compulsion accordingly as it is saide 2. Cor. â 7 that God
himself to vs in his own person of purpose to reigne ouer vs himself to take y e charge of our welfare in establishing his only son in y e office dignity I pray you is it not much better to be vnder y e obedieÌce of our Lord Iesus Christ to haue him to reigne ouer vs as our souereine Lord King than to be Kings Emperors euery one of vs Yes verily So then wee must conclude y t seeing God ordeined Iudges froÌ y e beginning hee sheweth therby y t it is a desirable thing for folk to be gouerned in coÌmon to haue laws to reigne among theÌ y t there be no succession by inheritance but y â euen those which are choseÌ to beare office be bound to yeelde account of their doings haue not absolute libertie to doe what they list or to say I will haue this thing It shal be thus done This did God shew wheÌ he gouerned his owne people by y e hand of Iudges And for the same cause did he vpbrayd blame y e Iewes for requiring a king to be their head to reign ouer them ãâ¦ã .7 It is not thou sayth he to Samuell to whoÌ they haue done this wrong True it is y t thou hast executed my authority in y t thou art of my setting vp but their vnthankefulnes disobedience toucheth me in y t they can not abide y t I shoulde haue the gouerning of theÌ And afterward he addeth wel then let them haue a king But it shal be to their trouble for he shall spoyle their houses take away their sons daughters consume their substance lay taxes tallages vpon them to be short vse them like wretched bondslaues See what they haue wonne by requiring a king And in this text our Lorde sheweth y t as in respect of worldly gouernmeÌt he had chosen y e best state y t could be namely y t the Law should reigne ouer the people therewithal y t there should be Iudges in euery citie a chiefe gouernour ouer all to the intent y t matters might be determined and concluded as was declared yesterday howbeit with this most noble condition which God reserued to himselfe namely that our Lorde Iesus Christ should reigne ouer them For it behoued theÌ to be vnder one head howbeit not simply of a mortall man but of y e sonne of God But forasmuch as y e time was not yet come that such grace shold be shewed it behoued the hope therof to be fedde with some figure And y t was the cause why it was promised by the mouth of Iacob Gen. 49.10 that the scepter should not depart from the tribe of Iuda God did purposely choose out one tribe when he ment to set vp the king he sayd that the reigne of him shoulde be durable vntill the comming of his owne sonne who was the true heire and the very partie to whome the crowne belonged namely our Lord Iesus Christ. Thus haue wee nowe a briefe declaration after what sorte God ment to stablishe a kingdome among his people howebeit that was in respect of our Lorde Iesus Christ. But as in respect of worldly gouernement the best and most desirable state was to haue Iudges that is to say to be in libertie and yet notwithstanding to bee ouerruled by Lawes Nowe thereby we be doone to vnderstande that although all worldely gouernment deserue to be esteemed as a holy thing behoofefull for the maintenaunce of mans state yet notwithstanding when it pleaseth GOD to giue vs a meane kinde of gouernement voyde of tyranny wherein the Magistrates doe rule after such a sort that the Lawes haue their due course the same is a speciall priuiledge and wee ought then to perceiue thereby that God is neere at hand to vs that he pitieth vs as his housholdfolke and as those that are of his flocke his owne heritage Marke that then for one point But therewithall we must marke also that when we shall haue knowen Gods grace in his gouerning of vs in this earthly and transitorie life it is nothing in comparison of the spirituall kingdom of our Lorde Iesus Christ therefore y t we must highly exalt or praise this benefite y t God vouchsafeth to gouerne vs by the hande of his onely son yea and we must esteeme it not onely more than all the libertie of the worlde but also more than al the kingdomes and Empires of y e world But anon this point shal be touched new againe Furthermore let vs marke that God intending to set vp a king did tarry neuerthelesse till the people required one And y t was to put them in a desire that they might not afterward rebell against the king that was to bee set vp For the vnthankefulnesse and malice of the people bewrayed it selfe in that they coulde not finde in their heartes to holde them to the state which God had stablished already And what a thing had it been if he had set vp a Monarchie among them at the first day For it is a farre more tollerable thing for vs to haue gouernours that goe by choyse and election who in executing their office shall knowe themselues to bee subiect to the Lawe than to haue a Prince whose worde must stande for reason and whose childe must inherite though he be neuer so very a babe and consequently obeyed though hee be the willfullest foole or the cruellest person in the worlde Therefore it is a farre more tollerable state to haue Iudges and Gouernours Nowe if the people of Israel could not away with this state but wold needs through a wicked desire seek to haue a king what would they haue done if God had at y e first day saide vnto theÌ I set this or y t house to reigne ouer you it behoueth you to obey the king What murmuring would there haue beene What practising would there haue bin Therfore it was Gods wil to make y e people willing to y e end there might be no occasion of rebelling wheÌ Dauid was to be made king Verily we see what fell out For soothly their requiring of King Saul was through a folish ambitioÌ spyte 1 Sa. 1.5.20 which they bare to their neighbours When they sawe how there were kings in Egypt in EdoÌ in Ammon in Syria in the other CouÌtryes they thought there was no such dignitie statelines amoÌg theÌselues because there was no royall seate among theÌ And therfore they would haue one But see their folly When they had chosen Saul although he vexed theÌ put them to as much hardnes as could be yet notw tstanding they were so wedded to him y t they would needs keepe y e croun to his childreÌ not suffer Dauid to reigne Albeit y t God had declared y t Dauid was the maÌ whoÌ he had choseÌ and y t they had not the authoritie to choose any other to be their king yet
vnto that which is sayde heere Hearken my daughter forget thine owne people and thy kinred and thy fathers house There it is spoken concerning Salomons wife but vnder that figure it is shewed vnto vs howe Gods Church is marryed spiritually to our Lorde Iesus Christ namely vppon condition that shee forget her father and her kinred and all her former trade of life and all the customes of her countrey And I tolde you that this text concerneth the thinges that are contayned heere For why Shee was a woman of a straunge countrye and had beene an ydolater all the tyme of her life and therefore it was sayde vnto her that shee must forget all the tyme past and put her bringing vp out of her remembrance to the end shee might dedicate her selfe to GOD and then the king woulde loue her beautie As if it were sayde that king Salomon ought not to take any pleasure in his wife nor haue any delight or liking in her vntill shee had protested herselfe to bee desirous to bee wholly vnited to Gods people and had separated herselfe from all the abhominations of Egypt And I haue tolde you that herein wee haue a general rule for all men of what kinred or countrey so euer wee bee For why It is the sonne of God that is our true Salomon who contracteth holye wedlocke with his Church and will haue vs to bee as a wife vnto him And to the same ende serueth the preaching of the Gospell as sayeth Saint Paul in the eleuenth Chapter of the seconde Epistle to the Corinthians I must marrye you sayeth hee as chaste virgines vnto Iesus Christ. And therefore let vs marke that whensoeuer the Gospell is preached vnto vs it is all one as if Christ wooed vs to marrye with him after the same manner that men sue vnto women when they woulde match with them in wedlocke And so our Lorde thinkes it not ynough to take vs as his souldiers and seruants but hee will also haue vs to bee incorporated into him and to bee as neere vnto him as the wife is to her husbande But vppon what condition So long as wee continue in our own nature we cannot be ioyned vnto him neither can he take any pleasure in vs and therfore we must forget our owne stocke our kinsfolkes that is to say we must become new creatures For what haue wee so long as we hold of our father AdaÌ or any thing at all that is of man what haue we say I but vtter frowardnesse Wherefore let vs marke well that this figure must serue vs for an instruction at this day namely that whereas vnder the lawe our Lorde willed heathen women to pare their nayles to shaue off the hayre of their heads to put away their former apparell attyre it is all one as if hee shewed vs in a liuely picture that we cannot bee of the body of his Church nor of the housholde of faith nor admitted into his fauour except we bee stripped out of our accustomed apparel that is to say except wee forsake our olde maners trade of life and bee so chaunged as wee may shewe openly that our desire is not to bee wedded any more to our selues but to be gouerned by him to forsake all that we haue of our own nature al y t euer we haue learned by euill custom Now we see how beneficial this lessoÌ is for vs that God spake it not for y e Iewes only but y t he ment to giue vs also a profitable instruction if we can skill to put it wel in vre Now whereas it is sayde that the woman shall bewayle her father and her mother it is not meant that women shoulde be sorie to come to liue after Gods worde but here our Lorde hath done vs to vnderstande that the naturall affections cannot bee mortified at the first chop without some striuing against them as we see too much by experience insomuch that euen after a man hath beene trayned vp in Gods worde although hee bee desirous to behaue him selfe as becommeth him yet shall hee finde great gaynstryuings and contrarieties in himselfe so as hee must be faine to inforce himself And it is not for one day but for all our life long that our lustes and fleshly affections striue against Gods spirite which dwelleth in vs and stirreth vs vp and prouoketh vs vnto good Wherefore let vs marke that whereas our Lorde speaketh heere of sorrowing it is all one as if hee had sayde that although a woman mourne for her kinred and be greeued with her sinfull and corrupt affections yet notwithstanding her lamenting must be after such a sort that in the ende shee thrust them vnder foote and forget them And hereby wee haue to note that our seruing of God must not bee alonely when thinges fall out after our lyking and after our heartes desire so as we bee nothing pinched in the dooing thereof but also euen when wee bee vexed and stoong with our wicked lustes In so much that although it bee harde for vs to frame our selues to the obeying of Gods commaundementes and wee feele it as a bitter medicine yet must wee not therefore bee out of heart For it is much better for vs to weepe in sorrowing for our sinnes and offences and to forsake them than to bee merry and to laugh and in the meane whyle to haue this threat sounding in our ears that our laughter shal bee turned into weeping and gnashing of teeth ãâã â 12 And therefore let vs marke well that heerein our Lorde ment to put vs stil in minde that whatsoeuer infirmities bee in vs yet must they not make our heartes to quayle but wee must still so inforce our selues to amendement as wee may alwayes goe on forwarde howsoeuer wee fare And if Satan cast stoppes in our wayes to make vs retyre or turne head wee must thrust them backe and strayne our selues to ouercome them Although then that we be driuen to mourne as though wee bewayled our kinsfolkes and friends yet must wee still holde out in renouncing worldly things that we may giue ouer our selues vnto our GOD and that Christ may haue the possession of vs quietly and wee faithfully keepe the promise of the sacred spirituall mariage which he contracteth with vs by the Gospel And it is sayde that this must bee done by the space of a moneth during which time the man shall keepe her in his house without touching her yea or without comming at her Hereby wee see that as was sayde at the beginning God in this place did somwhat beare and dispence with the Iewes because they were too greatly giuen to their owne lykings howbeit that was but with a moderation And thereby wee bee taught as I haue touched alreadie at the beginning to eschewe the occasions that might deceiue vs by their intycementes For wee can no sooner open our eyes but Satan hath some meane or other to dasle them in such sorte that hee
vp our selues agaynst the Maiestie of him vnder whome wee ought to bowe Nay wee see that most commonly men make warre against GOD when hee giueth them rest wee shall see both generally and particularly that they which bee at leasure to doe euill doe persecute the Church and torment the poore faythfull ones As soone as GOD giueth them any respite they seeke nothing but occasion to doe hurt and to exercise their crueltie And this is to be seene not onely in the enemies of the Church but also in all others insomuch that both greate and small when GOD hath left vs in rest and wee haue made an ende of warring one against another wee fall to despising of GOD one way or other Let vs not wonder therefore if when a warre is finished it beginne againe immediatly For it is needefull that GOD should deale with vs in such maner otherwise he cannot rule vs. And let vs marke well howe it is sayde heere moreouer That GOD will raise vp a barbarous people against such as woulde not bee obedient vnto him Such is Gods râigning ouer vs that hee desireth to bee as a father vnto vs rather than to bee a dreadfull King or Prince ouer vs. It is true that wee must doe him homage as to our soueraigne Lorde and that wee must behaue our selues as his people in all suâiection and humilitie submitting our selues vnder his obedience but yet therewithall hee doeth the office of a father towarde vs and will bee knowen to bee a father For hee speaketh after an amiable maner insomuch that although his commaundementes be harde vnto vs bicause of our malice and rebellion as concerning the fleshe yet notwithstanding after hee hath declared his will vnto vs hee exhorteth vs he warneth vs he rebuketh vs and all these things hee doeth with such myldenesse as wee must needes shewe our selues to want both witte and reason if wee bee not benefited by the goodnesse hee vseth But will wee not hearken to our GOD when hee speaketh vnto vs in so gentle and gratious a manner Then wil hee talke with vs with maine strokes of halbardes pykes and hagbuts Wee shall there vnderstande nothing the language of them will bee very straunge vnto vs. And wherefore Bycause wee had no eares to heare when GOD spake gratiously vnto vs yea and when hee stooped so lowe as to teache vs lyke little children that are taught their A B C. Go too then let vs vnderstande that when wee bee so deafe against God hee must talke with vs in an other language and hee must stirre vp some barbarous and brasen faced people that haue neyther reuerence reason nor equitie to whom when yee shall pray for pitie and compassion it shall be but in vaine they will giue no eare vnto you you shall goe that way in spite of your beardes And what is the remedie of all these euils Let vs enter let vs enter into our consciences let vs not grynde our teeth at men as wee are wont to doe let vs not striue with them For our combate is not there But let vs vnderstand that God meaneth to chastise vs by men bycause wee haue beene stubbornâ towardes him and would not bee edifyed by his woorde according as his meaning was And therefore let vs benefite our selues by all these warninges and corrections which GOD doeth sende vs. And let vs not abyde till wee feele the knockes but whensoeuer GOD doeth vs the fauour to teach vs at other mens cost let vs receiue profite thereby and when he spareth vs let vs not abuse his patience And for as much as the meane to reconcile vs vnto him is to accept the promise that hee offereth vs in the Gospell let vs imbrace our Lorde Iesus Christ which is our peace Eph. 2.14 to the ende that wee may be entreated after a fatherly sorte at the handes of our God Nowe let vs fall downe before the Maiestie of our good God with acknowledgement of our misdeedes beseeching him to make vs to perceiue them yet better and therewithall to beare with vs in such sort and that his chastisements and corrections may bee so fatherly and measurable towarde vs as wee may bee reduced to the obedience of his righteousnesse and that he will euermore so comfort vs as wee may haue whereof to reioyce in him and to glorifie him for his procuring of our saluation by all meanes And so let vs all say Almightie God heauenly father c. On Thursday the xxvj of March 1556. The CLXI Sermon which is the ninth vpon the eight and twentith Chapter 49.50 The Lord will stirre vp c. 51 The same shall eate the fruite of thy Cattel and the fruite of thy land vntil thou bee rooted out and hee shall leaue thee neither Corne wine nor Oyle nor any fruite of thy Cattel nor of the flocks of thy sheepe vntil he haue brought thee to nought 52 And hee shall besiege thee in all thy Townes vntill hee haue cast downe thy high and strong walles wherein thou dyddest put thy trust throughout all thy lande and hee shall besiege thee in all thy Townes throughout al the lande that the Lord thy God hath giuen thee 53 Thou shalt eate the fruite of thy wombe euen the fleshe of thy sonnes and daughters which the Lorde thy God hath giuen thee in the siege and distresse wherewith thine enemie shall straiten thee 54 In so much that the man which is tender and exceeding daintie among you shall bee grieued to looke vpon his brother and vpon the wife in his bosome and vpon the rest of his children that be left 55 And shall not giue vnto them of the flesh of his children whereof hee himselfe eateth for feare least he should leaue nothing at al for himselfe by reason of the siege and straitnesse wherewith thine enemie shall distresse thee in all thy Cities 56 Yea and the woman that is so tender and nyce among you that shee will not ventâr to set the sole of hir foote vppon the grounde bicause of hir tendernes and nycenesse shall bee grieued to looke vpon the husband that lyeth in hir bosome and vpon hir sonne and vpon hir daughter 57 And vppon the afterbirth which is come out from betwixt hir legges and vpon the babes which shee hath brought forth for shee shall eate them priuily for want of all manner of things in the siege and straitnes wherewith thine enemie shall distresse thee in thy Cities 58 If thou doe not keepe and perfourme all the wordes of this Law which be written in this booke and feare this glorious and dreadfull name of the Lorde thy God WEe must remember what was touched yesterday and also what Moses doeth still continue to speake of that is that if men bee rough and cruell vnto vs God doeth stirre them vp thereunto bycause he hath found vs rebellious towardes him And therefore whensoeuer men deale not so myldely with vs as we woulde let vs looke whether we haue answered
woorkes yea or euen of their good thoughtes they deceiue themselues fore God had prepared all those thinges aforehand in his treasures saith S. Paul and now hee hath put them into vs. And why For we be his workmanship it hath pleased him to fashion vs to another vse Thus yee see how men are beaten downe and how God sheweth that hee himselfe alone is to haue the honor of the disposing and preparing of them And so in this text wheras it is sayd It is hee that hath created thee and fashioned thee it is because it is a more excellent gift that is to wit that God prinâeth his marke vppon vs as who shoulde say that wee shoulde bee reckoned for his children so as hee gathereth vs vnto him and maketh vs in effect new creatures by reason whereof our sinne becommeth the more heynous if wee deface the same againe and fall to wallowing of our selues againe in the filth and vncleanesse of this worlde as who woulde say it greeued vs that God had not made vs brute beastes at such time as he tooke vs to be his children And therefore we haue to marke what the words import which Moses vseth here For his meaning is to shewe that this people was the leawdest and most detestable that coulde be imagined because they had forgotten such gratious benefites as coulde not be sufficiently commended And looke what is sayd of the Iewes agreeth fiâty to vs lykewise namely that we must not forget Gods graces We in these dayes haue receiued no lesse than the fathers that were vnder the Lawe For wee haue the very pledge it selfe which the Iewes had not that is to wit our Lorde Iesus Christ. He is the onely sonne of God and is come down to vs from the bosome of the father Hee hath yeelded vs recorde of our adoption the gate of paradise is now opened vnto vs wee may now not onely call vppon God as our father but also call vnto him with full mouth so as wee may cry Abba father Rom. 8.15 for that is the worde which Saint Paul vseth expresly Seeing then that God hath discouered himselfe more fully to vs than to the fathers that liued vnder the Lawe Surely our fault will be the more grieuous and lesse excusable if we yeelde so poore a recompence as is spoken of here Againe hath he not purchased vs to himself If he possessed the people of olde time because he brought them out of the land of Egypt let vs see how much more he hath done now for vs than for them True it is that Gods redeeming of the Iewes was by the power of the death and passion of our Lorde Iesus Christ but that thing was not yet declared vnto them they had but the figures and shadowes thereof But as now we see that the bloud of our Lorde Iesus Christ hath bin shed for our redemption and for the purchase of our saluation And shall we now go trample vnder our feet the holy bloud wherby the couenant of the spirituall kinred which God hath entered into with vs is ratifyed and confirmed And as touching the Law how doth the Apostle speake of it in the Epistle to the Hebrewes As many saith he as violated the tabernacle that was made by Moses Hebr. 2.2 were not spared their fauât was vnpardonable and what shal become of vs nowadayes Is not our leawdnesse much more shamefull Therefore let vs beare now in minde that we be Gods precious possession to the intent we giue not our selues ouer to Satan Moreouer let vs vnderstand after what manner he hath created and fashioned vs and let vs not refuse that grace but sith he hath voutsafed to reforme vs let vs not steine our selues with reproche by going about to deface the image workmanship which he hath put into vs. Howbeit forasmuch as men doe by al meanes possible pleade ignorance to the intent they might not come to account before God nor be conuicted or touched for their euill doings Moses addeth Aske of thy fathers and they will teach thee what thou hast bin Inquire of all thine Elders and call to minde the time that is past Here Moses meant to spurne forward the slothfulnesse of the Iewes because they did wilfully bury the grace of God and tooke pleasure in the not minding of them Now although he spake this to the Iewes yet notwithstanding forasmuch as the same vice is common ordinarie through the whole world and that we be too much atteinted therewith it staÌdeth vs in hand to thinke that the holy ghost directeth the lyke accusation to vs nowadayes For after what sorte doe we call Gods benefites to our mind Do we bethink vs of them euening morning Nay there is none of vs all which shutteth not his eyes against them as much as he can To be short nothing grieueth vs worse nothing troubleth vs more thaÌ to be bound vnto God And yet is that the thing wherein all our happinesse consisteth For it is not with him as with mortall men If we be ouermuch bound to a creature we wil be as it were ashamed of it I am so much in such a mans debt say wee y t I wot not how to requite it But if we consider how liberal God hath bin to vs it is a meane to confirme vs still the more in faith to make vs the bolder to repayre stil vnto him for he is the fountain that neuer dryeth Thinke we that God can euer bee diminished in his grace or in any goodnes Nay And yet notwithstanding our naughtinesse is such y t when God hath bestowed neuer so great graces and benefites vpon vs insomuch that we be as good as ouerwhelmed with theÌ al our seeking is to put them out of remembrance let vs marke wel therefore that Moses hath not without cause blamed the Iewes and that we nowadayes haue need to bee blamed after the same manner and to be pricked foreward lyke Oxen and Asses As concerning the Iewes he sayd Bethinke thee of the olde time call to minde the dayes that are past As if he should say How now ye wretches Must God giue you wit and memorie and yet you not consider what he hath done heretofore The wit of an Oxe or of an Asse extendeth no further than to the thinges y t are present but men haue reason to consider of thinges past and of thinges to come For wee haue a certaine foresight of thinges to come we make comparison of things past experieÌce sheweth vs how to dispose things in our selues Now if we apply not all this to consider how God hath euer gouerned vs and how he hath shewed himselfe a father towardes vs shall we not be guiltie of peruerting the whole order of nature So then not without cause doth Moses say Bethinke thee of the old time And afterward he sayth Thou hast witnesses enowe Inquire of thy Fathers inquire of al those that haue liued afore thee they wil tel thee
lyes and deceites Yet haue they prouoked mee with them sayeth he and nowe will I also haue my reuenge for I will prouoke them by a people which is not a people and by a nation which is not a nation that is to say which are not esteemed to be of any reputation I will then take to me such folke as are nowe of no estimation and set them in the same degree of honour wherein these thankelesse folke were before which haue so abused the fatherly loue that I bare towardes them This thing came not to passe out of hande but was then accomplished when the Gospell was spredde through out the whole worlde True it is that in part God gaue some tokens of these thinges aforehande in exalting the Assyrians and Chaldees aboue those which boasted themselues to be the holy ofspring and y e kingly priesthoode Exod. 19.6 but yet was not this definitiue sentence performed to the full vntill the comming of our Lorde Iesus Christ. God I say shewed partly some signe heereof aforehande at such time as the people of Israell were scattered brought to desolation carried away into strange countryes and there kept as banished wretches without order vnder the slauerie of cruell tyrannie For euen then did GOD beginne aforehande to make them perceiue that his threatning of them to prouoke them by a people which was no people was not in vaine For first the Assyrians and afterwarde the Chaldees hadde the honour to reigne ouer the children of Abraham Ioh. 8.33.34 which vaunted themselues to be at libertie but they were bondeslaues of sinne And forasmuch as they had withdrawen themselues from the obedience of GOD it was good reason that they shoulde be vnder the bondage of Tyrans GOD then gaue a certaine signe of fauour to those that hadde beene vnbeleeuers when hee magnified the heathen so much euen as though hee had beene minded to disanull the promise which he had made to those which had earst boasted themselues to bee his people and had purposed to put them to vtter shame Yet notwithstanding the Chaldees and Assyrians did not so reigne ouer the children of GOD that they could preiudice their saluation Neither could the Syrians doe it nor any of all the other nations that troubled them as wee see in the time of the Iudges which inuaded the Lande of Chanaan and brought the children of Israell vnder tribute and subiection For euen then although the children of Israell were oppressed and cast downe as it were and thrust vnder foote and their neighbours which were heathen and Infidelles had their full scope yet notwithstanding Gods adoption abode still in the linage of Abraham and the case of those that reigned ouer them was neuer a whit the better for it because they ceased not to serue their ydolles still But when the Gospell was preached openly to the worlde then did we succeede in the place of those which hadde beene heires of the promise afore accordingly as Saint Paule likeneth vs to wilde slips which are graffed into a good stocke ãâã 10.19 euen so is it with vs. For we be but thinges borne out of time if wee bee compared with the Iewes who were after a sorte the naturall children of God Howbeit forasmuch as GOD had promised Abraham that he would be the sauiour of his ofspring the same belonged to all such as were descended of him ãâã 3.25 accordingly also as Saint Peter telleth them You be the children of the prophetes and heires of the promise as who shoulde say that saluation belonged to them euen by true and lawefull succession but when as they did cutte off themselues from it by their owne vnthankefulnesse then did GOD call vs vnto him True it is that if the Iewes had receiued our Lorde Iesus Christ yet had the doctrine of the Gospel bin spredde abroade neuerthelesse throughout the worlde and so shoulde wee haue beene ioyned and knit together in one But forasmuch as the Iewes conueyed themselues out of the housholde and Church of God and imbraced not the grace which was offered vnto them their roome became emptie and so wee entred thereinto insomuch as GOD hath nowe banished them to the intent to make as it were a new house And therefore S. Paul applyeth this text to his owne time ãâã 10.19 For hee sayeth that as then the Iewes had too greatly prouoked Gods iealozie by their ydolatries and that God was faine to raise vp a people which was no people or a nation which was not reputed as a Nation which thing was done to make them the more ashamed of their despising of the benefit which had beene profered vnto them Truely the Iewes had not at that time any outwarde ydolatry When Iesus Christ came into the world the Temple of Ierusalem was not defiled with any ydolles sacrifices were made there according to the Lawe of Moses and yet for all that there was nothing but contempt of God wickednesse it was a piteous case to see the great number of grosse superstitions and all the purenesse of the Lawe was corrupted Let vs marke well therefore y t men are counted ydolaters not only when they haue puppets of stone of wood or of peinters worke but also when they sticke not to the pure simplicitie of Gods word but mingle their owne superstitions with the doctrine of saluation ouershooting theÌselues and turning away to al euil After that manner was GOD prouoked to iealozie by the Iewes but specially by their refusing of Iesus Christ who is the image of the father For whosoeuer hath not the sonne sayth Saint Iohn hath not the father Col. 1.15 1. Iohn 2.23 Col. 1.19 29. And why Because the whole fulnesse of the Godheade dwelleth in our Lorde Iesus Christ. Seeing then that the Iewes despised the onely sonne who was the image of the father seeing they would not accept him which was ordained to be souereigne king and of whom also it is sayde in the Psalme Kisse the sonne Psal. 2.12 whereby men are commaunded to doe him homage and to kneele downe vnto him as it is sayde in other textes seeing that the Iewes haue so refused Iesus Christ seeing they haue so giuen ouer the true Religion they haue made themselues vtter strangers to the liuing GOD which had chosen and adopted them To bee short if we take not Iesus Christ for our GOD surely wee haue nothing else but an ydoll As for example the Turkes at this day doe make greate bragges that they worshippe the GOD which created heauen and earth What is their God He is but an ydoll The Iewes can well ynough say our meaning is to serue the God which gaue vs his Lawe by the hande of Moses and spake by the prophetes Their God is but an ydol And why For the Godheade which is in Iesus Christ is vnknowen vnto them But it is sayde that the whole fulnesse of the Godheade dwelleth in him Col. 2.9
depriued of a man whose match we shall not finde againe And why Because God reserueth that to himselfe to giue the greater glorie to his grace That is the thing which we haue to note in the first place and it serueth to teach vs that wee should not be abashed Notwithstanding if our Lorde do sometimes diminish his gratious giftes towardes vs let it not cast vs in despayre For why It ought to content vs that our Lorde is liberall And againe we haue seene already that he ceased not to haue a care of his people though Moses did farre surmount Iosua and had not his equall or match Not that Gods intent was to magnifie Moses as in respect of his person but to the end that the Law should be receiued with y e greater reuerence and the people knowe that Moses was sent of God And God also meant to giue some confirmation to the doctrine of the Lawe to the intent to print the same the better in the heartes of the Iewes and specially the excellent deliueraunce that had bin wrought by Moses For we see howe all the other prophetes also do beate about that marke when they rebuke the people for their vnthankefulnesse Ier. 2.6 elswhere When they blame them for their vngodlinesse they set before them their deliueraunce out of Egypt for it was a deede worthy of eternall memory To the intent therefore that the people might bee the better prouoked thereunto it is sayde that Moses was the excellentest of all men And therewithal the people were to be helde in obedience to the Lawe vntill the comming of our Lorde Iesus Christ. And that shal be the conclusion in one worde Although God raysed vp great prophetes after the decease of Moses yea and such as speake more loftily that he as in Esay we see a doctrin which at the first sight seemeth more stately thaÌ the doctrine that is contained in Moses yet notwithstanding it is certaine that Esay was but an expounder of the Lawe and that the thinges which he wrate were but dependentes thereof so as he and all the rest drewe light at the things which had beene taught afore by Moses And therefore as I haue declared already it behoued the people to haue a continuall regarde of the Lawe that was giuen vnto them that they might neuer forget it And although our Lorde had so well prouided for it yet we see how negligent they were â Kings 22. â It is a horrible thing that the Lawe should be lost as we knowe it was found againe in the time of Iosias And yet it was a treasure which God had committed to the custodie of the Priestes there was a tribe chosen to that purpose as who should say keepe yee well the Lawe that it perish not ãâã 11.18 The people as we haue seene heeretofore were warned to haue the lawes written vpon the postes of their houses to write them vppon tables about their beddes to carrie theÌ about vpon their hands and to weare them as bracelettes about their armes Whereas other people haue Iewels to decke them withal you sayth God shall euermore haue my Lawe before our eyes that ye may neuer for goe the remembrance thereof Yet for all this the people forgate it whereby we see howe needefull it was that the authoritie of Moses should bee so magnified to the intent that the Lawe might abide vnimpeached And that is shewed vs by the prophet Malachie where he sayth Malach. 4.4 Remember the Lawe of Moses y t was giuen you in Oreb After that maner speakes Malachie to the people telling them that they should be destitute of prophetes For he was the last from that time foorth to the comming of our Lord Iesus Christ. There was not after him any prophet there was a horrible desolation Notwithstanding to the ende that the people should not fall away and forsake the couenaunt of God Malachie sendeth them backe to the Lawe of Moses as if he should say All the teaching that yee haue had tended to none other end but that yee should abide vnder the Lawe of God And was it of necessitie that Moses should abide in his state for y e doing thereof Iohn 1.17 No the Law was giuen by Moses but we haue grace and trueth by Iesus Christ. Now whereas it is sayde That no prophet was like to Moses who sawe God face to face let vs vnderstande that it is to the end to bring vs to this coÌclusion of S. Iohn Iohn 1.18 That our Lorde Iesus Christ who is the only sonne of God is come from the bosom of his father to disclose his secretes vnto vs and to accomplish all the thinges which had beene foretolde by the prophetes and that many kinges and prophetes haue beene desyrous to see and heare the thinges which wee heare and see Luke 10.24 and haue not obteyned it So then let vs vnderstande that Iesus Christ was not simply a prophet 1. Tim. 3.16 but the liuing God himselfe manifested in flesh nature of man to the intent that we should learne to rest wholly vppon him and beare in minde this saying of the Apostle in the beginning of the Epistle to the Hebrewes Hebr. 1.1.2 that God in time past spake many and diuers wayes to our fathers and that now we haue one conclusion of all in that he hath vttered his wil vnto vs by our Lord Iesus Christ. Now let vs fall downe before the maiestie of our good God with acknowledgement of our faultes praying him to make vs so to perceiue them more and more as wee may be sory for them and resort vnto him to be rid of them by him and that in the mean season he beare with vs of his infinite goodnesse vntill such time as hee haue fully renued vs. And so let vs all say Almighty God heauenly father c. FINIS Heere ende the Sermons which were made vpon the fifth booke of Moses called Deuteronomie by M. Iohn Caluin minister of Gods word in the Church of Geneua and were gathered by Dyonis Raguenier borne in Bar standing vpon the riuer Seine Translated out of French into English by Arthur Golding A TABLE OF ALL AND SINGVLAR THE DOCTRINES OF MASTER IOHN CALVIN deliuered in his tvvo hundred sermons vpon Deuteronomie Gathered and laid together orderlie by the letter in the forme of a Concordance by ABRAHAM FLEMING A Aaron AAron blameworthie for that he withstoode not the Israelites nor letted them from making their goldeÌ calfe 406. a. 50.60 c. Aaron depriued of the dignitie of the priesthood 424. a. 10 What meanes Aaron vsed to driue the Israelites from making their golden calfe 406. a. 60. b. 50 About what time Aaron died 423. b. 60. 424. a. 10 Aaron withstoode the Israelites about their golden calfe and yet consented looke how 424. b. 50.60 Aaron a figure of our Sauiour Iesus Christ. 424. a. 50.60 Howe Aaron was punished for that he suffered the
bicause it is and euer hath been one of the first and surest groundes of the true religion and is as ye would say a necessary appurtenance to the first commandement For whosoeuer mingleth the worshipping of Images with the seruing of God doth as much as in him lyeth to set forth other gods than the true God And it is a maruelous thing that the world becommeth neuer the wiser for all the great number of punishments which God hath powred out and stil powreth out to warne vs to come to repentance For within these fiftie yeres since which time God of his grace hath set vp the preaching of the gospell in diuers places besides his sufficient smiting of the people of the earth with his roddes in former yeres he hath also made them feele his scourges diuers wayes in punishing their contempt of his holy doctrine Yet notwithstanding we hope that God conditionally that we continue in prayer wil one day shew by more aboundant effect that he hath heard the prayers of his sillie faithfull ones euen in this behalfe and draw the rest of his churches out of the miserable desolation which hath lasted now too long by reason of our sinnes And hereof we haue good hansel in the furtherance that he hath giuen already to the gospell notwithstanding that Satan hath spit out his spite against it on all sides For albeeit that the holy doctrine doe sounde in the eares of the poore people in diuers places the sacraments of Baptisme and of the Lords supper be ministred purely the praises of God do ring shirlely to mens vnderstanding in the psalms and songs and the father is woorshipped in the name of Iesus Christ our hope and the onely aduocate of wretched sinners yet are there a number which hope or at leastwise wish that as the sunne hath been eclipsed this yere so there might be an euerlasting eclips of the preaching of the gospell but by the helpe of God and of our great day sunne Iesus Christ they shal be deceaued And in the meane time while Gods kingdome may inlarge it selfe stil further out here below we pray al such as are desirous to haue the vnderstanding and vse of the doctrine of this godlie booke of Moses to take the paine to reade these present Sermons of the faithfull seruaunt of God Master Iohn Caluin of whom like as the speeche and pen serued the Church as long as he liued whatsoeuer some Balaams bable to the contrarie so we beleeue y t his writings wil by Gods help edifie al men continuallie hereafter Moreouer it were a needles thing to warne men and to pray them to take heede that they make not the Printer to lose the fruite of his labour and his cost which he was faine to be at in the printing of this present worke were it not for the greedie and vnsatiable couetousnesse that reigneth nowadaies in men of that trade by reason whereof diuerse times they ouerrun one another without any honestie or conscience Surelie we had forborne to giue this warning and had leuer to haue let the Printers alone to deale with their owne peculiar cases as they listed among themselues if it were not for one reason which inforceth vs to fall purposelie into that matter which is that in some places they not onelie print againe in such hast the bookes of that excellent teacher Master Iohn Caluin that were erst printed here as it is pitifull to see the workemanship of the imprinting so ill corrected but also moreouer some haue gone so farre as to print in Master Caluins name the vnperfect copies which they haue gotten by peecemeale or stealth where they could come by them We knowe not what they meane by it but surelie they doe wrong both to the author and to the Church of God Yea and they open a gappe which may be dangerous in time to come whensoeuer any man will foyst in bookes stained with wicked doctrine to make them passe foorth vnder the name of a faithful seruant of God as euery man knoweth hath bin done to diuerse ancient doctors of the Church Insomuch that euen S. Paul warneth the Thessalonians to beware of letters Epistles that were made to run abrode in the Churches vnder his name as though he had been the very author of them Truely so long as it shall please our good God to preserue vs the Church wherein he of his grace hath made vs shepeherds it is our duetie to find fault with such as wil needs father any other bookes vpon Caluin than his owne or by their false additions corrupt those which he hath made truelie But yet is it much better to preuent y e danger aforehand to eschew the occasions thereof as neere as may be Wherefore in Gods name we beseech all such as haue any written copies specially of the said authors sermons not yet printed to forbeare the putting of them forth vntil they haue first bin duely conferred with the originals which are here in y e keeping of one of the Deacons And as touching them that are minded to print againe any worke of y e said author that is printed alreadie we pray them to haue regard to the common profit edifying of the Church rather than to the furtherance of their owne peculiar gaine And here withal we commend you all to the grace of God The Lorde Iesus be with you who is of y e seed of Dauid according to the flesh the verie son of the holy virgin Marie the very Christ God blessed for euermore as S. Paul hath expreslie written and so haue we alwayes beleeued do beleeue all of vs. Amen Deare brethren we commend our selues to your prayers From Geneua this moneth of Ianuarie 1567. Your humble brethren the Ministers of Gods word The Deacons and disposers of the goods that are giuen in almes to the poore strangers that are come hither into the citie of Geneua for Gods words sake to all faithfull and true Christians helth and peace from our Lord Iesus FOrasmuch as our good faithfull shepherds the ministers of this church peraduenture fearing to be ouerlong or tedious to their readers do in the end of their preface made to these sermons but as it were glauncing lie touch one point which notwithstanding is of great importance for the poore straungers that are come into this towne to our seeming it would be thought neither amisse nor strange if we for our dueties sake declared the thing somewhat more at large which they spake in one word coÌcerning the printing of the sermons of our late good father M. Iohn Caluin Nowe then for the better vnderstanding of the whole you must consider that from the yere of our Lord 1549 forth on the late M. Dennis Ragueneawe being fled hither gaue himselfe to the gathering of the Sermons word for word which M. Iohn Caluin did ordinarilie make and that with such swiftnes and cunning through the vse of certain notes shapes as few words
suffer our selues to be taught by him all the time of our life let vs be afraide least he execute the vengeance vppon vs which he threatned once to the people of Israell by his Prophet Esay saying that his lawe should be to them as a booke shut vp and sealed Esa. 29.11 so as if it were offered to men of skill they should say the letters are not to be seene there is a scale vpon then I cannot tell what is within it And if it were offered to ignorant and vnlearned men they shoulde answere we be not booke learned we neuer went to schoole we cannot reade Loe how God punisheth all such as walke on in their brutishnesse and wil neuer submit themselues vnto him True it is that God beareth with vs for a time and that as I said afore although we be worthy to be cut of from his house to be bereft of his truth so as he should giue vs vp into Sathans handes to bee blinded with lies and to bee poysoned by him yet notwithstanding our God hauing pitie vppon vs assayeth still to winne vs to himselfe But if we continue still in refusing the good doctrine and become neuer the better for it at the yeares ende than we were at the first day at length this threat must needes light vpon vs namely that we shall take the holy scripture into our hands and haue it preached vnto vs and yet wee shall vnderstande neuer a whitte of it though we be neuer so witty and that when as the vnlearned shall say I wote not what it meaneth it shall also bee as a letter folded vp and fast sealed euen to them that are skilfullest and sharpest witted Wherefore let vs stande in feare of such threatnings and least our light bee turned into darkenesse let vs take holde of the opportunitie which God offereth vs nowadaies that wee may fare the better by his continuall speaking to vs after that sort True it is that the thinges which are conteined here were spoken to the people of Israel and might haue profited them in their time but yet doe they also belong vnto vs at this day and they be as a common treasure whereof God will haue vs to bee partakers For as wee shall see hereafter the Lawe was not onely giuen as a rule whereby to liue well but also grounded vpon the couenaunt which God had made with Abraham and his ofspring And by vertue of that couenant wee are become heires of the heauenly kingdome Gal. 3.29 as sheweth Saint Paul To seeke our saluation wee must resort to the promise that was made to our father Abraham and to bee of the householde of Gods Church and members of our Lorde Iesus Christ we must be of Abraham spirituall linage Hereby then wee see that this doctrine not onely serued till the comming of the sonne of God but also serueth still to our behoofe and shall doe so still to the worlds ende For it is a building that is founded vpon the euerlasting couenant from whence as from the true fountaine thereof our saluation springeth as I said afore Wherefore let vs marke that whensoeuer God shall hencefoorth speake to the Iewes the same is spoken also vnto vs and wee must receiue it in such wise as wee must vnderstande that God hath shed forth his grace through the whole worlde by the comming of his onely sonne and builded vp the heauenly Ierusalem to the ende that we shoulde all be linked together in one holy brotherhood to cal vpoÌ him as our father all with one mouth Sith it is so then let vs vnderstand that it is good reason that wee shoulde giue ouer our selues vnto him and that he should hold vs in awe and enioy vs that like as he hath vouchsafed to giue himselfe vnto vs so we on our side shoulde bee wholly his to yeelde him the duetie which children owe to their father and that when we be negligent and slowe therein we should at least wise be moued with the exhortations that are conteined in this bookeâ and that seeing God calleth vpon vs so-earnestly we shold not stop our eares against him but euerie man awake and one of vs rebuke another Yea and that if we were wise we should nottarie till God quickened vs vp so sharpely but rather preuent him howbeit that we ought to be moued to bee ashamed of our lewdnesse and to returne againe vnto God at leastwise when hee falleth to correcting of vs by thundering out his threatnings against vs and by vpbrayding of vs with our sinnes Thus yee see what wee haue to marke in generall vpon this booke Nowe let vs come to the text that I haue rehearsed afore These are the wordes which Moses spake vnto the people in the wildernesse in the plaine or champion grounds beyong Iordan euen from Horeb vnto the places here before rehearsed Herein we haue to note that God intended to rebuke the people for their not keeping of the lawe which had not onely bin preached to them by mouth but also set downe in writing as if a man should make an instrument or conueyance of some bargaine betweene two parties And God himselfe vouchsafed to ingraue his Lawe at leastwise the ten commaundements in two tables to the intent they might be remembred the better For albeit that the doctrin was cleere ynough of itself god had prouided to preserue it from forgetting yet did not the people receiue it Therefore as nowe he casteth them in the teeth as if it should be saide vnto vs Behold the Gospell of our Lorde Iesus Christ hauing bin preached with such power and maiestie is also left in writing Wee haue had the Gospel preached vnto vs nowe a long time euen the same Gospel which is set downe vnto vs in Bookes Therefore are we too vnexcusable if we cannot tell what God saith to vs there If a man shoulde speake after that maner it were a blaming of vs for our beastlinesse Againe if it shoulde be saide that where as wee were baptised in the name of the sonne of God when we were babes yet wee knowe him not that being come to mans estate we bee so brutish that after so often hearing of Gods truth yet we be still but nouices in it and that we can scarsly tell what it is or at leastwise haue neuer taken any tast of if at al such maner of opening of the gospel vnto vs how it hath bin offered vs of long time after diuers fashions were as a framing of an inditement against vs. So now likewise Moses to witnesse openly to the people that they had shewed themselues too vnthankefull towardes God saieth expressely These are the wordes that I vttered and preached vnto you from time to time not for a day or two but euer since the publishing of the Lawe in the mountaine of Horeb. And because you shewed your selues so ill disposed I haue not ceassed to put you still in remembraunce of the things that you
hope And besides this wee see after what sorte our Lord hath called vs. For he hath not giuen vs such Spyes as were giuen to the people of olde time he hath not giuen vs a doosen persons to report vnto vs what maner a land it is ââoc 1.5 but hee hath sent vs his onely sonne who is faithfull witnesse of the inuisible heritage ãâã 8.11 1. Cor. 15. yea and he hath giueÌ vs good hansel thereof in his rysing againe Wee haue the twelue Apostles which were chosen according to y e nomber of the tribes of Israell they were as good as twelue truÌpetters to make gods voyce heard throughout the whole world And besides them there hath bin a great cloude of witnesses as the Apostle termeth them in the twelfth to the Hebrewes ãâã 12.1 whereby he meaneth that if we were not ouer dull worse than vnthankeful churlish it might well suffice vs to haue such an infinite multitude of witnesses to auow warrant our faith Rom. 4.35 Now then let vs learne that if we fight vnder Iesus Christ who hath told vs that sin is ouercome by his death and passion the bondes of death are broken to the intent to set vs free Col. 3.2 it becommeth vs now to looke vp to heauen to march on boldly through y e world forasmuch as he being risen againe sheweth vs that the possession of righteousnesse and lyfe is assured vnto vs because the power of his spirit is vttered therein Rom. 1.4 Seeing we haue such a confirmation to warrant vs the kingdome of heauen that is promised vnto vs should we be cowardly what excuse wil there be if we play the dastards and nice cockneyes But to the end we may obey our God and not prouoke his mouth let vs fal to strengthening of our selues in him For what caused this wretched people to turne away so from his calling Euen their considering of their enemies force according to their owne nature and their forgetting of God and his power in the meane while Let vs learne then to make such account of the strength of our God as that wee may by the power of his spirite gette the vpper hand in all incounters that hee bringeth vs vnto for hee will not haue vs to be idle in this present lyfe Hee coulde well enough set vs in quiet at the first instant so as wee shoulde not be troubled any maner a way nor the worlde make warre against vs nor we be tempted at all by our owne fleshe and that Satan should bee far of from vs. God I say could well maintaine vs in ease at the first instant but he intendeth to trye our patience for he will haue vs to be men of warre Wherefore let vs on our side fight yea let vs fight lustily and if our enemies bee too strong for vs as wee finde that they be in deed let vs flee for refuge to the helpe that our Lorde hath promised vs and wee shall ouercome all lets if wee fight in the strength of God But yet let vs marke that wee must fight vnto death and not dye once onely but haue death present dayly For what else is a Christen mans lyfe than an indeuoring to renounce the worlde and all his owne affections And therefore looke how many good thoughtes wee haue so manie are the deathes of our owne froward nature so as it is not possible for vs to serue God one day but we must dy a hundred yea and a thousand times I saye wee must dye by beating downe the sinfulnesse of our owne nature for wee bee full of vices So then let vs marke well that God is so farre of from making account of Liuer-hearted seruants that delight in ease commoditie and pleasure that hee will not onely haue vs to fight but also to be readye to dye and to put the doctrine in vre which I come now to touch that is to say to bee chaunged and renued euerye minute of an houre Moreouer let vs note also y t lyke as our Lord Iesus Christ was buryed after hee had bin crucified and suffered y e reproch of his death so must we be buryed too For it is not enough for vs to dye one day and no more as some doe which haue good braydes so as ye would thinke them ready to forsake themselues vtterly and there appeareth great willingnes in them to renounce the world but suddenly they will needes fall to resting there and they can no skill of entering into the graue But we must holde out in it so as when wee haue once learned to dye with Christ and to crucifie our olde man as S. Paul termeth it to the Romans we must also be ready to goe into the graue Rom. 6.6 Rom. 4.6 that is to say all that euer is in vs as in respect of the world and of our owne fleshe must be vtterly abolished and wee our selues become nothing To be shorte wee must desire nothing but to haue our lyfe hidden with Christ Col. 3.3 as sayth Saint Paul to the Colossians yea and to haue it hidden til his comming againe But in any wise let vs beware that wee be not vnthankefull for we shall neuer take courage but by considering the inestimable worthynesse of y e good things whereunto God hath called vs. And therefore when we heare that the people considered not Gods bringing of them out of the land of Egypt let not vs followe that trace for it were the next way to put vs out of hart So then we shall neuer make anie account at all of Gods benefites which wee haue receiued alreadie and which he shall haue made vs to feele except we haue our eye alwayes fast set vppon the promised land that is to wit vppon the euerlasting lyfe And therefore on the one part wee must oftentimes bethinke vs of Gods benefites and call to minde his goodnesse and mercie towardes vs which we haue felt But that is not all that we haue to doe when wee haue once considered how God hath shewed himselfe to be our redeemer how he hath taken vs out of the horrible blindnesse wherein we were how he hath inlightened vs with the brightnesse of his Gospel and how he hath done vs so many good turnes euen in respect of our bodies as we ought well to vnderstand that he hath shewed himselfe a father and sauiour towardes vs but specially when we haue throughly weyed or rather worshipped the goodnes which he hath shewed vs in all the spiritual benefites y t we haue receiued at his hand for they be the excellentest we also ought to esteeme them more than al the bodily things that we could haue had at his hand wheÌ we haue once considered all these thinges then must we also bethinke our selues whereunto it is that God calleth vs that is to wit to the kingdome of heauen Therefore we must alwayes haue our countenance as it were set fast vppon the
heauenly lyfe and looke thitherward so as all our wittes all our desires and all our indeuors tend thither For if we haue not an eye to the kingdome of heauen wee must needes shrinke at euery incounter euery minute of an houre Thus then ye see what wee haue to doe in that case And moreouer to the intent our hartes quaile not as Moses sayth here let vs indeuer to strengthen our selues with the power of the holy ghost and consider that as it is sayd by the prophet Esay Esa. 35. ââ Heb. 1â and alledged by the Apostle in the Epistle to the Hebrewes the Gospel hath this propertie and nature with it that when wee feele our knees weake and trembling when our armes are feeble and after a sort broosed and broken and when we be hemmed in on all sides with impediments that hinder vs from following our vocation it maketh vs to resorte to Gods word which ought to strengthen vs and to make our armes and legges sound and lustie againe and specially to strengthen vs in our hearts and mindes Now let vs kneele downe in the presence of our good God with acknowledgement of our faultes praying him to make vs feele them better than we haue done so as we may repent vs rightly of them and being ashamed in our selues resorte vnto him assuring our selues that as he hath promised to receiue all wretched sinners that come vnto him vpon trust of his grace by meanes of the death and passion of our Lorde Iesus Christ wee shall be accepted of him and and his wrath pacified towardes vs though wee haue prouoked him neuer so much And let vs pray him not onely that wee may obteyne forgiuenesse of our sinnes past but also to guide vs henceforth by his holy spirite and to drawe vs from all the vanities of the worlde so as he fashion vs according to his owne righteousnesse and make vs feele the fruite of the victorie and triumph that is prepared for vs in heauen That it may please him to graunt this grace not only to vs but also to people nations of y e earth c. On Wednesday the xvij of April 1555. The seuenth Sermon vpon the first Chapter 29 And I sayd vnto you dread not neither be afraide of them 30 The Lord your God which goeth before you will fight for you lyke as hee did with you in Egypt before your eyes 31 And in the wildernesse where thou hast seene how the Lord thy God bare thee euen as a man beareth his sonne in all the way which ye haue gone vntill ye be come vnto this place 32 And yet for all this you haue not beleeued the Lord your God 33 Who to prouide you a place to pitch your tentes in went before you in the way in fyre by night to giue you light in the way that you should goe and in a cloude by day IF hardinesse were well taken it were an excellent vertue worthie of great prayse and exceedingly requisite in al a mans life For if wee be fearefull and haue not a stout courage to doe well it will be an easie matter to cary vs to all naughtinesse But yet for all that the worlde knoweth not how to bee hardie And that is the cause why men are so much giuen to rashnesse so bold ouerbold to adueÌture vpon foolish matches without aduisemeÌt But if we adueÌture vpon things on our own head fancie put not our trust in God it is a building without a foundation Neuerthelesse it is not for vs to looke for Gods helpe furtherfoorth than he hath bound himselfe to it by his promises The way then that we ought to be hardy is that when we haue once sought out Gods will wee obey it simply without attempting any thing at our owne pleasure Be wee once at that poynt wee must examine our owne strength and abilitie and finding nothing but weakenesse there wee must vtterly distrust our selues and resort vnto God And forasmuch as he of his owne free goodnesse vouchsafeth to assure vs that hee will not leaue vs at our neede we must thereupon conclude y t we cannot miscary being vnder his protection Now then wee see that the true hardinesse which God alloweth of is when men trust not to themselues ne leane to their owne wit and reason but yeelde themselues wholy to him that ought to gouerne them and depend vpon his grace for all thinges which they want and thereupon goe foreward stoutly without shrinking or swaruing one way or other And this lesson is shewed vs in the text that I rehearsed euen now out of Moses For there hee exhorteth the people to hardinesse and sheweth them why The Lorde your God sayth he will fight for you As if hee should say If you esteeme your selues the more for your great multitude or thinke to ouercome your enemies by your own power it is but foolish presumption and God wil punish you for being so puffed vp with pride And if ye should attempt any thing without Gods leaue and without hauing his worde for it that also were an ouerweening which should not scape vnpunished But forasmuch as God is on your side and you haue his promise that he will not faile you and you be not come hither but by his leading of you with his owne hand Be not afraid Thus sendeth he them to Gods will to the ende they should not doe any thing which is not lawfull Againe he will haue them to leane altogether to Gods promises and because they could not haue in themselues the thinges that were requisite he will haue them to hope that God will assist them Now this was spoken to the Iewes whom Moses gouerned at that time but yet is it a doctrine whose vse is euerlasting in Gods Church as is sayde afore We haue not the Chananites for our enemies against whome to fight but yet doe wee knowe y t this present life of ours shall not be idle but that God will haue vs kept occupyed lyke men of warre that are waged to battell And who be our enemies Satan with all the shiftes that he hath and all the vnbeleeuers through whom we must passe For here wee be mingled with such as seeke nothing els but the destruction of Gods children wee haue infinite temptations and to be short wee neede neuer to go out of our selues to finde incounters enow for all our lustes and all that springeth of our fleshe is deadly enmitie against GOD as sayth S. Paul to the Romans Rom. 8.7 Seeing then that God hath ordeyned that wee should mainteine battell all our lyfe long and wee haue a greate sorte of enemies yea and those very mightie and strong which neuer cease troubling of vs it behoueth vs to get vs hardines for if we shrink anon we be ouercome Therefore it standeth vs on hand to be armed with inuincible constancie or else if euery of vs followe his owne swindge God wil let vs alone So then are
constancie as they may not swarue any whit at all But before we goe any further we must mark that where as Moses reporteth that God was angrie with him for the peoples sakes hee doth it not to excuse himselfe that he had not done amisse for then should he replie against God who had giuen sentence vpon him Num. ãâ¦ã In the twentith Chapter of the booke of Numbers it is sayde expresly thou shalt not enter into the lande because that thou and Aaron haue not glorified the Lord before the people of Israel So then we see that God chargeth not Moses with the sinne of the people as who shoulde say that he himselfe had beene giltlesse but his meaning is that hee fell not to euill of his owne accorde and mouing but was driuen to it as by a storme when he saw such vprore and hurlyburly among the people that he was at his wits ende and wist not what to doe by meanes whereof he had not a present faith to giue glorie vnto God The intent of Moses then is not to wash his hands as though hee were not blame woorthy at all but to doe the people to vnderstande that the verie mischiefe sprang of them Neuertheles it may be thought straunge howe Moses shoulde offende seeing it appeareth not in all the rehersall of the storie It is saide that the people grudged against God Numb 20.2 because they wanted drinke in the wildernesse saying Had it not beene better for vs that God had killed vs in Egypt Must hee needes bring vs into this drie and barren place that we might die heere for thirst it appeareth well that hee hateth vs and that his intent is to make vs to linger heere in tormentes and in the meane while wee bee past all hope of doing well After this manner did the people murmure On the contrarie part Moses weepeth and resorteth vnto God saying Alas Lorde oughtest thou to haue so sleÌder a reward for thy deliuering of this people through thine owne goodnes as to haue thy holy name blasphemed by them What coulde Moses haue done better than this For he is so farre off from consenting to the wickednesse of the people to bee any companion with them that hee weepeth to see the offence committed against God âsal 9.12 And Dauid likewise sheweth an excellent and wonderfull weldisposed minde in saying that hee wore sackloth for their sakes that blasphemed God Moses did as much It shoulde not seeme then that there is any fault in all this For God commaunded him to take his staffe and to strike vpon a rocke and to make water to come out of it before the people Hee obeyed Wee see not there any replying at al nay we see not that Moses did so much as once doubt Moreouer when hee speaketh to the people ãâã 20.10 hee saith Come on yee rebelles must God bee faine to make water to come out of this rocke which you see nowe so harde and drie Yee see hee rebuketh the people sharpely and a man woulde thinke hee coulde not glorifie God better And yet for all this it is saide vnto him Thou hast not giuen vnto mee the honour that belonged to mee and therefore thou shalt bee banished out of the lande that belonged by inheritance vnto thee And did hee sinne then As I saide afore if we iudge after our owne fancie it will seeme to vs that Moses discharged himselfe well in all pointes so as hee offended not ne had any spot or blemish in him But what for that Heereby wee see that it belongeth onely vnto God to iudge and that wee may bee deceiued at all turnes in following our owne witte and reason Wherefore let vs keepe this rule which is verie needefull that is to wit that wee bee farre vnable to discerne good and euill alwayes by eye sight for as is said in the sixteenth of Saint Luke ãâã 16.5 the thing that is highly esteemed among men shall be abhominable before God When we haue sifted a thing neuer so well and setled all our wittes to vtter it well yet shall it seeme to vs cleane contrarie to that it is indeede Nowe then let vs cast downe our eyes and acknowledge that none but onely God is the competent iudge True it is that wee haue the lawe whereby wee may assuredly say this is good and that is euill and our yeelding vnto that which is shewed vs there is not to make vs iudges for wee take no authoritie to our selues but onely yelde to y e things that God setteth forth And besides this wee must not onely iudge our neighbours doings by the lawe but also examine our owne liues by it And when wee finde our selues to haue swarued from Gods commaundementes we must willingly condemne our selues and allowe no further of our owne doings than they agree with Gods will Although they seeme good to our selues yet let vs not stande vppon that For our eyes are so troubled and weake that oftentimes one sinne escapeth vs and a hundred followe out after it and that is because we be not sharpesighted ynough to spie out the thinges that God perceiueth and which are hid from vs. 1. Cor. 4.4 And that is the cause why saint Paul saieth that although he had walked purely in his office yet was he not iustified for all that For God requireth another manner of perfection than wee can see So then seeing wee haue so weake and dimme a sight let vs learne to referre our selues vnto God and let euerie of vs put that thing in vre in himselfe Psal. 19.13 which is shewed vs by Dauid when he saith Who is he that knoweth his falts Lord forgiue me the euill which I perceiue not We must not onely ask God forgiuenesse of the sinnes that sting vs and whereof we haue proofe in our selues but we must also acknowledge that we haue manie sinnes which wee knowe not of Marke that for one point Furthermore proceeding still herewith let vs not be hastie in iudging to acquite one and to condemne another but let vs reserue vnto God that which is his for as I haue said afore if God had not pronounced that sentence vppon Moses euery man would canonize him and say hee did the best that coulde be deuised But what for that Seeing hee is condemned by the heauenly iudge we must bridle our selues and not fall to incountering against God For wee shall winne nothing by it Rom. 14.10 And for the same cause also S. Paul intending to exhort vs to modestie in the 14. to the Romanes alledgeth that wee must all come before the iudgement seate of our Lorde Iesus Christ where we shall not allowe what we thinke good nor reiect what we mislike in our own fancie for that authoritie belongeth to the onely son of God Seeing it is so my brethren saith he wee must absteine from foolish ouerweening Thus much concerning that which is reported of the sinne of Moses Nowe let vs come
spirite Let vs knowe that And on the contrarie parte when wee see the rebelliousnesse of the worlde and howe men doe rancle against the Gospell and are puffed vp with pride to aduaunce themselues against God let vs consider that they bee looking glasses which God setteth before vs for our instruction and that we also should be in the same taking if God had not pitied our frowardnesse to correct it Neuerthelesse let vs vnderstand that God dalyeth not with vs in sending vs his worde nowe adayes And why For it holdeth men so much the more conuicted inasmuch as they become worse than wilde beastes in that they woulde not by any meanes bee tamed for all his calling of them to him so familiarly by meanes whereof their shame is so much the more discouered so as the worlde knoweth what was hidden within them which coulde not haue bene perceiued otherwise Seeing then that we see this let vs learn to say euer that Gods worde is good and holy and that it shoulde bee the very foode of life if men turned it not to venim and poison through their owne naughtinesse their owne naughtinesse by reason whereof their fault is such as the blame thereof can in no wise be fathered vppon God Now let vs kneele downe in the presence of our good God with acknowledgement of our faults praying him to make vs feele them better yea euen so farre as to bring vs to true repentance that being subdued by his corrections wee may learne to be sorie for our sinnes and for the imperfections y t are in vs vntill he haue throughly clensed vs of them and deliuered vs quite from all the temptations of the flesh and the world And so let vs all say Almightie God heauenly father c. On Munday the vj. of May. 1555. The xiiij Sermon which is the fourth vpon the second Chapter 26.27.28.29 Then sent I messengers c. 30 But Sehon King of Hesebon would not let vs passe for the Lorde thy God had hardened his spirit and made his heart stubborne to the ende to deliuer him into thy hand as it appeareth at this day 31 And the Lorde saide vnto mee beholde I haue begunne to giue Sehon and his land before thee goe to take possession that thou mayest possesse his land 32 And Sehon came out again vs he and all his people to fight in Iasa 33 And the Lorde our God deliuered him before vs and wee smote him and his sonnes and all his people 34 And at the same time wee tooke all his Cities and destroyed the men women and children in them and we left him nothing remaining 35 Sauing the Cattell which we tooke to our selues and the spoyle of the Cities which we tooke 36 From Aroer which is vppon the banke of the Riuer Arnon and the Citie which is vppon the Riuer and vnto Galaad there was not any Citie that could defend it selfe from vs. For the Lord our God had giuen them all into our hands 37 Onely thou shalt not come neere the land of the children of Ammon nor vnto any place of the Riuer Iabok nor vnto the Cities on the hill nor vnto any of all those places which the Lord our God forbad vs. WEe haue seene heretofore howe God being determined to hardeÌ Sehon letted not for all that to cause him to be summoned to the end he shold haue let the children of Israel passe without dooing them harme and without shewing himselfe to be their enemie And therewithall it hath bene shewed that GOD will sende message of peace vnto men yet notwithstanding knoweth that the same shall stand them in no stead but to make them vnexcusable After the same maner the Gospell is preached to a great nomber who notwithstanding doe but become the worse for it and God knoweth right well that no profite shall come thereof but that they shall bee rebellious still Why then doeth hee call them to him To bereaue them of all excuse and to lay open their malice and vngodlinesse For so long as men abide vndiscouered GOD seemeth after a sorte to doe them wrong But when he sendeth them his worde then bewray they themselues what they bee and their vnbeliefe is manifestly prooued And so let vs vnderstand that our Lorde knoweth well what the end of the preaching of his word shall be y â is to wit Cor. 2.16 that it shall become the sauour of death to a great sort but yet will he not ceasse to appoint his worde to bee preached still and that doeth he for good and iust cause namely to the ende that men should bee the more condemned But yet for all this it is the preachers duetie to offer peace vnto all men according also as our Lorde Iesus Christ saith to his Disciples ãâã 10.5 wheresoeuer yee come offer peace and if they that heare you bee vnwoorthie thereof your peace shall returne to you againe As if he should say There shall be no losse at al you shall trie what is in men and the friendlye greeting which you shall beare vnto them shall be as a touchstone to the ende they may not be able to say that God hath not visited them nor had no care of them and so shall they be proued to haue reiected his grace And herewithall wee bee warned to seeke peace with all men as much as in vs lyeth accordingly as it is saide in the Psalme that wee must euen followe after it Psal. 34.15 1. Pet. 3.11 so as it is not ynough for vs to bee friendly and to indeuour to liue without anoying of any bodie and without vexing or troubling any of our neighbours but wee must labour yet further to seeke peace If wee see there bee any vnrulye folke wee must pacifye them as much as is possible If wee see that Satan procureth vs strife and contention wee must labour to remedie them as much as wee can accordingly as our Lorde Iesus Christ requireth of the faithfull not onely that they shoulde bee peaceable themselues but also that they shoulde indeuour to set peace euerywhere That then is one thing which wee ought to doe Rom. 12.18 And therewithall wee must bethinke our selues how S. Paul saieth that wee must seeke peace as much as in vs is And by that saying he comforteth vs. If it so happen that wee can not make men our friendes but y t although they haue no cause to complaine of vs nor can say that wee haue done them any harme or wrong yet they ceasse not to be malicious bitter towards vs we haue wherewith to comfort our selues in y t we haue done the best we can to seeke peace And therefore although wee bee faine to liue among such as seeke all the meanes they can to trouble and vexe vs yet must not wee followe their malice to be like vnto them but wee must alwayes doe our duetie to maintaine peace and friendship Pro 25.22 Ro. 12.20 And if men will not
earthly imaginations euen of our selues and wee nourish superstition in vs of our own nature Now then if we be furthered and thrust foreward vnto euill so as wee finde as it were spurres to pricke vs foreward I pray you shall wee not bee as good as madde Therefore the setting vp of images in Churches is a defiling of them aforehande and can serue to no purpose but to drawe folke from the pure and true knowledge of GOD. Againe to what end doe the Papistes set vp images in Churches Is it to haue knowledge of their Histories No but there standes a sort of puppets with demure countenaunces as it were to summon folke to come to doe them homage insomuch that an image is not so soone set vp in a Church but by and by folke goe and kneele downe to it and do a kinde of worship to it And can a man deuise to teare the Maiestie of our Lorde Iesus Christ and to deface his glorie more than by y e thinges that the Papistes doe Beholde they paint and portray Iesus Christ who as wee knowe is not onely man 1. Tim. 3 Colos. â but also God manifested in the flesh and what a representation is that Hee is Gods eternall sonne in whom dwelleth the fulnesse of the Godhead yea euen substantially Seeing it is said substantially should wee haue portraitures and images whereby the onely flesh may bee represented Is it not a wyping away of that which is chiefest in our Lorde Iesus Christ that is to wit of his diuine Maiestie Yes and therefore whensoeuer a Crucifix stands mopping mowing in the Church it is all one as if the Diuell had defaced the sonne of God Ye see then that the Papistes are destitute of all excuse Againe wee see howe they behaue themselues the images are worshipped among them as if God were present there in his owne person Where saye they their Pater nosters but before some puppet And yet are they not contented with that for they will needes make idoles of al things yea euen to the verie Sacramentes insomuch that they haue falsified them to drawe the worlde from the right Religion Is there a more abhominable idol than that which they haue inuented vnder pretence of y e Supper of Iesus Christ No for they say that GOD is there and there he must bee worshipped So then no maruaile though they abuse their puppets and pictures after that fashion seeing they haue bene so bolde as to peruert the thinges that God hath appointed to the furtherance of our faith And by the waye let vs marke that the true meane to seeke God after such sorte as he vttereth himselfe is that after we once knowe him wee doe also consider that hee stoopeth to our rudenes and yet ceasse not to seeke him by mouÌting vp higher and by conceiuing the thinges spiritually which the Sacramentes doe shewe vs. It is true that by them God commeth downe to vs howbeit that is not to hold vs downe here beneath still but to make vs flie vp aloft vnto him It is all one as if hee shoulde reache vs his hand and say Come to me and worship me spiritually Wherefore let vs learne to seeke GOD euermore aboue vs and not to tie him to our fleshly and earthly vnderstanding Now finally Moses sheweth the vnthankfulnesse of the worlde in seeking new Gods and in conueying ouer of the Maiestie of the liuing God to dead creatures It was a verie common thing in the East Countries to worship the Sun and the Moone and the Starres bicause that to their seeming they were not as the earthly creatures are nor had any corruption to be seene in them nor were subiect to such changes as men beastes trees and waters are for we see howe all things vnder the skie are chaungeable but seemed to bee things immortall and incorruptible Yea verily so seemeth it to men that are become brutish and haue not the wit to goe to the creation to knowe that God hath giuen the Sunne Moone Starres such nature and proprietie as he listed but yet for all that howsoeuer those creatures fare they bee liuelesse But here Moses rebuketh the wicked fantasticalnesse of men in worshipping the Sunne They sawe there a kind of Maiestie Oh said they these lightes of the skie are excellent thinges surely there is some Godhead in them therefore must wee needes worship them But in so doing saieth Moses meÌ became vnthankefull towardes God For why What is the Sunne Our Seruant the Moone is our Handmaide And for proofe thereof was not the Sunne ordained to giue vs light Is not he our Candlesticke Gen. 1.15 Yea and besides that he is the Candlesticke he is also the Candle it selfe euen to doe vs seruice It is true that God coulde well giue vs light without the meane of y e Sunne but hee meant to shewe howe greatly he esteemeth and loueth vs in that he hath put such seruants vnder vs and aduaunced vs so high as to make the Sunne the Moone and the Starres to doe vs seruice Now then sith wee see that God hath made his heauenly creatures subiect to vs after that fashion are wee not too churlish and vnkinde if wee worship him not Is it not a refusing of the good turne that God hath done vs and a shutting of our eyes to reiect his gratious fauour as if they would say in despite of him wee will not acknowledge the good that thou hast done vs In deede we see y t the Sunne Moone doe serue vs but yet will wee not take them for our seruants Must it not needes bee that men are become starke diuels when they bee so froward malicious as to refuse the receiuing of so great a benefit at Gods hand That then is the thing that Moses sheweth here Moreouer he addeth for a conclusion that the people of Israel excelled all other Nations It is true saith he y â God hath vouchsafed to make y e Sun Moone seruants to the whole world but thou excellest all other nations of the earth inasmuch as he hath chosen thee for his inheritance And seeing it is so y u oughtest at leastwise to worship him as thy God to feare him and reuerence him as thy father in any wise to beware that thou defile not thy selfe w t the abhominations of idolatrie For what a thing were it if a Kinges sonne should refuse to be in his fathers palace go keepe company w t some swineherd yea or go wallow abrode w t brute beasts fall to wrooting vp of the ground to eate filthy things like y e swine theÌselues What a thing were it But Moses telleth vs y t those whoÌ God hath chosen to bee his people do the like wheÌ they go to cast theÌselues downe before creatures Therefore let vs learne to worship our God in spirit trueth Iohn 4.24 and to doe him homage to acknowledge the good y t hee doth vs specially
in saying it is the loue of God For it is not ynough for vs to knowe that God hath chosen vs to himselfe but we must also know what it is that moued him thereto and how he was induced thervnto Did hee seeke the cause of it out of himselfe No but his owne loue was the cause that he chose vs. Nowe when the scripture speaketh of Gods loue it meaneth that free fauor which he beareth towards vs so as he respecteth not our persons nor seruices nor aught else that wee can bring Sith it is so let vs consider here Gods goodnes two wayes For first of al when we haue his Gospel preached among vs and his Sacraments whereby he gathereth vs as it were into his fold and sheweth himselfe to be our shepherd it is say I a choosing of vs for the which wee be greatly bounde vnto him in so much that our maliciousnesse must needes be cast in our teeth and bee called to account to receiue horrible veÌgeance if we make no reckening of so great a grace as he hath bestowed vpon vs. Therefore let vs make much of the benefite that we inioy Deââ ââ that is to wit of Gods gathering vs heere together in his name to bee as his houshold folke But there is yet a seconde choosing which is when euerie of vs perceiueth that God hath inlightened him by his holie spirit and made vs to tast his worde so as wee sticke to it by fait and that hee hath graffed vs into the bodie of Iesus Christ Rom. ââ Eph. 5â to the ende we shoulde bee taken held for members of him which thing wee must vnderstand commeth not of our selues nor of our owne power but of Gods will which vouchsafed to marke vs out And why Let vs not make long circuits to finde some reason in our selues but let vs holde vs contented with the free loue of our God for hee is not bounde to any man Hee might destroye all mankinde by his iustice but yet for all that he hath pitie vpon vs. And wheras he pitieth not all alike but letteth whom hee list alone therein he intendeth to giue the greater shewe of his goodnesse as I haue said alredy to the ende that wee shoulde compare our selues with others and say Wherfore am I one of gods elect wherefore hath God chosen mee to himselfe I shoulde haue beene as other men are if God had not reached me his hand And what moued him to do it His owne meere goodnesse This comparison then must induce vs to glorifie our God when we see that he hath stretched out his mighty arme ouer vs. And so we see that that doctrine was not vttered onely for the instruction of the people of old time but that the same is common to vs also at this day Remember saith Moses that thy God hath chosen thee And why Because hee loued thy fathers And the same also is the cause why that in that high and excellent redemption which was made by our Lorde Iesus Christ the scripture sendeth vs to the loue of God for that is the onely welspring God so loued the worlde that hee spared not his onely sonne Iohn 3.16 What is the cause then that Iesus Christ is come to bee our Sauiour What is the cause that the saluation which he purchased for vs is preached nowadayes vnto vs What is the verie cause that faith is giuen vs and that God inlighteneth vs by his holy spirit We must alwayes resort to this grounde that it is because God loued vs. It is true that Saint Iohn saith generally that hee loued the worlde And why For Iesus Christ offereth himselfe generally to all men without exception to be their redeemer It is saide afterwarde in the couenant that God loued the world when he sent his only sonne but he loued vs vs I say which haue beene taught by his Gospel because he gathereth vs to him And the faithful that are inlightened by the holy Ghost Eph 1.9 Rom. 8.16 Gal. 4.6 Eph. 13.14 haue yet a thirde vse of Gods loue in that he reueileth himself more familiarly to theÌ and sealeth vp his fatherly adoption by his holy spirit and ingraueth it in their hearts Now then let vs in al cases learn to know this loue of God when we be once come to it let vs goe no further Thus we see three degrees of the loue that god hath shewed vs in our Lord Iesus Christ. The first is in respect of the redemption that was purchased in the person of him that gaue himselfe to death for vs Gal. 3.13 and became accursed to reconcile vs to God his father That is the first degree of loue which extendeth to al men inasmuch as Iesus Christ reacheth out his armes to call and allure all men both great and small and to win them to him But there is a speciall loue for those to whom the gospel is preached which is y t God testifieth vnto them that he wil make them partakers of y e benefite that was purchased for them by the death and passion of his sonne And forasmuch as we be of that number therefore are we dubble bound alreadie to our God here are two bonds which hold vs as it were strait tyed vnto him Now let vs come to the third bonde which dependeth vpon the thirde loue that God sheweth vs which is that he not only causeth the gospel to be preached vnto vs but also maketh vs to feel the power therof so as we know him to be our father sauiour not douting but that our sins are forgiuen vs for our Lord Iesus Christes sake who bringeth vs the gift of the holy Ghost to reforme vs after his owne image When as God doth so imprint in our harts the doctrine that is preached vnto vs by the mouthes of men let vs vnderstand that he sheweth vs a third loue True it is that to speake properly God hath not diuers affections wee must not imagine so but I handle these matters according to our capacitie and wee must consider of Gods loue according to our slendernesse because wee cannot attaine to his high maiestie as is said afore and therfore euen he himselfe also vttereth himselfe to vs according to our abilitie And so wee see now that Gods loue is vttered and shewed vnto vs euidently three wayes in our Lorde Iesus Christe Col. 3.10 the cheefe whereof are when wee haue the gospell preached and that faith is added vnto it therewithall And as I saide when wee once haue this free loue of God we must goe no further For we see what hath happened to all such as haue not held themselues in such sobernesse And surely when men are inquisitiue why God loueth some more than othersome it proceedeth of a certain pride and spyte in that they cannot abide that the whole praise of their saluation should rest in god alone Men seeke alwayes to challenge somwhat to themselues And therefore
the Lawe was not mortall to continue onely during the liues of such as had the first hearing of it but that it was a doctrine which shoulde continue in force and authoritie for euer The Lorde our God saith hee made not his couenant with our fathers that is to say hee meant not that onely our fathers should bee his people and so to binde himselfe in such sort vnto them y t his law should serue but for a fortie or fiftie yeres but he hath made his couenant lykewise with vs and with those that were yet vnborne when the lawe was giuen foorth Although then that yee were not at mount Horeb ne sawe the fire vppon the hill yet notwithstanding assure your selues that your God did adopt you at the same time vnto himselfe and comprised you lykewise in the couenant that hee made Therefore it behooueth you to keepe his lawe because it was set forth to last for euer and to continue from age to age and to be preached vnto the worldes end That is the true and proper meaning of Moses And hereof wee may gather a good lesson which is that although we were not at the first setting abroad of the Gospell nor sawe the thinges that are reported to vs of the lawe yet must not Gods word forgoe his authoritie with vs. And why True it is that Gods raysing vp of Moses was a speciall prerogatiue to the people that liued in that time but yet must not the authoritie of the Lawe bee impeached for all that for it conteineth Gods trueth which indureth for euer and is not variable nor transitorie after the maner of men It is sayde that men are lyke a flower or as the grasse y t withereth and dryeth away out of hand Es. 40.6.7.8 1. Pet. 1.24 Psal. 103.10 Psal. 117.2 119.90.152.160 1. Pet. â 25 Psal. 119 142. Psal. 146.6 2. Cor. 3.11 Eph. 2.15 Col. 2.14 He. 9.10.11 Mat. 5.17.18 He. 8.8.9.13 but Gods trueth endureth for euer And this trueth which is vnchangable and vnuariable is conteined in the Lawe True it is that the Lawe as concerning the ceremonies is quite abolished but as concerning the substance of it the doctrine y t is coÌteined in it it keepeth his force for euer and neuer decayeth Nowe let vs marke that although wee were not in the time of Moses yet is it not for vs to despise the the thinges that are reported to haue bin done at that time or which are contayned in the lawe And why For hee spake them to vs. Hee spake not onely to the multitude that was assembled at mount Horeb but also generally to the whole worlde Now if this bee verifyed of the lawe much more reason is it that it should bee so of the Gospell For as I sayd the lawe as concerning the shadowes and figures is gone to decay but in the Gospel there is no such lyke thing For here our Lord maketh his newe and euerlasting couenant He. 8.8.9 10. it is a couenant that indureth from age to age without ceasing What is to be done then when the Gospel is preached Wee must assure our selues that the sonne of GOD is come into the worlde not onely to teache those with whome hee was conuersant when he was a mortal man Matt. 17.5 but also to purchase them vnto God his father Act. 20.28 and to call the world to saluation by giuing his Apostles commission to sound foorth their voyces through the whole worlde Matt. 28.19 Mar. 16.15.16 that euen those might bee made partakers of his doctrine which neuer heard them which doctrine wee also must receiue still at this day as if Iesus Christ himselfe were stil among vs or as if the Apostles spake to vs with their owne mouthes That say I is the thing which wee haue to remember vppon this place And therefore let vs not make any alteratioÌ in Gods Church or attempt to innouate any thing in his worde forasmuch as we knowe that hee will haue it to holde on continually in one equall course and trayne For seeing hee hath giuen vs his Gospel and stablished a certaine gouernment in the time of the Apostles and in the primatiue Church it behoueth vs to come to the same and to stay there If wee doe otherwise it is all one as if wee would make Gods worde mortall and corruptible as wee our selues are Wherefore let vs learne that although the worlde bee variable so as there bee turnes and returnes euery day and there is not any of vs all which hath not a number of opinions running in his head yet must wee not looke to haue the libertie to doe now one thing and now another Why so For God hath not made his couenant with our fathers but with vs that are aliue this day Then let vs vnderstand that as long as wee bee in this world God gouerneth vs here and sheweth vs the way to the end wee should not bee as wandering Pilgrims roming vp and downe to gad after our owne lustes but bee guided as it were by his hand To be short whereas Moses sayth here vs that are all aliue this day it serueth to shewe that men must not of all their lyfe long inuent any newe lawe nor haue one to day and another to morrowe For why Our lyfe dependeth vpon Gods Lawe and that ought to content vs Leuit. 18.5 Ezec. 20.11 Rom. 10.5 Gal. 3.12 therefore let vs but onely profite in that and haue an eye to the thinges that tend thereunto Furthermore no doubt but that Moses vpbraideth the people here with their vnthaÌkefulnesse if they should not dedicate their liues to the seruice of GOD. As if hee should say By what meanes liue wee Is it not because our Lorde hath placed vs in this world Againe seeing that the lyfe which wee haue commeth of him ought wee not to bestowe it in his seruice Ought it not to bee wholy consecrated vnto his wil Thus then ye see how Moses tanteth al such as runne astray and follow not Gods worde But yet herewithall wee must beare in minde the thing which I haue touched afore that is to wit that wee haue not a doctrine of two or three dayes continuance but that wee must bee confirmed in it as long as wee liue When wee haue once receiued the thinges that are conteined in y e holy scripture Phil. 3 1â Eph. 4.15 we must indeuer to profite in them and to goe forewarde still in such wise as wee may still growe in them vntill God take vs out of the world assuring our selues that he wil keep couenant with vs so as he for his part wil not bee vnfaithfull nor vnconstant but stedfast in his purpose Seeing that hee is so let vs bee the lyke and so long as wee liue let vs haue none other respect but to sticke to him euen in such wise as hee sheweth vs by his word For wee must not goe about to knit and linke our selues to
prepared a better inheritance for vs than this transitorie life when we see al these things must it not needes be that wee bee worse than blockish if we be not rauished with earnest affection to worship our God and to vowe and dedicate our selues wholly to him Yes but besides this wee must bethinke vs of all the good turnes which God hath done vs as well in general as in particular and then must we confesse with Dauid Lord when I thinke vpon thy benefites behold my wit is plundged as it were into a bottomlesse pit Psa. 40. â yea they be moe in nomber thaÌ the haires of my head as it is said in the fortith Psalme Againe when wee haue acknowledged how much we be beholden to our God generally let vs also consider the benefites that euerie of vs haue receiued at Gods hand particularly And whereas it was saide to the people of Israel in olde time I brought thee out of the land of Egypt let vs consider whence our Lorde deliuered vs when he vouchsafed to admit vs into his household and Church Rom. â 1 Eph. 2 3â 1. Co. 1â â Act. 26. ââ 2. Tim. â â For we be Adams childreÌ by nature cursed heires of death altogither sinnefull and consequently must needes be lothsome to our God Let men like of themselues and glorie of themselues as much as they list yet not withstanding this is their pedegree this is al their nobilitie namely y t they bee Satans bondslaues that they haue a sinke of sinne and corruption in them Eph. 2.11 4.18 and that they haue nothing but Gods wrath and curse hanging ouer their heads and to bee short that being banished from the kingdome of heauen they be deliuered vp to all mischiefe and woe But our Lord hath deliuered vs from these things by the hand of his sonne he hath not sent vs a Moses as he did to the people of olde time Rom. â ââ nay he hath not spared his onely sonne but hath deliuered him to death for vs. Seeing then that we be rauÌsomed with so deare and inestimable a price 1. Pet. âââ as is the holy bloud of the sonne of God ought wee not to giue our selues wholly vnto him Furthermore if Egypt were termed a house of bondage I praye you what is it when y e diuell holdeth vs in his bondes and vnder his tyrannie so as we haue no meanes to scape death but are shut out from all hope of saluation and God is vtterly against vs Seeing wee bee deliuered from all these things is it not a much more excellent deliuerance than that which Moses here speaketh of Yes and therefore whereas it was saide to the people of olde time thy GOD hath brought thee out of the lande of Egypt nowe it is sayde that we be not our owne as saieth Saint Paul in the fourteenth to the Romanes Ro. 14. ââ 1. Cor. ââ 24. and also in the seuenth of the first Epistle to the Corinthians Wee bee not our owne the faithfull must not take leaue to doe what they list nor to liue euerie man after his owne liking And why Bicause our Lorde Iesus Christ dyed and is risen againe to raigne both ouer quicke and dead Then is it good reason that Iesus Christ shoulde bee Lord of life and death seeing he spared not himselfe when our redemption saluation were to be wrought And moreouer besides that the sonne of God hath offered vp himselfe for redemption let vs vnderstand that he maketh vs partakers of that benefite at this day Eph. 1 1â Eph. 1. ââ by meanes of the Gospell For hee gathereth vs to him to the intent wee should bee of his flocke True it is that hee is the Lambe without spot which wypeth awaye the sinnes of the world Iohn 1.29 2. Tim. 1.9.10 Rom. 5.10 and 2. Cor. 5.19 and that he hath offered himselfe vp to reconcile men vnto God But yet for all that wee see a great nomber of people that are let alone against whome the gate is shut and GOD doeth not graunt them the grace to bee inlightened by faith as wee bee And therefore let vs marke well that seeing the Gospell is preached vnto vs and wee haue there a warrant that the sonne of God will make the redemption auailable in vs which he hath once wrought and cause vs to inioye the benefite thereof wee must learne that our thankelesnesse will bee the shamefuller if wee doe not our indeuour to giue our selues to our God who hath bounde vs to himselfe after that sorte If the vnbeleeuers play the loose Coltes and ouershoote themselues in their superstitions and in wantonnesse of life well it is bicause they haue no bridle he hath not reyned them backe as he doeth his housholde folke Wee see the horrible confusion that is in Poperie but yet there is not any doctrine to plucke men backe to God nay rather that doctrine which is there doeth drawe them quite and cleane from him And we see that the diuell hath gotteÌ such footing there that all is full of trumperie and illusions and the liuing God is quite forsaken And so ye see that there is a horrible confusion But as for our part seeing that God draweth vs to himselfe is it not a straiter bond to make vs to linke in throughly with him and to holde ourselues vnder obedience of the doctrine that is set foorth to vs in his name Yes and therefore let vs learne to sticke so to our God as wee may renounce all that euer wee can imagine of our owne head and let vs consider that it is not for vs to swarue one way or other any more or to be tossed too and fro in any wise assuring our selues that there is but onely one God who will possesse vs yea and possesse vs in such wise as his honour bee not taken from him and bestowed vppon creatures and that he watcheth ouer vs to the end wee should knowe that it is onely he on whom wee ought to call Psal. 11 6.9 and to whose grace we ought to repaire for succour And finally forasmuch as it is his will to haue and accept vs to bee of his houshold let vs walke as in his presence and in his sight and that in such wise as wee worshippe him as our onely God not onely with Ceremonies and outward protestation but also in our hearts as they that knowe that his seruice is spirituall and to be short let him possesse both our bodies and our soules that he may bee throughly glorified in all respectes Now let vs kneele downe in the presence of our good God with acknowledgement of our faultes praying him to make vs feele them better that it may leade vs to true repentance to be mortified more and more so as our wicked lustes may be cut off and we bee wholy giuen to feare and honour him that forasmuch as wee can not serue him throughly as he deserueth so long
whatsoeuer else is it not a crucifying of Gods sonne againe as much as in them lyeth and as a rending of him in peeces And are not such folk worthie to bee cut off from Gods Church yea and euen from the worlde and to bee no more nombered in the aray of creatures Should our Lord Iesus haue such reward at our handes for his abacing and humbling of himselfe after that manner Mich. ãâ¦ã God in vpbrayding his people saieth thus My people what haue I doone to thee I haue brought thee out of Egypt I haue ledde thee through the wildernesse I haue brought thee vp with all gentlenesse and louingkindnesse I haue planted thee as it were in mine owne inheritance to the intent thou shouldest haue beene a vine that should haue brought me forth good fruite and I haue tilled thee and manured thee and must thou nowe bee bitter to me and bring foorth sower fruite to choke mee withall The same belongeth to vs at this day For when the sonne of God who is ordeined to bee iudge of the worlde Iohn ãâ¦ã shall come at the last day hee may well say to vs howe nowe syrs Ye haue borne my name yee haue beene baptised in rememberance and recorde that I was your redeemer I haue drawen yee out of the dungeons where into yee were plunged I deliuered you from endelesse death by suffering moste cruell death my selfe and for the same cause I became man and submitted my selfe euen to the curse of GOD my father that you might be blessed by my grace and by my meane and beholde the rewarde that you haue yeelded mee for all this is that yee haue after a sorte torne mee in peeces and made a iestingstocke of mee and the death that I suffered for you hath beene made a mockerie among you the bloode whiche is the washing and cleansing of your soules hath beene as good as trampled vnder your feete and to bee short you haue taken occasion to banne and blaspheme mee as though I had beene some wretched and cursed creature When the soueraine Iudge shall charge vs with these thinges I praye you will it not bee as thundering vppon vs to ding vs downe to the bottome of hell Yes and yet are there verie fewe that thinke vpon it For if needeles othes were as greatly abhorred nowadayes among men as they ought to be they woulde not by by after take such leaue and boldnesse as they doe to flesh themselues in periurie and forswearing As touching blasphemie doth not y e world see what commeth of it And yet woulde wee bee ielous of our owne honestie and reputation when in the meane season Gods name is troden vnder foote among vs. If a man haue spoken amisse of ones father hee coulde finde in his heart to make a quarrell of it and eyther to sew him at the Lawe or else much rather to bee reuenged of him with his owne handes and men beare themselues in hande that they may with honestie maintayne the quarrels of their parentes Beholde our soueraigne Father is iniured after the same manner euen the same father who not without cause is named the Lorde of glorie Psal. 24.7 before whose sonne all knees ought to bow as Saint Paule reporteth to the Philippians euen hee shall bee so mocked as a man coulde doe no worse to him Phil. 2.10 except he shoulde spitte in his face and yet notwithstanding euen they that name themselues Christians and which pretend in deede to seeke his honour shall bee the greatest and horriblest blasphemers of him But yet for all that as I said afore our Lorde will not cease to maintayne his owne honour as hee himselfe auoweth When hee seeth men so heathenish as to deface his Maiestie after that fashion to the vttermost of their power He maketh a solemne othe that he will bee reuenged of it As truely as I liue sayeth the Lorde I will not giue myne honour to another Esa. 42.8 â 11 And like as hee will not haue his honour conueyed ouer vnto idols so is it certaine that the same saying hath a further reache that is to wit that if men doe falsely abuse his holy name they shall feele in what estimation hee had it And therefore let vs not looke till this bee accomplished vppon our selues but let vs learne to yeelde reuerence to our GOD and to him that hath all soueraigne Maiestie that is to wit to our Lorde Iesus Christ and let vs learne therewithall to sweare in such wise as it may alwayes bee a warrant vnto vs that it is he to whom wee belong and that hee is our Father our Maker and our Iudge Thus yee see what wee haue in effect to gather vppon this text But withall there is a threatening added whereby wee see mens dulnesse and howe Satan hath as yee woulde say bewitched them so as they conceyue not Gods wrath when it is set afore them I will not holde him giltlesse that taketh my name in vaine Loe it is GOD that speaketh I pray you ought not the haire of them to stande vp stiffe vppon their heades which sweare so vilanously as I haue mentioned afore If a man sweare by his faith vnaduisedly beholde God armeth himselfe and sayeth no sir seeing thou hast not honoured mee thou must yeelde an account of such treacherie God can not away with a simple lye and if periurie be added thereto it is yet worse If a third fall to blaspheming it is the vttermost poynt of all leudnesse and as bad as an open defying of GOD as though we woulde runne vpon him and wounde him Now if in this case a man thinke not vppon the punishment that is prepared for all such as doe so falsely misuse the name of GOD or haue dishonoured it may it not bee said that he is beastly drunken and as it were out of his wittes and that Satan hath made him starke blinde Alas yes and yet neuerthelesse it is as common a thing as may bee If a maister shoulde saye in his house I will bee obeyed in all things but yet there is one thing aboue all the rest which I am desirous to haue done and I can not abide that any man shall transgresse it but that hee shall by and by bee thrust out of the doores and bee punished for it as he deserueth If a Maister haue a thing in such estimation although his men be not so circumspect in all the rest yet will they stand in some feare of this Nowe then Deut. 27.16.20.24.26 beholde God curseth all such as shall haue transgressed his Lawe in any point Cursed bee he that honoureth not his Father and mother Cursed bee he that stealeth Cursed bee he that committeth adulterie Cursed bee he that perfourmeth not all things contained in the Lawe And here specially there is a threate vppon all such as shal haue abused Gods name Hereby he sheweth vs that although he will haue vs to keepe his Lawe in all
we bee not bound to the seuenth day neither doe wee in deede keepe the same day that was appointed to the Iewes for that was the Saterday But to the intent to shewe the libertie of Christians the day was chaunged because Iesus Christ in his resurrection did set vs free from the bondage of the law Col. 2.11.12 14. cancelled the obligation therof That was the cause why the day was shifted But yet must wee obserue the same order of hauing some day in the weeke be it one or be it two for that is left to the free choyce of Christians Neuerthelesse if a people assemble to haue the Sacramentes ministred and to make common prayer vnto GOD and to shewe one agreement and vnion of faith it is conuenient to haue some one day certeine for that purpose Then is it not enough for euery man to withdrawe himselfe into his owne house whether it bee to reade the holy scripture or to pray vnto GOD but it is meete that wee shoulde come into the companie of the faithfull and there shewe the agreement which wee haue with all the whole body of the Church by keeping this order which our Lord hath so commanded But what There a man may see too apparant vnhallowing of Gods seruice For as I haue touched afore are there not a great sorte which could well finde in their heartes to shewe that they doe but mocke God and that they would faine be exempted from the common lawe It is true that they wil come to a sermon a fiue or sixe times a yeere And what to doe there Forsooth euen to mocke at God at all his doctrine In deede they be very swine which come to defile Gods temple and are worthier to be in stables than there and they were better to keepe themselues at home in their stinking cabans To bee short it were better that such rascals and filthie vilaânes were quite cut off from the Church of God than that they should come and intermingle themselues after that sort in companie with the faithfull But yet how many times come they thither The bel may ring wel enough for looke where a man left them there shall he finde theÌ So then we ought to bee the more diligent and careful in quickening vp our selues to make such confession of our faith as God may be honored with one common consent among vs. And besides that all superstitions must bee banished For we se how it is an opinion is poperie that God is serued with idlenesse It is not after that sorte that we must keepe holy the Saboth day But to the intent it may bee applyed to the right and lawfull vse we must consider as I sayd afore how our Lord requireth to haue this day bestowed in nothing else but in hearing of his worde in making common prayer in making confession of our faith and in hauing the vse of the Sacramentes Those are the thinges that wee bee called to Howbeit we see how al things haue bin corrupted confounded in the popedome For lyke as they haue alotted dayes to honoring of their hee Saints and shee Saints and set vp images of theÌ so haue they surmised that they were to be worshipped with idlenesse But seeing that y e world is so giuen to corruption it standeth vs so much the more in hand to marke well this discourse concerning the Saboth day as it is set downe here by Moses And let vs consider to what ende our Lorde commaunded the people of olde time to haue one day in the weeke to rest in to the intent that wee knowing how the same is abolished by the comming of our Lorde Iesus Christ may take our selues to the spiritual rest that is to say dedicate out selues wholy vnto God forsaking all our owne reason and affections Againe let vs reteine still the outward order so farre as is meete for vs that is to wit of forbearing our owne affaires and worldly businesses that we may intend wholy to the minding of Gods workes and occupy our selues in the consideration of the good thinges that hee hath done for vs. And aboue all thinges let vs streine our selues to acknowledge the grace that hee offereth vs dayly in his Gospel that we may be strengthened in it still more and more And when wee haue bestowed the Lord his day in praysing and magnifying Gods name and in minding his workes let vs shewe all the weeke after that wee haue profited in the same Now let vs kneele downe in the presence of our good GOD with acknowledgement of our faultes praying him to make vs feele them better than we haue done And forasmuch as wee can by no meanes serue him vntill the frowardnesse that is in vs be done away and inasmuch as he hath tolde vs that wee shall not cease to fight against his righteousnesse so long as wee giue heade to our owne lusts and imaginations it may please our good God to graunt vs such grace by the power of his holy spirit as wee may be fully fashioned lyke vnto him that dyed and rose again for vs to mortify vs and to quicken vs. So then let vs beare the marke of our Lorde Iesus Christ euen in renouncing our selues and let vs so submit vs to his will as our whole seeking may bee to be fashioned lyke to his righteousnesse that his lawe may bee fulfilled in vs euen as it is spirituall and wee be changed from flesh to spirit to liue vnder his obeisance And because there is alwayes so much in vs to be mislyked it may please the same good GOD to beare with our infirmities vntill his rest be fully brought to passe in vs and that he haue taken vs vp into his heauenly kingdome That it may please him to graunt this grace not onely c. On Friday the xxj of Iune 1555. The xxxv Sermon which is the sixth vpon the fift Chapter 13 Six dayes shalt thou labour c. 14 Thou shalt not doe anie worke therein thy selfe thy Sonne thy daughter thy manseruaunt thy womanseruaunt thyne Ox thyne Asse and thy cattle and thy Straunger which is within thy gates that thy manseruaunt and thy womanseruaunt may haue rest as well as thy selfe 15 Remember that thou wast a seruaunt in the land of Egypt and that the Lorde thy God brought thee thence with strong hande and arme stretched out And therefore the Lord thy God hath commaunded thee to keepe holie the Saboth day I Declared yesterday how and why the commaundement of keeping the Saboth day was giuen to the Iewes I told you briefly how it was a figure of the spirituall rest which the faithfull ought to obserue to serue God in Col. 2.14.17 20. Howbeit our Lorde Iesus Christ hath brought vs the performance thereof so as wee must no more stay vppon the shadowe of the Lawe Rom. 6.6 but content our selues with the crucifying of our olde man by the power of y e death and passion of our Lorde Iesus
that in y t souereigne sight which was shewed him in the mountaine he was separated from the state of this mortall and transitory lyfe and was as an Angell of paradise yet notwithstanding he sawe God but in part as if wee should see a man but on the back Therfore let vs be contented when God vseth the lyke order with vs that is to wit that his worde bee preached vnto vs by men and let vs receiue it as if wee sawe his maiestie face to face And why For it is good for vs that shepheardes are ordeined to bee ministers of his worde because we shoulde be vtterly confounded by the glory of God if it were manifested to vs to the full And to the ende that no man shoulde haue cause to complayne as though Gods doctrine were not sufficiently ratifyed but y t it were to be doubted whether a man might holde him to it or no therefore did hee shewe himselfe in the setting forth of his lawe And wee haue record of it heere in that the people say It is the Lorde This day hath hee made vs to see his glorie and his greatnesse and wee haue seene that it is euen hee that hath spoken vnto vs hee hath not put any other person in his place but we haue heard his voyce with our owne eares This was done but once for all Howbeit let vs take the thinges that are reported here to bee as a record that Moses spake not on his owne head nor deuised the doctrine of his owne brayne which we receiue of him but that hee was a faithfull stewarde to Godwarde who aduoweth him so to bee and not onely ratifyed his doctrine with miracles but also declared in his owne person howe it was hee himselfe that was the author of the doctrine that Moses taught And forasmuch as it was good reason that the Gospell should bee authorised as well as the Lawe wee haue had recorde likewise from heauen that the same is not a doctrine of man but that it proceedeth of God 1. Pet. 1.17.18 And this is the thing which Saint Peter toucheth in his second Epistle saying that hee his fellowes had heard the voyce from heaueÌ whereby the father proclaymed his sonne the chiefe maister and teacher of all his Church saying this is my welbeloued sonne heare yee him Seeing then that this voyce hath thundered from heauen God hath shewed that wee must not take the Gospel as a doctrine bred here belowe but we must alwayes haue the sayd maiestie before our eyes Lykewise noweadayes if we will bee Gods true disciples wee must at our resorting to sermons remember what Moses rehearseth namely that the lawe was giuen forth in such sort as God was the speaker thereof Againe in the second place we must adde the testimonie that I am about to alledge so as the foresayd saying of God may euer ring in our eares whereby he proclaymeth our Lord Iesus Christ to be the onely partie whom he will haue men to heare Loe here the perfect seale whereby Gods worde hath full and perfect authoritie among vs as it deserueth notwithstanding that it be brought vnto vs by mortall men Furthermore to the intent that men may not thinke that Iesus Christ is not to bee heard but onely in his owne person hee sayth hee that heareth you Luke 10.16 heareth me and hee that refuseth or despiseth you despiseth mee and him that sent me In deede the Pope and his champions lyke a sort of traytors to God vsurpe that saying to mainteine their owne tyrannie but it belongeth as much to them as to the diuell of hell And why for first they should bring vs the pure doctrine of our Lord Iesus Christ. For the sonne of God hath not resigned his office to men to be spoyled thereof hee will not haue vs gouerned after the lyking of men but hee himselfe will alwayes haue the preheminence and soueraigntie ouer vs that was giuen vnto him Now then whereas hee sayth that in hearkening to those whome hee sendeth wee hearken to him his meaning is that if wee obey the doctrine of his Gospell without despising of it when it is preached to vs by men it is all one as if hee himselfe spake to vs and wee must not in this case rest vppon the outward appearance And that is it that Saint Paul meaneth in saying that although wee be brittle vessels â Cor. 4.7 yea and as broken vessels of no valewe nor worthinesse yet the inestimable treasure that is committed vnto vs is not y e worse or of lesse estimation valewe therefore True it is y t we cannot purchase the word of God such reuerence as we faine would And why For we haue not any thing in vs I meane of our own wherby it may be sayd y t God shoulde bee exalted but yet must wee approue our obedience in this behalfe namely that wee deliuer God his worde with such boldenesse courage and power as if hee himselfe spake in vs. And herewithall let all loftinesse be corrected in this case and let euery man receiue the doctrine of the Gospell in simplicitie and without disputing or scanning why we be bound to submit our selues to mortall men For inasmuch as it were a despising of Gods sonne Luke 10.16 Matt. 17. â yea and of the heauenly father himselfe who ordeined him to bee the chiefe teacher if wee should not heare those whome hee sendeth as his messengers it standeth vs in hand to yeelde in y t behalfe Luke 9.35 So then let vs learne to bowe downe our neckes and to beare the yoke of Gods sonne by receiuing y e doctrine of y e Gospel with all humilitie though it bee preached vnto vs by men And as I sayd afore let vs thinke well vpon the ratification that was giuen thereof which ought to bee enough to make vs to vnderstand that the lawe was brought from God himselfe and that the Gospell also was warranted and ratified from heauen when God pronounced with his owne mouth that he would haue vs to hearken to his sonne That is the effect of the thinges which wee haue to remember vppon this text And therefore let vs followe the example of those which are spoken of here and let vs not couet that God should come down froÌ heauen to feede our humors but let it suffice vs y t he voutsafeth to coÌmunicate his word vnto vs. But it should seeme at the first sight that heere were some contrarietie For first the people say This day haue wee seene how God speaketh with men and that they continue aliue still and afterwarde they say againe wee dye if God speake to vs. For by all lykelyhoode if wee haue once found by experience y t God speaketh to vs without destroying of vs it ought to imbolden vs. And why For seeing wee remaine aliue still after wee haue heard the voyce of God once why should wee not doe so still after twise or thrice as well as
after once And here the people say Wee haue heard the voyce of God but if hee speake to vs againe wee dye for it wee bee vndone wee bee forlorne It seemeth that they trust not to Gods goodnesse but rather that they be vnthankefull in that they acknowledge not the benefite which God did for them in letting theÌ continue in their strength But wee must marke how the people shew here that they wil not try God any further and that it is enough for them to haue had that one experience that the lawe was not a thing inuented by man but that God was the author thereof Therefore it must be taken as if they had sayd thus This day haue we seene that God hath spokeÌ to men and they remaine still aliue that is enough for vs we intend not to abuse Gods patience in this case he hath spared vs to day but wee must not looke y t he should doe so euer he hath giuen vs a tryall for this once that was because of y e lewdnesse hardnesse of our heartes For were we worthie to haue him appeare to vs in his glory No but he knew y t we would neuer be fully tamed subdued to his obedieÌce except he had come in his visible glorie made vs so afraide as we had bin at our wits end Therfore if he had not won vs so by force he knew wel that we would haue bin always as wild beasts But seing it hath pleased him to pardon the fault that we haue coÌmitted to beare with vs this time we wil not fal to it againe for y t were ouermuch it were a skorning of his patience So then this one recorde sufficeth vs both for our owne liues and for the liues of our children so forth for euer to the worlds end y t they which come after vs may knowe y t it is not for vs to draw God out of heauen any more as though he ought to be but our mate Thus yee see how these two sayings agree very wel Now hereupon we haue to note y t although Gods word be of force to bring vs to naught yet he vseth such mercy towards vs that wheras it should coÌsume vs it giueth vs life And wheÌ I say y t Gods word can bring vs to nought I meane not y e word alonely as Moses discribeth it here but also that if our Lord list to make vs feele the power of his word it would vtterly vndo vs notwithstanding that it be vttered by men Neuerthelesse wee see how our Lord quickeneth vs by his word specially now adayes by the preaching of his Gospell Iohn 5.24.25 For that which is spoken in the fifth of Saint Iohn is dayly accomplished namely that as many as heare the voyce of the Sonne of man are restored to life For naturally we bee straungers to God and banished from his kingdome and so by that meanes wee bee as it were in our graues But here our Lord Iesus Christ offereth vs the remission of our sinnes and God his father adopteth vs for his children and so doeth he shewe vs the light of saluation and we bee quickened againe by meanes of the Gospel And therefore wee haue good cause to glorifie our GOD in that he maketh his woorde to serue to deliuer vs from death and to restore vs to life notwithstanding that it bee of power to consume vs at leastwise if he turned it not to the contrarie vse But by the way let vs marke well that if our Lorde haue at one time giuen vs more than we deserue wee must not therefore take leaue to tempt him and to subdue him still to our lustes as wee see the Papistes doe nowe adayes who excuse themselues of their not comming to the Gospell bicause they see no myracles wrought in our time No surely But whereto serue the myracles that our Lorde Iesus Christ wrought and which he committed to his Apostles to doe likewise Shoulde those serue to no purpose at this day Ye see then y t God vttered an excellent power at the first comming vp of y e Gospel Ioel. 3.16 heauen earth were shaken at that time there was no part of the world wherin God printed not some marke of his Maiestie to the intent that y e Gospell should bee authorized Luke 2.9.10 11. The Angels came downe at the birth of our Lorde Iesus Christ to beare witnesse of him Matt. 27.45 51. the Sunne was darkened at his death the vaile of the temple was rent asunder to shew that the sanctuarie was opened and that there was more free accesse to God thaÌ euer there had bin Matt. 18.26 the sea was calmed the diuels themselues did homage to y e glorie of God which was vttered at that time Luke 4.41 and to be short GOD shewed both from aboue and beneath that the Gospel came from him as I haue tolde you already as well by the healing of diseases as by al the other myracles y t were wrought And this serued not for y t time onely but the remembrance thereof continueth vnto this day and it behoueth vs to receiue that record to seale vp our faith withall to the end wee may not doubt but that our Lord maketh his Gospel of as great force by them at this day as he did at the same time that they were shewed Yet notwithstaÌding wee see howe the faithlesse doe still alledge that if they sawe myracles it woulde conuert them But it is certaine that if they saw neuer so many myracles yet would they continue in their stubbornnesse take occasion of greater rancor against God What is to bee doone then Let vs learne to bee contented as I said afore If God haue giuen vs more than he owed vs let vs receiue it with thanksgiuing learne not to prouoke him to wrath nor to teÌpt his patience That is the thing which we haue to remember in this text where the people saith let not y e Lord speak to vs any more for it suffiseth vs that wee haue heard his voyce once already and that yet notwithstanding he hath let vs liue still And to the end that the thinges which I haue declared heretofore may bee the certainer let vs beare in minde how it is said here Was there euer man that heard the voyce of the liuing God and continued still aliue Here it is shewed vs that the people of Israel spake not in their name onely but as it were for all mankinde in common They say not onely who are wee but what is all flesh And in deede as I saide at the first it must needes bee that men are besotted when they cannot humble themselues For they neede no more but to looke to their owne state and to say what are wee There is nothing neither in our bodyes nor in our soules but all maner of frailtie I mean not as we may be considered in our nature as we were first created
by saying it is true but we must also bee diligent in keeping it all our life long And for further proofe of that which he had said he addeth Thou shalt doe thââ which is right good in the sight of God Herein he sheweth vs that we must not doe whatsoeuer seemeth good to our selues nor followe our owne good intentes as they terme them And he will set out this matter yet better in another place which we shal see hereafter Deââ ââ For there he wil forbid men expresly to do the things y t seeme right in their owne eyes for whatsoeuer seemeth excellent vnto vs Luke ââ shal be condemned for abhominable at Gods hand as is said in S. Luke Therefore let vs take good heede y t we ouershoote not our selues in our conceites to say How so Why should not God allow this for good seeing we do it to such a purpose seeing wee be desirous to obey him Yea but how will he be obeyed Not y t men should be Iudges Vmpers of the things y t they do to say this is good or y t is euill he reserueth y t authoritie to himself alone Now then will we order our life aright Let vs not open our eyes to be wise in our owne conceites for we see that y t hath cost vs deare Wee see I say y t our father Adam saw too much when he could not content himselfe with the measure y t was giuen him And therefore let vs not be too sharpe sighted to say I finde y t this is good therfore it must be done Cursed be such wisdome for it is a diuelish pride Will we then be allowed of our God Let vs take good heede to that which he speaketh for whatsoeuer is right in his eyes must needes be allowed in the end the things which we shall haue imagined to haue bene best shall be condemned when wee bring them before him For why He seeth more clearely than wee doe he knoweth things which wee knowe not And therefore he misliketh all our imaginations will haue vs to followe the thinges which he vttereth with his mouth simply without mingling any thing of our owne For the verie sacrifice that he requireth at our handes is that wee should serue him obediently and therewithall learne to distrust al our owne strength wit and reason and not to presume vppon any thing that wee our selues haue inuented for all that euer our mindes can conceiue is but follie vanitie and leasing but to bee well aduised that we doe the things which are good and right in the eyes of the Lord that is to say that we frame our whole life according to his commaundements But now let vs come to the promise That thou maist goe into the land saith he which the Lord hath sworne to thy fathers to possesse it Here we see how God is desirous to win the heartes of his people by gentlenesse in setting the possession of the land of Chanaan before them for a reward and inheritance As if he should say Truth it is that yee bee bounde to serue mee but yet will I not haue yee to serue mee for nought beholde the recompence that is prepared for you is that ye shall possesse the land of Chanaan But yet wee must alwayes marke with what condition It was not y t the people should liue there at rest like swine in a stie but so as the land might bee as a pledge of the endlesse lyfe and that they might consider thus God hath adopted vs to bee his heires and therefore let vs mount vs hygher to the euerlasting lyfe See heere how GOD telleth vs that if wee serue him hee will keepe touche with vs so as wee shall possesse the lande that hee hath promised vs. Nowe heere wee see first the thing that I haue touched already that is to wit that God stoopeth to mens rudenesse and infirmity in promising them recompence though hee bee not bound thereto Marke that for one poynt But by the waye wee haue to marke also that God bindeth not himselfe as though wee could deserue aught For he saith not I will giue you the land for the seruice you haue doone to mee as a thing that you haue earned but you shall goe into the lande which I promised to your fathers Heere are two thinges vttered couertly The one is that God promised the lande of his owne meere goodnesse and not as a due debt that had beene deserued at his hande For the promise thereof had bine made before the people was borne foure hundred and thyrtie yeeres before their departure out of Egypt God had sayd vnto Abraham this land shall be thine and thy seedes Let vs note then that this people had not deserued aught at Gods hande and that the rewarde which is mentioned heere befell them not in respect of their workes Marke that for a specially poynt And God telleth vs also that hee termeth the thing by the name of Hyre Recompence Wages which he giueth vs onely of his owne free liberalitie without being bounde thereto by any kind of meanes and without any desert at all at our handes And why To the intent that men should bee prouoked to serue him and not that they should become proude or father any thing vpon themselues which God shoulde accept for payment or admit for any recompence And this wee see euen in Abraham himselfe Gen. 17.1 For before hee had doone any thing at all God sayd vnto him I am thine abundant recompence Abraham I haue giuen thee this land I will bee thy God and the God of thy seede after thee I will be thy defender Yee see then that all the promises which are possible to bee wished were giuen of God vnto Abraham before he had shewed any signe of faith or of the feare of God But when he was willing to haue sacrificed his sonne Isaac our Lorde sayd I will blesse my seruaunt Abraham bicause hee hath feared mee and seeing hee hath not spared his owne sonne for the loue of me I will multiplie my blessinges vpon him And that was saide afore But God giueth so much the greater beautie to his goodnesse of purpose to strengthen Abrahams heart not that hee intended to exalt Abrahams desertes that hee might presume of himselfe but to make him know my God hath of his own mere mercie giuen me the thing y t he promised me I had the promise of it long agoe and now he sheweth that he accepteth my seruice in asmuch as he performeth the promise that he made to me of his owne free goodnesse Thus we see howe we ought to take the textes of holy scripture where god behighteth vs recompence We must not conclude therevppon that wee deserue aught or that our workes are of any valew or that God is any thing bounde vnto vs but that he doth it to quicken vs vp to harten vs the better to serue him in as much as our
name should be magnifyed in all ages and that wee shoulde indeuour to the vttermost of our power that it decay not with vs but continue still vnappayred and florishe and reigne euen after wee be dead The other reason is that hee intended to quicken vp the Iewes to serue God with the better courage by putting them in minde of the deliuerance which God had wrought for them for needes must they haue bin too vnthankefull if that had not prouoked them to serue God Now then the intent of Moses is that those to whom he had declared the Lawe should not onely indeuour themselues to serue GOD during their owne liues but also finde the meanes that their children and successors should followe them in the same trace And this lesson belongeth to vs as well as to them For wee know that God calleth vs with the same condition not onely that we our selues should serue and honor him to our liues end but also that we should haue a care to cause them that come after vs to doe the lyke Verily there are very few that dischardge themselues in that behalfe but yet are we bound vnto it and there will be no excuse for vs if wee doe not our indeuour Therefore let euery man haue an eye to himselfe and let vs not thinke it enough to haue serued God so long as wee our selues liue but that we must also findy y e meanes that his name may continue for euer and that his trueth may alwayes bee knowen so as although wee bee taken out of the world yet they that come after vs being taught by our meanes may linke in with vs into the same fayth and so fashion themselues thereunto as God may alwayes be gloryfyed honored vnto the worldes end And specially they y t haue children ought to thinke that it is they to whom this warning is giuen True it is that euery one of vs is bound thereto for himselfe yea and we must teach eueÌ the most straungers so as the man needeth not to be my sonne or my nephew or my kinseman whom I should indeuour to cause to serue God to be of the same faith and religion that I am of but yet they which haue children ought to consider that they shall yeelde account for it if they doe not what they can to hold them in the feare of God and to see them so instructed and stablished in the pure doctrine as they may continue in it and as the knowledge of Gods trueth may still be conueied ouer from hand to hand Thus yee see what we haue to remember vppon this place where Moses sayth If thy childe aske hereafter what these commaundementes statutes and ordinances meane Now there is also a second poynt which is that Moses intended to stirre vp the people to honor God and to obey him because they had bin deliuered by his mighty hand Therefore it is all one as if hee should say Bethinke your selues well of the good which your GOD hath done for you for he hath shewed himselfe to be your redeemer hee hath smitten the realme of Egypt a people that did set greatly by themselues yea and which was rich and wealthie and where was nothing but all maner of pompe and glory to the worldward and yet notwithstanding your God hath loued you so dearely that he hath not spared the Egyptians for your sakes but hee hath smitten them with plagues and powred out such vengeance vpon them as is horrible to thinke of Hee hath stretched out his strong arme to bring you to this land which hee promised to your fathers Seeing then that God hath shewed himselfe so gratious and liberall towardes you and preuented you of purpose to be your father is it not reason that you should giue your selues to him all your lyfe long and indeuour to serue him and at leastwise shew that yee haue not forgotten his so great and inestimable benefites Yes And so wee see that forasmuch as the Iewes might bee negligent in keeping Gods lawe Moses renewed the rememberaunce thereof and set their deliuerance before them that they might bee the better minded and consider that they were bound at leastwise to serue GOD in such wise as they might acknowledge themselues to bee the same people whome hee had once deliuered after a maruellous fashion and with wonderful power Like as at this day if a man should speake to vs of the Christian religion and say Beholde our GOD hath vouchsafed to make vs partakers of the redemption which hee wrought in the person of his Sonne and therefore it is good reason that wee shoulde bee gathered here together vnder his worde to take him for our father and Sauour because hee hath chosen vs to bee his people And whereas Moses declareth that the Iewes were deliuered out of Aegypt hee meaneth to doe vs to witte that God intended to shoule them out from all other nations specially by assigning them the inheritaunce of the Lande which hee had promised to their fathers Yee see then how they should haue sanctifyed themselues to the seruice of God and haue held theÌselues in obedience to his law because he suffered them not to be intermingled with y e infidels but made a seuerall nation of them alone by theÌselues And hereupon we haue to note y t such as seeke counsell at Gods law doe alwayes finde instruction our Lord procureth them ayde help to bring theÌ to the knowledge of the truth It is sayd If thy sonne aske thee what meane these statutes He presupposeth that the children are not so brutish as at leastwise not to be willing desirous to knowe why they vse such maner of seruing God And wee see it is Gods ordinance that the fathers should helpe their children True it is that the fathers ought not to âary for that but if they see their children to be despisers of God or vnruly and carelesse both of the saluation of their owne soules and of all Christianitie and fayth they ought to correct such vices But the matter which wee treate of as now is that if children bee willing to learne and to profite God here assigneth them their fathers to be their teachers and schoolemasters to shewe them why the lawe was giuen Herein then wee see that if wee haue any good will to knowe the trueth our Lorde will not suffer vs to bee disappoynted but wil finde the meanes that wee shall know whatsoeuer hee thinketh profitable for our saluation And although hee appoynt not mortall creatures to teach vs yet will hee worke in such wise by his owne power as wee shall not bee destitute of knowledge But our owne slothfulnesse is the cause that GOD shutteth the gate against vs and that wee abide still in darknesse lyke blinde wretches For what is hee that vouchsafeth to seeke after the will of his GOD Wee bee giuen to worldly thinges to our owne pleasures to our owne vanities and to all manner of worldly businesses
and in the meane while God is let alone and his lawe is forgotten And therefore it is not to bee wondered at that hee hardeneth vs in such brutishnes and that there is so grosse ignorance in the world as fewe folke haue the true taste and sauor of the doctrine of saluation but rather wee see that all men despise it and are so farre off from hauing any affection and zeale to the knowing of it that they doe rather thrust it from them when it is offered them and when GOD seeketh them they runne from him Sith wee see such vnthankefulnesse euerywhere it is any maruell that our Lorde reuealeth not his trueth as hee would doe if men were well minded towardes it It is true that God taryeth not till wee come vnto him but rather performeth that which hee sayth by his prophet Esay Esa. 65.1 namely that hee appeareth to them that aske not after him and that hee is found of them that seeke him not insomuch that hee sayth to them that are farre off from him Lo here I am Yet notwithstanding men must not vnder this color that God reacheth them his hand and draweth them out of the dungeons of ignorance before they euer thought vppon him men I say must not flatter and fode themselues in their carelesnesse but rather wee must learne according to this text that whereas wee bee ignorant of the trueth wee must at leastwise doe our indeuer to get knowledge of it and resorte to such as wee thinke that God hath reuealed more vnto than to our selues If wee doe so and with all humilitie seeke to knowe the thinges that are auaileable to our saluation God will shewe himselfe to vs and giue vs such meanes and helpes as he knoweth to be expedient for vs. And although mortall men faile vs yet will hee so supply our want by the power of his holy spirite as wee shall not continue still in darkenesse if wee seeke y e light for he wil not shut y e dore against vs if we knock Matt. 7.7 Luâ 11.9.10 do our indeuer to enter Thus ye see in effect what we haue to remember vppon y e text Furthermore it behoueth vs to marke that here God sheweth not the end of his commandements what is ment by them and to what vse he hath appoynted theÌ He doth not onely shew that the people were iustly bound to keepe the lawe that was giuen them seeing that God had bought them so dearly Here are two things The one is that inasmuch as God hath giuen vs his worde hee doth well deserue that wee should yeelde him obedience Why so Because we be his creatures and hee hath voutsafed to gather vs together vnto him to bee his people and to fight vnder his standard and hath made vs to bee of his flocke and of his Church Marke that for one poynt The other is that wee should know to what end hee hath giuen vs his Sacraments so as we haue the preceptes of his whole Lawe which pertaine to the exercising of vs in his feare and in the hope of our saluation and to what end he hath set such order among vs as wee now haue Wee must knowe what is meant by all this Neuerthelesse this briefenesse will bee darkesome if it be not declared better When wee consider how God hath created shaped vs and moreouer made vs after his owne image and giuen vs witte and reson and therewithall the hope of a better life and finally hath voutsafed to take vs as his houshold folke it sheweth vs that wee bee bound to submit our selues vnto him For seeing hee is our maker doe wee not owe him all obedience Nay there is yet more namely that in the person of our Lorde Iesus Christ his sonne hee hath redeemed vs and made vs partakers of his Gospell to the ende that wee should bee guided by his hand Now then the first poynt is that when we haue knowledge it must stirre vs vp to serue God to stick to the pure religion that is comprehended in his word Howbeit this is not enough but wheÌ we be asked yet neerer Wherfore y e promises of y e forgiuenes of sins are giuen vs wee must answere Alas it is because we be wretched sinners we should be continually in anguish and sorrowe of minde if we knewe not that God is coÌtented to be mercifull vnto vs of his owne meere grace For hee cannot loue vs except we be righteous and wee shall neuer finde any holynesse in our lyfe Psal. ââ or perfection in our vertues but it is through Gods mercie which it pleaseth him to extend towards vs. And so now yee see whereunto the promises tend Againe if it be demaunded of vs why hee hath appoynted the order of prayer as wel publique as priuate it is for that euery of vs ought to inure himselfe to seeke all his succor at his hand For wee haue not any good thing wee be destitute both of wisedome strength and righteousnesse wee bee woorse than emptie vntill our good God doe succor our needes and the meane thereof is to flee to him for refuge To that end hath hee ordeined priuate prayer And publique or common prayer is ordeined to the intent to assure vs the better that hee will here the common accorde that is among vs when wee bee come together as it were into one bodie and therewithall wee make confession of our faith exercise our charitie By this meanes then we learne why and to what end our Lorde hath set order in his Churche that is to lay what he meant to betoken thereby and to what purpose it is to be referred If a man aske vs what is meant by Baptisme and wherefore it was ordeined it is to the intent wee should know that euen from our mothers wombe wee bring nothing but all maner of vncleanesse with vs and that wee be ful of infection and filth before the Lord so as wee must be faine to bee washed or else hee will not vouchsafe to auowe vs for his Eph. 5.26.27 And wherewithall must wee be washed With the bloud of our Lord Iesus Christ. 1 Iohn 1.7 That then is the way to make vs cleane For as long as wee liue in Adam and in our owne nature wee can doe nothing but euill We bee so marred as there is nothing in vs but vtter rebelliousnesse against GOD. Therefore wee must enter as it were into death and into the graue Rom. 6.4 to bee renewed and our Lord must bee faine to giue vs a new vnderstanding and a new heart and he must so shape vs new againe as we may no more be the same we were before but bee as yee would say cast in a newe mould Eph. 4.23.24 and bee made new creatures as the scripture vseth to speake of it Thus ye see how wee may learne what Baptisme is what it betokeneth and to what end it was ordeyned As
thither and know that God will bee neither father nor Sauiour vnto them but by accepting them in the person of him in whome hee auoweth all his delight to bee Mat. 3. ãâ¦ã 17.5 ãâ¦ã Eph. ãâ¦ã Thus the thinges which wee haue to remember vpon this text are first that if we will haue God to allow of our lyfe wee must not doe what wee thinke good of our selues but simply follow that which is commaunded vs in his Lawe Howbeit forasmuch as it is promised vs that wee shall bee taken for righteous before him if wee keepe his Lawe and yet notwithstanding all of vs are traÌsgressors of y e law so as our whole lyfe condeÌneth vs there is none of vs but hee may iudge by y e Rom. ãâ¦ã heartbitings of his owne conscience that wee bee full of sinnes and offences we must flee to y e forementioned refuge which is to beseech God to iustifye vs of his owne free mercie And besides this when wee bee once graffed into the body of our Lorde Iesus Christ let vs not doubt but hee will make vs partakers of the fruite of his death and passion Ro. ãâ¦ã so that although our workes be sinfull yet God will admit them for righteous But yet that proceedeth of his free goodnesse and not of any desert of ours Finally forasmuch as wee knowe that the best workes which wee can doe are worthie to bee condemned let vs looke well to it that wee presume not of our selues not of our owne vertues but let vs go and submit our selues with all humilitie to our God 1. P ãâ¦ã praying him to worke so in vs by his holy spirit as hee make the death and passion of his sonne auaileable whereby the euerlasting saluation is purchased for vs. And now let vs kneele downe in the presence of our good God with acknowledgement of our faultes praying him to voutsafe to print his Law in such wise in our heartes as wee may bee able to keepe it not of our owne power and motion but by the guiding of his holy spirit and that therewithall it may please him to beare with vs in our infirmities vntill hee haue rid vs quite cleane of al our sinnes taken vs vp into the euerlasting kingdome which hee hath promised vs. And so let vs all say A mighty God c. On Thursday the first of August 1555. The Lj Sermon which is the first vppon the seuenth Chapter WHen the Lord thy God shal haue brought thee into the Land whither thou goest to possesse it and shall haue cast out manie Nations before thee namelie the Hethites the Gergesites the Amorrhytes the Chananites the Pherezites the Heuites and the Iebusites seuen Nations moe in number and stronger than thy selfe 2 And when the Lord thy God shal haue deliuered them before thee thou shalt smite them and roote them out and thou shalt make no couenant with them nor shewe them any fauour 3 Thou shalt not alye thy self with them by mariage thou shalt not giue thy dawghter to their sonnes nor take their dawghter for thy sonne 4 For shee would make thy sonne to go away from mee to serue other Gods and the Lordes wrath would kindle against you and destroy thee suddenly IT shoulde seeme at y e âirst sight that y e commaÌdement which is giuen here to y e Iewes was very straÌge For they be charged to dispatch all their enemies and to put them to death euerychone yea euen the young children and all without sparing any of them and it is God that speaketh it But wee know that when he intendeth to exhort vs to mildnesse and mercy hee alledgeth his own example Ye shal reseÌble your heauenly father sayth our Lord Iesus Christ Matt. 5.45 who causeth his daysunne to rise both vppon good and bad and therefore doe good to such as are not worthie of it Seeing that GOD hath not a better reason to perswade vs to shewe mercy than by shewing vs what he himselfe doth it seemeth not in any wise conuenient that he should prouoke vs vnto crueltie For when hee sayth ye shall kill all yee shall leaue nothing euen the young babes shall passe vnder the edge of the sworde what is to be sayd to it but that GOD had no pitie nor kindeheartednesse in that behalfe But although it seeme so to vs yet let vs learne to glorify him knowing that the greatest rigor which is in him is rightful faultlesse yea eueÌ although the reason thereof be not manifest vnto vs. And hereby let vs learne to beware y t we be not so bold as to iudge of God or of his doings after our own wit imagination For as soon as a thing seemeth good vnto vs wee take it to bee so in deede and on the contrary part if wee fall to iudging of Gods ordinances at aduenture deeme them to bee euill because wee perceiue not the reason of them where is our obedience Wherefore let vs learne to humble our selues in such wise that if the thinges which God sayth doe not sitly agree with our vnderstanding yet neuerthelesse wee receiue them with all submission and reuereÌce acknowledging that as there is nothing but all wisedome and righteousnesse in him so it becommeth vs to yeeld to his good pleasure and to confesse that whatsoeuer he ordeyneth is the souereine righteousnesse Againe to the end that the thing which is set downe here may not seeme straunge wee must marke what maner of people they were of whom mention is made here It is sayd Thou shalt destroy the people whom I will deliuer into thy hand Now if it be demaunded whereof it came that God would haue none of them reserued Let vs haue an eye to that which had bin spoken foure hundred yeeres afore namely The wickednesse of the Amorrhites is not yet come to his full ripenesse Gen. 15.16 In the time of Abraham these people were so malicious and spitefull in vexing that holy patriarke as they refused euen to let him haue water GeÌ 21.25.30 Not that hee went about to borrowe any out of their pondes and fountaines but that they wold not suffer him to injoy the welles that hee himselfe had digged in the desert places He did no wrong to any man and yet they were so cruell that they would not suffer him to drinke of the water which hee had gotten by his owne skill and trauell He was hunted from place to place and yet hee had not done any man wroÌg Againe all the countrie was ful of the contempt of God all was full of wickednesse robberie whoredome and all maner of vncleanesse To bee short God seemed to bee asleepe in that hee punished not those nations which were so giuen ouer to all vngodlynesse and outrage And if they that grudge at this text had liued in those dayes they would haue sayd how now God promiseth to doe iustice and to take vengeance vppon all the despisers of his maiestie
handes wee must beware that wee take not too great libertie to vse his benefites at our owne pleasure For it is good reason that hee shoulde alwayes haue so much credite with vs as to shewe vs the lawfull vse of his benefites As howe Let vs take y â commonest example of eating and drinking When God hath giuen a man abundance of worldly goods hee must not forget him to whom he is beholdeÌ for them For if he say this is mine I will doe with it as I list it is a defrauding of God of the right that hee reserueth to himselfe It is true that wee may well terme the thinges ours which he hath giuen vs howbeit that is with condition that they must alwaies remaine at his deuotion and wee vse them soberly and modesty as I haue saide afore so as hee may still be acknowledged to bee the Lord and maister of them Nowe were this well obserued wee woulde not vnhallowe Gods benefites after such sort as wee see most men doe For there is no questioning whether GOD haue permitted or forbidden such a thing but as soone as men haue power ouer it by and by they thinke it is lawfull to doe with it what they list And who shall let vs say they If thou finde none vppon earth to set himselfe against thee and to let thee GOD can well ynough skill to call thee to account for thy starelinesse in that thou submittest not thy selfe vnto him nor referrest to him the thinges that he hath giuen thee to say that he shall alwayes ouerrule thee So then let vs mark well this doctrine namely that for as much as GOD sheweth himselfe liberall towardes vs and bestoweth his benefites vppon vs wee bee tyed and bound with so much the straiter bond to doe him homage for the thinges that he hath put into our handes that is to say to vse them accordingly as his word will beare That is another point Now Moses addeth immediatly Thou shalt not make any Alyance with them Thou shalt not giue them thy Children in mariage For if thou giue thy sonne in maryage to a daughter of the enemie or to any of thyne enimies shee will turne away his hart and drawe him to superstition and idolatrie then will the wrath of thy God be kindled vppon thee and thou shalt bee rooted out Heere our Lorde addeth an other commaundement which is that the Amorrhytes should not haue any league or alliance with his people Hee had saide afore Thou shalt destroy all And why Because hee had tolde them howe it was his will as I saide afore that that Land should be reserued to himselfe And surely we see what befell his people when they became negligent in executing this commaundement For notwithstanding any thing that GOD had spoken to them yet they forbore to conquer the Land which hee had promised them This is ynough quoth they let vs holde our selues quiet and let vs not spend al our life in warre And so by that meanes they left a great number of that people aliue But what came of it Iosua 23.13 They became as thorns in their sides yea and as pricks in their eys Now then the reward which the Isralites had for not dooing the thing which God had commaunded them was that by leauing those idolatrous people aliue and by intermingling themselues with theÌ they felt them to bee as thornes to pricke them and to pricke out their eyes For the enemies of God did bring the wretched Iewes into such captiuitie that they were ouerloded with the yoke of bondage and there was no man that succoured them vntill they had languished long time therein And it is good reason that GOD shoulde pay vs in such coyne when wee will needes bee more louing and friendly than hee Wee see what was sayde to Achab concerning Benhadad King of Syria â ãâã 20.42 that bycause he had not punished the partie whome GOD had commaunded to bee punished hee should receyue the punishment vppon his owne head Thou wouldest not punish him sayth the Prophet and therefore must thou answere for him in his stead and bee his borrowe And in deede it is not for nought that men doe commonly vse this prouerbe Saue a theefe from the gallowes and he will helpe to hang thee This prouerbe serueth not onely to condemne the vnthankefulnesse of such as haue receyued good at mens hands but also to verifie the iust punishment of GOD that is to wit that if a man haue saued an offender by some wicked practises eyther for fauour or for fond pitie or for vaine glorie and so hindered Iustice he himselfe must answere in his stead and the partie that was saued from the gibbit must helpe to leade him thither from whence himselfe was discharged And when it falleth out so wee must vnderstande that it it of Gods woorking So then yee see howe GOD hath shewed by effect that it was no small offence that the Lande which hee had dedicated to his owne seruice shoulde be still defyled with such abhominations and that Idolaters should bee mingled with the people which ought to haue bin holy Howbeit although the doctrine that hath beene set downe alreadye might suffice yet notwithstanding here GOD sheweth moreouer that his commaunding that those Nations shoulde not bee reserued nor suffered to liue was not for naught Why so For if they liue with you sayeth hee you may acquaint your selues with them and if yee make any allyaunce with them beholde it is a plague beholde it is a contageous disease that will come vppon you and your ofspring so as ye shal be corrupted and growe out of kind and in the ende that will cause you to bee rooted out and GODS vengeaunce which lay vppon that people will lyghte vppon you bycause ye haue not executed his iudgement as hee commaunded you That in effect is the thing that is conteyned heere And wee haue a good lesson to gather vppon this text that is to wit not to haue to doe with the wicked sorte and with the despysers of God according to this saying of Saynct Paules 2. Cor. 6.14 that wee must not drawe the yoke with the vnbeleeuers For hee vseth the similitude of Oxen cuppled together The yoke holdeth them so together that looke which way the one draweth the other must needes followe In like case is it with men They that fall into familiaritie with the wicked Doe cupple themselues with them so as they bee led out of the way and marred by them insomuch that whereas they weere as little Godes beefore nowe they become starke Diuelles Theirefore let vs beware wee mingle not our selues with the despysers of GOD and with the wicked vnlesse wee intende to become lyke them Yet notwithstanding theire are some to bee seene which are so fine headded that they will make God a lyer For they beare meÌ in hand that they may haunt the company of wicked men yet keepe themselues sound from
keeping of any way They hop they trippe they stumble and all to their owne ruine They haue no light but are as blinde wretches in the mids of darkenesse and in the meane while behold the Lord our God maketh his daysonne of righteousnes to shine vppon vs for Iesus Christ Mal. 4. â sheweth himselfe to bee our redeemer Sith it is so what ought we to doe Ought we not at leastwise to consider to what end and purpose Gods worde is preached vnto vs and euery of vs to gather vnder his hande to say Lord rule thou vs Yes but what There are verie sewe which thinke vpon that For we would be more afraide to defile our selues with the filthinesse of papistrie than we bee if this doctrine were well printed in vs that seing God hath separated vs from them if wee intermedle our selues with them newagaine it is all one as if wee mingled heauen and earth together of purpose to turne the whole order of nature vpside downe to make a hotchpotch of all things that there might bee a horrible confusion For surely there ought to bee a greater difference betweene Gods children and the vnbeleeuers than there is distance betweene heauen and earth True it is that we must be faine to be mingled together one with another as long as we liue in this worlde but yet is it not saide for nought that Gods children are citizens of heauen and 2. Cor. ãâ¦ã pilgrims in the worlde Although they bee conuersant here beneath yet must they not be tyed to it but they must goe on still as in a straunge countrie knowing that their abiding place is aboue and that God hath chosen theÌ with condition that they should goe thither Therefore when such as haue knowen Gods trueth doe fall to mingling themselues with ydolaters and will not bee separated from them it is all one as if they went about to peruert the whole order of nature But this doctrine hath more neede to bee throughly well minded than to bee preached with long speech The thing then which Moses ment by these wordes is this Yee bee a people that is hollowed to the Lorde that is to say Although we were of Adams cursed race although we came of wretched Infidels yet notwithstanding our Lorde hath vouchsafed to drawe vs to him and to choose vs to bee of his housholde and therefore it is good reason that wee shoulde be separated from the rest Hath hee done so by making vs partakers of the doctrine of his Gospel Then his wil is to haue vs dedicated to himselfe and that wee shoulde bee his temples So then let vs looke well to it that wee continue in this state and that we doe not wilfully disanull Gods adopting of vs nor consent to any thing that may put vs out of his house For when wee forsake Gods Gospell through falshood wee doe what wee can to cut our selues off from the bodie of Iesus Christ and to disherite our selues of the heauenly kingdom and to banishe our selues from it when wee make no conscience nor remorse of intermingling our selues with ydolaters and with their defilings Whatsoeuer hee is that giueth himselfe the bridle to goe to the superstitions of the Papistes and to communicate with them it is alone as if he canceled the deede of the inheritance which God hath giuen him And y t deede is not written in paper nor in parchment but it is sealed by God in our harts Eph. 1.13 5.26 and it is his will that seales and markes therof should also bee in our bodies Then in so doing we blot out the writing wherby God adopted vs for his children heires and as I said we banish our selues out of his kingdom and cut off our selues from the body of our Lorde Iesus Christ. For if we be members of Gods son we must not goe do homage to ydols nor defile our bodies which are y e temples of the holy ghost 2. Cor. 6.16 with such filthines abhomination But as oft as we com to heare Gods word we must thinke thus with our selues Behold my God hath made me holy that is to say he hath separated me from such as are ouerwhelmed in their owne vncleannes and shall I nowe worke him spite What a condemnation wil it be to me y t my God hath so hallowed me and I on the otherside doe vnhallowe and defile my selfe with all leawdnes reiecting y e priuiledge that he hath giuen me Is it not a making of war against him when I will needs after that sort disappoint the good which hee had offered me of his owne infinite mercy Yes And Moses addeth expresly yet further That it was to the intent that this people should be separated from all the rest of the world If God graunted his grace commonly without exception to al people to haue his worde preached euerywhere yet ought we to be sanctified vnto him bicause he taketh vs out of the corruption of Adam and from the ruine wherin al of vs are by nature But when as he choseth one Nation and alyeth himself to y e same and in the meane while letteth all y e rest goe it serueth to giue the greater beauty to his goodnes like as nowadayes our hauing of y e pure doctrine of y e Gospel is as a corde whereby God draweth vs to him and whereby he vouchsafeth to be made one w t vs as I said afore The worlde seeth how he letteth the wretched papists run at rouers so as their eys be stopped they see not one whit nay rather they turne quite cleane away from the way of saluation We see it And what is to be done but y t inasmuch as god setteth such beawty vpon his mercy such comparison should make vs the willinger to serue him to liue the more warely for feare of turning away from him seeing he hath vochsafed to prefer vs before others though wee haue not deserued it But what So farre are we vnable to profite our selues by such goodnes of God y t we rather make it an occasion to take leaue libertie to do euill For wheÌ we haue y e examples of the vnbeleeuers before our eyes we thinke we may do the same things that they do But that is far of from thinking vpon that which Moses saith here Your god saith he hath sanctified you aboue al other nations of y e earth As if he should say Who be you For ye be no better than other Nations and yet neuertheles your god hath vouchsafed to sanctifie you Now therefore be you the more carefull to bridle your selues to keepe you vndefiled and meddle no more with the wretched vnbeleeuers y t are wholly giuen ouer to their owne vncleannes because your God neuer drew them vnto him Thus yee see why Moses compareth here y e Iewes expresly with y e heathen Likewise in these days forasmuch as God hath preferred vs before y e wretched papists we
aboue all nations and there shall not bee either male or female barren among you or among thy Cattell 15 The Lord will take from thee all diseases and all the euill plagues of Egypt which thou hast knowen Hee will not lay them vpon thee but vpon all those that hate thee WE see here againe the thing that hath bin treated of alredy heretofore namely that God indeuoreth to drawe vs to him by gentlenesse It were enough for him to shew vs his will howbeit forasmuch as our nature draweth the cleane coÌtrary way he setteth his promises afore vs to win vs withall to prouoke vs to serue him the better Therefore whensoeuer God promiseth to blesse vs to mak vs to prosper so we serue him thereby we be put in minde of y e singular goodnesse loue which he beareth towardes vs. For is he bound to doe it Nay ought not euery of vs to streine our selues yea eueÌ aboue our power to serue him Are we not bounde thereto by nature Yes and therefore let vs marke well that whereas God voutsafeth to tel vs that if we serue him he will be fauorable and mercifull vnto vs his so dooing proceedeth of his own meere freegoodnesse And if that moue vs not the worlde may see what our vnthankfulnesse is But yet by the way let vs marke well y t his promises should stand vs in no stead if our Lord supplyed not our defaults I mean euen wheÌ we be best minded to serue him for else should we come farre short of y e perfection y t is required of vs. All his promises then should nothing boote vs if he did not beare with vs and so is he faine to vse dubble grace towardes vs. Howbeit to y e intent y t things may be the better vnderstoode let vs see first of all how it may agree y t God should blesse vs of his owne free goodnesse make vs to prosper yet notwithstanding match it with this condition y t we serue honor him For at the first sight there seemeth to be some disagreement in it If God loue vs without respect of our deseruinges there ought to be no iffes nor conditions in the matter But he putteth them to it as we see in this text yea all the whole scripture is full of the same doctrine ãâã 19.29 Rom. 2.6 Apo. 14. namely that God recompenceth euery man as they shall haue serued him How can it theÌ be that God should both haue respect of our life also loue vs of his owne free mercy Let vs marke well the wordes that Moses vseth here For he sayth that God will performe his couenant and mercy according as he hath promised if he be honored and serued In saying that God will performe his couenant and mercie he sheweth vâ well that we must not begin at our owne seruice as though we would bring any thing vnto God to moue him to loue vs For whereupon is his couenant grounded Euen vppon his mercie Now theÌ let vs see what his mercie is whereto it ought to be referred First of all it is his chosing of vs. Although wee be vttterly froward deserue to be shaken off at his hand yet doth he take vs into his fauor Thus is it already a great and inestimable mercie that although God find vs lost and damned creatures yet he vouchsafeth to take vs for his people aduauncing vs to such dignitie as to be of his houshold and Church Now when he hath so begun he must be faine to hold out still that is to say he must be faine to like well of vs continually by reason of the same free fauor which he beareth vs and all for our Lorde Iesus Christes sake So then God maintaineth his mercy towards vs bycause he pitieth our wretchednesse and miserie And although we be not worthie to be receiued yet doeth he accept vs. And wherefore Because he loueth vs in the person of his only son Eph. 1.6 But there is yet more that is to wit y t he vseth mercy towards vs in bearing with our imperfections and by that meanes accepteth our seruice so that although it be faultie and haue always some blemish in it yet notwithstanding he admitteth it of his owne goodnesse Now we see what the couenant importeth which Moses speaketh of here namely that first and foremost God receiueth vs to mercye euen without finding any thing but vtter cursednesse in vs. And secondly that he continueth his fauour towards vs for loue of his only son notwithstanding y t he might find iust cause in vs to shake vs off and to hate vs. And thirdly that he accepteth our workes taketh them for good so as although they be as ye would say but halfe done and haue alwayes some faulte mingled with them yet notwithstanding he ceaseth not to admit them as if they were righteous and sound and all by vertue of the said couenaunt as I saide afore Now then we see it is no incoÌuenience y t God should blesse vs and make vs to prosper when wee haue serued him and yet notwithstanding that his louing of vs should bee not for any woorthinesse or desertes of ours but for his owne free goodnesse sake without any other reason that wee can alledge than that he hath chosen vs and made vs partakers of the righteousnesse that is in our Lord Iesus Christ that thereby all our filthinesse may be couered and hidden But as soone as the ignoraunt sort doe heare of the woord Condition they beare themselues in hand that God maketh some payment that when he sheweth vs any fauour he doth it in recompence of our desertes And by that meanes the wretched Papists doe blind themselues with vain presumption quite ouerthrow theÌselues by perking vp after that fashion against God therefore they must at length be cast downe in their ouerloftines For whereunto do they leane Beholde say they God telleth vs that he will blesse vs if we serue him therefore it followeth that all the promises which he maketh are conditionall Yea but they haue ill studied the holy scripture when they cannot discerne betweene the promises as they be set downe in the Lawe and the thinges that God addeth to theÌ to supply our default For if wee take the promises so rawely that is to wit that God will blesse none but them that serue him wee shall all of vs bee shut out from hope For which of vs serueth God with all his heart and with all his soule as God hath expressely commaunded vs Nay contrariwise we drag backward and by nature wee be deadly enemies vnto him because all y e thoughts and affections that are in vs doe fight against his will Rom. 8.7 Then are wee so farre of from being able to serue him as wee should doe that wee make war against him and cease not to prouoke his wrath against vs. Nay verily euen when God hath reformed vs by his
be to be found among vs nowadayes as it is promised Indeede it is to bee marueled as I haue declared alreadie that God is so patient towardes vs. For are we woorthie to be maintained here one minute of an houre considering the outrageous offences which we commit dayly against him No and yet notwithstanding although he spare vs although he tarie for vs and although he scourge vs not as we haue deserued yet neuerthelesse we see how we doe partly languishe Some decay and consume theÌselues by little little some perish vtterly out of hand othersome pine away as if they were almost dead of cold as men terme it And what is y e cause hereof but our driuing away of Gods grace blessing Again we need not to go to our Oxen our horses and our sheep to weet whether God w tdraw his hand grace froÌ vs or no Let vs but looke vpoÌ our children in what plight they be Gods receiuing of their fathers into his fauor ought to bee as a lookinglasse of his goodnesse towards theÌ but yet ought it to be much better knoweÌ in the children so as it might be sayd Lo here a blessed seede For Gods voutsafing to take y e fathers vnto him was of purpose to vtter his mercie yet more in their childreÌ But coÌtrariwise let a man looke vpon their children he shall be driueÌ to conclude y t we be as good as banished froÌ Gods blessing from all y e prosperitie which he promised to his people And mo maruel though it be so for y e world seeth wherat y e fathers ame Their intent is not to edify theÌ in the feare of God for it should seeme that they be loth y e their childreÌ should shame them by becomming honester meÌ than they And to say y e trueth they bring theÌ vp in all lewdnesse and is it not meete then y t God should shew himself a iudge Where are y e fathers nowadayes y t make y e feare of God their mark to ame at in teaching their children In deede they be willing enough to haue their childreÌ aduaunced to y e worldward to lay for theÌ y t they may want no wealth but in the meane while as for to haue an eye vnto God to say I will dedicate my childreÌ vnto him I will haue them so brought vp as he may be rightly honored by them it is the furthest end of all their thought Needes therefore must we be bereft of the benefites that are promised here and banished from them Furthermore whensoeuer it is told vs y t our Lord prouoketh vs to returne vnto him let vs vnderstaÌd y t seeing he loued vs freely when wee were yet his enemies Rom. 5.2 it must needes be y t he will much rather loue vs now y t he is reconciled vnto vs. Yea but yet must y t be in respect of our Lorde Iesus Christ for his sake We must not seeke any worthinesse out of y e person of him y t is called Gods welbeloued son Heb. ãâ¦ã for it is only he y t hath satisfied y e paimeÌt of all our dets which thing it lay not in any creature to do Yet notwithstaÌding let vs assure our selues y t it behoueth vs to indeuer to doe wel knowing y t God wil not haue vs to abuse his mercie For seeing he hath adopted vs to be his childreÌ let vs yeeld him y e honor y t is due to our father And besides y t although our workes be vnperfect and wee doe but offer him thinges which are not worth y e accepting at his haÌd yet doth not he cease to lyke wel of vs in y e thinges y t we do to serue honor him w tall we shall not be disappointed of y e benefits y t he hath promised vs. But yet must we impute all to his mercie and we must liue in such sort in his world as we may be out of doubt y t he wil haue regard to maintein vs eueÌ in this present lyfe to giue vs whatsoeuer he knoweth to be meet for vs. Therefore let y t serue to make vs to finde such tast in his goodnesse as it may tolle vs on stil further further so as we may be able to goe through w t a cheareful heart to the spiritual blessednesse that taryeth for vs aboue whereof we haue but onely a raste as now by faith and hope Nowe let vs kneele downe in the presence of our good God with acknowledgement of our faults praying him to make vs so to feele them as we may learne to be sory for them better than wee haue beene and to turne wholy vnto him and to reforme our whole lyfe after such a sorte as wee may seeke nothing but to giue ouer our selues all wholy vnto him and to frame our selues to his holy will as he hath declared it in his worde And so let vs all say Almightie God heauenly father c. On Munday the twelfth of August 1555. The Lv. Sermon which is the fift vpon the seuenth Chapter 16 Thou shalt consume all the nations which the Lorde thy God giueth thee Thine eye shall not pardon them neither shalt thou serue their Gods for that wil be thy decay 17 If thou say in thine hart these nations are moe in number than I how may I driue them out 18 Be not afraide of them but remember what the Lorde thy God did to Pharao and to all the Egyptians 19 That is to wit the great tryals which thine eyes haue seene and the signes and wonders and the strong hand stretched out arme where with the Lorde thy God brought thee out So will the Lord thy God doe to all the nations of whose face thou art afraid FOrasmuch as we bee exhorted to become lyke God in gentlenesse mildnesse Matt. 5.44.45 and that he will haue his children knowen thereby in this world it should seeme y t the thing which Moses sayth here is not agreeable thereunto For euen the heathen could well skill to say that there is nothing wherein men resemble God more thaÌ in gentlenes and louingkindnes when they giue themselues to doe good But in this place heere is nothing but rigor God will haue them to kill all without sparing of any thing it seemeth then y t there is some contrarietie in this matter No but as I haue declared heretofore although God execute his iudgements and appoint men to be the doers thereof Yet is that no let but that we may in the meane while bee kindehearted in our selues and haue pitie and compassion euen vppon them that perish Nowe on the one side if God inioyne a thing to be done it must be done without gainesaying And yet in the meane while we must followe the rule that is giuen vs generally namely to loue our neighbors though they be not worthie of it yea euen such as hate vs and to indeuour to doe them good to
doone and Moses doeth God the honour to keepe him to that which hee had sayde Nowe that hee is assaulted with greeuous temptation euen as though it were cannon shot hee persisteth neuerthelesse in the same faith and it is not a faith that flickereth as a shaddowe but a faith conceyued of the worde and couenaunt of God a faith that shoulde stande fast setled and vnmouable We see howe that Moses neuer obeyed GOD better than when hee withstoode the threatening which God made But yet doeth not this resolue the whole question For a man might replie Howe so Beholde God speaketh continually why then doeth Moses beleeue one of his sayinges more than other Againe there is an other doubte Seeing that God is vnuariable and hath but one single will why speaketh he otherwise than hee had determined in himselfe For in so doing hee shoulde deale double which thing wee knowe can in no wise agree with his nature As touching the first question let vs marke that forasmuch as Moses was gouerned by the holy Ghost and was fullie perswaded that it behooued him to sticke to the promise which was made to Abraham and therefore gaue credite to the same hee considered also therewithall that Gods threatening was iust and that he might iustly execute it for else his praying had beene but a mockerie Hee sawe the daunger that hung ouer the people and was readie to fall vppon them But forasmuch as he thought there was a remedy though GOD had saide Let me alone hee falleth to intreataunce againe And that serueth to shew the heynousnesse of the offence and of the fault that had beene committed For such an enormitie as that was deserued well y e vtter destruction of the people Moses then is so gouerned by the holy Ghoste that although his will seeme contrarie to Gods will yet neuerthelesse hee knoweth what wee ought to followe But it seemeth that Abraham did the cleane contrarie Gen. 22.2 For God had promised him to blesse Isaac and to raise vp a people of his seed whom he woulde take to himselfe And yet notwithstanding he commaundeth Abraham to slea Isaac with his owne handes Nowe it seemeth that after the example which is set vs downe here he shoulde rather haue saide Lorde thou hast promised mee that my sonne Isaac shall beget a seede whereby saluation shall be sent vnto the worlde therefore he must needes liue But Abraham is gouerned by the holy Ghoste and knoweth that hee ought to obey GOD simplie without gaynesaying for hee coulde well haue stirred vp seede from out of the ashes of Isaac when he had beene deade So then let vs marke that when such temptations as these doe incounter the faithfull so as God seemeth to bee contrarie to himselfe he fay leth not to gouerne them by his holy spirite and to giue them such wisedome and discretion as they holde themselues alwayes to the thing that is good and belonging to their duetie and neuer doubt at al of Gods worde And therefore let vs beseech God to teach vs his will and let vs doe our indeuour in seeking his worde and surely hee will neuer suffer vs to goe astray nor to doe amisse but forasmuchas he knoweth vs to be vnskilfull and easie to be led away to and fro he will hold vs backe by his holie spirit and giue vs discretion to discerne what hee commaundeth For like as he fayled neither Moses nor Abraham no more also will he faile vs. As touching the seconde question where it was demaunded howe it may be that GOD shoulde say one thing and meane an other for that is contrarie to his nature in somuch as hee nameth himselfe the trueth and therefore must needes shewe himselfe to bee so indeede we must marke that in saying so hee speaketh not peremptorilie but with condition though the condition be not expressed Therefore we must haue an eye to the ende whereunto these wordes are referred and then shall wee finde that there is no contrarietie in them God had saide to Abraham thy seede shall bee helde in bondage but about afoure hundred yeres hence I will performe the promise that I haue made thee Needes nowe muste this free promise of God be performed for it dependeth not vppon men it is not saide conditionally that thine ofspring behaue themselues well but Gods intent is to bee vnchaungeable in his determination And therefore whereas he saith here to Moses Let me alone I will make cleane riddaunce of this people it is as if he shoulde say This people hath deserued to be vtterly destroyed for seeing they be past amendement what shall I doe more I haue tried them a number of wayes I haue experience of them I haue borne gentlie with them I haue chastised them and yet will they not bee reclaimed neither by faire meanes nor by foule Seeing then that they be past recouerie they must needs be vtterly rooted out and perish Yea but yet is there this Let mee alone His vsing of that speech includeth a condition as if he shoulde say Here am I readie to doe the office of a iudge what remaineth nowe to doe but to thunder downe vppon this people and to make cleane dispatche of them Onely make thou no intercession for them Nowe wee see yet better the thing which I touched afore that is to wit that God was so farre off from cutting off of Moses or from shutting him out that he shoulde not pray that hee did rather sharpen him thereunto As if hee shoulde say But for thee this people shoulde be destroyed For if I shoulde handle them according to their desertes I shoulde confounde them And forasmuch as they be so wilfull that they be past amendement It is time nowe or neuer to execute my sentence It is too much I will make no moe wordes But I will graunt thus much at thy request that if thou make intercession to me I will be restrayned by it Now then wee see these two questions well resoluedâ and the profite that redoundeth of this texte Namely firste that the force of our prayers is shewed vs here when we pray vnto God faithfullie And secondly we see that daungers ought to prouoke vs the more The more that Gods wrath is vttered vnto vs the more ought we to be moued to pray vnto God because it is as if he draue vs thereto by force And wee must not pray alonly for our selues nor haue a care of our saluation onely nor onely feare the daungers that hang ouer our heades but wee must also take care âor our neighbors and when we heare Gods threateninges they must waken vs and make vs to come before him saying Alas Lord heere is a sorte of wretched creatures which must needes perish if thou be so disposed Therfore let vs bee prouoked to feare the more for Gods shewing of his wrath vnto vs and for the hearing of his threates For hee vttereth his iudgementes vnto vs to the ende that we should preuent them For
renewing of vs and the writing of Gods Lawe in our heartes thereby to fashion vs according to the righteousnes contayned in y e same is reserued alonely to the sonne of God and that it is he which giueth vs the will to followe God his Father and to obey him For he hath the spirit of the feare of God Psa. 11.2 hee hath the spirite of all righteousnesse hee hath the spirite of trueth as is sayde in the eleuenth Chapter of the Prophet Esay So then let vs marke that wee must resort to our Lorde Iesus Christ when wee bee put in minde of our duetie When it is tolde vs what GOD requireth of vs wee must thinke thus Alas Lorde Iesus it is true in deede that heere wee haue knowledge of the thing that is good and ryghtfull but what Wee haue another Lawe cleane contrarie to it in our selues Rom. 7.23 which is that wee doe but chafe and fret at GOD when wee bee taught and when his Lawe is alleaged vnto vs wee doo the cleane contrarie to that which is contayned there and therefore thou must bee fayne to chaunge vs and to make vs new creatures for to that ende is the spirite giuen vs which thou communicatest vnto vs by bearing vs recorde that wee bee members of thy body And againe hath Iesus Christ once giuen vs this will Phil. 2.13 Hee giueth vs also abilitie to perfourme the same desire and strengtheneth vs so against all temptations as wee shall neuer bee ouercome by them Yee see then that wee must hye vs to our Lorde Iesus Christ assuring our selues that that prerogatiue and honour belongeth to none but onely him Yet notwithstanding this saying of S. Paules is true also 2. Cor. 3.6 that all such as preach the Gospell are spirituall ministers that is to say they set not foorth a dead letter and vnprofitable doctrine but withall they bring Gods spirit And howe is that Is it by their owne breathing No For our Lorde Iesus Christ did well shewe by his breathing vppon his disciples Iohn 20.22 that the holy Ghost proceedeth from none but himselfe alone But Saint Paules meaning is that Iesus Christ woorketh continually to the ende wee shoulde beleeue in him True it is that we shall not see him heere personally present how then shall wee bee sure that hee wryteth Gods Lawe in our heartes Let vs not alleage any of those thinges For seeing that Iesus Christ is the ende and perfection of the lawe Rom. 10.4 Col. 2.17 yea and the very life of it as I sayde afore let vs not thinke but that hee printeth Gods Lawe in our heartes by the preaching of the Gospell So then let vs not doubt but GOD will performe that grace in vs. And although the partie that preacheth vnto vs bee but a mortall man and the wordes which hee vttereth vnto vs with his mouth doe vanish anon after away in the ayre yet let not vs doubt but Iesus Christ will for all that doe his dewtie Rom. â0 13. 2. Cor. 3.3 as Sainte Paule declareth in the same place And in deede the faithfull haue experience thereof For wee shoulde neuer haue so much as any thought at all of comming vnto GOD Eph. 4.7 or of dooing any good vnlesse wee were fully resolued of this grounde namely that it behooueth vs to bee throughly setled and constant all the which proceedeth of our Lorde Iesus Christ. Therefore whensoeuer wee feele that GOD draweth vs vnto him let vs vnderstande that hee sheweth vs howe wee bee members of the body of his sonne bycause wee haue the holy Ghost by whome wee bee altered and reformed Rom. 8.9 1. Cor. 6.15.19 and by whome also his Lawe is written newe againe in our heartes Thus yee see what wee haue to beare in minde Moreouer let vs marke that whereas Moses telleth the people that God heard him for that time it is to the ende they shoulde not abuse Gods goodnesse but vnderstand their offence to haue beene so horrible that if they did so any more and tempted GOD agayne afterwarde they shoulde finde no mercye The intent then of Moses in this place was to holde the people in awe Truely wee ought to bee fully perswaded of this that if GOD finde vs repentaunt for our sinnes hee will euer bee ready to forgiue all that wee haue committed Let vs but onely make towardes him and hee will reache vs his hande Yet is it not ment that we should take leaue to doe euill vnder colour that GOD is so mercifull to wretched sinners that as soone as they returne vnto him hee preuenteth them and is ready to receaue them and imbrace them aforehand This say I must not make vs the more inclined to doe euill but wee must vnderstand that when God hath forgiuen vs once we must no more fall backe againe For then do we tempt him and abuse his patience which is the next way to shutte vs out of the gate of saluation and to disappoint our selues vtterly of all the mercy which hee was minded to haue vsed towardes vs. True it is that although we shall haue offended twentie or thirtie times yet doth God tell vs that he will haue pittie vpon vs. But I speake as nowe of those that take libertie to offend and say seeing I haue found God so gentle and pittifull I shall surely bee receiued of him at all tymes Surely when men stande so vppon Gods mercie and vnder pretence thereof doe eyther become negligent or else giue ouer themselues to all naughtinesse it is all one as if they renounced all the promises of their saluation Therefore let vs marke well the saying that is set downe heere God sayth Moses heard mee And howe for that tyme to the ende that the people shoulde thinke thus with themselues Alas it is a wonder that euer we obteined pardon and it must needes astonish vs still that God woulde rid vs out of such danger as wee were fallen into considering howe deadly and ouer deadly the fall was Now then seeing that God hath shewed himself so friendly towardes vs let vs beware that wee prouoke not his wrath any more For if wee fall backe agayne that he gaue flatte sentence that none of them shoulde enter into the promised heritage saue onely Iosua and Caleb the sonne of Iephuneh bicause those two had behaued theÌselues faithfully But as for the people they should be led about by the space of fortie yeeres vntill their carkesses were rooted in the wildernesse according to the threat which God had vttered with his owne mouth That is the content of this part of the text Now let vs marke first of all that to make the Iewes vnderstand the meaning of Moses or rather of the holy ghost it behoued them to bee warned to set their former faultes before their eyes that they might not bee so fond as to presume any thing at all vppon their owne worthynesse or vppon their owne power but
they make no difference betweene God and a sainct that they haue forged of their owne braine For they say Our father which art in heauen as wel kneeling before a puppet as if they spake to GOD himselfe But yet howe make they their prayers I shall not neede to speake heere neither of the Apostles nor of the Prophetes for they haue saincts which neuer were in the world And although they take the prophets and Apostles yet they pray to them as to God and with the same speech and stile We see then that they are vtterly brutish and that God hath giuen them vp to a reprobate sense And it is good reason because they haue robbed Christ of his dignitie wherein God his father had set him and are not contented with him as with their only aduocate and intercessor but are run astray here there Therfore it is meete that God should withdraw himselfe from them and forsake them that they might fall into such extremitie as wee see they be falne into Wherefore let vs for our part beware that wee hold fast the simplicitie which the scripture sheweth vs that is to wit that in calling vpon God we haue our eye vpon our Lorde Iesus Christ and againe that in asmuch as God hath stablished his couenaÌt for euer in his name we doubt not but that we be heard as oft as wee come vnto God by him and that he is mercifull vnto vs. Now let vs kneele downe in the presence of our good God with acknowledgement of our sins praying him to make vs feele them y e betler that we may acknowledge them rightly both with heart mouth and bee brought to true amendment be so humbled y t by glorifying him as he is worthy and by acknowledging what goodnes he vseth towards vs we may be prouoked to serue him with the better corage and he beare with vs in our infirmities as long as we be in this worlde vntill we be come to him into his heaueÌly kingdom he haue made vs partakers of his endlesse glorie That it may please him to grant this grace not only to vs c. On Tewsday the x. of September 1555. The Lxix Sermon which is the first vpon the tenth Chapter THe same time the Lorde saide cut thee two tables of stone like the first and come vp to mee into the mountaine and make thee an Arke of wood 2 And I will write in those Tables the wordes that were written in the former tables which thou hast broken and thou shalt put them in the Arke 3 So I made an Arke of Setimwood and hewed two tables like the first and went vp into the mountaine hauing the two tables in my hande 4 Then wrate he in the Tables as he had written afore euen the tenne sayings which the Lorde had spoken vpon the mountaine from the middes of the fire in the day of your comming together And afterwarde the Lorde gaue them to me 5 And I turned me and went downe from the hill and put them into the Ark which I had made and they were there as the Lord had commaunded me 6 And the children of Israel departed from Beroth of the children of Iaacan towards Mosera where Aaron died and was buried there And Eleazar his sonne executed the office of high priest in his stead 7 From thence they went towarde Gadgad and from Gadgad towards Getebatha in the Countrie where running riuers are 8 The same time the Lord sorted out the tribe of Leuie to beare the Arke of the Lords couenant and to stande in the Lords presence to minister vnto him and to blesse in his name euen to this day WE haue seen alredie heretofore the thing y t Moses rehearseth here y t is to wit y t God wrate new againe y e ten commaÌdements of his law in two Tables of stone that was done to the end y t the people should the better consider that the couenant which God had made with them was of his own onely mercy For we see how God had giuen ouer y t people and it was all one as if he had thrust them into the commoÌ aray of other men which are vtterly accursed and estraunged from God Truely Gods former choosing of y t people was of his owne free goodnes Eph. 2.3 For as we haue seen none of them was yet borne when he made his promise with his seruant Abraham therefore needes must they acknowledge y t his choosing of them was not in respect of any desert of their owne Howbeit forasmuch as men labour al that they can to darken Gods free fauor seeke pretie fond deuises to chalenge to themselues some peece of their own saluation it was expedient to haue it fully shewed y t God receiued y e people to mercy againe the second time without any respect whether they were worthie of it or no but onely of his owne mere goodnesse Men are of opinion y t when God chose them he foresawe what maner of ones they should be accordingly as we see how this diuelish errour hath alwayes raigned and y t there are yet still some fantastical persons which wil needes haue Gods election to be grounded vpon his foreknowledge y t is to say when God chose whom he listed before the making of y e world Eph. 1.4 they fall to glosing thereupon y t he foreknew who should be worthy of it therfore marked them out for the same purpose and in the same respect preferred them before those whom he knew would become wicked But y t is cleane contrarie to y e teaching of the holy scripture For y e teacheth vs y t the cause of Gods chosing of vs is taken from out of himself y t is to say of his owne only free goodnes for he shal neuer finde any thing in vs why he should be inclined to loue vs. Howbeit to the end y t this may be the better perceiued in the things which God hath shewed vs in the people of Israel Rom. 3.22 he chose y e ofspring of Abraham And wherefore AbrahaÌ was a sillie soule he had neither nobilitie nor worship in him he was not of any great reputation to the worldward yet notwithstanding God marked him out chose him alone his houshold froÌ all others And what maner of houshold was it Was there yet any likelyhood in it Nay Abraham was yet childishe hee was barrain hee was vtterly past hope of euer hauing any issue Now then Gods choosing of AbrahaÌ was when he was as a blocke alreadie dead aforehand and therefore S. Paule saith Roâ â ââ y t in the person of Abraham God shewed y t he chose the thinges which are not of purpose to giue them being And for y e same cause it is said in the first Chapter of y e first Epistle to the Corinthians 1. Cor. ââââ y t we be of God that is to say y t he giueth vs being vnto
owne lewdenesse and vnthankefulnesse but lette vs endeuour to fare the better by it by beeing washed in our soules that is to say by mortifying our owne imaginations reasons and lustes and by offering vp of our selues in sacrifice vnto god to the ende that he may renewe vs and that nothing else but his spirite may reigne in vs so as hee may beare the whole swaye This exhortation is made vnto the Iewes because it was their dutie to apply their sacramentes vnto such ende Neuerthelesse let vs marke that it is not in our power to performe the thing y t is required here For although the Iewes ought to haue bin circuÌcised in their heartes yet was it verie necessary that God should worke in y t behalfe Likewise it standeth vs in hande nowadayes to mortifie our selues we be coÌmanded so to do but yet must wee be faine to resort vnto God who reserueth to himselfe y e office of renewing our soules And that is the cause why it is sayd y t our Lorde Iesus Christ is only he which baptiseth with fire the holy Ghost Iohn 1.33 For if a man y t ministreth baptisme had power to regenerate then had he in himself the power maiestie glory which is giuen to y e sonne of God But our baptising is only with water y t is to say we haue but the signe of baptisme coÌmitted vnto vs yet notwithstanding our doing is not in vaine for we must needes be faithfull witnesses of God And forasmuch as we doe it in his name we must not thinke y t the thing is voide vnprofitable But yet for all that it behoueth vs to resort to our Lord Iesus Christ and to consider y t our ministring of baptisme in his Church is by his authoritie therefore that it belongeth vnto him to make it auaileable that it is only his spirit wherby we be regenerate For if euerie man could wash his own soule it might be sayde that the minister baptiseth with water and y t euerie man baptiseth himselfe with truth but it can not be sayd so for that were as much as to robbe Gods sonne of the thing that is peculiar vnto him He hath reserued that honour to himselfe neuer giuen it to any creature no not vnto y e Angels of heauen Therefore let vs vnderstand that nowadayes when it is tolde vs that we must make the outwarde signe auailable vnto vs by being baptised in our soules we must therewithall immediately submit our selues vnto God praying him to performe the thing by the power of his holy spirit which he representeth to vs outwardly by the figure thereof and to mortifie and renewe vs in such wise as we may haue the trueth of baptisme sealed vppe and ingrauen in our soules In like case was it with the people of olde time True it is that here Moses exhorteth y e Iewes to Circumcise their heartes but yet we shall see hereafter Deut. 3â 6 howe he will say the Lorde our God themselues so ill as it was verie requisite for theÌ to be done to vnderstand that it was but a fondnesse for them to boast themselues to be Gods people Nowe to the intent we may learne to put this doctrine in practise as it ought to be Let vs vnderstande that such as will needes harden them selues in naughtinesse shal be destroyed by God who will make them to feele y e force of his power according to this saying of his If ye fall to stubbornes with me Leuit. 26.23 24. I will deale stubbornly with you againe And it is all one with this saying of the xviij Psalme Psal. 18.27 With the frowarde I wil be froward and I wil deale roughly with such as harden theÌselues against me Then let vs learne that Gods intent is to lay a yoke vppon our neckes by his worde of purpose to bring vs in subiection to his righteousnesse And all is for our benefite Insomuch that although it bee so vnpossible for vs to fulfill the Lawe that wee can not so much as put foorth one of our litle fingers to the furtheraunce of it no nor once thinke a good thought yet is that yoke gentle amiable of it selfe and all the harme of it commeth of our selues For if wee will not bowe downe our neckes but strout them out as hard as if they were steele or brasse so as in steede of being as Oxen to labour or as sheep to heare the voyce of our shepherd we become sturdy buls and fall to striking with rage furie to shake off the yoke so as we not only followe not the worde but also shake off all subiection and inharden ourselues against God what excuse will there be for vs seeing wee yeelde not ourselues vnto him willingly to be taught at his hande Yet for all that we see how the world goeth God therefore must be faine to ouermaster vs to tame vs by maine hande And in verie deede looke what afflictions soeuer light vpon vs we ought to take theÌ as strokes of Gods haÌd to make vs bowe our neckes vnder him and to become tractable and obedient But when we go awke and cleane contrary after that fashion theÌ doth he threaten vs thus by Moses I will deale stubbornely as well as you He vseth that terme of purpose to the intent y t men should not dally with him For at the first blush the saying might seeme straunge which I alledged out of the xviij Psalme Psal. 18.27 namely that hee will deale frowardely with such as are froward For howe can that be Can God be frowarde No But it is all one as if he shoulde say yee shall finde in me a greater hardnesse than yours is Let vs incounter together and see which of vs is stoutest and best able to holde out I tell you it is you that are like to be confounded and go to wrecke And therfore let vs leaue our naughtinesse and repaire vnto God while he calleth vs and when we be come to him let vs suffer ourselues to be gouerned by his holy spirite which is the spirit of meeknesse that we may submit our selues obediently vnto him And for perfourmaunce thereof lette vs marke the lesson that Moses addeth immediatly The euerlasting thy God sayeth he is the God of Gods a great a mightie a strong God yea but let vs marke also that he doth not accept that is to say regard mens persons but iudgeth according to the truth Beware therefore y t ye trust not any more in your circuÌcision nor in such like thinges but beare in mind that God wil haue your seruice to be such as your hearts may be wholly dedicated vnto him and that he wold haue you to submit your selues vnto him so as he may haue you in his possession and you enioy the inheritance which hee promised to your fathers and which belongeth vnto you Gods greatnesse which Moses speaketh of in this place is the first
the law the ceremonies such other lyke thinges but yet they wanted not the substance trueth also Now then Gods setting forth of the land of ChanaaÌ to the Iewes was not to the intent they should stand poring vpon y t lyke swine that stand musling with their groyns in their swiltrough but vnder the earthly inheritance which he had promised to their fathers he gaue them a taste of the heauenly heritage accordingly as we see y t in their sacrificing although they offered brute beastes yet were they made partakers of the redeÌption that is purchased for vs by our Lord Iesus Christ and their offering of y e brute beastes in sacrifice directed theÌ to y e redemption y t was wrought by the sonne of God Hebr. 9.23.28 11.13.14 when he sheaded his holy bloud to washe away our spottes and sinnes And after the same maner was it w t the land of Chanaan For such was their slender capacitie y t it behoued theÌ to be guided that way The land of Chanaan then was to theÌ not onely a pledge but also an earnest penny of the heauenly lyfe endlesse welfare which the fathers hoped for as well as we inasmuch as they had the sme faith that we haue So then let vs marke well that whereas here is mentioÌ made of the land of Chanaan and of Gods mainteining of his people there in wealth it serueth not to the end that the Iewes should looke for nothing els but earthly things but to the end that by tasting of Gods goodnes in this traÌsitorie life they should vnderstaÌd that he had prepared theÌ another heritage in heaueÌ which was more worth than al the world But our Lord vseth no such maner of dealing with vs nowadayes 1. Tim. 4.8 True it is that as faith Saint Paul vnto Timothie if we walke as becommeth vs we haue promises both of this present life of y e life to come God telleth vs y t he wil not only receiue vs into y e euerlasting life but also y t he wil neuer forsake vs so loÌg as we be in this world and in this earthly pilgrimage but will stil haue a care of vs to doe vs good and to succor vs and prouide for vs in all our needes howbeit the heauenly lyfe is the chiefe thing and that is the place whereunto our Lord draweth vs notwithstanding that he ad this present lyfe to it as an accessorie And that is done because wee haue a greater light nowadayes than our forefathers had vnder the Lawe Iohn 1.51 For Iesus Christ is come downe from heauen and hath opened the euerlasting kingdome vnto vs he is gone vp thither as in our person for he is risen againe in y e nature of man which he took of vs. Ye see then y t heauen is now opened and therefore it is not to be wondered at though God speake in a larger language now thaÌ he did in the time of the law For it behoued the people of those dayes to bee led as we see little children are as saith Saint Paule we be come to mans estate Gal. 4.4 in comparisoÌ of them Yet notwithstanding we may gather hereupon that God intending to incourage his people to serue him with the better will telleth them y t he will shewe himselfe a father towardes them euen in respect of this world howbeit not in all pointes but onely so farre forth as may giue them some taste and feeling of his fatherly loue that they may lift vp the eyes of their faith yet higher and vnderstand that God hath reserued the true blessednesse and perfection of glorie for them till they be taken out of this worlde and out of this corruptible lyfe Thus ye see in effect what we haue to gather vppon that text Yea and it behoueth vs to marke wel this saying That thou maist be strengthened Hereby Moses declareth that God for his parte is faithfull and that when hee hath once spoken the worde we may well assure our selues of it But forasmuch as we drag our legges after vs and although he allure vs to him so gently and draw towards vs of his owne accord yet are we lazie slow in comming vnto him we haue need to be strengthened That is the very end y t al y e promises of the lawe do tend vnto It is not meant that God should binde himselfe vnto vs as our detter it is not for that he looketh whether wee haue deserued any thing at all or no neither is it of purpose to bargaine or indent with vs as though he should take vp hackeneies among vs to serue his turne withall by constraint but forasmuch as he sees wee be feeble and haue not so resolute a minde as were requisite but are intangled in this world and held backe with a number of vanities and wicked affections and to be short are not so liuely as to yeelde our selues vnto his obedience his purpose is to strengthen vs and to help vs. He seeth our default and he remedieth it Be stroÌg therefore And how Euen by considering thus with your selues Go to Our Lord might commaund vs peremptorily at one word for he hath full souereintie ouer vs and we be his by nature And when we haue all of vs streined our selues to the vttermost of our power yet can wee not doe as we ought to doe Yet notwithstaÌding he will not be serued at our handes w tout recompence but he saith y t if we doe but a peece of that which is due to him he bindeth himselfe to vs for it Sith we see this are we not too leawd if wee bee not touched to the quick amend not all slothfulnesse to go forth vnto God lustily without stopping for any worldly impedimeÌt or hinderance That is y e strength which Moses speakes of here And he addeth hereunto that it is not enough to be entred into the land but wee must also abide and dwell there for if wee haue once receiued the promise of saluation and God hath blessed vs made vs to prosper to y e worldward we must not thereupon fall a sleepe but wee must still folowe our cause We know that this life is a way and therefore wee must still goe on foreward 2. Cor. 5.6 And whither is it that God calleth vs Saith he to vs when ye haue gone on a little way tary still intangled in the world No but we must trauel stil vpward to the heauenly lyfe And that can not be done without forsaking the world continually more and more Then let vs marke well how it is told vs here y t when God hath once put vs in hope of saluation so as he hath taken vs into his Church and into his flocke and begunne to doe vs good we must not fal asleepe vpon it but proceede on stil assuring our selues y t al is to no purpose vnlesse wee hold out to our liues end without ceasing or
froÌ y e way y t God had willed them to walke in seeme to make warre against him of set purpose by means wherof they make their condemnation the grieuouser And therfore let vs marke well that wee which haue receiued y e doctrine of the Gospell shal be lesse excusable than y e papists if we obey not our God For the papistes holde on stil their old trade they be gone astray like sillie beasts all that euer they do is but filth abhomination This is true And yet do we for our partes much worse in turning away from our God after his comming vnto vs y t hee had brought vs nigh vnto himselfe And Moses saith expressely The Gods which you haue not knowen Wherein he rebuketh the malice of men in that they had leuer to follow y e vncertaine than the certaine True it is y t we haue a cleane contrarie ground in nature For if a man be demanded whether he had leuer to be sure of a thing or to be doutful of it He wil alwaies say he had leuer be sure of it And yet for all that we seeme all of vs to striue who may bee most wauering doutful vncerteine of his soul-health yet notwithstanding what is there that we should make more account of And God is readie to assure vs of it warranting vs it by his word so as we cannot faile of it if we obey him We heare it can God ly No therfore let vs go on as he hath coÌmanded vs. Nay we be loth to do so And what do we in steed therof I trow I weene Loe at what point we be Let vs see howe the papists do When they should pray vnto god this one good point they haue that they knowe themselues vnworthie to prease vnto him That is true Ioh. 14.13 1. Ioh. 2.1 But behold our Lord giueth vs a remedy which is that our Lord Iesus Christ shal bee our spokesman so as if he intreat for vs we shal be admitted God wil heare all our prayers It is the thing which the holy scripture assureth vs of euerywhere But what do the Papistes I am not worthie to prease vnto God say they therefore I wil go seeke to the virgin Marie S. Michael S. Peter therupon they deuise set vp a great sort of Saints at their own pleasure And what a dealing is that Sure we be that our Lord Iesus Christ wil not faile vs for as much as it is his office appointed him of his father hee will discharge it And why then do we not go right-forth vnto him He wil be a good stay for vs. Com vnto me saith he Matt. 11.18 alluring vs gently Againe wee haue promises innumerable that if we resort vnto him we shal not be disappointed of that which we hope for yet for all this wee leane to our own weening we say to my seeming I were best to go to S. Michael or to our Lady And so we fall to forsaking the certaintie y t God hath giuen vs to ketch an vncerteintie and in likewise wise deale we with al y e rest For in seruing God according to his law we be sure that our seruice shabe wel taken But the Papistes fall to inuenting of this that leaue the law of God is not that a forsaking of the certaine to followe an vncertaine Yes that is against nature Therefore it appeareth y t we be blinded by Satan For we haue the cleane contrarie in vs by nature We haue with ynough to say I would faine be assured we bee loth to hazard our selues at all aduenture yet in this case we be so mad that neither ropes nor chaines can hold vs. My alleaging of these examples is to shewe after what sort wee should put this doctrine in vre for it falleth out y t men haue wilfully estranged themselues from God in al cases Howso For whereas God hath discouered himselfe vnto them they haue not vouchsafed to hold themselues to him but rather haue busied themselues about their own dreams dotages In deed they wil easily say We know there is but one god y e maker of heauen earth but in y e meane while they hatch a whole swarm of other gods as we may wel perceiue by y e idols which they haue forged Rom. 1.21 And wherof commeth that Euen of this y t wheras men knew God yet they haue had no list to glorifie him but haue wandred away after their own imagination by meanes whereof they be turned away from him And at such time as God gaue his law y e blessing was more darksom than it is nowadays in y e time of y e Gospel Beholde God doth not onely report himself to be y e maker of heauen earth but also because he is incomprehensible his maiestie passeth all our vnderstanding he will haue vs to looke vpon him in his liuely image that is to wit in our Lord Iesus Christ. 2. Cor. 3.18 4.4.6 He is the sonne of god which hath shewed himself so familiarly y t we may be sure ynough that we worship the liuing God forasmuch as we knowe that the whole fulnesse of glorie of y e Godhead dwelleth in him Col. 2.9 Esa. 25.9 That is the cause also why y e Prophet Esay speaking of him saith Lo this is he lo this is our god If the case stoode so with the fathers of olde time y t it behoueth them to stand vpoÌ a certeintie euen in the time of the law so as God woulde not haue his people hang in dout but that they should be certified of as much as was for their behoofe benefit much more ought we to bee sure nowadayes For we haue a larger discouerie of things in our Lord Iesus Christ so as y e voyce of the prophet Esay Lo this is he lo this is our God ought to sound continually in our eares by reason wherof it is not for any man to turn away from it nor to runne gadding at rouers nor to reele one way or other but we must knowe assure our selues y t we haue y e ful perfect mesure of al wisdome if we can hold vs to Iesus Christ to the things which his doctrine teacheth vs. But herein we see how the wretched world gaddeth vp downe euery man trotting after his own way so as euery mans will is to go astray yet notwithstanding we shield our selues with ignorance When we haue shut our eyes after y t fashion against y e light when we haue stopped our eares against y e doctrin of saluation wheÌ we haue turned our backs vpon him at his shewing of his face wheÌ we haue spit at him for his reaching of hand vnto vs yet we fall stil to excusing of our selues by ignorance So then the thing which we haue to remember here in this place by Gods vpbraiding of men
although it be not spoken with the mouth yet let the heart say it for y t is the chiefe point True it is that if there be faith in the heart the mouth must needes agree vnto it also according to this saying of the Psalme Psal. 116.10 2. Cor. 4.13 I did beleeue and therfore will I speake which saying is alledged likewise by S. Paul to the Corinthians But my speaking at this time is of the ceremonie namely y t although wee haue not a mount Garizim a mount Heball among vs although we assemble not together into one coÌpanie to seuer our selues into two hostes and although there be not a visible Arke among vs yet is Gods once declaring therof inough for vs his once setting downe of a memoriall thereof before vs is sufficient for vs to make vs know y t y e same belongeth to vs at this day y t the preaching of the Gospell vnto vs in the name of our Lorde Iesus Christ is all one as if wee confirmed God to be our father by our saying Amen That is y e very meane wherby we be receiued to be his children wherby we be assured of the inheritance of the kingdom of heauen For otherwise how were it possible that we wretched creatures should attaine to such dignitie as y t God should vouchsafe to win vs by gentlenes vtter y e good loue that he beareth vs be willing to haue vs to be his to the ende y t he might be owner of vs Must it not needs be y t we be worse than froward if we benefit not ourselues by such grace Yes therfore let vs learn to answere Amen willingly when our Lord behighteth vs his blessinges For on the contrary part although wee harden our hearts shut our eyes yea grind our teeth at God as it were in rage dispite of him yet must there follow an Amen therupoÌ which shall burn vs like a searingyron wherby God wil shew y t his word is as a burning fire to consume all thinges so as we must needs feele y e inward scalding therof when God vttereth y e power of his word by reason whereof we shal be in continuall vnquietnes torment for euer if he set himselfe against vs. Yet for all this y e faithfull must answere AmeÌ as well to the blessings as the cursings Amen by imbracing y e grace y t God offereth vs. Doth God offer himselfe so vnto vs CoÌmeth he to seeke vs out when we be vtterly lost forlorne Doth he come downe to these horrible miseries wherein we be plundged Well then it is our duetie to go vnto him and not to be so frowarde as to drawe back when he allureth vs so gently Thus ye see how we must answere Amen to the blessings by imbracing y e grace of the holy Ghost y t we may be guided gouerned by it made acceptable to our God by fashioning our life after the rule y e he hath giuen vs in resting vpon y e grace of our Lord Iesus Christ wherby he is reconciled vnto vs accepteth vs for righteous insomuch y t although we be sinners yet he receiueth vs for his sonnes sake couereth al our sins vices After that sort therfore must wee answere Amen that our Lorde may performe all the free promises which he hath made vnto vs. Also we must aunswere Amen to y e curses For why We haue such a number of contrarieties in vs as is pity to see Although God haue giuen vs a good desire to receiue his word y â we receiue it in deede yet do we it not to the full For wee drag our legges after vs there is alwayes some gainstriuing in vs we haue still some remnantes of our flesh besides that there is too too much stubornes in vs so as we be like asses y t haue need to be driuen forwarde by force And therefore I sayd y t we must answere Amen to y e curses When we see y t God will haue vs to passe through y e afflictions of this worlde through the cares y t are vpon earth Let theÌ prouoke vs to repaire vnto him and let vs assure ourselues y t oftentimes his causing of vs to feele his curse is for our benefit Moreouer let vs consider thus with ourselues Alas if God curse all such as transgresse his comaÌdementes what shall become of me Now then let euerie of vs finde such fault with himselfe as we may patiently indure whatsoeuer it pleaseth God to lay vpon vs in this present life Thus our pronouncing of the curses must be to y e end that they light not vpoÌ vs. 1. Cor. 11.38 For they y t quicken vp theÌselues after y t maner shal be set free from the curses And let vs mark by the way y t when we shall not haue performed all y e coÌmandements of the lawe we haue a remedie for it in our Lord Iesus Christ for otherwise we shold be accursed euerychone of vs according to this alegation of saint Pauls to the Galathians Gal. 3.10 Cursed are they y t performe not the whole Lawe to the full WhereupoÌ he concludeth y t all men are cursed of God as in respect of their owne workes and y t if we will be iustified by our owne desertes we must go seeke our payment in hell For God hath shot out one thunderbolt against all mankinde Deut. 27.26 in saying cursed be all they y t perform not the whole Law But no man performeth it Euen y e holiest men in the world are indebted in y t behalfe So then S. Paul rightly concludeth y t we be all accursed in ourselues But yet he sendeth vs to our Lorde Iesus Christ telleth vs y t forasmuch as he is giuen vnto vs we be set free from y e rigor of the Law so y t whereas God as now doth teach vs his will telling vs what way we should walke setting before vs both his promises his threatnings although our liues be still vnperfect yet wil he not cease to accept vs so wee haue recourse to him which hath supplied our want For our Lord Iesus Christ hath made such satisfaction by y e sacrifice of his death y t God accepteth it in full paymeÌt to coueral our faults Therfore let vs repaire thither let vs so plundge ourselues in it as we may be clensed scoured froÌ al our spots Which thing will come to passe if we learne to walke in humilitie and feare before our God abuse not his goodnesse patience For y t is the meane to make vs acceptable vnto him so as his curses shal be turned froÌ our heads his grace blessing so increased after he hath once vttred the same as it shal growe coÌtinually in vs vntil it be come to the full perfection Nowe let vs kneele downe in the presence of our good God with
wee haue touched afore namely that we be verie wretched seeing our Lorde allureth vs to him so gently and with so great courtisie saying Go to my childreÌ I desire nothing else but to maintaine you in prosperitie doe you no more but followe mee and yet notwithstanding after this choice of prosperitie offered vnto vs wee forsake our GOD and runne gadding after the vanities of this worlde Sathan carieth vs away with his trumperies and wee shut our eyes wittingly and wilfully as though all our seeking were to bee deceiued that wee might perish and yet for all this wee cease not to complaine when wee see the miseries and aduersities of this worlde light vpon vs. And in what a time are wee Wee see nowadayes howe there is war on y e one side and dearth on the other all thinges are so farre out of order as it is pitie to beholde and euery man mourneth but no man hath an eye to the cause of the mischiefe For if wee thought vppon it wee coulde not but perceiue Gods hande to be vppon vs yea and that in such wise as it woulde make vs to be thinke vs after this manner Alas wee haue forsaken the fountaine of all welfare and therefore it is good reason that wee shoulde nowe feele thirst For God is readie on his part to giue vs our fill hee is not nigardly his power is not diminished he hath the fulnesse of all good thinges in him and therefore if wee be destitute of whom is it long When a man runs gadding heere and there and forsaketh a fountaine and goeth on wandering into desert places where hee is in daunger to die for thirst so as hee beareth out his tongue halfe a footelong and findeth not a droppe of water to refresh himselfe withall is hee not worthie to die for thirst seeing he hath so forsaken the fountaine So then let vs marke that God withdrawen his blessings from vs because wee haue forsaken him and it is a iust rewarde whereof wee bee well worthie And yet by the way wee be warned therewithall to returne to our God for his will is not that we shoulde pine in such sort as he should not bee ready to receiue vs againe True it is that wee bee driuen to feele our harmes in good earnest that wee may bee moued with hartie desire to returne vnto him But yet notwithstanding for all his rough chastising of vs and for all the long continuance of our miserie wee misse not to come into his fauour againe and to be made partakers of his benefites when we cease to shrinke away from him and be fully minded to put our selues againe vnder his obedience So then let vs learne to put this doctrine of Moseses in vre namely of doing that which is good and rightfull in the sight of our God And let vs marke howe it is not onely for a day or two that God saieth hee will bee mercifull and fauourable to his people but that he will holde out to the ende yea euen after the decease of those that shall haue serued him And heerein wee haue a confirmation of our hope of the euerlasting life For if God holde on in doing vs good euen after our decease in the person of our children it followeth that hee will not forget vs but that when wee haue finished our race in this worlde we shal be gathered vp vnto him to inioy the benefites fully and perfectly wherof hee hath giuen vs but a tast by hope Therefore must wee marke that point and sith we bee so naughtie and frowarde that wee cease not to go astray and to runne gadding here and there let vs runne backe againe to him and consider that his vttering of his will vnto vs by worde of mouth or his writing of it in paper or parchment is not ynough for vs Ier. 32.39 but that hee must bee faine to write in it our hearts also Ezec. 11.19 36.27 2. Cor. 3.3 Seeing then that wee bee so frowarde as to rush out into naughtinesse and to turne aside from the right way let vs pray our good God to holde vs so in by his holy spirite that although wee see things in horrible disorder nowadayes so as wee bee moued at the beholding of the present state of the world yet notwithstaÌding we may not cease to holde our selues still vnder his hande and gouernement which thing if wee doe surely wee may defie all that euer the vnbeleeuers doe practise against vs. For if they despise vs if they shake vs off if they abhorre vs what for that Yet are wee sure that God hath not giuen vs his worde in vaine but that if wee sticke thereunto wee may bee well apaide though men finde fault with vs for wee shall bee acquit and iustified before GOD and his Angels though the worlde haue condemned vs. Thus yee see howe wee may walke in such certainetie and hope that although wee see stumbling-blockes rounde about vs yet shall wee neuer bee thrust out of the right way and therewithall wee shall bee well assured that our Lorde will holde vs vnder his protection so as when Satans vnderlinges haue wrought what they can and the diuell himselfe hath streined all his force to the vttermost to ouerthrowe vs yet notwithstanding forasmuch as wee bee shrowded vnder the shadowe of our God and haue his blessings printed in vs wee neede not to feare but that hee will continue the same from day to day And although wee see neuer so many changes and backturnings in this world yet are wee sure that wee cannot light vpon our feete so long as our Lorde bee our vpholder and stocke to leane vnto Nowe let vs fall downe in the presence of our good God with acknowledgement of our faults praying him to make vs so to feele them as wee may bee led to true repentance and not onely craue forgiuenesse of the sinnes which we haue committed but also obtaine such increase of his grace in vs henceforth as he may bee glorified by our whole life when hee hath brought vs backe againe to his holy Lawe And so let vs all say Almightie God Heauenly father c. On Thursday the x. of October 1555. The Lxxxv. Sermon which is the sixth vpon the twelfth Chapter 29 When the Lorde thy God shal haue rooted out before thy face the nations which thou goest to possesse so as thou hast them in possession and dwellest in their Lande 30 Then beware thou be not snared by them after that they be ouercome before thee And enquire not after their gods saying Howe did these nations serue their gods I wil doe so too 31 Thou shalt not doe so to the Lorde thy God For they haue done all such things to their gods as the Lorde abhorreth and hateth For they haue burnt euen their sonnes and daughters in fire to their gods 32 Therefore whatsoeuer I commaund you looke that yee doe it and put not any thing to it neither take any thing
assault euerie minute of an houre would we not prouide for it Now the case standeth so with vs that our enemie is not onely at hande but also is entered in already When wee heare his lyes and withstand them not ne make account of theÌ we may seeme to be wilfully disposed to perish as wee bee worthie And as touching vs that are shepheardes it standeth vs in hande to haue a double voyce For wee must gather together the sheepe as much as is possible and when they bee in the flocke wee must keepe them there quietly But if there be wolues also and theeues that woulde inuade the flocke against those we must crye out aloude And yet besides this such as haue the sworde in their hande must prouide for it also and euerie man to his power must streine himselfe to keepe Gods Church from infecting with suche poyson that the deuill may not haue his full scope to falsifie the pure trueth to aduaunce himselfe against GOD to ouerthrowe the right religion and at a worde to turne all thinges vpside downe but we must let these thinges as much as we can Wherefore let vs marke that it was Gods will that falseprophetes shoulde be rooted out from among his people Nowe at the first sight this Lawe seemeth to bee ouerstreite for is it meete that a man shoulde bee punished so sore for speaking his minde Verily it is a wonder that we can abide that one shoulde be punished for speaking against a mortall man and that when a man shall haue blasphemed the liuing GOD we coulde finde in our heartes that he shoulde scape vnpunished It appeareth what zeale is in them which woulde haue such rigour abolished If a Prince be misused men will thinke that death is too small a thing for the offender and that the fact can not be sufficiently reuendged insomuch that whosoeuer speaketh against the princes authoritie shall bee punished and no man will speake against it If a man be founde so wicked as to procure a rebellion or to rayse an insurrection among the people verie well he must loose his heade for it and no man will say that such a Lawe is vniust or wicked And why Because it serues for the mainteynaunce of the state and common weale of the Countrey And yet for all this whereas GOD hath the soueraigne dominion of all a woorme of the earth shall sette himselfe against him and goe about to robbe him of his honour and to deface his maiestie and authoritie and yet all this shall be as nothing it shall be let slippe and because it is but woordes there is no reason why such punishement should ensewe of it But they that say so doe well shewe that they haue no loue at all towardes GOD but which worse is that they coulde finde in their heartes that all thinges were confounded together in a hotchpotche so as men might scoffe at GOD and at his maiestie and turne all religion into a mockerie and scorne To be shorte whosoeuer he is that speaketh so he is not to be taken for an ignoraunt person seeing hee woulde that false doctrines shoulde be vnpunished but rather hee is to bee counted a despiser of GOD and an vphoulder of the deuill which seeketh nothing else but the âurning of all thinges vpside downe in the worlde For our parte lette vs learne to haue Gods honour in such estimation that wheras we reuenge the wronges doone to men wee thinke it much more reason that the partie shoulde bee punished which violateth the maiestie of him that hath created and fashioned vs. And the matter concerneth not onely the honour of God but also the saluation of our owne soules for they be thinges inseparable And that ought well to whette vs on the more not to beare with the erroures and deceites of false prophetes See howe GOD witnesseth the infinite Loue that hee beareth vs in that hee matcheth our saluation with his owne glorie so as men canne not touche the one without hurting of the other insomuch that if a man deface the honour of GOD the saluation of man is assayled therewithall In respect whereof GOD sayeth vnto vs suffer mee not to bee misused among you nor your selues to bee inticed to shrinke from my obedience But if there be any wicked man among you that goeth about to egge you away beware yee nourishe not such a plague Doeth not our Lorde in so saying shewe that wee can not serue to his honour nor mayntaine him in his estate but that in so dooing wee procure our owne welfare And therefore these dalyers and mockers that woulde haue vs to beare with all manner of false doctrine and that it shoulde bee Lawefull for euerie man to spewe out whatsoeuer hee lysteth besides that they shewe themselues traitours to GOD and vtter defacers of his maiestie if it lay in them to doe it doe also bewraye themselues to bee enemies of mankinde and desirous to bring their soules to ruine and destruction so as they bee worse than murtherers Let vs marke then that if Gods honour bee precious in our sight and that the saluation of our owne soules bee deere vnto vs we must not nourishe heresies nor abuses nor any other of Sathans trumperies but euerie of vs in his owne state and calling must procure the purging of Gods Churche from all euill that wee may worshippe him with one common consent that his doctrine may bee receiued and that there may bee no diuision among vs. But this was sayde to the people of olde time Yea and Gods honour must not be diminished by vs at this day the reasons that I haue alleadged alreadie doe serue as well for vs as for them Then lette vs not thinke that this Lawe is a speciall Lawe for the Iewes but let vs vnderstande that GOD intended to deliuer vs a generall rule to which wee must tye our selues In deede it is alleadged that when our Lorde Iesus Christ came into the worlde he aduaunced not his doctrine by the sworde but rather both he and his were persecuted and therefore that the right way to mayntaine the true religion is not to punishe such as set vppe themselues against it but rather to holde our selues contented with the spirituall swoorde and to vse that in our fighting against Satan so as our vnholding of the trueth bee alwayes by sufferaunce and patience if the worlde doe persecute it But lette vs see whether our Lorde haue excluded and banished Princes and Magistrates and Officers of Iustice out of his flocke so as they may not be Christians No surely For when he speaketh of the kingdome of our Lorde Iesus Christe hee sayeth expresly Yee kinges stande you in awe and yee Iudges of the earth Psal. 2.10 humble you your selues and all of you kisse the sonne Moreouer before hee speake to priuate persons hee willeth expresly that Kinges Iudges and Officers of Iustice shoulde doe homage to our Lorde Iesus Christ then they bee called to the
acknowledge so great a benefit And herein we see how God had a respect to the rudenesse of his people as in deede all the Ceremonies which wee haue serue but for our infirmitie What doth Baptism or the Lordes Supper bring vs Doe they make the death passion of our Lord Iesus Christ of more value than it is of it selfe What helpe find we in the bread or in the wine or in the water to that purpose Gods meaning then was not to ad any thing to y t which we haue receiued in our Lord Iesus Christ but to beare with our rudenes because he sees vs to be vnable to comprehende the thinges that are gotten for vs by our Lorde Iesus Christ. For inasmuch as they bee too high for vs God helpeth vs vp to theÌ by the outwarde visible signes which we haue in y e Sacraments But it behoued the Iewes to haue mo such helps than we For they had not so plaine a doctrine as is now conteined in y e Gospel Again Iesus Christ was not yet come in whom we see all y t euer can be wished for our saluation The heauens were then opened vnto vs Col. 1.22 when his side was opened to washe vs cleane and his body offered vp for a sufficient sacrifice to reconcile vs vnto God his father and to doe away all our offences and transgressions When these thinges were done then had we a full warrant of our saluatioÌ Therfore wee in these dayes neede not to be helped with so houge a heape of Ceremonies as the ancient fathers vnder the Lawe were It is ynough that we be ledde to our Lord Iesus Christ wherunto fewe signes suffiâe that is to wit Baptisme and the Lorde his Supper For seeing that the sonne of God is contented with those two we also ought to rest there Neuerthelesse wee see heere howe God vouchsafed to stoope to the infirmitie of his people by giuing them a liuely representation of their departing out of the Land of Egypt and by setting them downe as it were in a lookingglasse or painted table for them to beholde howe he had deliuered them that is to wit like a sort of poore people that were taking their iourney to flee away priuily and were so distressed as it was not for them to turne heade against so mightie enemies who were able to haue swallowed theÌ vp at the first chop without any resistance Seeing then that the Iewes had such instruction they shoulde haue considered thus with themselues How commeth it to passe that we be aliue at this day but because our God hath preserued vs And how shold our state stand but onely by his meere mercy For we had perished if he had not reached out his arme to bring vs out of the Land of Egypt Thus much concerning this point Nowe it was commaunded further that the pascall Lamb should be eaten with bitter herbes Exod. 12.8 And our Lorde himselfe speaketh here expresly of the bread of sorrow as if he had said although ye eateth pascall Lambe in rest and when yee be come to the inioying of the inheritance which I haue promised you yet must you haue a memoriall of the anguish wherein your forefathers were and you must thinke y t without my fauour you should haue had nâither pascall Lambe nor bit of bread to eat at this day for ye should haue beene vtterly rooted out of the worlde Consider it therefore and that yee may be the better moued thereunto take bitter herbes that is to say absteine from all deintinesse in your eating of the pascall Lambe For the Iewes were not restreined from taking their repast after their eating of the pascall Lambe as wee see that our Lorde Iesus Christ in eating of the Pascall Lamb with his disciples insomuch as they did not only sit downe at a table but also lye downe after the manner of olde time which was to eate their meales lying halfe a tone side Certaine it is that he kept the Lawe to the vttermost Gal. 4.4.5 for hee submitted himselfe to it to set vs free from it Then must we note that our Lord ate the pascall Lamb after the same maner that was ordeined by Moses that is to wit standing vpon his feete with his staffe in his hande and his shoes on his feete and hauing his loynes girded vp like a wayfarer And after this was done hee tooke his accustomed repast for this was a solemne sacrifice and therefore wee must not wonder that it was separated from the common meates for it behoued all the folke of one house to eate thereof so as if there were thirtie or fortie persons in a house euery man hadde his portion of it And if the housholde were not great ynough two or three housholdes were called together and they mette in one place that the sacrifice might be eaten vp hastily A Lambe was roasted in hast and eaten vp with a morsell of a sweete cake yea and they were forbidden to seeth it to shewe that they could haue no leasure to tarrie till it were halfe boyled but they were faine to deuour it hastily life folke that were to go their waies out of hand But howsoeuer the case stoode it behoued them to eat it with bitter herbs Whereby we be done to vnderstande that deinties doe keepe vs from the dewe consideration of Gods benefites to be rauished by them For although it bee sayde Thou shalt be merrie before thy God Deâ yet are we continually helde backe in this worlde when we haue some allurement to withdrawe vs froÌ God For if our fleshe haue her likinges then are wee ouertaken in such sorte that we stye not vp aloft to beholde well the spiritual grace of God Thus yee see that the cause why the bitter herbes were put to the sacrifice was to make men to consider the better after what manner the people hadde beene deliuered beeing erst in so extreeme anguish as they were not able to endure any more Besides this Exod. 44. ââ they were also forebidden to admit any heathen man to it vnlesse hee were circumcised True it is that God commanded that the bondmen being straungers borne should eate thereof Yea but that was not before they were first incorporated into his Church by receiuing the signe of circumcision Hereby it is done vs to vnderstande that it was a peculiar token giuen of God to his owne people For Sacraments are peculiar to the Church They be no things for men to put to vnholy vses nor to leaue at aladuenture For our Lorde will haue vs to bee gathered together vnder his name When we vse the Sacramentes let vs thinke thus with our selues Beholde here is a treasure that God hath kept and layde vp for vs as for his children And in dâeede if a man should noweadayes admitte as many to the Lordes Supper as woulde offer to come to it were it not a defiling of the Sacrament And yet there are a number to be seene
e certainer And for the same cause he poynted out the moneth y t answereth to March or April Howbeit not to eyther of them but bicause wee cannot make a certaine report of y e monethes of the Iewes to coÌpare them w t ours The reason wherof is for y t they had their moneths intermingled one with another bicause they tooke them according to y e Moone so as they were interlaced together This moneth therefore was sometime sooner and sometime later was named in hebrew Abib which signifieth an eare of corne when it beginneth to shoote foorth at the first Not when the eares of Corne are full ripe but when the corne beginneth newly to spindle In deede the time of it selfe importeth nothing but yet did it serue greatly to the instructing of the people bicause the setting of it down made them to behold the matter the more presently Gods putting of theÌ in remembrance of it was such as they could not but know y e meane wherby their fathers were brought out of the land of Egypt And the very night it selfe was marked to y e end they shold coÌsider how god had deliuered them from the thraldom of Pharao On the other side had the moneth been marked at the pleasure of men they wold haue thought it might wel haue beene chaunged for the commoditie of the people But God commaunded it to be kept to the end they should know he would haue no part of his ordinance chaunged nor any man attempt to alter it in any wise And nowe we haue to marke in effect that by the ordeining of y e Passeouer day God ment to set downe a memorial of his doinges among his people that they might acknowledge his grace in deliuering them out of the Land of Egypt after that fashion and that their children myght know that that was the meanes whereby they were come into the inheritance that had beene promised them Neuerthelesse it was not Gods intent to be honoured and serued with a trifling Ceremonie but his mind was that there should be teaching that men might be edified by it and that the Iewes might know that Gods calling of them to him was to bee serued by them as their redeemer and father And therefore he would not haue the Pascall Lamb eaten by vnholy and vnbeleeuing folke but that it should bee giuen alonly to such as were circumcised and were already of the body of the Church And seeing it is so Let vs remember that in all signes which God giueth vs we must haue instructioÌ annexed to lead vs vnto him And for as much as we haue the true passeouer in our Lord Iesus Christ as shall bee declared to morrow wee must nowadayes step further And although we haue not the old Ceremonie yet let vs hold fast the truth therof which is brought vs by the sonne of God as it is declared vnto vs in these dayes by his Gospell Now let vs fall downe before the maiestie of our good God with acknowledgmeÌt of our sins praying him to make vs to perceiue in what state we were when he vouchsafed to call vs to him so as he hath plucked vs out of the gulfe of death in such sort as we haue now cause to glorifie him and to giue our selues ouer to his seruice all the time of our life And for as much as he not only sheweth himselfe to be our father and sauiour in this transitory life but also calleth vs to the euerlasting inheritance of heauen according as hee had chosen vs thereto before the creation of the world let vs tend alwayes thitherward and bee the more prouoked to labour to that end seeing we haue the helpes and Remedies which he giueth vs and that the badge is kept among vs as he hath commaunded vs by his word That it may please him to graunt this grace not only to vs but also to all people nations of y e earth c. On Wednesday the vj. of Nouember 1555. The XCviij Sermon which is the second vpon the sixteenth Chapter 2.3.4 And thou shalt sacrifice c. 5 Thou maist not sacrifice the Passeouer within any of y e gates which the Lord thy God giueth thee 6 But in the place which the Lord thy God wil choose to set his name in there shalt thou offer the Passeouer at euen about the going downe of the Sunne iust at the time that thou wentest out of Egypt 7 And thou shalt roast it and eate it in the place which the Lord thy God shall haue chosen for himselfe And the next morning thou shalt returne from thence and goe home to thy Tentes 8 Six dayes shalt thou eate vnleauened breade and on the seuenth day which is the solemne feast of the Lord thy God thou shalt doe no manner of worke IT was declared yesterday how y t by keeping y e feast of the passeouer the Iewes were put in minde of the deliueraunce of their forefathers made by God And I toulde you howe it was to double ende For GODS will was to put his people in rememberaunce of the fauour which he had shewed to them alreadie and againe he ment to leade them to the hope of our Lorde Iesus Christ. It was then but a temporall deliuerance which God had made of them out of the land of Egypt but when he sent his onely sonne theÌ deliuered he his people out of a farre worse bondage than that which we haue spoken of And therfore let vs mark y t the Pascall Lamb was a figure of our Lorde Iesus Christ which thing S. Paule witnesseth in expresse words saying Christ our Passeouer is offered vp 1. Cor. ãâ¦ã Also we knowe the sentence that is alleaged out of the twelfth of Exodus by S. Iohn where it is said Iohn ãâ¦ã Exod. â 4â Ye shal not breake a bone of him For there he declareth how they came to our Lord Iesus Christ to haue broken his bones after the accustomed manner and found him alreadie dead And that came to passe by the wonderfull prouidence of God whose will it was that the thing which had beene figured in the Pascall Lambe should bee layde open to mens eyes in Iesus Christ. And so Saint Iohn applyeth this sentence to the person of our Lorde Iesus Christ in saying it is written Yee shall not breake a bone of him Yet but God speaketh but onely of the Pascall Lambe which was offered in those dayes Yet notwithstanding his intent was to shew y t there was an agreement betweene Christ the Passeouer and that in that visible sacrament he ment to foreshewe the redemption that was not yet seene and that all this was fully accomplished in our Lord Iesus Christ. True it is that the Iewes haue not profited by this admonition for they were the more inhardened by it But let vs on our side learne to referre the thinges that were done by our Lord Iesus Christ to the things that were for figured in the lawe
should vnderstand that wee haue not our sustenance by haulfes in Iesus Christ he addeth wine also to shew that hee is our drinke as well as our meate That is y e thing which S. Paule ment to betoken in saying y t we must now eat of this Easter lamb that is to wit that as now we should so coÌmunicate with the sonne of God as we might be knit vnto him by the secret and maruelous working of his holy spirite and he become our foode and nourishment we be susteined by the same bicause we must else needs decay through our own feblenes And this eating is not for once a yeere but continually during all the time of our life Then let vs learne that as long as we be in this world we must dayly frame our selues to the spirituall fellowship which we haue with our Lorde Iesus Christ and to the confirming of the vnion more and more for without that the crucifying of our Lord Iesus Christ will boote vs nothing at al. He is the redeemer of all the whole world yet notwithstanding what a nomber is there which reape nothing else by his death but the greater condemnation And that is bicause they refuse so excellent a benefite wherby they make themselues vnworthy of it and exclude themselues quite and cleane from it But when wee communicate with him by faith then doe we ratifie the grace that was purchaced for vs. And therefore let vs marke that to bee partakers of the fruite and operation of the death and passion of our Lord Iesus Christ we must bee linked vnto him from day to day by faith profiting and growing still in that holy vnion vntill wee haue the thing wholly and perfectly Eph. 4.13.15.16 which wee haue as yet but in part After that maner ought we to eate y e sacrifice to keepe the passeouer wel And for as much as our faith increaseth according to our profiting in the holy scripture if we intend to communicate wel w t the sonne of God euery one of vs must exercise our selues in the doctrine of the Gospell and match the same w t prayer beseeching God y t seeing he hath vouchsafed to call vs once into his sonnes company he will maintaine as therein neuer suffer vs to be separated or w tdrawen from it any more Therefore must we seeke all y e meanes which our Lord hath ordeined to stablish the communion which we ought to haue in our Lord Iesus Christ. 1. Cor. 5.8 Now S. Paule addeth that we cannot be partakers of y e sonne of God nor haue any acquaintance with him if we bee dubble minded y t there be any fraude or malice in vs. Then must we be changed if we wil haue Iesus Christ for our sustenance that is to say if we will haue him to feede vs with his substance Certaine it is y t malice and hypocrisie are so rooted in vs y t we must be faine to fight much w t them before we can be rid of theÌ S. Paul then sheweth y e faithful there y t they must be reformed or else Iesus Christ will cut theÌ off froÌ his body And so although y e hypocrits pretend to seeke Iesus Christ to sticke throughly to him yet notwithstanding they haue none acquaintance at al w t him For why They be things vtterly vnpossible y t Iesus Christ should dwell in vs yet neuertheles that all maner of deceite naughtinesse should raigne in vs. And therefore in stead of absteining from leauened bread as the fathers of old time did in eating of y e pascal lamb vnder the law let vs marke y t nowadaies God wil haue vs to discharge our selues of all naughtines guile And how may y t be It will not be doone w tout great inforcement for we of our selues are not steady but the spirit of our Lord Iesus Christ must be faine to worke after such a sorte w t vs as we may be conformable to him in simplicitie vprightnes Thus ye see what we haue to gather of this exhortation which S. Paule maketh in y e first epistle to the Corinthians Now afterward heere followeth the thing that was treated of yesterday Exod. ãâ¦ã namely the eating of y e pascall lamb w t their staues in their hands their shooes on their feete their loynes girded vp For we cannot haue the companie of Iesus christ vnlesse we be as wayfarers in this world 2. Cor. 5. ââ Hebr. 11ââ Col. 3.3 to go on forward to seeke our inheritance elsewhere And S. Paul in the Epistle to y e Colossians saith plainly that our life is hidden w t Christ and y t we must be as dead men if we wil be vnited to the sonne of God And why For he is in heauen therefore it followeth y t our life ought not to be tyed heere to y e earth What is to be doone then If we will haue Iesus Christ to auow vs to bee members of his body to quicken vs by his spirite we must get vs out of this world not y t we should not dwel in it but y t we shold not be wedded to it For these two things agree very well y t gods children shold be coÌuersant in this earthly life yet neuerthelesse be heires citizens of y e kingdom of heaueÌ accordingly as y e Apostle saith to y e Hebrewes Hebr. 1. ââ y t God can well find in his hart to take vs for his children if we be not tyed to this world but passe on beyond it Wherefore let vs marke y t to haue felowship w t our lord Iesus christ we must depart out of this world y t is to say our earthly affectioÌs must not raigne in vs we must not be mortized here we must not bee snarled here but wee must consider y t seeing God hath set vs here to make a iourney yea short iourney euery of vs ought to hie himselfe a pace to looke well to the ridding of our selues of y e things y t may hinder vs froÌ attaining to y e heauenly life And we must vnderstand y t if we do so Iesus Christ wil come vnto vs reach vs his hand to strengtheÌ vs y t we may be able to ouercome all impediments For it were impossible y t euer we should compasse y e matter vnlesse we were aided froÌ aboue So then we see now y t a man cannot be partaker of the Pascall Lamb except he haue his loynes girded and his staffe in his hand y t is to say vnlesse he be like a wayfarer and that he stay not in this world And for the same cause also doth our Lord Iesus Christ warne al his Disciples to haue lampes in their hands Luke 12.35 their garments trussed vp to be alwaies in a readinesse til he come to stand waiting continually for his comming And as he coÌmandeth vs to haue our loynes girded
vp eueÌ so willeth he vs to haue lampes in our hands to shew y t there is neither night nor day for y e faithfull to make tarience therefore y t euen in the middes of darknes we must haue light euen the spirituall light to guide vs that we must haue the one foote alwaies lifted vp to y e intent we be not taken vnawares when he commeth but y t we haue minded our way aforehand to go stil foreward to meete w t him Ye see then y t the way to communicate aright w t our Lord Iesus Christ y t we may bee partakers of the sacrifice which he hath offered is to make none accouÌt of y e world nor to haue any loue vnto it but to seeke y e inheritance y t is aboue to coÌmunicate so one with another here beneath as it may bee a meane to make vs draw the neerer vnto God And so wee see y t although y e figures of y e law continue not any longer yet the truth of them abideth with vs and it behoueth vs to put the same in vre And hereby we be yet better informed of the thing y t I haue touched already which is that the profit which redoundeth to vs by y e death passion of our Lorde Iesus Christ is much better knowen beautifullier seene of vs by laying it to the auncient figure by considering how y e things y t were set forth darkly at y t time are nowe fulfilled to y e sight of the eye And like as it behoueth vs to communicate with our Lorde Iesus Christ so let vs mark also y t God giueth vs a help euen at this day in y e Sacrament of y e Lordes supper bicause of our rudenes infirmitie True it is as I haue touched alreadie y t our communicating with our Lord Iesus Christ must not bee only a thrise or foure times a yeere but continually all our life long Yet notwithstaÌding we haue neede to be quickened vp bicause we come not to it with such strength as were requisite Therefore like as y e fathers of old time had the Pascall Lamb so hath y e sonne of God left vs his supper to be a helpe to vs to guide vs vnto him Will we then be partakers of y e supper of our Lorde Iesus Christ Let vs vnderstand y t according as I haue auouched before wee must rid our selues of all malice guile forsake the world True it is y t the Hyporcrits do thrust themselues in among y e faithfull come to defile the table of y e sonne of God but what carie they theÌce but vtter cursednes Therefore let vs keepe our selues froÌ being guiltie of such a treacherie consider that if it behoued a man to be circumcised in olde time ere he might eate of the Pascal Lamb ââod 12.44 it behooueth vs also at this day to be separated to the seruice of our God to be first made holy And we know y t we ought to be circumcised euen at this day howbeit not by mans hand but by inwarde reformation of minde accordingly as S. Paule saith therof in the second Chapter to y e Colossians ãâã â 11 y t whatsoeuer is of our flesh must bee cut off for there is nothing in it but sinne corruption Now theÌ y t we may come to y e holy supper of our Lord Iesus Christ haue there y e warrant which he giueth vs y t we be members of his body let vs looke y t we circumcise our hearts For the figure is abolished but yet haue wee the accomplishment of all things in our Lord Iesus Christ. Moreouer let vs come to y e chief point which is y t our Lord Iesus Christ is named our Passouer For by him must we be deliuered not out of the land of Egypt but out of the dungeons of death and we must passe a passage that were vnpossible for vs if God drew vs not with his owne hand by his own wonderfull power For we be al borne the children of wrath and we should rot in our miserie if god pitied vs not reached vs not his hand And that man beguileth himselfe which thinketh himselfe able to leape out of the myre wherin he is plunged It is the office of our Lord Iesus Christ to draw vs out froÌ thence according to this saying of S. Iohns in his viii chapter Iohn 8.36 If y e sonne of god make you free theÌ shal you be free Wherby he sheweth vs that euen from our very comming out of our mothers wombes we be in y e cursed thraldom of sin death shold continue therin vnto the end if we were not set free from it by him which not without cause hath taken vpon him the title of passouer to shew y t it is his office to set vs free as I said afore And heereby we must learn to presume nothing of our selues but to consider that we must think our selues beholden to the sonne of god for all things that he may bee magnified all those diuelish opinions of free will of power ability to prepare our selues to doe good beaten downe so as we may know y t as long as God suffereth vs to follow our owne swindge we shall alwayes abide fast tyed in the chaines of the diuel of death And therfore let vs yeeld our lord Iesus Christ his dew honour which is y t we acknowledge him to bee the partie which hath set vs free And herew tall let vs marke further y t when we bee graffed into his body it is not for vs to serue sin Rom. 6.5.6 For to be graffed into the body of our Lord Iesus Christ yet notwithstanding to serue Sathan are two things as contrary as fire and water Nowe then if wee intend not to disfeate the power of the sonne of God to bereaue him of his office we must be in liberty to serue god And let vs not think y t he ment to beguile vs in telling vs that that office beloÌgeth vnto him But it becommeth vs on our part to offer our selues vnto him not to maintain willingly the cursed bondage wherin we be For the very cause why men perish therin is that they sooth themselues and fall asleepe in it and come not frankly to Iesus Christ. Now then let vs note y t y e true mark of our Christendom is y t we be in freedom to do good y t we haue a pure free wil to dedicate our selues to god Not that we can do it perfectly so long as we be in this world for we see how S. Paul who had profited far aboue a nomber of other men Rom 7.14.23 mourneth and confesseth that he is stil held as a captiue in part but for y t the grace of our Lord Iesus Christ must neuerthelesse worke so farre in vs as wee may not bee held
is as I saide afore that there is no ill in it for the Christians to haue a certaine daie wherein this historie shoulde bee declared vnto them For we must not tie our selues to so streit a precisenesse that it should not be lawfull for vs to vse that helpe for our infirmitie But to make a seruice of God thereof and to take example at the Iewes as though it behoued vs to fashion our selues like vnto them or as though the feast of Whitsontide ought to be obserued at this day by reason of the sending of the holy Ghost that were too grosse a fondnesse Let vs vnderstand then first that the Iewes had but a figure shadowe of the trueth and on our owne part wee may knowe in Iesus Christ that God hath not figured anie thing in vaine Col. 2.17 but that all the ceremonies of the Law tended to verie good purpose because the effect of them is shewed vs in him Therefore let vs holde vs contended therewith and now let vs learne to reioyce in the presence of our God and to make otherfolks partakers of our mirth The Iewes were commanded to resort to Ierusalem as soone as haruest was done not only to reioyce there but also to impart of their goods to their neighbors so as there might be a common gladnes among them and God might be glorified with one accord And now that these things are at this day accomplished what haue we to doe We must not run trotting to IerusaleÌ to worship God there and to doe him homage there 1. Tim. 2.8 For we must lift vp our hands eueriwhere howbeit so as they be cleane And moreouer for asmuch as GOD hath not only sent vs a haruest of corruptible fruits to nourish our bodies withal but also powred out y e infinite riches of his holy spirit and sent vs the liuing waters as is saide in Ezechiel Ezech. 47.9 let vs vnderstand that it is to y e end we should haue the mirth whereof S. Paul speaketh in the fourteenth to the Romanes Let vs now reioyce then seeing our Lord hath shewed himselfe so bountifull towards vs that hee hath not withhelde any of the cheefe good thinges which he had but hath powred vppon vs all the benefites that concerne the endles life and heauenly glorie Seeing then that we haue receiued the holy Ghost let vs also be ioyful in our harts As how By withdrawing ourselues from y e vanities of this world by holding our selues conteÌted with the fauor of our God praising him euen in the middes of our afflictions Albeit that wee haue not all things at wil in this world yet let vs not cease to hold on still assuring our selues that it ought to suffice vs that our God is fauourable to vs that he sheweth vs his loue When wee be at that point once then shall wee haue such peace and contentment in vs Phil. 4.7 as passeth all the ioyes of this world yea and putteth away all the sorrowes that may trouble vs. And when wee haue such gladnesse our selues wee must to the vttermost of our power make them partakers of it which haue need For if the Iewes were commanded to cal the widowes the fatherles and the strangers to make merie with them in spending of the goods which God had giuen them much more reason is it that seeing the spirituall giftes which God hath bestowed vppon vs belong to the common building vp of the Church as saith Saint Paul in the twelfth to the Romanes Rom. 12.6 1. Cor. 12 7. and also in the twelfth of the first to y e Corinthians we should take heed y t we defraude not our neighbours of the thing which GOD hath appointed for them Let vs marke also that as nowe there is no more any stranger as in respect of vs. For wheras God had separated the Iewes from the gentiles nowe it is his will to bee knowen through the whole worlde there is no more diuision of bodies the wall is broken downe as saith Saint Paul in an other place Eph. 2.14 Seeing then that God fully and thou must not tarie till there bee a solemne holy day to call thee to the Church there to keepe the feast of Trumpets but it must serue thee al thy life long for a spurre to make thee to return vnto God That is the thing say I which we haue to beare in mind And as much also is to be noted concerning sorrowing For it is not for one day onely that wee must be sorie in our heartes and bethinke vs of our sinnes But forasmuch as we fal to them incessantly there passeth not any day wherein we offend not GOD let vs match it with sorinesse and let vs mourne for it and not play the vnthriftes which make a skorne of all that euer a man can alleadge to them out of the worde of God but let vs bee afraide of his iudgementes and threats and yet therewithall let vs not doubt but he will giue vs whereof to reioyce and that although wee bee faine to passe through many sorrowes and hart-bitinges in this worlde yet in the ende he will deliuer vs from them to make vs partakers of the heauenly rest After this maner say I must wee put this doctrine in vre concerning the feastes which the Iewes had of old time in figure and whereof wee haue nowe the trueth substaunce as it is brought vnto vs by the sonne of God Now let vs kneele downe before the maiestie of our good God with acknowledgement of our sinnes praying him to make vs feele them better than we haue done so as wee may returne vnto him with true and vnfained repentaunce and bee stirred more and more to amende our faultes knowing that our good God is ready to receiue them all to mercie which come to him with lowlinesse And that for asmuch as he hath graunted vs the grace to haue nowe so full light of his Gospell as may wel inlighten vs throughly it may please him not to suffer our eyes to be blindfolded that wee should walke any more in darkenesse but to graunt that wee keepe y e right way and indeuer to bring others into the same so as God may be glorified with one common accorde of all men And that for the performance hereof it may please him to raise vp true and faithfull ministers of his word c. On Fryday the viij of Nouember 1555. The C. Sermon which is the fourth vpon the sixteenth Chapter 13 Thou shalt keepe the feast of Tabernacles seuen dayes after thou hast gathered in thy corne feeldes and thy vineyardes 14 And thou shalt reioyce in the feast thou thy sonne thy daughter thy man-seruant and thy woman seruant the Leuite the straunger the fatherles the widowe which are within thy gates 15 Seuen dayes shalt thou keepe the feast to the Lorde thy God in the place which the Lord shall haue chosen for the Lord thy God
and perceiued Neuerthelesse it standeth vs alwayes in hande to beware that wee abuse not the Sacraments namely that wee be not so fleshly as to sticke to the world but that seeing God is come downe vnto vs we also on our side doe mount vp vnto him and therewithall assure our selues that our Lorde in giuing vs his sacramentes giueth vs not rittleratles and childishe trifles to busie our heades withall but that hee giueth vs the verie trueth to the end we should be knit vnto him and that we might feele that his power is euer at hande with vs. Thus much concerning the saying where Moses speaketh againe of Gods presence coÌmaundeth y e Iewes to resort to IerusaleÌ wheÌ God should haue choseÌ y e place in the meane while to resort to y e place where y e arke of y e couenaÌt y e sanctuary were set vp And finally he sayth That they should not come empty before the lord but that euery man should bring somewhat according as God had blessed him Some haue taken this text to bee a kinde of promise as though God had sayd that such as resorted vnto him should not go their way againe empty True it is that if wee seeke God wee shall finde plenty of all good things in him according as it is sayd Come vnto him and ye shall be inlightened Psal. 34.6 and your faces shall not be ashamed Therfore let vs not thinke that wee shall want any thing if wee seeke God for he will fill vs as hee is riche so is he liberal we shal be satisfied and haue our fil of al thinges y t wee haue neede of for our saluation Then is it very true in it selfe that all such as offer themselues before God shal not return emptie according as it is written Psal. â1 11 Open thy mouth and I will fill it But as in respect of this present place it is certaine that Moses speaketh of Offeringes and wee must not bring in any other gloses For hee declareth that euery man ought to offer according to the gifte of his hande that is to say according to his abilitie For that kind of speeche were straunge to vs if wee were not made to vnderstand it namely that euery man ought to consider what GOD hath giuen him that hee may doe him homage for it Therefore looke what wee haue in our hande that let vs take to offer vnto God and to make sacrifice to him withall In the tyme of the Lawe the offeringes were applyed to such vse as wee haue seene heeretofore and wee neede not to rehearse the Ceremonie any more As nowe in remaineth that wee doe homage to GOD at all tymes with the goods that hee hath bestowed vppon vs. And howe may that bee doone By Almesdeedes Iob. 35.6 Pâal 16.2 Hebr. 13.16 For wee cannot increase him by bestowing any thing vppon him but yet hee accepteth whatsoeuer wee giue to the poore Those are the sacrifices which hee requireth and alloweth nowadayes Therefore must we bestowe them there And seeing that our Lord offereth himselfe vnto vs not thrise a yeere onely but manifestly in the person of his sonne Iesus Christ so as hee dwelleth with vs continually let it bee a meane to drawe vs to him euen with an earnest minde that wee may haue our hande alwayes open to offer vnto him If wee had the Sanctuarie and that it behoued vs to present our selues thrise a yeere at Ierusalem wee should doe the thing that is commaunded vs heere and yet should not that serue to exempt vs from doing of Almes deeds al the yeere after For if there were no more than the Ceremonie it were a smal matter as I haue said afore But where is Gods Temple now Beholde Iesus Christ who filleth y e whole world he is with vs dwelleth euen in our soules Sith it is so then let vs see y t we imploy our selues to make our offerings seeing that our God doeth vs y e honour to appoint vs to be his Sanctuaries Temples â Cor. 6.19 2 Cor. 6.16 ãâã 2.9 insomuch y t euery Christian man is y e Temple of the holy Ghost euery Christian hath y e honorable title of Priest and y t otherwise we shoulde neuer be counted y e temple house of God it is good reason y t euery man should occupy himself incessantly w tout end in offring him y e sacrifice of praise so as he may bee acknowledged in all his benefits blessings which he bestoweth vpoÌ vs. And it is not only the doing of Almes deedes y t he accepteth for sacrifices but wee must also serue him worship him w t al our thoughts with all our desires with all our affections and with al our members So then that wee may not appeare emptie in the presence of our God let vs looke y t we bring him good fruites such as he requireth let vs beware y t we bee not vpbraided as Ieremie vpbraided y e Iewes when he said Ier. 2.21 Esa. 5.24 What haue I done for thee my vine I haue planted thee I haue dressed thee thou bringest me forth bitter fruite Therefore let vs bring good fruit to our God seeing it hath pleased him to till vs to the end we should doe good and not be vnprofitable And how may that be True it is that we caÌnot bring any thing to him neither can he be inriched but when we indeuer to glorifie him in our whole life that is the fruite which he requireth and maketh account of Seeing then that he graunteth vs the grace let vs profit continually vnder him let not vs on our side be emptie Notwithstanding it is certaine that we haue not one drop of goodnesse vnlesse he gaue it vs for we be barrein In deede we be too fruitful in bringing forth euill there are too many bryers brambles to be found in vs but as for of good corne there is not one graine to be found in vs vntill God haue put it in vs. What is to be doone then We must pray our God to blesse vs that is to say to powre out his holy spirite so vppon vs as wee may haue good fruite to bring vnto him that wheras we be nothing he may giue vs a being and whereas we be nought woorth he may make vs some what worth by his manuring of vs so as hee may be glorified in vs. For it is not ynough for vs to haue Gods gratious giftes in vs but he must also make vs to put them to the vse whereto he hath ordeined them And heere let vs call to mind what hath beene declared heeretofore namely that God will not haue vs all to reioyce our selues but also to make our neighbours partakers of our gladnesse and also to call vnto vs not onely the husband and his wife and the father and his children but also euen those that are furthest off from vs and to indeuour to
Kin. 11.36 to shewe that God maketh his light to shine vpon his people and that although there be not at all times great light yet there shal euer be a Lampe howsoeuer the world goeth And the seconde reason was that if a straunger shoulde haue reigned he would soone haue changed the religion as wee knowe that the heathen will alwayes needes sette vp their owne superstitions And why For commonly they haue not the feare of God to keepe them in awe but rather they thinke God to be bounde vnto them if they giue men leaue to worshippe him and serue him after some sort yet for all that they wil needes turne all the seruice of God to their owne lustes and liking If the Turke get the souereignetie in any countrey although he be contented to abide the Christians as they call themselues Yet doeth he worke them all the spite and reproch that can be to discourage them Where the Papistes beare swaye they defile al the puritie of Christian doctrine and they can not abide that the Gospell shoulde be preached or that the Sacramentes shoulde be purely vsed but they will needes put all to hauocke and in any wise set vp their owne ydolatries Thus yee see what would haue come of it insomuch y t if a stranger should haue reigned ouer the people of Israell it hadde bin the next way to haue ouerthrowen the whole Lawe Not without cause therefore did God expressely prouide that they shoulde not choose any other king than of the lynage of Abraham such a one as were comprised in the couenaunt Col. 2.11.12 and bare the marke of the Church that is to wit Circumcision which was the like Sacrament to the Iewes that we haue noweadayes of Baptisme But nowe must we apply this to our owne vse and vnderstande first of all that the kingdome of our Lorde Iesus Christ must bee mainteined in such soundenesse as that wee must beware of bringing any defilemeÌt into it And what is y e kingdom of Christ I haue told you already y t it consisteth not in any visible things or in any things belonging to this present life but it is the gathering of vs together by his holy spirite into the hope of the heauenly life and the preaching of the Gospell vnto vs that it may bee as a rule to holde vs vnder the obedience of God And although the Sacramentes bee visible of themselues yet are they neuerthelesse spirituall as in respect of their ende as all other Ceremonies are We come hither togither well it is a visible thing we kneele downe to pray vnto God that is visible also but yet it aimeth at a higher ende and hath a respect which is altogether spirituall So then let vs learne that the kingdom of our Lord Iesus Christ ought to be mainteined in his full soundenesse that is to wit wee must beware that wee mingle not any corruption with the things that he hath commaunded in his Churche ne thrust in such persons as may serue to ouerthrowe the common weale For if we should choose false Sheepheards and men of wicked doctrine or of leaude conuersation were it not a dishonoring of Iesus Christes kingdome and a putting of all thinges to hauocke as much as in vs lieth Seeing then that the children of Israell were forbidden to set vp a straunge King in the seate that was a figure of our Lorde Iesus Christ nowe that we haue the sonne of God to gouerne vs not in shadowe as in the time of the Lawe but in full trueth nowe that wee haue our Lorde Iesus Christ who is called the daysunne of righteousnesse as the prophete Malachie termeth him Mâ â 4 who telleth vs that he is neere at hand to vs and ruleth in the middes of vs what a trecherie were it if we should deface his roial throne and not maintaine it in such purenesse as that he might alwayes reigne by his worde and euerie man doe him homage and both greate and small knowe him Psal. ãâ¦ã and he haue alwayes his preheminence among vs Thus yee see howe the first point is that God commaundeth vs heere to haue a speciall care of his Churche so as there may be no defilement to hinder Christes reigning ouer vs as he ought to doe Nowe as touching the second reason let vs marke also that if God haue giuen a people the grace to choose Kinges Princes Magistrates or Iudges they ought to haue great regarde that the seate which God hath ordeined for the wellfare of mankinde be not giuen to a man that is an vnbeleeuer For the people that chooseth either king or Iudge without discerning whether he be a man that fearth God or no doe put the haulter about their owne neckes wilfully And when they shall choose and take Magistrates that are either deadly enemies of the Gospell or Hypocrites that seeke nothing else but to turne all thinges vpsidedowne or worldelinges that coulde finde in their heartes to treade all religion vnder foote is not the admitting of such men as an opening of the gate vnto Sathan that hee might haue place among vs Is it not a reiecting of Gods grace to the ende that all abhominations might haue their full scope So then when soeuer wee choose Iudges Magistrates Gouernours and Officers of Iustice let vs take warning by this text to looke for this marke in them that they bee men which feare God and are at leastwise desirous that Religion shoulde be mainteined in his purenesse For otherwise it is all one as if wee woulde driue God from vs and seeke to banish him from among vs which is too cursed a trayterousnesse And thus much concerning earthly gouernement After wee haue indeuoured that the spirituall religion of y e church may bee maintayned let vs likewise be so minded towardes the state of the temporall sworde and ordinarie iustice that such as sit in iudgement may bee all one with vs in brotherly religion and that the holy bande of faith may knit vs togither in obedience to one selfesame God And hereof there is a faire confirmation in the thinges that Moses addeth for it deserueth to bee treated of immediatly and we shall see it in place conuenient But he sayeth expressely That the king which shall haue beene chosen must cause the booke of the lawe to be copied out in the presence of the high priest and of the Leuites Nowe let vs see why God hath made this so strait ordinance that there should bee a booke of authoritie for the kings vse Is it meant that a man shoulde bee ignorant and vtterly vnacquainted with the doctrine of God vntil hee came to the crowne No. For Gods will is that his lawe should bee knowen both of greate and small as wee shall see by his protestation hereafter Deut. 32.46 The secrete thinges belong to your God himselfe but yet it hath pleased him to set his worde here before you ye must not say any more that it
king must not take many wiues It is certaine that this rule is common to all men For although some of the Patââârkes had many wiues yet was it not therefore lawful for we must haue recourse to Gods institution True it is that mans custome may well peruert the doctrine but yet can it not change euill into good for all that It is God that ordeyned marryage and as he is the author therof so will hee haue men to holde them to his pure institution Nowe did hee create two wiues for Adam No and yet as sayeth the Prophet Malachie hee had abundance of spirit in him Mal. 2.15 It had beene no harder a matter to him to haue created two or three women than to haue created one Was God letted by any vnabilitie Nay and yet he created two in one flesh Sith the case staÌdeth so then it is a changing of the order of nature a despising of God when a man taketh two wiues O say they the Patriarkes did so Yea but theâeby it appeareth that the custome of men cannot alter Gods ordinance how great vertue or holines so euer be in them And it serueth also to shewe y t such as shielde themselues vnder the example of other men offend double For is it meete y t Gods authoritie should bee diminished vnder pretence y t men haue done this or y t And therfore let vs vnderstand y t it was neuer lawfull for any man liuing to take two wiues in mariage at once for it is a breaking of Gods order Why then is it forbidden here but onely to kinges Because there was more libertie And the thing that I haue touched already is the better confirmed vnto vs in this text If a priuate person had taken two wiues hee should haue beene neerely looked vnto What Shall I go giue my daughter to him that is marryed alreadie Shee shal be sure to haue sorrowe to her soppes shee shall liue in continuall stryfe and vnquietnesse Yet were shee better to bee dead out of hande But men were so desirous of honour that if a king required a daughter of theirs to his wife they easily condescended vnto it What I shall haue my daughter marryed to a king And it was a blynding of a womaÌ when shee was sued vnto by such a one Nowe then for as much as kinges had larger scope in this case and consequently might more offend God our Lorde hath specially forbidden them to haue many wiues and moreouer because the example of such as are in authoritie is woorse than the example of priuate persons If a common person doe any euill it goeth no further than his owne house and his next neighbours but hee that is in authoritie standeth vppon a skaffolde and is seene afarre off and if he ouershoote himselfe the corruption of him spreadeth throughout the realme Therefore it was requisite that God should forbid kinges to haue many wiues euen because the corruption therof woulde haue spread ouer the whole lande And although it could not be letted altogither yet came it first from the heathen And if it bee asked from whence the hauing of many wyues came ãâã 4.19 it wil bee founde in the house of Cain not among the people of God This leawdnesse then of hauing many wyues was brought vp by Satan And the Patriarkes were intangled in it as in deede it is harde for a man to keepe him selfe from a thing when it is once growen into a custome for then it seemeth to be permitted Yet notwithstanding to the intent it should no more be so because there was occasion therof our Lorde forbad kinges to haue many wiues But heere it might be demanded what is to be sayd of Dauid and much more of SalomoÌ in respect of wiues as well as of riches It cannot be denyed but that Dauid had many wyues and as for Salomon he had many moe and he seemeth not to haue bin blamed in that behalfe for the scripture speaketh but of the turning away of his hart after straunge women which infected him with their superstitions and ydolatryes 1. King 1â 4 And as touching gould and siluer wee knowe how it is sayd that Dauid gathered so great a masse of them that Salomons Temple and his palace were builded therwith Therefore there was a maruelous riches 1. Kin. 10.27 Yea and it is said expresly y t in the raigne of Salomon men made no more accompt of gold and siluer than of grauel y e quantity therof was so exceeding great And there seemeth to be some contrarietie in the scripture in as much as among other thinges our Lord sayeth that hee will cause the gould of Arabye and all the riches of the worlde to bee brought to Ierusalem Psal. 72.15 And why should he promise that if he ment not that kinges should be riche and wealthie Nay it is a figure of the kingdome of our Lord Iesus Christ. If this blessing of God bee set downe as so worthie a thing howe are kings forbidden to gather golde and siluer As touching wiues no dout but both Dauid and Salomon offended in that behalfe and Salomon most As for Dauid hee had many wiues and all the excuses that can bee alledged wil not be able to iustifie him before God But howsoeuer the case stande he did it not through inordinate lust For he had maryed Michol Saules daughter and hee coulde haue contented himselfe with that one wife if shee had not beene taken away from him by force And when she was giuen to another man it was lawfull for him to take Bersabee Againe there happened other things afterwarde so that if a man consider wherefore Dauid tooke many wiues surely there wil euer be some occasion to excuse him to the worldward but yet for all that he was blameworthie stil before God And as touching Salomon he rebelled openly as a man too much giuen to y e flesh in that he proceeded euen against the prohibition that was giuen both to himselfe and to all other kinges And it appeareth what insued to him for it For that hee was so abused and deceiued by strange women it was a iust punishment and because he had taken such libertie to himselfe God shewed him that he had cast him selfe into Satans snares When a fish thinkes to swallowe vp other fishes he himselfe is caught or choked by that meane Euen so was SalomoÌ faine to receiue his payment because hee gaue himselfe too much to his delightes and pleasures And it is a dreadful thing a thing that ought to make the hayre to stande vp vpon our heades that so excellent a man indued with so great giftes of Gods spirit shoulde become an ydolater and fall away from the pure seruing of God specially being himselfe a prophet to teach the whole worlde and a lampe to direct not only the children of Israell but also the verie Infidels and to draw them to the knowledge of the trueth O that such a
warrant to shew that God accepted the petitioÌs of his people That then was the cause why it is expresly said that those which abode in the Temple serued the name and Maiestie of God And heerewithal mention is made also of Gods presence as we haue seene before which is a ratifying of the thinges that hee had taught afore that the people should not bee disappointed in resorting to the temple to call vpon him there bicause the Leuites should alwayes be there ready to succour such as fled to him for succour Now this was in the time of the figures But wee must marke that if wee resorte to our God in the name of our Lorde Iesus Christ in whome dwelleth the whole fulnes of the Godhead Col. 2.9 God will shew his face vnto vs that is to say we shall finde by the effect that he regardeth vs and that the dore is not shut against vs but that we may preace into his presence And besides that to the end we may be guided by our Lord Iesus Christ we must put the thing in vre which he hath told vs that is to wit wee must come together in his name to the intent that hee may bee among vs. Then if wee wil bee heard of God and that our seruice should be wel accepted of him wee must meete together without hypocrisie with a true pure heart and then will our Lord Iesus so beare sway amongst vs that God also wil therw tal reach out his hande to helpe succour vs. And when we haue so offered vp our prayers vnto him and euery of vs hath put himself into his hand let vs not doubt but y t he regardeth our doings As for example for as much as we knowe y t these our present doings in meeting together to heare his word and to seeke him are comaunded by him Let vs not doubt but we be before his eyes and he loketh vpon vs with pitie and will consider all our necessities to prouide for them and to succor vs in them And let vs on our part also so mount vp vnto him by faith as wee may bee out of all doubt that he sheweth vs his face that is to say that he maketh vs to feele his presence specially when we come to him by the way which he sheweth vs for theÌ wil he make vs to come in such sorte that he wil keepe vs still vnder his protection vntill he take vs vp into his kingdome Now let vs kneele down before the Maiestie of our good God with acknowledgement of our faults praying him to make vs feele them better yea that we may be so striken down in our selues as we may seeke him with true repentaÌce rest vpon his promises not doubting but y t he accepteth vs howe wretched so euer we bee bycause we come not to him vpon trust of our own deserts but vppon his meere goodnesse wherethrough he hath elected and chosen vs and that moreouer he suffer vs not to be defiled with any of the corruptions of our flesh but that seeing he hath called vs to his Priesthood hee will also graunt vs the grace to dedicate our selues to him by offering vp all our thoughts affections desires yea euen our whole bodies soules vnto him that he may bee honored more more by them that such as are yet farre off from him may be brought vnto him to the end wee may all together worship him in his only sonne And for the bringing thereof to passe it may please him to raise vp true and faithfull Ministers of his word c. On Wednesday the xxvij of Nouember 1555. The Cviij Sermon which is the second vpon the eighteenth Chapter 9 When thou art come into the Land which the Lorde thy God giueth thee thou shalt not learne to doe after the abhominations of those Nations 10 There shall not any bee found among you which maketh his sonne or his daughter to go through fire nor any witch that vseth Witchcraft nor any man that is a regarder of times or that regardeth the flying of foules 11 Or that is a Sorcerer or a charmer or that asketh Counsell at spirites that are called familiars or that is a soothsaier or which asketh Counsell at the dead 12 For all they that doe such things are an abhomination to the Lord and for such abhominations sakes the Lord thy God driueth them out before thy face 13 Be perfect therefore before the Lord thy God 14 For the Nations which thou shalt possesse giue eare to regarders of tymes and to witches but the Lord thy God hath not taught thee to doe so 15 The Lord thy God will rayse vp a prophet like vnto me from among thy brethren him shall you obey IT is in vaine for God to giue vs many lawes lessons if we determine not with our selues to obey him in all pointes For the first point wherat we must begin is to know Gods authority to learne to submit our selues to his word without any gainsaying If the Law in generall haue not this force to what purpose is it for God to speake of this thing or of that thing Therefore let vs beare well in mind that we must bee disposed to receiue whatsoeuer God inioyneth vs before we can benefite our selues by any one sentence of the holy Scripture As for example when a man commeth to a sermon though he heare the matter yet shal it not touch him to the quick vnlesse he know aforehand that Gods truth must be receiued and that it is not to be incountered with disputing And surely wee see many which are sufficiently conuicted that the things which are told them are true and that they be not able to reply against them and yet passe not to make a mocke of them And why is that Bicause they be not touched with y e maiesty of God and therfore they cannot thinke that wee ought to submit our selues to him that made vs fashioned vs to be obedient to him to his commaundement But on y e contrary part when we be vrged to receiue the things which we knowe to come of God his truth wil beare sway with vs. As soon as we heare that it is God which speaketh Esa. 66.5 we tremble at his speech as is said by the prophet Esay And so ye see now why God giueth this generall rule to his people that they must houlde themselues to his pure and simple wil. But for as much as men are naturally giuen to superstition seeme to seeke euen wilfully to be beguiled God here doth first withdraw vs from all errours and abuses afterward giueth vs a foundation wheron to stay to be builded that is to wit by herkning vnto him by sticking to y t which he saith Thus are there here two principall reasons The one is y â God correcteth the vanity that is in men in that they rather giue ouer themselues to cousinages lyings than to
heard so as nothing bee set foorth but in his name and that truly Rightly saith Moses ye shal obey the Prophet As how not y t they haue the authority to bind y e Church to bring it into bondage for as S. Peter sheweth in his first Canonicall Epistle it behoued y e Prophets to speake by the spirite of our Lord Iesus Christ. 1. Pet. 1.11 And in the same respect also doth S. Paule say that it was he which led gouerned the people in the wildernes Although Moses bare the couÌtenance yet was it Iesus Christ that bare y e sway Now I pray you if a man take more authority vpon him than Moses had aduaunce himselfe aboue him what should a man say to it Moses and all the Prophets are but vnderlings to the end that Iesus Christ might speake And seeing that the Sonne of God is come is it reasoÌ that men should put foorth their owne dreames and dotages that Iesus Christ should hold his peace But the Popish Religion tendeth to none other end than to put Iesus Christ to silence The Pope boasteth himselfe to be his vicar But howsoeuer the case stand he will needes make lawes at his owne pleasure he will needes make newe articles of faith to be short the Gospell is but an Apsie if we beleeue the Pope and the dotages y t he hath deuised are the ful perfection of all For behold they haue not bin ashamed to say that the thinges which the Popes and their Councels haue decreed and all their gewgawes filth and pelting trash which yet notw tstanding are but diuelish abhominations to peruert the seruice of God are the thinges which the Apostles could not beare away when Iesus Christ said vnto theÌ I haue many things to say vnto you Iohn 16.12 but ye cannot cary them away as now And what things be they O they be the high Mysteries which the Pope deuised aboue the Gospell Lyke as Mahomet saith y t his Alcoran is y e soueraine wisdome so saith the Pope of his owne decrees For they be the two hornes of Antichrist Sith it is so doe we not see that we cannot in any wise cleaue to the Pope but by renouncing Iesus Christ Then let vs beare well in minde that seeing it is Gods will to exalt his onely sonne after that fashion surely he wil haue vs to looke vnto him and that all doctrine be referred vnto him and doe concerne him so as wee must conclude that all such as will not speake in the Church must vtter nothing but y t which they haue learned in y e schoole of this great schoolemaister According whereunto he hath giuen this commission to his Apostles Preache the things which ye haue learned of me Matt. 1â 1â Iohn 16.13 Againe when he promiseth them the holy Ghost he saith he shall teach ye all the things which ye haue hard of me He sendeth them not there to a new doctrine but saith that they shall haue vnderstanding of the thinges which they knew not by reason of their rudenesse That is y e thing which we haue to remember in that God attributeth the soueraine authoritie to his sonne by name and will haue all Prophets to be vnder that heade as well whome he had raysed vp afore as those whom he hath set vp in these daies in his Church so as this order must be kept that he onely doe speake and that all others which open their mouthes serue but to deale foorth the thinges purely which they shall haue receiued at his hand But by y e way let vs also wey this speech where it is sayd Ye shall hearken vnto him For as God sheweth himselfe freeharted not minding to forsake his Church but to prouide the things which he knoweth to belong to the welfare thereof so is it good reason that we on the otherside should not despise the benefite that he offereth vs and imparteth vnto vs. Heere of his own free goodnesse he bindeth himselfe to vs in saying I will raise you vp a Prophet And on the other part hee exacteth a couenaÌt in coÌmanding vs to receiue y t benefit as it deserueth to make our profit of it Therefore see that you obey Wherefore let vs marke that when God hath allured vs to him so gently and after so fatherly manner that hee is ready to speake to vs as it were mouth to mouth he will not haue vs to giue him deafe eare or to runne gadding away and to despise or mocke him It is not for vs to thinke that God will beare such vnthankefulnes and contempt of his word for the reuendge thereof will be horrible as shal be declared in due place But in the meane while let vs goe willingly to our Lorde Iesus Christ who is sent vnto vs in the name of God his father protesteth that he will reach vs his hand to leade vs to endlesse saluation Therefore let vs heare him not onely to say it is true that he speaketh but also to giue our heartes vnto him For the hearing that he requireth is that all wisedome be beaten downe so as men be not puffed vp with vain selfweening as if they would say I will doe what I list but that wee hearken to our master which is giuen vs from heauen and that all our affections be subdued to him and that our lust be ouercropped when they woulde carie vs here and there so as Iesus Christ may raigne howsoeuer the worlde goeth and that both great and smal may knowe how y t to them it is that God speaketh For as touching the great oâes it is sayde vnto them in the seconde Psalme Kisse the Sonne ye kings and Princes of the earth Psal. 2.12 do homage to the sonne of God whoÌ he hath sent vnto you Nowe if our Lorde will haue all highnesse to stoope after that fashion vnder the soueraign dominion of our Lord Iesus Christ accordingly also as S. Paul saith that the preaching of the Gospel serueth to pul down all loftinesse that will needes be exalted 1. Cor. 10.5 what shall become of these wretched wormes when they disdayne to receiue the Gospell obediently Let vs marke then that here is no exception and that Gods intent is to bring all the world to his lure For if it bee so that the Angels must worship Iesus Christ and reuerence his Gospel seeing then that wee be but creatures not only mortall but also flightfull and such as haue nothing in them but corruption what shoulde wee doe when our Lorde is so gratious to vs as not only to raise vp men to speake to vs in his name but also to sende vs his onely sonne by whome the doctrine is so authorised as it cannot bee doubted of any more Seeing we bee at y t point what shoulde we doe but resort to our God forsaking all things that may hinder our obedience towardes him yea and euen our owne wits lusts and affections euerie
false Prophets shall be condemned yea euen because of their proud presuÌptuous dealing and for their vntollerable rashnes And hereby as many as haue y e charge to beare abroad Gods word are warned to walke warely circumspectly to take heed y t in their preaching of y e word they intermingle nothing of their owne but y t they haue a speciall care y t all their sayinges be referred to the true pure expounding of y t which is written that they doe nothing else but apply Gods word to y e vse of the people As for exaÌple I stand not here to make newe Lawes nor to forge new articles of faith What then Our Lord hath vttered his whole will vnto vs in the holy scripture Deut. 12.32 it is not lawful to ad any thing there to What am I to do theÌ wherfore do we preach yea that continually day by day To the ende y â the scripture should be well vnderstood that it should be applyed to our vse that men might know how to benefit theÌselues therby as how to imbrace Gods promises how to order their lyfe aright how to liue quietly euery man after his owne calling The shewing of these thinges is to minister force to y e holy scripture y t wee may vnderstand it and fare the better by it and bee edifyed therewith Such say I as haue y e charge of preaching Gods word ought to haue a special regard of these thinges Howbeit forasmuch as no creature no not euen y e Angels of heauen are able to execute so high noble a coÌmission we must pray God to guide gouern vs bearing in minde therewithall as S. Paul sayth y t no man could say y t Iesus is y e Lord 1. Cor. 12.3 y t is to say no man can giue glory to y e sonne of God but by the holy Ghost to bee short y t he which is aduanced highest to teach others ought to abace himself lowest for feare least any thing may scape him which hee hath not receiued of God so as he may safely protest y t he hath not amed at any other end than the worshipping seruing of God euen according to y e doctrine which hee hath deliuered heretofore in his holy scripture Againe the people are to be exhorted to take heede y t Gods glory bee not defaced For y e Papistes think it an humilitie allowable before God a very good commeÌdable deuotion to be so brutish as to receiue all y t euer is put vnto theÌ O say they we must submit our selues to our mother holy Church yea but in so doing they be guiltie of y e defacing of God himself of y e bereauing robbing of him of his authoritie For why The Pope his cleargie are so full of stinking pride statelynesse that they make Lawes subdue mens consciences to theÌ at their pleasure Ye see theÌ y t that is an vsurping of tyrannie ouer Gods people They excommunicate all good doctrine to set forth their owne corruptions so they defile the pure simplicitie of Gods worde Well they be suffered in these thinges yea mainteined defended in their malitiousnesse And in the meane while God is halfe shaken off no account is made of him for men doe ouermaister him For as for all them that hearken to false prophets after that fashion doe they not set vp their diuelish pride to the intent to thrust downe God thereby Let vs mark well then y t whereas Moses speaketh here of y e pride or ouerheaddinesse of y e deceiuers it is not onely to make them to bee mislyked punished and cut off from among y e people but also to warne vs that if a man presume to mingle any of his inuentions with Gods word or goe about to alter any part of the order y t he hath set wee must bee no fauorers of such rashnesse For in so dooing wee diminishe Gods honor and become guiltie of the vtter defacing of him as much as in vs lyeth And therefore all of vs in general as well the preacher as the hearer are warned to consider what the plaine reuerence is which God requireth at our hand It consisteth not in ceremonies nor in vaine bablinges as men say but in this that he onely doe speake and all mens mouthes be kept shut Not y t there should be no Shepheardes to preach the doctrine vnto vs but that all should be fetched from him and he be held as chiefe Maister The way then to beare down all pride and rashnesse is that the holy scripture haue his full force so as men vnderstand that that is the standard vnder which we must gather our selues and that God will be obeyed by mens submitting of themselues therunto For without that there will be nothing but pride and ouerstatelynesse among vs. And so ye see that the deuotion of the Papistes is diuelish because they haue left God to submit themselues to creatures and suffer theÌselues to be led lyke beastes without any discretion And in the same respect is it sayd in the end Thou shalt not be afraid of such a Prophet He saith not thou shalt not feare such a prophet but word for worde it is thou shalt not be afraid of such a Prophet For here God meant to arme his faithfull ones with constancie that they might not be put out of countenance by any faire disguisement but that when they are once instructed in the faith they should defy all such as vaunt theÌselues and come to make gay shewes vnder the name of God as I haue tolde you afore that sometimes men are too fearefull In deed there are that mocke at God and haue no feeling of conscience at all but set as light by the trueth as they doe by leasings euen at this day there are that make as much account of the Gospell as of y e abuses of the Popedome Iesus Christ the Pope are all one to them What a sorte of mockers are to be seene which will needes bee couÌted good Christians because they hold skorn of the popish superstitions and yet in the meane while are despisers of God and his word Surely they be but dogges and hogs without any feare of God or ciuil honestie And yet is the worlde too ful of such corruption and infection Againe there are othersome very tenderharted Not y t it is not a vertue to stand in some feare but because they be ouerfearefull when they be vexed with any scruple of conscience they wote not which way to turne them For if an error be put vnto them they dare not receiue it for feare againe on the other side if the trueth be put vnto them their agreeing to it if they doe agree is not with any certeintie Ye shall see a number y t are euer wauering lyke reedes shaken with the winde The Masse is holy with them the Gospell is holy with
droue which hath not beene labored nor hath drawen in the yoke 4 And the Elders of that Towne shall driue the young bullocke downe into a harde valley which hath neither beene plowed nor sowed and they shal strike off the bullocks neck there in the valley 5 Also the Priestes the children of Leuie shall come forth for the Lorde thy God hath chosen them to minister vnto him and to blesse in the Lords name And at their worde shall all cases and euery plague be determined 6 And all the Elders of that towne shall come to the deade man and wash their hands ouer the bullocke that is beheaded in the valley 7 And protest and say Our handes haue not shed this bloude neither haue our eyes seene it 8 O Lord be mercifull to thy people Israel whom thou hast purchased and lay not the guiltlesse bloud among thy people Israel And the manslaughter shal be forgiuen them 9 And so shalt thou take guiltles bloud from among you for thou shalt do that which is acceptable in the eyes of the Lord. I Haue spoken of this Law alreadie heretofore and declared briefly what god ment in the ordeining of that Ceremony namely that wee shoulde abhorre the shedding of bloud and murthers and outrages He had spoken heretofore of the law of armes And nowe hee addeth that the killing euen of one man is a defiling of the whole countrey vnlesse the remedie bee sought by praying vnto God to forgiue the fault and by protesting that none of them is guiltie thereof Wee see then that mens liues are deare vnto God sith hee will haue so solemne a redresse to bee made of a murther committed yea euen when the doer thereof is not knowen nor the trueth can bee founde out If a man had heene murdered and the doer thereof knowen then woulde not this ceremonie haue sufficed For God commandeth the crime to bee punished and if a murtherer be suffered to scape the Iudges and all the people become guiltie of the fact But when it is vnknowen by whom a man is slaine then GOD thinketh it not ynough for euery man to protest for himselfe y t hee is neither partie nor priuie to the matter but he will also that the town where the deede was done or which was neerest to the place where the deede was done shoulde bee examined for it For wee knowe that a partition of the townes villages was made to euerie tribe Insomuch that euerie Citie had the Countrie about it and the townes and villages in it were called as it were the daughters of that Citie Yet notwithstanding in this case our Lorde will haue them to make a newe suruey and measuring of the distance of places againe and that the Citie which is found to bee neerest to the dead bodie shal be at the charges to make a solemne sacrifice whereat hee will haue the Elders Iudges and Priestes to be present And he setteth downe the Priests by name as wel for sacrificing as also because it was their Office to make the purgations whensoeuer there befell any blotte so as the people were defiled before God it was the duetie of the Priestes to make them cleane againe towards God And that was the cause why that order was required in this case And therefore Moses addeth that God hath appointed them to serue him and to blesse in his name and that it belongeth to them to iudge of Leprosies and all other like thinges and of all other kindes of vncleannesse wherewith the people might be defiled In attributing this office vnto them he declareth to what purpose their presence ought to serue in this act Also there was prayer to bee made and the priestes were inioyned thereunto And because the whole order of them was a figure of our Lorde Iesus Christ they blessed in Gods name as I haue declared heeretofore and as I shall shewe somewhat more hereafter as I passe ouer it And therefore our Lorde appointed them to make the solemne prayer that is set downe heere Nowe wee see whereto this Lawe tended Namely that our Lorde hath shewed howe precious mens liues are vnto him that wee on our part might bee the more prouoked to take him for our father For what an vnthankfulnesse is it that God shoulde haue so great and so fatherly a care of vs of vs I say which are but Caryons and yet notwithstanding that hee shoulde not bee honoured of vs as of his children nor finde any obedience at our handes So then forasmuch as we see our Lord vouchsafeth to haue a regarde of our life let vs be the more moued to honor him and to yeeld him all reuerence Heerewithall it is shewed vs also that wee must maintaine our neighbours as much as in vs lyeth and abstaine from all violence For if murder bee so hatefull to GOD that although the doer thereof bee vnknowen yet it behoued a solemne clearing thereof to be made what will become of vs if wee spare not our neighbors Is it not a setting of our selues vtterly against God Here then is a bridle to restraine vs from all violence and outrage so as vnlesse wee will bee hatefull to our God wee must liue in concorde and brotherly loue with all our neighbours Nowe I haue tolde you heretofore that whereas murder is forbidden vs it is not meant thereby that wee shoulde but onely forbeare the drawing of our swords to slea men but also that forasmuch as all they which hate their brethren euen in secrete are murderers we should beware to haue our heartes as cleane as our handes and abstaine from all hatred and enmitie Thus yee see what wee haue to remember in the seconde place of this Lawe which is set downe heere For it is not ynough for vs to loue our neighbours and not to haue stepped out into any iniurie or violence but wee must also to the vttermost of our power bee a let to the anoyance that is done to others Indeede it is a great thing to be peaceable but God requireth yet more of his children namely that they shoulde procure peace towardes others Therefore whensoeuer any man fals to quareling or offereth wrong to his neighbour let vs looke that wee set our selues against him as much as wee can I knowe that euerie man is not armed with the sworde neither may euerie of vs take vppon him to redresse wrongs but yet let vs haue an eye to that which GOD permitteth so farre as our duetie will beare and as occasion is ministred to deale And therein wee shall shewe our selues not to consent to any outrage but rather that wee bee willing to succour the innocent that is oppressed and wronged whom let vs looke that we help to our power and abilitie That is the third point which we haue to gather vpon this text Moreouer let vs marke that Iudges and Ministers of iustice are warned heere to doe their dueties For it is not ynough for them to protest that they haue
And the very same thing doth our Lorde Iesus Christ meane in saying that at the beginning it was not so For God created but one man namely male and female created he them Nowe the Prophet Malachie in alleaging this sayeth further that God had sufficient aboundance of spirite in himselfe And therefore what shoulde haue letted him to haue created two wiues for Adam if he had thought it good But God thought one to bee ynough Therefore it is to bee concluded that he which coueteth to haue two wyues marreth all and regardeth not the keeping of wedlocke in such sorte as God hath ordeyned it Then is it whordome and not wedlocke for a man to desire a seconde wife after that fashion Yet notwithstanding this vyce hath beene of olde tyme thereby a man may see iudge what certeintie there is in grounding our selues vpon custome Tush say wee it hath beene so in all ages it hath euer beene wont to bee so Yea but that will not serue to discharge vs before God For this Polygamie as they terme it that is to say this hauing of many wyues at once shoulde haue a very goodly couer for it if it might rest vppon custome and antiquitie But what Gods institution or ordinance went afore custome and ought to continue vnto the last ende Wee see then that it was too disordered and vnruly dealing when men tooke such scope and libertie to haue many wiues at once And yet the thing fell out euen in the Patriarkes themselues Whereby it appeareth that men doe but deceiue themselues when they ground themselues vppon men though they bee the holyest that euer were Yee see that Abraham who is the father of the faithfull had mo wiues than one Yea but hee fayled not to bee condemned for it In all the residue of his life hee was a mirrour of Angelicall perfection but in this case he ouershot himselfe Therefore let vs holde our selues to Gods pure worde and not pretende that any thing is lawfull for vs except it be ruled after the same Thus much concerning the hauing of many wyues at once which is spoken of heere In so much that if any man haue two wyues hee doeth contrary to the order which God hath set By reason whereof the men that doe so passe their boundes are neuerthemore acquit though they bee not punished for it by the lawes of men but they must alwayes come backe to this poynt that God hauing an eye what might bee obtayned of mennes infirmities ordeyned it as a lawe of policie And this is no impedimeÌt at al to the perfection that is conteyned in Gods worde whereto it behoueth vs to aspire And if wee swarue neuer so litle from it wee bee guiltie before him by and by And well may wee alleage this or that As for example men require nothing at our hands yet must wee come to account for it before the heauenly Iudge It is sayde heere expressely If a man hate the one and loue the other Whereby it is shewed vnto vs that the hauing of many wyues at once proceedeth of a corrupt affection in that a man beareth not such loue to his wife as he ought to do For if a man loued his wife chastely as hee is commaunded his heart will neuer bee withdrawen from her to desire a newe marriage Then must a man needes bee corrupted and infected in his heart and conceiue a mislyking of his wife so as hee is loth to yeeld his duetie vnto her before hee can long for a seconde mariage It is sayde Ep. 5.28.29 Yee husbands loue your wiues for no man hath euer hated his owne flesh The same matter is alleaged concerning all men by the Prophet Esay Esa. 58.7 because wee haue one resemblance of nature common to vs all It is sayde there thou shalt not despise thine owne flesh and it is meant euen of the furthest straungers in the worlde But betweene man and wife there is another respect for to speake properly they bee both but one man And so doeth the Scripture terme them saying They shal bee two in one flesh that is to saye in one person Nowe if any man hate his owne body must iâ not needes bee that he is worse than mad Hereupon Saint Paul concludeth that if a man loue not his owne wife hee is as a monster True it is that wyues will oftentimes giue their husbandes cause to hate them and that there bee some of them such feendes as were able to vexe euen the Angels of heauen and to put them out of patience That is true But yet must a man fight against such temptations and ouercome them howsoeuer hee fare by the power of Gods spirite When he is once matched with a wife hee must not thinke it to bee by haphazarde but that it was by Gods will And therefore hee must brydle himselfe in so much that although it bee right harde and grieuous to do yet must hee take paynes to reforme the vyces of his wife that is so euill disposed and yet in the meane while beare with her and vse her as gently as is possible for him To that poynt must a man come Hereunto Saint Paul addeth the example of our Lorde Iesus Christ besides the inward vnderstanding which we haue of nature Eph. 5.25 Marke sayeth hee howe Iesus Christ loueth his Church For hee hath giuen him selfe to death to make vs cleane from all spottes euen vs that are fowle and full of vncleannesse If our Lorde Iesus haue not spared his owne bloud for the washing of vs what ought a mortall man to doe for his wife But wee knowe that wedlocke is as a liuely picture of the sacred vnion which our Lorde Iesus vouchsafeth to haue with vs. Therefore when so euer the husbande is displeased or greeued at his wife though hee bee neuer so angry with her let him haue an eye to this example Beholde the sonne of God offereth me his owne bloud to wash me withal shewing mee thereby that I must brydle my selfe in this behalfe and performe my duetie throughly towardes my wife howesoeuer the worlde goe So then let vs marke that a man will neuer couet a seconde wife except hee haue first falsified his faith and troth towardes her whome he putteth away For if he loued her truely soundely and rightly hee woulde leuer dy than let his minde runne vpon any seconde mariage Let vs marke well I say that heere our Lorde ment to bring vs backe to the wels head of the mischiefe to the intent that euery of vs should examine his owne vices and specially the vices that are hid from men vnder this wicked roote that is within vs. He that forsaketh his wife to marrie another shall perhaps bee condemned by the common iudgement of men but to iudge thereof as is meete we must goe to the welspring thereof and then shall wee finde that the greatest euill is euer inwarde Now then if the hauing of many wiues at
be awakened by meÌ For wheÌ we be chastised then doth God y t which S. Paul saith in an other place to wit hee punisheth vs according to y e flesh in this worlde 1. Cor. 5.5 that we might not perish euerlastingly Now therfore let vs lift vp our eyes alwayes vnto y t iudgement seate before which we must come appeare Although we haue bin borne withall in this world and y t we beare our selues in hand y t our sins shal remaine vnpunished wee must be doublie punished at y e hand of God because we haue bin stubborn hardharted euen vnto the vttermost and haue so abused his patience Sith he waited so loÌg for our amendment sought by al gentlenes to win vs vnto himself if we for all y t haue bin rebellious and haue as it were laughed at his louing kindnes which he vsed towards vs must hee not call all this to minde to our greater cost And let vs note farther y t it is too vaine an excuse which many make saying And whoÌ haue I wronged Nowadaies if a maÌ charge these blasphemers w t this wickednes they will wry their mouth come with I know not what shamelesnes and say who complaineth of me to whom is it y t I haue done any iniury If we were al such as we ought to be doubtlesse we would crie an alarme when y e name of God is blasphemed and we would al be proctors in y t case seeing y t God vouchsafeth vs this honour to haue vs to maintaine his maiesty his own cause Yet for al this we make no account thereof If our selues haue any iniury done vnto vs wee will crie at it But if God be euill spoken of so that his name be put to open shame we let it passe we take no care of it They which haue so shamefully offended may say who is he y t accuseth vs But yet for all that this is such a shift as shall auaile them but a little as we haue said For shall God forget himselfe Shall he suffer himselfe to be so dispised make no account thereof Hath not he sworne by his owne name that he will maintaine his glory vnto the vtmost Now seeing it is so what wil come of it if wee replie against him and say that none can complain of any iniurie done vnto him wheÌ wee shall haue so offended the maiestie of God Alas is it not more than if wee had bidden battaile vnto al creatures Yes verily Now the case is like in fornication I graunt that a man which playeth the fornicatour may say no man complaineth of me For both y e parties were agreed together But what Yee see that the temple of God as I told you is vnhallowed And is that trecherie so small a thing If a man had robbed he should haue beene punished as he well deserueth But here is a farre greater fault than theft For when the temple of God is defiled it exceedeth all the extortions and pollings which can be done vnto men touching their goods Ye see howe two temples of God are defiled at once through fornication Yee see also how our Lord Iesus Christ is therein shamefully abused For he vouchsafeth vs this honor that we bee members of his body he hath vnited vs vnto himselfe and shall we for all this goe and abandon our selues to such a shamefull villany Is not y t a tearing of the bodie of the sonne of God in peeces asmuch as lyeth in vs Let men then delight themselues as much as they list and let others sooth them in their filthines and make but a laughing game therof Surely they shall fare neuer the better at Gods hand for al that So then let vs learne as I haue told you to lift vp our eyes vnto y e heauenly throne and to walke in such wise as wee may alwayes haue a warrant within vs that wee haue proceeded in all vprightnesse with God And let vs not be so foolish as to rest our selues vpon that which men command but let vs holde that rule which cannot deceiue vs that is the lawe which God hath deliuered vnto vs and whereunto he wil haue vs to frame our whole life But Alas this is euill practised nowadayes How many are there who if there were no laws nor threatnings would euer come to Church to heare one word of y e doctrine of god And yet we see manifestly y t such men doe it but for fashions sake Well they will come But when On such dayes as are coÌmanded But if there should be no expresse commandemeÌt they are of opinioÌ that they are not otherwise bound thereto and so it were much better that they came not vnto the Church at all For they do nought else but defile the temple God And they shew that they neuer tasted one whit of doctrine they come thither so like dogs swine And so we see y t many in this worlde haue a care of nothing but of y t which is commanded and forbidden them for feare they shoulde bee pinched by y e purses or haue some other punishment according vnto ciuill order Otherwise they shew y t they haue no religion but are very beasts But as for vs sith we see that God is so gracious vnto vs as to declare vnto vs his will that we might followe it let vs bethinke our selues to draw neerer vnto him and to make his righteousnesse shine in vs. For this is his true ymage And therby we declare that we be his children and it is our warrant that hee hath adopted vs and y t he will execute the office of a father towards vs. But there are very few which consider this Yet notwithstanding it behooueth vs to be attentiue to that which I haue said namely that because God hath called vs vnto himselfe and hath vouchsafed to teach vs howe wee ought to liue we also ought to profite in his schoole and to come willingly of our owne minde vnto him and also to accomplish that which is said in the Psalme Psal. 40.8 â10 3 to wit that to be good souldiours of our Lord Iesus Christ we must come of our owne accord without forcing and without threatening we must come with a franke and free heart as if we would say Lorde behold I offer my selfe vnto thee therefore if we wil suffer the Lord so to gouerne vs that looke what way so euer he turneth the bridle we wil go be wealded by him not bee stubborne in any wise nor fling against him like wild sauage beastes that is it say I which we haue to beare in minde But as long as we are led with a slauish feare doutles God will not accept any thing of y t which we do And I say not onely y t our doing of y e things which are coÌmanded vs our abstaining from y e things which are forbidden vs be but for feare of men of earthly
with fornications or such other like defilements And why Because it is a renouncing of y e excellent priuiledge which God giueth them when he chuseth them in such sort vnto himself and therewithal chooseth their children also although they be not yet begotten But the chiefe point is Rom. 11.17 Gal. 3.7 that we must learne to be the true children of Abraham Seeing we be graffed into his stocke through faith let vs take heede that we be not cut off from this body by our vnbeliefe For the Prophets who were y e true expounders of the law do wel declare what the thing is which God ameth at in this place when they say Come you of the stocke of Abraham No ye are the childreÌ of an harlot euerychone of you Get ye hence ye harlots brats appeare here in your liknes come foorth and let men knowe you Esa. 57.3 Ezech. 16.3 yee children of a strumpet saith y e Prophet Esay And y e Prophets Ieremy Ezechiel speak in like sort What haue you like vnto Abraham whose name yee beare Was not your father an Amorite your mother a whore To whoÌ speake they thus Speake they to children of harlots vnto bastardes concerning y e flesh No. But vnto lawful borne children And why then calleth hee them strumpets children as if they were begotten in some brothel-house Because they were corrupted followed not y e faith of Abraham For y e true parentage is spiritual as S. Paul saith They which desceÌded from y e stock of Abraham concerning y e flesh Rom. 9.7 Gal. 3.7 are not therfore accounted y e linage of AbrahaÌ And what is y e reasoÌ Forsooth because they are growen out of kind So then let vs note that wheÌ Moses forbade y t bastards should enter into y e temple it was not onely for this shameful note which is in respect of the world when childreÌ are not begotten in lawful wedlocke it was rather to shew y t the Iewes were not worthy to haue any accesse vnto God to call vpon his name or to company with his congregation except they held fast this spiritual kinred of Abraham that is to say except they followed his faith except they continued in y e pure couenant of god Now this could not be done except they always bare in mind that god had chosen them to bee an holy people to bee a royal priesthood Let vs now for our part note y t albeit wee were altogether strangers vnto God although we had no accesse into his teÌple although as S. Paul saith we had no couenaÌt with him because y e promises were not made vnto vs Eph. 2.12 19. yet notwithstanding we are made houshold seruants with the holy fathers citisens of the kingdome of heauen through faith forasmuch as God hath communicated vnto vs this freedome which was giuen only vnto y e stock of Abraham Seeing it is so y t we which were wild barren trees Rom. 11.24 haue bin besids nature graffed into y e good Olife let vs take heed y t we vse well so excellent a benefite and let vs sticke with a stedfast faith vnto Abraham our father and as oft as we come vnto the church let vs take warning to examine our selues and to say Behold God hath appointed this order that we should come together to the intent he may be among vs âph 2.18 we haue familiar accesse vnto him and that is on condition y t we become true children of Abraham And in what sort Let vs consider of that which is said in the first Chapt. of S. Iohn Ioh. 1.12 23. for this kinred is there expounded such as God requireth nowadayes and alloweth of It commeth saith he neither of the will of man nor of the wil of the flesh nor of bloude but the cause therof is that we haue beleeued in the onely sonne of God Seeing then it is so that when we beleeue in our Lorde Iesus Christ be graffed into his body we are admitted for the sonnes of God although wee on our part are not worthy of that honour Let vs take heede that we hold our selues there and that we grow not out of kinde through vnthankfulnes so cut our selues off from that body wherunto we were ioyned through the grace of God and his infinite mercy by y e meane of faith Yee see then what we haue to beare in mind vpon this place when it is saide expresly that bastards shall not enter into the congregation of God euen vnto the tenth generation But let vs come now to y t which is spoken of y e Moabites the Ammonites These people were descended from Lot and so ought to bee y e kinsmen of y e Iewes Yet neuertheles God banisheth them out of his Church and will not y t they haue any entrance therinto vnto the tenth generation albeit they yeelded themselues vnder y e obedience of y e law He addeth They met you not by the way when you came out of Egypt with bread water that is to say they entertained you not as kinsmeÌ and friends should haue done Now albeit y e Ammonites and y e Moabites were seuered from the stock of Abraham as Lot was alredy gone vnto Sodome and so had not the promise yet neuertheles they ought to haue called to minde their kindred and y t Abraham had brought Lot into y e land of promise had taken him for his son The remembrance hereof ought so to haue endured that y e Moabites Ammonites if they had had any good nature shold haue granted passage vnto them which were of their owne bloud And againe we see how God spared them For we haue seene heretofore Deut. 2.18.19 how the Israelits were expresly commanded to abstaine from al iniury and violence wheÌ they passed through their land Take heede yee vse not any force of armes take nothing but what you pay for keep y e high and beaten common way as ye passe buy y e water which thou drinkest and vse no extortion And why For they be thy brethren And indeed although god chose not Lot as he did Abraham yet ceased he not to pity him to haue som care of sparing his successours those which issued from him albeit those people were begotteÌ by his incestuous coupling w t his two daughters Gen. 19.36 The two fathers which were y e first rootes of this issue were Ammon Moab y t is to say such as were begotten by incest by shameful and vnnaturall fornication Yet neuertheles God beareth w t them But they are so wicked vnthankfull y t they dâfie both God and man God hath compassion of them and therwithall chargeth y e Iewes to haue a care of them Ye see what curtesie y e Iewes vsed They praied them to let theÌ passe through their country as friends protesting y t they woulde not molest nor annoy them
were y e next way to make vs forget the duetie which we owe vnto God We also on our side must take heede of these things not in y e manner as the Iewes did which straitely obserued this law other such like touching the ceremony but we must keepe ourselues vnto y e truth and substance therof which they so much despised according to the coÌmon custom of y e world which is euer wont to busie it selfe about the formalitie or shew of things to make no account of the substance Let vs therefore learn to know y t whereas the Iewes obserued this ceremony w tout any minding at all of y t which God required of them they did but dally play with God and their whole obseruation thereof was but hypocrisie so as they did nothing else but prouoke y e anger of God For when men wrest peruert his word in such sort it is such a trecherie as he can not suffer But it is no wonder to see this abuse among men For they would faine content God with such outward things it is ynough for theÌ so they set a good face on y e matter And being theÌselues carnall they measure God by their owne ell But contrariwise let vs note y t when God coÌmaÌdeth vs smal things it is to lead vs to a farther matter therefore let vs alwayes aime at this mark not stay ourselues on things which are of no gret importaÌce according to y e rule which our Lord Iesus hath deliuered vnto vs in this behalf Maâ 23. â3 Ye ought in deede saith hee to doe these small things wheÌ they are coÌmanded by y e law but yet ye must alwaies come vnto y e chiefe principall point And we know what God sayth namely y t he requireth mercy not sacrifice his will is y t there shoul be faithfulnes iudgement and vprightnes among men And as for sacrifices washings such like thinges his meaning was y t by theÌ men shold be trained to put the assurance of their saluatioÌ in y e fauor which he hath promised vnto theÌ y t they be sory for their sins when they see them before their eyes y t they should serue theÌ for witnesses to endite themselues to y e intent y t when they offer themselues to God being in such displeasure with their sinnes they might attaine pardon and mercie of him Thus ye see what we haue to beare in minde And now seeing the figure is passed done away we haue no neede to busie ourselues in the outward obseruatioÌ of this law What remaineth then Is this law needeles nowadaies in respect of vs Ought not we to reade it Yes for ye see that God ment it should be an instruction for his church euen vnto y e end of y e world It remaineth then y t letting the figure passe we gather y t which is taught both to the Israelites to vs namely y t in all things we must take heede of stayning and defiling our selues Nowe we are not ignoraunt what the things are which defile a man Maâ 15.18 It is not y t which entereth into a man as our Lorde Iesus Christ speaking of meats sayth but it is y t which coÌmeth out of a maÌ Look how many wicked affectioÌs we haue so many stainings of vs haue we before god For froÌ whence coÌmeth fornication Proceedeth it not out of the heart of man From whence coÌmeth ambition From whence come other wicked desires as couetousnesse enuie pride and all the rest Now when y e soule of man is so full of such foule staines y t it is infected before God it draweth the body by by vnto theÌ and if we put wicked thoughtes in practise beholde howe our bodies also are wrapped in the same filthines with our soule we become altogether defiled Let vs therefore learne so to dedicate ourselues vnto God as our infectious filth be not a cause to driue him away from vs. And therewithall let vs beare in minde that which S. Paule sayth namely that seeing God will dwell within vs we must purifie both our minds bodies â Cor. 6.20 2. Cor. 6.16 And this is the reason which Moses alleadgeth when he sayth That God alwayes dwelt in the middes of the campe of Israel to deliuer theÌ to giue vp their enemies into their handes And afterwarde he addeth Take heede that the Lorde thy God depart not from thee when he shall find any vncleanesse in thee At this day this fauour is bestowed in more ample maner vpon vs than it was then vpon the auntient people For we know howe God is ioyned vnto vs in the person of his only sonne Now seeing y t the fulnes of the godhead doth dwell in our Lord Iesus Christ that not vnder a shadowe as in the arke of the couenant where y e lawe was enclosed but is assuredly our God being manifested in the flesh seeing it is so y t we are members of Iesus Christ ãâ¦ã 3. â6 that he hath vouchsafed vs so great a benefite as by coÌming downe from heauen to ioyne himselfe w t vs let vs note y t at this day God is more neere vnto vs than he was vnto y t people yea he will make vs to haue more feeling of his vertue and power For we are alwaies in such sort vnder his protection y t we neede not to feare but that his power is still stretched out to maintaine preserue vs. When our Lord Iesus sayd vnto his disciples I am with you euen vnto the ende of the worlde ãâã 28.20 surely he ment to strengthen them in all the conflictes which they were to suffer in preaching of the Gospel and it serued likewise to declare vnto vs also y t he will neuer forsake vs as in respect of his power Seeing it is so then that we are vnder the gouernment of the sonne of God and y t although he be ascended vp into heaueÌ he faileth not to fill all y t he is also our shepheard to the intent y t none of them whoÌ his heauenly father hath giuen vnto him should be lost ãâ¦ã .10 ãâã 5.30 that we are bone of his bone flesh of his flesh as S. Paul sayth and y t there is no greater coniunctioÌ betweene y e husband the wife than is betwene the son of God vs. Seeing it is so I say let such gratious fauour as this prouoke vs to withdraw ourselues froÌ al filthines let vs keepe this holy vnitie which we ought to haue with our God And moreouer let vs also diligeÌtly note how precious a thing it is y t God dwelleth with vs to giue vp our enemies into our hands to deliuer vs froÌ all euill For hereby we are warned y t were it not for his fauour we are set open to ten thousande deathes And in very deede let euery of
right in this case is equall and mutuall as I haue shewed afore And so yee see what we haue at this day to obserue namely that euery man ought to consider that the vocation which hee hath of God is such a yoke as he may not seeke to shake off For it is the cheefe and principall seruice which wee can render vnto God all our whole lifetime to haue an eye vnto that which he requireth of vs and when hee hath set vs in some estate and calling to doe that which belongeth vnto our dewtie and that euery one yeelde himselfe obedient in all humblenesse to say hath God called me vnto this ende I must frame my selfe thereunto without any reply or gainsaying Therefore when we bee of a milde and gentle disposition submitting our selues vnto y e will of our God therein say I consisteth the principall seruice which he liketh and desireth And without this al our vertues are nought else in his sight but doung and filthynesse Nowe seeing it is so let vs consider as touching mariage what the calling of God is and what maner of Law or what yoke he layeth on the neck of man to wit that he liue quietly with his wife bearing with those infirmities which are in her be a companion to liue and to die with hir and that the wife lykewise submit herselfe with all humblenes vnto her husband so as they nourish and maintaine peace one with the other Thus ye see how God may bee honoured and howe his grace also and his blessing may dwell and abide in a familie And if a woman bee so wicked as to prostitute hir selfe the husband according vnto the will of God may not onely put hir away but is in perfect and full libertie to leaue hir and to marrie himselfe vnto another As for the woman there is in deede another respect touching hir than for the man For the wife shall not bee so dishonored by the adulterie of hir husband nor bee put to so great shame as the husband shall bee by the wyues But yet if the husbande bee an whooremonger and wasteth his goods and substaunce vppon harlottes so as his wife is shutte out of doores or bee kept in with all manner of crueltie like a wretched slaue if this mischiefe holde on still then to leaue a wretched woman in such bondage were against all reason and right especially considering that which was yesterday alleaged out of the Prophet Malachie ãâ¦ã 16. That it were better that a man shoulde put away his wife than to haue more than one And what shall bee sayde then in this case when a man shall keepe an ordinarie stewes and that no man is able to correct this vice of his is not the wife then set at greater libertie This is the thing which wee haue to beare in minde vpon this place Nowe sith our Lordes will is that marriage shoulde bee so indissoluble and inuiolable yea and that through the vertue of this sentence which our Lorde hath pronounced with his owne mouth That there shall bee two in one flesh let vs note that it is much greater reason that the spirituall vnion which wee haue with our Lorde Iesu Christ ought to bee diligently kept and mayntained For his will is to contract marriage with vs and dayly he doeth so or at leastwise ratifyeth it by the preaching of the Gospell And on what condition is it It is as Saint Paule sayeth to the ende wee shoulde bee as chast women not turning our mindes aside vnto false doctrines For he compareth all errours and all corruptions of the pure simplicitie of fayth to fornications As if a wife hearken vnto a bawde beholde shee is alreadye wonne and begynneth foorthwith to breake the fayth of Marriage Euen so is it with vs if wee abide not in the obedience of our Lorde Iesus Christ holding our selues wholly vnto his doctrine wee are like vnto aduowtrous women And therefore sith that GOD hath ioyned vs vnto his only sonne and that our whole felicitie and glory consisteth therein let vs learne not to decline from it in any manner of wise Nowe it is sayde That the man which shall haue so put away his Wife shall not if she marrie otherwise euer take hir agayne bycause shee is alreadie defiled Heereby GOD meant for to shewe that albeit hee did not punish such diuorcements as were made without any good ground yet he leaueth not to condemne them for there was heerein a remedie that a man being grieued with his wife myght in continuaunce of time beyng better aduised take hir againe and if the wife were married againe because hee had set her foorth vnto fornication and because that asmuch as in him lay hee had broken all order of nature he might not take her againe Now in that God ordayned such punishement although hee permitted diuorcementes I meane as in respect of humaine policie it shewed sufficiently that hee allowed not of them And so the Iewes excused themselues but in vaine as if they had put away their wiues by the authoritie of the Lawe For this text sufficiently declareth that this manner of putting of them away was wicked and that it coulde bring nothing else but all manner of euill and mischiefe yea and farther that it was not possible for the man to amend the fault which hee had committed after that the wife had taken a new husband When the Lawe declareth thus much is it not a condemning of the Iewes How can this serue them for a shrowding sheere to say The law permitted vs this thing our Lorde woulde not punishe such a sinne by any earthly iudgement Yea but for all this hath hee declared that he alloweth of it Hath hee sayd that such a fact is lawfull Nay but all the contrarie For the thinges which of themselues are good haue alway a good end and issue but when there followeth any wretched mishap in any thing especially such a one as can be by no meanes recouered it is a signe that the thing displeaseth God So then let vs diligently note that God meant in this place to discouer the reason of his counsaile why hee punished not diuorcementes In effect hee meant to giue the Iewes to vnderstand that it was for the hardnesse of their heart as our Lorde Iesus Christ thereof speaketh Matt. 19.8 and that they must needes be conuicted to acknowlege that the cause why God established no perfectnesse of ciuil gouernment among theÌ was for that they were not capable of it But they considered little of this Nay they bare theÌselues in hand rather that all thinges were lawfull for them seeing they were not punished by earthly iudgement and they thought that by this meanes they were also preuiledged from the iudgement of God Hereby wee bee warned of that which was more fullie handled yesterday to wit not to runne at rouers but to make a perfect tryall of those thinges which wee take in hand by hauing our
of thinges that are so shameful that we may be ashamed euen to name them And what then Had not God a regard thereunto Yes that had hee but he knew that the heart of man is a dreadful dungeon and that we must be restrayned as it were by force or else he should neuer be able to compasse vs. Nowe then let this prouoke vs the more to looke neerly to our selues that we ouershoot not our selues one way nor other but that wee bee vigilaunt to dedicate our selues to the seruice of God with al purenesse as I saide afore And moreouer let vs vnderstand that lecherie in it self is so loathsome a thing before God that although men make no great account of y e punishing thereof yet shall wee not therefore make the better market at leastwise when wee come before the heauenly throne For it is no small thing y t god banisheth all whooremongers and lechours out of his kingdome as is sayde thereof both in the first Epistle of Saint Paule to the Corinthians 1. Cor 6.9 Heb. 13.4 as we haue seene not long since and also in the Epistle to the Hebrewes That is the thing in effect which wee haue to beare in minde namely that God will not haue men to exceede in their fleshly lustes by companying together like brute beastes but that euerie man should liue chastly in marriage and haue such regard of honestie in that behalfe as nature be not forgotten by the companying of the sonne in lawe with his stepmother or of the father with his owne daughter or w t his daughter in lawe or by the marrying of the brother with his owne sister but that those degrees bee obserued For without such order what woulde come of it Wherein shoulde wee differ from Bulles and Asses Thus yee see what wee haue to gather vppon the first poynt in that our Lorde hath heere condemned all maner of vnchast dealings and wil not haue men to behaue theÌselues as lawlesse in those cases but to dedicate themselues vnto him consider that their bodies are the Temples of the holy Ghost and members of our Lorde Iesus Christ 1. Cor. 6.15.19 and therefore that they must represse their wicked affections Marke that for one point Secondly as I haue noted already God hath set downe such examples heere before our eyes as ought to make vs afraide in that he speaketh of such as against nature doe so company with their owne mothers their stepmothers or their Sisters Hee speaketh of them expresly to the intent that from the one we should come to the other as we see hee doeth in all his Lawe And this hath beene declared more at length heeretofore When hee will condemne hatred hee speaketh of murder And why If a man tell vs that no man ought to hate his brother wee easily graunt it to be sinne but yet wee make no conscience to doe it But when God sayeth that hee which hateth his brother is a murtherer 1. Iohn 3.15 then are wee the more abashed and restrained Likewise in this text for as much as y e skorners doe but iest at whoredome they doe also beare themselues in hand that God ought not to call them to account for it And this vice is not of this daies or of yesterdayes breeding we see it hath beene in all ages as Moses reporteth heere And therefore God nameth the detestablest kindes of lecherie to the intent that thereupon wee should conclude thus that if wee liue not chastly wee shall fall from one euill to another vntill we bee fallen into such a bottomlesse gulfe as shall bee horrible to thinke on That is the thing which wee haue to remember vpon this text But wee ought to make our benefite of this warning considering the blockishnesse that is in vs. Wee thinke our selues to bee very sharpe witted and apt to conceiue and yet wee vnderstande not any thing in the doctrine of God wee bee so dulheadded that hee is fayne to chawe thinges aforehande to vs or else wee woulde not bee mooued with them To bee shorte wee haue lesse witte and reason than young babes haue Let men commend themselues as much as they lift and let them glory vppon opinion that they bee very able yet are they so dulheaded that wee should play the very bruit beastes if our Lorde did not chawe thinges rudely vnto vs. And what is the cause thereof Forsooth that wee bee forepossessed with our fleshly affections and none is so deafe as hee that will not heare as they say Sith wee see this let vs bethinke our selues the better and when men chawe thinges grossely vnto vs let vs not thinke they doe vs wrong as some doe who bee so nice that if a man vse a rough style to them Oh say they I vnderstoode all this by a woord or twaine by like I am a little babe To bee shorte they be weary if a man bring them not matter of great sharpenesse for they fondly presume in their owne imagination that euen at the first dashe they knowe all that is necessarie But beholde God speaketh heere in another style and language Why doth he so He seeth there is need So theÌ let vs suffer our selues to be taught according to our capacity seeing we be slowed if our Lorde waken vs let vs receiue it meekely and learne to doe our selues good by it And so yee see what wee haue to gather vpon all these textes Now whereas heere is mention made of striking or smyting ones neyghbour secretly it is spoken against all hatred and rancour and serueth for a conclusion A man myght demaunde heere howe it comes to passe that GOD doeth here curse those whose offence is in thinges whereof no mention is made in his Lawe for I haue tolde you heeretofore that it is ynough for a man to haue obserued the thinges that are contayned in the ten commaundementes and also that the full perfection of our lyfe is set down there But no mention is made there concerning the blind And how happeneth it then that God doeth heere denounce vengeaunce against the thing âhat is not forbidden in his Lawe Verily heerein wee see as it hath beene expounded alreadie that our Lorde in his Lawe requireth all thinges that concerne charitie as that wee should succour one another and that there should bee such a common league among vs as that euery man should spend himselfe in helping his neighbour Whatsoeuer is contrary to this is forbidden and condemned by the law of God And therefore it is sayde heere now Cursed shall he be which smiteth his neighbour secretly Vnder this saying our Lord hath comprehended all the misusages that wee can offer to our neighbour insomuch that if we giue him but a phillip it is as a kinde of murthering before him And we see howe that the man which doeth but grinde his teeth at his brother Matt. 5. is condemned to hel fire what shal then become of him which shal
to doe naughtily it is no sinne say the Papistes they bee righteous still for all that See how the Papistes do fully mocke God in that they thinke y t by some fond ceremonie or by a Meaculpa they be discharged of their sins make account of theÌ as of a thing of nothing These are the startingholes which they haue to mocke God withal as a yong babe and that is a dreadfull thing But yet is it put in vre in al their schooles Neuerthelesse we must not goe to worke after that fashion but we must rather bethinke vs howe the Apostle sayeth Heb. 10.31 That it is a dreadfull thing to fall into the hands of the liuing God Therefore we must not in this case breake the bondes and yoke which hee hath layde vppon our neckes we must not play the wilde beastes we must not thinke to beguile him by some faire show in making countenance to serue him hauing in the meane while no good will to serue him indeede For in the ende hee will shewe that his vengeance shall light vppon al such as haue liued like hypocrites and dubble hearted dissemblers before him What is to be doone then We must frankely refuse this glose of righteousnesse in part which the Papistes haue forged for it is a deuice of Sathans and euen they themselues will well confesse that wee cannot merite by any inwarde worthinesse which is in our woorkes They say that all the worthynesse of our woorkes commeth onely of this that God is acquainted with vs insomuch that when men haue doone all that is possible yet will there euer bee some fault to bee founde in their woorkes when they come before GOD. Not that all Papistes are of that minde there is not past one of a thousande that thinketh so but there is yet a farre finer and subtler doctrine of Poperie which is that woorkes are not worthy of themselues but bycause of the promise of the Lawe But what maner a one is this promise Let vs come to that point Beholde GOD offereth himselfe to all men and sayeth that whosoeuer performeth the Lawe shall bee blessed and contrariwise that they shall bee cursed which step away from it Thus ye see that the perfect righteousnes is the performing of y e law But as I haue told you already no man performeth it and therefore God is quitte of his promise towardes vs. Seeing that wee on our side fayle in our condition hee for his parte oweth vs nothing After the same maner also speaketh S. Paule thereof Rom. 4.14 saying If righteousnesse depende vpon the workes of the lawe then is the promise to no purpose Saint Paule in that place toucheth the matter to the quicke For why Who performeth the Lawe of God that he can say I haue attained vnto perfect righteousnesse in my workes There is no such man to bee founde Then is there no more certaintie in the promises saith he so consequently we be all damned if wee will needes ground our selues vppon our woorkes After that maner speaketh hee thereof as well to the Romanes as to the Galathians Rom. 4. Gal. 3. And so let vs marke that God denounceth vs to bee all condemned by this sentence where he sayth Cursed shall he bee which performeth not all the thinges that are contayned in the booke of my Lawe As for the pelting trashe which the Papistes call satisfactions they bee but mockeries For GOD will bee serued with obedience Moreouer the releasing of our sinnes is free beestowed as the holye Scripture sheweth And as for all the Satisfactions as they terme them which men haue forge they serue to no purpose neither doeth GOD accept any of them When wee fall to breeding of our owne lykinges in our owne braynes hee refuseth euerywhit of it Therefore let vs holde vs to the grace of our Lorde Iesus Christ knowing that wee bee washed and clensed by his bloude and it is the onely remedie that GOD setteth foorth vnto vs. Thus haue wee two thinges to marke the one is that if wee should bee iudged by the Law of God there needed no more but this foresaide sentence to damne vs all yea euen the holyest Saintes that euer were in the worlde For no man hath satisfied GODS Lawe and therefore are wee all condemned For if the holy fathers which had an Angelicall holynesse in this worlde were notwithstanding faultie before GOD what shall become of vs Let vs nowe make comparison betweene vs and them Howe farre off are wee from the holynesse of Abraham the purenesse of Dauid the soundnesse of Iob and the perfectnesse of Daniel When these may bee condemned what shall wee bee And therefore let vs learne to shrinke in our hornes and let euerie of vs keepe his mouth shutte Rom. 3.19 as sayeth Saint Paule when hee bringeth vs to the righteousnesse of fayth and to the mercie of God The thing then which we haue to beare in mind is that God hath bereft vs of all righteousnesse to the intent to rid vs of al presumption pride and that we should no more pretend to come to account with him to bind him vnto vs but that we should willingly condemne our selues Let that serue for one point Nowe heereupon wee haue to consider the remedie which God hath left which is that yet neuerthelesse we be righteous by meanes of our Lord Iesus Christ. For hee hath deliuered vs from the curse which was due vnto vs and for that cause was hee hanged vppon tree Gal. 3.13 as sayth S. Paule We haue seene heeretofore in the one and twentith chapter that as many as were hanged vpon tree were all accursed Now when GOD made that Lawe knewe hee not what hee had ordayned afore concerning his owne only sonne who was to be hanged on tree Surely it was an vnchaungeable decree made euen before the creation of the worlde Seeing it is so wee bee redeemed from the curse by our Lorde Iesus Christ and wee must nowe match this sentence with the other which wee haue seene in the one and twentyth Chapter Whereas it is sayde heere Cursed shall hee bee which performeth not all these sayinges yee see well that for want of performing them wee bee confounded and of ryght as good as damned But yet heerewithall wee must also imbrace our Lorde Iesus Christ who was cursed for our sakes And if that this Curse bee not in vaine then must wee nowe bee needes sette free What a thing were it that the sonne of GOD should bee cursed without cause and yet no fruite redounde thereof to vs That hee which is the fountaine of all blessednesse should bee accursed and yet wee not knowe wherefore but that it should bee vnprofitable Nowe then seeing that the curse which Iefus Christ suffered in his owne person is not vaine and to no purpose let vs knowe that by the same meane wee bee deliuered before GOD. And so yee see howe wee ought to make those two textes to
his dwelling in rest Were that reason Therefore when wee see such changes to happen as they bee to bee seene in the worlde let vs vnderstande that GOD driueth them out which earst woulde giue him no lodging and let such examples admonish vs to stande in feare of the threatenings heere specified And let vs not tarrie till our Lorde banish vs from the place where wee bee harboured but let vs rather endeuour to serue him so as hee may continue alwayes with vs to maintayne vs. And if it come to passe that wee bee driuen out let vs vnderstande that the same is for our sinnes for it is better late than neuer Moreouer if we bee driuen out for any other cause as at this day wee see the poore faithfull people in state like a byrde on the bough as though the earth coulde not beare them 1. Cor. 4. ââ as Saint Paul speaketh of his time and as it is knowen at this present time that the children of God bee as vagabondes hauing not a hole to hyde themselues in when wee beholde these things let vs vnderstande that forasmuch as our Lorde leadeth vs this walke hee doeth vs great fauour that the same is not because of our sinnes but for his names sake and for our better establishment in the hope of the heauenly inheritance seeing that there is nothing sure nor stable in this present worlde but that wee must alwayes aspire to the eternall life and to the rest that is prepared for vs on high Let vs then acknowledge the good that hee doeth vnto vs in this poynt But in any wise let vs take good heede that wee prouoke not his wrath against vs is such sort as I haue said afore Nowe whereas hee sayth Thou shalt marrie a wife and another shall lye with her let euery man take heede to walke in such chastitie as hee drawe not vppon him this curse of God in such wise as to bee depriued of the wife the he thinkes to haue and the wiues in like case of their husbandes Wee see howe men bee giuen ouer to all vnchastitie and God must needs yeelde them their rewarde accordingly Dauid himselfe was not spared in this case 2. Sam. 12.12 Wee heare howe it was sayde vnto him Thou hast done this in secrete but that shal bee done openly Hee was fayne to abyde reproche before all the worlde in hauing his wiues rauished openly Sith it is so then let vs take good heede that wee walke in such chastitie that when men take wiues they may so liue together as they may feele the blessing of God and that their marryages bee not broken through the committing of any offence For as I haue sayde it is no wonder that there bee so confused changes in the worlde at this day because men doe more and more kindle the wrath and vengeance of God It is euen in like case with adulteries For what is the cause that they reygne so ryfe and are come as yee woulde say to their full pryde It is because wedlocke is so little regarded and that there is no feare of God there is neither faith nor trueth and therefore must men needes plunge themselues in all misfortune so that in the ende there will bee nothing but disorder So much the more therefore ought wee to take warning to walke so in all cleannesse of life as euery one may keepe him to his owne wife and the Lorde blesse their marryages and mayntayne them in quietnes Moreouer seeing that God is matched with vs in the person of his onely sonne and woulde haue vs to keepe fast the faith of wedlocke towardes him according to the simplicitie of his Gospell let vs sticke throughly to that which hee hath commaunded vs and to bee short let vs be halowed vnto him and followe his holy calling For if wee doe so our Lorde will graunt vnto husbandes the grace to liue quietly with their wiues and housholds and vnto the wiues that they shall learne to liue in good agreement with their husbandes For wee must marke that if man and wife doe not ioyne in one mynde there must needes bee discorde in the whole house and one shall byte and snatch at another like dogges and cattes and the one woulde wish the other a hundred foote vnder the ground so as they shall liue in continuall miserie and disquietnes And why Because that neither the one nor the other hath any regarde to God to yeelde themselues to his direction Therefore let vs leane not to prouoke any more the vengeance of God in this case As concerning the landes and possessions he sayeth That the transgressours of the law of God shall plant vines but they shall neuer gather the fruite of them Nowe wee see that they which haue thus offended God bee the stoutest and boldest sort bearing themselues in hand that no harme can come neere them And that is the cause why wee see that the greatest getters the doers of greatest enterprises are those which wilfully giue them selues to pilling and polling by hooke and by crooke hauing no care what polling and extorsion they commit and offending both God and man without ende or measure Such persons as these therefore must afterward yeelde an account They beare themselues in hand that when they haue plaÌted vyneyeards they shall inioy them without controuersie and that when they haue buylded houses they shall dwel in them without putting out againe Thus do men hardeÌ theÌselues against God But Moses coÌtrariwise declareth That when they haue planted vines other men shall gather the fruite of them And in deede whereas wee see at this day so much theeuerie in the worlde let vs vnderstand that it is because there bee so fewe that haue cleane handes and are able to protest that they haue not encroched vppon the goods of other men by vniust meanes Soothely there is so vnmeasurable disorder nowadayes that the children of God bee fleeced though they abstayne from all manner of iniuries But we must euermore haue recourse to the ordinarie course whereof I haue spoken to wit that our Lorde will not fayle to punish the sinnes that breake out after that fashion like a waterfloud As for them that haue landes and possessions they will not goe to steale otherfolkes goods nor to picke a fewe grapes they will not go filchingly to cut down a patche of medowe it is for beggers to doe for and wee see in these dayes that the most parte of poore folkes are pilferers filching and stealing all that euer they can finger But yet they that haue landes and possessions bee the greatest theeues for the things which they possesse they get by vnlawfull meanes It is no wonder then if God do requite them with the like and that they bee so vexed in their goods and possessions God therefore sheweth vs by experience that his vttering of such speeches is not in vayne but wee thinke not thereon Men can well ynough complayne as I haue sayde
reason Howbeit there is so great infirmitie I meane euen in them which bee gouerned by the holy Ghost and which streine themselues to bee obedient vnto him that they faile in many respectes but yet howsoeuer the world goe sinne ouermaistereth them not they striue not of set purpose to transgresse the Lawe but they proceede and go foreward stil and albeit that they do it limpingly yet doe they hold on still toward God As touching these they bee borne withall True is that GOD will chastise them and in what maner Euen in forgiuing them according to this saying of his âword4 7. â4 If thy children transgresse my commaundementes I will visite their iniquities but it shall bee with the rodde of men and not with extremitie I will not deale with them as with enemies I will not take away my mercie from them albeit that I doe correct them Thus doth God deale in that behalfe But if our hearts bee vtterly hardened then will hee warre vpon vs and destroy vs without sparing although hee beare with vs yet shall all turne to our confusion That is one thing that wee haue to remember concerning this Text. Also it is a notable poynt to bee obserued where Moses speaketh of the yoke of yron For hee saith That the Lorde will lay a yoke of yron vpon the neck of all misbeleeuers vntill they bee altogether consumed And that is to the ende wee shoulde learne to receiue the correctioÌs which we heare of and not kicke against them For wee see what befell to Ananias ãâ¦ã 16. when hee mocked at the threatninges of Ieremy and came to breake the yoke which hee had vppon his necke which was a yoke of wood and of cordes The Prophet did weare that yoke to moue the people to consider that they shoulde all become captiues and so to beholde their owne state in the person of the Prophet Now this wicked one that was possessed of the diuel to make the worde of God to bee naught set by came to breake the bandes of Ieremy and sayd euen thus wil God breake the yoke of Nabuchodonoser and albeit y t he besiege you and doe what hee can to cary you away captiues into a straunge land yet shal you bee preserued by the grace of your God God threatned and this fellowe mocked all his threatninges and thereto tooke the shadowe of the name of God to abuse the people Well then what wanne hee by such rebellion It was sayd to the Prophet Ier. 28.14 Take a yoke of yron for whereas the bondage shoulde haue bin gentle and tollerable it must how be so cruel as they shal not be able to endure any more See here how hee dealeth with all such as harden their heartes against GOD and will not abide to bee meekened by his hand Then let vs bee afraid of this yoke of yron First of all wee know that Gods yoke is amiable vnto all such as willingly yeelde themselues vnto it and suffer theÌselues to bee gouerned by the hand of our Lorde Iesus Christ. Wee haue the testimony of the sonne of GOD Matt. 11.30 My yoke sayth hee is easie and my burden is light Come to me and learne that I am lowly and meeke Seeing that our Lord Iesus declareth that they which be teachable and obedient shall perceiue that there is neither burthen nor weight nor griefe in his yoke to ouerpresse them withall it ought to moue vs to yeeld our necks vnto it and to pray God to put vs vnder it and also to suffer him to chastice vs wheÌ we haue offended him In deed the strokes wil be greeuous vnto vs as y e Apostle sayth Heb. 12.11 and we shall neuer finde the corrections pleasant during the time y t God stryketh vs. We bee lyke little children when they bee corrected wee feele it greeuous because our nature doth repugne against it But howsoeuer wee lyke of it yet God will vse that fatherly meane and by little and little teach vs to returne vnto him But if wee will needes tempt his patience to the vttermost hee must then vse the yron rodde to breake our heades withall as it is sayd in the Psalme Psal. 2.9 Wee shall bee driuen to feele the yron which shall serue not to reclayme vs withall but to breake vs in peeces and to consume vs vtterly And iustly For wee doe heare what is sayd here If thou wilt not feare the glorious dreadfull name of the eternall thy God Whence come the despising and contempt of good doctrine and the boldnesse that wee take to sinne but of this that wee are deafe to all admonitions In deede if wee could yeelde our selues obedient to our God with a good heart and with a good affection and abide at that point continually wee should no sooner heare these threatnings but wee should consider thus Alas haue wee not deserued a greeuous curse at Gods hand seeing wee haue thus striuen against him We see then that all the euill deedes and disobedience which is committed doe spring of ignorance and of the contempt of GOD for that wee haue not regarded his maiestie Certainely this kinde of stubornenesse is not alwayes directly of set purpose and foredetermined malice but yet is there such rudenesse in vs that wee yeelde not such a reuerence to God as is requisite nor the obedience whereby wee should indeuour to submit our selues to his worde And because wee bee so dulheaded that nothing can quicken vs vp when wee bee called vppon to submit our selues vnto GOD Moses sayth expresly This dread full name this glorious name to wit The eternall thy God Whereas he sayth The eternall or Euerlasting that woorde importeth all glorie and Maiestie and therefore ought to rauish vs with astonishment yea truely for wee shoulde not haue this name of GOD alonely to vse it coldely for to say GOD GOD as they doe which haue it continually in their lippes and afterward doe let it vanish as though it were a thing of nothing but wee must ioyne both twaine together thus GOD euen the same that created vs the same that holdeth all thinges in his hand the same that is honored of the Angels the same that is of glory infinite the very same whome all the principalities of heauen cannot abide at the sight of whome all manner of creatures must be faine to cast downe their eyes euen the same which with one onely worde can make all the earth to tremble the same that can remoue mountaines with his only blaste that same that giueth being to all maner of creatures finally the same that maintaineth and gouerneth all thinges and ordereth all thinges wel righteously and with wisedome the same is hee that speaketh vnto vs. And so yee see after what manner we vse the wordes of Moses where hee saith The eternall thy God this is hee that speaketh nowe vnto thee Let vs therefore heare him speake in such sorte as his maiestie may possesse all our
those heartbreakings breede not any deadly fall Hee addeth the reason Namely that it is the mortifying of our Lord Iesus Christ that they beare As if hee should say that God doeth euermore separate them from the misbeleeuing and reprobates and from the despisers of his maiesty and that hee printeth in vs the marke of his only sonne It is true that in this case they seeme as dead but the same death is holy for God sanctifieth it for that they bee members of our Lord Iesus Christ and thereby they attaine to the resurrection True it is that Saint Paul speaketh not alonely of the last resurrection but he beginneth at the comfort which GOD giueth presently to his children to trayne them on still to the port of saluation Now then they enter into the middes of death euen while they bee aliue And therefore let vs marke that although God doe now and then so afflict such as haue walked in his feare and haue put their trust in him that they bee stricken with terror and tossed with vnquietnesse yet notwithstanding hee holdeth them vp by the secret operation of his spirit and moreouer comforteth and gladdeth them in the ende accomplishing that which he saith in an other text 1. Cor. 1.5 Rom. 5.5 That the more they were distressed the more doeth hee set their heartes at libertie that they may freely come vnto him and so consequently maketh them to vnderstande that he neuer forsooke them Lo howe our Lorde tempereth the troubles and afflictions of the faithfull so as although they indure neuer so great paines and doe euen pant in comming vnto him as folke scarce able to open their mouthes to call vppon him yet when they haue ended their conflict against their teÌptations albeit that at the first they cannot get the vpper hande yet shall they get the victorie in the end But as for them that haue played the restie iades they remaine pent vp in their miseries without any remedie because God doeth still set himselfe against them more and more vntill they become frantike and gnash their teeth at him and finally fall into vtter despaire To be short we see that which is spoken by the Prophet Esay dayly accomplished namely that there is no peace for the wicked Isa. 48. ââ but that their mindes are tossed like the waues of the sea when there is any storme the waues bee troubled and the water is full of mudde and euen so is it with them that despise God Because they make warre against him therefore must he also trouble them Insomuch that euen without enemie yea and without any body to fray them ãâã 28.1 they of themselues be frighted and beate and bounce themselues as if they were at warre within themselues so as there is no calmenesse at all in them but all is full of trouble and disorder For whereas the faithfull be inlightened in the middest of their darkenesse and GOD doth still resort vnto them to giue them some litle sparke of light in such wise as they may beholde him and albeit they attaine not thereunto at the first yet notwithstanding they still streine themselues and holde on their way thitherwarde in steede of this the misbeleeuers are troubled at the very heart roote and can none otherwise conceiue but that they must needes perish in despaire and when they bee at the last cast then fall they to spiting of God and blaspheme him with open mouth To be short here wee see that the grieuousest curse that God can sende vpon men in this transitorie life is that they cannot rest vppon him to acknowledge him to bee the keeper of their life but contrariwise are cast vp at aduenture by reason whereof they bee euer in doubt of their liues and bee so caried away with mistrust that they wote not where to become When men be in this case it is the greatest curse that can light vpon them Not without cause therefore doth Moses declare heere for a conclusion as it were in way of summing vp the rest of all the curses which wee haue heard of heertofore that there is nothing so dreadfull as when men are become blockish y t there is in them no vnderstanding as who woulde say God maketh not any more reckening of them as of his creatures but they may well perceiue that hee doeth not guide nor gouerne them any more When men are come to this point and that their life notwithstanding that it bee allowed of men is neuerthelesse hainous and detestable before God and moreouer they haue no tast of his fatherly loue nor of the care that he hath of other men but they be as in the dungeon of despaire when men I say bee come to such an extremitie it were better for them that they had beene borne before their time and that they had neuer enioyed this present life And euen that is the verie cause why wee heare it threatened that they shal say O ye mountaines fall vpon vs and that they shall wish that the bottom lesse pittes had swallowed them vp ãâã 13.30 And why For they finde that all creatures bee against them when they haue no more accesse to God When men perceiue once that hee will not maintaine them but sheweth himselfe to bee armed against them then do they vnderstand that al creatures be their enemies and it grâeueth them to behold the sunne then be they so possessed with feare that they wishe there were no worlde at all or rather that they were rooted out of it Nowe sith wee heare so horrible threatnings let vs learne to walke in the feare of our God for there is no other way to liue in rest and to bee comforted in the middest of our sorrowes and aduersities but to come with a free will to yeelde our selues obedient to our God and to doe him such reuerence as is due vnto him For when we acknowledge him to be our iudge wee will not play the Rebels but bee willing to bee reclaimed that we bee not in the ende comprehended and wrapped vp in the number of them that haue resisted him Yee see then howe the way that wee shoulde keepe is that we must willingly hearken vnto God when hee menaceth vs and that wee must bee moued thereat and bee touched therewith to the quicke and that thereuppon wee endeauour to serue him and to obey his worde For it may well bee that we shall sometimes bee vexed with feare and vnquietnesse but yet will GOD deliuer vs from them It is certaine that wee shal be weakened by that meane and it is good for vs so to bee but yet howe soeuer wee fare God will so keepe vs that wee shall not fall into vtter despaire Moreouer when wee somtimes feele any vnquietnesse in our selues and wee haue nor power to call vppon God but are tormented with distrust let vs vnderstande that it is the fruite of our sinnes and let vs desire God to make vs to perceiue that we haue
againe and to say Yet hath my God still shewed mee the way insomuch that whereas other men haue beene posted to and fro I haue euermore stoode fast and although I haue beene diuerse wayes troubled and vexed yet doe I knowe Lorde that thou doest euermore gouerne thy people Thus yee see that being stayed in our Lorde Iesus Christ wee may bee assured that GOD will neuer faile vs. Seeing it is so let vs returne vnto him and pray him to defende and delyuer vs from all euill The way then for vs to bee sure of our life is that although wee see nothing but continuall warre yet wee must inforce our selues to fight and perseuere vntill we haue obtained the victorie and if hee take vs away to himselfe hee will then bee the keeper of our soules He will guide vs in this present life so as both day and night wee shall feele his grace When the euening commeth albeit that the night doe bring neuer so much feare with it yet shall we be in safetie Why so For God is that while our fortresse and we shall not be forsaken of him Therefore let vs tarâe vntill the morning Thus doe wee euer more referre our life vnto him And although we be not senselesse yet shall we haue continually whereupon to stay vs when wee see our owne infirmitie As for example when a man perceiueth that hee is not able to stande but his legges quake and folâer vnder him hee either leaneth to some thing or sitteth downe in a chaire or else stayeth himselfe vpon some staffe euen so is it with vs. For wee haue not the strength of Gyants wee bee not of such power as to be able to defie our enemies for wee see well that wee bee too too weake But in the meane while wee ceasse not to stay vppon God and that is our refuge Neither haue we this affiance for this present life onely but wee haue it also for the life to come insomuch that although our Lord doe put vs into the handes of our enemies yet will he not misse to be our sauiour euen in the middest of death Let vs not doubt but that he will safely conuey vs not onely from the morning to the euening and from the euening to the morning but also that euen in the middest of the darkenesse of death we shall alwayes be lightened with his goodnesse and hee will shewe vs that the life which hee hath promised to his people shall neuer faile Therefore doth Dauid vse this maner of speach Lorde saieth he thy staffe or else thy shepeherdes hooke He taketh the similitude of a sheepeherd that hath his staffe or his hooke Lorde saith hee so long as I see thy staffe before me Psal. 23.4 I am safe insomuch that if wee were to goe into the darkenesse of death yet being in that dark and yrksome dale yea euen in such sort as I might seeme to be cast into hell I woulde not ceasse to reioyce After this manner must we practise this doctrine Nowe lastly it is said that God will cary his people by the waie concerninge the which it was said Thou shalt neuer see it againe that they should bee caried in shippes and that being come into Egypt they should bee set to sale as slaues yet no body should buy them They should not be esteemed but as a people vtterly cast away and euery body shoulde disdaine them Now this was al one as if God should haue meant to cut them off saying Remember how I meruelously deliuered you out of the lande of Egypt when I made you to passe through the wildernesse and in like wise to goe through the red sea or the sea of Bulrushes which they call y e red sea but properly it is the sea of bulrushes because of the Bulrushes that growe in it for I caused that arme of the sea to shrinke back that you might passe on drie foote But nowe shall you returne thither in shippes you must passe againe that way yea albeit that I forbade you and inioyned you expresly that you should not goe that way any more yet shall you returne thither spite of your teeth In deede at the other time that you were in Egypt you sorowed for the oppression which you suffred and I tooke pitie of you and tooke you out of it But as this time when you shall require any bodie to buy you to bee their slaues and to yeelde your life to the most miseries that may bee you shall haue no buyer at all As if hee had saide Seeing you haue despised the deliuerance that was wrought for you and haue forgotten such a benefite it shal be well knowen that you bee an vnhappie and a cursed people and that I haue forsaken and refused you vtterly This threat coulde not bee but exceeding terrible to the Iewes And when the Prophetes expounded Moses wee see likewise howe the people gâashed their teeth against them Howbeit no whit were they meekened thereby but rather they doubled their coufusion insomuch that it was alwayes cast in their teeth that their iniquities proceeded to such extremitie as was intollerable It is saide that notwithstanding all the manaces of the Lawe were pronounced vnto them yet they regarded them not but helde on still and became so much the more hard-harted as though they had ment of set purpose to make warre against God Soothly it is a horrible thing and against nature that they which were the housholde of God the holy generation the children of Abraham and which from the beginning had beene trained vp in the doctrine of the lawe and had had the sayings alwayes laide before them which were written by Moses so as their eares were continually beaten therewith shoulde yet notwithstanding farâ neuer the better for it but still goe on from euill to worse Was not that a horrible thing Yes verily and yet wee see the like example Let vs make our benefite thereof and beware that we wax not so hardharted least wee be possessed of Sathan and forsaken of God so that whatsoeuer is tolde vs shewed vnto vs we be touched with no manner of feare but become like wilde bores which of their owne wilfulnesse doe cast themselues into death Let vs take heede that we prouoke not our God in that manner And moreouer whereas it is saide heere that God woulde bring this people whom he had redeemed into a double captiuitie and more reprochfull than was the first let vs repaire vnto that redemption which was once wrought by our Lorde Iesus Christ and that we may be partakers thereof let vs freely serue him which purchased vs so deerely And seeing that our God hath redeemed vs in the person of his sonne to such a state that now we be franke and free from the bondes of sinne and Sathan let vs hencefoorth feare him and serue him all the dayes of our life according as Zacharie speaketh in his song Luk. â 75 recited by Sainct Luke Seeing
anie wise replie against it nor bring thither anie one droppe of our owne wisedome to say I think it not meete to what purpose is this spoken But let vs without gaynesaying receiue all that euer our Lord declareth vnto vs. Thus much for one point And moreouer let vs so sticke to him as our faith be not tossed to and fro When wee see diuersitie of opinions and that to aduaunce themselues men doe through ambition vndertake great matters let not that carie vs away but let vs continue still resolued that there is none but GOD alone that will teach vs aright that hee hath doone it by his lawe and lastlie by the Gospell insomuch that our Lorde Iesus Christ is appointed by him to be our Teacher and we haue expresse commaundement to heare him This is my welbeloued sonne heare him Matt. 3.17 By the which point he doeth men to vnderstande that he will haue them to sticke vnto his doctrine and to be obedient to the same Moreouer it is saide That the law shall bee laide vp there far a Testimonie against the people of Israell It shoulde seeme at the first shewe that the law serueth but to condemne men but I haue alreadie declared yesterday that it is saide so as in respect of folkes frowardnesse which will not be taught but by compulsion True it is that this hardenesse is to bee founde in all men for by nature wee are hardlie brought in order we bee combersome the wilde beastes doe not easilie become gentle noâ suffer themselues to bee tamed at our hands but yet there is not so wild a beast to bee founde in the worlde as euerie man is vntill our Lorde haue subdued the stubbornesse that is in vs and giuen vs the Spirite of meekenesse and therefore our Lorde is faine to speake vnto vs and as it were to enter an action to reprooue vs. In respect whereof it is saide Iohn 16.8 that the spirite shall iudge the worlde There our Lorde Iesus Christ treateth of the Gospell and sheweth to what ende it shall be preached I will saith hee sende foorth my doctrine and to what ende To iudge the world Yea but the Gospell is a message of grace and fatherly louing kindnesse God doth heere offer vnto vs his heart and telleth vs that hee requireth nothing but to bring vs to saluation and wherefore then speaketh hee of condemnation It is impossible for him to bring vs to saluation vnlesse we bee first condemned Therefore it behooueth vs at the first entrie to be inforced to submit our selues vnto God for vntill he hath made that chaunge in vs wee will neuer yeelde to bee gouerned by him Yet notwithstanding our Lorde so worketh in his elect y t after he hath humbled them they suffer themselues to be led without any more resistance insomuch y t their whole pleasure and ioy is to bee subiect to God and to frame themselues altogether after his will The others be so rebellious that our Lord is faine to vse continuall roughnesse and sharpnes against them True it is that euen the faithful haue alwayes in them some kind of striuing so as they bee neuer so throughly reformed but that there is euer some replying Yet notwithstanding as manie as are gouerned by the Spirite of God as all his children bee shall cheefely haue their whole desire and affection to bee altogether subiect vnto God and to doe nothing vppon their owne heade or after their owne liking As for the others which be not reformed it is requisite that God shoulde alwaies stande in lawe against them and vse rigour to their condemnation For this cause it is saide here that the booke of the lawe shoulde bee a witnesse against the people Moses meaneth not but there shoulde bee some that should profite by the law so as the doctrine thereof should not be a warrant vnto them of Gods goodnesse to guide theÌ to the hope of euerlasting life but he treateth here of the greatest sort which was wicked and froward And y e scripture vseth such a maner of speech when a people is for the most part wicked saying All of you Although our Lorde knowe his owne people and separateth them from the rest yet forbeareth he not to say Youâ as though hee spake generally without exception Let vs marke then that the lawe was laid vp for a Testimonie against the people not because it doeth not conteine a witnesse of the loue of God for mens welfare but because of y e peoples malice who could not finde in their heartes to fare the better thereby but turned the light into darkenesse and conuerted their breade and meate into poison and altered life into death Also we ought to thinke vppon this which Paul speaketh namely that the lawe is a minister of death 2. Cor. 3.7 but he speaketh there but of y e commandements whereas here Moses comprehendeth all the couenaunt that God had made euen the couenant of the Gospel concerning the which we haue seene herebefore how Saint Paul saide Deut. 30. â Rom. 1âââ that the same perteineth not to the lawe namelie The word is in thy mouth and in thy heart Also I haue tolde you and wee haue had sufficient proofe therof that Moses was not onely a minister of the law but also did set forth the free promises of saluatioÌ which were grounded in our Lord Iesus Christ. And now he doth briefely comprehende all that in a summe Neuertheles he forbeareth not to say that the lawe shall be a witnesse against the people And why As I saide afore it commeth not of the nature of the lawe that is to say of the doctrine but of y e malice of that people which could not abide that God should be their father and Sauiour Now then the thing which is here protested of the lawe perteyneth to the Gospel to witte that when the Gospell is preached if wee accept the message which is offered vnto vs wee haue GOD for our father we bee assured of his free adoption and we may freely cal vpon him in the name of our Lord Iesus Christ. Thus ye see howe wee ought to be rauished with ioy when God sheweth himselfe so good and gratious towardes vs. Neuerthelater if we despise so great a benefite or abuse it as the hypocrites do or if we be skorners of God or loose liuers or if we be so wedded to this present worlde that the heauenly inheritance seemeth nothing vnto vs God wil holde skorne of vs also and moreouer there shal not one onely word be spoken which shal not ask vengeance against vs at the last day God will haue infinite witnesses Looke how manie sermons haue beene made looke howe manie lectures haue beene reade and looke howe manie bookes haue beene printed and they shal al be witnesses to condemme vs as guiltie and to make vs inexcusable before God Although then y t this ceremonie of hauing a booke laid vp as it were in the presence
their paunches well ynough but they can no skill to lift vp their heades to heauen to honor him that findeth and maintaineth them so wealthily their groynes mussels are euer grubbing downewarde to their feeding Therefore let vs not resemble them If God giue vs wealth let vs not pamper or pranck vp our selues but rather let it bee as a spurre to quicken vs vp to come vnto him the nearer that hee approcheth vnto vs and the more that hee maketh vs to feele his goodnes the more wholly let vs yeeld our selues thereto That is the thing which we be taught in this text Now whereas Moses saith Hee forsooke the God which made him and skorned the strong God of his welfare thereby hee sheweth vs after what manner we abuse Gods benefites namely by shrinking away from him whereas he would haue vs to bee brought neerer to him For as I saide afore all the commodities which God giueth vs in this world ought to be as ladders whereby to climbe vp to him And if we be wedded to the earth it is the way to make vs turne the benefits of our God to the cleane contrarie Therefore let vs take good heede that we prouoke him not to displeasure And whereas Moses saieth that it was God that created his people hee meaneth it not alonely as in respect that he is the maker of the world but as in respect that hee had chosen that people and had made as it were a newe worlde of them For Gods fetching of the children of Israel out of the lande of Egypt his feeding of them in the wildernes and his putting of them in possession of the land which he had promised vnto them were as a newe creating of them He had not onely made them men but also newe men So then the making that Moses speakes of here is not of the first making whereby the children of Israel were brought into the worlde but of Gods reforming of them to bee his children And it is the very same thing that is ment in the fourescore and fifteenth Psalm Psal. 95.7 Now then saith Moses will ye spite him which hath twice made you after that fashion What an vnthankfulnes were that The like condemnation lyeth vpon vs nowadayes if we walke not in the obedience of our God seeing he hath not onelie placed vs in the worlde but also called vs to the hope of the endlesse life reforming vs by his holy spirit and calling vs to the knowledge of the Gospell of our Lord Iesus Christ. Sith it is so let vs beware we forget it not or that we shrink not away from him in any wise Yea and let vs marke well the word that Moses vseth in saying that they mocked or skorned the strong God of their welfare The terme that hee vseth commeth of a foole or thing of nothing as if a man would say they befooled him or they louted him Whereby he aggrauateth the ouergreat skornefulnesse of that people in not honoring God as they ought to haue done Then if wee yeelde not God his due glorie and praise it is all one as if wee made no account of him or as if wee bleared out our tongues at him in way of mockage And that were too excessiue vnthankfulnesse or rather vntolerable trecherie Therfore let vs beware that we be not guiltie of such a crime as is the despising of him which is the strong holde of our welfare that is to say him vpon whom we stay without whom we can by no meanes continue which keepeth vs vnder his protection and to be short of whom we hold our life and all that belongeth thereunto Must we not needes be worse than brute beastes when we forget him Let vs vnderstand then that besides the other benefites which God bestoweth vpon vs we be also setled vpon his power so as he hath y e gouerning of vs and we be after such a sort in his tuition that we finde him alwayes the fortresse of our welfare to the intent that wee holding our selues to him may knowe also that hee is euer readie and forwarde to increase his gratious giftes and to multiplie them vntill hee haue brought vs to the full perfection of our saluation Nowe let vs fall downe before the maiestie of our good GOD with acknowledgment of our faults praying him to make vs feele them more and more and therewithall that hauing shewed himselfe so gratious towards vs hee suffer vs not to forget his benefits nor to abuse the sustenaÌce which hee giueth vs in this worlde but that wee may be drawen further by it namely to seeke the heauenly foode of our soules least they shoulde starue and that our whole stay and contentation may be in the doctrine which is dayly deliuered vs by the Gospel and in the grace of our Lorde Iesus Christ so as all his spirituall gifts may bee applied by vs to the glorifying of our good god that when his glorie shineth forth in this world we may perfectly be partakers thereof after wee bee rid of this mortall flesh and dispatched from the transitorie state of this earthly life That it may please him to graunt this grace not onely to vs but also to al people and Nations of the earth c. On Wednesday the iij. of Iune 1556. The CLXXXII Sermon which is the fifth vppon the two and thirtith Chapter 16 They haue prouoked him with their strange gods stirred him to displeasure with their abhominations 17 They haue offered sacrifice to Deuils and not vnto God to gods whom they haue not knowen to newe gods lately come vp whom your fathers feared not 18 Thou hast forgotten the strong God that begate thee and beene vnmindefull of the God that shaped thee 19 The Lorde sawe it and was sore grieued at it by reason of the prouocation of his sonnes and daughters HEere Moses declareth the vnthankfulnesse of the people in that they peruerted the seruice of God hauing the lawe whereby they were taught after what manner God woulde bee honored and being instructed at his hande that they ought to giue themselues wholly to him and not go seeke vnto ydols nor borrowe any thing of the heathen and Infidels But notwithstanding all this the people ceased not to take the bridle in their teeth and to mingle a sort of superstitions with the seruice of God Insomuch as it sufficed them not to haue God to their father but they woulde needes haue a number of other patrons as men terme them And this befell not onely when Moses wrate this song but also the holy ghost informed him of the things that were then to come vpon that people and this record was of necessitie to bee giuen thereof And so this song serued to shewe the transgressours of Gods lawe that they coulde not scape the hande of the heauenly Iudge seeing their sinnes were knowen so long aforehande For howe is it possible that God should forget the faultes that wee haue committed or howe is it
to cloke the matter as then for all that wee can alleage wil bee to no purpose Then is it a thrusting of GOD vnder our foote if after his shewing of him selfe vnto vs wee corrupt the purenesse of his woorde in chaunging the Religion which hee hath giuen vnto vs and in leauing the rule which it behooued vs to followe Nowe wee see the meaning of Moses And therefore seeing that God hath beene so gracious to vs as to reueale his will vnto vs and sheweth vs that hee is the liuing God let vs take heed that wee wauer not any more ne bee any more as reedes that yeeld to euery wynde ãâã 4.14 but that wee continue stedfast in the fayth wee haue receiued by his worde least it bee cast in our teeth that wee haue forgotten him with all the benefites which wee haue receiued at his hande And heere Moses setteth not downe singly the worde God but sayeth The God which begate thee the mightie one which shaped thee Here Moses telleth the people of Israell that they had good cause to holde him for their God if they had not quyte and cleane forgotten the gracious goodnesse which they had earst founde in him by experience And that is a thing well woorthie to bee weyed For it is Gods will not onely to bee knowen in his beeing or in his name but also to shewe himselfe to vs by his deedes so as wee haue true recordes of his power goodnesse mercie and iustice Seeing then that God hath so shewed himselfe to vs what is our vnthankfulnesse if wee knowe him not Is it not too shamefull Therefore wee must alwayes consider that God hath caused it to be declared vnto vs not onely that it is hee whome wee ought to feare and to whome wee ought to be subiect without any further proofe but also that therewithall it is hee that hath begotten vs. And this is to bee marked yet better of vs than it was of the men of olde time vnder the lawe For wee haue our Lorde Iesus Christ the onely sonne into whose bodie wee be graffed that we may become the sonnes of God Therefore the body of the tree and roote of our adoption is that wee bee made the brethren of our Lorde Iesus Christ. For beeing begotten of God wee bee nourished and sustayned by the doctrine of his Gospel Nowe if wee consider what wee were before namely the children of Adam and heires of euerlasting cursednesse and also if wee haue an eye to those whome God suffereth to runne into destruction it will yeelde the greater glory to the fauour which hee sheweth vs. Seeing then that God doeth nowe drawe vs to him to bee his owne and to bee of his housholde shall wee fling away from him Shall wee rather followe ydoles which wee are not acquainted with Wee see then as nowe that wheras Moses doeth so grieuously blame the children of Israell hee doeth it not without cause considering the experience which they had had of Gods goodnes power and iustice and yet that they had made no reckoning of it In respect whereof hee sayeth that God sawe it and was angrie at it euen because of the misbehauiour of his sonnes and daughters This sentence is a confirmation of my former saying For whereas the Iewes are termed the children of God it is not in way of honour but rather to shewe that they were guiltie of such vnfaithfulnesse as to forsake their God and to rebell against him and to woorke him such spyte as that they had leuer choose the deuil than him Thus yee see howe wee ought to ioyne these two thinges together namely that God is the mightie one which begate vs and of whom wee holde all thinges and therewithall that hee hath receiued vs and adopted vs to be his children But wee shall pay full deare for it if wee continue not in his obedience The thing then whereunto wee must come backe is that if God cannot beare with the wickednes of the world ne doeth forgiue the vnbeleeuers which haue sinned without the knowledge of his wil needes must wee bee dubble punished and needes must more horrible vengeance light vppon our heads who haue beene faithfully instructed to drawe nigh vnto him and taught that hee hath nourished vs in his lappe as his owne children and yet notwithstanding wee haue forsaken him Rom. 2.12 And that is Saint Paules meaning where hee sayeth that they which haue sinned without the lawe shall perish neuerthelesse for all that and that they which haue offended after warning giuen by knowledge of the lawe shall haue the sorer damnation accordingly also as our Lorde Iesus sayeth Luk. 12.48 that the seruant which hath done amisse though it were through vnskilfulnesse shall not fayle to bee punished for it because hee ought to haue inquyred his masters will If a seruaunt say I wist it not And knowest thou not that I am thy master Oughtest thou not to inquire my will But much more ought God to haue such preheminence ouer his creatures And if they that haue offended so through ignorance are not excused what shall become of vs which knowe the will of our GOD If wee fall to stryuing against him to spyte him as it were of set purpose and of prepensed malice and frowardnesse if wee fall to dashing at him with out hornes so as wee set our selues against his righteousnesse and transgresse his whole doctrine must not so greate and so diuelish headdinesse bee punished much more grieuously In that respect is it sayde heere that God was prouoked to anger with the transgression of his sonnes and daughters as who shoulde say True it is that God is greately offended throughout the whole worlde but hee had reserued a people to himselfe whome hee had gathered together for his owne inheritance and euen they are growen out of kynde and is not that a thing to moue Gods vengeance the more Nowe let vs apply this doctrine to our owne vse And sith wee see howe the wretched worlde is blynded nowe adayes let vs consider thus with our selues Well the Papistes shall not fayle to bee condemned And if wee condemne them can they scape the hande of GOD That is vnpossible But let vs first of all play the Iudges towardes ourselues and consider that GOD hauing called vs to bee his children will bee knowen to be our father and wil be serued worshipped at our hands And therfore whensoeuer we happen to ouershoote our selues and to giue ouer y e doctrine wherein we haue bin once trayned Gods wrath must needs be kindled against vs without coÌparisoÌ much more grieuously than against the silly ignorant and vnbeleeuing sort Seeing then that we be Gods children he hath set his markes vpon vs neuer ceasseth to allure vs by gentlenes let vs not turne away from him but let his so doing prouoke vs to honor him and to serue him in such wise as he may take pleasure in vs and delight
yea euen perfectly and in verie substaunce without any manner of shadowes or figures Seeing then that GOD hath fully reueiled himselfe to vs in our Lorde Iesus Christ and will haue his face to bee seene there surely we can not boast that we haue the true God vnlesse our Lorde Iesus Christ reigne among vs and be so honoured of vs that wee sticke throughly to him and rest wholely vppon him Nowe the Iewes denyed him and vtterly disclaymed him by meane whereof they prouoked GOD to iealozie and there remayneth nothing with them but folly and false imagination whereby they haue deceiued and beguiled themselues And therefore not without cause doeth Saint Paule alleadge this Text Rom. 10.19 saying Seeing that the Iewes haue prouoked Gods wrath by refusing to imbrace his onely sonne therefore hath he raysed vppe a people which was nothing afore And heere we see yet much better the thing which I tolde you afore namely that GOD vsed long sufferaunce towardes such as were worthy to haue beene thundered vpon out of hande for betweene the Lawe and our Lorde Iesus Christ there were about two thousande yeares And if wee recken the yeeres the Iewes began to meddle with the infections filthinesse of the heathen by setting vp of ydols by and by after y e death of Iosua Ye see then how God suffered aboue eighteene hundred yeeres to passe wayting still for some amendement Not that he dissembled with them for he chastised them to put them in minde of their faults And they returned vnto him But yet by and by after they fell away newe againe Insomuch that when they had acknowledged that those harmes befell them for their sinnes sakes and had giuen some token of repentaunce by and by or within a while after they fell to their olde byasse againe and God likewise fell to punishing them newe againe At the last came the captiuitie of Babylon which is described to haue beene so horrible and vnhappie that it banished them out of the Lande which hee had promised them for their inheritaunce and they were driuen out of their owne houses Neuerthelesse in the ende GOD pitied them and brought them home againe Notwithstanding they were no sooner come home into their natiue countrey and restored to libertie but by and by they became againe worse than before Therefore was GOD also faine to punish them with punishment vppon punishment euen to the vttermost Then came our Lorde Iesus Christ to remedie all their diseases in respect whereof he is iustly called euen the resurrection of the dead Iohn 11.25 For although the Iewes had then beene all scattered abroade yet would God haue gathered them home againe to him by the hande of his sonne if they hadde knowen the day of their visitation But they well bewray that they be wilfully bent against GOD and that there is nothing but bitternesse and venime yea and diuelish rage in them For it sufficed them not to haue skorned the grace which was offered vnto them and the redemption which they had pretended to haue longed for so greatly but they did also crucifie the Redeemer which was sent vnto them Forasmuch therefore as the Iewes did vtterly refuse all the grace of God the Gospell was published through the whole worlde But as I sayde we must marke well the long suffering which GOD vsed towardes them that it may keepe vs from sleeping in our sinnes For if wee abuse the goodnesse of our GOD when hee spareth vs and vseth not such vengeaunce as we haue deserued we shall be driuen to pay the arrearages Therefore let vs returne to him when hee threatneth vs. For it had beene much better for the Iewes to haue suffered temporall punishmentes than to haue beene so borne with and in the ende to haue had so horrible vengeaunce layde vppon them as we see befell to the Citie of Ierusalem For if we looke vpon the aduersities that fell vppon it wee shall not finde the like examples at any time since the beginning of the worlde that the men of that countrey and all other inhabiters were so afflicted They played the madde men one against another for their vittelles and the veryest cutthroates bare the chiefe sway They durst not go out of their citie to ease themselues because they were inclosed on euerie side and yet they were more cruelly handled within by theeues and rakehelles The ruffians were readie to cutte the throats of them that came once out of their doores Thinges were so farre out of order and so horribly put to hauocke that women were faine to kill their owne children for hunger and to eate them and it spited the father to see the mother steale her owne children to deuoure them into her owne bowelles Therefore let vs bethinke ourselues and when thinges are so farre out of square and wee perceiue it to be our Lordes will to giue vs such examples to the intent we should liue in awe and feare and yet notwithstanding that he giueth vs leasure to returne vnto him let vs goe vnto him yea and that with speede let vs not driue off froÌ day to day for feare least the gate be shut against vs. That is the thing which wee haue to beare in minde Nowe let vs proceede to that which Moses addeth namely That GOD did then rayse vppe a people which was no people and a Nation which was no Nation By these words we be doone to vnderstande that vntill such time as GOD hath chosen vs and drawen vs to the knowledge of his trueth it is all one as if we were not at all True it is that Gods setting of vs in this worlde is not a benefite to be despised neither doeth he set vs heere as Asses Oxen and Dogges but as reasonable creatures and he putteth his image into vs. Inestimable is the benefit which he doeth vs therein but yet for all that forasmuch as we be corrupted in Adam and all of vs are accursed insomuch that sinne doeth so reigne in vs that the Image of GOD is wiped out and the vnderstanding which we weene our selues to haue is but brutishnesse and our hearts are turned vpside downe so as there is nothing but rebelliousnesse in vs therefore it is sayde that wee bee not worthy to bee counted a people that is to say it were better for vs that wee were not at all Not that GOD is not glorified continually in his creatures but this is spoken in respect of vs. For we will needes glorifie ourselues and seeme great men for wee see howe men beleeue wonders of themselues and they be so blinde that they surmise this and that of themselues But let the children of this worlde esteeme of themselues what they lyst and aduaunce their owne glorie as much as they list yet doth GOD in one worde heere cut their combes saying that their beeing is as though they were not at all And it is not heere onely that the scripture vseth such speech for Saint Paul
choose to weepe waile as now that God may dry vp our teares wipe them away when the time shall bee come That is the second point The third is that wee must learne and take hart to rest vpon the promise that God will neuer forsake vs howsoeuer the world goe Insomuch that although we haue offended God neuer so many wayes yet he will euer be mercifull to vs. And why is that Because we be his people The very foundation whereupon we must build is that being adopted of God into the number of his children according to his purchasing of vs by our Lord Iesus Christ into whose body hee hath graffed vs and wee knowe that his pardoning of our sinnes is for that he hath washed and skoured vs in the bloud of his onely sonne wee alwayes haue recourse to this promise that our God will be fauorable to vs. True it is that now and then we shall be so at our wittes end that we shall not knowe what to say but yet must wee hope beyond hope that although God shew vs many tokens of his wrath and we bee assaulted on all sides so as we see no way to get out but we seeme rather to be shut vp in the very bottom of y e dungeons yet notwithstaÌding we haue this stay to leane vnto that God will be fauorable to his people and to his land And therefore let vs goe on stoutely still vntill God haue shewed vs by the deed it selfe the thing that he had promised in word as he declareth it here Now let vs cast our selues downe before the maiestie of our good God with acknowledgement of our faultes praying him to voutsafe to make vs feele them better so as we may bethink vs of them and indeuour to forsake ourselues that he may so raigne ouer vs as it may appeare that it is very he which gouerneth vs by his holy spirit and we may suffer our selues to bee so ruled by his hand as we neuer bee disquieted and put out of patience for all the afflictions and miseries of this world but that we may be more desirous to yeelde obedience vnto him than to inioy all the prosperitie ease and pleasure that the vnbeleeuers can haue which can serue them to no purpose but to their endlesse ouerthrowe and confusion And so let vs all fay Almightie God heauenly father c. On Thursday the xviii of Iune 1556. The CLXXXIX Sermon which is the twelfth vpon the two thirtith Chapter 44 Then went Moses and rehearsed all the words of this song in the eares of the people he and Hosea the sonne of Nun. 45 And when Moses had made an end of speaking all these wordes 46 He sayd vnto them set your mindes vpon all these wordes which I protest against you this day commaund you your children to keepe them and to do all the wordes of this lawe 47 For it is no vayne worde towards you but it is your life And by this word you shall prolong your dayes in the land whereinto yee goe ouer Iordan to possesse it I Haue told you heretofore how it was no very pleasant thing to the children of Israel to heare y e contentes of this song which I haue expounded For therein God accuseth them to haue bin vnthankfull to him from the beginning insomuch that whereas he had vttered all the treasures of his goodnes towardes them they had abused the same most wickedly and bin vnfaithfull to him and that not for once and away but by shewing themselues alwayes vnreformable Now this might well haue greeued them but yet was Moses faine to shewe them the will of God And so we see that they which are set in office to teach the people must not sooth them vp nor seeke to please them according to the saying of S. Paul that men shall haue itching eares 2. Tim. 4.3 desirous to bee fed with winde but they whom God hath placed in the office of Shepheardes must not bend themselues that way Although then we see men spiteful against Gods word and to conceiue an vtter mislyking of the thinges which we bee commaunded to declare vnto them yet must we follow our commission and discharge our selues faithfully of our dueties For although men lyke not to be reproued yet is it for their benefite neuerthelesse As for example a sicke person will perchance refuse a medicine but yet must he receiue it for it is for his health Lykewise although the people of Israell were stubborne yet notwithstanding they did patiently abide this doctrine which was rough and hard as we see And hereby wee be done to vnderstand that if we cannot abide that God should blame vs for our sinnes reproue vs sharply when we haue deserued it we be wors than those to whom God hath spoken heretofore Now God calleth them a cursed and froward generation and what shall then become of vs So then if wee be not plyable to submit our selues to God willingly at leastwise when we haue done amisse Or if he finde such frowardnes in vs that wee haue neede to bee handled roughly let vs beare it with all mieldenesse and meekenesse Thus much concerning that poynt where it is reported that Moses spake or vttered all the wordes of the song in the hearing of the people Now here is yet thus much more that therein wee may see howe God spake by the mouth of Moses For it had not bin possible for that doctrine to haue bin retained except the maiestie of God had matched with it Had a mortall man handled the people as Moses did vnauthorised from aboue surely it had bin the next way to haue raysed a great sedition against him Therefore it behooued God to shew that he had giuen power to Moses and that he held the people in awe And that serued to shewe that the Lawe was not coyned here beneath but that God was the very author thereof and therefore is to bee receiued with such reuerence as is due to thinges that proceede from him That is an other thing which wee haue to remember vppon this text Hauing rehearsed the song now he addeth an exhortation Set yee your mindes saith he vppon all the wordes of this Lawe Here he sheweth to what purpose and intent Gods will was to haue the sayd song published namely that the people might know their owne naughtinesse wherein they had continued a long time and be reclaymed from it and learne to mislyke of their stubbornnes and thereupon to meeken their hartes that they might liue in obedience to God And this belongeth vnto vs as whereof we may gather a generall rule which is that whensoeuer our Lorde entereth so into protestation pleading against vs discouering our vices and bewraying the corruption that is in vs it is to the end to drawe vs to repentance that knowing in what plight we be we should humble our selues and therewithall bee more ready to receiue the worde of God that whereas we were
bloude and also with his rising againe from the dead Seeing then that our Lord Iesus Christ hath blessed his disciples to the end we should know that his office is to do the same to vs and that his Church shall be blessed by his power euen to the worlds end and that he hath done it by ratifying it with his owne death and passion and by his rising againe to get vs victorie against the diuell to the intent that all the cursednesse which we take as it were by inheritance by reason of our father Adam shoulde be abolished seeing that our Lorde Iesus Christ hath so ratified all thinges let vs learne to magnifie the fatherlie goodnes of our God so much the more and seeing he hath told vs that we shal be blessed let vs be the better assured thereof by all these circumstances And because it behooued the people of olde time to knowe that Moses spake not in his owne person but by the authoritie of God he addeth God came from Synai his comming foorth was from Seir hee shewed himselfe vpon Mount Pharan Here Moses setteth Gods presence before the eyes of the people after the same maner that it had bin knowen vpon Mount Sinay at the time of the publishing of the law For he speaketh not of the Wonders which had beene wrought in Egypt neither speaketh he of y e Miracles that had bin wrought by the space of fortie yeares in the wildernes but his meaning is to bring them backe againe to the Law to make them stay and rest there For surely when the doctrine thereof slippeth from vs all Gods miracles will doe vs no good We may well muse vpon him but all shall be but confused imagination so as euerie of vs shal turne away to superstition and Idolatrie To be short it will be vnpossible to be truely vnited vnto God and to sticke vnto him stedfastlie otherwise than by the bonde of his worde so as wee be restreyned by his teaching of vs that we hearken to his talke And why For we be ful of lying and therefore it behoueth vs to receiue the trueth of him That is the cause why Moses saith nowe That God came from Sinay that he shewed himselfe vpon Mount Pharan and that for his people he came forth from Mount Seir. For mount Pharan and mount Seir were neere to mount Sinay Therefore hee meaneth one and the selfe same thing but yet it sernieth to imprint y t woonderfull comming foorth the better in the remembrance of the people to make them to thinke continualy after what maner God appeared vnto them and shewed them his maiestie visible Not that they sawe him in his being for that is vnpossible but that they sawe the signes and tokens whereby they knewe howe it was God that caused the lawe to bee set forth by Moses And indeed we cannot see God as he is but he sheweth himselfe to vs according to our abilitie and grossenesse Yet notwithstanding the people of Israell did easily perceiue at that time that God was there and that it was his will to haue the power of his glorie knowen And truelie we see howe the Prophets made their benefite of this text of Moses For when they sawe the people variable and starting too and fro so as they were not sufficiently setled in the true religion they did euer put them in minde of those signes and wonders which were wrought at the publishing of the lawe And the Prophet Abacucke doeth in his song expressely borrowe these wordes of Moses Abac. 3 3â For he saith that God came from mount Theman and appeared vppon mount Pharan No doubt but hee had respect to that which Moses saith here as though he shoulde haue spoken thus to the people which were then scattered asunder Yee wretched people why holde you not yourselues vnder the protectioÌ of your God seeing he hath once called you and shewed him selfe to bee your heade and woulde haue you to bee his bodie Ye haue seene him vppon mount Pharan that is to say vpon mount Sinay There his glorie shone forth in such wise as yee could not but know that he hath authorised the lawe and made a couenaunt with you to knit you vnto himselfe And why then shoulde yee now start away and become as members rent a sunder Nowe seeing that the Prophetes vsed this doctrine after that maner it ought well to serue to teach vs likewise nowadayes Therefore whereas it is said that God came from mount Sinay let vs vnderstand that seeing he hath approued and authorised his law by the visible signes and miracles which were seene at y t time we at this day ought to receiue the law with like reuerence as if god were before our eyes whensoeuer his word is preached vnto vs it is all one as if he opened his hart shewed vs his wil that there were mutuall and as they terme it interchaungeable communication betwixt vs. The end say I whereunto Gods word should serue vs is that he might common with vs and we with him yea and that so familiarlie as if hee came downe to vs because we cannot mount vp to him so as hee is faine to shewe that his comming foorth is for our sakes True it is that we shall not see the aire on fire wee shall not see the fire burning on the mountaine we shal not heare the thunder roaring nor the trumpets ringing in the aire but it must suffice vs that those things were once done to the intent that the lawe shoulde haue his authoritie euen to the worldes ende and that all the miracles which were seene at that time shoulde be ingraued in the lawe of God Againe it ought to suffice vs that God moued both heauen and earth at the publishing of the Gospell insomuch that as then his power was yet better vttered and moreouer his maiestie hath beene seene in the person of our Lorde Iesus Christ whereby hee was prooued to bee the onely son of God Seeing that all these things are knowen vnto vs let not our vnbeleefe keepe vs from receiuing his worde with feare and lowlinesse at this day which is so well warraÌted vnto vs. Thus yee see what we haue to gather vppon this text where it is said that God shewed himselfe from Mount Seir. And truely after the warninges of Moses did once beare sway the children of Israel did not then any more see the mountaines of Seir Theman and Sinay neither was it lawfull for them to returne into the wildernes but the remeÌbrance of those things ought to serue their turne for euer And sothly it was not enough for those which had seene those thinges to bee able to speake of them but it behooued the fathers to teach their children that they also might vnderstand that GOD had appeared vnto them and that by that meanes the law might alwayes bee ratified Sith it is so let vs vnderstande that wee also at this day ought to occupie our selues in
is more neere to vs than he was to his owne people 815. a 20.30.40.50 What we must learne seeing wee be the temples of God for him to dwell in 308. b 50. 290. a 20 How God dooth Dwell continually in vs. 336. b 40.50.60 337. a 10 Vppon what condition God will Dwell among vs. 815. b 50 Dwelling What wee haue to gather of Israels Dwelling safely alone by himselfe 1232. a 50.60 b all To haue some Dwelling or resting place to lodge in is one of the things that wee cheefely desire in this life and howe the faithfull be distressed in that case but yet not destitute of comfort 1007. all Of the Dwelling place of the souereign and euerlasting God that it is a sure abode and so forward 1230. a 30.40.50.60 Of such as are driueÌ out of their Dwelling and whence that plague lighteth vpon them 977. a 50.60 b 10.20 Of our Dwelling in heauen when why howe long since and by whom the same is prepared 1117. a 50.60 Of Gods dwelling in the bush and in heauen and what wee haue to note thereupon 1215. a b 50.60 E. Eagle God likened to an Eagle or henne and why 1121. b all Eagles Why in y e scripture there is often mention made of Eagles 1121. b 10 Eare. The Eare was the first cause of withdrawing man from God 132. a 10 Of boaring bondslanes through the Eare witn an anâe 5â1 a 50 â0 and â all The Eare must drawe vs againe vnto GOD as it withdrew vs from him 13â a 10 Eares The Eares of Adam which receâued the voice of Satan was it that banished him out of Gods kingdome 132 a 10 The meaning of these words Hee setteth it forth in their Eares 139 â 30.40.50 Earth The manner how the Earth was moystened in the beginning 957. b 20 What wee must doe when we manure and trim the earth 985. a 20 Why God vseth meanes to make the Earth fruitfull 958. a 10 Howe the earth through a secret inclination dooth obey God 1070. a 10 How the Earth looketh vp to heauen and after a sort openeth her mouth 957. b 50.60 In what respects the Earth is as it were vnhallowed 211. b 10 What we haue to learne when God calleth heauen and Earth to witnesse 147. b 40.50 148. a 20 Ease Nothing marreth men but Ease c. 28. b 10 Ouermuch Ease is the cause of wilfull stubbornenesse Reade the place 279. b 30 Into what lewdnesse men fall when they liue at their Ease 154 b 50. and 362. a all Whether such as are in welth and Ease can be Christians 616. b 40.50 Easterday Concerning the Easterday of the Iewes reade at large sermon 97. beginning at page 596. and so forwards Looke Paschall Lambe and Passeouer Eate What we haue to do to Godward when we Eate or drinke 558. a 10.20 Vntill when it was not lawfull for any man to come to the temple Eate of the sacrifices 512. a 60 b 10 It is not lawfull for vs to Eate or drinke without faith and what that meaneth 559. a 20 The meaning of these wordes that as well the cleane as the vncleane may Eate thereof 512. a 50.60 and so forward What we haue to note by these words that we must Eate in Gods presence 167. b 10.20.30 c. Eating Of Eating and drinking according to the blessing that God shall giue vs. 510. a al 511. a all What âleannesse wee must haue in our Eating and drinking 512. b 10.20 Notable doctrine vppon these wordes bâ that the people should refraine from Eating the bloud of beastes 515. a 60. b all Of the Eating of the sacrifices to what purpose they were and when men were to bee admitted to eate them 512. a 50.60 c. A difference must be put betweene the Lordes supper and our common Eating and drinking 512. b 30.40 Why Paul speaking of Eating drinking requireth faith 510. a 20.30.40 Of Defacing Gods image by vnmeasurable Eating drinking 511. a 40.50 Edomits The Edomits came of Esau the eldest sonne of Isaac 808. b 40 The Edomites might be receiued into the Church of God in the thirde generation and in what respects 809. a 10.20 The reason why God commanded the Iewes not to abhorre the Edomites 808. a 40.50.60 c. A newe curse pronounced vpon the Edomits after they were receiued into the Church of God and why 810. b 50.60.811 a 10.20.30 Education Parents charged with the good Education of their children 755. a 10 Touching good and euill Education or bringing vp Read page 745. a 60. and b 10.20 c. 746. a 10.20 c. Election Of the Election of ministers and what is to be considered therein 1245. b 10 20. c. Of the knowledge of our free Election and how the same should mooue vs. 1118. a 60. b 10 Of mans Election the cause grounde of the same 1118. a all The Election of the Iewes was for no cause in theÌselues but of gods meere mercie 1117. b all 313. b al. 314. all Of the mysterie of our Election and against such as barke and ball against the doctrine thereof 1044. b 30.40.50.60 1118. b 10.20 169 b 60. and 170. a 10. 1107. b 50.60 82. a 50 Of the generall Election of God wherby he putteth difference betweene Abrahams linage and all the rest of the worlde 439. a all b 10. c. and 315. a 40.50.60 b 40.50.60 880. a 10.20 Of a double Election of God wherein much notable doctrine is deliuered 439. a b al 440. a 10.20.30 316. b 20 Of the Election of God and whether the same be grounded vpon his foreknowledge 420. a 10.20.30 c. God will saue whom he listeth though his Election be without repentance 404. a 50.60 Certaine reprooued that referre our Election to Gods foreknowledge and that hee knewe wee shoulde haue some good disposition in vs. 314. b 40 50 Of the Election of Iacob and the reiection of Esau. 316. a 50.60 b 10. and 809. a 60. b 10 The sacramentes and worde of God are badges of his fatherly Election 316. b 60 The hauing of free Election or chooseing of officers abused 16. a 60. b 10 The true cause of our Election declared 166. b 10.20.30 Touching the doctrine of Election both generall and speciall Reade sermoÌ 53. beginning at page 315. a 40 Howe and by what meanes Gods Election is as it were defeated by vs. 317. a 30.40 Gods generall Election of the Iewes conditionall 317. a 10.20 and what we haue to gather thereof ibid. 30. Touching the Election of magistrates Iudges and officers Reade the 101. Sermon beginning at page 620. a 30 God in respect of himselfe knewe who belonged to his Election 168. a 40 Of a second Election of the Iewes more strict and speciall 315. b 40.50.60.316 a 10.20 Of Gods free Election and the proper cause from whence it springeth 377. b 10.20.30.40.50.60 and howe men
they will behaue themselues as they ought 655. b 20 Why the Kings of Israel were forbidden to gather great numbers of horses to returne againe into Aegypt 651. a 60 The Kings of Israel forbidden to hoord vp much golde and siluer 652. a 10 20. c. Howe the hearts of Kings are in the hand of God Read notable doctrine 477. b 10 Kings and princes haue a verie harde account to make 2. b 10. Look Gouernors Iudges Princes Kingdome Of the Kingdome of our Lorde Iesus Christ that it shall seeme to be abolished out of the worlde 1196. a b all and that it shal be stablished by miracle 1197. a 10.20 b all 1198. a 10 646. a 60. b 10.537 a all b 10. The Kingdome of Iuda had that title after a speciall and holie maner and how 644. b 50.60.645 a 10.20 What is meant by these wordes that wee must first seeke the Kingdome of God so foorth 122â a 30 With what difficultie impedimentes the Kingdome was established in the tribe of Iuda and what wee haue to learne hereof 1197. all Why the Kingdome was not established in the tribe of Ruben 1194. all but in the tribe of Iuda 1195. all 1196. a 30.40.50 Kingdomes What is the cause that wee see not Kingdomes altered daily 63. b 50.60 Kingdome of heauen What encounters we haue to make before wee can come to the Kingdome of heauen 12. a 10.20.30 The lande of Chanaan was but a figure thereof 27. a 20. We cannot perceiue that it is ours if wee beleeue our senses 28. b 20. It belonged not to vs c. 170. b 10. Wee haue greater cause to lift vp our harts to it than Abraham had 10. a 40. Moses an heire of it though hee were bereft of the outwarde signe thereof 50. b 60 The inconuenience that followeth vs if we haue not an eye vnto the Kingdome of heauen 36. b 10 Kinred How the Iewes were vexed of the Ammonites and Moabites their owne Kinred and what is thereof to be gathered for our learning 798. b all 799. all page 69. b 10.68 a 10.20.67 a 10 Howe euen in Gods matters wee preferre Kinred â before God and his church 801.2 all What degrees of Kinred may not couple in marriage 794. b 40.50.60.795 a 10. c. Out of what fountaine all Kinred doeth issue 540. a 50.60 In what respectes the wicked can finde themselues to bee in Kinred 62. b 40.50 What wee haue to learne in that God alledgeth Kinred 62. b 10 The common Kinred of all men in generall what it is 62. a 30. c. The stocke and Kinred of our Lord Iesus Christ. 68. b 30 The chiefe stocke or Kinred of the Israelites was the tribe of Iuda 68. b 20. Looke Aliance Kinsfolkes Against excessiue moorning for our friends and Kinsfolkes 553. a and b all Kisse The meaning of these wordes Kisse the sonne c. 1137. b 10.20 Knowe The more we Knowe a wicked thing the more wee must eschewe it 1031 a all Why the Iewes are vnexcusable if they Knowe not God 165. b 50.60 and 166. a 10 Our negligence is partly the cause that wee Knowe not God 160. b 30.40.50 Wee must learne to Know nothing but that which wee receiue from aboue 112. a 40 To Knowe which is our true God is a continuall exercise for vs all our life long 171. b 30 Why the fathers did not Knowe God so familiarly as wee do 182. b 50 Howe wee may Knowe that the things which wee doe are acceptable vnto God 514. b 50 The meaning of these wordes Knowe thou that thy God is God 318. b 20 30.40 It is Gods pleasure wee should Knowe him and how 272. a 20 The meaning of these wordes Knowe thou in thy heart c. 356 a 40.50.60 b 10.20.30 Wee must Knowe God before wee can worship him Looke well vpon that doctrine 269. a 40.50 Wee may Knowe God generally euen by the order of nature Read lowe 357. a 10.20 Whether God doe not Knowe what wee be without triall 34â b 30.40.50.60 Knowing In Knowing God we must consider his maiestie and how 137. a 10 The welspring of all euill is the not Knowing what god we should serue read that place 471. b 40 Of our Knowing of God and what the same must bring with it 446. a 50.60 Knowledge From whence the Knowledge to serue God aright dooth spring 269. a 60 b 10 Of the true Knowledge of God Read the place it is noteworthie 160. b 30.40.50.60 161. a 10. b 30 The ende why God hath called vs to his Knowledge 150. a 30.40 b 10 The Knowledge of our God is the final end of all our perfection 147. b 60 The Knowledge of God is not a dead vneffectuall thing 171. b 40.50 To what ende our Knowledge of God must serue 298. b 30 The profite and commoditie redounding vnto vs by the Knowledge of God 136. b 10 What Knowledge of God wee ought to conceiue 284. b 50.60 That men must punish euill âeedes so soone as they come to Knowledge and howe the same is meant 633. a 20.30 How the worlde shifteth it selfe from taking any such Knowledge in the scripture as they ought to haue 1079. b 40.50.60 The fathers Knowledge of God ours compared 269. b 30.40.50.60 376. a 30.40 Of a necessarie kinde of Knowledge required in vs and of the vaine knowledge of man 1115. a 60. b all 486 a 20.30 What the true Knowledge of a mans owne selfe is 376. a 30.40 Of a slight Knowledge of God and a setled knowledge of him and the right vse of the same 184. b 10. 1020. a 10.20 Looke Vnderstanding L. Labour Of what thing men must be resolued though by Labour they get their liuing 280. a 40 Man was ordained to Labour euen before he had sinned 409. a 10.20 206. b 30. a 60 That men must Labour for their liuing and to whom the good successe of their labour is to be referred 570 b 30.40.50.60 What euerie man ought to think with himselfe since hee is created to Labour 878. a 30 b all Of the Labour of the poore and that it is to them as lands and liuing to the rich 860. a 10.20.30 A forme of calling vpon God when we applie our selues to any kind of Labour 959. a 20.30.40 958. b 60 A great difference betweene handie Labour and that which the faithfull do in endeuouring to doe well 959 b. 30 How Gods blessing and mens Labour go together 959. a 40.50 What care wee ought to haue ouer them that Labour and take paines for vs be they beastes or men 770 a. all The Labour that men take nowe is a chasticement for sinne 206. a 60 The six dayes Labour is not set downe as a commandement but as a grant c. 207. a 10. Looke Worke. Labours Of Gods blessing of the workes Labours of mens hands Read notable doctrine page 570. b
papistes replication when they haue warning giuen them of their Superstition 521. b 30.40 What wrong he that goeth to the Superstitions of the papistes doth vnto himselfe 313. a 10. Of stepping aside to Superstitions after we haue once known gods truth 370. b 60. 371. a 10. 494. b 60.495 a 10 Superstitions of the Papists the heathen about the dead 561. b 10.20 The meane and way wherewith wee may be armed against all Superstitions 146. b 50. The cause why Superstitions reigne so much at this day in poperie 140. a 40. What we haue to learne if SuperstitioÌs be neere vs and we driuen to behold the markes of them c. 178. a 10.20 The roote whence all the Superstitions in the world haue sprong 455. b 30.471 b 50.60.472 a 10.20 The beastlines of Idolaters in their Superstitions noted 444. b 40. Looke Deuotions Supererogation A supposed speech of the papistes implying works of Supererogation 325 a 60. b 10. Looke Merites and Workes Supper of the Lorde How the papistes storme when wee say that the Lordes Supper is to be ministred according to his owne institution 544. b 20.30 How the primitiue church prouided tooke order for the due ministration of the Lords Supper 838. a 30 A question touching the Lords Supper why wee come together to receiue a bit of bread and a draught of wine 299. a 30 How the papists haue changed y e Lords Supper into a charme 1056. a 30.40.50.505 b all What is signified vnto vs by the visible signes of the Lordes Supper 1081. a 50.336 b 10.607 a 10.629 a all 505. b all Whether the bread and wine in the Lords Supper can quickeÌ our soules and what record wee haue by them 1244 b 60.1245 a 10 The Supper of the Lord is to vs at this day the same that the Paschal lamb was to the people of the Iewes 600. b 50.60 Why and for what cause the sonne of God left vs his Supper 605. a 40.50 Who are to be admitted to the Lordes Supper and who not 607. a 20 30 600. b 50 After what sort wee must bee rauished when wee come to the Lords Supper 512. b 40.513 a 10.607 a 20 The greatest warrant of Christes presence among vs is in his holie Supper 498. a 10 In what respectes the Lordes Supper might seeme but a contemptible thing and how it is verie effectuall 894. a 40.50 Against the priuate receiuing of the Lords Supper and in what respect 920. a 20.30 Looke Sacrament Supremacie Of the vsurped Supremacie of the sea of Rome 498. b 60.499 a 10 Vnder pretence of what text the Pope taketh his vsurped Supremacie 640 b 10.20.641 a 10.20 Sustenance Against certeine esteemed doctours which haue helde opinion that it is not meete for Christians to pray to God for bodily Sustenance c. 350 b 50 60 Touching bodily Sustenance froÌ Gods hand and what we haue to consider therein Read page 1233. a 50.60 b all This concerneth both rich and poore 350. b all What the Sustenance of our soules is 355. a 10.20.30 Our Sustenance is from God as the Iewes food was though the meanes differ 351. a 50.60 and b 10.20 After what sort the taking of our bodily Sustenance must be 499. b 60.500 a 10 What the worde whereby Moses saith we haue our Sustenance betokeneth 354. b 30.40.50.60 355. a 10 Sute in lawe Why God woulde not haue all cases of strife or sute come to Ierusalem 638. b 50.60 Sute in lawe and friendship doe neuer match together 711. a 20 Of the Sute of a stranger in court of iustice and how the same is delaid 863. a 30.40 Sutes in lawe Necessarie doctrine for such to marke as haue Sutes in lawe and how they ought to bee affected in persecuting them 874. a all Delayes in Sutes of lawe and who bee sorie that euer they attempted sute though their case bee good 737. b 50.60 The common course of dealing in law Sutes noted and complained of 873. a all Against the delaying of definitiue sentence in Sutes of lawe 873. a 60. b 10 Sweare Why God doth sweare seeing his bare word and promise should suffice 378 a 60. b 10.1167 b all 158. b 10.20.195 b 30 What wee haue to note in that God doth Sweare by himselfe 1168. a 30 40.1167 b all Of such as Sweare by the names of creatures 286. a 40.50.195 b 30 What things wee must beare in minde whensoeuer we sweare 287. a 40.50 Notable doctrine vppon these wordes Thou shalt sweare by the name of God 284. b 30. all 285. a b all 286. all 279. b 50 It is not lawful for vs to Sweare in al cases though we say the truth 285. b 30.40.50 Why they that Sweare do take their oth by the name of God 284. b 30 It is a curssed superstition to Sweare by the name of an idol 286. a 10 To Sweare by the name of God is a kinde of confessing our faith 284. b 30.194 b 10 The meaning of Ieremie in these wordes The shepheards which haue the charge of leading Gods people must teach theÌ to Sweare by y e name of God 195. b 40 Such as Sweare by their faith Read the place 196. a 40 They crucifie Christ againe c. that Sweare by his woundes his bloud c. 196. b 10 Of such as Sweare vnaduisedly and to no purpose 195. a 10 Considerations for our selues in that God doeth Sweare with an othe for our sakes 9. a all Looke Oth. Swearing Of Swearing by the Virgin Marie and howe sore they offende that vse it 286. a 50.60 b 10 Why and for what cause our Swearing by Gods name is 285. b 60 Of Swearing by the names of kings princes vsed among the heathen 286. a 20 The Swearing of the heathen by their idols wherof it was a token 286. a 10 God is wounded by Swearing Read the place the prophet Zacharie saith so 198. a 10.20 Howe men might soone forget their Swearing 197. b 40 The fondnes of such as thinke themselues blamelesse if in Swearing they expresse not the name of God 195. b 50.60 In Swearing by God wee doe homage vnto God 194. b 30. Looke Name Othes Sworde The vse of the Sword and why Kings princes and magistrates bee armed therewith 492. b 50.60.493 a 10.693 a 10.692 b all The danger that such as hold y e Sword of iustice are in if they wink at mens misbehauiour 550. b 20.30 Of Gods Sworde and that the same is not material 1168. a 60. What then b 10.20 How it is meant that God draweth his Sworde and wil sharpen the edge thereof 1168. a 60. b 10.20 Of the materiall Sword and to whome the same doth appertaine not appertaine 730. b 50.60 Christ vsed not the material Sword to aduaunce his doctrine withall 537. b 50 Of the spirituall Sworde and wherein the vse of the same consisteth 537. a 30.40 Synagog No church in poperie at al but an hellish Synagog
husband but also to the liuing God For it is he to whom she bindeth her selfe like as he hath ordeined wedlock and is the author thereof so will hee haue a care for the maintaining therof Therfore wheÌ we heare the word Aduowtrie we ought to lothe it as an expresse defying of God by wilfull breaking of the holy bond which he hath set in mariage like mad beastes And hereby we see in what estimation he hath honestie Why so When hee will haue vs sober chaste and modest he sayth If ye be not honest and well stayed yee bee no better than Aduowterers That is to say whatsoeuer excuse ye pretend before men and make ye your faults neuer so small and light I hate ye for yee stinke your whole life is infected in my sight We see theÌ as I sayde afore that here is a strait commaundement to keepe our selues honest chaste And hereby it appeareth how fond their excuse is which say they do no man wrong wheÌ they be full of disorder and vnrulinesse For our Lord knoweth well enough to what end he vsed such speach It was not for y t he was toungtied wist not how to vtter things in order but because he intended to shew that if men made but a smal matter of wantonnesse and vnchastitie there is another balance for theÌ to be tryed by namely that he condemneth accurseth all those for aduouterers which behaue theÌselues vnhonestly or vnchastely Therefore we haue so much the more neede to wey well y e words y t are set downe here where he sayth Thou shalt not be an Aduowterer But yet herewithall we must follow the degrees y t are conteined vnder this coÌmandement First as I sayd afore let vs vnderstand y t God will haue wedlocke to be kept holy For as our persons liues are deere vnto him so will hee haue y t faith and troth that is plighted betweene man wife to be mainteined in their price and estimation that so holy a thing as mariage be not giuen vp to shame reproch This ought to bring to passe that no man should looke vpon his neighbors wise with vnchaste eye And why For God hath matched her to a husband already he wil haue her husband to shadow her âen 20.16 And wheÌ we thinke any euill or feele any vnhonest lust he will haue vs to shun it for feare of that which is tolde vs namely that God himselfe taketh vengeance of them that breake the holy fellowship which was knit in his name ârou 2.17 In lyke case is it with women in respect of their husbandes so as a wife may not yeelde to wicked lustes when she beholdeth a maryed man Why so For God hath assigned her her make If we wil not make warre against our maker we must liue euery one in his own house w t such match as he hath y t order must be mainteined w tout breach because god is y t author of it That is one principal point But besides this we must alwayes come back to the nature of God remember that he is not an earthly lawemaker which forbiddeth but only the outward deede and in the meane while letteth the lewd affections alone 1. Sam. 16.7 for God will admit no eyeseruice neither is he lyke to vs. Men are contented if they perceiue no fault but God who searcheth mens heartes Ier. 5.3 respecteth the trueth as it is sayd in Ieremie Therefore hee in his lawe meant not to restreine our bodyes only but also had a speciall regarde to our soules So then let vs marke that God not onely forbiddeth the act so as wedlocke be not broken by any actuall deede but also hee forbiddeth all wicked lustes and lykinges And therefore doth our Lord Iesus Chist say Matt. 5.28 that he which looketh vpon another mans wife with a wicked eye is an Aduowter already before God Though he cannot be blamed by the lawes of men nor punished as an aduowterer yet is hee condemned already before God as hauing transgressed this commaundement Therefore when we heare this word Aduowtrie which is so greatly condeÌned let vs learne not onely to absteine from all whoredome as touching the actuall deede but also to keepe our thoughts and conceits chaste so as we be vndefiled both of eye and heart For after that maner doth S. Paul define true chastitie 1. Cor. 7.34 when he saith that such as are vnmaried ought to haue a care how to please GOD by keeping themselues pure and cleane both in bodie and minde He saith not that those continue chast which haue not defiled their bodies with whoredome but which haue indeuored to keepe themselues vndefiled both in body and minde And when we haue thus considered how God curseth and abhorreth all aduowtries wee must proceede further and reache out and apply the same to all maner of whoredome True it is that he which breaketh the faith of wedlocke committeth a dubble offence and it is much more haynous as I haue sayd already But yet must we alwayes come backe to this poynt that Gods meaning is that men shal not only not commit any thing against mariage but also that they shall not leade a beastely lyfe so as whoredome may haue full scope and vnmaryed folke runne loose to giue ouer themselues to lewdenesse with euery one whom they meete with lyke bruâe beastes but that we shoulde be pure and cleane both in body and minde For it is sayd that not onely our soules 1. Cor. 6.19 but also our bodies are the temples of the holy Ghost as was declared euen now Note that he speaketh this because y t day at the SermoÌ a mariage was solemnised And they be Saint Paules owne wordes where he telleth the Corinthians that it was too too much to their reproche and shame to suffer fornication and whoredome among them as they did Knowe ye not sayth he that your bodyes are the temples of the holy Ghoste Beholde God hath done vs the honor to choose these wretched bodies of ours which not onely are fraile vessels but also rotten carcases and earth GOD I say notwithstanding this hath so inhonored them as to vouchsafe to make them the temples of his holy spirit that he may dwell there shall we goe welter them in all filthinesse and make hoggescotes or swines styes of them What a treacherie is that Again that is not all 1. Cor. 6.13 Let vs haue an eye whereunto S. Paule leadeth vs. Our bodies are members of Iesus Christ therefore if a man giue ouer his body to whoredom it is all one as if he tore Christs body asunder For it is certeine that wee cannot mingle Gods sonne the fountaine of all cleanesse with our filth and lothsomnesse Now then if a man cast himselfe into whoredome it is as much as a rending of the body of our Lorde Iesus Christ in peeces as much as in vs lyeth Not that
wee can doe it in deede for the sonne of God is not subiect to vs to be so dishonored at our handes but yet are wee guiltie of such trayterousnesse forasmuch as wee would haue committed such iniurie against him Now then let vs learne that God wil haue euery of vs not only to keepe our faith and troth in mariage for his own parte but also generally to bee chaste to walke in purenesse of lyfe and not to giue our selues the bridle to any vncleanenesse or dishonestie And why The reasons that I haue alledged ought much to moue vs thereunto And therefore looke what hath bin sayd already concerning aduowtrie let vs apply it lykewise to this present case Namely that we hold al our senses in awe with such stayednesse as the diuell may alwayes bee driuen backe when he tempteth vs to any vnchastnesse and not get any enterance into vs. Pâticles There was a certeine heathen man that coulde wel skil to say that it was not enough for a maÌ to haue stay of his hands that is to say that hee coulde refraine from rauine outrage and doing of wrong but also that he ought to haue stay of his eyes that is to say that hee ought not to caste any vnchaste looke If the blinde and ignorant wretches were able to teach vs thus much what shall become of vs when it is tolde vs as I sayd afore that God hath done vs so much honour as to repayre for himselfe not onely our soules but also our bodies notwithstanding that they be corruptible and that as wee see there is nothing but rottennesse in them Seeing then that God taketh them for his owne and voutsafeth to dwell in them ought we not to learne to liue warely that no vncleanenesse or filthinesse bee committed that may driue God away from vs when as he would haue vs to be his dwelling place and holy temple Yea and we must call to minde how S. Paule sayth 1. Cor. 6.18 that all other sinnes are committed outwardly of mans body but whoredome is committed in the body it selfe For it is right certeine that wee defile our handes by robberie and stealth as is auowed in the holy scripture insomuch that when we do any man wrong we haue bloudy handes Esa. 1.15 59. â as sayth the prophet Esay But Saint Paule very well perceiuing whoredome to bee yet more shamefull and that men haue so much the more neede to beware of it telleth them that there remaineth some scarre thereof still printed in the bodie of the whoremonger so that his body is put to reproch by it Surely wee would be very chare of the preseruing of our honestie and it would greatly greeue vs y t it shoulde be steyned or blemished by any man why theÌ doe we make so light account of it as to steyne and imbrewe it with infamie before God before his Angels before men So then let vs beare this is minde and we shall be bridled Although wee finde such frailtie in our selues and the diuell doe continually tempt vs 1. Cor. ãâ¦ã yet must this serue vs as a bridle to pul vs back to the foresaid clearnesse not onely of body but also of minde Furthermore we must marke lykewise howe it is sayd Eph. 5. â that no man must deceiue himselfe through vaine words for by reasoÌ of such thinges Gods wrath commeth vpon the vnbeleeuers It is not now of late that men begin to flatter theÌselues and to beare themselues in hand that it is not so great and deadly a sin to commit whordome Nay wee see howe these scoffers doe skorne God terming whoredome a naturall sin and a matter of small importance There are some such filthie swine which speake after that fashion Now for that cause S. Paul sayth let no man deceiue you Such skoffes flewe abroad in the mouthes of the dispisers of God euen at that time and many were blinded with them after the maner of the world which is to be giuen to selfsoothing Let no man beguile yee with such lyes sayth S Paul Why so For whoredome is a detestable thing before God as he sheweth by the punishmentes which he hath sent for it Numb ãâ¦ã 1. Cor. ãâ¦ã as S. Paul noteth in y e tenth chapter of the first Eâpistles to y e Corinthians There he alledgeth this example that a great nuÌber of men were slayne for whoredome whereby it appeareth that God cannot abide it For y e lyfe of man is precious in Gods sight as was shewed yesterday they bee creatures fashioned after his own image Seeing then that a two or three and twentie thowsande men were so dispatched God destroyed such a number of his owne images that is to say of y t creatures y t he had made is it not to be sayd that there was a terrible fire of his vengeaÌce kindled Yes and wherefore Euen for whoredome Then let vs conclude that it is not for vs to deceiue our selues as though it were a light fault and easie to be pardoned seeing y t our Lord who is not ouer-rigorous did punish it so sore but rather let vs assure our selues that we must come to account for it before the heauenly Iudge WheÌ men haue pardoned vs neuer so much and we be of opinion that such maner of vncleanesse and filthines is but a sporte then must God set to his hand Therefore let vs haue an eye to him and to the examples that he giueth vs that we may continue vnder his feare and indeuer the earnestlyer to keepe our selues from all spottes And so ye see in effect how this seueth commaundement of the lawe is to be vnderstoode namely that we must not defile our selues with any vnchastitie or vnstayednesse Now if it behoue vs to keepe both our bodies and our soules vndefiled ought wee not also to eschewe the occasions y t may intise vs to whoredome Yes surely Let vs marke then that whosoeuer doe giue themselues to any loosenes doe seeke nothing else than to cast themselues into Satans snares And although they be not reproued for it to the worldward yet are they whoremaisters already before God Were this wel coÌsidered we should see no more of the wantonnes in apparel gesture and wordes that is commonly in the world which taketh too much libertie in that behalfe And when men and women attire themselues of purpose to intice one another and as it were to lay baytes of lewdnesse are not such doinges very trickes of baudrie In deede their excuse shal be as for me I haue committed no whoredom but yet they set themselues forth as a pray to Satan are willing to drawe others with them as much as they can Then are they kindes of whoredome before God and all the loosnesse and superfluitie that is vsed in apparell and attire is nothing else but a laying of snares for men Lykewise againe there are gestures and wordes When a man and a woman haunt one anothers
1.18 That no man euer saw God but the sonne who hath alwayes beene in the bosome of the father hath reuealed him vnto vs. The fathers of olde time had a knowledge as I said but that knowledge is esteemed as none at all in comparison of the knowledge which we haue now adayes by the Gospell Matt. 4.2 God sheweth himselfe more plainely vnto vs by the shining forth of the daysunne of righteousnesse And for the same cause the Prophet Esay treating of the redemption that was to bee perfourmed in the person of the sonne of God Esa. 25.9 saith expressely Behold this is he beholde this is our God The Prophet crieth out this is he this is our God He contenteth not himselfe to say behold our God but he speaketh as if the thing were present and as though God had appeared vnto him How so And was not God in y e mids of his people Exod. 25.8 Yes for he said I will dwel among you And againe This is my rest Sion is y e place where I will dwell Psal. 131.13.14 And afterward he protesteth that he will neuer depart thence and that the people is his temple and a royall Priesthood Why then doeth the Prophet Esay say Behold behold our God this is he this is he when our Lorde Iesus Christ was to come into the world Euen bicause God reuealed himselfe to vs in greater perfection Now then we be the lesse to be excused if we run gadding nowe adayes without holding of our selues to the pure trueth so as euerie of vs turneth away after his own dotages to say it seemeth so to mee this thinke I good Let vs assure our selues that all this is nothing worth but we must repaire to the certaintie that is brought vs by our Lord Iesus Christ. Neuerthelesse so farre off is the worlde from knowing this that it should seeme they bee all bent to spyte God and haue conspired to turne their backes vppon him and to shake off all subiection that they may haue libertie to continue in their disorders and to scape in the meane while vnespyed with their lewdnesse The Iewes are vnexcusable according as wee see howe the Prophetes vpbrayde them with their wilfull forsaking of God Es. 42.19.20 65.10.11 Esa. 55.11 so as they coulde not excuse themselues by saying y t they had not heard any thing as the poore Paynims might doe for God protesteth that he spake not in vaine And now adayes when God speaketh to vs with open mouth 2. Cor. 3.18 and wee haue him perfectly discouered vnto vs by the Gospell is it not too great a lewdnesse that men should runne astray after that fashion Were there euer any superstitions more grosse and more outragious than are to bee seene nowe adayes in the Popedome It is true that the Iewes medled with the superstitions of the Heathen and tooke much filth and vncleannesse of them but if all bee well searched it will bee founde that the Papists haue farre exceeded them For Gods word is as it were at this day buryed among them When they treate of fayth they fetch the points of it from mens inuentions and the holy scripture is in as much reuerence among them as if it were dead and that all thinges went to hauocke Loe at what poynt they bee And if a man speake to them of Gods seruice as I sayde they bee busie about their owne inuentions Yea verily myne intent is good say they and so they beare themselues in hand that God will suffer himselfe to bee dandled lyke a little babe and will neuer come to examine any whit of the doctrine of Poperie Againe if they speake of fayth exhort they men to resort to Gods free promises No but they chalendge all to themselues When they take in hand to treate of the office of Iesus Christ they ouerthrowe the vertue of his death and passion as much as they can When they treate of their saluation then step forth their owne free-will their merites and their satisfactions But contrariwise we should resort to the mere grace of the holy Ghost Ro. 7.17.18 acknowledging our selues to bee in bondage to sinne vntill God deliuer vs from it through his mercie And thereuppon it commeth that the holy Scripture calleth the forgiuenesse of sinnes our righteousnesse That is the point which wee must resort vnto Rom. 3. â2 23 â4 to know that when wee haue done amisse wee can bring none other amendes or payment for it than such as wee borrowe of the death and passion of our Lorde Iesus Christ. But there is not a word of all this in Poperie When God is to be prayed vnto they make their vagaries to their Heesaintes and Sheesaintes in the meane while Iesus Christ is not knowen to bee as he is neither is let alone with the office that is giuen him by God his father but they depose him lyke a sorte of theeues and traytours that seeke nothing else but to burie him againe and to make hauocke of all the glorie that was giuen him by God his Father After the same sort deale they also in all other things Wee see how the Sacramentes are defiled to the vttermost In stead of the Supper of our Lorde Iesus Christ they haue set vp that same hellish abhomination of the Masse wherein they say that Iesus Christ is sacrificed as though he had done nothing alreadie nor were appointed to be the onely euerlasting Priest by God his father Heb. 7 2â Wee see then that the Papists haue so dalyed with Gods word wherein he hath reuealed himselfe as it should seeme that they meant of set purpose to wype away the knowledge that is in the Gospell And therefore wee haue so much the more neede to marke well this saying That the Lord is God yea eâen the onely one God Nowe then as oft as this word God commeth to our minde let vs assure ourselues that it serueth to cut off all toyes that may come in our heades and all inuentions of men and all other things whereof we haue not warrant in the holy scriptures For God will haue vs to consider him in such wise as wee snarle not ourselues in the imaginations and errours of idolatrie And of a truth we cannot haue the true God except wee haue him alone that is to say without adding any companion vnto him For as soone as we fall to bringing in of vndergoddes we forsake the liuing God And why Bicause his will is to bee alone as he auoweth in another place by his Prophet Esay saying Esa. 41. ââ I am the liuing God saieth the Lord and I will not giue my glory to any other Againe we haue seene heretofore how he called himselfe a iealous God And why was that but to withdrawe vs from all corruptions 2. Cor. ââ as S. Paule affirmeth in the second to the Corinthians For as soone as we be turned aside from the simplicitie of Gods word it
right And if they deuour y e goods y t were apoiÌted to such as serue Gods Church they must be fain to yeelde an account of them in the ende For the world sees they be but idle bellies and idols and not onely that but also deadly enemies to Gods honor laboring to ouerthrow it to the vttermost of their power Now then all this geere must be cut off for y e nourishing mainteining of theÌ is all one as if men were minded to marre all the good seede that is in Gods Church True it is that where they vsurpe such tyrannie men may well hope that they shall yeeld a reckening for it before God and such as are held down in y t bondage may well sigh grone And although they knowe it to be an intollerable trecherie and extortion y t such exactions should be layde vpon them yet neuerthelesse they must bee faine to beare with theÌ But whensoeuer y e Church shall happen to bee well reformed and well ordered doutlesse those Cormorantes shall no longer deuour the substance of Gods people after that fashion but the things y t haue bin misused shal be brought home to their good holy vse again so as they shall serue to the nourishing mainteining of such as haue y e charge of the preaching of Gods word also to the releiuing and mainteining of the poore after y e maner of the priestes in the old law who as we know were bound ther vnto insomuch that their hauing of such portioÌ as I haue told you of before was for y e releeuing of the poore of such as were in penury And so ye see how we may profit ourselues by this text But by the way let vs come backe againe to y e things y t I haue alledged as wel out of y e prophet Esay as out of Zachary y t is to wit y t we in these daies are succeeded in the roome of the Leuites And sith it is so let vs marke y t although wee possesse inheritances of lands medowes and vineyardes in this world yet we must make light account of theÌ without being tied to them must put the thing in vre which Saint Paul speaketh of in the seuenth Chapter of the first epistle to the Corinthians 1. Cor. 7.30 y t is to wit that he which is rich be as if he possessed nothing And why For if wee haue not God for our heritage portion wo be to vs. And how may y t be but onely by being discharged of all earthly affections and cares Although God giue a man riches yet must he be as a sheepe meeke lowely to offer himselfe vnto God so as nothing may let or hinder him from following his vocation or from going on still towardes the heauenly life whereunto he is called Ye see then y t the thing which we haue to confider generally in our knowing y t God will haue y e ministers of his word and the shepherdes of his Church to be nourished and mainteined is y t we must likewise know y t all of vs are a royall priesthood in respect whereof he wil not haue vs to be so intangled with y e goods of this world that wee should not look vp to him but y t we should run apace through the world assuring our selues y t wee cannot be children of the kingdome of heauen vnlesse we be strangers here beneath 2. Cor. 5.6 Hebr. 11.16 Now after y t Moses hath told the sayd things he addeth yet one word more which is EueÌ vnto this day Wherby he meaneth y t Gods will was to haue those things obserued True it is that these things had not at y t time indured aboue fourtie yeares but yet doth Moses put y e people in mind of theÌ telling them y t that order must not be broken but continued still euen till the coÌming of y e redeemer In deede the priestes theÌselues were greatly out of order had marred all so as they had well deserued y t God should vndoe his couenant with theÌ bereaue them of y e prerogatiue that he had giuen vnto their father Leuie according to this text of the prophet Malachie which saith y t God made his couenant with Leuie Mal. 2. ââ but yet forasmuch as the Leuits had shrunk away not regarded the promise y t they had made vnto God they deserued to be cut off and God would curse all their blessings as if he should say wheÌ ye thinke ye haue made a great hand theÌ will God but blow vpon you by by it wil appeare y t all was but shame Yet notwithstanding y e priesthod was to coÌtinue still euen to the comming of our Lord Iesus Christ so it did Likwise let vs mark well nowadaies y t when things be out of frame in the Church so as all goes to hauocke y e mischief is in deed to be corrected but yet must not gods ordinaÌce be therfore disanulled so as we should let it alone not put it in execution vpoÌ misliking of the vices offences that haue set all in a broile but we must alwaies resort backe to Gods pure rule We see there haue bin no such deuils incarnate as those y t haue bosted theÌselues to be Prelats Bishops shepherdes Now if vpon misliking of such corruptions a maÌ would abolish all order in y e Church so as there should be no ministers nor any mo folke appointed to teach y e people what else were it thaÌ a horrible coÌfusion and a setting open of hell y t all things in the worlde might goe to hauocke But let vs keepe still this principle y t mens vices must bee corrected and gods coÌmandemeÌt therwithal obserued Thus ye see what Moses ment in saying y t Gods choosing of y e Leuits was not for a day or twain but to coÌtinue still that by that meane the Church might be mainteined On the otherside we know y t the death of our Lorde Iesus Christ shoulde not come vnto vs in these daies without y e preaching of the Gospell Therfore if we intend to feele y e redemption and soul health y t hath bin purchased for vs the same order must be mainteined still And howe greât store of vices soeuer ther be let Gods Church be clensed of theÌ let all stuÌbling blocks be remoued out of it let not men for all that cease to haue preachers of Gods worde ministers of his sacraments stil for otherwise it were the next way to cut y e Churches throte to bring all to vtter desolation For we know how S. Paul sayth y t Iesus Christ was giuen to be our peace and y t at his comming he preached it to them y t were neere hande and to them that were farre off Eph. âââ Saint Paul sheweth there how our Lord Iesus maketh the vertue of his death passioÌ auailable namely by coÌmanding the Gospel to be
preached vnto vs wherby we be don to vnderstand y t God hauing once offered himselfe vnto vs in the person of his son will continually still hold on to take and accept vs for his children and confirme the adoption which he hath made of vs euen vntil we come to the present inioying of the heritage which he hath promised vs. Moses hauing spoken so addeth for a finall conclusion that God had heard him and sayde vnto him Goe thy way and leade this people into the Lande that I promised to their fathers yea euen with an othe let them goe into it and take possession of it Here againe Moses sheweth the people that when they be come into the Lande of promise they must vnderstande y t that befalleth not to theÌ for their owne deseruings but through Gods great mercy yea and such mercy as ought to rauishe their wittes to wonder at it for they had refused all y e promises that had beene made vnto them So then it stoode this people in hand to be new reared set vp againe in their former state through a singular grace That is the intent of Moses whereof I haue treated more fully already and therfore it is ynough as now to touch it But yet let vs not forget to apply it to our vse which is y t it behoueth vs to vnderstande y t although God haue called vs to the beleefe of his Gospell yet so y t in respect of this present life we cease not to shrink away froÌ him wherby we were worthy to haue y e dore shut against vs to be taken as folk vtterly reiected vnlesse he receiue vs to mercie and y t not for once only but also in that he must double treble his mercy vpon vs in so many sins as we coÌmit against him Now theÌ before we can come to the inheritance of the kingdom of heauen God must bee faine to shewe vs many a time and often that we haue it not for any worthinesse of our owne nor for any purchase that we can make of it by our seruice to say that wee haue earned it but y t his making of vs to be his heires is of his own meere and freebestowed liberalitie for none other cause but that he hath vouchsafed to choose vs and to beare with vs and to pardon the infinite offences whereby we cease not to prouoke him in suchwise as he shold needes roote vs out if hee ment to vse rigor towards vs. Thus ye see how we should apply this lesson of Moses to our behoofe Moreouer it ought also to serue vs for a comfort that we be not discoraged when we haue offended our God euen after we haue knowen him and are fallen in traine of walking according to his worde For though we step a side for a time yet must not our so dooing make vs to despaire but wee must come backe againe assuring ourselues that if God herd Moses in the time of the figures of the Lawe he wil certainely heare him that maketh intercession for vs nowe that is to wit his owne onely sonne For our Lorde Iesus Christ was a priest not only to die once to purchase saluation for vs but also to inioy the same office euerlastingly as in respect of appearing in the sight of God his father ãâã 9.24 to obtaine forgiuenesse for the sinnes which we commit daily Let vs marke I say that if this grace was granted to the fathers vnder the Lawe surely wee shall not be disappointed of it as now Yet notwithstanding it is not ment hereby y t that should make vs the readier or bolder to offend but we must vnderstande that when we come before God wee must acknowledge the faultes y t we haue coÌmitted we must be sorie for our misdeeds we must beseeche God to bring vs home againe to him For as for those that hate not their sins they be so far of from obteining of fauour at Gods hand y t they do the more prouoke his wrath Contrariwise when we hate our sins God looketh no more vpon them but burieth them out of sight And this warneth vs y t when God coÌtinueth his mercie towardes vs reneweth the same daily and taketh vs into fauour againe after wee haue offended him his so doing is not to make vs the bolder to do euil as who wold say we haue made a good market at his hand let vs beware of such blasphemy but it must be applied wholly to the faultes y t are past Therefore when there is speaking of Gods mercy of y e forgiuenes of our sins in the holy scripture we must vnderstand y t God sendeth vs backe to the sinnes y t are past therwithall putteth vs in minde to beware afterward of the danger that we were in afore warning vs to pray him to gouerne vs with his holy spirit so as he suffer vs not to be led out of the way nor to fal to wilfull breaking of y e couenaÌt which ought to be kept vnuiolated as well on our part by our faithful obedience as it is on his part yea that with such constancie y t although we offend him daily yet he ceaseth not to continue stedfast still in his purpose And to be y e better assured of this doctrine let vs alwais haue recourse to this saying y t the Lande of Chanaan was as an earnest penny of the euerlasting inheritance to the fathers y t liued vnder the Law Heb. 11.13.14.16 1. Cor. 10.11 And so the thinges that are set downe in the holy scripture must be to vs as a lookingglasse or picture wherein to beholde the maner of Gods guiding of vs til we be come to the euerlasting life The people of Israell was choseÌ before they were born God shewed his fauour to them by the law moreouer he chastised them insomuch y t he listed not to put theÌ in possession of their promised heritage out of hande as in deede they were not wortie of it but yet for all y t they came into it at the last And so we perceiue that our Lord hath not delayed his receiuing of vs till we come vnto him but y t he hath preuented vs with his infinite goodnes insomuch y t he hath chosen vs before y e making of the world hath offered vs his grace confirmed it by the preaching of the Gospel Eph. 1.4 as well as the Law was published by the hand of Moses For our Lord Iesus Christ hath vouchsafed to be a faithful witnes of God his father of the loue y t he bringeth vs. And because he is not abiding any more here below with vs in his own person he hath appointed his ministers to whoÌ he hath giuen authoritie to preach in his name Luke 10 1â 24.27 therewithall hath giuen commaundement to all people to receiue them saying he that heareth you heareth me And he hath giuen them expresse charge to preach the